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China Gets Closer: FAW To Build Cars in Mexico

Date posted: 11-26-2007

CHANGCHUN, China "” FAW Group, China's second-largest automaker, has announced that it will partner with Grupo Elektra to build and sell cars in Mexico.

FAW is partnered in China with Volkswagen/Audi, Toyota and Mazda, but plans to sell cars under its own brand name in Mexico. Grupo Elektra will begin importing FAW-branded subcompacts, and the partners expect to begin local assembly in 2010.

Grupo Elektra is a subsidiary of Grupo Salinas, one of the top retail, finance and communications companies in Latin America.

The partners plan to invest $150 million in the assembly plant, which will be located in the state of MichoacÃ¡n. Annual capacity will be 100,000. The plant will supply Mexico and Central America.

So far, there has been no mention of plans to sell vehicles in the U.S., although a joint press release said the Mexican cars will have "state of the art" safety and emissions-control technology.

Chinese media reports say the partners will build a version of FAW's Xiali Weizhi (C1) sedan. Initially, the imported FAW models will be priced in Mexico starting at about $6,000.

Another Chinese manufacturer, Zhongxing, and its U.S. partner have announced plans to assemble trucks and SUVs in Mexico but have not released any further details.

What this means to you: Chinese manufacturers are beginning to see Mexico as a stepping stone to the U.S. market. "” Hu Lei, Correspondent

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Canada-Mexico university partnership unites newest and oldest graduate business schools

Academic cooperation agreement ceremony today in Mexico City

FREDERICTON, NB, Nov. 20 /CNW Telbec/ - The University of Fredericton,
Canada's newest university, is partnering with Universidad Iberoamericana
(UIA) to offer a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and an Executive
Master of Business Administration (EMBA) program that will provide managers in
Mexico the opportunity to continue working while earning an international
degree. The first 20 students from the MBA program at UIA will begin courses
in January 2008, taking advantage of this new form of globally accessible
business education.
"We push the boundaries to deliver engaging, challenging and relevant
learning experiences that are responsive to the needs of our learners," said
University of Fredericton president Glenn McInnes. "Through this program,
students will be able to interact in real time with their peers worldwide,
gaining an immediate, practical, global perspective on course material."
The partnership signing ceremony will be reported on Pablo Boullosa's
popular TV Azteca television show Domingo 7, and the University of Fredericton
plans to offer 10 $7,500 scholarships through a foundation that helps
Tarahumara Indians improve their lives.
"Just as Canada's economic competitiveness can be improved through the
use of advanced technologies and innovation to provide access to higher
education to everyone in Canada, we hope to make this UIA-University of
Fredericton online EMBA program available to all those people in Mexico who
cannot otherwise access education so they can become leaders, entrepreneurs,
innovative managers, strong communicators, and builders of new forms of
economic sustainability in Mexico," said Mtro. Jorge Smeke Zwaiman, Maestria
en Direccion de Empresas (MBA Program Coordinator), Universidad
Iberoamericana.
The Academic Cooperation Agreement Ceremony takes place at 5:00 p.m. on
Tuesday, November 20 at Universidad Iberoamericana. An online course
demonstration for students will follow at 6:00 p.m.

Universidad Iberoamericana is a private higher education institution
founded in 1943 by the Society of Jesus with a main library, Biblioteca
Francisco Xavier Clavijero, that holds more than 400,000 books, magazines and
journals and is the largest library in a private university in Mexico, with
some of the books dating back to the arrival of the Spaniards.

The University of Fredericton is Canada's newest university. It offers a
wholly online Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) program in
Collaborative Leadership and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) program
in Leadership, both of which utilize the latest technology to meet the
business education needs of students globally with minimum disruption to their
personal and professional lives. For more information, please visit
www.UniversityFredericton.ca.
For further information: or to arrange for an interview, please contact:
Linda Forrest, inmedia Public Relations Inc., (613) 234-7227 ext. 234,
lforrest@inmedia.com

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Photos by SUSANA GONZÃ***/Special Contributor
Dancers entertain outside the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City during festivities leading up to the Dec. 12 feast day for the virgin.

After arriving at the Basilica of Guadalupe, some pilgrims touch an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Pilgrims from around the world flock to compound

Mexico City's Basilica of Guadalupe is second only to the Vatican for pilgrimages

12:25 PM CST on Sunday, November 25, 2007
By LAURENCE ILIFF / The Dallas Morning News
liliff@dallasnews.com

MEXICO CITY – Swirling toward the sky at the foot of a hillside just north of downtown is the Latin American Mecca, the sprawling Basilica of Guadalupe compound, home to both the modern basilica from the 1970s and its three-centuries-old predecessor.

Many U.S. churches have adopted the Guadalupe name, including one in Dallas, because Latin American immigrants are overwhelmingly guadalupaÃ±os who believe in the Virgin Mary's miraculous appearance before a humble Indian man, Juan Diego, in 1531.

Photos by SUSANA GONZÃ***/Special Contributor
Dancers entertain outside the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City during festivities leading up to the Dec. 12 feast day for the virgin. As proof of the miracle for a doubting bishop at the time, the virgin gave roses to Juan Diego, who held them in his tunic. When he opened it before the bishop, the flowers had transformed into the image of the dark-skinned virgin seen on posters, T-shirts and tattoos in Mexico, Latin America and, increasingly, in the U.S.

A church in the virgin's honor was ordered to be built, but it took almost 200 years. That tunic is on display at the Basilica of Guadalupe (formal name: Basilica de Santa MarÃa de Guadalupe), which is far more than an unusually shaped church for believers and nonbelievers alike.

It's one of the world's key religious sites and a wonderful and sometimes exotic place to visit.

