After the incident, the baby received medical attention at a different hospital. DepositPhotos
The family of a baby boy fear he could lose his hearing in one ear after it was badly cut during a cesarean section performed at a private hospital under the dim light of cell phones during a power outage in Baja California earlier this month.
Karla Araceli Urizandi Martínez, 19, gave birth to Julián Adriel in the Clinica Internacional de Especialidades (CIE) in Mexicali on June 6. A medical team performed the C-section under the glow of cell phones after the lights went out in the hospital, which didn’t make use of any alternative power source.
According to a Reforma newspaper report, Urizandi’s operation was originally scheduled to commence at 11 a.m. but she wasn’t anesthetized until 12:40 p.m. The power outage began at 12:48 p.m. but the doctor, David Santoyo Alanís, reportedly decided to proceed with the cesarean against the expectant mother’s wishes because she had already been anesthetized.
“I don’t want to be operated on [in the dark], I don’t want to die,” Urizandi told Santoyo, according to Reforma. The doctor subsequently informed her husband that the hospital had its own source of power and that the operating room where the C-section was to take place was illuminated, a claim Reforma described as a lie.
The cesarean was illuminated by the light of cell phones. Twitter @fdiaz2050
The medical team led by Santoyo proceeded with the operation and due to a lack of light, cut the baby’s left ear as well as part of an infantile hemangioma, commonly known as a strawberry mark.
Sonia Martínez Andrade, Urizandi’s mother, told Reforma last week that her grandson was receiving medical treatment at another hospital. Testing will determine whether his sense of hearing has been affected. The whole left side of his head swelled up due to the injury he sustained.
Martínez accused the medical team of negligence, and told Reforma that Santoyo hasn’t accepted responsibility for cutting the baby’s ear. “He told my son-in-law, ‘They cut his ear, it wasn’t me,’” she said.
Martínez also said the doctor left the operating room before her daughter’s abdomen had been sown up. A different doctor tried to reconstruct the baby’s ear, she added.
Urizandi’s family filed a complaint with the Baja California Attorney General’s Office, but no action has yet been taken against members of the medical team or the hospital. The CIE has operated in Mexicali for almost 30 years, having been established in 1993.
While Santoyo and other members of the team that performed the C-section could be sanctioned for medical negligence, the hospital could face consequences – including a large fine and a temporary or permanent closure – for failing to meet minimum infrastructure requirements. Hospitals are required to have alternative sources of power, and to use them in case of a power outage.
Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez said at Monday's presidential press conference that homicides from January through May averaged 84 per day.
May was the most violent month so far in 2022 with over 2,800 homicides.
Statistics presented by Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez Monday showed that there were 2,833 homicides last month, a 6.8% increase compared to March, which had been the most violent month of the year with 2,653 homicides.
Murders last month increased 10.9% compared to April, although that month had one less day. Compared to May last year, homicides declined by 5.5%.
Rodríguez noted that last month was the least violent May in five years. She also observed that murders declined 7.8% compared to the most violent month on record – July 2018 – when 3,074 homicides were recorded.
According to federal statistics, 48% of the 12,737 homicides in the first five months of 2022 occurred in just six states.
“We continue to work with a lot of coordination and strategy to control organized crime,” the security minister told President López Obrador’s morning news conference.
Rodríguez also presented data that showed there were 12,737 homicides in the first five months of the year for an average of 84 per day. The graph showed that homicides were down 10.8% compared to the same period of 2021, 13.2% lower than in the first five months of 2020 and 10.4% below the number recorded in the January through May period of 2019.
Another graph showed that 48% of the 12,737 homicides in the first five months of the year occurred in just six states. Guanajuato was the most violent state in the period with 1,292 homicides followed by Michoacán with 1,204; México state with 1,067; Baja California with 1,039; Jalisco with 816; and Sonora with 732.
Yucatán was the least violent state with just 18 homicides between January and May, while Aguascalientes recorded 22 and Campeche registered 31. Of the 32 federal entities, Mexico City was the 16th most violent with 304 homicides.
Guanajuato, which has been Mexico’s most violent state in recent years, recorded a 31.7% increase in homicides between April and May, with the total number of victims rising from 227 to 299. Among the violent incidents in May was an attack on a Celaya hotel and two adjoining bars that claimed 10 lives. Among the criminal groups that operate in Guanajuato are the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel, the latter of which began as a fuel theft gang before diversifying into other crimes.
