With Mexico’s police and armed forces frequently accused of corruption, human rights abuses and a failure to protect rural communities from organized crime, an increasing number of small and often indigenous towns have begun forming their own self-defense groups.

The web browser on your computer may be Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Apple’s Safari, Google’s Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, or one of many other available web browsers.  Because your web browser is the one software program most users use most often I am going to continue here with a description of the basic commands everyone should learn in order to get the most out of their web surfing experience.

March 2013 was a historic month, as it marked the beginning of the first Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) government in Jalisco after 18 years of National Action Party (PAN) rule.

Although Roman Catholic Church leaders urge their flocks to treat Easter as a time for reflection and abstention from excesses, few people in this country take heed. In fact, Easter is the time when most Mexicans let their hair down and head off for a week or two of hard partying at the beach. Many winter foreign residents of coastal towns such as Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, Barra de Navidad and Mazatlan have headed north prior to the Easter invasion. Hotels have been booked for months, and many families who arrive without reservations simply pitch a tent on the beach.

Easter, for many, conjures up images of spring outfits, sumptuous feats, brightly colored eggs, baskets brimming with candy and days at the beach.  For Christians, however, Easter is a time of renewal of natural and human life and a time of spiritual regeneration. English-speaking churches in Guadalajara have planned special services for Easter, which falls on Sunday, March 31 the year.

A story I have retold many times is of my client who told me her keyboard needed to have one more key, a large wide key big enough to be labeled “Whoops, I didn’t mean to do that.”  She was pleasantly surprised to learn that her keyboard already had such a key, albeit not labeled exactly as she had suggested.