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March 12h  2010

..the heartbeat of the Riviera Nayarit

One of our many friends on the Jaltemba Coast  Bill Bell Photograph

Jacqui honored by Perez brothers, Sarah and the Vista Guayabitos

Lots of people came to honour the memory of Jacque with  the unveiling of a beautiful etched glass portrait done by Sarah  Walker this evening The  portrait of Jaltemba Bays own Jacque will be a permanent  tribute to Jacque"s memory and all the songs  she shared with all of us over the years The portrait will be   on display at Vista Guayabitos for all to see
Photograph by Dianna Belitski 

To view more photographs of the event click here

Become a Friend of Riviera Nayarit on Facebook click here

Headline News

Battle to Preserve Baja’s Whale Nursery Celebrated, but Threats Remain

Ten years ago this month, the Mexican government -- under intense pressure from environmentalists -- announced it was canceling a proposed industrial salt factory at Baja's Laguna San Ignacio. The lagoon serves as the last undeveloped birthing habitat for the eastern Pacific population of gray whales, which were hunted almost to extinction a century ago and continue to make a tentative recovery. (Their Atlantic cousins succumbed to overhunting and have disappeared from the seas.)….go to original article

Man sentenced after using straw buyers for Mexico-bound guns

A man who used straw buyers to purchase at least 28 rifles and handguns in Las Vegas, knowing that the firearms were going to be transported to Mexico for criminal activity, was sentenced Monday to 2 1/2 years in federal prison and three years of supervised release, Nevada's U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden said today.

Claudio Caesar Penunuri, also known as “Zorra” and as Arturo Cardenas, pleaded guilty on Oct. 23 to dealing in firearms without a license. The 36-year-old Penunuri was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James Mahan….. go to original article

Mexico Oil Politics Keeps Riches Just Out of Reach

To the Mexican people, one of the great achievements in their history was the day their president kicked out foreign oil companies in 1938. Thus, they celebrate March 18 as a civic holiday

Yet today, that 72-year-old act has put Mexico in a straitjacket, one that threatens both the welfare of the country and the oil supply of the United States. …go to original article

Residents use social media to fight organized crime in Mexico

Renewed violence in Mexican cities bordering Texas has ignited fear among nearby residents, some of whom have turned to social media despite cartels' efforts to limit information.

In places such as Reynosa, where gunbattles were a regular occurrence last week, official confirmation of violence came days later.

But on Twitter, reports of brazen gunbattles throughout the city surfaced almost minute-by-minute. …go to original article

Mexico Red Cross workers risk their lives to save others

At 6:05 a.m., the emergency call crackles over a scanner in the Mexican Red Cross ambulance station: gunshot victim.

Jose "Cache" Gomez, an ambulance driver with the agency known here as Cruz Roja, is still snoring in an upstairs bunkroom when the dispatcher whistles sharply and shouts, "Servicio!"

Gomez and three bleary-eyed medical workers jump into the ambulance, turn on the sirens and roll through the darkness on the highway just a couple of miles from Arizona's border……go to original article

Mexico farm subsidies are going astray

The fund set up to help Mexican agriculture compete with subsidized U.S. farmers under the free trade accord was meant to aid the poorest. Instead, drug kingpins' kin and a Cabinet minister benefit.

When Mexico and the United States were entering a landmark free trade agreement 16 years ago, one thing was clear: Mexican farmers would initially find it difficult to compete with heavily subsidized U.S. agricultural products.

The solution: Mexico created a special fund to dole out cash to the poorest and smallest farmers…..go to original article

CSU junior off to Mexico for rock, paper, scissors tourney

FORT COLLINS (DP) - Some people are born to greatness; others have it thrust upon them. Still others find it when a buddy announces, "Dude, you should come by and compete in this rock, paper, scissors contest."

Which is precisely how Chris Miller of Fort Collins earned a free trip to Acapulco, Mexico, a chance to win $25,000 and a certain degree of YouTube immortality. All by playing a game millions have used to settle everything from which team bats first to who eats the last Ding Dong.

Yes, Miller is as stunned by this as you are….go to original article

Scientists reaffirm theory that giant asteroid that landed in Mexico killed dinosaurs

A team of scientists has agreed that a giant asteroid killed off dinosaurs and a majority of other species on Earth more than 65 million years ago.

The researchers analyzed evidence and agreed that it supports a single-impact theory first proposed 30 years ago on the cause of the mass extinction….go to original article

Catholic church slams Mexico City's leftist mayor

MEXICO CITY — Mexico's Roman Catholic Church has published its harshest criticism to date of leftist Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard, accusing his administration of botching issues ranging from crime to public transit.

