Responding to public alarm following the grizzly murders last month of two young men from affluent families, President Felipe Calderon enacted a series of measures intended to stem a recent surge in kidnappings and address the growing perception that his government is unable to cull criminals from the ranks of its own security forces.

“Heroines!” proclaimed headlines around Mexico Wednesday morning with news that Paola Espinosa and Tatiana Ortiz had won Mexico’s first medal of the Beijing Olympics.

President Felipe Calderon promised that Mexico’s public healthcare service, Seguro Popular, will provide free antiretroviral treatment to all Mexicans infected with HIV/AIDS.

President Felipe Calderon is hip enough (and has enough free time) to reach out to Mexicans in cyberspace ... or would that be his doppelganger?

The dollar weakened further against the Mexican peso this week, appearing to be headed below the 10-to-the-dollar mark, a level not seen since 2002.