El Ojo del Lago - July 2010

Saw you in the Ojo

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El Ojo del Lago / July 2010

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 Sales Manager Tania Medina (045) 33 1140 3570 ojodelago@gmail.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: El Debate 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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Carol Bowman waxes nostalgically about the old school buses that were used in rural areas of the US back in the “good old days” and was surprised to see many of the same models in use all over Mexico and Central America.

8 Cover by Dani Newcomb

15 MEDICAL NEWS Jackie Kellum, an RN, takes a close look at the recently revised Mexican health care laws and writes how they might affect you.

46 TRAVEL Rob Mohr takes a trip to a lovely part of Mexico that is well off the beaten path.

49 FICTION Scott Richards, a relative newcomer to our fair shores, weighs in with a story about a bodacious bar brawl set in one of the most famous cantinas in all of Mexico.

50 MEMORIAL We note with sadness the passing of Ektor Carranza, a man known for his contributions to the culture of our area.

54 POLITICAL COMMENTARY Fred Mittag responds to an article written

by Peter Rosenberg (June issue of the Ojo) as the debate over the Middle East has greatly increased here at Lakeside in these past few months.

57 HUMOR Tom Clarkson writes about the type of person we have all met: the know-it-all.

Sadly, it is not an endangered species.

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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COVER STORY

COVER STORY

PUBLISHER

Index...

El Ojo del Lago / July 2010

COLUMNS THIS MONTH 6 Editor’s Page 7 Balloon in Cactus 10 Bridge by Lake 11 About Environment 12 Uncommon Sense 13 Joyful Musings 17 Thunder on Right 18 Wondrous Wildlife 20 Faith & Fables 22 Anita’s Animals 24 As I See It 26 Stay Healthy 30 Hearts at Work 32 Lakeside Living 34 Magnificent Mexico 42 Animal Shelter 52 Feathered Friends 53 Anyone Train Dog 55 World of Wine 59 Child of Month 60 Welcome to Mexico 62 LCS Newsletter

LAKESIDE LIVING

 D IRE C TOR Y 

32 MAGNIFICENT MEXICO

VOLUME 26 NUMBER 11

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Saw you in the Ojo

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By Alejandro Grattan

Did I Remember to Tell You That I Forgot?

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few weeks ago, over coffee at the LCS, I told a pal that I was a little worried about starting to lose what has always been one of my few attributes, an excellent memory. Could this presage the arrival of Alzheimer’s disease or was it simply the normal loss that comes with approaching decrepitude?

My friend, addicted to pontificating on whatever subject is under discussion, said, “Look, it’s like this: An older guy goes to a grocery store but can’t remember all the items of food he went to buy. That’s normal memory loss that comes with aging. Another guy goes shopping at the same store and does remember every single item of food he went to buy—but can’t remember what he should do with food. That’s more serious.”

Leaving the LCS, I felt a bit better until I got to the door and realized that I had forgotten where I had parked my car. I was lingering near the doorway when my friend came out and asked me why I was looking so pensive. Not wanting to appear stone stupid (again) I said I was thinking about what he had said earlier.

He didn’t buy it. “Can’t remember where you parked your car, eh?”

“You’re crazy,” I retorted, not so brilliantly.

“But maybe you didn’t bring your car today. Maybe you walked here. Or maybe you don’t even have a car. Now that’s serious. So don’t bother going to the grocery store today!” And with that, my friend flashed a smirk and was gone.

But I did remember what he said and that triggered a little research.

So on the same subject (I think), here’s what Aaron Nelson, PH.D, a Harvard-trained psychologist, has to say (minus the sarcasm) on the topic: Forgetting the name of someone or why you have moved from one room to the next is usually a lapse in concentration and not earmarks of early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

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More serious would be forgetting the name of a family member or how to use a common household appliance. This type of dementia usually begins to produce observable symptoms in the late 60s or early 70s. But abnormal changes in memory function can also be caused by depression, sleep disorders, nutritional deficiencies and hormonal changes.

As for how best to combat memory loss, Dr. Nelson thinks that the best way to retain large amounts of information is to rehearse it periodically. Associating new information with previously learned material is also helpful.

The most common memory complaint is the inability to remember names—but remembering the name of someone you have just met is quite difficult unless you make a specific effort. On top of that, most names fall into the category of “low-contrast” information. The name Bill is not all that different than the name Bob or Tom. The failure to remember a name is usually a failure of attention, not a failure of memory.

So, I hope this serves to make our readers feel a little better. As for my Lakeside friend, I know that when he reads this, he’ll complain that I did not credit him by name as the person responsible for prompting this article. But when he does, I’ll pretend that I have no recollection of our conversation nor can I even remember who he is.

Now that will definitely make me feel a little better. Alejandro Grattan

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A BALLOON IN CACTUS

By Maggie Van Ostrand

“Broken Berlitz”

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hile lazily drinking in the Spanish language, courtesy of the PBS Destinos series and U.S. State Department audiotapes, with a little Berlitz for a chaser, it occurred to me how easy a language it is to learn. Spanish is wonderfully simple -you pronounce each letter in each word. What a concept! It’s straightforward, like its people. (One of these days, I’ll do the Mexican people a favor and try to get the grammar right.)

On the other hand, I don’t know how they’re doing it but many Mexicans are managing to learn English, despite the difficulties inherent in mastering a language so different from their own.

When my European great grandparents came to America, they spoke no English. Their children spoke little English even though they were born in Manhattan. My father heard no English at home so he himself spoke none until he started grammar school.

Perhaps they didn’t think it necessary, since their neighbors didn’t speak it either. Or perhaps it was because English is one of the most difficult languages in the world to learn, not even barring Sanskrit.

Frankly, I don’t understand how anyone can learn English as a second language as spoken in America unless, of course, their first language is English as spoken in England. American English is also very typical of its people -a little from here, a little from there, a little created by slangsters and gangsters, a little added by immigrants, and a lot added by musicians.

Think about it. How can anybody easily learn a language that uses words that look the same but are pronounced differently, like plough, trough, tough, through, though, thorough, enough, bough? See what I mean?

And that isn’t the half of it. What about heard/beard, road/broad, break/ weak, low/how, or paid/said?

I’m not even talking about English letters which are silent or unpronounced: lamb, debt, calm, listen, through, hymn, know, yacht, or the great number of sounds in English with various spellings: bee, tea, ceiling, field, key, machine, quay, me, Phoenix, people.

As they say in New York, Oy Vey. Then there’s meat, head, heart, heard, theatre, and pool, foot, blood, door, and cooperate, not to mention cake, mat, call, any, sofa.

Several sets of words may be spelled in different ways but pronounced similarly: red/read, rite/right/write, buy/bye/by, so/sew/sow, feat/feet, and ate, eight.

It’s enough to drive a person crazy. (“Short trip,” as my mother would say.)

Maybe the latest trends in English will help those who wish to learnshortcuts supplied by the young as always. My generation sliced the “usine” from limousine to give the language “limo,” and ripped “catessen” from delicatessen for “deli.” My son thinks his generation contributed the word “cool,” but he’s wrong.

How many of you hung out in bars listening to cool jazz? And no one ever lived, not even Jack Nicholson, any cooler than Cary Grant. But I digress.

To Mexicans dezyring nolej uv Uhmerikin histry: Wun uv R fayvrit politishuns wuz Prezident Linkin. I hope U dont think thiss spelling is ludacris.

I’m just trying to help you break your Berlitz. In closing, I’ll leave you with this: A Mexican guy is visiting Sydney, Australia and stops his car near a country bus stop where two locals are waiting, and says: “Entschuldigung, koennen Sie Deutsch sprechen?” The two Aussies just stare at him, in complete silence.

“Excusez-moi, parlez vous Francais?”

The two continue to stare, still in complete silence.

“Parlare Italiano?”

No response.

“Hablan ustedes Espanol?”

Still nothing.

The Mexican drives off, extremely disappointed. The first Aussie turns to the second and says “Maybe we should learn a foreign language.”

“Why? That guy knew four languages, and it didn’t do him any good.”

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By Carol L. Bowman

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remember the yellow bus and driver waiting impatiently, as I ran the last 500 feet of the mile long dirt lane, from our rural Pennsylvania farmhouse to the main road. The kids peering out the bus windows made jokes about my recurrent tardiness. By the time I ran up the metal steps and took my seat, my hair was tangled, my clothes in disarray and my cheeks beet red. This nightmare continued, except when I arrived at the bus stop early, or in truth, when the bus came late. These days, when cold wind gnawed at my bare legs, the sight of that bright image coming up the incline glistened like a savior.

Either way, I had a love-hate relationship with those school buses, each with ‘Blue Bird Co. of America’ imprinted on the bumper. Inside narrow aisles, slim two-seater brown plastic rows, short backs with metal head rests and windows that opened half way by depressing the clips, acted as my only route to an education, twice a day for twelve school years.

The large rear exit door marked FOR EMERGENCY USE ONLY remained strictly off limits. I fancied how fun it would be to jump out the back of the bus just once.

Who could have guessed that decades later, as I traipsed through Mexico and Central America that I would be sitting on these very same buses, but my companions would not be 40 school students. These second hand blue birds transport at least 90 passengers per trip, scrunched three or four to a seat. Livestock ranging from chickens and turkeys to goats and pigs, 50 lb. sacks of potatoes and a myriad of other parcels and good filled baskets jam every inch of space.

American school buses, built to last, built for safety, built for a maximum of 50 students, face retirement from service about every ten years, which represents about a half life of their durability. Third world Latino capitalists, not about to discard anything mechanical until every sputter of life is gone from it, jumped on the opportunity. They decided to solve a problem of countryside transportation for campesinos needing to move their goods, crops and families from one place to another.

The idea of putting privately owned, transformed American school buses into the people and cargo mov-

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ing business sprang up throughout Mexico and Central America over 30 years ago. Today, these buses rank as king of transportation in Guatemala and owning one carries a sense of pride.

When school districts exchange their bus fleet for newer, shinier models, the half used ones go to auction.

US southern states’ auctions, in particular, become feasting grounds for Latino entrepreneurs, eager to buy one or even two chained together.

A driver makes that long haul from the US into Mexico and then crosses into Central America at the Mexican/ Guatemalan border.

According to Gwyn Lawrence, in a 2007 article in Revue Magazine, “The Birth of a Camioneta,” buses go straight to a workshop once they arrive in the Latin country. Six speed manual transmissions replace automatic ones, 13 window models are cut down to accommodate only 10 windows per side, roof racks with ladder access get bolted on and after removal of all rust and primed, the buses receive coats of bright, wild, neon colored paint.

Each owner gives his bus a name, usually that of his girlfriend or wife.

Partners make up the majority of ownerships: the driver or piloto and the helper or ayudante. The ayudante hawks for riders prior to the bus leaving, secures all the cargo on the roof, collects fares once the bus is moving and retrieves parcels when stops are made. A destination board, placed above the windshield, readies these transportation workhorses to lurch into action.

Brakes smoking, motors groaning, gears grinding, reggae or salsa music blaring, they struggle through curvy mountain passes, on pot holed or cobbled roads, overloaded, 14 hours a day, seven days a week. They are cheap, dangerous and uncomfortable, but provide the greatest culture les-

son about an area’s people, while getting the traveler to his destination.

Gringos who started taking these buses to remote villages in Central America or to market towns in rural Mexico years ago, affectionately called them ’chicken buses’, and the name stuck. Sharing your seat with a chicken, rooster, turkey, even piglets remains common, even today.

Larger animals, like goats and sheep end up on the roof of the bus, catapulted topside and roped to the luggage rack bars, along with sacks of corn and potatoes, cardboard suitcases or high tech back-packer gear.

This lofty position gives these animals a great view, above all the smoke and exhaust gurgling from the lumbering machines, but the ruts of poorly maintained roads makes for frequent near tumbles from their perch. Campesinos, who buy or sell farm animals at regional markets, need to travel with their livestock, to or from their subsistence ranchos. Since these American hand-me downs remain their consistent method of transportation, the practice of ‘move over- chicken on board’ occurs out of necessity.

Twenty five years ago, I traveled throughout the state of Oaxaca, Mexico on chicken buses. Although school bus yellow had disappeared in favor of a more Mexican color palette, their exterior paint job drabbed in comparison to the beauties I recently rode in Antigua, Guatemala. Bus decoration is serious business here.

Owners compete to have the bus with the classiest chrome grill, the brightest paint job, the most lights blinking and the loudest horn blaring.

On my way to Santiago Zamora, outside of Aguascalientes, to see the village procession on Semana Santa’s Maudy Thursday, I walked to the lot behind Mercado de Artesanias in Antigua. Rows of colorful bluebirds on wheels lined the parking area. In early morn, many buses waited for a full load. Ayudantes stood in front of their respective buses hawking, coax-

ing, heckling passengers on board. I searched the row for the destination board, Aguascalientes and scaled the steps to adventure.

The chicken bus motto followed religiously is-‘leave when full, stop when needed.’ We waited a long time, until all the seats were occupied with people or livestock, but the show inside the bus, while the helper rounded up stragglers, turned out to be captivating. We served as the audience for the stream of cast members that paraded up and down the aisles, pushing passed fannies sagging out into the narrow midline space.

A young man, with rumpled, tattered clothes inched his way down the aisle with a palm basket and a hand written note, detailing an operation his father needed and the cost.

A young girl in Mayan dress with a smile that could rip your quetzales right from your wallet pranced through with her basket of sweet rolls atop her head, black braids dancing about. A magician of sorts boarded, working puppets in both hands.

Of course, he expected to sell, not entertain. While I took in all these sights, smells and sounds inside the bus, the ayudante shuffled the cargo around on the roof. A large box with turkey combs bobbing in and out of the open flap passed by my window as it was handed topside. I wondered how those birds would like their ride with a view.

Finally, we were all sufficiently crammed in and the bus pulled out from its berth. I couldn’t help but notice that at stops along the way, people were exiting using the rear emergency door. Here was my chance. I had wanted to jump from that ‘emergency only’ exit for 12 years. As the plaza of Aguascalientes emerged, we alerted the driver that a stop was needed. I pushed down the handle and out I went through the back door of a school bus. Then I realized that this is not a school bus, it is a chicken bus and what a ride it had been.

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BRIDGE BY THE LAKE

By Ken Masson

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issing a makeable slam is one of the more painful experiences in bridge. Of course, bidding a hopeless slam is not much fun, either!

This is an area of bidding that often confounds less experienced players who regularly launch into the Blackwood convention at the slightest hint of extra values. But, as Easley Blackwood himself often stated, his invention was designed to stay out of bad slams, not get to good ones!

In this month’s hand, which herself and myself (sitting South and North respectively), played at the Lakeside Bridge Center, our use of another popular convention helped steer us to the optimum contract.

South opened the bidding 1 heart and North immediately had visions of (at least) a small slam. After all, he had a very powerful hand of his own with 5 good trumps, 16 high card points and great outside controls, you could say it looked like a slam-dunk.

West passed and North bid 2 no trump, the Jacoby Convention that announced the combined values for game (or higher) with hearts as trump and asked for a further description of South’s hand. Holding a minimum opening bid, and with no extreme shortness (a void or singleton) in any outside suit, South made the correct descriptive rebid of 4 hearts. Other rebids that South could have made included: 3 no trump (intermediate values, no shortness) 3 hearts (maximum values, no shortness), 3 clubs, 3 diamonds or 3 spades, each showing a singleton or void in that suit.

4 hearts was not the response North was hoping for so he paused for some contemplation. It is generally agreed that at least 33 points (includ-

ing distribution points) are required for a small slam in a suit. A jump to game by partner was the weakest rebid she could have made. The very good trump fit would only be useful if one hand or both could ruff a number of losers, but since North had no extreme shortness either, he reluctantly felt obliged to pass.

West led a low club which declarer ducked in dummy. East won the King and returned the suit, won by dummy’s Ace. Trumps were now drawn, ending in the closed hand.

Declarer now cashed the Ace and King of spades, crossed to dummy’s Ace of diamonds (maybe the singleton King would appear!) cashed the Queen of spades, pitching a club from hand and conceded a diamond trick – making 5.

Had South rebid anything but 4 hearts, North would have felt comfortable with continuing on to the 6-level at least. Even showing a minimum, it was still possible, if unlikely, that a slam could be made, but it would have been a complete guess.

Fortunately, the use of the Jacoby 2 No Trump Convention had proved invaluable in this deal.

And, also noteworthy, the Blackwood Convention would have been absolutely useless in getting to the best spot.

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

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A LL A B OU UT T THE TH HE E ENVIRONMENT ENVIIR RONMENT ALL ABOUT

By Dr. Todd Stong

Water Supply Around the Lake

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ake Chapala water was the primary source of life for pre-historic area communities. Mezcala and San Juan Cosala are examples of such that have existed perhaps for 1000s of years as ruins further up the mountain attest when the lake was as much as 600 feet higher. Year around, pure water flowing mountain springs are yet found today about the base of Cerro Viejo, just north of Jocotepec. These served villages since ancient times as artifacts and even a pyramid (perhaps 1500 BC) on that mountain suggest.

The village of Potrerillos just in the last few years traded its spring water mountain pipeline for a government drilled deep well.

Nearby Huejotitan and Trojes in the past also depended on these mountain springs that provided pure water under the force of gravity. Springs remain the most prized source for water about the world for small communities. The potential exists today for these humble villages to secure significant income from bottling this special spring water for sale to the area as an alternative to bottled water now sold which almost always originates from the lake.

In time villages about the lake hand dug large wells to serve whole communities. One such large well yet exists at the east end of Roca Azul. These wells might be 20-30 ft in diameter and up to 50 ft. deep.

Individual homes more distant from the village well also hand dug wells which are found in many back yards about the lake even today.

These are often 3-6 feet in diameter and up to 30 feet deep. In all cases the water from these shallow wells comes from the lake via intervening soils which assure it is well filtered and thus quite clear. However, the use of water from these wells today would require in most cases treatment via a UV light or with chlorine (2 teaspoons of common bleach per 55 gallons) to kill bacteria.

In the last 30-50 years as populations have increased the government, not wishing to purify water from the lake or from shallow wells, moved to drill deep wells that would seek the rain water that infiltrated the nearby mountains. Well drilling is both costly, $50,000 for a private lot to $100,000 for a village well, and risky for no one really knows where water may flow beneath the

Dr. Todd Stong

ground. In the Western World where engineers seek the most cost effective solution for water over 80% of the time it is taken from lakes and rivers.

Deep well based water supply about the lake generally aims for the following levels of supply: 25 gal/person/day in villages of less than 1500 people, 50 gallons for villages up to 15,000 and 75 gallons for towns over 15,000 persons. All but the largest villages pump water to hillside tanks (depositos) about 2-3 times/day and that water then runs down to various sections of a village as the water man adjusts pipeline valves.

Some areas may only see water delivery a few days a week. Accordingly most homes on the north shore have ground tanks (aljibes) of 5001500 gallon capacity from which each home pumps water to a roof tank (tinaco) to provide water pressure in the home.

Water from deep wells is almost always free of bacteria but in some areas it may contain excess amounts of minerals. For example nearly all wells in Chapala have excess arsenic.

In that poorly placed pipelines in the streets offer the chance of contamination it is never certain water will reach a home bacteria-free. Thus, for drinking it is advisable to treat with a UV light or to chlorinate.

In larger towns the government pumps some water directly into its pipelines from the wells rather than sending to a hillside storage tank.

