The Cost Conundrum : What a Texas town can teach us about health care
by Atul Gawande
June 1, 2009
From the New Yorker, June 1, 2009
It is spring in McAllen, Texas. The morning sun is warm. The streets are lined with palm trees and pickup trucks. McAllen is in Hidalgo County, which has the lowest household income in the country, but it's a border town, and a thriving foreign-trade zone has kept the unemployment rate below ten per cent. McAllen calls itself the Square Dance Capital of the World. "Lonesome Dove" was set around here.
McAllen has another distinction, too: it is one of the most expensive health-care markets in the country. Only Miami—which has much higher labor and living costs—spends more per person on health care. In 2006, Medicare spent fifteen thousand dollars per enrollee here, almost twice the national average. The income per capita is twelve thousand dollars. In other words, Medicare spends three thousand dollars more per person here than the average person earns.
The explosive trend in American medical costs seems to have occurred here in an especially intense form. Our country's health care is by far the most expensive in the world. In Washington, the aim of health-care reform is not just to extend medical coverage to everybody but also to bring costs under control. Spending on doctors, hospitals, drugs, and the like now consumes more than one of every six dollars we earn. The financial burden has damaged the global competitiveness of American businesses and bankrupted millions of families, even those with insurance. It's also devouring our government. "The greatest threat to America's fiscal health is not Social Security," President Barack Obama said in a March speech at the White House. "It's not the investments that we've made to rescue our economy during this crisis. By a wide margin, the biggest threat to our nation's balance sheet is the skyrocketing cost of health care. It's not even
close."
The question we're now frantically grappling with is how this came to be, and what can be done about it. McAllen, Texas, the most expensive town in the most expensive country for health care in the world, seemed a good place to look for some answers.
From the moment I arrived, I asked almost everyone I encountered about McAllen's health costs—a businessman I met at the five-gate McAllen-Miller International Airport, the desk clerks at the Embassy Suites Hotel, a police-academy cadet at McDonald's. Most weren't surprised to hear that McAllen was an outlier. "Just look around," the cadet said. "People are not healthy here." McAllen, with its high poverty rate, has an incidence of heavy drinking sixty per cent higher than the national average. And the Tex-Mex diet has contributed to a thirty-eight-per-cent obesity rate.
One day, I went on rounds with Lester Dyke, a weather-beaten, ranch-owning fifty-three-year-old cardiac surgeon who grew up in Austin, did his surgical training with the Army all over the country, and settled into practice in Hidalgo County. He has not lacked for business: in the past twenty years, he has done some eight thousand heart operations, which exhausts me just thinking about it. I walked around with him as he checked in on ten or so of his patients who were recuperating at the three hospitals where he operates. It was easy to see what had landed them under his knife. They were nearly all obese or diabetic or both. Many had a family history of heart disease. Few were taking preventive measures, such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, which, studies indicate, would have obviated surgery for up to half of them.
Yet public-health statistics show that cardiovascular-disease rates in the county are actually lower than average, probably because its smoking rates are quite low. Rates of asthma, H.I.V., infant mortality, cancer, and injury are lower, too. El Paso County, eight hundred miles up the border, has essentially the same demographics. Both counties have a population of roughly seven hundred thousand, similar public-health statistics, and similar percentages of non-English speakers, illegal immigrants, and the unemployed. Yet in 2006 Medicare expenditures (our best approximation of over-all spending patterns) in El Paso were $7,504 per enrollee—half as much as in McAllen. An unhealthy population couldn't possibly be the reason that McAllen's health-care costs are so high. (Or the reason that America's are. We may be more obese than any other industrialized nation, but we have among the lowest rates of smoking and alcoholism, and we are in the middle of the range for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.)
Was the explanation, then, that McAllen was providing unusually good health care? I took a walk through Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, in Edinburg, one of the towns in the McAllen metropolitan area, with Robert Alleyn, a Houston-trained general surgeon who had grown up here and returned home to practice. The hospital campus sprawled across two city blocks, with a series of three- and four-story stucco buildings separated by golfing-green lawns and black asphalt parking lots. He pointed out the sights—the cancer center is over here, the heart center is over there, now we're coming to the imaging center. We went inside the surgery building. It was sleek and modern, with recessed lighting, classical music piped into the waiting areas, and nurses moving from patient to patient behind rolling black computer pods. We changed into scrubs and Alleyn took me through the sixteen operating rooms to show me the laparoscopy suite, with its flat-screen video monitors, the hybrid operating room with built-in imaging equipment, the surgical robot for minimally invasive robotic surgery.
I was impressed. The place had virtually all the technology that you'd find at Harvard and Stanford and the Mayo Clinic, and, as I walked through that hospital on a dusty road in South Texas, this struck me as a remarkable thing. Rich towns get the new school buildings, fire trucks, and roads, not to mention the better teachers and police officers and civil engineers. Poor towns don't. But that rule doesn't hold for health care.
At McAllen Medical Center, I saw an orthopedic surgeon work under an operating microscope to remove a tumor that had wrapped around the spinal cord of a fourteen-year-old. At a home-health agency, I spoke to a nurse who could provide intravenous-drug therapy for patients with congestive heart failure. At McAllen Heart Hospital, I watched Dyke and a team of six do a coronary-artery bypass using technologies that didn't exist a few years ago. At Renaissance, I talked with a neonatologist who trained at my hospital, in Boston, and brought McAllen new skills and technologies for premature babies. "I've had nurses come up to me and say, 'I never knew these babies could survive,' " he said.
And yet there's no evidence that the treatments and technologies available at McAllen are better than those found elsewhere in the country. The annual reports that hospitals file with Medicare show that those in McAllen and El Paso offer comparable technologies—neonatal intensive-care units, advanced cardiac services, PET scans, and so on. Public statistics show no difference in the supply of doctors. Hidalgo County actually has fewer specialists than the national average.
Nor does the care given in McAllen stand out for its quality. Medicare ranks hospitals on twenty-five metrics of care. On all but two of these, McAllen's five largest hospitals performed worse, on average, than El Paso's. McAllen costs Medicare seven thousand dollars more per person each year than does the average city in America. But not, so far as one can tell, because it's delivering better health care.
One night, I went to dinner with six McAllen doctors. All were what you would call bread-and-butter physicians: busy, full-time, private-practice doctors who work from seven in the morning to seven at night and sometimes later, their waiting rooms teeming and their desks stacked with medical charts to review.
Some were dubious when I told them that McAllen was the country's most expensive place for health care. I gave them the spending data from Medicare. In 1992, in the McAllen market, the average cost per Medicare enrollee was $4,891, almost exactly the national average. But since then, year after year, McAllen's health costs have grown faster than any other market in the country, ultimately soaring by more than ten thousand dollars per person.
"Maybe the service is better here," the cardiologist suggested. People can be seen faster and get their tests more readily, he said.
Others were skeptical. "I don't think that explains the costs he's talking about," the general surgeon said.
"It's malpractice," a family physician who had practiced here for thirty-three years said.
"McAllen is legal hell," the cardiologist agreed. Doctors order unnecessary tests just to protect themselves, he said. Everyone thought the lawyers here were worse than elsewhere.
That explanation puzzled me. Several years ago, Texas passed a tough malpractice law that capped pain-and-suffering awards at two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Didn't lawsuits go down?
"Practically to zero," the cardiologist admitted.
"Come on," the general surgeon finally said. "We all know these arguments are bullshit. There is overutilization here, pure and simple." Doctors, he said, were racking up charges with extra tests, services, and procedures.
The surgeon came to McAllen in the mid-nineties, and since then, he said, "the way to practice medicine has changed completely. Before, it was about how to do a good job. Now it is about 'How much will you benefit?' "
Everyone agreed that something fundamental had changed since the days when health-care costs in McAllen were the same as those in El Paso and elsewhere. Yes, they had more technology. "But young doctors don't think anymore," the family physician said.
The surgeon gave me an example. General surgeons are often asked to see patients with pain from gallstones. If there aren't any complications—and there usually aren't—the pain goes away on its own or with pain medication. With instruction on eating a lower-fat diet, most patients experience no further difficulties.
But some have recurrent episodes, and need surgery to remove their gallbladder.
Seeing a patient who has had uncomplicated, first-time gallstone pain requires some judgment. A surgeon has to provide reassurance (people are often scared and want to go straight to surgery), some education about gallstone disease and diet, perhaps a prescription for pain; in a few weeks, the surgeon might follow up. But increasingly, I was told, McAllen surgeons simply operate. The patient wasn't going to moderate her diet, they tell themselves. The pain was just going to come back. And by operating they happen to make an extra seven hundred dollars.
I gave the doctors around the table a scenario. A forty-year-old woman comes in with chest pain after a fight with her husband. An EKG is normal. The chest pain goes away. She has no family history of heart disease. What did McAllen doctors do fifteen years ago?
Send her home, they said. Maybe get a stress test to confirm that there's no issue, but even that might be overkill.
And today? Today, the cardiologist said, she would get a stress test, an echocardiogram, a mobile Holter monitor, and maybe even a cardiac catheterization.
"Oh, she's definitely getting a cath," the internist said, laughing grimly.
To determine whether overuse of medical care was really the problem in McAllen, I turned to Jonathan Skinner, an economist at Dartmouth's Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, which has three decades of expertise in examining regional patterns in Medicare payment data. I also turned to two private firms—D2Hawkeye, an independent company, and Ingenix, UnitedHealthcare's data-analysis company—to analyze commercial insurance data for McAllen. The answer was yes. Compared with patients in El Paso and nationwide, patients in McAllen got more of pretty much everything—more diagnostic testing, more hospital treatment, more surgery, more home care.
The Medicare payment data provided the most detail. Between 2001 and 2005, critically ill Medicare patients received almost fifty per cent more specialist visits in McAllen than in El Paso, and were two-thirds more likely to see ten or more specialists in a six-month period. In 2005 and 2006, patients in McAllen received twenty per cent more abdominal ultrasounds, thirty per cent more bone-density studies, sixty per cent more stress tests with echocardiography, two hundred per cent more nerve-conduction studies to diagnose carpal-tunnel syndrome, and five hundred and fifty per cent more urine-flow studies to diagnose prostate troubles. They received one-fifth to two-thirds more gallbladder operations, knee replacements, breast biopsies, and bladder scopes. They also received two to three times as many pacemakers, implantable defibrillators, cardiac-bypass operations, carotid endarterectomies, and coronary-artery stents. And Medicare paid for five times as many home-nurse visits. The primary cause of McAllen's extreme costs was, very simply, the across-the-board overuse of medicine.
This is a disturbing and perhaps surprising diagnosis. Americans like to believe that, with most things, more is better. But research suggests that where medicine is concerned it may actually be worse. For example, Rochester, Minnesota, where the Mayo Clinic dominates the scene, has fantastically high levels of technological capability and quality, but its Medicare spending is in the lowest fifteen per cent of the country—$6,688 per enrollee in 2006, which is eight thousand dollars less than the figure for McAllen. Two economists working at Dartmouth, Katherine Baicker and Amitabh Chandra, found that the more money Medicare spent per person in a given state the lower that state's quality ranking tended to be. In fact, the four states with the highest levels of spending—Louisiana, Texas, California, and Florida—were near the bottom of the national rankings on the quality of patient care.
In a 2003 study, another Dartmouth team, led by the internist Elliott Fisher, examined the treatment received by a million elderly Americans diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer, a hip fracture, or a heart attack. They found that patients in higher-spending regions received sixty per cent more care than elsewhere. They got more frequent tests and procedures, more visits with specialists, and more frequent admission to hospitals. Yet they did no better than other patients, whether this was measured in terms of survival, their ability to function, or satisfaction with the care they received. If anything, they seemed to do worse.
That's because nothing in medicine is without risks. Complications can arise from hospital stays, medications, procedures, and tests, and when these things are of marginal value the harm can be greater than the benefits. In recent years, we doctors have markedly increased the number of operations we do, for instance. In 2006, doctors performed at least sixty million surgical procedures, one for every five Americans. No other country does anything like as many operations on its citizens. Are we better off for it? No one knows for sure, but it seems highly unlikely. After all, some hundred thousand people die each year from complications of surgery—far more than die in car crashes.
To make matters worse, Fisher found that patients in high-cost areas were actually less likely to receive low-cost preventive services, such as flu and pneumonia vaccines, faced longer waits at doctor and emergency-room visits, and were less likely to have a primary-care physician. They got more of the stuff that cost more, but not more of what they needed.
In an odd way, this news is reassuring. Universal coverage won't be feasible unless we can control costs. Policymakers have worried that doing so would require rationing, which the public would never go along with. So the idea that there's plenty of fat in the system is proving deeply attractive. "Nearly thirty per cent of Medicare's costs could be saved without negatively affecting health outcomes if spending in high- and medium-cost areas could be reduced to the level in low-cost areas," Peter Orszag, the President's budget director, has stated.
Most Americans would be delighted to have the quality of care found in places like Rochester, Minnesota, or Seattle, Washington, or Durham, North Carolina—all of which have world-class hospitals and costs that fall below the national average. If we brought the cost curve in the expensive places down to their level, Medicare's problems (indeed, almost all the federal government's budget problems for the next fifty years) would be solved. The difficulty is how to go about it. Physicians in places like McAllen behave differently from others. The $2.4-trillion question is why. Unless we figure it out, health reform will fail.
I had what I considered to be a reasonable plan for finding out what was going on in McAllen. I would call on the heads of its hospitals, in their swanky, decorator-designed, churrigueresco offices, and I'd ask them.
The first hospital I visited, McAllen Heart Hospital, is owned by Universal Health Services, a for-profit hospital chain with headquarters in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and revenues of five billion dollars last year. I went to see the hospital's chief operating officer, Gilda Romero. Truth be told, her office seemed less churrigueresco than Office Depot. She had straight brown hair, sympathetic eyes, and looked more like a young school teacher than like a corporate officer with nineteen years of experience. And when I inquired, "What is going on in this place?" she looked surprised.
Is McAllen really that expensive? she asked.
I described the data, including the numbers indicating that heart operations and catheter procedures and pacemakers were being performed in McAllen at double the usual rate.
"That is interesting," she said, by which she did not mean, "Uh-oh, you've caught us" but, rather, "That is actually interesting." The problem of McAllen's outlandish costs was new to her. She puzzled over the numbers. She was certain that her doctors performed surgery only when it was necessary. It had to be one of the other hospitals. And she had one in mind—Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, the hospital in Edinburg that I had toured.
She wasn't the only person to mention Renaissance. It is the newest hospital in the area. It is physician-owned. And it has a reputation (which it disclaims) for aggressively recruiting high-volume physicians to become investors and send patients there. Physicians who do so receive not only their fee for whatever service they provide but also a percentage of the hospital's profits from the tests, surgery, or other care patients are given. (In 2007, its profits totalled thirty-four million dollars.) Romero and others argued that this gives physicians an unholy temptation to overorder.
Such an arrangement can make physician investors rich. But it can't be the whole explanation. The hospital gets barely a sixth of the patients in the region; its margins are no bigger than the other hospitals'—whether for profit or not for profit—and it didn't have much of a presence until 2004 at the earliest, a full decade after the cost explosion in McAllen began.
"Those are good points," Romero said. She couldn't explain what was going on.
The following afternoon, I visited the top managers of Doctors Hospital at Renaissance. We sat in their boardroom around one end of a yacht-length table. The chairman of the board offered me a soda. The chief of staff smiled at me. The chief financial officer shook my hand as if I were an old friend. The C.E.O., however, was having a hard time pretending that he was happy to see me. Lawrence Gelman was a fifty-seven-year-old anesthesiologist with a Bill Clinton shock of white hair and a weekly local radio show tag-lined "Opinions from an Unrelenting Conservative Spirit." He had helped found the hospital. He barely greeted me, and while the others were trying for a how-can-I-help-you-today attitude, his body language was more let's-get-this-over-with.
So I asked him why McAllen's health-care costs were so high. What he gave me was a disquisition on the theory and history of American health-care financing going back to Lyndon Johnson and the creation of Medicare, the upshot of which was: (1) Government is the problem in health care. "The people in charge of the purse strings don't know what they're doing." (2) If anything, government insurance programs like Medicare don't pay enough. "I, as an anesthesiologist, know that they pay me ten per cent of what a private insurer pays." (3) Government programs are full of waste. "Every person in this room could easily go through the expenditures of Medicare and Medicaid and see all kinds of waste." (4) But not in McAllen. The clinicians here, at least at Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, "are providing necessary, essential health care," Gelman said. "We don't invent patients."
Then why do hospitals in McAllen order so much more surgery and scans and tests than hospitals in El Paso and elsewhere?
In the end, the only explanation he and his colleagues could offer was this: The other doctors and hospitals in McAllen may be overspending, but, to the extent that his hospital provides costlier treatment than other places in the country, it is making people better in ways that data on quality and outcomes do not measure.
"Do we provide better health care than El Paso?" Gelman asked. "I would bet you two to one that we do."
