issue 953, Jul 9 - 15, 2015

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News MEXICO - SPAIN

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Jul 9 - 15, 2015 Free Issue 953

Summer Parenting stay at home mom

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Riviera Nayarit life on the ranch

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Courtesy Galeria Vallarta Ernesto Godínez artist

“niña con Flores”

welcome

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Welcome to Puerto Vallarta

and Riviera Nayarit Here is some advice to make your trip a little easier and more enjoyable.

TIME ZONE: The entire state of Jalisco is on Central Time, as is the southern part of the State of Nayarit starting from Guayabitos in the north.

BUSES: A system of urban buses with different routes can bring you from one end of the bay to the other and all the spots in between.

Current fare is $7.50 pesos per ticket and passengers must purchase a new ticket every time they board another bus. There are no “transfers”.

TAXIS: There are set rates within defined zones of town. Do not enter a taxi without agreeing on the price with the driver first. Price is per trip not person.

MONEY EXCHANGE: Although you may have to wait in line for a few minutes, banks will give you a higher rate of exchange than the exchange booths (caja de cambio). You will need your passport. Better yet, use your bank card to withdraw funds from any ATM machine. Note that ATM’s in the banks are the safest to use and generally charge lower fees.

DRINKING WATER: For the year 18 in a row, Puerto Vallarta’s water has been awarded a certification of purity for human consumption.

The quality of the water tested at the purification plant varies greatly from what comes out of the tap at the other end. So do be careful. If you want to be doubly sure, you can pick up bottled water just about anywhere.

EXPORTING PETS: Falling love with the street dog outside your hotel or a puppy on the Malecon doesn’t mean they can’t come home with you.

The process is fairly inexpensive and only takes a day or two. You need a certificate of health from a local vet among other things. The time of year that pets can travel in the cargo section of the plane may be your biggest challenge. For the most up-to-date information contact the Puerto Vallarta SPCA at spcapv@gmail.com.

COMMON SENSE: Just as you wouldn’t walk around your hometown drunk and beligerent, it is not acceptable to do that here. While Mexicans are a forgiving bunch, basic politeness is appreciated.

For the guys, peeing in public is a major faux pas and if you are caught, can get you tossed in jail or an expensive fine. Pay attention to your surroundings. Pay your bills. Be courteous. And have fun!

DRINKING AND DRIVING: First off – just don’t. The consequences are not worth it. Taxis are cheap and plentiful. Fines are as much as 10,000 pesos. You can be taken to jail and your vehicle impounded. There are many checkstops on the weekends and you will be asked to blow if they suspect you have been drinking.

LEGAL SYSTEM: Not knowing the law is not an valid excuse in Mexico or anywhere. If you find yourself caught in a legal situation be aware that guilt is presumed until your innocence can be proven.

This is a very difficult lesson to learn if you are visiting from the United States or Canada in particular. Immediately contact your consulate for assistance.

Jul 9 - 15, 2015 www.vallartatribune.com

Calling in Mexico Calling phones in Mexico can be tricky as it is different than in the US or Canada. There are different codes you need to use depending if you are calling landlines or cellular phones and if they are local or long distance.

Long-distance calls from within Mexico For national long-distance calls (within Mexico) the code is 01 plus the area code and phone number. For international long-distance calls, first dial 00, then the country code (for the U.S. and Canada the country code is 1, so you would dial 00 + 1 + area code + 7 digit number).

Calling Cell Phones (from a land line) If you are calling from a landline within the area code of the Mexican cell phone number dial 044, then the 10 digit number including area code. Outside of the area code (but still within Mexico) dial 045 and then the 10 digit phone number. Cell phone to cell phone only requires the 10 digit number.

Phone Cards Phone cards (“tarjetas telefonicas”) for use in pay phones can be bought at newstands and in pharmacies in denominations of 30, 50 and 100 pesos. Pay phones do not accept coins. When buying a phone card for pay phone use, specify that you would like a “tarjeta LADA,” because pre-paid cell phone cards are also sold in the same establishments.

Calling Toll-Free Numbers Some toll free numbers work from Mexico to the US and Canada, but many do not.

You need to dial a different prefix. To call the following toll free prefixes, dial as follows: 800 numbers Dial 001-880-then the number 866 numbers Dial 001-883-then the number 877 numbers Dial 001-882-then the number 888 numbers Dial 001-881-then the number

PEACEAnimals Gretchen DeWitt PEACEAnimal RIDES FOR RESCUE DOGS NEEDED for Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver. All expenses for dogs paid for.

Please contact MEXPUP or NOBARS - patty@mexpup. com; robin.nobars@gmail.com HOMES NEEDED: For the thousands of dogs and cats on the streets here, for hundreds of cats and dogs in refuges and in foster homes, and for dozens of healthy and beautiful dogs and cats at the Centro de Acopio, the city´s pound.

Dogs at the Centro de Acopio are only walked twice a week by volunteers organized by Friends of Puerto Vallarta Animals. Food is always needed. The government contributes two weeks of food annually.

Foster homes are needed for cats and dogs. Please contact the animal rescue organizations listed here. Most are found on Facebook or at www.peaceanimals.org ADOPCIÓNES VALLARTA Adopt Me PV Adopta un Amigo ADOPTA UN AMIGO NAYARIT Adopta Puerto Vallarta Amigos de los otros animales Animalistas ANIMALISTAS DE PUERTO VALLARTA ANGELICAT AyudaMutt Centro de Acopio Animal

Director Noemi Zamora noemizamorareynoso@gmail.com Editor Lic. Madeline Milne mmilne@Vallartatribune.com Sales Team Rebeca Castellón Rebeca.castellonn@gmail.com Information office ventastribuna7@yahoo.com Designer Cynthia E. Andrade G. cysandra@gmail.com cysandra@gmail.com cisandra@vallartatribune.com

Cuidando sus Huelitos Friends of Puerto Vallarta Animals Helping Pets in Puerto Vallarta LADRA Match Dog Com MexPup NO BORDERS ANIMAL RESCUE ORGANIZATION (NOBARS) Paraiso Felino

Vallarta Tribune is an activity and entertainment guide and merely publishes information as it is provided by the advertiser or event host. We do not assume responsibility in errors or omissions other than to correct them as soon as they are made known to us regarding event schedules, locations and/or prices. In addition, we do not assume any responsibility for erroneous inclusion or exclusion of information except to take reasonable care to ensure accuracy, that permission has been obtained to use it, and to remove it as soon as is practical upon receiving your notification of error. We recommend you always confirm prior to attending or visiting an event or establishment. Weekly publication edited, printed and distributed by Ediciones y Publicaciones Siete Junio, SA de CV Grupo Editorial Tribuna Calle 21 de Marzo # 1174 Col. Lomas del Coapinole Del. El Pitillal, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco México CP 48290 Tel. 226-0800 editor@vallartatribune.com * www.vallartatribune.com * www.facebook.com/vallarta.tribune

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Editor’s

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Jul 9 - 15, 2015 www.vallartatribune.com

PROTECTION AND CARE OF ANIMALS

editor@vallartatribune.com

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his week I am in Canada for a family reunion. I got off the plane in Vancouver to mid 30’s temperatures and because of very little rain for the past few months, 180 forest fires burning in the province of British Columbia. A thick layer of smoke has settled over most of the southern coast, including Vancouver Island where I’m taking a few days of rest.

