http://mexico.foreignpolicyblogs.com The World Affairs Blog Network Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:58:07 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en More than a few viewers were caught off-guard Wednesday night when Lou Dobbs announced the broadcast would be his last on CNN. The self-described “defender of the working man” has been a vocal critic of Hispanic immigration and international trade since 9/11. Instead of informed analysis, Dobbs’ commentaries often reverted ... http://mexico.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/11/12/good-riddance-for-now-lou-dobbs/ Two trends converge along Mexico’s southern border. One concerns the US recession, which has shocked the Mexican economy. The peso’s buying power is greatly diminished. Capitalizing on the peso's decline against the Guatemalan quetzal, Mexican migrants flock south to sell toys, clothes, and foodstuffs. One popular route stretches from Cuidad ... http://mexico.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/11/10/backdoor-guests-arent-always-the-best/ The Economist reports that Mexican business leaders envy Brazil. Mexicrats must have been miffed when Goldman Sachs anointed the ‘BRIC’ without including a ‘M’. At the time (2001) there was reason to protest. In the previous half decade Mexico’s GDP growth more than doubled Brazil’s: 4.5% versus 1.9%. Mexico had ... http://mexico.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/11/03/real-envy/ An elaborate resting place. A celebration of perspective. Two years ago the National Museum of Death opened in Aguascalientes to chronicle cultural approaches to the end of life. “Mexicans have death imprinted all over their art and culture.” So says Jose Antonio Padilla, the museum's director. It is the moribund product of Octavio ... http://mexico.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/10/31/musoleum/ With federal resources aimed at drug traffickers and local police more often a part of the problem than a part of the solution, vigilantes are stepping into the void. Suspected criminals who run afoul of these vigilantes endure the brunt of a skewed version of justice that enjoys a groundswell ... http://mexico.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/10/29/vigilante-justice/ Reliant upon consumption in the US, Mexico’s economy has suffered mightily this year. The pillars of state revenue—oil, remittances, and tourism—have been shellacked, thanks not only to recession in the US but the outbreak of H1N1. First quarter projections had the Mexican economy on track to contract by 20%! More ... http://mexico.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/10/23/the-quiet-crutch/ The Olive Ridley sea turtle was nearly hunted into extinction two decades ago. Oaxaca’s beaches were a slaughter ground where the turtles—large, slow on land, and unable to retract their heads into their shells—were targeted for their eggs (hailed as an aphrodisiac), meat, and fat. Prior to 1950, 10 million ... http://mexico.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/10/19/turtle-patrol/ Overdue reform was swiftly executed last Saturday night when federal troops descended on Luz y Fuerza del Centro, a state-owned electric company serving central Mexico. The plant was closed, operations were handed over to a larger state-run utility, and 44,000 workers were jobless come Sunday morning. The president’s decree cited ... http://mexico.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/10/16/the-audacity-of-reform/ According to History Channel lore, the Mayan calendar ends on December 21, 2012. Indeed the Long Count calendar, one of several used by the Maya, reaches the end of a 394-year cycle, known as a Baktun, at about that time. The Long Count calendar begins in 3114 BCE; hence, 2012 ... http://mexico.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/10/11/the-world-will-not-end-in-2012/ Two seizures last week resulted in the largest meth-related interdiction in Mexican history. Seventeen tons of 2-phenylacetaminde were seized entering Mexico from the customs point at Nuevo Laredo. Twenty tons of sodium phenylacetate were uncovered at the Pacific Ocean port of Manzanillo. Both ingredients are integral to the manufacture of ... http://mexico.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/10/04/methico/