Editor’s Page Guest Editorial by Fred Mittag Urban Gunslingers   The monstrous killing of children provokes outrage among humanitarians, while it drives paranoid gun nuts into deeper defensive lunacy. It’s manifest idiocy to say we need guns for self-defense. If guns made us safer, we would be the safest country in the world, since there are

LAKESIDE: Lourdes without the Rich French Food By Ed Tasca   There’s been a rush to find nature’s own original health balms and cures within every earthly nook and cranny, probably from the time Homo Erectus realized chasing mammoths around all week made for serious joint pain. With all the talk of health issues and

Uncommon Common Sense By Bill Frayerbillfrayer@gmail.com Do You Doubt?     It appears to me that we could use a little more humility and doubt in the world these days. I am not sure if this is a new phenomenon or not, but everywhere I look, people seem to be satisfied that they know the

Bridge By The Lake By Ken Masson   If it’s February, it must be time for the Annual Ajijic St. Valentine’s Bridge Tournament. This popular event attracts people from other parts of Mexico, the US and Canada as well as most of the local duplicate players. As always, last year’s event featured many interesting hands,

Village Vignettes By Micki Wendt   One of my neighborhood street vendors is selling lingerie, so I decide to stop by and have a look. The selection includes the usual padded bras. I ask the señora if she has a bra without…and point to the padding. “Without sponges?” she asks. I reply, “Yes, I would

Joyful Musings By Joy Birnbach Dunstan, MA, LPC, MAC Keeping the Love Lights Glowing   The stability of a long-term relationship can be comforting and secure. But let’s face it – it can also be dull and boring. Everyone loves the excitement of a new relationship, the heady exhilaration of what some call NRE, New

An Old Man Remembers the Beautiful Girls of his Youth By Steve Griffin     V ague as childhood memories only known through tales, Elusive as the half-remembered dream, Illusory as shimmering colors that light reflects through water spray, The phantasmagoric train of beautiful young girls from his past startle the old man’s mind.  

Every Word  Important By Herbert W. Piekow   Every word a writer writes has meaning yes, sometimes they never get published or the book editor suggests another word, but every word we read, write or utter has significance. For each of the past eight years The Lake Chapala Writers Conference has brought in motivational, educational,