absolutely alex’s adventures & times

As mankind’s oldest profession, prostitution is never going to go away, no matter how much we might pretend it doesn’t exist.

The Dutch, in their progressive wisdom, has shown the world how legalizing and de-tabooing prostitution could lead to better health and protection of sex workers.

Mexico City’s legislators are following in those enlightened footsteps by introducing a bill that would lead to the legalization and regulation of sex workers in the city.

Prostitutes are a common sight, even in the trendy middle class neighbourhood where I live.

They stand at street corners late at night, or in the wee hours of the morning, scantily clad in the often-chilly weather, hoping for some Johns to cruise along and pick them up into their cars and out of the cold.

No sane person would want to be in the sex trade voluntarily. But if you saw the grinding poverty in Mexico City, you would understand why some women are driven to make a living off selling their bodies.

It’s a good thing that something is being done that could protect these women and contribute towards their safety, especially health-wise.

Legislators estimate some 50,000 sex workers exist in Mexico City. If they were registered and had access to public health and education, hopefully less would fall prey to diseases. While something like under-aged prostitution would probably never be completely wiped out, given the ugly truth of human nature, its incidences could be lowered with legislation.

The truth is, in a corrupt and anything-goes society like Mexico, there will always be illegal and under-aged prostitution, legislation notwithstanding. It would be thoroughly naive to think that just by having some laws passed. the reality of the situation would change. But it is an encouraging start to know that legislators are willing to take on some of these difficult issues.

At the same time, the Catholic Church, still a force to be reckoned with here, is also correct when it accuses Mexico City lawmakers of focusing on sensational matters such as prostitution, abortion and same-sex unions rather than on more pressing issues like poverty.

The Mexico City legislators have indeed been seizing on high-profile issues to champion and have made parts of this still-conservative society uneasy.

Opponents have called their actions political stunts, which could very well be true, given that Mexico City has the opposition party, the Party of Democratic Revolution, in power. The party’s candidate lost by a razor-thin margin at last year’s Presidential elections to the right-wing National Action Party’s candidate and is likely to be attempting to burnish itself into people’s minds with these thorny issues.

So while the abortion law that was successfully passed earlier this year faces challenges by the federal government in Mexico’s Supreme Court, the Mexico City lawmakers continue to chip away. And they look likely to win this latest round about legalizing prostitution, given the majority they hold in the city’s legislature. Cynical though their intentions might be, they would still be doing the city’s sex workers a service when the legislation eventually goes through.

Poor Miss USA.

What an awful time she had in Mexico City recently for the Miss Universe pageant.

To her immense credit, this year’s Miss USA, Rachel Smith, did not sink to the level of her tormentors and not only kept her composure, she also showed them what good breeding and grace is all about.

The unfortunate woman was the target of Mexican anger and angst against the US government. She faced hostility throughout her time in Mexico City, from the preliminary stages, right up to the night of the finals, when the crowds at the Auditorio Nacional booed her while she was answering questions from the judges.

That type of behavior from Mexicans is perplexing. Mexicans are generally extremely courteous, warm and hospitable to visitors. But their shocking behavior in front of an international audience highlights the tensions between the two neighbors.

American athletes have also been on the receiving end of abuse by Mexicans, most significantly in 2004, when American soccer players traveled for games to Mexico and faced crowds chanting “Osama, Osama” at them and booing when the Star-Spangled banner was played.

So while there are those who are risking life and limb to swim across treacherous waters, walk through arid deserts or scale high fences to get into the US for a better life for themselves and their families, there are those, such as the Mexican elite and government, who conveniently use the US as a boogeyman for much of the country’s troubles to whip up anti-US sentiments and deflect from their own failures.

It’s a strange dichotomy. People in the know confirm the New York Times’ analysis — many of the nation’s rich are busy enrolling their kids in American schools, so much so that one of the American schools in Mexico City isn’t really an American school anymore, as about 70 per cent of its students are actually Mexican.

But the Mexican audience’s reaction to poor Miss USA could enrage and even galvanize feelings against the immigration reform measures currently before Congress. It’s understandable how Americans would feel outrage at what’s regarded as an entitlement mentality by illegal immigrants, who were unwelcome in the first place, broke US laws to enter the country, and are now demanding to be granted amnesty and legal status.

