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Tag: Mexico

  • Mexico City Site Of Major Protest Over Energy Reform

    The one year anniversary of President Enrique Pena Nieto’s inauguration saw tens of thousands of protesters take to the streets of Mexico City.

    The new administration recently moved to open up the Mexican oil industry to foreign interests. Mexican oil had been for a long time controlled by the citizens of Mexico. The change was seen by some as the harkening of something sinister. Andres Lopez Obrador of the Party of the Democratic Revolution and a former rival for the presidency was at the head of the protest. He explained the reason for the massive protest as an attempt, “to avoid a big robbery”. It is felt that the government is giving away something that money cannot buy back: The pride and independence of the Mexican people.

    Though huge state oil firms such as Pemex have long been the familiar standard, the company is lagging with its oil production. Billions of dollars are needed to bring oil production up to optimal levels. The sort of money that non-Mexican oil companies have and are willing to provide.

    As oil production accounts for roughly a third of the government’s revenue, getting money back into the industry remains absolutely crucial. Nieto’s main concern since coming into office has been the improvement of the Mexican economy. However, his methods have been less than popular.

    In addition to changes to Mexican oil, Mexico has also taxed foods high in calories in an effort to fight obesity and brought sweeping education reforms that also resulted in major protest.

    While the new president’s motives may be genuine, it could be a case of too much too soon. Without a chance to adjust or opposition feeling that their concerns are respected, Nieto’s administration could risk a massive loss of support. At present, the president’s approval is down under fifty percent.

    Image: Wikimedia Commons

  • Virtual Kidnapping Scam Targets U.S. Immigrants

    On Thursday, November 7, 2013, four individuals were arrested in connection with a virtual kidnapping scam. The scam targeted immigrants in the United States, specifically in areas surrounding Washington, D.C., due to the significant number of immigrants located there, who have traveled from Central America. They often do not have any form of communication with their relatives who are also on their northward journey, which the perpetrators used toward their advantage.

    “Virtual kidnapping” is also extremely common in Latin America, especially in Mexico, Brazil, and Guatemala. Due to the high rates of crime in these parts of Latin America, victims are more likely to believe that the perpetrators when they state that they have kidnapped their relatives. Yet, no abductions actually have occurred. The offenders used telemarketing techniques to collect ransom money, by proclaiming that the immigrants’ loved ones were being held captive. “They would just randomly run through a sequence of numbers, like one to one-hundred. They’re just like your professional telemarketer. They have a script, ‘You need to pay this money. If you don’t, something’s going to happen,’” stated Daniel Page, an assistant special agent in charge of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations unit in San Diego.

    Using cell phones that were smuggled into prisons in Latin America, inmates often placed the calls and the information was obtained from social networking websites in order to convince families that they have abducted relatives. According to Page, these callers did not know whether or not their victims truly had loved ones who were crossing the border into the United States, but assumed that making a sufficient amount of calls would eventually lead to success.

    The offenders have succeeded in many instances since 2007, by using thirty different San Diego phone numbers to randomly call approximately five thousand potential victims a day. According to federal investigators, they collected at least $500,000 in ransom money throughout the years. They often received between $1,000 and $3,000 when callers took the bait. The callers, who where located in Tijuana, Mexico, demanded that the money should be wired because they were holding a relative captive who was illegally immigrating to the U.S. In reality, no individual was truly being held captive.

    Though, there were two individuals charged in April of 2011, for kidnapping an individual. A Fresno woman wired $2,500 to a Walmart store in San Diego in order to free her brother-in-law who was being beaten and held against his will in Tijuana. When she knew that her brother-in-law was finally freed, she received yet another call, in which the perpetrators demanded more money. In this moment, she called the Fresno police department, which eventually led to the arrests of a married couple. Both pleaded guilty to money laundering charges, and the investigation continued, resulting in four more arrests on Thursday.

    Defendants made their initial court appearance on Friday, and were charged with wire fraud and other crimes that are unknown during this time. They are accused of collecting random payments in San Diego and bringing the money back to Tijuana, Mexico. Those charged are as follows: 63-year old Ruth Graciela Reygoza, from Chula Vista; 42-year old Maria del Carmen Pulido, from East Los Angeles; and two brothers who are American citizens from Tijuana: 25-year old Adrian Rocha and 23-year old Juan Rocha.

    A judge ordered the defendants to be held pending a detention hearing that is stated to occur next Thursday. It was not immediately known whether or not they have retained any attorneys.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Tropical Storm Sonia Headed For Mexico

    Tropical Storm Sonia, named Saturday, is expected to hit mainland Mexico by early Monday. Sonia is currently about 205 miles south of Los Cabos, at the edge of California’s Baja Peninsula. The storm is traveling north at 14 miles per hour.

