El Ojo del Lago - March 2013 by El Ojo del Lago

Saw you in the Ojo

El Ojo del Lago / March 2013

Saw you in the Ojo

PUBLISHER Richard Tingen

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Alejandro Grattan-Domínguez Tel: (01376) 765 3676, 765 2877 Fax: (01376) 765 3528 Associate Publisher David Tingen Graphic Design Roberto C. Rojas Sandra Hernandez Special Events Editor Kay Davis Associate Editor Jim Tipton Contributing Editor Paul Jackson Contributing Editor Mark Sconce Drama Critic Michael Warren Art Critic Rob Mohr Roving Correspondent Dr. Lorin Swinehart Sales Managers Omar Medina Bruce Fraser Office Secretary Rocio Madrigal ADVERTISING OFFICE Av. Hidalgo # 223, Chapala Mon. thru Fri. 9am - 5pm Sat. 9am - 1pm Tel. 01 (376) 765 2877, 765 3676 Fax 01 (376) 765 3528 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

Index...

FEATURE ARTICLES

COVER STORY

Bruce Holland Rogers enters the mysterious world of “magical mysticism” with an enchanting story of an old Mexican pottery maker who foretells his death, as well as what lies beyond it.

8 Cover By Jay Koppelman

14 WORTHWHILE CAUSES

COLUMNS THIS MONTH

Mike and Sally Myers write about a Lakeside organization here at Lakeside that has deeply inspired everyone who has bothered to find out more about it.

Editor’s Page

24 INFALLIBLE THERAPY

Uncommon Sense

Bridge by Lake

Joyful Musings

Welcome to Mexico

Grape Expectations

What do you get when you bring children, dogs and books together? You get happy, confident children who love to read! The Ajijic Rotary Club is now providing just a program!

28 FOREVER LOVE-STRUCK Margaret Ann Porter remembers the first time she ever saw Elvis Presley and only recently met someone in Ajijic who actually knew “The King.”

32 HUMOR (Canadian Style) Neil McKinnon has posted a eulogy (written by himself for himself) that he would like to have read at his funeral. Luckily he will not be disappointed, but only because he won’t be around to hear what is actually said about him.

20 Anyone Can Train Dog 22 Child of Month 26 Hearts at Work

44 MEXICAN HISTORY

30 Thunder on Right

Bill Dean writes that there were 20 million Indians here when Cortez first arrived. By the year 1600, only a small fraction of that number still existed.

38 Lakeside Living

47 FOREIGN TRAVEL Gail Nott wonders why a journey that starts in Guadalajara and ends in Ireland should take more than 25 hours! She does not age well, and hence is quite miffed.

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

COVER STORY

 DIRE C TOR Y 

El Ojo del Lago / March 2013

LAKESIDE LIVING

VOLUME 29 NUMBER 7

48 View From South Shore 57 Front Row Center 62 The Poets’ Niche

Saw you in the Ojo

Editor’s Page Guest Editorial by Kay Davis Canada and the USA

hat are the differences between Canada and the US? Politics aside, there is history and there is climate. It took a long and bloody war for America to win independence. However, Britain goaded the colonists, and Americans were willing, almost eager, to fight. Not so Canada. They held ties to two homelands, previous enemies. The French settled Quebec while the British built Ontario. Negotiation was paramount. The French dropped any claim and in 1867 the British North America Act peacefully created the Dominion of Canada, recognizing their right to self-rule. The name was shortened to “Canada.” There were significant climatic influences as well. Too many Canadian settlers starved or froze during the harsh winters. They helped each other by leaving the door unbarred for anyone in need of shelter. When you do that, it’s wise to be friendly with local Indians. Meanwhile Americans, whose treaties were repeatedly broken in Washington, built fortresses in striking position to weaken Indians as pioneers pushed west. It was under the guise of protection, but aggression led to bloodshed at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Canadians negotiate as if their Indians were a separate nation within Canada. The French in Quebec threatened to separate unless Canada negotiated with them too. Together they instituted a Universal Medical system that works for all. They also look after their poor, and they invite immigrants. On both sides of the border, entrepreneurs recognized struggle as opportunity and flourished: dams for power, manufacturing. Bell Telephone was developed in Canada and popularized in America where industrialization took hold, and Edison lit up the world. The shift from east to west was, in both countries, staggeringly difficult but compelling. The Canadian west was settled much the same as the history in the US west, e.g. oil, cattle, lumber, mining, gold...and the railroad connecting markets with natural resources. But Canada has a tougher climate in which to develop. Regardless of what great finds there are, it’s always a costlier economic outlay. But great finds there were! The Northern Territories discovered the single greatest find of pure,

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gem-quality diamonds the world has seen. US pioneers heading west helped each other, and it was successful, but not as much so as opportunity and greed, especially once Pennsylvania discovered oil, with Oklahoma, Texas and California following the westward trek. The two countries experienced many challenges in common, but the differences are powerful. (1) Slavery was key to the economy of the US south while industrialization drove the northeast. Slavery was repulsive to Canadians, as well as most in the northern US. (2) Canada’s wholesomeness has been a more successful strategy. Fair negotiation and honoring commitments are key because it will always come back to bite you if you don’t play fair. Americans were strong, clever and fast, especially with a gun. Canada’s good guy attitude is still in play. It was Canada who rescued some Americans held in Iran in 1979– it was simply the right thing to do for a neighbor. At the heart of the difference is attitude. Canada chose community. Americans chose opportunity and reward. For the most part the two countries balance each other well. For America, Canada is a reliable economic and political ally, and Canada benefits because Armed Forces are expensive. Canada buys American products while America needs Canadian resources. The two countries are like a strong big brother and a resourceful but gentler younger brother. Looking back from today’s economic and political challenges, we can see that the “old west” style created problems. American taxpayers are tired of being fall guys for the rich and powerful. There’s a lynching party forming and we’d better hope Gary Cooper is the sheriff elected. The difference is critical if we want to retain our allies. And we do. (Ed. Note: Kay holds dual citizenship. Born and raised in the US, she chose to live in Canada and flourished there. She is now retired in Mexico.)

THE RAINY SEASON By Chuck Pattinian

his past summer we returned to Mexico during the rainy season and I can tell you it is somewhat over rated. My wife and I usually miss the rainy season because we return to the states each summer but continually hear from our friends that it is the best time to be at lakeside. Really? Sleep deprivation due to the constant thunder claps replaced my wife’s usual hormonal complaints. It took awhile to get accustomed to the lighting in the bedroom, I kept thinking it was a burglar’s flashlight. And when the rain would gush through the gargoyles and splatter on the ground outside our bedroom, it felt like subliminal water boarding. The thunder claps and sleep deprivation make for strange hallucinatory bedfellows at three in the morning. Never mind that my eyes resembled road maps in the morning. One look at me and my friends could tell I was either on a binge the night before or I was a victim of the rainy season. Occasionally events got cancelled, which never happens in the sunny season. My cotton shirt and pants had shrunk after being caught in the rain one afternoon. That was okay, but when my friend’s saw me wearing them several days later and thought I had gained weight that flustered my ego. My blue car was now a splotchy brown, my shoes were muddy, heavier and curled at the toes, my hair was frizzy, and my walk around water pools was more measured and deliberate. We didn’t have enough cooking pans to catch the leaks dripping from our flat roof. Our washed out expensive plants were all gathered at the end of the garden sharing the same grave heap. On top of all that, the scorpions came inside out of the rain. Waaaaa! After awhile I accepted the rainy woes together with the disconnected intermittent internet and telephone service. At least with all the lightning I could see where I was going during the night to reach the bathroom. Where else can you find a free dazzling light and sound show over a beautiful lake at night? The reflections can light up one’s face and the rumble of the clash-

ing clouds can rock one’s soul. The jolt is like a body stone; you feel and see the ecstasy of the weather around you but you can’t control your reaction to it. The rainy season gives the lake its annual infusion of much needed water. The farmers are dancing, the car washers are dancing with the farmers, and the fishermen give thanks to their rain gods for another rainy season. The mountains give up their brown dreary winter overcoat and replace it with an emerald green cape sprinkled with wild flowers. The mountain waterfalls come to life in the oddest places showing their power and letting out their roar as they cascade down to reach their centuries old arroyo. The construction dust has a terrible time flying around in the rainy season. When I’m caught in the rain I can reduce my twice weekly showers to one. The smell of dampened fresh air is so invigorating that it fills our mountain side home with life. Our toiling sprinkler system gets a much needed rest from its winter load. One day while walking in the rain I realized I’m not here to change Mexico’s weather patterns, or to change Mexico’s way of life. I’m here to absorb it; I’m here to embrace it. Would I rather be back in New York listening to my clients barking at me about some office dribble? Of course not. Mexico is my adopted home along with the rainy season and all the wonders she offers that I can’t find back in New York or anywhere else. Rain, thunder, lightning? Bring it on!

Saw you in the Ojo

DON D ON YS YSIDRO SID DRO O By Bruce Holland Rogers

n that last morning, anyone who came to visit me could see that I was dying. I knew it myself. As if I had cotton in my ears, I heard the voice of Don Leandro saying to my wife, “Doña Susana, I think it is time to fetch the priest,” and I thought, yes, it’s time. We don’t have our own priest, or even our own church, so someone has to drive in a pickup truck to get the priest from El Puentecito. But don’t be fooled by what you may hear in Malpasa or in Palpan de Baranda. Here we remain Catholic. Yes, we make pots in the old way. That’s why tourists come here. And it’s true, as is sometimes whis-

pered, that we have restored certain other practices from the past. But not as they were done back then. Those were bloody and terrible times, the times of the Mejica. They say that the sacrificial blood covered the sun pyramids from top to bottom. Thank the Virgin, we don’t do anything like that. A little after the priest came and went, I died. Word spread. People came to our house. My family asked first for things of mine that they wanted. Then the other neighbors. Don Francisco stood near my body and said, “Don Ysidro, may I have your shovel? I need one, and your sons-inlaw can dig new clay for Susana.” I said, “Take it with my blessing.”

El Ojo del Lago / March 2013

Susana said, “He says for you to take it.” Next was Doña Eustacia. She asked for one of my seguetas for scraping pots. I said, “Of course. Go with my blessing,” and Susana said, “He says for you to take it.” When Don Tomás came, he asked for my boots, the ones of red leather with the roosters in the stitching. I said, “Tomás, you thieving rascal! I know very well that you took two of my chickens that night seven years ago to feed to your whore from Puebla. And here you come asking not for a segueta or some wire, but for my good boots!” And Susana said, “He says for you to take them.” Because, of course, she couldn’t hear me. In any case, I would have let Tomás have the boots. I only wanted to see him blush just one time. They came and asked for everything that Susana would not need. They asked even for things for which it was not necessary to ask. They asked for things I had already promised to them. They even asked for permission to dig white clay from the place where I liked to find it. They asked, and I said yes, with my blessings. We are nothing if not polite. Last of all, they asked for a few of my hairs to make brushes for painting pots. They cut what locks there were with scissors. They asked for my hands and cut them off with a knife for butchering goats. They said, “Don Ysidro, we want your face.” I agreed, and they flayed off the skin very carefully and tenderly. They put my hands in a metal drum and burned them. They dried my face in the sun. Meanwhile, they wrapped the rest of my body in a shroud and buried it in the churchyard according to the customs of the Church. For a time after that, I was in an emptiness, a nowhere place. I didn’t see. I didn’t hear. I couldn’t speak. I

wasn’t anywhere, not in my house, not in the coffin in the ground. Nowhere. But that would change. All my life, I had taught the other people of my village to make pots as I made them. That was nothing special. We all did this. I made my own Don Ysidro pots, except when Doña Isabela showed me how to make her little tiny ones, or Don Marcos demonstrated how he painted his. Then for a while, I would make little tiny pots just like Doña Isabela or pots painted in the style of don Marcos. When Doña Jenífera had gone to the capital to see the birds and animals on ancient pots, she imitated those decorations, showed us, and soon we all knew how to do it. The rest of the time, I made pots in my own manner, though sometimes with a little touch of Isabela or Marcos or Jenífera that I had learned from them and made my own. Now for the week after I had died, everyone in the village would be making pots as I had made them. Even the children, if they were old enough to make pots of their own. They dug white clay from my favorite place, soaked it, filtered it, let it settle, and poured off the clear water from the slurry. When the clay was dry enough, they mixed in the ashes of my hands. Then they made clay tortillas and pressed them into big plaster molds for the base, just like the ones I used. Sometimes they used my very own molds. They made snakes of clay, attached them to the bases, wound them around from the bottom up. My pots didn’t have necks. Neither did these. The people—my family and all the rest of the town—scraped these pots smooth, rubbed them to a shine, and painted them with black paint, using brushes of my own hair and in designs I would have used: lizards and rabbits with checkered backs, or else just checkers that started big around the middle of the pot and became intricate at the lip. Those were pots in the Don Ysidro style. They fired them. The ones that the fire didn’t break, they brought to my house. Susana put pots all around the front room, and even in the bed where I had lain. But I didn’t see this. I only knew it was happening. These pots in my house sat undisturbed. The people burned the brushes made from my hair. On the third day, there was a feast at my house. Probably there were all kinds of tamales, some with olives and meat, some with seeds and beans. Men and women drank pulque, and there was perhaps melon water for the children. The sun went down. Candles were lit. A fire burned

in my fireplace. At midnight, Don Leandro opened a box and took out the mask made of my own skin. He put my face over his face, and I opened our eyes. I came from the place that was nowhere. I was in the room. I looked at the faces, at the wide eyes of the living, at Susana holding her hand over her mouth. I saw my grandchildren, Carlos and Jalea, Ana and Quinito. And for the first time, I could see the pots in the living room. They glowed in the candlelight. Together, Don Leandro and I went into the bedroom and I saw the pots there on the bed. We returned to the living room, and I said with our mouth, “I see that I am not dead after all!” “No, no, Don Ysidro,” they assured me. “You are not dead!” I laughed. That’s what you feel like doing when you see that you aren’t dead. Then Don Leandro threw the mask into the fire, and I wasn’t in the mask any more. I was in the pots. In all those round pots made by the hands of my friends, my rivals, my family, my neighbors. I was there, in each one. The people took me away from my house, pot by pot, and I entered their houses with them. In my former home, they left only the pot

that Susana had made in my style. From that night forward, I was all over the village. People stored corn in me, or rice, or beans. They used me to carry water. And I spread out from there, for if tourists came to buy pots and happened to admire me, the potter would say, “Oh, that’s Don Ysidro.” And the tourist would nod and perhaps buy the pot that he thought was merely made by Don Ysidro. I am still in my little village, but I am in Stockholm, too, and Seattle. I am in Toronto and Buenos Aires. Some of me is in Mexico, the capital, though I am mostly still at home here in the village where I grew up, grew old, and died. I sit on Susana’s shelf where I can watch her make ordinary tortillas for her breakfast or clay tortillas for her pots. She is old, but her hands are still quick as birds. Sometimes she knows that I am watching her, and she looks over her shoulder and laughs. Whether she can hear it or not, my answering laughter is deep and full and round like a great big pot in the manner of Don Ysidro. (Ed. Note: Bruce Holland Rogers will be one of the guest speakers at the upcoming Lake Chapala Writers’ Conference at the New Posada on March 7/8.)

Saw you in the Ojo

UUNCOMMON NCOM MM MON CCOMMON OM MM MON SSENSE ENSE By Bill Frayer billfrayer@gmail.com What Are You Waiting For?

iving in Mexico, we get good at waiting. Well… some people do. Those of us who love Mexico have undoubtedly adapted to the lifestyle here. And that includes getting used to a different sense of timeliness. As people here say, mañana does not necessarily mean tomorrow; it just means “not today.” The New York Times reported on an interesting situation that occurred at the Houston airport several years ago. The airport was receiving a lot of complaints that the arriving passengers had to wait too long for their luggage to arrive at the baggage claim area. The complaints were persistent, so the airport decided to implement procedures which would reduce the time it took to remove the baggage from the planes and transport them to the bag-

Bill Frayer gage claim belts. Still, the complaints persisted. So they tried an interesting experiment. Instead of trying to get the baggage there faster, they rerouted the corridors from the arrival gates to the baggage claim so the passengers had to walk an extra ten to fifteen minutes to get to the baggage claim area. When the passengers finally arrived, the baggage was there for them to claim. In spite of the fact that the time it took to get their bags was exactly the same, the complaints completely disappeared! The passengers were now occupied walking to the baggage claim area and were not simply waiting with nothing to do. Now that’s interesting. What seems to bother people about waiting is not

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just the time which it takes something to happen, it is passing the time with nothing to do, in other words: wasted time. When they were walking to the baggage claim, they were no longer just wasting time waiting. What this suggests to me is that our aggravation about waiting is really in our heads. Why are we so much more tolerant of waiting for something to occur in Mexico than we would be back in the US or Canada? Waiting for events to start, waiting for deliveries to occur, even waiting for food to arrive at our tables on Mexican time seems natural to us here. Yet, if we had to endure similar delays in our home countries, we’d likely be annoyed or even find such waits unacceptable. So it’s the anticipation, and expectation, that something should occur on a specific timetable that creates the sense of waiting. When we were children, it seemed to take forever for Christmas to arrive because we were anticipating its arrival. These days, Christmas seems to come too fast because we have so much to do. I think living in Mexico makes us more patient. If we think about it, having things happen on a particular schedule isn’t really very important, most of the time. We have the most trouble with waiting when we are fo-

cusing inordinately on the future, rather than on the present. If we are living mindfully, in the moment, focusing on the present, we are not thinking about waiting for what will happen. Instead we are living in the here and now. We can live all our present moments waiting for things which have not yet occurred. This gets tedious quickly. Or we can live each moment for its own sake and let the future unfold as it will, in its own time. I think many Mexicans are happy because they are good at living in the present. It’s a good idea. The future may disappoint us.

