California Now - Some news and information from the U.S./Baja California border region

2011-09-03T21:07:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-10T01:05:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-05-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

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."

2011-05-11T00:49:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-05T20:06:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-03-17T00:46:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-16T23:35:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-16T16:02:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-03-16T15:54:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-04T01:46:00.000-08:00

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"

2011-02-07T23:05:00.000-08:00

MEXICAN HUMOR CAN BE WRY

2011-02-03T02:39:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-01T14:37:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-30T22:50:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-24T15:51:00.000-08:00

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."

2011-01-22T20:36:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-22T01:57:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-01-21T13:37:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-20T19:22:00.000-08:00

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 -

2011-01-16T19:37:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-15T01:56:00.000-08:00

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.

2011-01-12T16:39:00.000-08:00

ROSARITO SPANISH STUDY GROUP NOTICE

NOTICIA PARA EL GRUPO DE ESTUDIO ESPAÑOL DE ROSARITO

¡SALUDOS COMPAÑEROS!

Due to the meeting called by the Mayor on Monday, January 17th, our Spanish classes will be rescheduled to Friday, January 21st at 12:00 Noon and 1:30 P.M. for this one time only.

Classes will resume at the regular day and times, Monday, January 24th at Las Mañanitas.

This change is a “one-time” event. A notice will be promulgated in the event of any future changes.

-----ooOOoo-----

Debido a la reunión fijada por el Presidente Municipal el lunes, 17 de enero, nuestras clases españolas serán reprogramadas al viernes, 21 de enero en 12:00 Mediodía y 1:30 de la tarde en este momento único.

El lunes 24 de enero del 2011 nosotros regresaramos al horario normal de nuestra línea de estudios en Las Mañanitas.

Este cambio sucederá una vez solamente. Un aviso de cualquier cambios futuros será promulgada.

¡Hasta el 21!

2011-01-11T06:20:00.000-08:00

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.

2011-01-08T23:15:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-04T22:17:00.000-08:00

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.

2011-01-02T12:23:00.000-08:00

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
-------------------------------------------------

2011-01-02T00:28:00.000-08:00

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.

At this point, it is noted that, in reality, the Spanish word for computer is feminine (la computadora).

The reason Spanish has masculine and feminine words is very interesting and relates to the culture of the original Spanish speakers and how they described their universe linguistically.

As I understand it, that culture in its primitive state had a pronounced division between males and females. As a result, things that women did or used were considered feminine, and stuff that was oriented towards men's activities or objects they used was usually assigned a male declination.

For example, objects that related to the home, family, or were nurturing and protective were considered feminine: house - la Casa, bed - la cama, rain - la lluvia, cow - la baca, etc.

Stuff that guys did or was associated with them was masculine:

the trip - el viaje, the garden - el jardín, wine - el vino, the horse (male or female) - el caballo, etc.

However, the gender of Spanish nouns is unpredictable. For example, the word for a woman's dress is el vestido, and has the masculine gender. A man's tie has a feminine gender, la corbata. A person's hand is la mano, and is feminine.

To answer the question of why the Spanish word for computer is feminine? My guess is that computers can sometimes be very confusing and what you see is not always what you get. From this we have obtained the English acronym, PC (Personal Confuser).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
My Tocayo, Pat Osio, then got the ball rolling to another facet of Spanish language study:

"Does it play on your explanation that there doesn't seem to be 'neutral' words in Spanish --- everything has either its own noun word = el perro, la perra, el caballo, la yegua, etc... so there is no 'it.'"

That requires an exact definition of "it" perhaps.

A Spanish direct object pronoun "lo" or "la" translates the English "it."

Sign it: fírmalo/fírmala

Often the English "it" is simply not directly translated into Spanish, or as you say, "so there is no 'it.'" Context is everything, such as introducing a person or event.

It's me: Soy yo.

You're it! (children's games): ¡Tú (la) paras!

Spanish impersonal verb declinations do not have the literal "it" that appears in English because a Spanish speaker does not consider "it."

I often wonder what goes on in the Latin mind ...

It is hot: Hace calor. (literally - It [the weather] makes heat.)

But you can give (to) it with an indirect pronoun.

I gave it another coat of paint: Le di otra mano de pintura.

Stephen King's novel "It", was translated into Spanish as "Ello" or "Eso", depending the Spanish-speaking country. However, most books had the title "It (Ello)", with "Ello" in brackets.

"It" is not defined in the same manner in Spanish as in English. The English neuter concept is not as inclusive for Spanish speakers and therefore a literal third person conjugation does not consider a specific personal pronoun for the concept of "it." After all, Spanish is a language that assigned a gender to the word for "bicycle" (bicicleta - feminine). HUH? I never could figure that one ...

But I guess if you are required to assign a gender to an object that requires a learning curve to ride, it might as well be feminine.

For the most part, "it" simply does not exist in Spanish. With a couple of exceptions, the language does not recognize a neuter gender (see la Profesora's comments below *).

In a certain sense, Latin was easier. You had declined pronouns (masculine, feminine, & neuter - singular & plural). Latin was intricately structured (requiring the student to engage in intensive memorization in order to pass the next quiz). However it had an inherent logic and connection with English which included the concept of "it."

For example:

hic - he, hec - she, hoc - it (Nominative case singular pronouns) agree with the noun to which they relate.
The other cases: Accusative, Genitive, etc., have unique declinations also.

One might say Spanish is not as precise as English. It has an indirect manner of construction or expression which relies heavily on context. I am always trying to fill in the blanks.

Carmen then commented: "I also am trying to fill in the blanks....and NOT JUST IN SPANISH! Lots of luck!"

* Take note of la Profesora's observation:

"When we start again with class this is a good theme to talk about. There is an it but only for it what we know about or think about. It for YOU KNOW IT, a masculine think of which you are speaking or thinking.

Hasta pronto, Susana"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"After reading your explanation, I realized how lucky I was to have learned Spanish at a very early age forgoing all the 'mix me up till my brain can't take it any more' lessons.

Happy New Years to you and Anne also tocayo.

Pat"

I get carried away sometimes ...

The Rosarito Spanish Study Group meets every Monday at Noon, at las Mañanitas on Blvd. Benito Juárez.

2010-12-30T17:49:00.000-08:00

ROSARITO SPANISH STUDY GROUP - Today's word

el ñoño - a "mamby-pamby" or "mama's boy." Can be used as "nerd" in Mexico. Another expression for the same thing is "teto" (although this can also border on a meaning of just "silly" or "daft").

A Mexican comic caracter

In Panama, el ñoño can be used for someone who cries often.

2010-12-17T21:29:00.000-08:00

HAM radio licensing exams in San Diego

From: Howard, KY6LA:

In case you know anyone who wants to get their Technician or General License, the San Diego Yacht Club is holding their annual Christmas Holiday Courses on December 28th and 29th.

Signup and details are to be found at: http://www.sdyc.org/arg/

Classes and Exams are open to everyone but seats are limited to 25 so sign up early.

We are holding an Open ARRL Exam Session at 3PM Dec 29th so even if you do not need the classes you can upgrade General or Extra.

Last year most candidates got both the Tech and General at the same session so the course works very well.

If you want to sit the exams only contact me at ky6la@ky6la.com

(for info on disaster defense operations, his website is: http://www.ky6la.com/)

2010-12-08T23:05:00.000-08:00

ROSARITO SPANISH STUDY GROUP (Tuesday & Thursday sessions)

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Beginner's classes will be conducted at the Club Marena old club house. The classes are designed for those who have little or no experience with the Spanish language.

Sessions begin on Tuesday, the 11th of January, from 2:30 P.M. to 3:30 P.M.

Club Marena is at Km 38.5, on the Tijuana-Ensenada "free road."

Directions heading south from Rosarito (paralleling the toll road):

After you pass Las Rocas Hotel, you will see a 5-story tall statue of Jesus on the east side of the toll road (can’t miss it). Once you pass Jesus, look for a series of tall white buildings on the coastal side of the free road; that is Club Marena.

When you turn off the highway into the complex, the guard caseta will be directly in front of you. Ask the guard to direct you to the old club house.

Bring a Spanish dictionary or an English-Spanish dictionary, 3X5 index cards, and note-keeping materials.

Another Beginning group is currently in progress on Mondays in Rosarito, at the Las Mañanitas restaurant in Rosarito. The classes are held from 1:30 P.M. to 2:30 P.M.

The Intermediate group meets every Monday at 12 Noon at Las Mañanitas.

2010-12-07T20:28:00.000-08:00

Rosarito Spanish Study Group (Monday sessions)

There will be no formal class sessions until January 10th, 2011.

However, the Study Group will be available to those who desire to participate in self-directed study sessions on the regularly scheduled Mondays during December and January. Please go to the meeting room at Las Mañanitas if your schedule permits and interact with other members of the group:

Intermediate group - 12 Noon until 1 P.M.
Beginner group - 1:30 P.M. until 2:30 P.M.

2010-11-27T16:39:00.000-08:00

Conrad and Eunice fell in love, married, and moved to San Antonio del Mar

They are great neighbors and have nice children. They enjoy taking their puppy for walks on the beach.

Their story is here:
Siobhan Braun "How a Trip to Tijuana Changed My Heart." San Diego Reader 23 November 2010.

26 November. http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2010/nov/23/cover-trip-tijuana/

2010-11-17T21:22:00.000-08:00

Two-bedroom home on the northwest Baja California Pacific coast

Beautiful ocean views of las Islas Coronados from two seaside terraces. It is one of the reasons we live here.

1 ½ baths, fully furnished, washer and dryer

Easy beach access
$750/month with minimum six month lease

Located in the coastal colonia of San Antonio del Mar, Carretera Escénica Tijuana/Ensenada HWY 1D, kilometer 19.5, just north of the Real del Mar bridge.*

This home is located 30/40 minutes from the Tijuana / San Ysidro International border crossing and a few minutes away from Playas de Rosarito, to the south.

Contact Gerry:
US: 619 415 3143
Mexico: 110.52.664.631.2206

*The Real Del Mar Championship Golf Course is just across the highway from San Antonio

2010-11-13T20:11:00.000-08:00

From Arlene:

I went across the border today (SENTRI lane) and asked the fella at the gate - I heard you cannot take aluminum cans, plastic bottles across, etc.

He said that is right.

I said why? Because the stores take a DEPOSIT and I want my money back.

He said it is a BUSINESS.

I said, oh, come on - that is STEALING. You are taking money as a DEPOSIT and I am only getting the DEPOSIT BACK. I am NOT gaining money - I am WASTING gas getting this stuff to you so it doesn't end up in the DUMPS. So I am out money! Now, I said, WHAT IS THE REAL REASON THIS IS HAPPENING!!!!!!!! What you are telling me doesn't make sense???

He said this has been on the CUSTOMS' books for a very long time that you cannot take cans/plastics across the border - they have been very lenient - until NOW!!

I wasn't going to let him get away with it - I said, WHY?

He said, well, they found drugs in the center of these large bags crossing the border so CUSTOMS is stopping it COMPLETELY - Oh, I said, since I worked with a criminal law attorney for over 10 years, I knew you were telling me something fishy.

So it is the DRUG BUSINESS that is stopping the crossing of the aluminun cans, etc.????? Pretty well, he said, that was right.

He said you can go to CUSTOMS in Otay Mesa and get the cans/plastics through that way. I said, Oh, geez, that means paperwork - and a cost involved??? Not worth it to me to cross with a bag every 8 to 9 months.

I would suggest anyone wanting to take cans/plastics across to check further with CUSTOMS and the SENTRI office to make sure you don't lose your SENTRI pass! I am sure if there are large amounts an organization is collecting to make some money, you can probably still do so if you go through CUSTOMS. But check first as to exactly what you have to do!!

BTW the Rosarito Theater Guild is no longer collecting cans and bottles

Twitter:

2010-11-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

A quote from the 20th President of the United States, James Garfield,

as he delivered his centennial speech to Congress in 1876.

"Now, more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave, and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to represent them in the national legislature. If the next centennial does not find us a great nation it will be because those who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces."

Posted with thanks to Lyle Davis.

2010-10-31T07:19:00.000-07:00

Daylight Saving time In Baja California - 2010

Today, the last Sunday in October, daylight saving time fell back to Standard Time at 2:00 A.M. local time in Baja California and the rest of Mexico.

The Congress of Mexico passed legislation in December 2009 which allowed ten border municipios to adopt a daylight saving time pattern consistent with the United States. The municipalities which are now permitted by law to observe daylight saving time consistent with the United States are:

Municipality, State, neighboring U.S. city

Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila (Del Rio, Texas)

Anáhuac, Nuevo León (Laredo, Texas)

Juarez, Chihuahua (El Paso, Texas)

Matamoros, Tamaulipas (Brownsville, Texas)

Mexicali, Baja California (Calexico, California)

Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas (Laredo, Texas)

Ojinaga, Chihuahua (Presido, Texas)

Piedras Negras, Coahuila (Eagle Pass, Texas)

Reynosa, Tamaulipas (McAllen, Texas)

Tijuana, Baja California (San Ysidro, California)

The observation of daylight saving time for these ten municipalities began at 2:00 a.m. local time on the second Sunday in March, 2010. On the first Sunday in November, 2010, these areas will return to Standard Time at 2:00 a.m. local time.

Neither the American State of Arizona nor the Mexican state of Sonora observe Daylight Saving Time.

2010-10-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

Personal and family counseling

We at Mission Logistics International offer personal and family counseling at no charge as a part of our Missionary activities here in the State of Baja California. We are located in Playas de Rosarito. We can be reached at: (619) 274-8490 (this is a San Diego, California, telephone number) or at E-Mail address: chi_rhoskid@hotmail.com.

2010-10-28T19:27:00.000-07:00

BUSINESS CONSULTING

My name is David Wignall. I have over forty years of successful business experience. I started working when I was just seven years old, and owned my first business when I was nine years old. And I have been working ever since. My areas of expertise are in: general business; the food services industry; the transportation industry (with specialization in trucking, warehouse development and operations, and truck stop/travel plaza development and operations); and publishing (to include the production of advertising for the print media, radio, television, and billboards).

I have spent over two decades doing consulting in the above stated areas (to include the areas of finance recognition and development, demographics, and interfacing with government at every level; including internationally).

If you are looking to start up a business; or enhance/expand an existing one, please contact me at: (619)-274-8490, or E-Mail me at: chi_rhoskid@hotmail.com. Come on, let's talk! The coffee is on!!

2010-10-10T21:03:00.000-07:00

Keiko the orca

Those of you who know me may have already guessed I am not always a patient man. Moreover, I have an attitude about movies and plays. They are like people. Most of the ones you encounter are full of bullsh*t, and there is too much background music. A few are very enjoyable. Keiko the Untold Story was more than enjoyable, it was intense. Watching it was an experience.

I was not involved in any part of it during the four years it was being produced, and was only aware of the content in a general way. My brief encounters with the movie staff were perplexing to me because my familiarity with the subject matter was superficial, and I did not understand why this group of intelligent and accomplished people were so adamant that the movie be produced.

After I viewed the screening last Friday, the entire production procedure made sense (some things take time for me to process).

The movie is due for release in June and I highly recommend you see it with a couple of friends or family; do not go alone, and be ready to hang on for a hard ride.

Saludos,

Pat

Keiko the Untold Story, produced by Theresa Demarest, sceened on:

Friday, October 15 at 12 P.M., at the Sixth Annual LA Femme Film Festival -- Located at 1125 N McCadden Pl., Los Angeles, CA 90038-1212 – just off Santa Monica Blvd.

Phone: (323) 860-7302

The the Sixth Annual LA Femme Film Festival ran October 14- 17, 2010. Keiko the Untold Story screened at the Davidson Valentini Theater, The Village at Ed Gould Plaza in Hollywood, on Friday, October 15, at 12 P.M.

Four years in the making, this compelling documentary presents never before seen footage of Keiko, the Free Willy star, the first and only captive Orca to released back into the wild. I believe you will find this movie very unique, worthwhile and superbly produced.

For more information see URL: http://www.keikotheuntoldstory.com/

Or Twitter: http://twitter.com/KeikoDoc
_________________________________________________

Review of Keiko: The Untold Story at Denver Film Festival, October, 2010
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keiko the Untold Story USA, 2010, 74 Minute Running Time
Genre/Subjects: Animals, Art/Filmmaking, Documentary, Family Friendly
Program: Documentary Films
Language: English
DIRECTOR: Theresa Demarest
Producer: Theresa Demarest
Editor: Theresa Demarest
Screenwriter: Theresa Demarest
Cinematographer: Julie Murray

Principal Cast: Colin Baird, Mark Berman, Naomi Rose, Paul Spong, Thorbjorg Valdis

Though the orca whale known as Keiko starred in the 1993 movie Free Willy, he lived most of his life in captivity. It was only with the launch of a campaign based on drawings by schoolchildren that enough money was raised to rehabilitate him and return him to the wild. Those who trained and cared for Keiko, the second-longest-lived orca in captivity, believe it was his indomitable spirit that kept him alive so long.

The story of his life is told by director/producer/writer/editor Theresa Demarest through footage from an array of conservation and environmental organizations, including that of Jean-Michel Cousteau. Keiko the Untold Story was made in large part to counteract the widespread perception that the rehabilitation and release efforts were a failure and that Keiko died soon after his release into the waters off his native Iceland. In fact, the orca, carefully trained for two years, spent the transition traveling with pods of wild killer whales; undertaking a solo journey from Iceland to Norway; and living in a seawater fjord, attended by his trainers, for 18 months before his abrupt death from disease in late 2003 at the age of 27.

But new Keikos are born every day: the heartrending capture of another baby orca, caught on camera, is narrated by marine mammal scientists who go into depth about the structure of orca society and the suffering a young whale endures when confined to the concrete tanks of aquarium facilities. No less poignant are the scenes of young children expressing their shock, with indignant and quavering voices, that the lives of many Willies have no Hollywood ending.

—Val Moses

In cooperation with Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

2010-09-24T17:58:00.001-07:00

Trafficking

One Sunday, sitting on the side of the highway waiting to catch speeding drivers, a State Police Officer sees a car puttering along at 22 MPH.

He thinks to himself, "This driver is just as dangerous as a speeder!" So he turns on his lights and pulls the driver over.

Approaching the car, he notices that there are five old ladies - two in the front seat and three in the back - wide eyed and white as ghosts. The driver, obviously confused, says to him, "Officer, I don't understand, I was doing exactly the speed limit! I always go exactly the speed limit. What seems to be the problem?"

"Ma'am," the officer replies, "you weren't speeding, but you should know that driving slower than the speed limit can also be a danger to other drivers."

"Slower than the speed limit? No sir, I was doing the speed limit exactly! Twenty-two miles an hour!" the old woman says a bit proudly.

The State Police officer, trying to contain a chuckle explains to her that "22" was the route number, not the speed limit.

A bit embarrassed, the woman grinned and thanked the officer for pointing out her error.

"But before I let you go, Ma'am, I have to ask . . . Is everyone in this car OK? These women seem awfully shaken and they haven't muttered a single peep this whole time," the officer asks with concern.

"Oh, they'll be all right in a minute officer. We just got off Route 119."

•••••

While creating Husbands, God promised Women that good and ideal Husbands would be found in all corners of the world.
And then he made the earth round.
Golf and Whisky...

An 80-year-old Scotsman went to the doctor for a check-up.

The doctor was amazed at what good shape the old fellow was in and asked: 'How do you stay in such great physical condition?'

'I am Scottish and I am a golfer,' said the old fellow: 'and that is why I am in such good shape. I am up well before daylight and out golfing up and down the fairways. I have a wee glass of whisky, and that's it.'

'Well,' said the doctor, 'I am sure that helps, but there has to be more to it. How old was your Dad when he died?'

'Who said my Dad died?'

The doctor was amazed. 'You mean you are 80 years old and your Dad is still alive. How old is he?'

'He is 100 years old,' said the old Scottish golfer. 'In fact he golfed wi' me this mornin', and then we went to the topless beach for a walk and had anither wee dram and that is why he is still alive. He is a Scot and he is a golfer, tae.'

'Well,' the doctor said, 'that is great, but I am sure there is more to it than that. How about your Dad's Dad? How old was he when he died?'

'Who said my Grandad is dead?'

Stunned, the doctor asked, 'You mean you are 80 years old and your grandfather is still living! Incredible, how old is he?'

'He is 118 years old,' said the old Scottish golfer.

The doctor was getting frustrated at this point: 'So, I guess he went golfing with you this morning too?'

'No. Grandad couldnae go this mornin' because he is getting married today.'

At this point the doctor was close to losing it. 'Getting married! Why would a 118 year-old Scotsman want to get married?'

'Who said he wanted to?'
South Dakota

A group of South Dakota friends went deer hunting and paired off in twos for the day. That night, one of the hunters, Curt, returned alone, staggering under the weight of an five by five buck.

"Where's Bob?" the others asked.

"Bob had a stroke of some kind. He's a couple of miles back up the trail," the successful hunter replied.
"You left Bob laying out there and carried the deer back?" they inquired.

"A tough call," nodded the hunter. "But I figured no one is going to steal Bob!"
Georgia

The owner of a golf course in Georgia was confused about paying an invoice, so he decided to ask his secretary for some mathematical help.

He called her into his office and said, "You graduated from the University of Georgia and I need some help. If I were to give you $20,000, minus 14%, how much would you take off?"

The secretary thought a moment, and then replied, "Everything but my earrings."
Louisiana

A senior at Louisiana was overheard saying ... "When the end of the world comes, I hope to be in Louisiana."

When asked why, he replied, "I'd rather be in Louisiana because everything happens in Louisiana 20 years later than in the rest of the civilized world."
North Carolina

A man in North Carolina had a flat tire, pulled off on the side of the road, and proceeded to put a bouquet of flowers in front of the car and one behind it. Then he got back in the car to wait.

A passerby studied the scene as he drove by and was so curious he turned around and went back. He asked the fellow what the problem was.

The man replied, "I have a flat tire."

The passerby asked, "But what's with the flowers?"

The man responded, "When you break down they tell you to put flares in the front and flares in the back. I never did understand it neither."
Oklahoma

An Oklahoma State trooper pulled over a pickup on I-65. The trooper asked, "Got any ID?"

