Last posts on mexico

How the Maya lived

2009-11-12T02:42:40+01:00

Murals found on a buried Mexican pyramid reveal how the average Maya lived about 1,350 years ago - shedding light on aspects of Maya society that are "virtually unknown."

Almost all of the artifacts associated with the ancient Maya civilization have to do with the ruling class and religious life: the secrets of the Maya's ritual blue paint, or their monumental religious panels, or the arrangement of their temples, or even their controversial calendar.

Whoops! Mexican mayor announces death of his arch nemesis... hours BEFORE his body was found

2009-11-05T03:18:42+01:00

A Mexican mayor has sparked fury by announcing the death of a notorious drugs baron - hours before the body was found and two days before it was identified. Speculation has arisen that Mauricio Fernandez may have had something to do with the killing after he made the slip while being sworn in as mayor of San Pedro Garza Garcia, one of Mexico's most exclusive areas. Speaking during his re-election ceremony, he announced: 'Black Saldana, who apparently is the one who was asking for my head, was found dead today in Mexico City.' The problem was that the barefoot, blindfolded corpse of 'Black Saldana', whose real first name is Hector, was not found for another four hours, according to Mexico City prosecutors. His body was also not identified for another two days. When questioned about whether he knew anything about his opponent's death, Mr Fernandez said: 'Sometimes there are coincidences in life. It's better to look at it this way.'

'Smart' speed bumps being developed in Mexico

2009-10-22T03:45:53+02:00

Yet concerns over the environment — and the utter annoyance of having to brake and accelerate frequently — have prompted one Mexican state government to embrace a "smart" speed bump that could make driving smoother, without sacrificing safety.

The device, being developed by Mexico-based Decano Industries, automatically lowers into the ground when drivers go the speed limit or slower. Drive too fast, and the bump stays up.

Cd. Juarez and El Paso... A Tale of Two Cities

2009-09-25T02:47:21+02:00

El Paso and Juárez have long been considered a single community, one divided by a borderline but united by everything else. Their economies depend on each other. They have the same culture and values. But the brutal drug war taking place in Juárez during the past 18 months, which has claimed more than 2,500 lives, is slowly dividing these two cities.

Residents in El Paso now advise one other not to go to Juárez. Many have stopped making trips to see friends and relatives. Others no longer cross to visit doctors and pharmacists. Wealthy residents of Juárez, fearful of the violence, have fled to El Paso; those who can't afford to do the same resent what they see as their neighbors' abandonment.

Ironically, El Paso is one of the safest American cities—and it now lies alongside the unsafest city in Mexico.

Plane hijacking at Mexico City airport

2009-09-10T00:56:00+02:00

Bolivian said 9/9/09 was satanic 666 upside down.

A Bolivian religious fanatic told police he hijacked a Mexican jetliner from the resort city of Cancun on Wednesday after receiving a divine revelation, Mexico's public safety secretary told reporters. Flores used a fake bomb to hijack the plane, Garcia Luna said, then ordered the pilot to circle over Mexico City seven times. He said he wanted to warn Mexican President Felipe Calderon of an impending earthquake. Police, who did not fire a single shot, led as many as eight handcuffed men away from the airplane, which was isolated at the end of a runway in an area designed for emergencies.

Police later said Flores acted alone and that the others were detained when it was still unclear who was involved.

Mexico beat it! New 'Thriller' record

2009-09-01T04:01:00+02:00

Thousands of Mexicans claimed they broke the record for most people dancing to "Thriller" simultaneously in one place on Saturday, which would have been Michael Jackson's 51st birthday. 12,937 people danced Saturday in front of Mexico City's Monument of the Revolution, led by a Michael Jackson impersonator wearing a red-and-gold sequined jacket.

The Jaguarundi

2009-06-22T05:27:36+02:00

Ever heard of the jaguarundi? Neither have we. Perhaps that's because this unique type of cat that lives along the Texas border with Mexico is endangered. Perhaps it's because nobody really cares. We're guessing it's a bit of both, but that doesn't mean every animal shouldn't have some human in their corner pulling for them. WildEarth Guardian, a non-profit environmental organization, recently waged war in the form of a lawsuit in Houston federal court against Ken Salazar, Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, demanding that he put a conservation and survival plan together for the animal. After all, the organization argues, the cat has been listed as endangered since 1976, plenty of time to create such a plan as required under the Endangered Species Act. Two types of the endangered species call south Texas their home, the Gulf Coast jaguarundi and the Sinaloan jaguarundi. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, they are larger than a domestic cat and have small ears, long, narrow bodies with short legs and flattened heads and tails. They generally look more like an otter or a weasel than a cat. WildEarth argues that humans are making it tough on the jaguarundi these days. Farmers are clearing away their habitat to make room for more vegetables and crops. Plus, says the organization, the border fence between the United States and Mexico is keeping the animal from crossing back and forth within its own natural environment, thus limiting their access to other jaguarundis to mate with.

