El Ojo del Lago - October 2010 by El Ojo del Lago

Saw you in the Ojo

El Ojo del Lago / October 2010

Saw you in the Ojo

Richard Tingen

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Alejandro Grattan-Domínguez Tel: (01376) 765 3676, 765 2877 Fax: (01376) 765 3528 Associate Publisher David Tingen Graphic Design Roberto C. Rojas Jazmin Eliosa Special Events Editor Kay Davis Associate Editor Jim Tipton Contributing Editors Paul Jackson Henri Loridans Feature Editor Jim Tuck (Honorary) Staff Photographer Xill Fessenden Staff Writers Mildred Boyd Ilse Hoffmann Floyd Dalton Sales Manager Tania Medina (045) 33 1140 3570 ojodelago@gmail.com Office Secretary Iliana Oregel ADVERTISING OFFICE Av. Hidalgo # 223, Chapala Mon. thru Fri. 9am - 5pm Sat. 9am - 1pm Tel. 01 (376) 765 2877, 765 3676 Fax 01 (376) 765 3528 Send all correspondence, subscriptions or advertising to: El Ojo del Lago http://www.chapala.com ojodellago@prodigy.net.mx Ave. Hidalgo 223 (or Apartado 279), 45900 Chapala, Jalisco Tels.: (376) 765 3676, Fax 765 3528 PRINTING: El Debate El Ojo del Lago aparece los primeros cinco días de cada mes. (Out over the first five days of each month) Certificado de Licitud de Título 3693 Certificado de Licitud de Contenido 3117.

FEATURE ARTICLES

COVER STORY

Jim Tipton spins a beguiling story about a 65-year-old woman from Chicago who retires to Lakeside and somehow comes under the influence of the long-dead hero of the Mexican Revolution, Pancho Villa.

8 Cover by Jay Koppelman

24 ON THE BEACH William Haydon spends his first summer in San Blas, an area where the ex-pats usually scurry away from to avoid the intense seasonal heat and humidity. But Hayden thinks that living there all-year-round has made his life in Mexico seem more “authentic.”

28 WILDLIFE Janice Kimball continues a story about a Mexican parrot named Max, whose life is anything but the proverbial bowl of cherries.

34 MEXICAN HISTORY Beth Berube has discovered that the word “Mexico” is derived from an ancient Maya word meaning “all-night celebration using explosives.” Seems the Mayas certainly knew what they were talking about.

68 FICTION RM Krakoff gives us the first (of two) installments about an accountant who is good at figures but at very little else. The story might seem sad to some of our readers if they can just stop laughing long enough to realize it.

58 MEXICAN WHIMSY Scott Richards relates a true story about him and his wife coming face to face with the Mexican legal system. Of the three, he is still unsure as to who blinked first.

Reserva al Título de Derechos de Autor 04-2007-111412131300-102 Control 14301. Permisos otorgados por la Secretaría de Gobernación (EXP. 1/432 “88”/5651 de 2 de junio de 1993) y SEP (Reserva 171.94 control 14301) del 15 de enero de 1994. Distribución: Hidalgo 223 Chapala, Jalisco, México. All contents are fully protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without the written consent of El Ojo del Lago. Opinions expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the views of the Publisher or the Editor, nor are we responsible for the claims made by our advertisers. We welcome letters, which should include name, address and telephone number.

COVER STORY

PUBLISHER

Index...

El Ojo del Lago / October 2010

COLUMNS THIS MONTH 6

Editor’s Page

Balloon in Cactus

Bridge by Lake

Uncommon Sense

Joyful Musings

Thunder on Right

Wondrous Wildlife

Faith & Fables

Anita’s Animals

Stay Healthy

Hearts at Work

Lakeside Living

Child of Month

New Lease on Life

Anyone Train Dog

World of Ours

Welcome to Mexico

LCS Newsletter

LAKESIDE LIVING

 DIRE C TOR Y 

36 MAGNIFICENT MEXICO

VOLUME 27 NUMBER 2

Saw you in the Ojo

By Alejandro Grattan-Dominguez

Once There Was Camelot— American Style

e all know the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. The rotund piece of furniture of which I speak, however, was the Algonquin Round Table, which in the 20s, 30s and early 40s was regularly occupied by some of the greatest names and most renowned wits in the entire history of American Arts and Letters. How’s this for a brief roll-call: Robert Sherwood, a film critic who later would win the Pulitzer Prize for his play Idiot’s Delight and an Oscar for writing The Best Years of Our Lives. Dorothy Parker, legendary short-story writer and the critic who once damned an actress’ Broadway debut by saying, “She ran the emotional gamut from A to B.” Parker also co-wrote an early version of the movie A Star is Born. Robert Benchley, a drama critic and writer whose name became synonymous with humor and who first coined the phrase, “Let’s get out of these wet clothes and into a dry martini.” Ring Lardner, sportswriter and highly successful author, who while sitting in a bar, once said to a bedraggled man who had approached him “How do you look when I’m sober?” F.P. Adams, newspaper editor and New York Times columnist to a man telling a story who finally said, “Well, to make a long story short—” to which Adams cried, “Too late!” Edna Ferber, who wrote some of the 20th century’s most popular novels and plays, including Cimarron, Showboat and Giant. Herman Mankiewicz, the newspaper columnist who co-write the script of Citizen Kane, believed by many to be the best movie ever made. Ben Hecht, newspaper reporter, screenwriter, e.g. Stagecoach, Wuthering Heights, Spellbound, Gunga Din, Mutiny on the Bounty. Two Oscars, six nominations. “Movies back then,” Hecht once recalled, “were seldom written. In 1927 they were yelled into existence in conferences that kept going in saloons, brothels, and all-night poker games.” But if all these luminaries were the Knights and Ladies Fair of this

El Ojo del Lago / October 2010

George S. Kaufman

latter-day Camelot (which always gathered in Manhattan’s Algonquin Hotel), their King was undeniably George S. Kaufman. No one has ever put their stamp more indelibly on the American theatrical scene. He wrote, cowrote and directed more successful Broadway plays than anyone else, with credits that included The Solid Gold Cadillac, Guys and Dolls and Dinner at Eight. He twice won the Pulitzer Prize, as well as the New York Drama Critics Award. For the movies, he co-wrote and/or directed Coconuts and Animal Crackers, both with the irrepressible Marx Brothers. But it was his scathing wit that is most remembered today. As the Drama Critic for the New York Times, he once said to a pushy press agent who had asked how he could get an actress client of his mentioned in the Times, “shoot her.” To a pompous author, “I understand your new play is filled with single entendres.” About restaurant waiters, “Epitaph for a dead waiter: God finally caught his eye.” Of a play genre, “Satire is what closes on Saturday night.” On troublesome authors whose plays he had directed, “At rehearsals, the only author that’s better than an absent one is a dead one.” On social etiquette, “When I invite a woman to dinner, I expect her to look at me. That’s the price she has to pay.” Like the Round Table of Arthurian legend, the American version will never come again, but we all should be grateful that once upon a time... Alejandro Grattan

A BALLOON IN CACTUS By Maggie Van Ostrand

Meant For Each Other

f the many experiences during my first years in San Antonio Tlay., one favorite is about a brown stallion named Lassie. Why he was given that name is anybody’s guess. I recall wondering at the time if he might be gay. Lassie’s home base was an adjoining plot of land whose stony dirt was sparsely populated with a blade or two of grass, and one lone tree. Our property was separated by a chain link fence which played an important role in the Romeo-andJuliet-like romance to come. One of my dogs, a female Siberian Husky named Ninotchka, immediately fell wildly in love with the horse. This was quite something, since Ninotchka is an aloof creature who chooses to associate only with other Huskies, the occasional Malamute, and my longtime Ajijic buddy, Tom Faloon. From the minute dog met horse, it was true love. It might’ve even been obsession since, for the first time, Ninotchka refused to come when called, insisting instead on remaining at the fence and French kissing Lassie through the openings between the chain links. Lassie was even more intensely enamored and kissed back with a tongue longer than the red carpet on Hollywood’s Oscar night. Doubting human friends came to witness this phenomenon and walked away true believers. Soon Lassie’s enthusiasm broke all boundaries of civilized behavior and his ardor was aroused for all to see. He whacked frantically at the fence for immediate admittance, leaving hoof dents in the chain link as mute evidence of his passion. Those depressions in the fence are still there because I recently looked. Lassie was, it seemed, frequently without water or food. Being the kind (spelled n-o-s-y) person that I am and since he was practically my son-in-law, I filled water buckets, lowering them by rope over the fence. They should have named that horse “quick draw” because he slurped the entire contents with one pull, requiring my frequent return to the spigot for refills. Since what I know about horses you could easily put in your eye and

still have room left over for a dozen cataracts, I repaired to SuperLake, returning with a carton of Quaker Oats and a carrot. Lassie must have taken lessons from Man O’ War, for, when he caught sight of the carrot sticking out of the groceries, he raced at me so fast, I hastily hurled everything over the fence, and he all but inhaled not only the contents, but the bag they came in. I respectfully asked for and was granted permission to continue feeding and watering Lassie by the owner, who was father to a schoolmate of my housekeeper’s son. Next day, on Lassie’s side of the fence, mysteriously appeared a magnificent carved stone basin. I learned that Lassie’s owner had said, “if the Señora is kind enough to feed our horse, she should have something beautiful to put the food in.” Encouraged, I found a feed store in town which delivered hay. I’m certain Lassie appreciated this nutritional improvement, since he had been enjoying his Quaker Oats dry. (“Got milk?”) What’s Romeo and Juliet-like about this story? After returning to the States for work reasons, I learned that Lassie had been sold to someone in Chapala, though I have been unsuccessful in attempts to locate him. I hope he is happy. Ninotchka never loved again. I’ve often wondered what their offspring might’ve looked like, had the separations in the chain links been large enough to accommodate Lassie’s rising desire for Ninotchka. Our California mountain cabin is near the village stables and, to this day, the only time Ninotchka springs into action is at the sight of a horse, any horse. She does not rest until she has sniffed to her satisfaction that it is not Lassie, and dejectedly turns away. Certain living things are meant for each other, whether it be a caballo and a canine, or a lady and a lake.

Saw you in the Ojo

Pancho Villa’s Granddaughter Fiction by James Tipton

mmediately after Ethel Chestnut chucked her old resources administrator job in Chicago, she began to sell almost everything. A few short weeks later she jumped on a plane and headed to the tropical mountains of southern Mexico, to Chapala, near Mexico’s largest lake, Lago de Chapala. Ethel had passed through the town two years earlier while on a tour of Mexico’s colonial cities that had begun in Guadalajara. Now she was coming to stay. Even before arriving Chapala was beginning to feel like home. The first thing she planned to do when she got settled in was to get rid of her first name, Ethel, and her last name, Chestnut. Both had plagued her all of her life. Now at age sixty-five, with Social Security and a small but nevertheless significant pension, Ethel could determine more easily the direction of her own life. It was time to become her own “Resource Administrator.” Her parents, who had never even traveled outside of the Midwest, had both passed away. Her two indifferent children, now middle-aged, had called from California to Chicago to wish her luck, and Ethel, for several years now, had been spending less and less social time with her coworkers, “the girls.” The older they got, the more they called each other “the girls.” Ethel was going to be a woman again. A reasonably young woman in Mexico, or at least looking good for her age. And no longer named Ethel Chestnut! In Guadalajara, Ethel bought a little Nissan with Mexican plates, and then each day she drove and drove, getting to know the communities near Chapala on the north side of the lake, towns with charm-

PANCHO VILLA ing names like Jocotepec, El Chante, San Juan Cosalá, Ajijic, San Antonio Tlayacapan, Santa Cruz de la Soledad, San Nicolás de Ibarra, San Juan Tecomatlán, and Mezcala. Each evening she returned to Chapala, content to rest and celebrate her new life in her hand-woven hammock suspended between the orange tree and the avocado tree in the secret retreat behind her little house on Calle Cinco de Mayo. One Saturday she even explored the old colonial section of Guadalalaja, ending the busy day at Mariachi Plaza where, over a cold Modelo especial beer, she listened to the traditional Mariachi music that actually had begun on this very spot. Ethel had carried with her to Mexico Linda Ronstadt’s album, Canciones de mi Padre, music that Linda’s Mexican-American father had sung when he was a mariachi singer in Arizona. She liked to play that in the early evening, but later in the evening she preferred Linda’s album, Más Canciones.

El Ojo del Lago / October 2010

That night at Mariachi Plaza, Ethel listened to a song she had never heard before, about a young soldier fighting for Pancho Villa in the Mexican Revolution, who was in love with a beautiful young senorita, Adelina. Adelina. Adelina. That rolled easily on Ethel’s tongue. That would be her first name, her nombre. But what about her last name, her apellido? That night, back at Lago de Chapala, she pondered possibilities. At last she looked up her last name, Chestnut, in her English-to-Spanish dictionary and discovered to her delight that in Spanish, Chestnut is Castaña, from which derives the not uncommon last name, Castañeda. Castaña was also the color of the darkly rich hair that evoked black, brown, and red all at the same time, and that was so characteristic of women of both Spanish and Indian descent. The next morning Ethel found in the farmacía the coloring she needed to produce that darkly rich hair…the label read castaño rojizo. That afternoon she rubbed herself down with coconut oil and stretched out in the hot sun. That evening she sipped her fresh limonada, made with her own limes, studied the instructions on the package, and changed her hair to a lovely shade of Mexicana castaña. Ethel fell asleep filled with happiness, and when she woke up, she was no longer Ethel Chestnut of Chicago. Overnight she had been changed into Adelina Castañeda, Mexicana, or for formal occasions, La Doña Adelina Castañeda de Chapala. Her new name gave her new purpose. She—La Doña Adelina Castañeda—began to remember many things now. She remembered (and she realized she had not thought about it for a long time) that her own mother had been born in Chihuahua in 1914, born to one of those many Mexican women who had wed General Pancho Villa when he passed through their villages in pursuit of who knows what enemy. And who knows, in those turbulent revolutionary times, who her mother’s father actually was, although the dates and location certainly favored the family legend that Pancho Villa raced through her own veins…sometimes still on horseback, Adelina thought. In fact, Pancho Villa was, as she thought about it, her own grandfather. Her own Grandpa Pancho. Some nights she almost remembered that she had never even been to Chicago. One Sunday wandering around Tlaquepaque, a section of Guadalajara filled with arts and crafts, Ethel

picked up some ancient-looking Mexican pots as well as some reproductions of old sepia prints of her grandfather. In one, Pancho Villa raced his horse to a stop just in front of the camera; in another he sat discussing victories with Emiliano Zapata; in another he stood lovingly next to one of his wives, perhaps Ethel’s own grandmother. Most of the retired Americans at Lago de Chapala preferred Ajijic, only five miles west, but Adelina preferred Chapala because most of the Americans did not live there. Sometimes at the huge Monday morning street market, called the tianguis, where Adelina now did a lot of her shopping, another American might try to stir up a conversation with her, not knowing for sure--because of her now darkened skin and enriched hair and light rouge and Mexican skirts and blouses--whether she was American or Mexican. Adelina would turn her head away as if she were bashful, but in fact she did this because she did not want to reveal through her intermediate Spanish that she was indeed American. One morning a tall, rather goodlooking older American followed her for a few steps and she heard him say to her, Señora, Señora.” She finally turned and looked at him, not saying a word, until he spoke again, in English, asking her whether she lived in Chapala, and whether she spoke English. In her best and most practiced Spanish she slowly said, “Lo siento, Señor, pero yo no puedo hablar inglés,” secretly praying to Guadalupe that the American did not know enough Spanish to attempt a conversation. As he started to open his mouth again, she turned to the table beside her and began to carefully study the ripe strawberries. The eager Mexican who stood under the awning began talking to her rapidly in Spanish as the American drifted away. She bought two kilos and said, “Gracias, gracias.” Another morning at the tianguis, she saw a very pretty young Mexican woman whose proud breasts jutted forth against a tight t-shirt that had a picture of a cowboy on a bucking bronco. The words below the picture read: “RIDE ME.” Adelina wanted to walk up and scold that young girl, but she realized that the girl probably had no idea what “RIDE ME” meant. Adelina also knew that hundreds, no thousands, of those t-shirts, with similar messages, almost all of them used, were shipped in giant bundles from the U.S. and now were walking around Chapala and probably all

over Mexico. As the months wandered by, Adelina began even to forget that she had ever been Ethel Chestnut. “Chesty Ethel” the high school boys had called her as they chased her home. She remembered them calling late at night from car windows, “Hey Ethel, you got any high octane for us?” But that was almost beyond memory, because now she was the noble La Doña Adelina Castañeda, living a simple life in a little Mexican society that more and more was beginning to enfold her in its ancient and colorful skirts. She spoke only Spanish now, refused to answer in the shops when she was addressed in English, and often she could read several paragraphs in a row in a paper or a magazine before she needed to fumble with a Spanish-English dictionary. When she remembered her childhood she now remembered summers with her relatives in Chihuahua, helping them with their herds of cattle, catching chickens for the market, swimming in the honored waters, and running home through the dusty streets the happiest little girl in the world. One night as she again climbed into bed alone, she realized she had not had even the slightest beginning of a relationship with a man since she had arrived in Chapala over six months ago. The following night, a Saturday, she put on her best Mexican face, gold hoops in her ears and around her wrists, slipped into a lovely traditional red skirt and white embroidered blouse with billowing short sleeves, put on some mascara and light rouge, and walked the few blocks to the plaza. She had noticed before that a few Americans hung out there at night, and she did not particularly seek out their attention. But tonight, Adelina wanted proof that she was now a Mexican woman. Americans were like strangers to her now, but it was to Americans that she wanted to come off, at least for a few minutes, as a Mexican woman. She put on a confident and, she thought, stylish stance as she explored the little booths scattered around the plaza. She enjoyed being here, talking with some of her Mexican neighbors and with the vendors in her now quite adequate Spanish. Sure enough, later into the evening, as she continued to stroll, two Americans around her own age strode up, one of them mustached and rather cute, and tried to open a conversation. Adelina was really excited. When they asked her whether she spoke English she said, “Un poco, no mucho.” They smiled at each other. “We got dinero,” one said. Adelina

wasn’t sure she had heard them correctly? “Dinero?” she said. The other explained, “Yup, Señorita, we got dinero and we got the time.” “No entiendo,” Adelina said, thinking that she must be the only sixty-fiveyear-old Señorita in all of Mexico. Thinking she could not understand a word of English, one of them looked her over and said to the other, “Well, she looks like she’s been rode hard and put away wet. She may be an old bag, but her body looks like it could still hold up under two tough old buckin’ Texas boys don’t it? Seems to me five-hundred pesos for the two of us would be fair.” Adelina felt her knees shaking, and she could not form a single word. How foolish she had been. Her world was breaking and it was difficult to breathe. At that moment a Mexican man, maybe in his seventies—elegantly dressed—who had been sitting on the stone bench behind her witnessing the situation, stood up and gently cupped her elbow in his hand. Facing the two much taller Texans, the Mexican said in English, with only a slight accent, “Gentlemen, this is my beloved wife, and it is time for us to go.” Standing beside her, he placed her hand in the crook of his elbow and they strolled off together like they had been in love a long, long time. At the corner of the plaza, he turned her toward him, bowed slightly, and said, formally, “De todas las flores en el pueblo esta noche, tu eres la más hermosa,” and then, bowing again, he repeated it, just as formally, in English, “Of all the flowers in the town tonight, you are the most beautiful.” “Mucho muchísimo gracias, Señor,” she said, and then she began in English, “My name is….” She stopped and began again, “Mi nombre es…Adelina…Adelina Castañeda.”

