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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd"> <html> <head><script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/bundle-playback.js?v=HxkREWBo" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/wombat.js?v=txqj7nKC" charset="utf-8"></script> <script>window.RufflePlayer=window.RufflePlayer||{};window.RufflePlayer.config={"autoplay":"on","unmuteOverlay":"hidden"};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/ruffle/ruffle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> __wm.init("https://web.archive.org/web"); __wm.wombat("http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com:80/mexico/","20130314130648","https://web.archive.org/","web","/_static/", "1363266408"); </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/banner-styles.css?v=S1zqJCYt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/iconochive.css?v=3PDvdIFv" />  <title>McClatchy blog: Mexico Unmasked</title> <meta name="description" content="Observations about Mexico and Central America from Tim Johnson, McClatchy's bureau chief in Mexico City"/> <meta name="keywords" content="Mexico, narco, drug, crime, cartel, migrant, violent, Latin, Calderon, tourist, murder, border, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, culture, Pena Nieto, PRI, PRD, PAN, tequila, trade, resort, beach"/> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648cs_/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/styles.css" type="text/css"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml" title="Atom" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/atom.xml"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="RSS" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/index.rdf"/> <link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" title="RSD" href="http://www.typepad.com/t/rsd/85867421306885900"/> <link rel="meta" type="application/rdf+xml" title="FOAF" href="http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/foaf.rdf"/> </head> <body> <div id="wrapper"> <div id="header"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648im_/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico-blog-banner.jpg" alt="Mexico Unmasked"/></a> </div> <div id="content"> <div id="col_1"> <a id="a6a00d83451c64169e2017c378af1d0970b"></a> <div class="blog_entry"> <p class="date">03/11/2013</p> <h2 class="entry-header"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/03/crazy-brawl-on-the-diamond.html">Crazy brawl on the diamond</a></h2> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648if_/http://www.youtube.com/embed/bWLLdoWPyPk" width="460"></iframe></p> <p>In case you missed the dugout-clearing crazy brawl in the Mexico-Canada game over the weekend, here is how the World Baseball Classic matchout came to resemble a World Boxing Classic bout. The brawl broke out in the ninth inning with Canada holding a commanding 9-3 lead. As a result of the loss Saturday in Phoenix, Mexico is out of the tournament, held every four years. Mexican pitcher Arnold Leon's beaning of Canadian batter Rene Tosoni appeared to be on purpose. Leon brushed him back in pitch one and two, then hit him full on on the third pitch. The Mexican side apparently was miffed that Canadians were running up the score on them to knock them out of the tournament.</p> <p> <div class="blog_tools"> <ul class="inlist"> <li>Posted by Tim Johnson at 08:53 AM in <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/sports/">Sports</a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/03/crazy-brawl-on-the-diamond.html">Permalink</a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/03/crazy-brawl-on-the-diamond.html#comments">Comments <span class="stats">(2)</span></a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/03/crazy-brawl-on-the-diamond.html#trackback">TrackBack <span class="stats">(0)</span></a></li> <br/>  <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648js_/http://feeds2.feedburner.com/~s/typepad/jpkT?i=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.mcclatchydc.com%2Fmexico%2F2013%2F03%2Fcrazy-brawl-on-the-diamond.html" type="text/javascript"></script> </ul> </div></div></p><br/> <a id="a6a00d83451c64169e2017ee90195a5970d"></a> <div class="blog_entry"> <p class="date">03/06/2013</p> <h2 class="entry-header"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/03/the-outsize-role-of-hugo-chavez.html">The outsize role of Hugo Chavez</a></h2> <p>The first of many times I met Hugo Chavez was in his modest apartment in a middle-class neighborhood of Caracas in May 1998. I spent probably an hour or so with him.</p> <p> He was alone, even though his campaign for president of Venezuela was ramping up quickly. As I re-read the profile I did of him, I’m struck by his consistency. I ended my article with this quote from him:</p> <blockquote><em> "Hugo Chavez is the expression of the reality in Venezuela. So whoever studies this reality, whoever analyzes it, should not be afraid.” </em></blockquote> <p>In hindsight, few would argue that Chavez was indeed a natural outcome of a decayed political system that ignored the 60 percent of Venezuelans who lived in poverty. Chavez ruled Venezuela for 14 years until his death Tuesday.</p> <p> In that long-ago interview I did for the Miami Herald, the self-taught Chavez quoted Rousseau and Lincoln, Bolivar and De Gaulle. He referred constantly to Simon Bolivar, the national hero of Venezuela. And he spoke of himself in larger than life terms.</p> <p> "A lot of people say I am Hitler combined with Mussolini. Others say I am Gadhafi with a bit of Castro," he told me, mocking the image of himself as a tyrant.