Supreme Court rules ‘grand fraud’ in extension of Baja governor’s term

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May 11, 2020

Justices of the Supreme Court, right, ruled against a law that extended the governor's term. — Justices of the Supreme Court, right, ruled against a law that extended the term of Governor Bonilla, left.

The Supreme Court (SCJN) has scuttled the plans of Baja California Governor Jaime Bonilla to remain in office for five years instead of two.

The court on Monday invalidated a reform ratified by the Baja California Congress last July that extended Bonilla’s term by three years. The so-called “Bonilla law” was endorsed by more than 80% of people who participated in a vote on it last October.

However, the SCJN justices voted unanimously to nullify the reform, meaning that the Morena party governor must leave office on October 31, 2021. Bonilla was elected for a two-year term in elections last year and can not stand for re-election.

The purpose of the shortened term – past Baja California governors remained in office for six years – was to align the state’s election for governor with the federal mid-term elections.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Arturo Zaldívar said that the whole process to extend Bonilla’s term violated the Mexican constitution. The actions of Baja California lawmakers constituted “grand” constitutional fraud, he said.

Zaldívar said that lawmakers in the Morena-controlled Congress executed a scheme that sought to “make a mockery” of the will of the people of Baja California, who elected their governor for a period of two years not five.

They used “the tools of democracy to violate democracy, unequivocally corrupting the democratic principle,” he said.

Opposition parties celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision while even the national leader of Morena expressed support for it. A senior Baja California official said that the state government will abide by it.

Institutional Revolutionary Party national president Alejandro Moreno described the ruling as “historic” and said that it put a “full stop” to an “abusive” quest for power, while National Action Party national president Marko Cortés said that “constitutional order” had “triumphed over dirty play.”

Morena national president Alfonso Ramírez Cuéllar offered his support for the court’s decision in a Twitter post.

“I welcome the SCJN ruling with respect to the term of Jaime Bonilla. An illegal reform with which the will of the people of Baja California was violated could not be permitted. This decision affirms respect for legal order,” he said.

Lorenzo Córdova, president of the National Electoral Institute, also tweeted about the ruling, stating that it “preserves democracy and the separation of powers” and upholds the legal framework that “gives certainty and legality to our electoral system.”

Baja California government secretary Amador Rodríguez Lozano said that the court’s decision carries the full “force of the law” and will be respected.

“[The SCJN] is the highest court [in Mexico] and that means that we have to comply with” its ruling, he said.

Source: Milenio (sp)

Fluffy, flavorful Swiss chard omelette is stupendously delicious

By

Janet Blaser

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May 11, 2020

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An unforgettable swiss chard omelette. — An unforgettable Swiss chard omelette.

On a recent visit to my youngest son and his wife, I had a simple dinner at their home that I haven’t been able to forget.

As I said, it was simple: a chard and potato-filled omelette and a baby greens salad dressed with a fresh lemon vinaigrette. Pretty basic, no?

But the omelette … the omelette! Fluffy, flavorful and pretty, it was unlike anything I’d ever had. Truth be told, I didn’t want to finish eating it and lingered over each bite, hoping against hope that there was more than what was on my plate. (There wasn’t. Sigh.)

At the end of the meal we all sat back, content and satisfied. I asked Nina how she’d made this stupendously delicious dinner. What made the omelette so cottony-light, so tender in the mouth, so unforgettable? An accomplished cook and forager, she smiled and plucked a cookbook off a nearby shelf. Here, she said.

Our omelettes had looked exactly like the picture in Plenty, the vibrant vegetable cookbook by London’s Yotam Ottolenghi that she’d handed me. Filled with the springtime flavors of chard and fresh herbs, now – before the summer heat really hits – is the time to make this.

Substitute baby spinach leaves for the chard if you want, and mix-and-match the herbs as you like. I encourage you to take the little bit of extra time necessary to follow the steps to the T; you’ll be glad – so glad! – you did.

Chard & Saffron Omelette

Keep an eye on the potatoes; you want them soft but not falling apart.

