Living in Mexico by Inside Mexico

Facelift Mexico

Shauna — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 06:43:26 -0700

Take a hike: Six parks to visit

catherine — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:15:58 -0700

With 22 biosphere reserves, 47 national parks and nine protected areas covering about 12 million hectares, Mexico is a paradise for hikers, campers and kayakers. there’s everything from remote conservation areas to ecotourism hotspots, many with the added bonus of signifi cant historical and archeological sites. We’ve picked out a few to get you started.

Parque Nacional Desierto de Carmen
20 km southwest of Mexico City on Hwy 15; 10 am – 5 pm daily

A great place for day walking, cycling or running along the 25 km of trails through old growth pine and oak forests. Falcons, swans and other wildlife are abundant. Bring your lunch for a picnic among the remains of the 17th century Carmelite monastery that is the park’s namesake.

Parque Nacional Nevado de Toluca
48 km southwest of Toluca on Hwy 134

Serious hikers will get a big thrill out of the short but steep climb up the extinct volcano of Toluca (aka xinantécatl). A road takes you through the park to the base of the crater. In the crater are two clear lakes, the Sun and the Moon. The surrounding area has pine, cedar and fir forests where you can pass a pleasant day, and shelters for overnight stays. You must register when you arrive and pay a small fee that goes toward conservation.

San Nicolás Totolapan
Kilometer 11.5 of the Picacho-Ajusco Hwy; 10 am – 5 pm daily

In the late 1990s the ejido of San Nicolás Totolapan created the fi rst community-run recreational park near Mexico City. There really is something for everyone here: easy hiking or running along the forest trails, paintball, camping, picnic shelters along the river or under the trees, a plant nursery and excellent mountain bike trails. There’s also a four kilometer hike or cycle up one of the mountains to a shrine where you can pay your respects to Guadalupe. There is a small daily use fee and a restaurant at the gate.

Parque Nacional Insurgente Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla (La Marquesa)
32 km southwest of Mexico City on Hwy 15; 10 am – 5 pm daily

A very popular destination for families. Ride a horse, rent an ATV, go for a cycle, or buy your lunch and have a picnic by the water. Hikers of all abilities can find something to challenge them on the large number of trails.

Barrancas del Cobre (Copper Canyon)
Southwest of Cuauhtemoc, Chihuahua

A must-see natural wonder. 20 connected canyons, some thousands of feet deep, carved 80 million years ago. It’s four times larger than the Grand Canyon, with 300 species of birds, 87 reptile varieties, 20 types of amphibians and 50 kinds of freshwater fi sh. The canyons have impressive waterfalls, which you can appreciate up close or from lookouts. Treat yourself and take the Copper Canyon Railway from Los Mochis, Chihuahua. Consult barrancasdelcobrewebsite.com to plan your trip.

Parque Nacional Cascada de Bassaseachic
140 km northwest of Creel, Chihuahua

If you’re in the Copper Canyon area, don’t miss this park which has the highest waterfall in Mexico. It plunges 310 m and is surrounded by superb wooded mountain scenery. Cabins and a camping area are nearby. Rock climbers can rent equipment and try one of the 50 routes around the falls.

For more information on Mexico's national parks, visit: gorp.away.com/gorp/location/latam/mexico.htm and mexicodesconocido.com.mx.

Staying in touch: Constant connectivity

catherine — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:53:41 -0700

There's an ad at the Mexico City airport that shows a couple enjoying a romantic boat ride -- with a Telcel hot-air balloon hovering overhead. I can't help wondering whether Telcel thinks this is supposed to be a good thing. Doesn't that hot-air balloon represent a call that could come at any time and spoil the moment?

On the other hand, I imagine instead an ad showing the cubicles that this couple would otherwise be tethered to on this sunny afternoon were it were not for their Telcel phone.

In the 1990s, despite working at an Internet company, I rarely checked email from home. When I needed to work I went to the office, even though it meant spending many nights and weekends there. I had a laptop at home, but with a 28.8 bps modem it was slow and frustrating to use. Plus, I liked having a boundary between work and home. I may have spent a lot of time at the office, but at least when I was away, I was completely away.

How quaint! Today, I get my email everywhere and I am almost constantly accessible. I work from home with only a door to separate my living and office spaces. For better or worse, I am in the futuristic world of the couple on the lake.

Indeed, my world is even more extreme than theirs. Technology has allowed me not just to sneak away from the office, but to another country! My cellphone, high-speed internet, VoIP phone, and Blackberry have enabled me to live in Mexico with a job in New York. Whereas moving to Mexico in the past meant retiring or finding a job locally, it's now possible (at least with some jobs) to live and work remotely without missing a beat. In fact, I recently traded my Nextel Blackberry for one on the global GSM network. Now spammers can reach me in 140 countries. On the other hand, if a colleague or client has a quick question, I can respond right away, without being at my desk. As a result, I travel more than I ever did. And since my job does not require daily face-to-face contact, I can be as productive on the beach in Baja as in an office building in Manhattan.

But what kind of life is it to have the Telcel balloon constantly hovering overhead? My wife grimaces when I reach for my Blackberry the moment it vibrates. I nearly collided with the car in front of me recently while I was stealing a glance at an email. Even in Mexico-indeed, especially in Mexico-pervasive connectivity is changing our lives.

On balance, I enjoy it. I'm happy to avoid commuting to an office every day. I feel like I'm on the cutting edge of a new experiment in what could be called super-telecommuting. But for all the advantages, there is an insidious tradeoff of privacy and sanity. And as I'm finding by living in this experiment, there is an art to harnessing technology to facilitate a happier, healthier, and freer lifestyle. While I have become quite knowledgeable about all the tools involved, I am still figuring out how to use them well.

When I see that couple in the ad, I remember how easy it used to be to turn off and relax. Today, paradoxically, it is unplugging that requires effort.

Saving the environment in DF "one battery at a time"

sue-ellen — Thu, 21 May 2009 07:14:52 -0700

The next time you see one of the tourist information and guide columns along the street in Mexico City, take a closer look. There may be more to it than meets the eye.

The Mexico City government’s program "Manejo Responsable de Pilas" (Responsible Management of Batteries), which was launched in February of this year, has adapted many of these columns to serve as containers where people can deposit their used batteries for recycling.

“We realized that the publicity posts in the city could be adapted to be used as containers rather than just for commercials,” Rosalynn Herrera, coordinator of communication and training at the Department of Environmental Education in Mexico City, told Inside México in an interview. “And that this would give people in the city a viable option for recycling at least one type of waste.”

According to information distributed by the Department for Environmental Education, the principal components contained in batteries -- mercury, cadmium, nickel and magnesium -- are considered to be toxic because of the harmful effects they can have both on the environment and on people’s health.

If exposed to the elements, batteries oxidize and produce liquids and gases that contaminate water, earth and air. The same thing happens when they are incinerated. For example, 11 button batteries, such as those that are used in watches, can contaminate up to 6.5 million litres of water.

There are currently some 151 of these containers in place in the Delegaciones of Coyoacan, Cuauhtemoc, Miguel Hidalgo and Benito Juarez. And about 130 more are scheduled to be in place in the next month.

“Since the program started in February almost 2.9 tons of batteries have been deposited, and the amount is increasing month on month,” Ms. Herrera said. “We now have people calling up to ask where their nearest container is and others asking why their municipality is not part of the program yet.”

People are asked to cover the batteries’ poles (the ends) with masking tape before depositing them in the containers to make sure they are isolated and to avoid leaks.

Each container, which has a capacity for five kilograms of batteries, is emptied every 72 hours by Imagenes y Muebles Urbanos, the company running the program. They also make sure the containers are not vandalized or covered in graffiti.

When they are emptied, the battery waste is initially taken to a storage center in Naucalpan. From there they are transported to a plant in Irapuato, Guanajuato for the actual recycling process. There, the batteries are separated and broken down into their various parts and 100% of the material is used in the recycling process.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have the resources to conduct a huge, glossy campaign with TV commercials like a company such as Coca-Cola might be able to do.”

“[But] the program is being promoted through information posted on the containers and on bus stops, and information postcards are being distributed to cafes, restaurants and bookshops, plus we have also put out a few information spots and interviews on the radio,” Ms Herrera said.

Staying in touch

sue-ellen — Thu, 21 May 2009 06:51:21 -0700

They say you carry your home in your heart. But, when I moved here eight months ago, I hired movers to collect 157 boxes from my overstuffed New York City apartment and transport them across the Mexican border.

I was seven months pregnant and leaving family, friends, job and birthplace behind. A sanctuary of familiar things, I believed, would ease my transition to Mexico. So I packed what I’d collected over the course of a lifetime, including a trove of flea market items awaiting re-upholstery and at least one half-used roll of aluminum foil.

When I called the movers to set a date for pickup I hadn’t yet researched the requirements for trucking my stuff to Mexico. Without transport approval from the Mexican government, the moving company wouldn’t move. Instead of heading to Mexico, 4000-pounds of my old life were deposited at a storage facility in Upper Manhattan.

I’d assumed that, married to a Mexican national, moving my stuff wouldn’t require working out my immigration status. I was wrong. I needed to file a menaje de casa, the paperwork that allows holders of the FM2 or FM3 visas (and Mexican nationals meeting certain conditions) a one-time exemption for a duty-free transport of used (at least 6 months old) household belongings.

I went ahead, the boxes stayed behind, and the storage charges mounted.

From Mexico, I applied for my FM2. I was 9 months pregnant by the time it was issued so the mandatory appearance to deliver my inventory list at the consulate in New York was out of the question. Luckily I could file power of attorney; my Mom went in my stead.

Menaje down… customs letters still at-large? This last detail had simply fallen through the cracks – it’s strangely absent from the consular website. My movers required a quartet of letters, addressed to customs officials, signed by me. The letters put a value on my shipment, declared that my belongings included no illegal merchandise, and agreed that my menaje would be exported from Mexico if ever I moved out of the country.

Finally, my boxes were loaded into a truck and began their journey south.

I gave birth just four days before the movers arrived. A bit dazed, I held my daughter as they filed through the front door with 157 boxes of clothes hangers, books and aluminum foil. Six months later, the furniture remains un-upholstered, and I’m still not entirely unpacked.

Ni modo, as they say. Plenty of time for that. I won’t be reversing a menaje anytime soon.

Tips

1. Plan ahead! Check with consulate on time required to process your request.

2. Have passport and Mexican visa (FM 2 or FM 3) ready before beginning petition. Visa must be within 6 months of issue.

3. Confirm preferred menaje format.

4. Don’t close boxes before everything is listed. Note all electronics’ specifications (make, model, serial number, year of manufacture) and describe large furniture.

5. Remember: “Used” = six-months-old, or more.

6. Prepare all copies and signed pages before you go to the consulate. You’ll need $127 US D (cash or bank check).

7. Take the approved inventory list to movers, or whoever will arrive at aduanas- customs with the shipment.

8. Provide movers with letters required by customs: A) declaration giving effective power of attorney to the moving company; B) declaration of value; C) declaration that all merchandise is used, for personal use, that the shipment contains no illegal merchandise; and D) that you will repatriate the menaje when/if your visa is to expire.

9. Expect that every box will be opened by customs officials.

Upset stomach?

sue-ellen — Tue, 19 May 2009 10:18:15 -0700

We all know what it feels like to have digestive issues. If these continue unchecked the symptoms can affect our lives dramatically and diminish our professional performance. It is important that we understand our bodies and the reaction our digestive tracts has to different foods. This awareness will ensure our comfort and well-being.

The gastrointestinal tract is comprised of the mouth, larynx, pharynx, stomach, small intestine, large intestine (colon) and rectum. Food passes along the entire route, getting mashed and dissolved until it arrives at the small intestine where, thanks to a variety of enzymes, nutrients can be adequately absorbed to nourish the body. What is not absorbed is passed through the large intestine and excreted through the rectum.

The small intestine is lined with villi and contains a plethora of different enzymes that break down nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and lipids) for absorption. Food intolerances happen when the body lacks a particular enzyme to digest certain foods. Such is the case when the body doesn’t produce lactase, an enzyme needed to digest lactose, the carbohydrate in dairy products.

The concentration of intestinal lactase is greater when we are born, as milk is our principal nourishment. With age the production of this enzyme diminishes. However production of the enzyme will continue when there is a constant consumption of lactose, allowing many individuals to maintain a tolerance through adulthood.

Factors that diminish intestinal lactase:

As previously mentioned, age is the principal factor for reduction in production of intestinal lactase. Nonetheless, illness (frequent diarrhea) and genetic factors also affect the concentration of lactase and can present lactose intolerance.

Lactose Intolerance

A person is considered lactose intolerant when 12.5 grams of lactose (what is found in 240 ml of milk) or less produces symptoms like intestinal noise, gas and diarrhea. When this occurs it is advisable to eliminate lactose from the diet. This protects the villi and small intestine from frequent diarrhea that can severely damage the digestive tract and produce a number of additional food intolerances.

If I am lactose intolerant, what can I do?

Most importantly, you must try to reduce the symptoms of intolerance to maintain a healthy small intestine. It is important to keep eating foods that the enzymes you do have can dissolve, and you should add nutritious foods that contain probiotics to your diet.

Probiotics

Probiotics are lactic bacteria that feed on the cells in the small intestine and help maintain the health of the small intestine. These lactic bacteria (lactobacillus bulgaricus, streptococcus thermophilus, casei chirota) are in cultured products like yogurt. Currently there are a lot of products on the market that contain lactobacillus. Nonetheless, the product that scientific studies report to have the best effect on intestinal villi is Yakult, which contains the lactobacillus casei chirota.

I suggest taking one 80 ml. bottle of Yakult everyday in the morning with breakfast or at least three times a week.

Georgina del Ángel is a nutritionist and researcher at the Salvador Zubirán National Institute of Nutrition in Mexico City, specializing in nutrition and the treatment of chronic and degenerative diseases.

Accelerating extinction

catherine — Wed, 06 May 2009 21:53:16 -0700

Climate change has been making hot headlines recently. Carlos Galindo-Leal, director of the World Wildlife Fund’s national forests program in Mexico, says for the first time in his career people are asking, “What can I do?” But query the masses about endangered species in Mexico and “most people don’t know the trees outside their door.”

Galindo-Leal argues that climate change is overshadowing a more immediate danger: species extinction. About 400 species have gone extinct since the 1600’s, and “all extinctions in the last 400 years are due to human activities,” he says.

In Mexico, 28 species have disappeared, including the black grizzly and the Socorro dove. 214 more teeter on the endangered list. Many of the plants and creatures at risk are only found in Mexico.

Only about 2 million species have been counted worldwide (scientists estimate there may be as many as 10 million). The number of threatened species in 2006 was 16,118, according to World Conservation Union’s Red List. Though Galindo-Leal points out that the figure is based only on the 40,168 species evaluated that year.

Overhunting was the main cause of extinction from 1600 to 1900. Now the primary reasons are habitat loss and deterioration (from logging), introduced and invasive species (they bring disease and compete for resources), pollution and climate change. Each of those reasons has root causes as well; they are generated by social, economic and political circumstances.

Scientists have divided the entire planet into eight biogeographic regions. Mexico overlaps two of them, which is rare for a country and one of the reasons for its wealth of species and ecosystems. Mexico’s National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) manages one of the world’s most advanced species databases.

But, says Galindo-Leal, concepts like “biodiversity” and “the environment” are still “out there somewhere.” Abstract, in other words, the direct relationship between them and specific human activities often unclear.

The vaquita, for example, a small porpoise that only lives in the Sea of Cortés, is the most restricted marine mammal in the world. Only 400 are left. They get trapped and killed by shrimp fishermen who supply big export companies. “But people don’t know these connections,” Galindo-Leal says.

The ecologist calls for more conscious consumption, and more conscience: “We never question, ‘what is the function of humans?”

Carlos Galindo-Leal has written a bilingual book on the birds of Mexico City that will be available May 9 from the World Wildlife Fund-México: wwf.org.mx, Tel: (55) 5286 5631.

Find extensive information on all species in Mexico on the CONABIO website: conabio.gob.mx.

Consult iucnredlist.org for more info.

Life in the balance

catherine — Wed, 06 May 2009 21:45:46 -0700

A wildfire’s blazing on Iztaccíhuatl’s western slope and a beetle infestation threatens trees in the nearby Paso de Coyote. The volcano alert, at yellow-phase II, only two notches down from red, is the least of Alejandro López López’s concerns on this clear April morning.

The fire has been reported and López, the director of the Parque Nacional Iztaccíhuatl – Popocatépetl (Parque Izta-Popo) is waiting for a group to arrive from the Tlaxcala ejido, Nanacamilpa de Mariano Arista, so he can give them a tour and try to convince them to adopt some of the park’s ecotourism models.

Meanwhile he tells a reporter about the biggest threats to the park that lies just 60 miles from the heart of Mexico City, and which protects a small piece of one of the most important ecological zones in the region, the country and the world.

He is ticking off the list, well-practiced and fast: the changes in soil as land shifts from agricultural use to residential; lack of water conservation practices; and threats to biodiversity beginning with the pillars of the ecosystem – trees, vulnerable organisms constantly being chopped down by people, burned up and eaten by insects.

Together, Iztaccíhuatl and Popocatépetl are the most famous pair of volcanoes in the chain that girdles Mexico from Nayarit in the west to Veracruz in the east. The area around them has been declared a biodiversity hotspot, not because of the danger of lava, but because its wildlife diversity is facing the code red peril of species extinction.

López has been working in conservation for 30 years, first learning the concept in the Sierras in the state of Oaxaca. In 1994 he took up as a sustainability consultant to municipios near Izta-Popo, and became director of the park in 2000.

As the head of a nationally protected area created by the federal government, the seasoned López is a bit like the king of the hill. But this singular kingdom of volcanoes, pines, tiny teporingo rabbits and yellow jarrilla flowers is far from an autocracy of nature.

Thirty-one municipios in three different states surround the park and own certain rights to its natural resources. Local citizens, many of whom are very poor, collect plants and mushrooms, chop trees, graze cattle and drink the water the park produces. They survive on the land.

Part of López’s job is to coax them to use the land differently so that it’s not depleted. It’s not an easy job if you want to save a tree, a bird, and a way of life all at the same time.Many vested interests

“Protected areas in Mexico are very complex,” says Carlos Galindo-Leal, the director of the World Wildlife Fund-México’s national forests program.

He offers the example of the Monarch biosphere reserve in Michoácan and Estado de México. The reserve’s 56,000 hectares are split between 100 different owners, including indigenous communities, individual property owners, state and federal governments.

“When you see this on a map,” Galindo-Leal says, “it’s like a glass shattered.” Gluing together the shards is painstaking work.

Eighty percent of Mexico’s forestland is owned by ejidos and indigenous communities. When the government deems land “protected” it doesn’t snatch it away and put it under glass. On the contrary, 10 percent of Mexican territory, or 19 million hectares, is categorized as biosphere, sanctuary, reserve or national park. Of that, more than three-quarters is still in the hands of rural communities, ejidos and private property owners.

You can visit parks in Mexico, like Lagunas Chacahua on the coast of Oaxaca, and find whole communities living within the protected area.

The marginal economic status of a large percentage of the population together with the structures for land ownership in the country give conservationists, like López in Izta-Popo, a set of very complex problems to solve.

Without a long-term vision of the value of wild land people tend to destroy it for short or medium-term gain. Most of the easily accessible land in the world, if not already set aside, has been exploited.

A recent report put out by the United Nations Environmental Program announced that 90 percent of Mexico has been deforested. Mexico’s forests, in other words, are among the most endangered in the world -- not far behind the desperate cases presented by Haiti and El Salvador. In an effort to reverse this, the UN is planning to plant a billion trees in Mexico over the next ten years. President Felipe Calderón has pledged 250 million during his term.Driving through Oaxaca’s high Mixtec region you see what the report is talking about. Bare hills, scarred by erosion, run to the horizon. It’s easy to fantasize that you have been transported to a chunk of galactic rock where life has never existed. But some life does survive here, wild and human, eking out an existence among the ruined slopes.

At the same time, Mexico is one of only 12 countries in the world considered to be “megadiverse.” In terms of biodiversity, it ranks in the top five. There is, in other words, a lot to lose and a lot to save.

Pockets of wild land remain in remote sections of the country. The residents of these areas are, for the most part, poor and marginalized. They exploit the land day-by-day, gradually diminishing both its market value and biodiversity.

“There are a lot of people who say to conserve the land you have to remove the people and put a bubble around it,” says Martín Gutiérrez Lacayo, the director of Pronatura México.

In its 25 years, Pronatura has been hard at work on the intricacies of ecosystem conservation in Mexico. However, as one of the country’s largest and leading ecological NGOs and a partner in conservation projects at Parque Izta-Popo, Pronatura doesn’t proselytize a plants-without-people philosophy. Neither does Alejandro López, nor other top leaders in the conservation movement, including Julia Carabias, Mexico’s first Secretary of the Environment, and José Sarukhán, a world-renowned biologist.

As they see it, market opportunities in the form of sustainable development must accompany conservation efforts. But successful strategies are learned slowly. In the meantime, more trees are cut, more species threatened.

“We are a pluri-cultural country,” says Carabias, now a professor of sciences at the UNAM, who believes that the diversity of human relationships with the land also must be considered in conservation and development.

The WWF’s Galindo-Leal works with a dozen indigenous groups to involve them in sustainable forestry practices. Ethically and morally, he believes in conserving nature for nature’s sake. But, pragmatically he knows that he has to make a case for nature’s value to humans. “I think conserving nature enriches humans,” he says.

Seeing the money

Nanacamilpa de Mariano Arista, an ejido of 17,000 people, borders the volcano forests of Izta-Popo on the park’s northeast side. The group that’s here today, including the ejido’s presidente municipal and the local NGO representative who’s advising them, is trying to figure out an economic substitute for logging.López is campaigning, showing the group how ecotourism and environmental education can attract visitors and their pesos, dollars or euros.

With the men following behind López’s white park van, we drive straight for the volcanoes.

We turn up the drive to a small, dusty parking lot sheltered by pines. Here, people from San Pedro Nexapa run three projects. They plant trees, attend to tourists and are developing scenic tours and bird walks.

They make money from an entrance fee and by renting rooms in a dormitory where visitors can spend the night. Four years into the project, “Ya no pierde” López tells the visitors, it doesn’t lose money anymore, and the community has re-invested earnings in improvements.

Indeed, López, his staff and their conservation partners have gained footholds in recent years. He talks about how local ranchers have changed their cattle grazing practices. After three years of working on the issue, López and his staff convinced them to keep the cattle corralled. The change protects the land and, in turn, has helped maintain the purity and value of cattle’s genetic lines.

Another good option, he continues, is the estufa Lorena, a type of stove that López saw at work in Guatemala (they had been introduced there from Africa). It burns less wood more efficiently and shields women from the smoke they inhale from traditional cook fires. Another win-win: less tree harvesting and health benefits for women.

López leads us all up to the sendero, an educational trail at a 3200-meter altitude.

We face the valley below, a far stretch of floor broken by lumpy hills and softened by a gauze of clouds. Their whiteness color codes nature versus city. To the northwest, a band of gray-brown smog marks the Distrito Federal.

“If this area weren’t here, over there would be worse,” says López, gesturing toward the city.

When asked what he thinks of the tour, José Ibarra Zarco, the mayor of Nanacamilpa de Mariano Arista sees the possibilities. His community’s lands have deer, eagles, and lots of fauna, he says, building blocks for ecotourism. “It’s just a question of beginning to work with the people.”

Will they be open to these ideas?

“They want to see that there’s money.”Choosing to conserve

With the visitors on their way back home, we descend in the van to 2400 meters, past some corn fields, and onto a very bumpy, narrow road. As we go, López explains another category of conservation tools, the UMA.

UMA stands for Unidad de Manejo Ambiental. Private property owners who opt to protect their own land file for special status and can receive support from the government to do so. Along with Mexico’s community foresting and ProÁrbol projects, experts site the UMAs as a major success.

We have arrived at the wooded UMA of López’s friend Luis E. Alvarado Villaseñor, and the van’s back tire has been completely shredded by the rough road.

Alvarado Villaseñor, a 74-year-old retired lawyer, has turned 140 hectares into a small Eden. He’s had 60,000 trees planted and a veterinarian who works for him tends to eight white tail deer; eventually they’ll release the animals into the wild. They’re also caring for a pair of foxes, a rescued falcon, and building an aviary.

The Secretary of the Environment gives Alvarado Villaseñor 25 percent of the money for projects on 25 hectares of his land. The rest comes out of his pocket. He receives 4,000 visitors a month, though he’s not making a fortune on this. He doesn’t need to. He just wanted to do something for nature.

“This is a philosophical commitment,” Alvarado Villaseñor says.

“Ethical,” López adds.

“Philosophical-ethical,” his friend rejoins.

A question of resources

López loves this spot. After spending the entire morning on stage, he unwinds with a mezcal over a lunch of chiles rellenos. He marvels at the soft, late-afternoon light, and notes that 75 percent of the birds migrating from Veracruz to Colima pass through this area where the Arctic and Tropic biogeographic regions meet. He poses the question that the world is grappling with: How do we get to sustainability?

“When the environment gives the people the possibility of a dignified life,” he answers himself. “The problem in Mexico is inequality.” Many of the people that he is trying to educated about sustainable development and the value of ecotourism know the land far better than López ever will. When he first moved here, he met the graniseros – the náhuatl meteorologists in this area who really know the weather. “The people can tell you if it’s going to rain, if it’s not going to rain, and when. It’s a zone rich in culture,” he says. But the graniseros don’t have the resources that Alvarado Villaseñor has. The model that will allow them to return land to the wild will be different.

“What light here, what light,” López marvels, breathing deeply.

Bigfoot in Mexico

catherine — Wed, 06 May 2009 18:37:53 -0700

I’ve come up with my own numbers. And I will stand by these numbers. The annual gross cost to US taxpayers to provide schooling, hospitalization, and whatever plethoric benefits are out there for the 30 million illegal aliens is approximately $400 billion per year funded by bona fide U.S. taxpayers.

– Jim Gilchrist, co-founder, the Minuteman Project, quoted on Frontpagemag.com

Hysterical claims like Gilchrist’s are a staple of the anti-immigration movement in the US. But after spending a few weeks in the gringo retirement belt along Mexico’s largest lake, it seems to me that most of their arguments can be applied as well to expatriates living in Mexico.

About 50,000 US citizens reside in the Lake Chapala - Guadalajara area.

Many enjoy roughly the same standard of living they had at home on a much lower budget. Others are spending about what they would in the US but living a more luxurious life.

Either way, the expatriate community is plopping down its characteristically massive ecological footprint, and letting the locals pay the tab.

Bigfoot spotted in Mexico

The Oakland-based think tank Redefining Progress compiles per capita resource consumption, waste generation and ecosystem destruction for every country in the world, and converts it all into a per person measurement called an ecological ‘footprint’.

By their reckoning, the ecological footprint of the average US resident is almost five times as heavy as that of the average Mexican.

The impact of this difference is clear along the shores of Lake Chapala.

A flood of immigrants with a high-consumption lifestyle flocking to its shores is the last thing that the already ecologically devastated lake needs.

According to NASA, the lake has dropped about 75% from its historic level, with two thirds of that happening in the last twenty years. Enough dry ground has been laid bare to accommodate the city of Washington, DC. And because of pollution in the water, to quote an article written by AARP (American Association for Retired People), “The lake is now a view, nothing more.”

Lake Chapala would be threatened even without foreigners in residence. But there is no doubt a greater ecological price to pay from the growing collection of big houses on the north shore slopes, with their acres of pavement, swimming pools (always full in spite of frequent water shortages), well-watered lawns and dryers running full blast despite the hot sun and availability of clotheslines. It’s kind of hard to argue that immigration is having a positive impact.

And that’s just in one small region.

Each winter finds at least 700,000 North Americans residing in Mexico, and many of them stay year-round.

Another kind of immigrant freeloader

I realize that the spectacle of American expatriates living off the fat of the land is nothing new. I lived in India off and on between 1980 and 2000, and there the exploitation of cheap labor by local and foreign elites was truly extraordinary. But if we’re going to debate the immigration “crisis” in the US , let’s take seriously the impact of American emigration to Mexico as well.

If we wave aside the dust and fog of the current debate, what we see in the US are immigrants from Mexico and other nations working very hard in tough jobs for low pay, making do with limited resources.

What Mexicans see in places like Lake Chapala are immigrants who do little or no work but whose upkeep requires vast amounts of resources.

Expatriates in Mexico don’t tend to be of the Ugly American variety. Most of those I met around Lake Chapala were pleasant, friendly and well-intentioned, valuing open-mindedness and cultural sensitivity. And many seem delighted to be no longer living in territory under the direct control of the Bush regime.

As the face of our country abroad, they were several cuts above some of the dubious types who fan out from the United States and across the borders of other nations every year, whether invited or uninvited -- like troops in robo-warrior gear, or economic hit men, or covert operatives, or Benny Hinn-style megavangelists, or puking students on spring break, or corporate buyers seeking out the cheapest sweatshop goods.

But, however good our intentions, whether we like it or not, when we Americans head for economically or ecologically impoverished parts of the world we usually end up embodying what our nation has become - a bottomless resource pit.

Stan Cox is a plant breeder and writer in Salina, Kansas. Contact him at t.stan@cox.net.

Chilaquiles "light"

catherine — Wed, 06 May 2009 13:38:12 -0700

Some people believe the only way to a healthy diet is through sacrifice, to the point of being afraid to eat food they love. Sound familiar? But it is possible to eat what you want and still stay healthy. When we’re eating the right foods on a regular basis, we can indulge without fear. The key is achieving the right balance. I’m referring to the amount and quality of nutrients in a meal.

What we eat every day should be proportioned to be about 60 percent carbohydrates, 15 percent proteins, and 20 to 25 percent lipids, or fats. Each contains important calories, or energy, and has a special function inside the body.

Quality refers to the value each nutrient brings to the body. For example, there are two types of fats: vegetable and animal. Vegetable fats, such as those that come from olives, have been shown to have a positive affect on the heart. Animal fat, by contrast, sticks to the arteries, which in turn restricts blood flow – a major risk factor for heart attack.

With that in mind, let’s look at how to enjoy a typical–and typically rich–Mexican breakfast dish: chilaquiles.

The word “chilaquiles” comes from the Náhuatl word “chilaquilitl,” which means “old broken sombrero." This refers to the stale maíz tortillas, cut into pieces and fried, at the heart of the dish.

According to the traditional recipe, the tortillas are cooked in lard until crunchy then smothered in a red or green salsa seasoned with garlic, epazote and chile. They’re garnished with cream, onion and sometimes chorizo or chicken.

You can eat traditional chilaquiles once a week if you have a healthy weight, your cholesterol is under control and you practice a balanced diet the rest of the week. However, if this isn’t the case, or if you want to eat chilaquiles more frequently, above is a recipe that will let you indulge every day, worry-free.

Georgina del Ángel Cabrera is a nutritionist and researcher at the Salvador Zubirán National Institute of Nutrition in Mexico City. Her specialty is nutrition in the treatment of chronic and degenerative diseases.

Staying in touch: Dialing for (fewer) dollars

catherine — Wed, 06 May 2009 12:33:56 -0700

Every so often you encounter such a good deal that you wonder if the company offering it knows what it’s doing. (And if it doesn’t? Probably best not to write a column about it!)

I’ve been wondering this about Verizon’s North America’s Choice Calling Plan. I am not normally a fan of Verizon but in this case I have become an unbridled evangelist.

When I started traveling to Mexico I brought my T-Mobile cell phone, which worked fine but is expensive; T-Mobile charges $1.49 a minute to call the US from here.

So when I moved here, I got a VOIP home phone to connect to the US. Inevitably, however, there were times when I had to use a cellphone. In those cases, I’d suck it up and talk fast. (If you don’t need a cellphone, there are more affordable options for calling the US and Canada from Mexico, namely VOIP services.)

Then a friend told me about Verizon’s North America’s Choice Plan. For roughly what I paid for my old cellphone — rates start at $60 USD a month for 450 minutes — Verizon lets you call between the US, Canada, and Mexico. Any direction. From a cellphone. Without surcharges. This seemed (and frankly, still seems) too good to be true.

I remember being amazed in the late 1990s when AT&T announced a cellphone plan with no roaming or long-distance charges. Today, such plans are common. But Verizon has taken it one step further, effectively turning Canada and Mexico into the 51st and 52nd states. Apart from the basic cost of airtime minutes, it’s free to call from New York to Oaxaca. Or Oaxaca to New York. I used to shy away from calling Mexico from the US with a cellphone. Now I don’t think twice about it. It’s like calling New Jersey.

I feared this service wouldn’t work in many parts of Mexico, but not so. Verizon partnered with Iusacell, which partnered with Unefon, and together they all do a good job of covering the country. So far the only place it hasn’t worked is in Loreto, Baja California Sur.

And that’s good, because all calls within Mexico are also included, even long distance or calls to cellphones, both of which can be expensive. My wife and I often use my New York-based Verizon cellphone to call a friend’s cell in Mexico City because it’s cheaper than using our home phone or her Mexican cellphone.

The downside is that you don’t get a local number, so if someone here wants to phone you they’ve got to make an expensive international call (unless they, too, have this Verizon plan).

The plan was launched in 2004 and I have not seen it advertised, certainly not in Mexico, which is odd considering that expats are a logical market. I suspect that’s because the service is really intended for occasional travelers to Mexico and not people who live here (phone companies don’t want to cannibalize their lucrative international business).

If you want to take advantage of this deal, you’ll need to get the phone from the US. But note: don’t just have a friend send one down to you. It won’t work until it is initialized in its “home” market (a simple matter of dialing *228). A friend of mine made this mistake and ended up offsetting her savings by having to FedEx the phone back and forth to the US.

For more information, go to verizonwireless.com.

Reduce, reuse, recycle

catherine — Wed, 06 May 2009 11:59:39 -0700

Back in Canada I was a recycler’s recycler. I soaked labels off jars, flattened tin cans, and saved so many plastic containers that every time I opened the cupboard I caused an avalanche. But here? I just throw everything into the trash. And I am not alone. Despite a 2004 law requiring all households in the Distrito Federal to separate organic and inorganic waste, only 3 of 10 people say they do.

One quarter of all the solid waste generated in this country comes from Mexico City. No wonder. In the last forty years the population has tripled, while the amount of garbage we produce has multiplied by ten times. Our garbage men, or basuristas as I call them, collect 12,000 tons a day. Of that, only about 3% is recycled. The rest, along with about 6,000 tons a day of industrial waste, ends up in the dump.