Back in Vallarta the rains are still only ominously teasing and I fear that when I return my garden, that needs need daily watering, will be dead.

Whether we are in Canada the US or Mexico, once again we are experiencing the world’s hottest/driest conditions and while we will inevitably see rain soon, it should give all of us pause and hopefully make plans for the generations ahead.

Years ago I read a very interesting article about planning long term for the affects of global climate change and one of the best places to live will be Western Mexico and oddly, the interior of India. The expectation is that drought, rising sea levels, monster storms and such won’t affect these areas as severely.

From Sinaloa to Colima, those of us that call Mexico home are truly are blessed with

some of the world’s best growing conditions, huge swaths of nearly pristine forest and buckets of fresh water.

Here in Victoria/Vancouver we are faced with another crisis – or at least I am.

The hot summer conditions have depleted the various stores of good selections and sale prices. I can’t find a garden mister to save my life. I may be forced in conserving some of my stock-piled funds for another visit.

In fact though, after living in Mexico for four years there’s not much I need and can’t find in Vallarta or Guadalajara. Some things are a much better price in Canada like quality sheets and beauty products and some things only come in my size up north, like shoes. I know there are those people who still can’t live without a certain flavor of potato chip.

(Hello Ketchup, I’m looking at you.) But for the most part the two cultures have become very well blended in my life.

Please clean the garbage off the streets and river banks because that rain is coming and all that trash will head straight for our beautiful ocean. Let’s protect it as much as we can and give thanks.

Stay cool. See you next week.

Madeline

Are you ready for the 3rd Punta Mita Beach Festival?

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re you ready for the third edition of the Punta Mita Beach Festival? Once again, the St. Regis Punta Mita Resort will host a weekend full of fun with great activities, fine dining and special bites prepared by the best local and guest chefs and an exquisite selection of gourmet cocktails, delicious wines and seductive spirits.

From July 9th-12th get ready to enjoy life, play, eat, drink and dance under the sunny skies of Punta Mita and of course, continue the celebration with the fabulous parties under the stars.

3. Pets from seven weeks of age must be sterilized unless you have obtained a permit for reproduction.

SPCA of Puerto Vallarta

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ome and spend a rewarding afternoon cuddling the animals at Puerto Vallarta’s SPCA Sanctuary.

Our dogs and cats are awaiting “forever homes” and your help is needed to jump start their socialization. The goal is to get these animals adjusted and ready to interact in the real world. The majority of the SPCA animals either come from extremely abusive situations or they have been abandoned.

Your love and attention can make up for that sad history. During your visit, you can interact with the animals and even take a dog (or two or three) for a walk. You can also play with the animals, assist the vet or help with dinner time.

Are you ready to get involved? Pack your bag for an amazing afternoon at the SPCA! Please bring water, a sack lunch and any treats you might enjoy during your visit.

Sharing food with the animals is prohibited. We encourage you to bring your camera.

Take as many photos as you like, and share them with us and your social media community.

Your photos and videos can help these dogs and cats find their forever homes with people who will treat them with the

Janice Gonzalez

love and care they deserve.

We have scheduled tours each week and vehicle space is limited. We ask everyone to meet in the Costco parking lot beside the three large trees in open grassy area. You can either caravan in your own vehicle or ride with us out to the Sanctuary (reservations necessary). The length of the tour is at the discretion of our visitors and can be anywhere from one to four hours in length.

Please feel free to bring donations and treats for sanctuary staff as they truly appreciate it.

If you would like to make a donation other than money to the SPCA, here is a list of items we can ALWAYS use: Kong’s or very hard rubber chew toys (we cannot use soft plastic toys anymore due to ingestion worries); Chuck it balls ... hard rubber; stuffed toys for puppies; BLUE BAG Costco dog food salmon – ONLY; all natural dog treats; towels, blankets, Lysol, powdered laundry detergent; office supplies such as paper, pens, clip boards, scissors, plastic cups for water for our staff and volunteers.

Get involved…rescue, adopt, foster, volunteer, donate or educate.

You can learn more about the SPCA Puerto Vallarta by checking us out at www.spcapv.com/home

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Jul 9 - 15, 2015 www.vallartatribune.com

King Felipe VI: No Limits to Spain-Mexico Relations

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pain’s king told the Mexican Congress on Tuesday that relations between the two countries “have no limits” and expressed his support for the process of reforms undertaken by the president of the Aztec nation, Enrique Peña Nieto.

Felipe VI, accompanied by Queen Letizia, took part in a solemn session of the Permanent Commission representing both the Senate and the lower house, in the most important political act of his state visit to Mexico.

“The possibilities for Mexico and Spain to come together and take action have no limits,” the king said.

Felipe expressed his support for the reform process agreed upon in December 2012 between Peña Nieto’s PRI and Mexico’s other

major parties, and said it showed “great vision, patriotism and historic responsibility.”

These reforms, according to Felipe VI, transmit “a clear determination on the part of your society and institutions to make progress

and improvements.”

“I wish to express here today our support and willingness to accompany Mexico through this new stage,” the Spanish head of state said.

Felipe VI described Mexico as

Sagarpa wants to improve coffee output Agriculture Secretariat gets more funds, and plantations are being renewed

“one of the world’s great democracies,” endowed with “an open, vibrant political system with some solid institutions.”

The king pointed to the close collaboration of Mexico and Spain as strategic partners since 2007, as well as on the international stage where they exercise “a true complicity” in areas like Ibero-America and the Pacific, and in working to reform the United Nations.

He also noted their collaboration in the fight against organized crime and against climate change.

On an international level, he stressed Spain’s interest in a “closer, more modern” relationship between Mexico and the European Union.

“Mexico and Spain have the duty and the honor to travel the road together and to face with all

the strength of our brotherhood the challenges of this new century,” Felipe said, to the lawmakers’ applause.

The session in Congress came after a business forum in which the royals took part with Peña Nieto to explore new areas of economic cooperation.

The agenda on the second day of the state visit continued with a luncheon at which the king and queen were to share a table with a group of Mexican luminaries including media moguls Emilio Azcarraga Jean and Ricardo Salinas, Cervantes Prize-winning author Elena Poniatowska and historian Enrique Krauze.

The royals were scheduled to end the day at a meeting with the Spanish expatriate community in Mexico City.

16-century aqueduct added to UNESCO list Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque is noted for its series of high arches

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exico’s coffee production is down and the federal Agriculture Secretariat (Sagarpa) wants to do something about it. But it’s a challenge both to boost productivity and attract more producers to grow the crop, says Belisario Domínguez Méndez, director of productivity and technological development.

For Sagarpa, coffee is an important sector and was allocated 700 million pesos in the 2015 budget.

But in an effort to stimulate the industry’s development and growth, another 1.3 billion pesos was added.

The government is currently completing a registry of coffee producers as Sagarpa has been working with information that is 12 years out of date, said Domínguez.

Coffee production in Mexico has dropped significantly: output was 3.6 million bags in the 2014-15

season, down from 6 million in 2000.

Domínguez believes that to reverse the trend Mexico must increase its investment in the sector, improve the technology used and spur domestic consumption.

“Although not serious, coffee conditions in Mexico do need our attention. Some coffee plantations have a small plants-per-hectare ratio, and plants aren’t fertilized or trimmed, they’re practically abandoned. Sagarpa must encourage and contribute to the development of coffee cultivation,” said Domínguez.