    According the the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Sonia’s maximum sustained winds are reaching 45 mph, and she is expected to subject much of western Mexico to heavy rainfall and, potentially, deadly flooding and mudslides.

    The Mexican government issued a hurricane watch yesterday for an area of the coast extending from the port of Topolobampo down to La Cruz. The warning also includes the mainland areas from Mazatlan through Altata. The water commission suggested that as many as seven other states, both western and northern, could expect to receive heavy rainfall, as well.

    Western Mexico has already experienced heavy rains and flooding in recent months, and will now likely be hit again. September brought two tropical storms, Manuel and Ingrid, which caused the deadliest flooding on record in the country, and approximately $6 billion worth of damages. Combined, Manuel and Ingrid killed a total of more than 150 people. Then, last month, Hurricane Raymond hit Mexico and caused more flooding, though no fatalities were reported.

    The National Hurricane Center describes the Atlantic hurricane season as being June 1 – November 30, and the Eastern Pacific season as May 15 – November 30.

    You can follow the storm’s path on the NHC’s Web site, www.nhc.noaa.gov.

    Main image courtesy @CNNweather via Twitter.

  • Hurricane Raymond Soaks South Western Mexico, As People Scurry for Cover

    Hundreds more were evacuated, schools and ports were closed, as hurricane Raymond loomed large over coastal south-western Mexico along the Pacific coast on Monday.

    The region is on the verge of being hammered twice in quick succession as it gets back on its feet from record flooding a few weeks ago.

    The category-3 hurricane, with menacing winds blowing up to 125 miles/hour (205 km/h) on Monday, was 105 miles (169 km) offshore, as forecasters said it would move closer and closer before changing its course. The hurricane was lashing heavy rain on coastal areas including Acapulco, which is yet to recover from the storm last month.

    Shortly after noon, portions of city were soaked with water, roads were closed, and beaches were deserted as powerful winds gushed through the region. The National Hurricane Center of United States based in Miami predicted that Raymond will begin to weaken on Tuesday, bringing much needed reprieve to Mexican people.

    Population explosion has left Mexico woefully unprepared to help its people recover from recurrent natural disasters, unlike wealthy Japan and South Korea. As late as 1985, Korea was poorer than Mexico. But rapid reductions in fertility rate allowed Koreans to steam ahead of Latin demographic giant, with far more resources at their command to aid those affected by large scale natural calamities.

    There are no major oil and gas fields or refineries in the vicinity, which means energy supplies to Mexicans will not be compromised.

    “If (Raymond) carries on moving at this speed and the cold front keeps holding it, we’ll have permanent rain for the next 72 hours,” said Luis Felipe Puente, chief of Mexico’s national emergency services.

    The emergency services announced that more than 800 people have been evacuated from the north-western tip of Guerrero all the way to Acapulco. If rainfall does continue over the next 72 hours, it could trigger flash floods and mud-slides endangering the lives of scores of residents in that part of the world.

    Mexico witnessed the worst flooding on record in September 2013, as tropical storms Manuel and Ingrid converged from the Pacific, resulting in loss of 150 lives, while causing $6 billion worth of damage. Almost 6000 people had to take shelter in temporary dwellings as tourism related revenues dried up and hotel occupancy rates plunged.

    Risk of waterborne diseases including Cholera remains high, and might spread to US and Canada due to sheer volume of cross-border traffic, so stay tuned.

    [image from youtube]

  • Hurricane Raymond is Now a Category 3 Storm

    Many areas on the Pacific coast of Mexico are still recovering from hurricane-related damage and flooding from last month, and it looks like more trouble is on the way as Hurricane Raymond continues to strengthen. Hurricane Raymond rapidly progressed to a Category 3 storm early Monday, which is reportedly the first major Category 3 rated hurricane in the eastern Pacific this hurricane season.

    According to AccuWeather, Hurricane Raymond is just off the southwest coast of Mexico and will not have any impact on the United States. Hurricane Raymond’s top winds intensified from 40 mph on Sunday morning to 120 mph in just a 24-hour window and, and the storm is currently moving at a snail’s pace of 2 mph.

    Even though some towns on the coast will receive a lot of rain, Hurricane Raymond isn’t projected to linger around for very long and should turn out to the sea on Tuesday. “The cold front coming down is what makes it [Raymond] turn to the left, but that is a model,” David Korenfeld, head of Mexico’s National Water Commission, said. “If that cold front comes down more slowly, this tropical storm…can get closer to the coast.” Check out Hurricane Raymond’s projected path:

    (image)

    Thousands of people in Acapulco, Mexico had to be evacuated last month after Tropical Storm Manuel caused massive flooding, and up to 10,000 people are still displaced. Hurricane Raymond is just 160 miles away from Acapulco, and officials believe that it will be one of the areas to receive heavy rains from Hurricane Raymond. Officials are ready to evacuate residents if needed, but are still waiting. When the tropical storm hit last month, many people were stranded in Acapulco because the heavy rains caused flooding and mudslides, which shut down roads.

