Since the drug problem is two-fold—Mexican production and American consumption—it makes sense that the countries would work together to find a solution. Ideally, while the Mexican government addressed the economic and social factors that make drug production and distribution attractive to its citizens, the American government would focus on understanding and decreasing U.S. consumption. In actuality, however, both countries’ efforts have been devoted to the to the production and transport activities within Mexico.

Many feel the U.S. focus on Mexico is hypocritical and detrimental. Some wonder why the U.S. portrays the drug trade as a Mexican problem without acknowledging its more than thirty million drug users. Others worry that Mexico’s stance on drugs is an act of subservience to the U.S; many Mexicans see “the drug problem as a U.S. problem that becomes a Mexican problem simply because of U.S. pressure” (Levy and Bruhn 222). Adding even more fuel to the fire is the growing number of guns making their way from the U.S. to Mexico where they are illegal. “They are cynical regarding this (consumption) issue,” said Mexico’s Attorney General Eduardo Medina during a recent speech criticizing the lack U.S. action to stem the fire arms flow.

For now it seems, the two countries will continue to center their efforts in Mexico. As we learned in David’s recent post, on June 25, 2007, nearly 300 members of Mexico’s federal police force were temporarily suspended and told that they would be reinstated upon completion of drug, polygraph, and psychological screening. Additionally, President Calderón has fortified anti-drug forces with military support, and the extradition of drug traffickers to the U.S. has increased.

In Tultitlán, Mexico nearly 300 police officers were suspended, due to a crack down on police corruption. President Calderon has been fighting against the drug trafficking and related crimes since he took office in 2006.

This new plan to suspend police officers suspected of corruption includes drug tests, lie detector tests, and even psychological tests. This is one “of the most radical measures yet undertaken by authorities to stamp out corruption.” Even friends and families of police officers will be tested. The officers that fail the tests will be suspended and those that pass will be promoted.

This is an especially important movement in Mexico. It is one of the first major crack downs on corruption that includes investigation of family and friends. However, it is hard to believe that this measure is going to actually accomplish much if you compare the amount of corrupt police to the 300 that were suspended. There is still a lot of progress to be made in this struggle, but this is a good start.

The war against organized crime and drugs in Mexico is growing at a rapid pace, if the current state of organized crime remains there will be a major insecurity problem all over the entire country. The growth of these groups comes from the manner in which they communicate and how quickly information is exchanged, not to mention how easy it is to log on the net, through Narco-Blogs. Death threats and insults are passed around people that claim to be part of a certain Narco group. For example, the biggest rivalry in organized crime in Northern Mexico is between the “Chapos” and the “Zetas” who promote their victories and killing sprees on blogs and websites like YouTube, Metacafe, and others of the same kind.

There was a particular blog named the Escolar Blog. Within this blog the Zetas made death threat towards Marcelo Garza y Garza. Garza y Garza was the director for the AEI (State Investigation Agency) and carried out the task. This happened in San Pedro Garza in Monterrey on September 6, 2006. The blogs are extremely popular and it seems like the people who are bragging about their victories through posts are portraying a surreal debate between them that grows into a cyber/war for lack of better words.

In this translated section, of the original, where apparently a member of the rival Cartel is saying how they are looking for Marcelo Garza y Garza and how they are going to kill him amongst other people around him.

What’s up motherfuckers, you children-murdering Zetas, we know that you’re fixed with Marcelo Garza y Garza from the PGR, killing innocent people with the help of that traitor, but we swear that soon we will knock him off, so we can end the executions. We also know that he sold himself to the “Hummer” and the “50”, he even lets them borrow the PGR helicopter so they can get around, so start counting your hours cause soon enough you will get fucked.

This is only a small example of what globalization has done for such groups and how popular it has become to utilize the internet. Similar threats have been flowing around in You Tube with videos that use certain songs to promote the killing sprees these groups engage in. The latest example of how popular and dangerous these blogs have become was with the death of the singer/songwriter Valentin Elizalde who had a song titled “A mis enemigos (To my enemies)”. He dedicates the lyrics to the “Zetas” from the “Chapos.” Other sources claim that he did not write the song for them, that it did not have any significance with the group others say that “El Chapo” made it his anthem to the “Zetas” and used the song to promote himself. But what it all ca down was that Elizalde played a show in Reynosa Tamaulipas and he sang the song twice once at the beginning and once at the end. The lyrics of ¨El Chapo¨:

To speak behind my back you guys don’t need help, why don’t you say it to my face, are you afraid of death? You know whom you are dealing with, so now come and try your luck.
Keep crying snakes that ill get you out of my way and for all of those who appreciate me you have friend in me, cause I have already sang this to all my enemies.