BRIDGE B RIDGE B BY Y THE THE LAKE LAKE By Ken Masson

ficionados of duplicate bridge love this version of the game for many reasons, not the least being the competition between players sitting in the same direction and holding the same cards. A duplicate game normally consists of 26 or 27 deals over the course of about 3½ hours and, thanks to our living in the computer age, results are known very shortly after the last hand is played and a printout lets you study all the results at your leisure. We are very fortunate here in Lakeside to have a wonderful duplicate club that welcomes newcomers warmly. There is even a weekly game just for newbies – if you have never played duplicate before, or haven’t played for a long time, I suggest you try it out. The club is located in Riberas beside Mom’s restaurant. To learn more go to their website: http:// www.chapalabridge.com/ This month’s hand shows the duplicate mind at work as overtricks are worth their weight in gold. The contract of 3 hearts by South was arrived at after North responded to South’s opening of 1 heart with a bid of 1 no trump, which was forcing for one round. East in turn made a call of 2 clubs and South rebid 2 hearts to show a six card suit. North raised to the three level to show precisely 3 card support and values for a limit raise but as South had a minimum in high card points, there was no further bidding. West obediently led the 8 of clubs which East overtook with the 9 to cash the ace and then to continue with the king. South paused to contemplate the situation. If there had

been no bidding by East or West, declarer would likely have ruffed with the heart jack, hoping that East held the queen. However, the bidding had revealed that East held 5 clubs to West’s 2, therefore there were 11 unknown cards in West’s hand to 8 in East’s hand. The laws of probability now slightly favoured West having more hearts than East and therefore more likely to hold the queen. Having figured that out, South now had to decide what to do about it. Then the penny dropped – South ruffed the club queen with the ace of trumps! Now declarer laid down the heart jack on which West smoothly followed with the 2. Unflinchingly, declarer called for the 6 from dummy and was delighted to see the 9 played by East. Now it was simplicity itself to lead another high heart and it mattered not whether West covered as the queen was well and truly smothered. Declarer lost only one more trick, a diamond, and scored 170 for 3 hearts making 4. The true reward for declarer’s initiative was a complete top on the board when the comparisons were made at the end of the session. At every other table the contract was either 4 hearts down 1 or 3 hearts just making. Knowing the likely distribution of the opponents’ cards stood this declarer in good stead. Of course, there was no guarantee that South’s ploy would work but his thoughtful play increased the odds in his favor. Questions or comments: email: masson.ken@gmail. Ken Masson com

Saw you in the Ojo 11

Joyful Musings By Joy Birnbach Dunstan, MA, LPC, MAC Help, I Need Somebody

ut, like the Beatles sang, “not just anybody.” Help can be complicated. It’s a wonderful quality to want to help someone with a difficult problem or sticky situation. To care about someone else and be willing to give your time and energy toward another is admirable. Help, however, may be helpful or unhelpful, and it can sometimes be confusing to know which is which. For starters, it is vitally important you are helping someone with an issue they also regard as a problem. Helpful help brings a person to a solution they want rather than the one you think they need. Sounds intuitively obvious, yet it is a common occurrence, and something I, like many others, have had to learn over and over again. I can remember clear back to a day in Central Park when I was about 16 years old. I was at a uniquely ‘60s event, a Be-In, where people gathered to hear music, dance, and party, frequently under the influence of mind-altering enhancements. A young man approached me in a panic, saying he needed help, he’d taken 13 of these enhancements, and needed help quickly. I was ready to run to find a phone and call 911 for him, when he spoke again and stated his need more explicitly. He was choking, and what he wanted was some water to wash them all down. One never knows what sort of help someone else might be looking for!

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Sometimes the help we offer is really more for our own benefit or egoboost. I got a reminder of this some years ago, when the lake was really low and very far out. At the time, there were many semi-wild horses living and grazing on the expansive lakefront where I walked my dogs each day. I always carried a pocketful of carrots on my walks and enjoyed making friends with the horses by feeding them these yummy treats. On one of my walks I noticed several men attempting to herd horses into a nearby fenced pasture. A renegade stallion stubbornly ran the other way. This was my chance to demonstrate my prowess as a Horse Whisperer, and so I carefully approached the renegade offering him carrots. Wary, but hungry, he ate one after another, following me as I slowly led him to the pasture. When we reached the fence, I proudly motioned for the men to open the gate and receive my new friend, thinking they must be really impressed by my amazing skill. Instead they just looked at me oddly as one announced, “That’s not my horse.” So much for that ego-boost! Another form of unhelpful helping is doing it in ways that make the other person feel helpless or take away their dignity. This is especially important to remember when helping someone who is elderly or sick. That person may already be feeling frustration or anger at their limitations. Provide assistance that empowers and helps them to help themselves. An example would be offering to take an elderly friend shopping to select their own things rather than just bringing items from their shopping list. Maintain a helping spirit, and make sure your helping is helpful by keeping your assumptions and your ego out of it. Offer it with sensitivity and an open heart, and you will find more help coming back to you whenever you might be in need. Editor’s Note: Joy is a practicing psychotherapist in Riberas. She can be contacted at joy@dunstan.org or 765-4988 or through her website: http://joydunstan.weebly.com.

Saw you in the Ojo 13

SPONSORSHIP AT JALTEPEC By Mike and Sally Myers

ith so many worthwhile ways for the foreign community of Lake Chapala to give back, why would you choose sponsorship at Jaltepec? What is Jaltepec? Jaltepec Centro Educativo is a highly specialized institute for young girls, mostly from low-income families. The students come from all over Mexico for intensive training in cooking, cleaning, laundering, hotel and administrative techniques, including food and beverage management, computer skills, English language and accounting. Graduates are well prepared to obtain jobs in upscale hotels and restaurants, and to open their own businesses. The graduates not only raise their own economic standard, but that of their families for generations to come. Most of the students are the daughters of laborers, tradesmen, gardeners and maids. The parents of the scholarship recipients must make great efforts and real sacrifices for their daughters. The program targets tuition only, and the family or the student must pay for uniforms, books, general supplies, and a portion of their room and board. One student and her mother worked for two years selling baked goods to raise the extra money. Currently, there are four students seeking scholarships. The first is a second year student named Miriam.

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She is twenty years old and has two younger siblings. Her father is a delivery man in La Barca, and her mother is housebound due to MS. Miriam wants to finish the program at Jaltepec so she can help her family. Sixteen-year-old Daria from Tlajomulco, Jalisco, wants to be an entrepreneur. Her father is a gardener, and her mother works in a fabric shop. With her siblings still in preparatoria and secundaria, there is little money left for Daria. Maria is the twelfth of fourteen children. Her sixty-six year old father is retired and her mother is a housewife. She wants to open a snack stand selling non-alcoholic exotic drinks. She was able to pay for her first year, but needs a scholarship to complete the program. Eighteen-year-old Teresaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father lives in the states. He does not have papers or a steady job. She would like to start her own small business and help her four siblings with their education. How does sponsorship work? The answer is in many ways. Some sponsors take the responsibility of one student for the entire two years she is at Jaltepec. Many sponsors develop life long relationships with the young lady they have helped. Other sponsors prefer to remain in the background. Currently, there is one student sponsored by three couples sharing expenses. Various clubs and organizations have been faithful sponsors. Maybe your book club, bridge club, cooking club or church group would be interested in helping. Any donations, large or small, will help these young ladies complete their education. Would you like to help raise the economic standard for an underprivileged family? Sponsorship can make all the difference in the world to a deserving young lady and her family. If you would like more information, please contact Linda Buckthorp: buckthorplm@ gmail.com Mike & Sally Myers

Saw you in the Ojo 15

By Victoria Schmidt

A Trip to The Cancer Institute

arkness surrounded the Chapala bus depot as we arrived for our early morning ride. I was going with my Mexican friend to the Cancer Institute in Guadalajara for a special appointment arranged for us with the assistant director of the Institute. She knew little about her cancer. She didn’t even know the kind of questions to ask. But I did. A cancer survivor myself, I was well acquainted with what to ask. I even hired an interpreter. It was unusual for me not to drive to Guadalajara. Leaving the driving to someone else is not easy for me, and although the fare was inexpensive, and the bus was comfortable, I was suffering from motion sickness, and I spent the trip to Guadalajara in great discomfort. She noticed I was a little distressed, and she reached into her purse and pulled out a roll of toilet paper, and wrapped off tissue and gave it to me to mop my sweaty face. I laughed. She had a “Mom” purse! Just like every Mom I’ve ever known, she carries everything “just in case.” Boy scouts have nothing on Moms! My real education began when we went into the Cancer Institute. We walked through the doors, and were met by a solid mass of humanity. There were people in wheelchairs, people with crutches, canes, walkers, and others who leaned against walls or one another for support. There seemed to be no order to the chaos. Many had shaved heads, and a lot of patients were wearing masks to protect them during the cold and flu season. Some were on oxygen machines. There is no chairs available for anyone to sit. The sheer volume of people in that entry was overwhelming. I felt a tug on my sleeve as she led me through the crowd to a small elevator. We arrived at the appropriate floor and went to sit outside the door of the office of the doctor. Then my friend explained to me that

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she needed to go over to yet another area, and wait in line to get her results. When our interpreter arrived, she explained that all the people in the lobby were waiting either to be assigned an appointment, or waiting to be accepted as patients at the Clinic. Not everyone, she explained was accepted as a patient. Finally the doctor arrived and we filed into his office. I started by thanking the doctor for seeing us, and explained to him, through our interpreter, that my friend knew she had thyroid cancer, but she didn’t know which of the four types of thyroid cancer she had. She also didn’t know if a biopsy was ever performed, and she didn’t know what stage her cancer was in. Then I sat there for a long while as the Spanish flew between patient, doctor, and interpreter. I felt as though an entire novel had been written by the time the interpreter explained. I smiled. My friend looked puzzled at me, and I took her hand assuring her I’d explain more later. The echogram showed no cancer, but another more extensive test will be needed in March. After a few more questions about the medication and schedule, we were done. Even though my friend had heard everything, she explained that she speaks Spanish, but she doesn’t speak “medical.” We laughed, and I explained to her, that her cancer is the type that has the highest cure rate, the lowest recurrence rate, and that they caught the cancer at an early stage. Her prognosis was very good, but we would know more in March after the next test. She reached into her purse and pulled out that roll of toilet paper, this time for her. Tears of relief travelled down her face making parenthetical streaks around her broad smile. Since that day, she has been a different person. Now she has hope. Victoria Schmidt

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GRAPE EXPECTATIONS By Robert Kleffel and Noemí Paz Viu Manent - Chile

“

iu Manent is the very model of consistency as all of its wines can be recommended and several offer exceptional value.” —Robert Parker, 2012 When we first read the above recommendation by Robert Parker we investigated this boutique family owned winery. They are producing a wide range of fine wines and winning awards in international competitions. Viu Manent was the top most awarded Chilean winery in 2010. This important achievement shines a spotlight on the Viu Manent enological philosophy that focuses on constantly striving for quality and identity in their wines. Viu Manent is a Chilean winery owned by the Viu family. It was founded in 1935 when the Catalonian immigrant Miguel Viu-García and his two sons Agustín and Miguel Viu-Manent founded Bodegas Viu in Santiago de Chile. They bottled and sold wine on the local market under the “Vinos Viu” brand. Secreto de Viu Manent—The winery has a high end selection of wines called Secreto. The Secreto (secret) is not only good marketing, it is also good wine making. The result is a line of blended wines made with a primary grape varietal component that is recognized and indicated on the label. In addition, up to 15% of the wine is another grape varietal which is the closely guarded “secret blend”. The “Secreto” range of wines also includes a closely guarded secret related to land, proportions, and balance. Most of the Secretos wines are made with grapes from young vineyards, which help to create a fresh and fruity style. Secreto de Viu Manent - Sauvignon Blanc—Tasting Notes This wine is a clean, bright, almost transparent greenish-yellow color. A wine with character, with a delicate and elegant nose marked by citrusy notes of lime and yellow grapefruit, fresh fruit, and mineral tones intermingled with sea salt, white peach and lychee. There is no mistaking a ‘Classic’ Sauvignon Blanc. Pairing: Sauvignon Blanc tastes young, fresh, a little grassy and

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tangy. This is a crisp wine that is perfect to pair with green salads topped with goat cheese, chicken, shellfish and pork, or even veal. These wines are also great at cutting through rich buttery dishes, especially ones that contain seafood. Sauvignon Blanc will go great with most vegetarian soups, especially minestrones and simple purées. In fact Sauvignon Blanc is a great starter wine for a meal as it will pair well with many traditional first courses such as soup, salads, antipasto or seafood dishes. Even bold sauces like guacamole or salsa. The high acidity in Sauvignon Blanc allows it to go great with sharp dishes such as crème fraiche, sour cream, yogurt, dill, capes, olives, tomatoes, zucchini and squash. Secreto de Viu Manent - Carmenere—Tasting Notes Intensely violet in color this wine exhibits an opulent nose of black cherry, mocha and fragrant herbs. In the mouth flavors of boysenberry and bittersweet chocolate predominate accompanied by ample leather, tar and wild mushrooms. This is backed up by firm yet voluptuous tannins leading to a long, rich finish. Serving temperature: 17 to 18°C or 63 degrees F. Pairing—While highly versatile for pairing with food, we find that Carmenere goes particularly well with dishes that contain the following ingredients: Herbs and spices: oregano, rosemary, and thyme, garlic, fennel, red and black pepper, curry powder, paprika. Fruits and vegetables: olives, black and green, mushrooms, tomatoes, green pepper, eggplant, onion, sweet potato, corn. Meats and Fish: lamb, stewing beef, pork sausage, chicken.

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Anyone A nyone C Can an Train Train Their Dog By Art Hess artthedogguy@yahoo.com

Getting the dog’s attention. Teach him his name.

hep is a German Shepherd puppy of only 10 ½ weeks and we start his lessons with learning his name. We have made him aware that we have a treat which we will use first as a “lure” to get him to look up at my face and toward my hand. I hold my hand in front of my face and say his name in a conversational tone. When he responds favorably he will get the “reward” for performing the task. I use only one word. His name. If he looks up he is rewarded. If he doesn’t respond I do nothing. Positive response gets a positive reaction. Negative response gets no reaction. As an aside, when you offer the reward be sure you simply open your hand and let him take the reward off your flat hand. If we hold the reward in our fingers the dog has a tendency to try to get the treat from between your fingers and this can create a nipper. Not his fault. He is only trying to get the good stuff. If he doesn’t respond, be patient and stand there ready to offer the reward. He will ultimately look up (usually within 20 or 30 seconds) and as soon as he responds favorably, bingo!, the hand opens and he receives the reward. Many people from my classes tell me their dog

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mastered this in two or three days. Well guess what, if your dog doesn’t figure this out in three minutes you’re doing something wrong. The object of the exercise is to IMPRINT the dog’s name. For those of you who are old enough to remember, this is the same as brainwashing. We repeat this exercise four or five times and stop. Three or four minutes later we repeat until we have performed five exercises of five repetitions. Each of these sessions will only take two or three minutes. We do this five times daily. Behaviorists tell us to repeat this process for six weeks. I’ve never had anyone go beyond three weeks but I do personally continue the procedure in small bits throughout much of the training and I also incorporate a version when I’m teaching the task of “look at me.” The main thing is to use only the name, reward positive reactions, repeat regularly until the name is thoroughly entrenched. When you can speak the dog’s name from ten feet away and get a positive response five out of five times you can be assured that your dog knows and responds to his name. If he only responds on his terms when he feels like it, you can roll up the newspaper and hit yourself over the head and say you didn’t do your job properly. It’s important to understand that dogs don’t understand English (or Spanish, Russian, or Chinese for that matter) and our main task is to teach them one word at a time in a logical manner so they can associate a noise and a signal as being the command to perform a particular task. The reason we teach only one word at a time is many people run off at the mouth such as “Hey Buddy how’s my cute baby puppy, come over here.” Granted you did use the dog’s name but which of those ten words did you expect him to learn and which one is going to be his name?