The driver replied, "Bout whut?"
Texas

The Sheriff pulled up next to the guy unloading garbage out of his pick-up into the ditch.

The Sheriff asked, "Why are you dumping garbage in the ditch? Don't you see that sign right over your head."

"Yep", he replied. "That's why I dumpin it here, cause it says: 'Fine For Dumping Garbage'."

You can say what you want about the South, but you never hear of anyone retiring and moving North.
A Norwegian’s Secret to a Long and Happy Marriage

At All Saints Lutheran Church they have a weekly husband's marriage seminar. Recently, the Pastor asked Ole - who was approaching his 50th Wedding Anniversary - to take a few minutes and share some insight into how he had managed to stay married to the same woman all these years.

'Vell,' Ole replied to the assembled husbands, 'I've tried to treat her nice, spend da money on her, but best of all I took her to Norvay for da 20th Anniversary!'

The Pastor responded, "Ole, you are an amazing inspiration to all the husbands here! Please tell us what you are planning for your for your 50th Anniversary."

Ole proudly replied, 'I'm a-gonna go back to Norvay and get her."
The Good Old Days

Remember the old-time Jewish comedians of Vaudeville days - Shecky Green, Red Buttons, Totie Fields, Milton Berle, Henny Youngman, and others? You've may have only heard of them, but don't we all miss their their kind of humor?

Not a single swear word in their comic routines:

A car hit an elderly Jewish man. The paramedic says, "Are you comfortable?" The man says, "I make a good living."

I just got back from a pleasure trip. I took my mother-in-law to the airport.

I've been in love with the same woman for 49 years. If my wife finds out, she'll kill me!

What are three words a woman never wants to hear when she's making love? "Honey, I'm home."

Someone stole all my credit cards, but I won't be reporting it. The thief spends less than my wife did.

We always hold hands. If I let go, she shops.

My wife and I went to a hotel where we got a waterbed. My wife calls it the Dead Sea.

My wife and I revisited the hotel where we spent our wedding night. This time I was the one who stayed in the bathroom and cried.

She was at the beauty shop for two hours. That was only for the estimate. She got a mudpack and looked great for two days. Then the mud fell off.

The Doctor gave a man six months to live. The man couldn't pay his bill, so the doctor gave him another six months.

The Doctor called Mrs. Cohen saying, "Mrs. Cohen, your check came back." Mrs. Cohen replied, "So did my arthritis!"

Doctor: "You'll live to be 60!" Patient: "I AM 60!" Doctor: "See! What did I tell you?"

A doctor held a stethoscope up to a man's chest. The man asks, "Doc, how do I stand?" The doctor says, "That's what puzzles me!"

Patient: "I have a ringing in my ears." Doctor: "Don't answer!"

A drunk was in front of a judge. The judge says, "You've been brought here for drinking." The drunk says "Okay, let's get started."

Why do Jewish divorces cost so much? They're worth it.

Why do Jewish men die before their wives? They want to.

The Harvard School of Medicine did a study of why Jewish women like Chinese food so much. The study revealed that the reason for this is because Won Ton spelled backward is Not Now.

There is a big controversy on the Jewish view of when life begins. In Jewish tradition, the fetus is not considered viable until it graduates from law school.

Q : Why don't Jewish mothers drink?
A : Alcohol interferes with their suffering.

Q : Have you seen the newest Jewish-American-Princess horror movie?
A : It's called, "Debbie Does Dishes."

Q : Why do Jewish mothers make great parole officers?
A : They never let anyone finish a sentence.

Q : What's a Jewish American Princess's favorite position?
A : Facing Bloomingdale's.

A man called his mother in Florida. "Mom, how are you?" Not too good," said the mother. "I've been very weak. "

The son said, "Why are you so weak?" She said, "Because I haven't eaten in 38 days."

The son said, "That's terrible. Why haven't you eaten in 38 days?"

The mother answered, "Because, I didn't want my mouth to be full in case you should call."

A Jewish man said that when he was growing up, they always had two choices for dinner - Take it or leave it.

A Jewish boy comes home from school and tells his mother he has a part in the play.

She asks, "What part is it?"

The boy says, "I play the part of the Jewish husband."

The mother scowls and says, "Go back and tell the teacher you want a speaking part."

Q : Where does a Jewish husband hide money from his wife?
A : Under the vacuum cleaner.

Q : How many Jewish mothers does it take to change a light bulb?
A : (Sigh) "Don't bother. I'll sit in the dark. I don't want to be a nuisance to anybody."

A Poem
I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp--
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.

Bob, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.

'And why is everyone so quiet,
So somber - give me a clue.'
'Hush, child,' He said,
'they're all in shock.
No one thought they'd be seeing you.'
How To Ask for a Raise

Employee: Excuse me sir, may I talk to you?

Boss: Sure, come on in. What can I do for you?

Employee: Well sir, as you know, I have been an employee of this prestigious firm for over ten years. Sir, I would like a raise. I currently have four companies after me and so I decided to talk to you first.

Boss: A raise? I would love to give you a raise, but this is just not the right time.

Employee: I understand your position, and I know that the current economic down turn has had a negative impact on sales, but you must also take into consideration my hard work, pro-activeness and loyalty to this company for over a decade.

Boss: Taking into account these factors, and considering I don't want to start a brain drain, I'm willing to offer you a ten percent raise and an extra five days of vacation time. How does that sound?

Boss: Before you go, just out of curiosity, what companies were after you?

Employee: Oh, the electric company, gas company, water company and the mortgage company!

2010-09-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

----- Forwarded Message ----

From: Dennis Vernacchia

Sent: Fri, September 24, 2010 1:29:35 PM

Subject: Tom Martin's wife e-mail address book has been compromised - do not open mail from rbg3cm@aol.com

Mail from

rbg3cm@aol.com

Do not open - It directs you to a bogus site tha could possibly infect your computer with Trojan, Re-mailer or Virus

Tom Martin ( KG6RCW ) of Rancho Bernardo Glass is aware and taking care of issue

Dennis N6KI

2010-09-19T07:38:00.000-07:00

The Mexican drug cartels now have a new source of revenue ($50 million for starters)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had not learned this information until someone had cut it out of the LA times and mailed it to a friend here in Mexico. He gave it to me today, voicing his great concern.

I can only comment that this is terrible news for everyone in North America, viz., the Mexican cartels are implementing systematic terrorist and kidnapping operations against PEMEX employees. PEMEX officials are completely dumbfounded and have no idea how to address the problem. The inherent ramifications of this situation are far-reaching. For this brief moment in time, the problem exists south of the border; but it will soon reach everyone’s doorstep who lives in North America.

The Mexican drug war has taken a very nasty turn; it is now the North American drug/oil war.

Holy sh*t, amigos; the cartel fracaso is becoming uglier. Cartel influence in the U.S. and Mexican economies is becoming more entrenched.

Pat
latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mexico-pemex-20100906,0,4996948.story

latimes.com

MEXICO UNDER SIEGE

Mexican drug cartels cripple Pemex operations in basin

The kidnappings of five petroleum company workers along with 30 others have terrorized the oil community, paralyzing segments of the business. Months later, families have still heard nothing.

By Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times

September 6, 2010

The meandering network of pipes, wells and tankers belonging to the gigantic state oil company Pemex have long been an easy target of crooks and drug traffickers who siphon off natural gas, gasoline and even crude, robbing the Mexican treasury of hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

Now the cartels have taken sabotage to a new level: They've hobbled key operations in parts of the Burgos Basin, home to Mexico's biggest natural gas fields.

Forced to defer production and curtail drilling and maintenance in a region that spreads through some of Mexico's most dangerous badlands, the world's seventh-largest oil producer has become another casualty of the drug war.

In May, gunmen wearing camouflage and tennis shoes kidnapped five Pemex workers as they rode to the front gate of the Gigante No. 1 natural gas plant in the Burgos Basin. One man was a mechanic, another specialized in pumps. All were dressed in their crisp khaki uniforms with the Pemex logo, ready for long shifts. They have not been heard from since.

The kidnappings, plus the reported disappearance of at least 30 other employees of subcontractors in the same region, have terrorized a community where jobs on the oil rigs and at the gas wells are handed down, father to son, for generations.

"The traffickers are establishing it clearly," said Sen. Graco Ramirez, a member of the congressional energy committee. "You collaborate, or you die."

The capacity of the traffickers to exert influence over a company as mighty as Pemex only solidifies the widely held perception that the cartels are growing in size and strength despite the government's crackdown.

"How is it," asked a relative of a kidnapped worker, "that Pemex, supposedly the backbone of the nation, can be made to bow down like this?"

The Burgos Basin stretches across the northern border state of Tamaulipas, where the Gigante No. 1 plant is located, and spills into the states of Nuevo Leon and Coahuila. The three states are awash in violence, theater of a ferocious battle between the once-dominant Gulf cartel and its brutal former henchmen, the Zeta paramilitaries.

Pemex, which is Mexico's largest income earner, pulling in nearly a third of the national budget, once staked great hopes on the area and its prospects for yielding gas, abundant thanks to the sandy soil and porous rock that make for ideal production and exploration conditions.

After dedicating nearly half a century to testing and exploration in the basin, Pemex in 2002 took the unusual step of opening it up to foreign investment, in contrast to Mexico's historic protectionist attitude toward natural resources. Pemex officials anticipated an injection upward of $8 billion.

Employees of Pemex and a handful of foreign-owned firms were earning well in the basin, living good lives and working in relative safety.

Then convoys of mysterious gunmen started plying the roadways, followed by shows of force, intimidation, beatings and, finally, the abductions. Pleas for help and better protection, union leaders and workers say, went unheeded. The exact motives behind the May kidnappings remain unclear.

Ramirez, the senator, said the cartel responsible, probably the Zetas, may be after technical information to elude the measures Pemex is taking to guard against the rampant thefts of gas and oil.

Whatever the motive, the effect has been to cripple operations in some areas of the basin.

"In the Burgos project, there are areas we cannot access," Carlos Morales Gil, director of exploration and production for Pemex, said during a news conference in the Tabasco city of Villahermosa in July. It was a startling admission.

"We are not going to enter any area where security is at risk," he added, calling for increased army and navy protection for oil and gas installations.

Pemex would not comment to The Times or make an official available for this story.

However, a confidential report submitted to Congress in July and made available to The Times acknowledged that stolen natural gas and delayed gas production have cost the company nearly $50 million in just the first five months of this year.

One of the U.S. firms working in Burgos, Halliburton, has spoken publicly of a deteriorating security situation that is slowing its work. But Halliburton said it had no plans to pull any of its 600 workers.

After the May Pemex kidnappings, families of the disappeared workers are too terrified to speak publicly to a reporter. Vague threats have come their way.

Instead, they live in fear, many of them here in the Tamaulipas city of Reynosa. They sit literally by their telephones waiting for word, a ransom demand, a call from the coroner's office. Anything would be better than not knowing.

"No one has called us," one desperate relative said. "We know nothing. If they wanted to send a message to Pemex, wouldn't they have killed them and left the bodies there?"

Those are the kinds of calculations, in what passes for reason, made in families who have lost their sons, husbands and brothers to a violent unknown.

Pemex has also sought to repress information on the kidnappings, possibly for the men's safety. Company general director Juan Jose Suarez Coppel acknowledged the abductions only in questioning from a congressional committee.

Details of the kidnappings come from a witness, another worker at Gigante No. 1 whose name The Times is withholding for security reasons. He was waiting at the gate because one of the arriving men was supposed to relieve him. When he saw the gunmen, he ducked into a guard shack, watching but staying out of view. He saw the gunmen stuff the five workers face-first onto the floors of their vehicles and then speed away.

His observations are contained in an investigation opened by state authorities, portions of which were made available to The Times.

The investigation was opened only at the insistence of the parents of one of the missing men.

The missing workers include Saul Garcia, 47, a short man with a salt-and-pepper mustache who called his wife, away visiting relatives, as he headed off to his shift and said he'd see her soon. And Christopher Cadena Garcia, at 22 the youngest, a beefy man well over 6 feet tall, who was planning to marry and who was doing the job his dad had done and his dad's dad before him.

Kidnappings represent just one twist in broad security problems haunting Pemex. Engineers detect hundreds of clandestine siphons every year that steal enormous quantities of petroleum, much of which is then smuggled to the U.S. and sold at market price. To find the illegal taps, Pemex recently started aerial inspections with helicopters and small aircraft — but they cannot fly very low lest they get shot at.

Pemex, for the first time, sued five U.S. companies this year in an attempt to recover damages for stolen petroleum products that the Mexicans said were worth more than $250 million. Pemex alleges the firms knowingly bought stolen fuel.

Alejandro Gertz, now a congressman and rector of the University of the Americas, conducted an investigation of security problems at Pemex in his capacity as national public security chief in 2004. He said the biggest problem was corruption and collusion between Pemex employees and the thieves. Simply by adding a system of more frequent and often-random inspections, he said, the company was able to recover millions of dollars' worth of petroleum products in just three months.

But he knew he had touched a nerve; he was soon out of a job and the inspections were halted.

The injection of violent drug cartels into the mix in the Burgos Basin area, he said, expands the problem exponentially.

"These are territories where the organized crime infrastructure, inside and outside of the police forces, has established power — a parallel power, a parallel government," Gertz said. "That territory is in the hands of a parallel power that has penetrated the government at all levels."

wilkinson@latimes.com

Copyright © 2010, Los Angeles Times

2010-08-01T23:12:00.000-07:00

Don't leave home without your Lifesaver Card

By Ronald W. Jensen

Special to The Baja Times

Americans living in Mexico should know about the Binational Emergency Medical Care Committee: a reputable non-profit organization that will get them out of Mexico in case of a life-threatening medical emergency. Based in Chula Vista, California, the organization cost $45 to join. Membership includes the following services and benefits:

•A Lifesaver Card you can carry in your wallet that allows you to call collect anywhere in Mexico, 24 hours a day to activate emergency assistance in case of a sudden illness or accident.

•Expert coordination of your emergency evacuation from Mexico via land or air ambulance transport.

•Bilingual support staff on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

•Bilingual legal assistance.

•10% discount on auto insurance with Instant Mexico Auto Insurance Services.

•Annual membership renewal for a discounted price of $40.

As soon as your call is received, the Binational Emergency Care Committee – known by the acronym BEMCC – will immediately assist you in obtaining proper medical care while working on your safe return to the United States. By becoming a member, BEMCC will have all the information that is needed for your safe return.

Your personal information such as your Social Security number, health insurance information, and emergency contact is kept in BEMCC's secure database and is accessible only by the bilingual BEMCC staff. This information is crucial to arrange your evacuation to the United States when you are involved in a medical emergency in Mexico. This information is kept strictly confidential and is never sold or used for marketing purposes, according to Celia Diaz, the director and founder of BEMCC.

Your medical insurance will be billed for the cost of the actual transport plus any other medical service fees. BEMCC does not pay for the transport service. BEMCC coordinates the emergency evacuation. They eliminate the uncertainty and confusion during a medical emergency, she explained.

As a retired paramedic now living in Mexico, I have personally used and benefited from these services on numerous occasions. The organization has contacts ranging from Mexico City to Washington D.C., and it works closely with the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. consulates and numerous Mexican federal, state, and regional public safety agencies to facilitate the safe and timely return of sick and injured Americans traveling or living in Mexico.

Members can call collect from anywhere in Mexico 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to activate emergency medical or legal assistance. That number is: 619-425-5080.

You may also apply online or renew your current membership and pay with a credit card. All applications processed online will be active once BEMCC obtains credit card confirmation from their credit card merchant services organization. Your BEMCC Lifesaver Card will be sent to you via the US postal service.

The online address is: bemcc@bemcc.org

Jensen is a former Mexico correspondent for United Press International and other U.S. new agencies. Email address: bajaronjens@live.com

2010-08-01T22:10:00.000-07:00

Mexican Radio call signs

The International Telecommunication Union has assigned Mexico the following call sign blocks for all radio communication, broadcasting or transmission:

Call sign block

XAA - XIZ

4AA - 4CZ

6DA - 6JZ

While not directly related to call signs, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) further has divided all countries assigned amateur radio prefixes into three regions; Mexico is located in ITU Region 2. Mexico is in ITU zone 10 and CQ zone 6.

Call sign assignments for amateur radio

The Comision Federal de Telecomunicaciones issues call signs in the XE and XF series for amateur use, the latter mainly for offshore use.

The separating numeral is used to identify the region in which the amateur is licensed:

Call sign prefix Region

XE1: Central Mexico Colima, Distrito Federal (Federal District, most of Mexico City), Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico (the state surrounding the Distrito Federal on 3 sides, includes some parts of Mexico City), Michoacan, Morelos, Nayarit, Puebla, Queretaro, Tlaxcala, and Veracruz

XE2: Northern Mexico Aguascalientes, Baja California (northern half of the peninsula), Baja California Sur (southern half of the peninsula), Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas

XE3: Southern Mexico Campeche, Chiapas, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, and Yucatan

XF1: Islands around the Baja California peninsula in the Pacific Ocean or the northern part of the Gulf of California

XF2: Close central islands off the Pacific coast of the Mexican mainland, in the Gulf of Mexico, or in the southern Gulf of California, generally west of 90°W.

XF3: Caribbean islands Carribean islands, generally east of 90°W.

XF4, XFØ: Revillagigedo Revillagigedo island group, in the Pacific Ocean
Call signs for foreign hams

Typically a permit to operate in Mexico will state the call sign you are to use, and can be one's home call sign with a further XE prefix. For instance if your home call sign is WA1ZZZ, you might be assigned XE1/WA1ZZZ.

Further, if you operate outside of the XE1 area, you would add a further identifying suffix - for instance XE1/WA1ZZZ/XE2 if you were operating in northern Mexico. The call sign must be given always as enumerated on the permit, and the operator's location must also be stated in Spanish.

The permit does not automatically allow operation in XF island areas. Special permission must be sought for island operation.

Special Events

Call signs in the 6DA-6JZ block have been used for special event call sgins on a temporary basis. In 2007 6G1LM was assigned to Federacion Mexicana de Radioexperimentadoes for their 75th anniversary as was 6F75A.

6H1 also replaced the XE1 prefix, 6I2 replaced the XE2 prefix, and 6J3 replaced the XE3 prefix. 6E4 replaced XF4 for the Revillagigedo island group.

URL: http://links.assetize.com/links/c0b231 has further information.

2010-07-30T10:52:00.000-07:00

Raw Food Diet in Rosarito

The Mongolian Grill News

August 2010

July has been an awesome month for us as well as for Rosarito businesses in general. Our sign on the freeway has brought many new customers our way as well as served as a reminder that we’re still here to those who haven’t visited us for a while. When you’re away for a spell, we really do miss you. We thrive on your repeat business.

We were pleased that USBC allowed us to cater their Hawaiian Luau luncheon. In addition to feeding the 104 people present, I had the opportunity to dance a few hula songs with some of the ladies from my dancercize class. It was fun for us even though we were a little nervous.

To shed a few pounds before dancing the hula, I went on a 5 day raw food diet and lost 7 pounds. The raw food diet is a diet based on unprocessed and uncooked plant foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, nuts, dried fruit, and seaweed. I want to do it again for another 5 days and want to know if any of you want to join me. From all the ends and peelings of the vegetables that we cut up, I made a healthy broth. Everyday I heated the broth up and added raw veggies and cut up avocado to make a hearty soup. I also took melons, grapes and other fruits and blended them with spinach and other veggies to make a drink in the mornings. For snacks I had grapefruit, apples, and nuts (but not too many). I will be selling the soup for $60 pesos if you want to come in. Of course you can do it yourself at home, but I have all the veggies already cut up and vegetable broth, rich with vitamins. Your body gets a real good cleansing. The first 2 days are the hardest. Chris and I are starting tomorrow, Friday the 30th, but feel free to join us anytime.

For those of you who do not want to diet, come in and try our Thai Coconut Curry with Chicken, Shrimp and Bamboo Shoots. We will try to serve this every Friday and on some Saturdays.

Dancercize is free and is held on Tuesday mornings at 9:30 a.m. This coming Tuesday, August 3 will be the last class until August 24. NO DANCE CLASS FOR 2 WEEKS! We’ll be going to Rio de Janeiro for a week and then we need time to recuperate and catch up on things.

Our August Bunco luncheon will still be held on Wednesday, August 11 at 1:00 p.m. and we will be having our “make your own Asian Chicken Salad bar” available with our 3 different dressings (Chinese Rice Vinegarette, Mandarin Orange, and Thai Peanut) and toppings. The cost of $15 includes lunch, beverage, dessert, tip, and contribution toward Gift Certificate Prizes to other restaurants. For 24 players, we give out $40 for 1st place, $20 for 2nd place, $20 for lowest score, $20 for most buncos, and $10 gift certificates for highest scores in the 1st and 2nd rounds. Please email the_romeros@yahoo.com (underscore between “the” and “romeros”) to reserve a spot.

Hope to see you soon . . . Lee

2010-06-11T23:16:00.000-07:00

Return to Tarawa/Ex-Marines chase phantoms at battle site

TOM HENNESSY Knight-Ridder Newspapers
SUN HOUSTON CHRONICLE, Section A, Page 35, 2 STAR Edition

BETIO, Republic of Kiribati - The chartered plane, a British Aerospace 748, rumbled toward the island with determination, as if on a bombing run. Inside the cabin, gray-haired men peered through the windows at a lagoon. It was lime-colored on this Friday afternoon in November. But they remembered a time, 66 years ago, when it was pink with the blood of their Marine buddies. The men on the plane were survivors; returning to a place that meant terror and sorrow in the dark autumn of 1943.

Returning to Tarawa.

There were 27 of them aboard the plane. They came to this atoll 6,000 miles from California to dedicate a monument. And to chase phantoms.

"Buddies told me if I went back to Tarawa, I should watch for ghosts," said Pat Didlake of Glendora , Miss. "You might even see yourself there," they said. "In a way, a lot of us do think we're still there. There aren't too many days when you don't think about Tarawa ."
Most of them were 18 and 19 when they fought at Tarawa, then part of the Gilbert Islands and now belonging to the nine-year-old nation of Kiribati .

Today, the Marines of Tarawa are grandfathers, several of whom brought their wives to see the place that made headlines in 1943.

