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ISSUE 251<br />
SATURDAY 10 AUGUST - 2013 FRIDAY 16<br />
SATURDAY 10<br />
ISSUE 251 | AUGUST 2013 FRIDAY 16
If you’ve been meaning to find a little information on the region,<br />
but never quite got around to it, we hope that the following will help.<br />
Look at the map in this issue, you will note that PV (as the locals call<br />
it) is on the west coast of Mexico, in the middle of the Bay of Banderas,<br />
the largest bay in this country, that includes southern part of the state<br />
of Nayarit to the north and the northern part of Jalisco to the south.<br />
Thanks to its privileged location -sheltered by the Sierra Madre<br />
mountains- the Bay is well protected against the hurricanes spawned<br />
in the Pacific. Hurricane Kenna came close on October 25, 2002,<br />
but actually touched down in San Blas, Nayarit, some 200 miles<br />
north of PV. The town sits on the same parallel as the Hawaiian<br />
Islands, thus the similarities in the climate of the two destinations.<br />
AREA: 1,300 sq. kilometers<br />
POPULATION: Approx. 325,000<br />
inhabitants<br />
CLIMATE: Tropical, humid, with<br />
an average of 300 sunny days per year.<br />
The temperature averages 28 o C (82 o F)<br />
and the rainy season extends from late<br />
June to early October.<br />
FAUNA: Nearby Sierra Vallejo<br />
hosts a great variety of animal species<br />
such as iguana, guacamaya, deer,<br />
raccoon, etc.<br />
SANCTUARIES: Bahía de<br />
Banderas encloses two Marine<br />
National Parks - Los Arcos and the<br />
Marieta Islands - w<strong>here</strong> diving is<br />
Index<br />
2<br />
Need to Know<br />
allowed under certain circumstances<br />
but fishing of any kind is prohibited.<br />
Every year, the Bay receives the visit<br />
of the humpback whales, dolphins and<br />
manta rays in the winter. During the<br />
summer, sea turtles, a protected species,<br />
arrive to its shores to lay their eggs.<br />
ECONOMY: Local economy is<br />
based mainly on tourism, construction<br />
and to a lesser degree, on agriculture,<br />
mainly tropical fruit such as mango,<br />
papaya, watermelon, pineapple,<br />
guanabana, cantaloupe and bananas.<br />
CURRENCY: The Mexican Peso is<br />
the legal currency in Mexico although<br />
Canadian and American dollars are<br />
widely accepted.<br />
BUSES: A system of urban buses<br />
with different routes. Current fare is<br />
$6.50 Pesos per ticket and passengers<br />
must purchase a new ticket every time<br />
they board another bus. T<strong>here</strong> are no<br />
“transfers”.<br />
TAXIS: T<strong>here</strong> are set rates within<br />
defined zones of the town. Do not enter<br />
a taxi without agreeing on the price with<br />
the driver FIRST. If you are staying in a<br />
hotel, you may want to check the rates<br />
usually posted in the lobby. Also, if you<br />
know which restaurant you want to go,<br />
do not let the driver change your mind.<br />
Many restaurateurs pay commissions to<br />
taxi drivers and you may end up paying<br />
more than you should, in a second-rate<br />
establishment! T<strong>here</strong> are 2 kinds of taxi<br />
cabs: those at the airport and the maritime<br />
port are usually vans that can only be<br />
boarded t<strong>here</strong>. They have pre-fixed rates<br />
per passenger. City cabs are yellow cars<br />
that charge by the ride, not by passenger.<br />
When you ask to go downtown, many<br />
drivers let you off at the beginning of the<br />
area, near Hidalgo Park. However, your<br />
fare covers the ENTIRE central area, so<br />
why walk 10 to 15 blocks to the main<br />
plaza, the Church or the flea market?<br />
Pick up a free map, and insist on your full<br />
value from the driver! Note the number<br />
of your taxi in case of any problem, or<br />
if you forget something in the cab. Then<br />
your hotel or travel rep can help you<br />
check it out or lodge a complaint.<br />
TIME ZONE: The entire State of<br />
Jalisco is on Central Time, as is the<br />
southern part of the State of Nayarit<br />
- from San Blas in the north through<br />
to the Ameca River, i.e.: San Blas,<br />
San Pancho, Sayulita, Punta Mita, La<br />
Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Bucerías, Nuevo<br />
Vallarta, etc.)<br />
TELEPHONE CALLS: Always<br />
check on the cost of long distance<br />
calls from your hotel room. Some<br />
establishments charge as much as U.S.<br />
$7.00 per minute!<br />
CELL PHONES: Most cellular<br />
phones from the U.S. and Canada may<br />
be programmed for local use, through<br />
Telcel and IUSAcell, the local carriers.<br />
To dial cell to cell, use the prefix 322,<br />
then the seven digit number of the<br />
person you’re calling. Omit the prefix if<br />
dialling a land line.<br />
LOCAL CUSTOMS: Tipping<br />
is usually 10%-15% of the bill at<br />
restaurants and bars. Tip bellboys, taxis,<br />
waiters, maids, etc. depending on the<br />
service. Some businesses and offices<br />
close from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., reopening<br />
until 7 p.m. or later. In restaurants, it is<br />
considered poor manners to present the<br />
check before it is requested, so when<br />
you’re ready to leave, ask «La cuenta,<br />
por favor» and your bill will be delivered<br />
to you.<br />
MONEY EXCHANGE: Although<br />
you may have to wait in line for a few<br />
minutes, remember that the banks will<br />
give you a higher rate of exchange than<br />
the exchange booths (caja de cambio).<br />
Better yet, if you have a «bank card»,<br />
withdraw funds from your account back<br />
home. Try to avoid exchanging money at<br />
your hotel. Traditionally, those offer the<br />
worst rates.<br />
WHAT TO DO: Even if your allinclusive<br />
hotel is everything you ever<br />
dreamed of, you should experience at<br />
least a little of all that Vallarta has to<br />
offer - it is truly a condensed version of<br />
all that is Mexican and existed before<br />
«Planned Tourist Resorts», such as<br />
Cancun, Los Cabos and Ixtapa, were<br />
developed. Millions have been spent to<br />
ensure that the original “small town”<br />
flavor is maintained downtown, in the<br />
Old Town and on the South Side.<br />
DRINKING WATER: The false<br />
belief that a Mexican vacation must<br />
inevitably lead to an encounter with<br />
Moctezuma’s revenge is just that:<br />
false. For the 21 st year in a row, Puerto<br />
Vallarta’s water has been awarded<br />
a certification of purity for human<br />
consumption. It is one of only two<br />
cities in Mexico that can boast of such<br />
accomplishment. True, the quality of<br />
the water tested at the purification plant<br />
varies greatly from what comes out of<br />
the tap at the other end. So do be careful.<br />
On the other hand, most large hotels<br />
have their own purification equipment<br />
and most restaurants use purified water.<br />
If you want to be doubly sure, you can<br />
pick up purified bottled water just about<br />
anyw<strong>here</strong>.<br />
EXPORTING PETS: Canadian and<br />
American tourists often fall in love with<br />
one of the many stray dogs and cats in<br />
Vallarta. Many would like to bring it<br />
back with them, but believe that the laws<br />
do not allow them to do so. Wrong. If<br />
you would like to bring a cat or a dog<br />
back home, call the local animal shelter<br />
for more info: 293-3690.<br />
LOCAL SIGHTSEEING: A good<br />
beginning would be to take one of the City<br />
Tours offered by the local tour agencies.<br />
Before boarding, make sure you have a<br />
map and take note of the places you want<br />
to return to. Then venture off the beaten<br />
path. Explore a little. Go farther than the<br />
tour bus takes you. And don’t worry -<br />
this is a safe place.<br />
SATURDAY 10<br />
ISSUE 251 | AUGUST 2013 FRIDAY 16
Sound Off 3<br />
T<strong>here</strong> are a couple of items I would like to touch upon this week.<br />
Firstly, although the Mirror usually focuses on Puerto Vallarta in<br />
particular, this week’s issue will also introduce you to a couple of little<br />
towns in our neighboring state of Nayarit, to the north.<br />
This was prompted by Anna Reisman’s journey to San Francisco<br />
(better known as San Pancho) and Sayulita last week. One of her<br />
photos is featured on our cover, and you may find it interesting to read<br />
her report on the community center she and her companions visited.<br />
The other observation I have deals with the temporary closure of<br />
local shops and restaurants.<br />
In past years, it was common for some eating establishments to close<br />
for the month of September –known as “septi-hambre” in Spanish,<br />
i.e. the month of hunger- when school holidays have ended and the<br />
tourists haven’t returned yet.<br />
This year is different. We see restaurants close for two months instead<br />
of one, others for the entire summer, while others still have closed<br />
forever. During my conversations with other full-time residents, it<br />
appears that while some of these permanent closures can be attributed<br />
to a lack of original market study, others may be due to the downturn<br />
in the economy of the U.S. over the last year or so. And of course,<br />
we cannot ignore the American media’s negative propaganda against<br />
Mexico either. Personally, I feel that the local authorities haven’t<br />
handled the city’s promotion in accordance to market demands. We<br />
can only hope that this state of affairs will improve in the months to<br />
come.<br />
In the meantime, I suggest that you who are in Puerto Vallarta<br />
in August and September show your support for those shops and<br />
restaurants that are bravely keeping their doors open during this<br />
difficult period, especially those off the beaten track. Let us not allow<br />
any more good ones to close!<br />
Dear Editor,<br />
My daughter and I recently discovered a new little treasure in our<br />
paradise of PV. Ever feel like you “know it all” after years of living<br />
<strong>here</strong>, only to discover something new and fresh?<br />
I am almost ashamed to admit I never knew Playa de los Camarones<br />
even existed. Well, it does and right t<strong>here</strong> is a restaurant called EL<br />
BARRACUDA! It is just south of the hotel Buenaventura on the<br />
beach. Fresh, casual, inviting, friendly, economical, fabulous foods<br />
all while enjoying a fantastic view of the entire bay! The owners are<br />
on site. The staff is attentive, bilingual and I think you’ll love the<br />
bright splash of color. This time of year it is always … do we leave the<br />
cool comforts of home and A/C? Well, don’t worry, sitting just steps<br />
from the sea, you will feel the cool and refreshing breezes and not<br />
sweat a bit. They offer burritos de pescado fresco, ceviche cocktails,<br />
aguachiles, tacos, salads and more. FABULOUS!! They are closed on<br />
Mondays and open Tues-Sun from 1:30 p.m. Ample parking on the<br />
street and I guarantee you will not be disappointed. Check it out …<br />
and enjoy!<br />
PV Lover<br />
Please go to next page for continuation...<br />
Allyna Vineberg<br />
Editor / Publisher<br />
SATURDAY 10<br />
ISSUE 251 | AUGUST 2013 FRIDAY 16
4<br />
Within PV<br />
Summer holidays =<br />
$1 Billion Pesos for PV<br />
Carlos Gerard Guzmán, PV’s Director of Tourism,<br />
informed that prior to the summer holidays, only<br />
80% of the city’s lodging accommodations had been<br />
reserved. However, that number rose to between 90%<br />
and 100% over the last three weeks, leaving over $1<br />
Billion Pesos in the city’s coffers.<br />
For their part, the Port Authorities welcomed<br />
between 1,700 and 2,000 passengers per day to their<br />
various tours around the Bay, numbers even higher<br />
than those registered during the last 2-week Easter<br />
holidays.<br />
The Tourism Offices in the main square, Olas Altas<br />
and the Malecon attended to over 6,000 visitors<br />
during this period, some 200 of which took the free<br />
downtown tour offered by the Office.<br />
Puerto Vallarta welcomes over 2 Million national<br />
tourists per year and 1.5 Million foreigners, mostly<br />
from Canada and the U.S.<br />
Dear Editor,<br />
I found this an interesting bit of trivia that might bring a smile to<br />
your readers, especially after reading the “Puerto Vallarta driving tips”<br />
[Issue # 248 – www.<strong>pvmcitypaper</strong>.com/download/248.pdf] a couple<br />
of weeks ago.<br />
Giving the Finger<br />
Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French, anticipating<br />
victory over the English, proposed to cut off the middle finger of<br />
all captured English soldiers. Without the middle finger it would be<br />
impossible to draw the renowned English longbow and t<strong>here</strong>fore be<br />
incapable of fighting in the future.<br />
This famous weapon was made of the native English Yew tree, and<br />
the act of drawing the longbow was known as “plucking the yew” (or<br />
“pluck yew”).<br />
Much to the bewilderment of the French, the English won a major<br />
upset and began mocking the French by waving their middle fingers<br />
at the defeated French, saying, “See, we can still pluck yew! PLUCK<br />
YEW!” Since ‘pluck yew’ is rather difficult to say, the difficult<br />
consonant cluster at the beginning has gradually changed to a<br />
labiodental fricative ‘F’, and thus the words often used in conjunction<br />
with the one-finger salute are mistakenly thought to have something to<br />
do with an intimate encounter.<br />
It is also because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows used with<br />
the longbow that the symbolic gesture is known as “giving the bird”.<br />
And yew thought yew knew everything!<br />
Publisher / Editor:<br />
Allyna Vineberg<br />
avineberg@yahoo.com<br />
Contributors:<br />
Anna Reisman<br />
Joe Harrington<br />
Harriet Murray<br />
Stan Gabruk<br />
Giselle Belanger<br />
Krystal Frost<br />
Gil Gevins<br />
Ronnie Bravo<br />
Tommy Clarkson<br />
Luis Melgoza<br />
Dr. Fabio Cupul<br />
Dr. Jorge Chavez<br />
Gretchen DeWitt<br />
Office: 223-1128<br />
Graphic Designer:<br />
Leo Robby R. R.<br />
Webmaster:<br />
PVMCITYPAPER Online Team<br />
Cover photo:<br />
“In Sayulita”<br />
by Anna Reisman<br />
PV Mirror es una publicación semanal.<br />
Certificados de licitud de título y<br />
contenido en tramite. Prohibida la<br />
reproducción total o parcial de su<br />
contenido, imágenes y/o fotografías sin<br />
previa autorización por escrito del editor.<br />
Nathan Finkelstein<br />
SATURDAY 10<br />
ISSUE 251 | AUGUST 2013 FRIDAY 16
Within PV<br />
5<br />
