Most Liked Content

MOST POPULAR RESTAURANTS - NOW GO EAT AT YOUR FAVORITES
Listed in Order of the No. of Votes - 40 members voting

No--Restaurant ----Votes
1. Ajijic Tango----------23

2. Panino ----------------15

3. Pizerria Toscana---14

4. 60’s in Paradise----12

5. Roberto’s--------------11
----Tabarka

6. Ricki’s Thai-----------10

7. Armando’s--------------9
----Pedro’s
----La Taverna
----El Serape

8. Tony’s--------------------7
----Hacienda Ajijic

9. Number 4----------------6
----Trattorria de Ajijic
----La Gasconade
----Los Telares

10. La Nuevo Posada---5
-----The Secret Garden
-----El Jardin de Ninette

11. Manix-------------------4
-----Bruno’s
-----Mom’s Deli
-----Café Magana
-----Mario’s
-----Que Taco
-----Joses Illusion

12. Villa de Arte-----------3
-----La Tasca

13. The Garden------------2
-----Tio Domingo
-----Johanna’s

14. Recoleta---------------1
-----La Bodega
-----Sr Sushi
-----Chac Lan
-----David’s Cafe
-----Pepito’s

Thank you to all who participated!!

First off, it is not my thread, I did not start this conversation. But my point stands, if you aren't a member your opinion from afar doesn't mean much. So Dawg hasn't been a member since 2002 and somehow he knows how obsolete the organization is? Come on.

We have benefited from the medical services provided there (skin cancer screening for example), I got my passport quickly and easily renewed there, we've used the landscaping knowledge available there for our grounds, we've attended auctions and cultural events there, etc. We support the considerable expenditures the organization makes to help the Mexican community.

My wife is a volunteer with the Spanish program. Dozens of folks have signed up for the classes. Sure, such instruction is available elsewhere but a lot more people than are posting on this thread see the value of taking the LCS course.

If none of this appeals to you, then you probably do want to drop your membership. But don't make statements that the organization does little more than a library when in fact, the problem is that it doesn't do what you want.

It does a helluva lot more than a library though that is certainly one very valuable and unique service which HAS NOT been duplicated elsewhere and is unlikely to be so any time soon.

Do you think that I close my eyes and ears to what is going on at LCS. I have friends who belong to it and I know what is going on.

I get my skin cancer test from my dermatologist, learned Spanish from a local teacher in Ajijic , got my passport from the French consulate in Guadalajara, went to the Social Security office in Guadalajara, do not use the library as most of my reading now is in Spanish get my knowledge regarding the gardening questions I have from friends and there are plenty of opportunies in Guadalajara and other cities for cultural activities

I was responding to Jaybar regarding the library. She said she could not do without it and I know many people feel that way.

´We are not members any longer and choose not to go there as there is no compelling reason for us to do so. It does not mean we do not know anything about the community.

We would join if we saw a benefit for us and many people feel that way so do not prejudge what we would or would not do. You have been here a short while , are not fluent in Spanish so I can see why you have a need for English speaking company, we do not have that need. To each his own.

The problem is that the LCS is not moving with its time and will die if it does not reform. It seems that someone who needs the society would see that and would do their best to attract new members rather than criticize and prejudge the ex-members or people who do not see a reason to join.

The society is not about how great you and your wife are and how happy you are, it is about getting a more viable organization. Many people would hate to see the LCS die so go to work on helping rather than turning off people and telling people who are ex members or non members that they do not mean anything.

By the way what do you know of other libraries around the country? Have you been to Mexico City, Oaxaca or Merida. Do you know how expats who have no access to libraries get their books in other cities and states?

Before you tell us "there is no equal" like a good guacamaya why don´t you check what other cities offer and how the library can modernize and grow?

We do not care if the LCS as it is now closes or not but it would be a shame for people who do use it and need it. If you think you will help the LCS grow and attract people with your wonderful attitude, I can tell you you are sorely mistaken.

If you represent the new blood God help the LCS.

The low bidders who use out of town people also contribute to the crime problem. People with no ties here and who aren't known have little issue with stealing and will be gone soon.

It is interesting that a person can become American by becoming a citizen, or Canadian by becoming a citizen, but cannot become Mexican by becoming a citizen.