"The wives are looking for a lot of answers," said Dorothy Pavel of Captiva Island , Fla. "Over the years, every wife I've talked to - their husbands have gone through the same thing - nightmares, screaming at night."

The battle was a 76-hour hell, the first American amphibious assault on a heavily fortified island. During it, 1,113 Marines were killed, 2,290 wounded. Of the 4,832 Japanese defenders, only 17 survived.

The trip to Tarawa was arranged by Bob Reynolds, whose Sausalito , Calif. , travel agency, Valor Tours, has returned nearly 5,000 veterans to World War II battlegrounds, to places of sometimes terrifying memory. For almost all of them, said Reynolds, the trips are therapeutic.

"After them, we find wives and sons and daughters are hearing Dad speak (about combat) for the first time. For the (postwar) years, these guys were silent, inarticulate. `Dad doesn't talk about the war."'

At first, the Marines showed little emotion at seeing their old battleground, mostly because they did not recognize it.

When they left 65 years ago, Betio, the two-mile coral strand on which the battle took place, was an island with no native population, no structures save for Japanese bunkers, and no vegetation, all of the latter having been destroyed by shell fire.

But Betio (pronounced BESS-i-o) is now a lush island home for about 9,000 natives, which makes it something of a metropolis by Pacific Island standards.

"This is just not the same island we landed on 66 years ago," said Pete Pavel.

As the Sunday monument dedication ceremony concluded with a floral wreath thrown into the sea and the playing of taps, 66 years suddenly collapsed for the visiting Marines. Many wept openly for fallen friends, for their own youth lost to war, for years of nightmares and pain.

"As I looked out on the water, I did not see the wreath," said Paul Du Pre, a retired Marine colonel from Port Hueneme , Calif. "Instead, my mind's eye saw the floating bodies of my friends, the floating bodies I had seen in that very same area 60 years ago."

Before leaving, the survivors sought out the places on Betio that held the poignant individual memories.

Carroll Strider of Tryon, N.C., found the beach designated "Red Beach 3" during the invasion. "That's where I landed in the second wave. I started remembering that day and looked for where we went inland. And what I saw instead were houses and little children and families."

John Downing of Long Beach , Calif. , waded into the Tarawa 's lagoon, looking for his tank. The last time he saw it, on Nov. 20, 1943, it was tumbling from a bombed landing craft and plunging, upside down, into the sea. After an afternoon's search, Downing failed to locate it, but did find a wrecked tank that belonged to his battalion.

Angelo Pace of Riverside , Calif. , strolled the beach where he had been wounded and was stopped by a native offering a gift, a canteen. The man obviously had saved the war relic for years. "But when he put it in my hands," says Pace, "I immediately felt hostile. I couldn't accept it. It was a Japanese canteen."

On a plane taking the Marines back to the United States , a flight attendant in her early 20s sat down beside a passenger. She was curious about the group of gray-haired men on board.

"They are Marines," she was told. "They fought at the Battle of Tarawa in 1943 at other battles in World War II."

"Who were they fighting?"

"The Japanese."

She weighed that information momentarily, then asked: "Who won?"

2010-06-09T22:42:00.000-07:00

Originally posted on a Yahoo discussion group; I am posting it here for the convenience of regular readers of this blog:

BP GULF OIL DISASTER

Another oil rig operated by BP apparently is at risk of creating a bigger spill

CBS interview with Mike Williams, Oil Rig Worker

The gusher unleashed in the Gulf of Mexico continues to spew crude oil. There are no reliable estimates of how much oil is pouring into the gulf. But it comes to many millions of gallons since the catastrophic blowout. Eleven men were killed in the explosions that sank one of the most sophisticated drilling rigs in the world, the "Deepwater Horizon."

This week Congress continues its investigation, but Capitol Hill has not heard from the man "60 Minutes" correspondent Scott Pelley met: Mike Williams, one of the last crewmembers to escape the inferno.

He says the destruction of the Deepwater Horizon had been building for weeks in a series of mishaps. The night of the disaster, he was in his workshop when he heard the rig's engines suddenly run wild. That was the moment that explosive gas was shooting across the decks, being sucked into the engines that powered the rig's generators.

"I hear the engines revving. The lights are glowing. I'm hearing the alarms. I mean, they're at a constant state now. It's just, 'Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep.' It doesn't stop. But even that's starting to get drowned out by the sound of the engine increasing in speed. And my lights get so incredibly bright that they physically explode. I'm pushing my way back from the desk when my computer monitor exploded," Williams told Pelley.

The rig was destroyed on the night of April 20. Ironically, the end was coming only months after the rig's greatest achievement.

Mike Williams was the chief electronics technician in charge of the rig's computers and electrical systems. And seven months before, he had helped the crew drill the deepest oil well in history, 35,000 feet.

"It was special. There's no way around it. Everyone was talking about it. The congratulations that were flowing around, it made you feel proud to work there," he remembered.

Williams worked for the owner, Transocean, the largest offshore drilling company. Like its sister rigs, the Deepwater Horizon cost $350 million, rose 378 feet from bottom to top. Both advanced and safe, none of her 126 crew had been seriously injured in seven years.

The safety record was remarkable, because offshore drilling today pushes technology with challenges matched only by the space program.

Deepwater Horizon was in 5,000 feet of water and would drill another 13,000 feet, a total of three miles. The oil and gas down there are under enormous pressure. And the key to keeping that pressure under control is this fluid that drillers call "mud."

"Mud" is a manmade drilling fluid that's pumped down the well and back up the sides in continuous circulation. The sheer weight of this fluid keeps the oil and gas down and the well under control.

The tension in every drilling operation is between doing things safely and doing them fast; time is money and this job was costing BP a million dollars a day.

But Williams says there was trouble from the start - getting to the oil was taking too long. Williams said they were told it would take 21 days; according to him, it actually took six weeks.

With the schedule slipping, Williams says a BP manager ordered a faster pace.

"And he requested to the driller, 'Hey, let's bump it up. Let's bump it up.' And what he was talking about there is he's bumping up the rate of penetration. How fast the drill bit is going down," Williams said.

Williams says going faster caused the bottom of the well to split open, swallowing tools and that drilling fluid called "mud."

"We actually got stuck. And we got stuck so bad we had to send tools down into the drill pipe and sever the pipe," Williams explained. That well was abandoned and Deepwater Horizon had to drill a new route to the
oil. It cost BP more than two weeks and millions of dollars.

"We were informed of this during one of the safety meetings, that somewhere in the neighborhood of $25 million was lost in bottom hole assembly and 'mud.' And you always kind of knew that in the back of your mind when they start throwing these big numbers around that there was gonna be a push coming, you know? A push to pick up production and pick up the pace," Williams said.

Asked if there was pressure on the crew after this happened, Williams told Pelley, "There's always pressure, but yes, the pressure was increased."

But the trouble was just beginning: when drilling resumed, Williams says there was an accident on the rig that has not been reported before. He says, four weeks before the explosion, the rig's most vital piece of safety equipment was damaged.

Down near the seabed is the blowout preventer, or BOP. It's used to seal the well shut in order to test the pressure and integrity of the well, and, in case of a blowout, it's the crew's only hope. A key component is a rubber gasket at the top called an "annular," which can close tightly around the drill pipe.

Williams says, during a test, they closed the gasket. But while it was shut tight, a crewman on deck accidentally nudged a joystick, applying hundreds of thousands of pounds of force, and moving 15 feet of drill pipe through the closed blowout preventer. Later, a man monitoring drilling fluid rising to the top made a troubling find.

"He discovered chunks of rubber in the drilling fluid. He thought it was important enough to gather this double handful of chunks of rubber and bring them into the driller shack. I recall asking the supervisor if this was out of the ordinary. And he says, 'Oh, it's no big deal.' And I thought, 'How can it be not a big deal? There's chunks of our seal is now missing,'" Williams told Pelley.

And, Williams says, he knew about another problem with the blowout preventer.

The BOP is operated from the surface by wires connected to two control pods; one is a back-up. Williams says one pod lost some of its function weeks before.

Transocean tells us the BOP was tested by remote control after these incidents and passed. But nearly a mile below, there was no way to know how much damage there was or whether the pod was unreliable.

In the hours before the disaster, Deepwater Horizon's work was nearly done. All that was left was to seal the well closed. The oil would be pumped out by another rig later. Williams says, that during a safety meeting, the manager for the rig owner, Transocean, was explaining how they were going to close the well when the manager from BP interrupted.

"I had the BP company man sitting directly beside me. And he literally perked up and said 'Well my process is different. And I think we're gonna do it this way.' And they kind of lined out how he thought it should go that day. So there was short of a chest-bumping kind of deal. The communication seemed to break down as to who was ultimately in charge," Williams said.

On the day of the accident, several BP managers were on the Deepwater Horizon for a ceremony to congratulate the crew for seven years without an injury. While they where there a surge of explosive gas came flying up the well from three miles below. The rig's diesel engines which power its electric generators sucked in the gas and began to run wild.

"I'm hearing hissing. Engines are over-revving. And then all of a sudden, all the lights in my shop just started getting brighter and brighter and brighter. And I knew then something bad was getting ready to happen," Williams told Pelley.

It was almost ten at night. And directly under the Deepwater Horizon there were four men in a fishing boat, Albert Andry, Dustin King, Ryan Chaisson and Westley Bourg.

"When I heard the gas comin' out, I knew exactly what it was almost immediately," Bourg recalled.

"When the gas cloud was descending on you, what was that like?" Pelley asked.

"It was scary. And when I looked at it, it burned my eyes. And I knew we had to get out of there," Andry recalled.

Andry said he knew the gas was methane.

On the rig, Mike Williams was reaching for a door to investigate the engine noise.

"These are three inch thick, steel, fire-rated doors with six stainless steel hinges supporting 'em on the frame. As I reach for the handle, I heard this awful hissing noise, this whoosh. And at the height of the hiss, a huge
explosion. The explosion literally rips the door from the hinges, hits, impacts me and takes me to the other side of the shop. And I'm up against a wall, when I finally come around, with a door on top of me. And I remember thinking to myself, 'You know, this, this is it. I'm gonna die right here,'" Williams remembered.

Meanwhile, the men on the fishing boat had a camera, capturing the flames on the water.

"I began to crawl across the floor. As I got to the next door, it exploded. And took me, the door, and slid me about 35 feet backwards again. And planted me up against another wall. At that point, I actually got angry. I was mad at the doors. I was mad that these fire doors that are supposed to protect me are hurting me. And at that point, I made a decision. 'I'm going to get outside. I may die out there, but I'm gonna get outside.' So I crawl across the grid work of the floor and make my way to that opening, where I see the light. I made it out the door and I thought to myself, 'I've accomplished what I set out to accomplish. I made it outside. At least now I can breathe. I may die out here, but I can breathe,'" Williams said.

Williams couldn't see; something was pouring into his eyes and that's when he noticed a gash in his forehead.

"I didn't know if it was blood. I didn't know if it was brains. I didn't know if it was flesh. I didn't know what it was. I just knew there was, I was, I was in trouble. At that point I grabbed a lifejacket, I was on the aft lifeboat deck there were two functioning lifeboats at my disposal right there. But I knew I couldn't board them. I had responsibilities," he remembered. His responsibility was to report to the bridge, the rig's command centre.

"I'm hearing alarms. I'm hearing radio chatter, 'May day! May day! We've lost propulsion! We've lost power! We have a fire! Man overboard on the starboard forward deck,'" Williams remembered.

Williams says that, on the bridge, he watched them try to activate emergency systems. "The BOP that was supposed to protect us and keep us from the blowout obviously had failed. And now, the emergency disconnect to get us away from this fuel source has failed. We have no communications to the BOP," he explained.

"And I see one of the lifeboats in the water, and it's motoring away from the vessel. I looked at the captain and asked him. I said, 'What's going on?' He said, 'I've given the order to abandon ship,'" Williams said.

Every Sunday they had practiced lifeboat drills and the procedure for making sure everyone was accounted for. But in the panic all that went to hell. The lifeboats were leaving.

"They're leaving without you?" Pelley asked.

"They have left, without the captain and without knowing that they had everyone that had survived all this onboard. I've been left now by two lifeboats. And I look at the captain and I said, 'What do we do now? By now, the fire is not only on the derrick, it's starting to spread to the deck. At that point, there were several more explosions, large, intense explosions," Williams said.

Asked what they felt and sounded like, Williams said, "It's just take-your-breath-away type explosions, shake your body to the core explosions.

Take your vision away from the percussion of the explosions."

About eight survivors were left on the rig. They dropped an inflatable raft from a crane, but with only a few survivors on the raft, it was launched, leaving Williams, another man, and a crewwoman named Andrea.

"I remember looking at Andrea and seeing that look in her eyes. She had quit.

She had given up. I remember her saying, 'I'm scared.' And I said, 'It's okay to be scared. I'm scared too.' She said, 'What are we gonna do?' I said, 'We're gonna burn up. Or we're gonna jump,'" Williams remembered. Williams estimates it was a 90-100 foot jump down.

In the middle of the night, with blood in his eyes, fire at his back and the sea ten stories below, Williams made his choice.

"I remember closing my eyes and sayin' a prayer, and asking God to tell my wife and my little girl that Daddy did everything he could and if, if I survive this, it's for a reason. I made those three steps, and I pushed off the end of the rig. And I fell for what seemed like forever. A lotta things go through your mind," he remembered.

With a lifejacket, Williams jumped feet first off the deck and away from the inferno. He had witnessed key events before the disaster. But if he was going to tell anyone, he would have to survive a ten-story drop into the sea.

"I went down way, way below the surface, obviously. And when I popped back up, I felt like, 'Okay, I've made it.' But I feel this God-awful burning all over me. And I'm thinking, 'Am I on fire?' You know, I just don't know. So I start doin' the only thing I know to do, swim. I gotta start swimmin', I gotta get away from this thing. I could tell I was floatin' in oil and grease and, and diesel fuel.

I mean, it's just the smell and the feel of it," Williams remembered.

"And I remember lookin' under the rig and seein' the water on fire. And I thought, 'What have you done? You were dry, and you weren't covered in oil up there, now you've jumped and you've made this, and you've landed in oil. The fire's gonna come across the water, and you're gonna burn up.' And I thought,

'You just gotta swim harder.' So I swam, and I kicked and I swam and I kicked and I swam as hard as I could until I remember not feelin' any more pain, and I didn't hear anything. And I thought, 'Well, I must have burned up, 'cause I don't feel anything, I don't hear anything, I don't smell anything. I must be dead.' And I remember a real faint voice of, 'Over here, over here.' I thought, 'What in the world is that?' And the next thing I know, he grabbed my lifejacket and flipped me over into this small open bow boat. I didn't know who he was, I didn't know where he'd come from, I didn't care. I was now out of the water," he added.

Williams' survival may be critical to the investigation. We took his story to Dr. Bob Bea, a professor of engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.

Last week, the White House asked Bea to help analyze the Deepwater Horizon accident. Bea investigated the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster for NASA and the Hurricane Katrina disaster for the National Science Foundation. Bea's voice never completely recovered from the weeks he spent in the flood in New Orleans.

But as the White House found, he's among the nation's best, having investigated more than 20 offshore rig disasters.

"Mr. Williams comes forward with these very detailed elements from his viewpoint on a rig. That's a brave and intelligent man," Bea told Pelley.

"What he's saying is very important to this investigation, you believe?" Pelley asked.

"It is," the professor replied.

What strikes Bea is Williams' description of the blowout preventer. Williams says in a drilling accident four weeks before the explosion, the critical rubber gasket, called an "annular," was damaged and pieces of it started coming out of the well.

"According to Williams, when parts of the annular start coming up on the deck someone from Transocean says, `Look, don't worry about it.' What does that tell you?" Pelley asked.

"Houston we have a problem," Bea replied.

Here's why that's so important: the annular is used to seal the well for pressure tests. And those tests determine whether dangerous gas is seeping in.

"So if the annular is damaged, if I understand you correctly, you can't do the pressure tests in a reliable way?" Pelley asked.

"That's correct. You may get pressure test recordings, but because you're leaking pressure, they are not reliable," Bea explained.

Williams also told us that a backup control system to the blowout preventer called a pod had lost some of its functions.

"What is the standard operating procedure if you lose one of the control pods?" Pelley asked.

"Re-establish it, fix it. It's like losing one of your legs," Bea said.

"The morning of the disaster, according to Williams, there was an argument in front of all the men on the ship between the Transocean manager and the BP manager. Do you know what that argument is about?" Pelley asked.

Bea replied, "Yes," telling Pelley the argument was about who was the boss.

In finishing the well, the plan was to have a subcontractor, Halliburton, place three concrete plugs, like corks, in the column. The Transocean manager wanted to do this with the column full of heavy drilling fluid - what drillers call "mud" - to keep the pressure down below contained. But the BP manager wanted to begin to remove the "mud" before the last plug was set. That would reduce the pressure controlling the well before the plugs were finished.

Asked why BP would do that, Bea told Pelley, "It expedites the subsequent steps."

"It's a matter of going faster," Pelley remarked.

"Faster, sure," Bea replied.

Bea said BP had won that argument.

"If the 'mud' had been left in the column, would there have been a blowout?" Pelley asked.

"It doesn't look like it," Bea replied.

To do it BP's way, they had to be absolutely certain that the first two plugs were keeping the pressure down. That life or death test was done using the blowout preventer which Mike Williams says had a damaged gasket.

Investigators have also found the BOP had a hydraulic leak and a weak battery.

"Weeks before the disaster they know they are drilling in a dangerous formation, the formation has told them that," Pelley remarked.

"Correct," Bea replied.

"And has cost them millions of dollars. And the blowout preventer is broken in a number of ways," Pelley remarked. "Correct," Bea replied.

Asked what would be the right thing to do at that point, Bea said, "I express it to my students this way, 'Stop, think, don't do something stupid.'"

They didn't stop. As the drilling fluid was removed, downward pressure was relieved; the bottom plug failed. The blowout preventer didn't work. And 11 men were incinerated; 115 crewmembers survived.

And two days later, the Deepwater Horizon sank to the bottom.

This was just the latest disaster for a company that is the largest oil producer in the United States. BP, once known as British Petroleum, was found wilfully negligent in a 2005 Texas refinery explosion that killed of its 15 workers. BP was hit with $108 million in fines - the highest workplace safety fines in U.S. history.

Now, there is new concern about another BP facility in the Gulf: a former BP insider tells us the platform "Atlantis" is a greater threat than the Deepwater Horizon.

Ken Abbott has worked for Shell and GE. And in 2008 he was hired by BP to manage thousands of engineering drawings for the Atlantis platform.

"They serve as blueprints and also as a operator manual, if you will, on how to make this work, and more importantly how to shut it down in an emergency," Abbott explained.

But he says he found that 89 percent of those critical drawings had not been inspected and approved by BP engineers. Even worse, he says 95 percent of the underwater welding plans had never been approved either.

"Are these welding procedures supposed to be approved in the paperwork before the welds are done?" Pelley asked.

"Absolutely. Yeah," Abbott replied. "They're critical."

Abbott's charges are backed up by BP internal e-mails. In 2008, BP manager Barry Duff wrote that the lack of approved drawings could result in "catastrophic operator errors," and "currently there are hundreds if not thousands of Subsea documents that have never been finalized."

Duff called the practice "fundamentally wrong."

"I've never seen this kind of attitude, where safety doesn't seem to matter and when you complain of a problem like Barry did and like I did and try to fix it, you're just criticized and pushed aside," Abbott said.

Abbott was laid off. He took his concerns to a consumer advocacy group called Food & Water Watch. They're asking Congress to investigate. And he is filing suit in an attempt to force the federal government to shut down Atlantis.

"The Atlantis is still pumping away out there, 200,000 barrels a day, and it will be four times that in a year or two when they put in all 16 wells. If something happens there, it will make the Deepwater Horizon look like a bubble in the water by comparison," Abbott said. In an e-mail, BP told us the Atlantis crew has all the documents it needs to run the platform safely. We also wanted BP's perspective on the Deepwater Horizon
disaster.

The company scheduled an interview with its CEO, Tony Hayward. Then, they cancelled, saying no one at BP could sit down with "60 Minutes" for this report.

In other interviews, Hayward says this about Transocean, the owner of the Deepwater Horizon: "The responsibility for safety on the drilling rig is with Transocean. It is their rig, their equipment, their people, their systems, their safety processes."

"When BP's chief executive Tony Hayward says, 'This is Transocean's accident,' what do you say?" Pelley asked Professor Bea.

"I get sick. This kind of division in the industry is a killer. The industry is comprised of many organizations. And they all share the responsibility for successful operations. And to start placing, we'll call it these barriers, and pointing fingers at each other, is totally destructive," he replied.

Asked who is responsible for the Deepwater Horizon accident, Bea said, "BP."

We went out on the Gulf and found mats of thick floating oil. No one has a fix on how much oil is shooting out of the well. But some of the best estimates suggest it's the equivalent of the Exxon Valdez spill every four to seven days.

Scientists are now reporting vast plumes of oil up to ten miles long under the surface.

The spill has cost BP about $500 million so far. But consider, in just the first three months this year, BP made profits of $6 billion. There are plenty of accusations to go around that BP pressed for speed, Halliburton's cement plugs failed, and Transocean damaged the blowout preventer.

Through all the red flags, they pressed ahead. It was, after all, the Deepwater Horizon, the world record holder, celebrated as among the safest in the fleet.

"Men lost their lives," survivor Mike Williams told Pelley. "I don't know how else to say it. All the things that they told us could never happen, happened."the first three months this year, BP made profits of $6 billion.

There are plenty of accusations to go around that BP pressed for speed, Halliburton's cement plugs failed, and Transocean damaged the blowout preventer.

Through all the red flags, they pressed ahead. It was, after all, the Deepwater Horizon, the world record holder, celebrated as among the safest in the fleet.

"Men lost their lives," survivor Mike Williams told Pelley. "I don't know how else to say it. All the things that they told us could never happen, happened."

2010-05-31T21:44:00.000-07:00

From the "America's Most Wanted" website:

Charles Mark Maxey -- High-Rolling Swindler Makes Millions, Lives High Life -- May be in TJ

Charles Mark Maxey is believed to be the figurehead of the now-defunct internet-based ponzi scheme called EZBucks.

