NorthGRINGOVol. 2 ed. 14 • SEPTEMBER 7TH, 2015 • NO BAD NEWS

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The Scoop on the Water ShortageWhat’s going on?

BY OLIVER QUINTERO

The w a t e r problem in Ensena-da has been a n alarming is- sue f o r a l l o f u s e ver s ince l a s t year when the water company de- clared t h at i t d i d n o t enough wa- ter to

supply all of the city. Water officials said at

that time that they needed around 210

gallons per sec-ond to make ev-eryone in the city happy but they could only deliver

around 190 gal-lons per second. Be-

cause they were miss-ing roughly 20 gallons per

second–they would be forced to deliver water in rotation, by neighborhood. This basically meant that you would have water in your house but only on morn-

ings, or nights; or maybe one day you had the precious liquid and the next day you didn’t. At least you got some water and if

you had a water tank this wasn’t a big issue. After all, we all had to pitch in, in this time of crisis.

The government promised that a lot was being done to re-solve the problem, starting with a few wells that were being drilled in the Doña Petra Canyon area that were supposed to instantly fulfill the water deficit. This was all we needed, we were told, to happy campers again.

But just to make sure we didn’t have more problems in the long run, the water company de-cided to hire a Spanish company (who later sold that company to a South Korean company,) to build a desal plant that would guaran-tee around 65 more gallons per second. The plant is currently be-ing built and is expected to start producing water early next year.

But the wells in the can-yon didn’t perform as expected continued on page 6

More than 300 citizens, poli-ticians, and dignitaries attended All Aboard! the pre-sinking festivities for the Mexican Naval patrol vessel Uribe 121, which will live on in infamy at the bot-tom of the Pacific Ocean. If it ever gets there, it will be the first vessel to be intentionally sunk in Northwestern Mexico.

For the past year this ship has been undergoing a com-plete cleansing in the Port of Ensenada, so that it does not endanger underwater flora and fauna (plants and fishies), as it

BY REN DRAKE HILL

Rosarito Underwater Park is ComingBut then so is Christmas coming

becomes the keystone of the new Rosarito underwater park to be located off Puerto Nuevo. The sinking, originally scheduled for last April, was moved to next November. Something about proper wave currents and taking longer to clean than expected. No kidding.

Labeled a new diving ad-venture, the underwater park expects to draw divers and tour-ists to Rosarito, not only from the United States, but from the world over. In addition to pro-viding a great destination for

divers, the underwater park will provide the science com-munity with a field laboratory for the study of sea life, climate, and tides.

With pomp and circum-stance usually reserved for great luminaries, the ceremony featured the Mexican marines in their dress whites, local politicians, and the people who made this event possible, including Richard Long, diver, project leader, and Director of California Ships to Reefs board of directors. In addition to this humble writer, the ceremony was covered by the local and state television stations and many newspapers; everyone thanking everyone for mak-ing this day possible, yada yada yada, and not that anything actually hap-pened on this day.

In view of the docked Princess cruise ship, its pas-sengers wonder-ing just what the big deal on this tarmac was, all in attendance were encouraged to don life vests and hard hats to tour the ship with the reminder to try to imagine be-ing under water and examining all of the exposed nooks and crannies of this retired vessel as continued on page 4

.COM September 7th, 20152

Que Pasa in Baja?BY OLIVER QUINTERO

US lends a hand. US Depart-ment of State representatives visited Baja a few days ago in order to improve security on both sides of the border as a part of the Merida Initiative.

Elizabeth Williams, repre-senting the US Department of State, pointed out that lots of improvements are seen in Baja regarding intelligence systems, communications, emergency response and the training pro-grams for new police officers.

The US government has been active with the Mexican police academy teaching courses about combating drug trafficking, crime scene processing, inves-tigating on the internet, first responders, combatting gang

activities and any other mayhem. The Merida Initiative is a

highly controversial security cooperation agreement between the US, Mexico and Central America that started in 2008 in order to combat drug trafficking, transnational organized crime, and money laundering.

Trash piling up. There has been a major problem with the city trash service lately in Ensenada, with some neighbor-hoods complaining that it takes up to two weeks for the trash truck to come around. The city is whining that some of the trucks broke down and that they are waiting on some funds from the state government to buy a couple new trucks and be on schedule again.

Add this to the huge water problem and you have neighborhoods that pile up the trash and have no water to clean anything, the perfect formula for disease.

Recently city officials came under fire for put-ting signs on trash cans along First Street (the tourist area), that said “Tourism Use Only”. When asked, they said they placed the signs so businesses wouldn’t throw their trash in there and that they didn’t mean that locals couldn’t drop their trash in those

cans.New border crossing. The

Mexican government built a fan-cy new pedestrian border cross-

ing from San Ysidro to Tijuana. People who crossed the border into Mexico uninterrupted be-

fore now will be stopped my Mexican officials with separate lines for Mexican citizens and tourists who will be asked for a

Journalism is publishing something that somebody

doesn’t want printed.

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passport, to fill out a form and a $20 dollar payment (only if they are staying more than a week in Mexico), although authorities already said that if lines become clogged up they will just let everyone through to avoid long waiting times.

Better late than never. The Mexican government just an-nounced the creation of a spe-cialized unit in charge of inves-tigating copyright crimes on the

internet. Arturo Ancona, who is in charge of the copyright crimes office, said that the feds have

just focused on piracy of physical media and that it’s time to adjust to the new realities. The US government has been fighting digital piracy since around 1998 with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and with new laws almost every year that protect content producers.

Watch out for the heat. Due to the high tempera-

tures that have been recorded lately, the civil protection of-fice released a statement telling people to play it safe, don’t stay in the heat for long times, drink plenty of fluids, use sunscreen and a whole list of other com-mon sense things. The reason they are pushing this info to us is because there has been an increase of heat stroke cases reported and they say is mostly because, since we are not used to high temperatures, we don’t take the usual precautions that other people that are used to them would. Yada, yada, yada.

More city limits trouble. Three city workers were taken by the Ensenada police in Santa Anita when they painted over the Ensenada city logos on a wall in order to paint the Rosarito logo there. Rosarito Mayor, Silvano Abarca was present at the bandit paint job, and a big fight ensued between Rosarito and Ensenada supporters and authorities. Ro-sarito said that they were suing the Ensenada authorities for human right violations in the ar-rest. This feud has been going on for years now and it seems that the local congress, which would continued on page 6

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.COMSeptember 7th, 2015 3

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Ask a Mexican This Week’s Question is,What makes you proud to be Mexican?