Rodríguez also presented data for a range of other crimes. Among those that declined in the first five months of the year compared to the same period last year were drug trafficking, tax crimes, femicide, assault, home burglaries and vehicle theft. Among those that increased were firearms offenses and extortion – a crime that particularly affects business owners.
The accident happened in the Polotitlán municipality in México state on Saturday morning.
Thirteen people died and eight more were injured, including at least one minor, on the Mexico City-Querétaro highway on Saturday morning when a transit vehicle crashed into a tree and rolled over, the federal highways agency Capufe and municipal police said.
The minibus veered off the highway near the community of El Ruano in Polotitlán municipality in México state, 160 kilometers north of Toluca. One reportsaid the passengers were on a pilgrimage from Texcoco, México state, to Celaya, Guanajuato.
Some of the passengers were found lying on the road after they were thrown from the vehicle on impact.
At least eight people, two of whom were gravely injured, were taken to the San Juan del Río General Hospital in Querétaro. There was one 16-year-old girl among the injured, but the identities of the two badly wounded people were not confirmed. At least one of the 13 fatalities died in hospital.
The authorities investigating the incident have not ruled out that the driver could have been speeding before the crash.
Participants were given red, white and green T-shirts and organized to form a Mexican flag. Indeporte CDMX
More than 14,000 boxing enthusiasts came out swinging in Mexico City on Saturday to set the Guinness World Record for the largest ever boxing lesson.
The 14,299 person turnout at Mexico City’s central square, the zócalo, far exceeded the previous Guinness record for the largest boxing lesson, which was set in Russia in 2017 with 3,000 participants. However, it was still below the 19,000 boxers who registered to take part on Saturday.
The crowd formed a Mexican flag after being directed to one of three sections of the zócalo, having received a green, white or red t-shirt prior to the event. A fourth section just off the square was open to people who hadn’t registered.
Just before 8 a.m. more than a dozen Mexican boxing champions and former champions were introduced to the crowd, including the former unified heavyweight champion, Mexican-American Andy Ruiz. Boxing legend Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez promoted the class online, but didn’t make an appearance.
Boxing students at the zócalo. Indeporte CDMX
After the national anthem, three champion boxers – Ana María Torres, David Picasso and Mariana Juárez – took the lead for three 10 minute exercises. Budding boxers broke sweat practicing their squats, uppercuts and jabs, among other exercises.
The participants were able to catch their breath at 9:10 a.m., when the class came to a close.
“Here are the future champions and world champions. Go Mexico!” said Torres, referring to some of her 14,000 new boxing students.
“It’s an honor to be with great Mexicans. It has been proven again that a united Mexico can do it … We are going for more championships,” enthused former featherweight and super featherweight world champion Óscar Valdez.
The event’s adjudicators stipulated that the class had to last at least 30 minutes and that all participants had to follow the instructions of the teachers and remain constantly active, without taking a break for more than 20 seconds. The students also had to stay in their assigned position and were prohibited from using their cellphones.
Like caramelized onions? Try using shallots instead for a milder, sweeter flavor with a hint of garlic.
Why use shallots? Aren’t they just the same as onions?
I used to think that way too — until I really started using them. Shallots have a subtler, milder flavor, with just a hint of garlic. When cooked, they caramelize differently and break down more easily and quickly than other onions. Shallots are great on their own or used as a base for sauces and more complex dishes.
Small and round with pinkish papery skins, shallot bulbs have several sections, much like cloves of garlic. (I find them quite cute.) They’ll keep, refrigerated, for several months depending on how fresh they were when you bought them. Look for firm bulbs without a green stem starting to grow. The flesh inside is purply-white like a mini-onion.
While I see shallots (chalotes) in Mazatlan’s larger grocery stores, I don’t know any local person who uses them. Nor have I ever noticed them anywhere on any menu — except at one new-ish Asian restaurant in the historic center. The chef/owner lived, trained and cooked professionally in Thailand — where shallots are an integral part of the cuisine.
Shallots are a great base for soups, sauces and stews.
They are a mainstay in Asian gastronomy, including in Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Korea, China, India and Nepal. My guess is that the sizable Chinese population in Mazatlán is the reason behind the availability of shallots, but quien sabe?
