El Ojo del Lago - December 2011

Saw you in the Ojo

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El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

Saw you in the Ojo

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Richard Tingen

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Alejandro Grattan-DomĂ­nguez Tel: (01376) 765 3676, 765 2877 Fax: (01376) 765 3528 Associate Publisher David Tingen Graphic Design Roberto C. Rojas Jazmin Eliosa Special Events Editor Shelley Edson Associate Editor Jim Tipton Contributing Editor Paul Jackson Contributing Editor Mark Sconce Drama Critic Michael Warren Art Critic Rob Mohr Staff Photographer Xill Fessenden Sales Managers Omar Medina Bruce Fraser

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 dĂ­as de cada mes. (Out over

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Index...

FEATURE ARTICLES

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COVER STORY

Mark Sconce spent a great deal of time, effort and money researching the life of Juana Ines de la Cruz, one of Mexico’s most illustrious women—and the results are apparent in this $ % &

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14 COMING ATTRACTIONS

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the upcoming Eighth Annual Lake Chapala Writers’ Conference, an event that has steadily grown in excellence and prestige over the past several years.

&2/8016 7+,6 0217+

20 GERIATRIC HUMOR

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almost everything his pen touches, and his two-part series on braving the rapids of growing older is no exception.

24 TRAVEL

Neil McKinnon describes the torturous (but hilarious) route he had to take before deciding to book passage to Ecuador.

32 FICTION

Allen McGill opens his tale at a huge swap meet, and ends with the main characters swapping for an item that is not usually exchanged at such events.

For those readers with unbending moral principles, caution is advised.

34 LOCAL CUSTOMS

June Summers describes how “conversing in Latin American� need not always depend on words nor require a translator.

36 BOOK REVIEW

Kay Davis reviews Liza Bakewell’s classic, best-selling book Madre;

that the author has much on her mind when it comes to explaining a word that means far more than simply “mother.�

Reserva al TĂ­tulo de Derechos de Autor 04-2007-111412131300-102 Control 14301. Permisos otorgados por la SecretarĂ­a de GobernaciĂłn (EXP. 1/432 “88â€?/5651 de 2 de junio de 1993) y SEP (Reserva 171.94 control 14301) del 15 de enero de 1994.

DistribuciĂłn: Hidalgo 223 Chapala, Jalisco, MĂŠxico.

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 necessar

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Editor, nor are we responsible for the claims made by our advertisers. We welcome letters, which should include name, address and telephone number.

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COVER PHOTO

PUBLISHER

El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

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Editor’s Page

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Thunder on Right

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Uncommon Sense

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Bridge by Lake

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Joyful Musings

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Welcome to Mexico

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Child of Month

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Hearts at Work

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La Vida Loca

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New Lease on Life

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This World of Ours

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Lakeside Living

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Magnificent Mexico

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Anita’s Animals

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Focus on Art

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Front Row Center

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Stay Healthy

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LCS Newsletter

COVER STORY

z DIRECTORY z

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LAKESIDE LIVING

VOLUME 28 NUMBER 4

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Saw you in the Ojo

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Editor’s Page

By Alejandro Grattan-Dominguez

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d. Note: Several years ago, a major magazine in the US ran a popular feature with the same title as the one below—and thinking this might make for some fun down here, we are soliciting such articles from our readers--which must be signed.

To encourage our readers to dip their toes in the water, I will start the series by jumping fully-clothed into the pool myself.)

“My Most Embarrassing Moment” Many years ago and seemingly in someone else’s lifetime, soon after graduating from SMU, I married into a prominent family in Dallas. My wife was a wonderful person and so was her father, who invited me to come into the family business. But I was hell-bent on making a career in the movie industry—an aspiration he thought indicative of mental instability.

For a while, it seemed he was right.

But three years later, while still working for an insurance company in Los Angeles, I set out to co-write, produce and direct my first feature film, even though I had never even seen a movie being shot. The film, No Return Address, would eventually make a handsome profit— but the money did not come in time to save my marriage.

Over the next 15 years, I made several more low-budget movies, some warmly received by the critics but most tanked financially. Then, the past reappeared in the lovely form of my ex- wife.

To my surprise, she was still living in LA, but would be finally moving back to Dallas in the next few days.

She suggested we have a farewell dinner, and mentioned Chasen’s, a restaurant I had never been in but knew as once having been favored by Humphrey Bogart and many other of filmdom’s rich and famous.

Hey, dinner with a woman who had once meant so much to me, Bogart, Chasen’s, great, right? Wrong—because at that moment in my heavily checkered career, I had some seventy five dollars in my pocket—which might, from all current indications, have to last me for the rest of my life. But the money should be, I thought, enough to get me through the evening with my pretentions unperturbed.

Wrong, again. One look at the menu prices and I immediately considered bolting for the door. Instead, I feigned a slight discomfort that had “robbed me of my appetite.” My comely companion

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El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

said that my spirits would improve after I’d had a drink—and promptly ordered an expensive bottle of wine.

For the next hour, she sweetly asked me about the state of my film career and personal life—to which I blah-blahblahed about how wonderful everything was. In reality (a place I occasionally visited but never stayed for long) I had recently lost my Mark VII Jaguar sedan and apartment in Hollywood and had been living with a friend for the past few weeks.

When the check came, it was some $72. Miraculously, I could cover it! But when I got my change, the fair lady whispered that the few dollars on the tray would not be nearly enough to cover the tip—to which I confidently confided that I was a regular customer and would settle the matter after I had escorted her to the parking lot.

Outside, when she asked about my car, I politely said that we should get her car first. Another surprise: for a petite, demure and still svelte woman in her mid-30s, her car was a growling Corvette, more the kind that an Indy 500 driver might have been driving.

As we said goodbye, she kissed me and said how happy she was that everything had turned out so well for me—and with that she roared away. I turned to the young valet. The parking was free, but patrons were expected to tip the help. I had just started to go through my song and dance when the punk sneered, “Forget it, pal. You need the money worse than me.”

I must have turned beet red before starting the long walk back to my friend’s place. He had recently rented a sparsely-furnished house, and having but one bed, he had put blankets and a pillow into a long, empty window flower box—and that very same embarrassing night, a wouldbe burglar opened the window and easing himself into the house planted a foot right in my face.

Ah, but that’s another humiliating story.

Alejandro Grattan

THU TH HUNDE DER ER ON ON TH THE HE RI RIG IGHT HT

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stand amidst dismay, disillusion and teetering on depression over the fault lines President Barack Obama has brought to the United States of America.

Throughout my life - as a Canadian, but born in Britain, and have travelled extensively through the USA  - I have admired the country for its leadership in the world, and its resilience in hard times.

Yet under Obama, the USA seems to be in the process of abandoning all that made it a great world power.

Obama ‘s mission seems to be to apologize to the world for America’s historic achievements. The indoctrination given him by the religious fanatic Jeremiah Wright and the self-admitted political terrorist Bill Ayers have surely been etched into his brain.

And get this example of a fall from greatness to the depths, the USA now has to carry out its space missions by paying Moscow $50 million - yes, an astonishing $50 million - for every single American astronaut that hitches a ride into space aboard a Russian rocket. That will add up to $450 million in a single year.

Think back to John F. Kennedy and his great dream - and accomplishment - that America would land men on the moon and bring them back alive within a decade.

This once magnificent nation of achievement after achievement has now gone cap-in-hand to Moscow.

Sure, Obama’s Washington promises the USA will build a new fleet of spacecraft - but when, and how? It is mired in debt. A debt, that despite Obama’s supposed spending cutbacks, will be getting ever-deeper into debt for at least the next decade.

The shallowness of Obama comes through time and time again.

He promised unemployment in the USA would never rise above 8%. Officially, it is over 9%, and when those who have stopped looking for jobs, or taken on part time jobs, some economists believe it is closer to 16%.

Obama’s stimulus program has been virtually useless: Witness, $500 million of the taxpayers’ money going into a supposedly high-tech solar panel company, that has now gone bankrupt, being investigated for fraud by the FBI, and its top executives pleading the Fifth Amendment.

Paul Jackson Franklin Delando Roosevelt, greatest statesman of the 20th century, put his ‘stimulus’ money into dams, highways, schools, hospitals, parks that are still with us today. Obama’s spending goes into poetically sham ‘green energy’ projects.

Broken promises are bountiful.

The president swore he would close down the Guantanamo Bay prison, and its inmates would receive civil court trials rather than military courts.

Neither has happened. He has co-opted both Wall Street - check out the big business donations he receives and the lobbyists now on his staff, and incredibly also co-opted Big Labor. He even promised to rescind the secret ballot for union certification. Yet is not the secret ballot a foundation of democracy? Fortunately, he had to renege on that weird commitment.

Obama contends he is a ‘man of the working class’ but charged $35,000 a plate for Hollywood personalities to attend his birthday bash, and plans to spend $1 billion - yup, $1 billion! on his personal re-election campaign.

He is, I admit, a hypnotic public speaker - but his speeches are basically rhetoric and glib. Something akin to a television evangelist. Elmer Gantry reborn.

Friends, we have been led into the theatre of the absurd, and hypocrisy.

That’s why I am saddened for America today. And am hoping I don’t have to cry for America come next November 6th.

Saw you in the Ojo

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THE TENTH MUSE

— Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1648-1695)

By Mark Sconce msconce@gmail.com

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enius manifests itself in many ways, of course, but one aspect I find more compelling than others is duration, staying power, the ability to influence across the centuries of time.

Take Sor (Sister) Juana Inés de la Cruz, our featured poet this month, whose influence is palpable today nearly 320 years after her lamentable death.

I recently made a pilgrimage and had the privilege of seeing Sor Juana’s influence at work in real life and real time in Mexico City. There you will find the convent, now the Universidad del Claustro de Sor Juana, the cloister where Sor Juana spent her last 26 years. This university in the heart of the mega-city is dedicated to teaching the Humanities and only the Humanities. Our charming, intelligent docent, Cecilia Núñez, sensing my thought, asked “What student enrolled in Cre-

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ative Writing for example would not be influenced by Sor Juana, our gifted, creative poet and writer whose name graces and spirit pervades our campus of nearly 1500 students?”

Sor Juana is ubiquitous. Paintings, sculptures, even her cell, confessional, and blue-tiled bathtub have been preserved. And if you’re a student majoring in Gastronomia (culinary arts), her thoughts on the subject are required reading.

El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

“And what shall I tell you, lady, of the natural secrets I have discovered while cooking? I see that an egg holds together and fries in butter or in oil, but, on the contrary, in syrup shrivels into shreds; observe that to keep sugar in a liquid state one need only add a drop or two of water in which a quince or other bitter fruit has been soaked; observe that the yolk and the white of one egg are so dissimilar that each with sugar produces a result not obtainable with both together. I do not wish to weary you with such inconsequential matters, and make mention of them only to give you full notice of my nature, for I believe they will be occasion for laughter. But, lady, as women, what wisdom may be ours if not the philosophies of the kitchen? I often say, when observing these trivial details: had Aristotle prepared victuals, he would have written more.” She then uses cooking instructions as a metaphor: “Love’s delicacy consists in being loved; one pinch too much or little spoils love’s taste.” The joy of cooking!

There is more. Sor Juana was Latin America’s first feminist whose sharp intellect easily cut through the theological mumbo-jumbo of the 17th Century, which insisted that women were intellectually inferior and therefore should stick to their knitting. The most important issue for Sor Juana was the God-given, intellectual right of women to be allowed to read, study, write, publish, and even teach (a thoroughly male bastion at the time).

In a sly allegory she makes her point: “There in Egypt, all the sages/ by a woman were convinced That gender is not of the essence/ in matters of intelligence.

Victor! Victor!

A victory, a miracle; though more prodigious than the feat Of conquering, was surely that the men themselves declared defeat.”

Sor Juana Born out of wedlock just outside Mexico City, Juana first displayed precocious tendencies when she learned to read and write at the age of three.

Juana’s mamá sent her to live with rich relatives in Mexico City some years later where her talents in literature and music plus her preadolescent beauty caught the attention of the Spanish Viceregal court. The Vicereine invited Juana to reside in the palace as her maid-in-waiting. Juana proceeded to dazzle the court and professors near and far with her knowledge (gleaned from voracious reading), her skills in argument, and her beautiful appearance and manner.

What they didn’t know was that Juana was, well, Sapphic, as we poets like to say. Her would-be lover would

be none other than the Vicereine herself. And when her longings became apparent (“It matters not that you can escape my arms and breast,” she wrote, “if I can imprison you in my fantasy.”), the Vicereine backed off, not for lack of love no doubt but because the Viceroy, her husband, just might disapprove.

Seventeenth century Mexico, just imagine! In New Spain the effects of the Inquisition were still being felt.

Strange and malicious ideas about women were being fostered, and especially by the Church. As the Archbishop remonstrates in Alicia Gaspar de Alba’s novel Sor Juana’s Second Dream, “You allowed the room to be defiled by a woman’s presence. You know that causes irreparable damage to my liver.

Besides, women have no souls.”

There were only three things a lady could do: become a wife, become a courtesan, or become a nun. Since Juana held a dim view of marriage (“To catch a husband is an art; to hold him is a job.”)2, she did something characteristically courageous: she entered convent life in Mexico City in the year of our Lord 1669, and there she remained a nun for the rest of her life. Intellectual effort needed solitude and time to think and write. “...given my completely negative feelings about marriage, it was the least disproportionate and most fitting thing I could do.”

Her convent cell (first and second floors) was large enough to hold a telescope, thousands of books, scientific and musical instruments, and here she lucubrated night after night studying,3 memorizing, writing—poetry, plays, romances, dramas, letters, songs. Listen to the Baroque rhythms: Which has the greater sin when burned/By the same lawless fever: She who is amorously deceived/ Or he, the sly deceiver?

Or which deserves the sterner blame/ Though each will be a sinner: She who becomes a whore for pay/Or he who pays to win her?

Misguided men, who will chastise a woman when no blame is due, oblivious that it is you who prompted what you criticize.

Trs by Margaret Sayers Peden Costliness and wealth bring me no pleasure; the only happiness I care to find derives from setting treasure in my mind, and not from mind that’s set on winning treasure.

I prize no comeliness.

All fair things pay to time, the victor, their appointed fee and treasure cheats even the practiced eye.

Mine is the better and truer way: to leave the vanities of life aside, not throw my life away on vanity.

Tr by Alan S. Trueblood Sor Juana was wildly popular in New Spain and even Spain itself. But ecclesiastical critics, her superiors, were not beguiled. Sheer envy and resentment played a role. They launched a campaign to break her spirit and they did. Result: “Self-flagellation, penance, and mortification of the flesh,” wrote one biographer. “Now I sit here with comfrey compresses on the welts and pray they don’t become infected.”

Finally, they forced her to renew her vows but this time signed with her own blood. Novelist Alicia Gaspar, after extensive research, imagines Sor Juana’s reaction to the Archbishop’s next order removing every one of her writing tools: “How dare you remove my voice?

Why don’t you cut into my throat and pull out my vocal chords, yank out my tongue, pluck out my eyes, fill my nose and ears with tallow, slice off the tips of my fingers? Each one of my faculties is tied to my quill. (‘…black teardrops from my melancholy pen.’) Without it I am blind and deaf and mute and insensate. My thoughts twist around like worms in my head. My mind rots in this silence, my spirit becomes ash.

I’m completely empty. I’m completely alone without my voice.”

Then, with logic and passion, she drives home the point: “Your Reverence wishes that I be coerced into salvation while ignorant, but beloved Father, may I not be saved if I am learned?

Is not God, who is supreme goodness, also supreme wisdom? Then why would He find ignorance more acceptable than knowledge?” *** The virulence of the plague of 1695 that claimed Sor Juana’s life matched in a lamentable way the virulence of seventeenth century misogyny.

Long, long before Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own, long before the clarion calls of Betty Friedan, Simone de Beauvoir, and Gloria Steinem, there was Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, an anachronism, a proud elitist, a dedicated learner, a subtle subversive, and my favorite feminist waiting for them to catch up.

So the next time you fish a 200 pesos note from your pocket, look closely at her image and reflect…

1 The nickname given Sor Juana by her contemporaries; nine Muses just weren’t enough.

2 Simone de Beauvoir 3 There was scarcely a science she didn’t study. She believed that knowledge of the sciences could only strengthen religious faith.

Please pay attention, Tea Baggers!

Saw you in the Ojo

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UUNCOMMON NCOMMON CCOMMON OMMON SSENSE EENNSE

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efore we moved to Mexico, we lived in a series of houses in different neighborhoods in Maine. When we were first married and broke, we lived in a tenement-style apartment complex.

All the porches looked out on a common driveway so we could see everyone come and go. It was a friendly place; we watched each other’s kids, shared barbecues and beer, and borrowed cups of flour when necessary.

Nobody had much money, but it was friendly and comfortable.

As our income increased, we were able to live in nicer homes. Our nicest was the last one we lived in before we retired. Nice neighborhood, but we didn’t know many people. I remember one day, during a snowstorm, my wife noticed our next-door neighbor trying to get her car out of her snowy driveway. She went to help her and noticed a middle-aged man, across the lane, snow blowing his driveway never bothering to help our neighbor. In that “nice” neighborhood, people had purchased privacy, but it was rather cold and unfriendly.

What did our poorer neighborhood have that the more prosperous one lacked? David Brooks, a New York Times columnist, uses a Yiddish word to describe this desirable characteristic: Hamish. It means “ warmth, domesticity and unpretentious conviviality.”

When we moved from a more modest neighborhood to a more prosperous one, we crossed the

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Hamish line. Our later neighborhood lacked Hamish. I find this concept interesting because I have observed it in many situations.

When our son, Eric, had a paper route, I sometimes substituted for him. As I learned the route, he gave me specific instructions. Some people, often in the working-class neighborhoods, offered him a drink or asked him to stop and chat. Others, in the more suburban areas, were very particular about exactly where he was to leave the paper. He never saw them.

We used to go to a pizza joint/pub where our daughter was a waitress.

We loved it. It was cheap food and beer, but everyone was friendly and we would visit with other customers and joke with the staff. We also liked more upscale restaurants, but they were not friendly, just more elegant.

I am sure you can think of examples.

The principle at work here is simple: the more money we have, and therefore spend, the more we are purchasing exclusivity. We value privacy and having things for our exclusive use, like swimming pools, nice cars, and beautiful homes. It is appealing, because we can have privacy and not have to share the space with others.

But, of course, that also brings some degree of isolation. Having to share common space puts us in closer contact with others. When we live in a situation in which we come into regular contact with people, it can make us feel happy and satisfied. This may be why very wealthy people often feel isolated and alone.

Our Mexican neighbors are poor; they live in small homes with lots of others and survive day-to-day. We gringos live in relative luxury and hire Mexican people to clean our houses, tend our gardens, and wait on us in nice restaurants. Are we happier? Perhaps. But I am not sure.

It may be wise to remember this when we decide how to spend our money. Buying experiences may be more valuable than buying things.

As Brooks points out, “Sometimes its best to spend carefully so you can stay south of the Haimish Line.”

BRIDGE BY THE LAKE

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fter an enjoyable summer in Ontario, herself and I returned to Lakeside in midOctober for our sixth Winter here.

As always, we quickly got back into playing in the games run by the Lake Chapala Duplicate Bridge Club.

They say that making a contract of 1 No Trump is one of the most difficult propositions in bridge. The rationale is that since the bidding has ceased at a very low level, the high card points are likely divided pretty evenly around the table, meaning that the outcome could go either way. With a friendly lie of the cards declarer could come home with overtricks; on a bad layout it could be a question of how many down the contract goes. Of course, it also depends to a large degree on how the defenders play the cards they have been dealt.

They also say that one should always lead partner’s suit – but just don’t tell that to Louise Morel and Catherine Gonzales who played the illustrated hand against herself and myself at the LCDBC recently.

Herself opened the bidding 1 club and Catherine overcalled 1 heart. I now bid 1 no trump showing a balanced hand with about 8 to 10 high card points and, very importantly, at least one stopper in the opponent’s suit. This ended the auction and now the spotlight turned onto Louise sitting West to make the opening lead.

Louise had listened to the auction and knew that her partner had at least 5 decent hearts and probably 9 + points.

But she also knew I was prepared for a heart lead so she looked elsewhere for her opening salvo. The diamond suit stood out so without further ado she led the diamond king, the top of her sequence.

When the dummy came down I

could see lots of potential tricks; that is, of course, whenever I would get the opportunity to cash them. The diamond lead was unexpected – I fervently hoped that the suit was divided 4-3 or that the honors would block. But my hopes were dashed when Catherine correctly overtook her partner’s King and returned the 10. Louise persisted in attacking with her now established suit and all I could do was to pitch potential winners from the dummy and try to protect myself from going down.

Eventually Louise ran out of her long suit and switched to the heart 4 which Catherine won with the ace. That was the end of the barrage by my opponents - I was now able to take 4 spade tricks, 2 clubs and 1 heart to make my contract but that was little consolation as the result was a tie for bottom board as almost every other declarer was making 2, 3 or even 4 no trump.

Just imagine what probably happened at the other tables when West obediently led East’s bid suit. East would likely win the heart ace and, never dreaming of West’s actual diamond holding, continue the heart suit hoping to establish some tricks and use the diamond ace as an entry. Now the friendly layout of spades and clubs would allow declare to make oodles of overtricks.

So kudos to Louise and Catherine for combining on a very effective defence. But may I ask the ladies: please restrict your brilliances to other tables in the future!

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

Saw you in the Ojo 11

$VKHYLOOH ,Y\ My father planted the ivy three years before he died he wanted their home to look fit just right as it should have looked to join the pear and apple trees he had planted along the side now the ivy is mine to admire the pears and apples mine to eat but what I long for is his answer when I speak Rob Mohr

Gods of the Earth We were hidden deep in the caves of the earth pushed to the surface by the cracks and shifts of the crust walked and gave the moon her name fell in love with Venus and the stars We have rested in the folds of the sky traveled in swift canoes across the milky way lain still in the furthers corner of Orion we must, to be born again to settle softly into a virgin forest to build our house of rock on a rise above the river where we will name ourselves gods of the earth where we will wait to be folded once again into the cold blue creases of the sky Rob Mohr

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El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

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" & ' MA, LPC, MAC Money and Marriage

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nother year is winding down, and as we approach the Christmas season I’m always struck by the focus on materialism, buying things to show our love for each other. Giving and getting as a measure of caring. Christmas spending is a big portion of most families’ annual budget.

And spending in general is one of the most frequent sources of conflict in relationships, outranked only by infidelity and drug and alcohol abuse as the top predictor of divorce. While virtually no couple never has financial disagreements, couples who disagree about finances at least once a week are over 30 percent more likely to divorce than couples who disagree only occasionally.

Magnifying this issue is the fact that people often choose mates who are especially different than themselves when it comes to spending money. Financial guru Suze Orman says, “Opposites may attract, but I wouldn’t put my money on a relationship of financial opposites.� The more we dislike our own financial tendency, the more likely we are to marry our financial opposite. A guy who can’t bring himself to spend much may enjoy receiving nice gifts from a woman who spends freely. This may work out well while dating; however the researchers say that from “I do� forward, life with a mate who approaches spending and saving very differently than we do often brings nothing but trouble.        By the way, despite the stereotype, it isn’t always the woman who’s the spender. In about one-third of couples, the husband freely admits he’s the one who parts with cash too easily.

In second or more marriages, money is often an even thornier issue. Older partners may enter the relationship with very different monetary assets and each may have their own children looking out for their part of the financial pie.

The way we think about and use money is impacted by our temperament, our families of origin, and our lifetime experiences. Money is as much an emotional issue as it is a practical matter, and poverty or wealth has a

lot to do with a person’s state of mind.     Talk honestly with each other, sharing as much as you can about your relationship with money before you commit to a relationship with each other.

Here’s a few questions to get you started talking about your attitude about money: How did your parents deal with money? Was money always scarce, or was it plentiful? How often did they fight about money? Did your parents give you an allowance when you were young? Did you have to work for it, or did they just give you the money? In what ways are you similar to your parents in how you think about and use money, and in what ways are you different?

How you want to handle money as a couple? Do either of you see a need for a pre-nup? Will you turn your checking and savings accounts into joint accounts? Who will pay the bills and deal with financial management?

Money may not be a romantic subject, but marriage should be seen as entering into a financial as well as a romantic partnership. The better you know each other and understand each other’s attitudes about money, the better your chances of marital bliss.

Money may not buy happiness, but sharing your partner’s beliefs about it sure helps.

Editor’s Note: Joy is a practicing psychotherapist in Riberas. She can be contacted at joy@dunstan.org or 7654988. Check out her new website: http:// joydunstan.weebly.com .

Saw you in the Ojo 13

It Keeps Getting Better

By Herbert bert be ert rt W. W. Pieko P Piekow iekow kow ow

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e hope you have marked your calendar for the Eighth Lake Chapala Writers Conference; this year there will be a chance to get the publishing and writing scoop from three incredible presenters. Lakeside´s own award winning humorist Neil McKinnon will regale attendees with stories and techniques that will both entertain and educate. But I really want to write about our two International stars, that I know from my association with Portland, Oregon´s Willamette Writers.

For twenty years Eric M. Witchey has made a living writing. He has sold more than 70 short stories, numerous articles and two novels. When not writing he teaches college level writing, helps edit manuscripts for Willamette Writers and to relax he loves to tempt trout. He says being a writer means you write. “Every time you write, your brain attempts to adapt . . . Every story you get out of your head and onto the page creates room in your head for another story.” Each morning Witchey challenges himself to write as fast as he can for fifteen minutes, incorporating three concepts he randomly selects from a list he keeps.

In our discussion Witchey explained how sometimes a story sneaks in under our defenses and “touches our hearts in ways that form our thoughts, change our minds, and increase our compassion.” He will help writers learn how to write a story that can cause a tear, push a chuckle, or make a smile grow on a face. He says he is an eclectic reader and writer, and has sold stories in many genres. “I look for the heart of the tale

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El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

when I write,” he said. “Then I try to bring it out so the reader can feel the power.”

April Eberhardt, another Conference presenter, is a high profile literary agent; she divides her hectic career and life between San Francisco, New York and Paris (one of her three degrees is from The University of Paris). She represents clients worldwide. After receiving her MBA from Boston University, Eberhardt spent 25 years in the corporate and literary world before opening her own agency. For a number of years she worked in the literary magazine field and came to realize, “how many new voices are out there deserving to be heard.”

The world of publishing is not only fickle it is in constant flux as readers and publishers choose among the many ways literature is being delivered in the new millennium. Authors need a literary agent who understands both the traditional and electronic marketplace, along with the evolving role of agencies. Eberhardt will talk about the differences between traditional publishing, e-publishing or self-publishing, which one is for you?

The Eighth Lake Chapala Writers Conference is January 25-27th at Hotel Real de Chapala. The cost is $1,000 pesos by December 31st, $1,200 pesos during January. Lunches and snacks are included along with the education.

Registration forms are available at Diane Pearl´s Gallery, Colon and Ocampo.

Questions can be directed to Kay Davis at kdavis987@gmail.com

Saw you in the Ojo 15

(" " "

"

"

Going North? rth?

T

he one thing about living in Mexico that unifies all ex-pats is our need for that certain special item that isn’t available in Mexico. Whenever any of us travel back north, we are inundated with requests from other ex-pats for items to be picked up in the USA or Canada to be delivered upon the traveler’s return.

On a recent trip, my husband had to pick up items as diverse as special vitamins, raffle tickets, game pieces, books, spices; tootsie pops (the ones on the stick). Oh, and automobile parts for a Mexican friend of ours for his American made vehicle.