The government’s no real help. Despite good intentions (stated goal: recycle 80% of the waste in the DF within the decade) there are no penalties for not separating your garbage and the law isn’t enforced.

And to those good citizens who dutifully try to recycle? C’mon! We all know what happens.

“When the truck arrives, although you have separated your garbage, they break the bags and mix everything together,” says Tonatiuh González, of the Comisión de Aprovechamiento de Bienes of the Legislative Assembly of the Distrito Federal.

The problem is the garbage trucks aren’t equipped to deal with separated items. That’s why you’ll see sacks of plastic bottles hanging off the sides, or stacks of paper piled on the top. When they run out of space, the rest just gets crushed in with the garbage.

Some basuristas also try to make money on the side by selling recyclable materials, which isn’t a bad thing. But in the process of mixing the garbage to take out what they want, they make some of it, like paper products, un-recyclable.

It’s all pretty discouraging to a formerly devoted recycler like me. You can’t help asking yourself, what can I do?

The point is to help build a culture of recycling, say local environmentalists. And this begins at home, with our persistence to keep separating garbage and putting it on the curb week after week, even if – for the time being – not all of it ends up where it’s supposed to go. Over time, environmentalists believe, this will encourage the government to upgrade the system, build more recycling facilities, enforce the laws, and make good on their best intentions.

For more information on what to recycle, and how, go to: df.gob.mx/ciudad/residuos/

Securing your home and business

catherine — Wed, 06 May 2009 11:01:01 -0700

Security companies in Mexico City are like dogs – they’re everywhere. In 2004 it was estimated that the security industry in this country is worth a billion dollars. With so many companies vying for the chance to guard your home and business, how can you be sure you’re hiring a reliable and trustworthy service?

Word of mouth is a good bet. If your friends or colleagues feel confident with their company, chances are you will too. Ask for a referral. If you have to go cold calling, here are a few things you should know:

All security companies in Mexico City must be registered with the local police. There is no bonding system for individuals to prevent people with criminal records from working as security guards, but companies must still provide the police with personal information about all employees.

Go to portal.ssp.df.gob.mx/Portal/SeguridadPrivada/ where you will find information on almost 200 companies who are either in good standing with the local police or who have been cited, or had their registration cancelled, for wrong doing.

The federal government also tracks private security companies and provides information on why some have lost their licenses. Go to ssp.gob.mx, click on Servicios in the menu on the left hand side of the page and choose Secretaria de Seguridad Pública.

For home and business security in Mexico City, I have worked with and can personally recommend the Mexico City Banking and Industrial Police (PBIDF). It’s a branch of the city police department that can be contracted for private security services. You can contact them for an assessment at (55) 5567 4995 or 5587 7966 ext 3837.

If you live outside Mexico City, contact your local police department for information about which security companies they recommend in your area.

Mario González-Román is a private security consultant who worked for 28 years as the Foreign Service national Senior Advisor for Security at the US Embassy in Mexico City. His website is securitycornermexico.com and he can be reached at frog_mario@hotmail.com.

Good Morning Mexico City!

aran — Wed, 06 May 2009 10:40:19 -0700

People are heading back to work in Mexico City. Fewer, for sure, are wearing surgical masks, but an aura of uncertainty predominates. Is this bug over? Could it get worse? President Calderón says not to declare victory over AH1N1 just yet.

To honor the reopening of the city, Margot and I went out to breakfast. The restaurant we chose diligently followed the Secretary of Health´s guidelines: instead of the normal 34 tables they only put out 11, set wide apart. Each table floated alone, like its own little island. The sensation of sitting in a restaurant where the next table is more than two meters away could be described as untethered.

Our waitress squirted antibacterial gel into our hands the moment we sat down. News crews circulated, interviewing waiters about going back to work.

We observed a woman eating alone at the next table whose actions captured, perfectly, the general ambivalence: she picked at her food nervously and then, the moment she finished eating, popped on her blue surgical mask. She had chosen to eat in a restaurant, but was not comfortable even though (or, because?) the only people within two meters of her were waiters wearing masks.

At work, no one is greeting with kisses and two people, in another very common expression of ambivalence, are wearing their masks around their necks, like lumpy scarves.

As the daily routine cranks up in Mexico, nothing feels normal yet.

Lots of people have been blogging the flu. Here are some of the best:

Take a look at Rachel Laudan´s post about how the flu has affected prices in super markets.

David Lida quotes the CDC as saying masks won´t work.

Deborah Bonello offers both insightful and witty commentary at mexicoreporter.com.

Daniel Hernandez nicely selects and summarizes foreign press reports.

And, for some swine flu jokes and more personal observations check out Paul Robert´s blog.

By taxi: Getting around, safe and sound

catherine — Wed, 06 May 2009 08:42:59 -0700

Mario Gonázlez-Román is a member of the Security Experts Council of the New York-based Gerson Lehrman Group. For 28 years he worked at the US Embassy in Mexico, where he served the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service and held the position of Foreign Service National Senior Advisor for Security. He is available as a private security consultant, and shares his public security expertise on his website securitycornermexico.com. His email is frog_mario@hotmail.com.

Don Mario’s Taxi Tips

• Never, ever enter a roving green taxi.

• If desperate for a ride, and you want to get a cab on the street, wait until a passenger is dropped off and you see that money is paid to the driver.

• If new to Mexico, call a city-wide radio taxi service. Here’s a number I use: 5516 6020.

• If a resident, identify your closest sitio. Sitios are secure taxi stands. Some to know:

- Condesa at Parque México: 5286 7129

- Behind US Embassy/Sheraton Hotel: 5514 9165

- Mérida 145 in Roma: 5574 3368, 5574 4596 & 97

- Lomas de Chapultepec at S. Madre/Reforma: 5520 2159

- Reforma/Palmas: 5245 1016

• Know your exact location before you call. If you’re not at home, it’s best to call from a hotel or restaurant.

• Tell the taxi driver the street name and number of your destination, along with the names of cross streets, the colonia and the delegación.

• Sit in the back, where you have better visibility.

• Upon entering the vehicle always lock both back doors.

• Close personal contact with a driver who must concentrate on his work is not recommended.

• If you’re riding at night, turn around occasionally to make sure no one is following you.

• Prepare your fare just before making a full stop

• When getting out, make sure you’re where you want to be, and that strangers aren’t waiting for you.

• Drivers welcome tips, and it’s especially nice to give them if you use the same sitio service regularly (I know my driver in Condesa by name).

• Every Christmas, give your regular driver a small gift.

• Never leave home with credit cards if riding in non-sitio taxis.

Tacos: a healthy option

catherine — Wed, 06 May 2009 07:54:23 -0700

One of the double-edged luxuries of eating in Mexico – getting a licuado or a tamal on the street corner, a quesadilla in the market, a taco at the local joint – is forgetting about those nagging nutritional labels that stalk us in the supermarket. In a foreign country, it’s all the more tempting to imagine that calories and cholesterol simply don’t count. (Come on– tacos al pastor are tiny!)

Yet living here doesn’t mean we’re on permanent vacation from paying attention to what we eat. Inside México’s nutrition columnist steers you toward better choices, without suffering total taco avoidance.

Above all the regional dishes that identify each state in the country, the taco is like the national flag of food, Mexico’s common culinary banner.

Since pre-Hispanic times the taco has been a basic food of the Mexican people. Conquest-era chroniclers Bernal Díaz del Castillo and Don Fray Bernardino de Sahagún explicitly narrate how the indigenous diet consisted of a tortilla made from maíz. On the tortilla the indigenous people heaped vegetables, beans, turkey or quail, chapulines (grasshopper), gusanos de maguey (worms), tadpoles or snake meat. Then they rolled it up and ate it.

Tortillas, a healthy food

Every nutrient has a function inside the human body, which is why it’s important to recognize which ones are found in any given food. The body’s ability to create healthy cells and maintain a state of well-being depends on those nutrients. The Mexican corn tortilla’s high nutritional content offers our bodies lots of benefits; it contains calcium and dietary fiber, without adding fat or salt (unlike flour tortillas, which do).

How to make a healthy taco

The difference between a healthy and an unhealthy taco is what’s inside the tortilla. Given the countless varieties of tacos, when it comes time to order, how do we make a healthy, balanced choice? The important thing is to choose a filling with high-quality nutrients, and to remember that everyone has particular needs.

In general, an obese person with high blood cholesterol should choose grilled white meats like chicken or fish, legumes and grilled vegetables. Someone with anemia should eat red meat at least twice a week, and legumes and grilled vegetables as well. A pregnant woman should opt for grilled white meats, green vegetables and legumes, and red meat once a week.

Georgina del Ángel is a nutritionist and researcher at the Salvador Zubirán National Institute of Nutrition in Mexico City, specializing in nutrition and the treatment of chronic and degenerative diseases.

Any questions? Email health@insidemex.com.

Flying smart

catherine — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:09:33 -0700

I love frequent flyer miles. I once flew nine times in one day back and forth between Boston and New York just because Pan Am was running a promotion that offered 5,000 bonus miles each way.

So when I moved to Mexico two years ago, I was pleased to find that Mexico is a fantastic place to live if you’re a frequent flyer junkie. That’s because Mexico is considered by most airlines to be in the same “zone” as the rest of North America. For example, airlines that will fly you from New York to London for 50,000 frequent flyer miles will also fly you from Mexico City to Istanbul for the same 50,000 miles (which I did with my wife in October).

From a cost perspective, this makes about as much sense as the US Postal Service charging the 39 cents to deliver a letter, whether it’s going from one side of Manhattan to the other or from Boston to Seattle (or from Puerto Rico to Guam, if you really want to stretch the point).

When it comes to regular tickets, airlines usually match the price to the distance. But when it comes to frequent flyer tickets, for some reason, airlines see the world as big zones: North America, Europe, Asia, etc. This is a windfall for anyone living at the edge of one of these zones. Just to quantify the point, a round-trip economy-class ticket from New York to London on Continental costs $497; from Mexico City to Istanbul, $1938. But if you use miles, you’ll pay the same for both: 50,000 OnePass miles.

For hardcore travelers who obsess about making the most of every mile, this is only the beginning. Since I go to New York regularly, I take advantage of another perk: the free stopover.

When flying Continental I can use miles to take a vacation in Europe and stop -- for free -- in New York on my way home. That’s because Newark is a gateway city for Continental and considered a “natural” routing point between Mexico and Europe.

For these trips, I fly direct from Mexico City to Paris or Amsterdam (on one of Continental’s partner airlines, Air France or KLM) and then take Continental on my way home with a stopover in New York for several days. For 50,000 miles, which is just 15,000 more than it normally costs to fly from Mexico City to New York, I get a trip to Europe without having to double-back (and pay for) a second trip to New York.

Another variation works for people who divide their time between the US and Mexico. For example, suppose you live in Atlanta and spend winters in San Miguel de Allende. Rather than cash in your frequent flyer miles for a round-trip ticket (30,000 miles on Delta), use 20,000 more miles and add in a trip to Europe too. How? This is not for the faint-of-heart as it requires some deft scheduling, but in theory you can book a 50,000 mile frequent flyer ticket from San Miguel to Atlanta on March 1, stop in Atlanta for six months, then fly to Madrid to brush up on your Spanish before heading back to San Miguel for the winter.

To get the most from your miles, you’ll have to spend some time learning the ins and outs of various frequent flyer programs. It took me years and many flights on the PanAm Shuttle to get the hang of these Byzantine systems. A good place to start is www.webflyer.com

Here comes the sun

catherine — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:00:24 -0700

When it comes to solar energy potential, Mexico is, ahem, light years ahead of many places in the world.

“Germany is currently number one in terms of solar energy production, but Mexico gets five times as much sun as Germany,” says Gleb Kouznetsov, Director General of Grupo ECOS , a Mexico-City based company dedicated to the production and sale of efficient and alternative energy product. “This is a huge opportunity for us.”

Formed five years ago by four students and two professors at Mexico City’s Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM ), the company’s mission is to protect the environment and contribute to social well-being through the use of energy technologies.

Alfredo Villafranca is a professor of the Ethics of Development at ITAM and an ECOS partner. He’s worked for years with non-profits providing services to underserved communities and saw starting a business with strong social values as the best way to extend the impact of sustainable development projects. One of the company’s steadiest sources of revenue comes from selling solar-powered light “kits” for installation along highways, in remote pueblos and in other areas as of yet untouched by the electricity grid.

“The effect of bringing light and power to these areas is great. There’s a little restaurant in one of our pueblos, a very simple place selling quesadillas. With no electricity, they could only work during daylight. Now, the family has doubled their work hours and their income. It’s changed their lives.”

The cultural resistance, however, even among those who stand to benefit most, can be strong. “Some towns see the lights as a stigma,” says Villafranca. “They say, ‘These are for poor people. We want lampposts, like rich people have.’”

Kouznetsov cites what he calls “cortoplazismo” -- unwillingness to invest for the long term -- on the part of governments and corporate executives as another barrier to surmount. But he remains hopeful, saying he expects the next five years will bring energy reform in Mexico, as well as technological breakthroughs and a global explosion in the market for alternative energies.

Villafranca echoes the optimism, but is frank about the consequences of a world addicted to carbon-based energy, and a Mexico which wants its cars, computers and air conditioners, just like its northern neighbors.

“The demand for power is far outstripping what can be delivered,” Villafranca says. “If we don’t do something soon the system is going to break.”

Watch those stalagmites!

sue-ellen — Mon, 04 May 2009 21:27:55 -0700

The luminescent Caribbean Sea is not the only beautiful water on the Yucatán coast. Tucked into the scrub jungle along the Mayan Riviera is a network of limestone sinkholes, known as cenotes (pronounced say-no-tayes). which open to clear, fresh water that laps against glistening stalactites and stalagmites. The cave openings contain cool shallow water that courses through labyrinthine tunnels, mostly underground.

But the cenotes, which have long been a favorite with tourists from home and abroad, are suffering for their popularity.

The mythical reputation of the cenotes as the gateway to the secret Mayan underworld makes them popular with divers, snorkellers and swimmers. Visitors enjoy exploring the depths from which jade, gold and human remains have been dredged – remnants of Mayan sacrifices. But as they plunge into the cave depths – the bottom of some have never been reached – they can snap off the delicate rock formations with their fins and heavy flashlights. The stalagmites and stalactites grow a mere one centimeter every five years and are irreplaceable.

There are other problems, according to Dave Tomlinson, owner of the Cenote Dive Center in Tulum and Playa del Carmen. The water is being degraded by swimmers entering the caves wearing sunscreen and insect repellent to keep off the clouds of mosquitoes that thrive in such dark, moist conditions.

“We try to avoid having people go into the cenotes with wearing sunscreen and insect repellent. There are lots of signs up,” says Tomlinson.

“But everyone uses sunscreen, so it’s tough.”

The degradation of the cenotes goes beyond the direct impact that visitors have on the underwater caves. There is a larger problem emerging along the Mayan Riviera as more and more hotels spring up to accommodate the tourists flocking to the coast. As I showered in one of Tulum’s pretty beach hotels, I noticed that the water coming out of the shower was sweet – why is that?

“It’s because many of the hotels along the coast draw their water from the cenotes themselves,” says Lucy Gallagher, one of the three directors of the NGO Mexiconservación. Ironically, it’s becoming more and more common for these guest houses to call themselves “eco-hotels”.

“The term ‘eco’ has become really fashionable because being environmentally friendly is a new trend. A lot of people are now concerned about the environment when they go on holiday and are looking for more environmentally friendly initiatives.

“However the term ‘eco’ has been taken on as a bit of a buzzword and very often a lot of the ‘eco-hotels’ and ‘eco-tours’ may not be so. We encourage people to enquire about the environmental policies of hotels, restaurants and tours they go on,” advises Gallagher.

The problems on the coast aren’t just affecting the cenotes. The beach of the nearby UNESCO Sian Ka'an Biosphere is covered with junk and litter, and activities such as turtle tours – where tourists are given the chance to release baby turtles back into the sea from the beach – draw travelers, but can wreak havoc on the animals’ natural cycles.

The moral of the story: if you want to be eco-friendly, you will have to do more than look for the word. Ask questions before you sign up for tours or hotels down on the Caribbean Coast.

Driving in Mexico, Part 3: What kind of car?

catherine — Mon, 04 May 2009 19:50:54 -0700

They say that there are more different car models available for sale in Mexico than in the United States. In fact, you’ve probably noticed unfamiliar models by familiar brands and some new brands as well, such as the Spanish car manufacturer Seat. And there’s always some tiny vehicle that you’ll never see in the US, huffing up a mountain road. But then again, if gas prices keep going up…

Despite Mexico’s car diversity it is still possible to bring a car into the Verificentro (the government run car emissions testing stations) that isn’t recognized by their database.

My Honda Element, for example. The Element emits about as much pollution as a motor scooter, but because it wasn’t in the Verificentro’s database the manager couldn’t give me the 0 certificate (see the December January issue for a full description of how the Verificentros work) that would allow me to drive seven days a week. That required one more step: a trip to the offices of the Secretary of the Environment.

A few days later, I took a number at the Secretary of the Environment’s office in Colonia Escandón. Surprisingly, the whole process, including a quick trip down the block to copy my docs, took less than an hour. Most of that time was spent waiting for my number to come up. Not bad for a brush with red tape.

It’s worth noting that you are required to take your car to the Verificentro only if it has Distrito Federal or Estado de México license plates. Otherwise, and unless the traffic police think your car is a polluter, a visit to the Verificentro is voluntary. The only reason to go is to get the “pass go” sticker that let’s you drive whenever you want to. If you don’t mind resting your car one day a week, you needn’t bother.

If your car is sick and spewing fumes, the Verificentro folks will send you to a specially licensed mechanic for a cure. When the mechanic is finished you will have to return to the Verificentro to repeat the tests and get your certification. Good luck and safe driving.

For cars not in the Verificentro database you need:

1. Copy and original of the car’s bill of sale.

2. Copy and original of the importation permit received crossing the border.

3. Copy and original of the Verificentro test results.

4. Copy and original of your identification.

5. A form (solicitud) that the Verificentro will give you.

The Secretary of the Environment
Calle Agricultura 21,
Colonia Escandón
Tel: 5278 9931 exts. 6251, 6252, 6253

Staying in touch: Undercover caller

catherine — Mon, 04 May 2009 19:41:13 -0700

"How's the weather in New York?"

I get this question all the time and I’m never sure how to answer. The truthful answer is, “Who cares? I’m in Mexico City, where it’s sunny and 72.”

It’s a natural question given that person calling dialed a “212” number. When I moved to Mexico, I investigated how to hide the fact that I’m living here. I’m not on the lam, I just found it expedient for people to picture me in an office somewhere in Manhattan sweating the rat race, rather than in my pajamas on my terrace in Mexico City.

First, I set up high-speed internet in my home office. In Mexico you have a few options. There’s Telmex, the monopoly telecom company. There’s Cablevision. And there’s the new AT&T Alesta service, which combines high-speed internet and a Mexican phone number that includes an unlimited flat-rate plan for calling throughout Mexico.

Next, you’ll need a VOIP service from the US . I got a 212 number but you can get a different area code. Having a New York phone number in Mexico City -- caller ID shows just my 212 number when I dial out -- gives no hint of me actually being in another country.

There are lots of VOIP companies. After researching the space, including the big players Skype and Vonage, I chose VoicePulse. Their service is inexpensive (US $25 a month for unlimited calls throughout the US ), but what sold me were the rave reviews. From my experience, this company has its act together. They have great customer service and a phenomenal range of features, one of which turned out to be critical: Multi-Ring.

Multi-Ring lets you send a call to multiple phones at the same time. When someone calls me, it rings my home office and my cellphone simultaneously. When one of the phones picks up, the call is shunted to that phone. If none answers, the call is routed to whichever voicemail picks up first.

The only time I pay extra is when I forward to a non-US phone, but even then it’s not expensive: 6 cents a minute to Mexico City. Plus, from the VoicePulse website you can easily update the numbers where you want your calls forwarded. Once, while I was on vacation in Marrakech, I added a rented cellphone to my Multi-Ring group.

What makes the VoicePulse service particularly nifty for sly expats is that while all those phones are ringing simultaneously, the caller hears only the “main” phone ringing. That is important because a distinctively foreign ring is a dead giveaway that the call has been routed someplace far from Manhattan. I initially set it up differently and was snagged by this detail. Instead of asking about the weather, the first thing people asked is, “Where in the world are you?”

Now, every morning, I go to weather. com to see what it’s like in New York. It prepares me for the day’s calls. And in the winter, when the weather is bitter up there, it gives me an extra bit of satisfaction as I step outside in my pajamas.

May 4, 2009 AH1N1 (Swine Flu) Update: When pigs fly

aran — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:07:05 -0700

1. As Mexico lowers its flu alert, the World Health Organization (WHO) considers raising its global threat level.

2. The Mexican government takes a swat at China

3. Attention again focuses on Carroll Farms in La Gloria, Veracruz.

Vocabulary word for the day: Reassort. Reassort is when viruses swap genes, adapt or, in other words, mutate into a new form. Often, this can mean that they grow stronger or jump species.

Perhaps the scariest things about the AH1N1 virus are the unknowns. How virulent is it? How quickly is it spreading? Where did it come from? We are nearly two weeks into this situation and contradictory statements seem to be causing more, rather than less confusion. Mexico´s number of AH1N1 cases seems to be stabilizing, but more are reported in other parts of the world each day.

Mexico

Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard has proposed an emergency alert code of five levels and colors to give capitalinos a visual reminder of the current threat levels. As it prepares to reopen for business on Wednesday May 6, Mexico has lowered its AH1N1 alert from level 4 (Red) to Level 3 (Orange).

On Wednesday, Mexico City's restaurants will reopen, but are still subject to precautionary rules (no more than four diners can be within a 10 square meter [100 sq. foot] space). Llibraries, museums, churches and other religious centers will reopen on Thursady, May 8^th. Nightclubs and schools are closed pending decision from the government.

Mexico's Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova says that the AH1N1 contagion peaked in the country between the 23 and 28th of April, but advises the population to remain cautious.

WHO

As Mexico strives to put the flu behind it, the World Health Organization (WHO) is considering raising their threat level from five to the highest alert level of six, which means that the world is experiencing a pandemic. The WHO website defines a pandemic as follows: ¨An influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus appears against which the human population has no immunity, resulting in epidemics worldwide with enormous numbers of deaths and illness.¨

Apparently, the last step before authorizing an increase from five to six would be confirmation of more cases of person-to-person transmission in Europe and Asia.

At the same time, however, the head of the WHO, Dr. Margaret Chan said, "Level 6 does not mean, in any way, that we are facing the end of the world. It is important to make this clear because (otherwise) when we announce level 6 it will cause an unnecessary panic."

What has become clear over the last few days is that the WHO is taking the long view on this virus. Like Dr. José Sarukhán (referenced in the May 2nd update), they are concerned about mutations of the virus and the possibility that it will reassort over the following months.

Chan went on to say "Flu viruses are very unpredictable, very deceptive ... We should not be over-confident. One must not give H1N1 the opportunity to mix with other viruses. That is why we are on alert."

The Washington Post reports that the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as saying that "even if WHO does declare phase six -- a pandemic -- that would be a statement about the geographic spread of the virus, not its severity."

China vs. Mexico

On April 29^th, China sent $1 million USD in cash and $4 million USD in material support to Mexico in its battle with AH1N1.

In China, approximately 70 Mexicans, 25 Canadians as well as other foreigners and some Chinese have been quarantined as the Chinese government takes strong measures to prevent the spread of swine flu in their country. After the government's delayed reaction to the SARS outbreak six years ago, it's not taking chances in the face of another potentially dangerous infectious disease.

Last night, interview by Adriana Perez Caneda broadcast nationally on channels 11 and 22, Mexican President Felipe Calderón said that ¨discrimination comes from ignorance¨, implicitly accusing the Chinese of racial profiling by quarantining Mexicans who show no symptoms of the flu.

Mexico´s Secretary of Foreign relations announced that it would be collecting the quarantined Mexicans in China and flying them back to Mexico.

La Gloria

The WHO apparently is claiming that on April 11 they told Mexican authorities about unusual illnesses in Veracruz (see May 1 update) and that Mexican authorities rejected the idea that there might be an epidemic.

El Universal has published a new story on the communities around the Granjas Carroll pig far in Veracruz. It is the most detailed account to date of what life it is like for the people who live near the far: an overwhelming stench, piles of dead pigs, the constant worry about illness, concerns about the environment and fear of retribution for speaking out against the operation there.

How dangerous could these farms be? Are they more or less dangerous in terms of reassorting viruses than rural places where livestock and poultry raised for subsistence wander in and out of people´s homes? Whether or not it turns out that this swine flu strain originated in rural Veracruz, a focus on the conditions for people living and working around industrial livestock farms, and for the animals raised there, is worthwhile.

Let us know what you think. Comment below.

Happy trails to DF

catherine — Mon, 04 May 2009 12:31:22 -0700

The pedestrian path along Calle Ferrocarríl de Cuernavaca in Mexico City’s Lomas de Chapultepec is thronged by meandering professionals, most seeking a bit of sunshine before returning to their climate-controlled workday. A young woman on a bicycle maneuvers through the crowd and comes to a stop in front of a stainless steel kiosk, where a man helps her dismount.

“Look at that smile, see how happy she is.”

The man collects the woman’s helmet and fluorescent green safety vest then parks her bicycle next to a dozen or so identical models.

“For most people, riding a bicycle is the best memory from their childhood,” he says.

Part carnival barker, part evangelist, Antonio Suárez is the proprietor of the Cicloestación Ciudad de México, an endeavor dedicated to promoting “non-motorized mobility.” Suárez passionately delivers his gospel to passersby.

“The number of cars on the road here is unsustainable! We need to get people using bicycles, both for the good of the city and fo their own health. ”

Bikes are offered free for one hour’s use (with an ID), and the Cicloestación Lomas and its sister branch in Coyoacán offer weekend group tours of Chapultepec Park and Coyoacán for $100 pesos per person. From the Lomas station, cyclists can cruise the 90 kilometers of bike trails that follow the city’s abandoned railroad tracks.

Suárez, a professor in UNAM ’s landscape school, and his associate Pedro Camarena, a professor in the architecture school, are also partners in Balam, a 15-year old ecotourism consultancy. Balam helped ejido community San Nicolas Totolapan (in the rural south of Mexico City) develop successful hiking and mountain biking tourism. It also built eight rural bike stations in Mexico City, Mexico State and Michoacán, and hosts a semi-annual ecotourism conference in Valle de Bravo. The Lomas and Coyoacán stations are their first urban projects.

“I want to see [the cyclists] everywhere in the city, in their green vests, like insects,” says Suárez.

Adelina Romero Aguirre works at the Nextel offices across the street from the ciclovia.

“I love this project,” Romero Aguirre says. “Something has to be done, not just to reduce the number of cars on the road, but also for our health. Kids today have so many health problems.”

Suárez takes a holistic view of the Cicloestación’s benefits. “What we’re doing is urban acupuncture…we want to keep the good energy flowing.”

Fun, fast and free

The Cicloestación is located on the pedestrian walkway of Ferrocarríl de Cuernavaca, in Lomas de Chapultepec, near Manuel Avila Camacho. It is open from 7 am to 5 pm during the week, and 10 am to 3:30 pm on weekends. Call Antonio Suárez at (044 55) 2428 1488 to arrange a bike tour. To learn more about Proyecto Balam, go to balam.org.mx.

Mexico City, a haven for runners

catherine — Sun, 03 May 2009 21:57:05 -0700

A megalopolis located 7,350 feet above sea level with dodgy air quality and insane traffic. You've got to be nuts to run here, right?

Wrong.

"I believe that we're at the beginning of a boom," says Francisco Estrada, Technical Director of Emocion Deportiva, a division of the sporting goods company, Grupo Marti that puts on dozens of races a year, including the Mexico City Marathon in August.

That's right, dozens of races a year. Need some proof that there are runners in Mexico City? Think back to November, and the 20,000-plus runners who toed the line for the Nike 10k.

For a dedicated road-racer it's possible to collect a medal just about every weekend of the year in the DF. And for someone looking to stay in shape, the city offers lots of routes for runners. (See sidebar)

Estrada describes a running culture in Mexico City that has evolved over the last decade.

"It's a change in the culture toward health and exercise," he says. "People are more aware that doing a sport is something integral to their lives."

The profile of the average runner has evolved too. In recent years, the sport has taken off among the city's economic elite. Years ago," says Estrada," you'd see people of lower and middle class at races. Now you see people of uppermiddle and upper class taking part in all the events." Running, in other words, has become fashionable.

Head to the Bosque de Tlalpan and the heart of Mexico City's running culture. The Bosque is a runner's oasis in the south of the city. It's marked trails tell you how far you've gone, and the refreshing smell of pine needles wafts among the trees.

By mid-morning on an average Sunday, the parking lot is full and runners and walkers of all levels are making their way around the Bosque's clay and gravel track. A running club, the Corredores de Tlalpan, helps maintain the Bosque, and the place is set up to make a runner's life more comfortable. Healthy snacks and water are available, as are running clothes and shoes (it's the only place in Mexico City where I've seen Asics trainers on sale).

The Bosque de Tlalpan is Estrada's favorite place to train. A marathoner himself, he says the weekend turnout might be heavy, but mornings during the week are even busier.

"If you go to the Bosque in the morning, it is full of people. You practically have to ask permission to pass someone on the trail."

What about the air pollution?

"It is better to train in the morning than at mid-day," Estrada says.

"Pollution is a reality in Mexico City. If you can, train at a sports club, where you can go in the morning or the evening, and the air quality will be better. If you can't, go to a place where there are trees."

There is another incentive to train in the mornings. The gated parks, such as Chapultepec and Bosque de Tlalpan, close before sundown.

And don't forget the altitude either. It takes a bit of time to adjust to being here. Headaches and nausea are not uncommon for people just starting out. But don't be discouraged; in time you will adjust.

Running is a solitary sport, but it's also a good way to meet people. If you're looking to mix a run with a good party the Mexico City Hash House Harriers may be your answer.

The Mexico City group dates from 1986, but there are hundreds of Hash House Harrier groups world-wide. The original one dates to 1938. A self-described "drinking club with a running problem", the "hash" is a game of chase, like fox-and-hounds, where the "hare" heads out leaving a trail for others to track. When the run is over, the hashers retire to the bar.

The Mexico City chapter runs between eight and 10 kilometers weekly run in Chapultepec Park once a week. Once a month they organize a traditional "hash", which is followed by a meal. No membership fees are required, just a love of exercise and a willingness to take a drink when it's over.

So don't let the city's size, the altitude or the air intimidate you. If you want to lace up the trainers and hit the trails you'll discover you won't be alone.

Medicare in Mexico

catherine — Sun, 03 May 2009 19:12:01 -0700

As a professor at the University of Texas at Austin's LBJ School of Public Affairs, Dr. David Warner has made a career studying health policy issues on both sides of the US-Mexico border. Now, with so many Americans choosing to retire in Latin America, he is working on a research project that could pave the way to Medicare benefits being accepted in Mexico.

Most retirees who have Medicare travel back to the United States for treatments covered by the program. Extending Medicare benefits to Americans in Mexico might save the system money, since reimbursable treatments here would probably cost less than similar treatments in the US. It could also mean a boost to the Mexican health care industry.

Some hospitals, such as the Christus Muguerza Hospital in Monterrey (co-owned by Dallas-based Christus Health) have gone through the process of becoming Medicare qualified. This means complying with US regulations regarding safety standards and licensing and insuring of doctors, and receiving the approval of the Medicare certification authority, the Joint Commission International Center for Patient Safety.

Dr. Warner says, "It's mostly marketing, since Medicare isn't available here yet, but you could say it's a first step."

There are several hurdles to leap before American retirees in Mexico can use their Medicare benefits here as they do back home. Congress has to approve a research project designed to measure the impact of full Medicare in Mexico. The study must show that the quality of care received in Mexico would equal that available in the United States, without incurring additional cost.

First, however, decision makers must understand that there's a pentup demand for the program among the Americans living in Mexico.

"Congress needs to know that the retirees here are people who vote," says Dr. Warner.

To learn more about Medicare in Mexico, go to http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~healthp/index.html. To participate in Dr. Warner's survey or email him at david.warner@mail.utexas.edu or call +1 (512) 471-6277.

"An Inconvenient Truth" comes to Mexico

catherine — Sat, 02 May 2009 20:31:21 -0700

I pass, like night, from land to land;
I have strange power of speech;
That moment that his face I see,
I know the man that must hear me:
To him my tale I teach.
-- Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

The opening shot in Al Gore's movie An Inconvenient Truth pans a murky creek behind the Gore family farm in Tennessee. It's hazy deep summer. You can almost smell the muck and hear the insects buzz.

Coming into the theater from the frenetic streets of Mexico City, the rural calm on the screen startles. Gore's voice, guiding us along the stream bank, raises a few snickers among the Americans in the audience. Maybe the familiar landscape and voice seem strange in a foreign country. Or maybe it's that the voice filling the theater brings back the old discomforts: the contested US election in 2000 and Al Gore himself, who always came off as trying just a little too hard.

This moment flows quickly by and the film's two story lines sweep the viewer along parallel paths: one chilling and one moving. The first describes -- in graphic detail -- a planet hurtling toward crisis. Imagine if the average temperature in Europe were to drop 15 degrees Celsius over the next ten years. That's 59 degrees Fahrenheit, for gringos who require the conversion. Climate change is not necessarily a linear, gradual process; it could happen abruptly. If the Gulf Stream stopped flowing, the balance of temperature and precipitation on both sides of the Atlantic would change fast.

The second surprisingly tender, personal story looks at the choices made by a man who didn't achieve the prize he'd chased his entire life. Fair or not, Gore's destiny -- as he understood it -- took a sharp turn when the Supreme Court voted against a complete recount in Florida. Rather than disappear, he gave himself to the cause of protecting the planet from... ourselves. We follow him on a lonely sojourn through airports, into hotels, and onto stages as he tirelessly presents his inconvenient truth: humans have disrupted the earth's equilibrium and, to avoid catastrophe, we much act now.

Perhaps Gore's personal story is meant as a metaphor for the larger story. "Look," he seems to say, "I lost my way, but I found a new path and a chance to fight for a better world."

This is science as great storytelling; it's both a cautionary tale and a call to action. When the film returns in the end to that Tennessee creek, I want to feel its mud squish between my toes. I know better than ever that the stream, the trees along its bank and insects in the air cannot be taken for granted.

