Cesar Martinez is no stranger to the kitchen. For the past six years, he has worked as a chef in French and Cuban restaurants in the U.S. Now back in his native Mexico, Martinez is finding himself in foreign territory: he has just landed a job as a wok chef at the first overseas P.F. Chang's outlet in Mexico City. "I've been reading books and doing research online," says Martinez, 38, "because I've never worked with Chinese food. I've never worked with a wok."Cesar Martinez is no stranger to the kitchen. For the past six years, he has worked as... more
Songwriter/Musician Chuck Prophet and band travels to Mexico City to record his upcoming album, ¡Let Freedom Ring!. DF is a city high on a hill and full of 25 million contradictions. It is from this vantage point that Chuck looks backward on the state of the American Dream in his latest songs.
This trailer is on the upcoming documentary chronicling the adventure.
Filmmaker Scott Compton and DP John Behrens went along for the ride armed with Canon 5D MkII HD SLR cameras.
Amid power outages, earthquakes, corrupt police and swine flu hysteria on CNN, Chuck and band managed to plug in and roll tape on a old-school rock record that takes no prisoners.
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cookingvinyl.comSongwriter/Musician Chuck Prophet and band travels to Mexico City to record his... more
Mexico City's thousands of stores went green Wednesday, as amended ordinances on solid waste now outlaw businesses from giving out thin plastic bags that are not biodegradable.
The law affects all stores, production facilities and service providers within the Federal District, which encompasses the city limits. Nearly 9 million people live inside the district and another 10 million reside in surrounding communities that make up greater Mexico City.
Mexico City becomes the second large metropolitan area in the Western Hemisphere to outlaw the bags. San Francisco in March 2007 enacted an ordinance that gave supermarkets six months and large chain pharmacies about a year to phase out the bags. Los Angeles is set to impose a ban if the state of California does not enact a statewide 25-cent fee per bag by July.Mexico City's thousands of stores went green Wednesday, as amended ordinances on solid... more
http://www.triponadeal.com - Free trips, new amenities and disappearing travel fees. This week, we reveal the great travel news of this summer you've probably missed! What major travel destination is eliminating their entrance fee this summer? What's the new airline amenity that’s changing the industry? Which online travel bookers have eliminated their fees? You can't miss this week's webcast! Get all the details on this week's stories at triponadeal.comhttp://www.triponadeal.com - Free trips, new amenities and disappearing travel fees.... more
THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON CNN - SANJAY GUPTA REPORTS. THIS IS WHAT A PERSON'S BRAIN LOOKS LIKE WHILE WATCHING SANJAY GUPTA GIVE A REPORT ON THE SWINE FLU OUTBREAK FROM MEXICO CITY. This video shows the reaction--of the axial, sagittal planes--of a subject's brain while watching CNN's Sanjay Gupta give a report on the Swine Flu Outbreak.
*Red means activating, blue means deactivating.THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON CNN - SANJAY GUPTA REPORTS. THIS IS WHAT A PERSON'S BRAIN LOOKS... more
Mexico decides Monday whether to reopen businesses and schools or extend a shutdown that has helped choke off the spread of swine flu but caused untold economic harm. The virus continued to spread around the world, with new cases in Europe and North and South America.Mexico decides Monday whether to reopen businesses and schools or extend a shutdown... more
An earthquake struck Mexico City last night. It reportedly hit 6.0 on the richter scale. Quakes of that magnitude are officially classified as strong and are capable of causing severe damage.
Buildings in the capital shook but there are not yet reports of major damage. The scene on Mexico City, however, mirrored that in New York City as a military test sparked worries, with workers fleeing tall office buildings.
This comes on rumors that the mayor of Mexico City is considering "closing" the city. We have no idea whether that means evacuating the city or simply preventing outsiders from entering in a kind of quarantine.
Mexico is the second largest trading partner of the US and the 14th largest economy in the world.