</p> <p> I went on to cover Chavez during his first two years in office, attending his lengthy press conferences, both admiring his street-savvy political ways and weary of speeches that would drag on for four or five hours.</p> <p> Then, curiously, even though I had been assigned to Beijing, I kept running into Chavez, probably two or three times. My wife and I became friendly with the Venezuelan ambassador, and every time Chavez would come to China I would go to his press conferences. He would look at me for a moment, a hint of recognition in his eyes.</p> <p> No one now says Chavez was a Gadhafi combined with Castro. He’s just Chavez. That was how big his impact has been in Latin America. I co-wrote <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/03/06/185034/many-in-latin-america-fear-hugo.html" target="_self">this story today</a> here about his gravitational pull in the hemisphere. My colleague Kevin Hall <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/03/06/185041/reporter-remembers-hugo-chavez.html" target="_self">penned another personal story</a> about his interactions with Chavez.</p> <p> This is tangential to Mexico, but in fact Chavez and past Mexican leaders have tangled. Former President Vicente Fox notoriously clashed with Chavez in Argentina in late 2005, leading to a near rupture in relations. After Fox criticized Chavez for anti-free-trade remarks, the fiery Venezuelan labeled Fox a “puppy of the empire,” referring to the United States, his favorite bogeyman.</p> <p> The two countries did not send ambassadors again until August of 2007 but relations hit a new low in 2008 when Chavez expropriated assets of the Mexican companies Cemex and Gruma. It wasn’t till late 2011 that the two sides agreed on compensation.</p> <p> Former President Felipe Calderon couldn’t keep his distaste for Chavez to himself, often spilling his feelings to U.S. diplomats. According to <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-202_162-7113672.html" target="_self">this leaked cable</a>, he believed Chavez funneled money to his opponent in the 2006 elections. He asked the U.S. government to do more to counter Chavez. Only death was able to do that. </p> <p> <div class="blog_tools"> <ul class="inlist"> <li>Posted by Tim Johnson at 09:05 PM </li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/03/the-outsize-role-of-hugo-chavez.html">Permalink</a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/03/the-outsize-role-of-hugo-chavez.html#comments">Comments <span class="stats">(3)</span></a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/03/the-outsize-role-of-hugo-chavez.html#trackback">TrackBack <span class="stats">(0)</span></a></li> <br/>  <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648js_/http://feeds2.feedburner.com/~s/typepad/jpkT?i=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.mcclatchydc.com%2Fmexico%2F2013%2F03%2Fthe-outsize-role-of-hugo-chavez.html" type="text/javascript"></script> </ul> </div></div></p><br/> <a id="a6a00d83451c64169e2017c3754e84e970b"></a> <div class="blog_entry"> <p class="date">03/05/2013</p> <h2 class="entry-header"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/03/carlos-slim-the-richest-0001.html">Carlos Slim, the richest .0001%</a></h2> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="400" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648if_/http://p.nowthisnews.com/entry/1666/" width="460"></iframe></p> <p>If you want to know more about Carlos Slim in 90 seconds, take a look at this video. Forbes Magazine this week listed Slim for a fourth year in a row as the world's richest man, with a fortune estimated at $73 billion. Trailing slightly is Bill Gates, the Microsoft found, at $67 billion. The two men, who were recently together here in Mexico, have some differences when it comes to philanthropy. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/02/14/183120/to-give-or-to-keep-microsofts.html" target="_self">Click here</a> to see my story on the issue.</p> <p> <div class="blog_tools"> <ul class="inlist"> <li>Posted by Tim Johnson at 03:47 PM in <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/carlos-slim/">Carlos Slim</a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/03/carlos-slim-the-richest-0001.html">Permalink</a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/03/carlos-slim-the-richest-0001.html#comments">Comments <span class="stats">(2)</span></a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/03/carlos-slim-the-richest-0001.html#trackback">TrackBack <span class="stats">(0)</span></a></li> <br/>  <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648js_/http://feeds2.feedburner.com/~s/typepad/jpkT?i=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.mcclatchydc.com%2Fmexico%2F2013%2F03%2Fcarlos-slim-the-richest-0001.html" type="text/javascript"></script> </ul> </div></div></p><br/> <a id="a6a00d83451c64169e2017c372dd8a6970b"></a> <div class="blog_entry"> <p class="date">02/28/2013</p> <h2 class="entry-header"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/latest-narco-tactic-pot-cannons.html">Latest narco tactic: 'Pot cannons'</a></h2> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648if_/http://www.youtube.com/embed/5tYVUCmkOTg" width="460"></iframe></p> <p>CNN had a report earlier today on these air-powered "pot cannons" that drug smugglers are using to lob marijuana over the border into the United States. This is the latest permutation on other smuggling tactics. I blogged here when they found a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2011/01/the-plague-of-pot-tapults.html" target="_self">drug catapult</a>. And I've written here about <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/06/04/95370/mexican-marijuana-smugglers-turn.html" target="_self">the use of ultralight aircraft</a> to take drugs over the border. Then there are <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/02/20/139425/pot-smuggling-tunnels-in-tijuana.html" target="_self">the tunnels</a>. What's left? Fleets of carrier pigeons?