The church has often disagreed with Ebrard's Democratic Revolution Party….go to original article

Cancun, Mexico's spring break king, recovers from swine flu, drug violence

CANCUN, Mexico - Mexico's spring break king - Cancun - is rebounding quickly from last year's triple blow to its tourism industry caused by the country's swine flu epidemic, drug violence and a global economic crisis.

Those worries couldn't compete this year against Mexico's cheap airfare from the United States and Canada and phenomenal package deals that include popular all-you-can-drink enticements. ….Go to original article

Who’s creating US jobs? Mexicans.

Fed up with violence in Mexico, entrepreneurs are moving north. That means the US is seeing the benefit from the businesses they start. 

For Pierre Gama, the fourth kidnapping was the final straw. Armed carjackers made him drive his car in circles until he gave them the numbers to his credit cards. With two small children and a wife – who was with him during one such secuestro express – the security entrepreneur wanted out of Mexico City.……Go to original article

Mariachi's hometown, Guadalajara, echoes with joyful music, heritage

Walking across Plaza Tapatia toward the Instituto Cultural Cabañas, my group of chatty friends stopped short. We whipped out cameras in an attempt to preserve a whirl of color, dance and music, as a mariachi group burst into performance, instantly bold and wonderfully graceful, taking our breath away. The moment proved to be just one of dozens of compelling images we would try to capture inside the historic district of Mexico's second-largest city. On this occasion, it came as we prepared to enter the Cabañas Institute, an ornate, 1820s building converted to a museum housing murals by revered artist Jose Clemente Orozco. We sensed that the artistry of the mariachis on the plaza would rival what we'd see painted on the former orphanage's interior walls and ceilings. ……Go to original article

Retreat highlights Baja's wild side

WHAT SORT of person would subject her 7-year-old grandson to a vacation in the Sonoran Desert, where visitors may encounter scorpions, rattlesnakes and stingrays while risking dehydration?

That person would be me. Las Animas Wilderness Retreat in Baja, Mexico, sounded like an ideal family vacation spot, an off-the-grid camp where Sam, his dad and I could have a more meaningful time than we would at previous haunts such as Disney World or Sea World.……Go to original article

German prince competes for Mexico at age 51

On a day when an Italian was crowned king of the Olympic slalom, a flamboyant German prince who competes for Mexico may have made his royal exit.

At 51 years old, Hubertus Von Hohenlohe probably skied his last Olympic race Saturday.

"I had a lot of fun," said Von Hohenlohe, an heir of Germany's Von Hohenlohe family who was born in Mexico City. "This could be it." ……Go to original article

Mexico City enters gay marriage, adoption fray

Capital takes lead in Latin America despite outcry from church, president

The Mexican wedding may never be the same.

On Thursday, this sprawling megalopolis will catapult to the front lines of gay rights in Latin America when a city law legalizing same-sex marriage and adoption goes into effect.

The prospect of gay marriage has sent tremors through the Catholic Church, drawn the opposition of President Felipe Calderón and his conservative National Action Party (PAN), and spotlighted the power of Mexico City's center-left Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) leaders to advance a liberal agenda that contrasts with provincial traditionalism. ……Go to original article

Marijuana cultivation in Mexico rises

Marijuana cultivation in Mexico increased 35 percent in 2008 and continues to grow, even as authorities there push forward with a large offensive against drug cartels that smuggle the product into the United States, according to a State Department report released this week.

The 2010 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), is a yearly report that assess anti-drug efforts around the world. The part of the report dealing with Mexico is illuminating because most of the illegal drugs in the United States are transported and smuggled through there.……Go to original article

Mexican warm-up could leave NZ soccer burned

There is an ominous feel to the All Whites' clash against Mexico and it will be no surprise should Ricki Herbert's men roll over like the Poseidon when they take centre stage in Hollywood's backyard tomorrow night.

Playing Mexico seemed like a good idea at the time of the game's announcement, but the way events have panned out - namely Ryan Nelsen's knee injury and the Phoenix's run at the A-league title - I'm not so sure.……Go to original article

     Local Businesses Recognized by

             Cancer de Mama Clinic 

                                ©Tara Spears  

The co-chairs of the Cancer de Mama Clinic committee, Judy Krajnc and Maruca Dinsmoor, recently presented a hug and a certificate to the local La Penita  store owners that sponsored this year’s successful clinic that helped 333 women breast cancer survivors. “It is the joint caring of all the individuals that make the clinic happen,” said Judy. “The clinic is not just a RV Park project- people from all over the local community support our efforts.” Thank you to everyone who volunteered or donated items to the clinic- WE COULDN’T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU!