1. Tony López. Liv-ing in Baja for 14 years. School janitor. I am proud or our beautiful Mexican women, the

variety of food, and of course, of the place I live. I am proud to be born in a part of the world that is surrounded by such natural beauty.

2. Mario Antonio Cota. Living in Baja for 22 years. Merchant at a mini super store. I am proud or our cul-ture which is so differ-ent from many parts of the world. There are so many countries that do not have it. Our unique

identity has given us dis-tinction and honor around the world. I am proud of my family and of my people who are so gentle

and kind.3. Benito Salgado.

Living in Baja for nine years. Snack salesman. I am proud because we are a free country. We can do whatever we like to do. We have the freedom to visit gorgeous places—any town around my country. Also we have beautiful women all around our republic with different  personali-ties, but at the same time, with the same smile.

4. Esteban Guzman

Lorea. Living in Baja for five years. Counter worker. I feel proud of my country every time I taste Mexican food. I’m proud of the

Mexican fiestas all over the republic, and of our music with such different sounds and enthusiastic ways of playing it. I’m proud of our environment: beaches, mountains, weather, and our mines, such as silver. Taxco is a town where you can have all kinds of silver handmade jewelry. I’m proud of our gold, and different unique articles, and opals from Queretaro (I want to be honest; the best opals in the world

are from Australia nev-ertheless ours have shiny colors.) I could write a book of all the marvelous things we have in Mexico,

a place in the world sur-rounded by ocean where we all can travel and be free people. I give thanks to my Lord Jesus who made me a Mexican citizen.

5. Felicitas Diaz Zu-ñiga. Living in Baja for 20 years. Merchant. I am proud of be a Mexican be-cause of the country I live in, the beaches we have, all the environment, and the thousands of different birds, fish, and flowers. You must visit Oaxaca where

they have the best types of mole (a very Mexican salsa used to dress chicken or turkey). Also, the beau-tiful jungle is there. We

have so many varieties of landscape all over our country. I am proud for be a Mexican woman.

6. Lidia Carrazco Gar-cia. Living in Baja for 22 years. Merchant. We have freedom. We really are a country that does not like war. We never have been in an international war. (Tell that to Davy Crocket). I’m proud of our culture born of our ancestors the “Indi-ans,” who gave us our iden-tity. Our country should

honor and respect them. They were brilliant. We Mexicans had a very rich kingdom. They gave the world the calendar,

which is still used all over the world, except in Chi-na. 365 days, with four well designated seasons. So, our people came to be corrupted when the white man came to the continent and brought diseases. And some gen-erations, like the one sitting in the presidential seat today, make us feel discouraged to be proud. Nevertheless, I am still very proud to be a Mexi-can woman.

2 3 4 5 61

BY PATTY O’CHAIRS

Need Some Mail Delivered Here?You can trust it to the Mexican mail mule or you can hire a professional

Letters, bills, cards from Grandma, and love letters from the IRS are all dropped into a mail box in the United States for delivery to ex pats living in Baja, and then what? All those letters, and let’s not forget the packages, are never going to make it to you in Mexico if you depend on the Mexican mail mule. No, they need to be picked up at various San Diego mail drops and car-ried across the border somehow, but how exactly? By private lo-cal businesses, that’s how. They deliver all your mail to the mail room of your choice here in Baja. That mail room of choice is differ-ent from others and distinctive by price, days of delivery, and loca-tion, and comparison of services is what this article is all about.

First, sending drugs across the border into Mexico is illegal. As I made the rounds to each of the mail rooms available here, posing as a prospective renter of a box, this was not mentioned. But then, when I revealed at the last mail

room that I was researching an article for the Gringo Gazette, alarm bells went off and I was told of all the stuff I wasn’t to bring in. However, packages of God knows what have been shooting over the border for many years with no hiccup in the system, so it seems that a shrug and a casually tossed off, “It’s Mexico” applies here.

Click On is Jackie and Marty Alameda’s mail room, which is open six days a week from 8 to 5pm, closed on Sundays. Someone from that operation runs up to San Diego to snag their client’s mail every Mon-day Wednesday and Fri-day. You are given a box number for letters and a physical address in San Diego, as well, since not every delivery service can deliver to a postal box. Click On is on the free road between

Puerto Nuevo Lobster Town and the Grand Baja hotel on the south end of Rosarito. Contact phone is 01 661 614 0513. This room will also assist it’s patrons with permanent residency forms as well as accompany you to the interview. They will also help with car registration, bank er-rands and translations, they have a fax computer service, and copy machines, and delicious muffins.. English is spoken along with Spanish. Cost is $25 monthly with free months given if you sign up for multiple months, and there is a yearly rate of $225.

Renee’s mail room is on the free road just outs ide of down-town

Rosarito going south and is the oldest mail room in Rosarito, having been established in 1979. It’s located now in the back end of the new casino that’s under construction in the building that was the former Rene’s bar. They are open from 7:30am until 7pm offering boxes for rent for $25

per month with better rates if you pay up

front for several months or a year. They make daily trips across the border to fetch your mail, but will not deliver packages. Dot-tie, a beloved woman in Ro-sarito, arrived here with her

husband Chuck many years ago hoping to retire, but

instead bought the mail room from Rene to help support her son Ron who has multiple sclerosis. The switch over from crummy old bar to spiffy new casino turned into a bonanza

for Dottie and Ron as the casino built her a new mail room with a handicap ramp for Ron’s wheel chair in the rear of the building.

MEX, short for Mail Express & Xtras, was established way back in 1990. The general manager is Alejandra Cordova and this one is one block from Boulevard BJ on Ave Mar Del Norte and can be reached at (661) 612 2423. This mail room offers many services, including daily mail delivery from San Diego, telephone mes-saging service, copy/fax is avail-able, USPS priority and express mail, as well as an immigration paper service. If you pay $204 for a year in advance, you receive a post office box as well as a street mailing address, but if you pay poco a poco, you only get a box. They also have private boxes at Club Marena, Canatamar, El Jeffe mini Mercado, Hotel La Mision, Bajamar and San Antonio Del Mar. They have so many locations it’s almost like home delivery and you don’t have to drag your lazy butt far to pick up your mail.continued on page 7

.COM September 7th, 20154

continued on page25

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a diver would. But there were no barnacles on it yet, of course.

A project billed as “of all and for all” came down to a “battle royal” between Ensenada and Rosarito, each trying to get the vessel (and the revenues it will bring) for their own.