Twelve states in Mexico are coffee producers: Chiapas, Colima, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Veracruz and Tabasco.

Mexico is the world’s ninth largest coffee producer but the second largest producer of organic

coffee, Agriculture Secretary Enrique Martínez y Martínez said yesterday at the inauguration of the International Coffee Convention, being held this year in Mexico City.

He told the conference that among measures being implemented to strengthen the coffee industry is the renewal of more than 75,000 hectares of coffee plantations with plants that are resistant to coffee leaf rust, or roya, and other problems. Martínez said Sagarpa’s objective is to renew at least 250,000 hectares before the end of the administration’s term in 2018.

Roya is a serious problem in many coffee-growing areas.

Growers in Veracruz said in April they were seeing the worst year in the history of coffee production in the state.

Source: El Economista Mexico News Daily

exico now has 33 UNESCO World Heritage Sites following the addition yesterday of the Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque to the list.

Built between 1554 and 1571, the aqueduct is noted for its series of arches, three in total, of which the Main Arcade with 67 arches is the tallest at 39 meters. It crosses the Papalote River near Santiago Tepeyahualco.

Much of the 48-kilometer aqueduct, located in the states of Hidalgo and México, is underground.

Its construction was initiated by the Franciscan friar Francisco de Tembleque to carry water from what is now Zempoala, Hidalgo, to Otumba in the State of México.

It is considered the largest hydraulic engineering project built in the Americas during the period of Spanish rule and encompasses a water catchment area, springs, canals, distribution tanks as well as its series of arcades.

UNESCO describes it as an example of the exchange of

influences between European tradition of Roman hydraulics and traditional Mesoamerican construction techniques, including the use of adobe.

Some 400 laborers from 40 villages worked on the project, which was paid for through the sale of textiles by women of the villages at public markets.

Mexico is No. 6 on the list of countries with the most UNESCO heritage sites: 27 are cultural sites, five are natural heritage and one is designated as mixed, or both cultural and natural.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee approved four other sites yesterday, and the extension of another.

They are the Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining in Japan; Ephesus in Turkey; and Fray Bentos Cultural-Industrial Landscape in Uruguay.

The extension was an addition to the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain.

Source: Televisa (sp) Mexico Daily News

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Jul 9 - 15, 2015 www.vallartatribune.com

A wedding in Oaxaca with no ordinary bride Young and reptilian, the lizard princess marries the mayor

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he mayor of San Pedro Huamelula, a municipality of several thousand people in the isthmus region of Oaxaca, got married last month, but it was no ordinary wedding.

Indeed, there was nothing ordinary about the bride either, who was barely 18 months old.

And a crocodile at that.

The lizard princess, as she is known, is the symbolic daughter of the Huave people and the totem figure of the nearby town of San Mateo del Mar. Each year, she is offered in matrimony to the mayor of San Pedro Huamelula in a rite of amity and fertility. Both towns lie close to the port of Salina Cruz, on the Pacific coast of the state of Oaxaca.

Wearing a blue and green dress and red plastic flowers on her head, the squirming lizard princess visits every home in Huamelula accompanied by a band of musicians.

Despite having her jaws fastened shut by a white ribbon, the princess looks colorful and festive, her finery erasing all her ferocity.

“She is now a holy being,” says town chronicler Jaime Zárate Escamilla.

Before the wedding, the princess child, as the crocodile is also called, is baptized by the town’s seniors at the San Pedro Apóstol church, “removing all of its bestiality,” says councilor Flor de Liz Aquino Hernández, whose job it is to find and capture the 18 month-old reptile.

Following the baptism, the brideto-be is introduced to residents.

José Trinidad Pomposo is in charge of carrying the lizard princess in a saunter across town. He wears a traditional manta outfit and is the captain of the mareño comparsa, one of the five dancing troupes that escort the princess. Mareños are also known as Huaves or Guapis; the other four troupes are the Muljú (blacks); the Pichilinguis (turks); the Caballeros (guardians); and the Mulyatas (mulattas), homosexual men who don traditional chontal dresses. Trinidad presents the princess to the people of Huamelula,

Mexico Bank Lending Rises

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exico's central bank reports that commercial bank lending to the private sector rose 7.3% year-on-year (YOY) in real terms in May. In the period between January and May 2015, monthly growth in commercial bank lending to the private sector averaged 1.0%, up sharply from an average growth rate of 0.4% in the same period last year.

Growth in bank lending in May was broad-based.

Mortgage and corporate loans rose 0.5% in monthly terms, while consumer loans rose 0.7%.

visiting them at their homes and solemnly proclaiming: “I come, as is our people’s tradition, to introduce the lizard princess to you, so you get a chance to meet her, hoping that the rains will be benevolent, and that sickness may stay away from you and yours. That your life is good and your harvest, bountiful. Now, you can dance with the bride.”

For their part, each household makes a symbolic contribution to the mareños of 10 to 100 pesos and then people have a chance to carry the bride and dance with her on their patios, fulfilling the bonding ritual with the lizard princess.

Mexico Gross Fixed Investment Rises 5.2%

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ross fixed investment in Mexico climbed 5.2 percent in April compared with the same month in 2014, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, or INEGI, said Friday.

The increase was due to a 4.2 percent hike in construction spending and an advance of 7.9 percent

Adorable Dog In The Spotlight... BANDIT

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his little guy is sure to steal your heart so we named him appropriately Bandit! Bandit is just four months old and a Labrador X Doberman mix.

Currently around ten pounds, he should grow to a medium sized dog of around 40 pounds. Bandit is very playful and cuddly but be forewarned, he is still a puppy and a pretty rambunctious. He just loves his chew toys. If you think Bandit is your kind of guy, contact us for an application at spcapv@gmail.com.

At the end of her two-hour tour around town, the princess returns to the house of her padrinos, the godparents. She is dressed in her wedding gown and then she waits for the groom, Mayor Joel Vásquez Rojas, and the Guapis troupe to take her to the Palacio Municipal, or city hall.

At the entrance to city hall two elderly men throw their casting nets to the four cardinal points of the compass, beseeching permission and blessings for the princess’ matrimony.

The wedding proper takes place before the town council, where after

one hour of negotiations the marital bond is completed, and a kiss between the the mayor and the princess seals the deal. The former then takes his bride to the town’s central plaza where they dance a son before the townspeople, fulfilling the tradition for yet another year.

The wedding represents the relationship between humankind and nature, explains Vásquez Rojas, and is also a way of honoring the fraternity between the Huave and Chontal people, who have always shared the Pacific seaboard.

“This is a pact with which we seek the harmonization of nature and humankind. Huamelula is a magical town that honors and preserves these fertility festivities, through which we ask for a good fishing and farming year.

On this day we close our pact with the sea, with the sky and the land.

We thus maintain an equilibrium, giving everything its proper perspective without altering or destroying,” explained the mayor.

The wedding festivities in Huamelula began on June 23. Traditional dancing and theatrical representations of the Spanish conquest take place for a week, ending on the 30th.

Source: El Universal (sp) Mexico Daily News

in outlays on machinery and equipment, INEGI said in a statement.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, gross fixed investment edged up 0.4 percent from March to April, powered by gains of 2.4 percent in expenditures on machinery and equipment and 0.4 percent in construction spending.