Shallots can be used in salsas, moles, any soup or stew, salad dressings and salads, as accompaniments to beef, chicken or fish. Plus they feature as the star ingredient in a wide range of recipes. And classic Thai fried shallots (recipe below) transcend any nationality.
Caramelized Shallots
Enjoy as a condiment, on toast or a sandwich, or with steak.
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 lbs. fresh shallots, peeled, with roots intact
Salt and pepper
Garnish: fresh parsley
Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Slice shallots crosswise into rings. Add to skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Turn to low; continue cooking until shallots soften but do not burn, 10–15 minutes.
Top with fresh parsley.
Pickled Shallots
1 cup rice vinegar
½ cup sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
About 18 very small shallots (8 ounces)
In small saucepan, bring vinegar, sugar and salt to a boil, stirring to dissolve. Add shallots; return to boil. Transfer shallots and liquid to bowl or jar; cool. Store, covered, in refrigerator.
Roasted Salsa
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
4 cloves garlic
1-3 serrano or jalapeno chiles
1½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
Olive oil
Salt
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
Heat barbecue grill or comal on medium-high. Place onion, shallot, garlic, tomatoes and chiles on a comal or baking tray on the grill; drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Sauté about 15 minutes, stirring, until vegetables are charred and blackened. Remove from heat into a mortar and pestle, adding lime juice a spoon at a time until desired consistency. Stir in cilantro and serve.
Combine all ingredients in a shaker jar. Add fresh herbs if using. Shake well to combine.
Bet you can’t eat just one of these crispy fried shallots!
One-Pot Chicken with Shallots
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
12-15 whole medium shallots, peeled
2 cups white wine
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tarragon sprigs
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
Pat chicken very dry with paper towels. Sprinkle chicken pieces with flour, salt and pepper.
Melt butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or skillet over medium-high heat. When it foams, cook the chicken, in batches if necessary, until well browned and crisp on all sides. Remove from pan; set aside.
Add shallots to pan; sauté in the butter and chicken fat until soft and caramelized, 10–12 minutes. Stir in wine to deglaze the pan. Add mustard and tarragon, then chicken. Cover, turn heat to low; simmer 30 minutes.
Remove lid and cook 15–20 minutes more to allow the sauce to reduce and thicken. Stir in cherry tomatoes and serve.
Crispy Fried Shallots
Save the oil the shallots are cooked in — it will have a subtle spicy flavor
1 pound of shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
1½-2 cups vegetable oil
Salt
Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a large heatproof bowl or saucepan.
On the stovetop: Combine shallots and oil in medium saucepan or wok. Place over high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until shallots begin to bubble, 2–3 minutes. Continue cooking until shallots turn pale golden brown, 8–10 minutes longer, stirring constantly to ensure even cooking. Working quickly, pour oil and shallots (contents of saucepan) into prepared strainer set over a bowl. (Shallots continue cooking after draining, so don’t let them get too dark.)
In the microwave: Combine shallots and oil in large microwave-safe bowl. Stir with a fork to separate. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Stir, loosening any shallots clinging to sides. Continue to microwave in 2-minute increments, stirring between each round, until shallots begin turning lightly golden, 6–8 minutes total. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring between each round, until they’re evenly pale golden brown, 30 seconds to 1 minute longer.
Working quickly, pour contents of bowl into prepared strainer set over a different bowl. (Shallots continue cooking after draining, so don’t let them get too dark.) Continue with directions below.
Immediately transfer shallots to prepared baking sheet, spreading into an even layer. Season with salt. Allow shallots and oil to cool to room temperature, then transfer to separate airtight containers. Store fried shallots at room temperature; refrigerate shallot oil for later use in other dishes.
The highly successful Squid Game TV series took a popular conspiracy theory as its premise: that most people's lives are controlled by mysterious cabals.
A couple of weeks ago, keening from the overwhelm of seeing yet another school shooting — along with yet another round of no one actually doing anything to prevent such things in the future — I wrote a new story (it’s on my Patreon account, but I’ve made it public so no need to subscribe).
The premise was this: there is another dimension much like our own world — the same people, places, relationships, etc.— where everything works the way it should.
There, the gods talk to us regularly, justice and fairness reign and our better selves run the show. We’re happy and mostly get what we want, or at least what we need. Half the population doesn’t have to take antidepressants just to function. Everyone knows what they’re meant to do in life, and they’re able to do so.
Suddenly, everyone in this utopic dimension starts to dream about themselves in this one — that is, our dimension; it seems like Hell in comparison.
