Tuesday, March 22, 2011

The Maya Civilization

The Maya Civilization—also called the Mayan civilization—is the general name archaeologists have given to several independent, loosely affiliated city states who shared a cultural heritage in terms of language, customs, dress, artistic style and material culture. They occupied the Central American continent, including the southern parts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, an area of about 150,000 square miles. In general, researchers tend to split the Maya into the Highland and Lowland Maya.

By the way, archaeologists prefer to use the term “Maya civilization” rather than the more common “Mayan civilization”, leaving “Mayan” to refer to the language.

Highland and Lowland Maya

The Maya civilization covered an enormous area with a large variation of environments, economies, and growth of the civilization. Scholars address some of the Maya cultural variation by studying separate issues related to the climate and environment of the region. The Maya Highlands are the southern part of the Maya civilization, included the mountainous region in Mexico (particularly Chiapas state), Guatemala and Honduras.

The Maya Lowlands make up the northern segment of the Maya region, including Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, and adjacent parts of Guatemala and Belize. A Pacific coastal piedmont range north of the Soconusco had fertile soils, dense forests and mangrove swamps.

The Maya civilization was certainly never an “empire”, inasmuch as one person never ruled the entire region. During the Classic period, there were several strong kings at Tikal, Calakmul, Caracol and Dos Pilas, but none of them ever conquered the others. It’s probably best to think of the Maya as a collection of independent city states, who shared some ritual and ceremonial practices, some architecture, some cultural objects. The city states traded with one another, and with the Olmec and Teotihuacan polities (at different times), and they also warred with one another from time to time.

Timeline

Mesoamerican archaeology is broken up into general sections. The “Maya” are in general thought to have maintained a cultural continuity between about 500 BC and AD 900, with the “Classic Maya” from 250-900 AD.
Archaic before 2500 BC
Hunting and gathering lifestyle prevails.
Early Formative 2500-1000 BC
First beans and maize agriculture, people live in isolated farmsteads and hamlets
Middle Formative 1000-400 BC
First monumental architecture, first villages; people switch to full-time agriculture, Olmec contacts, and, at Nakbe, the first evidence of social ranking, beginning about 600-400 BC
Important sites: Nakbe, Chalchuapa, Kaminaljuyu
Late Formative 400 BC-AD 250
First massive palaces are built at urban Nakbe and El Mirador, first writing, constructed road systems and water control, organized trade and widespread warfare
Important sites: El Mirador, Nakbe, Cerros, Komchen, Tikal, Kaminaljuyu
Classic AD 250-900
Widespread literacy including calendars and lists of royal lineages at Copán and Tikal, first dynastic kingdoms, changing political alliances, large palaces and mortuary pyramids constructed intensification of agriculture. Populations peak at about 100 per square kilometers. Paramount kings and polities installed at Tikal, Calakmul, Caracol, and Dos Pilos
Important sites: Copán, Palenque, Tikal, Calakmul, Caracol, Dos Pilas, Uxmal, Coba, Dzibilchaltun, Kabah, Labna, Sayil
Postclassic AD 900-1500
Some centers abandoned, written records stop. Puuc hill country flourishes and small rural towns prosper near rivers and lakes until the Spanish arrive in 1517
Important sites: Chichén Itzá, Mayapan, Iximche, Utatlan)

Each independent Maya city had its own set of institutionalized rulers, beginning in the Classic period (AD 250-900). Documentary evidence for the kings and queens has been found on stele and temple wall inscriptions and a few sarcophagi.

During the Classic period, kings were generally in charge of a particular city and its supporting region. The area controlled by a specific king might be hundreds or even thousands of square kilometers. The ruler’s court included palaces, temples and ball courts, and great plazas, open areas where festivals and other public events were held. Kings were hereditary positions, and, at least after they were dead, the kings were sometimes considered gods.

Important Facts about the Maya Civilization

Population: There is no complete population estimate, but it must have been in the millions. In the 1600s, the Spanish reported that there were between 600,000-1 million people living in the Yucatan peninsula alone. Each of the larger cities probably had populations in excess of 100,000, but that doesn’t count the rural sectors that supported the larger cities.

Environment: The Maya Lowland region below 800 meters is tropical with rainy and dry seasons. There is little exposed water except in lakes in limestone faults, swamps, and cenotes—natural sinkholes in the limestone that are geologically a result of the Chicxulub crater impact. Originally, the area was blanketed with multiple canopied forests, and mixed vegetation.

The Highland Maya regions include a string of volcanically active mountains. Eruptions have dumped rich volcanic ash throughout the region, leading to deep rich soils and obsidian deposits. Climate in the highland is temperate, with rare frost. Upland forests originally were mixed pine and deciduous trees.
Writing, Language and Calendars of the Maya Civilization

Mayan language: The various groups spoke nearly 30 closely related languages and dialects, including the Mayan and Huastec.

Writing: The Maya had 800 distinct hieroglyphs, with the first evidence of language written on stela and walls of buildings beginning ca 300 BC. Bark cloth paper codex were being used no later than the 1500s, but all but a handful were destroyed by Spanish.

Calendar: The so called “long count” calendar was invented by Mixe-Zoquean speakers, based on the extant Mesoamerican Calendar. It was adapted by the classic period Maya ca. 200 AD. The earliest inscription in long count among the Maya was made dated AD 292. Earliest date listed on the “long count” calendar is about August 11, 3114 BC, what the Maya said was the founding date of their civilization. The first dynastic calendars were being used by about 400 BC.

Astronomy
The Dresden Codex dated to the Late Post Classic/Colonial period (1250–1520) includes astronomical tables on Venus and Mars, on eclipses, on seasons and the movement of the tides. These tables chart the seasons with respect to their civic year, predict solar and lunar eclipses and tracked the motion of the planets.

Maya Civilization Ritual

Intoxicants: Chocolate (Theobroma), blache (fermented honey and an extract from the balche tree; morning glory seeds, pulque (from agave plants), tobacco, intoxicating enemas, Maya Blue.

The Maya tracked the sun, moon, and Venus. Calendars include eclipse warnings and safe periods, and almanacs for tracking Venus.

Maya Gods: What we know of Maya religion is based on writings and drawings on codices or temples. A few of the gods include: God A or Cimi or Cisin (god of death or flatulent one), God B or Chac, (rain and lightning), God C (sacredness), God D or Itzamna (creator or scribe or learned one), God E (maize), God G (sun), God L (trade or merchant), God K or Kauil, Ixchel or Ix Chel (goddess of fertility), Goddess O or Chac Chel. There are others; and in the Maya pantheon there are sometimes combined gods, glyphs for two different gods appearing as one glyph.

Death and Afterlife: Ideas about death and the afterlife are little known, but the entry to the underworld was called Xibalba or “Place of Fright”.

Maya Politics

Warfare: The Maya had fortified sites, and military themes and battles events are illustrated in Maya art by the Early Classic period. Warrior classes, including some professional warriors, were part of the Maya society. Wars were fought over territory, slaves, to avenge insults, and to establish succession.

Weaponry: axes, clubs, maces, throwing spears, shields and helmets, bladed spears

Ritual sacrifice: offerings thrown into “cenotes”, and placed in tombs; the Maya pierced their tongues, earlobes, genitals or other body parts for blood sacrifice. Animals (mostly jaguars) were sacrificed, and there were human victims, including high ranking enemy warriors who were captured, tortured and sacrificed.

Mayan Architecture
The first steles are associated with the Classic period, and the earliest is from Tikal, where a stele is dated AD 292. Emblem glyphs signified specific rulers and a specific sign called “ahaw” is today interpreted as “lord”.

Distinctive architectural styles of the Maya include (but aren’t limited to) Rio Bec (7th-9th centuries AD, block masonry palaces with towers and central doorways at sites such as Rio Bec, Hormiguero, Chicanna, and Becan); Chenes (7th-9th centuries AD, related to the Rio Bec but without the towers at Hochob Santa Rosa Xtampack, Dzibilnocac); Puuc (AD 700-950, intricately designed facades and doorjambs at Chichén Itzá, Uxmal, Sayil, Labna, Kabah); and Toltec (or Maya Toltec AD 950-1250, at Chichén Itzá.

Archaeological Sites of the Maya
Really the best way to learn about the Maya is to go and visit the archaeological ruins. Many of them are open to the public and have museums and even gift shops on the sites. You can find Maya archaeological sites in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and in several Mexican states.

Major Maya Cities
Belize: Batsu’b Cave, Colha, Minanha, Altun Ha, Caracol, Lamanai, Cahal Pech, Xunantunich

El Salvador: Chalchuapa, Quelepa
Mexico: El Tajin, Mayapan, Cacaxtla, Bonampak, Chichén Itzá, Cobá , Uxmal, Palenque

Honduras: Copan, Puerto Escondido
Guatemala: Kaminaljuyu, La Corona (Site Q), Nakbe, Tikal

Although when you visit archaeological ruins of the Maya, you generally look at the tall buildings--but a lot interesting things are to be learned about the plazas, the big open spaces between the temples and palaces at the major Maya cities.