</p> <p> <div class="blog_tools"> <ul class="inlist"> <li>Posted by Tim Johnson at 07:18 PM in <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/border-issues/">Border issues</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/drug-war/">Drug war</a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/latest-narco-tactic-pot-cannons.html">Permalink</a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/latest-narco-tactic-pot-cannons.html#comments">Comments <span class="stats">(2)</span></a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/latest-narco-tactic-pot-cannons.html#trackback">TrackBack <span class="stats">(0)</span></a></li> <br/>  <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648js_/http://feeds2.feedburner.com/~s/typepad/jpkT?i=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.mcclatchydc.com%2Fmexico%2F2013%2F02%2Flatest-narco-tactic-pot-cannons.html" type="text/javascript"></script> </ul> </div></div></p><br/> <a id="a6a00d83451c64169e2017d41421b23970c"></a> <div class="blog_entry"> <p class="date">02/24/2013</p> <h2 class="entry-header"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/mexico-and-its-contrarian-indicators.html">Mexico and its contrarian indicators</a></h2> <p>For those bullish on Mexico, Sunday was a big day. Thomas Friedman, the New York Times foreign affairs columnist, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/11/opinion/11friedman.html" target="_self">published a glowing essay</a> on why Americans should look next door to Mexico as the country to watch, not China or India.</p> <p> The essay, titled How Mexico got Back in the Game, notes that Mexico has 44 free-trade agreements, more than any other country in the world, and the country sits atop “massive cheap natural gas finds.”</p> <p> The three main political parties have signed a pact “to fight the big energy, telecom and teacher monopolies that have held Mexico back.” Americans, Friedman says, need a “more nuanced” view of Mexico but should be quite bullish on the nation.</p> <p> There are many ways to slice Friedman’s essay. And some analysts went to work immediately. One is <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.energia.com/about/690-2/" target="_self">George Baker</a>, a Houston-based energy analyst who lived for a time in Mexico. He quickly whipped off a comment to the Grey Lady taking apart Friedman’s argument. Here is one paragraph on trade:</p> <blockquote><em> “Take out intra-firm transactions in which Chrysler-Mexico sells to Chrysler-China, and daily trade will shrink to the value of commerce in oil and food products, services (including oilfield services), plus the remnants of a tourism industry battered by violence. Meanwhile, Carlos Slim skims off the top of the Mexican economy monopolistic rent whose value has been estimated by Mexican economists at 3% of Mexico’s GDP.”</em></blockquote> <p> Baker dismissed the reference to huge shale oil reserves – “Pemex has no plans to develop shale fields” – and concludes that, “Celebrations about Mexico’s advances in its economy and governance are premature.”</p> <p> If the enthusiasm (or hype) about Mexico is reminiscent of the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.latinamericanpost.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4509&catid=3:latinoamerica&Itemid=38" target="_self">euphoria for Brazil back around 2009</a>, then Friedman’s essay may actually be a contrarian indicator. Friedman was a regular visitor to Brazil back then. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/11/opinion/11friedman.html" target="_self">Here’s one</a> of his columns. </p> <p> As a colleague noted at a weekly bull session we foreign reporters hold on Friday evenings, Brazil seemed at the top of the emerging market heap back then, the lead nation of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and, later, South Africa). But<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-02-07/brics-fall-from-google-favor-as-searches-drop-with-brazil" target="_self"> the BRICS are now passé</a>. And Brazil has posted anemic growth for several years.</p> <p> Indeed, the benchmark Bovespa index is down 16% since the end of 2010.</p> <p> Maybe the apathy for Brazil is overdone. And the euphoria for Mexico also an overreaction.</p> <p> Certainly the number of free-trade agreements that Mexico has signed does not indicate how open the economy is. It only takes a trip to Office Max, the neighborhood supermarket or a furniture stores to see hidden barriers to entry in Mexico. Why are Hewlett Packard printers assembled in Mexico not available here? Why are Sony plasma screen TVs assembled in Mexico cheaper in the States than here? If it's so open, why are there so many monopolies and duopolies? </p> <p> This is not Taipei, Singapore or even some Central American capitals. There are many things you cannot get here or that are quite costly. Anybody go in the Liverpool department store and look at prices lately?</p> <p> I don’t find my reporting colleagues here a cynical group. Mexico-bashing is not a practice. Many are married to Mexicans, are Mexican themselves or have lived here for decades. That’s a short way of saying they want Mexico to progress and flourish. But the obstacles are many. Governance and security issues are critical. Corruption is rampant. It is too early to pop the champagne.