Chalam was responding to a poster who stated she was a Mexican when, in fact, she is a native of the United States who moved to Mexico as an adult and acquired Mexican (actually dual) citizenship through the naturalization process. Chalam´s comment was an appropriate clarification of that fact since the poster in question was being critical (and fairly so) of certain aspects of Mexican culture and possibly attempting to give her opinions more weight by stating she was Mexican. Not that there is anything wrong with her statement but it is important for readers to know the biases of all posters that may form the basis of their opinions on cultural issues. After all, we are all products of the environments in which we were raised to some extent - that is unavoidable. The poster is a naturalized Mexican citizen but is not now and never will be culturally Mexican which doesn´t detract from the fact that she made the effort to become a citizen of this country which is commendable.

The United States and Canada are lands of immigrants and Americans tend to view the world through that experience. In Europe as in Mexico, you are culturally what you are and you are tied to the region from whence you and/or your family came. You can be Spanish, move to France and become a French citizen and in the eyes of both the French and the Spanish you are still Spanish but with the legal status of a French born citizen at least ostensibly and I say ostensibly because, as an example, many Arabs from North Africa are French citizens by birth and/or naturalization but do not necessarily enjoy the equal protection of French laws because many consider them to be culturally foreign.

I needn´t point out to our American readers that some American citizens who are culturally Mexican are treated as if they were illegal immigrants by the fine, open minded American born folks inhabiting many small homogeneous towns in the U.S.

As always, NewinAjijic, has me with my face in my hands shaking my head.

Sorry but the thread has been reopened by popular request.

We have actual experience with the effectiveness of alarms. Our house alarm has gone off two or three times when someone has attempted to get in through a sliding door on the terrace. The motion sensor inside is triggered and a very loud siren goes off immediately, and the intruder took off every time. We know because out neighbor responds immediately. The last time several days ago, our neighbor was out, but their maid watched from their mirador as the intruders ran away.

We have not tried the car alarm, except to know that it can be set off from our bedroom. We have a small wireless alarm on the sliding door in our bedroom, so an intruder can not sneak into the house. A car alarm sounding in this situation is totally different than an anonymous alarm going off on the street, provided you make arrangements with one or more neighbors to call you and then the police. But, in all likelihood the noise will scare off the intruders who are not going to wait around to see if they will be caught.

My folks had sliding doors at their summer cottage. Dad drilled (very carefully) a hole about half way up the center piece of the metal frame (where the doors overlap each other). He drilled only thru three layers of the metal (make sure the doors are closed when drilling) so from the outside nothing would look unusual. This is so hard to explain! Anyway, after he drilled the hole he inserted a threaded screw into the hole. The screw kept the door from being lifted or moved by people on the outside. When we wanted the doors open we just took the screw out and put it back in when extra security was wanted. Whew...I'm not really crazy. I just can't explain this very well! Sorry.

If you have not responded to my "What Are Your Favorite Restaurants?" poll, please do so.

Thank you to all those who have responded so far. It has been interesting.

It will be discontinued this week. I'll publish total results this coming week.

Discontinued ???? thank God!!!! What are you going to dream up next John.

The Bancomer ATM machine at WalMart took my Citibank debit card, then the screen immediately flashed a message that the ATM was out of order. It did not spit back my card. Hitting "cancel" and cussing did not help. I'm mostly mad at myself because just a few weeks ago I read on this web board some good advice not to ever use an ATM that pulls the card inside. Instead, we should only use machines where the card is swiped.

I haven't yet cancelled the Citibank card. A supervisor at WalMart suggested that I go to Bancomer first thing Monday morning to report what happened. Then maybe, just maybe, he said the bank would return my card to me. The WalMart supervisor talked as though this ATM problem happens all the time.

Go back to Walmart and find out when the top jefe will be there tomorrow. Then go to him and report the problem. When they come to fill the machine with money the guards can give the card to the manager who can then return it to you. It's still in that machine somewhere. Pancho at Superlake has done this for me in the past.

