Medical Info

I hate driving a car with a passion. I know this is a strange statement coming from an American. I’ve never liked getting into a car and driving a gasoline-filled bomb (they have a habit of exploding on impact with something immovable).

When I was a teenager, the age where every male is looking forward to getting his license, I tried avoiding the horror completely. I told my Dad that I couldn’t take driver’s education because of a class conflict. I signed up for a class that would prevent me from having to take driver’s education. Eventually I had to go through this forced rite of passage.

Cars are dangerous: people don’t drive them safely, they pollute the environment, cost a lot to own, give you a nervous breakdown when they malfunction, run over our pets, and are often nothing more than status symbols. I hate them.

The reality is that in most cities in America you have to own a car to get anywhere. You can’t walk to the store, church, the movies, work, your sister’s house, or softball practice. In most cities in the United States, you have to own a car. I tell you, it’s an evil plot!

An immediate attraction to our moving to Mexico was that I would never again have to get into another car (bomb) and risk life and limb to drive. I love this country!

Public Transportation in Mexico negates the need of having to own and drive a car. You could have one if you wanted one, but why would you?

In Guanajuato, where we live, we have cheap and efficient cabs. They are so efficient that they are often at our front gate honking their horns before we can get the front door locked and down the steps. The cabs are plentiful and cheap.

The buses are also delightful. We mainly use them since they cost a mere 2.5 pesos. The bus stop is a convenient three minutes from our house. They get you to where you need to be for almost nothing. If we are in a hurry or the weather is a little rough then we call for a cab.

If I had to offer a complaint about the public transportation in Guanajuato it would be that the bus drivers, as a whole, drive like they want to end their lives and everyone else’s with them. Why the hurry? It isn’t as if someone gets on the bus screaming, “Step on it, Jose! Follow that car!” or, “My wife is in labor, get us to the hospital!”

You see, the streets in Guanajuato are quaint throwbacks to a time when burros and foot traffic were what was in the minds of their designers. They are narrow cobblestone streets that can give even a burro fits trying to turn at tight corners. In addition, here are these buses, the size of humpback whales, with hyperactive drivers racing through the streets. We know some Mexicans who will thank the driver for not killing them. Interesting!

In the past few weeks, the drivers seem to be slowing down. I think it is because of complaints from the masses that the city government may have intervened to slow these speed demons down.

Another complaint is that they pack people into these buses like sardines in a can. It looks like they can get as many standing in the aisle as there are available seats. This is not good especially if you have a phobia, bad hair day, bad breath, or your deodorant has stopped working.

I am happy to report that, unlike in Guatemala where buses go over cliffs at least weekly, I have never been in, witnessed, or heard of a bus crash here. I’ve seen a few parked cars taken out by these behemoths but then you know how I feel about cars!

Expatriates Doug and Cindi Bower have successfully expatriated to Mexico, learning through trial and error how to do it from the conception of the initial idea to driving up to their new home in another country. Now the potential expatriate can benefit from their more than three years of pre-expat research to their more than two years of actually living in Mexico. The Plain Truth about Living in Mexico answers the potential expatriate’s questions by leading them through the process from the beginning to the end. In this comprehensive guide, you will learn not only how-to expatriate but will learn what to expect, in daily life, before coming to Mexico.
BUY BOOK HERE: http://www.universal-publishers.com/book.php?method=ISBN&book=1581124570

Filed by admin at 11:40 pm under Cruising the Roads
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Cholesterol is synthesized in our body and if left untreated it could lead to various cardiovascular diseases. High cholesterol levels in the blood could affect the heart, kidneys, brain and other parts of the body. It is very necessary to do workouts for at least 30 minutes a day. Exercises like swimming, jogging, bicycling etc could help increase in the good cholesterol levels and improve the blood flow throughout the body. Losing flab is very necessary for a person with high cholesterol levels. Being obese increases the bad cholesterol levels in the blood. At least 4 days of exercise is necessary to maintain a good cholesterol level. Lowering bad cholesterol is very necessary for a healthy body.

Exercises like Tai Chi and Yoga have proved to be beneficial in promoting good cholesterol in the body. Deep breathing and stretching exercises helps the blood flow to all parts of the body. Meditation helps in preventing hardening of the arteries. If proper food and exercise is maintained then the cholesterol levels could come down drastically. (Paul has been providing answers to lots of queries through his website on a wide variety of subjects ranging from satellite phones to acne.) To learn more visit http://www.askaquery.com/Answers/qn499.html

Paul has been providing answers to lots of queries through his website on a wide variety of subjects ranging from satellite phones to acne. To learn more visit http://www.askaquery.com/Answers/qn499.html

Filed by admin at 6:59 am under Shopping Tips
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—–SIDEBAR——————————————

Older fly fishing classics contain a wealth of knowledge for the beginner fly fisher as well as the experienced angler.

