El Ojo del Lago

Saw you in the Ojo

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El Ojo del Lago December 2009

Saw you in the Ojo

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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 Jazmin Eliosa Special Events Editor Kay Davis Associate Editor Jim Tipton Contributing Editors Paul Jackson Henri Loridans Feature Editor Jim Tuck (Honorary) Staff Photographer Xill Fessenden Staff Writers Mildred Boyd Ilse Hoffmann Floyd Dalton Fred C. Dobbs Sales Manager Tania Medina (045) 33 1140 3570 tania.medina@mac.com Office Secretary Iliana Oregel 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 PRINTING: Quadrimag S.A. de C.V. El Ojo del Lago aparece los primeros cinco días de cada mes. (Out over the first five days of each month) Certificado de Licitud de Título 3693 Certificado de Licitud de Contenido 3117.

FEATURE ARTICLES

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COVER STORY

Mildred Boyd gives all the details about a monumental undertaking which is now on the very lip of completion: Javier Zaragoza’s eight-panel mural depicting some of our area’s most important historical moments.

8 Cover by Rebecca Ford

13 BOOK REVIEW

Jim Tipton reviews Agave Blood, a new collection of poems by Bill Frayer, who is now considered one of the finest poets to have ever graced this part of Mexico.

22 HISTORY OF THE LCS

Arthur Melby, as a long-time Lakeside resident and a former president of the LCS, takes a look back at his beloved LCS and doesn’t always like what he sees.

30 AN OJO MILESTONE

A tribute to Margie Harrell, who recently published her 100th article in our magazine. Over the past fifteen years she also has won an unprecedented five of our annual literary awards.

58 POLITICS

Michael McGrath takes issue with a Jim Tuck article, wherein Tuck blasted movie icon Jane Fonda for her conduct during a visit to Hanoi during the Vietnam War.

68 LAKESIDE EVENTS

Elyn McEvoy speaks eloquently for those who can’t speak for themselves.

The organization she serves as president is called Lakeside Friends of the Animals and that is exactly what it is—which is good news for both the animals as well as for all pet lovers here at Lakeside.

Reserva al Título de Derechos de Autor 04-2007-111412131300-102 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.

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PUBLISHER

Index...

El Ojo del Lago December 2009

COLUMNS THIS MONTH

6 7 10 12 16 18 24 40 42 56 60 61 63 64 65 66 70 73 76 77 79 82

Editor’s Page Op-Ed Bridge by Lake Uncommon Sense Thunder on Right Faith/Fables Joyful Musings Welcome to Mexico Lakeside Living World of Ours Wondrous Wildlife Child of Month Feathered Friends New Lease on Life Planting for Future Hearts at Work Notes from Nestipac Paw Prints on Heart Front Row Center World of Wine Insight Straight LCS Newsletter

LAKESIDE LIVING

z D IRE C TOR Y z

42 MAGNIFICENT MEXICO

VOLUME 26 NUMBER 4

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Saw you in the Ojo

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By Alejandro Grattan

Remembering A Christmas Past—and Ray Rigby

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or those unfamiliar with Ray’s background, he had served with the British Eighth Army in North Africa during World War II. Later, using his wartime adventures as an anvil, he hammered out a novel called The Hill. His screen-play of the same story starred Sean Connery, and won Ray the British equivalent of an Academy Award.

Over the next decade, he published several successful novels, as well as wrote scripts which starred performers of the caliber of Sophia Loren and George Segal. Ray also wrote stage plays which were produced in several countries, including some behind what used to be called The Iron Curtain.

But the climb to fame was not easy, and had been made more arduous by the brutal circumstances of his childhood. Abandoned early on by his father, Ray was raised by his doting but poverty-stricken mother.

He was working fulltime before he’d graduated out of short pants, and was never given much of a formal education. Instead Ray would go on to earn a Ph.D from the University of Hard Knocks. Toward the end of his life he was a dazzling combination of sophistication and street smarts.

Even so, his last few years were extremely difficult. His major credits and peak earning period had long since faded and he was living in Ajijic in what might generously be described as genteel poverty. Yet I always thought that Ray was one of the richest men I had ever met, though not in the way wealth is usually so mundanely measured.

His prosperity was of a different kind, one much more difficult to obtain than through the mere accumulation of money. What Ray had, money can’t buy: a talent for writing that was recognized all over the world, dozens of devoted friends, an unquenchable spirit, and five loving daughters.

Ray’s greatest achievement, however, was the creation of his own personality. He was a world-class wit and a fabulous story-teller, who in his time had tossed down many a pint with the likes of Peter O’Toole and Richard Burton. Yet, despite his many professional accomplishments and vastly colorful personal life, he was one of the least self-centered ce-

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lebrities I have ever met met. He always seemed far more interested in the efforts and aspirations of his pals, rather than in his own, He was an expert at repairing the damaged dreams of his friends and his shop was open 24 hours a day.

For those of us fortunate enough to have been his friends, Ray brought a heady brew to our lives. Even bumping into him on the street was often an occasion which called for no less than a glass of champagne. His sparkling personality and devastating wit will long be remembered. Yet what I treasured most about him was his generosity. Ray was always a lavish spender of the two things he had in super-abundance: talent and experience. His insightful literary suggestions were greatly valued by at least a score of the best-known writers here at Lakeside. He had read three of my own manuscripts-in-progress and had taken the time and trouble to write out many pages of notes, brilliant, handwritten suggestions which I will cherish for the rest of my life.

It was fitting that Ray would die on a Christmas Day because he had been a rare gift to so many people.

Had I had the chance to inscribe his grave-stone, it would have read: Here Lies Ray Rigby—a worldclass writer and an even greater friend, who is now pitching his latest story idea to the Great Editor up in the Sky. Alejandro Grattan

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By Maggie Van Ostrand

The Crookedest Christmas Tree

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here’s something obscene with spending so much money at Christmastime. It’s not like we’re the Three Wise Men hiking across the desert to gift the baby Jesus. I don’t even know what frankincense is, let alone myrrh. So let’s get down to the important stuff, like the Christmas tree itself.

One long-ago year, my Dad was out of work, much as fathers are today, and he was determined to have a tree just the same. All four of us, Dad, Mom, my sister and I, went to McNally’s, the local man who sold trees on an empty lot only at that time of year. We couldn’t afford any but the worst looking thing on the entire lot. To call it “scrawny” would’ve been a compliment. It had a skinny trunk an 8-year-old could put her thumb and forefinger completely around and it was not blessed with more than half a dozen nearly bald branches. Besides all that, it tilted like the Tower of Pisa.

Undaunted, Dad fished a dime out of his pocket and bought it, and for a nickel, the man sold him some loose boughs. One good thing about that tree was that it was the lightest one to carry home. Upon arrival, Dad started to use his imagination, like a person would do in getting a makeover. He found the spot where the tree had started to bend, making it tilt, and sawed the trunk off beneath that spot. When he finished, the tree was much shorter,

but at least it was straight. He then drilled holes all over the rest of the trunk, filed down the woody end of the boughs into points, and pushed them into the holes. Mom looked on approvingly, and my sister and I finally began to see Dad’s master plan go into effect. The crookedest tree on McNally’s lot was beginning to look like a Christmas tree after all.

We couldn’t use tree lights, for the wiring would be too much weight for the rough-hewn branches to bear, so Mom had us get the box of burnished ornaments from the attic, charging us with locating the smallest ones, the ones our paternal grandmother had brought when she emigrated from Germany. She gently placed these treasures upon the homemade boughs, and let us help her finish the job with several boxes of tinsel.

New York’s Rockefeller Center may feature a mythical tree to be seen in person or on television every year, gloriously resplendent with color, lights, and tradition.

But for us on a penniless Christmas Eve, that short, scraggy, slanted little tree was transformed before our very eyes into a beautiful, straight, and shining example of what Christmas is really all about.

Imagination. Creativity. Love.

Merry Christmas to all.

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STROLLING THROUGH TIME

By Mildred Boyd

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o one traveling between Chapala and Ajijic recently can have failed to be intrigued by it. Over the last few months, a long, blank stretch of drab concrete retaining wall has begun to come alive with color and movement as Javier Zaragoza performs yet another of his artistic miracles.

Javier is an old hand at this. One of the earliest and most talented students coming from the ongoing Neill James Children’s Art Program, he created the astonishingly powerful series of Biblical scenes which still graces the Church of Ixtlahuacan.

After a successful career as a commercial artist and portrait painter in the U.S., he returned to Mexico to do much the same thing. His latest triumph, the mural depicting ceremonies honoring the Lake Goddess which now graces downtown Ajijic, is a personal gift of thanks from the artist to the community.

This newest effort, however, threatens to outshine them in all in both size and content. Inch by inch, brush stroke by brush stroke, panel by panel Javier is bringing to life the history of Lakeside from pre-Columbian times to just yesterday. The work will be divided into eight individual panels, 22 feet wide by 15.5 feet high, each depicting some typical scene of that particular era. The segments of local history it displays are best appreciated by walking eastward along the far side of the highway.

As you stroll through the centuries, look closely at the painted faces.

A skilled portrait artist, Javier delights in giving his creations the features of living people. He never lacks for subjects. Passers-by often volunteer to pose and some even offer money to be immortalized in paint. Javier refuses both proposals. He reserves the right to choose only the faces that fit his mental visions of his characters and pays his models generously from his own pocket. You may find your friend or neighbor, your maid or gardener or the Mayor of Chapala looking back at you. Since Javier will be covering the present, there should be a few familiar gringo faces. One of them might even be you!

Notice too that, although each of the panels has a different background color, the story they tell sweeps smoothly from one to the next in unbroken artistic and historical sequence. That is, the Indians in panel one are there to greet the invading Spaniards in the panel two who, in

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up in and tturn, show h i panell three th d so on.

Panel One depicts a peaceful 13th century agrarian and fishing society not far removed from the huntergatherers. People live in closely knit family groups in palm thatched huts and worship gods who represent both the benevolent and destructive forces of earth, air, fire and water.

Panel Two shows these people during their first, peaceful confrontation with the Spanish invaders in 1524. Notice the expressions. Some are welcoming, intrigued and delighted, others are reserved and wary and still others are downright angry at the appearance of these arrogant strangers in their village. The faces of the strangers, in turn, are registering much the same range of emotions In Panel Three, a teaching friar and an orange tree symbolize the mixed blessings brought from the Old World ca.1528. The introduction of a new god; new learning and new agricultural techniques and products signaled a vast change in the lives of all lakeside villagers.

Panel Four jumps to the 18101821 War for Independence and the disruptive, though welcome, changes the defeat of their Spanish overlords made in local lifestyles. There is also a background theme of the Indian He-

Javier Zaragoza

roes of Mescala Island. These were a group of Indians who are touted as never having lost a battle with the Conquistadors.

Another jump to 1920 and Panel Five details the architectural revolution that hit Lakeside in the early 20th century. Many of the buildings shown, such as the old beer garden, the City Hall and the house known as Los Cazadores, are still recognizable landmarks of today.

Twenty years later, Panel Six shows a peaceful, more prosperous lifestyle for Lakeside residents.

Charales and whitefish are plentiful, crops flourish and pure water from mountain springs is still available in village wells. Women, however, are still washing clothes and bathing children in the lake.

Panel Seven takes another leap, this time into the 21st century. The truly good life is gone. The lake is heavily polluted and choked with lirio. Tourism and catering to the expatriate community are big business.

Fishermen are forced to use vicious gill nets instead of purse seines. A population explosion threatens the infrastructure of all lakeside.

Panel Eight records the dramatic turnaround the last few years have brought. Ecological awareness and corrective measures have succeeded

in reducing the pollution of Lake Chapala so drastically it has now been declared safe for swimming.

Though fishing has improved, it is no longer the major industry. Tourism has taken over, as symbolized here by the newly modernized Malecon of Chapala. New or remodeled buildings, new plantings and monuments and the colorful murals on the side of the pier have made the area most inviting. The sand you see there may have had to be imported but the water is safe for all water sports.

And there you have it; over six centuries of local history compressed into 176 feet of colorful activity. Javier has chosen to depict eight turning points that changed local lifestyles in various ways. You will notice that few of them are concerned with the wars and revolutions that have so frequently convulsed the nation. Javier is quite right in omitting them. A mere change in the political rulers in Mexico City seldom really affected the lowly farmers and fishermen of Lake Chapala.

Even unfinished, this mural makes a powerful statement. The artist hopes to have the work completed in time for a formal inauguration on December 15th, 2009; a magnificent Christmas gift to all Lakeside.

See you there!

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BRIDGE BY THE LAKE

By Ken Masson

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mong the many decisions made at the duplicate bridge table, adjusting your bidding in accordance with how well (or badly!) your game is going is sometimes among them.

In a club game at the Lake Chapala Duplicate Bridge Club, after three passes, herself, sitting South, opened the bidding 1 heart and West passed. My hand was as flat as possible with only three hearts but I sensed that we were not having a winning game so I put an optimistic slant on my holding and made the conventional bid of 2 clubs. This was a version of the Drury Convention which showed a limit raise in hearts with precisely 3 hearts.

While I was hoping this would help us get to a makeable heart game, I was a little perturbed to see my partner launch into the Roman Keycard Blackwood Convention with a bid of 4 No Trump! I responded 5 clubs, showing one key card (the trump King being counted as a fifth Ace). This was all herself needed to jump to the heart slam.

West led the club 10 and as I put my hand down as dummy I feverishly tried to think of excuses to justify my aggressive bidding. I could see in partner’s eyes that my hand was not the thing of beauty she was hoping for. However, she maintained her composure and proceeded to work out a plan.

Given a normal 3-2 trump split she could count 1 spade, 5 hearts, 2 diamonds and 3 top clubs for a total of 11 tricks. But where was the 12th trick to come from? She could have attempted to bring the Queen

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and Jack of diamonds down in three rounds to establish the 10 but this seemed to be a very long shot so she turned her attention to the club suit. If the opponents’ holding in clubs was 3-3, then her fourth club would be the slam-going trick. But she knew that when the opponents held 6 cards in a suit, a 3-3 split only occurred about one-third of the time so she embarked on a series of plays that maximized her chances.

Winning the opening club lead in hand with the Queen, she cashed the heart Ace and King, leaving the 10 in the dummy. She then cashed the club King followed by a small club to her Ace, as East discarded a diamond.

Now her careful planning paid off as she could ruff her last club on the board with the heart 10 as West followed suit, return to her hand with the spade Ace, draw the last trump and claim 12 tricks. Of course, if East and West had both followed to the third round of clubs, declarer would have drawn the outstanding trump right away as her fourth club would have been high.

Naturally, when the hand was over I was quick to point out that it was my visionary bidding that had led to our getting a top board, as no other pair had reached the slam!

Questions or comments: email: masson.ken@gmail.com

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DIVORCE AMERICAN STYLE

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ne day a father goes to work, and on his way home he suddenly stops for a doll for his daughter. He walks into a shop and asks the sales person, “How much for one of those Barbies in the display window?

“The salesperson answers, “Which one do you mean sir? We have: Work Out Barbie for $19.95, Shopping Barbie for $19.95, Beach Barbie for $19.95, Disco Barbie for $19.95, Ballerina Barbie for $19.95,

Astronaut Barbie for $19.95, Skater Barbie for $19.95, and Divorced Barbie for $265.95.”

The amazed father asks: “It’s what?! Why is the Divorced Barbie $265.95 and the others only $19.95?”

The salesperson rolls her eyes, sighs, and answers: “Sir..., “Divorced Barbie comes with Ken’s Car, Ken’s House, Ken’s Boat, Ken’s Furniture, Ken’s Computer and...one of Ken’s best friends.”

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UNCOMMON COMMON SENSE

By Bill Frayer

The Devil Is in What We Take for Granted!

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ssumptions get a bad rap. How many times have you heard the admonition, “Don’t assume anything?” When we make assumptions, the thinking goes, we are liable to leave important things undone or, worse, not anticipate troublesome complications. You may have heard the cute admonition, when you assume, you make an ASS out of U and ME! This is an oversimplification since assumptions are both necessary and reasonable, sometimes.

What is an assumption? It’s what we take for granted. Implicit assumptions are accepted without question. For example, we choose to take a job offer with a higher salary, based on the assumption that a higher salary will make our lives better. Maybe. We might assume a particular medication will work for us as well as it has for someone else. Again, maybe.

We could not function every day if we did not make some assumptions. When you make an appointment, you assume you will still be alive when the appointment is scheduled. When you deposit money in a bank, you assume the money will be secure. When you start your car, you assume no one has installed an ignition bomb under your vehicle. If we did not make many assumptions every day, we’d never get anything done!

Sometimes we make explicit, or conscious, assumptions. When you planned your retirement, you probably made specific assumptions about how long you might live or how much money you would need every month.

So, obviously, making assumptions is not always a bad idea. They can be a problem when we base our behavior on unwarranted, or unreasonable assumptions. For example, if you bought gold today assuming that the price of gold would continue to rise at the same rate it has over the last year, you could be very disappointed. If you don’t make any arrangements for how to pay for catastrophic medical expenses

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Bill Frayer

because you just assume you will only have minor medical expenses, you may end up financially ruined.

We all make unwarranted assumptions sometimes. It’s a good idea to examine our assumptions so we can make sound decisions.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of assumptions is their integral role in reasoning. When we formulate conclusions, we always rely on one or more assumptions. When we purchase IMSS medical coverage to cover large medical expenses, we assume that the IMSS system will provide good medical care. If we did not make this assumption, this decision would be unreasonable.

When we want repairs done on our house, we interview contractors and decide on a price, we assume the contractors can do what they claim. When we go online to choose the cheapest flight to visit our families, we assume that the cost of the flight does not correlate with the safety of the flight. This assumption is necessary to reach the conclusion to choose the cheapest flight. When we choose to sell or give away most of our belongings and move to Mexico, we are assuming that this move will be permanent and that we will not return to live in the United States or Canada.

When we forego fatty foods and try to eat more vegetables, we assume that our diet directly affects our health.

In other words, whenever we make a decision, or draw a conclusion, about virtually anything, we are necessarily making assumptions, often important ones. If our assumptions are unwarranted, our conclusion will be faulty. Take a look at some important decisions you’ve made and try to identify, explicitly, what assumptions you are making. If your assumptions are reasonable, your decision is more likely to be a good one.

Next month I’ll examine the role of value assumptions in formulating our opinions.

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Agave Blood, Poems by Bill Frayer Reviewed by James Tipton

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opular Lakeside author Bill Frayer has just published another fine collection of poetry: Agave Blood.

The first, and longest, section, “Mexico,” celebrates Bill’s deepening connection with Mexico and its people and his discovery of the “delicious now,” where he is learning “That my present moment/Is all I have/And, indeed, all that I need.”

These poems are about many things Mexican: for example, Guadalupe, who hangs “from the mirrors of rusty old trucks,” and who inspires and protects; and a little girl in a poor village whose “black braids neatly draped” stirs up love in the poet’s heart; and “The Rubber Tree” at Lake Chapala Society, which presides over the writers who sit beneath it “to speak, and to listen/ And to finally speak their truth”; and “The Old Mariachi,” who is “Too tired to be young/And too proud/To stop being/A Mariachi.”

The second section, “Points North,” reflects on the nation that he has left, where, aside from family, he feels less and less connection: “I now look at Maine/With Mexican eyes/And shudder.” In this same nation to the north, old friends “… have evolved/Into strangers/Who I only recognize/As shallow shells.”

For soldiers in Iraq who “are dead forever,” Bill asks: “Why did you die?/Were you fighting/For a better way of living,/Or were you/Just unlucky?”

In the third section, “Metaphysics,” the poet ponders, often playfully, more philosophical matters, and these include his own loss of “unambiguous belief” as well as recognition that he is beginning to see more

and more with his heart.

Bill also accepts and embraces his own life, which has become more and more simple. “My Favorite Clothes” begins this way: “I hope to live to completely/Wear out all my favorite clothes.” It concludes: And if I time it right I’ll be left with One fine, faded shirt And a comfortable pair of pants, Thin at the knees, Which will be available for rags When I leave the building.

This is one of those little books that I like to keep on the night stand or on the kitchen table or car seat to return to, one or two of them at a time. Everyone at Lakeside will find Bill’s poetry both accessible and delightful.

Agave Blood, $100 pesos, may be purchased at Diane Pearl’s Colecciones (Colon #1, Ajijic) or through the author at: billfrayer@gmail.com

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THE HEMINGSES OFF MONTICELLO M NT E

By Annette Gordon-Reed Book Review by Alice Hathaway

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he sub-title of THE HEMINGS OF MONTICELLO is “An American Family.”

The first known member of that family was a young African woman who was impregnated while being transported to slavery in America in the 1730’s, She named the daughter she bore Elizabeth Hemings, using the name of the ship’s master, Captain Hemings, the white father of the child.

Elizabeth became the matriarch of a large family of Virginia slaves who became lighter-skinned with each generation fathered by white men. How they settled on Thomas Jefferson’s plantation and how the sons and daughters, half-brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles interacted in slave culture is a fascinating story told by Annette Gordon-Reed.

Elizabeth Hemings grew up on the plantation of John Wayles, rich owner of much land and many slaves. He was an Irish immigrant who married a Virginia woman with inherited property. They had several children before her death, including an attractive daughter named Martha Wayles, who later met and married Thomas Jefferson, a prominent Virginia politician at the time. She brought along Elizabeth Hemings and her several small children fathered by Wales, when she moved to Monticello. The children’s grandfather and their father were both white men whose genes gave the young slaves very light complexions. They received special status on Jefferson’s plantation, living in the immediate vicinity of the big house rather than in cabins near the fields. The children were half-

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Martha bbrothers th and d hhalf lf -sisters i t off M th Wayles Jefferson.

Jefferson was devastated when his wife died after bearing several of his offspring. When he was appointed by President George Washington to be Ambassador to France, he took one of his daughters and one of Elizabeth’s sons with him to Paris, leaving the younger children with their aunt. He placed Martha (named for her mother) in a Catholic boarding school in Switzerland, and apprenticed James Hemings to become a French Chef. On later hearing that one of the children left behind had died, he sent for his other daughter to join him. He asked that she be chaperoned across the Atlantic by an older slave woman, but apparently the only slave available was just thirteen years old Sally Hemings.

The boat trip was long and hard for the 9-year old child and the pretty teenager, but they eventually made it to Jefferson’s luxury hotel residence. He sent his daughter to school with her big sister in Switzerland and kept Sally in Paris

where she was delighted to be reacquainted with her older brother, James Hemings.

During the next five years, Sally enjoyed her Paris freedom while she did her master’s mending and handled his personal needs. Their relationship became closer and by the time they returned to Virginia Sally was pregnant. He had promised that any children she bore would be free when they were adults. He intended to return to Paris, but President Washington persuaded Jefferson to become Secretary of State and come to Philadelphia. Sally re-

mained at Monticello in her own living quarters and served him on his visits home.

I thoroughly enjoyed this wellwritten book about the many descendants of Thomas Jefferson and the two attractive half-sisters who partnered with him, although the genealogy of the clan was at times confusing. The interaction between slaves and free society in that era was particularly revealing. Slaves were subjected to laws different from those of free men in spite of a line in the constitution that said all men are created equal.