CORRECTION In our September issue, we inadvertently listed the “Help Wanted” column (page seven) as having been written by Maggie Van Ostrand when in fact the article was written by Margie Harrell. We regret the error and will try to avoid such egregious mistakes in the future. AG

Saw you in the Ojo

BRIDGE BY THE LAKE By Ken Masson

ne of the first things aspiring bridge players learn is that when you play in a suit contract you can often increase the number of tricks you make by ruffing losers in dummy. It is a concept that is fairly easily understood and teachers usually emphasize that you should think in terms of ruffing in dummy only as taking ruffs in your own hand generally won’t result in more total tricks for your side. But all that was before the students learned of such conventions as Jacoby Transfers. Oswald Jacoby was an outstanding player and theoretician who devised the transfer principle as a means for the stronger hand to play the contract after a No Trump opening bid when the partner has a 5 card or longer major suit. Before transfers, the partner of a No Trump opener would bid his long major at the two, three or four level, usually playing the contract and making the more powerful hand the dummy and therefore enabling the opponents to defend more accurately. In this month’s deal, played at the Lake Chapala Duplicate Bridge club, declarer apparently was not accustomed to one of the subtle but vital differences in playing the hand after a transfer sequence. East started proceedings with a bid of 1 Heart and South overcalled 1 No Trump, implying she would have made that bid without interference and also guaranteeing at least one stopper in the Heart suit. West passed and North bid 2 Hearts, showing at least a 5 card Spade suit and after East passed, South duly bid 2 Spades. North now bid a slightly aggressive 2 No Trump, showing precisely 5 Spades (with more he would have jumped

El Ojo del Lago / October 2010

to 4 Spades), and game-invitational values and leaving it up to South to place the final contract. Holding 3 card Spade support, and a near maximum, South jumped to the major suit game. West led the Heart 3 and declarer wasted no time in winning with the Ace and drawing trumps ending in the dummy. Next he played a club towards his hand, but East went in with the Ace to cash the Ace, King of Diamonds before crossing to West’s Queen for the setting trick. Where did declarer go wrong? He should have recognised that he had 4 losers – 3 Diamonds and 1 Club and the only way to get rid of one of these was to ruff a Diamond in her hand, or set up the long club in his hand if that suit split 3-3. After winning the opening Heart lead, declarer should have immediately played on Diamonds, conceding 2 and hoping to ruff one in his hand. He had the timing on his side and would have succeeded on this layout. And 3 No Trump had no play on a diamond lead. If the contract had been played the other way around, with 2 Diamonds and 3 Spades in the dummy, it is highly likely that declarer would have made ten tricks in comfort as the need to trump a diamond in the dummy would have been more apparent. Questions or comments: email: masson.ken@gmail.com

Elizabeth Has An Adventure By Lady Tad Flemming Reviewed by Pat Percival

his is a childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fantasy story about a young girl with time on her hands. Written and illustrated by Lady Flemming in both English and Spanish, it is an ideal gift for a child of any age, especially those between 4 and 12. We live in a multilingual world and this charming story both entertains and educates children in their journey toward success in a bilingual culture. This book would be a great gift to a grandchild in the United States or Canada or a Mexican child with whom you have a relationship here in Mexico. I found myself fascinated with the story and wished I had had it to read when I was struggling to learn Spanish. Do yourself a favor and read this book! Lady Flemming has graciously agreed to donate 25 pesos of each

sale to Los Ninos de Chapala y Ajijic for their scholarship programs. The price is 125 pesos in soft cover or 200 pesos in hard cover. The book is available at Smokeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in the Plaza Bugambilias or through Los Ninos (contact their office at 765-7032)

Saw you in the Ojo 11

UUNCOMMON NCOMMON CCOMMON OMMON SSENSE ENSE By Bill Frayer billfrayer@gmail.com

The Sometimes Slippery Truth

s I sit here to prepare this month’s column, the media is afire with the controversy surrounding the construction of a “mosque” at the ground zero site in lower Manhattan. I do not intend to jump into the political debate, for this column is not about politics; it is about clear thinking. Unfortunately, this is a very good example of weak thinking. The American public is often misinformed about reality. A Pew Research survey conducted in August finds that 20% of Americans actually believe President Obama is a Muslim. A similar number believe he was not even born in the United States. Therefore, it’s not surprising that many people believe that what is proposed, in this case, is an actual mosque, and that it will be built on the actual World Trade Center site. In fact, the proposed Cordoba Center is a multi-story community center to include an auditorium, theater, swimming pool, basketball court, culinary school, child-care center, and a prayer space. It is not what we normally imagine as a mosque. It will not have minarets or even look like a mosque. It is being built several blocks from the World trade center site because New York Muslims have lived and worked in this neighborhood for many years. Why has this turned into such a firestorm? It started as a campaign launched by Pamela Geller, a rightwing anti-Muslim blogger, and founder of the group: “Stop the Islamization of America.” It has been misrepresented since Geller’s public opposition took root across the country and has been fueled by inaccurate

Bill Frayer

media stories and by fear-mongering politicians. Of course, the 9-11 terrorist attacks traumatized the United States, and of course this is an emotional issue. But what is needed is thoughtful dialogue, based on facts, not demagoguery and fear-mongering. Perhaps, by the time this is published in October, some compromise will have been reached to satisfy the media and public opinion by stopping or moving the construction of this center. But this entire controversy, in my view, is a perfect example of the kind of weak thinking which afflicts the contemporary American culture. Far too often, people are willing to believe things which are demonstrably not true. The reason, I think, is that it is simply easier to believe an oversimplified version of the truth. It’s easier to hate the idea that a group of jihadist Muslims would have the chutzpa to build a mosque at Ground Zero than to look at the more complicated truth. It’s easier to believe demagoguery on print and on television, than to conduct your own research and reach your own conclusions. To be fair, much of the problem lies with our ubiquitous, often-biased, electronic media, who monopolize our cultural space with controversy. Cable news loves controversy because it guarantees viewers. Unfortunately, the result is often an angry, misinformed public. Remember the rush to judge Richard Jewell as the Atlanta bomber? Remember how all the Muslims in Oklahoma City were rounded up after the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building? And remember the rush to blame Sadaam Hussein for the 9-11 attacks and find his WMD’s in the Iraq War? What we see and read in the media is often wrong, and often designed to appeal to a certain segment of voters: Conservatives by FOX News, liberals by MSNBC. To find the truth, we have to look hard, and look beneath the easy-to-find headlines. The truth about the so-called “Mosque at Ground Zero” is much more gray and complicated that we have been led to believe. It’s up to us to use our critical thinking to see beyond the claims of demagoguery.

El Ojo del Lago / October 2010

Joyful Musings By Joy Birnbach Dunstan, MA, LPC, MAC

Understanding Depression

esterday I received an email from a professional organization reminding me that October 7 is National Depression Screening Day. Depression is a word we hear a lot these days, but I got to wondering how many people really understand the difference between sadness and clinical depression. While sadness is a painful feeling, it is not a sign of illness. When a person suffers a major loss, it’s normal to feel sad. It would be unhealthy not to feel sadness in at a time like that. Sadness is horrible to feel, but it is a part of the healing process. Sadness is not a sickness, and it generally won’t develop into depression. Clinical depression, on the other hand, is different. People who already tend to depression may have it triggered by an episode of sadness, but depression can also happen without any connection or apparent trigger. In any given year, approximately ten percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older suffers from major depression, and women are affected at nearly twice the rate of men. Here’s a brief quiz to see how much you know about this surprisingly common affliction. 1. Which age group is most likely to experience depression? A. 16-24 B. 25-44 C. 45-49 D. 50+ 2. A major cause of depression in women is the inability to express or handle: A. Joy B. Sadness C. Anger D. Jealousy 3. Which of these behaviors is characteristic of depression? A. Hyperactivity B. Loss of interest in things formerly enjoyed C. Rapid mood swings D. Unexplained aggression 4. What is the best way to treat a depressed friend? A. Be a good listener B. Encourage them to spend time alone

C. Ignore them D. Be upbeat and cheerful 5. Which of these may be harmful if you are trying to help a depressed friend? A. Telling them they should snap out of it B. Analyzing their problem C. Schedule leisure activities D. Both A & B 6. Some symptoms of depression include: A. Sadness, sleep problems, lack of pleasure, increased use of drugs or alcohol, fatigue B. Thoughts of suicide, difficulty concentrating, restlessness, guilt C. Excess energy, spending sprees and hypersexuality D. Both A & B 7. Talk about suicide should not always be taken seriously. A. True B. False 8. What dietary changes can help depression? A. Avoid sugar B. Avoid caffeine C. Avoid alcohol D. All of the above The correct answers are: 1B, 2C, 3B, 4A, 5D, 6D, 7B, 8D. Occasional sadness is part of life. Know what to do and when to ask for help if the sadness gets too intense or just won’t go away. Editor’s Note: Joy is a practicing psychotherapist in Riberas. She can be contacted at joy@dunstan. org or 765-4988

Saw you in the Ojo 13

By Iris Slocombe

lpha hummingbird? Do hummingbirds have a ‘pecking order’? We would have thought not before we encountered the bird we named “Sennacherib” after the vicious king of Assyria who “swept down like a wolf” on the Israelites, as recorded in the second book of Kings in the Bible. This tiny creature had the selfimage of a goshawk! Until coming to Mexico in 1995, we had lived in the frigid north country better known as Michigan, where few hummingbirds venture. On arrival in Ajijic, we were bewildered by the number and variety of “hummers.” We bought a feeder and a small bottle of pink concentrate to feed our little visitors. They delighted us as they performed aerobatics as they swooped down to enjoy the sweet liquid in

the feeder. Until one morning a small non-descript hummer attacked those already at the feeder. Once he had cleared the area, he flew off and perched himself strategically on the highest twig of a bougainvillea bush, close by. He kept a close watch on the feeder, and zoomed in to drive off any trespassers. We watched, fascinated by the little bully’s ability to drive away all comers. We bought several more feeders hoping we could confuse his tactics. From his vantage point he seemed to have 360 degree vision and he swooped to defend every inch of what he clearly considered his territory from all-comers. By that time we had named him Sennacherib. We were determined to put a stop to his scandalous behavior. We decided to remove all the feeders, in the hope he would finally realize he was ‘cutting his nose off to spite his face.’ Once he had lost interest in our garden we replaced the feeders one at a time, and were delighted with the swarms of little birds that returned to enjoy the nectar they so desperately needed. Sennacherib never returned. We concluded he had found another territory, where he was terrorizing the birds there. At least ‘ours’ were safe at last.

El Ojo del Lago / October 2010

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

ear Sir: Some Americans, especially Democrats, may have thought that the hypocrisy of the Bush administration—epitomized by the famous “Mission Accomplished” banner before the fighting in Iraq intensified—could not be surpassed. But Obama has done it! By reducing the number of U.S. troops in Iraq to “only” 50,000 and relabeling them “noncombat” (they will, of course, retain all their weaponry, be stationed in U.S. bases that have every appearance of permanency, and be on call to fight), Obama has outdone Bush by proclaiming The End of Combat Operations in Iraq! The American people are eating it up. Every newscast on U.S. TV is celebrating this great achievement, as reporters fall over one other to interview service members who performed so heroically in killing intransigent Iraqis. The Iraqis, of course, still don’t have electricity for more than four hours a day, if they have it at all, and many of them lack access to clean drinking water and other basic services, including a decent educaton, while suicide and roadside bombings continue to maim and kill them. But, hey, they’re able to vote, and they’ve only been without a functioning government for five months so far, while politicians seek to prevail in religious and ethnic conflicts that their “liberation” brought to the fore. Most important, American corporations will be making money from Iraqi oil. Meanwhile, education in the U.S. continues to deteriorate—with mass layoffs of teachers, terminations of school buses, and pupils being required to bring their own sup-

plies, even toilet paper, to school, where they can, however, in Texas and other leading states, learn that the U.S. was established by god as a Christian nation (Muslims out!), the greatest country the world has ever known. Roads and bridges continue to crumble, pollution of water and air increases, and global warming advances. Americans die because they can’t afford health care and some American children go hungry, while the U.S. Supreme Court expands the rights of corporations and limits those of citizens, and the votes of legislators are bought and sold with increasing openness. But what’s to worry? Waging war has become the natural condition of American life, a “new normal” in a catch phrase of our time. How much education does it take to follow orders and, as declared by a recently promoted U.S. general, have fun shooting bad people, especially if one has had adequate religious indoctrination? And isn’t the military a great answer to unemployment among the minimally educated young? (Of course, as daily incidents in U.S. malls, offices, clubs, and schools show, one doesn’t have to join the military in order to enjoy shooting people, but in the mililtary you can do it with impunity, even praise.) “Entitlements” such as Social Security and Medicare may have to be

cut to support war—since what is spent on it can only be increased— while avoiding taxes on the corporations and their wealthy owners who profit from it. But that’s surely a small price to pay for postponing the complete collapse of the U.S. empire. An achievement in Afganistan comparable to that in Iraq may be possible in only ten or so more years. So, Americans, enjoy your iPhones and iPads, the modern equivalents of Nero’s fiddle, and on to Iran! Kenneth G. Crosby San Antonio Tlayacapan

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THUNDER ON THE RIGHT By Paul Jackson

paulconradjackson@gmail.com

resident Ronald Reagan once was sprayed with flack for saying in his childhood he never witnessed racism against black Americans. Just the opposite, attested Reagan, he saw only kindness shown to black Americans in his community. Then it was explained on many a night, Reagan’s Irish-American father, slightly inebriated, would stumble across a black fellow bedded down on a bench or walking aimlessly, and insist he came home with him and be put up for the night in the Reagan household. Easy now to understand Reagan’s perception. Yet, until recently, I had still thought of America as being something of a racist nation. That is harder with President Barack Obama in office, and the richest and most influential woman in the USA being Oprah Winfrey. Or look at the likes of military hero Colin Powell, or Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, an IndoAmerica. And for some time I’ve been reflecting on comedian Bill Cosby’s assertion that it’s time ‘disadvantaged’ black Americans stopped blaming white Americans for their problems. Now I’ve just finished reading the book Freedom Is Not Enough: The Moynihan Report and America’s Struggle Over Black Family Life From LBJ to Obama by James T. Patterson (Basic Books, $26.95). In it, Patterson details how in 1965 a youthful Daniel Patrick Moynihan produced for President Lyndon Johnson a 53-page report on black poverty. In the highly detailed study Moynihan noted that 24% of black children were born to single mothers. Daddy was usually nowhere to be found. Startlingly, by 1984, new statistics showed that 60% of black children were born to single mothers,

El Ojo del Lago / October 2010

and today the figure is around an astonishing 72%. Paul Jackson Johnson had intended to use Moynihan’s report as part of his ‘war on poverty’ but the Vietnam War distracted him. Wherever, there in the fatherless communities we have the real reason for black poverty and welfare dependency and as Cosby noted it’s not racism. Today the number of children born to single white mothers approximates the 1965 figure for black children, and white single mothers and their children live in poverty, too. Perhaps we have to conclude that this poverty has been foolishly selfafflicted. Aside from being a fine Democratic senator, Moynihan did a stint as US Ambassador to the United Nations, and served in senior positions in the John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford administrations. He was above all an honorable man in all his undertakings. Today, while mainstream black Americans and other ethnic minority groups have advanced to the top alongside mainstream white Americans in all avenues of life, there is sadly a growing underclass of black Americans who are fatherless, welfare-dependent, under-educated and prone to crime. But as a prescient Moynihan and other studies since have pointed out again the problem isn’t racism - but cultural. Until the cultural problem is solved, which may take decades of education, millions of black Americans will lose out on life. The likes of Obama - who, incidentally, saw his own father only once or twice—and Winfrey prove it needn’t be so.

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Wondrous Wildlife By Vern and Lori Gieger

wildlifemexico@wildtravellers.org 765-4916

Not so Merry Black widow

exico is home to an array of insects and spiders, one of the most dreaded is the notorious black widow. Although they are small these little dynamos pack a punch, and are common here Lakeside. Black widows vary in appearance; the mature female is shiny and black in color, with a red marking in the shape of an hourglass on the underside of her very rounded abdomen. There are variations in the size of females, particularly in eggcarrying females. The abdomen of a gravid female can be more than 0.5 in diameter. Many female widows also have an orange or red patch on the top of the abdomen. The male

El Ojo del Lago / October 2010

is either black, or similar to the appearance of juveniles in color, typically a very shiny dark brown, and much smaller with a body of less than 1/4 inch. Juveniles have a distinctly different appearance to the adults; the abdomen is grayish to black with white stripes running across it and is spotted with yellow and orange.

The female deposits her eggs in a silken container in which they remain camouflaged and guarded. A female black widow spider can produce four to nine egg sacs in one summer, each containing 100-400 eggs. The eggs incubate twenty to thirty days; approx. one hundred survive. On average, thirty will survive through the first molting, because of cannibalism, lack of food, or proper shelter. In about two to four months black widow spiders mature enough to breed; however full maturation typically takes six to nine months. Females can live up to five years, while a maleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lifespan is much shorter. The female, on occasion, eats the male after mating; hence the name black widow. Life spans depend upon environment, with shelter being the greatest determining factor and food the second greatest. Males that escape being consumed by the females can go on to mate with other females. It is a widely held misconception that females always eat males after every mating. Although these spiders are not large, their venom is extremely potent. Compared to other species of spiders, their chelicerae are not large or powerful. In the case of a

mature female, the hollow, needle shaped part of each chelicera, the part that penetrates the skin, is just long enough to inject the venom to a point where it can be harmful. The males, being much smaller, inject far less venom. The actual amount injected, even by a mature female, is very small in physical volume. When the venom is diffused throughout the body of a healthy, mature human, it usually is not sufficient to be fatal, though it does produce very unpleasant symptoms; deaths in healthy adults from bites are relatively rare. However, if one is bitten, it is necessary to seek medical treatment immediately. Black widows tend to seek shelter in dark, undisturbed places such as a wood pile, storage areas, etc. One unique characteristic of their web is the extreme elasticity. It is so resilient it was at one time used by scope manufactures for the crosshairs. Note: For clarification; we do not receive any financial support from Lakeside Friends of the Animals, or any other organization. We rely 100% upon private donations for animal rescues, their medical treatment and care until they are ready to be released.

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OF O F FAITH FAITH A AND ND F FABLES ABLES By Bob Haynes bzhaynes@gmail.com

Accentuating The Positive – A Cancer Survivor

y friend Gordie, who lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has been a great help to me in terms of both understanding the processes of fighting cancer and more specifically how important attitude is when it comes to a successful fight against that illness. We met Gordie and his wife Viv in Mission del Lago in Ajijic, Mexico. Gordie is a cancer survivor and his story has given me hope from day one. He and his wife Viv were among the first we contacted about my diagnosis and they have been in correspondence with Marci and me since, giving advice and counsel and providing mental tips to use during chemo. One of the first ideas he placed on my heart was the statement that he used each and every day as he thought about the enemy he was facing. “I imagined this cancer as a huge block of ice,” Gordie said, “and then I visualized what the chemo treatment was doing which was pouring hot water on that block of ice and melting it down.” Gordie said that he made a mental note each and every day to think of the tumor as a bit smaller with each chemo treatment and know that the chemo was being effective and that the tumor would one day

simply be ready to wash away. He even expanded upon that concept by figuring out what that washing away concept would look like. He realized that he also needed helpers to totally get rid of the cancer. He would wake up each day, walk thru the doorway into the cylinder and say Good Morning and Thank You for your Help to the men in his crew who would be doing the actual work. Several men were there with specific jobs to do. Two would hold high pressure water hoses and spray the sides of the cylinder and two would have large brooms to scrub away any residue of the cancer to allow the cylinder to rid itself of all remnants of the cancer treatment and they would continue to do so until the cancer was flushed out completely. I know his story has value because I too now begin my day by imagining that scalding hot water being poured over the cancer ice block and looking to my friends who are helping is so many ways and say to all of you, “Good Morning and Thank You” for what you are doing on my behalf. The only difference between my story and Gordi’s is that I am referring to you prayer warriors who fill the heavens with your prayers of concern and hope. My cancer tumor is shrinking. That’s the good news…and the goal is now to find a way to put it into remission. My way of thinking about that brings back Gordie’s vision of the cylinder and the process of keeping the cancer from coming back. I hope the story I’ve relayed to you will be important and that you can tell others who may be in the same situation some unique ways to accentuate the positive during a time of true crisis. That old 1940’s song now has a new meaning for me thanks to Gordie. “You gotta accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, latch on to the affirmative, and don’t mess with Mister In-Between.” Shalom

El Ojo del Lago / October 2010

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ANITA’S ANIMALS By Jean Sutherland

Dogs & Cars

friend of mine with a beautiful pit bull was driving to a friend’s house for an afternoon play date. Her dog in the back of the car was clearly excited as she knew that a ride in the car meant afternoon fun. Unfortunately, on the way there, the car was in an accident and hit almost head on. Due to the fact that the car was not traveling that fast the friend was fine as her air bag deployed and saved her from serious injury. Unfortunately the dog was not as lucky. She was thrown from the back seat right into the windshield and died almost immediately. This is becoming a scenario often seen across North America and the sad part is it was preventable. A car traveling at 24 miles an hour, hit head on will propel a dog straight into the windshield with death almost a certainty. We’ve all seen the TV news spots where manufacturers test driving cars into a wall show in great detail what happens to a human inside the vehicle, even with air bags deploying. The sad part of the story is that the injuries to the animal could have been prevented. Today most pet stores carry different lines of restraints that are designed specifically for dogs and cats in vehicles. Some of the popular ones are a harness that clips into the regular seat belt of any car. The newer cars that have baby seat brackets are also a perfect fit for these harnesses. Harnesses are also adaptable for the back of a truck or a SUV.

El Ojo del Lago / October 2010

The restraints are easy to put on your pet and then install in the vehicle. Many of us consider our pets to be family and often we don’t think of the dangers the inside of a car can present to the pet and to the driver. Besides protecting the pet’s life, these restraints are a great way to keep a dog under control while you are driving the vehicle. Restraints can be ordered online and start in the $19.99 price range and go up from there. They are comfortable for the pet to wear and when put on inside the home the pet knows immediately it will be going for a ride in the car. This helps to reinforce a positive experience for the pet to relate to and they will in time offer no resistance to wearing the harness. Dogs and their noses are often close to windshields, so it’s best to have your dog in the rear seat. Air bags deploy from the dash of a car at 140 miles an hour and just as it’s not recommended to have children in the front of the car, the same holds true for dogs. The further away from the windshield, the more likely your dog will not be injured. If you have old towels or cleaning supplies around the home please drop them off to Anita at the Ajijic Tianguis on Wednesday. We always need old newspapers and are happy to take them off your hands.

