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June 10, 2011 ..the heartbeat of the Riviera Nayarit
The Sol, the English Language source of News for the Riviera Nayarit Mexico, including La Penita de Jaltemba, Rincon de Guayabitos, Lo de Marcos. Los Ayala, Lo de Marcos, and San Pancho

Editor Bill Bell

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Hooray for the Marines: Dia de la Marina Honors Mexican Navy

©Tara A. Spears

While this civic holiday is to recognize and honor a division of the Mexican Military, there are no business closings and most communities without navy installations don’t have parades. But Navy Day is celebrated throughout the Mexican ports with civic ceremonies, parades, fishing tournaments, sailing competitions, parties and fireworks. Celebrations are particularly colorful in some northern ports, like Topolobampo, and in the Caribbean resort of Playa del Carmen.

Mexican Marines: “Over land, in the air, and in the sea”

Click here to read the entire story

Pemex stations sprout up along Highway 200

New Pemex at highway 200 entrance to Sayulita

New Pemex at entrance to San Pancho

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This Week

Mexico Attracts US Retirees Despite Crime Wave

Some 40,000 people have been killed in Mexico over the past five years as the Latin American country's police and military battle powerful drug cartels that are also fighting with each other over smuggling routes. In spite of the dire headlines, hundreds of thousands of US citizens vacation in Mexico every year and many of them, especially those who are retired, have opted to buy property and live there. The warm weather and the lower cost of living are big draws....go to original article

US World Cup warmup vs Mexico not revenge match

The last time they hooked up, Mexico beat the U.S. women for the first time, grabbed an automatic spot in the upcoming World Cup and forced the Americans to take a circuitous route to the tournament…go to original article

Mexico official: Former Tijuana mayor arrested on suspicion of illegal guns

Former Tijuana Mayor Jorge Hank Rhon, one of Mexico’s most flamboyant businessmen and politicians, has been arrested on suspicion of illegal weapons possession, federal law enforcement officials said Saturday….go to original article

Visions of Mexico City dotted with riverside parks

At rush hour, two architects and a biologist stand on a footbridge over the highway that runs east and west through the center of this concrete cityscape. They are eager and young (the oldest, Elias Cattan, is 32) but could just as well be blind old prophets. All they seem to see in the grime and traffic is a magnificent past and future….go to original article

Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano blasts tower of ash

The Popocatepetl volcano that towers over Mexico City began rumbling again Friday, shooting a blast of ash about 2 miles (3 kilometers) above its crater at dawn. The ash cloud drifted first to the west and then turned back east toward the city of Puebla, Mexico's national disaster prevention agency said….go to original article

Mexico seizes 154 rifles from buried cartel cache

Mexican soldiers found a buried cache of weapons apparently stockpiled by a drug cartel, including 154 rifles and shotguns and more than 92,000 rounds of ammunition, the Defense Department said Friday. The cache included four mortar shells, two rocket-propelled grenades, dozens of assault rifles, sniper rifles and two bows…go to original article

Two years after fire killed 49 Mexico preschoolers, parents don't see justice done

Two years after the awful blaze, indignation hangs over Hermosillo like a sooty cloud. The fire at a preschool in the northwestern city killed 49 youngsters and injured dozens more. Colossal safety lapses, including locked exits and no sprinklers, provided enough blame to spread across an alphabet soup of government agencies and the private contractors who ran the school for the Mexican Social Security Institute….go to original article

Mexico enacts changes of constitutional appeals to blunt use by criminals, expand for others

Mexican President Felipe Calderon says new changes to Mexico’s constitutional appeals will make them less attractive to criminals and more useful for average citizens. The appeals are meant to prevent authorities from violating people’s rights, but often result in injunctions that block police searches or detentions. Judges will be able to throw out appeals they think criminals are using to block or delay justice….go to original article

California condor chick born in wild in Mexico

Mexican researchers say they have located a California condor chick being raised in the wild by a nesting pair of the endangered vultures. The federal Environment Department says its personnel found the nest in the northwestern state of Baja California after days of hiking in a remote mountain area….go to original article

Last Week

Mexico denies Slim's Telmex right to offer TV

A Mexican regulatory agency on Friday denied billionaire Carlos Slim's request to offer television services through his giant telephone company, saying its practices are discriminatory toward competitors.