It was a depressing conversation—not because I thought the executives were being evasive but because they weren't being evasive. The data on McAllen's costs were clearly new to them. They were defending McAllen reflexively. But they really didn't know the big picture of what was happening.
And, I realized, few people in their position do. Local executives for hospitals and clinics and home-health agencies understand their growth rate and their market share; they know whether they are losing money or making money. They know that if their doctors bring in enough business—surgery, imaging, home-nursing referrals—they make money; and if they get the doctors to bring in more, they make more. But they have only the vaguest notion of whether the doctors are making their communities as healthy as they can, or whether they are more or less efficient than their counterparts elsewhere. A doctor sees a patient in clinic, and has her check into a McAllen hospital for a CT scan, an ultrasound, three rounds of blood tests, another ultrasound, and then surgery to have her gallbladder removed. How is Lawrence Gelman or Gilda Romero to know whether all that is essential, let alone the best possible treatment for the patient? It isn't what they are responsible or accountable for.
Health-care costs ultimately arise from the accumulation of individual decisions doctors make about which services and treatments to write an order for. The most expensive piece of medical equipment, as the saying goes, is a doctor's pen. And, as a rule, hospital executives don't own the pen caps. Doctors do.
If doctors wield the pen, why do they do it so differently from one place to another? Brenda Sirovich, another Dartmouth researcher, published a study last year that provided an important clue. She and her team surveyed some eight hundred primary-care physicians from high-cost cities (such as Las Vegas and New York), low-cost cities (such as Sacramento and Boise), and others in between. The researchers asked the physicians specifically how they would handle a variety of patient cases. It turned out that differences in decision-making emerged in only some kinds of cases. In situations in which the right thing to do was well established—for example, whether to recommend a mammogram for a fifty-year-old woman (the answer is yes)—physicians in high- and low-cost cities made the same decisions. But, in cases in which the science was unclear, some physicians pursued the maximum possible amount of testing and procedures; some pursued the minimum. And which kind of doctor they were depended on where they came from.
Sirovich asked doctors how they would treat a seventy-five-year-old woman with typical heartburn symptoms and "adequate health insurance to cover tests and medications." Physicians in high- and low-cost cities were equally likely to prescribe antacid therapy and to check for H. pylori, an ulcer-causing bacterium—steps strongly recommended by national guidelines. But when it came to measures of less certain value—and higher cost—the differences were considerable. More than seventy per cent of physicians in high-cost cities referred the patient to a gastroenterologist, ordered an upper endoscopy, or both, while half as many in low-cost cities did. Physicians from high-cost cities typically recommended that patients with well-controlled hypertension see them in the office every one to three months, while those from low-cost cities recommended visits twice yearly. In case after uncertain case, more was not necessarily better. But physicians from the most expensive cities did the most expensive things.
Why? Some of it could reflect differences in training. I remember when my wife brought our infant son Walker to visit his grandparents in Virginia, and he took a terrifying fall down a set of stairs. They drove him to the local community hospital in Alexandria. A CT scan showed that he had a tiny subdural hematoma—a small area of bleeding in the brain. During ten hours of observation, though, he was fine—eating, drinking, completely alert. I was a surgery resident then and had seen many cases like his. We observed each child in intensive care for at least twenty-four hours and got a repeat CT scan. That was how I'd been trained. But the doctor in Alexandria was going to send Walker home. That was how he'd been trained. Suppose things change for the worse? I asked him. It's extremely unlikely, he said, and if anything changed Walker could always be brought back. I bullied the doctor into admitting him anyway. The next day, the scan and the patient were fine. And, looking in the textbooks, I learned that the doctor was right. Walker could have been managed safely either way.
There was no sign, however, that McAllen's doctors as a group were trained any differently from El Paso's. One morning, I met with a hospital administrator who had extensive experience managing for-profit hospitals along the border. He offered a different possible explanation: the culture of money.
"In El Paso, if you took a random doctor and looked at his tax returns eighty-five per cent of his income would come from the usual practice of medicine," he said. But in McAllen, the administrator thought, that percentage would be a lot less.
He knew of doctors who owned strip malls, orange groves, apartment complexes—or imaging centers, surgery centers, or another part of the hospital they directed patients to. They had "entrepreneurial spirit," he said. They were innovative and aggressive in finding ways to increase revenues from patient care. "There's no lack of work ethic," he said. But he had often seen financial considerations drive the decisions doctors made for patients—the tests they ordered, the doctors and hospitals they recommended—and it bothered him. Several doctors who were unhappy about the direction medicine had taken in McAllen told me the same thing. "It's a machine, my friend," one surgeon explained.
No one teaches you how to think about money in medical school or residency. Yet, from the moment you start practicing, you must think about it. You must consider what is covered for a patient and what is not. You must pay attention to insurance rejections and government-reimbursement rules. You must think about having enough money for the secretary and the nurse and the rent and the malpractice insurance.
Beyond the basics, however, many physicians are remarkably oblivious to the financial implications of their decisions. They see their patients. They make their recommendations. They send out the bills. And, as long as the numbers come out all right at the end of each month, they put the money out of their minds.
Others think of the money as a means of improving what they do. They think about how to use the insurance money to maybe install electronic health records with colleagues, or provide easier phone and e-mail access, or offer expanded hours. They hire an extra nurse to monitor diabetic patients more closely, and to make sure that patients don't miss their mammograms and pap smears and colonoscopies.
Then there are the physicians who see their practice primarily as a revenue stream. They instruct their secretary to have patients who call with follow-up questions schedule an appointment, because insurers don't pay for phone calls, only office visits. They consider providing Botox injections for cash. They take a Doppler ultrasound course, buy a machine, and start doing their patients' scans themselves, so that the insurance payments go to them rather than to the hospital. They figure out ways to increase their high-margin work and decrease their low-margin work. This is a business, after all.
In every community, you'll find a mixture of these views among physicians, but one or another tends to predominate. McAllen seems simply to be the community at one extreme.
In a few cases, the hospital executive told me, he'd seen the behavior cross over into what seemed like outright fraud. "I've had doctors here come up to me and say, 'You want me to admit patients to your hospital, you're going to have to pay me.' "
"How much?" I asked.
"The amounts—all of them were over a hundred thousand dollars per year," he said. The doctors were specific. The most he was asked for was five hundred thousand dollars per year.
He didn't pay any of them, he said: "I mean, I gotta sleep at night." And he emphasized that these were just a handful of doctors. But he had never been asked for a kickback before coming to McAllen.
Woody Powell is a Stanford sociologist who studies the economic culture of cities. Recently, he and his research team studied why certain regions—Boston, San Francisco, San Diego—became leaders in biotechnology while others with a similar concentration of scientific and corporate talent—Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New York—did not. The answer they found was what Powell describes as the anchor-tenant theory of economic development. Just as an anchor store will define the character of a mall, anchor tenants in biotechnology, whether it's a company like Genentech, in South San Francisco, or a university like M.I.T., in Cambridge, define the character of an economic community. They set the norms. The anchor tenants that set norms encouraging the free flow of ideas and collaboration, even with competitors, produced enduringly successful communities, while those that mainly sought to dominate did not.
Powell suspects that anchor tenants play a similarly powerful community role in other areas of economics, too, and health care may be no exception. I spoke to a marketing rep for a McAllen home-health agency who told me of a process uncannily similar to what Powell found in biotech. Her job is to persuade doctors to use her agency rather than others. The competition is fierce. I opened the phone book and found seventeen pages of listings for home-health agencies—two hundred and sixty in all. A patient typically brings in between twelve hundred and fifteen hundred dollars, and double that amount for specialized care. She described how, a decade or so ago, a few early agencies began rewarding doctors who ordered home visits with more than trinkets: they provided tickets to professional sporting events, jewelry, and other gifts. That set the tone. Other agencies jumped in. Some began paying doctors a supplemental salary, as "medical directors," for steering business in their direction.
Doctors came to expect a share of the revenue stream.
Agencies that want to compete on quality struggle to remain in business, the rep said. Doctors have asked her for a medical-director salary of four or five thousand dollars a month in return for sending her business. One asked a colleague of hers for private-school tuition for his child; another wanted sex.
"I explained the rules and regulations and the anti-kickback law, and told them no," she said of her dealings with such doctors. "Does it hurt my business?" She paused. "I'm O.K. working only with ethical physicians," she finally said.
About fifteen years ago, it seems, something began to change in McAllen. A few leaders of local institutions took profit growth to be a legitimate ethic in the practice of medicine. Not all the doctors accepted this. But they failed to discourage those who did. So here, along the banks of the Rio Grande, in the Square Dance Capital of the World, a medical community came to treat patients the way subprime-mortgage lenders treated home buyers: as profit centers.
The real puzzle of American health care, I realized on the airplane home, is not why McAllen is different from El Paso. It's why El Paso isn't like McAllen.
Every incentive in the system is an invitation to go the way McAllen has gone. Yet, across the country, large numbers of communities have managed to control their health costs rather than ratchet them up.
I talked to Denis Cortese, the C.E.O. of the Mayo Clinic, which is among the highest-quality, lowest-cost health-care systems in the country. A couple of years ago, I spent several days there as a visiting surgeon. Among the things that stand out from that visit was how much time the doctors spent with patients. There was no churn—no shuttling patients in and out of rooms while the doctor bounces from one to the other. I accompanied a colleague while he saw patients. Most of the patients, like those in my clinic, required about twenty minutes. But one patient had colon cancer and a number of other complex issues, including heart disease. The physician spent an hour with her, sorting things out. He phoned a cardiologist with a question.
"I'll be there," the cardiologist said.
Fifteen minutes later, he was. They mulled over everything together. The cardiologist adjusted a medication, and said that no further testing was needed. He cleared the patient for surgery, and the operating room gave her a slot the next day.
The whole interaction was astonishing to me. Just having the cardiologist pop down to see the patient with the surgeon would be unimaginable at my hospital. The time required wouldn't pay. The time required just to organize the system wouldn't pay.
The core tenet of the Mayo Clinic is "The needs of the patient come first"—not the convenience of the doctors, not their revenues. The doctors and nurses, and even the janitors, sat in meetings almost weekly, working on ideas to make the service and the care better, not to get more money out of patients. I asked Cortese how the Mayo Clinic made this possible.
"It's not easy," he said. But decades ago Mayo recognized that the first thing it needed to do was eliminate the financial barriers. It pooled all the money the doctors and the hospital system received and began paying everyone a salary, so that the doctors' goal in patient care couldn't be increasing their income. Mayo promoted leaders who focussed first on what was best for patients, and then on how to make this financially possible.
No one there actually intends to do fewer expensive scans and procedures than is done elsewhere in the country. The aim is to raise quality and to help doctors and other staff members work as a team. But, almost by happenstance, the result has been lower costs.
"When doctors put their heads together in a room, when they share expertise, you get more thinking and less testing," Cortese told me.
Skeptics saw the Mayo model as a local phenomenon that wouldn't carry beyond the hay fields of northern Minnesota. But in 1986 the Mayo Clinic opened a campus in Florida, one of our most expensive states for health care, and, in 1987, another one in Arizona. It was difficult to recruit staff members who would accept a salary and the Mayo's collaborative way of practicing. Leaders were working against the dominant medical culture and incentives. The expansion sites took at least a decade to get properly established. But eventually they achieved the same high-quality, low-cost results as Rochester. Indeed, Cortese says that the Florida site has become, in some respects, the most efficient one in the system.
The Mayo Clinic is not an aberration. One of the lowest-cost markets in the country is Grand Junction, Colorado, a community of a hundred and twenty thousand that nonetheless has achieved some of Medicare's highest quality-of-care scores. Michael Pramenko is a family physician and a local medical leader there. Unlike doctors at the Mayo Clinic, he told me, those in Grand Junction get piecework fees from insurers. But years ago the doctors agreed among themselves to a system that paid them a similar fee whether they saw Medicare, Medicaid, or private-insurance patients, so that there would be little incentive to cherry-pick patients. They also agreed, at the behest of the main health plan in town, an H.M.O., to meet regularly on small peer-review committees to go over their patient charts together. They focussed on rooting out problems like poor prevention practices, unnecessary back operations, and unusual hospital-complication rates. Problems went down. Quality went up. Then, in 2004, the doctors' group and the local H.M.O. jointly created a regional information network—a community-wide electronic-record system that shared office notes, test results, and hospital data for patients across the area. Again, problems went down. Quality went up. And costs ended up lower than just about anywhere else in the United States.
Grand Junction's medical community was not following anyone else's recipe. But, like Mayo, it created what Elliott Fisher, of Dartmouth, calls an accountable-care organization. The leading doctors and the hospital system adopted measures to blunt harmful financial incentives, and they took collective responsibility for improving the sum total of patient care.
This approach has been adopted in other places, too: the Geisinger Health System, in Danville, Pennsylvania; the Marshfield Clinic, in Marshfield, Wisconsin; Intermountain Healthcare, in Salt Lake City; Kaiser Permanente, in Northern California. All of them function on similar principles. All are not-for-profit institutions. And all have produced enviably higher quality and lower costs than the average American town enjoys.
When you look across the spectrum from Grand Junction to McAllen—and the almost threefold difference in the costs of care—you come to realize that we are witnessing a battle for the soul of American medicine. Somewhere in the United States at this moment, a patient with chest pain, or a tumor, or a cough is seeing a doctor. And the damning question we have to ask is whether the doctor is set up to meet the needs of the patient, first and foremost, or to maximize revenue.
There is no insurance system that will make the two aims match perfectly. But having a system that does so much to misalign them has proved disastrous. As economists have often pointed out, we pay doctors for quantity, not quality. As they point out less often, we also pay them as individuals, rather than as members of a team working together for their patients. Both practices have made for serious problems.
Providing health care is like building a house. The task requires experts, expensive equipment and materials, and a huge amount of coördination. Imagine that, instead of paying a contractor to pull a team together and keep them on track, you paid an electrician for every outlet he recommends, a plumber for every faucet, and a carpenter for every cabinet. Would you be surprised if you got a house with a thousand outlets, faucets, and cabinets, at three times the cost you expected, and the whole thing fell apart a couple of years later? Getting the country's best electrician on the job (he trained at Harvard, somebody tells you) isn't going to solve this problem. Nor will changing the person who writes him the check.
This last point is vital. Activists and policymakers spend an inordinate amount of time arguing about whether the solution to high medical costs is to have government or private insurance companies write the checks. Here's how this whole debate goes. Advocates of a public option say government financing would save the most money by having leaner administrative costs and forcing doctors and hospitals to take lower payments than they get from private insurance. Opponents say doctors would skimp, quit, or game the system, and make us wait in line for our care; they maintain that private insurers are better at policing doctors. No, the skeptics say: all insurance companies do is reject applicants who need health care and stall on paying their bills. Then we have the economists who say that the people who should pay the doctors are the ones who use them. Have consumers pay with their own dollars, make sure that they have some "skin in the game," and then they'll get the care they deserve. These arguments miss the main issue. When it comes to making care better and cheaper, changing who pays the doctor will make no more difference than changing who pays the electrician. The lesson of the high-quality, low-cost communities is that someone has to be accountable for the totality of care. Otherwise, you get a system that has no brakes. You get McAllen.
One afternoon in McAllen, I rode down McColl Road with Lester Dyke, the cardiac surgeon, and we passed a series of office plazas that seemed to be nothing but home-health agencies, imaging centers, and medical-equipment stores.
"Medicine has become a pig trough here," he muttered.
Dyke is among the few vocal critics of what's happened in McAllen. "We took a wrong turn when doctors stopped being doctors and became businessmen," he said.
We began talking about the various proposals being touted in Washington to fix the cost problem. I asked him whether expanding public-insurance programs like Medicare and shrinking the role of insurance companies would do the trick in McAllen.
"I don't have a problem with it," he said. "But it won't make a difference." In McAllen, government payers already predominate—not many people have jobs with private insurance.
How about doing the opposite and increasing the role of big insurance companies?
"What good would that do?" Dyke asked.
The third class of health-cost proposals, I explained, would push people to use medical savings accounts and hold high-deductible insurance policies: "They'd have more of their own money on the line, and that'd drive them to bargain with you and other surgeons, right?"
He gave me a quizzical look. We tried to imagine the scenario. A cardiologist tells an elderly woman that she needs bypass surgery and has Dr. Dyke see her. They discuss the blockages in her heart, the operation, the risks. And now they're supposed to haggle over the price as if he were selling a rug in a souk? "I'll do three vessels for thirty thousand, but if you take four I'll throw in an extra night in the I.C.U."—that sort of thing? Dyke shook his head. "Who comes up with this stuff?" he asked. "Any plan that relies on the sheep to negotiate with the wolves is doomed to failure."
