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SecurityCornerMexico.com Recommended READING: How Safe is the United States of America, REALLY? Also, Lessons from Mexico for Next Wave of Swine Flu: Influenza, N1 H1; Consul General Says Travel to Mexico Still Safe, If Precautions Taken. 2009 US Murders with Guns Stats: 39.5604; Drug Offenses: 560.1 per 100,000 people; Car Thefts: 1,246,096. Prisoners: 2,019,234 prisoners; Per Capita: 715 per 100,000 people. US is world's largest consumer of cocaine; Colombian heroin, and Mexican heroin and marijuana; major consumer of ecstasy and Mexican methamphetamine; minor consumer of high-quality Southeast Asian heroin; illicit producer of cannabis, marijuana, depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens, and methamphetamine; money-laundering center. Source: Nation Master
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790. The City of Washington was originally a separate municipality within the Territory of Columbia until an act of Congress in 1871 effectively merged the City and the Territory into a single entity called the District of Columbia. It is for this reason that the city, while legally named the District of Columbia, is known as Washington, D.C. More, HERE.
AFGHANISTAN: One day before the September 11 attacks in 2001, on September 10, the George W. Bush administration agreed on a plan to oust the Taliban regime in Afghanistan by force if it refused to hand over Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Many noted that of the 19 men who hijacked planes on September 11, none were Afghans (fifteen of the hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, two from the United Arab Emirates, one from Egypt, and one from Lebanon. None lived in Afghanistan (they lived in Hamburg). None trained in Afghanistan (they trained in Florida). None went to flight school in Afghanistan (that training occurred in Minnesota). More about Afghanistan, HERE.
The United Mexican States, commonly known as Mexico is a federal constitutional republic in North America. More, HERE. Mexico is the number one destination for foreign tourists within the Latin America region, ranking worldwide in the tenth place in terms of the international tourist arrivals, with 22.6 million visitors in 2008 while US dollar travel spending by all visitors rose 3.4% to US$13.3 billion. More significantly, WTTC's research shows that the country's Travel & Tourism Economy increased its contribution to 13.2% of Mexico's GDP, growing by 3.8%. More, HERE
Chicago is the third largest city in the United States, and with more than 2.8 million people, the largest city in the state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States. More, HERE. by Wikipedia.
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization
Gala combs her hair outside of her tent, before heading off to the library to use their computer. (Bill O'Leary - The Washington Post)
Gala Crum is homeless, pregnant and living in a tent alongside the interstate in Prince William county. Pictured, Gala Crum, in the woods outside of the tent she has shared since last April. She and her boyfriend, who did not want to be photographed, are hoping to get an apartment soon. (Bill O'Leary - The Washington Post)
Homeless campers face added challenges weathering wintertime
U.S., allies weigh Iran sanctions
First lady begins fight on obesity
Photo: Michael S. Williamson/Post
No normal week ahead
Federal government will be closed on Tuesday
D.C. school officials reported 220 abuse allegations against teachers
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
D.C. school officials reported more than 200 allegations of students being choked, shoved, slapped, kicked or verbally abused by teachers to impose discipline last year, according to information compiled by D.C. police.
School and police officials said last week that they don't know how many of the 220 accusations of corporal punishment and verbal abuse during the 2008-09 school year resulted in disciplinary action or criminal charges against teachers. Nor could school officials explain the variable nature of totals from prior years. In 2005-06, 219 cases were reported, and the number dropped to 89 in 2006-07 and rose slightly to 96 in 2007-08, according to police figures. More, HERE.
Dow sinks, closes below 10,000
Where did hopes for Obama go?
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Amid drug war, Mexico less deadly than decade ago
Graphic shows homicide rate in Mexico (P. Santilli - AP)
By ALEXANDRA OLSON
The Associated Press
Monday, February 8, 2010
MEXICO CITY -- Decapitated bodies dumped on the streets, drug-war shootings and regular attacks on police have obscured a significant fact: A falling homicide rate means people in Mexico are less likely to die violently now than they were more than a decade ago.
It also means tourists as well as locals may be safer than many believe.
Mexico City's homicide rate today is about on par with Los Angeles and is less than a third of that for Washington, D.C.
Yet many Americans are leery of visiting Mexico at all. Drug violence and the swine flu outbreak contributed to a 12.5 percent decline in air travel to Mexico by U.S. citizens in 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, a blow to Mexico's third-largest source of foreign income.