The following is an excerpt from Practical Fly Fishing, by Larry St. John (1920)

—–END SIDEBAR———————————-

WADING A STREAM

Ideal Fishing

The ideal way to fish a bass stream, if its depth and bottom will permit, is to wade. Some one has said that Art is the beautiful way of doing things. Certainly then, wading the stream is the artist’s way of fishing for Micropterus. It has all the charm of trout fishing and all of its thrills and seldom is so lonesome since many of our bass streams are in settled districts. One often fishes a stream and is never out of hearing of the cowbells and the barking of friendly farm dogs but is in the wilderness nevertheless. When the angler wades he becomes a part of the stream and its life and the more he fishes a fine stretch of water the friendlier it becomes.

Bass and Flies

One reason I believe bass fly fishermen are not as generally successful as their trout fishing brethren is because the bass fisher, as a class, has not put as much study into his waters and his methods. This is not to be wondered at when you consider that fly fishing for bass is, compared with trouting, in its first tooth stage. In other words, if some anglers loudly proclaim that the east wind bloweth when they are bassing with flies it is due, not to the bass but to the angler.

True one seldom gets the big, old, granddaddy bass of ‘em all on a fly, neither do the bigger trout come to the net by the same route, but the average of the stream or lake can be caught on flies and are on certain waters. Is it entirely because of certain local peculiarities of fish, water or conditions that fly fishing for bass is practiced so successfully on such widely separated waters as, to mention a few: the upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers in the Middle West; the Susquehanna, Potomac and Delaware in the East; the Current and St. Francis in the Ozarks; the Belgrade Lakes in Maine? I think not. Bass fly fishing has long been practiced and studied in these places, hence the success.

Aside from its beauty and charm wading a stream makes for success. In the first place a stream that is of wadable depth is ideal for fly fishing and the angler, moving slowly and quietly, with only a portion of his body above water is, as old Dennys put it, less likely to “offend the fearful Fish’s eye.”

Seasons, Weather, Etc.

As a general rule the trout fisher can go a-fishing earlier with his flies than the angler who fishes for bass in northern North America. A great many of our good bass streams are in civilized territory and the Spring rains, plus the drainage of farm lands, usually roils the water. If one must have bass then most success will be had if he will dangle an angle, baited with worm, helgramite or craw, in the deep holes.

As the season advances fly fishing improves but June usually finds the bass busy with family affairs and they should not be bothered even if the law permits. July is usually a good month on all streams and on the larger ones this month and August often produce best of all - and just when the lakes are yielding least. Very low water, however, often drives the fish into the holes on small streams during the ” dog days.”

September, the month Eastern and Midwest trout fishermen close up shop, is usually excellent except the week of the equinoctial storm. October - brown October - also yields well, and the seasons we have “a late Fall” fishing continues good even well into November. Local conditions also must be considered.

The ideal fly fishing day is a dark, overcast one, just before a rain, or better still, when it merely suggests or threatens to rain and doesn’t with enough breeze to ruffle the surface of the water. Next best is what the average person would call a “nice day.”- when the sun shines, the sky is blue and friendly and streamside posies and tree tops nod to fitful breeze lets that put a slight ripple on the stream.

The best time of the day is undoubtedly the early morning hours, from dawn until eight or nine o’clock and from four in the afternoon until sundown or even until after dark. During cloudy days the noon hours often produce well. However, most of us fish the day through and perhaps it doesn’t add much to the heft of our creels but it adds lightness to our hearts and uplift to our spirits and there is always the anticipation of the luck the evening fishing is going to bring us - unless, perchance, it is the last day and we must quit untimely to catch the 5:15 for home. Then we are out of luck as the fish invariably begin to rise well as the quitting hour approaches -’twas ever thus as the poets say! But never mind: other days are coming and for that matter if the fish become too challenging one can always “miss” a train and send a telegram of explanation later. Such things have happened! In fact, I know bald-headed men who have, choosing love before duty, thus played truant from home and business under these circumstances.

Thunder and lightning storms are unpropitious for good fishing but a gentle shower often turns the tide in our favor and sets the fish to rising.

The direction of the wind has little to do with the success of a day on a stream as the wind comes from all directions if the river is at all winding. The proverbial east wind may have local influences, in England or on our east coast, but otherwise is not objectionable and the phases of the moon have little to do with fishermen’s luck or the whimsical mood of Micropterus, except that the bass may do their feeding on moonlight nights and be indifferent during the day. In this case the angler, well prepared for mosquitoes and with heavy tackle, can do his fishing after sundown.