About the pets…<br />
by<br />
GRETCHEN DeWITT<br />
T<strong>here</strong> were over 100 sterilizations<br />
at our clinic in San Blas, Nayarit, last<br />
weekend. The donations were kept by<br />
Patas Salatas which underwrote the<br />
entire cost of this clinic ($1,500. USD)<br />
In lieu of gifts for the first birthday<br />
of Charlotte Amelie Gammet Martin,<br />
one of Vallarta´s babies, her mother,<br />
animal activist Nicole Martin, is<br />
requesting donations for the free spay/<br />
neuter clinics.<br />
From Nicole: “Charlotte is<br />
having her 1st birthday on August<br />
10! To celebrate, she is hosting a<br />
NeuteraTHON for PEACEAnimals<br />
because we LOVE what they are<br />
doing. This will make her town a<br />
happier one by reducing the number<br />
of the many unwanted and abused<br />
street animals in Puerto Vallarta. $7<br />
(90 pesos) will remove one testicle<br />
of a cat or dog. For $14 (100 pesos),<br />
you can remove the pair!” Click<br />
to make Charlotte happy: https//<br />
donate.peaceusa.org and designate for<br />
PEACEAnimals (spay/neuter).”<br />
Need to be adopted: T<strong>here</strong> are<br />
64 dogs including 20 puppies at<br />
the Centro de Acopio (local no-kill<br />
shelter). Open Mon-Sat from 8 AM-2<br />
PM. Tel.: 293-3690<br />
Many of the cats and kittens on<br />
the Isla Cuale. More than 20 kittens<br />
have been dropped t<strong>here</strong> this week. A<br />
certain number of cats is sustainable.<br />
They keep the rats away, which the<br />
restaurants appreciate.<br />
When t<strong>here</strong> is overpopulation,<br />
poisoning of cats may take place. It<br />
has in the past. T<strong>here</strong> are free clinics<br />
every week. PLEASE help publicize<br />
them. Clinics help prevent the future<br />
suffering of animals, including wildlife.<br />
Colina Free Clinic - Every Sunday<br />
from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 491 V. Carranza<br />
in the Romantic Zone. Surgeries<br />
limited to 15 cats and dogs. Arrive<br />
early! Contact: cez@rogers.com<br />
PEACEAnimals free clinic<br />
schedule: August 14-17 - Las Juntas,<br />
next to the government office building,<br />
just off the main square. Enter the<br />
colonia and drive all the way into the<br />
plaza.<br />
Wed., Thurs. and Fri. – 9 a.m. to 2<br />
p.m., Sat. – 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Arrive<br />
early. 25 animals / clinic is our limit.<br />
No food or water after midnight before<br />
surgery day. Animals must be at least<br />
8 weeks old. They will be treated for<br />
parasites, fleas, ticks and mange, if it<br />
is present. Pregnancies terminated<br />
on request. Euthanasia performed if<br />
animal critically ill or injured. All<br />
services are free.<br />
https://donate.peaceusa.org/ Clinics<br />
need funding! Please consider<br />
donating.<br />
For more information on clinics and<br />
animal rescue: www.peaceanimals.org<br />
SATURDAY 10<br />
ISSUE 251 | AUGUST 2013 FRIDAY 16
6 Beyond PV<br />
Crisis easing, Mexico sees uneven recovery<br />
What a difference two years can make.<br />
In the summer of 2011, Mexican government<br />
officials, wholesalers, association heads and<br />
leaders of travel agent groups met <strong>here</strong> to<br />
brainstorm about what could be done to reverse<br />
a spiraling drop in business. Consumers,<br />
frightened by violence associated with drug<br />
gangs, were booking away from Mexico.<br />
By contrast, a second summit, held <strong>here</strong><br />
last week, painted a picture of a destination<br />
in recovery, with focused discussions on<br />
major long-term projects rather than crisis<br />
management.<br />
Still, t<strong>here</strong>’s evidence that the destination’s<br />
recovery is uneven. The Mexico Tourism Board<br />
(MTB) game plan, which includes emphasis on<br />
the notion that the violence was regional rather<br />
than national, appears to have helped resort<br />
areas like Cancun and Riviera Maya immensely.<br />
But land crossings at towns bordering the<br />
U.S., w<strong>here</strong> violence has been concentrated, are<br />
down so significantly that, overall, international<br />
arrivals are lower year over year.<br />
Calling that situation “alarming,” MTB CEO<br />
Rodolfo Lopez-Negrete said that although crime<br />
has dropped “dramatically” in border towns,<br />
some land and non-cruise water crossings are<br />
down in “high double digits.”<br />
Even so, the drop in land border crossings has<br />
had little impact on most summit attendees, who<br />
promote packages to resort areas, and they were<br />
heartened by encouraging news regarding air<br />
arrivals, spend per visitor, market share, hotel<br />
occupancy and revenue per available room in<br />
the interior destinations they market.<br />
Lopez-Negrete reviewed recent developments,<br />
including the creation of a “tourism cabinet” of<br />
10 federal ministers that is chaired by President<br />
Enrique Pena Nieto; a proposed rail link between<br />
the Riviera Maya and Merida that would stop at<br />
the ruins of Chichen Itza and the colonial city<br />
of Valladolid; the building of infrastructure to<br />
facilitate a push to promote Mayan heritage in<br />
five states in southeastern Mexico, with Cancun<br />
as a transportation hub; and the rebranding of<br />
Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit to “Vallarta<br />
Nayarit.”<br />
A total of $43.3 million will be spent by MTB<br />
this year promoting the country, with a big push<br />
from September to December.<br />
Lopez-Negrete said the total represented an<br />
increase of about 10%. He added that the timing<br />
of the marketing efforts were affected somewhat<br />
by changes in advertising and public relations<br />
agencies but that new 30-month contracts would<br />
provide stability in promotional efforts moving<br />
forward.<br />
In addition to the federal tourism promotion<br />
budget, more than $10 million in federal, state<br />
and regional funds will also be spent in the U.S.<br />
and Canada on the rebranding of Vallarta Nayarit<br />
over the 12 months beginning in September.<br />
MTB’s marketing director, Gerardo Llanes,<br />
unveiled a new tourism slogan, “Mexico, Live<br />
It to Believe It,” and played two new TV spots,<br />
one in support of the Vallarta Nayarit rebranding<br />
and one promoting Mexico City as a leisure<br />
destination.<br />
The ads, which will first air next month, are<br />
designed to trigger an emotional response “using<br />
a visual language, made of memories” rather than<br />
to enumerate features, Llanes said.<br />
The narrators of both spots were female and had<br />
a British accent. Llanes said that the ads were made<br />
for use in multiple English-speaking countries,<br />
and that Americans look more favorably upon<br />
hearing a British accent than vice versa. Attendee<br />
reaction to both spots was overwhelmingly<br />
favorable.<br />
Discussion about whether Cancun and the<br />
Riviera Maya should also be rebranded as one<br />
destination followed, but t<strong>here</strong> was no consensus<br />
on the benefits of doing that.<br />
Elyse Elkin, Travel Impressions’ vice president<br />
in charge of Mexico, felt it could be useful because<br />
the two destinations share one airport, but Classic<br />
Vacations President David Hu felt it would “be<br />
too much to explain. Sell one, and then tell them<br />
what’s nearby.”<br />
Gibran Chapur, executive vice president of<br />
Palace Resorts, liked the idea “if we could double<br />
the marketing value. I’d rather have two spots<br />
featuring Cancun/Riviera than one on Cancun and<br />
one on Riviera Maya.”<br />
Alex Zozaya, CEO of Apple Leisure Group,<br />
had the last word. “Try to stay focused on what<br />
will get us more traffic,” he said.<br />
(Source: Arnie Weissmann - travelweekly.com)<br />
SATURDAY 10<br />
ISSUE 251 | AUGUST 2013 FRIDAY 16
Beyond PV<br />
7<br />
Sayulita and San Pancho, Nayarit<br />
Many visitors to the Bay of<br />
Banderas area are unaware of the<br />
fact that this immense body of water<br />
washes the sands of two Mexican<br />
states: Nayarit on the North Shore,<br />
and Jalisco on the Southern half.<br />
Southern Nayarit - the<br />
municipality of Bahía de Banderas<br />
to be exact - used to take a back seat<br />
to its better known neighbor to the<br />
south, Puerto Vallarta. But no more.<br />
This area, with approximately 50<br />
miles of coastline with pristine<br />
white sandy beaches, extends from<br />
Nuevo Vallarta to Punta de Mita<br />
on the Bay, and then Sayulita and<br />
San Francisco on the Pacific Ocean<br />
itself.<br />
These areas are within 45 minutes<br />
of driving time from Vallarta’s<br />
international airport, and half of<br />
that distance is a 4-lane highway<br />
from the airport to the Punta de<br />
Mita turnoff west. The Mexico 200<br />
road continues onward north, and<br />
inland to Tepic and Guadalajara.<br />
Once all the prize land in PV<br />
was developed, the natural growth<br />
of the town went North, to Bahía<br />
de Banderas and its beautiful<br />
beaches: Nuevo Vallarta, Bucerías<br />
and La Cruz de Huanacaxtle,<br />
Costa Banderas and Punta de Mita,<br />
an immense development that<br />
includes the famed Four Seasons<br />
Resort Hotel and its spectacular<br />
Jack Nicklaus Signature 18-hole<br />
golf course, with an additional hole<br />
on an islet.<br />
Sayulita is about 8 miles up the<br />
Pacific coast, north of Punta de Mita<br />
(25 miles north of PV). It is a very<br />
quaint, but very active, beachfront<br />
town. With its spectacular beaches,<br />
rolling surf and lush hillsides, this<br />
is an area that has attracted many<br />
foreign tourists wanting to be a<br />
little more removed from the hustle<br />
and bustle of PV, but still within<br />
reasonable distance to enjoy some<br />
of its action.<br />
San Francisco, better known as<br />
San Pancho, is quieter than Sayulita.<br />
This area was once mostly owned<br />
by a former President of Mexico,<br />
Luis Echeverría. It has lovely<br />
wide streets and is also a favorite<br />
of foreign investors. Nowadays,<br />
it holds surfing and Stand Up<br />
Paddle championships, art exhibits<br />
and music festivals, among other<br />
events.<br />
The pre-Columbian indigenous<br />
inhabitants of the Sayulita and<br />
San Pancho area were most<br />
likely small bands of the seminomadic<br />
Cuyuteco. Like most of<br />
the greater Banderas Bay area, the<br />
sheer remoteness and thick jungle<br />
prevented permanent European<br />
colonization until the late 19 th<br />
century. The ejido of Sayulita was<br />
not established until 1941 when<br />
the first families arrived from the<br />
mountains of Jalisco.<br />
Known for its consistent river<br />
mouth surf break, roving surfers<br />
“discovered” both sites in the<br />
late 1960s with the construction<br />
of Highway 200. Today, Sayulita<br />
is home to approximately 4,000<br />
residents, while San Pancho has<br />
only half that number. Hailed<br />
as a popular off-the-beaten-path<br />
travel destination, they both offer<br />
a variety of activities such as<br />
horseback riding, polo (!), hiking,<br />
jungle canopy tours, snorkeling<br />
and fishing. Still a Mecca for<br />
surfers of all ages, they attract<br />
upscale tourists with their art<br />
galleries and restaurants as well.<br />
Sayulita has a curious eclectic<br />
quality, frequented by native Cora<br />
and Huichol peoples, traveling<br />
craftsmen as well as international<br />
tourists. The natural beauty and<br />
easy access to Puerto Vallarta have<br />
made the real estate in both towns<br />
some of the most sought after in<br />
all of Mexico. With a growing<br />
ecological awareness and stricter<br />
zoning enforcement, development<br />
is being regulated to help safeguard<br />
the environment and quality of life<br />
of the community. For example,<br />
Sayulita now has a medical office<br />
with an English-speaking doctor<br />
and pharmacist, a number of<br />
internet cafés and a wide variety<br />
of open-air eateries - some right on<br />
the long and wide sand beach. Both<br />
have also become coveted wedding<br />
destinations with a number of local<br />
wedding planners.<br />
SATURDAY 10<br />
ISSUE 251 | AUGUST 2013 FRIDAY 16
8 Beyond PV<br />
Pacific hamlet could become<br />
Mexico’s next hot stop<br />
Maybe it was the impossibly bright orange sunset over the Pacific<br />
Ocean, the sound of waves crashing onto the shore, briefly disturbing the<br />
peace and the silence around us.<br />
Or it may have been the eclectic crowd – old hippies, yuppies and the<br />
ultrarich – enjoying the isolated innocence on an unspoiled Mexican<br />
beach.<br />
Whatever it was, I couldn’t avoid a creeping realization: I didn’t miss<br />
Cancún, its blindingly white sandy beaches, or the turquoise Caribbean<br />
waters. And just forget Acapulco and its nonstop night life and foul bay.<br />
I had found a new paradise, and just in time. I’d thought I’d visited every<br />
beach in Mexico. I had grown jaded about many places w<strong>here</strong> you arrive<br />
eager to hit the water or relax and read a book, only to end up feeling<br />
cleaned out by resort operators and their hidden costs, such as the 5 percent<br />
cover charge just to dine. This quiet stretch of Pacific coast in Nayarit state<br />
renewed my faith.<br />
I’m enjoying this place, just 25 miles north of Puerto Vallarta and a world<br />
away from Mexico’s more well-known and crowded tourist destinations.<br />
Before long, however, the inevitable pressure of beach-seeking humanity<br />
will be arriving by the planeload. The place is no longer a secret beyond<br />
the small but dedicated group of vacationers, the vast majority from<br />
California, who come back year after year to live a few days in simple<br />
luxury.<br />
The northern rim of Bahía de Banderas has<br />
become an eclectic refuge for the pinchers of<br />
pennies and the deep pockets alike. Lodgings go<br />
for anyw<strong>here</strong> from $35 for a no-frills room in<br />
Cielo Rojo to $550 at the Four Seasons Punta<br />
Mita.<br />
This windswept coast was once a string of<br />
remote fishing villages nestled by hilly jungles.<br />
But it’s now a playground for jet-setters and<br />
surfer dudes alike, all chasing the next big wave.<br />
At once, a vivid reminder of Spain’s Costa Brava<br />
and California’s Santa Cruz.<br />
Nayarit state has been known as the jungle<br />
around Puerto Vallarta – for decades a principal<br />
destination for U.S. travelers from the West<br />