½ lb. small new potatoes, peeled and diced small
1 cup water
¾ lb. Swiss chard (stalks & leaves), cut into fine threads
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
5 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2/3 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs (cilantro, parsley, mint, tarragon, basil, dill)
Vegetable or olive oil
½ cup crème fraiche or crema
Optional: pinch saffron threads

Put potatoes, water and saffron, if using, in a large pot and bring to a boil. Simmer 4 minutes, then add chard and some salt and pepper. Cook, covered, for about 6-10 minutes or till potatoes are soft but still a little firm. Drain, gently stir in lemon juice and garlic and set aside.

Whisk together eggs, milk, herbs and some salt and pepper. Pour about 1 tsp. oil into a hot 9-inch, non-stick frying pan, then use ¼ of the egg mixture to make a thin round omelette. Cook, without flipping, just a few minutes, till set but not hard. Transfer to paper towel to cool. Make 3 more in the same way.

Preheat oven to 325 F. Spread crema or crème fraiche over half of each omelette. Taste chard mixture, adjust seasonings if necessary, then spread generously over the crema. Fold each omelette in half, then fold again to make a fan shape. (Let chard filling show at the open side for a prettier presentation.) Arrange omelettes on a lightly oiled baking sheet or ovenproof dish. Bake for 5-8 minutes or until hot. Serve at once. Makes 4.

You can use any spaghetti for this chard and pasta dish.

Bucatini with Swiss Chard & Garlicky Breadcrumbs

The garlicky breadcrumbs can be made a day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature and try not to eat them all! Bucatini is a thick spaghetti with a hole in the center; you can use any spaghetti, though.

5 Tbsp. olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
⅓ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
Salt and pepper
12 oz. bucatini or spaghetti
5 oil-packed anchovy fillets, finely chopped OR 1 small salmon filet
1 serrano chile, thinly sliced
1 bunch Swiss chard, ribs and stems removed, leaves coarsely torn (about 5 cups)
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino (for serving)

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic, stirring, until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl with a slotted spoon. Add panko to same skillet and cook in the same oil, stirring often, until golden, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl with the garlic and mix gently.

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. Drain, reserving 1½ cups of the water.

Meanwhile, heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook anchovies, mashing with a wooden spoon, about 4 minutes. (If using salmon, sauté 3-5 minutes till cooked through and then chop into chunks or flakes.) Add chile and chard; cook, stirring, until chard is slightly wilted, about a minute.

Add butter, pasta and ½ cup pasta water to chard mixture and cook, tossing often with tongs and adding more pasta water if sauce looks dry, until sauce emulsifies and coats pasta. Remove from heat. Stir in mint, lemon zest and lemon juice. Divide pasta among bowls. Drizzle with olive oil; top with garlicky breadcrumbs, Parmesan or Pecorino and serve immediately. –bonapetit.com

Janet Blaser of Mazatlán, Sinaloa, has been a writer, editor and storyteller her entire life and feels fortunate to write about great food, amazing places, fascinating people and unique events. Her work has appeared in numerous travel and expat publications as well as newspapers and magazines. Her first book, Why We Left: An Anthology of American Women Expats, is available on Amazon. Contact Janet or read her blog at whyweleftamerica.com.

Coronavirus could leave up to 10.7 million more in poverty: Coneval

By

MND Staff

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May 11, 2020

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Agency predicts millions more will join ranks of the poor, such as these laborers looking for work.

The coronavirus-induced economic crisis could push an additional 10.7 million people into poverty, according to the federal government’s social development agency.

The National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy (Coneval) said that between 6.1 million and 10.7 million people could be left in situations of poverty as a result of income loss due to the sharp economic downturn caused by Covid-19 and the measures put in place to contain the disease.

The total number of people in poverty could therefore increase by between 10% and 18% over the 60 million reported by Coneval in 2019.

The percentage of working people in situations of poverty could increase to as high as 45.8%, Coneval said, an 8.5% increase over the current level.

People living in large urban areas are likely to be more affected by the economic downturn than those in rural areas and towns, the council said, although it noted that agricultural day laborers are also vulnerable. Coneval also said that women could be more prone than men to the adverse economic effects of the pandemic.