Since I don’t always accompany him, he often brings back clothes for me. I just have my order shipped to our PO box, and my husband brings it home. After all, I can’t ask him to go buy my clothes for me. He simply becomes bewildered at all the sizes, styles and choices. But still the poor man was really worried about having to explain all those bras on the last trip to customs…he decided that he would just look insulted and embarrassed about being a cross-dresser!

We’ve also heard some experiences others have had. Like the couple who were to receive a package to drive back for a friend, and when they arrived to pick up the package found it out was 50 pounds! Other friends brought back a special spot light for the Lakeside Little Theatre in their car. How do you explain a monstrosity, inconveniently shaped like a bomb? But there are also mercy shipments, like defibrillators for Cruz Roja.

Some people make simply outrageous requests, too outrageous to print. But did she really expect us to believe it was a therapeutic massage unit? Other requests: Will you mail: blankets, sauces, grandma’s silver service? Drop off items too large to mail? Or pick up that fur that’s been in storage for 15 years?

Oh, and a lot of requests for

16

El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

candy. Salted Nut Rolls, Nut Goodies, gum, the aforementioned Tootsie Pops, Large bags of M & M’s, salt water taffy. While other people put in requests for canned cranberries; spices, Miracle Whip --a popular item; grits, canned creamed corn, organic foods are also favorites.

Of course, we can get some of these items here, but since we have to pay so much for them because of the import taxes, these old home favorites become luxury items.

Hardware items, showerheads, or handicap equipment also is high on the request list. Tools, BBQ’s, specialized kitchen equipment or gadgets are also frequently requested. Oh, and don’t forget the linens--towels and sheets. Oh, they are available here in Mexico, but for some reason, we’ve just got to have those higher thread counts!

These items aren’t really extravagant, they’re everyday little comforts we “need” here. We want our comfort items, the brands we are familiar with—things we’ve been living without, but crave them.

For the traveler, the final part of the trip is the most strenuous. That’s when they play “Red Light, Green Light.” Now, it isn’t that anyone wants to avoid paying his or her fair share; we declare anything over the limit, right? It’s just, who wants to have to undergo a search with so many weird items in tow?

Meanwhile, my husband’s last return trip was a nightmare. He had to obtain another suitcase to carry home everything everyone asked for. Unpacking was an organizational frenzy, dividing everything into piles and matching receipts to purchases.

And then there’s the whole matter of delivery and collection!

Next time? He travels in secret!

Victoria Schmidt

Single And Female In America

By Pat Percival

I

consider myself a graduate of Women’s Liberation, and what does that really mean? Well, in my opinion, the most memorable event was the birth of the Birth Control Pill which led quickly to the celebration of the end of the dreaded monthly wait...and wait... and wait. Whew, lucky again.

And what about money and business and banking? When I left government service to begin my own business, I approached my bank and what were their questions? Don’t you have a husband, or a father or a brother or even an uncle to co-sign for you?

Well, as a matter of fact I did not.

Result? A business checking account but no line of credit.

A group of us formed a statewide organization called Women Entrepreneurs of Oregon. And what was our initial victory? We convinced the local hotel/motel industry to stop announcing to everyone in the lobby our room number. And shortly thereafter hair dryers were put in the rooms. Wasn’t that enough?

It took more than a year to convince one of the major chains that we should be served in the bar according to when we sat down, not after every man had been waited on.

And do you remember the 1 o’clock shuffle? It may still exist here and there.

If you did not couple up by then, you were considered doomed to leave as you had arrived…alone.

Some of you are young enough that the concept of equal rights for women is taken for granted. But we are still paid less than men for the same work and the glass ceiling is not shattered nearly often enough.

What about the social side of life?

In general, it is still tilted toward couples. Although a single available man is viewed an asset, a single woman is perceived as a threat. And instead of the 1 o’clock shuffle, we have the 6 pm cut-off.

And retirement does not change that. It tends to continue both here in Mexico and the States and Canada as

well. For myself, when I travel I do now what I did then—never order room service, go down to the dining room or grab a cab to a gorgeous restaurant, never let yourself be seated close to the kitchen door.

Assert yourself if necessary and be sure to leave a good tip thus countering the idea that women do not tip well.

If a concert or other event is of interest to you and none of your friends are available, go by yourself. The more often you do that, the more comfortable you will become.

Hey all you women—we all deserve the very best there is in everything. Go for it!

Saw you in the Ojo 17

CHILD

of the month

By Rich Petersen Mario Alberto Valencia Guzmán

S

hown here with his mother and older brother is 13-year old Mario Alberto Valencia Guzmán. Mario Alberto lives with his family, including another brother and his father, in Ajijic. You may have seen his father Pedro at Jara Hardware store where he works, and his mother Enriqueta at Diane Pearl Colecciones where she helps with cleaning and other maintenance. Brother Pedro Damián (in the photo) is a cook at Los Telares restaurant—quite a busy and hardworking family, no?

Back in February of this year Mario Alberto returned from school complaining of soreness in both legs and feet; the next day he was unable to

18

walk very well, and the following day he was unable to walk at all.

These dramatic and sudden symptoms are caused by ‘transverse myelitis,” an inflammation across both sides of one level of the spinal cord. The

El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

inflammation affects the “myelin,” the fatty insulating substance that covers nerve cell fibers. This is one of the most enigmatic diseases in that there is no cure at the present time. The patient’s condition usually comes on following a viral infection or an abnormal immune reaction. Family history plays no part, and the patient is soon confined to a wheelchair.

Mario Alberto’s family is fortunate to have IMSS medical insurance so they took him immediately to one of the hospitals in Guadalajara, but, as I mentioned, there is no cure for this affliction and they were told only that he must have extensive physical therapy to try to counteract the disease.

The family then went to a private physician who prescribed anti-inflammatory injections and other medications to reduce the inflammation, but soon these treatments became too expensive for the family budget and that is when the family came to Niños Incapacitados for some financial help.

So, for now Mario Alberto has daily therapy sessions at IMSS in Guadalajara (one of the ambulances comes every day to pick him up), plus he swims three times a week at the pool at the Hotel Montecarlo, and has twice weekly therapy sessions at the DIF facility in Chapala. Of course he continues tak-

ing anti-inflammatory medications.

He is getting better. As you can see in the photo Mario Alberto is learning how to handle a walker to exercise his legs and get them moving again.

He had just---with some effort—managed to lift himself out of the wheelchair and walked a few steps using the walker. His is very happy with his progress so far, as I hope can be seen on his face in the picture. His family is supersupportive and we are all hopeful that with time and continued physical therapy, he will be walking without need of help. This may take months-to-years to achieve, however, and we hope he is one of the 35% of people with this affliction who experience good or full recovery.

To meet other of “our” children and to learn more about what Niños Incapacitados does, please join us the second Thursday of each month for our members’ meeting. 10:00 a.m. at the Hotel Real de Chapala in La Floresta.

A special and continued THANK YOU to all of you who have donated to our “Sustaining Niños” pledge program which allows us to continue helping sick children here at Lakeside, and a gentle reminder that it is time to renew those pledges for the upcoming year.

Visit our website to learn how: www. programaninos.org

Saw you in the Ojo 19

THE OLDER MAN—Part One

By Michael Cook

A

s I take my single malt for a walk to the patio and sit in my sundowner chair, I wait to watch a creamy heavy moon, not quite touching the horizon. It is full of loneliness just like me. Pin pricks glisten and interrupt the shroud of darkness that covers my thoughts from the transition of day into night. For this is my audience tonight. I take a sip and watch a ground squirrel hurry by going about its nocturnal business. I smile if only for a short while and take another sip of reflective sadness and ask myself have I reached the point when I am ready to cross the Rubicon of acceptance into old age.

I had this conversation with myself once before, I think I was 30 at the time and then again at 40. I recall the words my father said to me time after time; when I told him that I made a bad decision or did something stupid he would say, “Son, the older you get the dafter you get.” And of course he was nearly,

20

El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

well not always, right. Yes, he was right all the time. I use to think I was Peter Pan, but now I see myself as a boy within an ageing body. Someone who uses his imagination to take flight into the mysterious world of my youth.

Just like the moon tonight it casts a shadow that follows you and always wants to catch you up and say it’s time to be mature. If I dare look in the mirror I see the signs of one who is past his sell-by date. The white flag of brown has surrendered to the gray and the sun now burns my head. The once ozone thickness has given way to Donald Trump strands which are manipulated and teased into a humorous disguise that is the boy. And if I look down it would be disaster to start my day. I do think the male gestation starts with way too many beers and a lack of meaningful exercise.

I can’t see now what defines me as a man unless I wiggle it about, and it slaps my thigh. It’s no longer a boy toy but an appendage that is in need of constant maintenance. What would once require a shake or two in the bathroom now becomes exhaustive impatience to avoid the after-shock dribble in my pants.

So what sets me aside from making this momentous transition to accept

the change from a boy into man?

“Am I ready to play dominoes or cards and talk about my hemorrhoids and discuss why the world is going to hell in a hand basket?”

“Hell no! Because it’s my life and my world and I want to grow old disgracefully, even if that involves chemical enhancement of my libido from time to time. That’s if I ever get the chance.”

Though it’s the boy that turns my head to the beauty of one last chance of love, the exquisite curve of a calf, or a relaxed button on a blouse, it is Peter Pan once more that takes flight.

I take another sip and smile at my audience of stars and the boy in the moon with his Cheshire cat grin.

This so far has been a wonderful night, I don’t feel lonely at all as I play my memories back like an old VCR tape or should I say a DVD today.

“Should I have another drink?”

“Why not?” The night is young and you are beautiful. Who coined that phrase, and do I care . . . but don’t let it wake me up at 3 o’clock this morning?”

I know this second drink will quench my thirst in melancholy, yet melancholy can be a good thing if I embellish it and take it one step further with my imagination. The one thing I find the loneliest is rolling over in my bed and feeling the cool sheet. There is no warmth in my night or my life, no caress of sleeping skin as I inhale the scent of love making after-glow. I so wanted that two weeks ago at a dinner dance as I danced with an older woman to a romantic ballad. I felt her breasts meld into my chest and I wanted what I wrote in the last paragraph to come true, but it didn’t. So here I am telling the story like a man.

Well, my glass is dry, yet my eyes are full. Full of hope for one more chance of love. But before I bid you good night my stars and moon, I will tell you of my decision.

I am going to buy myself a Ferrari, so until I have this conversation again I am for all intents and purposes a boy.

(Continued next month)

6/80%(5 3$57< $7 &21$1 2·%5,$1·6

By Robb Howard

T

he girls from Ajijic, Mexico arrived at LAX about 8:30 A.M., were met by a chauffeured limo and whisked to Warner Bros. studio in Burbank.

It had all started when Michele sent in their entry to Conan O’ Brian’s, “Spend 4 days and 3 nights in our studio B and B” contest.

Michele’s entry was all in fun, but about three weeks later they were notified they were one of four finalists from thousands of entries. Then the public voting started, THEY WON! The staff met them at the studio but no one had thought about what they were going to do with them. It didn’t take long for the girls to realize that their participation was going to be exactly like the rest of Conan’s show, AD LIBBED! Although there was a minimal script, everything was decided at the last moment. The ladies, Michele Bernier, Linda Howard and Lil Lewis, met Conan and he took them on a filmed tour of the studio. The first stop was the celebrity on-stage couch which made into a bed and was where they slept for the next three nights. Conan ended up making the bed and jumping in with the girls. This drew a lot of laughs when aired that night.

They were on the show for four

nights, never knowing exactly what was going to happen. They were filmed while they slept in their Conan O’ Brien pajamas and while they were in the, “Green Room,” waiting to go on. They met the various guest stars and totally enjoyed Tom Selleck and Fabio. Fabio watched part of the show with them in their dressing room, sitting on the couch with his arm around them.

The show provided them a car and driver/aide for sightseeing and to run errands and the staff treated them like family. They went out one night with some of the staff and gained entry into some of L.A.’s most exclusive clubs. When they returned to the studio around midnight, the staff had hired actors and a horse to pretend to wander around their bedroom/stage while they slept. They didn’t finish filming until 2:00 A.M. and that skit was such a big hit, they filmed the next night.

Michele, Linda and Lil had the time of their life and brought back memories that will last forever. They all agreed that the star of their experience was Conan. He was warm and friendly and treated them as equals.

“You hear so many stories about Hollywood egos, but Conan was a truly nice guy,” said Linda.

Saw you in the Ojo 21

2) 0 0<7+ $ $1' 5 5($/,7<

By Fred Mittag

H

ere are the top five myths propagated by Fox News, myths which their viewers accept as fact, and which contribute to their low ranking compared to better informed people who rely on other news sources. These Fox News myths were identified by diverse sources, including the Washington Post, the Guardian, U.S. News and World Report, and ABC News, and others: Myth #1: The congressional Super Committee failed because both sides refused to compromise.

Reality: They failed because Republicans’ number one, non-negotiable priority is to protect billionaires from paying even one more penny in taxes. Democrats repeatedly offered deep spending cuts that they did not like, in exchange for raising taxes on the wealthy and closing corporate loopholes. The Republicans’ pledge to Grover Norquist, not elected to any public office, is more important to them than their oath to the Constitution.

Myth #2: Nobody knows what Occupy Wall Street is about.

Reality: Anybody who’s been paying attention knows that the protesters are concerned that corporations have too much power in our political system, that Wall Street banks messed up our economy and were never held accountable, and that the richest 400 Americans have more than 156 million

22

El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

Americans combined.

Myth #3: Occupiers should stop protesting and just get a job.

Reality: There aren’t any jobs out there, and that’s one reason for the protests. Statistics from only two months ago show that there were four times as many unemployed people as there were job openings. Furthermore, those who found jobs had to accept lower wages than ten years ago. That’s not social progress.

Myth #4: Occupy Wall Street is intent on provoking violence, especially against banks and the police.

Reality: The movement is committed to nonviolent protests, having learned from Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King. Some protests have been met with police violence, including tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, and billy clubs. In many cases police brutality was met with chants of “Who do you serve? Who do you protect? You are part of the 99%, too.”

Helping to promote this myth of protester violence was Bill O’Reilly, when he suggested the UC Davis police were in danger because the students are “liberals.”

Myth #5: The biggest crisis facing our country is out of control government spending.

Reality: The two biggest causes of the deficit by far are the Bush tax cuts and the economic crash. Unemployment means falling government revenues. Corporations are hoarding cash and factories are idle because there is no market for their goods. We can put people back to work by rebuilding infrastructure, something that is needed, in any case. That will shrink the deficit and make the economy stronger in the long run. We can easily afford it if we make the rich pay their fair share. Top economists have understood these basics since the Great Depression. It is dismaying to see the anti-intellectualism of John Boehner and Mitch McConnell, either because they are brain-washed or because of willful ignorance.

DECEMBER D ECEMBER DELIGHTS DELIGHTS

)

T

o everyone in the musi-

cal world, GALEN (single name) is a household name. Without question, everyone at Lakeside who has attended any afternoons of his musical events remembers with a thrilled heart what the piano in his hands can do for you.  Also, extremely important here at Lakeside is the new hospice that is being prepared and now opened in the new building at the 293 Medical Center in Chapala. A genuinely concerned and great gentleman, Eric Slebos, holds a long history with credentials of grief care, aging gracefully, and particularly hospice care for those of us who might need this attention the most. GALEN is a â&#x20AC;&#x153;now in preparationâ&#x20AC;? for theatre event that will play at Ajijicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  Number 4, starting Thursday, December 1 and every Thursday night for the entire month of December. ( Reservations a must: 766-1360 with VISA and MasterCharge cards

Th The he Fa Fabulous abulo bulo ous s Galen en

acceptable).  GALEN will be accompanied by his percussionist, Dale Hetler, with electronic guitar master, Lakesideâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ron Baker, and woodwinds and bass virtuoso, Robert Fedorak. Most generously, Ms. Kim Everest (#4 owner) will be donating all of the net proceeds from the concert to the new hospice mentioned above. On December 29th, that one evening of this series is a  PAY AS YOU CAN evening focused on those who really need a pleasant and  enjoyable hospice facility for the balance of their lives.

Saw you in the Ojo 23

* " % $" " " #

A

friend of ours is moving to Ecuador. When my wife asked her why, she said she had made a list of the things she wanted to do before she died.

That seemed logical so I too decided to make a list of the things that I should do before disease or death carried me off or rendered me so wasted that I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t care one fig about a list or any item on it.

To be useful my list had to contain only items that I was capable of doing or else it would be just an exercise in wishful thinking.

For example, if I put down that I wished to make a million dollars before I died and the get up and go required to fulfill a wish of that nature had gone before it got up then the acquisition of a million dollars would not be a legitimate item for my list.

Likewise, becoming a violin virtuoso, playing major league baseball, being canonized as a saint and having sex with Jennifer Lopez would, of necessity, be absent from my list.

So, to find appropriate items for my list I cast my mind back past decades to search out the elements of life that I had missed and which might be attainable at this late stage.

I decided not to put Ecuador or any other country on my list because I reasoned that if I travelled to a new place I would arrive with the same tired personality and behaviours I had when I left home.

I determined the criteria I would use would be to think back to those times when I was most uncomfortable because being uncomfortable must be due to some lack, either within or outside of me, which it might be possible to remedy even at this belated hour.

Therefore, the only journey I would take would be that from the cradle to where I now sit, feeble but still capable of making a list and perhaps, God willing, acting on it.

I selected many items for my list but rejected them all for a variety of reasons: Attainment would take too much effort, result in too much stress or detract too much from those things that I already found valuable in my life.

Thus, at a loss and with a blank

24

El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

sheet in front of me, I decided there was only one alternative ... so I prepared a list of all the things that caused me worry hoping that explicit identification would be the first step in eliminating many of these psychic critters from my mental menagerie.

However, most of my worries turned out not to be trivial and so I concluded that they were legitimate and, as such, must be pared from my list.

After paring only two remained and so I resolved: 1. that I would no longer worry about how I appeared to others, and 2. I would no longer worry about how the future appeared to me.

Apart from these two items I would continue to live my life as I now do with the exception that I would be able to attend social functions without combing my hair or wearing a tie, and I would cease to care if so doing resulted in fewer invitations.

Not worrying about the future or how I appeared in the present allowed me to quit fretting about such seemingly important and time-consuming activities as making money, my moves on the dance floor, keeping others happy, being published and getting laid.

Lest someone misunderstand, I do not intend to give up all of these activities only to quit fretting about them.

I am not a stubborn man and I do not beat dead horses. During my life I have many times quit smoking and drinking. Consequently, I determined that I would follow the prescripts on my list for one month to see if I could detect any improvement to either my personality or my outlook.

As of yesterday, one month has gone by, and this morning I booked my ticket to Ecuador.

Saw you in the Ojo 25

Hearts at Work + )"

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Rascal Sageâ&#x20AC;?

G

eorge Gurdjieff, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rascal Sage,â&#x20AC;? was born in 1870 of a Greek father and Armenian mother in the Caucasus region of Russia. According to Kathleen Riordan Speeth in The Gurdjieff Work, he wandered the world â&#x20AC;&#x153;to find the remnants, the descendants, or the living presence of human beings who were in contact with an eternal and unchanging core of true wisdom.â&#x20AC;?

Riordan writes, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are like householders who own a beautiful mansion of four levels, but we live in privation and darkness in the kitchen and the basement, disputing whether â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;living rooms exist.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

In Gurdjieffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seven Levels of Human Development, after resolving the seductive qualities of the three centersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the intellectual, the emotional, and the moving-instinctiveâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; and unifying the energies of those centers, a few men and women reach level 5, where they are â&#x20AC;&#x153;crystallized.â&#x20AC;?

At the highest level, Number Seven, the very rare man or woman who reaches it â&#x20AC;&#x153;possesses all the qualities a human being can have: will, full consciousness, a permanent and unchanging â&#x20AC;&#x153;I,â&#x20AC;? individuality and immortality.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;A permanent and unchanging â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;Ś.â&#x20AC;? According to Gurdjieff, we are made up of many little â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;?, many little personalities, some in competition with others. To become aware that we haveâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;we areâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;many little personalities can lead us toward understanding and to a permanent and unchanging personality, far superior to the others. In the presence of a Catholic priest, one personality is operating; in the presence of our plumber, anotherâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and in the presence of that irritating beggar still another.

And so part of the work is recognizing our own fragmentation, moving closer and closer to â&#x20AC;&#x153;essence,â&#x20AC;? to a master personality. P.D. Ouspensky, who for years worked closely with Gurdjieff, says this: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The illusion of unity or oneness is created in man first, by the sensation of one physical body, [second] by his name, which in normal cases always remains the

26

El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

same, and third, by a number of mechanical habits which are implanted in him by education or acquired by imitation. Having always the same physical sensations, hearing always the same name and noticing in himself the same habits and inclinations he had before, he believes himself to be always the same.â&#x20AC;?

Riordan writes that â&#x20AC;&#x153;According to Gurdjieff each adult has many selves, each of which uses the word â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to describe itself. At one moment one â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is present and at another there is a different â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; who may or may not even know the other â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; exists for between â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; there are often relatively impenetrable defenses called buffers. Clusters of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;? make up sub-personalities that are related by associationâ&#x20AC;Ś.

These clusters may not know of other clusters of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; with which they are not related by association. One â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; may promise and another may have no knowledge of the promise, owing to buffers, and therefore no intention of honoring it. One group of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; may rush enthusiastically into a marriage that makes other â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; resentful and withdrawn. Certain â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; may value and work toward an aim that other â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; subvert. But unlike other machines, the human psychological machine has the potential to study itself.

Through this study a higher level of being is possible. Perhaps we should try to greet each other not with â&#x20AC;&#x153;How are youâ&#x20AC;? but ratherâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;after looking into their eyes as deeply as we canâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;we should greet each other with â&#x20AC;&#x153;Who are you?â&#x20AC;?

Jim Tipton

Saw you in the Ojo 27

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El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

Saw you in the Ojo 29

A NEW LEASEâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;on Life!

" .

' #+#' .* ' &#+ # Save Your Own Life - Today

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

O

ne day you are fine and the next day your life is over,â&#x20AC;? says 44 year young Laureen, â&#x20AC;&#x153;and my attitude was always, I have a little diabetes but I can eat sugar.â&#x20AC;? Laureen is now on kidney dialysis three times a week and has just had her left leg and right foot amputated. I encourage you to watch this most disturbing interview with Dr. Oz at www.oprah.com, Why this diabetic had her leg amputated. It is an instant education about this most devastating disease - the silent killer - can quietly and quickly destroy a life. This life could be yours so listen up!

How can this happen? And how can this happen so quickly? Because unfortunately at least 50% of all people who have diabetes are unaware of their condition and this figure reaches as high as 80% in some countries (International Diabetes Federation).  In 1985 an estimated 30 million people worldwide had diabetes and by 2000 WHO estimated that approximately 177 million people suffered from diabetes. If this isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bad enough over 80 million people are pre-diabetic and they are unaware because they either have no symptoms or do not pay attention to the symptoms they might be experiencing. It is obvious that public education is imperative. Early detection and management is a key factor in stabilizing those afflicted with diabetes. It is obvious from the statistics that despite the huge sales of diabetic drugs they have failed to suppress the progression of the disease including its complications.

The single most obvious sign that you might be pre-diabetic or diabetic

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El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

is being overweight. Other symptoms might be fatigue, tingling or numbness in the feet, itchy skin, increased thirst, hunger and urination, blurred vision, cuts or sores that heal slowly and recurrent bladder infections. What are some other risk factors? 1. family history of diabetes 2. history of gestational diabetes or giving birth to babies over 9 pounds 3. polycystic ovary syndrome in women 4. high triglyceride level 5. inactive lifestyle 6. high blood pressure 7. low HDL (good) cholesterol level 8. history of heart disease 9. being Hispanic, Asian, African American or Native American The Importance of Diet â&#x20AC;&#x153;A little sugar wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hurt,â&#x20AC;? is the attitude of many diabetics as they down their medications and frequent the donut shops, washing them down with sugar laden sodas. This was the attitude of young Laureen in the video. Diets high in processed carbohydrates and sugars cause the body to develop insulin resistance which underlies type two diabetes. After years of consuming a diet that causes wild blood sugar spikes, the bodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blood sugar regulation system simply â&#x20AC;&#x153;wears outâ&#x20AC;?. In other cases genes could play a role and sometimes even fit mid-life individuals find themselves diagnosed with diabetes and have no idea why - hence, the phrase â&#x20AC;&#x153;Diabetes the silent killerâ&#x20AC;?. A low glycemic diet is the ultimate solution along with a regular exercise program. And ultimately, why not get tested? Save your own life-today.

(Ed. Note: Judit Rajhathy is the author of the Canadian best seller Free to Fly: a journey toward wellness. www. juditrajhathy.com Judit Rajhathy or 765-4551.)

(

W

ritten by various people with too much time on their hands) —I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger.

Then it hit me.

—Police were called to a day care where a three-yr-old was resisting a rest.

—Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was cut off? He’s all right now.

—The roundest knight at King Arthur’s round table was Sir Cumference.

—The butcher backed up into the meat grinder & got a little behind in his work.

—To write with a broken pencil is pointless.

—When fish are in schools, they sometimes take debate.

—The short fortune teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.

—A thief who stole a calendar got 12 months.

—A thief fell & broke his leg in wet cement. He became a hardened criminal.

—When the smog lifts in Los Angeles, U.C.L.A. —The dead batteries were given out free of charge.

—A dentist & a manicurist fought tooth and nail.

—A bicycle can’t stand alone; it is two tired.

—A will is a dead giveaway.

—Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies

like a banana.

—A backward poet writes inverse.

—In a democracy it’s your vote that counts; in feudalism, it’s your Count that votes.

—A chicken crossing the road: poultry in motion.

—If you don’t pay your exorcist you can get repossessed.

—Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft & I’ll show you A-flat miner.

—The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine was fully recovered.

—A grenade fell onto a kitchen floor in France, resulted in Linoleum Blownapart.

—You are stuck with your debt if you can’t budge it.

—A calendar’s days are numbered.

—A lot of money is tainted: ‘Taint yours, and ‘taint mine.

—A boiled egg is hard to beat.

—He had a photographic memory which was never developed.

—Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.

—When you’ve seen one shopping center, you’ve seen a mall.

—When she saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she’d dye.

—Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis.

—Santa’s helpers are subordinate clauses.

—Acupuncture: a jab well done

Saw you in the Ojo 31

SWAP MEET

By Allen McGill

“

W

e can’t leave yet,” Laura insisted. “We ain’t checked even half the tables yet.”

“Honey,” her husband moaned, “this swap meet goes on for miles.”

He stopped to rearrange the array of shopping bags, plastic sacks, boxes and packages in his hands, on his arms, hanging from his belt, around his neck and over his shoulders.

“We’re gonna have to take a taxi back to the truck as it is.”

“Then what you complainin’ about?” Laura snapped. “You won’t have to carry it all the way back yourself.” If she hadn’t been so laden herself, she’d have stomped her foot for emphasis.

The morning had begun badly, dawn light already showing through the window when she awoke. “Bert, get your butt outta that bed!” she’d yelled, throwing off the covers and leaping from the bed. “We’re late!”

She tossed off her nightgown, dipped into her “lucky shopping housedress,” and headed for the bathroom. She’d worn the old-fashioned, flower-patterned dress to every garage-, yard-, house-sale and swap meet she’d ever been to...and she’d been to every one she’d heard of, nearby...determined that some day it would be lucky. It was the first thing she’d ever purchased at such a sale and the lady she’d bought it from-who said she could see the future-told her it would bring her luck one day.