 Abel Mini Super

 Armando’s Joyeria

 Korner Market

Don Pedro’s Market

  Sol Ezine

 Polloria Tolina

Varillas’ Fruteria

Highlights from the March 8 Meeting of Los Amigos de La Peñita

A motion was passed to add a section to our operating policy with respect to information required of organizations who are requesting funding for their projects.  It was noted that this change was required because (i)

the number of projects that we are being asked to fund has increased significantly and we therefore require a consistent approach to requests; (ii)

since the work of Los Amigos happens at the committee level, we need to focus the project proposal process at the committee level and (iii) Los Amigos is becoming more involved with projects that involve multiple sources of funding, including other community agencies and government departments.

It was noted that we are still working towards having our budget for next year being presented to the membership for a vote at our next meeting on March 22. 

The Education Committee is holding a Gran Bazaar on April 24, 2009 at the Eco Park. Donations can be left with Johan Nielsen in La Peñita or Gail and Dennis Gafuik in Rincon de Guayabitos. There will be a planning meeting at Palapa de Guty on Mar. 23 at 6 pm.

The Jaltemba Bay Economic Development Project made a presentation on their role and the results of their research and efforts.   They are a small group who are aiming to provide long term assistance primarily to single mothers and women raising their families without support, through the development of local employment opportunities that respect the local culture and ecology. They are asking to join Los Amigos as one of its working committees.   It was agreed that the Executive Committee will meet to discuss their request and subsequently present a motion to the membership. 

The next meeting will be on March 22

The International Margarita Challenge

Needs your Photos

We are building a Hall of Fame for the Margarita Challenge

If you have any photos of the Challenge, especially those 2007 and earlier, please send them to editor@jaltembasol.com

EDITORIAL

We love you Jim and Bonnie

By Bill and Dot Bell

Don’t Quit the Margarita Challenge – We can’t do it without you

As Jim and Bonnie Williams start packing up and making their long trek home to Vermillion Alberta, we want them to know how much they are loved and respected throughout our community.

It’s not easy working all spring and summer in their nursery and landscaping business in Canada. It is long hours and hard work. They look forward every year to returning to the road and making their journey to our tiny corner of the planet. Throughout their long backbreaking summer their thoughts and energy are directed to our community as they plan what is considered a major charity event in our area. The Margarita Challenge.

They have successfully orchestrated an entertaining event for seven years now. They tap personal friends in Vermillion as well as other communities north of the Mexican border. They have supporters and contributors here too. The silent auction is filled to the brim with quality items and is a favorite that many events have duplicated.

American Dramatist Clare Boothe Luce is attributed with the saying “No good deed goes unpunished” and certainly this holds true for the Williams this week as a few surely posters attacked Jim. They didn’t call him on the phone or email him to come and chat. They instead decided that an old fashion BBQ on Jaltemba Bay Folk Message Board was the best way, to reward a champion of the community.

What was their beef? Had he misappropriated funds? Misrepresented his organization? Given the proceeds to an inappropriate group or individual?

Nope.  Jim William’s major crime appears to be that he did not give part of the profits to a group who received funds in the past. His secondary crime appears to be that he has a “Buy Local” policy for supplies purchased with the money. His detractors criticize him for organizing a committee that assists with the event and also the determination of the funds.

Don’t get us wrong. We think it is fair game that the public ask where charity events and non-profit funds go. We think accounting should be transparent and are big advocates of ensuring every peso is well spent and documented.  We don’t think that anyone has the right to slam the organizers of an event because their favorite charity didn’t get the money this time around. The detractors not only slammed Jim and Bonnie, but managed to slap the Margarita Challenge Committee down for the hard work they did to ensure the school and the poor get a little bit more by insinuating they are puppets. Hardly.

Like many organizations, the Margarita Challenge Committee has grown more sophisticated and accountable. Besides the buy local policy, the committee has determined that other policies and practices be put in place. Receipts are required. Checks are written. The laws of the land are followed for non-profit groups. The principals that have been developed are reasonable and accountable.

There are many ways to create social change. You can join the organization and work hard to promote your point of view. You can work outside the group and work to promote an alternative. Or of course you can just beat up the other guy and call it a day.

The decision to fund the Food Bank was unanimous. It is interesting to note that those who criticized Jim and the Margarita Committee, have NOT attended a Margarita Challenge, participated in the organization or event.

As full time residents we have watched this community grow. There are way more events and way more recipients. Life goes on and things change. We believe you can put the past behind you and work hard towards bettering the community. No more shots. No more cannons. Put your head down and raise money if that is what you want to do for the area and group of your choice. Maybe meet and discuss any differences face to face. We are willing to do so.  This is a great and giving community that cares about the poor, the sick and the hungry.  We cannot afford to alienate people who work so tirelessly  and unselfishly for the community.