A country has a right to choose whom it welcomes into it. The US has the absolute right of preferring highly skilled or educated people to become guests workers or migrants. Many other developed countries have those rules. That attitude should not be seen as discriminatory. After all, why should countries like the US pay for the failed policies of the illegal immigrants’ governments? It doesn’t help that Mexico’s government is lobbying for the immigration reforms as its economy is actually heavily dependent on remittances from its citizens abroad, many of them illegal, to the tune of $20 billion last year. One could even accuse the Mexican authorities of abetting the illegal immigration, such as by calling illegal immigrants “heroes” and giving its illegals a “survival kit” when they attempt to sneak into the US. No wonder an estimated three quarters of the 12 million illegal immigrants in the US are Mexicans.

The plight of illegal immigrants is sympathetic and they ought to have a shot at a better life. But, after moving to Mexico City and witnessing the corruption, incompetence and the overall malaise of the Mexican government, which isn’t doing enough for its own citizens and fobbing its responsibilities off to a foreign government and people, I can understand the anger of those on the side of anti-illegal immigration. The US should not be Mexico’s safety net. Mexicans have to solve their own problems. It’s sad that the Mexican poor are unfortunate enough to be caught in this tug of war, but if they should blame anyone, it should be their own government.

On the other hand, big businesses in the US wanting cheap labor and hiring illegal immigrants to keep prices down should also be prosecuted. At the same time, consumers shouldn’t complain if prices went up.

Countries like Australia, Canada and those in the European Union have strict requirements about who they let in and also enforce deportation when those who don’t meet their requirements show up. A sovereign country like the US ought to have similar rules and should not have to feel apologetic if they sent more guards to the border or built more fences to secure the nation against illegal immigrants and stopped being lax about the issue.

And Miss USA should be proud of the dignity and class she displayed in the face of such ghastly behavior, even if it wasn’t personal.

Move aside Spencer Tunick.

Tunick might have generated lots of publicity with his record-breaking nude photo shoot in Mexico City’s Zocalo earlier this month.

But the white-hot booty-shaking Shakira packed a record-breaking number of Mexicans into the very same location with her free concert over the weekend. Her audience of over 200,000 not only dwarfed the 20,000 that turned up at the nude photo shoot organized by Tunick earlier, it also broke records for the largest public audience in Mexico.

Fans camped overnight at the Zocalo, Mexico City’s enormous main public square the size of five football fields. The capacity of the historic Zocalo is actually around 100,000. So that meant roads surrounding the area were also packed for the Colombian singer’s concert.

Her performance in Mexico City is part of her Oral Fixation Tour, which has drawn over 2 million fans worldwide.

(El Universal photo)

Reuters photo

And Spencer Tunick has done it, thanks to the overwhelming response of Mexicans.

Close to 20,000 people showed up from 3.30am this morning to take part in Mr Tunick’s photo shoot of nudes in the historical and political heart of Mexico city, the Zocalo. This broke his previous record of photographing the largest number of naked people in one sitting, with 7,000 in Barcelona in 2003.

Reuters photo

Set against the majestic Palacio National (Presidential offices), people of all shapes and stripes – tall, short, fat, skinny, dark-skinned, light-skinned – posed on the ground, crouched in fetal position and stood up to salute the Mexican flag, displaying the beauty and diversity of the human body, as Mr Tunick and his assistants snapped away from surrounding balconies and a crane. (Now if only fashion could take a page from this and skinny supermodels, bless their souls, be relegated to the dustbins of history…)

El Universal photo

Roads around and leading to the Zocalo were closed, while hundreds of policemen were called in to ensure public safety and order. There were reports of incidents where some participants harassed others, such as taking pictures of them surreptitiously. Women were particularly targeted, according to the local media

An elated Mr Turnick told a news conference that it was “a moment for the Mexican art scene! I think all eyes are looking south from the United Sates to Mexico City to see how a country can be free and treat the naked body as art. Not as pornography or as a crime, but with happiness and caring.”

And it was all over before 8.30 am, so that Sunday Mass attendees won’t get a rude shock when they go to the Metropolitan Cathedral right next to the Zocalo.