“Why so early?” Bert grumbled.

“Because today’s Sweetwater Swap-Meet Day,” Laura answered slowly, with exaggerated patience.

“We’ve got a hundred-mile drive, dear, so let’s get this show on the road!”

It weren’t just a coincidence, she’d sagely advised Bert, that she’d found the dress only one day after she’d seen her very first Antiques Roadshow on TV. It was a sign. She was sure of it. Some day those TV antique experts would come to their little town and she’d show them her newfound treasures and they’d put her on TV to tell everyone how she discovered all of them. And when they told her how much ever’thing was worth, she’d jump and yell and hollar like all them

32

El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

other fun folks did. You just wait and see if she didn’t.

“Well if this is a damn swap-meet,” Bert argued, “why don’t you swap somethin’ instead a keep’n buyin’ more and more stuff? Swap away somethin’ for a change! We got no room in the house for any more of this junk.” He lowered some of his burden to the ground so he could lift his baseball cap and wipe the sweat from his brow with his forearm. The sun pressed down heavily onto his bare pate. His t-shirt was drenched and his bearded face—she hadn’t let him take the time to shave—was red with the heat.

“I’m here to collect value-bull antiques,” Laura said, trying to be patient, “not give ‘em away.”

Bert let out a sigh of exasperation: “Don’t you think these people know what they got? Don’t you think they watch that damned TV show—” He stopped, suddenly frightened by the intensity of the glare that pierced the space between Laura and him. He’d gone too far. To criticize Antiques Roadshow was blasphemous. She’d told him, warned him. “All right!” he quickly said, moving on. “Let’s get going. Lots of ground to cover.”

It wasn’t until about an hour later that Laura and Bert finally paused, claimed by Bert as a need for a peebreak. Actually, he felt as if all his body-moisture had already evaporated into the furnace-like air. They stopped beneath a tent covering where soft drinks were sold and covered most of the vacant table they’d found with their “antiques.” When Bert returned from the john. He felt like an unloaded pack-mule.

“Okay, now you stay right here, now, hear?” Laura ordered. “I’m goin’ off lookin’ some more and I don’t wanna have to look for you when I come back. So don’t go roamin’ off.”

“I ain’t goin’ nowheres, Honey,” Bert said, waving her off with one hand and reaching for the plastic Coke cup with the other. He mumbled to himself, “I sure as hell ain’t goin’ nowheres.” After a few seconds, he turned to see Laura weaving off through the crowd, looking like a frumpy old lady in a gran’ma dress. He shook his head and shrugged.

“I seen you here before, ain’t I?” a man’s voice asked over his shoulder.

He turned to see a middle-aged guy in a plaid shirt, jeans and boots smiling at him. The guy removed his Stetson and sat beside Bert.

“Well, I come here with my wife about one weekend a month,” Bert said, with an inadvertent sneer. “The other weekends we vacation in Hell.

Why?” The guy laughed. “My name’s Carl.”

He reached out his to shake Bert’s hand. “I meet lots a guys like you. Wife drags them to all these type a places.

Me? I love ‘em. I have to drag my wife to ‘em.” He pointed off to a small table where a pleasant-looking lady about the same age was sitting alone. She glanced in their direction, then looked away. “That’s her. Kinda sour-lookin’, ain’t she? She just sits there all day, won’t carry nothin’ or nothin’.”

“She’s kinda pretty,” Bert said.

“Why’s she come?”

Carl’s smile broadened. “I make her. Y’see, I’m sorta, kinda like an addick, y’know? I can’t keep away from these swap-places; always ready, willin’ and able to make a deal. And I was thinkin’....” He studied Bert’s face carefully. “Y’see, you gotta wife who loves these places, and you hate ‘em. And I gotta wife who hates the places, and I love ‘em. I think maybe that we could come to some kind a deal, y’know?”

Bert looked at Carl, stunned, his eyes wide and mouth open. He held his breath for long seconds, then, finally exhaling, asked, “What kinda vehicle you drive?”

Saw you in the Ojo 33

Communicating In â&#x20AC;&#x153;Latin Americanâ&#x20AC;?

H

urdle the language barrier by learning Latin American hand and voice signals. These vary from one culture to another. The following are distinctly Latino: The Wagging Finger--is the way to say no, definitely and finally. No one questions this dignified and simple way of saying â&#x20AC;&#x153;No.â&#x20AC;? Just move the index finger of either hand from right to left.

The wig-wag of the finger is an important part of Latino everyday life.

The Latino women have developed it into a fine art as they move their index finger independently from the rest of the hand.

Everywhere you go, on the street, in stores and markets, you see the wigwag. Stopped for a red traffic light, the lady behind the car window wig-wags at an approaching salesman. Through street windows at home, on the plaza, anywhere those super-salesmen abound, you will find wigwagging.

Have you wig-wagged today? If you havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tried it yet, do so! Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll like it.

PSSST! In bygone days, on the American stage and in class B movies, the villain identified himself when he surreptitiously summoned the heroine thusly.

But in Latin America, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pssstâ&#x20AC;? is a polite way of saying, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Come here, please.â&#x20AC;? You can use it at football

34

El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

games to summon the torta (sandwich) man, at restaurants to get the waiterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention, or, from your window to bring the scissor grinder to your door, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pssst!â&#x20AC;? always gets the attention of the person wanted and no one else pays attention. Arm Signalsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; to hail a bus or taxi to a stop, raise your arm out at a 45 degree angle from your body. You can stand on your head, or do the funky chicken until youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re blue in the face but that is the only signal they respond to.

Thumping Signalsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;One thump means â&#x20AC;&#x153;Go!â&#x20AC;?, two thumps means â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whoa!â&#x20AC;? Thumping is used in many ways to help drivers of trucks and buses as they maneuver in, out, back, and through traffic and tight places.

The thumping may be done by driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s helper from a runway on the back of the truck, to guide him in backing up.

Or, in a crowded passenger bus, passengers in the rear may guide the driver in the same way.

Ahoritaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;means right now! It is the smallest length of time in which anything can be done and is usually accompanied by a hand signal. This is done by holding the thumb and forefinger with a space of about one inch between them. The space may vary as the shortest length of time expands and contracts.

This hand signal is widely used by drivers in situations on narrow streets.

The driver in front of you will stop and give the sign to the car behind him.

The space between the thumb and forefinger depends on how long he intends to hold up traffic while he goes about his business of unloading passengers or cargo.

The driver’s ahorita may last from one to five minutes and sometimes, he turns a deaf ear to the wild hornblowing behind him. While the policia understands his signal, other drivers toot and toot, and the tooting has a meaning all of its own. Depending on the consecutive number of toots, a whole dictionary of swear words can be recited. A five-toot is the worst of all Spanish oaths-and where else in the world can you find cursing more colorful!

Mañana - a courteous way of never saying “no” without committing oneself to say “yes.” An example: “When will you be back to clean the tinaco (water tank), Hilarioso?”

“Mañana, Señora.”

Hilarioso shows up a week later.

He works a couple of hours and promises to return mañana or en la mañana (tomorrow in the morning), or, if that proves impossible, pasado mañana (the day after tomorrow).

The reasons for dalliance are many.

Half of the Latino calendar is marked with fiestas. And fiestas come first.

There are birthdays, Saints’ days, national holidays, pueblo holidays. Lots of fiestas and they always come first!

Mi casa es su casa— “My house is your house” is the ultimate Latin courtesy. It should not be taken literally, however. Don’t pack your suitcase and expect to move in.

This expression is used so automatically it is practically devoid of meaning, except to convey a feeling that you are welcome. Latin courtesy is a highly refined art, of which exaggeration is a part.

For example, shaking hands involves a few nice exchanges: buenos dias in the morning, buenas tardes until dark, buenas noches after dark.

Como esta usted? (How are you?) Other concerns about your health start off even business conversations. There is no hurry in Latin America.

The Latin abrazo (embrace) is performed every time you meet. The ladies touch cheeks while giving a small abrazo. Men, however, will give a very hearty abrazo and thump each other with great gusto each time they meet.

This act between men is not considered effeminate; it shows real feeling.

Smiles—the face of Latin America is a happy one. The best way to show your goodwill is to smile. You’ll always get a big one back. Gracias—this Spanish word for “Thank you” comes from the heart. Muchas gracias, or many thanks comes first. Muchisimas gracias, “Thanks a great deal” is next. Finally, mil gracias or a thousand thanks. When it is spoken, notice the warm light in the Mexican’s eyes. You have a friendship that will last forever.

Adios—means more than goodbye. This customary Spanish word for “good-bye” means “Go with God.” Don’t journey on by yourself. Walk with God. The original Spanish phrase for “Go with God” was shortened to “Adios.” You will hear it in passing, instead of hola, hello. It is a sincere wish that all goes well with you until you meet again.

And so I’ll close this piece by saying ADIOS!

Saw you in the Ojo 35

Madre

By Liza Bakewell A book review by Kay Davis

D

uring her many sabbaticals in Mexico over the years, Liza Bakewell, a linguistic anthropologist at Brown University, inquired about the use of the word madre because she saw it written as graffiti in confusing and sometimes unflattering terms. She heard it used by men in even less flattering expressions during macho verbal jousts. That was unusual because Mexican men do not speak the word in the company of women – she asked when only she and a Mexican man could speak frankly, e.g. a cab driver she used regularly, an educated friend, a worker she knew fairly well.

But the confusion lies in the realization of how strongly Mexico honors mothers. Mothers are in charge of the homes. Most Mexicans follow the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and therefore honor the Virgin Mary above all women, with the country’s own Guadalupe running a close second. So how could men use the word madre in less than respectful terms and women of any refinement not use the word at all? Mexican women say mamá or mujer (woman). I have to admit not having heard the word madre spoken in more than six years of living in Mexico.

And so Ms. Bakewell’s cultural and linguistic journey began. It is a quest to understand Mexico’s use of language so differently from any other Spanish-speaking nation. As a journey, it is a story that took years to unfold.

As an exploration of linguistics, it is an academic adventure. But how did such a phenomenon evolve? I wanted to know. It would be disastrous to use terms for which I would be castigated by the local people I so enjoy.

As Ms. Bakewell reminds us, anthropological history presents us with the most prevalent early madre in the form of Malinche. The Aztecs had ruled for centuries, but when Spanish conquistadors brought their might, their religion and their language and subjugated the people in this majestic land, they needed an interpreter. And Malinche, seeing an opportunity to improve her own situation, became not only interpreter but mistress to Cortez. Despite her effectiveness in that

36

El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

double role, the betrayal and intimacy inclusive in her compromise made her a whore in the view of her own people.

Now women had a double image, virgin and whore.

To learn more about this contradiction, Ms. Bakewell developed a roundtable with Mexican women. Feminist, educator, business woman, homemaker, they reiterated the church view of women and its influence, and unraveling the history of words, they laughed together at the expressions used by men – the words, not the men.

After all, men want to take care of their home and family – for women that is, in essence, the virgin role. But, as Ms. Bakewell points out, an educated woman who asserts herself or a working woman who makes choices by her own reasoning may be referred to as a “bitch” in Anglophone countries or puta in Mexico. Madre may be used as a double entendre but at least it isn’t as punitive.

Perhaps, then, it is not so farfetched that men express frustrations with governments and other authorities by using curses in verbal combat with their peers. Curses relieve some of the frustration inherent in things we cannot change. And so men also prefer their women be more gracious, for women are part of the beauty in their world. Perhaps, all in all, men and women are much the same the world around.

MADRE is a unique book, combining linguistics with cultural studies through travel and memoir. Liza Bakewell is alert to words and their inner lives, the otherwise unexamined forces embedded in them that color the world in which we live.

(Published in 2011 by W. W. Norton & Co., Madre: Perilous Journeys with a Spanish Noun is found on Amazon.com with Four Stars from online reviews.

It can be purchased in hard cover at $17.48, but it most easily downloaded onto Kindle at $9.99.)

Saw you in the Ojo 37

INTEL 2012 LAKESIDE COMMUNITY AWARDS Nominations due by December 23, 2011

L

akesiders have ve e nini this opportunite te ty to nominate n those individuals, iin s, the follow categories, g for their outstanding e contributions made during 2011. Please consider carefully any one or more people you feel deserve to be recognized for their dedication while improving our Lakeside life style! The ceremonies for winners of these awards will be presented mid-February (firm date announced soon) at the Ajijic Auditorium.

EDUCATION: for the TEACHER of the Year, MALE and FEMALE STUDENT of the Year is based on their

scholastic sch sc h achievements an n and selected by the Ja a Jalisco Department of Ed d Education and does not d e depend on nominations b by the public.

CATEGORIES: WOMAN of the year, MAN of the Year, PROJECT of the Year, COUPLE of the Year, PIONEER of the Year, KEEPER OF THE FLAME, HUMANITARIAN of the Year, CULTURAL ACHIEVEMENT of the Year, and the coveted LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD. SUBMIT nominations to TOD JONSON by email (todoflcs@yahoo. com) or hand carry to the offices of the LAKE CHAPALA SOCIETY. Submitted by Tod Jonson

&21*5(66,21$/ 5()250

1

No Tenure / No Pension.

A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system i t immediately. All future funds fl flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.

3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the

38

El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

American people.

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12.

The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

Saw you in the Ojo 39

/ 0 0 " #

Unfinished Business

A

s I write my final column in this series, I see much unfinished business in This World

of Ours.

OUR ENVIRONMENT. Climate change will become a survival issue for millions as growing urbanization and consumerism strain fragile ecosystems despite a leveling of population as fertility rates fall. Devastating droughts, floods and other weather extremes will become the norm. Australia, Canada and America, in that order, are now the West’s top CO2 emitters per capita. Australia has just instituted a carbon tax bitterly resisted by business interests. This continent’s global warming skeptics must finally be discredited and short term eco-

40

nomic concerns must not delay North America following suit.

A FAIRER ECONOMIC PYRAMID. Wall Street protestors have spread world wide as the West’s echo of the continuing Arab Spring. As their dreams of a better future fade young people rally around the cry “We are the 99%” to protest corporate corruption and the growing gap between the ultra rich and all others. Warren Buffet, whose income tax rate is less than that of his secretary, volunteered that he should pay more. But needed action does not stop with the ultra rich. Unions are still a path to greater fairness in the Third World but in our world their members have joined the upper middle class. In the public sector

El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

they impede reducing the cost of government. Citizens have grown impatient with strikes that interrupt vital services or threaten local industries.

With millions unemployed or on minimum wage a far better focus would be on raising the minimum wage. An aging demographic and rising health costs will necessitate deferring retirements and personal finances must be far more prudently managed. Too often credit debt is rolled over endlessly at usurious interest rates. Mortgage defaults leave millions homeless or with negative equity. Post secondary students graduate with huge debt and diminished job prospects. A pay-as-you-go ethos must be instilled at an early age and practiced throughout life. Growing up in the Great Depression my generation has fared better than any before it and, sadly, probably any that will follow.

ECONOMIC RECESSION AND FINANCIAL REFORM. Market volatility continues as attention shifts from disgust with fiscal brinkmanship in America to Europe’s struggle to stem spread of the Greek crisis and fears that Italy could be next. The EU and G20 pulled Europe back from the brink with a number of stern measures requiring and measuring progress in Greece and Italy. After days of turmoil and uncertainty Greece’s Prime Minister stepped down to facilitate formation of a new unity government and anxieties shifted to fears about Italy’s much larger economy under Berlusconi. Broad reforms are needed at every level. Under-regulated financial institutions selling exotic derivatives must be curbed and corporate criminals brought to justice. James Tobin, born 100 years ago, won the Nobel Prize in economics for proposing a tax on foreign exchange transactions.

I propose that such a tax be applied to stock trading as well. At a mere fraction of 1% it would not inhibit legitimate trades but would discourage outright speculation and high speed in and out trading that exacerbates market volatility. It would also be a painless way to achieve the First World’s 2005 Millennium Development Goal commitment to donate a mere 0.7% of Gross National Incomes to eliminate world poverty by 2015. At the G20 Bill Gates recommended a Tobin type tax, a concept embraced by many of the heads of state present but opposed by others.

FINDING COMMON GROUND. This year’s Arab Spring also brought into sharp focus that we must move beyond religious and ethnic conflicts including fairly resolving the Israeli Palestinian dispute on its doorstep. Palestine is seeking UN recognition of its statehood and Israel has become increasingly isolated as once again humanitarian flotillas challenge its economic strangulation of Palestine. Netanyahu has become Is-

rael’s own worst enemy as he delays vital tax transfers to Palestine and continues preemptive settlement building likened by some to two people discussing how to share a pizza while one continues to eat it! This is counterproductive to Israel’s own security long term. On a totally different front we must also continue to advance gender equity to embrace the other half of humanity. Our world will be a better place as more women bring their collegial attributes to the seats of power in every sphere.

FOSTERING INTERNATIONALISM. The current global crisis simply underscores how essential it is that nations work together to find viable solutions in our interconnected world. In short, we must advance meaningful world governance. I set out below Tennyson’s prophetic vision written in 1842 that adorned the wall of my childhood home.

In the 1940’s I was actively involved in inter university forums focused on the emerging United Nations. With the Cold War looming we grudgingly accepted the pragmatic necessity then of the now obsolete veto. As but one example it is America’s constant use of that veto that has postponed resolution of the Israeli Palestinian dispute for decades. After the most devastating war of all time Europeans chose to cede significant elements of national sovereignty that a continent that had warred forever might war no more.

Perhaps they were not yet ready for the Euro as a common currency but it would be tragic indeed if the EU concept itself were now derailed. In the 1960’s I followed the Union’s evolution while working in the UK as Britain weighed the pros and cons of coming from behind its channel moat to share that vision.

Great figures through the ages from Socrates to Einstein, from Nehru to Churchill have expressed this vision of one world in specific terms. In poetic language Tennyson’s Locksley Hall prophetically anticipated civil aviation and aerial commerce, military aviation, the atomic bomb, atomic radiation and the obscenity of collateral damage. He closed with, Till the war drums throbbed no longer and the battle flags were furled in the Parliament of Man, the Federation of the World.

In closing, my thanks to my readers for bearing with me over the years as I have shared my passions and thoughts on so many of these issues through my columns and books.

(Ed. Note: It is with deep regret that we bid farewell to Bob. He has been an Ojo columnist for well over a decade, and is foremost among the many fine writers that have contributed so much to our success. Vaya Bob Harwood con Dios, Bob.)

Saw you in the Ojo 41

? 8E > @E > . .? < L K L I<

By Mike and Sally Myers

T

hink about how good you would feel if you could give a rewarding future to someone who otherwise would never get a chance to have what we do: a good life! And change it not only for them, but also for their families and future generations. Just imagine!

But, what would it be?

In 1968, a group of concerned individuals decided what they would do: on a hillside, west of San Juan Cosala, with wonderful views of the lake and surrounding valley, they established Jaltepec Centro Educativo, a Hotel and Hospitality Management School, for young girls whose financial circumstances would normally prevent them from ever having the opportunity for an education of this kind. During the past 43 years, approximately 650 young ladies have graduated from the two-year course and gone on to find successful careers in the hotel, food and beverage, and tourist industries. In 2001, the school was upgraded to a Technical Universitario en Hoteleria, by the Secretary of Public Education; quite an achievement.

Young girls, from all over Mexico, come to Jaltepec Centro Educativo every year, to participate in the Center’s two-year program, which offers comprehensive and intensive courses in all aspects of Hotel and Food and Beverage management. Jaltepec’s primary goal is “to develop high standards of academic performance, competence and professionalism among its students and to nurture an ethical and spiritual awareness in them that will guide them through a useful and rewarding life after they leave.”

Most of the Jaltepec students come from large, poor families, their parents lacking the financial means to educate their children without assistance. Only 30 girls, out of as many as 150 applicants each year, are accepted into the program, so the entry competition is intense. Each applicant must apply personally, in writing, and agree to a background check to determine her suitability for the programs offered.

This information is used to determine how much financial assistance will be allocated to each student. As a sign of their determination and positive intent to complete the program, each girl’s family must pay the complete cost

42

El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

of her tuition for the first four months of the initial school year; thereafter, the students are eligible for the scholarship assistance programs.

All students are required to maintain a grade average of 80%, in order to continue their scholarship eligibility, which must be renewed at the completion of their first year of study. Their classes include cooking, cleaning, laundering, hotel management, administrative techniques, computer word processing, accounting, English language and grammar, social interaction.

As a prerequisite for graduation, with a Degree en Hoteleria (Technical Degree in Hotel and Hospitality Management), they must complete 1750 hours of actual working experience, which is accomplished in the retreat center located on the campus as well as hotel and restaurants in the neighboring communities, which have generously opened their doors to these aspiring graduates. They also must contribute 480 hours of Social Service, which all graduates from universities within Mexico must fulfill.

Upon graduation, these young ladies not only raise their personal living standards, but also raise the economic standards of their families, and the educational potential of other immediate family members. This is a life-altering experience for the graduates and their families for generations to come. Because of the high standards of Jaltepec, graduates are sought after all over Mexico.

There are many ways for members of the community to get involved. Individual Sponsors may contribute to the program in general, or they may elect to provide assistance to the student of their choice. Everyone is invited to tour the lovely facility, meet the students and form you own conclusions. The center is located between San Juan Cosala and El Chante, on the mountainside of the Carretera. To find out how you might help change a young woman’s life, call or email: Linda Buckthorp, 766-1631 buckthorp@laguna.com.mx

Saw you in the Ojo 43

" 1# " "

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#

J

osh looked at the â&#x20AC;&#x153;wild animalâ&#x20AC;? with sadness in his eyes. He had saved money for five years in order to see the last living tiger on Earth. She was surrounded by glass on three sides to allow the people who stood in line to watch her before they entered her enclosure and had their thirty seconds to stroke her and have their photo taken with her. The line moved closer. Josh saw several patches of thin fur missing from her legal pattern of stripes. Her great head hung from bony shoulders. She paced back and forth atop the long table, her gait stilted and ungraceful.

She yawned. He saw an intact

44

set of impressive teeth. Intact claws and teeth or not, he knew she was a depressed and conquered diva. A sallow faced man opened the glass door to allow the paying public into the large room, one at a time. In the middle of the room, sporting a chin that jutted out as if he liked being confrontational with everyone, was the keeper. He sat on a stool, holding the end of a twenty foot chain, looking bored and sleepy.

A tall gangly youth with an oddly angled face went through the door and approached the tigress, hesitant at first. The tigress sat with her head bowed low. He reached out to touch her. She didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t respond so he

El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

tugged at her fur, slapped her rump and posed for photos with his right hand holding up a fistful of tiger fur.

Josh scanned the line, looked at the expectant faces, then back at the tiger. The keeper stood, stretched and teased the tiger with tiny bits of meat to make her sit up. And when she no longer had the energy to entertain he gave her an electric shock.

The people in line appeared to murmur their appreciation when the animal tried to roar in response to the pain. But the pitiful sound that came from the animal was more a resigned shriek than a growl.

It was close to Joshâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s turn and he scanned the trees, bushes and rocks in the enclosure. They were manmade. His gaze fell upon the animal and he saw her lift her head. For a moment their eyes met. Half closed, the tigressâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; eyes were dull, dead eyes that reflected how much its heart and soul had surrendered to her existence. Josh understood and remembered his own life.

He had grown up with his tall, lanky grandfather in the poor section of the city. After his mother and father made it big in the business world, they catapulted higher and higher until they became the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest and most powerful CEO´s.

They were part of the governmentrun business machinery and he never saw or heard from them after the age of five.

Josh did not relate to people his age. They were interested in going on shopping sprees for the newest products, owning the latest hoverjets, or purchasing human-looking, computerized house staff. He was interested only in Earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ecological past. He had had two short-lived legal unions with women who threatened to turn him in to the authorities if he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop conversing about â&#x20AC;&#x153;the old daysâ&#x20AC;? and the â&#x20AC;&#x153;world of nature.â&#x20AC;? Wildlife magazines, photos, books and DVDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, were considered contraband, except when the government could make money off of citizenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; s paying to view the â&#x20AC;&#x153;lastâ&#x20AC;? of each â&#x20AC;&#x153;destructiveâ&#x20AC;? species.

Josh and his grandfather were close. They shared a secret and kept it hidden away from the world.

Their contraband was safely hidden throughout the government -owned apartment. Joshâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grandfather had died two weeks prior to Josh waiting in line to be near the tigress and he felt out of sync with the world, isolated and lonely. He remembered how reverent his grandfather taught him to be of all wild things. He thought getting to see the â&#x20AC;&#x153;lastâ&#x20AC;? tiger would somehow be exhilarating but seeing how it was treated made him feel

sick. Joshâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s earliest memories were of his grandfather telling him intriguing stories of lion pride hunts, massive migrations of wildebeest and zebras, and giant matriarch-led bands of intelligent behemoths, called elephants.

Josh witnessedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;through well maintained forty-year-old D-V-Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and its playerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a world that still had rain forests, pristine oceans full of fish and mammals, great empty grasslands and orchards of fruiting trees. He lived in his dreams and fantasies, heart racing whenever a big cat came within thirty feet of him.

Josh pretended he was a wildlife researcher and scanned ancient tree limbs for the elusive leopard that was inside of his mind.

A teen-aged girl and her friends stood behind him, pushing each other. One of them bumped into Josh.

When he looked at them they stared in defiance at his drab and colorless clothes. They wore their hair in the well-coifed â&#x20AC;&#x153;piled-high-styleâ&#x20AC;? of the elite class.

He turned toward the doorway and waited. He could not take his eyes off the animal despite the pungent smell of the tigerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s urinesaturated body. The man nearest the door had a laser sidearm strapped to his leg. He said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Move it, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your turn.â&#x20AC;?

Josh looked up above his head before he entered the room, a large printed sign said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Walk calmly and quietly toward the tiger. Leave the same way.â&#x20AC;? He glanced to his right and saw thick glass windows with people staring at the pathetic creature. He knew what he needed to do.

Josh pushed past the door man and ran toward the tiger. She lifted her head. Their eyes met again. In that moment, they both understood.

Josh ran toward the big cat and then away. The keeper yelled, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Stop. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t run.â&#x20AC;?

The tigerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyes filled with a golden glow and renewed life. She gracefully pounced off the table and landed on the floor in silence. The chain was pulled out of the sleepy manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hands. The tiger lunged. Josh smiled as he turned to face the oncoming animal. The last thing he saw was the sleekness and beauty of a â&#x20AC;&#x153;wildâ&#x20AC;? tigress before it grabbed him and sunk its teeth into his kull.

The keepers shot the tiger, twice.

The wild animal shuddered and fell limp. Josh and the tigress lay face to face on the blood-soaked floorâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;neither one seeing the other.

(Ed. Note: Bonnie is currently working on TANGLED TALES: AÂ TWISTED COLLECTION OF GENRES, Flash Fiction & Short Stories)

Saw you in the Ojo 45

2 Phone: 376 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 765 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4049 Email: # # ! " #

) 0" * ;' <=>> Cruz Roja golf classic were Mary and Brooks Wingrave, Rod and Maggie Pye. The day was a great success. The Country Club de Chapala golf course was in perfect condition, the weather not too warm, just right. The food was ;

%

ready for fun.

Noble Denny Strole presents a Certificate of Appreciate to Dr. Gonzalez

Winners Cruz Roja Golf Classic

There were lots of prizes to go around and free tequila from Siete Leguas as well as samples and treats from many other sponsors. But the real winner was Cruz Roja and the Lakeside community. Thank you to all the volunteers, the players and sponsors. * >>th' >? * 1 "

" + " " & # ! Gonzalez to show their appreciation for his generous donation of his time and orthopedic medical experience to screen children for the Shriners Hospital for Children in Mexico City.