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CHILD

of the month

Rich Petersen Jesús Santiago Silahua Carranza

his blond cherub is Jesús Santiago Silahua Carranza, who lives in Ixtlahuacan with his parents and two siblings. Mom is a housewife and Dad is a carpenter. “Santiago” is only 5 months old and has been with us since just after birth. Perhaps from this photo it is not evident, but little Santiago has Down Syndrome. This syndrome is caused by extra genetic material from chromosome 21 (chromosomes are the structures in cells that contain the genes). The usual number of chromosomes in each person is 46 (23 pairs). We inherit one chromosome per pair from the mother’s egg and father’s sperm, the union of which forms a fertilized egg. But, sometimes something goes

wrong before fertilization, and the developing egg or sperm cell may divide incorrectly, causing the egg or sperm cell to have an extra chromosome number 21. Thus, when this cell joins with a normal egg or sperm cell, the resulting embryo has three number 21 chromosomes, for a total of 47 instead of 46. This is the cause of approximately 95% of the cases of Down Syndrome. It is not known why this cell division

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error occurs. It is known that the “error” occurs at conception and is not related to anything the mother did during pregnancy. In the United States one in 700 babies are born each year with this chromosomal abnormality. We at Programa pro Niños Incapacitados del Lago see many Down Syndrome children in those we assist, and while the percentage in Mexico is lower than in the States (one in every 445 births), from one perspective, it appears to be higher here. Down Syndrome is usually identified at birth or shortly thereafter, normally because of physical characteristics of the baby: low muscle tone, a single crease across the palm of the hand, a slightly flattened facial profile, and an upward slant to the eyes There are many problems to be surmounted by a family with a Down Syndrome child. These include health issues—heart problems, asthma, hyper- or hypothyroidism, convulsions, eye problems, blood anomalies and even cancer--and developmental issues: slow learning being the primary one. There is no cure or specific treatment for Down Syndrome, but early intervention is very important as most Down Syndrome babies are more like “normal” children than they are different. They need to be stimulated more with physical, speech and developmental therapies. They need

social interaction with family and other children. Santiago is fortunate to have a loving family who from the start recognized the need for their intervention in their son’s early life. To date, he is taking medicines to avoid seizures and is being taken to early therapy sessions with other Down Syndrome children. His parents also attend “seminars” so they can understand the complexities of Santiago’s condition and will know how to react to any changes or special needs; they also learn how to continue his therapy at home. Programa pro Niños Incapacitados del Lago has been paying for these medicines and for the transport to and from therapy sessions in Guadalajara. If you would like to learn more about us and our organization, please join us the second Thursday of each month at 10:00 a.m. in one of the meeting rooms at the Hotel Real de Chapala in La Floresta. We always present one of “our” children prior to the business meeting. Please feel free to bring a friend. REMEMBER PLEASE: Niños Incapacitados’ annual Fundraiser Dinner/Dance—this year “All Aboard the Orient Express”—will be held Thursday, March 14, from 6:00 until….. at the Hotel Real de Chapala Lakefront Patio. Live and Silent Auctions, buffet dinner, dancing, no-host bar. Tables of 10 are encouraged. See you there!

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IINFALLIBLE NFALLIBLE T THERAPY HERAPY A (therapy) dog lifts you up and never lets you down!

hat do you get when you bring children, dogs, and books to-

gether? You get happy, confident children who love to read. Children are introduced to the wonderful, magical word of books in a positive and unique way. In no time at all, the reading skills of most children will improve. ARDATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Children Reading to Dogs program encourages children to read by providing a non-judgmental listener and furry friend to read. A friend who will not laugh at them if they make a mistake or stumble over a word, but rather lie next to them and enjoy listening to the story being read. Research indicates that children with low self-esteem are often more willing to interact with an animal than with another person. With this program, children are reading not just to any dog, but to a therapy dog. These dogs are trained and together with their owner-handler form a team. They are ideal reading companions, who listen attentively and are not intimidating, unlike classmates. The petting and other loving interactions between the child and the dog as they share a story are an additional therapeutic benefit. Another bonus of the program is that it encourages children to be responsible and loving towards animals. ARDAT (Ajijic Rotary Dog Assisted Therapy), an initiative of the Rotary Club of Ajijic, has become an ongoing community program that provides therapy dog teams for visiting institutions and various educational purposes. ARDAT therapy dogs are also deployed to comfort victims of disasters. In over two years, ARDAT therapy dog teams have made more than 1300 visits to Lakeside assisted living and nursing homes, orphanages, libraries and schools. What is Dog Assisted Therapy? Dog-assisted therapy is the utilization of dogs in a therapeutic context

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to provide, joy, comfort, and motivation. It has been proven clinically that through petting, touching, talking and reading to animals, a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blood pressure is lowered, stress relieved, and depression eased. What is a Therapy Dog? While many dogs provide love and companionship in the home, not all dogs are suitable or have the temperament to be a therapy dog. A therapy dog (not to be confused with an assistance dog or service dog) is obediencetrained, has an outstanding disposition, excellent manners, is calm and well behaved, wants to visit people, and loves children. ARDAT therapy dogs are pets owned by people with a desire to help increase the quality of life in our community. A dog and his/her owner have to be close partners in order to make a successful therapy dog team. The dogs are screened for temperament, health, manners and attitude. Each ARDAT dog is fully vaccinated, and carries a health certificate from a registered veterinarian. ARDAT is looking for volunteers with dogs that are suitable to work with children. Many local children have reading problems. In municipal schools, this is often associated with issues at home (abusive parents, neglect by parents because of alcoholism, drugs, poverty. etc.). Many children are not even interested in reading, simply because they are not introduced to it at home. Consequently, as much as 33% of children have reading difficulties. ARDAT helps children begin building skills for the future by encouraging them to read and showing them how much fun reading can be. ARDAT wants to encourage schools to implement the Reading to Dogs program, not only to help children improve their reading skills, but also to help keep them off the streets. For more information, please contact ARDAT Director Julianna Rose at 766-5025, or ARDAT Coordinator Cindy Paustian at 766-5951.

ear Sir: Feeling compassion for another life-form, be it dog, cat, horse, donkey, or the animals and birds that we human beings eat, is a fine sentiment to nurture in any one of us; the people who take this one step further, who rescue animals off the street, who find and give them homes, are to be applauded. However, when bringing a pet into the home, let’s say a dog or a cat, the adopting owner should consider that with every animal come responsibilities to both animal and neighbour. This is especially evident in the case of dogs: not only does the dog require neutering, feeding, grooming, bathing, as well as human companionship; but it also requires training with regular daily exercise walking together with its owner outside of the containment of house and walled garden, where the dog is free to offset the boredom of being contained indefinitely. A dog that is not exercised daily, that is always confined, and goes un-trained, will become a habitual ‘yapper’, barking from boredom, simply for the sake of barking. This is where the owner, in adopting a dog, should be prepared to accept responsibility towards his neighbours who, if the dog is not stopped, must endure the continuing

and unnecessary harassment of a ‘yapper’ in the neighboring yard. Dogs are hugely intelligent (often, it seems, more so than their owners), responsive to reward and affection, loyal and easily trained when the Will to do so is present in the owner. It is written into history that there is no surer way of making bad neighbours, even enemies for life, than having an untrained ‘yapping’ dog next door. Is it worth it? Surely in any closely living community, there can be nothing more precious than a good neighbour – responsible and caring. Train the dog; keep the peace; enjoy the neighbour! John Cawood johnclintoncawood@prodigy.net.mx

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Hearts at Work A Column by James Tipton “The Golden Key”

n the February issue of El Ojo del Lago, I wrote about Emmet Fox’s “The 7 Day Mental Diet”. Since that issue hit the stands, hardly a day has passed without at least one person telling me how important that “mental diet”—created by one of the most influential New Thought teachers of the first half of the 20th century—was to them. For this issue, then, I decided to revisit Emmet Fox and this time to write about his very popular idea, “The Golden Key.” This concept, Fox assures us, is “the golden key to harmony and happiness” and “it will get yourself or anyone else out of any difficulty.” “…it needs only a fair trial” to prove this claim “is a just one.” In what Fox calls “scientific prayer,” “it is God who works, and not you, and so your particular limitations or weaknesses are of no account in the process.” Basically, all you need to do is to get yourself out of the way. Whether you hold religious views or none at all is not important. And “the actual method of working, like all fundamental things, is simplicity itself. All you have to do is this: Stop thinking about the difficulty, whatever it is, and think about God instead. This is the complete rule, and if only you will do this, the trouble, whatever it is, will disappear.” Fox warns us to “not try to form a picture of God, which is impossible. God is present everywhere, has infinite power, and knows everything.” Here’s what you need to do: “The rule is, to think about God. If you are thinking about your difficulty, you are not thinking about God. To be continually glancing over your shoulder in order to see how matters are progressing is fatal, because it is thinking of the trouble, and you must think of God and nothing else. Your object is to drive the thought of the difficulty out of your consciousness, for a few minutes at least, substituting for it the thought of God. This is the crux of the whole thing. If you can become so absorbed in this consideration of the spiritual world that you forget for a while about the

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difficulty, you will find that you are safely and comfortably out of your difficulty.” You can “golden key” a troublesome person or a difficult situation by thinking this: “Now, I am going to “golden key” John, or Mary, or that threatened danger”: then proceed to drive all thought of John, or Mary, or the danger out of your mind, replacing it with the thought of God.” Working this way, you are not seeking to influence or change that person, but it will prevent that person “from injuring or annoying you, and you do him nothing but good. Thereafter, he is certain to be in some degree a better, wiser, and more spiritual person.” Repeat this operation several times a day. “Be sure, however, each time you have done it, that you drop all thought of the matter until next time. This is important.” Do the process then dwell no further upon it. Do not talk to others about what you are doing. Be quiet, but insistent. Repeat, if you like, a statement that appeals to you, something simple like, “God is with me.” “Do not try to think in advance what the solution to your difficulty will be.” This “will only delay the demonstration. Leave the question of ways and means to God.” You do your part. God will never fail to do his. “The Golden Key” is still in print and it is also available as a free e-book at http://www.tigerseyedowsing.com/ds/other/golden_key. pdf and as a free recording on YouTube narrated by Heather McCauley Nőell at http:// www.youtube.com/ watch?v=wbK4_ yMFIQc. Jim Tipton

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On Loving Elvis By Margaret Ann Porter

ick says that Elvis Presley died young because he had no self-esteem and was one of the most tender-hearted souls you’d ever know – a fatal brew of psychological traits bottled up in a beloved musical giant. Back the 60s and 70s, Rick played the guitar and keyboard in successful cover bands on the rock and blues circuits across the USA and in Europe. The bands often opened for superstars – which he recalls as truly thrilling – so he sometimes found himself in the cloud of musicians that orbit around super-novas like Elvis. One day in the era when Elvis had plumped out into the white jumpsuit,

Rick walked in on one of his private rehearsals. A few people lingered in the doorway while a stern presence stood behind Elvis, watching as he finished up a gospel song. “There was no sweeter sound than to hear Elvis at the piano, singing gospel,” says Rick. After the song that day, Elvis lifted his worried face toward his minders and, in a voice timid and anxious, asked, “Was that alright?” “I soon learned that ever since his earliest days of fame, Elvis didn’t think he was good enough and he didn’t think he was worth anything as a person.” Thus afflicted, Elvis’ associates exploited his need for approval, and his

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generous nature. After he’d become addicted to food and prescription drugs, Rick says, “… these same people made sure that he had uppers to wake and downers to sleep, and that it was okay to eat four hamburgers at one sitting. He didn’t have much help from his so-called friends.” Rick cites Elvis’ death as the all-time music tragedy. “It was a huge loss to the music world. But more, Elvis was one of the most decent men in the business, and kind-hearted beyond belief. He was known to hold the hands of dying people for hours because they told him that it eased their pain. And, he did not take his fame seriously at all.” Evidently, young Elvis’ shriek-inducing lip curl had started out as a joke between him and his band mates. “He’d say to the guys, ‘Watch this,’ and he’d turn around and curl his lip at the girls and they’d go crazy. But he thought it was funny rather than complimentary – it startled and amused him.” I was a late-comer to Elvis, having been born in the waning hours of the 50s, but as soon as I became aware of him, I thought him quite beautiful: Glossy hair that swept over his forehead whenever a song invoked passion, eyes that laughed so loud you could almost hear them, and a smile that puckered the most kissable dim-

ples ever poked into a man. I could not help but feel this way because my father had allowed me to watch “Elvis,” his 1968 live-recorded comeback special on NBC. My youthful sexual urges bloomed during that very broadcast. But the girlish fantasies that arose from my new adoration seemed somehow safe and promising: For many nights afterward I fell asleep to a vision of Elvis and our twin boys playing ball on Graceland’s fine lawn. He died when I was 19 and I stuck the memory of our affair somewhere in the sweeter regions of my mind. Since then, I have thought of Elvis as a fine musician whose talent was perhaps eclipsed by an almost supernatural magnetism. It is evident that most high-wattage musicians have been asked to contort the instrument – their very being – in such a way as to attract consumers who will buy tickets and recordings. For some, this ‘branding’ process is a happy exchange of muse for hardearned cash; for others, it’s a violation of the tender energy that informs their song. Misdirected, these latter artists too soon fade away. In his career, Elvis practically became the Coca-Cola of music – ‘the real thing,’ everywhere and loaded with sugar. Still, within the confines of always being Elvis, he transitioned from a rock’n roll giant to appealing film actor to critically acclaimed contemporary music star, everything reverberating across a set of vocal chords honed on old-time gospel, and through an inner goodness that just doesn’t come from here. “Most people don’t give him enough credit,” says Rick. “Elvis was a gifted vocalist and pianist – he was entirely musical in his soul, but he always hesitated in human self-doubt. He suffered a lot. God, I loved him.” (Ed. Note: Margaret is a full-time resident of Ajijic. Among other things, she enjoys chatting with Rick at the Early Bird Café.)

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By Paul Jackson paulconradjackson@gmail.com

he American Ambassador to Canada insists President Barack Obama’s commitments made in his State of the Union Speech on battling climate change apply to Canada as well as the USA. Yup, that is David Jacobson ‘s interpretation of Obama’s initiatives. Now this is both fascinating - and frightening, for how can one sovereign independent, and supposedly democratic nation, dictate the internal policies of another sovereign, independent and definitely democratic nation? But here’s a macabre chuckle: Compared to Canada’s tough environmental policies, the USA is an environmental cesspool. Forget the Hollywood campaigns against the Keystone pipeline, or that prominent U.S. environmentalists, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., regularly visit the most pristine areas of Canada - such as Banff National Park and Jasper National Park - to bitch and whine about Canada’s supposedly poor environmental record - what is a U.S. president doing dictating Canada domestic policies to Canadian federal and provincial governments? Governments over which Obama has no authority whatsoever. Talk about flim-flam. Sounds like a touch of Elmer Gantry rhetoric. Truth is, it is estimated 30% of Canadian jobs and its economy depends on energy development. Does Washington really expect Canada to throw 30% of Canadians out of jobs and cut federal and provincial revenues by 30% on some fool-hardly scheme? What tools does Obama plan to use to force Canada to adopt these proposed sham environmental standards?

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Paul Jackson

Does Obama and the Hollywood set really expect Canada to destroy its economy? If so, we just won’t do it. We already have ‘carbon capture’ laws - laws far beyond any others in the world. In the Alberta oil sands - an area larger than the state of Florida - strip mining reclamation projects are also far beyond any others in the world. Go up to the oil sands, and you’ll be amazed how the mined land has been returned to its original natural standards. It’s the law, and the oil companies are making so much money they don’t mind paying for returning these huge swaths of land to the standards they were before mining began. So what’s Obama up to besides trying to interfere in another sovereign, democratic nation’s internal policies? Could it be he has no idea what he is talking about? Likely. Or could it be he is just playing to his own fanatic environmental audience. Even more likely. What we do know is Obama - who has spent less than 36 hours in Canada in his entire lifetime - knows nothing about Canada, its political system, and its economic system, and much less about its environmental laws. It’s an absolute disgrace. And you can bet Canadians are not going to let Obama dictate how they should live and govern their own country. At best, Obama is being naive and is absolutely ignorant about his own nation’s closest ally; at worst, he really believes he can remake Canada in his own narcissistic image.