For a brief time, cops say Charles Mark Maxey lived the American dream. He reveled in the excesses of capitalism, driving exotic cars and making absurd amounts of money faster than he could spend it.

But according to the FBI, he was one of the most prolific fraudsters of the early millennium's infamous dot-com boom. Authorities allege that in a rather small time frame, Maxey swindled millions of dollars from thousands of people throughout the world.

It all started in 2002, when Maxey devised EZBucks, which the FBI has deemed to be a net-based ponzi scheme.
From his home in San Diego, Maxey registered the EZBucks domain in the U.K. and offered investors the opportunity to receive substantial returns on their investments.

But according to the site's Frequently Asked Questions section, "EZBucks is a private program and to protect our competitive advantage in the industry, we cannot offer the source of our investments to the public."

And for the longest time, no one questioned EZBucks' investment methodology -- that is, until the losses started piling up. Eventually, the victims of EZBucks' scam wised up, and many contacted the feds.
The FBI got involved in the EZBucks saga when allegations came forth that some investors -- both domestic and international -- were receiving nothing in return from EZBucks. As a matter of fact, quite a few investors lost nearly every dollar they'd spent with them. In some cases, hundreds of thousands of dollars disappeared in the click of a mouse button.

The FBI says the scheme worked like this: Investors would buy, for example, $200 worth of gold from a legitimate West Indies-based corporation called E-Gold. Then, they'd deposit their E-Gold credits into a different E-Gold account, operated by EZBucks.

Within 30 days, EZBucks' Terms of Service stated that the investors would receive varying rates of return on their deposits: 1) a 2 percent return, every day for 365 consecutive days, with a minimum deposit of $1; 2) a 200 percent return on deposits after 30 days, with a minimum deposit of $25; and 3) a 300 percent return on deposits of $5,000 after 30 days.

As promised, within a month, the investors' EZBucks account would indeed show that their account balance had grown significantly -- only EZBucks wouldn't allow some investors to access their funds, keeping any and all returns to itself.

Though some folks did get to cash out their earnings, many did not.

In February 2003, about eight months after EZBucks went into “business”, the FBI tried to access the EZBucks website. When an error message appeared on their browsers stating, "This site has been temporarily suspended. Please contact technical support," the Bureau knew something was awry.

By the time the FBI would uncover the lengths EZBucks went to in order to stay ahead of law enforcement, it was too late. The company was defunct.

According to the FBI, EZBucks' figurehead, Charles Mark Maxey, hit the road with a ton of cash lining his wallets. Some estimates put his take at more than $4 million dollars.

Now authorities need your help to bring this alleged fraudster down.

FBI Hopes To Detain Alleged Fraudster With Public's Help

The FBI alleges that Mark Maxey lives a life of luxury, while those who invested in EZBucks must regain their trust in humanity.

With Maxey's “earnings” from the EZBucks scam, the FBI tells AMW that he purchased a 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee in November 2002.

But that was just the beginning of his spending spree.

Less than six weeks later, a stretched limo pulled into a San Diego Jaguar dealer's sales lot. Inside the luxury car, Maxey and a female acquaintance were seen downing expensive champagne, toasting one another like they owned the world.

That afternoon, authorities allege Maxey used his newfound funds to buy a late-model Jaguar sports car, retailing for almost $100,000.

Though the Jeep and the Jaguar have since been repossessed by the feds, they say Maxey still has plenty of cash at his disposal.

He has connections throughout the southwest, including San Diego and Houston -- though authorities believe he may be hiding out in Tijuana.

Wherever he is, Maxey may be using a number of aliases, including Allan Bennett or Danny Jacobs. Maxey is an only child, and authorities tell us he's paranoid about law enforcement. His alleged paranoia stems from the belief that the FBI is not a real entity and that a shadowy government agency is trying to track him down.

For instance, when an FBI agent in Southern California tried contacting Maxey by phone, authorities say Maxey would not cooperate because he felt something was not right.

Then, to quell his fears, that same FBI agent told Maxey to meet him in person at the FBI building in San Diego -- but again, Maxey was skeptical and never showed.

A short time later, it's believed Maxey high-tailed it to Mexico, leaving his Jeep at the border -- with his dog still inside it. He then called a friend and told them to pick the vehicle up. Maxey hasn't been seen since.

Spiritual Scammer On The Lam

Charles Mark Maxey is an extremely spiritual individual, and is affiliated with the "Order of Thelema" and "Mission Vi."

Maxey is known to seek the guidance of spiritual advisers -- and with the hefty funds the FBI claims is at his disposal, he is able to afford the best ones money can buy.

As a matter of fact, Maxey is so devoted to his spirituality, authorities allege that he gave the Jaguar to the Order of Thelema as a gift. Unfortunately, the FBI seized it from them, as it was one of the largest assets Maxey was known to have purchased with his EZBucks funds.

Though life as he knew it came to an abrupt end in the months following his March 2004 indictment, Maxey has managed to remain on the lam for more than five years. He probably has the funds to stay free for even longer, but the FBI wants to make sure that doesn't happen.

If you know where Charles Mark Maxey is hiding out, you've got to call our Hotline right away at 1-800-CRIME-TV 1-800-CRIME-TV .

2010-05-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

N6MD has requested that this information be forwarded to Baja California:

Published on East County Magazine http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/

MISSING WOMAN FOUND DEAD NEAR JULIAN

May 29, 2010 (Julian) -- Stephanie Brehm-McCabe, 44, was found dead May 27 n her vehicle in a remote mountain area near Julian. Cause of death has not yet been released by the coroner's office.

A resident of Santa Margarita, she had been reported missing by family on May 25. She was last seen May 24 at approximately 8 a.m. after putting a knife to her wrist. She left in her truck, then phoned an acquaintance and left a message indicating she intended to commit suicide.

She was an accomplished equestrian and is familiar with back roads and trails in both the Cleveland National Forest and Anza Borrego Desert State Park.

San Diego Sheriff mounted a search including the ASTREA helicopter and help fromthe California Highway Patrol and State Parks and Recreation personnel.
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Source URL (retrieved on 06/01/2010 - 10:02): http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/3401

2010-05-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

Unity of the Californias Is Main Message For the 5th Binational Mayor's Summit In Rosarito

MAY 10, 2010

Rosarito Beach Mayor Hugo Torres in opening remarks thanked all those who attended, while citing a recurring theme: "Having a shared border is not what separates us; it is what brings us together."

2010-05-10T01:40:00.000-07:00

Kassner's discussion of rootkits is good stuff! (Dated but germaine information)

The complete article is available as a .pdf download with hyperlinks at URL: <http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tr/downloads/home/dl_10_things_rootkits.pdf>, and is more pleasing to the eye than the text formatting in this Email.

He has an ability to translate computereese into English (He actually defines his terms and presents a bibliography. *GASP*). You may want to download and peruse the complete article regardless of your experience or lack of experience with Operating Systems or Unix.

10+ things you should know about rootkits September 17, 2008

By Michael Kassner

Rootkits are complex and ever changing, which makes it difficult to understand exactly what you're dealing with. Even so, I'd like to take a stab at explaining them, so that you'll have a fighting chance if you're confronted with one.

#1 - What is a rootkit?

Breaking the term rootkit into the two component words, root and kit, is a useful way to define it. Root is a UNIX/Linux term that's the equivalent of Administrator in Windows. The word kit denotes programs that allow someone to obtain root/admin-level access to the computer by executing the programs in the kit -- all of which is done without end-user consent or knowledge.

#2 - Why use a rootkit?

Rootkits have two primary functions: remote command/control (back door) and software eavesdropping. Rootkits allow someone, legitimate or otherwise, to administratively control a computer. This means executing files, accessing logs, monitoring user activity, and even changing the computer's configuration. Therefore, in the strictest sense, even versions of VNC are rootkits. This surprises most people, as they consider rootkits to be solely malware, but in of themselves they aren't malicious at all.

One famous (or infamous, depending on your viewpoint) example of rootkit use was Sony BMG's attempt to prevent copyright violations. Sony BMG didn't tell anyone that it placed DRM software on home computers when certain CDs were played. On a scary note, the rootkit hiding technique Sony used was so good not one antivirus or anti-spyware application detected it.

#3 - How do rootkits propagate?

Rootkits can't propagate by themselves, and that fact has precipitated a great deal of confusion. In reality, rootkits are just one component of what is called a blended threat. Blended threats typically consist of three snippets of code: a dropper, loader, and rootkit.

The dropper is the code that gets the rootkit's installation started. Activating the dropper program usually entails human intervention, such as clicking on a malicious e-mail link. Once initiated, the dropper launches the loader program and then deletes itself. Once active, the loader typically causes a buffer overflow, which loads the rootkit into memory.

Blended threat malware gets its foot in the door through social engineering, exploiting known vulnerabilities, or even brute force. Here are two examples of some current and successful exploits:

*IM: One approach requires computers with IM installed (not that much of a stretch). If the appropriate blended threat gains a foothold on just one computer using IM, it takes over the IM client, sending out messages containing malicious links to everyone on the contact list. When the recipient clicks on the link (social engineering, as it's from a friend), that computer becomes infected and has a rootkit on it as well.

*Rich content: The newest approach is to insert the blended threat malware into rich-content files, such as PDF documents. Just opening a malicious PDF file will execute the dropper code, and it's all over.

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#4 - User-mode rootkits

There are several types of rootkits, but we'll start with the simplest one. User-mode rootkits run on a computer with administrative privileges. This allows user-mode rootkits to alter security and hide processes, files, system drivers, network ports, and even system services. User-mode rootkits remain installed on the infected computer by copying required files to the computer's hard drive, automatically launching with every system boot.

Sadly, user-mode rootkits are the only type that antivirus or anti-spyware applications even have a chance of detecting. One example of a user-mode rootkit is Hacker Defender. It's an old rootkit, but it has an illustrious history. If you read the link about Hacker Defender, you will learn about Mark Russinovich, his rootkit detection tool called Rootkit Revealer, and his cat-and-mouse struggle with the developer of Hacker Defender.

#5 - Kernel-mode rootkit

Malware developers are a savvy bunch. Realizing that rootkits running in user-mode can be found by rootkit detection software running in kernel-mode, they developed kernel-mode rootkits, placing the rootkit on the same level as the operating system and rootkit detection software. Simply put, the OS can no longer be trusted. One kernel-mode rootkit that's getting lots of attention is the Da IOS rootkit, developed by Sebastian Muniz and aimed at Cisco's IOS operating system.

Instability is the one downfall of a kernel-mode rootkit. If you notice that your computer is blue-screening for other than the normal reasons, it just might be a kernel-mode rootkit.

#6 - User-mode/kernel-mode hybrid rootkit

Rootkit developers, wanting the best of both worlds, developed a hybrid rootkit that combines user-mode characteristics (easy to use and stable) with kernel-mode characteristics (stealthy). The hybrid approach is very successful and the most popular rootkit at this time.

#7 - Firmware rootkits

Firmware rootkits are the next step in sophistication. This type of rootkit can be any of the other types with an added twist; the rootkit can hide in firmware when the computer is shut down. Restart the computer, and the rootkit reinstalls itself. The altered firmware could be anything from microprocessor code to PCI expansion card firmware. Even if a removal program finds and eliminates the firmware rootkit, the next time the computer starts, the firmware rootkit is right back in business. John Heasman has a great paper called "Implementing and Detecting a PCI Rootkit" (PDF).

#8 - Virtual rootkits

Virtual rootkits are a fairly new and innovative approach. The virtual rootkit acts like a software implementation of hardware sets in a manner similar to that used by VMware. This technology has elicited a great deal of apprehension, as virtual rootkits are almost invisible. The Blue Pill is one example of this type of rootkit. To the best of my knowledge, researchers haven't found virtual rootkits in the wild. Ironically, this is because virtual rootkits are complex and other types are working so well.

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#9 - Generic symptoms of rootkit infestation

Rootkits are frustrating. By design, it's difficult to know if they are installed on a computer. Even experts have a hard time but hint that installed rootkits should get the same consideration as other possible reasons for any decrease in operating efficiency. Sorry for being vague, but that's the nature of the beast.

Here's a list of noteworthy symptoms:

*If the computer locks up or fails to respond to any kind of input from the mouse or keyboard, it could be due to an installed kernel-mode rootkit.

*Settings in Windows change without permission. Examples of this could be the screensaver changing or the taskbar hiding itself.

*Web pages or network activities appear to be intermittent or function improperly due to excessive network traffic.

If the rootkit is working correctly, most of these symptoms aren't going to be noticeable. By definition, good rootkits are stealthy. The last symptom (network slowdown) should be the one that raises a flag. Rootkits can't hide traffic increases, especially if the computer is acting as a spam relay or participating in a DDoS attack.

#10 - Polymorphism

I debated whether to include polymorphism as a topic, since it's not specific to rootkits. But it's amazing technology that makes rootkits difficult to find. Polymorphism techniques allow malware such as rootkits to rewrite core assembly code, which makes using antivirus/anti-spyware signature-based defenses useless. Polymorphism even gives behavioral-based (heuristic) defenses a great deal of trouble. The only hope of finding rootkits that use polymorphism is technology that looks deep into the operating system and then compares the results to a known good baseline of the system.

#11 - Detection and removal

You all know the drill, but it's worth repeating. Be sure to keep antivirus/anti-spyware software (and in fact, every software component of the computer) up to date. That will go a long way toward keeping malware away. Keeping everything current is hard, but a tool such as Secunia's Vulnerability Scanning program can help.

Detection and removal depends on the sophistication of the rootkit. If the rootkit is of the user-mode variety, any one of the following rootkit removal tools will most likely work:

*F-Secure Blacklight

*RootkitRevealer

*Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool

*ProcessGuard

*Rootkit Hunter (Linux and BSD)

The problem with these tools is that you can't be sure they've removed the rootkit. Albeit more labor-intensive, using a bootable CD, such as BartPE, with an antivirus scanner will increase the chances of detecting a rootkit, simply because rootkits can't obscure their tracks when they aren't running. I'm afraid that the only way to know for sure is to have a clean computer, take a baseline, and then use an application like "Encase" to check for any additional code.

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Final thoughts

Opinions vary when it comes to rootkit removal, as discussed in the NetworkWorld article "Experts divided over rootkit detection and removal." Although the article is two years old, the information is still relevant. There's some hope, though: Intel's Trusted Platform Module (TPM) has been cited as a possible solution to malware infestation. The problem with TPM is that it's somewhat controversial. Besides, it will take years before sufficient numbers of computers have processors with TPM.

If you're looking for additional information, I recommend the book ROOTKITS: Subverting the Windows Kernel, by Gary Hoglund and James Butler, of HPGary.

Michael Kassner has been involved with wireless communications for 40-plus years, starting with amateur radio (K0PBX) and now as a network field engineer for Orange Business Services and an independent wireless consultant with MKassner Net. Current certifications include Cisco ESTQ Field Engineer, CWNA, and CWSP.

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2010-05-09T22:23:00.000-07:00

The Cost Conundrum : What a Texas town can teach us about health care

by Atul Gawande
June 1, 2009
From the New Yorker, June 1, 2009

It is spring in McAllen, Texas. The morning sun is warm. The streets are lined with palm trees and pickup trucks. McAllen is in Hidalgo County, which has the lowest household income in the country, but it's a border town, and a thriving foreign-trade zone has kept the unemployment rate below ten per cent. McAllen calls itself the Square Dance Capital of the World. "Lonesome Dove" was set around here.
McAllen has another distinction, too: it is one of the most expensive health-care markets in the country. Only Miami—which has much higher labor and living costs—spends more per person on health care. In 2006, Medicare spent fifteen thousand dollars per enrollee here, almost twice the national average. The income per capita is twelve thousand dollars. In other words, Medicare spends three thousand dollars more per person here than the average person earns.

The explosive trend in American medical costs seems to have occurred here in an especially intense form. Our country's health care is by far the most expensive in the world. In Washington, the aim of health-care reform is not just to extend medical coverage to everybody but also to bring costs under control. Spending on doctors, hospitals, drugs, and the like now consumes more than one of every six dollars we earn. The financial burden has damaged the global competitiveness of American businesses and bankrupted millions of families, even those with insurance. It's also devouring our government. "The greatest threat to America's fiscal health is not Social Security," President Barack Obama said in a March speech at the White House. "It's not the investments that we've made to rescue our economy during this crisis. By a wide margin, the biggest threat to our nation's balance sheet is the skyrocketing cost of health care. It's not even
close."

The question we're now frantically grappling with is how this came to be, and what can be done about it. McAllen, Texas, the most expensive town in the most expensive country for health care in the world, seemed a good place to look for some answers.

From the moment I arrived, I asked almost everyone I encountered about McAllen's health costs—a businessman I met at the five-gate McAllen-Miller International Airport, the desk clerks at the Embassy Suites Hotel, a police-academy cadet at McDonald's. Most weren't surprised to hear that McAllen was an outlier. "Just look around," the cadet said. "People are not healthy here." McAllen, with its high poverty rate, has an incidence of heavy drinking sixty per cent higher than the national average. And the Tex-Mex diet has contributed to a thirty-eight-per-cent obesity rate.

One day, I went on rounds with Lester Dyke, a weather-beaten, ranch-owning fifty-three-year-old cardiac surgeon who grew up in Austin, did his surgical training with the Army all over the country, and settled into practice in Hidalgo County. He has not lacked for business: in the past twenty years, he has done some eight thousand heart operations, which exhausts me just thinking about it. I walked around with him as he checked in on ten or so of his patients who were recuperating at the three hospitals where he operates. It was easy to see what had landed them under his knife. They were nearly all obese or diabetic or both. Many had a family history of heart disease. Few were taking preventive measures, such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, which, studies indicate, would have obviated surgery for up to half of them.
Yet public-health statistics show that cardiovascular-disease rates in the county are actually lower than average, probably because its smoking rates are quite low. Rates of asthma, H.I.V., infant mortality, cancer, and injury are lower, too. El Paso County, eight hundred miles up the border, has essentially the same demographics. Both counties have a population of roughly seven hundred thousand, similar public-health statistics, and similar percentages of non-English speakers, illegal immigrants, and the unemployed. Yet in 2006 Medicare expenditures (our best approximation of over-all spending patterns) in El Paso were $7,504 per enrollee—half as much as in McAllen. An unhealthy population couldn't possibly be the reason that McAllen's health-care costs are so high. (Or the reason that America's are. We may be more obese than any other industrialized nation, but we have among the lowest rates of smoking and alcoholism, and we are in the middle of the range for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.)

Was the explanation, then, that McAllen was providing unusually good health care? I took a walk through Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, in Edinburg, one of the towns in the McAllen metropolitan area, with Robert Alleyn, a Houston-trained general surgeon who had grown up here and returned home to practice. The hospital campus sprawled across two city blocks, with a series of three- and four-story stucco buildings separated by golfing-green lawns and black asphalt parking lots. He pointed out the sights—the cancer center is over here, the heart center is over there, now we're coming to the imaging center. We went inside the surgery building. It was sleek and modern, with recessed lighting, classical music piped into the waiting areas, and nurses moving from patient to patient behind rolling black computer pods. We changed into scrubs and Alleyn took me through the sixteen operating rooms to show me the laparoscopy suite, with its flat-screen video monitors, the hybrid operating room with built-in imaging equipment, the surgical robot for minimally invasive robotic surgery.

I was impressed. The place had virtually all the technology that you'd find at Harvard and Stanford and the Mayo Clinic, and, as I walked through that hospital on a dusty road in South Texas, this struck me as a remarkable thing. Rich towns get the new school buildings, fire trucks, and roads, not to mention the better teachers and police officers and civil engineers. Poor towns don't. But that rule doesn't hold for health care.

At McAllen Medical Center, I saw an orthopedic surgeon work under an operating microscope to remove a tumor that had wrapped around the spinal cord of a fourteen-year-old. At a home-health agency, I spoke to a nurse who could provide intravenous-drug therapy for patients with congestive heart failure. At McAllen Heart Hospital, I watched Dyke and a team of six do a coronary-artery bypass using technologies that didn't exist a few years ago. At Renaissance, I talked with a neonatologist who trained at my hospital, in Boston, and brought McAllen new skills and technologies for premature babies. "I've had nurses come up to me and say, 'I never knew these babies could survive,' " he said.

And yet there's no evidence that the treatments and technologies available at McAllen are better than those found elsewhere in the country. The annual reports that hospitals file with Medicare show that those in McAllen and El Paso offer comparable technologies—neonatal intensive-care units, advanced cardiac services, PET scans, and so on. Public statistics show no difference in the supply of doctors. Hidalgo County actually has fewer specialists than the national average.

Nor does the care given in McAllen stand out for its quality. Medicare ranks hospitals on twenty-five metrics of care. On all but two of these, McAllen's five largest hospitals performed worse, on average, than El Paso's. McAllen costs Medicare seven thousand dollars more per person each year than does the average city in America. But not, so far as one can tell, because it's delivering better health care.
One night, I went to dinner with six McAllen doctors. All were what you would call bread-and-butter physicians: busy, full-time, private-practice doctors who work from seven in the morning to seven at night and sometimes later, their waiting rooms teeming and their desks stacked with medical charts to review.
Some were dubious when I told them that McAllen was the country's most expensive place for health care. I gave them the spending data from Medicare. In 1992, in the McAllen market, the average cost per Medicare enrollee was $4,891, almost exactly the national average. But since then, year after year, McAllen's health costs have grown faster than any other market in the country, ultimately soaring by more than ten thousand dollars per person.

"Maybe the service is better here," the cardiologist suggested. People can be seen faster and get their tests more readily, he said.

Others were skeptical. "I don't think that explains the costs he's talking about," the general surgeon said.
"It's malpractice," a family physician who had practiced here for thirty-three years said.
"McAllen is legal hell," the cardiologist agreed. Doctors order unnecessary tests just to protect themselves, he said. Everyone thought the lawyers here were worse than elsewhere.

That explanation puzzled me. Several years ago, Texas passed a tough malpractice law that capped pain-and-suffering awards at two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Didn't lawsuits go down?
"Practically to zero," the cardiologist admitted.

"Come on," the general surgeon finally said. "We all know these arguments are bullshit. There is overutilization here, pure and simple." Doctors, he said, were racking up charges with extra tests, services, and procedures.

