El Ojo del Lago - April 2013 by El Ojo del Lago

Saw you in the Ojo

El Ojo del Lago / April 2013

Saw you in the Ojo

PUBLISHER Richard Tingen

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Alejandro Grattan-Domínguez Tel: (01376) 765 3676, 765 2877 Fax: (01376) 765 3528 Associate Publisher David Tingen Graphic Design Roberto C. Rojas Sandra Hernandez Special Events Editor Kay Davis Associate Editor Jim Tipton Contributing Editor Paul Jackson Contributing Editor Mark Sconce Drama Critic Michael Warren Art Critic Rob Mohr Roving Correspondent Dr. Lorin Swinehart Sales Managers Omar Medina Bruce Fraser Office Secretary Rocio Madrigal ADVERTISING OFFICE Av. Hidalgo # 223, Chapala Mon. thru Fri. 9am - 5pm Sat. 9am - 1pm Tel. 01 (376) 765 2877, 765 3676 Fax 01 (376) 765 3528 Send all correspondence, subscriptions or advertising to: El Ojo del Lago http://www.chapala.com ojodellago@prodigy.net.mx Ave. Hidalgo 223 (or Apartado 279), 45900 Chapala, Jalisco Tels.: (376) 765 3676, Fax 765 3528

Index...

FEATURE ARTICLES

Prof. Michael Hogan unravels a mystery about the death of the famed leader of the Irish Soldiers of Mexico—a man still held in great esteem in Mexico—and considered a traitor in the United States.

8 Shutterstock

14 FRIENDLY ADVICE Maggie Van Ostrand has set out the nine steps she thinks lead to a happy life in Mexico. However, as with most everything Maggie writes, the subtext suggests what she really thinks.

COLUMNS THIS MONTH 6

Editor’s Page

Uncommon Sense

Bridge by Lake

Joyful Musings

Welcome to Mexico

Thunder on Right

Anita’s Animals

Child of Month

Hearts at Work

Profiling Tepehua

Lakeside Living

Dr. Lorin Swinehart has led a life that most outdoor types merely daydream about, but in a nice twist, his experiences have made him a vegetarian.

View from South Shore

Front Row Center

46 MEXICAN-FRENCH HISTORY

The Poets’ Niche

The Ghosts Among Us

LCS Newsletter

24 TRAVEL Loretta Downs writes about a very somber subject, yet in a heartwarming manner that brings to mind Shakespeare’s immortal line, “Oh, Death, where is thy sting?”

28 HUMOR Neil McKinnon has done the Lakeside community a great service by outlining some recent behavior tests done in Austria that prove conclusively that stupidity is contagious. Yet, we are left with the strong suspicion that either Neil and/or the Austrian behavior scientists have a drinking problem.

40 NATURE STUDIES

Herbert Piekow is fascinated by the influence France has had on Mexico, not the least having been with the inimitable French pastry!

PRINTING: El Debate El Ojo del Lago aparece los primeros cinco días de cada mes. (Distributed over the first five days of each month) Certificado de Licitud de Título 3693 Certificado de Licitud de Contenido 3117. Reserva al Título de Derechos de Autor 04-2011-103110024300-102 Control 14301. Permisos otorgados por la Secretaría de Gobernación (EXP. 1/432 “88”/5651 de 2 de junio de 1993) y SEP (Reserva 171.94 control 14301) del 15 de enero de 1994. Distribución: Hidalgo 223 Chapala, Jalisco, México. All contents are fully protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without the written consent of El Ojo del Lago. Opinions expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the views of the Publisher or the Editor, nor are we responsible for the claims made by our advertisers. We welcome letters, which should include name, address and telephone number.

COVER STORY

 DIRE C TOR Y 

El Ojo del Lago / April 2013

LAKESIDE LIVING

VOLUME 29 NUMBER 8

Saw you in the Ojo

Editor’s Page By Alejandro Grattan-Dominguez My Most Unusual Experience

(

everal months ago, we asked our readers to send us an account of their most embarrassing moment. The response was brisk and we published some of them on a one-a-month basis. Now we’ll try a different topic, and as before, so as to encourage our readers to dip their toes in the water, I will jump fully-clothed into the pool myself.) It happened in one of my more dismal periods—during which I had more ups and downs than a busy elevator—while toiling away in the American movie industry. I was living inside a friend’s wooden garage out in the San Fernando Valley during the summer, which made these quarters (which I shared with two little dogs I had snatched away from a drunk who was trying to drown them) feel much like a steam bath. In desperate need of some cash and more suitable surroundings, I answered a newspaper ad: Wanted, Apartment House Manager. Light maintenance duties. Small salary, free apartment. Small pets okay. Call— I had barely commenced my sales spiel when the man answering the phone said, in a middle-age, salt-ofthe-earth voice, “Sorry, bub, need somebody steady. You’re leaving the country in the next few weeks. Besides, I know you’re broke, but your money troubles will soon be over.” Thinking that either we had a terrible phone connection or one of us was crazy (even money, I thought, both ways), I pressed on until the voice interrupted to say, “Wanna grab a cup of coffee?” I figured this was a come-on, (the film biz had made me a rock-ribbed cynic), but figured that if I played my cards right, I might get a free coffee, maybe even a piece of apple pie. The guy was nothing like I imagined. Tall, rugged, and looking something like the Marlboro Man, he kept saying that my troubles would soon be over. But I hardly listened to what he said because I was too busy eating the

El Ojo del Lago / April 2013

chicken-fried steak he had bought me, some of which I brought home to my equally hungry newly-adopted family. As luck would have it, his prognostications came true sooner than he had thought. The very next day, my agent called to say that a script she had offered some six months earlier to ABC as a Movie of the Week had been bought! Then, one day later, I learned that a telegram had arrived for me at the house I had formerly lived in. It was from a brother I had not seen in almost a decade, but with whom I had sporadically stayed in touch over the years. The cable read: Come immediately to Copenhagen, Denmark. Have wired money for round-trip air ticket in your name, American Express, Beverly Hills, California. Wire date/time of flight. Your brother, Tom Excited, I called my clairvoyant friend to tell him the news—which seemed not to surprise him. He even offered to drive me to the airport since he had also rightly divined that I had no car. Two weeks later, after I had bought the airline ticket, renewed my passport and taken the necessary shots, he drove me to LAX, where I was to take an SAS flight direct to Copenhagen (and over the North Pole, the most incredible sight I have ever seen), but just as I entered the tunnel to board the plane, my friend (I’ll call him “Cliff ”) shocked me again. Seems I was going to get married in Denmark. A beautiful blonde, and there was a child involved. Preposterous! I was only on a 21-day excursion flight, still basically broke and . . . well, you get the idea. Over the ten years I had not seen my brother, he had become a rather wealthy man. Picking me up at the air-

port in a vintage Rolls Royce, we made away to Hornbeck, an exclusive area outside Copenhagen, where a dinner party at my brother’s place awaited us. All the way to the party, Tom spoke of many things but carefully avoided why he had summoned me from half a world away. It was only as we walked into a gorgeous lake-front house that Tom grinned and said, “Okay, I guess it’s about time you met the girl you’re gonna marry.” And there she was, standing beside a roaring fireplace, blonde, blue-eyed and a dead ringer for the international film star, France’s Catherine Deneuve. The lady also looked to be nine months pregnant. They had recently come from Afghanistan, and as usual my brother’s legal paperwork was, to put it politely, in a state of flux. He had summoned me to marry his gorgeous consort so as to legally give the child our last name. Two days later, Barbara

(as the delightful lady was called) and I married before a rather-intoxicated but lovely lady judge (if Ireland is the drinking capitol of the world, Denmark surely can claim second place) and the boy (whom I named “Juan” after Tom’s and my mother, Juanita) was born less than a week afterward. Some three weeks later, my friend Cliff was waiting at the Los Angeles airport. I was bursting with news, but before I had a chance to tell him all about my wonderful trip, he quietly asked, “So how do you like her.” I liked Barbara just fine, (sadly, she passed away many years ago) but to this day, I have no idea how Cliff could have foreseen any of what had transpired those surprising and wonderful three weeks I spent in Denmark. Alejandro Grattan

THE SHOELANTHROPISTS!

he Shoelanthropists are Michael and Lorraine Kulig - Homeowners in the Barrio San Miguel (near Tepehua) for three years. Shoes distributed to date are 3000 pairs (donated shoes from the States). One Day Without Shoes event on April 16th 2013 at 1:00 pm on the Malecon (At the Beer Garden) Photo/Video event of Lakesiders without shoes to RAISE AWARENESS off the issues of the children going barefoot. April 16th is in conjunction with TOMS Shoes GLOBAL EVENT http:// www.toms.com/get-involved#oneday-without-shoes where people worldwide go ONE DAY WITHOUT SHOES, this is our 3rd year participating in this event, and we ask that Lakesiders bring a pair of children’s shoes to donate if they can. The Shoelanthropists will HIDE A SHOE somewhere at Lakeside on APRIL 1, 2013 and give out DAILY CLUES via the Shoelanthropists FACEBOOK PAGE, Chapala Web Board, and InsideLakeside Web Board. The person who FINDS the Shoe gets PRIZE (to be announced) at the event on April 16th. Collecting and distributing shoes to the more than 1000 children residing in Barrio San Miguel in Mexico where we are re...tired. Children here are often seen running and playing barefoot because their shoes do not fit, or are falling apart, and many families just are unable to afford new shoes for their children. Children in developing countries

lik Mexico, M i who h go barefoot, b f t run a hi h like high risk of contracting hookworm infections through contact with their bare feet. Once contracted, hookworm infections can cause anemia and weight loss and can stunt growth and mental development according to the CDC. The blood and protein loss can cause breathing difficulties and congestive heart failure. Nutritional deficiencies and fluid buildup in the abdomen are common with heavy infestations of the hookworm and are especially threatening to children and pregnant women. Children in the United States often have several pairs of shoes at any given time. Some of these shoes are rapidly outgrown and are greatly appreciated by these kids and their parents. These are the gently used shoes we would love for you to consider donating to us. If you would prefer to donate a new pair for the kids that would be also be great! https://www.facebook. com/?ref=home#!/groups/THESHOELANTHROPIST/ followed by 450 members and growing. Contact for Lorraine Kulig via this email and phone is 7654877.

Saw you in the Ojo

THE DEATH OF JOHN RILEY— REVISITED (Irish leader of San Patricio Battalion in the Mexican War)

By Michael Hogan, Ph.D.

ohn Riley, the twenty-eight year-old Irishman who is credited with organizing the San Patricio Battalion during the Mexican War, has been the subject of much speculation in recent years. Much of it has come about because of renewed interest in Ireland as it approaches 2013, the “Year of the Gathering,” and new memorials and historic landmarks appear across the country. There have been two such memorials for Riley recently, one a bust in Mexico City, the other a small sculpture in Clifden, Co. Galway. Riley deserted the United States Army on the eve of its invasion of Mexico in April, 1846, along with a handful of other soldiers, mostly Irish

immigrants. During the course of the unpopular Mexican American War, over 5,280 soldiers would defect. Many of them simply went back home or disappeared into the hinterlands; however, several hundred joined Riley and fought on the Mexican side. They formed the Battalion of St. Patrick (Los San Patricios), a crack artillery unit,

and were honored by the Mexicans for their bravery in several of the war’s major battles. At the termination of hostilities, forty-eight were hanged for desertion during wartime. Riley and several others, who defected prior to the war and thus escaped death, were whipped and branded with the letter “D” by a cattle iron on the cheek. The soldier who applied the brand on Riley’s cheek placed it upside down, and was ordered to brand him correctly on the other cheek. The result was a large ugly welt on each cheek which were highly noticeable and commented upon not only during the time Riley served in hard labor, but even years later after he was discharged and went on to serve as a Brevet Major in the regular Mexican Army until the end of the war. Indeed he grew his hair long in order to partially conceal the heavy ridges of scar tissue. Riley served with distinction in the Mexican army near Veracruz until he suffered from a bout of yellow fever in late 1849 and was sent to Puebla to recover. On August 14th, 1850 he was discharged at the rank of “Permanent Major” with full pay for reasons of disability. He was sent back to Veracruz for his discharge and according to Mexican pay records he received full back pay on the date of his separation from the service, August 14, 1850.

In 2000, Robert Ryal Miller referenced an 1850 death certificate from the Mormon Archives taken from the records of a church in Veracruz which purported to be that of Riley, and it has since appeared on several important genealogical sites. The document was first printed in an article in The News (Mexico City, April 11, 1999) which was then re-published in the Society of Hispanic and Ancestral Research newsletter (Feb. 2000) and which has now received thousands of hits in The Genealogy Forum on-line. It reads: “In the Heroic City of Veracruz, on August 31, 1850, I, Don Ignacio Jose Jimenez, curate of the parish church of the Assumption of Our Lady, buried in the

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general cemetery the body of John Riley, 45 years old, a native of Ireland, unmarried, parents unknown. He died as a consequence of drunkenness, without the sacraments.” Although Miller at the time believed this was in fact the death certificate of the San Patricio commander, both his own research and that of subsequent scholars suggest that he was mistaken. Unfortunately, Miller passed away in 2004 before he could write an addendum. I have taken the liberty here of doing it for him. • The U.S. Army enlistment records from September, 1845 indicate that John Riley was born in Clifden, Co. Galway, and was twenty-eight years old at the time of his enlistment. That would mean he had been born between 1817 and 1818 so would have been 33 years old in 1850.The Juan Riley buried in the churchyard was 45 years old according to the curate. It could not have been the leader of the San Patricios. • Major Riley was a teetotaler and his sobriety, leadership, ambition and example was commented on by several people who knew him. Even those who condemned his desertion were aware of these qualities. A death from drunkenness would have been highly unlikely. • Major Riley had been discharged on August 14th with medals for heroism, with uniforms, with a wellequipped horse and tack, with over $800 in retirement pay (the equivalent of $20,000 today). The death certificate for the indigent “Juan Riley” was dated August 31, just seventeen days later. • No robbery was mentioned in any newspaper in Veracruz during this period, nor were there any police reports of big spenders. In such a small town they would have been noticed. Thus is highly unlikely that the well-known and highly decorated major, a redhead over six feet tall and handsome except for his scars, would have been suddenly impoverished and buried (as “Juan Riley”) without last rites in the general cemetery just weeks after his discharge. • The curate who was attentive enough to state the deceased’s age (“45 years old”), his origin (“a native of Ireland”) and how he died (“as a consequence of drunkenness”) could not have failed to notice that he had two large scars on both his cheeks where a hot cattle iron had branded large “D”s on both cheeks, leaving two high ridges of scar tissue. It was his most noticeable feature and is not mentioned. There were other Rileys in the U.S. Army who served in Mexico; in fact, there was even another Riley in the San Patricio Battalion. However, in the latter case he was even younger than the San Patricio major. Regardless, it

was a common Irish name and it seems clear that the “Juan Riley” interred was not the leader of the San Patricio Battalion. Moreover, Major Riley would have been referred to by his rank by his men and by civilians, and by his proper name “John” in the case of his fellow officers. My own research in September of 2012 in Clifden, Co. Galway failed to turn up any John Riley who would fit into the age described on the death certificate. Peter F. Stephens, author of The Rogue’s March: John Riley and the St. Patrick’s Battalion, agrees that the only Rileys which fit the profile had to be born in County Galway in 1818, a year that marks the birth of two male children to two different families each of whom were named John Riley, both of which were duly recorded by the Catholic Church records in Clifden, Co. Galway. The search for the burial place of the true John Riley, Mexican major, decorated hero, and leader of the Irish battalion, must continue. It is hoped that new evidence will be uncovered as both Mexico and Ireland work together in this “Year of the Gathering” to record their common narratives of the past, a past marred by invasions from their Anglo-Saxon neighbors, and mutual histories which have previously

been consigned to the dustbin of history. (Ed. Note: Dr. Hogan is the author of The Irish Soldiers of Mexico, Fondo Editorial Universitario, 1996. His book is the only historical work on the St. Patrick’s Battalion which utilizes Mexican documents in addition to those found in U.S. and Irish archives. The book is available in Spanish as well, under the title Los Soldados Irlandeses de México.) Michael Hogan