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MY EULOGY By Neil McKinnon

ecently, I attended a Celebration of Life that was held for Chad Lowenbear, a neighbour, who had died tragically in an automobile accident. Many of Chad’s friends and family spoke and all had something laudatory to say about his life and accomplishments. He truly was a wonderful person, beloved by all. However, due to the fact that I’m a shallow individual with only occasional deep thoughts, my mind began to wander in the direction of my own accomplishments, and as it wandered it started to wonder ... what would be said at a celebration of my life? I couldn’t shake the feeling that because I’m a very modest person, many of the mourners attending a function in my memory may not know the real details of my history. Not all of my accomplishments are available on Wikipedia or elsewhere on the internet. Therefore, I thought that I should do all of my admirers a favor and prepare my own eulogy, obituary and epitaph so that they are readily available when the unhappy day arrives. Eulogy for Neil (to be used at the appropriate time) Universally admired author, Neil McKinnon, whose works have been translated into 102 languages and over 300 dialects will be missed on all continents. Nominated numerous times for Nobel, Giller and Booker prizes, he was a shoe-in for each had he not been disqualified because of some petty complaints about plagiarism that were raised by other nominees who were no doubt jealous of Neil’s literary abilities. Considered one of the great philanthropists of modern times, Neil not only anonymously gave away a fortune to alleviate poverty in the world, but working quietly, without fanfare, he developed home remedy cures for a variety of medical conditions including toenail fungus, restless leg syndrome, itchy ears, male menopause, heel spurs and liver spots. A modest person, Neil has always stayed in the background, letting others take the credit. That is

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why his name is not associated with breakthroughs in the fight against major diseases like polio and aids. He was on the verge of announcing cures for cancer and obesity when his final mortgage came due. Never one to rest on his laurels, Neil, in his spare time, also developed much of the theory that led to the many successes of the U.S. Space Program. Less well-known than his philanthropic and scientific endeavours were his peace-making and negotiating skills. Many conflicts including the Korean war, the Suez crisis, Vietnam and the Falkland Islands hostilities would still be raging were it not for his behind-the-scenes efforts. To this day, few people are aware that as a lad of seven he helped negotiate the end of World War II. He always turned down lifetime achievement awards as well as recognition from other countries. As a result, the George Cross, Croix de Guerre, Order of Lenin, Order of Canada and the Presidential Medal of Freedom are all absent from his résumé. Neil had a great talent for the arts and were it not for an unfortunate incident involving a glass of beer and a razor, he would have made his Carnegie Hall debut in his early teens. Many do not know of Neil’s acting ability or that he was offered and turned down some of the major roles in movie and Broadway history. Kept busy advising world leaders, he was unable to perform as Lawrence of Arabia, Forest Gump, Professor Higgins or Elmer Gantry. His innate shyness and modesty made him refuse honorary Oscars every year from 1960 onward. Sadly, Neil will not be buried with his Olympic medals. He voluntarily returned them and had his name expunged from the record books because, as a youngster, he had once taken a cod liver oil pill and he felt that this gave him an unfair early developmental edge. Few know that at one time Neil simultaneously held world records in weightlifting, figure skating and synchronised swimming. He also loved baseball and was a fan all

of his life. From behind the dugout, he passed advice to Terry Francona that allowed the 2004 Boston Red Sox to win their first World Series in 85 seasons. It is rumored that the Pope himself has declared that Neil should be canonized as the first non-Catholic saint. He will be missed. A Newspaper Obituary for Neil (Prepared by one who knew him well) It is with great sadness and sorrow that we announce the sudden passing of Neil McKinnon. He died while surrounded by family and friends. Hospitalized for haemorrhoids, it was thought that he was recovering. However, after he recited, for the twentythird time, the long story of how he was robbed of a no-hitter in little league, someone assisted Neil on his final journey by placing a baseball in his mouth and holding his nose. His last words were, “mmmmmfff.” Neil was born, lived and then died. It is believed that some of his accomplishments occurred during the middle stage. He is not survived by anyone of importance and no one of significance predeceased him. He leaves behind 102 cats and his wife Judy who said, “I truly loved him. Sure, I looked at other men, we all do ... and sometime I rubbed, fondled and stroked ... but I

reserved my heart for Neil.” Neil will be cremated and his ashes will be scattered along the front row of the stage at Miss Mandy Moist’s Erotic Burlesque House where he spent some of his happiest hours. An informal celebration of Neil’s life will be held during happy hour at the same establishment. A medley of Neil’s favourite tunes will be sung by his fraternal brothers in the Loyal Order of Beaver Chasers. In lieu of flowers, please send nasty letters to book reviewers and in Neil’s memory tuck at least one bill into Bambi Banger’s G-string. An Epitaph for Neil (Written by his wife who, after hearing the foregoing eulogy, was heard to exclaim, “My God, they’re burying the wrong man!”) Here inside this bone-yard heap, Lies Neil McKinnon, fast asleep. It matters not if he’s up or down, He’ll talk a lot of his own renown. And though it stretches credulity, He’ll keep lying for eternity. (Ed. Note: Neil is the author of Tuckahoe Slidebottle which was a finalist for the Stephen Leacock Humour Award and the Howard O’Hagen Short Fiction Award.) Neil McKinnon

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PROFILING P ROFILING T TEPEHUA EPEHUA By Moonyeen King

Part III

aternal Mortality in Mexico has an Indigenous face. Official statistics demonstrate Indigenous women have three times higher risk than non-Indigenous women of dying because of causes related to maternity. Maternal mortality is higher in Mexico than any other countries with economic indicators. Stated by World Bank 2001. “We have an unacceptable level of maternity deaths” noted Dr. Jose Angel Cordova Villalobos, Minister of Health 2007. Report from UNICEF, 2009. Educating girls and young women is one of the most powerful ways of breaking poverty traps and creating a supportive environment for Maternal and Newborn health. Early pregnancies, STD (sexually transmitted diseases), sexual violence and other gender related abuse, increases the risk that girls drop out of school. This entrenches the cycle of gender discrimination, poverty and the high rates of maternal and neonatal mortality. The Tepehua Free Maternal Health program, located in Tepehua Centro Comunitario, Chapala, Mexico, was given a grant by Rotary International to assist in the care of women’s education and examinations at the Tepehua Clinic. The results were staggering. In the year 2012, 350 pap smears were taken, out of which 280 had to be treated for STD, which if untreated leads to cervical cancer. Forty women agreed to I.U.D insertion. Of the 350 breast exams, 30 were referred to Guadalajara for mammograms, which unchecked leads to breast cancer. Seven hundred and eighty women attended the counseling for abuse and family planning. It was noted that maternal mortality declined drastically in the United States after the Women got the right to vote. When women get the political voice, their lives also became a higher priority. Professor Miller of Stanford Univ. wrote: ”Within a year of suffrage law enactment, patterns of legislative roll call voting shifted, and local public health spending rose by 35 per cent. Child mortality declined 8-15 per cent. Nationwide, these reductions translate into roughly 20,000 averted child deaths each year.”

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Economist Abhiti Banerjee more recently, examined spending amongst the poor. Mexico was 8 per cent instant gratification on alcohol and fiesta, and 2 per cent on education...even though education is the most consistent escalator out of poverty. Studies suggest, when women are in control of spending, less money is spent on instant gratification, and child health and nutrition improves. Sometimes, sexual violence is committed by a stranger. Most often it is someone the woman knows. A date or an intimate partner such as a husband or ex, or a male friend or collegue. It occurs in all socioeconomic, educational, racial and age groups. A problem world wide. The issue of power and control is the root of domestic violence. Incest with a child by an older family member leads the child to believe it is normal behavior. The worst thing about this crime is when the child realizes it is not normal, and there is no support system left. The family unit is the support system, take that away and there is nothing. This writer worked at a child abuse center in Arlington. Texas. The youngest victim of sexual abuse by a family member was three months old. A less talked about abuse is “Reproductive Abuse.” It is a way to control by keeping her pregnant. A famous case in the States: A preacher kept his wife pregnant even though the doctors warned him, she was not mentally stable enough. Unfortunately she was jailed for life after drowning all her children in the bath tub. Another drove her children into the lake in a locked car. These are not unique cases. With all the documentation on the subject of the oppression of women, their rights and their strengths...what is taking so long? Why is Roe verses Wade politically still being fought? Why is

the horror of female genital mutilation around the world, not being dealt with? Warrior Marks, written by Alice Walker, as late as 1993 addressed this. “Oppression and the sexual blinding of women.” In 2012, a politician in Washington, arguing against a women’s right to abortion, even in the case of rape, stated “If a women becomes pregnant after the act of rape, it is God’s will.” A statement that will go down in infamy. In 1992, Sandra Day O’Connor wrote “The ability of women to participate equally in the economic and social life of a nation has been facilitated by their ability to control their reproductive lives.” The empowerment of women through education and family planning. The Tepehua Community Center, just west of Chapala, has counseling and fifty plus women go to listen to lectures on self esteem, every week, and how to handle situations of abuse by trying to defuse them. Abuse starts with small steps. Criticism is usually the first one, cutting off friends and family, and threats that the abuser will hurt the children. Poverty and lack of education exacerbates abuse. The story is the same in every barrio across Mexico. Women too are abusers, for the same reason. Frustration and the toil of having five to seven children, no education or money

coming in for the table, can drive the most nurturing of women to strike back...in her case, the target is usually the children. Education and Family Planning information can change this cycle. It is an appalling situation that in 2013 women are still fighting for the right to choose. That they are still a chattel that is owned by their spouse or partner. The writer wonders what the standing of Roe v Wade would be like today, if it were the men who had the babies? (Mexico and its stand on abortion will be discussed in another issue.) moonie1935@yahoo.com

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Doors of Ajijic By Antonio Ramblés AKA Tony Passarello www.antoniorambles.com antonio.rambles@yahoo.com

If eyes are windows to the soul, doors must just as surely express the soul of a home.

Doors have special significance in Spanish colonial architecture, which cloisters intimate living spaces in courtyards hidden from the street.

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It’s easy to pass these doors every day without giving them a second thought.

As a collection, though, they paint a unique picture of the village that’s authentic, personal, and spontaneous. Doors here come in all shapes, sizes and colors, and are crafted in materials ranging from wood to wrought iron. Some are simple and others ornate. Some are formal and others whimsical. Some are reflections of the Old World and others are distinctively Mexican. Some merely hint at what lies behind, and others provide a teasing glimpse. It can be as entertaining to speculate on what lies behind them as to actually know. If you haven’t seen these, enjoy them. If you’ve seen some of them in passing, take a second look because there’s often more here than can be taken in with a single glance.

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Kay Davis Phone: 376 – 108 – 0278 (or 765 – 3676 to leave messages) Email: kdavis987@gmail.com

PAST EVENTS February 13 there was a performance of House, a dark and hilariously funny one-man show written by one of Canada’s most accomplished playwrights and film directors, Daniel MacIvor. It was performed by award-winning Canadian actor, Alan Jordan, whose credits include many top TV shows. House recently premiered in San Miguel de Allende and the show will also tour in Guanajuato, Leon and Mexico City. Donations can be made at Viva Mexico ResAlan Jordan in House taurant in San Juan Cosala, where the show was presented, by contacting Arni or Rosie Mogseth at 376 – 766 – 2516, or by going to the website for Foundation for Lake Chapala Charities where payment can be made by credit card or PayPal. The website is http://www.lakechapalacharities.org. Checks can also be made out to the Foundation for Lake Chapala Charities (write on check: for Operation Feed) and mailed to APDO #847, Ajijic, Jalisco 45920. The Foundation for Lake Chapala Charities is a U.S. 501C3 recognized charity and, therefore, tax deductible for US citizens. February 20, Alejandro Grattan presented his epic historical novel The Dark Side of the Dream at the Oasis Cloud Café. The story is about Mexican migration into the US during World War II, the challenges and graciousness in adapting to a different culture and their great contributions during the war. Despite their astounding accomplishments, hundreds of thousands were deported through a program called Operation Wetback. This engrossing book is ideal as a movie or TV series, and with the growing numbers of Latinos in America, it should be. This monumental 421-page epic is on amazon/Kindle and for sale as a quality soft-back. COMING EVENTS: The wacky, wonderful Vicky Banning, a novel by Allen McGill, centers on a new Auntie Mame character who returns a little older, certainly wiser and undeniably more outrageous. From posh Newport, entertaining on luxury liners to war-threatened Europe, smuggling children to safety, Vicky is a force majeure. Political skullduggery is foiled, a strip tease for charity succeeds, and her entertaining in a gay bar during a Halloween costume party nearly gets her arrested. Winner of El Ojo Del Lago’s “Pamala L. Hall Award for Best Novel of the Year in paperback, Vicky has charmed her way on-line to debut, newly polished, covered and invigorated. Minnie, another of Allen’s works, won the same award for Best Short Story of the (following) Year. Both are now available on-line in all formats at Amazon.com, B&N.com (Barnes & Noble), Smashwords.com, GoodReads. Novel by Allen McGill com and JMSbooks.com. Price $2.99 USD. Praise the author at malvas41@yahoo.com. March 1 at 7:30, March 2 at 7:30, March 3 at 3p.m., March 4 at 3p.m. AND 7:30, and March 5 at 7:30 The Fantasticks reappear by popular demand. My, My, How Nice! Productions simply had to bring it back while the delightful original cast was still available. Audiences were enchanted. Sixteen year old Marie Claire Figadere, and seventeen year old Christian Garcia Duran play the young couple, and Guadalajara singing sensation Lalo Muñoz-Zúñiga plays El Gallo. Rounding out the cast are Ken Yakiwchuk, Roger Larson, Fred Koesling, John Ward and Valerie Jones.

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Roger Larson, Timothy G. Ruff Welch and Judy Hendrick comprise the team of directors. Shows are at Plaza de la Ribera (with more comfortable but limited seating). Tickets $250 pesos at Diane Pearl Colecciones, Mia’s Boutique, or by emailing mymytickets@gmail.com. March 12, 7 p.m. and March 13, 4 p.m. Los Cantantes del Lago’s Spring Concert Americana features the Mexican premiere of The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass by American composer Carol Barnett. A bluegrass band has been assembled, using musicians from Mexico City, Guadalajara and Ajijic. Concerts will be at the newly renovated Auditorio de la Ribera, bar one hour before each performance. Tickets $250 pesos at Diane Pearl Colecciones, Mia’s Boutique, from Cantantes members or by emailing cantantesdellago@gmail.com. March 19, 7:30 p.m. at La Bodega the Doo Wops will perform another concert, singing some of our most beloved songs. Call early for reservations at 766 – 1002. The last two shows have been sellouts. Relive the songs from the 50s and 60s with Jerry Morse, Jack Fallon and Luci Merritt. Listen, dance, or just swing and sway, enjoy all. March 21, 6:30 p.m. Jaltepec Centro Educativo offers a three course dinner by its gracious cooks/hostesses in training. Cost is $350 pesos which goes to the training of young women from homes that cannot afford to provide the girls with higher education. This training literally alters their lives and those of their families. No host bar at 6:30, complimentary hors d’oeuvres, cocktail music by Tim Welch. Dinner at 7:30: gazpacho soup, chicken stuffed with spinach and broccoli or pork filet with mustard and pineapple. RSVP by March 13 to Linda Buckthorp at 766 – 1631 or email backthorplm@gmail. com. Ask about wine. Pick up tickets at Multiva (bank side) from Monica as of March 14. March 15, 16 and 17 Naked Stage presents The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer, directed by Jim Lloyd. The Normal Heart is a largely autobiographical play by the author. It focuses on the rise of the HIV/AIDS crisis in New York City 1981 – 1984, as seen through Americana, A Bluegrass Mass the eyes of writer/activist Ned Weeks, the gay Jewish-American founder of a prominent HIV advocacy group. Joseph Papp, who produced the original production of The Normal Heart in 1985, says of the play, “…it reveals its origins in the theater of Sophocles, Euripides, and Shakespeare. In his moralistic fervor, Larry Kramer is a first cousin to nineteenth-century Ibsen and twentieth-century Odets and other radical writers of the 1930s. Yet, at the heart of The Normal Heart, the element that gives this powerful political play its essence, is love – love holding firm under fire, put to the ultimate test, facing and overcoming our greatest fear: death.” The play won the 2011 Tony Award for Best Revival on Broadway. The Reading will be directed by Jim Lloyd. The Naked Stage is located at #10A Rio Bravo. West on the carretera from Ajijic, south on Rio Bravo, about 2 blocks down behind Daniel’s Restaurant on the east side. Daniel’s is open for lunch and dinner with a no host bar available at 3p.m. Box Office opens at 3:15 and the show starts at 4 p.m. Reservations guarantee a seat. EMail: nakedstagereservations@gmail.com or phone Michelle: 765 – 6408. March 10 – 11, 5 p.m. across from the El Dorado complex on the Libramiento, there will be a Concert by Mac Morison with popular guest star Carol Bedford, providing romantic music to enchant and delight you. The concert is to benefit the Tepehua Comunitario Centro AC and will be held in a gorgeous private home. Parking, hors d’houvres, and no host wine bar will be provided for $350 pesos per person. Invitations may be picked up at Diane Pearl Colecciones on Colon. For more information, email clippy1020@gmail.com or call 766 – 3865. Popular local writer James Tipton is the most recent winner of the Penn Cover Literary Award, for his story, “The Lot in Paraíso.” This award (judged by the students) is given each month by the Whidbey Writers Workshop MFA Program

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El Ojo del Lago / March 2013

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for the best short story (or creative non-fiction or poetry) of 1000 words or less. Read his story at http://whidbeystudents.com/2013/02/01/newfor-february-3/. March 9 the Rotary Club of Ajijic celebrates International Women’s Day with an International Women’s Golf Classic at the Chapala Country Club in Vista del Lago. The tournament is open to amateur lady golfers of all levels. There will be activities for nonplayers. Participants are limited. Entry fee is $1,200 pesos including green fees, golf cart, beverage cart during play, a Women’s International Golf Classic shirt, and a gift bag with a souvenir cap. Check-in at 11 a.m., Shot Gun start at 12:30, golf clinics, celebrity picture signing, games for family members, ending with an Awards Banquet featuring a Roast Pig DinHear Mac Morison sing, guest star ner and music by a local dance band and award presentations for the Carol Bedford tournament winners. The highlight will be an auction featuring a week’s stay (up to 5) at the luxurious Royal Cancun beachfront resort. For information, to become a sponsor, or to donate items for the gift bags, visit the Rotary webpage at www.rotaryajijic.org or call Golf Classic organizers Rod Hensley at 766 – 5600, email hensleymex@gmail.com; Keith Foster at 766 – 1742 or email procom2008@prodigy.net. mx; Sandra Loridans at 766 – 2981 or email sandra.loridans@ gmail.com. April 11, 9 a.m. sharp, there will be is a shotgun start for the joint NCA and Country Club de Chapala Golf Tournament. The CCC has decided to reinstate and expand their Amigo Cup Tourney which was last played several years ago. CCC sponsors the children of their employees for school expenses. Entry fee is $1200 pesos ($1000 pesos for members), five people per team (each team can be 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5). All players must register at the CCC Pro Shop. Deadline to register is April 9. Entry fee includes green fee and cart rental, Continental breakfast and Awards dinner (pig roast or fish). Dinner and awards ceremony tickets are $250 pesos. Buy tickets at the Pro Shop, LCS or Diane Pearls Colecciones. Lots of great prizes for hole-in-one, lonPoster for NCA – CCC gest drive and closest to the pin. All proceeds to benefit Los Niños Golf Tournament de Chapala y Ajijic, AC for kids and their futures. Mulitple Events: The American Legion post #7 schedule for October: Sundays: 12 – 3 p.m. Legion grill burgers Mar 9 – Fashion Show by Terri’s Tianguis For information, call 765 – 2259 or www.americanlegionchapalapost7.org Lakeside Little Theatre news: Tickets are $200 pesos per seat, $250 for the musical. For full listing of shows, box office and ticket information and to get email updates, go to www.lakesidelittletheatre. com. Box office hours are 10 – 1 and one hour prior to each performance. Sunday box office access is just prior to a show. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m. with Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. To call box office: 766 – 0954.