People Who Gave Their Name To Food

2009-05-18T03:23:06+02:00

Caesar Cardini: It is a common mistake to believe that Caesar Salad is named for the Roman Emperor, but in fact it was named after Caesar Cardini, a Mexican restaurateur in Tijuana, Mexico. On the weekend of July 4th in 1924 Caesar served finger foods by placing garlic-scented leaves on platters. He eventually started shredding the leaves into smaller pieces and it evolved into a salad. The salad became famous when it was a big hit for Hollywood stars who visited Tijuana. Soon it was added to the menus of many famous restaurants such as Romanoff’s and Chasen’s.

More...

10 things you should know about H1N1 (swineflu)

2009-05-05T02:18:22+02:00

1. What is swine flu?
Swine flu is a type of influenza virus. Influenza viruses are named after the proteins on the outside which are recognized by the body, H and N. There are dozens of combinations of these two proteins, each one giving a different type of influenza virus. Swine flu virus is H1N1 influenza. The original swine flu virus was first isolated from a pig in 1930.

2. Can it hurt me?
Influenza viruses infect pigs (swine), birds, humans and a few other species. Most strains of influenza are quite restricted in the host they will infect but occasionally jump from one species to another. Swine flu infects pigs but is also capable of infecting humans.

Continue here...

Mexico closes schools nationwide

2009-04-27T19:55:28+02:00

Mexico's government is ordering closed schools nationwide as the suspected death toll from swine flu climbed to 149. Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova says only 20 of the deaths have been confirmed to be from swine flu and the government was awaiting tests results on the rest. He says 1,995 have been hospitalized with serious cases of pneumonia since the first case of swine flu was reported on April 13. The government does not yet know how many were swine flu. Of those hospitalized, 1,070 have already been released. Cordova says school at all levels nationwide are suspended until May 6. Schools had already been suspended in Mexico City and five of Mexico's 32 states. The school closer is part of the government's effort to stem the spread of a deadly strain of swine flu. Earlier Monday, the work week began with pleas to stay home if they have any symptoms of the virus believed to have sickened nearly 2,000. Officials already canceled hundreds of public events. But as the number of suspected cases and deaths rose again — and millions returning to work — they looked to other measures to control the outbreak.Labor Secretary Javier Lozano Alarcon said employers should isolate anyone showing up for work with fever, cough, sore throat or other signs of the flu. More...

Swine flu could spread globally

2009-04-25T21:43:00+02:00

Health officials prepare for swine flu 'pandemic'. CDC warns it may be too late to contain emerging virus. A new swine flu strain that has killed as many as 68 people and sickened more than 1,000 across Mexico has “pandemic potential,” the World Health Organization chief said Saturday, and it may be too late to contain the sudden outbreak.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stepped up surveillance across the United States. "We are worried," said the CDC's Dr. Anne Schuchat. “We don’t think we can contain the spread of this virus,” said Schuchat, Interim Deputy Director for Science and Public Health Program. Because cases have been detected in California, Texas and in several sites in Mexico, officials now must work to detect infections and reduce their severity, if possible. This swine flu and regular flu can have similar symptoms — mostly fever, cough and sore throat, though some of the U.S. victims who recovered also experienced vomiting and diarrhea. But unlike with regular flu, humans don’t have natural immunity to a virus that includes animal genes — and new vaccines can take months to bring into use.Across Mexico’s capital, residents reacted with fatalism and confusion, anger and mounting fear at the idea that their city may be ground zero for a global epidemic. Authorities urged people to stay home if they feel sick and to avoid shaking hands or kissing people on the cheeks.Mexico City has closed all of its schools and universities until further notice because of the virus, and on Saturday, the country's National Health Council said all soccer games would be played Saturday without public audiences and 80% of bars will remain closed for at least 10 days. more...

What's a nice girl like you doing with an arsenal like this?