After all, the internet has been an amazing tool for communication and other purposes. However, in this case it is promoting the violence in this country. Even though it resembles a form of cyber violence, it still promotes actual violence. Children log on everyday to the net, and it would be hard to believe that parents would not mind them looking at these websites that discuss killing other human beings along with the description of how they killed a guy in a gruesome way.

Yo estaba dentro de mi casa, con el aire acondicionado encendido ya que el calor, incluso en la sombra, era insoportable, me decidí a encender la televisión para ver el noticiero con Lolita Ayala y fue entonces cuando sucedió algo, algo que me hizo sentir aún más calor repentinamente…Y es que estaban pasando un reportaje en el noticiero local, decían que durante este verano estaba muriendo la gente, -muriendo de calor- decían…yo más bien diría: “muriendo de indiferencia”, de esa indiferencia, de ese egoísmo e individualismo, que mostramos hacia todos esos seres humanos que a pesar de ser absolutamente iguales a nosotros en esencia, no han tenido la misma suerte…Es tanta la gente que muere todos los días, personas que sienten, que piensan, personas que están absolutamente solas, ante un mundo gris, un mundo cruel y tirano que solo los mira de cuando en cuando y les da unas cuantas monedas para callar la voz de su conciencia…

Yo no sabría decir si toda la gente muerta en las calles durante este verano, ha muerto por el calor de la naturaleza o por la manera en que toda la gente “normal” destellamos hacia ellos durante cada instante de su vida…

The official Mexican credit bureau is comprised of three main CICs, each of which interacts with the Comision Nacional Bancaria and the national bank to streamline regulation and to promote awareness of the importance of credit reporting in budding economies.

The first of these CICs, TransUnion de Mexico, is a subsidiary of TransUnion and Fair Isaac, two of the leading US firms that offer credit scoring, decision management, fraud detection, credit risk analysis, and other services to financial institutions. TransUnion de Mexico deals with physical individuals’ credit information, a relatively new aspect of the consumer information business in Mexico. Only in 2002 did Congress pass a law called the Law Regulating CICs (Ley para Regular las Sociedades de Información Crediticia), or CBIL, allowing individuals to request and view their own credit score. Before the CBIL, the only regulations governing CICs were three loose provisions in the Law Regulating Financial Groups (Ley para Regular las Agrupaciones Financieras). Under the old law, lending institutions were required to show individuals their credit report after their loan application was denied. Other than that, individuals had almost no way to view their credit information or to ascertain its accuracy.

The other portion of the credit bureau is controlled by a private firm called Dun & Bradstreet de Mexico, a subsidiary of Dun & Bradstreet and TransUnion corporations. This firm deals with the information of corporations and other large entities.

As we have seen with the lack of consumer-rights legislation, the Mexican government does not play a large role in forming standards for CICs. Instead, the Buro de Credito has been conforming with standards regulated by international organizations like ISO, an organization comprised of delegates from 157 different countries that meets in Geneva to set standards for various industries. The Buro has also conformed to standards set by the Norma de Excelencia de Centros de Contacto (NECC). Many of these standards govern general administrative and business practices in addition to privacy concerns, which one would expect with a consumer information database. By conforming to international standards rather than only fulfilling the bare-bones regulations of the Mexican government, the Buro increases its international credibility and allows Mexican firms to compete internationally.

A second source of credit information, not officially aligned with the Buro, is Elektra, primarily known as an electronics and household goods retail store. However, by offering credit to their consumers for furniture, televisions, and washing machines—goods smaller than cars and houses—Elektra incorporates into the market a lower-class portion of the Mexican population that would otherwise be ignored by the Buro.

In this photo we can see some ruins, we visit them like about 9 or 10 o’clock in the morning we had to ride like for about an hour to get there, this place its call “pueblo fantasma” and the name its not because ghost live there, its because its abandoned. This place used to be a mine were the Spaniards use to clean the silver, they are some entrances to the mine, and some big ponds were they used to clean and work on the silver. This is one of the most important attractions in Real de Catorce.
The “quemada” it’s a place to go in Real de Catorce it’s a ceremonial center of the wicholes tribe, we had to ride in a horse for more than 2 hours to get there, it was very fun we were talking all the way, saying jokes and singing (that was me), the wicholes are some is a tribe in northern Mexico, and this ceremonial center its in the top of a mountain, this trip was kind of tiered, but it was very interesting to learn and know a little more of the culture.

