Update: On Saturday, February 19, 2011, Carnival Cruise Lines celebrated the return of the Splendor to its Mexican Riviera route. The Splendor suffered a fire at sea last November and has been undergoing extensive repairs since. 

Original Post: Three cruise lines have announced that they will end or cut back on cruises to Mexico, citing a decline in Mexican tourism largely due to fears of drug violence. All three ships originated in southern California and took a trans-Pacific route.

A cooperative measure between the Obama administration and Calderon's office to implement stricter reporting and registration measures on the sale of long guns has been delayed.

The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to think about the health and wealth of ourselves, our families, and our communities. Affluent Americans now have an easy way to balance out the Bush tax cuts by contributing more to charities that encourage "fairness, economic growth, and a vibrant middle class."

According to a statement released yesterday, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Kenneth Salazar and Mexico President Filipe Calderon discussed the coordinated creation of a new 1,156,000 hectare park spanning the international territory known as Big Bend-Rio Grande.

The U.S. Senate failed to pass the DREAM Act during a procedural vote on Saturday, December 18, 2010.

The Act "would have provided citizenship to young people under 30 years old who illegally came to this country with their parents (under the age of 16), by attending college or serving in the U.S. military for 2 years."

According to papers released by WikiLeaks, U.S. diplomats describe the situation at the Mexico-Guatemala border as "dramatic". The reports indicate that Mexico's south border is the site of drug and arms trafficking, and that the presence of law enforcement is negligible.

Jounalist Pablo Ordaz has reviewed the documents and, as reported by CNN, says that they indicate that Mexican government officials have admitted to the U.S. that they have lost control of the area to organized crime.

An eventful United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change wrapped up yesterday in Cancun, Mexico, with the heartening news that delegates had approved an agreement that includes plans to create a $100 billion fund to help developing nations deal with global warming and to increase efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation.

Meet Keaton, a 13 year old hero. We first heard about Keaton through a PEACE post which read, “Our friend Keaton is coming to visit us this week from the US. He has spent the last few weeks working on his very own 'Pennies for PEACE' campaign…” This captured our imagination here at PV Pulse, and we wanted to find out more. This morning we were able to speak to this young man on the phone from Casa Campesina, where he presented his 500 dollar check to help create a little league team in the Punta de Mita area.

Keaton is from Chicago, and helping others is something he enjoys doing. Last year for his birthday he asked that instead of giving him presents, they help feed those in need in his hometown of Chicago. That day, Keaton gathered 248 pounds of food and was happy to deliver it to the local “pantry” where long lines were awaiting food and drink.

Last October, in 2009, Keaton was visiting the Punta de Mita area with his mom, where he “noticed that there were people in need who did not have much food or water and I decided I wanted to help. I told my mom right away, we should help them”.

When he got back home Keaton created paper labels reading "Pennies for PEACE” that he put on jars and sent to friends and family. Keaton succeeded in raising $ 500 which he's donating to the kids in Punta Mita for baseball gear to start their own team. Baseball, because that's Keaton's own passion.

“Whenever you get a chance to help people, you should take it far and beyond to really help people”, Keaton said.

This past Monday, Jimena Navarrete won the 2010 Miss Universe competition in Las Vegas, Nevada. Representing Mexico, the 22 year-old from Guadalajara was the winner out of 82 other competitors. Navarrete studied nutrition before starting her successful beauty pageant career, which includes wins in the Nuestra Belleza Jalisco and Nuestra Belleza Mexico competitions last year. Coming in 2nd and 3rd places were Yendi Phillipps of Jamaica and Jasinta Campbell of Australia, respectively. Congratulations!

PV Pulse would like to inform visitors that American Express Travelers Cheques are often difficult to use in Vallarta. After speaking with an American Express representative we were assured that they are accepted at the Airport and at various Banco Nacional de Mexico (Banamex) and Scotiabank locations, and when we called the airport office no one answered the phone. Many of the local American Express offices have closed in the past year, making it difficult for local merchants to accept the cheques as a form of currency. If you do plan to use Traveler's Cheques here, American Express advises calling ahead to be sure they'll be accepted, and if you cash them at a bank. We recommend sticking to using your ATM card, a credit card, or good old cash to make purchases around town. We previously reported on new restrictions involving exchanging US dollars here. Do you have any tips on the best way to spend a buck in paradise? Sound off on our Facebook page and you could be featured on PV Pulse as the Tip of the Week!