Two vastly different stories from Mexico

Both stories are from the El Paso Times - 1st story - Mexico's President Felipe Calderon becomes TV adventure guide MEXICO CITY (AP) - President Felipe Calderon is figuratively going out on a limb - and literally down a sinkhole, up a river (with a paddle) and over the top of a few pyramids - in an attempt to boost Mexico's flagging tourism industry. The balding, 49-year-old leader is personally trying to change his country's violent reputation by appearing as a sort of adventure tour guide in a series of TV programs to be broadcast starting in September on Public Broadcasting Service stations in the United States. Analysts blame the drops on the world economic downturn hitting many countries' travel industries, but also pointed to Mexico's drug violence, which has claimed between 35,000 and 40,000 lives since Calderon took office in late 2006. While foreign tourists have not been targets of the violence, a point Calderon is eager to make, it has had some undeniable effects. For example, the border highway that many U.S. visitors once used to travel to the Huasteca region where Calderon went cave-diving is now considered so plagued by highway holdups and shootings that the U.S. State Department has issued warnings about traveling there. Read more Second story: Man shot to death, 4 women wounded outside elementary school in Juárez - A man, fleeing gunmen, was shot to death and four women were seriously wounded at an elementary school. The shooting took place Wednesday around noon at Ricardo Flores Magón Elementary School in the Anapra area in Juárez, across Sunset Heights and UTEP in El Paso.
According to a Juárez official, the unidentified man was being chased down by gunmen and sought refuge at the school, at Congrio and Raya Streets. "The men opened fire against their target and he died on the scene," the source said. "Four women were seriously wounded."
The incident happened just when students were exiting the school and parents were waiting outside to pick them up. It is still unclear whether the women were there to pick up their children. State police shut down the school during the investigation Read more

Two vastly different stories from Mexico