WOW! CHARITY GOLF HITS $14,000 LONG BALL;
NEARS TWICE LAST YEAR’S TOTAL FOR HIGH SCHOOL;
GENEROSITY REAL WINNER OF TOURNAMENT:
DETAILS NEXT WEEK.

 

NEED A LIVING ROOM SET? Go to the “for sale” page
ANOTHER CONCERT ON THE WAY – See story below
TV, AUDIO, COMPUTER HELP- See Alan on Service Provider page
TALK ON PROPERTY , CAPITAL GAINS MAR. 17 – See story below

 

Taxing Times 1

Snowbirds, ex-pats may need to use new IRS form

(Ed. Note: This series is a combined effort by Mary and Bernie Strojny who first suggested it and Martin Wohnlich who researched government documents with the aid of a CPA and compiled it in association with the Pelican Free Press. Since tax rules are always open to change, this series should be considered only as a basic familiarization and introduction to new asset reporting rules that affect U.S. taxpayers with assets abroad).
     “Every reader of the Pelican Free Press who has to file a U.S. tax return needs to become familiar with the new regulations,” notes U.S. businessman Martin Wohnlich. The regulations he refers to are embodied in a new act in effect with this filing period called the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) whose acronym is just one tiny “t” short of FATCAT.
And anyone thinking of ignoring the regulation should be informed that penalties for simply not reporting foreign assets covered by the new rules are heavy burden.
To begin: Why FATCA?

“There are over one million Americans living abroad. Also there are a big number of immigrants to the U.S. during the last decades who are either resident through a “green card” or became dual citizen,” Wohnlich notes.
“Until a few years ago, most had no clue about the reporting requirements as a U.S. citizen or resident. A turning point came when UBS (international bank) was charged with helping Americans evade the IRS.
“At that point, the IRS started a strong enforcement program and launched its first voluntary disclosure programs aimed at the tax evaders to come clean and disclose their unreported offshore accounts.”
Let’s begin with the good news. Real estate located in a foreign country is NOTconsidered a foreign financial asset but if owned through a trust, should be reported to be on the safe side.
    Then what specifically is reportable? There are two types of foreign financial assets:  1) foreign financial accounts and  2) what the IRS calls “other foreign financial assets.”
A foreign financial account is any depository, custodial or securities account (bank account, savings account, mutual funds etc. maintained by a foreign financial institution, including institutions organized under the laws of a U.S. possession.

Other foreign financial assets include any of the following that are held for investment and not held in an account maintained by a financial institution: – Stock or securities issued by someone other than a U.S. person;  – Any interest in a foreign entity, including foreign pension plans, trusts, estates, corporations, partnerships, options and other derivative instruments, debt instruments, interest rate and other swaps or similar agreements; – Any financial instrument or contract that has an issuer or counterparty that is other than a U.S. person.
If you are required to file Form 8938 but do not file a complete and correct form by the due date of your federal tax return, you may be subject to a penalty of $ 10,000. Continuing failure to file Form 8938 could result in additional penalties up to $ 50,000. Further, underpayments of tax attributable to non-disclosed foreign assets will be subject to an additional substantial understatement penalty of 40 percent.To be continued…

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Speaker to outline Mexico property law, taxes

Anybody who owns property here may want to attend the next talk in PA’s informal series, this time featuring a notario publico, the lawyers who call the shots on housing law and processes.
Lic. David Martinez Zetina, Notaria Publica No. 34, from Playa de Carmen, will be at the Colonos Meeting Room at 10 a.m. Saturdy<March 17. The lectura is free and open to the public.
This program is part of a continuing series of informational meetings designed to help educate English speaking residents about the laws and customs of Mexico. Sr. Martinez will explain the services and duties provided by notario’s in Mexico and how they differ from those of other attorneys. Subjects to be covered at this meeting will include:
* What are the duties and responsibilities of a Notaria Publica?
* Can foreigner’s own property in Mexico?
* What restrictions do foreigners have when they own property in Mexico?
* For tax purposes, what determines the value of your property at the time of sale?
* What determines the amount you pay for capital gains at the time of sale?
* Is it true that proof of long time residency reduces the amount of capital gains tax that you pay?
* What other fees and taxes are involved with the purchase or sale of property in Mexico?
*Is there any difference in fees and taxes if a property purchase (or sale) is done using Pesos instead of U.S. Dollars?
Resident John Schandke will emcee the event.

