El Ojo del Lago - June 2019 by El Ojo del Lago

Saw you in the Ojo

 D IRE C TOR Y  PUBLISHER Richard Tingen

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Alejandro Grattan-Domínguez Tel: (01376) 765 3676, 765 2877 Fax: (01376) 765 3528 Associate Publisher David Tingen

Index...

FEATURE ARTICLES

COVER STORY

Jeanine Kitchel leads us on a mythical trip into the Land of the Maya, a journey which has many surprises.

COVER STORY

VOLUME 35 NUMBER 10

Graphic Design Roberto C. Rojas Reyes Diana Parra Morales

8 Cover by Oscar Orlando Ibarra Lopez

Special Events Editor Sandy Olson

16 ROMANCE (sort of . . .) Sandy Olson spins a tale whose moral seems to be: Think but not too much, feel—but not too soon.

Associate Editor Victoria Schmidt Art Critic / Contributing Editor Rob Mohr

22 HUMOR

Tom Nussbaum does a riff on the old saying that “It’s not what you know but rather who you know.”

Theater Critic Michael Warren Book Review Panel Margaret Van Every Margaret Porter Clare Gearhart Roving Correspondent Dr. Lorin Swinehart Sales Manager Bruce Fraser Carmene Berner Office Secretary Rocio Madrigal ADVERTISING OFFICE Av. Hidalgo # 223, Chapala Mon. thru Fri. 9am - 5pm Sat. 9am - 1pm Tel. 01 (376) 765 2877, 765 3676 Fax 01 (376) 765 3528

30 LAKESIDE LIVING

26 LOCAL CUSTOMS Herbert Piekow attends a funeral in Guadalajara and details the fascinating differences between the Mexican way and that up north of the border.

36 LOCAL PROFILE John Ward interviews Kristine Moily, and proves all over again that some of the most interesting people in Mexico can be found right here at Lakeside.

44 TRAVEL Ralph Graves takes us on a trip to Paracho, which has been called the “The Guitar Capitol of Mexico”—and he assures us, for a very good reason.

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

COLUMNS THIS MONTH

El Ojo del Lago / June 2019

Editor’s Page

12 If Pets Could Talk 14 Bridge by Lake 18 Joyful Musings 20 Profiling Tepehua 24 Welcome to Mexico 30 Lakeside Living 40 Life Askew

Saw you in the Ojo

COLUMNIST

Editor’s Page Guest Editorial by Fred Mittag

Emergency at the Border?

“

will build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall.” – Donald J. Trump Trump intends to ride the Mexican border all the way to the next election. He claims rapists and criminals are pouring across. He says it’s a national emergency, so he sent in the troops. No knowledgeable person agrees with Trump’s “emergency.” Also, it’s illegal for the military to enforce civilian law. This was established with the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878. International and American law provides for the right of refugees to seek asylum. Yet, Trump calls them “illegals.” Trump threatens to send the

asylum seekers to so-called sanctuary cities. He thinks this would be a punishment for those heretic cities. His threat, however, backfired, because several cities say the asylum seekers would be welcome. The contrast exposes Trump’s soiled soul. Trump has boasted that his wall will be built “ahead of schedule.” Several obstacles make his pronouncement a blast of hot air. Two-thirds of borderland property belongs to an Indian tribe or to private individuals. The border in Arizona passes through the Tohono O’odham Nation. They are about the size of Connecticut. For them, the border does not exist and they cross back and forth, since

El Ojo del Lago / June 2019

their lands are on both sides of the border. They have been there since ancient times. They say, “Our land didn’t cross the border; the border crossed our land.” That was the result of the spoils of conquest that compelled Mexico’s agreement to a border that crossed through the Indian nation. In 2007, the Tohono O’odham Nation agreed to allow the placement of spaced concrete posts to block vehicles, but not to restrict the flow of people and animals. The George W. Bush administration proceeded to desecrate Indian burial grounds and to dig up human remains. The Indians now vow to fight Trump’s wall. Trump will need a stand-alone bill from Congress to condemn their tribal land. Democrats will not allow that to happen. The Constitution provides for just compensation that can only be determined in court when the landowner refuses to sell. Some of these cases can take seven years to resolve. Trump will be out of office before these cases of eminent domain are settled. A 1970 treaty is another obstacle for Trump. It requires that the flood plain of the Rio Grande River remain open to both sides of the border. The swath of the river’s floods would require the barrier to be placed well away from the river into the United States. A wall would cross farming land. There would have to be openings in the wall to allow access for irrigation. So many openings to the Rio Grande would render any wall useless. A border fence catches debris during flooding and becomes a dam. It prevents the water from going to the American side. As a result, the floodwater goes to the Mexican side and floods their buildings, in some places with as much as six feet of water. Geology presents a problem of prohibitive expense. A thousand miles of wall will traverse a wide variety of soils. In some cases, sediment is thousands of feet deep, making a secure foundation both difficult and expensive. Crossing the steep mountains is another problem. Some stretches are shifting sand dunes. The dunes can bury a wall in a short time. A wall has to float on the dunes and be lifted up every time it is buried. But there are areas of clay that act like a sponge. When the clay freezes, the clay heaves up, cracking the foundation and the wall. As if that’s not enough, there are stretches in the Trans-Pecos region that are rich in sulfates that quickly corrode both concrete and rebar. Trump the huckster claims that the wall will prevent illegal crossings. But border barriers don’t work for a variety of reasons, which is a topic in itself. Many Border Patrol officers oppose

a solid wall and prefer a fence, because they have the advantage of seeing what’s happening on the other side. A wall slows down agents as much as it does migrants and provides no advantage to the Border Patrol. Until the first fence was built in 1990, workers could circulate easily across the border, coming to harvest crops during the summer and then returning home in the winter. Border assessment should include the number of migrant workers returning to Mexico. The result of such a calculation is that the total number of unauthorized immigrants remained at about 3 million. And their labor was much needed. With increased border security, those immigrants who make it across tend to stay in the United States – rather than risk going back to Mexico and not being able to get back to the States. This drives the population of illegal immigrants in the U.S. up to about 12 million. A wall is counter-productive. Increased border security also invites the Grim Reaper. The part of the border least guarded runs through the Arizona desert. Undocumented immigrants are driven by desperation and hope to this route, with no idea of the dangers ahead. They become disoriented, dehydrated, and die in dreadful numbers. Since 1999, at least 7,209 people have died in the Arizona desert, according to NPR. Arizona maintains a morgue dedicated to receiving the remains of such immigrants, often only bones. American farmers, construction companies, and restaurants need Mexican workers and Mexican workers need to work. Indeed, at one time, the U.S. even set up recruitment offices in Mexico to sign up workers, who then came by train to the U.S. by the thousands. We once had a Bracero program that allowed Mexican workers to enter the U.S. legally. Trump’s big beautiful wall will not be built ahead of schedule. Indeed, it will not be built at all. Treaties with both the Tonoho O’odham Nation and Mexico cannot be tossed out. There will be years of legal fights with landowners. The geology along the course of the wall will take many years to survey and surmount, and take more of the budget than Congress and taxpayers are willing to allow. Trump’s national emergency at the border will have to remain in the land of paranoid fantasy. Fred Mittag

Saw you in the Ojo

Layla Visits the Shaman Don Cuauhtémoc By Jeanine Kitchel casamayamx@gmail.com

Sierra Occidental Madre Mountains

ven Layla had a divination as a child; she was ten at most. She remembered her mother dragging her to a pueblo even poorer than Valle del Gatos where she grew up. It was a long journey as they traveled by bus, seemingly forever. Was it a Nahuatl divination? She couldn’t remember for sure. The bus dropped them a kilometer from the plaza. As they arrived at the pueblo, her mother stopped a curiouslooking old woman, back hunched no doubt from years of labor, who carefully watched them as they walked into el centro, little more than a patch of cleared ground without a single tree, surrounded by a handful of scruffy huts. “La casa de Don Cuauhtémoc?” her mother asked. The crone pointed across the square to a stick hut set apart from the others. As they neared it an old man with long white hair wearing a faded wool poncho emerged. He seemed energized by the sight of them; a smile appeared on his well-lined face. “Por fin,” he said as her mother approached him. “You have brought her at last.” “Si,” her mother answered, her hand firmly grasping her daughter’s. Don Cuauhtémoc ushered them into the hut and asked that they be seated. He went out the back opening where a smoky fire smoldered over an

outdoor pit, his kitchen, and rummaged around for several minutes while he prepared an aromatic herbal tea that he brought inside. The shaman handed them each a steaming glass. “Bienvenidos. Té,” he said, pointing at the dark liquid, motioning for them to drink. To Layla, the contents of the glass— hot to the touch—smelled fragrant and tempting. She blew on it before taking a sip. They exchanged small talk. The girl tuned in and out as she stared at the humble home with dirt floors, twig walls. The man was unbelievably poor. Who was he? Layla would never forget what happened next. Both adults looked at her and small talk ended. There was a long silence. Don Cuauhtémoc shifted his gaze to her, smiled, walked over and asked her to stand. As she did so he bowed his head and put both hands on top of hers. He let out a long low hum. Her mother sat in the background, observing. Don Cuauhtémoc left her standing there and moved to one side of the hut where a rectangular table sat. He spread a white cloth over it. From a corner he brought out a vessel that contained copal and lit it. He waited a moment as the fire took hold and smoke appeared. A pungent smell from the musky incense crept into the small hut. Rummaging again in his special corner,

El Ojo del Lago / June 2019

he pulled out a bag that contained divining paraphernalia and placed it in the center of the table. The shaman then sat at the table on a low stool. He planted both feet firmly on the hut’s earthen floor and closed his eyes. With palms facing upwards, one on each knee, he opened his body to the cosmos. Don Cuauhtémoc sat transfixed for several moments. When he opened his eyes, he asked Layla to sit directly across from him on another stool. He said a prayer in Nahuatl and touched the bag pointing it towards the four directions and four spirits of the earth. He paused and began another prayer, Layla remembered. The words still stuck in her memory. “Pardon my sin, God; pardon my sin, Earth,” Don Cuauhtémoc said in a low voice, eyes again closed as he held the divining bag and continued. “Allow me to borrow the breath of this day, today, to make this divination.” He opened his eyes and stared at young Layla for a long time. It seemed as if his mind was made up. His question emerged. “How will this girl’s life unfold?” Silence. “I am now borrowing the breath, the cold, the wind, the cloud, the mist at the rising sun of the east, at the setting sun of the west, four corners of the sky to the south, four corners of the earth to the north. On this holy and sacred day I am taking these seeds and these crystals.” He then began to call upon volcanoes, lakes, rivers and all the world’s natural resources. His long invocation was spoken at times in a muted tone, sometimes in a robust one. In closing, he beckoned to white sheet lightning, a bizarre natural phenomenon, and begged a response to his directive. Having summoned the cosmos and borrowed its breath and lightning, the diviner began to untie his divining bag. An exotic smell escaped as he emptied the blend of crystals and seeds onto the table, mixing them together in a counter clockwise direction with his right hand. The ceremony fascinated Layla and she nearly reached out to touch the bag’s contents but was stopped by a stern look from Don Cuauhtémoc. He spread the seeds and crystals before her and began to select ten crystals. He slowly rubbed his hands atop them all, and began to pick and choose just three from the ten; one for the center of the table, the other two as its bishops. He held the main crystal up to the light, examining it for any movement before again stating his question, “How will this girl’s life unfold?” addressing the three main crystals. With his left

hand, he took the seeds and spread them around the crystals, and at this time he called upon his ancestors, asking them for advice on this simply stated question. Only twigs crackling in the outdoor fire pit broke the silence. Don Cuauhtémoc stopped and blew into his right hand and grabbed as many crystals and seeds as he could. He placed the handful aside and pushed the remainder towards the right side of the table, separating seeds and crystals into groups. “Come, Lord, you are being spoken to,” he announced in a reverential tone. He bowed his head in contemplation for some time, slowly nodding back and forth. After what seemed like an eternity to small Layla, the shaman opened his eyes. He moved the main crystals closer to the girl now with his left hand and said, “The answer is this: The woman is coming.” Layla’s mother, silent until this point, let out a sigh, apparently satisfied with the outcome. As for Layla, the endeavor mystified her and she had no idea what it meant. Since her mother looked confident, she felt it was a good omen and the long journey to the dusty pueblo succeeded in offering some form of solace for their lengthy travels. Note: Jeanine Kitchel’s love of Mexico led her to a fishing village on the Mexican Caribbean coast where she bought land, built a house, and opened a bookstore. A former journalist, she wrote travel articles for newspapers and Mexico websites before branching into fiction. In her debut novel, Wheels Up—A Novel of Drugs, Cartels and Survival, when Mexico’s most powerful drug lord is recaptured and imprisoned, he transfers control of his drug empire to his reluctant niece, Layla Navarro. The above essay is a take-away from the original novel, never before published. Kitchel’s first book, Where the Sky is Born: Living in the Land of the Maya, details how she bought land and became an expat in a foreign land. A confirmed Mayaphile, she wrote her second book, Maya 2012 Revealed: Demystifying the Prophecy, to discuss the Maya calendar phenomenon from a journalistic point of view. Her website www. jeaninekitchel. com lists her books, available on AmaJeanine Kitchel zon.com.

Saw you in the Ojo

Evolution If we took every advertisement that we saw under advisement, envisioning ourselves in cars filled with TVs and guitars, food choppers and Barbie dolls— everything we saw in malls— we might buy it all and after, fill every house to every rafter. Blenders, stereos and blouses would pile up in our many houses. Consumerism would be the key to how happy we would be. Lethargic children would sit about staring at phones in hands, not out into the world their windows face. Imagination would replace a reality no one could cotton. Our old world would be so rotten— all it was so ill-begotten that it had to be forgotten. Our present world now so diluted (nature being so polluted) that the animals our kids would see would not be out and roaming free but in some zoo with air protected and no fluorocarbons detected. All these things that we could buy would be what caused our world to die. Plastic world and plastic lives would seal us into plastic hives where we could buzz around in cells creating our own private hells. How hard can it really be to imagine this reality? How close are we to it already— Our brains scrambled into spaghetti by barrages of consumerism? Could we even heal the schism that our plastic world has wrought? Would we give up all we’ve got for the greener simpler earth of our great-grandfather’s birth? Man will speed on toward his doom in his air-conditioned room that screens the poisons out while he sits rapt in front of his tv. His children, who can no longer stand, sit, each with eyes glued to his hand. Only robots will go out to shop for us and walk about in air that’s suited only for machines to venture out the door. They’ll greet each other in the street, smiling at each bot they meet. Perhaps the plastic revolution is the next step in evolution. They’ve locked us all within their lairs. The world they sought is finally theirs as every human sits and stares at the unreal world he shares with every other fleshly being that gave up doing for simply seeing.