</p> <p> <div class="blog_tools"> <ul class="inlist"> <li>Posted by Tim Johnson at 05:19 PM in <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/central-america/">Central America</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/economytrade/">Economy/Trade</a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/mexico-and-its-contrarian-indicators.html">Permalink</a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/mexico-and-its-contrarian-indicators.html#comments">Comments <span class="stats">(7)</span></a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/mexico-and-its-contrarian-indicators.html#trackback">TrackBack <span class="stats">(0)</span></a></li> <br/>  <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648js_/http://feeds2.feedburner.com/~s/typepad/jpkT?i=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.mcclatchydc.com%2Fmexico%2F2013%2F02%2Fmexico-and-its-contrarian-indicators.html" type="text/javascript"></script> </ul> </div></div></p><br/> <a id="a6a00d83451c64169e2017c36ffd51e970b"></a> <div class="blog_entry"> <p class="date">02/20/2013</p> <h2 class="entry-header"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/why-is-chicago-gunning-for-el-chapo-.html">Why is Chicago gunning for 'El Chapo'? </a></h2> <p> <a class="asset-img-link" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/.a/6a00d83451c64169e2017c36ffd3ef970b-pi" style="display: inline;"><img alt="ElChapoWantedPoster1" class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d83451c64169e2017c36ffd3ef970b" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648im_/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/.a/6a00d83451c64169e2017c36ffd3ef970b-500wi" style="width: 460px;" title="ElChapoWantedPoster1"/></a><br/>A few days ago, the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/https://www.chicagocrimecommission.org/Default.aspx" target="_self">Chicago Crime Commission</a> held a press conference to declare Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman the city’s Public Enemy No. 1.</p> <p> This is a storied, if dubious, honor. The last person to win that title in Chicago was Al Capone in 1930 during Prohibition. Chicago’s crime fighters said in a release that “up until now (they) had yet to witness a criminal worthy of the same moniker.”</p> <p> They now deem Guzman (has he ever set foot in the Windy City?) worthy.</p> <p> He “is accused of having used Chicago as his drug trafficking hub for the Midwest, allegedly having trafficked 1,500 to 2,000 kilograms of cocaine through Chicago per month,” the release said.</p> <p> Anti-drug officials laid it on thick.</p> <p> "In my opinion, Guzman is the new Al Capone of Chicago. His ability to corrupt and enforce his sanctions with his endless supply of revenue is more powerful than Chicago's Italian organized crime gang," said John Riley, the DEA’s special agent in charge in Chicago.</p> <p> The Crime Commission’s president, J.R. Davis, called Guzman “one of society's most vicious, ruthless and powerful individuals."</p> <p> Commission Executive Vice President Arthur Bilek added: "Because of the direct link between the violence of the street gangs and the narcotics business, it can be said that Guzman's fingerprints are on the guns used in many of the shootings plaguing Chicago today.”</p> <p> Let me add another possible motive for finding a new Public Enemy No. 1. Chicago’s murder rates are skyrocketing. Some <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/15/health/trauma-centers-guns" target="_self">535 people were killed there last year</a>, up sharply from 2011’s 433 murders. So far, 2013 is shaping up as bloody as 2012. According to this story, Chicago is a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/iteam&id=8977635" target="_self">deadlier place now than during Al Capone’s gangland era</a>.</p> <p> Perhaps crime fighters need an external enemy to blame the spate of murders on rather than draw attention to their flawed strategy in slowing down the homicide rate.</p> <p> <div class="blog_tools"> <ul class="inlist"> <li>Posted by Tim Johnson at 05:15 PM in <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/drug-war/">Drug war</a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/why-is-chicago-gunning-for-el-chapo-.html">Permalink</a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/why-is-chicago-gunning-for-el-chapo-.html#comments">Comments <span class="stats">(3)</span></a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/why-is-chicago-gunning-for-el-chapo-.html#trackback">TrackBack <span class="stats">(0)</span></a></li> <br/>  <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648js_/http://feeds2.feedburner.com/~s/typepad/jpkT?i=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.mcclatchydc.com%2Fmexico%2F2013%2F02%2Fwhy-is-chicago-gunning-for-el-chapo-.html" type="text/javascript"></script> </ul> </div></div></p><br/> <a id="a6a00d83451c64169e2017d4125aaef970c"></a> <div class="blog_entry"> <p class="date">02/18/2013</p> <h2 class="entry-header"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/the-amazing-birdmen-of-mexico.html">The amazing 'birdmen of Mexico'</a></h2> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648if_/http://www.youtube.com/embed/8d9926r3fXA" width="465"></iframe></p> <p>Anyone who visits Veracruz and environs at fiesta time is likely to see the age-old Dance of the Voladores, the ancient Mesoamerican acrobatic dance that brings awe to viewers. I was in Cuetzalan, on the border between Puebla and Veracruz states over the weekend. To my delight, be-costumed dancers arrived at the Zocalo on Sunday morning and began to climb the huge pole. It must have been over 100 feet in height. </p> <p>According to the history books, the ritual began many centuries ago as <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://gomexico.about.com/od/historyculture/ss/voladores_de_totonacapan.htm" target="_self">a supplication to the gods to end drought</a> and return rain and fertility to the soil. As recently as a few decades ago, the dancers would still adorn their bodies with feathers to appear as birds to the gods. They'd apply feathers from eagles, owls, crows, parrots and the brightly colored quetzal bird.