AP photo

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Photographer Spencer Tunick – known for photographing masses of people naked in public places around the world – is hoping to set a new record, with the help of Mexicans.

The magic number Mr Tunick is hoping to capture is 7,001 for his shoot early this Sunday morning at Mexico City’s historic downtown square, the Zocalo. It has long been the political and ceremonial heart of the city, with demonstrations and rallies usually staged there.

Mr Tunick’s last record was 7,000 volunteers in Barcelona in 2003.

It looks like Mr Tunick has a good chance of smashing that record. Surprisingly, members of this usually conservative city are signing up in droves. That has set the local media abuzz. Talk shows debate the shoot’s location – in front of the city’s iconic Metropolitan Cathedral, while local newspapers have been featuring it on their front pages.

First photographing nudes in New York in 1992, Mr Tunick moved on to projects around the world in cities like Buenos Aires, London, Melbourne and São Paulo. He has been featured in HBO documentaries and was arrested a least fives times while working in New York.

This time he has obtained the right permits, along with the mayor of Mexico City’s blessings.

AP picture

But it looks like some Mexicans have already gotten a head start over Mr Tunick. This group of farmers from Veracruz, calling themselves the 400 Pueblos, bared all at the city’s main avenue yesterday in protest for more government aid.

Want to take part in the Spencer Turnick event? Sign up here.

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Mexicans must be be the most patient people in the world. They have to be. There’s just no choice.

It’s not just the sheer numbers – 20 million people living in the greater Mexico City area, 4 million vehicles circulating on the city’s roads.

Part of it also has to do with the tyranny of the minority, as the city is susceptible to protests and demonstrations which could shut down parts of the city.

Just today, disruptions came in the form of protests in the city by government employees, led by teachers, against reforms in the public employees’ health and pension systems.

picture by El Universal

This didn’t just create chaos on the city’s major arteries like Contituyentes and Paseo de la Reforma, it also suspended important public transport services like the Metrobus. Some schools arranged for early dismissals so that children won’t be caught in the anticipated spiraling traffic jams.

Mexican friends tell me that it doesn’t take many people to close down roads and cause major disruptions – just 5 people protesting is enough.

And while many Mexico City residents get annoyed or feel like they’re “held hostage” to protests, demonstrations or shut-downs, most just adopt a resigned attitude to it. “Putting a happy face to disasters,” as one of my friends put it.

it’s heartening to see healthy democracy at work. It’s even more admirable the patience displayed by Mexicans. I know I’m not even half as saintly. But trust me, there are occasions when I really wish there was less of a fatalistic attitude here.

I confess, I hate germs. Actually, I’m really a germaphobe. I’m anal about keeping my things clean, dust, and germ-free.

“Antibacterial” is a comforting word. I make an effort not to touch public things. I don’t fancy being touched either. I’m the type who sits ever so carefully in my subway seat so that no part of my body makes contact with those seated next to me. In a crowded elevator, I’m mindful of shrinking into myself, again, so that there’s no chance I would graze someone (or them, me).

Honestly, it wasn’t easy for me to ween myself off touching the sidewalk fences, or escalator handles, or anything at hand, because I’m naturally tactile. As a kid, I loved to walk along the street and sweep my fingers over everything I pass – fences, walls, plants, fire hydrant, poles. But having read enough about germs, microbes, bugs, pathogens and whatnot’s, I decided that having good health is more important than savoring the gritty surface of a chain link fence, or running my fingers along the escalator’s cool glass as it rises.

So you can imagine the colossal lifestyle change I had to adapt to when I moved to Mexico City from a society where bodily contact is kept to the minimum, such as shaking hands when you meet someone.

In Mexico City, you kiss someone on the cheek when you meet them. Oh the horror!

It was nerve-wreaking for me. I was fearful of the extreme close physical contact. It’s something you did to everyone you know and meet – not just your loved ones or good friends, but even acquaintances. I really had no desire to come into such close quarters with others unnecessarily.

“Honey, it’d be rude if you didn’t do it, it’d be seen as a snub.” I knew my significant other was right. It would be extremely unbecoming of me to duck every time someone came towards me with a kiss hello. Nor would it look good if I ran to the other side of the street and just waved hi whenever someone I knew was approaching. Also, I couldn’t very well keep telling everyone that I had a permanent cold I just wouldn’t want to pass to them either. Or could I?