The surgeon came to McAllen in the mid-nineties, and since then, he said, "the way to practice medicine has changed completely. Before, it was about how to do a good job. Now it is about 'How much will you benefit?' "

Everyone agreed that something fundamental had changed since the days when health-care costs in McAllen were the same as those in El Paso and elsewhere. Yes, they had more technology. "But young doctors don't think anymore," the family physician said.

The surgeon gave me an example. General surgeons are often asked to see patients with pain from gallstones. If there aren't any complications—and there usually aren't—the pain goes away on its own or with pain medication. With instruction on eating a lower-fat diet, most patients experience no further difficulties.

But some have recurrent episodes, and need surgery to remove their gallbladder.

Seeing a patient who has had uncomplicated, first-time gallstone pain requires some judgment. A surgeon has to provide reassurance (people are often scared and want to go straight to surgery), some education about gallstone disease and diet, perhaps a prescription for pain; in a few weeks, the surgeon might follow up. But increasingly, I was told, McAllen surgeons simply operate. The patient wasn't going to moderate her diet, they tell themselves. The pain was just going to come back. And by operating they happen to make an extra seven hundred dollars.

I gave the doctors around the table a scenario. A forty-year-old woman comes in with chest pain after a fight with her husband. An EKG is normal. The chest pain goes away. She has no family history of heart disease. What did McAllen doctors do fifteen years ago?

Send her home, they said. Maybe get a stress test to confirm that there's no issue, but even that might be overkill.

And today? Today, the cardiologist said, she would get a stress test, an echocardiogram, a mobile Holter monitor, and maybe even a cardiac catheterization.

"Oh, she's definitely getting a cath," the internist said, laughing grimly.

To determine whether overuse of medical care was really the problem in McAllen, I turned to Jonathan Skinner, an economist at Dartmouth's Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, which has three decades of expertise in examining regional patterns in Medicare payment data. I also turned to two private firms—D2Hawkeye, an independent company, and Ingenix, UnitedHealthcare's data-analysis company—to analyze commercial insurance data for McAllen. The answer was yes. Compared with patients in El Paso and nationwide, patients in McAllen got more of pretty much everything—more diagnostic testing, more hospital treatment, more surgery, more home care.

The Medicare payment data provided the most detail. Between 2001 and 2005, critically ill Medicare patients received almost fifty per cent more specialist visits in McAllen than in El Paso, and were two-thirds more likely to see ten or more specialists in a six-month period. In 2005 and 2006, patients in McAllen received twenty per cent more abdominal ultrasounds, thirty per cent more bone-density studies, sixty per cent more stress tests with echocardiography, two hundred per cent more nerve-conduction studies to diagnose carpal-tunnel syndrome, and five hundred and fifty per cent more urine-flow studies to diagnose prostate troubles. They received one-fifth to two-thirds more gallbladder operations, knee replacements, breast biopsies, and bladder scopes. They also received two to three times as many pacemakers, implantable defibrillators, cardiac-bypass operations, carotid endarterectomies, and coronary-artery stents. And Medicare paid for five times as many home-nurse visits. The primary cause of McAllen's extreme costs was, very simply, the across-the-board overuse of medicine.

This is a disturbing and perhaps surprising diagnosis. Americans like to believe that, with most things, more is better. But research suggests that where medicine is concerned it may actually be worse. For example, Rochester, Minnesota, where the Mayo Clinic dominates the scene, has fantastically high levels of technological capability and quality, but its Medicare spending is in the lowest fifteen per cent of the country—$6,688 per enrollee in 2006, which is eight thousand dollars less than the figure for McAllen. Two economists working at Dartmouth, Katherine Baicker and Amitabh Chandra, found that the more money Medicare spent per person in a given state the lower that state's quality ranking tended to be. In fact, the four states with the highest levels of spending—Louisiana, Texas, California, and Florida—were near the bottom of the national rankings on the quality of patient care.

In a 2003 study, another Dartmouth team, led by the internist Elliott Fisher, examined the treatment received by a million elderly Americans diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer, a hip fracture, or a heart attack. They found that patients in higher-spending regions received sixty per cent more care than elsewhere. They got more frequent tests and procedures, more visits with specialists, and more frequent admission to hospitals. Yet they did no better than other patients, whether this was measured in terms of survival, their ability to function, or satisfaction with the care they received. If anything, they seemed to do worse.

That's because nothing in medicine is without risks. Complications can arise from hospital stays, medications, procedures, and tests, and when these things are of marginal value the harm can be greater than the benefits. In recent years, we doctors have markedly increased the number of operations we do, for instance. In 2006, doctors performed at least sixty million surgical procedures, one for every five Americans. No other country does anything like as many operations on its citizens. Are we better off for it? No one knows for sure, but it seems highly unlikely. After all, some hundred thousand people die each year from complications of surgery—far more than die in car crashes.

To make matters worse, Fisher found that patients in high-cost areas were actually less likely to receive low-cost preventive services, such as flu and pneumonia vaccines, faced longer waits at doctor and emergency-room visits, and were less likely to have a primary-care physician. They got more of the stuff that cost more, but not more of what they needed.

In an odd way, this news is reassuring. Universal coverage won't be feasible unless we can control costs. Policymakers have worried that doing so would require rationing, which the public would never go along with. So the idea that there's plenty of fat in the system is proving deeply attractive. "Nearly thirty per cent of Medicare's costs could be saved without negatively affecting health outcomes if spending in high- and medium-cost areas could be reduced to the level in low-cost areas," Peter Orszag, the President's budget director, has stated.

Most Americans would be delighted to have the quality of care found in places like Rochester, Minnesota, or Seattle, Washington, or Durham, North Carolina—all of which have world-class hospitals and costs that fall below the national average. If we brought the cost curve in the expensive places down to their level, Medicare's problems (indeed, almost all the federal government's budget problems for the next fifty years) would be solved. The difficulty is how to go about it. Physicians in places like McAllen behave differently from others. The $2.4-trillion question is why. Unless we figure it out, health reform will fail.
I had what I considered to be a reasonable plan for finding out what was going on in McAllen. I would call on the heads of its hospitals, in their swanky, decorator-designed, churrigueresco offices, and I'd ask them.

The first hospital I visited, McAllen Heart Hospital, is owned by Universal Health Services, a for-profit hospital chain with headquarters in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and revenues of five billion dollars last year. I went to see the hospital's chief operating officer, Gilda Romero. Truth be told, her office seemed less churrigueresco than Office Depot. She had straight brown hair, sympathetic eyes, and looked more like a young school teacher than like a corporate officer with nineteen years of experience. And when I inquired, "What is going on in this place?" she looked surprised.

Is McAllen really that expensive? she asked.

I described the data, including the numbers indicating that heart operations and catheter procedures and pacemakers were being performed in McAllen at double the usual rate.

"That is interesting," she said, by which she did not mean, "Uh-oh, you've caught us" but, rather, "That is actually interesting." The problem of McAllen's outlandish costs was new to her. She puzzled over the numbers. She was certain that her doctors performed surgery only when it was necessary. It had to be one of the other hospitals. And she had one in mind—Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, the hospital in Edinburg that I had toured.

She wasn't the only person to mention Renaissance. It is the newest hospital in the area. It is physician-owned. And it has a reputation (which it disclaims) for aggressively recruiting high-volume physicians to become investors and send patients there. Physicians who do so receive not only their fee for whatever service they provide but also a percentage of the hospital's profits from the tests, surgery, or other care patients are given. (In 2007, its profits totalled thirty-four million dollars.) Romero and others argued that this gives physicians an unholy temptation to overorder.

Such an arrangement can make physician investors rich. But it can't be the whole explanation. The hospital gets barely a sixth of the patients in the region; its margins are no bigger than the other hospitals'—whether for profit or not for profit—and it didn't have much of a presence until 2004 at the earliest, a full decade after the cost explosion in McAllen began.

"Those are good points," Romero said. She couldn't explain what was going on.

The following afternoon, I visited the top managers of Doctors Hospital at Renaissance. We sat in their boardroom around one end of a yacht-length table. The chairman of the board offered me a soda. The chief of staff smiled at me. The chief financial officer shook my hand as if I were an old friend. The C.E.O., however, was having a hard time pretending that he was happy to see me. Lawrence Gelman was a fifty-seven-year-old anesthesiologist with a Bill Clinton shock of white hair and a weekly local radio show tag-lined "Opinions from an Unrelenting Conservative Spirit." He had helped found the hospital. He barely greeted me, and while the others were trying for a how-can-I-help-you-today attitude, his body language was more let's-get-this-over-with.

So I asked him why McAllen's health-care costs were so high. What he gave me was a disquisition on the theory and history of American health-care financing going back to Lyndon Johnson and the creation of Medicare, the upshot of which was: (1) Government is the problem in health care. "The people in charge of the purse strings don't know what they're doing." (2) If anything, government insurance programs like Medicare don't pay enough. "I, as an anesthesiologist, know that they pay me ten per cent of what a private insurer pays." (3) Government programs are full of waste. "Every person in this room could easily go through the expenditures of Medicare and Medicaid and see all kinds of waste." (4) But not in McAllen. The clinicians here, at least at Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, "are providing necessary, essential health care," Gelman said. "We don't invent patients."

Then why do hospitals in McAllen order so much more surgery and scans and tests than hospitals in El Paso and elsewhere?

In the end, the only explanation he and his colleagues could offer was this: The other doctors and hospitals in McAllen may be overspending, but, to the extent that his hospital provides costlier treatment than other places in the country, it is making people better in ways that data on quality and outcomes do not measure.
"Do we provide better health care than El Paso?" Gelman asked. "I would bet you two to one that we do."
It was a depressing conversation—not because I thought the executives were being evasive but because they weren't being evasive. The data on McAllen's costs were clearly new to them. They were defending McAllen reflexively. But they really didn't know the big picture of what was happening.

And, I realized, few people in their position do. Local executives for hospitals and clinics and home-health agencies understand their growth rate and their market share; they know whether they are losing money or making money. They know that if their doctors bring in enough business—surgery, imaging, home-nursing referrals—they make money; and if they get the doctors to bring in more, they make more. But they have only the vaguest notion of whether the doctors are making their communities as healthy as they can, or whether they are more or less efficient than their counterparts elsewhere. A doctor sees a patient in clinic, and has her check into a McAllen hospital for a CT scan, an ultrasound, three rounds of blood tests, another ultrasound, and then surgery to have her gallbladder removed. How is Lawrence Gelman or Gilda Romero to know whether all that is essential, let alone the best possible treatment for the patient? It isn't what they are responsible or accountable for.

Health-care costs ultimately arise from the accumulation of individual decisions doctors make about which services and treatments to write an order for. The most expensive piece of medical equipment, as the saying goes, is a doctor's pen. And, as a rule, hospital executives don't own the pen caps. Doctors do.
If doctors wield the pen, why do they do it so differently from one place to another? Brenda Sirovich, another Dartmouth researcher, published a study last year that provided an important clue. She and her team surveyed some eight hundred primary-care physicians from high-cost cities (such as Las Vegas and New York), low-cost cities (such as Sacramento and Boise), and others in between. The researchers asked the physicians specifically how they would handle a variety of patient cases. It turned out that differences in decision-making emerged in only some kinds of cases. In situations in which the right thing to do was well established—for example, whether to recommend a mammogram for a fifty-year-old woman (the answer is yes)—physicians in high- and low-cost cities made the same decisions. But, in cases in which the science was unclear, some physicians pursued the maximum possible amount of testing and procedures; some pursued the minimum. And which kind of doctor they were depended on where they came from.

Sirovich asked doctors how they would treat a seventy-five-year-old woman with typical heartburn symptoms and "adequate health insurance to cover tests and medications." Physicians in high- and low-cost cities were equally likely to prescribe antacid therapy and to check for H. pylori, an ulcer-causing bacterium—steps strongly recommended by national guidelines. But when it came to measures of less certain value—and higher cost—the differences were considerable. More than seventy per cent of physicians in high-cost cities referred the patient to a gastroenterologist, ordered an upper endoscopy, or both, while half as many in low-cost cities did. Physicians from high-cost cities typically recommended that patients with well-controlled hypertension see them in the office every one to three months, while those from low-cost cities recommended visits twice yearly. In case after uncertain case, more was not necessarily better. But physicians from the most expensive cities did the most expensive things.

Why? Some of it could reflect differences in training. I remember when my wife brought our infant son Walker to visit his grandparents in Virginia, and he took a terrifying fall down a set of stairs. They drove him to the local community hospital in Alexandria. A CT scan showed that he had a tiny subdural hematoma—a small area of bleeding in the brain. During ten hours of observation, though, he was fine—eating, drinking, completely alert. I was a surgery resident then and had seen many cases like his. We observed each child in intensive care for at least twenty-four hours and got a repeat CT scan. That was how I'd been trained. But the doctor in Alexandria was going to send Walker home. That was how he'd been trained. Suppose things change for the worse? I asked him. It's extremely unlikely, he said, and if anything changed Walker could always be brought back. I bullied the doctor into admitting him anyway. The next day, the scan and the patient were fine. And, looking in the textbooks, I learned that the doctor was right. Walker could have been managed safely either way.
There was no sign, however, that McAllen's doctors as a group were trained any differently from El Paso's. One morning, I met with a hospital administrator who had extensive experience managing for-profit hospitals along the border. He offered a different possible explanation: the culture of money.
"In El Paso, if you took a random doctor and looked at his tax returns eighty-five per cent of his income would come from the usual practice of medicine," he said. But in McAllen, the administrator thought, that percentage would be a lot less.
He knew of doctors who owned strip malls, orange groves, apartment complexes—or imaging centers, surgery centers, or another part of the hospital they directed patients to. They had "entrepreneurial spirit," he said. They were innovative and aggressive in finding ways to increase revenues from patient care. "There's no lack of work ethic," he said. But he had often seen financial considerations drive the decisions doctors made for patients—the tests they ordered, the doctors and hospitals they recommended—and it bothered him. Several doctors who were unhappy about the direction medicine had taken in McAllen told me the same thing. "It's a machine, my friend," one surgeon explained.
No one teaches you how to think about money in medical school or residency. Yet, from the moment you start practicing, you must think about it. You must consider what is covered for a patient and what is not. You must pay attention to insurance rejections and government-reimbursement rules. You must think about having enough money for the secretary and the nurse and the rent and the malpractice insurance.
Beyond the basics, however, many physicians are remarkably oblivious to the financial implications of their decisions. They see their patients. They make their recommendations. They send out the bills. And, as long as the numbers come out all right at the end of each month, they put the money out of their minds.
Others think of the money as a means of improving what they do. They think about how to use the insurance money to maybe install electronic health records with colleagues, or provide easier phone and e-mail access, or offer expanded hours. They hire an extra nurse to monitor diabetic patients more closely, and to make sure that patients don't miss their mammograms and pap smears and colonoscopies.

Then there are the physicians who see their practice primarily as a revenue stream. They instruct their secretary to have patients who call with follow-up questions schedule an appointment, because insurers don't pay for phone calls, only office visits. They consider providing Botox injections for cash. They take a Doppler ultrasound course, buy a machine, and start doing their patients' scans themselves, so that the insurance payments go to them rather than to the hospital. They figure out ways to increase their high-margin work and decrease their low-margin work. This is a business, after all.

In every community, you'll find a mixture of these views among physicians, but one or another tends to predominate. McAllen seems simply to be the community at one extreme.

In a few cases, the hospital executive told me, he'd seen the behavior cross over into what seemed like outright fraud. "I've had doctors here come up to me and say, 'You want me to admit patients to your hospital, you're going to have to pay me.' "

"How much?" I asked.

"The amounts—all of them were over a hundred thousand dollars per year," he said. The doctors were specific. The most he was asked for was five hundred thousand dollars per year.

He didn't pay any of them, he said: "I mean, I gotta sleep at night." And he emphasized that these were just a handful of doctors. But he had never been asked for a kickback before coming to McAllen.

Woody Powell is a Stanford sociologist who studies the economic culture of cities. Recently, he and his research team studied why certain regions—Boston, San Francisco, San Diego—became leaders in biotechnology while others with a similar concentration of scientific and corporate talent—Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New York—did not. The answer they found was what Powell describes as the anchor-tenant theory of economic development. Just as an anchor store will define the character of a mall, anchor tenants in biotechnology, whether it's a company like Genentech, in South San Francisco, or a university like M.I.T., in Cambridge, define the character of an economic community. They set the norms. The anchor tenants that set norms encouraging the free flow of ideas and collaboration, even with competitors, produced enduringly successful communities, while those that mainly sought to dominate did not.

Powell suspects that anchor tenants play a similarly powerful community role in other areas of economics, too, and health care may be no exception. I spoke to a marketing rep for a McAllen home-health agency who told me of a process uncannily similar to what Powell found in biotech. Her job is to persuade doctors to use her agency rather than others. The competition is fierce. I opened the phone book and found seventeen pages of listings for home-health agencies—two hundred and sixty in all. A patient typically brings in between twelve hundred and fifteen hundred dollars, and double that amount for specialized care. She described how, a decade or so ago, a few early agencies began rewarding doctors who ordered home visits with more than trinkets: they provided tickets to professional sporting events, jewelry, and other gifts. That set the tone. Other agencies jumped in. Some began paying doctors a supplemental salary, as "medical directors," for steering business in their direction.

Doctors came to expect a share of the revenue stream.

Agencies that want to compete on quality struggle to remain in business, the rep said. Doctors have asked her for a medical-director salary of four or five thousand dollars a month in return for sending her business. One asked a colleague of hers for private-school tuition for his child; another wanted sex.
"I explained the rules and regulations and the anti-kickback law, and told them no," she said of her dealings with such doctors. "Does it hurt my business?" She paused. "I'm O.K. working only with ethical physicians," she finally said.

About fifteen years ago, it seems, something began to change in McAllen. A few leaders of local institutions took profit growth to be a legitimate ethic in the practice of medicine. Not all the doctors accepted this. But they failed to discourage those who did. So here, along the banks of the Rio Grande, in the Square Dance Capital of the World, a medical community came to treat patients the way subprime-mortgage lenders treated home buyers: as profit centers.

The real puzzle of American health care, I realized on the airplane home, is not why McAllen is different from El Paso. It's why El Paso isn't like McAllen.

Every incentive in the system is an invitation to go the way McAllen has gone. Yet, across the country, large numbers of communities have managed to control their health costs rather than ratchet them up.
I talked to Denis Cortese, the C.E.O. of the Mayo Clinic, which is among the highest-quality, lowest-cost health-care systems in the country. A couple of years ago, I spent several days there as a visiting surgeon. Among the things that stand out from that visit was how much time the doctors spent with patients. There was no churn—no shuttling patients in and out of rooms while the doctor bounces from one to the other. I accompanied a colleague while he saw patients. Most of the patients, like those in my clinic, required about twenty minutes. But one patient had colon cancer and a number of other complex issues, including heart disease. The physician spent an hour with her, sorting things out. He phoned a cardiologist with a question.

"I'll be there," the cardiologist said.

Fifteen minutes later, he was. They mulled over everything together. The cardiologist adjusted a medication, and said that no further testing was needed. He cleared the patient for surgery, and the operating room gave her a slot the next day.

The whole interaction was astonishing to me. Just having the cardiologist pop down to see the patient with the surgeon would be unimaginable at my hospital. The time required wouldn't pay. The time required just to organize the system wouldn't pay.

The core tenet of the Mayo Clinic is "The needs of the patient come first"—not the convenience of the doctors, not their revenues. The doctors and nurses, and even the janitors, sat in meetings almost weekly, working on ideas to make the service and the care better, not to get more money out of patients. I asked Cortese how the Mayo Clinic made this possible.

"It's not easy," he said. But decades ago Mayo recognized that the first thing it needed to do was eliminate the financial barriers. It pooled all the money the doctors and the hospital system received and began paying everyone a salary, so that the doctors' goal in patient care couldn't be increasing their income. Mayo promoted leaders who focussed first on what was best for patients, and then on how to make this financially possible.

No one there actually intends to do fewer expensive scans and procedures than is done elsewhere in the country. The aim is to raise quality and to help doctors and other staff members work as a team. But, almost by happenstance, the result has been lower costs.

"When doctors put their heads together in a room, when they share expertise, you get more thinking and less testing," Cortese told me.

Skeptics saw the Mayo model as a local phenomenon that wouldn't carry beyond the hay fields of northern Minnesota. But in 1986 the Mayo Clinic opened a campus in Florida, one of our most expensive states for health care, and, in 1987, another one in Arizona. It was difficult to recruit staff members who would accept a salary and the Mayo's collaborative way of practicing. Leaders were working against the dominant medical culture and incentives. The expansion sites took at least a decade to get properly established. But eventually they achieved the same high-quality, low-cost results as Rochester. Indeed, Cortese says that the Florida site has become, in some respects, the most efficient one in the system.
The Mayo Clinic is not an aberration. One of the lowest-cost markets in the country is Grand Junction, Colorado, a community of a hundred and twenty thousand that nonetheless has achieved some of Medicare's highest quality-of-care scores. Michael Pramenko is a family physician and a local medical leader there. Unlike doctors at the Mayo Clinic, he told me, those in Grand Junction get piecework fees from insurers. But years ago the doctors agreed among themselves to a system that paid them a similar fee whether they saw Medicare, Medicaid, or private-insurance patients, so that there would be little incentive to cherry-pick patients. They also agreed, at the behest of the main health plan in town, an H.M.O., to meet regularly on small peer-review committees to go over their patient charts together. They focussed on rooting out problems like poor prevention practices, unnecessary back operations, and unusual hospital-complication rates. Problems went down. Quality went up. Then, in 2004, the doctors' group and the local H.M.O. jointly created a regional information network—a community-wide electronic-record system that shared office notes, test results, and hospital data for patients across the area. Again, problems went down. Quality went up. And costs ended up lower than just about anywhere else in the United States.

Grand Junction's medical community was not following anyone else's recipe. But, like Mayo, it created what Elliott Fisher, of Dartmouth, calls an accountable-care organization. The leading doctors and the hospital system adopted measures to blunt harmful financial incentives, and they took collective responsibility for improving the sum total of patient care.