The Communications and Transportation Department said Slim's Telefonos de Mexico SAB does not meet federal requirements for connecting other carriers to its network efficiently….go to original article

Mexico detains nearly 50 members of 2 drug gangs

Mexico's federal police detained nearly 50 members of two major drug cartels, including suspects in the recent armed attack on a police helicopter, authorities said Saturday. The suspects include 36 members of the La Familia cartel and 10 members of the Zetas drug gang, the federal police said in a statement. …go to original article

Tunnel found in Mexico may hold ancient rulers

Researchers have found a tunnel under the Temple of the Snake in the pre-Hispanic city of Teotihuacan, about 28 miles northeast of Mexico City. The tunnel had apparently been sealed off around 1,800 years ago….go to original article

Diplomat tapped to be ambassador to Mexico grew up in Concord

The Obama administration has tapped a career diplomat who grew up in Contra Costa County for one of its most important foreign service posts: ambassador to Mexico.

The White House has not formally nominated Earl Anthony "Tony" Wayne as the next ambassador, but the administration presented his name late last week to the Mexican foreign ministry, a source in the ministry confirmed. A vetting by the host country is routine protocol in diplomatic appointments. …go to original article

Mexico bans discrimination against disabled

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has passed a new law to provide anti-discrimination protection to people with disabilities.

Calderon said that for the first time 'the ban on treating the disabled in a discriminatory way has been raised to the status of law'….go to original article

Mexico women activists demand safe abortion

Activists from more than 40 civil organisations protested in Mexico City to demand that the federal government permit abortion nationwide as a woman's right to decide about her own body.

'Deciding is not a crime, it is a right...we're not reproduction machines, we're women with the right to decide' were some of the slogans chanted by the close to 100 women protesting outside the federal health ministry…..go to original article

Hurricane Adrian should miss Mexican coast

Hurricane Adrian remained well off the Pacific Coast of Mexico Thursday, churning west-northwest at about 12 mph, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

The Category 1 hurricane was about 275 miles south-southwest of Zihuatanejo, Mexico, packing maximum sustained winds of 90 mph.

There were no watches or warnings in effect in the 2 a.m. PDT advisory.

The National Hurricane Center said Adrian, on its current track, would remain well offshore of southwestern Mexico. However, the center said the storm was expected to gather additional strength during the next 24-to- 36 hours and could become a "major hurricane" Thursday night or Friday.

As Mexico Hurricane Season Approaches, International Insurance Group Offers New Tips For Homeowners

Mexico Homeowners Insurance provider International Insurance Group, Inc. offers consumers tips on reviewing insurance coverages for homes and condos in Mexico in preparation for hurricane season.

Many Mexico based homeowner’s insurance plans do not offer hurricane coverage, and those that do may include severe coverage restrictions, or use outdated policy language.

Most of the Homes and Condos owned by U.S., Canadian and other foreigners in Mexico are located near the coast. The 2011 hurricane season is predicted to be an especially active one, both in the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico. In anticipation of the predicted active hurricane season, Mexico Homeowner’s insurance provider http://www.mexpro.com (an International Insurance Group, Inc. Company) advises owners of property in Mexico to take the following steps to prepare for hurricane season.

1. Get Mexican Homeowner’s Insurance. If a policy is already in place, it should be reviewed carefully.. Does it even offer hurricane coverage? Is the insurer A-rated with the A.M. Best Company, and thus able to withstand thousands of hurricane claims? Is the policy written on U.S.-style coverage forms?