With a deep recession seen as inevitable, the agency said that the government needs to broaden and strengthen its capacity to help people in situations of poverty. The operation of social programs should be improved to ensure that they reach the people who require them, Coneval said.

It noted that even before the pandemic, job insecurity was widespread in Mexico and the economy was stagnant. The council also noted that many people have difficulties accessing essentials such as food and water, health care, education, social security and housing.

President López Obrador has said that his administration will put the nation’s poor first during the coronavirus pandemic, announcing cuts last month in order to increase spending on social programs. The government is also offering 3 million loans to poor and middle-class Mexicans to help them through the economic crisis.

But López Obrador has faced criticism for not providing more support for the private sector, which employ millions of Mexicans across the country.

The government has ordered businesses to keep paying their employees even if they are not working during the pandemic but has ruled out tax breaks and other support for large companies.

Source: La Jornada (sp)

Anonymous tip leads to discovery of 25 bodies in hidden grave

By

Cody Copeland

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May 11, 2020

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Authorities have uncovered the remains of at least 25 people in a clandestine grave in the municipality of El Salto, Jalisco.

After police were dispatched to the property on the basis of an anonymous tip they discovered human bones. They subsequently found the remains of at least 25 people and five plastic bags containing more remains.

The bodies were taken to labs at the Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences (IJCF) for analysis. The Jalisco Attorney General’s Office (FGE) said that the investigations will be ongoing for the next few days as they continue to gather evidence.

It said in a press release that the investigation has not been and will not be impeded by the sanitation measures initiated in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

El Salto is located within the metropolitan area of Guadalajara.

Meanwhile, the citizens’ search collective Jalisco Families United for Our Disappeared (Fundej) organized several protests in the state on Saturday to demand that state authorities continue searching for missing people during the pandemic.

In order to observe physical distancing measures, groups of no more than 15 people protested outside the governor’s mansion and other government buildings to make their voices heard.

“We want to keep searching. We aren’t afraid of dying because we’re already dead in life and I for one don’t want to die without knowing where my son is,” said Fundej spokesperson Guadalupe Aguilar.

Demonstrating on the day before Mother’s Day, Aguilar said that “we have nothing to celebrate, we don’t have children and there’s no celebration. … Where are they? Where are our children?”

But Fundej members aren’t the only mothers of missing people who haven’t let the coronavirus hold them back from searching for their children. Considering their pursuit an essential activity, the Sabuesos Guerreras (Warrior Sleuths) of Culiacán, Sinaloa, continue to look for their children who have joined the ranks of the thousands missing in Mexico despite the pandemic.

There were also protests to mark Mother’s Day in other states on Sunday by mothers who said there was little celebrate.

Sources: El Universal (sp), El Heraldo de México (sp)

Mothers of the missing have nothing to celebrate on their day

By

MND Staff

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May 11, 2020

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A woman places a candle before the photo of a missing relative at a ceremony in Sonora.

Mother’s Day is no time for celebration for women whose children are among the more than 60,000 missing people in Mexico.

Mothers of missing children in Coahuila marked the May 10 holiday by protesting against authorities that they allege have failed to carry out thorough investigations into the disappearance of their sons and daughters, while a group of women in Sonora held a vigil for their absent offspring.

In Torreón, Coahuila, members of a group made up of mothers of missing people gathered at the so-called “tree of hope” in the Alameda Zaragoza park on Sunday to protest against the ineffectiveness of searches carried out by state and federal authorities.

They declared that Mother’s Day is not a day of celebration for thousands of Mexican moms who don’t know where their sons and daughters are.

“Our hearts are the same as the day they were taken,” María Elena Salazar told the newspaper El Universal.

She said there was no way they could celebrate when they can’t give their children a hug or receive the love and affection their sons and daughters once showed them.

About 250 kilometers to the east in the state capital Saltillo, mothers, grandmothers and aunts of missing people took to the streets to participate in the ninth National March for Dignity and Justice for mothers searching for their disappeared sons and daughters.