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THUNDER ON THE RIGHT

By Paul Jackson paulconradjackson@gmail.com

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sauntered breezily into the synagogue to tell the Lake Chapala Jewish Congregation why I had become so involved in Jewish communities up in Canada, supported the survival of Israel 100%, and explain how I became a Conservative commentator. Under my arm was a marvelous photographs myself and the late assassinated prime minister Yitshak Rabin and I shaking hands, and around my neck a Star of David given me by the current prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

I’ve interviewed other Jewish personalities ranging from Max Dimont, who spent 20 years penning the monumental work Jews, God and History to Teddy Kolleck, the legendary mayor of Jerusalem. My credentials include being a Honorary Life Member of the international Jewish fraternity, B’nai Brith, and having the Stand with Israel’s Lifetime Achievement Award for decades of defending Israel in countless newspaper columns, on television and radio, and in public speeches.

In the Lakeside audience were such prominent personalities as Elliott Gould, Richard Sinovoi, Howard Feldstein, Barbara and Michael Appel, Pearl and Howard Dreicer, Carol and Alan Bensman, and the always vivacious Judy Parker.

Just weeks before, I was proud when Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper became the first world leader to announce his nation’s delegation would walk out of the United Nations in protest at Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, who has vowed to wipe Israel off the map, being invited to speak at the assembly. After Canada made the initial stand, other democratic nations came on board, too.

Then, a day or so later, Netanyahu himself spoke before the assembly. He asked of the nations whose delegates did not boycott Ahmadinejad’s: “Have you no shame, have you no decency?”

Well, Canada, the USA, Britain and other western democracies did have decency but one wonders what the other nations, who knew

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Paul Jackson

neither decency nor shame, are doing being members of this international body.

In the synagogue library is a major biography of Benjamin Disraeli, Queen Victoria’s historic prime minister and the founder of British modern conservatism. It was after reading various books about ‘Dizzy’ that I became a convert to conservatism. Disraeli lived a life that was indeed larger than life, starting when after he had a fight with a rabbi, and to spite the rabbi, his father had him baptized an Anglican.

Despite never rectifying that, Disraeli pushed through Parliament many pro-Jewish laws, including abolishing a previous law that would have had Jewish Members of Parliament, like all other members, basically swear allegiance to the Church of England. A remarkable man, who gambled away so much of his fortune he had to pen best-selling popular novels to pay the bills.

One of my anecdotes was about my favorite Christmas Day which one particular year fell on a Saturday. So being at least sentimentally a Roman Catholic, I went to Midnight Mass, then performed my usual Saturday duty of driving an elderly Jewish friend of mine to Schul. Yup, I attended Mass and went to Schul the same day.

That Saturday, as now and again in the past, I stayed at Shul myself, and the rabbi gave a sermon I will never forget. Simply put, he warned that none of us really want to know what the future has in store. So many bad things happen to us in life that if we knew about them all at once we would never be able to shoulder what was ahead. Yet, taken over time, with good things balancing out the bad, we can weather the downturn and the storms.

Wisdom that could have come from Abraham. God bless you, my Jewish friends, and Shalom to all.

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JANICE IN WONDERLAND (Tales from Mexico)

By Janice Kimball, M.F.A.

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thought it didn’t matter what happened to my body after I was dead. For me, dead is dead.

That was before I discovered my cemetery plot was in the wrong neighborhood.

I bought the plot in the old Ajijic Panteon. Teo’s daughter arranged it. It must have taken her a year to get permission from the rest of the family for us to be buried together, as in the eyes of the Catholic Church he was still married to her mother, from whom he had been separated for over 20 years. The three of us walked to the cemetery a few blocks from my studio arm in arm, grandchildren and great grandchildren following. His daughter was excited as she explained that the old cemetery was full, but that she had finally found a plot I could buy.

It was in the children’s section.

It was tiny. Would I be buried with my knees up? I joked that I would like to have my feet chopped off instead. The youngest granddaughter’s eyes welled up with tears, so I cooled it. “What do you think?” I asked Teo in Spanish. “It is appropriate that we be buried with other innocents,” he replied.

“Maybe we could all be stacked up here together,” I joked, turning around to address the children. Their eyes lit up. The plot was as good as sold. What does it matter? Dead is dead.

The common Mexican belief is that you are not really dead until there is no one left who remembers you. Spirits live on and often inhabit the bodies of others. To his daughter, death is part of life and she was

concerned about ours.

Walking home, I asked her, “If the cemetery is full, what do they do with the extra dead people?”

“They bury them in the new cemetery near La Cristina,” she replied.

I could buy a plot there, I assured her.

“Nobody wants to be buried there,” she said emphatically. “The spirits there are not happy.” I learned it was a place we would be rarely visited, being too far for the family to walk.

Also, it was a cemetery with no ancients to confer with, and it was possible we would not even know our own neighbors.

My faint optimism waned on a following visit when I was told a baby buried in my plot years ago needed to be exhumed and moved in with a neighboring baby. There was some dissention with the other family regarding this “partnership.”

I made more discoveries attending a funeral there a year later. It was for a shirt-tail relative I did not know. I was squashed in with the family that I felt so comfortable with, but moving around I kept bumping into drunks, and I have drunk-man phobia. I wandered off and noticed some empty plots in another part of the cemetery. Teo’s daughter came looking for me. We sat down and talked among the tombstones. “The cemetery is divided up into barrios

(neighborhoods),” she explained.

“One does not know what goes on in another barrio, and it is very impolite to inquire.”

“Who is the other baby?” I asked.

“He is my husband’s brother,” she replied. I walked over to my tiny plot, nestled between a tequila and a whisky bottle. Dead is dead, that’s for sure—but does anybody know how I can rejoin the Hemlock Society?

(Ed. Note: Janice is the owner of Aztec Studios in West Ajijic. www. mexicoartshow.com/urzua.html)

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OF O F F FAITH AITH A AND ND F FABLES ABLES

By Bob Haynes bzhaynes@gmail.com

The Power Of Appreciation

S

“S

ometimes our light goes out but is blown again into flame by an encounter with another human being. Each of us owes the deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this inner light.” Albert Schweitzer: With the Holidays fast approaching, I’d like to suggest a truly powerful gift that we can give to others that just might be the most welcome of all - the power of appreciation.

R. Earl Farnsworth was the man who helped shape my life from the time I was in the sixth grade until I had graduated from high school.

He served as Principal of my High School in Fort Smith, Arkansas, but my first knowledge of him was at something called “Stay at Home Camp” for youngsters who didn’t have the money to be sent to summer camps in exotic places. He

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served as counselor and director of that summer program and was a remarkable role model for me and for hundreds of youngsters. He set all of us on a path toward goals that we would never have considered otherwise.

I recently came across a story by Barbara Glanz—an accomplished author and lecturer. Her book “The Simple Truths of Appreciation” will become Christmas gifts for my family and a number of my friends.

Recently, she talked to a group of business men. She said: “I ask my audiences to shut their eyes and think about someone who at some time in their lives rekindled their inner light. I leave the room in silence for several minutes. It is always a profound experience as they

remember the joy they received from being appreciated by someone when they needed it the most. Afterwards I ask them to write down the name of the person they thought of and to commit to their own act of appreciation by letting that person know in the next 72 hours that he or she was thought of. I suggest a phone call, a note, or even a little prayer if they are no longer living.

She said, “After one moving session, a gentleman came up and thanked me for creating a new awareness in him. He said he thought of his eighth grade literature teacher because she was everyone’s favorite teacher, and had really made a difference in all of their lives. He tracked his teacher down and he wrote to her. The following week he received this letter from her: She said: “You will never know how much your letter meant to me. I am 83 years old, and I am living all alone in one room. My friends are all gone. My family’s gone. I taught 50 years and yours is the first “thank you” letter I have ever gotten from a student. Sometimes I wonder what I did with my life. I will read and reread your letter until the day I die.”

He just sobbed on the phone. He said, “She is always the one we talk

about at every reunion. She was everyone’s favorite teacher - we loved her!” But no one had ever told her... until she received his letter.”

Glanz hoped that each person who read her book would become more loving and appreciative as they go through their daily lives… and there are life-changing gifts we can give by simply sharing our appreciation with those who have been positive lights in our lives. We should all remember “the power of appreciation” and the impact it can have on those who have rekindled our flame during our lives. Shalom!

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YOUR BLACK BRAIDS NEATLY DRAPED

By Bill Frayer

Y

our black braids neatly draped You sit attentive On the white plastic bucket In the sheet metal shade.

You love your family, I can tell.

You sit so still, back to, In the lee of the Blazing desert sun.

I worry in that instant Through the cactus, from the road, What will happen to your soul.

I cannot see your face But I see enough.

Your house has no door.

The wind blows through The slats of recycled wood That suggest a wall Together with tattered fabric And a flapping green tarp.

I love you in that moment As I imagine your brown eyes Swell as you absorb The love around you.

But I see the desperation

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Of those who sit, staring Into the highway, A portrait of helplessness.

You are young, perhaps eight?

And you cannot see beyond Your mother’s arms And your father’s smile.

Yet, perhaps you will escape Perhaps your will can Carry you into an unlikely spot Where the improbability of the future Can fertilize your life And we can watch you prosper.

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History and Vision for the Lake Chapala Society

By Arthur Melby

(E

E

ditor’s note: Arthur Melby, 92, is a longtime resident of Lakeside and was president of the Lake Chapala Society from 1989 to 1991.

A native of Chicago, he served in military intelligence in Central and South America during World War II, owned a box factory in Guatemala in the 1950s and was a businessman in the bay area of California up until his retirement.)

Editor Alejandro Grattan has generously allowed me to share the history and vision of how the property and assets of the LCS might best be directed in order to preserve its long-term health and maintain its mission.

In 1983, after struggling along in a small building in Chapala, the LCS moved to Ajijic and began renting its current location from Neill James, longtime expatriate, silkworm farmer and a personal friend of mine. At the time, the LCS was essentially a haphazard library of moldering old books, a sincere commitment to pro-

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Arthur Melby vide services for young Mexicans seeking to improve their station in life and it served as a gathering place for expats.

In 1989, several active members asked me to become president of the LCS and I accepted with one caveat: that I could select my own board of directors. I invited people to serve in board positions who brought a breadth of experience and education to the cause. Among them were (all retired) Reg Moffet, insurance company executive; Norris Price, Air Force colonel; Cynthia Brown, chief of a university library; Robin Jupp,

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founder of our video library; and three people whose names are lost to memory, but who were a C.P.A. (acting as treasurer), an executive secretary on Wall Street, and Heather, who directed our talking library.

Barbara Johnson audited the monthly financial statements as prepared by our treasurer.

At our first board meeting, I announced that we should convince Neill James to gift her entire property to the LCS in exchange for lifelong elder care. Miss Neill, now well into her 90’s, was having a difficult time managing her own affairs and I felt that we could create a win-win situation for both her and us. Both Miss Neill and the board eagerly agreed and 34 years after its founding, the LCS had its own home.

We set about hiring the necessary personnel to perform Miss Neill’s elder care and we gathered resources in order to repair her living quarters.

Over the remaining years of her life, working together with caregivers Ellie Moffet, retired nurse; Anita Labra, a retired nun; Coralie White, bilingual and bicultural educator; Jillann Skaggs, treasurer; Doris Molinari, best friend; and Norris and Nancy Price, volunteers, we provided Miss James a dignified quality of life while we set about creating the LCS into something that could serve the expat and Mexican communities in perpetuity.

Over the term of my presidency, we performed numerous repairs to the structures, including shoring up a wall in order to prevent roof failure, and we renewed the landscaping on the property to its current glory.

We also audited the library, discarding old books—such as Principles of Municipal Law in Virginia and West Virginia, surely a must-read for many—and books whose pages had been eaten by the cockroaches over the years.

We then found a book wholesaler that catered exclusively to libraries

and I began scouring the New York Review of Books, the New Yorker and The Economist to develop a list of “wish list” titles, and we ordered the first 300 books.

We also began many of the other services and amenities that members enjoy today: the self-help mailing service; replacement of dangerous, rickety furnishings; constructed a new business office from old bricks on the property; produced a monthly newsletter; and producing a professional membership directory for which all bills were paid by advertising sold. We began the US and Canadian Independence Day celebrations during my presidency. We held our monthly board meetings in the bar of the Nueva Posada.

I personally closed a deal with Ed Wilkes, a long-time volunteer in the LCS library, whereby he would donate his house to the organization to be used after his death, with no restrictions. Eventually, the Ed Wilkes Center came into being and it currently houses the educational programs for the youth of the village.

At my last board meeting, I proposed that we begin an English language school, and soon thereafter we launched it with $1,300 dollars, gathered from various generous members, with Norine Rose as the capable administrator.

To see the Lake Chapala Society suffer from a lack of wise governance and vision, and to witness the energy wasting tug-of-war by various factions over its future, discourages me. There is so much that can be done with this important community asset, if we will all get involved in the spirit of camaraderie as was done so many years ago.

I will share such a vision in another edition of the Ojo del Lago.

Should you wish to discuss my ideas in person, you may call me at 7654548. Now is the time to act and I ask that you all get involved.

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Joyful Musings

By Joy Birnbach Dunstan, MA, LPC, MAC

Paths of Empowerment

T

here are more paths to sobriety than I have fingers to count them on, and comments I’ve received recently tell me there is great interest in alternatives to the traditional Alcoholics Anonymous program.

One of my favorites is the “New Life” Program developed by Jean Kirkpatrick, author of Turnabout: New Help for the Woman Alcoholic.

Her original group using these principles is called Women for Sobriety, and there are now Men for Sobriety groups meeting worldwide as well.

After years of being unable to maintain sobriety through AA alone, Kirkpatrick developed a program focused on improving self-esteem and reducing guilt rather than powerlessness and surrender to a Higher Power (the traditional AA foundation). Originally aimed at women, its ideas are pertinent to everyone, even if you’ve never had a problem with addiction.

The New Life methods promote behavioral change through positive reinforcement, cognitive strategies, body-centered techniques (relaxation, meditation, diet, and exercise), and group support. Its principles pave a road of self-discovery and personal growth.

In contrast to the traditional introduction used in AA (“I’m _____ and I’m an alcoholic”), WFS/MFS members introduce themselves by saying, “My name is _____ , and I am a competent woman/man. This week I ...”

Instead of twelve steps, the New Life program has thirteen affirmations representing six levels of growth in which members accept the physical nature of alcoholism, remove negativity, learn to think better of themselves, change their attitudes, improve their relationships, and change their life’s priorities. Read them and consider making them a part of your life, no matter what problem you may be struggling with.

1. I have a life-threatening problem that once had me. I now take charge of my life. I accept the responsibility.

2. Negative thoughts destroy only myself. My first conscious act must be to remove negativity from

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my life.

3. Happiness is a habit I will develop. Happiness is created, not waited for.

4. Problems bother me only to the degree I permit them to. I now better understand my problems and do not permit problems to overwhelm me.

5. I am what I think. I am a capable, competent, caring, compassionate person.

6. Life can be ordinary or it can be great. Greatness is mine by a conscious effort.

7. Love can change the course of my world. Caring becomes all important.

8. The fundamental object of life is emotional and spiritual growth.

Daily I put my life into a proper order, knowing which are the priorities.

9. The past is gone forever. No longer will I be victimized by the past, I am a new person.

10. All love given returns. I will learn to know that others love me.

11. Enthusiasm is my daily exercise. I treasure all moments of my new life.

12. I am a competent person and have much to give life. This is what I am and I shall know it always.

13. I am responsible for myself and for my actions. I am in charge of my mind, my thoughts, and my life.

Another pioneer in the recovery field is Charlotte Kasl, author of Many Roads, One Journey. Kasl’s holistic program, “16 Steps for Discovery and Empowerment,” is based on developing love not fear; internal control not external authoritarianism; affirmation not deflation; and trust in the ability of people to find their own healing path when given education, support, hope and choices.

Information on either of these programs, including help starting your own group, can be found on the web: http://www.womenforsobriety.org and http://www.mixedbag. us/16steps.htm.

Editor’s Note: Joy is a practicing psychotherapist in Riberas. She can be contacted at joy@dunstan.org or 765-4988.

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Tapalpa: T apalpa: T The he L Land and Of Of Colors Colo ors

By Stephen Stanton

N

estled in a quiet valley on the Tapalpa Mesa, this first “Pueblo Mágico” of Jalisco, Tapalpa, is still the living image of a lifestyle lost and even forgotten by many Mexicans. The quiet cobblestone streets, the traditional architectural style, the aroma of wood stoves and fireplaces and the country living are a remembrance of the deepest roots of the Mexican culture.

Once an isolated but important town, with the first foundry and paper mill in this region of Mexico (mid 1800s), today Tapalpa is still a small town, but it is growing. The natural beauty of the region, the mostly temperate climate, the rolling hills and pine forests that surround the town and the peaceful atmosphere of an old style “pueblito” make for an irresistible travel temptation.

The municipality had its first paved road built only forty five years ago. The development of residential complexes, cabins and hotels started slowly, some 25 years ago, making of Tapalpa the secret week-end

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getaway place for Tapatios (people from Guadalajara). To date, it is a week-end destination, which leaves Tapalpa in its natural state for the rest of the week: quiet and uncongested.

Declared a “Pueblo Mágico,” it receives important Federal and State funds. Wires have gone underground and phone and other posts disappear down town, section by section, which has made its traditional architecture stand out. It’s like traveling in time.

The lifestyle in Tapalpa still reflects the older way of life: you can find crafts-people dedicated to working leather, knit and woven wool, pottery and lots of other arts & crafts in small-town shops sprinkled in town and in surrounding communities. Looking for hand-made leather

belts or “guaraches” (leather, tiresoled sandals), made to size? Or are you looking for hand-loomed wool wall hangings? These and other traditional and modern crafts are a way of life for many here in Tapalpa.

When talking about eating, visitors have some variety to choose from. Whether at the typical family restaurants or “fondas” or at the series of taco vending stalls in the “Portal del Taco” or at the more sophisticated restaurants in town and at some hotels, there are good options for eating well. Rooming varies from very simple rooms, to very good hotels, to barely basic cabins, to luxury cabin homes and even wellremodeled old homes, both in town and on the outskirts: some “cabañas” are literally hidden in the woods. The better services have their own Internet Web Page.

The places to definitely not miss include the oldest buildings in the area, the so called “Old Temple” (XVIII century) on the town square and the “Hospital de Indios” in the near by community of “Atacco” (XVI c.), followed by the remains of the first paper mill in the region.

More recent buildings to visit include the much larger “New Temple,” built totally in red brick, also on the square, in front of the Old

Temple. Natural attractions abound: the “Salto del Nogal” waterfall (105 meters … only for real trekkers), the “Mega Boulders” (Las Piedrotas) park and the reservoirs and lagoons in different parts of the municipality are sights to visit. Another “must” is the CITAC integration center, a nonprofit facility dedicated to helping handicapped children learn arts and crafts: many readers are familiar with their work and look forward to seeing them again, in Ajijic, during the November Mexico Arts Show. There are golf and tennis facilities. Adrenaline freaks, on the other hand, have a number of extreme sports sights for everything from simple rappelling to hang-gliding from world class facilities. Tapalpa has something for most people: if it had it all, it just wouldn’t be Tapalpa.

To get to Tapalpa you can go through Jocotepec and either take the toll road towards Colima or the “libre” through either Zacoalco or Atemajac de Brisuela (the more scenic rout), then take the corresponding Tapalpa turn-off. It should take you about one and a half hours: the drive is worth it. After sixteen wonderful years living here, I highly recommend visiting this unique “pueblito” in the mountains, The Land of Colors, Tapalpa.

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Feliz Navidad

By Margie Harrell

E

ach year as December approached and my warm-and-fuzzy holiday feelings began, I would dream of making a trip to Bethlehem to experience a once in a lifetime Christmas Eve. My first holiday season spent in Mexico told me I need look no further to enjoy a deep spiritual bond with my Maker.

Weeks before the big day the village of Ajijic is a-buzz with activity, a sure sign that wonderful things are about to happen. As the brightly colored street garlands sway in the breeze off the lake, the shops are flooded with hand-made wreaths and decorations of all kinds. Candles shaped like the Madonna and Child are a must for this newly-planted gringa as I learn from my helpful maid the holiday treats to prepare for my guests.

Anxiously I look forward to the midnight mass service at the local Catholic Church. In the courtyard I watch for weeks as boards are hammered together and straw is placed around the creche for the outdoor nativity scene. I am told, in spite of the slight chill in the air this time of year, live actors will portray Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus. Each time I stroll up to the plaza on the square I am caught up in the festive mood all around me.

At last it is Christmas Eve and I am standing at the entrance of the church. I have arrived early to ensure a good seat as I know from past experience that it will be overflowing with worshippers both inside and out. Everyone is in a happy mood and shaking hands with their amigos as the priest enters from a side door.

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As usual, he is wearing his sunglasses which I find amusing and I chuckle under my breath. He makes his way down the aisle, stopping occasionally to greet some of the parishioners.

Before I realize it I have thrust my hand out to receive his warm blessing. In an instant I have become one with my new neighbors as I feel the warmth of the season wash over my whole body.

The service, naturally, is in Spanish and as I haven’t yet mastered the language I begin to count the many beautiful candles lining the aisles and altar. The church is ablaze with their glow as the collection baskets are passed amongst us. In Mexico, where mama and papa go, so go the niùos and there are many in attendance but nary a peep is heard from them. I seem to be rooted to my pew as I wish these precious moments would never end. Later as I stroll back to my casa I stare up at the starlit night and know in my heart I have found my own Bethlehem right here on the shores of Lake Chapala.

The next evening after a hearty Christmas dinner friends and I stroll around the village to see the sidewalk fires that are lit to celebrate the birth of Jesus and I say a silent prayer, hoping my warm-and-fuzzy feeling will last at least until next December when it will all begin again. Peace On Earth and Feliz Navidad To All.

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THE T HE M MAN AN WHO WHO GOT GOT AWAY AWAY

By Gloria Palazzo

W

ith an anxious smile Beryl fingers her long black hair. Adjusting the plunging neckline of her scarlet blouse and releasing a deep throaty breath, she applies lip plumping gel to her pouty lips. Beryl adjusts her shoulder bag. She thought it was stylish, but on her tiny frame it looks and feels like a bundle of sad luggage.

Inside this multicolored purse Beryl has packed tooth brush, hairbrush, assorted creams, deodorant and panties. Frank bought the panties for her while they were vacationing last month. At the bottom of her purse, wrapped in a pink fringed shawl is the gun.

Frank is a handsome man and Beryl felt lucky to be dating him. She sees him across the street and knows she must have him. Beryl’s attraction to Frankie was fierce from the day they were introduced in that funky after-hours canteen.

“Frankie, Frank, FRANK!” He doesn’t hear me. Damn it!

She is shouting. People are looking. If I don’t make this light, with his long muscular legs he’ll be a mile away before I can get across the street. Frank, Frankie, wait up, wait up. Beryl walks, wanting to run, but her skirt, wrapped tightly around her shapely thighs, limits her.

Please, please, God, Universe, or whoever makes these things happen, let him accept my apology. One hand is holding tightly to her bag; the other is clenched and sweaty. Beryl loosens the sweaty hand to stop her nails from biting into her flesh.

Whew, so many people. “Mister, I can’t see through you.” She doesn’t know if she has said this out loud or is thinking it. She is swaying, trying to see through four lanes of traffic.

Busses, trucks, sirens and her strain-

ing and stretching to see him. There he is. So straight. He walks with such ease and she loves him. Even from the back she loves him.

