Peña Nieto's teleprompter

This info from Milenio, regading his last informe or State of the state, is just too good to let pass for those of us highly critical of the packaged media product that is Enrique Peña Nieto:

The speech was provided to the governor by three teleprompters visible to half the auditorium, with color difference in the letters, according to which intonation was needed. Even the most heartfelt messages to his wife and daughters were read directly from the screens. 

Peña Nieto's kind-of-informe: Direct response to Beltrones

How interesting. A couple of days ago, Senator Manlio Fabio Beltrones argued - and quite wisely so - that it would be a "danger" if the PRI returned to power in Mexico without  a clear project. It sounded like a stab at Peña Nieto - and at least that is how the outgoing governor saw it.

In yesterday´s speech for PRI and other elites, which was not technically his state of the state address (he handed that in writing to the state congress, Calderón-style), Peña Nieto appeared to directly respond to Beltrones when he said, "Let there be no confusion, Mexico does have a clear project,  is contained in its Constitution."

Merely playing to the gallery, or are tensions increasing Beltrones-Peña Nieto?

Christian Sánchez Venancio: The murder of a gay rights activist

Past July 22, Christian Sánchez Venancio, a member of the PRD an among the party's most profiled pro-gay rights advocates, was murdered in Mexico City, in what appears a possible hate crime and a brutal robbery: His apartment was sacked, and he was found with more than 100 stab wounds in his body, having put up a fight against his attackers.

Here is a most-recommended in-depth article from El Universal of what is truly a heart-wrenching story.

Mexico, now largest silver producer in world

Some interesting data on mining: Mexico surpassed Peru to now become the biggest silver producer in the world, with 1.88 million kilogram of silver churned out Jan-June 2011, much from the Fresnillo mine in Zacatecas, the world's largest. Other large operations are found in Chihuahua, Durango, and Sonora.

This January I happened to make a road trip that included Zacatecas and a visit to the now-defunct silver mine that sits literally right in the capital. It is funny how Mexico has now reclaimed its position as the top producer in the world.

One major difference Mexican and U.S. political campaigning: God

Here's one major difference in campaigning between U.S. politicians and Mexican, and entirely in Mexico's favor. From Milenio's interview with Silvano Aureoles Conejo, the left's candidate to be governor of Michoacán:

"Do you believe in god?
"Very little - I am not much of a believer."

That's it - no follow-up questions, no scandal, nothing. What a fresh breath compared to the constant  groveling to the religious camps in the United States - how often does it happen that a major candidate to a major state simply states that s/he is not religious? And more so, that the candidate is not attacked for this?

Colima: Rape victims allowed to have abortion

While good news, it leaves a very bitter taste that it took until 2011 for the state of Colima to allow abortions in the case of rape, following a vote in the state legislature where PAN deputies cowardly abstained.

Credit to PT's Olaf Presa Mendoza, who pushed the reform bill through.

Emilio Chuayffet new head of Chamber of Deputies

Emilio Chuayffet Chemor has been governor of Mexico State and interior secretary under Ernesto Zedillo. He is from yesterday as well President of the mesa ejecutiva or the Congress directorate.

While this important position corresponded to the PRD - the PRI reneged on an earlier agreement  (see background here and here) - the three main parties PRI, PAN, and  PRD will instead take turns the last year of this session, while PRD will head the coordinating junta.

A year ago, when a deal had been made that the PRD would preside both the junta and the directorate for the entire session, I wrote:

The coordinators of the parties in congress agreed to a deal where PRD will get to preside the two organs, though a special vote of 2/3 majority will be held where the stipulations of the Organic Law regulating Congress will simply be "set aside" for that year. PRD will simply have to take their word for it, that this will actually come to pass

And guess what happened? PRI reneged on this promise.