Developing...An earthquake struck Mexico City last night. It reportedly hit 6.0 on the richter... more
Confronting a security threat on America's doorstep, President Barack Obama is venturing into the heart of Mexico. His swift diplomatic mission is meant to show solidarity with a neighbor — and to prove that the U.S. is serious about halting the deadly flow of drugs and weapons.
During his stop in Mexico City on Thursday, Obama will emphasize cross-border cooperation and probably put a focus on clean energy, but the economic crisis and the bloody drug trade have set the tone.
Among the other touchy points are disagreement over a lapsed U.S. assault weapons ban, a standoff over cross-border trucking and immigration.
The escalating drug war in Mexico is spilling into the United States and onto Obama's lap as a foreign crisis much closer than North Korea or Afghanistan. Mexico is the main hub for cocaine and other drugs entering the U.S.; the United States is the primary source of guns used in Mexico's drug-related killings.Confronting a security threat on America's doorstep, President Barack Obama is... more
1. Montezuma’s Revenge in Reverse
2. California Droughting
3. Coke Crude
4. New School student beat down
5. London PoPo G20 murder
6. RNC 8 are not terrorists
7. Univ. of Colorado gets pwend
8. Obama’s war chest
9. P.H.A.T.W.A.
10. Skidmark Bob of Free Radio Santa Cruz
these articles and more at the link aboveP.H.A.T.W.A.
*profanity warning*
1. Montezuma’s Revenge in Reverse
2.... more
Our silver Mini Cooper rolled at a snail’s pace trying to maneuver through the wave of short, dark bodies, and fascinated, we gazed in awe while our bellies digested our indigenous lunch. Each of us tossed out a different hypothesis about the endless wave of people clogging the freeway. Eventually, we agreed on one theory – a protest. This seemed probable because protestors demonstrate frequently in Mexico City. Months before, left-wing groups crammed the streets to protest the newly-elected conservative government. They immobilized the city for weeks. But these protestors seemed more jovial than what I saw on BBC. Marching and chanting they walked, and walked, while we inched along.
We noticed them first on our way to La Marquesa, home of blue corn, and our destination. We escaped Mexico City, the most polluted capital in the world, and ventured beyond the tourist path in the country notorious for having the most kidnappings on earth. My Mexican friend Junior, my cousin Nicole from Canada, and I, jumped into Junior’s Mini Cooper and hit the highway. Once we left the valley, heading west, lush forests surrounded the pavement.
Along with the trees, we noticed the walkers. The endless squall of people heading east into the city, wore bright reds and greens, long skirts and sombreros. Some held Mexican flags with a woman in place of the eagle and snake. But poor eyesight, a strong sun and Junior’s heavy foot, made identifying her impossible.
Junior promised an authentic culinary experience in La Marquesa, a national park. We chose one of many low-rise huts that line the highway to eat fresh blue-corn quesadillas. Two gringas eating at a quesadilla shack on a Mexican highway begs Montezuma to unleash his revenge so I stayed safe with potato and cheese. Nicole inhaled the flor de calabaza (squash blossoms), and our adventurous guide, Junior, devoured chicharron prensado (smashed pig skin). His local stomach handled it.
Full and satisfied, we returned to the car and headed back to the city. But the protest stopped us. After hours, the journalist inside me became unsatisfied with our group hypothesis. I needed to know the real reason for the never-ending crowd of thousands. So I rolled the window down and asked a walking passerby about the march.
He told us they were heading to the Basilica of Guadalupe, the Mexican Virgin Mary. Our supposed protest became a pilgrimage. Sitting in the car, I looked again at the flag and noticed her, dark skinned and maternal. Every year thousands of pilgrims trek for weeks on foot to Mexico City’s most famous cathedral, built on Tepeyac Hill, where indigenous Juan Diego saw the Mexican Virgin in 1531. And on that February day, full of blue corn and guesses, we became part of the rolling wave of people in one of the world’s most enduring pilgrimages. Now that we knew, we sat back, turned off the radio, let our lunches digest and listened to the pilgrims’ chants.Our silver Mini Cooper rolled at a snail’s pace trying to maneuver through the wave... more
Some two million residents of Mexico City on Thursday began 36 hours without water under an emergency plan over Easter vacation to respond to a record drop in water supply and to work on repairs.
