Local News
Highlights from November 7's “Baja Business People's” meeting with Francisco Rincon of Par Vial
CABO SAN LUCAS - Mr. Rincon showed up for the meeting, equipped with a lap top and the intention of giving the 50-plus people in attendance a Power Point presentation on the conclusion of the Par Vial project. He had been a no-show at our last meeting in July, because his assistant never told him about it, he said. Energy was high.
Rincon began by explaining that he is only the PR for the Par Vial and has basically no say in its management. His boss is Javier Morales. Mr. Rincon no sooner started speaking than hands shot up, and questions went flying.
At one point, he said that he had been doing a lot of presentations about the project and is used to animosity and aggressive questioning from audiences. We tried to keep everybody polite and mostly succeeded.
Here are the answers he provided:
Traffic lights
Answer: A company from Mexico city will be coming shortly to install and synchronize the lights, then they’ll be in the hand of our city government.
Trash receptacles
Answer: The city’s job.
Public Security
Answer: The city’s job.
Tourist police: Where are they?
Answer: The city should answer that.
Parking on the streets
Will we still be able to park on one side of the street downtown?
Answer: Transit Police’s job = The city’s job.
Is there a plan for routine cleaning of the streets and sidewalks?
Answer: The city’s job.
When will you fix the horribly uneven sidewalks and open or wobbly registers?
Answer: The city’s job.
Did the budget run significantly over?
Answer: There is some money left over which will be used to re-finish two more streets – Hidalgo and Madero in CSL – in September 2010.
Why did it take so long? Why were they not working 3 shifts a day to get it done sooner?
Answer: IT TOOK TOO LONG FOR THE COMMUNITY TO COMPLAIN. Official complaints from local architect organizations, business owners, business bureaux, and the local press were not filed until about three-months ago, at which point they kicked into higher gear.
Thanks to Celyne Poupart of the Baja Business People group for submitting this report.
Security and Hygiene Committees installed in more than one hundred hotel and restaurant businesses in Los Cabos
CABO SAN LUCAS – To protect against the spread of influenza AH1N1 through workers, Security and Hygiene Committees are being installed in more than one hundred hotel and restaurante businesses in Los Cabos, said the federal Labour Department delegate for Baja California Sur, Amalia Camacho, yesterday. She added that 62% of the influenza AH1N1 deaths were workers between 19 and 47 years of age. Another one of the important tasks of these committees will be to prevent tobacco consumption, which will be coordinated at the federal level with the Secretariat of Health through the State Commission for Protección Contra Riesgos Sanitarios (COEPRIS).
10th Annual IGFA Offshore World Championship Tournament
CABO SAN LUCAS - The IGFA Offshore World Championship tournament, a catch and release event now in its tenth year, represents the largest international field of competitors in the world of offshore sport fishing. The 43 teams participating represent 19 countries around the globe. The points-based tournament does not feature big prize money, but because all of the teams participating are past fishing tournament winners, the prestigious event draws the crème de la crème in international fishing.
Yesterday, after three days of fishing, the leader board remained extremely close as several teams sat within striking distance of becoming the next Offshore World Champs. The team of the International Marlin Madness Game Fish Tournament in Trinidad and Tobago had seven billfish releases after three days of fishing. Their score placed them in a tie for the lead with the 46th Annual Bico Fishing Tournament ICRJ-Brazil team and the stage was set for a dramatic last day of fishing.
Four teams were tied after Day Three, yesterday, just one fish away from the leaders. The teams representing Bisbees Black and Blue Marlin Tournament, the Presidential Challenge of Guatemala, the 2008 IGFA Offshore World Champions and the World Championship Billfish Release Tournament had each caught five billfish to close the gap on the leaders. One angler from Team 41 was injured yesterday by a fish hook lodged into his foot.
Going into today, the last day of fishing, Hernando Gonzalez sat in first place in the angler division with six releases worth 1,800 points. Check in with Claudia Velo and Dr. James McAllister tomorrow at 6 pm here on Cabo Mil for more tournament results.
