After a brutal rape case in Acapulco shook Mexico on February 4, President Pena Nieto has pledged to create a new militarized police force to ensure the safety of locals and tourists in the popular holiday resort.

The case, involving six Spanish women who were raped in a rented beach house by masked gunmen, was astonishing even for Guerrero, with its high level of crime. Only one woman managed to avoid assault by saying that she was Mexican. According to Fox News, it is yet to be confirmed if the Spaniards were targeted because of their nationality. The UK newspaper The Guardian said “Mexican local authorities determine if organised criminal are behind an attack, and, if so, pass the case to federal authorities.”

Up until now, however, the government did very little to help the victims. Acapulco Major Luis Walt downplayed  the crime, saying “It could have happened anywhere in the world.” Even though Walt later apologized for his comment, it looks like he was more concerned about the image of Acapulco rather than the raped women.

Freelance writer Phillippe Diederich pointed out “It is too easy for six Spanish women, or 60,000 dead Mexicans to become a statistic used by politicians and the media… Governments need to allocate resources toward prevention, security, victim advocacy and education about violent crimes against women.”

President Pena Nieto has continuously underlined the importance of the security problem. Right after his election in December, the President communicated a plan to strengthen security by dividing the country into five security regions and improve the coordination of law enforcement  In addition, the President committed to switching the focus from punishing crime to preventing it. It was obvious that the implementation of measures could not be done in a few months; however, the issue is now how much time it will take and how many people will become the victims before results are achieved. Pena Nieto claims that the government is working to improve the conditions for public security, but he has not provides any time frame.

On February 12, the government announced its second anti-crime plan. Focusing on the 251 most violent towns, $9.2 billion will be spent on preventing young people from joining criminal organizations. The measures include improving health and social services, creating additional jobs and increasing the number of schools. The following day, Pena claimed that the tourism policy can only be successful when the measures of security are implemented. The National Tourism Policy for 2013-2018, presented on February 13, includes four directions: legislative and sectoral transformation, development and promotion; and sustainability and social well-being.

Does it mean that tourists have to wait until after the policy has been implemented to visit Mexico? Choosing the right state can be an alternative solution. According to the Economist, Yucatán, with its famous resorts Cancun and Riviera Maya, is as safe as Finland. Oaxaca, Veracruz and Pueblo also exhibit low levels of crime, while Guerrero, with its capital Acapulco, remains one of the most dangerous, with a murder rate of more than 2100 people per year.

In addition to increasing expenditures on security, Pena Nieto promised to create a comprehensive security environment and grow confidence for travelers in the country by working on infrastracture and improving medical services.

Image Courtesy : World Economic Forum

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Alexander Laszlo is co-founder and President of Syntony Quest and former Director of the Doctoral Program in Management at the Graduate School of Business Administration and Leadership (EGADE- ITESM) located in Mexico. He was recently elected President of the International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS). He has also worked at UNESCO and for the U.S. Department of Education. He has been Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics and the European University Institute. In addition to being the author of multiple book and journal articles, he is also a 5th Degree Black Belt in Korean Karate. This is part two of an exclusive Toonari Post interview, find the first part here.

TP: How do you believe that virtual education is transforming the world?                               

AL: I believe that universities and educational systems which do not keep up to date with current technology enhanced Interactive systems will be left behind. Education should encourage a dynamic play with creating knowledge and not only memorizing what is already known, because memorizing what we already know is not going to provide solutions to the current challenges faced by humanity. These challenges require a new paradigm, a new way of understanding. It’s not about learning and applying the models of last century; we have seen that these models do not work; we need people to develop their own response to their realities in which they live.

This is the purpose of Giordano Bruno; to create perspective. Take Facebook, for example. People use it but mainly for social pursuits. How can we create an education system that works like Facebook in which students share their learning with others and with a group of friends, and so among them discuss, comment, share extra resources and in this way go into an enriching conversation of shared understand on any particular topic?

So really, it’s like creating an education system based on this type of model, which is today one of the most widely used type of interaction. As I say, education systems that don’t use it will stay stuck in the past.

TP: What is the holistic paradigm?

AL: The idea of the holistic paradigm is not seeing the world in a fragmented way. For example, here in California, where I live, I need to see how to get clean water, the same as anyone anywhere else in the world. One solution would be to use all the water that falls from the mountains for irrigation, or we could also get it from our aquifers.

Now, if we don’t proceed with a perspective that considers the impacts of using water-intensive agricultural practices, then we are acting badly. We need to create a solution that allows the aquifers to be restored and regenerated. That’s the holistic way of understanding the secondary and tertiary impacts, and more so to really understand the interdependence of all living systems as the non-living systems, that also sustain life, as is the case of climatic water cycles.

This is the perspective and sensitivity that we want to foster among students, because once we understand that everything is interconnected, we see that nothing is only a problem from a technical perspective, as this type of thinking usually creates more problems [than] it resolves. So the idea is to create a system of solutions, not just a one-dimensional solution that could be purely technological or economic. Really, a set of solutions involves seeing and understanding dynamic and interactive patterns; once you understand a little bit and have developed sensitivity for seeing how these complex adaptive systems are intertwined with each other, you can start creating a new dialogue with nature, society, future generations, our ancestors and yourself. In this way, we create a flow of abundance without making the mistake of trying to maximize our return on investment, which is a way of addressing a context in only a myopic way.

TP: Recently you have been elected President of the International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS). What are your expectations in this new position?

AL: This organization was founded in 1954 and now has had a total of 56 annual conferences. My job as President is to create an international event that represents the emerging direction of systems science, which also includes human science.

I have chosen a theme for this year which is aimed at moving toward a systemic consciousness that heightens and draws upon relational intelligence. So my purpose is to stimulate a more dedicated development of relational intelligence, which must not only be empathetic and compassionate to others, but also embody ways of being interactive and interconnected with all living systems on this planet.

TP: How can you handle so many projects at the same time?

AL: I have several clones (laughs). My secret is that I have excellent teams, and this is what I want to bring to both the Giordano Bruno University and the ISSS. In both cases, we want to create a thrivable world of collaborative communities. Alone, I just can’t achieve all these goals, but luckily the people I work with are much competent than me, which ensures the success of all these projects.

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Alexander Laszlo is co-founder and President of Syntony Quest and former Director of the Doctoral Program in Management at the Graduate School of Business Administration and Leadership (EGADE- ITESM) located in Mexico. He was recently elected President of the International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS). He has also worked at UNESCO and for the U.S. Department of Education. He has been Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics and the European University Institute. In addition to being the author of multiple book and journal articles, he is also a 5^th Degree Black Belt in Korean Karate.

Toonari Post (TP): You are well known for being the co-founder and President of Syntony Quest. Could you explain to us a little bit about this organization?

Alexander Laszlo (AL): Syntony Quest is an educational non-profit organization whose purpose is to serve as a bridge between academia and the business world on topics of sustainability. Many NGOs are focused on working with the problems of people; however, they often lack a more strategic platform from the point of view of theoretical and scientific progress on sustainability issues.

In our organization we conduct interactive research on socio environmental issues with a, participatory approach that is informed by the emerging context. This is the main purpose of Syntony Quest, to be a bridge that fosters self-directed sustainable development in case-specific contexts.

Sustainability means not exceeding the carrying capacity of our planet- trying to maintain a certain balance. But the goal of Syntony Quest is to help create a prosperous world, one that goes beyond mere sustainability to true thrivability, fostering an economy of abundance.

We must create an economy based on nature and not on abstract economic concepts, which are very common in the current economic system.

TP: On the other side, one year ago Giordano Bruno University was opened, where you have the role of Director of Learning and Curriculum Innovation. Tell us, what is the pedagogical model used?

AL: Giordano Bruno University does not seek to impose models that are not relevant to the current context. We are against the subordination of ideas. We want to develop a process of change in the narrative presented by the instructor in which the student has to memorize theory in the most efficient manner possible. Normally, the student has only to learn and repeat the narrative presented by the teacher in order to get the best score, trying to be as faithful to the original narrative as possible.

We want to move beyond this approach, to a second and then to a third point. The second part consists in a change of the teacher’s narrative. The narratives become based in simulations, which allow students to be an actor in a narrative, such as an interactive game like Buckminster Fuller’s World Game or the Model UN experience offered at the high school level for students to simulate a Conference of the United Nations. A simulation like this allows students to experiment, and see how to practice playing different roles.

This second option is good but, what is the intention of Giordano Bruno? It’s not only about the first model that consists of repeating the teacher’s narrative, and it is even beyond the second, which is to live in a designed narrative experience of it, which is still provided by the teacher.

The third model consists of the students creating their own narratives around the learning themes being focused on in the course. This is a process in which students are given the opportunity to live the topics of the course into their own narrative experience, making the course material relevant to their own situation and their own environment in a global context.

TP: Could you tell us a little bit about the instructors and the academic community?

AL: The Giordano Bruno model is very interesting, because the goal is to create an international cultural community of students from many parts of the world based on study groups of 21 students. These groups function as cells in a structure that can have from 10,000 to 300,000 students in a single course. Nevertheless, we are always focused on the groups of 21 students.

