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...in focus
is Focus on Mexico's
informative and fun newsletter about living in Mexico on your own terms. You will
be receiving it the first Friday of every month. We decided to send it on
Friday so you'll have the whole weekend to take your time and enjoy the
articles and digest the news. We hope you like ...in focus. If you
have any questions, or would like to see more articles on a certain subject,
please write to us at newsletterteam@focusonmexico.com.
In This
Issue:
- How to Sell Your Home in Winter
- Mexico Obtains New ‘Intangible’ UNESCO Heritage Masterpieces
- NEW RESIDENTIAL SALES IN OCTOBER 2010
- Driving to Lake Chapala from the United States
- Direct Flights from Canada to Guadalajara??? Sign here!
- My Visit to a Dentist in Lake Chapala
- The Fine Art(s) of Living in Ajijic by Jutta McAdam
- Big Cholesterol Improvements with New Pill
- 'Twas the Night Before Christmas!
- Spanish 101 - Feliz Navidad
- Chupacabra: The Truth is Out There
- Make Your New Year’s Resolution A Healthy One!
- Christmas Eve Dinner
- In Mexico, ladies ring in the New Year in brand-new underwear
- 10 Secrets to a Stressfree Life - By Kathleen Hall
- Karen's Korner...A helpful Party
Calculator for food & beverage, and a GREAT gift for the cook on your list!
Plus other stuff like a Gift Exchange Random Drawing web site...totally cool!!
All this and more await you in this
issue of the ...in focus newsletter.
Enjoy! Read on...
My
Visit to a Dentist in Lake
Chapala
by Karen McConnaughey
When I went to Dra. Ana at Dr. Haro’s office for a check-up in September, I
found that one of my very old dental fillings…at least 35 years old …was
starting to degrade. It wasn’t an emergency, and because of my travel plans, I
was not able to get back in for an appointment until November.
I did a little research after finding out about my ‘degraded filling.’ It was a
term that was unfamiliar to me. I found out that most decay in adults today is
found under and around old, degrading fillings. It’s called
"recurrent" decay because it re-occurs on tooth structure that was
decayed, was drilled clean and filled previously. As recurrent decay
progresses, it eats away the remaining tooth, weakening it and making it prone
to breaking or cracking. This usually occurs without pain until it’s too late.
Generally most fillings need to be replaced once they are about 10-15 years
old, depending on your mouth. The timing depends on things like how much you
grind and wear your teeth, what the old fillings are made out of, how much
decay you've had in the past and how big the old fillings are.
Learn more about Dentist in Lake Chapala Mexico...
How to
Sell Your Home in Winter
By Karen McConnaughey
What makes selling a home more stressful? Selling it in the middle of winter.
It generally is not the ideal time to put your home on the market if you live
where it gets cold and it rains or snows primarily because your home won't show
as well. The lawn is brown, the weather is usually bad and, unlike the longer
days of summer, you have less time to show it off during daylight hours. There
are also fewer buyers and the skies are gloomy. However, National Association
of Realtors president Vicki Cox Golder made a good point, "Winter is
typically the time of year when fewer buyers are looking for homes, but the
buyers who are looking are serious about buying." And while it's true that
in most areas you'll probably have fewer buyers during the winter, you will
have less competition from other sellers. The first house I ever sold was on
the very worst day of winter in the Kansas
City area, and that's when real estate agents had to
make their offers in person!
Not everyone has the luxury of waiting until the traditional spring or summer
home-buying season to plant that "for sale" sign. The winter season
makes staging - the concept of showing your house at its best - even more
important.
Learn some steps you can take to brighten your home and make
the showing pleasant and enjoyable for your buyers...
NEW
RESIDENTIAL SALES IN OCTOBER 2010
S
ales of new single-family houses in October 2010 were at a seasonally adjusted
annual rate of 283,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the
U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
This is 8.1 percent (+/-16.1%)* below the revised September rate of 308,000 and
is 28.5 percent (+/-12.6%) below the October 2009 estimate of 396,000. The
median sales price of new houses sold in October 2010 was $194,900; the average
sales price was $248,200.
The seasonally adjusted estimate of new houses for sale at the end of October
was 202,000. This represents a supply of 8.6 months at the current sales rate.
Big
Cholesterol Improvements with New Pill
An experimental Merck drug safely boosted good cholesterol to record highs while
dropping bad cholesterol to unprecedented lows in a study that stunned
researchers and renewed hopes for an entirely new way of lowering heart risks.
