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January 26, 2003
Dear Editor: We
are back in Mexico for the 36th year, in Puerto Vallarta for 13 years. We wrote
to you a couple of years ago and you devoted almost a full page to our letter. We
were saddened by the hurricane and kept in touch with Puerto Vallarta via the
internet. So happy to see all of the completed construction. We are here for January,
February and March. Our favorite restaurant, Hector's
Sunset is not open and looks, from the street, to be pretty badly damaged. Do
you know where they are, if they will relocate, and if so, when they will reopen.
We would appreciate an update in your newspaper. Sincerely,
Donna
and Jim Limoseth, Inver Grove Heights,
Minnesota.
To
the Editor: On Saturday, Jan 11th, I was unfortunate enough
to be at the scene of the slaughter of two children at the corner of Calles I.
Vallarta and Lazaro Cardenas. I will be haunted by this vision for the rest of
my life… not exactly a treasured memory of Vallarta. Within
minutes a large crowd had collected, shedding tears and venting their anger. Another
speeding bus and another driver who left the scene of the accident! If
this is the "friendliest city in the world", how can City Hall allow
this to happen? Is there no one that can control the speeding bus drivers? How
many more innocent lives will be lost before there is some action? I
have lived here in Paradise for 5 years and own a business. I wonder when the
local authorities are going to control speeding buses, belligerent taxi drivers
and a drug problem? These situations are much worse than
Hurricane Kenna. The damage from Kenna will soon be repaired but the death of
innocent children is a scar that lasts forever. T.G.F.
Dear
Editor, I keep looking for La Cruz Roja in your "Non-Profit"
section. So, I am wondering if you are aware that it too is a non-profit organization. Most
people take La Cruz Roja (the Mexican Red Cross) for granted and for the many
years I have been involved with the little clinic, people seem to just ignore
its great significance. Most people do not know, even though I have written so
many articles about its function here in Vallarta, or that it is: 1) taking care
of over 2,500 people a month (that otherwise could not afford care) for free...
or a token price..., 2) that their doors are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,
with doctors and nurses available for any emergency, 3) that they are the only
ambulance that, by Mexican law, can pick you up from your car crash, your broken
ankle, your heart attack on the street, 5) that they take care of everyone, including
tourists, for the same price (token) with as much care and experience that any
clinic, hospital or doctor here in Vallarta does, and 6) that they are not helped,
financially, by anyone and work only on donations. Each
of the Doctors are bonified and work in other hospitals, clinics, or their own
offices to support their own expenses, as they work for La Cruz Roja for humanitarian
pay. This clinic is one of the best and less known secrets in Vallarta. Whenever
you hear a siren, you will probably find a white ambulance with the big red cross
on it. They are there to serve the homeless from disasters, they train our restaurant
employees in the Heimlich Maneuver and first aid, and they are NOT PAID... these
ambulance drivers and helpers are trained as paramedics, and volunteer their services
around the clock. They are the first called in any emergency. My
question to you, Editor, why are they not on the donation list? They sure could
use it. Sincerely,
D. Thompson Dear
Ms. Thompson,
Please accept our apologies. You are totally correct and this
very worthy organization will be part of our permanent "Non-Profit Organizations"
section from this issue on.
The Ed.
Urgent
call for blood donations!!!! The blood bank in Puerto
Vallarta is currently in a very critical shortage of blood - all types.
There
is only one blood bank in the area and it is located at San Javier Hospital -
all medical facilities in the area draw from this source!!! To
donate - (general information)
- You must be 18 years or older, 60 years maximum
but exceptions are made for those 60 years or older if you are in good health!
- Weigh more than 50 kilos.
- In good health.
- No infectious diseases
(hepatitis, AIDS, etc) A short (and confidential) medical
history will be taken. If you meet the requirements, blood will be drawn and tested.
Approximately 15 minutes later, if your blood is ok, the donation process will
begin, taking approximately 45 minutes. You might feel a bit weak-light-headed
afterwards but with some juice and rest, you will be fine. There
is no need to worry about sanitary conditions at the blood bank. The process meets
all standards for cleanliness and safety. Remember, by
donating blood, you will be giving the "gift of life". At this time,
the need for blood donations is at an extremely critical level. Please consider
donating - if you know that you can't, please pass this message along to your
friends and family. To donate, just come to Hospital San
Javier Marina between the hours of 9am and 7pm, any day. Address: Francisco Medina
Ascencio #2760 - In front of the terminal marina. The blood bank is on the 2nd
floor to the left, exiting the elevator. For further
information or questions, your readers should feel free to contact me at 226-1010,
Ext. 304, 223-1695 or on my Cell, 044 (322) 294-0650, or by e-mail at pmt@prodigy.net.mx Pamela
Thompson
Dear Editor: Please
update the SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS section as follows: ALCOHOLICS
ANONYMOUS (AA):
Contact: 281-0276
Monday through Sunday at 9:00 a.m.
(Sunday
also at 11:00 a.m.)
Every Night at 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in small
room (Women Only)
Thursday at 10:30 a.m. (Women Only)
Thursday at 8:00 p.m.
(Gay-Lesbian) NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS (NA):
Contact: 222-7275
Monday
through Saturday at 5:00 p.m. AL-ANON:
Friday at 6:30
p.m. CODEPENDENTS ANONYMOUS (CoDA):
Wednesday at 10:30
a.m.
Friday at 10:30 a.m. (Women Only) A.R.T.S.
Tuesday
at 8:00 p.m. COCAINE ANONYMOUS (CA)
Sunday at 5:00
p.m. We appreciate this listing, as it seems to help many
visitors to Puerto Vallarta find Twelve-Step meetings while they are on vacation.