Richard Long explained to the audience that our oceans are suffering. This artificial reef ben-efits the ocean, but takes money and commitment, he said. The positive income stream from this one project will outlive us all he said.

The survival rate for fish is actually higher in an artificial reef environment that in a natu-ral one and they are recycling the tough to recycle, such as ships and statuary. Artificial reefs are being created all over the world in hopes of reversing some of the damage we’ve all done to the underwater environs.

The Uribe 121, named for a fallen hero of the Mexican Navy, Second Lieutenant Vir-gilio Uribe, was built in Spain in the 1960’s and has five sister ships still in service in Mexican waters. A fire on the bridge caused the boat to be pulled from commission. When plans were made to scuttle the vessel, ecologists suggested turning it into an artificial reef.

Ships to Reefs International is overseeing the massive un-dertaking, which has been in the works for eight years. In ad-dition, Baja California Divers, a group of Tijuana divers, has

RoSaRito undeRWateR...

continued from page 1

Jackie Alameda, spokschick for the hard working volunteers of the Baja Blues Fest said they are very happy with the way the festival went this year and said the feedback they heard was all positive.

“We think it is the best one yet,” was the way she put it. They did ferret out a few snags, just little bugs, but their biggest problem is trying to figure out what to do to top this one, es-pecially with entertainers. But she is confident they will figure it out.

They have about twice the money to give away this year over last year, although they took in only about half the sponsor donations. Most of the sponsors this year were in kind, although Bobby’s by the Sea paid for all

Baja Blues Fest Another Big Success

of the T shirts, which saved a couple thousand dollars.

Here we go by the numbers:Attendance for all 3 days was

3100 with Saturday being the big day.

Friday - 575 Saturday - 2075 Sunday 450 Of the Saturday attendees -

6% filled out a survey 43% - First time BBF event 82% came from the U.S. 64% are over the age of 60 41% are retired 38% stayed in a hotel 30% rented a house or condo 42% have an income $50K

to $75K 17% earn $75k to $100K 26% said their income was

none of anybody’s bees wax Total gross taken in for the

event - $37,000 Total Expenses - $21.500 They retain about $5,000 to

prepare next year’s event Leaving about $10,000 to give

to the charities this year. This is the most from this one event that has ever been earned.

been promoting this reef project, and made the original request to the Mexican Navy for the patrol boat. All loose materials have been removed, and the hull has been scoured to international standards set by Ships to Reefs International. Bacteria were in-troduced to oil compartments, and after three months the oily sludge was rendered into water.

Organizations, such as Ships to Reefs in San Diego are work-ing to bring more ships to this area. The park not only benefits the economy with the creation of new jobs, but promotes a positive view of Rosarito and our progressive view of science and ecology. And this presents a boon to the local fishing indus-

try, as studies done in Japan have shown that after reefs are created there were remarkably more fish caught in the area bottom line: reefs equal fish. Species that will thrive in this environment include coral, sponges, and other sessile organisms such as barnacles. Yup, we have a lot of fisherpeople searching for sponges and barnacles all right.

In November, God willing, this decrepit, empty, 70 me-ter-long hulk of gray metal will be safely sunk offshore (N32o.12’.596” x W116o56’.001”) by exploding a few well-placed charges. It will be positioned in a way that divers of many abilities, including free divers, may enjoy.

There will be four main com-ponents to the Uribe. The sink-ing of concrete sculptures in the bow area are to simulate an “un-derwater art gallery” sculpture

garden, and will be at a depth of 23 to 33 feet.

A tribute to the Titanic will be created with reproductions of pieces of the ill-fated luxury liner being placed on the ship at a depth of 33 to 66 feet. This also pays homage to the movie of the same name, partially shot a few kilometers from the underwater site.

Mid ship is the pre-Hispanic Atlantis sculpture collection including archeological repro-ductions of Olmec heads, Aztec calendars, pre-Hispanic gods, and pyramids, ranging at depths of 49 to 82 feet.

The aft end is designated as the ship graveyard at a depth of 82 to 98 feet, originally the ship’s

machine shop and helicopter pad.

A museum within the Puerto Nuevo lobster village will of-fer the land lubber public a view of real time underwater events through the placement of five underwater video cameras placed aboard the ship.

Future plans include the sinking of more vessels in this area. Funds are still needed to help cover initial and on going costs of the underwater park so for more information, or to donate to the Uribe 121 project, please go to: www.facebook.uribe121; www.facebook.com/parquesubmarinorosarito; ba-jacaliforniadivers1@gmail.com; www.rosaritoundeerwaterpark.com; contact@rosaritounderwa-terpark.com.

.COMSeptember 7th, 2015 5

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What’s Going On In This Country? BY

SAN

TIAG

OVE

RDUG

O

No thanks, we’d rather starve. Top Mexican chefs urged the president to join them in their opposition to genetically modi-fied corn in a country where fully

34% of this important staple has to be imported. About 100 well

known chefs hopped on this bandwagon.

Last year Mexico temporar-ily banned cultivation of the crops in which some genes are

modified to make them hardier or make them work better with a

particular pesticide. But a judge ruled a week later to suspend the temporary hold.

While supporters say the modified crops may bring larger yields, detractors worry that the crop itself could be unhealthy for humans, and that pesticides will sully their farmland and water supply. Some social groups and environmental organizations have protested, calling for the ban to be permanent.

“Growing these products undermines the biodiversity of our native corn grains and en-dangers their very existence,” the chefs said in a statement. Mexico is a leading pro-ducer of white corn from which tortillas, a staple of the Mexican diet, are made

What are we, chopped liver? Move over, Colima, Mérida has moved into the top spot on the National Quality of Life Index, a mea-surement of the best and t1he worst cities in Mexico in which to live. The capital of Yucatán edged up from last year’s second place to oust Colima, the capital of the state with the same name, which plunged to sixth place in the fourth annual survey of Mexico’s most habitable cit-ies. Mérida scored 83.3 points out of 100 on an index based on residents’ views about hous-ing, schooling, mo-bility, cleanliness, recreat ional op-portunities, citizen coexistence, mu-seums and histori-cal places, natural beauty, quality of life compared to last year and quality of life compared to the rest of the country. Well, we’ll take Cabo over some dumpy city over on the mainland.

What is wrong with these people? A recent poll asked, “If you were offered a meal of turtle eggs, whose possession is illegal, would you eat them? 3% said they would gulp them right down, yes indeedy, screw

the turtles. 97% claimed they wouldn’t, but there is such a thriving black market for turtle eggs, you know half of that 97% is lying their ass off.