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March 23 – 31 the LLT presents Not Now, Darling by Ray Cooney and John Chapman. Director: Shirley Appelbaum. A 1960s style fur salon filled with suspicious wives, philandering husbands, mistaken identities and scantily clad girlfriends, all delivered fresh in a saucy, sophisticated style. Enjoy a drink on the Angel Terrace, live piano music in the lobby. Tickets on sale March 21, 10 – 12, then every day except Sunday. The 49th Season plays at Lakeside Little Theatre: Local Hero – Written and Directed by Lakeside resident Neal Chekoway. A modern day fable, based loosely on the movie of the same name. The Heiress –Directed by Rosann Wilshere, a Period Drama Over The River and Through the Woods – Directed by Ann Swiston, a Comedic Drama Blood Relations –Directed Not Now, Darling by Lynn Phelan, A Drama Hooray for Hollywood! Written and Directed by Barbara Clippinger – a Musical Social Security – Directed by Phil Shepherd, a Comedy Production dates to be announced at or before Annual General Meeting March 20. Next season, in response to both audience and volunteer wishes, Opening Night will be Friday. Each show will start on Friday evening followed by an evening performance on Saturday and a Sunday Matinee. The theatre will be dark (closed) on Mondays, giving cast and crews a rest. Shows will resume Tuesday evenings and run through the following Sunday matinee. All Current Saturday Opening Night Season Ticket Holders will be contacted soon so they may change to Friday if they wish. Monday night season ticket holders will be given first priority for new seats currently unsubscribed on any other day. VIVA La Musica: Bus Trips to “Live from the MET” Teatro Diana Mar 16 – Francesca de Rimini - Riccardo Zandonai (depart early at 9) Apr 27 – Julius Caesar - Georg Friedrich Handel 300 Mx Pesos members ; 400 Mx Pesos non-members Bus Trips to Jalisco Filarmonica Spring Season Teatro Degollado Mar 8 - Beethoven: Symphony No. 7; Conductor: Leslie Dunner Mar 15 - De Falla: Interlude and Dance “La Vida Breve”; Rachmaninov: Concert for Piano and Orchestra No. 3; Dvorjak: Symphony No.7; Conductor : Hector Guzman, Director Emeritus Soloist: Norman Krieger – piano Mar 22 - Verdi : Ouverture “ La Forza Del Destino” ; LALO : Concert for Violoncello and Orchestra; Tchaikowsky: Symphony No. 2 Conductor: Oriol Sans; Soloist: Alvaro Bitran, violoncello Tickets 250 Mx Pesos members; 350 Mx Pesos non-members All buses depart from the Carretera near Farmacia Guadalajara. Sunday buses at 10 a.m.; Friday departures at 4:30 p.m. – supper in Guadalajara before the concert. For Saturday buses to “Live from The Met”, deFrancesca da Rimini partures may vary; ask the time when buying the ticket. Tickets can be purchased at - Riccardo Zandonai LCS, Th – F, 10 to 12 ,or email Marshall at mak1939@gmail.com. For additional information re departures, call Marshall at 766 – 2834.

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BLOODY EXPLOITATION! By Bill Dean

“

men, amen I say unto thee, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:1-21). If that is true, the Indians should have thanked their lucky stars the Spanish forced them to be baptized as Catholics. That is because most of the Indians were about to die. At the time of the Spanish Conquest there were about 20 million natives in Mexico – by 1600 barely one million remained. While there is disagreement among the experts about the numbers, every authority agrees that the 16th century was a demographic disaster for the native population of Mexico. The treatment of the Indians (including treatment of their children) working the plantations and the silver mines was unimaginable. Many of those who survived the work died of smallpox, the plague, and other diseases imported from Spain. You know about Hernán Cortés. You may not know about his arch rival named Beltran Guzman. As president of Mexico’s first audiencia, Guzman planned to bring Cortés to trial for mistreating the Indians. He was hardly the one who should have been pointing fingers. “Bloody Guzman,” as he was known, and his troops went on a slaughtering rampage of their own. The Indians they didn’t slaughter they tortured to find

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out where they could find silver and gold. Guzman’s atrocities landed him in a Spanish prison where he died, but that didn’t deter others from following in his footsteps. Torturing Indians had become the Spanish method of getting rich. Burning of feet, cutting off of hands, dumping Indians into spike-filled pits, depriving entire tribes of food and water, and cutting up body parts of dead Indians and feeding the parts to survivors was how the Spanish learned where the gold and silver was. Monks described these events to artists whose paintings and sketches made a lasting record of Spanish atrocities. Whole tribes could be hung or burned to death. Infants would be fed to the Conquistadors’ dogs. Stronger Indians were rounded up and hauled off to the mines as slaves. We have been to the mines of Zacatecas. The narrow tunnels spiral many layers into the mountains. Inside these dark caves Indian men, women, and children seldom saw the light of day. Those who didn’t die in the tunnels that caved in, or who survived falling from rope bridges and rickety ladders, died from exhaustion or bad lungs. Life in the mines, if anyone can call it living, was unbearable. In the end, exploitation of the Indians proved to be the only way there was for the Spanish to extract riches from its colony. But that harsh reality did not prevent some wishful thinking sparked by rumors of the fabled “Seven Cities of Gold.” In 1539 Friar Marco de Niza, a Franciscan priest, reported to Spanish officials that he saw one of them – Cibola – in what is present day New Mexico. Acting on that tip, in 1540 the Viceroy sent out a search expedition led by his friend, Francisco Vázquez Coronado. Bloody Guzman may have held the record for cruelty, but for being gullible the prize should probably go to Coronado and the 336 members of his party. Perhaps, on the other hand, there was reason for optimism; after all, the tip came from a priest; Spain had earlier

recovered vast riches from the Incas of South America; the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan proved to be a rich and wondrous discovery. So why should Coronado and his men be “Doubting Thomas’s” about the Seven Cities of Gold? They struck off on horse-back with visions of fame and fortune. But the cloud of dust they left in their wake might just as well have been blowing in their faces. Everywhere they went native villagers would tell Coronado that the fabled cites were más allá (farther on). The villagers must have been pointing northward because

Coronado and his exhausted entourage got just about to present day Wichita, Kansas. That, of course, was 400 years before Wichita became the “Air Capital of the World.” The only action around Wichita back then were roaming “shaggy cows” (buffalos). Coronado finally gave up. His men were angry and broke. The Viceroy was not pleased. And the fabled cities of gold and wealth were never found because there were not any. The dismal truth was that exploiting the Indians was the only way to do what Spain wanted to be done.

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(Ed. Note: With reference to Dr. Crosby’s Letter to the Editor on page 74 of the February issue) Dear Sir: The observations offered by Sir Winston Churchill and Senator Goldwater affirm the high regard that many leaders across the political spectrum, including President Obama, have expressed for President Truman. To suggest that Henry Wallace, had he ascended to the presidency, would have somehow avoided the horrendous decision to use the atomic bomb against a recalcitrant Japan is highly speculative. Use

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of atomic weapons at the time saved countless lives, and, in fact, saved far more Japanese than American lives. Conservative estimates at the time were that Operation Olympic, the invasion of Kyushu, would have cost 500,000 US casualties, and Operation Coronet, the invasion of Honshu, another 500,000. Japanese citizenry, fully indoctrinated by the leadership, were being prepared to resist with bamboo spears. The use of the two atomic bombs saved thousands of Japanese lives. While evasions and untruths have all too often characterized presidential statements over the years, President Truman was impeccably honest and would hardly have lied about the wrenching decision that confronted him. Earlier, the Tokyo Fire Raid cost more Japanese lives than either atomic bomb, and yet the ruling clique refused to surrender. It took the second atomic bomb, dropped on Nagasaki, to convince the leadership that Japan faced total destruction if it did not end hostilities. Throughout the war in the Pacific, Japanese soldiers had time and again fought to the death rather than surrender, often even committing suicide, a practice foreshadowing the infamous Kamikaze attacks as US forces neared the home islands. While it is easy for some to criticize Mr. Truman’s agonizing decision now, realistic alternatives are not provided because they have never existed. Henry Wallace exhibited signs of mental instability, a factor in President Roosevelt’s desire to replace him on the ticket in 1944. A major policy in his 1948 presidential campaign was an often stated acquiescence regarding Joseph Stalin’s postWorld War II expansions into Europe. It is difficult to imagine his initiating policies equivalent to the Berlin Airlift, Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan or NATO. Dr. Lorin Swinehart

GRINGAS & GUACAMOLE By Gail Nott Erin Go Loco

ake my word for or it; it; yo it y you ou can’t get there from from fro fr om here; her ere; well, not quickly. y. Go y. Go fi figu gure; gure gu ure re;; two hours from Guadalajara ara ra tto o Ho H Housous us-mH Ho ous usto ton to n tto o ton, maybe three hours from Houston m Newark New N Newa Ne ewa warkk to to Newark, then six hours from Shannon, Ireland. Then why did d d it take k 25 hours? I do not age well. Once on the ground, I was presented with a toy car and warned to stay on the left side of the road. I am still mentally capable of putting my shoes on the correct foot so then what part of my brain is dysfunctional? I repeatedly found myself in the right lane cursing at the drivers who were coming straight at me. After running up on the sidewalk twice and leaving the passenger side mirror crumpled on a car in Outtergard, fear must have fired the appropriate synapses. Aisles at a grocery store are wider than the country roads of Connemara County, Ireland. Most of the roads have

no center- lines; there is an abundance of blind curves and some fool coming the other way on your side of the road. There are no shoulders; your choice is to hit the long-haired sheep grazing beside the roadway, pepper the side of the car with cliff boulders or stop and have a pint. This was not a hard choice. Irish pubs are infamous and we weren’t disappointed. The pint of Smithwick was only slightly warmer than the Bushmills I ordered with ice. Right, forget ice, it just dilutes the good Irish whiskey. A dim room smelling of peat, tweed hats, Wellingtons, heavy, wool sweaters, wrinkled faces and gnarled hands; fuel for anyone’s imagination. I thought our

waiter was deaf when he kept asking us to repeat our order of fresh oysters, mussels and chips. Flashing a grin he said, “Oh, you’re Yanks are you now?” I was to learn we do not all speak the same Queen’s English. First hint was forgetting where I was and asking for the baño, blank look. Then I tried restroom, no response. Getting crass, I said toilet, a shoulder shrug. A lovely lady with pink cheeks, alabaster skin and strawberry red hair came to my rescue. “Do ya need the water closet, now dear?” Too bad she didn’t go with me; the chain pull on these babies defies an engineering degree. You can’t get there from here; well, not by train or airplane. We had planned to visit Dublin. Our hosts at Cashel House urged us not to drive. Aer Lingus is booked weeks in advance by businessmen commuting between the northern counties and Dublin. The railway system is antiquated; we were unable to find a train schedule or telephone number. Off to Galway we “tootled” in our toy car. Quay Street, Galway’s equivalent to Rodeo Drive, is blocked off to motor traffic. Naturally, we had booked a hotel on Quay Street, parked blocks away in a “motor hotel” that had only steps. Having counter-balanced the toy car with our massive suitcases, we were fearful of it tipping over if they weren’t removed in

unison. The stares were plentiful as we bumped and cursed our way to the hotel. Policemen are visibly absent from the busy streets of Galway. When two armored personnel carriers stopped and twelve Irish soldiers, with very large guns, lined the street, I froze. I didn’t need a writer´s imagination to think of the worst. As the armored bank truck pulled up, I think I began to breathe again. The barren, wind-swept cliffs of Connemara, the herds of sheep and lambs grazing on yellow bracken, toilets I couldn’t flush—lasting memories. Would I go to Ireland again? Well, I don’t think you can get there from here!

Saw you in the Ojo 47

View From The South Shore

By Kerry Watson kerry.r.watson1@gmail.com

hilst the expatriate community was busy arguing about the shortest and most economical route for a causeway across the Lago de Chapala to connect the north shore to the south, the newly-elected Jalisco government of Aristóteles Sandoval quietly and quickly erected a causeway across the widest part of the lake, using Mezcala Island (also known as Isla del Presidio) as an anchorpoint, ending in Tizapan El Alto on the south shore. The toll bridge across the largest lake in Mexico immediately became known as the crown jewel in the new government’s fast-track or “botes on the ground” program for shovel-ready projects to help improve the economy. The space-age style bridge was constructed entirely from a Lego-like material, allowing it to be assembled at a factory by Lego experts in China, sailed into port at Manzanillo, driven by double semi-trailers from the port and literally snapped into place after its arrival at the Laguna. The new government also cited the strategic value of joining Mezcala to land as justification for the bridge, in case there is another revolution. “Now that she is ours, we never want insurgents to use Mezcala as an outpost for a year, as 800 Mexican soldiers did in 1816.” A famous and bloody battle was fought on the island during the Mexican War of Independence from Spain. Only ruins of the buildings remain today. The new all-blue bridge, in addition to being largely unreported in the foreign press, has proven difficult to see from the more populous western end of the lake, visible mainly in shadow at dusk when smog from Guadalajara seeps over the low mountains at that side of the lake. This has pleased Mexican environmentalists, who had worried about marring the wildlife habitat. Unfortunately, the rare white pelicans that winter every year on the south shore near the bridge are also having a difficult time seeing the bridge, and several avian fatalities have already resulted. The government is considering painting warnings on the top surfaces

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of the bridge, so the pelicans can distinguish it from the water below. The tollway will allow travelers to cross the lake in one hour from Ajijic to Tizapan when travel time to and from the bridge is included, the same amount of time that it currently takes to drive around the lake in the westerly direction. However, the government will be able to collect 50 pesos per vehicle via the bridge, whereas currently no money is collected when drivers use the road around the lake. “If there are no time savings,” asked one astute reporter at the press conference, “what is the point?” “There are NO topes on the bridge” proudly retorted the director of the project, Jorge Fernandez. “Drivers can drive continuously at highway speeds without tearing out the undercarriage of their vehicles.” Posted speeds on the causeway are 100 KM, although the limit is not yet being enforced. Simultaneous with the erection of the bridge, the government installed an additional several dozen topes on the road around the lake. (Topes are speed bumps that can appear or disappear overnight, causing undercarriage damage of the unsuspecting, or inexplicable braking, depending on whether they have come or gone.) Although no foreigners we polled have yet used or even noticed the bridge, most said they had definitely noticed the increased tope-building program. “Yes, we’ve noticed a greatlyexpanded tope-building program” said one resident of Jocotepec. “We had attributed it to the increased population at our end of the lake, but now that we understand about the new bridge, it makes perfect sense.” Free Toll Day: to increase foreign usage of the new toll bridge, Jalisco Governor Sandoval has decreed April 1st a free toll day for all foreigners. Simply show your immigration papers at the tollbooth rather than depositing the 50 peso fee. Happy April Fools’ Day from Mexico to you! MORE INFORMATION AND MULTIPLE PHOTOS: http://www. Kerry K erry Watson elcebollo.info

Saw you in the Ojo 49

INSIGHT STRAIGHT By Jim Tuck Pretty Boy Floyd: The “Marcos” of Mexico

he line between outlaw and Robin Hood-style populist guerrilla is often difficult to draw. One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. Yet certain criteria can be defined. Take the case of a man who, though technically outside the law, never preys on the poor, tears up mortgages, distributes stolen bank money to the needy, and -in the end- leaves a privileged sanctuary where everybody protects him because he doesn’t want to subject these home folks to continuing harassment from police and federal agents. Such a figure was Charles Arthur Floyd, a good ol’ boy from the Oklahoma hills known to friends as Chock, because of his fondness for Choctaw beer. (The “pretty boy” label, which he detested, was the gift of an enamored Kansas City madam.) In publicizing Depression outlaws, Hollywood blunderingly focused on Bonnie and Clyde. Floyd despised them as vicious killers who victimized rich and poor alike. Floyd’s image problem was largely rooted in his lack of education. Marginally literate, he would periodically write ungrammatical letters to newspapers protesting (truthfully) that he had not been involved in some brutal crime ascribed to him. (One of the most touching was a letter thanking an editor for comparing him to Jesse James.) Unlike Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata, whose education level