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SUMMER IN SAN BLAS By William Haydon

as I prepared for my first summer in Mexico? As the season draws to a close, I think I can reasonably conclude that the answer to that question is probably no. I can only blame myself for this, because in retrospect I can see that the clues were all there. From the first day that I arrived in Mexico last November every person that I have met has asked me when I would be heading back up north to the States, and time and again when I replied that I intended to stay here year-round, I received the same wide-eyed look of disbe-

lief. Around the end of May the exodus began. One by one my new friends vanished…to Canada, and New York, and Washington, Idaho, California…and then, in a manner I would describe as more sudden than gradual, I felt very alone. The heat cranked up and tested the capabilities of my new air conditioner, and I began to truly get a sense of what the next few months held in store for me. Some of my favorite restaurants closed up for the season, other businesses reduced their hours, and in general the entire pace of life in this already laid-

El Ojo del Lago / October 2010

back town seemed to slow down even more. I had thought that as a California native I’d be well-prepared for the summer heat. I was a bit overconfident in that assessment. In California, no matter how hot it gets in the daytime, it still cools down overnight. That doesn’t happen here in San Blas and thus the heat here is far more oppressive. San Blas in the summertime is, I concluded, hot as hell but nowhere near as well-populated. I found peace of mind, as I so often do, by simply breathing deeply and resolving to accept these new circumstances. When I managed to do that, I found that the rewards awaiting me were greater than I could have imagined. My young friend Alex calls this town “Boring San Blas” but in my opinion only a twentysomething-year-old who has lived here over half his life could feel that way. As for me, I am damn near spellbound by the intensity of the weather alone. Mother Nature gets right in your face here, thumping chests with you like a schoolyard bully, daring you to even try to ignore her. Flashes of lightning per-

colate in the night sky, and sudden black clouds can turn the brightest afternoon into sudden dusk, and the rain, in copious torrents such as I have never witnessed, falls night after night after night. It can at times seem absolutely surreal. One of the more practical rewards of spending my summer here is that with so many of my English-speaking friends absent, my Spanish-language skills have improved markedly, out of sheer necessity, and my bond with the local community seems much more solid as a result. I have begun sampling many of the smaller, humbler restaurants off the tourist track and have been delighted to find that what they lack in décor they more than make up for in friendly service and inexpensive yet extremely delicious cuisine. Finally, I must say at the risk of sounding a bit full of myself that living here year-round makes my whole experience in Mexico seem somehow more authentic. I can see why some ex-pats take flight from Mexico for the summer months, but as for myself, I have found immense satisfaction in doing just the opposite.

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STAY HEALTHY! By J. Manuel Cordova, M. D.t mdjmcordova1204@yahoo.com www.mdjmcordova.com 376-766-2777

Immune System & Autoimmune Diseases

hen Man was created, he was equipped with a series of mechanisms to provide protection and defense for the human body. Unfortunately, this process is susceptible to failure and results in illness. These systems of protection are referred to as the Immune System. They include a diversity of elements that activate complex systems which determine how to attack problems. The immune system is equipped with a massive memory data bank and recognizes organisms to act as protective triggers in finding the right answers. When the Immunological system fails or is debilitated it can be for diverse reasons. Today we know that genetic factors and the environment can add to the stress factors which can result in a partial absence or weakening of the defending systems of an organism. The Immunological system can also get confused and trigger a mistaken answer. The body will exert measures of self-protection which we refer to as ´Autoimmunity´. Autoimmune disease is the third highest cause of disability

and d mortality li iin the h iindustrialized d i li d world, surpassed only by cancer and heart disease. (The Immunology Journal 2005) Collectively, Autoimmune Diseases have been identified in approximately 24 million people in the U.S. which is only one third of the projected number affected, or 72 million. (National Institute of Health Committee 2006). In this same time period, cancer affected approximately 9 million people and heart disease affected approximately 22 million in the U.S. Thyroid Autoimmune diseases are the most frequent and women appear to be more susceptible to the autoimmune diseases than men. We now know there is a frequent interrelationship between Coronary Disease and some Immunological diseases such as Celiac Disease. As many as 39% of coronary disease deaths are also attributable to auto immune problems. (Internal Medicine Journal July 2003) Today, we have defined many diseases of immunological origin and their impact on human health. Unfortunately, little has been done about ´prevention.´ Scientific studies, new Integrative Medicine techniques and ability to communicate with doctors around the world are showing great promise in treating auto immune diseases. Identifying and avoiding certain environmental risks that trigger disease is one way of prevention. Wellness medicine, detox and good nutrition are also important in the prevention of illness and disease. Stay Healthy.

El Ojo del Lago / October 2010

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MAX M AX B BIRD·My IRD·My L Life ife e Translated by Janice Kimball

obbed from our poacher for just a few pesos, we were in shock. My siblings and I had not even had a chance to utter a single squawk. Incarcerated in a strange man’s back seat, that reeked of havoc, along with a multitude of other feathered creatures whimpering with varying dialects, we were seemingly as one species, but each of us saw the others through foreign eyes. It is a wonder we did not all go deaf on that tortuous ride away from the tropical forest that nature had once provided as our home. The car vibrated fiercely as the motor roared like a growling monster, the sound of it only drowned out by our screaming. We screamed with a force unimaginable, from such tiny creatures as us, from fear and anguish, until we all lay limp, finally silenced by our own exhaustion. We arrived in a Mexican town, adjacent to a freeway. He took us out of the car, our in-

fant shape still bearing the form of the egg we came from, not yet in plume, and too afraid to whimper, as he placed us under a big shade tree in the plaza. We were no longer roasting in his back seat under the frying sun, for which we could have been thankful, we were horror stricken instead. There were a big lot of us birds, maybe 30, in our conglomeration of odd and beat up cages and handmade baskets piled up on the sidewalk on a crowded market day. We were almost stampeded as hundreds of huarached feet, cowboy boots, swishing skirts, dogs, children and marimba band bumped into us, as we blocked the sidewalk. He pulled serapes out of his trunk, covering us, so that our beating hearts would not stop in terror. It was also to shield us from the prying eyes of the law, which were designed to protect life such as ours. He left us there, and in a time that was too short for him, returned. Word was out that the wildlife protection officials were in town. He could not make his customary visit to the cantina. Grimacing, while still clutching on to the bag that contained the huge syringe he had purchased to make feeding us faster, he snatched away our cover with flourish, feverishly tossed us back into the car and we were on the road again, his eyes slyly glancing from side to side and into the rear view window nervously. We were unloaded into a chicken coop, vacant, except for some canaries, who were not singing. Weak and parched we were saved as the man’s wife and daughter dutifully dashed in with a pail of water and eye droppers filled with sugar water to revive us. The stop at the Farmacia (drug store) was at great risk, and he did it just to make their life easier, he told them handing over the bag containing the large syringe. They were not impressed, mumbling that they were tired of it all. In this atmosphere we waited for what else was to become of us, and I was hardly old enough to have my eyes fully open, but in the quiet darkness, our bellies full, we slept well that night.

El Ojo del Lago / October 2010

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Hearts at Work —A Column by Jim Tipton

“Servicio Postal Mexicano celebrates Mexico”

his afternoon—on the very day of the Bicentenario, the Bicentenary celebrating Mexican independence—I have been leisurely looking over the collection of stamps of Mexico that I have accumulated over the past couple of decades. One hundred years ago, in 1910, Mexico issued a set of eleven colorful stamps celebrating the Centenario of independence, a set that included two women important to the rebellion— Josefa Ortiz and Leona Vicario—as well as men like López Rayón, Juan Aldama, Epigmenio González, Mariano Abasolo, Ignacio Allende, and of course the most important of all, Miguel Hidalgo. With this series, Josefa Ortiz and Leona Vicario became the first women depicted on stamps of Mexico. Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez not only provided much needed financial support to the movement for independence. It was Josefa herself who alerted Miguel Hidalgo that their conspiracy to overthrow Spain had been discovered, which prompted Hildago to declare independence—“El Grito de Independencia”—on September 16 instead of in October as he had planned. Leona Vicario de Quintana Roo, wife of insurgent Andrés Quintana Roo, contributed financially, but she also ferreted out much needed intelligence information for the insurgents, helped fugitives escape, and was twice sent to prison with all her goods confiscated. A few decades later President Santa Ana officially named Leona “Sweet Mother of the

El Ojo del Lago / October 2010

Hidalgo Souvenir Sheet Actual Size

Fatherland”. So important was Miguel Hidalgo, the “Father of Mexico,” that from 1856, the year Mexico first began to issue stamps, which bore his image, until more than thirty years later, no other man appeared on a Mexican stamp…except for 1866 when four stamps appeared bearing the imperial profile of short-lived Emperor Maximillian. In 1950, on the 150th anniversary of Mexican independence, three stamps were issued featuring the Mexican liberty bell, the cherished Bell of Dolores, as well as the monument to Mexican independence, and Miguel Hidalgo. The Bell of Dolores is, of course, the bell that a fiftyseven-year-old village priest, Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, rang in the parish of Dolores, in the state of Guanajuato, on the morning of September 16, 1810, sounding the cry for independence. The bell is now in the National Palace in Mexico City, and every year, on September 16, the President of Mexico repeats the patriotic cry, which ends with: Viva Mexico! Viva Mexico! Viva Mexico! Why from tiny Dolores, one might

ask. Miguel Hidalgo had been banished to Dolores for fathering children and reading prohibited books. In 1953, incidentally, on the bicentenary of his birth, three stamps were issued to honor Miguel Hidalgo. Since 1856 so many stamps have been issued bearing the likeness of Hidalgo that a nice collection might be assembled of those alone. In 1985, the 175th anniversary of independence from Spanish rule, Servicio Postal Mexicano, the Mexican Postal Service, released five stamps honoring the heroes of independence along with five stamps honoring the heroes of the Mexican revolution since 1985 was the 75th anniversary of that. Those Mexican revolution stamps feature Francisco Villa, Emiliano Zapata, Venustiano Carranza, Francisco Madero, and the Soldadera, the woman who served (even in battle) at the side of her man. For the 200th anniversary of independence from Spain, which we just finished officially celebrating (although the party continues), Servicio Postal Mexicano issued in September of 2009 a very colorful and attractive set of eight stamps and two souvenir sheets, followed in 2010 by another set of eight stamps and two souvenir sheets. The 2009 set includes portraits of heroes as well as paintings of the capture of Miguel Hidalgo and insurgents and the execution of Hidalgo; the 2010 set includes portraits of heroes, battle scenes, and a very beautiful souvenir sheet of the impassioned Hildago crying out for freedom while at that very moment being kissed on his bald head by a very sensuous angel. This bicentenary and centenary year is a wonderful time to begin a collection of the stamps of Mexico. In some ways stamp collecting is the perfect retirement activity. As you might expect Mexican stamps generally are carefully designed, colorful, often beautiful, depicting the history of Mexico as well as its industry, its

flora and fauna, its arts and crafts, its wonderful people. I intended when I moved here years ago to become a dealer in Mexican stamps to the expatriate community—one more project I never got around to—but I do have available a few thousand duplicates of Mexican stamps. Albums are easily obtainable…there is even a downloadable album you can print on your own quality paper for less than $10. You can contact me at spiritofmexico@ Jim Tipton yahoo.com

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El Ojo del Lago / October 2010

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AS A ST THE HE T TACO ACO T TURNS URNS (And takes the world with it) By Beth Berube berubebeth@yahoo.com

Come on Baby, Light My Fire

he word Mexico is derived from an ancient Mayan word meaning “all night celebration using explosives.” I happen to be a foreigner who loves Mexican firework festivals. There is a wonderful shindig each year in the Melaque town square on St. Patrick’s Day. There are plenty of activities like parades and rodeos but the main attraction is the lighting of the Castillo. The Castillo is the evil clown of all fireworks displays. It is a sequoia tower with layers of pinwheels. A flame runs up the fuse lines which set fiery pyrotechnic events into motion. The euphoric crowd expects to see people set on fire. That is what makes this event so much fun. There are no disclaimer warnings nailed to the structure. There are no lawyers hiding in bushes

El Ojo del Lago / October 2010

waiting to pass out their cards to flaming victims. The fuses are lit and fire continues its upward journey, pinwheels spinning, making a hellish shrieking noise. Young boys with cardboard shields over their heads, dodge burning chunks of debris. This spectacle is nothing like the Shamu Show of Seaworld where you can seat yourself out of the “splash zone.” Hair scorching, crotch-seeking, flaming projectiles spray the crowd in all directions. This is truly an event the

whole family will enjoy. One year, there was an amusement park set up behind the plaza with lots of kiddy rides. My girlfriend and I decided to try out TiltA-Whirl. It slams you back and forth while frantically gyrating and doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t end until your head falls off. I could feel the loose skin on my face being hideously flattened and pressed to one side. Finally, the discombobulating ride ended and we were allowed to disembark our death cab with all the six-year-olds. Susan and I were clutching each other trying to regain our equilib-

rium. The carnie ride started again before we had a chance to clear out onto the midway area. The whirling bucket passed inches from my head. None of the mothers seemed to be the least bit concerned. They were smiling and waiting while their agile progeny sidestepped the cabs like seasoned boxers slipping punches. In this country awareness is not legislated. It is learned. If your IQ is lower than a taco and the Tilt-A-Whirl kicks your ass, you better learn to duck the next time.

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Phone: (376) 766-4774 or 765-3676 to leave messages Email: kdavis987@gmail.com PAST EVENTS: Did you know that Leonardo da Vinci wrote fiction? Ten fable ideas sketched out in da Vinci’s notebooks have been composed by Lakeside author Ed Tasca into stories of interest to all age groups. In the traditional fable format, they deal with life’s little ironies. This new work is a one-of-a-kind volume and includes biographical information about da Vinci and beautiful illustrations in the Renaissance style. All Tasca’s books can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble or any online book seller. At the September 4 meeting of The British Society, Rebecca Roth was the guest speaker. Rebecca Roth was held over four years in a Mexican prison. She coordinated the efforts of her fellow prisoners for making dolls to sell. The profits provide for needs not taken care of by the prison, like clothing, toiletries, decent food. If you would like to purchase dolls or to contribute material, a sewing machine or personal hygiene goods, please contact Sheila Poole at 766 – Fables by da Vinci... 4601. Also recognized was 90-year-old Charles Morgan, and Ed Tasca a Battle of Britain veteran. “The City of London Salute” to the RAF veterans and the 70th Anniversary of The Battle of Britain was celebrated in London on September 7. Susan Bruhaug recited from the 1940 Winston Churchill speech in which he referred to The Few: “The gratitude of every home ... throughout the world ... goes out to the British airmen who, undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide... Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” On September 10, Tod Johnson and the Lakeside Little Theatre hosted the Ektor Carranza memorial service. Many of those with whom Ektor and Tod worked were in attendance Rebecca Roth with – a full theater. Tod served as Master of Cere“prison dolls” monies, doing an excellent job of informing us about Ektor’s life achievements without getting dry. Quite the contrary, he injected touches of humor that made Ektor’s humanity live anew.

Tod Johnson

Theatrical Set

El Ojo del Lago / October 2010

On September 24 it was Noche Bicentenario (Bicentennial Night) at the Old Train Station in Chapala. The celebration was organized by a group called Acciόn Voluntaria as a fund raiser for local area orphanages. Mexicans and gringos mingled at this dinner, prepared with delicious, traditional Mexican foods and accompanied by Mariachi music, singers, a charro performance of roping skill...and more. The event was well organized. However, there is much to do yet to help these kids—you are still needed.

Bicentennial Night at the Old

Train Station EVENTS TO COME: December 13 will be a Holiday Cocktail Party to celebrate Love in Action and the work they do for children. More information coming. You can read more about the facility at www.loveinactioncenter.org. Mulitple Events: The American Legion post #7 schedule for October: Sundays: 12 – 3 p.m. Legion grill burgers Oct 1 – 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Yard Sale Oct 2 – Oktoberfest: Roast pork loin, German sides, dancing, $130 pesos Oct 6 – 9:30 – 11 a.m. – US Consulate Oct 11 – 2:30 p.m. – Canadian Thanksgiving (Auxiliary Event) Oct 21 – 4 p.m. – Dinner theatre: a comedy – The Return of What’s Afoot Chicken cordon bleu, broccoli rice, peach cobbler, $150 pesos; Naked Stage performing (Betty Robinson, Jeritza McCarter) For information, call 765 – 2259 or www.americanlegionchapalapost7.org October 21, 9 a.m. is the shot-gun start time for the Cruz Roja Golf Tournament to be held at the Country Club de Chapala. Tickets for golfers are $1,200 pesos per person, including golf cart, golf shirt, on-course lunch, and end-of-day BBQ. Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place foursomes, plus men’s and ladies’ longest drive and closest to the pin. Not a golfer? Join the fun at 4:00 p.m. by attending only the BBQ for $250 pesos each. Hole sponsors for the event include L&R Water Gardens, Solar Technology, and Chapala Tree Service. Tournament sponsors are Hole in One Restaurant and Siete Leguas Tequila (Seven Leagues). Tickets can be purchased at the Cruz Roja table, Lake Chapala Society, or at the Country Club de Chapala Pro Shop. Bring your pesos and, if a golfer, we will need your shirt size. Cruz Roja has also announced upcoming bus trips for October: Oct 7 – there will be a trip to the Cruz Roja Golf Tournament Galerias shopping area. The bus departs at 9:00 am and will return at 4:00 pm. Price is 150 pesos. Oct 14 – there will be a special trip to the Guadalajara Zoo. The bus leaves Ajijic at 9:00 am and the Zoo at 3:30 pm. Price for this trip is to be determined. All trips leave from the Carretera, just past the Auditorio, near the statue. You can sign up for these trips at the Lake Chapala Society, Cruz Roja table, M - F from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. The Lake Chapala Society (LCS) announces a new activity group specifically for singles. The Singles Mix & Match group will celebrate Oktoberfest October 1 on the LCS grounds. Bratwurst, keg beer, red cabbage and German potato salad are being served by Mary Ann Waite and team. The Red Cross will sell baked goods along with German specialties. There will be German music, polkas, dancing. The purpose of the Mix & Match group is to meet and mingle with people who share interests. The LCS committee is organizing activities for the season, as requested by the 98 singles who attended the meetings. In late October a day trip is planned to Talpalpa, a Cultural Heritage “Magic Town,” to view its amazing wildflowers, the macetas factory, the Papel maché crafts school, Las Piedrotas and several other sites in the area. A secure networking site for the group to communicate with one another has been established at http://groups.yahoo.com/

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group/lcsmixandmatch/ If you have a cam-recorder, or similiar device, and would like to work with Tod Jonson of LCS in a visual Oral History of some of the local characters for a history of Lakeside, please contact the LCS office and ask for Tod. He is there most days. The recent loss of Ektor Carranza brought into focus the need to capture a spoken history directly from some of these delightful people. Carlos Roa, Ingrid Goodridge and Nancy The Children’s Art ProMartinez at the LCS Singles Mix & Match gram is a legacy of Neill James. Children have group been creating visual art on the LCS property for over fifty years. Some alumni of the program are professional artists in the area: Javier Zaragoza, Antonio Lopez Vega, Jesús Lopez Vega, Antonio Cardenas, and Efren Gonzalez. The children leave their paintings with volunteers so they can be sold. Sadly, LCS currently has no opportunity to sell them because matting, framing and exhibiting has not been done since Mildred and Judy Boyd are no longer here to oversee this work. What LCS needs is someone to take over the work they did for so many years. To learn more, please contact Lizz Drummond at 766 – 5107 or email clarkdrum@msn.com. There will soon be small exhibitions of the children’s work in the Library and also in the LCS office; they will, of course, be for sale. Lakeside Little Theatre news: Season 46 is underway! Starting off is Luis Santeiro’s comedy Our Lady of the Tortilla, directed by Sally Jo Bartlett. Performances are from October 2 – 10. See this humorous satire about faith, family, and the real miracles in life. October’s auditions for Tribute, a bitter-sweet comedy by Bernard Slade and directed by Roseann Wilshere, will take place October 22 – 23. Roseann is looking for four women and three men. Performances are January 15 – 23, 2011. For scripts and information, contact Roseann at roswilshere@gmail.com. The Lakeside Little Theatre encourages and welcomes everyone interested in acting, new or experienced, to attend auditions for any of this season’s plays. If you would like to volunteer behind the scenes, the LLT is always looking for people to train in lighting, sound, wardrobe, props, make-up, stage managing and other positions. Contact Don Chaloner at 766 – 1975 or email at 77dondo@ gmail.com. Lakeside School for the Deaf and Children with Special Needs announces its Events Calendar for the coming year: November 6 - The upcoming Fashion Extravaganza: Everything Old is New Again seeks donations of designer and quality women’s clothing and accessories. All donated fashion items will be auctioned off during an elegant luncheon. Proceeds will supply hearing aids to over 35 children plus support for the school in Jocotepec with 110 full-time students. Coordinator for the Fashion Extravaganza will be Cece Girling, professional fashion show producer. Please, ladies, review your over-stocked closets and select classy items that you no longer wear and donate them to a great charitable cause. To arrange pickup, contact either Leslie Martin at 766 – 2274, lesliemartin77@ hotmail.com or Cece Girling at 766 – 3964, cecElegant Fashion show girling2@yahoo.ca. These are needed by October 29 for pricing. Be sure all are clean and ready to wear. Watch for upcoming information for the Fashion Extravaganza Luncheon on November 6. November 18 will kick off the first “Behind the Walls” Home Tours for this season, followed by December 16 (Christmas Tour,) January 27, February 24 and March 24. February 10 is the elegant Annual Gala Dinner Dance. Join your friends to help out the students. The School in Jocotopec teaches sign language, how to speak, do sculpture, carpentry and arts and provides all types of hearing aids. For more information on the group and volunteer opportunities, check the School for the Deaf website at: www. lakesideschoolforthedeaf.org.

