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InChapala1

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Posts posted by InChapala1

  1. 51 minutes ago, dichosalocura said:

    ... In Chapala the municipal water doesn't come from the lake but from wells high in arsenic.

    does the well water here contain toxic substances if the well is sufficiently deep? For e.g., I've heard that the wells at Chula Vista Norte and Cielo Vista are sufficiently deep that one can drink the water safely. And the Guad Reporter noted that the recently restored 175 meter deep Pozo 3 in Chapala tested clean for toxic substances. Source: https://theguadalajarareporter.net/index.php/news/news/lake-chapala/58391-chapala-water-supply-restored

  2. The only ATM in Chapala that permitted fee-free withdrawals using my Intercam Banco debit card was located at the 7-11 in Chapala, next to the soccer field (Campo Municipal Chapala) on Madero. The 7-11 was demolished and there's new construction.

    1) Is there another ATM in Chapala centro that offers fee-free withdrawals using an Intercam Banco debit card? I could go to  Scotiabank ATM in SAT, but Chapala centro is easier for me.
    2) Anyone know what's the new building going up where the 7-11 used to be located?
     

  3. 2 hours ago, ibarra said:

    ... I am not aware that any of the employees actually have the last name O'Rourke. 

    The link Ferret provided above shows James O'Rourke as President, Maureen O'Rourke as a board member, and Terrance O'Rourke as a shadow board member of O'Rourke & Associates. Unknown if they are related to the guy arrested.

  4. 1 hour ago, kmetzger said:

    It's a brand new phone. I don't use it for anything except for accessing my bank accounts. No phone calls, nothing. What's the Telcel network? The website?

    Since you mentioned you don't use your phone for calls or anything except banking, do you have any kind of mobile service plan from a carrier such as Telcel, AT&T, etc.? If you do, you'd be paying a monthly fee to Telcel, or AT&T, etc. Are you paying such a fee? Is it possible you use your iPhone with WiFi only and don't have a mobile service plan for calls and data?

  5. Looking to buy a new dryer and sales rep at Coppel recommended Mabe because they have local technicians who can do repairs, while other brands (Whirlpool, Samsung, LG, etc.) requires techs from Guadalajara. I've never owned anything from Mabe. How's the quality of Mabe products?

  6. Go to https://wwwmat.sat.gob.mx/personas/tramites-del-rfc

    Go to last option on the page: Validación del RFC (RFC Validation)

    Then 2 options:

    1. Select "Consulta tu clave de RFC mediante CURP" (Check your RFC key using CURP) or use this direct URL https://wwwmat.sat.gob.mx/aplicacion/operacion/31274/consulta-tu-clave-de-rfc-mediante-curp . Enter requested info, and it'll provide your RFC.

    2. Or select "Verifica si estas registrado en el RFC" (Check if you are registered in the RFC). This option simply states whether you have an RFC #.

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  7. Also try Muebles Contempora in Ocotlán. Good selection and prices better than here in Gringolandia. See:
    https://www.contemporamuebles.com/catalogo/1/salas/sillon-reclinable

    This one says leather and mechanical, no massage, for ~$800 USD.
    https://www.contemporamuebles.com/catalogo/detalle/salas/sillon-reclinable/sc412865

    Usually they have (at least) 1 sales rep that speaks English. FYI- Ocotlán has many furniture stores (50+ maybe), in cases you want to check others. I happen to like Muebles Contempora.

     

  8. I’m trying to check on the status of a temporal renewal and tried the number for Chapala INM office listed on Google (376-765-7645) a dozen+ times today between 9am-noon and always get a busy tone. Anyone ever successfully reach a rep via this number? Is there a different # to call? Or, is an in-person visit required to check on the status of a temporal renewal?

  9. https://qroo.us/2021/10/03/can-you-trust-the-generic-drugs-in-mexico-video/ 

    Can You Trust the Generic Drugs in Mexico? (VIDEO)

    Posted By: Qroo Paul October 3, 2021

    Video Transcript

    Hey everybody. Qroo Paul here. Welcome to the channel. A few years ago when I was a blogger, I wrote an article about how Linda and I save money by going to a popular pharmacy chain in Mexico called farmacias similares on Mondays because everything is 25% off. They have a large line of generic drugs there.