Many Mexico based homeowner’s insurance plans do not offer hurricane coverage, and those that do may include severe coverage restrictions, or use outdated policy language. Mexpro.com, a U.S. based insurance provider, offers new Homeowner’s Insurance with hurricane coverage, available with fixed deductibles and low co-payments in all coastal areas.

“At this time, we do not have any moratoriums on writing new policies. But that could change quickly, as storms begin to develop”, stated Jim Labelle, CEO of Mexpro.com.

Property owners are advised to act now to obtain coverage before moratoriums take effect. Mexico Homeowners can get A-rated coverage, based on U.S.-style policy language, directly online at http://www.mexpro.com or by calling 1-888-467-4639 (U.S. and Canada) or 001-888-467-4639 (toll free from Mexico).

2. Protect belongings. Those homeowners in residence in Mexico home during hurricane season should pay attention to the weather.When a storm is approaching or threatened, homeowners should take precautions such as storing valuables in a safe place.

3. Be vigilant. Keep an eye on the local weather tracking websites. Have your insurance policies handy.

4. Board up windows. If a storm looks like it is going to hit, cover windows with boards. These don’t have to be special hurricane shutters, but they need to be thick and securely nailed over the windows.

5. Owners of homes and condos in Mexico who rent their houses out should also communicate this items to the renters. .

Hurricane season can be damaging and expensive, especially to the unprepared. Consumers who own homes in Mexico are encouraged to contact Mexpro to discuss their current policy coverages and receive a free, no obligation coverage analysis and premium quotation.

Bloody Work: Mexican Horse Slaughterhouses

Most industrialized nations outlaw the killing and rendering of horses yet these same countries are willing to pay three times the price of beef for horsemeat. It is another example of the two-faced morality of the US, Canada, Central Asia, and Europe: ban the slaughter of horses- viewed as companions, pets, and workers- for moral reasons, yet the top eight countries consume 4.7 million horses a year. The hard working Mexicans step up to fill the demand, becoming the largest producer of horsemeat products since 2009, yet these same countries point an ethical finger that decries the cruelty of the process. It’s a classic case of if you don’t want to get your hands dirty, hire the Mexicans to do it. Then blame the Mexicans for the addictions and wide pockets of the other countries that create the market.

There are over 200 international animal rights organizations that are against horse slaughter. Many of these nonprofit groups also operate equine rescue and sanctuary facilities and their websites have horrifying pictures of the process. The fact remains that the four Mexican slaughter houses, located in Aguascalientes, Jerez, and Fresnillo, are overseen by the USDA food inspection agency, the European Food administration, and the Mexican Health department and therefore comply with all of the government regulations. The plants in Zacatecas state serve the European market, which bars the importation of meat from animals that have not been stunned prior to being bled. "The use of a pole-axe, hammer or puntilla is prohibited by the European Convention. Furthermore, large animals must neither be suspended nor have their movements restricted before being stunned" the European Convention's slaughter law states.

Records indicate that the Mexican facilities are owned by European companies. In the last two years, there has been a fourfold increase in U.S. exports to Mexico, fueled by a growing surplus of unwanted American horses (more than 100,000 per year,) according to Dr. Timothy Cordes, senior staff veterinarian with the USDA service. “These are just remarkable numbers.”

To read the entire story click here

Telmex to Cut Long-Distance Call Fee 66 Percent

Ciol.com
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Mexico City - Mexico's telecom regulator has slashed connection fees that Carlos Slim's fixed-line giant Telmex may charge on long-distance calls, the company and regulator said this week.

Calls destined for rural and suburban communities where Telmex is the only operator will see their connection fee drop by 95 per cent and so reduce call fees in nearly 200 phone zones.

Telmex had broad power to set call rates in those areas but the decision will slash the charge per minute from 75 centavos to 4 centavos, the company said, confirming a Reuters story from two days earlier.