This model allows us to significantly reduce the costs while at the same time increasing accessibility, thereby potentially reaching students in any part of the world. Of course, they need to have access to Internet. Once there, they can interact with the other students of their group.

In this process, there is an instructor who designs the course. The course has certain parameters that allow for the use of technology in ways that are rapidly becoming more common in education these days. We want ideas and information to arise through a collegial process among students.

Thus, the learning challenges and the instructions for how to find the resources are designed by the instructor. However, the model for understanding the lesson arises through the cell interaction among students.

We seek to encourage interactions, for students to do two things: the first is to take the lessons and discuss them with their family and community, and the second is to report their results, perspectives and outcomes with their group of 21. All this helps the student to know the global context of the challenges of being an evolutionary change in the world while at the same time learn to be sensitive to the needs of their locality.

The teachers that we have are people of advanced preparation in their chosen field; as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), they design courses of large-scale and scope, which are then managed by a team of facilitators. However, the professor is mainly a designer of the course and responds only to questions that assistants can’t respond to. Primarily, we are looking to help students learn to answer their own questions and solve their own problems.

Read part two here.

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Mexico City, Mexico– Peter Davies, an Australian writer and teacher, recently finished embarking on a seven month journey of a lifetime. The idea behind the endeavor was to experience the assorted aspects of Mexico City through its diverse metro lines underground. During his journey, Davies passed through approximately 147 stations within the Mexico City Metro system.

MexicoToday.org had a chance to speak with Davies about his experience and the many people and things he encountered along the way. Davies described the interior of the trains as “mobile marketplaces,” containing all the vivacity and culture of Mexico in an incredibly condensed and active space.

The Mexico City Metro, for Davies, was an all-encompassing underground society with people from all walks of life and ages. Along the way he met students, lawyers, doctors, musicians, street performers, poets, and the homeless underground in an environment that beautifully belonged to all of them equally. The Metro in a sense was like “a great stage”, where all those without a platform of expression could congregate to be heard, seen, and appreciated.

Musicians come from all over to make music with guitars, bamboo flutes, bongo drums, and even coins in cans. The Mexico City Metro contained all the soul, energy, and variety of the actual city and gave Davies a glimpse into the true culture of Mexico, both ever changing and ever inspiring. Davies saw Mexico City as a lively city full of contemporary art galleries and museums (his favorite being the Mexican Antique Toy Museum at Obrera), and at the same time a historical city full of tradition and cultural importance.

By taking the metro to the extremities of Mexico City, Davies reflected on what he learned about the city, its history, and its people. One of the aspects of the city that surprised him the most, however, was the complete openness and friendliness of the people as a whole. He described Mexico City as an inviting place full of life, where “people live harmoniously.”

Davies went on to say, “What surprised me is the diversity of this place. Mexico City is full of quirky surprises all over the place. Mexico City is an extremely vibrant, diverse, modern city with a whole range of different stuff going on in contemporary art and music. Mexico City has more museums than any other city in the world. Perhaps that is one of the things people might not know.”

When asked about his favorite neighborhood in Mexico City, Davies spoke about the Roma district on metro line #1. “It travels through Chapultepec which is a museum district and has a really big park. Then it goes through Roma which is a really bohemian district, and then goes through the Centro which is fantastic for architecture fans.” The Roma district attracted the attention of some of the most influential writers of the Beat Generation like Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac.

Today, the neighborhood still contains an artistically bohemian allure to it that sets it apart from the rest of the city. Davies also reflected on the countless possibilities that exist in Mexico City, from the street art, to the street vendors, to the architecture, to the beautiful parks. He especially noted the importance of food in Mexico City. “Tacos de carnitas which are pork tacos are really nice, with freshly baked tortillas and juicy meat. I eat tacos on every corner, which is one of the many wonders of Mexico’s street cuisine.”

As something to take away Davies stated, “One thing I have worked in communicating through my project and I would like people to take away from it is the need to break down the misconceptions about Mexico. Enjoy this country’s wonders and, come to Mexico and experience it yourself!” Although no plans have been officially made to tackle another metro system in a different city, Davies is open to the idea in the future.

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Google believes that technology has the power to expose and dismantle global criminal networks and has decided to take action. They have organized a forum in the United States to help the authorities and different civil organizations to find a solution to fight the different criminal organizations.

The company  explained that violent illicit networks, which include organized crime, narcotics, terrorism and cyber crime, represent a trillion dollar problem that affects every society in the world and takes thousands of innocent lives each year.

The search engine mentioned Mexico’s case in which in only 5 years 50,000 people have died as a result of the war for territory between the rival drug cartels. Google is convinced that these violent illicit networks have a devastating and financial impact on every nation.

Google is willing to help find solutions for humanity’s biggest problems; recently the company launched Google Ideas which is a “think/do tank that convenes unorthodox stakeholders, commission’s research, and seeds initiatives to explore the role that technology can play in tackling some of the toughest human challenges.”

Google Ideas first focused on counter-radicalization; last year they organized the Summit Against Violent Extremism to try facing this problem. Which had pretty good results, the most important product that came out of this summit is called Against Violent extremism, which is a “ network of former violent extremists, survivors of violent extremism, NGOs, academics, think tanks, and private sector executives who share a common goal: to prevent youth from committing violence.”

The internet giant stated: “Violent extremism is one of the world’s most significant unanswered challenges, from the gangs of San Salvador to the violent Islamist extremists of Quetta to far-right fascists around the world who constitute the violent white power movement.”

Now  Google Ideas is focusing on violent illicit networks, the search engine is trying to find a solution to dismantle and expose the different criminal organizations. In the past months Google has been working with people fighting on the front line in order to understand how these criminal organizations really function.

The company firmly believes that “as illicit networks grow in scope and complexity, society’s strategy to reduce their negative impact must draw on the tremendous power of technology.” That’s why Google, in partnership with the Council on Foreign Relations and the Tribeca Film Festival, organized “Illicit Networks: Forces In Opposition.” Google explained that “too often illicit networks are seen only in the silos of those who study them. This summit aims to break down those silos by bringing together a full-range of stakeholders, from survivors of organ trafficking, sex trafficking and forced labor to government officials, dozens of engineers, tech leaders and product managers from Google and beyond.”

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The PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) candidate, Enrique Peña Nieto has been elected the new Mexican President. According to the examination of the votes Nieto got between 37.9% and 38.5% of the votes against 30.9% and 31.8% that the left wing candidate, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, has reached. The right wing aspirant Josefina Vázquez Mota got 25.4% of the votes.

With these results, PRI is back in power after the 12 year period that the PAN conservative party has ruled in Mexico. Around 49 million Mexicans voted on Sunday 30th to make this change, that will bring the PRI back to power. The PRI ruled for 71 years in a row, from 1929 up to 2000.

Peña Nieto became the new Mexican president minutes after the provisional score was made public: “I take with great emotion and a great sense of commitment and full responsibility the mandate Mexicans have granted me today,” Peña Nieto told the citizens that were waiting for his speech.

The new president made an ambitious speech where he remembered that the PRI’s victory is the one from the entire Mexican population: “…I reiterate what I have already said in this very hall during the campaign; whoever does not show a firm commitment to democracy, personal liberties and transparency, has no place in this project to transform Mexico. We are a new generation. We will not return to the past. My government will have its eyes set on the future. Mexico has already changed.”

Peña Nieto’s strongest points during the campaign have been priority for economic growth, job creation and the alleviation of poverty across Mexico. He also promised to pay attention to social issues, to continue the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime, and also to recovery their hegemony in Latin America.

This 2012 Mexican election has been wrapped in controversy since its beginning until its end. Political opposition and citizens in social media have complained during the last months about how unfair elections were, due to the money that PRI has spent during the elections and the media support they received. They accused PRI for spending almost double the top money allowed that the electoral law establishes for the elections.

Today the polemic is different. The final count will not be done until this Wednesday, so the left wing candidate Lopez Obrador has not accepted PRI’s victory, despite the fact that the results seem pretty clear. He said that until the final count takes place they cannot recognize anyone as the new President. Therefore, his attitude leaves the country in a political limbo. Lopez Obrador, started his speech at the same time as the former President Felipe Calderon was congratulating the new President. Lopez Obrador said that “last word has not been yet said, we will have to wait until the entire scrutiny is finished to recognize the PRI victory”.

According to different journalist, the PRI has won due to some factors such as good organization during the elections, Peña Nieto’s telegenic image, and the calls for democracy that he has been making, as long as the deception that the PAN has resulted for the last legislature.

Former President Felipe Calderon did not solve the drug trafficking problem, which has led his party to become the third most popular after the PRI and the left PM. During Calderon’s presidency, beginning in 2006, more than 55,000 citizens have been murdered.

Image Courtesy of  Enrique Peña Nieto

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San Jose del Cabo, Mexico – Agrofinanzas, S.A. de C.V., SOFOL (Agrofinanzas) was recognized June 19 by the G20 as one of 15 leading companies in the world on inclusive business innovation (The G20 Challenge on Inclusive Business Innovation), during a ceremony headed by the Executive Secretary of the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation and Chair of the G20 Development Working Group, Amb. Rogelio Granguillhome Morfín.