They demanded that both state and federal authorities speed up their investigations into the disappearance of their loved ones. The women accused the Federal Attorney General’s Office and the National Search Commission of failing to update most family members about the progress made in searches for missing people, claiming that officials only meet with a select few people and organizations.

Marches and protests were also held in other states including Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Veracruz and Mexico City, where more than 50 women defied the stay-at-home recommendation to walk from the Mother’s Monument to the Angel of Independence on Reforma Avenue to draw attention to their cause. Other protests took place on Saturday in Jalisco.

In Hermosillo, Sonora, a group of mothers held a vigil on Saturday night for their missing children. The women gathered outside the State Human Rights Commission, where they lit candles, put up photos of their missing loved ones, joined hands and prayed.

“They were taken alive, we want them back alive,” the women said, a refrain that rose to national prominence after the abduction of 43 teaching students in Iguala, Guerrero, in 2014.

They too said they was no cause for celebration when the whereabouts of their sons and daughters remained unknown.

“Son, I will look for you until I find you,” said Cecy Flores, leader of the Sonora Madres Buscadoras group. Her son, Marco Antonio, has been missing since May 2019.

“We’re not demanding justice, we just want our children back,” Flores said.

Source: El Universal (sp)

New York Times a famous newspaper but lacking ethics, charges AMLO

By

MND Staff

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May 11, 2020

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The New York Times story: 'conservatives are annoyed,' says AMLO.

President López Obrador has described The New York Times as a famous newspaper with “few ethics” three days after the newspaper reported that the federal government is not reporting all coronavirus-related deaths in Mexico City.

“An article came out in The New York Times a few days ago about the concealment of deaths. It’s the same thing that some media outlets in Mexico have claimed,” he told reporters at his regular news conference on Monday morning.

“The New York Times is a famous newspaper but with few ethics. It is clear in this case that they didn’t do a good job, that they acted in a biased way.”

Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell and the mayor of Mexico City have both denied that coronavirus deaths in the capital are not being reported by federal authorities.

López Obrador blamed “neoliberalism” – his favorite punching bag – for a deterioration of journalism in Mexico and the wider world, asserting that “alternate models” need to be created “with the participation of the citizens.”

The publication of the Times‘ story set off a chain reaction on Twitter, he said, asserting that “all the conservatives in Mexico or their spokespersons” retweeted the article.

“Like this,” the president said, drawing a circle in the air with his finger, seemingly indicating that the “conservatives” are caught up in their own echo chamber.

“Journalists, organic intellectuals [and] corrupt politicians” all shared the story on social media, López Obrador said, charging that they knew that the article was to be published because they all immediately – and simultaneously – shared it.

“All of them pounced on it,” the president said with a broad grin on his face.

“There’s no reason to be alarmed, this is normal. The truth is that a transformation [of Mexico] is being carried out and the conservatives are very annoyed,” he said.

“There has never been a situation like this in which privileges were ended, in which the economic power is separated from political power, in which the government is not dominated by groups with vested interests, in which it was decided to put an end to corruption and impunity,” López Obrador added.

“This weighs on them and it will take them time to get used to the new reality.”

Source: Reforma (sp)

Nurse is a ray of sunshine for Covid-19 patients, families

By

Cody Copeland

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May 11, 2020

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Nurse Martínez provides a link between Covid-19 patients and their families.

For some Covid-19 patients, the face of Laura Martínez de la Luz is the last they ever see, but the Mexico City nurse makes sure that they know their families loved them to the very end.

Martínez, 31, has devoted extra time to running messages between coronavirus patients and their worried loved ones who wait outside the hospital daily in hopes of receiving good news.

She arrives an hour before her shift begins at the hospital in the southern borough of Tlalpan in order to collect letters they have written to their sick relatives and offer emotional support.

She said she is not afraid of contracting the virus and even feels as though she found her calling treating Covid-19 patients.

“My tranquility arrived the day I entered the Covid [unit]. I love it. The first day I entered, I left smiling because you see the needs in there and you look for strategies to improve a lot, both among hospital staff and patients,” she said.