Each Friday at 1:00 pm, Dr. Gonzales evaluates children that have been referred by the <

$

"

from treatment at the Shriners Hospital. He does this at no charge. For more information about Shriners, contact Noble Denny Strole

at (376) 766-0485 or email dstrole@ gmail.com. ) ' & <@' <=>> < ? J& 0" K Q will be held at Villa Venezie, the $ % &

+ = $

Everest. This Lake Chapala Hospice fundraiser features a special appearance by singer, songwriter and producer Wendy Waldman, well known for her hit song: Save the Best for Last. Tickets are 1,000 pesos and include drinks, dessert and the concert. To order tickets email admin@lakechapalahospice.

Lake Chapala Hospice Fundraiser com or call 766-4154.

Ticket sales provide a portion of the essential funding needed to get the Lake Chapala Hospice program underway. Funds raised are being used for expenses, medical consulting, equipment, licenses and other unavoidable preliminary expenditures, without which it cannot proceed. Additional information available at: www.lakechapalahos-

Weight Watcher Participants in Marathon Dia del Medico

46

pice.com On November 6, the third Marathon del DĂ­a del MĂŠdico started at the San Antonio Modelorama and ended at the Chapala MalecĂłn. This year the organizer invited foreigners, and to many peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surprise, 20 foreigners did participate â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 13 of which were members of the Ajijic Weight Watchers Group, With 80 people competing, the event raised 11000 pesos with 1/2 to Cruz Roja and 1/2 to other institutions. All 13 of the > % > %

* $ $ ;

$ $" ? > liams coming in second in the foreigner category. Pictured are Weight Watcher partici& Q $ U ; < + ; Y = ; Y " ! ; ? > $ ;

Valerie Jones and Heather Stevenson. * >W' " + "

X + +Z "

.

in El Salto. Romertopf specializes in clay baking products and had all kinds of products for sale - from unglazed chicken bakers to wine coolers at really low prices. Forty-seven lakesiders, with money in their pockets, participated in the

El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

Romertopf shoppers Howard Feldstein, Joan Ward, Monica Malloy and Pat Ellson trip. Thankfully the deluxe bus had a lot of storage underneath, as the group departed with 65 small, medium and large boxes full of neatly wrapped purchases. * >[ <='

" % 0 " # The artisans had outstanding crafts for sale, the entertainment was excellent and volunteers did an amazing job.

The same weekend, a much smaller event, the fall edition of the Expo + X2 +Z

Fare, was held at the esplanade of the Auditorio in La Floresta. Attendees at the Saturday evening concert, Tribute to Farinelli, got a special treat as the Expo stayed open until the concert started.

Future Events & [ \ '

annual Cruz Roja live auction will be held at the Real de Chapala hotel in Lower la Floresta. Nicole Sergent will again be the auctioneer presenting the items with her unique banter. Viewing begins at 3 pm and the live auction starts at 4 pm and should be completJose Melendrez at the ECA ed at 5:30 pm. Botanas will be served Crafts Fare. during the viewing along with tequila samples by Siete Leguas. The hotel will also provide a cash bar.

All live auction items will have a minimum value of $1,000 pesos and range from a *

! [

%

$

&

\ $ mation, contact Nicole Sergent at 766-4375 or Charlie Klestadt at 331-445-2136 cell.

December 9 from 3 to 6 pm Colors and Tastes of Ajijic and Silent Auction will be held <

" ! ] ;

^& %

of the Auditorio in La Floresta. Local restaurants are donating tasting samples of their food. Local clothing designers are staging a fashion show and each will donate an item for the live auction. A silent auction will feature works of art, vacation trips, dinners for two, golf equipment and much more. Tickets are $200 pesos and include one drink from the bar and four food tasting samples. " ' & @' ? [ ) " + + " " "

Saw you in the Ojo 47

Y ou can always

count on the fun-loving Mexicans to get the most out of any whether sacred or profane, but they outdo themselves in making the winter holiday season stretch all the way to February. Though many of their customs originate in their own past, and others have been borrowed from Europe and the Far East or, most recently, from their North American neighbors, they have a way of making each element uniquely their own. Parties and

parades and pageants,

and poinsettias all play important roles in the festivities.

December 3rd sees the holidays off to a

Guadalupe which culminates nine days later on her special day, December 12th. Ever since she appeared to Juan Diego on the hill of Tepeyac in 1531 and left her image indelibly imprinted on his mantle, this Virgin has been the

of all Mexico. The nativesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; immediate acceptance was partially due to her dusky skin, so like their own and so unlike the milk-faced dolls imported from Spain. But what made her peculiarly their own was her appearance in a place sacred to their old religion near the time of the winter solstice, plus the fact that she is surrounded

as an emissary of the sun god, the most important deity in the pre-Colombian pantheon.

Saint Francis of Assisi is credited

or tableau of the holy birth, in 1223. The idea caught on throughout the Christian world and Mexican converts adopted it with enthusiasm as being closely akin to some of their own rituals. There are, however, some slight differences from the original as, for instance, in having Satan lurking somewhere about the scene hoping to trap the unwary. In Mexico they go up in early December and stay around long after Christmas. Visitors are usually impressed by the detailed completeness of such scenes; especially those featuring full-sized

48

El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

sence of several important characters. When it is explained that the baby Jesus will not be born until Christmas day and the Three Kings are still traveling and cannot arrive before Twelfth Night, they often go home wondering why they have always done it wrong in Podunk.

Another omnipresent feature of Christmas in Mexico is the poinsettia or

(Flower of the Holy Night) which was also sacred in pre-Columbian times. They called it (leather petals) and considered it sacred to warriors who died in battle and who, as hum

return to earth to sip its nectar.

Throughout history priests have been canny enough to incorporate at least some elements of the religious beliefs of a conquered people in their rites to make them more palatable.

The Egyptians did it; the Greeks did it; the Aztecs did it; and the Catholics were certainly past masters of the art. When they noted that their future converts were accustomed to commemorating the winter solstice with parades, dances and morality plays in honor of the sun god, they immediately instituted a similar celebration with a Christian theme and the were born. Every evening, from December 16th through the 24th, the streets of even the smallest village are crowded with the faithful following Mary and Joseph in their search for shelter. Sometimes only images are carried.

More often it is a young girl seated on a burro led by a boy in Arab robes who head the procession. Special songs are sung at each â&#x20AC;&#x153;innâ&#x20AC;? begging refuge which, time after time, is refused

welcomes them. Then the party begins.

Saw you in the Ojo 49

50

El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

Saw you in the Ojo 51

52

El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

There is always a for the children, a fragile clay jar covered

blindfolded stick wielders swing wildly until

!

and there is a mad scramble for the goodies that rain down.

This custom originated in China, but Christianity added its own meanings. Although they now come in every form imaginable, from airplanes to zebras, the traditional was spherical with seven conical protrusions trailing paper streamers which represented the Seven D e a d l y Sins. Its destruction symbolizes the defeat of Satan himself and the treats are the rewards of that moral victory. Traditional foods like and are enjoyed before the party makes its way to the church for mass.

and New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day are purely secular and mostly modern except for some overtones of celebration of the sun godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s moving north again after the solstice. January 6th, however, is a very important day. This is

when the Three Kings, Caspar, Melchior and Bal

reached Bethlehem bearing gold, frankin cense and myrrh.

It is the Magi, not Santa Claus, who bring gifts for the children in all Spanish-American countries. Special foods are served, including an egg cake resembling a giant bagel bright with dried fruits and sparkling

& ' '

"

* $+ /

responsible for providing the christening dress for the infant Jesus.

# 0

when, the obligatory forty days after his birth, Mary and Joseph take their new babe to the Temple to be blessed " /

watch out for Easter!

There they might watch a

performed on the church steps. Here again we

"

reenacted important historical episodes as part of their religious rites and the missionaries adapted this to Biblical events, in this case the birth of Christ. Whatever the schedule, each evening builds up in intensity and fun until it reaches a crescendo on Christmas Eve. Except for a special mass, Christmas day is usually devoted

ty. Traditionally, it is not even a day for exchanging gifts, though that, too, is chang # $% the festivities start up again with the Day of the Innocents. Why this terrible day, when Herod ordered all newborn babies slaughtered, should be celebrated by hoaxes and practical jokes is a mystery. Most of the high jinks are aimed at persuading the unwary to lend some article which, by tradition, need never be returned.

New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eve

Saw you in the Ojo 53

Bash to aid Neuter and Spay for local rescuers will be held at Salvadorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restaurant, Ajijic. Enjoy a Spaghetti Dinner, fabulous desserts, live entertainment, wonderful door & _

$ %

*

`{|| &

"

< } ;

Miaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Boutique and Diane Pearl; they will not be sold at the event. Please join us for a fun evening and help us to curtail the pet overpopulation at Lakeside. For more details go to www.PepesPawsandClaws.com or email blabbyabbeymx@gmail.com & >= >[' 1 " 1"

) X11)Z ] " ! written

by Tom Dudzick and directed by Peggy Lord Chilton. When a dysfunctional familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Christmas Eve is disrupted by an ancient and witty spirit working through a mentallychallenged boy, healing comes in wonderfully mysterious ways. Purchase advance tickets at the Theatre from 10 to noon starting December 8. Performances begin at 7:30 pm, and the bar opens at 6:30 pm. Sunday matinees at 3 pm. For more information, go to www.lakesidelittletheatre.com. & >> + 0" " " " featuring entertainment by Frank Dino. Tickets are $250 pesos and can be purchased by calling Y ' ; ^{

Â&#x20AC; ? %; ^ ]""

Lago # 9, facing the Ajijic Malecon between Pedro Moreno and 5 de Mayo. & >< \ (" !" ] &

(" % ^" .

" . Augustin is featuring Chiles en Nogada for $75 pesos.

Allow time to walk around town to see Lakesideâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most outstanding display of altars dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe and to see the traditional Guadalupe procession which starts at 5pm. & >;' _ & >\' \ ' 1

" >=th + " " / "

` â&#x20AC;&#x153;Christmas through the SeasonsQ at the Auditorio in La Floresta. Purchase tickets at LCS Tickets or email cantantesdellago@gmail.com. & >? " K )

"

*

<

the Deaf and Children with Special Needs. The tour leaves the Ajijic pier at 5.30pm.

Tickets are 250 pesos or 300 at the pier if still available.

In 2012, tours are scheduled for January 26, February 23 and March 22, and leave at 10:30am from the Ajijic pier. Tickets for the 2012 tours are 170 pesos in advance or 200 on the day of the tour if available. Purchase tickets from Diane Pearl and Charter Club Tours. For more information, contact Paula or Fran 766 4443.

Belva McIrvin de Velazquez leading Carollers at Abbeyfield & >W' 1 " 0" !

" " ! .

They carol at four assisted living and independent living homes after their one brief rehearsal in the Wal-Mart parking lot. To obtain the complete itinerary, map, and song sheet, e-mail kaybork@yahoo.com. Performances are 30 or 40 minutes at each home,

%

$ ]""

stop. & >W ? W`;= ) * at the Auditorio in La Floresta.

Purchase tickets for the Loyola de Chapalaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s abbreviated childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rendition of the Nutcracker at the Auditorio. & >_ . !" 2 " % " X Z performs at the Auditorio in La Floresta. Purchase tickets at the Auditorio. According to the Auditorio, the concert starts at 7pm. & >[' >=

% !" % ^" % " will be presented

by Professor Manuel Aguilar-Moreno and Open Circle in the back room of El Jardin restaurant in the Ajijic Plaza. This is an Open Circle location change for this event only.

Dr. Aguilar, a native of Guadalajara, is Professor of Art History at California State  ;

] % '

$ " *

Mexican art and archeology and is widely regarded as an expert. Dr. Aguilar is brought here by Open Circle and this free event is open to the public. & >[' \ (" % " % "

is at the delightful

54

El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

home of Tony and Roseann Wilshere.

The Annual General Meeting is at 3pm before the party. Viva members are invited to attend the meeting and the party. We will enjoy champagne, hors dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;oeuvres, and the delightful entertainment of the Medeles string quartet. These young people are all from the lakeshore; two of them, Emmanuel and Areli Medeles are Viva scholarship recipients. This is a great way to renew old friendships, make new ones and join Viva or renew your membership of Viva la Musica. Paid up members are also invited to come and join in the fun, just bring your membership card! & >@ 1 " + " + / "

"

will be held at La Mina in Villa Nova. La Nina is a private historical estate and home of the mine owners who processed gold mined in the nearby mountains. There will be fabulous food, open bar, and entertainment. All ticket receipts will be doArt by Anita Lee nated to the Love in Action Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Center. Tickets are $1000 pesos per person; to reserve email " Â&#x192; $.

December <[ ; W ' + " 1 k ! " ! at Sol Mexicano Galeria del Arte, Colon 13, Ajijic. The exhibit of pastel and oil will run from December 28th to January 12th. & ;>' + " 1 !" " " ! * 0 q k 2 lude with an all-you-can-eat-guaranteed Shrimp Boil. Cocktails at 1:00 pm. Afternoon entertainment will be provided by Ricardo, and Noe and Roy will play from 3:30 - 5:30 pm. Special drinks, hot and spicy bloody maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and cuba libreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s will be available as well as the usual full bar. Purchase tickets for $200 pesos at the Legion. The event is timed so that people can enjoy the afternoon and be home early, or travel on to other parties later in the evening. ) % " + " " "

k X%+ Z <=>>w<=>< at the Auditorio in La Floresta: Dec 8 The Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Choir of Morelia Jan 19 Orquesta Filarmonica de San Luis Potosi Feb 14 Classical FX Quartet of Kennedy Center Opera Company Mar 13 Compania de Danza Clasica y Neoclasica de Jalisco Purchase tickets at LCS 10 to noon two weeks prior to each performance and at the Charter Club at Plaza Montana. For more information, contact Kathleen Phelps at 766-0010 or email kphelps1@aol.com. y ' 1 / " 0"

! " ! mentaries at LCS. For more information, check the LCS section in El Ojo or visit their website: www.lakechapalahospice.com.

?' W' >< >; % ' % ' / 0 *" J% % " ,â&#x20AC;? a 50â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s/60â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s revue, at Plaza Ribera. You will want to get on your feet and dance along! Performances are 7:30 pm Thursday and Friday, and 3 pm Saturday. Tickets are 175 pesos and available at Miaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Boutique, Diane Pearlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, or by email mymytickets@gmail.com.

> > ; + 0" takes place in Chapala# This ;

" _ Â&#x20AC; Â&#x2C6; ;

+ Â&#x2030;

&

Y

Â&#x160;

Â&#x20AC; < $$

& %

% %

* ; Â&#x20AC;

%

at 2:00 pm. For more information, call Charlie Klestadt 331445-2136.

<= <> the fabulous Mexican guitar

. {

to the Auditorio in La Floresta

& $

"

the Pro Auditorio Project. Paco, who is an accomplished international performer, played to a full house at the Auditorio in October, and put on an amazing performance. According to the Auditorio, tickets should be available about December 8th.

Paco RenterĂ­a

Saw you in the Ojo 55

SOME SHOCKING INFORMATION

By Robert Kleffel and Jim Tipton

E

very Wednesday morning we eat breakfast together on the Ajijic Plaza and discuss our common interests in literature and all things beautiful.

Often as we ponder deeply the merits of this or that, we find ourselves distracted by a beautiful señorita who, totally indifferent to our intelligent and eager faces, nevertheless lights up our mornings as she jogs past like a springbok antelope on the African veldt.

This particular morning, feeling recharged by just such a sight—but also feeling at our extended middle age we needed to show more resistance—we forced ourselves to switch to a more serious conversation lest we conduct ourselves with less decorum than our, at least selfperceived, dignity generally allows.

In late spring, Jim, for $19.95, had downloaded a book, How to Reduce Your Electric Bill. The basic idea is that all of those appliances that are always “on” or “ready” or “plugged in” are quietly consuming electricity whether or not you are using them, and that includes televisions, cell phone chargers, garage door openers, microwaves, computers, etc.

The author showed his own before and after bills, reducing his summer electric bills to less than $15 a month.

Robert was certain Jim must have a drawer filled with Ginzu knives, you know, the ones you can use to saw bolts in half just before you cut a paper-thin slice of Serrano Ham. Robert was so certain Jim had been taken that he bet him lunch if he could prove he saved more than 10% on his electric bill.

Jim had already set things in motion, simply unplugging every device he was not using (also using power strips with master off switches). A couple of months passed, and Robert had forgotten about Jim’s scheme to save money. One morning, while waiting for oatmeal and our first jogger, Jim dropped on the table his old bills, often averaging a revolting $2,000 pesos or more for a two month period, and his latest, in which he had put into action the

56

El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

methods in the book. What a difference! Jim’s bill for May and June was only $229 pesos, or $115 pesos per month, around $10 US! He had cut his usage by more than half, but equally important he had, as a consequence, dropped himself into the lowest price/kw hour. (In Mexico, the more electricity you use, the more you pay per kw hour.)

“Ohm my God,” Robert thought.

His interest was sparked. Robert proceeded to test the idea: “I took an inventory of my own home and found that I had 85 light bulbs and 24 electrical devices permanently plugged into the electrical system. According to the book, the devices continue to draw some power even when they are not in use. I made this simple test: I turned off all of the lights and devices, and then I checked the electric meter and found that the wheel was still turning but much slower. The simple solution was to shut down the circuit breakers at night with the exception of our bedroom and the refrigerator. We also shut down the circuit breakers when we left the house for a long period of time. Our savings on our next bill turned out to be 700 pesos or about 30% less than the usual bill.”

“Well, still keeping savings in mind, I suggested we go to lunch at 1:00 to take advantage of the early-bird special, but Jim insisted on the traditional 2:00 o’clock comida.

I took the wine list from Carla not trusting Jim’s unreliable palate and the off chance that he might select a French Gran Cru.” Robert ordered the house wine, Las Moras Malbec, an excellent value at 160 pesos. Jim asked what would be the perfect pairing with the wine. “Steak,” Robert said. Jim was pleased with his medium rare 16 oz. Rib Eye.

FUNNY STRANGE

By John Hicks

M

any years ago when I was in my 20s, I broke up with a girlfriend.

She dumped me in fact because we had not gotten married nor moved toward it in the two years we had lived together. Fed up, she declared she would move out. Just before she moved out, I was in despair. Her decision had seemed sudden although it had not been, and it was a struggle for me to imagine life without her.

I was definitely upset, even frantic, wondering what I could yet say or do to save the relationship. I had never felt mental anguish so intensely before. Why that was so I don’t know, but it was the case.

A friend, knowing I was distraught, asked if I would accompany him to a symphony concert to take my mind off my troubles. I was beside myself at the time, but I accepted his invitation.

The showpiece of the evening concert was a symphony by Schumann.

I’ve never enjoyed his music much, so as the conductor made his way through the work, I found myself preoccupied with my own anxieties.

Seeking relief, I told my friend that I was going out to stretch my legs.

Once out of the concert hall and in the quiet empty hallway, I let my emotions go. My eyes flooded with tears of frustration. My brain burned with regret. I felt impotent and tortured.

I made my way to the staircase, not knowing where I might go next. I looked over the railing and down the open spiraling staircase from my fourth-story height all the way to the ground floor which was decorated, to the extent visible to me, with a huge oriental carpet.

I craved peace of mind. I wanted to turn off the biological machine in my head that was causing me intolerable agony. Toward that end, I impulsively decided to kill myself. Barely containing the sobs that convulsed me, scarcely able to see for the tears that filled my eyes, I put my leg over the railing. As I wondered if I should fall as in a swan dive or just go limp, one of my hard contacts came off center, immediately causing fearsome pain.

It was not unusual for a contact to

come off center, and when one did, it did not always cause me pain, but on this occasion, pain hit and hard. With my leg still hung over the railing, I froze and tried to adjust the contact to relieve the pain. Despite my efforts, the pain persisted, so I pulled my leg back over the railing, and after a few more unsuccessful attempts to deal with the contact, I gave up and rushed to the men’s rest room to use a mirror.

With the aid of a mirror, I righted the contact to my instant relief. I then realized that the mental anguish I had felt minutes before had vanished. I felt cleansed. I no longer craved my own destruction by dashing the life out of me. I cannot say I felt good or happy, just no longer miserable.

I went back into the concert hall in time to catch the coda to the symphony and had no more thoughts of suicide that night.

I wish I could say my experience at the concert matured and liberated me miraculously. But I sloshed around in the muck of self pity for some time afterward. Still, it showed me that there is pain and there is pain … and that I needed more practice breaking up.

Saw you in the Ojo 57

MY MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT

By Paul Jackson

D

on’t call me a cad, let’s just say I loved beautiful women a little too much. Women here, there and everywhere. So it happened that I dated two women in the same night. With disastrous consequences.

As canny as can be, there was a political convention going on at the prestigious hotel across the street, and two prestigious restaurants a block away down the street.

These were restaurants frequented by politicians, journalists and top government officials, so what with a daily newspaper column and TV appearances, everyone knew me and I knew them. If only it hadn’t been so.

Whatever, when I took lady number one to the first restaurant I explained I would have to nip out every half-hour and pop my head into the political convention. Meanwhile, with the other lady at the other restaurant just a block away, and I gave her the same story.

So, first woman, soup - then off to the ‘convention.’

ATTENTION ALL OJO COLUMNISTS! As in previous years during the Christmas season, El Ojo del Lago sends along a personal greeting and a gift to all our wonderful columnists—the bulwark of our publication, and those mainly responsible for our continued success. To pick up the greeting and gift, our columnists should go to our Ajijic office, right next to Actinver, after Dec. 20th.

Merry Christmas!

The Staff & Management El Ojo del Lago

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El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

Second woman, soup - then off to the ‘convention.’

Next, first woman, salad - then back to the ‘convention.’

Second woman salad - then, again back to the ‘convention.’

Rotating all the time.

It came to a head when woman number one got suspicious and quietly followed me. With that, I’m sitting in restaurant number two, charming lady friend number two, and I get a tap on the shoulder. Looking up, there was furious woman number one.

She simply picked up my glass of red wine, and woman number two’s glass of red wine, and poured one over my head, and tossed the other into my face. The wine trickled down onto my lovely light camel hair sport jacket.

Looks from everyone in the restaurant—and blushes and a red face from me.

Talk about embarrassing.

Worse was to follow. I actually did have to go to the tail-end of the convention, so there I was stained in red wine.

For that, despite quizzical looks, there was no explanation. paulconradjackson@gmail.com

Saw you in the Ojo 59

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n the summer months Anita had an increase of adult dogs & cats being turnedin to her. The months of October and November was a period of prolonged â&#x20AC;&#x153;puppy seasonâ&#x20AC;?. In just a two week period alone, Anita accepted a nursing mother dog with her 10 puppies, another mother and 7 pups, a litter of 9 puppies rescued by a worker at a construction site after two had been already found dead near the side of the road, several more litters of nine, seven and eight, etc. The question seems to pop up periodically in some peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mind: why does she take them all in? The more obvious questions should be: where else will they go and be taken in and cared for? A kitten or puppy should not be penalized and killed by any means â&#x20AC;&#x201C; abuse, neglect, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the needleâ&#x20AC;?, starvation, etc. because humans have failed to take responsibility for spaying & neutering.

The safety of your dog as he/she rides in your car needs to be considered. Ever see a dog riding along with its â&#x20AC;&#x153;parentâ&#x20AC;? at the wheel and the dog has his head all the way out the window to sniff the air? It looks so invigorating, but this â&#x20AC;&#x153;open windowâ&#x20AC;? policy might need your reconsideration. This action might be an accident waiting to happen. Consider thisâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;if a flying rock coming out of no-where can break or crack a car windshield in an instant, imagine what it can do to your dogâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head or eye. What would happen to your pet if you suddenly have to slam on the

CORRECTION! For the past two months, our ongoing column â&#x20AC;&#x153;Child of the Month,â&#x20AC;? which features the charitable activities of NiĂąos Incapacitados, has been written by Rich Petersen. Inexplicably, we have not carried Mr. Petersenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s by-line on either of these two columns. We regret the error and hope not to make the same mistake again.

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breaks, and your dog is in your lap or hanging out the windowâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;you have just created a â&#x20AC;&#x153;projectile missileâ&#x20AC;? flying through the windshield or out of the window , possibly onto the road to be hit by a car. Another possible risk - you might have impulsive behavior. It might not have happened in the past, but dogs like people are sometimes unpredictable at times, and you will have to deal with a dog trying to leap out the open window as you are zipping along the road.

Something to think about.

Anitaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Animals wishes to thank the LFA/Lakeside Friends of the Animals for the last seven years of their support. They provided for a time some spay- neutering surgeries when their funding and donation volumes allowed for this particular assistance. The last two years LFA provided Anita with a pet food â&#x20AC;&#x153;creditâ&#x20AC;? of 3,000 pesos / month, which was to be utilized exclusively at the Animal Shelter Pet food store.

At this time, effective January 1st, 2012, LFA will be unable to support Anita any longer, due to their own organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s financial circumstances. LFA, Thank you again!

The holidays are fast approaching and many people have already started to worry about finding the ideal gift for that special person, either near or far away. You can eliminate the concern that you may not have bought the right size, color, style, or get it wrapped and mailed in time for the holidays.

Think about making a donation to a charity you like or prefer, and make that donation to that organization in that personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name. You will have honored that person, and done a good thing as well. www.anitasanimals.com - has a PayPal account for donations. Happy Holidays!

QUESTIONS ABOUT CHAPALA?

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ll I hear about is the violence in Mexico, how can it be safe? DRIVE into any inner city crime area in the US and the area you will be in has much higher crime rates than Mexico. The difference is that in the US the crime reports are always tucked away, while the crime in Mexico is featured on the front pages of US newspapers and top stories on CNN. SWITCH it around and you would be afraid to live in the US or Canada.

What about electricity, water, gas, is there TV and internet?

Yes to all the above. Here are some sample costs per month in US dollars: ELECTRIC: Varies widely. Some people pay less than $20 a month.

The highest weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve heard of is $150 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; $200 month depending how much you run your new clothes washer/ dryer and how big your flat screen TVs and swimming pool are.

WATER: $10. The majority of houses have water purifiers making the tap water safe to drink. The restaurants do, too.

GAS: $20 Call them up, once every two months or ninety days. The truck comes by within two hours to top up your tank. Your hot water heater runs from gas for your two showers and soaking tub too.

TV: $40-75 You can choose from Satellite services or cable with wide range of programming including US networks. And HGTV. And NFL. Is there Telephone and Internet?

TELMEX $65 includes landline with DSL. We found our local DSL to be faster than what we had while visiting DC suburbs.

TELCEL Pick from all the popular phone brands and types, including smart and I-phones. Sign up for a monthly package or pay-as-you-go.

Refill minutes everywhere for just pennies per minute.

There must be a catch, how much does it cost for heat and air conditioning?

LAKESIDE has one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best climates. You run fans for a few weeks in the summer and put on extra blanket in the winter. Hardly anyone has an HVAC system. That saves about $200 per month over what it costs in the US or Canada.

If itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really that inexpensive the Mexican Real Estate Taxes must be very high?

TAXES per month? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rare for any homeowners to pay more than 200 dollars per year. YES, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s it, and your tax includes DAILY curb side trash pickup, street maintenance and cleaning.

Okay, if I buy a house can the government take it away at any time? Do I really own it with a Deed and Title? Or is it just for 99 years, or is it just the house and not the land, or vice versa?