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MAS MUSICA (Music Appreciation Society) gets the 2010 – 2011 concert season off to an exciting start with a gratis Gala Kick-off Party for Season Ticket holders on October 15 at La Nueva Posada. The soprano, Jillian Cox, from San Antonio, Texas, will perform opera arias and popular songs as patrons enjoy wine and botanas on the lovely garden terrace of the hotel’s lakeside restaurant, starting at 4:30 p.m. Season tickets will be sold through October 15 at the Tickets booth at LCS. Prices remain the same as last year at $1500 pesos, $1200 pesos and $1000 pesos. All performances will be at the Auditorio de la Ribera in La Floresta. The scheduled season is: Oct. 26 – Flamenco Dance Gala with Antonio Jimenez and his ensemble of three dancers and four musicians Nov. 16 – Jalisco Classical Ballet Company presents a Suite from the “Nutcracker” and several “Pas Jillian Cox, soprano de Dix o Quatra” - a stunning evening of dance Dec. 14 – Chris Wilshire and his 18 piece Chamber Orchestra will delight guests with unforgettable performances of Corelli, Grieg, Holst, and Copeland Jan. 13 – Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra, Guadalajara’s world-class symphony with an “Enchanted Evening in Paris – 1910” Feb. 15 – Bob Milne, Ragtime and Jazz piano virtuoso and historian, is sure to hold us spellbound during this final exciting event of the concert season MAS MUSICA is always happy to welcome new volunteers to help with ticket sales, hospitality and other concert related duties. Please contact Beverly at 765 – 6409, bjely49@hotmail.com. Also, refer to web site MASajijic.com. VIVA! La Musica Season tickets (auditorium, 7:30 p.m.) are still for sale at LCS (10 – 12): Single tickets are $250 pesos for members and $300 pesos for nonmembers. Add $50 pesos for the opera. Oct. 21 Rigoletto, a fully staged opera, conducted by Luís Rodriquez and directed by Ariel Rios. Bus trips to the “Live from the Met” Opera series – Viva plans to run a bus to each of the 11 operas to be shown in the Teatro Diana this season. These are on Saturdays and tickets will be available for these trips in September. Oct. 9 Das Rheingold (Wagner) Oct. 23 Boris Godunov (Mussorgsky) Nov. 13 Don Pasquale (Donizetti) Dec. 11 Don Carlo (Verdi) Jan. 8 La Fanciulla del West (Puccini) Rigoletto Feb. 26 Iphigene en Tauride (Gluck) Mar. 19 Lucio di Lammermoor (Donizetti) Apr. 9 Le Comte Ory (Rossini) Apr. 23 Capriccio (R. Strauss) Apr. 30 Il Travatore (Verde) May 14 Die Walkure (Wagner) Call Marshall Krantz at 766 – 2834 to reserve seats. Payment can be made by arrangement with Marshall. Bus trips to Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra (Sundays): Nov. 14 Grieg Piano concerto, operatic arias and duets Nov. 28 Verdi Requiem VIVA scholarships awarded this year included seven talented music students and musicians who played or sang at a recent audition: Diana Laguna $10,000 pesos towards a new violin Emmanuel Medeles $10,000 pesos towards a course in directing (USA) Eduardo Garcia $10,000 pesos for cello lessons with a maestro Fernando Franco $10,000 pesos for master piano classes (USA) Estafania Aviles $10,000 pesos towards master classes (Italy–soprano) VIVA grants to: Francisco Bedoy $10,000 pesos (U of Kentucky—tenor) Areli Medeles $10,000 pesos (continuing ed—cello) Ivan Morales $10,000 pesos (continuing ed—piano) Manuel Castillo $10,000 pesos (Italy—tenor) CREM $18,000 pesos quarterly payments (Ajijic music school)

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CHILD

of the month

By Rich Petersen

José Guadalupe Macías Yáñez

eet 6-1/2 year old José Guadalupe Macías Yáñez. Jose Guadalupe lives in San Juan Cosalá and is the youngest of four children. His mother Silvia is a housewife and his father Marco Antonio works in construction. José Guadalupe was born with myelodysplastic syndrome, known as MDS, a type of stem cell disorder that affects the ability of a person’s bone marrow to produce normal red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. He was not diagnosed until the age of four after extensive tests. This is the syndrome that can lead to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in adults, and this is what José Guadalupe was facing. For several years José Guadalupe had to undergo blood transfusions to help fortify his blood and also several daily medications, weekly visits to the Hospital Civil for blood tests and at times hospitalization. He would rally for a time but then become weak and face another round of transfusions. Finally in March of this year the doctors in the Hematology and Pediatric Oncology Department of the Hospital Civil agreed that what was needed was a bone marrow transplant. A bone marrow transplant is when special cells (called stem cells) that are normally found in the bone marrow are taken out, filtered, and given back either to the same person or to another person. The purpose of a bone marrow transplant is to put healthy stem cells in place of the unhealthy ones. This can treat or even cure the disease. As with any type of transplant, a “donor” must be found whose stem cells are healthy and of the same or similar type as the patient’s so as to avoid rejection by the body. After some extensive testing José Guadalupe’s older sister, Jessica, was found to be a perfect candidate as the donor. The transplant took place this past July and little José Guadalupe had quite a rough recovery as his body struggled to “accept” the transplanted bone marrow. There were

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several times when he was seriously ill and there was genuine concern for his survival. Thankfully his body finally made the shift and his blood levels and other tests gradually returned to normal. You can see in the photo that this six-year-old looks quite a bit older and his face is a bit “swollen.” This is due to the high dose of an antiinflammatory drug (Prednisone) that he needs to take to help with recovery. José Guadalupe has not been actually living at home since his surgery because following a bone marrow transplant the patient must be kept in relative isolation and away from other people; visitors have to wear hospital gowns and face masks, the patient has to drink and eat only with utensils kept in the room, washed and sterilized at all times. His mother has for all intents and purposes been living at the Hospital Civil, traveling back home several times a week to help with the rest of her family. When he does return home (which will have happened by the time you read this), the family must have added on to their home a new “sterile” room and bathroom which the boy will use exclusively. If you would like to find out more about our group and the work we do, please attend our regular members’ meetings on the second Thursday of each month (next date Oct. 14), at 10:30 a.m. at the Hotel Real de Chapala in La Floresta. You will also have the opportunity to meet one of the children we are helping. Thanks to everyone for your continued support.

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A NEW LEASE—on Life! By Judit Rajhathy, B.A., RNCP, D.Ac.

VITAMIN D--The Sunshine Vitamin!

“C

an you imagine what would happen if a drug company came out with a single pill that reduces the risk of cancer, heart attack, stroke, osteoporosis, PMS, SAD, and various autoimmune disorders? There would be a media frenzy the likes of which has never been seen before! Well guess what? Such a drug exists . . . it is the sun.” (Michael Holick, physician, researcher, author and vitamin D expert) Did you know that vitamin D is responsible for the health of the skin respiratory system pancreas hair follicles adrenal glands bone metabolism brain and nervous system heart and circulatory system mood, mind, memory and behavior immune system The list is endless. And yes, this vitamin is also responsible for weight control - in particular carbohydrate and fat metabolism. But more important vitamin D deficiency plays a role in causing seventeen types of cancer including breast, colon and prostate. Dr Zoltan Rona, MD, MSc, author of Vitamin D - The Sunshine Vitamin says, “Vitamin D has been proven to regulate over two thousand genes in the body, and this may be why so many diseases are directly influenced by its availability.” For the past five years Rona began to routinely measure the levels

of vitamin D in his patients in Toronto, Canada and found that the majority had suboptimal levels of this important nutrient even during the summer months. He attributes this to 1) sun phobia - fear of sun exposure and hence the use of sunscreen and 2) the scary stories of vitamin D toxicity from oral supplements. The best source of vitamin D is sunshine! Good thing we live here in Ajijic. We must have exposure to UVB rays in order to manufacture our own vitamin D - it really is that simple. It is primarily UVA light and not UVB that is responsible for skin damage. One needs ten to twenty minutes of sun exposure. Of course it is dangerous to bask in the sun risking a burn. There is also controversy over sun screens and the potential harm it can create when heated. In fact dioxybenzone and oxybenzone both of which are in many sunscreens are two of the most powerful free radical generators. The best natural ingredients that block both UVA and UVB rays are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide but to be even safer why not use clothing, floppy hats, sunglasses or an umbrella. Of course supplementation is another option if there is little or no access to sunshine. The old recommended daily allowance was 400 IU but now the Canadian Cancer Society recommends we take 1100 IU daily but even this is not enough to correct a deficiency. 4,000 IU is very safe and recommended by conservative complementary practitioners. Testing for this essential nutrient: Need to test blood levels of 25hydroxy vitamin D or 25(OH)D and NOT the 1,25-dihydroxy test which is not as accurate. Get tested every 3 months. Then get those sneakers on and come back to the gym. You can always catch the rays later. Judit Rajhathy

El Ojo del Lago / October 2010

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR

ear Sir: (A response to Bill Frayer’s column on why people believe weird things.) In my former life, I too was a professor at a community college as well as a few other undergraduate and graduate institutions. And I too was active in the critical thinking movement. And I too have come to wonder why so many otherwise intelligent people believe so many unlikely things. And I have taken it a step further. I wonder why anyone believes anything. At its bottom line, to believe means to accept without facts, proof or evidence. My advocacy has always been, “Don’t believe anything; find out.” Until you have found out through the assimilation of facts and evidence, suspend your judgment. It may be uncomfortable for a while. However, that discomfort may just serve to be the motivation to do the work necessary to find out. The basic work necessary to finding out is questioning - relentless, ceaseless, dog-bone persistent questioning. In the process, you will

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inevitably run into conflicting facts. For example, you may encounter the conflicting facts that Kennedy was shot from behind and above from the Texas Book Depository Building. And yet there are pictures of the back of his head blown off and his brains scattered across the trunk of the limousine as would be the case if shot from in front. Contrary facts! No conclusion is possible - except that at least one of them is wrong. There are many contrary facts in evidence regarding 9/11. For example, theoretically the north and south towers of the World Trade Center were brought down by each being hit by one of two airliners. However, seven hours later, Building Seven of the trade center complex was brought down in a very similar fashion with-

out the aid of airplanes or apparently anything else. Firemen and demolition experts say all were brought down by internal explosions. Government authorities, FBI, CIA and others say that the north and south towers were brought down by airplane impacts and Building Seven was brought down by . . . well, they don’t know to this day what brought down Building Seven. There are a lot of theories, but the bottom line is that nobody knows. In the absence of an airplane crashing into it, the collapse of Building Seven seems to be an uncaused effect. Lots of contrary facts here! Should we believe anything about this event? Most assuredly not. There are just too many unanswered questions and conflicting facts. This is one more in a long list of recent catastrophies (including the death of Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and JFK Jr.) that deserve a lot more questioning and investigation before we conclude anything. My fervent request of you, Bill, is that rather than characterizing alternative thinking as weird or implausible (which has to do with your willingness to believe), you continue your dogged insistence on logic

and critical thinking and avoid joining the camp of those who resort to name-calling, false use of authority and other logical fallacies to sway peoples’ opinions. In your past columns, you have done a brilliant and much-needed job of instructing us in the correct use of logic and critical thinking. Please keep up the good work. We need scholars such as yourself to “keep the loonies on the path.” Michael McGrath simplysaid@inbox.com

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Sir: (For Paul Jackson) Paul, Thanks for the great article on FDR. I was born in 1933 so grew up with him as our God more or less. We were poor and he made a difference to us. I don’t always agree with you but you have redeemed yourself now. LOL. I live in Chapala so read your column monthly. Thanks again. Paul J Dupont

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Born To Be Served? By Bernie Suttle

s Elizabeth Regina II and her younger sister Princes Margaret grew from birth through childhood into adulthood they never returned a cup, plate, glass, or any cutlery to the kitchen. Nor did they ever make a meal, put away their clothes, do a wash, rinse something out or even draw their own bath. They were born to be served. They had others for that: servants, housekeepers, maids and cooks. This Royal duo did not learn to do the tasks but did learn how to direct those who did. Most Americans learn to do the tasks but never how to relate to those who might do the tasks for them. Back home, in the States, we have a cleaning lady who works for us several hours every two weeks. We prepare for her by tidying up the house, putting dirty dishes in the dish washer, hanging up our clothes, picking up and stacking newspapers, magazines and books and leaving a check as we vacate the house to allow her total control. When gringoes go to Mexico for an extended stay, it is usual for a maid to come with the house or apartment they move into. She is not hired for a limited period of time, or to accomplish certain assigned tasks. She gives her whole self. She is part of the family and starts right away without any major instructions. How could there be any? She only speaks Spanish and we only speak English. Like many others ours is called “Nena.” Nena gives her whole self and does what her family has done for generations. But we don’t know what to call her. Maid? Servant? Hired help? None of these is quite right, but she comes with the property and is added to our family. We come from a place where our behavior and relationships with others are defined in our national holiday, “Independence Day.” We act and expect all others to follow the premise, “Don’t get too close.” We are mechanically and emotionally illequipped to have others do personal tasks for us. Nena works with an arsenal of wet mops, dry mops, brooms, dustpans, rags, brushes and various other manual devices. She is a whirlwind of activity. While cleaning she puts away (hides) everything she comes across; clothes, shoes, socks, blankets, pans, door mats, PJs, tooth brushes and things left out for donation to The Goodwill. She appears to not trust the dishwasher, carefully removing clean

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dishes, hand washing them and placing them on the sink board. She then firmly closes the door to the empty machine monster. The Spanish word limpiar means “to clean.” I am sure that I have strongly urged Nena to clean, be clean, clean the house, clean me, clean my wife, and to clean our ropa. I’m as dangerous with this word, limpiar, as a three-year-old is with a spray can of paint. In response, Nena smiles, nods, says “Si Si,” then makes an uninterrupted response in Spanish that is just short of The Declaration of Independence in length, rising in tone at the end indicating a question—I think. I answer, “Si Si,” not knowing to what I have agreed. Nena works most diligently, continuously, and when finished often presents us with a regalo (a gift): a potted plant, a framed photo of her family, a holy picture card. What are her boundaries? Is she to venture outside to the patio, to the walks, pool area? Or will this possibly incite a jurisdictional dispute with the pool man or gardener? I dare not broach this subject with her. She arrives and departs by bus from her home about three miles away with a half-mile hike from the bus stop to our house. We leave her pesos in a drawer as her compensation; it is mysteriously empty at the end of her visit. If we forget to pay her it is “muy bien” and we double up the next time. We come from a “Do It Yourself” culture. We don’t hire anything done until too late. We don’t know how we should relate to employees. We need a Book that tells us how. “Dominance for Dummies?” As we weren’t born to be served, and don’t know that role, perhaps we’ll just let Nena be what she has shown us she is, a member of our family.

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Glitter Gulch By Margie Harrell

ver the years, many catch-names have been given to the town I now call home. Of them all, Sin City seems to be the one that has stuck. My favorite has always been “Lost Wages” which seems to say it all. As the city grows by leaps and bounds, Glitter Gulch of the 40’s is but a memory. The myth of Las Vegas continues as the P.R. Dept tries to convince one and all that when it is 110 degrees in the shade, it is a “dry” heat. If you believe that I have a bridge in Brooklyn that is for sale. The Spanish translation of Las Vegas is The Meadows but any meadows that were here have long ago been covered over by a mega resort. Just when you think the construction is finished they tear up the streets and begin again. The hotels seem to pop up overnight. When revenues are down the bigwigs get together and decide the only solution is to build another resort. That’s called Vegas Logic. Sin City is a complete state of mind. Where else can Joe Construction become Donald Trump for a weekend? The illusion continues as your “lucky” slot machine rings bells and mimics the sound of coins dropping into a bucket as a slip of paper is spit out that you redeem at the cashier’s cage. The fact that you have won a mere fraction of what you bet escapes you as you clutch your winning voucher. Welcome to Fantasy Land.

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All the one-armed bandits take cash only now and for a very good reason. It allows management to track your wagering. You probably thought there were only cameras in the ceilings, not so. That blinking light over the machine you have taken residence at has an eye on you as long as you sit there. As I often remind my gullible friends, mega resorts weren’t built on visitors winning. Think about it. As in the movie Ocean’s Eleven, the head honchos know what is going on in their hotels at all times. Recently a friend came to town on a gambling junket. Straight out of Smalltown U.S.A., he proceeded to overindulge and spent a good part of the day sleeping it off. That evening two gentlemen in dark suits appeared at his door to inquire when he might be heading down to the casino to place a bet. Apparently a certain amount of wagering is required when you are on their dime. Did you ever notice there are no windows in the casinos, bars and restaurants? For a very good reason. Get ‘em in and keep ‘em in

is the motto here. There could be a tornado raging outside and you would be none the wiser. After eating breakfast at 2am and possibly lunch at 8pm, you are lucky (no pun intended) if you can remember your own name. Caution, should you wander into one of our finer dining establishments and there are no prices on the menus or even no menus, run, don’t walk to the nearest exit. A sandwich could end up costing you a crisp hundred dollar bill—but, the service was excellent, right? With all its new-found class and style, Vegas still has some antiquated laws on the books. Case in point. It is perfectly legal to carry a gun as long as it isn’t concealed. On the other hand, it can be an arresting offense to carry a glass container on the Strip on New Year’s Eve. A loaded six-shooter on your hip is cool but a beer bottle could get you dragged off to the pokey. Prostitution is also legal in some counties of Nevada but, thankfully not the one I live in. Tell that to the ladies-ofthe-night who hang around the posh resorts. Currently we locals are anxiously awaiting a big event. A vacant post office downtown is being converted into a museum to showcase, what else, the Mob. I am told such items as portions of the brick wall from the St Valentine’s Day massacre and the blood-stained suit of Bugsy Siegel will be on display. An interesting little known fact: When Bugsy was overseeing the construction of the Flamingo Hotel in the late 40s, he was paranoid about the Mob discovering he was stealing from them so he had secret tunnels dug underneath the basement. No doubt to facilitate a hasty escape should the need arise. Too bad he didn’t have something like that in Beverly Hills when they gunned him down. I recently was offered a tour of the tunnels but

my claustrophobia declined. As mayors go, ours is straight out of a True Crime magazine. He fits Sin City like a glove, having been an attorney for the Mob for years, which he proudly admits to. His favorite thing to do is to be photographed with a bevy of showgirls on his arm and a martini glass in hand. An ex-exotic dancer and a suspected murderer round out the prior list of elected officials we are most proud of. A while back a friend popped into town to get married and as it was her fourth attempt at wedded bliss, she didn’t feel a fuss was necessary so they opted for one of our colorful drive-thru chapels. There really are such places, complete with menus so the happy couple can pick and choose which service best fits their needs. As I sat in the back of their SUV as their witness I was tempted to holler out “Make mine a cheeseburger with a large fries.” Something for everyone in good old Glitter Gulch. But credit must be given where credit is due. There is no greater thrill than sitting atop the Eiffel tower (half-scale of the original) at the Paris Hotel as you watch the dancing fountains across the boulevard at the Bellagio Hotel swaying to the tune of “My Way” by Frankie. In the distance can be heard the rumble of the erupting volcano at the Mirage Hotel. Is this Fantasy Land or what? As you head out of town there is a 7/11 store on the right with a sign out front which simply says “free aspirin.” Take it as it is the last free thing my town will offer you as you head for the nearest pawn shop for gas money to get home. Our Chamber Of Commerce estimates that 78% of those who visit our fair city will return and that you can bet on. Glitter Gulch Awaits.