    While the hurricane season on the Pacific coast has had eight storms progress to hurricanes, the 2013 hurricane season on the Atlantic coast has been relatively mild so far, with only two hurricanes. Hurricane season doesn’t end until the end of November, but so far, it is on pace to be the “least intense” season for the East coast since 1950.

    Image via AccuWeather

  • Tropical Storm Raymond Threatens Mexico’s Pacific Coast

    Mexico is gearing up for tropical storm Raymond as the system gathers strength in the Pacific Ocean. At midday on Sunday, the storm was about 180 miles southwest of Acapulco, and was moving at about 6 mph. A tropical storm warning was in effect from Acapulco to Lázaro Cárdenas.

    Although the system will near the coast late Monday or Tuesday, it is expected to turn westward before actually making contact. The concern, however, is the heavy rain that is projected to be dumped on the area.

    “There will be rain for the next 72 hours along the Pacific coast, very heavy rain, torrential rain,” said David Korenfeld, head of Mexico’s National Water Commission.

    Acapulco is still recovering from the effects of tropical storm Manuel, which hit in September.

    An estimated 10,000 people are still evacuated from their homes following Manuel. Upon making its first landfall in mid-September, Manuel caused severe flooding, landslides, and general destruction. It was worsened by the fact that it met up with tropical storm Ingrid, which was moving in from the Gulf of Mexico.

    Together the two storms killed more than 150 people and caused destruction estimated at $6 billion. In the state of Guerrero, where Acapulco is located, 5,000 people were evacuated from their homes due to flooding, while another 5,000 left because their homes were located on hillsides that posed a risk of landslides. Some have moved in with relatives, but many still reside in shelters.

    Officials have acted quickly to get emergency teams mobilized and are considering further evacuations in the face of tropical storm Raymond. They are expected to announce a decision regarding evacuations late Sunday.

    They’re holding out hope that a cold front moving down from the north will force the storm system westward into the Pacific, minimizing the effect it will have on Mexico’s coast. The faster the cold front moves, the more it is expected to lesson the damage caused by Raymond.

    Image via Facebook

  • Drug Cartel Leader Shot… By Clown

    Reuters and The New York Post have both reported that one of Mexico’s most powerful ex-drug lords was shot by children’s clowns as he attended a party in Cabo San Lucas.

    A former Tijuana Cartel boss, the 63-year-old Francisco Rafael Arellano Felix sustained a bullet to the head at point-blank range during a family gathering at the Los Cabos resort in the southern part of Baja California. Francisco Rafael was the oldest of the seven Arellano Felix brothers, who helped to popularize trafficking drugs between Mexico and California. Their story inspired Steven Soderbergh’s 2000 drug war film Traffic.

    Rafael was first arrested in 1980 for selling drugs in San Diego. He returned to Mexico, where he continued to sell drugs. A second arrest in 1993 connected with the murder of a Roman Catholic Cardinal, Juan Jesus Posadas Ocampo, did not dampen his efforts, and in 2006 the cartel made headlines when smuggling tunnels were discovered connecting Tijuana to the United States.

    Security experts have indicated that they believe Tijuana’s cartel is still operational, and that the Arellano Felix legacy is being continued by their sister and her son, alias “The Engineer.”

    Although Rafael was released in 2008 for good behavior, his enemies were more than willing to wait for the opportune moment to strike. Since most of the Arellano Felix brothers have been arrested or killed, their rivals have supplanted their place in the Latin American illicit drug trade, and officials have speculated that the assassins had ties to organized crime.

    The AP reported a former San Diego prosecutor who penned one of the cartel’s indictments, John Kirby, as saying “[Rafael] was never really part of the leadership of the big organization, mostly because he was in [Mexican] jail. He was arrested before they became what they really became.”

    Mexican authorities had hoped to let the United States deal with Rafael, but even after an extradition request to finish out a weapons possession sentence, Kirby said “The Mexicans were very concerned he was going to get out.” The Mexicans were right; Rafael’s 2008 release followed a six-year prison sentence from 2006 for drug trafficking, but he was released on parole and was deported to Mexico shortly after.

    [Image via Google Maps]

  • Shoeless Indian Boys Win International Basketball Tournament

    A powerful team of boys from the Trique tribe have mastered the art of  basketball without wearing fancy sneakers. Playing in bare feet and being shorter than the opposing team didn’t keep them from taking the annual tournament organized by the International Basketball Federation-Americas. During this years basketball season they have won six games, and ended their season by winning the championship during the International Festival of Mini-Basketball in Cordoba, Argentina.