In these cases the water may contain some sand which will normally settle out if it had gone to a hillside tank first or to a home underground tank. Thus, as a precaution it is advisable in such villages to add a set of particle filters (100 micro and a 5 or 10 micro). If there are objectionable minerals in the water, perhaps in 10% of the wells, it is necessary to also incorporate a reverse osmosis system. If one wishes greater water pressure than provided by a roof tank they need also to add a pump between their ground tank and a pressure tank.

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UUNCOMMON NCOMMON CCOMMON OMMON SSENSE ENSE

By Bill Frayer billfrayer@gmail.com

The “Heinz Dilemma” and Ethical Development

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or the last couple of months, I’ve been writing about ethics. I’ll continue this topic this month with ethical development. You may be familiar with Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. Children, according to Piaget, go through predictable stages when learning to think and conceptualize abstract concepts. These stages occur from infancy through adolescence. Similarly, Lawrence Kohnberg theorized that we also go though stages in our ethical thinking. His research was based on children’s responses to the “Heinz Dilemma:” A woman was near death with cancer. There was a drug that the doctors thought might save her—a form of radium that a druggist in the same town had recently discovered. The drug was expensive to make, but the druggist was charging ten times what the drug cost him to produce. He paid $200 for the radium and charged $2,000 for a small dose of the drug. The sick woman’s husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money, but he could only get together about $ 1,000, half of what it cost. He told the druggist that his wife was dying and asked him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later. But the druggist said, “No, I discovered the drug and I’m going to make money from it.” So Heinz broke into the man’s store to steal the drug for his wife. Should Heinz have broken into the laboratory to steal the drug for his wife?

Kohlberg asserted that our development, in terms of ethical thinking, goes through six stages, from black and white to complex thinking. At each

Bill Frayer

stage, it is the reasoning the child uses to defend his choice, not the choice itself, which determines the stage: Stage one, obedience: Children in this stage conceptualize moral decisions as very clear. Obedience is the primary value. She might think Heinz should not steal the medicine because he would be put in prison, which would mean he is a bad person.

Stage two, self-interest: Children in this stage consider their own self interest. They might recommend he steal the drug because it would make him happy to have his wife alive, even if it meant prison.

Stage three, conformity: A child in this stage might recommend that Heinz should steal the drug because it is the role of the husband to protect the wife, and she would expect him to do it. You cannot blame him; he tried to talk to the pharmacist.

Stage four, law-and-order: In this stage children see the value of laws and rules to society. To steal the drug would involve breaking a law set up to protect society, so he should not steal the drug. The alternative would be anarchy.

Stage five, human rights: Here, the child places the value of human life as more important than following the law. Heinz should steal the drug because his wife has a right to live, even if he goes to jail.

Stage six, universal human ethics: Kohlberg sees this stage as the most abstract and mature. Sometimes, a universal ethical value will require a person to break the law to uphold a more worthy universal principle. Heinz should steal the drug because preserving human life is more important than the property rights of an individual.

As you might imagine, Kohlberg’s scheme of moral development is not universally applauded. Some contend it is skewed to a collectivist, rather than an individualistic sensibility. It justifies actions like civil disobedience, which some may consider unethical, and maybe skewed against the concept of individual freedom. Nevertheless, it does present the interesting idea that we develop as ethical beings.

Next month, I’ll take a final look at ethical thinking.

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El Ojo del Lago / July 2010

Joyful Musings

By Joy Birnbach Dunstan, MA, LPC, MAC

Different Strokes

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eorge Burns once said, “Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.”

For some, this belief has brought you clear to another country.

Many of us grew up with visions of family as seen in TV shows like “Leave It to Beaver” or “Father Knows Best.” We were programmed to think of life as a harmonious, loving, and sometimes humorous voyage with two devoted parents and their adorable children.

The reality off-screen rarely looked like the Hollywood version of the ’50s.

How many of you grew up in a healthy family? How many of you know what that is? Here are a few characteristics of healthy families.

See how many describe the environment in your childhood home.

• There is open communication in which a full range of ideas and feelings can be expressed and received.

• Conflict is acceptable and is worked through to a solution.

• Individuality is encouraged and privacy is respected.

• Mistakes are accepted as human and part of learning.

• There is mutual respect, support and affirmation.

• High levels of trust and safety between family members.

• A sense of right and wrong is taught by word and example.

• Rules are clear and yet flexible.

• There is an atmosphere of fun, safety, and acceptance.

Sounds good. If only parents-tobe got as much training for the parental role as they needed for their license to drive. When children grow up without the environment described above, it has a lifetime effect.

In addition to the above qualities is the unique style of each family.

Some families are loud. Everything is expressed in multiple decibels, yelling is the normal conversational tone, and arguments are forgotten as soon as they’re over. Members live by the adage of the memorable

Dr. Seuss: “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” Everyone says whatever is on their mind – after all, “we’re family.”

Other families are ever so polite. Keeping the peace is Rule One. Negative emotions are to be kept to oneself. Feelings are hidden and unspoken rules prevail, even if you’re never quite sure what they are. Courteous conversation accompanies every meal, but personal questions beyond reports of daily activities are considered nosy and inappropriate.

So many of the troubles I see within couples stem from the style each became accustomed to as a child. When partners from each of these kinds of families try to live together, it’s often a recipe for trouble.

She complains that he’s yelling.

He says he was talking in a normal voice, and she just complains about whatever he does. He thinks she’s intrusive with all her questions about what he’s up to and chatters on and on with all the details of her day. She’s hurt because he doesn’t show any interest in her.

These scenarios are but two of the myriad ways different backgrounds and upbringing can create disharmony and misunderstanding.

Take the time to listen from your heart. Recognize style differences without judging them as right or wrong. Acknowledge the positive intentions behind your partner’s sometimes unwelcome approach.

If your styles are at odds with each other, don’t take it personally.

Remember the wise words of Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons: “Families are about love overcoming emotional torture.”

Remembering love abates the sense of torture.

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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LETTER TO THE EDITOR

D

ear Sir, Upon reading the recent column by Paul Jackson regarding Sarah Palin and the Tea Party movement, I decided to respond by email, since his address is prominently displayed under his name. My point to him was that he had a very comfortable distance from which to view US politics - meaning that he would not have to live with the consequences as US citizens would. He was completely missing the highly-justified sense of alarm with which thinking people view the very real phenomena of Palin and her mininons. I wrote: “We are talking about tiny minds here, not capable of reasonable discussion. These people serve as a distinct barometer of exactly how crazy the US society is becoming.

Even in the light of the horrendous oil explosion, deaths, and environmental destruction, these people are calling out for LESS regulation. As the facts of the nefarious, convoluted banking, trading, and investment scams that have broken the US and international economy come to light, these people want LESS regulation.”

I was treated to not one, not two, but three prompt replies from Mr. Jackson, each one more full of pompous, egotistical bluster than the last. He informed me of his great experience interviewing various world leaders...and I quote: “That’s all I have done all my life: Write on politics for big city newspaper chains. What have you done for a living?

Cordially, Paul.”

So, I replied back, well, why don’t you interview Ms. Palin and

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El Ojo del Lago / July 2010

see for yourself. He sent me two more messages informing me that he “almost” interviewed Palin before the nomination and that “Had I had, it would have apppeared the very week of McCain’s announcment, and I would have been seen as a great oracle.” Evidently he was unaware that she and that entire campaign were a complete disaster. To me, that sort of renders his opinion of her and her movement useless.

He (Jackson) went on to send me his entire resume, complete with a list of all the celebrity friends he had/has. I was so-o impressed. This tiresome barrage has only confirmed my opinion of conservatives (like certain Midwestern relatives who have sent me the most offensive and ignorant messages I have ever received) as living in some sort of parallel universe where feelings are facts and facts are irrelevant.

I have enjoyed mutually beneficial exchanges with other Canadians and Europeans regarding US politics and current events here at lakeside, and welcome their perspective.

Cordially, Micki Wendt Ajijic

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REVISED MEXICAN HEALTH CARE LAWS— and how it affects you.

By Jackie Kellum, RN

A

s a nurse I am always interested in political decisions that affect health care laws and how those resolutions affect the citizens of the country.

There seems to be usually two approaches when health care issues are involved – one side that is financial, similar to a “bean – counter” of a HMO; the opposite view-point is more humanitarian in an approach.

A fellow nurse and friend and I initiated a research project back in 2008 that dealt with the belief that a “Living Will” could not be made and a Durable Power of Attorney for medical decisions could not be chosen for those ex-pats living in Mexico. Like most ideas, true or not, if you say it loud enough and long enough, it then becomes a fact, when indeed that is often not the case. After extensive interviews with Lakeside residents, business people and consultations with several physicians and Notarios, we learned that such documents could be created, but needed to be done in a particular way. I was co-author of four articles that were published in the Ojo July – October 2008 [Editor’s title: “Preparing for your Final Destination”] These were written to help people become aware that people can and should be in charge of their own life and health care decisions living in Mexico, rather than “ let things happen as they may.” In late 2008 there were presentations about creating Advanced Directives: Directive of Care [AKA - Living Will] and Statement of Authorization [AKA - Medical Power of Attorney] for those residing in Mexico. The meetings addressed these documents, the legal process and steps explaining how it can and should be completed, etc.

While working on this project, a

newly presented law was undertaken by the Jalisco Mexican legislation for review concerning decisions about health care options for persons faced with a terminal condition. After what seems like a long period of time, this legislation has passed and it now addresses in great detail patient rights and the responsibilities of health care professionals when dealing with terminal conditions, palliative care and gives the legal right to have a “Living Will” created.

I was most impressed that this newly-enacted Mexican health law is comprehensive and reflects clarity and compassion. With this updated legal information, our documents created originally in 2008 have been updated, and are available on the website: www.lakesidelifemanagement.org The website also has an full English language translation of the new revised Mexican health care law. There is also a presentation about this update at the LCS Health Week Presentations on Thursday, July 15th at 12 noon – 1:30PM in La Sala . A limited amount of copies of the updated Advanced Directive information will be available for a 10 peso copy reimbursement fee. You can also download these documents from the web site. You do not have to be a member to attend this meeting.

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Saw you in the Ojo 15

By Scott Richards

B

ooks have patience.

They never ask you “Where have you been?” “Who else have you been reading?” They humbly wait unconcerned that you’ve been away and now you’re back. They never question your literary motives, your loyalties, or your level of understanding. A book simply awaits your next desire to once again go down the road it leads you. And then very soon, it is like you never left at all.

Opening a new book is like possible love at first sight. In that first moment lies the promise of wonder, knowledge, or entertainment.

You can always count on a book to be there for you. They never change their words, or re-arrange the letters to be something their not. They will interminably hug your bookmark anchoring your last word and thought without complaint awaiting your next visit.

A book is a life unlived, a story untold, or a lesson unlearned. They can be nibbled at a bit at a time, or

devoured in great avid gulps. It is all at your pace and leisure.

A book is your best friend at your worst times, always there for you and never demanding anything in return.

Your level of comprehension, or appreciation never tested, never challenged. Silently waiting to instruct, amuse, induce euphoria, instigate tears, or gut you like a fish.

Books are as faithful as the dawn and loyal as the setting sun. Within their pages exists a place where meaning has no master and where personal interpretations are limitless. They are your words and your pages to feast on, or ignore at will.

Truly what a thing a book is.

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR

D

ear Sir: RE: Paul Jackson’s “Thunder on the Right,” Ojo Del Lago, June, 2010 (p.

17) I agree with Paul Jackson’s comment about not underestimating your political opponents. I also agree that denigrating or degrading your political opponents is a very poor idea, often used by politicians who have no positive ideas of their own.

It is unfortunate that Glenn Beck

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El Ojo del Lago / July 2010

does not share Paul Jackson’s wisdom. Mr. Jackson says Glenn Beck has “impeccable research.” Mr. Beck is the conservative talk show host who once promoted the work of Elizabeth Dilling, a Nazi sympathizer revered by White Supremacists.

In a strange about face, Mr. Beck now equates the Christian concept of social justice with Nazism and Communism. Apparently, Mr. Beck’s “impeccable research” failed to uncover the New Testament and the ideas of a preacher named Jesus. I hardly think “impeccable research” is an appropriate term for Glenn Beck’s “investigations.”

Keep writing, Mr. Jackson, but choose your phrases more carefully.

Mel Goldberg Ajijic

THUNDER ON THE RIGHT

By Paul Jackson

I

am frequently asked what inspired me into becoming a reflective Conservative. Folks, it started when as a boy I walked every single day past a statue in my home town in Britain of Sir William Wilberforce, the Conservative second only to Prime Minister William Pitt, who spent his entire life fighting slavery. In 1833, as Wilberforce was on his death bed, slavery was abolished in Britain and all her overseas colonies.

Who could not be inspired by such a noble individual?

Also as a boy, I read a biography of Queen Victoria’s prime minister, the Conservative Benjamin Disraeli, who pushed through Parliament a stack of reform laws ranging from providing free education to everyone, to expanding union rights, to enforcing health standards in work places. Disraeli’s achievements prompted Liberal-Labor Member of Parliament Alexander Macdonald to declare in 1879, “The Conservatives have done more for the working classes in five years than the Liberals have done in 50 years.”

So I was now really on my way.

Born in 1944, I also grew up amidst the euphoria surrounding Sir Winston Churchill’s valiant stand against Nazism. Again, another legendary Conservative.

Meanwhile I read Adam Smith’s The Wealth of the Nations and John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty - all before becoming a teenager. Later would come the thought-provoking works of William F. Buckley.

In Canada, after his overwhelming election win in 1958, Conservative Prime Minister John Diefen-

Paul Jackson

baker led the successful campaign to expel South Africa from the British Commonwealth over its racist apartheid polices. In the 1980s, one of Diefenbaker’s successors, Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney spearheaded the worldwide campaign to free Nelson Mandela from detention and actually force the total end of apartheid in South Africa. Both Diefenbaker and Mulroney became close personal friends of mine.

Between these events back in Britain, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher finally demolished the Communist hold on the unions that were wrecking the nation’s economy. Yup, strangely, while Brits generally voted Conservative or for the moderate socialist Labor Party, the Communists had the unions in their clenched fists.

Now we enter the Ronald Reagan era: Together, Reagan, Thatcher and Pope John Paul broke the back of Soviet Communism, brought democracy to Russia, and freed hundreds of millions of people in the Kremlin’s slave states of Eastern Europe.

No team in the history of the world ever brought more freedom to more people in one great gasp.

Coincidentally, many so-called Liberals, with the exception of President Harry Truman - a man I greatly admire - generally sought an ‘accommodation’ with the Soviets, and Reagan was condemned by Liberals for not accepting nuclear arms limi-

tations with the Kremlin. Reagan, though, wanted an absolute end to fiendish Soviet totalitarianism, not a ‘friendship’ pact, and considered nuclear arms an ‘abomination’ so rather than artificial limits, to which the Kremlin would in reality ignore, Reagan sought total abolition.

So there you have it, friends, and I defy any fair-minded individual to say my Conservative icons named above were not historic reformers who advanced basic human rights and freedoms for people around the world. I stand in awe of their achievements, and hope you do, too.

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Saw you in the Ojo 17

Wondrous Wildlife

By Vern and Lori Gieger

wildlifemexico@wildtravellers.org

Wee Ones

W

e are all familiar with the common opossum, but not with their cousin the mouse opossum. While they have similarities, they also are very different. Both are very important to a healthy ecosystem; the larger common opossum eats just about anything, helping to clean things up; nature’s little sanitation engineers. Their little cousin the mouse opossum helps in a little different way. They consume large numbers of insects.

The mouse opossum is found from Mexico to Panama. This adorable little marsupial is about the size of a mouse. But a whole lot cuter!

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El Ojo del Lago / July 2010

With large eyes and a little black mask on a tan face and body, it barely resembles the common opossum that we are all familiar with. Mouse opossums are very docile and rarely bite.

They are very clean animals; that’s not to say that their cousins are not but they do spend a great

deal more time routinely grooming themselves. They do share characteristics with their cousin the common opossum, such as an opposable thumb and a prehensile tail, but there are differences. They don’t play possum, but most notably is that they lack a pouch! But they both are marsupials.

Ok, what is a marsupial? If you think that marsupials are pouched animals, you`re wrong. Marsupials are basically embryos at birth. The young then nurse for an extended period of time. Once born, the mouse opossum must climb up the fur on its mother’s abdomen and latch onto a teat. Being a pouch-less marsupial, the young must firmly attach to the teats with their mouths and hang on tight. They resemble worms more than mammals, and weigh 1/8 of a gram. During the weaning process, mothers carry them on their backs.

Weaning occurs when the young are 60-70 days old; they leave the mother a few days later. Litters can be as large as 13 although most do not survive to maturity. Life expectancy probably is under one year in the wild but is about three years in captivity. Interestingly, their reproductive ability declines in the second year of life. They are generally

solitary; usually hunting and nesting alone, adults are typically not found together.

Mouse opossums are nocturnal and generally arboreal; the mouse opossum lives in moist to dry tropical forests. They are often found in banana plantations and among small trees and tangled vines, or sometimes seek shelter in abandoned bird’s nests, they are rarely found at ground level.

Although they are tiny and may seem insignificant, they play an important role in our eco-system. Despite their small size, they are of great benefit. Like most small mammals, their metabolism rate is very high; therefore, they spend a great deal of time eating. Being part of the ecosystem also means, they are on the menu for many other predators, such as owls, raccoons, coyotes and snakes.

They are quite rare in our area, but if you happen to see a little beige creature, with large eyes and a little black mask, you’ll know it is not a mouse or mole; and it is most definitely a friend! They do not do well in suburban areas, as domestic cats are a primary threat to them. If you find one, please contact us and we will relocate it.

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Saw you in the Ojo 19

OF O F FAITH FAITH A AND ND F FABLES ABLES

By Bob Haynes bzhaynes@gmail.com

Where Do I Go?

T

he word paraclete – as used in the Bible means: “The one called alongside.” That word stood for and continues to stand for Christ’s promise of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. That term is important no matter what life exposes you to… even when you find yourself in times of difficulty and uncertainty.

The past couple of weeks have produced some very troubling events for me and for my family. It began simply enough. I had gone to the golf practice range to hit a bucket of balls to see if my golf lesson from my sonin-law Cliff had stayed with me.

The next day I had a pain in my right chest… Naturally, I thought I had pulled a muscle but soon found that the pain was caused by something totally different – a mass on my right lung. After several visits to several doctors, I now have been told it is malignant.

Those of you who know me or who have kept up with me over the past few years know that I lost two loved ones to that dreaded disease called cancer. Zoe Ann and Brother Dick both suffered with that illness, both battled valiantly before losing. I suspect I shall do the same.

As I pondered exactly what to do and where to go, I remembered the lyrics from a song by Amy Grant some years ago….the title of the song was “Where Do I Go?” As those lyrics came back into my conscious mind I found great peace in remembering those lyrics. “Where do I go when I need a shelter? Where do I go when I need a friend? Where do I go when I need some helping? Where do

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El Ojo del Lago / July 2010

I go? Back on my knees again.”

What I do know is how powerful prayer is and how much intercessory prayer can be positive. That fact, coupled with the knowledge that I am fortunate to have numerous friends spread out all over the United States, Mexico and Canada, gives me much to be thankful for. They have responded to my request for prayer in ways that I never imagined.

I also remember the conversation between “Pooh” and “Piglet” and now I totally understand the meaning. Perhaps you also remember this from your readings: “Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. “Pooh!” he whispered. “Yes, Piglet?” “Nothing,” said Piglet, taking Pooh’s paw.

“I just wanted to be sure of you.” ~A.A. Milne Because of you dear friends I can say sincerely that “I am sure of you.”

I also know that the promise of Jesus is valid and I take great solace in that as well.