Red Cross significantly different in Mexico

It is a core component
of health care system

Posted 02/21/12 by Juanito

Ask someone to describe the American or Canadian Red Cross and they would likely say something like… “They’re part of a worldwide organization that helps people in time of emergency.” While that is a true statement, it doesn’t even come close to describing the significance of the Red Cross in Mexico, where it is at the core of an entire country’s health system.
In addition to responding to disasters, Cruz Roja Mexicana (Mexican Red Cross) provides Emergency Medical Services, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to the entire nation. By Mexican law, it is the only organization, outside of big cities, authorized to render first aid to anyone injured in an auto accident or during the commission of a crime.
Today, both the Mexican Red Cross and the Mexican National Health Service, IMSS, maintain hospitals in all major cities. Larger cities also have Municipal Hospitals. However, the IMSS hospitals serve only those who can pay a fee or work for companies who provide health insurance.

Those who cannot afford the premiums, or are not covered by their employer, must rely on a Red Cross Clinic or Municipal Hospital to provide free care. By and large, emergency health care in big cities is good, but such is not the case in smaller towns and villages where people must rely on the Red Cross for health care. If their need is beyond what the Red Cross can provide, they are transported to a larger hospital that provides free service.
The “Cruz de Roja Mexicana” clinic closest to Puerto Aventuras is located on the corner of Benito Juarez and Avenue 25 North, in Playa del Carmen. From this location, visitor’s can receive emergency treatment, consult a doctor, have a tooth pulled, and have x-rays taken. Medicines are dispensed from a pharmacy housed within the same building. A sign posted on the wall lists suggested fees for a multitude of services. For example, it costs 70 pesos to consult a doctor… 50 pesos for a tooth extraction… and x-rays cost 450 pesos. These fees are considered donations and seldom cover the actual costs. Those without the ability to pay receive free care. These rates are at the opposite end of the cost spectrum from “Hospiten Riviera Maya”, although Hospiten reportedly offers significantly reduced rates to patients with proof of residency, corroboration of which will make another story.
Fortunately, Cruz Roja de Mexicana has a legion of hard working volunteer’s to keep it all working.
Damas de Cruz Roja (Ladies of the Red Cross), are mostly Mexican ladies whose job it is to promote the services provided by the Mexican Red Cross and work closely with the doctors and staff responsible for dispensing the care. These same ladies are also responsible for the massive fund raising efforts it takes to sustain the operation on a nationwide basis, not an easy task.
Youth Volunteers are the backbone of the operation. They provide a young and eager workforce and can easily be spotted when wearing one of the brightly colored T-Shirts denoting them as “Friends of the Red Cross”. It is these student volunteers that you often see standing in the middle of a busy intersection, holding a little white box, asking for your donation. Often, prizes are awarded to those who collect over a certain amount. I don’t know about you, but now that I understand the significance of the Red Cross in Mexico, I plan to be much more generous with my giving in the future.
I look at it this way… the ambulance from Cruz Roja Mexicana is often the first to respond to an accident… and the life they help save could be mine.

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Another rhythmic concert coming March 10

Proceeds will help
library to expand

     When it rains, it pours, goes the saying. After a two month drought of concerts, we have two practically in a row, the booming Salsa event we witnessed last Saturday night and the fullMariachi and Flamenco ensemble we will hop and jump to beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday,March 10, at the Cultural Center on Bahia Akumal.

