El Ojo del Lago - May 2014 by El Ojo del Lago

Saw you in the Ojo

El Ojo del Lago / May 2014

Saw you in the Ojo

z DIRECTORY z 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

Herbert Piekow reveals new facts about the Emperor Moctezuma, whose life was the stuff of Greek tragedy.

COVER STORY

VOLUME 30 NUMBER 9

Graphic Design Roberto C. Rojas Sandra Hernandez

Associate Editor Jim Tipton Contributing Editor Mark Sconce Drama Critic Michael Warren Art Critic Rob Mohr Roving Correspondent Dr. Lorin Swinehart Sales Managers Omar Medina Bruce Fraser 2I¿FH 6HFUHWDU\ Rocio Madrigal ADVERTISING OFFICE Av. Hidalgo # 223, Chapala Mon. thru Fri. 9am - 5pm Sat. 9am - 1pm Tel. 01 (376) 765 2877, 765 3676 Fax 01 (376) 765 3528 Send all correspondence, subscriptions or advertising to: El Ojo del Lago http://www.chapala.com ojodellago@prodigy.net.mx Ave. Hidalgo 223 (or Apartado 279), 45900 Chapala, Jalisco Tels.: (376) 765 3676, Fax 765 3528 PRINTING: El Debate El Ojo del Lago aparece los primeros cinco días de cada mes. (Distributed over WKH ¿UVW ¿YH GD\V RI HDFK PRQWK) &HUWL¿FDGR GH /LFLWXG GH 7tWXOR &HUWL¿FDGR GH /LFLWXG GH &RQWHQLGR

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OFFBEAT HISTORY

All about a mediocre Jewish baseball player who was awarded the Medal of Merit, America’s highest honor for a civilian in wartime.

Editor’s Page

Imprints

Front Row Center

Uncommon Sense

Bill Dean looks at the long relationship Mexican bus drivers and their passengers have had with Saint Christopher— Patron Saint of Safe Travel.

Welcome to Mexico

Dear Portia

Anyone Train Dog

Hearts at Work

Lakeside Living

Child of Month

Bridge by Lake

Profiling Tepehua

LCS Newsletter

BOOK REVIEW

Pat Hemingway reviews Are the Keys in the Freezer?—An Advocate’s Guide for Alzheimer’s & Other Dementias.

MEXICAN FOLKLORE

PRACTICAL ADVICE

John Thomas Dodds has succinct advice for those who can’t win for losing.

SACRED WILDLIFE

Dr. Lorin Swinehart, a naturalist by temperament, examines the vision of the highly controversial Robinson Jeffers.

POETRY

Rudyard Kipling, a poet new to our SDJHV ZKR GH¿QLWHO\ VKRZV JUHDW promise!) writes about the deep emotional connection we humans have with dogs—and how they are bound, sooner or later, to break our hearts.

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 E\ WKH DXWKRUV GR QRW QHFHVVDULO\ UHÀHFW WKH views of the Publisher or the Editor, nor are we responsible for the claims made by our advertisers. We welcome letters, which should include name, address and telephone number.

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El Ojo del Lago / May 2014

LAKESIDE LIVING

Special Events Editor Sandy Olson

Saw you in the Ojo

Editor’s Page %\ $OHMDQGUR *UDWWDQ 'RPLQJXH] For more editorials, visit: http://thedarksideofthedream.com

OUR AMERICA—A Hispanic History of the United States

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ith some quotes by Allen Barra, who reviewed the book for several outlets in the U.S.) A fascinating book has recently come our way that does much to dispel many of the beliefs that millions of citizens of the United States have long cherished. The book is OUR AMERICA— A Hispanic History of the United States (Norton, $27.95). Written by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, a professor of history at Notre Dame University, the book is especially relevant at this moment when a U.S. Congress noted for mostly doing very little is about to commence a serious (!?) effort to reform an immigration policy that has long-since stumbled into senility. Most North Americans are brought up on the belief that the first permanent European settlement in what is now the United States was Jamestown. Not true, writes the good professor. Santa Fe, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas were controlled by Spanish troops in 1598—a full decade before the colonization of Jamestown! Moreover, those two well-known cities were latecomers. The first permanent colony in what is now the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico was founded more than a century before any Europeans reached Virginia.

El Ojo del Lago / May 2014

Professor Fernandez-Armesto’s declared purpose in writing the book “is to show that there are other U.S. histories than the standard Anglo narrative: in particular, a Spanish history, rolling from south to north and intersecting with the story of the Anglo frontier.” He believes that America has “no single frontier, no single language, or tradition, or identity, no ‘manifest destiny’” (the term, he notes, was coined to justify the war with Mexico) “and no culture that deserves to be hegemonic.” Contrary to what many Latinophobes may think, Spanish has a longer history than English, and the cultures endemic to both languages share common traits such as “the legacy of colonialism and revolutionary wars.” The professor has, however, no illusions about Spain’s aims in the New World or about Spanish policy toward American Indians. “Spaniards and Indians traded atrocities: beheading on the one side, scalping on the other.” As one reviewer has remarked, “The English and Spanish — and for that matter, the French — were rival empires, forced to contend with yet other aspiring empires, particularly the Comanche in the Southwest and the Sioux to the north, both of whom were aided considerably by Spain’s gift to the Americas, the horse.” The U.S. government was never against the idea of illegal immigration when it served its own interests. Thomas Jefferson thought that U.S. immigrants “could be the means of delivering to us peaceably what may otherwise cost us a war.” One could even go back before Jefferson to the Pilgrims, who “were not, of course, pilgrims but migrants,” like those “from across the Rio Grande who are their real successors today.” There were many points of conflict

between Anglo immigrants to Texas and the Mexican government, but as Fernández-Armesto puts it: “The chief cause of conflict between settlers and the Mexican government was black slavery. Mexico freed its slaves in the liberal glow of independence [from Spain]. Laws of 1821 decreed that slaves automatically became free when they stepped on Mexican soil.” Texans of U.S. origin “lived in constant fear that antislavery laws would be enforced.” As the author correctly observes, “Racism was not just an Anglo vice. Mexicans themselves were not exempt from sentiments towards Indians as

contemptuous as those of Anglos for Hispanics.” He thinks an authentic multicultural future in North America will not come easily, but forecasts that the movement will begin in Florida. He also believes that “without understanding the past, the U.S. will never be able to understand its present or its future.” Alejandro GrattanDominguez

Saw you in the Ojo

MOCTEZUMA—The Emperor %\ +HUEHUW : 3LHNRZ

he chronicles of Moctezuma´s life are full of contradictions, including the more than half dozen spellings of his name. Although there are several spellings of Moctezuma, including those of Cortéz and Bernal Diaz del Castillo, both of whom knew the Emperor; each of the accepted translations of the name Moctezuma is, “he who is angry in a noble manner.” What does seem consistent is that it was the Emperor Moctezuma who greeted Hernán Cortéz at the Aztec capitol city of Tenochtitlan. With an estimated population of over 300,000, Tenochtitlan was probably the largest city of its time and far cleaner and better laid out than any contemporary European city. With broad avenues, adequate sanitation, water supply and public gardens and spaces, Tenochtitlan impressed the arriving Spaniards with its beauty and symmetry. Probably the most accurate biographer is Bernal Diaz del Castillo who accompanied and chronicled Cortéz´s conquest of Mexico. But even Diaz del Castillo wrote his accounts many years later, when he was an old man, and by that time the gold and wealth of the New World were already the stuff of legends. However, his accounts are those that are taken as the most complete, despite the fact that Cortéz regularly wrote to King Charles V about his ventures on behalf of his sovereign. Bernal Diaz describes Moctezuma as: “The Great Moctezuma was about forty years old, of good height, well proportioned, spare and slight, and not very dark, though of the usual Indian complexion. He did not wear his hair long but just over his ears, and he had a short black beard, well-shaped and thin. His face was rather long and cheerful, he had fine eyes, and in his appearance and manner could express geniality or, when necessary, a serious composure. He was very neat and clean, and took a bath every afternoon. He had many women as his mistresses, the daughters of chieftains, but two legitimate wives who were Caciques (chieftains) in their own right. . . . The clothes he wore one day he did not wear again . . . He had a guard of two hundred chieftains lodged in rooms

El Ojo del Lago / May 2014

beside his own, only some of whom were permitted to speak to him.” Unlike Bernal Diaz, who was remembering his memories many years after the fact, Cortéz wrote his Cartas de Relación (Letters from Mexico) in the moment in order to justify his actions to the Spanish Crown. His prose is characterized by simple descriptions and explanations, along with frequent personal addresses to the King. In his Second Letter, Cortéz describes his first encounter with Moctezuma thus: “Moctezuma came to greet us and with him some two hundred lords, all barefoot and dressed in a different costume, but also very rich in their way and more so than the others. They came in two columns, pressed very close to the walls of the street, which is very wide and beautiful and so straight that you can see from one end to the other. Moctezuma came down the middle of this street with two chiefs, one on his right hand and the other on his left. And they were all dressed alike except that Moctezuma wore sandals whereas the others went barefoot; and they held his arm on either side.” The two leaders exchanged gifts. I could not find what Cortéz presented, but it is recorded that Moctezuma gave two Aztec calendar discs, one in silver the other of gold, both of which Cortéz had melted down for their raw value. By all accounts, Moctezuma was a great leader; he had constructed a double aqueduct to bring fresh water to his capitol. During his twentythree year reign, he added considerable territory to the Aztec Empire and had a new palace built, complete with several gardens and a zoo. Before becoming Emperor of the

Aztecs, Moctezuma studied for the priesthood and after the death of his father, Moctezuma was elected Emperor by other priests and nobles. Cortéz’s truthfulness and motives have been called into question by many scholars because his version mentions that the Aztecs believed a god would come. Nowhere in any translated hieroglyphics or codices is there any mention of a god returning, particularly Quaziquitl (whom Cortéz reported that Moctezuma thought Cortéz might be). Bernardino de Sahagún (1499–1590) mentions eight events, occurring prior to the arrival of the Spanish, which were interpreted as signs of a possible disaster, e.g. a comet, the burning of a temple, a crying ghostly woman, and others. Some speculate that the Aztecs were particularly susceptible to such ideas of doom and disaster because the particular year in which the Spanish arrived coincided with a “tying of years” ceremony at the end of a 52-year cycle in the Aztec calendar, which in Aztec belief was linked to changes, rebirth and dangerous events. Since Moctezuma had stud-

ied for the priesthood he may have been influenced by these omens, but that is only speculation. Cortéz, with his small army of around 550 Spanish men, would never have succeeded if he had not aligned with the Tlaxcalans, who despised their Aztec overlords and were willing to risk whatever they had to help the Spaniards destroy the bloodthirsty over-lords. It is reported that Moctezuma had at least 100 children by various wives and concubines, of which not all were equal but at least 18 of his sons were eligible to succeed their father. It was his brother Cuitláhuac who did succeed as emperor. However, he died shortly afterward of smallpox, which was actually Cortéz´s greatest ally.

Within a year of Moctezuma´s death, the Aztec Empire ceased to exist; however, his descendants continue his lineage both in Mexico and in Spain, where his daughter, Isabel (as she was named by the Spanish) married a Spanish noble. “Many Spanish families descended from the numerous branches of the families of the children of Moctezuma.” The recently married, eighty-year-old Duchess of Alba is one of those whose ancestry follows Moctezuma´s line. The death of Moctezuma is another area where eye witness accounts vary considerably. Bernal Diaz tells his readers that Moctezuma was severely injured when his subjects saw him standing on a balcony pleading with them to accept surrender to the Spaniards and to convert to Christianity. Bernal Diaz says his subjects were outraged and began to hurl stones at their mighty emperor, to whom they were not even allowed to speak. According to Bernal, three stones injured the Emperor and he refused medical attention and died shortly after of both his injuries and a broken heart. Cortéz wrote the Spanish King that several of Moctezuma´s men stabbed him with their spears and swords and he died of his wounds. Native versions tell us that the Spaniards killed the Emperor with their swords because of either one of two reasons: he was no longer useful or that he refused to convert to Christianity. So much for reliable eye-witness accounts of one of history´s most memorable events. After reading the next quote, it is amazing that anyone can trace their heritage to Moctezuma because according to Jim Tucker in his published work, The Aztec Hamlet, Moctezuma´s heretic line should have ended with the demise of his unholy empire. I quote from his piece. “The Aztec’s false religion caused the downfall of what could have been thought of as one of the strongest empires on the face of the earth at that time. There are not even many archeological sites left because of the thoroughness of the destruction. The hand of God is as evident today as it was then to the Spanish. Destruction through small pox resulted because Aztec faith was placed in false gods instead of the one true God. Moctezuma served and feared gods that had been created by his priests.” Herbert W. Piekow

Saw you in the Ojo

The Jewish Baseball Catcher that Caught the Nazis by Surprise &RXUWHV\ RI 5REHUW 'U\QDQ $XWKRU 8QNQRZQ

hen baseball greats Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig went on tour in baseball-crazy Japan in 1934, some fans wondered why a thirdstring catcher named Moe Berg was included in the troupe. The answer was simple: Berg was an American spy. Speaking fifteen languages including Japanese - Moe Berg had two loves: baseball and spying. In Tokyo, garbed in a kimono, Berg took flowers to the daughter of an American diplomat being treated in St. Luke’s Hospital—the tallest building in the Japanese capital. He never delivered the flowers. The ball-player ascended to the hospital roof and photographed the harbor, military installations, railway yards, etc. Eight years later, Colonel Jimmy Doolittle carefully studied Berg’s photos in planning his spectacular raid, later characterized as “Thirty Seconds over Tokyo.” Berg’s father, Bernard Berg, a phar-

macist in Newark, New Jersey, taught his son Hebrew and Yiddish. Moe, against his wishes, began playing baseball on the street at age four. His father disapproved and never once watched his son play. In Barringer High School, Moe learned Latin, Greek and French. He graduated magna cum laude from Princeton, having added Spanish, Italian, German and Sanskrit to his linguistic quiver. During further studies at the Sorbonne in Paris, and Columbia Law School, he picked up Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Indian, Arabic, Portuguese and Hungarian, plus some regional dialects. During World War II, he parachuted into Yugoslavia to assess the value

El Ojo del Lago / May 2014

to the war effort of the two groups of partisans there. He reported back that Marshall Tito’s forces were widely supported by the people and Winston Churchill ordered all-out support for the Yugoslav underground fighter, rather than Mihajlovic’s Serbians. The parachute jump at age 41 undoubtedly was a challenge. But there was more to come in that same year. Berg penetrated German-held Norway, met with members of the underground and located a secret heavy water plant—part of the Nazis’ effort to build an atomic bomb. His information guided the Royal Air Force in a bombing raid that destroyed the Norwegian heavy water plant. There still remained the question of how far the Nazis had progressed in the race to build the first atomic bomb. If the Nazis were successful, they would win the war. Berg (under the code name “Remus”) was sent to Switzerland to hear leading German physicist Werner Heisenberg, a Nobel Laureate, give a lecture and determine if the Nazis were close to building an A-bomb. Moe managed to slip past the SS guards at the auditorium, posing as a Swiss graduate student. He carried in his pocket a pistol and a cyanide pill. If Heisenberg intimated that the Nazis were close to building a weapon,

Berg was to shoot him—and then swallow the cyanide pill. Moe, sitting in the front row, determined that the Germans were nowhere near their goal, so he complimented the physicist on his speech and walked him back to his hotel. Moe Berg’s report was distributed to Britain’s Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and key figures in the team developing the Atomic Bomb. Roosevelt responded by sending an encoded message to Churchill: “Give my highest regards to the catcher.” Most of Germany‘s leading physicists were Jewish and had fled the Nazis, mainly to Britain and the United States. After the war, Moe Berg was awarded the Medal of Merit, America’s highest honor for a civilian in wartime. But Berg refused to accept, as he couldn’t tell people about his exploits. Perhaps one of the most intellectual men to have ever played professional baseball, Berg was often asked why he has “squandered” his mental capacities on an athletic career, to which he always answered: “I’d rather be a ball player than a justice on the Supreme Court of the United States.” After his death in 1972, his sister accepted the Medal of Merit, which today hangs in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

ARE THE KEYS IN N THE FREEZER R? An Advocateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Guide for Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s & Other Dementias %\ 3DWULFLD :RRGHOO HW DO 5HYLHZHG E\ 3DWULFLD +HPLQJZD\

ow do families sift through the overwhelming amount of evidence and advice on dementia to determine what is relevant to them and their loved ones? Pat Woodell and her sisters did just that, sharing the results of five years of research, doctorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; visits, testing, and visits to care facilities, so that others may â&#x20AC;&#x153;know now what we did not know then.â&#x20AC;? Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is the most common type (60-80%) of dementia, an umbrella term for a neurological disease with several forms. Some types of dementia are reversible. Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is progressive, and has serious physical health consequences. Woodellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mother showed signs of dementia prior to age 80. A woman who lived a full and competent life, no one noticed she was losing her way while driving to familiar places. When she suffered a mini-stroke, the family gathered and the testing began. Family members suffer quilt at not recognizing early warning signs. These subtle cues are often misunderstood. And as Woodell states, â&#x20AC;&#x153;many people wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t confront a reality that might change their lives in ways they cannot yet imagine.â&#x20AC;? She emphasizes the importance of understanding the course of the disease and its outcome, a knowledge which gives family membersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;as advocates for their loved oneâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the tools to plan ahead and provide the best possible care. A recent Kirkus Review of the book states, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is these tools the authors generously share in a tightly organized, well-written workâ&#x20AC;Śthey detail the types of available care facilitiesâ&#x20AC;Ś address paying for dementia careâ&#x20AC;Ś cover hospice and palliative care, and include a chapter on advance care directives. Every chapter ends with Lessons Learnedâ&#x20AC;Śinsightful observations.â&#x20AC;? As a reviewer, I was touched by these insightful observations. The authors share their first impressions of a memory care facility: shock, at the painstakingly slow pace of activity. A

profound silence filled the corridors. As the family visited over the months, their appreciation and respect grew for those who worked and lived there. The facility seemed like a â&#x20AC;&#x153;large, quiet family, interacting in muted tones, all intertwined. Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s innovative memory care settings facilities are more patient-centered, put many decisions in the hands of patients, and promote fun-filled social activity.Â What lies ahead for the future? What about those families who cannot, even with the most careful planning, afford the cost of years spent in a care facility? There is heartening news in a final chapter of the book. A village approach is underway, the goal of which is for persons with Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to remain in their own home for as long as possible, in a community supported by friends, neighbors and families who discreetly monitor their lives and help them stay on track. This is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Village Movement,â&#x20AC;? and communities across the US are helping seniors age in place. Then there is â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s CafĂŠ,â&#x20AC;? located in a community center, care facility, or other venue that offers an environment free of embarrassment and judgment. The CafĂŠ is an informal meeting place for families and professionals to exchange ideas, discuss experience and ideas, and cope with a new reality. The book is available in the LCS Library. To order, go to Amazon.com, dementiastrategies.com, or Facebook. com/dementiastrategies.