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Anyone A nyone C Can an Train Train n Their Their r Dog Dog By Art Hess

“B

eware a silent man and a dog who doesn’t bark.” (old quote) Many dogs bark. It’s the when, where, and how much that presents problems. Before we can address the problem of barking we have to look at why the dog barks. We have many breeds who have been developed over several centuries to “go to ground, and give voice.” That’s dog speak for “dig and bark.” And what good would a coonhound be if he didn’t tell you where he treed his prey or a mighty terrier who runs down a hole after a rat and has to announce his find. Even the Nova Scotia duck troller uses his voice as he runs along the shore and raises the birds for the hunters. The pattern of these dogs who have inherited the barking game can be altered but we need to recognize that for many of them it’s a built in quality. How about the other reasons. If a dog is confined to a roof or behind a gate all day and only sees a portion of a street it’s not a surprise that he’s going to announce his presence to everything from a bird to a boogy man. Also if the dog is not exercised and has nothing to interest nor occupy him he just might bark. Seems to me like most of us would, too. Solutions to barking fall into a number of categories. There are physical solutions like crates and gates. There are mechanical measures which include a variety of different collars that emit scents, sounds and electrical impulses. And we have medical solutions like chemicals or surgery. I feel the best long-term answer

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is to train the dog not to bark. I read a behaviorist’s book lately and her first line in the chapter about barking was, “When the dog barks, bring it in the house.” Sounds simple but it follows the standard trainer’s answer to many problems. Remove the problem from the dog or the dog from the problem. Many times it’s almost that simple. Look around and see if you can remove the dog from the barking environment. Often it’s only at a specific time when we can put the dog in a place away from that which is causing the problem. If you lived north of the border you would know when the mailman comes. If he barks at the mailman give him his treat in his crate in the back yard for that period of time and save yourself and the mailman from a bunch of unnecessary stress. I’ve visited several yards and homes where people simply installed gates and fences so the dog can enjoy himself but not spend time looking out the front gating waiting for his next reason to bother the neighborhood. If you’re going away for a couple of hours use a crate and leave your dog in his private den complete with a new chewy bone and his favorite music. First of all you must accept that treating the barking problem re-

quires FULL TIME EFFORT. If the dog barks and you’re in your favorite chair get up and deal with him. You have to start today and continue until you have his problem reprogrammed. Yelling only encourages him to bark even more because in his mind you are joining him in his effort to scare away the bad things that he perceives as reason to bark. When reprogramming the dog, the process is first to go to the dog and get his attention. Sometimes this involves only speaking to him and often in the beginning it requires that we touch the dog, usually on his neck below an ear, as we speak to him and say “hey thanks for warning us, that’s enough for now, lets go to the patio.” By inviting him to the patio (or his crate or bed etc.) we redirect his attention. Quite simply, we get him thinking of something other than that which was the object of his barking. Now as he moves to his bed, crate etc. we reward him for redirecting his attention. This is the one that confuses people as they berate me for rewarding a barking dog. You see they don’t understand that I gave a command (“go to your bed” or something similar), he obeyed the command, and he was rewarded

for performing the task. If you said COME and he performed the task to the expected standard you would reward his performance so why not when he correctly redirected his attention. It’s that simple. The problem is you must repeat this procedure every time he barks until gradually you will say “thank you, that’s enough” and he will automatically return to the patio, bed, etc. Many times we will be able to address the barking before it happens. As we work with the dog we learn certain things which are likely to precipitate barking and we head it off by redirecting his attention before the strange dog comes up the street or the boys with the ball shout and yell just as they get near the front gate. This is all part of teaching your dog that those things that required his barking are all in his past and he can relax and enjoy a quiet nap on the back patio. Good luck and happy training. It’s not always easy but the results are certainly worth that extra effort. Remember if you encounter a tope or just need an answer to a question e-mail me at artthedogguy@yahoo.com

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CONTROLLED C ONTROLLED S SUBSTANCES U B S TA N C E S By Scott Richards

ith the sound of distant thunder the heavy iron door’s lock sang home, solid, indestructible, permanent. The echoing clang resonated for what seemed like hours deep within his psyche, as his eyes slowly grew accustomed to the cave-like confines of the jail. This was the pit, the end. Men sent here were not expected to finish out their sentences alive. They would toil, suffer and perish in this hellhole without ever seeing daylight again. Snapping back from a brief vision of the worst-case scenario, I stared at the Federal Prosecutors’ summons just handed us at our front door covered in seals, signatures, and stamps, as we tried to comprehend the meaning and possible consequences. All chance of it being delivered to the wrong house vanished when I saw my name in bold clearly

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printed on it. We invited them in for a full twenty minutes of my horrendous Spanish and their attempts at English, interrupted only by mutual smiles of the culturally patient. It seemed we were to appear before the Federal Prosecutors’ court by noon the next day to answer charges of importing illegal contraband and to deliver a sworn declaration as to our proposed use of the family DVDs we had shipped via Fed-ex four months ago and had still not yet received. Nineteen hours to appear in court? What happened to manana and the Mexican minute? We awoke with Prozac smiles for each other in hopes of buoying our deflated expectations of today’s’ outcome as we boarded an early Guadalajara Directo to our fate. Holding our summons out in front of us like our stupid shield, we hoped for a gleam of recognition and a possible direction from the armed guards. Signing in and receiving our visitors’ passes, we were asked if we needed an interpreter? I guess the look of deer caught in the headlights was all too obvious. We were thankfully greeted with “ Good morning, how are you.” from a wonderful woman lawyer just a few minutes later. Passing from one office to the next, we got the fifty- cent tour trying to find our persecutors office. The paper was studied, stared at, and scrutinized. Responsible-looking employees pointed down hallways that only led to more questions. Undaunted, we trudged on like Joseph and Mary looking for a space at the Inn until we finally found an interested party. Eyeing us as potential paper work, we were asked somewhat obligingly to “pass” into an air-conditioned office on the top floor. I should have known. These

were the windows American movie buffs were thrown out of. Facing our accuser as he pored over a two-inch thick file on us, referred to certain pages with definite zeal in rapid, legalistic Spanish as we sat respectfully ignorant wishing this was all a dream. For the next three hours it was a dizzying question and answer period where my statements were interpreted and translated to the prosecutor via a women who had rarely spoke English since she was sixteen and living in Chicago many years ago. You know you just can’t make this shit up. This was getting better all the time. A major hurdle in our defense was that I was able to answer “No” to using hard drugs, smoking tobacco and owning a stock pile of guns; an obviously common combination of traits among DVD shippers. I understand the seriousness of ignoring international rights and laws concerning ownership of material, but I doubt our little shoebox of Dick Van Dyke and Roseanne TV shows, could ever resemble the seeds of an underworld duplicating empire. The prosecutors’ report read back to me in English though turned out to be a most interesting cultural comment concerning Mexican family life. The gist of our story translated through our interpreter was that we had decided to live in Mexico and after obtaining immigration status, had our family send down some of our DVD collection since the English languaged movies through local cable were few and far between. His interpretation of my words through his personal views on family and life combined with my interpreter’s Mexican/American influence when translating created the most interesting result. This was in fact a very serious Federal Court document and yet the inaccurate translation when read back to me was so compelling a piece of cultur-

al literature, I signed it anyway. It spoke of a sad, childless couple living with no family around them to keep them occupied and entertained. His report went on to describe a lonely life of retirement that needed to be filled with English movies as consolation to being without a large riotous family and grandkids. We were found not guilty of trying to import and then engage in copying movies for sale. He seemed to pity us our solitary life and said Customs would only confiscate fifteen DVDs. The five-hour excursion into the inner workings of the Mexican Mind and law enforcement afforded me a sense of peace actually, alleviating unfounded fears of reasonless persecution, or unwarranted police interaction and establishing a greater appreciation of what they have to work with. After seeing the machine in motion, I feel any success on their part is to be applauded. We sat in a small room occupied by four employees sharing candy bars, coffee and their lives. It did take five hours, but now that I think about what could have happened in my old country, I have no regrets, negative opinions, or complaints. Enjoy my John Wayne collection.

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Professional filmmaker Roy Nolan has produced one of the best

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documentaries ever made about the Lakeside area, and the film will premiere on October 26 at the Cinema Del Lago, with screenings at 4 and 7 PM. The event is a fund-raiser for the Ajijic Rotary Club and the public is cordially invited to see the picture, which contains many interviews with some of our areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prime movers and shakers. AG

THIS WORLD of OURS By Bob Harwood bharwoodb@hotmail.com

The American Dream

hat happened to The American Dream, the dream that brought immigrants from every corner of the globe past the welcoming Statue of Liberty to a new life in the New World? They came to escape poverty or oppression in their countries of origin. They were not members of corporate elites. The landed gentry of that era were doing very well where they were and the custom of primogenitor kept their estates intact from generation to generation. And Canada had its counterpart. My great, great, great grandparents emigrated from Scotland in 1775 driven by the Enclosures Act that took what had been Common Land freely available to all for grazing animals and enclosed those lands into the estates of the privileged upper class. My ancestors risked hazardous weeks on the uncharted ocean to start life anew on this continent. A decade ago I sponsored members of a Kosovar refugee family to facilitate their escaping the ethic violence of the Balkans. But now new elites have emerged in America as the land of opportunity becomes a land of greed and gross inequities. When corporations become too powerful, when wealthy people exert excessive influence, resist reasonable regulation, have no desire to contribute to the public welfare, a new feudalism emerges. The democratic process is distorted by lobbyists, gross levels of campaign financing and beholden politicians guilty of ethics violations. The distinction between legal and ethical conduct becomes blurred. Regulations to correct gross abuses beget yet more devious practices to circumvent the new requirements. The stage was set for America’s now astronomical debt burden when President Bush slashed taxes for the nation’s wealthiest. Goldman Sachs came under intense scrutiny in Congress for complex derivatives sold to one set of customers while the company itself bet against those same products. With one hand they received large bail outs from the public purse, with the other paid multi billion dollar bonuses to the guilty executives. Prudential Insurance faces a class action law suit

for a nefarious practice whereby benefits due widows of fallen soldiers were placed in “Retained Asset Accounts” which generated 5% for Prudential while paying just 1% to the intended beneficiary. Americans have been hit harder than others by the recession. Jobs, houses, secure futures are no longer a given. Elsewhere health care is a universal right, not geared to the wealthy in privatized care. Europe’s remarkable recovery from the brink is a reflection in part of the social safety net they have provided for their citizens. In the midst of China’s rebound ordinary people are flexing their muscles to win better wages, greater freedoms. And the state is beginning to reign in private sector real estate speculation to keep housing affordable. Lest I tar all with the same brush, I see a ray of hope with the news that Warren Buffet and Bill Gates have signed up more than 40 of America’s 403 billionaires to follow their example and commit at least half of their estates to charity during their lifetimes or on their demise. In the months ahead they will extend their campaign to China and India. A changed ethos at the upper economic levels of society could make This World of Ours a better place Bob Harwood for all.

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Angelica Aguilar Hernandez Submitted by Ruth Burns

ngelica is one of the success stories for Los NiĂąos de Chapala y Ajijic A.C. She has graduated from Tech College and is presently attending Business College. Doug and Nancy Friend moved to the Lakeside community a little more than three years ago from Montreal, Canada. They have been sponsoring Angelica and two other students since 2004. Angelica was born August 1, 1989, the youngest of five children. She presently lives in Ajijic. When Mr. and Mrs. Friend started sponsoring her, she was starting her third year of Secundaria School. Angelica has maintained a grade average of 9.9. How near perfect can you be! Life has not been easy for Angelica. She lived with her mother and her brothers and their families, a total of eight people, in a two-room, one bath house. Fortunately, unlike many of her neighbors, they have lights and water plus a refrigerator, radio, TV, washing machine and a gas stove for cooking.

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Sh i d solely l l bby hher She hhas bbeen raised mother, Alicia. Early in her life her father deserted the family. Her mother works as a domestic and earns $720.00 pesos per week. Angelica is somewhat shy. She is a very pretty girl with a wonderful personality. Her favorite subject in school was math. She is also an accomplished artist. She has painted many pieces of beautiful art. She admits she doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like to do housework, but she will help her mother with needed chores. She does, however, thoroughly enjoy taking care of her nephews.

Quoting Mr. Friend: “Nancy & I are both very proud of Angelica. She’s a wonderful, caring and generous girl. We could not have asked for someone more deserving of the help we are able to provide her. When my wife and I first started our sponsorship, we committed to keeping our kids sponsored for as far as they can take their schooling, and hope they will all make through to completing University as Angelica is doing. With good education comes good paying jobs, and in turn, if and when Angelica has a family, I’m sure her children will be able to afford a good education. It really is rewarding to know that through NCA, we are making concrete differences in our sponsored children’s lives.” NCA really helps to break a cycle of poverty that many children in our community face. Without the financial support to help the children stay in school, many kids quit school before completing Elementary school. Their families simply cannot afford to keep them in school, and need them to work to help to make ends meet. Without a complete education, the only work available to them is low paying construction jobs, working as a maid, and so on. When they grow up and have families of their own, their children will face the same

challenges At the present time there are over 200 deserving children awaiting sponsorship. The cost to sponsor a child is $85.00 USD per year for a child in Primaria (Elementary); $150.00 USA for Secundaria (Junior High); $360.00 USD for Preparatoria (High School); $1,200.00 USD for Universidad (University). There is an optional fee of $120.00 USD as an “Extra Help” package. If you would like more information about this deserving organization, please visit our website www. lakesideninos.org.

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The Ojo Crossword

ACROSS 1 Big boat 5 Winnie the ____ 9 Sacred song 14 Musical repeat 15 Convexity 16 Sleep disorder 17 On top 18 Bucket 19 Fertilizer component 20 Brownish-black skin pigment 22 Pyramid topped pillar 24 Calorie 25 Tiny body part 26 Leafy salad green 28 Serving of corn 29 Expression of surprise 32 Regions 33 Scare 35 IBM competitor 36 Type of wood 37 Possessive pronoun 38 Determines how heavy 40 North American Nation 41 Fuming 43 Supply 44 Scriptural your 45 Licensed practical nurse 46 Finale 47 Opaque gem 49 Wham

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50 Confidential 53 Abhors 57 Car shoes 58 Water (Sp.) 60 Vilify 61 Old wounds 62 Stool 63 Island 64 Author of “The Inferno” 65 Snaky fish 66 Gnaw DOWN 1 Water film 2 Anticipate 3 Teen hero 4 Cure-alls 5 Students 6 Asian country 7 Kimono sash 8 European Jews genocide 9 Forum 10 Run over 11 Opposed 12 Dregs 13 Grade 21 Capital of the Bahamas 23 Capital of Switzerland 26 Auto accident 27 Electrical device 28 Dine 29 Awry 30 Netherlands’ capital 31 Yearn 32 Adjoin 33 Annoy 34 Dusky 39 Mystic 42 Small ground plot 46 Bilks 47 Open 48 Unfashionable 50 Posttraumatic stress disorder 51 Costa ____ 52 Asian country 53 Two 54 Belt 55 Roof covering 56 Killed 59 “To the right!”

By Victoria Schmidt

Ex-pat Nation

s my husband and I pass another anniversary of our arrival in Mexico, I look k back to our expectationss about living in a country y totally foreign to us. We expected the language to be our biggest challenge. ge. It still is. But I can actually lly have a semi-coherent conversation with a Mexican without using too many hand signals, and that is at least some progress. I can actually converse with my maid, and while we still have blank spots where we stare at each other and say “Monday?” We can usually work our way around it. But what we didn’t expect was something we couldn’t possibly have experienced in the United States. And that is the deep and lasting relationships we’ve built here within our own community of ex-pats. I’d heard the term ex-pat before we moved here, and mistakenly assumed it meant unpatriotic. Oops. Ex-patriot, I found, simply means a person living outside their country of origin. I’ve wondered about why the friendships we’ve experienced here seem so different than the ones we had and still have back in the USA. The friendships here seemed to solidify quicker, and are stronger, and fuller. No offense to our other friends, who are still scratching their heads in amazement wondering why we are still here, and why we didn’t return after six months with our tails between our legs. But I think the answer is twofold. The first is that it takes a certain type of person to even entertain the idea of living outside of the boundaries of the country they were raised in. Cutting ties, dispossession of accumulated “treasures” and starting all over again is not for the faint of heart. All ex-pats have that in common. The second thing that strengthens our bonds is the understanding of what it means to be a sub-community within a larger foreign community. We need each other as resources, to touch that

which was once familiar and to share our experiences in our new country with each other. We can relate to one another more quickly as we all have our eyes opened about life within another culture, a different climate, and a different language. I can laugh with my friends about being stopped in a grocery store, and a Mexican woman asked me where I found an item in my cart. I knew what she was saying to me, but I couldn’t think of the words in Spanish…I knew them, knew that I knew them, but just couldn’t remember them. I remembered the words after she walked away. My friends spoke about the delayed reaction responses we all seem to experience. The wheels turn, but the tongue doesn’t follow. As ex-pats we can appreciate the struggles of learning a new language at an older age. I know I still search for words in English…now I have to search for them in both languages. But I am not alone. I have a whole new world of friends who can relate to this and laugh along with me. As ex-pats we can gather and debate, which is better, FM2 or FM3? We can shake our heads at the state of our countries of origin, and we share the love of our past and present countries. Our worldview and experiences have grown and made us aware of life on an entirely different level than a 10-day vacation in another country could teach us. But in all, the experience of being an ex-pat, I believe strengthens our experiences and our ability to accept people as they are, and appreciate our friends as never Victoria Schmidt before.

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APPOMATTOX– The Last Act of the Age of Chivalry By David Harper

General U.S. Grant

General Robert E. Lee

ost Americans are aware that the surrender of General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865 effectively brought to an end the Civil War. However over the years some facts are forgotten and things may be remembered wrongly. Two issues commonly fall into this category. First, Lee only surrendered his own command, the Army of Northern Virginia, by then reduced to some 28,000 men and becoming fewer every day because of desertion. The armies of Confederate States of America (CSA) still had around 200,000 men in different theaters of the war under other generals who reported to the CSA President Jefferson Davis. Lee was however the senior general serving the CSA and his surrender meant that the war could not go on much longer. The last major Confederate force that surrendered was that under General E. Kirby Smith on May 26, although interestingly the last surrender of ground forces was by Brig. General Stand Watie on June 25. Watie, a Cherokee chief, commanded a force of what were then known as Confederate Indians, comprising Cherokee, Creek, Osage and Seminole.

Second, the actual surrender took place not in a court house but in the home of a man named Wilmer McLean. It was located in a small crossroads village named Appomattox Court House, Virginia, where the old court house stood. It was selected by Lee’s staff. The negotiations for the surrender started on April 7 when Grant sent a note to Lee asking him to surrender as he wished to “shift from myself the responsibility for further effusion of blood.” Lee responded that he too wished to “avoid the useless effusion of blood,” and asked Grant the terms he would offer. On April 8 Grant replied that he only required “that all combatants surrendered shall be disqualified for taking up arms again” and suggested a meeting to arrange the definite terms. Two more letters were exchanged, Lee cannily never agreed that he would surrender but only that he wanted to know the terms so that he could consider them. The final exchange of letters on the morning of April 9 set up the meeting. General Lee arrived first, splendidly dressed in a new uniform, new polished leather boots with handsome spurs and a magnificent bejeweled sword. He was 59, an erect six foot in height, with a full beard of

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silver grey hair. Grant had already indicated in the exchange of letters the major terms of the surrender and Lee must have thought them generous given his hopeless circumstances. He knew well that Grant had made his early reputation and indeed earned his advancement by being a tough general. He was popularly known as U.S. “Unconditional Surrender” Grant. But it was a different Grant that met Lee in Appomattox. He was tired of war and suffered from terrible migraine headaches. He wanted to end it quickly without further unnecessary bloodshed. He was very mindful that the Confederates were about to become their brothers again and neither he nor Lincoln wanted them to be humiliated. Grant had ridden hard to get to the meeting and arrived in a mud bespattered working uniform that was little different from that of an ordinary soldier, save for the three stars of rank on his shoulder straps. The comparison between the two men could not have been greater: Grant at 43, sixteen years younger than Lee and at 5’ 8” a good four inches shorter. His hair and full beard were dark brown without a trace of grey. He wore no sword or spurs and his boots were old and dirty. Lee represented Virginia aristocracy, the son of a plantation owner, former general and Governor of Virginia. Grant was the son of a leather tanner in Ohio. Grant wrote that while he rode to the meeting feeling jubilant the moment he saw Lee he felt sad and depressed. This perhaps had to do with his great respect for Lee but also the feelings of any commander who thinks that “there but for the grace of God am I.” They exchanged pleasantries about old army days for some twenty minutes. Grant seemed reluctant to bring up the reason they were meeting so it was up to Lee to remind him and ask for Grant’s terms of surrender. Grant replied that they were the same as he had originally written and Lee asked if they could be written out in full. On such a momentous subject one might think of aides, lawyers and political advisors being consulted and documents being drawn up, and redrawn, but that was not Grant’s way. He called for an order book and sat down with pen in hand and wrote it out by himself. No consultations, just what was in his mind. In his memoirs he admits that, “When I first put my pen to paper I did not know the first word that I should make use of in writing the terms.” As he wrote on “the thought occurred to me that the officers had their own private horses and effects . . . and it would be an un-

necessary humiliation to call upon them to deliver their side arms.” He wrote nonstop and when he finished handed Lee a copy. There is little doubt that Lee must have been grateful for the generosity of the terms but he mentioned to Grant that in “their” army, cavalrymen and artillerists also owned their own horses and he asked if they may also keep them. Grant responded that in the terms as written only officers may keep them but that on further consideration he agreed that the men would need their horses to get crops in before winter and so he would instruct his parole officers to allow soldiers owning horses and mules to keep them. On hearing this. Lee immediately wrote acceptance of the terms. It was over. Grant, ever the clear thinker, forgot nothing and in his last lines wrote that on being paroled men “will be allowed to return to their homes, not to be disturbed by United States authority so long as they observe their paroles and the laws in force where they reside.” Grant did not trust politicians and this stipulation meant that the government could not bring any post war punitive proceedings against any paroled Confederate soldier for actions during the war. All this was done without instruction or advice from Secretary of War Stanton or President Lincoln. Again it is emphasized that this was not the surrender of the Confederate States but only the surrender of the CSA Army of Northern Virginia. Once word of the surrender got out, there was general jubilation and firing of guns but Grant quickly ordered it stopped saying, “The rebels are our countrymen again and we do not want to exult over their downfall.” Honor was upheld without malice and Lee never forgot Grant’s graciousness. Throughout the remainder of his life, he never allowed an ill word to be spoken of Grant in his presence.