That event is for the benefit of PA’s all-volunteer library at the Colegio Puerto Aventuras that has more than 11,000 books in Spanish and English – from academic texts to dime novel thrillers and captivating classics – and still growing to the point that more space is needed. Proceeds of the concert will help enable the library  to expand space and add bookshelves.
Mexico Canta! ¡Espana Baila! (Mexico Sings, Spain Dances) is a blend of Mariachi music and Spanish Flamenco dance. Tickets are 60 pesos and available at the Colonos Office, Colegio Puerto Aventuras, Bamboo and Cafe Olé!, as well as from the volunteer librarians.
PA snowbirds and residents who use the library – for a mere $10 lifetime membership – could help by talking up the concert, buying a ticket or two, and showing up for a good time.
Last Saturday’s event featuring a 9-piece Salsa attack upon the ears infused so many in the audience with dance fever that the musicians and dancers just about melded into one flexuous body on the “stage,” morphing a “concert” into a “block party” of undulating, perspiring music lovers shaking the blahs from their being.
But while many dancers gyrated until the last note, the decibel level of the music was too much for others who, unusual for these concerts, began trickling out of the audience during the break at 8 p.m., some complaining that the underlying boom of the electric bass was hurting their ears. It wasn’t the musicians. It was the sound system. Others said they simply didn’t have the heart for two hours of salsa. Like the salsa that passes our taste buds, the salsa that mobs our ears or moves on without a few tempo changes is not for everybody, particularly non-dancers, and perhaps promoters should take note to monitor such things while concerts are in progress.
However, the enthusiasm of the dancers prompted by the beat of salsa outweighed the mild criticism of the event and once again underscored the truism that you can’t please everybody all the time. Onward and forward to the next concert!.

(For those of you who have not yet visited, the library has the largest bilingual collection in the Riviera Maya with over 11,000 books in English and Spanish.  All residents and visitors are welcome.  Lifetime memberships cost just $100 pesos or $10 dollars.  Stop by Monday through Friday from 2:30pm to 4:30pm and join up.)

 

Phrase a week … By Gloria Contreras, state certified interpreter
Another accident and another plea to drive carefull, or as they say in Spanish “Por favor, maneja con cuidado.”
(Ms. Contreras teaches Spanish classes from 3 to 4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at Tiramisu Restaurant and all are welcomed to attend. The fee is $150 pesos. Please call her first to make arrangements at 984-108-3517)

Coming events…

Akumal- Something funny going on here! It’s the first annual Akumal Comedy Festival April 19-21 with more than a dozen comedians on hand. And it’s FREE…No joke!

 

What’s Playing…

See for yourself what’s showing at the local movie houses in Playa del Carmen at the links below.
http://cinemex.com/cartelera/cartelera_cine.php?cvecine=115

http://www.cinepolis.com/_CARTELERA/cartelera.aspx?ic=70#Cine215

Park Committee Classes: Drop by to sign up

Cooking:10 a.m. Mondays at Latitude 20 Restaurant
Fitness at the Park: 8:15 A.M.: Tai Chi Tuesdays, Yoga Wednesdays and Fridays
Art: 9 to noon Wednesdays and Sculpture on Thursdays
French: 9:30 to 11 a.m. Thursdays
Kids’ Club: Art 10-11 a.m. Saturdays; French, 4-5 p.m. Mondays; Story hour 3 p.m. Fridays

Briefly Noted…

Compiled from staff, contributors and media reports

COCAINE DISCOVERY – A young jogger along Playa del Carmen’s beach found a white package containing 36 individual 1-kilo packs of cocaine and called authorities who said it is

the second time in recent months that packages of the drug have washed ashore…FISH TALE – Claudia Jensen of Canada was lounging at the Chac Hal Al pool the other day when a fish was dropped by a bird and slammed down right next to her chair as someone shouted warnings to her. Her unsuspecting husband, Ken, sliced open his thumb when he picked up the fish to dispose of it. It was a smiling surgeonfish (blue tang) so-called because of its razor-sharp spine called a “scalpel.”…ANOTHER ACCIDENT,this time on the northbound leg of the service or access road adjacent to 307,  just outside the main gate. A pickup truck and car collided and went off into the brush near the fence. Thankfully nobody was walking there to Chedraui’s. We said it last week and we say it again this week. We love you. Please drive carefully…WHILE AVENTURANS wonder what’s to become of the serious erosion of the Omni-area beach, the  Federal Electricity Commission says it is ready to pour millions of dollars into sand reclamation at Cancun and Playa del Carmen beaches to restore the Riviera Maya’s main  tourist attraction…IF YOU’RE TRAVELING to the Chetumal area , be forewarned that health officials are warning that swimming in the Rio Hondo cold cause sickness because of pollutants from Guatemala, Belize, Campeche and local territory…SPRING BREAK helping load the hotels as a restaurant group pleads for safer roadways for the coming Easter Holiday expectation that could reach overcrowding…

END THIS POST 

BIG REMINDERS:

Salsa Concert, 7-9 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 25), Cultural Center, tickets at door, $60 pesos, soda, beer, wine, end of Bahia Akumal. Come and enjoy! Bring cushions and friends!