Instead, McAllen and other cities like it have to be weaned away from their untenably fragmented, quantity-driven systems of health care, step by step. And that will mean rewarding doctors and hospitals if they band together to form Grand Junction-like accountable-care organizations, in which doctors collaborate to increase prevention and the quality of care, while discouraging overtreatment, undertreatment, and sheer profiteering. Under one approach, insurers—whether public or private—would allow clinicians who formed such organizations and met quality goals to keep half the savings they generate. Government could also shift regulatory burdens, and even malpractice liability, from the doctors to the organization. Other, sterner, approaches would penalize those who don't form these organizations.
This will by necessity be an experiment. We will need to do in-depth research on what makes the best systems successful—the peer-review committees? recruiting more primary-care doctors and nurses? putting doctors on salary?—and disseminate what we learn. Congress has provided vital funding for research that compares the effectiveness of different treatments, and this should help reduce uncertainty about which treatments are best. But we also need to fund research that compares the effectiveness of different systems of care—to reduce our uncertainty about which systems work best for communities. These are empirical, not ideological, questions. And we would do well to form a national institute for health-care delivery, bringing together clinicians, hospitals, insurers, employers, and citizens to assess, regularly, the quality and the cost of our care, review the strategies that produce good results, and make clear recommendations for local systems.
Dramatic improvements and savings will take at least a decade. But a choice must be made. Whom do we want in charge of managing the full complexity of medical care? We can turn to insurers (whether public or private), which have proved repeatedly that they can't do it. Or we can turn to the local medical communities, which have proved that they can. But we have to choose someone—because, in much of the country, no one is in charge. And the result is the most wasteful and the least sustainable health-care system in the world.
Something even more worrisome is going on as well. In the war over the culture of medicine—the war over whether our country's anchor model will be Mayo or McAllen—the Mayo model is losing. In the sharpest economic downturn that our health system has faced in half a century, many people in medicine don't see why they should do the hard work of organizing themselves in ways that reduce waste and improve quality if it means sacrificing revenue.
In El Paso, the for-profit health-care executive told me, a few leading physicians recently followed McAllen's lead and opened their own centers for surgery and imaging. When I was in Tulsa a few months ago, a fellow-surgeon explained how he had made up for lost revenue by shifting his operations for well-insured patients to a specialty hospital that he partially owned while keeping his poor and uninsured patients at a nonprofit hospital in town. Even in Grand Junction, Michael Pramenko told me, "some of the doctors are beginning to complain about 'leaving money on the table.' "
As America struggles to extend health-care coverage while curbing health-care costs, we face a decision that is more important than whether we have a public-insurance option, more important than whether we will have a single-payer system in the long run or a mixture of public and private insurance, as we do now. The decision is whether we are going to reward the leaders who are trying to build a new generation of Mayos and Grand Junctions. If we don't, McAllen won't be an outlier. It will be our future. ♦
domingo, mayo 09, 2010
A FISH STORY
The fishing trip was just that -- a trip.
Tried a new route to the launch...shoulda known better.
Eventually got there, headed out and set the GPS only to find the "magic spot" was 13 miles out to sea. I'm still in the shakedown phase with the boat and thought that a bit far. Went anyway.
My friend's kid got seasick in very mild swells, and then needed the poop bucket. Glad I properly prepared the boat for this 4 hour outting. We caught many sand dabs, a few rockfish, and a lot of sun. With an impending 3 PM Small Craft Advisory for the area, noon seemed like a good time to head back.
Rung out the boat on fairly flat water and almost got to 40 MPH with the fishing prop. There is a high speed prop that should give even more un-needed speed. Slowing at the end of that 10 mile scoot I noticed water coming into the engine compartment, and then some smoke coming out. Past experiences with things that suddenly start smoking told me I needed to do a bit of quick fixing. That's when things turned for the worse.
I uncovered the engine, hit the main power kill switch but slipped in the process and cut my thumb. Next I almost cauterized that cut when I found the source of the smoke.
After some choice words I located the dislodged bait tank line that was providing all that unwanted water, cleared a clogged bilge pump, searched unsuccessfully for the source of the smoke, all the time reminding myself to install a bilge alarm and yet another backup pump.
Turned on the power and things seemed to be back the way they should so I started the motor and we headed for the marina. It was right in the mouth of the marina (read 2 way Saturday traffic) that I discovered things were NOT yet quite right when more smoke billowed from the suddenly silent engine compartment.
Remember the 2 way traffic? Well they were encourageing me with hand gestures, sounding their horns, and doing something I now call the inlet boat-jam traffic dance.
I severed the smoking alternator wire, re-started the motor (to the cheers of many) and proceeded to the Saturday cluster#*^k we call the launch ramp and another boring fishing trip came to an end.
I can't decide which is the easier solution, a new alternator or just a fan to remove the smoke from the current one.
Gonna go fishing again as soon as the thumb heals.
John, KO6WI
The fishing trip was just that -- a trip.
Tried a new route to the launch...shoulda known better.
Eventually got there, headed out and set the GPS only to find the "magic spot" was 13 miles out to sea. I'm still in the shakedown phase with the boat and thought that a bit far. Went anyway.
My friend's kid got seasick in very mild swells, and then needed the poop bucket. Glad I properly prepared the boat for this 4 hour outting. We caught many sand dabs, a few rockfish, and a lot of sun. With an impending 3 PM Small Craft Advisory for the area, noon seemed like a good time to head back.
Rung out the boat on fairly flat water and almost got to 40 MPH with the fishing prop. There is a high speed prop that should give even more un-needed speed. Slowing at the end of that 10 mile scoot I noticed water coming into the engine compartment, and then some smoke coming out. Past experiences with things that suddenly start smoking told me I needed to do a bit of quick fixing. That's when things turned for the worse.
I uncovered the engine, hit the main power kill switch but slipped in the process and cut my thumb. Next I almost cauterized that cut when I found the source of the smoke.
After some choice words I located the dislodged bait tank line that was providing all that unwanted water, cleared a clogged bilge pump, searched unsuccessfully for the source of the smoke, all the time reminding myself to install a bilge alarm and yet another backup pump.
Turned on the power and things seemed to be back the way they should so I started the motor and we headed for the marina. It was right in the mouth of the marina (read 2 way Saturday traffic) that I discovered things were NOT yet quite right when more smoke billowed from the suddenly silent engine compartment.
Remember the 2 way traffic? Well they were encourageing me with hand gestures, sounding their horns, and doing something I now call the inlet boat-jam traffic dance.
I severed the smoking alternator wire, re-started the motor (to the cheers of many) and proceeded to the Saturday cluster#*^k we call the launch ramp and another boring fishing trip came to an end.
I can't decide which is the easier solution, a new alternator or just a fan to remove the smoke from the current one.
Gonna go fishing again as soon as the thumb heals.
John, KO6WI
lunes, mayo 03, 2010
A "DIGITAL TIME-BOMB"/UNA BOMBA DE RELOJERÍA DIGITAL
This is CRITICAL information which everyone who uses a copier should know:
Ésta es la información CRÍTICA que cada una que utiliza una copiadora debe saber:
English: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC38D5am7go>
español: http://translate.google.com.mx/translate?hl=es&langpair=en%7Ces&u=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/19/eveningnews/main6412439.shtml
This is CRITICAL information which everyone who uses a copier should know:
Ésta es la información CRÍTICA que cada una que utiliza una copiadora debe saber:
English: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC38D5am7go>
español: http://translate.google.com.mx/translate?hl=es&langpair=en%7Ces&u=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/19/eveningnews/main6412439.shtml
jueves, abril 29, 2010
They close a bar in Colonia (Lomas) Baja Malibu
TIJUANA, Baja California(PH)
Last night a bar located on the Scenic Highway in the Colonia (Lomas) Baja Malibu area (k 22, HWY 1D) was closed for selling alcoholic beverages without permission.
According to the Municipal Police, the business closed is 'Plan B,' located in the commercial plaza Baja Malibu and Caesar Martínez Ramírez, 38, was detained.
Officials attested it was personnel of the Regulations office who indicated to them that they themselves observed the irregularity which was happening and they were the ones who asked the support of the Office of the Secretary of Municipal Public Security (SSPM).
-------------------------------------------
Clausuran bar en colonia Baja Malibú
TIJUANA, Baja California(PH) La noche de ayer fue clausurado un local ubicado sobre la Carretera Escénica, a la altura de la colonia Baja Malibú, por estar vendiendo bebidas alcohólicas sin contar con permiso.
De acuerdo a la Policia Municipal, la negociación clausurada es "Plan B", localizada en la plaza comercial Baja Malibú y se detuvo a César Martínez Ramírez, de 38 años.
Según los oficiales, fue el personal de Reglamentos quienes les indicaron que se percataron sobre la irregularidad que estaba sucediendo y fueron ellos quienes pidieron el apoyo de la Secretaría de Seguridad Pública Municipal (SSPM).
TIJUANA, Baja California(PH)
Last night a bar located on the Scenic Highway in the Colonia (Lomas) Baja Malibu area (k 22, HWY 1D) was closed for selling alcoholic beverages without permission.
According to the Municipal Police, the business closed is 'Plan B,' located in the commercial plaza Baja Malibu and Caesar Martínez Ramírez, 38, was detained.
Officials attested it was personnel of the Regulations office who indicated to them that they themselves observed the irregularity which was happening and they were the ones who asked the support of the Office of the Secretary of Municipal Public Security (SSPM).
-------------------------------------------
Clausuran bar en colonia Baja Malibú
TIJUANA, Baja California(PH) La noche de ayer fue clausurado un local ubicado sobre la Carretera Escénica, a la altura de la colonia Baja Malibú, por estar vendiendo bebidas alcohólicas sin contar con permiso.
De acuerdo a la Policia Municipal, la negociación clausurada es "Plan B", localizada en la plaza comercial Baja Malibú y se detuvo a César Martínez Ramírez, de 38 años.
Según los oficiales, fue el personal de Reglamentos quienes les indicaron que se percataron sobre la irregularidad que estaba sucediendo y fueron ellos quienes pidieron el apoyo de la Secretaría de Seguridad Pública Municipal (SSPM).
lunes, abril 26, 2010
Dog needs a temporary home
Cheryl Shepard's brother Terry had an accident wherein his car caught on fire and his feet were horribly burnt. It's pretty bad.
He has a bitch named JJ, a one year old spayed black lab mix. She weighs about 40 lbs and has had all her shots. She was in the car with Terry when the fire started and he went back in to rescue her - so he loves this dog.
She hasn't been trained very well but I think she could be. She's a nice dog and good guard dog as she will let you know when anyone comes near the house. She needs a good home to stay in while Terry's in the hospital. It will need to be a fenced yard situation. They're no money in it although all food will be paid for. Her friend, JoEllen, would be willing to field some legal questions for the favor. Cheryl says she's sweet and nice dog. Cheryl doesn't have a yard, only a small patio that's easily escapable - and she hops the little wall and takes off. Cheryl's can't keep her and Terry will be in the hospital in San Diego for about 3 months.
They had to cut off the skin and meat from his toes to his heel and so far has amputated one toe. She/we need someone to give JJ a place to stay until Terry comes back to Rosarito - he lives in Rene's campo.
Please circulate this around and maybe someone will be kind enough to help.
Cheryl Shepard's brother Terry had an accident wherein his car caught on fire and his feet were horribly burnt. It's pretty bad.
He has a bitch named JJ, a one year old spayed black lab mix. She weighs about 40 lbs and has had all her shots. She was in the car with Terry when the fire started and he went back in to rescue her - so he loves this dog.
She hasn't been trained very well but I think she could be. She's a nice dog and good guard dog as she will let you know when anyone comes near the house. She needs a good home to stay in while Terry's in the hospital. It will need to be a fenced yard situation. They're no money in it although all food will be paid for. Her friend, JoEllen, would be willing to field some legal questions for the favor. Cheryl says she's sweet and nice dog. Cheryl doesn't have a yard, only a small patio that's easily escapable - and she hops the little wall and takes off. Cheryl's can't keep her and Terry will be in the hospital in San Diego for about 3 months.
They had to cut off the skin and meat from his toes to his heel and so far has amputated one toe. She/we need someone to give JJ a place to stay until Terry comes back to Rosarito - he lives in Rene's campo.
Please circulate this around and maybe someone will be kind enough to help.
viernes, abril 23, 2010
Break-ins
According to information provided to the SADM Administrator, there has been a series of break-ins and attempted break-ins over the past week and a half.
1) The most recent incident (reported 4/22/2010) was the theft of a computer from a residence in the 100 block of Cantil. This theft occurred sometime during the night/early morning in an office area of the residence while the occupants were present in other areas. In this incident, the perpetrator gained entrance through an unlocked window.
2) At approximately 2:30 am yesterday (April 21), a perpetrator attempted to break into an occupied residence in the 400 block of Farallon, but was driven off by the residents.
3) Last week, we received reports of an individual running across roof-tops adjacent to the 600-block pool. In the same week, attempted break-ins occurred in 2 occupied homes in the 800 block of Roca during the early morning hours. In both cases, it appears only one perpetrator was involved, and in one, the residents left bedroom sliding doors unlocked. An unoccupied house in the 700 block of Roca was forcibly entered. Relatively inexpensive, small items were taken from the residence but it was ransacked. The thief entered through a small side window (12 x 12 inches) which he had broken.
4) Sometime during the past ten days while the homeowners were away, a burglar broke down the entrance of their house in the 400 block of Farallon and stole a computer and other small valuables. This crime was reported today. Our security stated that there was evidence the burglar had turned off the electricity, perhaps in an attempt to determine if anyone was present before committing the burglary.
Based on the limited information available, it is our opinion that these incidents are a pattern of criminal activity committed by one individual who is apparently of medium build, thin (entrance through very small window at Roca house), agile (athletic), most likely young.
These are the incidents that have been reported to the Administrator’s office. It is critically important, as we pointed out in our recent Security Bulletin of April 14, that residents report IMMEDIATELY to the guard caseta (631 30 26) any crimes and/or suspicious activity or behavior. DO NOT HESITATE TO REPORT ANYTHING OR ANYONE THAT CAUSES YOU CONCERN. Also, if a crime has been committed in the past and you discover it now, even minor thefts, report them to the Administrator, Dr. Alvarez (631 33 63).
In two of these incidents, the perpetrator entered through an unsecured window or door. Make certain that all entrances into your house are locked at all times, even if you are present in your residence or leaving it for a short period of time. This is especially urgent for those houses which have entrances that are easily accessible or immediately adjacent to the street, vacant lots, unoccupied residences, etc.
Also in two of the incidents, ladders were conveniently available for the thief to gain access to upper levels of the residences. Do a security inventory of your residence and its surroundings to make certain that items are not present that can aid or encourage a break-in. We have continually recommended that residents install a security alarm system in their houses. If you are not able to do this, at least have motion detector lights placed strategically around the perimeter of your property. In the case of one of the attempted break-ins on Roca, the motion-sensitive lights which turned on when the perpetrator entered a patio area contributed to scaring him off.
Finally, San Antonio is a large community. We have over 800 lot parcels with houses on most. Our security team can be present at only one place at any given time. In a real sense, each of us has to consider ourselves a “security guard.” We ARE the first line of prevention and defense for ourselves and our neighbors.
We hope with your support, your extra vigilance, the strengthening of your house security and encouragement of neighbors to do the same, we will put an end to the current string of property crimes and eliminate the need for notices such as this.
Your San Antonio del Mar Homeowners Committee and Administrator
Al Rosen, President
Dra. Martha Alvarez, Administrator
According to information provided to the SADM Administrator, there has been a series of break-ins and attempted break-ins over the past week and a half.
1) The most recent incident (reported 4/22/2010) was the theft of a computer from a residence in the 100 block of Cantil. This theft occurred sometime during the night/early morning in an office area of the residence while the occupants were present in other areas. In this incident, the perpetrator gained entrance through an unlocked window.
2) At approximately 2:30 am yesterday (April 21), a perpetrator attempted to break into an occupied residence in the 400 block of Farallon, but was driven off by the residents.
3) Last week, we received reports of an individual running across roof-tops adjacent to the 600-block pool. In the same week, attempted break-ins occurred in 2 occupied homes in the 800 block of Roca during the early morning hours. In both cases, it appears only one perpetrator was involved, and in one, the residents left bedroom sliding doors unlocked. An unoccupied house in the 700 block of Roca was forcibly entered. Relatively inexpensive, small items were taken from the residence but it was ransacked. The thief entered through a small side window (12 x 12 inches) which he had broken.
4) Sometime during the past ten days while the homeowners were away, a burglar broke down the entrance of their house in the 400 block of Farallon and stole a computer and other small valuables. This crime was reported today. Our security stated that there was evidence the burglar had turned off the electricity, perhaps in an attempt to determine if anyone was present before committing the burglary.
Based on the limited information available, it is our opinion that these incidents are a pattern of criminal activity committed by one individual who is apparently of medium build, thin (entrance through very small window at Roca house), agile (athletic), most likely young.
These are the incidents that have been reported to the Administrator’s office. It is critically important, as we pointed out in our recent Security Bulletin of April 14, that residents report IMMEDIATELY to the guard caseta (631 30 26) any crimes and/or suspicious activity or behavior. DO NOT HESITATE TO REPORT ANYTHING OR ANYONE THAT CAUSES YOU CONCERN. Also, if a crime has been committed in the past and you discover it now, even minor thefts, report them to the Administrator, Dr. Alvarez (631 33 63).