Mexico’s economy grew 2.1 percent last year, better than the 2013 figure of 1.4 percent, but well short of the official forecast of 3.9 percent growth.

The government expects gross domestic product to expand this year by between 2.2 percent and 3.2 percent.

Emergencies: 060 Red Cross: 065 Non-Emergency Police 322.290.0507 Fire Department: 322.223.9476 Ambulance: 322.222.1533

Consulates American Consulate Nuevo Vallarta: 322.222.0069 24 hrs Guadalajara: 333.268.2145

Immigration: 322.224.7719 Consumer Protection: 01.800.468.8722 Tourism Offices Jalisco: 322.221.2676 Nayarit: 322.297.1006

Canadian Consulate 322.293.2894 24 hrs: 1.800.706.2900

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Jul 9 - 15, 2015 www.vallartatribune.com

Paradise

and Parenting Leza Warkentin mommyinmexico.wordpress.com

Summer Stay-AtHome Mom

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really think that I have the best of both worlds. I have a career that I love, plus I get to be a stayat-home mom for two months in summer. I try to catch up on home projects, plus enjoy full-time focus on my family.

This year, my children asked me if they could continue attending school in the Spanish program for two weeks once the English program (and my own job) finished on June 19. I worked carefully to keep my features serious and calm as I consented, sitting on my hands to keep them from clapping or fist pumping the air.

I don’t know if it’s quite normal for children to request more learning once their schooling is technically over for the year. I don’t actually care. You need to realize that, while my children have always been and will always be top priority in my life, I spend 24 hours a day, seven days a week being responsible for lots of children.

Silence is not something to which I am accustomed. But I was willing to give it a try for two weeks from 9:00am to 12:30pm.

Of course, I just knew that I would get so much accomplished during those three hours. There were many things I needed to do and just never seemed to have a spare moment. It would be like having twenty-seven hours in the day, with three of them being Just For Me! I would clean out the closets! I would make brilliant, delicious food! I would get all my banking done, revitalize my workout program (ie start it), and read a professional development book!

My husband, as it happens, had other plans. He generally works in the evening, so he does the daytime house stuff while I teach.

Thus, he is deeply knowledgeable in the art of domesticity. Wanting to learn from the master, I followed his lead.

Not only were his ideas way more awesome than the stuff on my first list, we did everything together, just like we used to before we had kids and adopted the Divide and Conquer philosophy. We: 1) watched “Supernatural” on Netflix, in sweatpants, for three straight hours 2) stared at the ceiling for an hour while trying to remember a fairly important PIN number 3) worked out twice before I damaged something that was probably keeping my arm bones connected 4) made a list of people we know who have access to pools 5) maintained a sense of outrage while reading the comments section on articles we found on Facebook 6) taught our dog Max to also answer to the name “Frankie” 7) cooked about three full meals, defrosted bagels for two, googled “cheap restaurants with A/C in vallarta” for the others 8) googled “rain dances that really work” 9) ate breakfast at Salud Superfood on Olas Altas, ordering whatever we wanted and making a point of NOT asking for the children’s menu We had a great time, in other words. But I’ll be honest; we were also always the first people in line at school pickup, arriving at 12:27 like clockwork, waiting to hear the chatter the moment the car door opened and two happy kids tumbled inside. Having those few hours to ourselves just made us more rested and ready to hear all about how our son got a basket in P.E. for the first time EVER IN HIS WHOLE LIFE and our daughter really GETS the multiplication tables.

The kids will spend one week at a local day camp this summer, and we will spend that week finishing up the first eight seasons of “Supernatural”. But we are also glad to spend the rest of the summer holidays making up rain dances with these two. Happy summer vacation!

“Help us Achieve It” altruism which transforms lives through education

By Sara Cardona

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xpert in communications and educator. She is currently the director of the foundation “Alas de Águila”, dedicated to social assistance for 20 years.

When we think of actively participating in reducing the problems in our city, the first thing that comes to mind is to focus on one of the fundamental pillars which includes education, art and culture.

This makes a tangible contribution to the transformation of a region and helps youth avoid falling into the snares of delinquency and addictions, it is a way to lessen our country’s social problems.

Becas Vallarta A.C. is a 52 year-old charitable organization dedicated to helping children and youth continue their studies with the support of both foreign and local communities.

This fundraising organization’s goal is to grant scholarships to children who demons-

trate academic excellence but have few economic resources in Puerto Vallarta.

Their support stretches from secondary school through their university studies in a partnering that begins when the scholarship winners first receive help and continues through the time when they get their degree.

The secondary school scholarship winners receive vouchers which cover the cost of their school uniform, their sport clothes, both tennis and school shoes and a school kit (pencils, notebooks, math supplies, a dictionary, calculator, etc.)

Recipients in “preparatoria” (last three years of high school) and in the university, are given monetary support twice a year, each semester.

They are free to spend this money on what they need most, bus transportation, registration, books or in some cases, even food.

This charitable organization survives thanks to the support of people wanting to help the

cause and the backing of the America-Mexico Foundation.

Becas A.C. organizes its traditional fundraising breakfasts during the winter season, starting in November.

There are prizes, raffles and an auction of lovely works of art, as well as exceptional gift certificates from restaurants and businesses in Puerto Vallarta, who are always willing to help as sponsors to support the students.

Other important events organized during the year are the Golf Tournament and the Great Dinner Dance “Becas Ball” around March, which both local and foreign communities attend year after year.

It is one of the most wonderful events organized by a charity in Puerto Vallarta.

If you wish to support this charitable organization please visit: Becas Vallarta A charitable gesture that transforms lives through education.

Original: visitpuertovallarta. com

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Jul 9 - 15, 2015 www.vallartatribune.com

Frida Kahlo and Her Garden

By Jessica Murphy

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rida Kahlo was born July 6th in 1907. To celebrate the artist, here's a look at some of the natural inspirations that appear in her work as seen in "Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life" at the New York Botanical Garden.

The artist Frida Kahlo is famous for her paintings, especially her revealing and often dramatic self-portraits. A new exhibition at The New York Botanical Garden re-stages another of her creations: her private garden in Mexico City.

Admirers of Frida Kahlo can immediately identify the artist’s signature style: her dark brows, her colorful dresses, and the ribbons and flowers in her hair.

Just like the embroidered dresses, which were a nod to Mexico’s past, the flowers had a deeper personal meaning: they were often picked from Kahlo’s own garden.

Kahlo possessed a strong love for the natural world throughout her life. She also took pride in her homeland’s culture and history, from its ancient civilizations to the Mexican Revolution that began in 1910 (just three years after she was born). Her garden was one of the ways she expressed these values.

Many of Kahlo’s iconic self-portraits include imagery of foliage and flowers from her garden. In addition to her traditional Mexican clothing and jewelry made from shells, stones or bones, as well as her pet birds and monkeys, she frequently incorporated plants like “elephant-ear” leaves from the aroid (Araceae) family and whitehaired “old-man cactus” (viejo), or other cacti and an assortment of flowers. By combining her own likeness and these additional details, she stressed the close links between humans, animals, and the natural landscape.