Paramount Pictures will issue a limited release of the film in Mexico during December. Keep an eye out for schedules or contact one of the several groups co-promoting the film, including The Young Democrats, The World Wildlife Foundation and Greenpeace. Once available, we will publish the screening schedule on insidemex.com.

Renewing Merida's architectural heritage

catherine — Sat, 02 May 2009 13:05:50 -0700

Marcos arrives to my house on time, 5 pm sharp. My friend Ana María recommended him to fumigate the garden and the rest of my downtown house, given that mosquitos abound during the rainy season--from July through September. A well-equipped exterminator, Marcos´ work is impeccable as he moves smoothly, almost imperceptibly around the house while I work on my assignment: to write an article on how us yucatecos have adapted to the presence of the Americans that have moved to Mérida, especially in its historical downtown area, during the last 4 or 5 years.

I've been pondering this subject for hours, on the basic assumption that North Americans are consistently contributing to the urban renovation and rehabilitation of Mérida's downtown area, restoring colonial and post-colonial houses in barrios like Santa Lucía, Santiago, Santa Ana and La Ermita de Santa Isabel, among those with the highest annual appreciation, located a few blocks from the city's Plaza Grande, a business district that exudes vitality all day long.

Architect Henry Ponce agrees with me on the revival of downtown real estate properties-and he knows the subject well after three years of working for the American community, designing projects and coordinating the restoration of old casonas, some of them left to decay by their original owners.

Henry told me amazing facts regarding the real estate business, a market in which he's also a success story. For instance, one of his clients bought a house for $126,000 dollars and now is selling it for $200,000. He has received several offers for it.

Speaking in modest terms, he explains, houses increase their value from 50% to 100% in a relatively short term: six months. Another client of his bought a house for USD $28,000, invested another $8,000 into it, and sold it for $63,000.

An eight thousand dollar investment is a bargain if we consider that many old houses are in ruins, as Marcos, the exterminator tells me. As it turns out, he also works for the foreign community of downtown Mérida, a group that, according to statistics, includes about six thousand people-not sixty thousand as Henry first told me, hurriedly translating the number given to him by an American client over the phone.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I guess I'm used to multiplying everything by ten," he joked, in reference to the Mexican peso/dollar exchange rate.

Marcos' contact with Americans has also provided him with a fair share of stories. "I met an older man who started talking to me one day when I was in the main square trying to practice my English. I told him I would send him an email. So I wrote him later on and he was surprised because he thought sometimes people found him dull."

"When he came back to Mérida", Marcos continues, "he contacted me and told me he wanted to buy a house. And the next time he came back, he asked me to come with him to work as his translator."

"We looked at several houses, but he only seemed interested in those near the Plaza Grande; price or antiquity didn't have a lot of relevance. He came back a year or two later and bought a house. He invited me to visit: the house was practically falling down, but he had already begun to build a huge pool. He had been repairing it for a while, and he planned to move to Mérida within five years, after his retirement."

This was an epiphany for me! The source of information for my article had arrived just in time and after talking to me for almost an hour, he even offered to fix a small problem he noticed in my bathroom. He also learned about plumbing and electricity through his American friend, who trusted him enough to disassemble a pool filter in order to learn how it works.

Likewise, the owner hired Marcos to be the house manager, supervising the construction works and providing maintenance.

"And you're also an exterminator?" I ask him.

"Well, I started to work as an exterminator for the brother of my American friend. I began to get more clients soon after, because the contractors I work for also recommend me to their clients and the network grows..."

Marcos leaves and I wrap up my article, as I keep pondering the subject of reciprocity: Americans are rescuing Mérida's downtown architecture and creating jobs in exchange for a peaceful, evocative life among us, their new neighbors, reminding us that there's always space for convivencia, despite the cultural differences.

If you don't believe me, just ask John Blum, an avant-garde jazz pianist from New York City, who is so accustomed to the atmosphere of the Yucatán peninsula that he simply smiles with the dignity of a gentleman when his local friends fondly call him by his nickname:"Johnny Fajitas".

Eugenia Montalván Colón is a Merida based journalist. Visit her at unasletras.com.

May 2, 2009 Swine Flu Update: Better news

aran — Sat, 02 May 2009 11:31:15 -0700

Mexico has lowered the estimated number of deaths linked to the AH1N1 (swine flu) virus from 176 to 101. The number of confirmed deaths linked to AH1N1 is only 16.

There have been no deaths linked to the illness since April 30. And while more than 700 AH1N1 infections have been identified worldwide, epidemiologists studying the strain in the US suggest that this is not a particularly robust flu, genetically speaking.

One interesting - albeit somewhat confusing - data point is that few family members of Mexico's swine flu cases Mexico are contracting the virus. So how did the numbers of suspected cases grow so high so quickly? Or did they? There is still much that is not known.

The Guardian in the UK interviewed a flu victim who described the first days of their illness as a severe health situation: ¨The first two or three days were pretty horrible...It is very scary to be told you have swine flu after hearing about it on the news. Each day developed into worse symptoms, starting with the chest pains and then the fever.¨

This description of the gravity of this patient´s illness may give credence to the idea put forward by some scientists that the difference between the apparent severity in Mexico and other places is the size of the sample, not that Mexicans are affected differently by the virus.

Yesterday, President Barack Obama expressed hope that this flu may be no more deadly than the normal seasonal flu to which we are accustomed.

Today, however, he continued to express caution, saying in his weekly Saturday morning address that, ¨This is a new strain of flu virus, and because we haven´t developed an immunity to it, it has more potential to do harm. Unlike the various strains of animal flu that have emerged in the past, it´s a flu that is spreading from human to human. This creates the potential for a pandemic, which is why we are acting quickly and aggressively.¨

In an opinion piece published yesterday in El Universal, Dr. José Sarukhán, one of the world´s top ecologists, reminded readers that viruses reproduce and mutate very quickly. A weak flu, in other words, could become stronger over time.

This is one of the possibilities worrying scientists: that the flu will just kick along now but come back stronger and more deadly during the fall flu season.

Dr. Sarukhán goes on to suggest that ecological disruption is one of the factors that fosters the transmission of viruses from one species to another. He indicts agroindustry, like pig farms around the world and including the one in the Perote Valley, for being more focused on their bottom lines than on the health of humans or the environment.

It may take some time for us to glean all of the lessons from the current AH1N1 crisis, but if it focuses the world's population on all of the potential sources of virulent disease, including industrial livestock farming, we may be able to begin making the world safer and healthier.

May 1, 2009 Swine Flu Update: The Epi-Porcine-Center?

aran — Fri, 01 May 2009 11:55:59 -0700

As I posted this update, an article appeared in the Wall Street Journal possibly linking A/H1N1 to California.

In Veracruz´s Perote Valley, only a few kilometers from the state capital Xalapa, an industrial pig farm turns nearly a million hogs a year into tocino and carnitas and provides work for the residents of a town called La Gloria.

Until two weeks ago, this tucked-away valley was far beyond the gaze of the international press. Now, news crews from around the world are headed there to get a look at¨patient zero¨ and the pig farm where some think this A/H1N1 swine flu may have originated.

¨Patientzero¨ is ÉdgarHernández, a five-year old boy who lives in Perote. He suffered and then survived, the swine flu virus. The Governor of the state of Veracruz, FidelHerrera, and other state and local authorities claim that Edgar is the only A/H1N1victim in his town. However, it turns out that during March and early April, hundreds of people in the area were sick, though local officials say they suffered from something other than swine flu.

This pig farm in Perote is a joint venture between Smithfield Farms, the world´slargest producer of pork, based in Virginia, and Agroindustrias de Mexico, a Mexican multinational that produces and distributes coffee, cacao, cotton, cornand pigs. Agroindustrias de Mexico even has an agro-finance business that lends money to its providers. The name of the joint venture pig farm is Granjas Carroll (Carroll Farms).

As journalists have begun to focus on La Gloria in the hunt for this swine flu´sorigin, Governor Herrera and other Mexican officials are pointing fingers at Asia and the US as the source. Mexico´s Health Secretary, Jose Angel Cordovaalso has rejected the spotlight cast on the Perote Valley.

It is no surprise to experts like Mike Davis (interviewed here on Democracy Now), the author of TheMonster at Our Door: The Global Threat of Avian Flu, that a virulent flu strain would spring from an industrial pig farm. In his recent article in The Guardian, Davis writes about what he calls ¨the planetary catastrophe of industrialized and ecologically unhinged livestock production¨ and speculates about the powerful viruses that can spring from poultry and livestock farms.

A virus doesn´t leap from a pig or other animal to humans without sustained contact between the species. Therefore, the most likely place for a ¨swine flu¨ epidemic is on or close to a pig farm. That's to say, taking a closer look at Granjas Carroll isn't unreasonable, especially since there were a lot of sick people in the surrounding area.

According to some recent online articles, the first question to ask might not be so much¨where¨ precisely the flu originated, but ¨how.¨ The ¨where¨ follows as amatter of course.

Al Giordano, founder of the website narconews.com, suggests that Smithfield Farms, after being fined under the Clean Water Act in the US and running into other regulatory problems, moved some operations to a place where oversight might be less stringent once the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was enacted. Following this logic, Giordano proposes that this virus not be called ¨swine flu¨ at all, but ¨NAFTA flu.¨

Giordano cites an article published about Granjas Carroll in the Mexican newspaper La Jornada describing the Carroll farm in the most squalid terms. According to the article, " Clouds of flies emanate from the rusty lagoons where the Carroll Ranches business tosses the fecal wastes of its pigfarms."

Laura Carlsen, director of the Americas Program of the International Relations Center (IRC), an organization that fosters citizen action and does policy research, makes a similar argument, writing that ¨NAFTA unleashed the spread of industrial livestock farms in Mexico by creating investment incentives for transnational companies to relocate operations there. The ´race to the bottom´ -where companies move production to areas where environmental and health restrictions and enforcement are low, is exemplified in livestock farming.¨

Industrial scale pig farming anywhere is a dirty business. If you want to stick your nose into the fecal and antibiotic details of pig farming in the US, read the 2006 article published in Rolling Stone magazine about Smithfield Farms. In that article, Jeff Tietz argues that if Smithfield and other industrial pig farmers disposed of the pig waste in an environmentally safe and responsible way, they would't be profitable. In other words, making a big mess is part of the business.

In a recent opinion piece published by El Universal, Carlos Macias Richard, a researcher at theMexico City-based Centro de Investigacionesy Estudios Superiores en Antropologia Social (CIESAS), offers a more detailed look at what may have happed in the Perote Valley that goes beyond the more standard, structuralist critiques of NAFTA presented by Giordano and Carlsen.

In his article, Macias Richard claims that health authorities in Veracruz acted quickly to eradicate the illness that appeared there in the first months of the year, but have not revealed the medicines they used to treat the local population. That medicine, he says, would give us clues as to what infected the residents of La Gloria.

In addition, he claims that Granjas Carroll invited a consultant, working for the American risk management company Veratect, to visit the farm in March. The consultant, James Wilson, has confirmed this. Macias Richard goes on to suggest that Wilson informed the World Health Organization (WHO) of the burgeoning epidemic in La Gloria, but that perhaps he did not tell the Mexican government. If this is true, then why didn't Wilson inform the government? asks MaciasRichard. If it's not true, why did the Mexican government wait three weeks to take action against A/H1N1?

And why, he asks, was a ¨sanitary fence¨ placed around La Gloria for a few days?

According to a Mexican media professional who is coordinating journalists in the Perote Valley area, some reporters doing research in La Gloria during the past few days say townspeople are scared to talk to the press and have been intimidated into silence.

The search for what happened in rural Veracruz is shaping up to be a pot boiler. Did swine flu really begin there? Or did the people in the town of La Gloria suffer a massive attack of some other ailment? Have transnational businesses exploited the people and environment of Veracruz to the point where they could have put the world at risk?

It is early, still, in the story. But it seems that we should all keep an eye on industrial livestock farms in general and the story developing in rural Veracruz.

Hope cells

sue-ellen — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 22:13:49 -0700

It’s 6am and 76-year-old Gwen Wheeler is waiting in a line with twenty other patients for her annual stem cell injection.

“I see a notable difference after [the injections],” Wheeler says of the shots she buys for her rheumatoid arthritis. At $1,000 USD a pop, Dr. Jose Diaz Barboza, a Cuban-trained Mexican doctor, has been shooting Wheeler with “stem cells” for three years now. “I’d been trying different medications in the US. When I heard about the cells, I thought they sounded good.”

Wheeler is one of a growing number of ailing Americans making their way to Algodones, Mexico, in search of a medical miracle. They line up on a street dotted with abandoned cars and stray dogs, waiting hours to pay for “stem-cell therapy.”

As the international scientific community ponders the safety, ethics, and logistics of stem cell therapy, Dr. Diaz is offering miracle cures.

Every morning [at least] ten patients are waiting outside. Most are repeat customers. Diaz doesn’t take appointments [but] refuses to let anyone buy their way forward in the waiting line. The moneyless Mexican widow ahead will be seen first, no matter how many fat billfolds try to pry her out of line.

The Healed

Bill Thompson, 62, of Oklahoma, is visiting Dr. Diaz for his fifth time in as many years. Standing six-foot- four, Thompson speaks softly through a deep baritone voice… as he sneaks candy to a five-year-old Mexican boy waiting with his mom. About ten years ago Thompson came down with a cold. He ended up in an ambulance [and] learned his cold was actually COPD, or chronic emphysema. American doctors can only offer asthma inhalers.

Jerry Armstrong, 67, has come all the way from Idaho and has been under Diaz’s care for three years. Armstrong says the healing from his COPD is simply indisputable. “Doctors in the States say this is (expletive),” he says, “but it works.

“I think my stem cells come from sheep,” Armstrong adds. “…After the stem cell shots, I hardly need my inhaler. We were told I’d have to be put on oxygen right before we came down here. It’s been three years, and I’m still not on oxygen.”

The Healer

Dr. Diaz, 46, has thick dark hair, dark skin and compassionate eyes. Today he’s worked thirteen hours and will see four more patients before calling it a night.

Bill Thompson, like most COPD patients, will have a vial of sheep or horse lung cells injected into his chest cavity. “There is a difference between stem cell therapy and live cell therapy,” Diaz says privately. In the waiting room, patients believe they’re getting “stem cells.”

Live cell therapy shoots cells from corresponding animal organs into humans. [It is] generally disregarded by the medical community because the human immune system detects and attacks the foreign cells before they can begin healing. Patients from Europe to Mexico have died from viral and bacterial infections after live animal cell therapies.

Regardless, Diaz’s patients are happy and, in their opinion, healthier than they ever were under the [care] of conventional U.S. doctors. “If your story is negative publicity, don’t you dare put my name with it. Dr. Diaz has only done good things for people,” Mickey Martinez, a Yuma resident, shouts.

Diaz does inject human stem cells into some patients, usually fetal stem cells from umbilical cords or placentas. Earlier today he fired a blood-red syringe of umbilical cord cells into a patient suffering from kidney failure. The patient can’t find a transplant and figures the alternative shot at health is well worth the risk. Diaz hopes the cord-blood cells will morph into new kidney cells, but he has no clinical proof they will. [Instead] he sports a binder of printed Internet articles about stem cells, mostly reports of promising trial applications.

Crossing the Line

In La Jolla, California, stem cell biologist Dr. Evan Snyder, of the Burnham Institute, is anything but happy to hear an Algodones doctor is offering “stem cell therapy.” Snyder has heard of stem cell therapy scams from Tijuana to Ukraine.

“…The biggest giveaway is how does he administer the stem cells and where, and what diseases he claims to treat,” Dr. Snyder says. “If he puts them into the belly, under the skin, into the blood vessels, it’s all bull,” he says.

These are the ways Diaz administers his cells, even the authentic cord-blood stem cells. Dr. Snyder says it’s impossible for cord-blood cells to turn into kidney, though he can’t rule out that they could produce some unknown positive effect.

Embryonic stem cells are the ones researchers hope will one day cure paralysis and Parkinson’s. Snyder says no one in the world is clinically injecting them yet. Diaz later acknowledges this, confirming he only injects less-promising cordblood, adult, and animal cells.

But out in the waiting room, Diaz’s patients seem to think they’re getting the same kind of cells they’ve heard about in media reports. Embryonic stem cells offer untapped and unknown potency. They are as dangerous as they are powerful… An untreated embryonic cell injected into the brain could grow into bone just as likely as into brain. “This is the goal of present day stem cell research,” Snyder says.

In his office, Diaz points to studies in the US, including one at the Arizona Heart Institute, in which American doctors are clinically experimenting with cord-blood cells in limited treatments for certain organ conditions. “They’re already doing this in the U.S.,” Diaz says.

“I’m willing to go on the record, and say the guy’s not legitimate,” Snyder says of Diaz. “It’s a bunch of quackery at best and larceny at worst. It’s a real scam in order to finagle money out of desperate people and prey on their vulnerability.”

Could Everyone Be Wrong?

Dr. Snyder attributes Diaz’s apparent success [to the] placebo effect: “Anyone who’s followed Parkinson’s has seen some of the fetal cell studies where even some who thought they were receiving fetal tissue and didn’t healed just as well as the ones who did.”

Much of Diaz’s quick-healing results can also be traced to [treatments] deemed out-of-bounds in the US. For example, the “stem cells” Diaz shoots into Gwen Wheeler’s arthritic wrists are actually Synvisc. [FDA-approved] for knees only, Diaz injects the drug all over the bodies of his rheumatoid arthritic patients.

Dr. Snyder says there’s no chance umbilical cord cells could grow into anything but blood-derived cells. In other words, no new kidney or lungs can form from direct “stem cell” injections.

“It is conceivable that some of these cell types have some impact…” Snyder says. “[but] if they are simply injected into the organ directly, they will not survive and hence are useless.”

He cautions that, “If it’s a legitimate clinical trial, it’s paid for by a company or the government. If it’s a bona-fide treatment, your insurance will pay. You shouldn’t ever have to write a check.”

Diaz’s happy patients could be benefiting from placebo effect or from dangerous alternative treatments. They could also be risking deadly infection. Nonetheless, the line of the hopeful will be waiting at his front door tomorrow morning.

This story was originally published in October 2006. To read more from Times Publications visit www.timespublications.com.

Cracking the swine flu case

catherine — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 21:02:21 -0700

As the influenza pandemic threat level climbs toward an all-out 6, a growing list of countries is considering or issuing Mexico-related travel advisories and new airport screening procedures begin in Mexico, one of the biggest questions being asked about swine flu is:

Why is it hitting Mexico harder than anywhere else in the world? In other words, why are there more cases and, particularly, more deaths in Mexico when the flu to date seems relatively mild in the US, Canada and Europe?

Apples to apples

But even posing that question isn't so simple, explains Timothy Rodwell, an epidemiologist in the Division of Global Public Health at the University of California-San Diego.

"You have to compare apples to apples," he says.

Dr. Rodwell is currently working with a team of global public health and infectious disease experts from UCSD, alongside public health partners in Mexico, to monitor and treat influenza A(H1N1), as the new virus is now being called by the World Health Organization. The team is focusing on vulnerable patient populations in Tijuana and Ciudad Juárez, and they are seeking funds from the US National Institute on Drug Abuse to set up a rapid response surveillance program as soon as possible.

Here, Dr. Rodwell outlines the three main points that would be necessary to make a comparison between the impact of swine flu in Mexico and in any other country.

1: Having enough cases

Many people will die "by chance alone," Dr. Rodwell said, and until you have accumulated a representative sample of confirmed swine flu cases, "you can't technically say what the true mortality rate in Mexico is yet."

So while the WHO has stated that the "more severe" cases in this outbreak have come from Mexico, and while there were 12 confirmed deaths in Mexico as of Thursday night, and 1 confirmed death in US, that could simply be a matter of how many cases have been collected so far in each country.

"Right now the US is too early in the outbreak to be fair about the comparison," he said. "Until you've collected enough cases, you can't make an accurate estimate of mortality in the US or Mexico."

2: The number of confirmed cases

The high number of deaths reported in Mexico are people who "could have died," but did not definitively die from swine flu. For example, someone who died of a respiratory illness in Mexico in the last two weeks might have had the influenza A(H1N1) virus - but nobody can be sure until that virus is isolated from their lungs.

By Tuesday, a 152-person death toll was being reported in news stories. That numbers referred to "probable" swine flu cases. On Tuesday night news broke that only 7 of those 152 deaths had been confirmed so far as being positive for swine flu.

The question to sort out, Dr. Rodwell said, is, "the number of people who normally die of respiratory illness" vs. the number of "mortalities [that] are associated directly with the virus."

3: Knowing what the patient population is like

Making an accurate comparison between the virus' impact in Mexico and in any other country also requires having an accurate picture of the diseased population in those countries.

A patient population is identified by its age structure, gender, and other diseases that might make an individual more likely to die--and have nothing to do with the virus. For example, if all the flu patients in one country were older or had HIV, then that country would have a higher number of flu deaths than a country where all the patients were young and healthy. Basically, if you are going to compare mortalities in two different countries, the population of sick individuals in those countries also has to be comparable.

"Right now", Dr. Rodwell said, "we don't really know if the population that is sick with flu in Mexico is similar to the population that is sick with flu in any other country. What that means is that it is difficult to make an ‘apples to apples' comparison between mortalities in Mexico and the US until we have more information."

Possible Mexico-specific factors

Dr. Rafael Lozano, a professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, offered several observations about the situation in Mexico based on his former work as the General Director for Health Information in Mexico's Ministry of Health from 2001 - 2007.

"It's important that a true diagnosis" be reached, "that's based on laboratory tests," he said.

One problem he underscored in Mexico is that of people "arriving late" to the hospital. Hospitals had been notified by Mexico's national center for epidemiology (CENAVECE) to look out for patients with a combination of flu and pneumonia symptoms in a document dated April 18. A media blitz that raised public consciousness about the virus and its symptoms started gaining speed on Friday, April 24.

The symptoms themselves might not have initially been cause for alarm, said Dr. Lozano. "If you have a cold, if you have a fever, you stay home and you try to auto-medicate," he said.

Felicia Knaul, an economist at the Fundación Mexicana para la Salud, also pointed out the tendency in Mexico to head first to the pharmacy, rather than to a doctor.

"What does the average Mexican do when they get sick? They go to the pharmacy and they self-medicate. More so when you think you have a cold.

"I think by the time you realize your are quite sick, it's quite far along," she added.

People with symptoms, "probably [went] very late" for treatment, said Dr. Lozano. "That's my guess."

Asked about Mexico City's notoriously polluted air quality and environmental risk factors that might aggravate flu symptoms and the severity of cases in Mexico City in particular, Dr. Lozano said:

"Of course, pollution is a risk factor. Of course, smog is a risk factor." But given that cases have also appeared in places such as San Luis Potosi and Veracruz, he added "I cannot make a co-relation with pollution."

Instead, Dr. Lozano referenced the four million people who use public transit daily in Mexico City. "That is like a country in movement," he said. "That's the main problem we have in Mexico City -- overcrowding -- a lot of contact."

Swine Flu treatment options

margot — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:51:08 -0700

The flu pandemic of 1918 killed an estimated 20 to 40 million people worldwide, more than were killed by World War I. According to statistics on Stanford University's Human Virology Department website, more people died of the flu in one year during that epidemic than during four years of the Bubonic Plague in the 1300s. However, let's also remember: the 1918 "Spanish Flu" epidemic took place a full ten years before one of the most significant scientific advances of the 20^th century, bacteriologist Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin.

Since then, modern medicine has made great strides in terms of hygiene and the prevention and treatment of both bacterial (strep throat, tuberculosis) and viral (influenza, HIV) infections. Diagnoses that once meant near-certain death have been transformed into chronic conditions and curable illnesses. The disease caused by the influenza virus can have serious consequences and should be treated as such-according to the WHO, each year three to five million people around the world get the flu, and between 250,000 and 500,000 of them die, mostly children, the elderly or people who are otherwise sick or have limited access to care. But for most of us, catching the flu has meant a painful week or so of headaches, dizziness, coughing and diarrhea, and thanks to modern medicine, an eventual full recovery.

What are the general treatment options for the flu? And what are the specific treatments recommended for the H1N1 flu?

Direct treatment of the H1N1 virus

Like all viruses, the H1N1 virus is a strong competitor in the race between better antiviral drugs on the one hand, and constantly evolving bugs on the other. The bad news: the H1N1 strain is resistant to commonly used flu treatments such as amantadine (brand names Symadine and Symmetrel) and rimantadine (brand name Flumadine). The good news: the virus is susceptible to both oseltamivir (brand name Tamiflu, taken orally) and zanamivir (brand name Relenza, an inhalant). Hospitals and public health systems around the world have been stocking up on Tamiflu in particular, to have on hand to treat citizens who might fall ill with the disease.

Taking Tamiflu soon after the onset of swine flu symptoms stops the virus from reproducing in the patient's body, and gives their immune system a chance to kill the virus and thus recover. The CDC is recommending the treatment for all confirmed, probable and suspected cases.

Tamiflu has also been prescribed to prevent the illness for people who have direct or sustained exposure to the virus (for example, family members taking care of someone sick with the virus). Swiss drugmaker Roche says it can deliver stocks of Tamiflu to any location in the world within 24 hours if called upon by the WHO.

It is important to note, however, that a course of Tamiflu is NOT recommended for otherwise healthy people who have not been diagnosed, or who have no symptoms. Widespread and reckless use of antiviral and antibiotic medications is one of the driving factors behind the appearance of drug-resistant strains of diseases. Do not buy or take Tamiflu or other prescription anti-flu medications without a doctor's recommendation.

Treatment of flu-related symptoms and complications

The flu virus weakens the immune system and can make the body susceptible to other infections, such as bacterial pneumonia. In fact, the most threatening aspect of a flu case might not be the virus itself, but the dangerous conditions that accompany it. Flu patients with bacterial infections may be given antibiotics. The lungs are particularly hard hit by the H1N1 virus, and oxygen or a ventilator might be a possible course of treatment for severe conditions.

Doctors may prescribe medication for milder symptoms such as fever, headache and nausea. However, aspirin is NOT recommended for children or teenagers with the flu, as it may result in a condition called Reyes syndrome.

Swine flu vaccine

Vaccination against previous flu viruses do not offer you protection from the H1N1 virus. Currently there is no vaccine for the H1N1 virus. Experts say that production of an effective virus may take months.

Natural and nutritional treatment

The internet has a cure for every illness, and the flu is no exception. A Google search for "swine flu" and "natural treatment" turns up everything from colloidal silver to oregano oil. Echinacea is a popular supplement said to stimulate the immune system though comprehensive clinical research is still thin. Letting discretion be the better part of valor, however, the tried and true (vitamin C, garlic, cayenne pepper, fish, berries) might be the best "supplements" for getting healthy and staying healthy.

An epidemic in evolution

The H1N1 virus is new, and the world health community is scrambling to understand more about how it spreads, how the disease progresses and what the most effective treatment options are. The CDC, the WHO, Mexico's Secretary of Health and the public health bodies of virtually every country in the world are posting regular updates on their websites. Recommendations may change over time, so please consult these experts and your doctors before pursuing any treatment course for the H1N1 virus or other illness.

April 30, 2009 Swine Flu (H1N1) Update: Mexico City slows way down

aran — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:10:30 -0700

Follow insidemex.com updates on Twitter!

Yesterday afternoon the WHO raised the threat level to 5 and saying that swine flu is approaching global pandemic status, level 6.
Last night, President Felipe Calderon came on television to tell Mexicans to stay home until May 6, to cover their mouths when coughing, not to self medicate, but go to the doctor if the show symptoms, and to emphasize that the first cases were actually in the United States.
The Mexican political parties are considering postponing the elections scheduled for July 5.
El Universal is reporting that Mexico does not have the infrastructure to develop and produce a vaccine for swine flu. Thirty years ago, they say, the government dismantled the two institutes that were capable of work like this. Since 1999, the WHO has been pushing countries to prepare for epidemics.
13 people in Mexico City have been arrested for profiteering by illegally selling flu masks are meant to be free. They face sentences of up to 36 hours in prison.
Google has released a new, experimental version of Google Flu Trends to help track H1N1 in Mexico.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has now confirmed 109 cases in 11 US states.
The New York Times reports the Fort Worth, Texas school district has closed schools possibly until May 12. And, that the US government is now working to produce a vaccine for the H1N1 flu.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the pace of new cases seems to be slowing.
Part-time residents and travelers to Mexico are emailing insidemex.com as they struggle to decide whether or not to keep their plans for coming to Mexico or not. We will interview some of these people and let you know how they are making their decisions and what decisions they ultimately make. You can read Catherine Dunn´s account of how the reality of the epidemic sunk in here.
China has denied being the source of swine flu, contradicting the governor of Veracruz, Fidel Herrera. It seems to be important to both Mexico and China that they not be labeled as the points of origin of the flu.

Analysis:

Check back later for a report on the investigations that are leading researchers to Perote, Veracruz, the site of ¨patient zero¨ Édgar Hernández.

BREAKING NEWS: WHO raises pandemic alert level from 4 to 5

catherine — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:22:13 -0700

The World Health Organization has raised the pandemic alert level for the swine flu virus from a 4 to a 5, signifying a rise in sustained human-to-human transmission of the disease.

"The biggest question right now is this: how severe will the pandemic be?" said Margaret Chan, director general of the WHO.

At a press conference broadcast from Geneva, Dr. Chan both emphasized the "unpredictable" nature of the influenza virus, and described the spectrum of cases as ranging from "mild" to "severe." The more severe cases are being seen in Mexico, said Dr. Keji Fukuda.

Fukuda explained that on the WHO alert scale, levels of "5 and 6 represent periods of time when the virus is spreading from country to country and beginning to be established." The sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus in both the United States and Mexico -- two countries in one WHO region -- indicated the move to phase 5.

In terms of the likelihood of reaching a full-blown pandemic, Dr. Fukuda said "We think we are in the process of moving toward there... but we still need to see the evidence that we are there."

"Many of these cases are mild," Chan said. ""Many of these patients recover on their ow, without medicine -- but that does not mean we should be complacent."

Neither Chan nor Fukuda recommended that individuals should alter their behavior beyond guidelines that are already circulating internationally, such as maintaining personal hygiene. Rather, the change in alert level is a call to countries to make sure their pandemic plans are up to date, including laboratory capacity, surveillance procedures, and communications strategies, Fukuda said.

Health tips during this crazy flu season: "Get to the supermarket early, take echinacea and make love¨

Shauna — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:33:37 -0700

The swine flu scare has many of us taking extreme precautions to stay healthy. I asked, Dr. Carlos Alvear, Founder of Yolitia in Malinalco, Mexico, who has a holistic approach to medicine, for his advice during this time. He sent me the following recipes:

1. Stay home if you can

Wash you hands before meals and on a regular basis
Disinfect common areas, the kitchen, sinks, toilets, door knobs, etc...
Use ozone for the enviroment

2. Go to the supermarket only very early in the morning or late at night in order to have less contact with people

3. Buy fruits and veggies that are in season

4. Eat whole foods if possible

5. Avoid refined and processed foods

6. No dairy and No sugar

7. Try to practice yoga or chi kung (or Qigong) to keep a good balance and high flow of energy

8. Avoid negative talk and thoughts

9. Breath deep, laugh, pray and make love

Herbs that can help:

Echinacea
Golden seal
Lemon grass
Melissa
Eleuthero
Licorice
Rhodiola
Codonopsis (Dang Shen)
Whitania somnifera (Ashwagandha)
Emblica officinalis (Ambla)

If you have a hard time finding these herbs, Dr. Alvear has a line of organic herb formulas that include some of these herbs in both tinctures and in capsules. They can send them overnight to any place in the Mexican Republic. For more information go to: http://www.yolitia.org/#/productos/

If you have any other advice on holisitic medicine and ways to stay healthy, please add a comment below.

Mexico's recyclable bottles

sue-ellen — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:06:36 -0700

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET ) plastic containers hold most of Mexico’s soft drinks, bottled water, and cleaning products, and are as ubiquitous here as taco stands. They can be identified by the triangular symbol containing the number 1 on the bottom of the containers. Mexico occupies second place worldwide (behind the US) in PET consumption, using 750,000 metric tons yearly, according to Jorge Treviño, president of Ecología y Compromiso Empresarial (ECOCE), a nonprofit industry association. So what happens to all these bottles?

PET is 100% recyclable: its fibers can be used for carpets and clothing; fiberfill for jackets, sleeping bags, and stuffed animals; industrial strapping, sheet, and film; and even new PET containers. Its light weight and durability mean lower transportation and energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

About 17% of all Mexican PET is collected for recycling (compared with 24% in the US), mostly by ECOCE, founded in 2002 by industry heavy-hitters like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Electropura, Gatorade, Nestlé, Sabritas, Jumex, and Herdez. Member companies finance the purchase of PET from government garbage transfer and separation plants, independent collection centers, and schools. The material then passes through one of twenty plants ECOCE operates, where it is separated, decontaminated, and converted into dirty flakes or bales, which are then sold to recyclers in Mexico and abroad—nearly 85 percent goes to China. In 2005, a recycling plant converting used PET bottles to food-grade bottles opened in Toluca. Treviño notes that ECOCE collects 23% of the 450,000 tons of PET its members put onto the market, compared to just 6% five years ago.

ECOCE has also fixed a minimum price of $1 peso per kilogram for PET . In the past, when the price fell too low, wastepickers were reluctant to separate it, but by guaranteeing a price ECOCE ensures that it will always have material to buy.

More PET could be recycled if the DF’s garbage separation laws were enforced; if there were more separation plants; if garbage trucks had dedicated pick-ups for recyclable materials; and if consumers were better educated about recycling and garbage disposal. Both ECOCE and the non-profit Asociación para Promover el Reciclado del PET (APREPET) lobby the government and carry out advertising and educational programs. APREPET also provides consulting services to the recycling business.

PET is non-biodegradable and remains inert in landfills. It represents only 1.5% of the country’s garbage by weight, but approximately 7-10% by volume. You can help: before throwing a PET bottle in the garbage, remove the cap, flatten it with your foot, and place the cap back on. At home, put your crushed PET bottles in a separate garbage bag.

For more information, check:
APREPET: aprepet.org.mx; ECOCE: ecoce.org.mx; Instituto Nacional de Recicladores (INARE): inare.org.