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NO O CO COUNTRY OUN NTR RY FOR FOR OLD OLD ACCOUNTANTS ACCOUNTANTS (Part One)

By RM Krakoff

D D

onald Parker kneels behind cases of Zingers, sweat rolling off his face, hiding from security guards and hears police sirens. He’s fearful of being caught but more concerned about having a heart attack and dying like this… hiding from cops in the Topeka Dolly Madison Warehouse. Donald is not a criminal. He’s an accountant. He’s placed himself in this unlikely situation and he can’t catch his breath. Just a week ago, Donald had been satisfied with his life and would never have considered breaking into a business any more than he would think of jaywalking across Washburn Avenue. Donald is a model twelve-year employee at the Accounting Center Inc. As a CPA, his personal achievement is to balance at the end the day. There’s nothing else that seems to matter to him—just a balance sheet full of cells, data bars and equa-

tions. The prominence of his 40th birthday has caused Donald to take a long, hard look at this life. He sat alone in his small, neat apartment, sipping red wine, trying to ascertain when and why his life became such a ritual of tedium. Donald thought back to his school days, attempting to codify the events where his life turned

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into an arrangement of laws, rules and principles. The cold hard truth struck Donald like a bolt of icy air he had always been this way. Always quiet, soft-spoken…and dull. Since as far back as he could remember, he’s always been an accountant, more concerned with numbers than with people― more concerned with a balance sheet than feelings. How could he break out of this pitiful mold of dreariness? Donald scrutinized his apartment as if for the first time…small yet comfortable, a stereo, two book cases. The dining table for four had never seated more than one. In his closet there was a sea of monochromatic suits, slacks and shoes. Nary a casual shirt, short or sandal in the lot. In the bathroom, no cologne, no hair mouse, no teeth whiteners … but lots of deodorant, mouthwash and acne cream. Donald felt doomed to depression. The reality he had heretofore ignored attacked like an invasion of locusts. Into the mirror he said, “Donald Parker, you are a big, fat bore.” The image Donald saw fed back the words as, “Donald— Parker—you—are—a—big—fat— bore.” “Shit, when I speak it comes out as one—word—at—a—time.” Donald had lain awake that night knowing he must do something with his life. At work the next day, Donald walked into the office of a colleague, Brent Tucker, and asked if he could join him for lunch. Donald never asked anyone to lunch. Tucker said, “Sure, why not?” and they set the time and place. Donald singled Tucker out as the eligible bachelor type, a man who worked hard, but played harder. Donald had seen more than one female pick Tucker up after work. Never one for hallway gossip, Donald was aware of at least one office affair between Tucker and a regional manager from the Kansas City office. That morning, to begin altering his non-existence, Donald adorned his beige business suit with a red tie. Tucker noticed this as Donald entered Frances O’Dooley’s Irish Pub & Grille and said, “What’s with the tie?” “My new look, Tucker. What do you think?” Tucker grunted something and buried his head back into the menu. “Did this place raise their prices again?” Tucker was a spendthrift and lived beyond his means. He

chased women, the stock market and invariably failed them all. Donald wondered how two completely opposites could both become CPA’s. Tucker finally looked up and asked, “What’s up, Parker?” Tucker seldom thought about his coworker. Donald Parker was just another square dude in an office full of square dudes. Those nerds had always given Parker an edge with women in the workplace. While Tucker was a pretty ordinary looking guy, the juxtaposition between the eggheads and himself was so pronounced that he seemed witty and debonair by comparison. “The red tie is just the beginning, Tucker.” “What beginning are you contemplating—hanging yourself?” Donald laughed uncomfortably. “Look Tucker, I’ve been thinking about who I am and I’ve decided to make changes in my life.” “Jeez Parker, I didn’t know you had a life.” Tucker was cruel and Donald knew that he would have to take crap from him. He needed to toughen up and this was his baptism. “The problem, Tucker, is that I don’t like my life…and I’m coming to you for guidance, man. Are you going to help me, or should we just make small talk about work and eat lunch?” “I’m not sure what you want from me, Parker, but if you want me to listen to your pathetic story, it’ll cost you lunch.” Donald looked at the pricey menu and then back at Tucker, “Sure, whatever.” Donald began to spill his heart out to Tucker, who remained silent while his eyes searched the restaurant looking for a pretty face. Following Donald’s confession, Tucker paused, looked directly at him and said, “I have three words of advice for you: Professional -Speed -Dating.” “That stuff works?” asks Donald incredulously. “ Listen dude, in our office Will Pultz met this babe at one of those sessions. They get 20 guys and 20 girls in a room, they each spend three minutes one-on-one, and pick out who they want to date. It works.” “Man, I’m not sure I’m up to all that pressure. I mean, I barely talk to women outside of the office.” “Hey if you make a jerk of yourself, you’ll probably never see them again. It’s worth a try, and anyway, you need to end this hermit lifestyle fast. Parker, you have nothing to

lose, man.” “Tucker, did you ever try speed dating?” “No man, what do you think I am, a loser?” Lunch concluded and Tucker, man of his word, left the check for Donald, who calculated that Tucker’s share came to about $10 per word of advice. An internet search revealed the one and only Speed Dating service in Topeka. Donald logged in, filled in his personal information, processed his credit card and set his session for next Wednesday night. He needed some time to retool his wardrobe and think about topics of conversation. Following a trip to the mall, Donald showed up dressed in Dockers, a sweater and sport coat from Eddie Bauer. He assessed his appearance. Just a shade over six feet, he had all his hair. He was relatively thin due to a bachelor’s diet—mostly salads and pasta. He was 39 but in his new casual duds might pass for…well, maybe 38? He had money in the bank, his car was paid, no ex-wife or kids. He guessed he wasn’t the worst catch in the gene pool. He entered the private room where the Speed Dating ritual was about to commence. Big timer

clocks were set to buzz. Afterward, the Dating Coach explained, you can e-mail each other at the web site. Donald met all sorts of women that night. Some were Hispanic, others were religious, several seemed really angry with men in general. One stood out. Her name was Amanda. Her brunette hair swept down over one eye. She seemed both icy and inviting. Donald wrote her name, A-m-a-n-d-a, in his notebook and decided to contact her. He waited until the next afternoon to e-mail Amanda. Within an hour, Amanda replied. She couldn’t recall who he was and asked for a description. Donald, embolden by her quick response, suggested dinner. They set the time and place. “I remember you now,” she says downing her first of several Tequila shots. “You’re the sad one.” “Sad? What makes you think I’m sad?” “You have sad eyes. I don’t think your mother ever hugged you. Whatever it is, there is something sad about you.” Donald was mesmerized by Amanda’s green eyes and decided not to pursue her sadness observations. He was trying to recall if his

mother ever hugged him. He made small talk though dinner trying to avoid boring her. He managed this because their entire conversation consists of Amanda talking about her favorite subject – Amanda. Donald learned she was the only child of a British Commonwealth Diplomat, raised in private girls schools, degrees in literature and international marketing, worked as a government analyst for the National Security Agency…and all he could think was, what in the hell is she doing in Topeka?

His confidence was buoyed as she suggested they move the party to her place. Reality nudged him painfully in the side, and he began to wonder what a woman like her saw in a man like him. Amanda lived in a large house in West Topeka. She was one person; there were five bedrooms. She poured Donald a glass of red wine and excused herself. Donald wandered around the living room which he noted was larger than his entire apartment. To Be Continued . . .

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The

LAKE CHAPALA SOCIETY

News PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE The new constitution is almost ready. The review committee has spent six weeks or so going over last year’s proposed constitution line by line and has made a number of small but significant changes. The final draft has been sent to our notario for his review and comments. We will meet with him and incorporate his recommendations before presenting the completed draft to the Board for review and approval. When that has been completed, the final version will be posted for members to read, and to be prepared to vote at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in December. LCS is currently governed by four documents dating back to our first charter or constitution in 1979. Over the years, several other constitutions and bylaws have been adopted, with some of them only amending the earlier version on some points and left other provisions in place, requiring a search for some finer points of our governance structure, long, confusing and contradicting. Our notario assures us that this new Constitution will be able to stand on its own. During last year’s original drafting, and again with this year’s review, we made sure that all the essential points from these four documents were included in the new document. We even added back references to the Library and Student Aid which some thought needed to be included. We have had nearly a year of experience operating and governing LCS under our executive director and governing board structure, which was adopted in January 2010. This model has worked extremely well. The new constitution will ensure that this structure will remain in place in future administrations. It will also guarantee the duties and responsibilities, of not only the board, but of the AGM itself, something that has been sorely lacking in the past. For instance, at the AGM members will be asked to ratify any vacancies that have been filled by the board during the year, something that has never been done before. They will have the right to appoint an auditor if they feel one is needed. They will approve the financial report of the previous year, just to name a few of the responsibilities of the AGM that will now be defined. I and the rest of your board welcomes your feedback. You may leave me a note in the office, email me or speak to me at LCS any time to answer any questions you may have. Howard Feldstein

October 2010 FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK Last month I made a critical error in reporting on LCS’ Student Aid Program by omitting information about the contributions from the Skin Cancer Screening (SCS) Program at LCS. It was a blunder on my part and I apologize to the doctors and nurses who volunteer for this program. Founded by Dr. Jerry Smith, the Skin Cancer Screening Program has been in existence for about 13 years. Today he works with Dr. Martha Ballesteros and Dr. Tom Holeman. The SCS program adds, through contributions, a significant amount to LCS’ Student Aid Program. In 2009 SCS provided $67,280 pesos to the program, approximately 25% of our overall spending. Through August of 2010, the SCS program has contributed $41,360 pesos, or roughly 20% of our student aid spending so far this year. Skin cancer screening at LCS is a valuable program that serves the community in many ways. ----------------Last month Bert Slocombe made an appeal to the membership to donate cash towards updating the computer lab in the Wilkes Education Center. So far contributions have been sparse and I encourage all of the members to consider this important need. Please contribute what you can by coming to the office and giving your contribution to one of the Service Desk volunteers.

THE AUDIT COMMITTEE NEEDS YOU! The Audit Committee is seeking additional members. The work of the committee is varied and extremely interesting and provides volunteers with an opportunity to contribute to the on-going sound financial and operational management of the Lake Chapala Society. The committee's primary functions are to conduct a financial audit of the LCS' affairs as well as assessments of various operational functions. The committee also advises the Board of Directors on governance matters. In addition, it handles inquiries or concerns from members. Interested members with an accounting background or general business experience are invited to send an e-mail to the committee's Chair, Keith Martin at auditcommittee@lakechapalasociety.org or to complete a volunteer application form available in the LCS office.

www.lakechapalasociety.org

El Ojo del Lago / October 2010

LCS News

October 2010

CHILDREN’S ART PROGRAM

SINGLES MIX & MATCH GROUP

Mexican children are fascinated with the powerful dark images associated with Halloween— American style. During art class the children are making Halloween cards and pictures. If you would like to purchase some, visit us on the back patio — Saturdays 10:30-11:30.

The purpose of this group is to meet and mingle with people who share your interests. The committee is busy organizing activities for the season, based on the expressed wishes of the 98 singles who have attended the meetings.

The children are also making pictures depicting the Mexican Day of The Dead celebration. These images represent gifts and show respect for family members who are no longer here.

In late October a day trip is planned to Tapalpa, a Cultural Heritage “Magic Town” and view its amazing wildflowers, the macetas factory, the Papel mache crafts school, Las Piedrotas and several other sites in the area.

MERALI STUDENT AID UPDATE LCS is now supporting twenty young college women pursuing careers in science. Mr. Merali, through Global Giving, funded 13 girls last year, two dropped out. He is supporting seven more this year. We also have two girls funded privately by Global Giving for a total of 20 deserving young women. Luz Zepeda, of Claravision, LCS’ Thursday optometrist, played a key role in identifying and recruiting students for the Merali fund. We thank her for her hard work!

GROUNDS UPDATE In September we upgraded the sewage lines for three rest rooms. The rest room behind the cafe, and two in the Neill James house. We hope this alleviates the “Out of Service” problems we’ve been having over the past several years and the rising water table!

Another on-going activity for the group will be dining at several restaurants at Lakeside as well as taking trips into Guadalajara for eating, dancing or movies. For more information contact Pat Doran 766-2228 or the Information Desk A very secure networking site has been established so you can communicate with one another (you’ll have to sign-up with Yahoo): http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ lcsmixandmatch/

LCS will be closed on Monday October 11, celebrating Canada’s Thanksgiving Day!

ESL PROGRAM UPDATE A meeting of volunteer teachers for our English as a Second Language (ESL) program was held on Tuesday, September 7 at the Ed. Wilke’s Education Center in Ajijic. Around 28 enthusiastic volunteers were in attendance. Howard Feldstein, LCS president, gave an encouraging welcome to the teachers and wished them every success in the new school year. More than 200 Mexicans, ranging in age from teen to senior are enrolled in 23 classes. The classes range from basic to advanced conversation. A profitable time was spent discussing the availability of teacher resources and the concerns and issues of individual teachers. The meeting concluded with refreshments and an opportunity for the volunteer teachers to chat and get to know each other. LCS is very grateful to Inez Dayer our ESL director, Maria Huerta, and the volunteer staff who spent many grueling hours planning the classes, testing each student and placing them in their respective levels and classes.

2010-2011 Volunteer ESL teachers

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LCS News OCTOBER EVENTS LIBRARIES Book & Video M-SAT 10-2 Talking Book TH 10-12 MEDICAL/HEALTH INSURANCE Blood Pressure M+F 10-12 Cruz Roja Sales Table M –F 10-12:30 Cruz Roja Monthly Meeting 1st W 2-4 Healthcare Week 25-30 October 2010 Hearing Aids M & 2nd + 4th SAT 11-3 Sign-up IMSS M+T 10-1:00 NYLife/Seguros Monterrey Insurance T+TH 11-2 Optometrist TH 9-5:30 Sign-up Skin Cancer 2nd + 4th W 10-12 Sign –up TioCorp Bupa & Plan Seguros M 10-1 INFORMATION Ajijic Rotary Club M 10-12 Becerra Immigration F 10-1 Loridan Legal T 10-12 Los Niño’s de Chapala /Ajijic F 10-1:30 US Consulate 1st W 12-2 Sign up 11:30 AM LESSONS Children’s Art SAT 9:30-12 Country Line Dancing T+TH 10-11:30,Members Only Exercise M+W+F 9-10 Have Hammers Workshop M 10-12:15, F 2:30-4:30 Intermediate Hatha Yoga T+TH+SAT 2-3:30 Spanish Conversation Club T 10:30-12 No Registration Storytelling Class TH 11-12 Tai Chi Chuan Exercise W 10-11 SOCIAL ACTIVITIES AA M+TH 4-6 AA Women TH 10:30-12 AL-Anon/Al-a Teen M 6-7 Beginner’s Camera W 12-1 Computer Linux Class F 9:30-10:30 Computer Windows Club F 10:30-11:45 Creative Writer’s Group M 2-4:00 (Closed group) Digital Camera Club W 10:30-12 Dimitar Lecture “Art Thru Ages” TH 12-2 Discussion Group W 12-1:30 Film Aficionados 2nd+ 4th+ Last TH 2-4:30 Gamblers Anonymous W 12-1 Genealogy Last M 2-4 Great Books 1st + 3rd TH 2-4 (Closed group) Green Group 1st T 3-4:30 Individual Counseling M-TH 3-4 Lakeside Friends of Animals 1st TH 2-3:30 Mac OS 1st M 12-1:30 Mac User 3rd W 3-4:30 Mah Jong F 10-3:30 Masonic Lodge #31 2nd + 4th W 4:30-8, 4th T 3-4:30 Needle Pushers T 10-12 Open Circle SUN 10-12:15 Scrabble M+F 12-2 Tournament Scrabble T+TH 12-3

REMINDER - It’s time to renew your membership. If you want to be listed in the 2011 Directory you will need to renew by December 15.

El Ojo del Lago / October 2010

October 2010 VIDEO UPDATE Please see the new color-coded catalogs to assist you in finding the movie of your choice. If there is any confusion, please see the volunteer on duty to explain our new system. The color code description is posted on the board with the new movies. We are now cataloging the SERIES that are in the Video Library inventory. The reviews can be found in the back section of the black catalog. We hope to add to the inventory monthly. If there is a series that is of particular interest to you, please let the volunteer on duty know.

A COUPLE OF CURRENT RELEASES THE GIRL IN THE CAFÉ - A May-December comedy becomes a political drama. Lawrence, a spindly, self-effacing civil servant is a senior researcher for the Chancellor of the Exchequer preparing for a G-8 summit that will determine the scope of the world’s effort to reduce extreme hunger. BILL NIGHY and KELLY MacDONALD 7.6 on a scale of 10 FITZCARRALDO - Fitzcarraldo is an obsessed opera lover who wants to build an opera in the jungle. To accomplish this, he first has to make a fortune in the rubber business, and his cunning plan involves hauling an enormous river boat across a small mountain with aid from the local Indians. KLAUS KINSKI and CLAUDIA CARDINALE Drama – 8.0 on a scale of 10

FEATURE OF THE MONTH CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM - He’s got it all: a loving wife, good friends, a successful career, a great home. What could possibly go wrong for Larry David? Seinfeld’s co-creator Larry David stars as himself in this hilarious, off-kilter comedy series that presents an unflinching, self-depreciating depiction of his life. LARRY DAVID 9.3 on a scale of 10 (you might not agree)

ON-GOING NEEDS One important source of revenue for the Video Library is donated videos. If you have any videos you would like to contribute, we would appreciate having them. If you are going north and would be willing to bring back a few videos, at no cost to you, it would help us to guarantee new releases on a timely basis and to keep the Video Library popular with the members. Visitors, heading south, can also act as couriers.

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

SPANISH CLASSES TERM 6 – Oct. 31 through Dec. 17 Register Tues. or Fri. from 10 to 2 in the LCS Services Office

LCS HEALTHCARE WEEK October 25 – 30 Flu Shots Monday through Friday 10-12 Cost 350 pesos Sign up in the LCS Office

SINGLES’ MIX & MATCH Friday Oct. 1st from 5-8 pm

NOTE: A notice of other services available during the Healthcare Week will be posted soon.

Lakeside Crime Survey October 1, 1 p.m. Jalisco and Chapala government officials will be available on the Neill James Patio to address your concerns.

Celebrate“Oktoberfest” on LCS’ Back Patio German Music & Dancing on the Gazebo Bratwurst or All-Beef Frankfurters with Condiments Sauerkraut, German Potato Salad & Red Cabbage! Food Served by Mary Ann Waite and Her Team $100 pesos Advance Tickets for Sale Only in LCS Office Cash Bar for Draft Beer, German Wines & Soft Drinks! Dessert Bar sponsored by Cruz Roja

FILM AFICIONADOS Films and discussion 2nd & 4th Thursday in the Sala at 2 pm THERE WILL BE TWO FILMS THIS MONTH ON THE BIG SCREEN OCTOBER 14 - BLISS- An award-winning film from Turkey about a young girl who was brutally attacked and subsequently ostracized by her village. An eye-opening film and beautifully photographed and acted. OCTOBER 28 - THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES – Academy Award winner for best foreign film. This Argentinian production is a complex legal thriller that combines the utmost in romanticism and realism, a richly imaginative film. For LCS members to get on the Film Aficionado email list to receive notices and reviews of upcoming showings you can email: mak1939@gmail.com

LAKE CHAPALA SOCIETY 16 de Septiembre #16-A, Ajijic, Jalisco LCS Main Office: 766-1140

Office, Information and other services open Monday – Saturday 10 to 2. Grounds are open until 5

LCS BOARD OF DIRECTORS President - Howard Feldstein Vice-President - Fred Harland Secretary - Lynn Bishop Sr. Director 1 - Tod Jonson Sr. Director 2 - Jack Shanks Sr. Director 3 - Wendee Hill LCS Education Director - Mary Alice Sargent Executive Director - Terry Vidal ◊ THE LCS NEWSLETTER IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY. ◊ DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS THE 17TH OF THE MONTH PRECEDING PUBLICATION. ◊ NEWS ITEMS CAN BE E-MAILED TO EVE REID, EEREID39@YAHOO.COM NOTE: THE EDITORIAL STAFF RESERVES THE RIGHT TO COMPLETE EDITING PRIVILEGES. ARTICLES AND/OR CALENDAR EVENTS WILL BE INCLUDED ACCORDING TO TIME, SPACE AVAILABILITY AND EDITORIAL DECISION ON THE APPROPRIATENESS OF THE INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION.