When they ask the gods what’s going on in our world, the deities remain mysteriously silent, and so the versions of us in the happy dimension try to forget about their dystopic counterparts during their waking hours.
As I imagine is the case for pretty much everyone else in the world, I try hard to make sense of tragedy, pain and disappointment. And boy, it ain’t easy.
This, in my opinion, is why conspiracy theories are so appealing to us. It’s also why I think religion as an institution will never go away despite predictions of its demise for quite a while now: we’re hardwired to think we’re such important creatures that it’s simply impossible that there’s no divine plan for us.
The idea that someone out there is In Charge is comforting. Even if the In Charge entity makes terrible things happen, at least there’s someone to blame, which is its own kind of comfort.
I thought about this when reading Sheryl Losser’s piece on the history of Freemasonry in Mexico. It’s not an organization I know much about; nevertheless, its existence as a “secret society” is fascinating, because it gives at least the illusion that there’s some sort of mastermind group Making Things Happen in society.
There seems to be evidence that many of Mexico’s independence and revolutionary heroes were Freemasons, though — and this is what makes it extra interesting — it’s not something we can know for sure beyond a certain point.
Is there anything more tempting to believe in than the idea that there are certain people out there who’ve learned how to tap into some kind of magical historical power that lets them direct, or at least influence, the course of history — people who are really In Charge at a time where there seem to be precious few actual adults in the room?
It might be scary, but it’s also much more comforting than the belief that random cruelty happens for no reason.
And if we can believe there’s a mastermind group that acts as key players to steer the direction of history in a positive way, it’s not a stretch at all to imagine that there are organizations steering things in a negative way.
In Mexico, of course, the institutions that are hurting us are no mystical secret. The government is (still) openly corrupt in many ways, and narcos openly control large swaths of the country. While these two things may certainly count as conspiracies to gain influence, power and money, they’re certainly not secret ones.
Then there are the theories: AMLO and many of his supporters believe, for example, that there is an organized effort on the part of the media to discredit him, as opposed to the media simply doing their job of reporting the goings-on in the country. There are still people who believe the COVID-19 vaccine is intentional poison and others who’ve always believed that COVID was either made up to throw us into an economic depression (what for?) or to decimate us. (If that were the purpose, they didn’t do a good job of it at all, did they?)
And wasn’t there something about the danger of cell phone towers for a while there? And cell phones themselves?
When good things happen, we tend to find solid reasons for them (usually that we’re very clever or very divinely loved or have worked very hard).
When bad things happen, we look for an actual boogeyman, because it means that there are reasons that those things are happening; if there’s not an obvious reason, then the temptation to build one in our minds and make it real is strong — and dare I say, natural. Randomness and a lack of control under anyone are more terrifying than simply random, dumb luck.
“What kind of dimension is this?” someone in my story might ask.
Well, it’s ours. Often, the reasons why things happen are clear. For the rest, I try to calm myself with this wisdom: Relax. Nothing is under control.
Cextim Mexican whiskey focuses on using the local variety of corn grown by the Mixtecs in hot, dry southern Puebla.
Now, with so much corn here, you would think that Mexico has a long and widespread history of making some kind of alcohol with it. But this is not so.
There are a number of fermented corn drinks such as Oaxaca’s tejate, with little or no alcohol content. Distillation was introduced by the Spanish, but agave and sugar cane became the favored bases for mash since these produce far more fermentable sugars than Mexico’s starch-heavy corn varieties.
The first record of a corn whiskey in Mexico is from the 1920s, when border communities bootlegged into the United States during Prohibition. After alcohol became legal again, distilleries such as DM in Ciudad Juárez eventually went bankrupt.
The practice of making corn whiskey (written as whisky and güisqui in Spanish) would reemerge only in the past decade or so. The drink’s consumption has grown exponentially in Mexico, with sales second only to tequila, even though most brands are expensive imports.
Many Mexican craft whisky makers, like Abasolo, accentuate their use of the nation’s heirloom corn in their marketing.
Creating domestic whiskeys not only holds appeal for the pocketbook but also for national pride. If Japan can make world-class whiskeys, couldn’t Mexico? International alcohol producer Reynald Grattagliano absolutely believes it can.
Mexico’s secret weapon is its corn. Mexico has 64 native varieties of corn to experiment with. This not only makes Mexican whiskeys distinct from foreign ones, says Sierra Norte’s Douglas French, it creates a wide variety of distinct flavors.