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was roughly similar to his, Floyd never amassed enough power to recruit a band of intellectuals who could transform his primitive populism into a coherent political program. After his death he became a Marxist folk hero. Woody Guthrie wrote a ballad about him, but his popularity was pretty much limited to left-wing literati. There are striking similarities between Floyd and the once-famous “Sub-Commandant Marcos”: both champions of the downtrodden, both chivalrous in combat, and both seemingly invulnerable in wild hill country where, to quote Chairman Mao (speaking of other like-minded individuals), they “swim amid the population as a fish must in water.” There are also striking differences. Where Floyd was a true son of the Cookson hills, the ski-masked Mexican who formerly commanded an Indian insurgency is a white urban intellectual who has been variously been described as a university professor, a disillusioned social worker, and a liberation theology-oriented Jesuit priest. Whatever his identity, Marcos was a master of media manipulation. He gave interviews in English, French, and Italian, appeared on “60 Minutes” and attracted an international band of cultural elitists to a convention where he is able to expound his programs to a world audience. This is truly a case of public relations skills making the difference. Where Marcos emerged as a global Robin Hood, Charles Arthur Floyd is still fixed in the mind of most Americans as a small time redneck bank robber who died in a shootout with the FBI. Jim Tuck

THE AMERICAN DREAM By Ron Knight rknight@knightmediacom.com

any are awakening from the American Dream, which I can clearly see as I’ve stepped away from it to live as an Expat. The American marketing society always needs something to fear, so it has something to sell to a ravenous appetite. Once it’s over with, that something sold goes out of its way to become passé, or be completely indigestible. Right after the U.S. got hit at the World Trade Center, we must have been confusing the hell out of the poor Afghans over there on the other side of the world. On the one hand, we were sending over planes that were dropping bombs, and on the other hand we were sending over planes that were dropping… food. Because while we’re doing collateral damage or killing people, we’d like them to eat a little something… It’s as if we had these poor Afghans over there, their arms over their heads, and they’re crying, ”Oh, No! More planes! More bombs! What?! No, Hey! It’s raining Rice-A-Roni… The San Francisco Treat!” You’re not being told anything you don’t know. The Pentagon spokesperson actually said we were basically dropping a carbohydrate diet of beans, with a nice, vinaigrette dressing. How nice. How well thought out. That’s basically what we call “three bean salad.” Nobody eats three bean salad. Look at the buffet lines or go see the church events. Great looking stuff? It’s Ooh, ahh, umm… they get to the three bean salad? Ooohh (sneering)…... and it’s a very lonely bowl. Unless of course, you also have on hand, plenty of “Beano.” I don’t know where advertisers get the names of these products. Have you seen this stuff, “Beano”? It’s the stuff that the little drops are supposed to stop any of that gas from coming out. Beano?! Sounds like the reason you have the gas in the first place. Hey, I’ve tried it. Works great. Works really well. I think I took a little too much though… my gas went away; it sucked down my sinus congestion, and now I don’t even have any ear wax. What are they going to think of next? They’ll make something that blocks everything or anything that people have a problem with. You hear people say, “Oh, I can’t stomach that guy!” There’s an idea. You need something to block that? Here! Have some “Idiot-O.” Or four little drops of “Moron-O.” Four drops of “Estupido.” Here’s a good one. Take five little drops

of “Ex-Wife-O.” Or four little drops of “Her Attorney-O.” We used to drop pills for fun. Now we take them to stay healthy or sane and we can mix them for conditions like “here, try this: four little blended tabs of “Your Idiot Boss-O.” I’ll tell you what I was really worried about, is that people over there were going to resent it, and start sending people over here to the States to start throwing food at us! Then we’d have these poor people and tourists scattering in Times Square, yelling, “Look Out Marge! Watch out for the flying Hummus! Of course, then you’d have the spoiled native American New Yorker who’d be saying, “Hey, I really wanted tahini, with that.” Somewhere… sometime yet to come, with a blend of enough Beano and the All New Doctor Recommended Petroleum based Lax-a-Max, America might just pass its hair ball, while having its cake and eatRon Knight ing it too.

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AJIJIC CASH MACHINE PERSONALITIES By Ed Tasca

ot long ago, the local bank ATM (on Ajijic Plaza) ate my debit card. And for a frantic half-hour I tried to retrieve it. I spoke amiably about how reliable and agreeable the machine had been in the past, and how it almost always drew great, standing-room-only crowds. This, while in the glass wall beside me, I looked like the model for Edvard Munch’s painting The Scream. Regrettably, this all happened on a Saturday, so there was nowhere to turn for help, unless the man selling the cacahuates on the curb could spot me a 5,000 peso loan until Monday, a possibility that clearly defined my desperation. Eventually, I must have accidentally cracked a code by squashing all the buttons at once, while, in obviously perfect harmony, uttering several profanities at just the right pitch. Suddenly, the screen changed and slowly, slowly, from the little card insertion chamber my card slid out like the tongue of a twelve year old learning to French Kiss. The Madam Cash Machine It was then that I realized ATMs have personalities. This particular one always seemed so engaging, even flirtatious. “Welcome,” would scrawl against its large screen. It would then say in its sassy, come-hither way: “We take all debit cards.” “You are fully protected.” “Please insert your Card.” At the same time, its card insertion chamber, puckered out like puffy glowing lips, is pulsating with a sultry green light. The Heidi Fleiss of ATMs. BUT… when it ate my card, it turned

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nasty, clearly telling me, “You shove that card into me without so much as a “Hi, how ya doin?’” and you expect me to jump and dish out! Don’t you dare take me for granted! Got it, Mister?” Needless to say, given the machine’s obvious foul mood (confirmed with the reminder: “Please do not let anyone help you.”), I didn’t reinsert the card as it suggested, even though its card insertion chamber was still throbbing and trying to seduce me. The Master Sergeant Cash Machine Instead, I rubbed my card clean on my shirt and hurried to the broadly popular main farmacia ATM, Ajijic’s warhorse cajera, with its big chest and hardworking air of rugged and masculine dependability, probably an over-compensation for the fact that it sits next to the dish detergent rack. Its soldierly stance and instructions are all business: Insert your card. Press Continue. Cost: 69 pesos. Now, please insert your card again. We’re reading your card chip.

Stand up straight and look like a man. While I watched the green chipscanning bar progress, I also got the feeling this ATM was reading me, too, with bio sensors measuring my pupil dilation for hints of larceny. Then came its dispassionate judgment: “Your card couldn’t be read,” it told me, shoving my card back out at me as though it were disgusted with my shabby attempts at identity theft. I tried it again, and again it gave me the same snotty reaction. This machine, I thought, has the personality of a stuffy bureaucrat whose wife hasn’t touched him in years. Okay, it’s getting late and now I’m desperate for some machine, any kind of machine, to prove that I’m not in some quantum technological lockdown. So I weigh myself on the farmacia scale outside, and I find I weigh 104 pounds. Not only am I penniless, but I seem to have shrunk down to the size of a Rhesus Monkey —until I realized, in my panic,I had converted the kilos to pounds using the peso exchange rate. With nothing but pesos on the brain, I’m forced to move on. This time to a machine I found by accident. The ATM at Ajijic’s venerable supermarket two blocks further east. Macavity, the Mystery Machine. This ATM is a character out of Film

Noir. You don’t see it right away when entering the store. And most customers have to have it pointed out to them. It sort of lurks in the shadows in the righthand corner behind the plastic water carriers. It’s thin and hungry-looking but with an amicable pot-belly that welcomes you and a scrawny screen that’s a dull shade of muted. It couldn’t be more surreptitious, and gives the appearance of a con selling “Rolex watches.” All it lacks is a cape and a cocked fedora. But I was so desperate I took a chance and inserted my card. To my surprise, without grandiose displays of service promises, chip-reading bars, stodgy instructions, people waving money at me, it efficiently popped up a screen that asked for my PIN and went on to dispense my 3,000 pesos (which I counted twice before leaving, or maybe it was three times), while it then went back to being the Macavity of Cash Machines. Next time you approach an ATM, remember that, in a cash economy, they can be the entire banking system, and they have no obligation to you, except to hand out cash. And, if you give off the right vibes, not eat your card. Ed Tasca

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THE T HE L LAST AST K KING IN NG O OF FM MEXICO EXICO By Dr. Lorin Swinehart

n the morning of June 19, 1867, the Emperor Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph von Hapsburg-Lorraine was stood before a firing squad at Queretaro by forces loyal to President Benito Juarez and shot, ending his brief tenure as ruler of Mexico. He had been proclaimed emperor on April 10, 1864, with the support of Napoleon III of France, and only then after fierce fighting against Mexican forces. Looking at Maximilian’s portrait today, we sense beneath the elaborate facial shrubbery, fashionable at the time, a hint of Hapsburg hauteur. He was a member of the Hapsburg dynasty that dominated Europe and affected world politics for centuries. But there was more to Maximilian than meets the eye. A student of the Enlightenment, fascinated by such disciplines as botany and entomology and a bit of an idealist, he sincerely wanted what was best for Mexico. Maximilian dreamed of serving a grateful people as a benevolent monarch, enacting liberal reforms, creating a nation of peace and plenty. If anything, Maximilian was a wellmeaning but vague and befuddled victim of historical forces beyond his control. He was a tragic figure whose naivete and good intentions were manipulated by others, including his wife Carlotta, ambitious to see him elevated to the high place she deemed him worthy of. In many ways, he reminds us of Nicolas, the last Czar of Russia. Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821. There followed the Mexican War with the United States, during which Mexico lost vast territories in the north, including Texas and California. The Mexican Civil War in 1858 left the country deep in debt, its economy in shambles. President Benito Juarez was unable to meet the demands of European bankers and governments. Aware of America’s fatal slide into civil war and the unlikelihood of its enforcing the Monroe Doctrine, a coalition of powers—Spain, the United Kingdom and France—intervened militarily, occupying the port of Buena Vista and appropriating the revenues from customs and duties. Soon, Spain and the United

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Kingdom withdrew, leaving the incursion in the hands of the scheming French emperor Napoleon III. His first attempt to invade Mexico was stopped at Puebla, on May 5, 1862, by militia armed with antiquated muskets, an event celebrated yet as Cinco de Mayo. Napoleon then dispatched an additional 30,000 troops, pushing President Juarez and his forces north toward the U.S. border. Maximilian I was then placed on the throne of Mexico. Maximilian had insisted that he would come to Mexico only if the Mexican people chose him. They did in an election rigged by the French. He and the new Empress Carlotta took up residence at Chapultepec, the site of the former Spanish colonial castle, surrounded by the remnants of ancient Aztec gardens. Only Native Americans enthusiastically supported him, thinking he might represent the return of Quetzalcoatl, the god who had been promised by Aztec myth to arrive from the east. Most Mexicans were less enthusiastic. He was promised French military support until 1867, a promise that, like so many others, was not kept. Soon, Mexico was even deeper in debt, and the economy was worse than ever. Maximilian disappointed his conservative backers by refusing to return clerical lands confiscated by his predecessors, advocating religious freedom, abolishing peonage, building new schools, planning a modern navy and an Empire stretching from the Rio Grande to Panama. His new laws and reform projects filled seven volumes, but he never understood that legal codes were seldom complied with. Captivated by the beauty of the

country but dismayed by its terrible poverty, he walked the streets as a commoner, wearing Mexican clothes, including a sombrero, ate Mexican food, and attempted to fit in. With the end of the U.S. Civil War, Secretary of State William Seward began to pressure Napoleon to pull his troops out. U.S. troops began to mass along the border, and stores of guns and ammunition were left unguarded at El Paso, to be appropriated by Juarezâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s forces. Napoleon, fearing a rising, militaristic Prussia led by the heavyhanded Count Otto von Bismarck back in Europe, began to withdraw. Maximilian was urged to abdicate, which, proud of his Hapsburg heritage and fearful of disgracing it, he refused to do. Carlotta argued that abdication was cowardice and returned to Europe to lobby in vain for support from other monarchs. As the French army withdrew, Juarezâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s troops closed in. Maximilian fought on with the diminishing numbers of men and resources available to him, hoping to die courageously in battle. In that he failed. Instead, he was arrested and shot. Juarez was convinced that such a sentence was just, given the large numbers of Mexicans who had died

during the struggle. Three years later, the Prussians, utilizing more effective weapons and strategies, defeated Napoleon III at Sedan and took him prisoner. He lived out his days in bitter exile in the United Kingdom. Carlotta, unrealistic and insane to the end, lived in exile in Belgium, surviving until 1927. Mexico was a republic once again, and Maximilian I, the last king of Mexico, faded into history. Lorin Swinehart

Saw you in the Ojo 55

RHINOPLASTY: RHINOPLASTY: def. d e f.. r repair—a e p a i r —a a d damaged a m a g e d front f r o n t end end Re: Insurance Claim # AGL1947293a By Bob Drynan

ear Sir: In response to your request for greater detail related to the above claim, I fully sympathize with the incredulity of your associates, so I will provide you with the full sequence of events that should clarify how two incidents, separated by almost 200 miles and several hours involving substantial damage to my pickup/camper and my home are parts of a single event. On July fifteenth of this year, my wife and I were returning from a camping trip in the mountains near Lassen, California. On our return we departed early expecting to make the 450 mile drive to our new home in McMinnville, Oregon in a single day. By early afternoon we were

over half-way home and felt we could take a break. My wife Anna suggested that we do so by visiting the Wildlife Park in Winston, Oregon. It was a beautiful, warm summer day and as we slowly drove through the park a rhinoceros wandered onto the road, stopped and swung around facing us. He lowered his head and did not appear to be hostile, not that I had any idea what a hostile rhino would look like. I stepped out of the car to take his picture. That’s what a hostile rhinoceros looks like! Somehow my action must have provoked the beast, because as I stepped back to the pickup, he (I assume it was a “he”) moved forward and nudged the front of the vehicle with his horn.

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Startled I grunted, leapt into the pickup and honked the horn. The rhino grunted and hooked his horn into the front of the pickup. I honked again, hoping to drive him away, but the rhino had other ideas; shaking his head and shoulders he rammed the grill of my vehicle again, more violently, I backed up but he followed and rammed us again and then, as if nothing of consequence had occurred, he dropped a big load of manure on the road in front of us and trotted away. Fearful that he might return, I did not dismount to check the front end until we had returned to the entrance of the park, where I was able to assess the damage. The grill was stove in and broken in several places. The hood had been jammed back, bent in the middle, and impossible to open. With the engine running I could hear no sounds that indicated that the radiator or fan had been significantly damaged. The engine did not overheat so I determined to attempt to return home despite the damage. My wife was beside herself with anxiety and after making a report to the administration of the park, (a teen-age ticket seller), I continued on my way home to report the incident to my insurance agent the next morning. Passing Roseburg a few miles south of the Winston turn-off, a sheriff ’s car approached us from the rear sounding its siren. I pulled off the road to allow it to pass, but it pulled off in front of me and a sheriff ’s deputy emerged from his vehicle with his hand on the pistol in his holster. He stood facing me until a second deputy arrived and pulled up behind us. When the first deputy approached us, I rolled down my window to ask what the problem was and he ordered me out of the pickup. He spread-eagled me and patted me down. Then he demanded to know how I had damaged the front of my pickup. I explained that I had been attacked by a rhinoceros. He looked at me as if I was crazy and before I could explain further, he ordered the second deputy to cuff me. Then they made me take a breathalyzer test, which I’m sure I passed, because I don’t drink. Like common criminals, my wife and I were hustled into the screened rear seat of the deputy’s vehicle and carried away to state police headquarters in Roseburg. My wife by this time was too distraught to make a coherent statement. I was terribly upset myself, but I finally was able to convince a state police sergeant to call the wildlife park. The teenager to whom I had reported the rhino attack had gone home and failed to report the incident to his successor. It took an hour to confirm my statement that I had been attacked by the rhino and that I was not the driver of a recent hit-and-run incident in Roseburg, the vehicle description of which approximated my pickup and

its obvious damage. Fortunately, by the time we left the state police office in Roseburg my wife had sufficiently calmed that she insisted that she take her turn behind the wheel, as was our usual practice. Exhausted from the stress of events I decided to stretch out on the bed in the rear cabin where we slept when camping. About twenty miles south of Roseburg I felt the urge to urinate and I knocked on the rear window of the cab. Anna stopped to allow me to step into the brush to relieve myself. I left the rear door on the camper cab open. That was a mistake! As I returned from the brush, a tractor-trailer roared by and the rush of displaced air slammed closed the door to the camper. My wife Anna, thinking I had returned, drove off before I could reach the highway. I was stranded, but I waited by the roadside hoping she would realize that I had not gotten into the camper and she would return for me. Unfortunately that was not the case, and finally I thumbed a ride. The driver asked me what I was doing standing beside the highway in such a remote place and I began with the story of the rhino and then the incident with the sheriff ’s deputies and the state police. The driver looked at me as if I were crazy, pulled over to the side of the road and simply said, “out!” Determined that I would say nothing about the preceding events if another good Samaritan came along, I began walking down the edge of the highway and surprisingly soon I received another offer of a ride. He asked me where I was headed, and without further embellishment, I explained I had recently moved to McMinnville. He smiled and told me it was my lucky day, because he only lived on a few miles beyond McMinnville in Dundee. He said he could take me directly to my own doorstep. When we passed Salem, he explained that he knew a shortcut that would take us quickly to McMinnville. It was such a good route that I arrived home before my wife in the pickup. She later told me she did not want to make the damage to the front end worse by driving at the maximum speed limit. She didn’t attempt to wake me because the concentration on driving helped to calm her nerves. My keys were in the pickup, so when I arrived home I couldn’t get into the house without breaking a window, so I sat down to wait for Anna on the front stoop. It was after dark when she arrived. I stood and walked to the edge of the driveway as she entered. When she saw me standing in her headlights and not in the back of the camper, her foot stamped down on the accelerator instead of the brake, and she went through the garage door and out the back of the garage into the master bedroom.