National News
Mexico to Participate in APEC Economic Leaders' Summit in Singapore
MEXICO CITY - Mexican President Felipe Calderón will participate in the 17th Summit of Asian-Pacific Economic Forum to be held on November 14 and 15th of this month in Singapore, whose slogan is: Sustained growth: connecting the region.
The meeting represents a platform for strengthening Mexico's links with Asian-Pacific countries and promoting political, economic and cooperation links with one of the world's most dynamic regions. At the same time, it provides an opportunity for President Felipe Calderón to converse with the leaders of the economies represented there on global issues such as the challenges of the international financial crisis and the actions required for coping with climate change.
Among other activities scheduled for this meeting, which will be attended by the presidents and prime ministers of 21 countries, the Mexican president will participate in the Leaders’ Dialogue on Regional Economic Integration, at working sessions devoted to promoting balanced, inclusive and sustainable growth as well as binding the nations in the region more closely together.
At the 17th APEC Summit Meeting, Mexico will seek to promote a future based on open, flexible cooperation, that will ensure its access to the benefits of trade, investment and technology. It will also support the initiatives to promote economic recovery, stability, safety and prosperity in the region, as well as actions to reduce the current gap in growth levels between developed and developing countries.
President
Calderón Inaugurates New Corona Stadium
Torreón, Coahuila - During his working tour of the state of Coahuila, President Calderón inaugurated the new Corona Stadium, in the city of Torreón, a complex produced with an investment of over 100 million USD that will house the new Club Santos Laguna football stadium. La Laguna will usher in a new era in sports promotion, with the inauguration of the Territorio Santos Modelo commercial, cultural, religious and sports complex.
The aim is to trigger regional development and economic activity in addition to offering various social services and maintaining over five thousand direct jobs.
The stadium will have a capacity of 38,000 and a unique design in Latin America, since the pitch is 10 meters below ground level to improve visibility. It has a lawn certified by FIFA and for night events, it will be illuminated using Arena Vision technology, a novel system implemented in the finest European stadiums, and one that will be used by most stadiums for the South Africa World Cup 2010.
It also has 120 suites and two super boxes with 60 seats each and a press room for 160 journalists and underground parking. The project was designed in Dallas, Texas, by the same architects that designed the Dallas Cowboys stadium and 356,000 cubic meters of earth had to be removed for its construction. The roof is made from architectural canvas, now used in the world’s main stadiums, and the stadium is equipped with high definition lighting, suitable for any international FIFA match. Construction was made possible by the work of an average of 1050 persons a day over the past 18 months.
El Territorio will house and train new generations of sportsmen, since it will provide accommodation for 40 young persons training to be the next members of the professional team. The young people there will have dorms, dining halls and bathrooms in addition to areas for entertainment and relaxation and will be able to train on five and a five sports pitches, two with synthetic grass and three with natural grass. Likewise, TSM will house the football school with 450 children. During a later stage, the TSM will have a hotel where 60 of the 120 rooms will overlook the stadium pitch and be operated by a well-known international chain.
On Monday at Los Piños, President Felipe Calderón met Joseph S. Blatter, President of the International Football Association (FIFA), and Justino Compeán, President of the Mexican Football Federation who showed him the shirt that will be worn by the Mexican Team for the World Cup South Africa 2010. Calderón said that he hoped this World Cup would be the start of a new era in national football.
Mexico
City Joins Trend of Women-Only Taxis
MEXICO CITY – Several associations of Mexico City retailers presented Tuesday a fleet of 100 pink taxis for female drivers and passengers only as a way of stopping assaults and increasing traffic in shops.
“Angel
taxis,” a name that also refers to the capital’s emblematic Angel
of Independence monument, is a project of two retail groups, the
Alternative Commerce for a Decent Life Association and the Legitimate
Civic Commercial Association, said Graciela Coronel, leader of the
first of the organizations.