Coast. It was a small, unhurried resort area squeezed against the Pacific<br />
by tall mountains hiding the colorful but reclusive culture of Mexico’s<br />
Huichol Indians.<br />
The charming hamlet of San Francisco, known locally as San Pancho,<br />
won me over with its tropical beachfront and lush green hillsides of<br />
seemingly undisturbed parrots. It has some of the best bird and whale<br />
watching in the world.<br />
It’s off the beaten path and reflects a downshift tourism – a quieter and<br />
more relaxed environment. More important, it was the unusual, welcome<br />
hospitality offered by friendly locals who appear eager to embrace the<br />
transformation of this fishing village into a world-class resort.<br />
Its cobblestone streets and white sands call out for early morning or<br />
evening walks. It’s also a surfer haven, this point proved by a travel<br />
companion who’d wake up at 5:30 a.m. to hit the waves. I preferred hiking<br />
through mountains, taking in the views and endless miles of pristine<br />
beaches along the Nayarit coast. Like the region itself, ours was a peaceful<br />
coexistence.<br />
That doesn’t mean that some aren’t worried about losing a traditional<br />
way of life. They’ve seen what’s happened to once-secluded Cancún, or<br />
Nuevo Vallarta. A local group of women is protesting to preserve public<br />
beach access they’ve always had before.<br />
Yet change is coming: Both the federal and state governments are<br />
pumping millions of dollars into roads, electric lines and municipal water<br />
projects. They’re creating what locals proudly call Mexico’s next best<br />
tourism destination.<br />
Among the projects: a new road to connect San Pancho to Sayulita,<br />
an indolent fishing village known for its surfer-worthy waves, and Punta<br />
Mita, w<strong>here</strong> Four Seasons is the star attraction. It’s one charming beach<br />
after another, interrupted only by tropical forests and mangroves. Farther<br />
inland are Nayarit’s volcanic highlands and the cultural attractions and<br />
pristine beaches of Guayabitos and big-city Tepic.<br />
I stood on top of a mountain, watching the sunset and Bungalow Lydia<br />
below us, taking in the whispering wildlife and hushed sounds, mindful<br />
that the secret will soon reach Texans, if it hasn’t already.<br />
Editor’s Note: Although this article on San Pancho was written<br />
and published 7 years ago by Alfredo Corchado in the Dallas<br />
Morning News, we feel that it is still applicable today.<br />
SATURDAY 10<br />
ISSUE 251 | AUGUST 2013 FRIDAY 16
The 7 Arts<br />
9<br />
2 Guns<br />
About ten minutes into this<br />
action movie, I got the feeling I’d<br />
recently seen the same plot.<br />
2 Guns plot: Two law<br />
enforcement agents, one from the<br />
Navy the other from the DEA, take<br />
on an assortment of bad guys and,<br />
while doing so, break just about<br />
every law they once took an oath to<br />
uphold. Let’s see, what was the plot<br />
of the recently released Heat? Oh,<br />
yeah, two law enforcement agents,<br />
one from the FBI the other from the<br />
Boston Police Department, take an<br />
assortment of bad guys and, while<br />
doing so, break just about every law<br />
they once took an oath to uphold.<br />
The number of buddy movies<br />
made that start out with two guys<br />
loathing each other is immense.<br />
That said, this is not a bad movie,<br />
but it is not a special one either.<br />
by<br />
JOE HARRINGTON<br />
My recommendation is as<br />
follows: If you like Denzel<br />
Washington and/or you like Mark<br />
Walberg, then by all means buy a<br />
ticket. But if you have a “Ho Hum”<br />
attitude, save your money.<br />
One thing really jumped out at<br />
me and that was the aerial footage<br />
involving a car chase. People have<br />
been trying to outdo the car chase<br />
in Bullet, starring Steve McQueen,<br />
ever since that flick aired. Probably<br />
the most overworked element in the<br />
car chase is going down a one-way<br />
street against the flow of traffic.<br />
What was unusual about the 2 Guns<br />
car chase? It takes place in a desert<br />
with two guys, our heroes, trying<br />
to commit vehicular homicide.<br />
Visually very satisfying.<br />
This has a good cast. I<br />
can’t remember the last time I saw<br />
Edward James Olmos in anything,<br />
but it has been a long while. Not so<br />
with Bill Paxton, who seems to be<br />
getting a lot of work lately.<br />
Other members of the cast are<br />
Paula Patton, James Marsden,<br />
Fred Ward and Robert Burke.<br />
This movie beat out Wolverine at<br />
the box office – which is the only<br />
thing that counts in Tinsel Town.<br />
2 Guns = $27 Million; Wolverine<br />
= $21 Million. Neither of those<br />
numbers comes even remotely<br />
close to being a blockbuster.<br />
The movie, as silly as some of<br />
the scenes are, is entertaining.<br />
However, I did suggest a new<br />
rating system called SALUE a few<br />
weeks ago and this movie certainly<br />
deserves that warning, which is:<br />
Suspend All Logic Upon Entering.<br />
Why do so many action movies<br />
insist on arming the heroes with<br />
a handgun and all the bad guys<br />
with Uzis or, in this case, even a<br />
CIA helicopter with fifty-caliber<br />
machineguns, and our heroes hit<br />
everything they aim at and the bad<br />
guys, spraying out 1,500 rounds a<br />
minute per weapon, miss?<br />
Now on to another note. Sadly,<br />
another actor has passed away. I<br />
am going to ask one trivia question<br />
and that is, given the following<br />
data, who was he?<br />
He was born on April 15, 1922 in<br />
Syria. He starred in the TV series<br />
Broken Arrow (1956 to 1958.)<br />
In 1959 he starred in Law of the<br />
Plainsman. He portrayed an Indian<br />
in those roles and also in Wagon<br />
Train, Gunsmoke, and Texas Across<br />
the River. He also played other<br />
ethnic roles: an Egyptian taskmaster<br />
in The Ten Commandments and<br />
Judas Iscariot in The Robe. But<br />
the biggest clue to who this talented<br />
actor was comes from the original<br />
TV series Star Trek. He played the<br />
Klingon Kang. He played the same<br />
role in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine<br />
and Star Trek: Voyager.<br />
But that is only a nod to the<br />
diversity of roles this man acted<br />
in. He was involved with the<br />
following incredible list of<br />
television series: Alfred Hitchcock<br />
Presents, The Fugitive, The Man<br />
from U.N.C.L.E., The Outer Limits,<br />
Lost in Space, The Mod Squad,<br />
Hawaii 5-0, Kojak, The Adventures<br />
of Rin Tin Tin, The Rifleman, Perry<br />
Mason, The Untouchables, and Ben<br />
Casey.<br />
He married three actresses: Jean<br />
Byron (1949 – 1956); Barbara<br />
Eden (1958 – 1973); and Beverly<br />
Kushida, which lasted 36 years,<br />
until his death.<br />
Who was he? He was Michael<br />
Ansara - an actor I followed mainly<br />
because we were born on the same<br />
day – April 15 th , which I can state<br />
unequivocally is the worse day to<br />
be born in as it is tax day.<br />
Joe is an internationally published<br />
author and a documentary<br />
film maker. He can be reached<br />
with suggestions or criticism at<br />
JoeMovieMadness@YAhoo.com.<br />
Artwork by Bob Crabb.<br />
SATURDAY 10<br />
ISSUE 251 | AUGUST 2013 FRIDAY 16
10<br />
Vallarta Voices<br />
by<br />
T<strong>here</strong> was no sun this past<br />
SUNday (when I usually take a few<br />
hours off to relax in my wannabe<br />
pool and read), so I took the time<br />
I would normally use to do that to<br />
tell you a little about my outing<br />
last Friday with Astrid Van Dam of<br />
Superior Tours and a great group of<br />
locals.<br />
Firstly, for those who have not<br />
driven out along that bit of road,<br />
north to San Pancho, I must tell you<br />
that it is absolutely breathtaking at<br />
this time of year. The jungle on both<br />
sides of the well-paved road looks<br />
like some sort of enchanted forest,<br />
with vines covering all the trunks<br />
and branches until the entire forest<br />
looks as if it were covered with a<br />
lush green velvet blanket. T<strong>here</strong><br />
were many “OMG!” exclamations<br />
among the passengers in Astrid’s<br />
new air-conditioned van.<br />
Now, although I had heard and<br />
read quite a bit about the entre@<br />
migos Community Center in San<br />
Pancho, I never expected it to be<br />
what it is.<br />
Founder Nicole Swedlow, a<br />
wisp of a woman with enough<br />
energy to power a nuclear plant,<br />
has accomplished nothing short<br />
of a miracle - with the help of<br />
innumerable volunteers, including<br />
ANNA REISMAN<br />
no less than the founder of the<br />
internationally famous Cirque du<br />
Soleil, Guy Laliberté! Yes, the same<br />
billionaire who traveled to space<br />
back in 2009 …as a tourist.<br />
What started out as a little<br />
project in a little space has grown<br />
to occupy a huge building that had<br />
been abandoned years earlier. Since<br />
2009, the town of San Pancho has let<br />
entre@migos use it rent-free (though<br />
it is responsible for the utilities), but<br />
it is rewarded for its generosity: last<br />
month, entre@migos organized a<br />
clean-up day they used to “scour the<br />
river, the estuary, the beach and the<br />
main streets of San Pancho”.<br />
During the school year, the<br />
kids receive uniforms, material<br />
support and scholarships, as well<br />
as free access to a large bilingual<br />
library, computer classes, tutoring<br />
and mentor programs. Some who<br />
may not have been able to do so<br />
without that support are now off to<br />
university!<br />
The Community Center offers<br />
4-week summer workshops to some<br />
200 children of the small town, aged<br />
from 3 to 16 years of age, keeping<br />
them off the streets, occupied<br />
with interesting challenges, while<br />
awakening their creative spirit and<br />
promoting their self-esteem.<br />
This summer, all the<br />
youngsters and the volunteers<br />
were given yellow T-shirts<br />
(different color every year),<br />
which helped give them a<br />
sense of true community. They<br />
had over two dozen different<br />
workshops to choose from,<br />
everything you can imagine,<br />
including mural art and puppet<br />
making, ballet and jazz,<br />
Huichol-type weaving, cooking<br />
and science projects, crochet,<br />
textile design, Circo de los Niños<br />
circus training, soccer (of course!),<br />
field trips, bird watching on the<br />
beach, environmental responsibility<br />
and, perhaps most importantly:<br />
recycling.<br />
And boy, oh boy, do they know<br />
how to recycle! Plastics, paper,<br />
glass, aluminum, you name it. Do<br />
you remember the glasses at the last<br />
Altruism Festival? Well, they were<br />
made at entre@migos. Now they’ve<br />
started etching them. I bought two<br />
of them (see photo) as gifts for some<br />
special friends of mine, as well as a<br />
T-shirt and a bag that says “. They’re<br />
also making toys and greeting cards,<br />
jewelry and souvenirs, among other<br />
items they sell in their Recycle Shop.<br />
I cannot tell you how impressed<br />
my 30 or so companions were at the<br />
end of the tour. If my little report<br />
has peaked your curiosity, you can<br />
check out entre@amigos’ web site<br />
at www.entreamigos.org.mx to see<br />
myriad photos and find out so much<br />
more about this incredible project.<br />
All of the entre@migos projects<br />
and programs including the<br />
library, scholarships,<br />
community events and<br />
construction projects are<br />
supported entirely by<br />
private donations.<br />
entre@migos is<br />
a 501(c)3 non profit<br />
organization so your<br />
donations are tax<br />
deductible in the U.S.<br />
Please consider making<br />
a donation to entre@<br />
migos.<br />
I forgot to mention: the local<br />
children from San Pancho who<br />
participated in the Circus lessons at<br />
entre@migos have been invited to<br />
enjoy a Cirque du Soleil presentation<br />
in Guadalajara this coming week!<br />
How’s that for a nice gesture on the<br />
part of Mr. Laliberté?<br />
I could go on and on about this<br />
place, but it would be best if you<br />
checked it out yourself.<br />
Enjoy the great sunsets we’ve<br />
been having every night, and may<br />
your Mirror always reflect a happy,<br />
healthy you. Hasta luego.<br />
sheis@ymail.com<br />
SATURDAY 10<br />
ISSUE 251 | AUGUST 2013 FRIDAY 16
Good Bites 11<br />
Add Passion to your diet!<br />
The passion fruit is an eggshaped<br />
tropical fruit also called<br />
granadilla and maracuya, among<br />
other names. The scientific name<br />
of the giant granadilla is Passiflora<br />
quadrangularis. T<strong>here</strong> are more<br />
than 200 species of Passiflora, of<br />
which 55 are grown for their edible<br />
fruit.<br />
The ones we find <strong>here</strong> have<br />
a tough, leathery, sometimes<br />
wrinkled skin, that is usually yellow<br />
or dark orange in color. Filling the<br />
central cavity is a yellow-greenish<br />
aromatic pulp, surrounding<br />
numerous hard black seeds attached<br />
to small peg-like outgrowths on<br />
the fruit wall. This pulp is rich in<br />
vitamin A, B1 and C. Both the seeds<br />
and the pulp are edible, usually<br />
eaten raw, popular in fresh fruit<br />
salads. The seeds resemble those of<br />
a pomegranate (granadilla means<br />
“little pomegranate” in Spanish).<br />
Passion fruit is more commonly<br />
sieved and its highly aromatic pulp<br />
and juice are used as a flavoring for<br />
beverages and sauces.<br />
The passion flower got its name<br />
when the first Christian missionaries<br />
landed in South America in the 16 th<br />
century; they found a plant which<br />
seemed to be a very good omen for<br />
the success of their mission. They<br />
called it the passion flower because<br />
they thought that it symbolised the<br />
death of Christ. The five sepals and<br />
five petals of the flower, which are<br />
similar in appearance, represent<br />
the disciples without Peter and<br />
Judas. The double row of coloured<br />
filaments, known as the corona,<br />
signifies to some the halo around<br />
Christ’s head and to others the<br />
crown of thorns. The five stamens<br />
and the three spreading styles with<br />
their flattened heads symbolise the<br />
wounds and the nails respectively.<br />
The tendrils resemble the whips<br />
used to scourge Christ and the lobed<br />
leaves look similar to the clutching<br />
hands of the soldiers.<br />
