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Feb. 1, 2005 - Issue #55
News and Features about Puerto Vallarta on Mexico´s Gold Coast
Tips and Topics on Living in Your Own Dream Location
[Go to the Archives]
CONTENTS:
• FEBRUARY CULTURAL SCENE
• ART AUCTION BENEFIT FOR LIBRARY
• BECA CHARITY BALL
• MUSIC NEWS
• A SPICE MAY PREVENT ALZHEIMER´S
• PATRONATO TO PRESERVE VALLARTA´S CENTER
FEBRUARY CULTURAL SCENE
Puerto Vallarta is packed with tourists, and there are so many activities planned for this month that you have to carry around an agenda so as not to miss something important. A nice addition to our Main Plaza is a musical group called Intihuayno that plays every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the Kiosk. On the first Thursday of each month there is a jazz concert in the Centro Cultural Cuale from 8 to-9.30 p.m.
If you haven´t seen the Voladores de Papantla, they perform their incredible flight on the Malecon Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 6-6.30, 8-8:30 and 9:30-10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4 is the Art Auction at the Public Library. [See article below.] Sat. Feb. 5 is Mexican Constitution Day, and Galeria Dante will present a special showing of Meg Munro´s watercolors from 6 to 10 p.m. Our fabulous folkloric dance group Xiutla will perform at Los Arcos outdoor theater on Sunday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. and a theater presentation "Si Me Permiten a Bailer" at the Centro Cultural Cuale from 8-9:30 p.m.
The next Old Town Art Walk is scheduled for Wed. Feb. 9, from 6 to 10 p.m. with very important artists, such as Claudia Nery "Mystical Images" at Galeria Vallarta, Martha Gilbert at Galeria Arte Latinoamericana, Sergio Carval at Galeria Uno, Janitzio Rangel and Abdon Punzo at Corona Galeria and others to be announced. T. Fuller Galeria will present Davis Birks new works on Feb. 11. From now until Feb. 9 Carlos Cuevas´ impressive oils of Mexican natives are on display at Galeria Vallarta.
HAPPY VALENTINE´S DAY
On February 14, be sure to remember your loved ones with something special from one of Vallarta´s galleries or specialty shops. Feb. 23 is the second February Art Walk with Raymundo Andrade at Galeria AL, Vladimir Cora at Galeria Uno, Bella Rish at Galeria Corona and Steven King´s Impressionist Landscapes at Galeria Vallarta. Check the PV Tribune, Vallarta Today or Ambito for the showings at Corsica, Galeria Pacifico, Galeria 8, Leonardo Galeria, Galeria Arte Popular Mexicana, Sergio Bustamante and Galeria de Ollas, as well as the dates for the Marina Art Walk and the studio walk in Olas Altas. Remember the International Friendship Club annual bazaar on Sunday, Feb. 27 starting at 9 a.m. until sold out.
5TH ANNUAL ART AUCTION FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4 6-9PM
Biblioteca Los Mangos
Francisco Villa 1001 Col. Los Mangos
Tel: 224-9966
Free Admittance
Refreshments being served
Don´t miss this great event which raises badly needed funds for our local library and gives you a chance to bid on original art, spas, hotel accommodations, massages, etc. plus you will enjoy a fashion show, a guitar concert and cocktails. Last year´s event was lots of fun and the bidders received some great values.
COME TO THE BALL - BECAS THAT IS!
In the next few days posters will be going up all over town announcing the 2005 Becas Ball. Hundreds of ladies will start contemplating their wardrobes and deciding what to wear for the biggest social event of the season. But, in other homes, hundreds of families will have their hopes raised that the Becas Fund will benefit enough that they will not have to choose between food on the table or a better education for their children. Wondering if their kids will be wearing work clothes at a too early age or receiving school uniforms - with all that this means for a productive future life. That is what Becas Vallarta A.C. is all about - and has been ever since it was created in 1961.
At present the foundation is giving grants to 286 students, 79 in Secundaria, 136 in Preparatoria and 71 in University. The ever growing number of deserving kids plus the ever increasing costs of providing education, uniforms, shoes and school supplies is a huge challenge that can only be answered by widespread and generous community-wide support.
The bar for receiving a Becas scholarship is deliberately set high. The students must maintain at least an 8.5 grade point average. The average among those with scholarships is actually much higher than that, with many perfect 10's among them. They must demonstrate real economic need and they - with their parents' full support - must be fully committed to serious educational progress. Even with this tough initial screening there are more deserving cases than the fund can sustain.