Preparations are under way for the feast day of the virgin on Dec. 12, and millions will visit from near and far during a week in which groups with diverse interests and ties will carry out annual pilgrimages to honor a figure of hope and healing.

Although December is a time of great activity and huge crowds, pilgrimages and Catholic Mass are conducted daily.

Recently, armored-car personnel and taxi drivers draped wreaths and images of the virgin on their vehicles, which were parked near the basilica. Both professions are dangerous in Mexico City.

Outside the religious shrine is the "Guadalupe village," full of vendors selling Catholic icons, traditional food, handicrafts, chips, water, backpacks and just about anything else one could imagine in a Mexican market.

U.S. fast-food franchises are nearby.

The mixture of secular and Christian is very Mexican, although no vendors are allowed in the religious compound.

A sign in English warns American and Canadian tourists to dress appropriately when entering the church. "No shorts," it says. Tank tops are taboo; tennis shoes and jeans are acceptable if they are in good condition.

Another sign, in Spanish, bars balloons inside the church. Outside, however, children run around playing with them in the main plaza, adding a festive air.

During Mass in the basilica, the mood changes dramatically.

Reverence, thought and reflection are the order of the day as pilgrims line up for confession, to have religious or other objects blessed by a priest or to pin a milagro on the tunic of the figure of a saint.

The milagros, or miracles, are tiny representations, usually in metal, of what ails a person. They could be of a foot or an arm or a heart. They're all sold in the market outside the basilica.

Milagros are used to ask a favor of the virgin, and if the favor is granted, it often is repaid by a pilgrimage to the basilica, sometimes from far away, on foot, or on a bicycle or, when approaching the compound's entrance, on one's knees.

The new basilica is worth the journey just to see its round, dramatic shape designed by Mexican architect Pedro RamÃrez VÃ¡zquez. He also designed the Aztec soccer stadium that holds up to 100,000 people. The unusual church is somewhat more modest in its capacity, seating just 10,000, although it can handle standing-room-only crowds of up to 50,000.

After arriving at the Basilica of Guadalupe, some pilgrims touch an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe. "The architecture's form responds to its principle function: that of welcoming the thousands and thousands of pilgrims who come from every part of the world," reads a description of the church on the basilica's Web page. The roundness also represents "the idea of the universality of God," according to the site.

Functionality, however, is second to the sheer otherworldliness of the building.

The modern basilica, completed in 1976, is retro cool, like a huge flying saucer about to lift off into space with all aboard. It's also a welcome relief from the traditional, square Catholic churches that pepper the Mexican landscape.

And the extra capacity is not just wishful thinking on the part of church officials. The Basilica of Guadalupe is the second-most-visited Roman Catholic site in the world, after the Vatican, on the most Catholic continent on the globe.

Mexico has the world's second-largest Catholic population. Only Brazil's is larger.

During the coming holidays, the basilica will fill to capacity during Mass and spill onto the main plaza where external speakers echo off of several religious buildings in the compound.

One need not be Catholic or religious to feel the special energy of young people appealing to the virgin for admittance to college or the elderly seeking a health miracle.

And judging by the number of believers arriving on their knees to pay back favors, it seems to work for many.

But the modern basilica, although it's the center of activity, is only one of the compound's buildings and structures, each with its own history and charm.

The original basilica in honor of Guadalupe was built near where her miraculous appearance is said to have occurred, on the Tepayac hillside, where a similar Indian goddess, Tonantzin, was revered.

The replacement of Indian religious figures with Catholic ones sped the conversion of the local population after the arrival of the Spanish, religious scholars say.

The Ancient Basilica of Holy Mary of Guadalupe is next to the current basilica. It was finished in 1709 and is being restored, but it remains open.

Mexico City was built on lake beds. The basilica was sinking into the soft soil when church officials decided to erect a new building with pylons to prevent subsidence.

The basilica museum, behind the older church, houses 1,500 pieces of religious art, including paintings, sculptures and textiles. It also displays retablos, small paintings done by the faithful depicting a personal, often healing, experience at the hands of the virgin.

A hike up the hill (bring water) is the hillside chapel, the more precise site where Mary is said to have given Juan Diego the flowers to convince Bishop ZumÃ¡rraga, who didn't believe the virgin had appeared before the Indian.

The former convent of the Capuchinas, the female version of the Franciscans, is next to the original basilica and also suffered damage as one side sank more than the other. It was closed in the 1970s and leveled out, reopening in 1996.

Other structures at the compound:

"¢ The Indian parish is the oldest building on the site, dating to 1649.

"¢ The Small Spring Chapel was built over a spring where believers mistakenly believed the virgin appeared; they began bathing their wounds there, much to the chagrin of the church. The baroque chapel's construction ended the practice.

"¢ On the opposite side of the compound from the modern basilica is the bell tower, also designed by architect VÃ¡zquez. It has clocks that measure the time in different ways and a scene of Juan Diego and Bishop ZumÃ¡rraga.

"¢ La Ofrenda (The Offering) is a series of 17 sculptures of Guadalupe and Indian converts that represents the quick conversion of natives to Catholicism.

"¢ The "sail ship" of Marino is a monument to a miracle in which a ship from Spain was sinking off Mexico's Veracruz coast. Sailors prayed to the virgin of Guadalupe, and their lives were saved.

WHEN YOU GO

LOCATION, CONTACT

"¢ The Basilica of Guadalupe is at the northern tip of Mexico City, about 10 miles from downtown. It's just east of the main north-south thoroughfare, Insurgentes, in a working-class neighborhood, La Villa de Guadalupe. Check with your hotel for guided tours with transportation. Leave the basilica well before dark.