Let’s clap them in jail. As nine state governors prepare to leave office after completing their six

year terms

later this year, it seems most of them are taking a big chunk of their state’s funds with them. The governors of Michoacán, Colima, Nuevo León, Queré-taro, Sonora, Guerrero, San Luis Potosí, Campeche and our own Baja California Sur, have yet to account to the Federal Auditor’s Office (ASF) for some dodgy ex-

Always love a woman for her personality. They

have about 10, so you can choose

penditures, which amount to the not insignificant sum of $972.8 million U.S.

The most common irregu-larities detected by the auditor include bank transfers to unau-thorized accounts, the absence of refunds from interest income or under spending, overpriced

and/or under used pur-chases, spending in ar-eas other than those originally intended, or payments made to un-qualified teaching and medical staff.

The governor of Mi-choacán is the biggest thief, according to ASF data: expenditures of 7.8 billion pesos have yet to be explained by the govern-

ment of former governor Fausto Vallejo Figueroa, who left office early for health reasons. Yeah, it’s unhealthy to live in jail and he loses his immunity the day he leaves office. A head start is a good thing.

The state Finance Secretary claims that the current admin-istration inherited debt from

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Now, I’m as patriotic as the next Mexican, I’ve certainly been known to wave the bandera for the Republic, but wearing this stereotype sombrero is where I draw the line. My mom is a Gringa, (I’m actually adopted), and if you ask me, she’s jealous of my status as a Mexie. That’s why every Independence Day she has to dress me up in what she refers to as my native clothing. Fur is my native clothing, hellloooo!

This year she stuck the damn hat on me and held me so tight I couldn’t get away until someone snapped a picture of my humiliation.

You can just bet that next year I will see this coming and take a hike til after the holiday on September 16.

.COM September 7th, 20156

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into the circle of communication.Every community is unique and we have the scale and depth to take care of every one of those special needs. Beyond board meetings, accounting and budgeting, we take care of the things that you see and experience every day.We make sure the flower beds look fresh. We hire trained and licensed security personnel (and make sure the

gates work properly too!). We even perform association and homeowner maintenance via Associa OnCall.We ensure the board that all properties are up to the community’s expectations. The list goes on, and we are there to be responsive to phone calls, emails and online requests via Associa Access. It’s a sense of professional service that we are proud to perform; it is our job to

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On the free road K38.Walk through the pharmacy,

next to the surf shop

and the water problem wasn’t resolved, water shortages con-tinued, and people were getting really mad because some of them didn’t have any water for weeks.

Many of the areas that don’t have water for long periods are some of the lowest income parts of the city and they have to buy their water from trucks, which get around $2.50 per 65 gallons. Considering that the minimum wage is around $4.30 per day, most people can’t afford to buy

off the trucks.Pressured by the public and

by civil organizations, the state government decided on another option to get an adequate water supply to Ensenada: use the wa-ter line that goes from La Mision to Rosarito to reverse the flow, and connect it to the Colorado River in Tijuana and continue it south all the way to Ensenada. This, they said, would guarantee

tHe Scoop on tHe WateR...

continued from page 1

be the only one able to solve the problem and set the city limits confusion straight, is not willing to do it because of risk of losing

Que paSa in BaJa?...

continued from page 2

an extra flow of around 80 gal-lons per second which would definitely fix the problem.

The $9 million contract to accomplish this was assigned in a controversial process to Constructora Makro, a construc-tion company already under fire because they got the $60 million contract to repair the toll road. Worse, they got this job without competitive bids, because –the government said- it was an emer-gency. The process was made even more controversial because they were given the no bid con-tract because the company owed about $2.6 million in taxes that they promised they would pay if only they got the $9 million water contract. Of course other construction companies felt this was, at the very best, sending the wrong message saying, “don’t pay your taxes on time and you can get more sweetheart public contracts”. Still others called it a bad example of corruption.

As the new water solution was being finished, they started allowing a flow of around 26 gallons per second, just for start-ers they said, from Tijuana to Ensenada.

This didn’t work out very well as the pressure broke the old water line that was already on the ground (from Rosarito to La Mision) in several places. This made the water problem big-ger, leaving some parts south of Rosarito and La Mision without any water at all.

This has hurt everyone, from private individuals to businesses. The staff at Dmitry’s La Fonda Restaurant and Hotel told us they hadn’t had a drop of water for more than a month, and that they were paying dearly for water

since they had to buy up to five truckloads of water on busy days at a price of about 30 bucks each.

Authorities claim they almost have the water problem solved, and that the new system was working intermittently, but it doesn’t feel that way for most people who are still out of water and in some cases even worse off than a year ago.

Now the city says the water problem should come to an end when the desal plant comes on-line next year, but this will also mean a higher water bill for all of us since this water will be a lot more expensive.

It seems that the water prob-lem is at best inept management by city officials, and at worst, the result of yet more corruption. All we the ordinary citizen can do is try not to waste precious water, so we can share what we have. And remember this crappy situation when you vote in the next city election.

popularity on taking a side. Same shit, different country.

More money. Tijuana busi-nesses on Revolucion Street, the famous tourist street in TJ, have reported sales increases of at least 10%. Julian Palombo, presi-dent of the busi-ness association of said street, said they have seen an increase in tourists com-ing that they say is due to a better exchange rate for their dollars, an increase in security percep-tion in Baja, and a faster border cross-ing into the US.

Terminal Real Estate. Juan Saldaña, one of the advisors for the medical cluster in Baja (which groups companies that offer medical services), said they have seen an increase of real es-tate sales in the coastal areas for the terminally ill.

“The terminally ill prefers to come here and buy a condo and stay here while getting alterna-tive medicine treatment instead of having to drive back and forth each time they have an appoint-

ment”. Saldaña said.American citizens looking

for alternative treatment, that most of the time is illegal in the United States, cross the border into Mexico to get treated for

terminal diseases like cancer.Bodycams in TJ. Around

70% of police officers in TJ have active body cameras that record everything they do. This amounts to around 1,500 cam-

eras that authorities hope will reduce corruption as well as police abuses.

The head of the public secu-rity office in Tijuana, Alejandro Lares, said they also have a data bank that allows them to store all of the material recorded with the cameras.

This and other efforts are being done by the Tijuana gov-ernment in order to regain the trust of tourists which seem to be giving good results. This past 4th of July, Tijuana received around 60,000 visitors, a number that had not been seen in Tijuana in the last 10 years.

At a car dealership: The best way to get

back on your feet is to miss a car payment.