FRONT ROW CENTER By Michael Warren

Season 49!

he musical The Drowsy Chaperone closed at the end of February, so there wasn’t time for my review to make it into this issue – you will have to wait another month. Meanwhile, the LLT has just announced the plays for next season (Season 49). Here they are: 1. Local Hero, written and directed by Neal Checkoway. 2. The Heiress, by Ruth and Augustus Goetz, directed by Roseann Wilshere. 3. Over The River And Through The Woods, by Joe DiPietro, directed by Ann Swiston. 4. Blood Relations, by Sharon Pollock, directed by Lynn Phelan. 5. Hooray For Hollywood!, written and directed by Barbara Clippinger. 6. Social Security, by Andrew Bergman, directed by Phil Shepherd. In 2005, Neal Checkoway brought an original adaptation of the cult classic Being There to the LLT stage, including the projection of pre-filmed scenes onto a back screen. I will be interested to see what he makes of Local Hero, which was a 1983 comedy-drama set in a fictional Scottish town called Ferness. The film is about an American oil company representative who is sent there to purchase the town and surrounding property to make way for a refinery. Naturally, he is affected by the strange beauty of the place and some of the odd people he meets – there may be opportunities for actors with Scottish accents! In different ways, both The Heiress and Blood Relations explore the plight of women trapped in impossible situations in the 19th century. The Heiress is based on the 1880 Henry James novel “Washington Square,” and the play opened on Broadway in 1947. It has since been revived several times, and won a Tony award for a very successful and long-running revival in 1995. The story is set in 1850 and revolves around the person of an initially shy young woman whose character evolves and strengthens during the play. This period drama will be an exciting challenge for actors and

director. By contrast, Blood Relations is about Lizzie Borden, and in effect it is a re-trial of her case with the audience as jury. Like Doubt, a play successfully performed here in 2007, the author provides no easy solutions and we are left to wrestle with our own pre-conceived notions of guilt and innocence. Over The River And Through The Woods is a 1994 play by New Jersey writer-lyricist Joe DiPietro. If you were brought up in a large ItalianAmerican family, you will certainly relate to this comedy-drama. And there will be significant parts for older actors, as young “Nick Cristano” has been having dinner with his four Italian grandparents every Sunday of his life. This play should provide some comic relief, in between two period dramas. Hooray For Hollywood! has been created for our entertainment by Barbara Clippinger, and the title says it all. We can expect plenty of great songs and high leg-kicks. Finally, the season will wind up with Social Security – a risqué comedy by Hollywood screenwriter Andrew Bergman, with plenty of one-liners and a juicy part for a feisty grandmother (no pre-audition selections, please!). So, Season 49 promises to be an interesting and thought-provoking series of plays, with some serious dramas interspersed with light comedy and a fun musical. Two of the directors (Lynn Phelan and Phil Shepherd) are new to LLT and Neal Checkoway returns after an 8-year absence. It’s a lot of work directing a play, and in some cases the work for next year begins now with consideration of the characters, and how to make the play come across successfully for this local audience. Good luck to all – break a leg, but don’t fall Michael Warren off the stage!

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THE OJO INTERNET MAILBOX (Wherein we publish some comments about our previous issues.)

APOLOGIES Bernie I’m sorry I read this!! Ken Loomes You’re bad! Manny Mac; I am sitting here wondering how you come up with all this BS. But it is quite hilarious. Keep it up. Good night. Elder Dotter I never knew about your double life!!....Where’s my apology? THE WOMAN WHO THOUGHT SHE LOVED MEN Little sparrow These stories moved me. Finally a refreshing change from the status quo. I applaud your courage Zofia. A BRIEF HISTORY OF JEWS IN MEXICO Gene Whitman Hi Mel...enjoyed your article on Mexican Jews. I have met Mexican Jews in San Miguel who have recently converted because they “ have always felt deep down not Catholic.” Their families predate the late 19th and early 20th century immigrations. Are you aware of any publications discussing this? Stands to reason that more “hidden Jews” came to Nuevo Mexico, given the combination of the Inquisition and the opportunities in the new world. Thx and regards, Gene Whitman M.D. EDITOR’S PAGE - FEBRUARY 2013 Vicki Hey Fred, great job of shooting down the extremely fuzzy logic of the gun fetishists of the USA! GEO-MEXICO: THE GEOGRAPHY AND DYNAMICS OF MODERN MEXICO MAY 2010 Diana Hi! I’m looking for this book here in Mexico but I can’t find it, could you give me the ISBN number? It would be easier to me to search for it. Thanks :) Diana Richard Rhoda Diana; The ISBN # for “Geo-Mexico: The geography and Dynamics of Modern Mexico” is 978-0-9735191-3-6. The book is only sold over the counter in Chapala/Ajijic and San Miguel de Allende. It is available via internet at “www. geo-mexico.com” or contact me directly at rhodarick@yahoo.com.

El Ojo del Lago / March 2013

THUNDER ON THE RIGHT - FEBRUARY 2013 Charlotte So let me get this straight: rich countries have ‘food stamps’, poor countries don’t. I know that ‘cause’ and ‘effect’ are complicated statistical creations, but how about a list of ‘rich’ countries without food stamps that prove you can be a rich country without providing a system that can be systemically abused? Because what I see is that rich countries are willing to give a leg up to people who need it, even if it means helping the people who don’t. Greg Countries without social safety nets tend to rank lower on the economic development scale. Although certainly practices of fraud need to be looked at I don’t think Canada needs to take lessons from the USA on economics, foreign policy or creating a proper social safety net. LAKESIDE: LOURDES WITHOUT THE RICH FRENCH FOOD Carolyn You made me laugh out loud. More than once. And not from digestive issues. Thanks! Bob It’s heartening to know there really are sages living lakeside. Keep up the wise and wonderful writing .....and keep off the carretera on Wednesday mornings! Aaaaaa! BB MEXICO IS NOT FOR SALE! Jane Viehl What a wonderful history lesson! Perhaps its true that people never change, but we have to keep trying. Viva Mexico! FOCUS ON ART - SEPTEMBER 2012 Shelley Davis MILO! So, you have finally moved to Mexico! Good for you! Tom also moved, but only to Lucerne! Jonathan Carlson Milo call me so i can get new numbers for you. Jono 310 995 6666 EVERY WORD IMPORTANT Chance DeWitt Would you please email me the schedule of the Writers’ Conference scheduled for March 7 and 8. I am coming from PV for the event. Thank you

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GREAT NEWS!

lianza por una E d u c a c i ó n H u m a n i t a r i a (Alliance for Humane Education) is formed by a group of four associations in education, science, child welfare and animal advocacy interested in improving the quality of life in the Lakeside area by fostering early values of respect and responsibility in children towards other humans, animals and all living beings with whom we share the planet. The Alliance is very proud to inform to the public in general, that after a strong screening process by the education authorities, the program has obtained authorization of the local Secretary of Education, Delegation Ciénega, to implement its program in 51 schools along the Jocotepec-Chapala region, previous agreement with school supervisors, principals and teachers. The six-session program “Guardianes del Planeta,” under the category of “Non Violence & Antibullying—An Education for Peace,” will be supervised and implemented by professionals to guarantee highest education standards. We want to very specially thank the Secretary of Education La Ciénega, same as its Delegation in Jocotopec, for their sensibility and cooperation in this matter. Furthermore, the program has been shared with the Mexican Association for Animal Rights (Asociación Mexicana de los Derechos de los Animales, A.C.) after its content was categorized by them as the best program

El Ojo del Lago / March 2013

combining children & animal welfare they have encountered. SPRING BREAK AND SUMMER HUMANE EDUCATION CAMPS FOR CHILDREN AT LAKESIDE A Spring Break Humane Education Camp will be held for Children of Love in Action on March 23 to April 7, 2013. Children will participate in our first Humane Education Camp which will include Humane Education Workshops, same as those activities that will encourage children to improve their social and conflict resolution skills. Children will be encouraged to participate in community activities supporting other children, animals and the environment. A one-week Humane Education Camp will be held during the Summer 2013 for children as of 7 years old during the month of July 2013. For further details about our Humane Education program, community activities and summer camps, please contact: Eliana Herrerías (045) 3315448143 or email: apeh_mexico@ hotmail.com

Now N ow tthat hat II’m ’m mo older lder h here’s ere’s w what hat II’ve ’ve d discovered: iscovered:

I started out with nothing, and I still have most of it. 2. My wild oats have turned into prunes and all-bran. 3. I finally got my head together, and now my body is falling apart. 4. Funny, I don’t remember being absent-minded. 5. Funny, I still don’t remember being absent-minded. 6. If all is not lost, where is it? 7. It is easier to get older than it is to get wiser. 8. Some days, you’re the dog; some days you’re the hydrant. 9. I wish the buck stopped here; I sure could use a few. 10. Kids in the back seat cause accidents. 11. Accidents in the back seat cause kids. 12. It’s hard to make a comeback when you haven’t been anywhere. 13. The only time the world beats a path to your door is when you’re in the bathroom. 14. If God wanted me to touch my toes, he’d have put them on my knees. 15. When I’m finally holding all the cards, why does everyone want to play chess? 16. It’s not hard to meet expenses . . . they’re everywhere. 17. The only difference between

a rut and a grave is the depth. 18. These days, I spend a lot of time thinking about the hereafter . . .I go somewhere to get something, and then wonder what I’m hereafter 19. Funny, I don’t remember being absent-minded. 20. DID I SEND THESE TO YOU BEFORE..........??????

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The Poets’ Niche By Mark Sconce msconce@gmail.com Russian Poetry in the Golden Age The Pushkin Pleiad

It was a time of enormous and varied achievements in the arts, the 1810s, 1820s and 1830s. St.Petersburg, the Russian capital at that time, was the focal point of advances in every conceivable art fform. EEnormous prestige i attached h d to practitioners of the divine mystery we call art. The Russian love for dance and music was rivaled only by their love of poetry, which has no equal except in Ireland. And within the colorful aurora borealis of poetry there shown one particularly bright light: Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin (1799-1837).* Admired and quoted across Russia even today, Pushkin led the way creating a Russian literary language that successfully competed with French, the language of the upper classes. Best known for Eugene Onegin, Pushkin wrote over a thousand lyric and narrative poems, plays, essays, reviews, and extensive letters. Yet he was only 37 when struck down in a pistol duel over a beautiful woman—his flirtatious wife. Ever the romantic, his first student poem hung as a sign on a hospital wall: Here lies a student gravely ill/His only lot is to endure/So take away that useless pill/There is for love as yet no cure.” Trans. James E. Falen. Pushkin’s death-by-pistol was a national calamity. Over 30,000 admirers filed by the casket on a single day. One old man stood by the coffin quietly weeping. When the poet, Prince Viazemsky, asked him if he knew Pushkin personally, the old gentleman, tears streaming down his face, answered simply, “No, but I am a Russian.” The so-called Pushkin Pleiad included Prince Petr Viazemsky (1792-1878). Advisor to Czars, mentor to Pushkin and “favorite of the Muses,” Viazemsky sported a wicked wit poking fun at the powers that be. Do you need an explanation what the Russian god can be? Here’s a rough approximation as the thing appears to me. God of snowstorms, god of potholes, every wretched road you’ve trod, coach-inns, cockroach haunts and rat holes, that’s him, that’s your Russian god. God of frostbite, god of famine, beggars, cripples by the yard, farms with no crops to examine, that’s him, that’s your Russian god. Then there was Nikolay Iazykov (1803-1847), an outspoken liberal in the Pushkin Pleiad who didn’t even shy away from disparaging the Czar, a dangerous thing to do. The times we face are cruel, harsh. Stupidity’s enthroned in arms! Farewell, O poetry that’s holy, Hello, O slavery’s quietude! Next to Pushkin, Evgeny Baratynsky (1800-1844) was declared best poet of the Pleiad. He believed that imagination was the bridge between reason and emotion. A philosophical poet, he was also the most convincingly melancholic and romantic: False tenderness from me do not demand/I shan’t conceal my heart’s sad chill. You’re right, the lovely flame/Of my first love, has disappeared. And when in vain I turn my thoughts/To your dear face and our old dreams: My memories are lifeless./I gave my word, but I cannot keep it. And who could forget Baron Anton von Delvig (1798-1831), one of Pushkin’s closest friends and a poet given to tender emotions, particularly to friendship and love? Your golden curls, their fortunate disorder, Your azure eyes, their greeting, as in dream, Your lips’ sweet sound, if only in dissent, Give birth to love with hopelessness together. These fine poets and several more were sparkling talents in their own right who, in any other era, might have been considered major poets. But Pushkin’s brilliance outshone them all and the era is his. Pushkin personally admired these poets both as people and as writers. The Golden Age was their age. *A Passion for Pushkin, The Poets’ Niche, June 2011. Mark Sconce

El Ojo del Lago / March 2013

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LETTING GO—In Practice By Loretta S. Downs

t took me seven years to quit smoking. Seven long manic years of alternately suffering and celebrating from the day I acknowledged my desire to stop until I finally did. Christmas Day 1992 is tattooed on my mind. Cigarettes were a part of my life. I picked the first one up when I babysat for my sister’s children. She and her husband smoked. Didn’t everyone in 1959? There were ashtrays holding remnants on the kitchen table, the coffee table, the bathroom counter, and the bedroom dresser, calling to us. Guilt was always part of smoking. I had to hide it from my parents until the night during my junior year when dad came home around 10 PM from a father’s club meeting at my all-girls Catholic high school, opened a beer and lit a cigarette. I sat down at the table next to him and casually lit one too. I was freed from guilt. I smoked a pack a day for years. Breakfast was a cigarette and a cup of coffee. Lunch meant cigarettes. There were cigarette breaks and cigarettes with dinner and cigarettes all night long until I smashed the last one out in the ashtray on the nightstand. The first time I quit was motivated by the increase in price from 25 to 30 cents a pack. Then I got a raise and the price was less motivating. I kept smoking. Coming of age meant I could start to drink alcohol, and that went with cigarettes like jelly and peanut butter. When I couldn’t smoke while I drank, I’d just eat more until I gained 10, 20, 30 pounds and I would start smoking again. I could not give up smoking. Every time I did I felt like I was doing just that, giving up something I wanted, I needed. I tortured myself. Smokers were sympathetic. After a few drinks and a basket of bread, they’d edge their pack across the table near my hand so I could help myself. Sometimes it was funny. I could

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make people laugh until they wet their pants with tales of how low I would go to get a cigarette. I would bribe waiters—even at the finest restaurants-- when the wine would weaken my resolve. When a pack was up to $3, I would whisper, “Can I buy a cigarette from you for $1?” They’d always give me more than one. What had to happen in order for me to stop the madness was to accept that I did not want cigarettes in my life for no other reason than that. When they became too much trouble to hold on to, like a love gone bad, I let go of wanting Mr. Smokes. I was free. In my years of yo-yo dieting, I would add larger sizes to my closet as I added pounds, and then merrily discard them as soon as I lost weight, with no regard for the poor return on my investment. Letting go of the symbols of my failure was easy. I’ve realized this is a game I play with myself, bluffing and hoping the guy sitting across from me won’t have the winning hand. He is Death and I am playing against a pro. There will be the many stages in which my body will change in ways I cannot predict and I will be forced to let go of so much more. I will have to let go of doing everything my way and doing it alone. I’ll be confronted by a disease that can’t be beat, the need to use a cane, then a walker, then a bed, and then my grave. Even though I will be letting go of everything I can touch and hold, I intend to keep a firm grasp on the spirit of the woman within me. The woman who baby sat her sister’s children, who got educated, who had the good sense to stop smoking when she did, who danced at fancy parties in elegant gowns, ran races, practiced yoga, received awards for her butterfly garden, loved, and lived. I will hold on to all of the person I am until the day I say it’s time to lay down my cards, let go, and set myself free.