Mysterious Site Q was one of the sites referred to on glyphs and temple inscriptions; and researchers believe they have finally located it as the site of La Corona.
A newly discovered stone panel at the Classic Period Maya (AD 250-900) center of La Corona in Guatemala has confirmed the identification of that site as the long-sought Maya center once only known as “Site Q”.

During the 1960s, between 30 and 35 stone panels carved with Maya hieroglyphic symbols became known to scholars. The panels had apparently been looted from an unknown classic period Maya capital city and acquired by museums all over the world. The panels were of high quality limestone and contained references to a previously unidentified city marked with a snakehead glyph emblem. Peter Mathews, then a Yale graduate student and now at LaTrobe University, gave the unidentified Maya city the name of Site Q (short for ‘Site ¿Que?’ or ‘which site?’ in Spanish). Several of the glyphs on the panels illustrate athletes, ball players of the ancient Mesoamerican ball game in which players bet their lives.

One athlete in particular is named on at least two panels; his name translates to Red or Great Turkey, and he appears on this panel from Site Q now in the Chicago Art Institute.

Mystery of Site Q
The location of Site Q has been one of the great mysteries for scholars of the Maya civilization. Because it seemed unlikely that a Maya capital city would go undiscovered for so long, candidates for Site Q included the known sites of Calakmul and El Peru, also called Waka. But neither really fit the bill, for stylistic reasons: the steles and glyph panels recovered from Calakmul and El Peru simply did not compare well enough to the mysterious looted panels. There was clearly a connection between Calakmul and Site Q, but it didn’t appear that they were one and the same. In 1996, a previously unknown Maya capital named La Corona was discovered in the jungles of the Peten peninsula, near Río San Pedro in northern Guatemala in the Laguna del Tigre region.

La Corona had been severely looted, but scholars began to think that it was possible that the site represented Site Q.
A Crown of Five Temples
The La Corona site, as reported in Archaeology magazine when it was discovered in 1996, was called that because it had a row of five temples that looked like a crown to researchers Ian Graham and David Stuart of the Peabody Museum at Harvard.

Although La Corona has experienced extensive looting, enough of the site remains to identify a main plaza about half the size of a football field.

Two tall structures and an acropolis make up most of the intact portion of the site. The west side of the plaza has mounds and two Maya altars, one of which is inscribed with the date May 2, AD 636, the 20th anniversary of the ascension of one of Maya rulers of Calakmul.

Although there are no ball courts, a typical feature of Maya cities, there are ballplayers illustrated on the stele, including one called Red or Great Turkey-the same Red or Great Turkey mentioned on the looted stele now at the Art Institute.

19th Annual Banderas Bay Regatta Now in the History Books


Shortened to two days of racing because of the tsunami that hit Banderas Bay the Regatta was still a fun and very competitive event. Although minimal damage occurred in Banderas Bay due to the tsunami) that originated in Japan there was enough rapid current and sea level fluctuations to prompt the port authorities to close access and to the estuary at Nuevo Vallarta due to the appearance of a vortex / whirlpool near the entrance to the marinas.

Boat owners wishing get their vessels away from docks and into the open sea were allowed to leave. Reportedly on Friday night there were close to 150 boats anchored offshore of La Cruz. Because of schedules and personal commitment by many of the participants it was decided that the best course of action was to simply shorten the races to two days rather than the originally planned three. As planned the final race of the 2010 Banderas Ray Regatta was run Saturday. Boats raced moderately long courses and were blessed with some pretty brisk winds late in the afternoon. This led to some pretty spectacular spinnaker runs, treating those out on the bay watching the race, with a colorful visual treat.

Awards were given out at the Awards Dinner and Beach Party that was held at the Paradise Village Resort and Spa. The Awards and Party was attended by almost 400 people who danced to the music of Philo Hayward and his Mexican Shuffle Band, had a great dinner and cheered the race winners for their accomplishments.
The final day of racing didn’t bring many surprises as those boats showing dominance on Thursday also dominated on Saturday.
This year’s overall division winners (top 3 finishers) are:
Division A
Cirque - Louis Kruk, skipper
Blue - Cheryl and Ken Solis, skippers
Sirocco - Lee Pryor, skipper

Division B
Dream Chaser – Cam McConnell, skipper
Mood and Stars – Guadalupe Dip, skipper
Paradox – Carl Carlson, skipper

Division C
Tabatha – Fred Delaney, skipper
Adios – Craig Shaw, skipper
Di’s Dream – Roger Frizzle, skipper

Division D
J/World #4 – Wayne SITEL, skipper
J/World #5 - Wayne SITEL, skipper
J/World #2 – Wayne SITEL, skipper

Division E
Wave Goodbye – Pablo Garcia, skipper
Miss Teak – Chris Prather, skipper
Tallon – Palsy Verhoeven, skipper

Division F
Poco Loco Dos – Keith Sangster, skipper
Salty Feet – Francisco Coppel, skipper
Saber Vivir – Charles Naslund, skipper

Division G
Piko – Lauren Buchholz, skipper
Mita Pizza – Ralph Hemphill-Fernandez, skipper
Itchen – T. J. Edwards, skipper

The Banderas Bay Regatta would not be possible without the generous support of its sponsors including: Vallarta Yacht Club, Grupo Lloyd, Paradise Village Beach Resort and Spa, Vallarta Lifestyles Publishing Group, Mariners General Insurance Group, State of Nayarit / Rivera Nayarit, Philo’s Bar and Restaurant, PV Sailing, Vallarta Yachts, Vallarta Adventures, O & A Investment Funds, Marina Rivera Nayarit, Artist Federico Leon de La Vega and Chevron.

SUE AND MARIE

Certified Padi Master Instructor and Padi IDC Staff Instructor

So, I expect after you have read our articles about diving, you must be chomping at the bit to check out these cool waters for yourselves.

How can I do this I hear you ask? Well, it´s easy to start your diving life in a relatively cheap and quick manner. You can start off with doing a discover scuba diving class.

This is done in a swimming pool, or if you are lucky enough to have your own pool, it can be done in the comfort of your own home.

We will give you an orientation of all the scuba diving equipment, explain how it works and how to use it, then, into the water we all go.

You will practice breathing through your regulator on the surface before slipping on down to the bottom of the pool. When you are comfortable, we will get you to do some simple skills that we will demonstrate.

You will learn how to clear water from your mask without going to the surface and how to remove and replace your regulator from your mouth (so you can smile for some cool photo´s). When these are completed we will swim around the pool so you can get comfortable in your gear.

This is a ton of fun on its own. If you love it (and believe me you will) we can go into the ocean and dive.

Just how easy is this I hear you ask? Well, I took my neighbors 9 year old granddaughter for a pool session this week and within 10 minutes she was swimming around like a fish. She also mastered the underwater egg and spoon race and thrashed her dad at it! It really is child´s play.

She will be back next year to do her course with us and get into the ocean. Another diver is “born”.

So, once the pool session is complete, we can take you diving in the ocean to a maximum depth of 40ft. That is plenty deep enough to see so many great things. There will be no looking back after this we are sure and you will want to carry on. I won´t waffle on, but you can read all about it on our website.

We mentioned Los Arcos 3 weeks ago, and it’s fantastic for your first dive. Here we can see angelfish, butterfly fish and get you hooked on my favorites, the nudibranches and we can search for the Oxynoe panamensis together, amongst a host of other critters to amaze and amuse yourself.

We are off to blow some bubbles now. Catch you next week.
www.pvseadive.com

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Puertotitlan de las A(n)tenas

National Water Day:  Taking Care of the Pitillal River

This year, 2011, marks the 3rd year the Grupo Ecológico has celebrated “Aguas con el Rio” (Taking Care of the River). A combination of ecological awareness and a lottery.

The Pitillal River has had progressively less water over the last decade and has become a dry river bed for much of the year. Constructions are encroaching on all sides as urban sprawl engulfs the floodplain north of the Puerto Vallarta downtown area.

Most visitors to Puerto Vallarta only know the Pitillal River when they cross over the Av. Medina Ascencio traffic bridge between the Peninsula and Grand Venetian high-rise condominium developments that now block the view of the ocean.

And the lottery? Ecological consciousness is not a strong point in Mexico, but a chance to win some money is.

So, we sell tickets to see who can accurately predict which day the surface water of the Pitillal River will disappear at a location previously selected.

For a $20 Peso ticket, one can win a cash prize of $800, $400 or $300 Pesos by choosing, the exact day, the day before or the day after the river dries up. Shazam! Ecological consciousness!

Seventy-five ticket buyers have a chance to win some money and we have 75 more people looking at the water in the Pitillal River when they drive over the bridge rather than looking at the concrete condominiums blocking their view of the ocean!

Now that is what is called ecological salesmanship in the mundane world of raising consciousness.

Personally, I even have a side bet with a maintenance man at a local condominium as to who will buy who dinner on the results of when the river disappears. But, all of this lottery stuff is merely a tactic to draw our attention to an odd and potentially dangerous situation in these tropical latitudes. Odd, because we have a river without water for much of the year and dangerous because the heavy rains will come again.