Having said that, we want to let the Williams drive away from this community in the next week or so with their heads held high knowing how much they are appreciated. They are dedicated and loved folks in this community. Jim please say you will retract your resignation and continue with the Challenge, after all it wouldn't be a fun Challenge without you!

Letter of support

Thank you Jaltemba sol,

We visit this wonderful area every year and try to attend as many fundraisers as possible, including the Margarita Challenge.  We do not read the message board that you mentioned as we find it too negative and (please don’t hold this against us) small town trashy.

But we are glad that you wrote what you did about Jim and Bonnie….thank you, they are wonderful and they give so much to this community.

I hope those who are attacking them on the board realize that they are doing a disservice to this entire community.

Tom and Brenda from Regina

This Week at the Xaltemba Gallery in La Penita

Between the Blue

                      One moment, one wave; a slice of air, water and earth held suspended for examination. A cross-section of a wave down through the water column, beneath sand reacts with ripples, further down the earth’s crust buckles into folds of stone. Art can drop the laws of physics, like a diagram in a science textbook, in an attempt to grasp the enormity of the world. The diagram is intended to promote understanding were art can inspire meaning.

          Images of the local environment are conveyed with many layers of thick glazes to produce rich surfaces. These paintings are the latest in a long series of drawings and paintings include images of earth, clouds, waves and marine life. These artworks employ diagrams and my photos. Images used to orient ourselves, to define location and hint at possible destinations.

Mike Edwards

Mike Edwards

Bio

The art of Mike Edwards ranges from realistic drawings to mathematical calculations, from blueprints to loose sketches. Sculptures and images of boats, buildings, toys, and waves are combined in odd ways to break the laws of physics and logic, to dramatically mix context, and to add unexpected metaphor. Like textbook diagrams, art can abandon the laws of physics to simplify the world and so be able to grasp its complexities. Edwards uses nature to report on nature, and uses, for example, charcoal to tell the story of black or a stone floating on a pool of mercury to state the fact of buoyancy.  His art is as much a scientific experiment as it is a creative voice.

He combines sculpture, drawing and painting with diverse media and methods such as wood and stone carving, welded metal fabrication, cast bronze and other metalwork. Edwards’ technical art foundations were laid at the Toronto Art Centre and led to numerous contracts with prominent west coast sculptors. He has contributed his skills to large public art projects including works at the Vancouver Airport, National Gallery of Canada, and Bill Reid’s sculpture on the Canadian twenty-dollar bill. His fascination with science began at York University where he first began to discover content for his artwork in biology, psychology and physics courses.

Mike has attended several  artist-in-residencies and has worked as a gallery administrator, and as a public art gallery curator. He is also the recipient of several grants, including Vancouver Foundation and BC Arts Council Grants. Edwards is also a certified Yoga teacher, a Sessional Instructor at Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, and has been showing in galleries in Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and Toronto.

Rosa Quintana Lillo

Visual Artist, Rosa Quintana, was born in Santiago, Chile and grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1977, after fleeing two military dictatorships, she and her family arrived in Toronto, Canada.

There she attended the Toronto Art Centre where she received a solid technical foundation in painting and sculpture. Since 1989, she has worked for some of Canada’s most prominent West Coast First Nations artists, Bill Reid, Robert Davidson and Susan Point. Her primary work for these artists was the production of carvings, rubber moulds and castings in various materials. She has worked for the Vancouver Film Industry as a sculptor and Props maker, as a mould maker and caster for contemporary Vancouver artists and as an instructor at Emily Carr Institute in Vancouver and The Art Institute of Vancouver.

.

For the last fifteen years, she has worked on mixed media paintings out of her home based studio. Her work communicates an introspective reflection of psychology and nature. Immersing herself into the atmosphere of her surrounding environment is where she finds the catalysts needed to paint her inspired works. Her lines and textures are expressionistic conveying mood, affecting the surfaces in unpredictable ways. Her paintings incorporate mixed media acrylics, inks, waxes and glues. Her work is in collections throughout Europe, the US and Canada.  Mexico is presently on her mind.

For the month of February, 2010, she has been painting her site specific series “Birds in Flight” which incorporates and focuses on the resident magical birds of the Nayarit coast and its magnificent skies. 

Jaltemba Cup a great success!