Telmex will also have to reduce interconnection fees for long-distance calls inside the country by 65.8 percent, lowering those rates to 3.951 Mexican cents from 11.55 Mexican cents, the company said.

Telmex executives said that they could not immediately say how much the decision would hurt the company's bottom line but the company plans to challenge the decision in court.

Cofetel, the telecom regulator, said that the lower call tariffs would bring Mexico in line with other developed counties and "generate conditions needed for healthy competition in the sector."

Telmex so opposed the change that the company's patron, tycoon Carlos Slim, personally appeared before regulators last week to press the case that the company needs those higher revenues to invest in rural areas, said sources familiar with the meeting.

OPEN ALL SUMMER

Grupo Vidanta Begins Development of the Jack Nicklaus Golf Academy in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico

World-class facilities aim to create the ultimate golf destination for instruction and training

NUEVO VALLARTA, Mexico, June 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Grupo Vidanta, Mexico's leading resort and golf course developer, today announced commencement of the development for the first-ever Jack Nicklaus Academy of Golf in the greater Nuevo Vallarta area of Mexico. The new world-class facility under construction at the Vidanta Resort is scheduled to be open spring of 2012 and will be one of the most complete golf instruction and training facilities in all of Mexico, if not the entire world.

In addition to the exclusive Jack Nicklaus Academy facility, the Nayar Vidanta Golf Center will have the finest practice range in Vallarta including covered hitting stalls, natural grass tees, multiple target greens, putting and short game areas, and will be lit and open to the public.

Click here to read the entire story

El Monteon Field of Dreams golf Course gets even better

New work at El Monteon Field of Dreams golf course expands Hole number 6 island Green and new bridge for hole number 3

Calderon Gearing Up for Medicare in Mexico
Sandra Cesca - LearnVallarta.com
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Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - While trying to convince travel industry executives that tourists to Mexico should not fear being caught in a narco war, Mexican President Felipe Calderon dropped a startling proposal for reining in the costs of U.S. health care.
"I know this country has severe financial problems related to Medicare," Calderon told the audience on Thursday, May 19, the final day of the Global Travel & Tourism Summit at Aria (Las Vegas.) "So it is possible to reduce the expenditure of Medicare if the (US) government will allow the American people to receive medical services in Mexico. It's a win-win situation. Very good service, quality service and it would be cheaper for people and cheaper for the (US) government."

He said that in the first four years of his term, which ends in November 2012, his government had constructed about 1,000 new clinics and hospitals and renovated 2,000 others. Some time next year, he added, all Mexican citizens would be covered by some form of government health plan.

This still leaves room for Americans willing to go south for lower-cost care, a practice often called medical tourism. For example, in Algodones, just across the border from Yuma, Ariz., a colony of dentists has formed to handle American clients.

When it comes to tourism, Mexico faces the problem of regular publicity about shootouts between government forces and drug gangs, leading to U.S. State Department warnings to avoid the country. Calderon contended the danger is limited mainly to border areas, while much of his country has been safe. The homicide rate for all of Mexico is lower than the rate in Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, Atlanta or New Orleans, he added.

Calderon’s appearance at the summit was part of what was described by Mexican officials as a one-day working visit to Las Vegas, including a visit with Sylvester Stallone and other directors of Planet Hollywood International, to promote more movie-making in Mexico.

Excerpted from an article by Tim O'Reiley in the May 20, 2011 edition of the Las Vegas Review.
Learn Vallarta is dedicated to education and cultural integration. Owned and operated by two Americans and their staff who live in Vallarta fulltime, they deliver personal and helpful assistance in learning more about this charming tropical environment and its friendly people. Located in downtown Puerto Vallarta, Learn Vallarta's office hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 am to 7 pm. For more information, call (322) 223-1566 in PV or 1-888-856-3120 toll free from the US & Canada, send an email to info(at)LearnVallarta.com, or visit their website at LearnVallarta.com.