When the light changes, enmeshed in the crowd, she is ferried across the street. She can catch up if she can keep him in sight. One block ahead and on his left is Harry’s Place, the lounge where they met, where they spent so many happy hours. Frank stops and checking his watch, enters the dim-lighted bar.

Hesitating to have time to catch her breathe, Beryl enters. Confident now, she is sure she will find Frank at the bar, alone, with a cigarette and a double bourbon. Sometimes he stands with his first drink. Juke box music wafts through the din.

It’s dark and Beryl needs a moment to adjust her vision. Frank is standing and with his black turtle neck sweater and beige linen trousers he looks like a model. He’s talking to someone seated on the bar stool in front of him. Beryl freezes near the entrance. As her vision adjusts she sees legs, bare legs; pretty legs with red high-heeled shoes.

Frank is pressing up against the back of whoever owns those legs. He places his hands on the shoulders of the woman attached to the legs and turns her slightly, tenderly, as he bends and kisses her upturned smiling face.

Are those the same as her new red shoes? The shoes she and her sister Nancy bought last week? The same ones....they always bought the same shoes.

Beryl feels faint, sick to her stomach.

Leaning against the wall for support as she cannot move, the weighty bag she has been toting slides from her shoulder and drops. A loud bang startles everyone and the red shoes with the legs and the just kissed face, glide ever so gently to the floor.

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MARGIE HARRELL

—In a League All Her Own

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s of this past September, we celebrated a milestone that will probably never be equaled— Margie Harrell’s 100th published article (as against regular monthly columns) in the Ojo. Her first article was published in August of 1997, and since then she has also contributed two cover stories for us, in July of 1995 and July of 1996.

Margie has also won an unprecedented number of awards at our Annual Literary Awards Luncheon—five! (That’s right, FIVE!) Those awards came in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005 and 2007.

Not so surprisingly, she has also been published in Reader’s Digest, The Las Vegas Review Journal, and has had two of her articles accepted for publication in the upcoming book Chicken Soup for the Soul Sisters. She also ghost-wrote a published book, Gone Too Soon about a niece of hers that was killed by a drunk driver.

As for the type of articles that

Margie Harrell

she has written (as if anybody has to be reminded), over the years Margie has become known as the “Erma Bombeck of Lakeside,” a tribute to her ability to touch the heart as well as the funny-bone.

On behalf of all the staff and management here at El Ojo del Lago, we congratulate Margie and hope that she is already at work on her 101st Ojo article! We could never have reached our 25th Anniversary without wonderful writers like the Incomparable Margie Harrell.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

D D

ear Sir: KUDOS to Lakeside Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation! Somehow a deer fawn (spotted deer, I think) stumbled, or was chased into my enclosed yard with no escape.

Last Saturday evening about 5pm I called Lakeside Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation and within ½ hour two people from this organization, along with Dr. Pepe, the vet in Riberas and his assistant, arrived to tranquilize the animal.

All four looked tired; it’s fair to speculate that none wanted to chase down a scared fawn, who, trust me, really did not want to be captured. These folks arrived with nets and had the expertise to avoid injury to the animal and hopefully themselves. They were able to tranquilize it and will screen for health issues, treat if necessary,

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and release into the appropriate habitat.

From what I know of Dr. Pepe, he either volunteered or is not earning big pesos for his contribution. I want to thank all involved and consider them an asset in our community deserving of support.

I believe they are non-profit and I plan to put some pesos in their can at the first opportunity.

Stephen Sobel Chula Vista, Jalisco

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HURRAY H U R R A Y FOR F O R HARRY! HARRY!

By An Anonymous Contributor

H

arry Truman was a different kind of President. He probably made as many or more important decisions regarding our nation’s history as any of the other 32 Presidents preceding him. However, a measure of his greatness may rest on what he did after he left the White House.

The only asset he had when he died was the house he lived in, which was in Independence Missouri. His wife had inherited the house from her mother and father and other than their years in the White House, they lived their entire life there.

When he retired from office in 1952, his income was a U.S. Army pension reported to have been $13,507.72 a year. Congress, noting that he was paying for his stamps and personally licking them, granted him an ‘allowance’ and later, a retroactive pension of $25,000 per year.

After President Eisenhower was inaugurated, Harry and Bess drove home to Missouri by themselves.

There was no Secret Service following them. When offered corporate

positions salaries, he de deositions at large salaries clined, stating, “You don’t want me.

You want the office of the President, and that doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to the American people and it’s not for sale.”

Even later, on May 6, 1971, when Congress was preparing to award him the Medal of Honor on his 87th birthday, he refused to accept it, writing, “I don’t consider that I have done anything which should be the reason for any award, Congressional or otherwise.”

As President he paid for all of his own travel expenses and food.

Modern politicians have found a new level of success in cashing in on the Presidency, resulting in untold wealth. Today, many in Congress also have found a way to become quite wealthy while enjoying the fruits of their offices. Political offices are now for sale—such as in Illinois.

Good old Harry Truman was correct when he observed, “My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician.

And to tell the truth, there’s hardly any difference!”

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Lake Chapala Writers Conference January 21-22, 2010 Early-Bird Reservations Available

By Jay Raymond White Contact info: Phone 765-3676 (leave message) Email: kdavis987@gmail.com

Cai Emmons

L

ast year it was a sell-out!

Writers and would-be writers alike are encouraged to sign up early. Diane Pearl will help with that at the store

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Marc Acito on the corner of Colόn (at #1 Colόn) and Ocampo in Ajijic or see Kay Davis at Writers Group meetings at La Nueva Posada (10 – 12) on the first and third Friday of each month. You

can also pre-register by emailing Kay at the email address above.

Until December 18 the cost for the 6th Annual Lake Chapala Writers Conference is only $950 pesos.

At about $75 US dollars for two full days plus the cocktail “meet and greet,” it is a bargain. The conference will be held at the Hotel Real de Chapala. After December 18, registration will be $1150 pesos.

There will be four half-day workshops run by two published and internationally recognized presenters: Cai Emmons and Marc Acito.

Jan. 20 (6 – 7:30): C o c k t a i l “Meet & Greet” Jan. 21 (9 – 12): Marc Acito – Injecting Creativity into your Writing (Giving Yourself a Boost) Jan. 21 (1 – 4): Cai Emmons – Finding the Form (Essays, Articles, Fiction) Jan. 22 (9 – 12): Cai Emmons – Self-Edit to Perfection Jan. 22 (1 – 4): Marc Acito – Turning Rejection into Success Says Marc Acito, “It’s not who you know; it’s who knows you, or your writing. The moral is to write for anyone who will publish you.

Someone might see it and it may lead to something else.”

Cai Emmons tells us, “I write be-

cause I can’t stop. It is my way of trying to understand life’s mysteries.”

Join us for two days of discovery. Learn how to write and publish your work. All registrants are invited to a welcome cocktail party to meet each other and the presenters and to introduce themselves and their writing interests. That will be Wednesday, January 20 at 6 p.m. at the Hotel Real de Chapala Lounge. Botanas are provided, along with a cash bar.

For more information, email: kdavis987@gmail.com.

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Welcome to Mexico!

By Victoria Schmidt

Business Hours

T

he handwritten sign on the door says “Cerrado.” Sometimes there is no sign at all. Many stores, restaurants, and other businesses here have posted hours, but that seems to be all for show. When I first moved to Mexico, shopping sometimes seemed an insurmountable challenge. I had to find the store that carried what I needed—which wasn’t always an easy task. Then I needed to make sure I knew how to ask for what I wanted in Spanish, and then I’d head out to the store. I had my list, I knew what I was looking for, and I was prepared and confident. Until I got to the store and found it closed. “Closed!” I thought, “It’s the middle of the day! Who ever heard of closing a store for two hours in the middle of the day?” I hadn’t been here long enough to understand about the custom of an afternoon meal with the family and a siesta. It didn’t take me too long to figure out that between the hours of 2:00-4:00 p.m., many of the stores are closed. Now I avoid shopping during that time.

I remember my absolute delight at finding a yarn store in Chapala on a side street off Madero. We drove by it one day and I made sure I checked the hours so that I’d be able to shop at the right time. Little good that did me. Painted on the wall were the hours: 8:00-2:00, 4:00-8:00. I walked to the store one morning around 11:00. Closed. I stopped by later at 4:00. Closed. I tried again at 4:30. Still closed. I soon realized that the hours painted on the wall had nothing to do with the actual hours

of operation.

I’ve gone to restaurants, planning to meet someone, only to be greeted by a closed sign. Oops. Of course, their day off wasn’t posted. And even if it were posted, could I trust it? I started making back-up plans when we go out to eat.

We came home late one night from a medical trip to Guadalajara.

Tired from a day of fighting traffic in Guadalajara and tapping my foot in the waiting room (aptly named as our wait was nearly two hours) the last thing I wanted to do was cook.

So my husband and I talked about stopping at our local pizza place near our house. Exhausted and hungry, we drove by the restaurant, and… you guessed it—it was closed. But now, we had a back-up plan. We’d stop at the hamburger stand around the corner. Yes, you are ahead of me, it, too, was closed. We had peanut butter and jelly at home.

I am no longer amazed that so many stores have their grand opening and closing sales so close together.

The owner of the aforementioned hamburger stand is out of town for a few days, and his stand is closed.

He’s at a family wedding. On the night of our Guadalajara trip, he was celebrating his birthday, and before that, another big family wedding.

I watch him, and I think, wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a business, where you can just flip off the lights and take the day off? This would never happen “up north,” where stores and restaurants seem to have to stay open every second of every day. Forcing employees to work on weekends, holidays, and begging for time off. Meanwhile, the hamburger stand owner is partying with his family. Taking time to be with his relatives, sharing the most important and meaningful events of their lives.

Isn’t that more important than cooking hamburgers?

Victoria Schmidt

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Phone: (376) 766-4774 Cell. 045 331-171-1681 Email: kdavis987@gmail.com Events are listed by date, like a calendar: past events, then those planned for the future. Some organizations offer multiple events or dates, and these items appear toward the end of the column.

In October CASA, the Culinary Arts Society of Ajijic, offered their best dishes in two categories and rated for taste CASA winners: Wayne Palfrey, Patrick judged and presentation. In the Winn and Maureen Rentz first category, Eastern European/German Entrees, Mary Wingrave won first place for her Beef Stroganoff. Beer Braised Brisket with Herb Spaetzle won second place for Chris Bublin, and past president Donna Carnall won third for her Bavarian Meat Loaf with Cabbage and Sweet Peppers. The second category was Cobblers/Strudels, desserts, with Wayne Palfrey winning first place for his peach strudel. President Patrick Winn won second place for his Maritime Apple Cobbler with Fresh Cream. A Berry Cobbler with Fresh Whipped Cream won third place for Maureen Rentz. When the members voted for People Choice winners, Alice Hutson won for her Sauerbraten and Red Cabbage, and Wayne Palfrey for his dessert, tying with Ken Caldwell for his Black and Blueberry Brumble. While the judges tasted all the dishes, program presenter Howard Fryer spoke on the history of tomatoes and on how to prepare natural corned beef and sun dried tomato snacks. All who would like to join in learning about, preparing, and enjoying good food are encouraged to call Patrick Winn at 766-4842 or email patriciowinn@hotmail.com.

He would be delighted to invite those interested as his guests.

On October 27 the Women’s Health and Beauty Fair was held at the Hotel Real de Chapala in La Floresta, Ajijic. Dr. Gerardo Leόn was the first speaker, who talked about general health matters for women. He was followed by Dra. Monica Ramos who introduced us to dermatalogical concerns when living in a sunny climate, as well as how to look younger longer.

Guests at Women’s Fair Dr. Hector Haro, DDS, taught us about dental health. Dra. Claudia Martinez discussed women’s most embarrassing questions: we need to take care of ourselves as if we were younger and since we are not, we also need to consider issues related to aging. Belinda Lopez addressed hair care, and Marcia Lavender had everyone’s attention with “image counseling.” Marcia did make-overs on several attendees and stunned not only the volunteers but everyone else as well. She also

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taught us how to see ourselves as we see others so that we could optimize our own public images.

This function was a great success. Our thanks to Susan Mawhood and all the other people who organized and contributed to this women’s fair.

On November 1 Los Cantantes Del Lago presented a musical treat for Lakesiders.

John Herbert Jones, baritone, and Timothy G. Ruff Welch, pianist, performed an “Afternoon of Song” at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church. The program will feature four styles of the art of song: gambling songs, gospel/revival music, English Tim Welch art songs using the poetry of some of England’s and John Jones greatest writers, and arias from Les Miserables.

On November 10 Lakeside Friends of the Animals had an award dinner at La Trattoria to honor Anita Strehlow of Anita’s Animals. Anita has many dogs and cats at her home. She rescues, rehabilitates, spays/neuters and then finds homes for as many as she can. The unadoptable have a lifetime home with her. She uses her own resources, sells items at garage sales and the tianguis and gratefully accepts donations, including assistance from Lakeside Friends of the Animals. LFA is a non-profit organization serving the Anita Strehlow receives award Lake Chapala region since 2006 as an umbrella group of volunteers who from Elyn McEvoy, provide funding to other organizations President of LFA and individuals helping animals in the Lakeside area.

Donations are tax deductible in both the US and Mexico and can be made by contacting an LFA representative at 765 – 2523 or 766 – 1170. You may want to view the website at lakesideanimalfriends.org.

On November 13 – 15 at the Chapala Yacht Club (Club de Yates), Feria del Maestros held their sixth annual fair. Over the three days there were tequila tastings, mariachis, fashion shows, and dancers, including Ateocolli and Atotolico.

Artisans displayed their fine work.

On November 21, 22, 28 & 29 at Sol y Luna in Ajijic, there was Always...Patsy Cline. The unforgettable singer was brought fully to life by Patteye Simpson, previously seen as Kate in LLT’s Kiss Me Kate. Musical direction and accompaniment was by Timothy G. Ruff Welch, the Maestro of Los Cantantes del Lago. Founder of My, My, How Nice! Productions who brought this show to town is Jayme Littlejohn who played Texan Louise Seeger in the true story of her chance meeting with Patsy Cline. It was an encounter that grew into a close friendship which lasted until Patsy Cline’s tragic death. The story featured Patsy Cline’s best: I Fall to Pieces, Crazy, Seven Lonely Patsy Cline Days...and more.

December 14 – 15 at 4 p.m., Los Cantantes del Lago will celebrate the joyful Christmas season at the Auditorio de la Ribera in La Floresta, Ajijic. They are featuring Vivaldi’s Gloria, accompanied by a number of soloists, plus a wonderful selection of traditional favorites, including The Carol of the Bells, The Coventry Carol, God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen, and Go Tell It on the Mountain as you have never heard before. Timothy G. Ruff Welch will direct with Eleanor Stromberg on piano. This year the choir of 66 people will be performing with a full orchestra and piano/harpsichord accompaniment. Tickets

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If only from the ubiquitous representations on ancient walls and potte r y, a rc h a e ologists could h a rd l y h ave been unaware that ritual dancing was an important par t of pre Columbian society, politics and religion. Unfortunately, dancing and music are ephemeral and leave no traces in the soil to be excavated.

Recently, however, there have been several breakthroughs that show how important the dance truly was to these people.

In 1966, Michael Coe and Elizabeth Benson suddenly realized that the innumerable depictions of important lords standing with one heel raised and toes pointing down symbolized dancing. Even so, most of the examples were either dismissed or not fully understood. It was not until the spring of 1990, when Nikolai Grube finally deciphered the Maya glyph ak’ot as “dance,” that everything clicked into place.

With the pose and/or the glyph seen just about everywhere, it was now clear that dance was one of the public actions most often depicted

by Maya artists. The many paintings show Maya kings and their courts as public performers and that dancing was an integral part of all their social, religious, and political rituals.

Everybody danced; kings, nobles, priests and commoners alike.

Dance served many functions such as creating sacred space, closing the gap between here and the otherworld, and releasing the dead from the grasp of the Xibalbans. To accomplish these supernatural tasks they entered into a trance, possibly drug induced, and transformed

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themselves into their wayob, or soul companions. Each person’s way appeared as a supernatural being, usually an animal but sometimes a monster or a god, and the dancer’s costume depicted that being. Indeed, according to Maya beliefs, by donning his regalia, the human becomes his soul companion.

These soul companions were depicted through the masks costumes worn in the dance. The murals of Bonomapak are a rich source and scenes are painted on pottery used for the myriad ritual meals of Classic festivals. These walls and vessels depict humans dressed as wayob, their human faces sometimes shown in cutaway view to reveal the fantastic creatures they have become. Some are recognizable as jaguars or birds of prey, but others just look like alien monsters.

One of the problems for researchers is that the boundaries between humans costumed as supernatural beings and supernatural beings taking part in human rituals have never been clearly defined.

Through dance, people became gods and vice-versa even if only for a moment. More than anything the wayob were considered to be direct connections to the otherworld.

This, of c o u r s e, w a s the purpose.

S o m e wayob were strong

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enough to cross the abyss and their soul mates were able to describe the other world as very much like the one they knew. Common throughout most dances, however, was the importance of all the deities and the relationship between man and gods.

The Popol Vuh, the Mayan Creation Myth, recounts how the Hero Twins came back from death at the hands of the Xibalbans in the guise of itinerant magicians and dancers.

They used magic dances like The Armadillo, The Poorwill and The Weasel to trick and defeat the lords of death. Limiting the power of the Death Lords over humans allowed them to rescue and regenerate their father, the Maize God and make it possible for others to do the same for their loved ones.

The Dances of the Pre-Columbian Mayas are still performed today.

However, dancing in the ancient world carried a much deeper significance in their sophisticated culture. Records of these dances have come to light through various murals, codices, and especially the chronicles of Spanish like Diego de Landa, Bernal Diaz del Castillo and Sahagun.

Another ancient ritual is called the Snake Dance. A panel that was looted from an unknown site depicts King Bird-Jaguar of Yachiclan and one of his court dancing with snakes. Both wear elaborate headdresses and wings of long feathers that arch behind them. The Snake Dance was also celebrated by

the lords of Palenque. This time the dancers, a man carrying an axe in one hand and the head of the serpent in the other and a woman holding the snake’s lower body, were costumed as First Father and First Mother, the deities who created all things.

Dance in Maya culture has also acted as a bridge between the ancient and post-Columbian eras.

Spanish missionaries and lords as late as the 18th century were trying to eliminate the practice of ancient dance; however, natives maintained roots with their ancestors by practicing in secret.

Even after the relatively complete conversion to Catholicism after the Spanish influence arrived, Maya people still respect their ancient deities through ceremonial dance, which has persisted through the generations since the golden age of ancient Maya.

Thomas Gage, who traveled throughout New Spain from 1625 to 1637, tells of how each village appointed groups of elders, each to be in charge of the staging of one of the many ritual dances. For months before the event these Dance Masters rehearsed their dancers and musicians, sometimes far into the night.

Gage complained that it was impossible to sleep with drums banging, conchs wailing and people shouting into the wee hours.

The Spanish invasion furnished a subject for Dances of the Conquest, now performed in many places in many versions. (Sometimes they even cheat and let the good guys win.) In these rituals, Cortez is often presented as the returning god, Quetzalcoatl, being greeted by Montezuma. Alvarado is dressed as Tonitiah, the Sun God, with a chalk white face and blond hair. Spanish gentlemen often wear red satin and their ladies, danced by men, are turned out in the height of Colonial fashion. In The Dance of the Howler and Spider Monkeys there are six Alvarados opposed by six antlered deer and four monkeys wearing British naval officers’ uniforms, complete with shakos.

There are even performances, such as The Dance of the Moors and Christians, which have nothing at all to do with the New World. Some of these are notso-subtle lampoons

of the arrogant Conquistadors and their equally arrogant consorts.

Others are frankly scatological, sometimes even those designed for church festivals.

Above all, the ancient dances are still performed in many areas for the ancient reasons, to please or appease the gods and demons and keep to our world and the otherworld in proper balance.

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Los Cantantes Choir are $200 pesos per person, available from members of the choir or at LCS Tickets Etc. (Nov. 30 – Dec. 14, M – F, 10 – 12:30). A cash bar will open one hour before each concert. For information contact cantantesdellago@gmail.com.

December 18 – 20, the Naked Stage offers a special Christmas performance, The Xmas Turkey with Hams, written and directed by Betty Lloyd Robinson and Ed Tasca. This holiday fare is a collection of short, humorous skits. The Naked Stage is located in a courtyard off Colόn, is easily accessible and offers comfortable seating for a small audience of 30 – 50 Ed Tasca people. The address is 3A Calle de Zaragoza. Ticket donations are only 50 pesos each, and judging from the success of past productions, reservations are a must. Wine, beer and soft drinks can be purchased.

Call 766 – 2044.

Lakeside School for the Deaf wants us all to save March 11, 2010 for their Black and White Ball. The theme this year will be Sheherazade. This year Lakeside’s most elegant formal affair will feature an exotic Arabian theme. The dinner dance will be held at the beautiful Villa Encantada Eventos in Chapala. Tickets will be available in mid-January for $750 pesos per person. Contact Jim Lloyd at 766 – 3070 or jelajijic@yahoo.com.

The Ajijic Society of the Arts will show their art: Dec 1 – Jan 6: Centro Cultural González Gallo (Old Chapala Train Station) in Chapala Dec 14: Ajijic Plaza – art display, plus the 3rd Sunday each month. This is a wonderful opportunity to find that special Christmas gift and support our local artists.

The American Legion post #7 schedule for December: Dec 2 – 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. US Consulate (Note: No more Social Security) Dec 3 – 9 a.m. – Shop Till You Drop: Guadalajara shopping trip Dec 6 – 9 a.m. – Arts & Crafts; Arts in the Kitchen Dec 7 – 3 p.m. – Pearl Harbor Recognition Dec 11 – 8:30 a.m. Legion Trip to San Luis Soyatlan Dec 23 – 8:30 a.m. Legion Trip to Mexico City Dec 24 – 3 a.m. Lone Star Christmas Party Lakeside Little Theatre news: Following the successful run of The

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Betty Lloyd Robinson as Mrs. Boyle in LLT’s The Mousetrap

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Mousetrap by Agatha Christie, rehearsals are underway for the next production, Marc Camoletti’s Don’t Dress for Dinner. This comedy is directed by Roger Tredway and runs from December 5 – 13. The story is based on plans by Bernard for an intimate weekend get-away with his mistress while his wife visits her mother. Then the visit is postponed. What could go wrong? Everything!

The first play of the new year will be Ronald Harwood’s The Dresser.

This wartime drama is directed by Larry King and runs from January 16 – 24, 2010.

Attention all directors! The LLT is calling for plays for the 2010 – 2011 theater season. All interested directors should contact Emma Bergh-Apton at 766 – 1545 or Emma@Embacom.com. Be prepared to provide details of experience and a copy of the play. Submission deadline is January 8, 2010. Each submission will be reviewed by the Lakeside Little Theatre Play Reading Committee and its recommendations will be passed to the LLT Board of Directors for final approval.