The award was granted to Agrofinanzas because, since its inception in 2006, it has designed and successfully implemented a business model that provides loans for Mexican small farmers and rural producers, enabling them to access the formal credit market from which they were previously excluded. Loans from Agrofinanzas carry affordable interest rates substantially lower than consumer lending and microfinance alternatives.

Referring to this global award, Mr. Francisco Mere, Agrofinanzas’ CEO commented: “We are proud to receive this recognition, but are even more pleased that, thanks to our business model, since our inception we have granted more than 80,000 loans to small agricultural producers, 80% of whom had no prior access to the formal financial sector.” He added, “Today, these producers are able to establish a credit history that gives them the opportunity to obtain other financing products. This way, we provide the tools to empower them to take control of their financial future and thus improve their economic situation in a win-win relationship.”

On the results of Agrofinazas financing system he mentioned: “We are currently the leaders in supply chain financing in the agribusiness sector in Mexico. Our innovative business model, based on technology and strategic alliances, has allowed the company to offer an attractive return to its investors for the past three years, while, according to a study we commissioned in 2011, over 30% of our customers have improved their economic situation since they received a loan from Agrofinanzas.”

The G20 on Inclusive Business Innovation Challenge is a global initiative launched at the G20 Summit ofNovember 2011 in Cannes that recognizes companies that have succeeded in developing innovative, scalable, as well as commercially viable and replicable inclusive business models which work with low-income people living in developing countries as suppliers, distributors, retailers, or customers, becoming in what is known as “inclusive businesses.”

Agrofinanzas is a financial institution in Mexico, dedicated to providing financing to unbanked producers and businesses in the food and agricultural sector in rural and suburban areas, with special emphasis on supporting sustainability and financial inclusion in Mexico. It was established and authorized by the Mexican Ministry of Finance in 2006 and is supervised by the National Banking and Securities Commission. It has investment grade rating by Fitch Ratings Mexico and its debt securities are traded on the Mexican Stock Exchange.

As of April 2012, Agrofinanzas has MxP$1.742 billion in assets under management and a loan portfolio of nearly MxP$1.6 billion, distributed in 22 states of the country and more than 20 supply chains related to agribusiness, aquaculture, forestry and renewable energy. In the first four months of 2012, its loan portfolio grew by 27% when compared to December 2011, while at the end of April 2012 its non-performing loans were 3.1% of its loans’ portfolio.

Image Courtesy of  G20

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Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Tony Blair and a group of international statesmen and business leaders on June 19 said that a “clean revolution” – a step change in investment in renewable energy and clean technology – was needed to lead the world out of recession.
In an open letter, they said: “We have a historic opportunity to lead the world out of recession and into a more stable, sustainable future. The ‘Clean Revolution’ is essential if we want to ensure we save our economies from the crippling costs of runaway climate change, and create meaningful jobs and enhance energy security.”

The signatories of the open letter are backing the launch in Rio of the Clean Revolution campaign, a major initiative by The Climate Group and a range of government and business partners that calls for a ‘green growth’ push out of global recession.

Tony Blair, in a speech, added: “The Clean Revolution is the expressway to the Green Economy. Because of the current financial crisis, acting on climate change is more than ever before an opportunity to lead the world out of recession and to tackle the increasing geopolitical tensions created by the lack of energy security.”

Among the campaign’s backers to date are Philips and Suzlon, a major Asian wind turbine manufacturer, as well as other businesses and venture capitalists in China and the United States.

“Government and business leaders are realizing the opportunity in the Clean Revolution and are already leading the world into a more sustainable future. But it needs to happen faster. We need a step change. And it begins, today, at Rio+20,” said Mark Kenber, CEO, The Climate Group.

Speakers at the Clean Revolution launch event in Rio included Prince Albert of Monaco, Quebec’s PremierJean Charest, The World Bank’s Special Envoy for Climate Change, Andrew Steer, Georg Kell, UN Global Compact Executive Director, senior representatives from Phillips, Suzlon and the Dutch Postcode Lottery as well as Professor Wang Yi of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, one of the key architects of China’s low carbon strategy.

“We should not expect global rules to guide us though this ‘make or break’ decade.” Instead it will be voluntary leadership that will demonstrate that success is not only possible, but also profitable, and which in turn will inspire others to act. The Clean Revolution Initiative is designed to move things across the tipping point. We’re proud to be part of it,” said Andrew Steer, Special Envoy for Climate Change, The World Bank.

The Climate Group has launched a new website  and a series of research reports demonstrating success stories of ‘clean revolutions’ under way in different parts of the world.

The Clean Revolution is a partnership of international statesmen and governments, business leaders and corporations, thinkers and opinion formers. It is coordinated by The Climate Group. It calls for a swift, massive scale-up of clean energy and infrastructure, and of smart technologies and design.

The initiative aims to create a tipping point for change by inspiring government and business leaders. It presents them with the evidence of the economic opportunities of the Clean Revolution, and profiles how innovative leadership is already transforming policies and markets around the world.

Image Courtesy of  Toni Blair

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Miami, U.S.A. – The highly-provocative dramatic series from Mexico about the country’s illegal drug trade, and the first Mexican series about drug legalization, ‘Estado de Gracia’ (State of Grace), will make its world premiere on  June 4, 2012, exclusively on Cinelatino—the nation’s leading Spanish-language movie channel.

“Estado de Gracia” is a political suspense thriller that presents a realistic portrait of the drug trafficking crisis in Mexico, shedding light on the network of money, power and corruption that fuels the ongoing drug trade.

Set in Mexico City, the fictional series centers on a local congresswoman who proposes a law to legalize drugs in an effort to dismantle the powerful drug cartels and end the narco-related violence. Facing powerful enemies, the congresswoman—played by esteemed Mexican actress Karina Gidi—watches all aspects of her life come apart after proposing this controversial legislation.

The 13-episode series portrays a sobering view of the country’s illegal drug trade and touches on sensitive issues such as corruption among politicians and police, blame, the impunity of drug traffickers, violence and drug-related killings, addiction, temptations among those in office, the role of the media, and the dangers facing non-corrupt police officers. The series also captures the human element to the story, showing the impact of drugs in the home, at the office and in school.

“We knew we had to acquire this series right away,” said Ricardo De Leon, Director of Programming for Cinelatino. “Drug violence is a reality in Mexico, and no other Mexican series has dared broach the topics of drug violence and legalization in such an honest and realistic way.”

“Estado de Gracia is one of the best-written, most cutting edge series to come out of Mexico, and we’re proud to give our U.S. viewers access to it before it airs anywhere else in the world,” said James M. McNamara, Chairman of Cinelatino. “With drug legalization as one of the hot topics in the presidential elections coming up in Mexico and the U.S., ‘Estado de Gracia ’ is a relevant, must-see series that will have everyone talking.”

The series was directed by the highly-acclaimed, Oscar-nominated filmmaker, Carlos Bolado, who has won 21 awards at prestigious international film festivals for his work on films like Promises, a documentary about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that was nominated for an Oscar, and Solo Dios Sabe (Only God Knows), a romantic thriller starring Diego Luna and Alice Braga that was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

The series features top quality production values and a strong cast of top Mexican talent, includingKarina Gidi (Abel; Gitanas), Daniel Martinez (Ella y el Candidato; El Infierno; Como No Te Voy a Querer), Raul Mendez (Mariachi Gringo; Sultanes del Sur; Amar a Morir), Jose Carlos Rodriguez(Rudo y Cursi; Vantage Point; Asi del Precipicio), Lisa Owen (Vantage Point; Nacho Libre), Roberto Sosa (Get the Gringo; Cartas a Elena), and Dagoberto Gama ( Amores Perros; La Reina del Sur; El Infierno).

Cinelatino, which has been on air for nearly 18 years, began airing highly acclaimed series in 2009 with the launch of “Los Simuladores.” “Estado de Gracia” is among the high-caliber series to air on the premium, commercial-free movie channel. Cinelatino is available in more than four million homes across the U.S., fully distributed on the major cable, satellite and telco providers.

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South America is facing the worst wave of press censorship since the authoritarian military dictatorships of the 1970′s. Several leaders of Latin American countries have introduced mechanisms to censor the freedom of speech and freedom of the press of their citizens.

Journalists working for media organizations are protected under article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states, “Freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media, regardless of frontiers.” This is a fundamental right that gives the ability to have opinions and write about them without having to worry about whether journalists will get into trouble for what they believe.

However, some countries are taking a step backward in regard to free speech, especially in Latin America. According to FORO Nacional Internacional, “Repression and open threats have come from national and sub-national governments and even from criminal organizations. Moreover, the persistence of such pressures often results in media self-censorship, as they abstain from disseminating political views that are critical of powerful government or private interests.”

Human Rights Watch published last year how Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez undermined journalistic freedom of speech. Chavez officially removed the licenses of 32 private radio stations and 2 television channels in 2009 for “technical and administrative reasons.”

Nicaragua is the best example of the reasons behind the desire to limit freedom of speech in many Latin American countries. President Daniel Ortega has forced all private media companies to join a guild that is associated with his Sandinista Party, but few media businesses are still resisting Ortega’s proposal. Ortega limits what type of information is received by his citizens.