.COMSeptember 7th, 2015 7

Fish Report BY GARY GRAHAM

Coronado IslandsPlenty of yellowtail are being

found in the lee of South Island and at South Kelp/SKR areas. Sea lions are brutal at the Islands when you are alone, so best ad-vice is to slow-troll sardines or mackerel on heavy gear and horse those yellows to the boat quickly

before the sea lions figure it out.A few miles outside the Is-

lands, small yellowfin tuna can be found beneath the birds — also dorado on the paddies along with a few striped marlin.

Ensenada Dorado action beneath the

kelp paddies scattered offshore from the 238 Bank to Banda Bank heated up along with the weather. When the kelps are located, troll-ing around them with swim baits, cedar plugs, rapalas or with live sardines or mackerel, yielded lim-its. There were also a few striped marlin in the area.

San QuintinThe last event before the Pesca

La Baja finale (which will be held in Ensenada on September 18 and 19) took place on August 21 and 22 at San Quintin. It attracted 170 local and visiting anglers who gathered at the starting line in

front of Old Mill (Molino Viejo). By the end of the second day after the final fish was weighed, two clear winners had emerged.

In the bottom category, Er-nesto Emmanuel Carrillo Zepeda captured top honors with a 62.8-pound mero (black seabass).

Lawrence Biedebach domi-

nated the surface division with an impressive 61.9-pound white seabass.

Locals are also excited that the yellowtail have been cavorting at the bay entrance and are suckers for a slow-trolled mackerel.

Bahia Los AngelesAs the summer season begins

to fade, high humidity and good fishing ushered in the fall season for recent visitors to Bahia Los Angeles, producing dorado, yel-lowtail and cabrilla.

Cedros IslandNot to be outdone, the fly-in

groups to the Island have been delighted with the growing do-rado bite as well as the continuing

Fish Killer Of The Week

Lawrence Biedebach with his winning 61.9-pound white seabass in the surface category and Ernesto Emmanuel Carrillo Zepeda with his winning 62.8-pound mero (black seabass) in the bottom category.

www.lajollareal.comOn the free road to Tijuana #3114

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Mx, located behind Bonanova Hospital right next to the Oceana Grill, does things a bit differently. They are open from 9am to 5pm but for a few extra pesos you can buy a key that allows you at your mail 24 hours a day. Your mail arrives from San Diego by 2pm daily. Their annual price is a bit higher at $220 for an address or $250 for a corporate account, but $205 gets you an ordinary box ac-count which seems to be standard for all mail rooms. This room also assists with money orders, permanent or temp visas, fax-es, copies, and postage, as well as certified translations and priority and ex-press mail. Contact Jessica Olivarria at 612661 0511.

Your last choice is maintain-

need SoMe MaiL deLiVeRed...

continued from page 3

KM. 22 Ens-Tij Toll RoadBaja, Mexico

Football is finally here. Catch all your favorite

teams at Plan B.

limits of yellowtail and calico bass (along with an occasional white seabass).

ing a mail box in San Diego and picking up your

mail yourself and hauling it down. This will be less expensive but not by much, and unless you

have other rea-sons to go to San

Diego, why do this to yourself?

So there you have it: An as-sortment of choices for speeding continued on page 12

On a maternity

room door: Push. Push.

Push.

.COM September 7th, 20158

ROSARITOEvery Sunday 4pm. Cultural Sundays in the park,

featuring local Mexican and American dancers and musicians. At the IMAC in Abelardo L. Rodriguez park, west of Banamex. Different themes every Sunday. Sometimes food booths, other times vendors with food carts. Facebook 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.friendsofthe-library.com.mx. Carmen Dominguez, 661-612-3659. friendsofthelibraryrb@gmail.com

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. susansmithz@hotmail.com

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: marshcassady@yahoo.com.

Every Third Wednesday (except December). 2-4pm. Bingo at Oceana Grill & Cafe, Blvd. Benito Juárez #907-24. Great prizes, 6 different games. Benefits Flying Samar-itans. www.flyingsamaritansrosarito.org. Susan Smith, 661-100-6066, U.S. 858-240-2360. susansmithz@hotmail.com

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. wosiepena@ya-hoo.com

Every Wednesday. 1pm. Writer’s Workshop. Eden Restau-rant, behind Waldo’s and Cruz Roja T h r i f t Shop in central Rosarito. Learning, sharing, sup-porting and networking. Bring samples of your work

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 avail-able. Different speakers brought in to inform or address issues of concern to foreigners living in Mexico. frao@rosarito.org

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. jawmem@msn.com

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. pacothepainter@hotmail.com

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.August 26, Wednesday, 5:00 – 9:00 pm. Sabor de Baja White Attire Party and Culinary Competition at the Rosarito Beach Hotel garden. Showcasing Baja’s top chefs paired with Mexican wines and craft beers. $65, tickets are limited, and all guests MUST wear white. Price includes all food and drink pairings. entertainment by Maryam Malak. Tickets at Extreme Hair Salon (cash only), Rosarito Bea1ch Hotel (cash or credit card), and the Mi Casa Supper Club during business hours (cash, check or credit card), or through PayPal at Sabordebaja@gmail.com. Must be 21 years of age. Information: www.facebook.com/SaborDeBaja, 664-609-3459.

September 11 to 12. Friday to Saturday. XIII MID-NIGHT MADNESS — Rosarito Racquet & Gym at the Rosarito Beach Hotel.

September 12. Saturday. 11am. Painting With Janine — Charly’s Place. Beginners to advanced, and anything in between.

September 12. Saturday. Noon to 6pm. San Diego Crab and Sushi Festival — Lib-

erty Station in Point Loma, San Diego. $150 includes en-trance into the V.I.P. area next to stage, All-you-can-eat crab legs and sushi, 5 drink tickets (2 cocktails, 3 beer or wine), Crab fest tee shirt and sunglasses. Entrance to the after party at the Portuguese Hall. (limited 200 tickets). $75 includes entrance and crab meal, 1 pound of crab

legs and choice of 1 of 3 sushi rolls, 2 beer or wine drink tickets (limited 400 tickets). Live music.

September 17. Thursday. 5 to 10pm. Business and Social Mixer at Sunio Beach Club, inside Castillos Del Mar, Km 28.5 on free road Tijuana to Ensenada. Preceded at 4pm by a special presentation from U. S. Consulate personnel.

September 18 to 19. Friday to Saturday. 11th Interna-tional TJ Beer Fest, including performance by Hola Soy Lola on Friday, September 18. Estadio Caliente.