Mexico, Colombia and Haiti are the only countries in the hemisphere subject to a U.S. government advisory warning travelers about violence, even though homicide rates in many Latin American countries are far higher. More, HERE.
U.S., Mexico closer to resolving trucking dispute
Chrysler pledges $550M to build Fiat 500 in Mexico
Del Toro says he has soft spot for monsters
Talk about travel: Travel staffers help you plan great escapes
American Airlines to charge $8 for blankets
© Copyright 1996- 2010 The Washington Post Company
Top 10 Problems With America Assassinating Americans
February 5, 2010 by David Swanson
The director of U.S. national intelligence told the House Intelligence Committee the government has the right to kill Americans abroad.
Here are 10 problems with this:
1. Acts that are crimes under national and international law don't cease to be crimes because you cross a border.
2. Acts that are crimes under national and international law don't cease to be crimes because you engage in them frequently. Assassinating non-Americans is just as illegal as assassinating Americans. The leap here is not to victims of a different citizenship but to the legalization of murder.
3. Killing people has nothing whatsoever to do with gathering so-called intelligence. More, HERE.
Mc CLATCHY
Heroin, Opium About to Increase in Value
Afghan drug capital is U.S. target in coming offensive
February 8, 2010, by Saeed Shah | McClatchy Newspapers
KABUL, Afghanistan — The U.S.-led offensive that's expected to start soon in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province will be a battle not only against the Taliban but also against an insurgent-backed narcotics trade that provides a livelihood for thousands of residents.
Helmand produces more than half the world's opium, and Marjah, the town targeted in the operation, is its thriving drug capital.
Marjah illustrates the link between the Islamist insurgency and the narcotics trade: According to residents, the Taliban promote and tax the opium business and ally with the druglords who organize the distribution and export. More, HERE.
Copyright
America’s playground is no more
Because of drug wars, Mexico is no longer a safe travel destination for Americans.
2/7/2010
By Hadley Gustin
As I sit here in my cozy apartment typing away on a cold and dreary Saturday afternoon, I am reminded of what is to come in a matter of five short weeks. Memories of bright sun, stunning beaches and hot 80-degree days flood my mind as I daydream about the exhilarating experiences that characterize spring break. Although I am sad to say I will not be flying too far south this year (just back to the relaxation and comfort of my home in Chicago), I cannot help but fantasize about vacationing on the shores of Cancún, Acapulco and Cabo San Lucas.
In February 2009, MSNBC reported that Cancún would be the most popular spring break hotspot, with over 30,000 tourists expected to make the trip; not far behind were the Mexican coastal cities of Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos. The wide array of advertisements and shoreline settings are part of what makes Mexico the place to be every spring, but most of all it is the infamous MTV culture of America’s youth that gets people to venture south of the border. More, HERE.
All content © 1900 - 2010 The Minnesota Daily
Jan. 1, 2010 – Jan. 31, 2010: 27,988 crimes. Source Chicago Police Department
© 2010 EveryBlock.
Street gangs have existed in the United States for years and their origins can be traced back to many large metropolitan areas. Many gangs originally formed as a means of self-protection for family and friends within their neighborhood, but eventually their activities led to criminal activity as a source of income. While gangs may have had some good intentions sixty years ago, today's gangs are nothing more than bullies and other losers who hide until they can form a group.
Street gang members, when confined, frequently carry their gang affiliation to the prison where members of the same gang will band together or they may join a larger, more powerful gang, to include the traditional prison gangs. More, HERE.
All Original Content Copyright 1999-2010 Robert Walker
Gangs have been classically viewed as a by-product of social disorganization, the weakness of traditional institutions, like the schools, to replace the lost primary networks of the traditional world (Thomas and Znaniecki 1916). For Fredric Thrasher, the "father" of gang research, gangs were not about race, but about space, the disorganization of "interstitial eras" of the city. The Chicago School, of which Thrasher was a part, beleived the industrial economy and the American Dream would assimilate all ethnic groups, sooner or later, and dissolve their gangs.
But race would profoundly shape the history and contours of Chicago's gangs. While other ethnic groups were on the ladder of assimilation, African Americans were crowded into the south side "Black Belt." As WWI brought more and more African Americans into Chicago to find work, tensions rose. In 1919 a race riot broke out spear-headed by Irish gangs or "social athletic clubs." In the following years, African Americans would stay segregated, while European ethnic groups did not. Violence met attempts by Black families to move out of apartheid conditions into white areas.
