I agree with C. Marin Faure's post about the continued negative effects media hype about the economy have on all of us. While free press is one of the great things about the United States, as instant access to news is more and more accessible through i-phones, computers, tv and satellite radio, the effects can be devastating. Would a football coach tell his team that they can't expect to win a game until next year or even longer? And if he did, what would be the effects? What happened to positive thinking? Maybe if the media would focus on only the GOOD for a few weeks, things could turn around much more quickly. Unfortunately, we are witnessing first-hand what "negative press" does every day, as we live on our boat in Baja California, Mexico. Especially leading into Spring Break this year, media hype saying how "dangerous" Mexico seemed to escalate. We saw coverage on nearly every network and news show that warned about the drug violence, warning students "not" to go to Mexico for Spring Break. When we travel to California, 9 out of every 10 people we talk to tell us they wouldn't even "consider" going to Mexico. How unfortunate. These reports are totally incorrect, blown out of proportion, and don't tell the "whole" story. We have traveled all over both Mainland and Baja Mexico for many years. Our experiences have all been positive, wonderful ones. The media coverage that has been played out is equivalent to showing something like the Columbine Shootings and then saying "Don't go to Denver,this is what happens there", for years and years after. Yes, there is drug violence. However 9 out of 10 of these "murders" have been between the drug cartels. And they are almost totally limited to the border towns and some of the large cities, such as Mexico City. And any city of 20 Million would be expected to have "drug crime". The homicide and violent crime rate in the REST of Mexico is actually much much lower than most cities in the U.S. However these statistics are not shared. And when one researches the violent crime rates for the United States, you would be shocked at how high they are! However our media does not report these statistics, because if they did, foreign travelers would probably be afraid to come to the United States. In fact, on the pages where they are reported, the US State Department includes a paragraph telling prospective visitors that they should "not be deterred to a visit to the U.S. based on these figures, as there are many nice tourist areas in the United States". Yes, I've seen the reports on supposed corrupt police and government officials in Mexico. Most of this is "old news", prior to President Fox and now President Calderon, who have taken massive steps to eliminate bribery and corruption. You will find the local police in Ensenada, and any Federales you might encounter, professional, polite, and always willing to offer a helping hand. And the same goes for the Military here. We are in Puerto Salina, which is between Rosarito Beach and Ensenada. One of the boaters here moved here after being attacked in the night at Shelter Island in San Diego on his own boat. He was stabbed 12 times and is lucky to be alive. There has been a small Mexican Army camp here at Puerto Salina. One day they saw this American trying to fix the brakes on his car. Several of them immediately came over, asked what the problem was, and jumped in and did the total repair for him! On one of our trips south in our RV, we became stuck in the sand near San Quentin. The Mexican owner of the small beach campground immediately came to our assistance, and worked very hard for 90 minutes to help us get out. He was extremely grateful when we gave him a bottle of Tequila, and continues to remember us with a friendly smile each time we come. What we've found to be true is that there are thousands of bad stories circulating about Mexico, but most of them are like old fish stories, they've been told, embellished, passed on, and get worse with each new storyteller. Most of them are also years and years old. Whenever we encounter one of these, I always question the "storyteller" to find out if he knows, first hand, who this happenened to, and when. Always, the answer is no. It is hardly fair to judge a destination on things that happened 10 or 20 years ago. The truth is, in Baja alone, there are 250,000 Americans living happily and safely. What is the effect of all this bad publicity on Mexico? Americans and Canadians are afraid to come here. Marinas are 30% or more empty. Restaurants, shops and hotels are empty and closing. Orphanages, which depend on American donations and volunteer help, are struggling to take care of the kids and stay open. Why do we live in Mexico? Because we like the country and the people, and no, we don't speak hardly any Spanish. Because the dollar exchange to the peso is currently over 14 pesos for every dollar. We can buy a whole cart of groceries for less than $40US. Our boat is in a clean marina with security for $8.50 a foot, including electricity and water. We have a beautiful beach to walk that's only 3 minutes away. Because we can get excellent medical, dental, and veterinarian care for a fraction of what it costs in the US. And here, the doctors take their time with you and give you their personal cell phone # if you ever have a question or a problem. We can buy marine diesel for $2.16 inclusive. And we can have a great dinner out for under $10 per person. All I am asking is before you believe EVERYTHING the media says, talk to someone who has a more local perspective. There often is "another side" to the story. Peggy Shafer m/v Crazy Notion www.1963ChrisCraft.com <http://www.1963chriscraft.com/> Puerto Salina, Baja California