tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36605352011-04-21T11:07:10.148-07:00Blog TapatioA weblog focused on Guadalajara, Jalisco, and the surrounding region.Davidnoreply@blogger.comBlogger231100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3660535.post-1085269608605945662004-05-22T16:29:00.000-07:002004-05-22T16:46:48.606-07:00Sending $$ Back HomEdward Sifuentes reports that Latino workers in the US send over $30 billion back each year to their home countries. I talked to hundreds of people in Guadalajara that received their support from spouses, fathers, etc. who went north to work for an extended period of time. It does not surprise me that this constitutes one percent of Mexico's gross product or even fifteen percent in the case of Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3660535.post-1085206372243675892004-05-21T23:06:00.000-07:002004-05-21T23:15:10.736-07:00Endless PossibilitiesAmy Langfield wonders about the practicality of addressing all of the possible disasters that might possibly happen to people in the context of 9-11. This is the dilemma that faces emergency managers everywhere - how to deal with the endless possibilities of bad things that might one day happen. Some people live their lives in constant fear of a dreaded future while the majority share the Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3660535.post-1085205561460282012004-05-21T22:35:00.000-07:002004-05-21T22:59:21.460-07:00Guadalajara in the Eighties In the eighties, when I lived in Guadalajara, it was regularly refered to as a drug capital - a midway point between Colombia and the US where deals were made and money flowed. DEQ agent Enrique Camarena was killed there in 1985. His son now works for the San Diego District Attorney's Office. I spent months working in the poorest areas of the metropolis, irregular Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3660535.post-1075960266028486372004-02-04T21:51:00.000-08:002004-02-04T21:54:08.013-08:00BMV - a model of capitalism?? Alejandro Riquelme suggests that Mexico's stock exchange could serve as a model for development of the new Bagdad market.Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3660535.post-1075789207630138962004-02-02T22:20:00.000-08:002004-02-02T22:32:58.233-08:00Stereotypes Jon, in his "Mexico blog", reinforces a number of stereotypes about the Mexican people. Problem is, as Jon states, he tends to hang out with white, liberal northeastern Americans. Alas, Jon is not so different from the vast majority of gringos that spend time living in Mexico. They live in semi-isolation from the natives, in less than native circumstances and think they are Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3660535.post-1069916710277682582003-11-26T23:05:00.000-08:002003-11-26T23:29:21.966-08:00Mexico-Arizona Commission Governor Janet Napolitano has been meeting with Gobernador Bours of Sonora to increase cross border cooperation on issues like the Canamex corridor and development of the port of Guaymas. Relations are supported by the Arizona-Mexico Commission. Latinos in the U.S. are sending home over $30 billion a year to families in Latin America. My experience in Jalisco Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3660535.post-942625372003-05-13T06:18:00.000-07:002003-05-13T06:18:24.676-07:00eGov in Zapopan The city of Zapopan, a large suburb of Guadalajara where I lived for a time is moving up the scale of eGov maturity. It is beginning to offer an array of interactive services online, including the payment of taxes, using Visa, Mastercard or your Bancomer account. Oh, you don't have a Bancomer account? Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3660535.post-909737392003-03-18T21:40:00.000-08:002003-03-18T21:40:23.543-08:00Responding to the Threat of War Mexico's government, in response to the potential threat of war with Iraq, voiced the following statement, "I reiterate that the United States for us is not only a neighbor and trade partner, but also a friend, which means that in these times of danger and approaching war, that we will be with them: in territory, in aid from our resources, and with respect to our Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3660535.post-880817432003-01-26T21:41:00.000-08:002003-02-21T06:22:29.000-08:00Reconstruction Jalisco and Colima begin construction on Tuesday following a devastating earthquake. The Plaza del Sol was the largest and most modern mall in Latin America when I was in Guadalajara. It was damaged during the earthquake, with 58 of the businesses sustaining damage. Meanwhile, the Health Department has declared a health alert in Jalisco and Colima. related newsDavidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3660535.post-876295432003-01-17T23:00:00.000-08:002003-01-26T05:10:24.000-08:00eGovernment in Mexico Last week, Mexico proposed a law mandating the use of open source software in government. For now, the law is focused on agencies located in the federal district around Mexico City. If passed, the law could take affect as early as this year. The stated goals of the proposal are to reduce software costs, create jobs, and support the development of a national software Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3660535.post-872949072003-01-11T22:27:00.000-08:002003-01-11T22:27:02.593-08:00Coahuila Official Government Blog The State of Coahuila, Mexico regularly posts information coming from meetings and events in a blog format. They use freeware developed by Noah Grey called Greymatter. It looks like a nice opensource tool. I'd like to try Greymatter and Moveable Type if I ever get time to add any more blogs.Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3660535.post-850159982002-11-24T11:10:00.000-08:002002-11-24T11:32:51.000-08:00Tour Guadalajara I think that I've spent about as much time wandering the streets of Guadalajara as any gringo. From Arroyo Hondo to downtown to upscale neighborhoods near the Plaza de Sol, I love the city and its people. Here's a nice picture tour of some of the primary sites in the city, including Zapopan and Tonala. I lived up in Colonia Tabachines which was just north of the Anillo Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3660535.post-819818412002-09-22T22:56:00.000-07:002002-09-22T22:56:25.500-07:00Raves and Drugs A drug bust in Tlajomulco takes in 30 youth during a sting operation at a rave. Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3660535.post-819805832002-09-22T22:12:00.000-07:002002-09-22T22:47:50.000-07:00Urban Planning This is a step in the right direction. Planning in Zapopan? I know it was done historically, but all that was lost in the eighties. Wasn't it? Conasupo and all that stuff. Asentamientos irregulares. Well, I wonder how far out the city limits extend now. Probably out into the tequila fields at least... And then there's the new website for the city of Guadalajara. Not Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3660535.post-813428562002-09-08T21:46:00.000-07:002002-09-08T21:46:45.000-07:00September in Mexico Great stuff from the editors of Mexico Insights: Living at Lake Chapala. They don't have to convince me that Jalisco is a great retirement destination. According to their publication, Guadalajara now has between 6 and 8 million people. Wow, that would really be amazing. When I was there in 1988, statistics generally showed between 2.5 and 5 million people in the Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3660535.post-813423652002-09-08T21:32:00.000-07:002002-09-08T21:32:13.526-07:00Corruption, corruption Another case of corruption is revealed in Guadalajara. When I was at the UdeG, each student was assigned a mentor and their career would be intertwined with the mentor for years. Such were the politics during the days of PRI power. Salinas de Gortari was president and he's been in exile ever since. This time, it appears to be the inspectors who are taking bribes, but Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3660535.post-813419862002-09-08T21:21:00.000-07:002002-09-08T21:21:24.200-07:00Que pasa con los Parques? Margarita Anaya from the UdeG (University of Guadalajara - where I went to school for a year) just did a study on 15 of the metro area's best city parks. They're losing visitors as people spend more of their weekend at the malls (Guadalajara has some of the best of these such as the Plaza del Sol or the Plaza Patria). They also have some wonderful city parks like Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3660535.post-803148032002-08-16T04:36:00.000-07:002002-08-16T04:36:20.110-07:00A Dying Chapala Representatives from the Greater Guadalajara region have been looking for help anywhere they can find it in order to save Lake Chapala. Not only is Chapala a major water source for the region, but it is also a major resort and retirement destination. Many US citizens have retired in the communities dotting its shores. I spent a weekend there back in '88. The latest plea is Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3660535.post-797728102002-08-03T07:06:00.000-07:002002-08-03T07:06:59.120-07:00Routing out corruption? Guadalajara is starting a new program to eliminate corruption within its 2200 member police force. The program calls for police officers to report on their dishonest fellow officers. The Director of Internal Affairs argues that corruption among members of the force has diminished, stating that "we believe that only eight percent is involved in acts of corruption and Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3660535.post-797724752002-08-03T06:46:00.000-07:002002-08-03T06:51:17.000-07:00Local News Focused on Infrastructure A quick review of Friday's news in the Informador reveals how desparate the situation is in Guadalajara for infrastructure development. One article reports that the metropolitan area is 18 years behind in infrastructure and 12 years behind in the development of water systems. This stems from an era (the 1980's) when growth was uncontrollable and government Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3660535.post-795024592002-07-27T23:31:00.000-07:002002-07-27T23:31:29.046-07:00Irregular Settlements in Jalisco The Secretary of Urban Development reported in the Informador that 40 to 60 percent of homes in the state of Jalisco are found in irregular settlement areas. This just confirms the research that I made back in 1988 and emphasizes the need to "regularize" many of these areas and begin to provide better coordinated municipal services, including gas, water, and Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3660535.post-793820002002-07-24T23:15:00.000-07:002002-07-24T23:15:33.263-07:00Getting Around If you look at this map, we lived in Tabachines which is real close to "Las Canadas" country club north of the Anillo Periferico, west of la Carretera a Saltillo. Guadalajara is only about thirty miles from Lake Chapala, where a large colony of US expatriates hangs out. Our neighborhood was located in Zapopan which is the largest of the three major Guadalajara suburbs. During Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3660535.post-793817032002-07-24T23:06:00.000-07:002002-07-24T23:31:01.000-07:00Hola Tapatio Welcome to my weblog on Guadalajara and environs. Although I am not a real Tapatio, I have a child born in Guadalajara and claimed it for my home for a year. In my heart, I have never really left. I went to Guadalajara in '88 on a special project for the University of Washington (Seattle) and the Universidad de Guadalajara (U de G, en los Belenes). After spending a week or so inDavidnoreply@blogger.com