Freedom of expression is fragile in Colombia because it is threatened by state and non-state factions, such as the left-wing Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, FARC) guerrilla group and the “Black Eagles,” a paramilitary band.

Catalina Botero, special rapporteur for freedom of expression at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), said to a newspaper in 2010 that “death threats, stigmatization, and spying on journalists by state agencies had led the country to a red alert status.”

Reporters Without Borders (RWB) cited that four journalists have been killed since the start of 2010 in Colombia in connection with their journalistic work. RWB mentioned that, in 2011, the Black Eagles made a campaign threatening the life of five journalists: Hollman Morris (Contravía), Daniel Coronell (Univisión), Marcos Perales (Portada), Claudia Julieta (Radio Nizkor), and Eduardo Márquez, the president of the Colombian Federation of Journalists (FECOLPER). These professionals media activities were spied on and hacked by Colombia’s leading intelligence agency and the Administrative Department of Security which involved the Colombian President Álvaro Uribe with this scandal.

Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries to work as a journalist. Despite the fact that Mexican President Felipe Calderón promised a number of international press monitors in 2010 and a new program to guarantee safety conditions for journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) found that these measures did not work.

According to the CPJ, seven journalists and one media worker were killed in 2011. A total of 80 journalists have been murdered since 2000, and 14 have disappeared since 2003. Even social media as an alternative for journalists to shed light on democracy is threatened by Mexican cartels. For instance, social media journalist Macías Castro was killed last year for her anonymous story on the drug war through social media.

Cuba does not let any independent press operate outside the control of the state. The official media (one television channel, one radio station and two dailies are the official channels to serve propaganda for the regime with just a few Catholic magazines being tolerated. Many Cuban journalists have been forced to publish from Miami and Spain against the regimen.

In general, by monitoring the media, the South American governments have control over all aspects of their citizens’ lives. Governments are able to stop any reports that show the real facts of politicians and is even capable of getting the media to publish false election results to keep the status quo. Censorship is a tyranny mechanism whose practice limits the freedom of speech instead of promoting a real democracy in Latin America.

Image Courtesy of  The Israel Project

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Miami, U.S.A. - On May 15th, 2012 in Mexico City, Mexican author and recipient of countless awards Carlos Fuentes died. Fuentes was one of the foremost representatives of the Latin American literary “boom.” When his novel La region mas transparente was first published on April 7th, 1958, public and critics alike established they had encountered a work that would leave an indelible impression in Mexican and world literature.

Carlos Fuentes wrote it all and said it all. He brought his readers into his narrative world even as he charted it. With the passing of time, the topography of this map—known as “La edad del tiempo” (The Age of Time)—changed, and its boundaries expanded until the inclusion of his last novel Federico en su balcon, soon to be published by his editorial house Alfaguara.

Carlos Fuentes’s work was not solely narrative; his oeuvre includes essays as well. In May of this year, Taurus will publish El siglo que despierta, a series of conversations between Carlos Fuentes and Ricardo Lagos; and in June, Alfaguara will publish Personas, an “inventory” of figures relevant to Mexico and the world—and to Fuentes himself.

Carlos Fuentes was born in 1928. A renowned intellectual and one of the foremost exponents of Mexican narrative, his vast body of work includes novels, short stories, plays, and essays. He was the recipient of numerous awards, among them: The Miguel de Cervantes Prize, 1987; the Ruben Dario Cultural Independence Order, granted by the Sandinista Government, 1988; the Instituto Italo-Americano Prize for Gringo viejo, 1989; the Principe de Asturias Award of Spain, 1994; Italy’s Cavour Award, 1994;

UNESCO’s Picasso Medal, France, 1994; France’s Legion of Honor Award, 2003; the Roger Caillois Award, 2003; the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language Prize for En esto creo, 2004; the Cristobal Gabarron Foundation’s International Literature Prize, 2011, and the Formentor Literature Prize, 2011.

Image Courtesy of  MDCarchives (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

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There have been several episodes of drug war violence in Mexico in recent months, however, it seems that the episodes are escalating as with the most recent one, which took the lives of 49 people who had been brutally killed and left in a public place.

The bodies were found in the city of San Juan on a non-toll highway that connects Monterrey in northern Mexico to the U.S. border at around 4 a.m. Sunday morning. Of the bodies found, 43 of them were men and the rest were women.

Federal police officers immediately shut down the highway and according to Nuevo Leon state Attorney General Adrian de la Garza, speculation ensued that it was indeed an act connected to the ongoing drug war. He stated that organized crime groups often make very public body dumps with multiple victims as warnings to their rivals, however he did not want to rule out the possibility that the victims were U.S.-bound migrants, according to The Guardian.

What is leading citizens of the area and federal officers to believe that this was a drug related war, according to Nuevo Leon state security spokesman Jorge Domene, is that “a banner left at the site bore a message with the Zetas drug cartel taking responsibility for the massacre.” According to Domene, “the fact the bodies were found with the heads, hands and feet cut off will make identification difficult. The bodies were being taken to Monterrey for DNA tests.”

Attorney General De La Garza believes that the victims could have been killed up to two days ago and then transported to San Juan, however, there is no evidence to support this at this time.

According to the Associated Press, these are the most recent episodes of drug war violence in Mexico alone:

• May 9: Police find 18 dismembered bodies close to Mexico’s second-largest city, Guadalajara.
• May 5: The bodies of 23 people are found hanging from a bridge or decapitated and dumped near city hall in the border city of Nuevo Laredo.
• April 17: Police find the mutilated bodies of 14 men in a minivan abandoned in downtown Nuevo Laredo, along with a message from an undisclosed drug gang.
• April 12: The tortured and bound bodies of seven men are dumped in the Pacific port city of Lazaro Cardenas along with messages signed by allies of the Sinaloa drug cartel.
• March 18: Gunmen ambush and kill 12 police officers who had been sent to Guerrero state to search for the bodies of 10 people whose severed heads were found earlier.

The war is worsening between the Mexican drug cartels as they fight over who controls the local drug markets and smuggling routes into the United States, and unfortunately, innocent lives are being brutally lost as a result of three things, money, greed and power.

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Washington, U.S.A. - Latino leaders from across the United States gathered to announce that they are taking on Carlos Slim, the world’s richest man, by exposing the alleged predatory, monopolistic practices with which he has amassed his fortune.

The growing coalition point to the fact that Mr. Slim’s wealth has come at a huge cost to the people of Mexico and that his business practices have crippled economic development in Mexico and throughout Latin America.

“We have come together to speak out on behalf of the people in Mexico and Latin America who do not have recourse to speak out for themselves,” said Juan Jose Gutierrez, one of the coalition leaders and affiliated with Vamos Unidos USA.

“Carlos Slim’s monopolistic practices have imposed significant costs to the Mexican economy and burdened the people of Mexico and Latin America. We are exposing his abusive practices so that the harm he has caused can be rectified and that those who might throw praise and honor at this man might know the truth.”

In the first of many planned actions, Two Countries One Voice announced it was calling on George Washington University to sever ties with Carlos Slim and demanded that George Washington University officials disinvite him from the graduation commencement ceremonies on the National Mall and revoke his honorary degree.

Two Countries One Voice will announce additional actions against other American institutions and corporations with strong ties to Slim in the coming weeks.

“It would be a travesty for a respected American institution like George Washington University to honor a man who is a modern day robber baron. His empire has helped keep millions in poverty while he has lined his own pockets,” said Andres Ramirez, one of the coalition leaders who is based in Nevada. “We can not ignore how Slim has made his billions and this is why our first action is to call on George Washington University to sever ties with him immediately.”

Carlos Slim’s power and fortune is made up primarily from his monopoly in the Mexican telecommunications system.  According to the independent and highly respected Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Slim’s company, America Movil, which controls 80% of the total Mexican telecom, cell and internet industries, charges exorbitant prices and provides inadequate services.

Their report also shows that Mexico’s phone industry dominated by Slim’s companies’ overcharged customers a total of $13.4 billion a year for basic telephone and Internet service from 2005 to 2009.  The OCED report points out that those specifically and most profoundly affected by these business practices are rural and poor communities.

Last week, Slim and his company admitted to overcharging under pressure from a proposed one billion dollar fine. The Mexico’s CFC (Federal Competition Commission) had unanimously ruled that one of Slim’s companies, Telcel, holds too much power. Earlier this year the antitrust agency also served Telcel close to a billion dollar fine for “monopoly practices.”

The impact of Carlos Slim’s monopoly has resulted in Mexico ranking LAST in public investment in telecommunications compared with the 33 other OECD countries while Slim’s company Telemex had a profit margin of 47% - one of the highest of the OECD countries.

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LOS ANGELES, US – Charity: Part III of A Mexican Trilogy is the third play (but the second produced) of the trilogy of the epic story of several generations of a Mexican-American family impacted by inspirational figures (FDR, JFK, John Paul II). Latino Theater Company’s Artistic Director, Jose Luis Valenzuela, and its playwright-in-residence, Evelina Fernandez re-teams for this story.

Mexico’s biggest star of stage, Ofelia Medina portrays the matriarch of the Garcia family, born at the end of the Nineteenth Century, before the Mexican Revolution. She steadfastly refuses to die, insisting that she goes on living to protect her family.

