GRINGO eless surprise since the museum has been trying to open its doors for many years now but were unable to secure the funding. Museum officials haven’t released a date for the

NorthGRINGOVol. 2 ed. 17 • OCTOBER 19TH, 2015 • NO BAD NEWS

Priceless

.com

Representatives from the American Consulate in Tijuana, one of nine that serves Americans in Mexico, (and the only one in Baja), met with American citi-zens at the monthly FRAO (For-eign Residents Attention Office) breakfast meeting. The new head honch, Brian Simmons, was a no show, leaving the packed house dissapointed. But his underlings did the best they could for us.

The Consulate, located outside

of Otay Mesa, near the border crossing into California, has a staff of 28, including American and Mexican workers. The most com-mon services requested concern passports (renewal and loss), miss-ing persons, and problems with handling issues about Americans who have died while in Mexico. Appointments may be made online, usually for a next-day ap-pointment. Emergency walk-ins are accepted, usually in the cases

of assault, kidnapping, or missing persons. There is a call-in hour daily, for questions, at the main telephone number, below. Unfor-tunately there are no federal ben-efits (for Social Security questions) available at this consulate, as the location is so close to San Diego federal offices.

In the case of American citizens dying abroad, information is avail-able for notifying the next of kin. American citizens should always have information with them at all times, including a list of names of family members who are able to identify what’s left of you in case of serious injury or death. It’s best to keep the personal information page in your passport updated at all times. Enrollment in the STEP (Smart Traveler Enrollment Pro-gram), will keep this information, and much more available to the Consulate in case of emergency. Sign up is available at http://travel.state.gov. They say this is so they know who’s in the country in case of an emergency, however, if you think they don’t share this info on your whereabouts with the IRS or child services, you are being naive.

Passports: All forms and in-formation are available online for renewal of passports or issuing a replacement for a lost or stolen passport. Americans with Perma-nent Resident status are to renew passports through the Consulate, not in San Diego. Passport renew-al is $45. A first-time passport card is available for $55. General wait-

continued on page 6

Here we have a nice combo of Day of the Dead and Halloween

How many times a year do we have to sing you our little ditty? Man springs forward and falls back.

On Nov 1, since it is fall and the end of daylight savings time, you will need to turn your clock back. Get it? Fall back.

Best to turn that clock back before you go to bed on Saturday night. Better yet, do this before you go out drinking Saturday night, just to cut down on the probability that you’re going to

screw this up and be late for Sunday school.

Change?

Dazed &

Confused Over The Time

Is This

You?

Just What Does The American Consulate Do For Us?

BY REN DRAKE HILL

Well, for starters, they can’t even show up

time for passport appointments is one day, but you won’t get your passport for two to three weeks. The office strongly suggests that you start working on that passport renewal five or six months before expiration. (Why, when it only takes a couple weeks, you need to start that early, may best be left up to your imagination.) Passports can be delivered via DHL to Mexi-can addresses for 120 pesos, or to US addresses for $26.

The American Consulate wants to know of any Mexican immigra-tion problems Americans may be having, because the Consulate says

they are buddy-buddy with the Mexican government, and may be of help. For those wishing to apply for “Residente Permanente” status in Mexico, the Consulate website has information. Note: the Consulate cannot help you fill out the list of household items being imported to Mexico upon mov-ing here. This paperwork must be completed with the Mexican Consulate in the United States. It is strongly suggested that an expediter be hired to help with this action.

One of the biggest concerns

.COM October 19th, 20152

Que Pasa in Baja?BY OLIVER QUINTERO

Ensenada Museum Open. Although the Caracol Museum in Ensenada hasn’t been officially inaugurated, two temporary exhibits are already open or visi-tors. The exhibits come as a nice surprise since the museum has been trying to open its doors for many years now but were unable to secure the funding. Museum officials haven’t released a date for the official opening of the

museum but feel

free to visit these parts: –Poles in danger and The

Totoaba: A giant of the Califor-nia gulf- Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 2:00pm and from 4:00 to 6:00pm and Saturdays 9:00 to 1:00pm.

Throwing money in the streets. The federal communica-

tions and transport agency just announced an investment of $30 million USD on the Chapultepec-Maneadero road (the part from Estero Beach to a little after Baja Country) for 2016. This section of the road has been traditionally called the death stretch because of the numerous deadly accidents occurring there. The investment is supposed to make the stretch a lot safer which is a good thing for all our expat friends living

out near the Punta Banda area, and especially the ones who like to drink and drive.

N e w B a j a Lottery. Baja just became the first state in Mexico to have its own lottery. Although state lotteries are very popular in the

US, Mexico only had a federal lottery until last month when the federal office of games and lotteries authorized the per-mit for Baja’s lottery. The project, which has been heavily pushed by our state governor, is set to sup-port construction of classrooms as well as dry out centers for ad-dicts of one sort or another. How

about the sort of addicts who are addicted to gambling? Can they go to the head of the line? The first tickets don’t go on sale until next year.

The lottery has been contro-versial since Mexico hasn’t ex-actly had a squeaky clean record

regarding lotteries. Three years ago government lottery officials scammed the melate lottery where they staged a suppos-edly live drawing of the winning numbers. But it was proven that the drawing was recorded. Of course the tickets were bought by the family of the crooked of-ficials. The lottery scam brought $ 10 million USD in prizes. The federal government was able to snatch the money back as the fraud was discovered before the loot got very far. But it did blow the credibility of the national lot-tery system.

And the new state lottery is going to be any cleaner? Oh, please, what turnip truck did you just fall off?

No travel warning. The head of the state tourism office, Oscar Escobedo, informed us they were recently in Washington, D.C. sucking up to US officials to have Baja California eliminated

Journalism is publishing something that somebody

doesn’t want printed.

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Subscriptions availablesee page 10 or 11, maybe

12, sometimes 4.Or mail $65 for one year, (26 issues) or $45 for six

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Check the paper online:www.gringogazette.comYou may view the entire

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Who's to blame:

PublisherCarrie Duncan,

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editorOliver Quintero

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Sales & distributionOliver Quintero

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GRINGO

Everything else is just public relations

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from the Travel Warnings the US issues.

The next travel warnings will be published in November and Baja asked for a fair assessment before they willy nilly pass out judgements on our public safety system.

Escobedo said that in statisti-cal terms more tourists suffer crime related incidents in Califor-nia than foreign visitors in Baja. Well, we all know that our gov-ernment pulls their statistics right out of their ass, so who knows?

Remittance increase. Mexico’s remittances received from the

US in 2014 grew by 7.8% from 2013. This is probably boosted by a better economy in the US. A total of $23.6 billion was sent from Mexican workers in the US to their families in Mexico and an interesting thing is that the majority of this money is now being transferred through the banking system. Historically, it was almost exclusively sent by money orders, so it seems the Mexicans in the US are getting more sophisticated. $619 million of that money was sent to Baja.

We are the fourth highest remittance country from the US just after the Philippines, China and India.

Now, does anybody still think it’s not the government’s official policy to send as many Mexicans to the US as they can? Remit-tances, along with oil and tour-ism, share the top spot for earned foreign capital. Each of the three are about 20 to 25 billion dollars a year.