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Service

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

www.tel.chapala.com

DIRECTORY - MARY KAY Tel: 765-7654 - NEW LOOK STUDIO Tel: 766-6000

* ADVERTISING - EL OJO DEL LAGO Tel. 765-3676

Pag: 23

* ANIMAL CLINICS/PET SHOP - ANIMAL CARE Tel: 766-3062 - DEE’S PET CARE Tel: 762-1646 - FURRY FRIENDS Tel: 765-5431 - PET SHOP - SALUD ANIMAL Tel: 766-1009

Pag: 61 Pag: 70 Pag: 71 Pag: 61 Pag: 72

* ART GALLERIES/HANDCRAFTS - CATHY CHALVIGNAC Tel: 766-1153 - DIANE PEARL COLECCIONES Tel: 766-5683 - EFREN GONZALEZ Tel: 766-5381 - EL PALOMAR Tel: 01 (33) 3635-5247 - GALERIA SAN ANDRES Cell: 33 1156 8926, 33 1434 4239 - HECHO EN MEXICO Tel: 765-4689 - THE AJIJIC ART HOUSE Tel: 765-5097

Pag: 57

* BED & BREAKFAST

* AIR LINES - AEROMEXICO Tel: 01-800-021-4000

Pag: 70

Pag: 53 Pag: 27

- CASA DE LAS FLORES Tel: 766-5493 - CASA DEL SOL Tel: 766-0050 - CASA SENORINA Tel: 01 800 836 3595 - CASA TRES LEONES Cell: (045) 331-350-6764

Pag: 49 Pag: 56 Pag: 31 Pag: 25

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

Pag: 20 Pag: 62

* BLINDS AND CURTAINS - HUNTER DOUGLAS Tel: 766-0026

Pag: 27

* BOUTIQUE / CLOTHING STORES

Pag: 28 Pag: 60 Pag: 50 Pag: 35 Pag: 60

- CUGINIS OPUS BOUTIQUE Tel/Fax: 766-1790 - FIAGA BOUTIQUE Tel: 766-1816 - LA BELLA VIDA Tel: 766-5131 - LEATHER GALLERY Tel: 766-2845

Pag: 03 Pag: 34, 72 Pag: 25

- AUTOMATIC GARAGE DOOR OPENERS Tel: 766 - 4973, Cell: (045) 33-3157- 6536 Pag: 58

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

* CHURCHES

* AUTOMOTIVE

Pag: 34 Pag: 50

Pag: 39

- LAKE CHAPALA BAPTIST CHURCH Tel: 765-2925 Pag: 15, 68

Pag: 64

* CLEANING SERVICE

Pag: 17

- PROFESSIONAL WINDOW WASHING Tel: 765-4507 Pag: 65

Pag: 30

* COMMUNICATIONS

BAGS - PRINTED CANVAS BAGS Tel: (33) 1562 0744 & 45

Pag: 65

Pag: 21 Pag: 39 Pag: 24

Pag: 59

Pag: 71 Pag: 13

Pag: 63

* CONSIGNMENT SHOP/ANTIQUES Pag: 66

Pag: 53

* CONSTRUCTION

Pag: 68

- ARELLANO Tel: 766-4696 Pag: 40, 41 - CABO DO MUNDO- INTERIOR DESIGN Tel: 766-0026 Pag: 27

Pag: 29

El Ojo del Lago / October 2010

Pag: 13

Pag: 57

- FERRETERIA Y TLAPALERIA GALVEZ Tel: 766-0880, Fax: 766-2440 Pag: 69

Pag: 47

* HEALTH Pag: 62

- AJIJIC DENTAL Tel: 766-3682 - C.D. MARÍA LUISA LUIS VILLA Tel/Fax: 766-2428 - C.D. SANDRA ANAYA MORA Tel: 765-3502, 765-5444 - DENTAL EXPRESS Cell: (045) 331-121-6518 - DRA. ANGELICA ALDANA LEMA DDS Tel. 765-5364 - DRA. DOLORES RUSSELL D.D.S. Tel: 766-2881, 766-0075 Cell: (045) 333-108-7727 - DR. ALBERTO DON OLIVERA Tels: 765-4838, 765-4805 - DR. FRANCISCO CONTRERAS Tel: 765-5757 - DR. HECTOR HARO, DDS. Tel: 765-3193, 765-6974

* HEARING AIDS Pag: 17 Pag: 15 Pag: 31

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

Pag: 70

* HOME APPLIANCES - TECNICOS UNIDOS Tel: (376) 765-4266

Pag: 12

* HOTELS / SUITES Pag: 07 Pag: 27 Pag: 18 Pag: 10

Pag: 35

- INTERCAM Tel: 766-5978 Pag: 27 - LAKESIDE FINANCIAL ADVISOR DAVID LESNICK CFP CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER Fax: 001(623) 327-1277 Pag: 08 - LAKESIDE MORTGAGE CONSULTANTS Tel: 766-2914 Pag: 22 - PRIVATE MORTGAGE Tel: 766-5797 Pag: 63

* FLOWER SHOP

- ADOBE WALLS INN Tel: 766-1296 - CASA DE MARINA Tel:763-0973 - HOTEL LA ESTANCIA Tel: 766-0717 - LA MISION Tel: 322-222-7104, 322-222-4822 - LA NUEVA POSADA Tel: 766-1444, Fax: 766-2049 - LOS CROTOS Tel: 764-0067 - MIS AMORES Tels: 766-4640, 4641, 4642 - QUINTA DON JOSE Tel: 01-800-700-2223 - VILLA BORDEAUX Tel. (01-387) 761-0494 - VILLAS DEL SOL Tel: 766-1152

Pag: 31 Pag: 29 Pag: 46 Pag: 58 Pag: 03 Pag: 67 Pag: 54 Pag: 20 Pag: 55 Pag: 28

* INSURANCE - EDGAR CEDEÑO - MEXICO PROTECT Cell: (045) 33-3106-6982 Pag: 47 - LLOYD Tel: 766-0152, 766-3508 Pag: 24 - RACHEL’S INSURANCE Tel: 765-4316 Pag: 17

* INTERIOR DESIGN Pag: 53

- ELEMENTS Tel: 766-5826

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

- HYPNOTHERAPY - AUDA HAMMETT Pag: 17, 67 - VIDACELL Cell: (045) 33-1335-2660 Pag: 30

Pag: 11

Pag: 14, 17

- CRISANTEMO ROJO Tel: 766-4030

COPY CENTER

- 2ND TIME AROUND Cell: (045) 331-323-0907

* BEAUTY - ANGEL ESTRADA Tel: 766-4666 - ELIA NAVARRO GOMEZ Tel. 766-2323 - JAMES DON SALON Tel: (387) 763 1933

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

- PAPELERIA TRINIDAD Tel: 766-2400

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

Pag: 34

* COMPUTING SERVICES

* BANK INVESTMENT - ACTINVER Tel. 766-3110 - MULTIVA Tel: 766-2499 -O&A Tel: 766-4481

- MAILBOXES, ETC. Tel: 766-0647, Fax: 766-0775 761-0363, Fax: 761-0364

Pag: 59

* HARDWARE STORES

* FINANCIAL SERVICES - CAR CITY Tel: 765-2550, 765-4171 - GRUPO OLMESA Cell: (045) 33-3806-9231 - LINEA PROFESIONAL Tel. 766-2555, Fax. 766-0066 - RON YOUNG-MECHANIC Tel: 765-6387

- GARDEN CENTER Tel: 765-59-73 - L & R WATER GARDENS Tel: 766-4386

Pag: 26

* FITNESS CENTER

Pag: 06

766-1760 765-4444 766-5555

Pag: 13

* DENTISTS

- CHANGE OF PACE Tel: 766-5800 - STAND BIKE Cell: (045) 33 3814 5913

066 765-2308, 765-2553 766-3615

* GARDENING

- CONSTRUCTION & REMODELING Tel: 766-3626 - DDR ARQUITECTOS Cell: (045) 33-1282-7502 - FMC Tel: 766-3596 - GUGAM ARCHITECTURE Tel: (33) 3070 9368 - HOMESERVICES Tel: 766-1569 - TEKNOVENTANAS Tel: 01-800-581-0957 - WARWICK CONSTRUCTION Tel: 765-2224 Cell. (045) 331-135-0763

Pag: 48

* CEILING FANS

* AUTOMATIC DOORS

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

Pag: 25

LEGAL SERVICES Pag: 54 Pag: 73 Pag: 72

* FURNITURE - ARDEN MEXICO Tel: 765-3540 Pag: 37 - INTERIOR & FURNITURE -RICARDO FERNANDEZ Tel: 766-4331 Pag: 33 - MUEBLES ORNELAS Tel: (33) 3823 1703 Pag: 59 - TEMPUR Tel: (52) 333-629-5919, 333-629-5961 Pag: 33

- MAGO’S OFFICE Tel: 765-3640

Pag: 14

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

Pag: 22

* MALL / PLAZA - AJIJIC PLAZA Tel: 766-0383 - CENTRO LAGUNA Tel: 01 (33) 3560-2670

Pag: 45 Pag: 79

Tel: 766-2077, Fax: 766-2331 Pag: 03 - ALL IN ONE REAL ESTATE SERVICE Tel: 766-1161 Pag: 05 - ARELLANO Tel: 766-4696 Pag: 40, 41 - BEV. & JEAN COFELL Home Tel. 766-5332 Office Tel. 765-3676 Pag: 48 - COLDWELL BANKER CHAPALA REALTY Tel: 766-1152, 766-3369 Fax: 766-2124, Tels: 765-2877 Fax: 765-3528 Pag: 80 - CHULA VISTA NORTE Tel: 766-2177 Cell: (045) 33-3841-8867 Pag: 49 - CONTINENTAL REALTY Cell: 33-1443-2143 Pag: 66 - DOTTIE SLAIMAN Tel: 765-2326 Pag: 33 - EL DORADO Tel: 766-0040 Pag: 02 - FOR SALE BY OWNER Tel: (387) 763-1974 Pag: 30 - FOR SALE BY OWNER Tel: 766-5124 Pag: 58 - GEORGETTE RICHMOND Tel: 766-2129, 766-2077 Pag: 13 - HACIENDA LA CANACINTA Tel: 766-4971 Pag: 47 - LAS CATARINAS Tel: 766-3592 Pag: 55 - LLOYD REAL ESTATE AJIJIC Tel: 766-3508 Pag: 24 - MICHEL BUREAU Cell. (045) 333-129-3322, Home: (376) 765-2973 Pag: 57 - MIGUEL R. ROMAN Tel: 765-6557 Pag: 63 - PETER ST. JOHN Tel: 765-3676 Pag: 34 - RAUL GONZALEZ Cell: 33-1437-0925 Pag: 45

Tel: 766-5051 Pag: 78 - LOS TELARES Tel: 766-0428 Pag: 51 - MANIX Tel: 766-0061 Pag: 28 - MOM´S DELI & RESTAURANT Tel: 765-5719 Pag: 20, 66 - NUMBER FOUR Tel: 766-1360 Pag: 25 - PANINO Tel: 766-3822 Pag: 19 - RISTORANTE DI AURORA Tel. 766-4013Cell. (044) 33 1265 7900 Pag: 22 - SIMPLY THAI Tel: 766-5665 Pag: 53 - SUBWAY Pag: 78 - TOMAS Tel: 765-3897 Pag: 45 - TONY’S Tel: 766-1614, 766-4069 Pag: 18 - TRATTORIA DI AXIXIC Tel :766-3796 Pag: 59

* RENTALS/PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

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

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

- COLDWELLBANKER CHAPALA REALTY Tel: 766-1152, movile: (045) 33-1175-9632 Pag: 64 - FOR RENT Tel: 766-3799 Pag: 62 - HACIENDA LA CANACINTA Tel: 766-4971 Pag: 51 - RIBERA RENTAL CENTER Tel: 765-3838 Pag: 65 - ROMA Tel: 766-3163 Pag: 16 - SANTANA RENTALS Cell: 315-104-3283, Pag: 61 - VILLAS DEL SOL Tel: 766-1152 Pag: 28

* PHARMACIES

* REPAIRS/ MAINTENANCE

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

Pag: 18

* MEDICAL SERVICES - ARTHRITIS Tel: (315) 351-7295 Pag: 56 - DERMATOLOGIST Tel: 766-1198, 765-2400 Pag: 61 - DERMIKA Dermatologic Center Dra. Monica Ramos Tel: 766-2500 Pag: 25 - DRA. MARTHA R. BALLESTEROS FRANCO Cell: (045) 333-408-0951 Pag: 19 - HOSPITAL ANGELES DEL CARMEN Tel: (01) 3813-0042 Pag: 11 - INTERNAL MEDICINE SPECIALIST & GERIATRICS Dr. J. Manuel Cordova Tel: 766-2777 Pag: 16 - ISILAB Tel: 766-1164 Pag: 32 - PINTO OPTICAS Tel: 765-7793 Pag: 18 - PLASTIC SURGERY Tel: 766-2500 Pag: 53 - RED CROSS Tel: 765-2308 - SURGERY HOST Tel: 766-3145 Pag: 54

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

Pag: 10 Pag: 14 Pag: 12 Pag: 15

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

Pag: 52

Pag: 19 Pag: 71

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

Pag: 26 Pag: 56

* PERSONAL ASSISTANCE

- FARMACIA CRISTINA Tel: 766-1501 - FARMACIA EXPRESS II - FARMACIA MASKARAS Tel/Fax: 765-5827 - FARMACIA MORELOS Tel: 765-4002 - FARMACIA UNICA Tel: 766-0523

Pag: 71 Pag: 16 Pag: 69 Pag: 67 Pag: 59

* PODIATRIST - LAKE MED CENTER Tel: 766-0068

Pag: 70

* POOL MAINTENANCE - EQUIPMENT AND POOL MAINTENANCE Tel: 766-1617 Pag: 30 - TECNO AQUA Tel: 766-3730, 766-3731 Pag: 62

* PRINTING - LAGO SUR Tel: 766-2816

Pag: 63

* REAL ESTATE - 1ST CHOICE HOMES LAKESIDE Tel: 765-2484 - AJIJIC HOME INSPECTIONS Tel: 766-2836 - AJIJIC REAL ESTATE

Pag: 51 Pag: 12

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

Pag: 29 Pag: 55 Pag: 53 Pag: 25 Pag: 42 Pag: 22 Pag: 47 Pag: 55

* THERAPISTS - PROFESSIONAL REHABILITATION Tel: 766-5563

Pag: 19

- ADVENTURES MÉXICO Mex (228) 816-4055, US (858) 622-1402 Pag: 50 - CHARTER CLUB TOURS Tel: 766-1777 Pag: 09, 11 - GRUPO TURQUESA TOURS Tel: 766-5435 Pag: 67 - LAGUNA TRAVEL Tel: 766-5120 Pag: 65 - TOURS - NOE RAYGOZA Tel: (045) 33-1265-6696 Pag: 48

* TREE SERVICE Pag: 73

* MUSIC/THEATRE - LAKESIDE LITTLE THEATRE Tel: 766-0954 - PRESIDANCE

- CASA DE MARINA Tel:763-0973 - GOLDEN AGE Tel: 766-3989 - HYDROPOOL Tel: 766-4030 - LA BELLA VIDA Tel: 766-5131 - MONTE COXALA Tel: (387) 761-0111, 761-0326 - RESPIRO SPA Tel: (045) 33-3157-7790 - TOTAL BODY CARE Tel: 766-3379 - VILLA BORDEAUX Tel. (01-387) 761-0494

* TOURS Pag: 06

* SATELLITES/ T.V. - AJIJIC ELECTRONICS S.A. DE C.V. Tel/Fax: 766-1117, 766-3371 - SATELLITE SERVICE Tel: 765-2648

* SPA / MASSAGE

- CHAPALA TREE SERVICE Tel: 762-0602

Pag: 73

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

Pag: 62

* SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS - ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS Tel: 766-5961 Pag: 73 - FRIENDS OF VILLA INFANTIL Tel: 765-3147 Pag: 28 - EL BAZAR DE LOS NIÑOS Tel: 765-3147 Pag: 70 - LAKE CHAPALA SOCIETY Tel: 766-1140 Pag: 66-69 - LAKESIDE SPAY & NEUTER CENTER, A.C. Tel: 766-3813

SAW YOUIN T HE OJO

Pag: 72

The Ojo Crossword

* RESTAURANTS/CAFES/CLUBS - AJIJIC TANGO Tel: 766-2458 - ALFREDO’S CALIFORNIA Tel: 765-2245 - CASA DEL WAFFLE Tel: 766-1946 - CHAC-LAN Tel: (387) 761-0111, 761-0326 - COFFEE & BAGELS Tel: 766-0664 - DAVID’S CAFE Tel: 766-2341 - EL JARDIN DE NINETTE Tel. 766-4905 - GO LE CLUB Cell: (045) 33-3502-6555 - JOLANDAS Tel: 315-351-5449 - LA NUEVA POSADA Tel: 766-1444, 766-2049 - “LA TAVERNA” DEI QUATTRO MORI Tel: 766 2848 - LA VITA BELLA Cell: 33-3476-6577 - LAS CABALLERIZAS COXALA Tel: 766-0744 - LOS OTATES

Pag: 58 Pag: 72 Pag: 03 Pag: 42 Pag: 34 Pag: 71 Pag: 54 Pag: 35 Pag: 46 Pag: 03 Pag: 32 Pag: 42 Pag: 42