The Grupo Ecologico has been taking measurements of the water flowing in the Pitillal River for 3 years from February to April. Depth, width and velocity, all carefully measured and noted to build a statistical database.

In 2009, the river dried up on April 15th. In 2010, May 15th. (Remember the rains in February 2010? You’ve already forgotten? That is why we keep a record.) What date will the Pitillal River dry up in 2011?

During the summer hurricane season, in 1998 as I recall, the Pitillal River overflowed its banks and inundated much of the area of Fluvial Vallarta (does the name suggest something to you?). Aramara and the Walmart parking area was flooded as the river searched for an outlet to the ocean. (This was before Liverpool.)

The administration of David Cuevas dedicated half the Public Works budget that year to redirecting the river into it’s current course of a straight canal from Av. Francisco Villa to the ocean, a distance of about 3 km. By eliminating the meanders of the river, conditions were created to increase the velocity of the water in the river to reach the ocean.

However, this has resulted in less time for water to recharge the underground water tables. Further, from 1998 to the present, the Pitillal riverbed has been exploited as a source for building materials and to elevate much of the property in Fluvial Vallarta, which previously flooded during the rainy seasons. (When the hotels along the north shore mention that their beaches are lacking sand, it could be stated that “their beaches are now under the constructions of much of Fluvial Vallarta.)

As a consequence, over the past decade since these modifications were made, the Pitillal River has begun to dry up earlier each year. Prior to 1998, there was water almost the entire year. Now, with each passing year, the river is drying up earlier each year. The water table in the area has begun to drop. Evidence of this is that some of the wells of SEAPAL (Puerto Vallarta Municipal Water Department) that are closest to the ocean are beginning to draw an increasing amount of salty water…salt water invasion.

When the Ecology Group began the project of “Reforestation with Responsibility” in 2003, it was with the specific intention of revitalizing the Rio Pitillal.

Planting trees helps conserve the ground water.

Besides, a river without water isn’t much of a river. Moreover, when we have the next hurricane in Puerto Vallarta, and the question is “when” not “if” in tropical climes, the river will, once again, serve the purpose for which Nature designed it, an unobstructed outlet to the ocean.

Included in this project of continuing with the reforestation along the river, the Ecology Group proposes that both sides of the river from the ocean to Playa Grande, a distance of 6 kms., be declared a linear park for walking, running and bicycle use.

The resulting green area will not only provide a much needed green area for Puerto Vallarta, but would allow an alternate route for non-motorized transport (bicycle path), a buffer zone between the river and construction and an attractive location for both tourists and locals.

The Pitillal River is only one of the important rivers in Puerto Vallarta. The Ameca, Cuale, Mismaloya and Horcones rivers are also in need of attention and care. The Grupo Ecológico invites all neighbors in the area of these rivers and any other arroyos to begin their own reforestation project.

When the summer rains come, you may find that “taking care of your river” has been one of the best investments you have made.

Culinary Secrets...

Alo, Alo, Alo, Alo, Alo a todos… I hope everyone is having a great week and enjoying my contributions; although my wife might be my only fan at this time I do hope to capture everyone´s interest.

This week we´ve been experimenting with different flavors of the Banderas Bay area , I think what I´m going to share with you this week is something special and hope you will like it.

Here is the Recipe of the Week

Executive Chef Gerardo Sandoval, with 23 years of experience he is an artistic genius of exquisite culinary creations. Gerardo also is kind of shy, he barely talked with customers. However, he did it every day until present; Now, you can see the “grumpy” chef, smiling and talking with diners everyday at Café des Artistes del Mar. The recipe of the week:

“Tropical Chocolate Delightful”
Serves 4

Chocolate Delightful

INGREDIENTS:
150 g Bitter chocolate coberture
150 g Butter
5 pz Eggs
170 Sugar
75 g Sifted flour PROCEDURE:
Melt the butter and chocolate a bain marie “water bath”. Put eggs and sugar in a mixer until it turns to triple its volume, add the mix of chocolate and butter taking care that it’s not hot. Add the flour at the end, mixing slow until it forms a homogeneous blend, put in a special mold and bake at 200 degrees for 9 minutes.

Passion fruit ice cream
INGREDIENTS:
150 g Sugar
150 g Concentrated passion fruit
70 g Glucose powder
250 ml Lyncott cream
5 g Stabilizer
250 ml Milk

PROCEDURE:
Putting heat milk, sugar and glucose until it reaches 60 degrees, add the stabilizer, heat until it reaches 80 degrees, remove from heat, add the cream and the concentrated passion fruit, add. Pass to the ice cream machine.

Passion fruit Sauce
INGREDIENTS:
50 g Concentraded passion fruit
30 g Powdered sugar
30 g Glucose powder
20 g Honey corn

PROCEDURE:
Put all the ingredients together in a pan and cook at low heat until syrupy, keep and store cool.

Tulip Pasta
INGREDIENTS:
70 g Butter
70 g Sifted powdered sugar
70 g Glucose
150 g Sifted flour

PROCEDURE:
Put in a pan to melt the butter, powdered sugar and glucose at 60 degrees, remove from heat, whisk until ingredients are blended.

Put in a bowl and add the flour, mix with balloon whisk until well blended. Give the desired shape and bake at 180 degrees or until it turns golden.

Decoration:
30 g Fresh raspberries cut in half
4 pz Thought flower
40 ml Passion fruit sauce
4 pz Tulip paste decoration Assembly:
Serve the chocolate in the center of the plate, with raspberries on it. Make a scoop of passion fruit ice cream and serve it in the center of the cake, decorated with tulip til pasta and flower thoughts, finally make lines with the passion fruit sauce

Tip of the week:
What kind of Cookware to look for?
I only recommend Stainless Steel for cooking since Aluminum doesn’t preserve the flavors in the same way.

Preferably a heavy base for proper preparation and heat distribution to quickly get the meat to seal. Good tight fitting covers are also important. My choice is cookware by “Le Creuset”. The best of the best are made of copper with stainless steel interior and cooking surface.
A Teflon pan is quite useful for Omelets or Crepes but usually have a limited lifespan.

Clay is also a very good choice, especially for Fish as it retains all the moisture.
Don´t miss next week´s tip on “How to properly clean your Cookware”?

Flavors de la Bahía:
Here, my favorite part, experiencing the flavor of the Bay. I´ve had the opportunity to go out and dine around town a few times to be able to pass on a few recommendations.

Maybe some of you are already familiar with Coco Tropical, right in front of Playas de lo Muertos in the Zona Romantica of Puerto Vallarta. Proprietor Heinz Reize, a good friend whom I admire tremendously, has one of the finest Chefs of Puerto Vallarta in his employ, José Guadalupe Altamirano, good “Jimmy” who has been with Heinz for more than 12 years, almost like a disciple. Here is my recommendation of the week.

“EL OSOBUKO… the house specialty; prepared with Chamberete de Ternera slow cooked for several hours with vegetables in its own juice and a touch of wine until tender
Accompanied by a delicious Risotto using a secret recipe to prepare the rice, very Italian; cooked in a chicken or vegetable broth, White wine, red onion y mushrooms; Coco Tropical´s recipe also includes a pinch of Saffron. The rice is “al dente” with a touch of whipped cream butter.

I suggest you check out Coco Tropical to try this delicioso “Osobuko” served with Risotto. This is a regular entrée from the extensive menu, don´t miss this special treat; Bon appétit…!!!

E-mail us at marketing@grupocafedesartistes.com to share your experience with me. If you enjoy it as much as I do, I look forward to suggesting more recipes and special flavors of Banderas Bay even if you are a vegetarian.

Speaking with el Chef Thierry:
Since last month was the month of love, here are a few tips if you are interested in a few aphrodisiacal presentations.

Legend has it that Alejandro Dumás had a bowl of almond soup every night before meeting with his lover. Also Samson allegedly seduced Delilah with the scent of these dried fruits; the Greeks extensively used Basil to heighten the pleasures.
These aphrodisiacs have been used throughout the centuries and are known to stimulate the senses, sensuality and are considered highly erotic.
Here are the TOP 10

1. Asparagus
2. Almonds
3. Avocado
4. Bananas
5. Basil
6. Chocolate
7. Eggs
8. Figs
9. Liver
10. Oysters

Until next week,
Thierry Blouet

Pie In The Sky™, Repeatedly Voted Best Bakery

Pie In The Sky™, Repeatedly Voted Best Bakery,
has moved to an even sweeter Puerto Vallarta location.

Banderas Bays’ favorite bakery has returned to its previous Rio Cuale Location at the beautiful Condominium Posada Rio Cuale on Aquiles Serdan # 242 , local #3 near the corner of Avenida Vallarta , across from the New Molina De Agua Plaza and Condominiums in the Romantic Zone.

Their now sweeter location is filled with the well know and beautifully painted mural of the famous charactatures of Pie in the Sky, to entertain you while you are tasting the finest desserts, Pies, Cakes and Tarts in All of Banderas Bay and beyond.

