Hammers And Heroes By Sandy Olson   One day in 2007 Richard Bansbach was checking out the bulletin board at the Lake Chapala Society and found this note: “Wanted—guys with woodworking or handyman experience.”   Richard Bansbach Move forward to 2017 and we find that ten years of heroic effort on the part of many […]

Things that Happen When You Teach ESL By Margaret Ann Porter   “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” – Paul McCartney           Volunteer teachers at the LCS-Wilkes Center ‘English as a Second Language’ program know that Sir Paul’s lyrics are true: When you teach ESL to

Focus on Art By Rob Mohr   Renaissance Art – Christ was Born on Christmas Day “O how can I with my gross tongue that cleaveth to the dust. Tell of the Four-fold Man in starry numbers fitly order’d.” —William Blake Today’s commercial face of Christmas has lost sight of the myth of a virgin

Troubling Implications By Mark Sconce Dr. Morris Schwarzblat   Let’s step back a moment and look at the long view. Our existence on planet earth is but a moment in geological time. Yet in that short period, we have accomplished many things in the three principal fields of human activity—physical, mental, social. In the process,

Adjustments By Rich Clucas   I knew moving to a foreign country would involve adjustments – some are expected and some less so. My wife and I have only been here a short time so much of daily life is a new adventure. Yesterday I decided it was time for a haircut – my first

DAYS FOR GIRLS LAKE CHAPALA: Every Girl. Everywhere. Period. By Margaret Porter   You are a girl. One day, your hypothalamus tells your pituitary gland that it’s time to mature, so the pituitary signals your ovaries to release chemicals which create a blood-and-mucus lining in your uterus and an egg to travel toward it. If

Not That Kind Of Buzzed By Kelly Hayes-Raitt   HOUSESITTING IN MEXICO provides all kinds of opportunities to increase my vocabulary. A recent palabra du jour, for example, was: avispa. Meaning “wasp” – and not the non-Jewish type – the word buzzed into my vocabulary when I saw several of the furry flyers building a

THE DAY THE FBI KNOCKED(A True Story) By Beverly Denton   I was enjoying a quiet day at work in Arlington, Virginia, when my boss called me from his office in another building. “Bev, come over to my office right away!” No explanation or details were given. When I arrived at the Security Desk of

In Defence Of Mary A rebuttal by Rico Wallace   (Ed. Note) In response to last month’s Editorial “Lincoln and Depression”) I feel compelled to stand up for Mary Lincoln, being from Illinois. This is my opinion from the little I know about her. The first and most obvious thing, to me, is to forgive

Option Mexico By Alice Hathaway   During economic downturns, companies consolidate, merge, downsize and lay off excess workers. Some of the recently unemployed will find other jobs, some will choose early retirement. But where? A milder climate would be nice. How about Mexico or Central America? But what would they do all day? To answer