November 2015

Editor’s Page By Alejandro Grattan-Dominguez For more editorials, visit: http://thedarksideofthedream.com Hooray for Hollyweird   Over a film career that spanned several nerve-rattling years, I met many world-class characters. Some were sad, like my actor pal who at age 81 was still waiting for his first big break; or impressive, like the famous thespian John Carradine, […]

Delta Lady By Harriet Hart   Declared one of the seven national wonders of Africa in 2013, the Okavango Delta is the size of Puerto Rico. Every year it fills with floodwaters originating in the Angola Highlands 1,000 kilometers away. The run-off makes a “pristine wetland dotted with islands and laced with a network of

Villa Infantil Birthday Bash By Barbara Outland Baker bbaker9618@aol.com   We all have splendid friends here within lakeside. One of mine is the South African priest who conducts the 9:00 AM English mass at St. Andres Catholic Church. His congregation comprises the core of supporters for an orphanage beyond Jocotopec, Villa Infantil (VI). Padre Basilio

Imprints By Antonio Ramblés antonio.rambles@yahoo.com Museum Pieces   There are so many great museums in Paris that the challenge is to decide which are the must-see’s, and the larger museums are so expansive that a savvy tourist will have a game plan for each. Between them, the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, and Les Invalides are

Uncommon Common Sense By Bill Frayer billfrayer@gmail.com Major Change Is Upon Us   Just as the fish is unaware of the water she swims in, we may be unaware of the sea changes occurring around us.  Change is often gradual and difficult to identify when we are in the midst of it. When did people

‘Say It Ain’t So, Uncle Ho’ By Carol L. Bowman     A guard wearing a snow white uniform and a menacing scowl motioned his night-stick at me. Having fallen one step behind, I dutifully adjusted my stride. A man in front of me made the mistake of putting his hands in his pockets. The

The Animal Wonders Of Jalisco By Isabel Orendain Directora del Museo de Paleontología de Guadalajara   Any given day in this area we may see different insects, reptiles and birds; but there are also wild mammals that are elusive and hide from us. Once, when I was around six years old, at my grandparent’s home

The Ghosts Among Us By Fred Mittag “Don’t Mess With Texas”   The ghost for this column is somebody I had the honor to meet – and to receive her schooling. It was the election of 1992. I went to the Harris County Democrats office in Houston to get some Bill Clinton-Al Gore campaign material.

Front Row Center Review by Judy Dykstra-Brown Murder by Misadventure   Those of us who grew up reading Nancy Drew mysteries have always thought we possess a special knack for unraveling mysteries. I am one of those “whodunit” lovers who has to hold herself back from revealing who I think the murderer is going to

The Gift Of “The Donald” By Clare Gearhart   There is a sense among some Americans (from the Artic to Tierra del Fuego) that the US system of governance is broken. Delightfully, this idea is shared across boundaries and party lines. Though it is a common notion to both sides of the political divide, each