Border Blogs: Expressing our Border Culture

Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion form Coldplay, a British alternative rock band that was formed in London in 1997. Being one of the world´s most popular bands, it is interesting to know that Coldplay’s lead vocalist, Chris Martin has very strong feelings for Mexico, which inspired the band in their last album’s name and led the group to close their Viva la Vida tour in Mexico.

Coldplay’s last album, Viva la Vida or Death and all his Friends, is named after one of Frida Kahlo’s most famous paintings, and this was not by chance. Chris Martin was inspired by this painting in Coldplay’s last visit to Mexico, in early 2007, when they toured Latin America with their X & Y show. In this tour, they visited countries like Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. Not only is the name of the album inspired by Latin America, but also their music, as Chris Martin himself said, “…this album will likely reflect Hispanic influence.”

Coldplay has visited Mexico previously on two occasions. The first time they came here was in September 2003, with their A Rush of Blood to the Head tour, and the second time was in March 2007, when Martin also celebrated his 30th birthday and they were promoting their X & Y album. During their last stay in Mexico, one of their stops was Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera’s museum. In this museum, is where Chris Martin saw Frida Kahlo’s 20th century painting Viva la Vida, which is a painting of some watermelons with these words on it.

Viva la Vida translates into English as “Long live Life” or “Love the Life,” in any Spanish speaking country, but the local Mexican meaning of “Viva…” is to exclaim and celebrate. When asked about the album’s name Chris Martin referred to Frida Kahlo’s strength, she endured polio, a broken spine, and a decade of chronic pain., “She went through a lot of [things], of course, and then she started a big painting in her house that said ‘Viva la Vida,’ I just loved the boldness of it,” he said.

Their third visit to our country will be this March, with four concerts, closing their Viva la Vida tour. Coldplay will be performing on March 6th and 7th in the “Palacio de los Deportes” in Mexico City, March 9th in the “Tres de Marzo” Stadium in Guadalajara, and March 11th in the “Estadio Universitario” in Monterrey. Chris Martin will once again celebrate his birthday in Mexico, it is Mexico’s turn to exclaim and celebrate with him. “Viva Coldplay, Viva México, Viva la Vida!”

As surprising as it may seem, chewing gum or chicle is a worldwide popular product that resulted from the friendship of former Mexican President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and the American scientist and inventor, Thomas Adams.

Santa Anna was a Mexican political leader, general and was President on eleven non-consecutive occasions, who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government. He lived in exile in the USA and other countries.

It was during the time he lived in the USA that he met Thomas Adams, who later became his assistant. During this time, Santa Anna brought in the first shipment of chicle into the USA aiming to replace rubber in carriage tires, which was tried by Adams without success.

Later on, while Adams attempted to make toys, masks, rain boots, and bicycle tires out of chicle without any luck, he was struck by the idea that perhaps chicle could be used for the production of chewing gum as he had frequently seen his friend Santa Anna do.

This was not a surprise since chicle was well known to ancient Mexicans -such as the Nahuatl-speaking Aztecs and the Mayan- for its subtle flavor and high sugar content. Chicle is the natural gum from Manilkara chicle, which is a tropical evergreen tree native to Mexico and Central America. The tapping of the gum is similar to the tapping of latex from the rubber tree.

Mr. Adams then experimented with chicle and transformed the chewing gum made of paraffin wax into one made of pure chicle gum without any flavor. It was made in little penny sticks and wrapped in various colored tissue papers. He added sugar to the chicle creating the forerunner gum known as chewing gum, so shush, which is still popular today.

The ancient word is still used in the Americas, chicle being a common name for chewing gum in Spanish.

Chicle is a gift to the World and a result of Mexican and American friendship and collaboration, as well as the wonderful things we can create together. What wonderful things do we want to create this time?

Mexican Health Secretary José Angel Córdova Villalobos was invested as Knight of the Légion d´honneur at the Elysée Palace by French President Nicolas Sarkozy for his role in the control of the A(H1N1) flu crisis.

The Légion d’honneur or Ordre National de la Légion d’honneur or National Order of the Legion of Honour” is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the First Republic, on May 19th 1802. The Order is the highest decoration in France and is awarded for excellent civil or military conduct delivered, upon official investigation.

Although harshly criticized at the outbreak of the flu, the Mexican Government´s response and management of the crisis helped prevent and successfully mitigate a pandemic.

The A(H1N1) measures and policies implemented to control the outbreak of the flu, such as schools and business shutdowns, may have cost Mexican people around 4 billion USD.