The same measure was recently
launched by the government of the central state of Puebla, which
presented 35 pink taxis exclusively for the use of women, all with
women drivers and equipped with devices to ward off attacks.
The
“angel taxis” will be driven by women who have been trained for
the job or who have already driven public transport vehicles, Coronel
said.
The project could be expanded later in the number of
taxis and also to attend the elderly. Mayor Marcelo Ebrard’s
administration has supported the creation of this fleet, Coronel
said.
The pink taxis that will circulate in the Mexican
capital are Nissan models Tsuru and Tiida, and the cost of their
adaptation has been some 15,000 pesos ($1,100 US) per unit. Other
cities in the world such as London, New York, Dubai, Beirut and
Moscow currently have pink taxis for women only.
President Calderón Congratulates New President of National Human Rights Commission
MEXICO CITY - President Felipe Calderón has congratulated Dr. Raúl Plascencia Villanueva, President of the National Human Rights Commission, on his recent nomination as head of this important organization. Calderón hailed Dr. Plascencia's extensive experience in the defense of human rights, based on the exercise of advocacy, academia and the National Commission itself.
Calderón declared that his experience as General Inspector will be crucial in his commitment to protecting and consolidating the validity of fundamental rights in Mexico. He also confirmed Federal Government's willingness to maintain its close collaboration with the National Commission of Human Rights, in defense of Mexicans’ freedoms and rights.
He added that the main challenge facing Mexico in this area is the construction of an effective rule of law. His administration will therefore continue working to strengthen Mexico’s institutions, particularly those responsible for providing security and justice for Mexicans.
80,000
Jobs were Created in Mexico in October
MEXICO CITY - Mexico has charted a clear course for the economy, as borne out by the 80,000 new jobs created in October and the 2.7% growth of the Mexican economy during the third quarter of the year.
“This result is excellent news, because it implies the end of the country’s recession and economic contraction and we are working hard to ensure that this recovery continues and expands in the coming years,” President Calderón said during the inauguration of the Bloomberg Economic Forum, Mexico 2009. He also declared that Mexico has created jobs at positive rates for the past five consecutive months, totaling over 200,000 from June to October.The federal government expects the economy to grow by at least 3 per cent.
PEMEX Produces Over Nine Million Tons of Petrochemicals during First Nine Months of 2009
MEXICO CITY - In September, production of petrochemical materials recorded a 6% increase over last year. During the first nine months of 2009, total accumulated production of petrochemicals reached 9,292,000 tons, a 49,000 ton increase over the volume reported during the same period last year.
According to information from the Petroleum Indicators, petrochemical production in September of this year was 6% higher than that for the same month in 2008, totaling 1,076,000 tons.
As a result of the production recorded from January to September, the internal sales volume of petrochemical products was just over 3 million tons, with an accumulated value of approximately 16.3 million pesos.
Woman
Bursts into Mexican Assembly to Press Lawmaker for Child Support
MEXICO
CITY – A woman burst into a session of the Mexican capital’s
legislative assembly to demand that one of the lawmakers acknowledge
his alleged son and pay child support, the media reported on
Wednesday.
Hector Guijosa was in his seat during the Tuesday
session when a woman entered the chamber to demand that he
acknowledge his paternity of her son.
“You have a son with
me. I’m only coming to demand that you respect and fulfill your
obligations to your son, that you give him an education, housing,
health (care) and a dignified life,” Emelia Hernandez shouted,
according to the daily El Universal.
“Fearful
and surrounded by security personnel, Guijosa was barely able to
blurt out: ‘You’re crazy, you’re crazy!’” reported the
daily Reforma in its Wednesday edition.
Guijosa said that the
scandal was being staged to hurt him politically, but he did not
explain if he had had a relationship with the woman, saying, “I
would prefer not to talk about that.”
However, he asserted
that he would take a DNA test to determine whether or not he is the
boy’s father.