GOSSIP, LIES & HALF-TRUTHS

Our community is a giving one, and people really do care about each other – that is why I love living in Baja…however…

Many people, such as Baja elected officials, Baja business representatives, and citizens - both national and expat - have made a considerable effort to stop the media from regurgitating negative news stories.  It has been working, and the Union Tribune for one has made considerable changes in this regard.

In the space of a few misplaced words, all this work can quickly become undone.

Recently I was told a gruesome (partly true) story about an incident that happened nine months ago, being purported to have taken place a couple of weeks ago.  The culprits in this case were not the media, but rather a few individuals who take some sort of perverse delight at being “in the know”.  Checking out a story for authenticity is apparently not an option for some.

This sort of thing counteracts everything many Baja supporters have been working for these past few years.  These kinds of stories, because they are coming from locals, don’t help, but rather tend to give them legitimacy.

This is not an isolated case.  Rumors are always rampant in a unique community such as ours.  Some are very hurtful half-truths, some are outright lies, and some are just titillating stories repeated for their shock value.

Please stop and think of the harm you may be causing before passing on rumors, whether it be specifics about your friends and neighbors, or just plain old everyday general gossip.  No gossip is ever harmless.  It always hurts someone, and in some cases is just plain mean spirited.

I have been criticized by some for publishing the Reagan quote “Trust, but Verify” in my newsletter, which has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with being responsible for your words.  I have exchanged it for the Jewish Proverb “What you don't see with your eyes, don't witness with your mouth”, but they both essentially say the same thing.

Anne Hines, Editor

Rosarito Town Crier

Sister Clare's anniversary
Wednesday, June 8, marked Sister Clare Manhart's sixtieth anniversary with the religious order of Sisters of Mercy (Omaha). She came out of retirement to oversee operations at the convent school in Colonia Mazatlán, Municipio Rosarito, when Sister Ruth became disabled. A luncheon in her honor was held at the Rosarito Beach Hotel.

We love you sister Clare!

Senator McCain's speech at his son's winging ceremony in Pensacola on January, 2011

U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) delivered the following remarks, Friday, 28 January 2011, at the Winging-Designation Ceremony at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida:

"Thank you, Colonel Coakley. Captain Vandiver:

"Over the years, I've given a good many speeches commending young men and women for successfully completing a rigorous course of instruction, and I've always begun by expressing appreciation for the graduates' families, who I believe deserve an equal share of the credit for the accomplishment. That would seem a little boastful on my part today, since I am one of the parent's here. I guess I can avoid immodesty by appropriately crediting my wife, Cindy, for our son, Jack's many fine qualities, and taking responsibility for any minor flaws he might possess, which we won't mention today. But I will say that I am as proud as any parent here, and as blessed.

I remember being in similar circumstances many years ago. Obviously, none of you were born when I earned my wings in Pensacola. Many of your parents weren't alive then either. It was a time when the Greatest Generation were in their thirties, buying their first houses, having children. America was led mostly by men who had been born in the 19th Century. It was before the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam; before the great civil rights advances. People still sent telegrams and placed telephone calls through switchboards, and listened to music on the radio and on scratchy vinyl records that were recorded in mono. Elvis was still in the Army, and no one had ever heard of the Beatles. Men wore hats because their father's had, not because they thought it was ironic.

As I said, it was quite some time ago. In many ways it often seems to me another world entirely. But not today. Not as I look at you, and imagine how you must feel. I think I know how you feel. I think I once felt the same. I was pretty certain back then that I was very lucky to be me.

Back then, I drove a Corvette and flew A-1s. I loved the thrill of flying; the challenge of it. I loved testing myself and the very expensive machinery the government generously allowed me to operate. And because I assumed in my twenties that I would live forever, I wasn't even very distressed when I found myself in my airplane sitting on the bottom of Corpus Christi Bay one fine day. I swam to the surface, went to my quarters, changed my clothes, took a couple aspirin and headed out for another night's entertainment with my fellow bachelor officers. "Kick the tires and light the fires." I loved the image of a naval aviator. I loved the life. It was fun. So much fun, I don't know how I survived it.

My memories of that time are happy ones for a reason. I enjoyed every single moment of my life in Pensacola, from learning to fly to blowing my pay at Trader John’s. But I was sent here for more serious purposes than that, and it would take me a while to understand that.

Subsequent experiences taught me that military service was more than an adventure for people with vivid imaginations and a measure of audacity. It offers admission into history, possibly a big part of history, a much more daunting enterprise than proving one's mettle and with much greater things at stake than personal reputation or even the life and death of soldiers.

I loved my country then and now. I was reasonably well-read in history, and certainly grasped the uniqueness of America, a country not rooted in land and blood, but in an idea, an inspiring and noble idea. But, as Americans often do, my appreciation of America was more focused on the many advantages and opportunities of American life. Yet the experiences I had as a young naval officer, among them serving in a carrier task force during the Cuban Missile Crisis, gave me a greater perspective on what I had truly committed myself to, even as a very junior officer.

The defense of our country is important not only to the security of our countrymen and the blessings of life in America. It is important to the world: to the peace and stability of the world and to advancing in a hostile world those ideals we believe are universal. I was part of that great cause, a small and unessential part, but a part nonetheless. And to serve it as well as it deserved I would have to learn to subordinate personal ambitions and conceits, even parts of my nature that I prided myself on, to a much more important good. Of course, I didn't grasp the full import of this revelation until some years later, when my time at war finally arrived.

In the upheaval of war, that great leveler of ego and distinction, things change. Countries change. History changes. And people change. Life is more precious and more vulnerable, and less your own. You develop as strong a bond, as deep a concern with those who serve beside you as you will ever have with anyone outside your family. And you will discover an insight that many people never will. That your life is bigger and more satisfying the more that it is part of something beyond your self interest.

When I left Pensacola America was at peace. They were dangerous times. The Cold War threatened the world with mass destruction should it turn hot. The Cuban Missile Crisis would occur a little more than two years later. But World War II and Korea were behind us. And but for a few military advisers deployed there, Vietnam was a little known, far off problem for most Americans

As you leave here America has been at war for nearly a decade. After much terrible sacrifice, and many mistakes, our war in Iraq has reached a more successful conclusion than we might have hoped for a few years ago. But we will be involved in combat operations in Afghanistan for at least a few more years. And the prospect for our success there, while better than it was two years ago, is still uncertain.

I expect many of you will at some point be called to duty there. I have every confidence your service will more than meet the high expectations your country has for you.

This a challenging time in our history, and the history of the world. The world is much changed since I served in the Navy. In the Cold War, we faced a powerful enemy with the means to destroy the entire world. But despite the wars we fought during it, and the cruelty the Soviets inflicted on the captive peoples of its empire, it was a more stable and more predictable world than the one we live in now.

We face different and more various threats today. From Islamic extremism to the rise of China to cyberterrorism to the depletion of water and fossil fuel supplies to the unique vulnerabilities of a globalized economy, the tasks facing the world's statesmen are many and complex and daunting. History has accelerated, and we must race to keep up with it.

But your mission is the same as it has always been. You are the defenders of our freedom, the caretakers of our most vital interests, and the custodians of our values, and you will protect us from all threats wherever they originate. We are grateful to you. We admire you. We are indebted to you. And I envy you, the honor you have.

What we have achieved in this country is very much worth defending. The thought that any American wouldn't believe that saddens me. And we are so invested in this world. Our prosperity, our safety, cannot be protected by retiring from a troublesome world, and building imagined walls to the progress of history. It was our founding belief that America and the world would be far better and more secure were the natural and inalienable rights of life and liberty, the principles of free people and free markets, to be possessed by all humanity. And we have sacrificed greatly to secure those rights for people we never knew in places we had never heard of before. We have done so in defense of our interests as well as our ideals, but we have done so. Very few other nations can make that claim.