Water wise

sue-ellen — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:49:17 -0700

Much of northern and central Mexico is arid or semi-arid, and pressure on scarce fresh water sources is growing. Expats tend to use a disproportionate amount of water as we bring our more affluent and water-intensive lifestyles with us: here are some easy and inexpensive ways to conserve this resource. (Prices are in pesos unless noted)

In the bathroom :

Place a plastic bottle full of water or sand in the toilet tank to reduce the amount of water used per flush.
Think about whether you need to flush: people who rely on wells have long lived by the adage: “if it’s yellow, let it mellow.”
Kits are available to convert your existing toilet into a dual-flush unit that uses half the water for “light” flushes (Home Depot, $215).
If you have an older toilet, consider replacing it. Most new toilets sold in Mexico have six-liter tanks as opposed to eighteen (Home Depot, starting at around $1,000).
Don’t leave the water running when you are brushing your teeth or shaving.
Take shorter showers. Long hot showers are nice on cold mornings, but five extra minutes sends one hundred liters of water down the drain.
Low-flow showerheads (Home Depot, $50-130) deliver 9 liters per minute instead of 20, saving 110 liters of water during a ten-minute shower.
Shower with a friend! It may be a corny old T-shirt slogan, but if the option is available it is a smart (and fun) way to save water!

In the kitchen:

When hand-washing dishes or cleaning produce, fill the sink instead of running the tap.
If you have a dishwasher, only run it with full loads. Every normal cycle uses 40 liters, but this can be reduced with a modern, water-saving unit.

In the laundry room:

Your washing machine is one of the thirstiest appliances in your home: even a short cycle uses one hundred liters of water. Even if your favorite jeans are dirty, hold off washing them until you have a full load.
Consider investing in a new model -- modern washers use 40% less water. Outdoors :
An average hose puts out thirty-eight liters of water every minute.
If you use a sprinkler on your lawn, avoid watering the sidewalk, driveway, street, and patio.
Use a rain barrel to catch water for use on your garden.
Reduce the amount of water your garden needs: plant native plants that can survive your local climate without watering.
Keep pools covered when not in use to prevent water loss to evaporation.
If you are passionate about gardening, consider installing a graywater recycling system in your home to provide water for irrigation (plants love the phosphates and nitrogen in gray water). You can buy a DIY kit (www. thenaturalhome.com, $695 USD) or have a contractor install one.

Finally ... Get those leaks and drips fixed! A faucet dripping every five seconds adds up to 2,387 liters of water wasted each year.

The true cost of water

Most of us don’t think twice about paying $5 pesos for a 500ml bottle of Bonafont down at the Oxxo, but what if we had to pay the same price for our household water?

Brushing your teeth: $20
Flushing the toilet: $180
Running the dishwasher: $400
Five minutes in the shower: $1,000
Doing a small load of laundry: $1,000
Taking a hot bath: $1,300
Watering your yard for ten minutes: $3,800

Calculate your water usage here.

Sources: United States Geological Survey; Environment Canada; Town of Payson, Arizona; American Water Works Association; Soap and Detergent Association; The Home Depot, Architerra Enterprises Inc.

Mexico City runs out of surgical masks

margot — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:22:54 -0700

If you live here in Mexico City, you may have seen the sign at the local pharmacy: "No hay cubrebocas" (We don't have masks). Fear of catching or transmitting the H1N1 swine flu virus has made the sale of surgical masks perhaps the only bright spot in an economy that's reeling from school and business closures and an anxious populace.

But do the masks offer anything more than psychological comfort? Does it matter what your mask is made of? What's the proper way to wear and use a mask? The internet is alive with the mask debate. Here, we bring you a roundup of roundup of relevant articles, information and opinions.

El Universal, Mexico City: Mexico City has run out of masks
The gist: Mexico's capital city has run out of masks, and Mexico City Minister of Health Armando Ahued, is asking Mexico City residents to make their own masks.

CDC, Atlanta Georgia:
The gist: Masks, respirators and other protective equipment are recommended for frontline health care providers or others in close contact with sick people, but not for the general population. A more effective general strategy is to stay home and avoid close contact with others and wash hands frequently. This website has comprehensive and up-to-date information on the course of the epidemic and prevention measures.

CNN: Masks keep you from spreading illness
The gist: masks are most effective in keeping sick people from spreading the illness, rather than keeping well people from catching it.

The Times Online, London: Americans told to wear masks as swine flu spreads around the globe
The gist: Some US healthcare professionals are advising citizens to use masks, including painter's masks available at the hardware store.

Yahoo! News: Mexicans put faith in masks, but do they work?
The gist: Mexican and American health authorities split over the effectiveness of masks

Scientific Blogging: Face Mask That Kills Swine Flu Readied for Fight Against Possible Pandemic
The gist: Hong Kong company claims supermask mask kills 99.9% of bacteria and germs on contact

The Los Angeles Times: Do face masks help prevent swine flu infection?
The gist: Don't count on those local pharmacy masks. If you want protection, get an N95 respirator. And dispose of those masks after each use.

The Chicago Tribune: Swine-flu masks can blind us to truth
The gist: Flu mask fever hits Chicago, but typical masks don't offer protection

Slate.com: Do Surgical Masks Stop Swine Flu? Probably not.
The gist: Respirators are better than masks, but even these aren't foolproof. Geek alert: this article contains some great scientific facts transmission and mask efficiency.

Fountain of fluoride

sue-ellen — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:15:21 -0700

In the United States, consumers’ preference for bottled water over tap water vexes dentists, who worry that their patients aren’t getting enough fluoride to protect their teeth. In Mexico, this question inevitably leads the conversation to salt.

“In Mexico, fluoride is not incorporated into the water,” says Dr. Heriberto Vera, chief of oral health for the Mexican government’s Ministry of Health. “The only systemic distribution method is through table salt.”

He and other health experts agree that in Mexico the trouble is more likely to be too much fluoride, which can lead to a medical condition called fluorosis. It is not added to salt in Aguascalientes, Baja California Norte, Durango, Guanajuato, Zacatecas, and parts of Jalisco, where fluoride occurs naturally in the water table. Dr. Gerry Eijkemans of the Mexico office of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Latin American-Caribbean branch of the WHO, explains: “If you don’t have enough, it’s bad for your teeth, but if you have too much it can also cause problems with your teeth and with your bones.” The recommended maximum concentration is 0.7 milligrams per liter of water, or 250 milligrams per kilogram of salt.

There’s no question that fluoride is good in the appropriate quantities. According to Mexico City dentist Pablo Zimbron, “[in] the right amount it’s beneficial because it changes the structure of the dental enamel,” especially in children under age eight.

According to Vera, the health department closely monitors the concentration and distribution of fluoride levels nationwide and makes sure it’s consumed in safe quantities by adjusting or eliminating the levels added to salt from region to region: “It’s a very narrow range, difficult to achieve,” he says.

Bottled-water companies do not fluoridate their product, and the reverse osmosis purification method they employ, as required by health department regulations, removes any naturally occurring fluoride, says Roberto Contreras, chief of potability and treatment for CONAGUA, the Mexican government’s federal water commission.

Since 2005 all salt for human consumption must be labeled with its iodine and fluoride content, says Vera, who helped develop the guidelines for Mexico. The WHO has declared the three best delivery methods for fluoride to be through water, salt, or milk. In Mexico most people don’t drink the tap water, so it is not an effective method of delivery, but just about everyone uses salt -- on average eight grams per day each -- so it is the logical way to deliver fluoride. Fluoride is also present in many toothpastes.

Fluoride was first added to salt in the Estado de México in 1988, Vera says, with the rest of the country following suit in 1993. These days the health ministry is busy studying water supplies to find out where there is too much fluoride and then limiting or eliminating fluoridated salt in those areas.

Vera says this and other oral health measures have had a tangible effect, with a 56% reduction in cavities over ten years.

Other too-much-of-a-good-thing contaminants that frequently accompany fluoride in water are manganese and iron. In the majority of cases tap water is safe to drink, Contreras says, but adds that although the water may be fine, storage tanks and the pipes it flows through might not be. Tanks can hold dirt and rust, or may be infested with bugs or bacteria.

“We are trying to enable people to consume a liquid of appropriate or adequate quality,” says Contreras. “We are investing and trying to give the population water of quality for use and human consumption and prevent health damage.”

Theresa Braine, a freelance journalist based in Mexico City, covers public health, among other topics. She has written for People, the World Health Organization and Newsday. She can be reached at tbraine@gmail.com.

April 29, 2009: Update "The swine flu rut"

aran — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:22:52 -0700

Don´t miss and update: follow insidemex.com on Twitter!

Update:

As of 10:15 this morning, officials at the World Health Organization (WHO) say they do not see the spread of the swine flu slowing down and that their alert level is moving ¨toward¨ level 5 (6 is the highest possible threat level).

Last night, on her nightly television program, CNN En Espanol news anchor Carmen Aristegui asked two experts if the H1N1 swine flu could possibly have been the result of bioterrorism. The answer was an unequivocal ¨No.¨

In his nightly press conference, last night Mexican Health Minister, Jose Cordova put the number of people possibly infected by swine flu in Mexico at 2,498 and the number of deaths at 159.

A 23 month old baby has died in Houston, Texas, the first swine flu casualty in the United States. The child, however, was not American. Dr. David Persse, the Director of Emergency Health Services in Houston, has confirmed that the child had traveled from Mexico to Houston with his family.

Mexican Mayor, Marcelo Ebrard says that there will be no more restrictions placed on activity in Mexico City (such as shutting down public transportation) unless there is an exponential rise in flu cases.

President Obama has said that schools in the US with cases of swine flu should consider closing. Individual schools in New York and Chicago have already shut down.

Cases of swine flu have been confirmed now in Germany and Austria.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has not yet ordered the production of an emergency vaccine for H1N1 swine flu.

Argentina and Cuba have banned flights to Mexico. Canada has cancelled some flights until June 1. France´s health minister has called for a suspension of flights toMexico, but this has not yet been implemented. (We will update this informationin our travel section.)

Accordingto the New York Times, Egypt will begin slaughtering swine herds as a precaution against the virus.

In a Reuters article, Mexican Health Minister Jose Cordova says that it is not known where the virus originated: "Where did the virus come from? We don't know. Did someone come from California or did someone go from Mexico to California? We don't have that information," Cordova said.

Times Mexico correspondent Marc Lacey tells the story of Édgar Hernández, believed to be the first person in Mexico to have the disease. The first fatality, however, may have been a woman in Oaxaca who died on April 13.

Analysis:

Is the economy stupid!

Well, it´s the illness, but 2009 H1N1 (the new official name for the virus, according to the WHO) is hitting Mexico´s economy hard at a moment when Mexico, and the world, can little afford it.

Mexico´s economy was down 10.8% in February. The US economy continues to struggle. And, this is prior to the crippling effects of an international pandemic.

Here in Mexico City, Mayor Marcelo Ebrard is defending his decision to close restaurants, theaters, soccer stadia and other public venues, saying that his administration's top priority is to stop the spread of disease. The disease prevention strategy comes at a high price: Mexican newspaper El Universal reports that the economic impact of controlling the spread of swine flu in Mexico City is 777 million pesos a day (more than USD $55 million). The report extrapolates that if the emergency measures end on May 6^th-the date students are scheduled to return to school- the total cost will be seven billion pesos, or about 500 million USD.

Local restaurateurs have told Los Angeles Times Mexico Correspondent, Deborah Bonello that the loss of business is so severe that they might not recover from the closure.

And this is just Mexico City.

As reported last night, Air Canada and Canadian regional airline WestJet cancelled flights to Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, Mazatlan and Cozumel. France is considering banning flights to Mexico. These actions will hit tourism- Mexico´s third largest source of revenue after oil and remittances -- hard, and the effects of swine flu will be felt beyond Mexico City, where the majority of swine flu cases have been identified.

Monday evening, seven police officers were killed in Tijuana, the latest victims of Mexico´s ongoing fight with drug traffickers, which has taken more than 10,000 lives over the last two years. On Tuesday, it was reported that swine flu killed one additional person in Mexico City. Could the flu epidemic end uphaving an even greater impact on Mexico´s economy than the drug ¨war¨?

It is too early to say how long it will take Mexico and the world to recover from the swine flu scare. We still don´t know how serious this flu will ultimately be, or how long it will last. Meanwhile, the WHO may soon raise their alert levels.

It is safe to say that even if the scare ends quickly, we will be dealing with the economic effects of swine flu for several months.

Tell us how swine flu is affecting your business. Comment below.

The forgotten island

sue-ellen — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:19:33 -0700

I’m standing in the Casa del Poeta on Colonia Roma’s tree-lined Avenida Álvaro Obregón, imagining my feet subsumed in lake water. On the wall in front of me is an artist’s impression of Mexico City, then Tenochtitlan, in 1519. The image is bucolic: a neat, ordered city in the middle of a vast lake.

If a lake is like the Earth’s eye, reflecting its soul, as Henry David Thoreau wrote, then Tenochtitlan was its sparkling iris. The Grand Temple was the pupil at its centre, from which canals and causeways radiated past the agricultural lands-- the chinampas -- toward the watery outskirts, which in the picture sparkle clear and blue. The peaks of surrounding volcanoes line the edges like eyelashes, dusted with snow.

“The scale was immense,” says architect and urban planner Jorge Legorreta. “When the Spanish arrived, there were six square kilometers of city and 1,100 square kilometers of lake.” Now the city sprawls over 2,000 square kilometers, covering the dry lakebed and crawling up the sides of the valley. The city’s amphibious past is as hard to imagine as its clean-aired one.

Of the five interconnecting lakes surrounding the ancient city, only a few patches of water remain in the lakes of Xochimilco, Tlahuac, San Gregorio Atlapulco and Mixquic. Despite this, the city continues to be defined by water. From the shouts of water sellers on the streets to the problems of flooding, contamination, water shortages, and the constant aquifer extraction causing the city to sink, the Mexico City’s relationship to water is seminal.

In 1325, after being expelled from Chapultepec by local tribes, the Aztecs chose to build a city on a small island in the middle of Lake Texcoco. Legend has it that this was where they found an eagle perched on a nopal cactus devouring a snake, fulfilling an ancient prophesy. Mexican author Gonzalo Celorio wrote in his essay “Mexico, City of Paper”: “Tenochtitlan was a most improbable city, one that seemed to spring from the poetic imagination rather than from reality.”

From their island home, the Aztecs suppressed neighboring tribes and expanded the city by harnessing the system of chinampas, or floating gardens, on which they were eventually able to construct. The city grew, canals alternated with earthen streets, and drinking water flowed down from fresh springs on Chapultepec along a double aqueduct. By the time the Spanish arrived two hundred years later, Tenochtitlan was a metropolis of 250,000 people, one of the largest urban centers in the world and bigger than contemporary Paris, London, or Madrid.

The Spanish, when they saw it, could hardly believe their eyes, as documented by Bernal Díaz del Castillo, one of Hernán Cortés’s conquistadores:

“…and when we saw so many cities and villages built in the water and other great towns on dry land and that straight and level causeway going towards Mexico, we were amazed and said that it was like the enchantments they tell of in the legend of Amadis, on account of the great towers and temples and buildings rising from the water…”.

The battle for Tenochtitlan was initially a naval battle fought across the waters of the lake. During Cortés’s three-month siege in 1521, he cut off water supplies to the city by blocking the aqueduct, then built brigantines to patrol the lakes and prevent food from entering. Only then was he able to cross into the city and raze it to the ground.

While the Aztecs were content to live amid the water, with a complex system of canals, dikes, and levees to keep floods at bay, the Spaniards sought to turn the capital into a city on dry land. The result over five centuries was, according to Legorreta, “one of the most radical transformations in the history of urbanization.”

By the end of the 16th century, the five original lakes had contracted to Lake Zumpango in the north, Lake Texcoco in the east and two smaller systems to the south, but seasonal flooding was still a big problem. In 1607, the first of the great draining operations began, designed by German-born engineer Heinrich Martin. Workers pierced the surrounding hills with tunnels and dug a drainage canal that led to the Gulf of Mexico. By the beginning of the 18th century, Lake Texcoco was no more than a seasonal swamp, and Mexico City was no longer an island.

Despite this, flooding remains a problem; the city has suffered twenty-five serious floods since the conquest, some lasting as long as four years. As recently as 2005 floodwaters reached up to a meter in parts of the south and centre of the city.

With each successive drainage, the city grew, as houses spread to fill the area that was once a lakebed. By the mid-19th century the population had grown so large that aqueducts could no longer meet the city’s water needs, so in 1847 engineers dug the first artesian well, which pumped water up from an aquifer under the city.

The result was that the city began to sink into the soft, drained lakebed, an estimated nine meters since the early 1900s. There’s evidence of this around the city: the Ángel de la Independencia on Reforma, built for the centenary of Independence in 1910, now has extra stairs leading up to its entrance from the sunken road below. Likewise, there’s an old drainage pipe protruding several feet above ground level at the Cibeles fountain in Colonia Roma, today serving as a rubbish bin.

As the ground subsides, subterranean pipes break, causing more of the leaks that already waste about 40 percent of the city’s drinking water. Sewage pipes also fracture and contaminate the aquifers.

At the same time, the city’s rapid growth means water shortages for the nearly 20 million people living here. Some Mexico City residents get by on as little as one hour of running water per week, while almost all of the copious summer rainfall is flushed unused down sewers, creating a gargantuan flow of wastewater that’s beyond the capacity of the city’s few treatment plants.

The city brings in a third of its water from surrounding areas, and an estimated one million people are dependent on water trucks. Almost everyone buys bottled water or expensive home water purification systems.

Jorge Legorreta believes the key to solving Mexico City’s water problems lies in looking back to the ways of the ancient Aztecs and harnessing the available water instead of wasting or draining it. “If we don’t go back to understanding nature,” he says, “we’re going to end up with a catastrophe on our hands.”

Vivienne Stanton wrote about protesters and activists in the April, 2008 issue of Inside México.

Felines on the fringe

sue-ellen — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:50:57 -0700

Worshipped as a god in ancient times, the mighty and graceful North American jaguar now faces a modern and deadly foe: the 700-mile-long, 12-foot-high wall the US Department of Homeland Security wants to erect along the border with Mexico.

“There are several areas along the border that have been identified as likely hotspots for jaguar [migration] routes,” said Michael Robinson, who monitors the animals for the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) . These include the San Pedro River valley and several mountain ranges where jaguars have been seen in modern times.

Many people are unaware that jaguars even exist that far north. In past centuries they roamed throughout the southern United States, but only a handful remain. Sonora, Mexico’s deserts and mountains are home to about five hundred of the majestic cats.

Cutting populations off from each other places stress on the animals and reduces the gene pool. It could wipe them out completely, says Robinson: “As the wall gets extended further, and certainly as it gets completed along most of the border, then [extinction] would be the effect.” He says that, in Arizona alone, the wall will affect a total of thirty species of animals and plants.

The CBD is seeking legal recourse to try and save these unintentional victims of the controversy surrounding undocumented immigration. While they are trying to force the government to mount a recovery plan for the jaguar, stopping the wall itself, which will cost the American tax payer an estimated $7.6 billion USD, is far more difficult. The Real ID Act , passed in 2005 in a bid to fight terrorism, exempts the DHS from compliance with any other laws, including the Endangered Species Act and International Boundary and Water Commission regulations.

“With that troubling provision in the law,” says Robinson, “we have focused very heavily on public education, and that is where there are some glimmers of hope.” Border dwellers in ever greater numbers are protesting the impact of the wall and the militarization of their communities through decisions made by people who live thousands of miles away from them.

“I’ve never seen an occasion where cattle ranchers, conservationists, the business community, and churches were all on the same page,” says Nancy Brown, of the Fish and Wildlife Service.

“People are taking a new look, a sober look, and are starting to question the wisdom of something that is going to cost billions of dollars without actually having the desired effect, but will have a catastrophic effect on wildlife,” says Robinson.

Mexico has already voiced its opposition to the wall, and Robinson hopes that Congress -- and a new administration this year -- will listen to their concerns, and those of American citizens. “Ultimately we hope that the sections that have been built will be taken down, and that there will be a more comprehensive and intelligent approach to our relations with Mexico, including our ecological relations.”

Augusta Dwyer wrote about motherhood in Mexico in the March issue of Inside México.

Uncle Sam, and Mia, say being honest pays in '08

sue-ellen — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:10:50 -0700

Finding Mia was the best thing that could have happened to us. At the American Benevolent Society's annual meeting, my friend Maya and I noticed a US Embassy Citizen Services representative proffering a sign-up sheet to meet with an IRS agent. It turns out that the Embassy in Mexico City arranges for an agent to come for four days during tax season.

Why not? Three years of living in Mexico since college graduation have left us impervious to Facebook friend invitations; bewildered by certain New York social customs like engagement ring size obsessions and the two hour time limit on West Village dinner seating; and a bit clueless about filling out a 1040.

Mia T. Sylve laid all our fears to rest. She’s been in the IRS’s education department for eight years, and before that she spent ten years in auditing. She knows her stuff, and was also good-humored and patient.

First things first; if you meet the income threshold that requires you to file a tax return, you must -- even if your income will ultimately be excluded from taxation as Foreign Earned Income (see below). Of course, auditing is extremely unlikely, as Mexican employers are not required to turn over W-2 equivalents to the US government. The US government works on the honor system, Mia explained.

This year, it pays to be honest. President Bush signed an Economic Stimulus Package into law on February 13, making US citizens eligible to receive checks from the government. Individuals will get $300 to $600 USD; married joint fi lers get $600 to $1200 USD; and parents get $300 USD for each dependent child younger than seventeen.

The package extends to all Americans, including those living outside the US. Almost any non-dependent who earned $3,000 in taxable income and has a social security number is qualified to receive the rebate. All you have to do is fill in and return IRS Form 1040 or 1040A, and report your qualifying income on the form.

Tips:

• If you are employed in the Mexican economy and make less than $85,700 USD (for individuals with no children), you’ll most likely qualify for the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion. Fill out and return Form 2555 in addition to Form 1040. Mia recommended filing electronically: 98.6% of tax returns filed this way are accurate, because they reduce human error.

• If your only source of income is Social Security, Veterans, and/or Railroad Retirement— and you’re not normally required to file—print and fill out your tax return (Form 1040 or Form 1040A), and be sure to write the words “Stimulus Payment” across the top before you mail it to the IRS. This will help the IRS expedite your rebate. Since the law wasn’t passed until February 13, this year’s tax software programs don’t include a special designation for the Stimulus Payment. The IRS is updating its systems to receive electronic returns for these individuals, but as of now it can only accept print returns for individuals exempt from filing.

• Supplemental Security Income (SSI) does not qualify.

• The first economic stimulus payments will be made in May. Whether you file electronically or mail your return, request direct deposit. You’ll receive the payment faster. Also, as Mia pointed out, “Many people here have complained about the mail and checks being stolen.”

STILL CONFUSED?

In the US there are free tax preparation locations available to help, but that’s not the case in Mexico. However, the IRS website, www.irs.gov, is complete and surprisingly easy to navigate. You’ll find more detailed information on the stimulus package, as well as all the forms you’ll need to file.

If you are having extraordinarily difficult problems with the IRS, Mia says, “that you cannot get resolved through normal channels,” you can contact the International Taxpayer Advocate. The IRS is required to respond within 72 hours to a case that comes through the advocate.

US Phone: 787 622 8931 US Fax: 787 622 8933,

IRS San Patricio Officer Center, Room 200

7 Tabomico Street Guaynabo, Puerto Rico 00966

Catherine Dunn can be reached at catherine@insidemex.com.

Heading south for discount dentistry

sue-ellen — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:34:58 -0700

Need a new dental crown, dentures, or a root canal? Or simply hoping to whiten your smile into film star perfection? Denizens of the United States are heading south en masse to take advantage of the discount dental Mecca of Mexico’s Ciudad Juárez. Dentistry in the US can often be prohibitively expensive, with bills running to tens of thousands of dollars for complicated procedures. For the approximately 45% of Americans lacking dental insurance, or those looking for low-cost dental care because their plan only covers the basics, Mexico’s border towns are becoming a haven for fixing your choppers on the cheap. And Juárez, more frequently in the news for drug turf wars and violence, is cut-price dentist central.

Those north of the border have long crossed over to take advantage of cheaper medicines and specialist doctors, but now dentists are congregating in the border towns to tend to the influx of US clients on the lookout for dental bargains, previously sought in places like Thailand and Eastern Europe.

Google the words “cheap dentist mexico” and you will find a multitude of dental clinics plying their trade, as well as testimonies from American clients about cheap dentistry in Mexico, advice about the best places to go, and accounts of good and bad experiences.

“I am so interested in getting dental work done outside of the US, as the charges here are so high. Living on a limited income and needing a great deal of work, I am very anxious to get all the info that would help me get to a point where I am in sound dental health. Please e-mail me with any help and/or info. Thank you so much... Patti,” reads one contribution to an online discussion about Mexican dentistry.

Savings, even for routine procedures, can be considerable. For example, dentists working in the border region quote $180 USD for putting in a crown, whereas in the United States you are looking at handing over around $600 USD. The Rio Dental Clinic in Juárez says you can save as much as 60% off US prices by having treatment in Mexico. El Arte de La Cosmetica Dental quotes prices between 30 and 60% lower, and the Washington Dental Clinic claims savings of 50 to 70%.

Mexican border dentists say the price differential is due to lower operating costs, and does not mean second-class work. “We buy our materials in the United States, but university costs are much cheaper in Mexico, as well as rents and insurance,” said Dr. Ariel Tapia in Tijuana. Malpractice insurance premiums are a sizeable factor in the high cost of US dentistry. “Mexico is a third-world country so costs are inevitably lower,” said Dr. Armando Tellez Giron of El Arte de La Cosmetica Dental in Juárez.

Rio Dental says on its website that it is “dedicated to treating American patients in a clean, modern medical environment,” and advertises “crowns, veneers, and bridges that are made in the United States of top quality materials.”

The clinic is run by Joseph Andel from the United States and his Mexican wife Jessica, who is a trained dentist. They offer free transportation between the clinic and many hotels in El Paso, accept all major credit cards and even offer financing options. “English-speaking staff can also help arrange travel, accommodation, and transportation.”

This type of package deal is common among the many dental clinics that line the streets of Ciudad Juárez, a sign that business -- and competition -- is booming. Many border clinics estimate that more than 95% of their clients come from the United States.

The Washington Dental Clinic, which has offices in Juárez and Tijuana, is one of the clinics frequently mentioned in dentist-related chat rooms. A testament to whom it considers as its primary clientele is the fact that the contact phone numbers on the website are all in the US. It also offers a shuttle service between the clinic and various points in El Paso, as well as free parking for clients who arrive by car.

Medwest Dental goes a step further: “Under most insurance plans we can offer complimentary transportation services from anywhere in North America and Europe.” Many websites also offer information and advice for crossing the border, and stress their bilingual credentials.

Some US dentists are up in arms over the southward flow of clients, warning of shoddy work and a lack of professional care, but others are joining the exodus and setting up their own clinics across the border. Needless to say, one can find dentistry horror stories from both sides of the border. Mexican dentistry is considerably cheaper than its US counterpart, but naturally you should do your homework before letting anyone -- wherever they work -- drill holes in your teeth.

Useful websites:

US Consulate in Ciudad Juárez (lists four dentists): ciudadjuarez.usconsulate.gov

Mexican Dental Association (to check a dentist’s qualifi cations): www.adm.org.mx

Dentists in Tijuana:

Dr. Ariel Tapia: www.dentistattheborder.com

Dentists in Ciudad Juárez:

Rio Dental, www.riodental.com

Washington Dental Clinic: www.washingtondentalclinic.net

Dr. Armando Tellez Giron (listed on the US consulate’s website): www.artofcosmeticdentistry.com

MedWest Dental: www.medwestdental.com

Tara FitzGerald wrote about detective novelist Paco Ignacio Taibo II in the December/January issue of Inside México.

How to make your own anti-flu protective mask: Part II

margot — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:33:45 -0700

First of all, a disclaimer: I am a mad knitting scientist. That is different than being an actual scientist, particularly the kind of epidemiologist or virologist who might give you conclusive advice on the effectiveness of surgical masks as a protection against the swine flu or other viruses. Insidemex.com will be posting interviews with these people as we and the rest of the world try to make sense of this epidemic and its significance. For the moment, however, this is an investigation undertaken by a curious and crafty lay person looking for practical ways to stay safe and healthy.

The questions at hand: how effective are the surgical masks for sale at the corner pharmacy? And it is possible to make a more effective mask from common household materials?

As I posted on my personal blog a few days ago, my first experience with a global viral epidemic was with SARS in Asia in 2003. The N95 mask-- so named because it in a laboratory setting it filters 95% of airborne contaminants-- was touted as a first line defense against that virus, and significantly better than the simple pharmacy mask. A guest appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show during the 2006 bird flu epidemic solidified its fame.

But what if you can't find the N95 in your area, or if they sell out during an emergency situation? (For the record: I have not tried to buy an N95 myself, but do know of at least one friend here in Mexico City who did so successfully). What if you don't want to fork out as much as $25 USD for a single mask?

The beauty of the internet is that it provides an answer for every question, no matter how obscure. With the hope of finding a simple, inexpensive and (hopefully) better flu barrier than what I could buy, I searched the web for ideas and came across several discussion boards, with recipes for effective mask filters. The gist of the idea is that a simple cotton textile permeated with oil-- a bandanna, say, which has been soaked with petroleum jelly-- could provide an effective virus filter. The science is the same as what's employed in air intake filters on high-performance car engines (and to less desirable effect on your pots and pans or dirty floors): oil can be used to trap dirt and other nasty things.

That's all I needed to know to snap back into 4th grade science fair mode. Here's my experiment, based on what I discovered online. Materials check: one jar of vaseline? Check. Two 100% cotton bandannas? Check. Off to the lab!

The experiment
Step 1. Heat vaseline in a pan over low heat until liquid. This took just a couple of minutes and the resulting liquid was the consistency of cooking oil.

Step 2. Immerse bandanna in the liquid vaseline, making sure that the entire cloth is uniformly and completely coated. This was slightly messy. You might want to have an old towel on hand to rub away excesses once the bandanna is saturated.

Step 3. Fold bandanna three times from corner to corner to create a triangle of cloththat is eight layers thick. This is your filter.

Step 4. Now, you're going to take the second bandanna and use it as a mask to hold your oiled filter. It might take a bit of experimentation to figure out what's most comfortable for your face, but the basic idea is to fold the top bandanna into a trapezoid that goes just above your nose and just under your chin, and can tie behind your head. Once the shape is right, place the oiled filter in the center of the second bandanna (this should completely cover your nose and mouth...don't leave any gaps) and tie the top bandanna so that you're breathing through the filter.

The results
Making the mask was simple and took less than an hour of time. Its unconventional lookmight raise eyebrows on the street, but the reasoning seems solid and I'm hoping to speak with experts about the science and viability for daily use here. Here are a couple of extra considerations for your own experiments:

Can you breathe? It goes without saying that the more layers in your filter, the greater protection you'll have. It also goes without saying that the same physics apply to oxygen particles as to the flu virus, and it would be a shame to drop dead of asphyxiation while trying not to drop dead from the flu. It was too difficult to breathe through the 8-ply filter, so I cut the bandanna down to a triangle with two layers. I found this to be more comfortable, which makes me more likely to put it on and keep it on.

What about other fabrics? Bandannas are ubiquitous and cheap, but other than being cotton and receptive to the oil, don't seem to possess any special characteristics. One post that I read reported that t-shirt cotton is also fine for the filter.

What about other oils? Petroleum jelly is particularly viscous so I'm sure that it's perfect for this kind of mask. But what about other oils? Olive oil, Baby oil, Crisco? I saw one post that suggested using Vicks VapoRub as the oil. One suggestion: if you do use Vaseline, try and find the regular (unscented) version. All I could find at Woolworth's was the "Baby Fresh" version and prolonged contact with that cloying smell might make you want to take your chances with the flu.

How frequently should you change the mask? According to experts, perhaps the most important thing you do--more important than the materials of the mask itself--is changing your mask frequently. Moisture from your breath can encourage trapped virus particles to multiply on your mask. In fact, replacing a used cheap mask with a fresh one every couple of hours might be more effective than using the same old N95. The bandanna filter is washable, though I couldn't find conclusive evidence as to whether or not it needed to be re-oiled after each washing.

Medical and science professionals in the audience: What do you think of our mask? How robust is our science? And what's the best way for the average person to protectthemselves from airborne transmission of the flu virus? We want to hear fromyou! Post your comments below.

The swine flu cycle

catherine — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:17:41 -0700

Mexico City -- Last Friday I wrote a blog post about swine flu. No sooner had I posted a media round-up of the death toll, symptoms, and safety measures than I began to question my own decision-making. Had what I written been too glib, or too alarmist? I simply couldn't tell, and it became part of a constant questioning of how to react to the reaction to news of the flu that's been playing since the story broke.

I tried to cancel an interview to which I'd planned to bus or metro, only to be guffawed by my cowardice and re-confirm... only to listen to my interview subject compare this moment to the days she had lived in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina hit: the precursory news reports, the recommended evacuations, and then... bam. The storm.

I grabbed a taxi home after the interview. My cab driver said we shouldn't be alarmed, take things in stride -- and don't eat pork ("Eating pork has nothing to do with getting the flu," I countered. "Pero mas vale, no?" - Might as well not, right? -- he shrugged). I was just noticing the string of missed calls on my cell phone, when it rang again...

My parents. They're saints the way they weather news of drug violence, kidnappings, and my own medical maladies in my adopted country. But... my dad had been watching the news in Virginia. Was I okay? Could I get vaccinated?

I said I would look into it. I reminded my dad I'd gotten the flu very badly back in February and should be afforded some kind of immunity (what on earth was I saying? I had no idea). He was skeptical about my reasoning, but didn't push it.

Indeed, what kind of logic was I applying during this nascent phase of the alarm? Basically, I was making it up.

I decided to skip the gym because the idea of touching things that other people had touched whilst sweating grossed me out. I called my friend Michael instead.

His play-by-play of the day included all the public transportation he'd ridden, all the public places he'd been, all the people he'd greeted with kisses and handshakes -- all quite unwittingly -- before he'd caught wind of the flu story. We laughed at ourselves (we could drown in our antibodies!) and at the situation (would the entire art world collapse under the weight of swine flu-related event cancellations?). We pumped ourselves up with a good dose of gallows humor and wished each other well for the weekend.

As party hour neared, my roommate Dulce and I browsed headlines and Facebook status messages, all influenza-related. We read a blog written by a friend of hers who was a biologist and seemed to know what he was talking about.

I caved, and changed into pajamas. Dulce, however, would not be dissuaded. "No me voy a dejar influenzar," she proclaimed, copping a funny little pun on not letting "influenza" "influence" her fiesta plans.