"We are the most excited we have been in decades" about a novel drug,
said the study's leader, Dr. Christopher Cannon, of Brigham and Women's
Hospital in Boston.
"This could really be the next big thing."
The drug, anacetrapib (an-uh-SEHT'-ruh-pihb), won't be on the market anytime
soon. It needs more testing to see if its dramatic effects on cholesterol will
translate into fewer heart attacks, strokes and deaths. Merck and Co. announced
a 30,000-patient study to answer that question and it will take several years.
But the sheer magnitude of its effects so far caused big excitement at an
American Heart Association conference in Chicago,
where results were presented last week.
"The data look spectacular, beyond what anybody would have expected,"
said Dr. Robert Eckel, a University
of Colorado cardiologist
and past president of the heart association. "It's like a rocket to
Jupiter versus one to the moon. I can think of many of my patients who could
use the drug right now."
Read more about This Cholesterol Improvement...
'Twas
the Night Before Christmas!
'Twas the night before Christmas and Santa's a wreck. How to live in a world
that's politically correct?
His workers no longer would answer to Elves,
Vertically Challenged they were calling themselves.
And labor conditions at the north pole
Were alleged by the union to stifle the soul.
Four reindeer had vanished, without much propriety,
Released to the wilds by the Humane Society.
And equal employment had made it quite clear
That Santa had better not use just reindeer.
So Dancer and Donner, Comet and Cupid,
Were replaced with 4 pigs, and you know that looked stupid!
Read the rest of this humorous look at the Night before
Christmas...
Chupacabra:
The Truth is Out There
by Karen McConnaughey
My step-son first brought the story of the Chupacabra to me. I had to have him
spell it...it was a word I'd never heard of before.
For those of you as much in the dark as I was initially, Wikipedia describes
the Chupacabra as "The word chupacabras is from chupar 'to suck' and cabra
'goat,' (literally 'goat sucker'), is a legendary cryptid* rumored to inhabit
parts of the Americas.
It is associated more recently with sightings of an allegedly unknown animal in
Puerto Rico (where these sightings were first reported), Mexico, and the United States, especially in the
latter's Latin American communities. The name comes from the animal's reported
habit of attacking and drinking the blood of livestock, especially goats.
Physical descriptions of the creature vary. Some eyewitness sightings describe
it as "a heavy creature, the size of a small bear, with a row of spines reaching
from the neck to the base of the tail."
*A cryptid is a creature or plant whose
existence has been suggested but that is unrecognized by a scientific
consensus, and whose existence is moreover often regarded as highly unlikely.
Noted cryptids include Bigfoot, Yeti, and the Loch Ness
Monster. the Chupacabra has become one of the most common beasts studied under
the general heading of cryptozoology, the study of animals that may or may not
be real.
Learn more about this mythical animal...
The
Fine Art(s) of Living in Ajijic
by Jutta McAdam
Love the beauty of Lake
Chapala and its benign
climate? Consider moving from a city to a Mexican village, but worry that a
village is just that? You already know that there is year-round golfing and
tennis and many activities and amenities you would expect to find ‘up north’ or
in a larger community. But what can you expect to find in a Mexican village, if
the fine arts have always been part of your life?
Don’t worry, there are many cultural offerings at Lakeside
beside the numerous Mexican fiestas. You don’t expect the arts scene of New York, of course, but
there is something for almost all tastes, especially in high season, which runs
from October to April.
For starters, Ajijic has its own auditorium which is constantly improved to
provide more comforts for its patrons and technical upgrades for performers.
Two music societies provide a variety of quality musical performances, from
guitar duos to opera productions and dance performances. Local musician
Christopher Wilshire organizes the Northern Lights festival bringing in young
professional musicians and experienced conductors from Canada for a
ten-day extravaganza. Other independent productions round out the palette of
possible experiences.
Learn more about what Jutta has to say about Living in Ajijic,
Mexico...
Make
Your New Year’s Resolution A Healthy One!
By Judit Rajhathy
Before you know it, the turkey and trimmings will be nicely settled around your
middle - just in time for New Year's resolutions!
If you are content sitting on the couch day after day, occasionally getting up
to eat, and accept that you might remain weak, grouchy, tired, and likely
suffer from stiff, achey joints, and extra weight, this article may not be for
you. If, however, you are fed up and want a better, more vital life, it might
be time to get moving!