</p> <p>Check out <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://books.google.com.mx/books?id=Nd8DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA104&dq=1954+Popular+Mechanics+January&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Q3YzT6TaKu2o0AHgjvW_Ag&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=1954%20Popular%20Mechanics%20January&f=false" target="_self">this January 1954 Popular Mechanics article</a> titled "The Weird Birdmen of Mexico." The article notes that after the dancers climb to the top of the pole, they "drop off into space with blood-curdling shrieks and glide in widening circles until they hit the ground."</p> <p>I didn't hear any shrieks. Rather, the whole ceremony was accompanied by lilting fife and drum music, and the pealing of church bells. The costumes include long pastel ribbons that flutter as the dancers descend to the ground.</p> <p>In 2009, UNESCO chose the ritual ceremony of the 'voladores' as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, putting it up there with Mexico's Day of the Dead festivities.  </p> <p> <div class="blog_tools"> <ul class="inlist"> <li>Posted by Tim Johnson at 07:01 PM in <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/joys-of-mexico/">Joys of Mexico</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/tourism/">Tourism</a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/the-amazing-birdmen-of-mexico.html">Permalink</a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/the-amazing-birdmen-of-mexico.html#comments">Comments <span class="stats">(3)</span></a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/the-amazing-birdmen-of-mexico.html#trackback">TrackBack <span class="stats">(0)</span></a></li> <br/>  <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648js_/http://feeds2.feedburner.com/~s/typepad/jpkT?i=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.mcclatchydc.com%2Fmexico%2F2013%2F02%2Fthe-amazing-birdmen-of-mexico.html" type="text/javascript"></script> </ul> </div></div></p><br/> <a id="a6a00d83451c64169e2017d4124fe3a970c"></a> <div class="blog_entry"> <h2 class="entry-header"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/clambering-into-mexicos-depths.html">Clambering into Mexico's depths</a></h2> <p> <a class="asset-img-link" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/.a/6a00d83451c64169e2017c36f5ac4e970b-pi" style="display: inline;"><img alt="IMG_4840" class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d83451c64169e2017c36f5ac4e970b" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648im_/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/.a/6a00d83451c64169e2017c36f5ac4e970b-500wi" style="width: 460px;" title="IMG_4840"/></a><br/>One of the charms of Cuetzalan, which the Washington Post once called <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/09/AR2005090900682.html" target="_self">the “perfect mountain town,”</a> is that it is in the mountains of Puebla atop a massive cave system.</p> <p> <a class="asset-img-link" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/.a/6a00d83451c64169e2017ee898d4d2970d-pi" style="float: left;"><img alt="Photo-2" class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d83451c64169e2017ee898d4d2970d" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648im_/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/.a/6a00d83451c64169e2017ee898d4d2970d-250wi" style="width: 250px; margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;" title="Photo-2"/></a>A lover of caves, I badgered my traveling companions along on a weekend trip to enter a cave with me named Los Corales, which turned into quite an adventure. We descended 700 meters into the cave, all of us wearing helmets with headlamps and led by a guide who said she’d been in Los Corales hundreds of times.</p> <p> It was raining up above, and the family that manages the cave suggested we wear rented boots. We all said no. That was mistake No. 1. Once we got into the cave, we were engulfed by several inches of rushing water in several spots. In one area we had to descend (and later ascend) what felt like a small rushing waterfall.</p> <p> That said, the cave was beautiful, the darkness deep inside profound, and the crystals and stalactites otherworldly. One of my companions, Swedish television journalist Bosse Lindwall, took the video that accompanies this post. You can hear the rushing water at times in the video.</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="281" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648if_/http://player.vimeo.com/video/59873136" width="460"></iframe></p> <p> </p> <p> <div class="blog_tools"> <ul class="inlist"> <li>Posted by Tim Johnson at 04:46 PM in <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/joys-of-mexico/">Joys of Mexico</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/tourism/">Tourism</a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/clambering-into-mexicos-depths.html">Permalink</a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/clambering-into-mexicos-depths.html#comments">Comments <span class="stats">(0)</span></a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/clambering-into-mexicos-depths.html#trackback">TrackBack <span class="stats">(0)</span></a></li> <br/>  <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648js_/http://feeds2.feedburner.com/~s/typepad/jpkT?i=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.mcclatchydc.com%2Fmexico%2F2013%2F02%2Fclambering-into-mexicos-depths.html" type="text/javascript"></script> </ul> </div></div></p><br/> <a id="a6a00d83451c64169e2017c36f497cb970b"></a> <div class="blog_entry"> <h2 class="entry-header"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/i-just-got-totally-raped-by-the-police.html">'I just got totally raped by the police'</a></h2> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648if_/http://www.youtube.com/embed/jp7cGO1ac0o" width="460"></iframe></p> <p>This video is a few months old. It shows an American driver getting stopped in Aguascalientes by a traffic cop who proceeds to tell him his fine comes to 6,400 pesos, or more than $500 US. The cop seems VERY eager to receive the cash immediately. The driver, who doesn't speak Spanish, says he's in a Budget rental car, but the cop insists that he doesn't have the proper "verification" for the car.</p> <p>Finally, the cop takes some 600 pesos from the driver and tells him to scram.</p> <p>As the American drives off, he says, "Dude! I just got totally raped by the police, dude! Hola Mexico! Viva Mexico!"</p> <p>I'm glad he kept his good humor. Makes me recall a time a policeman stopped me outside Tegucigalpa, Honduras. When he saw my rental car contract, he said, "This isn't notarized." I could hardly stop laughing. I told him no auto rental contract is ever notarized. His bristles went up. It was only when I told him I was a journalist and started taking down his name and badge number that he relented.</p> <p> <div class="blog_tools"> <ul class="inlist"> <li>Posted by Tim Johnson at 12:45 PM in <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/foreigners-in-mexico/">Foreigners in Mexico</a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/i-just-got-totally-raped-by-the-police.html">Permalink</a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/i-just-got-totally-raped-by-the-police.html#comments">Comments <span class="stats">(1)</span></a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/i-just-got-totally-raped-by-the-police.html#trackback">TrackBack <span class="stats">(0)</span></a></li> <br/>  <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648js_/http://feeds2.feedburner.com/~s/typepad/jpkT?i=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.mcclatchydc.com%2Fmexico%2F2013%2F02%2Fi-just-got-totally-raped-by-the-police.html" type="text/javascript"></script> </ul> </div></div></p><br/> <a id="a6a00d83451c64169e2017c36e514d7970b"></a> <div class="blog_entry"> <p class="date">02/15/2013</p> <h2 class="entry-header"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/houses-without-dignity-for-the-poor.html">Houses without dignity for the poor</a></h2> <p> <iframe frameborder="0" height="397" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648if_/http://embedded-video.guardianapps.co.uk/?a=false&u=/global-development/video/2013/feb/12/mexico-housing-development-video" width="460"></iframe></p> <p>This is a video I picked up from <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/video/2013/feb/12/mexico-housing-development-video" target="_self">The Guardian's blog on global development</a>, and pertains to a sham housing project in Chiapas, Mexico's southernmost state where 78 percent of people are poor. When contractors in Mexico win bids to erect low-cost housing projects, they often do so because of their good relations with politicians. They then sometimes cheat on the building materials, kicking back profits to the politicos. When all is done, the political parties say they fulfilled pledges to attend to the poor, the contractors build what initially appear to be extensive tracts of decent housing, then the poor are told to occupy them. Only some can't live there. The housing grows dilapidated quickly. Cracks open in walls. Then people move out. It's a sad and massive waste. </p> <p>P.S. I may have had a coding problem with the video. If it appears too tiny on your screen, either refresh the page or go to the The Guardian hyperlink above to see the video.</p> <p> <div class="blog_tools"> <ul class="inlist"> <li>Posted by Tim Johnson at 11:58 AM in <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/social-issues/">Social issues</a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/houses-without-dignity-for-the-poor.html">Permalink</a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/houses-without-dignity-for-the-poor.html#comments">Comments <span class="stats">(2)</span></a></li> <li> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/houses-without-dignity-for-the-poor.html#trackback">TrackBack <span class="stats">(0)</span></a></li> <br/>  <script 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align="right" width="100" height="141" hspace="10" vspace="10" border="0"> <p>This blog is written by Tim Johnson, the Mexico bureau chief for McClatchy Newspapers.</p> <p> Send a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/mailto:tjohnson@mcclatchydc.com">story suggestion or news tip</a>. </p> <p>Read <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/163">Tim's stories</a> at news.mcclatchy.com.</p> <p>Follow Tim on Twitter: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://twitter.com/#!