You are fully deeded in YOUR NAME and you own property in Mexico the same way you own it in the US or Canada. The house will go to whoever you choose to leave it to, after you live to be 99 and then some thanks to Stress-free living. It costs much less in Mexico and the lifestyle is enchanting.

Did I mention that we consider four cars at a stoplight to be a traffic jam?

Saw you in the Ojo 61

RE-DESIGNING ANGEL’S WINGS

By Bob Tennison

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drian’s Boutique w was as as stt undoubtedly the most e exotic store in the h city. The highest fashions with n prices to match. It was located in ayy an upscale shopping village away ts from the main part of town, and it its ed e d window displays always attracted ith it tourists and residents alike with their cameras, and TV photogra-phers always showed up when the local paper announced the opening of a new display. w Ramon Girardin, the window display artist, was definitely the highest salary earner for miles around, as Adrian had no intention of letting him leave for a higher paycheck. His talent was unsurpassed. It was obvious Ramon enjoyed his work and certainly made the most of his unique talent.

He had just received a shipment of newly designed mannequins

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which were designed to look more like living creatures than the run of the mill display models.

There were two packing crates of females and two of males, as the theme of the upcoming display was, “A Christmas Wedding” set to open at 10:00 AM Christmas Eve morning.

Ramon began opening the crates of males and was pleased by the looks of the “groom” that was so handsome and lifelike Ramon felt like he had just freed a human being from being confined in a crate. He was equally pleased with the females as they were unpacked from what looked like fine sawdust but with a unique odor that almost made him dizzy.

Standing up the “bride to be” he patted her on the butt and from out of nowhere came this strange voice saying, “Watch it, Buster.” He whirled around expecting to see somebody from the store in the window with him, but there was nobody there. He shook his head and continued working through most of the night.

Then that strange voice again, “We are not really mannequins. I cannot marry that man, as he is Jewish Orthodox and I am a Roman Catholic. They don’t believe in Christmas, and I want my children to love and enjoy Christmas knowing all it stands for.”

Feeling an even more severe dizzy spell, Ramon left the window for his office where he had two cups of very strong black coffee, still wondering why he kept hearing this strange voice and why he was having these weird dizzy spells.

It was almost “show time,” so he

checked his latest creation again, was satisfied it was as spectacular as it had been designed to be and slowly raised the blinds. He heard the larger than usual crowd with cameras at the ready, the TV photographer in front and was about to close the door behind him when he heard that strange voice say, “I told you we are not mannequins.”

He started to return to the window but, hearing the applause and a few “Bravos”, decided to go on out front until later.

He was about to shake hands with a TV photographer friend when he fell to the sidewalk. One of the nearby viewers called for an ambulance that made it in record time, but he was pronounced dead by one of the attendants. Published in the morning papers and on all the TV news programs was the fact that he had died from toxic poisoning. That mystery was finally solved on discovering that the packing material used in one of the crates was the cause of his death.

Adrian had visions from time to time of Ramon arriving at the Pearly Gates asking Saint Peter if he could re-design the Angel’s wings. Evidently his creative ability had lived on. After a short period of time Adrian decided he was too uncomfortable in his location, decided to fly to Los Angeles where he was fortunate enough to find a vacancy on Rodeo Drive, returned home to begin the dismal process of packing and moving. He had the crates cleaned and fumigated before letting the packers use them.

Returning to Los Angeles to await the movers, he was totally stunned when one of them ran into his office and told him that the mannequin crates had been opened from the inside and were empty. That mystery has yet to be solved.

Saw you in the Ojo 63

By Micki Wendt

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nce upon a time there was a village on a beautiful lake in the mountains of a very faraway land that had almost perfect weather almost all the time. The people fished, grew crops, raised families, and were peaceful and happy and spent a lot of time thanking their gods for their good life.

They had a very wise leader named Mixitupalot who had a strong talent for prophetic dreams. One night, Mixitupalot had a crystal clear vision of a group of light-skinned, strange invaders who would come to take over their land and change their lives forever.

The second part of the vision revealed the peaceful Mixit people repelling

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these strangers, not with bloodshed, but sheer annoyance, by preventing the invaders from communing with their gods in their strange ways, hoping that they would finally just leave.

It came to pass that in the very lifetime of Mixitupalot, invaders did arrive, and his prophecy was manifested in reality. Called an unprintable name by the Mixits, we will call them the Early Invaders, not to be confused with the Later Invaders who had not yet arrived to completely fulfill Mixâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prophecy.

Mixitupalot told his people that they could repel these ugly strangers by making as much noise as possible.

The villagers were inspired and energized by building much larger drums and other noisy instruments and having much longer and louder rituals, which had previously been used to repel evil spirits, and lions and tigers and bears as well, evidently a successful strategy.

However, the Early Invaders did not quite respond as expected. They were fascinated by the use of all the drums, but desired to change it to a ritual that would better suit their own selfish goals. These conniving conquerors showed the Mixit people a powder of wondrous properties which could be made to explode in the sky with much noise and bright flashes of light, while propelling the peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prayers to their gods.

The Mixits were even more fascinated by this miraculous powder, and so its use began a strange hybrid of the customs of both groups of people resulting in a new form of worship that propelled the prayers of the people to their god, was mostly agreeable to both, and a lot of fun, to boot. The explosive powder was used in a form that came to be known as Kwaytays.

Centuries went by in the lovely fishing village with its many noisy and fun fiestas, until gradually, a new type of Invaders began to arrive. With the vision of Mixitupalot firmly entrenched in the DNA of his descendents and the lore handed down from

the elders, the Mixits realized what was happening and what they had to do.

The Later Invaders were not hostile or warlike, but rather, very annoying in some of their customs, such as their elders parading around the pueblo flashing their flaccid flesh as if they were perpetual teenagers, a propensity to anger quickly and complain about small things, and a somewhat arrogant but befuddled pomposity.

Therefore, annoyance seemed to be the best way to get rid of them.

The second part of Mixitupalotâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision became more clear as his descendants actually sometimes witnessed the strange worship of the Later Invaders, which curiously occurred not in public rituals, but inside their houses. These people had strange devices that allowed them to connect to their main god, Jaytec, and his daughter, Teleheroina, and her brother, the lesser, but still great god, Gugul. They devoutly spent hours a day worshipping this trinity, but perfect quiet and concentration were required â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a somber discipline, indeed.

The Descendants of Mixitupalot were inspired by the prophecy to make their own worship rituals even louder and more frequent, hoping that their exuberance would interfere

with the connection of the Later Invaders to their own gods, and hopefully, they would just leave out of frustration.

Neither group wanted all-out warfare, so a certain subtle friction ensued between the Mixits and the Later Invaders. The Descendents of Mixitupalot loved their traditions too much to change, and the Later Invaders loved the weather too much to leave.

So, a certain uneasy truce evolved, and both groups lived happily ever after. Well, sort of.

Saw you in the Ojo 65

A New Team Manages the Student Aid Program for LCS Submitted by Blue

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fter 19 years of running the Lake Chapala Society’s Student Aid Program (SAP), Coralee White is stepping down. And she’s stepping down proud as a peacock. She’s worked with more than 300 students throughout those years who have received student aid from LCS and gone on to become doctors, engineers, teachers and nurses as well as a slew of other professional and technical positions. Coralee is a Mexican woman who taught French at both the high school and university level in Guadalajara before retiring to Lakeside with her husband.

Over the years, Coralee has met the students’ husbands, wives and children. “I feel like I am an adopted grandmother to them,” she said. “I remember one young woman who was going to an interview for a restaurant job. She said she’d never been in a restaurant and had no idea what to expect. So, I took her into my kitchen and we rehearsed for the interview.”

Picking up the reins from Coralee is a new committee headed by J. Gibson. The committee will be comprised of community members committed to the ideal that it is better to teach someone to fish than to simply give them a fish. Adhering to the high standards enforced by Coralee is one of the new committee’s prime objectives.

Her previous work will be parsed into separate tasks to be assigned to committee members who have the talent to fulfill them, i.e. finances, interviews, coaching and seeking sponsorships to name a few.

In this school year, SAP is assisting 30 students with their university expenses. Their majors range from com-

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puter systems to gastronomy to medicine. Before a student is admitted into the program, they are recommended by their teachers and principals because of their outstanding grades and commitment to education. In addition to maintaining at least an 8.5 grade point average, they are each interviewed by SAP to determine financial need, what their family life is like, what sports and hobbies they are interested in and what their career goals are.

Coralee explained that the funding is fixed based upon the school and the major that the students are pursuing.

They receive monthly stipends that they can use on tuition, books, lab costs, computers, materials and some transportation costs. Receipts must accompany all expenditures. Stipends range between $2500 pesos/semester and $1500 pesos/month. When a student is accepted into the SAP program, they are guaranteed to be helped through their university program and through their final year of social service.

According to Paula Haarvei, Treasurer of the Lake Chapala Society, in 2011, 15% of the LCS budget ($385,000 pesos) was used for the Student Aid Program and over 75% of that money came from donations and fund raising.

“These children come from humble beginnings,” Coralee said. “They just need someone to believe in them and a little financial support to realize their dreams.” Donors can specify a particular student to help or they can donate money into the general SAP fund. If you are interested in making a donation, contact J. Gibson at galmgibson@ hotmail.com.

The next big fund raiser to benefit SAP as well as the other community education programs sponsored by LCS will be the Fiesta Latina held on February 4th, 2012 at the Lake Chapala Society. Mark your calendars. For more information on the fiesta, call Lois Cugini at 766-1790.

Blue 766-5023; mexicoblue@prodigy.net.mx

Saw you in the Ojo 67

The Phoenix:

Short Stories, Vignettes and Anecdotes

By Robert Bruce Drynan A review by James Tipton

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akeside writer Robert Bruce Drynan is the author of two well-received books: Domain of the Scorpion, about a man and a woman being pursued by drug terrorists in Venezuela and Colombia, and What Price Liberty? about the unprovoked attack by the Israeli Air Force on the unarmed intelligence ship USS Liberty in 1967. The Phoenix is a collection of short pieces. A recurring theme in The Phoenix is characteristic Drynan: love and loyalty in the midst of life’s challenges.

Drynan is a former US Marine and an Army Intelligence Officer and several pieces reflect this. “Quatsch” is a touching pair of love stories—that become interwoven—spanning war-torn Europe and the years that immediately followed. In “Home by Christmas” we meet a soldier, only a teen, on the frozen wastes of North Korea, December 1950. This story will be doubly pleasurable to those who have read Drynan’s first novel, because that young soldier is Ryan Haggerty, who becomes the hero of Domain of the Scorpion.

“Road Rage” recounts the author driving a Chevy Silverado pickup—with its underpowered V-6 and mushy transmission—at night on a dark road near Cali, Colombia, “a narrow, winding, potholed slab of crumbling concrete, cut into the side of a deep ravine.” Suddenly he is trapped into a cat and mouse game with a “a huge powerful Mack dump truck.” Each piece in The Phoenix is followed by an “Author’s note” that connects Drynan directly with the material. “Plato o Plomo” places us on the present-day Mexican border as the honest and dedicated Police Inspector Domingo Dosantos—a widower and

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devoted father to three lovely daughters—is forced to confront, very personally, US and Mexican corruption. He is soon faced with a terrible dilemma. The “author’s note” tells us why he wrote the story: “It is my reaction to the casually cast aspersions about the corruption of Mexican peace officers and other public officials” and “It also is meant to draw attention to a simple fact, that the tragic corruption of Mexican officialdom and Mexican youth will not end until we in the United States come to the realization that as long as drug consumption is illegal, there will be great lucre in the production and smuggling of ‘estupefacientes’ as the Mexicans identify recreational drugs. The term shares a common etymological origin with ‘stupor’ and ‘stupid.’”

Told with sympathy and insight— and often even love—for his characters, The Phoenix will delight new Drynan readers and fill with joy his already established ones. The Phoenix is available at various locations locally, including Coffee & Bagels, Diane Pearl Colecciones, Galerías Dos Lunas, the Buganvilias Book Store, the American Legion, and SuperLake.

Saw you in the Ojo 69

SUMMARY EXECUTION

By Kenneth G. Crosby

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n the days following the execution without trial of Osama bin Laden, celebration of the event seemed to be the only news reported on U.S. TV. The Director of the CIA said that the order was to kill bin Laden, but the official report that he was unarmed, yet resisting arrest, and was therefore shot in the head, which he would not have been had he “attempted to surrender,” reveals some inconsistency in the account provided by a government not known for candor. (It may offer succor to U.S. police departments that have been accused of killing unarmed arrest resistors.

Older readers may remember a famous photo of a summary execution in Vietnam, (not applauded at that less sophisticated time). An American citizen living in Yemen is also under a summary execution order issued by Barrack Obama, Moama Gadafi appeared to be the object of such an order, and there may well be others: photos of possible targets were posted on msnbc.com The members of the U.S. military who carried out the execution are described as “highly trained specialists in assassination.” The cost-effectiveness of their training and maintenance is questionable if they are not to be employed.

All of which raises the question: since Obama apparently has the authority to order summary executions, why can’t they be used more widely?

The U.S. justice system is very expensive, contributes to the country’s fiscal deficit, and should be a legitimate object of reduced spending. There is a shortage of Federal judges, contributing to the system being overwhelmed and backlogged, with trials long delayed, adding to the expense. U.S. prisons are extremely expensive to operate,

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and many of them are grossly overcrowded, increasing the cost of their operation.

Why can’t summary executions be used to enhance the functioning and reduce the cost of the U.S. justice system? There is no doubt, for example, concerning the identity of the infamous Tucson shooter: many people saw him committing the act. Why, then, was an order not given to kill him on sight, thereby reducing the burden on the justice system and saving an incalculable amount of money to boot?

It may be claimed, of course, that the Tucson shooter was not “responsible” for his acts, because he was acting under the influence of a delusion, an irrational belief not conforming to reality.

But bin Laden also acted in accordance with the delusion that he was carrying out the will of a supernatural being who would reward him and his martyred followers with a life of pure pleasure, complete with 72 virgins, in Paradise.

As Richard Dawkins (author of “The God Delusion”) and others have shown, belief in supernatural entities is a delusion, though it is encouraged in our culture.

Many other money-saving and efficiency-promoting uses of summary execution orders are readily apparent.

Why, for example, are members of the Afghanistan Taliban taken prisoner, requiring U.S. taxpayers to pay to house, clothe, and feed them? Why can’t they simply be shot? Some may argue that such actions would compromise American values. But hasn’t it been necessary to curtail freedom of movement, privacy of communications, requiring court warrants for police actions, humane detention while awaiting speedy trial, and freedom from torture, in order to preserve such values? Why should requiring trials before execution be immune from such modification?

I submit that the government of the U.S. should undertake a thorough consideration of the use of summary executions to preserve and enhance the U.S. justice system that all Americans, and citizens of many other countries, admire.

Our Mexican Help

By Barbara Hildt

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ur speaking little Spanish can limit the conversations we have with the Mexicans who help us maintain our houses and gardens. We manage to point out the things that need cleaning and repair. We may ask “Como estas?” and say “Gracias” when they leave our homes to return to their families or go to another job. Sometimes we interrupt their work to have brief conversations about the weather or other topics.

It’s a chance to practice our Spanish and to see if we can understand these Mexicans.

When I ask Maria* how she and other members of her family are, I do so with hesitation and some trepidation. Do I really want to know that her kidneys are diseased and may be failing? Then we start to worry about what would happen to her three surviving children if her kidneys do fail some day. (She already lost three babies.) Do I want to hear that her diabetic mother with asthma has to work for 30 pesos an hour because her husband can´t find work? Do I want to be reminded that her 9 year old daughter has asthma, like her mother and grandmother, and some days the child can hardly breathe because there’s no money to buy an inhaler and so she must miss school again.

I won´t go on to tell about the many other challenges of this hard working, unhealthy Mexican woman and her family of five who all sleep in one room in Chapala´s poorest neighborhood. I don´t want to give the impression that Maria complains about her life. The truth is she never even tells me about her hardships unless I ask how things are. And after she confesses that her youngest, born with cerebral palsy, has other problems too, she laughs as if to say, “I need to laugh so I won´t cry and I can keep doing whatever I can do for my kids.” We wonder how Maria keeps her resilience and positive attitude.

We have come to love and care about Maria and family. And so we give her extra money when she hasn´t enough to buy the medicine she and her kids occasionally need.

I know that many expats living here in Mexico occasionally give their maids and gardeners items they no longer need, and extra

money for special needs. Some pay the school fees and buy uniforms for children who otherwise wouldn´t be able to attend school. All charity is good and appreciated. But is it enough?

Do we pay our domestic help less than we should? Less than we can really afford to pay just because so many Mexicans are poor and willing to work for so little? Perhaps we can´t do much about the large number of families living in poverty. But imagine all the children and elders supported by our maids and gardeners who could have better health and nutrition if each of us decided to increase amount we pay our devoted servants.

I sometimes hear expats exclaim, “Don’t break the system!” when I leave a generous tip at a restaurant.

Yes, the system is broken – in our favor. Many of us can, and should, do more, if only out of self-interest. The poorer the Mexicans around us are, the less safe we’ll be in our various communities. *Maria is not her real name, but the conditions of her life are all too factual.

Saw you in the Ojo 71

Focus on Art

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A Fantasy of Color and Texture: The pastel paintings of Anita Lee

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he motivation for my seemingly empty landscapes is discovering a way to create a peaceful, serene world removed from the insanity of the one we are captured in. I strive to create a fantasy of a world full of goodness, color and beauty.”

Anita Lee Anita’s distinctive voice, comprehensive understanding of color, and ability to see beyond the surface of the natural world, combine to create spirituallyaffective paintings that are unique here at Lakeside. The integrated presence evident in Anita’s ethereal pastel landscapes comes from her ability to see beyond the earth’s apparent ‘local color’ into the deeper emotional and spiritual qualities of the environment.

A complex artist, who has experienced success with fiber sculptures, oil paintings and with a variety of other mediums, Anita continues to explore new ways to express her observations and emotions. Her growing competence with pastels allows her to create landscapes that entice the viewer to meditate on the nature of the earth we inhabit.

Her mastery of the pastel medium begins with the careful preparation of the board she will paint on. First she applies two coats of gesso, then a coat of full hue orange and a final coat of clear acrylic mixed with fine pumice dust. The orange becomes liquid light glowing under the acrylic surface, while the fine pumice allows Anita to create a texture that adds to the effect of light coming from within the work. (Santiago Canyon and Sunset/Lake Chapala) “I love color. My professional education helped me understand that to imbibe an emotional quality in my work it does not matter so much what color I use if the intensity of hue is right.”

Anita’s works demonstrate that color imparts the same energy as light and produces physiological changes in human beings. Viewers’ emotions are awakened as the colors stimulate, excite, depress, tranquilize, increase appetite or create a feeling of warmth

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or coolness. ‘Local color’ reinforces the expected and least interesting aspect of the landscape, where the intentional use of ‘hidden colors’ arouses emotions.

Colors affect the body as well as the mind. Red, orange and yellow stimulate the senses while blue and green calm.

She begins a painting with hard pastels to sketch and compose, then adds medium pastels as fields of color, then finishes with an overlay of soft pastels.

To achieve an atmospheric color that has emotional impact using pastels requires a deft hand and keen awareness of the subtleties of the medium. Mixing colors as with oil paint is not possible.

In addition to layering colors, Anita, like the impressionist, uses points of color, hatching and crosshatching, and scumbling lighter colors over darker colors to enable the viewer to mix colors optically. Over 1,000 different hues ranging from dark tones to light are needed to insure the right hues and tones are available. www.artistsafloat.co.uk/ Edgar Degas perfected the use of pastels in his impressionistic works, and his protégé, Mary Cassatt, introduced the use to pastels to her friends in Philadelphia and Washington which enabled the spread of the medium throughout the US and Mexico. www.degaspaintings. org, <degaspastelsociety.org> Anita’s art work has been exhibited in major West Coast competitive shows and in a number of museums and gallery’s including the Art Institute in Chicago, Matrix Galleries in Sacramento, and the Society of Pastel Artist of the Serra. Her paintings will be on exhibition at Sol Mexicana Gallery,#13 Colon, Ajijic, with an opening reception December 29th from 3 to 6PM. Don’t miss this exciting exhibition.

Rob Mohr

Saw you in the Ojo 73

MELANOMA AT CHAPALA’S LAKESIDE —EARLY DETECTION

By Dra. Andrea B. Ruiz Leal and Dr. Luis Enrique Sánchez Dueñas.

M

elanoma is the most important skin cancer. It ranks third in frequency, life threatening and high mortality index. When detected early by clinical examination and dermoscopy (a tool that increases the diagnostic accuracy by 35%) melanoma can be cured with no impact to a patient’s lifestyle. Common risk factors are: fair skin, red hair, blue eyes, sunburns during childhood, positive family history of melanoma, previous melanoma, multiple atypical moles or dysplastic nevi, inherited genetic mutations and sun damaged skin.

However, melanoma can occur in any ethnic group and non-sun exposed body areas.

The importance of early detection of melanoma cannot be overstated.

At Dermika Dermatologic Center located in Ajijic, we care about patients education, early detection of skin cancer and timely treatment of pre-cancerous lesions and skin cancer. Currently our team totals five certified dermatologists trained in dermoscopy. As part of our commitment to Ajijic community, we have organized campaigns for early skin cancer detection every six months free of charge.

After 18 months of program, we have assessed 2613 patients and 16 melanomas have been detected. Out of these, 5 melanomas were in situ and 10 were Breslow with less than 1mm in thickness. These two are the earliest stages where malignant invasion is not evident (in situ) or minimal (Breslow less than 1mm in thickness) and the recommended treatment is surgery with healthy skin margins of 0.5-1cm and no other additional treatment needed. 67% of patients were male, fair-skinned, with flatpigmented spots or pinkish patches predominantly on upper extremities and trunk (75%). Two of these melanomas were detected on Campaign.

These results were presented at the 9th International Dermoscopy

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El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

Congress in Mexico City last September and due to the importance of these findings we will present them at the 69th American Academy of Dermatology’s Annual Meeting next February in New Orleans, La. When melanoma is found and treated early, long-term survival is excellent. At early stages, up to 95% of five-year survival rates are estimated, but if melanoma progresses without treatment, it becomes increasingly more devastating and deadly.

The patient can play a vital role in early detection of melanoma through skin self-examination. A sudden or continuous change in the appearance of a mole is a sign that can be noticed by a simple rule. The ABCD rule can help in remember the symptoms of melanoma: “A” for asymmetry, one half is different than the other half; “B” for border irregularity, the edges are notched, uneven or blurred; “C” for color, the color is uneven, shades of brown, tan and black are present; “D” for diameter, where the diameter is greater than 6 millimeters.

Early stages of melanoma can mimic benign moles or nevi and could be detected as an asymmetric pigmented spot or even pink patches, fast growing with no other symptoms. Therefore, it is recommended that you visit your Dermatologist once or twice a year for a whole screening using dermoscopy and follow up suspicious lesions even more frequently. Everybody who thinks he might have melanoma or dysplastic nevi should be seen by a doctor. It is also important to tell him about any new, changing, or “ugly-duck” moles.

In Mexico, dermatologists can diagnose, biopsy and treat suspicious lesions In early stages. In these cases, dermoscopy is a very helpful tool.

Saw you in the Ojo 75

FRONT ROW CENTER ] . " 0 }/ " /

/

/ No Clue? The Stage Play

W

hen regular reviewer Michael Warren asked me to take his place and review No Clue? for this issue of the Ojo, I had no clue that he was actually in the play. To my amusement, Michael gave an excellent performance as Colonel Mustard, the doddery military man with a weakness for the ladies which lands him in big trouble â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the victim of blackmail, like everyone else in this Whodunit.

The question really is Who Didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t?!

Director Roseann Wilshere describes the play as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;hysterical send upâ&#x20AC;?, and explains in the program notes that it is â&#x20AC;&#x153;an adaptation of a screenplay, adapted from the board game (Clue), adapted from the classic film Murder by Death adapted from Ten Little Indians by Agatha Christie.â&#x20AC;? Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about as easy to figure out as the plot â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in which eight unsuspecting dinner guests are invited to a lonely mansion on a hill by Wadsworth, the butler, only to discover that they are all being blackmailed by Mr. Boddy who soon becomes a dead body, followed by the cook, the fetching French maid, a passing motorist, a cop, and a telegram girl.

The bodies pile up, the dinner guests panic and suspicion runs rampant as the amused audience tries (but not too hard) to figure out who killed whom and why. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re too busy laughing at the corny jokes and the antics of the excellent cast.

Director Wilshere is to be commended for the fast pace (which reminded me of my all-time favourite murder mystery film Arsenic and Old

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El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

Lace). The cast did a fine job. I particularly enjoyed Mr. Greenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hysterical denials of any wrong doing and Miss Scarlettâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world weary cynicism.

Despite the fact some actors like Pat Carroll have over 20 roles under their belts and others like Candace Luciano are brand new to the stage, there wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a wooden performance in the lot.

The set worked, the props were suitably dangerous (nooses, handguns, heavy metal candlesticks and the like) and the costumes were wonderful. Each dinner guest was dressed to match their pseudonym â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Miss Scarlett in a red glittery dress and boa, Mrs. Peacock in peacock blue with feathers in her hair, Professor Plum wearing a totally purple ensemble â&#x20AC;&#x201C; shirt, tie, jacket, pants and Colonel Mustard in a mustard-colored military jacket complete with medals. Wardrobe mistress Karen Eichler is to be congratulated.

The special effects by Sandy Appelbaum and Richard Bansbach, the sound by Emma Bergh-Apton and the lighting by Zane Pumiglia and Brad Dobko all added to the suspense: we were treated to claps of thunder, hooting owls, off stage screams and voices emanating from secret passageways while the lights went on and off thanks to the electrical storm.

I conducted an on-the-spot survey during intermission; people described No Clue? as â&#x20AC;&#x153;cute,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;enjoyableâ&#x20AC;? and said they thought the actors were to be especially complimented for their facial expressions and energetic performances. It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Director Wilshire confessed that â&#x20AC;&#x153;we laughed so much rehearsing it and rewriting it for the stage that all I can hope is that you (the audience) get at least as much out of watching it was we all did in creating it.â&#x20AC;? Madam, your wish has been granted â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the audience and this reviewer had a ball. Well done, cast and crew!

Saw you in the Ojo 77

STAY HEALTHY!

# % ' %# &# Internal Medicine & Geriatric Specialist Mdjmcordova1204@yahoo.com Physical Changes In Aging (Continuing)

O

ne of the important changes is with memory. You might have a harder time remembering names, telephone numbers, or all the various things you have to do.

Many as they grow older become reliant on lists. It is easy to become worried that you are developing early senility or dementia or even Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Disease, but often the problem is simply over-loaded memory banks. With many decades of information stored in your brain, it becomes more difficult to find some of the older material and to file the new.

As you age, changes take place in your internal body systems as well as in your external appearance and your ability to perform. Some of the changes that occur are not even visible to others, and you may barely notice them yourself.

During your later years the cumulative effects become more noticeable; for example, your sleep patterns may change.

But other things change as well, and you may notice yourself becoming forgetful, constipated, depressed, lacking sexual energy, suffering failing eyesight, and so on.

Good healthâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the consequence of sound nutrition, adequate exercise, good sleep habits, positive attitudesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; may minimize some of the changes associated with aging. Conversely bad healthâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;often the product of poor nutrition, stress, bad habits, and inactivityâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; accelerates the changes associated with aging and your ability to fight disease or recover from injury.

Forgetfulness: Do you frequently misplace the car keys or forget what time you agreed to meet your friends for golf or coffee or do you forget a family memberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birthday?

Have lists become essential to daily life?