Playing the messenger between families and patients has been a gratifying experience for her and her fellow nurses. She recites the letters aloud to those who cannot read, and leaves the letters in a plastic bag at the head of the beds of those who are intubated “so that when they wake up they’ll know that the letters are there.”

All letters that make their way into the coronavirus ward are disposed of to avoid further transmission, independent of whether or not the patient survives the disease, and for this same reason patients are not allowed to send letters back to their worried loved ones.

“The first day that I gave a patient [a letter], the man cried. He couldn’t tell me thank you through the sobs so I left him. I came back later and asked him how he was and he said, ‘I’ve been waiting for that for a week. Thank you.’”

Martínez said that she and her fellow nurses and doctors are filled with sadness every time a Covid-19 patient dies, as the last time they saw their families was when they entered the hospital.

“It fills our hearts with anguish, and with rage because of all those who don’t believe [that the pandemic is real] and who say that we’re killing [coronavirus patients]. … We studied to save lives, not to kill,” she said.

Fear of the virus has led to harassment and attacks on nurses and other medical staff throughout the pandemic.

Outside the hospital, Reyna and Angélica await news of their sick loved ones. Preferring not to give their last names, they said that Martínez has helped them a great deal during a difficult time. Reyna’s sister is intubated and recent news has not been encouraging.

“We’ve been here 14 days since Laura began coming by and since then … the whole family writes [my sister], one day one family member, the next day another. [Laura] arrived on a day when we were all sad because of the report they gave us and she was like a ray of sunshine,” said Reyna.

Angélica also thanked Martínez for being there every single day to take the family’s messages of hope and encouragement to her brother-in-law, who is also on a ventilator.

Source: El Universal (sp)

Doctors angered by AMLO’s accusation they were out to get rich

By

Susy Buchanan

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May 11, 2020

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President López Obrador apologized to doctors on Monday after more than 30 medical associations demanded a public apology for comments he made during a May 8 press briefing in which he said that doctors only sought to enrich themselves during Mexico’s “neoliberal” era.

The Mexican College of Critical Medicine expressed “total rejection” of the comments which “slander and offend the entire medical community.”

The Mexican Urology Society also denounced the president’s statements, noting that during the coronavirus pandemic, many medical personnel have put their safety on the line in order to serve the Mexican people despite “profound deficiencies in hospital supplies.”

Similarly, the Association of Otorhinolaryngology also requested a public apology by the president, calling the comments “offensive and derogatory.”

“It is unfair that the president disqualifies our work and assumes that our only interest was monetary,” said Dr. Alejandro Macías, member of the Coronavirus Emergency Commission at the National Autonomous University.

Meanwhile, the Mexican Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology Colleges considered it unfair, inopportune and inaccurate for the president to speak of “medical commercialism during the neoliberal period,” and asked him to apologize to the doctors and nurses who are “fighting for the health and well-being of all Mexicans.”

On Monday, the president apologized during Monday’s press briefing but said his words were misinterpreted. “If they understood it that way, I apologize, but it was not that,” he said, explaining that he was not referring to all doctors, just a select few who were motivated by greed.

His political foes misrepresented his comments, López Obrador said. “They are looking at me under a microscope, they scrutinize everything, but I did not say that.”

The president was speaking highly of Health Minister Jorge Carlos Alcocer and Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell when he made Friday’s comments about doctors in the years leading up to his taking office in 2018.

He said the two are not in support of “commercialism which unfortunately came to predominate during the neoliberal period in everything related to health; as they used to say before about doctors, they only sought to enrich themselves, right?”

He related a hypothetical doctor and patient conversation in which the doctor wanted to know what assets the patient had before proceeding. “That isn’t Dr. Alcocer or Dr. Hugo López-Gatell,” López Obrador said.

A recent study found that doctors in Mexico are not well paid. A 2019 physician compensation report at the website Medscape revealed that, on average, Mexican doctors earn around 16,146 pesos (US $670) per month, about one-third of what doctors make in countries such as Brazil and Italy. Doctors in the United States make 14 times the salary of their Mexican colleagues.