Pemex toll road access on its way. The Pemex access road off the toll road, which has been under construction for a couple of months now, is at the half way point, and authorities say there is no delay with the project as the word on the street says there is. The $4.8 million build, which is located at the north entrance to Rosarito, is going to facilitate the access to downtown Rosarito.

Rumors started flying because it often looks like just a few men are working on such a big project, but authorities tell us it was just a matter of perception, that lotsa guys were working on the foun-continued on page 4

The number of followers you have is not

important. Hitler had millions, Jesus had 12

.COMOctober 19th, 2015 3

Ask a Person! This Week’s Question is, What would you do if you won the lottery?

1. Sara de la Vos. Living in Baja for 23 years, Artist. The first thing I ’d do is take one trip to Costco to

buy everything I ever wanted. What I couldn’t consume, I’d give away. I ’d travel f irst class whenever and wherever I wanted, which is all over. I’d keep the gallery going like it is and keep painting. I’d like to do a ten acre sanctuary w here I cou ld h i re people (paid vets) to

take care of stray dogs and c at s . An an i ma l shelter. I’d do more body work like massage, and foot reflexology, and a

weight loss program. Maybe dental implants (but nothing painful). No plastic surgery!

2. Connee Young. Visiting Baja for 28 years. Business manager for a doctor’s office. I assume it would be a lot of money. I’d pay off my mortgage. Then, I’d quit my job. I’d give some to charity (my

church). I’d look back into having a place down here. (We had land here years ago and used to keep a trailer on it). I’d travel.

Mostly to here. 3 . D o n n a Ry a n .

Living in Baja for 14 years. Owner and baker at Road Runner Café and Bakery. I wouldn’t think of anything fancy. Would it be a big lottery or little one? I’d take care of the well-being of my family and myself, now and in the future, so I could live

comfortably for the rest of my life. I think most people would do pretty much the same, unless they were in a family feud.

Assuming there was a bunch left, I’d like to help beautify the area. A lot of people help people, but I want to make things more attractive, like hang baskets or something. Where I live, it could be so cute, but there are a lot of abandoned lots where people started something and then let it go. They

aren’t even hooked up to water anymore.

4. Ron “Quadman” MacRae. Living in Baja for 20 years. Traveler.

Where and how much? What seems like a lot to some people is not a lot to me. I’d fund the top ten charities with the lowest administrative costs in the U.S. And, then I’d buy a new motorcycle.

5. Charlie Hampton. Living in Baja for nine years. Chocolatier. I’d open up more chocolate

shops. I‘d set my kids up for life and my brother. I ’d help people out . That’s it! Can I get you some chocolate?

6. Kelly Martin. Living in Baja for 16 y e a r s . Ma n a g e r at Quadman. I’d retire. I’d travel. I’d like to go to Thailand. I’d buy a car. Send some money to Mom and Dad. Make them comfortable. Put my kids into a good school. And get them a college education.

2 3 4 5 61

This week we asked the same question to Gringos as we asked to Mexicans just to see the difference. There wasn’t any. Seems everyone wants the same, to continue on as they are but with more comforts, and to insure that their loved ones are more comfortable. Could it be that we’re more alike than different?

1. Luis Enrique Arel-lano. Living in Baja for 26 years. Tourist ac-tivities service. First of all I would pay for my

children’s future studies. And I would buy a yacht with all the best equip-ment in the market so I could offer my clients a comfortable fishing trip. Also, it would make it possible for me to con-tinue working and saving for my family’s future and for myself. If only the government would let me have some money left after paying the taxes for being a lottery winner.

2. Victor Hugo Es-calante. Living in Baja

for two years. Works at the Marina dock selling tickets for glass bottom boat trips. I would buy a residential home in San

Diego, California. Then I would like go to Cuba for my honeymoon. I would buy a luxury boat, and for the future I would invest in a Mexican food restaurant up in San Diego.

3. Humberto Rentería. Living in Baja for 15 years. Cuban cigars salesman on the Marina. I would buy or rent the best store here in Baja to sell my merchan-dize. I would serve a good cup of coffee to my clients and get the best handmade jewelry from artists all over

Mexico. So I would con-tinue living a future with dignity, not just lying on a hammock at the beach drinking a vodka coconut

waiting to be broke. With my business, by running it successfully I could make it, and then take holidays.

4. Valeria Barboa. Liv-ing in Baja for six years. Manager of a mini-super store. Well first of all, I would help my family. I would buy a house and a car for my mother. I have a little girl, so I would buy education insurance so she would study with no worry about her future. And of course I would have my own business: a boutique.

That is one of my dreams. That could be a career in my future. And of course, I would help the people around me who have real

needs in their lives.5. Daniela Bon Castil-

lo. Living in Baja for eight years. Eighth grade Eng-lish teacher. The first thing would be paying off my debts. After that I would take a whole journey all over the world. To do that, I would get special permis-sion from my school, ask-ing for a Sabbatical year. (I could not let myself quit my job. I love to teach, and I love my school). Well talking about my trip, I would to do it by plane,

car, train, and ship. And for a real adventure I also would like to hitchhike all over Europe. That would be sooo… great! And I would

not forget my dearest ani-mals. I could really help every little or unprotected dog or cat, and continue giving my students talks about what it means to have an animal under your care. That might help stop the cruel treatment of all animals, and children in the near future.

6. Ana Espinoza Ce-seña. Living in Baja for seven years. Seventh and e ighth g rade Engli sh teacher. I would pay all my debts immediately. Then

I would travel to New York, New York (like that Frank Sinatra song). There I would buy a pent-house in the Big Apple. I

would move there with all my family: mother, husband and my child. And I would give my three year old daughter the best education in the best schools or institutes in Europe. And for my-self I would like to have a Language Institute in New York where people could study French, Ital-ian, English and Spanish. That is a dream I have. I love teaching, and I love life.

2 3 4 5 61

Americans

Mexicans


continued on page25

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What’s With All These Skeletons?Hush, It’s A temporary thing, and all very symbolic

REN DRAKE HILL

It’s the time of the year to pull your skeletons out of your closet. No, not your drunken brother in law, we mean your Katrina figurine.

The Calavera Catrina, simply known as Catrina or sometimes spelled Katrina, was created in the early 1900’s by Mexican artist/printmaker, Jose Guadalupe Posada, sat ir iz ing pomp-ous Mexicans who wished to adopt the traditions of aristo-cratic Europeans. The most familiar example of this is his flowered and feathered French cou-

ture hat. The skull icon was chosen to

parody those of Indian descent who wore copious amounts of white make-up to make them look more European, as they were ashamed of their indig-enous roots.

Originally titled Calavera Catrina (the Dapper Skeleton), Catrina does not only symbolize death, but the well-coiffed figure portrays someone with money, illustrating that death, indeed is

the great equalizer. Folk artists ran with the sub-

ject, and created representations of Catrina from papier mache, wood, ceramics, metal, paper and even sugar.

Whereas Posada created the original characterization, Mexi-

can artist Diego Rivera is credited with bestow-

ing this visage with the “Catrina” moni-ker, and adding an elegantly outfitted body to the hatted

head. Later in the cen-tury Catrina became the “face” of Day of the Dead

celebrations throughout

Mexico. In fact, the figure is so popular many people col-lect the figurines and artworks through the year and dis-play them year-round.