Memory is often broken into three categories or classifications: Short Termâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;for example, looking up a phone number and remembering it long enough to dial it.

Intermediate Term (Recent)â&#x20AC;&#x201D;for example, what did you have for breakfast, or wear to church last Sunday, or what movies did you see last month?

Long Term (Remote)â&#x20AC;&#x201D;for example, events that happened in high school or even on your vacation last summer. Aging often does not affect Short Term or

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even very Long Term memories, but Intermediate Term memory often declines.

To store and retrieve information your brain performs a complex chain of biological and biochemical actions using your nerve cells, and as you age some of these nerve cells function less efficiently and begin to deteriorate.

Your brain, however, compensates in remarkable ways. Even though you have fewer cells than when you were 18 years old, consider how much more wisdom and judgment you have. You now have qualities and abilities difficult to measure, that help you make sound decisions based upon a lifetime of experience.

Memory capacity can decline for various reasons, including depression, illness, and the side effects of drugs. A progressive loss of memory that begins to affect your daily activities can indicate serious problems. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t recall where you put your glasses, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s forgetful. If you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t remember that you wear glasses, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a serious concern. Contact your personal physician if you (or others around you) notice these warning signs: t Your memory lapses are more frequent and more severe. t You regularly forget things you have recently learned. t You are losing interest in daily activities and even in your physical appearance. t You have severe difficulty in learning new facts or skills. t You repeat phrases or anecdotes in the same conversation. t You have abrupt changes in personality or in personal conduct. t You often want to be isolated or alone more than usual. t You lose track of daily events.

If you are suffering memory problems, you need to see your personal physician who can then refer you to expertsâ&#x20AC;Ślike neurologists or specialists in geriatrics. Well, until my next columnâ&#x20AC;Ś.

I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Dr. J. Manuel Cordova is the President of the Lakeside Medical College.

Dr. Cordova

GUADALAJARAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PAN AMERICAN GAMES A HUGE SUCCESS

& " / ~ 2 "

]

T

he naysayers have been silenced. Not only did the Games go off without a hitch but those participating said that the experience was better than anything they had hoped for.

Mexicans and athletes from 41 other nations mixed together in happy throngs all over greater Guadalajara and other venues in Jalisco. Your writer, seen above in a giveaway cardboard games hat at the rugby finals, witnessed the arrival there of Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Governor General David Johnson, accompanied by some lovely young ladies from Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gymnastics team.

Mexican young men thronged around them wanting their pictures taken with the girls (photo below) who were happy to let them snap

Canadian gymnastics team girls at the Tlaquepaque Rugby Stadium

away. Soon everyone was cheering for Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rugby team who pulled off an upset by beating the heavily favored Argentina Pumas in the Gold medal final in what was the last contest of the games. The USA Eagles won the Bronze medal by beating Uruguay.

Dave and Helen Williamson traveled all the way from Berkeley, California to support their USA Eagles.

Dressed up in the stars and bars and red, white and blue they were also very popular with Mexican fans who wanted to have their picture taken with them. Typical of many games visitors, they stayed in Mexico for a number of days and visited other areas, including Guanajuato and Lakeside. This is a knock-on tourist effect that is hard to measure.

David Harper As a team Mexico had its best medal haul ever and finished fourth (with 133 medals) behind the USA (236), Brazil (141), Cuba (136) and ahead of Canada (119), Colombia (84), and Argentina (74). This was a great jump up the ladder for Mexico who finished behind Canada in the 2007 Rio games with just 73 medals to Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 138.

Everyone agreed that a great part of the success was the passion and happiness of the Mexican crowds.

They cheered wildly not only for their own Mexican athletes but also for good performances by other teams, including those from the north. The happy Mexican Wave was a common sight and there were no reports of any misbehavior. There was a heavy security presence at all venues and while the sight of so many uniformed men and women with guns may have bothered some, it is better to be safe than sorry.

Head of the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) for 35 years, Mario Vasquez Rana, a wealthy Mexican businessman, said in his closing remarks that the Guadalajara Games was the best ever and when the flag was passed to the 2015 hosts, Toronto, their leader said that they would have to work hard to match the quality of the Guadalajara games.

Dave and Helen Williamson, from Berkeley California were there supporting the Eagles, seen here with Ajijic residents the Thomlinsons and Susan Bruhaug.

Saw you in the Ojo 79

CHRISTMAS ANGELS

] ] "

" "

I

t was a rost ro stst crisp, ffrostaiir i r -b bu utt in-the -air-butnot-on-the-ground morning. I revved the engine a time or two to chase the overnight chill from under the hood, pulled out from my condo parking spot and drove into the day. Traffic was always congested at 7:30 a.m. as a host of focused commuters vied for best position. I was fortunate I didn’t have to join the throngs on the freeway. My workday destination offered me travel choices and I always chose to cut cross country.

December 8, 2008, was perfect for a drive through Mother Nature’s landscape. As I veered from city traffic to Anderson Road I turned on my radio and was immediately uplifted by the beautiful strains of seasonal songs. Christmas would soon be here and it was easy to catch the spirit while passing farm lanes boasting traditional yuletide décor: a mailbox entwined with bright red ribbon; a tree strung with childrens’ hand-made snowflakes and angels; a large drain barrel sawed in half and filled to the brim with bows and boughs. My mood was merry.

I felt free and full of joy. My foot tapped on the gas pedal to the tune of “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”.

Anderson Road jogs twice creating 3 long stretches of two-lane driving through a large country block. The first stretch includes a railway crossing and a secondary road intersection with a stop sign.

The speed limit is 80 km/h. I don’t know what possessed me, but feeling as jubilant as I did, I wanted to fly. Unfortunately, the only way to do that in a car is to press pedal to metal. And that I did. Cautiously, to begin with, as I glanced to the sides and in all three rear-view mirrors to be certain there were no cars in sight. In particular, police cars. The farther I went, the faster I“flew”. It gripped me like the fever of a contagious disease pulsating through my

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El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

vveins. ve ein n I was able to o ssee e in both direct re ect c io ons n that t rections there was no train approaching and I leapt over the tracks at 115. No cars coming nor going. No vehicles in sight. Gleefully blew past the crossroad intersection stop sign at 120.

The second lap of Anderson road is residential. A developer’s dream of “luxury, convenience-living in a country setting”. Double solid lines to prevent traffic passing and a speed limit of 40. A red Taurus pulled out from a driveway and was heading south, as was I, but he was moving oh so slowly for my buoyant mood. With a thought bubble tinged with guilt, and a silent apology to the shocked-looking driver, I carefully passed him at 80.

Ignoring the stop sign at the second jog, I launched into the third and final lap of my adventure feeling exuberant, free and simply delighted about breaking rules. (Indeed a commanding sensation for a generally “by the book” personality.) I gauged the stretch ahead of me. Perfectly flat and straight. Not a vehicle in sight. 130 km/h felt entirely exhilarating in an 80 zone!

Because of the crop-less, winter-prepared fields bordering both sides of the road it was easy to see, very clearly, both directions of the approaching “T” junction at the end of Anderson Road. No traffic whatsoever, so I slowed down just enough to negotiate the stop sign without rolling, and that’s when the unmarked police car from nowhere pulled me over. To this day I remain baffled. I will never know, nor understand, where that car came from!

As I wondered how much the “running a stop sign” ticket would cost me, one of the two officers approached my window. “Are you alright?” He asked with concern.

“Yes” I said. “Where are you going?” he continued. “To work” I replied.

“Well, you’re not going to make it.

Not the way you are driving. We

have been tailing you since you first turned on to Anderson Road.

In the beginning we thought we’d give you a break because the road was clear and you were endangering nobody other than yourself.

But the longer we followed you the more intrigued we became. Do you know how many traffic violations you have broken?” “No, sir, I don’t,” I muttered. “Seven” he pronounced.

“Let’s see your license and registration, please.”

As I opened my glove compartment my eyes caught sight of something just inside the box.

Color red crept up my neck and into my cheeks. The officer, noticing the change in body language, asked, “What do you have there?” I told him it was a gift from a friend that I had forgotten about. “Let’s see it,” he said, and I passed him my pewter angel whose sash reads: “Never Drive Faster Than Your Guardian Angel Can Fly”.

“I guess that says it all,” the officer said quietly as he passed the angel back to me. “Please drive carefully from now on…and do have a very Merry Christmas,” he said, as he turned and walked away without giving me a ticket.

Saw you in the Ojo 81

RUTH ROSS MERRIMER —In Memoriam— The former LAKESIDE LIVING editor of El Ojo Del Lago has laid down her pen to rest. She was a writer and film maker of choice. We will no longer be able to have her voices of summer, fall, winter, and spring because Ruth has gone on to another reward.

Ruth Ross, born in May, 1925, became an icon on the Mississippi River paddle-wheel river boats, during the 1930s. She is the first recorded paid singing performer to be booked traveling from the mouth of the Mississippi to New Orleans.

One day she answered a call to record a song for a documentary film being made by Robert Merrimer of Keystone Productions. She met Bob, fell hard for his charm and fame, and they were married. In 1967, the two film-makers traveled throughout Northern Mexico. The Director of Tourism, discovering their talents, traced them down and hired them to make many films over the next 10 years for the Mexican Department of Tourism, headquartering in Puerto Vallarta.

When Robert passed away, Ruth decided to travel to Lakeside to join up with former Hollywood friends Ektor

Carranza and Tod Jonson who were also documentary film-makes. Without Bob, Ruth turned to her passion of writing, and wrote several books.

Few of us knew that Ruth Ross Merrimer was terminally ill when she moved to Palm Springs a few years ago to be near her two daughters and her many grand-children in her declining days. May hosts of angels carry her forever on their shoulders. Our deepest prayers go with her remaining family and friends.

Submitted by Tod Jonson (Ed. Note: Ruth was also a charter member of the Ajijic Writers’ Group, where she was held in great esteem and will be remembered with much affection.)

GLORIA MARTHAI —In Memoriam— Our community has lost one of the finest ladies to have ever called our beloved little corner of Mexico her home. Gloria and her late husband Jim came to Lakeside in 1969, and quickly fell in love with Mexico—and almost as quickly their Mexican neighbors fell in love with them.

Both were generous to a fault, and seemed simpatico with the people, culture and history of their adopted country as very few expats have ever been. Gloria, an accomplished horsewoman, was always involved in the local community, and regularly attended fiestas, corridas and parades, where she cut a most handsome figure atop her favorite horse.

Over the past few decades, Gloria also wrote many articles for our magazine, as graceful and gracious in print as she was in person. Very few ex-pats have ever drawn portraits of their adopted country and its people with such loving and perceptive strokes. In her honor, and for the edification and pleasure of

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our readers, El Ojo del Lago will reprint some of her articles over the next several months.

She was also a longtime member of the Ajijic Writers’ Group, and had won several of our magazine’s yearly awards for literary excellence. Gloria is survived by her two children, Sunny Russell and Robert Marthai.

Thanks for the memories, dear lady. ag

Saw you in the Ojo 83

The Ojo Crossword

ACROSS 1 Planetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shadow 6 ___ matter 10 Sham 14 Pancake topper 15 Eyelet 16 Become lighter 17 Found 18 What children talk with 19 Waterless 20 Went into the water 21 Earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crust 23 Kimono sash 24 Western state 26 Arabâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s language 28 American 31 Ride the waves 32 Environmental protection agency (abbr) 33 Formed a group, with â&#x20AC;&#x153;upâ&#x20AC;?

36 Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s magazine 40 Pinches 42 Contend 43 Cedar 44 Chore 45 Petroleum retailer 48 Seven 49 Goofs 51 Disruption 53 What a cow did to her cud 56 Joint 57 Aspire 58 Baby pig 61 Face

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El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

65 Take a picture 67 Not far 68 Philippine dish with marinated chicken or pork 69 Aegis 70 After awhile 71 Down 72 Restaurant 73 Not as much 74 Multi-colored rock

DOWN 1 Usages 2 Asian starling

+ %

4 Disturbance 5 Inclined 6 Muslimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s God 7 Cut of beef 8 Greatest amount 9 Cheer 10 Hotel 11 Fake chocolate 12 Excuse 13 Doctor 21 Horse hair 22 Goof 25 Make lace 27 Some (2 wds.)

28 Clark ___(Superman) 29 Capital of Western Samoa 30 Dozes 31 Look 34 Car rental agency 35 Cubic centimeter 37 Like 38 Supermanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ms. Lane 39 Modify 41 Alter 45 Expressing order or succession 46 Relative 47 Compass point 50 Representative 52 Beer brand 53 In a container 54 Joint 55 Electronic communication 56 Soft drink brand 59 Heredity component 60 Country in SE Asia 62 State 63 A wager (2wds.)

64 Tener 66 Pressure unit 68 Wing

A STUNNING SENIOR MOMENT A self-important college freshman walking along the beach took it upon himself to explain to a senior citizen resting on the steps why it was impossible for the older generation to understand his generation. “You grew up in a different world, actually an almost primitive one” the student said loud enough for others to hear. “The young people of today grew up with television, jet planes, space travel, man walking on the moon. We have nuclear energy, ships and cell phones, computers with light speed... and many more.” After a brief silence, the senior citizen responded as follows.

“You’re right son. We didn’t have those things when we were young—so we invented them. Now, you arrogant little sh*t, what are you doing for the next generation?”

The applause was amazing!

Saw you in the Ojo 85

HOSPITAL CHART BLOOPERS (Actual writings from hospital charts)

1

The patient en ent nt rere fused autopsy. t psy. to e papa2. The us hi his istient has no previous history of suicides. ft wh whit h te 3. Patient has left white her hos h pii blood cells at another hospital.

4. She has no rigors or shaking chills, but her husband states she was very hot in bed last night.

5. Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.

6. On the second day the knee was better and on the third day it disappeared.

7. The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed.

8. The patient has been depressed since she began seeing me in 1993.

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El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

9. Discharge Dis isch ch har arg g status: Alive but with t out out perm pe erm mis is without permission.

10. Healthy appearing decrepit 69-year old male, mentally alert but forgetful.

11. Patient had waffles for breakfast and anorexia for lunch.

12. She is numb from her toes down.

13. While in ER, she was examined, x-rated and sent home.

14. The skin was moist and dry.

15. Occasional, constant infrequent headaches.

16. Patient was alert and unresponsive.

17. Rectal examination revealed a normal size thyroid.

18. She stated that she had been constipated for most of her life, until she got a divorce.

19. I saw your patient today, who is still under our car for physical therapy.

20. Both breasts are equal and reactive to light and accommodation.

21. Examination of genitalia reveals that he is circus sized.

22 The lab test indicated abnormal lover function.

23. Skin: somewhat pale but present.

24. The pelvic exam will be done later on the floor.

25. Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities.

Letter to the Editor Dear Sir: Richard Rhoda’s article, “The Psychology of Conservatism and Liberalism” in the November Ojo del Lago was most interesting. Americans need to consider an important aspect of our political landscape—psychology. I would like to make a couple of comments and register one objection.

May I suggest that the “liberal/conservative dimension” itself be examined. This is a broad dimension, I believe, a continuum not a simple “either or,”“black/white” concept. For example, conservatives like John Dean, Kevin Phillips and others take great exception to the kind of “conservatism” demonstrated by the current version of the Republican Party and Tea Party enthusiasts. Many conservatives as well as liberals have concluded that today’s GOP has been captured by right-wing extremists. Dean studied authoritarianism, in particular the work of Prof.

Robert Altemeyer, prior to writing Conservatives Without Conscience (2006).

He characterizes the tea partiers as the “same old authoritarian conservatives with a new label.” Indeed, the labels: “liberals,” “conservatives,” and “progressives” are tossed about too casually these days so that their meanings have been lost.

For Mr. Rhoda’s future articles on this subject, I also believe it would be of interest and relevant to mention that the personality studies to which the Blocks referred (Erich Fromm (1941), et al) were initiated because of the concern about the cause of fascism in the 1930s and its horrific consequences. Authoritarianism has again been raised in this era as a concern of no small importance. There are other studies that examine the ways in which liberals and conservatives think differently. One of them, the PIPA study (U. of Maryland), examined Bush vs Kerry voters. It found that Bush supporters tended to ignore dissonant information—that they resisted information, suggesting they were given to motivated reasoning—people given to finding conclusions to support their beliefs as opposed to critical thinking.

There may be other studies of interest.

My objection: the cartoon images that accompanied the article. The “liberal” stereotype strikes me as yet another reflection of grossly distorted propaganda about liberals for political purposes. There has been a deliberate attempt by the current crop of ideologically rigid, right-wing conserva-

tives to portray liberals in caricature form in order to discredit them. The El Ojo conservative image is made to appear more “mainstream,” reasonable, presentable, acceptable in “good” (corporatist?) company, etc., while the image of the liberal is obese, unattractive, dressed liked a hippy, sloppy, etc.

Some liberals no doubt do resemble Michael Moore (no sartorial beauty), but the liberals most familiar to me look like FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt, Will Rogers, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Thurgood Marshall, Lyndon Johnson, Rep. John D. Lewis, Jesse Jackson, the Clintons, Nancy Pelosi; journalists and scholars like James Baldwin, William Greider, John B. Judas, Greg Palast, Maya Angelou, Thomas Englehart, Elizabeth Drew, Bill Maher, Bob Herbert, Robert Kuttner, E. J. Dionne, Jr., Van Jones, Robert Borosage, Paul Krugman, Joseph Stiglitz; celebrities like Paul Newman, Oprah Winfrey, Lauren Bacall, Alec Baldwin, Susan Sarandon, et al, et al, et al. None of these liberals bear any resemblance to your article’s cartoon character. I believe the list of journalists and scholars among the liberal camp is far lengthier than found among conservatives, and these individuals would not be fairly represented by such a figure as you’ve published with your article. I don’t believe the clothing preferences of both groups are so different (jeans are ubiquitous in both!), although clothing preferences is an interesting idea to pursue. In reality, don’t most liberal and conservative Americans look more alike than not? It is their worldviews, beliefs, rhetoric, demeanor, behavior and actions, protest signs—in effect, the ways in which they think, process information and reason that differs. I suggest one needs to be mindful of the implications of photos, graphics. This liberal would appreciate your reappraising your graphics.

Sincerely, Beverly Bandler (Ed. Note: We should have made more clear that Rick Rhoda was simply quoting (in the main) an article “The Psychology of Conservatism and Liberalism” that he had read.)

Saw you in the Ojo 87

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. www.aalakechapala.org ++ 1 " w M+TH 4-6 Gazebo at the Lake Chapala Society. www.aalakechapala.org ++ K - TH 10:30-12 Sala at the Lake Chapala Society. www.aalakechapala.org A COURSE IN MIRACLES- Meets on Saturday at 2:00 at # 17 B Nicholas Bravo. For information email: clarecgearhart@gmail.com +y. . 2 + y+)y * +*+&+ @=\ Ky*]w September to April meet the 2nd Thursday 4pm-6pm at La Nueva Posada. John Prichard 766-1876 + y y |y1) ]|y1& - Meets second Tuesday monthly at 10 am. Guests & New Members Welcome. ajijicguild@gmail.com + y y .+ 12 1| w Tuesdays and Thursdays noon-3 pm at LCS Ken Gosh Pavilion. Dan Stark 766-0411. + y y K.y)2. k ]. | w Meets 1st and 3rd Fridays at 10 am. Nueva Posada. Coffee. Meeting followed by lunch at the Nueva Posada. +Â&#x20AC;yÂ&#x20AC;y %+ *y 1 &]2 Â ;>w Meets 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month at LCS 5:00pm. Contact the Secretary at (387) 7610017 for details.

AL-ANON- Step study, M 4:30-5:30 Ken Gosh Pavilion at the Lake Chapala Society 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. +%2.y +* 12]y *' .+*$ %# (+12*)y*2 ) @ w (Fitoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restaurant in Riberas Del Pilar) 3rd Wednesday. Additional info Call Vince 765-7299.

AMIGOS INTERNACIONALES- Every Wednesday 6 to 8 pm, Nueva Posada; informal friendly group meet to make new friends. +%y] &21 1+] +# #w 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. +*y)+k +*y%+1 w 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. +.&+) X+ " " .

& ! + " ) Zw Theraphy dog visits & Children Reading to Dogs program. Julianna Rose 766-5025, rotariojrose@gmail.com 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. +*+&y+* 1| 1+$2 /+ +1+w 2nd Wednesday of month, Sept. through April. Social hour: 3:00 pm, program 4:00 pm.

CASA DE ANCIANOS- Provides support for elderly citizens, 765-2497. + + &2 1+ +%y )+& +.+ *yÂ&#x201E; * +* 2.#w Provides funds, obtain cancer treatments. www.casadelaamistad.org.mx. 01-55-3000-6900, 766-2612 2*). &2 &2 +.. 11 + y y - Provides family planning and reproductive health education. 766-1679. /y1y $ w 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.

DEMOCRATS- Meets 2nd Thursday 4pm at La Nueva Posada 2+ )2.* )+. 2 ).211+ &21 1+] /+ )2. Â >=w 1st Wed. at 1:00 pm at Hotel Monte Carlo. 766-3785, www.oesestrelladellago.org.

2 .]+*y %+.$2)w Tuesdays,10 am-12-30pm, Centro Laguna Mall at carretera and libramiento.

2 $+*$+. /| *] +*& *)2% 1+)y *w Every 3rd Saturday in the month, 10:30 am at Nicolas Bravo 17B, Ajijic. Information Penny White 766-1230. .y2*& (y11+ y* +*)y1 X (yZ- Financial support for children: www.friendsofvillainfantil.org. Lisa Le: (387) 761-0002, lisale888@gmail.com GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS- Wednesday 11:30-1:30 Ken Gosh Pavilion at the Lake Chapala Society 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. ] 1&2* ).y*] 1+$2 /+ +1+' +# #w Rehearsals at auditorio de la Floresta. Tuesday & Friday, 3-6 pm.

HASH HOUSE HARRIERS- Every Saturday at 8:30 am at La Nueva Posada. /|%+*2 2&| +)y * +11y+* 2 X/2+Zw Fostering ethical treatment of animals. John Marshall, 766-1170, alianzaeducacionhumnitaria@hotmail.com |*y . 12+]|2 &2 ]|+&+1+ +.+ +# #w Av. San Francisco #3332. ligagdl2@prodigy.net.mx, Guadalajara, Jal. Tel. (33) 3121-0887.

1+$2 /+ +1+ &| 1y +)2 .y&]2 1| w Meets every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 1:15 p.m.. www.chapalabridge.com.

1+$2 /+ +1+ ]+.&2* 1| - Garden tours and meeting 3rd Wed at Nueva Posada for lunch and program. sandy_feldmann@yahoo.com.

1+$2 /+ +1+ ].22* ]. | ^ < " %

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<; Â&#x2019;|| www.lakechapalagreengroup.com.

1+$2 /+ +1+ /.y*2 1| #w Meets the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 1 pm in the Nueva Posada. Denny Strole (376) 766-0485 1+$2 /+ +1+ y2)q w 1 w 16 de Sep. # 16-A Ajijic, Open Monday - Saturday, 10 am to 2 pm. www.lakechapalasociety.org. 766-1140.

1+$2 y&2 %%|*y)q +K+.& ^ > "

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^ { { 1+$2 y&2 .y2*& )/2 +*y%+1 - Board meets 1st Thursday every month 2:45-4 LCS Gazebo info@lakesideanimalfriends.org 1+$2 y&2 1+|]/)2. 1| w Meets every Wed. from 9 am - 9:40 beginning September 29. For information call Charlene 766-0884.

1+$2 y&2 1y))12 )/2+).2 +# .- Balanced theatrical entertainment, English-speaking, 765-5942.

1+$2 y&2 / 1 . )/2 &2+ w The 4th of each month. Nueva Posada 10:30 am. Call 766-2280, www.lakesideschoolforthedeaf.org.

1+$2 y&2 | + )2+ +.)qw Meeting 2nd Tuesday at 4pm, Sunrise Restaurant, Carretera, San Antonio Tlayacapan 1+$2 y&2 Ky1&1y 2 .2 |2 Â&#x2020; .2/+ y1y)+)y *w Rescue & rehabilitation of wild animals. 765-4916.

1+$2 +q +*& *2|)2. 2*). +# #w 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^ !

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& % $ ^| LITTLE BLUE SCHOOLHOUSE^ !

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& ^ Â&#x201C;Â&#x201C;{ 1 *y* &2 /+ +1+ q + y y ' + 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 Kathleen Phelps, 766-0010.

MISION SAN PABLO- Helping 60 orphaned children ages 2-14 yrs, Bonnie Shrall - Bonnie@shrall.com #766-0009. www.misionsanpablo.org. *+(q 12+]|2' 1+$2 /+ +1+ |* y1w 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 Linda at 766-2086. *yÂ&#x201E; q (2*2 +.+(+*w 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: 376-766-5975 or 766-1626. *yÂ&#x201E; y* + + y)+& &21 1+] ' + #w Assisting Lakeside disabled children www.programaninos.org , 766-2201. + %y1+]. X%y.+ |1 | )2 #Zw Helping Handicapped Children Through the Magic of Horses. Saturdays 8-2. www.pasosmilagrosos.com# RED CROSS VOLUNTEERS- Meets 1st Wednesday at 1:30-4 Gazebo at the Lake Chapala Society. New members welcome. . )+.q 1| + y y w Tuesdays. Fellowship at 12:30 p.m., meeting at 1:00 p.m., Hacienda Ajijic Steakhouse, Carr. Ajijic Pte #268-7. www.rotaryajijic.org. +y1y*] 1+$2 /+ +1+w Meets for lunch/drinks-1 pm the 1st Thursday Club Nautico in La Floresta, www.sailinglakechapala.com +* +*) *y )1+q+ + +* X +)Z 2Â&#x20AC; +) #w Meets last Saturday of the month 6pm, at Cenaduria de Elvira, #127 Ramon Corona, San Antonio SCIENCE OF MIND STUDY GROUP- Discussion Tuesday at 10:30 AM, 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.

TOASTMASTERS LAGO DE CHAPALA BLILINGUAL GROUP- Meets Tuesdays 6 to 7:30 pm at Rubenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Grill. For info; Tim at 766-0920 or Maureen 766-2338. email tim@revdoctim.com |(+ w | " "

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1 # #Zw 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. ( 1|*)22. )/2 .|Â&#x2C6; . +- Sponsors fund raising events and provides administrative and support services to the Delegation.

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88

El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

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. 7669020 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, Bishopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residence (376) 766-1532.

Church of the Holy Spirit Services Sun. 10 am, Albaro Obregon #119, Chapala Tel. (376) 7654210.

Christ Church Anglican Fellowship Eucarist 10am upstairs in Manix Restaurant Ocampo #57 Ajijic. Rev. Danny Borkowski at (376) 766-2495 or Jim Powers t (387) 761-0017 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 Camino Real #84 in La Floresta, 9:30 am, Potluck follows, Tel: 7665708 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 Study-Friday 10 am; Hidalgo 231A, Carr. Chapala/Joco; Riberas del Pilar Tel. Pastor Ross Arnold at 376-766-1238, 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 2 services, 9 a.m & 11 a.m. Rev. Winston W. Welty Tel: 765-3926. www.standrewsriberas. com San Andres Catholic Church Services 9:00 am.

Ajijic, 766-0922.

St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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. Sta. Margarita #113 in Riberas del Pilar (on the SW corner of Santa Clara) For additional information call 766-1119 or email to Â&#x192;%$ $. We are a Welcoming Congregation www.lcuuf.org

The

LAKE CHAPALA SOCIETY

News

December 2011 + " k + !