"¢ The official Web site (www.basilicadeguadalupe.org.mx) is in Spanish only. Or, call 011-52-5577-6022 and ask for an English speaker if you need one. A resource in English is www.sancta.org/basilica.html.
TRANSPORTATION

"¢ The only safe taxis are those associated with a hotel or with a formal taxi stand. The stand at the Sheraton hotel next to the U.S. Embassy in front of the Angel of Independence charges about $15 to go to the basilica. Ask for a cellphone number that you can call for a ride back, or arrange a time and a place for a return pickup. One option is to meet at the McDonald's a half-block from the basilica. If you don't have a cellphone, buy a prepaid phone card. From fixed phones, cell calls require 044 before the number. Note: La Villa is not a safe place to hail a street taxi. Public transportation back to downtown is safe.

"¢ The subway (Metro) is a great way to get around, but only if you avoid the commuter crush (7 to 10 a.m., 7 to 9 p.m. during the week). Put all your belongings in a backpack and wear the backpack backward on your chest. The basilica is a few blocks from the Metro station Deportivo 18 de Marzo, on the green line going toward the terminal station Indios Verdes from downtown. Exit on the east side of Insurgentes and go up the left side of the staircase. There are small "Basilica" signs to guide you. At the stoplight is Ricarte Street, which takes you directly to the church. The Metro station Basilica/La Villa is within a half-block of the church, but you have to change subway lines.

"¢ The Metrobus line is convenient because it runs through the downtown hotel zone, the Zona Rosa and between the hip Condesa-Roma neighborhoods along Insurgentes Avenue. Like the subway, it also stops at Deportivo 18 de Marzo. Bring change to buy the required Metrobus card.

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Peru, Mexico billionaire agree to buy $188 laptops

By Nate Mook, BetaNews
December 3, 2007, 11:58 AM

In a minor success for the struggling One Laptop Per Child project, the Peruvian government has agreed to purchase 260,000 laptops while Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim is buying 50,000 for distributing in his country.

MIT professor and OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte announced the deals over the weekend, adding that Slim is an "old friend" and has been involved in the effort since the beginning.

OLPC has run into a number of major problems, most notably the cost of its much-hyped $100 laptop rising to $188. Production delays meant the devices didn't start production in China until last month, and orders have fallen well short of expectations.

In response, OLPC instituted a "Give One, Get One" program which enables individuals to purchase two laptops for $400, with one being donated to a child in a developing country. Since November 12, Negroponte says the foundation has received almost $2 million in orders every day -- amounting to around 190,000 laptops.

It is the hope Negroponte that eventually the laptop can be produced for its original $100 price target. In the end, the project says about three million devices must be sold to make the project viable.

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Mexican mountains offer spectacular hikes to see monarch butterflies

CERRO PRIETO, Mexico - If you'd rather see butterflies on a mountaintop than slather yourself with sunblock on a tourist-packed beach in Cancun, Mexico is an ideal winter destination.

Ecotourism is drawing fans in the central states of Michoacan and Mexico, thanks to the spectacular yearly migration of millions of orange-and-black-winged monarch butterflies.

In delicate swarms, the butterflies head south from the U.S. and Canada to Mexico, where they drip from pine trees and coat mountainsides from November to late March. They gather in such astonishing numbers that cars passing the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve sometimes have to slow to speeds of only a few kilometres an hour to avoid splattering the delicate creatures on the windshield as they fly across the road.

"I have on many occasions seen Spaniards, Italians, Americans, Canadians, Mexicans come into the butterfly colonies and literally weep," said Lincoln Brower, a monarch expert at the University of Florida and Sweet Briar College in Sweet Briar, Va.

"It's such an overwhelming emotional experience to realize that you're actually looking at these tens of millions of monarch butterflies that have come into this tiny, little area of Mexico."

The Biosphere Reserve, a federally protected area nominated for World Heritage site status, spans more than 50,000 hectares across two states and costs less than US$5 to enter and $10 more for a guided tour. In some parts, visitors can trek about on rented horses and burros.

Communal farmers own the land and have the exclusive right to conduct tours. For that reason, many guides don't speak English - so bring a Spanish dictionary if you want to ask questions about the butterflies.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon plans to pump an extra $4.6 million into the reserve's $36.4 million budget this year, to improve infrastructure and make the area more tourist-friendly.

Four butterfly sanctuaries are open to the public on the property: El Rosario and Sierra Chincua in Michoacan, and El Capulin and La Mesa in Mexico state.

Brower, who has studied the flying insects for 52 years, recommends the Michoacan sanctuaries, which he says are among the most popular and offer amenities such as food, souvenirs and easy access by car. He suggests visitors go in February and March, when the butterflies perform an elaborate mating ritual.

"The males chase the females - they zoom around after them and catch them in the air and drop like a dead weight," Brower said. "Then the male flies off carrying the female, and he'll land up in the trees and mate for several hours."

Astrid Fisch, director of operations for Ecotours de Mexico, an environmentally conscious travel agency based in Puerto Vallarta, said she tells foreign clients to go on weekdays to avoid throngs of Mexican tourists.

Be prepared to hike anywhere from 20 minutes to over an hour or to ride a donkey. You can only reach the butterflies on paths laid by the reserve, and they congregate at extremely high altitudes - between 2,743 metres and 3,353 metres - so visitors should be in good enough physical condition to handle steep inclines.

If You Go . . .

Getting there: Visitors can fly to the Toluca, Morelia or Mexico City airports and then rent a car or hop a bus to the town of Angangueo or the city of Zitacuaro, both of which offer lodging and transportation, usually buses or taxis, to the butterfly reserve. It takes about three hours to get to Angangueo by car from Toluca or Morelia and about four hours to get there from Mexico City. People unfamiliar with the area should hire a car or take a tour bus for the 30-minute trip from Angangueo to the El Rosario sanctuary as the roads can be twisty and sometimes dangerous. In late November, Continental Airlines had roundtrip tickets on February flights from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Toluca for under $500.