Mexicans treat the subject of death dif-ferently than Amer-icans and Europe-ans do. Death here is celebrated as the next and natural stage of life. Hence, the activity of cel-

ebrating November 1 and 2 with intricate alters dedicated to deceased loved ones, and family meals in cemeteries. Coinciden-tally, the Catholic celebration of All Saint’s and All Soul’s Days are celebrated on these same two days.

Mexicans spend much money creating their family alters each year. Take time to view some of these exhibits at local restau-rants and hotels in Rosarito, and throughout Mexico.

dation of the access and the guys couldn’t be seen. It’s still going

to be several months before we’ll be bailing off the toll road at the north end.

More water leaks. The Rosarito-La Mision water line that we’re us-

ing to bring more wa-ter to Ensenada has proven to be a really bone head idea. As we wrote about this be-fore, (pay attention!)

the idea was to use the water line that was

already there, reversing

Que paSa in BaJa?...

continued from page 2

the flow and to bring water to Ensenada. The problem is the line was so old that it’s leaking like a sieve with very little water actually reaching people from

Primo Tapia and La Mision, who are with-

out water for days at a time. Maybe it would have been better to install a new pipe from the beginning. Duh.

High season rides into the sunset. We have officially fallen into the low tourist season, al-though the heat has persisted and the hot beach weather still brings tourists our way. We had a great high season, the best we’ve seen and enjoyed since 2007. Rosarito was the clear winner in state tourism with an incredible 30% increase in visitors compared

to last year. Ives Lelevier, from the state tourism office, said in the remaining three months of this year we are still expecting a steady influx of tourism, which will make 2015 one of the greatest

years for tourism in the entire de-cade.

Crime down in Rosarito. Joa-quin Antonio Olea, head of public security in Rosarito, said the crime rate was 14% lower overall this year than in

2014. God knows what dark hole they

pulled that statistic out of, we’re just passing it on.

This sets a good precedent, he said, especially now that our state authorities are sucking up to the powers in Washington DC to get us off the travel warning list. The next one comes out next month. If that isn’t pressure to dig deep in that dark hole for these stats, I would be surprised. Olea did concede the business robberies have increased “a bit” and that they are focusing their efforts on strategies to fix this.

You can be the juiciest peach in the world, and there’s still going to be someone who hates

peaches


What’s Going On In This Country? BY

SAN

TIAG

OVE

RDUG

O

Manhole cover alert. In rural areas of Mexico, thieves help themselves to petroleum prod-ucts by tapping into the vast network of Pemex pipelines. But in Mexico City they go after manhole covers and drainage

grates and sell them to scrap metal dealers.

City officials say the current administration has spent more than a million dollars, replac-ing the covers and grates in the city’s water distribution system. Water system chief Miguel Car-mona Suárez said there were 367 reports of missing grates in the first seven months of the year. Each one costs more than $500, including installation. They can also be costly in terms of the danger they pose to vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

Minimum wage grief. While hamburger flippers in the States are whining for $15 an hour, minimum wage in Mexico is about $4.50 a day. Katie, bar the border. There are now two minimum wages in the country,

depending on where one toils for so little, but soon there will only be one. The spread is about 6 pesos a day but that is seen as such a huge gap, that they’re go-ing to (about 30 cents a day), will be phasing it in slowly. It went up about 4/5% this year, which some saw as barely keeping pace with inflation. Nobody believes the “official” rate of inflation, which most feel is fictitious to justify not raising the minimum wage more. The minimum wage, widely regarded as stingy and, according to the Economic

Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, below the poverty line. Mexico is the only country in the region to have earned that distinction.

The problem is, Mexico is aggressively going after manu-facturing jobs they can only get if their wages are low. Or, they could improve their education system and go after more tech-nical jobs, which pay better. Or not.

Reboot. The Mexican com-munications satellite Morelos 3 was launched successfully from Cape Canaveral, only four months after a another, disas-trous launch by the Ruskies. When Russia screwed up the launch of the Boeing built satel-lite, and it blew up shortly after launch, the Mexicans vowed not to buy a cut rate launch again, and contracted with the Ameri-cans for this one..

The lifespan of the commu-nications satellite is expected to be 15 years, a period in which it will serve as a critical communi-cations tool during emergencies and natural disasters. “This sat-ellite will provide the best satel-lite coverage to those Mexicans living in remote areas, where conventional means of commu-nication haven’t yet reached yet,” said Communications Secretary Gerardo Ruiz. Mexsat is a $1 bil-

lion program.The horse is gone. Time to

close the barn door. 13 men, including three high-level cartel members, were extradited from Mexico to the United States to face charges on a number of crimes such as drug trafficking and murder, including the kill-ing of a U.S. consulate employee. Following El Chapo’s embar-rassing jailbreak, the Mexican government admitted it had received an extradition request from the United States for him to be kept there. But nooooo......Mexico said they were perfectly capable of keeping the human mole in their prison, thank you very much. Ja! Guess not. So now Mexico has packed off 13 of their highest risk prisoners to face serious time in American prisons, which they will find to be no day at the beach. There will be no buying of favors there, as they do here.

Here comes the Pope. Next year is Mexico’s turn to host the Pope, who is expected to visit us at a date to be determined, but will be in 2016. The Mexican President’s office confirmed that contacts between the govern-ment and The Vatican have been initiated to prepare for a visit by Papa Paco.

“He is definitely going to come; The date, which will be

determined by the Vatican, still has not been determined,” said presidential spokesman Eduardo Sanchez announced. The daily La Jornada confirmed that the Mexican Bishops Conference, known as the CEM, said that last week The Vatican informed it that the pope would come to Mexico in 2016. So far the only part of the trip that has been firmed up is that Francis will visit Mexico City.

Oh good luck with this . The new trade deal called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), whose ratification is expected between January and March next year, will compel Mexico to fully establish an anti-corruption system or they can’t play. A sum-mary of the agreement indicates that the 12 member countries of the TPP pledged to adopt or maintain laws that criminalize the actions of public officials who offer or ask for “unfair ad-vantages or benefits.”

The summary also states that signing countries must “increase the training of public officials to take steps to discourage gifts, to facilitate reporting acts of corruption, and to provide for disciplinary or other measures for public officials engaging in acts of corruption.” This poses a big problem for Mexico, as the country has now fewer than 38 trade pacts with countries from all over the world, and would very much like to qualify for this trade deal.

In addition to Mexico, the U.S. and Japan, the 12 participat-ing countries are Canada, Chile, Peru, Australia, Brunei, Malay-sia, New Zealand, Singapore and Vietnam. In the last Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International in 2014, Mexico falls well behind the other TPP member coun-tries. Of those, New Zealand leads the list with a 91 account-

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I’ve been getting ready for Halloween this week, check out the first picture here, it’s a selfie of my spooky look. I just covered my normally handsome stripes in black shoe polish on a trial run to see how I look. Turns out that stuff rubs off on the furniture, who knew? Next picture is the clean up, not so much fun. Scratch the shoe polish look.