In two of these incidents, the perpetrator entered through an unsecured window or door. Make certain that all entrances into your house are locked at all times, even if you are present in your residence or leaving it for a short period of time. This is especially urgent for those houses which have entrances that are easily accessible or immediately adjacent to the street, vacant lots, unoccupied residences, etc.
Also in two of the incidents, ladders were conveniently available for the thief to gain access to upper levels of the residences. Do a security inventory of your residence and its surroundings to make certain that items are not present that can aid or encourage a break-in. We have continually recommended that residents install a security alarm system in their houses. If you are not able to do this, at least have motion detector lights placed strategically around the perimeter of your property. In the case of one of the attempted break-ins on Roca, the motion-sensitive lights which turned on when the perpetrator entered a patio area contributed to scaring him off.
Finally, San Antonio is a large community. We have over 800 lot parcels with houses on most. Our security team can be present at only one place at any given time. In a real sense, each of us has to consider ourselves a “security guard.” We ARE the first line of prevention and defense for ourselves and our neighbors.
We hope with your support, your extra vigilance, the strengthening of your house security and encouragement of neighbors to do the same, we will put an end to the current string of property crimes and eliminate the need for notices such as this.
Your San Antonio del Mar Homeowners Committee and Administrator
Al Rosen, President
Dra. Martha Alvarez, Administrator
jueves, abril 22, 2010
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH BREAK-IN REPORTS - Ladders & advisory correction
At noontime on Thursday, April 22, the occupant at Calle Farallon, Nº 414, returned home to discover that her house had been burglarized.
SAM security and a team of TJ police officers arrived soon thereafter. If you find evidence of burglary when you return home, do not enter it. Call SAM security (631.3967)and the Tijuana police (066) and let them enter first. Also, please contact your neighborhood watch Captain.
This blue/purple mochila (backpack) was used to carry items up the bank behind the home to the fence. The items were apparently handed to another accomplice over the fence; it belonged to one of the burglars.
All or most of the food in the refrigerator had spoiled, and had to be discarded.
______________________________________
Two recent break-ins in SADM were facilitated by unsecured ladders in occupied homes thoughtfully left in an area near homes where the burglars could use them to gain entry.
At noontime on Thursday, April 22, the occupant at Calle Farallon, Nº 414, returned home to discover that her house had been burglarized.
The door strike in the wooden door frame had been jimmied to gain access to the house at ground level of the home. The thieves turned off the circuit breakers located at the front of the house, apparently to ensure that the house was unoccupied. After no one turned the breakers back on, they entered the property at night over/through the back fence, which was located immediately adjacent to the carretera. Neighbors were unable to observe any disruption or activity because side and front walls completely obscured observation from those perspectives. They completely ransacked the home, among items taken were a personal computer, jewelry, a telephone, foodstuffs, and a white sweatshirt with the word "ENGLAND" printed on the chest.
All or most of the food in the refrigerator had spoiled, and had to be discarded.
______________________________________
Two recent break-ins in SADM were facilitated by unsecured ladders in occupied homes thoughtfully left in an area near homes where the burglars could use them to gain entry.
miércoles, abril 21, 2010
Intruder Event Follow-up - Neighborhood Watch
At approximately 2:30 this morning a black-clad male intruder wearing a baseball cap attempted to break into a second-story window at the rear of the occupied residence at Nº 422, Calle Farallon.
The rear of the home is completely fenced with cyclone fencing and barbed wire, separating the home from a vacant lot and the carretera, which was breached by the intruder. Awakened by noises, one of the occupants awoke to see the outline of a man at a window as he was breaking the window in an attempt to gain entry into the home.
BROKEN SCREEN – VIEW FROM ABOVE THE WINDOW – THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDOW LEDGE IS APPROXIMATELY 15 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL
BROKEN REAR WINDOW
At that point, a ladder the man had found at the rear of the home to reach the window became unstable and he returned to the ground. The occupant then awoke her companion and went to the front of the house to call the police. As she did this, the intruder went to the front of the house, and climbed to the second-story terrazza of the home, apparently unaware that the house was occupied. When he approached the front sliding-glass entry door, he encountered the male occupant, turned and fled down a couple of steps and jumped to the top of a wall separating the home from the adjacent building. He ran along to top of this wall and leapt up to the top of another wall which abutted the wall he was on, and jumped or fell about 15 feet to the street below.
A team of six Tijuana police officers and a security guard from the colonia arrived no less than ten minutes after the call to emergency services was completed. After they made a quick search of the immediate scene, they departed.
Although the intruder was described as “ … the fastest man I have ever seen.” and “very agile” he may have suffered an injury during his flight from the terrazza. Please be on the look-out for a male of medium height who has recently suffered an injury, especially to the hip, leg, or ankle.
At approximately 2:30 this morning a black-clad male intruder wearing a baseball cap attempted to break into a second-story window at the rear of the occupied residence at Nº 422, Calle Farallon.
The rear of the home is completely fenced with cyclone fencing and barbed wire, separating the home from a vacant lot and the carretera, which was breached by the intruder. Awakened by noises, one of the occupants awoke to see the outline of a man at a window as he was breaking the window in an attempt to gain entry into the home.
BROKEN SCREEN – VIEW FROM ABOVE THE WINDOW – THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDOW LEDGE IS APPROXIMATELY 15 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL
BROKEN REAR WINDOW
At that point, a ladder the man had found at the rear of the home to reach the window became unstable and he returned to the ground. The occupant then awoke her companion and went to the front of the house to call the police. As she did this, the intruder went to the front of the house, and climbed to the second-story terrazza of the home, apparently unaware that the house was occupied. When he approached the front sliding-glass entry door, he encountered the male occupant, turned and fled down a couple of steps and jumped to the top of a wall separating the home from the adjacent building. He ran along to top of this wall and leapt up to the top of another wall which abutted the wall he was on, and jumped or fell about 15 feet to the street below.
A team of six Tijuana police officers and a security guard from the colonia arrived no less than ten minutes after the call to emergency services was completed. After they made a quick search of the immediate scene, they departed.
Although the intruder was described as “ … the fastest man I have ever seen.” and “very agile” he may have suffered an injury during his flight from the terrazza. Please be on the look-out for a male of medium height who has recently suffered an injury, especially to the hip, leg, or ankle.
Rosarito Spanish Study Group
The Study Group holds formal classes every Monday at Las Mañanitas restaurant on Bulevar Juárez cater-corner from Waldo's $1 store in Playas de Rosarito. The intermediate session meets at 12 Noon, beginners at 1:30 PM. The advanced session is at 3:00 PM and is conducted entirely in Spanish.
Each group member is expected to bring a personal English/Spanish or Spanish dictionary, 3X5 cards, note paper, and a writing instrument. A study guide is provided by the instructor which costs $12. A nominal fee $24 is required for completion of a six-week class module. If an individual does not attend a class during a module he or she has registered in, the missed class must be completed by a "make up" assignment with the teacher, or the fee for the missed session will be forfeited.
No members of the study group will be required to pay a class fee for a session in which the Profesora is absent.
The classes are held whenever the teacher is available. If the teacher is not available for some reason, the group maintains the class schedule, meets at the same time and studies material which she assigns to each class session for completion in her absence.
The Spanish Study group publishes a loose ongoing discussion at this blog site which covers material presented during classes, points emphasized by the Profesora, questions by students, or class logistics. Any participant in The Rosarito Spanish Study Group can contribute material for the blog.
Caution must be observed when parking your vehicle, as a student was recently carjacked at gunpoint when he dismounted from his vehicle in the parking lot next to the restaurant.
The Study Group holds formal classes every Monday at Las Mañanitas restaurant on Bulevar Juárez cater-corner from Waldo's $1 store in Playas de Rosarito. The intermediate session meets at 12 Noon, beginners at 1:30 PM. The advanced session is at 3:00 PM and is conducted entirely in Spanish.
Each group member is expected to bring a personal English/Spanish or Spanish dictionary, 3X5 cards, note paper, and a writing instrument. A study guide is provided by the instructor which costs $12. A nominal fee $24 is required for completion of a six-week class module. If an individual does not attend a class during a module he or she has registered in, the missed class must be completed by a "make up" assignment with the teacher, or the fee for the missed session will be forfeited.
No members of the study group will be required to pay a class fee for a session in which the Profesora is absent.
The classes are held whenever the teacher is available. If the teacher is not available for some reason, the group maintains the class schedule, meets at the same time and studies material which she assigns to each class session for completion in her absence.
The Spanish Study group publishes a loose ongoing discussion at this blog site which covers material presented during classes, points emphasized by the Profesora, questions by students, or class logistics. Any participant in The Rosarito Spanish Study Group can contribute material for the blog.
Caution must be observed when parking your vehicle, as a student was recently carjacked at gunpoint when he dismounted from his vehicle in the parking lot next to the restaurant.
viernes, abril 09, 2010
TEEN GIRL NO LONGER MISSING IN EAST SAN DIEGO COUNTY: Missing teen Marie Faustman has been found safe in Parker, AZ, where she went voluntarily to stay with friends.
Marie Faustman was dropped off by her mother at a friend’s home on Pepper Drive in an unincorporated area just north of El Cajon at 7 a.m. April 1. The teenager was supposed to return later that night, but disappeared.
Her cellular telephone was turned off April 3 and she has not had any contact with friends or family over the past week.
Original news article at URL: http://tinyurl.com/y33abj8
Marie Faustman was dropped off by her mother at a friend’s home on Pepper Drive in an unincorporated area just north of El Cajon at 7 a.m. April 1. The teenager was supposed to return later that night, but disappeared.
Her cellular telephone was turned off April 3 and she has not had any contact with friends or family over the past week.
Original news article at URL: http://tinyurl.com/y33abj8
martes, abril 06, 2010
MEXICAN INTERIOR MINISTRY DECLARES BAJA CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKE REGION TO RECEIVE FEDERAL AID
Boletín No.147-05/04/2010.
México, D. F., a 05 de abril de 2010.
Declara la Segob emergencia para el municipio de Mexicali del estado de Baja California afectado por el sismo de 7.2 grados
La Coordinación General de Protección Civil de la Secretaría de Gobernación emitió hoy una Declaratoria de Emergencia para el municipio de Mexicali, del estado de Baja California, afectado por el sismo de magnitud 7.2 grados en la escala Richter registrado el día 4 de abril de 2010, con el fin de que las autoridades estatales dispongan de inmediato de los recursos del Fondo Revolvente del Fondo de Desastres Naturales (FONDEN), para atender las necesidades básicas de la población afectada.
A partir de esta Declaratoria, solicitada por el gobierno estatal, las autoridades contarán con recursos para atender las necesidades alimenticias, de abrigo y de salud de la población afectada.
Boletín No.147-05/04/2010.
México, D. F., a 05 de abril de 2010.
Declara la Segob emergencia para el municipio de Mexicali del estado de Baja California afectado por el sismo de 7.2 grados
La Coordinación General de Protección Civil de la Secretaría de Gobernación emitió hoy una Declaratoria de Emergencia para el municipio de Mexicali, del estado de Baja California, afectado por el sismo de magnitud 7.2 grados en la escala Richter registrado el día 4 de abril de 2010, con el fin de que las autoridades estatales dispongan de inmediato de los recursos del Fondo Revolvente del Fondo de Desastres Naturales (FONDEN), para atender las necesidades básicas de la población afectada.
A partir de esta Declaratoria, solicitada por el gobierno estatal, las autoridades contarán con recursos para atender las necesidades alimenticias, de abrigo y de salud de la población afectada.
--oo0oo--
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Secretaría de Gobernación: http://www.gobernacion.gob.mx/
domingo, marzo 28, 2010
SAN ANTONIO DEL MAR NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH NOTICE - HIGH VOLTAGE HAZARD
There is a broken street lamp hanging from the pole at Calle Farallon #469.
The good news is that Miguel at the security caseta tells me that the municipal lighting workers will come out and fix it.
The bad news is that the wind is blowing it around while it dangles next to the electrical service drop circuits that feed several homes nearby. This condition may result in downed service wiring, a pole fire, and/or the creation of a ground plane differential in proximity to the fallen wires.
It is recommended that this hazard be avoided until the street lamp fairy fixes it (see photo).
Saludos,
Pat
martes, marzo 16, 2010
Power Amplifier, Tandberg TPA-3016A
From Tim Dowdle:
The original price of the Tandberg TPA-3016A amp varied between $3,300 and $3,800.
He has the original box and the original owner's manual. The amp comes with the original power cord, plus an extra. It uses a hard-to-find NEMA 5-15P to IEC 60320 C19 ("if memory serves me!") power cord. He can provide digital photos of the amp, if someone desires them. It is in excellent condition.
He has a PDF of the original spec sheet and an August 1986 "Stereo Review" Test Report.
He "will consider any offer." Use this email address biz4td@gmail.com for contact.
From Tim Dowdle:
The original price of the Tandberg TPA-3016A amp varied between $3,300 and $3,800.
He has the original box and the original owner's manual. The amp comes with the original power cord, plus an extra. It uses a hard-to-find NEMA 5-15P to IEC 60320 C19 ("if memory serves me!") power cord. He can provide digital photos of the amp, if someone desires them. It is in excellent condition.
He has a PDF of the original spec sheet and an August 1986 "Stereo Review" Test Report.
He "will consider any offer." Use this email address biz4td@gmail.com for contact.
lunes, marzo 15, 2010
BEACH CLEAN-UP AT SAN ANTONIO DEL MAR
El Niño has given us much needed rain. But El Niño also has left piles of trash and debris on our beaches. Please join your neighbors for a few hours (or whatever amount of time you can volunteer) to restore our beaches to their natural beauty – SUNDAY, MARCH 21, STARTING AT 8:00 AM AT THE SOUTH PARK. This is a regional activity and is coordinated with El Proyecto Fronterizo. We need your help. Put this on your calendar.
We especially need 4X4 TRUCKS OR ATVS to haul the bags of trash off the beach. Help your community do a beautiful thing!
Your San Antonio del Mar Homeowners Committee and Administrator
El Niño has given us much needed rain. But El Niño also has left piles of trash and debris on our beaches. Please join your neighbors for a few hours (or whatever amount of time you can volunteer) to restore our beaches to their natural beauty – SUNDAY, MARCH 21, STARTING AT 8:00 AM AT THE SOUTH PARK. This is a regional activity and is coordinated with El Proyecto Fronterizo. We need your help. Put this on your calendar.
We especially need 4X4 TRUCKS OR ATVS to haul the bags of trash off the beach. Help your community do a beautiful thing!
Your San Antonio del Mar Homeowners Committee and Administrator
lunes, marzo 08, 2010
sábado, marzo 06, 2010
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME TIME ZONE CHANGES ARE UPCOMING:
The pyramid clock of the snake god Kulkulkan in the temple city of Chichen Itza in Mexico is the world’s largest clock. The solstices and equinoxes are indicated by the shadows cast on its steps in relation to the position of the Sun:
Excerpted from URL: http://www.timeanddate.com/news/time/mexico-starts-dst-2010.html
Mexico One Hour Ahead on Easter, April 4, 2010
Most of Mexico will officially begin daylight saving time (DST) on Sunday, April 4, 2010, which is Easter Sunday. However, some of Mexico’s northern regions that border the United States will start DST at the same time as the United States and Canada.
The states of Sonora and Arizona do not observe DST, and remain on Mountain Standard Time (MST) all year round.
Mexico’s DST Schedule
Most of Mexico observes a daylight saving schedule that begins on the first Sunday of April, when the clocks move forward by one hour from 2 A.M. (02:00) to 3 A.M. (03:00) local time. The DST schedule ends on the last Sunday of October, when the clocks move back from 2 A.M. (02:00) to 1 A.M. (01:00) local time.
Some areas in northern Mexico that border the United States follow a slightly different daylight saving schedule. DST for these areas runs from the second Sunday of March until the first Sunday of November. This schedule applies to: Tijuana, Mexicali, Ciudad Juarez, Ojinaga, Ciudad Acuña, Piedras Negras, Anahuac, Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa, and Matamoros.
These areas follow the United States’ DST schedule as a way of maintaining strong business ties and economic relations between US/Mexico border cities and towns. Mexico’s Congress passed a law in December 2009 to ensure that the amended DST schedule for these areas would occur from 2010 onwards. Sonora does not observe DST so the time does not change there.
I have been told that a modified Horario synchronized with the U.S. DST change will be observed in the entire State of Baja California, not just Tijuana and Mexicali, beginning March 14. The Federal Congress has apparently approved this change thanks to a petition recently submitted by Sr. Gastón Luken, a Tijuana federal congressman.
I do not know the exact date the petition was approved.