Click HERE for more Learn Vallarta information.

Happy birthday Jesus Mikunda

This past weekend saw thousands of Motorcycle enthusiasts descend on Guayabitos and La Peñita de Jaltemba

How Hot is Vallarta?

Javier Santos - Tribuna
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Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - The Summer heat in Puerto Vallarta is sometimes overwhelming to certain people, but is not as strong as it seems.

Victor Cornejo, meteorologist of the University Center of the Coast (CUC), assured that the average temperature is 31 celsius (approximately 87.8 degrees fahrenheit).

The expert said that the maximum temperature so far recorded for this season was 33 C (91.4 F), which occurred last week. He predicts that the humidity will increase in the next week which could increase the temps to 34 C (93.2 F).

He noted that the heat is much lighter in areas where there are trees, although it is emphasized more in areas where there is pavement.

"We have had more heat in the night, because it is cloudy and creating a greenhouse effect, giving us the idea of a relatively hot night".

Cornejo said that in the coastal area, the humidity is quite high, which causes "a feeling of higher temperatures with the sensation of 34 or 35 C (93.2-95 F).

Read more on PVNN.com http://www.pvnn.com/vallarta/news/07jun2011/how-hot-is-vallarta.htm

Just last Saturday, they reported in the town of Jesús María, municipality of Nayarit, temperatures of up to 45 C (113 F) in the shade.

• • •
Tequila Willy moves to new location just four restaurants south from his old location in Rincon de Guayabitos

New Location, new bungalows for Tequila Willy following a rash of break-ins at his old location.

The Future of Puerto Vallarta's Malecón

According to PV's Director of Tourism, the newly renovated Malecón will provide a more public-friendly space for Vallarta residents and visitors. The new design will have different elevations with designated areas for cars, cyclists and pedestrians.

Spoonbill, photograph by Bill Bell

Los Amigos 2011/12 Scholarship Students

An orientation session was recently held for the 40 students who have been selected to receive scholarships from Los Amigos for the upcoming school year. They were selected from the 90 individuals who applied. All of these young people have committed to doing volunteer work on various community projects.

In addition to providing financial support for them to study at CONALEP next year, Los Amigos will be providing leadership development training to these community leaders of tomorrow. They will be involved in “Learning for Life” , a nine month program provided under a Rotary Matching Grant from Kalispell, Montana, the Jaltemba Bay Rotary Club and the Rotary Foundation. The “Learning for Life” project occurs in 3 phases, each lasting 3 months. The first phase is Self Leadership and is designed to help build personal skills. The second focuses on Team Work to build basic team skills and the third phase (Leading Others) focuses on creating and building specific projects.

The substantial expansion of the Los Amigos Scholarship program was made possible through the generous support of the individuals who stepped forward at Fiesta 2011 to each support one additional student. We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the generosity of Donna Taylor, Louise Graham, Dave Majewski, John Potwin, Joan Hagar, Joan King, Dean and Maureen Bigelow, Susan Cobb, Lin Chimes, Linda Fraser, Mark of Mark's Bar & Grill in Bucerias, Bob Tripp, Eddie Dominguez, Karen Martin, Tom Plattenberger, David Thompson, Maxine & John Zuerbrigg, Roger Ulliac of Bold Development, David and Maruca Dinsmore, Ken Snyder & Mary Alice Ranta, Eric Petsinger and “Old Anonymous from Alberta”.

Tarahumara of Copper Canyon Mexico Photographs by Bill Bell

Sayulita Celebrates International Surfing Day

Paco Ojeda - VirtualVallarta.com
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June 8, 2011

Punta Sayulita will host a series of International Surfing Day activities on Saturday, June 18th. Click HERE to learn more about International Surfing Day.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - In celebration of the 7th Anniversary of International Surfing Day, Punta Sayulita will be hosting a series of activities on Saturday, June 18th.
Established in 2004 by Surfing Magazine and The Surfrider Foundation, International Surfing Day is held annually on or near the date of the summer solstice, usually June 20, as an environmentally conscious, sports-centered holidays that celebrates surfing as a sport and lifestyle, as well as sustainable ocean resources.

