Qué onda
The young administration of President Enrique Peña Nieto – sworn in December 1, 2012 – has surprised with its zealous effort to push forward major reforms right out of the blocks. Many of us viewed the return of the PRI with trepidation, considering the party’s long track record of dirty tricks and monkey business through most of the 20th century, but despite our customary distaste for the PRI we support the spirit of Peña’s reforms. First came a labor reform proposed by previous President Felipe Calderón and enacted in December. Then came the education reform, whisked through Congress and signed into law in February against a backdrop of the sensational jailing of nefarious teachers-union despot Elba Esther Gordillo, about which we gloated uncontrollably here. The big kahuna we are all waiting for is the energy reform, but Peña is working through his battles one by one (so far, mostly with success) and before we get to savor the political theatrics of the energy debate, we will have to resolve the current battle: Telecommunications reform. Read the rest of this entry »
It may take a village to raise a child, but sometimes it takes a novel idea, some Mexican farmers and a handful of foreigners to raise a village out of subsistence level poverty. Things were pretty bleak in the town of Rancho La Colorada in central Mexico until a group of people came together around a proposed business venture that required some seed capital, a tremendous amount of effort and a bit of luck. Seven years later, that effort is paying off. Read about the innovative Lavender Project in our 