The pyramid clock of the snake god Kulkulkan in the temple city of Chichen Itza in Mexico is the world’s largest clock. The solstices and equinoxes are indicated by the shadows cast on its steps in relation to the position of the Sun:
Excerpted from URL: http://www.timeanddate.com/news/time/mexico-starts-dst-2010.html
Mexico One Hour Ahead on Easter, April 4, 2010
Most of Mexico will officially begin daylight saving time (DST) on Sunday, April 4, 2010, which is Easter Sunday. However, some of Mexico’s northern regions that border the United States will start DST at the same time as the United States and Canada.
The states of Sonora and Arizona do not observe DST, and remain on Mountain Standard Time (MST) all year round.
Mexico’s DST Schedule
Most of Mexico observes a daylight saving schedule that begins on the first Sunday of April, when the clocks move forward by one hour from 2 A.M. (02:00) to 3 A.M. (03:00) local time. The DST schedule ends on the last Sunday of October, when the clocks move back from 2 A.M. (02:00) to 1 A.M. (01:00) local time.
Some areas in northern Mexico that border the United States follow a slightly different daylight saving schedule. DST for these areas runs from the second Sunday of March until the first Sunday of November. This schedule applies to: Tijuana, Mexicali, Ciudad Juarez, Ojinaga, Ciudad Acuña, Piedras Negras, Anahuac, Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa, and Matamoros.
These areas follow the United States’ DST schedule as a way of maintaining strong business ties and economic relations between US/Mexico border cities and towns. Mexico’s Congress passed a law in December 2009 to ensure that the amended DST schedule for these areas would occur from 2010 onwards. Sonora does not observe DST so the time does not change there.
I have been told that a modified Horario synchronized with the U.S. DST change will be observed in the entire State of Baja California, not just Tijuana and Mexicali, beginning March 14. The Federal Congress has apparently approved this change thanks to a petition recently submitted by Sr. Gastón Luken, a Tijuana federal congressman.
I do not know the exact date the petition was approved.
jueves, marzo 04, 2010
AMERICAN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION FILES REQUEST WITH FCC - WP Docket No. 10-54
IT WANTS A BLANKET WAIVER TO USE AMATEUR RADIO AS PART OF EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS DRILLS.
(Daily Digest Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th St., SW, Washington, D.C. 20554
Vol. 29 No. 42 News media information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov/
TTY: 202/418-2555
March 03, 2010)
http://tinyurl.com/yaofxud
If approved, the waiver would facilitate communications between U.S. citizens in Mexico, and hospitals in the States.
IT WANTS A BLANKET WAIVER TO USE AMATEUR RADIO AS PART OF EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS DRILLS.
(Daily Digest Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th St., SW, Washington, D.C. 20554
Vol. 29 No. 42 News media information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov/
TTY: 202/418-2555
March 03, 2010)
http://tinyurl.com/yaofxud
If approved, the waiver would facilitate communications between U.S. citizens in Mexico, and hospitals in the States.
miércoles, marzo 03, 2010
Isabel Miranda de Wallace is a member of the United Mexicans Against Organized Crime group
(scroll down for English version)
Pena de muerte a secuestradores asesinos: Isabel Wallace
3 Marzo, 2010 - 17:51
La señora Isabel Miranda de Wallace se pronunció por aplicar la pena de muerte a los secuestradores que asesinen a los plagiados, además lamentó que la justicia proteja más a los delincuentes que a las víctimas.
Al participar en el foro “Alto al Secuestro” que organiza el Senado, Miranda de Wallace convocó al Congreso cumplir su compromiso de aprobar antes del 30 de abril la Ley General de Protección a las Víctimas del Delito de Secuestro.
La madre de Hugo Alberto Wallace, secuestrado el 11 de julio de 2005 y asesinado días después, señaló que está en contra de la propuesta presidencial de Ley Antisecuestro, pues propone de 40 años de cárcel a prisión vitalicia al plagiario que mate a su víctima.
“No señores, la Constitución establece claramente que la condena debe ser proporcional al bien jurídico lesionado, y quiero que me digan que es lo puedo hacer cuando matan a un secuestrado, ¿Cuál sería el contrapeso? Sólo la pena de muerte”, agregó.
Miranda de Wallace indicó que la propuesta de implantar la pena de muerte a los secuestradores que presentó el lunes el PVEM fue rechazada “por alguien que dijo que sólo querían reventar el foro”, pues está prohibida por los tratados internacionales.
“Los secuestradores no se preocupan por matar a su víctima y nosotros nos preocupamos por lo derechos de esos delincuentes”, advirtió.
Por ello, demandó a los diputados aprobar reformas a la Ley de Amparo para que las víctimas puedan defenderse, pues es “absurdo que el Estado pague un abogado a los delincuentes y nosotros tengamos que recurrir al Ministerio Público, que está atiborrado de trabajo”.
En su intervención, Miranda de Wallace demandó al Senado aprobar antes del 30 de abril la Ley General de Protección a las Víctimas del Delito de Secuestro, que busca establecer un sistema integral de protección y asistencia a las víctimas del secuestro.
La iniciativa también contempla que los pagos de rescate sean deducibles de impuestos, y se responsabiliza al municipio, Estado o Federación que tengan entre sus filas de agentes a secuestradores.
FUENTE: Notimex
--------------------------------
Death Penalty for kidnappers who murder: Elizabeth Wallace
March 3, 2010 - 17:51
Señora Isabel Miranda de Wallace spoke to apply the death penalty to kidnappers who murder their hostages; also lamented that the justice system protects the criminals more than victims.
By participating in the "Stop Kidnapping" forum organized by the (Mexican) Senate, Miranda de Wallace called on Congress to fulfill its commitment to adopt by April 30 the General Protection Law for Victims of the Crime of Kidnapping.
The mother of Hugo Alberto Wallace, who was kidnapped on 11 July 2005, and killed days later, said she is against the proposed presidential anti-kidnapping law, proposed as 40 years in jail for life imprisonment to kidnapper who kills his victim.
“No Gentlemen, the Constitution establishes clearly that the sentence must be proportional to the legally protected interest of the injured, and I want you to tell me what is it I can do when they kill a kidnapping victim. What would be the counterbalance? Only capital punishment.” she added.
Miranda de Wallace indicated that the proposal to propose capital punishment for kidnappers which was presented to the PVEM Monday was rejected “by those said that they only wanted to break the forum,” because it is prohibited by international treaties.
“The kidnappers do not worry about killing their victims and we worry about the rights of those criminals.” she warned.
For this reason, she demanded the deputies to approve reforms to the Ley de Amparo so that the victims can defend themselves, because it is “absurd that the State pays a lawyer for the criminals and we must resort to the Public Ministry, that is stuffed with work.”
Sra. Miranda de Wallace therefore demanded the Senate to approve before the 30th of April, la Ley General de Protección a las Víctimas del Delito de Secuestro (the General Law of Protection the Victims of the Crime of Kidnapping) that strives to establish an integral system of protection and attendance to the victims of kidnapping. The initiative also contemplates that ransom payments would be tax-deductible, and answerable by the municipality, State, or Federation that may have groups of kidnapping agents.
(scroll down for English version)
Pena de muerte a secuestradores asesinos: Isabel Wallace
3 Marzo, 2010 - 17:51
La señora Isabel Miranda de Wallace se pronunció por aplicar la pena de muerte a los secuestradores que asesinen a los plagiados, además lamentó que la justicia proteja más a los delincuentes que a las víctimas.
Al participar en el foro “Alto al Secuestro” que organiza el Senado, Miranda de Wallace convocó al Congreso cumplir su compromiso de aprobar antes del 30 de abril la Ley General de Protección a las Víctimas del Delito de Secuestro.
La madre de Hugo Alberto Wallace, secuestrado el 11 de julio de 2005 y asesinado días después, señaló que está en contra de la propuesta presidencial de Ley Antisecuestro, pues propone de 40 años de cárcel a prisión vitalicia al plagiario que mate a su víctima.
“No señores, la Constitución establece claramente que la condena debe ser proporcional al bien jurídico lesionado, y quiero que me digan que es lo puedo hacer cuando matan a un secuestrado, ¿Cuál sería el contrapeso? Sólo la pena de muerte”, agregó.
Miranda de Wallace indicó que la propuesta de implantar la pena de muerte a los secuestradores que presentó el lunes el PVEM fue rechazada “por alguien que dijo que sólo querían reventar el foro”, pues está prohibida por los tratados internacionales.
“Los secuestradores no se preocupan por matar a su víctima y nosotros nos preocupamos por lo derechos de esos delincuentes”, advirtió.
Por ello, demandó a los diputados aprobar reformas a la Ley de Amparo para que las víctimas puedan defenderse, pues es “absurdo que el Estado pague un abogado a los delincuentes y nosotros tengamos que recurrir al Ministerio Público, que está atiborrado de trabajo”.
En su intervención, Miranda de Wallace demandó al Senado aprobar antes del 30 de abril la Ley General de Protección a las Víctimas del Delito de Secuestro, que busca establecer un sistema integral de protección y asistencia a las víctimas del secuestro.
La iniciativa también contempla que los pagos de rescate sean deducibles de impuestos, y se responsabiliza al municipio, Estado o Federación que tengan entre sus filas de agentes a secuestradores.
FUENTE: Notimex
--------------------------------
Death Penalty for kidnappers who murder: Elizabeth Wallace
March 3, 2010 - 17:51
Señora Isabel Miranda de Wallace spoke to apply the death penalty to kidnappers who murder their hostages; also lamented that the justice system protects the criminals more than victims.
By participating in the "Stop Kidnapping" forum organized by the (Mexican) Senate, Miranda de Wallace called on Congress to fulfill its commitment to adopt by April 30 the General Protection Law for Victims of the Crime of Kidnapping.
The mother of Hugo Alberto Wallace, who was kidnapped on 11 July 2005, and killed days later, said she is against the proposed presidential anti-kidnapping law, proposed as 40 years in jail for life imprisonment to kidnapper who kills his victim.
“No Gentlemen, the Constitution establishes clearly that the sentence must be proportional to the legally protected interest of the injured, and I want you to tell me what is it I can do when they kill a kidnapping victim. What would be the counterbalance? Only capital punishment.” she added.
Miranda de Wallace indicated that the proposal to propose capital punishment for kidnappers which was presented to the PVEM Monday was rejected “by those said that they only wanted to break the forum,” because it is prohibited by international treaties.
“The kidnappers do not worry about killing their victims and we worry about the rights of those criminals.” she warned.
For this reason, she demanded the deputies to approve reforms to the Ley de Amparo so that the victims can defend themselves, because it is “absurd that the State pays a lawyer for the criminals and we must resort to the Public Ministry, that is stuffed with work.”
Sra. Miranda de Wallace therefore demanded the Senate to approve before the 30th of April, la Ley General de Protección a las Víctimas del Delito de Secuestro (the General Law of Protection the Victims of the Crime of Kidnapping) that strives to establish an integral system of protection and attendance to the victims of kidnapping. The initiative also contemplates that ransom payments would be tax-deductible, and answerable by the municipality, State, or Federation that may have groups of kidnapping agents.
IT technician looking for position
Susan A. Mahalick
619-446-6405
russnldy@aol.com
PROFILE
• Excellent Customer Service Skills
• Microsoft Certified Professional
• Outstanding Problem Solving Skills
• Extremely self-motivated and proactive
• Well versed in Microsoft Office
• Skilled at preparation of reports, documents, presentations and spreadsheets
• Accurate and thorough Technical Documentation and Technical Illustration
• Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 and XP
SUMMARY OF EXPERIENCE
ADMINSTRATIVE ASSISTANT
MLS Baja, Playas de Rosarito, Mexico
• Developed layout and marketing materials on Backpage, Craigslist, OLX and Guardads
• Post properties to AMPI website to start MLS for Baja
• Ensure owners are informed regarding news that impacts the Baja and Mexican Real Estate market.
• Maintain Excel spreadsheets of all Rosarito properties
• Answer phones and take detailed messages
• Greet customers when Agents are out of the office
• Provide informational research on prospective properties
SALES MANAGER
Baja Lifestyle Magazine, Playas de Rosarito
• Sold advertising for high end magazine
• Assertive and good at closing
• Visited over 120 businesses along the coastline
• Made 50% of the sales by my 3rd issue of selling
• Supervised other Sales Personnel
• Completed contracts and collected money from clients
• Collected copy material and proofed final layout
HELPDESK ANALYST
EDS/NMCI, San Diego
• Received many awards for Excellent Customer Service
• Provided quality help-desk service to U.S. Military and Civilians using Remedy DB and software tools
• Resolved most calls within 13 minutes
• Knowledge of Windows 2000 / 2003 Server (Active Directory)
• Troubleshooting of DoD (Department of Defense) Web Applications and other software
• RAS – Netscreen / Software / Setup and Troubleshooting
• Network Connectivity Issues / Workstation / Printer / Server Troubleshooting / Admin Tools
• System cleanup on Slowness / Adware / Virus / Spyware
• Remedy Asset Management Database / tickets software for tracking calls and troubleshooting
• Proxy Access / Troubleshooting / Internet Explorer
• Windows administrative tools such as MMC snap-ins, and general familiarity with certificates required.
• Analyzed event and application logs to identify problems.
DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY
Coldwell Banker, BajaCoastline, Playas de Rosarito
• Supported 5 staff members and 15 Real Estate Agents on computer systems and peripherals
• Taught specific computer classes for same
• Assisted with the setup of new offices for Voice Over IP phone systems and computer locations
• Transitioned into a Real Estate Agent and sold a property within first 2 months
COMPUTER ANALYST=SOFTWARE TESTER
NMCI (Navy Marine Corps Intranet)/EDS (Engineering Data Systems)
• Tested software for quality control before deployment to the Navy and Marine Corps
• Tested both Windows 2000 and XP platforms on a variety of hardware
• Wrote documentation and creation of Test Plans, Test Strategies and final documentation
• Coordinated between Engineering and Management to ensure proper communication
PC SPECIALIST
ACS Government Solutions, Loma Submarine Base
• Troubleshooting software and hardware issues for unclassified computers for 300 customers
• First call resolution, either resolve over the phone or make determination to send someone out to fix the problem
• Installation of software and hardware as needed for updates and new installs
• Solving archiving and inbox problems with Microsoft Outlook
• Resolving connectivity issues with Internet Explorer
• Setting up accounts, passwords and permissions on folders
• Responsible for install of approximately 100 applications
• Wrote documentation for users and technicians
MACINTOSH SUPPORT SPECIALIST
Woodward Communications, Inc. Dubuque, Iowa
• Upgraded (system and computers to Macintosh G3’s from PowerMacs and found solutions for the remaining SCSI peripherals to work with new OS
• Installed, maintained, and did troubleshooting for 150+ Macintoshes in a Prepress setting
• Hardware and software support primarily in the Macintosh environment
• Supported Internet applications such as Browsers and Email accounts
• Responsible for the functionality of 150 Macintoshes in a production environment for a newspaper with a circulation of 37,000
• Also responsible for 8 other regional publications which required travel of up to 100 miles one way
• Very familiar with the 4 color process, fonts and PDF formats
COMPUTER LAB DIRECTOR
Wahlert High School, Dubuque, Iowa
• In charge of three laboratories, and equipment for 100 staff members
• Trained staff and students in the use of software
• Maintained a network server and system for Macintoshes and PC's in a school setting
• Designed publications such as calendars, flyers, and brochures for the school
• Supervised and trained 1 to 2 lab assistants each year
GEOLOGIC DRAFTER
Denver, Colorado
• Worked for several oil related companies on a freelance basis
• Communicated well with clients
• Met deadlines and took pride in accuracy and interpretive skills.
• Drafted base maps, cross sections, montages, slides, land maps, prospectuses, technical drawings, and charts
Developed a method of making legends for maps that was widely adopted by the Oil Industry in Denver. Formerly maps were printed out to paper and then colored in for each major owner of the property containing wells (for instance Exxon would be green). I simplified the process by applying overlays to the original Mylar map before being printed which saved time and expense
EDUCATION
B.S. in Geography/Geology from the University of Colorado
Attended Rutgers College for one year and was one of the first 500 women accepted
Susan A. Mahalick
619-446-6405
russnldy@aol.com
PROFILE
• Excellent Customer Service Skills
• Microsoft Certified Professional
• Outstanding Problem Solving Skills
• Extremely self-motivated and proactive
• Well versed in Microsoft Office
• Skilled at preparation of reports, documents, presentations and spreadsheets
• Accurate and thorough Technical Documentation and Technical Illustration
• Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 and XP
SUMMARY OF EXPERIENCE
ADMINSTRATIVE ASSISTANT
MLS Baja, Playas de Rosarito, Mexico
• Developed layout and marketing materials on Backpage, Craigslist, OLX and Guardads
• Post properties to AMPI website to start MLS for Baja
• Ensure owners are informed regarding news that impacts the Baja and Mexican Real Estate market.