We are blessed to be Americans, not just in times of peace and prosperity. We are part of something providential: a great experiment to prove to the world that democracy is not only the most effective form of government, but the only moral government. And through the years, generation after generation of Americans have held fast to the belief that we were meant to transform history. What greater cause than that could we ever find?

What I wish every American understood is, despite its attendant risks and sacrifices, military service even for one or two enlistments or for a career is one of the most rewarding experiences you could ever have. Make no mistake, those risks and sacrifices are great and daunting even in peacetime. But few other occupations so completely invest your life with importance, even historic importance, and so well develop your character along lines of excellence. It is an advantage and a satisfaction you will always have that others will never know.

The global advance of our ideals is not the first responsibility of our military. Our military is not always the best instrument of that cause, though it has certainly served it of necessity and at great sacrifice. But the defense of our possession of them is your responsibility. And no other profession has done that so admirably, so selflessly as the United States Armed Forces. I wish all Americans could have the experience of such sublime service to a greater good that you will now have, and which I was very lucky to have once had, and which began in practice, here, in Pensacola.

"Good luck to you all. May God protect you.  And thank you.  On behalf of our country and for myself, I can say I am certain we are in good hands."

Keiko The Untold Story Trailer Video:
http://youtu.be/O9xItzQ8gY8

TWO AMERICANS KILLED WHILE WAITING TO CROSS INTERNATIONAL BORDER

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

TIJUANA, Mexico – Two men killed early Monday morning by a gunman who opened fire while they waited in line to reach a Tijuana border crossing were U.S. citizens, a diplomat said Tuesday.

U.S. Consulate spokesman Joseph L. Crook said the men were waiting in line in their vehicle early Monday almost half a mile (almost a kilometer) from the San Ysidro crossing, one of the world's busiest ports of entry.

"Our condolences go out to their families at this difficult time," the consulate said in a statement. "We are working closely with the Mexican authorities to ascertain all of the facts."

Prosecutors in Baja California state quoted witnesses as saying a gunman approached the line and fired into the men's pickup truck, hitting the victims in the head, arms and body. Both victims were dead by the time authorities arrived.

Sergio Salcido Luna, 25, and Kevin Joel Romero, 28, were found dead in the vehicle having been shot several times. The men's pickup had California plates. A small amount of drugs were recovered from the scene, local law enforcement said.

Police found 9-mm shell casings at the scene.

Their San Diego employer described them as diligent workers who had moved to the Mexican border city so they could afford to live on the beach.

Matt Pelot of San Diego-based West Coast Beverage Maintenance, confirmed the victims were his employees.

He said Romero's sister called him Monday morning to tell him they had been killed.

"She just said I just wanted to let you know that Sergio and Kevin were shot and killed this morning at the border, and obviously I was taken back," he said. "I was in shock, and I'm still in shock. These were good guys. Obviously no one deserves to die like this, but these were good guys."

The men, who were good friends and had worked for Pelot for more than a year, were crossing around 2:40 a.m. as they usually did to beat the long lines that form later in the morning when thousands cross to go to work or school on the U.S. side, Pelot said. They had moved to Tijuana because of the lower cost of living.

Romero's parents live near the border on the U.S. side and the men would go there to sleep before heading in to work. The two maintained draft beer systems at restaurants and bars in the San Diego area and were always eager to work overtime for the small company, which has 13 employees, Pelot said.

Pelot said he was just thinking of promoting Romero, who was originally from San Diego. Romero was trying to adopt his Mexican girlfriend's son and move them to the United States someday, while Salcido, he said, was a single guy who was born in Tijuana to U.S. citizens and grew up in Bakersfield, Calif. He said Salcido loved martial arts and was training for an upcoming bout in Tijuana.

"Kevin Romero didn't even drink beer," Pelot said. "These guys weren't dealing drugs that's for sure. If Sergio was your friend, he'd give you the shirt off his back. Kevin was the same. He was a real family oriented guy who couldn't wait to get home and take a walk on his beach with his son and dogs."

Pelot said his employees had invited him to visit them in Tijuana but he was too afraid to cross the border because of the city's violence.

More than 34,000 people, including an increasing number of U.S. citizens, have been killed in Mexico's drug war, but shootings of people waiting in line to cross into the United States are extremely rare.

In the first six months of 2010, the latest State Department figures available, 49 Americans were victims of homicide in Mexico, up from 37 for the same period in 2009 and 19 in the first half of 2008.

The majority of the slayings happened in border cities such as Ciudad Juarez and Tijuana, which have also been the hardest hit by drug violence. In some cases, the Americans apparently were in the company of Mexican friends, relatives or acquaintances who were the targets.

Charlie Sheen: Drug cartel's pitchman


By Patrick Osio

Charlie Sheen may have become the best pitchman for international drug cartels, that, I venture, would gladly pay him the added million a week he demands to continue acting on the cancelled Three and a Half Men television sitcom from the better than $30 billion the cartels rake in annually from U.S. users. He can be their poster child luring legions of fans into the world of drug consumption.

In his public confession to drug use in one of his several television interviews, Sheen said, "I probably took more than anybody could survive. ... I was bangin' seven-gram rocks and finishing them because that's how I roll, because I have one speed, one gear. [I survived] because I'm me. I'm different. I have a different constitution, I have a different brain, I have a different heart. I got tiger blood, man. dying' s for fools, dying's for amateurs."

Is Charlie Sheen's bragging about drug usage and indispensable to a good party, make him an accomplice to the killing spree the Republic of Mexico is enduring? Sadly, he and his many fans may not see the connection, but it's there.

Why didn't the interviewers say and ask: "Charlie in Mexico there have been over 34,000 people, and more to follow, killing each other for the right to bring you and others the drugs you use, but among those killed are police officers, police chiefs, mayors of cities, judges, prosecutors, journalist and innocent people including children some as old or younger than yours, caught in the cross fire. Don't you feel like you are an accomplice to these crimes? Don't you feel any pangs of conscience over so many deaths your drug use causes?"

And, "Charlie, what would you say to the parents of those children killed in the crossfire about your statement, 'dying is for fools, dying is for amateurs'? Were they fools? Were they amateurs placed here for your pleasure?"

We will of course, never know his answers since he wasn't asked. But as bad as not asking was Pierce Morgan's observation that Sheen sounds "alarmingly normal" In short: Hey, you're right on and since you're alarmingly normal, anyone who does the same is as alarmingly normal as you are.

How many thousands of Charlie wanabees took his and Morgan's endorsement message to heart thinking if he can do it so can I. "I wanna live like the great one!!" I wanna have it all, just like him."

Drug's usage promises of care free and wonderful state of being are induced illusions, but its destructive harm is significant and certain. By all accounts this is what at some point awaits Sheen, and what awaits those who follow his lead. But the killings in Mexico continue and more and more are overlapping into the U.S.

Drug usage is a U.S. national disgrace and the part it plays on the killing spree in Mexico a national shame. Our journalists all but ignore the causes of the killings, never digging more than just scratching the surface, but always pointing the finger south placing the responsibility and culpability on countries south. Our political body screams about more border fencing, about national security but never about drug usage's role in the meltdown. And of course, the usage of drugs by their own peers in news rooms and political chambers.