2009-04-15T05:31:00+02:00

Police seize 20-year-old guarding vast weapons cache... including anti-aircraft gun. Smirking for the camera, this is the 20-year-old woman Mexican police caught guarding an extraordinary arsenal of weapons. Anahi Beltran Cabrera was seized during a routine patrol in Sonora state, near the U.S. border. Officers recovered a vast cache of weapons including an anti-aircraft gun capable of firing 800 shots per minute, a number of rifles and an array of ammunition. They believe the haul belongs to a group allegedly linked to the powerful Beltan Leyva drug cartel. Cabrera was paraded before the media - along with the weapons she was caught guarding.More...

Mexico City sets new world kissing record

2009-02-17T04:25:00+01:00

Mexico City puckered up to set a new record Saturday as nearly 40,000 people locked lips in the city center for the world's largest group kiss. Carlos Martinez of Guinness World Records verified the record of 39,897 people who entered the gated kissing area of the city's Zocalo main square on Valentine's Day, besting Weston-super-Mare, an English town that set the previous kissing record in 2007."We did it! Long live Mexico," said Mexican singer-actress Susana Zavaleta, who serenaded the crowd before the kiss with the classic Mexican ballad, "Besame Mucho," or "Kiss Me a Lot" — also the name of the event. The giant Zocalo, which can hold 100,000 people, was half-filled as mostly young couples embraced and held one another in a lip lock for 10 seconds.The kiss was delayed for several hours as organizers waited for people to gather.More...

Congress to Help Unify North America?

2006-12-05T00:10:00+01:00

"Congress open to passing bill on immigration," by Charles Hurt, Washington Times, 4 December 2006, http://www.washtimes.com/national/20061204-122448-1240r.htm.Though there are missteps, such as John Bolton losing his job, all in all I am glad that the Democrats have won control of the House. Their crazier ideas, such as giving Murtha or Hastings power, have come to naught, and all in all they have been a good influence. First it was the remasculinization of George Bush's Iraq rhetoric, and now:

Congress will approve an immigration bill that will grant citizenship rights to most of the 12 million to 20 million illegal aliens in the U.S. after Democrats take control next month, predict both sides on Capitol Hill. While Republicans have been largely splintered on the issue of immigration reform, Democrats have been fairly unified behind the principle that the illegals currently in the country should get citizenship rights without having to first leave the country. "Years of dawdling have worsened our border security and made it harder to fix this broken system," said Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, the Vermont Democrat who will lead the Judiciary Committee next year. "We should not let partisan politics and intolerance continue to delay and derail effective reform." Democrats in both chambers say they will start with some form of legislation first drafted by Sens. John McCain, Arizona Republican, and Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat, which was the basis for the bill that was approved earlier this year by the Senate.

This is great news, and will help unify North America. Mexican labor will flow to the United States, becoming American labor, while remittances sent back to Mexico will help tie together our economies.The alternative to a growing United States is joining dying Europe --- a land of low birth rates and low national hopes.That is not America's destiny.

Mexaphobia: An ”I Hate Linux” Special Report

2006-05-01T20:05:00+02:00

Brendan of I Hate Linux, who recently penned the editorial on the Fair Tax Revolution, returns to share his views on Mexican immigration. You already know mine.

Brendan is a Noted Fan of Mexican Immigration

Alright... I'm pissed again.As a rule of law sort of guy, I believe that for this great country to continue to exist the current law on the books needs to be enforced and I find it reprehensible that a group of people who have already shown complete disregard and their disrespect for the laws of this country have the balls to demand 'rights' in these anti-American protests that are occurring throughout the country today, but also to effectively engage in economic-terrorism in their attempts to shut down so many American cities.

Mexico Decriminalizes Marijuana. Good.

2006-04-29T05:45:00+02:00

"Mexico to Decriminalize Pot, Cocaine, and Heroin," by Noel Randewich, Reuters, 29 April 2006, http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-04-29T010531Z_01_N281836_RTRUKOC_0_UK-MEXICO-DRUGS.xml.President Fox, of the Mexican United States, isn't only repealing almost criminal laws that destroy families

Possessing marijuana, cocaine and even heroin will no longer be a crime in Mexico if they are in small amounts for personal use under new reforms passed by Congress that quickly drew U.S. criticism.The measure given final passage 53-26 by senators in a late night session on Thursday is aimed at letting police focus on their battle against major drug dealers, and President Vicente Fox is expected to sign it into law.

The Mexican United States: Lands of Freedom

He's also mimicking Chief Justice John Roberts.