We have actual experience with the effectiveness of alarms. Our house alarm has gone off two or three times when someone has attempted to get in through a sliding door on the terrace. The motion sensor inside is triggered and a very loud siren goes off immediately, and the intruder took off every time. We know because out neighbor responds immediately. The last time several days ago, our neighbor was out, but their maid watched from their mirador as the intruders ran away.

We have not tried the car alarm, except to know that it can be set off from our bedroom. We have a small wireless alarm on the sliding door in our bedroom, so an intruder can not sneak into the house. A car alarm sounding in this situation is totally different than an anonymous alarm going off on the street, provided you make arrangements with one or more neighbors to call you and then the police. But, in all likelihood the noise will scare off the intruders who are not going to wait around to see if they will be caught.

I think the idea behind this is not that anyone will come running to save you, but that the ladron will not want to chance any more attention than necessary and he will take off and go somewhere else to do his work for the night. Similar to a house with an alarm system. When someone breaks in there and the alarm goes off he is likely to hurry up and get the heck out of there rather than take a leisurely stroll through the house to see what he can find.

To Newbie,

Obviously you have little knowledge of what it takes to run the LCS! Having been a member of the board when we had 8 or 9 board members we had input from all of the activities and not a few board members deciding (without any experience) what, how and who should run, handle or implement their duties. I'll take 12 EXPERIENCED LCS volunteers any day over a bunch of newbies that haven't a clue. Present board, case in point.

Actually, I've been reading this board for two years now and have been an active member for almost a year, part of that time under a different ID. I'm also a member of LCS and I've lived hear for a year. I've also been a member of boards for both non-profit and for-profit organizations. The idea that the LCS board should be 12 people is absurd imho. The problem isn't the current number of board members; the problem is with the experience and quality of those serving.

I am sure that LCS was once a vital organization in this community but, frankly, while I find it convenient for one or two things it's not central to my experience of living here and I think that is true for lot of others. I'm with Dawg on the best solution which provides for an ongoing library and Wilkes Center and gets rid of the rest of it. That way all the old timers can still get books and movies while I get my information from the internet where I can read newspapers like the New York Times and the Washington Post and virtually any magazine I want. For books, I use a Kindle.

LCS doesn't seem capable of doing even the simple things like digitising the members' emails so that they can send out group emails to push out information on upcoming activites. In today's world, that's really not acceptable.

Based on my experience this year, I don't plan to renew my membership.

Hi Everyone,

I have just returned to Ajijic after a nine month battle with colon cancer. I have survived minus 16” of my colon.

Perhaps some of you remember me. I used to battle the hateful “Pod People” on here with no sense of humor. It’s nice to be back with my girlfriend Becky Driscoll. Santa Maria, California is much better now. Most of the residents now understand the importance of getting a colonoscopy. You should too. While the following is a funny take on the subject, it is a very serious matter.


ABOUT THE WRITER

Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist for the Miami Herald.

Colonoscopy Journal:

I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis. Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn't really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, 'HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!' I left Andy's office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called 'MoviPrep,' which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America 's enemies. I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous. Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor. Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep. You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons). Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes - and here I am being kind - like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon. The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, 'a loose, watery bowel movement may result. This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground. MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic, here, but, have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you haven't even eaten yet. After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep. The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, 'What if I spurt on Andy?' How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough. At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.. Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand. Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep. At first I was ticked off that I hadn't thought of this, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house. When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere. I was seriously nervous at this point. Andy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand. There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was 'Dancing Queen' by ABBA. I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, 'Dancing Queen' had to be the least appropriate.'You want me to turn it up?' said Andy, from somewhere behind me. 'Ha ha,' I said. And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like. I have no idea. Really. I slept through it. One moment, ABBA was yelling 'Dancing Queen, feel the beat of the tambourine,' and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood. Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I felt excellent. I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that It was all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors. I have never been prouder of an internal organ.

On the subject of Colonoscopies...