Angangueo: Tourism office in Angangueo, Mexico, is at 011-52-715-156-0044, but you may not be able to get information in English. Hotels include El Hotel Albergue Don Bruno (011-52-715-156-0026, rates begin at $80) or Las Margaritas (011-52-715-156-0149 or $27). They can arrange transportation to the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. Transportation is also available from the town's main plaza.

Food: Bringing food into the reserve is prohibited, so plan on staying for a few hours and then heading back down to the entrance to enjoy quesadillas or tostadas at stands that cluster there.

What to wear: Because weather can be extremely cold in the morning, dress in warm, layered clothing that can be easily shed, and wear comfortable hiking boots. A raincoat might also be a good idea, since mist and light rains are common.

When to go: The butterflies begin arriving in November, and leave by late March. The best time to see them is between 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., when they are at their most active.

Tip: On cloudy days, the butterflies remain still to preserve body heat. It's advisable to plan your trip to include an overnight stay in the area so you can come back on a different day if the weather doesn't co-operate.

Other attractions: Morelia is a beautiful, colonial city with great food and arts and crafts; Patzcuaro, a tiny village on a breathtaking lake, has a great food and crafts market and two lovely plazas and is known for its Day of the Dead celebration in early November; Tlalpujahua is a tiny, picturesque town, an ideal place to stop for lunch.

Ecotours de Mexico: http://www.ecotoursvallarta.com/ or 011-52-322-222-6606.

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US drugs plan under fire in Mexico

Published: December 7 2007 22:54 | Last updated: December 7 2007 22:54

The US needs to address its own role in the Mexican drug trade, and current proposals to tackle the problem are insufficient, according to Mexico's attorney-general.

Eduardo Medina Mora, a member of President Felipe CalderÃ³n's cabinet, told the Financial Times that plans being studied by the US Congress to stamp out the drug trade south of its border were "not enough".

EDITOR'S CHOICE
Special report: Mexico property - Dec-07Slow construction hits Mexican remittances - Oct-29300,000 Mexicans trapped by floods - Nov-03Mexico prepared to ride out US dip - Oct-28US to launch $1bn ˜Plan Mexico' - Oct-07Analysis: Mexico's Slim looks to his legacy - Sep-24The US government has become increasingly worried about the rise of Mexico's drugs cartels, which it believes earn as much as $13.8bn a year from the sale of narcotics to the US.

Congress is studying a bill that would provide its southern neighbour with up to $1.4bn in anti-narcotics assistance as part of the so-called "MÃ©rida Initiative" to combat drugs-trafficking in north and central America.

The plan, which would disburse $500m next year, is being touted by the White House as an important contribution to the war on drugs. While still vague, it is understood the aid would go towards training, intelligence and surveillance equipment as well as helicopters and aeroplanes.

But critics say the package is little more than a diluted version of the widely discredited "Plan Colombia", and have dubbed the MÃ©rida Initiative "Plan Mexico" to drive home the point.

"Essentially, it [the US] has to address its own problems, which I insist are the flow of arms, the flow of money and the flow of chemical precursors, and, it has to be said, to make a greater effort to reduce demand at home," Mr Medina Mora said.

The initiative was an important financial contribution that would help Mexico to combat the illegal trade in drugs more efficiently, but he added that the US needed to make a greater effort at home. One urgent issue, he said, was to reduce the flow of arms from the US into Mexico. Mexico has some of the strictest gun laws in the world and the US is the main source of arms for the drugs gangs.

The flow of US dollars from drugs sales was another issue in which the US government had to do more, he said. Mexican government estimates in collaboration with the US department of justice and drug enforcement agency suggest that more than $10bn in drugs cash is laundered through Mexico each year.

Finally, Mr Medina Mora said that the US had to do more to stop the flow of chemical precursors into Mexico. Most of the precursors used to make methamphetamines, for example, came from China and India, much of it passing through US Pacific ports such as Long Beach before arriving in Mexico.

Although these issues are addressed in the MÃ©rida Initiative, Mr Medina Mora said that even if the plan were passed the US would need to do more to address its role in the drugs trade. "The commitment of the US to these elements of the equation is the most important thing," he said. "In this war, we either win it together or we lose it together."
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007

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People ice skate on a rink installed in Mexico City's main Zocalo Plaza. The rink, designed to withstand Mexico City's warm climate, opened Saturday night to curious onlookers as part of Mayor Marcelo Ebrard's Christmas celebration plans.
By Catherine Bremer
REUTERS

11:04 a.m. December 2, 2007
Associated Press

MEXICO CITY – A group of Mexicans queued all night to be first to skate on a giant ice rink in Mexico City's historic Zocalo square, and hundreds more lined up from dawn in a country where ice and snow are a rare novelty.
The 34,400 square foot rink, built to accomodate 1,200 skaters and free of charge, was inaugurated on Saturday night with fireworks, Christmas lights and a musical skating show viewed by thousands of curious city residents.

"We're going to keep coming until the ice melts," Mario Huerta, 17, arriving as the rink opened early Saturday after chickening out of joining 15 people who slept out all night in the Zocalo square, told local media.

The rink is the latest effort by the left-wing city government to put Mexico City on a par with cosmopolitan cities like Paris, Brussels and New York, which for years have set up outdoor skating rinks for the year-end holiday period.

It also marks the first time the Zocalo – a massive and imposing square which was at the center of the ancient Aztec empire and is most often used for political rallies or open-air rock concerts – has been filled with ice.

"It's as if we were in Paris or New York, except it's prettier," said Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard as the rink, hailed as one of the biggest in the world, was being built in the glare of the hot year-round sun.
Earlier this year, Ebrard set up artificial sandy beaches for the summer in Mexico City, in the style of France's popular "Paris Plage." He also started shutting a central boulevard to cars on Sundays to encourage cycling and inline skating.