K" Â&#x2030; Over a hundred works were considered by the judges: Antonio Cardenas (a local artist and former Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Art Program participant), Marianne Carlson (President, Feria Maestros del Arte) and Deena Hafker (President, Ajijic Society of the Arts). Judging occurred prior to LCSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; annual Arts and Crafts Show, November 5, 2011.

And the Winners are...

FIRST PLACE

SECOND PLACE

THIRD PLACE

Julian Uriel Enciso Chavez, Age 11

Cinthia Yadida Granado Contreras, Age 4.

Angela Guadalupe Granado Contreras, Age 11.

1st Place, Blue Ribbon, $500 pesos and published on the coveted front cover of the 2012 LCS Directory!

2nd Place, Red Ribbon, $300 pesos and published as the cover sheet preceeding the membership listings in the 2012 LCS Directory.

3rd Place, White Ribbon and $200 pesos.

Congratulations to the young artists submitting their work, and many thanks to the judges and program volunteers for a successful 2011!

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget, February the 4th will be the unveiling of the Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Art Mural at LCS.

y ( * \th LCS is having a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Latino Festivalâ&#x20AC;? with a silent auction on February 4, 2012. If you have a high quality item to donate, please contact Nancy Creevan at (376) 766-5576 or via e-mail contigo2000@yahoo.com.

We need volunteers, so if you are interested in volunteering please contact Lois Cugini at loiscugi@prodigy.net.mx.

Proceeds from the event will go toward funding LCS' community education programs, such as the LCS Student Aid Fund, English as a Second Language, Children's Art, the Biblioteca Publica and much more.

LCS CLOSED

FINAL REMINDER RENEW YOUR LCS MEMBERSHIP

BY DECEMBER 15, TO BE LISTED IN THE 2012 DIRECTORY.

DECEMBER 26* - CHRISTMAS JANUARY 2, 2012* - NEW YEARS DAY * Closed dates listed in the 2011 directory were incorrect.

Saw you in the Ojo 89

LCS Learning Seminars

LCS BOARD NOMINATIONS

Tuesdays at Noon December 6 - led by Fred Harland features (via TED Internet podcast) " K , founder of Wikipedia. Wales gives a fascinating account of how he assembled a â&#x20AC;&#x153;ragtag band of volunteersâ&#x20AC;? and gave them the tools for collaborating

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online encyclopedia. & >; â&#x20AC;&#x201C; chaired by Fred Harland, features (via TED Internet podcast) lexicographer 2 " % $ ' who asks whether the beloved paper dictionary is doomed to extinction. In her infectiously exuberant talk, McKean looks at the many ways todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s print dictionary is poised for transformation. & <= - led by Bill Frayer, historian 2 0 ) (via TED Internet podcast) discusses how every new invention changes the world, in ways both intentional and unexpected.

Tennerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stories illustrate the underappreciated gap between our ability to innovate and our ability to foresee the consequences of our actions.

In March 2012 six board positions will be elected. Anyone

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more about it, please contact Nancy Creevan at 766-5567 or contigo2000@yahoo.com.

Cat Season Returns The LCS JCat Peopleâ&#x20AC;? need to raise some money to care for the critters. Four thousands pesos were borrowed to pay for all the shots and health care needed when there were way too many cats and kittens last spring. LCS is now down to three cats and the Cat People need to pay off their bill by December 15th. Over half the funds have already been raised. Once the current debt is &

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two cats with troubled eyes. If you can donate, please leave your contribution with the Red Cross volunteers and ask that they earmark it for the LCS Cat People. Thanks to all!

- The Cat People of LCS

1" |

2011 MILESTONES 2011 was a good year for the Lake Chapala Society. In March

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took place, and the board increased in size to 12 members. The membership approved long range and strategic (3 year) goals.

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out the board to its capacity as allowed in the new constitution.

Now, nine months later as we close out the books for 2011, we

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Language has another banner year of students and volunteers, Spanish classes continue to be popular, Computer Classes have begun, we disperse student aid to forty-two students, the libraries are developing scope of collections, documents and building their selections, and board committees are busy reviewing and rewriting important polices and membership is stable.

The grounds at both the Wilkes Education Center and the main LCS campus have undergone repairs and painting. New chairs, tables and technology have been purchased to replace aging and deteriorating equipment at both facilities, and we are getting a lot of compliments on the improvements.

Finally, the Board at the November board meeting approved the 2012 budget. Below is a summary of next years budget.

The Reading/Magazine Room needs your opinion. We are starting a project to update the Reading/Magazine Room to bring it into the new century. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve cleaned up the magazines and eliminated the out-of-date issues. Now we are considering moving from the current magazine program (donations only) to one where LCS would subscribe to the magazines that members are interested in reading. We would like suggestions on which magazines to carry. So far this is just an idea; letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s see what happens. Donations of magazines will always be welcome.

We are also looking at using the reading room for once-a-week technology demonstrations of products that might facilitate your world --- like Majic Jack and Kindle. Would folks be interested in weekly technology previews? Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be brainstorming, so please submit comments or suggestions to the following email address: lcsmags@gmail.com - Zack - The LCS Magazine Guy

Spanish Classes The next 7 week Warren Hardy Spanish course will run from January 9 thru February 24, 2012. Members only, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to renew!

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Tis the Season

Casi Nuevo Thrift Shop Open Monday - Saturday, 10 a.m. 3 p.m.

Use the drop box at LCS!!!!

) ) " + Â&#x160; Directory Investment 5% Income 3% Fundraising

In our midst is former table tennis coach and instructor Guenter < '

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interested in starting a table tennis club at LCS. If thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enough interest, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see what we can come up with. Contact Guenter at: schaefer.heidemarle@yahoo.de

EXPENSES INCOME $2,713,750 MXN $2,713,750 MXN

4%

Facilities Use

Fundraising

4%

1%

Membership

37%

Student Aid 16%

2012 LCS Budget Programs 24%

Programs 27% Donations 20% Directory

0% Building/Grounds 12%

90

El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

Administration 47%

+ | & Â&#x160;Â&#x160; A recent donation of two dart boards and their installation in the Ken Gosh Pavillion allows for more fun and games. Scheduled for Thursday afternoons from 3 to 4 p.m., take aim and play.

DECEMBER ACTIVITIES .|Â&#x2C6; . + Â&#x2039; Cruz Roja Sales Table M-F 10-1 Cruz Roja Monthly Meeting 1st W 1:30-4 /2+1)/ y* |.+* 2 Â&#x2039; IMSS M+T 10-1 NYLife/Seguros Monterrey Insurance T+TH 11-2 /2+1)/ Â&#x2020; 12]+1 2.(y 2 Â&#x2039; Becerra Immigration F 10-1 Blood Pressure M+F 10-12 Blood Sugar Screening 2nd+3rd F 10-12 Hearing Testing & Aids M & 2nd+4th SAT 11-3 Sign-up Optometrist TH 9-5 Sign-up Information Desk M-SAT 10-2 Loridan Legal T 10-12 Skin Cancer Screening 2nd+4th W 10-12 $/Sign-up US Consulate 1st W 10:30-12:30 Sign up 10AM LESSONS Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Art SAT 9:00-12 * Country Line Dancing T+TH 10-11:30 Exercise M+W+F 9-10 Have Hammers... T 10-12+TH 3-5 * Intermediate Hatha Yoga T+TH+SAT 2- 3:30 Spanish Conversation Club M 10:30-12 Ends 12 Dec LIBRARIES Audio Books TH 10-12 Book & Video M-SAT 10-2 US Library of Congress TH 10-12 ** SOCIAL ACTIVITIES Beginnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Digital Camera W 12-1 Computer Windows Club F 10:30-11:45 Digital Camera W 10:30-11:50 Darts TH 3-4 Discussion Group W12- 1:30 \ $ ]

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Genealogy Last M 2-4 Great Books 1st & 3rd F 2-4 iPod/iPhone F 9:30-10:30 LCS Learning Seminars T 12-2 Lecture Series: Origins of Mind & Brain M 2-4 * Mac OS 1st M 12-1:30 Mac User 3rd W 3-4:30 Mah-Jonng F 10-2:30 Music Jam W 2-3 Needle Pushers T 10-12 Scrabble M+F 12-2 Tournament Scrabble T 12-3 2.(y 2 Â&#x2020; | .) ]. | Â&#x2039; AA Lakeside M+TH 4-6 AA Women TH 10:30-12 AL-Anon/Al-aTeen M 4:30-5:30 Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cancer Support 2nd+4th M 11:30-1 Cancer Support Group 1st+3rd M 11:30-1 Gamblers Anonymous W 11:30-1:30 Green Group 1st T 3-4:30 Green Transition in Action 2nd M 12-1:50 Los NiĂąos de Chapala /Ajijic F 10-1:30 Masonic Lodge #31 2nd+4th W 4:30-8, 4th T 3-4:30 MS Support Group 3rd W 3-4:30 Open Circle SUN 10-12:15 ** OPEN TO PUBLIC ** US CITIZENS )y $2) +12 %w >=w><

www.lakechapalasociety.org

VIDEO LIBRARY New Additions for December Biography %q q + $ Ref. No. 5585 Not Rated U % % $

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to get his teen-aged son â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Jackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; admitted into the Irish Guards during World War I. Soon his unit suffers terrible losses and Jack is reported missing.

Mother Caroline proves unstoppable in her search for the truth. When

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DANIEL RADCLIFFE 7.2 on scale of 10 Comedy HORRIBLE BOSSES Ref. No. 5586 Rated R Nickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s boss Mr. Harkin expects him to work from sunrise to sunset and blackmails him for being a minute late. Dale hates his boss because she makes unwelcome sexual advances when heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about to get married.

Kurt likes his job and his boss until the boss dies and his coked-out, psychopathic son takes over. Nick, Dale and Kurt drunkenly consider killing their bosses, and before they know it, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve hired a murder consultant. JASON BATEMAN CHARLIE DAY 7.1 on scale of 10 Documentary SPELLBOUND Ref. No. 5587 Rated G This documentary follows eight young competitors vying for the Scripps Howard national spelling bee championship. They face tremendous pressure as the original group of over 250 competitors is whittled down

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| Drama OUR FATHERS Ref. No. 5588 Rated R In the 1970s and 1980s a scandal was brewing in the Boston diocese of the Roman Catholic Church: pedophile priests. Years later, when the victims came forward, Cardinal Law and the diocese were sued for hiding the crimes. Law arrogantly defended his behavior, and refused to resign.

TED DANSON CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER 7.1 on scale of 10 Foreign CIRCO Ref. No. 5589 Not Rated Tino Ponce and his family operate and maintain the traveling Circo Mexico.

While documenting the brutal regimen of circus life, Circo exposes the strain that threaten to tear them apart. Schockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unsentimental view of a vanishing way of life renders the storyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s twists all the more poignant. The

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| Mystery |*$* K* Ref. No. 5590 Rated PG13 A biochemist arrives in Berlin for a conference at which he and his controversial Arab funder will announce a breakthrough. En route, an auto accident puts him in a coma. When he awakens four days later without

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him and another man has claimed his identity. 7.0 on scale of 10 LIAM NEESON DIANE KRUGER Mini-Series/Biography/History /* +&+% Ref. Nos. 5591 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5593 Not Rated The life of one of the USA â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s Founding Fathers, its second !

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PAUL GIAMATTI LAURA LINNEY

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE FROM THE LCS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, VOLUNTEERS AND EMPLOYEES!

Saw you in the Ojo 91

LCS MIX & MATCH SINGLES GROUP http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lcsmixandmatch/ & > - All the excitement is at Cafe Adelita, located just downhill from the San Antonio Tlayacapan Plaza. Cocktails will be served from 5 to 7 p.m., and for this special occasion, Cafe Adelita is offering 2 for 1 prices for margaritas, wine and beer.

Excellent dinners and great pub food will be available all evening. Come for cocktails, stay for dinner and dance to live music until 11 p.m.

For info contact Walt Bowker at 766-5710 or waltajijic@ netzero.net.

"Colors & Taste Of Ajijic" Food & Tequila Tasting Silent Auction Live Fashion Auction 9 December 2011, 3 - 6 PM at LCS Proceeds to the Auditorio Repairs Tickets $250 pesos available at LCS Tickets 10-12, Diane Pearl & Charter Club

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Tuesday, December 13 at 5 p.m.

Storytellers sponsors monthly readings of original works "

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Education Fund. However this holiday season Storytellers pays homage to world-famous works being read by maybe-notso-famous but well-known local personalities. Witness Charles Dickensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Christmas Carol,â&#x20AC;? and humorous versions of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;was the Night Before Christmas.â&#x20AC;? ] "

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Storytellers wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be passing the hat.

The cost of your ticket covers the fun, food and donation.

Tickets: 250 pesos per person, Cash bar.

Manix Restaurant, 57 Ocampo, Ajijic, Plenty of parking Tickets available at LCS ticket booth, or email Larry Reves at Reeves@ prodigy.net.mx

FILM AFICIONADOS

Thursdays December 1, Noon 2 $- Swedish- 2007 An outstanding Martin Beck crime drama.

December 8, 2 p.m.

INCENDIES- Canadian- 2011 Compelling, powerful and disturbing. Quite possibly the best

December 15, Noon 1+ $- Indian- 2004 Shown here for the fourth time! By popular demand. A brilliant re-telling of the Helen Keller story- The Miracle Worker.

December 22, 2 p.m.

December 29, 2 p.m. )/2 q211 K /+*&$2. /y2 - USA- 2008 William Hurt shines in this tale of loneliness and hope.

FILMS FOR LCS MEMBERS ONLY HAVE YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD HANDY ALL FILMS SHOWN IN THE SALA.

J% % ^" ` % % K ) " Q 0 " 1 ` December 16, 2011, noon in LCS Sala Lecture is for LCS members only. Lecture is expected to last 90 minutes. Presented by Dr. Richard Rhoda.

JANUARY Computer Basics Course

(BEGINS JANUARY 9) Mondays and Wednesdays, 3 - 4:30 p.m., 3 weeks (6 classes). ` Â&#x201C;| & + $"

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El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

Saw you in the Ojo 93

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

Service

000# # #

DIRECTORY +&(2.)y y*] w 21 &21 1+] Tel. 765-3676

- HUNTER DOUGLAS Tel: 766-0026

+1 / 1y +* *q% | - ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS Tel: 766-5961

!` [?

+*y%+1 1y*y 2) / w &22k 2) / )21 Tel: 762-1646

- PET FOOD AND GROOMING Tel: 766-3062

!` @> Pag: 35

+.) ]+112.y2 /+*& .+ ) - DIANE PEARL COLECCIONES Tel: 766-5683 Pag: 65 - EL PALOMAR Tel: 01 (33) 3635-5247 !` [\ - MEXARTE Tel: 766-5322 Pag: 76 w %2 y y w 1 % !` _> - SOL MEXICANO Tel: 766-0734 !` <= w )/2 + y y +.) / | 2 Tel: 765-5097 !` <[' W;' [\' @=

+|) % )y(2 Pag: 30

+|) %+)y & .

- AUTOMATIC GARAGE DOOR OPENERS Tel: 766-4973 Pag: 65

+] - MPMB BAGS Tel. (33) 1562-0744

!` W[

+*$ y*(2 )%2*)

+$2.q w .2*&+k +$2.q |)y |2 Tel: 765-2987

!` ?[

2+|)q Pag: 77 Pag: 35 Pag: 75 !` <[ !` >?

2& .2+$ + ) - CASA DE LAS FLORES Tel: 766-5493 - CASA DEL SOL Tel: 766-0050 - CASA TRES LEONES Cell: (045) 331-350-6764 w (y11+ +* .+* y

!` [> !` >? !` <@ !` <_

22. 1y | . ) .2 w \ + )2 |y1+ Tel. (33) 3647-3396

!` ;[ w 2) k Ky*2 1y | .

Tel: 766-5420, Cell (045) 333-507-3024 Pag: 07 - MODELORAMA Tel: 766-2678, 765-2055 !` _[ w )2 |y1+ & * (y) Tel: 766-4000 Pag: 60

94

212 ).y +1 2.(y 2

$ ) .2 - SANDI Tel: 01 (33) 3121-0863

Pag: 75

|)y |2 1 )/y*] ) .2 - ARATI Tel: 766-0130 w |]y*y | |)y |2 Tel/Fax: 766-1790 w y+]+ |)y |2 Tel: 766-1816 - LA BELLA VIDA Tel: 766-5131

!` >;' @=

- DIELEP Tel: (33) 3122-2311

Pag: 65

+* y2 +*(+ y)2%

!` [?

212(+) .

- CUSTOM MADE HOME ELEVATORS Tel: 333-559-0444

- LONAS MEXICO Tel: 766-0045, (01 33) 3826-8283

Pag: 49

!` _[

y*+* y+1

+ y* - FOLIATTI CASINO

!` @[

- PROFESSIONAL TRADER

Pag: 06

/y. .+ )y

- CURVES Tel: 766-1924 w )+*& y$2 Cell: (045) 33-3814-5913

!` [=

12+*y*] 2.(y 2 - ORIENTAL RUGS CLEANING Tel: 3625 8456 !` @> w . 2 y *+1 Ky*& K K+ /y*] Tel: 765-4507 !` [<

!` ;; !` ><

w + 2 y*)2.*2) + y y Tel: 766-3626 w |+* +. + Cell: (045) 33-3137-5364 w *2K K .1& )2 /* 1 ]q Tel. 766-4343

!` >>

w .y +*)2% .

Tel: 766-4030

Pag: 37

|%y]+)y * - FUMI-TECH Tel: 766-1946

!` [W

- ARTE AMANECER Tel: 765-2090 Pag: 64 - DEL CORAZÓN DE LA TIERRA Tel: 33-3657-5682 !` \> w +w % +*q# % Cell: 331-576-6974 !` >[ - STRESSLESS Tel: 33-3640-1283 Pag: 47 - )2% |.' %+)).2 +*& y11 K Tel: (52) 333-629-5919, (52) 33 3611-3049 !` _>

!` << Pag: 75

* ).| )y * - ALAMBRADOS PEREGRINA Cell: 33-3808-2674

!` [@ - ARELLANO Tel: 766-4696 !` ?=' ?> - CABO DO MUNDO- INTERIOR DESIGN Tel: 766-0026

!` <@ - CONSTRUCTION & REMODELING Tel: 766-3626 !` >> - DIELEP Tel: (33) 3122-2311 !` [? w 2&y y$ +. |y)2 ) Tel: (045) 33-1431-2687 !` [< - PINTURAS FMC Tel: 766-3596

!` [= w / %2 2.(y 2 Tel: 766-1569 Pag: 55 w K+.Ky $ * ).| )y * Tel: 765-2224 Cell. (045) 331-135-0763 !` >\

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El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

Pag: 34

|.*y)|.2

% |)y*] 2.(y 2

w + y y &2*)+1 Tel: 766-3682 w #&# %+. + 1|y + 1|y (y11+ Tel/Fax: 766-2428 w #&# +*&.+ +*+q+ % .+ Tel: 765-3502, 765-5444 - CENTRO DENTAL Tel: 766-2911 - DENTAL EXPRESS Cell: (045) 331-121-6518

Pag: 33

1 K2. /

w &.# (y ) . # q | /+ Tel: 766-1973

w + y y *2K # % w %+y1 2 ' 2) # Tel: 766-0647, Fax: 766-0775 761-0363, Fax: 761-0364

Pag: 55

y)*2

2y1y*] +*

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- ACTINVER Tel. 766-3110

!` >@ - INTERCAM Tel: 766-5978 !` <_ - INVESTMENTS SAN-FEL Tel: 766-5484, (33) 3614-3258 Pag: 36 - MULTIVA Tel: 766-2499

!` ;> -O&A Tel: 766-4481 !` <?

- GLORIOSA SALON Tel: 766-3372 w +%2 & * +1 * Tel: 01 (387) 763 1933 - HAPPINESS GARDEN Tel: 766-5513 w *2K 1 $ )|&y Tel: 766-6000 - PERMANENT EYE LINER Tel: 765-3502

Pag: 03

!` <@

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

- LINEA PROFESIONAL Tel. 766-2555, Fax. 766-0066

!` >?

- DENTAL HEALTH ONE Tel: 1060-826 Pag: 34 w &.# +1 2.) & * 1y(2.+ Tels: 765-4838, 765-4805 !` >= w &.# .+* y *).2.+ Tel: 765-5757 !` >W w &.+# +*]21y + +1&+*+ 12%+ && Tel: 765-5364 Pag: 67 - HÉCTOR HARO DDS Tel: 01 (33) 3848-5551 !` >\ - INTEGRITY Tel: 766-4435 Pag: 43 w &. # %2&212 &+.)

Tel: 766 5050 Pag: 36

1y*& +*& |.)+y*

]+.&2*y*] - GARDEN CENTER Tel. 765-5973 w 1 . K+)2. ]+.&2* Tel: 766-4386

!` [? !` >;

].y11 - NAPOLEON Tel: 766-6153

!` >_

/+.&K+.2 ) .2

Pag: 09 !` >? !` _>

/2+1)/ w +12 +*&.+ ]|&y* 1y * w. " " %

Cell: 333-115-9595 !` [; - SAVIA Tel: 766-0087 Pag: 66

!` W>' [>

!` @<

/ %2 + 1y+* 2 - ELECTROVENTA Tel: 765-2222 w $y) /2* +y& Tel: 01 (33) 3610-1474

_WWw>_W= 765-4444 766-5555

/ )21 |y)2 w +& 2 K+11 y** Tel: 766-1296 !` <> w +1*2+.y +* |+* +1+ Tel: 01-387-761-0222 Pag: 69 - DOLPHIN COVE INN Tel: 314-334-1515 !` [_ w / )21 y21 .

Tel: 311-258-4155 !` <W - HOTEL LA CASONA Tel: 01-800-700-8877 !` ?< - HOTEL LA ESTANCIA Tel: 766-0717 !` [; - HOTEL MONTECARLO Tel: 765-2120 / 24 Pag: 44 - HOTEL PERICO Cell:333-142-0012 Pag: 49 - LA MANSION DEL SOL Tel: 01-800-715-9339 !` W< - LA NUEVA POSADA Tel: 766-1444, Fax: 766-2049 Pag: 03 - LOS CUATRO VIENTOS Tel. 322-222-0161

!` [W w |y*)+ & * 2 Tel: 01-800-700-2223 Pag: 33 - VILLA CORANA DEL MAR Tel: +52 (327) 274-0912 Pag: 79 - VILLAS DEL SOL Tel: 766-1152

!` @< w (y11+ +* .+* y !` <_

y* |.+* 2 - EDGAR CEDEÑO - MEXICO PROTECT Cell: (045) 33-3106-6982 !` >W - GRINGOS IN PARADISE Toll Free 888-300-4368 !` ?[ w 1+$2 /+ +1+y* |.+* 2# % !` _< -O&A Tel: 766-0152, 766-3508 !` <? w 12Ky +*& 12Ky Tel: (310) 399-0800, (800) 966-6830 Pag: 74 w +.$2. y* |.+* 2 2.(y 2 Cell: (33) 3809-7116 !` W> - PROTEXPLAN U.S. Toll Free 1-800-608-5743 Mexico Toll Free 01-800-681-6730 !` _[ w .+ /21k y* |.+* 2 Tel/Fax 765-4316 !` W[

y*)2.y . &2 y]* - ELEMENTS Tel: 766-5826 - TENERIFE CENTER Tel: 33-3640-1283 w +w % +*q# % Cell: 331-576-6974

!` <?

Pag: 47 !` >[

- REGIS LAVANDERIAS Y TINTORERIAS Cell: (045) 33-1603-0345 Pag: 37

12]+1 2.(y 2 w %+] k y 2 Tel: 765-3640 w 1+K y 2 Tel: (322) 222 0499

!` >= !` W>

1y]/)y*]

- FERRETERIA Y TLAPALERIA GALVEZ Tel: 766-0880, Fax: 766-2440 Pag: 77 w .2+1 .)2]+w/ 0

Tel: 765-7556 !` W<

w 1+$2 y&2 /2+.y*] 2.(y 2 Cell. (045) 33-1511-4088

066 _W?w<;=[' _W?w<??; _WWw;W>?

LAUNDRY

/2+.y*] +y& !` >;

EMERGENCY HOTLINE +% |1+* 2 w .| . + y.2 &2 +.)%2*) POLICE + " "

Chapala La Floresta

- ILUMINA Y DECORA Tel: 765 5067

Pag: 63

%+11 1+ + - CENTRO LAGUNA Tel: (376) 766-5514

Pag: 99

%2+) |1).q /22 2 - PURITAN POULTRY Tel:765-4399 w % * .+k %2+) Cell: 33-1450-0236 w ) *qk Tel: 766-1614, 766-4069

!` [@ Pag: 65 !` <\

%2&y +1 2.(y 2 !` <= Pag: 37

w <@; %2&y +1 2*)2.

Tel: 765-7777 w 2.*+.& 1+* + )2. *2 %& Tel: (33) 3813-2090

Pag: 63 !` <@

- CLINICA RABADĂ N Tel: 766-1731 !` W?' [_ w 1y*y + q +.%+ y+ %+ $+.+ Tel: 765-4805, 765-582 Pag: 69 - DERMATOLOGIST Tel: 766-1198, 765-2400 Pag: 34 w &2.%y$+ Dermatologic Center Tel: 766-2500 Pag: 74 w &.# +1 .2& +% q &Â?+Â&#x2C6;wy

" "

Cardiologist Tel: 765-7777 Pag: 63 - DR VICTOR VALPUESTA-Internal Medicine Tel: 765-7777 Pag: 63 w &.+# %+.)/+ .# +112 )2. .+* Cell: (045) 333-408-0951 !` >_ - ENDOSCOPY ASSOCIATES Tel: 766-5851 !` <= - HOSPITAL ANGELES DEL CARMEN Tel: (01) 3813-0042 !` >< - INTERNAL MEDICINE SPECIALIST & GERIATRICS & # # % Tel: 766-2777 !` _[ - ISILAB Tel: 766-1164 Pag: 67 w *2K )y +1 Cell: (045) 333-157-4984 Pag: 64 w /)/+1% 1 ]y )w& # ! ( + Tel: 333-647-3461 Pag: 73 - PINTO OPTICAS Tel: 765-7793 !` >< w 1+ )y |.]2.qw& # " (" Tel: 766-5513 Pag: 73 - PLAZA MONTAĂ&#x2018;A HEALTH & BEAUTY CENTER Tel: 766-5513 !` W> - RECONSTRUCTIVE & PLASTIC SURGERY w & # % " Â&#x2018; Â&#x2019; ) Tel: 766-5513 Pag: 73 - RED CROSS Tel: 765-2308 - SCHLEROTHERAPY Tel: 766-5513, 36 160 501 Pag: 73 - VIDA ALARMS Tel: 766-3500 Pag: 67

Â&#x2039; % (2.

- BALDERAS Tel: 01 (33) 3810-4859 w 1+$2 /+ +1+ % (y*] Tel: 766-5008 - SEYMI Tel: 01 (33)3603-0000 w ). %w K/y)2 % (2.