In the 1920s, Prohibition meant Italians and Sicilians would sieze control of the bootlegging industry and replace the Irish on top of the rackets. The Irish ran the legal politics and the Italians the illegal one and they worked together just fine. Al Capone replaced Johnny Torrio as the head of a network of neighborhood gangs which later became what is called the "Outfit." Chicago had the nation's highest rates of violence as reformers attempted to destroy the bootleggers but failed. More, HERE.
Exclusive: …And the Violence Continues in Mexico
The narco-cartel violence continues unabated in Mexico, in fact, it’s going from bad to worse. Universal, Mexico’s paper of record, does a detailed job of keeping a running tally of the carnage.
Universal reported that, as of February 3, 2010, the death count in the drug wars had already passed 1,000. Yes, you read that right. In a little over a month, 1,015 people had been killed. More, HERE.
The Centre for Research on Globalisation (CRG) is an independent research and media group of writers, scholars, journalists and activists. The CRG is based in Montreal. It is a registered non profit organization in the province of Quebec, Canada. ESPAÑOL, Português, Deutsch.
The "Other Reason" Why the U.S. is Not Regulating Wall Street
Financial Giants Overshadow Governments
February 7, 2010 by Washington's Blog
Sure, American politicians have been bought and paid for by the Wall Street giants. See this, this and this.
And everyone knows that the White House and Congress - while talking about cracking down on Wall Street with strict regulation - have actually watered down some of the most important protections that were in place.
For example, Senator Cantwell says that the new derivatives legislation is weaker than the old regulation. And leading credit default swap expert Satyajit Das says that the new credit default swap regulations not only won't help stabilize the economy, they might actually help to destabilize it.
But the U.S. is not being sold out in a vacuum. More, HERE.
© Copyright Washington's Blog, Washington's Blog, 2010
© Copyright 2005-2009 GlobalResearch.ca
February 3, 2010
Terrorist attempt 'certain' within months; Intelligence leaders warn Senate panel
By Eli Lake
The five senior leaders of the U.S. intelligence community told a Senate panel Tuesday they are "certain" that terrorists will attempt another attack on the United States in the next three to six months.
The warning came during the annual threat briefing to Congress in response to questions from Sen. Dianne Feinstein, California Democrat and chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, who asked, "What is the likelihood of another terrorist-attempted attack on the U.S. homeland in the next three to six months? High or low?"
"An attempted attack, the priority is certain, I would say," Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair, a retired admiral, said in response. More, HERE.
El Universal has no official political affilation and is the most read newspaper in Mexico.
LOS MAS BUSCADOS. Anuncio con las fotografías de Raydel “el Muletas” López Uriarte y de Manuel “el Chiquilín” García Simental, entre otros integrantes de la organización criminal del cártel de Sinaloa
SARKOZY ABOGA POR CASSEZ. En la entrega de la Legión de Honor al secretario de Salud, José Ángel Córdova, el presidente de Francia le pidió que interceda por Florence Cassez, la francesa que cumple una pena de 60 años de cárcel en México | Ver nota
Foto Alberto Torres. DETENIDOS EN LA PAZ. José Manuel García Simental ´El Chiquilín´ (centro izquierda) y ´El Muletas´ (centro derecha), del Cártel Arellano Félix, fueron detenidos ayer por la Policía Federal | Ver nota
Calderón culpa a gobiernos anteriores por inundaciones
Subirán gas, diesel y gasolinas todo el año
Tres militares mueren en choque armado en Tamaulipas
© Queda expresamente prohibida la republicación o redistribución, parcial o total, de todos los contenidos de EL UNIVERSAL
Proceso is a weekly magazine, renowned for its left-wing journalism
Colombia: entretelones del golpe a "El Chapo" Guzmán
El Ejército seguirá en Juárez: Gómez Mont
Valle de Chalco, una bomba de tiempo
Un estadunidense participó en la masacre de los jóvenes de Juárez: PGJCH
Aumenta a 27 el número de víctimas por lluvias en Michoacán
2009 CISA, Comunicación e Información, S. A. de C. V.
Prohibida su reproducción parcial o total
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