Most people in Mexico, where half the population lives on less than $5 a day, have never seen natural ice or snow and even in big cities few have tried ice-skating.

The city government, which has laid on 1,600 pairs of skates, also free of charge, expects some 12,000 visitors per day at the rink, which will stay open until Jan. 7.

The rink has drawn criticism for its high cost, even though it has been largely funded by sponsors.

(Additional reporting by Miguel Gutierrez, editing by Todd Eastham)

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Border crossers, retailers fear long holiday entry lines

Associated Press - December 7, 2007 1:35 PM ET

LAREDO, Texas (AP) - Adriana Aguilar lives one side of the Rio Grande in Laredo. She has friends and relatives just across the river in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.

But this winter, she'll be absent from holiday get-togethers south of the river.

Aguilar's a U.S. citizen, but she's simply unwilling to endure what she expects to be new, agonizingly long waits at security checkpoints at the border crossings.

Traffic's up at the Laredo ports of entry every year, but there have also been stepped up inspections of border crossers. All of this comes less than two months ahead of pending rules that'll require U.S. citizens to prove that citizenship, not just declare it.

All the changes are worrying border officials. They don't fear the congestion so much as that people like Aguilar will stay away from the border, damaging economies on both sides. Local officials say 40% of local retail activity depends on cross-border traffic.

As of this morning, border-crossers are waiting 30 to 40 minutes at crossings in Laredo, the nation's busiest inland port. At Eagle Pass, a small border city with a population of 26,000, the wait's 55 minutes.

The Texas Border Coalition, a group of local officials, asked President Bush in a letter last month to do something about the long wait times before Christmas.

On the Web:

Customs and Border Protection: http://www.cbp.gov

To see border wait times on the CBP Web site: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/wait_times/

Texas Border Coalition: http://www.texasbordercoalition.org

Border Trade Alliance: http://www.thebta.org

Border crossers, retailers fear long holiday entry lines

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musician's body is headed for Indiana

By Carol Druga
Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS -- Those who knew popular Mexican-American musician Sergio Gomez from his many visits to Spanish-language radio station WEDJ-FM cannot understand how he got caught up in the wave of entertainment-related murders in Mexico.

The 35-year-old singer was killed last weekend after performing with his top-selling group, K-Paz de la Sierra, in Morelia, Mexico.

During the past few years Gomez lived in suburban Avon with his wife, children and other relatives, said WEDJ programming manager Manuel Sepulveda, who met the singer many times.

"Family man, loved by the people," Sepulveda said yesterday. "Good friend to those who were his friends."

His Duranguense music got its start in Chicago, where K-Paz made its first recordings, and was popular in both Mexico and the United States. Five of the band's al***s have reached the Top 10 on Billboard magazine's Latin music chart.

Gomez's remains are being returned to Indiana. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Stevens Mortuary on Indianapolis' west side. His body will be cremated after the visitation, said funeral director Sarah Arnold.

Hundreds of people mourned Gomez on Tuesday in his native Ciudad Hidalgo. About 200 more also gathered in Mexico City, where Gomez's body was transported Tuesday night. People sang the group's best-known songs, and some cried while holding flowers and photographs.

Gomez moved from Mexico years ago to Chicago before settling in Avon, Sepulveda said. He said Gomez's parents and brother were among family members also living in Avon.

A steady stream of listeners has called the station to talk about Gomez's death, and WEDJ aired a tribute to him.

"Our morning-show guy ... that's all he's been talking about for the past few days," Sepulveda said.

K-Paz's music had not crossed over to the pop charts, but in its Latino genre, the group was as popular as Garth Brooks or Shania Twain in country music, Sepulvedo said. Duranguense music is a style from the Mexican state of Durango.

The murders of Gomez and singer Zayda Pena has entertainers worrying they might become targets by becoming identified with one or another of Mexico's warring drug gangs.

Although not known for songs glamorizing the drug business, Gomez had reportedly received death threats urging him not to appear in the capital of the western state of Michoacan, a hotbed of the drug trade, where he was tortured before being strangled on Sunday.

Sepulveda said Gomez did not have a reputation for being involved in drugs, and he sang mostly love songs and about events in Mexico.

"That was what was so shocking to the Latino community," he said.

Some singers, whether they have links to drug cartels or not, are "adopted" by drug gangs, which post Internet videos showing their members torturing and executing rivals to soundtracks of popular tunes.

(Three Photos)
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007712070456

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Deputies probe singer's death
Mexican police suspect possible love triangle cause of slaying

By JOSÃ‰ BORJÃ“N/The Brownsville Herald

BROWNSVILLE "” The Cameron County Sheriff's Department has joined the investigation into the death of a Mexican singer who was killed at a Matamoros hospital early Saturday.

Sheriff's deputy Alvaro Guerra, who is the liaison between county lawmen here and the Tamaulipas State Police, confirmed Monday that he was contacted by Mexican investigators about the death of Zayda PeÃ±a.

PeÃ±a, 28, was the vocalist for the Mexican group Zayda y Los Culpables.

Guerra said Mexican investigators told him that the man who killed PeÃ±a, whose name had not been released as of Monday night, recently bought a car in Brownsville.

"That's all the information we have so far," Guerra said. "They are suppose to get back to me with more information. I haven't heard from them again."

The Tamaulipas enlinea Web site reported Monday that PeÃ±a was shot in the face early Saturday at El Hospital Alfredo Pumarejo where she was being treated for a gunshot wound to the back that she received Friday after she was caught with the suspect's ex-girlfriend, Ana Bertha Gonza***.

The suspect found PeÃ±a and Gonzales, who was also her presumed lover, at the Monaco Motel on La Carretera Matamoros Reynosa.