You can find Grand Opening Discounts to celebrate their sweet PV location on their Facebook Page www.facebook.com/pieinthesky.mexico and in various newspapers around town. Watch for these sweet discounts and join them in celebrating their opening. Pie in the Sky continues to have daily discounts in Bucerias as mentioned in Facebook, as well as 30% off on their yummy frozen Besos.

Their beso (kiss) is a brownie, like no other you have ever tasted.

Mango season has begun, You will again find the best Mango pie in town at Pie In The Sky™ , as featured in COSTA VALLARTA. Mango Pie can be purchased with sugar, with splenda, or purely ORGANIC upon request.

Watch for their Grand Inaugeracion to take place in the coming weeks.

Pie In The Sky™ has been Banderas Bays favorite bakery for 24 years and has won the Readers Choice award for the last 7 out of 8 years including 2010. In addition to their famous chocolate “Besos”, Heart Cakes, Mini-Mousse Hearts, and Boutique Art Cakes, you can custom order a wide variety of gift baskets , and special event cakes, custom made to your specifications.

Pie In The Sky™ also offers over 30 varieties of whole cheesecakes, pies, cakes, and other sinful sweets, You certainly don’t need a holiday to relish the decadence of Pie in the Sky™

Using only The finest natural ingredients, many of them imported from around the world, sets Pie in the Sky™ apart from other local bakeries. Each item is lovingly handmade from scratch and does not include any trans-fats.

Their dedication and their attention to quality and customer service is why Pie in the Sky™ has been selected by residents and tourists alike as the Bay’s “Best Bakery” for seven out of eight years in the Lifestyles Magazine Reader’s Choice Awards.

Visit one of their two convenient locations: Heroe de Nacozari #202 in Bucerias (open from 8am to 10pm) and their now sweeter location at Aquiles Serdán # 242 (near the corner of Avenida Vallarta and Aquiles Serdan) in local #3 of Condominians Posada Rio Cuale across from Condominians Molino De Agua., in the Romantic Zone.

They have delivery service and you can place your order by calling (322)-223-8183 in Vallarta, or 329-298-0838, 298-0033, or 1-800-849-2339 in Bucerias. Come discover all of the delectable offerings of Pie in the Sky™ where you can taste the difference when only quality ingredients are used.
Check out their website, pieinthesky.com.mx, for more information.
For daily specials in Puerto Vallarta and Bucerias go to
www.facebook.com/pieinthesky.mexico or watch for discount

Their Happy Hour is from 9-12:00 noon every day, where you can get 2x1 coffee with the purchase of any product.

Come and visit us in our new location. We will continue to provide you with the Best Bakery Products in the Bay!
¡Thank you For Your PREFERENCE

Pie in the Sky™ is recommended by Trip Adviser, Fodors Puerto Vallarta, Lonely Planet and the Moon Guide and is a Repeated Readers Choice Winner.

HAPPY HOUR Daily 9-12 noon

FREE WI-FI(329) 298 0838

WE DELIVER EVERYWHERE!

“ACCIDENTALLY DELICIOUS”

Recipe: Pinto Beans for a Crowd

INGREDIENTS:
One kilogram (2.2 pounds) dried pinto beans, soaked overnight in water with 3-4 tablespoons baking soda
Two (2) stalks celery, chopped, with leaves if available
One (1) medium-large onion, coarsely chopped
One-quarter (1/4) green bell pepper, chopped
Seasoned salt, about 1 tablespoon – my secret ingredient – “Sal Con 20 Especias Sazonador, Cocina Mestiza Mexico” bought at Rizo’s in Vallarta ages and ages ago. Phone number on label is 01-800-021-2486. “Ingredientes: Sal, especias y chile en polvo.”
Chicken broth or Knorr Caldo de Pollo mixed with water (2 teaspoons per liter of water) or chicken base mixed with water
Dash garlic powder to taste and or 2 whole cloves garlic
3 bay (laurel) leaves
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Optional: Fresh chopped cilantro, disinfected in Microdyne or other similar solution

METHOD:
1. After soaking pinto beans overnight in a mixture of water with baking soda – which helps de-gas the beans – thoroughly rinse the beans to remove baking soda taste.

2. In a large pot on medium heat, melt 1-2 tablespoons butter and sauté celery, onion and green pepper until soft, about 5 minutes.

Butter tastes better than oil…and actually tolerates heat better than oil, which breaks down into nasty things when heated.

3. Add rinsed beans and cover with chicken broth or Knorr Caldo de Pollo mixed with water (or better yet, chicken base mixed with water if you have it). Use 2 teaspoons Caldo de Pollo per liter of water. A liter is slightly more than a quart.

4. Before adding seasoned salt, taste, because the Caldo de Pollo is salty. If you cannot find my secret ingredient, Sal Con 20 Especias (which contains some chili powder), use your favorite seasoned salt, such as Lawry’s, McCormick’s, Beau Monde, Tony Chachere’s or whatever.
Add a hit of garlic powder and 1-2 WHOLE cloves of garlic, which will give a mild and slightly nutlike flavor.

5. Bring beans to a boil, turn down heat and gently simmer about 45-60 minutes until tender but still retain their shape. If needed, add more water during cooking, as the beans will absorb a lot. Test for doneness by eating a bean or two. At the end, if desired, add fresh chopped cilantro.

6. If freezing, add some fresh cilantro to taste and submerge it.

Cacao WOW

It makes a great truffle. My guests are always amazed by the flavor combination I use and generally freak out after dinner and beg me for the recipe. I am not exaggerating, it happens every time, like clockwork. 

They say it reminds them of the film Like Water for Chocolate. This is obviously a huge compliment as I put lots of love, intuition and hard work into the food I prepare. I’m happy to know I’m giving my guests something yummy as well as super nutritious. For the truffles, I use a Mexican bittersweet chocolate and chipotle chiles. The coating is a mixture of raw crushed cacao beans, Mexican cinnamon, coco powder, and organic cane sugar. I serve them in pairs and they’re accompanied by an orange quarter. Simple but delicious, I think the emotional reaction stems from the crushed cacao bean coating, because it’s got this amazingly sweet bitterness which works so well with the dark chocolate chipotle. It’s a culinary high. The blood starts pumping from the chile’s subtle heat and then the endorphins kick in and the skin starts to tingle. The euphoria from the chocolate and cacao sneak up on you and before you know it, you’re wide awake! It’s like heaven. THANK YOU CACAO aka Chocolate.

People who don’t like chocolate are not to be trusted. They obviously have fundamental issues with pleasure!

The next time you’re at the market, buy a handful of cacao beans and try them for yourselves. Just a few will do as they are really powerful. Creamy, bitter, sweet and so damn good and packed with concentrated nutrients which classify them as a super-food. Cacao IS chocolate. You can crush cacao into your granola, or add to a smoothie with banana and fresh coconut, crush on top of cookies or brownies before baking, eat them as is, or of course you can make my truffle recipe.
Cacao is botanically known as “Theobroma cacao”. The beans and nibs, the raw materials for making chocolate, are high in flavonoids and contain more antioxidants than most fruits and just as much as a glass of red wine. They are known to lower cholesterol and relieve depression.

In fact, the whole cacao fruit was used medicinally as well as recreationally among the Maya, Olmec and Aztecs, and was spread from there to Europe after the Spanish conquest. The Mayans consumed cacao as an aphrodisiac, energetic and digestive. Montezuma was said to have drank copious amounts of this cacao beverage for these reasons exactly.

The Aztecs not only associated cacao with the fertility goddess but also used it as currency. Sex and money….valuable stuff. There are many amazing stories of cacao in the history of Mesoamerica.

From the 16th through the 20th centuries, medical texts reported over 100 medicinal uses of cacao. Most commonly, the uses stimulate the nervous system and improve digestion and elimination, and heart health.

- Dark chocolate, which contains more cacao and less fats and sugars, can positively benefit the cholesterol profile

- Cacao provides the same amount of antioxidant polyphenols as a glass of red wine

- Cacao stimulates the production of natural antidepressants in the body, as well as containing its own stimulants, theophylline and caffeine

- Cacao beans are rich in magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese and potassium. They’re also a good source of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C, E and pantothenic acid - Most of these nutrients are lost during the commercial chocolate making process. Health practitioners recommend that anyone interested in eating cacao for its health benefits use raw, unprocessed cacao beans and nibs rather than processed chocolate.

Constituents are Caffeine, flavonoids, phenylethylalamine, anandamide, magnesium, sulfur, oleic acid, theobromine, and tryptophan. Cacao beans and nibs contain more flavonoid antioxidants than most other vegetables and fruits and up to four times as much concentrated antioxidant as green tea.
Cacao stimulates the production of serotonin and endorphins, and contains phenylethylalamine, a chemical that elevates the mood and help increase focus. Cacao MAKES YOU HAPPY!


Bittersweet Cacao Truffles
12 oz Bittersweet Chocolate
¼ cup Almond or Rice Milk
The Chipotle JUICE from one small can of chipotles
If you’d like a spicier truffle, add the juice from two cans.
Save the chipotles for a salsa or later in the week.

Truffle Coating

½ cup of crushed cacao beans (use your coffee grinder)
1 cup organic cane sugar
1 heaping tablespoons of cinnamon
½ cup of coco powder

Mix together. Set aside until ready to coat truffles.