His outstanding work in the fight against A(H1N1) flu has also been acknowledged by the World Health Organization (WHO), China, and the French National Institute of Advanced Studies in Security and Justice, among other governments, analysts, and institutions.

Among those that have received this distinction over the years are Jules Verne, Louis Pasteur, Victor Hugo, Alexander Graham Bell, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Salvador Dalí, Octavio Paz, Carlos Fuentes, as well as Rufino Tamayo.

Thank you Mexico!

Mexican Health Secretary José Angel Córdova Villalobos was invested as Knight of the Légion d´honneur at the Elysée Palace by French President Nicolas Sarkozy for his role in the control of the A/H1N1 flu crisis.

The Légion d’honneur or Ordre National de la Légion d’honneur or National Order of the Legion of Honour” is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the First Republic, on May 19th 1802. The Order is the highest decoration in France and is awarded for excellent civil or military conduct delivered, upon official investigation.

Although harshly criticized at the outbreak of the flu, the Mexican Government´s response and management of the crisis helped prevent and successfully mitigate a pandemic.

The A(H1N1) measures and policies implemented to control the outbreak of the flu, such as schools and business shutdowns, may have cost Mexican people around 4 billion USD.

His outstanding work in the fight against A/H1N1 flu has also been acknowledged by the World Health Organization (WHO), China, and the French National Institute of Advanced Studies in Security and Justice, among other governments, analysts, and institutions.

Among those that have received this distinction over the years are Jules Verne, Louis Pasteur, Victor Hugo, Alexander Graham Bell, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Salvador Dalí, Octavio Paz, Carlos Fuentes, as well as Rufino Tamayo.

Thank you Mexico!

According to The Heritage Foundations Index of Economic Freedom, Mexico is currently ranked in number 41 within the 183 countries analysed for the different aspects that constitute economic freedom. On a scale of 0 to 100 Mexico scored 63.2 with an improvement last year of 2.5 points, which ranks Mexico on world´s top 22%.

The Index of Economic Freedom has ten component scores and Mexico is this year among those who have improved the most. It ranks above the BRICs, just five places behind Spain, and instead 23 places above France, and 33 above Italy.

In the revision of last year, economies are ranked on their economic freedom based on ten different topics: business freedom, trade freedom, fiscal freedom, government spending, monetary freedom, investment freedom, financial freedom, property rights, freedom from corruption and labor freedom.

For instance, if we look at business freedom starting a business in Mexico takes an average of 13 days, whilst the world average is 35 days. The overall freedom to start, operate, and close a business is protected under Mexico’s regulatory environment. Business freedom scores 83.

From the 183 economies analyzed, Mexico ranks 41, which means that it is one of the top Latin American countries on the list and a much better place to experience an economically free society, where individuals are free to work, produce, consume, and invest in any way they please. With that freedom both protected by the state and unconstrained by the state.

In fact, all four BRIC countries are far behind Mexico and in evident need of reforms to make it easier for their citizens to foster their economy. These are the rankings for Index of Economic Freedom in comparison to BRIC:

Mexico – 41
Brazil – 113
India – 124
China – 140
Russia – 143

Finally, though navigating through difficult times for the whole economic world, Mexico managed to be among the few gainers in economic freedom this year. None BRIC or OCDE country was among that list.

Tibor R. Machan, researcher at the Hoover Institution at Stanford, titled one of his books “Generosity: A Virtue in Civil Society”. Today, though in front of a terrible human tragedy, the world is genuinely showing what thousands of years of evolution and civilization could proudly account for. Empathy and generosity throughout the world shine in Haiti’s obscure times.

Among all this generosity, Mexico stands apart. According to Reliefweb data published by The Guardian, Mexico occupies the 7th place among donations sent by countries worldwide- not agencies- to Haiti´s earthquake relief. After Mexico, there come countries like Denmark, Canada, Japan, Norway and Spain. Even more surprising, donations by the Mexican government amount to eight times those by New Zealand, 2.3 times Germany’s donations and five times that of Italy.

It is certainly not an issue of a sad competition. Mr. Machan remembers the Greeks in his book and comments; “Generosity, is no tantamount to altruism, which means putting others first. To be generous means to extend goodwill towards others because one’s own happiness is thereby enhanced, because one lives a fully human life if, among other things, one lives generously”.