Music Appreciation Society (MAS) Season Tickets for the concert program of 2009 – 2010 are $1000 pesos, $1200 or $1500 pesos for each reserved seat. This year’s program: November 17 – Three Tenors and a Soprano: opera arias December 16 – Flamenco: Antonio Jimenez “El Chupete” and seven artists January 14 – Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra: a “Night in Vienna” February 9 – Three Sopranos: opera arias, duos, trios March 23 – Two Guitarists Extraodinaire: Juanito Pazcual and Russian, Grisha Goryachev – classical style Taxi service for patrons can be arranged for after the show at audtaxi@gmail.com Open Circle at LCS on Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m.: Dec 6 David Seligson – Age of Enlightenment Dec 13 Todd Stong, PhD – more on Lakeside Infrastructure Dec 20 Holiday Music Dec 27 Lynn Johnson – Biology of Belief Jan 3 Ronald Hagadus – Glaucoma: Silent Thief of Sight Jan 10 Barbara Harwood VIVA! La Musica’s schedule. Contact Rosemary Keeling for any of these bus trips (766 – 1801): Dec 19 The Tales of Hoffman by Jacques Offenbach, featuring Joseph Calleja in the title role.

Jan 9 Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss, featuring Renee Fleming and Susan Graham.

Jan 16 Carmen by Georges Bizet, featuring Elina Garanca and Mariusz Kwiecen (waiting list only) Feb 6 Simon Boccanegra

by Giuseppe Verdi, featuring Placido Domingo in the title role (waiting list only) May 1 Armida “Live from the Met” in Zacatecas, Renee Fleming appears in the title role. Some seats are still available.

Placido Domingo

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THE T HE W WOOD OOD C CARVER ARVER

By Roberto Moulun

H

e was a small man, but his hands were large and strong. Two men could not pry his fingers open from his wooden mallet. He won the bet, and that night drank at the pub for free.

Perhaps he never would have become a carver if he hadn’t lost his legs. A mine had ripped them off like leaves from a stormed tree. Now his arms worked for both arms and legs, and he became a wood carver. His fingers cherished the wood as they once held a woman’s breast, with care, with tenderness and compassion, as one holds a wounded bird hoping for it to fly. That was before the war in Italy and before the battle of Arno.

“We won, showed them, yes, show them we did.”

Often, he talked to himself while carving.

Raising his arms, his hands explored the emptiness until he found the dangling rope he had tied to a roof beam. Holding on to it, he lifted what was left of him effortlessly and held himself aloft in front of the mirror he had nailed in the wall when he still had his legs.

He saw a tree stump in the shape of a man.

“Who could blame her for leaving me?” he asked.

Again he spoke aloud telling his story to unseen witnesses. He had tied the rope then, when he no longer wanted to live. Now he brushed the memory off as he whisked the shavings of wood from his apron. Slowly he lowered himself, a soft smile playing on his lips as he once more felt redeemed by the wood under his hand.

A commission arrived with the noon mail. The Italian bishop wished a carving of Christ in the cross. It was to be a gift for some obscure convent near Cuorgne in Northernn ltaly, by the Apeninos.

For many days the carver researched crucifixions conceived by artists of all times. Books with reproductions of rigid Byzantine images.

Christ’s with the body of woman softness by Giotto. Murillo’s with agonizing eyes. The mystic ones of el Greco, and the beautiful Titian’s.

Then, the symbolic Christ of Dali and the mysterious yellow one by Gauguin.

“All the tormented Christ, to the

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image of the artist ...as God created men,” reflected the carver.

He carved with love. Slowly the beautiful figure of a nude man took form. With bent head, eyes closed and out stretched arms, it suggested a pagan God flying over his creation.

But the sculpture was not complete.

A cross had to be made.

“As God created man to his own semblance, thus the artist creates God.” Now, the carver worked at night.

The strokes of his tools against the wood became violent and cruel. In a frenzy, he tormented his own creation with ugly strokes from a blunted chisel. He tore at the face so lovingly molded and broke the legs to a grotesque position. He worked in the dark, the carver, not wanting to see what he was doing.

“Perhaps he also worked at night.” The carver said, but only he knew what he meant.

Far away, near Da Belmonte, the convent bells sang with the echo of the close mountain. Nuns, anonymous in their rough brown habits, entered the chapel bringing garlands of flowers preparing for the ceremonial celebration. The gifted image of Christ, a brutally tortured man, with a stained cloth tied to his hips, hung from a black cross in the center altar.

Sister Ursula, light and gently cleansed the tormented effigy with a white cloth. She had clear eyes, limpid, blue like the far translucent mountain sky.

In the refectory, the bishop waited, slowly drinking a mug of chocolate while writing his sermon.

Suddenly, Sister Ursula’s terrified scream tore through the convent silence. She staggered into the refectory holding the image’s stained cloth.

“Il Christo lo hanno castrato!”

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ONLY O NLY F FOR OR LOVERS LOVERS O OF F WORDS WORDS

By J. D. Hicks

W

hen I was a university student, I often went to the library. Even on a Friday or Saturday evening, I’d enjoy stalking books among the stacks. It may sound sinister or unhealthy, but I was merely a developing bibliophile.

Because I was a habitual user of the library, the staff knew me because I was the only person who regularly, indeed ever, borrowed a particular book: At 8” thick and weighing 9 pounds, Funk and Wagnall’s Unabridged Dictionary was not a tome to be taken lightly.

The first time I plopped the heavy Funk and Wagnall’s on the countertop at the front desk, the startled librarian surveyed the big pulpy block of erudition and observed that the huge book could not be checked out because it was a reference book.

I explained that I had found

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the giant dictionary in general circulation and that the checkout slip inside the green binding showed I could lawfully take it out for the normal checkout period. You can’t shoot a rocket higher than the heights of my elation as I lugged this Sequoia of books out of the library. In the coming months, I’d renew the dictionary many times, and in my one-room apartment, I’d scan the columns of small print for— For the answers, I refer you to Mr. Stommes, my charming eighth-grade teacher, who required

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his students to locate and learn the definitions for weekly vocabulary lists. This taught me two lessons.

First, I discovered that if I ever hoped to broaden my knowledge of the English language, I needed to study it. Before Mr. Stommes, I had depended on my own guesswork or the offhand explanations of others for the meanings of words. I had never thought I needed to study the English language, because I had thought I owned it.

Even apart from words I was completely unfamiliar with, there were words on the vocab lists whose meanings I had previously guessed and used. After checking the dictionary for these words, however, I realized that my guesses had erred. (I recall at the time the word puberty suggested fearsome and forbidden sexuality. I never uttered the word above a whisper. Later I was relieved to learn it described a phase of human development and I hadn’t been using an obscenity.) I saw that if I wanted to achieve clarity when I read, wrote, or spoke, I had to consult the lexicon for reliable definitions.

The second lesson I learned was that words, even single words,

could entertain me. I found that words could delight with humor as in borborygmus or oologize or enchant with sound as in glossolalia or sylvan or tintinnabulation or intrigue with meaning alone as in eschatology or psychopomp. Beginning in the eighth grade, I set aside my baseball cards, the stamps, the penny and dime collections.

By the time I entered the university, I was an experienced word collector. When I found a word I wanted to remember, I added it to my list. Like a bird fancier scanning tree branches for a new species to put on his life list, I searched for a new word perching on the line of a page, or I hunted them in the vast expanses of unabridged dictionaries such as Funk and Wagnall’s or Webster’s International.

I sought the novel, the exotic, the beautiful or plain, the melodious. Birders understand this, for they are outsiders in pursuit of an intangible reward. I am an outsider as well, but I am a worder and go wording in the inexhaustible English language. If you are a worder, I hope we meet someday on a quiet path somewhere among words.

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THIS WORLD of OURS

By Bob Harwood bharwoodb@hotmail.com

Europe Points The Way

T

he Versailles Treaty of 1919 simply set the stage for World War II. But after two devastating wars in a generation former adversaries set out to curtail national sovereignty that a continent torn by war forever might war no more. In 1951 key countries established the European Coal and Steel Community to build a restraining interdependence on war’s materials. In 1963, while on a career assignment in the UK, I listened from ‘The Strangers’ Gallery’ of the House of Commons as Prime Minister Macmillan first proposed that Britain emerge from behind its channel moat to share this vision.

Since 1970 membership in The European Union has soared to 27 countries, accelerated by the fall of the Iron Curtain. Sovereign nations defer areas of jurisdiction to the EU Parliament, Councils or Commissions maintaining a delicate balance between national and continental interests.

In wealthier countries some of more parochial persuasion may have a bias toward nationalism or resist their larger contributions to EU coffers to aid developing members. But most are strongly supportive. On global social and economic well being indices top rankings invariably go to European nations. In their more egalitarian culture health care access is essentially universal.

The EU is providing global leadership on global warming with carbon emissions per capita half those of North America’s and falling.

Efficient public transit and pedestrian friendly streets abound in urban centers as the interests of society take precedence over individual privilege. Countries have been transformed and others queue up to share the EU vision. But negotiating processes take years. All existing members must endorse each enlargement. Applicants must commit to environmental standards, rout out corruption, reform judiciaries and much more. Most have adopted the Euro as their common currency.

In September in the Balkans

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I spoke with many citizens of countries that had recently joined or were still in negotiation. They see a brighter, more prosperous future, free to travel, work or study in any EU country. Family members send remittances home. Decrepit infrastructures are being transformed.

Now the EU is taking its next major step forward. With the Czech Republic’s signature November 3rd all 27 of its members have now endorsed the Lisbon Treaty. The Union’s Charter of Fundamental (human) Rights will become legally binding. Europe’s Parliament will be more involved in the legislative process. There will be an increase in qualified majority voting in key Councils. A President of the European Council will serve a two and a half year term rather than the present ceremonial six month rotation among EU members. And an EU Foreign Affairs representative will better advance Europe’s positions on the world stage.

In the Global Village we have become one continent that is pointing the way to the future. It is taking a major step forward in The Long March toward fulfillment of my ultimate dream, a dream articulated 167 years ago by Tennyson. In a 12-line passage in his Locksley Hall he prophetically describes the sophisticated technologies that would first transform then wreak havoc in our world. He then captured his ultimate vision:”Til the war drums throbbed no longer and the battle flags are furled in the Parliament of Man, the Federation of the World.”

This vision I share, inherited from my mother and she from her father, will not be fulfilled in my lifetime. But may Europe’s lead become the role model for This World of Ours.

a

Bob Harwood

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AN A NO OUTSIDE UT TS SIDE ID DE C CURVE URVE E

By Michael McGrath

Reply to Jim Tuck’s Bleeding Heart Liberal

W

hoa back, Friar Tuck!

It seems to me that in your last “Inside Straight” (Ojo, Nov. 2009), you are advocating the burning of another “witch.” We more or less gave that up as a country when we adopted the principle of freedom of speech. I say “more or less” because there has been a good deal of vacillation on the part of government lawyers as to what constitutes giving aid and comfort versus exercising freedom of speech.

For example, when Senator John Kerry returned from his tour of duty in Viet Nam, he not only joined the Viet Nam Veterans Against The War, he also gave a two hour speech against the war before Congress and then joined his fellow vets against the war in a demonstration outside the capital where all of them tossed their ribbons and medals over a fence erected in front of the capitol while making protest statements against the conduct of the war.

At the time, Kerry was still a Lieutenant J.G. in the U.S. Naval Reserve.

Now he is a U.S. Senator and nobody breathes a word about his protest being treasonous. Heck, there was even talk of making him President.

I suppose it could be said that neither Kerry nor Fonda were prosecuted because of who they are. However, despite the fact that the First Amendment is both ambiguous and silent as to what exactly constitutes giving “aid and comfort” to the enemy, it is interesting to note that the punishment identified for an act of treason is clearly spelled out as anywhere from five years in prison to death. It would appear that the law recognizes a wide variety and degree of heinous-

ness when it comes to what might be considered treason.

Despite the ambiguity in the Constitution and the law, perhaps we could make some distinctions about aid and comfort that we could agree upon as reasonable people. For instance, it would seem to me that we might be able to agree that French and German nationals harboring French resistance fighters—as many did— would very likely constitute giving aid and comfort to the enemy.

However, there might be the small problem that we would very likely agree on how wonderful a thing that was. Loyalty and fidelity to the cause of the German fatherland be damned.

After all, they were the bad guys. A lot depends on your point of view.

But we can be pretty certain that King George did not think of the Founding Fathers as patriots.

So it seems that the problem here boils down to a couple things. First of all there is the legitimate nature of protest. And then there is the legitimate method of protest. Both of these issues have been spoken to, acted upon and wrestled with by many who have gone before us. Perhaps we should study the past before we condemn the present and ransom the future.

“Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want rain without thunder and lightning.” - Frederick Douglass “Any people that would give up liberty for a little temporary safety deserves neither liberty nor safety.”

- Benjamin Franklin “To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.” - Abraham Lincoln

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TESTING IM MSS

By Gloria Palazzo

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bout two weeks ago, I needed help. Pain and bleeding. Not something you can take lightly. I decided to put it off one more night. Maybe it would go away the same way it started. Put off going to the doctor and poof it’s gone. Not so lucky this time. By the next morning I knew something was wrong.

I have belonged to IMSS since coming to Guadalajara 4 1/2 years ago. Some of the horror stories made me cringe, but I didn’t have any other health insurance. I wouldn’t depend on IMSS for everything, but I understood that they would pick me up, even if it was with a shovel, if ever I was left unconscious or injured while traveling any place in Mexico. I decided that this was the perfect time to give IMSS the test.

As I was preparing to go to the emergency room, showering, dressing warmly and loosely, taking enough pesos to feel I could cover whatever was needed, I remembered my last visit to an emergency room in Los Angeles. They wouldn’t talk to me if I didn’t give them a credit card.

I was not in that emergency room 30 minutes and the cost was more than $500.00. That did not include three expensive prescription medicines.

When I wanted to return to Guadalajara, I called to ask the doctor if I could safely take a plane. Whoever answered the phone told me they would not give that information and that I should find another doctor nearby to get that information. Not wanting to spend another $500.00, I made the decision on my own. While traveling home to Guadalajara, I remember thinking how cold and uncaring that experience was.

Well, we got to the IMSS Hospital Emergency room and I was ushered in immediately. My Spanish is less than mediocre and these folk labored to speak English so I could understand. If one of them couldn’t speak English, they tried to find

someone who could. Sometimes we just communicated in Spanglish, but I felt cared for. By afternoon, I was in surgery, after a sonogram (with a full explanation) and the deed was done.

In all, I spent 1 1/2 days in the hospital and was kept comfortable and felt safe. In no way does this IMSS hospital compare to the sterile and icy feelings I have experienced visiting patients in the U.S. I would not hesitate to use these services again and that the best of care can sometimes be a smile, a genuine, “How do you feel?” or just to know someone is looking over you.

Relatives or friends can and do spend nights with patients.

Because I slept next to an unscreened open window, I had mosquito bites on my forehead, the only place sticking out of the covers that night. The bathroom was down the hall, and I had to stop at the nurse’s desk to get toilet paper before using the bathroom. I had to wiggle my way down the hall with this adult diaper contraption because it was not attached to anything, and if I didn’t wiggle, I’d loose it.

I smiled as I left the next day, saying my thanks many times over. The inconveniences seemed trivial compared with the services. And none of this cost me an extra single peso!

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Wondrous Wildlife

By Vern and Lori Gieger

No Hares Here

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urtles are found on every continent except Antarctica, living in habitats from the cold North Sea, to arid deserts. Turtles have survived for over 200 million years, and have changed very little. They all have shells, but the shells can vary from being soft and flexible to an almost rock hard plate. Some are almost flat as a pancake while others are domed shaped. Their body weight ranges from 5 ounces to over 1,600 pounds. There are approx. 285 species of turtles. Turtles are one of the few reptiles that most people like or don’t have a negative opinion of.

Soft shell turtles have body designs that are geared for fast locomotion in water. Most soft shells live in an aquatic environment; others such as the hard shell tortoise live only on land; being unable to swim tortoises would quickly drown. However the majority of turtles inhabit a little bit of both.

Turtles have long been symbolic in human culture. Characteristics such as wisdom, wealth, strength, happiness and longevity are often associated with them. They even have various representations in religion and cultures from the Cheyenne Indians to Hinduism. In some faiths, turtles carry the earth or hold up the sky.

Ecologically speaking turtles are considered to be beneficial, but this doesn’t bring out concern for their welfare. Turtles may symbolize longevity; it doesn’t seem to benefit them. In some cultures, it is believed by eating them one is granted a longer and more vigorous life. Many turtle species suffer from the ignorance of man. Often sold in markets as delicacies or used in socalled traditional medicine, turtle parts are used in home remedies ranging from improving sexual performance (especially sea turtle eggs) to curing cancer.

Turtles are threatened by many of the same threats that other wild-

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life face, such as habitat loss, the pet trade, pollution, human consumption. As well as the introduction of invasive species, for example redeared sliders are very invasive; yes, those cute little green turtles you see for sale everywhere, they are fast reproducers, and are typically more aggressive than native turtle species. They simply out-compete native turtle species. Red-ears are on the World Conservation Union’s list of worst 100 invaders.

We receive many calls from residents who find a native mud turtle in a potentially dangerous situation.

Typically on or near the road; the reason for this is the bare road offers an ideal place for basking. Two to three months out of the year, female turtles are attracted to roads due to the desire to reproduce. Not as a site for meeting the opposite sex, but as an ideal place for the female to lay eggs. Roadsides provide a patch of warm bare ground quite suitable for nesting. Unfortunately studies indicate female turtles make up the majority of the road-kills. This could have detrimental effects on turtle populations.

Sea turtles are especially captivating and are a symbol of marine conservation. However, life is not easy for turtles. According to various turtle conservation groups, 66% of all turtles & tortoises are threatened with extinction. One sad example is “Lonesome George” the last known surviving Abingdon Island Tortoise, George was moved to the Charles Darwin Research Center in the 1970s. With 100 or more years of solitude ahead, George is an ominous reminder of the plight of turtles and tortoises worldwide.

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CHILD

of the month

By Rich Petersen

Nicolás Castro Pacheco

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his is four-monthold Nicolás Castro Pacheco, in the arms of his mother Maricela. His parents are different from many of the Niños families we help in that they are both university educated and have better-than-average jobs.

Why would such a family come to Niños Incapacitados for help with medical expenses?

The answer is that Nicolás was born with a congenital heart defect which requires open-heart surgery.

Known as Atrioventricular Septal Defect (or AV canal defect), this anomaly results in a large hole in the middle the heart instead of the two atria formed into two separate chambers, and what should be the separation of the two valves. The end result is a large amount of extra blood going to the baby’s lungs, plus extra strain on the heart. That causes high pulmonary pressure because the heart has to work extra hard. Here is the “catch-22” aspect of Nicolás’ situation. The family has IMSS (the Mexican national health insurance), but there is no space available at the hospitals in Guadalajara for him to have surgery. The same is true at the Hospital Civil, the Guadalajara “charity” hospital which does not charge anything near private hospital fees.

Nicolás is number 86 on the list at the Civil, with no chance yet of being bumped up to a higher position.

He has been seen by a private cardiologist who says the surgery cannot wait months until there “might” be a space available. The problem then is the cost. One private hospital in the city will charge only 170,000 pesos for the surgery, not including the physician’s fee.

This is much less than other hospitals in Guadalajara. The doctor has lowered his fee to 50,000 pesos, for a total of 220,000 pesos. The family has 80,000 pesos from relatives and friends, and the doctor will not insist on immediate payment of his fee. Hospitals in Mexico have no

payment plans for cases such as these, and the family came to Niños Incapacitados for what help we could offer.

Obviously our group is unable to come up with such an amount, so we are therefore bringing Nicolás’ case to the public in hopes someone might have a solution to this dilemma.

In the course of writing this article, Flavio called me to say that little Nicolás had developed a respiratory infection which was putting even more strain on his heart and lungs. He was seen at the hospital and treated for two days with antibiotics, and did improve.

The parents then decided they had no choice but to proceed with the surgery, knowing full well that the hospital fees would be due in the near future. As I am writing this in mid-November for the December issue of El Ojo, Nicolás is one day post-op and so far doing well. I hope by the time you read this that he is back home and on the road to recovery. But in the meantime that hospital bill has to be paid, and we would so much appreciate any help or suggestions you might have.

Niños Incapacitados meets the second Thursday of each month at 10:30 a.m. in the patio area of La Nueva Posada. Please join us to learn more about what we do and how you can help. Each month we bring one of the children to our meeting so that our members and other friends can get to know personally some of those who benefit from the organization.

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The Ojo Crossword

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El Ojo del Lago December 2009

ACROSS

DOWN

1 Accomplished 4 Open mouthed 9 Capital of Ghana 14 Abridged (abbr.)

15 Colorful glass 16 Smoke 17 Hive dweller 18 Strange 19 Ireful 20 Spirits 22 Invitation abbreviation 24 Capital of Peru 25 Nativity scene piece 27 Southwest by west 31 Dines 32 Annoys 33 Garden tool 34 River 36 Romance 38 Equipped, with “up” 40 Pluck out a hair 42 Predict 43 Doings 44 Not against 45 Annoyed 47 Annoying, like a bug bite 51 Brussels biscuit 53 Capital of Switzerland 54 Buckeye State 55 Behind 57 Member of an American Indian people 59 Trim wool 62 Devourer 65 Gender 66 Sods 67 BB Player Abdul Jabar 68 Before, poetically 69 Gossiper 70 Sri____ 71 Distress call

1 Dunk 2 Portugal’s peninsula 3 Had a dream 4 Copied 5 Color 6 Atmosphere 7 Pressure unit 8 Appear 9 Tel ____ 10 Poor quality fish 11 Certified public accountant 12 Spoil 13 Is 21 National capital 23 Bro’s sibling 25 Heal 26 Hatchet 28 Expert 29 Make a hole 30 Damper 32 Contend 35 Be incorrect 36 Federal government (abr.)

37 Harm 38 Wise man 39 Self-esteems 40 Adolescent 41 Newly ____, Nearly Dead 42 Spr.. month 43 Danish krone (abbr.)

45 Large computer co.

46 Rescind 48 Essays of original research 49 Roman statesman 50 Jokes 52 Cheese brand 56 ___ Major (Big Dipper) 57 Search 58 Writer Bombeck 59 Pigpen 60 Color 61 Sea eagle 63 Also known as (abbr.)

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Feathered Friends

By John Keeling

Yellow-rumped Warbler

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ur garden in Ajijic is currently over-run by small birds calling “skwit, skwit, skwit”. These are Yellow-rumped Warblers, so-called because the lower back is yellow, though it is often hidden by the folded wings. They also have distinctive small yellow patches on each side of the breast.

These are the commonest of the warbler species. You will see them on your lawn, in the bushes and in the trees constantly on the move.

Because they are so small, you will probably need binoculars to see the tell-tale yellow markings.

They have proven themselves to be a very adaptable species. In summer they can catch insects in the air, and also have the ability to pick insects off the leaves and branches of bushes and trees. In the winter when insects become scarce, they switch to berries, particularly the myrtle berry, but also poison ivy berries and privet berries. The Yellow-rumped Warbler has a digestive system specially adapted to digesting the high levels of wax found in myrtle berries.

In April and May these birds fly north to Canada and Alaska where they nest in pine and spruce trees about 20 feet off the ground. It takes 28 days from laying the eggs to the time the babies fly. Sometimes they have two broods in a summer.

In August they plump up and then fly south to points from the Southern States to Panama, which is the southernmost range of the myrtle berry. In winter they travel in flocks, and will quickly leave a location when both the insects and the berries run out.

There are two common subspecies or races: the Myrtle Race, predominant in the east, has a white throat; while the Audubon Race, predominant west of the Rockies, has a yellow throat. The body coloring varies from black and white, through blue-grey to nondescript buffy brown.