Source: Reforma (sp), Razon (sp)

Chilangos break quarantine to make Mother’s Day purchases

By

MND Staff

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May 11, 2020

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A woman live-streams mariachis in Mexico City for her mother, quarantined at home.

Traffic and public transit use increased in Mexico City on Sunday as many residents disregarded the recommendation to stay at home in order to make Mother’s Day purchases.

Many capitalinos or chilangos, as residents of the capital are known, ventured outside their homes amid the coronavirus pandemic to buy gifts for their mothers, wives, aunts and grandmothers and meals and beverages to share with them, the newspaper La Jornada reported.

Flowers, chocolates and underwear were among the gifts sought out by capitalinos for the important women in their lives, while paella, barbacoa con consomé (slow-cooked mutton and an accompanying broth), carnitas (pork simmered in its own lard), tacos and roast chicken were all popular meal choices.

Soft drinks flew off supermarket shelves, some of which were destined to be mixed with alcoholic beverages. The ley seca, or dry law, implemented by the authorities in some Mexico City boroughs between Friday and Sunday to dissuade weekend gatherings was no hindrance to making a toast to mom, with many residents stocking up on alcoholic beverages during the week.

“The ley seca wasn’t going to stop us from celebrating with a good tequila, rum or whisky,” one person told La Jornada.

Flower vendors were among those kept busy on Sunday.

Other residents said that they wanted to see their mothers on their special day, even if was only for a brief time, because they had been sheltering in their homes for weeks and had been unable to interact with their moms face to face. Some people said that they planned to return to their own homes before dark out of fear that they could be victims of crime.

The fear of being mugged is bigger than the fear of being infected with Covid-19, some said, explaining that it is easier to protect oneself against coronavirus by using face masks and antibacterial gel than against crime.

The decision by some capitalinos to visit their mothers on Sunday was taken despite authorities urging people to stay at home in order to avoid the risk of transmitting Covid-19 to loved ones.

Many others, however, heeded the call and instead met up with their mothers virtually via online video applications.

One woman found a novel way to show her mother how much she loved and appreciated her – she traveled to Mexico City’s Plaza Garibaldi and live streamed a performance by mariachi musicians to her mom, who remained out of harm’s way in her own home.

From an economic standpoint, Mother’s Day is big in Mexico. One business organization estimated that last year’s Mother’s Day spending totaled 47 billion pesos (US $1.97 billion at today’s exchange rate), making it second only to Valentine’s Day in terms of economic value.

Source: La Jornada (sp)

On social media, beer goes for 3,000 pesos for 24 cans in Sonora

By

Susy Buchanan

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May 11, 2020

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It's available on Facebook, but it's getting pricey.

The black market for beer in Sonora is booming, with prices soaring to 3,000 pesos, about US $125, on Sunday for a 24-pack on social media. Two months ago, the price for a 24-pack was around 240 pesos in stores.

Those looking to buy beer have turned to Facebook, as have those reselling beer at exorbitant prices. Beer production in Mexico has been shut down since early April, and supplies are nearly exhausted in several states around the country.

Thousands of people began lining up at dawn last Wednesday in the state capital of Hermosillo, waiting for hours in 45 C heat for the chance to purchase just one overpriced 24-pack of beer each at 54 stores that still had stock.

And the beer shortage may not let up anytime soon.

Negotiations to reactivate the beer industry “are at a standstill,” admits the president of the National Agricultural Council (CNA), Bosco de la Vega Valladolid.

Despite predictions last week by the head of the consumer protection agency Profeco that beer production in Mexico might start up again in mid-May, the decision lies with the Ministry of Health’s Hugo López-Gatell, who de la Vega says “won’t listen to reason” as far as beer is concerned.

De la Vega estimates that the beer industry employs, directly and indirectly, around 600,000 people. Beer is also the lifeblood for 800,000 corner stores.

Should breweries be allowed to reopen, it will take time to ramp up production and distribution as the fermentation process alone takes between 30 and 60 days.

Meanwhile, some plants making beer for export have been allowed to continue operating, as has the tequila industry.

Source: El Universal (sp)