Tamaulipas State Police believe that Gonza***'s ex-boyfriend killed her and PeÃ±a in a rage over a ******* affair.

Leonardo Sanchez, an employee at the motel, was also killed Friday night, Tamaulipas enlinea reported.

Multiple calls made to Mexican investigators for the Tamaulipas State Police were not returned Monday night.

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Mexican president asks Mexican consuls in U.S. to 'neutralize' attitudes toward migrants

By E. Eduardo Castillo
ASSOCIATED PRESS
9:51 a.m. December 7, 2007

MEXICO CITY – President Felipe CalderÃ³n on Friday told Mexican consuls to the U.S. and Canada that they must work to "neutralize" anti-immigrant attitudes north of the border.
CalderÃ³n's instructions came two days after he accused U.S. presidential candidates of "swaggering, macho and anti-Mexican" posturing. He also warned the U.S. Congress not to impose conditions on a $1.4 billion anti-drug aid package.

On Friday, the Mexican leader asked his diplomatic representatives in the U.S. to participate in the public debate on immigration by appearing at public events, talking more to the media and working with nonprofit groups to promote Mexican immigrants' role in supporting the U.S. economy.
"The key is to neutralize this strategy of confrontation and discrimination that forms part of U.S. society's mistaken perception, and be able to newly focus arguments on the complimentary aspects of our economies," he said.

CalderÃ³n complained about "the seeds of animosity, or in some cases even hate and discrimination, that are being planted are not only against immigrants, but sometimes against Mexicans in general."

He said the increasingly hostile attitude toward Mexicans was "affecting our bilateral relationship" with the U.S.

"The worst mistake that we can make, both in the U.S. and in Mexico, is make our respective people feel that the other nation is the enemy," he said.

Mexico has pushed for an immigration accord and better treatment of its estimated 11 million citizens who live in the U.S. Some 6 million are believed to be there illegally.

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Free the Cuban Five event on Friday night

December 7, 8 and 9
Hotel Palacio Azteca
Boulevard Cuautemoc Sur,
#213 Col. Davila
Tijuana, Mexico

Irma Sehwerert, mother of RenÃ© GonzÃ¡***, one of the Cuban Five wrongly imprisoned in the United States will speak at a forum in Tijuana, Mexico on Friday, December 7 at 6PM in the Ambar Hall of the Hotel. Ms Sehwerert is coming directly from her homeland, Cuba.

The forum is part of a three day Cuba/Venezuela/Mexico/North America Labor Conference that will bring together union leaders from Latin America, including also from Nicaragua, Bolivia and Colombia. Workers and activists from the United States will have the opportunity to meet with workers in these countries and discuss the important political developments in Latin America and its impact on the workers in the U.S.

The event is being held in Mexico due to the hostility of the United States government towards Cuba which prevents Cubans from visiting U.S. territory, a fact that is exemplified by the refusal of the government to grant visas to the relatives of the Five.

The program includes plenary sessions on Saturday from 9am to 7PM and Sunday from 10AM to 3PM.

Speakers include Raymundo Navarro, Director of Foreign Relations of the Cuban Confederation of Workers; Jacobo Torres, National Coordinator Bolivarian Force of Workers in Venezuela, Pedro Montes, General Secretary of Bolivian Workers' Federation, Maritza del Socorro Espinales, General Secretary Federation of University Unions and many more leaders. They will be joined by Elvira Arellano, from La Familia Latina Unida.

The event is sponsored by the U.S./Cuba Labor Exchange, the Sindicato Mexicano de Electricistas, the CoaliciÃ³n 25 de Marzo, International Committee for the Freedom of the Cuban Five and other organizations.

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I commend President Calderon for his initiative in directing diplomatic representatives to take a more active role in countering the bigoted anti immigrant (documented and undocumented) retoric that is so obvious in our country. Silence is the most dangerous response to the anti immigrant agenda.

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Miami Immigration Debate

Wall Street Journal
By SUSAN DAVIS
December 8, 2007; Page A2

With less than four weeks to go before the first presidential contests, Republicans face a precarious test on immigration Sunday.

For months, the candidates have largely been trying to outdo each other on who would take a harder line cracking down on illegals. This weekend, they'll be asked to elaborate in a debate hosted by Spanish-language network Univision at the University of Miami.

"Look, this is going to be a painful experience for the Republican Party to stand up to a Hispanic audience and explain themselves on immigration," said Frank Sherry, executive director of the pro-immigration National Immigration Forum. "The jujitsu is going to be fascinating to watch."

"Most importantly, we'll be watching for consistency," said Dan Stein, president of the anti-immigration Federation for American Immigration Reform.

It is the first Republican debate before a predominantly minority audience, and the candidates will be in the hot seat before one of the most scrutinizing audiences on the topic. It comes as new surveys show Republicans rapidly losing support among the growing Hispanic population -- voters President Bush and his chief strategist, Karl Rove, saw as an essential element of the 21st-century Republican coalition.

Seven of the eight contenders will participate in Sunday's forum. Immigration-foe Rep. Tom Tancredo (R., Colo.) said he wouldn't join a debate not conducted in English. The candidates will be speaking English, but the event will be broadcast through simultaneous translation in Spanish.

Most of those appearing are doing so reluctantly. The original debate was slated for September but was canceled after Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) was the only major candidate who agreed to participate. Others cited scheduling conflicts. Meanwhile, Democratic candidates participated in a Univision debate in September that was watched by 2.2 million viewers.

Among the leading Republicans, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Mr. McCain share more moderate views on the creation of a path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million undocumented workers in the country. Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney advocate a tougher approach and oppose any "amnesty" proposals.