• Maintain Excel spreadsheets of all Rosarito properties
• Answer phones and take detailed messages
• Greet customers when Agents are out of the office
• Provide informational research on prospective properties
SALES MANAGER
Baja Lifestyle Magazine, Playas de Rosarito
• Sold advertising for high end magazine
• Assertive and good at closing
• Visited over 120 businesses along the coastline
• Made 50% of the sales by my 3rd issue of selling
• Supervised other Sales Personnel
• Completed contracts and collected money from clients
• Collected copy material and proofed final layout
HELPDESK ANALYST
EDS/NMCI, San Diego
• Received many awards for Excellent Customer Service
• Provided quality help-desk service to U.S. Military and Civilians using Remedy DB and software tools
• Resolved most calls within 13 minutes
• Knowledge of Windows 2000 / 2003 Server (Active Directory)
• Troubleshooting of DoD (Department of Defense) Web Applications and other software
• RAS – Netscreen / Software / Setup and Troubleshooting
• Network Connectivity Issues / Workstation / Printer / Server Troubleshooting / Admin Tools
• System cleanup on Slowness / Adware / Virus / Spyware
• Remedy Asset Management Database / tickets software for tracking calls and troubleshooting
• Proxy Access / Troubleshooting / Internet Explorer
• Windows administrative tools such as MMC snap-ins, and general familiarity with certificates required.
• Analyzed event and application logs to identify problems.
DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY
Coldwell Banker, BajaCoastline, Playas de Rosarito
• Supported 5 staff members and 15 Real Estate Agents on computer systems and peripherals
• Taught specific computer classes for same
• Assisted with the setup of new offices for Voice Over IP phone systems and computer locations
• Transitioned into a Real Estate Agent and sold a property within first 2 months
COMPUTER ANALYST=SOFTWARE TESTER
NMCI (Navy Marine Corps Intranet)/EDS (Engineering Data Systems)
• Tested software for quality control before deployment to the Navy and Marine Corps
• Tested both Windows 2000 and XP platforms on a variety of hardware
• Wrote documentation and creation of Test Plans, Test Strategies and final documentation
• Coordinated between Engineering and Management to ensure proper communication
PC SPECIALIST
ACS Government Solutions, Loma Submarine Base
• Troubleshooting software and hardware issues for unclassified computers for 300 customers
• First call resolution, either resolve over the phone or make determination to send someone out to fix the problem
• Installation of software and hardware as needed for updates and new installs
• Solving archiving and inbox problems with Microsoft Outlook
• Resolving connectivity issues with Internet Explorer
• Setting up accounts, passwords and permissions on folders
• Responsible for install of approximately 100 applications
• Wrote documentation for users and technicians
MACINTOSH SUPPORT SPECIALIST
Woodward Communications, Inc. Dubuque, Iowa
• Upgraded (system and computers to Macintosh G3’s from PowerMacs and found solutions for the remaining SCSI peripherals to work with new OS
• Installed, maintained, and did troubleshooting for 150+ Macintoshes in a Prepress setting
• Hardware and software support primarily in the Macintosh environment
• Supported Internet applications such as Browsers and Email accounts
• Responsible for the functionality of 150 Macintoshes in a production environment for a newspaper with a circulation of 37,000
• Also responsible for 8 other regional publications which required travel of up to 100 miles one way
• Very familiar with the 4 color process, fonts and PDF formats
COMPUTER LAB DIRECTOR
Wahlert High School, Dubuque, Iowa
• In charge of three laboratories, and equipment for 100 staff members
• Trained staff and students in the use of software
• Maintained a network server and system for Macintoshes and PC's in a school setting
• Designed publications such as calendars, flyers, and brochures for the school
• Supervised and trained 1 to 2 lab assistants each year
GEOLOGIC DRAFTER
Denver, Colorado
• Worked for several oil related companies on a freelance basis
• Communicated well with clients
• Met deadlines and took pride in accuracy and interpretive skills.
• Drafted base maps, cross sections, montages, slides, land maps, prospectuses, technical drawings, and charts
Developed a method of making legends for maps that was widely adopted by the Oil Industry in Denver. Formerly maps were printed out to paper and then colored in for each major owner of the property containing wells (for instance Exxon would be green). I simplified the process by applying overlays to the original Mylar map before being printed which saved time and expense
EDUCATION
B.S. in Geography/Geology from the University of Colorado
Attended Rutgers College for one year and was one of the first 500 women accepted
domingo, febrero 28, 2010
HOW TO FLEECE EMERGENCY SERVICE VOLUNTEERS
The San Diego City Planning Commission wants to charge federally licensed Amateur Radio Service volunteers for placing antenna structures on their own property.
When you have the chance, watch this video of an ordinance hearing held on February 26, 2010. I am addressing this commentary to what occurred at the hearing. The testimony by the commission staff is telling. Their obvious goal is to fleece the Amateur radio infrastructure for every dime they can get.
URL: http://granicus.sandiego.gov/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=8&clip_id=3801
Also, there is a HAM who addressed the board who has tried to obtain a permit to erect his tower, but the permit office will not tell him the total cost of the permit process. His QTH is a block or two away from the KSON broadcast tower (near I-15 in east San Diego) and his brand new tower is laying on the ground waiting to be erected.
The city is doing everything it can to discourage ham radio operation using any sort of tower or structure.
Members of the planning commission openly stated that they recognize the contributions the amateur radio service has made to emergency services at the local, state, national, and international levels. In the next breath, they turn around and say that they will demand exhorbinant and unspecified sums of money from the HAM community for performing that service. They openly snicker at the fact that the personal goals of many HAMs is to save lives and property. Just what the heck is so funny about that??? Why would anyone who has a lick of sense demand that emergency service volunteers pay money to the community they seek to assist???
If a cop or fireman come to your home to answer your call, are you going to demand that he or she pay a fee to go through your door? Would a neighbor who came to assist you in response to your call for assistance be required to pay a fee to do so?
Two neighbors of Howard White, KY6LA, in La Jolla addressed the board complaining about his tower and large "Steppir" antenna array. They have never experienced any harm from Howard's equipment that I am aware. Forgive me, but I do not know what their beef is. Could it be they have the notion that his antenna is "egregious (to use the descriptive of a board member to describe certain antennas)?" Please tell me if I am overlooking something, but it did not appear to me that these two were suffering any ill effects from the antenna project!!!
I commend the HAMs who patiently looked the members of the Commission in the face and explained practical physics to them. Steve Early, AD6VI, went so far as to provide them with reference material (MIL HDBK 413*) in the hope they would read it and obtain a clearer understanding of the topic at hand. I hope his optimism will bear fruit.
*URL: <http://tinyurl.com/yakvax5>
The San Diego City Planning Commission wants to charge federally licensed Amateur Radio Service volunteers for placing antenna structures on their own property.
When you have the chance, watch this video of an ordinance hearing held on February 26, 2010. I am addressing this commentary to what occurred at the hearing. The testimony by the commission staff is telling. Their obvious goal is to fleece the Amateur radio infrastructure for every dime they can get.
URL: http://granicus.sandiego.gov/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=8&clip_id=3801
Also, there is a HAM who addressed the board who has tried to obtain a permit to erect his tower, but the permit office will not tell him the total cost of the permit process. His QTH is a block or two away from the KSON broadcast tower (near I-15 in east San Diego) and his brand new tower is laying on the ground waiting to be erected.
The city is doing everything it can to discourage ham radio operation using any sort of tower or structure.
Members of the planning commission openly stated that they recognize the contributions the amateur radio service has made to emergency services at the local, state, national, and international levels. In the next breath, they turn around and say that they will demand exhorbinant and unspecified sums of money from the HAM community for performing that service. They openly snicker at the fact that the personal goals of many HAMs is to save lives and property. Just what the heck is so funny about that??? Why would anyone who has a lick of sense demand that emergency service volunteers pay money to the community they seek to assist???
If a cop or fireman come to your home to answer your call, are you going to demand that he or she pay a fee to go through your door? Would a neighbor who came to assist you in response to your call for assistance be required to pay a fee to do so?
Two neighbors of Howard White, KY6LA, in La Jolla addressed the board complaining about his tower and large "Steppir" antenna array. They have never experienced any harm from Howard's equipment that I am aware. Forgive me, but I do not know what their beef is. Could it be they have the notion that his antenna is "egregious (to use the descriptive of a board member to describe certain antennas)?" Please tell me if I am overlooking something, but it did not appear to me that these two were suffering any ill effects from the antenna project!!!
I commend the HAMs who patiently looked the members of the Commission in the face and explained practical physics to them. Steve Early, AD6VI, went so far as to provide them with reference material (MIL HDBK 413*) in the hope they would read it and obtain a clearer understanding of the topic at hand. I hope his optimism will bear fruit.
*URL: <http://tinyurl.com/yakvax5>
CHILEAN EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS FREQUENCIES
CQ Public Service Editor Richard Fisher, KI6SN, reports the following:
Following the 8.8 earthquake that struck southern Chile early Saturday, Feb. 27, IARU, Region 2 and the Red Chilena Nor Austral de Servicio (RECNA) suggests radio operators monitor EmComm frequencies for earthquake and tsunami information:
Single Sideband mode frequencies:
10 meters - 28.300, 28.500 MHz
15 meters - 21.200, 21.350 MHz
20 meters - 14.200, 14.350 MHz
40 meters - 7.050, 7.095 MHz
80 meters - 3.738, 3.750 MHz
CQ Public Service Editor Richard Fisher, KI6SN, reports the following:
Following the 8.8 earthquake that struck southern Chile early Saturday, Feb. 27, IARU, Region 2 and the Red Chilena Nor Austral de Servicio (RECNA) suggests radio operators monitor EmComm frequencies for earthquake and tsunami information:
Single Sideband mode frequencies:
10 meters - 28.300, 28.500 MHz
15 meters - 21.200, 21.350 MHz
20 meters - 14.200, 14.350 MHz
40 meters - 7.050, 7.095 MHz
80 meters - 3.738, 3.750 MHz
jueves, febrero 25, 2010
Ensenada repeaters
From Dave KE6ENI/XE2:
one way to get back to so cal is through my EchoLink Node here in ensenada, if not familiar with its operation ask me when you are here, the node Freq is 145.535 Mhz
also there is the 146.700- 186.2 PL ..... conected to the 147.33+ 186.2 PL on sierra Bola just across the border from SD E. county
If there are others i am not aware of them
Also Locally we have 145.200- PL 94.8 Should be noted that this is down as of this day, and dont know when it will be back up.
As far as people not being able to use a repeater as a foreigner i have no evidence of that in my 3,5 years here in ensenada.
if you have any more questions just call me on my EchoLink Node or email me
elfarocommunications AT hotmail DOTcom
73, XE2/KE6ENI
Dave
From Dave KE6ENI/XE2:
one way to get back to so cal is through my EchoLink Node here in ensenada, if not familiar with its operation ask me when you are here, the node Freq is 145.535 Mhz
also there is the 146.700- 186.2 PL ..... conected to the 147.33+ 186.2 PL on sierra Bola just across the border from SD E. county
If there are others i am not aware of them
Also Locally we have 145.200- PL 94.8 Should be noted that this is down as of this day, and dont know when it will be back up.
As far as people not being able to use a repeater as a foreigner i have no evidence of that in my 3,5 years here in ensenada.
if you have any more questions just call me on my EchoLink Node or email me
elfarocommunications AT hotmail DOTcom
73, XE2/KE6ENI
Dave
lunes, febrero 22, 2010
HAM RADIO IS A VALUABLE RESOURCE WHEN OTHER MEANS OF COMMUNICATION ARE NOT AVAILABLE
Peter Singer W2PWS of Scripps Ranch CERT will be conducting a one day Technicians licensing class:
Scripps Ranch Library, 10301 SCRIPPS LAKE DR., SAN DIEGO, CA 92131
Saturday February 27, 2010 8:30AM to 4:00 PM - Technicians Exams at: 4:00 PM
Contact Peter Singer: srcert@gmail.com for details.
In addition to the Technician Exams, we will encourage walk-ins for General and Extra Exams. If you wish to upgrade at the 4PM exam session, please contact me at: ky6la@ky6la.com
__________________________________________________________
Howard S. White Ph.D. P. Eng., VE3GFW/K6 ex-AE6SM KY6LA
Website: http://www.ky6la.com/
"No Good Deed Goes Unpunished"
"Ham Antennas Save Lives - Katrina, 2003 & 2007 San Diego Fires, 911"
Peter Singer W2PWS of Scripps Ranch CERT will be conducting a one day Technicians licensing class:
Scripps Ranch Library, 10301 SCRIPPS LAKE DR., SAN DIEGO, CA 92131
Saturday February 27, 2010 8:30AM to 4:00 PM - Technicians Exams at: 4:00 PM
Contact Peter Singer: srcert@gmail.com for details.
In addition to the Technician Exams, we will encourage walk-ins for General and Extra Exams. If you wish to upgrade at the 4PM exam session, please contact me at: ky6la@ky6la.com
__________________________________________________________
Howard S. White Ph.D. P. Eng., VE3GFW/K6 ex-AE6SM KY6LA
Website: http://www.ky6la.com/
"No Good Deed Goes Unpunished"
"Ham Antennas Save Lives - Katrina, 2003 & 2007 San Diego Fires, 911"
sábado, febrero 20, 2010
18+ KILOMETERS OF BAD ROAD
It has been established in the Mexican Constitution that citizens have the free right to travel within the national territory, but apparently not according to the brain trust at Capufe (Caminos y Puentes Federales). Approximately 5 thousand Pesos a month are paid every month by hundreds of families living in fraccionamientos such as Real del Mar, Baja Malibu, Punta Bandera, San Marino, San Antonio del Mar, La Joya, and Hacienda del Mar to travel the only road to Playas. Additional campos in the region have the same dilemma.
Jorge Altamirano, the President of the Real del Mar Asociación de Vecinos urged Federal officials from Capufe, Banobras and la Secretaría de Hacienda yesterday to eliminate the toll booth which requires local residents to pay for the 18 kilometer trip to Playas de Tijuana.
It has been established in the Mexican Constitution that citizens have the free right to travel within the national territory, but apparently not according to the brain trust at Capufe (Caminos y Puentes Federales). Approximately 5 thousand Pesos a month are paid every month by hundreds of families living in fraccionamientos such as Real del Mar, Baja Malibu, Punta Bandera, San Marino, San Antonio del Mar, La Joya, and Hacienda del Mar to travel the only road to Playas. Additional campos in the region have the same dilemma.
Jorge Altamirano, the President of the Real del Mar Asociación de Vecinos urged Federal officials from Capufe, Banobras and la Secretaría de Hacienda yesterday to eliminate the toll booth which requires local residents to pay for the 18 kilometer trip to Playas de Tijuana.
viernes, febrero 19, 2010
SAN YSIDRO PORT OF ENTRY EXPANSION:
San Ysidro construction project expected to last until 2015
Posted By william.yelles On January 25, 2010 @ 12:20 pm URL: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2010-01-25/mexico/san-ysidro-construction-project-expected-to-last-until-2015
Retweet: http://twitter.com/PAT_KB6OXXXE2
San Ysidro construction project expected to last until 2015
Posted By william.yelles On January 25, 2010 @ 12:20 pm URL: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2010-01-25/mexico/san-ysidro-construction-project-expected-to-last-until-2015
Retweet: http://twitter.com/PAT_KB6OXXXE2
TWO NOTICES FROM SUSIE AND ANDY
This beautiful Basset Hound was found on HWY 1D near Rosarito and rescued by Andy and Suzi to prevent him from being hit by a vehicle, and is staying with them until a good home can be found.
He is good with people and children.
Use contact information in above poster.
miércoles, febrero 17, 2010
The San Diego Planning Commission Hearing
Here is web page that shows chronological history of the the Tower Ordinance issue in San Diego - URL: http://sddxc.org/tower/
Please forward to any ham or interested party you know within driving distance of San Diego.
Their presence at the February 25 meeting is critical.
The San Diego Planning Commission is holding hearings about a proposed ordinance that will effectively ban Amateur radio antennas in San Diego.
If passed, the proposed ordinance will force individual radio and electronics experimenters to spend upwards of $10,000 or more to obtain a tower permit, restrict heights to 30’ and essentially make the possibility of medium/long range radio frequency communications unlikely. Time after time, this unique capability has been demonstrably essential during the stages of any significant disaster event which damages hard-wired communications and/or computer systems.
Any agency which is assigned the responsibilty of planning needs to have a grasp of what is is to plan, or prepare, for unforeseen circumstances or events. The San Diego Planning commission has yet to face this reality, and I fear the individuals who staff the commission have demonstrated a disregard for the impact their proposal will create.
The Amateur Radio Relay League and the San Diego DX (long-distance radio) Club have hired lawyers and professional lobbyists to fight this disastrous ordinance but they need all the help they can get to protect Public Safety.
Also, the way the ordinance is written, if an operator already has a tower in place and decides to modify the antennas, which hams regularly do, he will in violation of the ordinance and can be made to apply for a costly permit!