/TimJohnson4" target="_blank">@timjohnson4</a></p> </div> <p> <form style="border:1px solid #ccc;padding:3px;text-align:center;width: 280px;" action="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify" method="post" target="popupwindow" onsubmit="window.open('http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=MexicoUnmasked', 'popupwindow', 'scrollbars=yes,width=550,height=520');return true"><p>Enter your email 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href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/southamerica/"><strong>Blog:</strong> Inside South America</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="box_2"> <h3>RECENT POSTS</h3> <ul class="vlist"> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/03/crazy-brawl-on-the-diamond.html">Crazy brawl on the diamond</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/03/the-outsize-role-of-hugo-chavez.html">The outsize role of Hugo Chavez</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/03/carlos-slim-the-richest-0001.html">Carlos Slim, the richest .0001%</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/latest-narco-tactic-pot-cannons.html">Latest narco tactic: 'Pot cannons'</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/mexico-and-its-contrarian-indicators.html">Mexico and its contrarian indicators</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/why-is-chicago-gunning-for-el-chapo-.html">Why is Chicago gunning for 'El Chapo'? </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/the-amazing-birdmen-of-mexico.html">The amazing 'birdmen of Mexico'</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/clambering-into-mexicos-depths.html">Clambering into Mexico's depths</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/i-just-got-totally-raped-by-the-police.html">'I just got totally raped by the police'</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/houses-without-dignity-for-the-poor.html">Houses without dignity for the poor</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="box_2"> <h3>THIS MONTH</h3> <ul> <table summary="Monthly calendar with links to each day's posts"> <tr> <th>Sun</th> <th>Mon</th> <th>Tue</th> <th>Wed</th> <th>Thu</th> <th>Fri</th> <th>Sat</th> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td>1</td> <td>2</td></tr> <tr> <td>3</td> <td>4</td> <td><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/03/carlos-slim-the-richest-0001.html">5</a></td> <td><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/03/the-outsize-role-of-hugo-chavez.html">6</a></td> <td>7</td> <td>8</td> <td>9</td></tr> <tr> <td>10</td> <td><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/03/crazy-brawl-on-the-diamond.html">11</a></td> <td>12</td> <td>13</td> <td>14</td> <td>15</td> <td>16</td></tr> <tr> <td>17</td> <td>18</td> <td>19</td> <td>20</td> <td>21</td> <td>22</td> <td>23</td></tr> <tr> <td>24</td> <td>25</td> <td>26</td> <td>27</td> <td>28</td> <td>29</td> <td>30</td></tr> <tr> <td>31</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td></tr> </table> </ul> </div> <div class="box_2"> <h3>ARCHIVES</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/03/index.html">March 2013</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/02/index.html">February 2013</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2013/01/index.html">January 2013</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2012/12/index.html">December 2012</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2012/11/index.html">November 2012</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2012/10/index.html">October 2012</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2012/09/index.html">September 2012</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2012/08/index.html">August 2012</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2012/07/index.html">July 2012</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/2012/06/index.html">June 2012</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="box_2"> <h3>CATEGORIES</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/archaelogy/">Archaelogy</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/art-and-architecture/">Art and Architecture</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/border-issues/">Border issues</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/carlos-slim/">Carlos Slim</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/central-america/">Central America</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/cinema/">Cinema</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/culture-and-music/">Culture and music</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/drug-war/">Drug war</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/economytrade/">Economy/Trade</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/elections/">Elections</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/environment/">Environment</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/food/">Food</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/foreigners-in-mexico/">Foreigners in Mexico</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/immigration/">Immigration</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/indigenous/">Indigenous</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/institutional-revolutionary-party/">Institutional Revolutionary Party </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/joys-of-mexico/">Joys of Mexico</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/mexican-media/">Mexican media</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/mexican-politics/">Mexican politics</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/monopolies/">Monopolies</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/retiring-in-mexico/">Retiring in Mexico</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/social-issues/">Social issues</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/sports/">Sports</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/tourism/">Tourism</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/weapons/">Weapons</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="box_2"> <h3>BLOGROLL</h3> <ul class="vlist2"> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://narcocartels.