Tel: 766-4049

!` =[ !` >\ Pag: 69

Â&#x2039; .2*)+1 Â&#x2021; . 2.)q %+*+]2%2*) w 1&K211 +*$2. /+ +1+ .2+1)q Tel: 766-1152, movile: (045) 33-1175-9632 !` [\ - FOR RENT OR SALE Tel: 766-4043 Pag: 70 - HACIENDA LA CANACINTA Tel: 766-4971 !` [< - HACIENDA Properties Management & Rentals Tel: 766-3320 !` [_ - MANZANILLO VACATION RENTALS Tel: (314) 100-6773 or (314) 125-2817 !` W[ - RENTAL LOCATERS Tel: 766-5202 !` _< - SANTANA RENTALS Cell: 315-104-3283,

!` ;< - VILLAS DEL SOL Tel: 766-1152

!` @<

Â&#x2039; .2 +y.

w &# # / K+.& Tel: 766-3044 Pag: 90 - PRO-AUDITORIO - AUTUM ARTS FESTIVAL Tel: 766-5986 !` << w )/2 *+$2& )+]2 .2+&2.k )/2+).2 Tel: 766-5986 Pag: 40

Â&#x2039; *|. 2.q - SAN ANTONIO VIVERO

Pag: 59

Â&#x2039; 2. *+1 + y )+* 2 w | )| /+| 2.

Tel: 763-5333, Fax: 763-5335 Emergencies: 01 (33) 3441-8223 Pag: 05 w *2K %2.

ILSE HOFFMANN Cell: 33-3157-2541, Ilse40@megared.net.mx www.mexicoadventure.com/chapala/guadalajara.htm Tel: 01 (33) 3647-3912

Â&#x2039; /+.%+ y2 Pag: 90 !` [= !` [@ !` @> Pag: 59

Â&#x2039; 1 %+y*)2*+* 2 w 2 |y %2*) +*& 1 %+y*)2*+* 2 Tel: 766-1617 Pag: 30

Â&#x2039; .2+1 2 )+)2 w > ) / y 2 / %2 Tel: 765-2484 Pag: 49 w + y y /y11 Cell: (045) 331-186-9186 Pag: 60 w + y y / %2 y* 2 )y * Tel: 766-2836 !` >= - ALAMOS MEXICO Pag: 75 - ALL IN ONE REAL ESTATE SERVICE Tel: 766-1161 Pag: 05 - ARELLANO Tel: 766-4696 !` ?=' ?> w 2(# Â&#x2020; 2+* 211

- TV REPAIR SERVICIO BELTRĂ N Tel: 765-3949 w K+) / Â&#x2020; 1 $ Tel: 765 5190, Cell: (045) 33-1331-9226

Tel: 766-3822 - PIZZERIA TOSCANA Tel: 765-6996 w | K+q

- SIMPLY THAI Tel: 766 5665 - T INDEPENDENCIA Tel: 766-1197 w )+ +.$+ Tel: 766-1588

- TOMAS Tel: 765-3897 w ) *qk Tel: 766-1614, 766-4069 w )K * Tel: 766-5089 - VIENTO Tel: 766-0717

!` >? !` W[ !` @[ Pag: 70 !` [; !` <<

!` @>

w 1 *yÂ&#x201E; &2 /+ +1+ q + y y Tel: 765-7032

!` [;

Â&#x2039; 1+. 2*2.]q w 2< 2*2.]y+ Tel: 01 (33) 3673 5499 - ESUN Tel: 766-2319

Pag: 79 Pag: 30

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Pag: 69 !` <\ !` @> !` [=

Â&#x2039; .2)y.2%2*)Â&#x2021;.2 )Â&#x2021;*|. y*] / %2 - LA CASA NOSTRA Tel: 765-4187, Fax: 765-5815 - LA VALENTINA Tel: 766-5179

Pag: 06 !` <@

Â&#x2039; .y&2 +.$ - SPECTRA Tel: 766-3001

Pag: 33

Â&#x2039; +)211y)2 Â&#x2021; )#(# w + y y 212 ). *y #+# &2 #(# Tel/Fax: 766-1117, 766-3371 !` >; - SERVICIO BELTRĂ N Tel: 765-3949, 766-4586 !` @>

Â&#x2039; 2 |.y)q q )2% - DIELEP Tel: (33) 3122-2311 - VIDA ALARMS Tel: 766-3500

!` [?

Pag: 67

Â&#x2039; / 1

- EL GRANERO

w +1*2+.y +* |+* +1+ Tel: 01-387-761-0222 Pag: 69 - BLUE MOON Tel: 766-0937 !` [W - HAPPINESS GARDEN Tel: 766-5513 Pag: 75 - HORUS VIRGINIA MASSAGE Cell: (045) 33-1601-5546 Pag: 36 - HYDROPOOL Tel: 766-4030 Pag: 37 - LA BELLA VIDA Tel: 766-5131 Pag: 65 - MONTE COXALA Tel: (387) 761-0111 Pag: 45 - NOVELLE IMAGE SPA Tel: 766-2476 !` [> - RESPIRO SPA Tel: (045) 33-3157-7790 !` <; - SPACIO ANGELICAL Tel: 766-0955 Pag: 37 - TOTAL BODY CARE Tel: 766-3379 !` <>

Â&#x2039; )/2.+ y ) - HYDROPOOL Tel: 766-4030 Pag: 37 - PROFESSIONAL REHABILITATION Tel: 766-5563 !` >_ - RESPIRO SPA Tel: (045) 33-3157-7790 !` <; - ULLOA Tel: 765-7777 Pag: 63

Â&#x2039; ) |.

w + |+)y + /+ +1+ w Ky%%y*] / 1 Tel: 765-4060 Pag: 64 - OCTAVIO PAZ INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY Tel: 766-0903 !` <W - INSTITUTO TERRANOVA Tel: 766-2401 Pag: 39

Â&#x2039; 22& w 2.2+1

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- FARMACIA CRISTINA Tel: 766-1501 - FARMACIA EXPRESS II w +.%+ y+ %+ $+.+ Tel/Fax: 765-5827 - FARMACIA MORELOS Tel: 765-4002 - FARMACIA UNICA Tel: 766-0523

Home Tel. 766-5332 Â&#x;

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Pag: 70 - CHULA VISTA NORTE Tel: 766-2177 Cell: (045) 33-3841-8867 !` <\ w 1&K211 +*$2. /+ +1+ .2+1)q Tel: 766-1152, 766-3369 Fax: 766-2124, Tels: 765-2877 Fax: 765-3528 !` >== - COLLINS REAL ESTATE Tel: 766-4197 !` \< - EL DORADO Tel: 766-0040 !` =< w . +12 q K*2.

Cell: 33-1354-2075 Pag: 90 w . +12 q K*2.

Tel: 01 (387) 761 0829 Pag: 76 - FOUR SEASONS HOMES Tel: 766-6065 Pag: 63 - GEORGETTE RICHMOND Tel: 766-2129, 766-2077 !` >> - HACIENDA LA CANACINTA Tel: 766-4971 !` [< w 11 q& .2+1 2 )+)2 + y y Tel: 766-3508 !` <?

- MEXICO PROPERTY RESOURCES Tel: (315) 351-7489

!` ;< w %q. *k %2Â&#x20AC;y Cell: 331-364-6524 !` [; w 2)2. )# /* Tel: 765-3676 !` <[ - RAUL GONZALEZ Cell: 33-1437-0925 Pag: 03

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w +*+&y+* 1| 1+$2 /+ +1+ Tel: 765-2547 Pag: 36 - CHARTER CLUB TOURS Tel: 766-1777 Pag: 09

Â&#x2039; ).22 2.(y 2 - CHAPALA TREE SERVICE Tel: 762-0602

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!` ?[ w + + &21 K+ 12 Tel: 766-1946 Pag: 03 - CHAC-LAN Tel: (387) 761-0111 Pag: 45 w &+(y&k + 2 Tel: 766-2341 !` @< w 21 +.&y* &2 *y*2))2 Tel. 766-4905 !` ;< - EL PERLA NEGRA Cell: 33-1075-5847 Pag: 56 - GO LE CLUB Cell: (045) 33-3502-6555 !` <@ w /+ y2*&+ + y y k Tel: 766-4906 !` [> w 1+*&+ Tel: 315-351-5449 Pag: 55 w 1+ &2]+ &2 + y y Tel. 766-1002 Pag: 76 - LA FONDA Cell: (045) 33-3831-1230 Pag: 57 - LA NUEVA POSADA Tel: 766-1444, 766-2049 Pag: 03, 33 w J 1+ )+(2.*+Q&2y |+)). % .y Tel: 766-2848 Pag: 59 - LAS CABALLERIZAS COXALA Tel: (333) 559-0821 Pag: 45 - LAS MICHE !` >_ w 1+|.+k $y) /2* Tel: 766-4687 Pag: 70 - LOS MOLLETES Tel: 766-4296 Pag: 66 - LOS NOPALITOS Cell: 33-3186-7691 !` W< - LOS TELARES Tel: 766-0428 Pag: 66 - MANIX Tel: 766-0061 !` ;< w %21k Tel: 766-4253 !` ;[ - MOM´S DELI & RESTAURANT Tel: 765-5719 Pag: 07 - NUMBER FOUR Tel: 766-1360 !` <>' <;' <?

- OASISCLOUD INTERNET CAFĂ&#x2030; Tel: 766-1360 !` ;< - PANINO

- SELF STORAGE-BODEGAS CHAPALA Tel: 766-0661, Tel/Fax: 766-1045 Pag: 35

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- EL MUNDO DEL AGUA Tel: 766-0060, 01-800-837-4800 - IRRIGATION SYSTEMS Tel. (33) 3135 3645

Pag: 57 Pag: 56

w 1+$2 /+ +1+ y2)q Tel: 766-1140 !` [@w@< w 1+$2 y&2 +q Â&#x2020; *2|)2. 2*)2.' +# # Tel: 766-3813

The Ojo Crossword

Saw you in the Ojo 95

CARS

TAT!

WANTED: Looking to buy 7-10 year old car, 4

reasonable mileage for its age. Mexican plated.

FOR SALE !" ### kms Jalisco plates; made in Mexico, excellent

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( ( $ Y A * * O } $ &A# >=) ) @E## ( C$ = Lake FOR SALE Y ( Yz 8

[ 8

( &T '##$## ( $ j 8 W A" !AO !

Z Ah

FOR SALE Q * w( | ` $ z 8 ( [ * *$ j X ~ 8 $ &T'# ( $ !!OTT ' FOR SALE `)Oq E EO 8 EO* $ R 8 [O w= ( \ $ R * FOR SALE [ [ * (

[ $ R !!#T & ## ( ] !'OA! !

FOR SALE: ` * Z [ [

> =

8 $ H & $ ' 8 * *

* Z [$ &!'# ( $ @A !C !'O

96

PETS & SUPPLIES

FOR SALE ) * [ * 8 !' $ ) * W [ z * ( ' $ Q 8 ) * 89 '( $ !'OE' # FOR SALE * 8 8 ( * $ 8 >+ ( * $ &T ### ( $ z FOR SALE * [ $ w * * $ z * = = (( X$ ' * $ ) !'

@TE C ( ''

@T C * E#

@ ! C $ & ## ( wzw$ @A" C ! O## E FOR SALE ` = ^ $ Q *

O

[ * 8 8 O * * 8 $ &T '## ( $ @A !C !'OAA#'

GENERAL MERCHANDISE

FOR SALE w | [ { = $ TT $ j $ 8 8 * $ ]

[ * * 8

$ & ' '## & T '## ( $

W W q WANTED Q [ * 8

X ` X K $ '# ( (

$ !!O'" !

FOR SALE R $ Z

} ^ 8 $ ] * $ & "# ( $ @A !C !!OEA'" FOR SALE z < R = Z

X

$

(

$ ]8 ]

( 8 $ & T## ( $ @A !C !!O EA'" WANTED V * ^ O ( $ !!OT"'# FOR SALE T$N R ( z = [ ( R

$ ( $ ` 8

$ &A ### ( 8 ( $ A !O !!OEA'" FOR SALE R 8

8 $ &' ### ( $ !'OE' # FOR SALE w [ 8 ( 8

( * ( $ & '## ( !'OE' # WANTED [ * ^ ( (

8

~ X

$ ^ WANTED )?) * X

$ ^ FOR SALE `

R H

8 $ = ^ Q * &!##( $ !'OE' # FOR SALE R * =( R)`] )?] $ #"#( !#R^ 8 $ A ` $ Q 8 * $ &T## ( !!OT"'# FOR SALE = R Oj ( = $ z 8 E =( [ = = A ) ( H $ (( $ &T## >=$ `

* FOR SALE = E# KX z [ ! [ 8 = $ + * = E# 8 8 $ &A## >=$ ` * FOR SALE H R * =( ) * = ) ~ ) [$ ` = YO'T#$ | [ $ &A'# ( } $ !!O'AT [ 8 ( FOR SALE = EOR R Oj = ? ~ H $ &T'# ( } $ ( !!O'AT FOR SALE ]Q YK= @ = C Q [ { =

$ ( $ &' A## ( $ ) =

El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

WANTED: Looking for a treadmill, good con $ W FOR SALE z 8 [

[

( ~ $ j * @'A C$ | 8

9 $ 8 * \ ( ( 8$ & '## >=) AA OA!EOT ' FOR SALE T = [ T' @A [ $C$ + 8 ( [ ( $ &"## >$=$ & # '# `X AA OA!EOT ' FOR SALE Q * ( 8 R | Y *

$

tractable cord. Specially designed to pick up pet & A'# ( $ !'O !T FOR SALE w Q + ?H$ @z C z FOR SALE z X 8 Y O H ` X O = Y ) [ X z &T'# ( @A !C !! A'#A FOR SALE K| 8 ) [ Y q | '#\

#>$=$)$ !'#( $ K| H >( z [ z 8 R TT Y T#( $ @A !C !! A'#A FOR SALE R [ K| [ * + & '# ( E

T#( K| T# A# E = * z 8 z = "#O ## '# + T'( @A !C !! A'#A FOR SALE K| (( z ) V [ A##( $ > H + ? ! ) X T R * &A'# (

[ W * ` [ < > [

z Y ( ( #(

$ @A !C !! A'#A FOR SALE A ` * + < [ W * ? = ^ & # (

Y ( Y R &"# (

z z >= = ^ O ` X = ^ '$'O! &E'# ( z &E## ( $ @A !C !! A'#A FOR SALE z j ( = E j E'#( ' ( | * ] j (

Y z [ E'#( $ j ( = =( [* z R j * j (

A! N A * E'#( $ ] & '#( $ @A !C !! A'#A FOR SALE E# H &!# ( #

8 &'# ( T# &E' ( $ A# &'# ( T#

&E'( @A !C !! A'#A FOR SALE | ) ?R= Y ( w * W [ Q [ &'# ( A# ?R= ( O Y ( 8 j KX

&!# ( @A !C !! A'#A FOR SALE H Kw=OT### j ` j z [ KjT" "#

8 A$'O'$! Q ) * ### ( $ KO

j)O'#

8 $" Q KX

[ &'T' ( $ @A !C !!

A'#A FOR SALE ? #O '#

8A$" Y ( ` Q j w j jY j K ] =[ * j &E## ( @A !C !! A'#A FOR SALE Q ] ( `'T## '$ =( [ = j 9= R Y O ' =( [ = 8 & '# ( $ @A !C !! A'#A FOR SALE V = R ( O V! Q ] ?

O O W [ &T## ( $ R * V+ V TE# = R ( O = w( O KX

'#$ @A !C !! A'#A WANTED Q [ * 8 @ E 8 C [ [$ V FOR SALE Y [ \ $ j \ $ = 8 & A### ( $ [ * & ### ( $

@A !C !! T# T FOR SALE * ( ?+ $ H ' E w) X T

YV T * $ & '## ( $ AAAOEEEO "!"

FOR SALE H = H [ ] *

[ 8

[ $ &T'## ( $ = Q [ FOR SALE $ ] * $

8

* 8 $ & T '##( $ !!

AE"' FOR SALE K

* ( $ ) } ( ( * ( 8 ~ * X$ &T# >=) ) &T'# ( $ = Q [ WANTED Q [ * 8 * ^

$ ` ^ $ V

FOR SALE X R E' [ [ (

* $ &T!# ( $ !'O !T AAAOE""OT A FOR SALE KX z [ &"##( =( $ R !'OA"T# FOR SALE z 9 =( j + * $ ] * Q w [ Z Z

zK=Y * * * [ 8 =(

*$ &T## ( $ = Q [ FOR SALE Y]QQK $ &T' ) $ = Q [ FOR SALE R ) ` [ ~

8 } ( ( 8 ( X( * ( * [ $ &'## ( $ = Q [ FOR SALE < T *

[ K * =( &T## >=) ) @T ## ( C$ = Q [ FOR SALE H ( 8 ( ( $ + * (

8 * O Z * O ( $ ##$## ) A## ( $ = Q [ FOR SALE + ] 8 z [$ Y + Oj + | Oj ( Q j Q j z ~ R * $ & ## ( $

= Q [ FOR SALE w O(

$ ]

8 O

[ (

( $ = Q [ FOR SALE z 8 ) ( z [ C H ) * z [ w8 j TC H ) * | 8 | AC

R * ) = * K R * ` ( $ & ## ( $

= Q [ FOR SALE Q ^ EO !

X

$

8 *$ ## ( $ = Q [ FOR SALE R | * @ 8 T < A O 8 * C O &E# ( $

Stella Lake FOR SALE = O

( 8 &T# ( $

= Q [ FOR SALE Q * | * O' @ 8

O ## ( 8 $ z KX V ( ( ( !# ( $ = Q [ FOR SALE T $ ( ( * $ Y

T9 ( NE9 N !9 * $ Y A ( A * $ Q [ $ @A !CO !!OAT T FOR SALE z O 8 * A##O [ * ^ ( * ( [ * *$ ]

8 T [ * ^ ( $

&'## ( K + 8 !!OAT # FOR SALE =

( 8

( $ 'Â&#x20AC; "Â&#x20AC; * $ Y ( * 9 q $ &E# ( K z 8 & '$ !!OTT ' FOR SALE V] + =]Â&#x152;K) zQ VKY =

H ( Q Q X = \ `

[ V * = ^ z [ @ #Â&#x20AC; X #"Â&#x20AC;C$ Q * z w * [ * $ ` | $ &E'# ( $ !!OTT ' FOR SALE H \ ( Q ** * 8

8 [ $ R

$ j $ ( $ ] ( 8 ( ( $ KX

O & ### ( $ !!OTT ' FOR SALE + (( Y?$ ] !# +z

$ ] * 9 $ & A## ( $ W A" !AO !

Z Ah me.com FOR SALE A### * * $ R * @

* C$ ( $ [ * &T ### ( $ W @A" C !AO !$ FOR SALE A( $ * ^ A = ` * $ = w * = ` * = $ w ( ( ( [$ &A"# ( $ !'O !T AAAOE""OT A$ FOR SALE z * =']=

$ &TT' >=$ ] + $ FOR SALE =Y] ` VKRHOK w '"O "##OA# * $ ] AE# A# 8 8 8 " * ( ^

$ w * 8 9 $ & TT'$ >=)$ | FOR SALE R Y = Â? = (( ) ) * '$ (

X = ])]j H

$ &'##$ ` 8 @A !C !!OET WANTED TE9 O AT9 $ &' ### O # ### >=$

Q WANTED = O ( ) [ \ $ > Z * $ `

* !'O E'' @#E'C AAA EE' "#"' WANTED: Large Mexican macetas for pa ( 8 ( $

R *[ WANTED Â&#x192; [ * 8 X

( 8 $ ( * ( * *

w $

R *[ FOR SALE R

z [ * $ H X Z [ * 8 ~ $ > $ & T'# ( $ !'O E'' FOR SALE E# ( Q * $ # O ! ^$ T# O T ^$ # O # ^$ $ &A## ( $ !!OT"'# WANTED [

( 8

8 q ^ >=

~ $ !'O # # FOR SALE A

$ Q ( * $ z * $ & T ### ( } $ !'O # # FOR SALE =Y H Rw] K )=HT# = H

(

@ X

C$ ] X

$ & T## ( $ Y FOR SALE Y ( * ($ + 8 ! !

( O " * $ 8

[ $ &T'# (

$ @A !C !!OT"'# FOR SALE \ TT K

R * Y

+ 8 z * &A ' ( $ @A !C !! A'#A FOR SALE > H + ?

O > [ ! ) X T

R * &A'# ( $ @A !C !! A'#A FOR SALE = [ W * O =

` [ O = > [ z Y ( O = ( & # (

@A !C !! A'#A FOR SALE Y ` =

)=HT#

* $ & '# ( $ @A !C !!O T"'# FOR SALE: R >

Â&#x2026;

"E"A$ R AT ( 8 & ## (

$ z

* * &'# ( $ {{

) Q [ FOR SALE q W ( 8 = q W ( ] q W ( V H z V H Medallion. Most all items are in excellent con $ W @A !C !! A'#A FOR SALE KX " \ 8 ^ 8 $ H q $ & "## ( $

) FOR SALE ? H = T##$( Y ( 8 ? H ## 8

* !@ XC 8 &'# ( $ )?)

* q ' 8 &A# ( Y ( )?)_ $ # @A" C !A T !T FOR SALE ( [ 8 [ ($ A ( 8 $ | [ A! T ( A# * $ &'## ( $ @A !C !!OT"'# FOR SALE E * [ [

~ * ( $ & T## ( $ @A !C !!OT"'# FOR SALE | } $ T# A" O q * $ & ## ( $ @A !C !!OT"'# FOR SALE } * ($ | * *

T

A $ & T'# ( $ @A !C !!OT"'# WANTED |

8 $ ^ $ &'# >=) X$

R * FOR SALE ]

=

$ &E## ( $ @A !C !!OT"'# FOR SALE + * j Q ` + * ` E ! * * $ |

$ & '# ( $ @A !C !!OT"'# FOR SALE Y ( ( R &'## ( $ ` #O T Q w Â&#x2026;"z ( ( * Z Z h * $

AAAO !O E !

FOR SALE "V > ] (

[

^ 8 "

A

$

*

* * (

8 $ `

FOR SALE ?

Q + Y ~

$ &T'#$( $ # @A" C !A T !T FOR SALE q ` 8 * * ( z _ z^ A $'Â&#x20AC;R X A'$'Â&#x20AC;| ( & T##$( ? T

* 'Â&#x20AC; ( 8 8 $ & ##$( $ # @A" C !A T !T FOR SALE H ) A (

* * 8 (

Â&#x20AC;R X T#Â&#x20AC;| 8 ( ( $ & '#$( $ # @A" C !A T !T FOR SALE Y ` * ($ Q * !!Â&#x20AC; X $'Â&#x20AC; X A $'Â&#x20AC;R * 8 } $ &"'#$( # @A" C !A T !T FOR SALE Y O

* $ V * TA ! ! (

) wY

$ &' "## ( $ @A !C !!OE 'E FOR SALE: * Q H T'O "" *

8 8

* ( *

&A ## >=)$ @A !C !'O! AA A !O#! ' FOR SALE: * X

* z * >= = 8 z w} $ E Â&#x20AC;N TÂ&#x20AC;Â&#x17D; &T!## >=) 'TÂ&#x20AC;N TÂ&#x20AC;Â&#x17D; &A'!# >=) @A !C !'O ! AAO A !O#! ' FOR SALE T ? z #E $ N "E$ z ~ * | $ w X$ w * $ & ## &"'# ( $ # O@A" C !AO# #" FOR SALE #

* &T## ( $

lindaro ' h $

FOR SALE Y$?$ ) AÂ&#x20AC; &'## ( 8 Y? & '# ( &A## ( $ # @A" C !AOT !T FOR SALE R Y * ((

* 'TÂ&#x20AC;Q X ATÂ&#x20AC;R X AÂ&#x20AC;| [ * & ## ( $ * T

* [ T >= TTÂ&#x20AC;R X T\ R X "Â&#x20AC; ( & '# ( 8 $ # @A" C !AOT !T FOR SALE | * * ( 8 ( 8 ( & #'# ( $ | [ * Z * [ X

& T## ( $ # @A" C !A T !T FOR SALE ) * = 8 ! ( ( $ T X

E $

$ [ * & ' ### ( $ ` !!O' E $ FOR SALE V K Y * =( [ w $ ` A!A$!A! AT# $ ( 8 ` [ *

z [ * z [ *$ KX [ *

)j 8

$ &A ### ( $ @A !C !!O '!"!

FOR SALE z ( 8 A# ~

O ( (

8 ( * * * T $ [ * &E### ( $ @A !C !!OE!A!$ FOR SALE H [ * O( $ KX Â&#x192; O O [ O ( & "# ( $ @A !C !!O# " FOR SALE E

!# 8 *

8 ( !# 8 [ness, cables to connect and record to your com( E $ &T '## ( @A !C !'O ''A FOR SALE z 8 z + $ KX

[ q

V < ( (

>$=$ &' ##$## >=)$ ` H FOR SALE Y ?

Q * >

+ 8 >=$ z w $ KX

$ ]

< ( $ &' '$## >=) 8 &A## $ W @A !C !!O!#' FOR SALE +

X

$ R

)Â&#x152;O`? "# $ ]

T ([* )?) ~ * $ X

$ [ O ~( $

^ $

R O)Â&#x152;O`? "# O OA` O

Ow( ( z### N+ A! & '## ( $ @A !C !!O '!

FOR SALE * K ( + E 8 O ( 8 *

8 &T### ( $

!\ T##$( $ # @A" C !AOT !T FOR SALE | ) [

E# )_ &'# ( ) Â&#x2C6;

*

'#

_ & ## ( $ # @A" C !A T !T FOR SALE w ## [ X

* <

8 * ( $ [ ( <

( O $ & T## ( $ = R FOR SALE z O *

( T ( &'##$( $ j

TTÂ&#x20AC;XTTÂ&#x20AC; E\XE\ ( " * 8 * & '## ( # @A" C !AOT !T FOR SALE ( V

* ~ &'## ( $ # @A" C !AOT !T FOR SALE * (( #Â&#x20AC; $ &T'# ( $ # @A" C !AOT !T FOR SALE: Many, large and small plants in 8 ` X ( ~ $ j &'# ( & A## ( @A !C !'O !E"

Aq h $

FOR SALE "A \ "9 Â&#x20AC; @'$ T

C Â&#x201A; q Â&#x20AC;$ ^ 8 ^ &"' ### ( $ $ R h @A !C !!O " FOR SALE: ` X ~ Q ($ z ( $ = ( ~

* * $ Y ~ $ & '>=) # ( $ (

8 ( h $

FOR SALE: Y Q * H ? = $ w

8 $ ` X

? $ >( * $ & '# >=) & A## ( $ reply to

8 ( h $

.

FOR SALE: R )

( X &E## ( $ Q z AAAOE !O'""A FOR SALE: z = Y $ H A#Â&#x20AC;

( ETÂ&#x20AC; * ( $ ] A

[ 8 $ KX

&A '## ( $ Q z AAAOE !O'""A

COLLECTIBLES

FOR SALE [ z = [ A 8 $ & '##( $ !'OE' # FOR SALE Â&#x2020; * A ~ X Â&#x2020;9 8 $ Y ( ( X( *

*

( *$ ## ( $

= Q [ FOR SALE z 8 ? X

O ( [ * 8 Â&#x2C6;

O ^ Â&#x20AC; * E Â&#x201A; $ &'# >=) ) z$w$ = Q [ FOR SALE z 8 = ( V *_ z * ` Â

( 8

8 $ 8

$ & ## >=)

z H FOR SALE: Lot includes mantel clocks from

K ( >=

[ * 8 +

[ ]

^ (

[ ] (

N?]]] @A !C !'O ' # AAO AA O TT! WANTED Y

8 | [ W [ ) 9 ]8 * * $ W * ) AA EA!T FOR SALE: ]

8 '# } ent Mexican stamps, all pictorial, all mint and * &T## >=)$ W Y ( @A !C !'O !" $

Saw you in the Ojo 97

98

El Ojo del Lago / December 2011

Saw you in the Ojo 99