—Judy Dykstra-Brown— 10

El Ojo del Lago / June 2019

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If Our Pets Could Talk By Jackie Kellum

(From the Ojo Archives)

our dog looks forward to a walk with you, but Summer months present health challenges and sometimes hazards. These are some hot weather pet safety tips for your companion. Never leave your pet in a car! Parking in the shade and even leaving the windows open is not an option. While you are “just running a quick errand” your pet’s temperature can rise rapidly and overheat in a very short period of time. For example, with the outside temperature at just 78 F / 25.5 C., and the car parked in the shade, the inside car temperature can quickly rise to 90 F / 32.2 C. A car parked in the sun, windows open, the temperature can quickly rise to 160 F / 71.1 C. It only takes minutes to reach dangerous temperature levels leading to heatstroke and even death. Your hot car becomes an oven for your dog – don’t do it! Always make sure your pet has access to cool, clean water at all times. This is one of the easiest ways to avoid heat injuries in the summer months. Dogs, even cats, drink more water on hot days/ Water warms up quickly, so make sure to change your pet’s water often. Do not allow your dog to hang his head outside of the window of a moving car. Objects such as gravel or small rocks on the street /road could seriously injure your pet’s face or eyes. He may also fall out onto the road with an abrupt stop and get hit by another car. He can also impulsively jump out of the moving car if he sees something he

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might want to chase. Keep your dog’s paws cool at all times. Limit the time you let your dog roam in the backyard and outdoors, especially if he/she is walking on a hot surface. Since the ground heats up quickly during the summertime, your dog’s body heat can rise rapidly, and sensitive paw pads can get burned. Try not to walk your dog during the hottest part of the day: 11 AM – 3 PM. Think of it this way—if you would not be willing to walk barefoot on the hot sidewalk/ asphalt, think what it feels like on your dog’s sensitive feet. If you walk your dog and you carry a bottle of water for yourself, also have water available for your dog, and keep the walks short. Consider if your dog will be more comfortable and safer at home when it is hot outside, while you run your errands. You can quickly take care of your errands “alone”, and the dog is not stressed in a cooler environment. At home he will not be subjected to the hot weather, hot feet, and possibly walking through crowds of people such as at the tianguis. In this setting he may be stepped on by people looking everywhere but on the ground where he is walking, especially while he is trying to ‘dodge’ people. Some signs of heat stress are: heavy panting, profuse drooling, ‘glazed eyes’, rapid heartbeat, restlessness, excessive thirst, lethargy, dizziness, lack of coordination, decreased mental alertness, vomiting, or a deep red or purple tongue. IF any of these signs are present – immediately move your dog into the shade. If possible, apply a cool wet towel to your pet’s head, neck and chest. Let your pet drink only small amounts of cool water, not all at once. If your dog does not improve, see your vet immediately. Protect your dog in the Summer’s heat! Jackie Kellum

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COLUMNIST

BRIDGE BY THE LAKE By Ken Masson

he bidding was short and sweet on this deal from a game played recently at the Lake Chapala Duplicate Bridge Club in Riberas. But, as is often the case, there was more to the play than was obvious at first glance. North dealt and holding 19 high card points, opened 1 club. This call might have had old-time purists

throwing up their hands in horror as it didn’t come close to their definition of an opening 1 club bid, but contract bridge is a dynamic game and has come a long way since its inception more than 90 years ago. In the modern game, especially in North America, a five-card or longer holding is usually a requirement for opening one of a major suit. Also, North was too strong to open 1 no

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trump and not strong enough to open 2 no trump so he really had no choice. South responded 1 heart and that was all North needed to hear to put his partner in game so 4 hearts became the contract. West led the spade 10 and when the dummy came down South was relieved to see that he had a play for his game. If the opponents’ hearts were to break 3–2, as they would more than twothirds of the time, he could draw trumps, run the spades to pitch a club from his hand, concede a diamond and end up with 4 spades, 3 hearts, 1 diamond, 1 diamond ruff in dummy and 1 club ruff in hand for a total of 10 tricks. If that failed to materialize he could hope that the club ace was in the East hand and score his tenth trick by leading a small club from the dummy towards his hand. Declarer won the opening lead in dummy and called for the heart ace, looking suspiciously at West’s jack. At trick 2, South called for dummy’s trump queen as West played the club queen, asking his partner to switch to that suit should he win a trick. If that was a true card declarer knew that if he had a chance of making this contract he would need to

keep East off the lead as he couldn’t afford to have a club led through his fragile holding. South cashed dummy’s diamond ace and called for the diamond six, waiting to see what card East played. When it turned out to be a small card, South was relieved as his jack was taken by West who continued with another spade. Now it was a simple task to win the spade jack in hand, ruff his last diamond in dummy with the heart 10, come back to his hand via a trump finesse, draw the last of East’s trumps, go back to dummy with a spade and pitch a club loser on his long spade. Could the defence have done any better? Yes, but it wasn’t easy. If East had broken the long-standing rule of “second hand plays low” and gone up with the diamond queen when declarer played the 6 from dummy, he would have won the trick and then switched to clubs and set the contract. You’re right – bridge is a tough game! Questions or comments: email: masson.ken@ gmail.com Ken Masson

Saw you in the Ojo 15

FANTAISIE-IMPROMPTU (With Apologies to Fredric Chopin) By Sandy Olson

was excited about going to the San Francisco Main Library that night. Anne Lamott was going to read from her new book Notes on Hope. I got there early and found a seat in the front row. People started to come in and a man sat down next to me and smiled. I smiled back. Anne was introduced at length by the emcee. I failed to listen because, as a longtime fan, I already knew all about her and I was distracted by The Man. I felt encouraged by his friendly smile, then another friendly smile, and a few words, and I started an inspection. He was slender. Check. Tall. Check. Gray haired and maybe in my age range. Check. Friendly and with an open face. Check. Wearing sandals and a couple of sweaters. Check. On the “off” side, his khakis had a couple of holes. His nails, however, looked clean. Check. We exchanged a few more glances and a few words during the reading. I drifted out of the room and into the future. Here’s what was going to happen. We’d strike up a conversation after the end of the reading. He’d ask me a couple of questions and then suggest we have coffee at Max’s Diner. We’d go to coffee and really hit it off. I’d like his sense of humor. I’d love that he was a man who enjoyed Anne Lamott. I’d sit opposite him at Max’s and enjoy the light in his blue eyes. Warming up, I progressed with the story. We’d share our histories. He’d be single, maybe widowed, with grown children that he’s on good terms with but who aren’t around that much. We’d have things in common, even a couple of mutual friends from the old days

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when I lived in San Francisco. We would stay at Max’s for a couple of hours. After the coffee we’d agree to meet again. I would see that he was eager to spend time with me and I liked that. My heart would start to go pittypat and I’d like that too. It’s been a long time. But there’s a problem. I go back to Ajijic in two weeks. This is far too new to think about changing my departure date, so I start to feel regret and loss. But I like him. I ask, “Have you ever been to Mexico?” He responds, “Yes, years ago.” He mentions a few beach resorts. I see he’s probably open to the idea of visiting again. I think about suggesting a visit to Guadalajara, but don’t. Too fast, Sandy, too fast. I heard that familiar warning voice: “This could be another mistake. Remember that tee shirt your friends had made for you that last time that read ‘I hope I learned my lesson.’” I decide to take it easy and just focus on our next meeting. I take a look into the future and decide not to rush into things in spite of his eagerness. I feel a bit worried by now about letting this man into my life. Is he in good health? Do I want to start cooking? I don’t really want to get married again and hope he won’t be disappointed when he asks. I manage to pull my attention toward Anne Lamott, who has finished her reading and is answering questions. Soon the MC makes a few closing remarks, we applaud and stand up. I look at him but he has turned away to talk to someone. I stand there briefly and then make my way through the crowd toward the door. When I stop and look back he is nowhere in sight so I go home. Later some people told me that it was one of Anne’s best Sandy Olson evenings.

Saw you in the Ojo 17

Joyful Musings By Joy Birnbach Dunstan MA, LPC, MAC (From the Ojo Archives)

Good Sex is Good for You!

n his book Sexual Healing, Dr. Paul Pearsall, Director of Behavioral Medicine at Detroit’s Beaumont Hospital, writes that the joys and pleasures of intimate loving may provide us with something called an “intimacy inoculation” that actually protects us from disease. When we experience mutually caring sexual intimacy, it can trigger a measurable change in neuro-chemicals and hormones that pour through the body and help promote health and healing. Here’s just a few of the many benefits researchers have identified for an active sex life: Sex relieves stress. Regular sex results in lower blood pressure and overall stress reduction. (Don’t worry if you don’t have a sexual partner: other research shows that even hugs are helpful in lowering blood pressure.) Sex boosts immunity. Having sex once or twice a week has been linked with higher levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin A (IgA), which protects you from getting colds and other infections. Sex burns calories. Thirty minutes of sex burns 85 calories or more. It may not sound like much, but it adds up: a half-hour of sex two to three times a week could easily help you drop two to four pounds a year. Sex improves heart health. While some older folks may worry that the efforts expended during sex could cause a stroke, that’s not so. In one study, researchers found that having sex twice or more a week reduced the risk of fatal heart attack by half for the men, compared with those who had sex less than once a month. Sex boosts self-esteem. Gina Ogden, PhD, sex therapist and marriage and family counselor in Cambridge, Mass., says that “great sex begins with self-esteem and it raises it. If the sex is loving, connected, and what you want, it raises it.” Sex improves intimacy. Research shows that having sex and orgasms increases levels of the hormone oxytocin, the so-called love hormone, which helps

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us bond and build trust. Higher oxytocin has also been linked with a feeling of generosity. So if you’re feeling suddenly more generous toward your partner than usual, credit the love hormone. Sex reduces pain. As the hormone oxytocin surges, endorphins (our body’s natural pain-killer) increase, and pain declines. If your headache or arthritis pain seem to improve after sex, you can thank those higher oxytocin and endorphin levels. Sex reduces prostate cancer risk. One study found that frequent ejaculations, especially in 20-something men, may reduce the risk of prostate cancer by a third. Another study, reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that 21 or more ejaculations a month were linked to lower prostate cancer risk in older men as well, compared with less frequent ejaculations of four to seven monthly. Sex strengthens pelvic floor muscles. For women, doing a few pelvic floor muscle exercises known as Kegels during sex offers a couple of benefits. You will enjoy more pleasure, and you’ll also strengthen the area and help to minimize the risk of incontinence later in life. (To do a basic Kegel exercise, tighten the muscles of your pelvic floor, as if you’re trying to stop the flow of urine. Count to three, then release.) Sex helps you sleep better. The oxytocin released during orgasm also promotes sleep, according to research. And getting enough sleep has been linked with a host of other good things, such as maintaining a healthy weight and blood pressure. So next time your partner is in the mood, don’t say “not now, I’ve got a headache.” Instead, next time you’ve got a headache, cozy up to Joy Birnbach your partner. Dunstan

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COLUMNIST

PROFILING TEPEHUA By Moonyeen King

President of the Board for Tepehua

moonie1935@yahoo.com

une 4/5th,1989, thirty years ago, is the anniversary of the Massacre of 10,000 young students in Tienanmen Square, Beijing, China. May 1989, Martial law was declared in Beijing to quell the rising pro-democratic movement and the protests against the Government for human rights violations. The students from Beijing University and their supporters as well as the rising democratic party were all marching together to make change. All over China students were rebelling and the legitimacy of the Communist parties Government was in question. Foreign Journalists were expelled

from the country and journalists inside the country were censored and still are to this day. Troops 300,000 strong with tanks were sent to Tienanmen Square to control the demonstrations, tanks against stone- throwing students, that came from all over China. Between the 4th and the 5th of June 10,000 students and young supporters lay dead in the square. One photo exposing the atrocity, was smuggled out of China, and caught the imagination of the world, that of a lone man standing in front of a rolling tank and was called the “‘Tank Man.” His fate was never known. Protest leaders and

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pro-democracy activists that survived arrested and sent to jail, others charged with violent crimes against the State were quickly executed. The photograph of the “Tank Man” immortalized what the Chinese call to this day “The incident of June 4th” but ask anyone in China about the ‘incident’ and they have never heard of it. Western countries protested by putting sanctions on China; still others like Cuba praised the strength of the ruling government. This writer had the pleasure prior to the uprising to teach Beijing University Students English-Correspondence, having met the group on the Great Wall of China and spent a wonderful afternoon together on warm beer and soggy sandwiches supplied by the students, and in return it was the English lessons. Once back in Hong Kong the relationship kept going by mail...reading the dreams of young idealists. Until Tienanmen Square, and they were never heard from again. Around the world it has been the youth who have tried to change the injustice and lack of equality and they have all paid a price for it, even those who survive do not see the change in their lifetime, but for each generation after them life gets

a little better for their sacrifice. Recently in Florida there was the ‘March for our Lives’, stemming from the school shooting and students demanding more gun control, those lobbyists at the top were not listening but the rest of the world was. The Civil Rights Movement, one of the greatest in our history...those that died in Selma and those surviving didn’t see the change, but change it did and it still has room for change. Protest over the Vietnam War, where two million young men were drafted and those pacifists behind protested and idealism wasn’t listened to then, either. 282,000 Allies died, and approx. over 200,000 South Vietnamese, plus an untold amount of innocents on both sides of the red line. The writer looks at the emerging children from Tepehua Education program, eyes full of hope, the smog of illiteracy lifted and the ability to dream, dream big! Will they rise up to change their world? Knowledge creates courage, but will they just leave the barrio behind or will they go back to it and force change? Will they see the change? As education takes a hold on the Mexican children, change will surely come. Let us hope they have the courage.