And the popular and famous help elevate drug usage from sub to main stream culture. It's OK to use, just don't get caught and if you do, apologize, enter rehab, come out and go back to partying. If your name is Paris, tell them you've learned your lesson and you're going to dedicate your life to helping the women prisoners you met; then go back to partying. If your name is Lindsay keep denying it and keep going back to rehab until you do something that the court seems to think is a greater crime than illegally purchasing and using drugs that come from international drug cartels who don't mind massacring people.

By far of the various popular celebrities pushing the drug usage envelope, the most famous, charismatic and immensely talented is Charlie Sheen. As such he has the power to be the Pied Piper who can lead a generation into the world of drug use, or conversely be the one who leads them away.

Unfortunately as long as Charlie doesn't realize his true value and his potential contribution to his nation and its people, he will be the poster child for drug use and drug traffickers.

Patrick Osio

Editor

HispanicVista.com
---------------------------------------------

Thank you for your usual insight, Tocayo.

I suspect the answer to the question you have posed is: "You cannot fix stupid."

Saludos,

Pat Mullen

Radiation plume from Japan is apparently on its way

Break out the kelp tablets. Projected path of radiation plume from Japan headed towards U.S., according to NYT.

URL: http://tinyurl.com/4wx7gpo


Posted by Pat

JAPAN COMMUNICATIONS, CONTINUED

From W6KY


In case you haven't seen this already:

Following freq'assigned for emergency QSO. Please be clear. Thank you for

your kind help! Ops JARL & volunteers - 3520 to 3530, 7025 to 7035, 14090 to

14110, 21190 to 21200, 28190 to 28210, 50100, 51000, 14100, 14500, 430100,

433000. DXped Ops - Please kindly consider QSX freq & RTTY freq.

73, Art W6KY

ps; Heard from Shin, JA1NUT. He is North of Tokyo. He is a doctor and very busy.

No food, little water. He has family in Northern Japan, but hasn't heard from them.

Entire towns missing. The news says, Japan (the entire island) has moved eight feet.

JAPAN COMMUNICATIONS

Freqs to avoid by CW users so we don't interfere with emergency communications in Japan


http://ei7is.blogspot.com/2011/03/japan-earthquaketsunami-emergency.html


The Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) Regional HQ station JA7RL is now involved in emergency communication to support rescue and disaster relief coordination using 7 MHz SSB, 144 MHz SSB/FM and 430 MHz SSB/FM.

Recent information from CQ Newsroom: http://cqnewsroom.blogspot.com/2011/03/quake-update-radio-amateurs.html

7043 kHz is being used by JR3QHQ, the Osaka branch manager of JARL, gathering incident information on radio and forwarding it to the Internet.

7075 kHz is occasionally operated by JL3YSP in Wakayama.

7030 kHz is the JARL emergency communication frequency in its bandplan and is in use by JA7RL (JARL regional HQ station).

Please report other freqs as you learn of them

I also heard that SATERN web site was taking request for Health and Welfare information

mail Site - http://satern.org/

Click on  Health and Welfare Information Request it takes you to Request Forms here

http://qso.com/satern/emailfrm.htm

73, Dennis N6KI

The real life adventure of Jerry Shelby


Thu Mar 3, 2011 6:03 pm (PST)

"Back From the Other Side…OOoooweeeooo

This tale is for those who are curious about what happened to me over the past couple weeks, and for those who would like to know what it is really like to deal with a heart attack. I am sure there are many reading this who have, `been there and done that' and who can relate and may get a chuckle out if it anyway.

Day One and Two

Mexico

On February 2, 2011 at around 4 pm I was in the process of closing up the café. I had just pulled in chairs from the patio and was there with one customer who had brought in a gold ring to be apprised. After looking the ring over, I was in the process of placing it into the safe; shutting the door and spinning the dial. I stood up to walk out of the office when someone or something from a parallel universe had decided to zap me in the middle of my chest with a hot poker! Another analogy is that an alien had just hatched inside my chest and wanted out bad. In either case, it only took two micro-seconds to realize that I was having a heart attack. Why me?

I headed for the closest chair, sat down, and put my feet up on a table all while calling to Kim who still happened to be there to get the phone and call for an ambulance and to call my wife. It went more like:

Me: "Call an ambulance."

Kim: "What's the number?"

Me: "066"

Kim: "What is the address here?"

Like most of Ensenada there are two names for most of the streets. The one in front of the café has three. With her Spanglish and my strained directions the conversation resulted into what seemed like fives minutes before she hung up. Meanwhile, I am trying to be calm and just breathe as every heartbeat is booming in my chest. The call to Beatriz went much more smoothly. It seemed to take a half an hour until I could hear the ambulance coming. Kim stood outside to wave them down and the Calvary finally arrived; Beatriz first and then the ambulance.

What they did or said is more or less blurred. I ended up at an emergency hospital around 10th street, address unknown. There they poked Aspirin and tiny nitro pills down my throat and kept asking if I felt better. "From a scale of 0-10, how is the pain?" After about 30 minutes of poking more pills down my gullet, asking the same questions and getting the same response, someone made and executive decision to transport me to the public general hospital across town.

After being back in the ambulance for another ride that seemed to take another half hour, I ended up being delivered to an emergency entrance. As they opened the back door, curious on lookers were pushing to get a better look as they wheeled me inside and down a hallway.

General Hospital Ensenada
Once inside things started to move a little faster. They hooked up IV's, robbed me of my cloths, drew blood, took EKG's , and continued to poke pills down my pie hole all while asking me the 0-10 question again. All this happened as the alien was still fighting to get out of my chest.

Life started to get a little more comfortable after they injected something in my IV, but the pain was making sure I knew it was still there. The doctor (a female) came over to tell me that I had a heart attack. (As if I didn't know this already) Her bedside patient rapport was much like a check out cashier at Calimax. I got the impression she was insulted or pissed that I could not speak Spanish and perhaps was taking up her valuable time. "Geese, another Gringo!"

Lying there, still experiencing chest pain, a male nurse showed up and closed the curtains around my bed. He came in with what I recognized as a pee bag with a hose attached. It didn't take much to figure out that this guy had intentions of taking the working end of his garden hose and poking it right up the middle of Mr. Happy! "Whoooha, this isn't going to be fun!" was my immediate thought. However, the nurse was quick and efficient, and the sensations were more uncomfortable than painful. Whew! Glad that was behind me. That was another first time life experience to add to a growing list for that day. I didn't think a hose that big would fit up there!

Now, by then I had been laying there for an hour or so, and out of the blue another alien started to wake up and make itself known, (OH CRAP! I'M HAVING TWINS!!) As the pain grew and my heart started to race I began trying to get the attention of a man that looked like a doctor, but who was occupied with what must have been important paperwork in the bull pin. As I continued to struggle to communicate with the doc, a man laying in a bed across from my crib, asked in perfect English, "Are you having chest pains?" to which I replied the big affirmative. He, with great authority, said in Spanish, "This man is having a heart attack!" The doctor looked up towards me and with the `what now? I'm busy' look and came over and injected something into my IV. Whatever it was, I felt the stuff as it traveled inside of me and the pain increased in my heart. I thought it was going to explode! At that point things started to ease up and I slowly relaxed, fell asleep, or passed out.

Some time later, I was moved to their ICU. Inside the ICU I was in a room with one patient totally sedated who I found out later had underwent brain surgery. Laying there still feeling pressure in my chest, but not as painful, the male nurse on duty continued to poke Aspirin and nitro down the pie hole and asked the number question.

As the evening grew into nighttime, nothing much happened. However, I couldn't help but notice my nurse had a cold. He was walking around the room coughing and blowing his nose without wearing a mask or gloves. I was less than comfortable when he handed my meds with his bare hands. I actually told him to wash his hands first, which he did, but still handed me the already contaminated pills. But by then I no longer cared. I lay there trying to put my mind in another place while ignoring a steady stream of fellow employees coming in and out, visiting, laughing, and fooling around playing on his computer. The room finally became quiet around midnight.