Charity golf, public auction: Wednesday (Feb. 29) Golf at 9 a.m., public auction, many items, 2 p.m. at golf course. See story below

Victims allege owners were irresponsible

Posted 2/18/12 by Pelican Paulie
   They were her “friends,” so when Puerto Aventuran Pat Parkinson Pittman made a gift for their new baby and tried to deliver it, she was mercilessly mauled by one of the couple’s dogs.
That incident occurred last Dec. 16. Though badly bitten and bruised about the chest and back, which were turning black, Mrs. Pittman’s respect for friends Andrew and Christy Schisler, the dog’s owners, was such that she refrained from going to a doctor “because by law he would have to report it and I didn’t want to cause them any trouble.”
It was a decision she now regrets.

Less than two months later, on Feb. 8, Liliana Viola, chairwoman of the Colonos Park Committee, also went to see the Schislers on park committee business, and was herself mauled by the same dog and badly bitten about an arm, a thigh and back.
How could this happen twice? It did, and the municipal government has ordered the animal officer to come for the dog, said Mrs. Viola..
The Schislers rent an apartment through Fanny Rentals. It is exactly a floor above the Colonos business office in Centro Comercial where many tourists pass each year. An iron gate to a staircase leading to the Schisler apartment is on the Colonos landing, quite some distance from the door to the apartment above.
Both women report that the gate to the staircase was open and/or unlocked when they went to visit, that there was no sign warning that an attack dog was on the premises, and no bell, buzzer or other signaling device to let the Schislers know there was someone waiting to see them. Both women, unfamiliar with the apartment layout, said they first called out and when not receiving an answer, began to ascend the stairs while still  calling out, to find the unit door.
“There’s a second landing,” said Mrs. Pittman, “and when I turned the corner to go up the second flight of stairs, two dogs came at me. One was a Labrador retriever, wagging his tail, but the other dog immediately attacked me.” In trying to escape, Mrs. Pittman also fell on one knee, but in absolute fright managed to reach the Colonos landing and slam the  gate shut.

Events were about the same for Mrs. viola who had managed to reach near the top landing and the apartment door, which was open, when the dogs came out. She was petting one of the dogs when the other rushed “…like a lion coming at you” and began biting her on the thigh and back. “I raised my arm to try to push the dog away,”- she raised her arm to show the fang marks – “but he bit me there also, nearly hitting  a tendon, the doctor later told me.”
Viola said the attack was “totally uncalled for. I did nothing threatening.” As she tried to get away from the dog and shouting for help, a woman appeared on a balcony and said she couldn’t do anything because she was taking care of a baby in the unit. She did try to tell the dog to stop,” Mrs. viola said. It was later learned the Schislers were not present and the infant’s grandmother was babysitting.
“The apartment door was open, so I ran in and attempted to close the door to get away from the dog, but a door-stop was in the way. Then the dog charged into the apartment and I pushed the doorstop away and closed the door with the dog inside and me outside,” Mrs. viola said.

Mrs. Viola, the mother of a 4-year-old, said she would have had her daughter with her had not the time a class she was taking been changed. “The dog surely would have bitten her in the face,” Viola said, shuddering at the thought. “She is about the same height as where I was bitten on the thigh.”
After seeing a doctor, being treated for the wounds and given a tetanus shot, Mrs. Viola learned of Mrs. Pittman’s ordeal and called her. “I did not at first go to the Colonos office to file a complaint because the Colonos cannot do anything, although the general manager was very helpful later as intermediary. I did some research of Georgia (U.S.) law, which is where the Schislers are from,” said Mrs. Viola, “and found that for a first biting incident, a warning is issued, giving owners the benefit of doubt.  But a second incident, the law declares the owner liable, responsible and the dog is put down.” She said the state of Quintana Roo has a similar law.
Conversations, or lack thereof, between the women and the couple only made things worse, the bite victims said. Viola said Mrs. Schisler referred to her wounds as “only scratches” and wanted to “negotiate” the invoice of roughly $100 Mrs. Viola sent the couple for damage to a blouse and medical fees. “What’s to negotiate?” Mrs. viola asked rhetorically. “That’ what it cost.” Mrs.Pittman said that since she was bitten, the Schislers haven’t contacted her to ask how she was or “even thank me for the gift.”