A CDC report states that 55% of American adults were not active enough to meet
the minimum recommendation of 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most
days of the week even though we all know that study after study has shown
repeatedly that daily physical activity reduces the risk of obesity, cancer,
heart disease, high blood pressure, and enhances physical and mental
functioning. Yet so many still opt for sedentary lifestyles.
"I don't have time to exercise" tops the list of excuses. It is like
saying I don't have time to eat, or I don't have time to sleep, I don't have
time to brush my teeth. Attitude adjusting and scheduling your daily exercise
time works like a charm! Studies show that those who exercise first thing in
the morning stick with routines more than those who change their times.
Learn more ways you can make your New Year’s Resolution a
healthy one...
Christmas Eve Mexican Dinner
By Tere Ruiz
Mexican cuisine, as I have written before, is one of the best cuisines in the
world. The fusion of the Prehispanic and Spanish ingredients and dishes, as
well as other influences coming from France and all the Asian spices, makes for
the most traditional and delicious dishes in the world. I know I’m prejudiced,
but I believe we have wonderful everyday food as well as many different
specialties for festivities and celebrations. This month I will tell you about
the Christmas Eve Mexican Dinner.
One of my favorite Mexican dishes for Christmas Eve is the Romeritos which is
made of the leaves of romerito, sprigs of a wild plant growing in the cornfield
and which should not be mistaken for rosemary - romerito is the diminutive for
romero (rosemary), but they are not the same plant.
Here is how to make Romeritos...
Driving to Lake Chapala from the United States
By Karen Mc Connaughey
Bill and I recently drove from Lake Chapala through Piedras Negras, Coah,
Mexico, to Kansas City, MO, USA. On our way back, I decided to
keep a photo-journal of how to get across the border and to Lake Chapala.
For any of you who know me, you must realize that once this became my mission,
I became obsessed with capturing everything. I mean…everything! I haven’t a
clue how many photos I took, but when I sorted through and named them, I ended
up with around 450. I was able to pare them down a bit more when I started
writing information on each one, but it’s still a bunch. However...realizing
there’s no way you can print something like that to take with you...I’m going
to highlight some of the most confusing turns you may encounter as well as
break it down into sections. That way you can choose to print or not!
Other things to note. Bill sees driving as more of a competition and I see it
as a means to get from Point A to Point B. I think it’s a man-women thing. He
didn’t slow down for me to take one photo. However, that being said, if he had
slowed down every time I took a photo, we wouldn’t be home yet. So this is not
a photo-journal of beautiful Mexico.
It’s driving directions…ONLY! Some of the photos are a little fuzzy, and there
wasn’t always time to get our windows as clean as I would have liked. ‘Nuff
said…be kind!
Editor's Note: In the following article
you will find information on gasoline prices, defensive driving, safety tips,
rest stops, pet-friendly hotels and so much more. It's your one-stop shopping
to get from the border to Lake
Chapala. Let us know if
you have any questions.
Click Here to read more about Karen and Bill's trip...
Spanish
101 - Feliz Navidad
A good way to learn Spanish is to start with things we know well (noel!!), and that
would be the names of Christmas Carols!
So have a look at some songs of Christmas and other useful
words for this season...
Mexico’s obtains new ‘intangible’ UNESCO
heritage masterpieces
Guadalajara Reporter
Friday, November 19 2010
Traditional Mexican cuisine has finally become “a Masterpiece of the Oral and
Intangible Heritage of Humanity.”
It’s maybe not exactly what you’d expect though. The designation doesn’t
include Mexican-style fast-food tacos, quesadillas and tortas but the elaborate
process of producing a “traditional” meal exemplified by indigenous groups in
Michoacan.
As the entry reads: “Traditional Mexican cuisine is a comprehensive cultural
model comprising farming, ritual practices, age-old skills, culinary techniques
and ancestral community customs and manners. It is made possible by collective
participation in the entire traditional food chain: from planting and
harvesting to cooking and eating.”
The “intangible” aspect of the UNESCO heritage prize is to highlight cultural
practices and traditions that don’t have a physical presence such as a castle
or ancient relics.
The use of corn and native ingredients strengthened Mexico’s claim to the status. Some
have been used continually for over 7,000 years. UNESCO said the knowledge and
techniques used “express community identity, reinforce social bonds and build
stronger local, regional and national identities.”
The traditional Purepecha chant, Pirekua, also won a place on the Intangible
List. The chant juxtaposes prehispanic and colonial, as well as African,
elements, such as the Tarascan language and European instruments.
