March 2006 / 44

Letter from the Editor

Does art imitates life or does life imitate art? The age-old question becomes ever more poingnant when rock stars get nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and the Academy Awards sell 30-second advertising spots for $1.7 million dollars (and manage to sell out faster than the Superbowl broadcast) and when tourism is still the world’s leading industry, accounting for an excess of $450 billion dollars in revenues from over 700 million global tourists annually (2). It begs the question, just how much of the global economy and just how much of global politics are fueled by the entertainment business, (entertainment + business), i.e. the busines of entertaining….I’m thinking a lot.

And it has led me to ponder, just what does one need to do to get nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, good deeds or good deeds that reach millions of people…and to reach them do you need millions of dollars? And do the Oscars® really have anything at all to do with tourism and the ever-growing appeal of a little beach resort in Mexico?
…Ehh…

In a month when we have the Oscars® and the Nobels® being announced at the same time, it really ignites a competitive streak… There are a few things that I will probably never achieve in this life: I will never be a prima ballarina or an ice dancer or an Olympic downhill skier, or a teenaged mother for that matter, and it is every year less likely that I will be the rock star or Kung Fu master that I dreamed about becoming as a child…but there are yet a few dreams left.

“A dream is different from a goal because a dream involves magic, while a goal involves a series of practical steps taken in a certain direction. Take the practical steps that achieve a goal and a dream can happen.” –Harold Ramis, comedy writer-director Animal House, Caddyshack, et al. (Entertainment)

“The less you leave to chance, the better chance you have.” –Ross Perot, American businessman, Former United States Presidential nominee. (Business)

It has been my experience that the most successful goals are the ones you place way out into the future…and then make consistent effort to achieve them. With the hope that when you look back far enough you will find that the goals you made so many years ago are the small achievements you take for granted now. What did you do to get where you are today? I used to sit in a cubicle up there and scribble quotes on yellow post-it notes ® and dream about a better view.

Go figure,

1 Billy Bragg, “Waiting for the Great Leap Forward”, Workers Playtime, Capitalism is killing music, 1989.

2 Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Herat From Above, 366 Days, New York, Harry Abrams Inc., Publishers, 2003, March.

Food

How to Buy and Store Seafood

Excerpt from the soon to be released, The Taste of Zihuatanejo Cookbook - Seafood, a collection of recipes, traditional and modern found in restaurants and homes around Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, utilizing the region’s most tantalizing ingredients..... View full article

Fishing

Chasing Jacks

The Jack Crevalle (Caranx hippos) is found in all the warm water seas of the Americas, in both the Atlantic and the Pacific. The Jack Crevalle, being a member of the jack family, is a first class fighter. The jack family includes amberjacks, California yellowtail, green jacks, roosterfish, and several others (including Jack Dempsy). Once you have slugged out 45 minutes with a 25-pound Jack Crevalle, you will know you have been in a serious fight. .... View full article

Nature & Ecology

Science and Nature Meet in Uruapan

Alongside the peaceful roar of the Cupatizio River in Uruapan, a garden grows; guided by man and nature, amid waterfalls and vine laden trees dripping with orchids, a non-profit organization finds it feet. ..... View full article

Shopping

Alebrijes

Alebrije: (ala-bree-hey) a mythical creature made of parts of different animals, like a modern chimera. Oaxaca’s colorfully painted animals carved out of wood....View full article

Community

Zihuatanejo SailFest 2006 Wrap Up

In February, 102 sailboats slipped into Zihuatanejo bay and anchored. Many had sailed more than 5,000 kilometers to participate in what is becoming one of Mexico’s premier sailing events, Zihua SailFest. SailFest is a five-day festival that combines fun and games, heart-felt volunteerism and outpouring of international friendship. .... View full article

Zihuatanejo International Guitar Festival 2006 benefits La Casa de la Cultura de Zihuatanejo

The Zihuatanejo International Guitar Festival is a non-profit benefit festival that supports art and cultural endeavors in the community. The ZIGF is proud to announce their 2006 beneficiary: La Casa de la Cultura in Zihuatanejo. .... View full article

Z-Scene... View full article (2 pages)

Zihua Stories - We remember when, again

Often, individuals are the key to our remembrances. One individual of the 1960’s and 1970’s who added to our lives was Helene Krebs. Many tributes have been made to her. Our memories carry us back to the original El Embarcadero. Helene’s house was located where now is the passage from the Paseo del Pescador to Juan Alvarez street, along side of Casa Arcadia.... View full article

Mexican Slang 101 - Híjole! Qué onda? Ándale! Guácala!

Híjole! Qué onda? Ándale! Guácala! ... Is that Spanish? Si…but you probably won’t find those words in a traditional Spanish/English dictionary, and they most likely won’t turn up in lessons at a language school because they’re Mexican slang. Translated, they mean “Holy cow! What’s happening? Hurry up! That’s horrible!” If you can incorporate these and other expressions in your speech down here, you’ve taken a step towards sounding like a local. .. View full article

Business

Notes on the Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Tourism Agenda 2006 .

Travel

Oaxaca City

Mexico abounds with places that are truly feasts for our senses, but in Oaxaca City, be prepared for sensory overload, starting with the visual and eventually encompassing smells, sounds, tastes and the unique Oaxaqueñan touch of superb handicrafts..... View full article

Upcoming Events

A quick list of upcoming events in our community and in other parts of Mexico... View full article