Chef and food historian Irad Santacruz Arciniega says that it’s not just a matter of genetics but also the different microenvironments that these corn varieties grow in.
Ninety percent of Mexican whiskeys take advantage of the country’s heirloom varieties. Producers such as Hector Justino Gallegos of El Mestizo José Juan Arteaga de Luna of Juan Montaña firmly believe it is necessary to create something authentically Mexican.
Bottle of Oaxaca’s Sierra Norte whiskey with three of the five types of grains the distillery uses.
Ernesto Vargas and Celeste Mendoza of Cuatro Volcanes go further, saying that producers must have relationships with the communities and cultures of the farmers that provide that grain.
Mexico does not have many legal parameters related to whiskey, but many producers emulate U.S. standards with an eye toward exportation. The grain used must be 80% corn, but some insist on 100%, despite certain difficulties.
For the label añejo (aged), a whiskey needs at least three years in the barrel. Most are reposado with six months to a year. A few are unaged white whiskeys, with the Juan Montaña brand of Aguascalientes even marketing itself as “moonshine.”
Mexico’s whiskey makers have come to the industry via different paths, many diversifying from mezcal production. Others like Tomás Nava of el Gran Tunal has experimented with all kinds of mashes including cactus fruit. Vargas learned whiskey production in the U.S.
Sprouted heirloom corn ready for malting and a copper still at the Gran Tunal (Great Cactus Fruit) Distillery in the city of San Luis Potosí.
The largest and best known of Mexico’s whiskeys is Abasolo, a from the small town of Jilotepec, México state. Its whiskey takes advantage of the local cacahuacintle corn variety, which naturally has enzymes to help convert starches. It is even treated with lime, as if to make tortillas. This whiskey has been internationally ranked and is readily available in Mexico, especially online.
Mexican corn whiskey has caught the attention of major alcohol producers. Revés Distillery was founded by Hans Backoff of the Monte Xanic winery in Baja California. The Koch Group began producing Whisky Prieto and Prieta in 2018. Reynald Grattagliano has established a number of economical whiskey brands in Mexico, most notably Williamson 18. He’s also created the Mexican Whiskey Association.
But most producers remain small, self-financing their efforts, says French, often with a very local or regional distribution area. He began Sierra Norte in the middle of the 2010s because of an agave shortage. Today, he makes five types, each focused on different corn varieties from the Central Valleys of Oaxaca. His main market is foreign, but Sierra Norte whiskeys are available on Amazon and other outlets in Mexico.
One of the major selling points of the Mexican whiskey industry is its socioeconomic benefits for Mexico. The most obvious is that the country has always grown corn, a lot of corn. Grattagiliano sees corn as superior to agave as it is far more sustainable, which requires a lot more fertilizer and takes at least seven years to be usable.
Whiskey provides a new market for the heirloom varieties almost entirely cultivated by small farmers, who cannot compete with corn being imported from abroad. The value added by alcohol production means that whiskey makers can offer better prices to farmers, who then have the ability to preserve more of their traditional corn and lifestyles.
Corn can be grown all over Mexico, but it remains to be seen which varieties hold the most promise.
New brands and distilleries still appear. To date, there are over a dozen producers and even more brands, including Pierde Almas, Maiz Nation and Origen 35 from Oaxaca; Astro from Michoacán; Quinto Legado and Whiskey Lucan from Jalisco; Juan del Campo from Querétaro; and Scar from Sonora in addition to the others mentioned above.
Leigh Thelmadatter arrived in Mexico 18 years ago and fell in love with the land and the culture in particular its handcrafts and art. She is the author of Mexican Cartonería: Paper, Paste and Fiesta (Schiffer 2019). Her culture column appears regularly on Mexico News Daily.
The president speaks from Coatzacoalcos on Sunday. Presidencia de la República
President López Obrador spent last weekend in Oaxaca and Veracruz, checking up on the damage from Hurricane Agatha, stopping for selfies and examining progress on Coatzacoalcos port.
Monday
Food prices were beginning to stabilize, the head of the consumer protection agency Profeco said, following seven months of an inflation rate over 7%.