Mike Huckabee -- the field's fast-rising dark horse -- has been attacked by rivals for taking a tolerant attitude toward illegal immigration during his time as Arkansas governor. On Friday, he decided to unveil a nine-point plan that includes one of the toughest proposals yet. Mr. Huckabee would require all illegal immigrants to register with the federal government and leave the country within 120 days before applying to return.

The candidates will be walking a fine line between appealing to the party's conservative base while not further alienating the fastest-growing minority group in the country that is increasingly trending Democratic.

In the three early states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, immigration ranks as a greater issue of concern for Republican voters than Democrats, according to a Pew Research Center poll released last week. Likely Republican Iowa caucus goers cited immigration as their No. 1 concern over terrorism.

On the other hand, the Pew Hispanic Center released new data Thursday that showed 57% of registered Hispanic voters now align themselves with the Democratic Party. Only 23% identified with the Republicans. The 34-point gap in party affiliation is up from the 21-point gap reported in July 2006.

Write to Susan Davis at susan.davis@wsj.com

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Mexico's Slim Wants to Shed More of CompUSA Chain, Journal Says

By David Altaner

Dec. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim wants to get rid of more of his CompUSA consumer-electronics chain, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Slim's executives approached Circuit City Stores Inc., Micro Electronics Inc. and Systemax Inc. about taking over stores and other operations, the newspaper said. The Dallas-based chain operates about 100 stores in the U.S., the WSJ said.

Circuit City said the company looked at CompUSA stores in the past but isn't looking at them now, the Journal reported, citing a spokesman for Circuit City. Other talks also receded without an agreement, the newspaper said.

Representatives for Slim's Grupo Carso SA and CompUSA declined to comment, the Journal said.

To contact the reporter on this story: David Altaner in London at daltaner@bloomberg.net

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Mexico raids sawmills near Monarch butterfly reserve, arrests lumberjacks, seizes lumber

By Mark Stevenson
ASSOCIATED PRESS
3:02 p.m. December 6, 2007

MEXICO CITY – Police raided clandestine sawmills near a threatened nature reserve where Monarch butterflies nest in the winter, arresting 45 people and confiscating enough illegally logged wood to fill 600 heavy trucks, the government said Thursday.
Illegal deforestation in and around the reserves threatens the butterflies, which rely on the forest cover to protect them from the cold, high-altitude winds. Huge numbers of Monarchs died during a cold snap in 2002.

About 600 police and environmental agents raided 19 clandestine saw mills Wednesday in the western state of Michoacan. They detained mill workers, lumberjacks, truck drivers and others, said Augusto Cabrera, a spokesman for the attorney general for environmental protection.

Authorities reported seizing about 210,000 cubic feet of logs and boards, equivalent to about 4,400 tons of wood. Cabrera and other environmental authorities said they could not remember a larger seizure in Mexico.

"This was in the area of the Monarch butterfly, in the buffer zone" created to protect the pine- and fir-covered mountaintops where the butterflies rest for the winter after migrating south from the United States and Canada, Cabrera said.

Before Wednesday's raids, the government had already seized about 6.4 million cubic feet of illegally logged wood, closed 59 sawmills and charged 193 people with related crimes this year.

"That's the important thing – that people are being charged," Cabrera said. "Before, (authorities) would seize wood and dismantle sawmills, but there weren't many charges." It was not immediately clear what charges and possible punishments the suspects face.

A study conducted in 2000 showed that 44 percent of the fir forests that shelter the migrating butterflies during their annual stopover had been damaged or destroyed over the preceding 29 years.

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MEXICO: Striving To Make A Better Wine

By MARIA FINN
Dec. 6, 2007

Legend has it that Hernan Cortez and his men exhausted their wine supply when celebrating the conquest of the Aztecs in the 1500s, so the Spaniards decreed that every recipient of a land grant must plant grape vines so that sacramental wine would be plentiful.

While Mexico is one of Latin America's oldest wine-producing countries, it is not well known for it. There is a legacy of protectionist laws that came out of Spain in 1699 that prohibited wine production in its colonies, particularly Mexico.

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The Mexican War of Independence lasted from 1810-1821 and its earliest winery is still in operation today: Bodegas de Santo Tomas, opened in 1888 near Ensenada on the Baja California Peninsula. However, early wine made there tended to be sweet and of low quality.

In 1987 a small group of investors came together with the sole purpose of creating quality wine in Mexico. They founded the vineyard Monte Xanic on the Baja peninsula and achieved their goals.

Their wines have become well known in Mexico City, and according to Carlos de la Mora, who came from Baja to New York City to promote Mexican wine, they soon were served by former Mexican President Carlos Salinas at formal dinners held at Los Pinos, or the Mexican equivalent of the White House.

With the bar raised, Bodegas de Santo Tomas hired Hugo d'Acosta. This Mexico City native received his doctorate in enology in Montpelier, France, and then worked in wineries in Italy and California's Napa Valley.

He turned the winery around and then founded his own, Casa de Piedra, in 1997. He is now working with partners to open more boutique wineries. The first, Paralelo, has recently opened. He also started a winemaking school, Estacion de Oficios del Porvenir, to train a new generation of Baja residents in winemaking traditions.

According to Rodrigo Ofner, the head of the food and beverage at the Maroma Resort and Spa, viticulture in Mexico has persisted, and today there is a renewed interest in Mexico's wine industry.

"You're seeing many more Mexican wines being served to tourists in the luxury resorts of the Yucatan," he said. "But much of the upswing in popularity is due to an increase in interest by middle-class Mexican families, especially in Mexico City."

De la Mora explained that right now is a very exciting time for Mexican wine. More and more vintners are being drawn to the winemaking regions of Mexico and better wines are being produced.

"This is still a work in progress," he said. "Most of the wineries are very young, under 20 years old. There's a lot of potential here. Mexico is working to find it's own style in the world of wine."