Please call me, or contact me by e-mail, if you have any questions. Thank you. A
grateful reader
Dear Editor, I
was talking long distance to my 5 year old niece when we both heard the sirens.
They were so close that she said "Tia, is your house on fire?" A
few minutes later I learned that a 4 year old boy was the latest victim of another
killer bus driver. According to the Times, it's the same old story - driver flees
the scene, police capture driver, union pays all the fines, driver is released
so he can work the next day. However, there was a new twist this time, we learn
that the life of a 4 year old is worth $9000US. As long
as the unions are in control of this city, killers will be set free and could
be driving your bus. When will the authorities do something about this on-going
situation?
M.M.
P.S. Will the buses ever get license plates? Will the
drivers ever (again) display their credentials?
Dear
Editor, Just a note to let you know why I will not be
in PV for awhile.
In November, I paid $250 return from Phoenix.
Now America
West wants $450 return through the month of May. Joe Christopher
To
the Editor: Re: Article by Silvia Alvarez The
article by Silvia Alvarez (Issue No. 302, p. 12) was brief, misinformed, and obviously
expresses her negative feelings about the art business of PV. How this unfortunate
and erroneous article could be written is beyond the understanding of the gallery
owners who took enormous time out of our busy day to talk with her. We all gave
her our knowledge of the business and shared with her the serendipitous nature
of gallery business. Ms. Alvarez was present in my gallery
and watched our classes with the children of Sally Conley's children's library
and without allowing me time to thank the teachers who had volunteered, nor time
to hug the kids before they left, she began her interview. I
spent 40 minutes with Silvia Alvarez and Coco Torres who translated for us. Her
comment "educational twist to sensitize children to art" is a derogatory
slur of the gallery's intention and the pleasurable experience of the kids. Judith
Ewing Morlan Dear Ms. Morlan, Firstly,
the small article that appeared in last week's issue was but a brief excerpt of
Ms. Alvarez' article that was a two-page spread in the Tribuna de la Bahía.
In that original article, the word Ms. Alvarez used was "orientación"
which we translated as "twist". There was no negative or derogatory
sense or intent in her original sentence. We apologize to everyone if our translation
resulted in the wrong impression. Secondly, her
article intended to show both sides of the topic: the local artists' point of
view as well as that of a number of gallery owners whom she interviewed and quoted
verbatim (some of which roundly denied the existence of any sort of "mafia").
Unfortunately, we did not have the space to publish the entire article in the
Tribune, so it did not reach the PV Mirror site either.. As
this is a timeless topic, we will translate and publish Ms. Alvarez' article and
interviews in their entirety in next week's issue. The
Ed.
To the Editor: Since
my letter requesting people to indicate to the Municipal Tourist Office their
desire to have fewer buses in the center of the city -like during the month of
December of 2002- which appeared in the Tribune of January 13-19, I have been
checking with the Tourist Office to see if they have had any response. The
Tourist Office indicates to me that there have been no requests from anyone requesting
fewer buses in the center of the city. They say that there have been numerous
requests, I think in December and I think primarily from Mexican nationals, that
there continue to be more buses in the center of the city. Result:
the City Government has the impression from the available public response that
there should be more buses in the center of the city rather than fewer. I
am guessing, from years of similar situations in Puerto Vallarta, that the foreign
community in Puerto Vallarta, both permanent and transient, is just not taking
the time to voice an opinion, in writing to the property authorities, about having
fewer buses in the center of the city. If you agree with
this perception, could you give me any ideas as to how to elicit a response from
the foreign community requesting fewer buses in the center of the city? Possibly,
the Tribune could do a survey by e-mail requesting that participants simply indicate
whether they would like to see more or fewer buses in the center of the city.
I would venture to observe, that the question would need to be simple and the
form of response would need to be convenient. Any ideas
you might have on this subject would be appreciated. Sincerely,
R.C.
Walker Dear Mr. Walker,
Obviously, the general apathy
that we have witnessed here over the years is a contagious dis-ease.
We hereby
invite all our readers to send us an e-mail at: info@pvmirror.com stating simply
either "I would like to see less buses in the downtown area" or "I
am happy with the status quo".
Let's see what happens, Mr. Walker.
The
Ed.
Hi Anna, If
you've addressed the recent increases in CFE (electric), I missed the article,
in my case it's about 33%. Perhaps it's to offset the cost of the new billing
program… I tried to figure out the new bill, and
the best I can tell, the surcharge for using over 1000 kilowatts, is enormous. I
haven't gotten my water bill yet but, some friends received theirs, and it went
up 150%. If you have any information on these, I would
appreciate hearing from you, and perhaps, you have some suggestions, as to what
can be done, apparently this is an across the board increase, and not just for
the gringos. P. S.
Dear
Editor, I must congratulate Fabio Cupul's response to
Mr. Bud's complaint about crocs in the Bay. It is good
to see that the Professor is developing teeth equal to the reptiles he is defending! Saludos, R.C.W.
Dear
Editor, I came to P.V. on a cruise ship in 1983 and have
been coming back every year since. The last 4 years I have been staying in Old
Town and enjoy its ambiance. Each year I come back, I see great improvements in
the way the streets, side walks and beaches are kept cleaner. The
one thing that has not changed, is a 1974 blue van with license HVH 8530 Jal 95
located at 274 Amapas. This van has been setting there with flat tires, the muffler
and exhaust pipe laying on the ground for the last 4 years. I see Police cars
drive by the van about every hour and yet the van is still there. If P.V. does
not have any rules about abandoned cars, they should consider it. The
removal of this eye sore would be one more great improvement to Amapas Street
and this fine Village of 250,000. G. W. Ware Archives
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