This approach has been adopted in other places, too: the Geisinger Health System, in Danville, Pennsylvania; the Marshfield Clinic, in Marshfield, Wisconsin; Intermountain Healthcare, in Salt Lake City; Kaiser Permanente, in Northern California. All of them function on similar principles. All are not-for-profit institutions. And all have produced enviably higher quality and lower costs than the average American town enjoys.

When you look across the spectrum from Grand Junction to McAllen—and the almost threefold difference in the costs of care—you come to realize that we are witnessing a battle for the soul of American medicine. Somewhere in the United States at this moment, a patient with chest pain, or a tumor, or a cough is seeing a doctor. And the damning question we have to ask is whether the doctor is set up to meet the needs of the patient, first and foremost, or to maximize revenue.

There is no insurance system that will make the two aims match perfectly. But having a system that does so much to misalign them has proved disastrous. As economists have often pointed out, we pay doctors for quantity, not quality. As they point out less often, we also pay them as individuals, rather than as members of a team working together for their patients. Both practices have made for serious problems.

Providing health care is like building a house. The task requires experts, expensive equipment and materials, and a huge amount of coördination. Imagine that, instead of paying a contractor to pull a team together and keep them on track, you paid an electrician for every outlet he recommends, a plumber for every faucet, and a carpenter for every cabinet. Would you be surprised if you got a house with a thousand outlets, faucets, and cabinets, at three times the cost you expected, and the whole thing fell apart a couple of years later? Getting the country's best electrician on the job (he trained at Harvard, somebody tells you) isn't going to solve this problem. Nor will changing the person who writes him the check.

This last point is vital. Activists and policymakers spend an inordinate amount of time arguing about whether the solution to high medical costs is to have government or private insurance companies write the checks. Here's how this whole debate goes. Advocates of a public option say government financing would save the most money by having leaner administrative costs and forcing doctors and hospitals to take lower payments than they get from private insurance. Opponents say doctors would skimp, quit, or game the system, and make us wait in line for our care; they maintain that private insurers are better at policing doctors. No, the skeptics say: all insurance companies do is reject applicants who need health care and stall on paying their bills. Then we have the economists who say that the people who should pay the doctors are the ones who use them. Have consumers pay with their own dollars, make sure that they have some "skin in the game," and then they'll get the care they deserve. These arguments miss the main issue. When it comes to making care better and cheaper, changing who pays the doctor will make no more difference than changing who pays the electrician. The lesson of the high-quality, low-cost communities is that someone has to be accountable for the totality of care. Otherwise, you get a system that has no brakes. You get McAllen.

One afternoon in McAllen, I rode down McColl Road with Lester Dyke, the cardiac surgeon, and we passed a series of office plazas that seemed to be nothing but home-health agencies, imaging centers, and medical-equipment stores.

"Medicine has become a pig trough here," he muttered.

Dyke is among the few vocal critics of what's happened in McAllen. "We took a wrong turn when doctors stopped being doctors and became businessmen," he said.

We began talking about the various proposals being touted in Washington to fix the cost problem. I asked him whether expanding public-insurance programs like Medicare and shrinking the role of insurance companies would do the trick in McAllen.

"I don't have a problem with it," he said. "But it won't make a difference." In McAllen, government payers already predominate—not many people have jobs with private insurance.

How about doing the opposite and increasing the role of big insurance companies?

"What good would that do?" Dyke asked.

The third class of health-cost proposals, I explained, would push people to use medical savings accounts and hold high-deductible insurance policies: "They'd have more of their own money on the line, and that'd drive them to bargain with you and other surgeons, right?"
He gave me a quizzical look. We tried to imagine the scenario. A cardiologist tells an elderly woman that she needs bypass surgery and has Dr. Dyke see her. They discuss the blockages in her heart, the operation, the risks. And now they're supposed to haggle over the price as if he were selling a rug in a souk? "I'll do three vessels for thirty thousand, but if you take four I'll throw in an extra night in the I.C.U."—that sort of thing? Dyke shook his head. "Who comes up with this stuff?" he asked. "Any plan that relies on the sheep to negotiate with the wolves is doomed to failure."

Instead, McAllen and other cities like it have to be weaned away from their untenably fragmented, quantity-driven systems of health care, step by step. And that will mean rewarding doctors and hospitals if they band together to form Grand Junction-like accountable-care organizations, in which doctors collaborate to increase prevention and the quality of care, while discouraging overtreatment, undertreatment, and sheer profiteering. Under one approach, insurers—whether public or private—would allow clinicians who formed such organizations and met quality goals to keep half the savings they generate. Government could also shift regulatory burdens, and even malpractice liability, from the doctors to the organization. Other, sterner, approaches would penalize those who don't form these organizations.
This will by necessity be an experiment. We will need to do in-depth research on what makes the best systems successful—the peer-review committees? recruiting more primary-care doctors and nurses? putting doctors on salary?—and disseminate what we learn. Congress has provided vital funding for research that compares the effectiveness of different treatments, and this should help reduce uncertainty about which treatments are best. But we also need to fund research that compares the effectiveness of different systems of care—to reduce our uncertainty about which systems work best for communities. These are empirical, not ideological, questions. And we would do well to form a national institute for health-care delivery, bringing together clinicians, hospitals, insurers, employers, and citizens to assess, regularly, the quality and the cost of our care, review the strategies that produce good results, and make clear recommendations for local systems.

Dramatic improvements and savings will take at least a decade. But a choice must be made. Whom do we want in charge of managing the full complexity of medical care? We can turn to insurers (whether public or private), which have proved repeatedly that they can't do it. Or we can turn to the local medical communities, which have proved that they can. But we have to choose someone—because, in much of the country, no one is in charge. And the result is the most wasteful and the least sustainable health-care system in the world.

Something even more worrisome is going on as well. In the war over the culture of medicine—the war over whether our country's anchor model will be Mayo or McAllen—the Mayo model is losing. In the sharpest economic downturn that our health system has faced in half a century, many people in medicine don't see why they should do the hard work of organizing themselves in ways that reduce waste and improve quality if it means sacrificing revenue.

In El Paso, the for-profit health-care executive told me, a few leading physicians recently followed McAllen's lead and opened their own centers for surgery and imaging. When I was in Tulsa a few months ago, a fellow-surgeon explained how he had made up for lost revenue by shifting his operations for well-insured patients to a specialty hospital that he partially owned while keeping his poor and uninsured patients at a nonprofit hospital in town. Even in Grand Junction, Michael Pramenko told me, "some of the doctors are beginning to complain about 'leaving money on the table.' "

As America struggles to extend health-care coverage while curbing health-care costs, we face a decision that is more important than whether we have a public-insurance option, more important than whether we will have a single-payer system in the long run or a mixture of public and private insurance, as we do now. The decision is whether we are going to reward the leaders who are trying to build a new generation of Mayos and Grand Junctions. If we don't, McAllen won't be an outlier. It will be our future. ♦

2010-05-09T22:16:00.000-07:00

ABRAHAM LINCOLN SCHOOL

Escolta de la secundaria 32 "Abraham Lincoln"

Blvd. Benito Juarez 1001
Playas de Rosarito
CP: 22710
Playas de Rosarito
Baja California
Teléfono: 66121086

2010-05-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

A FISH STORY

The fishing trip was just that -- a trip.

Tried a new route to the launch...shoulda known better.

Eventually got there, headed out and set the GPS only to find the "magic spot" was 13 miles out to sea. I'm still in the shakedown phase with the boat and thought that a bit far. Went anyway.

My friend's kid got seasick in very mild swells, and then needed the poop bucket. Glad I properly prepared the boat for this 4 hour outting. We caught many sand dabs, a few rockfish, and a lot of sun. With an impending 3 PM Small Craft Advisory for the area, noon seemed like a good time to head back.

Rung out the boat on fairly flat water and almost got to 40 MPH with the fishing prop. There is a high speed prop that should give even more un-needed speed. Slowing at the end of that 10 mile scoot I noticed water coming into the engine compartment, and then some smoke coming out. Past experiences with things that suddenly start smoking told me I needed to do a bit of quick fixing. That's when things turned for the worse.

I uncovered the engine, hit the main power kill switch but slipped in the process and cut my thumb. Next I almost cauterized that cut when I found the source of the smoke.

After some choice words I located the dislodged bait tank line that was providing all that unwanted water, cleared a clogged bilge pump, searched unsuccessfully for the source of the smoke, all the time reminding myself to install a bilge alarm and yet another backup pump.

Turned on the power and things seemed to be back the way they should so I started the motor and we headed for the marina. It was right in the mouth of the marina (read 2 way Saturday traffic) that I discovered things were NOT yet quite right when more smoke billowed from the suddenly silent engine compartment.

Remember the 2 way traffic? Well they were encourageing me with hand gestures, sounding their horns, and doing something I now call the inlet boat-jam traffic dance.

I severed the smoking alternator wire, re-started the motor (to the cheers of many) and proceeded to the Saturday cluster#*^k we call the launch ramp and another boring fishing trip came to an end.

I can't decide which is the easier solution, a new alternator or just a fan to remove the smoke from the current one.

Gonna go fishing again as soon as the thumb heals.

John, KO6WI

2010-05-03T21:54:00.000-07:00

A "DIGITAL TIME-BOMB"/UNA BOMBA DE RELOJERÍA DIGITAL

This is CRITICAL information which everyone who uses a copier should know:

Ésta es la información CRÍTICA que cada una que utiliza una copiadora debe saber:

English: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC38D5am7go>
español: http://translate.google.com.mx/translate?hl=es&langpair=en%7Ces&u=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/19/eveningnews/main6412439.shtml

2010-04-29T19:02:00.000-07:00

They close a bar in Colonia (Lomas) Baja Malibu

TIJUANA, Baja California(PH)

Last night a bar located on the Scenic Highway in the Colonia (Lomas) Baja Malibu area (k 22, HWY 1D) was closed for selling alcoholic beverages without permission.

According to the Municipal Police, the business closed is 'Plan B,' located in the commercial plaza Baja Malibu and Caesar Martínez Ramírez, 38, was detained.

Officials attested it was personnel of the Regulations office who indicated to them that they themselves observed the irregularity which was happening and they were the ones who asked the support of the Office of the Secretary of Municipal Public Security (SSPM).
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Clausuran bar en colonia Baja Malibú

TIJUANA, Baja California(PH) La noche de ayer fue clausurado un local ubicado sobre la Carretera Escénica, a la altura de la colonia Baja Malibú, por estar vendiendo bebidas alcohólicas sin contar con permiso.

De acuerdo a la Policia Municipal, la negociación clausurada es "Plan B", localizada en la plaza comercial Baja Malibú y se detuvo a César Martínez Ramírez, de 38 años.

Según los oficiales, fue el personal de Reglamentos quienes les indicaron que se percataron sobre la irregularidad que estaba sucediendo y fueron ellos quienes pidieron el apoyo de la Secretaría de Seguridad Pública Municipal (SSPM).

2010-04-26T23:26:00.000-07:00

Dog needs a temporary home

Cheryl Shepard's brother Terry had an accident wherein his car caught on fire and his feet were horribly burnt. It's pretty bad.

He has a bitch named JJ, a one year old spayed black lab mix. She weighs about 40 lbs and has had all her shots. She was in the car with Terry when the fire started and he went back in to rescue her - so he loves this dog.

She hasn't been trained very well but I think she could be. She's a nice dog and good guard dog as she will let you know when anyone comes near the house. She needs a good home to stay in while Terry's in the hospital. It will need to be a fenced yard situation. They're no money in it although all food will be paid for. Her friend, JoEllen, would be willing to field some legal questions for the favor. Cheryl says she's sweet and nice dog. Cheryl doesn't have a yard, only a small patio that's easily escapable - and she hops the little wall and takes off. Cheryl's can't keep her and Terry will be in the hospital in San Diego for about 3 months.

They had to cut off the skin and meat from his toes to his heel and so far has amputated one toe. She/we need someone to give JJ a place to stay until Terry comes back to Rosarito - he lives in Rene's campo.
Please circulate this around and maybe someone will be kind enough to help.

2010-04-23T14:21:00.000-07:00

Break-ins

According to information provided to the SADM Administrator, there has been a series of break-ins and attempted break-ins over the past week and a half.

1) The most recent incident (reported 4/22/2010) was the theft of a computer from a residence in the 100 block of Cantil. This theft occurred sometime during the night/early morning in an office area of the residence while the occupants were present in other areas. In this incident, the perpetrator gained entrance through an unlocked window.

2) At approximately 2:30 am yesterday (April 21), a perpetrator attempted to break into an occupied residence in the 400 block of Farallon, but was driven off by the residents.

3) Last week, we received reports of an individual running across roof-tops adjacent to the 600-block pool. In the same week, attempted break-ins occurred in 2 occupied homes in the 800 block of Roca during the early morning hours. In both cases, it appears only one perpetrator was involved, and in one, the residents left bedroom sliding doors unlocked. An unoccupied house in the 700 block of Roca was forcibly entered. Relatively inexpensive, small items were taken from the residence but it was ransacked. The thief entered through a small side window (12 x 12 inches) which he had broken.

4) Sometime during the past ten days while the homeowners were away, a burglar broke down the entrance of their house in the 400 block of Farallon and stole a computer and other small valuables. This crime was reported today. Our security stated that there was evidence the burglar had turned off the electricity, perhaps in an attempt to determine if anyone was present before committing the burglary.

Based on the limited information available, it is our opinion that these incidents are a pattern of criminal activity committed by one individual who is apparently of medium build, thin (entrance through very small window at Roca house), agile (athletic), most likely young.

These are the incidents that have been reported to the Administrator’s office. It is critically important, as we pointed out in our recent Security Bulletin of April 14, that residents report IMMEDIATELY to the guard caseta (631 30 26) any crimes and/or suspicious activity or behavior. DO NOT HESITATE TO REPORT ANYTHING OR ANYONE THAT CAUSES YOU CONCERN. Also, if a crime has been committed in the past and you discover it now, even minor thefts, report them to the Administrator, Dr. Alvarez (631 33 63).

In two of these incidents, the perpetrator entered through an unsecured window or door. Make certain that all entrances into your house are locked at all times, even if you are present in your residence or leaving it for a short period of time. This is especially urgent for those houses which have entrances that are easily accessible or immediately adjacent to the street, vacant lots, unoccupied residences, etc.

Also in two of the incidents, ladders were conveniently available for the thief to gain access to upper levels of the residences. Do a security inventory of your residence and its surroundings to make certain that items are not present that can aid or encourage a break-in. We have continually recommended that residents install a security alarm system in their houses. If you are not able to do this, at least have motion detector lights placed strategically around the perimeter of your property. In the case of one of the attempted break-ins on Roca, the motion-sensitive lights which turned on when the perpetrator entered a patio area contributed to scaring him off.

Finally, San Antonio is a large community. We have over 800 lot parcels with houses on most. Our security team can be present at only one place at any given time. In a real sense, each of us has to consider ourselves a “security guard.” We ARE the first line of prevention and defense for ourselves and our neighbors.

We hope with your support, your extra vigilance, the strengthening of your house security and encouragement of neighbors to do the same, we will put an end to the current string of property crimes and eliminate the need for notices such as this.

Your San Antonio del Mar Homeowners Committee and Administrator

Al Rosen, President

Dra. Martha Alvarez, Administrator

2010-04-22T21:50:00.000-07:00

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH BREAK-IN REPORTS - Ladders & advisory correction

At noontime on Thursday, April 22, the occupant at Calle Farallon, Nº 414, returned home to discover that her house had been burglarized.

SAM security and a team of TJ police officers arrived soon thereafter. If you find evidence of burglary when you return home, do not enter it. Call SAM security (631.3967)and the Tijuana police (066) and let them enter first. Also, please contact your neighborhood watch Captain.

The door strike in the wooden door frame had been jimmied to gain access to the house at ground level of the home. The thieves turned off the circuit breakers located at the front of the house, apparently to ensure that the house was unoccupied. After no one turned the breakers back on, they entered the property at night over/through the back fence, which was located immediately adjacent to the carretera. Neighbors were unable to observe any disruption or activity because side and front walls completely obscured observation from those perspectives. They completely ransacked the home, among items taken were a personal computer, jewelry, a telephone, foodstuffs, and a white sweatshirt with the word "ENGLAND" printed on the chest.

This blue/purple mochila (backpack) was used to carry items up the bank behind the home to the fence. The items were apparently handed to another accomplice over the fence; it belonged to one of the burglars.

All or most of the food in the refrigerator had spoiled, and had to be discarded.
______________________________________

Two recent break-ins in SADM were facilitated by unsecured ladders in occupied homes thoughtfully left in an area near homes where the burglars could use them to gain entry.

2010-04-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

Intruder Event Follow-up - Neighborhood Watch

At approximately 2:30 this morning a black-clad male intruder wearing a baseball cap attempted to break into a second-story window at the rear of the occupied residence at Nº 422, Calle Farallon.

The rear of the home is completely fenced with cyclone fencing and barbed wire, separating the home from a vacant lot and the carretera, which was breached by the intruder. Awakened by noises, one of the occupants awoke to see the outline of a man at a window as he was breaking the window in an attempt to gain entry into the home.

BROKEN SCREEN – VIEW FROM ABOVE THE WINDOW – THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDOW LEDGE IS APPROXIMATELY 15 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL

BROKEN REAR WINDOW

At that point, a ladder the man had found at the rear of the home to reach the window became unstable and he returned to the ground. The occupant then awoke her companion and went to the front of the house to call the police. As she did this, the intruder went to the front of the house, and climbed to the second-story terrazza of the home, apparently unaware that the house was occupied. When he approached the front sliding-glass entry door, he encountered the male occupant, turned and fled down a couple of steps and jumped to the top of a wall separating the home from the adjacent building. He ran along to top of this wall and leapt up to the top of another wall which abutted the wall he was on, and jumped or fell about 15 feet to the street below.

A team of six Tijuana police officers and a security guard from the colonia arrived no less than ten minutes after the call to emergency services was completed. After they made a quick search of the immediate scene, they departed.

Although the intruder was described as “ … the fastest man I have ever seen.” and “very agile” he may have suffered an injury during his flight from the terrazza. Please be on the look-out for a male of medium height who has recently suffered an injury, especially to the hip, leg, or ankle.

2010-04-21T04:04:00.000-07:00

Neighborhood Watch Advisory

INTRUDER ALERT: At approximately 2:30 AM a male twice tried to break into the home at Calle Farallon #422. San Antonio del Mar Security & Tijuana police team are presently searching for suspect.

The suspect is described as "fast and agile."

2010-04-21T01:54:00.000-07:00

Rosarito Spanish Study Group

The Study Group holds formal classes every Monday at Las Mañanitas restaurant on Bulevar Juárez cater-corner from Waldo's $1 store in Playas de Rosarito. The intermediate session meets at 12 Noon, beginners at 1:30 PM. The advanced session is at 3:00 PM and is conducted entirely in Spanish.

Each group member is expected to bring a personal English/Spanish or Spanish dictionary, 3X5 cards, note paper, and a writing instrument. A study guide is provided by the instructor which costs $12. A nominal fee $24 is required for completion of a six-week class module. If an individual does not attend a class during a module he or she has registered in, the missed class must be completed by a "make up" assignment with the teacher, or the fee for the missed session will be forfeited.

No members of the study group will be required to pay a class fee for a session in which the Profesora is absent.

The classes are held whenever the teacher is available. If the teacher is not available for some reason, the group maintains the class schedule, meets at the same time and studies material which she assigns to each class session for completion in her absence.

The Spanish Study group publishes a loose ongoing discussion at this blog site which covers material presented during classes, points emphasized by the Profesora, questions by students, or class logistics. Any participant in The Rosarito Spanish Study Group can contribute material for the blog.

Caution must be observed when parking your vehicle, as a student was recently carjacked at gunpoint when he dismounted from his vehicle in the parking lot next to the restaurant.

2010-04-09T04:20:00.000-07:00

TEEN GIRL NO LONGER MISSING IN EAST SAN DIEGO COUNTY: Missing teen Marie Faustman has been found safe in Parker, AZ, where she went voluntarily to stay with friends.

Marie Faustman was dropped off by her mother at a friend’s home on Pepper Drive in an unincorporated area just north of El Cajon at 7 a.m. April 1. The teenager was supposed to return later that night, but disappeared.

Her cellular telephone was turned off April 3 and she has not had any contact with friends or family over the past week.

Original news article at URL: http://tinyurl.com/y33abj8

2010-04-06T01:33:00.000-07:00

MEXICAN INTERIOR MINISTRY DECLARES BAJA CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKE REGION TO RECEIVE FEDERAL AID

Boletín No.147-05/04/2010.
México, D. F., a 05 de abril de 2010.

Declara la Segob emergencia para el municipio de Mexicali del estado de Baja California afectado por el sismo de 7.2 grados

La Coordinación General de Protección Civil de la Secretaría de Gobernación emitió hoy una Declaratoria de Emergencia para el municipio de Mexicali, del estado de Baja California, afectado por el sismo de magnitud 7.2 grados en la escala Richter registrado el día 4 de abril de 2010, con el fin de que las autoridades estatales dispongan de inmediato de los recursos del Fondo Revolvente del Fondo de Desastres Naturales (FONDEN), para atender las necesidades básicas de la población afectada.

A partir de esta Declaratoria, solicitada por el gobierno estatal, las autoridades contarán con recursos para atender las necesidades alimenticias, de abrigo y de salud de la población afectada.

--oo0oo--

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Secretaría de Gobernación: http://www.gobernacion.gob.mx/

2010-03-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

SAN ANTONIO DEL MAR NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH NOTICE - HIGH VOLTAGE HAZARD

There is a broken street lamp hanging from the pole at Calle Farallon #469.

The good news is that Miguel at the security caseta tells me that the municipal lighting workers will come out and fix it.

The bad news is that the wind is blowing it around while it dangles next to the electrical service drop circuits that feed several homes nearby. This condition may result in downed service wiring, a pole fire, and/or the creation of a ground plane differential in proximity to the fallen wires.

It is recommended that this hazard be avoided until the street lamp fairy fixes it (see photo).

Saludos,

Pat

2010-03-16T21:05:00.000-07:00

Power Amplifier, Tandberg TPA-3016A

From Tim Dowdle:

The original price of the Tandberg TPA-3016A amp varied between $3,300 and $3,800.