It’s 2005, and the family intermittently watches news reports of the death of Pope John Paul II. They have varied responses to the Catholic Church. They’re stricken with grief over the loss of young Emiliano in the War on Iraq. Actually, he’s not quite gone. His ghost frequently visits the family matriarch.

The Garcias’ routine is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of a cousin from Mexico, Juan Francisco (“Frankie”). His aunt Gina is not comfortable with his presence, but he soon gets a job from a gay family friend working in a salon. Frankie believes in what the U.S. represents, and he will make choices that will put him on the road to U.S. citizenship.

Other than Ofelia Medina—one of Mexico’s biggest stars of stage, screen and television — the moving story of the Garcia family stars Esperanza America Ibarra, lauded by the Los Angeles Times (1/4/12) as one of the city’s finest actresses; Rudy Ramos; Evelina Fernandez; Sal Lopez; Geoffrey Rivas; Lucy Rodriguez; Sam Golzari and Jonathan William Cruz.

Presented primarily in English, “Charity: Part III of a Mexican Trilogy” will make its world premier on May 11, 2012 at Los Angeles Theatre Center. The Garcia family is one that hopes, dreams, argues, bickers, but above all, loves each other. It’s a family much, perhaps, like your own.

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UNLV geoscientist Matthew Lachniet and an international team of researchers used stalagmites to unveil a 2,400-year climate history from southwestern Mexico. This discovery, coupled with archaeological evidence, links the rise and fall of ancient Mesoamerican civilizations to changing rainfall. The findings were reported Jan. 23 as a “Pre-Issue Publication” of the journal Geology.

Little is known about what contributed to the fate of the prosperous ancient Mesoamerican city of Teotihuacan, though historic evidence suggests periods of above average rainfall followed by extreme drought might have played a role.

“Mexico and the American southwest are linked by climate processes in the Pacific Ocean. Our new record shows that dry conditions, likely linked to El Nino processes, recurred frequently over time,” said Lachniet. “The point to be made is that civilization runs on water. Take away a water supply and the civilization may fail.”

Lachniet and his team collected and analyzed a stalagmite from Juxtlahuaca Cave in Guerrero, Mexico. The cave is in the core region of the North American Monsoon, a climate phenomenon primarily responsible for rain in most of Mexico and parts of the American Southwest. The cave was also a great source for stalagmites – common cave formations formed over thousands of years as minerals from water droplets crystallize and accumulate. Much like tree rings, they can accurately record the rainfall history of an area.

“Only recently have scientists started to unlock the secrets of stalagmites as ancient rain gauges,” said Lachniet. “Stalagmites from tropical regions provide a much longer record than tree rings. They also grow rapidly which allows us to pinpoint climate variations on near-annual timescales.”

The team correlated the region’s cultural milestones with measured rainfall. Above average rainfall between the first and third centuries coincided with the rise of the early Mesoamerican city of Teotihuacan. At its peak, more than 125,000 people lived around the massive pyramids in the highly developed city.

Conversely, a 500-year drying trend, including a drought of more than 150 years, coincided with rapid population decline in Teotihuacan around 550 CE. The drought likely impacted spring-fed agriculture practices in the semi-arid Mexican Highlands.

“We can’t say with certainty that other social factors were drivers of the cultural change, but we now have well-dated and robust climate information to compare,” said Lachniet. “Climate change was the norm for the region dating back thousands of years, and similar variations are to be expected for the future.”

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While shared-ride transportation is inherently eco-friendly, many members of The GO Group, the world’s largest airport shuttle provider, are going one step further.

GO companies serving San Francisco International, Seattle-Tacoma International, Milwaukee’s GeneralMitchell International, Dallas-Ft. Worth and Puerto Rico’s Luis Munoz Marin International are converting all or part of their fleets to alternative fuels – either compressed natural gas (CNG) or propane.

While GO companies in Los Angeles (serving all southern California airports) and Chicago (serving Midway and O’Hare) also are in the process of doing so. CNG is a fossil fuel, while propane is a by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining.  Both burn cleaner than gasoline or diesel fuels, although CNG is considered the cleaner of the two.

Companies that convert to alternative fuels can earn a 50 cents-per-gallon tax credit as well other incentives from local government and the airports. GO Shuttle Express in Seattle, which has 43 propane-fueled vehicles, began the conversion process last January and has 20 more systems to install.

According to J. R. Rowley, president of GO Shuttle Express, the fuel saving has been around $2 per gallon.  Maintenance costs, however, have been slightly higher due to the learning curve. In San Francisco, GO Lorries has adapted 16 vans to CNG, with another 28 to be retrofitted for CNG by May. ”The conversions are expensive,” says Julio Bonilla, president, “but the fuel savings mitigate the cost.”

As of December, GO Riteway Transportation Group in Milwaukee has moved 21 of its 500-vehicle fleet to propane, experiencing a $7,000 fuel savings since October. According to Jason Ebert, fleet and facilities coordinator, the maintenance costs are lower as oil changes can now be performed every 7,000 rather than every 5,000 miles as in the past.

Ebert reports one reason GO Riteway opted for propane is that it is 90 percent as efficient as gasoline, which allows for a greater vehicle range than CNG, which is only 31 percent efficient.  Also, the cost of a propane conversion is one third less than the cost of a CNG conversion.

The GO Group LLC is a one-stop source for airport shuttles, which transport some 13 million passengers to and from airports in the United States, Mexico, Canada and Europe.

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Illegal immigration was the fastest growing federal arrest offense between 2005 and 2009, increasing an average rate of 23 percent each year, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced today. In 2009, 84,749 suspects were arrested and booked for immigration offenses, up from 38,041 in 2005.

A federal arrest is a formal charge of violating federal law. Persons who were apprehended, detained, released or deported without a formal arrest charge were not included in the number of federal suspects arrested and processed.

During 2009, a record 183,986 suspects were arrested for federal offenses, up from 140,200 in 2005 and nearly double the 83,324 suspects arrested in 1995. Illegal immigration (46 percent) was the most common offense at arrest in 2009, followed by drug (17 percent) and supervision (13 percent) violations.

More than half (56 percent) of all federal arrests occurred in the five federal judicial districts along the U.S.-Mexico border: Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and Western and Southern Texas. The federal caseload handled in these five districts in 2009 comprised more than a third of all federal defendants prosecuted (35 percent), convicted (35 percent) and sentenced to prison (37 percent).

Most federal defendants (77 percent) in cases terminated in 2009 had been detained prior to case disposition. Defendants were most likely to be detained when charged with immigration (95 percent), violent crime (87 percent), weapons (82 percent), and drug (81 percent) offenses. About 88 percent of defendants charged in the five judicial districts along the U.S.-Mexico border were detained in 2009.

Of the 193,234 matters concluded by U.S. attorneys in 2009, two out of three involved immigration (46 percent) or drug (20 percent) offenses. Immigration matters concluded increased an annual average of 31 percent since 2005, while drug matters declined an annual average of 1.4 percent.

About 48 percent of suspects in matters concluded were prosecuted by U.S. attorneys in 2009, compared to 60 percent of suspects in 2005. One reason for the decrease in prosecution by U.S. attorneys is the growth in immigration matters disposed by U.S. magistrates. About 67 percent of immigration offenders were disposed by U.S. magistrates in 2009, up from 46 percent in 2005.

Of the 95,000 federal cases concluded in 2009, 40 percent were represented by a public defender (up from 22 percent in 1995), 36 percent by a panel-appointed attorney (up from 32 percent in 1995) and 21 percent by a private attorney (down from 37 percent in 1995). Among cases terminated with a public defender in 2009, nearly 49 percent involved immigration offenses.

About 95,900 federal defendants were adjudicated in 2009, and most were convicted following a guilty plea (88 percent) or a bench or jury trial (3 percent). The median time from case filing to disposition was 6.5 months in 2009.

More than three-quarters (78 percent) of convicted defendants were sentenced to prison in 2009. The average prison term imposed on federal offenders in 2009 was 57 months, down from 61 months in 2005. Prison sentences in 2009 were an average of 82 months for drug offenses, compared to 113 months for violent offenses and 87 months for weapons offenses.

At year-end 2009, 393,810 persons were under some form of federal supervision. Of these, 62 percent were in secure confinement and 38 percent were in the community. Of offenders under active federal post-conviction supervision in the community, the majority of offenders (98,465) were on supervised release, compared to probation (22,748) and parole (2,158).

The number of federal prisoners age 55 and older nearly doubled, from 8,221 in 2000 to 15,323 in 2009. The median age of prisoners increased from age 35 in 2000 to age 37 in 2009. Most federal prisoners in 2009 were male (93 percent), black non-Hispanic (37 percent), and U.S. citizens (74 percent).

The reports, Federal Justice Statistics, 2009 and Federal Justice Statistics, 2009 – Statistical Tables, were written by BJS statistician Mark Motivans. The reports, related documents and additional information about the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ statistical publications and programs can be found on the BJS website at http://www.bjs.gov/.

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A top Mexican drug cartel figure “El Diego” was captured in northern Mexico, federal officials reported.