I am also aware of still another quote about things that happen in this life. This quote is from Adam Lindsay Gordon who said: “Life is mostly froth and bubble; two things stand like stone…Kindness in another’s trouble, Courage in your own. Shalom (Ed. Note: For quite some time, Bob’s column has been one of our most popular—and we fervently wish that it will continue. In any case, with the sobering news in this column, Bob has proven that he not only “talks the talk but walks the walk.” God bless you, friend.)

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Saw you in the Ojo 21

ANITA’S ANIMALS

By Jean Sutherland

Pill Popping Pets

B

efore we start, make sure to see our link at the bottom if you would like to pickle your pet’s poop. Seriously. Every month I hope to introduce new pet products that are really innovative.

Who amongst us doesn’t dread having to give a pet a pill? Have you ever tried to pry apart a dog’s jaw? It’s not possible with most dogs. Luckily giving a dog a pill is not that hard as it can be hidden in a favorite food such as raw hamburger or cheese. Another way to get a pet to take medication is to crush the pill and mix it in milk.

Treats often work the best. If you are forced to use the “by mouth” route make sure the pill gets to the back of the throat and clamp the jaws together. Then simply blow on your dogs nose. If the dog licks their lips the chances are good the pill went down.

Cats, of course, are a whole different ballgame. You can try mixing the crushed pill in its favorite treat and giving them the treat as you normally would. You may have to use a few different treats with the pill divided into the different ones. Sometimes this method will not work, especially if the pill is a gelcap. In this case you’re going to have to pop it.

I’ve been an expert pill popper with cats for years, and I’m lucky that our cat simply accepted it. I take the cat and gently wrap it in a towel with only it’s head sticking out. Cradling it like a baby open the jaws and pop the pill, blow on the nose and most likely you’ll experience success. After doing this make sure to give kitty a reward of their favorite treat. This

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El Ojo del Lago / July 2010

will help them to associate it as a pleasant event.

It’s also a good idea to do this once a month with your cat, using a treat. This helps them to become accustomed to it so that when you do have to give them medication it won’t be such a struggle. Best of all, by using the towel you’re not going to be scratched to pieces and the cat will be less likely to injure themselves by struggling. This can also be done using an eye dropper if the medication is liquid. Just follow the same routine with the towel.

The most important part of any medication routine is to try and keep it stress free. Stay relaxed and be as gentle as possible with kitty. The more you can turn it into a positive experience the less likely it will continue to produce negative emotions.

After giving them the treat following the medication, you can reinforce the positive experience with a back rub or treating them to some catnip.

The ACA in Jaltepec has fresh catnip plants.

A new product called the Bokashi Pet Cycle Fermenting System allows you to pickle your pet’s poop, turning it into a harmless plant fertilizer. Gardeners can check out the website here: http://www.bokashicycle.com/petcycle.html Please remember Anita when you visit the market. Used books and videos are very appreciated and we never run out of a need for newspaper and old towels.

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Saw you in the Ojo 23

AS A SIS SEE EE IIT T

By Henri Loridans RLMSC@prodigy.net.mx A Review of THE LACUNA

By Barbara Kingsolver (Harper Collins 2009)

B

arbara Kingsolver weaves her historical novel around the fictitious Harrison Shepherd, son of an American father and a Mexican mother. The historical characters he encounters range from Douglas McArthur, Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Leon Trotsky and end with J. Edgar Hoover. I found many of the facts presented by the author quite surprising.

Did John Dewey really come to Mexico to conduct a hearing to determine Trotsky’s guilt? Did the US cuddle up to Stalin in the years prior to WW2? My research found the author did not fictionalize history.

The story begins in 1929 on

Isla Pixol, a tropical island off the coast of Mexico. Harrison is 13 years old, and as is characteristic of many Latin American novels, the reader is never sure what is real and what mystical. Young Harrison is shaped by conflicts with his mother who will exchange anything she has for material gain; and, by the indigenous natives on the island. We meet Diego and Frida when Harrison goes to Mexico City and finds work mixing mortar for Diego’s murals and ends up on the household staff. Most readers have some knowledge of the tumultuous relationship between Diego and Frida, but Kingsolver lets you live it with them. Most of us also know that Trotsky was murdered in Mexico City. LACUNA paints a vivid picture and gives the international ramifications.

The historical events Kingsolver describes are well researched. She breathes life into both the characters she creates, and those who actually lived and played their parts on the world scene. The reader can feel the pain suffered by victims of the “isms” prevalent in the United States in mid-twentieth century. The author can also be iconoclastic.

She describes the ideal employee as “Does not smoke cigarettes, take strong drink, go to church or gamble.”

LACUNA is 507 pages of entertaining and informative reading. It contains many surprises that slip up on the blind side of the reader. One of Kingsolver’s best and it can be found in the Lake Chapala Society library.

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El Ojo del Lago / July 2010

Saw you in the Ojo 25

STAY HEALTHY!

By J. Manuel Cordova, M. D., Internal Medicine & Geriatric Specialist mdjmcordova1204@yahoo.com www.mdjmcordova.com 376-766-2777

Hormone Replace Therapy (HRT)

H

ormone Replacement Therapy or Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) is a very common health issue for both women and men. There are synthetic products or natural products (Bioidentical) currently used in the treatment called Hormone Replacement. From the time adults reach 40, the body has already started producing less hormones and they continues to decrease as we get older.

Hormones play an important role in the body’s overall health.

When the body stops producing hormones, many people choose to supplement the lack of hormones with ‘replacement therapy.’

A few of the most common signs of hormone deficiency are changes in hair texture, dry skin, depression, irritability, hot flashes, incontinence, accelerated osteoporosis, fatigue, anxiety, insomnia, vaginal dryness, sexual dysfunction, forgetfulness and an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. The Estrogen Hormone is also important in controlling blood cholesterol and metabolizing Calcium.

Menopause for women generally occurs after age 50. During

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El Ojo del Lago / July 2010

menopause, the ovaries stop producing eggs (ovums) and estrogen and progesterone stops as well.

The condition for aging men is known as ‘Andropause’ and involves less noticeable changes.

Men can, however, experience many of the same symptoms as mentioned above.

HRT or BHRT is a personal choice. Many women suffer with extreme body/health changes and will resort to Hormone Replacement Therapy to maintain a better quality of life. Other women, however, may experience little physical or psychological change and not feel therapy is necessary.

Few men, compared to the number of women, seek Hormone Replacement Therapy. For those that do, testosterone is usually the main concern and treatment is relatively easy.

Women who seek Hormone Replacement Therapy are faced with difficult decisions. There are many different opinions and the medical community in the U.S. and Canada are not as proactive about prescribing treatment as they once were. The relationship

between hormone therapy and certain cancers is viewed very differently around the world. Most International healthcare physicians support hormone therapy.

Women and men over 50 should have their hormone levels checked by a qualified physician annually. A laboratory blood test is usually sufficient to determine your current hormone levels.

Based on the laboratory test information ‘and’ your medical history ‘and’ your current health status ‘and’ your current diet/nutrition status, the doctor will be able to recommend a protocol that is specifically designed for ‘you.’

HRT is not an exact science that applies the same treatment to every patient. It is truly a trial and error process in most cases and requires adequate ‘time’ to find the best solution. Many women become very frustrated with hot flashes, mood changes, insomnia, etc. and want immediate results.

Unfortunately, Hormone Replacement Therapy is not like taking an antibiotic for an infection. You first have to find the right combination of hormones and then find the right dosage. It is unique for each person. You may have a friend taking a particular medication and feeling wonderful, but it may not work for you at all.

Some people will spend hours on the Internet trying to find the right answer for their problem.

Not all information on the Internet is correct. It will never take the place of a licensed medical doctor sitting down with the patient face to face and discussing the issues.

The Internet ‘can’ be an excellent reference source for many things, but it can also provide too much information for some people to

digest which can lead to unnecessary confusion and worry.

Much of the information on the Internet is also ‘advertisement based’-- someone trying to sell a product or service. Websites from Medical Associations, Physicians and Medical Colleges are usually reliable sources for information.

Remember, diet and exercise is a major factor to maintain good health. If you are taking hormones, I recommend only natural or bio-identical products.

Stay Healthy!

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Saw you in the Ojo 27

FROM FR ROM MM MY Y TR TROPICAL ROP PICA AL DE DECK ECK K CH CHAIR HAIIR By “Consuelo”

R

etirement and reinvention. If we want to be happy in this, the 4th quarter of our lives, we must reinvent ourselves. Retirement without reinvention produces the nicest but dullest lost boys and girls in wrinkly old bodies. I know. I see it sometimes here in Puerto Vallarta.

People who have retired and don’t know what to do with themselves.

It is a pretty life, but it is like colorful plastic sushi in a dusty window.

As soon as we report our quit date to our lovers, husbands, wives, employers, shareholders, Starbucks barristas, dogs, gold fish, we can know one thing for certain: our lives are going to change. Our former habits, rituals, friends -- all must be combed through for validity and meaning with the care that a CSI team spends on a roped-off crime scene.

Questions to ask: what do I want? What do I need? What (and who) do I love? Who do I want with me on the journey? Who do I have?

We can tell what we really value by what we cling to. When we are ready to change, we will.

I retired a year ago this month. I sat in my garden in Santa Fe, drinking iced tea and reading books. My reinvention process had started in the 80s, when I went to proper art school. Serious painting may or not bring me riches and fame, I thought.

But it will be something to do when I retire. I always worked. Did studio time in the early mornings, then work. Work work work. Armchair travel was my chief diversion.

I did go places. Finally made it to Venice, after a lifetime of wishing. I tried to see and sketch all the sights.

St. Mark´s Square! Gondolas! Pink chandeliers! Peggy Guggenheim Museum! I tried to eat all the food.

Scampi! Pasta carbonara! Beef liver in sauce! Gnocci! I wanted to do all the adventures. My main adventure was getting lost. I got lost, even though I stayed by one of the most famous buildings they have -the Venice Opera.

But the month I spent in my garden, now that was a vacation. Lis-

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El Ojo del Lago / July 2010

tening to the sparrows, the ravens, the wind through softly waving branches of pine trees. Smelling the sharp, delicious scent of Russian sage. Thinking about my life.

Reading. Ahhh.

The basic idea of reinvention is: find out what you like to do, and do more of it. So right now, I am doing my yellow wallpaper paintings with tropical fruit in the still life part. Bananas. Mangoes. Papayas.

When I came to Puerto Vallarta, my uptight, Presbyterian work-issalvation self melted in the ninety degree heat and wafted into the palm trees. I’ve been dreaming of palm trees ever since I was a little girl. Palm trees, warm turquoise ocean, swimming pools -- I knew I had to be here.

I don’t take it easy very well.

Reinvention, for me, meant slow down, you crazy child. Learn to relax. Let life flow. Let life come to you. Don’t be so grabby. Janis Joplin said, “Life is what goes by you.

What you miss and what you grab.

So get it while you can.” Look what happened to her, with that attitude.

So, reinvention is a personal matter. Start by getting a spiral notebook, the kind you can snap into a three-ring binder. Write three pages every morning. These are the famous “morning pages,” where you clear your mind of everything, put whatever’s going through your head on paper. Don’t worry. No one is going to see it. Figuring out who you are, factoring in who you were, finding by close examination who you want to be and what you want to be? It’s not a contest.

Then make a treasure map. Collage, on the cover of your notebook, if you want, words and pictures that represent everything you want to have and do and be in your next life. Then, quietly go about creating it.

Action baby steps.

Do the most difficult thing first. Do one thing every day that scares you.

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Consuelo

Saw you in the Ojo 29

Hearts at Work —A Column by Jim Tipton

Mussolini and Family

M

ost of us do not realize that Benito Mussolini was named “Benito” in honor of Benito Juarez, Mexico’s most beloved president. His mother was devoutly Catholic and his father was devoutly atheist, who wanted to instill in his son ideals of political reform.

I was sitting in a little café in Denver some years ago, eating salami sandwiches and drinking Red Lady Ale with a musician-turned-stockbroker. He told me that while he was wandering through Italy in the late 60s he found himself one afternoon eating salami and sipping with several companions when a heavy-set, sophisticated-looking man walked in and joined them. He was Vittorio M. Mussolini, a filmmaker and the second son of Benito Mussolini, Il Duce, who had been leader of the Italian National Fascist Party and Prime Minister of Italy.

Not only had Vittorio worked with Federico Fellini, he had also partnered with Hal Roach (already famous for “Our Gang” and “Laurel and Hardy”) forming RAM Pictures (“Roach and Mussolini), although Roach was so badly ostracized by forces in Hollywood for linking with a “Mussolini” that he reluctantly bought himself out.

Vittorio told those at the table that he was gathering stories about the women in his father’s life. (This was finally published in 1973 as Mussolini: The Tragic Women in His Life.)

My friend said he could never again think about Il Duce in quite the same way after that afternoon.

Mussolini himself, as a young man, was a socialist, but by the time he returned from World War I (fighting for the Allies) he had decided socialism was a failure. The British Secret Service helped Mussolini get his start in politics with a salary of £100 a week. He also denounced the authoritarianism of the Catholic Church, but for political reasons (Italy was still a very Catholic country) after ten years of civil marriage he married his wife in a Catholic ceremony.

By 1922 he was the 40th Prime Minister of Italy and by 1925 he was using the title Il Duce and was almost equal in power to the King of Italy, Victor Emmanuel III. By 1936 his title had expanded to “His Excellency

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Benito Mussolini, Head of Government, Duce of Fascism, and Founder of the Empire.” In 1938 he began again his attacks on the Catholic Church, attempting to convince his cabinet that “Islam is perhaps a more effective religion than Christianity” and that “the papacy is a malignant tumor in the body of Italy and must be rooted out.”

Arrogant? Yes. Obsessed with power? Yes. Reformist? Yes. Other European leaders admired Mussolini for his efforts to modernize Italy, to create jobs, to build roads, to provide public transportation, to build economic relationships with Italian colonies.

Mussolini until the early 30s sided with France against Germany (and had denounced Germany’s racial ideology), but because of the massive military might of their almost immediate neighbor to the north, on 10 June 1940 Mussolini led Italy into World War II on the side of the Axis.

Three years later, with the Allied forces deep into Italy, the Italians deposed him. Ultimately he attempted to escape to Switzerland, but was captured, along with his mistress, Clara Petacci, near Lake Como, where, April 28, 1945, they were executed.

Their bodies were hung upside down on meat hooks from the ceiling of a gas station where civilians stoned their bodies.

Mussolini’s fourth son, Romano, adored his father. He became a jazz pianist, married Sophia Loren’s sister, Anna Maria Villani Scicolone, and they gave birth to a daughter— Alessandra—who became prominent in Italian politics. Her aunt Sophia Loren helped lead her toward a career as an actress, although she is equally well known as a glamour model, even posing for Playboy. Alessandra left the film industry after being pressured to change her last name— Mussolini.

Alessandra is a leader and found-

er of Social Action, a conservative political party, although she is now a member of The People of Freedom party. She is a past member of the European Parliament and is currently a member of the Italian Parliament. She, like her grandfather, is often outspoken, condemning, for example, the Vatican’s comparison of homosexuality with pedophilia— stating “You can’t link sexual orientation to pedophilia.” She has kept her own last name—Mussolini—and has campaigned to change Italian law so that all children, should they choose to do so, may take their mother’s last

name.

Well, that summer afternoon back in Italy, sipping fine wine with Mussolini’s son, deepened forever the way my friend looked at life (as well as history). I asked him what he said to Vittorio when Vittorio was introduced to him as “Mussolini’s son.”

He told me that was one time he was really at a loss for words. The only thing he could think to say was “Bummer about your old man.”

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Jim Tipton

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Phone: (376) 766-4774 or 765-3676 to leave messages Email: kdavis987@gmail.com PAST EVENTS: Two of our lovely, local octogenerian ladies, Lois Schroff and Lea Ament, got together and one asked, “What can we do for our birthday that will be a thrilling experience, including a handsome young man and getting high?”

“I know,” replied the other. “We can go flying!”

The idea of being able to fly over and check out what was behind everyone’s walls had a special appeal. After considerable detective work, they found Lois Schroff with the two-seater plane the small airport on the lake north of Chapala. Selecting the handsomest of all the pilots, the ladies set the date.

The flight took place a week later. They had a two-seater so they went up separately. The plane took off over the lake and swung back over Chapala. Following the lake edge the pilot cruised along at a height about equal to the top of the mountains. At Jocotopec he wheeled the plane around and up the other side of the lake, beginning to gain altitude as he rose through the mountains on the south side. A beautiful, remote lake shimmered in the afternoon sun. Small villages and large, plastic covered NAFTA fields dotted the landscape. At Mazamitla he turned the plane back; they started our descent and landed.

The “girls” had brought a big picnic lunch with a powerful fruit and vodka drink. The pilots all toasted the two lovely ladies.

Information at www.aeroclubchapala.com. There is no organized rental flight. Prices are whatever you negotiate (less than $200 USD per hour). Lois and Lea’s flights were about 45 minutes, and the flight took them where they wanted to go. At this airport, there are both conventional planes and ultra-lights. Cost would depend on time and distance.

On June 8 at Sol y Luna’s pocket theater we saw a different “reading” that combined poetry with minimal acting. The poetry is tanka, five lines, a total of 31 syllables. The poems are usually about ordinary life but with a twist in the last line. The author of these intriguing short poems is Margaret Van Every, a local writer who signed copies of her book, A Pillow Stuffed with Diamonds. By all appearances it was a successful day for everyone involved. We thank the performers who gave life to Margaret’s observations.

Enacting tanka poetry for A Pillow VIVA! LA MUSICA premiered the summer Concert Series on Stuffed with Diamonds June 17 at the Auditorium in Ajijic. Alla Milchtein was featured on piano, Christopher Wilshire on violin and Señor Costinel Florica on cello. They played two well known trios: Beethoven’s “Ghost” and Dvorak’s “Dumky Trio.” From the audience, “The crown of the evening was the Dumpky trio which elicited fluctuations in feelings from melancholy to exuberance, stunningly performed.”

On June 18 – 20 the Naked Stage presented Under the Skin, directed by Chris-

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tine Moily and written by Betty Lambert. The shows were at Sol y Luna in West Ajijic. The story is based on a real kidnapping that occurred in Port Moody, a suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia. There are only three characters: Maggie, Renee and John. While Maggie’s daughter Emma has disappeared, the focus is on Renee’s marriage to the sadistic John with a terrible secret: John has kidnapped the 12-year-old and confined her beneath his workshop where he has been sexually molesting her. When Renee realizes the truth, it is her reaction to such a dreaded revelation that underlies the play’s theme. This is not lightweight material. It is a dramatic portrayal of how we turn away from what is happening beneath the surface of our lives because the denial is so much more comfortable.

EVENTS TO COME: On July 16, 17 & 18 at Sol y Luna pocket theater, Barbara Clippinger directs the hilarious and touching comedy “The Dixie Swim Club.”

Five southern women whose friendships began many years ago on their college swim team set aside a long weekend every August to recharge those relationships. When fate throws a wrench into one of their lives, these friends, proving the enduring power of teamwork, rally ‘round their own with the strength and love that takes this comedy in a poignant and surprising direction. Performance times are 4 to The Naked Stage presents a 6 p.m. Reservations are required. For comedy more information, directions, or to make reservations, please call 766 – 2044 or email thenakedstagegroup@gmail.com.