In the major producing countries<br />
- Brazil, Kenya, Australia and<br />
Hawaii -, passion fruit are grown<br />
on plantations, but they grow right<br />
<strong>here</strong> in Puerto Vallarta too. T<strong>here</strong><br />
are many trees around from which<br />
you can pick them, if you keep your<br />
eyes open.<br />
In Brazil, it is used as food<br />
and as a sedative. They make<br />
a passion flower drink, called<br />
maracuja grande, frequently used<br />
to treat asthma, whooping cough,<br />
bronchitis and other tough coughs.<br />
In Peru, besides being eaten raw,<br />
it is considered to be a diuretic,<br />
helpful in curing urinary infections.<br />
If you’re in Puerto Vallarta, you<br />
might even want to check out the<br />
fabulous maracuya lemonades<br />
or maracuya mojitos at Coco’s<br />
Kitchen. You won’t be sorry!<br />
How about this Saturday, when<br />
you go to the Co-op Market? Just<br />
remember that Coco’s is only<br />
open for breakfast and lunch from<br />
now to October… 122 Pulpito,<br />
across the street from the Paradise<br />
Community Center. Enjoy!<br />
SATURDAY 10<br />
ISSUE 251 | AUGUST 2013 FRIDAY 16
12<br />
Legal Matters<br />
Dear Readers: On July 29 th ,<br />
Immigration began the permanent<br />
enforcement practices mandated<br />
by Law. You should be aware that<br />
Immigration officers may inspect any<br />
business —including rental properties<br />
and vendor stands at the Saturday<br />
markets— to verify that any and<br />
all foreigners who own, operate or<br />
work, in any capacity, in or at any<br />
inspected location have the proper<br />
Immigration category, with Lucrativa<br />
status; they can and will review any<br />
and all documents necessary for the<br />
legal operation of the business or<br />
employment and that these are in full<br />
compliance with all applicable city,<br />
state and federal ordinances, statutes<br />
and laws.<br />
If a foreigner’s Immigration status<br />
does not explicitly permit income<br />
generation activities, or if a foreign<br />
employee is not registered with<br />
Immigration as such by that specific<br />
employer, or if the activity performed<br />
by the foreigner is not among those<br />
Ask Luis<br />
by<br />
LUIS MELGOZA<br />
previously registered by him/her with<br />
Immigration, or if any other city, state<br />
or federal violations are found, the<br />
foreigners shall be detained pending<br />
an investigation.<br />
It is critical that if you engage in any<br />
income generating activity in Mexico<br />
or from Mexican sources —including<br />
occasionally renting out your real<br />
property or receiving payment for<br />
anything— all your permits are in<br />
order and all your legal obligations are<br />
met at all times.<br />
If you have someone else process<br />
your Immigration renewals, activity<br />
or address changes, you must have<br />
this person give you a copy of the<br />
official application receipt. If you<br />
are inspected and you don’t have<br />
either a valid and current Immigration<br />
document authorizing your stay and<br />
activity in Mexico or an application<br />
control number, you will be detained<br />
because you won’t be able to prove<br />
that your application is in progress.<br />
I have knowledge of two inspections<br />
practiced between July 29 and today.<br />
In one case, Mailboxes, Etc. at Molino<br />
de Agua —mentioned <strong>here</strong> with<br />
permission—, the business and its<br />
owners/operators had all necessary<br />
permits and licenses in order, and they<br />
always make sure that all their legal<br />
obligations are met on time.<br />
In the second case, a person, whose<br />
name I will not disclose, was found<br />
offering professional services from a<br />
home-based business. This person had<br />
lived <strong>here</strong> for many years, as a tourist,<br />
and was planning to go to the border<br />
to get a new Visitor (a.k.a. Tourist)<br />
visa to replace one that expired in<br />
May. Once detained, the person was<br />
charged with practicing a profession<br />
without a license, zoning violations,<br />
operating a business without a permit,<br />
working without a permit, unlawful<br />
permanence in Mexico, tax fraud,<br />
and, because this person offered a<br />
bribe to the arresting Immigration<br />
officers, bribery of a federal officer.<br />
Other than the zoning violations and<br />
the operation of a business without a<br />
permit, all other offenses are penalized<br />
with prison and deportation.<br />
A license to practice any profession<br />
abroad does not give anyone<br />
permission to practice it in Mexico.<br />
The proper process must be followed,<br />
equivalencies met, and proficiency<br />
proven to apply for a license to<br />
practice in Mexico.<br />
Engaging in any income-generating<br />
activity in Mexico or from Mexican<br />
sources —including, but not limited<br />
to receiving payment for any services<br />
rendered, working, renting out<br />
Mexican assets, etc.— without being<br />
duly authorized by Immigration is an<br />
offense punishable by deportation.<br />
Unpaid volunteerism does not<br />
require a work permit; however, the<br />
volunteer must inform Immigration of<br />
this activity following the established<br />
process.<br />
Permanent enforcement by<br />
Immigration is, well, permanent. Stay<br />
legal.<br />
Dear Luis: About a month ago, I<br />
spoke to Oscar at the Nogales border,<br />
whose business is nationalizing /<br />
importing cars, he told us that they<br />
are currently doing the importation<br />
for 2007 cars and in November, 2013<br />
they will start nationalizing 2008 cars.<br />
He said that if the Amparo is still in<br />
effect, we would be able to nationalize<br />
our 2009 car in November of 2014.<br />
Dear Mike: Used vehicles of<br />
model-years other than those allowed<br />
by law, can be permanently imported<br />
under various Amparos (temporary<br />
injunctions granted by a federal<br />
judge); but t<strong>here</strong> is no guarantee that<br />
any of these temporary injunctions is<br />
legitimate one. Most bulk-importers<br />
utilize copies of the injunctions<br />
granted to others to illegally<br />
nationalize cars through corrupt<br />
officials. The other problem with these<br />
temporary injunctions, even if they are<br />
legitimate, is that if they are vacated,<br />
anything done under them is voided.<br />
Legally, only used vehicle 8, 9<br />
or over 30 model-years old, and<br />
brand-new ones, manufactured or<br />
assembled in Canada, Mexico or the<br />
US, may be nationalized if they meet<br />
Mexico’s environmental and safety<br />
requirements.<br />
Send me your questions to askluis@<br />
pvgeeks.com Although I try, I am<br />
not able to answer each message<br />
privately due to the volume of mail<br />
I receive. I will identify you by your<br />
first name only in my response <strong>here</strong>,<br />
unless you tell me that you wish to<br />
remain anonymous. Should you need<br />
personal attention, please call me at<br />
(322) 164-4049 to schedule a private<br />
consultation. For breaking news,<br />
follow me on Twitter @pvgeeks<br />
Luis Melgoza is a former PRI<br />
(Mexico’s ruling party) Head Counsel<br />
and Legal Adviser to the Mexican<br />
Congress. Although retired from<br />
the legal profession, he is a highly<br />
respected consultant for both the<br />
foreign and Mexican communities<br />
in Puerto Vallarta, and he provides<br />
professionally certified commercial<br />
and residential computer and<br />
networks solutions locally through his<br />
company, PVGeeks. You can reach<br />
Luis at lumel@pvgeeks.com<br />
SATURDAY 10<br />
ISSUE 251 | AUGUST 2013 FRIDAY 16
Real Estate 13<br />
by: HARRIET MURRAY<br />
The housing bubble<br />
Part 2<br />
Evidence of the bubble<br />
How did rating agencies miss understanding the amount of risk they were<br />
giving to mortgage debt instruments? When CDOs (credit default option)<br />
are put into different pools or tranches, they are supposed to be separated by<br />
amount of risk. The idea is for investors to then choose by price and amount<br />
of risk, the CDO instrument in which they want to invest. However, if the<br />
agencies rate all the CDO’s the same, it is difficult for the purchaser of the<br />
investment to know the amount of uncertainty in the different products.<br />
Wrong assumptions by rating agencies<br />
made the models inaccurate, and they did<br />
not distinguish among them. Too many<br />
investors believed the ratings of “almost<br />
no risk,” were accurate, and few used other<br />
methods of analysis for a second opinion.<br />
Unrealistic evaluations of risk were not<br />
the only problem. An American home<br />
has not historically been a lucrative<br />
investment, but it has been a safe one<br />
by the very nature of being the shelter<br />
and anchor for the family. Historically,<br />
families would give up their home last if<br />
they ran into serious financial difficulties.<br />
For this reason, lenders considered home<br />
mortgages a safe risk.<br />
In the 2000s, prices of homes in America became unrelated to supply and<br />
demand as lenders, mortgage brokers, and rating agencies profited in one<br />
way or another from every home sale. The economics had shifted away<br />
from basic principles to manipulation and false assumptions. Higher prices<br />
from false assumptions meant that true demand was not present. If t<strong>here</strong><br />
was no true demand, how could the high prices paid for property continue?<br />
Other countries, including Norway, the Netherlands, and Japan<br />
experienced housing bubbles previous to the US. They all suffered bad<br />
financial crashes. As US real estate grew to unaffordable levels, a crash<br />
began.<br />
A key piece of evidence for the US bubble and crash was the discovery<br />
later that people buying the homes had unrealistic assumptions of their<br />
investment return. These people were influenced, of course, by all the<br />
hype in the press and media. The seeds of disaster were already planted:<br />
lenders and recipients’ were unrealistic in their assumptions. Everyone was<br />
drinking the same Kool-Aid.<br />
By 2007 t<strong>here</strong> were clear signs of trouble ahead when house prices began<br />
to decline, as demand lessened. Lenders became more conservative and less<br />
willing to make loans, and housing permits declined.<br />
Foreclosures had doubled by 2007 as adjustable rate mortgages increased<br />
rates and monthly payments followed suit.<br />
Politicians and the US Congress reacted emotionally and naively to basic<br />
economics. Proposals were made for techniques to spur more home sales<br />
by offering cash credits to new homes buyers. Congress expanded the<br />
lending capacity of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in an effort to encourage<br />
home sales. These continued efforts were more of the same policy which<br />
had brought us into this dire situation in the first place. More of the wrong<br />
product was not the answer. And sadly, few people in positions of authority<br />
grasped the consequences of a housing-price collapse for the economy in<br />
general. US economists incongruously predicted during this time little<br />
chance of a recession, although it had already begun.<br />
What did the economists miss? One: They missed the effect that a drop<br />
in housing prices would have on the finances of the average American.<br />
If most of the wealth of the average American was tied to the value of<br />
his home, his wealth or equity would be worth much less in a recession.<br />
Borrowing against his equity had become a habit. This American was using<br />
the “equity” in his home to borrow against or to use as an ATM machine for<br />
consumable goods.<br />
Decline in American home owner wealth caused a decline in consumer<br />
spending as he was forced to take a more realistic view of his finances.<br />
Consumer spending declined dramatically.<br />
This housing bubble crash was not the same as prior ones in the US.<br />
Something very different had happened. The<br />
housing market is normally a small part of the entire<br />
US financial system. Homes sales, even when in<br />
the trillions of US dollars, are small compared to<br />
the trillions in stocks and bonds traded every year.<br />
What was different? The larger stock market funds<br />
to the tune of $80 trillion dollars were invested in<br />
mortgage-backed home securities. How bizarre the<br />
situation was: for every dollar a buyer was willing<br />
to put into a mortgage, Wall Street was betting $50<br />
USD on the side. What is this? …leverage to the<br />
extreme.<br />
If you borrow money to make a bet, you have a<br />
leveraged bet. It is not your money so if you lose,<br />
you must repay who your borrowed from and the<br />
debt. Lehman Brothers in 2007 had a leverage<br />
ratio of 33 to 1 invested in securities composed of mortgages. This<br />
leveraged debt meant if t<strong>here</strong> was a 3-4 percent decline in the value of the<br />
portfolio, Lehman Brothers would have negative equity and potentially face<br />
bankruptcy. This was very little margin to have if the slightest downturn<br />
occurred in the portfolio. Was this a realistic position to take? Why were<br />
these investments being rated highly with “little or no risk?’’<br />
Lehman Brothers was not alone being in a highly leveraged ratio position.<br />
Was the tragedy because the persons in authority were not aware of the<br />
simple mathematics of compounded risk? Or was the tragedy that those<br />
who did understand, were betting against the system in order to make a<br />
significant return by selling the investment short? Did both occur?<br />
Information for this article has come from “The Signal and the Noise,” by<br />
Nate Silver. I recommend that each potential buyer or seller of real estate<br />
conduct his own due diligence and review.<br />
Harriet Murray can be contacted at harriet@casasandvillas.com<br />
SATURDAY 10<br />
ISSUE 251 | AUGUST 2013 FRIDAY 16
14<br />
Hi-Tech<br />
WAIT - Don’t buy that iPhone or iPad!<br />
Well, don’t worry folks - I’ve not gone over to the “dark” side (read<br />
Android). But if you are thinking of buying a new iPhone or iPad, you<br />
should wait just a bit. Later this month or in early September, Apple should<br />
announce the new models coming out!<br />
Now t<strong>here</strong> are two reasons to possibly wait for this<br />
announcement. If you like the latest and newest, you’ll<br />
want to wait the extra few weeks to pick-up that next<br />