Saw you in the Ojo 11

,035,176 %\ $QWRQLR 5DPEOpV $.$ 7RQ\ 3DVVDUHOOR % $ W L 5 EOp p $. ZZZ DQWRQLRUDPEOHV FRP DQWRQLR UDPEOHV#\DKRR FRP

Italyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cinque Terre gateway

Call it luck, but in years of travel Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve rarely experience an upended itinerary that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a silver lining, and my luck again held when heavy seas prevented our )RRWSDWKV FRQQHFW WKH ÂżYH YLOODJHV RI ship from docking at Portofino.Â the Cinque Terre The alternate port was a placed called Porto Venere, gateway to Italyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cinque Terre (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Five Landsâ&#x20AC;?) where five villages that hug cliffs along the Ligurian coastline are unreachable by auto and connected only by footpaths, trains and boats. Â The sun isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t long risen as the launch slices through the waves toward the village, which is just awakening from its slumber. Porto Venere is the imagined picture postcard against which all of my European visits are measured, and it easily exceeds expectations. The lower village is wrapped around a bay that was once the home port of the Byzantinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; western Mediterranean fleet. Here fisherman just returned with the morningâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s catch are drying and mending their nets. Above them a women hangs laundry from a porch railing and suns herself as it dries. )LVKHUPDQ GU\ PHQG QHWV 3RUWR 9HQHUH ,WDO\ The single most striking landmark here is a church that sits on the promontory of a finger of land that reaches out to gather the bay.Â Its appeal is irresistible, and since much of the village clings to the steeply pitched hillside or is perched along its summit, the climb to the church the route winds through narrow, ageless village streets. The village may be ancient and its &KXUFK RI 6W 3HWHU 3RUWR 9HQHUH ,WDO\

1DUURZ VWUHHWV RI 3RUWR 9HQHUH ,WDO\

El Ojo del Lago / May 2014

buildings well worn, but everything here is infused with a tastefully simple Italian style that lends to it a casual elegance. Stone streets have been washed and swept squeaky clean, and bright flowers sit in window planters along the lanes. Locals and tourists alike browse local businesses, and the tantalizing aromas of cured meats and freshly baked breads and pastries drift out into the street. Through an open door a restaurant is polished and groomed in anticipation of lunch. At the summit I look down through the telescope of an alley entrance that caps a steep stone

staircase. Through it I can see the village gathered along the wharves and my ship riding at anchor in the harbor beyond. The church is finally close at hand, but I pause first to wander through a small cemetery where centuries of graves are stacked atop each other in the ever-shrinking space.Â As I look down onto the town, church, and coastline stretched out below itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to imagine a more pic- &KXUFK RI 6W 3HWHU 3RUWR 9HQHUH turesque setting in which to be buried, ,WDO\ or one that could give more comfort to visitors. Completed in 1198 A.D., this striking Romanesque structure stands on the site of a fifth century Christian church which itself replaced a Roman temple to Venus built there in the first century B.C. By now the sun is high in the sky and along the harbor below Italians on holiday are picking out places along the rocky shore to sun themselves with typical European immodesty; Speedos are here in abundance! As the visit draws to a close, a bikini-clad young woman caresses the face of a young man seated on a quintessential Vespa.Â Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a scene thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s undoubtedly repeated itself again and again over the last 50 years, and it reminds me that la dolce vita is still alive and well in the land of Felliniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birth. As I scramble back aboard, though, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m already contemplating the next port of call and it also re/RYHUV DW SOD\ LQ 3RUWR 9H- calls Fellini:Â Roma. QHUH ,WDO\

Saw you in the Ojo 13

FRONT ROW CENTER %\ 0LFKDHO :DUUHQ Social Security By Andrew Bergman Directed by Phil Shepherd

ocial Security is a light comedy by Andrew Bergman, who is better known as a screenwriter. New York magazine in 1985 dubbed him “The Unknown King Of Comedy.” There’s not much meat to the story, however there are plenty of smart one-liners much enjoyed by both actors and audience. In Act 1 we meet Manhattan art dealer “David Kahn”, smoothly played by Roger Larson, and his perfectly groomed wife “Barbara” in their expensive East Side apartment. Candace Luciano is excellent as the stressed perfectionist Barbara, and we soon understand that there is no room in their marriage for children, animals or difficult in-laws or other relatives. Any problem can always be solved with the check book. The author spends a long time setting the scene, as urbane David and beautiful Barbara wonder why her sister “Trudy” and accountant husband “Martin” are coming all the way from Mineola on Long Island for some special reason. When they arrive, we discover that this suburban couple, without much taste or money, are stuck with Barbara and Trudy’s mother “Sophie” who is described by Trudy as a demanding, selfish old woman from hell. Georgette Richmond does a great job portraying the chronically depressed Trudy, while Zane Pumiglia is entirely convincing as henpecked Martin. They are dumping Sophie on

El Ojo del Lago / May 2014

David and Barbara, while they fly to rescue their sex-crazed daughter who is doing unmentionable things (all of which are mentioned) in Buffalo. At the end of the Act, Sophie stomps in with a walker. This must ring a bell with many in the audience, and we fear what is to come. Actually the old lady, played with twinkling humor by Phyllis Silverman, seems reasonably sane in Act 2 except for a few idiosyncrasies like spitting out sour balls in the Pernod sauce. There’s a very funny scene when a famous 98-year-old painter is about to arrive for dinner, and Sophie is in her frumpy housecoat. Barbara begs her to get dressed and take off the housecoat, which she does on stage revealing her even more frumpy underwear. Then the aged painter “Maurice Koenig,” played with distinction by Pierre Blackburn, arrives and is immediately bundled into the closet. This is the stuff of farce, handled with great timing by a strong cast. Sophie throws away her walker and falls in love with Maurice. The play is really a glorified sitcom with a message that it’s never too late for love, particularly if your lover is very wealthy and 98 years old. Martin dumps Trudy for the widow of the local vet, and all ends happily except for Trudy who probably likes to be miserable. The acting was extremely good, and the audience was appreciative on the evening I attended. I congratulate firsttime director Phil Shepherd on getting the best from his cast, and moving the play along with excellent pace. The beautiful set was designed by Dana Douin and Ann Swiston. Win McIntosh was Stage Manager and Sandy Jakubek was Production Assistant. This was an entertaining play with a lot of laughs – a happy end to a successful Season 49. Michael Warren

UUNCOMMON NCOM MM MON CCOMMON OM MM MON SSENSE ENSE %\ %LOO )UD\HU ELOOIUD\HU#JPDLO FRP Fair Pay for Fair Work? %LOO )UD\HU

ow that baseball season is back, I am reminded of the fact that Alex Rodriguez’ suspension will save the Yankees lots of money this season. His salary for 2013 alone was $28 million. That’s almost $173,000 a game, approximately four hundred times the salary of an average American wage earner. How can anyone justify such remuneration? The common justification we hear is, “He’s paid what he’s worth. If he can demand that kind of money in the free market then, by definition, he’s worth it.” I don’t think we should buy that argument. Robert Reich, an economics professor at the University of California at Berkeley, who served in the Ford, Carter, and Clinton administrations, has been writing widely about the problems of growing income inequality. The statistics I am using here come from his research. Now there are 1,085,000 people in the United States working for the minimum wage. The federal minimum wage is presently $7.25 per hour. The average pay for CEO’s at the top 350 firms was over $14 million in 2012, or 933 times the pay of the minimum wage worker. I agree that the CEO’s are highly educated and sometimes provide valuable services to the companies they head, but no one’s labor is worth over 900 times another person’s labor! Even if we compare the CEO’s wages with that of the average American worker’s wage of $44,000, that’s over 300 times higher. The average Wall Street bonus was about $164,000 last year. The total money expended just on bonuses for Wall Street executives was $26.4 billion. That’s enough to double the salary of all minimum wage workers in the United States! Fifty years ago, the average GM worker earned $35 per hour, and those jobs were frequently held by workers with a high school education or less. Today, with a considerably higher cost of living, the average Walmart worker gets $8.80 an hour. Fifty years ago, about a third of American workers belonged to unions; today only 7% of private-sector workers are unionized. Complain about unions all you want, they served to more fairly distribute

the money within corporations. With union membership falling, the CEO’s are getting more while the workers are getting less. This brings me to the primary question. Do people really earn money based on what they’re worth? That’s the myth of the free market, but it’s laughably false. Why should a guy who can whack a baseball over a fence earn significantly more than a surgeon who can fix a heart or a brain? Why should that surgeon earn so much more than a front-line family practice physician? Why should that family practice physician earn so much more than a good tax accountant? Why should the tax accountant earn more than an experienced teacher? Why should almost everyone earn significantly more than a Walmart worker? Of course, pay should be based on the amount of training one needs to acquire the skill level required to do the work, but we are not paying people based on what they’re worth. My wife and my three children and I have all chosen to earn our living in education and social work; as a result, and we knew this going in, we all have earned less than others with similar or less education and training. That’s fine. We understand that. But is that all we’re worth? Isn’t it fair to ask if CEO’s, surgeons, and yes, baseball players are really worth the exorbitant sums they are paid. We will never address the income inequality until we answer that question honestly.

Saw you in the Ojo 15

7+( 3 3$7521 6 6$,1 17 2 2) 6 6$)( 7 75$9(/ %\ %LOO 'HDQ ZZZ PH[LFRMRXUQH\ LQIR

here is a lot of talk these days about whether it is safe to travel in Mexico. That kind of talk is nothing new. Saint Christopher (the “Patron Saint of Safe Travel”) shrines used to be found at Mexican bus stations and Saint Christopher medals used to decorate bus dashboards. But in 1969 the Church downgraded Christopher’s status to that of a mere “legend.” Demotion notwithstanding, the story is worth repeating. It seems that in the third century a burly chap by the name of Christopher gained a reputation for helping travelers ford a rushing river somewhere in Asia Minor. One day Jesus appeared to Christopher in need of a lift to the other side. Jesus was just a youngster but he got to be extremely heavy (even for the strapping Christopher) because Jesus was carrying the sins of the world. But they both made it safely to the other side. The lore caught on and for centuries Christopher was the Saint of

Safe Travel. That brings me back to buses okay, to a story about traveling on one. The year was 1979. Back then many Mexican buses were colorful old contraptions with cracked windshields, dashboard paraphernalia, and bald tires. Our bus had a Saint Christopher medallion glued to the knob of the gear stick. (As you can see, it also had

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a pig on the roof. We were following a truck piled high with live chickens crammed inside tiny cages. The truck listed at a frightening angle. It missed a turn, landed on its side, and came to rest just inches from a steep ravine. Nonplussed chickens stalked freely among shattered cages strewn all over the road. We didn’t hit a single chicken. I like to think that Saint Christopher had something to do with that. I also like to think that Christopher would want those chickens to be shared with others. Our driver thought so. He slammed on the brakes; flung open the doors; let the passengers out to help themselves to that night’s dinner. It was a “free for all” in every sense. Most folks took only one chicken, but the chap on the seat next to me took two. Then we hightailed it out of there. That, of course, was many years ago. Many of Mexico’s buses now look like this. Today the “lujo” (luxury) buses that

run between major cities are gleaming Pullman style coaches (Mercedes and the like) with reserved seating, oversized tinted windows, wild and colorful paint jobs, seats that recline to near bed length positions, air conditioning, toilets, videos with headphones, snacks, baggage handling, and other amenities. Much the same can be said of many “primera” (first class) buses. They all run on precision schedules. Drivers are immaculately dressed and pride themselves on safety and comfort. The “segundo” (second class) lines lack many of these luxury features but they are reliable, can be “standing room only,” and frequently stop to pick up and discharge passengers. But they are affordable and widely used. There are a lot of buses in Mexico. And that is a good thing. Buses offer affordable transportation each day to millions of Mexicans. They ply the many new toll roads that connect most major cities. They offer an enlightened approach to congested traffic, cleaner air, and reduced reliance upon oil. So, for those Mexican vacationers who are willing to venture out from the shadows of beach umbrellas and into Mexico’s interior, consider going by bus. The “Historic” sections of the “Colonial Cities” (Taxco, Oaxaca, Pueblo, Merida, to name just a few) deserve your attention. They were laid out in the 16-17th century by royal decree with a central park (zocalo) bordered by the mansions of provincial governors, Conquistadors, and well-heeled colonists. There is a lot to see and do in Mexico. Much can be learned at ground level that cannot be seen at 35,000 feet in the clouds. A bus ride to Mexico’s colonial cities will be just the start. And getting there may be safer than you think—which is why you are not apt to bump into Saint Christopher anymore. (Ed. Note: Learn more about Mexico with Bill’s book, Mexico: Journey of a Nation Over a Rough and Rambling Road.)

EXPECTING THE WORST %\ -RKQ 7KRPDV 'RGGV

ere’s how you play the game of preparing for the worst of anything and ev-

erything. Number of Players: There are no limits to the number of players. Group dynamics, however, will considerably extend the playing time with the introduction of blame, indecision and lack of introspection. Rules of the Game: You are to look at all possible scenarios of the situations presented, real or imagined, and play out the self-imposed obstacle course on the road to achievement. In preparation, pretend you are a clairvoyant of occasions, never to miss anything that might happen, creating out of thought and speculation the “just in case” worst scenario possible. Conjure up the negative side of what might happen and before you ever reach the point you are converging on, throw up as many new barriers, obstacles and seemingly irreversible pos-

sibilities as you can imagine or invent. Try to constantly control what might arise at any given moment, and if you don’t think it will turn out as expected (advanced players will know it won’t turn out), step back and analyze the potential for other than you thought it would be, and prepare for the inevitable, whatever that might be. Plan for unexpected and disastrous results while anticipating everything that will go wrong. Advance with trepidation and fear after each setback. Hints: Look for things to go wrong. If you are stuck and can’t find any, invent them. If it doesn’t happen exactly how you expected it to, it probably wasn’t supposed to, so be prepared to accept the least. If you so badly want it to be other than it is or presumably will be, worry it to death. How to win the game: You win, of course, when you are knee deep in slime and you turn it over to the Big Guy and say Show me the way.