Colonoscopies are no joke, but these comments during the exam were quite humorous...
A physician claimed that the following are actual comments made by his patients (predominately male) while he was performing their colonoscopies:

1. 'Take it easy, Doc. You're boldly going where no man has gone before!'
2. 'Find Amelia Earhart yet?'
3. 'Can you hear me NOW?'
4. 'Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?'
5. 'You know, in Arkansas , we're now legally married.'
6. 'Any sign of the trapped miners, Chief?'
7. 'You put your left hand in, you take your left hand out...'
8. 'Hey! Now I know how a Muppet feels!'
9. 'If your hand doesn't fit, you must quit!'
10. 'Hey Doc, let me know if you find my dignity.'
11. 'You used to be an executive at Enron, didn't you?'
12. 'Now I know why I'm not gay.'

And the best one of all:

13. 'Could you write a note for my wife saying that my head is not up there?'

It is interesting that a person can become American by becoming a citizen, or Canadian by becoming a citizen, but cannot become Mexican by becoming a citizen. I suspect the same person who complains that a person from another part of the world cannot ever be a Mexican, would vociferously argue that Latinos in the United States are Americans by virtue of their citizenship. Do they exclude all people born in Mexico, who have some Spanish ancestors, from their definition of "Mexican".

I have lived in Mexico for 10 years. I have no present intention to acquire Mexican citizenship, but I'm not sure that would change how I feel about this country. My daughter is married to someone I think of as a Mexican, and our granddaughter is a Mexican citizen.

I have a lot of respect for Mexico, and I am frequently frustrated by Mexico, much like her citizens. I don't think I will ever be in the position where I believe that I understand Mexico, much like her citizens.

But, I don't think it is fair or just for anyone to attack a Mexican citizen for stating that they are Mexican, regardless of where they were born. Nor does it have any impact on the topic of this thread, or the validity of what is being said.

Trust your maid or gardener with keys- here is my recent experience with a trusted maid.- It's a long story-
but - you will find out how the law really works in Mexcio.............................This is the Law of Mexico- and how it works-- It Doesn't - They release the criminal even if they have a confession- until the Minesterio Pub. decides to investigate - in the mean time the criminal can dispose of all remaining evidence! The last time I made a denuncia at the Minesterio Pub. they came to investigate 2.5 months later!

PS later found out- Guy in the White shirt was the MEXICAN FBI- My neighbor is the Canadian Counsel General- she told me ALWAYS CALL YOUR CONSULATE if you have a problem with the police --This time at least I got some action It worked!

Privado:
I hope you understand the sense of my comment. I don´t argue about to trust or not to trust. That is a personal decision based on your experience and will.
I want to talk about how to proceed legally. First at all let me tell you that the Mexican Constitution Protects all the people of been deprived of its liberty. If there is not a right legal process then this is called human rights violation. That is in the Art, 16 of our Mexican Constitution in its paragraph 3, 4 and 5.
Imagine if we proceed the way you did it, it will bring a whole mess in the system.
What was faulty in your action according to my legal point of view?
1. Did you see her stealing those items?
2. When? How? What Time?
3. Do you have invoices of those items?
4. How would you prove those items really belong to you?
5. How would you set the real value of those items to complain against the accused one to repair the damage suffered by you?
How the Mexican Legal System works?
1. The Private guards are only private guards; their jurisdiction is only the private property where they are working for.
2. The Municipal police is to prevent, protect and capture in the scene of the crime the suspected criminals or just right after of the happening of the crime and no more than 24 hours unless there is an order to accomplish given by the judge.
3. Only the Ministerio Publico could put in Jail the person... but it has to be at the moment or right after, if not done so, then another legal action proceeds: If you discover a crime committed against your person after few months, years or days... then a criminal trial has to be started against the maid (This was your case).
You need to prove you were really affected and sue her for a crime and to repair damages:
a) Show evidence and relate date, time and place where that crime happened.
Show proofs of what you had lost (Invoices, Witnesses, receipt, etc).

What was wrong in your complain?

You knew about the fact not at the moment according to what you declared.
You illegally forced the maid to confess (against the law) by the private guards.
You illegally attempted to retain (putting her in jail) the maid without a legal process. What the municipal police told you was accurate and correct. Calling the consulate wouldn´t help at all. They can`t interfere into the Mexican Legal System.
What happened to you was sad. The way you proceeded was incorrect.
Let me give you an example to explain you why:
I give you a ride in my car. I stop and tell you I`ll be back in a moment, then when back I start accusing you of my missing laptop, my money and other belongings (this is invented to hurt you). Do you think that’s ok to put you right away in jail because of my accusations against you? NOPE!!!! What you tried to do (even if what you said was true) is to proceed as if that crime was happening at the moment even do your declaration to the police was meaning the contrary that happened days or months ago. That`s why they said: WE CAN NOT DO anything ABOUT IT only the MP.

