She Said...

The PV’s Cultural Department put on two excellent performances at the Cuale Cultural Center on the island, but of course, as has become tradition, no one knew about it until after it was over. The program called «A Meeting of Cultures» featured African music, dances and rituals on the 12th of the month, and the Middle Eastern equivalent last Saturday, the 19th. This Saturday’s presentation will feature the Meso-American culture, you may want to pass by there just to check it out. It is sure to be excellent.

The other cultural event for which we did not receive enough advance notice was the «Gran Noche de Jazz» held at the CECATUR auditorium, featuring the «Klaus Mayer Proyect» quintet. I had the pleasure of hearing them perform at La Petite France the night of its «Vive la France» event. Those young men are truly superb… as was the six-course gala dinner, of course. Needless to say, the place was full to capacity and everyone had a great time.

Every year on June 5th, we celebrate World Environment Day. According to the UN’s Environment Programme official web site (www.unep.org), this is «one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action … Our agenda is to empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development; promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues...»

Here in Vallarta, the city is purportedly being audited by the folks who will decide if it is a «clean city», i.e.: with sustainable environmental policies. Very commendable indeed, but what about our parks, and the bus situation downtown, the mountains that bleed from the huge open wounds where illegal clear cutting has occurred, and then there’s the still unresolved matter of the city dump. So what is it those folks are checking?

Every other day, there are more reports in the local dailies about the situation of the dump, one day it's yes, the next it's no... And the recycling project is another matter... How is it that other cities in Mexico have been able to implement excellent separating procedures for the residents to use, and we seem unable to do the same? In my humble opinion, all it would take would be strict enforcement, but we all know how strictly the various GOOD regulations are enforced in our little paradise, don't we? Like not driving while talking on a cell phone, like using seat belts, etc.

Three years ago, Coastal University Center biologist and researcher, Jorge Tellez Lopez, said «the conversion of parks into parking buildings could result in an increase of up to 3 degrees centigrade in the temperature downtown.» The expert went on to state that the City’s own Urban Planning Department records show that the temperature downtown had already risen by an average of 3 degrees, rising to 40oC at times, and he expressed his worry about it going up to 43oC (that’s 109.4oF!) by the summer of 2006. Okay, so he was a little off the mark. Here we are, it’s 2008 and it hasn’t reached 43o yet, thank heavens …and Gaïa!

And thank Gaïa …and all of you who have continued to send me emails informing me of their frog «hearings». I too have been hearing them again. You have no idea how happy it makes me.

Friends and I decided to go to La Palapa for brunch last Sunday. I hadn’t done that in ages. I had forgotten how delicious their freshly-baked rolls are, and how pleasant it is to be there, watching the people on the beach. When we add the restaurant’s excellent fare to that, as we look out onto the beach and the ocean beyond, it’s easy to understand why we like to call this place a paradise.

With regard to one of my favorite pet peeves, the employees working at the Mexico City offices of Telefonos de Mexico must have had their hands full last week, when the entire country’s system was overhauled to make way for that «universal number» concept. My colleague at the Tribune had to send me a fax, but my fax number wasn’t working. Instead, there was a recorded message telling callers that the number they had dialed was «out of order» and that they didn’t have to report it to 050. Huh? Who are they to decide that lack of service shouldn’t have to be reported? So I decided to do just that. However, there was no way of getting through; even the recording telling us that all the representatives were busy …was broken!

I guess all this new technology, iPhones and all the others yet to come, are great for the younger generation. Personally, I’m perfectly content with a cell phone that receives calls and with which I can make calls. The biggest progress I’ve made so far was to figure out how to text «OK» and «NO» in response to the text messages I receive from time to time. In the meantime, despite the fact that I purportedly have Prodigy internet service at 1024, upload speed still hovers around 260. I know, I know, they only guarantee «between 256 and 1024… it all depends on the traffic…»

And talking about technologies, I wonder if they’re going to show the new movie that’s coming to town, Journey to the Center of the Earth, in 3-D, as advertised up north. There are so many movies in town which I would love to see, but not enough time to do so before they leave. And besides, all my friends who tell me "I love movies. Any time you want to go, just call me!" do not like action movies like Hellboy or Batman, like I do. And so many of them are only being shown in Spanish because of their rating... I’m looking forward to visiting the new theaters at Galerias Vallarta, as well as the steak house they’ve got there. I understand it’s very good.

I want to thank those of you who have complimented me on my blog. (I have a feeling you only did that ‘cause it’s on line every week, unlike the Tribune…) Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Some of you have complaints, others have compliments.
On a totally different topic, please bear in mind that even if it’s overcast, you can still burn if you’re out on the beach or by the pool. I’ve seen a whole bunch of lobster-red tourists walking around town at the end of a cloudy day. Don’t skimp on the sun block, folks! Remember what that ad used to say: Don’t mess with Mother Nature! Be kind to her, and to each other. Hasta luego. pvmom04@yahoo.com