Punta Sayulita will host a morning beach clean-up (10 am) and a movie night on the beach (9 pm) featuring Castles in the Sky, from award-winning documentary and surf film maker Taylor Steele, and Rumors, directed by Mark Kronemeyer, with Sayulita’s Adan Hernandez, Diego Cadena and Dylan Southworth. Both events meet at Punta Sayulita Beach House.

Click HERE to learn more about International Surfing Day.

Nearly 13M Mexicans Suffer from Sexual Problems, Expert Says
EFE
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One of every two men over the age of 40 suffers from minor, mild or severe erectile dysfunction. (EFE)

Nearly 13 million Mexicans suffer from premature ejaculation or erectile dysfunction and fail to deal with their problems because of taboos, sexologist Teresa Flores told Efe.

One of every two men over the age of 40 suffers from minor, mild or severe erectile dysfunction, Flores, who also works as a spokeswoman for Boston Medical Group, said.

"The interesting thing is that young men are increasingly more likely to seek specialized assistance due to modern life, stress, a bad diet or other problems," the BMG spokeswoman said.

One of every three men between the ages of 20 and 50 suffers from premature ejaculation, whose causes are mainly psychological and cultural, and are rooted in deficient sex education among the young and fear of sin, Flores said.

Both premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction are chronic conditions, not diseases, Flores said, adding that they affect a couple's sex life, causing anxiety for the man and frustration for the woman.

Mexico has more than 10 million diabetics, as well as many in the the male population who are overweight and obese, both of which are factors in erectile dysfunction, the sexologist said.

Bad dietary habits, stress, smoking, smog and busy work lives can all contribute to these conditions, Flores said.

All of these conditions can be treated, Flores said, noting that BMG has assisted more than 1 million patients in the developing world.

BMG treats about 45 people a day at its clinics in Mexico, Flores said.

The company has clinics in Mexico, the United States, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and the Netherlands.

Birthday boys Big Jim and Larry Celebrate with friends in La Peñita de Jaltemba

Mexico’s Corrosive Corruption

byShannon K. O'Neil

Mexico City traffic police inspect driving documents (Daniel Aguilar / Courtesy Reuters).

Nearing Mexico City’s airport on my way to Oaxaca with my husband and brother-in-law a few years back, we had an all too familiar experience. Amid the crawling traffic were eight or ten police officers, systematically pulling over every third or fourth car. Unlucky in the lottery, we duly stopped, half in the road, half up a curb. Our offense was not using our blinker to signal a lane change, even though we hadn’t, of course, changed lanes. After the requisite license showing, some hemming and hawing about having to go to the station to sort things out, and a few long silences, we asked what our ticket would cost, and if we could pay it here. Now more animated, the officer pulled out his black notebook and quoted a price based on a multiple of the minimum wage. After finally working the amount down to roughly $40, we put the pesos into his small notebook and were on our way. Just a hundred yards on, at the next light waiting to make our turn, another policeman approached our car, knocking on the driver’s window. My husband, exasperated at this point, rolled it down a couple of inches and yelled “Ya pagamos!” (We already paid). To which the officer, ever polite, replied “Gracias – buen viaje!” and headed off to talk to the next driver in line.

A recent study by Transparency International shows that it wasn’t just our Texas plates that led to this ritual. In the capital, as well as the states of Mexico, Tamaulipas and Querétaro those stopped by the traffic police pay bribes over 80 percent of the time. While these represent the worst, the national average is just under 70 percent (in only four states is it less than half of the time). To read the entire story click here

(Courtesy The Economist / Transparency International)

Puerto Vallarta Passes US Agency's Safety Assessment

VisitPuertoVallarta.com
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Thomas Dale & Associates' safety standards report concludes that Puerto Vallarta is one of the safest tourist destinations for international and national tourists.

The Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board appointed Thomas Dale & Associates to study the safety standards found in Puerto Vallarta. The report concludes that Vallarta continues to be amongst the safest beach vacation destinations for international and national tourists.
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico's second most popular beach vacation destination, is an annual vacation destination for millions of visitors from around the world. Thomas Dale & Associates (TDA), is a leading global investigative and security firm that lists several Fortune 100 companies amongst its clients.

The international security company visited the destination between April 6 to April 13 to conduct interviews and a through security and safety risk assessment on the ground. It has now published a comprehensive report in relation to all aspects of tourist security in the destination. In it, the firm concludes that Puerto Vallarta is one of the safest tourist destinations for international and national tourists.

TDA individually interviewed domestic as well as international tourists, American and Canadian Consuls, retired ex-pats, time-share members, part-time residents, seasonal boaters, business owners, hospital administrators, gay community business representatives, health insurance professionals, cabbies, conventioneers, and honeymooners.

The interviews were followed up by requests to local law enforcement sources for crime data and department deployment. The Civil Protection Department (FIMA) was also consulted regarding natural disasters.

The interviews focused on the following three areas; safety in Puerto Vallarta and the perception of its visitors; personal experiences and the US Travel Warning on Mexico. The study found that the number of negative events involving foreigners or non-foreigners is fractional compared to the large ex-pat resident population and the millions of visitors that come to vacation each year in Puerto Vallarta.

Overall the study found that visitors to the destination feel safe and continue to visit Puerto Vallarta numerous times through their lifetime and that the destination’s support services are well above the average standards and dedicated to serving the visiting public.

In relation to the drug wars, TDA found that the limited land transit makes the smuggling of guns and drugs through Puerto Vallarta very difficult and thus a non-issue in the destination.

For more information, please contact the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board:

Salvador Peña Chávez
Director
Fideicomiso de Turismo Puerto Vallarta
+52 (322) 224-1175

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Beach vendor makes his way along La Peñita de Jaltemba Photo by Bill Bell

Young girl walks the street photograph by Bill Bell

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Learn Spanish and Avoid Alzheimer's
Claudia Dreifus - New York Times
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Mental Workout: Ellen Bialystok with a neuroimaging electrode cap. (photo by Chris Young for the New York Times)

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A cognitive neuroscientist, Ellen Bialystok has spent almost 40 years learning about how bilingualism sharpens the mind. Her good news: Among other benefits, the regular use of two languages appears to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms.
Dr. Bialystok, 62, a distinguished research professor of psychology at York University in Toronto, was awarded a $100,000 Killam Prize last year for her contributions to social science. We spoke for two hours in a Washington hotel room in February and again, more recently, by telephone. An edited version of the two conversations follows.

Q. How did you begin studying bilingualism?

A. You know, I didn’t start trying to find out whether bilingualism was bad or good. I did my doctorate in psychology: on how children acquire language. When I finished graduate school, in 1976, there was a job shortage in Canada for Ph.D.’s. The only position I found was with a research project studying second language acquisition in school children. It wasn’t my area. But it was close enough.

As a psychologist, I brought neuroscience questions to the study, like “How does the acquisition of a second language change thought?” It was these types of questions that naturally led to the bilingualism research. The way research works is, it takes you down a road. You then follow that road.

Q. So what exactly did you find on this unexpected road?

A. As we did our research, you could see there was a big difference in the way monolingual and bilingual children processed language. We found that if you gave 5- and 6-year-olds language problems to solve, monolingual and bilingual children knew, pretty much, the same amount of language.

But on one question, there was a difference. We asked all the children if a certain illogical sentence was grammatically correct: “Apples grow on noses.” The monolingual children couldn’t answer. They’d say, “That’s silly” and they’d stall. But the bilingual children would say, in their own words, “It’s silly, but it’s grammatically correct.” The bilinguals, we found, manifested a cognitive system with the ability to attend to important information and ignore the less important.