Also from the central state of Michoacan, Pirekua has traditionally been
transmitted orally from generation to generation and tells a wide range of
tales encompassing themes such as social history, religion, political though
and love.
UNESCO describes the Pirekua as a “marker of identity and means of artistic
communication for more than a hundred thousand P’urhépecha people.”
The third and final new Mexican heritage is the Chiapa de Corzo Parachicos
dance from Chiapas.
The dance is part of the January 4 to 23 celebration of taking place in honor
of three Catholic saints: Saint Anthony Abbot, Our Lord of Esquipulas and, most
importantly, Saint Sebastian. Music, dance, handicrafts, gastronomy, religious
ceremonies and feasting highlight the syncretism present bridging indigenous
and Catholics beliefs and practices.
In Mexico, ladies
ring in the New Year in brand-new underwear
You might be confused when suddenly, at the end of December, it seems to be all
about ladies' undergarments in grocery stores, open-air markets and almost
everywhere else you look. And, look at it: it’s mostly in the color red or
yellow! What’s up with that?
Well, it’s not a sports team rivalry…no... “it is a popular New Year's ritual
for women in Mexico
to don fresh briefs to ring out the old and ring in the new, and apparently
nothing says Happy 2010 like a pair of bloomers -- red for love and yellow for
wealth (and no fair wearing both).”
The Washington Post reports that “because the choice of a color signifies one's
aspirations for the coming year, newspapers in Mexico send out reporters to
quiz vendors about the national mood, and in 2009 -- a year of economic tremors
-- shuddered to a stop, the vote was clear.
"Yellow. That's all they want. I am selling twice as much yellow as
red," said Lucia Mendoza, making some last-minute sales on New Year's Eve
on the sidewalk outside the central market in the capital's Coyoacan
neighborhood.
Milenio News reported a go-go market for yellow. El Universal found yellow
ahead by a mile. Makes sense. Mexico's
$1 trillion economy shrank by more than 7 percent in 2009, the hardest-hit in
Latin America, a victim of the recession in the United
States, Mexico's
No. 1 trading partner. Everybody here is ready for a jump-start in 2010.
The donning of red and yellow panties is a relatively new phenomenon in Mexico, which
values its old holiday traditions but appears ready to try on another one. New
Year's Eve is usually celebrated with a late dinner of turkey or cod at home
with family and friends drinking punch and waiting for the fireworks. At the
stroke of midnight, Mexicans gobble a dozen grapes, making a wish with each
one.
Excerpted from Sources:
Washingtonpost.com
sanfelipe.com.mx
jaltembasol.com
oneiklan.com
10
Secrets to a Stressfree Life
By Kathleen Hall
Editor’s Note: Did you know that as the
winter holidays near, research has shown that our stress levels go up? It
becomes very difficult to savor time with your family and friends when you've
got too many responsibilities and not enough time. Maybe some of these secrets
can help you not only have a stressfree life, but also a stressfree Holiday.
Start Small. Don’t overwhelm yourself with big changes. Alter one small thing—a
morning habit, a food choice. Over time, these will add up to the intentional
life you crave.
Read the other advice Kathleen gives for a stressfree life...
Who
Wants Direct Flights from Canada
to Guadalajara?
Forwarded by Celina Haramis (Focus
Alumni)
Westjet
- Petition
I've just called Westjet to enquire about the possibility of them flying
directly from Canada to Guadalajara and back. I
explained that there is a large community of
Canadians in this area and that they are missing a lot of business because we
all fly
back and forth to Canada
every year. In addition, our Canadian friends and relatives also fly down to
come and visit with us.
The lady I spoke to said that it would help if the Company received a lot of
requests from
Canadians asking for them to consider direct flights to Guadalajara.
So, even if you drive down at the moment, there might be occasions, in the
future, where you would need to fly back to Canada and Westjet would be the
best carrier at the best price.
And please pass this
"petition" on to all your Canadian friends.
Fran Bellamy
Please click here and take a minute of your time and let Westjet know your request. Once you are at thier web site, press "Contact Us" and then press "Give Feedback"...
Such a fun month with
lots of interesting ‘stuff’ to share. Hope you enjoy.
Tis the season for parties and fun
and food. Maybe some of these tips will help you celebrate the holidays with
less stress:
Do you always wonder how many beverages or how much food you need for the size
of the crowd? This might help:
Party calculator:
How much Liquor, etc?