September 19. Saturday. Beach Clean-Up — Rosarito Shores, Club de Ninos y Ninas, 8am. Come with a team of family, friends, neighbors or workers. Or come by yourself and get teamed up with others. Make new friends while helping to keep the beaches clean. Bring sunscreen, hat, gloves, water, etc...

September 18-20. Friday to Sunday. The Smell of the Kill at Rosarito Theater Guild, downtown Rosarito. Matinee on Sunday at 2pm. Friday and Saturday perfor-mances are at 7pm.

September 18, Friday, 10:00 am. Pat’s Pub-n-Tub 3rd Annual South of the Border Golf weekend at Tijuana Country Club. $52 (includes green fees and cart) Res-ervations suggested.Welcome Party at Bobby’s By The Sea at 5:00 pm. (KM 43 Rosarito-Ensenada Libre). In-formation: campestretijuana.com or Bobby’s By the Sea: 1-714-269-0920 or 1-619-810-7666. MX: 661-614-1135.

September 19, Saturday,9: 00 am. Pat’s Pub-n-Tub golf weekend continues at Bajamar Golf Course. $130 includes green fees, cart, beverages, early breakfast, tee

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

prizes, T-shirt, and after-party. Includes Fast Pass return. Followed by Tiki Party at Bobby’s By the Sea at 5:00 pm. Fun, food, Mariachi band. Non-golfing guests: $20 for party. Bobby’s By the Sea: 1-714-269-0920 or 1-619-810-7666. MX: 661-614-1135.

September 19, Saturday, 1:00pm. USBC monthly pot luck at La Maroma celebrating Mexican Independence Day.. Free to members who bring a Mexican food item. Prizes for best Mexican outfit and best Mexican item/ornament brought. Also, an “elefante blanco” (white elephant) exchange. Information: Tila Ortiz: 661-850-9531 or eatpraylove20@yahoo.com.

September 19, Saturday, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm, Let’s Save the Beach! At Rosarito Shores.

September 24, Thursday, 5:00 pm USBC Restaurant Tour to Claudius Winery, Rosarito’s only winery; 3722 Sharp Blvd (off the free road near the Sharp building).Three course dinner accompanied by wines, and tour: $15. (Tip not included). RSVP by September 21. Seating is limited. Sandi Eddahbi at seddahbi@aol.com.

September 23. Wednesday. Advanced Acting Class at Rosarito Theater Guild, downtown Rosarito.

September 24-27. Thursday to Sunday. Trip to Tequi-la, Mexico. Arrangements being made by Scot Richardson of Once Upon a Time in Rosarito.

September 24, Thursday, 11:00 AM, Friends of the Library Texas Hold ‘Em poker tournament. Doors open at 10:00 am. Reservations Required! New location at Mi Casa Supper Club in San Antonio Del Mar.Go to www.friendsofthelibrary.com.mx. $30 buy-in. 48 player max. Information: Dave Merino, MX: 664-904-3106 or US: 1-619-800-7941.

September 25-27. Friday to Sunday. The Smell of the Kill at Rosarito Theater Guild. downtown Rosarito. Matinee on Sunday at 2pm. Friday and Saturday perfor-mances are at 7pm.Cines Rio building, 76 Benito Juarez Blvd, Rosarito. Members: $12; Non-members: $15. Tickets through PayPal (credit cards) or at the box office (cash). Information: a

August 30, Sunday, 9:00 am. “Wateke” Baja Sand and Social. At Rosarito Beach Hotel. Culmination of the sand castle contest and beach games: futbol, basketball, volley-ball, surfing and a bike fun ride. Nighttime entertainment, 5:00 pm– 10:00 pm. Donation 50 pesos. www.facebook.com/Wateke Baja Sand.

September 25. Friday. San Diego Padres Fiesta at the Park at Petco Park, San Diego. Presentation of Mexican culture with mariachis, folklorico and flamenco dancers, Lucha Libre Exhibition (yes Luche Libre!!!), Live DJ, and food & drink. Watch the presentation and then stay for the Padres game.

September 26. Saturday. 10 am. Rosarito to Ensenada Bicycle Ride starts on Benito Juarez Blvd, in front of Rosarito Beach Hotel. This family-friendly bike ride is held twice a year. Some ride to compete, but most ride for fun. Big end-of-ride-party in Ensenada.

September 30 to October 3. Wednesday to Saturday. 6th Annual Mariachi & Ballet Folklorico Festival, people’s choice competition and workshops, held at the Rosarito Beach Hotel. The two time Grammy Award winning mariachi divas, workshops, and cocktails with the stars.

October 1-3. 8am. Mariachi y Ballet Folklorico Festi-val/Workshops. Rosarito Beach Hotel. 6th Annual

October 2-4. Friday-Sunday. EnTijuanaArte Art Event — Cecut, Tijuana and competitions between U.S. and Mexican mariachis, singing and dancing. (661) 100 6066 or (858) 240 2360 or Facebook it again.

Oct 8-12 Baja Culinary Fest — Tijuana, stay tuned for more info.continued on neXt page

I’m always disappointed when a liar’s pants don’t

actually catch on fire

.COMSeptember 7th, 2015 9

ENSENADAEvery 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. cdbcnm@gmail.comEvery Fourth Thursday. Red Hat Society lunch at

various local restaurants. Tillie Foster, cell 646-171-5292. bajaqueentillie@gmail.comEvery 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. anlof9@gmail.com

Every Friday 7:30 pm. Live music at El Callejon Colec-tivo Culinario; Floresta #320, Fracc. Acapulco, Ensenada. Alex Orendain, anlof9@gmail.com, 646-120-8004; www.

elcallejoncolectivoculinario.com. September 12. Saturday. 1pm to 10pm. 4th Pacifica

Beer Fest 2015. Pacifica at Ensenada Bay. $150 pesos, and $200 pesos at the door. 646-137-6101. Live music, craft beer, gastronomical magic.

September 12. Saturday. 1pm to 10pm. 4th Pacifica Beer Fest 2015 — Pacifica at Ensenada Bay, Tickets $150 pesos before the event and $200 pesos at the door. For more information or to order tickets. Call 646-137-6101. Live music, craft beer, Gastronomical Magic.

September 12. Saturday. Wine Fest at Valle de Gua-dalupe

Project: Land in Rosarito between Las Ventanas and Cantamar is on the block for a mere $27/sq ft. Ideal for resort, now that resort property is selling like hot cakes.Contact Alfredo Aragon, Tels (01 81) 8381-3323, 1806-8164,. bienesraices@publivalle.com.

