A water crisis can only really be addressed by fixing the issues that make the distribution so problematic in the first place.
Stories by Sarah DeVries
Learning Spanish? Don’t be shy or afraid of making mistakes
For the most part, Mexicans are charmed when non-native speakers at least try to speak their language.They’re patient and encouraging and try to be helpful.
Keep the dead alive by remembering them on their special day
Celebrating Day of the Dead keeps the memories of our loved ones alive — how they shaped us, influenced us, taught us and loved us.
Criminals were organized and ready in Culiacán. Security forces were not
The whole operation was a disaster — that’s obvious — but in the face of that disaster, they did what they needed to do to end it.
A perfect storm of factors has created Mexico’s obesity problem
Gender-based division of labor traditionally kept people healthy: there was someone there to make several meals a day with fresh and healthy ingredients.
Forget university entrance exams: work towards better pay instead
The root of opposition to admissions exams seems to be the belief that only those who go to college get jobs with a decent salary. That is the real scandal.
Mexican women are not without defenders of reproductive rights
Unlike some of the various large pro-life organizations active in Mexico, most reproductive rights organizations seem to be homegrown.
That women are in jail for abortions comes as a big surprise
Thousands of women are serving sentences for abortions or suspected abortions, and many are poor and uneducated with few resources.
Kids could benefit from some campaigns teaching safety first (and not third)
In the United States strict traffic laws enforced by an active police force and videos of gruesome deaths in driver education class are pretty effective.
Legalizing pot for pain should be a priority given that many could benefit
If we legalize and regulate its medical use we can prevent those patients from becoming addicted to much stronger and more harmful substances.
Hospital visit points out faults, but treatment was provided in the end
Mexico’s once shining social security system is admittedly in a rickety state but at least everyone can eventually get the medical help they need.
Can the Big Brains that have gotten us in trouble also save us?
Desperate times require desperate measures: some thoughts on what is being or could be done to blunt the impact of greed, apathy and poor decision making.
Decision not to prosecute Mexico City rape protesters shows progress
The more attention crimes receive, the more likely they will be taken seriously by both the justice system and by society at large.
US gun policy led to El Paso shooter responding to Hispanic ‘invasion’
The presence of illegal guns is a direct result of the United States’ lax gun laws and its refusal to track where those guns end up.
The nature of art and intellectual property is both sticky and slippery
Should original artists be flattered that their work is admired and deemed worthy of mass production, or irritated that it’s being copied and then sold?
When a dog attacks someone, blame the owner not the dog
Socialization and training account for most of a dog’s behavior, and ultimately the humans that keep them are responsible for what they do.
Employment in Mexico: rising prices, fixed salaries and few ‘good jobs’
A full time job in a clothing store in Veracruz, paying just 3,500 pesos a month, was described as an exciting opportunity for a young woman.
Money and social class: the implications of being among top 5% of earners
What are the responsibilities of good immigrants to a system in which they are unfairly favored on a number of fronts?
Dynamics of domestic worker relationship a difficult adjustment
Though many see it as low-skill labor that anyone could do, it’s important work, and without it it’s nearly impossible to get any other kind of work done.
Who cares what’s inside other people’s pants or under their skirts?
To those so passionately concerned about what’s in other people’s pants, under their skirts or in their brains, I would say: “People, chill.”
Bulls and other animals deserve better from mankind
Humans seem to seek out witnessing dangerous experiences, and what’s more terrifying and thrilling than watching a 2,000-pound animal charge someone?
Give the guy a chance: praise for AMLO despite mistakes, bad ideas
People who don’t like AMLO really don’t like AMLO, and the number of those willing to believe that he’s the next Hugo Chávez is alarmingly high.
Plastic straws: we won’t save the world by refusing to use them
Instead of shaming others about using straws better to focus attention on the big offenders, the ones who are producing and selling those products.
It takes a pueblo: family support was key during postpartum depression
There’s a kind of organically emotional and structural support for mothers and children in Mexico that our North American neighbors don’t get to experience.
Whistled at, taunted, touched and grabbed: a snarky lesson for cat callers
Harassment sucks, but what sucks more is that so many men don’t seem to realize that it’s something they seriously shouldn’t do.