generation of iPhone or iPad. Alternatively, if you like<br />
to save money and are not too worried about having the<br />
“latest”, it’s worth waiting the few extra weeks to pick<br />
up the currently available models at discounted pricing!<br />
Apple always reduces prices on current models when it announces the new<br />
models. It clears stock to make room for the new. Sharp consumers benefit<br />
$$$.<br />
T<strong>here</strong> are plenty of rumors on the Internet about the next iPhone, most of<br />
which you should take with a grain of salt. Most rumors online turn out to<br />
be nothing but wishful thinking, but a few do get it right sometimes.<br />
One of the most prevalent rumors around, has been for a low cost version<br />
of the iPhone. Rumors about this range from a colored plastic see-through<br />
back to a much less expensive LCD screen. The latest buzz on this offering<br />
is that it may only be available in “emerging markets” initially.<br />
Price range is rumored to be in the $300. US range with no contract (we<br />
like no contract). Time will tell if this version of iPhone will materialize<br />
and if it will be available <strong>here</strong> in Mexico. Personally I think Mexico has<br />
outgrown the “emerging market” shadow!!<br />
Now as for the main iPhone rumors, chances are it will be called iPhone<br />
5S and in all likelihood the new iPhone and iPad will hit stores in late<br />
September - following the trend set by the iPhone 5 and 4S. It is even<br />
possible that Apple will skip the iPhone 5S and hop right on to the iPhone<br />
6, though t<strong>here</strong> is little consensus that this would be the case.<br />
Since the iPhone 3G launched in 2008, Apple has continued a pattern of<br />
changing the outside design of its phone only every two years. On even<br />
years, the company puts out an iPhone with a different exterior while on<br />
odd years, it releases a phone that looks the same outside, but features<br />
improved internal hardware and one or two new software features that are<br />
exclusive to the new model.<br />
One thing is for sure: with the release of such super handsets like the<br />
Samsung Galaxy S4, Sony Xperia Z and HTC One, the next iPhone will<br />
have to seriously up its game on the inside. Interestingly, it’s likely that<br />
initial designs of the iPhone 5S will have begun under the watchful eye of<br />
the late Steve Jobs.<br />
One of the features Apple may improve on its next iPhone will be its<br />
camera. Every time Apple has released an “S” version of the iPhone, it has<br />
improved the quality of the camera, and this year, t<strong>here</strong>’s extra pressure to<br />
do that as many of Apple’s rivals - including Samsung, Sony<br />
and LG - are coming out with phones that have as many as 13<br />
megapixels in their camera sensors. The iPhone 5 currently<br />
has just 8 megapixels.<br />
The “S” in the iPhone 3GS stood for “speed,” the “S” in<br />
the iPhone 4S stood for “Siri,” so could the “S” in the iPhone<br />
5S stand for “scan?” That’s the rumor, as many believe Apple<br />
will incorporate fingerprint scanning into the Home button of the next<br />
iPhone.<br />
Backing up this rumor is Apple’s 2012 acquisition of AuthenTec Inc.,<br />
a fingerprint-authentication products maker. Prior to being purchased<br />
by Apple, AuthenTec sold fingerprint sensors to companies for security<br />
reasons. If Apple incorporates this scanning technology into its next<br />
iPhone, it could market the device as being more secure than its rivals.<br />
Another rumor that has been reported about the iPhone 5S, is that Apple<br />
will add wireless charging to it. This is a feature we have seen on other<br />
recent devices, including the Nokia Lumia 920 and the Google Nexus<br />
4, so t<strong>here</strong>’s pressure from Apple’s rivals to add this technology to the<br />
iPhone. This is a relatively new technology and would require a major<br />
redesign so I don’t see this rumor coming true until the 2014 iPhone.<br />
It’s believed the iPhone 5S will receive a processor upgrade. At the very<br />
least we’d expect to see the inclusion of the A6X chip which appeared<br />
inside the iPad 4, but more likely it’ll be something heftier. T<strong>here</strong> are<br />
rumors of an A7 chip, which may be a quad-core, but what isn’t clear<br />
is who will make it. Apple is reportedly trying to distance itself from<br />
manufacturing partner Samsung due to ongoing retail court battle between<br />
the two companies.<br />
As my contract with Telcel on my iPhone 4S is coming to an end, I’m<br />
hoping the iPhone 5S will be a winner. I tend to upgrade my iPhone every<br />
second version. So… anyone looking to get in on the iPhone bandwagon<br />
with a gently used iPhone 4S? hahaha…<br />
That’s all my time for now. See you again next week... until then,<br />
Remember: only safe Internet!<br />
Ron can be found at CANMEX Computers. Sales, Repairs,<br />
Networking, Wi-Fi, Hardware upgrades, Graphic Design, Data<br />
Recovery, house-calls. www.RonnieBravo.com Cellular 044-322-157-<br />
0688 or just email to CanMex@Gmail.com<br />
SATURDAY 10<br />
ISSUE 251 | AUGUST 2013 FRIDAY 16
Gil Gevins’ Page 15<br />
Even after thirty years of living<br />
in Mexico it’s nice to know that I<br />
can still be beguiled and amused by<br />
the improbable peculiarities of my<br />
adopted country. A case in point:<br />
Scanning La Prensa a while<br />
back, I came upon an article more<br />
worthy of The National Inquirer<br />
than of a serious daily newspaper.<br />
The dateline was Ecatepec, a city of<br />
millions of people located just north<br />
of Mexico City. Upon assuming<br />
office the mayor of said municipality<br />
had taken the seemingly bizarre step<br />
of abolishing all traffic and parking<br />
fines.<br />
From this moment forward, his<br />
Honor had decreed, moving and<br />
stationary violations will no longer<br />
exist!<br />
This amazing act of jurisprudential<br />
prestidigitation struck me as being<br />
both bigheaded (in a Promethean<br />
kind of way) and highly imprudent<br />
(as in dumb). Was the mayor<br />
not opening a Pandora’s Door to<br />
potential vehicular chaos? Was he<br />
not tampering unwisely with the<br />
Underlying Order of Things itself?<br />
The mayor’s theory, according to<br />
the article, was that if police officers<br />
couldn’t threaten drivers with<br />
tickets, then they couldn’t shake<br />
them down for bribes, either.<br />
“People will always speed,” the<br />
mayor was quoted as saying. “They<br />
will always park illegally. But this<br />
way, at least they won’t have to pay<br />
bribes.”<br />
In most parts of Mexico (Puerto<br />
Vallarta included) the Transito, or<br />
traffic police, perform their duties<br />
with honesty and diligence. But<br />
the area around Mexico City, I can<br />
Fine by Me<br />
by GIL GEVINS<br />
www.gilgevins.com<br />
testify from personal experience,<br />
is infamous for its problematic<br />
patrolmen.<br />
Every year, for over two decades,<br />
my wife and I have spent three to<br />
four months traveling all over the<br />
interior of Mexico searching out<br />
authentic and original folk-art for<br />
our shop, Lucy’s Cucu Cabaña<br />
(conveniently located just up the<br />
street from Galleria Dante). In the<br />
course of our wanderings, we had<br />
visited the city of Ecatepec twice in<br />
order to procure some of its highly<br />
attractive and unusual pottery.<br />
Sadly, on both occasions we had<br />
encountered precisely the type of<br />
problem the mayor had been talking<br />
about and had, t<strong>here</strong>fore, vowed<br />
never to return.<br />
Until that particular time.<br />
After loading up our small truck<br />
with several cartons of lovely handdecorated<br />
plates and bowls, we had<br />
pulled out into traffic only to be<br />
immediately pulled over by a patrol<br />
car.<br />
“Watch this,” I told my wife.<br />
“What are you going to do?” Lucy<br />
asked warily.<br />
“I’m not sure yet, but I think it will<br />
prove to be highly entertaining.”<br />
“Entertaining?” Lucy said. “Are<br />
you crazy?”<br />
“What do you mean?”<br />
“I mean,” my wife said<br />
deliberately, “are you more insane<br />
than usual today?”<br />
“Probably.”<br />
The policeman, strutting selfimportantly<br />
up to my window,<br />
leaned in and said, “Your license<br />
and registration, please.”<br />
“What do you want to see them<br />
for?” I asked innocently.<br />
Somewhat taken aback, he said,<br />
“You were speeding.”<br />
“Speeding?” I laughed. “I barely<br />
had time to get into traffic before<br />
you pulled me over. You’ll have to<br />
come up with something better than<br />
that.” Turning to my wife I favored<br />
her with a big grin. She did not smile<br />
back.<br />
“I don’t like your attitude,” the<br />
man said, looking more nervous<br />
than annoyed.<br />
“That makes two of you,” I<br />
admitted.<br />
“What do you mean?” the<br />
policeman asked suspiciously.<br />
“You and my wife; neither one<br />
of you likes my attitude. Now that<br />
I think of it, I don’t like it that much<br />
myself.”<br />
“Okay,” the man said, looking<br />
increasingly confused, “I’m going<br />
to have to impound your vehicle.”<br />
“That’s nice,” I said amiably.<br />
“That’s nice?” he repeated<br />
incredulously.<br />
“Sure. Don’t you think that’s nice,<br />
honey?” I asked turning to my wife.<br />
“No,” she mumbled, “I don’t think<br />
that’s nice.”<br />
“Sorry, I told the policeman, “she<br />
doesn’t think it’s nice, so I’m afraid<br />
you won’t be able to impound the<br />
car.”<br />
“She has no say in the matter,”<br />
the policeman said, handing me an<br />
ancient moth-eaten book entitled,<br />
State of Mexico Traffic Regulations<br />
Guide. “Here, read the paragraph at<br />
the bottom of the page.”<br />
I took the book and began to read the<br />
paragraph in question. Apparently,<br />
because I was a foreigner, he must<br />
have assumed that I could not read<br />
Spanish; the section he’d indicated<br />
dealt with illegal parking.<br />
“This section is about illegal<br />
parking,” I said good-humoredly.<br />
“Am I confused, or was I parked at<br />
the time you pulled me over?”<br />
Visibly agitated, he retrieved the<br />
book, flipped through the pages and<br />
handed it back to me. “Read the<br />
paragraph at the top of the page.”<br />
“I’m sorry,” I said when I had<br />
finished. “I don’t think this applies<br />
to me at all. As far as I can tell,<br />
this states that vehicles which<br />
have no license plates or which are<br />
demonstrably stolen, or involved<br />
in disputed traffic accidents, may<br />
be impounded. But it doesn’t say<br />
anything about speeding. And, of<br />
course,” I added, favoring the man<br />
with a big smile, “I wasn’t speeding.<br />
Unless the limit <strong>here</strong> is two miles an<br />
hour.”<br />
“But you don’t have a smog<br />
inspection certificate,” he pointed<br />
out. “That’s an impoundable<br />
violation.”<br />
“T<strong>here</strong> are no smog inspections in<br />
the state of Jalisco,” I replied, “and<br />
this vehicle is registered in the state<br />
of Jalisco.”<br />
“But you’re not in the state of<br />
Jalisco now,” he said, “you’re in<br />
the State of Mexico, and you must<br />
comply with the laws of this state.”<br />
“You’re pulling my leg,” I said,<br />
winking at my wife, who did not<br />
wink back.<br />
(Actually, I’d said, “You’re<br />
pulling my hair,” which is Spanish<br />
for “You’re pulling my leg.”)<br />
“I am perfectly serious,” he<br />
said with feigned outrage. “I’m<br />
impounding this vehicle.”<br />
“I see. Say, by the way, how’s the<br />
mayor doing?”<br />
“The mayor?” he asked guardedly.<br />
“Yes, I was just reading about<br />
him.” Reaching over the seat, I<br />
grabbed a copy of the article I’d<br />
preserved in plastic before leaving<br />
Vallarta. Handing it to him, I said,<br />
“Here, read the top two paragraphs.”<br />
Flummoxed beyond the hope of<br />
redemption, the policeman scanned<br />
the article, and said, “But, but, but,<br />
this only applies on weekends!”<br />
Gil Gevins is the author of the<br />
hilarious books, Puerto Vallarta<br />
On 49 Brain Cells A Day, Refried<br />
Brains and Slime And Punishment.<br />
They are all available as E-books<br />
on Amazon Kindle, and well worth<br />
it, if you like to laugh.<br />
SATURDAY 10<br />
ISSUE 251 | AUGUST 2013 FRIDAY 16
Nature’s World<br />
Planting Roots in Mexico<br />
by<br />
TOMMY CLARKSON<br />
16<br />
Lemon Grass<br />
Family: Cymbopogon citratus<br />
(Also known as: Barbed wire grass, silky heads,<br />
citronella grass, or fever grass<br />
Perhaps not often thought of for inclusion in a tropical<br />
garden, this is – nonetheless – an interesting and, great<br />
culinary addition as Lemon Grass is effectively incorporated<br />
in a delightful array of Asian, Mexican, African and<br />
Caribbean food!<br />
While requiring full sun and frequent watering, it’s not<br />
really much of a “looker’. In fact, seldom producing flowers,<br />
this nondescript plant looks basically like a tall bunch of<br />
thick grass. Situated at the base of each group of leaves is a<br />
fat stalk that looks rather similar to a spring onion bulb. The<br />
plant whole is but a big cluster of these individual stalks.<br />
If grown outside they may achieve heights up to six feet.<br />
Mine, growing in a large pot, is around 3½ feet. Want to grow<br />
some? It is extremely easy to start by simply transplanting<br />
rooted stalks.<br />
When planting, enrich the soil with some compost or<br />
well-aged manure. And those who know me will anticipate<br />
this next instruction – ensure the soil is draining well!<br />
Lemongrass appreciates extra nitrogen, so fertilize twice a<br />
month during the growing season. Perhaps most importantly,<br />
water regularly, not allowing the plant to dry out – particularly<br />
when the weather is very hot.<br />
Once your Lemongrass attains a height of three feet or so,<br />
you may want to trim the tops and as Lemongrass doesn’t<br />
grow branches, no other pruning is necessary.<br />
Found in temperate and tropical regions, t<strong>here</strong> are<br />
approximately fifty-five species of this tall perennial grass.<br />
Native to India, the citrus flavor of Lemon Grass is widely<br />
used as a dried, powdered or fresh herb in Asian cuisine. Many<br />
westerners first encountered it through Thai or Vietnamese<br />
dishes. (Having lived a couple of years in “The Land of<br />
Smiles” – Thailand - my personal favorite incorporating this<br />