Monterrey’s General Mariano Escobedo International Airport follows this pattern similarly; however in this case, the airport has been tailored to represent a more broad view of the city- displaying the modernity yet industrial plainness that sets Monterrey apart from most other locales of Mexico. The heavy use of glass doors and metallic features throughout the three terminals lead into a large check-in/ baggage claim area that, while looking very up-to-date and sophisticated, lacks any true distinguishing characteristic and mirrors many recent additions to airports in the United States. However, this very omission fits well into the image of Monterrey, a Westernized city of industry that lacks an independent character that jumps out to those who visit. As such, many consider Monterrey’s to be the most efficient and modern airport in Mexico, much like the city that boasts Mexico’s highest GDP per capita and stands as an industrial center, not a cultural icon.

Originally built during the 1970’s in response to the troubles and incidents that plagued Monterrey’s existing Del Norte Airport, General Mariano Escobedo International has a history of upgrades and additions, all efforts to uphold the reputation of Mexico’s finest airport. While not large by modern day standards, both the original terminals have been kept well above industry standards, especially after a 2003 upgrade that cemented the current status of the airport’s advanced reputation. In 2006, an additional terminal was added to provide room for the growing domestic carrier market in Mexico (as seen in Group Two’s recent post). Unlike Mexico City, which has encountered numerous problems with airport expansion and new airport planning, Monterrey has consistently funneled ample funding into their airport. According to El Porvenir, a local newspaper, the city will begin the upgrade and expansion of Terminal B, one of the original structures that has been the least touched in recent years. The addition of gates as well as more modernization of the terminal as a whole will cost at least $40 million dollars. Once completed, every terminal in the Monterrey Airport will have undergone some form of either construction or renovation over the course of five years, assuring the airport’s dominance over the country’s other options.

The only foreseeable flaw in the airport as it stands today are the two runways- of which only one is capable of handling larger passenger jets. In addition, neither of the two is long enough to comfortably accommodate the new wide body jets that are beginning to enter the market, constituting the wave of the future. An additional runway or an extension to an existing one would open up an ability to host larger international flights and bring the airport even deeper into the modern air industry. Surely, as Monterrey has used extensive projects and funds to keep the airport modern in the recent past, the city will continue to upgrade the facility, thus strengthening the already deep-seated connection shared by the city and its gateway to the world.

            The CONCACAF Gold Cup Championship between Mexico and the United States last Sunday, which was the 9^th edition of the most important tournament in the region, was played at Soldier Field in Chicago.  The overwhelming support in the 60,000-plus stadium was clearly pro-Mexico, except for the US fan base behind one goal, the entire stadium was overwhelmed with the endless sea of green. 

            The game started off appearing as an evenly matched game, without an apparent upper hand in either direction. This changed as Mexico began pushing into their offensive final third, but although they were in the American penalty box, they couldn’t finish the ball.  After many excruciatingly close attempts in the first half Mexico finally scored, but this didn’t stop the US attempts on goal in the second half, which concluded with an American victory. This was made possible by Donovan’s successful penalty kick followed by the phenomenal game winning shot drilled from 25 yards out by US midfielder, Feilhaber, into the upper 90 of the Mexican net over Sanchez’s head, an nearly impossibly shot to block.

            Although this game may have seemed insignificant to viewers who don’t follow soccer, football enthusiasts can appreciate the importance of this second Gold Cup Championship for the States.  Football has become a relatively recent phenomenon in the United States, compared to that of our Southern Hemisphere competitors.

In the past two decades, the United States has risen from a mere mockery to a respectable team, and even though they began to fall behind Mexico during the first half on Sunday, “they didn’t fall apart as they might have in years past.” United States coach Bradley commented on their confidence developing as a result of “those home victories they’ve piled up over El Tri recently” and this helped them to “win in a different way.”

Even though they have the footwork and miraculously placed goals to back up their reputation, the international politically charged opinion of the United States and our current administration has caused the team much turbulence during away games. This negative stigma was not helped in the semi-finals when the US played Canada during which there were many controversial calls in US favor, including the potential match point that was voided because of an off side call by the sideline referee.

Though the United States ended with the trophy, the Mexican coach, Hugo Sanchez, did not feel that the final game and tournament were to be viewed with a negative sentiment. During a post game interview, he commented about the level of play of both teams, saying that “when the rival takes advantage of their opportunities one must congratulate your rival. The U.S. was more practical but we deserved a better result. Many times the team that plays best is not the one who wins, but the most efficient and the one that takes advantage of their opportunities.”

The final outcome was disappointing for Mexican fans, but the level of play was intense and the atmosphere on our adventure was engaging and a overall great experience.