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It’s Not What You Know, It’s... By Tom Nussbaum

“

an, am I glad to see you,” Jake greeted his friend. “I was afraid I was in front of the wrong McDonald’s. There’s like a million on Manhattan.” “Well, I said the one across from Starbucks,” Matt panted as he rushed to Jake’s side. He looked at his friend. “I can’t believe it’s been thirteen years. Thirteen years since college,” Matt pulled Jake into an embrace. “Look at you. You haven’t changed.” “Of course, I’ve changed. I’ve got two kids and a dental practice giving me ulcers. And,” he added with pride, “I’ve overcome my shyness. I’ve developed my social skills. Thanks to you. If

it hadn’t been for you, Matt, I wouldn’t have had a social life in school. You knew everybody.” “I didn’t know everybody,” Matt protested. “But you, my friend, were my sensible rock. You were disciplined. You were stable. I should have learned from you. To this day, I have no stability in my life. I’m ending another marriage and am at my fourth TV station,” Matt said with defeat.“ I thought I’d be more settled by now. No longer a reporter, but an anchor. And in a bigger market than Rochester. I thought I’d be a recognizable television journalist. A star.” “But you are, Matt. In upstate New York.” “Whoopie,” the newsman snorted

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with sarcasm. “Let’s walk,” Jake suggested, “until we find something other than McDonald’s.” “Fine with me.” The friends started walking. “So, you and Emily are on Long Island and both your kids are in school.” Matt paused. “Instagram sure is a Godsend. I wouldn’t have found you without it. I had no idea you were in New York State.” The duo reached the corner. A red light glared at them. Traffic flitted by, roaring obscenities. Jake gazed across the intersection. “Hey, isn’t that the mayor over there? Bill Di Blasio?” Two men, apparent bodyguards, boxed the mayor in as they waited for the light to change. “Who’s he waving to?” “Me, I think,” Matt said. “You? Why?” “I interviewed him a few nights ago.” The signal turned green. The mayor and his entourage neared Matt and Jake. “Good to see you, Matt,” Di Blasio greeted as they passed. “You know the mayor of New York City?” “Yeah,” Matt answered matter-offactly. They reached the end of the block and turned. A limousine pulled into a loading zone ahead of them. Two security men stepped from the vehicle. One opened a curb side door. A man stepped out. “Oh, that’s the governor,” a startled Matt sputtered. “Andrew. Andrew!” “Jeez,” Jake gasped. “I’m looking at Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York State.” “Matty,” the man called in their direction. “How’s it going, my friend?” Matt signaled a thumbs up to the governor. “You know the governor of New York State?” Jake asked with disbelief. “Through work.” “Wow.” Jake thought a moment. “It’s like you still know everyone. Everyone. If they’re important, you know them.” He tilted his head. “But they’re all locally important. Do you know anyone of national importance? Do you know Trump?” “No. Does anyone?” Matt smiled. “But I do know Barack Obama.” “No way, Matt.” “I play golf with him.” “I don’t believe you.” Matt pulled his cell phone from a coat pocket. “Well, I’ll show you,” he said, accepting the unstated dare. He dialed. A moment passed. His eyes widened. “Hi, Mr. President. It’s Matt. Listen, I’ve got an old college friend here, Jake, and he doesn’t believe I know you. Could you say hi to him?” Jake could hear muffled laughter as Matt reached the phone toward him. He took it with trepidation, placed it to

his ear, and said “Hello?” He listened and nodded. “Yes, sir. This is Jake.” He swallowed. “ I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—” Jake returned the phone to Matt with a snap. “He’s eating his lunch. I interrupted his damn lunch!” Matt laughed, took the phone, and replaced it in his pocket. “Well,” Jake exhaled, “you know everybody. But that has to be as high as it goes, the top of the line. I’m impressed.” He chuckled and shook his head. “I know people, too, you know. The West Islip Rotary Club president and I are very close,” he said with exaggerated sarcasm. Matt smirked. “I can go higher than Obama.” “Who’s higher than the president of the US?” Jake stopped and glared at his old friend. “Don’t tell me you’ve gone all religious on me and that you know God.” “No. But I do know the Pope.” “No, you don’t,” Jake challenged. He started walking again. “You report from Rochester, not Rome.” A beat passed before Matt responded. “Care to make this interesting? I’ll make you a bet.” He eyed Jake as his friend stared with skepticism. “We fly to the Vatican. If I know Pope Francis, you pay for the trip. If I don’t know him, I’ll spring for it.” Jake assessed the proposal. “You’re not even Catholic. You’re Lutheran and never go to church. There is no way you know the pope. Deal.” Two Sundays later, as Jake and Matt stood in St. Peter’s Square, amid thousands of pilgrims, they gazed at the small porch from which Pope Francis would give his blessing. Matt looked at his watch. “It’ll be at least twenty minutes, more like thirty before he appears. I’m gonna run to the bathroom.” Matt disappeared in the crowd. Several minutes later, a dark-haired boy, perhaps nine, sidled next to Jake. He stood on tiptoes and craned his neck to see the balcony. He peeked at his watch, then back to the small perch. The boy glanced at Jake and, realizing he was American, used the opportunity to practice his English. “You come see important man?” he asked. “I want see him too.” Perhaps ten minutes later, Pope Francis stepped from the Vatican onto the balcony. A man was with him. It was Matt. Jake stared slack-jawed. The pope raised his arms to bless the crowd. The thousands roared. The young boy tugged at Jake’s sleeve. “Who,” he asked, “is man with Tom Nussbaum Matt?”

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COLUMNIST

By Victoria Schmidt

Daily Conundrums

fter living here a dozen years, there are still things that confuse me about Mexico. For a culture so easy going, why do some things have to be so difficult? Take telephones. If you are new here, you are learning that first you’ll need to have to know if the number you are calling is a landline or a cell phone. If dialing cell-to-cell, you can dial the 10-digit number. If dialing landline to cell, you need to add 045. That’s for local calls. I get confused on long distance calls cell to landline. And the older I get, the more confused I get on international long distance, there are different numbers to dial from Mexico to the USA if you are using a mobile phone than if you are calling from a landline. Oh, and do you realize how many people no longer have landlines? But rumor has it that some of this will change this coming August. I am sure someone will explain it to us. Locks. I quickly learned that there are a lot of locks. The first place we rented had a different key for every single door in the house. I felt like a jailer. And locks here in Mexico, are different. Insert key, turn twice to the right (or left) and we all need to jiggle them. Some of the newer locks are easier. Driving. Last week I saw a car driving down the ciclopista. That is a bike path! But there were also three dogs chasing the car. I was in fear for the life

of the dogs. The driver finally cut off the ciclopista. But this isn’t the first time I’ve seen the ciclopista misused. I’ve seen motorcycles, “quads” and electric carts using it. Yet, even with the beautiful bike path, what I don’t see is bicycles using the path. They are out in the traffic, usually going the wrong direction. We, as drivers, must always be on the lookout for bikes and motorcycles, but it would be really nice if those riders/drivers weren’t weaving in and out of traffic and passing on the wrong side of vehicles that are in the actual driving lane. I had a bicyclist shake his finger at me because he felt he didn’t have enough room as he was illegally passing me on the right (outside of the ciclopista) when a large truck was driving over the everfading center-line. Now, it may seem like I hate driving in Mexico, but I don’t. I enjoy a challenge. And I also enjoy how polite other drivers are compared to my native Minnesota. Here, people actually will allow you into traffic even when there is a very long line. In Minnesota, we had to put lights everywhere…even in the merge lanes because many of the drivers had a “This is MY spot and NO ONE will be allowed to cut in front of me” attitude. I feel I can point this out as a former member of this club. One thing I noticed, and loved, when I first came to Mexico, are the laws about trees. Trees are good. Trees make oxygen. Trees give shade. But has anyone in the Mexican government and businesses ever thought of how many trees are needed to produce all the paperwork they require? Copies of birth certificates, marriage licenses, utility bills, CURP cards, Passports, visas are needed for anything official. For me the strangest was not one, not two, but three letters of recommendation for a Permanente resident to get a contract on a phone for 18 months that was being paid for by credit card. Really? Victoria Schmidt

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The Burial By Herbert W. Piekow

oña Maria de la Luz Rojas Mercado de Ramirez died Tuesday; because she was not embalmed she was buried the following day. All ten of her surviving children and numerous grandchildren arrived for the viewing. Most of her progeny reside in various parts of the US; only three of her children live in Guadalajara. The ninety-year-old matriarch of this prodigious clan was prepared for her death spiritually, mentally and physically. Although the notice of her demise was expected, the pain and sorrow of her passing was not lessened. The funeral bus to transport some family and friends departed the mortuary at exactly noon. The procession of cars following the hearse was long and slow. The funeral cortege passed by the home of Doña Luz so that the neighbors who were unable to attend the graveside services could wave goodbye. We arrived at the cemetery an hour after leaving the mortuary. The Pantheon Guadalajara covers approximately ten square city blocks. A five-piece mariachi band played quiet, but familiar music while we gathered at the entry gates. Leading the procession of mourners, the mariachi began to process up the cobbled road as several of Doña Luz`s grandchildren, took turns carrying the polished mahogany coffin, while we mourners shuffled along the rocky road, while dust rose like beige talc. The mariachi continued to play their music which now sounded like a dirge. “Oh, my god, I shall never see you again,” wailed an eighty-six-year old sister, herself being supported by two of her adult children. A thin layer of grit covered each of us as we continued to march zombie-like up the cobbled roadway while the mariachi played. At last, the group of mourners arrived, and we formed ourselves in a semi-circle and stared at the open grave. The mariachi assembled at the head and played another

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mournful tune. Two open-sided white tarps shaded the grave; we mourners were left to lean against tombstones, while a few women produced umbrellas to provide a minimum of relief from the scorching heat of the sun. Like an apparition, an elderly woman with a black mantilla cascading from the crown of her head and covering her face began to lead the assembly in praying the Rosary. The mariachi provided comforting background music. Carmen, who had taken care of her mother, rushed to the now opened coffin; her words flowed with sincerity as she thanked her mother for being the guide of the family and especially for giving her the honor to hold their mother when she drew her final breath. Carmen´s three adult children went to the side of their grieving mother, while the mariachi played. The children began to massage their mother´s neck with rubbing alcohol and splashed bottled water on their fainting mother´s face. From across the grave a niece pushed her way to the coffin crying in a loud voice, “Perdoname, tia, por haberte hecho sentir mal.” As the adult niece petitioned for forgiveness the mariachi fell silent and our attention was shifted to a grandson, the size of a gorilla, a tattoo of rattlesnake fangs open and ready to strike wound its way down the bulging bicep of his right arm as he stormed over to the gravediggers who were playing cards. A few well-spoken words and respect was restored. The mariachi picked up where they left off and a swirl of ghost dust rose from the dry ground. As Doña Luz´s coffin disappeared into the dry earth alongside her husband and a son, the mariachi played the last mournful tune, “Hay que morir para vivir.” (We need to die so Herbert W. that we may live.) Piekow

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PAY IT FORWARD By Sue Schools

“

indy, I’m in the lunch room at work and need to talk to you a few minutes,” Lucy whispered into the phone. “Sure, what’s up?” “You’ve known Bill and me for a few years but there’s something I’ve never told anyone. For the seventeen years we’ve been married Bill has abused me physically but especially mentally.” “Oh, God, Lucy, I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?” That’s what people say, right? Little did I know … “Well, I hate to ask but I know you live alone with your Doberman and I wondered if I could stay with you for awhile while I try to start my life over.” “Uh, I guess so. When are you thinking of moving?” “I’m planning to leave for work on Friday morning with the clothes on my back, maybe a few cosmetics and never return to him again. I’ll call in sick and disconnect my cell phone. I should probably go to the bank and withdraw enough cash to last awhile and then meet with a lawyer next week.” I agreed to her plans and even hung black sheets over the windows at the front of my house, letting her park her sedan in my garage. And we developed a routine of coming home from work, drinking some wine and me listening to her horrors while I prepared modest meals. And I turned over in bed when I heard her nightmare moans from the other bedroom ... and tried to ignore

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her bathroom illnesses resulting from her stress. And I didn’t point out her paleness or listless hair and gnawed fingernails. And then I listened some more. In our three months together, she lost almost 40 pounds (not my cooking, please) and I seemed to grow heavier from taking on her burdens. I seemed to absorb her pain without my own outlet. And then the magical moment came when she announced she had found a studio apartment close to her job. I was relieved to see her go, proud to see her taking her first independent steps and a little sad too at losing her sister-ship. We kept in touch but it was difficult for her to make decisions after being controlled for so long. It was also tough for her to be proud of her new body and hairstyle. She did begin to laugh again and I could detect a beginning of hope. Ironically she hooked up with another mutual friend who was going through a disheartening divorce and when I saw them together at a local bar with his head hanging to his chest, blinking back tears, I told her he was a loser and not to waste her time. But years later when I was her Matron of Honor at their Las Vegas wedding, she confessed that she treated Nick the same way I had treated her. Listening, absorbing and hoping. It also turned out that Nick was a millionaire and she was able to retire and cook his dinners.