The cuts, in the giant city of some 20 million that once sat on lakes, coincide with Semana Santa, Mexico's second most important holiday season when many leave the city.
They are part of a five-month emergency rationing plan announced in January, and include repairs to stop massive leaks in the distribution network of one of the main water supply systems.
The Cutzamala supply system is at 47 percent capacity, its lowest ever level, due to low rainfall in 2008 and serious leaks, according to national water commission Conagua.
"Losses from leaks are greater than the total resources supplied through this system," Conagua's website said.
The city's government said it would provide 500 trucks with water tanks and purified water containers in areas worst hit by the cuts, where many residents rushed to store water this week.
Supplies were due to begin flowing again late Friday and to return to normal next Wednesday.
Copyright AFP 2008, AFP stories and photos shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly orSome two million residents of Mexico City on Thursday began 36 hours without water... more
A cult in Mexico has been growing to worship the Santa Muerte or Holy Death, a kind of female incarnation of the Grim Reaper. In this pod, VC2 producer Ioan Grillo and Journalist Daniel Hernandez go deep into Santa Muerte's spiritual center in Tepito, an old market neighborhood in the heart of Mexico City, which has long been associated with the criminal underworld to learn more about this new religious movement gaining traction at the fringe of mexican culture.A cult in Mexico has been growing to worship the Santa Muerte or Holy Death, a kind of... more
The Lear jet that crashed upon landing last week in Mexico City may have been doomed by the turbulence from a large passenger jet it was following too closely. The three crew members and six passengers, including Mexico's interior minister, were all killed in the Lear crash along with five people on the ground. The Lear was flying over 1 nautical mile too close to the heavy jet than it should have been, but not immediately respond to warnings to decelerate.The Lear jet that crashed upon landing last week in Mexico City may have been doomed... more
Beginning December 1, Mexico City plans to hand out free medicine to elderly men with erectile dysfunction, the local government said.
Medications such as Viagra, Levitra or Cialis reportedly will be offered under medical supervision.Beginning December 1, Mexico City plans to hand out free medicine to elderly men with... more
No, it's not an extreme sport for thrill-seekers. It's a weekend pastime for families thanks to a program called Muevete en Bici program, or Get on Your Bicycle. Mayor Marcelo Ebrard's initiative, launched one year ago, closes approximate 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) of major thoroughfares to car traffic, temporarily transforming the traffic-clogged streets into a public park and cycling route, called the cicloton. The program was honored this month by the World Health Organization in the 2008 Active Cities, Healthy Cities contest.Biking in Mexico City?
No, it's not an extreme sport for thrill-seekers. It's a... more
City officials in Mexico City are embarking on a plan to lower urban temperatures and improve air quality in this vast and dense city by planting roof-top gardens and green roofs on buildings to filter out air pollution. Reporter Jeremy Schwartz, in his contribution to the Austin American Statesman ("Green roofs begin to take root", 20 October 2008), reports on this emerging effort to change the urban landscape in Mexico City with green space and lower energy costs as part of the city's $5.5 billion dollar "Green Plan." Read more about this ambitious new program in the statesman.com.
Photo credit: Officials hope to transform Mexico City, one of the world's most polluted cities, by installing more than 500,000 square feet of green roofs by 2012, starting with government buildings. Image courtesy of the Mexico City Government and the statesman.comCity officials in Mexico City are embarking on a plan to lower urban temperatures and... more
"From time to time, we very briefly uncloak some of these Motherships in order to show your secret government that we are still here and do not intend to go away. We know that infrequent sightings of these ships by your astronomers go unreported. They fear reprisal, either by their peers or by those who give them their grants. Your secret government fears these ships the most because they fully realize the capability of such a fleet and the insignificance of any response they could mount.