Both women branded as “irresponsible” the Schislers’ failure to take any actions at all after the first bite to lock the gate, post signage or make certain visitors are safe from the dog. But even at that, some locals fault both victims for trespassing on private property, a view perhaps based on cultural differences?
Both Pittman and Viola went to report the incident to municipal authorities. “People should know how to do that,” Viola said, even though it takes the better part of a day.
“You go to the end of Arco Vial  (the road that takes you past Soriana to Las Americas Mall, then back out to 307) and you see three new buildings. One is the courthouse. A building in front of that houses the office of Proteccion Civil (civilian protection office). You file a declaration of what happened, give them a photo I.D. of yourself and the dog owner’s name and address. Then they take photos of the dog bites and automatically send them to the animal officer with an order to take the dog. They copy everything for you to take to the Municipal Palace (City Hall) in Playa del Carmen,” Mrs. Viola said, but she wasn’t sure why. (As of this writing, it is nor known if the municipal authority has come for the dog.)
Last year, a child was bitten by a trained attack dog on the golf course. These cases beg the question of why, in one of the safest, protected communities in Mexico, people need attack dogs…and why, perhaps, so many pet owners refuse to voluntarily abide by the Colonos request for keeping dogs on leashes in public places and on public ways as a  considerate precaution.

The Business Beat…

Banking sense a friend in changing times

Posted 2/22/12 by Pelican Paulie
The curses of money laundering and abuses of off-shore banking is spawning fresh international reporting regulations in concert with the way technology is changing the industry. Having an idea of “what’s happening” in banking  is a plus for everybody’s checking account.

With that in mind, area BBVA Bancomer managers gave another of their informative Banking 101 presentations at the Colonos meeting room on Tuesday, heralding technological improvements with new gadgetry for secure online access to accounts and an update of the bank’s expanding products.
Meanwhile, several PA snowbirds in concert with the Pelican Free Press, are alerting U.S. residents here of changing and complex IRS reporting requirements affecting every U.S. citizen who files income tax. The Pelican will begin a series on those reporting changes next week to keep area snowbirds attuned to mandates that, if ignored, carry considerable penalties.
Consequently, Sandra J. Alvarez Escarcega and Luys Fernandez, senior segment managers, and Lic. Alma Dhelia Cordova Vazquez of Bancomer’s Preferred Customer Unit (PCU) in Playa del Carmen, which is tailored to meet the needs of snowbirds, ex-pats and visitors, presented the rudimentary details of the bank’s “three pillars” of its PCU offerings, Mexican Trust (Fideicomiso), mortgages in pesos and general banking, which includes investments and insurance.
They answered in the affirmative the often asked question of whether a foreign citizen with only a tourist visa (180 days) can open a bank account. All they need to bring is a passport, visa and utility bill. They described the PCU’s general benefits of English-speaking one-on-one assistance, speed lane, wire transfers, deposits in cash and checks, free online banking and same-as-cash debit cards.
Online banking services include transfers between accounts, to third parties, to other banks and popular “pay services” to handle utility bills, a truly handy way for snowbirds to take care of business while away.
There were a number of questions following the meeting from people with particular circumstances who needed one-on-one assistance that is always available at Bancomer offices, online and by phone.

Public invited to 2 p.m. charity golf auction

     Thirty six golfers are expected to take to the PA links Wednesday, Feb. 29,  to raise funds for the developing high school in the Poblado while the 2 p.m. auctionnear the clubhouse and a general raffle welcome public participation this year.