Jaltemba Cup 2010 Revenues & Expenses

Income

48 m @ $400       19,200

44 nm @ $600     26,400

hole sponsors         5,500

Foundation             1,670

Close to pin            3,650

50/50 draw             2,600

Auction                 29,200

Mulligans                4,300

raffle                       1,400

T-shirts                   1,100

Guest Lunches        2,470

Total Income       97,490

Expenses

Green fees            13,400

Lunches                12,550

Hats                        9,000

T-Shirts                  6,600

Prizes                     3,460

KP signs                    450

2 banners                   300

Total Expenses    45,760

Total Income          97,490

Total Expenses    - 45,760

Cash on hand         51,730

(all numbers in pesos)

All cash to be handled by the Jaltemba Foundation

Letter to editor

Bill -

After doing some research online, I think I've got the correct info on the Daylight time change this year. It's all on the front page of my weather site.

http://www.sanpanchoweather.com/

BTW: I heard from one of your readers this week with a compliment on my weather station and he suggested I inform you folks about it to set up a link. I know we did a couple of years back and I assume it is still there. If it is, thanks! If not, would you consider re-establishing it?

My wife, the avid reader in the family, enjoys your online edition weekly. And it does, indeed, encourage us to travel north from time to time to use the services and businesses available North of San Pancho!

Thanks!

Curt

editor comment. curt we love what you do to keep our weather up to date.

Time changes

Yvonne Reyes Campos - The News
go to original
March 09, 2010

 

"It’s estimated that every four seconds, an identity is robbed in the world." - Arturo Zamora Jiménez

Mexico City – Identify theft has become a common practice in Mexico, and encompasses document falsification, Internet purchases, telephone surveys and databases that businesses share, which occasionally end up in the hands of criminals.

Despite all of this, in Mexico identify theft has not been classified, but one deputy hopes that the law will be modified to include this crime.

Dep. Arturo Zamora Jiménez, of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), proposed over the weekend a reform to Article 387 of the Federal Criminal Code to punish people who take advantage of information to steal identities.

In Mexico, there are no studies or investigations on the number of victims, but in the United States, for example, identity theft grew by 50 percent between 2003 and 2006, Zamora said.

“It’s estimated that every four seconds, an identity is robbed in the world. Victims take some 600 hours to escape this nightmare and several years to recover their good name and credit history,” Zamora Jiménez said.

Zamora is proposing to impose sanctions of up to 12 years in prison for those who engage in identity theft.

“Identity theft takes place when someone passes theself off as another person and uses personal, financial information to take out loans, credit cards or apply for contracts,” Zamora said.

Identity thieves, he added, can obtain personal data by: robbing wallets and purses, stealing bank statements from mailboxes and applying for credit cards using a different name.

Zamora said that identity theft is carried out through different means by people posing as bank employees, creditors or Internet sites that ask for personal data.

“In addition, (thieves) observe transactions that victims make at automatic teller machines and phone booths to find out their personal identification number or voter ID number,” said Zamora, who represents a district in Jalisco.

The Deputy called on consumers to be careful even when it comes to disposing of their trash, since it often contains telephone, bank or insurance statements, a source of information for “white-collar” criminals.

“The problem is so widespread that on Nov. 18, 2009, the Condusef (National Commission to Protect Financial Institution Customers) issued an alert about supposed credit card replacements that are associated with identity theft or even the complete withdrawal of the customer’s bank funds,” Zamora said.

Call for donation of items for Gran Bazaar

El Gran Bazaar -- Garage Sale

I am once again asked by those hard working mothers of the Education Committee of Los Amigos to solicit donations of items to sell at their garage sale which will be held April 24th. As you are packing up to head back please keep in mind that “what is one person's garbage is another's treasure”.

Your donations help raise funds for projects like the kindergarten the committee is building.

http://sites.google.com/site/losamigoseducationcommittee/Home/current-projects/progress-la-patria-kinder

Last year's event in Ecopark raised about 18,000 pesos and was attended by about 1,000 people..

Email me and I can arrange pickup or drop off your donation at:

my house Mazatlan #66 (just leave it by the door) or

in Guayabitis with Gail Dafuki #14 Colibri just one block from the bridge of life

Also remember the regular meeting of los Amigos is this Monday at Guty's:

5:00 display of children art contest winners.

6:30 socializing

7:00 business

Thanks to all our supporters and safe travels.......Johan

A quick note to thank you for the publicity on the Kindergarten inauguration yesterday in Las Cabras in La Colonia.
It is such a worthwhile project and the coverage you give it will let people know that their contribution makes a difference in this community and helps many of these young children by providing a better learning environment and giving them more of a chance to succeed as young adults in the future.

Gracias,
Eddie Dominguez

 

Tolerance Prevails in Mexico City
La Opinión
go to original
March 11, 2010

Editors of La Opinión write that tolerance prevailed over fear when Mexico City approved gay marriage last week. The first civil ceremonies are scheduled to take place next Thursday. "The right of individuals to be treated as equals before the law was more powerful than the resentment of those who are different," according to an editorial in the Spanish-language daily. The legal concept of marriage includes rights relating to social security and other governmental agencies, editors write. "This is an issue of justice and equity."