My mom’s idea is for me to go as taco cat in a nod to my heritage, she says. I says I think this idea sucks and the costume lacks appropriate dignity, and that’s just for starters on my list of objections.

My next bright idea is a way better acknowledgment of my heritage, I could go as a lion! Yes, that’s it, that’s the winning ticket! I would be proud to go as a jungle cat, and here I am practicing my jungle look in the back yard. This is way handsomer than a stupid taco.

Mom’s got my girlfriend Fluffy dressed up as, what? Donald Trump in drag? What’s that the Flufster’s got on her head, a babushka for crying out loud? I’m not taking her to the party in that getup, Mom’s got to do better than that. A jungle cat’s concubine could work out. I need one of those.

Oh, and here’s your national news for the week. I hope you enjoy it cause I need this job to pay for the furniture cleanup.


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So Are We Going To Go Trick or Treating?You’re in Mexico, you feed your dead, you don’t feed yourself

BY MYRA MAINS

On the day of the dead, Nove-meber 1, people go to cemeteries to be with the souls of their de-parted loved ones and there they build private altars containing the

favorite foods and beverages, as well as photos and memorabilia, of the departed. The intent is to summon the souls of the dead, so the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the liv-ing directed to them. Celebra-tions can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny

events and anecdotes about the departed.

The Mexican flower cem-pasúchitl, (we would call them marigolds), is the traditional

flower used to honor the dead. In modern Mexico the marigold is sometimes called Flor de Muerto (Flower of Dead). These flowers are thought to attract souls of the dead to the offerings.

Toys are brought for dead children (los angelitos, or “the little angels”), and bottles of te-

quila, mezcal or pulque or jars of atole for adults. Families will also offer trinkets or the deceased’s favorite candies on the grave. Ofrendas are also put in homes, usually with food such as candied pumpkin, pan de muerto, (“bread of the dead”), candy skulls made of sugar, and beverages such as atole. The ofrendas are left out in the homes as a welcoming gesture for the deceased. Some people believe the spirits of the dead eat the “spiritual essence” of the ofrendas food, so though the celebrators eat the food them-selves after the festivities, they believe it lacks nutritional value.

Pillows and blankets are left out so the deceased can rest after their long journey. In some parts of Mexico people spend all night beside the graves of their relatives. In many places people have picnics at the grave site, as well.

Some families build altars

or small shrines in their homes which sometimes feature a Chris-tian cross, statues or pictures of the Blessed Virgin Mary, pictures of deceased relatives and other persons, scores of candles, and an ofrenda. Traditionally, families spend some time around the al-tar, praying and telling anecdotes about the deceased. In some locations celebrants wear shells on their clothing, so when they dance, the noise will wake up the dead; some will also dress up as the deceased.

Public schools at all levels build altars with ofrendas, usual-l y omitting the religious

symbols. Govern-ment offices usu-ally have at least

a small altar, as this holi-day is seen as impor-tant to the M e x i c a n he r i t age . Americans have in foreign coun-

tries is what happens if someone comes a croaker, and with good reason. It’s hard to get a

dead body across the border, and there’s going to be a lot of stink associated with it before you get the papework completed.

Notifying the Consulate should be your first move. They will issue a Report of Death Abroad, which will allow the probate administer to perform legal duties. After the Mexican death certificate is issued, no less than 20 copies of the report will be available to whoever is in charge of the diseased’s affaris.. If he, (or she), was a Mexican resi-dent, there are additional moves to make. There should be a Mexican will listing the holdings existing in Mexico. This must be on file with the government. Copies should also be with a trusted relative, (do most people even have one of those?) You will also need copies of titles to homes and cars owned. As you can see, it’s imperative that if you feel your death coming on, you leave instructions of what to do and who to contact so that the Consulate can help your family.

Deaths in Mexico are listed in one of three ways: natural, accidental, or intentional. If you have a doctor knowledgeable of the condition of your health, , he will be able to sign your death certificate in the case of a natural death. There is no morgue, no autopsy (unless the death is ruled suspicious, which is unlikely be-cause these people aren’t keen on extra work), and the body may be transferred directly to a funeral home. Spring for a hearse, a bus would be rude.

It the death is suspected of be-ing accidental or intentional, two people must identify the remains, one of which is a relation. You might have to fake this part, who’s to know it it’s your relative or not?

JuSt WHat doeS tHe...


continued on page 9


Fish Report BY GARY GRAHAM

Coronado IslandsWatch out for the dive boats

at Pukey Point. They are trying to shoot one of the wahoo that are living on the spot. They appear to be boat-shy however as we don’t have any word of anyone catching or spearing one.

Yellowtail are around — mostly the smaller variety 10 pounds or under — try the South Kelp Ridge, Middle Grounds, Ribbon Kelp and South Kelp. The Rockpile is said to have some green, cold water now.

Farther outside there are striped marlin, dorado and small yellowfin being caught beneath floating kelp.

Ensenada There’s almost nothing going

on this week because of changing conditions. After several hours offshore, boats found big swells, lower water temperatures and no fish and elected to return to inner bank for limits of bottom fish.

Up at Salsipuedes several boats caught yellowtail as well as bottom fish. Hopefully when the weather settles down, the offshore action will improve for the fleet.

San QuintinInshore a good grade of yel-

lowtail plus some quality white seabass have been feeding on the surface in shallow water. The bottom fish are a good go-to if the action slows.

Cranky seas have kept most of the boats close to shore. Some yachts passing by on their way south have reported steady yel-lowfin and wahoo bites plus an occasional marlin bite.

Bahia de Los AngelesWeather remains hot with

little wind. Live bait is spotty and catching is not always a slam dunk; it is wise to bring fresh or frozen bait to be on the safe side. Yellowtail continue to be the crowd pleaser around the

Fish Killer Of The Week

All Natural Smoothies, Salads, Sandwiches,

Juices, Bagels, Crepes & Frappuccinos

SMOOTHIE Tuesday

2 REG. x $3.50

On the free road K38.Walk through the pharmacy,

next to the surf shop

KM. 22 Ens-Tij Toll RoadBaja, Mexico

Football is finally here. Catch all your favorite

teams at Plan B.

Chuck Byard with one of the recent unusual wahoo catches in the lee of Cedros Island.

islands along with some grouper and cabrilla. Another bonus was a small roosterfish caught recently on a lure.

Cedros Island In the home stretch, the end

of the season has been remark-able with so many firsts thanks to “El Nino.” Still a few dorado and wahoo, along with a billfish or two, showing up along with the standard fare of monster yel-lowtail and calico bass.

ability score. The last three, by score, are Perú, with 38 points, Mexico, with 35, and Viet-nam, with 31.

Prog ram in m a j o r f a i l . Last year the United States sent millions of dollars to Mexico to pay fishermen not to fish in certain ar-eas of the north-ern Sea of Cortez f o r f e a r they would snuff out the last

WHat’S going on in tHiS...


So, What’s On The Minds Of Our Hosts?

This year the best selling Halloween

costume in the country is their hero, escaped

drug lord El Chapo

And at a recent soccer match held in California, there were several pinatas of Donald Trump on display. Mexico whopped the U.S. 3 to 2

remaining vaquitas, a porpoise like sea critter. Could they relax at home for the season, spend-ing their free money? No. They took the money and went fishing anyway, depleting the 1000 re-maining vaquitas by about 50%.