The auction – silent and live - is loaded with about 40 contributed gifts from local businesses and individuals to include fishing trips, dinners, breakfasts, clothing, airport transfers, gym membership, sunset cruises, dolphin swim, gift baskets, Maxfli laser range-finder and more.
The major raffle item , Nintendo’s powerful Wii game console is sure to please kids young and old and is joined by clothing items and more. Volunteers this year also went throughout the community with raffle tickets in hopes of being able to support the school development, such as completing the septic system for indoor plumbing, landscaping and other future construction to help meet the expanding needs of the community.
The auction is a fun way for residents here to participate in this worthwhile endeavor. Of the many items, about a dozen will be held for the live auction while the remainder will be for the “silent” auction which can be viewed and bid upon from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the clubouse area. A street sign will be posted.

 

The volunteer committee has dedicated proceeds to continuing to develop the Poblado high school in association with Anat Kah, this area’s answer to the United Fund that paid for the school construction from local donations, including proceeds from last year’s first-annual golf event and auction.
The two-room schoolhouse is currently being used for teaching with temporary electrical connections to the schoolhouse and three older trailers that also  provide classroom space for the time being.
Golfers can still check in to reserve a spot by calling Tourney Chairmen Jim and Jeanette Jamieson at 984-873-5336 or ( c ) 617-733-3174 or Bob and Glenna Uecker at 984-873-5195 or visit them at Capt. Rick’s Sportfishing Center in Centro Comercial.

 

 Phrase a week … By Gloria Contreras, state certified interpreter
You’re on your way to the Chedruai in your car and you see a Mexican neighbor walking in that direction. You can ask if they want a ride thus: “Quieres un aventon al super mercado?
(Ms. Contreras teaches Spanish classes from 3 to 4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at Tiramisu Restaurant and all are welcomed to attend. The fee is $150 pesos. Please call her first to make arrangements at 984-108-3517

 

COMING EVENTS…

In Akumal – Feb.26, 5 p.m.,Academy Awards Night at Lol Ha Snack Bar, $100 pesos to benefit the Akumal Entrance Beautification Project; prizes, best dressed, raffle.

At Mayakoba PGA Golf Feb. 22-26 – Tickets available in Puerto Aventuras from Anne Silver, 802-8331. Proceeds of sales go to Equinotherapia, a local charity with local PA volunteers that helps brain damaged children by interacting with and riding horses.

In Puerto Aventuras – Moon’s birthday lunch, 1 p.m., Feb. 24 Latitude 20, call ( c ) 984-876-6784 or 984-873-5601.

What’s Playing…

See for yourself what’s showing at the local movie houses in Playa del Carmen at the links below.
http://cinemex.com/cartelera/cartelera_cine.php?cvecine=115

http://www.cinepolis.com/_CARTELERA/cartelera.aspx?ic=70#Cine215

Letters…

Library needs a computer

Dear Editor:
The main library computer where the master database of books is stored is coming up on ten years old, and is very slow.  The monitor and keyboard are still good, but the library really needs a newer CPU or a back-up computer.  If anyone is upgrading and has a spare CPU or older complete computer that they would be willing to donate to the library, the volunteer librarians and library users would be very grateful.
Thank you.
Elisabeth (Betsy) Amy-Vogt
betsyamy@gmail.com

PARK COMMITTEE CLASSES: Drop by to sign up

Cooking:10 a.m. Mondays at Latitude 20 Restaurant
Fitness at the Park: 8:15 A.M.: Tai Chi Tuesdays, Yoga Wednesdays and Fridays
Art: 9 to noon Wednesdays and Sculpture on Thursdays
French: 9:30 to 11 a.m. Thursdays
Kids’ Club: Art 10-11 a.m. Saturdays; French, 4-5 p.m. Mondays; Story hour 3 p.m. Fridays

Briefly Noted…

Compiled from staff, contributor and media reports

SOME 10 VOLUNTEERS from Puerto Aventuras and some from Akumal helped with translation during a one-day clinic in the Poblado on Tuesday where 15 doctors and dentists from Germany and elsewhere treated nearly 400 people. The Pelican Free Press was there and obliged a request by a coordinator to refrain from taking photos or excessive publicity of the event…