To this day, Mexico has sent more than 150 natural disasters specialists, more than 50 tons of food, and six thousand meals, among electricity plants and water treatment plants on board three airplanes Hercules C-130 of our Armed Forces, the Hospital Ship Huasteco and the Papaloapan Ship that has been present when Katrina and the tsunami.

It is not the first time in history that Mexico stands for its solidarity, its generousity to those of its kind. This week Mexico has become a world example of a civil society and its government tuned on the importance of showing goodwill towards our fellow humans.

Country Million usd*

1. USA – 100
2. U.K – 30
3. Sweden – 18
4. Brazil – 15
5. China – 10
6. Australia – 9
7. Mexico – 8
Total World 741

*Rounded figures

On January 8, 1910 Alberto Braniff took off for the first flight ever in Mexico and LatinAmerica. His plane, the “Voisin”, built by Gabriel Voisin in Paris, took off from the Balbuena plains near Mexico City and flew for 1.5 kms, reaching a velocity of 56 kms an hour and the dizzy height of 25 mts. A year later, Mexican President Francisco I. Madero became the first world’s Chief of State to fly on an airplane.  Charles Lindbergh flew for the first time over Mexican territory on 1927, and it was the beginning of a fond relationship with the country.  In 1929 he agreed to be in command of Cia. Mexicana de Aviación’s inaugural flight on their first international route: Mexico-Tampico-Brownsville (F.A.M.8).

That is how the history of the Mexican aviation took off…

Today, silently, Mexican aerospace industry occupies the world’s first place in manufacture investments, with 33,000 mdd for the period 1990-2009. According to AeroStrategy Consulting, Mexico had the most manufacturing investments of any country of a survey that included, among others, China, USA, India, Russia and Japan. Consequently, it considers Mexico has created a robust aerospace manufacturing cluster over the last decade with more than 186 aerospace firms with exports in excess of 3 billion usd.

Mexico has garnered the most manufacturing investments due to important  (1) access to a low-cost, dependable, and skilled labor force, as evidenced by Mexico’s strong record in the automotive and consumer electronic industries, (2) the completion of the U.S.-Mexico bilateral aviation safety agreement, which lets manufacturers certify and ship components directly from Mexican factories, (3) obvious proximity to U.S. and Canadian aerospace supply chains, facilitating reliable, low-cost ground Transportation and also, (4) Mexico’s elimination of duties for aeronautic components.

On top of that, a month ago was approved the Law that gives birth to the Mexican Space Agency. So, two astronauts having flown in USA Space Shuttle, and a Mexican Space Agency later, it seems Mexico’s flying future is taking off to new heights!!

Photo courtesy of E. Beltran www.irudikeria.com

More than 100 heads of state will be in Copenhagen this Friday to try and find some consensus on the next steps that both developing and industrialized nations should take to mitigate the effects of climate change.

While we all hope for a positive outcome, it is a fact that some nations have already been showing a much firmer commitment than others when it comes to reducing their greenhouse emissions.

Climateactiontracker.org is an organization that provides an up-to-date assessment of individual national pledges to make this a greener world.

On the road to Copenhagen, climateactiontracker.org rates Mexico as “Medium”, because it has a very specific climate plan with major actions up to 2020 and ambitious long-term goals. It recently increased the 2020 target from a 20% to a 30% reduction below the baseline.

Other green measures taken by Mexico include the introduction of an award-winning bus system that has considerably reduced traffic congestion and pollution in Mexico City; Mexico’s proposal for the creation of a Green Fund* in which nations take responsibility and bear costs associated with their production of carbon emissions; and its commitment to implementing a very ambitious program backed by the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB).

This is the rating that climateactiontracker.org gives to the USA and the BRIC countries:

USA – Inadequate
Brazil – Sufficient
Russian Federation – Inadequate
India – Medium
China – Inadequate

Mexico is a developing nation that is committed with the environment, and as Mexicans we echo UN’s chief Ban Ki-moon request to the leaders of these major economies to get their acts together and come out of the talks with a very concrete foundation for a legally binding treaty that makes this a better world for our children.

*Green Fund: flexible financial tool to help countries reduce carbon emissions, mindful of their common but differentiated responsibilities

According to World Bank’s Doing Business 2010, Mexico is currently ranked within the top 30% countries where the regulatory environment is favorable for the operation of a business.

Doing Business 2010 is the seventh in a series of annual reports investigating the regulations that enhance business activity and those that constrain it across 183 economies.