- Wine: One bottle per two people per hour
- Beer: Two beers per person per hour
- Spirits: One bottle per five people per hour
- Mixers: Three bottles for each bottle of alcohol
- Ice: At least one pound per person per hour
- Coffee - 1 Gallon serves about 20 cups.
Source: Marthastewart.com
How much Food, etc?
Here is a guide to help you estimate your food quantities for either a buffet
or a sit-down dinner.
For individual meats, fish, poultry:
- 5 - 6
ounces per person (If the cuts of meat have bones
in them, consider adding more weight per person)
- For multiple meat meals and buffets: 4 - 6 ounces per person
For pasta dishes:
- For a sit-down dinner, a pound of pasta will serve
4-6
- For a buffet, a pound will serve 8-10 people
For salads:
- With a premixed salad, estimate one handful per
person
- One head of lettuce will feed approximately 5 people,
4 medium heads will serve 15-20 people
For appetizers:
- Estimate about 10-12 items total per person. (Make
3-4 of each item per person, keeping in mind that everyone may not take
all of the items)
For desserts:
- Calculate one full portion of dessert per person
- For multiple desserts, people will taste smaller
portions of each item
- A normal cake will serve approximately 10, but 15
will be fed if you are also serving pie
Source: ReasontoParty.com
Sniffing Stress Zappers &
Energizers!
I personally like Essential Oils and Oil Burners so much better than candles. I
feel they’re safer and I think the aroma last longer. To use an oil burner,
fill the bowl at the top of the burner with water and place a few drops of
essential oils on the water, then place a lighted tea light underneath the
bowl. My two favorite scents:
Zap Stress with Lavender
Lavender essence: I love this aroma. Have you ever
tried Palmolive Ultra, Aromatherapy Liquid Soap? I was using it once and
realized all of a sudden I was humming…I felt so happy doing the dishes. That’s
when I discovered the power of aroma and your moods. Apparently, a scant five
minutes of exposure to mild lavender aromas helps curb the release of cortisol
- a key stress hormone that can prematurely age you by triggering inflammation.
And, in a recent study of Japanese co-eds, sniffing lavender not only lowered
cortisol levels but also may have enhanced antioxidant activity in their bodies
-- a double blow to the aging process. I just know it smells good and it makes
me happy!
Pep Up with Peppermint
Peppermint may help you feel more alert and think more clearly, says Rachel
Herz, PhD, author of The Scent of Desire and Visiting Professor at Brown University.
Another study found that the peppermint may enhance physical performance and
help you get more out of a workout. Besides using it in an oil burner at home,
try dabbing on a bit of a peppermint-scented body spray or lotion before
hitting the gym for a quick boost.
And, to get more get-up-and-go for meal prep on the big day or a long commute
home, pop a stick of peppermint gum in your mouth. The act of chewing, combined
with the strong scent of mint, has been shown to boost alertness within three
minutes (by stimulating the trigeminal nerve, which sends wake-up signals
directly to the brain), according to extensive research at Chicago’s Smell and
Taste Treatment and Research Foundation. How cool is that? Of course, make sure
it’s sugarless!
Sources: RealAge.com; iVillage.com
Shop Mom & Pop Stores this Holiday Season
Mom and pop stores are businesses that are owned and operated in a single
location, rather than being part of a national chain. If you’re shopping at a
Mom & Pop store, ask if there is a discount for paying cash, suggests
Martha White of walletpop.com.
“I’ve done this successful everywhere from clothing boutiques to auto-repair
shops,” she writes.
Source: Reader’s Digest, Nov 2010
A great gift for the Cook
When Rachel Ray gives someone a cookbook, she adds a basket full of food
ingredients for one of the recipes in the book. You can get creative with it
and give a pot, pan, utensil or measuring spoons and cups used in the dish!
Source: Reader’s Digest, December 2010
Draw Your Christmas Names in No
Time...for free...seriously easy
An absolutely BRILLIANT way to draw names for your gift exchange if everyone
can't be present at the drawing! You type in your list of names, and you can
even set rules: "Bill can't buy for Karen, Mrs. Claus can't buy for Santa,
etc." And it comes up with a random list for you. It doesn't get any
easier than that! Go to http://www.namedrawing.com/ and compose your list
today!
I have such fun with
this stuff! I hope you do too. If so, write and let me know!
Happy
Holidays to all!