The outermost ring of our vast fleet is, by far, the largest. It contains millions of immensely varied ships, ranging from Motherships the size of large ocean liners to those nearly the size of Neptune or Uranus. These Motherships are simply our final back up, serving as components that will enter the second ring only when necessary. They proclaim to all potential adversaries that Mother Earth and your solar system are clearly experiencing a transformation that no Being, corporeal or non-corporeal in form, can prevent."September 12, near Mexico city
"From time to time, we very briefly uncloak some of... more
MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Moving quickly to address mounting anger over crime, President Felipe Calderon promised Sunday to adopt several proposals from civic groups who led more than 100,000 Mexicans in marches against daily kidnappings and killings.
Among the measures are the creation of a citizens' panel to monitor government progress in fighting crime, better police recruiting and oversight systems and equipping officers with more powerful weapons, Mexico's conservative president said.
Calderon acknowledged that Mexicans are desperate to see results two years after he took office and began an aggressive battle against drug traffickers and other criminal gangs.
The government "shares the demands and the indignation of the people," Calderon said after meeting with 14 civic leaders who staged Saturday night's candlelight protests in the capital and cities across the country. "We know the biggest problem in Mexico is public insecurity."
Abductions and homicides - including grisly decapitation killings - have surged despite the deployment of more than 25,000 soldiers and federal police to hotspots across Mexico, and the arrest of several top drug lords.
Hours before Saturday's protests, the severed heads of two women were found near the attorney general's offices in northwestern city of Durango, according to local media reports citing the same agency. No motive was given, but drug gangs in Mexico often behead their rivals.
Calderon offered few details about the proposed panel, but members of the 14 civic groups told reporters the president promised a concrete plan within a month.
"We're going to keep demanding: What's happening, what's happening, what's happening?" said Laura Elena Herrejon, of the civic group Pro-Neighbor. "Everyone who is listening to us must keep up the pressure."
Calderon said he had already included many of the other ideas in a 74-point anti-crime agreement drawn up last month during a national security meeting with governors and mayors.
Drug cartels have responded to the government's offensive with daily attacks against police, gunning them down at their homes, checkpoints and headquarters.
The rise in violence "is a consequence of the gradual and growing disintegration of public and governmental institutions," Calderon said, acknowledging that "in many places authorities have been overwhelmed by delinquency and crime."
Also Sunday a man's head was found in an icebox in front of the home of Rogaciano Alba, a powerful rancher and former mayor of the Pacific coast town of Petatlan, according to Public Safety officials in the drug-plagued state of Guerrero.
Alba went into hiding in May after gunmen killed 17 of his associates and relatives, including two sons. Officials said the severed head belonged to a friend of his.MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Moving quickly to address mounting anger over crime, President... more
MEXICO CITY (AFP) - President Felipe Calderon on Sunday urged Mexicans to fight an escalating crime wave, one day after tens of thousands protested an upsurge across the country of murders, kidnappings and other acts of violence.
Violence has spiked across Mexico since Calderon, who took office at the end of 2006, launched a crackdown on drug trafficking and related attacks, including the deployment of more than 36,000 soldiers across the country.
Some 2,700 people across the country have died in gangland-style killings so far this year, more than in all of 2007 -- including 18 decapitations over the past four days, according to national media.
Mexico has also overtaken Colombia and Iraq with its kidnapping record.
The recent assassination of a Mexico City teenager kidnapped from a wealthy family, in which police were involved, was the trigger for the mass protests.
"Without a stronger society, there won't be a police to defend against crime," Calderon said in a statement to the press Sunday, calling for the creation of citizens' committees to denounce violence in all Mexican states and large municipalities.
Story continued at link...MEXICO CITY (AFP) - President Felipe Calderon on Sunday urged Mexicans to fight an... more