Which brings us back to the annual Becas Ball - one of the major sources of income for the scholarship program. This year it will be held on Saturday March 5th, at the Westin Resort and Spa in Marina Vallarta. For 600 pesos (or $55 dollars) a whole night of enjoyment is guaranteed. At 7 p.m. the doors will open and silent auction and raffle sales will begin. The evening's celebrations will start in earnest with free cocktails being served between 7:30 and 8.30 p.m. Los Bambinos will be entertaining guests before dinner is served at 8.30 p.m. The group "Farra" will be playing music to dance to between 8 and 12:30 p.m. At 10 p.m. there will be a brief but exciting live auction and at 10:30 p.m. the silent auction will be closed. At 11 p.m. the always beautiful table center-pieces will be sold off at $100 pesos.
Many residents have been attending the Becas Ball for years and they know what a great evening it always turns out to be. The Becas Committee hopes to see many new faces this year - since the more the community becomes part of the Becas family, the brighter the future of deserving children will be. Many of the university students will be working as volunteers, so there is an opportunity for everyone to see what great kids they are.
In addition to the tickets for the ball, raffle tickets are on sale at $10 pesos each (or $1 dollar). LANS has already gifted a Sony 29 inch TV and there are also a VCR-DVD player and a Micro-wave oven waiting to be won. Tickets can be bought at the International Friendship Club (222-5466), Curves, Pulpito #146 (222-8621), Galeria Dante, Basilio Badillo #269 (222-2477), Galeria Vallarta, Juarez #263 (222-0290), Galeria Vallarta, Plaza Marina Loc. E-6 ((221-0788) or call 222-1478 (El Centro) or 221-0789. Tickets can also be bought from Becas Vallarta members Pat Bendix, Connie Blanc, Mary Ellis, Mary Franco, Buri Gray, Ann Lafferty, Mercedes de Martinez, Estrella Rodriguez, Barbara Topete and Polly Vicars.
In addition to selling tickets all of the above will be happy to receive individual donations.Just 360 pesos will pay for one month´s education for a high school student and every contribution helps.
INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP CLUB NEWS
2005 IFC BAZAAR - Sunday, February 27 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM We need your help! What do you have to donate? We're taking in goods now. Please see what you have that is ready for a new home. Customers will be waiting. Our cupboards are bare. Nothing is too small or too large. Give us a call - we can do pickups. Yvonne Ward: 228-0050, IFC Clubhouse - 222-5466. Open to all IFC members. For those interested in playing bridge, please come and join us at the clubhouse on Friday. Helen Conner will be here to greet us all and set up tables. If you have any question please call Helen at 322-209-0952
MUSIC NEWS
If you are a fan of the "blues" you must see the live blues bands performing at NO NAME CAFE. On Monday nights at 10 p.m. you can hear our own Goeff Watkinson and the Estrada Blues Band. Goeff is also a painter and exhibits his work at Galeria Uno. On Tuesday through Saturday nights a great band called La Misma Cosa performs starting at 9 p.m. -upstairs at No Name Cafe on the Malecon. Free admittance. If you want to subscribe to a newsletter about music in Vallarta and keep up with the latest gigs, email: colvin@mail.com and ask to subscribe.
SUNSET MUSIC CRUISE
Inaugural cruise Friday Feb 4, 2005 for an exciting new musical opportunity for Banderas Bay kicks off this Friday. The Vaquero II launches its new weekly Sunset Music Cruise, departing from the Marine Terminal across from Sam's Club/Wal-Mart promptly at 5 p.m. The Friday cruises will feature the Mango Duo, composed of Alfredo Estrada & Zoe Wood, musicians who are creating quite a stir in local waters this season. On the inaugural cruise, they will be joined by jazz acoustic bassist Doug DeMeerleer and drummer Eusebio Palacio. They will be performing acoustic Latin and swing music. It's truly infectious -- I've heard them do this unusual material before and can highly recommend it.