Pssst! Wanna Build An Oceanfront Resort?

Oct 14-18 Tijuana Tequila Expo Festival — Tijuana, stay tuned for more info.

October 1 November. Saturday-Sunday. KatrinaF-est — IMAC Park, Rosarito

October 7, Flying Sams monthly luncheon, The Great Cookie Wars. More later.

October 18, Soup’s On, Cruz Roja benefit luncheon. More later

October 24, Baja Spay and Neuter Event. More laterOctober 28, Directing Class at Rosarito Theatre.

More later.November 19, Friends of the Library Texas Hold ‘Em

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

Bazaar. More laterDecember 2, Flying Sams monthly luncheon, White

Elephant Gift Exchange. More laterDecember 5, Friends of the Library Holiday Home

Tou. More laterDecember 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. 2015holidayball@gmail.com; Annie Saravera: anastasiia.mx@gmail.com.

Four bedrooms, 3 ½ baths, 2 kitchens with granite counter tops,  stainless

steel appliances,  Ocean view picture window 21 feet long.  Laundry room,  wet bar, open floor plan.  2 car plus garage.  Solar panels. Fresh water.  Secure compound. Corona Beach. $175,900.00 OBO.  Call 1-949-548-6069 or 001-52-646-120-3209 or email: aidclarkbcd@gmail.com.

Awesome Views in EnsenadaFor Sale

Amateur coast watchers around Rosarito are wondering what that strange looking ship is all about that’s been at anchor off-shore for several weeks. The huge vessel looks at first like it might be a tuna seiner out of service. With a large rear superstructure similar to that used to haul huge nets onto the offshore commer-

BY BART ALLEN BERRY

Super Cool Research Ship Visits Our ShoresScary looking, serious looking ship bristles with electronic gear

cial tuna boats, this might seem like a safe assumption, but no, that’s not it. A closer examination reveals all sorts of technical ra-dars, on board crane and hauling systems, a huge aft deck, various marker floats, technical sensors and well, some very complicated looking stuff.

Is it a spy ship of some kind?

It is flying a Scottish flag. Where is it coming from? Where is it going? And what the hell is it doing here?

The ship is called the Dorado Discovery and it is a very special guest in our waters. The Dorado Discovery is a multi purpose research vessel that’s used for treasure hunting, oil and mineral exploration, sea bed mapping, and location and assistance with shipwrecks.

The Dorado Discovery is the first commercial converted research vessel to conduct deep ocean mineral exploration. With this platform and specialized equipment, the Odyssey team has the capability to perform precision geophysical and geo-chemical surveys, detailed map-ping, sampling, environmental assessments, underwater drill-ing, and resource evaluations. The Dorado Discovery features

survey, geological, exploration, technical and scientific labs as well as refrigerated sample and core storage.

The DD is owned by interna-tional commercial vessel operator Hays Ships Ltd from Aberdeen Scotland, weighs in at 5100 tons and was built in the shipyards of Poland. The Dorado Discovery is operated by Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. which is en-gaged in the exploration of the deep ocean and uses innovative

Dorado Discovery has been hanging out just off shore

methods and state-of-the-art technology to conduct extensive search and archaeological recov-ery operations around the world.

All these capabilities beg the

questions - “What are they doing in Rosarito? and “Is there some underwater treasure out there?”

We don’t know and nobody will tell us.

.COM September 7th, 201510

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Subscribe!!or we’ll throw thekitty under the busGo to page 4

Suspense Thriller At Local Theater

BY TOM EMANUEL

This is a great play, expertly delivered

Get off the couch and out of the house! Treat yourself to a hilarious dark comedy about the crazy stuff that creeps into the head of married couples everywhere (but usually doesn’t include revenge and venison!).

Yes, the Rosarito Theatre Guild, known for putting on spectacular community theatre productions right here in Ro-sarito, is doing it again. This time we see some very familiar faces in a new and very funny setting. Amy Chankin, who pulled off a truly exceptional performance as Maria Callas in Master Class, graces us again with her por-trayal of Nicky, a feisty upper class wife and career woman in Chicago. Nicky is hosting a dinner party with her two clos-est friends: Molly brought to us by Susan Lindstrom, and Debra

played by Kay Sutton, and along with their three husbands.

The dinner party, an event which has been repeated many times at each of their homes dur-ing the past 20 odd years, has just concluded as the curtain rises. The ladies are in Nicky’s kitchen while the men have gone off to

look at Jay’s, (Greg Richards), new toy, a walk-in freezer. They get locked inside. The men have speaking parts but they never appear on stage so all we know about them is what their wives relate during the course of their none too gentle conversation.

As they gab, we learn quite a lot about what has happened over the last 20 years among

these three couples and some of it is pretty messy. The wives are mostly disgusted and the hus-bands are pretty much immune to criticism, as they hav gone off on their own adventures. For in-stance, Nicky’s husband, Jay, has lately become an avid hunter who

is exercising his macho while traipsing around the woods try-ing to kill Bambi. He has also managed to embezzle $7 million from his company. This gives him the wherewithal to pursue his dreams, most of which seriously grate on his wife, Nicky.

Molly’s husband, Danny, (played by Susan’s real husband, Gerry Lindstrom), is fat, happy

and complacent and doesn’t want children. Molly has had to take things into her own hands because her clock is ticking like a berzerk time bomb. She has bitterly gone out to seek new partners who can give her what she wants more than anything: a child. This revelation shocks Debra who is the classic church lady and prone to smugness, critical judgment of others, and self-delusional denial. One of her foibles is that in her view she has the perfect child who is always a little saint and always does what mommy says. In reality of course the kid is a consummate brat, who is a serious pain in the patootie to Debra’s friends.

Debra’s husband Marty, re-vealed to us by Jim McNulty, is

not delighted by Debra’s judg-mental tendencies as they often are directed at him. Unfortu-nately for him he has let her in on his feelings about that. It does not bode well for his future prospects tonight.

This play is cleverly designed

by its author, the New York play-wright Michelle Lowe, to show us how the ladies come to recog-nize the truth about themselves, their life situations, and their husbands. In the aftermath of these revelations they are called upon to make some serious deci-sions, and these decisions are the whole point of the play and the reason why you should go see it. Are they going to accidentally leave their husbands to freeze to death in Jay’s expensive toy, like the slabs of Bambi he’s hung in there? Or are they going to let them out but then head for the divorce courts? Or are they going to learn from their past mistakes and become better wives, thus inspiring their husbands to be better as well?