    Horacio Muratore, president of the International Basketball Federation-Americas, which organizes the annual tournament, said the boys were the best players. “These boys deserved (the championship) more than anyone,” Muratore wrote on the organization’s website.

    The team members are from Oaxaca located in the southern region of Mexico. The basketball program they participate in was created specifically to help children who are in large traditional families in the poorest areas of the country. The state government of Oaxaca provides uniforms, tennis shoes, and a stipend of $ 46 a month. Children accepted into the program have to speak in their native language, have good grades in schools, and complete chores in their homes. Even though the team members are given shoes they do not wear them regularly.

     

    Other teams in the tournament dubbed the boys the “the barefoot mice from Mexico” because they are smaller than the other competitors, said Ernesto Merino, one of the team’s coaches and a Trique Indian. He said they compensate for their short stature with “strength, speed and resistance.”

    All of the team participants have shown that they have overcome their short stature and perceived limitations. “We see a basketball as an opportunity to grow in life,” Merino said.

    The team’s announcement of winning the tournament resulted in a minute of applause on the floor of Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies. Recognition was also given from basketball experts and the esteemed Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

    “The victories of the Trique Indian team from Oaxaca’s Academy of Indigenous Basketball make Mexicans proud,” Pena Nieto said in a tweet.

    Image via Twitter  @Corvusinaloe

     

  • 2014 World Cup: USA Defeats Panama, Gives Mexico a Hand

    England, Spain, Russia and Bosnia-Herzegovina are celebrating spots in the 2104 World Cup in Brazil. They’ll join Belgium, Italy, Germany, Holland, Switzerland at the finals next year, while Croatia, Sweden, Romania, Iceland, Portugal, Greece, Ukraine, France await their play-off draws.

    Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium (UEFA), Brazil, Argentina and Colombia make up the South American group, while Japan, Australia, Iran and South Korea finished in the top two of their Asia qualifying groups. The United States and Costa Rica are a lock in the US/Caribbean group.

    Two injury-time goals against Panama by USA in the finals of the Concacaf World Cup qualifying group put Mexico in the top four. Panama is out, and Mexico, who has appeared at every World Cup since 1990, will face New Zealand in the coming weeks.

    Mexico, the USA arch nemesis, was actually rooting for the Americans, as they’d rallied against Panama. USA was down 2-1, but was already secure, and had the second string on the field. Still, the Americans were able to put together a win regardless, beating Panama 3-2.

    Here’s a clip of Panama, crying over the loss:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1zieryd_nE&feature=youtu.be

    And here USA consoles Panama:


    It’s been said that Mexico, a more talented team than New Zealand, plainly needs to pull it together to overcome the Kiwis.

    In related news, The Qatar Museum Authority has decided to buy a 16-foot tall statue of Zinedine Zidane infamously headbutting Marco Materazzi, for an untold sum. Qatar, which is the tentative site of the 2022 World Cup, had moved the “ode to defeat” to its shores last week.

    Oil-rich Qatar has been recently struggling to keep dibs on hosting the 2022 World Cup. Aside from the classy headbutt statue acquisition, the country has been questioned by soccer federation FIFA about its use hundreds of thousands of migrant workers, in a situation similar to modern-day slavery. It’s been reported that 44 Nepalese workers died so far this year, while building World Cup infrastructure.

    The World Cup is the largest sports event on the planet, and Qatar is putting about $100 billion into hosting the event. While soccer isn’t so big a deal in the U.S., foreigners take the game very seriously.

    Image via Twitter.

  • Shoeless Indian Boys From Mexico Win Tournament

    I guess you don’t need a sweet pair of Air Jordan’s to win a basketball tournament.

    A team of Trique Indian boys, most of which were barefoot, cleaned house at a recent basketball tournament in Mexico.

    The team is from Oaxaca, a southern state in Mexico, and became the 2013 champions of the International Festival of Mini-Basketball held in Argentina.

    Not only did the boys overcome their opponents without shoes, but they were also lacking in the height department. But unlike Skee-Lo, these boys didn’t need to wish they were a little bit taller to become ballers.

    According to Ernesto Merino, one of the coaches and a Trique Indian, because of their shortcomings, many of the other teams in the tournament referred to the Trique Indian boys as ”the barefoot mice from Mexico.” Merino added that to make up for their short stature the boys had ”strength, speed and resistance.”

    Even though the boys are given shoes once they join a basketball team, many of them choose not to wear them because they are used to doing everything barefoot. Merino said that many of them grow up in large, poor families that can’t afford clothes or shoes. He added, ”For them it’s normal to not have shoes, to walk barefoot.”

    The pride created by the team didn’t stop once the tournament was over. During Wednesday’s meeting of Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies, everyone spent a minute applauding the boys on the floor for their win.

    Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto even took to his Twitter to announce how proud he was of the team and their accomplishments.

    Which when translated says, ”The victories of the Trique Indian team from Oaxaca’s Academy of Indigenous Basketball make Mexicans proud.”

    The boys from the team are part of a program designed to help the poor of Oaxaca. To join the team, the children must help with chores at home, have good grades, and speak their native tongue. Once in the program, the Oaxaca state government gives the boys uniforms, a monthly $46 stipend, and shoes. Said Merino about the program, ”We see a basketball as an opportunity to grow in life. We want them to be prepared in life.”

    Image via YouTube.

  • Tropical Storm Octave Clears, Missing Plane Found

    Tropical Storm Octave initially shut down the search and rescue for a small plane with 14 people on board that crashed on Monday around the northern part of Mexico. The Associated Press reported that the single-engine carrier was en route to Ciudad Constitucion when it disappeared. Mexican officials are now confirming that the plane was found in the northwestern region of Baja today. Communications and Transport Minister Geraldo Ruiz posted on twitter, “Sadly there are no survivors.”

    Mexican authorities attempted to search for three days to find the plane that was believed to have been carrying all Mexican citizens. The single-engine aircraft disappeared Monday, taking off even though Tropical Storm Octave resulted in poor weather conditions. Octave took shape about 500 miles from the southern part of the Baja California Peninsula. The storm strengthened and was classified as a Tropical Storm by Sunday.

    Octave caused heavy rainfall in Mexico and reached a maximum wind speed of 60 mph. Just last month, Mexico was deluged with extreme flooding after several storms hit. About 150 people were killed due to mud-slides and storm damage.

    Image via Wikipedia

  • Birth on Lawn: Clinic Denies Woman, She Gives Birth on their Lawn [GRAPHIC]

    Birth on Lawn: Clinic Denies Woman, She Gives Birth on their Lawn [GRAPHIC]

    Women sometimes give birth in strange places. After labor begins, it can be a matter of minutes before the baby is delivered. And once that ball gets rolling, it usually isn’t going to slow down without medical help, which leads to babies sometimes being born in public places.

    Only in this situation, the mom in labor wasn’t en route to the hospital, having labor pains in the back of a taxi, nor was she stuck in traffic. Instead, she was on the lawn of a medical clinic. No, she didn’t just miss getting inside–instead, she was there because the medical clinic turned her away.

    Irma Lopez, a mom of three, said that she was turned away from the Rural Health Center in Oaxaca, Mexico on October 2 because a nurse said that she wasn’t ready. Lopez was only eight months pregnant, but was fully dilated. The nurse told Lopez and her husband to come back in the morning and a doctor would check on her.

    Having no other options, Lopez and her husband remained on the lawn of the clinic, where the woman’s water broke and she went through labor and delivery. Bystanders caught pictures of the delivery, which show Lopez squatting over the ground as her baby is coming out, still attached to the umbilical cord. Lopez was alone during the delivery because her husband was trying to get a nurse to call for help.

    “I didn’t want to deliver like this. It was so ugly and with so much pain,” Lopez said. Lopez said that she and her husband walked to the medical clinic in the dark, which took them an hour. The mom who lives in a one-bedroom hut in the mountains said that it would have taken even longer to get to a highway and a hospital.

    The nurses at the clinic have blamed the incident on a language barrier and said that Lopez didn’t understand that they were understaffed at the moment.

    As bad as this sounds, Lopez isn’t the only woman to give birth outside the same clinic this year. Another woman gave birth on their lawn in July. According to Mexico’s census, one in five women in Oaxaca give birth somewhere other than a hospital or clinic.

    ‘The photo is giving visibility to a wider structural problem that occurs within indigenous communities: Women are not receiving proper care. They are not being offered quality health services, not even a humane treatment,’ said Mayra Morales, Oaxaca’s representative for the national Network for Sexual and Reproductive Rights.

    The Rural Health Center of the village of San Felipe Jalapa de Diaz in Oaxaca is being investigated and the health center’s director, Dr. Adrian Cruz, has been suspended for the time being.

    Images via Huff Post

  • ATF: Man Can’t Publish Book About Our Screw-Ups

    In 2012, former-ATF-agent-turned-whistleblower John Dodson revealed that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms was supplying guns to the Mexican drug cartels via a “gunwalking” sting called Operation: Fast and Furious. Now, Fox News has reported that John Dodson’s book is being blocked by the ATF under the justification that it will have bad effects on agent morale.

    Agent Dodson first attempted to stop the operation in 2010 from inside the ATF, but failed. When ATF agent Brian Terry was gunned down using weapons sold in the ATF sting, a media storm ensued that caused General Eric Holder to be held in contempt of Congress over decisions regarding documents about Operation: Fast and Furious, and the family of Brian Terry would file suit against those they believed responsible.