Saw you in the Ojo 17

%\ 9LFWRULD 6FKPLGW

The Real World

s I sit at a stoplight, I am dreading my upcoming trip to the United States. I see a man cross the street carrying a block of ice on his shoulder. And I think, “Now there’s something you never see in the USA at an intersection.” Next I saw a young boy carrying vegetables in a pail balanced on his head. Then a woman with a baby strapped to her chest carried in her arms a basket of fabric. The light turns green, and I make my left turn onto the carretera. In front of me is a time-worn pickup truck, with a rather large bull in it. No cage, no rails, just a swaying bull. I try to imagine how they got that big bull in that small pick up. As traffic stops and starts I see a burro on the side of the road with a man leading him. Straw baskets balance on either side of the burro filled with wares for sale. A Mexican Indian woman crosses in front of me near the intersection near Super Lake. It is early in the morning, and not many cars are in the parking lot. The other woman, also Mexican Indian, is sweeping the parking lot with a straw broom. I am surprised they help keep the lot clean. These two are widows who spend their day asking for money in exchange for a prayer. I think of the United States, and the intersections I can remember. Most of them were in the suburbs and rarely had pedestrians at all. I remember cars. Lots of cars. And squealing tires, and

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squeaking brakes. Here we have trucks hawking junk, or fresh strawberries, cheese or corn. On almost any corner you can find a stand that will sell vegetables, or fruit cut to order. In one spot there is a coffee truck with coffee ground to order. Another spot displays hammocks, and hats, and works of art. In the United States, we see shopping mall, after shopping mall, followed by yet another shopping center. Oh, we see them here at Lakeside, but perhaps a block or so, instead of mile after mile of nothing but stores. And then there are the ubiquitous car washers with the paint buckets and rags. They usher you into and out of parking areas. They greet you as you struggle out of your car. “Wash?” “Limpio hoy?” Their pails are full of water. Yet used to stand on when they wash the top of the car, and reach across the windshield. And when traffic slows down, the dirty water is disposed of, and the paint bucket are upended to provide a stool to sit and wait for the next customer. And paint buckets also make for great parking spot savers, along with broken Corona, Coke or Pepsi chairs. I see many ingenious parking spot savers. One family on our block has two flower pots filled with cement holding a pole in each one, and covered with yellow and black striped tape. My husband’s favorite is an upended box with a chunk of firewood. Our pails sometimes disappeared, but so far the boxes are working well. Chairs, tables, large cement blocks and milk crates all seem to communicate “No parking” better than the sign painted on the door, or the yellow paint painted on the curb. But the one thing I see here in Mexico that always makes me smile, are the children. Kids that hold hands, sing, and play with toys. Wooden horses, and worn soccer balls, hoops, balloons, rope, and of course, paint buckets. This is home to me. This world is real. Victoria Schmidt

Saw you in the Ojo 19

+20 0( ,,6 7 7+( : :$55,2 25 %\ 5REHUW %UXFH 'U\QDQ

he watched as the blue clad troopers escorted the horse drawn caisson. Bearing the flag draped coffin it moved slowly among the ranks and files of America’s fallen. She had been four years old when she last saw him. She cherished memories of him holding her, playing with her. At the dinner table he spoke to her as if she were an adult. He read her bedtime stories from books that were his as a child. She remembered his happy smile. And then he went away and never returned. But what did she really remember from that time? Were these memories planted by her mother? She searched her heart. Her image of him came from the photographs; solemn in dress blues, another wearing a colorful Hawaiian shirt holding her in his arms, a wide smile on his face. That’s the smile she remembered... a photograph! She recalled another image of him and her mother, she all in white on his arm marching out of the church beneath the raised swords of his fellow officers. He was so handsome. These are all constructed memories, she thought. The things I heard from my mother and from his comrades who refused to forget what he had done those terrible days in December of 1950. I’m not overwhelmed by his loss. I still sense the terrible grief my mother felt. That, I can remember: the sobbing, the gloom and then the feeling of

El Ojo del Lago / May 2014

emptiness. And finally, moving on. Years passed, memories faded. And then one day, several years ago, she received a telephone call. Her mother was gone, she had no siblings. She was invited to a ceremony dedicating Lt Col. Don Faith’s name to the new headquarters building at Fort Drum in New York. She went. There she learned much more about her father; things as a child she never really knew about him. At the dedication, they read the citation of the Medal of Honor that Harry Truman had presented to her mother in Washington. And afterward, she met with the few survivors of his battalion and they told her about the man they had so admired as he led them toward safety at the cost of his own life. A lone battalion surrounded by an entire Chinese army, fighting against overwhelming odds, he rallied his men, always in the forefront, attempting to lead them to safety. Her father had been mortally wounded assaulting an enemy roadblock. She surveyed her surroundings: Soldiers in dress blues, a general and the commander of the honor guard all waiting as the uniformed casket-bearers lifted her father’s remains and moved solemnly to the grave site, quiet commands cycling the men through a prescribed ritual. None of those present, but she, had ever had personal contact with Don Faith, who had perished sixty three years ago, and now, finally, had returned. This is a beautiful ceremony, but it is the Army honoring its own. I’m here as window dressing. I hardly remember my father. Oh how sad! Gone so long! No one to cry for him at his homecoming! What was he thinking at that moment, she wondered? Did he have time to reflect on us, to say goodbye in his heart? The next time you are near a military cemetery, walk in; visit a few of the grave sites. Read aloud the names, branch of service, the dates they were born and died, where they died. Once they lived, loved, and aspired. It all ended too soon.

Saw you in the Ojo 21

DEAR PORTIA Advice to the Lovelorn the Overfed and the Deeply Disgruntled

ear Portia, HELP!!! I am being stalked by an elderly Brunhilda, who twice daily (when I keep track) lingers at my doorway staring in, mouth agape. Trust me – this is not a pretty sight! If, in a wild flight of fantasy I should choose to be stalked, at the very least the stalker would be of the opposite sex, and then preferably a bit more furtive. As it is, the woman feels free to call in to my little abode when I am on the phone doing business, disrupting my work and freaking out my hound – which further disrupts matters. When I suggest that she leave, there is a great slamming of doors, vociferous grumbling, and other aberrant behaviors which defy description. I live in a tiny fracc, and the population density is intense. So far I have tried to reason with her, and have resorted to shrieking, both to no avail. As I said earlier, HELP! Sincerely, Watched Closely PS: I had two paranoia screenings with local healers, and they found that I had justifiable concerns—and oddly enough, both referred me on to you! Dear Watched Closely,

El Ojo del Lago / May 2014

This sounds to me like a classic case of either wish-fulfillment or rapidly-advancing paranoia. You also seem to be suffering from an exalted self-image. Normally, it’s celebrities who are stalked, not lonely little old ladies who have too much time on their hands and not enough good men in their arms. Not to file too fine a point on this, I think you need to see a shrink. There are no psychiatrists that I know of at Lakeside. There was one, my former estimable colleague here at the Ojo, the late Dr. Roberto Moulun, but given the frankness for which he was famous, I fear he would have simply slapped you silly and told you to stop acting like a crazy bitch. Now there are, of course, many highly qualified psychiatrists in Guadalajara, but unless you speak Spanish, you need to find a doctor who speaks English. I know of one pitiful woman who spent almost a full year baring her innermost thoughts to a shrink in the Big City only to finally discover that he could not understand a word of English. Public Service Advisory: Beware of “local healers.” All they ever seem to “heal” are their feeble bank accounts.

Saw you in the Ojo 23

Anyone Can Train Their Dog %\ $UW +HVV artthedogguy@yahoo.com

ast time we discussed people inadvertently teaching their dogs to pull on the leash and reinforcing the action every time they allowed the dog to continue the action. People also do this with many other unwanted actions but that’s a subject for another day. There is a variety of methods that are used to teach proper leash work but they all have common factors. First. Teaching your dog to walk on a loose leash and taking the dog for a walk are completely different. The dog must be taught to walk on a loose leash before he is taken for a walk. Second. If your dog won’t sit beside you on a loose leash it is highly unlikely he will walk beside you on a loose leash. Probably the most common method used to teach loose leash work is to change direction every time the dog forges. There are two critical additions that most trainers miss when using this system. When they change direction they drag the dog about and keep on walking. In my opinion this is negative motivation not positive. This is working on what you DON’T want the dog to do as opposed to teaching him what you WANT him to do. Here’s the proper way. When the dog forges you give a sharp “pop” correction and change direction and immediately give a completely slack leash. His reward is to always have a loose leash. When the dog is beside you in the desired position you give verbal praise (as in “marker” training) or if you are using a clicker you click and treat. This way the dog is told he has assumed the proper position and he is recognized and rewarded for his action. Small addition, a world of difference. This next system is taught by Dr. Dunbar in his sessions. Sometimes your dog--especially if he’s a young or adolescent dog--will still insist on walking slightly in front of you. He’s not pulling on the leash... he’s just not walking along side you, in the heel position. (The heel position means that his right leg is aligned with your left

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leg, and his toes and your toes line up, when you stop). Many young dogs, especially, don’t initially understand the concept of staying parallel to you. Here’s how to fix it: Take a baby step forward. Only one. If he takes more than one baby step forward, tug backward with the leash, until he takes a step backward and is parallel to you. Now take one more baby step forward. Do the same thing. Continue this for about 50 steps, and you’ll see your dog begin to make eye contact and only take one step forward. Now take two baby steps forward, and stop. Repeat, praise, and reward. Then three steps. And back to one step. Next five steps, ten steps, and so on. Soon he will be focusing on you to determine where he’s supposed to be. I love this next method especially when working with puppies. Find an enclosed space completely free of distractions, about the size of a double length carport. Get your handful of tasty treats which will be used first as lures and as rewards for assuming a position or performing an action. Simply move the lure around near the dog’s nose and say “let’s go.” As he lunges toward the lure you move slowly ahead keeping his nose near your left thigh. (This is the desired location for the future.) Walk several steps and then stop and move the dog’s nose up and back and he will sit. Mark and reward or click. You now have taught him to walk beside you and to sit when you stop. Do this often and in little sessions and you will soon have the dog walking beside you off leash. When you move to different environments you may have to drop a loose leash on him and let him drag it for awhile. By the time you are prepared to venture out into the real world he will be going along beside you on a loose leash and not be pulling because he never learned to forge. Art Hess

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Hearts at Work $ &ROXPQ E\ -DPHV 7LSWRQ “The simplicity of the everlasting truth”

ohn G. Whittier, the “Quaker Poet,” concluding his introduction to the 1871 edition of the Journal of John Woolman, “the Quaker Saint,” wrote: “I am not unmindful of the wide difference between the appreciation of a pure and simple life and the living of it, and am willing to own that in delineating a character of such moral and spiritual symmetry I have felt something like rebuke from my own words.” Perhaps all who seriously read Woolman’s Journal feel a similar rebuke arising from both their ability to recognize and their inability to act. John Woolman was a completely good man; and this is our problem. We can recognize and appreciate the goodness of his pure and simple life, his simple peace, his gentle, all-embracing love, but we are unable to go beyond recognition and appreciation of his goodness to the quiet practice of goodness in our own lives. We intellectually profess obedience to the voice within; we profess functional simplicity; we profess all-embracing love. But we cannot settle these things upon our own hearts. We are victims of deep-rooted habit which, as Woolman recognized, “though wrong, are not easily altered.” We are “too much clogged with the things of this life.” Woolman’s love was all-embracing but it was also a practical love that changed people and institutions. Like Emerson’s “practical thinker,” Woolman’s goodness “had some edge to it.” Woolman worked to improve the condition of the Negroes, Indians, poor workingmen, sailors, English post boys or any group in society that was exploited and made to suffer for the benefit of another group. Woolman refused to be an accomplice to the forces producing the conditions he recognized as evil. He refused to pay a tax (we are perhaps reminded of Thoreau) to support wars against Indians and refused to accept official payment when he was forced to lodge and entertain military troops. In England, he witnessed the miserable lives of English post boys and promptly directed his friends at home not to send letters to him on any common occasion by post. Woolman is remembered historically as the prime force behind the early Quaker movement to abolish slavery. Active as a scrivener, he refused to draw up wills or documents that included slaves as items of property or exchange. During his trav-

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els (in which he preached against slavery) it was occasionally necessary to accept food and lodging at the home of a slaveholding Friend. Woolman felt uneasy under these circumstances and paid the Friend (generally against his host’s will) for his food and lodging; and he would often give the owner money to be distributed to the slaves, or distribute it himself. But Woolman never ceased to embrace the evildoer in his love. Trevelyan writes: “And when the Friends found that they could not answer John’s questions, instead of poisoning him or locking him up as an anarchist, they let their slaves go free!” He was unconcerned with the selfish salvation of his soul and professed in words and acts that “Conduct is more convincing than language.” To Woolman, “the real substance of religion” is “where practice doth harmonize with principle.” Like all genuine seekers of truth, Woolman’s life was outwardly simple. Like Thoreau, he lived the simplicity he professed. Woolman, seeing his retail clothing and supply business expand and prosper, gave it up, fearing it would soon control him. He declared “Every degree of luxury hath some connection with evil,” and advised that if people “were content with a plain way of life, they had ever more peace and calmness of mind than they who, aspiring to greatness and outward shows, have grasped hard for an income to support themselves therein.” To luxury, John preferred “the simplicity of the everlasting truth.” Woolman led a simple life in obedience to the light within. Sensitivity to the voice within, to absolute human values, demands simplicity. The simple life of goodness often has very productive effects because nothing is ever over-complicated; nothing stifles the decision to act. Jim Tipton

Saw you in the Ojo 27

+857 +$:.6 %52.(1 +(5216 —The Dark Vision of Robinson Jeffers Continues to Challenge Us %\ 'U /RULQ 6ZLQHKDUW

t was a cold but sunny afternoon in February of my fifteenth year when I found the injured heron. I had been wading up the small stream that trickled across my grandfather’s pasture, when I caught the first glimpse of the noble bird, threshing about, its toes torn to shreds by the jaws of a carelessly laid leg-hold trap, a shattered wing bone stabbing from the bloody pulp of flesh and feathers. I could not free the bird, and it had nothing left but agony and slow death by starvation or in the maw of some predator. At 15, I had no options. I ended the animal’s suffering by turning a nearby dead limb into a weapon

of death. I am tormented even now, so many decades later, by the memory. Years later, as a college student, I encountered the poetry of Robinson Jeffers. His “Hurt Hawks” has become a classic, detailing an experience not unlike my own with the heron, a red tailed hawk with a broken wing. When Jeffers speaks of the great bird’s jagged wing protruding from the clotted shoulder, I can relate. When he speaks of administering the “lead gift”, I can relate to that too. Jeffers appears as a bluff, hearty outdoorsman, preferring solitude to society. Many critics regard him as angry, negative, and even bitter. Unlike Robert Frost, he may be no one’s

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favorite poet. I perceive him, though, as a man who, like Mark Twain, finds himself consumed with anguish by the knowledge of human cruelty and destructiveness. Twain escaped into humor. Scratch a humorist, he tells us, and you find a sad man. Early in his career, Jeffers sequestered himself at Tor House, a cottage constructed with his own hands from native stone atop a bluff overlooking the Pacific near Carmel. From there, he fired his literary barbs at a population blinded and deafened by its obsession with trivia and tedium. His view of mankind is not a flattering one. Neither is it one easily dismissed. His poem “Original Sin” speaks of “The man-brained and man-handed ground ape, physically the most repulsive of all hot-blooded animals,” and depicts a tribe of stone-age hunters hooting and dancing with joy as a great mammoth is slowly cooked alive in a fiery pit. This, Jeffers assures us, is the true image of man, cruel, greedy, lacking in empathy or imagination. Jeffers says, “I would rather be a worm in a wild apple than a son of man.” His detractors accuse him of misanthropy, even of nihilism because of his assertion that he would sooner kill a man than a hawk. I suspect that, rather, he views the hawk as a harmless victim when compared to man’s world-eating passions. I am brought up short, though, when he says: “We are what we are, and we might remember Not to hate any person; for all are vicious; And not be astonished at any evil, for all are deserve.” This takes the concept of Original Sin to new heights or new depths. Do slaves, Holocaust victims, prisoners of the Gulag, women and children sold into sexual bondage deserve their fate simply because they are human? In “Shine, Perishing Republic”, he warns his two young sons, “Keep your distance from the thickening center,” and, “…be in nothing so moderate as

in love of man, a clever servant, insufferable master.” His condemnation appears to be directed at civilization rather than at individual human victims of cruelty and injustice. Jeffers argues that there is no hope for human improvement or redemption. A better world can only be realized once man and all his works vanish. When he finds a stretch of his pristine Big Sur coast violated by a housing project, he takes comfort in the realization, that, given time, humans will perish. The earth itself will die as its sun consumes itself, leaving behind a cold indifferent vacuum. Like a camelhair-clad Old Testament prophet, he characterizes civilization as a disease, warning that ours, like its predecessors, will collapse, leaving our women selling themselves to the grinning usurper for nylons and bits of chocolate. He finds satisfaction in the knowledge that, “When the cities lie at the monster’s feet there are left the mountains.” Jeffers challenges us to question our presuppositions regarding the nature of man, his position in the universe, and, as Einstein asked, whether or not that universe is a friendly place. A few years ago, near my winter refuge along the Carolina coast, a reward was posted for the apprehension of individuals who had broken the wings of numerous brown pelicans, abandoning them to slow, painful death. I remembered my broken heron upon that faraway day when I had no options, and I thought of our ancestors dancing around the tortured mammoth, people who possessed options but perhaps no conscience. Maybe Jeffers is right about us. But, then, there are those among us whose hearts are so rent by the suffering of pelicans that they posted the reward. Lorin Swinehart

Saw you in the Ojo 29

%\ 5XG\DUG .LSOLQJ

There is sorrow enough in the natural way From men and women to fill our day; And when we are certain of sorrow in store, Why do we always arrange for more? Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear. Buy a pup and your money will buy Love unflinching that cannot lie-Perfect passion and worship fed By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head. Nevertheless it is hardly fair To risk your heart for a dog to tear. When the fourteen years which Nature permits Are closing in asthma, or tumor, or fits, And the vet’s unspoken prescription runs To lethal chambers or loaded guns, Then you will find--it’s your own affair-But .... you’ve given your heart to a dog to tear. When the body that lived at your single will, With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!). When the spirit that answered your every mood Is gone—wherever it goes—for good, You will discover how much you care, And will give your heart to a dog to tear. We’ve sorrow enough in the natural way, When it comes to burying Christian clay. Our loves are not given, but only lent, At compound interest of cent per cent. Though it is not always the case, I believe, That the longer we’ve kept ‘em, the more do we grieve: For, when debts are payable, right or wrong, A short-time loan is as bad as a long— So why in--Heaven (before we are there) Should we give our hearts to a dog to tear? (Ed. Note: This is a writer/poet relatively new to our pages— and we must say, he certainly shows great promise!)