You might say, "I don't live in city of San Diego, or, I do not have an Amateur radio license, so why should I care?"
If this ordinance passes, it will set a legal precedent, and other California cities could model new ordinances based on the San Diego ordinance. The Amateur Radio Service is active in assisting neighborhood, city, county, state, and federal, and international agencies expedite emergency communications requirements as specified by Congressional mandate. The proposed ILLEGAL ordinance changes would ultimately create a deleterious effect on the ability of individuals and communities to evacuate or respond to situations which pose an emergency/threat in real time.
Let's not let this issue get to go into court as that will then cost hams and taxpayers a bundle of money to fight the city of San Diego even though the proposed antenna and permit rules are arguably illegitimate and counterproductive.
(Remember - in the U.S. legal system - you are innocent until proven broke! Here in Mexico, you are guilty until proven broke. The difference between the two systems is that the U.S. system takes longer to drain the money out of your wallet. The Mexican "system" sometimes extorts your money before you have a chance to go to court.)
Even though the city of San Diego IS BROKE, they intend to continue to waste future taxpayer funds!
It is perplexing as to why the individuals who have proposed this fiasco have not found the time in their lives to accomplish useful work.
Of course, there are measures that can be taken to prevent the obstruction of ocean views, and similar issues which are rightly everyone's concern.
Council Chambers, 12th Floor, City Administration Building, 202 C Street, San Diego, CA
Like we did in 1994, if enough support shows up at the meeting we stand a good chance to stop this disastrous ordinance.
Here is web page that shows chronological history of the the Tower Ordinance issue in San Diego - URL: http://sddxc.org/tower/
Please forward to any ham or interested party you know within driving distance of San Diego.
Their presence at the February 25 meeting is critical.
The San Diego Planning Commission is holding hearings about a proposed ordinance that will effectively ban Amateur radio antennas in San Diego.
If passed, the proposed ordinance will force individual radio and electronics experimenters to spend upwards of $10,000 or more to obtain a tower permit, restrict heights to 30’ and essentially make the possibility of medium/long range radio frequency communications unlikely. Time after time, this unique capability has been demonstrably essential during the stages of any significant disaster event which damages hard-wired communications and/or computer systems.
Any agency which is assigned the responsibilty of planning needs to have a grasp of what is is to plan, or prepare, for unforeseen circumstances or events. The San Diego Planning commission has yet to face this reality, and I fear the individuals who staff the commission have demonstrated a disregard for the impact their proposal will create.
The Amateur Radio Relay League and the San Diego DX (long-distance radio) Club have hired lawyers and professional lobbyists to fight this disastrous ordinance but they need all the help they can get to protect Public Safety.
Also, the way the ordinance is written, if an operator already has a tower in place and decides to modify the antennas, which hams regularly do, he will in violation of the ordinance and can be made to apply for a costly permit!
You might say, "I don't live in city of San Diego, or, I do not have an Amateur radio license, so why should I care?"
If this ordinance passes, it will set a legal precedent, and other California cities could model new ordinances based on the San Diego ordinance. The Amateur Radio Service is active in assisting neighborhood, city, county, state, and federal, and international agencies expedite emergency communications requirements as specified by Congressional mandate. The proposed ILLEGAL ordinance changes would ultimately create a deleterious effect on the ability of individuals and communities to evacuate or respond to situations which pose an emergency/threat in real time.
Let's not let this issue get to go into court as that will then cost hams and taxpayers a bundle of money to fight the city of San Diego even though the proposed antenna and permit rules are arguably illegitimate and counterproductive.
(Remember - in the U.S. legal system - you are innocent until proven broke! Here in Mexico, you are guilty until proven broke. The difference between the two systems is that the U.S. system takes longer to drain the money out of your wallet. The Mexican "system" sometimes extorts your money before you have a chance to go to court.)
Even though the city of San Diego IS BROKE, they intend to continue to waste future taxpayer funds!
It is perplexing as to why the individuals who have proposed this fiasco have not found the time in their lives to accomplish useful work.
Of course, there are measures that can be taken to prevent the obstruction of ocean views, and similar issues which are rightly everyone's concern.
STOP SAN DIEGO’S ILL-ADVISED BAN ON THE FCC AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE - ATTEND THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION HEARING
Thursday Feb 25, 2010 9:00AM
Council Chambers, 12th Floor, City Administration Building, 202 C Street, San Diego, CA
Like we did in 1994, if enough support shows up at the meeting we stand a good chance to stop this disastrous ordinance.
domingo, febrero 14, 2010
UPDATE: TIJUANA POLICE KEEP THE PEACE AT BAJA MALIBU (BILINGÜE):
February 3, 2010.- TJ police cleared a brawl at the Baja Malibu bar, on Calle Miraflores in Baja Malibu, this morning as they arrested seven individuals and found a loaded .38 Special pistol on the floor. Among those detained were Sergio César Martínez Ramírez, age 37, who had been severely beaten on the face, and Christopher Eric Larsen, 37, the owner of Plan B, a nearby restaurant bar.
Other detainees included: Marco Antonio Larraguivel Castro, 35, Ashley Alicia Shepard, 25, Alejandro Fernández López, 40, Gabriel Sánchez Arreola, 37, and Ricardo Eutimio Altamirano Vázquez, 32. Sr. Altamirano Vázquez is the propietor of the Baja Malibu bar.
UPDATE: Ashley Sheppard, a U.S. citizen, was detained for possession of illegal drugs and now faces deportation proceedings by the Mexican government. Sergio Martínez Ramírez has posted a $1,500 bail.
-----------------------------------
Riña en bar terminó con varios detenidos
Socorro CASTILLO / EL MEXICANO miércoles, 03 de febrero de 2010 TIJUANA.-
Una riña en un bar, un hombre lesionado y un arma de fuego, fueron suficientes motivos para movilizar a la policía, que arrestó a siete personas, incluyendo mujeres y personas de origen estadounidense.
Se trata de Sergio César Martínez Ramírez, de 37 años, Marco Antonio Larraguivel Castro, de 35, Ashley Alicia Shepard, de 25, Christopher Eric Larsen, de 37, Alejandro Fernández López, de 40, Gabriel Sánchez Arreola, de 37 y Ricardo Eutimio Altamirano Vázquez, de 32 años de edad.
Todos ellos estaban discutiendo en el interior del bar Baja Malibú, ubicado en la calle Miraflores de la colonia Baja Malibú.
Al ingresar los oficiales, encontraron con varios hematomas en el rostro a Sergio César Martínez Ramírez, de 37 años, así como un arma de fuego tipo revólver que estaba en el piso, de calibre .38 Especial, abastecida con 4 cartuchos útiles.
February 3, 2010.- TJ police cleared a brawl at the Baja Malibu bar, on Calle Miraflores in Baja Malibu, this morning as they arrested seven individuals and found a loaded .38 Special pistol on the floor. Among those detained were Sergio César Martínez Ramírez, age 37, who had been severely beaten on the face, and Christopher Eric Larsen, 37, the owner of Plan B, a nearby restaurant bar.
Other detainees included: Marco Antonio Larraguivel Castro, 35, Ashley Alicia Shepard, 25, Alejandro Fernández López, 40, Gabriel Sánchez Arreola, 37, and Ricardo Eutimio Altamirano Vázquez, 32. Sr. Altamirano Vázquez is the propietor of the Baja Malibu bar.
UPDATE: Ashley Sheppard, a U.S. citizen, was detained for possession of illegal drugs and now faces deportation proceedings by the Mexican government. Sergio Martínez Ramírez has posted a $1,500 bail.
-----------------------------------
Riña en bar terminó con varios detenidos
Socorro CASTILLO / EL MEXICANO miércoles, 03 de febrero de 2010 TIJUANA.-
Una riña en un bar, un hombre lesionado y un arma de fuego, fueron suficientes motivos para movilizar a la policía, que arrestó a siete personas, incluyendo mujeres y personas de origen estadounidense.
Se trata de Sergio César Martínez Ramírez, de 37 años, Marco Antonio Larraguivel Castro, de 35, Ashley Alicia Shepard, de 25, Christopher Eric Larsen, de 37, Alejandro Fernández López, de 40, Gabriel Sánchez Arreola, de 37 y Ricardo Eutimio Altamirano Vázquez, de 32 años de edad.
Todos ellos estaban discutiendo en el interior del bar Baja Malibú, ubicado en la calle Miraflores de la colonia Baja Malibú.
Al ingresar los oficiales, encontraron con varios hematomas en el rostro a Sergio César Martínez Ramírez, de 37 años, así como un arma de fuego tipo revólver que estaba en el piso, de calibre .38 Especial, abastecida con 4 cartuchos útiles.
jueves, febrero 11, 2010
THE ROSARITO SPANISH STUDY GROUP IS MOVING
The Study Group is desirous of migrating as many students as possible from the Las Mañanitas site.
We are looking for an accessible meeting facility in the Rosarito area that is free from noise, perhaps at a homeowner's association, which would avail itself to the group.
Is such a meeting area available near you? If any of you are agreeable to discuss this with Susana or me, we will be at the regularly scheduled noon study group sessions on Mondays and Fridays at Las Mañanitas.
Saludos,
Pat
The Study Group is desirous of migrating as many students as possible from the Las Mañanitas site.
We are looking for an accessible meeting facility in the Rosarito area that is free from noise, perhaps at a homeowner's association, which would avail itself to the group.
Is such a meeting area available near you? If any of you are agreeable to discuss this with Susana or me, we will be at the regularly scheduled noon study group sessions on Mondays and Fridays at Las Mañanitas.
Saludos,
Pat
jueves, enero 28, 2010
RF and DIN Connector Sources for Hams
From: Dennis, N6KI
On Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:47:01 -0500, Roger (K8RI) wrote:
>I've only dealt with Davis, The Wireman, and the
>RFConnection for cable in the last year of two and they were all not
>only easy to deal with, but helpful as well.
My experience with RF Connection has been poor. The salesman (Joel) didn't have a clue about the coax he was trying to sell to a DXpedition
I've been helping acquire cable (although he had a blustery line of BS about it). Several years ago, I bought several dozen DIN connectors from them to stock my parts bin. They were absolute JUNK -- dielectric melted when I tried to solder to them (even with a heat controlled iron) and the metal plating didn't take solder, even with flux. When I called to complain, the response was "that's all we sell, because hams are cheap." The only good experience was with some egg insulators, which were very good quality.
I'm generally pleased with several purchases from The Wireman (Press Jones), and he seems to know what he's selling. No experience with Davis, but online conversations exhibit a very low level of BS, which is a good sign. :)
73,
Jim K9YC
From: Dennis, N6KI
On Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:47:01 -0500, Roger (K8RI) wrote:
>I've only dealt with Davis, The Wireman, and the
>RFConnection for cable in the last year of two and they were all not
>only easy to deal with, but helpful as well.
My experience with RF Connection has been poor. The salesman (Joel) didn't have a clue about the coax he was trying to sell to a DXpedition
I've been helping acquire cable (although he had a blustery line of BS about it). Several years ago, I bought several dozen DIN connectors from them to stock my parts bin. They were absolute JUNK -- dielectric melted when I tried to solder to them (even with a heat controlled iron) and the metal plating didn't take solder, even with flux. When I called to complain, the response was "that's all we sell, because hams are cheap." The only good experience was with some egg insulators, which were very good quality.
I'm generally pleased with several purchases from The Wireman (Press Jones), and he seems to know what he's selling. No experience with Davis, but online conversations exhibit a very low level of BS, which is a good sign. :)
73,
Jim K9YC
sábado, enero 23, 2010
ARMED CARJACKING IN ROSARITO
Date: Friday, 22 January 2010
From: Herman Stiphout
Hi,
"Many of you have already heard what happened to me during lunchtime today.
For those not yet in the know, herewith a short recap:
Marijke and I went into town for our Spanish lesson, which is held at Las Mañanitas restaurant at 12:00 Noon. I drove into the parking lot and let Marijke get out so that she did not have to walk through the mud.
As I locked the car, two guys in an old Toyota drove up and blocked my way. One got out and started shouting at me that he wanted my keys.
I did not immediately get what he meant but that changed in a flash when he pulled out a gun and pushed it into my stomach. I handed over my keys, and then he shouted that he wanted my wallet. He got more and more agitated, especially when I told him that I do not carry a wallet.
I told him to search me if he did not believe me, which he did, and emptied my pockets.
He then got into our car and both drove off at high speed.
The whole thing was over in less that a minute, at least that is the feeling that I had.
There were some people at the other side of the street who witnessed what happened, but they just stood and watched.
Apart from the car and what was in it, they got away with about 1,500.00 Pesos and $25 US, as well as my driver's license.
The restaurant people were very good in calling the police, who arrived in about 10 minutes. They were very friendly and efficient; they took us to the police station for a statement, then drove us home to get some papers. Subsequently we went to the DA's office to make another statement and then they drove us home again, after explaining in detail what the next steps were. Both spoke English fluently, so communication was not a problem.
I do not have everyone's e-mail address, so please feel free to forward to other friends on our behalf; I am not really in a state of mind at the moment to try and find everyone's address.
I also want to thank everybody who has already offered help with transport and other things. I think that we will probably need some of that in the next few days and will contact you then.
Also, a big thank you for the calls of support that we have had; this is appreciated very much and shows the spirit of the community.
Regards,
Herman & Marijke"
(The Toyota was a dark grey, old model sedan)
Pat
Date: Friday, 22 January 2010
From: Herman Stiphout
Hi,
"Many of you have already heard what happened to me during lunchtime today.
For those not yet in the know, herewith a short recap:
Marijke and I went into town for our Spanish lesson, which is held at Las Mañanitas restaurant at 12:00 Noon. I drove into the parking lot and let Marijke get out so that she did not have to walk through the mud.
As I locked the car, two guys in an old Toyota drove up and blocked my way. One got out and started shouting at me that he wanted my keys.
I did not immediately get what he meant but that changed in a flash when he pulled out a gun and pushed it into my stomach. I handed over my keys, and then he shouted that he wanted my wallet. He got more and more agitated, especially when I told him that I do not carry a wallet.
I told him to search me if he did not believe me, which he did, and emptied my pockets.
He then got into our car and both drove off at high speed.
The whole thing was over in less that a minute, at least that is the feeling that I had.
There were some people at the other side of the street who witnessed what happened, but they just stood and watched.
Apart from the car and what was in it, they got away with about 1,500.00 Pesos and $25 US, as well as my driver's license.
The restaurant people were very good in calling the police, who arrived in about 10 minutes. They were very friendly and efficient; they took us to the police station for a statement, then drove us home to get some papers. Subsequently we went to the DA's office to make another statement and then they drove us home again, after explaining in detail what the next steps were. Both spoke English fluently, so communication was not a problem.
I do not have everyone's e-mail address, so please feel free to forward to other friends on our behalf; I am not really in a state of mind at the moment to try and find everyone's address.
I also want to thank everybody who has already offered help with transport and other things. I think that we will probably need some of that in the next few days and will contact you then.
Also, a big thank you for the calls of support that we have had; this is appreciated very much and shows the spirit of the community.
Regards,
Herman & Marijke"
(The Toyota was a dark grey, old model sedan)
Pat
jueves, enero 14, 2010
A "boatload" of homicides in Baja California - scroll down for English version
"Podrían ser hasta 600 las víctimas de ‘El Teo’
MÉXICO, D.F.(Agencias)
A Eduardo Teodoro García Simental, conocido como ‘El Teo’, se le atribuyen hasta 600 homicidios por la lucha de las drogas en Baja California y el País, reveló Genaro García Luna.
Entrevistado en un noticiero de radio, el secretario de Seguridad Pública Federal, mencionó que el jefe del grupo de los Arellano Félix pudo haber operado la mayoría de las ejecuciones que cimbraron al Estado.
“Estamos checando ahorita con el Gobierno del Estado, porque hay referencias en torno a más homicidios y decapitaciones.
“Puede ser que tenga por lo menos el doble, de lo que está ahí acreditado en términos de ejecuciones (para llegar a los 600); así un estimado de bote pronto porque hay una gran cantidad de homicidios en el Estado y la referencia es que él tenía a cargo esos grupos de sicarios,” explicó.
El funcionario confirmó que fueron cinco meses de trabajo de inteligencia policial, coordinado entre fuerzas federales, estatales e información compartida por autoridades estadounidenses, para atrapar a El Teo.
“Logramos ubicar primero la posición operativa que tenía en Tijuana y después ubicar dónde estaba su descanso. Teníamos mayor alcance operacional y de control si estaba fuera de su Centro de Operación Especifico (Tijuana).
“Tiene una cobertura de operación importante ahí; en ese sentido, se dio un seguimiento muy puntual de sus movimientos, de todo lo que tenia de operaciones, para tener ventaja operativa para agarrarlo en el momento oportuno”, explicó.