For truffles:
Melt chocolate with milk in a double boiler until smooth and creamy.
Add chipotle JUICE ONLY. Combine thoroughly and chill in the fridge until chocolate has a hardened but is still malleable.
Use a melon baller, coffee spoon, or small scooper to form small balls of chocolate. You will need to use your hands to
roll a well formed truffle ball. Toss in cacao sugar mixture to coat.
EAT! Have a nice slice of orange ready. They work really well together.

Makes about 15 truffles.

Provecho.

Michael R. Lee B.Sc., M.D., M.C.F.P. (E.M.), D.A.B.E.M., F.A.C.E.P. Sure Results Weight Loss Inc.

Back when I was in med school there was some thought obesity may have one benefit and that was the prevention of osteoporosis – weakening of the bones. This thought was based upon the knowledge that bone density increases, strengthening the bones, when they are exposed to stresses.

It was surmised that since the impact of walking and running stresses the bones, then it only makes sense that doing any form of impact exercise carrying extra weight should only help.

Well, it turns out this is wrong too but for a number of reasons nobody even thought about until just recently when lab tests and radiological imaging became more sophisticated.

Fat cells, especially visceral fat, (the fat hidden inside our abdominal cavities) produce a substance that is now known to actively make bones thinner and weak.

In addition to that, obesity, especially visceral obesity increases the amount of fat in the bone marrow which also contributes to bone weakness.
So now we have to add Osteoporosis to the never-ending and ever-expanding list of diseases that accompany obesity which include heart disease, type ll diabetes, vascular disease, stroke and hypertension.

The medical community has numerous and varied recommendations for the treatment of Osteoporosis. The ones we all seem to agree on are Vitamin D, weight loss and exercise.

The Vitamin D one is easy. Get out in the sun exposing as much skin as you can without sun block. Work your way slowly up to 20 minutes being careful not to burn.

Twenty minutes in the sun with lots of skin exposed will give you 20,000 units of Vitamin D.

The other two remedies are not as simple. To be effective, a diet must be well planned, coached and medically supervised, especially if there are any medical or medication issues.

Some people, especially if they are carrying a great deal of extra weight, simply cannot exercise efficiently enough to contribute to their weight loss or level of fitness. A gentle stroll through the park won’t do it. We think it’s wise to lose the weight first safely and quickly and then bring up the level of exercise.

 Barbara lost 20 pounds in 6 weeks

I am extremely pleased with the Sure Results program. After attempting several other diet and exercise programs with minimal results, I can easily say that this was the best program I have ever done. I am down three dress sizes and twenty pounds; I feel great and am so happy with my new figure. My gallbladder discomfort and digestive problems have virtually disappeared. Headaches are a thing of the past, my energy has quadrupled and I am no longer dependant on Zantac and Tums. Now I weigh what I did when I was in my thirties and am down to a size six!

We have a 100% success rate in helping our clients lose weight. If you are struggling with this frustration we can help. Visit our web site (www.sureresults.net) and learn more about this amazing hormonally based weight loss program that is changing the lives of everyone who does it.





Almost Time To Go Home


No, it’s not because I’ve been robbed, beaten, or kidnapped by the drug cartels. And it’s not because some corrupt policias tried to shake me down, because I contracted swine flu, or that beheaded bodies were left in the street outside of my hotel.

Honestly, I’m really enjoying it down here and would like to stay, regrettably I have to go back to work in New York.
So I will unfortunately be heading north to brave the cold weather.

Before I leave Mexico, though, I want to address the elephant in the room: Mexico’s infamous drug war, probably the most sensationalized, misunderstood issues played out in North American media, right between Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan.

The bottom line is that two governments decided long ago that drugs are a problem and that they need to do something about it. On one hand, the Mexican government expects the US to reduce demand, and on the other hand, the US government expects Mexico to curtail supply.

There are three major problems with this logic.

Governments think they can force the reduction of something that literally grows on trees. Marijuana and cocaine are more easily grown than Ben Bernanke’s balance sheet-- they’d have better luck reducing the supply of stupidity and hypocrisy in Washington.

What most people don’t realize is that they’ve carpet-bombed half of Colombia with herbicides so nasty (thank you, Monsanto) that they make Agent Orange look like a stick of deodorant. And yet, the cartels still find plenty of land to increase their productive capacity.

Fighting a multi-decade war against plants is just a dumb idea, ranking up there with other such gems as spending our way out of recession, borrowing our way out of debt, and invading other countries to reduce hatred against America.

The second problem is that these governments actually expect to be able to suppress demand. This is nonsense.

There will always be certain personalities who will seek out the high of recreational drugs despite the consequences. Similarly, there are certain personalities who will gamble despite the losses, seek adrenaline rushes despite the risks, or eat Big Macs despite what the bathroom scale says.

To those personalities, their desires are as natural as the instinct to breathe.

There’s no great mystery in the world about the effects of recreational drugs. As dealers say, ‘drugs sell themselves’. Drug users accept the risks because they think the benefits are greater, or they’re psychologically and/or chemically addicted to the product.

This is no different than people who’ve become addicted to aspartame (Diet Coke), prescription pills, sex, booze, exercise, cigarettes, work, shopping, anger, pain, video games, junk food, etc. The chemical and psychological dependencies don’t vanish just because the government decrees it.

The third problem is that the governments even began with the false premise that recreational drugs are a problem and should be prohibited. This is intellectually dishonest: governments sanction all sorts of drug use.

The US government says, for example, that nicotine, high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, alcohol, Viagra, aspartame, Prozac, and Yellow #5 are OK, but raw milk, Cuban cigars, marijuana, human growth hormone, and chocolate Kinder eggs are not OK.

Look, I’m not trying to be anti-alcohol or pro-Kinder egg, but the notion that government agencies should be able to choose which substances we grown adults are and are not allowed to buy and ingest is rather anachronistic. And they do a horrible job at it anyhow.

The FDA is constantly having to recall products that it had approved, frequently reversing its own GRAS (generally regarded as safe) decisions. Remember Vioxx? Stevia? Avastin? Ephedra?

The agency is filled with pencil-pushing bureaucrats who endlessly circulate position papers, dragging on the approval process for potentially life-saving drugs so that someone who’s already dying of cancer won’t have an adverse reaction.

It’s a fundamental injustice when a corrupt bureaucracy swayed by powerful lobby groups is able to decide what we can put in our own bodies, and then fails miserably at enforcing its own vacuous regulations.

The end result of this fallacy has been playing out in Mexico. Yes, there is violence and crime in Mexico related to the business of transporting and distributing recreational drugs. The violence is often portrayed in the media as ‘turf wars’ between competing cartels.

This sounds good, but it’s not really true. There are far more customers out there than the cartels can possibly supply. Fighting for demand is not the issue... it’s getting supply to the customers.

As such, cartels are either fighting it out with each other over key supply routes (which is why most of the violence is in the border towns), or they’re battling the government forces trying to interdict them.

Funny thing, Pfizer and Lily don’t shoot it out in the streets over shelf space for Viagra vs. Cialis. War is bad for business; it’s prohibition that induces armed defense of logistics hubs and production facilities.

The real scourge on Mexican society isn’t ‘turf war’ shoot outs, but the de facto police state that now exists.

In daily life, the chances of the average Mexican coming into contact with drug-related crime or violence is very low, whereas the chances of being harassed or disrupted by government paramilitaries brandishing automatic weapons in full combat gear is extremely high.

This is the fundamental issue in Mexico-- billions of dollars from the US are fueling a war on plants and human nature fuels violence and creates a police state.

The violence (mostly localized in border towns) will continue until these countries finally go broke, capitulate, and begin the embarrassing process of reexamining their policies.

Thank you all for listening.
Departing Dick

Help for the Hurting

“When we see a need,” we look at ways we can practically fill those needs, said Ric Lehman, of Worship in Paradise and CompassioNet Impact. We offer numerous outreach efforts to the poor and feed hundreds each week, but we also look to help those that are simply poor in spirit, or have a hurting heart. We’ve seen many people here hurting from broken hearts and relationship issues, as well as struggling with different addictions. So in response to that, we’ve invited Don Maloney to come and address these issues.

Don Maloney has had 35 years in leading 12 step recovery programs, has spoken to audiences of 10,000, led successful companies and lived and traveled throughout the world speaking on topics such as “Overcoming Addictions,” “Failing Forward,” and “Looking for a Change?”

We have seen that one of the common denominators in those with addictions, and those with heart wounds is the lack of what he calls, “The Father’s Blessing.” So, on Sunday, March 20th, 5:00 pm at Paradise Community Center he will specifically address, “Receiving the Father’s Blessing.” His heart is to see people that have been struggling with rejection, broken relationships and addictions gain a new perspective. Gain a change of mind and soul and even healing! This special time of sharing will give you tools on how you can change your daily life through Jesus. Even if you don’t believe Jesus still changes lives today, this will be a good place to come and explore. The time will also include music from the Worship in Paradise team.