800 agents of various branch-es of the federal government have arrested 19 people and seized 22 boats, eight vehicles, 211 fish parts, about 53,000 ki-lograms of fish and 543 totoabas, another species listed as endan-gered. Huh? That’s 42 cops for each arrested fisherman. That oughta do it all right. Until they tunnel out.

Movie madness. The people of Juarez, a city hard

by the U.S. border across the river

f r o m E l Pa s o Texas, are pis-sy about a U.S. made movie just

out called Sicar-io. That’s Spanish

for hitman and the movie is about the huge

number of narco related killings on the streets of Juarez a few years ago. They are unhappy that

You don’t protect your

heart by acting like you don’t

have one

people are not showing any sense of humor about Juarez being the killing capitol of Mexico, and anyway that was a few years ago, they’ve pretty much got things under control now. Operative words being “pretty much”.

The mayor of Juarez is calling for a boycott of the movie, which Mexicans haven’t even seen yet, as it has not been released here. But they’re pretty sure they aren’t going to like it.


ROSARITO BEACH

Every Sunday 4pm. Cultural Sundays in the park, featuring local Mexican and American dancers and musi-cians. At the IMAC in Abelardo L. Rodriguez park, west of Banamex. Different themes every Sunday. Sometimes food booths, other times vendors with food carts. Face-book IMAC Rosarito. Free.

Every Second Wednesday (except December). 2pm. Friends of the Library meeting at main library of IMAC building next to Abelardo Rodríguez Park. Promotes reading and literacy in Rosarito. www.friendsofthelibrary.com.mx. Carmen Dominguez, 661-612-3659. [email protected]

Every Third Wednesday (except December). 10am. Flying Samaritans meeting at Villas del Mar clubhouse on free road 2 miles south of Rosarito. Volunteers provide free health services and clinics. www.flyingsamaritan-srosarito.org. Susan Smith, 661-100-6066, U.S. 858-240-2360. [email protected]

Every Wednesday, 12:00 pm. Writer’s Workshop at Eden Restaurant, (next to Cruz Roja Thrift Store). Pub-lished and unpublished writers welcome! Bring samples (3-7 pages) of your work to share. Marsh Cassady: [email protected].

Every Third Wednesday (except December). 2-4pm. Bingo at Oceana Grill & Cafe, Blvd. Benito Juárez #907-24. Great prizes, 6 different games. Benefits Flying Samaritans. www.flyingsamaritan-srosarito.org. Susan Smith, 661-100-6066, U.S. 858-240-2360. [email protected]

Every Second Thursday. 10am. Cruz Roja volunteers general meeting at Rosarito Beach Hotel. Provides assistance in case of accidents or disasters. www.cruzrojarosarito.org.mx. Rosie Pena, 664-976-0613, U.S. 619-621-0292. [email protected]

Every Wednesday, 12:00 pm. W r i t e r ’ s Workshop at Eden Restaurant, (next t o C r u z R oj a Thrift Store). Published and unpublished writers wel-come! Bring samples (3-7 pages) of your work to share. For more information, contact Marsh Cassady: [email protected].

Every Third Thursday. 9am. General Meeting for FRAO, Foreign Residents Assistance Office. Open to the public. Usually held at the Rosarito Beach Hotel, with parking validated. Sometimes held at other local sites. Breakfast occasionally provided, but always available. Dif-ferent speakers brought in to inform or address issues of concern to foreigners living in Mexico. [email protected]

Every Friday. 4pm. Spanish class main library, by IMAC, in Abelardo Rodriguez park behind BanaMex. Beginner level class with Sylvia. Free but donation ap-preciated.

Every First Saturday. 10am. United Society of Baja California (USBC) general meeting at Casa Blanca Res-taurant, Rosarito Beach Hotel. Good info for the English speaking community of charitable, community service and social organizations. www.unitedsocietyofbaja.org. Judy Westphal, 661-614-1113. [email protected]

Every First Saturday. Noon-sundown. Open Studio Art Walk, a free tour of galleries in Rosarito Beach Hotel commercial center. Meet artists at work in their studios. [email protected]

Every Third Saturday. 1pm. USBC, United Society

of Baja California, monthly Potluck dinner, held at La Maroma Sports Bar, across from Burger King. Different theme evey month. 50/50 raffle. Live entertainment at most events. Free for members and guests. Membership only $15 USD per year. Beverages ordered from the Bar at reduced Club prices.

Every single day. AA “Grupo Gringo” meets daily in their meeting hall, #16 Mar Meditteraneo (two blocks behind Hotel Brisas del Mar). Meetings: Saturday, 3:00; Sunday, Monday, Thursday: 10:00 am; Tuesday, Wednes-day, Friday: 6:00 pm. Additional meetings in Cantamar (just south of the footbridge) Tuesday and Friday, 10:00 am.. For more information, 661-614-1678.

October 23. Friday. International Music Festival Al-legro at Rosarito Beach Hotel, free.

October 23 to 25. Friday to Sunday. International Music Festival Allegro at Rosarito Beach Hotel. Concerts, workshops and conferences. Ensenada Antiqua, Vito Nicola Paradiso, Sinfónica Juvenil de playas and other artists. All concerts are free.

October 23, Friday, 1:00 pm. Baja Scholarship Foun-dation Food and Wine Pairing luncheon at Susanna’s Restaurant, with El Cielo. $40 per person includes the pairing, tax, tip and door prize ticket. Must be purchased in advance through PayPal, or check (made to BSF) or cash may be delivered to Susanna’s. PO Box 439060, PMB

652, San Diego, 92143. RSVP: [email protected]. 100% of funds go to scholarships.

October 23 to 25. Fri-day to Sunday. International Music Festival Allegro at Ro-sarito Beach Hotel. Concerts, workshops and conferences. Ensenada Antiqua, Vito Nicola Paradiso, Sinfónica Juvenil de playas and other artists. All concerts free.

October 24, Baja Spay and Neuter Event. More later

October 24, Saturday, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm Christmas in October, Rosarito Beach Christian Church Fundraiser and Bazaar benefiting local outreach ministries including Los Angelitos Orphanage, Rey de Justica Church, RBCC Medical Clinic, and the Sister Guadalupe ministries in Primo Tapia. Km 42.6 on the free road. Activities include bake sale, cake walk, face painting and children’s activities.

October 25, Sunday, 12:00 – 7:00 pm. Steak and Lobster Festival at Rosarito Beach Hotel gardens. live music, folk dancers. $20 per entrée/drink. Sponsored by CANIRAC. Information: 661-612-0700 or 612-0396. Email: [email protected]. Free.

ctober 25. Sunday. Deadline for ordering the 2016 Calendars of The Gorgeous Women of Baja at the reduced price of only $15 USD. Launch party dates, times and locations to be announced soon. For questions, or for placing your orders, contact Chuck Smith at 619-537-8929. email

October 28, Wednesday, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. Theatrical directing class by Oswell Melton at Rosarito Theatre Guild (1 block south of Elektra on Benny Juraez.) Subjects in-clude casting, blocking, lighting and much more. For ages 17 and above. Cost: $15, members; $20, non-members, and must be paid in advance. Fees refunded if minimum not met. Information: Oswell Melton, email: [email protected]; phone: MX: 661-119-9214; US 1-619-356-6454.