August 5 at 3 p.m. the Cruz Roja BBQ will begin at the Country Club de Chapala. There will be great food, music, dancing and plenty of fun. The BBQ is $250 pesos per person and there are only 250 tickets available for sale. They can be purchased at the Cruz Roja table at LCS, at Trattoria Axixic Restaurant or any Cruz Roja volunteer. Raffle tickets will be drawn at 5 p.m. for big winnings, and you do not have to be there to win: 1st place is $15,000 pesos; 2nd place is $7,000 pesos; and 3rd place is $3,000 pesos. Raffle tickets are still available for $100 pesos each from Cruz Roja Cruz Roja BBQ and Lottery representatives at their table at the Lake – Be a Winner!

Chapala Society, at Trattoria Axixic Restaurant or from any Cruz Roja volunteer.

November 12 – 14 the Feria Maestros del Lago (Artisan Fair) will return to the Chapala Yacht Club (Club de Yates) in Chapala. We’ll give more details later, but already artists are lining up from all over Mexico. For now, just keep it in mind and maybe mark your calendar.

Mulitple Events: The American Legion post #7 schedule for July: Saturdays: 9 – 1 p.m. McLegion breakfast Sundays except July 4: 12 – 3 p.m. Legion grill burgers Jul 1 – 2 p.m. Canada Day Jul 4 – 12 p.m. US Independence Day Jul 7 – 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.: US Consulate (no Social Security) Jul 16 – 3 p.m. Movie: Julie and Julia Jul 17 – 3 p.m. Maple Leaf Club: bring botanas Jul 21 – 5 p.m. Parmesan Chicken Dinner Jul 23 – 5 p.m. Jimmy Buffett Parrot Head Shrimp Boil (corn on cob) At the Feria, a Winter Jul 29 – 3 p.m. Lone Star For information, call 765 – 2259 or Rebozo – bigger, warmer

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Saw you in the Ojo 33

C

ontrary to popular belief, the ancient gods did not always demand bloody sacrifices. They could sometimes be appeased or cajoled into granting special prayers by ritual singing and dancing. Even the fearsome War God, Huitzilopotchli, could be charmed by a complex ritual involving children dressed as birds or butterflies flitting around the flower-filled bower of Xochique-tzalli, Goddess of Love and Beauty.

A few of the ancient rituals still survive, though often in modified form. Their purpose was, and is, to invoke

Los Viejitos

sympathetic magic but a comic element has crept in. Once everyone, men and women, kings and commoners, took part. Today, such solemn performances, elaborately costumed and staged, are almost exclusively male. Men usually dance female roles and

women are allowed to perform only the purely festive folk dances.

Deer Dance This dance is central to the pantomimes performed by the Yaquis on all occasions, religious or secular.

Originally intended to guarantee success in hunting, it is danced by a close-knit society of men who have spent most of their lives learning their roles.

The “deer,” especially, is portrayed with incredible sensitivity and fidelity. Wearing only an animal headdress, a kilt made of a rebozo and strings of ankle rattles, he moves to the

The Dance of the Little Old Men is performed in Michoacan and has ancient roots. Groups of as many as forty youths dressed in white suits, red sashes and wide, low crowned hats sporting bright ribbon streamers wear wrinkled masks and carry animal-headed canes to act the parts of decrepit oldsters. The liveliness of their dancing, however, belies their apparent age as they vie with one another in intricate steps and clowning buffoonery. The dance has a few solemn measures but mostly the good-humored roughhousing, which often involves the audience is both lighthearted and hilarious. music of flute, drum and rasp. His dramatic death is usually brought about by the “hunters” but he sometimes falls victim to other enemies like the coyote or the jaguar.

Los Voladores Still widely performed, this spectacular ceremonial is very ancient. Tenochtitlan had a special plaza where it was regularly staged long after the Conquest until the Spanish pre-empted the space for their bullring.

A tall pole, rigged with a tiny platform and a framework was set up. The attached ropes were carefully wound and a musician and four “flyers” costumed as birds climbed to the platform. While the musician played and danced obeisance to the four cardinal points the flyers, who represented those points, attached themselves to the ropes. As the dance ended, they flung themselves outward to soar in ever-widening circles until they touched the ground.

Ideally, each flyer made 13 circuits for a total of 52, the number of years in the all-important calendar cycle.

Los Negritos This storytelling dance is common to the hot lands where the Spanish introduced Negro slaves. Details may vary but the basic story line is much the same.

In Papantla, workers wear black velvet trousers, embroidered shirts and lavishly decorated hats. Clowns have tattered clothing and faces painted with lines, dots and little snakes. A man dressed as a white woman carries a whip and a basket containing the small snake that symbolizes the evil in women, especially the treacherous Malinche, or simply a danger to field workers.

The story, expressively danced, tells how the evil woman lets snake bite a worker, the shaman magically cures the worker and the triumphant workers kill the snake.

continued on page 39

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La Conquista This one tells the story of the Conquest with slight modifications. In one scenario Moctezuma and his warriors are so lavishly costumed, so heroic in battle and so noble in character that the drably dressed, ill-favored Spaniards simply fade into insignificance. In another, Cortez and crew are portrayed as kindly strangers coming from afar with no other thought than to bring salvation to unenlightened savages.

Gold? Heaven forbid!

Both versions are filled with distortions and anachronisms but, in every case, Moctezuma and friends become the true victors by accepting Christianity.

Los Moros y Cristeros Introduced immediately after the conquest, this dance tells the story of the triumph of the Holy Faith over the pagan Moors. Spanish grandees often took part in the dancing, singing and acting out of the quasi-historical drama. As late as 1910 the ritual involved whole armies fighting mock battles lasting as long as three days. Today, the casts are smaller and more humble. In Michoacan only four Moors show up for the battle. The Christians, wearing visors and crosses to distinguish them from the pagans with their crowns and crescents still win every round.

Los Santiagos S a i n t James (San-

tiago) was the patron of the Spanish soldiers who often reported seeing him astride his white horse leading them to certain victory. In this dance, the Saint is portrayed by a man prancing about with the fore and aft parts of a wooden horse strapped to his middle. In some villages this horse effigy is

for a pair of tiger-skin trousers.

Los Quetzales Performed only in Puebla, Hidalgo and the lowland villages of Vera Cruz, this dance was inspired by the magnificent plumage of the Quetzal, a bird whose tail feathers were once reserved for royalty. The dance figures are fairly simple but the costumes are unusually colorful and the extravagant headdress-

es are extraordinary. Thin reeds, attached like spokes to a conical cap, form a wheel several feet in diameter interwoven with ribbons and colored paper and edged with the brilliant feathers. The dance often ends with four “quetzales” rotating in a breathtaking whirl of color.

ancient and venerated as alive.

Each new “Santiago” receives custody from his predecessor in a solemn ceremony with promises to provide suitable feed, water and stabling. Failure to do so could result in the unthinkable tragedy of the animal’s running away to perform for a rival village.

Dance of the Tigers This Guerrero hunting dance is pure fantasy, in that the jaguar was the only big cat known to meso-Americans. Tiger stripes obviously make more dramatic costumes. The cast is huge, including the master and his retainers, men with guns, dogs and ropes, two madmen, an old woman, two deer, four ospreys, and, of course, the tiger. Young boys usually portray the birds and the tiger, which, during the opening dance, amuses itself by tickling the men with his detachable tail until they become enraged and the hunt is on. He leads a merry chase filled with comic episodes before he is caught and killed. The final scene shows the master being measured

Saw you in the Ojo 39

www.americanlegionchapalapost7.org On July 2 & 3, the Lake Chapala Society Fiesta will be in full swing. They refer to this year’s event as BIZAAR, BARGAINS & BAR-B-Q with children’s art, books by local authors and books from the library, videos and more.

There will be music. Hot dogs and chili will be fired up on the barbee, drinks at the bar. Admission is free to LCS members. Please contact Patricia Doran (766 – 2228) or inajijicpat@yahoo.com.

Don’t miss the Book signing taLegion Memorial Day Dinner – bles. Among the authors present: service included smiles 1. Lady Mary Flemming “Elizabeth has an Adventure” (Tad Davidson’s children’s book) 2. Howard Fryer “El Nitty Gritty ~~ Thirty Years in Mexico” 3. Alejandro Grattan-Dominguez “Breaking Even” (Coming-of-age story) “The Dark Side of the Dream” (Historical fiction) “Hollywood & Vine” (Murder Mystery) “The Stuff of Dreams” (Romantic Adventure) “Whereabouts Unknown” (Political Thriller) 4. Jim Jenson “Project Sentinel” (Top Police work) “Run From Ramadi” (First Class Adventure) 5. Robert Kaplar “The Lincoln Conspiracy” (Historical facts book) 6. Christina, Mayita, and Irma Levy “A LA MESA” (Mexican cook book) 7. Mia Pratt “The Secrets of the 100 Golden Keys” (Unlock The Power of Your Creativity) 8. Eve Reid “Fearless Aging” (Journey of Self Discovery) 9. Richard Rhoda and Tony Burton “Geo-Mexico” (Geography & Dynamics of Modern Mexico) 10. Margaret Van Every “A Pillow Stuffed with Diamonds” (Poetry) Lakeside Little Theatre news: The Lakeside Little Theatre will present the Summer Studio 2010 Acting Workshop production, Developing Your Imagination & Creativity, as facilitated by Graham Miller. Performances run July 8 - 10 at 7:30 p.m. and July 11 at 3 p.m. Come and enjoy the selection of engaging and entertaining scenes and meet our talented actors! Open seating tickets are now available from Ajijic Real Estate for $80 pesos. Ajijic Real Estate is located at Morelos #4 (extension of Colon toward the lake) in Ajijic. It would be greatly appreciated if ticket buyers could please have the exact change ready when purchasing tickets.

During the run of the show, the Theatre box office will be open one hour before curtain. Come early and enjoy the Angel Terrace and bar.

Audition announcement for LLT’s first show of Season 46: Our Lady of the Tortilla.

This is a comedy written by Luis Santeiro, eight time Emmy award winner, and directed

by Sally Jo Bartlett. Set in Hialeah, Florida, Our Lady centers on a Cuban-American family. When the son brings home a new girlfriend, the flamboyant mother goes off in mad pursuit of her straying husband, and the old aunt sees the face of the Holy Virgin in A former Playbill for Our a tortilla, turning their suburban home into a Lady, a comedy set for basilica. English-speaking Mexican and gringo men and women between the ages of 25 October

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and 60+ are required for this hilarious and heart-warming story about faith, miracles, and the endurance of family love. Auditions are scheduled for July 30 & 31; two men and four women are needed. Performances are October 2 - 10. For scripts and information, contact Jerry McDonald at jerrymcd@aol.com.

The Lakeside Little Theatre encourages and welcomes everyone interested in acting, new or experienced, to attend auditions for any of this season’s plays. If you would like to volunteer behind the scenes, the LLT is always looking for people to train in lighting, sound, wardrobe, props, make-up, stage managing and other positions. Contact Don Chaloner at 766-1975 or email at 77dondo@gmail.com. See you there!

VIVA! La Musica summer schedule starts with the Philharmonic Beethoven.

Air conditioned buses await. The orchestra is playing all the Beethoven symphonies. July performances are: Jul 9, 4:30 – Reineke flute concerto, Beethoven No. 3: Seats available Jul 18, 10:30 – Beethoven symphonies No. 9 and No. 1: Bus full Please call Marshall Krantz at 766 – 2834 ASAP. Reservations are not confirmed until payment is received. Tickets are $200 pesos for members and $300 pesos for non-members. The bus will stop for dinner at a good restaurant in Guadalajara before Friday evening concerts.

For tickets to the wonderful concerts this season, visit the LCS Ticket area daily from 10 a.m. - 12 noon. Series tickets are $1,100 pesos for members, $1,250 pesos non-members. Single tickets for members are $250 pesos (except $300 pesos for the Opera Rigoletto Opera). For non-members single tickets are 300 pesos ($350 pesos for the opera).

Season tickets (auditorium, 7:30 p.m.) go on sale at LCS June 1 – June 17 (10 – 12): members $1,100 pesos $1,250 for non-members. Single tickets are $250 pesos for members and $300 pesos for non-members. Add $50 pesos for the opera.

Jul. 15 Jalisco State Chorus Aug. 19 Issac Ramirez, cello; Andres Sarre, piano Sep. 14 Ensemble Filarmonica: Luciano Perez; soprano, Dolores Moreno Oct. 21 Rigoletto, a fully staged opera, conducted by Luís Rodriquez VIVA still needs volunteers to help with ticket sales, hospitality and other concert related duties. Please call Rosemary at 766 – 1801, rosemarykeeling@gmail.com.

Excerpt from John Steinbeck’s Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech (1962): “Literature is as old as speech. It grew out of human need for it and it has not changed except to become more needed. Writers are not separate and exclusive. From the beginning, their responsibilities have been decreed by our species...the writer is to declare and to celebrate man’s proven capacity for greatness of heart and spirit – for gallantry in defeat, for courage, compassion and love.”

The Nobel Prize: a medal, personal What I see in those words diploma and a cash award is how noble we all are. Someone recently sent me this as encouragement because I do not consider myself a writer of substance. But you and I do the best we can, and thus we exhibit what Steinbeck referred to.

What did he win for? Two books. He wrote The Grapes of Wrath (1939) and Of Mice and Men (1937). In total he wrote twenty-seven books, including sixteen novels, six non-fiction books and five collections of short stories. Can’t you just see items and kids bouncing off the overloaded truck in The Grapes of Wrath? TCM plays the movie now and then.

Trivia questions about the Nobel laureates (winning names we know): 1. Which Canadian won the Peace prize in 1957? (Lester Pearson) 2. Which Mexican won for literature in 1990? (Octavio Paz) 3. Which US President won the first Peace prize? (Theodore Roosevelt) 4. What year was Barack Obama awarded the Peace prize? (2009) 5. Who won the Peace prize in 2007? (Al Gore)

Saw you in the Ojo 41

THE T HE A ANIMAL NIMAL S SHELTER HELTER REPORT REPORT

By Thetis Reeves

Y

ou couldn’t call it a fun time. High anxiety more accurately describes it. On June 14, Chapala authorities gave us forty-eight hours (extended from the original demand of two hours) to clear out our dogs and shut down our new Dog Center. And after we managed to do so within the deadline, they reversed themselves!

(It’s my personal guess that someone higher up, when word reached him, said to them, What in the hell have you done?) As we’re pretty darn sure most of you know by now, we’re back in the dog-adoption biz, but tentatively. There are final terms yet to be worked out.

Every dog we had on hand that stressful day found a permanent or foster home within the time limit we were given, through the Herculean efforts of our dog-center volunteers and the response from friends to the Shelter when pleas for help spread through the community. Farewell and good luck to Whitney, Bruiser, Elsie, Roco, Tia and the others. Hello to—well, I haven’t even met the new residents as yet. The new pups and dogs move in this Monday and I am writing this on the weekend. Alex, my editor, could hold the presses for only so long. The column I had ready to go on the fateful eviction day had to be tossed. This one replaces it, in a bit of a rush.

All of us at the Shelter were gratified by the community’s response.

Close to 2000 people signed petitions to protest the closing, about one-third Mexican, to be presented to City Hall. A woman lawyer, an advocate for animal rights, immediately came to our assistance, pro bono, and went to City Hall with a

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Maya- Deaf but Delightful noise pollution expert at her side. In the turmoil of those few days, we never got her name. We thank the two of them and everyone else who expressed their concerns in many ways.

To date, a verbal agreement is in effect that we will take in fewer dogs and pups. The noisy ones will be put inside at night. Now more than ever we need to step up adoptions in order to take in other needy dogs. If we’ve learned anything these past few hectic days, it is that we can count on you. Come check out our new dogs.

I mean, really, check them out, take them home.

All this to-do has distracted us from the meowing need of our cats and kittens. Let’s focus anew: It’s that time of year that really stresses us out. We have pussy-cats galore needing good homes. And we have a very special pair of two beautiful white, blue-eyed kittens: They are deaf. The sooner they are able to adjust to a permanent home, the better.

We know from experience that when placed in a home with other cats, the hearing cats help the deaf ones, so that works. So does a caring home all to themselves. They are sociable, playful and unique. They need to be indoors 24/7. Please come in and learn more about adopting these deaf kits

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Saw you in the Ojo 43

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

D

ear Sir: I am writing this short letter to simply bear witness to the fact that, in my experience, you have indeed commendably struggled to keep a fair and proportionate balance between the articles submitted for publication in the “Ojo” on the subject of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

I can say this because you refused to publish one of my articles (pro-Palestinian) on the subject, even though it was enthusiastically received when I read it at the Ajijic Writers Group. So if anyone thinks or accuses you of being one-sided, I know better.

It is not partisanship, but precisely your struggle for balance, diversity, and creativity that has made the “Ojo” the fine contribution to our Lakeside community that it has become.

In respectful appreciation, Alvin Alexsi Currier Tio Domingo

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AB Beach each L Less ess T Traveled raveled

By Rob Mohr

G

oing to the beach?

Want to relax with good friends and enjoy the natural landscape and the open sea as you walk without interruption along a beautiful beach with no high rise hotels in sight?

La Manzanilla, facing beautiful Tenacatita Bay, is my favorite. Once settled into one of the small hotels along the beach, or a rental perched on the hills above, you can lean back and enjoy the cool ocean breeze as it sweeps across your terrace while you take in the beauty of a seascape not yet compromised by overpopulation. But hurry, the clock is ticking.

Located fifteen kilometers north of Melaque on the Mexico 200 going north to Puerta Vallarta, La Manzanilla offers five miles of flat, white sand beach that lies like a jewel around the neck of a beautiful woman. In the early mornings and the late afternoon --- when the light is just right --- most visitors enjoy long strolls along the beach, or settle into a lounge chair offered,

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without charge, at one of the beach front restaurants and then procrastinate a bit while drinking Margaritas with friends as the sun settles into the ocean to the west.

The town, one main street with a loop around the park, is a small fishing village where the day’s big activity is to meet the fishing boats as they come in and compete with a few other hungry travelers for your favorite seafood. The large central park hosts a Tianguis (street market) every Friday filled with crafts and art from throughout the region, and also offers a central gathering place to sit on a bench watching the world go by. And if art is your thing, there is also an excellent art gallery sell-

ing the works of artist from throughout eastern Mexico just four blocks away.

For those of us who find no vacation complete without a small stack of books at their side, just off the square is a large book exchange that benefits the local education foundation, and five blocks down the main street is a second story bar, a hangout for ex-pats, that has a good selection of books for exchange and a large screen TV that is normally set on the latest sporting event. And, would you believe, margaritas for less than twenty pesos!

For adventure, you can kayak through the calm waters of an inland lagoon surrounded by marsh land, both protected as a federal ecological zone, or paddle across the bay to a pristine coral reef to scuba dive.

Or fill your days with more leisurely activities like watching whales and dolphins and flocks of pelicans, and cormorants as they mix with Frigate Birds dining on a school of fish along the edge of the sea.

If you grow bored with just relaxing, watching the sea, and walking the beach, yoga, art and language classes are offered at Casa Maria’s fixed on a steep hill above the town. The classes are held in her

third story palapa which provides a panoramic view of the ocean and a cooling breeze. And best of all as you descend from her palapa Maria will invite you to join her for a cup of coffee or fresh squeezed orange juice on her bougainvillea covered terrace below.

If you stay hungry and crave food (the sun and the sea tend to do that) there are cooking classes at Eilden’s Hacienda. Even better, along the beach and in the lush hills above the town, are a number of eclectic restaurants offering Chiles Rellenos (cooked the right way), Sea Bass and Snapper, some of the best Calamari I had ever eaten --- and would you believe, pizza from a wood-fired oven.

Then, for a late morning breakfast, there is a spot on the central park --- tucked under a cool colonnade --- that specializes in fresh baked breads, sweet rolls and some of the best coffee I had ever tasted.