Jose Antonio Acosta Hernandez, a key drug cartel figure, also known as “El Diego” was caught in the northern city of Chihuahua according to Ramon Pequeno, the head of the federal police anti-drug unit. He was one of the country’s most wanted criminals, with officials offering a reward of 15 million pesos ($1.3 million) for his arrest.

Acosta is also a suspect in last year’s slaying of a U.S. consulate near a border crossing in Ciudad Juarez. Felipe Calderon, Mexican President, stated on Twitter about Acosta’s capture. He said that with Acosta’s capture happened “the biggest blow” to organized crime in Ciudad Juarez since he sent almost 5,000 federal police to the city in April 2010 in order to try to curb violence in one of the world’s most dangerous cities.

Pequeno said at the press conference that “El Diego” told federal police he ordered 1,500 killings. Investigators believe he also was the mastermind of an attack last year that killed a U.S. consulate employee, her husband and the husband of another consulate worker in Ciudad Juarez.

U.S. prosecutors also want to try him in mention name of case. A federal indictment filed in the western district of Texas says Acosta and nine others conspired to kill the three. The head of federal police anti-drug unit stated he expects an extradition request from the U.S. government.

Until now, Mexican authorities have identified Acosta as head of La Linea; a gang of hit men and corrupt police officers who act as enforcers for the Juarez Cartel. According to the Mexican police, Acosta acknowledged he ordered many notorious crimes such as the detonation of a July 2010 car bomb and a massacre that killed 15 people, mostly teenagers, at a birthday party, both in Ciudad Juarez.

The northwestern Mexican state of Chihuahua, which contains the namesake capital city as well as Juarez, has been a hotbed for drug-related violence. The federal government has been targeting cartels’ operations, and especially its leaders, in an ongoing battle.

Mexican authorities have arrested several others they accuse of being connected to the slayings of three people connected with the consulate last year.

Ciudad Juarez has been the scene of bloody turf battles between the Juarez and Sinaloa drug cartels as well as the street gangs allied with them. The city is also the site of widespread poverty and violence, including an infamous series of unsolved murders of female factory workers.

The violence generated by the drug war translated into more than 2,600 killings in 2008. More than 1,600 of them occurred in Juárez; three times more than the most murderous city in the United States. Between February 17–19, 2011, 53 people were killed, including four police officers. State attorney general’s office spokesman Arturo Sandoval said “This is the worst violence we’ve seen this year.”

The increase in violence left city morgues overwhelmed, causing trouble for storing bodies. As of February 20, 2011, Juárez averages eight homicides per day.

Frontpage / Shutterstock.com

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Last time the US soccer team faced Mexico they went home with a lost in the Gold Cup Final.  Months have passed and changes needed to be made, first change coming with the termination of Bob Bradley as coach.  Now Jurgen Klinsmann has taken over as coach, former player and coach of Germany and their first match came to day against Mexico, their main rival on this side of the world.

The US is missing main players who have been around in the past and Mexico’s full squad is also not out there playing in today’s game.  Much remains to be seen if Jurgen Klinsmann can in fact build this team up, one day becoming a major player in national soccer around the world.

As for today’s game, the first half was relatively uneventful and the US team doesn’t seem to have an identity as of yet.  They play and run around not sure of themselves or what is asked of them from the new coach, who has stated that he doesn’t really believe in one particular approach.  The first half was not played with much passion, at the same time though, the Mexican team squeezed in one goal out of nowhere by a player who was being guarded by the son of former head coach Michael Bradley.

Throughout this game, it is important to keep in mind that this is a friendly game between the two teams, much left to be determined in how both teams will look in the future.  Both coaches are trying out different players to see what they have and who will contribute in the future.

The 2^nd half showed us much of the same on the American side that can’t hold on to the ball. They finished with no shots on goal in the first half and Mexico continued to dominate in the onset of the 2^nd half.  In the 55^th minute, Dos Santos was brought in as a substitute and the action picked up for a while after that change was made.

The first sub on the American side came in the 59^th minute when we saw an 18 year old player by the name of Agudelo, he then proceeded to bring a little bit of excitement with a 40 yard run towards goal.  Maybe this will be a youth movement for the American team trying to cultivate talent with an eye to the future. Tim Howard at the age of 32 still remains the guy at goal for the American side; he has not been tested much aside for that early goal in the first half.

In the 73^rd minute, the youth movement made an impact with a goal by Robbie Rodgers.  A beautiful sequence starting with Agudelo, then a brilliant play by another young sub named Brek Shea, finished off by Rodgers who scored on an empty net.

The intensity picked up tremendously after the equalizer by the American team who seemed to have settled down.  Torres and Donovan are playing like the best players on the field along with Agudelo and Brek Shea.

In the 86^th minute, Robbie Rodgers got behind the defenders of the Mexican team in a play in which the Mexican defender should have been red carded- but was spared by the referee after he pulled down the faster American player…A wonderful opportunity for the Americans after the penalty, but no results after hitting the ball into the wall.

The game came to an end 1-1 and although this was a friendly, the 2^nd half should be encouraging to the new coach and fans of American soccer.  There are young players to build with along with their best player Donovan.  A good introduction to American fans for the new coach.

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Former Hills star Kristen Cavallari, and fiancé Jay Cutler will not be walking down the aisle any time soon. The engagement was recently called off, the question being, by whom? Sources say that it was the Chicago Bears quarterback who ended the relationship.

The couple began dating last fall and were together for less than a year when he popped the question. 28 year old Cutler made sure to get approval from Cavallari’s parents, before proposing during a romantic getaway to Mexico in April. “I think we both knew from the moment we met that we wanted to marry each other,” Cavallari star, 24, openly stated back in May.

“It’s been a great situation.”Cavallari had already begun to plan for the wedding. Bridal registries were set up at Crate & Barrel and Williams-Sonoma, her gown for their spring wedding was picked out, their registry was posted, and they threw an engagement party last weekend.

Although this has been a upsetting time, Kristin seems to be moving forward and was recently seen enjoying herself with friends and treating herself to retail therapy in Beverly Hills. Kristin may have thought her dream wedding was about to come true, but she may have saved herself from a marriage nightmare.

Sources close to the couple reveal that the two would sometimes get into heated arguments. Kristin did not always agree with his actions and the ways he treated others.

Both Cavallari and Cutler have remained silent on the details of their split but Kristin is shooting down the rumors that claimed she called him names and accused him of faking his knee injury. In an effort to set the record straight, she tweeted “I never said ANYTHING about Jay’s knee injury. I’ve always backed him 100%. Stop trying to start s**t. I know he was seriously hurt.”

Left Eyed Photography / Shutterstock.com

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Texas has executed a Mexican-born man on July 7, ignoring appeals made by the U.S. Supreme Court, President Obama, and Mexico to spare the convicted murderer’s life in order to protect U.S. interests abroad.

Humberto Leal Garcia, 38 was convicted of the rape and murder of a 16-year-old San Antonio girl in 1994. He was executed by lethal injection at a Texas death chamber in Huntsville.

Leal suffered from brain damage and was sexually abused by a priest as a child. On May 21, 1994, Leal kidnapped, raped, and murdered Adria Sauceda. Sauceda was at a party where she became intoxicated and a group of men gang-raped her. According to the case, Leal offered her a ride home and the two struggled when Sauceda tried to get out of the car.

Both forensic evidence and witness statements tied Leal to the crime. In statements to police, he acknowledged fighting with Sauceda and pushing her to the ground, where he said she hit her head.

At the time of his arrest, Leal was not informed that, as a Mexican citizen, he was entitled to assistance from a Mexican counsel. However, Leal had not revealed his Mexican citizenship, and the issue of consular access was not raised during the trial. The failure to inform Leal of his rights created legal controversy.

Shortly before Leal’s trip to the death chamber, the Supreme Court rejected, by 5-4, an appeal from the White House to stop the execution on the grounds that it was in breach of an international convention governing the treatment of foreigners who are arrested and would therefore cause “irreparable harm” to U.S. interests abroad.

“That breach would have serious repercussions for United States foreign relations, law-enforcement and other co-operation with Mexico, and the ability of American citizens travelling abroad to have the benefits of consular assistance in the event of detention,” the court brief said.

But, Stephen Hoffman, an assistant attorney general for Texas, said in a brief to the Supreme Court: “Leal’s argument is nothing but a transparent attempt to evade his impending punishment.”

A number of retired military officers, diplomats and prominent Republicans backed the appeal. Maintaining the integrity of an international treaty protecting the legal rights of Americans abroad was more important than delivering swift justice to one criminal, no matter how depraved.

Donald J. Guter, a retired rear admiral in the Navy’s Judge Advocate General Corps, called the case terrible and said he had no sympathy for Garcia.

“I’m looking to protect American citizens and American service members who travel overseas, and making sure they have the protection of the treaty,” Guter said.

Texas Governor Rick Perry declined to intervene in the Leal case and the Texas Board of Paroles and Pardons voted on Tuesday, July 5 to allow the execution to proceed.

“Texas is not bound by a foreign court’s ruling,” said Katherine Cesinger, a spokeswoman for Perry. “If you commit the most heinous of crimes in Texas, you can expect to face the ultimate penalty under our laws.”