3 events for next week:
Friday night, March 18th, 5:00 pm
Cabaret Concert to benefit
Paradise Community Center
Tickets $250 pesos
Pulpito 127, Zona Romantica

Sunday night, March 20th, 6:00 pm
Special Workshop: Receiving the Father’s Blessing at Worship in Paradise
located at The Paradise Community Center Pulpito 127, Zona Romantica

Wednesday morning, March 23rd, 10:00 am Primavera Event for Women
Brunch, Music and Speaker Tickets $60 Pesos Sponsored by Stonecroft
Held at Paradise Community Center
Pulpito 127, Zona Romantica


Worship in Paradise
Paradise Community Center
Puerto Vallarta 322-129-0347

CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort

CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & SPA offers a career opportunity to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco (March 15, 2011) - CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & SPA finished successfully the training of the fourth generation of young participants of the educational program Youth Career Initiative (YCI).

The participants Victor Balderas, Alicia Navarro, Fabiola Fernandez, Juan Vejar, Fernando Morales, Selene Martinez and Dulce Martinez, had the chance to develop new interpersonal and professional skills with the objective to open a wide range of opportunities and choices for their career, thanks to the valuable support of the managers and associates of the CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & SPA

YCI is an initiative supported by the International Business Leaders Forum, a non profit organization founded by HRH The Prince of Wales, with the mission to promote economic and social development, sustained trough the leadership in the private sector.

With YCI, the hospitality industry provides valuable education and vocational skills for high school graduates from disadvantaged backgrounds. CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta provided them with an intensive educational program that combines theory and practical instruction in all the operative and functional workplace situations. The manage team of the hotel carry out the program, which includes instruction in personal finance, interpersonal skills, English language, computing skills, and personal health and wellbeing. YCI allows the young students to be in touch of the successful hospitality industry in every day situations. With YCI’s program all the young participants can increase their potential, self-esteem and will be informed to make their carrier choices more wisely.

For the Marriott hotels involved in this project: CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & SPA, the JW Marriott Hotel Mexico City, and CasaMagma Marriott Cancun, YCI is already part of their social responsibility programs, becoming an effective and active tool to help the local community and a platform for their associates to contribute actively in the professional career for upcoming generations.

In 2007 Mexico became the second country to implement this initiative in Latin America, 2 years after Brazil. YCI is a global initiative present in Latin America, Africa, Middle East, Europe, Asia and Australia. In its 15 years of operation, YCI have offered this valuable opportunity to over two thousand and five hundred (2500) young people around the world.

To celebrate the end of the YCI program in CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & SPA, the managing team organized a very special graduation ceremony, in which the graduates received their certificate from Alberto Cánovas YCI’s Operations Manager and Teresa Paredes, Director of Operations of CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & SPA. The graduates shared this important occasion with their family, hotel’s volunteers and various personalities like; Ana Noelia Zepeda García, Chief of Municipal Social Programs, whom congratulate the graduates of the YCI.

Latin Motion

Salsa Dancing – A Sensuous Addiction

Last week we discussed the various influences that created salsa music. Naturally, with the evolution and melding of different countries and rhythms has come a variation of different styles of salsa dancing. Again, the style of salsa that you dance will depend on where you live and what is most commonly danced in the area where you reside as well as what your personal preference of style is. Additionally, your heritage may come into play. Are you Colombian, Puerto Rican, Italian, Cuban, Mexican, from New York, Miami… In San Francisco or New York you might hear someone ask you, “On1 or On 2”. This does not mean what is your drug of choice. Unless of course, you’re addicted to salsa.

In Puerto Vallarta what has been most commonly danced is ‘On1’ or LA style, but you will also see quite a bit of Cuban salsa, and Colombian salsa which is also called Cumbia especially on most nights at J&B Nightclub. Colombian style salsa consists of moving your feet back or to the side. There aren’t too many fancy tricks, turns, or spins in Colombian style – except if you are competing or are a professional dancer.

It’s a more casual, calmer but lively style of social dancing. Personally, I think the music is redundant and the moves are boring, but if there is no other option, I gotta keep moving my feet. So let’s talk a little a bit about the Cuban style you might see in “La Bode.” There is often a great band from Cuba on a yearly contract playing at that fun little place on the Malecòn.

Cuban style salsa is a more male-dominated ‘macho’ dance. All salsa is really, but Cuban style is more than the Los Angeles or New York style. This is because this style of dance is restrictive to the woman. Cuban Salseros grip the women’s wrists in a way that restricts her from extending her arms, fingers or doing any sexy styling. After a while, the woman gets bored because her freedom of movement and creativity becomes limited.

There are some popular contemporary bands however, that play faster rhythms and allow for the woman to dance solo and display her beautiful, rhythmic body movements. I’m all for that! Dancing should always allow for creativity and freedom of movement. This leads me to the more popular Casino Rueda.

Casino Rueda, also known as Salsa Casino or Salsa Rueda, is Cuban style salsa danced in a circle. It incorporates Afro-Cuban elements such as Son and Rumba and combines turns patterns and intricate combinations that are inspired from the 1950’s Rock n’Roll craze. In this exciting dance, couples form a circle in which one person calls or signals the different moves. It’s a fast paced, beautifully synchronized, exciting dance. You can learn Casino Rueda at Shanti Studio here in Puerto Vallarta.

Many Salseros who have mastered On1 salsa are beginning to take up On2 rhythms. Both salsa styles are linear. The main difference between the two styles is the approach to styling, and the ebb and flow of movement which begins on different breaks in the measure of the song. On1 is very flashy incorporating many flips and dips as you advance in the dance. It uses the contemporary mambo basic but executes the step by breaking forward on count ‘1’.
 
New York style or On2 is more like Mambo. This style incorporates body waves, free style footwork, shines, rib cage movements and shimmying displaying smooth, rhythmic body movements. The counts are on ‘4’ and ‘8’ , this is also known as Eddie Torres style.

You’ll see more On1 and On2 dancers usually at Candela Pura here in PV or as far as Bucerias at the Twisted Rose or Don Pedro’s in Sayulita.

No style is any better than the other. In fact, many dancers take the time to learn different styles because soon you find that certain songs are complimented better by certain styles. The more important thing is to develop your own sense of style by taking classes, workshops, listening to music, discussing concepts with your salsa dancing friends and just having FUN!! After all, salsa dancing to many is the drug of choice.

Marcella Castellanos teaches salsa at Yoga Vallarta. You can contact her at www.latinmotionpv.com 

Impermanent Shine

... From the brightness of the flame of a volcano, to the brightness of a jewel impermanent ...


The art of Sergio Bustamante Jewelry involves the spiritual richness and applied experience of a creative process of culture and refinement.

Symbol of harmony and seduction, in the collection “brightness impermanent” Bustamante says the vibrant elegance of a young, modern, seduce with her beauty.

Surveying his enigmatic sky, the teacher joins his dreams, his designs, his worlds and his universe with his childhood, hence his creative force that supplies ancestral with it sap his belief with his surrealist thought national jewelry gives a touch of glamor.

His designs are issuers of meanings and preserve the aesthetics of our time. Which encourage his magical world. Hence the desire for purity plastic.

In jewelry we can see the Mexican cultural heritage which gives them a touch of sophistication. ... From the brightness of the flame of a volcano, to the brightness of a jewel impermanent.

Vallarta Anticipates Musical Duo

The Vallarta Chamber Orchestra is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the two soloists slated to perform with the orchestra on Sunday, March 27, 2011. Carol Kirkman and Leslie Knight, both members in the distinguished Dove String Quartet of The Great Northwest, are expected to arrive from Oregon for two rehearsals prior to the Sunday evening performance at the American School Puerto Vallarta, Colegio Americano, 8:00 p.m.

Having performed together since 1979, one can anticipate that their ensemble, the cohesive blending of two performers, will be spot on as they perform the remarkable Bach Double Concerto in D Minor for two violins. And, the concert will be even further enhanced, as the two soloists have agreed to sit in with the orchestra for the entire program.

It is not often that this caliber of talent finds its way to Puerto Vallarta, and to have two of them doubles the pleasure.

You are encouraged to mark you calendars, so as not to miss the concert.

Sunday, March 27th / the American School, Colegio Americano. Under the Direction of Conductor, Don Bieghler
8:00 p.m./$100 peso donation at the door. Students and children are Free.
Website
www.puertovallartaorchestra.tk/
Email
vallartachamberorchestra@gmail.com

Luis Castellanos Valui at Galleria Dante

Luis is a painter who infuses his Latin American roots with the traditions of tropical jazz and cafe culture. Collected by the J. Paul Getty Institute and Capitol Records, Valui creates rhythmic images, bringing his subjects to life. His works are also in the collection of Atlas and Mambo Restaurants, Go West Productions, Televisa, Ripstein Collection, Univision. At his openings in Los Angeles, many Hollywood jet setters are among the collectors.