El Ojo del Lago / May 2014

PUEBLA-The City Built By Angels %\ 'DYH *RRG

ounded in 1531, the city of Puebla emerged from the chaos caused by the Conquest of the New World. Legend has it that “tall, beautiful, lightly-dressed heavenly beings with long hair and transparent gaze began to trace the city layout.” The City of Angels was the result of their efforts and the precise harmony of its dimensions surprises visitors to this day. On a more human note, the Conquest captured the imagination of not only the soldiers of fortune and the clergy, but those vagabond ne’er-do-wells, who out of sheer boredom with life on the continent wanted a life of adventure and lawlessness. This proved to be quite a problem after the relatively easy victories fought with pistols and pestilence. With no enemies left after the first two years, these adventurers started robbing and harassing anyone they chanced to meet on the road between Vera Cruz and Mexico City. They became such a problem that the King of Spain issued an order that rather than lock them up (there were no jails at the time), a new experiment in city planning would be undertaken-a city built by and for these vagabonds who would be given lands and hopefully would turn their lives towards honest pursuits. As Garcia Cantu, an historian, has said: “This was an attempt at imposing civilization; an attempt to control those driven by greed, the search for a way to reduce the tributes paid by the Indians living in the area in exchange for their help in building the city, as well as a way of promoting European economic, political and religious systems among them.” And so many craftsmen from Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Northern Africa came to teach their crafts and skills to the local evangelized Indian people. They built magnificent churches and buildings which would become models for many other cities. European fruit trees and cereals, iron tools and animaldrawn machines were introduced. The indigenous irrigation system was exploited, wells and water wheels were installed and Puebla became the most important agricultural center in New Spain. Also in 1531, the first mill was founded, and by 1538, Puebla was producing textiles such as silk, linen and wool.

The famous glazed tiles were produced, marble was mined, along with glass and objects made from iron, bronze and wood were produced. Puebla became the foremost industrial and commercial center in the country. The various Indian tribes settled around the city adding their customs and flavor and inter-marrying with their conquerors. So, thus setting the stage for the most unique city experiment in the New World--a city built with the cooperation of the conquered peoples who over time would completely integrate with them so that a new society would emerge: a society that would lead the nation into new freedom; independence from foreign occupation (5th of May), and independence from dictatorship (the 1910 revolution was planned here in Puebla). Before the creation of Puebla, the area was very well known because of the religious center at Cholula, just 7 km. from the present site of the city. Long before Chichén Itzá and Teotihuacan, Cholula was the spiritual center of the Aztec world. Artifacts have been found of every Indian civilization from the Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico and west to the Pacific. Five hundred years before Christ, work was started on what would become the largest pyramid in the world. It was only after this center died out that work began on the more recent pyramids of Palenque and Uzmal. Puebla is a city of quiet, unassuming grace. From its beautiful plaza surrounded by Baroque architecture and Arabic spires to its more than 365 cathedral-like churches, Porfirian houses with arched doorways, spherical windows and laced cornices that adorn every street for two kilometers around the plaza. Because angels seemingly played such a significant part in its origin, they are everywhere smiling, watching and guarding all facets of daily life for Poblanos. Matching the Baroque flair for hyperbole in plasterwork, Friar Juan de Villa Sanchez once said of the city: “There is surely no nation or people who have not heard of the fame of Puebla of the Angels, applauded in annals, celebrated in stories, shown on maps, copied in paintings; even the pens of the most diligent writers are engaged in extolling its virtues and the greatness of its name.”

Saw you in the Ojo 31

%\ (G 7DVFD

odern psychologists now believe that the bullfight may not be what it has always appeared to be – a primal, man-against-beast ceremonial battle of grace against brawn. At least not to the bull. The bullfight, theorists argue (from the bull’s point of view), is really a torrid sexual coming-out for the bull, an experience, I suppose, that is akin to our junior prom. There’s something in the bull business called “best bulls,” they explain. These animals are bred specifically for sure-footedness and power – essentials in the ring (and probably junior proms as well). These bulls are never allowed to mate with the cows.

El Ojo del Lago / May 2014

Now, just that fact makes me start to wonder. Not only are the “best bulls” undergoing forced abstinence, but the bulls are deliberately teased into a libidinous frenzy by having the best-looking cows right across the fence from them, smelling great and sashaying about the pasture (looking, I would guess, to a bull, like the Kardashians and sounding just as articulate) – the sole purpose of which would be to further enrage these poor creatures. So you have the bull, a frustrated virgin, going into the ring, without a spritz of cologne or even a gift-corsage, to meet the torero who, from the bull’s point of view, is just a “female symbol,” a flashy pole dancer in effect. As such, the entire corrida ritual starts to look a little different, as some kind of weird sexual consummation for the bull, ending up like nothing more than a really bad blind date. I have taken it upon myself to try to recreate what Hemingway would have written about the bullfight if he were informed with the latest data: Once I remember Gertrude Stein talking of bullfights. She said they were operatic, monumental, explosive even titillating, and that was just her description of the matador’s pants. My first visit to the corrida occurred to fill a lazy afternoon and empty a busy flask. I saw the bull

rush through the puerta del toro and gouge his hoofs into the coarse dirt like a true ganada bravo (best bull) as if to say, “Flap your flirty little cape if you want, senorita, but it will do you no good. I’m a big, irresistible macho male, so don’t fool with me!” (Hemingway often projected himself into his characterizations.) The bull’s announcement served only to cue the torero into a balletic swirl behind his sweeping red muleta, a turn the beast saw as nothing more than another fickle female “maybe/maybe-not” seduction. The torero then scoffed further at the bull by snapping his hips forward and jamming his zapatillas provocatively into the earth just beneath the bull’s snarling muzzle. This caused the bull’s blood to rush back and forth between his horns and his hoofs, turning them bright red, and causing the effect of an emergency alert. The bull then snorted out several heated breaths and narrowed his eyes - declaring he was now certain the little torero wanted his baby. The bull then charged once again at his beloved, only to have the torero leap into a mocking pas de chat, deliberately flashing his breathtaking pink stockings from behind his Salome-like, fluttering cape, driving the bull mercilessly mad with lust, and exclaiming disdainfully that there could never be anything between him and the bull – except possibly as a couple on Dancing With the Stars. It appeared that the bull was getting weary and frustrated, and could have been persuaded to settle for a simple, private lap dance. The crowds, those who hadn’t fainted, were beside themselves, and the policia had to be called in to calm them with a fire hose. You can see from such an analysis that this bullfighting business continues to challenge our ideas about our moral values: Is it right for us to inflict such inhumane torture on a skinny little boy dressed up in an ill-fitting, provocative costume and a funny hat – in the name of sport? Yes, you can argue that if the boy performed well, he would be applauded, showered with flowers, even given some decent clothes to wear. BUT! Weigh that against the prospect of the bull performing well, which means, regrettably, that the bull would have subdued the torero, flattened him and… (Continued on Page 43 of The National Enquirer.) Ed Tasca

FIFTY PESOS %\ $QWRQLR 5DPEOpV

he looked like so many other street beggars that he wouldn’t have given her a second glance except to kill time until the next Chapala bus departed. From his seat at the far end of the concourse, he distracted himself by marking her progress as she snaked among the Central Vieja stalls decked out in snacks and newspapers and loteria tickets. Her sparse frame poked through stained and threadbare clothing, and her black hair was hopelessly tangled. She seemed oblivious to the screeches and roars of busses constantly arriving and departing, or to the air grown heavy with their exhaust. He watched her make her pitch to waiting passengers as her hands darted about in a pantomime that ended always with outstretched palms. She was like so many others here, living from meal to meal, but the few remaining coins in his pocket reminded him that he’d already given away a fistful of change on the streets of Guadalajara that day. A glance at his watch told him that she would reach him before his bus departed. He told himself that there was only so much that one man could do, and he steeled himself to turn her down. Her face gave no hint of disappointment or anger as each passenger brushed her off. Soon she was near enough that he could hear the loose soles of her battered sneakers flapping against the pavement as she walked. She caught his eye before he could avert his glance, and in moments her shuffling shoes came to rest on the pavement in front of his downcast gaze. Her Spanish was too rapid for him to follow, but in her soft and earnest tone was neither a pitiful plea nor indifferent insistence. Her voice brought to mind instead a pilgrim soliciting alms. The Chapala bus arrived and passengers began queuing up. He stood unthinkingly and took a step toward it, dropping his last few pesos into her palm. Her face lit up in delighted surprise, and her lips struggled to form the words “thank... you” in English.

He couldn’t resist looking back over his shoulder as he walked toward his bus. Halfway to the exit she stood before a man with an infant cradled in his arms, looking into the baby’s wide eyes and grasping a tiny hand. Her face softened in baby-talk and then blossomed into a broken-toothed smile. At that moment, he saw in her a childlike innocence that denied her life on the street. He was suddenly ashamed that he had been so miserly. He pulled out his billfold to find that he had nothing smaller than a fifty peso note. He reminded himself that it was hardly more than the price of a Starbucks latte. He looked up to find her now nearly to the exit, and he took only a few steps in her direction before she vanished. It crossed his mind to pursue her while there was yet time for him to redeem himself, but the doors of the Chapala bus opened and passengers began to board. He settled into his seat, idly folding the fifty peso note into a tight square before tucking it into a pocket of his billfold. He never again passed through the Central Vieja without looking for her, and although he never saw her again, he kept the folded fifty peso note to remind himself that when she had been in need, he was the one who had been found wanting. Antonio Ramblés

Saw you in the Ojo 33

Sandy Olson

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

PAST EVENTS

:+$7 :$6 $// 7+$7 12,6(" On May 3 some expats woke up extremely early to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;musicâ&#x20AC;? of cohetes (bottle rockets to gringos). This was 'LD GH OD 6DQWD &UX], which is also the patron saint day of construction workers, a large and loud group in Ajijic. In Ajijic this means that workers ZLOO VWDUW WKH ÂżHVWD YHU\ HDUO\ ZLWK ERWWOH URFNHWV EXW WKH SDUWLHV WHFKQLFDOO\ VWDUW DURXQG noon with food, drink, and maybe some music, all of which is paid for by the owners of the project. Altars with decorated crosses were erected on these sites, accompanied by large buckets of ice cold beer. Presumably a good time was had by all. .,'6 $1' .$<$.6 The beach in front of Maria Isabel Restaurant (formerly The Old Posada) was awash in activity on Saturday morning, April 7, as members of the Lake Chapala .D\DN &OXE gave local children between the ages of 6 and 18 the opportunity to have a water adventure. Bilingual club members showed the kids the fundamentals Chick Twyman and Leticia Romero of kayaking: how to get in out of with Student a kayak, maintain balance, and handle the paddle. Fifteen children attended this session. The club plans to offer this introduction to kayaking on a regular basis. The number of children will be limited to twenty. ,Q )HEUXDU\ WKH &OXE RIIHUHG D EDVLF WUDLQLQJ FODVV IRU ORFDO ÂżVKHUPDQ 7KH YLVLRQ RI club members and /HRQDUGR &RQHMR, the new owner of Maria Isabel Restaurant, is to expand beachfront activities to have a kayak rental concession and establish a permanent childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s training center, and generally to help support beachfront development for recreation and water sports. The Club is soliciting donations of recreational kayaks. For further information, email CommoGRUH :D\QH 5HQ] at longlifewayne@aol. com. LIVING, DYINGâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; '2(6 ,7 0$.( 6(16(" Taking Leave, by Nagle Jackson, is a comedy about life. And living. And dying. Top row from left to right: Fred Koesling, Amy And trying to make Friend, Georgette Richmond (Director), Mark Ben- sense of it all. It was nett. Bottom row from left to right: Barbara Pruitt, the last play of the for The NaSandy Jakubek, Pamela Richardson, Tina Leonard season ked Stage. 7+( /,*+7 $1' 7+( '$5. $OHMDQGUR *UDWWDQ long time Ajijic resident and editor of 2MR GHO /DJR entertained members of Democrats Abroad at their last meeting with reminiscences of his days in the Hollywood movie industry and his experiences after arriving at Lakeside 27 years ago. On a more serious subject, he drew attention to the need for immigration reform in the US. He also read from his book, The Dark Side of the Dream, ZKLFK ZDV ÂżUVW SXEOLVKHG in 1995 and republished this year. Check the web site http://thedarksideofthedream.com 7KH ERRN LV KLVWRULFDO ÂżFWLRQ DERXW D 0H[LFDQ IDPLO\ DUULYLQJ LQ WKH 86 LQ WKH ÂśV Copies arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t no longer available at Lakeside but can be ordered from Amazon, both 32' DQG .LQGOH $OVR *UDWWDQÂśV ODVW IHDWXUH ÂżOP Only Once in a Lifetime, is now at the

El Ojo del Lago / May 2014

LCS Video Library. FIFTY YEARS AND GOING STRONG At the April 8 Lakeside Little Theatre Board Meeting, a new management team was selected by the newly elected president, Peter Luciano. Board Members now include Georgette Richmond, Past President, David McIntosh, 1st Vice President, Collette Clavadetscher, 2nd Vice President, .HYLQ 2Âś%\UQH Treasurer, Geoff Long, Facilities Manager, Beth Leitch, Secretary, Mike Campo, Public Relations and .DWKOHHQ 1HDO Production Manager. //7 LV EHJLQQLQJ LWV ÂżIWLHWK FRQWLQXous season serving Lakeside. Season tickets for the 2014/2015 season include six productions: God of Carnage, directed by Roseann Wilshere, New LLT Board Members Betrayal, directed by Neal Checkoway, Sinderella, directed by Paul Kloegman, :URQJ 7XUQ $W /XQJÂżVK directed by Peggy Lord Chilton, The Night of the Iguana, directed by Dave McIntosh, and The Dixie Swim Club, directed by Barbara Clippinger. Season tickets go on sale August 26 and 27 for 1100 pesos and include LLT memberVKLS UHVHUYHG VHDWLQJ IRU WKH VL[ VKRZV DQG DQ LQYLWDWLRQ WR WKH ÂżIWLHWK VHDVRQ NLFN RII party that is planned for August 30. A seventh pre-season production of The Last Romance, directed by $QQ 6ZLVWRQ, will be performed as a fundraiser to help pay for the cost of converting the theatre to solar power. 21 7+(,5 :$< 72 7+( %,* &,7< Last month Jaltepec Centro Educativo hosted its â&#x20AC;&#x153;Micro-Entrepreneurs Fair 2014,â&#x20AC;? a yearly contest for its students who want to start a business selling/creating goods and services. The winners get a trip to Mexico City.