The Myrtle Race and the Audubon Race used to be considered separate species, but when it was discovered that they interbreed where their ranges overlap in the Rockies, they were made one species. It is speculated that they were originally one uniform species prior to the last ice

Photo by Vince Gravel

age perhaps 70,000 years ago; and that the eastern and western parts of the population became separated from each other by the “Wisconsin Glacier” which covered much of Canada and the Upper Mid-western States until 10,000 years ago. During that time the two populations were able to evolve different color patterns.

You will find that these birds are not shy around people. When you watch them remember that they have powerful eyes for catching insects on the fly, and any sudden movement on your part may scare them. On the other hand, their ears are geared to hear the high-pitched calls of their own species. They hear frequencies from the middle of the human listening range up to frequencies above our listening range. As is the case with other small birds, they cannot hear human conversation because the frequency is too low. Be on the look-out for groups of these birds in your lakeshore garden this winter.

(John Keeling and his wife lead ‘Los Audubonistas del Lago’ which is a loose-knit group of people interested in birds. To receive notices of events please leave your e-mail address at www.avesajijic.com.)

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A NEW LEASE—on Life!

By Judit Rajhathy, B.A., RNCP, D.Ac.

Make Your New Year’s Resolution a Healthy One!

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efore you know it, the turkey and trimmings will be nicely settled around your middle - just in time for New Year’s resolutions!

If you are content sitting on the couch day after day, occasionally getting up to eat, and accept that you might remain weak, grouchy, tired, and likely suffer from stiff, acheridden joints, and extra weight, this article may not be for you. If, however, you are fed up and want a better, more vital life, it might be time to get moving!

A CDC report states that 55% of American adults were not active enough to meet the minimum recommendation of 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week even though we all know that study after study has shown repeatedly that daily physical activity reduces the risk of obesity, cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, and enhances physical and mental functioning. Yet so many still opt for sedentary lifestyles.

“I don’t have time to exercise” tops the list of excuses. It is like saying I don’t have time to eat, or I don’t have time to sleep, I don’t have time to brush my teeth. Attitude adjusting and scheduling your daily exercise time works like a charm! Studies show that those who exercise first thing in the morning stick with routines more than those who change their times.

“Exercise is boring” is another excuse. Is brushing your teeth exciting? Again, attitude adjusting and finding routines that are less ‘painful’ work. For some, music is a huge motivator. And always keep in mind that

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El Ojo del Lago December 2009

what would be more “boring” would be a chronic illness or disability stemming from lack of activity. Also keep in mind that if dance is your favorite activity, working out on a daily basis on a treadmill, elliptical trainer or circuit goes a long way in building stamina, strength so that you would get the maximum out of those dance classes.

“I can’t afford the gym” is usually not a credible one when one night out on the town can equal a month at the gym! It is all about priorities...

“I can’t get myself motivated” - Having another person to work out with makes it more fun and the buddy system demands accountability and increases commitment.

“I want instant results” - Sorry, but there is no magic pill. Consistency is the key to success. And if you fall off the wagon, simply get back on! Setting goals with your gym personnel makes a huge difference and being monitored in terms of personal progress is important.

Your body is designed to move, bend and stretch. Most people feel a difference by the end of the first week if they work out six days a week.

Their breathing is less labored, their flexibility, strength and stamina improve and often they feel a renewed sense of wellbeing. Try it! It really works! 2010 is a new beginning. Seize the opportunity - carpe diem! See you in the gym!

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Judit Rajhathy

By Judy Baehr 766-2695 jdbaehr@aol.com www.greatgreens.org

New Holiday Traditions

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admit that one of the reasons I was eager to move to Mexico was to avoid spending the last two months of the year shopping, decorating, baking, cleaning, polishing, cooking, wrapping, mailing…well, you get the drift. Having come of age in the era of Julia Child’s effortful French recipes, and having hit my productive peak of housekeeping during the Martha Stewart era, my sense of “I need to do things for the holidays” started earlier every year.

It had gotten so bad, I felt the need to decorate not just for Christmas but for every season and every holiday. When I got to seriously thinking about adding on a storage room just for seasonal decorations, I realized things were out of hand.

Now that I am living in Mexico, I am liberated! I can avoid doing this stuff and NO ONE WILL NOTICE! (Our house has high walls.)

I do not have aching muscles and joints from hanging decorations on the rafters. My husband is not mad at me for making him climb on the roof. My head doesn’t hurt from bumping into the snowman mobile in the laundry room. Come January I am not sick from eating all the leftover cookies and cheesecake and brownies and chocolates that I made, plus all the ones that well-meaning friends brought over.

I feel great come January and so can

you!

This year, I recommend seriously asking yourself NOT “What do I NEED to do?” but “What would I really LIKE to do for the holidays?”

Write me for pledge cards; I may form a support group.

So what do I do now when the holidays arrive? Last year, instead of baking cookies, I bought fresh fruit and made gift baskets with jams and flavored oils from the ACÁ store.

The year before I bought gift herb planters from ACÁ. And the year before that, I bought charitable ACÁ gift cards to give turkeys to deserving Mexican families to help restore the raising of indigenous breeds. All these are available this year at Gg’s Organic Market located in Jaltepec at the ACÁ Eco Training Center.

The market sells Great Greens and other local organically grown produce; potted, fresh and dried herbs; products from local producers; and gardening supplies and plants.

Call for details or go to www. greatgreens.org. Orders can be picked up at the farm or at the Lake Chapala Society.

What’s new this year? I’m flocking together (so to speak) with friends to raise funds for ACÁ to build quarters for producing fresh organic eggs. You can help! And yes, I promise I’ll try to avoid thinking about whether I can decorate the eggs for Easter.

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Hearts at Work —A Column by Jim Tipton

“Why not wake up this very moment?”

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n Aldous Huxley’s final novel, Island, the protagonist Will Farnaby, after being shipwrecked onto the island of Pala (the home of a Utopian community), falls into a sound sleep only to be awakened a few hours later by a Mynah bird calling out, in a voice that cannot be ignored, “Attention! Attention!”

Like Will Farnaby, we have all fallen into a sound sleep and we need our own Mynah birds to call out to us, to wake us up, to make us pay attention to the world around us, to make us pay attention to our own lives, to our souls during this sojourn in time and space.

For many years I made a delightful living as a beekeeper in western Colorado. Often, shortly after dawn, I was out working in my bee

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yards yards, alone alone, loving that holy time of day, watching the hives come alive as the sun began to cast its wake-up call upon the old but carefully maintained wooden boxes all carrying the brand High Desert Honey. One by one the bees would begin to exit, crawling out the entrance and then suddenly lifting themselves up and away to begin their day of gathering the golden nectar.

El Ojo del Lago December 2009

One summer, for several weeks, shortly after I arrived at one particular bee yard, a rather isolated one in the desert, a coyote would often appear just beyond the yard. He sat there, simply watching, simply paying attention to me, and undoubtedly enjoying that cool morning as much as I did. I would sit back on the tailgate of my old blue Chevrolet S-10 truck, sip coffee laced with cinnamon, and pay attention to the coyote. We had a nice relationship.

That coyote had presence.

People who have presence are people who pay attention to the world around them. When we feel presence in a person, we feel the attention that person casts over every situation, so that we, ourselves, want to pay more attention to the moment. Words are quite secondary.

Attention cannot be forced. It is, instead, something quiet, secure, and profound, present. Rarely are we awake to our own journey, and therefore we do not awake to the journey of another. When we turn our eyes away as we approach someone, we turn away what might have been our attention. But when we calmly and deliberately turn our eyes to their eyes, like the coyote did to me, we then have presence.

The world responds to presence, and that person to whom we pay attention then pays attention to us.

A person who pays attention can enter a room filled with people and those people will study him with curiosity because he has presence, something indefinable that attracts them to him. But it is not really indefinable. That presence that develops in a person who pays attention is calling to everyone in that room to wake up, to be for that moment who they really are.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta often

said, “I chose to work with Christ in his most distressed form.” She “paid attention” to every suffering person whom she met; and she changed their lives, gave them both food and dignity, twin requirements for the spiritual journey.

Saint Francis of Assisi was transformed one afternoon while walking alone through a familiar forest.

Given to the pleasures of life, the young Francis abhorred lepers, who themselves were forced to live outside of the blessings of community.

One particular afternoon Francis felt a strange presence rising up in him as the leper drew closer. At that moment he realized that the leper was Jesus (and perhaps that all lepers were Jesus), and he kissed the leper and was himself transformed.

Everyone we meet is God in disguise. We wake up God in ourselves (and others) by paying attention not to our complicated and twisted and difficult pasts but by paying attention to the world immediately before us, by paying attention to those immediately before us, on our path.

Even the old romantic idea that “souls meet when lips touch” has to do with paying attention. The kiss that is not self-consciously attentive, that is not rushed, that is not timid…the kiss that is deliberate, awake, alive in that moment, is the kiss that we long for, a soul kiss, that lifts us to a sense of our own presence that for the moment is dancing with the presence of another.

Kabir, the 15th century Indian poet, says, “You have been asleep for thousands of years! Why not wake up this very moment?”

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Jim Tipton

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LAKESIDE FRIENDS OF THE ANIMALS —Speaking for Those Who Can’t Speak for Themselves

By Elyn McEvoy

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popular statue found in many area gardens is that of St Francis of Assisi. The patron saint of animals, he is remembered for his compassion to all creatures. Certainly that kind of tender mercy is a much needed commodity at lakeside. To the same extent that many people consider this area to be an idyllic retreat, it is often a less than hospitable environment for many animals.

Overpopulation, human mistreatment, malnutrition, and untreated illness and disease often result in short, sad and sometimes savage lives. And yet tender mercy does exist, as is evident in the works of several local animal welfare organizations. Though their individual programs and philosophies may differ, each strives to improve the lives of animals and with the support of the lakeside community their collective efforts do make a difference.

One lesser known organization is Lakeside Friends of the Animals A.C. Since 2006, LFA has been assisting Mexican nationals with limited means by offering free spaying and neutering for their pets as well as underwriting the cost of emergency veterinarian care. Those of us who have pets know well that our animals offer us invaluable emotional gifts yet responsible pet ownership can often be costly. Lakeside Friends of the Animals, through its programs for Mexican nationals with limited means, seeks to support the relationship of pet and owner while alleviating some of the expense.

Providing free spaying and neutering, not only addresses overpopulation in general but also encourages pet ownership without the worry of unwanted litters.

In cooperation with the Animal Hospital of Riberas Del Pilar, 30 pets belonging to Mexicans with limited means are sterilized each month. In addition, on a monthly basis an average of five pets receive emergency care. Treatment can include surgery, medication and whenever necessary, humane euthanasia for untreatable condi-

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tions. Owners are asked to pay only what they can and LFA contributes to the balance.

Though not a shelter, Lakeside Friends of the Animals A.C. fully appreciates the enormous responsibilities entailed in caring for large numbers of animals.

Shelter animals have to be fed, sterilized, vaccinated and receive medical attention. To assist local shelters in their important work, Lakeside Friends of the Animals awards grants that contribute to the purchase of food or sterilizations. Recipients of grants have included well known shelters such as Anita`s Animals and The Ranch/ Lakeside Spay and Neuter Center and lesser known shelters operated

by Nick Lampris and Nina Perez.

Lakeside Friends of the Animals also purchases Feline Leukemia Testing kits so that cats and kittens at the Animal Shelter can be tested for this deadly disease.

Presently, the organization is working on developing educational materials in Spanish to teach pet care and responsible pet ownership.

Also currently in development is a post life plan in which individuals can enter into an agreement with Lakeside Friends of the Animals in which the organization would assume responsibility for a pet upon the owner`s death. Bequests would be accepted as part of the plan.

Lakeside Friends of the Animals A.C. has formal recognition as a charitable organization under Mexican regulations. LFA asks for the support of the community in order to continue all its programs. To help, or for more information visit our website at www. lakesideanimalfriends.org, email us at info@lakesideanimalfriends. org. or call 765-2523.

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Notes From Nestipac

By Phyllis Rauch rauchlosdos@yahoo.com

Of Christmases Past

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ven if every Christmas can’t be perfect, I suspect we all treasure a few very special ones. Here are three of my favorites.

I was four years old, and my mom worked in one of the wartime factories. We were looking forward to Grandma’s, where the holiday was traditionally celebrated: family, wonderful food, and home-made presents. Then, I came down with the measles. We hadn’t even decorated our little project house, and things looked bleak.

On Christmas Eve we heard sleigh bells outside, then a loud knock on our door. And there stood Santa, with a sack over his shoulder. How did Santa know that I was a little girl in love with books? He unpacked scores of picture books, books that could be made into rooms, nursery rhyme books opening like fans.

About ten years later Christmas was again drawing near. My mother and I traveled downtown to look at the window displays. Mom had me try on a few winter coats, though I well knew that there wasn’t enough money in the family budget for a new winter coat. One coat dazzled me.

It was the softest gray with a flared skirt, silver buttons and a hood lined with green.

I was tall for my age and most of my clothing was handed down from adult relatives, not geared to an adolescent just awakening to fashion. My brown winter coat was the worst. A chesterfield, it was double breasted, with pointy lapels. The buttons were so sharp they severed the threads and fell off weekly.

A couple of hours before Christmas Eve church services, my mother said, “You’d better get your coat from the closet so I can check the buttons and make sure none are ready to fall off tonight. What I found when I opened the closet door: that soft grey coat of my dreams, with the perky green hood. I wrapped my arms around the ultimate coat for a 14 year old, blotting a few tears as well.

Ten years later, I was invited to my German boyfriend’s for the holiday. Sharing a ride, we arrived in high spirits at the Berlin/East Germany border, only to discover I had forgotten my official documents. Christmas or no, these grim-faced guards weren’t letting me through.

Many hours later, I sat on a westbound train, knowing I would miss the Christmas Eve festivities. The checkpoint safely past, dreary East Germany still rolled past the windows. Alone in my compartment, I was feeling blue until I remembered my unopened gifts from co-workers.

Opening them up I found a book of German Christmas carols and a miniature crèche made of cornhusk figures. Somehow I also discovered a candle in my shoulder bag.

I opened the little collapsible shelf near the window, set up my crèche and lit the candle. Then I began singing carols. A light flashed in the dark hall; the door to my compartment flew open. Oh dear, what now?

Everything in this sad, Iron Curtain country seemed to be forbidden. For certain I was breaking two or three rules. Afraid to look up, I continued to sing. After what seemed an eternal pause, the conductor said, in German, “Well, you have certainly made a nice little Christmas for yourself young lady. Frohe Weihnachten.” I had the feeling my friendly East German might be telling my story later at home or to his colleagues.

Thanks for reading and a lovely holiday to all.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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n your last issue a Mr. Barnes tried to justify the Nobel award to President Obama and attributed all critical comments to plain old Republican jealousy. Mr. Barnes was eloquent in crediting Mr. Obama with changing world perceptions and a mind change of tectonic proportions.

However the Nobel award statutes require (Statute 7) the committee to embrace nominations received by 1 February for accomplishments during at least the previous 12 months. On this date Mr. Obama had been president for 11 days. During the previous 12 months he was campaigning.

Thus we may conclude that the committee may have violated their statutes by ignoring the nomination deadline since the events Mr. Barnes applauds happened after February 1. The statutes also stress accomplishments rather than expectations.

Alternatively, Mr. Obama may

have created a mind change of tectonic proportions in 11 days. Since it took God seven days to create the world,. fixing it in 11 days is commendable.

In being critical of the award, perhaps it is sadness, rather than jealousy, that a venerable institution such as the Nobel is reduced to pandering a political affirmation.

The next prize in Physics will probably be awarded to anyone proving that quarks do not have different spins, charges or colors.

Political correctness at the subatomic level is a good thing.

Andy Meyers Ajijic

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POLITICAL P OLITICAL W WACKOS ACKOS

By Bill Franklin

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t has been brought to my attention that Barack Obama was never born. I have this as actual evidence from conservatives. Conservatives are about the only people you can trust around here with important things like birthrights, rights, rights of birth and whether or not the born are really born or are just faking it. I know this cause I watch the Chris Mathew’s show. Chris means well but sometimes he just doesn’t get it. He stands for believing that people are sensible and can think.

Then he gives us examples of the unthinking being insensible. Chris is confusing but he means well.

Today I noticed that his show showed a group of people Chris referred to as wackos. Wackos are people that can look you in the eye and tell you you haven’t been born.

When you produce your birth certificate as proof they say that can’t be proof because someone in the audience has a father who fought in the Pacific theatre. The daughter of that brave, fighting father wants her country back. Back to country means refusing to allow Barack’s birth. Oh Barack. Why did you have to be born in Hawaii on such foreign soil? Why couldn’t you have been born in Alaska which is so much more a part of where we can keep track of you? Sometimes conservatives get Hawaii mixed up with Kenya. Just because your BC says Hawaii, don’t expect people not to put two and two together and come up with Kenya. Conservatives are many things but completely wacko, stupid and beyond the pale they’re not, (so don’t test them).

Now every now and then there’s a congressman who needs votes.

He even needs votes from wackos.

So it pains said congressman to insist that Barack actually was born, does happen to be President, and that a good proportion of Americans are glad he’s alive and well and acting as if he were in fact very much the good leader of the free world. But that would be too simple. It doesn’t have the appeal of total unreality. So here is Barack’s truly true bio. Barack was born in Kenya to a black dude and a white chick and we have no idea what the hell she was doing there (or what

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she saw in him). Then Barack became a liberal for the express purpose of making sure the well- todo weren’t any more . Then after a series of lies and big likeableness, he got himself elected President of the USA in spite of the fact he either wasn’t born or, if he was, was born in Kenya. This we big thinking conservatives, believe. Plus we believe we are sent by God to challenge everything a black dude in power says.

So I, as an objective viewer of afternoon TV, have formed an opinion of some of the right wing’s worst and dumbest. My opinion of them, apart from my penchant for thinking in terms of positive human potential, is that these people are the worst and the dumbest. In this I am of course assuming there isn’t a select group, hidden from our view, who are even dumber and worse. Because all we need to throw a wrench in the system is to show up with an ID and a credit card and have the processor deny your likeness. That happened to me one day. The nice lady said, “Show me your Id.” I did and she said that wasn’t me in the picture.

I was flattered and then not. I tried to find that expression, that DMV type expression and replicate it. To no avail. It turns out I wasn’t me at all. I was some overweight, swollen impostor trying to rip the good person who bothered to have actual credit off for 4.95. So that’s how I had my identity stolen. Not by some hacker, but by someone who refused to believe that that gorgeous person in the picture could actually be dear, TV watching me.

So let the Chris Mathew’s show be a lesson to us all. In order to form a more perfect union we should bother to be born first and then get elected, in that order.

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PAW PRINTS ON MY HEART

By Gudrun Jones, Co-Founder & President of the Lakeside Spay & Neuter Center

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hose big brown eyes gazing at you in adoration, the cool, wet nose nudging you to get out of bed in the morning and the never ending wag of the tail that symbolizes the joy of being around you. Multiply this by 16 and you have a glimpse into my life.

We know that dogs are dedicated companions that offer unquestioning attachment, agree with everything you say, love you and acceptance.

Numerous studies have shown that owning a dog can be beneficial to your health. A new research suggesting the hormonal changes that occur when humans and dogs interact; owning a dog can help people cope with depression and certain stress related disorders. Nursing homes that allow dogs or have a resident dog can ease the loneliness of the elderly and will make the transition from home to a nursing facility easier, being exposed to a dog can also help children overcome allergies.

Therapy dogs have been used to visit nursing homes, calm children and help ease pain in people undergoing physical rehabilitation. Preliminary results show that a few minutes of stroking your pet prompts a release of a number of “feel good” hormones in humans.

In a large Missouri Study, 50 dog owners and 50 non-dog owners over the age of 18 sat in a quiet room for 5-35 minutes with their own dog, a friendly but strange dog, and a robotic dog. The robotic dog was included because electronic pooches are being studied as a possible resource for the elderly who can not look after a live animal.

Before each session which involved stroking and petting, researchers checked blood samples of both humans and dogs. The dog’s blood dropped as soon as they were petted, the human’s blood pressure dropped by approximately 10% about 30 minutes after they began petting the animal. The study also found that serotonin levels (serotonin is a chemical that helps among other things relay signals from one area of the brain to another, it makes us more mentally alert, improves sleep and can make us less sensitive

to pain) increased when interacting with the human’s own dog and actually decreased when interacting with the robot dog.

Researchers are trying to determine which types of people would best benefit from being with pet animals and how often they need to interact with them to have results.

Researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia are hoping that animal assisted therapy becomes a mainstream medically-accepted intervention that would be prescribed to patients and, in the long run, be reimbursed by insurance companies.

The study was funded by the Skeeter Foundation, a group headed

by Dr. Stephens, founder of Veterinarian Pet Insurance, a nationwide insurer of pet medical coverage.

The Lakeside Spay & Neuter Center wishes to extend a big THANK YOU for the support and attendance to the Country Critter Bash.

It is your good will and support that keeps us going.

Meet Dog of the Month “Little Bit.” For information on Little Bit or the Ranch call Gudrun Jones, 766-3813.

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MIDLIFE RADIANCE

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d. Note: The following are a few excerpts from the new book Midlife Radiance by Dilia Suriel. The book may be purchased at the Diane Pearl Collection in Ajijic.)

For many ex-pats Lake Chapala is not merely a region in Jalisco; it represents a conscious commitment to a vibrant quality of life and reflects an arrival at an important stage of their lives. Seventy-year-olds are not invisible in Lake Chapala; their lifestyle involves more than staying home, taking pills, embodying physical challenges, and watching television. Instead their lifestyle springs from a decision that at 80, they are tackling a new language, mastering a new currency, forming new friendships, and embracing their life’s passions.

Picasso observed that “It takes a long time to become young.” These radiant seniors don’t ask themselves what the world needs; they ask themselves what makes them come alive, because what the world needs are people who have come alive. Living at Lakeside has crystallized the

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qualities that contribute to radiance: Self-Acceptance: Radiance is animated by confidence that is anchored upon self-worth, an acceptance not only of one’s gifts but also of one’s frailties and challenges; radiance embraces the fullness of one’s humanity. Emerson encapsulated it best, “Most of the shadows of this life are caused by standing in one’s own sunshine.”

Gratefulness: “If you are given

all of this beauty, the amazing lakeside community, the heart of the Mexican people and you have no appreciation, no awe for any of it, what makes you think that anything else will make you fulfilled, or happy, or grateful?” It is a profound invitation to accept the many gifts offered by this radiant community that I have wholeheartedly embraced them with an awakened ‘Thank You.’ Belief systems: Sometimes we fail to acknowledge that our opinion of the world is also a confession of character, for example when our own limited vision is then projected as the limits of the world.

Attitude: One of my new lakeside friends has lived a privileged life and embodies midlife radiance: I asked “Have you ever experienced setbacks?’ She quoted Zohar: “There is a palace that opens only to tears.”

What she shared was that disappointment is an opportunity to ask, “What is the lesson being offered?

What must I transcend in order to gain access to the gift being offered to me?” Her response reminded me of Gibran’s quote: “I have learned silence from the talkative, Tolerance from the intolerant, Kindness from the unkind.” Yet strange, I am ungrateful to these teachers.

Humor: The shortest distance to another’s heart is through humor.