Saw you in the Ojo

UUNCOMMON NCOM MM MON CCOMMON OM MM MON SSENSE ENSE By Bill Frayer billfrayer@gmail.com We Are Stuck In the Past

here is lots of talk these days about the polarized political system, particularly in the United States. And this stalemate probably reflects the deep divisions among people about how government should work. Russell Mead, in The American Prospect, has suggested that both sides, the conservatives and the liberals, are deeply stuck in outdated, rigid thinking which will not lead to the kind of innovative solutions we need for today’s problems. Liberals today focus on the government-based benefits put in place after the New Deal, in the 1950’s and 60’s. Back then, we had a vibrant economy characterized by large, monopolistic corporations, strong unions, fixed-benefit pensions, and increasing standards of living which grew with each generation. The social contract assured that each generation could work at a lifetime job and retire in comfort. Of course, today the economy has completely changed with globalization,

Bill Frayer outsourcing, poor job security, and an increasing number of new retirees. The old system cannot afford to provide lifetime security any more. Yet the political focus of Liberals is to shore up these old systems by increased taxation of the rich and some redistribution of wealth to the middle class and the poor. But it’s not working. Working people resent having to pay for generous benefits for government workers and for sometimes inefficient programs to help poor people. The conservatives have it wrong too. They basically argue for returning to a pre-New Deal time when there were no safety-net programs for the poor, no labor unions to protect the rights of workers, and no retirement benefits for anyone. They basically are proposing a return to the 1920’s when free markets controlled everything, and it was “every man for

El Ojo del Lago / April 2013

himself.” And we know where this led: unregulated big business and widespread poverty during the Great Depression. We can neither return to the golden age of free-market capitalism of the 1920’s nor the post-New Deal security of the 1950’s and 60’s Since the 1970’s, commerce has become more de-centralized, the entire world is now competing in a global marketplace, automation and outsourcing are reducing the number of jobs available, more people are retiring and fewer people are working, municipal and state governments cannot meet their pension obligations, and healthcare costs are skyrocketing. The big-government, New Deal-type programs are now unsustainable in their present form. Look at the struggles the quasi-socialist European governments are facing. With the demographic and economic changes we are facing, we cannot continue to afford such a cradle-to-grave safety net. We now have the older generation being supported in their retirement by fewer young workers who will not be able to retire with a similar standard of living. And simply going back to libertarian, unregulated free-enterprise is even more outdated. Multinational corporations will continue to be primarily concerned with shareholder profits, not any kind of social contract. It simply will not be able to provide for the humanitarian needs of an ag-

ing, more vulnerable population. So, where does all this leave us? Stuck in the past, we might say. Both the Left and the Right are each arguing for a return to outdated pasts. We desperately need new paradigms for safety-net programs and government advocacy which will help create a new prosperous society for everyone. Returning to the freewheeling 20’s or to the Great Society of the 60’s simply will not work today. It’s time to create a 21st Century paradigm for the future which moves beyond today’s sclerotic thinking. “Poetry might be defined as the clear expression of mixed feelings.” W. H. Auden

BRIDGE B RIDGE B BY Y THE THE LAKE LAKE By Ken Masson

erself and I recently spent a delightful month in New Zealand, driving through most of that beautiful country from Auckland to Dunedin and Christchurch. Throughout our journey we met only very pleasant, friendly people who made our stay extremely enjoyable. None more so than the folks we encountered when we made a stop at the Hutt Bridge Club in suburban Wellington. We happened to be there on a Tuesday evening when they had 17 tables in play and we were warmly welcomed in true Kiwi fashion. That doesn’t mean that the locals were throwing top boards at us, it was a better than average field and we had to work hard for every matchpoint we earned. The diagrammed board was the first one we played that night and we didn’t get off to a wonderful start. Herself, sitting North, opened the bidding 1 club. East had a decent collection but really nothing to say and I, in the South seat bid 1 spade. West passed and North made the normal raise to 2 spades where the bidding ended. This was the way the bidding would most likely have proceeded in a country affiliated with the American Contract Bridge League but some things are different down under as we shall soon see. West led the heart queen and I paused to count my losers. I had an inevitable 3 heart losers, possibly 2 or even 3 spade losers and maybe a diamond loser as well. Still, there was some prospect of making the contract if the Great Shuffler had put some of the missing honours in favourable locations. The defence quickly cashed their

3 heart winners ending in East who switched to a small club. I won in hand and played a low trump to the king and East’s ace. East continued with another club which I also won in hand to play a trump and finesse the 10 only to lose yet again, this time to East’s jack. No matter what happened next, I had an inescapable diamond loser and had to concede down 1. “That will be a bad board for us” I forecast as we put the cards back in the board and so it proved at the end of the night as we only scored 25% of the available matchpoints. How was I able to be so insightful? I knew that most New Zealanders play the Acol bridge system which originated in England and favours weak no trump opening bids of 12 to 14 high card points, rather than the 15 to 17 HCP that is more popular in North America. Therefore most of our competitors holding the North cards would have opened 1 no trump and, in all likelihood, bought the contract there. No matter how skilled the defenders might have been they would have been unable to beat this contract if played carefully by North. Despite our lack of success on this hand we managed to climb to 63% and a respectable 3rd place finish by the end of the night. If you ever find yourself in the Wellington area and in need of a bridge “fix” might I suggest you contact the nice people at the Hutt club? You can find them online at: h t t p : / / w w w. h u t t . bridge-club.org/ Questions or comments: email: masson.ken@gmail. Ken Masson com

Saw you in the Ojo 11

Joyful Musings By Joy Birnbach Dunstan, MA, LPC, MAC Living Apart Together

elationships have changed a lot with the times. There was a time when it was a bold step to live with a partner without the blessings and legal sanction of marriage – ‘living in sin’ some called it. Before too long, living together became more accepted and not at all uncommon. Nowadays, there’s another sort of relationship that is becoming more commonplace: married couples living separately. Living Apart Together (LAT) or Apartners are terms to describe couples who have an intimate committed relationship but live in separate homes. According to 2006 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 3.8 million married couples who don’t reside under the same roof. A recent Canadian study counted almost a million couples living separately from each other. These couples are in good company. One of Mexico’s most famous pairs, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, were Apartners, as well as Woody Allen and Mia Farrow, and Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton. As apartnerships have become more understood, they have become a more accepted option for a growing number of couples. In most cases, couples share the same expectations about commitment and fidelity as traditional marriage. Living apart together can allow partners to have the intimacy of being in couple while at the same time preserving or increasing individual autonomy. Apartnerships may work well for couples who have been married for

El Ojo del Lago / April 2013

many years and share a long history together. For a variety of reasons, they’re not getting along under the same roof and the relationship erodes in a succession of petty squabbles. Divorce doesn’t have to be the solution. There may be financial reasons for maintaining married status, insurance benefits that can be maintained, or it’s simply less complicated than separating their long intertwined lives. There may still be a lot of caring between the two partners, but each may have quite different living habits and not enough tolerance for each other’s differences. Often, opposites attract but don’t make very compatible roommates. Maybe she’s a neat-freak who likes to decorate with breakable knickknacks and dainty doilies while he leaves his things strewn about and enjoys keeping his man-cave basic and functional. Perhaps one partner is highly social and loves entertaining while the other prefers a more quiet private home life. This doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy sharing meals, travels, companionship, and even a bed sometimes. Their differences may seem trivial, but it’s often the little things in a relationship that drive people apart. Living apart can allow two individuals to come together out of choice – and head for home when they feel the need for their own space. Living apart together can still mean you’re committed to each other and will always have the other’s back. Living in a different physical space doesn’t mean you don’t share the same emotional space. In some instances, the additional distance creates greater intimacy and renewed romance. Apartnerships are definitely not for everyone, but neither is marriage or the single life. It’s an alternative that, for some, combines the best of both and places a high priority on friendship and commitment. Relationships and lifestyles have changed dramatically over the years, and the high divorce rate implies there may be room for yet one more option. Editor’s Note: Joy is a practicing psychotherapist in Riberas. She can be contacted at joydunstan@gmail.com or 765-4988 or through her website: http://joydunstan.weebly.com

Saw you in the Ojo 13

NINE STEPS TO A HAPPY LIFE IN MEXICO By Maggie Van Ostrand

oving to Mexi c o isn’t a matter of simply relocating to another country with your belongings. No indeedy. Of the many things you might expect to find south of the border, the most important can be Recovery from Cultural Shock. This generally takes three to six months, and constant vigilance is imperative if you wish to survive to enjoy your new life. Having lived either full-or part-time in Mexico since the early 90s, I’ll be happy to share with you a few survival tidbits based on personal experience. Here are nine cultural shocks to watch out for: l. The Clean Air: Unless you’re from a farm in the wide open spaces, Mexico’s clean air can kill you. I’m originally from New York and never did trust air I couldn’t see. Accustoming oneself to, breathing clean air can take time, but you can do it. Not seeing soot float by your eyes can be disturbing at first, but hang in there and the craving for dark air will fade over time. At night, the silence caused by the fact that you no longer wheeze might create insomnia; not to worry, it’s only temporary. 2. The Smiling Faces: Coming from another country, it’s not easy to learn to drop your guard against strangers. The years you spent learning to protect yourself from strangers are wasted, alas, and you will have to learn to smile

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back at people when you live in Mexico. For foreigners like us, we sometimes feel our cheeks cracking with the unfamiliar effort of reacting positively to the smile of a stranger. We visitors tend to think it’s our country and that they’re the foreigners. If you see a hand sticking out somewhere beneath the Mexican stranger’s face, either shake it and say buenos dias or drop a peso into it. If however, the hand you drop the peso into belongs to a policeman, you might be arrested for insulting an officer. 3. Living Traffic: While it’s true that traffic can be irksome in heavily populated areas of Mexico, it wasn’t that way until we got there, so try to be tolerant. Also kindly remember that livestock cross the highway at will and in Mexico, chickens have the right of way. 4. The Sounds: Nothing is so energizing to the human soul as a display of colorful fireworks. No special occasion is required to benefit onlookers with a dazzling array of color and sound; it can happen anytime, without warning. Fireworks are perfectly legal in Mexico and are occasionally loud enough to enable even the deaf to suddenly shout, “Eureka! I can hear!!!” One might suspect the presence of Oral Roberts, but he isn’t there. It’s just nature’s way of enabling the hearing-impaired to again enjoy the sounds of life. The very least this phenomenon accomplishes is melting the wax in the ears of the post-elderly. 5. The Music: At first, you might not care for the music of Mexico, until you compare it to the rapping hip-hop of certain other countries. I once considered Mexican music the cuspidor of sound, naive fool that I was. The truth is that one hasn’t lived until one hears a solo rendition of “Sentimental Journey” played on a dented tuba with gusto and abundant saliva. Mexican music is best defined as “quirkily international,” Swiss, sort of Spanish, sort of German, sort of Little Richard, with a soupcon of Sousa. In fact, if Mexican music could take human form, it would have a huge

frenetic mustache, gentle, slumberous eyes, and its fly would be open. 6. The Wildlife: a) Do not puIl the tail of large black animals who have horns, unless you are very young or have a new pair of Nikes. The ensuing chase by such creatures can result in shortness of breath; yours not theirs. b) There is no need to fear scorpions; they do not fear us. In fact, they love us enough to live in our shoes while we sleep and sometimes drop right off the ceiling and onto our heads. Sprinkle a little Viagra on their curled-up tails and you may see some affectionate action. c) Do not feed the mice; they are extremely intelligent and crave our attention to the extent where they have been known to dance across the floor, totally nude, right in front of us. Nothing to fear, that’s how Walt Disney started. 7. The Language: Unlike the United States of America which has no official language, there is an official language in Mexico—English. If you feel the need, you may rent the videos of “Destinos,” hire a Berlitz tutor, send for Pimsleur or whatever you fancy as the most efficient way to learn Spanish. You will frequently find it wasted, however, since often when you ask a Mexican a question in Spanish, you’ll get an answer in English. Try to utilize

Spanish with your American and Canadian friends only. Better yet, confine it to New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. 8. Meeting A Mate: If you are a single woman, you are definitely relocating to the right place. Although Mexican men prefer Mexican women, there are plenty of North American men looking for a mate. Beware of the question, “So how much money did you say you had?” as this can cause friction between your adult children and your new friend. Even if you have passed your “sell by” date, keep your eyes peeled for a fresh male. Remember that it’s far more beneficial to fall into a man’s arms than into his hands. 9. Gossip: To ex-pats living in Mexico, Alice Roosevelt Longworth ‘s pithy observation can be applied, “If you can’t say anything good about someone, sit right here by me.” I myself do not like to repeat gossip, but what else can you do with it? I trust I’ve been of some assistance, and leave you with these words of wisdom by an anonymous someone: “First you are young; then you are middle-aged; then you are old; then you are wonderful.” Maggie Van Ostrand

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By Victoria Schmidt idt dt

My Interpretation on n off Mexican Traffic Patterns

n first glance, ce ce, e, most of th the e written Mexican xiccan traffic laws are very sim similar milar to those of our native e countries. But it is the unwritten tten traffi fficc rules that I have come to understand that are much more important to learn. Stop signs in Mexico seem to be mere suggestions. The car approaching the intersection the fastest is the one that goes through the intersection. I never trust that anyone will actually stop. Stop signs also disappear. At an intersection near where I volunteer, is a four way stop…until someone knocked over one sign…and someone else cut the other sign-sawed it off next to the cement! Mexicans are the most patient people I have ever met. Yet put them behind the wheel of a car— and they seem to lose all sense of patience. You’ve all heard the sixth car in a line of traffic at the stop light start honking the instant the light turns green. The other day, I saw an ambulance, parked in traffic. They were obviously attending to an emergency in the building they were parked next to. But the cars parked behind the ambulance took turns blasting their horns impatiently. Then there are the hit and run drivers. These are not limited to Mexicans. I saw a gringa back out of Salvador’s parking lot and smash in the side of a car parked along the road. She got out, looked at the damage to her car, and drove off. My husband and I looked in amazement as we passed by the car with a caved in panel! Another hit and run happened to a friend of mine. She was in traffic behind a police car, and the police car backed into her…and took off. I kid you not. One Ways: There is no such thing! Oh, yes, there are streets that are marked for one way. But most seem to ignore them. Yesterday, I watched someone back

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down down our one-wayy street in reverse. After he passed my parking space, I started to pull into traffic, and realized he was now driving forward! Why was he driving in reverse? I had to wait to get out of my car one day because there was traffic coming the wrong way down the one-way. Believe me: We all must look both ways, even if we are driving down a one-way. Two Ways: Well, not really. There are streets in Lakeside that are so narrow, that two cars cannot pass. So as we negotiate the street, avoiding children, and dogs, and the occasional burrow, the delivery trucks and pickup trucks, we need to guess who will move over and allow room enough to pass. There are vehicles that always can stop traffic. Garbage trucks— but they usually pull over to let you pass when they reach an intersection. Gas trucks: All traffic must cease to move during a delivery. These, I understand. I’m the patient one in line. But the ones that make me smile and shake my head are the “conversation stops.” That’s when the person one or two cars ahead of you, stops dead in traffic to talk to someone on the sidewalk. Or even funnier yet, they yell out to the shopkeeper, and the shopkeeper runs out with their purchase. It’s when the buyer doesn’t have correct change that it really bothers me! Yet for the quirky customs, I still find courtesies I didn’t see in the USA. Mexicans actually allow you into traffic, cross crowded streets, and merge. In all other cases, I suggest driving defensively. Victoria Schmidt