COMING EVENTS DUST OFF YOUR METATES AND MOLINILLOS A new cooking school in Ajijic promises to be of interest to serious and not-so- serious cooks. It got off to a lively start with an open house on March 30 with an assortment of snacks and beverages for local friends. About owner/teacher /X]PD *UDQGH: her experiences traveling in other countries made her realize the richness and diversity of her own Mexican cuisine. She lived in Italy for four years and learned to cook traditional Italian food under the guidance of one of the best cooks in Umbria. She also completed both a Cordon Bleu

The winners, left to right: MĂłnica RĂos, SarahĂ Magdaleno, Liliana Esparza, Adilene Suarez and Teresa JuĂĄrez. Not shown: Guadalupe CaĂąada. course and a degree in Gastronomic Arts. She looks forward to welcoming you to her kitchen! All courses run four mornings a week, from 10 to 1. Demonstrated (and served for lunch) are salsas, soups, antojitos, and traditional main dishes. Of special interest will be Luzmaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Friday market and street food tours. To register, and for further information, email her at casagrandeajijic@live.com or call 376766-0955. The store is located at #3 Constitucion, Ajijic Centro. 648($.< :+((/ 5($',1*6 La Rueda (the wheel), a new coffee/gallery in

Alejandra De Anda and Luzma Grande

Saw you in the Ojo 35

6DQ -XDQ &RVDOD VWDJHV PRQWKO\ UHDGLQJV LQ (QJOLVK 7KH\ DUH KHOG RQ WKH ÂżUVW :HGQHVday of each month. The next reading will be on May 7. Readers in April were -RKQ 7KRPDV 'RGGV 3DWULFLD (\UH 0DUJLH .HDQH 3DWULFLD +HPLQJZD\ *OHQGD 5RPDQ 6DQG\ 2OVRQ *ORULD 3DOD]]R / 3DULV 'UHEHV DQG 0LFKDHO &RRN Directions to La Rueda: at the only stop light in San Juan Cosala, turn towards the ODNH *R RQH EORFN DQG WXUQ ULJKW DW WKH SOD]D RQ 3RUÂżULR Diaz). Drive two blocks or so, past Viva Mexico restaurant on your right. Please arrive at 3 pm to order refreshments. The readings begin at 3:30. Writers who want to read, or those needing further information, can contact Judy Dykstra-Brown at 387 761 0281 or email her at jubob2@hotmail.com. &$.(6 $1' )/2:(56 0D\ LV WKH GD\ ZKHQ ZH VHH FDNHV DQG ERXTXHWV RI Ă&#x20AC;RZHUV EHLQJ SXUFKDVHG DQG ZDONHG WKURXJK WKH VWUHHWV RI $MLMLF 7KLV LV 0H[LFDQ 0RWKHUVÂś 'D\ ZKHQ SHRSOH KRQRU WKHLU PRWKHUV DQG JUDQGPRWKHUV 6LQFH PRVW ZRPHQ DUH PRWKHUV WKHUH ZLOO EH IDPLO\ SDUWLHV DQG SLFQLFV andâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;to our surpriseâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;sometimes serenades in the Moderator Judy Dyks- PLGGOH RI WKH QLJKW Many small businesses will be closed and other sertra-Brown vices may be hard to obtain. 7587+6 $1' /,(6 )520 7+( 1$.(' 67$*( The Long Weekend is a Naked Stage reading of a comedy. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about Wynn and Max Trueman, who are hosting their friends, Abby and Roger Nash, in their small cottage, somewhere in up-market Ontario. These couples are old friends. As the weekend progresses things turn rough as the truth and lies of a friendship come to the surface. There are plenty of surprises and countless laughs along the way. The play, by Norm Foster, will be directed by Don Chaloner. It runs May 23-25. The e-mail address for future reservations: nakedstagereservations@gmail.com. Reservations guarantee a seat until 3:50, after which seats will be sold to those waiting without reservations. The Naked Stage is located at #10A Rio Bravo. Directions: west on the carretera from Ajijic, south on Rio Bravo, about two blocks down behind Danielâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restaurant on the east side. Danielâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is open for lunch and dinner with a no host bar available at 3:00 p.m. Front, left to right: Avril Stephen7KH ER[ RIÂżFH RSHQV DW DQG WKH VKRZ son and Roseann Wilshere starts at 4:00 p.m. Âł:+< 127 %8< $ *$//(5<"Â´ Back, left to right: Dick Yanko, ...and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just what owner Lorraine Clay McAdam and Ed Tasca )DUURZ of 6RO 0H[LFDQR did four years ago in July. Lorraine came to Lakeside in 2007 after one of those chance encounters when she rented a room in San Diego from a woman who later moved to Ajijic. At the time, Lorraine ZDV VWXG\LQJ WR ÂżQLVK D PDVWHUVÂś WKHVLV RQ HGXFDWLRQDO WHFKQRORJ\ QRW UHPRWHO\ UHODWHG WR KHU ÂżQH DUWV GHJUHH IURP WKH 8QLYHUVLW\ RI .HQW LQ (QJODQG She went to work for Jan Mellis, the previous owner (of Dos Lunas), and when Jan left Ajijic six months later Lorraine said to herself: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why not buy the gallery?â&#x20AC;? She promptly changed the name to 6RO 0H[LFDQR and has since showcased many Lakeside artists alongside the incredibly beautiful artisan crafts of Mexico. She travels to places like Mexico City, San Miguel de Allende, Michoacan and other cities to select unique pieces for the gallery. Every piece has a history and Lorraine is happy to share her knowledge of Mexican artesanias to the gallery visitors The gallery is quite successful and a delightful place to drop in and browse. And oh \HV /RUUDLQH GLG ÂżQLVK WKDW WKHVLV She has announced that the gallery will close for vacation soon. May 12 will be the last day to shop for your Mothersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Day gifts. The reopening date will be July 15. After that, Sol Mexicano will be closed on Sundays. Also, the Caminarte de Ajijic will hold its last walk of the summer on May 9. Check www.ajijicnews.com for the times. Sol Mexicano is located at Colon 13 in Centro Ajijic. Opening times are 10:30- 4:30 Monday through Saturday and Sundays 12-5. Tel. (376) 766-0734. Email: GaleriaSolMexicano@gmail.com. ,7Âś6 $ %86< 086,&$/ 6($621 -RKQ .HHOLQJ 9LYD 0XVLFD 3UHVLGHQW has announced the summer program for Lakeside music lovers.

El Ojo del Lago / May 2014

There is one remaining Live at the Met Opera at Teatro Diana, on Saturday, May 10: &LQGHUHOOD E\ Rossini. There may be a few seats available on the Viva bus. All bus trips are 250 pesos for Viva members and 350 for non-members. The bus leaves just east of Farmacia Guadalajara at 10.30. Contact Marshall at mak1939@gmail.com. -DOLVFR 3KLOKDUPRQLF 2UFKHVWUD )ULGD\ -XQH +RPDJH WR 5LFKDUG 6WUDXVV 1R I (Conductor: Marco Parisotto) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Strauss: Till EulenLorraine Farrow with Mas- spiegel, Four Last Songs, An Alpine Symphony. 6XQGD\ -XQH 6\PSKRQLF -D]] (Conductor: ter Sculptor Bob Wilson Marco Parisotto) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bernstein: West Side Story, Gershwin: Walking the Dog, Ellington: Harlem, Gershwin: I Got Rhythm, Rhapsody in Blue. )ULGD\ -XO\ %DURTXH (Conductor: Jean-Christophe Spinosi) - Handel: Orlando Overture, Water Music, Telemann: Flute Concerto, Vivaldi: Two Flute Concertos, Handel: Royal Fireworks 6XQGD\ -XO\ ,PSUHVVLRQV RI ,WDO\ (Conductor: John Nelson) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Verdi: Four Sacred Pieces, Puccini: Edgar, Giordano: Fedora, Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana, Respighi: Roman Festival )ULGD\ -XO\ +RPDJH WR 5LFKDUG 6WUDXVV 1R (Conductor: Marco Parisotto) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier, Schumann: Cello Concerto, Strauss: Thus Spoke Zarathustra Ticket prices for all bus trips are 250 pesos for Viva members and 350 for non-members. Tickets are available at LCS Thursdays & Fridays 10-12. Friday trips leave at 4.30 p.m. and stop at a better restaurant in Guadalajara before the concert. Sunday trips leave at 10.30 a.m. Buses leave just east of Farmacia Guadalajara. Seats are reserved only when tickets are purchased. Viva orders the symphony tickets ten days ahead, so please make your purchase before that time.

ONGOING EVENTS

%5,'*( )25 )81 5($//<

Standing, left to right: Wesley Fink and Ramona Bennett 6HDWHG %RE :LOVRQ 5RQ 0RKU 'RQQD 0DQVÂżHOG and Judy Temple

A friendly and welcoming bridge group meets every Monday and Wednesday from 1 to 5 on the rear terrace, near the gazebo, at the Lake Chapala Society. The group invites new people of all levels. Organizer Wesley Fink says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We play â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;kitchen bridge.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; We welcome all interested people, from those who havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t played since college to people with master points.â&#x20AC;? For further information, call Wesley at 376-

RU HPDLO KLP DW ZHV ÂżQN#JPDLO FRP +2: '2(6 <285 *$5'(1 *52:" Join others every third Wednesday at 10, to share your expertise on growing vegetables and herbs in the Lake Chapala area. 10am The next meeting will be on May 21 at Azul Frida Restaurant, Carretera #62. New members can contact John McWilliams at mcwilliamsmx@gmail.com or by phone at 376-766-0620 $-,-,& 62&,(7< 2) 7+( $576 Members of ASA will show their art works on the third Sunday of the month through April, on the Ajijic Plaza. The next event will be on April 20. AMERICAN LEGION IN CHAPALA Saturdays: 3:30 - 6:30 p.m. Fish Fry Sundays: Burgers & Dogs 12 - 3 p.m.

Saw you in the Ojo 37

The Professional Writer: Getting Ideas; Avoiding Pitfalls %\ 0DUVK &DVVDG\ 3K ' 5HYLHZHG E\ .D\ 'DYLV

een thinking about writing your memoirs? Or have you been dreaming about writing a play that could be performed at the Lakeside Little Theatre? A great novel or a series of short stories for publishing? Then this is one of the best books you could buy, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s downloadable on Kindle for $4.99 (Amazon.com). The Table of Contents fascinated me with the clarity of its organization. Part I is about Getting Ideas. Dr. Cassady offers more than just the methods normally found on how writers dig up topics. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s say you write articles for magazines, and you get paid. What are the hot issues of today and how much do you know about them? You want to submit a short story or start a novel for which you have only sketchy ideas. What is required of a writer who wants to create something publishable? Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what you usually find. Dr. Cassady, in contrast, gives you assignments on how to get started. He shows how to use a character to begin developing the plot, and hes hows how to define characters so they seem real. There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; W. Somerset Maugham. Part II is about Pitfalls to avoid in writing, starting with grammar, style, format. He urges editing and having trusted friends read your material and make keen comments in the margins. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Anton Chekhov. He then takes his reader into the world of publishing, starting with whether to use an agent and how to find a good one for the genre written. But he doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t leave the writer with all that work to do. He provides Appendices with a sample query letter and a sample proposal. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in addition to the section on promotion to assist the publisher in the sales process, even if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re lucky enough to be picked up on Amazon.com and, yes, he recommends using the services

El Ojo del Lago / May 2014

that company offers. A professional writer is an amateur writer who didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quit. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Richard Bach. What makes this book on writing better than others? For starters it is based on â&#x20AC;&#x153;close to 40 yearsâ&#x20AC;? of teaching writing workshops plus his own success in writing material that has been published, at last count 54 published editions of the authorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own works. Clearly he knows something worth listening to, or reading. He also demonstrates a sense of humor. When he tells you what is wrong about usage commonly found in improperly edited writing, his example often makes readers smile or burst out laughing. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so much more fun than humdrum classroom examples. I never made a mistake in grammar but one in my life and as soon as I done it I seen it. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Carl Sandberg. This is the most direct, precise and helpful book on writing that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen yet, one you can download instantly for $4.99 on Kindle or order through EgretBooks.com, the publisher. What are you waiting for? Marsh Cassady will expand your ideas, sharpen your story, article or poetry, and help you find a paying market. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been considering writing anything to be published, why wait any longer? Go for it toKay Davis day.

Saw you in the Ojo 39

CHILD

of the month

%\ 5LFK 3HWHUVHQ Mario Alberto V.G.

hree years ago while at school Mario began having severe back pain and his legs felt “all tingly”---as if they were “asleep.” He returned home as usual but the pain and tingly feeling continued. The next morning Mario was unable to move his legs! These dramatic and sudden symptoms are caused by “transverse myelitis,” an inflammation across both sides of one level of the spinal cord. The inflammation affects the “myelin,” the fatty insulating substance that covers nerve cell fibers. Transverse myelitis is one of the most enigmatic diseases in that there is no cure except for exercise to keep the muscles as strong as possible and hopefully to enable to nerves to reconnect as they should. The patient’s condition usually comes on following a viral infection or an abnormal immune reaction. Family history plays no part, and the patient is soon confined to a wheelchair. The only “infection” that they can recall was a bout of the flu a few weeks earlier. At the time Mario was 13, just beginning his teenage years and his first year in high school. Because of his father’s job, Mario’s family is fortunate to have IMSS medical insurance so they took him immediately to one of the hospitals in Guadalajara, but, as I mentioned, there is no cure for this affliction and they were told only that he must have extensive physical therapy to try to counteract the disease. The family then went to a private physician who prescribed anti-inflammatory injections and other medications to reduce the inflammation, but soon these treatments became too expensive for the family budget and that is when the family came to Niños Incapacitados for some financial help. So, for now Mario has biweekly therapy sessions at IMSS in Guadalajara as well as exercises at home which he does on his own and with his mother’s help. Niños Incapacitados was very fortunate two years ago to obtain some used exercise equipment through an anonymous donor who contacted us in hopes one of our children could use this equipment. The offer couldn’t have come at a better time for Mario. We were able to give him

El Ojo del Lago / May 2014

parallel bars to support his arms while he practices walking, as well as a special toilet seat and a better walker. Mario is getting better. He uses his walker most of the time but also has a wheelchair at home. At our last meeting he (with his walker) walked a good distance from the hotel parking lot to the meeting room, and was able to stand in front of the group and give us a big smile and a shy “gracias.” A side effect which has yet to be addressed is loss of bladder control due to lower extremity inactivity and thus he wears a diaper. For this reason Mario does not want to return to school, and we are looking for a tutor for him so he can continue his education. However, he is very happy with his progress so far, as I hope can be seen on his face in the picture. His family is supersupportive and we are all hopeful that with time and continued physical therapy, he will be walking without need of help. This may take months-to-years to achieve, however, and we hope he is one of the 35% of people with this affliction who experience partial or full recovery. To meet another of “our” children and to learn more about what Niños Incapacitados does, please join us the second Thursday of each month for our members’ meeting--10:00 a.m. at the Hotel Real de Chapala in La Floresta. Our May meeting on Thursday the 8th will be the last one until September as we take the summer “off” since many of our members and volunteers return north. Nonetheless, we continue helping the 140 children in our program twelve months of the year. Please visit our website to learn more: www.programaninos.org

Saw you in the Ojo 41

6(; 0 021(< $ $1' 6 63$0 %\ 6DQG\ 2OVRQ

oday I want to talk to you ou u about spam. Not that pink nk nk mystery meat in the can, but ut whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in your computerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s junk mail ail folder. I know itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to get excited ed about spam. But Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to invite te you to skip over most of it and considder possibilities for adventure and prososperity and yes, even love. Maybe youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll uâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll want to hold off for a moment before clicking that â&#x20AC;&#x153;Deleteâ&#x20AC;? button. To be sure, the spam people donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know how hip, slick and cool we are. They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know about our adventurous hearts, that we came all the way down here to live in Mexico, how we fought off drug cartel thugs and crooked Federales to get to beautiful Lake Chapala. Some of them think that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re homeowners in a town like Bent Stump, Arkansas, hunched in front of a computer while our singlewide trailer crumbles around us. That they could get us excited about solar panels, that our hearts would race at the thought of aluminum replacement windows. And garden hoses! Reverse mortgages! They worry needlessly about our age and health. They think we need shoring up too. Never mind that bold navigation of our cobblestones and that fearless forging ahead on a green light. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Is a walk-in bath rub right for you?â&#x20AC;? they ask kindly. Some of us donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need Depends just yet, but ladies, hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your chance to get in on that mesh patch lawsuit. While you wait to hear about the huge settlement you can order one powerful nutrient to kill that cellulite. Or reduce those dark under eye circles and bags with a new cream. Men, you arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t left out. You can shed that belly fat with a miracle pill. Speaking of pills, then thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sex. We know about those little blue pills but now thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more good news for you men out there. Penile enlargement is in the wind, so to speak. Add inches! And length (somehow)! And love will surely follow! Just how does all that work? Click on the link and maybe youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find out. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll meet real people for real fun! That little dickens Michelle promises usâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think she cares about our gender-- hot satisfying cougar sex with no strings, just a quick hookup. She claims that â&#x20AC;&#x153;Extremely slutty ladies are out there, with none of the inhibition that we see in younger women.â&#x20AC;?