At around two in the morning I woke up and was looking at my heart monitor which showed my heart rate was in the 130's. My nurse was at his desk with his head in his folded arms. He was fast asleep. Around four in the morning my heart rate was still running in the 130's and the pressure was building in my chest. I tried to wake the nurse up by calling out, but when that didn't work I picked up the tissue box next to my bed and remarkably tossed it across the room and bounced it off his head. "Score!" That got his attention, but for only a minute. I pointed at the monitor and he looked up, then laid his head back down and went back to his nap.

Now it was Thursday morning and at around 6 AM Beatriz walked into the room to see me. I told her, "get me the $#@% out of here or I will just lay here and die." Thirty minutes later she was back with my ride to the USA.

The E Ticket Ride to San Diego

I was quickly transferred onto the ambulance gurney and wheeled into the awaiting van. Again there was great interest to those standing around outside. With red lights flashing and serine clearing the way I was laying flat on my back I was not able to anticipate turns, stops, or bumps that lay ahead. I was dealing with a constant changing combination of G forces that pushed towards my feet and then hard breaking that sent everything inside of me rushing to my head. I now know what a tank of water feels like. I am sure there wasn't a pothole missed. Some of these land mines I recognized having driven the toll road 1,000 times myself. I learned later that when we were navigating through Ensenada, an unmarked car put on the red lights and cut a path through traffic. The ride from the tollbooth in Ensenada to Gloria exit in Rosario was more or less passed by quickly with not too much bouncing around. However, when we turned off at the La Gloria exit taking the back roads to Tijuana, the radical bobbing and weaving got to the point I had to focus outside the back window to avoid getting car sick. Finally, we arrived at the sentry lane and I let out a sigh of relief. The ride was over.

USA Border

It seemed we waited about fifteen minutes before the Chula Vista Fire Department arrived to take charge. Four firemen paramedics that looked like they probably worked their days off as Chippendale dancers took control with Buzz Light-Year, no nonsense efficiency. Of course my IV from Mexico did not meet their standards so they removed it and quickly replaced it with one of theirs. Lucky for me they seemed to be satisfied with my man hose and left it alone.

They worked quickly taking blood pressure and transmitting EKG's to the hospital. The man in charge wasn't interested that we had already called ahead to the VA hospital in La Jolla, or to the fact that they were waiting for me. I protested when they gave orders to go to Sharp Hospital in Chula Vista, but the paramedic made his point when he said, "I don't think you will make it to La Jolla, so we are going to the closest hospital." `Okay, that sounds good to me' I thought, and I decided at that moment I was not in charge time to just shut up and go with the flow. So, I laid there very still fighting off nausea from my ride to the border, and I was feeling the reawakening of my sciatic nerve spasms shooting down my left leg. Perhaps I should have just driven?

Sharp Chula Vista Hospital

Thursday, February 3rd.

I am not sure what time of the day it was when we arrived, but as they opened the back of the ambulance and rolled me into the emergency entrance I felt like I was the main subject of a General Hospital or E.R. series. I was met with a team of nurses and doctors that went to work like a well-oiled machine. By the time they wheeled me into ICU, I think I had a chest x-ray, blood draw, more IV's inserted, and monitors attached. I also answered the 0-10 question several times. There was a beehive of activity all around me. Elvis was in the house! I was feeling better already.

My doctor was Roman Szkopiec (scope – ic) and he was straight forward in letting me know I had suffered a major heart attack due to two blocked arteries in my heart. As it turned out, Dr. Szkopic is the Head Cheese Weenie for Interventional Cardiology and Director of Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. "Boo Rhaaa!" SCORE!

He told me that I was not a candidate for open-heart surgery and he was going to perform Angioplasty to clean out the blockages. He said the odds of me dying from the procedure were 2 in 200. Without it my chances were 50/50. I liked the 2/200 odds and at that point I didn't care what they did as long as the pain would ease.

Shortly after this conversation two nurses with great bedside manners showed up with an electric razor and tools of the trade. They quickly transformed Mr. Happy and the surrounding territory into a 10 year old boy scout. By now I didn't care if they sold tickets as any apprehensions I may have had for public nudity had vanished.

After transferring me onto a gurney I was pushed down the hall towards what looked like an operating room. However, it was quickly clear to me that most likely when not in use they also stored hanging meat because it was colder than all get out. Yet, to their defense, they did tell me on the way it would be a little cold.

Laying there on this refrigerated slab under what looked like a TV wrapped in plastic, I discovered the good Doctor was not going to put me under for this procedure. I again braced myself for a new experience with pain. But the procedure wasn't as bad as I expected. The stick of a needle in the right groin was the worst of it. I felt more pressure than anything else. It was a strange however, as I felt what seemed to be scratching or scrubbing inside my chest. I would have loved to see what was going on, but was told to remain still.

The ordeal was over in what seemed like 15 to 20 minutes.

I was happy that was over and was taken back to my bed in ICU. There I learned from Dr. Szkopiec that he only cleared out one of the two blocked arteries and inserted a stint. The second blockage was much larger and deeper in my heart. He wanted to give my heart a little time to rest before going after the next challenge.

Probably the worst pain in this ordeal was from what seemed to feel and look like big plastic clothes pin that put 60 pounds of pressure on the point of entry into my right groin. This device had to remain there for at least eight hours. Even with dose of morphine my 0-10 was headed for an 11. After complaining to the nurse repeatedly, she slowly released a little pressure on the clamp every half hour, but the pain was still making itself known.

In my sleep induced by the help of pain-killers I tried to remove the clamp on my own. When they discovered I had moved it all hell broke loose. However, with a close inspection they were confident there was no bleeding and all was well. But, I was chastised for being a bad boy. They replaced the clamp with a 10 pound sand bag which was much more tolerable.

When morning came they delivered something to eat and I did my best to get down two or three bites. The hospital food wasn't all bad; I just didn't have any appetite. Between taking what seemed like 9 or 10 pills every six hours, blood draws at what seemed to be every three hours, chest x-rays twice a day, more blood draws and EKG's I was lucky to get two hours of sleep at one time. That being said, I could not be more impressed with the level of care and attention I received by the nurses and staff. But the cure was killing me.

Later that afternoon on day two, laying still with my heart still in a horse race, my world started to fade to orange as I realized that I was going to pass out. The last thing I remembered was reaching for the nurse call button. I found out later that I had indeed flat lined and stopped breathing. At that moment I was dead? All of a sudden I found myself surrounded in some state of light. "Oh shit! I'm in the light!" was my first thoughts. It felt very comfortable, free of pain or discomfort. I felt like I was looking around waiting to see if someone from my past was going to appear. However, I saw nothing, just light for what seemed like a minute and then slowly people standing around my bed came into focus. They seemed to be relieved that I opened my eyes and smiled. The first person I noticed was a nurse with two paddles in her hands that she had used to shock my heart back into action. Later my nurse said, "You scared the hell out of everyone!" Doctor Szkopiec was there and told me that he was going to try to shock my heart back into the correct rhythm. I had my eyes closed and was wondering what, "K-ZAP!" it would feel like.

Keep in mind that Beatriz along with Elizabeth had been there for two days. I told Beatriz to go home and get some rest, that I would be fine. I found out later that she had just returned home to Ensenada for about fifteen minutes when the doctor called her and told her she needed to come back because I had a setback and I may not make it through the night. She was a total wreck as she turned around and got back in the car and headed towards the USA not knowing if I was alive. To make matters worse, when she arrived they had moved me to another room, and when she walked in and I wasn't there she about passed out. After spending the night again, I finally talked her into going home and staying there until they discharged me. She looked like she had been pulled through a knot hole backwards.

