Mexican Economics
Getting poorer each day!
By Christian Gutiérrez 

Before the gasoline tax comes into effect, food, electricity and others already have increased. In only nine months, the federal government has increased the price of subsistence products 34 percent. This is 7.5 times more than the increase in wages.

Price increases began with the tortilla, from 6 to 8.50 pesos per kilo at the beginning of the year. It proceeded last week with the increased cost of bread and will continue until the final adjustment in the cost of gasoline.

From December 2006, the prices of the 43 subsistence products have increased in proportions which exceed general inflation, which officially is 4.2 percent a year. A wage increase should equal inflation. In January the minimum salary increased 4.1 percent, while gasoline escalated 3.5 percent from December 2006 to September 2007. 

Before the effect of the new cost of gasoline becomes evident in the prices of basic products, variations in the last months have already exceeded the rise in wages. 

From December 2006 to September 2007, the average price of subsistence increased 34 percent, while the average of other products rose 36 percent. In December 2006, the price of wheat flour was 5.25 pesos per kilogram; last week it rose to 10.50 pesos, a 100-percent increase; bread increased 42 percent. Both increases are reactions to elevated wheat prices internationally. 

The federal government, as in other administrations, is implementing different economic systems from other countries whose economies are similar to Mexico’s, with good results in some cases, and in others below expectations. 

Our country has tried economic systems from Europe, North America, Asia, South America, and even mixed systems, intending to raise the national economy, but unfortunately we have always slumped into an economic depression and a contraction of the economy. 

President Felipe Calderón announced that all those who increase the prices of their products without justification will be sanctioned, but it was too late, since economic speculation has already proceeded. 

“We Mexicans will face again the indiscriminate rise of prices for obvious reasons and the speculation of the fall of our economy, and we will again keep going on, as we have done before national and international political adversity,” he said. 

Christian Gutiérrez, Advisory and Consulting, CenCo, 120-3607 or 044 (415) 105-4932, email crisconsultores@yahoo.com.mx  or mec64@hotmail.com . 
 

Education Today
By James T. Olsen and Anne Olsen

The homework trinity

The mere mention of the word “homework” brings shivers to my soul. With the children we have taught in SMA over the years, the word has excited excuses, passion, confrontation, defiance (“I won’t”) and deceit (“No, I can’t find it.”) “The dog ate my homework,” has become a cliché for irresponsibility and the vapid excuse. What are parents to do? Here are some tips you can follow to help save your sanity.

Agree on a definite time. All of us tend to put off things we don’t want to do. One result is they often don’t get done at all. By establishing a mutually agreed-upon time, whether it’s right after school or before dinner, or after dinner but before television, or first thing in the morning before breakfast, your youngster knows when the jig is up.

Assign a definite place. If your child has his or her own room with a desk, it can be there. If not, the dining table will do or the porch or the nightstands next to the bed. A relatively quiet place is best, with the fewest distractions like television, cell phones, iPods, music, or the comings and goings of people.

Check, don’t correct. It’s the teacher’s job to correct what the student has done but you need to check by looking at it. You can take one or two math examples, for instance, and see if they have been done correctly. Sometimes the little buggers will just put in any old answer so it looks as if they have done it but they really haven’t. Do 24 examples have 24 answers? Are two of the answers off the wall? This should take you only a few minutes, but knowing their work will be checked even cursorily will make them hesitate. The next day you can then review the previous day’s homework to see if it has been corrected and how well they did. If appropriate, congratulate them for a job well done. If they or the teacher hasn’t reviewed their work, you can ask why or take it up directly with the teacher. If they didn’t do well, what’s the reason? Is it time to talk with the teacher?

Above all, don’t do their homework for them because it defeats the entire purpose of the exercise. On the other hand, don’t totally ignore it because that sends the message you don’t care. If you don’t care, why should they?

Homework is most useful for three reasons. The first and perhaps most important is that it helps to create in the students a sense of responsibility which they can carry into their adult lives. The second is that it allows student to practice skills until they achieve demonstrable mastery. The third is that it’s a record for the parent and the teacher that progress is being (or not being) made.

The Olsens have worked in the field of education for 95 collective years. In SMA they have been professors at the University de Valle de Mexico and Anne was director of Atabal. They now work as tutors with children having difficulty in school. James holds an Ed.D and a Ph.D and Anne holds multiple master’s degrees. They have been working with students in SMA for over 16 years. They can be contacted at sml1544374@prodigy.net.mx.
 

Health Safety in Mexico
By Robert H. Page, MD and Curtis P. Page, MD 

Travel Tips for the Elderly

With the overall aging of Western populations and earlier retirement, more and more people over the age of 60 are traveling and living abroad. Baby boomers are leading the wave of a whole new generation of globetrotters. 

Trips abroad are a good occasion to check the status of standard vaccinations such as tetanus, poliomyelitis and diphtheria. Vaccination against influenza is highly recommended. The symptoms of a flu are taxing enough without the added burdens of being abroad and removed from the conveniences of one’s home. Vaccinations against Hepatitis A and B are essential as these diseases can be particularly severe in the older traveler. Additionally, a vaccination against the pneumoccal bacteria should be obtained every five years. Age-related changes in the immune system may vary and should be discussed with your physician prior to travel. 

Self-treatment kit

Below we list a few items we recommend you acquire or prepare, in addition to your regular prescription medications, prior to travel to facilitate treatment should you become ill or injured.

Elderly travelers should keep a thorough medical history and a summary of all ongoing treatments with them while traveling and also should leave copies at home with a trusted relative or friend. Travelers should have a letter, written by their family doctor, describing prior illnesses and all medications used. This is especially important if using injections requiring syringes and needles; increased airport security measures make this a must. 

A mild laxative should be added to your overnight bag as constipation can be more frequent than diarrhea in the older traveler. 

Older travelers may have a higher risk of developing deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in the legs. Prevention is based on adequate fluid intake, regular isometric muscle exercises, elastic compression stockings and maybe even using blood thinners prior to travel. These must, of course, be taken only under consultation with a physician. 

Older travelers are more sensitive to changes in the climate and environment. The most important consideration is to ensure that travel conditions are suited to their physical condition. 

Travelers with heart conditions should avoid salty foods. Those on diuretics can lose significant amounts of potassium if they contract traveler’s diarrhea, and this may be even more dangerous if they are also on antiarrhythmia drugs. Prompt treatment of diarrhea in this situation is essential. Chemoprophylaxis of traveler’s diarrhea may be even more important for the elderly. Be sure to consult your physician regarding Xifaxan (rifaximin) prior to travel. 

Travelers with a history of coronary insufficiency or angina should always travel with a prescription of nitroglycerine. 

People with venous problems must keep out of the heat, stay well hydrated and remain active. 

Denture adhesive is often difficult to find while traveling abroad, thus we advise travelers to take more than enough for the whole trip. 

Elderly travelers are less sensitive to thirst and because of diminished kidney function, they are more likely to develop fluid and electrolyte disturbances. 

People with hearing aids are encouraged to take along an extra battery or two.

Robert H. Page, MD and Curtis P. Page, MD are authors of Mexico: Health and Safety Travel Guide and the Healthy Traveler Regional Series. For more information, visit medtogo.com. Copyright © 2007 MedToGo, LLC. Not for unauthorized publication or reproduction without the consent of MedToGo, LLC.