The high point for me (I’m easy) was joining one of the year round residents who liked to throw Frisbees with friends on the beach, and then, as a good host, offer all who gathered an excellent tequila, good conversation and a peaceful moment to watch the sun turn the sky crimson. What more could a body want?

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Migration

By Bill Frayer

A

s you alight upon my wrist Looking hale, firm and fit Your Princeton patterned, paper wings Have brought you here to rest and sit In these high pines in Mexico From Canada; you’ve made your flight Primordial beacon led the way I, pausing, breathless, drink in the sight, Scores of thousands dripping here From branches heavy with the dense Migratory miracle Of Monarchs mating, and I sense As I look out upon the swarm That I have witnessed here today An unexplainable event And now I watch you fly away.

Yet my small life, be as it may Will never replicate this day.

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DEADLY DE MAYO

By Scott Richards

H

ussong’s Can-tina was a swaying seaa of the vertically uncon-scious. A writhing, drunk-en mass of the insane, theirr eyeballs floating in tequila..

It was true Margarita mad-ness. After all, this was thee birthplace of the notoriouss concoction back in 1941..

The history and the sheerr de one volume consumed there made feel it was your duty to hammer the agaves till the coyotes howled. Just a simple visit usually turned into a mind-expanding experience ending all too quickly in an unscheduled nap.

The curious mixture of lime juice, Cointreau and cooked hearts of the Maguey produce an almost mystical euphoria when administered in the proper dosage and duration. Most everyone there knew the routine, order a tray of twenty and relax.

Whiling away afternoons in the grip of the salt rimmed devils, life was always sunny and every one was your friend. The word “enough” lost translation once inside this historic archive of legendary excess. Real time stopped; only the moment existed, suspended in the inebriated now.

This was the scene mid-afternoon, moments before the unexpected and deadly occurred. The bar mob inside, swelled out to meet the burgeoning crowd outside and the chaos, began to unfold. Like warring tribes, the already drunk and the want to bees un-explainably clashing, causing the panic stricken Cantina to call in the troops.

They arrived in the form of several police cars filled to the brim with Cinco de Mayo weary officers.

With a new and different enemy to face, the mob temporarily joined forces to repel all borders. The weapons of choice were a hundred, or so, beer bottles rained down like an avalanche on the police cars. A great cheer went up from the crowd for their juvenile display. But the childish howls were cut short when the doors flew open and the police emptied their guns into the crowd.

The barrage of 45s and .38 specials rang out like thunder, the air thick with smoke and whizzing lead.

My mind was still trying to con conceive the why when I heard a thud next to me like a metal pipe whacking a side of beef. At first the guy just looked at me, eyes wide open, searching my face for answers I didn’t have. He stared, unblinking; momentarily suspended upright in the solidly packed throng. There was a blossoming patch of red radiating out from a dark hole in his chest, his mouth worked wordlessly as he slipped beneath the sea of panic.

Everything went blank as I struggled to cope with the cataclysmic insanity happening so quickly all around me. Time stood still and I froze with it, suspended in a slow motion world of disbelief and deadly silence. Then like a spark, time quickened, the reality around me accelerated like an old movie reel catching up, the cries of the crowd overwhelming loud upon their return. The trays of Ritas and their effects were quickly vanishing with the pistol smoke.

By now, the shots, still echoing, had sunk into even the most alcohol-soaked brains of the mob. After a very sobering moment, there was a frenzy of erratic scrambling and pushing attempting the impossible of getting out of their own way.

Like lightening-spooked cattle, the crowd ran in panicked circles unable to manage a clear escape.

Those still caught inside, boiled out of the bar like bees, their eyes wide with terror, stumbling over the unlucky.

As fast as it all happened, it was over. All that remained of that day in May was the smell of gunfire, broken glass and the low sobbing of the unfortunate as the waning smoke revealed the absurdity of those who had come to celebrate a foreign battle they didn’t even understand.

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Saw you in the Ojo 49

IN MEMORIAM EKTOR CARRANZA 1932-2010 (Submitted by Tod Jonson)

E

ktor Carranza was a founding member of Culinary Art Society of Ajijic 24 years ago. He was a Life Member of CASA. Ektor, being totally bilingual, brought the Mexican and Anglo community together through food.

Ektor was a generous, loving man and loved life — living twenty-five of those years here at Lakeside.

Ektor is a Life Member and volunteer of LCS, He was born into the famous Carranza family of Mexico. As a teenager he studied dance and music and toured with Amelia Hernandez’s “Ballet Folkloric” throughout Mexico and the United States. In L. A. he was asked to join the Pasadena Opera Company as a singer in “Madam Butterfly” starring Placido Domingo. He stayed on to sing in several operas. His singing voice was crystal clear and magnificent.

Ektor later worked for the L. A. Times, graduated from UCLA, and went to work for Parsons Graphics as an artist and eventually moved into documentary film production where he met his partner, Tod Jonson.

Together they formed their own documentary film company and over a dozen years produced six ‘Oscar’ nominations and won four as part of their parent company, Manson Distributing Corporation. Being an artist himself, Ektor, with Tod, created one of Beverly Hills’ most famous art galleries: Showcase Galleries.

After moving to Ajijic, Ektor

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El Ojo del Lago / July 2010

became involved in the Lakeside community, particularly with the Lakeside Little Theatre. He has contributed his many skills and talents to a huge variety of projects and groups from the arts to food.

Since 2001 he had been working with Lake Chapala Society on the annual LCS directory. In 2001 Lakeside voted Ektor as a Good Will Ambassador to Mexico. The then Mayor (Raul Robles Puga) awarded him a citation from the City Hall as a thank you for introducing and pushing so many cultural components at Lakeside.

In 2002, Ektor was a driving force in getting the Ajijic community to help create, support, and sponsor the NORTHERN LIGHTS MUSIC FESTIVAL, now entering its 8th year.

Another big joy for Ektor was working side-by-side with Tod when they co-wrote for 18 months the Lakeside Living column for the El Ojo Del Lago. Ektor particularly enjoyed promoting Lakeside activities through the column.

Ektor’s crowning achievement was the building of fifty outstanding sets for the Lakeside Little Theatre, which he considered his second home. He acted in several plays but enjoyed creating sets more than other aspects of the theatre. Ektor will be long remembered for his wit, his enthusiasm and his ability to make something out of nothing.

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Saw you in the Ojo 51

Feathered Friends

By John Keeling

House Sparrow

T

he house sparrow is not only a common resident here, but it is also the most widely distributed wild bird in the world. Its spread has been closely related to human expansion in the world. In the countryside if you come across a house sparrow, you know there is a human dwelling or farm close by.

It is a stocky bird, six inches long, with white cheeks, grey crown, black bib, and rich brown feathers on the wings and back. The size of the black bib increases with age. The female is plain mid-brown in color with a pale buff line over the eye.

Originally from northern Europe and northern Asia it has spread widely over the last 150 years, both on its own and as a result of introduction by humans. Birds on the American Continent are descended from fifty pairs released purposely in 1852 by the commissioners of Central Park in New York City.

They are social birds, joining together in flocks for eating and roosting at night; and may build nests quite close together. They feed mainly on the ground, foraging for seeds of all kinds – note the heavy beak which is adapted for crushing seeds. They are required to eat small quantities of grit to help grind up the broken seeds in the stomach. They are adaptable however, switching when necessary to berries, fruit, beetles, caterpillars and earthworms.

In the early spring when there are enough insects around to feed the future offspring, the male will pick out a nest site and start singing incessantly to call females. When a female comes, the male displays by shivering its wings, raising its tail and head, and displaying its black bib. The female then attacks the male and flies away. He follows and displays some more. When she sings a soft acceptance call, the male mounts the female repeatedly.

The male builds the nest with some help from the female, in any kind of hidden or semi-hidden cavity. It is an untidy mass of plant material, generally domed with an opening in the side. The female lays four spotted, bluish eggs and sits on them for 15 days until they hatch.

Both sexes feed the young in the nest for 15 days, and also after they leave the nest for many more days until the young can fend for themselves. Up to four nesting cycles may occur in a year.

The young have a high mortality rate – only 20% survive the first year. Adults are subject to an annual survival rate of 50%. Many are eaten by domestic cats, and also hawks and crows. Some are killed by avian diseases. House sparrows are the most common road-kill in Europe.

Currently there is a decline in the population of house sparrows in England, and it has almost disappeared from the center of London.

Naturally, ornithologists in England are investigating each of several possible causes. A similar decline was seen a hundred years ago when cars were first introduced.

(John Keeling and his wife lead the ‘Lake Chapala Birding Club’ which is a group of people interested in birds. To receive notices of bird walks etc., leave your e-mail address at avesajijic.com.)

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El Ojo del Lago / July 2010

Anyone A nyone Can Can Train Tra ain n Their Their rD Dog og

By Art Hess

I

t occurred to me recently that a very large number of the problems I encounter are from people who have a new dog, usually a puppy. This led me to ask “Why do you want a puppy?” and “Are you willing and able to take proper care of a puppy?”

Before you jump to a hasty answer, I encourage you to give serious consideration to a few things: * Puppies require a lot of time.

This includes all of those things that make up care for the puppy. But more importantly puppies need lots of interaction with people and the world around them. Young puppies cannot be left alone for extended periods of time. An hour alone is a long time to a 3 or 4 month-old puppy. * The early months are extremely important times for the puppy to form bonds with its family, and to become socialized. Behaviorists have taught us that the first twenty weeks (4 – 5 months) are the most critical times in the puppy’s early development. If you cannot be available for your puppy during this period, perhaps you should rethink your decision. * Good habits, bad habits, and behaviors don’t just happen. They require regular effort on your part.

These are part of the “rules, regulations, and limitations” to which the “Dog Whisperer,” Cesar Millan, often refers. If you want your dog to become a well-behaved adult dog you have to spend time with it to develop good habits. If dogs learned these things by osmosis or on their own, they would simply borrow the car keys and drive down to the library and read a good book on dog training. * The early time spent with people often has a huge effect on the personality development of the puppy. People’s physical and mental characteristics can obviously lead to good qualities or bad in the puppy. A large, loud, and aggressive person, for example, could be very detrimental to a submissive dog, or could turn a potentially aggressive dog into a time bomb. Conversely, the person who finds difficulty with discipline and believes that love conquers all can also wind up with a dog with serious behavior problems. In short, this means that your puppy needs one

or more hours a day of your time. * Puppies need regular and frequent visits to the vet, and for many breeds to the groomer. This takes a commitment of time and of course money.

And don’t forget the “accidents.”

Things get knocked over, broken, dug up, chewed up etc. and if you are uncomfortable with these problems, again don’t rush to a mistaken decision. * Finally, please remember that puppies pee, poop, jump, nip, bark, dig and chew. That’s natural with having a puppy. In short, puppy ownership requires an investment of time, energy, patience, and money, and you can count on some household upsets. Unless you recognize these things ahead of time and are willing to accept them as a part of normal life with a puppy, maybe you should not consider getting a puppy.

I know the above won’t make the people at the animal shelters very happy. But wait -- there’s a great solution! Yes, it’s completely acceptable to adopt an adult dog, and look at all the advantages. Just some include you know what you’re getting, you avoid almost all of the above- mentioned difficulties, but most of all you will provide a home to an unwanted dog who currently sits forlornly at a shelter, waiting to appeal to some prospective adopter.

By rough count, there must be in excess of 150 dogs at the three local shelters, so why not take a look at an adult before you adopt a puppy and six months later wind up taking him to a shelter because he becomes “just too much.”

Remember— if you hit a tope or simply have a question, write me at artthedogguy@yahoo.com Loose Leashes, Happy Tails.

Art Hess

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Saw you in the Ojo 53

Dispossession and Apartheid

By Fred Mittag

P

eter Rosenberg invoked “anti-Semitism” six times in “The Israeli Side” (Ojo-June issue).

That’s a lot of anti-Semitism.

Tony Klug, writing for Tikkun Magazine, a Jewish critique of politics, culture, and society, described what he called “definition creep” that trivializes past Jewish suffering.

Zionists such as Alan Dershowitz browbeat those who criticize Israel. They include Jimmy Carter, Mearsheimer and Walt, and Norman Finkelstein (whose university tenure Dershowitz blocked). Zionist wrath fell upon Judge Richard Goldstone for his U.N. report on Israeli war crimes in Gaza. Goldstone said in an interview with Bill Moyers, “Just because I’m a Jew shouldn’t be any reason not to investigate Israel.”

Jason Serota wrote in the New York Times “For my generation, anti-Semitism is rare. At the end of the day I am an American, and I find I don’t have much in common with Israelis. My home is Philadelphia.”

Serota calls to mind people like Admiral Chester Nimitz, who grew up speaking German in the Texas German town of Fredericksburg. His ethnic background didn’t compromise his American patriotism.

Anti-Semitism is rampant in the Arab world, however. Yehoshua Porath, professor at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, wrote “The major factor nourishing Arab anti-Semitism was not hatred for the Jews as such but opposition to Jewish settlement in Palestine. It was inevitable that the opposition to Zionist settlement

would turn into a loathing of all Jews.”

Zionist leaders from the beginning understood that Arabs would not give up their land without a fight. This is clear from the writings of such leaders as Zeev Jabotinsky, David ben Gurion, and many others.

Since 1948 the Zionists have dispossessed over a million Palestinians of their homes and farms and driven 80,000 Syrians from the Golan Heights. Today Israel relies on South African-style bantustans in a system of apartheid. Jimmy Carter calls the Israeli system worse than South African apartheid, because at least blacks could use and cross the roads in South Africa.

Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu said, “I have been very deeply distressed in my visit to the Holy Land.

It reminded me so much of what happened to us blacks in South Africa. I have seen the humiliation of the Palestinians at checkpoints and roadblocks, suffering like us when young white police officers prevented us from moving about.”

Albert Einstein was among 28 American Jewish intellectuals who signed a letter to the New York Times protesting the 1948 visit to the United States of Menachem Begin. They described him as a Nazi Fascist and the leader of the Irgun Gang of terrorists who – among other terrorist crimes – murdered 240 innocent men, women, and children in the Arab village of Deir Yassin.

Rosenberg claims that “The town of Jericho is a walled Palestinian community that Israelis and tourists cannot visit.” Maybe Rosenberg thinks that Israel still has Jericho under the total siege that began in 2000 and closed the city to Palestinians and foreigners alike. Rosenberg should check travel services on the Internet. Last February, the number of tourists reached 24,000 – of

whom 4,500 were Israeli citizens.

Rosenberg spews similar propaganda about Bethlehem. He says it’s divided from Jerusalem by a wall and the gun positions are Palestinian efforts to keep Israelis out, but he disregards that it’s an Israeli wall. Palestinian gun positions? Really? A United Nations report states: “Bethlehem is surrounded by a combination of nine Israeli settlements, a stretch of the Separation Barrier, roads restricted to Israelis, and a multitude of checkpoints and roadblocks.”

Rosenberg ridicules the idea that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was the cause for 9/11. He’s spinning out of control. Israel was a direct cause for 9/11. There can be no better example that blind support for Israel is damaging America.

Osama bin Laden is on record in numerous quotes declaring that 9/11 was because of America’s support of Israel.

The 9/11 Commission Report determined that the animosity towards the United States felt by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the “principal architect of the 9/11 attacks, stemmed ...from his violent disagreement with U.S. foreign policy favoring Israel.” The same was true for Mohamed Atta, one of the pilots.

General David Petraeus testified before a congressional committee that Israeli policies endanger American troops. Israel angered and embarrassed Vice President Joseph Biden on his recent visit. While he was there, Israel announced 1,600 new housing units for Jews in East Jerusalem. The vice president denounced this as “precisely the kind of step that undermines the trust we need right now.”

Rosenberg tells us that the Israelis and the Jewish people have won 100 Nobel prizes (nine were Israelis). He demarcates Jewish genius and backward Arabs: “If it wasn’t for oil, the Muslims would still be riding around their deserts on camels and sleeping in tents by an oasis.” Rosenberg thus confirms the UN’s earlier declaration that Zionism is racism.

Some Israeli leaders don’t travel in Europe for fear of arrest for war crimes. The UN has voted on numerous resolutions that condemn Israel – with only Israel and the United States voting nay. Israel must be saying to the United States, “All the world is queer, save thee and me, and even Joe Biden is a little queer.”

(Ed. Note: With this rebuttal to the rebuttal, we are again declaring a moratorium on this general subject, lest we soon become known as either The Israeli News or The Palestinian Gazette!)

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El Ojo del Lago / July 2010

The World of Wine

By Ceci Rodriguez

Dessert Wines

D

essert wines are an entirely different sort of beast. These are loosely categorized under a slightly misleading term that used to describe any sweet wine. There are various methods used to make these wines, as well as numerous grapes, which produce the most desirable concentration of sugars and flavors found in sweet wines.

Naturally sweet wines are those which achieve a natural concentration of residual sugar without abnormally high levels of alcohol. The grapes are most often picked after the regular harvest and designated as “late harvest” grapes. These wines are lighter and less concentrated than other dessert wines, and may also serve well as aperitif wines, alongside cheese or hors d’oeuvres.

Examples include late harvest Riesling, which are produced in Germany, Alsace and North America.

A tradition going back to ancient Greece is making sweet wines from grapes that have been air-dried, whether on the vine or indoors on straw mats. These raisin-like grapes gain a great deal of concentration and flavor intensity. They are gently pressed to release what little juice remains in the grapes, then this juice is fermented. Examples include Vin Santo from Tuscany and Amarone and Recioto from Veneto, both in Italy, as well as Vin de Paille wines from Alsace and Jura France.

Botrytis affected sweet wines are made from grapes which have been infected by the botrytis cinerea mold, which causes the grapes to de-

hydrate and shrivel up. As with airdried grapes, the botrytized grapes have very concentrated sugars and flavors, giving them the capacity to age and develop additional complexity.

Harvest is painstaking, requiring several passages through the vineyards to pick the grapes, berry by berry, at the optimal moment.

Examples include French Sauterns from Bordeaux, Quarts de Chaume from Loire, and Tokaji Aszú from Hungary.

The final category is ice wine.

This was first produced in Germany, where it is called “Eiswein.” Originally dating back to the late 18th century, ice wine is produced by leaving the grapes on the vine until they become frozen solid. Conditions must be right, and the grapes must be suitable for ice wine.

Freezing concentrates the sugar and acidity in the grapes. They are carefully picked and then swiftly pressed while still frozen. At 18 degrees Fahrenheit, the water is in crystalline form while the grape juice is still liquid. Only the concentrated juice is pressed out to be fermented.

This is a painstaking and labor-intensive process, and the extremely high prices for ice wine reflect this.

Nowadays, Canada is making very good “Ice Wines.”

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Saw you in the Ojo 55

The Ojo Crossword

ACROSS 1 Cheats 6 Environmental protection Agency (abbr) 9 Economics abrv.

13 Adios 14 Not (refix) 15 “Remember the____” 16 Shattered 17 Parch 18 Supplied 19 Christmas song 20 Suthern fabric 22 Compass point 23 Mr. 24 Stringed instrument’s partner 25 Tints 27 Mary ___ Moore 29 Iraqi’s neighbor 33 Shoshonean 34 Central nervous system 35 Women’s magazine 36 Afloat 39 Lumber 40 Car parker 41 Pop 42 Lick 43 Chinese cooking pan 44 Peers (2 wds) 46 Store passageway 49 Niche 50 Limited (abbr.)