The good doctor figured they needed to go back and clean out the larger blockage and install a balloon in my main artery to help my heart rest from the ordeal. "Oh yippee! I get to go back to the cooler for another first time experience!" This time, however, the ordeal wasn't as bad as the first trip. I felt the stick in the groin and then the next thing I heard was the doctor telling me how good I did following directions. "Okay, whatever you say Doc."

For the next two days I lay in my bed with what felt like a cricket in my chest. But it was painless. However, the barrage of pills, blood draws, x-rays, and EKG's kept me on my two-hour sleep pattern. My next biggest concern was the fact that I had not passed much gas let alone did the #2 for what seemed like a week. Probably the most uncomfortable part of this whole adventure was when you reach the point where you cannot put anymore into the pie hole unless something else makes room. After four days it got to the point that it would take everything I could not to toss my lunch when the nurse showed up with more damn pills to take. Without going in to details, by day five I think I experienced what a hibernating bear must go through after coming out of their cave in the spring. Or, another analogy could perhaps be a little of what birth pains must feel like. To make matters worse I had so many IV's in my right for so long they started to infuse into the muscles in my arm. My arms started to swell up and feel like a rock. When touched the pain did go from 0 to 12 instantly. A couple days later the left arm started to do the same thing.

Show Me the Love

During my stay in ICU the phone wouldn't stop ringing. After calls from my adopted family, my kids, brothers, and the amazing concern from my friends in Ensenada, the receptionist ask the nurse "Who the hell is this guy?" Even though I could not answer the phone in ICU the nurses always relayed the messages and that support was the best medicine. When the word got out to my old job the calls and visitors increased. Not only did friends come out of the woodwork, the nursing staff could not of been more attentive.

I only had one bad experience with one gum chewing blond who came to draw blood. It was apparent she did not want to be there? Normally the staff from the lab introduce themselves, let me know what they are going to do, check my arm band and try to make this process quick and as painless as they can. However sweet cheeks, walked jabbed me in the arm and walked without saying HI, Boo see-ya!

Moving Day, from ICU to a Regular Room "Yippee!

By now I had been in ICU for 7 days and was ready to be moved to a new room with new adventures to come. I was very excited to be leaving and they moved me to a new floor and into my new digs. But I was taken aback when they dropped me in the middle of what seemed like a Chaldean goat BBQ. On the other side of the room were about nine people. I think the whole family of my new roommate was in the house? By his side were the mother-in-law, wife, sister, kids, grand kids, and probably his barber. It took about two seconds to know I was not welcome as Mr. Wall-e (as I named him) went into a rampage that he was supposed to have a private room. This conflict went on between him, his family, and the attending nurse for at least 20 minutes if not more. During several minutes of this debate I tried to just lay there and not pay attention.

Finally, the nurse left telling him she would do what she could, but after she walked out the door the chatter continued to ratchet up. After about ten minutes of this continued debate his granddaughters started making a fuss fighting over the TV controller. I had had enough and I paged the nurse. When she arrived I told her that she either get me the F&^% out of there or she needed to clear the room. She agreed something needed to be done and left the room. She returned in what seemed like two minutes with security. She let them know that visitors are limed to two and cleared out the room. Now I really felt the love as they walked past my bed.

This ordeal continued between Wall-e and the nurse. Then Wall-e said the wrong thing, "If I cannot get my own room I want to go home now!" With that said the nurse in charge said, "Okay! Let me check with your doctor and I will see if we make that happen." Wall-e's big boca just got his ass tossed out of the bar!

Here I should like to add that I am not prejudice [sic]. I know that people of any race can be passionate when it comes to their family, and some are not necessarily open to strangers. I don't care where Wall-e was from, but it wasn't my choice to be his roommate. He was a demanding asshole no matter where he is from.

The next morning as Wall-e and his wife exited the room I wished him good luck and commented that he had a very beautiful family. That comment which was sincere seemed to ease the tension as they smiled and left.

Later, in came a new roommate. JR, a Mexican American who under protest was brought to the hospital by his family during the Super Bowl. He ended up having double bypass surgery. JR is a prison guard out at Donovan's and we hit the ground running. Because of him, the last few days at the hospital were enjoyable. Even the nurses coming into our room seemed to enjoy the banter between us?.

I was ready to go home by Friday the 11th, but the doctor wanted to keep me over the weekend just to be safe. Finally on Monday, Valentine's Day, I was released late in the afternoon and totally enjoyed a breath of fresh night air as we headed back home.

With this entire behind me,[sic] it was good to get back home. Looking back there was more positive that came out of this experience than bad. Sometimes it takes a drastic chain of events to find out just how much you are loved and respected.

I have been home for two weeks and I am back at the café or a few hours daily. Only this time I let my wonderful crew open and close while I now come and go like a rock star keeping in touch with my friends who are more than just customers.

Hopefully, you will drop by and say, and even better have something to eat I need the money.

Thank you for your support

Jerry and Beatriz Shelby"

MEXICAN HUMOR CAN BE WRY

RUST INHIBITOR TESTS

From Dennis, N6KI:

http://www.tc-11.com/Marine%20Electronics%20Test.pdf


Super Rust Inhibitor is http://www.tc-11.com/

featured as BEST in comparison tests in article

Statistics matter, but only to a point,

and only when they really matter

Consider, if you will, that the facts about what is happening along the Mexican border with the U.S. are not necessarily portrayed by FBI statistics.

Yet another Washington official provides us with a view which is determined by "statistics." This article from a newspaper in The United States illustrates how easily norteamericanos will construct their own colored reality when addressing almost any issue in Mexico. In this case, the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary uses an irrevalent statisical set of measurements to underpin a perception which is likely misleading, viz., the rate of reported crimes, apparently to gain an endorsement of her policies. The paradox is that Mexican politicians play exactly the same game.

The end result of Napolitano's spin is some deep guacamole which may be felt oozing over the top of your boots:

From: latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-immigration-20110201,0,906149.story

Janet Napolitano urges officials to stop exaggerating violence on U.S. side of border - The Homeland Security secretary tries to make her case with FBI crime statistics, but public perceptions are hard to change

By Brian Bennett, Washington Bureau
February 1, 2011
Reporting from Washington

Battling the widespread perception that U.S. border cities have become more dangerous, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Monday called on public officials to stop exaggerating the violence on the U.S. side of the border with Mexico and "be honest with the people we serve."

In a speech in El Paso, Napolitano cited FBI statistics showing that violent crime rates in Southwest border counties are down 30% over the last two decades and are "among the lowest in the nation."

Napolitano's effort to change the public perception of danger follows a heated campaign season last fall that saw candidates in border states frequently emphasizing the effects of illegal immigration on their communities.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, a Republican, was criticized during the campaign for saying that headless bodies were being found in the Arizona desert, a statement she retracted after local coroners could not confirm her claim.

A few mayors in the region recently have said that the portrayal of their towns as dangerous has hurt them economically.

"Let's stick with the facts," Napolitano said. "We need to be up front and clear about what's really happening along our borders."

Even as the drug war has escalated just south of the border, crime rates in Arizona border towns have remained essentially flat, said Napolitano, citing the addition of personnel and technology in the region.

She added that the number of illegal immigrants apprehended at the border — an indication of illegal cross-border traffic — has decreased 36% over the last two years.