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By Paul Jackson paulconradjackson@gmail.com

anadian Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper may be the world’s only politician whose career is saved by a knowledge of hockey. Harper has already won three straight elections in a row and has no real need to run again in two years’ time since he has put all of his programs into place. The nation’s jobless rate is the lowest in the G-8, and so is its federal debt. Year after year his annual budgets have been approved in the House of Commons. Every plank and promise in his election campaigns have been passed by Parliament and have now been implemented. Really, there is nothing else for the Conservatives to do. Come 10 years in power - there are no term limits in Canada - it’s hard to see what else the Conservatives might want to achieve—except the pride in winning a fourth term and dismaying their Liberal opponents. There are signs, though, that right now after almost a decade in power Canadian voters are getting tired - for no particular reason - of Harper. But what may save him and his party is a major book the prime minister has penned on the history of hockey in Canada and the USA. Harper loves hockey and has never been caught out when asked about some hockey trivia or anec-

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Paul Jackson

dote about the game. He knows every nuance of its history and personalities. Strangely, Harper, due to asthma, never played hockey himself, so he just studied the game that is as Canadian as the Maple Leaf flag. Canadians are fanatical about hockey in all its aspects. It binds the nation together, and the most popular show on television in the Great White North is Hockey Night in Canada. The book will be published simultaneously in both Canada and the USA by giant American publisher Simon and Schuster. Record sales are expected on both sides of the border - and even in Russia. All profits will go to the Canadian Forces Family Support Fund, an organization that aids ex-military families in financial trouble. Those who have read advance excerpts have acclaimed the work as a fascinating account, covering as it does the sport since the turn of the century. How Harper managed to get the time to research the subject and pen the work on top of the arduous role as prime minister has surprised many. No ghostwriter has been involved. But again, Harper may well be the first politician whose career has been saved - or extended - by a book on sports written in his ‘spare’ time. paulconradjackson@gmail.com

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Anita’s Animals By Jackie Kellum Fleas are athletic prolific vampires

he adult dog flea is a wingless insect with a set of powerful hind legs that enables it to jump nine inches straight up or five feet sideways. Like vampires, adult fleas feed only on blood. The flea spends the majority of its life off the host animal, except when it needs a transfusion. The female lays her eggs in dark damp places, not on your pet Most flea eggs are laid when humidity is high and temperatures are moderate (65° to 85°F). It takes only about a week for the eggs to hatch. One pair of adult fleas can cause three stages of offspring—egg, larva, and adult to be present in your home for almost two years! Fleas can be an indicator of an animal’s general health. Parasites in general, and fleas in particular, are most attracted to the weak, unhealthy, or very young animal whose immune system is not functioning well. The long-term solution to a flea problem is to reduce your pet’s susceptibility to fleas by improving his/her health by providing good nutrition. Grooming with a flea comb and bathing are the two best ways of getting rid of fleas on your pet. Concentrate on the areas where fleas congregate, usually around the neck in cats, and on the lower back and belly in dogs. If no fleas are visible but the animal is scratching inspect carefully around the base of the tail. If you find small black particles embedded in the hair, place a few of them on a damp pa-

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per towel. If they turn red, they’re flea feces. Controlling the environment involves thorough cleaning and washing your pet’s bedding and tumbling the wet bedding in a hot dryer. A “natural” homeopathic control route may include herbal sprays, shampoos and flea collars whose odors repel fleas. There are many herbal pet shampoos available that incorporate the essential oils of eucalyptus, citronella, rosemary and wormwood, pennyroyal, or other flea repellant oils. Alternatively, you can use DAWN dish detergent - leaving a thick lather on your pet for 10-15 minutes to ‘drown’ the fleas. Be careful not to let small puppies or kittens become chilled or overheated, and don’t bathe more than once weekly. There are commercial anti-flea products that come in spray form or as a monthly behind the neck application. There are some very basic and important things to keep in mind when using such products – their purpose is to kill parasites by ‘poisoning’ them. This occurs by the product’s absorption into the animals system including vital organs like the liver. All anti-flea products are not intended to be used on young kittens or puppies 8 weeks or younger, as their use can cause life threatening results. If they are young give them a bath. Products like K-9 Advantix monthly application and Bravo flea spray are to be used only on dogs - it is highly toxic to cats. Discuss with your vet. the animal’s age, the size / weight, and type of animal that you want to treat for fleas, so the most appropriate product will be utilized. Thanks to Barbara Harkness and Valerie Siegel for their generous donation to the Animal Buddies Pet Food Drive, which helps support Anita. If you have not read their book, “Who Rescued Who: Tales of Street Dogs and the People Who Love Them, check out their website: www.WhoRescuedWho. mx – part of the book’s proceeds helps provide needed pet food. Also, thanks to Geoffrey Kaye for a monthly donation of pet food to Anita’s Animals.

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CHILD

of the month

Rich Petersen Alexa Cárdenas Reyes

his beautiful oneyear old little girl is Alexa Cárdenas Reyes. Alexa is the first born (and only) child of Alexandra y Carlos who live in Chapala. You can see in the photo that Alexa’s right eye seems to be missing. Actually, she was born with a perforation in the cornea of her right eye rendering her blind in that eye. Fortunately Alexa’s parents were able to seek treatment with a corneal specialist in Guadalajara, the result being that Alexa is being prepared to have an ocular prosthesis placed. By “being prepared,”

I mean she is seeing a transplant specialist who is monitoring Alexa’s progress, and when she has grown a bit more, the specialist will fit her with the prosthesis.

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While the incidence of corneal perforation “in utero” is relatively low, we at Niños Incapacitados at the present time have four infants with this disability. The cause of these perforations is generally thought to be an infectious process---either bacterial, viral or fungal—and cannot be attributed to anything the mother did or did not do during pregnancy. It is urgent, however, that the child’s ocular orbit (eye socket) be reconstructed with a prosthesis as soon as possible so the child’s head and face can develop normally and not have a “lopsided” look. At present Alexa is being fitted with a “spacer” to maintain the eye socket open; this spacer will be changed several times as Alexa grows and eventually she will have a permanent prosthesis, painted and colored to match her left eye. Of course, she will not be able to see out of the right eye. But you should see this little bundle of energy and how she relates to “her” world already. Notice the great smile she gave all of us at our last meeting. You may be wondering about the cost of this procedure: even with help from the specialist surgeon in the form of a discount to us as an organization, the total cost will be

23,000 pesos. This includes two new prostheses as Alexa grows plus all the follow-up appointments. As is our custom when such a large expense comes to the fore, we ask the parents to contribute at least one-third if they can. Alexandra and Carlos to date have raised 7.000 pesos, the proceeds of several garage sales and food fairs held in their neighborhood. Friends and family have also contributed. We at Niños Incapacitados have already decided to have Alexa and her parents return to one of our monthly meetings as soon as the final prosthesis has been fitted, and we will update you (with a photo of course) at that time. If you would like to find out more about our group and the work we do, please attend our regular members’ meetings on the second Thursday of each month at 10:00 a.m. at the Hotel Real de Chapala in La Floresta. You will also have the opportunity to meet one of the children we are helping. Thanks to everyone for your continued support. And a special thank-you to all who attended our Gala Dinner/ Dance “All Aboard the Orient Express” on March 14. The evening was a rousing success and raised much-needed funds to help children like Alexa.

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MY M YC CARRY-ON ARRY-ON B BAG AG By Loretta Downs

e ar are e th the he be b best estt of of friends. It began with a blind date that led to a period of ambivalence about the nature of our relationship before we decided to become “just friends.” We have grown closer as we’ve grown older, and after 45 years, we know each other well. Bob is 72 and I am 63. We are in the late years of our lives with the unknown end approaching faster than ever. Though we are currently healthy, we are also single and without children of our own leaving no one to whom responsibility for our health care decisions, our deaths, and our estates would fall without some legal wrangling. When the sudden illness and unexpected intensive care death of an unprepared friend caused a mountain of trouble for her loved ones, Bob decided to plan ahead. “I won’t put the people that care about me through the ordeal she put us through,” he vowed. He created an estate plan that recognized family, friends and favorite not-for-profits. He asked a friend with a practical mind to be his Executor then carefully discussed his intentions with him. Bob chose me to be his healthcare proxy in the event he is hospitalized and unable to speak for himself. “I like the way you hold my hand,” he said. We met at his house and poured over his Healthcare Power of Attorney and Living Will forms while slowly sipping wine. When he said, “Pull the plug,” I shuddered. “It can’t be like unplugging my computer or vacuum cleaner. I want clear directions.” We kept talking until I understood what action he wanted me to take if he suffered a condition in which his survival depended on a ventilator for breathing or a tube

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ffo for or feeding. feed fe edi din ing “Please, ing “Plle “P leas leas ase e p ullll th ul the he pl lug ug” g” pull plug, he insisted. “If you’re uncertain as to how I might come out of it, trust your gut. I’d rather be living than only barely alive. Let me die. I mean it.” I wrapped my arms around Bob, wanting to memorize the feel of him forever, feeling closer than we’d ever been. Tipping my glass to him, I toasted, “To a good life—and a good death! May it happen a long time from now!” Soon after that he purchased a niche in a columbarium in San Francisco and invited me to be his guest on a trip to see where I would be taking his ashes after he died. “Oh,” I exclaimed with delight, “a practice run!” The Columbarium is an 1898 architectural treasure that has over 8500 niches, or “inurnment spaces” as their sales literature calls them. The ornate, high-domed room where memorial services are held is circled by three balconies where glass-fronted cases in differing sizes line the walls like art in a museum. Bob took my hand and led me to his own niche, marked “Reserved.” He smiled with the pride of ownership. My breath caught on the sign, and I understood the meaning of this precious moment. “You’ve inspired me,” I said with a sigh. “I’m going to work on my plans when I get home.” I continued, “Our relationship is immortal, but we are not. One of us will die first. If you do, I will be sure you have the good death we’ve talked about, and that your body is cremated and put to rest here.” I squeezed his hand and whispered, “You know, Bob, the next time we make this trip you’ll be in my carry-on bag.” Looking down at our tightly entwined hands he said, lovingly, “That’s why I picked you.”

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Hearts at Work A Column by James Tipton “The Path of No More Learning”

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earning to cherish h others is the best sstt solution to our daily y problems, and it is the source ce e of all our future happiness and nd good fortune.” These words were were ere er written by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso tso in n Modern Buddhism: The Path of Compasom mpassion and Wisdom. Gyatso is convinced viinced that we live in a “spiritually degenerate nerate erate time” and, furthermore, “there are five impurities that are increasing throughout the world: (1) our environment is becoming increasingly impure because of pollution; (2) our water, air and food are becoming increasingly impure, also because of pollution; (3) our body is becoming increasingly impure because sickness and disease are now more prevalent; (4) our mind is becoming increasingly impure because our delusions are getting stronger and stronger; and (5) our actions are becoming increasingly impure because we have no control over our delusions. Gyatso adds, “Because of these five impurities, suffering, problems and dangers are increasing everywhere.” As Leo Tolstoy asks, “What then must we do?” The Buddhist approach is to use the difficulties in the world and in our own lives as spiritual lessons, the object of which is to develop compassion for all living beings. The Buddhist scholar Nagarjuna lists eight benefits of “immeasurable love” toward all beings: (1) we accumulate greater merit “than we would do by giving food three times every day to all those who are hungry in the world”; (2) “we shall receive great loving kindness from humans and non-humans”; (3) “we shall be protected in various ways by humans and non-humans”; (4) “we shall be mentally happy all the time”; (5) “we shall be physically healthy all the time”; (6) “we shall not be harmed by weapons, poison and other harmful conditions”; (7) we shall obtain all necessary conditions without effort; and (8) we shall be born in the superior heaven of a Buddha Land.” Wow! Where do I sign up? Actually these eight benefits are a bit beyond me, beyond my level of non-enlightenment; and as far as “the superior heaven of Buddha Land” goes, I think I would prefer to be born in Mohican State Forest in north-central Ohio.

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More Mo o useful tto om me e iss a simple five-step fi ve-step B Buddhist practice p ractice I have used for years. Simply fill your heart with immeasurable love and compassion for four persons in particular. I will name it the Loving Four People Practice. The first person will always be the same, but the other three may vary with each session. Spend a few minutes on each of the five steps. First—Fill your heart with love and compassion for yourself. I like to remember Walt Whitman’s words, “I did not know I held so much goodness.” Second—Fill your heart with love and compassion for a person you already think very highly of, or already love. Third—Fill your heart with love and compassion for a person who at this point is “neutral” to you, a nobody to you, perhaps a clerk at a convenience store, a gas station attendant, a neighbor you have seen but do not know, the old woman you pass on the street. Fourth—Fill your heart with love and compassion for a person you definitely do not like, perhaps a co-worker, or a family member, a former spouse or lover, a person who has ignored you, who has deliberately made life difficult for you, a person who has ridiculed you. Fifth—Fill your heart with love and compassion for all four persons at the same time, and (this can be the hard part) with equal love and compassion for each. When you have succeeded, let your love and compassion flow out over the entire world. As Gyatso suggests, “feel equal compassion for all living beings without exception; there is no single living being who is not a suitable object of our compassion.” When we have developed this compassion without ceasing, we are well on our way to “The Path of No More Learning.” Jim Tipton

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Stupidity S tupid dity y IIss Con Contagious ntagious By Neil McKinnon innon

(

d. Note:: Neil is the he e author of Tu Tuckahoe Slidebottle (Thistledown own Press) which was a finalist for or the the SteSte tephen Leacock Humour our Award and the Howard O’Hagen gen Short Fiction Award) Lowbrow movies, books and television programs are harming our brains. A recent nt study at the University of Linz in Austria has shown that performance scores on knowledge tests vary depending on the types of fictional characters that are portrayed in the stories we consume. This occurs because, on some level, we identify with story characters and we tend to incorporate some of their mental traits. If someone in a story is dim-witted and I pay insufficient attention to our differences (assuming there are some) then part of him or her rubs off and the gap between us narrows. It appears that stupidity is not just hereditary, it’s contagious. During the research, two groups were tested by getting them to read a play in which the protagonist was intellectually feeble. One group was asked to think about the traits exhibited. The other was not. The critical thinking kept contagion from occurring and the first group outperformed the second during subsequent testing. The good news is that, unlike inherited qualities, the mental impairment caused by a lack of critical thinking appears to be temporary. Sometimes research tends to prove the obvious. The foregoing findings have been self-evident in some fields for years. Two examples: 1) Advertisers know full-well that promotion works better when we think we’re immune to it and turn off our critical faculties, and 2) the fact that people buy into the mud-slinging that passes for political discourse leads any objective observer to the conclusion that a portion of the electorate is essentially brain-dead most of the time. It occurred to me that if trait absorption exists in story consumption, advertising and politics then it probably happens in other areas of life as well. To test this hypothesis my research firm, SRI (Spurious Results Inc.) conducted an experiment in which my friend Mort Semalink happily volunteered as a subject. We decided to see if expos-

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ing Mort to sto stories about virilile e, hands d ile, handsome, charmin ng and self-assured ing men me n who who were always desired by beautiful women w would make noticeable cchanges to his dating pr profile. Mort was ideal for the exp experiment because as he puts it, “I always been unlucky with them womans of the opposite sex forever. When I get near that kind of womans, she snorts in her nose and heads south—so I ain’t got no ‘sperience. The sperment is good ‘cause maybe I could get my chances bigger with those womans.” As the reader has no doubt discerned, Mort does not always display his critical thinking ability. Using his previous statement to approximate what could loosely be termed, informed consent, SRI began setting up the experiment. To forestall future criticism about our methods we decided to do a double blind study. The first part was easy. While not blind in the traditional sense, most people consider Mort visually impaired as he has trouble seeing pointsof-view other than his own. To make the study truly double blind it was necessary that the first female to encounter Mort, post-story exposure, have eyesight so dim that she not be able to see his facial features and would thus be oblivious to the four inch hairs protruding from his nostrils, equidistant from the lone eyebrow above and the solitary discoloured tooth below. Once the protocols were established, SRI proceeded with the experiment. We developed a baseline desirability index (DI) made up by assigning numerical values to various attraction factors such as looks, sense of humour, conversational ability, financial viability and social status. The index ranged from zero to 100 where zero indicated a complete lack of desirability and a DI of 100 signified that we were dealing with a perfect hunk. Our ideal candidate would, of course, start with a relatively low index factor. After adding up the numbers, we discovered that Mort’s DI was minus thirty-seven. During a four-hour period each day for an entire week, we had Mort watch films and read stories about various