When his friends are sick, instead of chicken soup, or flowers, one of my radiant friends brings them funny films. I asked him about those skeptical of this treatment and he suggested quoting Ashley Brilliant: “You don’t like me, I don’t like you, what else do we have in common?”

Being Present: “Death is not an event in life: we do not live to experience death. If we take eternity to mean not infinite temporal duration but timelessness, then eternal life belongs to those who live in the present.” ~Wittgenstein. The Zen practice purports that most suffering is an intellectual interpretation of

fears that take us out of “this” moment.

As we age, we realize that we will only witness a handful more harvest moons, afternoons of children laughing or tears of a friend in need.

These gifts are offered to many of us but only fully appreciated by those who live in the frequency of “radiance.”

Spirituality: “My religion is very simple – my religion is kindness.” ~Dalai Lama. “Radiance” embraces a large dosage of kindness and helps us understand the significant distinction between religion and spirituality.

Learning: Einstein once stated “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.”

Pablo Casals, then age 93, when asked why he continued to practice the cello three hours each day, replied “I’m beginning to notice some improvement.”

So what is this “Midlife Radiance?” It is a final acceptance of our true essence? It is simply giving up that which no longer contributes to us? Kafka summarized it best when he stated, “Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.”

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FRONT ROW CENTER

By Kay Davis

The Mousetrap Written by Agatha Christie Directed by Roseann Wilshere

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ollie and Giles Ralston have a new hotel, snowed in with five guests. Detective Sergeant Trotter arrives on skis to warn the group that a murderer is on his way to the hotel, following the death of Mrs. Maureen Lyon in London.

When one of the guests, Mrs. Boyle, is killed, they realize the murderer is already there. Suspicion falls first on Christopher Wren, an erratic young man who fits the description of the supposed murderer. However, the killer could be any of the guests or even the hosts themselves.

As a mystery with more than 23,000 appearances on the London stage since 1952 and still running, this story deserves to remain untold.

But here are the intriguing characters: Maureen Lyon (unseen in the play) – the first victim, real name Stanning, imprisoned for abusing the three Corrigan children left in her and her husband’s foster care.

Mollie Ralston (Kristine Moily) – proprietor of the hotel and wife of Giles made a trip to London the day Maureen Lyon was murdered.

Giles Ralston (Tony Wilshere) – Mollie’s husband. The first suspect, Giles enters dressed in clothing similar to that worn by the killer.

Christopher Wren (Michael Warren) – the first guest to arrive, Wren is a peculiar young man.

Mrs. Boyle (Betty Lloyd Robinson) – a critical former magistrate, she placed the three children in Maureen Lyon’s care. Early on she is murdered.

Major Metcalf (Ray Himmelman) – retired from a career with the army, he is suspected as the possible father of the three abused youngsters.

Miss Casewell (Chris L’ecluse) – an aloof, masculine woman who tells tales of horror from her childhood.

One possible conclusion is that she is one of the abused children, here to seek revenge.

Mr. Paravicini (Ed Tasca) – a man of unknown provenance, speaking an affected foreign accent and artificially aged with make-up.

Detective Sergeant Trotter

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(Keith Scott) – a policeman who arrives during the snow storm says he is there to protect the guests.

One of the first tests of an LLT production is how well it engages audience attention. It did that and more. The set was praised immediately, for which we thank Tod Jonson and Ektor Carranza.

Michael Warren’s performance as Christopher Wren was intriguing.

His offbeat behavior delighted us, so uncharacteristic of his normally conservative style.

Tony Wilshire’s character of Giles Ralston spring to life although I would have preferred a warmer interaction with Kristine Moily’s character Molly, his bride of only one year.

Our on-stage victim, Mrs. Boyle, played by Betty Lloyd Robinson, was convincingly condescending.

We expect to see her in comedic roles, but this one demonstrated her abilities in a serious, if all too brief, role.

Ray Himmelman, whose 27 years career as an RCAF pilot had to have been perfect casting, portrayed Major Metcalf.

And Chris L’ecluse as the mannish Miss Casewell showed us the latent talents this actress has only begun to reveal.

Keith Scott as Detective Sergeant Trotter had a challenging role, projecting almost dual personalities.

Two viewers referred to the detective as a “strident” character. Yes, that’s acting – Trotter had more to show us.

Ed Tasca as the exotic Italian, Mr. Paravicini, added a Mediterranean flavor of authentic social position.

Roseann Wilshere directed this popular mystery with the assistance of Diane Jones, stage manager. It may seem impossible to fail with a play as successful as Mousetrap, but directing isn’t that easy. Thanks to everyone who pulled it together for our benefit.

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The World of Wine

By Ceci Rodriguez

California Wine

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he wine industry in California is very young. In 1769, Spanish missionaries founded their first mission on what is now US soil at San Diego. They brought the Mission grape, which, while it does not produce fine wine, can survive in difficult climates and needs minimal tending. The Missions were established in California; the furthest north that they ventured was Sonoma in 1823. California’s first commercial wine was produced in 1824, with the first vineyard of any size being planted by J.J. Warner in Los Angeles in 1831. The Gold Rush of 1849 led to a boom in the wine industry, with planting in the Sierra foothills, close to potential consumers.

In 1851, a Hungarian, Agoston Haraszthy, introduced a number of grape varieties from Europe. Beginning in 1920, prohibition led to a serious decline in winemaking, though an increasing demand for grapes for the production of grape juice kept many vineyards in business. From 1933 until the mid-1960s, winemaking was concentrated in the Central (or San Joaquín) Valley and was mainly for liqueur and jug wines.

In the mid-1960s, Robert Mondavi, a member of a family of winemakers, changed history by starting to make fine wines with varietal wines or Bordeaux- style blends. Many wineries followed him, and in 1976, there was a “blind tasting” in Paris, titled the “Judgment of Paris.” This competition was organized by a British wine merchant, in which French judges did blind tasting of topquality Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons from France and California. California wines rated best in each category. Both wines were produced in Napa.

California produces more than 90% of the wine that is produced in the US. The principal vineyards are grouped into six regions, three of which, by virtue of their more northern coastal position, are important for the production of premium wines and contain the majority of the well-known counties

and AVAs (American Viticultural Areas). The North Coast Region is the home of one-third of the State’s wineries, located between Sonoma, Mendocino, Napa, Lake Marin and Solano Counties. The Central Coast (North and South Central) produces wines from the San Francisco Bay to Santa Cruz, Monterey, Paso Robles and Santa Barbara.

The Central Valley, nestled between California’s Coastal mountain range and the Sierra Nevada Range, contains the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys and produces more than 71% of California’s wine grapes. The Sierra Nevada Region has produced wines since the Gold Rush days. The sixth region, Southern California, contains the vineyards between Los Angeles and San Diego.

You can be sure that somewhere in California there will be someone growing almost every wine grape of which you have heard. And, California has its own grape variety, the “Zinfandel.”. It is widely planted and used for blends, for varietal wines and for the sweet, faintly pink or blush White Zinfandel.

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SAVAGE CAPITALISM AND THE MYTH OF DEMOCRACY Written by Prof. Michael Hogan Reviewed by Ana Sofia Carbonell j (The book may be purchased at Sandi’s Book Store in Guadalajara and on amazon.com)

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ritten from the perspective of an American educator living and working in Mexico for almost two decades, Savage Capitalism and the Myth of Democracy is relevant to students and educators, leaders and future leaders and for all those who participate in this hemisphere’s political system, constituents and policy makers alike.

This collection of essays carefully examines the problems Latin American societies face today, including the lack of accountability for serious human rights violations, environmental damages, social inequality and serious deficiencies in education.

The link Dr. Hogan establishes between the region’s current social and economic challenges and neo-liberal policies that have been forcefully implemented for decades is supported by his research both on the field and academically.

He highlights the negative impact U.S. foreign policy has sometimes had in Latin America to provide a historical context that will, no doubt, improve the complex interregional relationship in the hopes that all Americans (North Americans, Central Americans and South Americans) can unite to become a secure, sustainable and just region.

Hogan proposes several concrete policy solutions focusing on the role of quality education. A

good d education d ti should h ld nott jjustt all low, but encourage students to challenge assumptions, i.e., that laissez faire economics is the most democratic economic system, or that one single economic or political system is right for every country. Speaking of great teachers of the past, Hogan writes, “All of them (Socrates, Aristotle, Einstein, etc) saw the job of the teacher as one of questioning ideological certitude, contradicting overly simplistic formulations, and encouraging their students to do so.” Contemporary teachers working abroad must challenge themselves to do the same despite pressure from school administrators and government agencies. Readers familiar with Hogan’s historical works such as The Irish Soldiers of Mexico will appreciate both the careful historical analysis as well as the clear and lively writing style.

In my view this book ranks right up there with Eduardo Galeano’s Open Veins of Latin America. It belongs on every educator’s bookshelf.

(Ed. Note: Prof. Hogan is a world-renown educator who taught at the American School in Guadalajara for many years. He is the author of several books and his latest can be purchased at Sandi’s bookstore in Guadalajara, and sells for 200 pesos. It can also be ordered on amazon for 13.95US, plus shipping and handling.)

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INSIGHT STRAIGHT

By Jim Tuck

Axis Sally and Tokyo Rose

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n the annals of radiotreason, the names Axis Sally and Tokyo Rose have the same symbiotic ring as “ham ’n eggs” or “Mutt and Jeff.” In reality, there was a world of difference between the two. One was an authentic (and very nasty) traitor while the other was a victim who acted under coercion. Of interest is that neither woman ever used the names by which they became infamous; the appellations were the inventions of GIs who listened to their broadcasts. “Axis Sally” billed herself as “Midge at the Mike” and “Tokyo Rose” as “Orphan Annie.”

Axis Sally was born in 1900 in Portland, Maine as Mildred Elizabeth Sisk. Her parents divorced and she took the surname of her stepfather, a dentist named Robert Gillars. After graduating from Hunter College in New York, she combined the occupations of salesgirl, waitress, clerk, cashier and bit player in musical comedies. She took trips to Europe in 1929 and 1933. Unable to make it in the theater, she moved to Germany in 1935, working as an instructor at Berlitz and then at Radio Berlin. Her wartime broadcasts began on December 11, 1941 and lasted until May 6, 1945.

Gillars’s broadcasts were particularly distinguished for their cruelty. She was somehow able to obtain specific identities and would torment GI Joe Jones, shivering in a foxhole, about how his girl back home was having a high old time with his school classmate, Charlie Smith, who had succeeded in avoiding military service. Captured after the war, it came out at her trial that she had attempted to worm information out of captured GIs by posing as a Red Cross representative. Two other ex-POWS testified that she threatened them when they scoffed at her attempt to feed them Nazi propaganda. Convicted of treason, Gillars received a 10-30 year sentence, of which she

served 13.

By contrast, we have the poignant story of a Japanese-American woman named Iva Toguri. She was born in Los Angeles in 1916, ironically on the 4th of July. Educated at UCLA, she had the misfortune to be trapped in Japan by war’s outbreak when she was visiting a sick aunt. Compelled to work as a typist at Radio Tokyo, she was one of twenty women chosen to do the “Tokyo Rose” broadcasts. She had been recommended by an Australian POW, Major Charles Cousens, a Sydney celebrity in civilian life.

Cousens, in a subtle effort to sabotage the broadcasts, chose Iva deliberately because she had neither broadcast experience nor a compelling voice.

Not arrested till 1949, Toguri was convicted on the testimony of two Japanese-Americans, who were later found to have lied under oath.

Sentenced to ten years, she served six. In later years, several writers and investigative reporters put forth the view that Toguri’s conviction was a miscarriage of justice. In 1977 she was granted a full pardon

by President Gerald Ford.

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CHELATION THERAPY

By J. Manuel Cordova, M. D. Edited by Maria Montenegro

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very person on the planet has been exposed to toxins, metals and pollutants. The air we breathe, the food we eat and environmental exposures are some of the sources.

Chelation Therapy is a chemical process delivered intravenously (through the veins). It is a slow-drip process that can take around 2 ½ hours to properly administer. Smaller doses given in shorter time periods are not usually effective.

Chelation patients seldom feel any pain or discomfort and enjoy their quiet time reading a book or taking a short siesta.

The medication formulation is determined for each patient on the basis of his/her personal medical history, current laboratory/diagnostic studies and current physical condition.

Chelation is not usually a onetime treatment. In order to rid your body of the metals and toxins, the process requires multiple treatments.

Once the initial series is complete, a monthly follow-up treatment is generally sufficient to sustain the desired result.

Please remember, hazardous toxins in your body may exist for years without producing physical problems. By the time you have visible symptoms, it is much more difficult to treat the condition.

The Chelation medication is used to bind molecules, such as metals or minerals, and hold them tightly so they can be removed from the body.

Chelation has been scientifically proven to rid the body of excess toxic metals. A person with lead poisoning, for example, may be given Chelation Therapy to remove excess lead from the body.

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The substance that binds and removes metals and minerals is EDTA (disodium ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid), an amino acid administered intravenously. This particular formulation is designed to remove metals and minerals from the blood that do not belong there, such as lead, iron, copper and calcium.

EDTA Chelation is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in treating lead poisoning and toxicity from other heavy metals. It was first used in the 1940s for the treatment of heavy metal poisoning.

You might think this problem doesn’t affect you, but the exposure to lead based paints and mercury tooth fillings are two of the most common ways that you may have been exposed to these harmful toxins.

DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is another Chelation treatment that has proven very beneficial to relieve pain, increase circulation, repair tissue damage and fight degenerative diseases such as arthritis.

Chelation Therapy has been successfully used around the world in treating Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). This specific use of Chelation Therapy has not yet been approved by the U. S. FDA; however, a large-scale study has been authorized

by the National Institute of Health to evaluate the process further and present its findings to the FDA. How can EDTA Chelation Therapy help clear blocked arteries?

EDTA might remove calcium found in the fatty plaques that block the arteries. The process may stimulate the release of a hormone that causes calcium to be removed from the plaques, or causes a lowering of cholesterol levels.

Research has also documented EDTA benefits in treating Alzheimer disease, arthritis, autoimmune conditions, cancer, cataracts, emphyse-

ma, gallstones, hypertension, kidney stones, osteoporosis, Parkinson’s disease, senile dementia, stroke, varicose veins and other conditions involving interrupted blood flow and diminished oxygen delivery.

Unlike vitamin infusions, a patient does not necessarily feel better immediately after Chelation, but the work it’s doing on the ‘inside’ will result in overall better health.

(Ed. Note: Dr. Cordova is an Internal Medicine and Geriatric Specialist. He is Board Certified in Chelation Therapy. mdjmcordova1204@yahoo.com)

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LAKE CHAPALA SOCIETY 16 DE SEPTIEMBRE #16-A AJIJIC, JAL, MX WWW.LAKECHAPALASOCIETY.ORG

News

December 2009

From the President From the President – December 2009 I have just come from the extraordinary membership meeting of November 12 and am very proud of the efficient way LCS Secretary Mary Ann Waite and all her volunteers handled the event. They had the enormous task of verifying membership status for 531 members, then distributing and accurately counting their ballots, all the while with a smiling face and positive attitude. And the results were posted to the LCS website in the early afternoon! Congratulations and thank you to everyone who helped make this event such a success!

Thanks as well to all 531 members who registered to attend this important meeting. You really showed how much you care about LCS and its future by your presence there!

Even though the new constitution failed to pass by only 21 votes, I feel that the 329 members who voted to ratify it made a loud, clear statement of support. Achieving 2/3 majority of the members present was a very high bar to reach indeed. I am sure that the next attempt to update the LCS governance structure and documents will succeed handily. Specially if we incorporate changes based on the main objections raised in the information sessions attended by so many LCS members in the week leading up to today’s vote.

Special thanks also to the panelists who participated in the information sessions: Conrad LeBlanc, Hebina Hood, John Rider, Karen Schirack and Howard Feldstein. You did a wonderful job and I salute you!

Please attend the election meeting at LCS on December 11 at 10 AM, on the Neill James Patio. On December 3 there will be a special “Meet the Candidates” event so you can get to know the candidates and what they stand for toward the future at LCS.

Nancy Creevan

2010 Membership Renewal

Renew your 2010 LCS membership on the LCS grounds at the Membership Desks located at the Ticket Booth daily from 10 to 2.

The deadline for inclusion in the LCS Directory is renewal by December 15.

The new membership cards have your picture on them.

Absentee Ballots available until December 10th Members can pick up and remit an Absentee Ballot for the December 11 election at the Services Office. Absentee Ballots must be returned to LCS by December 10, by the member voter in person with their LCS card.

When the Absentee Ballot is returned the services volunteers will validate the membership and the member must watch the volunteer put the ballot in the ballot box. If cannot attend the vote on December 11, please come in and vote by Absentee Ballot.

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LCS

News

December 2009

Lake Chapala Society Election of Officers December 11, 2009 Election of officers takes place by secret ballot at the Annual General Meeting at LCS on December 11, 2009.

Registration will begin at 9:30 am on December 11, 2009 The Annual General Meetings starts at 10:00 am.

Voting will begin no earlier than 10:30 am.

The Board will recommend at the meeting that the assembly vote to close the voting at approximately 1:00 pm.

The assembly could set a different time to close voting.

To ensure that a eligible member get to vote they should be at the meeting at 10:30 am.

Additional details concerning the meeting and election process is posted at the LCS website at lakechapalasociety.org and on the grounds at LCS.

SPANISH CLASSES - Sign Up for Winter Sessions Registration for the January/February Spanish Classes will take place Monday, December 14 and Tuesday, December 15 from 10 to 12 and every Friday from 10 to 12. The January term begins the week of January 11, 2010.

More than 50 Reasons to be an LCS member can be found on our web site www. lakechapalasociety.org under Merchant Discounts!

Restaurants; Car care; Beauty; Health aids and other bargains galore!

www.lakechapalasociety.org

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LCS

News MONTHLY SCHEDULED EVENTS LCS Board Meeting: 2nd Wednesday at 11:30 • Talking Books Library – Thursday, 10 - 12 Medical • Blood Pressure Check-up - Monday & Friday, 10 - 12 • Hearing Aids - Monday & 2nd & 4th Saturday, 11 - 3 • Optometrist -Thursday, 9:30 - 4 • Skin Cancer Screening - 2nd & 4th Wednesday, 10 - 1 • Next Health Care Week - October 13 - 16 Information Services • BUPA Medical Ins. – Friday, 10:30 - 12:30 • NY Life Insurance – Tuesday & Thursday, 11 - 2 • Becerra Immigration – Friday, 10 - 1 • IMSS - Monday & Tuesday, 10 -1 • Loridan Legal - Tuesday, 10 -12 • U.S. Consular Visit – 1st Wednesday, 11:30 - 2 Lessons • Childrens Art Class - Saturday, 10 - 11 • Country Line Dancing - Tuesday & Thursday, 10 - 11 • Exercise Class - Monday, Wednesday & Friday, 9 - 10 • Intermediate Hatha Yoga - Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday, 2 - 3:30 • Teen Shop Class - Monday, 10 - 1:30, Friday, 2 - 4 Social Activities • Alcoholics Anonymous - Monday & Thursday, 4:30 • Beginner Digital Camera - Wednesday, 12 - 1 • Chess Players - Wednesday, 2 - 5 • Computer Club (Linux) - Monday, 9:30 - 10:30 • Computer Club (MAC) - 1st Monday, 12 - 1:30 • Computer Club (Windows) - Monday, 10:30 - 11:45 • Changing Your Mind - Wednesday, 9:30 - 12 • Creative Writing - Monday, 10:30 - 11:45 • Digital Camera Club - Wednesday, 10:30 - 11:50 • Discussion Group - Wednesday, 12 - 1:30 • Film Aficionados - Thursday, 2 - 4 • Falun Dafa Qi Gong - M12:30-2:30, W3:30-5:30 • Gamblers Anonymous - Wednesday, 3 - 4:30 • Geneology - last Monday, 2 - 4 • Green Group - 1st Tuesday, 3 - 5 • Mah Jongg - Friday, 10 - 2 • Meditation Group - Monday & Friday, 4:45 - 5:45 • Music Jam - Friday 2 -4 • It Is What It Is - Thursday, 12 - 1 • Needlepushers - Tuesday, 10 - 12 • Open Circle - Sunday, 10 - 12 • Scrabble Group - Friday, 12 - 2 • Primative Pottery - Monday & Friday 10 -1 • Tournament Scrabble - Tuesday, 12 - 2 • Quilt Guild - 2nd Tuesday, 10 -12 • Write Your own Story - Monday, 4 - 6

NOTE: Times and offerings are subject to change.

Check with the LCS office if you have questions.

December 2009 LCS Learning Seminars The 7th year of the LCS Learning Seminars, coordinated by Bob Miller & Fred Harland begins on Tuesday, December 1st at Noon in the Sala.

These weekly seminars -- every Tuesday at Noon in the Sala--feature “podcasts” of the distinguished guest speakers via the internet. Each session is introduced with background material on the subject and speaker, followed by the video presentation which is usually about 15 to 18 minutes long. This is followed by comments from one of the coordinators and an open discussion with comments and questions from the attendees.

Participation by the audience is encouraged and usually results in stimulating and sometimes controversial discussions.

The schedule for December is: December 1 -- the guest speaker will be Jared Diamond, author of the best seller,”Guns, Germs & Steel.” His subject for the day will be “Why Civilizations Collapse.” Fred Harland will introduce him and chair the discussion.

December 8 - will feature The Honorable Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of Great Britain discussing the effect of the Internet on world affairs and the conduct of foreign affairs. Bob Miller will chair.

December 15 - the speaker will be Misha Glenny, journalist and commentator specializing in Eastern Europe, covering the Global Crime Network and its widespread, malevolent influence. Fred Harland will chair.

There will be a break for the holidays, and the series will continue on January 5, with a recurring theme, once or twice each month, on how the internet affects all of our lives.

All LCS members are cordially invited to attend and join in the discussions.

FILM AFICIONADOS December 10th - The Insider The vivid performances of Russell Crowe and Al Pacino, combined with a damning true story of corporate power give this 1999 Oscar-nominated film a powerful punch.

Films & discussion in the Sala at 2PM

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El Ojo del Lago December 2009

LCS

News

December 2009

Lake Chapala Society Newcomers Seminars The Lake Chapala Society is presenting its annual series of panel discussions on all aspects of life at Lakeside. This year’s sessions will be held on Thursdays in December and January. Sessions run from 10:30 a.m. to noon in the back garden. The Volunteer Fair will run from 10:30 until 2:00 p.m.

Everyone is welcome. No charge, no sign up required. Old-timers welcome to share your experiences.

December 3 – Living at Lakeside – Part One- Topics around and in the home: renting vs. buying vs. building; security; home help; baking and much more.

December 10 – Living at Lakeside – Part Two – Discussion covers situations outside of the home such as eating out, shopping. tipping and more.

December 18 – Medical Matters – Local clinics, doctors, dentists, health insurance as well as healthrelated services available at LCS. January 7 – Legal Issues – Panel includes a lawyer and immigration and customs specialist to discuss deeds, wills, immigration and more.

January 14- Volunteer Fair – Local non-profits, both charities and for-fun groups are invited to set up small displays to inform newcomers and others of their aims and objectives and recruit new members and volunteers. LCS will provide a table and 2 chairs. There is no charge for groups but you must register by Monday, January 11 at (376)765-5752 or bmadren@hotmail.com.