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Sandy Olson

Phone: 331-283-8529 Email: sandyzihua@hotmail.com

OPEN CIRCLE Sunday morning finds Lakeside residents at the Lake Chapala Society and Open Circle, a forum on a variety of stimulating topics. A social hour with coffee and snacks at 10 am is followed by an interesting lecture and discussion at 10:30. June 9 Alzheimer’s Disease: Keep Listening, Keep Talking Presented by Kassandra A. King, BA, NHA, RCFE She shares timeless tips and guidance about the importance of continued engagement with patients with Alzheimer’s disease. At times we may respond to our beloved with frustration or not at all. How do we restore our interactive energy? Previously unheard stories from our partners, parents, or best friends can surface as mental shifts occur. To alter the conversation experience, the key is to ask the right questions and be prepared for pleasant or Kassandra A. King perhaps not so pleasant surprises. Kassandra King is a “recovering nursing home administrator.” She has established permanent residency in Mexico and created Mira Soul Center to provide dementia education. June 16 Andrés Manuel López Obrador: His First 6 Months as Mexico’s President Presented by Ambassador Carlos Gonzalez-Magallon AMLO was swept into the presidency of Mexico by a wave of outrage brought on by two main issues: security problems and corruption. Often labeled as a populist, he earned the presidency by addressing these key issues during the campaign. For instance, he promised to diminish corruption and to reduce violence during his first three years in office. On the economic front, he promised to put an end to “neoliberalism” and replace it with economic policies that would redress economic and social disparities. His all out attack on neoliberalism created anxiety among domestic and international investors that was somewhat diminished when he appointed capable and orthodox officials to run the economy. In short order he was able to push through Congress the adoption of the National Guard, his main instrument to tackle security problems. At this point it is too soon to guess whether he will succeed against the formidable challenges that lie ahead. Carlos Gonzalez-Magallon served in the US consulates of St. Louis, Albuquerque, Nogales, and Houston. He was a Mexican delegate to the United Nations and a junior officer to the Mexican Embassy in Washington, DC. He also served in Colombia and Greece, was Ambassador to Yugoslavia and New Zealand, and was Mexican Consul in Osaka, Japan. June 23 Revisiting the Dead Sea Scrolls Presented by Susana M. Allen Some Bedouin shepherds 71 years ago threw rocks up into caves in Qumran, Israel, when they were looking for a lost goat. They hit some earthen jars containing a treasure of scrolls dating back more than 2000 years. Susana Allen became interested in the Dead Sea Scrolls when she toured Israel in 2009. Since then she has studied their history and researched them through findings of Hebrew scholars and archaeologists. She will be discussing two stories left out of the Old Testament that she obtained from “Testaments of the PatriSusana Allen

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archs,” one of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Susana and her husband, Paul Allen, are ordained ministers and together they started several churches and ministries in Texas. More recently they co-founded Home Church International with groups around the world. Her ebook, And Your House, is on Amazon.com. June 30 The European Union: Update 2019 Presented by Karl Homann The EU was not created for economic reasons but rather to achieve lasting peace among its neighbors. Yet with over 500,000,000 inhabitants and an annual GDP of 16,905,620 billion USD, the EU represents the largest economy of the world. In 60 plus years it has achieved much: peace among European neighbors; the political, social and economic transformation of 13 former dictatorships; strong support for democracy and human rights across Europe and beyond; and increases in living standards. Nevertheless, the EU also faces challenges, such as Brexit, migration, tribalism and populist disinformation. Karl will argue that the future of Europe will be built by the patient application of democratic methods, a constructive spirit of agreement, and by respect for freedom. Karl Homann, born in Germany, left his native land at the age of 20 and eventually settled in Canada, where he taught English composition and literature for 30 years. After his retirement about 10 years ago, he moved to Lakeside. July 7 Encore! Encore! Presented by Lila Wells Back by popular demand, Lila will reprise last year’s performance of Dave Eggers’ “first person” account of the life of Steven, the Fast-Fast Dog. If you missed it last year, you won’t want to miss it again. To round out the program, Lila will read from the essays of E. B. White, who wrote over 1,800 mostly humorous pieces for The New Yorker magazine from 1925-1976. He is also the much loved author of the children’s classic, Charlotte’s Web. Lila has been involved in theatre for over 50 years. Since coming to Lakeside in 2015, she has performed at Lakeside Little Theatre (Nunsense), but has given most of her time to The Naked Stage and The Bare Stage Reader Theatres. She is currently writing with a group of local playwrights in preparation for the Lake Chapala 10-Minute-Play Festival, scheduled for 2020 at Lakeside Little Theatre. TEQUILA SHOTS AND MOM

Some 18 members of Rotary Club of Ajijic and friends boarded a van and drove to Tequila this Mothers Day (a coincidence, we think), where they toured Tres Mujeres distillery, one of the largest in Mexico. The trip included tequila tastings, a buffet lunch, and mariachi serenades. Later the group went to downtown Tequila, a Puebla Magica, for shopping and sightseeing. The trip was planned and led by Dr. Cherry Adjchavanich, Director of Membership, Rotary Club of Ajijic. These Rotary outings are open to the public. For information on the next one, contact Dr. Cherry at chapalameddra.cherry@gmail.com. LLT NEW SEASON We hear from Lakeside Little Theatre about Season 55. It starts a bit later, on November 8, on account of construction and revision activities. Here is the lineup, plot descriptions and starting dates: Lunenburg, comedy/drama by Norm Foster. November 8-17 American widow Iris Oulette has inherited a home in Nova Scotia from her recently deceased husband. Surprisingly, it is a home Iris knew nothing about. So she and her best friend Natalie travel to Lunenburg to see the home and to find out as much as she

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can about her husband’s mysterious dealings in the lovely coastal village. What follows is a series of twists and turns and a meeting with a winsome neighbor named Charlie. The Real Inspector Hound and After Magritte, two comedies by Tom Stoppard. December 6-15 1) The Real Inspector Hound weaves together parody, pastiche and punning to create an entertaining and ingenious one act comedy. The play is about two theatre critics, Moon and Birdboot, who are watching a ludicrous setup of a country house murder mystery. 2) After Magritte centers around Harris, his mother and his wife. Enters the forceful inspector from Scotland Yard with his constable. The offers place the three under arrest. It is not clear why: something about a parked car, a bunch of .22 calibre shells in the wastebasket and a robbery of the box office of a minstrel show. 20th Century Blues, comedy/drama by Susan Miller. January 17-26 Four young women, Danny, Sil, Mac and Gabby met in lockup. Danny, a photographer, took a behind bars snapshot and for the next four decades she reconvened the women for annual portraits. Along the way the women had children and shed lovers, earned degrees and fought for stature. Their faces changed, their minds and hearts altered less. Now the Museum of Modern Art has offered Danny a retrospective, and she wants to show the photos. My Fair Lady, musical by Lerner & Loewe. February 21-March 3 Professor and confirmed bachelor Henry Higgins makes a bet with his linguistic colleague Colonel Pickering that in six months he can pass off “guttersnipe” Eliza Doolittle as a duchess at an embassy ball. (Note: LLT is still waiting for rights approval to stage the play). The Actress, romantic comedy by Peter Quilter. March 27-April 5 The famous Lydia Martin sweeps in for the final performance of her long and glittering career. Around her in her dressing room are her dresser, her agent, her daughter, her ex-husband, her new fiancé and the company manager, bringing in them a flurry of goodbyes, tears, insults, laughs, recriminations, kisses and regrets. Ticket prices are $300 for regular shows, and $350 for My Fair Lady. The price of this year’s season ticket will be $1300 for five shows, including a $300 theatre membership. Starting this year, you can now pay for show or season tickets (at the Box Office only) by credit or debit card. For season tickets, check tickets@lakesidelittletheatre.com and www.lakesidelittletheatre.com for information. A date, time and place for Season 55 Season Ticket sales will be announced closer to LLT’s reopening, possibly in September. SECRETS AND CONFESSIONS The Ladies Foursome by Norm Foster is the June Bare Stage production. It’s directed by Don Chaloner and runs June 28, 29 and 30. The plot: The day after their friend Catherine’s funeral, Margot, Tate, and Connie gather for a round of golf in honor of their recently departed fourth. At the golf course they are joined by another woman, an old The Cast: Center, Don Chaloner, Direcfriend of Catherine’s tor. Left to right, Anne Drake, Lila Wells and they’d never met. Peggy Chilton. Missing: Kathleen Morris Over the course of eighteen holes, secrets and confessions unravel as the women discuss love, sex, children, and everything in between. The theatre is at Hidalgo #261 on the mountain side of the carretera in Riberas del Pilar, across from the Catholic Church. Parking is available in the parking lot of the Baptist Church, behind the theater. Donation is $100. The Box Office and bar open at 3 pm. Show time is 4 pm. Reservations are by email at: barestagetheatre2018@gmail.com. Seats are held until 3:50 pm. For those who use Facebook, look for Bare Stage Theatre 2018 for breaking news and updates.

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REMEMBER THE 60s? The Freedom Chorale now offers a weekly “60s Sing” for attendees at Lakeside Pres-

Some of the singers, left to right: Mimi Hanes, Sue Hoffman, Diana Laris, Amy Friend, Dave Salyers, Director Cindy Paul byterian’s ongoing “Drop-in Tuesdays” 1-4p m free event. This is a super-casual, superfun time featuring a singalong with a live guitar and lyrics for all your favorite 60s tunes, followed by free snacks and games. Everyone is invited, so check it out any Tuesday. Director Cindy Paul says, “You’ll make some friends and walk out with a smile on your face and dozens of songs in your heart... and it’s free!” Info: ChapalaFreedomChorale@gmail.com SHUT UP & WRITE That does sound a little rude but aspiring writers who need a strong nudge to actually write something may profit by attending meetings of Shut Up & Write, Chapter #77, Guadalajara and Lake Chapala, a worldwide phenomenon that has over 100 chapters globally. Joanne Babiak, Queen D. Michele and Ron E. Armstrong are co-organizers who welcome new members to the core group that meets every Thursday from 1 pm to 3 pm at Casa Libertad in San Antonio. Joanne says, “We start with a short meet and greet with introductions (and coffee and snacks orders) followed by two or three timed, uninterrupted 25 minute sessions of writing. Sharing is optional.” So now you know where to go if you want to shut up and start writing! IS THIS OMINOUS, OR WHAT? We do wonder what the management of the new apartment complex near Laguna

Plaza was thinking when they came up with this sales pitch! FERIA MAESTRO DEL ARTE It’s not too soon to think about the 18th Annual Feria Maestro del Arte, held on November 8-10 at the Chapala Yacht Club. Returning and new artists from all over Mexico will demonstrate and sell their works. Buyers also travel from all over Mexico; we are lucky to have such an important event here at Lakeside. Here is a piece created by new to the Feria artist Edgar Trejo Perez, who works in amate (handmade paper) Making amate has been in Edgar’s family for generations. The paper comes from the bark of the jonote tree, soaked in a hot water bath with natural dyes. Later the pulp strips are hammered with a flat stone until they hold their form.

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Stardust Falls On Lakeside By John Ward

he shines like the star she is, secretly and humbly. I say secretly, because most people know nothing of her background and humbly because she is humble and unassuming about her talent. She takes the stage and the audience’s attention with a graceful ease, seen only on Broadway, La Scala, Teatro Colon and venues of that quality, yet she lives among us. We have the privilege of seeing her perform locally every now and again at The Lakeside Little Theatre, The Spotlight, Teatro de la Ribera, etc. Who is this, you might ask? She comes from humble beginnings – Goshen, Indiana where she attended Goshen High and where her natural talent was first noticed. Born on the 30th of November, little Kristine was called “Twinkle Toes” by her father because she was always singing and dancing. Her mother was a journalist, just like her Grandmother had been and Kristine was a voracious reader, reading every novel, autobiography and tabloid in the house. Unfortunately, her family life was not happy. Her mother left home when Kristine was in Junior High and she was left to be raised by a strict father. She joined a chorus and the director saw potential immediately. It was a time when teachers truly cared and the director drove to Kristine’s home to speak with her father. She explained that his daughter should be given opera lessons. Her father got Kristine lessons from a voice coach in Chicago. The lessons didn’t last long as her father didn’t think they were important, but between those lessons and the help of her older sister Kim, Kristine advanced her interest in performance dramatically. Kim, Kristine’s sister, graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts

Kristine Moily in New York and helped her sister to flourish. They were both State competitors in the National Forensic League, often winning in Dramatic Interpretation. Soon, with the help of Kim’s friend Jan Thomas, who mentored and encouraged Kristine and drove her to each competition, Kristine won so many awards she couldn’t count them all. In her eternal search for a stable family life and encouraged by her sister, Kristine joined the Covenant Players, a Christian group of actors with cult-like devotion to their owner Charles Tanner. Tanner wrote, produced and directed all the plays and vignettes they offered as they travelled around the country proselytizing. $200 covered your entry and tuition with the Covenant Players. After a month of training, they traveled the country—“spreading the word.” During one of these trips to spread the word, 18-year-old Kristine was driving one of the church vans. Having driven all day, she was exhausted when they reached Mississippi. One of the other players took over the driving and soon flipped the van. Another actor died as a result and Kristine was broken like a porcelain doll. She spent three days in a coma in hospital where they discovered

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she had eleven fractures in her pelvic girdle, a distorted coccyx, cracked ribs (one piercing her lung), a compound fracture of her left arm and an undiscovered fracture of the C6 vertebra in her neck. It was only much later, after many years of unexplained headaches, while traveling in France, that the fracture was discovered. At the time of the accident it seemed 18-year-old Kristine would never walk properly, let alone dance, act and perform. Fortunately, her sister Kim, who was living in San Francisco at the time, took her in and nursed her back to health. It was at this time she met her first husband. The marriage was happy and, miraculously, produced three children, despite the previously shattered girdle. In Concord, California, Kristine found and joined a non-denominational church which also helped her to recover from the trauma of that accident. She joined a singing group called “Worship Team” and got back into singing. Liana, a friend, helped Kristine re-enter the theatre and Kristine began to act again. This developed into a dinner theatre and they put on Christian Musicals. The minister, Rich Beckenhaur, left for the East Coast and Kristine became the Drama Minister of the church for four years, writing and directing “playlets” for monthly sermons. Subsequently Kristine left the church to perform in Regional Theatre with The Willows, a professional theatre company and The Dean Lesher Center for the Arts as well as California Theater Arts. In the 1990s, she joined the John Mendelssohn Comedy Group called The Spandex Amazons. John, Fred Bald and Kristine played the San Francisco Bay Area comedy clubs after which Kristine moved to the Tri-Valley Repertoire, where she met her second husband, Darius Moily. At the time, she was performing in Once Upon a Mattress as “Lady Roweena” and as a principal dancer for the Theatre. The couple honey-mooned in Cancun and fell in love with Mexico. Darius’ cousin suggested they look at the Lake Chapala area and when they did, in No-

vember 2007, they were sold. Kristine and Darius Moily moved to Lakeside and, because talent is a hard thing to subdue, Kristine was soon involved in local performances. Her first audition for Laura was unsuccessful. However, following that casting faux pas, she played “Grace” in Little Mary Sunshine, followed by “Bianca” in Kiss Me Kate. Later, she performed in The Hollow, Mousetrap, and the rapidly compiled Extravaganza at Bravo Theatre. She was in Nunsense as a last minute replacement for the lead, Peggy Lord Chilton, who broke her knee, performing Peggy’s song and dance numbers as “Sister Mary Sunshine.” After that Kristine starred in Chicago at Lakeside Little Theatre. She was a Founding Board Member of The Naked Stage where she directed several plays. She produced, directed and performed in the Spotlight Fundraiser called The Miracle Mac Review to help with Crooner Mac Morrison’s heart operation expenses. Recently, she starred as “Charity” in Sweet Charity Sand in the late Mark Boyer’s play trilogy, You Don’t Know Me. In addition to all this theatrical activity, Kristine joined Los Cantantes and went on tour with the singing group to Cuba as one of two soloists. Kristine loves musicals of every sort, loves the theatre, especially community theatre with its spirit of diverse multiculturalism. She is definitely going to produce and direct another cabaret show in the near future and she intends to write a musical play called Divas. (I am not going to give any spoiler alerts as to its structure and content, so forget that.) We are lucky to have Kristine in our community. She is a beautiful, talented and positive contributor to our lifestyle and entertainment. I consider myself lucky to have her as a friend, as well and will always have a chilled bottle of Chardonnay specifically for her any time she decides to visit. John Ward