Lotharios including Don Juan, Casanova and Charlie Sheen. We thought that it would be necessary to disable Mort’s critical thinking during this part of the experiment. However, we discovered that turning off Mort’s critical thinking was similar to turning off cruise control in a Model T. Meanwhile, the search continued for a visually impaired woman. We found Geraldine Pagenfroth in the parking lot at Costco. She was walking up and down the rows feeling the hood ornament of each car. Ignoring suspicions of a weird fetish, we approached and asked what she was doing. “I’ve lost my car,” she said. “Have you seen it? It’s an old Ford and the hood ornament feels exactly like a man’s ... well you know.” “What colour is it? We’ll help you find it.” “I don’t know,” she replied. “I lost my glasses before I bought the car and I can’t afford new ones. My eyesight isn’t good enough to tell. Hell, without glasses, I can barely keep between the white lines on the freeway.” Bingo! We had our introducee. While she wasn’t beautiful in the classic sense, she was vertical, probably warm and had a few bumps relatively near where they should be. I explained that we were from SRI, that we were

conducting an experiment and that she might be qualified to participate. She was intrigued and readily agreed to be tested for suitability. Our battery of tests found her normal except for two characteristics: 1) Her vision proved more limited than we initially thought, and 2) we were pleased to discover that she had an IQ of 152. We then introduced Geraldine to Mort and sent them to a philharmonic concert followed by a scrumptious late-night candlelit dinner. They returned hours later chattering away and holding hands. We pried them apart and retested both of them. Mort’s desirability index had improved from minus 37 to minus 36 which is statistically significant at the .07 confidence level two times out of 400. However, we are still unsure whether the improvement was due to the stories Mort had consumed or to the fact that he had cut an inch and a half off of each nose hair. We then discovered that Geraldine’s IQ had dropped 67 points. Our conclusion: Sometimes rivers do run both ways. Neil McKinnon

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PROFILING P ROFILING TEPEHUA T EP EH U A By Moonyeen King

Part Four

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he Church has always maintained the Historic Teaching that deliberate acts of contraceptives are always gravely sinful, if done with full knowledge and deliberate consent.” Quote from Robert Brom, Bishop of San Diego. Wikipedia Press Release stated. ‘ The 1973 Roe v Wade decision opened the door to legalized abortion. The only coordinated opposition was the U.S Conference of Bishops. After which the involvement of Catholic Hierarchy in U.S politics increased, with Bishops spending more time and money on the abortion issue.’ Abortion is legal in almost every European country. North Dakota passed a ‘personhood’ amendment initiative to give legal rights to embryos, the vote will be taken in 2014. State Senator Margaret Sitte (R) in the Huffington Post “We are intending it to be a direct challenge against Roe v Wade.” Both N. Dakota and Mississippi are fighting to close down the one abortion clinic they each have. Mexico City legalized abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy. But it is still forbidden in 18 of the 31 Mexican States. As of Jan. 2011, these States believe that Constitutional protection is for all people from the time of conception until natural death. There were 52,484 interruptions (abortions) in the Capital since it decriminalized abortions in 2007. In the State of Guanajuato more than a dozen women have been sentenced up to 30 years in prison for abortion, and approximately 130 sentenced for seek-

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ing or providing illegal abortions. Most states penal codes permit abortions in the case of rape or severe fetal deformities, Yucatan includes economic factors for more than three children in a family under the poverty line. Guanajuato allows none of these. Religious leaders in Mexico declared life begins at conception, making abortion illegal, which in turn increases the back street abortions all over Mexico, endangering the lives of the women. This also puts women at risk for being prosecuted when they miscarry. Back street abortions put a woman through so many humiliating and degrading steps before she finally aborts. The filthy conditions, lack of sterilization of instruments, complications, and if they survive or have to have hospitalization, they are at risk for prosecution, and the inability to have children because of unhygienic situations that caused infections. Lack of information and limited access to contraceptive methods also forces women to rely on illegal abortions as a form of contraceptive. None of the above would be an is-

sue, if women had the right to choose, with education and family planning. What the author finds astonishing is that this is not forced on women totally by the Church and law makers, who are mostly men, but by the women in power too. Jan. 2013, a Republican lawmaker in New Mexico introduced a bill that would require victims of rape to carry the fetus full term in order to use the fetus as evidence. Cathrynn Brown (R) states she would charge the victim who terminated her pregnancy as “tampering with evidence.” The Bill remains to be passed. This is raping the woman twice, and giving her a burden to carry for the rest of her life. The American Medical Assc. 2010 recorded, in America there were 84,767 rapes and Mexico 14,993. The report is only recorded rapes, many go unreported. Especially here in Mexico, there is too much shame involved. England also banned abortion and contraceptives for single women, creating victims of back street abortions, botched abortions resulting in deformed children. Young, pregnant desperate women, were violated over and over, having to give their trust to dark strangers in dark alleys. After the ban was lifted in the fifties, it gave birth to a generation of “Flower Children”, a generation who loved freely,

and created the music of the sixties. Bogota. Columbia. A Senator proposed the complete banning of abortions stating, “The true role of government is to develop a social role that offers women and their babies a life of dignity from the beginning—in health care, nutrition and work, so that there is no justification for abortions.” That solution is too simple, it is too obvious, it might work... so therefore will never be implemented. The Los Angeles Times wrote, ‘Mexico, has limited resources. Overpopulation stretches these resources to the breaking point. When the Pope forbade birth control, he created conditions of overpopulation and extreme poverty and desperation that helped force mass immigration to the North.’ The illegal Mexican land workers in the North live in appalling conditions too, so that they can send their money home, sometimes living twenty men to a small bungalow, or parked trailer home. Hopefully the immigration laws will change, and those innocent of any crime can live proudly. As it is, the North is creating its own barrio, as long as there is a border, and the workers the north needs so badly are forced to be illegal. Whilst the money from illegal workers is being spent in Mexico, legal migrant workers pay taxes to the United States.

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Kay Davis 376-765-3677 (cell: 331-171-1681) (or 765-3676 to leave messages) Email: kdavis987@gmail.com

PAST EVENTS March 10 - 11 there were performances by Mac Morison at one of the most beautiful properties you might see. As Mac and Carol Bedord sang, we were swept back in time to the romantic song era of years ago, not that long ago, but the favorMac & Carol sang duets and solos ites we all know and sway to when we hear them. Their “Come Fly with Me” program is a guaranteed good performance. Mac knows his music and has the deep resonant tones that blend so well with a vocal range like that of Carol Bedford and only few others can sing. On March 14, Niños Incapacitados Rode the OrientExpress at the Real de Chapala, Ajijic. There was a buffet dinner, live and silent auctions with a wide range of items, including a week in a twobedroom penthouse in the Turks & Caicos Islands, a private tour for eight at the Ground Zero site in New York City, stays luxurious hotels, Orient Express dinner dance with elegant table in delicious dinners and settings and guests to match much, much more. An excellent group called Black Swan with Diamonds provided music. All proceeds go to Niños Incapacitados. But let’s start at the beginning. Early in the evening 400 people held their breath as spots of rain began to fall. It couldn’t be happening! And it didn’t, much to everyone’s relief. The rain stopped sprinkling and it turned into a great evening. The decorations were outstanding, guests really got into the spirit of the glamour days of the Orient Express in elegant outfits, and the live and silent auctions saw spirited bidding. Claudia Blum’s belly dancing was much admired and Ryan Rigozzi’s singing much appreciated. Once again, the wine-serving team of Purely Canadian International imbued everyone with a sense of fun in their Chinese costumes and make-up. An amazing team of volunteers, organized by the indefatigable Kari Higgins, made the whole event a great success. March 21, La Bodega hosted the Doo Wops, reviving songs from the 50s & 60s American Bandstand. Jerry Morse, Jack Fallon & Luci Merrit sang some of our most beloved songs. Can you do the dances from back then. Come next time and bring a few friends. You’ll all have a good time. March 27 Zofia Barisas held a book presentation at the Oasis Cloud Café in Riberas, info@oasiscloud.mx. The Woman Who Thought She Loved Men is now available on Amazon, including the Kindle version. It is also available in Ajijic at Diane Pearl’s, Oasis Cloud Café, La Prensa Francesa, Coffee & Bagel, La Nueva Posada, the Plaza Bugambilias bookDoo Wops store, and in Jocotepec at the Café Arrañaga

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on the plaza and Rochata’s Pasteleria Fina (lovely desserts if you’re in Joco). One critic says: “Barisas is a masterful weaver of plots that shuttle us in and out of time, person and place. Her voice is unique, fresh, lyrical and compelling, a joy to read simply for the way she turns a phrase.” The Woman Who Thought She Loved Men can also be bought directly by contacting the author by email at zbarisas9@yahoo.com or phone (01 – 387) 763 – 1791. COMING EVENTS: April 6, 1 p.m. start time, American Legion Post 9 will host a fundraiser for Tepehua Centro Comunitario, $200 pesos (map & directions with ticket). The local community is involved with this event and desires a better place for children. They are poor, and the fundraiser will help with food, clothing, medical, dental care, and training to improve their lives. Choice of chicken or pork meal. Music by Eduardo (for tips). Cash bar (Moonie King in charge). Tour of facilities, meet and talk to the people who run this New book by local author wonderful enterprise. This is a hand up, not a hand out charity. Tepehua men will be parking attendants. Tepehua women will cook and serve. Get tickets from American Legion members: Vince 765 – 7299, Al King 737 – 0859, Perry King 763 – 5126, Don Lott 766 – 2521, Joe Loutey 765 – 2814, Bob Hundtmark 765 – 2739. April 11 at 11:15 a.m. Maria Di Paola will host a “Meet the Author” event for Ojo editor Alejandro Grattan, author of the historical novel, The Dark Side of the Dream. In case you don’t know about the story, it’s riveting. It’s about the 2nd migraImmigrant field workers tion of Mexicans into America during war years (WWII is the focus of this book), their struggles and their contributions. These are wonderfully crafted characters. The author is Irish-American and Mexican. Galeria Di Paola (766-1010) is located at Colon #11 in Ajijic. Wine and Snacks will be served. The public is cordially invited. April 11, 9 a.m. sharp, don’t forget “The Return of the Amigo Cup” golf tourney at the Country Club de Chapala Golf Tournament. Tickets at CCC and Chula Vista Pro Shops, $1000 pesos for CCC members, $1200 pesos for non-members. Green fee, cart rental, Continental breakfast, and pig roast or fish dinner all included. Dinner / Awards ticket only $250 pesos. Lots of great prizes: closest-to-the-pin, longest drive, straightest drive, etc. Register at the CCC Pro Shop before April 9. The alliance of Los Niños de Chapala y Ajijic (NCA) and CCC for this joint fundraiser marks a turning point in supporting all our bright but needy youngsters. Together NCA and CCC are sponsoring more than 265 young Mexicans, Kindergarten through University. All maintain exceptionally high marks. With our help, they will make a tremendous difference to their own futures, their families and their community. Come on out, have a great time, and help spread the ripples! April 19, 20 & 21 The Naked Stage presents Boston Marriage, a 1999 play by American playwright David Mamet. Amigo Cup The play concerns two women at the turn

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of the 20th century who are in a Boston Marriage, a relationship between two females that may involve both physical and emotional intimacy independent of support from a man. After widespread belief that Mamet could write only for men, the playwright released this play which centers exclusively on women. The reading will be directed by Phyllis Silverman with Jeritza McCarter, Betty Lloyd Robinson, Diana Rowland. For reservations email Scene from Boston Marriage nakedstagereservations@ gmail.com or call Michelle Boudreau at 765-6408. Naked Stage presents minimalistic play readings for adult theatre lovers at 4 p.m., donation $80 pesos. Bar opens at 3 p.m., box office at 3:15 p.m. Prior to or after the Reading, Daniel’s is open for lunch and dinner. After the Readings, the manager Daniel is offering 2 x 1 Dinners and 2 x 1 Margaritas. The Naked Stage is located in Plaza de la Ribera (Formerly Sol y Luna). Drive West on the Carretera from Central Ajijic. Turn South on Rio Bravo. The theatre is behind the Don Pedro Restaurant two blocks down on the left. Mulitple Events: #9 – The American Legion post #7 schedule for October: Sundays: 12 – 3 p.m. Legion grill burgers Apr 5 – 9:00 a.m. – Monthly Bazaar Apr 11 – 6 p.m. – Hasta La Pasta ($80 pesos, mix of dishes, cocktails at 5) Apr 24 – 6 p.m. – Steak Olé dinner-dance to sensuous Latin sounds of DJ Eduardo (arrechera steak, chorizo, brownies for dessert); $130 pesos Apr 28 – 3 – 6 p.m. – Lone Star (Texan theme) For information, call 765 – 2259 or www.americanlegionchapalapost7.org #10 - Lake Chapala Society is wrapping up many of the high season events, but they do so with a healthy budget balance, and bravo to them for a successful season. There are still interesting and fun functions to attend, such as the films they show, discussion groups, and always at our age, there are health matters. Please pick up a schedule at their facilities or refer to it online at lakechapalasociety. com. Lakeside Little Theatre news: The 49th Season plays: Local Hero – Written and Directed by Lakeside resident Neal Chekoway. A modern day fable, based loosely on a movie of the same name in which an oil company man is sent to Scotland to buy up an entire village for the company’s interests but things don’t go as expected, Oct. 4 – 13. The Heiress –Directed by Rosann Wilshere, a Period Drama of love and dishonor, Nov. 8 – 17. LLT’s Holiday play – Over the River and Over The River and Through the Woods – Directed Through the Woods by Ann Swiston, a Comedic Drama of family schemes to keep a beloved grandson from moving away, Dec. 6 – 15. Blood Relations –Directed by Lynn Phelan, A Drama about a dysfunctional family wintered in an isolated mansion, who learn each other’s secrets with surprising results, Jan. 17- 26. Hooray for Hollywood! Written and Directed by Barbara Clippinger – a Musical, a guaranteed “feel good” evening, Feb. 21 – Mar. 4. Social Security – Directed by Phil Shepherd, a Comedy about married art dealers, a goody-goody sister, uptight CPA, and a Jewish mother, all of whom want to save the art dealers’ college student daughter from the horrors of living only for sex, Mar. 28 – Apr. 6. Production dates to be confirmed at or before Annual General Meeting March 20. Next season, in response to both audience and volunteer wishes, Opening Night will be Friday, as is custom in NY. Each show will start on Friday evening followed