SEE THE NEW WEBSITE AT WWW.LAKECHAPALASOCIETY.ORG THERE YOU WILL FIND THE LIST AND BIOS OF CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION ON DECEMBER 11, THE GOVERNING DOCUMENTS, AN UPDATED NEWSLETTER, LIST OF NEW BOOKS AND VIDEOS, IMP0RTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS AND A CURRENT EVENTS CALENDAR

FRIDAY MUSIC JAM

BACK AGAIN AFTER A SUMMER BREAK IS THE MUSIC JAM HELD ON FRIDAY AT 2 PM IF YOU PLAY AN INSTRUMENT AND WOULD ENJOY PLAYING WITH OTHERS TRY IT OUT.

PLAYERS SIT IN A CIRCLE AND TAKE TURNS CHOOSING A TUNE FOR THE GROUP TO PLAY. THIS JAM WILL FEATURE OLD-TIME TUNES EVERYBODY KNOWS.

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85

Service

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

www.tel.chapala.com

DIRECTORY - EL OJO DEL LAGO Tel. 765-3676 - LAKE CHAPALA DIRECTORY Tel. (376) 762-0403

- CASA DEL SOL Tel: 766-0050 Pag: 79

* ANIMAL CLINICS/PET SHOP - ACUARIO REPUBLICA Cell: (045) 333 441 3563 Pag: 67 - ANIMAL CARE Tel: 766-3062 Pag: 73 - DEE’S PET CARE Tel: 762-1646 Pag: 81 - FURRY FRIENDS Tel: 765-5431 Pag: 82 - LAKESIDE SPAY & NEUTER CENTER, A.C. Tel: 766-0821 - PET SHOP Pag: 73 - SALUD ANIMAL Tel: 766-1009 Pag: 83

* ART GALLERIES/HANDCRAFTS - BELVA & ENRIQUE VELAZQUEZ Tel. 766-0162 - CATHY CHALVIGNAC Tel: 766-5381 - DIANE PEARL COLECCIONES Tel: 766-5683 - DOS LUNAS - EL PALOMAR Tel: 01 (33) 3635-5247 - JUAN CARLOS RICO-GARDEN ART Tel: 765-4689 - LAGUNA ARTES PLASTICAS - MEXICAN ART & DECO Cell: 01 (33) 1437-1848 - REBECCA FORD - THE AJIJIC ART HOUSE Tel: 765-5097

Pag: 83 Pag: 39 Pag: 25 Pag: 35

Pag: 53

* COPY CENTER

Pag: 69

* BEER & LIQUOR STORES - BETO’S LIQUOR Tel: 766-5420, Cell (045) 333-507-3024 - MODELORAMA Tel: 766-2678, 765-2055

Pag: 84 Pag: 78

* BLINDS AND CURTAINS - CABO DO MUNDO - INTERIOR DESIGN Tel: 766-0026 Pag: 21

* BOUTIQUE / CLOTHING STORES - CUGINIS OPUS BOUTIQUE Tel/Fax: 766-1790 - FIAGA BOUTIQUE Tel: 766-1816 - HEIDI’S FASHIONS Tel: 766-5363 - LA BELLA VIDA Tel: 766-5131 - LEATHER GALLERY Tel: 766-2845 - OXXY2 Tel: 766-2181

Pag: 21 Pag: 36, 83

Pag: 58

Pag: 66 - CROWN AJIJIC Pag: 24 Pag: 26 Pag: 34 Pag: 70 Pag: 64

Pag: 37

* CEILING FANS - VENTILADORES DEL OCCIDENTE Tel/Fax: (33) 3631-6619, 3634-9982

Pag: 10

* CHURCHES - LAKE CHAPALA BAPTIST CHURCH Tel: 765-2925 Pag: 74, 83

Pag: 78

* AUTOMATIC DOORS

* CLEANING SERVICE

- AUTOMATIC GARAGE DOOR OPENERS Tel: 766 - 4973, Cell: (045) 33-3157- 6536 Pag: 63

- PROFESSIONAL WINDOW WASHING Tel: 765-4507 Pag: 65 - TODO LIMPIO Tel: 766-0395 Pag: 33

* AUTOMOTIVE

* COMMUNICATIONS

- GRUPO OLMESA Tel: 766-3780 - LINEA PROFESIONAL Tel. 766-2555, Fax. 766-0066 - MAZDA Tel: 765-4800, 01 (33) 3344-4499 - RON YOUNG-MECHANIC Tel: 765-6387

Pag: 64 Pag: 07 Pag: 43

Pag: 67

* BAKERY - BRENDA’S BAKERY BOUTIQUE Tel: 765-2987

86

Pag: 11 Pag: 75 Pag: 39

* CONSIGNMENT SHOP

Pag: 60

-ALFREDOS BAZAR Tel: 766-2980 - SUZY’S CONSIGNMENT SHOP Tel: 766-5458

Pag: 40 Pag: 63

Pag: 30

* CONSTRUCTION Pag: 83 Pag: 85

- ARCHITECT GERARDO ROMERO MORALES Tel: 766-2594 Pag: 67

El Ojo del Lago December 2009

Pag: 82

* FURNITURE - AJIJIC ART DESIGN Tel: 765-5882 - ARDEN MEXICO Tel: 765-3540 - ARTE AMANECER Tel: 765-2090 - KARVY Tel: 765-6601 - PATIO PLUS - RICARDO FERNANDEZ Tel: 766-5149 - TEMPUR Tel: (52) 333-629-5919, 333-629-5961

Pag: 33 Pag: 48 Pag: 60 Pag: 34 Pag: 09 Pag: 68 Pag: 62

* GARDENING - GARDEN CENTER Tel: 765-5973

Pag: 82

- ATLAS COUNTRY CLUB Cell: (045) 33-1024-8669

Pag: 71

Pag: 19

* HEALTH

Pag: 15 Pag: 10

Pag: 07 Pag: 22

- ECOTIENDA Tel: 766-5058 - YOGA OM Tel: 766-0523

Pag: 69 Pag: 77

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

Pag: 85

Pag: 20

* HOTELS / SUITES Pag: 08

* DRY CLEANING/LAUNDRY Pag: 79

* FOOD SERVICES - LAURA’S KITCHEN Tel: 766-6174 - COCINA SAN ANDRES Tel: 766-5614 - PAELLA Tel: 766-2225 - SPLENDID DESSERTS Tel: 765-3587

Pag: 60

- FERRETERIA Y TLAPALERIA GALVEZ Tel: 766-0880, Fax: 766-2440 Pag: 90

- CANADIANS IN MEXICO Tel: 766-4828 Pag: 28, 29 - INTERCAM Tel: 766-5978 Pag: 21 - LAKESIDE FINANCIAL ADVISOR DAVID LESNICK CFP CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER Fax: 001(623) 327-1277 Pag: 11 - LAKESIDE MORTGAGE CONSULTANTS Tel: 766-2914 Pag: 58 - MORTGAGE MONEY Tel: 766-5797 Pag: 84

Pag: 84

- FUMIGA Tel: 762-0078, (045) 33-1155-7059 - FUMI-TECH Tel: 766-1946, Cell. (045) 333-369-3737

Pag: 13

Pag: 32

Pag: 18

766-1760 765-4444 766-5555

* HARDWARE STORES

* FINANCIAL SERVICES

Pag: 38

* BEAUTY - AFRODITA Tel: 766-6187 - ANGEL ESTRADA Tel: 766-4666 - MARY KAY Tel: 765 7654 - SARA’S BEAUTY SALON Tel: 766-3518

- AJIJIC COMPUTING Tel: 765-4156 - CAFE INTERNET AJIJIC Tel: 766-3626 - COMPUTERLAND Tel: 765-7595 - NEW WORLD TECHNOLOGY Tel: 766-4343

Pag: 20

Pag: 68

* COMPUTING SERVICES Pag: 61

- AJIJIC DENTAL Tel: 766-3682 - C.D. MARÍA LUISA LUIS VILLA Tel/Fax: 766-2428 - C.D. SANDRA ANAYA MORA Tel: 765-3502, 765-5444 - DRA. ANGELICA ALDANA LEMA DDS Tel. 765-5364 - DRA. DOLORES RUSSELL D.D.S. Tel: 766-2881, 766-0075 Cell: (045) 333-108-7727 - DR. ALBERTO DON OLIVERA Tels: 765-4838, 765-4805 - DR. FRANCISCO CONTRERAS Tel: 765-5757 - DR. HECTOR HARO, DDS. Tel: 765-3193, 765-6974

066 765-2308, 765-2553 766-3615

* GOLF

* DENTISTS

- DEL MAR Tel: 766-4278

Pag: 38

* BANK INVESTMENT -O&A - MULTIVA Tel: 766-2499

- EASYCALL MEXICO Tel: 766-4980 - HANDY MAIL Tel: 766-3813 - MAILBOXES, ETC. Tel: 766-0647, Fax: 766-0775 761-0363, Fax: 761-0364

- PAPELERIA TRINIDAD Tel: 766-2400

Pag: 36

* CASINO

* ASTROLOGY - ASTROLOGY & TAROT Cell: (045) 33 3447 7332

Pag: 72

- ARELLANO CORPORATION GROUP Tel: 766-4696, Tel/Fax: 766-4660 Pag: 46-47 - CABO DO MUNDO- INTERIOR DESIGN Tel: 766-0026 Pag: 21 - CONSTRUCTION & REMODELING Tel: 766-3626 Pag: 11 - ELECTRICIAN & PLUMBER Armando Marquez V. Tel: 766-3568 Pag: 82 - HOMESERVICES Tel: 766-1569 Pag: 57 - INTEGRAL MAINTENANCE-Interior Design Cell: (045) 331 003 2816, 333 559 8073 Pag: 38 - LAKESIDE CONSTRUCTION Tel: 766-0395 Pag: 84 - VSF PAISAJISMO - Landscape Design Tels: (0133) 30 44 03 71, 72 Pag: 71 - POLI ACERO Tel: 765-3557 Pag: 41 - ULTRA Tel: 765-3446 Pag: 64 - WARWICK CONSTRUCTION Tel: 765-2224 Cell. (045) 331-135-0763 Pag: 74

* BED & BREAKFAST

* ADVERTISING

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

Pag: 64 Pag: 40 Pag: 74

- CASA BLANCA Tel: 766-4440 - CASA DE PANCHO Tel:(01) 329 298 0860 - CIELO ROJO Tel: 311-258-4155 - HOTEL LA CASONA Tel: 01800-700-8877 - LA NUEVA POSADA Tel: 766-1444, Fax: 766-2049 - LOS CROTOS Tel: 764-0067 - MIS AMORES Tels: 766-4640, 4641, 4642 - QUINTA DON JOSE Tel: 01-800-700-2223

Pag: 75 Pag: 40 Pag: 62 Pag: 41 Pag: 03 Pag: 79 Pag: 30 Pag: 12

* INSURANCE - EDGAR CEDEÑO Cell: (045) 33-3106-6982 - LLOYD Tel: 766-0152, 766-3508

Pag: 26 Pag: 52

* JEWELRY - ALEX Tel: 766-3775 - KAFRÍ DE MÉXICO Tel: 766-4156

Pag: 26 Pag: 77

Pag: 58

LEGAL SERVICES * FUMIGATION/PESTS - BEES Tel: 765-7574

- MAGO’S OFFICE Tel: 765-3640 Pag: 17

Pag: 08

* LIGHTING & DECORATION - LIGHTING & DESIGN CENTER Tel. 766-3506

Pag: 58

* POOL MAINTENANCE - EQUIPMENT AND POOL MAINTENANCE Tel: 766-1617 Pag: 68

* MEAT/POULTRY/CHEESE - NATURAL CHEESE Tel: 765-5933 - PURITAN POULTRY Tel: 765-4399 - TONY’S Tel: 766-1614, 766-4069

* PRINTER Pag: 27

* REAL ESTATE

Pag: 81

- 1ST CHOICE HOMES LAKESIDE Tel: 765-2484 Pag: 35 - AJIJIC HOME INSPECTIONS Tel: 766-2836 Pag: 13 - AJIJIC REAL ESTATE Tel: 766-2077, Fax: 766-2331 Pag: 03 - ALL IN ONE REAL ESTATE SERVICE Tel: 766-1161 Pag: 05 - ALTERNATIVE REALTY Tel: 766-5575 Pag: 20 - ARELLANO CORPORATION GROUP Tel: 766-4696, Tel/Fax: 766-4660 Pag: 46-47 - BEV. & JEAN COFELL Home Tel. 766-5332 Office Tel. 765-3676 Pag: 70 - COLDWELL BANKER CHAPALA REALTY Tel: 766-1152, 766-3369 Fax: 766-2124, Tels: 765-2877 Fax: 765-3528 Pag: 92 - CHULA VISTA NORTE Tel: 766-2177 Cell: (045) 33-3841-8867 Pag: 65 - CIELO VISTA Tel: 766-4867 Pag: 31 - EL DORADO Tel: 766-0040 Pag: 02 - EAGER Y ASOCIADOS Tel: 766 1917, 1918 Pag: 53 - FOR SALE BY OWNER Tel: 01 (33) 1568 9254 Pag: 78 - FOR SALE BY OWNER Tel: 01 (33) 3121-6779 Pag: 19 - FOR SALE BY OWNER Tel: 01 (33) 3631-5851 Pag: 85 - FOR SALE BY OWNER Tel: 766-2142 Pag: 80 - FOR SALE BY OWNER Cell: (045) 33-3463-5181 Pag: 77 - GEORGETTE RICHMOND Tel: 766-2129, 766-2077 Pag: 13 - IMPULSA REAL ESTATE Tel: (+52) 669 913 2745 Pag: 37 - LAGUNA VISTA Tel: 766-5740 Pag: 45 - LLOYD REAL ESTATE AJIJIC Tel: 766-0040 Pag: 02 - MICHEL BUREAU Cell. (045) 333-129-3322, Home: (376) 765-2973 Pag: 26 - RIVIERA ALTA Tel: 766-1169 Pag: 59 - TOM AND DIANNE BRITTON Tel. 766-5249 (home) Cell. (045) 33-1298-5722 Pag: 03 - VILLA OLIVIA Tel: 766-1069 Pag: 22

- BODY SENSE CLINIC - PODIATRIST Tel: 766-6080 Pag: 38 - DERMATOLOGIST Tel: 766-1198, 765-2400 Pag: 78 - DERMIKA Dermatologic Center Dra. Monica Ramos Tel: 766-2500 Pag: 33 - INTERNAL MEDICINE SPECIALIST & GERIATRICS Dr. J. Manuel Cordova Tel: 766-2777, 766-5611 Pag: 34 - DRA. MARTHA R. BALLESTEROS FRANCO Cell: (045) 333-408-0951 Pag: 20 - HOSPITAL ANGELES DEL CARMEN Tel: (01) 3813-0042 Pag: 12 - HOSPITAL BERNARDETTE Tel: 01 (33) 3825-4365 Pag: 55 - MEDICOS ESPECIALISTAS Tel: 766-5357 Pag: 25 - OPHTHALMOLOGIST Dra. María de Jesús Quintero Bernal Tels: 765-2400, 7654805 Pag: 14 - PINTO OPTICAS Tel: 765-7793 Pag: 35 - RED CROSS Tel:765-2308 - SURGERY HOST Tel: 766-3145 Pag: 69

* MIGRATORY DOCUMENTS Pag: 64

* MALL - CENTRO LAGUNA Tel: 01 (33) 3560-2670

Pag: 91

* MOVERS - BALDERAS Tel: 01 (33) 3810-4859 - LAKE CHAPALA MOVING Tel: 766-5008 - SEYMI Tel: 01 (33) 3603-0000, 3603-0256 - STROM- WHITE MOVING Tel: 766-4049

Pag: 06 Pag: 18 Pag: 14 Pag: 17

* MUSIC/THEATER/FESTIVAL - LE PETIT BALLET COMPANY A.C. Tel: 766-0075

Pag: 27

* PAINT - FMC Tel: 766-3596 - PAINTING AND MORE Tel: 766-2343

Pag: 14 Pag: 32

* PERSONAL ASSISTANCE - JUSTUS HAUSER Tel: 763-5333, Fax: 763-5335 Emergencies: 01 (33) 3441-8223 Pag: 05 - NEWCOMERS ILSE HOFFMANN Cell: 33-3157-2541, Ilse40@megared.net.mx www.mexicoadventure.com/chapala/guadalajara.htm Tel: 01 (33) 3647-3912

* PHARMACIES - FARMACIA CRISTINA Tel: 766-1501 - FARMACIA EXPRESS II Tel: 766-0656 - FARMACIA MASKARAS Tel/Fax: 765-5827 - FARMACIA MORELOS Tel: 765-4002 - FARMACIA SAN PAULO Tel: (378) 763-0506

Pag: 26

Pag: 16

* MEDICAL SERVICES

- AVSA Tel/Fax. 01 (33) 3825-2350

- ARTE IMPRESO Tel: 766-5930

* RENTALS/PROPERTY MANAGEMENT - COLDWELLBANKER CHAPALA REALTY Tel: 766-1152, movile: (045) 33-1175-9632 Pag: 76 - FOR RENT Tel: 765-6462 Pag: 75 - FOR RENT - Guadalajara Tel: 01 (33) 3615-9356 Pag: 74 - FOR RENT - Manzanillo Tel: 765-7749 Pag: 77 - FOR RENT - Vallarta Pag: 36 - RENTAL LOCATERS Tel: 766-5202 Pag: 63 - ROMA Tel: 766-3163 Pag: 18

- CASA WAFFLE Tel: 766-1946 Pag: 03 - CHAC-LAN Tel: (387) 761-0111, 761-0326 Pag: 51 - COCINA SAN ANDRES Tel: 766-5614 Pag: 40 - DAVID’S CAFE Tel: 766-2341 Pag: 83 - EARLY BIRD CAFE Tel: 766-5363 Pag: 72 - EL BAR-CO Tel: 766-0452 Pag: 24 - EL JARDIN DE NINETTE Cell: (045) 33-1410-4064 Pag: 36 - GO LE CLUB Tel: 766-4747 Pag: 16 - LA BODEGA Tel: 766-1002 Pag: 17 - LA GASCONADE Cell: (045) 33-1340-8046 Pag: 70 - LA NUEVA POSADA Tel: 766-1444, 766-2049 Pag: 03 - “ LA TAVERNA” DEI QUATTRO MORI Tel: 766 2848 Pag: 39 - LAS CABALLERIZAS COXALA Tel: 766-0744 Pag: 51 - LOS TELARES Tel: 766-0428 Pag: 65 - MANIX Tel: 766-0061 Pag: 30, 59 - MELANIE’S Tel: 766-4253 Pag: 11 - MOM´S DELI & RESTAURANT Tel: 765-5719 Pag: 09, 80 - NUMBER FOUR Tel: 766-1360 Pag: 25, 27, 33 - PAJARO MADRUGADOR Pag: 36 - PEDROS GOURMET Tel: 766-4747 Pag: 52 - PEPE’S & AURORA’S Cell. (044) 33 1265 7900 Pag: 25 - PEPITO’S Tel: 766-2060 Pag: 79 - TABARKA Tel: 766-1588 Pag: 69 - THE GARDEN Tel: 766-1381 Pag: 37 - TOMAS Tel: 765-3897 Pag: 57 - TONY’S Tel: 766-1614, 766-4069 Pag: 81 - YVES’ Tel: 766-1851 Pag: 53

* RETIREMENT/REST/NURSING HOMES - LA CASA NOSTRA Tel: 765-4187, Fax: 765-5815 - LA SAGRADA FAMILIA Tel: 762-1425 - THE BLUE HOUSE Tel: 766-1256

Pag: 06 Pag: 81 Pag: 57

Tel: 765-5498 - COLEGIO DE AXIXIC Cell: (045) 33-1350-4122 - TANGO LESSONS Tel: 766-5885

Pag: 73 Pag: 81 Pag: 72

* SECURITY SYSTEMS / WIRE FENCES - S.O.S.E Tel: 765-4921

Pag: 74

* SELF STORAGE - SELF STORAGE-BODEGAS CHAPALA Tel: 766-0661, Tel/Fax: 766-1045 Pag: 38

* SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS - ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS Tel: 766-5961 - EL BAZAR DE LOS NIÑOS Tel: 765-3147 - LAKE CHAPALA SOCIETY Tel: 766-1140

Pag: 74 Pag: 85 Pag: 82-85

* SPA / MASSAGE - AFRODITA Tel: 766-6187 - BODY SENSE CLINIC Tel: 766-6080 - LA BELLA VIDA Tel: 766-5131 - MONTE COXALA Tel: (387) 761-0111, 761-0326 - RESPIRO SPA Tel: (045) 33-3157-7790 - SILUET CORPOFACIAL Tel: 766-5867 - TOTAL BODY CARE Tel: 766 3379 - VILLA BORDEAUX Tel: (01-387) 761-0494

Pag: 52 Pag: 38 Pag: 53 Pag: 51 Pag: 32 Pag: 17 Pag: 19 Pag: 71

* THERAPISTS - DRA. MA. LUCÍA VELASCO MEDRANO Physical Rehabilitation Cell: (045) 33-3954-6966 Pag: 75 - PROFESSIONAL REHABILITATION Tel: 766-5563 Pag: 19

* TOURS - CHARTER CLUB TOURS Tel: 766-1777 - GRUPO TURQUESA Tel: 766-5435

Pag: 09, 11 Pag: 77

* TREE SERVICE - CHAPALA TREE SERVICE Tel: 762-0602

Pag: 85

* SATELLITES/ T.V. * WATER - SATELLITE & ELECTRONICS Tel: 766-4768 - SATELLITE SYSTEMS OF AJIJIC Tel/Fax: 766-1117, 766-3371

Pag: 81

- TECNO AQUA Tel: 766-3730, 766-3731

Pag: 15

Pag: 15

* WEAVERS * SCHOOLS - CLC

- TELARES LOS REYES Tel: 766-5640

Pag: 40

The Ojo Crossword

* REPAIRS/ MAINTENANCE - SERVICIO BELTRÁN Tel: 766-4586, 765-3949 - WATCH & CLOCKS Tel: 765 5190, Cell: (045) 33-1331-9226

Pag: 84

Pag: 84

Pag: 75

* RESTAURANTS/CAFES/CLUBS Pag: 12 Pag: 16 Pag: 79 Pag: 22

- AJIJIC TANGO Tel: 766-2458 - CAFÉ ADELITA Tel: 766-0097 - CAFFETTERIA TOSCANA Tel: 765-6996

Pag: 66 Pag: 60 Pag: 67

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AA- Meets daily at 10:00 am. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 4 pm. Marcos Castellanos 51-A. 766-5961.

ACÁ- Teaches youths, families sustainable agriculture, Joco and Jaltepec. Meet 14th of month. For more Information 387 763-1568.

A COURSE IN MIRACLES- Saturday 2:00 pm 16 Sept #34, Unit 6, 766-4882 No charge. Ongoing.

AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION OF CANADA 904 WING- Meeting 2nd Friday of every month in May, June, July & August. From September to April we meet the 2nd and 4th Friday. Contact Don Slimman 765 4141.

AJIJIC QUILT GUILD - Meets second Tuesday monthly. Guests & New Members Welcome. ajijicguild@gmail.com AJIJIC SCRABBLE CLUB- Tuesdays and Thursdays noon-3 pm at LCS Ken Gosh Pavilion. Dan Stark 766-0411.