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Me And Momma By Sydney Gay

“Strike The Tiger In Both Ears”

y Momma was no fool. She was a Baptist dance teacher who loved the Lord. After she died, five hundred students attended the funeral. When she was seventy-two-years old, a Chinese student of the Tao introduced Momma to Qigong and Tai Chi, mastery of body and mind. Tai Chi has great depth and good humor, and to Momma it was a dance of many steps with strange names. For example, Strike The Tiger begins as you imagine you are a warrior who sees obstacles, acknowledges them, then dances through or around them by striking the tiger’s right ear with one fist, striking the tiger’s left ear with the other fist, rotating slowly in the opposite direction, suddenly striking tiger’s head with both fists; this aroused Momma’s competitive edge, made her feel she could conquer anything. As Momma qigong’d and tai chi’d, her energy blossomed like a symphony; before, this life seemed one-dimensional compared to the new way she moved through the world, every day revealed deeper higher awareness of colors and sound, she could see the colors with her eyes shut, she could feel color dancing through her body, teaching students to foxtrot, waltz and tango was profitable but she was losing interest. Adding Qi Gong to what she understood of Christian psychology might not agree with everyone, but in Mom-

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ma’s opinion learning the laws of the universe, learning to move thought at divine levels of energy was the Chinese version of the holy bible This much I know to be true: I was affected by the change in my Momma, at age seventy- five, she was a shining star, love flowed through her pores, when she’d walk into church on Sunday, people stopped and stared. She lit up the room. So, what was this all about? Why did she feel so wonderful? After she passed away, I began attending the qigong and tai chi class Randy and Alice teach at El Parque here at Lakeside. The first class was a mystery. Alice explained imagine your hands are holding a ball of energy, move the ball, make it big, make it small; three times a week I made big and small balls. Guided by Alice and Randy the entire class played with the imagined ball in extremely focused states of mind, as we felt energy move, expand, contract and began to see things we had not noticed before. To this we added Tai Chi steps, “Strike the tiger in the ears, repel the monkey, scoop the sea bottom, stand like storks, stretch your wings.” Today, at the end of each class, twenty smiling faces celebrate feeling good. Some of us will soon be ninety years old. Sydney Gay

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COLUMNIST

Life Askew* By Julia Galosy

Deep Learning

s many of you likely know, Deep Learning is a term from artificial intelligence (AI). It means mining data in such depth that the results are the creation of neural networks to tackle complex problems. Although Deep Learning comes from technology it might serve as a metaphor for improving human relationships? Consider an interaction that does not employ Deep Learning. The partners are having a discussion or, if levels of emotions are in play then, a disagreement or a fight. One partner “listens” to the other. This “listening” could be waiting for a chance to talk. Or, it could be laying in wait to capture data that will support an already-formulated opinion. Or, it could be listening to assign a label. These are very typical underlying patterns during discussions. They serve to end the dis-

cussion. In these types of interactions you will hear statements such as: “You are a control freak.” “You always have to be right.” “You do all of the talking.” Those are judgments and labels which benefit no one. These comments serve well if the outcome desired is to create defensiveness. They are based on a competitive stance where one will win and the other will lose. What they don’t serve is to foster understanding or learning. The “listening” partner has labelled the other person and assigned motivations to that person which may be the polar opposite of what that person was

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actually thinking or feeling. Worse, the “listening” partner is sure he is right and is smug and self-satisfied in his ability to assess the situation. He never checks back with his partner to see if his assessment is anywhere near accurate. He then acts on his assessment with impunity. If his partner is doing the same then there has been no growth at all in the interchange. Worse, it is nearly impossible to reach any agreements. When the conversation stops, that does not mean that agreement has been reached; it is just stalemate. Now let’s look at our Deep Learning analogy. Deep Learning includes layer on layer of digging for information until there is no more data to be found, processing that information to insure understanding, and adding it to the problem at hand to inform the decision- making process. Our Deep Learning partners will begin by expending inordinate amounts of energy listening for understanding. This is highly interactive listening within which the listener asks multiple questions designed solely to dig deeper and deeper into the perspective of the other person. Its sole purpose is to understand, not to judge or label. The listener has not even begun to formulate his perspective because as he excavates his partner’s viewpoint, his is undergoing changes influ-

enced by this evolving new information. Only when he is absolutely clear about his partner’s perspective does he begin to share his own. No motivations have been assigned, and no labels have been attached. Now he begins his own explanation and his partner will ask questions solely to understand. Again there are no labels, nor assigning of motives. After this interactive interchange there is a renewed understanding of the viewpoints of each of the partners and the discussion can continue to resolution. By far the lion’s share of time during the exchange is spent in listening to understand the other. Patience and a true interest in the other person are the chief attributes that each partner must have to succeed in the Deep Learning relationship. There is no room here for competition. *Ed. Note: This is a new column, the first we have taken on in quite a while. Ms. Galosy has a Ph.D. in Organization Psychology, and is currently a professor online at GlobalNxt in Kuala Lumpur, and Management Center, Innsbruck, Austria, residence and online. Welcome to the Ojo, Julia! Julia Galosy

Saw you in the Ojo 41

MARIA CALLAS: A Greek Tragedy By Robert James Taylor

he was recognized as the greatest operatic singer of the 20th Century, idolized all over the world; the ultimate diva whose artistry took her to heights of genius never seen before, and yet before her death in 1977 she would suffer humiliation, neglect, exploitation and finally abandonment. Born in 1923, in New York, already the prospect of a loving childhood was grim: her mother wanted a boy to follow an elder sister, she would not embrace her baby for days. Maria would have a troubled relationship with her mother throughout her life- it was not long after that the family broke up and Maria returned to Greece, her native country, with her mother and elder sister.

During her early teenage years Maria’s voice had already manifested itself and her mother, sensing some future accomplishment, that would benefit her, found a local instructor, with whom Maria spent two years, and later, a new tutor, Spanish soprano Elvira de Hidalgo who would have the greatest influence on Maria whose voice was described by Hidalgo as phenomenal. In time Maria was performing at the Greek National Opera. Maria was then a heavy set woman, not unusual for operatic singers at the time; even finding suitable dresses for her stage appearances was a challenge. Maria Callas’s career rise was meteoric, she was now singing in Italy, whose audiences were amazed at this ‘bel canto’ voice and her persona. Enter Giovanni Meneghini, a short, paunchy successful businessman from Verona, who courted Maria after their first introduction and later marriage followed: he would become her business manager and would accompany her on all her recitals from thereon. Not long after, Maria Callas would transform herself—losing eighty pounds, the butterfly would emerge from the cocoon, she had streamlined her figure, changed her hair styles often, wore resplendent gowns – she had reinvented herself. She would be referred to as the‘La Divina,’ sought by the most famous opera houses in the world. Her absolute dedication to perfection, her

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unbridled discipline, her strict unyielding insistence on delivering what the composer had intended, all these characteristics would create the legend. However, she had suffered crippling insecurities for many years, and now her marriage was faltering: her relationship with Meneghini was sexless, and Maria knew that he had been siphoning off her money for his own gain. The marriage ended in divorce filed in Greece later. In 1957, while still married, Maria was introduced to Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. Onassis, a serial womanizer, was obsessed with power and those who had it. He seduced not just for pleasure, but for worldly gain; famous women were his trophies, and his desire to have Maria Callas as his latest prize, soon became public. He invited the Meneghinis to his private yacht, the famous luxurious ‘Christina’, and during the Mediterranean cruise, the world’s most famous two Greeks began an affair in the presence of their spouses. This would be the beginning of the end of Maria’s greatest years. She had dedicated her life to reaching the pinnacle of her artistry, and now that was jeopardized—the attraction of high life and society were now open to her. The Onassis /Callas affair was widely publicized; magazines, tabloids had a field day. Maria felt loved for the first time in her life. It would not last long. By 1966, after the assassination of JFK, Onassis was making secret trips to New York. Jackie Kennedy would entertain him in her New York apartment; the attraction for each was simple: she wanted the security for her family which his wealth could provide, and he wanted to make inroads into the Washington establishment, which he mistakenly thought Jackie could provide. This betrayal left Maria Callas inconsolable, despondent, and grief stricken; she was heartbroken when she heard the news of their marriage, retreated to her Parisian apartment, and became reclusive to many of her friends. Onassis, the love of her life, had deceived her. Within months, the Onassis/Kennedy marriage collapsed. Onassis returned to Paris and Maria took him back, but the union was soon thwarted after Onassis’s son was killed in a plane crash and the billionaire spiraled down into a great depression from which he never recovered. He died in 1975. (Jackie Kennedy received 150 million from his estate, Maria received nothing.) In 1974, Callas tried to make a comeback, but the voice was gone: her final recital was in Japan; her career as the greatest soprano lasted just over thirty years. For the next three years, she stayed alone in her Paris apartment being cared for by her two loyal servants. At this time Vasso Devetzi, a Greek

pianist, entered the scene: she had insinuated herself into the confidence of Maria, and took charge of filling prescriptions for Maria’s sleeping pills, a move the servants objected to, but with her dominant personality Devetzi more or less took over control of the Callas household. She would flatter Maria often, slowly endearing herself more and more into Maria’s trust. It became known later that this was a Machiavellian move on her part: at this point Maria’s health was such that she either did not care or was unaware of what was happening to her. Maria would slowly sink into a state of despondency, forlorn hope and bitterness; she was by then addicted to sleeping pills. On September 16th 1977, Maria’s servants found her on the bathroom floor. A doctor was called, but she was dead minutes later. Callas was 53 years old. Devetzi soon appeared on the scene and when the doctor asked who was the next of kin, Devetzi replied “There is no next of kin. I am Madame Callas’s executor.” None of these statements were true, for Maria’s mother and sister were still alive. At the funeral, after the coffin was placed in the hearse to be taken for a private burial, the hearse actually took Maria’s body to its cremation. This hasty decision, planned by Devezti, raised serious questions, because she had allowed no one to be consulted. Cremation was not the normal course of the Greek Orthodox Church. Doctors later agreed that Maria had not died of a heart attack, as initially believed, and with no autopsy, her death is still shrouded in mystery. Franco Zeffirelli, the renowned operatic director and close friend to Maria always believed she was poisoned. The vultures appeared on the scene. Maria’s first husband Meneghini now stated that their Greek divorce was not recognized by the Italian court and he therefore was entitled to her estate. In the end, after legal wrangling and bickering with Devetzi, Meneghini settled for half of the estate, with the rest going to the Maria Callas Foundation– another spurious scheme devised by Devetzi, but it was phony. She would deceive the Callas family by stealing two million dollars from the so-called Foundation. She had duped the family and gotten away with it. She died not long afterward, taking her secrets with her. At the end of Tosca, in one of her most famous arias, Maria sings the words “I lived for art, I loved for love…In this hour of pain, Why, Oh, Lord, do you repay Robert James me thus?” Taylor

Saw you in the Ojo 43

PARACHO

—The Guitar Capital of Mexico By Ralph F. Graves

ew will argue that Mexico would be quite the same without its guitars: Mariachis with their lively ranchero renderings, strolling folk singers ready to burst into song at the drop of a few pesos, even local Romeos serenading their favorite senoritas-all rely on the guitar to enhance their performances. And, very likely, the guitar they rely upon was made in the Michoacan village of Paracho. Surrounded by pine clad mountains, Paracho lies in the heart of Tarascan Indian country. Long before the Spanish conquest, the Tarascans were noted for their skills in crafting wood, copper and

pottery; and even then Paracho was an important center for the manufacturing of drums, flutes, whistles and other instruments they traded to the Aztecs. The very name Paracho means, in the Tarascan language, “home of the instrument makers.” The modern craft of guitar making here had its origins in the vocational schools founded by the 16th century bishop, Vasco de Quiroga, who had designated different crafts for the various Tarascan villages. Paracho was assigned guitars, with the classic Spanish-type guitar serving as a model. For generations the training and

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skills acquired in the colonial schools were handed down from father to son, along with the rudimentary tools used in the manufacturing process. Today, Paracho produces not only the familiar 6 and 7-string guitars, but violins, cellos, bass guitars, and the small, highpitched guitars called requintos. Well over three-quarters of all the guitars produced in Mexico are made here, with something like 60% of the population engaged in some aspect of their manufacture and sale. Paracho’s main street demonstrates the predominance of this industry. Varied displays of guitars and other stringed instruments of all sizes beckon from the windows of retail stores, while numerous small workshops lining both sides of the street proudly display samples of their wares. One such place is the shop of Luis Silva, the Aguila Real (the Royal Eagle). Luis, now in semi-retirement, leaves the day- to-day operations to his sons, Juan and Francisco. As one enters the shop, finished guitars hang from the ceiling. Wood shavings carpet the floor. Shells of future instruments are fined up, bound in heavy twine to hold them together while the glue sets. Others, in various stages of production, are carefully hung against the walls. At the workbench, the Silva brothers are busily shaping, sanding and gluing the wood that will become the famed Paracho guitars. The Silvas proudly specialize in the finer instruments-those used by professional and concert guitarists. “Fine guitars take as long as a month to complete, as opposed to just a few days for a guitarra corriente,” explains Francisco. “But of course that does not include the aging and treating of the woods, which by itself can take as long as five months. Different types of wood are used for various parts of the guitar, and each type has an effect on the quality.” Although the forests surrounding Paracho yield an ample supply of oak, cedar, magnolia and rosewood—all

of which are used in various parts of the finished instruments—the Silvas import some of their wood from as far away as Brazil and Australia. Francisco Silva explains that other factors, as well, are responsible for the overall quality and tone of the finished product. For instance, the thickness of the wood used in the body will affect the vibration and depth of tone. The methods used in gluing, even the number of coats of varnish, determine the instrument’s ability to retain its tone, regardless of changes in weather and humidity. Yet with the growing popularity in Mexico of rock groups and their electronic instruments, one would imagine that the acoustical guitar business might be on the wane. “Not so,” says Juan Silva. “The acoustic guitar is still the single most popular instrument in all Mexico. Almost anyone can learn to play it, and you can take it anywhere. You don’t have to worry about finding an electrical outlet, or carrying along a lot of speakers, or learning how to adjust the electronic equipment. Besides, I do not know of anyone who doesn’t love to hear a wellplayed acoustic guitar.” The state government has invested many millions of pesos in the local industry; yet guitar-making in Paracho remains essentially a family affair. For those interested in seeing work in progress, a polite inquiry at any of the small shops should elicit a friendly welcome. An ideal time to visit Paracho is during the Annual Guitar Fair in August, when the village is filled with musicians, tourists, dealers and retailers—all shopping for the treasured Paracho guitars. The village is easily accessible from Uruapan, lying 35 kilometers north of the city, via Highway 37. It can also be reached from Morelia or Guadalajara by taking Highway 15 to the town of Carapan, and turning south on Highway 37 for about forty kilometers. The nearest overnight accommodations are in the city of Uruapan.