It wasn’t only prices that concerned the president, but the supply of basic services. “If the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) didn’t exist, as the conservatives want, and private companies … foreign companies, dominated, then would [Spanish energy company] Repsol be interested in restoring [electricity] service to the communities in the Oaxaca Sierra?” AMLO asked, referring to towns that lost power due to Hurricane Agatha.
The president added that the same supply risks applied to internet access, after the government’s acquisition of the company Altán Redes to expand service. “It’s a matter for the state because if we leave it in the hands of private companies … they will seek to … provide internet where the customers are: in the big cities,” he said.
However, not everyone shared the president’s vision for state-provided infrastructure. AMLO showed a video of former presidential candidate Ricardo Anaya, who is in the United States, despite facing corruption charges in Mexico. Anaya is heard saying that López Obrador has “old ideas and doesn’t understand the world,” with respect to his energy policies.
“If we hadn’t started with this change of policy, they would have finished the CFE and Pemex and the country would be in ruin … we’re not going to continue with neoliberal policies,” the president insisted.
Tuesday
Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell speaks at Tuesday’s conference. Presidencia de la República
A new hurdle faced the president’s policy plans: opposition parties had announced a “constitutional pause” and pledged that they wouldn’t support any proposed adjustments to the Constitution for the rest of his term. “If they’re not going to legislate … then stop charging [your salaries] … what were they elected for?” the president said, addressing opposition lawmakers.
Challenged on the treatment of the press, López Obrador said that journalists had scarcely had it so good. “We always respect journalists … a journalist who would be good to interview is Carlos Loret de Mola. He’s famous and he’s paid very well. He has an apartment in the most luxurious building in Mexico,” he said, mocking his least favorite reporter with whom he has an ongoing feud.
The president added that criticisms on press freedoms by the European Parliament and the U.S. secretary of state were false, before assuring that the work of The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, the Financial Times, El País, Reforma and El Universal should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Wednesday
Setting the record straight in her capacity as government media monitor, Elizabeth García Vilchis said the National Institute of Health for Well-Being (Insabi) wasn’t hoarding medications and doctors weren’t being forced to pay back a bonus for their work in the COVID-19 pandemic. García also quoted the Latin America head of English bank Barclays, attesting that fuel subsidies had helped to cool inflation and declaring AMLO a man of good faith.
On his energy plans, the president said that next year there would be no need to buy any foreign fuel due to advances with domestic refineries.
A journalist raised complaints of poor treatment of Guatemalan tourists crossing the border, whose vehicles had been impounded, but the president assured Mexican hospitality was alive and well.
Elizabeth García Vilchis presents her Wednesday conference section. Presidencia de la República
“I can tell you that our Guatemalan and Central American brothers are welcome. We have a very good relationship with the people of Guatemala,” he said, presumably not referring to the thousands of Central Americans detained without trial in migrant detention centers.
To close Wednesday’s conference, López Obrador reached for the poetry drawer and recited, not for the first time, La Calumnia (“The Smear”) by Rubén Dario. The poem says that a diamond, even if muddied, will irrevocably remain a diamond.
Thursday
Deputy Security Minister Ricardo Mejía clarified that there would be “no crime without punishment” to open his “Zero Impunity” section on law and order. He said 22 people had been arrested in Colima: a massive heist at Manzanillo port earlier this month saw gold, silver, zinc and televisions all go missing.
“It’s an issue for the Attorney General’s Office,” the president responded when asked about audio recordings which allegedly show the leader of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Alejandro “Alito” Moreno, saying that journalists should be spared of death by gunfire, and instead be starved.
“We’re not going to get involved in partisan issues anymore … revenge isn’t my strength,” the president assured.
However, he was more convinced of the fate — if not the name — of another political adversary: the president of the National Electoral Institute (INE). “As is the case with the electoral reform … he’s going to go. What’s his name? … Lorenzo Córdova,” AMLO said, referring to the INE’s leader and his plan to reform the institute, despite the constitutional pause pledged by opposition parties.
Deputy Security Minister Ricardo Mejía shares information about arrests related to the case of a recent heist in Manzanillo, Colima. Presidencia de la República
Friday
The president repeated his claim that the war in Ukraine had resulted from failed diplomacy and added that he’d prepared Mexico well for fluctuations in global energy prices by doubling production at domestic oil refineries.
For his upcoming meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden next month, the tabasqueño already had a few topics in mind. He said economic support for Central American countries to help combat the migration crisis was on the agenda, as well as temporary U.S. visas for migrants.