He was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, September 4, 1955. He studied for two years at the Fine Arts University in Guadalajara. At the age of 20 he moved to Mexico City where he studied at the “Esmeralda” school. He restored Colonial and Pre-Hispanic art for 4 years at the request of the Mexican government. He then established himself in the Bohemian community of Tepoztlan, Morelos, a small village south of Mexico City. There he began his formal career as a painter. In 1986, he had his first individual exhibition at the prestigious OMR Gallery in Mexico City. Since then he has exhibited in collective and individual shows in the Modern Art Museum in Mexico City, the Modern Art Museum in Monterrey, Chac Mool Gallery in Los Angeles, living in different parts of Mexico and abroad. He has done shows from California to New York, Mexico City to Paris, Islas Mujeres to Vallarta and back again. He now resides in the Chapala Lake area, near Guadalajara.

Luis paints in oil, as well as water color. Because he has traveled the world, his works are better known in other countries than in his own. When you attend his shows, you will hear the friendly bantering of his collectors: “Well I own 7 of his paintings”. Another will say “But I own 11”. Very few people stop at purchasing only one painting by Luis. The paintings make you smile and leave you with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Luis is a painter of our senses, what you feel looking at his paintings: to dance, to sing, to dream, to love. And when it comes to dance, there is probably not a style that Luis has not painted: mambo, tango, salsa, cha-cha-cha, and waltz. There are scenes on the beach, by the campfire, in plazas, street and market scenes. His paintings are fresh, luminous and definitely tropical. They are full of humor and saturated with color and light. Thank you Luis for bringing us such joy. Come meet this delightful, young man at Galleria Dante on March 25th from 6 to 10 pm

Useful Everyday Spanish Phrases

¡Buenos días!
bway-nohs dee-ahs
Hello! / Good morning!

¡Buenas tardes!
bway-nahs tard-ays
Good afternoon!

¡Buenas noches!
bway-nahs noh-chays
Good evening! / Good night!

Adiós.
ah-dee-ohs
Good bye.

Bienvenidos
byen-veh-nee-dohs
Welcome

Por favor.
por fah-bor
Please.

(Muchas) Gracias.
(moo-chahs) grah-see-ahs
Thank you (very much).
De nada.
day nah-dah
You’re welcome.

Hasta la vista /
Hasta luego.
ah-stah lah vees-tah /
ah-stah loo-ay-go
See you / See you later.

Lo siento
loh see-ehn-toh
I’m sorry

Con permiso / Perdón / Disculpe
kohn pehr-mee-soh / pehr-dohn / dees-kool-peh
Excuse me / Pardon me

Sí / No
see / noh
Yes / No

¿Dónde está /
Dónde están... ?
dohn-deh eh-stah /
dohn-deh eh-stahn

Me llamo... /
Mi nombre es...
may yah-moh / mee nohm-breh ess
My name is...

¿Hablas inglés?
ah-blahs een-glehs
Do you speak English?

¿Puedes ayudarme?
pweh-deh ah-yoo-dar-meh

Tengo hambre / sed.
tehn-goh ahm-breh / sed
I’m hungry / thirsty.

Claro / Claro que sí
klah-roh / klah-roh keh see Sure / Of course

Where is ... /
Where are ... ?

If you are a first time visitor to Puerto Vallarta, please remember you are in a different country with very different customs besides just the language itself. Mexican people for the most part are very polite, friendly, quite hospitable and usually have big smile on their face.
Many “gringos” not aware of this, especially the ones that have never been outside “Gringolandia”, sometimes come across as demanding and ridiculing.

A kind word, sincere smile and “muchas gracias” go a long ways here in México.

Letter to the Editor of the Week!

Dear Editor,

I’m here in Puerto Vallarta for 10 weeks, from Wisconsin...We’ve been coming to PV for the last 12 years...and I love every minute of it, everything about it is just great.. I love the it’s people, the friendliest, most hospitable in the world..

Now, I’m even considering moving here, at least for quite a while, to heal
some of my medical and emotional stress related problems.. My heart tells
me, it’s the right place to be.. I can’t think of a better place, it’s environment is soooo stress free and refreshing...

This time I also got to know the medical community in PV... Unfortunately,
I’ve had some issues I needed to take care of...but because of my experiences, I have a wonderful story to tell...

Two weeks after I got here, I ended up at the Cornerstone hospital emergency
room, because of my back.. The doctor was very nice, and recommend an MRI..

That experience of 45 minutes wasn’t that much fun, manly because it’s hard
for me to lay that still...

Finally done, I saw a orthopedic surgeon, again, very nice and calmly
discussed and showed me my problem... A herniated vertebrae...which might require surgery...

In the meantime, until I go home, he told me what and what not to do.. Thank god I’m not in a lot of pain...

A week after that I ended up at another doctors office.. This time, across the street from the Sheraton, where we were staying at the time.. It’s a 24 hour clinic. Again I saw one of the nicest, sweetest doctor...he spend so much time with me, and of course they all speak very good English..

Turned out, I had strep throat and fluids in my lungs, fever and all the aches and pains.. He put me on antibiotics and other medication.. Because of my problems, I ended going back there several more times, and almost each time I saw a different doctor, five in all.. They were all the nicest, most professional doctors I’ve ever met in my life...I’m in awe...wow...

One night, they wanted for me to stay under observation, because my heartbeat and pulse was way to high..

I was put in a room, and before they put me on an IV, a cardiologist came to examen my heart..


My heart’s fine, it was an anxiety attack.. So, they administered an IV, electrolytes and a double dose of Valium to calm me down, plus oxygen..

I was there for over 6 hours, and slept almost the whole time.. My husband picked me up after midnight, I felt like newborn.. Again, the doctors spent a lot of time talking to in the most caring way.. I kept thanking them, over and over.. What bedside manners...wow...

My conclusion and opinion is, that I had the best treatment ever !!! I’m not
used to that kind of care from any US doctors, at a fraction of the cost...unbelievable..

What I would like to say is... That a “ a lot “ of the North American doctors could learn “ a lot “ from they’re colleges down here.. I’m sooo impressed, I would many people to know, to spread the word sort of speak..

I can’t say enough good, even though I had to be sick to find out...

In the meantime I’m back feeling back to normal... I hope you will publish my article !!! Sorry I couldn’t put it in a nutshell..

I read all of the articles in your paper every week, your doing a great job, and I learn something new each time.. Keep up the good work !!!

I thank you in advance,

Ilsa McManus, a grateful PV tourist

Letters to the Editor

Dear Sirs,

Just curios regarding Col.Magisterio. It seems this might be the same Colonia that had a charity once called “Children of the Dump” and subsequently is now know as “School of Champions” and if this be the case it might be interesting to obtain further information. I had contacted someone called “Art” with a (gmail address) and a friend and myself arranged to meet him at Sams and after 40 minutes he was a ‘no show’ so we left.

He was given a Cell No and therefor had no excuse not to call. A subsequent Email to him resulted in no response ! We were given to understand from friends who had made donations.....there was some kind of a power struggle happening ? So if anyone knows the ins and outs, this would be appreciated as we are offering to volunteer and one of us is totally fluent in Spanish. Thanks.

Robin.

Hello Robin,

The folks involved in this project are “wintering” tourists from Manitoba, Canada and are not associated with “Children of the “Dump” to the best of our knowledge. Lyse and Phil gave us permission to give out their e-mail address to anybody genuinely interested in participating to help their cause.
Here is their e-mail lysephilrioux@hotmail.com

I´m glad we have received so many e-mails in response to the article and once again want to thank Lyse and Phil as well as our readers for showing so much compassion.

***

Dear Editor,

Nice to see the change to a serif font on the editorial page.
While san-serif fonts are easier to read on a screen, serif fonts are better on paper. Also, a persons reading speed is faster with serif fonts.
When are you going to change the rest of the paper to serif fonts?
What happened to the Sudoku puzzle?

T.J.
(Thomas J. Hartung Puerto Vallarta)

Hello TJ,
I appreciate your observation as well as your keen eye. The Sudoku was omitted in the last issue due to lack of adequate space. It will be back in this week.

***

Dear Editor,

Thank you for you comprehensive and illuminating article, ‘Let’s Talk Trash Again, March 6th. Those of us who live south of Old Town see the garbage containers over-flowing on a regular basis. At my last count, driving for 8.5 kilometers on Route 200, there were fourteen full waste sites, one large brown Christmas tree and an enormous amount of papers, bottles, etc., strewn about.

Not only is the uncollected garbage an eyesore, but the litter that’s collecting is a disgrace. Puerto Vallarta had once been called “one of the cleanest cities in the world.”

In the U.S. some cities have allowed private companies to advertise with their logos and the slogan ‘this mile maintained by the ABC Company.’ They send out employees to pick up the trash for their portion of the highway. They get free publicity, we get clean roadways. Is this a possibility here?

Barbara Watkins
Playas Gemelas

Hello Barbara,

I certainly hope that this would be a possibility here in Puerto Vallarta, that´s an excellent idea. Ronald Walker, the contributor of the article is very active in promoting a more “ecological conscience” in the community. His website http://www.grupoecologico.com is very comprehensive and even has a Recycling Directory with address and phone numbers of the respective Centers for plastics, batteries, metals and so on.

The Tribune applauds Mr. Walker for his efforts and will continue to publish his articles as we receive them.