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The Ojo Crossword

ACROSS 1 Fern seed 6 Unhazardous 10 Tasks 14 Old 15 Excited 16 Asian nation 17 V-shaped object 18 South of the border crazy 19 Bread spread 20 Space ship builders 21 Dressing table 23 Close to the ground 24 Regretted 26 Verse meter 28 In the middle 31 Spy 48 Anger 49 Those people 51 Professional dancer 53 Disease 56 Ivory 57 Regret 58 Engraved 61 Swiss-like cheese 65 Land unit 67 Press 68 Rise 69 Large flat-bottomed boat 70 Oaths

El Ojo del Lago / March 2013

71 Many times 72 Detest 73 Fencing sword 74 Your equals DOWN 1 Planted seeds 2 Appeal 3 Chances of winning 4 Affect 5 East northeast 6 Green dish 7 Competition at the Greek games 8 Central points 9 Conceited person 10 Mountain Man Bridger 11 Toothbrush brand 12 Marsh 13 Winter time precipitatin 21 Refuse to sign a bill 22 Talk 25 Ship initials 27 Asian starling 28 _matter 29 Groan 30 As previously cited 31 Snaky fish 34 Alter 35 The other half of Jima 37 First letter of the Arabic alphabet 38 Pierce 39 Visionary 41 Story 45 Gala 46 Thump 47 Distress call 50 Shade 52 Painter Georgia_ 53 Throw away 54 Desert plant 55 Ross_ , Philanthropist 56 Strain 59 Harvest 60 “Gordie”_ , most hockey games 62 Go out with 63 Declare 64 Not women´s 66 Ram´s mate 68 Bunny movement

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Sir, I’m appalled by the “Thunder On The Right” article by Paul Jackson in the Ojo February Edition. Surely this was written with tongue-in-cheek. If not, it is ignorant at worst and mis-informed at best. He blames food stamps for US citizens not wanting or trying to work and perpetuates the stigma that food stamp users are drunks and layabouts….”they use food stamps at the supermarket, and then slip over to the liquor store to buy a six-pack.” He claims that the Canadian medical system is “outrageously abused” by the fact (?) “some people visit their doctor once a week just to have a chat.” I lived in Canada for sixty years and know

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no doctor who would waste his/her time and skills by having regular weekly chats! Finally he insults our intelligence by suggesting that US citizens would create work, as Mexicans do, if food stamps weren’t so easily available. He cites Mexico as a country where “everyone does almost anything to make a living. They sell fruit in the streets, they wash cars, they polish shoes, they open up small businesses.” Can you imagine opening a taco stand on a corner in New York City where all food carts are licensed (at a very hefty fee), and health regulated? Please Mr. Jackson, tell us you really weren’t serious!!! Judi Kells Ocampo 85B, Ajijic, 766-4597

The

LAKE CHAPALA SOCIETY

News

March 2013

REPORT FROM THE BOARD

Governance at LCS is accomplished through the thousands of hours of work done by the dedicated volunteers of the Board of Directors and its five standing committees: Finance, Fund Development, Community Relations, Programs and Services, and Management. This is an overview of 2012 activities and accomplishments. LCS Finance Committee (Paula Haarvei, Chair) This committee prepares the annual budget ensuring that sufficient funds are available for LCS operations, including the Wilkes Education Center (Biblioteca Publica), student aid, programs and services, building and grounds, the directory, and fundraising activities. Our reserve fund, targeted to provide twelve months of administrative costs (fixed and overhead), currently stands at MXN 300,000; the committee will recommend adding an additional MXN 150,000 pesos from the 2012 surplus. The committee has updated old financial policies and procedures, created new ones and formed an ad-hoc exploratory committee to study the feasibility of replacing outdated buildings through a capital campaign. LCS Fund Development Committee (Karen Blue, Interim Chair) The Fund Development Committee is researching ways to accept tax-exempt donations from Canadian, Mexican and U.S. donors including a mechanism to name LCS as a beneficiary for planned and deferred giving. (Currently donations from U.S.citizens are processed through the Foundation for Lake Chapala Charities.) Student aid program funding through the website has received donations netting MXN 2,821 the first month. Community Relations Committee (Lois Cugini, Chair) The committee created a stronger LCS presence in the Mexican community- opening the grounds for foreigners and Mexicans to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, providing water bottles at the finish line of the Chupinaya Mountain Race, and offering the LCS grounds for an Ajijic Plaza Project fundraiser. Its most successful major fundraiser, Fiesta Latina, provided its guests with Latin foods, music and dance. Program and Services Committee (Ben White, Chair) To get a better handle on programs and services offered, the committee created three categories: managed programs or services offered and directly managed by LCS; concession programs that provide a service or product for a fee, and sanctioned programs on LCS grounds that have a community or social enrichment component and are typically run by LCS member volunteers. The committee was able to evaluate these programs and determine whether they conform to the mandates in the LCS Constitution. The committee also reviewed and approved changes to the post life program, and the policies and procedures related to LCS bulletin

boards. On behalf of the LCS Board, the Program and Services Committee was appointed steward of the Drummond Legacy Children’s Art Collection and will develop policies relating to its future use. Management Committee (Fred Harland, Chair) The Committee completed work on a significant number of LCS policy and procedure issues: personnel matters, appeals, buildings and grounds, re-naming the Biblioteca Publica, the service desk, copyrights, bilingualism, member behavior, and vendor contracts. A search for an assistant to the executive director to implement more professional program planning and execution is in process. An overwhelming part of the Committee’s work focused a growing list of concerns that impact LCS physical plant, membership, programs and services. An ad-hoc exploratory committee will be formed to take over the long-range tasks initiated by the Management Committee. The Ad-hoc Exploratory Committee (Cate Howell, Chair) Established at the June Board of Directors meeting, the committee’s task is to evaluate the feasibility of raising funds to meet the cost of proposed improvements to LCS campus. Over the past six months, the committee brainstormed many ideas about the future of existing LCS services, the development of new programs, sources of additional income, enhanced use of information technology, partnerships with industry and government, re-purposing of existing assets, re-building the LCS campus, and meeting the interests of future “boomer” retirees. To explore those factors they recognized the need for a professional Feasibility Study to guide the LCS Long-Range Strategic Plan. The Feasibility Study recommended by the Ad-hoc Exploratory Committee and approved by the Board, is underway and be completed soon.

***Don’t Forget*** LCS is closed 0n Monday, March 18 in observation of Benito Juarez Day.

www.lakechapalasociety.com

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Film Aficionados Thursdays in March Members only - No dogs - All films in the Sala March 7 12:00 pm Wolfsburg Germany 2003 Psychological drama A woman seeks the driver of a car that hit her young son. Perfect direction by Christian Petzold and excellent acting by the two lead characters make this drama worthy of its many awards. March 14 2:00 pm Barbara Germany 2012 In this drama that could have been written by Franz Kafka, a doctor working in 1980’s East Berlin finds herself banished to a small rural hospital and hounded by the Stasi (Secret Police). This film may be director Christian Petzold’s masterpiece and is Germany’s Oscar entry for Best Foreign Language Film 2013. March 21 12:00 pm The Other Bank Kazakhstan/ Georgia 2009 A refugee boy and his mother fleeing the ethnic cleansing in the Abkahzia section of Georgia seek refuge in the capital, Tblisi. The boy returns home to find his father and learns a lot about life during his journey. 28 March 2:00 pm Liberal Arts United States 2012 A good-natured and surprisingly clever look at the addictive pull of nostalgia for our younger days.

Fiesta Latina a Success! A HUGE thanks to all of you who participated in this fund-raising event. Because of your participation, as a guest, volunteer or service provider, we raised a record $130,000 MXN for our Community Education Program. Congratulations everyone!!! A special thanks goes out to Lois Cugini who organized the event... JOB WELL DONE!

Karen Shirack Lois Cugini Concha Gurski

*BRING YOUR LCS MEMBERSHIP CARD*

LCS Learning Seminars March (via TED Internet podcast) In the Sala Tuesdays at Noon Members Only *BRING YOUR LCS MEMBERSHIP CARD* March 5 Chaired by Ron Mullenaux Is there a definite line between crazy and sane? With a hair-raising delivery, Jon Ronson, author of The Psychopath Test, illuminates the gray areas between the two extremes...or are they? March 12 Chaired by Bill Frayer Bio-medical researcher Mina Bissell’s experiments point to a new understanding of cancer. For decades, Bissell, former head of life sciences at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, pursued a revolutionary idea -- that a cancer cell depends on its microenvironment for cues on how to develop. She shares the two key experiments that prove the prevailing wisdom about cancer growth is wrong. March 19 Chaired by Fred Harland “Between Music and Medicine” Robert Gupta, doctor and violinist, lives between two worlds, a bow in his hand and a sense of social justice in his heart. He tells a moving story of society’s marginalized members and the power of music therapy to succeed where conventional medicine has failed. March 24 Chaired by Ron Mullenaux In this inspiring talk, “Four Principles for the Open World” Futurist Don Tapscott says recent generations, exposed to technology from birth, are transforming the world into a far more open, transparent and better place.

El Ojo del Lago / March 2013

Emile Badawy Nancy Creeven Lorena Rule

Beth Cathcart Kenneth Caldwell Donna Esposito

Don’t Forget the Casi Nuevo Thrift Shop Thrift shop income assists three important charities: • School for the Deaf in Jocotepec • Have Hammers… Will Travel • The LCS Community Education Program Drop off items at the store in Riberas del Pilar or the drop box at LCS. We will pick up larger items at no charge. Please contact Jacqueline Smith at 766-1303 or email smithjacqueline55@gmail.com.

MARCH ACTIVITIES *Open to the Public ** US Citizens (S) Sign in Required CRUZ ROJA* Cruz Roja Sales Table Mon-Fri 10-1:00 pm Cruz Roja Monthly Meeting 2nd Wed 2-4:00 pm HEALTH INSURANCE * Blue Angel Insurance Thur 10:30-1:00 pm Health Benefits Thur 10:00-12:00 pm IMSS & Immigration Services Mon+Tue 10:00-1:00 pm Mexico Protect Insurance Tue+TH 11-2:00 pm TioCorp Company Fri 10-1:00 pm HEALTH & LEGAL SERVICES * Becerra Immigration Fri 10:30-12:30 pm Blood Pressure Mon+Fri 10-12:00 pm Diabetes Screenings 2nd+3rd Fri 10-12:00 pm Hearing Services Mon+2nd + 4th Sat 11-3 (Sign in) Information Desk Mon-Sat 10-2:00 pm Loridans, Marquez & Assoc Tue 10-12:00 pm Optometrist Thu 9-3:00 pm (Sign in) Skin Cancer Screening 2nd 4th Wed 10-12:00 pm (Sign in) US Consulate ** 1st Wed 10-12:30 pm (Sign in) LCS Patio & Sales Table Mon-Sat 10-1:00 pm LESSONS Children’s Art* Sat 10-12:00 pm Exercise Mon+Wed+Fri 9-10:00 pm Intermediate Hatha Yoga Tue+Thu 2-3:30, SAT 1-2:30 pm Line Dancing Tue+Thu 10-11:15 pm LIBRARIES Audio Thu 10-12:00 pm Book & Video Mon-Sat 10-2:00 pm Library of Congress Talking Books** Thu 10-12:00 pm Wilkes Mon-Fri 9:30-1:30, Sat 9:30-1:00 pm SOCIAL ACTIVITIES Beginners Digital Camera Wed 12-1:00 pm Beginners iPad Wed 1-2:30 pm E-mail reg. req. Bridge 4 Fun Mon+Wed 1-4:30 pm Conversaciones en Espanol Mon 10-12:00 pm Grammar req. Digital Camera Club Wed 10:30-11:50 am Discussion Group Wed 12-1:30 pm Everyday Mindfulness Mon 10:30-12:00 pm Film Aficianados 1st & 3rd Thu 12-2:00 pm Card Film Aficianados 2nd,4th, Last Thu 2-4:00 pm Card Genealogy Last Mon 2-4:00 pm iStuff Discussion Group Fri 9:30-10:30 am Learning Seminars Tue 12-1:30 pm Mac OS 1st Mon 12-1:30 pm Mac User 3rd Wed 3-4:30 pm Mah-Jonng Fri 10-2:00 pm Music Jam* Wed 2-4:00 pm Needle Pushers Tue 10-11:45 am Scrabble Mon+Fri 12-2:00 pm Singing For The Brain Mon 2-3:00 pm TED Philosophy Discussion Wed 10:45-11:45 am Tournament Scrabble Tue 12-2:00 pm Windows Computer Group Fri 10:30-11:45 am SERVICE & SUPPORT GROUPS * AL-Anon Step Study Mon 4:30-5:30 pm Fibromyalgia/CFS Support Group 2nd Thu 2-3:00 pm Gamblers Anonymous Wed 11-1:00 pm Green Group 1st Tue 3-4:30 pm Lakeside AA Mon+Thu 4:30-6:00 pm MS Support Group 3rd Wed 3-4:00 pm Niños de Chapala & Ajijic Fri 10-1:00 pm Open Circle Sun 10-12:15 pm SMART Recovery Wed 3-4:00 pm Trees Without Roots Tue 12:30-2:00 pm TICKET SALES

Mon-Fri 10-12:00 pm *

VIDEO LIBRARY New Additions for March New additions are previewed on the LCS web page. Catalogs have been updated for 2013. Game Change #D6088: McCain secures the nomination, but polls behind Obama. Strategist Steve Schmidt suggests a game changer: a conservative woman, unknown, media savvy Alaska governor Sarah Palin, as vice president-she’s an immediate hit and a quick study - the gap closes. She doesn’t prepare for her Katie Couric interview and bombs. Schmidt’s answer: give her a script. Palin debates Biden; finds her voice; goes off script, and goes rogue. A mistake? Ed Harris Julianne Moore 7.4 of 10 Eight Men Out #D6081 A dramatization of the Black Sox scandal when the underpaid Chicago White Sox accepted bribes to lose the 1919 World Series. John Cusak Clifton James Drama/History 7.2 of 10 Bend It Like Beckham #D6090 A comedy about bending the rules to reach your goals, Bend It Like Beckham explores the world of women’s soccer, from kick-abouts in the park to freekicks in the Final. Set in Hounslow, West London and Hamburg, the film follows two 18 year olds with their hearts set on a future in professional soccer. Heart-stopping talent doesn’t seem to be enough when your parents want you to hang up your football boots, find a nice boyfriend and learn to cook the perfect chapatti. Keira Knightly Paminder Nagra Comedy 6.8 of 10 Unconscious #D6095 A Freudian comedy set in 1913 Barcelona playfully questions sexual taboos via a Sherlock Holmes-style investigation. Spanish soundtrack English subtitles 7.2 of 10 Three documentaries: The Cove (#6094), Cats of Mirikitania (#D6075) and Jonestown (#6078). Please see the LCS web page under Video Rental or the red catalogs outside the video library for details about these documentaries. If you are traveling north of the border and returning soon, or if you have guests coming to visit, we could use your help. The Video Library depends upon travelers who act as couriers to fill film library inventory. We order movies on-line, prepay them and have them delivered to an address of the courier’s choice. Each traveler can bring 10 DVDs duty-free into Mexico. They don’t take up much room, so if you can help, please come to the Video Library. Thank you.

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2013 Directories Now Available The beautiful new LCS directories are available for members. Ask one of the volunteers in the office for your copy.

LCS Singles St. Patrick's Day Party Irish or not, you’ll want to join the festivities Sunday, March 17th at El Barco from 4:30 pm until everybody’s tired of celebrating. Corned beef and cabbage or rib dinners are on the menu, and Irish music with the Jam Band and recorded tunes, will be in the air for dancing and general revelry. Tickets will be sold at the door for 125 pesos and will include food and one green beer or drink. Other food and drink choices will be available.You’ll find El Barco on the carretera. Please RSVP to Phil at carphil10@gmail.com or call 01 387 761 0125.

Update: Immigration Reform Do you still have questions about the new immigration reforms? Updated information about the new law will be presented by Alvaro Becerra from Becerra Immigration Services Friday, March 15th at the Neill James Patio, 11-12:30 pm. Open to the public.

Looking for Qualified Workers? Long and short term workers are available for any kind of job throughout the entire Lakeside area. Contact elbelgicano.com to access the free database of almost 1,200 job seekers.

More Activities for March Palacio de La Cultura y La Comunicacion Presentation on the new cultural center in Guadalajara by Leonardo Gasparini Friday, March 8 at the LCS Neill James Patio, 11:00 am. Open to the public. The Prelude to War American-Japanese Relations 1853-1941 Presented by Arnold Smith Monday, 11 March 2013 LCS Sala, 12-2:00 pm. LCS Members Only.

THE LAKE CHAPALA SOCIETY, A.C. 16 de Septiembre #16-A, Ajijic, Jalisco LCS Main Office: (376) 766-1140 Office, information and other services - Monday – Saturday, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Grounds open until 5:00 pm LCS BOARD OF DIRECTORS President - Howard Feldstein (2014) Vice-President - Fred Harland (2013) Treasurer - Paula Haarvei (2013) Secretary - John Rider (2014) Director - Karen Blue (2014) Director - Lois Cugini (2013) Director - Aurora Michel Galindo (2013) Director - Cate Howell (2013) Director - Ann D. Houck (2014) Director - Wallace Mills (2013) Director - Ben White (2013); Executive Director - Terry Vidal The LCS Newsletter is published monthly. Deadline for submissions is the 17th of the month preceding publication. News items may be e-mailed to Reba Mayo rebaelizabethhill@yahoo.com; cc to Terry Vidal tqv56431@yahoo.com Note: The editorial staff reserves the right to edit all submissions according to time, space availability and editorial decision.

El Ojo del Lago / March 2013

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Service

www.tel.chapala.com