    Dodson’s efforts, meanwhile, continued: having affiliated himself with publisher Simon & Schuster, Dodson submitted a manuscript for his book The Unarmed Truth to the ATF’s Ethics department for review. The book, which represents the first insider’s story of how the U.S. government sold 2000 guns to Mexican cartels, was denied review altogether.

    An ethics official with the ATF, Greg Serres, said that they can deny Dodson’s request for any reason, specifically that “this would have a negative impact on morale and would have a detrimental effect on our relationships with DEA and FBI [agents].”

    The ATF’s outside work policies state that employees can’t make outside money as a speaker or writer without permission, but the ACLU argues that the policies are too restrictive.

    The ACLU attorney who represents Dodson, Lee Rowland, has said that the ATF’s policy “grants supervisors the discretion to censor critical speech simply because it annoys the supervisor or embarasses the ATF.”

    “Given the national importance of both the Fast and Furious operation and ATF practices more broadly, ATF faces an extremely high burden in demonstrating that its interests outweigh Agent Dodson’s right to speak — and the public’s right to hear — his views about Operation Fast and Furious,” she added.

    Meanwhile, the family of Brian Terry has released a statement through the Brian Terry Foundation in which they express solidarity with John Dodson.

    “Do we really need to remind ATF leadership that the men that killed Brian Terry were carrying weapons supplied to them by ATF during Operation Fast and Furious, an investigation that both President Obama and Attorney General Holder have publicly called ill-conceived?” Ralph Terry, the foundation’s president, said.

    [Image via this CBSNews YouTube report]

  • Hurricane Manuel Hits Land, Expected To Weaken

    Hurricane Manuel hit the shores of Mexico on Thursday with winds reaching upwards of 75 mph, but is expected to dissipate once it hits the mountain ranges, which will help to weaken the winds.

    Manuel has done considerable damage to Mexico, particularly to the south, where heavy rains and mudslides have been deemed responsible for 80 deaths; 58 people are now missing. 40,000 people were forced to leave their homes due to flooding, and another 40,000 were stranded in Acapulco when the storm hit. Most of those are tourists, who are waiting for the airlines to give them the OK to leave. Acapulco has reportedly been hit with looters since the flooding, adding more worries to local law enforcement.

    The cyclone might weaken over the next day or so, but some areas of Mexico are still forecast to receive 20 inches of rainfall before it moves into a cold front that is expected to hit Texas and the southern U.S. states over the weekend.

    A low-pressure front is being tracked now on its way to the Gulf of Mexico, which could become a tropical cyclone in the next couple of days. The news is worrisome to southern and eastern parts of Mexico, as heavy rains would be pushed their way on top of already flooded areas. The National Hurricane Center said that front has a 70% chance of becoming a tropical storm.

    Image: National Hurricane Center

  • Acapulco Flooding: Thousands to be Evacuated

    Dozens of people have lost their lives in Mexico after a tropical storm and hurricane ravaged the country back-to-back, and now rescue efforts are underway to help those who have been affected by flooding. Thousands of tourists and residents left stranded or homeless from the Acapulco resort area are being evacuated by emergency flights.

    Hurricane Ingrid made landfall in Mexico on the Atlantic coast on Monday, just after Tropical Storm Manuel hit the Pacific coast on Sunday. While both of the storms have weakened and have been downgraded, rain is still lingering, which has caused massive flooding. According to Voice of America, the Guerrero area “endured four days of non-stop rain that has flooded more than half of Acapulco.” The excess rain has caused mudslides and flash floods that have shut down most roads.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUO273RKNco

    At least 60,000 tourists were reportedly stranded in Acapulco after the torrential rains began. One tourist called the vacation a “mistake,” a sentiment that has been echoed by many who were unfortunate enough to get stuck there, no doubt. “We’ve realized that it was a mistake to come to Acapulco because all we saw was rain, rain, rain,” said Guadalupe Hernandez, a housewife from Mexico City.

    Some residents in the Acapulco area have seen their homes completely destroyed. Natividad Gallegos came home on Monday and found her home buried in a landslide. “When I got home I saw a lot of strangers with picks and shovels, digging where my house used to be,” Gallegos said. One small chapel was mostly buried under mud and rocks after the Acapulco flooding:

    (image)

    Some areas in Mexico have reportedly received up to 25 inches of rainfall over the past few days, causing some of the worst flooding in Mexico on record. At least 38 people have lost their lives so far, and the death toll is expected to continue rising after communications are restored and people are able to get out to check on friends and family.

    Currently there is another tropical storm in the Atlantic basic, Humberto. Tropical Storm Humberto isn’t expected to impact Mexico and should remain at sea, if it continues on its current track.

