March 2010

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR   Dear Sir: I thought the Feb. 10, “Thunder on the Right” column by Paul Jackson, was a rather petty attack on non-believers.  It seems that one of the simple religious beliefs he claims to value is a strong loathing for people who don’t share his views on religion. Jackson makes

What Ever Happened To …? By Ruth Ross Merrimer   (Ed. Note: For many years, Ruth wrote our “Lakeside Living” column and was one of the original members of the Ajijic Writers Group. She also wrote a novel, Champagne and Tortillas, about the A-List social set here at Lakeside.)   I got my first look

THE PAJARETE By Mel Goldberg   On one side of the narrow highway halfway between Jocotopec to Acatlan is a dirt patch where a woman and three cows stand in the shade of a white tarp. A laborer puts dry chocolate and sugar into his half liter container and adds cane alcohol. The woman milks

Mexico’s Third Gender By Herbert W. Piekow   The first time I went to the Oaxacan town of Juchitán I observed a group of   soccer players with their skirts hiked up, playing hard against a team of men in tight shorts. I watched as the men’s team raced across the field when one of the

LISTEN UP—THERE’S A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN   El Ojo De Lago wishes to welcome our new police chief, Captain Reynol Contreras Munoz. In a recent interview, Captain Contreras shared his opinion on a number of issues that impact life at Lakeside. Captain Contreras was an Air Traffic Controller in the Mexican Air Force for

A SOCIAL EXPERIMENT By Mark S. McGrew   I am firmly convinced that the single most destructive problem in America is drugs. If people are not using illegal street drugs, they are drugged out from their family doctor. American television is saturated with drug commercials for anything that you can possibly imagine. Sleep too much?

A RINGING SUCCESS By Jim Rambo   Once in a while, judges get too big for their pants. And there’s nobody else but lawyers who can rein them in. It must be done subtly, but assertively. And it must also be accomplished in a manner that borders on contempt but never crosses that border. Cross

The Continuing Adventures of Mildred and Suzette By Katie B. Goode The Road Warriors   “Ay!” Mildred yelped as she eased herself into the wraparound leather chair after returning from the ladies’ room. “What?!” Suzette asked, worried about her old friend. Mildred winced and pointed into the distance. “See that rusty old car down there?”

From Perito Moreno Glacier to the Chilean Border- Part 2 By Carol L. Bowman   A slow, muffled wheeze of labored breaths echoed in the crisp air. Creaky noises rippled through the mass, as if old bones were snapping under pressure. A calamitous thunder exploded, rocking onlookers with its intensity, as jagged pieces of the