In this monthly series, we republish a few of the headlines from our May editions 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 years ago.
1964
Novel degrees granted
The wives of the U.S. citizens graduating from Guadalajara’s Autonoma University Medical School received their P.H.T. degrees at a dinner party in Las Cascadas. P.H.T. means “Putting Hubby Through.” The wives’ “diplomas,” except for content, were exact replicas of those their husbands had received from the university. About 100 members of the medical-student community attended the party, put on by the wives of the fourth year students. The graduates were given lapel pins of the medical insignia and their wives were presented corsages.
1974
Rain guessers
It happens every year at this time: the weather guessers are at work. Guessing when the rains will start had become such a topic of conversation, the owners of the Posada Ajijic decided it would be fun and profitable create a pool. So for ten pesos you could guess as to the date of the first rain in Ajijic. The list is fairly revealing: showing who the optimists and realists are. This columnist (Anita Lomax) must confess that she’s already lost the 500-peso pot. Too hopeful, I guess.
1994
Herbicides spraying on Lake Chapala nixed
When the National Water Commission (CNA) began using the biodegradable herbicide Glifosato to kill Lake Chapala lirio (water hyacinth) early this month, Guadalajara ecological groups demanded suspension of the operation.
Although the CNA said that Glifosato would not harm the quality of water in the lake, a coalition of citizens groups issued a statement opposing the action, warning that harmful effects on health and the environment may show up years after application of the herbicide. They said the government should attack water pollution, which is the underlying cause of the problem. Pollution of the Lake by nitrites, phosphates and other substances pouring in from the Lerma River acts as a powerful fertilizer that accelerates the spread of the plants.
In calling for suspension of the spraying, the Jalisco Civic Forum charged that the CNA had violated the ecology-protection law by not delivering an environmental-impact statement before starting operations.
CNA regional manager Felipe Tito Lugo Arias said his agency had studied the problem for two years and chosen a solution that will not cause irreversible effects. “We do not have five or ten or 15 years” to get the job done. “I live here too with my wife and children and we are going to drink the Lake Chapala water and eat the fish.”
In a March 29 official letter, the CNA assured SIAPA (the metro-area water utility) there is no danger to Guadalajara’s water supply and any need to suspend extraction of lake water for the city. The Glifosato will be assimilated by the lirio and degraded by microbes, disappearing from the water in about 14 days and the toxicity of the substance is described as light. As a safety precaution, CNA will not spray the herbicide within about 1,600 meters of the pipes and the canal which draw water from the lake.
The mayors of both Ocotlan and Jamay were present when spraying started and backed the CNA’s program, saying they’ve been asking for help against the lirio for years. They denied strong opposition to herbicides by farmers and other Lakeside people. The farmers know Glifosato, said Jamay Mayor Jose Gomez. “They use it in growing corn, wheat and vegetables.”
Spraying halted
In a reversal of CNA’s program, the federal government yielded to citizen legal action and suspended the spraying of Gilsofato on Lake Chapala May 20. Joining the chorus of opposition voices was Partido de la Revolucion Democratica (PRD) presidential candidate Cuauhtemoc Cardenas Solorzano, who during a Lakeside tour charged that public officials were profiting personally from the use of herbicides, but offered no proof of his assertion. He declared that the extraction of lirio by machine or by hand would not harm the environment, would be cheaper than herbicides and would create needed jobs. Advocates of herbicide use say such methods should also be employed but that by themselves are not fast enough. President of the Patronato Amigos del Lago, Diego Garibay Garcia de Quevedo, claims about 200 acres of lirio must be eradicated daily.
2004
Lorena Ochoa snags 1st LPGA win as sibling conquers Everest
It’s always a special day for parents when a child accomplishes a long-standing dream. Saturday, May 16 was an extra special day for the Ochoa family of Guadalajara. As the sun rose over the “City of Roses,” 8,850 miles away in the Himalayas, the Ochoas’ 27-year old son Alejandro became the 23rd Mexican to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
Later in the day, slightly closer to home, daughter Lorena, 22, became the first Mexican to win an event on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour—the Franklin American Mortgage Championship at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tennessee.
Lorena was called early to be told of her brother’s achievement.
“When I knew my brother was safe and had made it to the summit, it was like everything else was easy. I felt he was there with me on the course.”
There were jubilant scenes at the Guadalajara Country Club where Ochoa started playing golf at the age of three.
“In a short time, Lorena Ochoa will be where Annika Sorenstam is today,” one club member told a local daily. Rafael Alarcon, Ochoa’s coach in Guadalajara, said he believed Ochoa would be the world’s number one golfer within three years.
2014
Corruption foundat Jalisco Immigration
A network of employees at the Jalisco delegation of the National Immigration Institute (INM) has been colluding with criminals in other countries to bring foreigners into Mexico and provide them with phony documentation that allowed them to live in the country as legal residents, the agency’s director Ricardo Vera Lira revealed this week.
INM staff apparently registered foreigners from Eastern Europe, Asia and the Middle East as being married to Mexican citizens, thus giving them an automatic right to become permanent residents.
Initial investigations suggest the officials charged around US&$7,000 to issue each phony document.
Authorities became aware of the wrongdoing after more than 30 files pertaining to “bogus” immigrants that had been considered “lost” turned up at the Chapala INM delegation.
Vera Lira said those involved in the fraudulent operation have since left the institute but are under investigation by police. Since June of last year, 70 employees resigned from the Jalisco INM delegation because they were unable to demonstrate their trustworthiness, he said. Not all were necessarily involved in the corrupt practices, he added.
Reports suggest the falsification operation went on for two years and succeeded in bringing some 50 foreigners into the Mexico from countries such as Pakistan. Iran and China.
Authorities also believe the foreigners used the phony permits to try and help their applications for visas to enter the United States.