October 31. Saturday. 6pm. Indian music concert at Tijuana CECUT, in the Sala Carlos Monsivais, featur-

Calendar of EventsAll prices are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise noted.

ing music from the northern areas of India. Come hear the rich, exotic sounds of the sitar, tabla and contrabajo. Tickets $10 USD. www.cecut.gob.mx

October 31. Saturday. 4pm. Zombie 5K Run, Run for your LIFE!!! — Parque Morales, Av Insurgentes 16000 Rio Tijuana 3rd Stage Tijuana, Mexico 01 664 900 0014 http://zombieruntj.masporti.tv/ 12 years old and under must be accompanied by an adult. Adults $200 pesos, Kids $180 pesos.

October 31 to November 1. Saturday to Sunday. 12am to 11pm. KatrinaFest — IMAC at Abelardo L. Rodriguez Park, next to the main library, behind the Banamex, central Rosarito. Parade of Katrinas , music, Mexican food, craft beer , pulque , tequila , games, danc-ing, altars, skeletons , contests , art exhibition, tradition, party and more . http://www.katrinafestart.com/

October 31, Saturday, 2:00 pm, Halloween costume party at El Pescador Restaurant and Bar (Km 44 on the free road). Entertainment includes music by Julio Acosta and karaoke. Information: 661-614-0854

October 31. Saturday. 4pm. Zombie 5K run for your life!!! — Parque Morales, Av Insurgentes 16000 Rio Ti-juana 3rd Stage Tijuana, Mexico 01 664 900 0014 http://zombieruntj.masporti.tv/ 12 years old and under must be accompanied by an adult. Adults $200 pesos, Kids $180 pesos.

October 31 – November 1, Saturday and Sunday, noon to 10:00 pm: Katrina Fest 2015 at IMAC park (near the main library, behind Banamex bank) in Rosarito. Traditional food, dancing, music, and Katrina/Katrine costumes. Free.

November 1 Sunday. 2am. Set clocks back one hour.

November 7. Saturday. BajaPalooza at the Lighthouse Sports Bar and Restaurant, km 58.8 on free road, at exit for La Mision. 4th Anniversary of the bar. Confirmed bands include Pachuco Blues, Maryam Malak (El Angel de la Cancion), KidNoise, Tita Ghoz y La Noche, Tijuana Jazz Collective, Boomerang, Young Blood, and more. Roasted Pig Buffet.

November 14, Saturday, 7:00pm – 1:00 am. Dinner with mariachi at the Rosarito Beach Hotel Salon Mexi-cano. Celebrate Mexico’s revolution. Tickets $275 pesos (about $18.00) includes Mexican dinner buffet, music and activities for children. Mexican Attire contest, raffles and prizes. Information: phone: 01-800-265-2322 or 661-612-1126; www.rosaritobeachhotel.com.

November 19, Thursday, 11:00 am, Friends of the Library No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament. Club Marena Clubhouse. Doors open at 10:00 am. Reserva-tions required; 48 person max. $30 buy-in. Prizes! 50% of pot goes to Friends of the Library. Information: Friend-softhelibrary.com.mx or Dave Merino: 664-904-3106 or 1-629-800-7941.

November 19 to 22. Thursday to Sunday. Baja Writ-ers Retreat.

November 21 Saturday, 1:00 pm USBC Thanksgiv-ing dinner at La Maroma Bar (at north end of Rosarito). Members: $12; Guests: $15. Dave Eliot: [email protected], or 661-100-6240 or 1-619-488-3303. Of course there will be turkey! The bad news: sautéed brussels sprouts. No pumpkin pie for you until you eat your Brussel sprouts.

October TBD. Battle of the Bands. Prizes will include: Recording Studio Time, Custom CD Replication, Musi-cal Instruments, Cash and prizes provided by sponsors.

November 20 & 21, Cruz Roja Damas Christmas Bazaar. More later

continued on neXt page

I’ve thought about running away more

times as an adult than as a child.


ENSENADA

Every Monday. 7pm. Ceart Cine Club. Films about dance with “Billy Elliot” April 13, “Five Dances” April 20, “Desert Dancer” April 27. English with Spanish sub-titles. Foro Experimental of Centro Estatal de las Artes (CEART) on Blvd. Costero (Lázaro Cárdenas) & Av. Club Rotario. Free. CEART, 646-173-4307.

Every First & Third Wednesday. 10:30am. Club Compañeros de Baja Norte general meeting at clubhouse on Calle Mazatlán #256 in Fracc. Acapulco, 1 mile south of Ensenada. Lunch $6 donation. Multicultural, multi-lingual, nonprofit service and social club. Nancy McKee, 646-174-5011, U.S. 619-207-4325. [email protected] Fourth Thursday. Red Hat Society lunch at various local restaurants. Tillie Foster, cell 646-171-5292. [email protected]

Every Friday. 7:30-9:30pm. Live world and cultural music at El Callejón Colectivo Culinario, Floresta #320 near southern Blvd. Costero extension, Fracc. Acapulco,

1 1/2 miles south of Ensenada. Free. Performer schedule with Alex O., cell 646-101-0812. [email protected]

Every Friday 7:30 pm. Live music at El Callejon Colec-tivo Culinario; Floresta #320, Fracc. Acapulco, Ensenada. Alex Orendain, [email protected], 646-120-8004; www.elcallejoncolectivoculinario.com.

October 24. Friday. 7pm. Dance group performance by Manuel Torres at Foro Experimental del CEART, Ensenada. Ana Mora Rangel at 646-173-4307 or 4308, ext 117 for schedule confirmation. Free.

October 25. Saturday. Noon to 8pm. First Annual festival of food trucks, at the Riviera. Family atmosphere, live music, craft beers, Kids zone, arts and crafts, cultural and artistic program. 646 176 4310 or http://www.rivi-eradeensenada.com.mx/Free.

October 25. Saturday. 6pm. Concert of popular and classic Mexican music, in the CEART conference hall. Performewd by Talentos Artisticos, Valores de Baja

California. Ana Mora Rangel at 646-173-4307 or 4308, ext 117 for schedule confirmation. Free.

October 29. Thursday. 7pm. Lux Boreal and Philip Adams perform LAMB Contemporary Dance at Foro Experimental del CEART, Ensenada. Ana Mora Rangel at 646-173-4307 or 4308, ext 117 for schedule confirma-tion. Free.

October 30. Friday 5pm. Chayanne in concert at Vinedos San Gabriel, Valle de Guadalupe. Reggaeton, bachata and more. Tickets from $85 USD to $265 USD.

October 31. Saturday. 7pm. From Rosarito, the Yo-hanna Hassan belly dance company will be at the Teatro de la Ciudad to perform Mystery, magical middle-eatern dancing. Bring your cameras. The costumes are incred-ible. Ana Mora Rangel at 646-173-4307 or 4308, ext 117 for schedule confirmation. Free.

November 18 to 21. Wednesday to Saturday. 48th Bud Light SCORE Baja 1000.