El Ojo del Lago / May 2014

We havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t heard d from Ava f A for f a while. hil Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sh â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably busy somewhere with her three-way dates. Ekaterina Kirichenko is new on the spam scene, and sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll initiate you into her dark Russian mysteries. But if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re starting to get interested in these offers, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best to ignore some of the other spam messages. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re sure to shrivel your interest, so to speak, in Michelle or Ava or Ekaterina or anyone else. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that twinge of fear with those urgent messages from Chase Bank, or Wells Fargo, or PayPal. Ominously, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Access suspended due to changes in your account activity.â&#x20AC;? Never mind we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have accounts at any of those places. And that stern notice to appear in court in Chicago or Atlanta, even if weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never been there. Curb that anxiety! Delete! Often news comes to us from our brothers and sisters in Africa. Sadly, there many who need our help, mostly starving Christian widows. But other messages delight with the good news of an â&#x20AC;&#x153;inheritanceâ&#x20AC;? or â&#x20AC;&#x153;found moneyâ&#x20AC;? in a neglected bank account, mainly in Nigeria. Maybe we can help those Africans get organized. If we respond, can we instruct them to just give the money to the widows? Shall we click on the link? Recently I got an enchanting message from the Ivory Coast, from Fr. Johncan, of the More Holy Diocese of Abidjan, St. Bernadette of Marcory Mothers Institute. There is a windfall waiting for me at a Western Union office near the Bus Stop Restaurant on Ring Road, Central Accra, Ghana. I am excited about this. The very location opens up possibilities. Maybe Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll even go there. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to click on that link as soon as I get home today. But if later you get this: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Your friend Sandy is stranded in Ghana, please send money.â&#x20AC;? Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t delete! Send the money! Sandy Olson

Saw you in the Ojo 43

BRIDGE BY THE LAKE %\ .HQ 0DVVRQ

here is always a special satisfaction in bidding and making a slam at bridge, especially if you have to play extra carefully to bring it home. Lorne Hamblin and John Wells managed to do just that in the illustrated deal when playing at the Lake Chapala Duplicate Bridge Club against Herself and Yours Truly. Sitting East I needed very little time to judge the value of my hand – zero high card points added up to a stress-free pass. In second seat Lorne opened the proceedings with his 8-card suit by bidding 1 spade. Sitting West and holding a good six card suit and 16 high card points, Herself entered the fray with a bid of 2 hearts. John, sitting North, now bid 3 spades which in their methods showed a limit raise or better and that was all Lorne needed to launch into Blackwood and ask for aces. When John showed one ace, Lorne gambled that there would be some other good cards in John’s hand and boldly bid 6 spades. Herself led the heart ace and when dummy produced the jack I followed with the 9, a discouraging card in our system. When South played the queen it confirmed that continuing with the heart king would be far too dangerous, so Herself switched to the club king. When he won the club ace Lorne took stock of the situation and it looked like there were only 11 tricks available: 8 spades, 2 diamonds and one club. However, funny things can happen at bridge when you have a very long suit to run, so Lorne proceeded to do just that. He pulled the outstanding trumps in just two rounds

El Ojo del Lago / May 2014

but then continued with a barrage of spades, watching carefully what Herself discarded. She was not pressured until Lorne played his last trump but at this point she had to surrender as all she had left in her hand were the heart king and the queen, jack, nine of diamonds, while dummy had come down to the heart jack and the king, ten, seven of diamonds. As Herself had to discard before the dummy, she was well and truly squeezed. When she threw the diamond 9, Lorne judged well to discard the heart jack and so he took the last three tricks with the ace, king and 10 of diamonds, mission accomplished! Lorne and John were one of only three pairs (out of 18) to bid and make slam on those cards that day. Newer players are often perplexed by the term “squeeze”, feeling that it is a technique understood and used only by the top experts but many of the positions are straightforward once the basic principles are understood. Wikipedia defines a squeeze as: “a tactic in which the play of a card forces an opponent to discard a winner or the guard of a potential winner. Most squeezes operate on the principle that declarer’s and dummy’s hands can, between them, hold more cards with the potential to take extra tricks than a single defender’s hand can protect or guard.” And that is precisely what Lorne did on this hand to land his slam, so congratulations are definitely in order. Questions or comments: email: masson.ken@gmail. com Ken Masson

Saw you in the Ojo 45

“AMERICAN” IS NOT A LANGUAGE! %\ )UHG 0LWWDJ

ruly, some right-wingers must have a large skull several inches thick in order to protect a brain the size of a pea. Predictably, Rush Limbaugh became upset and paranoid that Coca Cola produced an ad for the Super Bowl in which “America the Beautiful” was sung in different languages. Republican Allen West found the ad “frightening.” Todd Starnes, of Fox News, said, “Coca Cola is the official soft drink of illegals crossing the border.” Glenn Beck also became excitable over the ad. Some complained that it was an insult to our National Anthem, because it should be sung in “American.” Oh, my. “America the Beautiful” is not the National Anthem and we don’t speak American – we speak English. If the words to “America the Beautiful” are so sacred in English, then the far-right is by inference paying great tribute to a lesbian, a demographic usually condemned by them, and therein lies more hypocrisy. The lyrics to “America the Beautiful” were written by an English professor named Katharine Bates during a trip out West, after her lesbian eyes had admired the view from Pike’s Peak in Colorado. My head spins when I contemplate this issue. Some of the biggest whiners that the song should only have been sung in English show themselves to be very poor practitioners of spoken English. I want to say, “If English is so important to you, why don’t you learn to speak it better?” They forget that the only Americans are indigenous people. The rest of us, for whatever reason, came from other continents. Yiddish is spoken in New

El Ojo del Lago / May 2014

York, Polish is spoken in Chicago. PolishAmericans are 31% of the population of West Seneca, New York. French is spoken in Louisiana, German is spoken in Central Texas, and Spanish is spoken everywhere. There are double cash registers in Texas border towns, so that customers may pay in either pesos or dollars. Conservatives also had a hissy-fit when a ten-year-old Mexican-American boy brilliantly and beautifully sang the National Anthem to open a San Antonio Spurs game in a mariachi costume. Some said such things as “Send that boy back to Mexico, where he came from.” He was born in San Antonio and his father served four years in the United States Navy. What should concern right-wing conservatives is not that a Mexican-American kid sang it in a mariachi costume, but that our National Anthem is a British drinking song. It became our official National Anthem in 1931, but only after vigorous protests by the Women’s Temperance Union. Rightwing rage apparently does not extend to Latin. E Pluribus Unum appears on the Great Seal of the United States and on coins. English is not an American language. Navajo is an American language. The uproar about the foreign languages used in the Coca Cola ad ignore the fact that English itself is an imported language and Great Britain is a foreign country. The conservative bubble, impermeable to logic and reason, and resistant to cultural development, would be helpless to know what to do with another patriotic song called “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.” It was originally a German folk song and then was borrowed by England to become their national anthem, “God Save the Queen.” It was borrowed by the Americans and given new lyrics and sometimes just called by the name “America.” To great conservative consternation and befuddlement, it’s a big and nuanced world out there. Conservatives need to get out more and stop beFred Mittag ing so provincial.

PROFILING TEPEHUA %\ 0RRQ\HHQ .LQJ PRRQLH #\DKRR FRP

n Ecuador, the foundation ATISM, is a project to support small business loans to indigenous women. “The aim is to combat the effects of poverty in the different communities across Ecuador. The project weaves together the micro-management knowledge, which is generated through training work-shops, with alternative access to micro-credit, targeting job creation to ensure food security for a population.” Actually, this movement is all over the third world. Bangladeshi economist, Dr. Muhammad Yunas, winner of the Nobel Prize in 2006 for his creation of micro-financing in the 1970’s, experimented with connecting the world´s poorest with financial services the rest of us enjoy. “Dr.Yunis found a group of women who made and sold bamboo stools. Although good sellers, the women lacked the capital required to start a business

and had to borrow from local money sharks. Ultimately, they were stuck in a debt cycle. Dr. Yunis lent the group money at zero interest, and watched as they broke the debt cycle and started making a profit.” This is called Micro-financing. Microbusiness, is setting women up in business and teaching them hands-on management of small business. A Tepehua survey was made by interviewing women to see what they would achieve, if they could. Most wanted their own business, mainly so they could make money but also have their babies with them while they worked. Micro-management/financing, offers a more sustainable solution than charity, it also creates accountability. Tepehua Centro Communitario has already started micro-saving for the women registered at the Center. Two hundred and forty four women signed

up and give anywhere between 10 and 200 pesos a month. Collectively, they have reached 29,000 pesos, which has been put into short term investments for them. They can only draw for emergencies, or school supplies. Teaching the women the value of saving, investment, and long term planning is a first step in the business-building process. The Tepehua Centro Comunitario would like to pursue this vision. Why not bring small business to Tepehua? We would like to see a mini-mall, a plaza for a meeting place, an area for bartering and selling and buying - all managed by the women of Tepehua. It

is possible. The impossible takes a little longer. The untapped strength in the barrio women is evident, in lemonade stands, second-hand clothing sold from their garages, new children’s clothing made by hand or machine and sold from a fence, recycling, making pastry and walking the beat selling it door to door. They know how to work and barter and keep family together at the same time. Both men and women know how to improvise to suit the needs of their families. Tepehua Centro Comunitario intends to give the tools to these people; they will know how to use them.

Saw you in the Ojo 47

CONSTIT TUTIONAL CONSERVATIV VES â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Who o Are We? ? %\ 5REHUW / 1LSSHU

onstitutional Conservatives subscribe to a steadfast adherence to the precepts written in the Constitution of the United States. We oppose the â&#x20AC;&#x153;changeâ&#x20AC;? instigated by the Obama regime to alter, and mostly ignore, its wisdom and relevance. A great deal of the passionate ideology felt by conservatives can be found in the Preamble to the Constitution. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dissect that documentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading passage to reveal how a growing number of Americans feel. We the People of the United States- LVÂŠ VHOIĂľH[SODQDWRU\ ÂŠ 7KLVÂŠ GRHVÂŠ not refer to elitist North Easterners or the Southern Black poor or the Middle American farmer. It includes all of us. Nowhere is there a reference to, and/or an inclusion of, illegal aliens simply because they were somehow able to make their way into the USA, LJQRULQJÂŠRXU LPPLJUDWLRQÂŠODZV In order to form a more perfect 8QLRQ ĂˇÂŤ depicts our forefathers desire for a united nation. Not a nation steeped in racial polarity and division. Establish Justice- ZDVÂŠLQFOXGHGÂŠ as a form of checks and balances; a way to ensure individual freedom, while maintaining a standard of acFHSWDEOHÂŠ VRFLHWDO EHKDYLRU ÂŠ 7KLVÂŠ VD\VÂŠ weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re governed by the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rule of Lawâ&#x20AC;?, PDQGDWLQJÂŠ MXGLFLDO UHYLHZÂŠ DQG RUÂŠ judgment by a jury of our peers in GHWHUPLQLQJÂŠRQHÂ´VÂŠJXLOWÂŠRUÂŠLQQRFHQFH Ensure Domestic Tranquility- UHIerences civil obedience; condemning WKRVH ZLWKÂŠ DQDUFKLVWÂŠ YLHZV ÂŠ ,WÂŠ DOVR ÂŠ however, references James Madisonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s view that citizens require self-protection from a tyrannous government. Provide for the Common DeIHQVHĂˇ presupposes a military force VHFXULQJÂŠRXU VDIHW\ÂŠERWKÂŠGRPHVWLFDOO\ÂŠ and internationally, which would inFOXGHÂŠRXUÂŠERUGHUV &RPPRQÂŠGHIHQVHÂŠ suggests that all citizens should feel VDIH ÂŠ ZLWKRXWÂŠ JLYLQJ VSHFLDOÂŠ ELDVHGÂŠ FRQVLGHUDWLRQÂŠWRÂŠKRPRVH[XDOV ÂŠWKRVHÂŠ RIÂŠDQRWKHUÂŠFRORU ÂŠLGHRORJ\ ÂŠRU UHOLJLRQ Promote the General Welfare- GRHVÂŠ QRWÂŠ PHDQÂŠ FUHDWLQJÂŠ DÂŠ ZHOIDUHÂŠ VWDWH ÂŠ DÂŠ PHWKRG IRUÂŠ LQGLYLGXDOVÂŠ

El Ojo del Lago / May 2014

without motivation to e-deposit welfare checks monthly for generations. It is indicative of the American dream, that by our individual efforts we may succeed and prosper. It does not mean redistributing the wealth or adopting a philosophy of big government doing everything for everybody. $QG ÂŤ 6HFXUHÂŤ WKHÂŤ %OHVVLQJVÂŤ RIÂŤ Liberty ĂľUHIHUVÂŠ WRÂŠ DÂŠ GLYLQHÂŠ EHQHGLFWLRQ JUDQWHGÂŠ E\ÂŠ RXUÂŠ FUHDWRU ÂŠ 1RÂŠ matter how much Liberals want to UHPRYHÂŠ *RG IURPÂŠ RXUÂŠ &RXQWU\ ÂŠ ZHÂŠ know that God had a key role in our )RUHIDWKHUÂ´V WKLQNLQJÂŠGXULQJÂŠLWVÂŠGHYHOopment. Liberty must be void of perVHFXWLRQ HVSHFLDOO\ÂŠE\ÂŠDÂŠJRYHUQPHQWÂŠ KHOOÂŠEHQWÂŠRQÂŠWRWDOÂŠFRQWURO ÂŠ ÂŠ ÂŠ ÂŠ ÂŠ ÂŠ ÂŠ ÂŠ ÂŠ ÂŠ ÂŠ ÂŠ ÂŠ 'RÂŤ 2UGDLQÂŤ DQGÂŤ HVWDEOLVKÂŤ WKLVÂŤ Constitution for the United States of $PHULFD 7KLV ÂŠLQÂŠQRÂŠZD\ ÂŠLPSOLHVÂŠVXEservience to a one world governPHQW SHULRG 7KLVÂŠLVÂŠDÂŠVRYHUHLJQÂŠQDWLRQ 0DQ\ÂŠORFDOO\ÂŠDUHÂŠVXUSULVHGÂŠWRÂŠÂ˝QGÂŠ there is a group that calls themselves the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lakeside Conservative Groupâ&#x20AC;?. We are growing in numbers and very active. Our current mailings include ÂŠ SOXVÂŠ SHRSOHÂŠ LQÂŠ WKHÂŠ /DJXQDÂŠ GHÂŠ Chapala region. We meet once per month at Sol Y Luna at the west end RIÂŠ $MLMLF ÂŠ 2XUÂŠ PHHWLQJÂŠ GD\ÂŠ LVÂŠ WKHÂŠ QGÂŠ :HGQHVGD\ÂŠ RIÂŠ HDFKÂŠ PRQWKÂŠ H[FHSWÂŠ $XJXVWÂŠ QRÂŠ PHHWLQJ ÂŠ 7KHÂŠ PHHWLQJÂŠ WLPHÂŠLVÂŠ Ăľ ÂŠ30 ÂŠ'DQLHOÂ´VÂŠ5HVWDXrant, at that location, offers members and guests an after-meeting special dinner menu. Our desire is to educate, inform, and entertain those attending. If you are right mind and open to learning new things- come join us! (Ed. Note ÂŠ7KLVÂŠLVÂŠWKHÂŠÂ˝UVWÂŠLQÂŠDÂŠVHries of articles from the Lakeside Conservative Group, all of which shall be written by any one of its members. Welcome to the pages of (OÂŤ 2MRÂŤ GHOÂŤ /DJR

Saw you in the Ojo 49

Hold din ng Hands Witth a Strange er %\ 0DUJDUHW 9DQ (YHU\ /LEURSKLOLD ,6%1 SDJHV 0H[LFDQ SHVRV 5HYLHZHG E\ -DPHV 7LSWRQ

or decades Lake Chapala has seduced many accomplished writers to her sunny shores. Some say the communities on the north shore are really the center of serious expatriate writing in Mexico. Fortunately for those of us who have settled in these communities, it is here that the talented and lovely Margaret Van Every makes her home. Margaretâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first two collections of poetry were pored over, praised, and celebrated. The first, A Pillow Stuffed with Diamonds (bilingual edition 2011) is a collection of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tanka on La Vida Mexicanaâ&#x20AC;?. One woman recently told me she had purchased over 20 copies of that book to give as gifts. Margaretâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second book, Saying Her Name (2012), is â&#x20AC;&#x153;not so much about me as it was a tribute to my mother, that her death in 1951 [when Margaret was ten] was in fact the beginning of my birth.â&#x20AC;? In Saying Her Name, Margaret insists on living her own lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;no longer being defined by old notions that others have forced upon usâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;relentlessly giving birth to her deepest (and most beloved) self. Her new book continues this theme. One of the strangers she is holding hands with is you, as you read these poems. But another stranger she is holding hands with is â&#x20AC;&#x153;the bad girlâ&#x20AC;? inside of her: after 70 years the bad girl emerges from the closet where the lady clothes are hung Like A Pillow Stuffed with Diamonds, Margaretâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new book is a collection of tanka, 100 of them. What is a tanka? Thirteen hundred years ago, ladies in the Japanese Imperial Court developed this fiveline unrhymed form to send secret messages to lovers, or potential ones, and then used the form to comment upon the initial joys and the subsequent development of and conclusion of the affair. They

El Ojo del Lago / May 2014

can be poignant, witty, erotic, angry, desperate, reflective, and, yes, even loving. The tanka, historically, is about relationships and about seeing them clearly. The first three lines generally â&#x20AC;&#x153;set the scene,â&#x20AC;? followed by two lines that bring into focus, or bring to conclusion, or comment upon the first three lines, often with a deft, and sometimes a dark, humor. Here are a few tanka from the book: she used to think promiscuity had something to do with promise; now she knows itÂ´s all about mortality ***** after fifty years she confesses she married him for sex; now she asks herself for what else would she marry ***** their marriage a train with two engines straining in opposite directions, each saying I think I can Can you identify with any of these tanka? If so, pick up her book locally at Diane Pearlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Colecciones in Ajijic (Colon #1). Margaretâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own poetic vision fits in well to the tanka form; and I suspect Margaret herself would fit in well wearing a deep red kimono covered with cherry blossoms while she sips jasmine tea with those bad girls of ancient Japan.