    Almost immediately, readers started posting comments with warnings that the products sold by Farmacias Similares were inferior and that the strength of the medications were lower. One reader said that’s why they use the word “similar” or similar in the name. Well, the negative comments prompted me to temporarily pull the article while I investigated the matter further.

    After some extensive research, I learned that there was some validity to their concerns — at least prior to 2010. That year, everything changed.

    Prior to 2010 there were actually three classifications of drugs: de patente – patent or name brand version; 2) generíco intercambiable – generic but tested to be 100% interchangeable with the name brand version; and 3) similares -drug containing the same ingredients as the patent version but lacking the testing for bioequivalence.

    Many of the drugs sold by the pharmaceutical chain Farmacias Similares prior to the change fell into the third category. That’s the primary reason why some people were critical of the quality of their products.

    In 2004, there was a significant reform to the health law (Ley General de Salud) requiring all of the medications sold in Mexico to pass rigorous testing for bioequivalence beginning in 2010. In layman’s terms, they were eliminating the third category. This was great news for the consumer and it greatly increased people’s trust in generic medications.

    To comply with the new law, Farmacias Similares conducted testing on all of their medications at a cost of between $50,000 – $90,000 USD each. The generic medications that the chain now sells have been tested and approved for quality, dosage and bioequivalence.

    The government agency that oversees the medication registry and maintains compliance is the Comisíon Federal para la Protección Contra Riesgos Sanitarios (COFEPRIS). I contacted them directly to confirm all of this information that I am telling you now.

    I spoke with a very friendly and helpful representative who confirmed that all of the generic medications sold in Mexico have been thoroughly tested to ensure that they are the equivalent of the name brand version.

    She added that it doesn’t matter if I buy the generic made by Farmacias Similares, Farmacias del Ahorro or ay other pharmacy chain, it’s going to be the same in terms of ingredients and effectiveness. She said that the only difference will be in appearance (i.e. color, shape and packaging).

    I commend Mexico for creating both the legislation and the governmental infrastructure necessary to ensure that people can trust the generic drugs sold in Mexico. In doing so, they’ve found a way to reduce the cost of health care for their citizens, as well as any expats who call this home.

    If you have any additional questions about medications sold in Mexico, you should contact COFEPRIS.

    I hope you enjoyed the video, until next time. hasta luego.

    • Thanks 3
  10. today at AMLO’s request, on Easter Sunday of all days, Mexico’s congress votes to give CFE power to regulate itself. A worthwhile read:

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/04/16/mexico-electricity-reform-amlo/

    Mexico’s congress will decide on Sunday whether to give the government near-total control over the country’s electricity sector in what analysts consider one of the biggest threats to the country’s private sector in years, moving away from the production of clean energy, jeopardizing foreign investment and deepening a rift with the United States.

    The restructuring, championed by populist President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, would eliminate independent regulators and halt public bids for electricity purchases, allowing the government to generate power without regard for cost or environmental impact.

    U.S. officials have been outspoken in their opposition to the new law, which they say would put at risk $10 billion in American investments. It would also shift Mexico away from once-shared climate change priorities, and could force U.S. manufacturers in Mexico to power their factories with fuel oil, instead of cleaner sources.

    Mexico’s existing electricity law, introduced in 2013, brought market competition to the sector, allowing the country’s electricity commission to purchase power at relatively low cost and from a range of sources. The cheaper alternatives often come from renewable energy plants owned by private companies, which have pushed less efficient public plants out of the market.

    In northern Mexico along the Texas border, for example, foreign companies invested billions of dollars in wind farms. Millions of Mexican homes are powered by natural gas that comes from the United States.

    The restructuring would allow the state-owned electricity company, the Federal Electricity Commission, or CFE for its initials in Spanish, to also serve as a regulator. It would also eliminate tenders, allowing CFE to buy electricity from its own plants at higher costs. The government insists that electricity costs for consumers would not rise.

    U.S. officials have warned the restructuring could have a dramatic impact on foreign investment, and might violate the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

    U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai raised the law in a letter to Mexico’s economy secretary last month. “While we have tried to be constructive with the Mexican government in addressing these concerns,” she wrote, “there has been no change in policy in Mexico, and U.S. companies continue to face arbitrary treatment and over $10 billion in U.S. investment in Mexico, much in renewable energy installations, is now more at risk than ever.”