plant is Tom Yum Goon …Hot Shrimp Soup.)<br />
When cooking with it, keep in mind that it is somewhat<br />
pungent, so use in small amounts. If one wishes, the entire<br />
stalk of the grass can be used or the grass blade can be sliced<br />
very fine – often added to soups. Some prefer to use the<br />
stalk - the white part near the root is w<strong>here</strong> t<strong>here</strong> is more<br />
concentration of the citrusy smell.<br />
However, most generally, the bulb is the preferred part for<br />
use in cooking. It can be bruised and then minced or grated.<br />
In fact, this aromatic grass is commonly used in a variety<br />
of culinary presentations: teas, soup, stews, curries and stir<br />
fry. It is also suitable for poultry, fish, and seafood. The light<br />
lemon flavor of this grass blends well with garlic, chilies, and<br />
cilantro It is often used as a beverage in African and Latin<br />
American countries. For a wonderful hot Lemon Grass tea,<br />
take ten or so green leaves, wash them, tie them in a knot and<br />
place in the bottom of a French Press to which boiling water<br />
is added. After about five minutes, press and enjoy!<br />
SATURDAY 10<br />
ISSUE 251 | AUGUST 2013 FRIDAY 16
Nature’s World 17<br />
To acquire<br />
the stalks,<br />
stems and<br />
bulbs, ya<br />
gotta go<br />
into the<br />
interior!<br />
That’s one big<br />
cup of Lemon<br />
Grass tea or<br />
a whole lot of<br />
tasty accents<br />
for curries,<br />
sauces, stews<br />
and stir<br />
fry dishes<br />
growing<br />
t<strong>here</strong>!<br />
In Thailand, the lightly sweetened Nahm Takra is good for<br />
cooling some of those great – but spicy – Thai dishes.<br />
It can be made by steeping approximately 12 lemon grass<br />
stalks in 8 cups of water to which one ½ cup of sugar (or<br />
sweetener) has been added.<br />
Lemon Grass is also used commercially as the recognizable<br />
scent in products such as soaps, perfumes and candles.<br />
This grass is rich in a substance called citral which is the<br />
active ingredient in lemon peel. Commonly, it is used to<br />
aid in digestion as well as relieve spasms, muscle cramps,<br />
rheumatism and headaches.<br />
Used for yet more comprehensive medicinal purposes, a<br />
research team from the Ben Gurion University in Israel found<br />
that lemon grass (cymbopogon citratus) caused apoptosis<br />
(programmed cell death) in cancer cells. Using concentrations<br />
of citral - equivalent to the quantity in a cup of tea (one gram<br />
of lemon grass in hot water) - the researchers observed that<br />
citral induces programmed cell death in the cancerous cells,<br />
while the normal cells were left unharmed.<br />
But, back to your garden, leaf blight can hit lemongrass.<br />
If so, the leaves can start to wilt developing brown or rust<br />
colored spots on their ends. Pick away the infected leaves,<br />
and spray the whole plant with a natural fungicide that can be<br />
used on edible plants.<br />
Lastly, cats, too, like it and may chew on your plants if<br />
given the chance.<br />
Pretty interesting stuff for a simple clump of grass, huh?<br />
In Manzanillo, visit Ola Brisa Gardens, Tommy and Patty’s<br />
verdant, multi-terraced tropical paradise nestled on a hill<br />
overlooking the magnificent vista of Santiago Bay. Leisurely<br />
meander its curved, paved path, experiencing, first hand, a<br />
delicious array of palms, plants and flowers from all over the<br />
world. Or, e-mail questions to him at olabrisa@gmail.com<br />
Beyond its numerous<br />
great culinary<br />
applications,<br />
Lemon Grass is<br />
not an altogether<br />
unattractive plant<br />
onto itself, as may<br />
be seen from this<br />
picture from the<br />
Herb Terrace. (A<br />
test: Does anyone<br />
remember what kind<br />
of palm that is above<br />
it and from w<strong>here</strong> it<br />
originally comes?)<br />
SATURDAY 10<br />
ISSUE 251 | AUGUST 2013 FRIDAY 16
18<br />
Nature’s World<br />
Little moths with houses<br />
on their backs<br />
by<br />
When we think about animals<br />
that carry their houses on their backs,<br />
we immediately think of snails that,<br />
slowly but surely, advance along<br />
the sinuous paths of life. Another<br />
animal that comes to mind is the<br />
turtle, which defends itself from<br />
its enemies and environmental<br />
elements inside its hard bone shell.<br />
Few people, almost no one, can<br />
imagine insects, and much less<br />
moths, which have copied the same<br />
evolutionary strategy as snails and<br />
turtles in order to survive. How can<br />
we imagine a moth which, although<br />
it changes location, will always<br />
carry a tiny house on its back that<br />
will serve it as shelter?<br />
Nevertheless, everything -or<br />
almost everything- is possible<br />
in nature, considering that along<br />
the walls and roofs of the houses<br />
around the Bay of Banderas, and<br />
many other tropical regions of<br />
the world, we can observe tiny<br />
beings of disconcerting appearance<br />
moving about. A quick look<br />
confuses us into thinking they are<br />
fluff or small pieces of paint that<br />
has fallen off the walls and that<br />
sway to the rhythm of the breeze<br />
produced by the fans. But, if we<br />
look at them more carefully, we see<br />
that living beings come out of these<br />
strange fragments through a small<br />
DR. FABIO CUPUL<br />
orifice. What we see intermittently<br />
coming out of what appears to<br />
be a small shell, is something<br />
like a worm. Nevertheless, this<br />
worm is rather a larva (a state<br />
of development that presents in<br />
many insects), which, after going<br />
through a transformation (like the<br />
well-known metamorphosis of the<br />
butterflies) will turn into a beautiful<br />
tiny moth.<br />
Scientist have called this small<br />
moth -or micromoth- P<strong>here</strong>oeca<br />
uterella. We can observe that the<br />
small house it carries on its back<br />
(it does not really carry it, as it is<br />
attached to the back of his body)<br />
is flat and oval (which is why, in<br />
some English-speaking countries,<br />
it is known as plaster bagworm). To<br />
build its small home, this moth uses<br />
the silk that it produces in order to<br />
“glue together” the smallest grains<br />
of sand (or any type of waste) into<br />
a kind of sleeping bag, very similar<br />
to a watermelon or pumpkin seed,<br />
wide in the middle and narrow at<br />
both open ends.<br />
These sacks are generally gray,<br />
although they can acquire red or<br />
blue tones depending on the type<br />
and characteristics of the materials<br />
used in their making, and they can<br />
measure up to 12 millimeters in<br />
length. Their habit of preparing<br />
and loading these sacks is what<br />
got them the common name of<br />
case-bearer moths. Curiously, they<br />
can only be found inside human<br />
dwellings (scientists still do not<br />
have a concrete explanation for<br />
this behavior) and t<strong>here</strong> is still no<br />
record of their presence in the wild.<br />
It is known that the larvae<br />
which can grow to between 8 and<br />
14 millimeters, eat human and<br />
animal hair, spider webs and dead<br />
insects, but not clothes or wood<br />
as commonly believed (some<br />
other species of moths that inhabit<br />
houses do consume the natural<br />
fibers of clothes). This is why they<br />
should not be considered as pests<br />
(although they can alter a little the<br />
particular aesthetics of the home).<br />
The larva also uses its house to store<br />
food. It larva will never expose its<br />
back outside the safety of its house<br />
– which is why it defecates inside<br />
it. Having done that, it will turn<br />
around and push the waste outside<br />
with its head.<br />
The larva begins the construction<br />
of its small house as soon as<br />
it hatches out of its egg. It is<br />
important for it to build it since<br />
it will be living in it, protected<br />
from predators (mainly wasps that<br />
will deposit their little eggs inside<br />
the small house, and the newborn<br />
babies will feed on the larva when<br />
it is in its pupa or chrysalis stage),<br />
it will store its food and experience<br />
its metamorphosis t<strong>here</strong>. The small<br />
house will expand as the larva does<br />
and the larva will only go out to<br />
search for food with the help of<br />
its three pairs of thoracic legs. The<br />
abdominal legs have hooks that<br />
help it hold the house in place.<br />
After around 50 days in the larva<br />
state, the pupa takes shape inside<br />
the sack -or house- and remains<br />
like that for 11 to 23 days, after<br />
which the completely developed<br />
adult moth emerges. Its wings<br />
can reach an extension of 10 to 13<br />
millimeters and the body, while<br />
the body -a little more than half a<br />
centimeter in length- is grayish in<br />
appearance. As its mouth parts are<br />
reduced, it is believed that it does<br />
not feed during the adult stage,<br />
when its only goal is reproduction.<br />
They can lay as many as 200 little<br />
eggs that will hatch in 10 days.<br />
Adults inevitably die following an<br />
exciting week of life dedicated to<br />
perpetuating their species.<br />
Dr. Fabio Germán Cupul-Magaña<br />
was born in Mexicali, Baja California<br />
in 1965. He has been professor and<br />
researcher at the Coastal University<br />
Center (CUC) of the University<br />
of Guadalajara since 1992. Dr.<br />
Cupul has published six scientific<br />
research books in Mexico and Cuba,<br />
on crocodiles, venomous plants<br />
and animals, and natural history in<br />
general. Today he is doing research<br />
on the diversity of centipedes<br />
in Mexico. Email:<br />
fabio_cupul@yahoo.com.mx<br />
SATURDAY 10<br />
ISSUE 251 | AUGUST 2013 FRIDAY 16
Health Matters<br />
19<br />
What is a cardiologist?<br />
by<br />
Part I<br />
DR. JORGE CHAVEZ<br />
A cardiologist is a doctor with special training and skill in<br />
finding, treating and preventing diseases of the heart and blood<br />
vessels.<br />
What is an F.A.C.C.?<br />
An F.A.C.C. is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology.<br />
Based on their outstanding credentials, achievements, and<br />
community contribution to cardiovascular medicine, physicians<br />
who are elected to fellowship can use F.A.C.C. as a professional<br />
designation.<br />
The strongest evidence of achievement for those who earn the<br />
F.A.C.C insignia comes from their peers. Letters of sponsorship from<br />
other F.A.C.C.s and medical school faculty attest to professional<br />
competence and commitment to excellence, and are necessary for election to<br />
Fellowship in the College.<br />
When accepting election to Fellowship in ACC, each physician pledges,<br />
“cooperation and loyalty to the attainment of the ideals” of the College, the<br />
most important of which is to promote excellence in cardiovascular care.<br />
Each year at ACC’s Annual Scientific Session, newly appointed Fellows take<br />
part in the convocation ceremony honoring their new rank as F.A.C.C.s and<br />
reaffirming the commitment to furthering optimal cardiovascular care. New<br />
Fellows receive their certificate of Fellowship and are officially recognized as<br />
Fellows of the College at the convocation ceremony.<br />
How are cardiologists trained?<br />
Cardiologists receive extensive education, including four years of medical<br />
school and three years of training in general internal medicine. After this, a<br />
cardiologist spends three or more years in specialized training. That’s ten or<br />
more years of training!<br />
How does a cardiologist become certified?<br />
In order to become certified, doctors who have completed a minimum of ten<br />
years of clinical and educational preparation must pass a rigorous two-day exam<br />
given by the American Board of Internal Medicine. This exam tests not only<br />
their knowledge and judgment, but also their ability to provide superior care.<br />
When would I see a cardiologist?<br />
If your general medical doctor feels that you might have a significant heart or<br />
related condition, he or she will often call on a cardiologist for help. Symptoms<br />
like shortness of breath, chest pains, or dizzy spells often require special<br />
testing. Sometimes heart murmurs or ECG changes need the evaluation of a<br />
cardiologist. Cardiologists help victims of heart disease return to a full and<br />
useful life and also counsel patients about the risks and prevention of heart<br />
disease. Most importantly, cardiologists are involved in the treatment of heart<br />
attacks, heart failure, and serious heart rhythm disturbances. Their skills and<br />
training are required whenever decisions are made about procedures such as<br />
cardiac catheterization, balloon angioplasty, or heart surgery.<br />
What does a cardiologist do?<br />
Whether the cardiologist sees you in the office or in the hospital, he or she<br />
will review your medical history and perform a physical examination which<br />
may include checking your blood pressure, weight, heart, lungs, and blood<br />
vessels. Some problems may be diagnosed by your symptoms and the<br />
doctor’s findings when you are examined. You may need additional tests such<br />
as an ECG, x-ray, or blood test. Other problems will require more specialized<br />
testing. Your cardiologist may recommend lifestyle changes or medicine.<br />
Each patient’s case is unique.<br />
What kind of tests may the cardiologist recommend or perform?<br />
Examples include:<br />
• Echocardiogram – a soundwave picture to look at the structure and<br />
function of the heart.<br />
• Ambulatory ECG – a recording during activity to look for abnormal<br />
heart rhythms.<br />
• Exercise test – a study to measure your heart’s performance<br />
and limitations.<br />
• Cardiac Catheterization – a test in which a small tube is<br />
placed in or near the heart to take pictures, look at how the<br />
heart is working, check the electrical system, or help relieve<br />
blockage.<br />
Is my cardiologist a surgeon?<br />
No, however, many cardiologists do tests such as cardiac<br />
catheterizations that require small skin punctures or incisions,<br />
and some put in pacemakers.<br />
Next week: Preparing for your visit to the cardiologist<br />
Dr. Jorge Chavez F.A.C.C. is a Board Certified Interventional Cardiologist and<br />
Fellow of the American College of Cardiology in Puerto Vallarta.<br />
His clinic, CardioMed, is located at 148 Lucerna in Colonia Versalles,<br />