But Matthew Benson, a spokesman for Brewer, said: "The issue is there are tens of thousands of people being murdered immediately across the border in Mexico by the cartels. And the concern is that the violence by the cartels will begin spilling across the border."

For Arizona cattle ranchers, the day-to-day reality of drug and people smugglers traversing their property is "far more impacting" than Napolitano's comments indicate, said Rep. Ben Quayle (R-Ariz.).

"Statistics and averages might mean something to government bureaucrats and analysts in Washington, but try telling the people who deal with these realities every day that the violence along the border has subsided," said Quayle, who won his congressional seat in the Republican surge in November.

Angela Kelley, an immigration policy expert at the Center for American Progress in Washington, argued that there was a "pretty big disconnect" between the public perception about safety along the border and what the statistics showed.

"When you have politicians stirring the pot and turning up the heat on people's emotions and fear levels, you don't have a constructive debate on what to do," she said.

But she added: "Facts matter, but only to a point … because it is what citizens believe that defines the debate and sets the agenda in Washington. We can't be tone deaf to what the public believes."

Since 2004, the Border Patrol has doubled in size to more than 20,700 agents. Napolitano added that the Department of Homeland Security had increased the number of intelligence analysts focused on cartel violence.

With the help of a $600-million infusion of cash approved by Congress in 2010, the department will add 1,000 Border Patrol agents this year, 250 officers at ports of entry and 250 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, Napolitano said.

The increase comes as 1,200 National Guard troops that President Obama deployed to the border last year plan to stand down by the end of the summer.

brian.bennett@latimes.com

Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times

This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs / Éste es su cerebro. Éste es su cerebro en las drogas.

“Any questions? / ¿Hay preguntas?”

This information was edited from a report by Ángela Torres, published at frontera.info - URL: http://www.frontera.info/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Policiaca/29012011/493735.aspx

A dismembered body was found in the vicinity of the Baja Malibu coastal tourist camp which is located in the Playas de Tijuana Delegation. The corpse had no legs or head, and the hands were mutilated.

At exactly 8:22 A.M., the grisly find was reported to the Radio Communications Center, which specified the location of a lifeless body, said the State Office of the Attorney General.

Upon arrival, officers immediately observed the body as it lay on a local road that leads to "Quinta del Cedro;" they also realized that (it) had no limbs or head.

The legs and arms were found near the body, but the head was not found. In addition, the body bore stab wounds to the upper thorax.

At the scene of crime, PGJE officials indicated that a machete and a knife were impounded. The body was taken to Medical Examiner by order of Attorney General, to perform an autopsy.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TIJUANA, Baja California(PH)

Un cuerpo desmembrado fue encontrado en las inmediaciones del fraccionamiento Baja Malibú, de la delegación Playas de Tijuana; el cadáver no tenía piernas ni cabeza, y las manos estaban mutiladas.

En punto de las 8:22 horas se reportó el macabro hallazgo a la Central de Radio, donde especificaban la localización de un cuerpo sin vida, informó la Procuraduría General de Justicia del Estado.

Al llegar los agentes visualizaron de manera inmediata el cuerpo, ya que estaba sobre la vía pública, en un camino vecinal que conduce a Urbi Quinta del Cedro, también se dieron cuenta que no tenía sus extremidades, incluyendo la cabeza.

Las piernas y brazos fueron localizados cerca del cuerpo, sin embargo la cabeza no fue encontrada; además el cuerpo presentaba heridas de arma punzocortante a la altura del tórax.

En la escena del crimen, la PGJE destacó que se embaló un machete y un cuchillo; el cuerpo fue trasladado al Servicio Médico Forense por orden del Ministerio Público, para que se le practique la necropsia de ley.

Publicada: 29/01/2011 17:36 Por: Ángela Torres

Neighborhood Watch commentary:

Communities in Punta Banda, including Ejido Cantú, have formed a Neighborhood Watch due to a rape that was committed recently, as well as a sudden influx of some who seem intent on creating trouble.  The following commentary was posted on the Punta Banda Newsletter on  Jan 22, 2011 (#18353): http://groups.yahoo.com/group/puntabandanewsletter/.  It is somewhat lengthy, but provides an indication of how well a Neighborhood Watch Program functions when people actively participate:   

"A few comments about the incident on the beach yesterday morning that resulted in the arrest of 2 yay-hoos who were going house to house down the beach trying to enter and do whatever they intended to do.


First, it was 9 a.m. in the morning...in the morning, broad daylight, people up and awake and drinking coffee and enjoying their lovely morning on the beach.


It was NOT the dark of night or 3 a.m. when they could sneak around like rats and not be seen. It was broad daylight.


Second, they were brazen and basically unafraid when they were yelled at them and when they were confronted. They just moved on down the beach and continued to do what they were doing at the next house when they were confronted prior to the police arriving.


Third, the neighborhood watch program DOES WORK. Calls went out up and down the spit and neighbors were alerted. One neighbor who was listening to the message being left on their answering machine about the two headed south looked outside and they were on the patio of their house.


Fourth, our community MUST be vigilant and pull together and watch out for each other, even if we are the type of people who came here to be alone or be left alone. We MUST watch out for each other and MUST be aggressive and resourceful and engaged in our surroundings and alert to who doesn't belong here. We are the best deterent and the message needs to go out to the community that we're all tired of this and we're all working together to keep criminal elements off our property and the property of our neighbors.


Know who your neighbors are even if they are a few houses away, have their numbers on speed dial and have 066 -- the 911 of Mexico -- on speed dial. Have a phone nearby, not upstairs or half a house away. USE the phone and make the calls. 066 was called instantly yesterday and the Policia were here in less than 10 minutes and the creeps are arrested.


Keep doors and windows locked, have dowels or boards on sliders and windows, have motion sensor lights front and back and sides, consider an alarm system (some are expensive and sophisticated -- others can be purchased on line or at Home Depot fairly inexpensively), consider security cameras -- again some are fairly inexpensive. Our dogs -- who were the subject of a ton of newsletter comments last week -- are excellent alarms and deterents. Let them use their keen senses and desire to protect us and their homes. Reward them and love them.  Look to the US and what is happening there. Cities there are NOT safe. As governments slash budgets, public safety is on the chopping block in a big way.  Police response times there are suffering and police are understaffed and not as engaged in the community. People need to look out for themselves and for others and know what to do and how to pull together.


These are desperate times and bad people are willing to do more desperate acts.


Yesterday Neighborhood Watch worked and yesterday we were lucky. It will work again and those that do these acts need to know it works.


Finally, the Policia from Maneadero did their jobs well and efficiently yesterday and they are to be thanked and praised. They responded quickly, took control of the incident, went after the bad guys with a vengeance, protected us and apprehended the 2 suspects. There were at least 5 police vehicles on the spit and they are conducting followup investigations. A simple thank you from us when we run into them at a lunch stand or see them sitting alongside the road, or we flag them down as they are driving past will go a long way folks toward making this the kind of place we all want it to be.


Stay safe, stay alert, stay engaged, be well."

Beaches in Tijuana and Rosarito are apparently still contaminated

According to an announcement by El Mexicano newspaper today, the beaches of Tijuana and Rosarito continue to be contaminated by a sewage spill. The Tijuana Fire Chief, Carlos Martínez Duarte, announced that beach patrols are being conducted to keep people from going into the ocean. He is unaware of the extent of the problem and is waiting to obtain a report from health authorities which is due Monday.