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by an evening performance on Saturday and a Sunday Matinee. The theatre will be dark (closed) on Mondays, giving cast and crews a rest. Shows will resume Tuesday evenings and run through the following Sunday matinee. All Current Saturday Opening Night Season Ticket Holders will be contacted soon so they may change to Friday if desired. Monday night season ticket holders will be given first priority for new seats currently unsubscribed on any other day. Tickets are $200 pesos per seat, $250 for the musical. For full listing of shows, box office and ticket information and to get email updates, go to www.lakesidelittletheatre. com. Box office hours are 10 – 1 and one hour prior to each performance. Sunday box office access is just prior to a show. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m. with Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. To call box office: 766 – 0954. The Music Appreciation Society of Ajijic (MAS) announces the 2013 – 2014 season: Memories of the 20th Century Nov 15 – to the men and women who have served the US, Canada and Mexico, a show in the style of the old fashioned USO, featuring the Boogie Woogie Babies as the Andrews Sisters and Michael Holmes as Judy Garland, Pearl Bailey, Bette Davis and Carol Channing. Dec 7 – a double program – the Dueto de Moscú: Oleg Vasiliev (cello) and Elena Kuzmina (piano) from Instituto Universitario de Bellas Artes de la Universidad de Colima and Eduardo Leon on the Classical Flamenco Guitar with Jorge Acosto singing Spanish and English favorites. Jan 18 – Classical FX returns from the Washington, DC/Kennedy Center Opera Company to wow us again, performing opera, Broadway hits and gospel. Feb 15 – from New York City, Two on Tap will sing and dance to our favorites throughout the years. All Saturday evening performances will be at the Auditorio de La Riberas at 7 p.m. The following day, MAS will offer a Brunch Concert at 1 p.m. at El Piano Rojo, Morelos #14 (handicapped entrance on 16th de Septiembre). Season tickets are on sale now at Diane Pearl’s and Charter Club Tours. Center section tickets are $1200 pesos, others at $1100 pesos. Individual tickets are $350 pesos. For more information, contact Kathleen Phelps at MASajijic.com or call 766 – 0010. VIVA La Musica: The Ajijic Auditorium appearance and acoustics are much improved thanks to the efforts of Pro Auditorio and the contributions of members of lakeshore musical organizations. Bus Trip to “Live from the MET” at Teatro Diana Apr 27 – Julius Caesar - Georg Friedrich Handel, a “not to be missed ending to the Met season”; 300 Mx Pesos members ; 400 Mx Pesos non-members Viva la Musica 2013 Summer Sunday concert series tickets will be available soon. Plan to attend. All are at St. Andrew’s Church, Riberas del Pilar. Jun 6, 4 p.m. – Rosa Maria Valdez, Piano – CPE Bach, Beethoven, Debussy, Liszt, Ponce and Carrasco Jul 21, 4 p.m. – Cuatemoc Garcia, Flute &Cronopius Chamber Ensemble, classical & Mexican music Aug 18, 4 p.m. – Isaac Ramirez, Cello & Andres Sarre, Piano – romantic and 20th century music program Sep 15, 4 p.m. – Nury Ulate, Flute & David Mosqueda, guitar – classical Oct 13, 4 p.m. – Robert Nelson and friends, piano quartet – chamber music All buses depart from the Carretera near Farmacia Guadalajara. For Saturday buses to “Live from The Met”, departures may vary; ask the time when buying tickets. Tickets can be purchased at LCS, Th – F, 10 to 12, or email Marshall at mak1939@ gmail.com. For additional information re departures, call Marshall at 766 – 2834.

Death scene from Julius Caesar by Handel

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LIFE AMONG THE ANIMALS

—We Love some, we eat some, fear some Dr. Lorin Swinehart

ne sultry summer day when I was two, I accompanied my father on a jaunt across my grandfather’s pasture, where our fox terrier Bobby could be heard barking excitedly. We found him face to face with a large ground hog, more commonly known as a woodchuck. The ground hog let out an angry whistle. My dad dispatched him with a single shot from his .22 rifle. Bobby toted his trophy happily back to the farmyard. I told people that the ground hog’s whistling was his way of pleading, “No! Don’t shoot me!” One afternoon, when I was six, we heard Bobby and my beagle Tippy barking from a copse of catalpa trees on the other side of the small stream that bisected the farm. Grandpa and I found that the two dogs had treed another ground hog. Grandpa handed me the old .22, and I shot the luckless creature, to the great joy of the awaiting dogs. Like some people I once knew, ground hogs have two passions in life, eating and reproducing. My great grandfather waged a life-long war against them, wielding an Olympic style match rifle and once ending the careers of over two hundred in a single season. I recently picked up Dr. Melanie Joy’s Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs and Wear Cows, in which she explores our complex, contradictory relationship with our fellow creatures. What would be our reaction, she asks, if we sat down at a fancy dinner party and learned that the main course consisted of roast golden retriever? We in the West would experience revulsion. Not so in some Asian lands. Recently, several European nations have been rocked by a horsemeat scandal. Horse DNA has been found in burgers and lasagna in Ireland, Sweden, Spain and the UK. The French cannot understand what the excitement is about. Horsemeat is not considered repugnant to our Gallic friends. In the rural Midwest where I grew up, horses were to be ridden or to pull farm implements, cows to provide milk. When either one outlived their use-

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fulness, they were trucked off to the knacker, where horses became leather and dog food, while cattle became hamburgers. Dogs were pets or hunting companions, keeping the farm free of rats, mice, and, of course, ground hogs. Pigs had no other function than to be converted to bacon, pork chops and cracklings. Yet, pigs are intelligent creatures, and horses can be amazingly frustrating problem solvers. Farther down the chain of life, I once recoiled at the sight of a huge sidewinder in the Arizona desert and later when I encountered even larger Burmese pythons in southern Florida. My wife and I have recently become vegetarians, disgusted by the cruelties and manipulations of the livestock and food processing industries. I grow more and more convinced that animals possess sensitivities and emotions nearly identical to our own. I suspect that many reason on a level vaguely understood by us. Intuition is common in Nature. Those who live lives close to wild things describe incidents of elephant ESP and other behaviors generally dismissed as anecdotal by mainline science, mostly because mainline science lacks explanations. When I reflect upon these things, the taking of any life, even indirectly, becomes problematic. But, then, as C.S. Lewis asked, “What of all the wasps?” I am an avid fly fisherman, sometimes eating my catch, other times returning them to their watery home. Nothing in nature dies a natural death. The bluegill I return will eventually be snagged by a raccoon or gobbled up by a largemouth bass, as the pheasant or squirrel will fall victim to the hawk, the coyote or the feral cat. A subsistence farm in my day was a closed and relatively safe environment, but it contained within it obvious contradictions. I remember the annual hogslaughtering day now, and the memory sends me into a brown study. The family farm has largely disappeared, replaced by huge factory farms operated by multinational corporations, obsessed with mass production and huge profits. Antibiotics, growth

hormones and other additives pose unknown threats to human health, and ground water resources are threatened with pollution from gigantic hog lots. Any hunter will tell you that overpopulation of game animals, such as deer, leads to disease and starvation. I would prefer the re-introduction of natural predators, but I can imagine the outcry when farmers’ hogs and soccer moms’ poodles begin to disappear into the jaws of Brer Bear and Brer Wolf. Last year, a black panther was reported to be roaming a suburban Cincinnati neighborhood. One housewife told TV reporters that she had seen the panther

and that she had been, “Terrified! Just terrified!” Turned out to be a neighbor’s Labrador retriever. Those who live artificial lives far from the realities of the natural world are a sorry lot. In the end, our fellow creatures may outlast us. A few years ago, I visited the gravesite of my great grandfather. There next to his shiny headstone in the quiet country churchyard was a large ground hog hole. Lorin Swinehart

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View From The South Shore

By Kerry Watson kerry.r.watson1@gmail.com A Visit to Don Otavio

or those who want to try a tiny adventure to the south shore, make a pilgrimage to the Hacienda San Martin, only a couple of miles south of Jocotepec. This private hacienda is reputedly the location of Sybille Bedford’s classic 1953 semi-fictional story of a trip to Lake Chapala, “A Visit to Don Otavio: A Traveler’s Tale of Mexico.” Bedford disguises many of the details of her travels including the name of her travel companion, known only as “E.” as they have fairly wild times for their day, taking the train all about Mexico and finally landing in Chapala. She refers to the hacienda as “Hacienda San Pedro” and indeed only a few miles further south is San Pedro Tesistan. Bedford also describes rowing herself and E. from the Hacienda to Jocotepec, and taking a 45-minute burro ride to Jocotepec. This hacienda was built in the 1700’s and its holdings once comprised all of the southwest side of Lake Chapala from Jocotepec to San Pedro. In 1733, San Martin was listed in a historical text as a major producer of grain, according to El Informador. A tequila factory and tavern once stood on the grounds, and a private chapel is still intact today. “A Visit to Don Otavio” was called “The best travel book of the twentieth century” by English travel writer Bruce Chatwin. It is a slice of life at Lake Chapala circa 1950. Most travel from Chapala to Ajijic or Jocotepec was done by boat, as the road through San Antonio Tlayacapan and Ajijic was a deeply rutted burro track. A boat is supposed to be waiting at the Chapala pier. But the boat never arrives, so Bedford and her traveling companion hitch a ride in a burro cart. The short stretch of Ajijic is said to be the only civilized section along the burro track, actually having cobblestones for the short stretch that should now be Ocampo. After they settle in, the order of the day seems to be playing bridge and

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gossiping with and about the other expatriates. Don Otavio’s father lost all the hacienda’s land in the Revolution, so Otavio’s passion is to get the burro track replaced with a good road around the lake, and turn the hacienda into a hotel. The “road from Chapala... was voted seventy years ago [the 1880’s]. The money was raised twenty-three times... it always vanished in some way or another. Even Otavio’s papa [a former governor of Jalisco] couldn’t do anything about it.” Bedford was a cultured, multilingual woman from Europe whose neighbor and friend was Aldous Huxley. She wrote a number of books including Huxley’s authorized biography. Bedford may have shrouded her travelogue in mystery because, she revealed later in life, she was bisexual. Her companion “E” may also have been the daughter of a former U.S. President. Bedford died at the age of 95 in 2006. Her book has been reissued several times, most recently in 2003. Today the highway passes so close to the once-famous hacienda that it can be seen from the road, but the hotel was never built. It has had several private owners since the 1970’s. To get to the Hacienda San Martin, take the main road through Jocotepec to the large intersection with MX 15 (the road around the lake) and turn left. In a couple of miles you will see a small green highway sign “San Martin” and you will see the hacienda. Still with tall, tall palm trees as Bedford described. El Informador: http://bit.ly/don-otavio A Visit to Don Otavio on Amazon.com: http://bit.ly/visitdon-otavio Kerry Watson

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ARE A RE WE WE REALLY REALLY OUT OUT OF OF IRAQ? IR RA Q ? By Kelly Hayes-Raitt

’m going back in August to find out. Iraq first captured me in February 2003, five weeks before my country captured it. I returned three months after the US-led invasion to find the Iraqis who had so deeply touched me. I wrote about my encounters for my local newspaper. That was ten years ago. In the interim, I’ve run for public office, taken a sabbatical from my political consulting career, nearly finished a book about my experiences in the Middle East with Iraqi and Palestinian refugees and addressed hundreds of audiences in seven countries about the Iraqis I’ve met. In the interim, I’ve navigated Palestinian schoolchildren through checkpoints in the West Bank (and was held at gunpoint myself), consoled mothers in Lebanese Palestinian refugee camps whose families were murdered during the 1982 war, played with Iraqi refugee kids in Damascus, and helped clean up New Orleans’ ravaged Ninth Ward, where I heard the same sentiments from Louisiana’s evacuees as I did from Syria’s Iraqi refugees: “Our families are scattered.” “Our histories are lost.” “Our lives are in limbo.” In writing about these people in “limbo,” I’ve connected with their desire to make their loss worth something, to make their new lives bigger somehow than the lives that were taken from them. As “at home” as I feel among the world’s homeless, I’m still haunted by Iraq, haunted by the shameful and deceitful profiteering from a handful of politically connected weapons contractors and the impact the invasion and occupation had – still has – on moms and dads and kids. For years, I’ve asked a friend in Baghdad if it were safe enough for me to return and he’s steadfastly put down his foot. Now, he says, it just might be. Abdullah moonlighted as a waiter at the hotel where I stayed during my first, pre-war trip. He stayed in touch with many in our group of American peace activists. During my second trip, we shared sticky chai at the Palestine Hotel, where he was the head gardener – and where he had cleaned the room in which two German photojournalists were shot and killed by US troops as they documented the tanks’ entrance into Baghdad. Five years later, Abdullah and I met again in Damascus to where he and his

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family had fled a month before my arrival. For my book, Abdullah organized a series of interviews to illustrate a day in the life of an Iraqi refugee. “It’s all lines,” he told me as we sketched out my visit to a health clinic, a pharmacy, and United Nations giveaways. Now, Abdullah is back in Baghdad and will facilitate the logistics of my return trip. “It’s all walls,” he warns me of the barriers and checkpoints erected throughout the city to separate extremist factions. I have my own personal walls to scale to make this trip in August. Logistical, financial, emotional walls. During the next few months, I’ll roll out these considerations in a monthly column I’ll post on my web site. Right now, I’m looking at the finances. I’ve budgeted $20,000. Abdullah wants me to stay at a hotel with a security guard; I want a hotel with reliable internet. Neither is a luxury; no one wants me at an internet café at 10:00 at night. Rooms in these hotels cost an eye-popping $300 US/night! For a ten-day trip, that’s $3,000 just for me and another $3,000 for Abdullah, who I don’t want traipsing home to his dicey neighborhood after a day of helping an American. (And, selfishly, I’ll feel safer with an English-speaking ally to help me if there’s a late-night emergency. During my last trip to Baghdad, the nights shook me the most – explosions that rippled through my body, sudden darkness as electricity died, late-night feelings of isolation and vulnerability…) I will stay only ten days; after that, more onerous visa requirements kick in. For example, blood samples are required – presumably to limit HIV – from longer-staying visitors. I will need to pay for a translator and a driver, costs that get inflated to incorporate the danger of assisting an American that these Iraqis face long after I’ve left the country. I’ll cover daily meals for all of us. And gasoline. Incorporated in my budget is Hostile Environment Training. Former UK soldiers train reporters, freelancers, aid workers and contractors in situational

awareness and emergency first aid. Trainers put participants through actual kidnapping scenarios by hooding them and holding a gun to their heads. I’ll be blogging at www.LivingLargeInLimbo.com/blog. Additionally, I’ll be conducting a pre-trip media tour to engage more people in the question “Are we really out of Iraq?” It’s tough. We have so much bombarding us every hour, who can keep up with the impact of a decade-old foreign policy? We might – or might not – be out of Iraq, but are Iraqis really better off now? I’m going back to Iraq to find out.