Office tel.: 293-1991, Emergency cell: (322) 135-5500.<br />
If you have a question you would like Dr. Chavez to respond to, please email him<br />
at: cardiomedpv@hotmail.com or drchavez@cardiomedvallarta.com<br />
You can also check out the clinic’s web site at www.cardiomedvallarta.com www.<br />
facebook.com/cardiomed.vallarta<br />
CardioMed was started by Dr. Jorge Chavez in 1995. He and his team offer patients<br />
bilingual services including diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cardiac disease<br />
- using the latest technology. Some of the services offered by CardioMed include:<br />
Evaluation, EKG, Stress Test, 24-hour Ambulatory EKG, Echocardiography, Stents,<br />
and Angiography. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States<br />
and Mexico. Because of the enormous growth in both technology and advances in<br />
cardiovascular sciences, Dr. Chávez spends several months per year continuing his<br />
education at the Long Island Jewish Health System.<br />
SATURDAY 10<br />
ISSUE 251 | AUGUST 2013 FRIDAY 16
Body & Sol<br />
20<br />
by KRYSTAL FROST<br />
organic-select@hotmail.com<br />
Re-Thinking<br />
Mammography<br />
...NOW A WARNING??<br />
Radiologists often rely on specialized “CAD”<br />
or Computer Aided Digital machine software<br />
to find suspicious areas in mammograms. But<br />
a large new study showed that the technology<br />
has failed to improve breast cancer detection.<br />
In fact, it increases a woman’s risk of getting<br />
a “false positive” result and being told she had<br />
an abnormal mammogram when she’s actually<br />
cancer-free.<br />
Health Matters<br />
The study analyzed 1.6 million mammograms<br />
taken between 1998 and 2006. Some experts<br />
say that in light of the new evidence, radiologists<br />
should use more discretion in interpreting<br />
CAD results.<br />
According to CNN:<br />
“CAD, is now used in roughly three of every<br />
four screening mammograms ... The detection<br />
rate for noninvasive breast abnormalities<br />
improved at radiology facilities that adopted<br />
CAD technology, but, crucially, the rate did<br />
not improve for invasive breast cancers, the<br />
dangerous type that invade healthy tissue in the<br />
breast or other parts of the body.”<br />
Updated Federal Advisory Board<br />
Recommendations<br />
You have to wonder why - when science clearly<br />
confirms that a conventional recommendation is<br />
useless - it receives virtually no exposure in the<br />
media to inform the public of this change. (Go<br />
figure…)<br />
This is precisely what happened with the<br />
recommendation of routine mammography,<br />
which was conclusively shown to be useless in<br />
most women under the age of 50.<br />
As of November 2009, routine mammograms<br />
are no longer recommended across the board<br />
for all women starting at the age of 40. Citing<br />
ineffectiveness and increased risk of harm<br />
in premenstrual women, the U.S. Preventive<br />
Services Task Force, a federal advisory board,<br />
changed their recommendation from annual to<br />
bi-annual mammography screenings, and raised<br />
the recommended starting age to 50. Since then,<br />
the use of mammography has begun to drop.<br />
Concerns about Lack of Safety and<br />
Effectiveness of Mammograms Continue<br />
Time and again, studies published in prestigious<br />
medical journals have shown that mammography<br />
isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The federal task<br />
force indicated that this was their impression as<br />
well; hence the shift in their recommendation in<br />
2009. For example:<br />
• Mammograms miss up to a third or more<br />
of all breast cancers, as reported by Medscape,<br />
depending on the composition of your breast<br />
tissue and the type of cancer.<br />
• Mammography and its subsequent tests,<br />
such as MRIs and stereotactic biopsies, may<br />
actually cause cancer.<br />
• False positives (a diagnosis of cancer<br />
when it turns out to be non-cancerous) are<br />
notorious in the industry, causing women needless<br />
anxiety, pain and, often, invasive and disfiguring<br />
surgical procedures. This is the MAJOR danger<br />
of mammography, as it radically increases the<br />
number of women who will be misdiagnosed and<br />
plugged into a system designed to cut, poison,<br />
and burn them unnecessarily without addressing<br />
the underlying reasons of what caused the cancer.<br />
• CAD computer software used as an<br />
aid to locate suspicious areas in mammograms<br />
has been shown to be ineffectual for improving<br />
breast cancer detection, and increases your risk<br />
of getting a “false positive” result.<br />
The final insult to injury is the latest in a<br />
long row of blows against the cancer detection<br />
industry. In the featured study above, 1.6 million<br />
mammograms from 90 radiology facilities<br />
across the US were analyzed. It was determined<br />
that the use of computer assisted software, which<br />
should be helpful in the detection of breast cancer,<br />
was not helpful after all.<br />
As reported by CNN:<br />
“The detection rate for noninvasive breast<br />
abnormalities improved at radiology facilities<br />
that adopted CAD technology, but, crucially, the<br />
rate did not improve for invasive breast cancers,<br />
the dangerous type that invade healthy tissue in<br />
the breast or other parts of the body. Moreover,<br />
in facilities that began using CAD the percentage<br />
of women with abnormal mammograms who<br />
were accurately diagnosed (a measure known as<br />
“positive predictive value”) dropped, from 4.3%<br />
to 3.6%. Rates of false-positives and “recalls” --<br />
being called back for further testing -- increased<br />
slightly after facilities implemented CAD.”<br />
These results echo those from a study published<br />
in 2007, which also concluded that:<br />
“The use of computer-aided detection is<br />
associated with reduced accuracy of interpretation<br />
of screening mammograms. The increased rate of<br />
biopsy with the use of computer-aided detection<br />
is not clearly associated with improved detection<br />
of invasive breast cancer.”<br />
Mammography Is a Source of Radiation-<br />
Induced Damage<br />
Another recent study further fuels concerns<br />
about the use of mammography, especially<br />
in women predisposed to breast cancer, and<br />
strengthens the recommendation to avoid<br />
mammograms if you’re under the age of 50.<br />
The study assessed the radiation-induced DNA<br />
damage in epithelial breast cells in women with<br />
high- and low risk of breast cancer. The results<br />
showed that women with a family history of<br />
SATURDAY 10<br />
ISSUE 251 | AUGUST 2013 FRIDAY 16
Health Matters 21<br />
cancer, placing them at high risk,<br />
were at significantly greater risk<br />
to suffer irreparable double-strand<br />
DNA breaks from mammography,<br />
and the effect was exacerbated with<br />
dose repetition.<br />
The authors concluded that:<br />
“This isn’t the first time scientists<br />
have come to the conclusion that<br />
using mammography as a tool for<br />
early detection and ‘prevention’ of<br />
lethal cancer may in fact, in many<br />
cases, do far more harm than good.”<br />
Yet you don’t see major warning<br />
about the risks in the media, nor<br />
do any mammography centers<br />
provide information on these risks,<br />
so the women are not given full<br />
disclosure, making it impossible<br />
for them to give any type of valid<br />
informed consent for this procedure.<br />
According to the Cancer<br />
Prevention Coalition, radiation<br />
from routine mammography<br />
poses a significant cumulative<br />
risk of causing breast cancer. And<br />
according to the BreastCancerFund.<br />
org, lower-energy X-rays provided<br />
by mammography result in<br />
substantially greater damage to<br />
DNA than would be predicted,<br />
and suggests that risk of breast<br />
cancer caused by exposure to<br />
mammography radiation may be<br />
greatly underestimated.<br />
Dr. Samuel Epstein, probably the<br />
leading scientist in the world who<br />
truly understands this issue, has<br />
been warning people for years about<br />
the dangers of mammography,<br />
explains:<br />
“The premenopausal breast is<br />
highly sensitive to radiation, each<br />
1 rad exposure increasing breast<br />
cancer risk by about 1 percent,<br />
with a cumulative 10 percent<br />
increased risk for each breast over<br />
a decade’s screening...” “The high<br />
sensitivity of the breast, especially<br />
in young women, to radiationinduced<br />
cancer was known by 1970.<br />
Nevertheless, the establishment<br />
then screened some 300,000 women<br />
with X-ray dosages so high as to<br />
increase breast cancer risk by up<br />
to 20 percent in women aged 40<br />
to 50 who were mammogramed<br />
annually.”<br />
Mammography-Related<br />
DEVICES..<br />
You might be surprised to learn<br />
that many mammography-related<br />
devices have been approved without<br />
any scientific evidence to back up<br />
their safety and effectiveness. In<br />
a 2009 article posted on<br />
HealthCentral.com, Terry Matlen<br />
reported that nine FDA scientists<br />
had raised the red flag and shared<br />
their concerns in a letter to the then<br />
president-elect Obama, alleging<br />
that “’gross mishandling’ by FDA<br />
managers was putting the country at<br />
risk,” and asking for a restructuring<br />
of the agency.<br />
“Daschle noted that these devices<br />
were not backed by clinical evidence<br />
showing they were effective in<br />
detecting breast cancer, thus causing<br />
undue biopsies for thousands and<br />
thousands of women. For the past<br />
three years, FDA scientists and<br />
A new lump or hard knot<br />
found in your breast or<br />
armpit<br />
Dimpling, puckering or<br />
indention in your breast or<br />
nipple<br />
physicians have recommended five<br />
times that these mammography<br />
devices not be approved without<br />
valid clinical, scientific evidence.”<br />
This seems to fly in the face of<br />
an industry that prides itself on<br />
adhering to science-based medicine,<br />
doesn’t it?<br />
Of course, many mammography<br />
proponents will argue that any<br />
drawbacks are “theoretical.” But the<br />
bottom line is that they’re really just<br />
trying to protect their bottom lines<br />
by denying the truth as evidenced<br />
by the many studies indicating that<br />
mammography is both risky and<br />
ineffective. The price you pay for<br />
being misled is your health; perhaps<br />
even your life, if you’re one of the<br />
women whose mammograms miss<br />
the cancer, or if you end up being<br />
one of those whose cancer might be<br />
the result of the procedure itself.<br />
Motives of Mammography<br />
Recommendations<br />
Dr. Samuel Epstein wrote:<br />
“Mammography screening is a<br />
profit-driven technology posing<br />
risks compounded by unreliability…<br />
Mammography is not a technique<br />
for early diagnosis. In fact, a breast<br />
cancer has usually been present<br />
for about eight years before it can<br />
finally be detected. … In striking<br />
contrast, annual clinical breast<br />
examination (CBE) by a trained<br />
health professional, together with<br />
monthly breast self-examination<br />
(BSE), is safe, at least as effective,<br />
and low in cost.”<br />
According to a recent report by<br />
market analysts Medtech Insight,<br />
Change in the size, shape<br />
or symmetry of your breast<br />
Swelling or thickening of<br />
the breast<br />
Redness or scaliness of the<br />
nipple or breast skin<br />
Nipple discharge,<br />
especially any that is<br />
bloody, clear and sticky,<br />
dark or occurs without<br />
squeezing your nipple<br />
breast cancer screening is a $2.1<br />
Billion-a-year business, centered<br />
around mammography, magnetic<br />
resonance imaging (MRI), and<br />
ultrasound. Unfortunately, when<br />
something is this profitable, the<br />
concern and emphasis when<br />
evaluating safety and efficacy<br />
tends to center on loss of income<br />
rather than on what best serves the<br />
patient. When it comes to business<br />
decisions, it seems the patient’s best<br />
interest nearly always is factored out<br />
of the equation, and this seems to be<br />
the case with mammography…<br />
Take Control with<br />
Regular Self-Exams<br />
Breast self-exams have long been<br />
recommended as a simple way for<br />
women to keep track of anything<br />
unusual in their breasts. However,<br />
after studies indicated that this too,<br />
in and of itself, does not reduce<br />
breast cancer mortality rates, many<br />
experts began recommending a<br />
more relaxed approach known as<br />
“breast awareness.”<br />
Breast awareness is really selfexplanatory.<br />
It means you should<br />
regularly check your breasts for<br />
changes, but you can do so in a way<br />
that feels natural to you. In other<br />
words, you don’t have to do it on the<br />
same day each month, or using any<br />
particular pattern. Instead, simply<br />
be aware of what’s normal for you<br />
so you can recognize anything out<br />
of the ordinary.<br />
Changes to keep an eye out for<br />
include:<br />
Any suspicious changes in<br />
your breasts<br />
Changes in your nipple<br />
such as tenderness, pain,<br />
turning or drawing inward,<br />
or pointing in a new<br />
direction<br />
Krystal Frost is a long time resident of<br />
Puerto Vallarta. Graduate of University<br />
of Guadalajara, and specialized<br />
in cosmetic acupuncture at Bastyr<br />
University in Washington State. She is<br />
the owner of Body & Sol for over 15<br />
years w<strong>here</strong> she practices traditional<br />
Chinese medicine, acupuncture,<br />
massage therapy, yoga, meditation and<br />
nutritional counseling. She has created<br />
healing programs for individuals,<br />
retreats and spas. Questions and<br />
comments may be directed to<br />
organic-select@hotmail.com<br />
SATURDAY 10<br />
ISSUE 251 | AUGUST 2013 FRIDAY 16
22<br />
Health Matters<br />
Attention Deficit<br />
and Addiction<br />
by GISELLE BELANGER<br />
RN, LCSW<br />
The chances of developing an addiction goes way up for people<br />
with ADD and “untreated ADD, is one of the leading causes of<br />
substance abuse in America today”. Studies of adults with ADD have<br />
found: a) co-occurring alcohol abuse disorders at rates ranging from<br />
17% to 45%, b) drug abuse or dependence at rates ranging from 9% to<br />
30%. As surprising as this may seem, studies have shown that people<br />
with ADD are a) “more likely to develop a substance abuse problem<br />