He has the original box and the original owner's manual. The amp comes with the original power cord, plus an extra. It uses a hard-to-find NEMA 5-15P to IEC 60320 C19 ("if memory serves me!") power cord. He can provide digital photos of the amp, if someone desires them. It is in excellent condition.

He has a PDF of the original spec sheet and an August 1986 "Stereo Review" Test Report.

He "will consider any offer." Use this email address biz4td@gmail.com for contact.

2010-03-15T19:15:00.000-07:00

BEACH CLEAN-UP AT SAN ANTONIO DEL MAR

El Niño has given us much needed rain. But El Niño also has left piles of trash and debris on our beaches. Please join your neighbors for a few hours (or whatever amount of time you can volunteer) to restore our beaches to their natural beauty – SUNDAY, MARCH 21, STARTING AT 8:00 AM AT THE SOUTH PARK. This is a regional activity and is coordinated with El Proyecto Fronterizo. We need your help. Put this on your calendar.

We especially need 4X4 TRUCKS OR ATVS to haul the bags of trash off the beach. Help your community do a beautiful thing!

Your San Antonio del Mar Homeowners Committee and Administrator

2010-03-08T10:17:00.000-08:00

Getting to and from school is half the fun . . .

2010-03-06T21:31:00.000-08:00

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME TIME ZONE CHANGES ARE UPCOMING:

The pyramid clock of the snake god Kulkulkan in the temple city of Chichen Itza in Mexico is the world’s largest clock. The solstices and equinoxes are indicated by the shadows cast on its steps in relation to the position of the Sun:

Excerpted from URL: http://www.timeanddate.com/news/time/mexico-starts-dst-2010.html

Mexico One Hour Ahead on Easter, April 4, 2010

Most of Mexico will officially begin daylight saving time (DST) on Sunday, April 4, 2010, which is Easter Sunday. However, some of Mexico’s northern regions that border the United States will start DST at the same time as the United States and Canada.

The states of Sonora and Arizona do not observe DST, and remain on Mountain Standard Time (MST) all year round.

Mexico’s DST Schedule

Most of Mexico observes a daylight saving schedule that begins on the first Sunday of April, when the clocks move forward by one hour from 2 A.M. (02:00) to 3 A.M. (03:00) local time. The DST schedule ends on the last Sunday of October, when the clocks move back from 2 A.M. (02:00) to 1 A.M. (01:00) local time.

Some areas in northern Mexico that border the United States follow a slightly different daylight saving schedule. DST for these areas runs from the second Sunday of March until the first Sunday of November. This schedule applies to: Tijuana, Mexicali, Ciudad Juarez, Ojinaga, Ciudad Acuña, Piedras Negras, Anahuac, Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa, and Matamoros.

These areas follow the United States’ DST schedule as a way of maintaining strong business ties and economic relations between US/Mexico border cities and towns. Mexico’s Congress passed a law in December 2009 to ensure that the amended DST schedule for these areas would occur from 2010 onwards. Sonora does not observe DST so the time does not change there.

I have been told that a modified Horario synchronized with the U.S. DST change will be observed in the entire State of Baja California, not just Tijuana and Mexicali, beginning March 14. The Federal Congress has apparently approved this change thanks to a petition recently submitted by Sr. Gastón Luken, a Tijuana federal congressman.

I do not know the exact date the petition was approved.

2010-03-04T18:59:00.000-08:00

AMERICAN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION FILES REQUEST WITH FCC - WP Docket No. 10-54

IT WANTS A BLANKET WAIVER TO USE AMATEUR RADIO AS PART OF EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS DRILLS.

(Daily Digest Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th St., SW, Washington, D.C. 20554

Vol. 29 No. 42 News media information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov/

TTY: 202/418-2555

March 03, 2010)

http://tinyurl.com/yaofxud

If approved, the waiver would facilitate communications between U.S. citizens in Mexico, and hospitals in the States.

2010-03-03T21:20:00.000-08:00

Isabel Miranda de Wallace is a member of the United Mexicans Against Organized Crime group

(scroll down for English version)

Pena de muerte a secuestradores asesinos: Isabel Wallace

3 Marzo, 2010 - 17:51
La señora Isabel Miranda de Wallace se pronunció por aplicar la pena de muerte a los secuestradores que asesinen a los plagiados, además lamentó que la justicia proteja más a los delincuentes que a las víctimas.

Al participar en el foro “Alto al Secuestro” que organiza el Senado, Miranda de Wallace convocó al Congreso cumplir su compromiso de aprobar antes del 30 de abril la Ley General de Protección a las Víctimas del Delito de Secuestro.

La madre de Hugo Alberto Wallace, secuestrado el 11 de julio de 2005 y asesinado días después, señaló que está en contra de la propuesta presidencial de Ley Antisecuestro, pues propone de 40 años de cárcel a prisión vitalicia al plagiario que mate a su víctima.

“No señores, la Constitución establece claramente que la condena debe ser proporcional al bien jurídico lesionado, y quiero que me digan que es lo puedo hacer cuando matan a un secuestrado, ¿Cuál sería el contrapeso? Sólo la pena de muerte”, agregó.

Miranda de Wallace indicó que la propuesta de implantar la pena de muerte a los secuestradores que presentó el lunes el PVEM fue rechazada “por alguien que dijo que sólo querían reventar el foro”, pues está prohibida por los tratados internacionales.

“Los secuestradores no se preocupan por matar a su víctima y nosotros nos preocupamos por lo derechos de esos delincuentes”, advirtió.

Por ello, demandó a los diputados aprobar reformas a la Ley de Amparo para que las víctimas puedan defenderse, pues es “absurdo que el Estado pague un abogado a los delincuentes y nosotros tengamos que recurrir al Ministerio Público, que está atiborrado de trabajo”.

En su intervención, Miranda de Wallace demandó al Senado aprobar antes del 30 de abril la Ley General de Protección a las Víctimas del Delito de Secuestro, que busca establecer un sistema integral de protección y asistencia a las víctimas del secuestro.

La iniciativa también contempla que los pagos de rescate sean deducibles de impuestos, y se responsabiliza al municipio, Estado o Federación que tengan entre sus filas de agentes a secuestradores.

FUENTE: Notimex
--------------------------------

Death Penalty for kidnappers who murder: Elizabeth Wallace

March 3, 2010 - 17:51

Señora Isabel Miranda de Wallace spoke to apply the death penalty to kidnappers who murder their hostages; also lamented that the justice system protects the criminals more than victims.

By participating in the "Stop Kidnapping" forum organized by the (Mexican) Senate, Miranda de Wallace called on Congress to fulfill its commitment to adopt by April 30 the General Protection Law for Victims of the Crime of Kidnapping.

The mother of Hugo Alberto Wallace, who was kidnapped on 11 July 2005, and killed days later, said she is against the proposed presidential anti-kidnapping law, proposed as 40 years in jail for life imprisonment to kidnapper who kills his victim.
“No Gentlemen, the Constitution establishes clearly that the sentence must be proportional to the legally protected interest of the injured, and I want you to tell me what is it I can do when they kill a kidnapping victim. What would be the counterbalance? Only capital punishment.” she added.

Miranda de Wallace indicated that the proposal to propose capital punishment for kidnappers which was presented to the PVEM Monday was rejected “by those said that they only wanted to break the forum,” because it is prohibited by international treaties.

“The kidnappers do not worry about killing their victims and we worry about the rights of those criminals.” she warned.

For this reason, she demanded the deputies to approve reforms to the Ley de Amparo so that the victims can defend themselves, because it is “absurd that the State pays a lawyer for the criminals and we must resort to the Public Ministry, that is stuffed with work.”

Sra. Miranda de Wallace therefore demanded the Senate to approve before the 30th of April, la Ley General de Protección a las Víctimas del Delito de Secuestro (the General Law of Protection the Victims of the Crime of Kidnapping) that strives to establish an integral system of protection and attendance to the victims of kidnapping. The initiative also contemplates that ransom payments would be tax-deductible, and answerable by the municipality, State, or Federation that may have groups of kidnapping agents.

2010-03-03T18:25:00.000-08:00

IT technician looking for position

Susan A. Mahalick
619-446-6405
russnldy@aol.com

PROFILE

• Excellent Customer Service Skills

• Microsoft Certified Professional

• Outstanding Problem Solving Skills

• Extremely self-motivated and proactive

• Well versed in Microsoft Office

• Skilled at preparation of reports, documents, presentations and spreadsheets

• Accurate and thorough Technical Documentation and Technical Illustration

• Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 and XP

SUMMARY OF EXPERIENCE

ADMINSTRATIVE ASSISTANT

MLS Baja, Playas de Rosarito, Mexico

• Developed layout and marketing materials on Backpage, Craigslist, OLX and Guardads

• Post properties to AMPI website to start MLS for Baja

• Ensure owners are informed regarding news that impacts the Baja and Mexican Real Estate market.

• Maintain Excel spreadsheets of all Rosarito properties

• Answer phones and take detailed messages

• Greet customers when Agents are out of the office

• Provide informational research on prospective properties

SALES MANAGER

Baja Lifestyle Magazine, Playas de Rosarito

• Sold advertising for high end magazine

• Assertive and good at closing

• Visited over 120 businesses along the coastline

• Made 50% of the sales by my 3rd issue of selling

• Supervised other Sales Personnel

• Completed contracts and collected money from clients

• Collected copy material and proofed final layout

HELPDESK ANALYST

EDS/NMCI, San Diego

• Received many awards for Excellent Customer Service

• Provided quality help-desk service to U.S. Military and Civilians using Remedy DB and software tools

• Resolved most calls within 13 minutes

• Knowledge of Windows 2000 / 2003 Server (Active Directory)

• Troubleshooting of DoD (Department of Defense) Web Applications and other software

• RAS – Netscreen / Software / Setup and Troubleshooting

• Network Connectivity Issues / Workstation / Printer / Server Troubleshooting / Admin Tools

• System cleanup on Slowness / Adware / Virus / Spyware

• Remedy Asset Management Database / tickets software for tracking calls and troubleshooting

• Proxy Access / Troubleshooting / Internet Explorer

• Windows administrative tools such as MMC snap-ins, and general familiarity with certificates required.

• Analyzed event and application logs to identify problems.

DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY

Coldwell Banker, BajaCoastline, Playas de Rosarito

• Supported 5 staff members and 15 Real Estate Agents on computer systems and peripherals

• Taught specific computer classes for same

• Assisted with the setup of new offices for Voice Over IP phone systems and computer locations

• Transitioned into a Real Estate Agent and sold a property within first 2 months

COMPUTER ANALYST=SOFTWARE TESTER

NMCI (Navy Marine Corps Intranet)/EDS (Engineering Data Systems)

• Tested software for quality control before deployment to the Navy and Marine Corps

• Tested both Windows 2000 and XP platforms on a variety of hardware

• Wrote documentation and creation of Test Plans, Test Strategies and final documentation

• Coordinated between Engineering and Management to ensure proper communication

PC SPECIALIST

ACS Government Solutions, Loma Submarine Base

• Troubleshooting software and hardware issues for unclassified computers for 300 customers

• First call resolution, either resolve over the phone or make determination to send someone out to fix the problem

• Installation of software and hardware as needed for updates and new installs

• Solving archiving and inbox problems with Microsoft Outlook

• Resolving connectivity issues with Internet Explorer

• Setting up accounts, passwords and permissions on folders

• Responsible for install of approximately 100 applications

• Wrote documentation for users and technicians

MACINTOSH SUPPORT SPECIALIST

Woodward Communications, Inc. Dubuque, Iowa

• Upgraded (system and computers to Macintosh G3’s from PowerMacs and found solutions for the remaining SCSI peripherals to work with new OS

• Installed, maintained, and did troubleshooting for 150+ Macintoshes in a Prepress setting

• Hardware and software support primarily in the Macintosh environment

• Supported Internet applications such as Browsers and Email accounts

• Responsible for the functionality of 150 Macintoshes in a production environment for a newspaper with a circulation of 37,000

• Also responsible for 8 other regional publications which required travel of up to 100 miles one way

• Very familiar with the 4 color process, fonts and PDF formats

COMPUTER LAB DIRECTOR

Wahlert High School, Dubuque, Iowa

• In charge of three laboratories, and equipment for 100 staff members

• Trained staff and students in the use of software

• Maintained a network server and system for Macintoshes and PC's in a school setting

• Designed publications such as calendars, flyers, and brochures for the school

• Supervised and trained 1 to 2 lab assistants each year

GEOLOGIC DRAFTER

Denver, Colorado

• Worked for several oil related companies on a freelance basis

• Communicated well with clients

• Met deadlines and took pride in accuracy and interpretive skills.

• Drafted base maps, cross sections, montages, slides, land maps, prospectuses, technical drawings, and charts

Developed a method of making legends for maps that was widely adopted by the Oil Industry in Denver. Formerly maps were printed out to paper and then colored in for each major owner of the property containing wells (for instance Exxon would be green). I simplified the process by applying overlays to the original Mylar map before being printed which saved time and expense

EDUCATION

B.S. in Geography/Geology from the University of Colorado

Attended Rutgers College for one year and was one of the first 500 women accepted

2010-02-28T13:35:00.000-08:00

HOW TO FLEECE EMERGENCY SERVICE VOLUNTEERS

The San Diego City Planning Commission wants to charge federally licensed Amateur Radio Service volunteers for placing antenna structures on their own property.

When you have the chance, watch this video of an ordinance hearing held on February 26, 2010. I am addressing this commentary to what occurred at the hearing. The testimony by the commission staff is telling. Their obvious goal is to fleece the Amateur radio infrastructure for every dime they can get.

URL: http://granicus.sandiego.gov/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=8&clip_id=3801

Also, there is a HAM who addressed the board who has tried to obtain a permit to erect his tower, but the permit office will not tell him the total cost of the permit process. His QTH is a block or two away from the KSON broadcast tower (near I-15 in east San Diego) and his brand new tower is laying on the ground waiting to be erected.

The city is doing everything it can to discourage ham radio operation using any sort of tower or structure.

Members of the planning commission openly stated that they recognize the contributions the amateur radio service has made to emergency services at the local, state, national, and international levels. In the next breath, they turn around and say that they will demand exhorbinant and unspecified sums of money from the HAM community for performing that service. They openly snicker at the fact that the personal goals of many HAMs is to save lives and property. Just what the heck is so funny about that??? Why would anyone who has a lick of sense demand that emergency service volunteers pay money to the community they seek to assist???

If a cop or fireman come to your home to answer your call, are you going to demand that he or she pay a fee to go through your door? Would a neighbor who came to assist you in response to your call for assistance be required to pay a fee to do so?

Two neighbors of Howard White, KY6LA, in La Jolla addressed the board complaining about his tower and large "Steppir" antenna array. They have never experienced any harm from Howard's equipment that I am aware. Forgive me, but I do not know what their beef is. Could it be they have the notion that his antenna is "egregious (to use the descriptive of a board member to describe certain antennas)?" Please tell me if I am overlooking something, but it did not appear to me that these two were suffering any ill effects from the antenna project!!!

I commend the HAMs who patiently looked the members of the Commission in the face and explained practical physics to them. Steve Early, AD6VI, went so far as to provide them with reference material (MIL HDBK 413*) in the hope they would read it and obtain a clearer understanding of the topic at hand. I hope his optimism will bear fruit.

*URL: <http://tinyurl.com/yakvax5>

2010-02-28T11:42:00.000-08:00

CHILEAN EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS FREQUENCIES
CQ Public Service Editor Richard Fisher, KI6SN, reports the following:

Following the 8.8 earthquake that struck southern Chile early Saturday, Feb. 27, IARU, Region 2 and the Red Chilena Nor Austral de Servicio (RECNA) suggests radio operators monitor EmComm frequencies for earthquake and tsunami information:

Single Sideband mode frequencies:
10 meters - 28.300, 28.500 MHz
15 meters - 21.200, 21.350 MHz
20 meters - 14.200, 14.350 MHz
40 meters - 7.050, 7.095 MHz
80 meters - 3.738, 3.750 MHz

2010-02-25T23:13:00.000-08:00

Ensenada repeaters

From Dave KE6ENI/XE2:

one way to get back to so cal is through my EchoLink Node here in ensenada, if not familiar with its operation ask me when you are here, the node Freq is 145.535 Mhz

also there is the 146.700- 186.2 PL ..... conected to the 147.33+ 186.2 PL on sierra Bola just across the border from SD E. county

If there are others i am not aware of them

Also Locally we have 145.200- PL 94.8 Should be noted that this is down as of this day, and dont know when it will be back up.

As far as people not being able to use a repeater as a foreigner i have no evidence of that in my 3,5 years here in ensenada.

if you have any more questions just call me on my EchoLink Node or email me

elfarocommunications AT hotmail DOTcom

73, XE2/KE6ENI

Dave

2010-02-22T21:20:00.000-08:00

HAM RADIO IS A VALUABLE RESOURCE WHEN OTHER MEANS OF COMMUNICATION ARE NOT AVAILABLE

Peter Singer W2PWS of Scripps Ranch CERT will be conducting a one day Technicians licensing class:

Scripps Ranch Library, 10301 SCRIPPS LAKE DR., SAN DIEGO, CA 92131

Saturday February 27, 2010 8:30AM to 4:00 PM - Technicians Exams at: 4:00 PM

Contact Peter Singer: srcert@gmail.com for details.

In addition to the Technician Exams, we will encourage walk-ins for General and Extra Exams. If you wish to upgrade at the 4PM exam session, please contact me at: ky6la@ky6la.com
__________________________________________________________

Howard S. White Ph.D. P. Eng., VE3GFW/K6 ex-AE6SM KY6LA

Website: http://www.ky6la.com/

"No Good Deed Goes Unpunished"

"Ham Antennas Save Lives - Katrina, 2003 & 2007 San Diego Fires, 911"

2010-02-20T14:47:00.000-08:00

18+ KILOMETERS OF BAD ROAD

It has been established in the Mexican Constitution that citizens have the free right to travel within the national territory, but apparently not according to the brain trust at Capufe (Caminos y Puentes Federales). Approximately 5 thousand Pesos a month are paid every month by hundreds of families living in fraccionamientos such as Real del Mar, Baja Malibu, Punta Bandera, San Marino, San Antonio del Mar, La Joya, and Hacienda del Mar to travel the only road to Playas. Additional campos in the region have the same dilemma.

Jorge Altamirano, the President of the Real del Mar Asociación de Vecinos urged Federal officials from Capufe, Banobras and la Secretaría de Hacienda yesterday to eliminate the toll booth which requires local residents to pay for the 18 kilometer trip to Playas de Tijuana.

2010-02-19T16:20:00.000-08:00

SAN YSIDRO PORT OF ENTRY EXPANSION:

San Ysidro construction project expected to last until 2015

Posted By william.yelles On January 25, 2010 @ 12:20 pm URL: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2010-01-25/mexico/san-ysidro-construction-project-expected-to-last-until-2015

Retweet: http://twitter.com/PAT_KB6OXXXE2

2010-02-19T11:03:00.000-08:00

TWO NOTICES FROM SUSIE AND ANDY

This beautiful Basset Hound was found on HWY 1D near Rosarito and rescued by Andy and Suzi to prevent him from being hit by a vehicle, and is staying with them until a good home can be found.

He is good with people and children.

Use contact information in above poster.

2010-02-17T08:58:00.000-08:00

The San Diego Planning Commission Hearing

Here is web page that shows chronological history of the the Tower Ordinance issue in San Diego - URL: http://sddxc.org/tower/

Please forward to any ham or interested party you know within driving distance of San Diego.

Their presence at the February 25 meeting is critical.

The San Diego Planning Commission is holding hearings about a proposed ordinance that will effectively ban Amateur radio antennas in San Diego.

If passed, the proposed ordinance will force individual radio and electronics experimenters to spend upwards of $10,000 or more to obtain a tower permit, restrict heights to 30’ and essentially make the possibility of medium/long range radio frequency communications unlikely. Time after time, this unique capability has been demonstrably essential during the stages of any significant disaster event which damages hard-wired communications and/or computer systems.

Any agency which is assigned the responsibilty of planning needs to have a grasp of what is is to plan, or prepare, for unforeseen circumstances or events. The San Diego Planning commission has yet to face this reality, and I fear the individuals who staff the commission have demonstrated a disregard for the impact their proposal will create.

The Amateur Radio Relay League and the San Diego DX (long-distance radio) Club have hired lawyers and professional lobbyists to fight this disastrous ordinance but they need all the help they can get to protect Public Safety.

Also, the way the ordinance is written, if an operator already has a tower in place and decides to modify the antennas, which hams regularly do, he will in violation of the ordinance and can be made to apply for a costly permit!

You might say, "I don't live in city of San Diego, or, I do not have an Amateur radio license, so why should I care?"

If this ordinance passes, it will set a legal precedent, and other California cities could model new ordinances based on the San Diego ordinance. The Amateur Radio Service is active in assisting neighborhood, city, county, state, and federal, and international agencies expedite emergency communications requirements as specified by Congressional mandate. The proposed ILLEGAL ordinance changes would ultimately create a deleterious effect on the ability of individuals and communities to evacuate or respond to situations which pose an emergency/threat in real time.

Let's not let this issue get to go into court as that will then cost hams and taxpayers a bundle of money to fight the city of San Diego even though the proposed antenna and permit rules are arguably illegitimate and counterproductive.

(Remember - in the U.S. legal system - you are innocent until proven broke! Here in Mexico, you are guilty until proven broke. The difference between the two systems is that the U.S. system takes longer to drain the money out of your wallet. The Mexican "system" sometimes extorts your money before you have a chance to go to court.)

Even though the city of San Diego IS BROKE, they intend to continue to waste future taxpayer funds!

It is perplexing as to why the individuals who have proposed this fiasco have not found the time in their lives to accomplish useful work.

Of course, there are measures that can be taken to prevent the obstruction of ocean views, and similar issues which are rightly everyone's concern.

STOP SAN DIEGO’S ILL-ADVISED BAN ON THE FCC AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE - ATTEND THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION HEARING

Thursday Feb 25, 2010 9:00AM

Council Chambers, 12th Floor, City Administration Building, 202 C Street, San Diego, CA

Like we did in 1994, if enough support shows up at the meeting we stand a good chance to stop this disastrous ordinance.