For more information about wines in Baja California, visit: www.enswine.com

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Border Patrol finds another tunnel along Mexican border

AP
Posted: 2007-12-03 19:40:32

TECATE, California (AP) - The Border Patrol said Monday that it discovered a secret tunnel that may have been used for smuggling drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border east of San Diego.

Authorities found an estimated 10,000 pounds (4,535 kilos) of marijuana inside a trailer that led to the underground crevice, said Eileen Zeidler, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

A Border Patrol agent heard noise Monday from the 30-foot (9-meter) trailer parked 360 yards (330 meters) north of the border in the town of Tecate, said agency spokesman James Jacques.

When he peered inside, he saw a pistol-toting man disappear into a hole. The trailer was half-full of packages containing the marijuana.

The Border Patrol says it is unclear if the tunnel was completed. U.S. and Mexican authorities are investigating.

Authorities have discovered dozens of tunnels along the U.S.-Mexico border in recent years, with many clustered around San Diego and Nogales, Arizona.

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News
Press Releases: U Visa Regulations Released
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 5, 2007

LEGAL MOMENTUM APPLAUDS THE RELEASE OF U VISA REGULATIONS

Thousands of Crime Victims Finally Receive the Protections of a Law Passed in 2000

Documents:
U Visa Supplemental B Fact sheet
U Visa Interim Regulations Fact Sheet and Guidance
U Visa RegulationsFact Sheet
VAWA Red Flags

Washington DC (September 5, 2007)-- Legal Momentum, the nation's oldest legal advocacy organization dedicated to advancing the rights of women and girls, joins with immigrant rights advocates across the country to applaud the Department of Homeland Security's release of interim regulations on the U visa, a remedy established by Congressional legislation enacted in 2000. The Department of Homeland Security today released the regulations thus making immigrant crime victims immediately eligible for the U visa. Legal Momentum, through its Immigrant Women Program in Washington DC, is committed to working with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that the regulations are aligned with Congressional intent while providing immediate access to visas for immigrants crime victims. The Legal Momentum Web site is a portal for information and will provide critical resources for those who may be eligible to file for U visas: www.legalmomentum.org/iwp.
Through its Immigrant Women Program (IWP), and in partnership with the National Network to End Violence Against Immigrant Women, Legal Momentum has been advocating for release of these vital regulations to protect the rights of immigrant women who are victims of crime in the United States and who, without the protection of the U visa, are less likely to report the crimes against them. Legal Momentum commends Congressman David Pryce (D-NC) and Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) who were instrumental in encouraging the Department of Homeland Security to release the regulations.

What is the U Visa and why does it matter?

Created as part of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act, the U visa is an immigration status available to crime victims who are helpful in the investigation or prosecution of a crime. In order to qualify, an undocumented immigrant must also prove that he or she suffered from physical or mental abuse as a result of the crime. U visas also create a path to lawful permanent residence, which is commonly known as a Green Card. This visa will allow undocumented immigrants to feel safer in coming forward to report and testify about crimes because they will no longer fear deportation, and they will be able to work lawfully. It will improve the effectiveness of law enforcement in investigating and prosecuting crimes, enhancing public safety throughout the country.

Although Congress passed a law in 2000 that recognizes the role immigrants can play in improving public safety, that law has not been enforceable, until now, in the absence of regulations to implement the visa. Leslye Orloff, director of Legal Momentum's Immigrant Women Program, said, "These regulations make it possible for our most vulnerable immigrants to finally have the opportunity to apply for a status that should have been available years ago." She added, "Without regulations, thousands of immigrants were at best allowed to apply for U visa interim relief, which granted them authorization to work legally, but still kept them undocumented."

The Immigrant Women Program estimates that 8,000 immigrants and their children have applied for and received interim relief, but many more waited for the regulations. In addition to keeping thousands of crime victims from reporting the crimes, this seven-year delay imposed huge burdens on eligible immigrants who would have, by now, received their Green Cards. In addition, they were prevented from leaving the United States to see family and receiving critical benefits, they were required to pay annual filing fees to renew work authorization.

In an effort to reinforce Congressional intent in enacting this legislation, Legal Momentum's Immigrant Women Program has been at the forefront of the battle to end the long delay by the Department of Homeland Security in issuing proposed regulations. Said Kavitha Sreeharsha, staff attorney for the Immigrant Women Program, "We wanted the Department of Homeland Security to understand that immigrant crime victims have been struggling while waiting for the regulations to be issued. Immigrant crime victims do not deserve to be victimized by such bureaucratic delays." Members of the National Network to End Violence Against Immigrant Women were critical in providing the Department of Homeland Security and others with stories of immigrants who have been caught in the cycle of waiting for regulations.

About Legal Momentum

With offices in New York City and Washington DC, Legal Momentum is the nation's oldest legal advocacy organization dedicated to advancing the rights of women and girls. Since its founding in 1970, Legal Momentum has been a leader in establishing legal, legislative and educational strategies to secure equality and justice for women across the country. Its public policy and litigation agenda focus on four areas that are of greatest concern to women in the United States: freedom from violence against women, equal work and equal pay; the health of women and girls; and strong families and strong communities.

About Immigrant Women Program
The Immigrant Women Program at Legal Momentum advocates for legal protections, social services and economic justice for immigrant women while reforming laws, policies and practices that may harm them.

Contact information:

Contact: Altagracia Dilone Levat, Vice President for Communications and Marketing
212.413.7510
Mobile: 347.739.7664
alevat@legalmomentum.org

Leslye Orloff, Associate Vice President and Director of the Immigrant Women Program
202-210-8886
lorloff@legalmomentum.org

Kavitha Sreeharsha, Staff Attorney, Immigrant Women Program
202-903-8994
ksreeharsha@legalmomentum.org

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