at a younger age, b) more likely to require lifetime substance abuse<br />
treatment and c) more likely to develop prolonged substance abuse<br />
problems throughout life.” However, the good news is, “medication<br />
treatment of ADD reduces the risks of substance abuse by 85%<br />
amongst teen patients with ADD.” (John Lee, Editor. “Why ADD/<br />
ADHD Increases the Odds of Addiction – And How to Get Better”,<br />
June 21, 2011: web page: http://www.choosehelp.com/mental-health/<br />
why-add-adhd-increases-the-odds-of-addiction-and-what-to-do.html)<br />
I am no longer surprised at the number of alcoholic/addicts that I see<br />
in therapy who have an underlying undiagnosed, untreated, ADD. It is<br />
so sad to imagine all of the years they have suffered not only from their<br />
addiction but from the frustration of having something else wrong that<br />
caused them to feel different, worthless, anxious, or depressed. Just<br />
imagine how many of the adult alcoholics and addicts actively using,<br />
or walking into a 12-step program, or into therapy, are part of that 85%<br />
of undiagnosed teens with ADD!! Think about that!<br />
Brain function impaired<br />
Frontal lobe impairment: T<strong>here</strong> has been a great deal of research<br />
done revealing that brain function of persons with ADD is impaired,<br />
particularly in the frontal lobe. Many of their symptoms are very<br />
similar to people with closed head brain injury. The frontal lobe is<br />
responsible for a) “sequencing” handle information in a sequential<br />
step by step manner, b) “drive” ability to accomplish tasks, c)<br />
“executive control” or social appropriateness; a loss of this leads<br />
to blurting out comments, impulsivity, and distractibility. The ability<br />
to logically organize and plan behavior, which enable you to set and<br />
achieve goals is impaired. Considering the possible consequence of<br />
one’s behavior and preventing “runaway” emotional responses is a<br />
function of the frontal lobe. Basically, frontal lobe impairment affects<br />
attention, impulse, and thinking capacity.<br />
Dopamine deficiency: T<strong>here</strong> is very strong evidence which links<br />
dopamine receptor deficiency (receptor D2) to many behavioral<br />
abnormalities including addiction (alcohol/drugs/sex/pathological<br />
gambling), food binging, and attention deficit. What a double<br />
whammy! Growing up with attention deficit and then developing<br />
addictions all because of the same dopamine deficiency in the brain!!<br />
One research study revealed that “52% of cocaine addicts” and “49%<br />
of children with Attention Deficit” had the abnormal dopamine<br />
receptor D2 present. (Sudderth, David & Kandel, Joseph. (1997)<br />
Adult ADD: The Complete Handbook. New York, NY. Three Rivers<br />
Press. pg 31)<br />
Dopamine is the neuro chemical responsible for reward or “feel<br />
good” sensory response in the brain. T<strong>here</strong>fore, if dopamine is<br />
released in lesser amounts in the brains of those with ADD/ADHD,<br />
causing them a lessened ability to feel “normal pleasure”, then it is<br />
completely understandable and even expected that they would seek<br />
out normal pleasure levels through intoxication or thrill seeking<br />
behaviors, which increase the amount of dopamine released in the<br />
brain.<br />
Increased Norepinephrine: T<strong>here</strong> is also research supporting the<br />
idea that another part of the brain called the “locus coeruleus”, a group<br />
of neurons located in the brainstem responsible for norepinephrine<br />
release, may be firing at an increased rate. This causes sensory<br />
overload; too many thoughts at once and the inability to sort or filter<br />
them and focus.<br />
Self-medicate<br />
It is no surprise that undiagnosed and t<strong>here</strong>fore untreated<br />
individuals with attention deficit would turn to cocaine and marijuana<br />
to self-medicate. The cocaine is a stimulant, which causes increased<br />
dopamine release and the marijuana slows down the rapid firing of<br />
thoughts and helps concentration.<br />
It is no wonder that most of the current treatment for ADD<br />
is stimulant-type medications like “Ritalin”, “Adderall”, and<br />
“Concerta”, which increase the dopamine levels. Needless to say,<br />
these are much more effective and safer than cocaine.<br />
“Clonidine” (sustained release) is used to specifically treat the rapid<br />
firing of norepinephrine, achieving a much safer and effective result<br />
than marijuana. It is often used in combination with the stimulants<br />
mentioned above because it has a calming effect enabling the person<br />
to control their thoughts, impulses, and sleep disorders.<br />
One man with severe ADD says that the constant stimuli is so<br />
distracting that if he didn’t smoke marijuana before he started his<br />
day, he wouldn’t be able to drive because he’d be so distracted, he’d<br />
have an accident for sure. He not only has justified his chronic longterm<br />
marijuana use, he knows that it helps.<br />
NOTE: Of course, absolutely do NOT advocate the use of marijuana<br />
or other illicit drugs to self-medicate attention deficit (or depression<br />
and other mental health issues). T<strong>here</strong> are too many unknown and<br />
uncontrolled factors causing major health risks, and unsafe mixtures<br />
and dosing, and t<strong>here</strong>fore inconstant effects on the brain. (http://<br />
psychcentral.com/lib/2010/adhd-and-marijuana/) This is extremely<br />
dangerous!! Please seek proper medication treatment.<br />
Giselle Belanger, RN, LCSW (psychotherapist) is available for<br />
appointments in person, by phone, or by skype webcam.<br />
Contact info: ggbelangerpv@gmail.com,<br />
Mex cell: 044 (322) 138-9552 or US cell: (312) 914-5203.<br />
SATURDAY 10<br />
ISSUE 251 | AUGUST 2013 FRIDAY 16
Fish Tales 23<br />
Warm water conditions<br />
drive Yellowfin deep<br />
Written by STAN GABRUK<br />
Owner of Master Baiter´s Sportfishing and Tackle<br />
reproduce. With the swimming<br />
and more swimming, they build<br />
up a hunger and they’re growing<br />
like crazy as well. So t<strong>here</strong> is a<br />
strong urge to feed and they have<br />
to surface. So the late afternoon<br />
into the sundown hours will be<br />
producing well. Morning bite may<br />
be worth the try, but the afternoon<br />
bite is a sure thing. Now you have<br />
my Tuna secret. Please keep this<br />
between us!<br />
With hurricanes and tropical<br />
storms, they have an energy serge<br />
that pushes high pressure in front of<br />
its path. The fish feel this pressure,<br />
it’s amazing but they do, so they run<br />
in front of the pressure dome. We’ve<br />
seen strong days w<strong>here</strong> YF Tuna<br />
were well over 200 lbs. and other<br />
days after the hurricane’s passing,<br />
no fish to be found. Basically they<br />
left the area and have not returned<br />
as yet. So you want to keep your<br />
eyes on the conditions and follow<br />
weather alerts. You can sign up<br />
for them on weather underground,<br />
just Google it, it’s t<strong>here</strong> and it’s a<br />
great source of information when it<br />
comes to present conditions.<br />
The Bank this week has been very<br />
strong with Black Marlin running<br />
anyw<strong>here</strong> from 350 to over 600<br />
lbs. No water temperature concerns<br />
<strong>here</strong>, amigos, they’re hungry and<br />
ready for your presentation in the<br />
form of bait. Bullet Bonito (baby<br />
Bonita) are still in the area and<br />
these Marlin will hit one of these<br />
faster than my wife with a new<br />
credit card!<br />
YF Tuna should be t<strong>here</strong> as well,<br />
but don’t be surprised if you don’t<br />
see any. Dorado of the large variety<br />
in the 60-lb range, Sailfish, Snappers<br />
to 65 lbs. and of course, the list just<br />
goes on. With this being summer,<br />
anything can happen so keep alert<br />
for changes. Remember, this is one<br />
of the most famous fishing grounds<br />
Mexico has to offer.<br />
Well, summer is definitely<br />
<strong>here</strong>. In the last few weeks, we’ve<br />
seen hurricanes 300 hundred miles<br />
off the coast pass us on the way<br />
to Hawaii. Tropical storms have<br />
formed and have been following<br />
these last couple of hurricanes,<br />
petering out shortly t<strong>here</strong>after. That<br />
pretty much means Puerto Vallarta<br />
has had a steady and, to be frank,<br />
pleasant climate from rain the last<br />
few weeks as August is the doorway<br />
to the heat of summer.<br />
With the unusual water warmth<br />
t<strong>here</strong> are plenty of Black Marlin<br />
and Sailfish to be found at the<br />
usual places, no surprise t<strong>here</strong>.<br />
Now if you’re talking Yellowfin<br />
Tuna, you’ve got some work in<br />
front of you. You see, with water<br />
temperatures hovering over 90 o F,<br />
the water is just too hot for our fishy<br />
friends. As a result, they will hang<br />
out at Corbeteña and El Banco in<br />
the deep water, looking for more<br />
comfortable digs. The problem is<br />
they’re down anyw<strong>here</strong> from 150<br />
to 170 feet - in the cooler depths.<br />
Those looking for the elusive<br />
Yellowfin Tuna during the midday<br />
hours will find it difficult at best<br />
and frankly, not likely in midday.<br />
If you are serious, and you need<br />
to be serious if you’re looking for<br />
this beast of a fish, then you need<br />
to be savvy old salt, amigos. If<br />
you’re lucky enough to head out<br />
on an overnight, I suggest getting<br />
to the fishing grounds in the late,<br />
I said late afternoon, as Yellowfin<br />
will come to the surface for a<br />
late bite when the surface water<br />
tempers drop ever so slightly from<br />
the intense equator sun. Trolling at<br />
this time of day will pay off with<br />
150-lb Yellowfin Tuna looking for<br />
a bite to eat. But midday now their<br />
bodies can handle this depth with<br />
no problem, problem is they don’t<br />
exactly see all that well with a<br />
complete lack of light. So comfort<br />
during the day turns to hunger in<br />
the afternoon. Remember, these<br />
fish do three things: swim, eat and<br />
SATURDAY 10<br />
ISSUE 251 | AUGUST 2013 FRIDAY 16
24<br />
Fish Tales<br />
Corbeteña has been full of Yellowfin Tuna in the<br />
150 to over 200-lb range, if you’re lucky enough<br />
to be in the right place at the right time. Fishing is<br />
90% being t<strong>here</strong>, and then taking advantage of your<br />
preparation. You know when to be t<strong>here</strong>, now just<br />
GO!<br />
Not too many Black Marlin, but the Cubera<br />
Snapper are hitting hard and they’re great tasting. No<br />
bottom fishing for the time being, they’re attacking<br />
surface baits with a vengeance. Sailfish in the larger<br />
sizes have been a constant <strong>here</strong>. Dorado are in and<br />
out, but the ones that are in have been larger than<br />
40 lbs., so t<strong>here</strong> are no losers heading to Corbeteña,<br />
The Rock. Deeps off the west side and the shallow<br />
areas are perfect for bait and monsters! Right now,<br />
until the water cools down, we’ll be living with this<br />
for a while, so have a plan.<br />
The Marieta Islands are still awash in Sailfish<br />
in the 60 to 75-lb range, not bad for Sails. Dorado<br />
in the 35-lb range, Snapper are in the same range.<br />
Bonito have been active and the Skippies or Skip<br />
Jack Tuna are plentiful. Hopefully the Rooster<br />
fish will show up again soon. Plenty of fish at the<br />
Marieta Islands and it’s a shorter day, don’t forget<br />
sun screen though!<br />
Inside the bay, we’re still seeing the cookie cutter<br />
conditions of a trash line that gets hit pretty hard<br />
after the rains. Since we’ve been seeing daily rains,<br />
the trash line is alive and well. If near the river<br />
mouths at either end of the bay, you’ll find Snook or<br />
Robalo, fantastic white meat fish. I don’t understand<br />
why more people other than the locals don’t shoot<br />
for these great tasting fish. Snapper are around the<br />
structure or rocks. Yellowfin Football Tuna to 50<br />
lbs. have set up house at Yelapa, but you need a full<br />
distance 4-hour trip. So make sure when discussing<br />
fishing trip with a ¨Promoter¨ you don’t get jipped<br />
out of fishing because of price. Be sure you know<br />
what you’re getting and please make sure t<strong>here</strong> is<br />
a radio on the boat that functions, if not, don’t get<br />
on the boat! Your safety can depend on a working<br />
radio. It also helps your captain find fish from his<br />
associates. Be smart, be safe.<br />
We have fish and the crowds that we’ve come<br />
to expect are not at the fishing grounds. Good or<br />
bad, you have a chance to have these world class<br />
fishing grounds to yourself which, in my books, is<br />
a real luxury. Also, if it rains, that is very good for<br />
fishing, the water droplets hitting the water surface<br />
make the fish think bait is coming back into the<br />
water from jumping. They can’t seem to figure if<br />
nothing went up, what is coming down (?), your<br />
bait, that’s what. Rain is good! Be prepared with<br />
light jackets, but umbrellas are dangerous on a<br />
moving boat, so bring a hat. Dorado especially go<br />
nuts over rainy conditions so keep this in mind and<br />
go find Moby Dick, I hear he’s out t<strong>here</strong> now!<br />
Until next time, don’t forget to kiss your fish and<br />
remember: at Master Baiter’s Sportfishing &<br />
Tackle “We Won’t Jerk You Around!”<br />
Master Baiter’s has changed locations in<br />
Marina Vallarta and are now near Victors Café<br />
Tecuba. Look for me at the least traveled end of<br />
Marina Vallarta and I will be t<strong>here</strong> in my new<br />
place. Email your questions to me at: CatchFish@<br />
MasterBaiters.com.mx Web page: www.<br />
MasterBaiters.com.mx , Local phone at: (044)<br />
322 779-7571 or if roaming: 011 521 322 779-<br />
7571 (this is my cell phone directly until the<br />
shop phone is working. Facebook: http://www.<br />
facebook.com/pages/Master-Baiters-Sportfishing-<br />
Tackle/88817121325 The trade name Master<br />
Baiter’s ® Sportfishing and Tackle is protected<br />
under trade mark law and is the sole property of<br />
Stan Gabruk.<br />
SATURDAY 10<br />
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Calendar 25<br />
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22<br />
Calendar<br />
SATURDAY 10<br />
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