51 Talk incessantly

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El Ojo del Lago / July 2010

53 Aurora 56 Displace 58 Parlay 59 Bustling 61 April (abbr.)

62 Oldest 63 Killed 64 British drink 65 Bird that brings babies 66 Yoga practicer 67 Hotel 68 Frozen pizza brand

DOWN 1 Horse houses 2 Twerp 3 Uniform 4 Stagger 5 Light giver 6 Give as a present 7 Left-hand 8 Whatever 9 Annex 10 Able’s murderer 11 Sign 12 Connection 15 Sleep disorder 20 Heart 21 Belongs to us 24 Elizabeth’s nickname 26 Pilfers 28 Capital of Zambia 30 Unwell 31 Brew 32 Yield 34 Swindle 36 American sign language 37 Court 38 Flurry 39 Men of letters 40 Invalidate 42 Hornet 43 Power unit 45 Rebuff 47 U.S. President Johnson 48 Diner 50 Navigation system 52 Frills 53 Not hard 54 Capital of Norway 55 Buck 57 Overt 58 Singing voice 60 Caesar’s three 62 Time zone

ANYTHING A NYTHING Y YOU OU C CAN AN D DO O ((they the y c can an d do ob better!) etter!)

By Tom Clarkson

I

t may be a brotherin-law, next door neighbor or that particularly irritating high school bellicose bully who has badly gone to seed.

You know the kind, those guys (and occasional woman) who, no matter what you say, are the “I can top that” sort!

Yesterday while flying home, trapped at an altitude of 39,000 feet, one sat next to me. Our (dare I call it such) conversation went somewhat as follows: Knowing we would share common space for several hours I introduced myself and initiated casual communication with a light anecdote of how, just that morning prior to leaving for the airport, while playing with a friend’s puppy, it had nipped me.

That was my first mistake. His immediate response, several decibels louder than necessary, was that this was nothing. He, in fact – while helping Siegfried and Roy perfect their act a few years ago – had found himself alone in the large stage cage with four 800-pound Bengal Tigers that had tried to maul him. But, inasmuch as he understood and “spoke” Punjabi Tiger, he had communicated with them, established rapport, playfully wrestled with them for a while and then had calmly walked from the enclosure with them in a state of quiet, docile submission.

Mouth agape, pausing to ponder the sight, I changed topics recounting how much I’d enjoyed barbequed hamburgers, the evening before, with friends I’d been visiting.

He countered that he found traditional beef too bland and pedestrian, asserting that his favorite red meat dish was three month aged, Himalayan Yak flank filets - smoked over embers of slow burning Gumbo-Limbo, of the Central and South American Burseraceae family and which is related to frankincense and myrrh, spiced with (what those of lesser palates prefer on white meats) a sauce of Lemon Myrtle and Pepperberry.

A bit overwhelmed, I next commented how, the day before yesterday, I had shot what, for me, was a respectable round of golf.

to how I had enjoyed playing basketball as a kid.

Scoffing, he told me that he regularly counseled the University of North Carolina’s coach, Roy Williams, sat behind the LA Lakers team bench at all home games, and how his great grandfather had actually been the one to tell Dr. James Naismith how to affix fruit baskets to the wall, hence creating the sport in the first place.

Stammering, I then shared our hope to soon get a Labrador Retriever pup.

He rejoined that he had mastered

effective two-way communication with a pet lowland gorilla that shared its housing with an exceptional and uncommon white Asian elephant and a Siberian Musk Ox. And then, as an afterthought, he added how much his Costa Rican Sloth and Dingo from Thailand enjoyed riding the back of his Cyprus Dwarf hippopotamus.

And then the jet, in which I sat trapped, pulled away from the terminal, began to taxi, heading for take off.

(Next issue – the conversation continues.)

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He responded that, following a 72-hole round in which he had shot six holes in one, he’d found the PGA no longer challenging and only dabbled in the sport when Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els ask for his personal counsel and advice – which he assured me they did weekly.

Feeling a bit deflated, I next offered that I planned to soon commence taking tennis lessons.

He tersely responded that such sport was “too tame and unchallenging” and preferred sky boarding from 27,000 feet clad only in a velour codpiece.

Nearly choking on the mental image of his substantial – near 300 pounds - girth so attired, I hastened on to what I thought might be an area of common interest, mentioning how my wife Patty and I had last month found a wonderful week-end retreat.

In the vein of finding things, his response was how, only recently, he had discovered a new galaxy from the Mauna Kea Observatory; while coaching Fabien Cousteau had discovered four, heretofore unknown species of fish living at an ocean depth of 5,000 feet in the Mariana Trench and found satisfaction in tutoring a previously unknown tribe of primitive pygmies in the bowels of the Brazilian Rain Forest on use of the internet.

At this point, desperate to find a topic of discussion on which we might have a modicum of parity, I grasped at the fact that, as a youth, I had enjoyed flying kites.

He curtly replied that he tended to “play” at a bit higher elevation inasmuch as he had trained, taught and tutored the entirety of the multination crews for the last eight space shuttles and was the primary consultant for NASA’s planning of a Mars mission.

Numb by this time, I stumbled on

Saw you in the Ojo 57

GRINGAS & GUACAMOLE

By Gail Nott

Early Childhood Development

I

have often wondered how I managed to develop past early childhood without pre-nursery, nursery, pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and most importantly, an au pair. My first caregiver was a very high, dark mahogany, ornately carved bed, with an enormous feather-ticked mattress. Each morning, before sun-up, my mother would deposit me in the middle of the great bed on her way to work.

Development of motor skills began with learning not to roll to escape the great crevasse of starched sheets and poking feathers. Body weight did not move mass. On hands and knees, I scaled the snows of white linen to reach the edge. I was slow to develop logical thinking and frequently fell head first to the cold linoleum floor.

My freedom, though hard fought, was not without reward. Sensory stimula-

tion was heightened by the ever present smells of oil coal lamps, kerosene stoves, sauerkraut, and sounds of Wagner from the old hand cranked Victrola.

The keeper of the “great bed” was Grandma Miller, a 70 year old, German woman.

Daily, she was attired in a huge butcher’s apron covering a long, black dress. Flesh colored cotton hose lay like puddles atop her stout black shoes. The waist length braid of silver hair was wound tightly into a bun at the nape of her neck. This redundancy delayed my visual development. Upon descending from the “great bed” on my head, Grandma Miller would enter the room, put her hands on her ample hips and say “Oye”. In time, I began to respond to the name “Oye”.

Books have been written about toilet training; my grandfather never read them. With two granddaughters under each arm, he walked a distance from the main house toward a rather unimpressive small wooden building. We were deposited inside, two at a time, and told to hurry. Questioningly, we would look at each other, “Hurry and do what?” Visual skills were heightened as we surveyed this tiny room; it was dark, certainly pungent, spiders hanging from the ceiling and why anyone would read the Sears catalogue hanging from the hook on the wall was beyond comprehension.

We clung together as we discovered two gaping abyss. A booming voice rang out “Hurry and do your business.” Trust was the lesson of the day. My cousin helped me climb to the space between the two black holes, pull down my shorts and held my arms to insure that I wouldn’t disappear like Alice down the rabbit hole. Naturally, I reciprocated.

There were 24 grandchildren and on any given Saturday night, my grandparents would baby-sit eight or ten of us. We had to be bathed, fed and ready for bed. My mother and aunts believed in the philosophy “you will grow into it.” Flannel nightgowns dragged the floor by a yard. By age 12, I still had the same blue and pink-

stripped gown.

The house had one great pot bellied stove in the parlor. There was tire in its belly, but the heat didn’t spread.

After being forced to eat homemade molasses cookies, we were placed four or five to a bed, horizontally. All flannel nightgowns were tied in a knot below our feet. Practical, it kept our feet warm and insured that we could not escape and fall down the long, unlit staircase. We were entombed by two or three heavy, patch work quilts.

We resembled ballpark franks in shrink- wrap. This, I believe, encouraged socialization skills.

Armageddon occurred when one of us had to use the porcelain pot.

Teamwork was called for. We all pushed the quilts toward the edge of the bed. Nightgowns had to be unknotted. The biggest and bravest among us had to peer under the bed to insure there were no monsters and locate the pot. We gasped in unison as warm cherub cheeks touched the cold porcelain rim. Manual dexterity was called for when sliding the pot back under the bed. Hitting the edge of a raised floorboard meant disaster.

Decision-making developed at Myers General Store in front of the massive candy case. I had worked hard to earn the two cents from weeding the garden. Miss Edna, the sales clerk, knew all about childhood development. Even as I covered the glass case with smudges from my nose and fingers, she never hurried me. Clearly, the hard sugar dots on the strip of paper were the best buy for my money.

All the skills I learned as a young child are still with me. I no longer get out of bed head- first nor do I answer to the name “Oye”. When I use a bathroom, I brace my hands against the wall to guarantee I won’t “free fall”. I still hate putting my cherub cheeks on a cold seat. I buy all my nightgowns too large and I peruse the candy racks at all check-out counters and rattle the boxes to determine which has the most Good & Plenty.

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El Ojo del Lago / July 2010

CHILD

of the month

By Rich Petersen

Alfredo Ceja Reyes

S

ince we are still “on vacation” with regard to monthly meetings, but nonetheless still continuing to fund our children, Niños Incapacitados continues our summer “reruns” of stories about previous children featured in this column.

It was three years ago when we last told you about Alfredo Ceja Reyes.

Alfredo is now 11 years old and is growing rapidly as can be seen in the photograph taken a few weeks ago.

He is pictured in the yard of his home in Rancho del Oro, next to the chickens for which he is responsible as one of his daily chores. Alfredo lives with his mom, dad and three sisters. Mom is a housekeeper for several families, and Dad works in construction.

Alfredo is now in the fourth grade and is doing well in school. He particularly enjoys P.E. since there is an active exercise program that is helping him greatly with his mobility.

At about the age of eight months Alfredo’s mom noticed that he couldn’t put weight on his right foot but rather used only the toes of that foot. What had happened was that his right Achilles tendon had not developed properly and was stretched and taut, unable to “relax” enough for Alfredo to put his foot flat on the ground.

His family naturally was very concerned and began taking Alfredo for therapy to DIF in Chapala, but after several months with no real progress, they took him to the Centro de Salud where he was examined and the family was told the boy would need surgery to correct the problem. In the meantime, Alfredo became a “client” of Niños Incapacitados and received a pair of orthopedic shoes in an attempt to help straighten out the tendon.

This, too, was not successful so the family was put in touch with the Shriner’s group here at Lakeside.

The Shriner’s help with orthopedic problems for children in many countries, and in Mexico all work is done in their hospital in Mexico City. Unfortunately for many families, Alfredo’s family included, the medical assistance requires several trips to the capital, sometimes for several days at a time, and neither Alfredo’s mother

or father could afford to be away from work for that long a time.

Back at the Chapala Centro de Salud, the doctors there recommended an orthopedist in Guadalajara who was willing to perform the surgery, and thanks to one of his Alfredo’s father’s employers, the money was obtained and the surgery performed, lengthening the tendon. Much of Alfredo’s recovery then depended on allowing the new tendon to heal without weight being put on the foot.

Again, Niños Incapacitados became involved and obtained a wheelchair for Alfredo, allowing both him and his mother some much-needed rest and ease of mobility. Alfredo used the wheelchair for about one month, which allowed the tendon surgery to heal, and Alfredo’s mother then began taking him to physical therapy three times a week. Now therapy continues at home. He continues to wear special orthopedic shoes with inserts, provided by Niños Incapacitados. When possible the family takes him to the thermal pools at San Juan Cosalá for hydrotherapy exercise. In order to help straighten his spine we are hoping to get Alfredo into the “Pasos Milagrosos” equine therapy program.

Alfredo is well on his way to recovery with the help of many friends, but especially with the help of his family who is doing all they can to assure his being able to walk more easily and more normally. In addition to the chickens he cares for, he also helps with the family’s cattle, horse, and turkeys, so perhaps there is a budding veterinarian in process.

Remember that Niños Incapacitados’ next general meeting is not until September 9 at 10:30 a.m. in one of the lower meeting rooms of the Hotel Real de Chapala in La Floresta. We look forward to seeing you there.

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Saw you in the Ojo 59

By Victoria Schmidt

Interruptions

B

efore moving to Mexico, there were so many things I took for granted in my daily life. I could flip a switch and have a constant current of electricity. In the years prior to moving to Mexico, I could count the number of electrical outages on one hand. I never experienced a “brown out” until the day after we moved to Mexico.

And while I had surge protectors in the good old USA to protect equipment from lightning strikes and resultant spikes in power, I never had to purchase a voltage regulator because the voltage changed on a daily basis.

Another thing I took for granted was my telephone service. Our telephone service was never interrupted.

Here, our telephone goes out every single time it rains. When we do finally get the repairman to appear, it isn’t raining, so he tells us there is nothing wrong with the line. We’d call when it is raining, but, you know, the phone is out!

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There is one utility that I never experienced problems with in the States and that was water. Every single time I turned on my faucet, there was water.

And I never had to wait for the water to get hot. It came out of the faucet that way, and cold water was actually cold (especially in the winter!) Here in Chapala, the “cold” water comes out warm and never gets cold. This is especially true in the summer before rainy season starts.

And then there are times when

El Ojo del Lago / July 2010

there is no water at all. I’ve had to learn all kinds of things about water.

First off, you cannot always count on having water every time you turn on your faucet. Secondly, you have to be a diagnostician to figure out what the problem is when there is no water. Is it because the tinaco is empty? Did the water pump not pump water from the aljibe to the tinaco? Is there water outside? Is everyone in the neighborhood out or is it just ours? Is there a problem with the City? What is the problem with the City? How long will it take to fix?

I’m not saying this could NEVER happen NOB, I’m saying it hardly ever happens….and that I never had to give it a second thought! I never learned that air gets into the water pipes when the water stops being delivered, and that the pipes need to be blown out after the water starts up again. Of course, I could educate a lot of Mexicans about freezing water pipes in the winter, and the resulting problems, but my point is that I never gave access to water a second thought.

I took it for granted that these things would always be there for me.

I’m embarrassed to say, that even while making arrangements to move to Mexico, I didn’t consider that as a nation, Mexico has all of these con-

veniences, but that their infrastructure is so much older and so much more fragile, and that there would be problems with delivering the service. It never occurred to me that electricity, gas, water would never be there for any reason other than a massive storm, and then it would be restored within minutes or hours, not days.

And I think this is symptomatic of our lives before we came to Mexico.

We were spoiled. We didn’t always appreciate the wealth of services we had. We took our utilities for granted.

And while we all took turns complaining about paying for these services and infrastructure, did we truly appreciate what we had?

I would like the children growing up today in the USA and Canada to understand that what they have each day is a gift. That there are many places in the world that don’t have a constant supply of electricity, good water to drink, or even a water supply to their home. Perhaps we should have programs where the children are required to go and live in a 2nd or 3rd world nation so they may understand the wealth of services that they Victoria Schmidt take for granted.

a

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 at 12 noon. 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.canadianclubmx.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.

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- Gardening at Lakeside with garden tours and meeting 3rd Wed of every month at Nueva Posada for noon lunch and program. Contact sandy_feldmann@yahoo.com.

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 3rd Thursday at 2:15 every month. info@lakesideanimalfriends.org.

LAKESIDE LAUGHTER CLUB- Will meet again in October. For information call Charlene 766-0884.

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 376-765-7032, 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, Bonnie Shrall - Bonnie@shrall.com #766-0009. 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 pm 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- Discussion group every Tuesday at 10 AM Lake Chapala Center for Spiritual Living at Nicolas Bravo #17 Ajijic; contact Rev. Tim at 766-0920 or 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.

VOLLEYBALL IN CHAPALA- At Cristiania park Tues., Thurs., Sat. mornings at 10, 333-502-1264.

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.

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 Fridays, Nicolas Bravo #17 Ajijic. 766-9020 or tim@revdoctim.com.

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) 765-2925, 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.

Lakeside Presbyterian Church Worship-Sunday 10 am; Bible StudyFriday 10 am; Hidalgo 231A, Carr.

Chapala/Joco; Riberas del Pilar Tel. Pastor Ross Arnold at 376-7661238, or Norm Pifer at 376-766-0616 Website at www.chapalalakesidepresbyterian.org Saint Andrew´s Anglican Church Calle San. Lucas 19, Riberas del Pilar, Sunday 1 service, 10 am. www.standrewsriberas.com 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@gmail.com. Check out our website at www.lcuuf.org.

(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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The 16 DE SEPTIEMBRE #16-A AJIJIC, JAL, MX WWW.LAKECHAPALASOCIETY.ORG

LAKE CHAPALA SOCIETY

News

FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK We’re paying a lot of attention to our infrastructure this summer.

Early in the year volunteer Bob Hoch began giving regular attention to the ponds. Along with Gardeners Benacio Reyes and Uriel Martinez, he cleaned them of mud, excess growth and rearranged plants. The filter in the back pool gets cleaned every 15 days. These are ongoing tasks. The pump in the front pond has just failed and with the help of volunteers Dan Houck and Ken Hunt we are in the midst of replacing it. Great egrets and kiskidee’s visit the front pond keeping the goldfish population in check. However it’s a net that the coy fish population in the back has to worry about. We do sell some coy to members who are restocking their ponds, but the population remains large.

Now as the rainy season is upon us, leaky roofs are prone to compromise resources by damaging books and office equipment. We hired experts to replace the leaky tejas roof on the Neill James Library just prior to the first big rain. Richard Bansbach is rounding up volunteers to apply impermazable on the flat sections of the library roof. Can you help?

The Wilkes Center has been prone to pesky leaks as well. Last summer impermazable was applied to the flat sections of its’ roof, but this year a contractor will repair the tejas sections. The Wilkes Center roof is about three times the size of the Neill James library’s tejas roof. If all goes as planned the job should be complete by Mid-July.

Speaking of the Wilkes Center, the Lake Chapala Garden Club has agreed to organize and oversee a makeover of the Wilkes Center’s outdoor areas. A huge thank you!

We still have leaks in the Service Office roof, and the Directory Office (both tejas roofs). Hopefully, if this years’ fundraisers keep us on track we can repair them this year.

If you have ever been annoyed by our bathrooms being out of service, you’ll appreciate the desire to upgrade our septic systems.

Presently, septic tanks are pumped once they fill (usually after the rainy season). This is expensive and difficult to orchestrate during the high season. Once again, as long as our fundraising efforts are successful, we will be upgrading two separate septic systems.

This requires running underground sewage lines to the street and tying them into the city system. As this is the case, there will come a time later this summer that part of the grounds may be out of service so the work can be done.

LCS is on the right track. Get out and support your organization this summer and fall and see the improvements. Let’s begin this 2nd and 3rd of July when we blast off with our “Bizaar, Bargains And Bar-B-Q Fiesta Event”. Hope to see ALL of you there.

Terry Vidal, Executive Director

www.lakechapalasociety.org

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El Ojo del Lago / July 2010

July 2010 FROM THE PRESIDENT

Here we are at the beginning of the 2nd half of the year and there have already been a number of changes both in the LCS operations and on the Board. Since operations are the responsibility of our Executive Director, I’ll let Terry bring you up to date on that area. The Board, as you know has also undergone some changes in personnel for various reasons, but the people who have been appointed to serve out the remainder of our term have done an exemplary job. First, Jack Shanks stepped in as Director #2 and chair of the Finance Committee. Jack has led us through some changes with our accountant and has worked with the Audit Committee to get our financial system on track. Our financial health is excellent and running smoothly. Soon, the Finance Committee will begin the budgeting process so that our budget will be in place on January 1st for the coming year.