Kahlo lived most of her life in her family home, located in Coyoacán, on the outskirts of Mexico City. Her father had purchased it in 1904; it was a single-story building with a central courtyard. After Kahlo and the famous muralist Diego Rivera married in 1929, the couple lived together in this house and decorated it with the Mexican art and antiques that they both loved.

They expanded the property, built an addition to the house and slowly transformed the garden, mixing native Mexican plants like sunflowers, dahlias, and cacti with

An evocation of Frida Kahlo’s studio overlooking her garden from “Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life” at the New York Botanical Garden. (Photo: Ivo M. Vermeulen) the European species (like ivy and roses) that Kahlo’s family had already cultivated there.

Since 1958, Kahlo’s home has been open to the public as the Museo Frida Kahlo and is one of Mexico City’s most popular sites.

However, even if you’re not able to travel to Mexico this summer, there’s a way to sample one of the Museo’s greatest pleasures. For the exhibition “Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life,” a team of scholars and horticulturalists has recreated elements of Kahlo’s garden in a conservatory setting at the New York Botanical Garden. The exhibit centers around a courtyard modeled after the one in Kahlo’s house, with walls painted in the exact blue shade that gave her home its nickname of “Casa Azul” (“Blue House”). Along the walls and pathways, and around fountains and water pools, Kahlo’s inventive plantings of trees, shrubs and flowers have been replicated for visitors to enjoy.

A focal point of the Casa Azul’s garden, reconstructed for this show, is a tiered pyramid painted in bright colors. The original pyramid, inspired by ancient Aztec structures, was built to showcase Rivera’s collection of pre-Hispanic sculptures and other decorative objects. Rivera and Kahlo shared a strong sense of nationalism and wanted to revive Mexico’s indigenous culture, looking back to the time before Spanish colonization.

The Botanical Garden’s version of their pyramid displays a variety of potted cacti and flowers, all native to Mexico.

In addition to the garden displays, 14 works by Kahlo are

being shown in the Botanical Garden’s Art Gallery, including several of Kahlo’s still-life paintings of fruit. Kahlo said, “Fruits are like flowers: they speak to us in provocative language and teach us things that are hidden.” For these works, Kahlo selected fruits and vegetables that had grown in her garden or bought at local street markets.

She particularly enjoyed depicting native Mexican fruits like prickly pears, mamey sapote, and Mexican hawthorn (also known as manzanita or tejocote), as well as citrus fruits that had been introduced to Mexico from other parts of the world. Kahlo’s fruit paintings often featured her pet parrots, which roamed freely throughout her house and garden.

Before leaving the exhibition at the New York Botanical Garden, visitors can stop and look closely at a recreation of Kahlo’s studio worktable. At the Casa Azul, her table stands facing a large window that looks out onto the garden. In the New York Botanical Garden’s interpretation, a similar desk is positioned directly within the plantings, with its easel, pigments and brushes carefully arranged just as Kahlo might have placed them.

In this setting, as in the original location, we can begin to understand how this garden refuge gave Kahlo lasting inspiration, even to her final days at the Casa Azul. As she once wrote, “I paint flowers so they will not die.”

“Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life” will be open at The New York Botanical Garden in New York through November 1, 2015. www.biography.com

After Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo (pictured) married in 1929, they lived in Kahlo’s family home and slowly transformed the garden, mixing native Mexican plants like sunflowers, dahlias, and cacti with European species like ivy and roses. (Photo: Bettmann/CORBIS)

Kahlo often included her pet monkeys, as well as foliage and flowers from her garden in her paintings, as seen in this 1938 self-portrait. (Photo: Albright-Knox Art Gallery/CORBIS)

Vallarta Shopping Directory and events

www.puertovallartadining-shopping.com

MEN AND WOMEN’S JEWELRY AND ACCESORIES. CASSANDRA SHAW JEWELRY 223 9734 BASILIO BADILLO 276 OLD TOWN OPEN DAILY

Galeria Vallarta Summer Specials

S

ummer is a good time to look over your decor and be ready with a new look for your home or condo when things get so busy you don`t have time to think about it. Check your paintings and prints to be sure they are not sun faded or water damaged and see if frames need to be retouched and that they have no insect damage as often happens in our climate.

Casa Corona:

We can take care of renewing your artworks at Galeria Vallarta plus we have a great selection of prints and giclees to replace some you are tired of or are damaged. Just changing a frame or mat often does wonders so let us help you with suggestions.

Also we work with a group of fine artists who can paint originals of anything you might like in the size and style you specify.

During summer you can get original artwork for much better prices than during the high season so this is the time to take advantage of the artists free time. Giclees on canvas are an ideal and inexpensive way to decorate

Offered at $369,000 USD

Casa Corona: a gem in Gringo Gulch, 2 + bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, fantastic views to town, walking distance to the Malecon, great open space, perfect for a B&B. Contact: alfonso@tropicasa.com your home as they are very durable, give the look of the original painting and if you rent out your condo when you are not here you don`t have to worry about leaving original art on the walls.

You can check our website at www.galeriavallartapv.com or http://artbygaleriavallarta.blogspot.com for images of some of the artwork that is available or let us know what you have in mind and we will get it for you.

We can also put you in touch with the right people for your other decorating wishes. Galeria Vallarta is open only by appointment during the summer but you can contact us every Friday morning at the Marsol Friday market by the pier 9:30 to 1:30pm to discuss your decorating desires, or contact us at gallerypvallarta@gmail.com or webart@prodigy.net.mx to make an appointment.

celebrity

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Jul 9 - 15, 2015 www.vallartatribune.com

Dolores Del Rio – The Princess of Mexico

By Fred Jacobs

D

olores was born in 1905 in Durango. She is the descendant of an aristocratic and devout Catholic family. The Mexican Revolution forced them to move to Mexico City. Her ambition was to become a ballet dancer like the Russian Anna Pavlov. At the age of 16 she married a wealthy socialite, Jaime Del Rio, who was 18 years her senior.

They spent three years in Europe and met all the “right” people. The marriage lasted eight years. Her husband was a screen writer and Dolores used his name during her long screen career.

Her first movie role was in a silent film called “Joanna “and was followed by “High Steppers”.

From 1926 until 1932 she was a silent movie star. Her last silent film was in “Bird of Paradise with Joel McCrea. She performed a nude swimming scene. It caused a stir but this was before Hollywood censorship. She became known as the female Rudolph Valentino.

In 1930 Dolores married art designer Cedric Gibbons and kept company with celebrities like Greta Garbo and Errol Flynn.

Dolores was a big star but her drawback was her heavy Latin accent. Her first big movie was “Flying down to Rio” with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. From 1934 to 1942 she co-stared with Al Jolson, George Sanders, Peter Lorre, Joseph Cotton, Orson Welles, to mention a few.

Her sensational career came to an abrupt end as she was

accused of being a communist sympathizer. So were Lupe Velez and George Cagney. Nobody wanted to hire her in Hollywood.

She was after all a Mexican.

She kept busy with a three year love affair with Orson Welles and then returned to Mexico and acted throughout Europe becoming the symbol of the Art Deco era.

In 1942 she made her first Mexican movie and followed by many more. In 1958 she costarred with Maria Felix in “La Cucaracha.” It was the only time these two stars were in the same successful movie. She was barred from the US movie scene after the McCarthy hearings.