    Main image via YouTube; Chapel image via Bernandino Hernandez/SFGate

  • Mayan Mass Grave Uncovered at Uxul

    LiveScience reported last week that an excavation of an ancient Mayan city has yielded a 1400-year-old mass grave with 24 skeletons inside.

    Nicolaus Seefield, the dig’s coordinator and archaeologist at the University of Bonn in Germany, found the site after he was working on two massive reservoirs meant to store Mayan drinking water, also recently discovered.

    Seefield wrote an email to LiveScience: “Right before 24 victims were buried, the cave’s interior had doubtlessly still been used [as] a water reservoir, since the cave’s floor was perfectly clean… After the 24 victims had been buried, the pre-Hispanic Maya covered the remains with a coarse layer of gravel and sealed it with a clay layer. Due to this sealing layer, the documented bones were found in an extraordinarily good state of preservation.”

    NatureWorldNews also covered the discovery. Spatial patterns on the bones indicate that all 24 people were decapitated and dismembered, with noticeable hatchet marks on the cervical vertibrae, and many of the skulls show signs of being hacked on by a sharp object, most likely a stone hatchet.

    The bones were preserved in clay, so anthropologists were able to determine the ages and sexes of 15 of the skeletons, which included 13 men and two women who were between the ages of 18 and 42 at the time of death. Several of the corpses had malnutrition and some missing teeth.

    The jade inserts in some of the skulls’ teeth have been interpreted as high social status, but researchers are not certain whether the dead are nobles from Uxul or prisoners of war who were brought to Uxul for sacrifice.

    Regardless of the skeletons’ social standing, the discovery of physically mutilated remains at Uxul will have implications for studies of the Mayan civilization.

    Prof. Dr. Nikoali Grube, also of the University of Bonn, said of the find that “The discovery of the mass grave proves that the dismemberment of prisoners of war and opponents often represented in Maya art was in fact practiced.”

    You can read the University of Bonn’s press statement regarding the find here.

    [Image via Nicolaus Seefeld/Uni Bonn]

  • Mexico Storm: Tropical Storm and Hurricane Threaten

    Mexico is currently having to deal with two different natural disasters at the same time. Tropical Storm Manuel edged onto Mexico’s Pacific coast earlier today, as Hurricane Ingrid continued to swirl offshore on the other side of the country. Heavy rains and landslides have caused at least 15 deaths and thousands more have been evacuated from the damaged areas. Although it has remained a threat and produced flash floods and mudslides, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Manuel began to weaken as soon as it made landfall near the port of Manzanillo.

    Mexico continues to get attacked on both sides of the country, in an unfortunate situation dealing with the vicious Ingrid and Manuel simultaneously. As a typhoon hits Japan at the same time and in the United States, Colorado just experienced a large amount of flooding, there is certainly something odd going on with the climate around the world right now. It seems hard for people to continue to deny the effects of climate change after drastic and devastating events like these continue to happen.

    Each of these storms continue to grow and have immense power as well. CBS News reports that Manuel winds reached a maximum of about 45 mph (75 kph) and was moving to the northwest at 9 mph (15 kph) late Sunday afternoon. Its center was about 15 miles (20 kilometers) north of Manzanillo. The rain from Hurricane Ingrid has caused landslides that killed three people in the central state of Puebla and a woman also died after a landslide buried her house in the state of Hidalgo.

    Hurricane Ingrid, the second hurricane of the Atlantic storm season, is expected to reach Mexico’s mainland by Monday, after gaining strength from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Officials in the state of Veracruz were forced to evacuate those living on the coast on Friday night, and civil protection authorities said that more than 5,300 people had been moved to safer ground. An orange alert has also been imposed in parts of southern Veracruz, which is the highest possible, according to the Tampa Tribune.

    Image via Youtube

  • Mexico Flooding: Ingrid Upgraded to Hurricane

    Either side of Mexico’s coast is being battered by weeks of bad weather causing landslides, flooding, bridge collapses and multiple deaths. Tropical Storm Ingrid threatens even more damage as it forms about 60 miles off the coast and as of the latest from the National Hurricane Center, the Mexican government has changed Ingrid alerts to a hurricane watch. Forecasts put Ingrid making landfall on Sunday or Monday.

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    Rainfall from Ingrid is expected to reach up to 15 inches over much of eastern Mexico, and up to 25 inches in some locations, specifically the mountains. The authorities warn of further mudslides and flash flooding. Hurricane force winds will likely affect land starting Sunday.

    Parts of southern Veracruz, an eastern state in Mexico, are under the highest alert possible: orange. No less than three major rivers in the state are flooding or close to overflowing their banks and hundreds have evacuated at-risk areas according to officials.

    On Monday, 13 people were killed when a landslide buried them in their homes due to heavy rains influenced by Tropical Depression Fernand.