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Why I Love My Ex-Pat Life By Natalie Speakman

hen I was younger, travel abroad was something that rarely crossed my mind, but when it did, I’d immediately toss the idea out. It was just too expensive. The thought of actually living overseas was like pondering living on the moon. Impossible, so it never entered my scope of awareness. Back then, the one place I wanted to go was Greece, but I didn’t even tell myself “One day I’ll go…” because I didn’t think the day would come that I could afford it. I left my home country the first time at age thirty. My husband and I spent our honeymoon in Italy and Switzerland. We came home, and I put my

passport away, wondering if I’d ever use it again. We spent the rest of our marriage taking domestic trips. We’d talk about going back to Europe, but our marriage ended before we could get there. While I was married, I worked for a company part time at home, and part time in the office. When my husband and I split, I left the area and transitioned into being a fully remote employee. My first stop was South Korea. I had no idea how I would fare living overseas. It was a swift decision without much planning. However, I didn’t imagine myself crawling back to the land of burgers and fries desperate for a fix of home.

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I remember getting off the plane after a thirteen-hour flight and feeling swimmy-headed once I got to the neighborhood that I would be staying in. Everything felt unreal, like I was walking through a movie set. Hangeul, Korea’s written language, decorated the city with its patterns of lines and blocks. Every day was a novel adventure, at first. I experienced new food, new culture, and a new city. I walked around with FOB glasses for a while – the rosecolored glasses of those Fresh-Off-theBoat from their home countries. Then the glow faded and I saw that I was living in a huge, dirty city where no one spoke English. As a whole, the food was the most unpalatable I’d ever had: fermented stingray, boiled silkworm larvae, whale soup made of aged tofu. Even dog was still served some places. However, I didn’t miss the US. Not. At. All. I just didn’t like Seoul. I wanted to explore, so I went on a trip to Southeast Asia. Exiting Korea and landing in Malaysia was like being able to take a full breath of air after taking off a tootight bra at the end of the day. (Men, you can make your own analogy.) I spent two months traveling, and didn’t want it to end. I returned back to Seoul, but I didn’t stay long. Friends I had met in Cambodia told me to go to Bali, Indonesia. I landed in Bali a few months later and called it home for the next fourteen months. At that time, I had been living abroad more than a year. It felt like the total decompression of unraveling as an American was complete. Yes, I did miss things: wide sidewalks, ordering off Amazon, Chipotle’s burrito bowls, and sometimes, stop signs. But . . . Since I had left the US, I was more awake in my life than I’d ever been before. If you think about why people travel, it boils down to feeling more alive in life. While traveling abroad, everything can be an adventure. Everyday life becomes that novel experience when living in a different country.

Traveling in Southeast Asia and then living in Bali was a feast after the famine of Seoul. I felt like I was living in a postcard as I awoke at dawn to practice yoga and meditation in my villa overlooking the rice fields. I never took where I lived for granted, being surrounded by beautiful people and landscapes that kept me awake in the dream of life. Even going to the grocery store was stimulating. Of course, novelty can wear off anywhere. After a while, I knew what supermarket aisle to find the coconut milk on, but there was always something new to see. Also: motorbikes! I loved driving a moped everywhere. It was like being in a video game weaving through cars and driving on sidewalks when there was macet, a traffic jam. Not speaking the native language also has its benefits. It kept me out of other people’s business. I didn’t even realize this until I was immersed in Seoul and understood nothing. Of course, it was frustrating at times, but it was all part of the adventure. Going home after two-and-a-half years abroad and understanding everything everyone said grated on my nerves. I didn’t want to know everyone’s business. I also never realized how loud my fellow natives talked. Geez, am I that loud, too? Being out of alignment with so much of what goes on in my home country is also a large part of why I prefer living elsewhere. I’ve missed more than one government shutdown, presidential election, and school shooting. Of course, other countries aren’t perfect. But it doesn’t feel so internalized when I’m a guest in another country. I will never go back to living the lifestyle I did before I moved overseas, but it’s not just about living abroad. It’s also about having the freedom to be able to work anywhere in the world that I love. The excitement, the novelty, and present-moment awareness is so much more easily accessible when living this lifestyle. I do plan to have a home one day in the US, when I am a US Dollar millionaire. (I am already a Bali millionaire, and so are you, due to the currency.) Living in the US without worrying about money and being able to live where and how I choose, makes the idea appealing. Until then, I’ll continue this nomad life. People often ask me, where’s your home base? I point to my heart. Right here, I say. You can’t get freer than that. Ed. Note: Natalie Speakman is a writer, meditation teacher, and digital nomad currently house-sitting in the Lakeside area. She divides her time between Bali and Mexico.

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Crystal Moment By Dr. Lorin Swinehart

“

ome days I wake up walking over the desert and see pieces of me ev-

erywhere.” —James Tipton It was a warm June evening, with a full moon coursing across a crystalline sky. I had hiked into a remote campsite deep in the forest with my friends Ron and Al. As the evening progressed, we grilled steaks over a smoky fire, brewed up a pot of lapsang souchong tea and fired up a few really good cigars. There are few things as satisfying as the quiet talk of good friends around a wilderness campfire. At one point, a screech owl sent his shrill call reverberating among the stands of pines and hemlocks. At three locations deeper in the forest, wild turkeys gobbled their alarm, in frightened response to the call of the owl. Flying

squirrels darted from tree to tree in the night, investigating our intrusion into their silent world. When the hour grew late, we doused the fire, loaded our backpacks and began the journey back to the world of men. Our path took us through the forest, beneath the brooding countenance of the overhanging

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foliage. We arrived at the horse trail which bisects that part of the forest and continued on to a level area alongside the woodland stream named Pine Run. This was a soggy area that hosted a large patch of fiddlehead ferns. In that special place, on that special night, the moon cast rays of silvery light down upon the forest floor. The fiery incandescence of the sun reflected off our nearest astral neighbor, blanketed the forest floor with silver. And there, within each ray of light, spiraled a myriad of fireflies. We stood in quiet reverence, speechless, filled with awe. Long minutes passed. No one said a thing. Finally, I heard Ron utter, “Thank you!” before we continued on our way down the trail toward humdrum everyday lives of work and bill paying. All of this was in the works, whether we had been present or not. But, what winding trails, across the span of time, brought us to that very spot at that very time of night so that we might witness such a scene. I have wandered among the hushed silences of churches, cathedrals, mosques and temples. All exemplify great beauty, expressing man’s struggle to reach out to eternity, to seek meaning in our existence. None, however, compare to the exquisite beauty of the cathedrals of tree and shrub sang into reality at the dawn of creation. Our entire physical being, as well as that of all other creatures, of all that is or ever has been or ever will be, consists of atoms that were once the dust of stars. “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” From a biological standpoint, we share creature-ness, DNA, for instance, with all living things, even the dread brown recluse and the perhaps even more fearsome black mamba. We share more than 98% of our DNA with our nearest mammalian kin, chimpanzees. Less than 2% separates us from another relative, the gorilla. We even share creature-ness with plants, from the mighty oak and the

regal sequoia to detested poison ivy and crabgrass. Hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen atoms form around an atom of iron to produce a molecule of hemoglobin, while those very same atoms join an atom of magnesium to produce chlorophyll. Above and beyond such scientific sticks and pieces, if one keeps one’s spirit open to such realities, a sight like fireflies spiraling in the moonlight sparks a sensation like that of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s when he speaks of feeling like one great transparent eyeball during his tramps along rural New England bi-ways. If one can remove oneself for precious moments from mankind’s incessant noise and close down the inner chatter, one may sense the heartbeat of all living things, the heartbeat of life itself. The Gaea principle becomes reality, that the fragile planet we share is one living, throbbing organism consisting of an infinity of organs, from the tiniest microbes to sea dwelling leviathans and the complexities of man himself. With a projected million species estimated to perch upon the abyss of extinction, the time has come to take to heart the wisdom of the philosopher Val Plumwood, who tells us, “Humanity’s task is to resituate non-humans in the ethical and to resituate humans in the ecological.” A young friend of our daughters, who had grown up in a big city apartment, once lamented that she could not imagine what it would have been like to have had a back yard. A child, any child, including the child that endures within us all, is spiritually deprived by living a life encapsulated in an artificial environment where one never experiences a hawk gyrating through the skies, a cottontail rabbit crashing off into the brush or fireflies dancing in Lorin Swinehart the moonlight.

Escondido* Raymond doesn’t know his own name. He speaks Spanish, prefers his coffee black. I am waiting a train, to go home, to Eastport in Maine. I can feel the dew rising. Escondido is waking. On the grill eggs are scrambling. The aroma of day. A dog’s watching from not far away. A girl with black hair, pony tail, and brown eyes, skips by. Raymond smiles, “You know Mexico?” I tell him I do. “Grew up with Chicanos Out here, California, not far, Riverside.” “Riverside?” his face shows surprise. “The Sherman Institute’s there. Where I was when a boy. All Indians were. To make us live right? I know how they lied. No more speak Paiute. New name, substitute. Forget old ways, learn a trade; something that pays. Where clothes, spend nights in a bed. But I sleep outside with the stars. Then run away. A breed of braceros in an old pickup truck take me south of the border, like one of them. Tell me my friend, you conquered this ground, put borders around, gave it a new name. And who are you now, where is your tribe? This coffee is black. Add milk, white; Now it is brown. So, tell me amigo, why Escondido is the name of this town?”

—Steve Hluchan— *Hidden

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The Myth Of Redemptive Violence By Gale Park

“...The belief that violence saves; that war brings peace, that might makes right” is one of the oldest continuously repeated stories in the history of the world, according to The Powers That Be: Theology for a New Millennium by Walter Wink. In a section called “The Myth of Redemptive Violence,” Wink posits that redemptive violence is the real world religion. This theology struck me particularly hard, since I’ve long wondered why the heroes of TV shows, movies, comic books and video games are glorified for seeking revenge or waging some kind of shooting war against injustice--and why our society continues to act out this scenario in our relationships with the rest of the world. I believe courage is a virtue, but harming is not. The United States, which is touted as a “Christian” nation, accepts violence--even glorifies it. As a nation, we subscribe to the belief that violence is necessary and curative, but the New Testament tells that Jesus wouldn’t even let his disciples defend him when the soldiers came for him in the Garden of Gethsemane. He didn’t raise an army, he sacrificed himself. He would rather die than kill. This is not the act of a God who would want other countries invaded in his name.

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Wink says, “The myth of redemptive violence is the simplest, laziest, most exciting, uncomplicated, irrational and primitive depiction of evil the world has ever known. Furthermore, its orientation toward evil is one into which all modern children (boys especially) are socialized in the process of maturation. Children select this mythic structure because they have already been led, by culturally reinforced cues and role models, to resonate with its simplistic view of reality.” Children indoctrinated into this view tend to locate evil/error outside themselves and see in others, especially people unlike themselves, enemies who must be vanquished. This, to me, is a perversion of the need to vanquish our own inner “demons.” Instead of clearing the mote from our own eye, we project evil/error on someone else. That is indeed easier than searching our own hearts and uprooting the harmful impulses that lie there. Wink goes on to discuss how this scenario plays out in nation-states, where the survival and welfare of the nation is seen as the highest good. The domination system or nationstate cannot allow God/Gods to supersede it, so it sanctions a religion that perpetuates its own survival, or twists an existing one beyond all recognition. Then a certain religious viewpoint becomes patriotic and the old faiths lose their power: they become mere cultural traditions. Why do people allow this? The promise of earthly salvation—personal security and self-validation through identification with a strong and protective power. The nationstate replaces God for them. It speaks for God. It does not allow God to speak. We have to change this paradigm. We, as a nation and as individuals, should be world leaders in the best sense—by being a shining example of good—not by encouraging violence, greed and self-interest.

Only For Lovers Of Words By J. D. Hicks

hen I was a university student, I often went to the library. Even on a Friday or Saturday evening, I’d enjoy stalking books among the stacks. It may sound sinister or unhealthy, but I was merely a developing bibliophile. Because I was a habitual user of the library, the staff knew me because I was the only person who regularly, indeed ever, borrowed a particular book: At 8” thick and weighing 9 pounds, Funk and Wagnall’s Unabridged Dictionary was not a tome to be taken lightly. The first time I plopped the heavy Funk and Wagnall’s on the countertop at the front desk, the startled librarian surveyed the big pulpy block of erudition and observed that the huge book could not be checked out because it was a reference book. I explained that I had found the giant dictionary in general circulation and that the checkout slip inside the green binding showed I could lawfully take it out for the normal checkout period. You can’t shoot a rocket higher than the heights of my elation as I lugged this Sequoia of books out of the library. In the coming months, I’d renew the dictionary many times, and in my one-room apartment, I’d scan the columns of small print for— For the answers, I refer you to Mr. Stommes, my charming eighth-grade teacher, who required his students to locate and learn the definitions for weekly vocabulary lists. This taught me two lessons. First, I discovered that if I ever hoped to broaden my knowledge of the English language, I needed to study it. Before Mr. Stommes, I had depended on my own guesswork or the offhand explanations of others for the meanings of words. I had never thought I needed to study the English language, because I had thought I owned it. Even apart from words I was completely unfamiliar with, there were words on the vocabulary lists whose meanings I had previously guessed and used. After checking the dictionary for these words, however, I realized that my guesses had erred. (I recall at the time the word puberty suggested fearsome and forbidden sexuality. I never uttered the word above a

whisper. Later I was relieved to learn it described a phase of human development and I hadn’t been using an obscenity.) I saw that if I wanted to achieve clarity when I read, wrote, or spoke, I had to consult the lexicon for reliable definitions. The second lesson I learned was that words, even single words, could entertain me. I found that words could delight with humor as in borborygmus or oologize or enchant with sound as in glossolalia or sylvan or tintinnabulation or intrigue with meaning alone as in eschatology or psychopomp. Beginning in the eighth grade, I set aside my baseball cards, the stamps, the penny and dime collections. By the time I entered the university, I was an experienced word collector. When I found a word I wanted to remember, I added it to my list. Like a bird fancier scanning tree branches for a new species to put on his life list, I searched for a new word perching on the line of a page, or I hunted them in the vast expanses of unabridged dictionaries such as Funk and Wagnall’s or Webster’s International. I sought the novel, the exotic, the beautiful or plain, the melodious. Birders understand this, for they are outsiders in pursuit of an intangible reward. I am an outsider as well, but I am a worder and go wording in the inexhaustible English language. If you are a worder, I hope we meet someday on a quiet path somewhere among words.