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Narco Mexico</a> (Spanish and English)</li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.southernpulse.com/" target="_blank">Southern Pulse</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://borderviolenceanalysis.typepad.com/" target="_blank">Mexico’s Drug War</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://sites.google.com/site/transborderproject/" target="_blank">TransBorder Project</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com/" target="_blank">Mexico Cooks! </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.mexicotodayblog.com/" target="_blank">Mexico Today </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://mexicofoodandmore.com/" target="_blank">Mexico Food and More</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.mexicovacationtravels.com/" target="_blank">Mexico Vacations </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.mexperience.com/" target="_blank">Mexperience</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://mexicopolitics.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Under the Volcano </a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="box_2"> <h3>MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS</h3> <ul class="vlist2"> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.adn.com/" target="_blank">Anchorage Daily News (AK)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.beaufortgazette.com/" target="_blank">Beaufort Gazette (SC)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.belleville.com/" target="_blank">Belleville News-Democrat (IL)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.bellinghamherald.com/" target="_blank">Bellingham Herald (WA)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.sunherald.com/" target="_blank">Biloxi Sun Herald (MS)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.bradentonherald.com/" target="_blank">Bradenton Herald (FL)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.centredaily.com/" target="_blank">Centre Daily Times (PA)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.charlotteobserver.com/" target="_blank">Charlotte Observer (NC)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/" target="_blank">Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (GA)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.elnuevo.com/" target="_blank">El Nuevo Herald (FL)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.star-telegram.com/" target="_blank">Fort Worth Star-Telegram (TX)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.fresnobee.com/" target="_blank">Fresno Bee (CA)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.idahostatesman.com/" target="_blank">Idaho Statesman (ID)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.islandpacket.com/" target="_blank">Island Packet (SC)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.kansascity.com/" target="_blank">Kansas City Star (MO)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.kentucky.com/" target="_blank">Lexington Herald-Leader (KY)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.macon.com/" target="_blank">Macon Telegraph (GA)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.mercedsunstar.com/" target="_blank">Merced Sun-Star (CA)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.miamiherald.com/" target="_blank">Miami Herald (FL)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.modbee.com/" target="_blank">Modesto Bee (CA)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.thesunnews.com/" target="_blank">Myrtle Beach Sun News (SC)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.olathedailynews.com/" target="_blank">Olathe News (KS)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.theolympian.com/" target="_blank">The Olympian (WA)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.newsobserver.com/" target="_blank">Raleigh News & Observer (NC)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.heraldonline.com/" target="_blank">Rock Hill Herald (SC)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.sacbee.com/" target="_blank">Sacramento Bee (CA)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.thestate.com/" target="_blank">The State (SC)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.sanluisobispo.com/" target="_blank">San Luis Obispo Tribune (CA)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.thenewstribune.com/" target="_blank">Tacoma News Tribune (WA)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.tri-cityherald.com/" target="_blank">Tri-City Herald (WA)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://www.kansas.com/" target="_blank">Wichita Eagle (KS)</a></li> <ul> </div> </div> <div id="col_3"> <div class="advert">advertisement</div> <center>  <script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript">var _miDartOrd = new Date().getTime() * Math.random(2341032);var _miDartInc = 0;_miDartInc++;  </script> <noscript> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648/http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/mi.mdc00/News/World;atf=y;dcove=d;pl=blog;sect=MexicoUnmasked;pos=1;sz=160x600;tile=1;!c=blog;pub=McClatchyDC;ord=123456789" target="_blank"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20130314130648im_/http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/mi.mdc00/News/World;atf=y;dcove=d;pl=blog;sect=MexicoUnmasked;pos=1;sz=160x600;tile=1;!c=blog;pub=McClatchyDC;ord=123456789" border="0" alt="advertisement"></a> </noscript>  </center> 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