    Tropical storm Manuel is looming on the opposite side of Mexico, with anticipation of nearing the southwestern coast by late Saturday or early Sunday. Rainfall forecasts are up to 15 inches of rain over the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero, prompting more flash flooding and mudslides.

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    Earlier tropical events Humberto and Gabrielle weakened over the last day, resulting in no threat to land.

    [Image via National Hurricane Center and CIA World Factbook official website.]

  • Zetas Leader Captured, Probably Won’t Reduce Cartel Violence

    Zetas Leader Miguel Angel Trevino Morales was recently captured in Mexico. His arrest is a major win against the drug cartels that have terrorized Mexico for the past few years.

    It’s being reported that Morales was arrested when Mexican Marines pulled over a pickup truck near Nuevo Laredo. The truck contained not only Morales, but also a bodyguard, an accountant, eight guns and $2 million in cash.

    Now that Morales is in state hands, he’ll be tried by a court for charges of murder, torture, kidnapping and other crimes related to the drug trade. The murder and torture charges will be the easiest to prove as his cartel – the Zetas – left hundreds of bodies in its wake, including a recent event where 49 headless bodies were found, over the last few years. In fact, his position as a leader has him being charged with ordering the kidnappings and deaths of 256 people.

    Unfortunately, his arrest will probably not make a dent in the amount of violence that continues to rock Mexico on an almost daily basis. The cartels are not deterred when a leader is captured or killed. They just put somebody else in charge, and business continues as usual.

    In the case of the Zetas, it’s suspected that Morales’ brother, Omar, will become the next leader. He isn’t known to be as brutal as Morales, but that could all change with his ascension to power. He will have to prove that he has what it takes to fill his brother’s shows, and doing so could lead to even more violence.

    Of course, there’s always the chance that Omar will be weak. Under his leadership, the Zetas may even begin to diminish and lose its power. Unfortunately, other cartels are more than willing to step in and take over territories lost by once dominant cartels. In this case, the Sinaloa cartel, headed by Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, is expected to grow in power if the Zetas cede power under Omar.

    Either way this goes, Mexico is not any safer from the drug cartels that continue to perpetuate violence throughout the nation. In fact, things may become more dangerous if the Zetas and the Sinaloa go to war over territory.

    [h/t: AP via USA Today]

  • Popocatepetl Volcano Ash Grounds Mexico City Flights

    Last month, the Popocatepetl volcano in Mexico began erupting, spewing ash and steam into the air. The volcano this week began acting up again, causing flights in nearby Mexico City to be cancelled. Mexican authorities have also cordoned off a 7-miles radius around the volcano.

    According to an Associated Press report, U.S. airlines including U.S. Airways, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, and Alaska Airlines have cancelled at least 47 flights out of and bound for the Mexico City and Toluca airports on Thursday. Mexico City is around 40 miles north of Popocatepetl, and no ash has yet reached the city. A spokesperson for the Mexico City airport stated that the airport is still operating, despite the cancellations.

    Popocatepetl last erupted in 2000, forcing thousands of Mexicans living in nearby towns to evacuate. The volcano also became active in April of last year, raising alerts as officials prepared for evacuations.

    (Image courtesy Lavintzin/Wikimedia Commons)

    (via Associated Press)

  • Popocatepetl Volcano Erupts, Ash Could Reach Mexico City

    Popocatepetl, the second highest peak in Mexico, has erupted once again and is spewing ash that could reach Mexico City, which is 40 miles away.

    The volcano shot chunks of rock into nearby towns and witnesses say the smoke and ash plume rose at least four kilometers into the air. Residents may be evacuated if the eruptions continue, but everyone in the area has been on standby since mid-May, when a large eruption was accompanied by two earthquakes.

    The last big eruption was in 2000, when the volcano showed its most violent display in 1200 years and forced thousands of people to evacuate. There is a myth about Popocatepetl and nearby volcano Iztaccíhuatl which tells the tale of two star-crossed lovers, Popoca and Izztaccihuati (“White Lady”). Iztaccihuati, the daughter of an Aztec Emporer, fell in love with Popoca, who was sent off to war. When an enemy sent false word back home that Popoca was dead, Iztaccihuati died of a broken heart, and when Popoca came home victorious from battle to find her dead, he carried her body to the top of a mountain and had a funeral table built for her. Popoca stayed to watch over her until he, too, died of a broken heart.

    The Gods were touched by Popoca’s sacrifice and changed their bodies into great volcanos, making Popoca the largest one and dubbing it Popocatepetl (“Smoking Mountain”). The story goes that he sometimes throws out great plumes of smoke and ash as a reminder that he still watches over Iztaccihuatl, who lays sleeping still.

    You can watch live streaming of the volcano here.