Don Berthiaume has uncovered fly fishing tips and techniques that were almost lost forever. To discover more about fly fishing, and claim your free, 4-part mini-course, visit this site:

Fly Fishing Techniques

Filed by admin at 5:08 am under Fishing + Tackle
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When guests fall asleep after Thanksgiving dinner, we chalk it up to a
full belly.

When the cook falls asleep after Thanksgiving dinner, it’s for other
reasons.

Let’s face it. Thanksgiving dinner is a lot of work, especially when you’re
cooking for a crowd. You’re on your feet, you’re watching the clock, and
it’s hard to avoid stressing out over whether the bird will be “done” on
time.

Meanwhile, if you have little ones, you’re feeling vaguely guilty about not
giving them attention.

One year, the preparations for Thanksgiving dinner with my extended
family got so hectic that we left the mashed potatoes in a bowl in the
oven — and nobody noticed until after the meal!

No single strategy works for every family, but here’s a philosophy that’s
helped me:

Less cooking, more connecting!

Can the meal be simplified? Check in to see if there’s anything you’re
cooking now that family members wouldn’t mind skipping — at least until
later in the weekend.

Can anything be delegated? Maybe your brother-in-law would like to
bring the pumpkin pie. You can give him the recipe for “fool-proof pie
crust.”

Maybe some items can be bought rather than made at home. Cooking
ahead and freezing can be another option.

Perhaps the family wouldn’t mind eating later in the day, so you can
cook at a more leisurely pace. A platter of cheese, crackers, nuts and
dried fruits can tide everyone over until the meal is ready.

With the time that’s been freed up, we can enjoy family members
and friends and focus on appreciation.

We can look at each other, with love and attention.

We can tell each other what we appreciate about each other or about
the year that’s ending. We can play games, do a craft, tell stories, or
sing harvest-related hymns.

We can sit on the floor with any toddlers in the house and join them in
viewing the world with imagination and wonder.

And who knows? We might even be able to stay awake after dinner!

(c) 2005 Norma Schmidt, LLC

Norma Schmidt, M.A., M.Div., helps busy parents create warm, peaceful,
inviting homes. To get her free report, “55 Free and Low-Cost Ways to
Have the Best Holiday Season Ever,” (http://www.ParentCafeOnline.com/pages/47/index.htm), click here.

Filed by admin at 11:46 pm under Online Travel Resources
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Like it or not, we think in line with our customs and tradition often times, right down to the level of how we think of death, or about death. I was a licensed counselor for many years, and the issue came up a few times, and I was sad at its results, to hear Americas shamefully trying to avoid talking about it. But let me put that aside and finish the article. Yes customs and traditions set down; do play a big part in how we view death. Death being a normal and natural thing; we mimic our parents and our TV heroes, and how they portray death. Why so much gloom out there on death [?] It has been around for a long time, as long as I’ve been around anyhow, fifty-seven years. It is often a taboo subject to talk bout it in certain places. But you can see a lot of books on the subject; more than I can count.

I live in Minnesota, and Peru, and I have traveled much through Mexico, Central America, and South America. The Maya, the Inca and the Aztecs took dying as a preparation period, along with rituals to be put into place; when they knew it was near; my mother was much like them. She told me about her preparing for death, three years before she died at 83, in 2003. She was looking death into its face. And just before she died she said, “I’m ready, I’m alright with it, let me go.” I was sad, but being sad only says we had good times together, that is what brought my tears, no more times. Selfish in a way; also, my mother left me with some fine last words, something TV never leaves out and parents that do not allow their children to see their dying grandparents, and so forth; on TV, or at the movies, all one can find are grunts for their disappearing heroes. That is not life.

People fear to talk about death, as if it was a storm out of control, brewing just for them. Death is seldom viewed by children in America (as I previously implied), as if it was a private affair. I seen my mother in the hospital 26-times in 23-days, when she was dying; and she was laughing and joking in her death bed. I am grateful for that time. It is a choice I feel, and I’m glad I had the deciding vote. I believe children should be allowed to visit and see their grandparents on their dying beds, should they so wish to, and even pushed a bit to do so. My son’s daughter saw her grandmother while she was dying in the hospital, and started crying, she was but a child. But what I feel she will remember is not her crying, but her great-grandmother’s smiling, for that was the last picture she saw of her.

Perhaps death is too much like hell for Americans, because most people I talk to think everyone is going to heaven, and thus, hell no longer exists. Be that as it may, hell and death seem to be connected; as my mother used to say, “Dennis, why does everyone think they’re going to heaven.” I couldn’t answer that, but now I can, hell is too close to death, and death is their nemeses.

Author and Poet Dennis Siluk, his web site is: http://dennissiluk.tripod.com

Filed by admin at 3:30 pm under Living With Psychology
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