URL: http://m.el-mexicano.com.mx/noticias/estatal/2011/01/22/450645/inquieta-contaminacion-de-playas.aspx

Sistema para el Desarrollo Integral de la Familia" (DIF) of Rosarito



From: Rosarito Town Crier anne@rosaritotowncrier.com

Mon, January 17, 2011 12:00:14 AM News from Rosarito Town Crier

Playas de Rosarito, B.C. , January 15, 2011

Dear Friends:

Once again, I would like to extend a cordial and warm greeting on behalf of the collaborators of the "Sistema para el Desarrollo Integral de la Familia" (DIF) of Rosarito.

This is a picture of those of us who took the Oath of Office to help "DIF" on 12/10/10: http://tinyurl.com/6zw4ao2

As planned, we met last Wednesday, 1/12/11 at the Salón Rojo of the Rosarito Beach Hotel. We had an excellent second planning meeting, and more programs and projects of DIF Rosarito were discussed at length.
Our Mayor, Mr. Javier Robles Aguirre, joined us at the end to say hello and take a picture with us. You will find this picture at: http://tinyurl.com/5wmkmn4 .

We had a very enthusiastic group of people who are excited about helping the less fortunate in our city. We had more people come to this second meeting and join our ranks. We welcome them wholeheartedly! Please invite your English-speaking friends to come join us for our next meeting, we need them! We will let you know a few days in advance when the meeting will be.

We want to report and thank you for your enormous help in allowing us to feed 300 families for Christmas; give out almost 4,500 toys (photos here: http://tinyurl.com/4j89pzd);gifted the first babies of 2011 with Layettes (pictures here: http://tinyurl.com/4pnmozc ); gave out groceries on 12/31/10 (pictures here: http://tinyurl.com/4v7ul3x ); gave out blankets at the Battered Women's Shelter on 1/12/11 (pictures here: http://tinyurl.com/45hfeoh ); and much more.

You can find a report in Spanish, and pictures, of all our activities in our Facebook page: "DIF Rosarito". Here is a shortcut: http://tinyurl.com/4nwveh7

And you can see all the pictures of what we've been doing at: http://tinyurl.com/4almdrv .
Several needs were identified for the month of January and we'd like to extend a cordial invitation to you to please help us out so we may, in turn, help our families in need.
First, I would like to reiterate that we are still looking for cash donations as well as some specific items to help those who have a great need.

1) SCHOOL BREAKFASTS
We feed 25,000 cold breakfasts and 25,000 hot breakfasts to school children in Rosarito. The cost of each cold breakfast is .20¢ US per child.
The cost of each hot breakfast is .25¢ US per child.
These are the costs for us. We have approximately 25 school breakfast rooms throughout the city and in very needy neighborhoods. We believe that breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day to sustain good health, as much as physically as mental, for the boys and girls of Rosarito.
All of these breakfasts are approved by nutritionists who have identified the amounts of protein, minerals and carbohydrates that are needed daily.
The children's Moms volunteer in preparing and serving these breakfasts in a schoolroom that has been turned into a kitchen. The groceries have to be bought for them to prepare them; but unfortunately sometimes a child doesn't have enough money to pay the .20¢ US to pay for the breakfast and that's why we come to you, our valued volunteers, to help us find patrons so these children may have a daily breakfast.
Please remember that with only $10 Pesos, which equal about $1.00US Dollar, you can help a child eat breakfast for a 5 day week.
Sometimes this is the only meal that child may have during the day.
This is why, our DIF friends, we are soliciting your support; and knowing the altruistic spirit that characterizes you, we have no doubt that your response will be positive for we know that you will agree with us that to be able to draw a smile on the face of a healthy and strong child is priceless.

2) GROCERIES
The groceries for senior citizens cost $2.50US
The groceries for unwed mothers and destitute families is $2.25US

3) DAY CARE ITEMS
We have 3 Day Care Services for children of all ages. We need to paint them because they're not in very good condition. We need donations of: tall, portable dry-erase white boards (or on an easel - if you find it in Amazon.com, we can get it shipped for free), coffee pot, cribs, crib mattresses, bedding, bassinettes, child carriers, children's chairs, high chairs, etc. Everything for a nursery, new or used.

4) BLANKETS
In this cold season we need to help the very poor people who don't have a way to keep warm; it is expected that because of the weather phenomenon "La Niña" we will have extreme cold conditions from January thru March.
We get the blankets at a very special, reduced price of $100 Pesos or $9 US Dollars each. We are asking for your monetary contribution. Or you may donate blankets as well.

DIF is self-supporting so we are in extreme need of your donations. We help out the people who need it the most in our city; mainly the children, the single mothers, and the senior citizens, without religious or political party prejudice. We have carefully identified all of those who are truly in the worst economic conditions.
We are able to give you a receipt for a tax deduction for México income tax. We will be investigating the possibility of setting up a US tax deduction as well in the near future.
We accept donations in cash in Pesos or in Dollars. If you write us a check, at this time we are only set up to accept it in Pesos and please make it out to: "Sistema DIF Municipal." We are also looking into the possibility of accepting checks in dollars and from US Banks soon.

If you have a group of friends who speak English, please forward the email with this attachment to all. We really need your help with dissemination so we may achieve our goals of helping out our indigent population.
Thanking you in advance for your altruistic spirit; I remain at your service.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Karla López de Robles
First Lady of Rosarito
President, DIF Municipal
H. V Ayuntamiento of Playas de Rosarito, A.C.
dif@rosarito.gob.mx
Look us up in Facebook under "DIF ROSARITO" and become our "friend"! Our webpage is coming soon!

Radio receiver wanted

John O'Brien is looking for a radio receiver, new or used.

You can contact him at: obrienjoba at yahoo dot com

Notice for all radio operators & SWLs: Monitor 437.270 MHz

The URL for this notice is: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/news/releases/2011/11-009.html

Please pass the word on this to people you know who have the monitoring capability for this frequency; I suggest maintaining a station log with a notation of your QTH.

From: Kim Newton

256-544-0034

Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.

Kimberly.D.Newton@nasa.gov

01.19.11

RELEASE : 11-009 NanoSail-D Ejects: NASA Seeks Amateur Radio Operators' Aid to Listen for Beacon Signal

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 11:30 a.m. EST, engineers at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., confirmed that the NanoSail-D nanosatellite ejected from Fast Affordable Scientific and Technology Satellite, FASTSAT. The ejection event occurred spontaneously and was identified this morning when engineers at the center analyzed onboard FASTSAT telemetry. The ejection of NanoSail-D also has been confirmed by ground-based satellite tracking assets.

Amateur ham operators are asked to listen for the signal to verify NanoSail-D is operating. This information should be sent to the NanoSail-D dashboard at: http://nanosaild.engr.scu.edu/dashboard.htm. The NanoSail-D beacon signal can be found at 437.270 MHz.

The NanoSail-D science team is hopeful the nanosatellite is healthy and can complete its solar sail mission. After ejection, a timer within NanoSail-D begins a three-day countdown as the satellite orbits the Earth. Once the timer reaches zero, four booms will quickly deploy and the NanoSail-D sail will start to unfold to a 100-square-foot polymer sail. Within five seconds the sail fully unfurls.

"This is great news for our team. We’re anxious to hear the beacon which tells us that NanoSail-D is healthy and operating as planned," said Dean Alhorn, NanoSail-D principal investigator and aerospace engineer at the Marshall Center. "The science team is hopeful to see that NanoSail-D is operational and will be able to unfurl its solar sail."

On Dec. 6,, 2010, NASA triggered the planned ejection of NanoSail-D from FASTSAT. At that time, the team confirmed that the door successfully opened and data indicated a successful ejection. Upon further analysis, no evidence of NanoSail-D was identified in low-Earth orbit, leading the team to believe NanoSail-D remained inside FASTSAT.