But there I had it. My weekend agenda was conforming to the nebulous shape of an invisible enemy.

To wit: An email arrived on Saturday morning, announcing the cancellation of a blues festival I had planned to attend. So we went out for breakfast, and did errands around the quiet neighborhood.

At the grocery store, was it me, or a vague hostility hovering in the aisles -- a suspicious avoidance of anyone who might bump your cart in the narrow passages?

I kept a face mask tally for about five minutes. The ladies who worked in the laundromat downstairs: yes. Our dry cleaning lady: no. I felt justified in not wearing one because, well, my roommate wasn't either.

A mid-afternoon headline check revealed that there hadn't been any deaths "in the last few hours." That was our cue to go rent movies.

A few blocks into our stroll my friend Colin spied us from the door of the Pata Negra bar. He and Tim, who was to have played at the aforementioned blues festival, were watching the Red Sox-Yankees game. We joined them for cocktails and a round of pandemic analysis in the nearly empty saloon. How big a deal would it be if the World Health Organization raised the alert level here from a three to a four? Had the DF's water shortages created an unhygienic environment that helped swine flu proliferate? Could Mexico City's 20 million inhabitants really be contained if a quarantine were imposed? Should Colin tell his family to cancel their upcoming visits?

Sunday's plans stayed on course, if tinged by the threat in the air. I headed to a popular brunch spot, and felt disconcerted that the host and hostess were sporting masks. When my nutritionist kept our scheduled cooking lesson, I wanted to believe that was a good sign. She is a health professional, after all.

I was slightly dreading my Sunday evening family phone call, but there was no onslaught of anxiety from their end. My mom simply asked that I check in every day, and issued her standard medical advice: don't get overtired. I told her I wouldn't, as I always tell her when she's worried about me.

Going on five days into the news cycle, the list of event cancellations, travel advisories, and closed public spaces continues to grow. The death count creeps up. The WHO did raise the alert level to a four.

Yet with all those guardrails in place, we still have to read between the lines on how to live -- making jokes, making up rules, and making decisions about the things we will or will not do, as we go.

Swine Flu: What the bloggers (and twitterers) are saying

simon — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:14:39 -0700

The advent of the weblog or blog, as well as social networking services such as Twitter have allowed individuals to become the newswires of the 21st century. From the attack on Mumbai to the swearing in of President Obama, we have all become in our own ways, on the ground reporters of life changing events.

The latest swine flu outbreak in Mexico is no different. Insidemex.com looks at what the bloggers and twitterers are saying about the latest blow to this beautiful country.

www.garydenness.co.uk: Gary (Twitter name: @garydenness) is keeping a daily Swine Flu diary. He isn't sure whether the Anti-flu measures work, whether a mask keeps you from catching it, but that's not going to stop him from following the precautions.

www.Cancuncanuck.com: Cancuncanuck (@cancuncanuck) is - as her name would suggest - a Canadian living in Cancun with her family. So far there have been no reports of any illness in the Yucatan or Quintana Roo, although as with the rest of Mexico schools have been shut down. That said, Cancun is being affected by this crisis as much as any city in Mexico: @rivergirlcancun (www.hiddencancun.com) was tweeting yesterday that planes were arriving in Cancun empty and leaving full. That's never a good sign.

www.mexicoreporter.com: @mexicoreporter (LA Times blogger Deborah Bonello) is a regular twitterer and has been video reporting on the affects of the swine flu on the local economy in Mexico Cty. Check out what the man on the street is saying in her latest video.

www.morenainmexico.com Inside Mexico founder Margot Lee Shetterly (@mrlsmexico) compares the current crisis with her experiences travelling through the SARS outbreak

www.misdwesternerinmexico.com, a newly-wed American living in Mexico City hasn't left her house for the last three days purely because she has nothing to do. Almost all social activities in Mexico City have been shut down.

If you speak Spanish it's well worth checking out the tweets from @eluniversal (www.eluniversal.com.mx). They are very up to date but like all the Spanish language press can be a little alarmist.

An excellent source of information (although with few links) is @mpoppel, with breaking news round the clock.

Finally for a good blog as about swine flu in Mexico and regular tweets, check out CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr Sanjay Gupta. He seems sensible and not too alarmist, giving the facts and explaining the context. Worth reading and following on @sanjayguptaCNN.

As always these are personal favourites and we'd love to hear what you read to keep abreast of the swine flu situation. Let us know in the comments below, and of course you can follow our twitter stream at @insidemexico as well the regular updates on our blog.

April 28, 2009 Swine Flu Update: A dose of cynicism...or two

aran — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 08:55:40 -0700

Want to know when the next update is life? Follow insidmex.com on Twitter!

Here is the lastest news gathered from local and international media (scroll down for analysis):

The update:

Schools are closed nationwide in Mexico today. More than 33 million students and 2 million teachers will be staying home until at least May 6. In Mexico City, you realize just how much traffic is created by shuttling young ones to and from their classes. When school´s out cars move much more smoothly along the city streets.
CNN got Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard for an interview and used a two second clip of him saying he was ¨very worried.¨ That seemed a bit insulting to this viewer. If you are going to interview the Mayor of one of the biggest cities in the world during a crisis, don´t you give him a bit more time?
Restaurants in Mexico City are only supposed to sell carry-out food. However, people are sitting in restaurants in the Condesa as I type.
More than one hundred thousand kits test kits will arrive in Mexico over the next couple of days, allowing more people to be tested more quickly for the disease.
Apparently, this flu weakens the respiratory system, which, in the more serious cases, can lead to pneumonia. Almost 2,000 people in Mexico have been hospitalized for serious pneumonia, perhaps, related to swine flu. The government here says 149 have died. The New York Times is reporting that the number of deaths in Mexico ¨attributable¨ to swine flu may be as high as 152.
Cases have been confirmed in Spain, the UK and South Corea. As many as 40 cases are now confirmed in the United States and 6 in Canada.
Japan has stopped giving visas to Mexicans who arrive in the country without one and they are checking passengers originating in Mexico, US and Canada.
Perote, Veracruz. Is this where it all started? According to eluniversal.com.mx as many as 500 people suffered respiratory illnesses there between December of last year and March of this year. Mexico´s Health Minister, says that the first case of swine flu in Mexico was of a five year old boy from Perote. Apparently, a major industry in Perote is pig farming. However, the Governor of Veracruz, Fidel Herrera, insists that the flu came from Asia, via the US and into Mexico. In other words, he doesn´t want people to blame Veracruz!
Two people in Scotland, who were honeymooning in Cancun, returned home with the flu. This is not a good sign for the Mexico tourism industry, if the flu is being contracted in the country´s biggest tourist location.
See this public service ad on Youtube.com from 1976 when there was a swine flu scare in the United States. Apparently, during this outbreak, one person died of the flu and twenty-five died from the vaccination.

The analysis:

As we begin day five of the swine flu alert, two camps of cynicism are gathering.

The first is captured elegantly by an acquaintance (and the publisher of the Mexico based website narconews.com) in his Facebook update: ¨the media is ´One Flu Over the Cuckoo´s Nest´¨.

A number of Insidemex.com readers have written us to say that they believe that the flu story is "overblown", a "media circus"," too much hype". Why, the argument goes, are we spending so much time talking about a disease that has killed fewer than 200 people when the normal flu kills more than 30,000 a year just in the US ?

There is wariness of the 24 hour media cycle and of what might be called alert fatigue. Remember yellow, orange and red?

The second camp of cynicism is more disturbing. The BBC has posted comments on their website from health care professionals who believe that the impact of the flu is being underreported; that the number of illnesses and deaths are higher than what is appearing in the news; that Mexico is far less prepared for this than it should be. Rumors are circulating that the situation is far from under control, some of these rumors leaking from prominent research institutions.

The overriding point seems to be that there are still many unknowns. As the initial impact of the story fades, people are tempted to shrug it off. However, without full information, we can't dismiss completely a pretty grim scenario (though it will not be easy for a flu to reach major pandemic proportions in this day and age).

The climbing alert levels seem to reflect as much the uncertainty of the situation as the scientific fact that that swine flu can be passed between people.

On a side note, the current prevailing meta-discussion in the media is about Twitter (NYT). In other words, does Twitter provoke unnecessary panic or help people stay informed? Anderson Copper raised this question on CNN last night. Then he asked people to ¨tweet¨ their responses. Hmmm.

Inside México wants to know how the swine flu is affecting YOUR life

Shauna — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:29:18 -0700

As the talking heads talk, we want to get closer to the ground.

Community journalism can give us a different picture of what is happening with the swine flu. You can help us.

What is happening in your neighborhood? Building? City? Are you changing plans? Leaving Mexico? Canceling a trip to Mexico? Do you think the whole thing is overblown? Do you know anyone who has the disease?

Tell us how swine flu is affecting you by scrolling down to the comment box located below.

Add an earthquake to the flu outbreak

catherine — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:51:19 -0700

We were on the third-floor rooftop of a Colonia Roma hotel when the building began to sway. My stomach dipped as the patio wall seemed to waver. The nerves I had calmed before going live on a BBC radio program jittered and bounced.

What timing. Here we were -- six guest speakers, and a BBC crew in from London -- to record what it feels like to be at the epicenter of the swine flu outbreak, when a magnitude 5.6 earthquake shook our outdoor studio.

"World Have Your Say" host Ros Atkins coaxed a laugh out of all of us with a few quips. What's next? he asked. Killer bees? A shark attack?

The program was originally planned as a 30-person round-table discussion about drugs and violence in Mexico. Those plans were scrapped to discuss the swine flu instead, and the set-up changed so that only four guests were on at time -- two guests and Ros on one end of the roof garden, and two guests and a producer at the other end -- to avoid crowding.

The show covered the gamut from the quake to flu-related facemasks, government response, travel advisories, and citizen reactions to the safety measures, both in Mexico and around the world. You can download the BBC podcast here. And here are a few photos from around Mexico City and the rooftop studio.

All in all, it was an excellent program (despite the scare). Cheers and thanks to the BBC team.

How to make your own anti-flu protective mask: Part I

margot — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:39:41 -0700

On Saturday morning, about ten percent of the crowd at the local Sumesa was wearing face masks. Now, Monday afternoon, I'd say the proportion has jumped to 80. The streets of Mexico City are filled with blue- or green-masked folks, all attempting to outwit the wily H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu.

But are masks that seem little more than colorful five-ply Kleenex really up to the job? This morning on my personal blog I posted in detail about filters, and if one might be able to make an effective face mask for protecting against the flu.

I'm about to start the experiment to make my own mask and will post the full results here. In the meantime, scientists out there: what is the best way for people worried about airborne transmission of the virus from one person to another to protect themselves?

April 27, 2009 Swine Flu Update: What are the facts?

aran — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 07:22:51 -0700

Don´t miss any insidemex.com updates: Follow us on Twitter!

A friend who works for a big Mexican media company called yesterday. His company is deciding whether or not to tell employees to stay home today. They are weighing people´s safety, on the one hand, and the public perception of that decision, on the other. What if regular programming stopped at a major news outlet? People might panic.

Which brings me to another question: As the news cycle cranks up the volume on swine flu, is the tone reflecting the facts?

The numbers, gleaned from both Mexican and US news sources, are shaded by how they are presented. For example, 103 deaths have been reported (see www.eluniversal.com.mx), but not all of these are clearly attributed to swine flu.

CNN is saying that as more than 1,600 people may be affected. However, El Universal and Milenio have reported that 900 of those people have been told they don´t have swine flu. What are the real numbers?

There is still much about swine flu that is not known. What are the known knowns, the known unknowns, and the unknown unknowns? to paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld.

Why are people dying in Mexico and not elsewhere? How many people are really infected?

However, until there is clear information, it is best to take swine flu very seriously.

Mexico City Mayor, Marcelo Ebrard says that the crisis is at ¨level 8¨ out of 1 to 10 and that by this evening or tomorrow morning he will decide whether or not to shut down public transportation.

Clearly, he wants to make sure we don´t become nonchalant until more is known.

We will do our best to analyze the information available and bring it to you over the course of the day.

Here is some information about recent developments:

How are swine flu symptoms different from more common flu symptoms? Apparently, a sudden onset of dizziness, nausea and vomiting could indicate swine flu.
President Obama says concern not ¨alarm¨ should be the reaction to swine flu.
The US Embassy in Mexico City will be closed from the 27 through the 30^th.
At this point, we have no information on the Canadian Embassy.
103 people now reported dead in Mexico from, what people believe may be, swine flu.
Mexico City Mayor, Marcelo Ebrard, is considering a full suspension of business activities in Mexico City and will make this decision Monday night or Tuesday morning, based on levels of contagion. He will consider closing public transportation, including buses and the Metro.
Apparently, from an epidemiological standpoint, 10 days are needed to slow or stop the spread of a contagious disease like swine flu.
President Calderón says that Mexico has sufficient pharmaceuticals to deal with the swine flu outbreak.
Mexico´s Secretary of Tourism says swine flu shouldn´t stop tourism. However, it appears that some flights, particularly from Europe to Mexico and the US are already being cancelled.

Swine Flu Community Journalism on Youtube.com

aran — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 06:38:46 -0700

How many emails and calls have you received to ask if you are OK? Lots, right?

Well, Global Dyana wanted to make sure that her family wouldn´t worry too much, so she hit the ¨flu infested¨ streets of Mexico City with a video camera. In five short segments she takes us on a tour that, at the very least, adds a different perspective to what you will find on CNN.

How are you assuaging your family´s concerns? Let us know! Post a comment below or email us at: editor@insidemex.com

Inside México wants to know how swine flu is affecting YOUR life

aran — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 06:28:20 -0700

Community journalism can give us a different picture of what is happening with swine flu.

Are you changing plans? Leaving Mexico? Canceling a trip to Mexico?

Do you think the whole thing is overblown? Do you know anyone who has the disease?

Tell us how swine flu is affecting you in the comment box below or email us at:

editor@insidemex.com

Follow Inside México on Twitter and get all our updates!

April 26, 2009 Swine Flu Update: Oink-Choo!

aran — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 06:15:46 -0700

Sunday´s Update on the Swine Flu Infecting Mexico City and parts of the US

As of Sunday late morning, I would estimate that about 40-50% of people on the street in the DF are now wearing surgical masks. Every employee in the Superama supermarkets wears a mask and, clearly, some restaurateurs have ordered waiters and waitresses to wear them. Other´s haven´t. If eating out, would you choose the restaurant that looks the same as it did a week ago? Or in the one where your server wears a blue mask?

The reality of the threat seems to be sinking in around the city and today, Sunday. It is much quieter out on the street than yesterday. People are staying home.

This new flu strain was identified by the Canadian epidemiologist, Francis Plummer who has said that a North American flu crossed with an Asian strain to create something completely new.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has yet to determine the global threat level presented by this flu.
Outside of Mexico, cases of swine flu have been confirmed in California, Texas, Kansas, Ohio and New York. There are cases in several foreign countries including Canada, New Zealand and France.
At this time, neither the US State Department nor the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has recommended that people not travel to Mexico.
There is not yet a vaccine for the swine flu. However, there are anti-viral drugs available that can combat the disease in people already infected. (This makes this flu different from SARS, when there were no anti-virals to treat the disease.)
As many as 81 deaths have been linked to swine flu in Mexico. However, only 20 have been attributed directly at this point. More than 1,300 sick people are being studied to see if they have the swine flu.
So far, all cases of swine flu in Mexico have been found Mexico City, the State of Mexico and San Luis Potosi.
The government reserves the right during the emergency to quarantine people, search private property, and commandeer transportation lines, as well as several other measures that could prevent the spread of swine flu.
In addition to stadia, theaters, discos and churches, bars have now been closed in Mexico City. Restaurants, however, remain open.
School classes will now be suspended until the 6^th of May.
The Cardinal will broadcast Sunday mass on the radio from a closed church.
Today´s soccer games in Mexico City will be played in empty stadia, for television only audiences.
The Mexican government says it has about half a billion dollars available to fight the flu.
There is no risk in eating pork.

The Goldman Prize

sue-ellen — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 19:59:25 -0700

“The first year I sat down with the six recipients… I cried,” says Lorrae Rominger, Deputy Director of The Goldman Environmental Prize. “[The winners] are all very spiritual people and have a lot of faith. They believe that what they are doing is for the betterment of the world.”

Nineteen years ago, San Francisco businessman Richard Goldman and his wife Rhoda (1924-1996) created a fund that would award the world’s largest environmental prize — $125,000 USD — to individuals making the most significant impact at the grassroots level. Richard, eighty-seven, still makes the calls to the winners himself. When the competition started in 1990, recipients would sometimes ask, “What’s that?”

Today, the reaction is more likely to be tears of joy, or a disbelieving exclamation of “you’re joking!” Winners of the prestigious prize often go on to even bigger things: one of the 1991 winners, Wangari Maathai, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.

Each year six people receive the award (sometimes seven, if the committee decides to split an award); one from each of the six inhabited continents: Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, North America, and Central and South America. The prize winners, says the organization’s website: “are often women and men from isolated villages or inner cities who chose to take great personal risks to safeguard the environment.”

“These are people who are totally committed to an issue of environmental justice. They’ve been shot at, had their homes burned down,” says Rominger.

Three Mexicans have won the award since its inception: Edwin Bustelos (1996) from the Sierra Madre Occidental in northern Mexico; Rodolfo Montiel Flores (2000) from the Sierra de Petatlán in Guerrero; and Isidro Baldenegro López (2005), a leader among the Tarahumara indigenous group, also in northern Mexico.

Montiel Flores was organizing against indiscriminate and corrupt corporate logging in the mountains of Guerrero in 1999 when the state attorney general ordered his arrest. He received the Goldman while in jail. In 2001, Goldman Foundation staff sent a letter to The New York Times asking President Vicente Fox to declare Montiel Flores innocent. Six days later, on November 8, 2001 he was released from jail, but the charges were not dropped. Believing that his life would be in jeopardy in Guerrero, Montiel Flores left the country and now lives in the United States.

For people in rural Mexico, Asia, or Africa, $125,000 is a lot of money. Says Rominger, “One of the things we are very careful about when we give to these types of people [is that] sometimes it can cause a division in the organization. We coach them in how to talk about having this money. Ninety-nine percent put money back into [their] organization.”

Rominger continues, “When they win, for many of them it’s their first time in the US. They are pretty amazing.

You can learn more about The Goldman Environmental Prize by visiting their website at www. goldmanprize.org. The organization will announce the next set of winners on April 14, 2008.

How I learned to stop worrying and love recibos de honorarios

sue-ellen — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 19:31:15 -0700

Recibos de honorarios are personalized, preprinted invoices you must submit to your employer or contractor’s bookkeeper, so they can record that your income taxes are being withheld. To get these, you have to register with SAT (Servicios de Administración Tributaria, the Mexican IRS) as a taxpayer. When you register, they give you a taxpayer certificate called a cédula that needs to appear on your recibos, which you then hand in like you would an invoice back home.

I confess that when I found out I had to visit government offices and get forms printed, I withered. Conversations with accountants only heightened the fear factor, bombarding me with a thousand acronyms and bureaucratic terms. The SAT website is technical and overwhelming. In general, there’s a lot of confusion about what it takes to complete the registration process and receive your cédula. You could spend hours bewailing how hopelessly bureaucratic all this is, but instead why not see it as a game, a scavenger hunt where you have to print everything in triplicate.

As it turns out, the process is one of the easiest trámites (bureaucratic procedures).

First, call the helpful (really) SAT operators who actually are standing by at 01-800-463- 6728 (though in Spanish only). They’ll tell you what you need and where the closest office is for you to “darse de alta,” the term for registering. Foreigners need the original and a copy of their FM2 or FM3, plus an original and copy of a proof-of-residence like a telephone or utility bill. If you come with these, the rest is easy. I learned three things the hard way, though:

1. Even though your FM2 or 3 has your address, it is not acceptable proof of residence. Does the state trust Telmex more than Gobernación?

2. Bring a photocopy of every page of your FM2 or 3, including the blank ones. Don’t question the logic of it: “Lo siento, es una instrucción.”

3. SAT will not make copies for you, and the lines at nearby copy shops can be beastly.

Officially, you cannot darse de alta without an appointment, which you make over the phone or on the website (again I recommend the phone). When I called there was a two-week wait, so I decided to just show up. My little angle was to get there before 9am (when offices open), dress business-casual, and most of all to smile, por-favor, and gracias-señora through it all.

Even at that early hour a scary “line” was clumped outside the office at Reforma and Insurgentes, but there was also an employee working the queue, making sure everyone went to the right office with the proper documents in hand. She chastised me for lacking an appointment, and handed me a sternly worded leaflet backing it up… and then let me through anyway.

Once I got inside—believe it or not—I found one of the most courteous and efficient government offices I had ever visited, in any country. Everyone takes a number, and there are some thirty operating service windows. There’s a comforting sense of movement, and if you get María Andrade Rendón at window seven, you may even start going to government offices for fun! We chatted about everything under the sun.

María and her colleagues handle it from there, transcribing data from your documents and asking questions. The at-window time is about twenty minutes, and you leave with your cédula. Everything at SAT is free.

Take your cédula to any printer and say you need recibos de honorarios made. They’ll know exactly what to do. As noted, you hand them in like invoices to your employer. Now you’re ready to move on to the next challenge: actually getting money from that freelance employer you so legally and properly billed!

But that’s another subject for The Fixer entirely.

Michael Parker-Stainback can be reached at michael.parker3@yahoo.com.mx.

Embrace physical and emotional health

sue-ellen — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 18:54:16 -0700

You’ve probably been in situations where you just put food in your mouth and gobble it down without even realizing how it tastes. Maybe you’ve been so hungry that you overeat, and then can’t eat again for hours afterwards, ending up feeling defeated and “empty” at the end of the cycle. It may seem like a dietary roller-coaster ride, but what you’re feeling is more common than you might imagine.

Our relationships and interactions with food have an intimate connection with the relationship we maintain with ourselves, as well as our emotional state. We sometimes hide our anger, dissatisfaction, stress, or sadness, leaving these feelings to manifest themselves through hunger and food. We often fail to realize that it is our emotional lives that need more nourishment.

It’s useful to look at our behavior towards food and discover what’s behind our eating habits. If you approach eating without fear or anxiety, don’t tear through what’s on your plate, or are flexible about what you will try, then you’re probably living your life the same way and paying attention to your emotional health. If that’s not where you are, ask yourself why. You just might find the answers to help you work through whatever is keeping you from developing a more harmonious relationship with food and embracing overall health.

Implementing a balanced diet plan is easy when you seek and nourish an emotional balance. One way to begin your plan is to take part in activities that give you pleasure, like dancing, painting, or reading; alternately, seek out space for self-reflection or spirituality. As you start to nourish your emotions you should get into the habit of eating brightly-colored vegetables. Red, orange, yellow, and purple vegetables provide phytonutrients, antioxidants, and fiber, all of which protect against free radicals. These are compounds produced in stressful situations that can also be the early-warning signs of many diseases.

Try upping your natural vegetable-fat intake with foods like avocado, pecans, almonds, and olive oil—these help increase your production of serotonin, the chemical responsible for producing a positive state of mind.

You may believe that being healthy means having a body that fits some definition of “strong” or “beautiful”, but this is a myth. Health is a balance between three spheres: physical, mental, and social. If there’s a problem in any one of these areas, your overall health will suffer.

Mexico City keeps going whilst world is frozen in terror

simon — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 12:20:29 -0700

Life as we know it in Mexico City has changed. City shuts down, inhabitants frozen in swine flu-induced terror.

Or has it? The media would have you believe it has, and indeed it is odd living in Mexico City right now. The streets are quieter and people just seem a little less friendly towards each other (no major kissing, shaking hands and slapping on back greetings today).

Having said that, things aren't that different. This morning Kate and I went for food in la Condesa at Origenes Organicos with friends over from the UK. We ate food outside and no one there was wearing the blue ninja mask being handed out by authorities at the Metro stations to help avoid the swine influenza.

Still, this crisis is being taken very seriously but in a very practical way by most Mexicans. Yes Marcelo Ebrard has closed public spaces like museums, football grounds and schools for 10 days, but people still have to eat (yesterday we saw a girl at the taco stall wearing a mask and pulling it down whenever she she took a bite of al pastor) and Arturo, the lion-esque seller of natural foods outside our flat was doinga brisk trade, albeit with mouth covered and handling loose change with plastic gloves.

At the end of the day life goes on. People still need to make money and they won't stay at home and risk losing a days wages - the associated risk is much higher to them than that of catching swine flu.

The real danger is that this possible epidemic will be gone before we know it whilst the effects to the economy, especially tourism, will be with us for a very long time.

Check out this article on protecting yourself in the event of an emergency from getmoneyenergy.com

Mexico City closes public venues in response to swine flu

margot — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 08:27:10 -0700

Mexico City mayor Marcelo Ebrard has just announced the cancellation of all public events for 10 days, in response to the recent swine flu outbreak. The last time the city enacted such a sweeping suspension of public activity was after the 1985 earthquake.

Schools and museums are closed, and officials are urging people to stay home, wear face masks and avoid physical contact with others. Soccer matches scheduled for this afternoon will be played, but in empty stadiums.

Health officials around the world are on alert for regional outbreaks are urging people to take precautions against contracting and spreading the virus.

How can you protect against the swine flu?

margot — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 08:09:08 -0700

The recent outbreak of a new and dangerous strain of flu-- being referred to as "swine flu", though the genetic makeup of the virus is actually a combination of material from pigs, humans and birds--has health officials around the globe on alert. Mexico officials confirm 20 deaths from this particular flu strain, with another 1,004 suspected cases of the illness around the country. The United States has reported eight cases of the swine flu.

The flu can be highly contagious and transferring an outbreak from one city, country or hemisphere to another is a concern given the ubiquity and ease of global travel. Governments around the world are carefully monitoring the health data and stocking up on medicine. But what can an individual do to protect against this dangerous disease? A little research turns up some advice:

(1) Wash your hands. Wash hands frequently, throroughly and completely with soap and hot water and make sure to scrub under your nails.

(2) Keep your home and work area clean. Don't forget those computer keyboards!

(3) Avoid hospitals unless it's an absolute medical emergency. Hospitals are rife with infections.

(4) Limit physical contact. Forego the usual kiss on the cheek for a hearty hello. If you are feeling sick, be a good citizen and limit your exposure to other people. Cover your face and use tissues when coughing or sneezing, then repeat (1).

(5) If you have flu-like symptoms, get help early. There is no vaccine to protect against this strain of the flu, so even if you have had a flu shot, you are not protected. However, according to the US Center for Disease Control (CDC), two medicines, Tamiflu and Relenza, are effective against the swine flu, but are best if given as soon as possible after the onset of symptoms.

Symptoms of the flu include: fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, coughing, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

(6) Stay tuned. The situation is evolving rapidly and news outlets are giving constant updates. Check in regularly to make sure you're aware of the latest information and advisories.

Deadly Swine Flu prompting closures and precautions

catherine — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 11:12:58 -0700

Hello, and stop right there. Not too close, please. News outlets and health officials are putting out the red alert on an outbreak of deadly new influenza strains, which are being referred to as swine flu. The Associated Press and the New York Times report that there have been at least 16 recent deaths in Mexico due to the swine flu, and according to the NYT:

"The World Health Organization reported about 800 cases of flu-like symptoms in Mexico in recent weeks, most of them among healthy young adults, with 57 deaths in Mexico City and 3 in central Mexico."

Today, officials closed schools throughout the capital city and the neighboring Estado de México, a measure not taken since the massively destructive 1985 earthquake in Mexico City. Health officials also urge precautions such as that people avoid crowded spaces like the metro, stay home from work if they have flu-like symptoms, and refrain from the typical kiss-and-handshake greeting.

Mexico's Health Ministry lists symptoms that include: fever higher than 38 degrees Celsius, frequent and intense coughing, headache, loss of appetite, and nasal congestion. This outbreak appears to be hitting young, healthy adults the hardest, according to news reports.

Regarding treatment, Mexico City's health minister, Armando Ahued, was quoted in the Agence France-Presse, as saying: "This new virus is susceptible to a specific antiviral, and the cases that are detected and determined as flu will be perfectly treated."

However, the AFP story also noted that: "The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says on its website that there is no vaccine to specifically protect humans from swine flu, only to protect pigs."

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides a definition and FAQ about swine flu on its website.

"¡Ayudame!" Dealing with your Mexican taxes

Shauna — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:47:36 -0700

Fall in love with (eating) flowers

sue-ellen — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:43:41 -0700

Without a doubt, the silent voice of fl owers expresses the unspoken sentiments that exist in the heart of anyone who stops to admire them. In their beauty we see refl ected the perfect combination of naturalness and perfection. The light of their petals sparkles and caresses the observer’s gaze. They seduce those around them with happiness, peace, and gentleness.

Have you ever wondered what they taste like? Don’t just take a moment to breathe in their sweet smell – you can enjoy their flavor in exquisite meals, salads, snacks and soups. Flowers don’t contain calories, but they are made up of phytonutrients (also found in vegetables and other plants), which give them their color. Lucky for us, these phytonutrients serve as anti-oxidants, and help protect against colon and bladder cancer, and premature aging.

In various corners of Mexico, consuming flowers is a habitual dietary practice that has been inherited from our indigenous ancestors and passed down through the generations. The most common edible fl owers in Mexico are flor de calabaza (pumpkin flower), colorín (Naked Coral Tree flower), flor de Jamaica (Hibiscus flower), and maguey.

You’ll spot the yellow flor de calabaza in markets in every region of the country. Cooked with salt and sliced fine with a little bit of chile verde, it is a delightful accompaniment for chicken, pasta or cheese. You can make soup with chicken broth and chile cascabel, or if you like creamy soups, you can blend it with milk, cook it on the stove, and season with butter and pepper. It’s also an excellent flower to eat raw in salad or alongside red meat.

The shelled maguey flowers look like white orange blossoms, and have a mild flavor, similar to chicken. They are considered a substitute for meat, and are cooked in the states of Hidalgo and Tlaxcala as a filling for enchiladas or tacos dorados (fried tacos).

Arbol del colorín flowers are thin red pods that when cooked with garlic, salt, and onion take on the flavor of red meat. They can also be prepared with egg, patted flat, and fried in oil just like a tortilla, and then bathed in tomato sauce.

Flor de Jamaica, in addition to being used to flavor water, can be cooked with green salsa and enjoyed on tacos with a little bit of purple onion. It’s also an excellent flower for adding a romantic touch to vegetable salads, and can be used to create salad dressings (see recipe in side bar).

Georgina del Ángel Cabrera is a nutritionist and researcher at the Salvador Zubirán National Institute of Nutrition in Mexico City, specializing in nutrition and the treatment of chronic and degenerative diseases. Any questions? Email: health@insidemex.com

Baby boomers abroad unite!

simon — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:06:41 -0700

By 2022, the number of English-speakers living in Mexico is predicted to have risen to 10 million people.

Incredible right?

Incredible but a very likely reality, even with the current economic crisis.

And who will make up the majority of these residents? People over the age of 60 coming to retire in Mexico.

Baby Boomers, retirees, active adults, pensioners. Call them what you will, but with the ever-aging populations of "developed" countries such as the US, Canada and most of Western Europe, together they represent a huge market for property, goods, services and information providers that is set to grow exponentially as the estimated 100 million boomers in the US and Canada alone retire over the next 20 years.

This is the richest generation of all time, and with its propensity to travel and desire for a high standard of living is increasingly looking at retiring overseas - Mexico already has 2.5 million retired English-speakers living full-time in one of the many expat communities around the country.

And so for this reason Luis Miranda, CEO of BoomerAbroad has set up a new social network an information resource for Boomers, "...to provide the necessary information, education, guidance, resources, tools and alternatives to start boomers down the path of discovering and understanding all that living, retiring and investing abroad has to offer".

I'd highly recommend anyone who is thinking of moving to Mexico as a retiree to take a look - it's definitely worth checking out.

But what can Mexico do to prepare for the influx of boomers looking to retire to sunnier climes?

Well, according to Dr Jorge Casteñada, ex-Foreign Minister to Presidente Vicente Fox, there are three important innovations needed to really help expatriates retire in Mexico:

The major American heath insurance companies need to cover at least basic-level services. The introduction of Medicare to Mexican expats would be of huge benefit.
Mexico needs to build new and better airports near to large expatriate communities - San Miguel, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, Riviera Maya.
There need to be enough services and facilities such as golf courses, movie theaters, satellite television, good phone services, world class clinics and hospitals etc If our reader survey is anything to go by

So what's your view? Are you looking to move to Mexico? Why? Why did you move here and what keeps you here? We'd love to hear from you.

And if your looking to make friends and find out about events in your local area of Mexico sign up to one of our online expat communities.

Mexico is the number one destination for American expats

simon — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:03:53 -0700

I just read expatify.com's latest article on the 10 Most Suitable Countries for American Expatriates and was delighted to see that, despite the travel warnings issued by the US State Department, ordinary US citizens (plus Canadians, Brits and Europeans for that matter) still see Mexico as a great place to invest, work, travel and retire.

The numbers bear this out: The US embassy says that over a million Americans currently live in Mexico full time, and this number may be even larger when you consider the number of "illegal" US residents who are not registered, whose visas have expired etc.

In fact when you look at the English speaking audience as a whole, the numbers are even more impressive. According to the Mund Group, a Mexican market research company, there are currently 3 million English speaking residents living in Mexico, a number that they predict will increase to 10 million by 2022.

And why do we come to live here?

Well, for many Americans, Mexico is attractive because it is so close to home. Pretty much anywhere in Mexico is just a short flight away.
Cost of living is a major factor. Especially with the current strength of the dollar against the peso you can live in a bigger house in a better area, probably with a pool, and hire a maid for less than $15-20 per day.
Medical costs are significantly cheaper than in the US. Medical tourism is a huge business in Mexico and our survey of over 2,000 expats last year showed that 85% of respondents felt that medical costs were lower than in the US, while 66% felt the quality of service was the same or better than in America.
There is already a big US and Canadian presence in Mexico. If you moved to San Miguel de Allende or Puerto Valarta tomorrow you would immediately find yourself welcomed into the strong expat communities there.

Oh and the amazing climate doesn't hurt either!

So why do you live in Mexico? Or, indeed, what would make Mexico a more attractive option as a potential expat?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Inside México International Subscriptions

aran — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 20:41:21 -0700

Inside México is becoming a favorite of Mexico lovers, travelers, international business people looking for the next big opportunity, academics, and Baby Boomers thinking about their next move.