Saw you in the Ojo 75

AA- Meets daily at 10:00 am. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 4 pm. Marcos Castellanos 51-A. 766-5961. Meets every Wednesday 8 am for breakfast at La Nueva Posada. ACÁ- Teaches youths, families sustainable agriculture, Joco and Jaltepec. Meet 14th of month. For more Information 387 763-1568. A COURSE IN MIRACLES- Saturday 2:00 pm 16 Sept #34, Unit 6, 766-4882 No charge. Ongoing. AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION OF CANADA 904 WING- from September to April we meet the 2nd Thursday 2pm at La Nueva Posada. Contact Don Slimman 765-4141. AJIJIC QUILT GUILD - Meets second Tuesday monthly at 12 noon. Guests & New Members Welcome. ajijicguild@gmail.com AJIJIC SCRABBLE CLUB- Tuesdays and Thursdays noon-3 pm at LCS Ken Gosh Pavilion. Dan Stark 766-0411. AJIJIC WRITERS’ GROUP- Meets 1st and 3rd Fridays at 10 am. New Posada. Coffee. Meeting followed by lunch at the New Posada. AXIXIC MASONIC LODGE #31- Meets 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month at 5:00 pm. Contact the secretary at 763-5346 for details. AL-ANON- Step study, Monday 6 pm, Lake Chapala Society, 16 de Septiembre & Marcos Castellanos Ajijic, Rear Gate. Contact (376)766-5975 AL-ANON- Sat. 10 am, Club 12, Marcos Castellanos 51-A, Ajijic Contact (376) 766-5975. AMERICAN LEGION OF CHAPALA POST- #7 General Membership meets 11 am 2nd Thursday. Tel: 765-2259. AMIGOS INTERNACIONALES- Every Wednesday 6 to 8 pm, Nueva Posada; informal friendly group meet to make new friends. AMIGOS DEL LAGO A.C.- Working to improve the ecology. See www.amigosdelago.org or contact us at info@amigosdelago.org. AMITIES FRANCOPHONES- Meets every 3rd Saturday at 1 pm contact: Roland and Camille at 766-0149. rvanhoudt@prodigy.net.mx. ANIMAL SHELTER- Provide shelter and new homes for dogs and cats. Tel: 765-5514. ANITA’S ANIMALS- Free loving dogs and cats. call (01 387) 761-0500. www.anitasanimals.com. ASA- Ajijic Society of the Arts. Meets every 1st Monday of the month at Nueva Posada, 10 am. BRIDGE AT OLD POSADA- Monday 1:15 check in. Mary Andrews 766-2489. BRITISH SOCIETY- Lunch meeting the 1st Saturday of each month, 1pm at Manix Rest. 765-4786, chapalainn@prodigy.net.mx. CARD & DOMINO CLUB- Wednesday, Friday & Sunday. Call for times. We will teach; make friends! Tel. 766-4253, Cell: (045) 33-1295-6485. CANADIAN CLUB OF LAKE CHAPALA- Meets on the 2nd Wednesday of the month, September through April. Social hour: 3:00 pm, program 4:00 pm. Visit www.canadianclubmx.com. CASA DE ANCIANOS- Provides support for elderly citizens, 765-2497. CENTRO DE DESARROLLO AJIJIC- Provides family planning and reproductive health education. 766-1679. CHILI COOK OFF- Providing a carnival for residents raising charitable funds, 763-5038. DAR- (Guadalajara)- Daughters of the American Revolution, meets monthly Sep. through June. Cell:333-897-0660 or Tel: (376) 766-2284. DAR- (At Lakeside)- THOMAS PAINE CHAPTER meets every 3 Wednesday at 12:30 noon, September thru June. Tel: 766-2981 or 762-0834. EASTERN STAR ESTRELLA DEL LAGO CHAPTER #10- 1st Wed. at 1:00 pm at Hotel Monte Carlo. 766-3785, www.oesestrelladellago.org. E.R.I.C.- Provides support for the construction and renovation of educational buildings. 766-2866. DEMOCRATS- Meets 2nd Thursday 4pm at La Nueva Posada FRIENDS OF VILLA INFANTIL (FOVI)- Provides financial support for children: www.friendsofvillainfantil.org. Contact Lisa Le: (387) 761-0002 or email : lisale888@gmail.com GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS- GA Meeting held every Wednesday afternoon at 3:00 PM in the Doctor’s office at the Lake Chapala Society - Charlie K. at cell: 331-445-2136. GARDEN CLUB- Meets the 3rd. Wednesday 11 am for lunch at La Nueva Posada. GARDEN GUILD- promoting the interest in the development of local gardens with an accent on the exotic species available in central Mexico. GERMAN MEETING- 2nd Thursday, 1:00 pm. La Nueva Posada. Call Thea 765-2442 or Werner 763-5446. GOLDEN STRINGS OF LAKE CHAPALA, A.C.- Rehearsals at auditorio de la Floresta. Tuesday & Friday, 3-6 pm. HASH HOUSE HARRIERS- Every Saturday at 8:30 am at La Nueva Posada. IRISH- Meet 2nd Monday 4pm for lunch at La Nueva Posada. JUNIOR LEAGUE DE GUADALAJARA A.C.- Av. San Francisco #3332. ligagdl2@prodigy.net.mx, Guadalajara, Jal. Tel. (33) 3121-0887. LAKE CHAPALA DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB- Meets every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 1:15 p.m.. www.chapalabridge.com. LAKE CHAPALA GARDEN CLUB- Gardening at Lakeside with garden tours and meeting 3rd Wed of every month at Nueva Posada for noon lunch and program. Contact sandy_feldmann@yahoo.com. LAKE CHAPALA GREEN GROUP- Sustainable living for a better tomorrow. Meets first Tuesday of each month, September through May. Lake Chapala Society, 3:00. Everyone is welcome. www.lakechapalagreengroup.com. LAKE CHAPALA SHRINE CLUB.- Meets the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 1 pm in the Nueva Posada. Perry King at (376) 763-5126. LAKE CHAPALA SOCIETY - LCS- 16 de Sep. # 16-A Ajijic, Open Monday - Saturday, 10 am to 2 pm. www.lakechapalasociety.org. 766-1140. LAKESIDE COMMUNITY AWARDS- We benefit all the community by honoring lakeside’s most talented. 766-3232. LAKESIDE FRIENDS OF THE ANIMALS- Board meets 3rd Thursday at 2:15 every month. info@lakesideanimalfriends.org. LAKESIDE LAUGHTER CLUB- Meets every Wed. from 9 am - 9:40 beginning September 29. For information call Charlene 766-0884. LAKESIDE LITTLE THEATRE A.C.- Balanced theatrical entertainment, English-speaking, 765-5942. LAKESIDE SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF- The 4th of each month. Nueva Posada 10:30 am. Call 766-2280, www.lakesideschoolforthedeaf.org. LAKESIDE WILDLIFE RESCUE & REHABILITATION- Rescue & rehabilitation of wild animals. 765-4916. LAKE SPAY AND NEUTER CENTR A.C.- Provides shelter and helps curtail the over-population of animals. 766-3813. LCS EDUCATION CENTER- Provides classes in language and other topics for both Anglo and Mexican community. 766-0499. LCS STUDENT AID FUND- Provides financial support to area students to enroll in university, vocational and high school program. 766-0716. LINK- Assisting foreign community. Desk at Lake Chapala Society-Monday, 10 am-noon. LITTLE BLUE SCHOOLHOUSE- Provides financial assistance for students at school for disabled children in Chapala 766-1552. LOS NINOS DE CHAPALA Y AJIJIC, AC Providing educational scholarships to Lakeside children 376-765-7032, www.lakesideninos.org. LOVE IN ACTION- Shelter for abused and abandoned children. For volunteers and donations. Anabel Frutos 765-7409, cell: 331-351 7826. MAS- Music Appreciation Society. Concerts from fall to spring. Classical music and dance concerts. For info call Beverly Denton, 765-6409. MISION SAN PABLO- Helping 60 orphaned children ages 2-14 yrs, Bonnie Shrall - Bonnie@shrall.com #766-0009. www.misionsanpablo.org. NAVY LEAGUE, LAKE CHAPALA COUNCIL- Meets the third Saturday for lunch at 1 pm, Manix Rest. 766 4750 or 766-1848. NEEDLE PUSHERS- Sew dresses, knit or chet sweaters for local kids. Every Tues. 10 am at LCS. Call Gay at 766-2902. NIÑOS Y JOVENES CARAVAN- Delivers foodstuffs and used clothing to orphanage in San Juan. Call Reuben Varela, 01-387-761-0828. OPEN CIRCLE- Fostering body, mind & spirit, every Sunday at the LCS from 10 am to 12 noon. 765-3402 or frankdburton@yahoo.com. OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS- Every Tuesday & Friday 12 pm at Marcos Castellanos 51-A, in Upper Ajijic. Tel: 766-2575 or 766-1626. PROGRAMA PRO NIÑOS INCAPACITADOS DEL LAGO AC.- Assisting Lakeside disabled children www.programaninos.org , 763-5010. PASOS MILAGROSOS (MIRACULOUS STEPS.)- Helping Handicapped Children Through the Magic of Horses. Saturdays 8-2. www. pasosmilagrosos.com. RED CROSS VOLUNTEERS- Meets 1st Wednesday at 2:00 pm at the Sala LCS. New members welcome. ROTARY CLUB OF AJIJIC- Meets every Tuesday at 1:00 pm at Hotel Real de Chapala. Contact at 766-3302. SCIENCE OF MIND STUDY GROUP- Discussion group every Tuesday at 10 AM Lake Chapala Center for Spiritual Living at Nicolas Bravo #17 Ajijic; contact Rev. Tim at 766-0920 or tim@revdoctim.com. THE GENEALOGY FORUM- Meets monthly on the fourth Monday in the Sala at LCS, from 2:00 to 3:45. UVA - University/Vocational Assistance (Little Chapel by the Lake a.c.)- Sue Torres, 766-2932 or Lynn Hanson 766-2660. VIVA LA MUSICA - Bus trips to the symphony, summer concert series, call Rosemay Keeling 766-1801. www.ajijicviva.org. VOLLEYBALL IN CHAPALA- At Cristiania park Tues., Thurs., Sat. mornings at 10, 333-502-1264. VOLUNTEER HEALTH RESOURCE GROUP- Meeting last Saturday of each month at LCS in sala, 10:30. VOLUNTEERS OF THE CRUZ ROJA- Sponsors fund raising events and provides administrative and support services to the Delegation.

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

El Ojo del Lago / October 2010

All Saints Lutheran Church Worship Service 11:00 am 4600 Avenida Tepeyac, Guad. Tel. (01 333) 121-6741. Abundant Life Assembly of God Carr. 140 next to Mail Boxes etc, Tel: 766-5615. Center For Spiritual Living Celebration Service, 5pm Fridays, Nicolas Bravo #17 Ajijic. 766-9020 or tim@revdoctim.com. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Services in English and Spanish, 10 am, Riberas del Pilar Bishop Wyvell Tel. (376) 765-7067, Bishop’s residence (376) 766-1532. Church of the Holy Spirit Services Sun. 10 am, Albaro Obregon #119, Chapala Tel. (376) 765-4210. Grace Baptist Church 5th Sun. Evening service 6 pm, Pedro Buzeta No. 970, Guad. Tel. (013) 641-1685. Lake Chapala Baptist Church Mid-week service, 9:30 am, worship service, 10:45 am. Santa Margarita #147, Riberas del Pilar, Tel. (376) 765-2925, 765-3329. www.lakechapalabaptist.com. 7th Day Adventist meet at Madeira 12 in Rancho del Oro, 9:15 am to Noon. Potluck follows. 765-2165. Little Chapel by the Lake Sun. services 11 am, Chula Vista,. Jal, Tel. (376) 763-1551. Lake Chapala Jewish Congregation Santa Margarita 113, Riberas del Pilar, Tel: 765-6968. For information and service times, please call Pres. Elliot Gould. contact us@lakechapalajews.com. Web site: www. lakechapalajews.com. Lakeside Fellowship Sun. worship 11 am, Javier Mina #49 Ajijic, Tel. (376) 766-0795. Lakeside Presbyterian Church Worship-Sunday 10 am; Bible StudyFriday 10 am; Hidalgo 231A, Carr. Chapala/Joco; Riberas del Pilar Tel. Pastor Ross Arnold at 376-7661238, or Norm Pifer at 376-766-0616 Website at www.chapalalakesidepresbyterian.org Saint Andrew´s Anglican Church Calle San. Lucas 19, Riberas del Pilar, Sunday 1 service, 10 am. www.standrewsriberas.com San Andres Catholic Church Services 9:00 am. Ajijic, 766-0922. St. John’s Catholic Church Between Av. Vallarta & Av. Lazaro Cardenas, Guad. Sun. 11am. (013) 121-8131. The Lake Chapala Unitarian Universalist Fellowship meets Sundays at 10:30 a.m. at the Jewish Community Center behind Mateos in Riberas del Pilar (Santa Margarita 113). For additional information call Steve at 766-5507 or email: trudycrippen@gmail.com. Check out our website at www.lcuuf.org.

CARS WANTED: Looking for a small pick up or half ton truck in good condition, standard or automatic. Price: up to 40,000 pesos. Contact Ronald Johnson FOR SALE: Cargo Van. This is a strong running old truck with low mileage. I just used it to bring my stuff down from Maine, but don’t have room for it. 18,000 pesos. Contact: Pat Apt FOR SALE: Beautiful Classic 1979 Fiat Pinafarina 2000 silver convertible. Original owner. $5,500 USD. US Plates. Call 766-1170 FOR SALE: Tracker Tundra 20. Really nice boat, 20ft long, capacity up to 9 people, GPS fishfinder e-mail with any questions at juliana109@hotmail.com FOR SALE: FORD 2004. Perfect conditions, only 2 owners, new tires, new breaks, all fixed in ford co. Call: 765-2191 Erendira Mena WANTED: Want US plated car, had ad before but unable to find car I would like. Contact: Frank Raimo WANTED: Side roof rails for a 20022006 Honda CRV. Will also consider a full roof rack. Price negotiable. Contact: Kevin O’Byrne

COMPUTERS FOR SALE: 2 iPod Nanos, 4th Generation, lightly used and in great condition, 1 blue, 1 pink, with USB cables (have one set of aftermarket ear buds). Call 766-1847 or 333-390-7315 FOR SALE: 200 Watts digital AM/FM Receiver, brand new, still in Box, with remote control. Bought by mistake in the States last month. 80.00 USD. Call: Ingrid Hill @ 766-5779 FOR SALE: “Sony VGN-T160P/L”, Windows XP, wireless, S400 transfer port, USB, Bluetooth technology3, 10.6” display, DVD/CD r/w, PCMCIA slot, carrying case and extra battery. Battery lasts 3.5+ hours. FIRM 350USD. Call: David @ (376) 765-6348 FOR SALE: Desktop computer with keyboard. Very good...lightly used with Windows XP Home Edition upgrade (with certificate of authenticity). Hard drive cleaned by professional, guaranteed. 150 USD. Call: Dennis at 766-5322 FOR SALE: Magicjack, call unlimited to the United States and Canada. Price 60.00 includes one full year of service, renewal for the next year is only 19.95 for as long as you own the magicjack. Call: (376)765-2326 PETS & SUPPLIES WANTED: I would like to buy a used (plastic) crate for a mid-sized dog. Contact: Jerry Forman FOR SALE: good saddle horse. Fine gelding, has brio, been to high school and can dance, good trail horse - proud cut. Beautiful, intelligent, to good home. 20,000 pesos. Contact: Kerrie Stepnick FOR SALE: Training your puppy or dog? I have two books that might help: PUPPY TRAINING, by Charlotte Schwartz; and NEW COMPLETE DOG TRAINING MANUAL, by Bruce Fogle.

100 pesos for both. Call: James Tipton, 765-7689.

GENERAL MERCHANDISE WANTED - 32” to 42” HD Plasma TV, excellent condition, reasonable price, not too old. The price I will pay depends on size and condition. Call Jill, 766-3025. WANTED: Someone to share Star Choice (Shaw) programming. Must have satellite dish and receiver. I currently spend $57 U.S./mo., would like to share the cost. Call 766-3025 & we can discuss program packages. FOR SALE: Terrace Table with six chairs, never used - Bought at Liverpool for $1350.00. Will sell for $800.00. Wicker, medium to dark brown with glass top. Contact: Fred or Frankie WANTED: We are interested in a used but good quality audio system for our living room. (CD player, speakers). Contact: Paulus Heeren FOR SALE: 2 bike bumper carrier. Fits most vehicles. 900 pesos. Tel: (376) 765-7198 e-mail: carole_john1969@hotmail.com WANTED: Looking for any type of small firearms or rifles/weapons. Informal. New or Used. Contact: Rafael Terracino WANTED: looking for smaller, older Mexican plated car for basic transportation. Prefer small hatchback or sedan over 10 years old, mechanically good, appearance not so important. ekknox@ gmail.com, 766-1847 FOR SALE: Do you want to add another TV receiver to another room in your home? This is just what you need if you have Dish Network. Asking 600 pesos, Model #311. Call: Julie Hensley @ 7654590 FOR SALE: 2 Food Saver vacuum canisters: 1 - 25oz, 5”D x 4-3/8”H KY-123, 1 - 2.3 Liters, 2 1/2 Quarts, Model #663, Includes vacuum hose. Never used. Call: Julie Hensley @ 765-4590 WANTED: Looking for Martina Cole books. Contact: Mike Mutter FOR SALE: 2 Bedroom sets: 1 wood 475.USD, 1 off white set 650.USD, Matching couch, love seat and chair in soft sage green stripe pattern of soft gold 595.USD, and more. Contact: Jerry Johnson WANTED: Want to buy “Acoustic 12String Guitar (steel strings only). Prefer “S&P”, “Guild”, “Taylor” but will look at any. New or Used. Any price range. Must be in good condition. No cracks, breaks or other damage. Contact: Raphael WANTED: Looking for a massage table with face cradle, new or used. Call at 333-390-7315 FOR SALE: Large 2 piece Entertainment Center Handmade by “Muebles Rustico” Will hold up to 42” wide-screen T.V. 2 Large drawers, side cabinets and shelves. Natural finish. 2,800 pesos or 250.00 U.S. Contact: Rafael Terracino FOR SALE: Pimsleur spanish audio cassettes, 16 double sided tapes, learn spanish with the pimsleur method. Negotiable but asking 800 pesos. Contact:

Diane Ward FOR SALE: LG DVD player and recorder, plays dvd, cd’s, USB, MP3, WMA, JPEG files, connects to digital camcorders, records TV programs, manual in English/Spanish, nearly new. Asking 750 pesos. Contact: Diane Ward FOR SALE: Beautiful granite chessboard. 40x40 cms. Would also make great coffee table top. 1200 pesos or BO. Call (376) 766-4869 WANTED: VHS player. Must have working remote and be reasonably priced. Call: David @ (376) 765-6348 WANTED: Portable propane room heater. Contact: Donald Chaloner FOR SALE: Antari DMX Z-1500 Watt Fog Machine. New $6066 pesos - Asking $4000 pesos. Excellent condition and has only been used for 6 months. Call 331-249-2156 or email mylesbeckley@ yahoo.com FOR SALE: 4- Patriot Dance Lights sound activated multi channel designs. New Asking 700 pesos (56 USD excellent condition. Call 331-249-2156 or email mylesbeckley@yahoo.com FOR SALE: AKG Acoustics WMS SR 40 PRO FLEXX Ultra High Frequency Wireless Microphone System – Asking 3,000 pesos (240 USD) excellent condition. Call 331-249-2156 or email mylesbeckley@yahoo.com FOR SALE: QSC PLX 3102 Series Professional Audio Amplifier. 2-ohm minimum impedance model with Speakon and binding post terminals -Asking 10,000 pesos (800 USD) excellent condition. Call 331-249-2156 or email mylesbeckley@yahoo.com FOR SALE: 4 - Peavey DPE 215 Full Range Quasi-Three-Way Speaker System Utilizing two 15” of 3” Voice Coil Heavy Duty Cast Frame Woofers and a RX 33 Titanium compression driver for the highs. 5,000 pesos (400USD). Call 331-249-2156 or email mylesbeckley@ yahoo.com FOR SALE: Good condition 5,300kms. Custom Dinamo 2009 Chopper 150CC white & red, 18,000 pesos. Call: 333-952-8531 FOR SALE: BRAND NEW American made queen size bed. For details see bragada.com, model Vellaggio. Used one night, shipping charges to Mexico not included for mattresses, springs, frame. Sell 13,000 pesos. (376) 766-4365 FOR SALE: Level 1 and Level 2 Spanish Now!. These are the popular Barron’s Textbook/Workbook in like new condition. List at 37.94 USD for both. My price 150 pesos or 12 USD for both. James Tipton 765-7689 FOR SALE: The Appeal by John Grisham, list $27.95US; Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, list 29.99 USD. These are all Hardcover First Editions. Will sell each for 120 pesos or 10 USD. James Tipton, 765-7689 FOR SALE: Complete VW Passat roof luggage rack. Should fit other cars. Approx. 40”x 40”,102cm x 102cm.Make offer. Call: Jerry at (376)765-4353 WANTED: Need a used 8 foot fiber-

glass Satelite Dish w/base & LNB bracket. Contact: Jim Watkins WANTED: I would like to buy a Star Choice system, either the dish or the receiver or both. Contact: Dennis James. WANTED: Looking for Breville (juice fountain plus) Lightly used or excellent cond. Call Janice @ (376) 763-5664 or vonage 512-663-8691 WANTED: Need auto upholster to replace headliner in car. Contact: Frank Raimo FOR SALE: IEM Refrigerator used excellent condition. 2,100 pesos. For more info call: 33-1005-3109 FOR SALE: 9-Volt Batteries Package of 12. 250 pesos. Expiration is 2013. Call: Julie Hensley at 765-4590 FOR SALE: Yamaha piano- organ, model ypr-50 in excellent condition, with manual and adjustable chair. 275 USD. Call: 765-3824 FOR SALE: Want to lose weight? I have for sale (very slightly used) a hardcover edition of Fred Pescatore, M.D., THE HAMPTONS DIET. 100 pesos. Call: James Tipton, 765-7689. FOR SALE: Surpassing The Love Of Men: Romantic Friendship And Love Between Women; Sex In History; The Art Of Sexual Ecstasy/The Art Of Sexual Magic; and Best Women’s Erotica 2010. All for only 250 pesos. Call: James Tipton 765-7689. FOR SALE: New Alto Saxophone (Cecilia), never used. Bought in the States a year ago for 4,000 pesos. Will sacrifice for 3,000 pesos. Call: James Tipton at 765-7689.

COLLECTABLES FOR SALE: Sweets book indexed catalog and building construction Dated 1906. 500 pesos. Contact: Frank Raimo FOR SALE: Packet of 50 beautiful unused Mexican commemorative postage stamps. Perfect to start your collection of Mexican stamps or to send back north as a special (and easy-to-mail) gift. Jim Tipton 765-7689. FOR SALE: Two World War II US mess kits (1943 Leyse), in fine condition. A perfect gift for that old veteran, that young camper, or for the collector who likes unusual items of historical value. Only $100 pesos each. Call Jim Tipton at 765-7689. FOR SALE: Antique etching by Richard Halfknight. died around the turn of the century. Nicely framed. 1500 pesos. Contact: Pat Apt FOR SALE: I have hundreds of duplicates of 19th and 20th century Mexican stamps, both new and used, for sale. (Also lots of Peru and Chile). Call: James Tipton at 765-7689. FOR SALE: Original bold signature of Andrew Jackson on Land Grant, probably 1829, co-signed by George Graham, Commissioner of the General Land Office. Price 4000 USD. Call: James Tipton at 765-7689

Saw you in the Ojo 77

El Ojo del Lago / October 2010

Saw you in the Ojo 79