In April, our Secretary, Richard Williams resigned for health reasons and has been ably replaced by Lynn Bishop who had been serving as Recording Secretary for several years. Lynn has been capably producing our Board minutes and leading the Program Committee which is responsible for planning, strategy and policy with regard to LCS programs.

The latest change in the Board has come recently as Dayle Blake, our most capable Director #1, chair of the Fundraising Committee and member of the Management Committee has returned to the US. The Board has appointed former member of the Board and Lifetime Member Tod Jonson to fill Dayle’s shoes. Tod is most eager to step back on the Board and I’m sure his years of experience at LCS will be most valuable to us.

Some of you might be wondering how the Board can function with more appointed members than elected ones. Although the current governing documents call for the Board to appoint an LCS member to serve the remainder of the term of a vacancy, we intend to call for a vote to ratify these appointments at the next AGM later this year.

We welcome your input in all matters related to LCS. Let Terry or me know if you have concerns about anything and let us know if you like what’s happening here, too.

DON’T BECOME A VICTIM! “Crime Prevention for Seniors” An on-going discussion of the various kinds of crime that effect seniors at Lakeside began in June and are held on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. We will announce at least a month in advance what the following topic or topics will be. The July seminar will be “Thefts at The ATM and How to Prevent Them” will be lead by James M. Jensen.

Tuesday, July 20th - 2pm to 4:30 in the Sala at LCS Tickets for sale at LCS from 10am to 2pm-50 pesos, Limit 40. *James Jensen is a retired Law Enforcement officer with over 30 years of experience. He was a professional Security Agent and Investigator and has authored dozens of articles on Business and Personal Security.

LCS

News LIBRARY UPDATE

Many new titles will appear on the “New Arrivals” shelves within a few days. In our ongoing effort to enrich the collection of popular works, more than one title by the same author will appear. Also, a couple of titles that have been on the Wish List for months have arrived. Thanks for your patience to those readers who’ve been waiting. As always, thanks for the great donations. Enjoy some good reads.

FICTION Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende Passage (The Sharing Knife, Book 3) by Lois McMaster Bujold Happy All the Time by Laurie Colwin Sleeping Arrangements by Laura Shaine Cunningham Alice’s Tulips by Sandra Dallas New Mercies by Sandra Dallas Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay Day After Night by Anita Diamant The Monk Upstairs by Tim Farrington People of the Nightland by W. Michael Gear People of the Thunder by W. Michael Gear People of the Weeping Eye by W. Michael Gear The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson 1949: A Novel of the Irish Free State by Morgan Llywelyn 1972: A Novel of Ireland’s Unfinished Revolution by Morgan Llywelyn 1999: A Novel of the Celtic Tiger & the Search for Peace by Morgan Llywelyn Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann Borderlands: An Inspector Devlin Mystery by Brian McGilloway The Song is You by Arthur Phillips Serena: A Novel by Ron Rash The Lost Art of Gratitude by Alexander Mccall Smith Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout John Henry Days by Colson Whitehead NON-FICTION From Naked Ape to Superspecies by Holly Dressel Dog Love by Marjorie Garber The Desert Home by Tamara Hawkinson Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 by Tony Judt America Back on Track by Edward Kennedy The Life of Kingsley Amis by Zachary Leader American Monsters: 44 Rats, Blackhats and Plutocrats, Jack Newfield, Editor The Courage to Teach by Parker Palmer Fair Game by Valerie Plame Wilson

July 2010 VIDEO UPDATE By the 1st of August we hope to have the Video Catalogs updated with some changes that will make them more user friendly. Notices will be posted on the board, with the video jackets, to familiarize the members with the revised format CURRENT RELEASES THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE — Halle Berry and Benicio del Toro - A drama with a rating of 7.2 on a scale of 10.

HOT FUZZ — A British comedy with a rating of 8.0 on a scale of 10.

FEATURE OF THE MONTH RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY — a British crime dramatic series with a comic bent featuring Leo McKern as a curmudgeon defense attorney.

ON-GOING NEEDS One important source of revenue for the Video Library is donated videos. If you have any videos you would like to contribute, we would appreciate having them.

If you are going north and would be willing to bring back a few videos, at no cost to you, it would help us to guarantee new releases on a timely basis and to keep the Video Library popular with the members.

TRANSFER your old VHS to DVD A service offered in the Video Library ONLY 50 pesos each!

SPANISH CLASSES SIGN-UP Spanish classes begin the week of July 12 for seven weeks and meet twice a week for 1.5 hours each meeting.

Register at the LCS office Monday thru Friday or under the blue umbrellas from 10:00 to 12:00 on July 8th & 9th.

Classes are $600 pesos. Class materials can be purchased at LCS behind the Cruz Roja table.

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LCS

News JULY SCHEDULED EVENTS LIBRARIES Book & Video M-SAT 10-2:00 Talking Book TH 10-12:00 MEDICAL/HEALTH INSURANCE Blood Pressure M+F 10-12:00 Cruz Roja Sales Table M –F 10-12:30 Cruz Roja Monthly Meeting 1st W 2-4:00 Healthcare Week SAT +M-F 10-16 July Hearing Aids M & 2nd & 4th SAT 11-3:00 Sign-up IMSS M+T 10-1:00 NYLife/Seguros Monterrey Insurance T+TH 11-2:00 Optometrist TH 9-5:30 Sign-up Safe Insurance W 11-2:00 Skin Cancer 2nd & 4th W 10-12:00 Sign –up TioCorp Bupa & Plan Seguros M 10_1:00 INFORMATION Ajijic Rotary Club M 10-12:00 Becerra Immigration F 10-1:00 Crime Prevention for seniors 3rd T 2-4:30 Information Desk M-SAT 10-2:00 Loridan Legal T 10-12:00 Los Niño’s de Chapala /Ajijic F 10:00-2:00 US Consulate 1st W 11:30-2:00 Sign up LESSONS Children’s Art SAT 9:30-12:00 Country Line Dancing T+TH 10-11:30,Members Only Exercise M+W+F 9-10:00 Have Hammers Workshop M 10-12:15, F 2:30-4:30 Intermediate Hatha Yoga T+TH+SAT 2-3:30 Primitive Pottery M 10-1:00, SAT 12:00-3:00 Storytelling T 1:30-3:00 Tai Chi Chuan Exercise M 10-11:00 SOCIAL ACTIVITIES AA M+TH 4-6:00 AA Women TH 10:30-12:00 Beginner’s Camera W 12-1:00 Computer Linux Class F 9:30-10:30 Computer Windows Club F 10:30-11:45 Creative Writer’s Group M 2-4:00 (Closed group) Digital Camera Club W 10:30-12:00 Discussion Group W 12-1:30 Gamblers Anonymous W 12-1:00 Great Books 1st & 3rd TH 2-4:15 (Closed group) Green Group 1st T 3-4:30 Individual Counseling M-TH 3-4:00 Lakeside Friends of Animals 3rd TH 2-3:30 Mac OS 1st M 12-1:30 Mac User 3rd W 3-4:30 Mah Jonng F 10-3:00 Masonic Lodge #31 2nd & 4th W 4:30-8, 4th T 3-4:30 Needle Pushers T 10-12:00 Open Circle SUN 10:00-12:15 Quilt Guild 2nd T 12-2:30 Scrabble M+F 12-2:00 Tournament Scrabble T 12-3:00 TICKET SALES Tickets sold M-F 10-12:30

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El Ojo del Lago / July 2010

July 2010 JULY 2010 HEALTH CARE WEEK SATURDAY - JULY 10 11:00 – 3:00 - Hearing Aid Help Hearing Aid Room MONDAY - JULY 12 10:00 – 12:00 - Blood Pressures Blood Pressure/Talking Books Room 10:00 – 12:30 - Lab tests * $ Clinic Room Men’s cholesterol panel + PSA (prostate cancer test) – 650 pesos Results ready July 15 Women’s cholesterol panel + test for breast and ovarian cancer test – 790 pesos Results ready July 15 TUESDAY - JULY 13 9:30 – 12:00 - Diabetic testing Clinic Room This test is called a “2 hour post prandial” and is a fairly good indicator of any pre-diabetic or diabetic conditions. Plan to eat a high

carbohydrate breakfast (such as pancakes or oatmeal or yogurt & granola, along with toast, fruit, or juice, etc.) TWO hours before your glucose (blood sugar) test.

WEDNESDAY - JULY 14 10:00 – 12:00 – Skin Cancer Screening * Clinic Room THURSDAY - JULY 15 10:00 -12:00 – Typhoid Shots *$ Talking Books Room Typhoid shots are needed every 3 years to be fully protected 450 pesos – collected when the shot is given 12:00 – 1:30 – End of Life Health Care / New Mexican Law Covers the New Mexican Law that allows for a document very similar to the U.S. “Living Will” and “Medical Power of Attorney” -- In Sala 9:00 – 2:30 - Optometrist Clinic Clinic Room FRIDAY - JULY 16 10:00 -12:00 - Blood Pressures .

Blood Pressure / Talking Books Room 10:00 -12:00 - If additional time is needed for shots and/or lab panel * ADVANCED SIGN UP NECESSARY $ = There is a charge

SPECIAL NOTICE The U.S. Consular Services will NOT be at LCS during the month of August

LAKE CHAPALA SOCIETY 16 de Septiembre #16-A, Ajijic, Jalisco LCS Main Office: 766-1140 Office, Information and other services open Monday – Friday, 10 to 2 and Saturday 10 to 2. Grounds are open until 5

LCS BOARD OF DIRECTORS President - Howard Feldstein Vice-President - Fred Harland Secretary - Lynn Bishop Sr. Director 1 - Dayle Blake Sr. Director 2 - Jack Shanks Sr. Director 3 - Wendee Hill LCS Education Director - Mary Alice Sargent Executive Director - Terry Vidal ◊ THE LCS NEWSLETTER IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY. ◊ DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS THE 15TH OF THE MONTH PRECEDING PUBLICATION. ◊ NEWS ITEMS CAN BE EMAILED TO EVE REID, EEREID39@YAHOO.COM NOTE: THE EDITORIAL STAFF RESERVES THE RIGHT TO COMPLETE EDITING PRIVILEGES. ARTICLES AND/OR CALENDAR EVENTS WILL BE INCLUDED ACCORDING TO TIME, SPACE AVAILABILITY AND EDITORIAL DECISION ON THE APPROPRIATENESS OF THE INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION.

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Service

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

www.tel.chapala.com

DIRECTORY * ADVERTISING

* BED & BREAKFAST

- EL OJO DEL LAGO Tel. 765-3676

* ANIMAL CLINICS/PET SHOP - ANIMAL CARE Tel: 766-3062 Pag: 53 - DEE’S PET CARE Tel: 762-1646 Pag: 63 - LAKESIDE SPAY & NEUTER CENTER, A.C. Tel: 766-3813 Pag: 53 - PET SHOP Pag: 53 - SALUD ANIMAL Tel: 766-1009 Pag: 64

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

Pag: 45

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

Pag: 17 Pag: 59

- HUNTER DOUGLAS Tel: 766-0026

* BOUTIQUE / CLOTHING STORES Pag: 49

* AUTOMATIC DOORS

Pag: 26

Pag: 08

Pag: 56

- LAKE CHAPALA BAPTIST CHURCH Tel: 765-2925 Pag: 16, 65

Pag: 15

* COMMUNICATIONS - EASYCALL MEXICO Tel: 766-4980 - MAILBOXES, ETC. Tel: 766-0647, Fax: 766-0775 761-0363, Fax: 761-0364

- BRENDA’S BAKERY BOUTIQUE Tel: 765-2987

Pag: 21

- ANGEL ESTRADA Tel: 766-4666 - ELIA NAVARRO GOMEZ Tel. 766-2323 - MARY KAY Tel: 765 7654 - SARA’S BEAUTY SALON Tel: 766-3518

Pag: 63 Pag: 13

Pag: 22

* BEAUTY

Pag: 47

* CONSTRUCTION Pag: 50 Pag: 55 Pag: 62 Pag: 12

- ARELLANO Tel: 766-4696 Pag: 36, 37 - CABO DO MUNDO- INTERIOR DESIGN Tel: 766-0026 Pag: 20, 21 - CONSTRUCTION & REMODELING Tel: 766-3626 Pag: 13 - GUGAM - ARCHITECTURE Tel: (01) 33 3838 5283 Pag: 52

El Ojo del Lago / July 2010

Pag: 64

* HARDWARE STORES Pag: 11 Pag: 17

- FERRETERIA Y TLAPALERIA GALVEZ Tel: 766-0880, Fax: 766-2440 Pag: 60

Pag: 15

* HEALTH

Pag: 12

- DEL MAR Tel: 766-4278

- HYPNOTHERAPY - AUDA HAMMETT Tel: 766-4185

Pag: 24

Pag: 20

* HEARING AIDS

Pag: 07

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

Pag: 62

Pag: 18

* HOME APPLIANCES Pag: 10

* DRY CLEANING/LAUNDRY

- ELECTROVENTA Tel: 765-2222 - TECNICOS UNIDOS Tel: (376) 765-4266

Pag: 49 Pag: 46

Pag: 12

- INTERCAM Tel: 766-5978 Pag: 21 - LAKESIDE FINANCIAL ADVISOR DAVID LESNICK CFP CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER Fax: 001(623) 327-1277 Pag: 43 - LAKESIDE MORTGAGE CONSULTANTS Tel: 766-2914 Pag: 42

- 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 - VILLAS DEL SOL Tel: 766-1152

Pag: 03 Pag: 55 Pag: 46 Pag: 12 Pag: 46

* INSURANCE Pag: 55

- EDGAR CEDEÑO - MEXICO PROTECT Cell: (045) 33-3106-6982 Pag: 42 - LLOYD Tel: 766-0152, 766-3508 Pag: 25

Pag: 31

* INTERIOR DESIGN

* FLOWER SHOP - CRISANTEMO ROJO Tel: 766-4030

* CONSIGNMENT SHOP/ANTIQUES - SUZY’S CONSIGNMENT SHOP Tel: 766-5458

- 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

- STAND BIKE Tel: 765-6271

Pag: 25

* BAKERY

- ORGANIC FERTILIZERS Tel: 01 (33) 3720-6971

Pag: 46

* COMPUTING SERVICES Pag: 41

* GARDENNG

* FITNESS

Pag: 23

- AJIJIC COMPUTING Tel: 765-4156 - CAFE INTERNET AJIJIC Tel: 766-3626

Pag: 48

* HOTELS / SUITES

* CHURCHES

Pag: 50

- TEMPUR Tel: (52) 333-629-5919, 333-629-5961

* FINANCIAL SERVICES

Pag: 48

* BANK INVESTMENT

66

Pag: 28, 54

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

* AUTOMOTIVE

- ACTINVER Tel. 766-3110 -O&A Tel: 766-3508 - MULTIVA Tel: 766-2499

Pag: 03

* CEILING FANS

- AUTOMATIC GARAGE DOOR OPENERS Tel: 766 - 4973, Cell: (045) 33-3157- 6536 Pag: 26

- FERNANDO’S Tel: 766-5246 - GRUPO OLMESA Cell: (045) 33-3806-9231 - LINEA PROFESIONAL Tel. 766-2555, Fax. 766-0066 - RON YOUNG-MECHANIC Tel: 765-6387

Pag: 21

Pag: 47

Pag: 52

766-1760 765-4444 766-5555

Pag: 25

* BEER & LIQUOR STORES

- CUGINIS OPUS BOUTIQUE Tel/Fax: 766-1790 - FIAGA BOUTIQUE Tel: 766-1816 - LEATHER GALLERY Tel: 766-2845

066 765-2308, 765-2553 766-3615

Pag: 55

* DENTISTS

* ART GALLERIES/HANDCRAFTS

Pag: 50

Pag: 59

Pag: 51

* BLINDS AND CURTAINS - CATHY CHALVIGNAC Tel: 766-5381 - DIANE PEARL COLECCIONES Tel: 766-5683 - EL PALOMAR Tel: 01 (33) 3635-5247 - THE AJIJIC ART HOUSE Tel: 765-5097

- INSTALA Cell: (045) 33 1440 6905 - WARWICK CONSTRUCTION Tel: 765-2224 Cell. (045) 331-135-0763

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

* FUMIGATION/PESTS - FUMIGA Tel: 762-0078, (045) 33-1155-7059 - FUMI-TECH Tel: 766-1946, Cell. (045) 333-369-3737 - MOSQUITO TRAP Tel: (376) 765 5973

- ELEMENTS Tel: 766-5826 Pag: 46 Pag: 63

Pag: 25

LEGAL SERVICES - MAGO’S OFFICE Tel: 765-3640

Pag: 10

Pag: 64

* FURNITURE - ARDEN MEXICO Tel: 765-3540 Pag: 35 - C&D’S FURNITURE & ACCESSORIES Tel: 766-4972 Pag: 16 - ENLACE ARTESANAL Tel: 01 33 3641-7579, 3641-7597 Pag: 33 - INTERIOR & FURNITURE -RICARDO FERNANDEZ Tel: 766-4331 Pag: 27

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

Pag: 48

* MEAT/POULTRY/CHEESE - TONY’S Tel: 766-1614, 766-4069

Pag: 59

* MEDICAL SERVICES - DERMATOLOGIST Tel: 766-1198, 765-2400 Pag: 54 - DERMIKA Dermatologic Center Dra. Monica Ramos Tel: 766-2500 Pag: 12 - DRA. MARTHA R. BALLESTEROS FRANCO Cell: (045) 333-408-0951 Pag: 19 - HOSPITAL ANGELES DEL CARMEN Tel: (01) 3813-0042 Pag: 18 - INTERNAL MEDICINE SPECIALIST & GERIATRICS Dr. J. Manuel Cordova Tel: 766-2777 Pag: 15 - LAKE MED CENTER Tel: 766-0068 Pag: 58 - PINTO OPTICAS Tel: 765-7793 Pag: 18 - RED CROSS Tel: 765-2308 - SURGERY HOST Tel: 766-3145 Pag: 48

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

Pag: 71

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

Pag: 08 Pag: 06

Pag: 47 Pag: 02 Pag: 47 Pag: 13 Pag: 29 Pag: 26 Pag: 25 Pag: 30 Pag: 43

- SUBWAY - TERRAZA QUITUPAN Tel: 766-3179 - TOMAS Tel: 765-3897 - TONY’S Tel: 766-1614, 766-4069 - YVES’ Tel: 766-1851

Pag: 41 Pag: 51 Pag: 45 Pag: 59 Pag: 31

* 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: 62 Pag: 44

Pag: 22

Tel: 766-3989 - HYDROPOOL Tel: 766-4030 - MONTE COXALA Tel: (387) 761-0111, 761-0326 - RESPIRO SPA Tel: (045) 33-3157-7790 - TOTAL BODY CARE Tel: 766 3379

Pag: 49 Pag: 31

Pag: 38 Pag: 24 Pag: 19

* THERAPISTS - PROFESSIONAL REHABILITATION Tel: 766-5563

Pag: 19

* TOURS - CHARTER CLUB TOURS Tel: 766-1777

Pag: 09

* SATELLITES/ T.V. * TREE SERVICE

* RENTALS/PROPERTY MANAGEMENT - COLDWELLBANKER CHAPALA REALTY Tel: 766-1152, movile: (045) 33-1175-9632 Pag: 56 - FOR RENT Tel: (33) 3825-8332 Pag: 63 - RENTAL LOCATERS Tel: 766-5202 Pag: 09 - ROMA Tel: 766-3163 Pag: 14 - SANTANA RENTALS Cell: 315-104-3283, 315-100-9955 Pag: 44 - VILLAS DEL SOL Tel: 766-1152 Pag: 46