November 27, 28, 29, Friday – Sunday, holiday theatri-cal performance of “This Wonderful Life!” at the Rosarito Theatre Guild. Friday: 7:00 pm; Saturday and Sunday, 2:00 pm. Reservations online with credit card or PayPal at www.rosaritotheatre.org. Phone 664-609-3451, email: [email protected].

December 2, Flying Sams monthly luncheon, White Elephant Gift Exchange. More later

December 3. Thursday. Cruz Roja Damas Christmas Bazar

December 4. Friday. Cruz Roja Monte Carlo Night — Mi Casa Supper Club

December 5. Saturday. Cruz Roja Thrift Store Holiday Sale, behind Waldo’s in central Rosarito.

December 5, Friends of the Library Holiday Home Tour. More later

December 5 Saturday, 6:00 pm USBC Holiday Ball at Rosarito Beach Hotel. $30 per person (tables of 8 or 10 available). Music by Pachuco Blues. Rose Dillon: 661-120-4491. [email protected]; Annie Saravera:

[email protected].

December 12. Saturday. 8pm. Gran Conciert de Gala de Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan with a

Bi-National symphony orchestra in the Baja Califor-nia Center, Rosarito Beach. 01 664 609 7900 [email protected]. $60 dlls, $100 dlls, VIP gala dinner: $350 dlls per person.

February 28 to March 1. Friday to Sunday. Rosarito Theater Guild presents: Ladies Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill. 664- 609-3451 Box Office.

KM 42.6 on the Free Road. Sat. October 24 - 10AM-1PM Info: Diana Dalton [email protected]

Gently used clothing, general household stuff, sporting goods, tools, home décor, new and gently used jewelry, possibly some kids’ stuff - lots of treasures for treasure

hunters, all at reasonable prices and all to benefit 4 local ministries.

This is a fun family event with bake sale, tacos, kids’ activities, and more.

church

Christmas In October by Rosarito Christian Church

Don’t Risk Jail Time in Mexico!

www.insuranceinbaja.comPh. (664) 158-0472 • In the Rosarito Beach Hotel

strip mall on Benito Juarez Blvd.

Federal law requires drivers in Mexico to have a minimum of $300,000 Liability Insurance

3 Days Liability Ins.Only $39 dlls

1Year Liability Ins.Only $189 dlls

There will be an autopsy and they make such a mess of things that a cremation is not a viable option. It may take weeks or months to effectively solve the case, and the



CAMP AMONG THE KUMIAI INDIANS AND

HELP THEM!DECEMBER 12, 2015

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Adopt a Kumiai FamilyChristmas Food Box $30.00

You can also donate non perishable food items.Bring them toKABACO and Charlies

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November 30.Last day to adopt

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body is unable to be claimed dur-ing this time.

A little known service of the Consulate is that they’re sup-posed to help if you feel your car has been stolen while it was in the United States and you feel it may have been driven into Mexico. They will work with American law

enforcement to try and catch the car before it crosses the border. If your car is stolen while in Mexico, however, they are not going to be of much help. Unless you pay them. Our boss got her truck stolen by persons unknown and she paid the police $1000 to get it back. The chief of police drove up with it within the hour. FYI, she was over anxious, $300 to $500 is the going rate.)

Traveling with prescription medication can lead to problems. All medications must be in labeled bottles with the person’s name on the labels. American prescriptions must have the doctor’s name on the label. That person must be in the vehicle if stopped while in Mexico, or crossing the border in either direction. Medications obtained in Mexico don’t have labels, so it is important to carry a copy of the printed prescription with you while transporting your medications.

The American Consulate also visits American citizens who are arrested while in Mexico. Don’t expect a cake, much less a file, or any concrete help.

Northern Mexico and Baja are the busiest parts of the world for Americans arrested. Three to five American nationals are arrested daily in the Tijuana area, usually for intoxication or assault. In case you’re tossed in the stony lone-some for a long time, a representa-tive from the Consulate will visit monthly with vitamins, toiletries, and necessary medications. Nope, no cake. If arrested, the Consulate advises, do not sign forms or speak

with officers before contacting the American Consulate. That is your right as an American citizen. Post-ers with contact information are in the jails. The Consulate website has a list of approved attorneys as well. This is easier said than done. When our boss was arrested in Baja Sur, they threatened her with

great bodily harm if she did not sign 14 pages she wasn’t allowed to read. These guys can be scary. Also, the police water boarded a 68 year old American man accused of murdering his wife, trying to get him to confess to a crime he was exonerated of the next day, but our continued on page 11


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Pueblo Plaza May Have GhostsThere have been many sightings in the old stone cave beneath the restaurant

BY NONA FEAR

They drift among us un-seen by some but seen by oth-ers. These heavenly creatures choose to live in this central f lower garden of the small plaza, as well as the under-ground cellar, now used for wine storage and banquet room by Susanna’s Restaurant owned by Susanne Stehr.

Those who claim to have seen them say they do speak on occasion but usually simply

drift through walls, mirrors, and closed doors. It’s not a large cast of characters, and they seem unhurried and unfazed by

the mortals who work among them.

There is a tall and well-built gentleman as described by Daniel, owner of the Balam Café in the plaza. He says his restroom is a favorite for this apparition, as he is seen to glide out of it, and calmly glide through the closed spa door just next door. Daniel claims the gentleman wears a suit and a rather large brimmed hat that obscures his face.

On more than one occasion

this same gentleman has been seen by two of Susanne’s res-taurant workers. And then, one

time one of the wait staff tried to open the outside bathroom door and felt a strong pull in

the other direction. The waiter continued to pull and again met with a tug back. But when the employee finally gained en-trance, there was no one there!

That bathroom has a his-tory of sightings by Susanna’s restaurant customers, who tell of hearing footsteps coming into the room but no one is

there. Some other customers tell of hearing people speak-ing and whistling in that room but there was nobody there. At least these spirits seem happy in this room, as there is often laughing, whispering and talk-

ing among themselves. One of the kitchen workers refuses to go near this room, so of course this spreads the belief that su-pernatural powers hang out in the public restroom.

Recently there was a very loud crash that seemed to come from the main dining area of Susanna’s Restaurant. It was a deafening sound that sent the kitchen staff rushing towards it, but they found no pieces of anything on the floor, nor any china missing.

Susanne herself was there for this one, and all she could do was stare in silence, along with her staff, and wonder out loud what was next for their haunted cellar.

There is an old stone cellar, often called the cave, that is be-neath the restaurant. Susanna has it beautifully furnished with antique wooden tables and chairs and uses it for special events as well as storing the restaurant’s wines. A narrow stone staircase winds down to this room, setting the stage for what would be a spooky experi-ence in any case. It was built many years ago as storage for water that fed what was a laundry where Susanna’s sits right now. In other words, this spooky cave was once a water pila.

Those who believe they see ghosts, say they often see an

old Mexican woman dressed in a long ruffled dress quietly sitting in a high backed chair in the water pila. ‘Scuse, she sits in the wine cellar/banquet room.

A customer swears she asked her if she would like to leave. The senora ghost’s answer was

no, she was very comfortable and liked this place.

