Two New Videos on Merida and Mexico
Two videos show many reasons to come to Mexico, whether it's just to visit or to live, work or retire here.
The Vee Oh Cee
I keep hearing that Mexico is on the Verge of Collapse, and also that it is a Failed State. This is scary stuff. I'm not sure what happens when a country that has survived for a thousand years collapses. What is left behind?
Biased News, Half-Truths and Fear Mongering Fuel Paranoia of All Things South of the Border
Mexico is a country with a staggering poverty rate that is only worsening due to the impact of a flailing U.S. economy coupled with irresponsible media fear mongering, but that's not the whole story.
Mexico Murder Rate Reality Check
09 September 2009
The murder rate in Mexico has actually dropped by 30% from 1997 through last year, the LA Times reports. However there are localities, such as Juarez in the state of Chihuahua, where the local murder rate is amongst the highest in the world. “If the state of Chihuahua were a country, today we would have [...]
Posted in VeracruzComments (7)
There are No Secrets Here!
25 June 2009
Steven Roll at Travelojos posted today after a recent visit to Puerto Vallarta. A legal editor for a Washington, D.C.-area publishing company, Steven enjoys learning about all things Mexican and Latin American, including fascinating sites, interesting cultural aspects, and great food. Here’s what he had to say: As the only diners on the roof top terrace [...]
Posted in Jalisco, Reports by StateComments (0)
When it Rains…
29 April 2009
…it pours. I’m going to draw an analogy between Morton Salt’s good ol’ tagline and the steady stream of just-when-you-think-it-couldn’t-get-any-worse-oh-look-it-just-got-worse headlines coming out of my lovely host country. I think it is an especially fitting analogy as we enter rainy season here in Mexico. Where to begin… In case you’ve missed the headlines for the past, um, year, [...]
Posted in SinaloaComments (0)
Border Land
27 April 2009
A world where half of the people live in extreme poverty is neither just nor secure. Our security depends on more than military might; it depends on other people’s security, well-being, and a hope that replaces anger and fear. We simply cannot and will not beat “swords into plowshares” (remove the threats of war) until all people can [...]
Posted in ChihuahuaComments (0)
Q&A with a Recent Traveler to Cancun
22 April 2009
Yesterday I had the chance to ask some questions of a recent traveler to Cancun. She and her family were nervous before traveling to Cancun, but came here anyway and ended up having a great time. Here are my questions and her answers: Why were you nervous about traveling to Cancun? Stella: I was nervous [...]
Posted in Quintana RooComments (1)
More on Mexico as Failing State
21 April 2009
Having looked further into the matter, it appears that the Mexico failed state media narrative was spawned by a November 25, 2008 report issued by the United States Joint Forces Command Center for Joint Futures, The Joint Operating Environment (JOE). Here is the specific language from the report which seems to have set off the [...]
Posted in VeracruzComments (2)
The Problem with “Non-Natural” Death Statistics
17 April 2009
A frightening statistic that we often see repeated on the anti-Mexican, anti-travel, possibly racist, but certainly xenophobic “scare blogs” is the one about the number of “non-natural” deaths reported in Mexico. Some sites report that 27% (though we have seen percentages as high as 35%) of all “non-natural” deaths of Americans outside of their home [...]
Posted in YucatanComments (13)
Back Safe & Happy From Cancun
16 April 2009
The following comment exchange appeared recently on my blog. It illustrates the fear many travelers to Mexico have before they arrive and shows how unfounded those fears turn out to be. I thought it would be relevant to share this exchange here. Comment #164 from Stella – April 1, 2009 Hey Rivergirl, Glad I found this [...]
Posted in Quintana RooComments (4)
Mexico As “Failed State” Media Narrative
15 April 2009
Remember the, “Mexico is at risk for failing as a state” narrative which echoed through the USA media a few weeks back? The Brookings Institution, last year, produced The Index of State Weakness in the Developing World , which “ranks and assesses 141 developing nations according to their relative performance in four critical spheres: economic, political, [...]
Posted in VeracruzComments (3)
Traveling to USA…Am I Crazy? Please Help!
31 March 2009
I’m currently holding plane tickets for a vacation in the United States next month. I just came across the following report from ABC News: A gunman has killed eight people in a nursing home in the town of Carthage, North Carolina, and injured others including a police officer. …Small town America has often borne the brunt of [...]
Posted in QueretaroComments (14)
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