García Luna confirmó que hubo personal infiltrado que ayudó a ubicar a El Teo."
http://www.frontera.info/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Nacional/12012010/423823.aspx
El Teo puede enfrentar cargos en EU
----------------------------------------------------------------------
There could be up to 600 victims of "El Teo"
MEXICO, D.F. (Agencies)
They may attribute as many as 600 homicides in the drug fight within Baja California and the country to Eduardo Teodoro Garcia Simental, known as "El Teo", said Genaro Garcia Luna.
Interviewed on a radio news broadcast, the Federal Public Security Secretary said the head of the Arellano Felix group may have initiated most of the executions that occured throughout the state.
"We are checking right now with the State Government because there are references about more killings and beheadings."
"It may have at least doubled what is even credited in terms of executions (to reach 600) soon; (there is) such an estimated "jackpot" (or "boat load") because there are a lot of murders in the state and the evidence is that he was in charge of these groups of killers." he said.
The official confirmed that it took five months of police intelligence work, coordinated between federal and state forces, and information shared by U.S. authorities to catch El Teo.
"We first managed to locate the operating position he had in Tijuana and then locate where his hideout was. We had better operational reach and control if he was was out of his specific operations center (Tijuana).
"(We had) a major operation coverage there in this sense, there was a very timely monitoring of their movements, of all operations he had in order to take operational advantage to grab him at the right time," he said.
Garcia Luna confirmed that human intelligence helped specifically locate El Teo.
El Teo may face charges in the United States.
Extensive background details appeared in "El Sol de Tijuana" newspaper - Releva "El Chiquilín" a "El Teo"
URL: http://www.oem.com.mx/elsoldetijuana/notas/n1475838.htm
And http://narcotijuana.info/2010/01/12/capturan-a-el-teo-en-la-paz/#more-5078
El Teo recently paid a SIEDO (La Subprocuraduría de Investigación Especializada en Delincuencia Organizada) official in Rosarito a huge amount of money to be set free after he was captured, viz., " Más recientemente, a fines del año pasado en Rosarito, se afirma que se le capturó en un operativo de elementos federales, al parecer de la SIEDO, pero que 'negoció' su liberación y mediante el pago de una fuerte cantidad de dinero."
(Por “El Torito” llegan al Teo, at URL: http://afntijuana.info/blog/?p=25360)
Commentary:
I remember an earlier article in "Zeta" newspaper which described a stand-off between a Mexican Army unit who was chasing El Teo, and a group of Baja California highway police who had apparently been bought out by him (along with elements of the C4 communications office). A shin-kicking contest ensued and a very angry army commander apparently thought it would be more prudent at that moment in time to retire from the confrontation, rather than pursue the hotly contested exchange and wind up in a shoot-out with State police.
I guess there is game-playing going on between various agencies in the State and Federal governments to see which one of them can shake down the most money from the criminal gangs.
The Soñorenses and other gangs from the mainland are now rushing to fill the void left by el Teo's departure. The Federal government has sent 2000 more troops to Juárez because the lid has been blown off in that town. This is going to be very ugly.
IMHO Legalizing drug use will not stop this rampage of insanity unless the tooth fairy intervenes.
"Podrían ser hasta 600 las víctimas de ‘El Teo’
MÉXICO, D.F.(Agencias)
A Eduardo Teodoro García Simental, conocido como ‘El Teo’, se le atribuyen hasta 600 homicidios por la lucha de las drogas en Baja California y el País, reveló Genaro García Luna.
Entrevistado en un noticiero de radio, el secretario de Seguridad Pública Federal, mencionó que el jefe del grupo de los Arellano Félix pudo haber operado la mayoría de las ejecuciones que cimbraron al Estado.
“Estamos checando ahorita con el Gobierno del Estado, porque hay referencias en torno a más homicidios y decapitaciones.
“Puede ser que tenga por lo menos el doble, de lo que está ahí acreditado en términos de ejecuciones (para llegar a los 600); así un estimado de bote pronto porque hay una gran cantidad de homicidios en el Estado y la referencia es que él tenía a cargo esos grupos de sicarios,” explicó.
El funcionario confirmó que fueron cinco meses de trabajo de inteligencia policial, coordinado entre fuerzas federales, estatales e información compartida por autoridades estadounidenses, para atrapar a El Teo.
“Logramos ubicar primero la posición operativa que tenía en Tijuana y después ubicar dónde estaba su descanso. Teníamos mayor alcance operacional y de control si estaba fuera de su Centro de Operación Especifico (Tijuana).
“Tiene una cobertura de operación importante ahí; en ese sentido, se dio un seguimiento muy puntual de sus movimientos, de todo lo que tenia de operaciones, para tener ventaja operativa para agarrarlo en el momento oportuno”, explicó.
García Luna confirmó que hubo personal infiltrado que ayudó a ubicar a El Teo."
http://www.frontera.info/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Nacional/12012010/423823.aspx
El Teo puede enfrentar cargos en EU
----------------------------------------------------------------------
There could be up to 600 victims of "El Teo"
MEXICO, D.F. (Agencies)
They may attribute as many as 600 homicides in the drug fight within Baja California and the country to Eduardo Teodoro Garcia Simental, known as "El Teo", said Genaro Garcia Luna.
Interviewed on a radio news broadcast, the Federal Public Security Secretary said the head of the Arellano Felix group may have initiated most of the executions that occured throughout the state.
"We are checking right now with the State Government because there are references about more killings and beheadings."
"It may have at least doubled what is even credited in terms of executions (to reach 600) soon; (there is) such an estimated "jackpot" (or "boat load") because there are a lot of murders in the state and the evidence is that he was in charge of these groups of killers." he said.
The official confirmed that it took five months of police intelligence work, coordinated between federal and state forces, and information shared by U.S. authorities to catch El Teo.
"We first managed to locate the operating position he had in Tijuana and then locate where his hideout was. We had better operational reach and control if he was was out of his specific operations center (Tijuana).
"(We had) a major operation coverage there in this sense, there was a very timely monitoring of their movements, of all operations he had in order to take operational advantage to grab him at the right time," he said.
Garcia Luna confirmed that human intelligence helped specifically locate El Teo.
El Teo may face charges in the United States.
Extensive background details appeared in "El Sol de Tijuana" newspaper - Releva "El Chiquilín" a "El Teo"
URL: http://www.oem.com.mx/elsoldetijuana/notas/n1475838.htm
And http://narcotijuana.info/2010/01/12/capturan-a-el-teo-en-la-paz/#more-5078
El Teo recently paid a SIEDO (La Subprocuraduría de Investigación Especializada en Delincuencia Organizada) official in Rosarito a huge amount of money to be set free after he was captured, viz., " Más recientemente, a fines del año pasado en Rosarito, se afirma que se le capturó en un operativo de elementos federales, al parecer de la SIEDO, pero que 'negoció' su liberación y mediante el pago de una fuerte cantidad de dinero."
(Por “El Torito” llegan al Teo, at URL: http://afntijuana.info/blog/?p=25360)
Commentary:
I remember an earlier article in "Zeta" newspaper which described a stand-off between a Mexican Army unit who was chasing El Teo, and a group of Baja California highway police who had apparently been bought out by him (along with elements of the C4 communications office). A shin-kicking contest ensued and a very angry army commander apparently thought it would be more prudent at that moment in time to retire from the confrontation, rather than pursue the hotly contested exchange and wind up in a shoot-out with State police.
I guess there is game-playing going on between various agencies in the State and Federal governments to see which one of them can shake down the most money from the criminal gangs.
The Soñorenses and other gangs from the mainland are now rushing to fill the void left by el Teo's departure. The Federal government has sent 2000 more troops to Juárez because the lid has been blown off in that town. This is going to be very ugly.
IMHO Legalizing drug use will not stop this rampage of insanity unless the tooth fairy intervenes.
lunes, enero 11, 2010
Rosarito Spanish Study Group (Session I Classwork & Assignments on Monday, January 11, 2010)
From: Arlene Sieman
Basically, hand in Lesson 10 as a test. Make pages first. I did mine in the book and handed those copies in so I have my work done in the book.
All she did today was drill us on sentences - asking questions. We did do Lesson 11 last week so you can review that and do it if you haven't done it.
For homework do 5 sentences with action, using all yo, tu, el/ella/usted, nosotros and ellos/ellas/usteds.
Do 5 sentences in past tense, using yo, etc.
Do 5 sentences using 2 verbs, i.e. yo voy a caminar en la playa, etc, with tu, el, etc.
Do 5 sentences with perception, i.e., me gusta, te, le, nos, les using the 7 perception verbs.
I think you know how to do all this. (it is) Just a lot of work if you haven't done it.
[Thanks, Arelene, for helping all of us keep current! Pat]
From: Arlene Sieman
Basically, hand in Lesson 10 as a test. Make pages first. I did mine in the book and handed those copies in so I have my work done in the book.
All she did today was drill us on sentences - asking questions. We did do Lesson 11 last week so you can review that and do it if you haven't done it.
For homework do 5 sentences with action, using all yo, tu, el/ella/usted, nosotros and ellos/ellas/usteds.
Do 5 sentences in past tense, using yo, etc.
Do 5 sentences using 2 verbs, i.e. yo voy a caminar en la playa, etc, with tu, el, etc.
Do 5 sentences with perception, i.e., me gusta, te, le, nos, les using the 7 perception verbs.
I think you know how to do all this. (it is) Just a lot of work if you haven't done it.
[Thanks, Arelene, for helping all of us keep current! Pat]
domingo, enero 10, 2010
Humor:
TEACHER ARRESTED IN NEW YORK
A public school teacher was arrested today at John F. Kennedy International Airport as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a compass, a slide-rule and a calculator.
At a morning press conference, the Attorney General Eric Holder said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-Gebra movement. He did not identify the man, who has been charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of math instruction. 'Al-Gebra is a problem for us', the Attorney General said. 'They derive solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in search of absolute values.' They use secret code names like 'X' and 'Y' and refer to themselves as 'unknowns', but we have determined that they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country.
As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say, 'There are 3 sides to every triangle'. When asked to comment on the arrest, President Obama said, 'If God had wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, he would have given us more fingers and toes.”
White House aides told reporters they could not recall a more intelligent or profound statement by the President. It is believed that the Nobel Prize for Physics will follow--
Further investigations have uncovered the extent of a diabolical plan - evidence now points that the plot has existed for several hundred years as Arab mathmilitants covertly began introducing the 0 to 9 numerical system gradually replacing the Roman numerals.
Although the decimal system is pervasive, a major struggle is now taking place between the Decimal disciples and the Booleans. Booleans maintain that only two inputs are required to generate a single output, and have created the binary code, with which they are using to take control the planet.
Fundamentalist groups, such as the Arithmeticians, still insist on memorizing multiplication tables.
Divisionists, on the other hand, claim that in today's reality of lower expectations we need to prepare to accept fractions of past totals as pushed by Additionists battling Subtractionists who claim less is better and the true path to salvation.
TEACHER ARRESTED IN NEW YORK
A public school teacher was arrested today at John F. Kennedy International Airport as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a compass, a slide-rule and a calculator.
At a morning press conference, the Attorney General Eric Holder said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-Gebra movement. He did not identify the man, who has been charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of math instruction. 'Al-Gebra is a problem for us', the Attorney General said. 'They derive solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in search of absolute values.' They use secret code names like 'X' and 'Y' and refer to themselves as 'unknowns', but we have determined that they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country.
As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say, 'There are 3 sides to every triangle'. When asked to comment on the arrest, President Obama said, 'If God had wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, he would have given us more fingers and toes.”
White House aides told reporters they could not recall a more intelligent or profound statement by the President. It is believed that the Nobel Prize for Physics will follow--
Further investigations have uncovered the extent of a diabolical plan - evidence now points that the plot has existed for several hundred years as Arab mathmilitants covertly began introducing the 0 to 9 numerical system gradually replacing the Roman numerals.
Although the decimal system is pervasive, a major struggle is now taking place between the Decimal disciples and the Booleans. Booleans maintain that only two inputs are required to generate a single output, and have created the binary code, with which they are using to take control the planet.
Fundamentalist groups, such as the Arithmeticians, still insist on memorizing multiplication tables.
Divisionists, on the other hand, claim that in today's reality of lower expectations we need to prepare to accept fractions of past totals as pushed by Additionists battling Subtractionists who claim less is better and the true path to salvation.
sábado, enero 02, 2010
"I seldom go to Baja anymore. Too many problems there for an old duffer like me."
Probably the simplest way to visit would be to take the Mexicoach to the Rosarito Beach Hotel. That way you do not have to make the white-knuckle trip driving through the construction sites which will apparently keep everything snarled up until April.
It is the off-season now and the weather can be a tad chilly but comfortable. You can score some real lodging or rental deals anywhere around here.
Rosarito is probably The best-kept secret in Mexico as far as the general security issue is concerned. You can have an enjoyable stay in a really nice resort area in a cost-effective way.
Of course, if one goes out of his or her way to find the drug scene or a sleazy bar, one will find what he seeks and experience the usual negative results.
Probably the simplest way to visit would be to take the Mexicoach to the Rosarito Beach Hotel. That way you do not have to make the white-knuckle trip driving through the construction sites which will apparently keep everything snarled up until April.
It is the off-season now and the weather can be a tad chilly but comfortable. You can score some real lodging or rental deals anywhere around here.
Rosarito is probably The best-kept secret in Mexico as far as the general security issue is concerned. You can have an enjoyable stay in a really nice resort area in a cost-effective way.
Of course, if one goes out of his or her way to find the drug scene or a sleazy bar, one will find what he seeks and experience the usual negative results.
jueves, diciembre 24, 2009
TRAFFIC SNARL-UP AT PLAYAS DE TIJUANA EXIT
Updated December 25, 2009:
Others have said they had to go into Playas and make a U-turn to access the Rosarito exit ramp from Playas.
Another suggestion was to take the southbound HWY 2 rather than exit from the border road to Playas. HWY 2 southbound will take you to the careterra libre near la Gloria, which leads to Rosarito. There is apparently construction activity on the careterra libre southbound lane from TJ to Rosarito as well; however I was told that the best way to get from Rosarito to TJ is to take the northbound careterra libre.
I was told the project will last at least a month. Expect a two-hour delay during evening commute times. Apparently, there is less traffic in the late morning or early afternoon.
I would appriciate any info regarding traffic conditions on HWY 1D, the border road (Bulevardo International) Corredor 2000 Tijuana-Rosarito, or the Tijuana-Rosarito careterra libre, as I have received several inquiries.
Those who are without personal transportation can cross the border on Mexicoach from San Ysidro and vice-versa. Their website is at URL: www.mexicoach.com. I was told there there was a problem at the San Ysidro Trolley stop because the bus did not show up there the other day.
FYI, I cut and pasted the following information from the Mexicoach website:
§ San Ysidro Trolley Stop
Take the Blue Line trolley south to its last stop. Mexicoach may pick you up on the other side of the roundabout under the “Downtown Tijuana” sign.
§ Border Station Parking
Drive down the I-805 or I-5 south and take the last U.S. Exit (Camino de La Plaza). You will see the Border Station Parking Lot to your right. At the entrance of the parking lot you will find the Mexicoach waiting area:
4570 Camino de la Plaza
San Ysidro California USA 92173
(619) 428-9517
(619) 662-3905
§ Old Town
The VIC is in the heart of Old Town, just in front of the water shooting cowboys. 2415 San Diego Ave. San Diego, CA 92110
Tijuana
§ Tijuana Tourist Terminal
The Mexicoach terminal is located on Avenida Revolución between 6th and 7th street:
Terminal Turística Tijuana Av. Revolución 1025 Between 6th & 7th Streets
Zona Centro, Tijuana, BC, C.P. 22000
Phone: 011+52(664) 685 1470
Rosarito
§ Rosarito Beach Hotel
Mexicoach stops inside Rosarito Beach Hotel located on Rosarito’s main street (Boulevard Benito Juárez).
Here is the Mexicoach schedule (Thanks to Laura!):
From SAN YSIDRO (USA)
To Tijuana
ONE WAY - $4.00 dlls
ROUND TRIP - $6.00 dlls
Rosarito*
ONE WAY - $13.00 dlls
ROUND TRIP - $20.00 dlls
From/To Rosarito, Tijuana
ONE WAY - $7.00 dlls
ROUND TRIP - $14.00 dlls
*Transfer in Tijuana Tourist Terminal
Departure Times:
San Ysidro - Tijuana
8:00 am a 8:00 pm, Monday-Sunday
Departure from San Ysidro to Tijuana are "every hour".
Tijuana – San Ysidro
5:30 am to 8:00 pm, Monday-Friday
6:00 am to 8:00 pm, Saturday
7:00 am to 8:00 pm, Sunday
Departures from Tijuana to San Ysidro are "every hour".
Tijuana – Rosarito, 12:00 (Noon) & 4:00 pm, Monday - Sunday
Rosarito -Tijuana, 10:00 am & 2:00 pm, Monday - Sunday
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It appears that timing is everything as far as traveling into Rosarito is concerned. The sooner, the better. If you make the trip in the late afternoon or in the evening, you will be faced with traffic lines.
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