(Ed. Note: Kelly Hayes-Raitt is the award-winning author of the forthcoming journalistic memoir Living Large in Limbo: How I Found Myself Among the World’s Forgotten. She blogs at www. LivingLargeInLimbo.com. Follow her trip back to Iraq by visiting www.AreWeReallyOutOfIraq.com for more information. She will be elaborating on her trip preparations and Iraq’s current status at Open Circle on April 14 at 10:30 at LCS.) Kelly Hayes-Raitt

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MEXICO’S FRENCH PASTRY WAR By Herbert W. Piekow

n the first twenty years of Independence from Spain, Mexico averaged a President per year and in 1828 Mexico City saw four violent days as forces of Presidential candidates Manuel Gómez Pedraza and Vincente Guerrero Saldaña fought in the streets. When the dust had once more settled, Vincente Guerrero Saldaña emerged as the latest President. In the process much personal property had been destroyed by the opposing factions and among that property was a French bakery. A French pastry chef claimed his business had been destroyed by Mexican officers, of course he did not know whom the officers supported, only that they had looted and vandalized his business. I suspect they probably took his entire ready to sell croissants, fresh bread, and macaroons and possibly smashed the place up a bit to teach the arrogant Frenchman a lesson. I can say this because I am half-French and understand how easily we can overreact to imagined affronts. Anyhow, Monsieur lePâtisserie put in a claim for damages to the Mexican government for $60,000 pesos, at a time when most Mexicans earned only a peso a day. Of course the Mexican government ignored this claim, as it did most claims from private citizens. The same claim was presented by this obnoxious baker

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to the French government, who also politely ignored the claim of their former citizen. Ten years later, in 1838 the frustrated, ignored but persistent pastry shop owner petitioned the French King Louis-Phillipe, in those days, before countries had consuls, the foreign residents of one country often communicated directly with their homeland governments. The French King was interested in this insignificant claim, the French wanted to wheedle their way into Mexico and the Mexicans also owed some unpaid debt incurred during their struggle for independence. Suddenly the original $60,000 pesos claim escalated to $600,000, not including the several million dollars that Mexico had earlier borrowed in their fight for independence from Spain. Mexico refused to pay this exorbitant amount for a destroyed pastry shop, and besides the baker had since moved on. In 1838, France blockaded the entire Eastern Coast of Mexico from the Yucatan to the Rio Grande. The blockade hurt Mexico´s fragile economy because Veracruz was Mexico´s busiest seaport and the revenues from trade and travel abruptly ceased. Actually Veracruz remained Mexico´s busiest seaport until the 1950´s. The United States was interested in Mexican territory and so the US supplied several ships to aid France´s blockade. One US ship was an extremely fast armed cutter named The Woodbury, named after the United States Senator Levi Woodbury. With trade cut off the Mexicans began to smuggle supplies into Corpus Christi, Texas and back into Mexico. The Texans feared that France would also block all the Texas ports and so a battalion of men from the Republic of Texas began patrolling Corpus Christi Bay to stop the Mexican smugglers. Flour Bluff of Corpus Christi received its name because a smuggling party abandoned their cargo of one hundred barrels of flour on the beach at the mouth of the bay. Imagine all the petite gateaux, macarons, Mad-

elines and beignets those barrels of flour could have produced. A funny side note is that beignets are popular almost worldwide, in some form or other. Here in Mexico we call this fried dough mixture churros, but wherever they are fixed, the finishing touch is to roll them in a sugar cinnamon mixture before enjoying. In November of 1838 the French invaded Veracruz and overwhelmed the small Mexican Navy. The French destroyed the Mexican fortress of San Juan de Ulúa, which had guarded Veracruz since its founding, and had repelled pirates and invaders for several hundred years. Today the fortress remains are a national landmark. The 30,000 strong French forces completely destroyed Veracruz and all but annihilated the 3,000 strong Mexican forces. When the retired generalissimo Antonio López de Santa Anna heard of the destruction of Veracruz and the obliteration of San Juan de Ulúa, he rallied a small army to avenge the Mexican pride. Incredibly this was done without the support of the Mexican Government; they later paid for this expedition. Santa Ana and his troops were Mexico´s only hope in reclaiming the city. However, his army was small and the French were

entrenched in what remained of Veracruz. Half of Santa Anna´s forces were either injured or killed and Santa Anna himself suffered the loss of a leg. Despite his defeat he parlayed his amputation to become a national hero. With England´s intervention, the French left but only after Mexico agreed to pay the $600,000 pesos and the French expenses for the blockade. Nothing was mentioned about repaying the other debts. Although the French forces left on March 9, 1839, the French continued to be an influence in Mexico´s culture. Mexican bakeries sell éclairs and croissants; in Mexico we call them croissantscornos, because of their horn shape. The French or Napoleonic Judicial code is the basis of the Mexican legal system and what we sometimes think of as late colonial architecture is in fact French in design and influence. When Maximilian was Emperor of Mexico, he was supported by French forces. President Porfirio Diaz was a Francophile and his tastes were reflected in the splendid architecture and stylish furnishings that grace Mexico to this very day.

Herbert W. Piekow

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“Hand-Me-Down Female Bun-Maker” By John Ward

t transpires that I have an extraordinary type of memory called “pre-natal cognition.” I am able to remember everything about my birth and before, from the time nature put a brain into my Cranium. My first memory was seeing my bottom half, which looked like a salamander. For weeks I thought I was the progeny of some exotic tropical reptile and that I would be scurrying around with stunted legs on a rain-forest floor. I remember that this worried me a little at the time, but as the days passed and my lower limbs began to grow, I felt better about my ability to travel when I emerged. Since I was the last of fourteen children there was ample space in what was, essentially, a “hand-me-down womb.” I really enjoyed the extra space and used it to best advantage. I peed profusely and increased my amniotic fluid, drawing so much fluid from my mother that she felt obliged to quench her thirst in local bars. I remember these visits were noisy but, for some reason, I soon felt much better about myself and didn’t mind the ruckus at all. My tail, alarmingly, diminished daily. I had great plans for that tail. I was going to use it for grasping, swimming, and defense, but as I watched it grow shorter I had my first feelings of inadequacy. Still, my limbs grew and the tiny bumps on them started to turn into grasping fingers which could be independent or cupped together for swimming purposes. In addition another tail began to

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emerge, but it was on the wrong side of my body. Fortunately this mitigated my sadness at the loss of my rear tail to some degree. The days passed with me swimming as hard as I could into the walls of my womb. I would kick off from one side and backstroke to the opposite side. I exercised, because I didn’t want my new limbs to atrophy. My head was enormous and difficult to turn it or lift. I decided that not using it as much would allow it to atrophy and get smaller, so I determined not to use it much during my external life and to join whatever political party would allow me the luxury of little to no mental activity. After all, I thought, “let others do the thinking and run around trying to support their enormous heads!” Laughing about this vision was difficult in fluid, but I managed. There was one nightmare scenario that came and went on a fairly regular basis. Once I noticed a lot of motion in the walls of my womb, extra oxygen in my blood as well as a strange mixture of hormones. All of a sudden a monster, which I can only describe as a pink, baldheaded Cyclops, would enter at the bottom of my domain and then retreat as rapidly as it had come, like a Moray Eel threatening an intruder. It appeared and disappeared with pneumatic regularity for about two or three minutes and then it would spit on me. This frightened me until I realized it could not see with its one eye. Bald and blind, the monster inspired sympathy rather than fear. I looked on it as a pet after a while and

began to enjoy its visits. Unfortunately these became less and less frequent as time went by. It was a good pet except for the fact that it would drool and spit. On my mother’s birthday, I felt very strange indeed. Something coming through the tube attached to my belly made me want to get “lovey” and “fighty” at the same time. I felt very unstable and had even more trouble holding my head up, but I balled my fists and challenged all comers. Of course there were no “comers,” I was alone in there, but it made me wonder what would have happened if I had been a twin. Also, from that day on I began to refer to my belly tube as my “fun tube.” As my hearing developed there seemed to be an incessant throbbing nearby and it sounded like I was near some enormous bellows, constantly wheezing air. Before I noticed this noise I could tolerate it quite well, but the minute I noticed it, it became intolerable and I would stick my new fingers into every orifice until I found the right ones to block the sound. The disco throbbing could not be blocked out. It was so deep and pervasive that I felt it in my bones. So I lay there floating in my pee, trying to block out the sound. I have to say I did a lot of sleeping in addition to a lot of leg exercises. There were protuberances in my space that were perfect for punching and kicking and, when awake, I took full advantage of those neat playthings. One evening my amniotic bath started to drain out through the cave the moray monster used to come and go. When I saw the walls closing in on me I got a sudden attack of claustrophobia! I tried to push a hand into the leak, but it was not big enough. I needed something much bigger, something smooth and huge and round… “Wait!” I thought “My arse!” No, that was deformed, it had a split in it and the liquid would course through the split. I thought and thought as the womb started bouncing and I heard doors slamming and a wailing sound above all the other noise. Then it hit me! My big,

stupid head! Finally I had a use for it. I flipped and stuck my head down into the leak and voila’ - it stopped. However the rest of the womb started to push me deeper into the hole. I tried to say “I’ll pee more – don’t push me in any further!” but that womb wouldn’t listen. It continued to scruntch me deeper and deeper. Luckily the walls of the Moray’s tunnel were smooth and soft on my face as my head went deeper. I started to panic, thinking what I might find in the eel’s lair and what would happen to me once I arrived. I saw an opening up ahead and thought “this must be the entrance to the lair.” I heard new noises. There was beeping, yelling, and cursing. Someone yelled “push” and then there was so much light I had to shut my eyes tightly. The eel’s lair was bright! Someone stuck something up my nose and sucked all the warm goo out as someone else grabbed my “fun tube” and started cutting it!!! As frightened as I was I resolved to “play possum.” I kept my mouth shut and my eyes closed. Suddenly another hand grabbed me by my ankles and beat hell out of my deformed, split arse. I couldn’t keep quiet anymore I shouted “Stop!” Somehow it sounded a lot like that wailing sound I’d heard earlier. I tried again: “Stop hitting me oh great God of Eels!” But just more of that stupid sound came out. Somebody started washing me off in nice warm water and then I was dumped onto the belly and breast of some enormous beast. I heard cooing noises and people saying “It’s a boy!” I wondered – “what the heck is a boy?” However I was so relieved to be out of the Moray Eel tunnel that his weird, cooler den seemed not to be so bad after all. I decided not to try and say anything anymore, at least until I could figure out how to work my “sayer.” This is a true story! John Ward

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FRONT ROW CENTER By Michael Warren The Drowsy Chaperone Directed by Dave McIntosh Choreographed by Barbara Clippinger Musical Director Judy Hendrick

he Drowsy Chaperone began as a spoof of old musicals created in 1997 by Don McKellar, Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison for the stag party in Toronto of Bob Martin and Janet Van De Graaff. Later “Man in Chair” was added, and the skit became a full-length musical which went on tour and opened on Broadway in 2006. It’s a lot of fun for both audience and actors who can really ham it up and display a full range of musical and comedic talent. At the beginning we meet Man in Chair, a slightly sad aficionado of old musicals who cheers himself up by playing a recording of The Drowsy Chaperone, a fictional musical comedy of the 1920’s. Rob Stupple is brilliantly misanthropic in the part, and his wry and amusing comments carry us safely through the crazy show that comes to life on stage. Artfully staged by Dave McIntosh with great comic timing, I enjoyed the whole wacky thing and it’s hard to pick out highlights. Betty Lloyd Robinson is wonderful as the forgetful “Mrs Tottendale” and she has a hilarious double act routine with Pat Carroll as her butler “Underling.” Kevin O’Byrne plays the bridegroom “Robert Martin” with considerable style, and later manages the song “An Accident Waiting To Happen” on roller-skates and wearing a blindfold. Fortunately he doesn’t fall off the stage! I also enjoyed Don DeCarl as the impresario “Feldzieg” and Heather Hunter as his ditsy girlfriend “Kitty.” Don Wilson was great as “George” the best man with all the worries of organizing the wedding, and Greg Clarke and Russell Mack did their Two Stooges thing as gangsters pretending to be pastry cooks. The funniest moment came at the beginning of the second act, after Man in Chair puts on a new record and leaves to go to the toilet. Immediately a scene appears on stage, set in an Oriental palace with characters in Chinese costume

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and the chaperone in a hoop-skirted dress. Then Man In Chair returns and apologizes for his mistake – he put on the wrong record, that was The Enchanted Nightingale, a silly piece of chinoiserie from the same period. Oops, and on with the show! Although the entire cast was excellent, Patteye Simpson as the drowsy (and slightly tipsy) chaperone, and Alexis Hoff as the career-minded bride were simply delightful. And Patrick DuMouchel stole the show as the latin lover “Aldolpho” – also the tongue-twisting Oriental emperor. We are lucky to have such talent in this town. I should also mention firsttimer Wendy Petersen as the intrepid “Aviatrix,” and the always reliable Ray Himmelman who comes on at the end with a flashlight as the Superintendent to fix the breaker switches when the power fails. The music was pleasant and entertaining and we had the pleasure of a live “Hot Stuff ” band directed by Judy Hendrick. Also Flemming Halby was Assistant Choreographer and Music Conductor. Some of the numbers were good to watch with clever lyrics, particularly “Toledo Surprise”, “Bride’s Lament” and “As We Stumble Along”. A show like this takes a lot of talent and hard work, and I’m sorry I don’t have space to mention everyone who made a contribution. Congratulations to Dave McIntosh for creating such a slick and professional production – Win McIntosh was Stage Manager, Leslie DeCarl was Assistant Stage Manager and Donna Hogan was Production Assistant. This will be a tough act to follow – good luck to the last play of the season Not Now Darling, a Ray Cooney farce directed by Shirley Appelbaum, opening on March 23rd. Michael Warren

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WHAT MEMORY? By Sunny Glessner

sn’t everyone challenged somehow today? My challenge is my memory. I can remember my name but maybe not yours. Seriously. And I do mean seriously. We all know about using lists. Well, I’ve done that for years including my bucket list, but now I forget to take the list with me or can’t decipher what I’ve written. So much for lists. It’s quite embarrassing to talk to friends after time has passed and not remember whether their mom is still alive. If she is, I want to know how she’s doing, but not be reminded that she passed away two years ago. It’s also embarrassing when Los Angeles friends call from the restaurant in Malibu where you’ve agreed to meet and you’re still at home. Just a couple of examples of how we lose our personal dignity. Although dementia is seldom genetic, our odds increase as we get older. Trust me, we aren’t like cheeses and don’t get better as we age. About 35 out of 100 people have some form of dementia by age 85. Small comfort while we’re still compos mentis but are aware we’re on a downward spiral. And why don’t we forget the bad things that have happened and remember only the good? Instead, we can end up in a

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fugue. I’m sure glad I did my memoirs while I still had some recall. I only wished I’d started earlier when both my parents and I had better recollections. Now I don’t trust what my dad says on the rare occasion when he does reminisce while I consider sodium pentothal for myself to get the truth. What do you think? After whining for two or more years (I forget how many), my doctor finally referred me to a research study for a drug meant to arrest memory loss. The first step was to fill out a questionnaire six pages long, and it was hopeless from the start. If I remembered all that stuff, I wouldn’t need the drug. Then, after an EEG and MRI came the CDG (coup de gras)—I didn’t qualify because my memory was too good. Guess I shouldn’t have tried so hard on the two-hour oral exam, but I do get competitive. The doctor was happy to give me the good news and I guess it was. I return next year for more tests. One benefit to admitting this weakness is that it gives others permission to admit theirs. And it’s also comforting to know I have so much company. I’ve also shrunk over two inches in height. Wait, that’s a different rant. One of the weird things happening to me is that, although I can’t remember a particular word, sometimes I come up with words I haven’t used in years, if ever. Like the other day, I used the word “inadvertently.” I mean, how many times have you used that word in conversation? There’s no way to know how quickly the condition will progress. Consequently, I’m taking no chances. I just have to find that bucket list so I can remember to complete everything on it! Sunny Glessner

Dear Sir: I would like to extend my compliments for your publication which is of higher quality than any similar publication I have ever seen. Your covers are magnificent and your articles are very readable. I do have a serious reservation. The bulk of your readers are American and Canadian and they are, on the whole, far above average in education and intelligence. Many of your articles that relate to these countries are not as sophisticated as they might appear at first light. Much better literature on our homelands is easily available on line. What I find lacking is a serious effort to inform and interpret our host country. As a snow bird with very rudimentary Spanish, I am at a loss to know what is going on in this country at the local, state and federal levels. I read the Guadalajara Reporter but it is not very informative. I think you have a very important pipeline for increasing understanding of the land we have chosen

to make our permanent (or temporary) home and we, as visitors, have an obligation to be informed about Mexico. I hope we can see more of the real Mexico in future editions, not just on the cover. Thank you. Frank Prothero. fprothero@rogers.com Our Editor Replies: Thanks for your kind and thoughtful letter. Re the dearth of news about Mexico, Canada and the United States, we are not a newspaper, but rather a literary (hopefully!) magazine. There is an excellent English-language newspaper out of Mexico City that can be bought at both the bookstore and the market at Bugambillas Plaza in Ajijic. We will, however, keep in mind the points you have mentioned. We appreciate your interest in the El Ojo del Lago.