Opponents of the law, including Mexican President Calderón’s administration and several governors of the National Action Party (PAN), are using the "hackneyed, false argument of defense of the family," editors write, "as if heterosexual marriage and the family were in some sort of danger."

"The issue of gay marriage is still surrounded by prejudice and intolerance," editors write. "The decision to legally recognize gay unions in Mexico City is a belated step forward in protecting the rights of a sector of the population and opens a healthy national debate on tolerance."

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International Community Foundation Releases Report on U.S. Retirement Trends in Coastal Communities of Mexico
Richard Kiy - icfdn.org
March 10, 2010

For more information, visit icfdn.org.

In an effort to better understand the impacts of the recent economic recession on U.S. retirement trends in Mexico, the International Community Foundation has released a study entitled "U.S. Retirement Trends in Mexico’s Coastal Communities: Lifestyle Priorities and Demographics." The report is the first of five research studies on this topic that will be published by the Foundation.

The International Community Foundation surveyed over 840 U.S. retirees in coastal areas of Mexico over 50 years of age. Key findings included:

• U.S. retirees chose Mexico for retirement due to its proximity to the United States and its affordability relative to other retirement destinations in the United States.

• U.S. retirees in Mexican coastal communities are relatively young and well-educated. Nearly 53 percent are under 65 years of age. Almost two-thirds have at least a college degree; another 28 percent attended at least one year of college.

• U.S. retirees residing in Mexico continue to maintain strong ties to the U.S. with 50 percent still considering the United States as their primary country of residence; almost 22 percent return to the U.S. on a monthly basis.

• Almost 44 percent of Americans residing in Mexican coastal communities were able to live comfortably on less than $1,000 USD a month for household expenses. This is significantly different from the U.S. where in California, a senior might need $21,000-27,000/year.

• U.S. retirees already in Mexico have weathered the recent economic storm well. Forty two percent stated that the economic recession had no impact on their retirement plans and 34 percent said their quality of life has not been impacted.

• In spite of growing concerns in the United States about narco-violence in Mexico’s border cities, only 7 percent of retirees surveyed reported that public safety and security concerns have reduced the frequency or duration of their trips to Mexico.

The complete report and research methodology can be accessed at icfdn.org.

About the U.S. Retirement in Research Series:
Through its "U.S. Retirement in Mexico" research series, the International Community Foundation seeks to inform, educate, and engage would-be retirees, targeted buyers, real estate developers, nonprofit organizations and policymakers at the local, state and federal levels of governmental in both the United States and Mexico on emerging trends related to the American expatriate community in Mexico. The forthcoming research series will address trends in health care; volunteerism, philanthropy and civic engagement; real estate; and the environment.

About the International Community Foundation:
The International Community Foundation is a public charity founded in 1990 with a mission to expand the level of charitable giving internationally by U.S. donors with an emphasis on Mexico and Central America. For more information regarding the International Community Foundation, visit icfdn.org.

 

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A special thank you to all the special people of the Jaltemba Bay area and especially Sherri

 

Bill
I would like to thank all of the special people I met during my recent 5
week visit to La Penita for their warm hospitality from those who
transported me to and from the airport to all who allowed me to help in
the various Fund raisers. Those who included Sherri and I for every event
from dinner parties to outings. The over 60 we had at the 50-60's party at
Sherri's, to all that were acceptant of me at Darts ,I now see why La
Penita has become such a part of her life for so long, its as beautiful as
she is. I would list each by name but I know I would forget some, but they
ALL know who for what I am speaking. Looking forward to another visit, as
well as seeing some in north Idaho this summer

Thanks to all
"SHERRI'S FRIEND"

Dave Vaught
 

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President Calderon Names New Tourism Minister
Jonathan Roeder & Carlos Manuel Rodriguez - Bloomberg
go to original
March 11, 2010

Gloria Guevara

Mexico President Felipe Calderon named Gloria Guevara as the new minister of tourism, putting her in charge of developing an industry that is the country’s third- biggest source of dollar inflows.

Guevara, who previously was chief executive officer of Sabre Holdings Corp.’s Mexican unit, replaces Rodolfo Elizondo who served as tourism minister since 2003.

“This will be of great importance to design effective strategies to attract visitors and consequently generate more jobs and well-being for Mexicans,” Calderon told reporters today in Mexico City.

Mexico’s tourism industry has been hit by potential visitors’ concerns about violence associated with drug trafficking, an outbreak of H1N1 flu last year and the global economic slump. Tourism revenue fell 15 percent to $11.3 billion in 2009 from $13.3 billion 2008, according to the Tourism Ministry.