Truth is, there’s no way round it. Just suck it up, I told myself, get over yourself already. And when I thought about it, it really is a lovely way to show friends you are happy to see them – no words needed, but an enthusiastic kiss (or two). Plus, how much germs can be transmitted through a split second gesture anyway?

So although I still can’t do it with the abandon that native practitioners seem to possess, I’m a lot less apprehensive about kissing a friend in greeting these days. I just have to make sure I planned and executed it properly – stand a step further away than within easy reach, a quick air kiss, be careful not to touch the other person and withdraw quickly.

Hey, be patient, I’m still really new at this!

It was a barf-inducing bus ride to get to Taxco from Mexico City, but in the end, it was rather worth it.

The significant other and I recently made a side trip to Taxco – the country’s most renowned silver design and silver-mining town in the Mexican state of Guerro. The lofty reaches of Taxco (about 1,800 m above sea level) weren’t easy to get to – long, dark, windy roads with some hair-on-the-back-of-the neck-raising turns and swerves.

Built on the side of a mountain, the streets are vertiginously steep and uncomfortably narrow, but that didn’t stop locals from parading their cars round the town centre on the Saturday night we were there. Adolescent-types preened in their convertibles with the tops rolled down, blaring the latest in Mexican pop, eager to see and be seen.

Vehicles congestion notwithstanding, the cobblestone-paved streets along with the well-upkept colonial architecture made this town a charming place to stroll around in.

The ornate baroque-style Santa Prisca church, some 200 years old, takes pride of place in the town square, lined with cafes, little restaurants, and of course, an abundance of silver shops. These sold jewellery, picture frames, ornaments, silverware – basically anything that can be made of silver.

We couldn’t get reservations in the Hotel Los Arcos (pictured below), a lovingly-preserved hotel that was once a monastery, apparent in its bare furnishing and tranquil atmosphere. But we did get some great pictures from the hotel’s roof, which offered an unhindered 360 degree view of the pretty town.

Just last week, the place where I have recently made home – Mexico City – took a monumental legislative step. Women who are 12 weeks pregnant, or less, now have the right to abort their pregnancies. No more will they be jailed and tagged as criminals, thanks to 46 brave legislators, who voted to decriminalize early-term abortion.

Monumental, as Mexico City is the capital of one of the largest Roman Catholic populations in the world, second in fact, to Brazil. A little over 90 per cent of the Mexican population is Catholic. Out of Mexico’s 100 million, around 20 million people live in Mexico City. With stakes this high, it’s no wonder the Pope himself wrote to Mexican bishops asking them to oppose the measure.

Ground-breaking, too, if you factor in the “machismo” mentality pervasive in this country. The law can in fact be interpreted as a victory for women, who now have the freedom to take control of and make decisions over their own bodies and reproduction. Before, abortion was only allowed in cases of rape or if a woman’s life was at risk from the pregnancy.

Groups championing women’s rights have been campaigning for this change for years. They cite the estimated 200,000 illegal abortions done annually, and the 1,500 who die from botched procedures.

Weeks before the vote for the legislation, supporters of both sides of the issue were demonstrating passionately on the streets outside the assembly building. Riot police had to be mobilized to keep both sides from slugging it out. Death threats were also reportedly made against legislators supporting the change in law.

As a woman, I welcome the ability to choose. Since as long as I can remember, I had supported making abortion legal, my religion notwithstanding. I firmly believe that my body is mine and it’s nobody’s business but my own. Hence I applaud the progressiveness of the Mexico City legislative assembly.

But at the same time, I am conflicted about the innocent fetuses that will be terminated, probably when the pregnancy could be due to ignorance, or worse, folly.

Ideally, babies ought to be born to people ready and willing to give them happy homes. I’m old enough to know that that’s not always the case. Why bring another child to this world when one doesn’t have the resources, or worse, the inclination to give it a proper upbringing?

Perhaps the best way to avoid unwanted pregnancies and that unpleasant visit to the doctor’s office – legal or otherwise – is to educate people. About contraception, about the reality and responsibilities of raising a child.

Meanwhile, I’d admit that I’m still not sure which side of the debate I stand unequivocally on. I’m just glad that there’s a choice available for me.