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The Poets’ Niche By Mark Sconce msconce@gmail.com Boris Pasternak (1890-1960) Those who managed to tear their eyes away from Julie Christie long enough to pay attention to character development probably noticed that Zhivago was not only a doctor but a poet, too. And let’s not forget that when Pasternak won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958 for Doctor Zhivago, the Nobel committee first noted “…his outstanding achievements in verse.” Those achievements are most appreciated in his native Russia, of course, where public poetry recitals can attract thousands of listeners. But translating Pasternak’s poetry into English has been devilishly difficult. Until now… I hold in my hands an inscribed volume published last year titled My Sister Life and The Zhivago Poems. These Pasternak poems are rendered convincingly by my friend, a gifted translator, Professor Emeritus James E. Falen, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He’s captured the rhythm and much of the rhyme or near rhyme that characterize Pasternak’s lyric poems. Jim modestly hopes that “…the ghost of the Russian poetry may be fleetingly glimpsed, a distant echo heard.” But before listening and glimpsing, let us recall for our younger readers exactly what happened when the Nobel Prize was announced. Boris sent a telegram to the Swedish Academy: “Infinitely grateful, touched, proud, surprised, overwhelmed.” But the Communist Party was not amused because Doctor Zhivago was published in the West and was viewed as critical of the Soviet system. The KGB knocked loud on Pasternak’s dacha door. He was threatened with arrest, and the agent also vowed to send his beloved mistress to the gulag (forced labor camp). And if Pasternak traveled to Stockholm to accept his Nobel Medal, he would be refused re-entry to the Soviet Union. Thereupon, Pasternak sent a second telegram to the Nobel Committee: “In view of the meaning given the award by the society in which I live, I must renounce this undeserved distinction which has been conferred on me. Please do not take my voluntary renunciation amiss.” By reply, the Swedish Academy announced: “This refusal, of course, in no way alters the validity of the award.” It was a shameful and embarrassing episode in the annals of Soviet Communism, and the government lost both face and prestige in international affairs. Pasternak regained his reputation, and Doctor Zhivago was finally published in Russia and the movie was finally seen. But enough! Let’s return now to the famous ice palace with Omar Sharif and Julie Christie. Strike up Lara’s Theme on the balalaika and pass the vodka! It snowed and snowed throughout the land/On every road and turning. A candle on a table burned /A candle burning. The way in summer midges swarm/To fly toward the flame, The snowflakes flew against the door/And round the window frame. The blizzard sculpted on the glass/Soft arrow shapes and circles. A candle on a table burned/A candle burning. And in the room the shadows lay/Across the lighted ceiling, Concrescences of arms and legs/Entangled fates and feelings. And from the bed two slender shoes/Slid off and clattered down. The night lamp shed its waxen tears/Upon a scattered gown. And all was swallowed in the mist/The white and snowy murk. A candle on a table burned/A candle burning. And from the corner came a draft/And longing raised aloft Two wings that, like an angel, cast/The shadow of a cross. It snowed that year the whole month long/ On every road and turning. And all that time a candle burned/A candle burning. Poetry It’s a whistle that howls in the veins, It’s the crackle of ice under pressure, It’s the leaf-chilling night in the rain, It’s two nightingales dueling together. It’s the sweet pea all choked in the fields. . . Mark Sconce

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THE GHOSTS AMONG US By Fred Mittag

“Seductress of Minds and Bodies”

yn Rand’s sex life was consistent with her political philosophy. She sought only selfish gratification. She called her inner circle the “Collective,” an odd name. She was from Russia and preached rugged individualism, perhaps in reaction to the Communist Revolution – but in reality she demanded collective obedience. She qualified as a cult leader: (a) she was venerated like a saint by her followers, (b) her followers believed everything she said, and (c) sexual exploitation is characteristic of cult leaders. Rand seduced Nathan Branden when he was 25 and she was about to turn 50. Typical of cult behavior, Ayn Rand called a meeting with Nathan, his wife Barbara (also a Collective member), and Rand’s husband, Frank. Rand announced to Nathan’s wife Barbara and to her own husband Frank that they would have a structured relationship, with Ayn Rand and Nathan spending one afternoon and evening a week together for love and sex. All agreed, since disagreement with Rand was verboten. By 1964, Nathan was 34 and had grown tired of Ayn Rand, who was now 59. He was afraid to end his affair with her, but began sleeping with 24-yearold Patrecia Scott. Rand found out, and called Nathan before the Collective. She humiliated him and put a curse on

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Ayn Rand him: “If you have one ounce of morality left in you, you’ll be impotent for the next 20 years! Rand slapped Nathan across the face, fiercely – two times. Rand also expelled Barbara from the Collective, declaring her to be treasonous, because she didn’t alert Rand about Nathan’s affair with Patrecia. Nathan, now fearful that he might be assassinated by other members of the Collective, moved from New York to Los Angeles. In her books, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, the heroes are about as simplistic as comic book heroes. The difference is that unlike Hopalong Cassidy and Batman, Rand made egotism and selfishness heroic, and compassion for others a detestable weakness. Gore Vidal wrote in 1961 that “Ayn Rand’s ‘philosophy’ is nearly perfect in its immorality.” Rand was a believer in free markets with no government regulation: No government except the police, courts of law, and the armed services. No regulation of anything by any government. No Medicare, no Social Security, no public schools, and no public hos-

pitals. Just rugged individuals looking out for their own greedy self-interests, struggling to get rich, and not asking for help or giving help to anyone. Alan Greenspan was a member of Ayn Rand’s Collective, and as Chairman of the Federal Reserve, his policies are largely blamed for the Meltdown of 2008. US senators and Justice Clarence Thomas praise Rand. Rush Limbaugh called her “brilliant.” Glenn Beck wants to build a Utopia based on Rand’s philosophy. Ronald Reagan praised her. Congressman Paul Ryan, former vice presidential candidate, is Chairman of the House Budget Committee. Ayn Rand inspires his budget. For example, his quest to get rid of Medicare. This gained the attention of Mitt Romney, who embraces Rand’s belief that there are only producers and “moochers.” Remember his 47% speech? “I’ll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.” It’s a classic Ayn Rand statement. Ryan has spoken to the Atlas Society (named after Rand’s book) and told them of his devotion to her. He says Rand was the reason he got into public service. Ryan said that he gives out Rand’s books as Christmas presents and requires his staff and interns

to read her work. Ryan ridicules Social Security as a “collectivist system.” His earlier budget gutted a whole host of support programs for the middle and lower classes. He planned to use the savings to finance more tax cuts for the rich. Ayn Rand loathed altruism and helping others, and Paul Ryan reflects that. Ryan told the Atlas Society, “The fight we are in here, make no mistake about it, is a fight of individualism versus collectivism.” Rand’s ideas have been dismissed by philosophers. Her economic ideas have been refuted by academic economists. And finally, the moral aspects of her philosophy have been rejected by the United Methodist Church. And remember the “Nuns On A Bus” who protested Ryan’s budget? They said, “We don’t like Paul Ryan’s idea of Catholic values.” But the Tea Party loves her. And Ryan’s budget, based on selfish greed run amok, passed the House 235 to 193. Only four Republicans voted against it. Ayn Rand’s ghost remains among us in the form of a malignancy growing on human compassion and decency. Fred Mittag

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The Ojo Crossword

ACROSS 1 “Remember the__” 6 Gorilla 9 Manner 13 First course 14 Not max 15 Active 16 Wrathful 17 Picnic pest 18 Crack 19 Accent mark 20 N. Canadian dweller 22 __you! (attention getter) 23 Head motion 24 United Parcel Service 25 Weed in a wheat field 27 Sword 29 Madman 33 Ripen 34 New Jersey´s neighbor 35 Pig food 36 Quickly 39 Wrestling mat 40 Inside tree 41 Confine 42 Legend 43 Sea eagle 44 Asphalt origin 46 Extraordinary power 49 South American nation 50 Away 51 Hit 53 College football conference (abbr.) 56 Bound

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58 Very large truck 59 Finds__” 61 “blind as a __” 62 Cop car topper 63 Singing parts 64 Wig 65 Nitwit 66 Grating sound 67 Hoopla 68 Bingo DOWN 1 From Asia 2 Very slow (musical terms) 3 Genus Alauda 4 Spouse 5 Poem of praise 6 Store 7 Noise 8 Qualified to something 9 Fire remains 10 Western state 11 Ascend 12 Military unit 15 Nut 20 Dueling sword 21 Disfigure 24 Advise 26 Relieving 28 Substitute 30 Tender loving care 31 Promissory note 32 Hertz 34 24 hours 36 Loose gown worn at mass 37 Luau dish 38 Skit 39 Partial shadow 40 Order 42 Lotion brand 43 Flightless birds 45 What heated cheese does 47 European peninsula Spain´s peninsula 48 Appear (2 wds.) 50 Surpass 52 Horse 53 Far away 54 Syllables used in songs (2 wds.) 55 Carves 57 Data transmission rate 58 Flank 60 Sever 62 Bro. or sis.

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El Ojo del Lago / April 2013

The

LAKE CHAPALA SOCIETY

News Hello New Board Members! TREASURER Michael R. Searles is a graduate of George Washington University with a BA in Economics and an MBA in Accounting. His career included positions with General Electric, Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co., South Texas Drilling & Exploration, and several financial management positions with Pepsi Cola. In 1986 Michael left Pepsi and purchased the Boston franchise rights for Mail Boxes Etc. Over the ensuing 25 years, Michael and his partners expanded the franchise throughout most of New England. He retired in 2011. Michael served on our Audit and Advisory Committee (AAC) in last year and is eager to make progress based upon the AAC report! He and his wife Deirdre are relatively recent arrivals in Ajijic, having moved from Boston, in April of 2012.

DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE Ernest G. Gabbard holds several degrees, including a Juris Doctorate (law) degree, and has had many years of legal and contract management experience. He recently retired as Executive Director for Allegheny Technologies Inc., in Pittsburgh where he had responsibility for nearly $4 billion in global contracting. He also held senior positions with Hughes Aircraft, Litton Industries, and as contracting officer with the federal government. As a specialist in contract law, he has extensive international experience conducting transactions in 39 countries, and living for more than 14 years in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. He taught at California State University and University of California. Ernest is currently on the Board of Advisors for Supply Management at Duquesne University. ---------Lois Cugini, Aurora Michel Galindo, Cate Howell, and Wallace Mills were all re-elected. Fred Harland was elected as Memberat-Large, and Ben White was elected Vice-President.

April 2013 Volunteer Recognition Luncheon

Thank you for the wonderful turn out at our annual Volunteer Recognition Luncheon. This is a day when LCS shows its appreciation to all of the volunteers who make LCS a success. This year featured special prizes, a trivia contest and a special recognition. Congratulations to Connie Jolly for winning the trivia contest! Special recognition was given to Mary Alice Sargent. Mary Alice will soon be returning to the U.S., after almost 20 years Lakeside. She volunteered at LCS for almost the entire time that she has been here. She served on the board for 18 years, managed the Wilkes Education Center and our Student Aid program. Most recently she acted as Volunteer Coordinator. Mary Alice served as LCS President, has been working the service desk for years and is an LCS Life Member (Life Membership is an honor bestowed by the LCS board recognizing the significance of a persons contributions to the Society). The down side to recognizing Mary Alice was that she was ill and could not attend. Nevertheless, Mary Alice, here is to you! Thank you for your years of dedication, support and endless work. Good luck to your future in the northeast, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll miss the weather here :-) Before Mary Alice leaves for good, we will be holding a good bye send off in her honor. In next months newsletter a feature article and information about her going away party will be published. Finally, a volunteer survey has been sent out. Response has been good, but additional surveys are still desired. Please take the time to fill one out (ask at the service office or check your email) and turn it into the service office ASAP. Surveys allow LCS to measure its progress and relevance, your input is very helpful!

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LCS LEARNING SEMINARS

FILM AFICIONADOS

(via TED Internet podcast) In the Sala Tuesdays at Noon *BRING YOUR LCS MEMBERSHIP CARD*

Thursdays All films in the Sala No dogs *BRING YOUR LCS MEMBERSHIP CARD*

April 2 Chaired by Fred Harland Alice Dreger asks, “Is anatomy destiny?” Dreger works with people at the edge of anatomy such as conjoined twins and inter sexed people. In her observation, there’s often a fuzzy line between the anatomical distinctions we normally make, such as between male and female-which brings up a huge question: why do we let our anatomy determine our fate? Why not change minds instead of bodies? Alice Dreger is a professor of clinical medical humanities and bioethics at the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University in Chicago. She studies history and anatomy and acts as a patient advocate. She describes her focus as, “social justice work in medicine and science,” through research, writing, speaking and advocacy.

April - 4 Noon Wolfsburg Germany 2003 It starts with a hit-and-run accident and a mother’s search for justice. Director Christian Petzold’s approach to the storyline is a unique distillation of the normal Hollywood plot development, but with a delicate focus on character conflicts, both internal and in the real world.

April 9 Chaired by Ron Mullenaux Dan Gilbert: “The Surprising Science of Happiness.” Gilbert, author of “Stumbling on Happiness,” challenges the idea that we’ll be miserable if we don’t get what we want. Our “psychological immune system” lets us feel truly happy even when things don’t go as planned. April 16 Chaired by Fred Harland. When game designer Jane McGonigal found herself bedridden and suicidal following a severe concussion, she had a fascinating idea for getting better. She dove into the scientific research and created the healing game, SuperBetter. “The game that can give you 10 extra years of life”. In this moving talk, McGonigal explains how a game can boost resilience -- and promises that if you watch her presentation she’ll add 7.5 minutes to your life. Reality is broken, says Jane McGonigal, and we need to make it work more like a game.

11 April 11 - 2 pm The Perks of Being a Wallflower USA 2012 “You can get by with a little help from your friends.” So said the Beatles. This multi-award winning film is funny, nostalgic, witty and wise. You’ll remember that “growing up is hard to do.” 18 April - Noon The Grocer’s Son (Le Fils de L’Epicer) France 2007 Ten years ago Antoine left his French mountain village for the big city. Now, a family tragedy brings him back to his roots. For the scenery alone one could call this a “Symphony on a French Mountain Air-” if D’Indy would allow it. 25 April - 2 pm A Simple Life China 2012 Ah Tao has worked as an amah (servant) for the Leung family in Hong Kong for six decades. Of the family, only Roger is left. Ah Tao has a stroke and wants to quit her job and move to a nursing home. Roger, out of loyalty, decides to help find the best place for her. If ever a movie had a perfect title, it’s this one.

TED PHILOSOPHY DISCUSSION GROUP The discussion group exploring the TED philosophy lectures continues to meet in the Gazebo between 10:45 and 11:45 am on Wednesdays. Last meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 24th.

"THE HOOKED CROSS" A presentation on the history of the hooked cross by Arnold Smith. Friday, April 5, in the LCS Sala from 12 pm to-2:00. Open to LCS members only.

www.lakechapalasociety.com

El Ojo del Lago / April 2013

LCS SINGLES APRIL ADVENTURES Friday, April 12 - Picnic on the Malecon – Jocotepec We’ll start at 11 am and end when everybody’s had their fill of food, fun and games! Hamburgers and hot dogs are on the menu. Bring a side dish, salad or dessert if you’d like. More details coming soon! Wednesday, April 17 - Social Hour at Mel’s Diner This is a monthly event, on the third Wednesday every month starting at 5 pm. Come see your friends, have a drink or a snack or a meal – Francine’s staying open late just for us. Mel’s Diner is in the hotel right on the Ajijic square, corner of Ocampo & Hidalgo. Future dates will be May 15 and June 19.