The Sunset Music Cruise is aimed as much at local residents as at tourists, with a reasonable all-inclusive price of 400 pesos. That buys a three-hour cruise, a Mexican dinner and an open bar for national drinks. And, of course, some of the best music in the Bay area. The boat, which I understand was previously used for Jazz Cruises up in California, accommodates 90 people. Advertising won't hit the public for a few more days, so now is the best opportunity for readers of the Vallarta internet newsletters and bulletin boards to jump aboard. Inquiries can be directed to: PHONE: 01-329-298-0019 email: vaquerocruz@prodigy.net.mx or Linda Joy @ luckylinda@prodigy.net.mx
POPULAR INDIAN SPICE MAY PREVENT ALZHEIMER´S
By Kimberly Beauchamp, ND
Healthnotes Newswire - Curcumin, a yellow spice used in traditional Indian curry dishes, may help prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease (AD), according to a study in the Journal of Biological Chemistry (December 7, 2004; online edition). AD, an irreversible, progressive neurological disorder, disrupts normal behavior and thinking and is characterized by memory loss, disorientation, confusion, delusions, hallucinations, depression, insomnia, and anxiety. The average time between the onset of symptoms and death is about 8 years, although some people may live longer than 20 years.
The brains of people with AD show accumulations of a protein called beta-amyloid. Beta-amyloid deposits contribute to tangles of brain tissue and dense areas called plaques that form in the brain. These accumulations lead to tissue death and eventually cause the symptoms associated with AD. One approach to AD prevention and treatment is to decrease beta-amyloid production in the brain. AD risk decreases when more antioxidant-rich foods are eaten (e.g. blueberries, spinach, sweet potatoes). Certain anti-inflammatory medications such as naproxen and ibuprofen also seem to protect against the disease. Curcumin has potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties with a very low risk of toxicity. It has also been shown in previous animal studies to decrease the accumulation of amyloid.
Interestingly, the prevalence of AD in India, where curcumin is a staple spice, is much lower than it is in western countries. The new study investigated the effect of curcumin in mice that were altered to have human AD genes. The mice were fed diets containing 500 parts per million of curcumin or a control diet containing safflower oil until they were 22 months old. At this point, their brains were examined for evidence of beta-amyloid accumulation. The effects of curcumin on beta-amyloid accumulation were also compared with those of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications naproxen and ibuprofen. The aggregation (clumping) of beta-amyloid protein was significantly inhibited in mice that were fed curcumin compared with the mice that were fed the control diet. With higher doses of curcumin, clumps of beta-amyloid were broken up, suggesting that curcumin can inhibit new plaques from forming, as well as break up existing plaques.
The formation of fibrils (components of brain tissue tangles) was also inhibited by curcumin supplementation. Curcumin inhibited plaque formation more strongly than naproxen and ibuprofen. The results of this preliminary study suggest that curcumin may be valuable for preventing and treating AD. The amount of curcumin used in the study is easily achievable through diet and supplementation; however, additional studies are needed to determine whether curcumin is effective in humans and how much is needed. Curcumin is also under current investigation as an anticancer agent. Cancer patients have taken between 2 and 8 grams of curcumin per day without any adverse effects.
Kimberly Beauchamp, ND, received her bachelor's degree from the University of Rhode Island and her Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University in Kenmore, WA. She is a co-founder and practicing physician at South County Naturopaths, Inc., in Wakefield, RI. Dr. Beauchamp teaches holistic medicine classes and provides consultations focusing on detoxification and whole-foods nutrition. Copyright © 2005 Healthnotes, Inc. All rights reserved. Healthnotes Newswire is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. Healthnotes, Inc. shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. HEALTHNOTES and the Healthnotes logo are registered trademarks of Healthnotes, Inc.
PATRONATO FORMED TO PRESERVE VALLARTA´S CENTER
An important step in preserving the image of Puerto Vallarta as a typical pueblo was taken with the formation of the Patronato which includes prestigious community leaders dedicated to this task. This group will be able to receive federal and municipal funds in addition to local donations for beautification, tourist booths, directional signs, lighting, architectural planning etc. and will have the power to enforce existing regulations or create new ones when necessary. Problems with buses, traffic, pollution, circulation of tourists, parking, preservation of historic buildings etc. will be worked on. Please send any ideas or suggestions you may have for this group to consider to: webartmarketing@galeriavallarta.com.
SUBSCRIBE AND UNSUBSCRIBE INFORMATION:
About Living Your Dream is by free subscription to our own mailing list. To subscribe or unsubscribe, please send an email to WebArt@GaleriaVallarta.com with "subscribe or unsubscribe to Dream" in the subject line. If you would like to place an ad or submit an article, please contact Barbara Peters, Galeria Vallarta, Juarez 263, (322) 222-0290 or at WebArt@GaleriaVallarta.com
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