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The Ojo Crossword

ACROSS 1 Dispense 6 Food 10 Chores 14 Florida City 15 Italian money 16 Asian country 17 Master of ceremonies 18 Acceptable 19 Condiment 20 Carol 21 Expands 23 Close to the ground 24 Economics abrv. 26 Airplane for mass transportation 28 Respectful Greeting 31 Agree 32 Single 33 Ate a morsel 36 Sports channel 40 Fierce 42 Cooking fat 43 Joint 44 Eye infection 45 Father´s brothers 48 Southwestern Indian 49 Star Trek Automoton’s 51 Scratched 53 Brand of cold remedy 56 Electrical current unit 57 Wrath 58 Tan shorts 61 Sandwich fish 65 Shallow area 67 part of the eye 68 Flower part 69 Concluding section 70 One of Columbus´ships 71 Hobo 72 Association (abbr.) 73 Droops 74 Fire residue

El Ojo del Lago / June 2019

DOWN 1 Prayer ending 2 Fancy car 3 Clothing decoration 4 Egg dish 5 Draw 6 Man in a funny costume 7 Walk 8 Spoken 9 Intercepted unexpectedly 10 Mountain Man Bridge 11 Toothbrush brand 12 Bog 13 Winter time precipitation 21 Soybean 22 Sibling abrv. 25 Time zone 27 Stink 28 Milk producers 29 Part 30 Depend 31 Congeal 34 Musical composition 35 Twitch 37 Tight 38 Peter, for short 39 Depend 41 Financial obligation 45 Gamins 46 Freudian selves 47 Sun´s name 50 Grows acorns 52 Speaks 53 Approximate date 54 Sandwich cookies brand 55 Desires 56 Permissions to enter foreign countries 59 Opera solo 60 Male monarch 62 American state 63 Label 64 Swiss mountains 66 Group admirer 68 School group

CHURCH DIRECTORY ALL SAINTS LUTHERAN Church Worship Service and Sunday School at 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 1st Sunday of each month, Nicolas Bravo #17 Ajijic. Tel: (376) 766-0920 or tim@revdoctim.com CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS Services in English and Spanish, 10 am, Riberas del Pilar Tel. (376) 7657067, President: Pedro Aguilera. Recidence (376) 762-0299. CHURCH OF THE HOLY SPIRIT Services Sun. 10 am, Alvaro Obregon 119, Chapala. Tel. (376) 765-4210. CHRIST CHURCH LAKESIDE Eucharist for each Sunday 11:00 am. La Huerta Eventos Center in West Ajijic. Rev. Danny Borkowski at (376) 766-2495 or Jim Powers (387) 761-0017. HOME CHURCH INT’L Locations by calling (332) 242-8648, or email yeshuapfa@gmail.com JEWISH CONGREGATION Santa Margarita 113, Riberas del Pilar, Tel: 766-2668. lcjcac@gmail.com for information and service times. Web site: www. lakechapalajewishcongregation.com. LAKE CHAPALA BAPTIST CHURCH Sunday Bible study at 9:45 a.m.; Sunday worship at 11 a.m. at Santa Margarita 147, Riberas del Pilar. Eddie Garnett, deacon. Tel. (331) 608-0856 LAKESIDE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Worship-Sunday 10 am; Bible Study-Friday at 9:45 am; San Jorge 250; Riberas del Pilar Church Office at 376-106-0853. Website at www.lpcchapala.org LITTLE CHAPEL BY THE LAKE Sun. services 11:15 am, Chula Vista,. Jal, Tel. (376) 106-1199, 766-4409 SAN ANDRES CATHOLIC CHURCH Services 7:00 am. Ajijic, Tel: 766-0922. SAINT ANDREW´S ANGLICAN CHURCH Calle San. Lucas 19, Riberas del Pilar, Worship begins at 10 a.m., and the bilingual children’s Sunday School starts at 9:45 a.m. “Coffee Hour,” a time of fellowship and welcome. Tel: 765-3926. www.standrewsriberas.com. ST. MARK’S ANGLICAN GUADALAJARA St. Mark’s is at Chichimecas 836 in Colonia Monraz. THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST The Unitarians meet Sundays at 10:30 am. Hidalgo #261 Riberas del Pilar. Fred 376-766-1458.

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NON PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

(NOTE: If there is any change, please advise us so that corrections may be made. Call Rosy: 765-3676) AJIJIC SOCIETY OF THE ARTS (ASA): www.ajijicart.weebly.com Provides local artists an opportunity to meet, demonstrate techniques and organize art shows; and provides assistance to young Mexican artists to learn and show their work. Deena Hafker 376-766-2249 or oliodee@hotmail.com AA LAKESIDE: Alcoholic Anonymous group. Meets Monday & Thursday from 4:30-5:30 PM at the Lake Chapala Society. Ian Frasier 376-766-4990 iandavid81@gmail. AL-ANON: No website or face book. Monday 10AM at Club12- Men’s meeting. Monday 10:30AM at Little Chapel-Open meeting. Saturday 10 AM at Club 12-Open meeting. Information: Call 376-766-4409, Cell 333-480-7675 AL-ANON (IN SPANISH): Mondays 6-7:30 & Wednesdays 5:30-7:30. Meets at the Lake Chapala Society. Ericka Murillo 376-766-1788 erickamurillo2000@yahoo.com.mx AJIJIC QUILT GUILD - Meets second Tuesday monthly at 10 am. Guests & New Members Welcome. ajijicguild@gmail.com AJIJIC WRITERS’ GROUP- Meets 1st and 3rd Fridays at 10 am. Nueva Posada. Coffee. Meeting followed by lunch at the Nueva Posada. AMERICAN LEGION OF CHAPALA POST- #7: General Membership meets 11 am 2nd Thursday. Tel: 765-2259. AMERICAN LEGION, FRANK M. VALENTINE POST 9: (Fito’s Restaurant in Riberas Del Pilar) 3rd Wednesday. For meeting times and information call Perry King at 763-5126 or Al King at 737-0859. AMITIES FRANCOPHONES: A social gathering for people speaking French fluently. The group meets the 3rd Saturday of each month at 1:00PM for a potluck and BYOB. Jill Flyer 331140-1171 fotoflyer2003@yahoo.com ANCIANITAS DE SANTA CLARA DE ASIS: Web site : https://rudiselj.wixsite.com/ancianitaslagochapal . Lisa Le :387 761 0002 - lisale888@gmail.com AXIXIC MASONIC LODGE #31- Meets 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month at Hotel Perrico at 3:00 pm. The address is Libramiento Chapala-Ajijic #2500. Contact Sheldon Stone at (376)765-3306 or stoneshel@gmail.com. BARE STAGE THEATRE: Hidalgo #261 in Riberas del Pilar, barestagetheatre2018@gmail.com. BRAVO! THEATRE: www.facebook.com/Bravotheatre (unofficial) Semi-professionsal theatre with live theatre and ongoing adult arts education in dance and theatre. Jayme Littlejohn 331-045-9627 mymytickets@gmail.com BRITISH SOCIETY: Assist the British Community facilitates the transmission of information with The British Embassy in Mexico. Meetings are the 1st Saturday of the month at Manix restaurant for lunch and speaker. Sue Morris 376-766-0847 /331-156-0346 ibbocat@gmail.com CARD & DOMINO CLUB- Wednesday, Friday & Saturday. Call for times. We will teach; make friends! Tel. 766-4253, Cell: (045) 33-1402-4223. CANADIAN CLUB OF LAKE CHAPALA: www.canadianclubmx.com Club Objectives are: 1. To promote fellowship among Canadians and friends within the Lake Chapala area. 2. To encourage a cultural exchange and foster friendly relations with all residents. 3. To be a centre for providing current Mexican and Canadian Information. 4. The Club shall be non-profit, non-political and non-sectarian CASAS CARIÑOSAS, A.C.: www.abbeyfield-ajijic.org As part of the world wide non-profit organization of Abbeyfield, help an increasing number of older people enjoy a high quality of independent living provided through a range of services, including housing, support or care, with local community involvement. 376-766-2045 info@abbeyfield-ajijic.org CASA DEL LAGO (CASA DE ANCIANOS) CHAPALA: Provides support for local area elderly citizens through a residential home in Chapala. Ana Luisa Maldonado 376-765-2497 adultosdellago@gmail.com CENTRO DE DESAROLLO JOCOTEPEC, A.C.: www.cedejo.org Improve the quality of life for Lake Chapala families with limited resources through promoting the health and well being of the family. Calle Ocampo # 45-A. 376-766-1679 CHAPALA SUNRISE ROTARY CLUB: www.chapalarotary.org Participate in activities that will support lakeside residents. Provide assistance to international projects and meet with other like -minded Rotarians to build friendships. Meetings: Thursdays 10AM Monte Carlo Hotel CREM: AJIJIC MUSIC SCHOOL: www.cremajijic.com For 24 years this school has provided music education to children at lakeside. Students are taught to play an instrument and participate in the orchestra or the choir. There are 43 students and 8 faculty, all university graduates. Scholarships are offered to students from low-income families. 333-496-8976 cremajijic@ gmail.com CRUZ ROJA MEXICANA DELEGATION CHAPALA: www.cruzrojachapala.com Offers clinical, ambulance and other emergency medical services to all Lakeside residents and visitors. Yolanda [Yoly] Martinez Llamas Consejo President 766-2260 consejochapala@ gmail.com CULINARY ARTS SOCIETY OF AJIJIC: www.ajijiccasa.org Provides CASA members, Associates and guests a monthly forum to share foods, learn new preparation techniques, stimulate culinary ideas, meet new people and enjoy the world of food: in a competitive atmosphere that encourages creativity and rewards excellence. CASAlakeside@yhoo.com DAR: (At Lakeside) - THOMAS PAINE CHAPTER meets every 3 Wednesday at 12:30 noon at the Janelle´s Restaurant in Ajijic. September thru June. Tel: 766-2981. DAYS FOR GIRLS: www.daysforgirls.org, www.daysforgirlslakechapala.org A group of women working together giving days back to girls through access to lasting feminine hygiene solutions. This results in a more dignified and educated world, for the girls of the Lake Chapala area. We create hand made menstrual kits and distribute them along with education to empower, enlighten and strengthen the young women receiving them. All this because of access to these products and taking responsibility of ones menstrual situation,

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sexuality, pregnancy planning and hygiene. Darlene Macleod 387-761-0175 darmacleod@ gmail.com DEMOCRATS ABROAD MEXICO/ LAKE CHAPALA CHAPTER: www.democratsabroad.org, www.facebook.com/DemocratsAbroadMexico Official arm of the Democratic Party of the United States, working as a state party for US citizens living abroad. The mission is to represent and serve American citizens living outside the United States who support the principles of the Democratic Party. Larry Pihl, Executive Chair 376-766-3274 larry.pihl@gmail.com, da_mexico@ democratsabroad.org ESCUELA PARA NINOS ESPECIALES (SCHOOL FOR SPECIAL CHILDREN) : www.schoolforspecialchildren.org The mission is to improve the educational opportunities for children with a wide variety of disabilities and in doing so, increase the probability that they might enjoy a brighter future. Mission is accomplished through provision of a clean, safe physical environment and improved nutrition during the school day. Working closely with the Mexican school board and teachers, we help support the educational programs for the children, young, adults and families. 387-763-0843 FERIA MAESTROS DEL ARTE: www.feriamaestros.com & www.mexicoartshow.com To preserve and promote Mexican indigenous and folk art. We help preserve these art forms and the culture that produces them by providing the artists a venue to sell their work to galleries, collectors, and museums. In collaboration with Mexican government agencies, we promote regional and international awareness to the plight of these endangered arts. Marianne Carlson, mariannecarlson@gmail.com or Rachel McMillen rjmcmillen@shaw.ca. FOUNDATION FOR LAKE CHAPALA CHARITIES: www.lakechapalacharities.org The prime purpose is to attract money for the charities around Lake Chapala, Mexico and to allow those who donate to claim U.S. tax deductions for their gifts to those charities. The Foundation will also accept “endowments” and “memorial support” for any of the charities and will provide free Mexican legal assistance in setting up those endowments and memorials. 376-766-2606 or cell 331-260-7123 Admin@LakeChapalaCharities.org GARDEN CLUB- Meets the 3rd. Wednesday 12:00 noon at La Nueva Posada. GERMAN CLUB: Provides social opportunities for German-speaking residents. The group meets 2nd Thursday for lunch at 1PM. One does not have to be German but must speak German. Ing. Javier Aguilera 387-761-0777 javier.aguilera@mudanai.com HASH HOUSE HARRIERS: International running group with local chapter walks on Saturday morning, 8:30 AM, La Nueva Posada Hotel with goals of getting exercise, having fun, and enjoying breakfast. Denny Strole 376-766-0485 dstrole@gmail.com HOPE HOUSE: www.hopehousemx.org The Hope House is a safe shelter for boys ages 8 to 18. Our vision is to develop character, provide love and impart tools to be a successful part of society. Rodney Drutos 376-762-0032 oficina@casahogarmexico.org HAVE HAMMERS WILL TRAVEL: www.havehammer.com The mission is to provide learning and social experiences within a safe, supportive environment so that our students acquire: basic woodworking skills for exploration of career pathways (Level 1: ages 10-14) intermediate woodworking skills for entry-level employment (Level 2: ages 15+) advanced woodworking skills for professional employment, incl. coops (Level 3: ages 21+) skills to maintain a well equipped woodworking shop Tuition $400 pesos/month limited scholarships available Information: hhwtchapala@gmail.com. Office 376-766-4830 Richard Thompson 331-895-6866 rctinmx@yahoo.com, rcteaz@yahoo.com JALTEPEC CENTRO EDUCATIVO (FORMERLY CENTRO DE FORMACION JALTEPEC): www. jaltepec.edu.mx. A Tecnico Universitario en Hoteleria, providing education in hotel & hospitality management and an entrepreneurial program. 387-763-1781 info@jaltepec.edu.mx. LAKE ASSISTANCE: www.facebook.com/ LAG Importing equipment for firefighters and police and to distribute around the lakeside fire departments. John Kelly 331-758-0676 jkelly203@gmail.com LAKE CHAPALA BIRDERS: www.chapalabirders.org Encourages bird watching; organizes bird walks, bird trips and the Audubon Christmas Bird Count. John & Rosemary Keeling 376766-1801 chapalabirders@yahoo.com LAKE CHAPALA GARDEN CLUB: www.lakechapalagardenclub.org Promotes an interest, appreciation and better understanding of botanical subjects including but not limited to all plant materials, their care and use in the home and garden. Meetings explore the many garden species and practices unique to this area of Mexico. Open to all interested in gardens and their care. Supports lakeside organizations with beautification and educational projects. LAKE CHAPALA GENEALOGY FORUM: A group of family historians meeting once a month to share ideas, methodologies and topics of interest for genealogy enthusiasts. Meetings are the last Monday of the month at the LDS Church and Family Center in Riberas del Pilar. Marci Bowman marci452@yahoo.com LAKE CHAPALA SHRINE CLUB: www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org & www.shrinersinternational.org www.facebook.com /pages/Lake-Chapala-Shrine-Club/757185090966972 Physical examination of lakeside children to determine if they qualify for treatment locally or by Family trips to the Mexico City Shrine Hospital the cost of which is financed by frequent Fundraisers such as Dine With the Shrine, Rib fest and tax deductible donations. David Eccles, President 331-017-1724 davideccles@hotmail.com Perry M. King 376-763-5126 pking1931@ gmail.com LAKE CHAPALA SOCIETY A.C.: www.lakechapalasociety.com The mission is to promote the active participation of Lakesides’ inhabitants to improve their quality of life. By making this commitment we signal to the community that our focus is based not just on ex-patriots, but everyone living at lakeside. For the Mexican community, provides English as a second language, remedial tutoring, student financial aid, Wilkes Education Center and Biblioteca at Galeana #18 and free medical checks. Ben White president@lakechapalasociety.com Terry Vidal 376-766-1140 executivedirector@lakechaplasociety.com