2010-02-14T19:42:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: TIJUANA POLICE KEEP THE PEACE AT BAJA MALIBU (BILINGÜE):

February 3, 2010.- TJ police cleared a brawl at the Baja Malibu bar, on Calle Miraflores in Baja Malibu, this morning as they arrested seven individuals and found a loaded .38 Special pistol on the floor. Among those detained were Sergio César Martínez Ramírez, age 37, who had been severely beaten on the face, and Christopher Eric Larsen, 37, the owner of Plan B, a nearby restaurant bar.

Other detainees included: Marco Antonio Larraguivel Castro, 35, Ashley Alicia Shepard, 25, Alejandro Fernández López, 40, Gabriel Sánchez Arreola, 37, and Ricardo Eutimio Altamirano Vázquez, 32. Sr. Altamirano Vázquez is the propietor of the Baja Malibu bar.

UPDATE: Ashley Sheppard, a U.S. citizen, was detained for possession of illegal drugs and now faces deportation proceedings by the Mexican government. Sergio Martínez Ramírez has posted a $1,500 bail.
-----------------------------------

Riña en bar terminó con varios detenidos

Socorro CASTILLO / EL MEXICANO miércoles, 03 de febrero de 2010 TIJUANA.-
Una riña en un bar, un hombre lesionado y un arma de fuego, fueron suficientes motivos para movilizar a la policía, que arrestó a siete personas, incluyendo mujeres y personas de origen estadounidense.

Se trata de Sergio César Martínez Ramírez, de 37 años, Marco Antonio Larraguivel Castro, de 35, Ashley Alicia Shepard, de 25, Christopher Eric Larsen, de 37, Alejandro Fernández López, de 40, Gabriel Sánchez Arreola, de 37 y Ricardo Eutimio Altamirano Vázquez, de 32 años de edad.

Todos ellos estaban discutiendo en el interior del bar Baja Malibú, ubicado en la calle Miraflores de la colonia Baja Malibú.

Al ingresar los oficiales, encontraron con varios hematomas en el rostro a Sergio César Martínez Ramírez, de 37 años, así como un arma de fuego tipo revólver que estaba en el piso, de calibre .38 Especial, abastecida con 4 cartuchos útiles.

2010-02-11T09:24:00.000-08:00

THE ROSARITO SPANISH STUDY GROUP IS MOVING

The Study Group is desirous of migrating as many students as possible from the Las Mañanitas site.

We are looking for an accessible meeting facility in the Rosarito area that is free from noise, perhaps at a homeowner's association, which would avail itself to the group.

Is such a meeting area available near you? If any of you are agreeable to discuss this with Susana or me, we will be at the regularly scheduled noon study group sessions on Mondays and Fridays at Las Mañanitas.

Saludos,

Pat

2010-01-28T19:04:00.000-08:00

RF and DIN Connector Sources for Hams

From: Dennis, N6KI

On Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:47:01 -0500, Roger (K8RI) wrote:

>I've only dealt with Davis, The Wireman, and the

>RFConnection for cable in the last year of two and they were all not

>only easy to deal with, but helpful as well.

My experience with RF Connection has been poor. The salesman (Joel) didn't have a clue about the coax he was trying to sell to a DXpedition

I've been helping acquire cable (although he had a blustery line of BS about it). Several years ago, I bought several dozen DIN connectors from them to stock my parts bin. They were absolute JUNK -- dielectric melted when I tried to solder to them (even with a heat controlled iron) and the metal plating didn't take solder, even with flux. When I called to complain, the response was "that's all we sell, because hams are cheap." The only good experience was with some egg insulators, which were very good quality.

I'm generally pleased with several purchases from The Wireman (Press Jones), and he seems to know what he's selling. No experience with Davis, but online conversations exhibit a very low level of BS, which is a good sign. :)

73,

Jim K9YC

2010-01-23T03:30:00.000-08:00

ARMED CARJACKING IN ROSARITO

Date: Friday, 22 January 2010

From: Herman Stiphout

Hi,

"Many of you have already heard what happened to me during lunchtime today.

For those not yet in the know, herewith a short recap:

Marijke and I went into town for our Spanish lesson, which is held at Las Mañanitas restaurant at 12:00 Noon. I drove into the parking lot and let Marijke get out so that she did not have to walk through the mud.

As I locked the car, two guys in an old Toyota drove up and blocked my way. One got out and started shouting at me that he wanted my keys.

I did not immediately get what he meant but that changed in a flash when he pulled out a gun and pushed it into my stomach. I handed over my keys, and then he shouted that he wanted my wallet. He got more and more agitated, especially when I told him that I do not carry a wallet.

I told him to search me if he did not believe me, which he did, and emptied my pockets.

He then got into our car and both drove off at high speed.

The whole thing was over in less that a minute, at least that is the feeling that I had.

There were some people at the other side of the street who witnessed what happened, but they just stood and watched.

Apart from the car and what was in it, they got away with about 1,500.00 Pesos and $25 US, as well as my driver's license.

The restaurant people were very good in calling the police, who arrived in about 10 minutes. They were very friendly and efficient; they took us to the police station for a statement, then drove us home to get some papers. Subsequently we went to the DA's office to make another statement and then they drove us home again, after explaining in detail what the next steps were. Both spoke English fluently, so communication was not a problem.

I do not have everyone's e-mail address, so please feel free to forward to other friends on our behalf; I am not really in a state of mind at the moment to try and find everyone's address.

I also want to thank everybody who has already offered help with transport and other things. I think that we will probably need some of that in the next few days and will contact you then.

Also, a big thank you for the calls of support that we have had; this is appreciated very much and shows the spirit of the community.

Regards,

Herman & Marijke"

(The Toyota was a dark grey, old model sedan)

Pat

2010-01-14T10:56:00.000-08:00

A "boatload" of homicides in Baja California - scroll down for English version

"Podrían ser hasta 600 las víctimas de ‘El Teo’

MÉXICO, D.F.(Agencias)

A Eduardo Teodoro García Simental, conocido como ‘El Teo’, se le atribuyen hasta 600 homicidios por la lucha de las drogas en Baja California y el País, reveló Genaro García Luna.

Entrevistado en un noticiero de radio, el secretario de Seguridad Pública Federal, mencionó que el jefe del grupo de los Arellano Félix pudo haber operado la mayoría de las ejecuciones que cimbraron al Estado.

“Estamos checando ahorita con el Gobierno del Estado, porque hay referencias en torno a más homicidios y decapitaciones.

“Puede ser que tenga por lo menos el doble, de lo que está ahí acreditado en términos de ejecuciones (para llegar a los 600); así un estimado de bote pronto porque hay una gran cantidad de homicidios en el Estado y la referencia es que él tenía a cargo esos grupos de sicarios,” explicó.

El funcionario confirmó que fueron cinco meses de trabajo de inteligencia policial, coordinado entre fuerzas federales, estatales e información compartida por autoridades estadounidenses, para atrapar a El Teo.

“Logramos ubicar primero la posición operativa que tenía en Tijuana y después ubicar dónde estaba su descanso. Teníamos mayor alcance operacional y de control si estaba fuera de su Centro de Operación Especifico (Tijuana).

“Tiene una cobertura de operación importante ahí; en ese sentido, se dio un seguimiento muy puntual de sus movimientos, de todo lo que tenia de operaciones, para tener ventaja operativa para agarrarlo en el momento oportuno”, explicó.

García Luna confirmó que hubo personal infiltrado que ayudó a ubicar a El Teo."

http://www.frontera.info/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Nacional/12012010/423823.aspx

El Teo puede enfrentar cargos en EU

----------------------------------------------------------------------

There could be up to 600 victims of "El Teo"

MEXICO, D.F. (Agencies)

They may attribute as many as 600 homicides in the drug fight within Baja California and the country to Eduardo Teodoro Garcia Simental, known as "El Teo", said Genaro Garcia Luna.

Interviewed on a radio news broadcast, the Federal Public Security Secretary said the head of the Arellano Felix group may have initiated most of the executions that occured throughout the state.

"We are checking right now with the State Government because there are references about more killings and beheadings."

"It may have at least doubled what is even credited in terms of executions (to reach 600) soon; (there is) such an estimated "jackpot" (or "boat load") because there are a lot of murders in the state and the evidence is that he was in charge of these groups of killers." he said.

The official confirmed that it took five months of police intelligence work, coordinated between federal and state forces, and information shared by U.S. authorities to catch El Teo.

"We first managed to locate the operating position he had in Tijuana and then locate where his hideout was. We had better operational reach and control if he was was out of his specific operations center (Tijuana).

"(We had) a major operation coverage there in this sense, there was a very timely monitoring of their movements, of all operations he had in order to take operational advantage to grab him at the right time," he said.

Garcia Luna confirmed that human intelligence helped specifically locate El Teo.

El Teo may face charges in the United States.

Extensive background details appeared in "El Sol de Tijuana" newspaper - Releva "El Chiquilín" a "El Teo"

URL: http://www.oem.com.mx/elsoldetijuana/notas/n1475838.htm

And http://narcotijuana.info/2010/01/12/capturan-a-el-teo-en-la-paz/#more-5078

El Teo recently paid a SIEDO (La Subprocuraduría de Investigación Especializada en Delincuencia Organizada) official in Rosarito a huge amount of money to be set free after he was captured, viz., " Más recientemente, a fines del año pasado en Rosarito, se afirma que se le capturó en un operativo de elementos federales, al parecer de la SIEDO, pero que 'negoció' su liberación y mediante el pago de una fuerte cantidad de dinero."

(Por “El Torito” llegan al Teo, at URL: http://afntijuana.info/blog/?p=25360)

Commentary:

I remember an earlier article in "Zeta" newspaper which described a stand-off between a Mexican Army unit who was chasing El Teo, and a group of Baja California highway police who had apparently been bought out by him (along with elements of the C4 communications office). A shin-kicking contest ensued and a very angry army commander apparently thought it would be more prudent at that moment in time to retire from the confrontation, rather than pursue the hotly contested exchange and wind up in a shoot-out with State police.

I guess there is game-playing going on between various agencies in the State and Federal governments to see which one of them can shake down the most money from the criminal gangs.

The Soñorenses and other gangs from the mainland are now rushing to fill the void left by el Teo's departure. The Federal government has sent 2000 more troops to Juárez because the lid has been blown off in that town. This is going to be very ugly.

IMHO Legalizing drug use will not stop this rampage of insanity unless the tooth fairy intervenes.

2010-01-11T19:03:00.000-08:00

Rosarito Spanish Study Group (Session I Classwork & Assignments on Monday, January 11, 2010)

From: Arlene Sieman

Basically, hand in Lesson 10 as a test. Make pages first. I did mine in the book and handed those copies in so I have my work done in the book.

All she did today was drill us on sentences - asking questions. We did do Lesson 11 last week so you can review that and do it if you haven't done it.

For homework do 5 sentences with action, using all yo, tu, el/ella/usted, nosotros and ellos/ellas/usteds.

Do 5 sentences in past tense, using yo, etc.

Do 5 sentences using 2 verbs, i.e. yo voy a caminar en la playa, etc, with tu, el, etc.

Do 5 sentences with perception, i.e., me gusta, te, le, nos, les using the 7 perception verbs.

I think you know how to do all this. (it is) Just a lot of work if you haven't done it.

[Thanks, Arelene, for helping all of us keep current! Pat]

2010-01-10T02:34:00.000-08:00

Humor:

TEACHER ARRESTED IN NEW YORK

A public school teacher was arrested today at John F. Kennedy International Airport as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a compass, a slide-rule and a calculator.

At a morning press conference, the Attorney General Eric Holder said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-Gebra movement. He did not identify the man, who has been charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of math instruction. 'Al-Gebra is a problem for us', the Attorney General said. 'They derive solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in search of absolute values.' They use secret code names like 'X' and 'Y' and refer to themselves as 'unknowns', but we have determined that they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country.

As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say, 'There are 3 sides to every triangle'. When asked to comment on the arrest, President Obama said, 'If God had wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, he would have given us more fingers and toes.”

White House aides told reporters they could not recall a more intelligent or profound statement by the President. It is believed that the Nobel Prize for Physics will follow--

Further investigations have uncovered the extent of a diabolical plan - evidence now points that the plot has existed for several hundred years as Arab mathmilitants covertly began introducing the 0 to 9 numerical system gradually replacing the Roman numerals.

Although the decimal system is pervasive, a major struggle is now taking place between the Decimal disciples and the Booleans. Booleans maintain that only two inputs are required to generate a single output, and have created the binary code, with which they are using to take control the planet.

Fundamentalist groups, such as the Arithmeticians, still insist on memorizing multiplication tables.

Divisionists, on the other hand, claim that in today's reality of lower expectations we need to prepare to accept fractions of past totals as pushed by Additionists battling Subtractionists who claim less is better and the true path to salvation.

2010-01-02T06:20:00.000-08:00

"I seldom go to Baja anymore. Too many problems there for an old duffer like me."

Probably the simplest way to visit would be to take the Mexicoach to the Rosarito Beach Hotel. That way you do not have to make the white-knuckle trip driving through the construction sites which will apparently keep everything snarled up until April.

It is the off-season now and the weather can be a tad chilly but comfortable. You can score some real lodging or rental deals anywhere around here.

Rosarito is probably The best-kept secret in Mexico as far as the general security issue is concerned. You can have an enjoyable stay in a really nice resort area in a cost-effective way.

Of course, if one goes out of his or her way to find the drug scene or a sleazy bar, one will find what he seeks and experience the usual negative results.

2009-12-24T11:29:00.000-08:00

TRAFFIC SNARL-UP AT PLAYAS DE TIJUANA EXIT

Updated December 25, 2009:

There is a detour, as well as a military check point, on the border road from the San Ysidro Port of Entry at the Playas de Tijuana exit. I was told that traffic officers are directing the lane change at the Playas exit. Both Kurt (who travels the road every day) and Amy have indicated to just follow the signage to the Cuota and stay out of the Playas lanes, which is where they are doing the construction.

Others have said they had to go into Playas and make a U-turn to access the Rosarito exit ramp from Playas.

Another suggestion was to take the southbound HWY 2 rather than exit from the border road to Playas. HWY 2 southbound will take you to the careterra libre near la Gloria, which leads to Rosarito. There is apparently construction activity on the careterra libre southbound lane from TJ to Rosarito as well; however I was told that the best way to get from Rosarito to TJ is to take the northbound careterra libre.

I was told the project will last at least a month. Expect a two-hour delay during evening commute times. Apparently, there is less traffic in the late morning or early afternoon.

I would appriciate any info regarding traffic conditions on HWY 1D, the border road (Bulevardo International) Corredor 2000 Tijuana-Rosarito, or the Tijuana-Rosarito careterra libre, as I have received several inquiries.

Those who are without personal transportation can cross the border on Mexicoach from San Ysidro and vice-versa. Their website is at URL: www.mexicoach.com. I was told there there was a problem at the San Ysidro Trolley stop because the bus did not show up there the other day.

FYI, I cut and pasted the following information from the Mexicoach website:

§ San Ysidro Trolley Stop

Take the Blue Line trolley south to its last stop. Mexicoach may pick you up on the other side of the roundabout under the “Downtown Tijuana” sign.

§ Border Station Parking

Drive down the I-805 or I-5 south and take the last U.S. Exit (Camino de La Plaza). You will see the Border Station Parking Lot to your right. At the entrance of the parking lot you will find the Mexicoach waiting area:

4570 Camino de la Plaza
San Ysidro California USA 92173

(619) 428-9517
(619) 662-3905

§ Old Town

The VIC is in the heart of Old Town, just in front of the water shooting cowboys. 2415 San Diego Ave. San Diego, CA 92110

Tijuana
§ Tijuana Tourist Terminal

The Mexicoach terminal is located on Avenida Revolución between 6th and 7th street:
Terminal Turística Tijuana Av. Revolución 1025 Between 6th & 7th Streets
Zona Centro, Tijuana, BC, C.P. 22000

Phone: 011+52(664) 685 1470

Rosarito
§ Rosarito Beach Hotel

Mexicoach stops inside Rosarito Beach Hotel located on Rosarito’s main street (Boulevard Benito Juárez).

Here is the Mexicoach schedule (Thanks to Laura!):

From SAN YSIDRO (USA)

To Tijuana

ONE WAY - $4.00 dlls

ROUND TRIP - $6.00 dlls

Rosarito*

ONE WAY - $13.00 dlls

ROUND TRIP - $20.00 dlls

From/To Rosarito, Tijuana

ONE WAY - $7.00 dlls

ROUND TRIP - $14.00 dlls

*Transfer in Tijuana Tourist Terminal

Departure Times:

San Ysidro - Tijuana

8:00 am a 8:00 pm, Monday-Sunday

Departure from San Ysidro to Tijuana are "every hour".

Tijuana – San Ysidro

5:30 am to 8:00 pm, Monday-Friday

6:00 am to 8:00 pm, Saturday

7:00 am to 8:00 pm, Sunday

Departures from Tijuana to San Ysidro are "every hour".

Tijuana – Rosarito, 12:00 (Noon) & 4:00 pm, Monday - Sunday

Rosarito -Tijuana, 10:00 am & 2:00 pm, Monday - Sunday
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It appears that timing is everything as far as traveling into Rosarito is concerned. The sooner, the better. If you make the trip in the late afternoon or in the evening, you will be faced with traffic lines.

2009-12-13T23:16:00.000-08:00

Rosarito Spanish Study Group schedule confirmation

Sessions 3 & 4 of the Rosarito Spanish Study Group will be held on January 1, as per the regular schedule at the Mongolian Grill: Session 3 - 12 noon - 1:30 PM, Session 4 - 2:00 - 3:30 PM.

"We will be open on New Years Day and will be serving Pho Ga Soup . . .Lee"

The sessions went very well on Friday, December 11, as mother nature provided a brief respite from the rain.

Session 3 - Intermediate & Advanced
Several people attended and Ursula Polgar brought of list of Spanish terms and phrases which she constructed from her reading of magazines. It was quite extensive and I hope to obtain a copy from her to post on the blog site so that we all can have a look at it. If anyone has a similar list they would like to discuss, please bring it to this session on Fridays.

I suggest it would be a good thing to record something like this and put it on a CD which would provide additional practice for those who want to develop their orthoepy and verbal abilities.

Session 4 - Introductory group
This group is for those whose understanding of written and spoken Spanish is at a rudimentary level; also it is an excellent review of basic skills. Pages 1-18 were reviewed. Those who attend this session are reminded that they need to bring $12 for the purchase of the study guide, writing materials, and an all-important SPANISH DICTIONARY. It does not matter what kind of dictionary your bring, but it is a "given" that significant progress in Spanish literacy will be slow without one.

The Mongolian grill will be closed December 20-26. At this point in time, there are no plans to hold any sessions during Christmas Week.

"Las Posadas" are an enactment of looking for lodging by St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary, the Pilgrims going to Bethlehem for the Census according to the Scriptures: "Los Peregrinos, San José y la Virgen María." Each family in a neighborhood, will schedule a night for the Posada to be held at their home, starting on the 16th of December and finishing on the 24th, on Nochebuena. If you are fortunate enough to receive an invitation to a Posada celebration, by all means attend it. This holiday activity is unique to Mexico, and you will gain a valuable insight to its language and culture if you participate.

Saludos y Feliz Navidad,

Pat

2009-11-22T06:28:00.000-08:00

Rosarito Spanish Study Group class notes for November 20, 2009

At the November 20 study session, we encountered the several verbs that require the use of the Indirect Object Pronouns once more.

We covered this on October 26. Since this idiomatic construction does not exist in English, it understandably comes up in the sessions frequently, so while risking redundancy, I include this brief review:

At the October 26 session, we discussed the translation of the English word "to like", or "to be pleasing:"

Gustarle

Gustarle is in a group of Spanish verbs called "Indirect Object Pronoun Verbs," and are also referred to as intransitive verbs.

These verbs must be conjugated with an indirect object pronoun. This grammatical construction does not exist in English; it is an idiom (modismo).

The following table shows conjugations for reflexive verbs, which use the indirect object pronoun in the singular and plural:

GUSTAR - to like

SINGULAR	PLURAL
me gusta el libro te gusta el libro le gusta el libro nos gusta el libro les gusta el libro	me gustan los libros te gustan los libros le gustan los libros nos gustan los libros les gustan los libros

This idiomatic construction can employ the indirect object pronoun as the subject of a sentence. In addition, these verbs can also be joined with the infinitive form of a verb which follows:

We like to read - Nos gusta leer.

When constructing these idiomatic expressions, the indirect object precedes the verb. As Arelene Sieman pointed out, the distinctive set of so-called "Indirect Object Pronoun" verbs can only be conjugated in the third person singular or plural, depending on the grammatical number of the subject. In a later class, Profesora Schinkel also emphasized this point.

The following verbs require an indirect object pronoun (the le represents the pronoun in the infinitive). These verbs are intransitive and many of them connote a condition or emotion, or how a person feels about something/somebody, rather than an implemented transitive action:

convenirle to suit, be good for
encantarle to love something
entusiasmarle to be excited about something
faltarle to be missing something, to not have
fascinarle to fascinate, to be fascinated by
gustarle to like
hacerle falta to need something
importarle to care about something, to mind
interesarle to be interested in
quedarle to have something left, or remain
sobrarle to have more than enough of something
tocarle to be one's turn

For example:
I care about school. The word “School” is singular, so the verb, importar, will be in the third person singular, and we end up with: Me importa la escuela (literally: School is important to me).

Note that when using the English construction, the subject of this sentence is "I." However, when the sentence is translated into Spanish, the subject of the sentence becomes "School/Escuela" and the English subject pronoun "I" is transformed into the Spanish indirect object pronoun "me." The English speaker has to consciously implement this idiomatic exchange of the parts of a sentence. (which may create a certain momentary sense of befuddlement!)

In the sentence "I like books," the subject in Spanish is plural (books) so the verb will be conjugated in the third person plural: Me gustan los libros (literally: Books are pleasing to me).

Using this Spanish construction places the subject at the end of the sentence. Often at this point, a puzzled English speaker may then begin to belatedly question the sanity of the Spanish language!

Susana will be gone on the 24th of November and return the 8th of December.

Happy Thanksgiving!