These people, who have good jobs and drive a hybrid car or cycle to work because they care about the environment, may go to party and do some lines of coke and they are thinking it is no problem," Francisco Santos told The Associated Press Tuesday. "They are absolutely unaware of the ecological impact of their drug taking and we want to change that."

A teenage girl was among 11 people shot dead in suspected drug-related violence at the weekend in the northern city of Tijuana, authorities in Mexico say.

In one attack, masked gunmen opened fire in a pool hall, killing five people, while the girl, 14, and two men were killed in a shootout in a street.

This violence came shortly after at least one thousand people marched through Tijana demanding and end to the violence. Even worse, this violence comes after the brutal kidnapping/murder of a young boy earlier this month:

Kidnappers grabbed a 5-year-old boy from a gritty Mexico City street market, then killed him by injecting acid into his heart — a new low even for Mexico's brutal kidnapping gangs.

The boy, Javier Morena, was the oldest son of a poor family that sold fruit at a market in the tough neighborhood of Iztapalapa, proof that the plague of kidnappings for ransom afflicts the working class as well as the wealthy.

So what is Mexican president, Felipe Calderon doing about all this? Congratulating himself on job well done. Of course.

Mexico has made "important achievements" in fighting drugs under the current administration, Mexican President Felipe Calderon said on Sunday.

Some 43 tons of cocaine have been seized in the littorals of the country since his government took office in December 2006, Calderon said at the welcoming ceremony in Acapulco Port for the arrival of School Vessel "Cuauhtemoc" after its international tour.

"The trafficking of that dangerous drug" was controlled, Calderon said.

For some reason, I'm thinking that concentrating on how great it is to find drugs is not quite what most Mexicans are hoping for when little boys are getting their hearts injected with acid. For some reason, I think those people might be hoping for a focus on human life and safety.

You can always count on the Mexican government to be in step with it's people.

In July, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services quietly amended its list of required vaccinations for immigrants applying to become citizens. One of the newest requirements? Gardasil, which vaccinates against the human papillomavirus (HPV). From the agency’s press release:

CDC’s revised Technical Instructions to Civil Surgeons for Vaccination Requirements require the following age-appropriate additional vaccinations to adjust status to legal permanent resident:

* Rotavirus
* Hepatitis A
* Meningococcal
* Human papillomavirus
* Zoster

The explosions occured shortly before midnight (0500 GMT) and just after the beginning of a re-enactment of the cry of independence known as "El Grito," a traditional ceremony celebrated throughout the country.

Responsibility for the explosions, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) west of Mexico City, was not immediately clear, but dozens of police engaged in a shootout after chasing suspects in the vicinity, the El Sol de Morelia newspaper reported.

The army also took control of the entryways and exits of Morelia as well as city nightspots, the paper said.

Organized criminals are the main suspects behind the blast, although exploding bombs on a major national holiday seems to be far too symbolic of a practice for drug traffickers. I'm not sure, either, what the point would be for drug traffickers to blow people up? What would they be trying to prove/protest by doing that?

I wonder if there is something else going on that the Mexican government is trying to hide? Not the first time something like that has ever happened, right?

The 30-foot (10-meter) makeshift submarine was detected heading north about 200 miles (322 kilometers) off the southern state of Oaxaca, Mar said.

The green-topped, arrowhead-shaped vessel was intercepted when it surfaced hours later, and the crew was taken into custody without resistance.

This was a first for Mexico (incidentally plagued by problems with drug traffickers on land) but apparently this type of narcosub is well known in Colombia.

Via / CNN

Mexico's La Jornada reports that in May and June of this year alone, 120 people were executed, at a rate of 4 murders per day. This month 75 people have already been killed, among them 9 who were killed on Sunday. Two of the victims were minors.

La Jornada reports that most of the killings are taking place in the cities of Culiacán and Navolato, though they are spreading into surrounding areas as well.

The mayor of Guamúchil, one of the most violent cities, is taking a cavalier attitude, arguing that "Mexico city is more violent than Sinaloa." With leaders like that, we aren't going to get very far.

VivirMexico reports that the problem has gotten so frightfully bad that people are actually packing up and leaving the state.

Via / La Jornada

Image via EFE

We're told the "Ghost Rider" star is at the famous Cirque Lodge, near Sundance. The Lodge, which treated Lindsay Lohan and other stars, is one of the most respected treatment facilities in the country.

Eva has been at Cirque for several weeks.

Her rep tells TMZ "Eva has been working hard for the past year and made a positive decision to take some much-needed time off to proactively attend to some personal issues that, while not critical, she felt deserved some outside professional support. Out of respect for Eva's privacy, we do not wish to discuss further details."

Via / TMZ

Next to Sepúlveda's body, investigators found a burned truck and several 9 millimeter and machine gun casings. His death marks the 4th murder in the grupera community in little over a month.

Via / 20 Minutos

Image via Univision.com

In all seriousness, Peyote is a sacred plant, used, like many other plants, for religious ceremonies by many indigenous tribes in the Southwest region of what is now the U.S. In the U.S., the use of Peyote is protected but only as part of a religious ceremony (sorry druggies).

Via / Activate

Zayda was still alive when she was rushed to the hospital minutes later, and might have been out of danger until the unthinkable happened: the assailants, fearing she had survived the attack, brazenly walked into the operating room and fired at Zayda, killing her, then fled the scene.

While police say it could be a "crime of passion" (it seems a popular motive among Mexican police when women or gay men are involved), many are citing narcos as the perpetrators of the shooting. El Diario de Yucatan points out that over the past 12 months a dozen grupera performers have been victims of violence supposedly linked to narcotraficantes.

Via / TV Azteca and El Diario de Yucatan

See all of Jennifer Szymaszek's photos here.

"We have to start thinking about depenalizing some part of this, to try to minimize and weaken this mafia," said the singer, who clarified that his proposal is for the long term and he admitted that his country still isn't ready to start that debate.

"It's been 5 decades of a war that doesn't end, and it won't end as long as it's so productive."

Via / 20 Minutos

"He's more communicative. He's accepting things and is aware of the seriousness of his current state, but we are still trying to convince him that he needs to go to a psychiatric clinic. He can't be convinced in one day, as he's very "special", said Cahe.

Colombia is seen abroad as a narco economy on a par with Afghanistan, and when what news reaches the world's press is of a drug lord gunned down in Medellín or a backpacker kidnapped by guerrillas in the jungle. Colombia continues to supply America with 90% of its cocaine and 60% of its heroin. As long as these products remain criminalised, it will always be easier for the west to curse and corrupt Colombia for producing them rather than cure itself of consuming them.

Gunmen shot to death four members of Banda Fugaz after a performance in Michoacan. A fifth member of the band was also shot but survived. No arrests had been made and the police had no immediate suspects but what is known is the fact that the band was NOT known for singing narcorridos.

Via / Fox News