The FASTSAT mission has continued to operate as planned with the five other scientific experiments operating nominally.

"We knew that the door opened and it was possible that NanoSail-D could eject on its own," said Mark Boudreaux, FASTSAT project manager at the Marshall Center. "What a pleasant surprise this morning when our flight operations team confirmed that NanoSail-D is now a free flyer."

If the deployment is successful, NanoSail-D will stay in low-Earth orbit between 70 and 120 days, depending on atmospheric conditions. NanoSail-D is designed to demonstrate deployment of a compact solar sail boom system that could lead to further development of this alternative solar sail propulsion technology and FASTSAT’s ability to eject a nano-satellite from a micro-satellite -- while avoiding re-contact with the FASTSAT satellite bus.

Follow the NanoSail-D mission operation on Twitter at:

http://twitter.com/nanosaild

For additional information on the timeline of the NanoSail-D deployment visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/501204main_NSD2_timeline_sequence.pdf

To learn more about FASTSAT and the NanoSail-D missions visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats

- end -

GMAIL & INTERNET EXPLORER ISSUES - RELATED CORRESPONDENCE - Hopefully this will shed some light on a couple of issues related to email applications and  internet browsers:

From: Lyle Davis:

Several folks on my email list(s) have written or called to tell me photo images are not coming through on my emails; others say things are working just fine.

That is problem #1.

Problem #2 is, several others are saying that my BCC (blind carbon copies) are showing email addresses of those to whom I am emailing. (The whole purpose of using BCC is to conceal addresses of those you mail to, so as to thwart hackers).

I passed along the problem to Troy Larson, my Art Director. It appears the solution to Problem #1 is on your browser settings, particularly if you are using Internet Explorer, and/or the need for me to embed pictures rather than forward what I received. Problem #2, we are still working on. Here's what Troy had to say:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Troy Larson: troyartssp at gmail dot com
Date: Sun, Jan 16, 2011 at 2:31 PM

Subject: Re: gmail problems

To: lyle davis lyledavis4 at gmail dot com

Here is what I found out on the images question:

If you read some of the many other threads on this topic, you'll see that there are at least two issues involved.

1. Users of Internet Explorer need to have the viewing of Mixed Content - i.e. secure and non-secure items on one page - specifically enabled in order to see embedded images in GMail messages.

2. The forwarding of messages containing embedded images is currently not working properly in GMail.

So if you receive messages from friends with embedded pictures that they have FORWARDED to you using GMail, you may not be able to see the images. If you FORWARD such messages to friends using GMail, they may not be able to see the images.

However, if you send a NEW message to friends containing embedded images, they should be able to see them easily if they use Firefox or Chrome or Opera - but may have to change their internet settings to see them if they use Internet Explorer.

GMail are [sic] aware of the forwarding issue and are working to correct it.

As far as the other issue goes, there does not seem to be a clear answer on that one. You might want to call gmail on that one. I am just not finding it.

Now as for the cover, just let me know when you have something. Send me a pdf of the front page and I will work from there.

Later,

Troy

Rosarito Alcalde Javier Robles Aguirre and Staff Officers of V Ayuntamiento to host meeting with Rosarito expatriate community on January 17, 2011 - Representatives from the State of Baja California to attend

TIME: 11:00 A.M.

PLACE: ROSARITO BEACH HOTEL

Recent photo - Robles listens to residents of Primo Tapio

Your submitted issues have been duly noted and will be addressed at the meeting.

PLEASE NOTE: Department Heads will be conducting workshops immediately after the meeting for those who wish to stay.

ROSARITO SPANISH STUDY GROUP NOTICE

NOTICIA PARA EL GRUPO DE ESTUDIO ESPAÑOL DE ROSARITO

ROSARITO SPANISH STUDY GROUP - TODAY'S WORD(S)

LELO (Mex.) - SILLY, "GOOFY," DISPLAYING A PHYSICALLY UNSTEADY OR IMPEDED MANNER. 

Le or Les cannot be combined with Lo, La, Los, or Las; Le and Les change to Se when used together with these direct object pronouns..

Example: Roberto le mandó las flores a ella.   Roberto se las mandó.

Roberto sent (to her) the flowers (to her).   Roberto sent to her them (the flowers).

Note: When using the inflected form of a verb, the indirect object pronoun precedes the direct object pronoun, which in turn, preceeds the inflected verb.

The command form is an exception, i.e., Damelo, or Ven damelo (the indirect object and direct object pronouns follow the command form).

Give me it. (or Give it to me) or Come here and give it to me (familiar).  The latter phrase may denote a brusque and demanding manner. 

Lalo* decided to give it to him.  Lalo decidía a darselo.

*Lalo is a name of Latin origin, and the meaning of Lalo is "to sing a lullaby."

There is an "IT" in Spanish.

~~~One-time Schedule Change~~~

A mayor's meeting with the expatriate community is scheduled for Monday, January 17, 2011, at 11:00 A.M. at the Rosarito Beach Hotel; a State Governor's representative will also attend.  The meeting will conflict with our class.  Therefore, the class will be rescheduled to be held on Friday.

Next opera is:
From: kanti Jocelyn - kantijocelyn at gmail dot com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"La Fanciulla del West" by Puccini.
Mark your calendars: It is on Wednesday 26th January at 6.30pm.
Kanti

Rape in Punta Banda

From: vincebaja@gmail.com

A few notes about the reward for information leading to the arrest and
conviction of the two perpetrators of the crime against the young girl
on December 30th:

1. The car used by the attackers was described as follows:
"The car apparently was a two-door Blazer or Bronco type vehicle,
dark-colored, with brownish windows; it was old and faded-looking, and
had no back seats."

2. We are not collecting any money at this point. When the
criminals are brought to justice, we will contact each and every donor
to honor his/her pledge. Currency, US checks, and PayPal will be the
options you have to make payment.

3. We will not take it upon ourselves to determine to whom and at
what point the reward will be paid. We are only amateurs organizing the
effort; we are in contact with a trusted Mexican-licensed private
investigator who will be asked to navigate through the "system"
on our behalf, pro bono.

4. We are open to your suggestions/ ideas about how to see that
justice is done and, equally importantly, how this and other types of
crime can be reduced or prevented in the future in Punta Banda.

The response to this situation by the community has been nothing short
of incredible.

Don Carlos Opera
It is time for Don Carlos on Wednesday Jan 5th at 6.30pm.  The Opera usually lasts about 4 hours, so we usually get back around 11pm.  I am going and have 2-3 seats for people who are interested in going with me.  Let me know if you are interested. You will need to bring your SENTRI passes and your passport.

The ticket at the Chula Vista AMC theatre is $18 and bring something extra for some food. I leave about 3.30pm to allow time to get through the border and then to get something to eat.

If anyone else wants to drive as well and wants to volunteer space in their car, maybe I can coordinate that.

Kanti:  kantijocelyn at gmail dot com
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A JOKE THAT TURNED INTO A SPANISH LESSON

An email joke was re-sent with additional commentary, since it was ripe with a certain linguistic humor, which in turn sparked a discussion that related to lessons that we are covering in the Rosarito Study Group:

The Joke:

A SPANISH Teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine.

'House' for instance, is feminine: 'la casa.'

'Pencil,' however, is masculine: 'el lapiz.'

A student asked, 'What gender is 'computer'?'

Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether computer' should be a masculine or a feminine noun. Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation.

The men's group decided that 'computer' should definitely be of the feminine gender (la computadora) because:

1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic;

2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else;

3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and

4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.

(THIS GETS BETTER!)

The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be Masculine ('el computador'), because:

1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on;

2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves;

3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem; and

4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.

The women won.