VIDEO LIBRARY

March Activities

New Additions

*Open to the Public ** US Citizens (S) Sign in Required CRUZ ROJA* Cruz Roja Sales Table Mon-Fri 10-1 pm Cruz Roja Monthly Meeting 2nd Wed 2-4 pm HEALTH INSURANCE * Blue Angel Insurance Thur 10:30-1 pm Health Benefits Thur 10-12 pm IMSS & Immigration Services Mon+Tue 10-1 pm Met Life Insurance Tue+TH 11-2 pm TioCorp Company Fri 10-1 pm HEALTH & LEGAL SERVICES * Becerra Immigration Fri 10:30-12:30 pm Blood Pressure Mon+Fri 10-12 pm Diabetes Screenings 2nd+3rd Fri 10-12 pm Hearing Services Mon+2nd + 4th Sat 11-3 (Sign in) Information Desk Mon-Sat 10-2 pm Loridans, Marquez & Assoc Tue 10-12 pm Optometrist Thu 9-3 pm (Sign in) Skin Cancer Screening 2nd 4th Wed 10-12 pm (Sign in) US Consulate ** 1st Wed 10-12:30 pm (Sign in) LCS Patio & Sales Table Mon-Sat 10-1 pm LESSONS Children’s Art* Sat 10-12 pm Exercise Mon+Wed+Fri 9-10 pm Intermediate Hatha Yoga Tue+Thu 2-3:30, SAT 1-2:30 pm Line Dancing Tue+Thu 10-11:15 pm LIBRARIES Audio Thu 10-12 pm Book & Video Mon-Sat 10-2 pm Library of Congress Talking Books** Thu 10-12 pm Wilkes Mon-Fri 9:30-1:30, Sat 9:30-1 pm SOCIAL ACTIVITIES Beginners Digital Camera Wed 12-1 pm Beginners iPad Wed 1-2:30 pm E-mail reg. req. Bridge 4 Fun Mon+Wed 1-4:30 pm Conversaciones en Espanol Mon 10-12:00 pm Grammar req. Digital Camera Club Wed 10:30-11:50 am Discussion Group Wed 12-1:30 pm Everyday Mindfulness Mon 10:30-12 pm Film Aficionados 1st & 3rd Thu 12-2 pm Card Film Aficionados 2nd,4th, Last Thu 2-4 pm Card Genealogy Last Mon 2-4 pm iStuff Discussion Group Fri 9:30-10:30 am Learning Seminars Tue 12-1:30 pm Mac OS 1st Mon 12-1:30 pm Mac User 3rd Wed 3-4:30 pm Mah-Jonng Fri 10-2 pm Music Jam* Wed 2-4 pm Needle Pushers Tue 10-11:45 am Scrabble Mon+Fri 12-2 pm Singing For The Brain Mon 2-3 pm TED Philosophy Discussion Wed 10:45-11:45 am Tournament Scrabble Tue 12-2 pm Windows Computer Group Fri 10:30-11:45 am SERVICE & SUPPORT GROUPS * AL-Anon Step Study Mon 4:30-5:30 pm Gamblers Anonymous Wed 11-1 pm Green Group 1st Tue 3-4:30 pm Lakeside AA Mon+Thu 4:30-6 pm MS Support Group 3rd Wed 3-4 pm Niños de Chapala & Ajijic Fri 10-1 pm Open Circle Sun 10-12:15 pm SMART Recovery Wed 2:30-4 pm Trees Without Roots Tue 12:30-2 pm TICKET SALES

Mon-Fri 10-12 pm *

HOPE SPRINGS Ref # D6098 After thirty years of marriage, a middle-aged couple attends an intense, week-long counseling session to work on their relationship. Meryl Streep Tommy Lee Jones Comedy/Drama/Romance LUST CAUTION Ref # D6099 (Foreign) An espionage thriller set in WWII-era Shanghai, in which a young woman, Wang Jiazhi, gets swept up in a dangerous game of emotional intrigue with a powerful political figure, Mr. Yee. Tony Leung Chai Wai Mandarin soundtrack ENG CC/FR/SP subtitles SEVEN YEAR ITCH (1955) Ref # D6100 When his family goes away for the summer, a so far faithful husband is tempted by a beautiful neighbor. Marilyn Monroe Tom Ewell Comedy Requested by Rosemary Dineen TED Ref # D6101 As the result of a childhood wish, John Bennett's teddy bear, Ted, came to life and has been by John's side ever since - a friendship that's tested when Lori, John's girlfriend of four years, wants more from their relationship. Mark Wahlberg Mila Kunis Rated R Very Funny SKYFALL 007 Ref # D6102 Bond's loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. Whilst MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost. Two Oscars Daniel Craig Javier Bardem THE SHOOTING PARTY (1985) Ref # D6103 While Europe stands on the brink of a World War in Autumn 1913, Sir Randolph Nettleby hosts a weekend of shooting on his estate for European aristocrats. BBC Production James Mason Edward Fox Drama/Romance THE RICHES Ref # D6104-D6109 TV Series Wayne and Dahlia Malloy spent their youth pulling cons with a band of modern Irish travelers (gypsies) roaming about the US. Now years later, Wayne hits a spiritual and mid-life crisis and begins to question their lifestyle just as his wife, newly sprung from prison, rejoins the family. They decide to settle down in suburbia where they battle to live a normal life while trying to escape their former friends. Minnie Driver Eddie Izzard From the San Francisco Chronicle: “There is a dizzying array of strange and wonderful dramatic themes and virtuoso performances.” "The Riches" is both unique and intoxicating -- and much more.

COURIERS NEEDED Don’t forget to take the mail, members appreciate it! All LCS libraries need your continued support to bring videos and books from north of the border. We always need U.S. postage stamps. If you can courier for us, contact us at: library@lakechapalasociety.com - Thanks!

Saw you in the Ojo 63

NEEDLE PUSHERS AT IT AGAIN

BEGINNERS: IPAD CLASSES START APRIL 24TH The next available session of iPad for Beginner’s classes will start on Wednesday April 24. iPod Touch and iPhone users may also attend. If you wish to register you must send an e-mail to lcsipadclasses@gmail.com. You must be a paid up member of LCS to register. The LCS service desk cannot register you, nor can you register by phone. You will also need to obtain the password for the LCS WiFi from the LCS office. Classes will be in the Sala between 1 pm and 2:15 pm on Wednesdays: April 24, May 1, May 8 and May 15. Topics covered in these sessions will include connecting to the Internet, sending and receiving e-mail, connecting to the Apple store and downloading apps, downloading and reading e-books, music and other media, taking and e-mailing photos, setting up folders, basic word processing functions, and travelling with your iPad. Participants will be asked for suggestions on additional topics they would like to be covered. Please note this is a beginner’s class. If you have more iPad/, iPod Touch/iPhone experience, consider attending the iStuff classes that meet every Friday in the Sala between 9:30 and 10:30 am.

Needle Pushers just completed its most recent dress and vest distribution to the children at the Jesus Gonzalez Gallo primary school in Chapala. We distributed 100 dresses and 28 boys vests. Originated by Neill James, Needle Pushers ladies have been crocheting and knitting sweaters and sewing dresses for needy children throughout the Lakeside and nearby mountain communities for more than a half century. Needle Pushers meet at LCS Tuesdays from 10 am to noon. Donations of yarn, fabric and sewing supplies are always needed, and more Needle Pushers are always welcome.

DON’T FORGET THE CASI NUEVO THRIFT SHOP The Casi Nuevo Thrift Shop helps support three important charities in our community: • School for the Deaf in Jocotepec • Have Hammers… Will Travel • The LCS Community Education Program Drop off items at our store or use the drop box at LCS. If you need assistance with bulky donations, we’ll pick up larger items at no charge. Please e-mail Jacqueline Smith at smithjacqueline55@ gmail.com. or call us at 766-1303. Look for us at the corner with the red door across from the 7-Eleven in Riberas del Pilar.

Looking for Qualified Workers? Long and short term workers are available for any kind of job in the Lakeside area. Contact elbelgicano.com to access the free database of almost 1,200 job seekers.

THE LAKE CHAPALA SOCIETY, A.C. 16 de Septiembre #16-A, Ajijic, Jalisco LCS Main Office: (376) 766-1140 Office, information and other services - Monday – Saturday, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Grounds open until 5:00 pm

LCS BOARD OF DIRECTORS President - Howard Feldstein (2014); Vice-President - Ben White (2015); Treasurer - Michael Searles (2015); Secretary - John Rider (2014); Directors: Karen Blue (2014); Lois Cugini (2015); Earnest Gabbard (2015); Aurora Michel Galindo (2015); Fred Harland (2015); Cate Howell (2015); Ann D. Houck (2014); Wallace Mills (2015); Executive Director - Terry Vidal The LCS Newsletter is published monthly. Deadline for submissions is the 17th of the month preceding publication. News items may be e-mailed to Reba Mayo rebaelizabethhill@yahoo.com; cc to Terry Vidal tqv56431@yahoo.com Note: The editorial staff reserves the right to edit all submissions according to time, space availability and editorial decision.

El Ojo del Lago / April 2013

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Service

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* ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS - ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS Tel: 766-5961

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* ANIMAL CLINICS/PET SHOP - ANIMAL SHELTER, A.C. Tel: 765-5514 - CLINICA VETERINARIA SAN ANTONIO Tel: 766-0808 - DEE’S PET HOTEL Tel: 762-1646 - MASKOTA’S LAKE Tel: 766-0287 - PET FOOD AND GROOMING Tel: 766-3062

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- CASA DE LAS FLORES Tel: 766-5493 - CASA DEL SOL Tel: 766-0050 - CASA TRES LEONES Cell: (045) 331-350-6764

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- HUNTER DOUGLAS Tel: 766-0026 - QUICK BLINDS Tel: 765-5067

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*BAZAR Pag: 56

* BEAUTY Pag: 64 Pag: 14

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- CRISANTEMO ROJO Tel: 766-4030

- ISHOPNMAIL

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* FUMIGATION Pag: 25 - FUMIGA Tel: 766-6057, Cell: (045) 333-391-3215

Pag: 48

* FURNITURE Pag: 40

* COMMUNICATIONS

* HEARING AIDS - LAKESIDE HEARING SERVICES Cell. (045) 33-1511-4088

Pag: 63

- ADOBE WALLS INN Tel: 766-1296 - ESTRELLITA’S INN Tel: 766-0917 - LA NUEVA POSADA Tel: 766-1444, Fax: 766-2049 - HOTEL PERICO Cell: 333-142-0012 - QUINTA DON JOSE Tel: 01-800-700-2223 - VILLAS DEL SOL Tel: 766-1152

Pag: 11 Pag: 60 Pag: 03 Pag: 14 Pag: 25 Pag: 62

- BLUE ANGEL Tel: 766-0547 Pag: 20 - EDGAR CEDEÑO - MEXICO PROTECT Cell: (045) 33-3106-6982 Pag: 16 - PARKER INSURANCE SERVICES Cell: (33) 3809-7116 Pag: 57 - PROTEXPLAN U.S. Toll Free 1-800-608-5743 Mexico Toll Free 01-800-681-6730 Pag: 48 - RACHEL’S INSURANCE Tel/Fax: 765-4316 Pag: 24 - SKYMED Tel: 766-0096 Pag: 45 - TIOCORP Tel: 766-3978, 766-4828 Pag: 21, 27

INVESTMENTS/NEWSLETTERS

- TEMPUR, MATTRESS AND PILLOWS Tel: (52) 333-629-5919, (52) 33 3611-3049 Pag: 21

* GARAGE DOORS OPENERS

- PRECIOUS METALS WARRANTS THE GREEDY GURU

Pag: 13

* LEGAL SERVICES

Pag: 13 - AUTOMATIC GARAGE DOOR OPENERS Tel: 766-4973 Pag: 20

* CONSTRUCTION

- LAW OFFICE RINCON SALAS & CO Tel: 766-4714, 766-4813

Pag: 55

* LIGHTING - ARELLANO CORPORATION GROUP Tel: 766-4696, Cell: 333-954-1264 Pag: 36, 37 - ARQ. GUSTAVO RIVERA MENDOZA Tel: (044) 333 952 6475 Pag: 47 - ARQ. ROBERTO MILLÁN Tel: 766-3771 Pag: 40 - ARQ. RICARDO ALDRETE Tel: 01-800-005-2272, 333-808-8912 Pag: 51 - CABO DO MUNDO- INTERIOR DESIGN Tel: 766-0026 Pag: 50 - DITO HUBER Cell: 044 331 519 3094 Pag: 44 - RELIABLE CONSTRUCTION SERVICES Tel: 766-4482, Cell: 333-821-8519 Pag: 18 - WARWICK CONSTRUCTION Tel: 765-2224 Cell. (045) 331-135-0763 Pag: 64

Pag: 52

* GARDENING - GARDEN CENTER Tel: 765-5973 - L & R WATER GARDENS Tel: 766-4386

- QUICK BLINDS Tel: 765-5067

* MALL / MARKET Pag: 40

- CENTRO LAGUNA Tel: (376) 766-5514 - FRIDAY ARTISANS MARKET - MONDAY MARKET

* GRILLS - NAPOLEON Tel: 766-6153

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El Ojo del Lago / April 2013

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* MEAT/POULTRY/CHEESE * HARDWARE STORES - FERRETERIA Y TLAPALERIA GALVEZ Tel: 766-0880, Fax: 766-2440 Pag: 70 - REAL ORTEGA & SONS-Hardware for Carpenters Tel: 765-7556, 765-2404 Pag: 49

* HEALTH - AJIJIC DENTAL Tel: 766-3682 - C.D. MARÍA LUISA LUIS VILLA

Pag: 41

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* DENTISTS

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- SKYFITNESS Tel: 766-1379

* CHIROPRACTIC

Pag: 45

* INSURANCE

Pag: 11

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* FLOWER SHOP Pag: 03

Tel: 766-0920 - MAR D’CAM Tel: 766-0087

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* BOUTIQUE / CLOTHING STORES - CUGINIS OPUS BOUTIQUE Tel/Fax: 766-1790 - FIAGA BOUTIQUE Tel: 766-1816 - LA BELLA VIDA Tel: 766-5131 - MI MEXICO Tel: 766-0133

766-1760 765-4444 766-5555

* HOTELS / SUITES

* FITNESS - SANDI - Bookstore Tel: 01 (33) 3121-0863

066 765-2308, 765-2553 766-3615

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- AJIJIC TAXMAN Tel: 766-3232 - INTERCASA Tel: 765-7553 - TIOCORP Tel: 766-4828

EMERGENCY HOTLINE AMBULANCE - CRUZ ROJA FIRE DEPARTMENT POLICE Ajijic Chapala La Floresta

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* FINANCIAL SERVICES

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- FRESH BEAUTY SALON Tel: 766-4596 - GLORIOSA Tel: 766-3372 - GRECO SALON Cell: 331-113-2778 - JAMES DON SALON Tel: 766-4073 - NEW LOOK STUDIO Tel: 766-6000 - MAR D’CAM Tel: 766-0087

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* BLINDS AND CURTAINS

- DR. VICTOR J. YOUCHA Tel: 766-1973

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- TEPEHUA TREASURES Tel: 763-5126, 106-0620, 763-5147

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- BETO’S WINE & LIQUOR Cell (045) 333-507-3024 - MODELORAMA Tel: 766-2678, 765-2055

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- BARBERSHOP COYOTE Cell. 331 405 9503

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* BEER & LIQUOR STORES

Pag: 10

BARBER SHOP

* BED & BREAKFAST

Tel/Fax: 766-2428 - C.D. SANDRA ANAYA MORA Tel: 765-3502, Cell: 331-218-6241 - DENTAL EXPRESS Cell: (045) 331-121-6518 - DENTAL HEALTH ONE Tel: 1060-826 - DR. ALBERTO DON OLIVERA Tels: 765-4838, 765-4805 - DR. CARLOS CERDA VALDÉZ Tel: 766-0336 - DR. FRANCISCO CONTRERAS Tel: 765-5757 - DRS. MEDELES & BODART Tel: 766 5050 - HÉCTOR HARO DDS Tel: 765-3193

* BOOKSTORE / BOOKS

* BANK INVESTMENT - BANCO MONEX Tel: 765-8100 01 800 0036 663 - INTERCAM Tel: 766-5978 - MULTIVA Tel: 766-2499

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* AUTOMOTIVE - LINEA PROFESIONAL Tel. 766-2555, Fax. 766-0066