Despite the war, high inflation and incessant violence in Mexico, the president said he was still feeling fit and ready. “Look how much we’ve achieved … I’m even stronger than I was before. I’m in shape, I’m batting over 300,” he said, referring to the baseball batting average considered a mark of high achievement.
“Love and peace” the president declared, to round off another week of mañaneras.
Raúl Mejorada seen here on the MGB Victoria YouTube channel, is a man with a plan to bring cities drinkable tap water and skies free of utility wires.
In May of 2019, the city of Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco, announced the implementation of a radically new water and utility distribution system based on cutting-edge Dutch technology that would rid the municipality of its tinacos (water tanks on rooftops that provide potable water filled by private companies) as well as ugly telephone and electrical wires stretched above its streets.
Representatives of the Mexican and Dutch entities involved promised that, after only three years, members of every household in Ciudad Guzmán would be able to drink potable water from their kitchen taps.
Alas, the three years expired last month, and the tinacos are still there on every rooftop in Ciudad Guzmán.
Raul Mejorada of Guadalajara’s Grupo MGB Victoria — the hydraulic systems engineering company behind the plan to bring clean water to Ciudad Guzmán — is trying again. He announced this month that the Guadalajara is considering implementing the very same technology to transform the way water, electricity and other utilities reach consumers in Mexico’s second-largest city.
Safe, drinkable water flows from every tap in Holland. Businessman Raúl Mejorada wants to bring this to Guadalajara and eventually everywhere in Mexico.
“But whatever happened to Ciudad Guzmán?” I asked Mejorada.
“The plan,” said the businessman, “depended on the state of Jalisco supplying 50% of the funding needed. They dropped out at the last minute, and everything fell through.”
Mejorada laid the blame squarely on how Mexico handles the taxes it collects. Businesses located in cities and towns pay taxes to the federal government. “But,” said Mejorada, “the federal government gives back only 18% of that money to the states, and a mere 4% to the municipalities.”
So Mexico’s municipalities are poor, and no one will lend them money. But Mejorada apparently learned from his experience with Ciudad Guzmán and worked with his Dutch colleagues at the KWR foundation — a unique fusion of Dutch companies and a water research institute — to come up with a solution to the financing problem.
Flexible, pressurized, self-cleaning water pipes fit in very narrow channels, left, as contrasted with traditional networks, right.
Any city that wants this cutting-edge revamp of its water system must cede its utility-distribution rights to a fideicomiso (a trust). Members of the trust would include MGB Victoria and the KWR Foundation, but the fideocomisario (the trustee) is the municipality itself, which is also the trust’s beneficiary.
Guadalajara has already taken the step to create this fideicomiso for the proposed project, called the Sociedad Financiera Hídrica Mexicana. Why create a fideicomiso? Because the municipality is poor and can’t get credit, but the trust’s other members (MGB Victoria and the KWR Foundation) are wealthy and qualify for plenty of loans.
However, it must also be demonstrated to lenders that the transformation of a city’s utilities distribution system will be able to pay for itself. So Mejorada and his associates came up with a plan by which the new system is not only cost-effective but profitable as well.
“To make the system profitable,” says Mejorada, “we add to the water distribution system other services that can generate money. So, alongside the pipe for potable water (which, by the way, is self-cleaning) we put a flexible tube carrying natural gas and a telecommunications tube for internet, cable and telephone — replacing airborne telephone wires, which are very expensive to install and maintain. We also supply a tube carrying electricity exactly the same way, underground, not through wires in the air.
Urban skyline smothered with overhead wires.
“In this way, the setup becomes sumamente rentable [highly profitable]. Why? Because the utility companies that will benefit will all pay rent, and this will pay for the infrastructure.”
The new distribution system is entirely underground, using new, non-invasive tunneling techniques. And because none of the pipes — which are actually tough, flexible hoses — are more than four centimeters in diameter, the cost of installation is very low.
Mexico’s present water distribution system loses a full 50% of the water it attempts to carry. And it is for this reason that virtually all Mexicans drink bottled water, if they can afford it. This water-loss problem means that even though drinkable water is sent to Mexican homes (something required by federal law), by the time it gets there, it’s usually not safely drinkable anymore.
The problem is that when it goes through the normal water pipes, which lie right next to sewer pipes, the cracks in both end up mixing the two liquids, and what arrives at the customer’s house is now contaminated. The Dutch system uses super tough, flexible tubes, and the water pressure is on 24 hours per day. So the drinkable water goes from the plant to the home without contamination.
