January 2020

“Everybody in America is so money-hungry. It’s like a rat race and even when you win you’re still a freaking rat.” Mike Tyson

Welcome to 2020! I hope that you have had a debaucherous holiday season filled with cocktails and friends, and that you are ready to settle into what is sure to be a much needed collective existential crisis. You probably want to stop reading right now and order another margarita.  Continue reading Editor’s Letter →

By Julie Etra

OK, here is your primer on rats – perhaps more than you would ever like to know. There are a lot more rats than the rat with the deservedly “bad rat” rap, the Norway rat, Rattus norvegicus, hence the common name. It is also known as the brown rat, the sewer rat, the wharf rat, the Hanover rat, and the Norwegian rat. (White lab rats are a product of selective breeding of the Norway rat for the specific purpose of research.) Continue reading A Rat Is Not “Just a Rat” →

By Brooke Gazer

Nineteen years ago, when we moved into our new villa in Residencial Conejos, there were not many residences. With fewer than a dozen homes, the neighborhood had ample forest for small wildlife to inhabit. Many of our construction workers had lived on site, and we later discovered that their habits of leaving tortillas and other food around encouraged small visitors to drop by.  A few families enjoyed the abundant supply of nourishment so much that they moved right in.  Continue reading It’s Not a Rat! →

By Brooke Gazer

Since its premiere in 2012, the Blues on the Beach concerts have grown so popular that some Huatulco visitors arrange their vacation to coincide with one or both annual events. Mark two Saturdays – January 18 and February 22 – on your 2020 calendar because you won’t want to miss either of these two fun-filled extravaganzas.  The concerts will be held at The Sea Soul Beach Club in the Chahue area of Bahías de Huatulco.  The lineup for January includes Guy Bélanger on harmonica, blues/soul singer Annika Chambers, and Paul Deslauriers, one of Canada’s elite guitarists. Continue reading Blues on the Beach →

By Susan Birkenshaw

As I grew up, one of my not-so-secret pleasures was to read my daily horoscope.  I often would have my tea leaves read or go to the card reader at the fall fair, and I even tried to figure out what the Chinese Zodiac might mean to me.  I remember that I was often surprised about just how “close and similar” the results seemed to be.  As a kid, I would try to live my life (for maybe a couple of days) based on the results of each event.  Ultimately, not a sensible path! Continue reading The Year of the Rat – from the Beginning →

By Brooke Gazer

The parents and staff at UNA are exceedingly grateful for the help that Huatulco provides, through both Blues on the Beach and from personal and corporate donations. But the need is ever increasing.  Continue reading A New Partner for Un Nuevo Amanecer →

By Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D.

Artist Gerardo Navarro Gómez lives in a lush, tranquil setting with his mother and three sisters.  One would not expect to encounter art ranging from the mildly erotic to pieces that test the sensibilities of the most liberal amongst us.  But, yes, accompanying paintings that express religious imagery and childlike carefree scenes are those of quite another theme, carefully hidden from view.  Continue reading La Rubia Negra: The Erotic Art of Gerardo Navarro →

By Marcia Chaiken and Jan Chaiken

The original Rat Pack entertainers were primarily known for their individual accomplishments and their group antics in shows in Las Vegas and films in Hollywood, but they also owed homage to Mexico for contributing to their fame. They included iconic American figures Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin. While Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop may not be much recognized among the younger generations, they too were part of the Rat Pack.  Continue reading The Rat Pack in Mexico →

By Randy Jackson

The Chinese zodiac year of the rat in 2020 coincides with the 70th anniversary of having no rats in the Province of Alberta. NO rats is only a very slight exaggeration. About a dozen rats a year are found wandering into the province or inadvertently carried in by vehicles from elsewhere.  Obviously, those unhappy wandering rats don’t survive. Alberta is the largest rat-free populated area in the world.  Continue reading No Rats in Alberta? Pretty Much Nope! →