Imagine not being able to get gas for over 10 days. It would be hard to get to work or bring the kids to school, not to mention the supermarket not getting any fresh food, nor your favorite restaurant. Annoying, right? Back in 1938 not a lot of Mexicans had cars, nor did they have supermarkets, but president Lázaro Cárdenas was annoyed enough over the fact that trains couldn´t run normally, disrupting public life completely. Unlike us, however, he did have the power to do something about it.

As the budget for 2012 is contemplated in Congress, one slightly underreported fact is worrying. As Letras Libres reported this week, the federal budget would allocate some 21,25 billion pesos to CONACyT, the National Council of Science and Technology. The CONACyT aims to foment innovation in Mexico and develop science and 'Mexico created' technology.

Food or fuel? When the price of gasoline in the United States rose dramatically, speculation in potential bio-fuel sources led to serious corn shortages in Mexico, a dramatic rise in the price of tortillas and other staples, and social unrest. Corn based bio-fuels would lessen (and do lessen) dependence on oil, but at the cost of diverting a food crop into the energy sector.

When Mexico's economy is concerned, there are two contradicting stories going around. First there is the good news: Mexico's economy is doing well. Even though the GDP growth has been downgraded slightly this week (from 4,3% to 3,8%) in the wake of the impending global financial crisis, the rate is still quite healthy.

If the United States catches a cold, Mexico gets pneumonia. Or so they say. All metaphors and folksy knowledge aside, anything happening north of the border usually has some degree of consequence here. So what would happen in Mexico if the members of US Congress can’t reach an agreement on the debt ceiling before Tuesday?

Being young and unemployed is frustrating anywhere, and Mexico is no different to the rest of the world. How do young Mexicans themselves look upon their prospects in a struggling labor market?