Saw you in the Ojo 51

RITA GOLDEN GELMAN —The Original Female Nomad Wanders Into Chapala %\ .HOO\ +D\HV 5DLWW

hen she let go of her life as she knew it, Rita Golden Gelman connected with something larger: a lifestyle with no permanent address, baggage filled with memories not mementos, and an infectious desire to encourage everyone she touches to connect with others – whether it’s across the globe or across the street. In 1986, at age 48, Rita left an elegant life in Los Angeles, got rid of everything she owned (no storage!), packed a backpack and took off alone. She traveled through Third World countries where her dollar stretched further, shunning hotels in order to stay with families so she could immerse herself in their lifestyles. Often, they spoke no English. “But everyone speaks laughter, food and music!” Rita smiles. “So, I laugh, cook, sing and dance right along with them.” “My becoming an eager student dignifies their way of life and enriches mine. I ask my hosts to teach me…their language, their customs, their dances, their games. I connect with them while cooking rice, weaving offerings, exchanging songs, going to ceremonies, playing volleyball, and sometimes working in their fields. We communicate through activities, eye contact, smiles, laughter, gestures…and sometimes tears.” “More often than not, my feeble attempts to learn [their customs] create laughter — at me and with me. That’s when the barriers crumble. My tortillas have holes in them, my woven creations are lopsided, and the basket I’m trying to balance on my head falls and we all laugh as the fruit rolls across the yard. And when I cannot remember the new word I repeated a dozen times just five minutes ago, I am no longer a representative of a more ‘advanced’ culture. I am, instead, like a child, only somewhat slower.” Fifteen years into her nomading, Rita wrote an engaging memoir, Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at

El Ojo del Lago / May 2014

RITA GOLDEN GELMAN

Large in the World, about her on-theroad experiences of connecting with people across cultures, languages and geographic barriers. “I rarely know where I’ll be six months from now,” Rita writes in the preface. “I move through the world without a plan, guided by instinct, connecting through trust. I settle in with the locals long enough to share the minutes of their days, to know the seasons of their lives, and to be trusted with their secrets.” Rita may be routeless, but with her ability to connect with people wherever she goes, she’ll never be rootless. In 2010, she followed up with an anthology, Female Nomad & Friends: Tales of Breaking Free and Breaking Bread Around the World, 58 stories and 33 recipes by ordinary people connecting through traveling in extraordinary ways. She continues her successful career writing children’s books. At 76, Rita still has no permanent home or possessions, but she does have a new passion: Breaking the high school/college track to make it culturally acceptable for young Americans to take a “Gap Year” and travel. “I’m focusing mostly on high schoolers after they’ve graduated but before they enter college, the work world, or the military. Travel at any age is a life-changing experience, of course, but returned ‘gappers’ are much better prepared to make decisions and to think about their place in the world. They’re better prepared for life! Colleges know this – so do employers. “When a Gap Year becomes the thing to do, our population will respect and understand other cultures; intolerance, prejudice, and fear will dramatically diminish. By expanding the Gap Year, we will grow a popu-

lation of people who have touched and been touched by other ways of life. “After 28 years of connecting in other cultures, I know that the path to peace in the world is face-to-face interaction,” says Rita. “When hearts have touched, everyone sees the world with new eyes.” (Join Rita Golden Gelman at Open Circle on Sunday, May 25 at 10:30 at LCS. Fresh off a TED Talk in Portland, OR, Rita will talk about the joy of connecting. … about living with Zapotec Indians in Mexico, with a royal family in Bali, with Maasai tribesmen

in Tanzania. She tells about getting to know teens in a slum in New Delhi and singing in New Guinea with tribesmen who still hunt with bows and arrows. She will conclude by sharing her current passion: Volunteering with A m e r i ca n G a p. org to encourage American teens to experience other cultures before they go to college. Warning: You may be inspired to just take off!) Kelly Hayes-Raitt

A Problem With Poets %\ 7RP +DOOH\

One bitter cold day all his words went astray. Not one syllable would come his way. He could not speak or write—not even rhyme! “Oh Lord,” he prayed, “please give me more time.” Tried hard to speak, but only mumbled. He opened the door, stepped outside and stumbled. All that night he searched throughout his brain. Alas, his desperate word quest was in vain. He pondered his fate with awe and with wonder. “Dear Lord,” he prayed, “let my mind wander.” He dreamt of a jungle up high in Tibet. (Now that’s a scenario as strange as one can get!) He awoke in China—then again in Rome! “Good day, mon amour I’m glad you’re back ‘Om.’” Then takes a short while to realize how damn well he can visualize.

CORRECTION, PLEASE! In our April issue, we published a poem called Silentium (pp.61) but listed no author. The poem was written by Fedor Tiutchev (1803-1873), a friend of Pushkin’s and one of Russia’s great metaphysical poets. (Translation, James Falen.) We regret the omission.

Saw you in the Ojo 53

The Ojo Crossword

ACROSS 1 Elan 5 Austin novel 9 Jewish bread 14 Singing voice 15 Opp. of rich 16 Reserved 17 Fastener 18 Particle 19 Make fun of 20 Title of IslamÂ´s head 22 Well-being 24 SailorÂ´s yes 25 Exaggerate 27 Advertisement (abbr.) 31 Bar drink 32 Most basic 34 Paddle 35 Bullets 38 Thirst quencher 40 Wild dog 42 Water markers 44 To(K)night 46 Recon 47 Risen 48 Collect 50 Mined metals 51 Melancholy 52 Assist 55 Element 57 Otherwise 59 Plump 61 Cereal 64 Take away weapons

El Ojo del Lago / May 2014

66 Nothing inside 68 Condescend 71 BabyÂ´s â&#x20AC;&#x153;ballâ&#x20AC;? 73 On top 74 Soothing agents 75 Told an untruth 76 Get from the earth 77 Say suddenly 78 Aborts 79 Won DOWN 1 Capital of Bangladesh 2 Satisfy 3 Steps for crossing a fence 4 N.A. Indian 5 Government agency 6 Coddled 7 Cow 1DYDO Ă&#x20AC;HHW 9 Spar 10 Greek Â´AÂ´ 11 Also 12 San Diego attraction 13 Disconnected 21 Enemy 23 Throw 26 Animal doctor 28 Giver 29 Obscure 30 What a horse does 31 Males 33 Discs 35 Lower 36 Wall painting 37 Emotional states 39 Back to school mo. 41 Computer â&#x20AC;&#x153;buttonâ&#x20AC;? 43 Body of water 45 Deadened mind 49 X 53 Internal Revenue Service 54 Possible 56 Poem 58 Garden tool 60 Locomotive 61 Visual 62 Do Penitence 63 Used a Keyboard 65 Institution (abbr.) 67 Ma 68 Dot 69 About a meter (Babyl) 70 Promissory note 72 Spots

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY %\ 'U 5LJREHUWR 5LRV 0'

pring Conjunctivitis Curiously, the time of the year we often consider the most beautiful with the start of an annual cycle,Â is also the time when a number of physical disorders emerge, and our eyes are not excluded. Spring conjunctivitis, also known as vernal conjunctivitis,Â is a disease related to allergens in the environment produced by the blossoms on plants and trees. It leads to redness, burning, an itching sensation, and sometimes low visual function. These symptoms can be accompanied by skin or respiratory system disorders related to allergies. In severe cases spring conjunctivitis can lead to corneal scarring that reduces vision and requires aggressive medical treatment. Some cases can become chronic and cause more intense discomfort and for a much longer period of time, affecting the eyelids permanently and producing internal scars that will compromise your eye health. Although the name seems to limit the disease to the spring and summer time, in climates as pleasant as Chapala, where plants bloom almost all year round, it is not uncommon to see cases of this disorder in different seasons, the most common being April, May and the early months of the rains. Treatment: The treatment in most cases is done with a mild topical steroid or antihistamine, both having the objective of diminishing the inflammation. Ocular lubricants are useful in controlling some

of the symptoms. Therefore it is recommended that you always have an eye lubricant available that is free of vessel constrictor. An effective home remedy is to place a cold damp cloth on your eyes and keep them closedÂ for a period of 15 minutes. Do this 3 times per day. Side Effects: Remember that the drops may have adverse systemic effects, so I recommend not using drugs that contain vasoconstrictors (one of the most commonly used is oxymethazoline) because they may increase blood pressure which could be aÂ problem in patients with hypertension (high blood pressure). Also, the use of lubricants madeÂ with flower extract (chamomile) should be avoided because theoreticallyÂ they could increaseÂ the damage. The use of topical steroids without medical control and for long periods can cause increased intraocular pressure and lead to glaucoma. Prevention: One of the most common recommendations in the scientific literature mentions Â¨remove allergen-causing agentÂ¨ which I left as one of my last recommendations,Â because it is not always possible to identify the specific plant and sometimes it is impossible to isolate or remove it (for example, a jacaranda tree). But, if you can, do it. You should avoid rubbing your eyes as this can cause increased inflammation and therefore an increase in symptoms. In these circumstances, the use of

a lubricant is very helpful. Exposure to air conditioning can cause an increase in symptoms. This is due to two factors: first, the air produced by these machines tends to lack moisture which increases the feeling of dry eye and a worsening of the itchy, burning sensation; second, many of these machines are often not properly maintained. If the filters are not working optimally or are not cleaned regularly, the turbulence in the air expands the amount of allergens contacting your eyes. On the upside, if the air conditioner is cleaned regularly and the filters

are working properly, it should remove dust particles and other substances in the air that contribute to symptom development in allergic conjunctivitis. Going to a specialist? When the symptoms do not subside within a couple of days of applying the above measures, it is best to see a specialist and avoid complications, which although rare, can be limiting. -Dr. Rios is an opthalmic surgeon who received his medical degree from U de G and did post-graduate work in Italy and Germany. He is a member of the American, European and Mexican Opthamology Societies.

Saw you in the Ojo 55

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News

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Membership dues are about to increase. If you havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t done it yet, consider this attractive incentive: you may purchase future memberships at the 2013 rates through June 30, 2014. Compare these rates with the old and this is a nobrainer for savings. The new rates for 2014 will be single memberships-$550, double-$950, triple- $1350 and quad-$1700 pesos. Nowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the time to take advantage of this great opportunity.

This is an exciting time to be part of the Lake Chapala Society. LCS has played an important role in the evolution of the Lakeside community over the last 59 years by adapting to change. As we approach our 60th year, the membership has adopted a new strategic plan that UHĂ&#x20AC;HFW RXU JRDOV RI DGDSWLQJ WR WKH FRPPXQLW\ÂśV QHHGV DQG PDLQWDLQing the relevance of our programs to its members. Surveys during the past year revealed a lack of awareness of what LCS does both for the expat community, and our Mexican neighbors. Most of you know about the plethora of programs offered to members ranging from iPod classes to Scrabble and everything in between. We offer free medical screenings to anyone at Lakesideâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; members or not. We have the largest English language library in Latin America with over 25,000 titles and a robust video library containing everything from new releases to documentaries to foreign ÂżOPV We also conduct outreach to the Mexican community. Did you know that we: Â&#x2021; KDG VWXGHQWV HQUROOHG LQ (QJOLVK DV D 6HFRQG /DQJXDJH classes last August? Â&#x2021; SURYLGH VWXGHQW DLG WR VWXGHQWV DWWHQGLQJ XQLYHUVLW\" Â&#x2021; KDYH NLGV RQ WKH JURXQGV HYHU\ 6DWXUGD\ IRU WKH &KLOdrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Art Program? Â&#x2021; FRQGXFW D VXPPHU UHPHGLDO SURJUDP IRU HOHPHQWDU\ DJH VWXdents each year? The LCS Community Committee is developing a comprehensive marketing plan to promote awareness about our programs and services. Our surveys have also shown a strong consensus around cultural integration. Based on these observations, we are planning additional bi-cultural events on the LCS grounds. We are also evaluating our programs for relevance to current and fuWXUH PHPEHUV 2QH RI WKH ELJ FKDOOHQJHV LV WKH LQĂ&#x20AC;X[ RI EDE\ ERRPers. Currently 78 million boomers north of the border are retiring at a rate of 4.5 million per year. We need to anticipate that migration by sharpening our message and continually evaluating our programs and services. To be prepared for the future, the strategic plan also calls for re-engineering our campus infrastructure. The LCS Campus Committee is analyzing our current space needs and projecting our needs into the future. Once those requirements have been established, architectural plans will be developed incorporating advances in technology, handicapped access, green technology, etc. Those plans will be respectful of existing architecture and the charm of the LCS buildings and grounds. Every effort will be made to ensure that this process is transparent and widely promoted to membership and the community at large. The LCS will continue to play an important role in the evolution of the community by adapting to change. The situation is no different today than when it was founded 59 years ago. The participation of you, members of the LCS, will be critical to our strategic objectives. I invite you to join us to pave the path forward for the next 60 years.

%RDUG 6HOHFWV 1HZ 9LFH 3UHVLGHQW Because the new election left the position of Vice President vacant, per the LCS constitution, the Board of DirecWRUV DSSRLQWHG DQ H[LVWLQJ ERDUG PHPEHU WR ÂżOO WKDW SRVLWLRQ Cate Howell, former Director at Large, was selected as Vice President and will serve on the Executive Committee with President Ben White, Secretary Carol Wolff, and Treasurer Michael Searles. New board Member at Large Pete Soderman will serve as Campus Committee chair in Cateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stead.

/DNHVLGH 6HFXULW\ One of the most important topics and concerns we have lakeside is crime. In general most of us feel that lakeside is a safe place to live on the one hand, but we are aware of burglaries and the nuisance of mordidas, to mention a few, on the other hand. LCS is monitoring closely, with the assistance of state and local authorities, the Chamber of Commerce and other community interest groups, to mitigate these types of problems. 1RZ LQ WKH /&6 VHUYLFH RIÂżFH \RX FDQ DVN IRU DQG UHWXUQ a compliment/complaint form for recording incidents with 0H[LFDQ RIÂżFLDOV LQFOXGLQJ WKH WUDQVLW SROLFH WKH SUHYHQWLYH SROLFH DQG DQ\ RWKHU RIÂżFLDO :H ZLOO FROOHFW DQG PDLQWDLQ these forms and will report to the appropriate authorities on a regular basis. We will soon be a clearing house for a Community wide Neighboorhood watch program being coordinated through WKH -DOLVR 6HFUHWDU\ RI 6HFXULW\ÂśV RIÂżFH ,W LV FDOOHG Vecinos en Alerta. More on the progress we are making next month.

&KLOGUHQÂśV $UW &DUGV Our wonderful childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s art cards are again available at the &DIp 3DWLR WDEOH <RXU WZHQW\ ÂżYH SHVRV ZLOO KHOS VXSSRUW RXU popular Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Saturday Art Program. Cards include a matching envelope and are blank inside so you may send a personalized message.

LCS CLOSED MAY 1 MEXICAN LABOR DAY

May 2014

El Ojo del Lago / May 2014

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The snow birds are leaving to spend the summer up North. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve consigned their unneeded household items to Casi Nuevo, so now our store is full of previously loved items for sale at affordable prices. Stop by often and see our rapidly changing inventory. Most of our items are sold within 30 days. :HÂśYH OHYHOHG WKH SDUNLQJ DUHD DQG ÂżOOHG LW ZLWK VWRQHV LQ anticipation of the rainy season so you will have easy access to our store without using a boat. If you need help getting your large furniture items to Casi Nuevo to sell, please contact our manager Jacqueline at 766-1303 or email her jacquelinesmith230@gmail.com. She can give you information on our low cost, trustworthy movers. :H DUH DQ DOO YROXQWHHU RUJDQL]DWLRQ 3URÂżWV VXSSRUW WKH 300 children in our three charities: LCS Community Education Program, School for Children with Special Needs, and Have Hammer...Will Travel. We are the red store with the corner door across from 7-Eleven in Riberas del Pilar. Our hours are: 10 am to 3 pm, Monday through Saturday. Call us at 106-2121.