***

Hi,

I work at Elements Realty Group at 39 Lazaro Cardenas, Bucerias and so many times customers ask for a copy of the Tribune. Can we get some dropped off here? Or is there somewhere I can go to pick some up? They are so popular.

Thanks very much,
Teresa (Terry) Hutcheon
Elements Realty Group
322-107-7146
Hello Teresa,

You are on the distribution list and should be receiving the Tribune every week. If you don´t receive anything this week, please get in contact with me directly. Please accept my apologies for any inconveniences.


***

Dear Editor

Well, the Tribune continues to push the controversial HCG diet but being a balanced publication, I feel for each “article” touting the product and its purveyor, you should also publixh the opposing view:

The Mayo Clinic’s view of the hCG Diet:

Caloric Intake
Mayo Clinic nutritionist Jennifer K. Nelson says it’s the strict, semi-starvation diet that accounts for weight loss in dieters who receive hCG injections or take hCG supplements, -- not the effects of the hormone itself!

The hCG diet cuts your calories drastically to between 500 and 800 a day in what amounts to being a “semi-starvation diet.” This is between 1/4 to 1/2 of the calories that are normally recommended for good health, Nelson points out, and with so few calories consumed, rapid weight loss is practically guaranteed.

End Results
If you follow the hCG regimen, complete with a strict diet that’s extremely low in calories, short-term weight loss is the end but not the final result. Nutritionist Nelson indicates that you’ll probably regain the weight you lost on the hCG diet after you complete it.

A healthier way to lose weight permanently is to acquire better eating habits and add physical activity into your lifestyle.

Luigi Kleinsasser

Hello Luigi,

Thank you for your comment, I´d like to point out that this is a paid advertisement from Dr. Lee, not something that the Tribune is “pushing”. The Tribune is indeed impartial and therefore, when space allows, will print all opposing views to any issue or article as long as they are not a mere rant and rave but rather well founded, articulate and non-offensive.

***
Dear Editor

In your recent article headed AMIGOS DE MAGISTERIO 2011 there was not
any form of contact via e-mail or phone to connect with Lyse or Phillip
Rioux for people to help with this necessary situation, so could you please
supply me with this.

Thanks you so much (the papers great by the way, you are doing a very good
job)

Enid & Chris Maier
(permanent residence)

Hello Enid,

We usually don´t publish e-mail addresses unless specifically given permission. I contacted the parties involved and they agreed to pass on their e-mail for anyone interested in participating in their endeavor.

Lyse & Phil Rioux lysephilrioux@hotmail.com

Thank you for your kind remarks, especially for showing interest in making Puerto Vallarta a better place for everyone.

Editorial


The article in the last issue about Colonia Magisterio by Lyse &Phil Rioux has brought about many positive responses; it appears a large number of readers are interested in joining this worthwhile cause.

The Tribune would like to clarify that we ran the story to raise the consciousness about the existing poverty that surrounds us in this beautiful place. It reminds me of the Phil Collins song “It´s just another day in Paradise.”

Many of us full time residents in Puerto Vallarta seem to take this beautiful place we are allowed to live in for granted and simply turn the other way when we see a person in need.

We receive petitions to publish “alleged” Charity stories and events almost daily, many of them self-serving to promote one or more businesses, nothing more. What really impressed me is that Lyse and Phil are simply wintering tourists, no hidden agenda. Plain old human beings, salt of the earth good people helping out other human beings in dire straits, that´s their reward. Surely worthwhile publishing this selfless act of human compassion.

This edition´s Letter-of-the–Week is from another tourist, this one from the United States with an amazing story on Page 5. Maybe Mexico will finally get some positive press, those us that have lived here know it´s long overdue. Mexico is not the “monger” the U.S. Media portrays it to be.

We have another quite interesting example from a departing Puerto Vallarta Resident on Page 10.

The Tribune appreciates the continuing positive responses that keep pouring in via e-mail, Facebook and by phone. There so many this week, those of you that don´t see your response in this week´s issue; please check your e-mail for my reply and please accept my apologize for not printing your´s.

“We of the sinking middle class may sink without further struggles into the working class where we belong, and probably when we get there it will not be so dreadful as we feared, for, after all, we have nothing to lose. “

George Orwell

Our Home is Your Home

We would like to extend special welcome to ALL visitors coming to our little paradise full of warm, friendly and hospitable folks from many parts of the world. Our representative at Gustavo Diaz Ordáz International Airport presents you with this complimentary copy of the Vallarta Tribune hoping it will be useful and informative besides making your vacation more enjoyable.
Whether you are visiting us from any of the Canadian provinces, United States or via a connecting flight from anywhere else in Mexico or the World, our representative is at the Airport to welcome you, Nuestra Casa es tu Casa! Bienvenidos.
We look forward to receiving any comments or experiences you may want to share with us and our readers.
Have a great time, hope to see you again soon.
Welcome!!

Friday, March 11, 2011

PAUL CRIST

Anyone who has paid any attention whatsoever to the healthcare reform debate knows that the U.S. spends more than any other country on healthcare, yet still fails to measure up on health outcomes as measured by the most common indices.

In the parlance of international economics and global trade, America is not where the comparative advantage lies when it comes to healthcare.

Globalization may be controversial, but no one at the Wal-Mart checkout seems to be complaining about the bargain prices found there, thanks in large measure to the availability of cheaper imported goods replacing made-in-America merchandise.

And the quality of those goods must be acceptable, or consumers wouldn’t be buying.

So, why not apply the rules of international trade to save both consumers and third-party payers, including government which pays 46% of all healthcare expenditures in the US.
The premise of globalization and gains from trade is based on price difference between high-cost countries and low cost countries for goods or services of comparable quality.

Globalization applied to healthcare offers the possibility of gains to the U.S consumer and economy that are several orders of magnitude larger than any other form of international trade we’re involved in.

There are two ways of applying the “gains from trade” concept to healthcare: Take the patients to cheaper doctors overseas, or bring the cheaper doctors to the patients.

Neither approach will be popular with the American Medical Association or other groups that represent the healthcare provider industry in America. But that doesn’t mean the idea should be discarded.

One option presented in a recent study by the Center for Economic Policy Research suggests a voucher program for Medicare and Medicaid-eligible beneficiaries, allowing them to buy into lower-cost health systems in other countries.

That study bases its substantial projected savings on overly aggressive numbers of seniors who might be willing to retire outside of the U.S., but the underlying argument is sound.

Another approach would be to open up our immigration system to more qualified foreign-trained doctors, who tend to be willing to work for less than U.S. trained doctors. Perhaps not having $250,000 in medical school debt has something to do with it.

That would tend to drive down physicians income and hospital profits, forcing efficiency and reducing costs.

Either way, we ought to be thinking creatively about how to apply the rules of global markets to health care.

SUE AND MARIE Certified Padi Master Instructor and Padi IDC Staff Instructor

People have been diving for centuries, but the person responsible for recreational diving is Jacques Cousteau. He was a navy diver, but had a passion for diving beyond words. He, along with his friends, developed diving using homemade scuba gear, to a level that nearly every one that wanted to, could put the gear on and go diving. The crazy and slightly dangerous lengths these guys went to are beyond words and admired by many. They pushed the limits to the maximum, diving deeper and longer each time until they got sick, then they knew their limits! He is infamous for diving into a cave and cracking a bottle of champagne (and drinking it) then returning to the surface. Not a great thing to do under any circumstances.
I am sure most of you know you know that divers need to surface slowly when diving. This is because more gases can be absorbed into your body tissues at depth. If we ascend too quickly, the gas bubbles that are being released expand, causing blockages in our blood vessels that can prevent the flow of blood. So, as long as we ascend slowly, we can avoid this hazard, which is the part of diving that worries people the most. The rate at which we ascend has been worked out, not by any scientific equation, but by the rate the winch that hauled the navy divers on board could be manually operated! These safety standards have been tried and tested again and again over the years and never changed! So much for modern technology.
Going back to Mr. Cousteau, he n
ot only made scuba diving available to us all, but he also, and this must have been such a chore, discovered some of the world best dive sites! He had a deep love for the ocean on the west coast of Mexico. He spent a great deal of time in Manzanillo and here in Puerto Vallarta. He is credited for discovering Isla Marietas and many of the other great sites in the area. I am sure I would have stumbled upon them one day though!

So, Isla Marietas. What does it hold for you? Well, it has some of the nicest scenery you are ever likely to see, stunning secluded beaches to go swimming and snorkeling off, along with being home to the rare bobies. These are rare and hard to find anywhere, but they are guaranteed on the islands. It is a paradise that everyone should see.

As for us, we purchased our 1st boat this week (girls and toys I hear you say) and it came complete with a really cool piece of equipment. A fish finder! Man, this will make our “job” easy. Switch it on and let it find the fish for us? Not really, but if there is anything big around us, we will be able to drop in and investigate. I wanted it for one reason. I have never seen a whale shark!!!! No, I hear you say. That is so unfair.

I know. 3,000 + dives and not a sniff of one. Maybe I should change my deodorant! Whale shark season is nearly upon us and I am feeling lucky. I will keep you posted.
See you next week.