Currently, the U.S. government is working to limit the diplomatic fallout that has taken place since the execution in hopes that American interests abroad will not have to be subject to any harm.

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Perhaps you are in search of a vacation location that meets that human natural need for the gratifying warmth of sun and the enchantment of serenity. If you haven’t already met, I’d like to introduce to a place called Nuevo Vallarta located in the Mexico in the state of Nayarit. As a Mexican resort residential area, Neuvo Vallarta is situated right near the better known Puerto Vallarta.

Having the amazing fortune of spending part of my winter break (December) in the beautiful site of Nuevo Vallarta I have a taste of what you may experience in this stunning location.

Neuvo Vallarta acts as a keeper of an almost endless list of hidden treasures; it’s a location wherein you sense an atmosphere of complete serenity and isolation yet the landscape and overall character of the resort town keeps one feeling warmth and comfort. That warmth is in large part due to the almost consistently present sun nonetheless, the people that manage the array of resorts and other locals offer an undeniable spirit of hospitality.

The eye-catching city can emit an atmosphere of calm and comfort within the resort areas or a large sense of bustle. A bus-ride-away, downtown Puerto Vallarta is home to busy streets and souvenirs galore while also presenting a vast display of dazzling artwork including sand sculptures along its beach shore.  By inhabiting one the many resorts in Neuvo Vallarta a traveller can easily find that balance between serenity and business.

Nuevo Vallarta is a destination  emulating that of an exquisite piece of artwork; the sand that meets the crystal-esque waters is breathtaking and looks as if gold were sprinkled across its surface.  It’s a place wherein you can venture through its nooks and crannies and discover the essence of simplicity and beauty.

While there with my family we traveled from the resort area along the shore only to find a small town with Mexican culture at its core. Bucerias is a small fishing town also located in the state of Nayarit. The charming town is home to cobblestone streets, various street vendors and an infectious community feel.

While there my family and I had the pleasure of stepping in a small candy shop and meeting the owner plus her spunky canine companion Chocolate. While sharing pleasant conversation, sampling sweet treats and playing with the owner’s dog it’s easy to feel at home in this gem of a town.  Nuevo Vallarta is located so well that entering upon places of hustle and bustle like Puerto Vallarta or places of a joyful peace, one can find it in convenience.

At the end of the day, my family and I would retreat to our resort home at The Villa del Palmar Flamingos Beach Resort and Spa. Each morning I looked forward to looking out at perfectly warm weather and daily resort events.  While big news within the resort town isn’t as frequent as it is in bigger areas, the daily resort activities from volleyball to salsa dancing classes offer different excitement each day.

Nuevo Vallarta, while quaint, has standout qualities that are difficult to go unrecognized once you meet the resort town.   So go ahead, if you haven’t met already, find your vacation time, hotel reservations, plane tickets and luggage for your trip to Nuevo Vallarta; the town is a unique treasure that is likely to delight you.

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At the tip of Baja California’s 1000 mile long peninsula lies Cabo San Lucas, known for one thing, at least in my area of expertise: hard partying. With a permanent population, according to the 2010 Census, of approximately 69,000, the Mexican getaway is a renowned holiday destination for the young and the restless.

Thus, where better to spend the All-American Independence Day weekend than in the most American city south of the border. All residents speak at least conversational English, even street peddlers and cab drivers, and the fear of drug war rampant in other parts of the country entirely absent.

Naturally, in booking my accommodations, I went for the resort celebrated for hosting boisterous festivities. ME Cabo Hotel and Resort surfaced a number of times during my quest, a fact which was reaffirmed upon arrival. I landed Sunday afternoon, just in time for the Stars and Stripes jamboree, and, with a poolside cabana, I was instantly projected into the heart of the insanity.

A deejay pumped out bass-heavy beats on a terrace over-looking the ocean, while beautiful girls in coordinated body paint kept the party alive. Drinks could be got either from the copious (and patient) wait staff or from the swim-up pool bar located in the center of the grandiose, balmy oasis. Finally, around midnight, the deejay sadly stowed his turntables as the last stragglers crawled inside to shower and continue their partying in Downtown Cabo.

Despite all the fun, that’s not all there is to ME Cabo. The tropical retreat boasts one of the best hot oil massages I’ve ever had the pleasure of enduring, along with a full menu of other delights from their in-house spa. Speaking of menus, ME’s collaborator Nikki Beach, located within and just beachside of the resort, never fails to serve up a mean plate of sushi and regional pleasures.

With several additional locations in the South of France, Las Vegas, and Miami, Nikki Beach never fails to serve it up hot and cool it right back down with a well-blended arrangement of classic cocktails.

Most importantly, the resort features the sort of customer service you generally find in a third world country, founded on a culturally innate generosity rather than corporate-driven greed. Thus, service is sometimes a bit slow, in that tropical manner, but with beautiful touches.

All rooms are well laid out with LED flat-screen televisions and enormous shower heads (a courteous feature I always look for), but the most impressionable detail was the delectably fresh strawberries dunked in creamy white chocolate delivered upon arrival, free of charge, and paired with slow roasted Latin coffee. Paraíso.

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The great state of Texas executed a man last week. In and of itself, this is hardly newsworthy. However, this particular man was a citizen of Mexico and not of the United States. This single execution could lead to a foreign crisis.

Humberto Leal Garcia, 38, was convicted of the rape and murder of a 16-year-old San Antonio girl in 1994. He was sentenced to death and has remained on death row since that time. A U.N.-backed tribunal court ruled in 2004 that Garcia was one of dozens of Mexican nationals sentenced to death by U.S. courts who had been denied their right to legal help from the Mexican consulate, violating a U.N. treaty.

The U.S. is part of a treaty that grants the right of consular assistance to all foreigners charged with a crime.  The U.N. court’s decision was even endorsed by then-President George W. Bush. However, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the U.N. decision, stating only Congress had the power to force states to review criminal cases.

Obama administration lawyers and a number of foreign policy experts expressed concern over the execution. However, Garcia was executed by lethal injection at the Texas death chamber in Huntsville despite the concerns.

In June, Sen. Patrick Leahy introduced legislation to force state courts to review the cases of Mexican nationals, but no further action has been taken on the bill. Late Thursday afternoon, the Supreme Court rejected a petition by U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr., who stated in a brief that Garcia’s execution violated international law and could do “irreparable harm” to U.S. foreign policy interests. Verrilli argued that the court should grant Garcia a stay of execution until Congress could vote on Sen. Leahy’s legislation.

In a 5-4 decision, the court rejected his argument. “Our task is to rule on what the law is, not what it might eventually be,” the unsigned majority decision declared. A dissent by Justice Stephen Breyer, however, said that the majority was “wrong in each respect” in its decision to reject the petition.

A number of legal experts, military officials and prominent Republicans backed the appeal. Donald J. Guter, a retired rear admiral in the Navy’s Judge Advocate General Corps, who signed a letter endorsing the Obama administration’s appeal, called the case “terrible” and said he had “no sympathy” for Garcia.

“I’m looking to protect American citizens and American service members who travel overseas, and making sure they have the protection of the treaty,” said Guter, now president and dean of the South Texas College of Law. “I think we need to take a step back and ask what principle is at stake here, and what’s best for American citizens,” he said.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry declined to intervene in the Garcia case, and the Texas Board of Paroles and Pardons voted on Tuesday to allow the execution to proceed.  ”Texas is not bound by a foreign court’s ruling,” said Katherine Cesinger, a spokeswoman for Perry. “If you commit the most heinous of crimes in Texas, you can expect to face the ultimate penalty under our laws.”

Remember Michael Fay? He was the American that was lashed six times in Singapore for vandalism. The canings created an international controversy. Most Americans were outraged that Singapore punished the American teenager.

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The CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament wrapped up their quarterfinal matches Sunday and are one step closer to the finals match-up everyone has been looking forward to: United States vs. Mexico.

These two teams were undoubtedly the best in the field coming into the group stage, and are keeping up their reputation as the tournament moves forward. Fans on either side of the border have been patiently waiting for this blockbuster match-up since both teams met their unfortunate fates in the world cup last year.

The United States made their way out of group play, even after a stumble in their 2-1 loss to Panama. The went on to face Jamaica in the quarterfinals, but a solid defensive effort and another good day in net from goalkeeper Tim Howard pushed them on to a semi-finals rematch with Panama. Onlookers believe the U.S. Will bring a better effort this time and prove to be very tough to deal with. They have their eyes fixed on the favorites: Mexico.

Mexico, behind star Manchester United striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, blasted their way through group play with a +13 goal differential. Though Guatemala kept it close in the semi-finals, they were quick work for the Mexican nationals as well. Mexico will match up with Honduras in the next round, but their potent attack should most definitely be enough to put them over the top and into the finals.

If there’s one thing fans must know about tournament soccer, it is in fact that any team can put on a spectacular effort for 90 minutes to beat any other, no matter how improbable it may seem. Panama is the key example. They have already beaten the United States in this very tournament, so obviously there is no guarantee there. In fact, it is tough to even consider the U.S. As a heavy favorite in the match, as they have not looked quite as sharp as they did in 2010.

