Latest news with #Cuernavaca
Times
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Beer, whisky, mescal — this is the great novel of alcoholic self-destruction
In 1938, when he had already spent two years labouring on Under the Volcano, Malcolm Lowry sent his friend Conrad Aiken a new year's greeting. 'Don't think I can go on,' he told his fellow writer. 'Where I am it is dark. Lost.' After that things got really bad. Lowry's wife divorced him. He was imprisoned for fighting with fascist street thugs near his home in Cuernavaca, then deported from Mexico. He wrote and rewrote this great novel of alcoholic self-destruction, restarting from the beginning at least four times, his task made harder because he was frequently incapacitated by drink. He nearly lost the lot when the squatter's shack he had moved to in Vancouver burnt down. Then, when he completed what he knew to be his masterpiece, it was refused by 12 publishers.
South China Morning Post
18-06-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
Acclaimed photographer Cristina Mittermeier's dynamic pictures inspire change
Devising innovative solutions to global environmental challenges requires the experience, knowledge and dedication of scientific pioneers, daring creatives and intrepid explorers around the world. Advertisement Rolex is committed to supporting these trailblazers' efforts to make a positive and lasting impact on the Earth. The Swiss watchmaker launched its Perpetual Planet Initiative in 2019 to help individuals and organisations that are working to protect the planet while promoting visionary technologies and discoveries that can restore a balance to its ecosystems. Cristina Mittermeier, a multi-award-winning Mexican conservation photographer, who uses her camera's lens to highlight how climate change is threatening the Earth's oceans and the people and wildlife living near them, is among the individuals supported by the brand. She is also one of the elite men and women selected by Rolex's new Reach for the Crown campaign for their dedication and excellence in sports, arts and exploration which motivates others to chase their dreams and make an impact on the world. Raising awareness to the threats to oceans with photography Advertisement Mittermeier's love of the seas and the plants and animals it supports began as a child growing up in the mountainous landlocked town of Cuernavaca in central Mexico.
Forbes
30-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Organized Crime Affects Business Activity In Morelos, Mexico
Mexican marines guard the entrance of the building complex where the leader of the Beltran Leyva's ... More cartel, Arturo Beltran Leyva, was shot dead by security forces, in Cuernavaca on December 17, 2009. Arturo Beltran Leyva, a Mexican drug kingpin aka the "Boss of Bosses," has been killed in a dramatic shoot-out between cartel members and the military, at south of Mexico City, Navy said. Beltran Leyva was Mexico's third most wanted man, with a 1.5-million-dollar (one-million-euro) reward on offer for information leading to his capture. AFP PHOTO/Luis Acosta (Photo credit should read LUIS ACOSTA/AFP via Getty Images) The small state of Morelos, just outside of Mexico City, has quietly emerged as one of the worst hotspots for organized crime activity in Mexico. In 2024, Coca-Cola FEMSA decided to shutter one its facilities in Morelos due to threats from organized crime. The state's former governor, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, has faced widespread accusations of collusion with drug trafficking groups and is even accused of ordering the killing of a local businessman. Local business owners are complaining about threats and extortion from criminal groups in Morelos. If you look at the statistics on homicide totals, it's shocking to see just how much violence has increased over the last few years in Morelos. In 2024, the number of murders in Morelos was more than ten times higher than it was in 2007. The total annual tally of homicides has ridden steadily over time. Data from INEGI and press ... More sources. In particular, during the last six years during the '4T-era" of the presidencies of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Claudia Sheinbaum, the violence has reached a new high. I asked the Council on Foreign Relations' Will Freeman how he assesses the 4T-era security policies in Morelos. He gave Lopez Obrador and Sheinbaum an 'F.' In fact, in Morelos, in 2024 the violence reached the highest level ever recorded in Modern Mexico's history. The state as a whole is now more than three times as violent as the city of Chicago. In total, Morelos recorded over 1,300 homicides in 2024, making it one of the top ten most violent states in Mexico. Overall, in terms of population-adjusted homicide rate, Morelos is now the 2nd most violent state in Mexico. There is a major lag in the perception of the problem of violence in Morelos, particularly among foreign executives and tourists. Many of the shootouts in Morelos seem similar to scenes we see in Mexico's worst organized crime hotspots, but many visitors still perceive Cuernavaca to be safe. In Morelos, tortilla-makers are complaining about local organized crime groups threatening and extorting them. More broadly, politicians and police are struggling to deal with a splintering roster of organized crime groups that are diversifying away from drug trafficking into a vareity of new rackets including extorting local business owners, hijacking cargo trucks, and stealing lumber. One of the biggest challenges Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum will face is whether or not she can improve security and reduce violent crime in places such as Morelos. Security analysts speculate that right now there are over a dozen organized crime groups operating in Morelos. During a recent podcast discussion, Washington Post journalist Mary Beth Sheridan, who recently published an article about how organized crime groups are targeting tortilla-makers in Morelos, explained 'They prey on the local population. Extortion is one of the primary activities: thousands of tortillerias are being extorted.' When it comes to the risks foreign companies and executives face when investing in Morelos, I characterize the state as being low risk for targeted, high-impact crimes such as executive kidnappings, arson attacks, or extortion, but high risk for employees and operations from general, non-targeted violent crime such as shootings, armed robberies, carjackings, and cargo truck hijackings. Some tourists may be wondering whether Morelos is safe to visit. There is a real disconnect where the popular perception of Morelos and Cuernavaca among tourists and foreign executives has not caught up with the on-the-ground reality. Many foreign visitors still view Cuernavaca as a beautiful colonial city, the city of eternal spring or 'primavera eterna.' But, locals are acutely aware of the risks of shootouts, armed robberies, and carjackings and have referred to their city as the city 'la balacera eterna' or eternal shootout for over a decade and a half. The problems in Cuernavaca highlight the fact that while Mexico City is generally safe for foreign tourists to visit, many of the areas surrounding Mexico City in states including Puebla, Estado de Mexico, Morelos and Michoacan are affected by high levels of organized crime activity and violence, including violent carjackings on major highways. Part of the problem in Morelos is limited institutional capacity for policing. It's helpful to compare Morelos with Mexico City when it comes to police. Mexico City has by far the highest number of police patrols of any state in Mexico. There are more than 92,000 state police patrol officers in Mexico City. In contrast there are only 2,000 state police officers in Morelos. Overall, Morelos has around 2 percent as many state police as Mexico City. Furthermore, we know that around 99.8 percent of all murders in Morelos go unsolved. To put that differently, right now the police and prosecutors in Morelos are solving almost none of the murders that are happening in the state. So, foreign executives managing operations in Morelos need to be aware of the risks stemming from organized crime activity in the state. It's true that the problem of extortion in Morelos primarily affects local businesses, not large foreign-owned firms. But, the threats tortilla-makers in Morelos are dealing with highlight the fact that organized crime activity in Mexico affects the legal economy in significant ways. Check out the full conversation here.