One dark and stormy night, a restaurant worker was sing-ing gospel music while sorting wines in the cellar, and he kept hearing a voice shushing him. “Shush, be quiet”, was the mes-sage by no one in the cave.

(Well, we made up the part that it was a dark and stormy night, it was actually on a sunny day that the worker was told to be quiet, but it set that seemed to set the mood better.)

During events in her ban-quet room, Susanne has taken photos. Some of these photos have what is known as spirit orbs, or large white circles

featured prominently in the photos. (See photo caption on this page explaining orbs).

Susanne’s Restaurant of-

ficially opened in 2004 and that was the first sighting seen by anyone in the plaza. A bar-tender saw shadows going through the stained glass win-

Ghosts are generally described as solitary essences that haunt locations or people

they were associated with in life.

Certain religious practices like funerals and

exorcisms, are designed to rest the spirits of the dead.

It is believed by some that the soul of a dead person can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the

living.

Descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely

visible wispy shapes, to realistic, lifelike visions.

The deliberate attempt to contact the spirit of a deceased person is known as a séance.

In folklore a ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person

or animal.

continued on page 12


David [email protected] (624) 121-1214

Happy HourMon-Friday2-6 PM

On the oldSplash location

KM 52 Free Road Rosarito-Ensenada

Caesar Salad $9Ribeye Steak $16

Risoto with shrimp $8boss could not get the American Consulate to do didly squat about it. Do not be overly expecting help from these Consulate employess, as they have a long history of do-ing nothing. One of our reporters is currently waiting for a call to return from them and so far it’s been three days.

Information is available at the website: http://tijuana.usconsulate.gov. This includes travel warnings and alerts; weather warnings and alerts; links to Homeland Secu-rity, California Border Patrol, Department of State, and U.S. Citizen Services. Data available under citizen services is informa-tion on STEP (the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program), passports,



The tax man is lying in wait for you

BY ORLANDO GOTAY

Thinking Of Marrying A Mexican?

If you are a U.S. citizen expat in Mexico, and you’re thinking you’ve become lucky and are consider-ing marrying a Mexican national. ¡Orale! as they say.

But it is important to under-stand there will be U.S. tax con-sequences and important choices to be made in connection with marriage to a non-US citizen, when both of you reside outside the United States.

If you marry a “non-resident alien” and do nothing else, you will be required to file returns at the married filing separate rates, which are usually very inconvenient. Generally speaking —and there are exceptions— one will end up paying more tax this way.

Both spouses can elect to have the non-resident alien treated as a resident alien for U.S. income tax purposes. That way, the married filing joint status is available.

But with the IRS, nothing comes for free. The joint return would have to include the other spouse’s worldwide income as well, just like the U.S. citizen spouse. For those who marry often, beware—this can only be done once. It can be revoked, but once taken, neither spouse can take it again. And of course, the non-U.S. citizen spouse has to get an Individual Tax Identi-fication Number, or ITIN—always a fun endeavor outside the U.S.

Of course, that person’s income and possible deductions, now and in the future, (in addition to those of the U.S. citizen spouse), are key to deciding if this is a worthwhile decision to make. It is also impor-tant to know this action forgoes any US-Mexico tax treaty benefits that may be otherwise available as a resident of Mexico.

Some marriages bring ad-ditional people into the picture. Parents and preexisting children come to mind. Instead of the elec-tion, or the married filing separate status discussed above, the more favorable head of household status may be available if support tests are met. In some cases, the relatives have to live in one’s household, but not in others.

Lastly, timing is everything. It is important to know that filing status is determined as of the end of the tax year, usually December 31. Depending on individual circumstances, it may be advanta-geous to marry in either one year, or the next. I always tell people to run their numbers.

Marriage is of course, a major milestone, and it brings about significant tax consequences, only

magnified in the case of marriage to what the IRS calls a non-resident alien.

Orlando Gotay is a California licensed tax attorney with a Master of Laws in Taxation admitted to practice before the IRS, the U.S. Tax Court and other taxing agencies. His love of things Mexican has led him to devote part of his practice to the tax matters of U.S. expats in Mexico. He can be reached at [email protected].

citizenship/birth abroad reports, emergency contact information, notary services, federal benefits, and what to do in case of death in a foreign country. It is strongly sug-gested by officials that everyone living in or travelling to foreign countries enroll in this program, we suspect because they like to keep track of everyone who pays taxes.

American Citizen Services may be contacted in the follow-ing ways: Monday – Friday, 7:30

– 4:00: phone: 664-977-2000 (ask for American Citizen Services); Nights, weekends and holidays (Emergencies only): phone 001-619-692-2154 (from Mexico). General questions: email: [email protected]; email for emergencies such as death and hu-man welfare: [email protected]. They say there is someone available or on call but many calls go unanswered. The American Consulate may also be followed on Facebook and Twitter.


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dow behind the bar. There is a passageway behind there that goes down to the cave.

And a litt le girl dressed in a green and white checked dress has been seen by several

workers as well as customers, slipping out of the mirror in the main dining room and then passing through the door of the restaurant. She has been seen in the courtyard skipping around very happy, as if she hadn’t a care in the world.

Susanne has spent many a night alone in her restaurant and at that time has seen noth-ing. She feels that the ghosts are there as an integral part of the ancient adobe dirt and stones that were used to build the plaza. She wishes she could see them and communicate her

pueBLo pLaZa MaY HaVe..


welcome to them. She thinks of them as her friends and maybe her protectors.

Lorenza works the bar and is pragmatic by nature. But she swears she has seen the little girl in the green checkers come through the stained glass win-dow that’s behind the bar. But Lorenza’s cherished long dead grandma has visited her many times to, so go figure.

Julio, one of Susanne’s wait staff, has never seen anything

The term orb describes un-expected, typically a circular

objects that occur in flash photography, sometimes

with trails indicating motion. They are especially common with modern compact and ultra-compact digital cam-

eras. Orbs are often captured during low-light instances where the camera’s flash

is used, such as at night or where a bright light source is near the camera. An orb can result from retroreflection of light off solid particles like

dust, liquid particles, (rain) or other foreign material within the camera lens.

However, those who have seen ghosts in the basement of Plaza Pueblo, believe this

is a sign of them.

and hopes to keep it that way. He did however hear the big crash that had no explana-tion. Julio did tell me that he has “ghosts in his head” while laughing and feeling very pleased that he has been spared.

Fausto was working in the restaurant and also saw the little girl come out of the mir-ror. He was not pleased to see it, and hopes to never see it again.

Sonia has heard singing in the bathroom only to discover there is nobody there. She feels

nervous but safe if other people are around. Still, she no longer uses this restroom.

Susanne is pleased with the number of wedding parties she hosts down there and tells us,

“The ghosts keep sending me business”. This is said with a smile and a wink, as she still waits her turn to actually see her spirits and goblins.

A search is on to find some-one to lead a séance, as a good medium could possibly put us all in touch with these spirits. If anyone out there knows a repu-table, knowledgeable person to lead a séance, please tell Su-sanne at her restaurant, which is on Benny Juraez St. near the Rosarito Beach Hotel.

Documents

GRINGO eless surprise since the museum has been trying to open its doors for many years now but were unable to secure the funding. Museum officials haven’t released a date for the