AJIJIC WRITERS’ GROUP- Meets 1st and 3rd Fridays at 10 am. New Posada. Coffee. Meeting followed by lunch at the New Posada.

AXIXIC MASONIC LODGE #31- Meets 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month at 5:00 pm. Contact the secretary at 763-5346 for details.

AMERICAN LEGION OF CHAPALA POST- #7 General Membership meets 11 am 2nd Thursday. Tel: 765-2259.

AMIGOS INTERNACIONALES- Every Wednesday 6 to 8 pm, Nueva Posada; informal friendly group meet to make new friends.

AMIGOS DEL LAGO A.C.- Working to improve the ecology. See www.amigosdelago.org or contact us at info@amigosdelago.org.

AMITIES FRANCOPHONES- Meets every 3rd Saturday at 1 pm contact: Roland and Camille at 766-0149. rvanhoudt@prodigy.net.mx.

ANIMAL SHELTER- Provide shelter and new homes for dogs and cats. Tel: 765-5514.

ANITA’S ANIMALS- Free loving dogs and cats. call (01 387) 761-0500. www.anitasanimals.com.

ASA- Ajijic Society of the Arts. Meets every 1st Monday of the month at Nueva Posada, 10 am.

BRIDGE AT OLD POSADA- Monday 1:15 check in. Mary Andrews 766-2489.

BRITISH SOCIETY- Lunch meeting the 1st Saturday of each month, 1pm at Manix Rest. 765-4786, chapalainn@prodigy.net.mx.

CARD & DOMINO CLUB- Wednesday, Friday & Sunday. Call for times. We will teach; make friends! Tel. 766-4253, Cell: (045) 33-1295-6485.

CANADIAN CLUB OF LAKE CHAPALA- Meets on the 2nd Wednesday of the month, September through April. Social hour: 3:00 pm, program 4:00 pm. Visit www.canadianclub-chapala.com.

CASA DE ANCIANOS- Provides support for elderly citizens, 765-2497.

CENTRO DE DESARROLLO AJIJIC- Provides family planning and reproductive health education. 766-1679.

CHILI COOK OFF- Providing a carnival for residents raising charitable funds, 763-5038.

DAR- (Guadalajara)- Daughters of the American Revolution, meets monthly Sep. through June. Cell:333-897-0660 or Tel: (376) 766-2284.

DAR- (At Lakeside)- THOMAS PAINE CHAPTER meets every 3 Wednesday at 12:30 noon, September thru June. Tel: 766-2981 or 762-0834.

EASTERN STAR ESTRELLA DEL LAGO CHAPTER #10- 1st Wed. at 1:00 pm at Hotel Monte Carlo. 766-3785, www.oesestrelladellago.org.

E.R.I.C.- Provides support for the construction and renovation of educational buildings. 766-2866.

GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS- GA Meeting held every Wednesday afternoon at 3:00 PM in the Doctor’s office at the Lake Chapala Society Charlie K. at cell: 331-445-2136.

GARDEN GUILD- promoting the interest in the development of local gardens with an accent on the exotic species available in central Mexico.

GERMAN MEETING- 2nd Thursday, 1:00 pm. La Nueva Posada. Call Thea 765-2442 or Hannes 765-3094.

GOLDEN STRINGS OF LAKE CHAPALA, A.C.- Rehearsals at auditorio de la Floresta. Tuesday & Friday, 3-6 pm.

HASH HOUSE HARRIERS- Every Saturday at 8:30 am at La Nueva Posada.

IRISH SOCIETY OF MEXICO- Meets second Monday 4 pm at La Nueva Posada, Ajijic. Contact Brian Cronin, at 765-5071.

JUNIOR LEAGUE DE GUADALAJARA A.C.- Av. San Francisco #3332. ligagdl2@prodigy.net.mx, Guadalajara, Jal. Tel. (33) 3121-0887.

LAKE CHAPALA DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB- Meets every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 1:15 p.m.. www.chapalabridge.com.

LAKE CHAPALA GARDEN CLUB-Promotes an interest, appreciation and better understanding of botanical subjects. 766-2637.

LAKE CHAPALA SHRINE CLUB.- Meets the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 1 pm in the Nueva Posada. Perry King at (376) 763-5126.

LAKE CHAPALA SOCIETY - LCS- 16 de Sep. # 16-A Ajijic, Open Monday - Saturday, 10 am to 2 pm. www.lakechapalasociety.org. 766-1140.

LAKESIDE COMMUNITY AWARDS- We benefit all the community by honoring lakeside’s most talented. 766-3232.

LAKESIDE FRIENDS OF THE ANIMALS - Board meets last Monday every month. Contact Ellie McEvoy at 765-2523 or John Marshall at 766-1170.

LAKESIDE LITTLE THEATRE A.C.- Balanced theatrical entertainment, English-speaking, 765-5942.

LAKESIDE SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF- The 4th of each month. Nueva Posada 10:30 am. Call 766-2280, www.lakesideschoolforthedeaf.org.

LAKESIDE WILDLIFE RESCUE & REHABILITATION- Rescue & rehabilitation of wild animals. 765-4916.

LAKE SPAY AND NEUTER CENTR A.C.- Provides shelter and helps curtail the over-population of animals. 766-3813.

LCS EDUCATION CENTER- Provides classes in language and other topics for both Anglo and Mexican community. 766-0499.

LCS STUDENT AID FUND- Provides financial support to area students to enroll in university, vocational and high school program. 766-0716.

LINK- Assisting foreign community. Desk at Lake Chapala Society-Monday, 10 am-noon.

LITTLE BLUE SCHOOLHOUSE- Provides financial assistance for students at school for disabled children in Chapala 766-1552.

LOS NINOS DE CHAPALA Y AJIJIC, AC Providing educational scholarships to Lakeside children 376-766-1688, www.lakesideninos.org.

LOVE IN ACTION- Shelter for abused and abandoned children. For volunteers and donations. Anabel Frutos 765-7409, cell: 331-351 7826.

MAS- Music Appreciation Society. Concerts from fall to spring. Classical music and dance concerts. For info call Beverly Denton, 765-6409.

MISION SAN PABLO- Helping 60 orphaned children ages 2-14 yrs, 7662551. Beaupaton@yahoo.com. www.misionsanpablo.org NAVY LEAGUE, LAKE CHAPALA COUNCIL- Meets the third Saturday for lunch at 1 pm, Manix Rest. 766 4750 or 766-1848.

NEEDLE PUSHERS- Sew dresses, knit or chet sweaters for local kids. Every Tues. 10 am at LCS. Call Gay at 766-2902.

NIÑOS Y JOVENES CARAVAN- Delivers foodstuffs and used clothing to orphanage in San Juan. Call Reuben Varela, 01-387-761-0828.

OPEN CIRCLE- Fostering body, mind & spirit, every Sunday at the LCS from 10 am to 12 noon. 765-3402 or frankdburton@yahoo.com.

OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS- Every Tuesday & Friday 12 am at Marcos Castellanos 51-A, in Upper Ajijic. Tel: 766-2575 or 766-1626.

PROGRAMA PRO NIÑOS INCAPACITADOS DEL LAGO AC.- Assisting Lakeside disabled children www.programaninos.org , 763-5010.

PASOS MILAGROSOS (MIRACULOUS STEPS.)- Helping Handicapped Children Through the Magic of Horses. Saturdays 8-2. www. pasosmilagrosos.com RED CROSS VOLUNTEERS- Meets 1st Wednesday at 2:00 pm at the Sala LCS. New members welcome.

ROTARY CLUB OF AJIJIC- Meets every Tuesday at 1:00 pm at Hotel Real de Chapala. Contact at 766-3302.

SCIENCE OF MIND STUDY GROUP- Ajijic Center for Spiritual Living. Tuesday 10 am. Call for info: Ann Brandt 765-2037 or email tim@revdoctim.com.

THE GENEALOGY FORUM- Meets monthly on the fourth Monday in the Sala at LCS, from 2:00 to 3:45.

UVA - University/Vocational Assistance (Little Chapel by the Lake a.c.)- Sue Torres, 766-2932 or Lynn Hanson 766-2660.

VILLA INFANTIL ORPHANAGE- Provides financial support for children. 766-3396. www.friendsofvillainfantil.org VIVA LA MUSICA - Bus trips to the symphony, summer concert series, call Rosemay Keeling 766-1801. www.ajijicviva.org.

VOLUNTEER HEALTH RESOURCE GROUP- Meeting last Saturday of each month at LCS in sala, 10:30.

VOLUNTEERS OF THE CRUZ ROJA- Sponsors fund raising events and provides administrative and support services to the Delegation.

(NOTE: If there is any change in the above, please advise us so that corrections may be made. Call: 765-2877)

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All Saints Lutheran Church Worship Service 11:00 am 4600 Avenida Tepeyac, Guad.

Tel. (01 333) 121-6741.

Abundant Life Assembly of God Carr. 140 next to Mail Boxes etc, Tel: 766-5615.

Center For Spiritual Living Celebration Service, 5pm every first and third Friday, Nicolas Bravo #17 Ajijic. 7669020 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Services in English and Spanish, 10 am, Riberas del Pilar Bishop Wyvell Tel. (376) 765-7067, Bishop’s residence (376) 766-1532.

Church of the Holy Spirit Services Sun. 10 am, Albaro Obregon #119, Chapala Tel. (376) 765-4210.

Grace Baptist Church 5th Sun. Evening service 6 pm, Pedro Buzeta No. 970, Guad. Tel. (013) 641-1685.

Lake Chapala Baptist Church Mid-week service, 9:30 am, worship service, 10:45 am. Santa Margarita #147, Riberas del Pilar, Tel. (376) 7652925, 765-3329. www.lakechapalabaptist.com.

7th Day Adventist meet at Madeira 12 in Rancho del Oro, 9:15 am to Noon.

Potluck follows. 765-2165.

Little Chapel by the Lake Sun. services 11 am, Chula Vista,. Jal, Tel. (376) 763-1551.

Lake Chapala Jewish Congregation Santa Margarita 113, Riberas del Pilar, Tel: 765-6968. For information and service times, please call Pres. Elliot Gould. contact us@lakechapalajews. com. Web site: www. lakechapalajews. com.

Lakeside Fellowship Sun. worship 11 am, Javier Mina #49 Ajijic, Tel. (376) 766-0795.

Saint Andrew´s Anglican Church Calle San. Lucas 19, Riberas del Pilar, Sunday 2 services, 9 am & 11 am. www.standrewsparish.net.

San Andres Catholic Church Services 9:00 am. Ajijic, 766-0922.

St. John’s Catholic Church Between Av. Vallarta & Av. Lazaro Cardenas, Guad. Sun. 11am. (013) 121-8131.

The Lake Chapala Unitarian Universalist Fellowship meets Sundays at 10:30 a.m. at the Jewish Community Center behind Mateos in Riberas del Pilar (Santa Margarita 113). For additional information call Steve at 766-5507 or email: trudycrippen@earthlink.net.

Check out our website at www.lcuuf.org.

CARS FOR SALE: 1983 CLASSIC MERCEDES 4 DOOR. Air Conditioner, AM/FM Stereo, Automatic Transmission, Leather Interior, Sun Roof, Power Windows, Power Steering, Power Locks Price $7,000. USD. Near immaculate condition. Call: Heinz Stapff @7653587 FOR SALE: Honda Accord Sedan EX. Excellent condition, everything works, must be sold to US citizen who can keep it registered in South Dakota. Photos available when requested. Price $4000. ($455 under Bluebook). 766-5873 FOR SALE: will sell cheap if sold this month had car sold, buyer could not raise cash, will get you USA plates & title in your name, car is loaded and excellent condition.

Call: Joe Dean @ 766 0782 FOR SALE: Almost new Thule Sportrack car top carrier - 18 cu. ft. Bought in June 2009 to drive to Mexico. Asking 2000 pesos. Call: Brian Way Telephone: 766-1127 FOR SALE: 1991 Mercedes 300TE Station Wa. Perfect Condition Inside and Out. Price $2,400 USD. Call Bert Poirier @ 7635086 or email bertpoirier@hotmail.com FOR SALE: Cargo Trailer - 5 x 10’ - Capacity: 2500 pounds, brand new spare tire, 2” ballpoint hitch with hitch jack. $2,500 U.S. or Peso equivalent. Call: Peter Dymacek Telephone: 376-766-5577 WANTED: want address of someone in Guadalajara to replace headliner in car. Mine is falling apart due to heat. Contact: Frank Raimo WANTED: Right rear lamp assembly for 1988 Caravelle. Contact: Frank Raimo FOR SALE: VW Superbeetle 1971 Good motor. Not oilburner. Rebuilt trans. U.S. plates. Price $750, contact John @ 7653824 or johnwhiley2000@yahoo.com BEST OFFER FOR: Price includes new USA plates and title in buyers name. Must see to appreciate. Will accept any reasonable offer. Car is well maintained. Call: Joe Dean @ 766 0782 FOR SALE: 1997 Pontiac Bonivile. Engine runs good. Mirrors gone. Dings and dents. Needs paint job. Air-conditioner and driver side window motors need fixing. Contact: Heinz Stapff. Price $4000 US DOLLARS.

COMPUTERS FOR SALE: HP Pavillion XE 783, 700 Mhz Intel Celeron Processor, 384 Mb RAM, 30 Gb Hard Drive and rewritable CD drive. Microsoft Windows XP Pro, 3,000 Pesos or best offer. Contact Belle at 765-5773 FOR SALE: Good laptop. Works fine.

Legit XP Home; CD/DVD player/burner; swapable 3.5” floppy; Three batteries, will take PC-MCIA Wireless card; 2 USB ports, no screen issues. Contact: David: 376-763-5248 FOR SALE: new Sony Cybershot. It includes a 1 year guarantee with Sony and is in the original package. 7.2 megapixels. price at bestbuy 2,700 pesos. I am selling it for 1,900 obo Contact: Eliza Osher FOR SALE: Wireless Receiver. LagunaNet wireless receiver complete with antenna and cable. Price $200 US. Excellent condition. Contact: Heather Leonard FOR SALE: MapSend Topo Mexico; This works on the eXplorist models. Really never used, See: www.http://www.magellangps.com/ products/map.asp?tab=0&PRODID=1233 Price $550 Contact: David Unlisted @

376-763-52-48 FOR SALE: Portable Radio Complete with built-in generator carrying case and manual. Price: $30. Call: John Whiley @ 7653824 or johnwhiley2000@yahoo.com FOR SALE: Electric Organ/Piano. As new, with adjustable chair and manual. Price $295 Call: John @ 7653824 or johnwhiley2000@ yahoo.com FOR SALE: Printer HP 722C. High ratings on Google. Good working condition. $75.00 U.S. Contact: Linda Nelson @ 765-2698

PETS & SUPPLIES Needs Good Home: very intelligent, loving terrier, gets along with other dogs, spayed, up to date on shots. Sadly, she can escape from my low walls. See her at Dr. Medeles, Guadalupe Victoria 73, Ajijic or telephone 766-3862 Wanted - One young, hand-tamed African Grey Congo parrot. Call 376-766-4365 FOR SALE: Tack box - portable, metal, locking, compact storage unit for saddle & tack. Many other items including new & like new saddlebags, spurs, crops, clippers, etc.

Evenings 376-766-4365 FOR SALE: Midwest Canine Camper single door, folding soft crate for large dogs - 70 to 90 lbs. Self-erecting. No poles, stakes or supports necessary. 43”L X 28”W X 32”H. About 20 lbs. Comes with carry case. $50.00 USD or peso equivalent.

WANTED: Need To Find A Mate- Xolo. I need a male to meet with my female xolo mexican hairless to mate next year. “Nena” is a mini xolo and will be ready to cross next Feb. I am in Guadalajara but can come out to lakeside and meet. 15688234 Looking for Loving Home: for a 10 month old beautiful, mixed breed female puppy I rescued last January, but can no longer keep. Please. Call 045-333-597-2015 for more information.

WANTED: Need kitty condo (cat tree) in good condition for 2 kittens to play in. Contact: Sherry Butler

GENERAL MERCHANDISE WANTED: I require a simple electric sewing machine for doing some clothing repairs/ alterations. As long as it has straight, reverse and zigzag stiching, I’ll be happy. Price under $100 USD. Contact: Stella Lake WANTED: Looking for a great working Stand Mixer, at a good price. Call: Julie Hensley @ 765-4590 FOR SALE: Beautiful and unique, hand carved Pink Cantera, 4 Tier Fountain. Brought all the way from Michoacan. Is too big for our yard. $450 0r BO. Call Veronica at 765-3446 BEST OFFER FOR: Brand NEW 3 wheel electric scooter. Hydraulic lift for loading in and out of the vehicle... 2 sets of ramps 1 nearly new wheel chair... 2 sets of wheeled walkers.. Will sell seperately. Call early mornings or evenings. Ask for Suzi 766 4456 FOR SALE: Used refrigeration system taken out of a walk-in cooler/ walk-in freezer $195.00 US Call: Bill Lindsay 765-7097 email dobilin@look.ca WANTED: I am looking for a used Bread Maker that works 100%. Call. Julie Hensley @ 765-4590 FOR SALE: 405 Receiver, Starchoice, With Remote, User Guide 900 Pesos. Contact: James Wilson FOR SALE: Bunn double urn coffee machine. Double hotplates switch on and

off comes complete with manual, restaurant quality. Originaly $520.usd. Price $350USD Call: Heinz Stapff @ 7653587 FOR SALE: Double esspreso and steam outputs comes complete with manuals and electric coffee grinder.restaurant quality. Originaly $5,300usd. Price $3,000 USD. Call: Heinz Stapff @ 7653587 FOR SALE: Custom made black ornamental iron fence, 1 meter tall, 45 meters long, including 2 gates. Paid $24,650MP eight mos ago. Best offer gets it. Call: R. Weaver @ 766-1358 FOR SALE: Newer Home Falling Down.

Selling solid wood kitchen cupboards; electrical box; large water pressure tank; porceline bathroom sink and faucet; 4 large bathroom toilets; Contact: Judy Martin WANTED: tv stand & dresser needed. will consider any condition..e with details.. thanks, Karen WANTED: Need to buy Queen & King size mattress. Good condition. Call: Ada Huff @ 766-6071 FOR SALE: Huffy exercise bike, good condition. Price 500 Pesos. Call: 766-2164 FOR SALE: New Hamilton Beach meat grinder with attachments. Price 500 Pesos.

Call: 766-2164 FOR SALE: The juice man Jr. like new price 500 pesos. Call- 766-2164 FOR SALE: Colman stove 2 burner 500 pesos. Colman lantern 400 pesos. Good condition. Call: 766-2164 FOR SALE: Like new power rider. Price 1000 pesos. Call 766-2164 FOR SALE: Heavy duty wrought iron drapery rod with decorative ends on rod. Usable rod length 65” to 72”. Decorative end pieces and a further 9” for one piece or 18” for the 2. Price $ 45.- us . Contact: Yolanda Mc Gaughey FOR SALE: Two sets of luxurious satin finish fully lined pinch pleated drapes. Thick lining will keep light out for good night’s sleep.

One pair: 66” wide & 9 ft. In length $28.- second pair: 41” w & 80” long. $ 18.- Contact: Yolanda Mc Gaughey FOR SALE: new used freezer used for to hold ice bags great buy for a restaurant licor store our home frezzer hold 60 to 80 bags of ice. Price 6000.00 pesos. Contact: Ricardo Diaz WANTED: Four or five drawer dresser required for bedroom. Contact: Theresa Archer.

FOR SALE: ladies size 9 med.beige washable leather shoes. Worn once, but too tight Price $ 45.-US. Contact: Yolanda Mc Gaughey WANTED: Wanted Queen size bed or queen mattress in good condition. Reasonable. Contact: Theresa Archer WANTED: Clawfoot Bathtub Any condition. Call: Ruth Donnalley @ 766-3885 FOR SALE: Elite brand 4oz popcorn maker in excellent condition. Easy to clean.

There’s nothing like freshly-popped popcorn for a party or movie night! Price $1000 MX Contact: Meredith Mille WANTED: I´m looking for a new or used dual Dishnetwork model 322 or 222k with no balance on it. must have the new smart card.

Price 100usd Contact: Oscar Montppellier FOR SALE: Very nice like new reclining sectional. Cup holders. Perfect for watching the game with friends. Black Email me for a photo. Price $25,000 Pesos. Call: Danny Urbano @ 844-764-8074 FOR SALE: Great condition. Beige living room sectional. Email me for a picture. Price $6,000 Pesos. Call: Danny Urbano @ 844-

764-8074 FOR SALE: Beautiful table with 4 chairs.

Very nice. Like new. Email me for a photo.

Call: Danny Urbano.

FOR SALE: Like New 64” Mitsubishi TV. Only used for video games and movies.

Price $13,000 Pesos. Email me for pictures. ruthandcharlesinmexico@yahoo.com WANTED: small kitchen cabinet. For a wall.. Clean. Price you name it. Contact: Alex Golzwarden WANTED: Record Player. Would like to buy a functioning phonograph/record player for 45, 78, 33-1/3 vinyl records. Contact: Donald Williams FOR SALE: Kenwood TS-50S HF Transceiver and SGC SG-230 Smartuner microproscessor controlled automatic antenna coupler. Keep in touch with the world, still a great source of world communications. Price $8,500.00 MN Contact: Patricia Castillo FOR SALE: TDK CD burner. Good working order, with cables and manual. Price $50 Call: John Whiley 7653824 or johnwhiley2000@yahoo.com FOR SALE: HP printer Deskjet 810C series, good working order, complete with CD and manual. Price $50. Call: John Whiley 7653824 or johnwhiley2000@yahoo.com FOR SALE: Camcorder. Sony mfr, complete with manual and carrying case $95. Call: John Whiley 7653824 or johnwhiley2000@ yahoo.com WANTED: Car battery charger. Want a decent 6-12 Volt car battery charger; it’s that simple. Call: David Unlisted @ 376-763-5248 WANTED: Share Star Choice Programming. Want someone to share programming on Star Choice (now Shaw), we know our systems are compatible. Call Jill 766-3025 or write fotoflyer2003@yahoo.com.

WANTED: Need a Black Baby Grand Piano in good condition with bench. Sound quality key. Will have it picked up. Would like to have it before Dec 2009. Contact: Linda Fossi FOR SALE: Nearly new bedside commode. Used only 3 weeks. On wheels w/ breaks; padded seat; comfortable arm, back & foot rest. Also excellent for assisted shower. $3000.00 Pesos. Contact: Linda Nelson @ 765 2698 FOR SALE: Dish TV Receiver Model 311.

Used only 3 months. $125.00 U.S. Contact: Linda Nelson @ 765 2698 FOR SALE: RCA VCR Model VR674HF. Old but works great. $35.00 U.S. Contact: Linda Nelson @ 765 2698 FOR SALE: LIPITOR (not expired). have a bottle of 90 Lipitor from Pfizer, 80mg; take USD or pesos at current exchange rate. Price $100 USD or pesos. Call: David @ 376-76352-48 FOR SALE: Fisheye lens FC-E8 for Nikon CoolPix digital cameras. Originally developed for scientific or industrial applications, Fisheye lenses are now also widely used in advertising, commercial and general photography. $100usd. Call David Tingen @ (376)765-3676 WANTED: Need used windows, doors, fencing, barbed wire, chicken wire, chain link, metal railings, window security metals, wheel barrel and ladder, any building materials, tiles, sinks, faucets, toilets, wood, rebar etc. Contact: Diane Ward

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