The proposed makeover of Guadalajara’s water distribution system will also deliver electricity, telecommunications and gas services.
“We need to stop [this loss of water] with new technology,” says Mejorada, “and Holland has that technology in the form of small, open-ended distribution networks, which are different from any other country’s. Holland only loses 3% of its water.”
I asked Mejorada which neighborhood of Guadalajara will be the first to benefit from his project.
“The answer is easy,” he says. “We will start wherever it will be more profitable and easier to install. And because these are basic utilities, there will be more profit where there are more people.”
So they intend to focus first on areas where there are plenty of customers. “We will start in the poorest, most crowded parts of town,” Mejorada says.
MGB Victoria contrasts today’s Guadalajara, left, with what it could look like tomorrow, with utilities like water, telecommunications, electricity and gas installed underground.
A likely candidate for the first utilities revamp is Balcones de Oblatos, a colonia (neighborhood) at the east end of town overlooking the deep Santiago River Canyon, noted for having “lots of people and lots of potholes.”
The municipality of Guadalajara has already paid for a preliminary study, “and we expect that the process for approval will take about eight to 10 months. After that, the work will begin, and the first areas renovated will be generating funds for more and more sectors of the city.”
Mejorada claims that similar plans are underway in Zapopan and Chapala, where the village of Ajijic would be one of the first to experience the utilities upgrade.
Says Mejorada: “In my opinion, the chance that this project in Chapala will be in operation next year is 100%. We are talking about packages of 9,000 tomas, (connections or outlets), and Ajijic will need only 4,000, so we will be working in other areas along the lakeshore.”
“Once we start, we won’t be stopping because every time we connect a new customer, we are making money; the municipality is making money. So, one day, I hope to see Chapala free of overhead wires.”
Mejorada and his team went to great lengths to find a way to implement a badly needed project at the municipal level. Here is his final comment on the crusade he has been waging for years:
“The wealth of our country is generated in our municipalities, and the day we realize this, we will see a better, fairer and richer Mexico.”
The writer has lived near Guadalajara, Jalisco, since 1985. His most recent book is Outdoors in Western Mexico, Volume Three. More of his writing can be found on his blog.
A group meets for a boxing class in Mexico City in late May in preparation for this month's Guinness World Records event. Facebook / Clase Masiva de Box Ciudad de México
The world’s largest ever boxing lesson will take place in Mexico City’s central square Saturday morning.
More than 19,000 people have registered and received kits with an official T-shirt, hat and number, the director of Mexico City’s Institute of Sport, Javier Hidalgo, told a press conference Friday.
A turnout of that size will easily beat the existing Guinness World Record for the largest boxing lesson, which was set in Russia in 2017 with 3,000 participants. Based on whether they received a green, white or red t-shirt, registered participants will be directed to one of three different sections of the central square for the lesson. Collectively they will form a representation of the Mexican flag. A fourth section just off the zócalo will be open to people who haven’t registered.
Three champion boxers – Ana María Torres, David Picasso and Mariana Juárez – will lead the lesson, which will commence at 8 a.m. Many other past and present professional boxers will be on hand to offer tips to budding boxers, including former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz, a Mexican American.
Champion boxers Mariana “La Barby” Juárez, Ana María Torres and David Picasso will lead the Saturday class. Facebook / Clase Masiva de Box Ciudad de México
Boxing legend Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez has promoted the boxing class and there has been some speculation that he would attend, but that hasn’t been confirmed. Sylvester Stallone, who stars in the Rocky boxing movies, also appeared in a promotional video for the event, telling his Mexican friends to show up at 8 a.m. and “keep punching.”
Among the promising pugilists who will be at the zócalo bright and early Saturday are about 10 residents of a Mexico City shelter for homeless people. The young men have been training under the watchful eye of a man affectionately called El Profe (The Teacher), a boxing enthusiast who moved to the same shelter when the hotel where he was living shut down.
Canelo’s advice in a social media video message to promote the #ClaseMasivaDeBox appears to have resonated with the men.
“Sport is the best way to better yourself in life,” the 31-year-old Guadalajara native said in the promotional video. “A true champion puts addictions out of the fight. … That’s why I want to invite you to the Mexico City zócalo for the world’s largest boxing lesson. Don’t miss it!”