Guevara has master’s degrees in marketing from the Universidad Anahuac in Mexico City and business administration from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Sabre, which manages software for travel Web sites used by hotels, airlines and rental agencies, handles 71 percent of Mexican hotel, airline and car rental reservations, newspaper Excelsior reported today.

Mexico’s biggest sources of dollar inflows are oil sales and remittances from workers living abroad.

Editors: Brendan Walsh, Joshua Goodman

To contact the reporter on this story: Jonathan Roeder in Mexico City at jroeder(at)bloomberg.net; Carlos Manuel Rodriguez in Mexico City at carlosmr(at)bloomberg.net

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Bill Gates No Longer World's Richest Man
Matthew Miller & Luisa Kroll - Forbes.com
go to original
March 11, 2010

Carlos Slim Helu takes No. 1 spot on Forbes World's Billionaires list as a record 164 10-figure titans return to the ranking amid the global economic recovery.

For the third time in three years, the world has a new richest man.

Riding surging prices of his various telecom holdings, including giant mobile outfit America Movil, Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim Helu has beaten out Americans Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to become the wealthiest person on earth and nab the top spot on the 2010 Forbes list of the World's Billionaires.

Slim's fortune has swelled to an estimated $53.5 billion, up $18.5 billion in 12 months. Shares of America Movil, of which Slim owns a $23 billion stake, were up 35% in a year.

That massive hoard of scratch puts him ahead of Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates, who had held the title of world's richest 14 of the past 15 years.

Gates, now worth $53 billion, is ranked second in the world. He is up $13 billion from a year ago as shares of Microsoft rose 50% in 12 months. Gates' holdings in his personal investment vehicle Cascade also soared with the rest of the markets.

Buffett's fortune jumped $10 billion to $47 billion on rising shares of Berkshire Hathaway. He ranks third.

The Oracle of Omaha shrewdly invested $5 billion in Goldman Sachs and $3 billion in General Electric amid the 2008 market collapse. He also recently acquired railroad giant Burlington Northern Santa Fe for $26 billion.

In his annual shareholder letter Buffett wrote, "We've put a lot of money to work during the chaos of the last two years. When it's raining gold, reach for a bucket, not a thimble."

Many plutocrats did just that. Indeed, last year's wealth wasteland has become a billionaire bonanza. Most of the richest people on the planet have seen their fortunes soar in the past year.

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This year the World's Billionaires have an average net worth of $3.5 billion, up $500 million in 12 months. The world has 1,011 10-figure titans, up from 793 a year ago but still shy of the record 1,125 in 2008. Of those billionaires on last year's list, only 12% saw their fortunes decline.

U.S. billionaires still dominate the ranks--but their grip is slipping. Americans account for 40% of the world's billionaires, down from 45% a year ago.

The U.S. commands 38% of the collective $3.6 trillion net worth of the world's richest, down from 44% a year ago.

Of the 97 new members of the list, only 16% are from the U.S. By contrast, Asia made big gains. The region added 104 moguls and now has just 14 fewer than Europe, thanks to several large public offerings and swelling stock markets.

The new billionaires include American Isaac Perlmutter, who flipped Marvel Entertainment to Disney for $4 billion last December. The Spider-Man mogul netted nearly $900 million in cash and 20 million shares of Disney in the transaction.

Also new to the ranking: 27 billionaires from China, including Li Shufu, whose automaker, Geely, announced plans to buy Swedish brand Volvo from Ford in December. The deal is expected to close in March 2010.

Finland and Pakistan both welcomed their first billionaires.

For the first time China (including Hong Kong) has the most billionaires outside the U.S. with 89.

Russia has 62 billionaires, 28 of them returnees who had fallen off last year's list amid a meltdown in commodities. Total returnees to the list this year: 164.

Eleven countries have at least double the number of billionaires they had a year ago, including China, India, Turkey and South Korea.

Thirty members of last year's list fell out of the billionaire's club. Moguls who couldn't make the cut: Iceland's Thor Bjorgolfsson, Russia's Boris Berezovsky and Saudi Arabia's Maan Al-Sanea.

Another 13 members of last year's list died. Among the deceased: real estate developer Melvin Simon and glass tycoon William Davidson.

In Pictures: The 20 Richest People In The World

 

 

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Chief Exorcist Says Devil is in Vatican
Nick Squires - Telegraph UK
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March 11, 2010

The evil influence of Satan was evident in the highest ranks of the Catholic hierarchy, with "cardinals who do not believe in Jesus and bishops who are linked to the demon," Father Amorth said.

Father Gabriele Amorth said people who are possessed by Satan vomit shards of glass and pieces of iron.

He added that the assault on Pope Benedict XVI on Christmas Eve by a mentally unstable woman and the sex abuse scandals which have engulfed the Church in the US, Ireland, Germany and other countries, were proof that the Anti-Christ was waging a war against the Holy See.