In 1960 she was 55 years old

and finally returned to Hollywood in “Flaming Star” with Elvis Presley. As she slowed down she made “Dry Autumn“ with Richard Widmark and James Stewart. Not to forget the 1967 movie “More of a Miracle” with Sophia Loren and Omar Shariff. Her last movie was made in 1978 called: “The Children of Sanchez” with Anthony Quinn and Bette Davis.

Her movie career spanned over 53 years and 50 films. Her later years were devoted to charity work in Mexico. She passed away in 1983 of liver disease, she was cremated and her ashes sent to the Pantheon de Dolores.

Fred Jacobs is the author of 3 Books and a resident of Puerto Vallarta for a decade.

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entertainment, financial, tech editors

Jul 9 - 15, 2015 www.vallartatribune.com

The 2015 summer reading list for innovation junkies

By Dominic Basulto Special to The Washington Post.

M

y recommended reading list for this summer includes 10 books with very different approaches to innovation. In some cases, these books take you inside the thought process of a top innovator, whether it's a Silicon Valley entrepreneur (Elon Musk), a Hollywood filmmaker (Brian Grazer) or a Nobel Prize laureate (Alvin E. Roth).

In other cases, these books give you insights into the fields and disciplines — such as cybersecurity, space exploration and artificial intelligence — that are shaping the future of global innovation.

"Who Gets What — and Why,"

by Alvin E. Roth Markets are part of our everyday life, whether it's landing a vacation rental on Airbnb, bidding for an item on eBay, or finding your future life partner in the dating pool. Stanford professor Alvin E. Roth, the co-recipient of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Economics, explains the science of matchmaking and market design, pointing out how and why "matching markets" work.

As Roth points out, these ideas about intelligent and effective market design are relevant for both business and government. Just another reminder that, for Silicon Valley start-ups, matchmaking should be top-of-mind when thinking about new products and new markets.

"A Curious Mind,"

by Brian Grazer and Charles Fishman In addition to producing films such as "Apollo 13" and "A Beautiful Mind" (starring Russell Crowe as brilliant mathematician John Nash, who passed away in May), Hollywood filmmaker Brian Grazer was also the creative genius behind the Emmy-nominated "24" TV series.

So what has inspired Grazer? It turns out that he's a fan of weekly "curiosity conversations," which are a way for him to find out more about subjects or people that he knows nothing about.

Any innovator can learn from this approach — it's not enough just to have deep domain knowledge, one also needs the ability to be inspired by ideas from a wide range of different disciplines.

"Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX and the Quest for a Fantastic Future,"

by Ashlee Vance Elon Musk might just be the most famous innovator in America, if not the world, these days. If you want to get inside his head and see what makes him tick, this biography is a fascinating read. It turns out that Musk is just as driven and eccentric as you might expect him to be, working 23-hour days and reading up on Soviet rocket manuals in his spare time. Based on Musk's unique experience starting companies such as Tesla and SpaceX, Vance suggests that he will come to be seen as an American innovation giant, in the mold of a Edison or Ford.

"Work Rules! Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead,"

takes you to the front lines of the cyber wars, showing how hackers are subjecting the world's computers and information to constant attack. If you thought that cyberattacks by North Korea and China are isolated events, think again: there's a vast, worldwide group of people who are using technology in ways you'd never expect, making all of us vulnerable. In some cases, software has become "crimeware."

In other cases, wearable devices could become the subject of attacks.

"Creative Schools,"

by Ken Robinson How will the schools of today prepare the innovators of tomorrow? There's perhaps no one better on the planet to explain that than Sir Ken Robinson, one of the world's preeminent experts on education and school creativity. He's also the most-watched TED speaker in history. His TED video "Do Schools Kill Creativity?" has been watched nearly 34 million times on the TED website (and another 8 million times on YouTube), so it's good to see that he's back with more ideas about what he's calling a "grassroots revolution" in school creativity.

"Beyond Measure: The Big Impact of Small Changes,"

by Laszlo Bock

by Margaret Heffernan

While books about Google are not quite as unique as they used to be, this one comes from the head of Google's People Operations. Laszlo Bock explains how Google goes about finding the best and the brightest employees and offers suggestions on how to make any workplace more innovative.

(One important concept: Only hire people who are smarter than you, no matter how long it takes to find them.) These ideas can be used when trying to attract employees to a new start-up, or just trying to max out the creative throughput in your cubicle farm.

Looking to introduce epic change and innovation in your company?

You might be served by thinking in terms of innovation baby steps, says Margaret Heffernan. Small shifts, when well-executed, can have outsized results. That's both instructive and inspiring — especially when trying to bring innovation to a large organization entrenched in the old ways of doing things. Watch Heffernan's TED Talk on "Superchickens" — as she explains, trying to create a super company by staffing it entirely with "superchickens" could be a recipe for disaster. (Superchickens get to the top of the pecking order by pecking away everyone else.) In the same way, trying to create an innovative company by only focusing on super innovations may not turn out as planned.

"Future Crimes,"

by Marc Goodman Cybersecurity has emerged as an important issue — not just in the tech sector, but also as part of the evolving national security debate.

Goodman, a former "futurist in residence at the FBI" and the founder of the Future Crimes Institute,

"Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind,"

by Yuval Noah Harari

As you might guess, a "brief history" of humankind is not really all that brief — nearly 450 pages, with in-depth descriptions of biology, history and evolution.

But it was a Mark Zuckerberg Book Club selection in June, and Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari's concept of a "Cognitive Revolution" for humankind is compelling. Cognitive adaptations during evolution — such as the embrace of language — have made humankind "the deadliest species in the annals of biology" as well as the most innovative. And there's potentially more to come given humankind's embrace of artificial intelligence and genetic engineering.

"Why Information Grows,"

by Cesar Hidalgo We may be drowning in a sea of informational complexity, but that's okay, according to Hidalgo, a researcher at the MIT Media Lab who is often considered to be one of the most innovative people in the world.

As Hidalgo explains, there's an important correlation between information growth and economic growth, and between economic complexity and national competiti-

veness. The book builds on Hidalgo's earlier work on "The Atlas of Economic Complexity," which ranked national economies based on their "complexity," not on their annual GDP or per capita income.

"The Martian,"

by Andy Weir Weir's 2014 book, which has been described as "Robinson Crusoe in a space suit" will be hitting the big screens later this year as a Ridley Scott blockbuster starring Matt Damon as an American astronaut stranded on Mars. In much the same way as "Interstellar" launched public conversations about space exploration and the physics of deep space, it's easy to see how "The Martian" could get people talking about Mars.

In fact, NASA has been supportive of the book, seeing it as a way to build public support for additional Mars funding. As an added bonus, the book comes with a fascinating backstory, starting life as a series of self-published stories given away for free on the author's personal Web site.

Basulto is a futurist and blogger based in New York City.

riviera nayarit

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Jul 9 - 15, 2015 www.vallartatribune.com

Fun on the Riviera Nayarit

By Cat Morgan

www.rivieranayaritfun.com

Life on the Ranch

H

ola a todos! Is it hot and humid enough for you yet? As I write this it’s 90 degrees fahrenheit with about 65% humidity. Although some cloud cover has been overhead cooling things down a bit and looking like it may rain, no rain yet at my casa! Rain would be quite welcomed.

Moving is not an easy task for most. In fact, the stress level is right up there with holidays and divorce.

This move was truly one of the more difficult moves I have had.