LAKE CHAPALA SOCIETY CHILDREN’S ART PROGRAM: www.lakechapalasociety.com “A visual arts program free for all lakeside community children aged 3 to 17 that provides them an opportunity to explore their creativity. A Neill James legacy program that began in 1954.” Danielle Page childrensart@lakechapalasociety.com LAKE CHAPALA SOCIETY STUDENT AID FUND: www.lakechapalasociety.com Provides financial support to qualified area students to enroll in university, vocational and high school programs. directoreducacion@lakechapalasociety.com. Alfredo Perez 376-7661140 apoyoeco@lakechapalasociety.com LAKE CHAPALA SOCIETY WILKES EDUCATION CENTER (BIBLIOTECA PUBLICA): www. lakechapalasociety.com Provides classes in language and other topics for both Anglo and Mexican community Alfredo Perez 376-766-1140 directoreducacion@lakechapalasociety.com LAKESIDE FRIENDS OF THE ANIMALS, A.C.: www.lakesidefriendsoftheanimals.org Provide funding for spay/neuters, emergency care and operations for pets of Mexican nationals of limited means. Assists in providing humane education programs in the local schools, and fund a feline leukemia testing program. Operate the pet store/shelter in Riberas del Pilar. Sue Hillis, President 376-765-5544 hilliss@yahoo.com LAKESIDE GARDEN GUILD: www.gardenguild.weebly.com Limited membership gardening group promoting the interest in the development of local gardens with an accent on the exotic species available in central Mexico. Presents annual Floral Design Show, supports local projects for community improvement and beautification such as Wipe Out Graffiti project in Ajijic. LAKESIDE LITTLE THEATRE A.C.: www.lakesidelittletheatre.com To provide theatrical entertainment to the residents and visitors of the Lakeside community: to nurture and develop existing and new talent in every aspect of the performing arts and technical support areas: and to maintain and preserve the theatre facility and properties. Tickets: tickets@lakesidelittletheatre.com 376-766-0954 lakesidelittletheatre@gmail.com Peter Luciano drpeterluciano@ icloud.com LAKESIDE SPAY AND NEUTER RANCH & ADOPTIONS, A.C.: www.lakesidespayandneutercenter.com Provides shelter and helps curtail the over-population of animals. Syd Sullins 376766-1411 or 331-270-4447 adoptaranchdog@outlook.com LAKESIDE WILDLIFE RESCUE & REHABILITATION: Promotes the rescue and rehabilitation of wild animals, trees and plants around Lake Chapala. 376-765-4916 LAKESIDE YOUTH PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA: orquestainfantildechapala.mx Golden Strings of Lake Chapala, A.C., training disadvantaged kids between the ages of 8 and 18 years who want to learn a musical instrument with the possibility of becoming a member of the “Lakeside Youth Philharmonic Orchestra”. Coco Wonchee 333-200-5563 soco.wonchee@gmail.com LA OLA/CASA HOGAR, A.C.: www.laolacasahogar.org La Ola Casa Hogar is a children’s shelter. We are an interfaith children’s ministry. Our scope is more than that of an orphanage in that we care for abandoned and abused children as well as orphans. 376-688-1005 laola@ laolacasahogar.org Becky Plinke 332-312-7756 bgnickel@yahoo.com LCS EDUCATION CENTER- Provides classes in language and other topics for both Anglo and Mexican community. Calle 16 de Septiembre # 16-A Ajijic. 766-1140. LCS STUDENT AID FUND- Provides financial support to area students to enroll in university, vocational and high school program. Calle 16 de Septiembre # 16-A Ajijic. 766-1140. LOS CANTANTES DEL LAGO: www.loscantantesdellago.com A community choir striving that is for artistic excellence in choral singing. We encourage members to improve their vocal skills and to work continually toward greater skill through rhythmic and note training in order to become more literate musicians. Our principal objectives are the support of young musicians, the performance of works of Mexican composers, and sharing our music with the Mexican community. LOS NIÑOS DE CHAPALA & AJIJIC A.C. (NCA): www.lakesideninos.org Provides financial support for the educational, nutritional and social development of local area children. Office 376-765-7032, info@lakesideninos.org LOVE IN ACTION- Shelter for abused and abandoned children. For volunteers and donations. Anabel Frutos 765-7409, cell: 331-351 7826. LUCKY DOG: www.luckydoglakechapala.com www.facebook.com/LuckyDogLakeChapala/ To provide shelter to rescue dogs, socialize them and restore them to health, and adopt them out to good homes. To work with other animal organizations to promote spay and neuter. 331-300-7144 luckydogchapala@yahoo.com MARIPOSA PROJECT: BUTTERFLIES EN MEXICO: www.gomariposa.org Objectives: Provide options for how youth can make sustainable changes and provide opportunities for change. Mac Whyte 387-761-0360 ravensmac@gmail.com MEXICAN ASSOCIATION TO EMPOWER WOMEN FOR FAMILY INTEGRATION, AMSIF: amsif.org.mx To work with the poor, mainly women, to transform the family values in the community. Educate women so they can have a critical mind and thus liberate themselves and become agents of change through a liberated and integral education. A method of education used where they can “see, judge, and act”. MEXICAN NATIONAL CHILI COOKOFF: www.mexicannationalchilicookoff.com The Mexican National Chili Cookoff is the largest fundraising organization Lakeside. For more than 41 years the event has raised funds to support local charities in their work. The 3 day event, always held in February, features hundreds of vendors of the finest Mexican handcrafts, on-going hourly entertainment, and a variety of food and beverages. The event is held at Tobolandia Water Park in Ajijic. The organization currently funds 9 IJAS approved charities and in the latest year made donations of 60,000 pesos to each participating charity. Jacques Bouchard 376-766-4350 jacqueandcarol@hotmail.com MUJERES APOYANDO A MUJERES: Mezcala jewelry collective with the focus to create a cottage industry jewelry making project that will give the women of Mezcala and la Cuesta a means of economic independence. The jewelry is being sold at Cugini’s and Diane Pearl in Ajijic. Doris Wakeman. NIÑOS INCAPACITADOS DEL LAGO, A.C.: www.programaninos.com A non-profit, all-volunteer organization that helps low-income Mexican families pay medical expenses for their children with disabling or life-threatening illnesses. Email: ninosincapacitados@programaninos.com Dave Pike, President 376-765- 3137 dave.ppni@gmail.com Carol Antcliffe carol.ppni@gmail.com

“NO GRAFFITI AJIJIC” GROUP: Group of residents, who remove and cover graffiti. Paint donations appreciated. Contact with details. Email Dan Houck with graffiti reports. Dan Houck 376-766-3225 houck1022@gmail.com NORTHERN LIGHTS MUSIC FESTIVAL: Provides young talented Canadian artists exposure and experience on the international concert stage and provides the community with a wide range of classical music venues including concerts and demonstrations to young Mexican students and musicians through an annual music festival. NSDAR CHAPALA THOMAS PAINE CHAPTER: www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mextpdar/ thomaspainedar/Goal is to make education available to deserving students and to help the community. Contribute to scholarships for the Technical School and students in Ninos de Chapala. Contribute to Hammer Hammer Will Travel and to Needle Pushers and the Lake Chapala Society Wilkes Education Center. Lorene Fields 376-766-1658 ltfields@hotmail.com OPEN CIRCLE: www.opencircleajijic.org Provide a supportive environment for social interactions. Presentations span a wide range of intellectual, cultural, physical and spiritual topics. David Bryen 376-766-4755 opencircleideas@gmail.com, Margaret Van Every 376-766-2092 OPERACION AMOR: www.facebook.com/chapala.operacionamor Our mission is to provide free spay/neuter services for cats and dogs of persons of limited means in the greater Chapala area. 331-872-4440 cgcothran1@yahoo.com Amalia Garcia, Co-leader 376-763-5597 amgarciao10@gmail.com Cameron Peters Co-leader 376-766-4341 zo-onna@hotmail.com OPERATION COMPASSION MINISTRIES: Feeding the hungry a comida meal in San Antonio, Monday to Saturday at Jesus Garcia #4. Tom Music 331-547-2726 tmusic3856@yahoo.com OPERATION FEED: www.operationfeed.weebly.com Our mission is to increase self-sufficiency by providing weekly despensas and supporting other educational and income opportunities for people of limited resources in San Juan Cosala. OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS: www.OA.org Monday 12PM and Thursday 10:15AM. Lakeside Little Chapel, Carretera Ajijic-Chapala (next to Chula Vista Country Club). Information: 376766-4409, email Sugarfreeme@hotmail.com ROTARY CLUB OF AJIJIC: www.rotaryajijic.org Within the community and Rotary International, The Rotary Club of Ajijic serves as a model providing humanitarian serviced to others while maintaining high ethical standards. Rotarians develop community service projects that address many of today’s most critical issues, such as children at risk, poverty and hunger, the environment illiteracy, and violence. They also support programs for youth, and for educational opportunities. Meetings: Tuesday 1PM Hotel Real de Chapala ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION: https://www.rclchapala.com/ To provide assistance to veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces, including veterans of Commonwealth Forces and, in some instances, U.S. veterans and Mexican veterans living in the Lakeside area. Being a Legion member is not required for assistance to veterans who meet the criteria. This is done through our Poppy Fund Campaign. To support the local community by providing money and assistance to specific projects as designated by our members. John Kelly 331-758-0676 jkelly203@gmail. com SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, MEXICAN SOCIETY: Lineal descent from a Patriot of the American Revolution, not necessarily a soldier. Kenneth Loridans 376-766-2981 SoTouch@prodigy.net.mx ST. ANDREW’S OUTREACH PROGRAM: www.standrewsriberas.com Provides financial support to selected local charities from activities organized through this Anglican Church parish at Lakeside. The main fundraising event is a huge bazaar (Regalorama), which is held on the first Saturday of December, and is supported by the whole community. 376-765-3926 Laura Foster, Outreach Information foster312@earthlink.net TAILS OF MEXICO: www.spayneuterlakechapala.weebly.com Tails of Mexico’s mission is to provide free spay/neuter clinics in the municipality of Jocopetec, Jalisco Mexico to poor Mexican families, street dogs, and others of limited means in order to reduce animal suffering and help the communities in which we work. Another program is to relocate dogs to specific rescue organizations and shelters North of the Mexican border. Dee Mistrik 01-387-761-0041 deemistrik@gmail.com Linda Rudisell-Hines, Communication Lead 01-387-761-0688 rudiselj@yahoo.com TEPEHUA CENTRO COMUNITARIO, A.C.: www.facebook.com/tepehuacommunitycenter. org A center helping a village through education, counseling and social functions. President: Moonyeen King 376-763-5126 moonie1935@yahoo.com TOASTMASTERS: Weekly meeting of bilingual Lake Chapala Toastmasters. Open to all interested in learning public speaking. Tim Schubert 376-766-0920 revdoctimothy@gmail.com U.S.A. THINKING TEAM: www.usathinkingteam.com Office is in Ajijic for 12 years. Supported by Grandparents for a Better World. Support programs for charitable organizations in Ajijic and includes concerts with That’s Entertainment, speakers and radio shows. Contact: mexicosydneygay@yahoo.com UVA [UNIVERSITY & VOCATIONAL ASSISTANCE] SCHOLARSHIP FUND, A.C.: www.uvalakeside.org Founded in 1976, provide university/technical scholarship assistance to qualified Lakeside students. Monitor and verify the recipients’ qualifications for scholarship assistance (maintain a GPA of 8.5 or better each semester). Assure that 100% of donations for students are distributed to students. Operate as an independent charity and cease to exist if and when support of the charity no longer exists. Sue Torres 376-766-2932 mst0414@hotmail.com VIVA LA MÚSICA: www.ajijicviva.org Supporting fine music lakeside by helping Mexican musicians make beautiful music. To encourage Mexican music students and organizations. To provide performance opportunities at lakeside for Mexican musicians. To promote local concerts and bus trips to musical events in Guadalajara and elsewhere. Rosemary Keeling 376766-1801 vivamusica3@yahoo.com VILLA INFANTIL ORPHANAGE: www.villainfantil.com.mx Facebook: Villa Infantil Guadalupe y San Jose Provides care and financial support for 30 children under the care of the Catholic Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Joseph. info.villainfantil@gmail. com VEGGIE GROWERS CLUB: Meetings are held at Huerta Organic Café, Hidalgo #212 in Riberas del Pilar on the second Monday at 10AM. Discussions on problems with growing vegetables at lakeside, local pests and how to treat them, composting and all matters related to growing vegetables. John McWilliams 376-766-0620

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