Q. How does this work — do you understand it?

A. Yes. There’s a system in your brain, the executive control system. It’s a general manager. Its job is to keep you focused on what is relevant, while ignoring distractions. It’s what makes it possible for you to hold two different things in your mind at one time and switch between them.

If you have two languages and you use them regularly, the way the brain’s networks work is that every time you speak, both languages pop up and the executive control system has to sort through everything and attend to what’s relevant in the moment. Therefore the bilinguals use that system more, and it’s that regular use that makes that system more efficient.

Q. One of your most startling recent findings is that bilingualism helps forestall the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. How did you come to learn this?

A. We did two kinds of studies. In the first, published in 2004, we found that normally aging bilinguals had better cognitive functioning than normally aging monolinguals. Bilingual older adults performed better than monolingual older adults on executive control tasks. That was very impressive because it didn’t have to be that way. It could have turned out that everybody just lost function equally as they got older.

That evidence made us look at people who didn’t have normal cognitive function. In our next studies, we looked at the medical records of 400 Alzheimer’s patients. On average, the bilinguals showed Alzheimer’s symptoms five or six years later than those who spoke only one language. This didn’t mean that the bilinguals didn’t have Alzheimer’s. It meant that as the disease took root in their brains, they were able to continue functioning at a higher level. They could cope with the disease for longer.

Q. So high school French is useful for something other than ordering a special meal in a restaurant?

A. Sorry, no. You have to use both languages all the time. You won’t get the bilingual benefit from occasional use.

Q. One would think bilingualism might help with multitasking — does it?

A. Yes, multitasking is one of the things the executive control system handles. We wondered, “Are bilinguals better at multitasking?” So we put monolinguals and bilinguals into a driving simulator. Through headphones, we gave them extra tasks to do — as if they were driving and talking on cellphones. We then measured how much worse their driving got. Now, everybody’s driving got worse. But the bilinguals, their driving didn’t drop as much. Because adding on another task while trying to concentrate on a driving problem, that’s what bilingualism gives you — though I wouldn’t advise doing this.

Q. Has the development of new neuroimaging technologies changed your work?

A. Tremendously. It used to be that we could only see what parts of the brain lit up when our subjects performed different tasks. Now, with the new technologies, we can see how all the brain structures work in accord with each other.

In terms of monolinguals and bilinguals, the big thing that we have found is that the connections are different. So we have monolinguals solving a problem, and they use X systems, but when bilinguals solve the same problem, they use others.

One of the things we’ve seen is that on certain kinds of even nonverbal tests, bilingual people are faster. Why? Well, when we look in their brains through neuroimaging, it appears like they’re using a different kind of a network that might include language centers to solve a completely nonverbal problem. Their whole brain appears to rewire because of bilingualism.

Q. Bilingualism used to be considered a negative thing — at least in the United States. Is it still?

A. Until about the 1960s, the conventional wisdom was that bilingualism was a disadvantage. Some of this was xenophobia. Thanks to science, we now know that the opposite is true.

Q. Many immigrants choose not to teach their children their native language. Is this a good thing?

A. I’m asked about this all the time. People e-mail me and say, “I’m getting married to someone from another culture, what should we do with the children?” I always say, “You’re sitting on a potential gift.”

There are two major reasons people should pass their heritage language onto children. First, it connects children to their ancestors. The second is my research: Bilingualism is good for you. It makes brains stronger. It is brain exercise.

Q. Are you bilingual?

A. Well, I have fully bilingual grandchildren because my daughter married a Frenchman. When my daughter announced her engagement to her French boyfriend, we were a little surprised. It’s always astonishing when your child announces she’s getting married. She said, “But Mom, it’ll be fine, our children will be bilingual!”

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