Moving from my lovely bay view was a tough decision, but I just could not keep up with the caretaking of the property any longer, and there were issues with maintenance for the casa.

Also, the jeep really used a lot of gas on the Punta Mita Hwy with the hilly winding road at about 4 bucks (US) a gallon! Since I have moved here to Mexico I have either been right on the playa, or with an amazing bay view. This is

the first time I have lived “inland” being a five minute drive to the beach. Five whole minutes!

I really do, however, love my new ranch home with lots of room, a large fenced in yard and plenty of food.

With the fruit trees: yaca, limes, guanabana, bananas, papaya, noni, mangos, star fruit, cactus, nanci, coconuts, cinnamon and a black pepper tree, and a couple of others (I am not sure what they are yet) so there is plenty to eat by canning and freezing all year around.

The star fruit, limes, bananas, papaya, yaca (or Jack fruit), noni and the guanabana are in season right now, with the nanci fruit filling the tree waiting to ripen.

I made guanabana fruit water yesterday …delicious and healthy. Apparently, it helps to prevent and cure cancer (so they say). Next to do is make the star fruit jam. The tree is full of star fruit right now. I need to learn how to clean a yaca. I hear it’s quite messy! My friend Mary in PV makes a Yaca BBQ. Apparently

it is like shredded beef. I need to get her recipe!

I am also so very lucky to have the owners of the ranch also own property next door where they raise their lambs, chickens, ducks, turkeys and pigs.

They keep their yard and pens very clean and feed their animal’s fresh fruit and grains every day.

The ducks and pigs love tortillas as well.

My fortunate luck is that I get to collect the chicken and duck eggs every day. Fresh farm eggs are so good! They have peacocks.

Unfortunately, I found the male deceased last week. It had been bitten by a scorpion. He was

so very beautiful. He was truly the king of the yard. The female seems sad. He is dearly missed. I hope they can get another male, even though they are much louder than the roosters! I am use to the Chachalaca’s making big noise where I lived in the jungle.

There are also a lot of birds here, only different types. The roosters really chat it up with each other up and down the valley.

These farm animals are also great for letting you know if anyone is around! Another wonderful part about living on the ranch is I have help maintaining the yard. For this I am truly, truly grateful.

The ranch casa also comes complete with pets. I have 4 cats, 3 black and one white, and 2 black dogs that are monsters!

Hopefully a bit of training will help. They are still young. Also, we have 5 new kittens over with the chickens.

Unfortunately, no one is spayed or neutered yet. I await the next free spay and neuter clinic. If anyone hears of one this summer please let me know!

The Riviera Nayarit grows a lot of food for Mexico. In fact, there is a wonderful Nayarit Food Center in La Cruz. It’s located as you head out of town towards Punta de Mita on the left. I think of it as a mini Costco, with the coolers in the back. They sell mostly to the restaurants. It’s not as picked up as Costco, and sometimes a mess!…but I love going there and peering in the boxes in the cooler to see what is in. They also have

rice and other dried peppers, hot sauces, garlic and the like. What I really like about this veggie store is the pricing!

When I came here four years ago, I drove my RV and pulled the jeep behind, thinking I was headed toward the Yucatan!

When I got to Lo de Marcos, I had big chills of energy running through my body and knew this was the place to stop.

During my drive I saw so many huge farms with tomatoes and other vegetables growing.

Mexico knows how to feed their country. Right now, in America, food is so expensive! It’s crazy!

It’s so good to know your own garden.

Grow what you can. I have plans to put in the veggie garden; squash and cucumbers and beans for the rainy season (please rain) and in the winter the tomatoes and other veggies.

I also love growing my herbs year around, and did bring those with me. It’s time to get the basil in the ground.

I love to have a large basil garden. Pesto is the best! I feel so very blessed indeed. Thank God I’m a Country Girl!

Thanks so much for tuning in this week. There is not a lot going on during the summer, but you can still find fun stuff to do and great summer restaurant food and bar specials.

Check the Bucerias and the La Cruz calendars for live music and other events on this end of the Banderas Bay. Enjoy the weekend everyone, and have FUN!

riviera nayarit

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Jul 9 - 15, 2015 www.vallartatribune.com

Life

In La Cruz

Jaguar Born in Captivity in San Blas

By Cindy Bouchard Cindy Bouchard, an expat Canadian runs a Boutique Inn, Villa Amor del Mar in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. She and her husband Chris are living and lovin’ in Vallarta–Nayarit. If you want more info on La Cruz or desire… A very special vacation contact cindy@VillaAmordelMar.com

Maestro Edgar

L

a Cruz is fortunate to have a fabulous teacher volunteering his time for Proyecto Verano 2015 - Summer Project 2015, doesn’t it sound so much better in Español? Edgar’s goal; offer a summer camp for around 100 children with music, arts, dancing and sports lessons, ecology and swimming. Surely it will be a great project! Edgar says “Kids, I'm pretty sure that they will have a better future if they learn arts, sports and ecology.”

The brainchild of Edgar, Sergio Ayabar joined him as he started planning it. Edgar did a similar program last year in Punta Mita and it was a great success.

The program begins July 20th and will continue for 3 weeks. It’s open to all ages from kindergarten through high school. As I listened to the presentation I was eager to learn more about the man behind such an impressive mission.

Often we’ll see Edgar Durán Durán on stage playing dance tunes at a local bar or as a player

in the Luna Rumba band. In that role he generally plays bass.

However, he fulfills many other roles in his life including husband, father, maestro (teacher); all in all he’s an inspiration to so many!

Originally from Acapulco, Edgar arrived in La Cruz in 2005, playing with a salsa band called CONTRAPUNTO. His wife and two children joined him a few months later. When asked what inspires him he first said his wife and kids then… my heart melted, “My wife Sandra is my universe, we grew up in Acapulco and she was my first and only love. In life I’m proud that I've done what I’ve wanted. I'm very proud of my wife (a nurse); she is my inspiration, and a great woman.”

A musician since 1995 Edgar has also been giving music lessons since 2001. “Those are my two passions”.

He teaches at the Colegio Salzmann and gives private lessons as well. He was very excited to learn music when he was a teenager and was the first to sign up for music class. Like most of us his

A

first instrument was the recorder then when he was fourteen he started playing guitar and at seventeen he learned the bass.

Edgar says, “Learning is exciting!”

He also plays classical acoustic guitar, piano and a quena (a traditional flute). With all that talent he says his favourite instrument… his specialty, is the bass guitar and he most enjoys being on stage.

Edgar’s English is great, he

took lessons many years ago, but learned a lot by talking to people and playing with US and Canadian musicians. Living in a fishing village I was curious if he got out on the water. “My boy loves fishing, I prefer eating. I love Acapulco style ceviche and fish soup. I love swimming.”

They have room for a few more kids and its open to any child whether Mexican or not.

male jaguar was born over the weekend at a wildlife management center in San Blas, Nayarit, on Mexico's Pacific Coast, about 2 hours north of Puerto Vallarta.

The cub, which weighed 2.17 pounds, was born at 5:40 on Sunday morning, and is the first offspring of a pair of jaguars rescued in the state, the Profepa federal environmental protection agency reported.

The jaguar's parents, Diego and Jungla, were rescued by Profepa personnel at different locations in Nayarit and taken to the Crocodile Management Unit in La Palma, a community outside the city of San Blas. Veterinarians are caring for the cub, which belongs to a species threatened by extinction, the federal environmental protection agency said.