Sorry, we can’t tell you. You’ll have to learn for yourself when you fire off the couch and take in this intriguing dark comedy. In

the meantime, before you learn the suspense filled ending, you will be treated to some hilarious zingers, some wild speculations, and some awesome insights.

The actors are becoming very professional at the Ro-sarito Theatre Guild. This is Amy Chankin’s 14th p e r f or m a n c e and Susan Lind-strom has trod these boardd five times. Kay Sutton has only performed twice before but she has been closely associated with the theatre for many years as their lighting di-rector. Of the hus-bands, Greg Rich- ards is the most experienced, but Jim McNulty and Gerry Lindstrom are no strangers to audiences

. The play is directed by the always creative Sylvia Dom-brosky and produced by George Murphy who has been a featured

actor many times himself. Con-nie Strawn is the stage manager and is a true stalwart at the Guild, having done a superb job in this role many times before. Milo Goehring does a great job at the critical tasks of lighting and sound technician.

The last play, Master Class, featured a dinner partner in the guise of Suzanna’s California Restaurant where you can receive a 20% discount off your entire bill if you dine there on any day the play is running. That is the case again. Just call 661-613-

1187 for reservations and say you are going to The Smell of the Kill.

The play opens on September 18 at 7 P.M. and is presented at that time on September 25th. There are matinees at 2 P.M. on September 19, 20, 26, and 27. This is plenty of dates to enjoy the highlight of your late sum-mer entertainment.

You are the result of 4 billion years of

evolutionary success. Act like it.

.COMSeptember 7th, 2015 11

David Floresdavid@gringogazette.comCell (624) 121-1214

the previous one, a situation that has only worsened since. He also accepted the amount claimed by the auditor’s office, but while the current government will try to clarify its expenditures, it is likely that the governor-elect will be inheriting the anomalies, which will add to the state’s in-debtedness.

Under tepid investigation here is a questionable payment of 1.7 million pesos from a health services fund to pay six medical specialists who couldn’t prove their qualifications and were thus deemed unfit for the positions for which they were hired.

Hot fuel? Could be. Federal authorities estimate that 30% of all gasoline and diesel sold in Mexico’s Pemex stations is stolen, a figure they hope will be reduced by new controls on fuel sales that take effect next year. The Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE), a relatively new agency created by energy reforms, will become directly re-s p ons i - ble for

combating fuel theft on January 1,

when it implements a series of new measures to monitor fuel sales and distribution.

A CRE representative spoke this week at Expogas, a con-ference of gas station owners and operators being held in Querétaro on the mainland, to explain the new procedures, chief among them registering all commercial fuel transactions in which all gas stations must participate, although only half of Mexico’s 15,000 stations have begun the process of obtaining the permit, they will need to do so, to continue operating. Oh yeah, sure. Some stations are so crooked that when the Mexican version of the bureau of weights and measures shows up for their periodical check on the honesty of the pumps, the owners of the gas stations chase them off, re-fusing to cooperate. So Profeco meekly slinks away. What good is an enforcement agency that weak?

They’re claiming that due to a 90 day processing period, stations that haven’t applied by the end of September will not be allowed to operate come January 1. Want to bet how many stations will be buttoned up come next

WHat’S going on in tHiS...

continued from page 5

January?Another piece of the system,

which will become operational in 2018, is a website where con-sumers can access maps showing the locations of all the country’s gas stations, and their current prices. Yes, stations will be able to set their own prices, within a narrow range. Mexico’s 15,000 stations sell 200 million liters of gasoline and diesel per day, of which 30% is estimated to be stolen.

More Pemex news. We are all frustrated by some of the lo-cal Pemex stations’ short pour. Sometimes the gas stations get continued on page 12

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Prize pool: 50% 1st place, 35% 2nd place, 15% 3rd placeHalf of the pot benefits the Friends of the Library

Questions? Call David Merino at:(664) 904 3106 or (619) 800 7941

Reserve Your Seat At: www.friendsofthelibrary.com.mx

I keep pressing

Esc. but I’m still here

.COM September 7th, 201512

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so greedy that it’s obvious our tank can’t hold as much fuel as the pump shows we just bought. But by the end of the year a smart phone app that is in beta test right now will keep track of those thieving stations. It’s com-munity based, meaning if you think you have been cheated, you post the location of the gas station. Others will check the app before buoying fuel to see if the station they’re headed for has been accused of ripping off their customers. This should really help to put a stop to the practice. Your favorite newspaper, (that would be us, Bunky), will post those scores every issue, in case you are not smart enough to operate a smart phone.

The Federal Electricity Com-mission’s (CFE) boss said yes-terday that 16% of the energy it

your social security checks and your magazines to you. These mail rooms are so similar that most folks choose the one that’s closets to them. Whichever you choose, may your mail be all good news, and may your envelopes be filled with dinero and gifts.

need SoMe MaiL deLiVeRed...

continued from page 7

WHat’S going on in tHiS...

continued from page 11

May you never encounter that rare package that’s been opened and pawed through by snoopy customs agents, and may Aunt Tillie’s undies forever remain private. And just what in the heck is the old bat mailing her unmentionables for, anyway?

produces is stolen or lost every year, a percentage that represents a financial cost of about U.S. $3 billion. But Enrique Ochoa also said the electric utility is mad as hell and isn’t going to stand for this anymore. He says CFE plans to reduce lost electricity by 1% per year, dropping the percent-age to 11% by the end of 2018. The long term goal is to get it down to below 6%, a figure that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development says should be the maximum for competitive countries. The

CFE says most of its losses are incurred in the Mexico City met-ropolitan area in the Valley of México and stem from the now-

defunct Central Light and Power (LFC), which was liquidated by then-president Felipe Calderón in 2009. Its annual losses, largely due to electricity theft, ran to 30% per year or more. Losses in the Valley of México were down to 25% last year, of which 17% was

due to theft. The remainder was lost through a poorly maintained transmission and distribution system, said a report published by El Financiero last June.

One of CFE’s strategies to reduce theft is the installation of new meters. Over the next 12 to 18 months it will install more than 1 million in the State of México, Tabasco and the Federal District.

CFE strikes back. CFE has been accused of setting its stan-dard line voltage to 128 volts instead of the 115 volts in the U.S. and Canada. This allows them to save money because they can push the power farther with fewer substations. But the result is burned out light bulbs, fried electric motors, and other dam-age to equipment. This is a hid-den tax we as consumers pay.