We offer insight into Mexican cuisine, business, and science. We analyze national and local real estate trends. We track the evolution of cross-border health care. And, Inside México introduces you to the fascinating expats who have made this country home.

In the pages of Inside México you will find best information to help you set up your life in Mexico, or plan your next trip, whether your a tourist looking for relaxation or a student of the country who wants to dig a little deeper.

Email us: subscriptions@insidemex.com to find out how a year´s subscription of Inside México can arrive at your doorstep in the US, Canada or Europe.

Celsius to Fahrenheit and Fahrenheit to Celsius Conversion

aran — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 21:30:00 -0700

Celsius to Fahrenheit and Fahrenheit to Celsius Conversion

1. Fahrenheit to Celsius:

Temperature in Fahrenheit + 40. Multiply this number by 5/9. Then subtract 40. The answer is the Temperature in Celsius.

Example: What is the equivalent in Celsius of 400 degrees Fahrenheit?

A. 400 + 40 = 440
B. 440 x 5/9 = 244
C. 244 - 40 = 204
D. 400 degrees Fahrenheit = 204 degrees Celsius

2. Celsius to Fahrenheit:

Temperature in Celsius + 40. Multiply this number by 9/5. Then subtract 40. The answer is the Temperature in Fahrenheit.

Example: What is the equivalent in Fahrenheit of 18 degrees Celsius.

A. 18 + 40 = 58
B. 58 x 9/5 = 104
C. 104 - 40 = 64
D. 18 degrees Celsius = 64 degrees Fahrenheit

Inside México staff favorite links, blogs and sites about Mexico

aran — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 12:22:22 -0700

General

Mexconnect - articles, forums, blogs on life in Mexico.

Mexperience- in depth advice on living in Mexico, blogs, travel booking engine and a monthly e-magazine, Vista.

Solutions Abroad - advice for the would-be expat. Buying real estate in Mexico is a specialty.

Destinations:

Baja California

Roz in La Paz - This blog contains an informative weekly La Paz event calendar plus info on La Paz.

Cancun

Cancun Canuck- a Canadian gal backpacked to Cancun...and stayed. She will tell you why.

Dangers...Cancun, Living on Isla Time - veteran travel expert writes about life in Cancun.

River Girl - a gringa writes about some of Cancun´s less explored highlights.

Lake Chapala and Ajijic

Lifestyle Refugee: The Ajijic Blog- an insightful and often hilarious blog by Elliot Joachim, a real estate agent in Lake Chapala.

Morelos

Cafe 5: Cultural center in Cuernavaca that hosts artist studios, workshops, gallery exhibits, concerts and other cultural events.

Mexico City

A Midwesterner in Mexico - a gringa in Mexico City blogs about food, drink and living life to the full in Mexico in general.

Chilangabacha - Californian Joy Hepp blogs about life in the city.

El Blog de Joy- great blog about living in Mexico City.

Gary Denness- a Liverpudlian blogs from Coyoacan.

Mexico City Food - a great website that reviews even the smallest puestos selling tacos al pastor and tamales in a bun.

Mexico City: An Opinionated Guide - Travel tips, news, observatons and gossip from Mexico City from Inside Mexico contributor Jim Johnson.

The Mija Chronicles - Freelance writer Lesley Tellez' blog about daily life in the Big Taco.

Mostly Mexico City- Author David Lida writes about life in one of the biggest cities in the world.

Small Fish in the Big Taco - a British woman's viewpoint on life in Mexico City.

Oaxaca

Real Oaxaca- you have to pay to get all the information here, but if you are interested in Oaxaca this is a great English language source. Stan Gottlieb and Diana Ricci post fresh content every month.

San Miguel de Allende

Info San Miguel - weekly summary web page of news and coming events, and a weekly subscription newsletter / RSS News feed of that news.

Portal San Miguel - excellent and comprehensive events calendar and weekly newsletter.

Yucatan

Yucatan Living- a world class travel blog about the Yucatan with atmospheric observations and practical information.

Yucatan Today - lots of practical information here, including downloadable maps.

Best of Yucatan - a site that will lead you to others. A good start when poking around virtual Yucatan info.

The Border

Across The Border- the view from Tijuana, Mexico.

Canada

My Guey - a British Colombian resumes life in Canada after years living in Mexico.

Topic Based:

Expat communities and forums

Mexico Myspace - a brand new social network for fans of Mexico.

Boomers Abroad - a guide for Baby Boomers living overseas.

Expat Forum - a general guide for expats moving abroad. Covers several countries.

Expat Finder - The largest database of expat-related websites

Expatify - A site dedicated to turning travellers into expats

Expat Women - A site for women living overseas

Living with Kids in Mexico

While at Surreal Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - bringing up young kids in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Moving Kids to Mexico -an American mommy with young kids blogs about life on the Pacific Coast of Mexico.

The Humorous Side of Living in Mexico - a Life Coach lives with her husband and young children in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Puerto Vallarta Girl - a couple's move to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, struggling with the ups and downs of life in Mexico (especially with immigration!)

News

Intersections- Insightful commentary and news about Mexico City and Mexico ingeneral by award-winning young American journalist Daniel Hernandez.

Mexico Monitor - American reporter Franc Contreras' blog containing news analysis, anecdotes and on-going coverage of important social themes in Mexico.

Mexico Reporter - Deborah Bonello video blogs for the L.A. Times on a wide range of topics.

Mexico Today - A daily dose of news and analysis on current affairs in Mexico moderated by Ana Maria Salazar, host of "Imagen News", the onlynation-wide radio news program in English broadcasted from Mexico.

The Guadalajara Reporter - great sight that thinks globally and acts locally in Guadalajara.

The Gringo Gazette - a for pay site, but with lots of information for Baja California aficionados.

Gancho Blog - comprehensive news round up in English

Cultural

Madam Mayo - author and Isnside Mexico contributor, CM Mayo blogs about creative writing, translating, philosophy and, occasionally, Mexico.

Photography

Damo Foto - great photography from an Australian expat in Mexico City

Travel websites

The Law and Business

Mexico Law Blog - A really well written and interesting blog (despite the subject matter) on Mexican law and news for businesses and investors

Travel

Travelojos blog- a traveler´s view of Mexico and Latin America.

Different World - in depth reviews of Mexico's best hotels for travellers

Jen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance- ever fancy riding the length of Latin America and back again? Follow this impressive pair's journey.

Huevos a la Mexicana - a new blog on all things Mexican from one of the editors of online travel magazine the Matador Network

Go Nomad - a travel blog with some great content about Mexico

Mexico Cooks- a culinary travelogue of Mexico.

http://mexico-update.com/ - travel advice and videos from the Mexican Tourism Secretariat

The Truth About Mexicoan aggregator of blog posts written by expats living in Mexico. It isexplicitly countering the US media's representation of Mexico as aviolent, unsafe place to visit.

Mexico Vacation Travels - travel photoraphy, destination and resort reviews, travel packages and more

365 Mexico Blog - The practical guide to travel ad living in Mexico

5 Star Travel Center - A full list of travel resources

Security in Mexico

Security Corner - Tips and advice for staying safe in Mexico

The international move

catherine — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:37:43 -0700

I'd pulled the trigger and was moving to Mexico. I'd soothed over my mother's concerns, informed my New York landlady, and rented an apartment in Mexico City.

Then I started looking around my old place. The library I'd accumulated over the years was absolutely emigrating. And I couldn't leave behind those 1500 vinyl LPs-they were part of an ongoing "art" project. Life without my gorgeous set of mismatched plates bought at the Salvation Army? You get the picture: I decided to bring it all with me. I presumed it was just a matter of hiring a mover and going, right? It wasn't the last time I'd be naïve about life in Mexico.

My first advice is to find a good mover. Every company, big and small, claims they do international moves, but if you can, find one that specializes in them: one company kept asking me where in New Mexico I was moving, indicating we were all in over our heads. I finally chose Delahaye Blue Ribbon, who partner with MyM in Mexico. For one, they'd moved a Mexican diplomat back home (with his vinyl records and mismatched plates, no doubt). I also liked that they warned me what could go wrong before I signed the contracts.

Note the endeavor is not cheap. In my experience, you start at $5000 USD, no matter how little you bring (my apartment was a studio), and a lot of people say 10K isn't unheard of for larger moves. But there is a break you can take advantage of: if you move your stuff by boat, you rent a standard shipping container, whether you fill it or not, and don't pay by weight. So though I'd planned to only bring indispensables, once I'd paid for the container, I had room for everything else-linens, pointless winter clothes, and several big pieces of furniture I really hated to sell-and I still barely filled a third of the container.

Next comes Mexican government paperwork (if your mover doesn't mention this to you, run scared). First, you must have an FM3 or FM2, and you must move your stuff within six months of receiving the document.

Similarly, you need a separate visa for the importation of personal goods, called importación de menaje de casa. The visa costs $127 USD and must be requested at the consulate that has jurisdiction over the place you're moving from (Mexican consular websites tell you what consulate corresponds to what part of the world). You need copies of your passport and Mexican visa-to be safe, arrive with two or three copies of each, including the blank pages (don't ask...). You also need four copies (plus original) of an inventory of every box, and furnishing you're shipping, in Spanish. This isn't as exhausting as it seems: just translate the manifest your moving company hands you at pick up. Entries such as "lamp" or "box: books" or "box: miscellaneous kitchen" were sufficient. The inventory should list your old and new addresses. Finally, you must note the serial numbers of all electronic equipment or major appliances you import. The consulate processes the visa within 48 hours, rubber-stamping that all is in order.

Your mover will want copies of the importation visa as well as copies of your FM visa and passport. Additionally, he or she needs three different letters for presentation to Mexican customs officials. In my case the mover had easily-personalized templates (another good sign). The letters are dazzlingly bureaucratic-your employer pledges to be responsible for your stuff if you abandon it, and you swear to import neither liquor (my mover said French clients tend to smuggle rather than give up wine collections), nor firearms, nor porn. It's a formality, but remember that should Mexican customs discover any irregularities, your entire haul will be impounded until matters can be satisfactorily arranged, which means fines, hefty unbudgeted storage costs, and lots of your time spent at entry points, since even high-dollar movers will leave you to sort it out alone. Full disclosure: I found a half-drunk pint of gin in a suitcase when I was unpacking-but my crime was inadvertent, I swear.

Movers did the rest. I provided the abovementioned letters to MyM here, they handled Veracruz (no irregularities) and brought it all to my door ten days later. Everyone, including the movers, was surprised at how quickly things went; the usual timing is about four weeks once you ship out. Finally, my compliments to the movers: not one thing I shipped was damaged (I could not believe it-I'd expected a container full of shreds, shards, and broken records) and the crew was hard working, efficient, and careful. They even sent over a rep in coat and tie over on delivery day to make sure I was entirely satisfied.

Michael Parker-Stainback is an editor, translator, and writer based in Mexico City. He can be reached at michael.parker3@yahoo.com.mx.

Urban organic

catherine — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:15:44 -0700

When I moved to this sprawling metropolis five years ago, I found the topic of waste disposal disconcerting. After years of recycling in the UK, it felt wrong to throw everything into big black garbage bags.

"Don't worry," my Mexican friends would assure me, "we have our own recycling system." Over at Nezahualcoyotl, the city's biggest landfill site, informal recycling takes place as impoverished residents scour the dump looking for hidden treasures they can sell.

Despite the lack of formal recycling infrastructure, about 15 percent of the city's trash is recycled. Francis Alÿs, the celebrated Belgian artist who lived in Mexico for many years, decided to put this home grown recycling system to the test in 1994, taking seven identical statues and depositing them in bins in different parts of the city. Through the course of a year, at least two of these statues resurfaced in city flea markets.

This resourceful nature has become a source of some comfort to me in recent years.

My grandfather, uncles, and father all had green thumbs: an Englishman takes great pride in his garden. Ever since I can remember we had a compost heap, and we ate vegetables from our own garden. I would moan and groan every time my dad asked me to help with the weeding, but by my mid-twenties I had my own tiny garden. My housemate and I enjoyed many a cold afternoon drinking beer, digging the soil, and planting bulbs which bloomed in early spring.

When I found myself living in one of the world's most polluted cities ten years later, the recycling issue niggled. As luck would have it, my husband, aware of my longing for a compost heap, stumbled upon the Sembradores Urbanos. Lily Foster, Carolina Lukac, and Gabriela Vargas opened the Centro de Agricultura Urbana Romita in 2007, offering workshops to the public on a wide range of urban gardening subjects.

I enrolled in a free workshop on composting with worms in small gardens and urban areas. The workshop was fascinating and informative, and the staff extremely approachable. I learned the basics of vermicomposting and germinating seeds using recycled household waste. A special breed of red worm happily lives in dark damp conditions in a box, eating your organic waste (provided that you do not include any animal products or citrus fruits of any kind). If fruit flies appear in the box then you have to reduce the amount of food you are giving your guests. It is a good idea to check the box regularly in order to maintain ideal living conditions.

The beauty of this method is that the box is relatively small so you don't need much space. You can even keep the box indoors since, provided you follow the guide, the contents never smell unpleasant. For $450 MXP I was given a compost kit which included the box, worms, a starter bag of compost, and an instruction booklet. I have been feeding those little blighters our leftovers ever since. They live happily in the shade on our roof and all they ask for is a little care every couple of days.

The next step was the garden, and a visit from the Sembradoras. We talked about my family's needs and tastes and they took measurements and photos of our roof. I picked out all the vegetables and herbs I could imagine for the garden and they went away to perform germinating magic. This made-to-measure home delivery service is just perfect for people who want to get started organically but perhaps do not have time to do all the legwork. Prices vary according to each person's needs and the space one has.

They returned in a month with my little baby vegetable patch, to be fed with my home-made compost. The assessment was included in the cost, and if I ever have any issues or queries, Lily, Carolina, and Georgina are on hand to answer my questions.

We enjoy a range of lettuces and vegetables, and add flavor to our meals with herbs from the garden. The children enjoy seeing where the food on their plate comes from.

With just thirty minutes' attention a day we can use produce from the garden a few times a week.

We are making a small difference with compost recycling, and if the government's plans for a new state-of-the-art recycling plant do go ahead, Mexico will be recycling up to 80 percent of its refuse.

For further information: sembradoresurbanos.org

Your 5-step guide to your free Insidemex.com membership

catherine — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 08:01:21 -0700

With our easy 5-step guide to getting online, setting up your free Insidemex.com membership is quick and worry-free.

1. Sign up. Click the "Sign up" link in the upper right-hand corner of the site and start filling in your details. Your user name is the way you'll be identified to the rest of the community. Feel free to get creative with it, and let us know if your true identity is "Mexico4Life" or"SanMiguelSam." We'll also need your email, the one you want us to use to stay in touch with you. You can write down all of this information and put it away for sake keeping.

To finish things up, we just ask for your real name (so that we know you're a real person) and gender (just to get an idea of who our audience is). We respect your privacy and you can read more about our policies at insidemex.com/privacy-policy

2. Join a Community.Insidemex.com has twenty-two communities, so you can get the local events and information that are relevant to you. You can join as many communities as you want - Lake Chapala, Merida, Monterrey, Tijuana, the Guerrero Coast: there's an online home waiting for you. And if you don't see your community represented, just email us at editor@insidemex.com and let us know!

3. Set up your profile. Once you've submitted the above information, you'll notice three colored boxes on the right of your screen, "My Profile", "My Amigos"and "My Inbox". Click "My Profile" and you'll be taken to your personal profile page. This is your personal space where you control your interaction with the Insidemex.com community. If you click on the "Edit my settings" tab, you can change your email or password, upload a profile picture (a great way to help others in the community get to know you!), and decide how to be alerted about community news or contacted by other community members. Clicking the "Edit my Profile" tab lets you customize your profile page and tell the community your likes and dislikes, where you're from, how you came to Mexico, even your favorite Mexican food or destination. Add links to your Facebook page or blog if you like. Include as little or as much information as you want!

4. Find amigos, post events and tell us what's going on. From your community home page (click the "Communities" tab at the top to see the entire list) you can add events to the community calendar and post news to be read by the members. Just find the "My Community" section on the top left of your community page and choose "Create Community Event" or "Create Community Post." Click "Invite Friend" and you'll be able to send a personalized email invitation to a friend you think should be a member of the site. If you go to the "Members" tab, you'll be able to see all the members of your community. Clicking on a member's image will take you to their profile page where you can click to add them as one of your "amigos."

5. Add your comments. Your opinion matters! At the bottom of every article is a space for comments. Once you're a member and logged in, you can leave comments for everyone to read.

Over time we'll be adding classifieds, blogs, and other tools to help you get even more out of our Insidemex.com experience. Send us an email at support@insidemex.com if you have any questions, problems, or comments.

Avoiding passport panic

sue-ellen — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:52:51 -0700

Whether you are a long-term resident, seasoned traveler, or visiting Mexico for a week in the sun, few things are as frightening as a lost passport. The idea conjures up visions of being stranded like Tom Hanks in The Terminal.

Remember to keep your passport safe. Make photocopies to carry: it’s safer and will make getting a replacement easier.

In November 2007, I asked the Canadian Embassy in Polanco to renew my passport: it didn’t expire until June 2008, but if you are entering or re-entering Mexico with only a few months remaining, you can expect a hassle. Immigration officers may not permit you to enter at all.

Two weeks after applying, I got an email from Oscar, the Consular Assistant, advising me that my new passport was ready.

Remember, your embassy is here to help— that’s their job! We called the US, British, Canadian, and Australian Embassies to find out what their citizens should expect from their countries’ best and brightest diplomats.

Procedures are similar everywhere: fill out the appropriate forms, provide ID and photos, and pay a fee (see sidebar for details): your old passport will be returned, canceled. Each country has its quirks, however.

United States of America

Americans used to dealing with bureaucracy have long ago abandoned hope of speaking with an actual person. The Embassy in Mexico City is no different: if you press the keys to select passport services you will make good friends with a computerized voice. Try hitting "0" for the operator.

You can arrive unannounced at the Embassy to report a lost or stolen passport; when renewing you need to make an appointment. Email your completed forms (see sidebar) and contact info to MexicoCitypassport@state.gov. Those living around the country can arrange this through local consulates (see http://www.usembassymexico. gov/eng/edirectory.html).

United Kingdom

The British Embassy's process is straightforward-- if you live in the DF. Otherwise, head to FedEx or book bus tickets, because it's the only place where renewals are processed. The Consulate in Cancún, however, can issue single-use emergency passports.

Canada

Canada has the most complicated rules around. The nit-picky requirements for passport photographs (http://www.ppt.gc.ca/cdn/photos. aspx?lang=eng) require that your head be a certain size and the lighting perfect. Also, no smiling please! It confuses scanning devices that can't comprehend our human emotions.

Then there's the Guarantor requirement. Back home, any passport-bearing citizen who has known you for two years can vouch for you, but our overseas diplomats aren't as trusting. Here, your Guarantor must belong to a professional organization, like a dentist or police officer. In the event that you aren't good pals with the cops directing traffic around the Ángel, you can complete a "Declaration in lieu of Guarantor" in front of a Consul, who will vouch for you-for $50 CAD.

Australia

Australians also need an upstanding citizen to vouch for them. The list of acceptable professions is longer (how close are you with your pharmacist?) and they need only have known you a year.

Australia introduces new forms on July 1, 2008; old ones are good until September 30.

One can renew by mail or in person at the Australian Embassy in Mexico City. If your passport is lost or stolen, or you're applying for your first as an adult, you must appear in person.

Passport costs

USA: $97 USD (adults), $82 USD (under 16). Forms needed: DS -11, DS -64 (lost or stolen). Wait time: 3 weeks. Website: http://travel.state.gov/passport

UK: $2620 pesos (adult), $1670 pesos (under 16). Forms needed: C1 (adult), C2 (under 16), LS01 (lost or stolen). Wait time: 10 business days. Website: http://www.britishembassy.gov.uk/mexico

Canada: $100 CAD (adult), $30 CAD (under 16), $25 CAD (under 3). Forms needed: PPTC 040 (adult), PPTC 042 (under 16), PPTC 203 (lost or stolen). Wait time: 20 business days. Website: http://www.ppt.gc.ca

Australia: $1927 pesos (adult), $964 pesos (under 18). Forms needed: Australian Passport Renewal Application. Wait time: 10 business days. Website: http://www.mexico.embassy.gov.au

Lost passports

All embassies want a police report if your passport has been stolen, and if you lose more than one expect increased scrutiny. While everyone issues emergency documents in 48 hours or less, the applicant needs to demonstrate a real need, such as a family emergency or an inability to change travel plans.

NOTE: Requirements change often, so check with your embassy for up-to-date info.

Kidnappings in Mexico

sue-ellen — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:21:13 -0700

The Express Kidnapping

Foreigners are generally not targeted for kidnappings that involve ransom demands. More likely, both for foreigners and many Mexicans, is the quick “snatch and grab” kidnapping that leaves your pockets and bank accounts empty. You have probably heard of the “express kidnapping,” a form of robbery that is on the rise in Mexico City. People most risk falling victim to this crime when hailing an unauthorized or “pirate” taxi cab on the street. Once you are inside one of these taxis, you can be taken anywhere, and no one will know where you are. The most common outcome of the express kidnapping is that your credit card balance or bank account will be emptied. It’s simple: the criminals want your valuables— credit cards, cash, jewelry, cellular phones—quickly. In most cases, once they empty your accounts and take your possessions, they will release you.

You can go a long way toward avoiding this situation by using the authorized taxis lined up at sitios (taxi stands) throughout the city. Better yet, request a secure taxi over the phone. (I recommend the city-wide service ServiTaxis; you can reserve by telephone at 5516 6020 or on their website, www.servitaxis.com.mx). This way your whereabouts are known by the taxi company. Also, if taking a taxi at night, call a friend to inform them of your location and report the number of the taxi painted on the doors.

A Tragic History

Take express kidnappings seriously; they can end badly. Due to a lack of quality police investigations or a trusted police presence, the number of kidnappings taking place in Mexico is not decreasing. In one instance, a kidnapped girl was murdered after her father paid the negotiated ransom. When the police were of no help, the father had to hire private investigators to track down the criminals and have them arrested.

Drugs and the Increase in Violence

Since 9/11, drugs destined for the United States are no longer making it across the border as successfully as they did in the past. As a result, narcomenudeo (street drug pushing) is now common in Mexico City, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Monterrey, and other large cities. High and out-of-control kidnappers are believed to be responsible for many of the violent kidnappings.

Another part of this problem is the lack of control of firearms, most of which come into Mexico illegally from the US. The combination of drugs and firearms make the kidnapping problem particularly volatile. If we add unemployment, economic problems, rivalries among drug cartels, and corruption to the mix, it becomes apparent that Mexico has a public safety problem that needs to be brought under control.

Mario González-Román, a retired Foreign Service National Security Advisor to the United States Embassy, is currently a private Security Consultant at www.securitycornermexico.com.

On the road again....by bus

sue-ellen — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:12:23 -0700

According to the Mexican Communications Ministry’s website, Mexico’s highways cover over 356,000 kilometers. Even more impressive is the vast network of bus lines that covers most of these roads; you can get just about anywhere by bus in Mexico. In many countries bus travel is the second or third option, after flying or taking a train, but in Mexico it’s often the first choice. In fact, executive and first class buses in Mexico are more comfortable than most airliners, offering movies, hot drinks, sandwiches, and seats that fold nearly flat for sleeping.

Comfortable and safe though they may be, as always you should take some basic precautions when traveling by bus. Some good numbers to carry with you in case you get in a serious jam are those of the PFP (Federal Preventative Police) headquarters: +01 (800) 440 3690 (toll free), (55) 5484 0490 (switchboard), or *112 (Telcel mobile).

Security Tips

Take a safe taxi to the terminal, as most cities’ bus stations are located in the poorer parts of town. Use your neighborhood Sitio taxi, or in Mexico City call 5516 6020.
Before you leave home, place most of your cash and credit cards in the bag you intend to stow in the locked compartment under the bus. This way, if there is a stick-up on board, most of your money will still be safe. Hide these items well so that in case of a luggage inspection by soldiers or police, no one will be tempted to make off with your belongings.
When you hand over your bag to be stowed, make sure it goes in—and stays in—the baggage compartment until it is closed and locked.
Divide the cash you bring on board into two parts. Most of the money should be placed in your carry-on: put the rest in your pocket. Most hold-ups happen fast; time is a factor to the robbers. Usually, they will take only what you have on you. Should a robbery occur, you can give them something, but not everything.
Not all stations sell good food. I recommend you prepare your own lunch to eat on board. Smoking is normally not permitted on buses, but don’t be surprised to find exceptions—even by the driver. He may also play music to entertain himself. Luckily for your safety and peace of mind, most buses have a device in the engine that will not allow drivers to speed.
For long trips, bring a warm blanket and a pillow. A mini flashlight is good to have if you are traveling at night, and it can be very useful in the event your bus breaks down on the road.
Be sure to carry some toilet paper: don’t learn the hard way! I also recommend a mini first-aid kit with aspirin, bandages, bottled water, and Maalox or Pepto-Bismol for digestive disorders.

Mexico is a great country to travel by bus, and I have never had any problems worth mentioning. I hope that these tips don’t stop you from using this great form of transportation. Instead, take note and enjoy your travel in a safer manner. Bon Voyage!

Mario González-Román is a private security consultant who worked for 28 years as the Foreign Service national Senior Advisor for Security at the US Embassy in Mexico City. His website is www.securitycornermexico.com and he can be reached at frog_mario@hotmail.com.

Traga Humos (Smoke Swallowers): The Mexico City Fire Department

sue-ellen — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 09:59:07 -0700

The Mexico City Fire Department has been operating since 1887, and reports directly to the Mayor. They protect an estimated twelve million people, but because they often coordinate emergencies with neighboring states and the greater metropolitan area, you can add another ten million to that fi gure. There are 1,274 firefighters for the Distrito Federal (DF) alone, 150 of which are women. The fleet of vehicles at their disposal includes twelve mobile pumps, six telescopic ladder trucks, twenty-five water tankers, and four speedboats. They also have seven kits for containing dangerous chemicals. These brave and modest men and women put in long hours to the benefit of all citizens—no matter where or what income level—and carry with them many stories about rescuing men, women, and children. Since the department’s founding, eighty-one firefighters have been lost in the line of duty.

The Fire Department Chief is thirty-six-year veteran First Superintendent Raúl Esquivel Carbajal, who took the position on June 1, 2005. His right-hand man and Operations Director is First Inspector José Luis Mendoza de la Torre.

In case of emergency, the 24-hour emergency number is 068. The FD can also be reached through the police communications center: 5768 3700, 5768 2443, or at the Merced Balbuena headquarters: 5768 2532. Keep these numbers near the phones in your home or offi ce.

Some Mexico City Stations relevant to our readers:

Estación Central “ Comandante Leonardo del Frago”, Fray Servando Teresa de Mier, corner of Av. del Canal Eje 1 Oriente, Col. Merced Balbuena, Delegación Venustiano Carranza, C.P. 15810. Tels: 5768 3700 and 5768 2532 (068).

Estación Tacubaya “Comandante Artemio Venegas Mancera”, José María Vigil No. 56, corner of Carlos B. Zetina, Col. Tacubaya, Delegación Miguel Hidalgo, C.P. 11870. Tels: 5515 5994 and 5515 0437

Estación Alvaro Obregón “Comandante Isidro Solache”, Av. Escuadrón 20, corner of Antiguo Camino a la Venta Col. 1ª. Victoria, Delegación Álvaro Obregón, C.P. 01160. Tels: 5271 3436, 5271 2480, 5271 3911 and 5271 3286

Estación “Comandante Enrique Padilla Lupercio”, Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas Esq. Santa Cruz, Col. Portales, Delegación Benito Juárez, C.P. 03300. Tels: 5672 7129, 5672 8911 and 5672 9124

Estación Tacuba “Comandante Antonio Pimentel”, Golfo de Gabes No. 29, Col. Tacuba, Delegación Miguel Hidalgo, C.P. 11410. Tels: 5527 1576, 5527 7004 and 5527 9633.

The Mexico City Fire Department is always grateful for donations towards training and equipment. If you know of any department or organization in another country that would be interested in offering support, they would welcome it. Simply email me at Security Corner and I will be more than happy to help make the appropriate arrangements.

Mario González-Román is a private security consultant. His website is www.securitycornermexico.com . Call or fax: (55) 5574 5228, Email: frog_mario@hotmail.com

The Metro in Mexico City: the better way, part 2

sue-ellen — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 09:10:14 -0700

Mexico City’s subway system is one of its great secrets. It’s cheap, safer than you might think, and can get you places much faster than traffic-clogged streets. The Metro stretches more than 193 kilometers, stops at 175 stations, and over 4.7 million people use it every day during the workweek.

Common Sense Rules

Many guidebooks, including the Guia Roji, publish Mexico City subway maps. If you read Spanish you can also visit the following website for information: www.metro.df.gob.mx/red/index.html

Make sure you know where you are and where you are going, and plan your transfers ahead of time. Getting lost in the subway, especially if you cannot communicate in Spanish, is something to avoid.

As always, don’t call attention to yourself: don’t flash credit cards or cash; beware of pickpockets and possible harassment in crowded situations; and avoid wearing flashy jewelry. Try and dress down when using the Metro, and ladies should refrain from wearing mini skirts or provocative attire. Wear comfortable shoes, especially for transfer stations where you can expect to walk long distances and climb stairs.

Metro riders in a rush can sometimes push their way past you in a rough manner, which may be unpleasant. You should also be careful when entering and departing the subway cars, as the doors close quickly. Your rides will be safest and most enjoyable if you use the Metro on weekends and avoid weekday rush hours.

If you need a taxi when you come out of a station, I suggest that you proceed to the nearest Sitio taxi stand (there is usually one in the vicinity of every station). Another option is to go to a safe place such as a restaurant or hotel and call for a radio taxi. I recommend the city-wide service ServiTaxis; you can reserve by telephone at 5516 6020 or on their website, www.servitaxis.com.mx.

Travelers should remember that the four bus terminals connecting every point in the Mexican Republic are all conveniently located on the Metro, as is Mexico City International Airport.

Cost of Public Transportation

A subway ticket costs $2 (just twenty US cents!). Senior citizens with INSEN identification and handicapped users ride free. Hours of operation are Monday to Friday from 5 am to midnight; Saturday from 6 am to midnight, and Sunday and holidays from 7 am to midnight.

The Metro provides extremely valuable service to the people of Mexico City; this massive transportation network is a splendid example of speed, safety and quality, and boasts one of the cheapest ticket prices in the world.

Mario González-Román is a private security consultant. His website is www.securitycornermexico.com. Call or fax: (55) 5574 5228. Email: frog_mario@hotmail.com

Buses in Mexico City: the better way

sue-ellen — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 09:04:26 -0700

Normally, security experts recommend that you keep a low profi le and avoid using public transportation in Mexico City, especially the bus. However, many tourists, Mexican and foreign alike, take advantage of them every day. Some visitors only ride during weekends when the buses tend to be less crowded. The fact is that public transportation can get you where you are going more effi ciently than a car, and it’s better for the environment.

Common Sense Rules

If you decide to jump on a city bus or one of the green-andwhite peseros—normally small boxy buses or VW Combis—my recommendations are to use common sense:

1) Leave behind flashy jewelry.

2) Don’t carry your credit cards. Instead, bring sufficient cash for your errand. Carry coins when you board so you can give exact change: you may or may not get a ticket.

3) Dress down, if possible. Ladies should refrain from wearing provocative attire.

4) Before you leave your office or home, study your route and make sure you know exactly where you are going and how to get there.

5) Be careful when boarding and exiting buses, as the drivers can be unpredictable. Your ride may suddenly take off, or not come to a complete stop when you get off.

6) Confirm with the driver that you are on the correct bus. Also make note of where the electric bell is located so you can ring when you want to get off.

7) Be aware that younger drivers may play loud music.

8) Some drivers do race their units, and there are no safety belts. Hold on tight!

9) When standing on a crowded bus, pickpockets may take advantage. Place your wallet in a pocket that’s hard to reach. Ladies should carry their purses like an American football, under their arm, with the straps attached.

10) If you have a choice, take a bus that is not full.

Cost of Public Transportation

Depending on the distance covered, bus rides cost between $3.00 and $4.00 (an average of about thirty US cents)! Millions of Mexican citizens routinely commute this way without incident. Twenty million inhabitants of Mexico City and the neighboring State of Mexico travel back and forth over 10,200 kilometers a day! No matter how much effort and enthusiasm exists on the part of our authorities, it is unlikely that traveling in public transportation will ever be as comfortable as your car, but it will always be cheaper and more effi cient

Mario González-Román is a private security consultant. His website is www.securitycornermexico.com. Call or fax: (55) 5574 5228, email: frog_mario@hotmail.com

Mundo Feliz: Selling a green world

sue-ellen — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 07:52:30 -0700

Paola Desentis Via builds buzz for big brand names: Adidas, Nokia, Viagra, and LeSportSac. Now she says: "it's as if my biggest client is the Earth."

"It sounds like a cliché," the curlyhaired 30-year-old is quick to add, working from home at her Polanco apartment one rainy evening. Clichéd, but true: after co-founding the PR firm PAR 71 four years ago, in November 2007 Desentis started a new not-for-profit publicity agency called Mundo Feliz (Happy World). Their aim is to get press that will make the planet a better place.

"I wanted to talk about the metropolitan problems [so] people wouldn't perceive climate change as something too far away from them," says Desentis, who had reached the point in her career where she "wanted to start giving back."

Mundo Feliz is part promoter, part consultant on how to communicate sustainability issues. The information on the environment is out there, Desentis says; Mundo Feliz's job is to translate it for everyday consumers, and make it stick.

Desentis cites the language of the Kyoto Protocol, the Johannesburg Protocol, and the Distrito Federal's own Green Plan, all of which stress the importance of communication and education about sustainability as much as sustainable policies themselves.

To that end, they tout projects such as the urban bicycling program "Mejor en Bici"; Exima Cuadernos's recycled notebooks for college students; and the international EcoHealth conference, to be held in Mexico for the first time in December. They consulted on business magazine Expansión's January 2008 green issue (the second in the nation after Inside México's May 2007 issue and first in the Spanish-language Mexican media), and publicize a range of initiatives in cooperation with local government and major corporations.

The idea is to change urbanites' consumption habits by cutting down the abstraction factor, enlightening city dwellers about the effects on their landscape, "instead of talking to people about what happens in the forest," Desentis says. Think transportation and waste management, not so much mangroves and cuencas (river basins).