The favorites do not always win in any sport, but this match-up just seems to want to happen. Hopefully for fans sake, the stars will align, and this heavyweight bout will indeed take place. If both teams can take care of business, expect some serious action on the pitch at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on June 25^th.

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El Chupacabra, the infamous vampire creature first discovered in the mid-1990’s, is not real, according to one expert.  Well-published writer and skeptic Benjamin Radford, author of several books on monsters and paranormal phenomena and managing editor of the journal The Skeptical Inquirer and LiveScience columnist, has released what he says to be definitive proof that El Chupacabra is not real, but rather a forgotten memory from the 1995 sci-fi film Species.

The bipedal alien-like creature was first spotted in Puerto Rico in 1995 when two goats were found drained of all their blood. Since then, El Chupacabra, Spanish for goat sucker, has turned up in many different iterations from Mexico to Florida to Texas, whenever livestock turn up dead.

Radford reported noticing a strong resemblance to the alien/human hybrid in Species to the alleged vampire creature.   When he spoke to El Chupacabra’s first reported victim Madelyne Tolentino, he asked her if the thing that she saw could have been inspired by the film. She admitted that she had seen the movie in the weeks prior to making her description.  “You can make a direct connection between the film hitting theaters, her seeing the creature in the film, seeing it in the street, making the report and entering the public conscious,” Radford said.

After speaking with Tolentino, Radford went on to the other reported sightings, none of which were described nearly the same as the original. One farmer in Texas even managed to shoot a predator he believed to be El Chupacabra but DNA tests revealed it was a coyote with a severe case of mange.   “By the mid-2000s, anything weird was being called El Chupacabra,” he said. “Mangy coyotes. Dead raccoons. Even a dried fish in New Mexico, which looks nothing like El Chupacabra.”

Other skeptics have also pointed out that if El Chupacabra were real, they would need a lot of food.  If they were vampires, you would expect to find more blood-drained carcasses than the sporadic findings throughout the years.

Not all are convinced of Radford’s theory though.  A resemblance to a movie character is hardly “definitive proof” as Radford advertised. Radford defends his theory against that argument.  “The question then becomes which is more likely, the astronomical chance that this creature looks exactly like the one from ‘Species,’ or that the film is just where she got the depiction?”  Radford questioned.

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An international watchdog group warned federal governments to increase their efforts to crack down on so-called designer drugs.  The International Narcotics Control Board released its annual report in March and stated that governments need to monitor abuse trends and make new substances illegal as soon as possible.

“Given the health risks posed by the abuse of designer drugs, we urge governments to adopt national control measures to prevent the manufacture, trafficking in and abuse of these substances,” said Hamid Ghodse, the board’s president.

Designer drugs are easily made by changing the molecular structure of illegal substances to create a new product with a similar effect.   One such designer drug is the party drug mephedrone, sometimes also known as “meow meow,” whose results are reported to be comparable to cocaine, amphetamine and ecstasy.  Europe is currently monitoring 16 new drugs for abuse potential.  Japan recently placed 51 drugs under national control, according to the report.

“They can be easily manufactured, as instructions on their manufacture and a description of their pharmacological effects are often found on the Internet,” the report said, adding governments should consider making groups of substances illegal at a time to slow the process of finding replacements for them.

The United States is still a prime destination for shipments of illegal drugs, according to the report.  The U.S. saw an increase in the abuse of all drugs except for cocaine in 2009 and an increase in the illegal distribution of prescription medications.  According to government data, so-called pain clinics in some states dispense or prescribe large amounts of prescription opioids to people with no need for them.   The large profits produced by the illegal drug trade allow criminal groups to engage in large-scale corruption that includes paying off police to let them operate more freely, the report found.  This can influence the credibility and competence of a country’s criminal justice system and weaken the rule of law. It also can undermine international cooperation to crack down on drugs. A prime example of this is seen in Mexico where corruption continues to block efforts to fight drug trafficking.  Africa has seen an increase in all types of drug abuse, meanwhile east and Southeast Asia saw an increase in trafficking, production and abuse of synthetic drugs.

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Jaime Jorge Zapata, a 32 years old US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agent, was killed on February 15th during a drug gang attack in Mexico.

He and his colleague, Victor Avila, were driving on a Mexican highway on the way between Monterrey and Mexico City, in the state of Saint Luis Potosì, when their vehicle was forced by the members of the Mexican drug cartel known as Los Zetas, which opened fire against the ICE agents in an ambush. Agent Avila was only injured at the leg while Jaime Zapata, shoot five times in the chest, died.

He joined ICE in 2006 and was temporary assigned to the ICE attaché office of the US Embassy in Mexico City, to the human smuggling and trafficking unit. About 30 are the ICE agents in Mexico, and they are not authorized by the Mexican Government to carry firearms.

The Los Zetas drug gang members have been identified as the liable of the ambush and have been arrested by the Mexican authorities right after the attack. They are .Julian Zapata Espinoza, the gang’s leader, Jesus Ivan Quesada Pena, Ruben Diario Venegas, both of Honduras; Armando Alvarez Saldana, Mario Dominguez Realeo and Martin Barcenas Tapia, all of Mexico.

Other two alleged leads Sergio “El Toto” Mora and Luis Miguel Rojo have been arrested one week later with the charge of been also connected with the killing. During the raid on four safe houses in the San Luis Potosì area were seized five rifles, a handgun, an indeterminate amount of cash, ammunition clips and five vehicles, including a bulletproof one. In addition were seized also payroll forms for the gunmen who belonged to the gang.

The leader of the gang, Julian Zapata Espinoza nicknamed the “Tweety bird”, declared that the attack was just a case of mistaken identity,they thought the two US Immigration agents belonged to a rival drug cartel gang of Mexico, he officially said. The incident remains under investigation, but officials have said that the team of gunmen opened fire after Zapata showed his US government identification.

Anyway the announcement of the arrests made by the Mexican authorities have been welcome by the US authorities as a sign of collaboration and development.

“We are encouraged by this action and appreciate the efforts by Mexico to bring Special Agent Zapata’s killers to justice” said the ICE Director John Morton .“ It is important to remember that this is an ongoing investigation, and we will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners in Mexico and in the United States as it unfolds. We continue to hold the Zapata family in our thoughts and prayers, and look forward to a swift resolution of this case,” he added.

Mexico and USA will keep working together to solve the case. President Obama thanked the Mexican President Felipe Calderon for the efforts that his country is doing to bring to justice the murders of the US agent Zapata.

The fact that the two countries can work so closely is a good demonstration of the collaboration of ICE and the Mexican authorities in the struggle to smuggling and drug traffic,which has meant the death of an agent who was there to do his hard work.

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In October last year, a 20-year-old student was sworn in as police chief of Praxedis Guadalupe Guerrero, a township of only 8.500 people but know as one of the most violent places in the country. The border town is victim of the intense drug war that plagues several areas of Mexico but which is especially present around the northern borders as well as some pacific states. Marisol Valles Garcia, who was studying for a criminology degree, was allegedly given the position because “she was the only person to accept,” according to an official.

Her task was difficult from the beginning. Alongside 12 police officers, Valles intended to confront narco-gangsters who had been battling for control over the town’s single highway. The violence had seen bodies piling up around the region and everything from police officers to a former mayer had been killed – one of Valles predecessors had even been decapitated.

The young woman attracted worldwide attention as the bravest woman in Mexico and claimed that she did not carry a gun or wear a uniform to avoid provoking the drug gangs that operated in the area. She also said she would leave major crimes to bigger authorities and when asked why she had taken the position, she told the BBC that she took the role despite the risks involved because she felt Mexican citizens had a responsibility to try to improve security.

The city of Praxedis is close to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico’s most violent city, where more than 3.000 people were killed in drug-related violence in 2010 alone, according to the BBC. The brutality of the region is due to the lucrative smuggling routes into the US, and the power of the cartels grew as the US stepped up anti-narcotics efforts. It is estimated that as much as 90% of the cocaine consumed in the US arrives through Mexico.

Marisol Valles Garcia went missing after having ask for a three-day leave to take care of her baby son – when she didn’t show up for work, the mayor of Praxedis, G. Guerrero, fired her, according to the New York Times.

After some initial speculation of her whereabouts, it turned out that Valles and her family had crossed the bridge into El Paso and was now seeking asylum in the US after apparently having received death threats. The US Customs and Immigration Enforcement agency (ICE) confirmed that Ms Valles was in the country; “She will have the opportunity to present the facts of her case before an impartial immigration judge,” and ICE official told Reuters. The town officials, however, had been curiously unalarmed by their police chief fleeing the country, a position which Gustavo de la Rosa Hickerson, a state human rights ombudsman, has criticized as an “act of abandonment” to the New York Times.

Despite Ms Valles dismissal, it is hard to blame her for her actions. When the Mexican government unveiled a new database which catalogues murders presumed to be linked to organized crime, it listed a total of 34.612 people having been killed over the past four years in drug-related violence. 2010 was especially bloody with 15.273 murders alone.

Many Mexicans are starting to doubt President Felipe Calderon’s strategy towards the illegal drugs trade because violence have escalated ever since the crackdown on the cartels began in 2006.

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