"The Devil resides in the Vatican and you can see the consequences," said Father Amorth, 85, who has been the Holy See's chief exorcist for 25 years.

"He can remain hidden, or speak in different languages, or even appear to be sympathetic. At times he makes fun of me. But I'm a man who is happy in his work."

While there was "resistance and mistrust" towards the concept of exorcism among some Catholics, Pope Benedict XVI has no such doubts, Father Amorth said. "His Holiness believes wholeheartedly in the practice of exorcism. He has encouraged and praised our work," he added.

The evil influence of Satan was evident in the highest ranks of the Catholic hierarchy, with "cardinals who do not believe in Jesus and bishops who are linked to the demon," Father Amorth said.

In a rare insight into the world of exorcism, the Italian priest told La Repubblica newspaper that the 1973 film The Exorcist gave a "substantially exact" impression of what it was like to be possessed by the Devil.

People possessed by evil sometimes had to be physically restrained by half a dozen people while they were exorcised. They would scream, utter blasphemies and spit out sharp objects, he said.

"From their mouths, anything can come out – pieces of iron as long as a finger, but also rose petals," said Father Amorth, who claims to have performed 70,000 exorcisms. "When the possessed dribble and slobber, and need cleaning up, I do that too. Seeing people vomit doesn't bother me. The exorcist has one principal duty - to free human beings from the fear of the Devil."

The attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II by a Turkish gunman in 1981 and recent revelations of "violence and paedophilia" committed by Catholic priests against children in their care was also the work of the Devil, said Father Amorth, who has written a book about his vocation, Memoirs of an Exorcist, which was published recently.

Father Amorth, who is the president of the Association of Exorcists and fought as a partisan during the war, has previously claimed that both Hitler and Stalin were possessed by the Devil.

In an interview with Vatican Radio in 2006, he said: "Of course the Devil exists and he can not only possess a single person but also groups and entire populations.

"I am convinced that the Nazis were all possessed. All you have to do is think about what Hitler and Stalin did."

He also condemned the Harry Potter books, saying they were dangerous because they dabbled in the occult and failed to draw a clear distinction between "the Satanic art" of black magic and benevolent white magic.

Arrived by bathtub!

Is there anyone left in Nanaimo?

Mark Stevenson - Associated Press
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March 11, 2010

Mexico City — Eight journalists were kidnapped in a northern Mexican border city over a period of two weeks in a wave of abductions unprecedented in the Western Hemisphere, the Inter-American Press Association reported.

The group said Wednesday that only three of the journalists kidnapped between Feb. 18 and March 3 in Reynosa, across the border from McAllen, Texas, have reappeared: Two were released alive and one was found dead with signs of torture. Five are still missing.

"The Mexican government must act with urgency and with due force to rescue these journalists alive," said IAPA President Alejandro Aguirre.

Aguirre called the abductions "serious and without precedent in the Western Hemisphere."

The kidnappings are believed to have been carried out by drug gangs in the Gulf coast state of Tamaulipas, where Reynosa is located.

State prosecutors in Tamaulipas and the federal Attorney General's Office in Mexico City could not immediately confirm the report.

The press association said those close to the victims had been too afraid to report the abductions. The reporters work for print, radio and other news media outlets.

Reynosa and several other cities in Tamaulipas have suffered a wave of shootouts attributed to turf battles between the powerful Gulf drug cartel and its former allies, a gang of hit men known as the Zetas.

The press group cited "IAPA sources who declined to name the victims or file formal complaints with the authorities out of fear of retaliation or further endangering the victims' lives."

The level of intimidation has been such that most Mexican news media did not even report on the Reynosa kidnappings.

The Mexico City newspaper Milenio mentioned one - but in an opinion column, not a news article.

The column, penned by journalist Ciro Gomez Leyva, said that one of the newspaper's reporters and a cameraman had been briefly abducted in Reynosa and released.

The kidnappers appeared to be cartel hit men, who told the reporters, "Don't come and stir things up on our turf," Gomez Leyva wrote.

The two journalists left Reynosa, deciding that "nothing more should be known or told ... and we obeyed," Gomez Leyva wrote, concluding, "Journalism is dead in Reynosa."

Several international news-media watchdog groups have named Mexico the most dangerous country in the Americas for journalists. Some Mexican media have toned down their coverage of drug-gang violence - or stopped reporting it altogether - out of fear for reporters' safety.

Authorities have confirmed the slayings of at least three Mexican journalists so far this year. Twelve reporters were killed in 2009.

All together, 60 journalists have been killed in the country since 2000, according to the Mexican National Human Rights Commission.