According to the Mexican Legal system how you should proceed base on my example:
1. Call the police at the moment
2. Tell them I have stolen you some items minutes ago.
3. They have to take me to the municipal jail and write a report, then they have to transfer me to the MP to declare (both, you and I)
4. I have to prove what you are saying against me (bring witnesses, invoices, etc)is true. if you don`t have enough evidence available at the moment, they will give you a period of 72 hours to gather all of that. If not evidence, then... they have to let me go out.
Do you see how easily is to make you a suspected criminal? Of course... call your lawyers, and then they will advice you how to defend yourself... In the example if my lawyer proves what you said was false then…. I could accuse you of: False Statement, Extortion, injuries, Repairing for damages (psychological, monetary, health, etc), etc.
I am not justifying anybody, I am just criticizing the way some people proceed.


By the way this is what our Mexican Consitution says:

Art 16 paragraph 4:
CAN NOT be issued a warrant of arrest but by the judicial authority and without prior a legal complaint from a fact or crime that the law considers as an offense to be punished by imprisonment.After making sure there is enough evidence to ESTABLISH a crime was committed and can be proved.....

Seems to me that there are two types of people: those that do not trust and those that do. Right or wrong, I belong to the latter.

It must be horrible to be raised with the philosophy that trust only leads to betrayal. And, for those that are kept a prisoner in their own home whenever the maid is there, I feel sorry for you. Further, unless you follow the maid from room to room to make sure nothing disappears, do you do a cavity search before she leaves every time? It is real easy to take a ring or anything else of value if not being watched like a hawk every second. I think it also terrible that you have the belief that everyone is a thief and lead your lives accordingly.

In the 70's, when I was president of a singles group in Orlando, 150 members had a key to my apartment as a place to meet, talk, or whatever. Many years later, in Cape Coral, my mother, my brother, my assistant, and our maid all had keys to our house. Even though the maid only came once a week for four hours, with both my wife and I working, she had to have a way to get in. Not one thing was ever stolen. Here, we have had things stolen by construction workers, the movers, and others but no one that has a key. It was just impossible to be everywhere at once all the time with workers, movers, etc in several rooms at once.

Our maid has had a key to our house for 5 years and nothing has ever been taken while she has been here. And, I will not treat her like a thief because of the actions of others. Maybe one day I will regret it, but until she proves otherwise, this woman will continue to have our keys and our trust. And, we have the freedom to come and go as we please without having to be there with her.

LCS has lost so many members in the recent past, that they should reach beyond the present membership to the entire community, in English and Spanish, to survey the needs and desires of all. Surveying the remaining membership at this time would be like 'surveying the choir' after having 'preached to the choir'.

We had housecleaners (a couple) who cleaned our house in the U.S. while we were at work. They had a key. We do the same thing here - the maid has a key to the gate and the house, and other maids in other houses we've had here have had keys also. We're busy, we don't necessarily want to sit around while the maid cleans several mornings a week. 10 years, no problems. I realize part of our experience may be luck, but we also seem to end up with honest help, fortunately.

I hate it when people do that. They advertise a day and time and I expected that everyone would get a fair shot at buying things.

I was interested in the chair and had I known you could have gone over anytime I guess I would have had a chance at getting it.

PERA:

If you are going to get together with your neighbors I should suggest one thing I did not emphasize above in my neighborhood watch post. In our San Cristóbal barrio or at least on our street, the neighbors all installed loud emergency bells in their houses that resound throughout the street and that is a certain signal that a neighbor is having an emergency of some kind from a criminal act to a health crisis requiring emergency attention. These bells are inexpensive and have been very successfully used down there repeatedly. The neighbors became so self-assured in this program that they got together and ran off the prostitutes plaguing the neighborhood because of the creepy johns they were attracting from nearby tough barrios. This sort of program can grow in effectiveness once people realize the power they have in collective action.