- AJIJIC ELECTRONICS S.A. DE C.V. Tel/Fax: 766-1117, 766-3371 - SATELLITE SERVICE Tel: (376) 765 26481

Pag: 09

- CHAPALA TREE SERVICE Tel: 762-0602

Pag: 65

Pag: 55

* WATER * SCHOOLS - TECNO AQUA Tel: 766-3730, 766-3731

- CLC Tel: 765 54 98 - ITTO Tel: 33-3658-3224 - IMAC Tel: 33-3613-1080

Pag: 57

Pag: 53 Pag: 27 Pag: 51

* SECURITY SYSTEMS

Pag: 14

* REPAIRS/ MAINTENANCE - S.O.S.E Tel: 765-4921

Pag: 17

* 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

Cell: (045) 33-3841-8867 - EL DORADO Tel: 766-0040 - FOR SALE BY OWNER Tel: 766-5458 - GEORGETTE RICHMOND Tel: 766-2129, 766-2077 - LAGUNA VISTA Tel: 766-5740 - LAS CATARINAS Tel: 766-3592 - LLOYD REAL ESTATE AJIJIC Tel: 766-3508 - PUNTA MONTAÑA Tel: 01 (33) 3870 0591, 01 (33) 1370 5700 - RAUL GONZALEZ Cell: 33-1437-0925 - RE/MAX AJIJIC Cell: 331-249-2156 English

Pag: 63 Pag: 16 Pag: 20 Pag: 50

* POOL MAINTENANCE - EQUIPMENT AND POOL MAINTENANCE Tel: 766-1617 Pag: 28

* REAL ESTATE - 1ST CHOICE HOMES LAKESIDE Tel: 765-2484 Pag: 45 - AJIJIC HOME INSPECTIONS Tel: 766-2836 Pag: 11 - AJIJIC REAL ESTATE Tel: 766-2077, Fax: 766-2331 Pag: 03 - ALL IN ONE REAL ESTATE SERVICE Tel: 766-1161 Pag: 05 - ARELLANO Tel: 766-4696 Pag: 36, 37 - BEV. & JEAN COFELL Home Tel. 766-5332 Office Tel. 765-3676 Pag: 42 - COLDWELL BANKER CHAPALA REALTY Tel: 766-1152, 766-3369 Fax: 766-2124, Tels: 765-2877 Fax: 765-3528 Pag: 72 - CHULA VISTA NORTE Tel: 766-2177

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

Pag: 65

Pag: 64

* SELF STORAGE Pag: 64

- SELF STORAGE-BODEGAS CHAPALA Tel: 766-0661, Tel/Fax: 766-1045 Pag: 31

* RESTAURANTS/CAFES/CLUBS * SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS - AJIJIC TANGO Tel: 766-2458 Pag: 52 - ALFREDO’S CALIFORNIA Tel: 765-2245 Pag: 64 - CAFÉ ADELITA Tel: 766-0097 Pag: 28 - CASA DEL WAFFLE Tel: 766-1946 Pag: 03 - CHAC-LAN Tel: (387) 761-0111, 761-0326 Pag: 38 - CHILI BANG BAR Tel: 766-1919 Pag: 27 - DAVID’S CAFE Tel: 766-2341 Pag: 20 - EL JARDIN DE NINETTE Cell: (045) 33-1410-4064 Pag: 27 - GO LE CLUB Cell: (045) 33-3502-6555 Pag: 51 - JOLANDAS Tel: 315-351-5449 Pag: 28 - LA BODEGA DE AJIJIC Tel: 766-1002 Pag: 14 - LA NUEVA POSADA Tel: 766-1444, 766-2049 Pag: 03 - “LA TAVERNA” DEI QUATTRO MORI Tel: 766 2848 Pag: 26 - LA VITA BELLA Cell: 33-3476-6577 Pag: 38 - LAS CABALLERIZAS COXALA Tel: 766-0744 Pag: 38 - LOS TELARES Tel: 766-0428 Pag: 43 - MOM´S DELI & RESTAURANT Tel: 765-5719 Pag: 11, 58 - NUMBER FOUR Tel: 766-1360 Pag: 25 - PANINO Tel: 766-3822 Pag: 19 - PEPE & AURORA Cell. (044) 33 1265 7900 Pag: 26 - SABOR NATURAL Tel: O1 (387) 761-11-48 Pag: 24

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

* SPA / MASSAGE

Pag: 65 Pag: 62 Pag: 66-69

SAW YOU IN T HE OJO

- GOLDEN AGE

The Ojo Crossword

Saw you in the Ojo 67

CARS FOR SALE: TSURU GII Automatic A/C. In very good condition, clean, easy to drive, economical. Grey fabric. $ 38,000 pesos. Call (376) 766-5005 or Cell: 333-166-3398 FOR SALE: 2002 Mazda Millenia.

Excellent Condition. Full leather package. New tires, new suspension, body and paint in perfect condition. Check out Blue Book, Private Seller....this is a steal! Call Linda 766-0303 or 7661776 FOR SALE: 1997 Ford Escort, color champagne, only 51,000 kilometers on it, in very good condition, $4000 US. Call 766-1295 WANTED: Want to buy your Vehicle. We do not care how it looks, but needs to run well, $ 2000.00-3000.00 US. Contact Lorraine Kulig at lorrainekulig@hotmail.com FOR SALE: 1995 Mazda Protege in good condition. Only drove it three times; I am willing to negotiate the price. Call: Maha Maha at 3311930908 Mexico, 619 753-9649 USA, mahasina@yahoo.com FOR SALE: 2006 CHEVROLET EQUINOXV6 motor. Car is in excellent condition; purchased in Canada last year; has Ontario plates. Only two owners. Price $120,000 pesos. Call (376)766-1127 WANTED: Need a US plated car.

Would like in good or better condition, low mileage. Must be automatic. Contact: Frank Raimo FOR SALE: 1993 Mercury Villager (same as Quest, complete power train is Nissan), 7 passenger van, A/C blows cold, non-smoking, one owner, original paint $4950 USD 763-5015 or US phone 360-384-0919 FOR SALE: 1983 CLASSIC MERCEDES 4 DOOR. Air Conditioner, AM/ FM Stereo, Automatic Transmission, Leather Interior, Sun Roof, Power Windows, Steering, Locks, good condition, Price $3,000. USD Call: Heinz Stapff at 765-3587

COMPUTERS FOR SALE: canon power shot sd 500 elph, camera, cables, recharger and two batteries, used, but still good pic quality. $25. USD. Call: (387)7631725 FOR SALE: HP Pavilion 4420.

Original owner, all papers, manuals, cables, cd’s, wireless, 15” XGA TFT

68

screen, DVD/CD-RW, win XP, office, $500 worth of software, all in great shape. $150. USD, Call: (387)7631725 FOR SALE: Desktop computer with keyboard. Very good...lightly used with Windows XP Home Edition upgrade (with certificate of authenticity). Hard drive cleaned by professional, guaranteed. $200 US. Call: Dennis at 766-5322 FOR SALE: Magicjack, call unlimited to the United States and Canada.

Price includes one full year of service, renewal for the next year is only $19.95 for as long as you own the magicjack. Call: (376)765-2326 BEST OFFER FOR: External Floppy Drive. See: http://go.iomega.com/ en-us/products/removable-storage/ floppy-drives/?partner=4760 Includes an unopened 10-pack of IBM formatted 2HD Floppy Disks (3.5”). Contact: Donald Williams FOR SALE: DeskJet Color Printer.

Small footprint so fits easily on your desk. May also have some new ink cartridges as well, if not, they are easily found. 50.00 US or Peso equivalent. Contact: Valerie Jones FOR SALE: LED indirect exposure scanner. Good desk top size.

Will scan documents up to 11” by 14”.

Connects to both computer and / or printer by parallel cables. $50.00 US or Peso equivalent. Contact: Valerie Jones FOR SALE: Older computer, works good. Comes with Windows XP PRO, Microsoft Office,CD Player & CD burner. Has 13” Monitor, Keyboard and two speakers, mouse and other extras. $250. USD 765-5773 FOR SALE: Cd Burner, good working order, with spare recordable cd’s and manual call 765-3824 FOR SALE: Well constructed laptop travel bag. Has wheels and an extension handle for pulling. Excellant condition. Large enough for a full size laptop. Price $250 pesos. Contact: Wayne Gardi FOR SALE: EPSON chip resetter (7 pin). This is versatility; it can automatically identify the type of ink cartridges, and resets the chip on the cartridge into a full mode. Price $50 USD. Call David at (376) 763-5248 FOR SALE: Toshiba Battery Pack (2). These are 14.8V, 3900 mAh. Both work well and hold charges. Price $200. Contact David.

FOR SALE: SONY rechargable battery Pack. This works well and

El Ojo del Lago / July 2010

holds charge. 14.8V/4000 mAh. Price $100. Call: David at 376-763-52-48 FOR SALE: IOMEGA External Super DVD. This is an external DVD Multi Recorder/burner, DVD Rewritable, CD Rewritable (Ultra Speed).

Has power supply and USB2 connection. Works 110% perfect. Price $250.

Call David at (376) 763-5248 FOR SALE: CD-burner. Semi-new cd burner for computer. Price $200 pesos (387) 761-0827

PETS & SUPPLIES POSITION DESIRED: Free to Good Home. Cats were born in August of 2007, Tolteca is a talkative neutered Balinese flame point; his “half” sister Quetzalcoatl is a beautiful spayed Calico. Contact: Patti Burton FOR SALE: Training your puppy or dog? I have two books that might help: PUPPY TRAINING, by Charlotte Schwartz; and NEW COMPLETE DOG TRAINING MANUAL, by Bruce Fogle. $100 Pesos for both. Call: James Tipton, 765-7689.

POSITION DESIRED: Beautiful, loyal and lovable little girl needs new home- have too many, no time. She is purebred, healthy, very athletic; can do incredible twisting leaps to catch a ball, amazing 99% accuracy. Contact: Sherry Hudson

GENERAL MERCHANDISE WANTED: Starchoice receiver complete with remote control, etc.

Call: Mike 766-2829, email: Mikenan@prodigy.net.mx FOR SALE: 9-Volt Batteries Package of 12. $ 250 pesos. Expiration is 2013. Call: Julie Hensley at 7654590 FOR SALE: Free boxes and lots of white paper for moving or storage.

Call: 766-3065 FOR SALE: Cutty Sark replica, 36” long, 28” high, 15” wide to scale model of the Cutty Sark mounted on stand. Detailed hand crafted workmanship. Beautiful replica! $3000 pesos. Contact: Dave Fields FOR SALE: Royce Television Console. Solid wood and veneer construction. Holds 4 components. Interchangeable veneer, glass and cloth door panels. 2,600.00 pesos. Call: 766-5686 BEST OFFER FOR: Upgraded full size to queen mattress. Full now for sale: clean, good condition & comfy.

$750 pesos OBO. Contact: Elaine Kellaway WANTED: I am looking for a large size satellite dish. Prefer one that is about 6 ft. across or larger. Call: Dennis James at 510-926-3945 FOR SALE: Star Choice Satellite dish. It is in perfect condition. Dish only - nothing else. 500 pesos. Contact: Donna McElroy FOR SALE: Upper kitchen cabinets with glass doors (Photo does not show entire length) Length: 104”, Heights: 23”, Depth: 11 1/2” $1000 Pesos. Call: (376) 766 0789 FOR SALE: Fuji FinePix S 3100 Digital Camera. 4 Mega Pix, 6xZoom.

16 and 256MB Picture Cards, Camera Bag, Manual, all original accessories.

Like new. $950 Pesos Call: (376) 766 0789 FOR SALE: Magic Chef Refrigerator/Freezer - Freezer on Top. White.

31 1/2x66”, 80x168cm. Excellent Condition. $3500 Pesos Call: (376) 766 0789 FOR SALE: Built-in Wall Oven, Propane,”Jaguar”, stainless steel, 21x24”, 54x61cm. Excellent condition. $2200 Pesos. Call: (376) 766 0789 FOR SALE: Very lightly used Eureka Whirlwing Big Gulp vacuum machine. This is state of the art bagless cyclonic with Hepa filtration system.

Manual included. $150 U.S. Call: Dennis McCann at 766-5322 WANTED: Need luggage rack to fit top of ‘99 Saturn 4-door coupe. Approx. 40” x 40”, 102 cm x 102 cm. Must have soon. Contact: Melissa Mobley FOR SALE: TV wall mount, came with TV, don’t require. Retails for 1990.00 at Best Buy. $1000 pesos.

Contact: Dave Paterson FOR SALE: Dish Satellite Receiver. Must sacrifice. Excellent condition.

Make offer. Call Alex at 765-3634 FOR SALE: Canon MP20DH111 with 2 color illuminated display. Used 1 time. All instructions and the machine is packed in the box it came in. $500 pesos. Contact: Ann Heath FOR SALE: AMW - DVD PLAYER w/surround system. Dolby and MP3 - good condition. $500 Pesos. 2 Logitech speakers - $200 Pesos. Contact: Margie Palmer FOR SALE: Charcoal BBQ Grill, 14x32x30 high $180p Contact: Julie Hensley at 765-4590 WANTED: I would like to beg, borrow, or rent a turntable that will play 45 rpm records. It must have audio out jack(s) (RCA style). I want to transfer

a few of my old 45s to a CD. Call David at (376)763-5248 FOR SALE: Bistro or Cafe Set, glass topped table w/ 2 matching chairs w/ padded seats, metal, perfect for small terraza, $750 pesos. Contact: Diane Ward FOR SALE: Brand Arbruder, 7mp - 14mpmax, 6.6L/ min., 2900PSI, asking 900 pesos. Contact: Diane Ward FOR SALE: Flat screen TV, 42”, LG brand, lcd, w/ remote control. Asking $7500 pesos. Also DVD/Recorder, LG Brand, RW compatible. Asking $900pesos. Will haggle if purchase both. Contact: Diane Ward FOR SALE: Coffee table $400 pesos, Small floor cabinet with secret compartment $600 pesos, Matching duvet cover (reversible) and bed skirt $1,000 pesos, Contact: Rosemond FOR SALE: Yamaha piano- organ, model ypr-50 in excellent condition. with manual and adjustable chair. $275 USD. Call 7653824 FOR SALE: Sony camcorder, good working condition, with carrying case and manual. $75USD Call: John Whiley at 765-3824 FOR SALE: Want to lose weight?

I have for sale (very slightly used) a hardcover edition of Fred Pescatore, M.D., THE HAMPTONS DIET. $100 Pesos. Call: James Tipton, 765-7689.

FOR SALE: Surpassing The Love Of Men: Romantic Friendship And Love Between Women; Sex In History; The Art Of Sexual Ecstasy/The Art Of Sexual Magic; and Best Women’s Erotica 2010. All for only $250 pesos.

Call: James Tipton 765-7689.

FOR SALE: Attention Cormac McCarthy Fans: I have, for sale, in fine condition, the three novels in his Border Trilogy for only $250 Pesos. Almost impossible to find here locally.

Call: James Tipton at 765-7689.

FOR SALE: Complete set of seven videos (VHS), these are the “Total Body Sculpting”, “Winsor Pilates” and the “Sculpt Your Body Slim” series.

Price $600 Pesos. Call: James Tipton at 765-7689.

FOR SALE: New Alto Saxophone (Cecilia), never used. Bought in the States a year ago for $4000 pesos.

Will sacrifice for $3000 pesos. Call: James Tipton at 765-7689.

FOR SALE: Iron Window and Proteccion, approx. 73” wide by 39” height 4-panel window, with the middle two panels that open with screening, and attached wrought iron protection with scrollwork detail. $1500 pesos. Call

Janet at 766-0777.

FOR SALE: Work shop/kitchen prep Stainless Steel Top, Strog White Wooden Frame, Two Book Shelves Above Along back, Two full Shelves Below. 48.25”L. x 29.5”W. x 56.25”H. to table top. Needs paint.$1,600 pesos. Call Heinz Stapff at 765-3587 FOR SALE: Work Shop/Kitchen Prep Table Stainless Steel Top, Strong White Wood Frame, Two Book Shelves Above Along back With Two Full Shelves Below. 76”L. x 29.5”W. x 56.25”H. to table top x 1. Needs paint. .$1,900 pesos. Call Heinz Stapff at 7653587 FOR SALE: Bar Table White Wood Frame with inlaid Glass Top & Two Shelves 63.5”L. x 23.5”W. x 37.5”H. x 1. Strong, needs paint. $1,200 pesos.

Call Heinz Stapff at 765-3587 FOR SALE: Memorex 20” color TV. Great condition, remote. $1,200 pesos. Call Heinz Stapff at 765-3587 FOR SALE: Samsung 27” color TV. 2 years old, great condition, remote, manual & antena. $2,500 pesos, call Heinz Stapff at 765-3587 FOR SALE: Sony Trinitron 20” TV. 3 year old color TV, great condition, remote and rabit ears with manual. $1,500 pesos. Call Heinz Stapff at 765-3587 FOR SALE: $300 each: JAG Full Season 9, JAG Season 10 (Final), CSI full Season 9, Doll House, full Season 1, Best of Dog Whisperer (Cesar Millan), John Adams. Entire Seven Part Miniseries. Call David at (376) 763-5248 FOR SALE: King Tut sarcophagus. Full sized. $700 USD or pesos.

Call David at (376) 763-5248.

FOR SALE: IKELITE underwater SCUBA light. Model MINI-O-LITE. Takes 4 batteries (“C” cells). Works perfect. Used for scuba diving or any other underwater purpose. Good for about 200 feet. $200. Contact: David FOR SALE: UK400 Underwater light. Excellent condition (minor scrapes but works fine. Takes 4, D batteries and tested to 500 feet below water level. $400. Call David at (376) 763-52-48 FOR SALE: Tasco 7X35. Never dropped. Great condition. $200. Call David at (376)763-5248 FOR SALE: Pair Midland Walkie Talkies. Model GXT-200, they work fine. Range claimed 6 miles, but maybe 2 with no mountains or large buildings in the line of sight. $200, call David at (376) 763-5248

FOR SALE: Tasco Binoculars, 10X50. Excellent condition never dropped.$250, call David at (376) 763-5248 FOR SALE: BMK Model JAZZ. Bought 2005. Under 2,500km. Runs good, loud muffler, electric starter.

Currently registered. Sold on Bill of Sale (100% legal in Mexico) since I can’t find the original purchase receipt. $425.00 USD or pesos, call David at (376) 763-5248 WANTED: Looking for a TV/VCR combo. Reasonable price. Bigger screen is better, but will take anything available. Must be in good working condition. Call Jill Flyer at 766-3025.

FOR SALE: Double espresso and steam outputs comes complete with manuals and electric coffee grinder, restaurant quality, $2,500 USD. Call: Heinz Stapff at 765-3587

duplicates of 19th and 20th century Mexican stamps, both new and used, for sale. (Also lots of Peru and Chile).

Call: James Tipton at 765-7689.

FOR SALE: Cormac McCarthy, three novels in his Border Trilogy, as well as Blood Meridian, AND, with a two casette cd of Brad Pitt reading Cities of the Plain. Price $350 Pesos.

Call: James Tipton at 765-7689.

FOR SALE: Original bold signature of Andrew Jackson on Land Grant, probably 1829, co-signed by George Graham, Commisioner of the General Land Office. Price $4000US. Contac: James Tipton at 765-7689 FOR SALE: Large collection of world stamps in old H.E. Harris Citation Album plus stock books of stamps and dozens of full sheets of mint Mexican stamps from the 1980s. Contact: James Tipton at 765-7689

COLLECTABLES FOR SALE: I have hundreds of

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El Ojo del Lago / July 2010

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