In this report, which covers the period between June 2008 and May 2009, economies are ranked on their ease of doing business based on ten different topics: starting a business, dealing with construction permits, employing workers, registering property, getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and closing a business—as they apply to domestic small and medium-size enterprises.

From the 183 economies analyzed, Mexico ranks 51, which means that it is one of the top Latin American countries on the list and a much better place to run a business compared to various EU countries such as Spain (62), Italy (78) and Greece (108).

Mexico’s ranking is also 38 points better than China – the only BRIC country that ranks in the top 50% of the table.

In fact, all four BRIC countries are far behind Mexico and in evident need of reforms to make it easier for businesses to operate. These are the rankings for Ease of Doing Business of Mexico in comparison to BRIC:

Mexico – 51
China – 89
Russia – 120
Brazil – 129
India – 133

Figures do not lie, and once again they give evidence of what the real Mexico is all about:

• Mexico has an above average Human Development Index,
• Mexico has a high Happy Life Index,
• Mexican women are empowered,
• Mexico is a country committed with the environment, and
• Mexico is a good place for business!

In an earlier article, I wrote about the fact that more than one million Americans are currently living happily in Mexico. While these Americans come to Mexico because they feel inspired with the way Mexicans live their lives, this is not the only reason why they are deciding to make such a move.

A very interesting commentary on this week’s issue of Forbes magazine covers the same subject. The author states that this is a trend that shows no sign of slowing down and that some of the other reasons why Americans are flocking south of the border is not purely due to the milder weather or to retire, but also because of the attractive health care plan and work opportunities Mexico offers.

At a time when the USA is struggling with a soaring unemployment rate, Americans moving to Mexico find that even if they find a job that pays less than back at home, here they have access to a comprehensive health care plan for a small flat fee per year, and a considerably lower cost of child care, housing and food.

It is not uncommon for people to emigrate to other countries in search of a better life. It’s gratifying to see that so many Americans are finding that opportunity in Mexico.

The Metrobus Project, an innovative and first-rate bus system that has considerably reduced traffic congestion and pollution in Mexico City, recently received Harvard University’s Roy Family Award for Environmental Partnerships.

The Metrobus transportation system, which is already being considered a possible model for similar implementations in other countries, was launched in 2005 along a 19 kilometers stretch (12 miles) of one of Mexico City’s busiest avenues. It complements the metropolis’ very busy subway.

More than 30 projects competed for the award. According to Harvard’s statement referring to the announcement of the winner: “Metrobus has reduced carbon dioxide emissions from Mexico City traffic by an estimated 80,000 tons a year. The new buses, which operate on clean-burning ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel, make more than 450,000 trips per day.’’

“The Metrobus has proved an efficient and economically viable formula for reducing greenhouse gases and emissions of gases,” said Gloria Grandolini, director of World Bank in Mexico. “Mexico is a forerunner when it comes to implementing projects like this one, and once again has demonstrated its willingness to improve the environment.”

The environmentally friendly buses have managed to permanently remove 839 polluting minibuses, known as “peseros” from the city’s streets, helped reduce traffic accidents by 30% in the area where Metrobus operates and achieved an estimated 6% shift from private vehicles to public transport.

To make this happen, a public-private partnership was set up between Metrobus leaders and the owners of the polluting minibuses, with financial support from the World Bank. Cooperation between the two sectors proved to be a better strategy than competition.

A few weeks ago, the Mexican government agreed to provide Guatemala, our neighbor country south of the border, with low-cost electricity as part of the Mesoamerica Integration and Development Project.

Over half a million Guatemalans will benefit directly with this new electricity connection that will allow additional energy supplies and will also strengthen economic ties and cooperation between both nations.

Similarly, Mexico has reaffirmed its desire to strengthen relations with other Central American countries for economic and social benefit of the region. As part of an agreement based on mutual progress and brotherhood, Guatemalans may have access to as far as 100 km within Mexican territory without the need of a visa.

This commitment from Mexico is a great example of how much two neighboring countries can achieve when they are willing to raise the living standards of families on both nations, when there is a positive dialogue, and when the complaints are left aside, taking responsibility and action to make a difference.

Mexico is proving with facts that it is ready to engage in a constructive conversation with its neighboring countries in the region; a conversation based on support, cooperation and assistance. The next obvious question is: What would be possible if we took the context of that productive conversation and replicated it with our neighbor to the north and made sure we took it to the next level?

Let’s all commit ourselves to what is possible in the relationship between Mexico and the USA!