Like any good PR strategist, Mundo Feliz employs smart campaigns and brand-name recognition to make people pay attention. Their strategy is to target buyers at the top of the socio-economic pyramid, those with the most aggressive consuming habits, and watch the cultural effect trickle down.

Hence, Mundo Feliz aims to place environmental issues in lifestyle magazines rather than science and tech mags. This year they helped Grupo Medios publish "green" cover items across its nine-magazine line-from women's monthly Fernanda to cooking publication Cocina Vital to going-out guide Dónde Ir. They've netted coverage of Las Páginas Verdes, an environmental yellow pages, in Life & Style, "Mejor en Bici" in the daily newspaper Reforma, and a write-up in the travel magazine Travesías about Nokia's new cell phone battery recycling center in Belmont, Illinois.

Which goes to another PR principle: the power of the brand. "I think the brands are the best communication vehicle," Desentis avows. Talking broadly about battery recycling is one thing, but promoting cell phone battery recycling through Nokia and service-provider Movistar's new campaign "has had a better impact." Throughout the country, there are ninety collection points in Nokia and Movistar client care centers. (In Mexico City, the government has placed 280 blazing green kiosks on the streets that serve as drop-boxes for old batteries).

Desentis and Mundo Feliz colleague Mary Entebi grit their teeth at the utterance of the term "greenwashing." The last thing they want to do, they say, is push coverage for a business whose sustainability efforts are shallow or a distortion. Before getting involved in a project, Desentis says, they look to see who else is backing them-like the DF's secretary of the environment, for example, which has stamped many of their projects, such as Mejor en Bici, Cinema Lido's environmental film screenings in Colonia Condesa, and Nokia/Movistar's We Recycle blitz.

Does Desentis want her roster of Par71 brands to cross over to the green side? "I would love to convert all my Par71 clients to Mundo Feliz clients, but I'd rather wait for them to ask me to do it," she says, with the conviction that imposing a sustainability plan is not the way to go.

Rather, it's about persuasion. "We're going to generate a trend-yes, it is an eco-trend-that makes sense for our way of living."

For more information, visit: www.mundofeliz.com.mx

Diagnosis: reliable results

sue-ellen — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 07:22:29 -0700

Good treatment starts with good diagnostics: A wide array of clinical lab options are found in Mexico, and they vary in both price and quality. The reliability of clinical tests depends on two elements: the type of machine used to analyze your blood, and the quality and consistency of the control process used to collect, prepare, analyze, and report the clinical results to doctors and patients. In simple terms, the more reliable the test result, the better the doctor will be able to accurately diagnose the problem and recommend treatment.

The first type of clinical lab your doctor might recommend is an “Integrator Lab”, one with many branches and central processing labs. In general terms, these labs have solid infrastructure with high-end equipment and welltrained staff. They usually provide both clinical (bloodwork) and imaging diagnostics, as well as specialized tests like audiometrics and colonoscopy. These labs assure quality through automated and mechanical analyzers. Quality is maintained by adhering to international and national quality control standards, and through staff training programs. Their prices are competitive and test quality is assured.

Lab name + certification/management systems

Chopo, www.chopo.com.mx, ISO 15189-2003 + CAP Médico

Polanco, www.impolanco.com, PACAL + AMBC + UnityBiorad + ISO 9001-2000 in process.

Jenner, www.laboratoriojenner.com.mx, PACAL + EMA

The second type of clinical labs out there are what I call “Reputable Labs.” Basically, they are medium–size “boutique” labs that perform a lower volume of tests. They usually have six to fifteen branches within a specific region or metropolitan area, and offer years of experience and an excellent reputation. Their prices are usually higher than those at “Integrator Labs,” but they feel more private and are known for their reliability.

I include in this category labs in the high-end private hospitals, which are held to national and international quality standards. They are both safe and reliable.

Lab name + certification/management systems

Laboratorios Biomédicos, www.laboratoriosbiomedicos.com, PACAL + AMBC + ISO 9000

Laboratorios TJ Oriard, www.tjoriard.com, PACAL + ISO 9001-2000

Biomédica de Referencia, www.biomedicadereferencia.com, PACAL + AMBC + ISO 9001-2000

Quest Diagnostics, www.questdiagnostics.com.mx, ISO 9001 + Six Sigma

Hospitals with Labs

Hospital ABC, www.laboratorioabc.com, ISO 9001-2000 + CAP

Hospital Angeles (group), www.laboratoriosbiomedicos.com, PACAL + AMBC + ISO 9000

Médica Sur, www.medicasur.com.mx, ISO 9001-2000 + CAP

I call the third type of clinical lab a “Corner Lab” (Laboratorios de la Esquina). Usually, these labs offer a limited menu of diagnostic tests. They normally have one branch and use semi-automated or manual technology with low quality chemicals that increase the probability of unreliable test results. These types of labs generally compete on price, offering services for well below the market average. If you are looking for a bargain, this may be an option for you, but it can be risky.

TIPS

It is highly recommended you do your research prior to making a choice. Here are a few tips to help you find the right clinical lab for you in México.

1. It is important to verify that clinical labs have business management systems, like ISO 9001 or Six Sigma, in place. These management systems will assure quality control throughout the entire clinical diagnostic process. Also, verify that clinical labs have been recently certified by institutions like the AMBC, PACAL , and CAP, whose annual or bi-annual certifications assure the quality of the clinical processes.

Institution name + web site

PACAL-Programa de Aseguramiento de Calidad, www.pacal.org

COFEPRIS-Comisión Nacional para la Protección Contra los Riesgos Sanitarios, www.cofepris.gob.mx

AMBC-Asociación Mexicana de Bioquímica Clínica, www.ambc.com.mx

CAP-College of American Pathologists, www.cap.org

2. Ask how your blood sample will be analyzed: will the lab use manual, semi-automated, or automated analyzers? If they will manually analyze your test, make sure they have properly trained staff with years of experience.

3. Verify that they have an information system for consolidating and reporting data. Remember, you have the right to see the results, not just your doctor: you can request that the lab send you and your doctor the results by e-mail.

Milton Jorge is an International Strategic Medical Marketing Specialist. For additional information and inquiries, you can contact him at: mj@miltonjorge.com, www.miltonjorge.com

"¡Ayúdame!" Applying for a Mexican Visa (FM3 or FM2)

Shauna — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:11:22 -0700

Olympics preview: Five-ring circus

sue-ellen — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 13:14:06 -0700

Mexico’s first Olympic appearance was at the 1900 Games in Paris. After taking a break to resolve some domestic issues, they participated again in 1924 and haven’t missed a summer Olympiad since, ignoring boycotts in Moscow '80 and Los Angeles '84.

Despite the controversies surrounding the 1968 Olympics, Mexican Olympians collected nine medals (three each of gold, silver, and bronze) on their home turf, a figure that remains the top mark for the nation.

The Beijing Games coincide with a rebuilding period for the country’s Olympic program as new Mexican Olympic Committee chief Carlos Hermosillo puts his stamp on the organization (see Perspective, page 7). Officials are soft-pedaling expectations; sports delegation leader Carlos Padilla told China’s Xinhua news agency: “We calculate seven or nine finals, and like I have said, anything can happen in a final.”

One reason for this less-than-sanguine outlook is the failure of Mexico's soccer teams—normally the hope of the nation—to book a berth at the games. The men's team drew with Canada and lost to Guatemala, and Canada was also responsible for knocking the women's squad out of contention.

Mexico's baseball hopes were crushed as well: the national team lost to the US, to Nicaragua, and took a 17-4 thumping at the hands of Panama (the mercy rule was invoked). This means that Mexico won’t be represented in what may be the last Olympic baseball tournament: the sport (and softball) has been dropped from the 2012 London Games and may not be reinstated.

Who to Watch

Tania Elias Calles: The great-granddaughter of 1920s and 30s Jefe Máximo Plutarco Elías Calles, currently the third-ranked female individual sailor in the world, is hoping to score Mexico's first ever medal in sailing (Laser class).

Paola Espinosa: At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, diver Espinosa made the finals of every event she competed in, placing fifth in the three- and ten meter synchronized diving contests. In the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, she took gold in both three- and ten meter individual diving and another in the three-meter synchro event, making her an important Mexican medal hopeful.

María Espinoza: Current world and Pan American champion in Taekwondo (women’s under 72kg category), Espinoza is one of Mexico’s top prospects and should be considered a favorite to bring home the gold.

Óscar Valdez: This seventeen-year-old boxer took the 2008 Mexican bantam weight title after beating the reigning Pan American champion, offsetting concerns about his inexperience.

Eder Sánchez: One of the world's top competitors in the oft-mocked but heavily competitive sport of racewalking, Sánchez has won two major events so far this year, in Chihuahua and Krakow, Poland, and should be considered a favorite in the men's 20km event.

Vanessa Zambotti Judoka: Zambotti earned a gold medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in the over 78kg class, and won three medals at the Olympic qualifying tournament earlier this year in Miami. Expect her to grapple and flip her way to the podium in Beijing.

Where (and when ) to Watch

Beijing is thirteen hours ahead of Central Standard Time, meaning that during prime time in Mexico we will be able to watch live events held the following morning in China.

TV:

• T V Azteca holds the Mexican broadcast rights for the 2008 games. Check listings for Channel 7 (Channel 107 on Sky and Cablevision).

• Those with satellite dishes can watch English-language coverage on NBC or CBC. NBC subsidiary Telemundo will also be broadcasting events in Spanish.

Sports bars:

Most every bar and restaurant in the city has a television, and chances are many will be tuned to Olympic broadcasts, especially when Mexican athletes are competing. Bars listed below have a big expat clientele and may show more events involving other national teams.

The Black Horse, Mexicali 85,Condesa, 5211 8740. A Condesa expat institution and always a good spot to watch the big event. www.caballonegro.com.

King’s Pub. This chain of authentically fake Brit-pubs offers a relaxed, comfy atmosphere to watch the games over a pint. Check website for locations: www.thekingspub.com

Irish Winds, Río Tíber 71, Cuauhtémoc, 5208 0513. A good selection of beers and a cozy atmosphere make this spot popular with the British and US Embassy crowd.

The Beer Factory. Microbrews and mega-screens, conveniently located at a mall near you. Check website for locations: www.beerfactory.com.mx

Caliente. If you like your Olympic viewing to come with a little action on the side (and not much in the way of ambience), head to this sports betting and slot palace. Numerous locations and cheap drinks make it the first choice for serious prognosticators. 01 800 027 3354. Check website for locations: www.caliente.com.mx

Sian Ka’an: Fragile paradise

sue-ellen — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 02:09:57 -0700

Cameron Boyd was on vacation ten years ago when he discovered the 405-meter stretch of white beach. At the time, the oceanfront property was home to the ruins of an abandoned hotel and some chital palms. It sat just south of the Tulum archaeological site in the state of Quintana Roo, inside the Sian Ka’an Biosphere.

Boyd bought it and turned the land into what is now the Centro Ecológico Sian Ka’an (CESIAK), a collection of fifteen tent-cabins on stilts, a restaurant, and the launch point for tours of the Biosphere’s mangrove-filled lagoon, once part of a trade route in the Mayan empire. The business’s revenues maintain a staff of thirty-four and pay for environmental educational programs for schoolchildren in Tulum, beach cleanups, and staff to monitor the four turtle species that nest here beginning each May.

The founding principle of the project was to combine ecological and economic sustainability. He was interested, he says, in “a way to combine some income- generating activity with conservation work.”

As a commercial venture inside the Biosphere, CESIAK has to abide by a lengthy list of strict rules. “We’re very much regulated in everything we do— which I think is a positive thing,” Boyd says.

For example, CESIAK’s structures can cover only 1 to 2 percent of the total surface area of the property. All of their equipment, down to the kayaks, is documented, registered, and insured. Voluntarily, CESIAK captures rain water, runs mostly on wind and solar power, and employs composting and special waste treatment systems—all while catering to about 500 people per month who sign-up for kayaking, boating, bird-watching, and fishing tours.

“I think the answer is ‘Yes, it can work’,” says Boyd, 34, who wrote a college thesis on protected lands in Africa before becoming an environmental sciences teacher.

In addition to CESIAK, he now owns a similar ecological center in Belize.

“Certainly no one’s getting rich off of it,” he adds, “[but] it is self-funding.”

Sian Ka’an, which means “where the sky begins,” encompasses about 657,000 hectares that include the coral reef in the turquoise Caribbean Sea off the coast, the powdery beaches, and the lagoon on the other side of a narrow dirt-packed road. The area became a UNESCO biosphere in 1986, and is regulated by the Mexican government according to the United Nations’ “Man and the Biosphere” guidelines. A core zone—“where no activity can take place whatsoever,” Boyd explains—is surrounded by a buffer zone of palm-dotted land, lagoon, beaches, and coral reefs.

CESIAK leads its tours in this buffer zone. My cousin and I were signed up for one on a windwhipped day. We looked to the skies and questioned whether we should be venturing into the Sian Ka’an biosphere reserve by boat. But no matter: our guide Jorge, an ornithologist who has been working as a researcher in the biosphere for ten years, picked us up at our hotel in Tulum, and the van bumped down the road from Sian Ka’an’s northern entrance.

Over the next several hours we explored seven ecosystems on foot, by boat, and floating in life jackets through the mangroves. Starting with our backs to the roiling sea, we picked our way along the spongy, damp floor of the chital forest, where blue crabs scurried sideways and termite nests clung to tree trunks. We came out from the chital and found ourselves among the gray-button, white, and black mangroves before boarding a small motorboat that took us into the labyrinthine channels of mangrove and savanna islands. We spotted orchids, cormorants, herons, and stopped at a little Mayan temple. The Mayans traded fruits and cacao along these waters, from the Yucatán peninsula to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Belize.

By the time we circled back to CESIAK for lunch, we were thoroughly soaked—not just from our swim through the mangroves, but from Tropical Storm Arthur, which broke while we were on our tour.

In fact, hurricanes pose the biggest threat to CESIAK’s business. Tourist traffic drops after one strikes, and there are high rebuilding costs. If a hurricane were to destroy part of the center, they could rebuild, but unlike the proprietors of hotels and bungalows just a few kilometers away on Tulum’s tourist strip, they would have to pass through a rigorous review and permit process all over again. Boyd says it certainly would have been easier to set up a straight tourism venture outside the biosphere. And there are times when the financial risk can seem “scary.” But the business is standing on its own legs, the turtles are nesting, and hundreds of school kids are learning about their neighboring ecosystem.

Boyd thinks he’s stayed true to the vision he had a decade ago.

“I’m pretty proud of that,” he says

Centro Ecológico Sian Ka’an. Federal Road (307) Cancun-Tulum 68. Tulum, Quintana Roo Telephone: (52) 984-871-2499. www.cesiak.org, info@cesiak.org

Altitude training

sue-ellen — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 02:02:13 -0700

Before the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, one of the biggest concerns for trainers and athletes from around the world was the altitude (2,240 meters above sea level). Adapting to the oxygen-deprived air would be difficult for many endurance athletes.

Once the Games were over, however, the high altitude was credited with contributing to several world records in sprints and jumps.

Since then, trainers and athletes have learned that exercising at high altitude provides great benefits.

In 1980, amid a pine and oak forest northeast of Toluca, the Centro Ceremonial Otomí was built as a tribute to the local Otomí culture. Now, the park is also a high-performance training center for world class athletes, managed by INCUFIDE (Mexico’s State Institute for Physical Culture and Sports).

Tiburcio Garcia, the internationally recognized trainer of boxers José Luis “El Temible” Castillo and Jorge “El Travieso” Arce—both have been world champions—explains the benefits of training at high altitude.

“The most important benefits for a competitor who works out at altitude are strength and endurance. It’s not easy to get used to the altitude but after a couple of weeks you can see the results in the athlete’s performance. The Centro Ceremonial Otomí is great for this kind of training. It is located at 3,300 meters above the ocean, and if you go to the top of the mountain you’ll be at around 3,800 meters.”

But why is it good for athletes?

“When you are at a higher altitude there is less oxygen. This means you get less air to breathe, and you consume smaller amounts of oxygen which makes your heart get bigger. After training at high altitude, when you go to a lower altitude you’re quicker and stronger, and the recovery time for your heartbeat is faster. Training at altitude also stimulates the production of red blood cells [a process called erythropoiesis],” explains Garcia.

Are there any disadvantages to altitude training?

“I don’t think there are any. I’ve seen only positive results. But you should be in shape before you get here, and it’s always going to be better if you are guided by a professional trainer.”

Get high!

The Centro Ceremonial Otomí is located 45 minutes from Toluca and 1.5 hours from the DF. Visitors are welcome Tuesday to Sunday, from 9 am to 5 pm. www.ccotomi.com. For athletic facilities you can visit www.imcufide. com/instalaciones/otomi. html#. Location: Km. 10 on the highway from Temoaya to the Centro Ceremonial Otomí, San Pedro Arriba, Municipio de Temoaya, Estado de México. Tel: 01 (722) 167-5446

Four National Parks in Mexico Recommended

sue-ellen — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 09:31:22 -0700

Cumbres de Ajusco, Mexico City, Distrito Federal

Avid mountain bikers suit up! Many people hike the area, but Ajusco is known as a mountain biking country. The steep and rocky terrain is unforgiving but frequent and spectacular viewing areas make the trek a rewarding challenge. Don’t have the gear? Moderate quality bikes and equipment area available for rent. Anything is possible when delicious tacos and cold chelas are waiting at the bottom.

Parque Nacional Palenque, Palenque, Chiapas

Lush, humid and threaded with mist, the emerald backdrop for the temples of Palenque is as awe-inspiring as the Mayan city itself, which hit its stride during the reign of K’inich Hanab Pakal II from 615 to 638. The last major discovery in this explorer’s paradise came in 1952 when Alberto Ruz Lhuillier uncovered the Tomb of Pakal in the Templo de las Inscripciones. The town of Palenque isn’t breathtaking, but it’s a convenient launching point full of hotels and tour operators for your excursion.

Parque Iztaccíhuatl- Popocatépetl, Amecameca, Estado de México

Together, Iztaccíhuatl, a woman’s silhouette in dormant repose, and Popocateptl, still active and spouting ash clouds, are the most famous pair of volcanoes in the Neovolcanic chain that girdles Mexico from Nayarit in the west to Veracruz in the east. Driving up the road to the park’s visitor center, an educational trail at a 3200-meter altitude is like a pit stop for breathing. It’s designed to give your lungs a chance to adjust to the climb, and throws in a lessons on park vegetation and water conservation projects. For more information, visit: http://iztapopo.conanp.gob.mx/

Parque Nacional Cabo Pulmo, 63 km northeast of San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur

Snorkelers and scuba divers should prepare to be amazed by – and respectful of – the only coral reef in the Sea of Cortés, and one of the three reefs in North America. A painter’s palette of hard corals shelters over 230 species of fish and attracts visits from whales, dolphins and lobos marinos. Amigos para la Conservación de Cabo Pulmo is a civil organization run by local citizens that monitors the reef and its sea turtles, and promotes environmental education and clean beach initiatives. To find out more about their projects, visit: www.pulmoamigos.org

Pick a filter, any filter

sue-ellen — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 09:13:02 -0700

Tired of lugging liters of water back from the supermarket? Worried about the environmental impact of discarded plastic bottles? Consider a home water filtration system.

Filtration is generally cheaper than buying large quantities of bottled water, and the quality of drinking water is thought to be equal. There are there are two decisions to make when choosing a system: the type of filter system itself (i.e. how the water is filtered), and the model of the water filter (where it stands and how it looks).

Here’s a rundown of the some of the more popular methods:

Activated Carbon Filters

When water flows through carbon filters, contaminants stick to the surfaces of the carbon particles. Activated carbon filters are reported to be the best method for removing specific organic chemicals, including some pesticide residues.

Reverse osmosis

Water is pushed through an ultra-fine, semi-permeable membrane. The liquid is separated into pure water and waste, which goes down the drain. The disadvantage of reverse osmosis systems is that for every gallon of purified water produced, about two gallons are wasted.

Ion exchange

Ion exchange removes dissolved salts in the water, such as calcium. This system softens the water and was originally for industrial use, before becoming popular in home units, which are combined with carbon filtration.

Distillation

Distillation is the process of boiling water to create steam. The steam cools and condenses into mineral-free water droplets. When combined with carbon, the result is 99.9 percent contaminate-free water. There are different systems depending on your needs.

Pitcher filters

Add water to the top of the jug, and the water flows through an internal filter into the main canister.

Faucet-mounted filters

These allow you to filter water straight from the tap. Many models can divert the water from the filter when you just want regular water (for doing dishes perhaps). They are usually self-installed.

Under-the-sink filters

These systems are similar to the faucet-mounts in that they service only one sink. But they install under the sink, and usually come with a dedicated faucet. These filters will last longer than the first two.

Whole house filters

Install these filters at your home’s water source. Used when your water quality is very poor.

In Mexico, buy home water filtration systems in department stores and hardware stores. Three common brands are Aqua Life (Tel: 5525-2734, www.aqualife.com.mx), Turmix (Tel: 5358-8055) and Filtroplas. Prices start around 599 pesos, depending on the filter. The choice, as they say, is yours…

How sweet it is

sue-ellen — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 09:07:09 -0700

If you go to the supermarket today you’ll find innumerable sugar substitutes made from a variety of chemical processes. Given our society’s love of sweet food and our problems with obesity and diabetes, everyone is looking for the magic potion: how can we eat the sweets and stay skinny and healthy at the same time? However, after the saccharine scares of the 70s (lab tests reported cancer in animals exposed to the substance) and the Nutraweet headaches of the 80s and 90s, it’s normal to wonder, Are these sugar substitutes safe?

I’ll give you some information so you can know how the substitutes are made, but the first rule when using these sweetners is to pay attention to your body’s reaction to them, as side effects have been anectdotally attributed to all of them. And, most importantly, keep yourself informed. Read the latest reports so that you can make your own decisions about how to incorporate sugar substitutes into your diet.

Sweeteners are classified into two categories:

• Nutritious sweeteners: These provide energy or calories; among them we find sucrose (white sugar), fructose (sugar in fruits), bee honey, corn syrup, molasses, piloncillo (raw cane sugar), dextrose, maltose and lactose. These elevate glucose in the blood sharply.

• Non-nutritious (artificial) sweeteners: These are man made and don’t elevate glucose in the blood. They are much sweeter than white sugar but have little or no caloric value. These are some of the most common kinds of artificial sweetners:

Saccharin.

Commercial brands: Sweet’N Low®

The oldest artificial sweetener is 300 to 500 times sweeter than sugar. It was considered a carcinogen after causing bladder cancer in rats when consumed daily in high doses. In 1991 the FDA lifted its restriction, but maintained that any product containing saccharin must have a warning label. Saccharin use definitely should be limited during pregnancy, as it has had undesirable effects on animal fetuses in laboratory tests.

Aspartame.

Commercial brands: NutraSweet ®, Canderel®

This sweetener is made of aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol. It is 200 times sweeter than sugar. It disintegrates and produces a bitter taste when exposed to high temperatures (120-140 degrees Celsius) for long periods of time. The consumption of aspartame must be limited in people who suffer phenylketonuria (PKU), a genetic disability that inhibits the body’s capacity to absorb phenylalanine.

Sucralose.

Commercial brand: Splenda®

The only low calorie sweetener made from sugar molecules, sucralose is 600 times sweeter than sugar. The sucralose molecules pass through the body without being recognized and are absorbed only in low quantities. It does not loose its sweetness when placed in high temperatures and can be used in cooking and baking. Sucralose has been billed as the first sweetener without side effects. However, there have been few long-term studies and side effects such as diarrhea and headaches have been reported.

Acesulfame Potassium.

Commercial brands: Sunett® Sunette® Sweet One®

This sweetener is 200 times sweeter than sugar and is not metabolized or modified in the body. It is stable in sustained heat and can be used in cooking and baking.

Georgina del Ángel is a nutricionist and researcher at the Salvador Zubirán National Institute of Nutrition in Mexico City, specializing in nutrition and the treatment of chronic and degenerative diseases. Any questions? health@insidemex.com

The lifestyle gamble

sue-ellen — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 03:23:08 -0700

It was New Year's Eve and the stomach pain had become unbearable for Patricia Harris. Her husband John, a retired physician, rushed her to the hospital in Cabo San Lucas. There, a Mexican radiologist, who had trained in San Diego, diagnosed the problem: appendicitis.

Within the hour, a surgical team was prepped to perform an emergency appendectomy. There was just one hitch: Before the operation could begin, Harris had to hustle down to the billing department and hand over his credit card.

“They charged me $7,000,” he recalled, describing the standard practice in Mexican hospitals of collecting payment up front.

For decades John and Patricia Harris contributed to the U.S. retiree health program known as Medicare. Even now, the pair pays monthly insurance premiums. But when Patricia Harris really needed the coverage, it wasn’t there.

That’s because the federal Medicare program stops at the border, creating a minefield of logistical, medical and financial dangers for American retirees living in Mexico, by far the world’s most popular destination for expatriate American seniors. As the Baby Boom generation begins to retire, policy decisions made in the U.S. about whether to allow Medicare to cover citizens living abroad may determine whether Mexico becomes the new home for a flood—or a trickle—of those seniors.

The Harris’s are surrounded by Americans retirees in the Baja beach town of Los Barilles. Many of their friends survive on Social Security checks and modest pensions, making the matter of healthcare coverage a make-or-break factor in their annual budgets.

“We got a real wake-up call,” said Harris. Even though they had enough savings to pay for his wife’s appendectomy, he knows they could be wiped out by a major medical crisis. And that seems unfair to Harris, who spent decades in private practice and teaching at the University of California San Francisco.

“Why should a U.S. senior citizen forfeit the medical benefi ts they are entitled to and contributed to their entire working life?” said Harris. “We’re still subject to all the obligations of citizenship. Why should we not carry those medical benefits?”

With the cost of living in the United States rising steadily, the Gulf Coast beaches and inland Spanish colonial towns of Mexico are becoming increasingly popular destinations for the 55-and-over set. The temperate climate, low property taxes, rich culture and abundance of affordable household labor make Mexico an attractive alternative to Florida, Arizona and California.

“The American dream is becoming the Latin American dream,” said Xochitl Castaneda, who runs the border health policy institute at the University of California. “We are seeing reverse migration.” But “one of the big deficits,” said Harris, “is access to healthcare.” Or, more specifically, access to Medicare-covered medical care.

Castaneda and Harris are among those arguing that Medicare should be a bi-national program, popping off letters to local newspapers, members of Congress and even President Bush. They say that changing the law to cover Americans on both sides of the border is fundamentally a matter of fairness that could have the added benefits of keeping more seniors healthy longer and trimming costs for the program.

But opponents say Medicare dollars should stay in the U.S., flowing to doctors and hospitals that have been certified by the government. They worry that if Medicare covered services in Mexico, it would be impossible to guarantee that patients receive high quality care and it could actually increase the overall Medicare budget if more beneficiaries used more services.

The issue is percolating in other countries. Officials from the Philippines and Panama have been lobbying Washington to make a Medicare exception for healthcare providers in their countries.

David Warner, a professor at the LBJ School of Public Policy at the University of Texas who has studied the issue for nearly 20 years, advocates beginning with a small pilot project in one or two Mexican communities to test the feasibility of extending the program.

“Now is the time to try this,” he said. “That way, if they make a mistake, it wouldn’t cost too much.”

Invisible Americans

Begun in 1965 as part of LBJ’s Great Society initiative, Medicare provides guaranteed medical care to disabled Americans and everyone over age 65. Most beneficiaries pay about $100 a month in premiums, as well as co-payments. In 2003, Congress added prescription drug benefi ts for the 44 million Medicare recipients. Today, it remains one of the most popular—and expensive—government programs, costing taxpayers about $375 billion annually.

But Medicare is an “entitlement with an asterisk,” said Larry Meagher, executive director of ABC Hospitals in Mexico City. Medicare only reimburses U.S.-based doctors and hospitals that have been pre-approved by the government.

ABC, which is affiliated with Methodist Hospital in Houston, is undergoing a rigorous review in hopes of being accredited by the International Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. The accreditation could give his hospitals a prestigious seal of approval that he believes would increase the chances that policymakers in the U.S. would enroll the facility in the Medicare program.

Other hospitals see the possibilities too. Both Amerimed, where Patricia Harris went for her appendectomy, and Christus Health, which has hospitals in Texas and Mexico, expect to receive the international certification.

“We feel very confident about the quality of care we are providing in Mexico and our costs are 30-40 percent less than in the U.S.,” said John Zipprich, a vice president at Christus. “Wouldn’t it be great if Medicare recipients could get high quality care at a lot less? Wouldn’t everyone benefit?’

All three hospitals have bilingual staff and use billing and medical codes systems identical to those in the states. To them, Mexico is the logical place to expand Medicare because of the shared border and large numbers of people moving back and forth with great ease.

Additionally, there is precedent for the U.S. government purchasing care abroad. Both active and retired military personnel are covered outside the United States.

“The methods of entitling Americans abroad to benefit from medical coverage exist,” states the Association of Americans Resident Overseas in a position paper. The group is pushing Congress to use the military’s Tricare program as a model for covering civilian retirees in foreign countries.

Like Zipprich, Meagher believes the care at ABC meets or exceeds that provided in most U.S. hospitals. But he is less confident Congress and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees the program, will change the policy any time soon.

“This is an issue that has been on the table for the last 25 years,” he said. In 1999, Meagher and a handful of hospital executives went to Capitol Hill to pitch a pilot project that would have enabled a hospital in Guadalajara to receive Medicare reimbursement.

At the session, lawmakers and aides seemed enthusiastic. “Unfortunately, the meeting ended and that was it,” said Meagher. “There was no political will.”

The political problem for American expats is that they come from all 50 states so any clout they would have as a voting bloc is diffuse.

“We are invisible” to U.S. policymakers, said Susannah Glusker, daughter of a renowned Mexican art critic and “a nice Jewish doctor from Brooklyn.” Although Glusker grew up in Mexico, she has always voted in the U.S. and paid her taxes, including the portion dedicated to the Medicare program. Now, “old enough to be on Medicare,” Glusker is frustrated and nervous about her medical care.

“If I had any kind of serious problem, I would have to cross the border” to use Medicare, said Glusker, who lives in the Irrigation neighborhood of Mexico City. “Sadly, I know a lot of people who have had to do that. They pick up roots and go live in the U.S., but they don’t have the backup” of family or friends in the states because they have built a life in Mexico.

Precise counts are hard to find, but experts estimate more than 1 million Americans live in Mexico—and many of those are retirees or nearing retirement age. Locales such as Baja California, Guadalajara, San Miguel de Allende, Oaxaca, Monterrey and even Mexico City are home to thriving retirement communities.

That could be just the beginning; the Americans living in Mexico have paved a path that may be followed by millions of Baby Boomers. But those retirees have become accustomed to U.S. medical care and they’re sure to want answers about what kind of care—and what kind of insurance coverage—they can expect to receive south of the border.

Warner, who has conducted extensive surveys of Americans in Mexico, said the current crop of retirees falls into two categories: short-term visitors and more permanent residents. “And both groups are going to grow very rapidly,” he added.

Some, like Adele Goldschmied, moved here to marry a Mexican and never left. She will retire this summer from the American School and sign up for Medicare.

“When I go to visit my sisters in the states I will go to my doctors’ appointments,” said Goldschmied, who lives in Mexico City. It is an inconvenient way to maintain good health, she acknowledged, but “it’s the only thing I will have.”

Many of Goldschmied’s friends “are afraid of what’s going to happen in their much later years when they need more healthcare,” she said. “They’ll have to give up their home here and go to a hospital or facility in the states.”

Americans choose to retire in Mexico for many reasons, she said, but the major factor is cost.

“People can’t afford to live in the states the same way they can here,” she said. Her husband’s aunt, who is by no means rich, pays for round-the-clock caregivers in her home, an expense only the very wealthy can afford in the U.S.

And many Mexicans who spent their working years in the states, are returning in retirement.

“Populations are moving frequently between the states and Mexico,” she said. “Eventually (Medicare) is going to have to change.”

Savings and risks in Mexico

Jim Stangarone and his partner chose Mexico because they like the laidback lifestyle and can afford a 4,000-square-foot house on the beach. Taxes on the property are just $400.

People “make the assumption that when we turn 65 we all crawl into a cocoon and don’t go anywhere,” said Stangarone, a retired professor. “For many of us, this is the opportunity to travel.”

A few years ago, before moving to Mexico, Stangarone had heart bypass surgery. Now 68, he flies back Airfare, car rental and food cost him more than $2,000. He stays with friends because “many of us no longer have homes in the United States.”

After paying out of pocket for some emergency care in Los Barilles, Stangarone is convinced that Medicare could save money by allowing patients such as himself to get all their care in Mexico.

“It’s sad; here is a way for some of us to help the federal government save money because medicine and care are so much cheaper here,” he said.

Harris, the physician, has been informally advising a woman in La Paz who is being treated for ovarian cancer. She is not wealthy and the $10,000 bill for her 10-day hospital stay was tough to swallow. Still, the same care—including a full work-up, chemotherapy consultation, radiology and a gynecological surgeon—would have cost about $60,000 in the U.S., he said.

He worries that some senior citizens are neglecting their health, because they don’t go back to the states very often.

“I personally know folks who haven’t been back in the states in 2 or 3 years,” which means they miss annual exams and routine screenings, he said. “People, especially men, often only go to the doctor when there’s a problem or because their wife insists on it.”

Chronic conditions such as diabetes are likely to worsen and other, more serious illnesses are likely to be diagnosed later in life and that will cost Medicare even more money, Harris said.

The real challenge may be oversight, said Kirsten Sloan, chief health lobbyist for the retiree health association AARP. In the U.S., Medicare has a phalanx of employees who oversee the program, confirming certifications, spot checking facilities and pursuing allegations of fraud.

“Who would monitor them in a foreign country?” she said. “I just don’t know who would investigate” any complaints.

The influential AARP has not taken a formal position on the idea of extending Medicare to other countries, primarily because the group’s members and U.S. lawmakers have not made it a priority.

“The focus of policymakers is to keep Medicare as strong as possible here in the states,” she said in an interview. “If you’re looking at what rises to the top of Medicare priorities right now, it’s spending and improving the Part D drug coverage.

“The issue of coverage for Americans in other countries has not risen to the top of any priority list I’ve seen,” said Sloan. “But with the trend of more people retiring to more economical places outside the U.S. that could change.”

___________________________

The data provided comes from a survey of American retirees living in Mexico performed between January 24, 2007 and April 6, 2007 by the Policy Research Class at the University of Texas , Austin . It was directed by Professor David Warner.