    “We are concerned that the 2021 electricity law is likely to open the door to endless litigation, creating uncertainty and impeding investment,” U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar said last week.

    Energy consultant Gonzalo Monroy warned that the restructuring “would mark Mexico with a scarlet letter that says Mexico does not honor contracts, it changes the rules, it is arbitrary with inversions.” Such a message, he said, “would create an inertia where no new investment would come.”

    López Obrador’s public explanation of the restructuring has barely touched on questions of efficiency, emissions, or prices. He has framed the effort instead in political terms. In a recent book, “Halfway There,” he wrote that a market-driven electricity market was “contrary to the public interest and, perversely, sought to ruin the national electricity industry and leave market dominance in the hands of private companies, mainly foreigners.”

    When López Obrador took office in December 2018, CFE produced 54 percent of the country’s electricity. Private companies with clean energy alternatives have since entered the market alongside CFE’s more expensive coal and fuel-based power plants. Private companies now produce 62 percent of Mexico’s electricity, according to the bill to be voted on in Congress.

    The restructuring would return CFE to producing at least 54 percent of the country’s electricity. It would rely once again on less efficient, more polluting power plants and fuel oil extracted by the country’s national oil company. Victor Ramirez, a partner at the energy consulting firm Perceptia21Energia, said that it “means rising greenhouse gases by at least 15 percent in a single day.”

    Analysts believe the new law would make it impossible for Mexico to meet its pledge to produce 35 percent of electricity from clean sources by 2024. It would also deter investment from manufacturers who have made their own emissions commitments. General Motors, for example, has suggested it will limit its future investment in Mexico if the country doesn’t deepen its commitment to renewable energy.

    Manufacturers also worry that the restructuring could make electricity less reliable, posing a threat to Mexico’s substantial manufacturing industry as it attempts to convince U.S. and other companies to relocate operations from China.

    López Obrador’s attempts to reshape the energy sector are at the core of his politics. In early 2020, his administration published two decrees creating obstacles to prevent renewable energy from being delivered to the power grid for distribution. The decrees were suspended after being appealed in court.

    Then, in February 2021, López Obrador presented a bill proposal in Congress to restructuring the Electric Industry Law. The legislation was quickly passed by a congress controlled by his Morena party. Forty-eight opposition senators took the new law to the supreme court for a constitutional review.

    Seven of 11 supreme court justices found the reformed Electric Industry Law to be unconstitutional, but the ruling fell short of the 8-vote supermajority required to reverse the changes.

    Private companies and environmental groups have appealed the law. Among their concerns was whether the new law would allow the government to retroactively invalidate their contracts. The court will discuss those appeals in the coming months. The most likely scenario, analysts say, is that appeals will paralyze the law for several years until Congress is reconfigured and the law is changed again.

    This Sunday, the House of Representatives will vote on AMLO’s initiative to modify the constitution to allow for the electricity restructuring. Morena no longer has the majorities needed to do so. But because the vote is being held on Easter Sunday, with many lawmakers on vacation, the result is difficult to predict.

    It’s the growth of renewable energy that López Obrador sees as among the biggest threats.

    “Renewable energy is cheaper than the fuel-based one,” said Montserrat Ramiro, a former commissioner at Mexico’s energy regulator and now global fellow at the Wilson Center. “This administration saw that as a diminishment of CFE because its electricity is more expensive, and they understood that as a loss of sovereignty.”

    Analysts expect additional government-generated electricity under the new law would come from fuel oil, which is refined by the national oil company, Pemex.

    “They’re going to increase the use of one of the most polluting sources of electricity,” said Tony Payan, director of the Center for the United States and Mexico at Rice University.

    Energy has been tied to Mexican identity at least as far back as 1938, when then-president Lázaro Cárdenas nationalized the sector.

    Cárdenas created two public monopolies: PEMEX, to develop and sell oil, and the electricity commission, to generate and distribute electricity. The moves fueled pride and a sense of sovereignty for millions of Mexicans, but both entities eventually decayed into inefficient companies rampant with corruption and embezzlement.

    “I’ve always thought the initiative [to reform the constitution] was meant for [López Obrador’s] worshipers,” Ramírez said. “This initiative has no technical nor economic logic; it is merely a nationalist topic and a propagandistic one.”

    If the constitution is changed, Ramiro said, “the damage would be profound. “Recovering from it could take decades.”

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