A Border Runs Through It: A Strange Frontier in North America

2006-04-14T03:35:00+02:00

Federalism. Small government. Freedom. Wealth. The Constitution. Power. The benefits of admitting the 31 Mexican United States to our Union seem almost endless. But there's one more that must be mentioned: secure borders.

Defend America. Annex Mexico.

The Manifest Destiny of the American Nation

2006-04-12T19:40:00+02:00

Christ's words, "For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.," don't just help explain why his political revolution swept the Roman Empire. They also explain why, from the perspective of power, America must unite with Mexico.To expand the English language and empower the American Nation, admit the 31 Mexican United States to our Union. To expand the Spanish language and weaken the American Nation, keep the status quo. Or better yet, support an "enforcement only" immigration bill.

Annex Mexico

2006-04-11T18:35:00+02:00

"Annex Mexico?," by Glenn Reynolds, Glennreynolds.com, 10 April 2006, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12132529/#060410 (from Instapundit via Purpleslog, also at Riehl World View).It would make us more federalist. It would make us freer. It would make us richer. For all of these reasons, I have been calling for the United States to absorb the Mexican United States as the 51st to 81st states of our Union.Now Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit is too:

James Madison Wants Union with Mexico (to avoid becoming like France)

2006-04-05T20:55:00+02:00

"Federalist No. 10, or, The Same Subject Continued: The Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection," by "Publius" (James Madison), Daily Advertiser, 22 November 1787, http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Federalist_No._10."Back to Federalism," by David Gelernter, Weekly Standard, 10 April 2005, http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/012/062fkzaa.asp (from Bench Memos).The United States of America should absorb the Mexican United States, creating an 81-state economic and political union. I've argued this will shrink the size of government and unite the North American people.

Uniting States of America

Another reason to marry the united States of America and Mexico is that it help build the America of our Founders' dreams.

Drawing North America

2006-03-29T18:45:00+02:00

Katheryn Lopez and Michelle Malkin note this photo:

I like this one better:

One North America Against Mad Cow

2005-03-30T23:15:00+02:00

"Canada, U.S. and Mexico agree to import standards related to mad cow," Canadian Press, 30 March 2005, http://www.canada.com/news/national/story.html?id=d1aaf8ef-ca9e-4cf4-ac5f-87b5820abe1d (from Democratic Underground).The economies of South Dakota and North America are helped by this bit of integration

Canada, the United States and Mexico have agreed to a single North American import standard related to mad cow disease, Federal Agriculture Minister Andy Mitchell said Tuesday.The standard, negotiated at a recent meeting in Mexico City, reflects guidelines laid out by the World Organization for Animal Health. It says that, as long as the materials most likely to cause mad cow disease are being removed from the animal at slaughter, and as long as animals are not being imported from herds where the disease has been found, then it should be safe for animals to move across borders."It's a very important agreement between the three countries," Mitchell said."You can trade cattle between countries so long as you take certain steps and we are please that we have all three countries on side."

Another good part of the agreement is that it keeps up momentum for further harmonization. The almost insignificant opening up of Mexico to Canadian cattle is important because it gets both Mexicans and Canadians thinking more in North American terms.

With the new standard, Mexico has indicated that it will begin a regulatory process that will eventually lead to the opening of its border to live Canadian cattle. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency estimates that will begin within three or four months.

Not that sort of Mad Cow

And the South Dakota angle. They won't be keeping our cows out any longer. Hurrah for Sodak farmers!

Canada will also re-open its borders to American cattle. Mitchell said that will take effect Thursday."It certainly indicates that Canada believes in the scientific approach," Mitchell said.

Uniting North America to win the Global War on Terrorism

2005-03-04T09:35:00+01:00

"Dearborn resident helped terror group," by David Shephardson, The Detroit News, 2 March 2005, http://www.detnews.com/2005/nation/0503/02/A05-105122.htm (from Michelle Malkin).The ever-hot Michelle reports:

A Dearborn man pleaded guilty Tuesday to providing material support to Hezbollah, a foreign terrorist organization.Mahmoud Youssef Kourani, 33, admitted to hosting meetings at his Dearborn home during Ramadan in 2002 and allowing a Lebanese man to solicit donations from people there for Hezbollah.The U.S. government considers Hezbollah, a Lebanese group known as Party of God, to be a terrorist organization. The group's goals, the government says, include the eradication of "Western imperialism" from the Middle East.Hezbollah has conducted many high-profile terrorist attacks, including the killing of a Marine lieutenant in 1989.Under the plea deal with the U.S. Attorney's Office, Kourani faces no more than five years in prison. Under the original charge, he faced up to 15 years. He will be sentenced June 14 by U.S. District Judge Robert H. Cleland.Federal agents found thousands of dollars and evidence of wire transfers when they searched Kourani in May 2003. He was then charged with housing an illegal immigrant.The U.S. Attorney's Office said Kourani bribed a Mexican consular official in Beirut to get a visa to travel to Mexico. Kourani and a traveling companion then paid another man in Mexico to be smuggled across the southern U.S. border Feb. 4, 2001, the government said.

And then comments:

I know, I know, just another "undocumented worker" who crossed the border to "do the jobs Americans won't do."

I'm a fan of Mrs. Malkin, but I disagree here. She's taking the wrong lesson. We shouldn't stop the flow of people from Mexico to America. It helps our economy and their people, and it begins the process of forming a block to meet Europe and China. But we should have a common frontier.We should not hold our security hostage to labor protectionists or Euro-style anti-immigrationists. Here's to immigration, border security, and the coming victory.

Uniting North America, Blurrily

2005-02-24T13:50:00+01:00

"Dual Citizenship Alert," by Mark Krikorian, The Corner, http://www.nationalreview.com/thecorner/05_02_20_corner-archive.asp#056976, 24 February 2005.Mark Krikorian is alarmed that Mexico is recognizing a new class of Mexican citizens -- Mexicans who are also American

The lower house of Mexico’s congress overwhelmingly approved a measure that would allow Mexicans in the United States to vote in the 2006 presidential election, and the Senate is expected to follow suit soon. Ordinarily, this would be irrelevant to us, since there are plenty of other countries that permit this. But because of the massive immigrant presence here, this measure will promote the president’s implicit goal of blurring the distinction between the United States and Mexico: there will be extensive campaigning on this side of the border, with mass rallies and ads in print, radio, and even TV; hundreds of thousands of people are likely to line up at consulates to vote, with employers pressured not to punish absent workers and the Border Patrol prohibited from enforcing immigration laws, which would have a “chilling effect” on turnout; and thousands of dual citizens will make a mockery of their oaths of allegiance to the United States by voting in a foreign election.

Blurring distinctions within North America? Unifying North America?Exactly.

Towards the Unification of North America

2005-02-15T12:10:00+01:00

"Border talks called `disturbing': Blue-ribbon panel looks at North American integration: Canadian vice-chair insists group has no hidden agenda," by Sean Gordon, The Star, http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1108336208455&call_pageid=970599119419, 14 February 2005 (from DU).Please, please, please

An influential tri-national panel has considered a raft of bold proposals for an integrated North America, including a continental customs union, single passport and contiguous security perimeter.

This is great. There is no reason why our sister colonies in Canada and our sister republic Mexico should be shut out of North American prosperity.

Our continent, our land, is beautiful. We are not defined by race, like Europe, or by tragedy, like Africa, or by history like Asia. We are built by immigrants from many times and places.More...

According to a confidential internal summary from the first of three meetings of the Task Force on the Future of North America, discussions also broached the possibility of lifting trade exemptions on cultural goods and Canadian water exports.Those last two suggestions were dismissed in subsequent deliberations, say members of the task force, an advisory group of academics, trade experts, former politicians and diplomats from Canada, the United States and Mexico sponsored by the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations.Members said the task force's final report this spring will focus on "achievable" rather than simply academic questions like that of a single North American currency.

Good. Let's get this going. One continent. Half a billion people. Can you dig it?More beautiful news... with some hysteria attached

"What they envisage is a new North American reality with one passport, one immigration and refugee policy, one security regime, one foreign policy, one common set of environmental, health and safety standards ... a brand name that will be sold to school kids, all based on the interests and the needs of the U.S.," she said.

Of course. Because having a huge, rich, and peaceful southern neighbor has done Canada so much harm. Hopefully the "one immigration policy" would envision a removal on internal immigration borders between the North American states.The article concludes with clear implications for the Global War on Terror, agriwelfare, and securiwelfare.

"Trilateralizing customs and immigration at airports, ports and land borders.""Applying the principle of inspection, one test, one certification throughout North America" for agriculture."Treating all North American citizens as domestic investors in each country."

One North America: here we come!