Do you plan to return to live permanently in the United States? 86% no, 14% yes

Would you return to the US if you had a serious illness? 66% yes, 34% no

Where would you go for hospitalization? 59% Mexico, 32% USA, 9% Other

Is health care in Mexico adequate? 98% yes, 2% no

Letter from Calnali

sue-ellen — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 03:05:18 -0700

Calnali, Hidalgo – Dr. Sarah Stelzner sifts through a bin of prenatal vitamins and digs out two red satchels, gifts for the mayor and his secretary, whom she’ll be meeting this Sunday afternoon in March. But first, the thin, dark-haired pediatrician begins her rounds. She stops at the local market, introduces her colleagues to a town doctor, and swings by the Centro de Salud, where tomorrow she’s giving a diabetes talk.

Along her route a near-toothless woman in a green turban gives her a fierce hug, a 7-year-old girl requests a pair of shoes for her sister, and a young man asks if the doctors will visit the neighboring village of Papatlatla.

Everyone knows Sarah, though later, sitting in front of the mayor in his office, she tells him: “We don’t know much about the community.”

For nine years Sarah has been one of the master planners of a trip that shuttles doctors, dentists and medical and dental students from Indiana University to Calnali, a 3,985-person pueblo in the coffee highlands of Hidalgo, one of Mexico’s poorest states. Normally her squad runs a week-long clinic, dispensing basic fixes like Advil and antacids while the dentists fill cavities in clinics assembled on basketball courts.

But this year the group is pairing with public health students to field community-wide survey, trying to learn how to build better long-term health care infrastructure, she says, “instead of landing in our spaceship once a year, doing our thing and moving on.”

Down the street from the mayor’s office, the dining room in a yellow house is mission control for the week. Here dental students inventory and sterilize supplies and the surveyors prepare interview notes.

Juana Watson grew up on this lot when it was dirt floors. She built a bigger house on the site for her parents, later adding space for the volunteers she brings to her hometown every year. In Indiana she is the senior advisor for Latino affairs to Governor Mitch Daniels; in Calnali she is hostess and guide, washing dinner dishes and reminding volunteers to brush their teeth with bottled water.

She tells a Dickensian story of escape from poverty. On the false promise of a teacher, her father dropped her off at a government boarding school. The school wouldn’t admit her but she stayed and lived on cafeteria leftovers for a year until they finally did.

“All my cousins got married at 13 and had 10 kids,” Juana says. That would have been her destiny had she stayed in Calnali; she tries to change the fate of others in her hometown by coming back.

Calnali’s Centro de Salud is a lowslung, threadbare building with no practicing specialists, and no lab; rather, the staff focuses on the prevention of hypertension, diabetes and diarrhea. On Monday morning, Cristina Hernández Anaya, 26, and her son, Manuel, 5, come to pick up a children’s nutritional supplement, and Domingo Llamas Maynes, a chatty 4th year med student, plucks them for a survey.

Do you dance, he asks Cristina.

No, she smiles.

Do you participate in community groups?

Yes, at the school, in talks at the clinic.

Do you share remedies with your neighbors?

No.

Do you share recipes with your neighbors?

Yes, she says, her flan, a concoction of Nescafe, vanilla, eggs, milk and sugar.

The interviews continue here, at the school, in the mayor’s office, the students quarrying for the details of a remote town etched into steep hillsides.

It’s Wednesday, and Juana is driving to Mexico City for an appointment with Hidalgo’s lieutenant governor. She’s been waiting for this chance, this woman who once told her father she’d meet Mexico’s president – and did.

In Calnali, Juana says, the first assumption when kids got sick was that they would die. She was visiting her parents once when her then six-monthold daughter came down with a cough.

Her father asked: “Did you already baptize your daughter?”

“I freaked out,” Juana recalls. “She wasn’t even that sick.”

But she made the long trip by taxi and bus to Mexico City so her baby could be examined. “I could afford to take the taxi, see a doctor and buy the medicine,” she says.

“There’s so much there that can be built upon. ” Two months after the Calnali mission, Sarah Stelzner is back in her IU office.

Isolation from specialists and higher- level hospitals “is a frustrating thing for people,” but, she points out, Calnali’s basic care, like classes and vaccinations at the clinic, is good.

So far, the group has presented their research twice, and has approached pharmaceutical companies about donating money and supplies to the town. In August, Hidalgo’s secretary of health will visit Indiana to discuss the findings.

Before taking the survey, “we had no idea. We had assumptions about what existed,” Sarah says. “I think I was surprised by why we hadn’t done |the survey| earlier.”

Tax Tips 101

sue-ellen — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 00:18:49 -0800

Once again we are approaching every American’s favorite time of year: tax time! Figuring out when and what to file with the IRS can be confusing enough at the best of times, but for those living abroad there are additional complications to take into account. We asked Leonard Purcell, a business consultant with 30 years of experience (including four as a taxpayer service specialist at the US Embassy), to help answer some of our questions and clear up some misconceptions.

Inside México: All my income is earned in Mexico – do I need to file taxes here, in the US, or both?

Leonard Purcell: All US citizens need to file a tax return with the IRS every year, regardless of whether you have earned income in the US or not.

IM: I don’t have very much income – should I still file a return? Am I exempt? Is there a cut-off?

LP: A common and dangerous misconception is that expats with a small income earned abroad are exempt from paying taxes and thus do not need to file a return. In truth, Americans may earn income in Mexico up to $82,400 USD annually without being taxed on it: however, in order to claim this exemption they must file a return.

IM: Do I need to file a return if I am a resident alien living outside the US?

LP: Like citizens, anyone with resident alien status in the US needs to file a federal tax return, regardless of where they live or where they earn their income.

IM: I earn employment income here in Mexico, and some in the US – what filings do I need to make? What if my only US income is from investments?

LP: All income, whether salaries, self-employment income, dividends, or rental income, needs to be entered into the appropriate sections of your return (form 1040 or the attached schedules). This applies to income earned in the US, Mexico, and anywhere else.

IM: What if I don’t file for several years? Will I be audited?

LP: Your risks of being audited are low. However, if you do not file with the IRS for several years you may be forced to pay back taxes on your foreign income – at the rate levied on US income. In other words, you will not receive the exemption for Americans earning a foreign income of $82,400 USD or less.

IM: Do I have to pay taxes on Social Security income?

LP: There is an exemption if you receive less than $ 27,000 USD (for individuals) or $32,000 USD (for married couples). Above these figures you will taxed at the same rate as in the US.

"¡Ayúdame!" Filing your taxes for the United States while living abroad

Shauna — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 21:03:30 -0800

Politics and drought on the Río Mayo

sue-ellen — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 21:35:54 -0800

By late June in Sonora’s Mayo Valley, billowing towers of cumulus clouds close in each afternoon over the eastern horizon. In Navojoa, one of three cities on the irrigated coastal plain, engineers at the National Water Commission offices can usually be found sipping Nescafé and chatting with anxious farmers. The drone of air-conditioners muffles their voices. Weak summer rains mean water rationing and conflict between farmers, and authorities can also become targets for irrigators’ dissatisfaction. Cyclonic downpours, on the other hand, might bring destructive floods. Drought and floods are in fact two sides of the same coin in this semi-arid land. Either way, farmers lose.

For small producers in the Mayo Valley and throughout Mexico’s drylands, life’s possibilities ebb and flow in sync with the runoff stored behind federal dams. Few nations have spent so lavishly on water control. Yet, particularly since the late 1970s, such control has proved costly in economic, environmental, and political terms. Policymakers have responded by dramatically scaling down government programs.

To grasp what this shift portends for small-level producers—one of the countryside’s most vulnerable sectors—requires some historical perspective. In 1992, during Carlos Salinas’ presidency, Mexico altered its longstanding land and hydraulic-resource policies in favor of private enterprise and local control. It was a controversial move, sparking a firestorm of protest. Salinas’ critics were many and vociferous, and with reason: land and water—just like oil—were sacrosanct, part of the revolutionary heritage, and considered public goods under Mexico’s constitution. Threatening them struck at the core of national identity.

The Salinas reforms allowed for the breakup and sale of communal farms (ejidos), and legalized widespread but formerly clandestine practices such as the renting of ejido lands. Skeptics viewed this as a frontal assault on the small agricultural producer.

But the new laws also loosened the federal government’s ironclad grip over surface- and groundwater by shifting control from Mexico City to the river-basin and irrigation-district levels. Here, the results are mixed, yet somewhat promising. Critics claim that local “water mafias” have moved in to take the government’s place. Others counter that they now have some influence over allocation decisions where once they had none. Still, there’s never a tidy, one-size-fits-all solution. This is, after all, decentralization’s raison d’être: concentrating water control in one or two federal ministries may have seemed wise in the early twentieth century. Today it’s just environmentally and politically unfeasible.

The Mayo Valley case helps explain this shift. Mexico’s Ministry of Hydraulic Resources dammed the Río Mayo in 1956, which vastly increased the district's irrigated surface area (currently around 95,000 hectares). It also provided politicians with land to exchange for votes. By the mid 1970s, however, ties between political patronage and land and water concessions were fraying nationwide, as agricultural expansion began to reach its social and ecological limits.

A mere twenty years after the Mayo River dam construction, drought, deforestation, soil erosion, and salinization reduced land and water supply just as the valley’s population was booming. Landless campesinos—often supported by official unions—struggled to break up large land concentrations throughout southern Sonora. Landowners reacted vigorously, accusing President Luis Echeverría (1970-1976) of fomenting rebellion for narrow political purposes. Campesinos and large landholders clashed, sometimes violently.

The campesino movement nevertheless allowed some ejidos to expand. Others started from scratch, like the Ejido Luis Echeverría Zuno, on the district’s southern flank. The ejido’s founders recall hacking away at the merciless coastal thorn-scrub with nothing but machetes, shovels, and hoes, making way for canals and fields. They built homes of woven cactus ribs, and shared them with the scorpions and other venomous creatures of the freshly-cleared monte (bush)—one woman remembers fin

Today, irrigation water is their only lifeline, but they’ve had to fight for every drop because, as with many other valley ejidos both within and outside the district, their water rights were never made official. Despite countless protests, juntas with bureaucrats, and even clashes with federales, the government refused to formally incorporate them into the yearly irrigation plans. They received water only after everyone else’s demands had been met. Delicate negotiations between ejidos and local irrigation officials grew increasingly difficult with each new agricultural cycle, as drought rendered leftover water ever scarcer and officials less responsive.

The farmers of Ejido Luis Echeverría now belong to a so-called water module governed by an elected board of small and large landholders. It’s a troublesome marriage, to be certain. Agribusiness sometimes railroads smallholders in ways that make them nostalgic for their battles with the government. Decentralization is no panacea.

The golden age of “big irrigation” is no more. The scale of organization is now more intimate, though not always equitable. Small producers all over Mexico are pushing to make river-basin councils, water modules, and other decentralized entities responsive to their needs. And as Mexico faces the consequences of climate change, democratizing resource management could scarcely be more critical.

Jeff Banister is assistant editor for Journal of the Southwest and is working on his PhD dissertation in geography at the University of Arizona.

English Language Libraries in Mexico

sue-ellen — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 21:10:44 -0800

Just because your conversational Spanish is great doesn't mean you're up to tackling novels. Here's where to check out English books around the country (all costs in pesos).

San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato
Biblioteca Publica de San Miguel de Allende
date opened: 1954
collection: 30,000 volumes in English, 30,000 volumes in Spanish, DVDs, audio books, and music.
librarian: Juan Manuel
hours: M-F 10am-7pm; Saturdays 10am-2pm.
services: Painting classes, reading groups, scholarship programs, cafeteria, gift shop, computers. The library also publishes the bilingual newspaper Atención San Miguel.

library card requirements: Proof of residency. $50 for general public, $25 for students, for twelve-month membership.
address : Insurgentes 25
phone: (415) 152 0293
email: juanmanuel@bibliotecasma.com
website: www.bibliotecasma.com

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco
Biblioteca los Mangos
date opened: 1997
collection: 25,000 volumes, Internet access, periodicals, expositions, and videos.
librarians: various
hours: M-F 9am-9pm; Sat 10am-6pm.
services: Reading club, kids' room, children's reading club, cine club, "Tale-Time", workshops.
library card requirements: proof of residence, official ID, 2 photos.
address : Francisco Villa 1001
phone: (322) 224 9966
email: bibliotecamangos@yahoo.com.mx
website: www.infopv.com

Chapala /Ajijic , Jalisco
The Lake Chapala Society Library
date opened: 1955
collection: 25,000 volumes, reference books, magazines, books on tape, and video library.
librarians: Ann Heath
hours: M-F 10am-2pm; Sat 10am-1pm.
services: Book sales, magazine reading room, workshops.
library card requirements: you must be a member of the Lake Chapala Society: $400 annually per person, $600 for two-person family, $800 for three-person family, $1000 for four-person family.
address : 16 de Septiembre 16-A
phone: (376) 766 1140 (general number for LCS)
email: library@lakechapalasociety.org
website: www.lakechapalasociety.org

Oaxaca , Oaxaca
Oaxaca Lending Library
date opened: 1966
collection: 30,000 volumes (including Spanish titles), periodicals (English and
Spanish), DVDs, audio books, Wi-Fi, and computers for member use.
librarians: David Myler (Administrator/Manager)
hours: M-F 10am-2 pm and 4pm-7pm; Saturday 10am-1pm.
services: Workshops, English classes, children's programs, youth programs, "libros para pueblos" group.
library card requirements: 12-month membership is $300, allows borrowing up to six books for two weeks. Discounts for students and children.
address : Pino Suárez 519
phone: (915) 518 7077
email: library@oaxlibrary.com
website: www.oaxlibrary.com

Cuernavaca , Morelos
St. Michael's Library
date opened:1963
collection: Books in English, music, movies, and magazines.
librarians: Jane Jackter
hours: M-F 10am-12:30pm; Fridays 4pm-6pm; Saturdays 10:30pm-1pm.
services: Newcomers Club meetings, workshops.
library card requirements: $80 for six months.
address : Minerva 1
phone: (777) 316 7049

Mexico City, DF
Anglo-Mexican Library
date opened: 1943
collection: 20,000 volumes, Internet access, CD-ROMs, and videos.
librarians: Alfredo Alejandro Fonseca
hours: M-F 8:30am-7:30pm; Saturdays 10am-4pm.
services: occasional reading groups.
library card requirements: For students and members of the Anglo-Mexican
foundation: two infant-size photographs and receipt from your course. For the general
public: two infant-size photographs, proof of residence, official ID, and $100 for annual membership.
address :Antonio Caso 127, Colonia San Rafael
phone: (55) 3067 8817/ 3000 1826/ 5566 4500 ext.25
email: biblioteca@tamf.org.mx
website: www.theanglo.org.mx/biblioteca.php

Benjamin Franklin Library
date opened: 1943
collection: 25,000 volumes, DVD, Internet access, databases, and videos.
librarians: Benjamin Medino
hours: M-F 11am-7pm.
services: consultations online.
library card requirements: An official ID and you must be over 18 years of age. You also need a photocopy of the ID of an aval -a relative, co-worker, friend, etc who lives in Mexico and can serve as your reference.
address :Liverpool 31, Colonia Júarez
phone: (55) 5080 2089
email: outreachbbf@state.gov
website: www.usembassy-mexico.gov/bbf/biblioteca.htm

Mérida , Yucatán
Merida English Language Library
date opened: 1994
collection: 17,000 volumes, periodicals, and magazines.
librarians: Elizabeth Dunkel (founder), Colleen Leonard, Marilyn Estes Smith, Paulie Williams.
hours: M-F 9am-1pm. Mondays 6:30pm-9pm; Thursday 4pm-7pm; Saturday 10am-1pm.
services: AA Meetings, children's storyhour, house and garden tours, "Conversations
with Friends".
library card requirements: $200 per individual, $300 per family, $75 per Yucatan student, for twelve-month membership.
address : Calle 53 # 524
phone: (999) 924 8401
email: meridaenglishlibrary@hotmail.com
website: www.meridaenglishlibrary.com

The business of hospital beds

sue-ellen — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 21:04:31 -0800

In addition to making calls on Carlos Slim’s phone lines, lunching in his restaurants, and driving on his roads, Mexicans can now be born in his hospitals.

The billionaire businessman has staked a claim to the private healthcare sector after his infrastructure firm IDEAL (Impulsora del Desarollo y el Empleo en America Latina) took a large stake in privately-held hospital chain Grupo Star Médica. The group, which began operations in 2002, currently owns hospitals in Acapulco, Morelia, Aguascalientes, Mérida, San Luis Potosí, Puebla, and Mexico City.

Star Médica also opened a 53-bed facility in Ciudad Juárez in September, and plans others in Tijuana and Mexicali, according to the Bloomberg news agency. The chain will target American patients for elective surgery such as arthroscopy and laparoscopy.

The concept of “medical tourism” is already well established in Mexico’s northern border towns, where US citizens who often cannot afford medical treatment and/ or insurance in their own country come for discount surgeries, dental treatment, and cut-price pharmaceuticals. Many Mexican doctors are US-trained, and can keep their prices down as rents and malpractice premiums are considerably lower than north of the border.

“There is definitely a market out there, now it is just a question of conquering it,” said the general director of one Mexico City hospital who asked not to be named. Although the number of medically insured Mexicans is still very small, “retirees from the United States for example that come and live here in Mexico—this is a sector that is insured and demands certain quality standards.”

An official in the investment section of IDEAL revealed that the 49% stake was bought last year, and that IDEAL also owns a few of Star Médica's buildings.

“Slim has not bought the hospitals themselves but rather is an investor helping to finance restructuring projects, bring in new technology, etc.,” said the hospital general director. “Healthcare is a business like any other business and I think it’s a good investment for him. It’s a market he can exploit.”

When contacted, Grupo Star Médica declined to comment, but according to press reports they are planning to build two new hospitals in Mexico City in addition to the existing Hospital Star Médica Santa Fe and Hospital Infantil Privado, as well as the new facilities in the northern border towns.

The number of private hospital beds in Mexico rose 28% to 34,576 in 2005 from 27,015 in 2000, according to the census bureau. Health spending in Mexico in 2005 was about $49 billion USD, or 6.4% of gross domestic product.

“I think it will have a positive impact on the private healthcare sector, assuming that the restructuring projects are carried out the way they should be,” said the general director, “and it is good for the traditional hospitals in this sector, like the ABC for example, to have competition.”

CONTACTS:

Grupo Star Médica, tel: (01) 443-322-7777, www.starmedica.com

Ideal, tel: (01) 55-5625-4900, www.impulsoraideal.com

New driving rules are in effect

sue-ellen — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:57:38 -0800

You should probably already know this, but just in case you don't, the vehicle circulation rules in Mexico City and the State of Mexico changed this summer.

As usual, I found out the hard way. Driving the police gauntlet otherwise known as Insurgentes always instills fear in my gringo heart. I just know the cops are going to find something wrong when they see my foreign plates, even though I have the proper import sticker on the car. So, it wasn’t so much a surprise as a moment of “I knew it!” when the cop approached my window while I idled at a red light.

In July, the Mexico City and State of Mexico governments expanded their “no circula” rules. A policy enforcing off-days for vehicles in the city was instituted in the 1990s when pollution got so bad that birds dropped out of the sky dead. Without a doubt, these rules have helped improve air quality.

The rules have been expanded in two ways. First, the regulations that previously excluded weekends now include one Saturday a month (depending on the last digit of your license plate, see chart below). In order to drive every day of the week and month, your car must be no more than five years old, and have a “0” or “00” sticker from a Verificentro— the agencies that check automobile emissions.

Second, cars with foreign plates or tags from anyplace in Mexico (and without current stickers from the Verificentro) other than the State of Mexico and Mexico City are not permitted to drive from Monday through Friday from 5 am to 11 am. If you choose to sally during these hours, you can receive a fine of approximately $1000 pesos and your car will spend 24 hours in the police parking lot.

The cops, obviously anxious to improve air quality, jumped the gun a bit on this last rule. It took effect on September 1 and they were applying it to me in July. This is why it is always good to know the rules and, better yet, print out copies of the regulations and keep them in your car so that you are on an equal footing with the policeman telling you what you have done wrong.

You can find the documents to print at these links, and refer to the chart below for a quick understanding of the new Saturday limitations:

• http://www.sma.df.gob.mx/sma/links/download/ archivos/limitacion.pdf

• http://www.sma.df.gob.mx/sma/links/download/ archivos/folletohncsabatino.pdf

Flight risk

catherine — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:58:27 -0800

Canadians and Americans are not the only "snowbirds" that seek the warmth of the Mexican climate during the harsh northern winters. It is estimated that somewhere between 3 and 5 billion birds migrate south from the temperate zone of North America each fall, with most returning north to nest in the spring when insects and fruit are once again available and seeds are exposed. A few will stay south through the hot summer, particularly shorebirds that don't nest until their second year.

Migrating birds are as faithful as humans when returning "home," whether it's to their nesting grounds in the temperate zone or their winter home in the tropics, as long as the habitat remains unchanged. Researchers checking birds for West Nile disease in Celestún, Yucatan, reported having recaptured two individual warblers in the exact same net, located in the exact same spot, from one year to the next. So if you start hearing the "chirps" of a little yellow bird that you were used to seeing around your residence last year, it is most likely the very same individual.

How do they do it? The mystery of bird migration is not completely solved but researchers do know that birds use several different directional tools to find their way, including solar, stellar, and geomagnetic clues. They may also use landmarks when flying during the day. However migration is accomplished, it is astounding that a first-year bird that has never made the trip can travel thousands of miles and arrive precisely where it needs to be; this ability suggests a genetic basis to migration.

Travel conditions affect humans and birds alike. Our winter flights may be postponed while airstrips are plowed and planes de-iced. When a bird's biological clock says "it's time to fly south," it does not check a weather report. Once a flock of birds start out across the Gulf of Mexico and a hurricane moves north out of the Caribbean, they have no choice but to keep going. Thousands may die in the storm, but freezing temperatures would have killed them just as surely if they remained in the north.

Nor can birds know in advance if their regular "rest and refueling" stations still exist. After crossing a large natural barrier like a body of water or a desert they arrive completely famished, with no fat reserves left. If they cannot find sustenance on the other side, they are doomed.

For those that survive this annual expedition and arrive at their wintering grounds, they sometimes find that the neighbors may no longer be friendly. Children use birds as moving targets for their slingshots, and adults set traps to capture the prettiest of the birds to sell into the caged bird market. Housecats exact a staggering toll.

Human "snowbirds" can do a lot to offset these negatives by setting an example and introducing their tropical neighbors to the fun and fascination of bird watching. In several regions of Mexico, bird conservation alliances have been formed between non-profits, research institutes, and government agencies to increase viable habitat for migratory and resident birds alike. They have been joined by alliances in the United States and Canada, with whom Mexico shares the rich biodiversity represented by migratory birds. It is the responsibility of citizens of all three countries to preserve our shared natural resources.

Barbara MacKinnon H. has been a birdwatcher and conservationist for decades. She was a founding member of the environmental non-profit Amigos de Sian Ka'an A.C., and serves on the organizing committee of the Yucatán Bird Festival, yucatanbirds.org.mx.

Advice from the Canadian Consular Section

catherine — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:33:11 -0800

The Canadian Embassy Consular Section addresses several travel, legal, and emergency issues that Canadians encounter in Mexico.

Passport loss, theft, and renewal

With a very large resident population and more than a million visitors every year, Mexico is one of the top five passport-producing Canadian missions in the world and we are facing ever-increasing demand for passport services. The full implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) in June 2009 will further increase demand for passports. This regulation will oblige Canadians to present a valid passport when entering the United States by land, as opposed to the current regulations which require only proof of citizenship and photo ID.

Another challenge many Canadians face when traveling to Mexico is a lack of clarity regarding required documents. While Mexico does not require a passport to enter the country, and the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) does not require Canadians to present a passport to return to Canada, many airlines require that Canadians present a passport in order to board their return flight to Canada, and we have had many cases of Canadians who travel without a passport who are denied boarding to return to Canada.

While we assist these travelers with their passport application, the traveler must delay their return and incur additional expenses for hotel and food, not to mention the fees for the passport. For this reason, we have recently strengthened the advice in our Travel Report to strongly recommend that all Canadians who travel to Mexico do so with a passport.

We also have cases of the loss or theft of passports, and we likewise will offer the client passport assistance so that they can return to Canada. For routine passport renewals for Canadians residing in Mexico, we recommend that clients plan in advance as the current processing time for passport renewals is fifteen business days. Canadians can consult the Embassy's website (canada.org.mx) for all the necessary information about requirements for passport issuance as well as the coordinates for our Passport section.

Citizenship

The consular section processes citizenship requests for those Canadians who have the right to citizenship at birth and who are born abroad. Canadians who have children born abroad can request a citizenship certificate though the Embassy's consular section; all requirements are posted on our website.

In April 2009, Canadian citizenship laws will change and Canadian citizenship will be restricted to the first generation of Canadians born abroad (in the past, citizenship could be extended under some circumstances to the second generation born abroad). Those who are unsure about the impact this legislation may have on them and their children should consult the website of Citizenship and Immigration Canada at cic.gc.ca.

Emergency response

Canadians are often concerned about the potential for natural disasters while traveling in Mexico, given the country's susceptibility to hurricanes and earthquakes. The consular section has in-depth consular contingency plans for all regions of the country and regularly liaises with Mexican disaster response authorities. In the event of an emergency, the Embassy will communicate with registered Canadians by e-mail or phone.

We strongly encourage all Canadians to register with the Registration of Canadians Abroad (ROCA) database (information available through the Essential Information for Canadians Abroad website voyage.gc.ca). The system has just recently been upgraded, and registrants can now modify their own information online without having to check in with an embassy or consulate locally.

Many Canadians do not register out of concern that their information is shared with other government departments or agencies, but our privacy regulations ensure that the personal information of Canadians is only used in the event of consular emergencies and not shared with any third parties.

The Embassy has a toll-free number that Canadians can use in the event of natural disasters or any other consular emergencies: 01-800-706-2900. The line is answered by Embassy staff during working hours, and after hours calls are transferred to the 24-hour-a-day Operations Office at Foreign Affairs and International Trade headquarters in Ottawa.

Legal questions

We often are asked by Canadians to get involved in legal issues they may face in Mexico. These issues can range from arrest and detention to timeshare contract disputes to problems related to property. The Canadian Embassy cannot get involved in legal issues in Mexico, as these problems must be addressed through the Mexican legal system. All our consular points of service throughout Mexico have lists of lawyers and translators to whom we can refer Canadians seeking legal advice and guidance.

For arrest cases, detained Canadians are visited regularly by consular officials, and we follow up to ensure that the detainee is being treated fairly and to address any concerns the detainee may have about their health or well-being. However, it is commonly believed that consular officials have the power to get someone out of jail or to request preferential treatment for them; this is not the case.

In cases of timeshare or property disputes, again the Canadian will need to hire a lawyer who can advocate on their behalf. Clients can also turn to the Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor (PROFECO), the Mexican government entity who can act as a mediator in the case of a dispute between a client and a timeshare company.

Canadian Consular services are available in the following cities: Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Acapulco, Cancún, Mazatlán, Oaxaca, Puerto Vallarta, San José del Cabo, and Tijuana.

For contact information and hours of operation, please consult:
canadainternational.gc.ca/mexico-mexique/offices-bureaux/consoff-burcons.aspx?lang=en

Love kit shopping list

catherine — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 21:45:35 -0800

Valentine's Day: Día de Amor y Amistad

Bottle of red wine: botella de vino tinto

Candles: veladoras

Candleholder: vaso

Chocolate syrup: jarabe sabor chocolate

Whipped cream: crema batida

Crepe paper: papel de china

Lollipop: paleta

Ribbon: listón

Strawberry: fresa

A dozen roses: una docena de rosas

Is your car illegal?

margot — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:25:47 -0800

A couple of months ago, a friend of mine called from Brownsville, Texas. "Hi Aran," he said with the tense and slightly worried tone of a person bracing himself for confusing red tape in a foreign language, "I just wanted to make sure I have my documents in order before I cross the border (see sidebar)."

"Do you own your car outright or are you paying down a car loan?" I asked. When my wife and I drove into México, our entry had been delayed for a day and a half when we learned at the last minute that the customs officials at the border would require a letter from the lending bank before allowing our car into the country. That letter came at a steep price: a year's car payments in advance.

Alex, not the bank, owned his car and he did have all the proper documents, but he continued, "I'm confused about something. The visa that accompanies my Fulbright Fellowship lasts nine months. When I cross into México they are going to give me a six month permit for the car. Does this mean that they will confiscate my car after six months?"

"No," I answered, "You are OK."

If I hadn't faced a similar dilemma a month earlier I wouldn't have known what to say. In June, as the expiration date for our tourist visas (FM-Ts) drew near, our application for residency visas (FM-3s) had not yet been accepted. We could fly out of the country and return, thereby renewing our FM-Ts for another three months. But what about the car? According to what I could find on the internet, a foreign-owned car is allowed to stay in México only six months out of every twelve. Therefore, if we left México by car and attempted to return a few days later, the border authorities would let my wife and me back in, but not the car.

I consulted Roberto Torres, the excellent immigration lawyer at the law firm Solorzano, Carvajal, González and Perez Correa. A couple of days later, he sent me an e-mail that began: "Even when the [car] permit has an expiration date...the lifetime of the permit is understood to extend for the entire time that the importer keeps his migratory status up-to-date." In other words, as long as
we were legal and our visas had not expired, the car was legal! (I was able to corroborate this revelation at only one website, www.rollybrook. com, a site created by Mr. Rollins Brook. It's well worth a visit to Mr. Brook's site to review the ins-and-outs of a variety of topics related to setting up a legal life in Mexico as a foreigner.)

We did have to fly out of and back into México to renew our FM-Ts. (If we had left by car, it's true that the car wouldn't have been al- lowed back into the country for six months.) Also, to help explain the lapsed permit on our windshield to any inquiring Mexican policemen, we made sure to carry a copy of the law that Mr. Torres had quoted in our glove compartment (see sidebar).

"Your car's status depends on yours. The nine-month visa you received with your Fulbright takes precedence over the six month sticker the authorities put on your car at the border," I told Alex with newfound authority.

Conveniently for us (although this didn't apply to Alex's situation), when my wife and I crossed the border we guaranteed the car importation bond with a credit card. This meant that once we received our FM-3 visas, we did not have to advise Mexican customs of the change in status. If we had paid the bond in cash, we would have been required to let customs know about our new visa status within 15 days, thereby adding one more step to staying legal.

"By the way," I asked Alex, "are you going to be driving through Mexico City? There will be days when you are not allowed to drive your car."

"What?!"

"It all depends on the last digit of your license plate number. One Thursday afternoon, we had a little chat with every policeman on duty as we drove down Insurgentes..."

Good luck and safe driving.

"Green Living," a conversation with Dr. Carlos Alvear on compost toilets

Shauna — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 13:49:46 -0800

"Green Living" with Yolitia on eco-building

Shauna — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 08:45:47 -0800

Good food, clean food

margot — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:27:33 -0800

In a country where the food production process is different from what we're used to, it's common to question whether what we put in our shopping cart is free of pathogenic microorganisms.

These concerns can prevent us from enjoying the food in front of us – sometimes rejecting it altogether.

The following guidelines will serve as a reminder that there are always strategies to get around such worries and enjoy what you eat. We'll focus on fruits and vegetables, foods that should predominate our daily diets and that are easily contaminated with pesticides, chemicals and fertilizers.

There are many phases that food passes through before arriving on your plate: sowing and harvesting, storage, transport, and finally washing and preparation. Good hygiene and quality assurance practices at each point along the way will help ensure that the food is freer of pathogenic microorganisms.

You can find several different kinds of fruits and vegetables from diverse food production lines in the supermarket. For example packaged and "organic" products have labels and nutritional information and should ensure that, for instance, organic pesticides and potable water were used by the farmers; conditions during storage and transport were of high quality; and the produce passed through a washing and disinfection process, giving the consumer the confidence to open the bag, take out the fruit or vegetable and eat it directly.

What can you do with produce that is sold loose or in open-air markets where information on the production line is not provided? Do your best to clean and prepare it properly before you eat it. It's a two-step process.

Wash all fruits and vegetables with disinfected water to remove dirt and impurities. Add two drops of bleach (Clorox traditional brand) for every two liters of water and wait 30 minutes before using it to wash your produce.

Next, disinfect your produce to remove bacteria, viruses, mold, germs and parasites. Add 8 drops of microdyn (made from colloidal silver which is easily eliminated by the body with no ill effects) to each liter of water and submerge produce for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse, and enjoy!

Water, water everywhere and not a safe drop to drink

margot — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:04:31 -0800

The government has invested considerable sums of money in building water purification treatment plants over the last 20 years or so – there are now 480 working municipal plants througout the country.

According to the National Water Commission (CONAGUA), in 1990 only 55 percent of tap water in the country was treated. By 2005, it was 95.9 percent.

And yet, Reforma newspaper reports that Mexico is the world's second largest market for bottled water, after the United States. About 15 billion litres are sold annually. Surely unnecessary if the tap water is drinkable?

When contacted directly, no one at CONAGUA was available for comment.

But Carlos Lopez Romero, an instructor at the Mexican Center for Training in Water and Sanitation (CEMCAS), said the reason Mexicans consume so much bottled water is because, generally speaking, the tap water is not up to standard.

"I would say it is not a good idea to drink water from the tap because you run the risk of infection or disease," says Lopez Romero. "I would not recommend drinking water from the tap unless you have a filtration or purification system."

He says the water quality in Mexico City, for example, can vary widely between areas, partly because of poor maintenance. "For example the water in Ixtapalapa is terrible because there are leaky pipes, so dirt and other contaminants can get into the water supply."

In other words, you can purify the water all you like, but if the method of delivery is compromised then the end result is still not necessarily safe.

So what does Mr. Lopez Romero recommend in the bottled water vs filter debate? "With regard to bottled water, certainly some brands are better than others, but I don't feel qualified to comment on that. Well-known brands such as Electropura and Bonafont are probably a good bet."

"Installing a filtration system also makes sense," he says. "Such systems are often used in restaurants because they are more economical than buying bottled water." Filtration systems can be bought in large shopping malls, department stores and bathroom supply stores.

Other water experts note that Mexicans frequently use tap water to wash dishes and brush their teeth, thereby concluding that if it really were not safe a lot of people would be getting sick. And the government does have regulated stan- dards for water treatment. Are they adequate? That seems to be a risk that a lot of people are still not willing to take.

Click here for part 2 in this series.