Job Discussion Forums

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

..to both praise and criticism. I'm one of the critics.

Mexico City mayor Marcelo Ebrard has been on a kick to improve services in Mexico City and change the city's image as 'dangerous and dirty' by providing funds for such things as the skating rink for the month of December, creating artificial beaches during the summer, providing free Internet access city-wide, among other projects.

The city has been fairly tourist friendly for awhile now, but I think these projects have been a waste. There are some critical infrastructure problems in poorer areas, particularly with water distribution that should have received priority over a skating rink.

Ebrard reminds me of AMLO when he was mayor here. Ebrard, like AMLO, seems to be thinking of a presidential run by buying people off with silly civic entertainment projects. AMLO did the same during is term by funding free concerts in the Zocalo with big international and Latino names. Hardly becoming of a so-called socialist government.

TheLongWayHome · Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Posts: 1016 Location: San Luis Piojosi

Phil_K · Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Posts: 2041 Location: A World of my Own

I hear the closing, with professional skaters, was televised - just to make sure that anyone who didn't know how wonderful St. Marcelo was (it's his Saints day this Wednesday! Very Happy

) would know.

I'm currently writing a book about DF, and in the opening paragraph I've mentioned a sign I saw advertising new apartments by the WTC. It says "como en los grandes metropolis", which pretty much sums up Mexico's feeling about itself - that it has to constantly prove to everybody - and itself - that it is a great city, without ever really acheiving it.

MELEE

TheLongWayHome · Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Posts: 1016 Location: San Luis Piojosi

As Guy pointed out, a city with that much poverty is just screaming out for an artificial skating rink.

Gringo Greg

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

I will give Magic Marcelo credit for continuing one of the few AMLO projects that actually worked, in the further development of mass transit projects...Metrobus it's called. Its installation along Insurgentes Ave greatly reduced vehicles emissions due to speeding up traffic, and with the removal of diesel mini-buses. Marcelo is opening some eight more such lines on main arteries throughout the city, with the latest being worked on along Xola Ave.

They even got the formula right in creating a mixed public-private operator, which provides ownership to the displaced bus drivers after the city forks over the jack to lay the infrastructure down.

Prof.Gringo · Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 10:22 pm Post subject:

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

They had a purpose back then, having won the right to host the Olympics in '68. They started on Line 1 when they got the news.

The installation of Line 2 of the Metrobus is following an eerily similar pattern to AMLO's desafuero some years ago. Now, as then, a DF mayor given to spending lavishly on wasteful entertainment programs is defying a court injunction to construct a public works project. Be interesting to see where this goes come the 2012 presidential elections.

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

Aha...here's a better place to skate in Mexico City...San Jeronimo, Pista De Hielo. they have hockey teams playing there as well as figure skating. Found a public skate all day Sunday. Not bad at 65 pesos for a hour, with free skate rental, but the skates are atrocious. I have spoons in my kitchen drawer that have sharper edges.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk3yZrG0O94

Of course, I fell on m hindquarters more than once. Good thing there's some padding there.