Open Gaming Want to learn new card/table/board games? Want to share favorite games with new players? Join us Mondays at the Gazebo from 1-3:45 pm. No games are provided. Players without games are welcome or you may bring your own such as Fluxx, Uno, Monopoly, Mah Jongg, Dominoes, Scrabble, Cribbage, Clue, Pandemic, etc. Open to members only from 1-2 pm. Please note: open to the public from 2-3:45 pm. Please, no â&#x20AC;&#x153;loudâ&#x20AC;? or â&#x20AC;&#x153;partyâ&#x20AC;? games that are likely to distract or disrupt nearby games & gamers. 3DWKZD\V WR ,QQHU 3HDFH Explore the philosophy and metaphysics of the Course in Miracles and related texts on Saturdays from 2-3:30 pm in the Ken Gosh Pavilion.

+HOS :DQWHG 5HDOO\ The following opportunities serve LCS in several important areas. Please help us keep our programs working smoothly. Keep in mind, we need â&#x20AC;&#x153;peopleâ&#x20AC;? people who enjoy helping others. Volunteers should be LCS members. If you are interested, talk to an DUHD PDQDJHU RU JR WR WKH VHUYLFH RIÂżFH IRU D YROXQWHHU DSSOLFDWLRQ See the positions listed below:

iPad/iPod/iPhone Classes Taking a Break

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iPad classes are taking a break for the summer. The next session will start on Thursday, August 21. More information will be available in July. Classes are free, but are restricted to LCS members. Registration must be done by e-mail: lcsipadclasses@ gmail.com. Please provide your LCS membership number when registering.

Â&#x2021; IT Position Open

Last Android For Beginners Classes The last Android classes before summer break will be held from April 22 to May 13 at our regular time: Tuesdays from 9:30 to 11:30, in the Ken Gosh Pavilion, After the last class we will take a break, but classes are planned to start up again in November. You are invited to sign up anytime between now and November by sending an email to lcsandroidclasses@gmail.com. Introduction to Android tablets and phones (most popular devices, not made by Apple). Connecting to WiFi, setting up e-mail, downloading e-books, searching the App Store, browsing the internet, working with photos, and much more, are included in the course. E-mail registration is required: lcsandroidclasses.gmail.com Please note that class size is limited.

LCS Spanish Classes The third 2014 term of Warren Hardy Spanish classes at Wilkes Education Center starts in late April. The cost is $750 pesos for eight students or more; prices will increase if fewer students enroll. 7KH UHTXLUHG WH[W LV SHVRV RSWLRQDO Ă&#x20AC;DVK FDUGV pesos) and DVDs ($430) are also available. The Introduction to Spanish classes are held in the Gazebo WKH ÂżUVW 7XHVGD\ RI HYHU\ PRQWK DQG UXQ IRU WKUHH ZHHNV The cost is $175 pesos, and no materials are required. Check the website for more information.

The LCS Library needs volunteers to work one day a week at the circulation desk. We need people who love browsing through a library to discover its hidden treasures. ,I \RX UH LQWHUHVWHG SOHDVH FRPH LQ WR WKH PDLQ RIÂżFH IRU D YROXQWHHU application. We'll be happy to put you to work!

:H QHHG D TXDOLÂżHG FDQGLGDWH ZKR KDV H[SHULHQFH LQ EXLOGLQJ FRPputers, installing software, working with networks including overall trouble-shooting. Position requires climbing stairs several times a day. Please contact Robert Katz at bobkat1226@gmail.com

Â&#x2021; *DUGHQHUV :DQWHG ,I \RX KDYH D IHHO IRU Ă&#x20AC;RZHU SRZHU DQG ORYH JDUGHQV ZHÂśG OLNH WR KDYH your assistance. If you are interested in helping us maintain and improve our gardens, contact Terry Vidal. Together we will be able to VKRZ RII WKH ÂżQHVW PRVW EHDXWLIXO SXEOLF VSDFH LQ /DNHVLGH

Â&#x2021; 2IÂżFH 6WDII 1HHGHG :H QHHG YROXQWHHUV LQ WKH RIÂżFH ,I \RX KDYH SHRSOH VNLOOV ZHÂśG OLNH WR see your smiling face at the front desk assisting members and guests. If you have computer experience, we need data entry volunteers for our membership and post life programs. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re interested in volunteering for these essential positions, see Adela Alcaraz in the service RIÂżFH

Â&#x2021; &KLOGUHQÂśV $UW &DWDORJ We need volunteers to help us catalog our Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Art collection going back three, maybe even four decades. View the catalog at: www. lakechapalasociety.com/website/Community_Programs/childrens_ art_collection.php. Requires a person with good observational skills. This job is also for the person who likes to work on his/her own in a quiet atmosphere.

Saw you in the Ojo 57

MAY ACTIVITIES *Open to the Public ** US Citizens (S) Sign in required (C) Membership card required &58= 52-$ Cruz Roja Sales Table M-F 10-1 +($/7+ ,1685$1&( IMSS & Immigration Services M+T 10-1 Met Life Health Insurance T+TH 11-2 San Javier/ReHealth 1st+3rd TH 10-12

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This monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s notable offerings feature Academy Award nominees and winners, and two entries featuring local Ajijic talent. 7ZHOYH <HDUV D 6ODYH #6503 (2013) In antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Starring Oscar nominee for Best Actor Chiwetel Ejiofor +($/7+ /(*$/ 6(59,&(6 Acupunture F 9-2 and Lupita Nyongâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;o, Oscar winner for Best Actress in a Suppporting Role. Becerra Immigration F 10:30-1 Biography Blood Pressure F 10-12 7ZHQW\ )HHW )URP 6WDUGRP #6504 (2013) Backup singers live in a Diabetes Screening (no sign up) 2nd+3rd F 10-12 world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the Hearing Aid Services (S) M+2nd+4th SAT 11-4 Loridans Legal T 10-12 biggest groups in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers Ministerio Publico 1st+3rd W 10-2 are or what lives they lead, until now. Documentary Optometrist (S) TH 9-5 &RORUIXO 0H[LFR #6500 Brilliant colors and Mexico are synonymous. In Pharmaceutical Consultations 4th M 10-12 WKLV SURGXFWLRQ WKH WHUP FRORUIXO LV XVHG WR XQLWH WKH ÂżOPÂśV IRXU VHSDUDWH Skin Cancer Screening (S) 2nd + 4th W 10-12 US Consulate 2nd W 10-12 entities - Silver Cities, Copper Canyon, Gray Whales and Golden Beaches. This is an 85 minute tour of Mexico where you will meet the people, stroll with /&6 3$7,2 the Guadalajara Troupadors, learn about the dark side of Mexico, visit seven LCS Patio, Bus Trips & Sales Table M-F 10-1 3DFLÂżF EHDFK WRZQV DQG PXFK PRUH 3URGXFHG E\ $MLMLF UHVLGHQWV )UDQ DQG Brooke Reidelberger. Scripted and narrated by Fran Reidelberger. LESSONS 'DOODV %X\HUÂśV &OXE #6498 (2013) In 1985 Dallas, electrician and husChildrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Art SAT 10-12* Chidrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Reading Program SAT 9-10* tler Ron Woodroof works around the system to help AIDS patients get the Exercise M+W+F 9-10 medication they need after he is diagnosed with the disease. Matthew McHH Workshop Demo W 10-12* Conaughey won the 2014 Oscar for Best Actor. Biography Intermediate Hatha Yoga T+ TH 2-3:30, SAT 1-2:30 0UV 3DOIUH\ DW WKH &ODUHPRQW #6492 (2005) All but abandoned by her Line Dancing T+TH 10-11:15 family in a London retirement hotel, an elderly woman strikes up a curious LIBRARIES friendship with a young writer. An excellent comedy. Audio TH 10-12 Nebraska #6507 (2013) An aging, booze-addled father makes the trip Book & Video M-SAT 10-2 from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim a millionLibrary of Congress Books**/ Talking Books TH 10-12 Wilkes M-F 9:30-7, SAT 9:30-1 dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize. Nominated for six Oscars, including best picture, best actor, best actress in a supporting role. Starring Bruce SOCIAL ACTIVITIES Dern. All Things Android M 10-11:30 2QO\ 2QFH LQ D /LIHWLPH #6491 (1979) A middle-aged Latino painter, Bridge 4 Fun M+W 1-5 Conversaciones en EspaĂąol M 10-12 SOD\HG E\ 0LJXHO 5REHOR UDWKHU KXPRURXVO\ Ă&#x20AC;LUWV ZLWK WKH LGHD RI HQGLQJ LW Everyday Mindfulness M 10:30-11:30 all after a Los Angeles city zoning inspector tells him he can no longer sell )LOP $ÂżFLRQDGRV VW UG 7+ the vegetables he raises in his back yard. He quietly goes about putting his )LOP $ÂżFLRQDGRV QG WK /DVW 7+ KXPEOH DIIDLUV LQ RUGHU EXW LQ WU\LQJ WR ÂżQG D JRRG KRPH IRU KLV DJHG GRJ Genealogy Forum Last M 2-4 iStuff Discussion Group F 9:30-10:30 ÂżQGV PRUH FRPLF DGYHQWXUHV LQ WKH QH[W WZR GD\V WKDQ KH KDG HQFRXQWHUHG Mac OS 1st Mon 12-1 in his last twenty years. Mac User Group 3rd W 1-2 Written, directed and co-produced by Ajijic resident Alejandro Grattan. Needle Pushers T 10-12 $ 'D\ :LWKRXW D 0H[LFDQ #6490 (2004) A thick fog surrounds CaliforOpen Gaming (open to the public from 2) M 1-3:45* nia's borders, communication beyond state lines is cut off, and all the MexiPathways to Inner Peace SAT 2-3:30* Scrabble M+F 12-2 cans disappear: workers, spouses, and business owners are missing. We Tournament Scrabble T 12-2 meet the wife of a musician who's disappeared, a state Senator whose maid Windows Discussion Group F 10:30-11:45 doesn't show up for work, and a farm owner whose produce is ripe and ready to be picked. A newscaster and the daughter of the musician may be the only 6(59,&( 6833257 *52836 Gamblers Anonymous W 11-1 missing links around. Why them? And where have all the Mexicans gone? Information Desk M-SAT 10-2 Even the border guards grieve. The state and its economy grind to a halt. Last Love #6499 (2013) A look at the life-changing connection between Lakeside AA M +TH 4-6 Open Circle SUN 10-12:30 a retired widowed American philosophy professor and a young Parisian SMART Recovery W 2:30-4:30 woman. Comedy starring Michael Caine. For a more complete review of the above movies, please see the LCS 7,&.(7 6$/(6 0 ) home web page or the green catalogs at the LCS Video Library. The green The discussion, philosophy, digital camera, and mahjongg catalogs are updated every month. sessions will be postponed until September. The new additions for 2014 are listed alphabetically, by month, with an index referencing the month they were added. Please Note If you have VHS tapes that you would like to have transferred to DVDs, Ministerio Publico ZLOO EH DW /&6 WKH ÂżUVW DQG WKLUG :HGQHVday of every month with a bi-lingual attorney present to we can do it for only 50 pesos per tape. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cheap. Drop them off in the Video Library. DVVLVW \RX LQ ÂżOLQJ denuncias (criminal complaints).

El Ojo del Lago / May 2014

&DVL 1XHYR 1HZV Our personalized estate sale services are available to people who are changing homes. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to take it with you? 7RR PDQ\ LWHPV WR ÂżW DIWHU GRZQVL]LQJ" /HW RXU WHDP RI H[perts sell your excess household items quickly and make your moving job easier. We also buy selected items for cash. Our experienced team will price your items and showcase them for quick sales. No item is too small or too expensive. Large consignment items? No problem. We can recRPPHQG D ORZ FRVW TXDOLÂżHG PRYHU WR SLFN XS DQG GHOLYHU consignment items to our store. Contact our manager Jacqueline at 766-1303 or email jacquelinesmith230@gmail.com for further information. :H DUH DQ DOO YROXQWHHU RUJDQL]DWLRQ 3URÂżWV VXSSRUW WKH children in our three charities: LCS Community Education Program, School for Children with Special Needs, and Have Hammer...Will Travel. We are the red store with the corner door across from 7-Eleven in Riberas de la Pilar. Our hours are from 10 am to 3 pm Monday through Saturday. Call 376 106-2121 for more information.

%RRNZRUPV IRU /LIH" Can doing mental exercises help your mind stay just as sharp in old age? New research suggests the secret to preserving mental agility may lie in simply opening a book. 7KH ÂżQGLQJV VXJJHVW WKDW UHDGLQJ ZULWLQJ DQG RWKHU VLPLODU brain-stimulating activities slow down cognitive decline in old age, independent of common age-related diseases. People who participated in mentally stimulating activities over their lifetimes, had a slower rate of decline in memory and other mental capacities. Remaining a bookworm into old age reduced the rate of memory decline by 32 percent compared to engaging in average mental activity. Keeping our brains sharp has something in common with physical exercise: we have to stick with it for it to work.

Electronics Donors A heartfelt thank you to all of the generous donors who have contributed electronic equipment to LCS. The equipment you donate is used by LCS for operations and programs, and is essential to our continued success. If you wish to make a donation of computers, audio equipment, and monitors in working order and accessories like keyboards and mice, contact the service desk at 766-1140 and tell them what you wish to donate and when you can deliver it. Muchas gracias!

THURSDAY FILM AFICIONADOS /&6 0HPEHUV 2QO\ %ULQJ <RXU &DUG

$OO ÂżOPV VKRZQ LQ WKH 6DOD No food No pets

1 MAY- LCS IS CLOSED 0D\ - 2 pm +DOLPDÂśV 3DWK Croatia 2013 In order to recover the body of her son lost during the war in Bosnia, a grieving but strongwilled Muslim woman must track down her estranged niece who carULHV D P\VWHULRXV FRQQHFWLRQ WR KLP ,Q P\ RSLQLRQ WKH EHVW ÂżOP RI the year. 0D\ - 12:30 pm The Rocket /DRV 7KH ÂżUVW /DRWLDQ ÂżOP shown at LCS is a story about a boy who is believed to be cursed because he was a twin. He tries to lead his family and two new friends WKURXJK /DRV WR ÂżQG D QHZ KRPH 0D\ - 2 pm Gabrielle Canada- 2013 Gabrielle, a musically gifted young woman with Williams Syndrome. meets a boy at choir practice and they become inseparable. Gabrielle must confront prejudices and her own limitations to experience a love that is far from ordinary. 0D\ 2 pm 6KRUW 7HUP USA- 2013 Grace, while struggling with her own problems, works as a supervisor at a home for at-risk teens. Brie Larson, as Grace, gives a stunning performance as she dedicates her life to helping kids who have slipped through the cracks.

Costco Returns to LCS Costco returns to LCS with special offers, sales and discounted items of interest to every shopper. Open a Costco account or renew your membership for great deals on stuff you need and want. Look for them here at LCS May 6 and 7 from 10-2 at the Blue Umbrella Patio.

0HRZ Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for some generous souls to contribute a few pesos WR RXU NLWWLHVÂś EHQHÂżW IXQG :H QHHG DERXW SHVRV WKLV TXDUWHU to feed and care for our furry amigos. So far we have about 1,000 pesos in the kitty, so to speak. Check in with Zed or June on the CafĂŠ Patio to make your contribution. Meow-meow! (Muchas gracias!)

%XV 7ULSV IRU 0D\ May 4-8 McAllen, TX. Super shopping trip includes three days of shopping and three nightsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; accommodations. Cost is $7000 pesos for a double room and $8700 for a private room. Make a non-refundable deposit of $1000 pesos to reserve your seat. See June at the Cafe Patio. May 7 Galerias Mall $250 pesos. Leaving from the sculpture on the carreterra in La Floresta at 9:30 am.

THE LAKE CHAPALA SOCIETY, A.C. 16 de Septiembre #16-A, Ajijic, Jalisco /&6 0DLQ 2IÂżFH

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LCS BOARD OF DIRECTORS President - Ben White (2016); Vice-President - Cate Howell (2015); Treasurer - Michael Searles (2015); Secretary - Carole Wolff (2016); Directors: Lois Cugini (2015); Ernest Gabbard (2016); Aurora Michel Galindo (2015); Fred Harland (2015); Ann D. Houck (2016); Keith Martin (2016); Wallace Mills (2015); Pete Soderman (2016);

Executive Director - Terry Vidal The LCS Newsletter is published monthly. Deadline for submissions is the 17th of the month preceding publication. News items may be e-mailed to Reba Mayo rebaelizabethhill@yahoo.com; cc to Terry Vidal tqv56431@yahoo.com Note: The editorial staff reserves the right to edit all submissions according to time, space availability and editorial decision.

Saw you in the Ojo 59

El Ojo del Lago / May 2014

Saw you in the Ojo 61

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