Jaguars, Mexico's national cat, can weigh up to 130 kilos (285 pounds) and are found in the tropical jungles of the Pacific region and the southeast.

Original: www.latino.foxnews.com

14

SUDOKU Challenge your brain! Sudoku is easy to play and the rules are simple.

Fill in the blanks so that each row, each column, and each of the nine 3x3 grids contain only one of each of the numbers 1 through 9.

brain teasers

Jul 9 - 15, 2015 www.vallartatribune.com

charities

15

Jul 9 - 15, 2015 www.vallartatribune.com

Non - Profit and Charitable Organizations

For visitors to Puerto Vallarta who wish to support the less privileged in our paradise, this is a list of some of the many organizations that could benefit from such kind gestures. If you would like your organization recognized here, please email details to editor@vallartatribune.com.

Acción En La Cruz aid residents of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle by providing provisions in exchange for community services performed.landon5120.wix.com/accionenlacruz Alcoholics Anonymous: In English Puerto Vallarta Alanon Club - Basilio Badillo 329 recoverpv.com Amazing Grace Missions Assisting families in Magisterio & Progreso with necessities and job training and English. slw2014nv@gmail.com American Legion Post 14: raises resources and manpower to improve facilities needing building maintenance americanlegion14.org Amigos del Magisterio - Food delivered directly to workers at the PV dump, their families and schools in Magisterio and Volcanes. Also, food to New Beginnings, Pasitos de Luz, and Caritas. 100% of donations to the people, no overhead.amigosdelmagisterio.com lysephilrioux@hotmail.com Asilo San Juan Diego Home for the Elderly - Contact: Lupita Sanchez Covarrubias 222-1257 or malupita88@hotmail.com or mexonline.com\asilosanjuandiego.htm Asociación Down - Assistance to persons with Down’s Syndrome – Contact: Ana Eisenring at 224-9577.

Banderas Bay Women’s Shelter - Safe shelter for women & children victims of domestic violence. compassionforthefamily.org Becas Vallarta, A.C. – Provides scholarships to high school and university students. Tax-deductible in Mexico and USA. Polly Vicars at (322) 223-1371 or Buri Gray at (322) 221-5285.

CANICA - Centre for Children with Cancer. Provides aid for treatment and services including transportation to GDL. Contact Director, Evelia Basañes 322-123-5688.

Casa Hogar - A shelter for orphaned, abandoned, disadvantaged or vulnerable children.

Luz Aurora Arredondo at 221-1908, Rita Millan (322) 141-6974. casamaximocornejo@gmail.com Centro Comunitario SETAC-GLBT – Services the GLBT community, including treatment and referrals, education, English classes, HIV testing and counseling.

Paco Arjona 224-1974 Clinica de Rehabilitación Santa Barbara - Rehabilitation of the handicapped.

Contact: Laura Lopez Portillo Rodriguez at 224-2754.

COLINA Spay and Neuter Clinic - Free and by-donation sterilization clinic in Old Town. Only open Sundays, Contact: cez@ rogers.com or 322-104-6609 CompassionNet Impact – Transforming the lives of people living in chronic poverty. Job creation, education, emergency & more. Tax-deductible. Cell: (322) 133-7263 or ric@4compassion.org Corazon de Nina A safe, loving, home-environment for 20+ girls rescued from high-risk situations. Donations & volunteers always welcome! Totally self-funded. www.corazondenina.mx Cruz Roja (Red Cross) - Handles hospital and emergency service in Vallarta. It is the only facility that is authorized to offer assistance to injured people on the street. Contact: 222-1533, 222-4973 Desayunos para los Niños de Vallarta A.C. Feeding programs, education programs, day care centers for single mothers. 2234311 or 22225 72 Discapacitados de Vallarta, A.C. (DIVAC) association of handicapped individuals dedicated to helping one another.

Ivan Applegate at 221-5153.

Families At The Dump: Supporting families living in the landfill or garbage dump thru education and sustainable opportunities. familiesatthedump.org Fundacion Punta de Mita LDG. Ana Lilia Medina Varas de

PICK UP YOUR COPY OF THE TRIBUNE AT PUERTO VALLARTA TOURISM OFFICES A PAGE IN THE SUN - ZONA ROMANTICA FREDY TUCAN´S - ZONA ROMANTICA NUEVO VALLARTA RESORTS CONSULATE OFFICES

DECAMERON RESORT - BUCERIAS BREAKER´S BEACH BAR - BUCERIAS YO-YO MO´S - BUCERIAS MARINA RIVIERA NAYARIT - LA CRUZ OSO RESTAURANT - LA CRUZ

Valdés. ana@fundacionpuntademita.org Tel. (329) 291 5053 Friends of PV Animals Volunteers working to enhance the lives of shelter animals. For info and donations visit friendsofpvanimals.com Grupo Ecológico de Puerto Vallarta: Arq. Luz del Carmen Pérez A cayro_13@hotmail.com grupoecologico.com Horizonte de Paz: Shelter for men of all ages who are troubled with alcohol & drug addiction. Donato Schimizzi: 322 199 9523 or Roberto: 281 0644 dschimizzi@yahoo.com La Brigada de la Basura: A weekly meeting of neighborhood children to clean Vallarta Streets. Contact Que?Pasa 223-4006 Mexico Ministries & Mission, Inc. raises funds to the poor in Vallarta. Contact Fr. Jack+ 044 322 229-1129 christchurchbythesea.org Navy League - assists in the transportation of donated medical supplies from the U.S., organizes work groups to paint and repair facilities New Life Mexico - Challenging Child Poverty with health and education programs. Philippa Vernon pvp@newlifemexico.com Paraíso Felino AC Refuge and Adoption Centre for cats and kittens in the Bay of Banderas. Luis Donaldo Cel. (322) 120-4092 Pasitos de Luz - substitute home for low income children with any type of handicap, offers rehabilitation services and more.

299-4146. pasitosdeluz.org PEACEAnimals - Free mobile spay/neuter clinic operating 48 weeks a year, primarily in Puerto Vallarta. Tax-deductible. peaceanimals.org Pro Biblioteca de Vallarta - Raises funds for Los Mangos Public Library. Tax-deductible Ricardo Murrieta at 224-9966 Proyecto Pitillal, Busca un Amigo, A. C. - Association created by underprivileged mothers of paralyzed children. Contact: 299-0976.

Puerto Vallarta Garden Club: Beautify and protecting the environment. vallartagardenclub.com PuRR Project - A no-kill cat shelter, a natural un-caged environment. www.purrproject.com Roma’s Kids - Educate the children of the Volcanes and surrounding area: Math, English and computer programs a priority. 100% goes to the kids. kids.romamexico.com The International Friendship Club (IFC) - Supports the Cleft Palate Surgery Program & families in need. 322-222-5466.

Toys for Tots Vallarta - Distributes toys and constructs playgrounds for Puerto Vallarta area during the Christmas holiday period. Jerry Lafferty 322 221 6156 or lourdes.bizarro@marriotthotels.com.

Vallarta Saludable (Healthy) – Healthy living through organics, stevias, cooking workshops, serums reversing dialysis and reality show. NAOTF.org Suzy Chaffee suzynativevoices@aol.com