TEACHER WANTED for Montessori school in Akumal must haveMexican certification in elementary education (SEP cedula profesional). Pay is $9,000 Pesos a month plus living

accommodations in Akumal. More info at 984-130-0920 andannie65@aol.com … DRIVING REMINDER – A small stake-body truck crashed into the woods just off the northbound lane of 307 on the access road to the Pueblo last Thursday. Injuries appeared to be serious. Several ambulances were nearby as truck passengers were being carefully removed from the cab by emergency personnel. We love you. Please drive carefully…QUINTANA ROOreportedly ranks first in teenage pregnancies, logging 4,397 cases in 2011, of girls between 15 and 19 and 265 cases of girls under 15. Some 35 percent of the 295,000 survey respondents are not familiar with contraception options…Q. ROOis among 7 states whose debt increased

dramatically over the last few years by some 42 percent average…MEANWHILE, the state is becoming a leader in the production of sugar cane with 190,000 tons predicted for this year’s harvest…AKUMAL BEACH BODY –Visitors to Akumal last week from PA reported a man’s body was left on the beach for several hours awaiting official investigators. The man apparently died of natural causes…TULUM RESIDENTS are protesting the inaction of 10-month-old government leadership that promised much in infrastructure improvements but has delivered little so far…44 INMATESbelieved to be in rival narco gangs were killed n a prison riot Sunday at Apodaca Prison in Monterrey…STATE BUSINESSMEN are urging a federal study by experts of the cost of electricity in Q.Roo, where is is among the highest tariffs in the country…WATER SPORT SERVICES such as fishing, diving, etc., hit 80 percent of capacity around Playa del Carmen this past weekend, good news that is expected to continue through the college break season……SOME BUSINESSES ARE QUESTIONING the national disparity of a tax charged visitors arriving by air and the disbursal of the income since only five states contribute to the tax, our state, Quintana Roo, the most at 46 percent of the estimated annual 5 billion MxN take…SOME 28,000 PEOPLE attended the just-ended, 5-day Cancun Carnival that ended with headliner Alicia Keys…

NEED A MINI-LAPTOP? Push the “for sale” button
DOG NEED TRAINING? Push the “service providers” button
GUESTS COMING? NEED SUSHI TO GO? – Look under “food/dining”
WATCH DOLPHINS, ENJOY ICE CREAM – See Tesoros at “food/dining”

First 2012 concert is 8-piece salsa band. Picante!

Two weeks ago it seemed the public concerts popularized last year at the Cultural Center on Bahia Akumal were jeopardized by the lack of volunteers to negotiate them.
But promoter and Cultural and Sports Committee Chairman Daniele Gracis has again taken from his own busy schedules to provide the second concert of this season at 7 p.m. Saturday Feb. 25 featuring a rhythmic night of Cuban Salsa.

The ticket cost for this event is up from the last series of concerts, from 40 to 60 pesos, and in this case, is needed to pay a larger group of musicians, eight of them, four from Mexico and four from Cuba.
PA residents who have attended the previous concerts have not regretted a different night out of enthusiastic melody and comforting camaraderie with neighbors and friends.
The cultural center should rock with eight musicians doing their thing, including vocals by Manuel Cabrera of Cuba; pianist Oscar Marrufo of Mexico; Juan Antonio Ortega of Mexico on conga drums; Jose Marrufo of Mexico on bass; Guillermo Guiterrez of Cuba, violin; Alberto Mendoza of Cuba on trumpet; Giovani Mancebo of Cuba, trombone and Oscar Alejandra of Mexico on kettle drum.
As usual there will be refreshments available for purchase, including beer and wine. Tickets are available at the Colonos office, at Bamboo and at the door the night of the concert.
One good idea is to bring chair pads to place over the cement seating and a pocketful of good cheer.

The Business Beat
New insurance agency opens in PA

Posted 2/1512 by Juanito
     While a top immigration official explained details of foreign-plated car registration and permitting before a full house of more than 120 interested citizens at the Colonos last week, advice on one major aspect was missing: Insurance.

Taking up the where immigration left off is the Vela & Associates Insurance Agency, recently opened in Puerto Aventuras, whose agents will provide free one-on-one advice on details and plans for insuring foreign-plated cars, golf carts and more at Cafe Café onSaturday, Feb. 18 and Monday, Feb. 20 between 10 a.m. and noon both days.
The agency staff in Puerto Aventuras includes bi-lingual personnel able to explain in English the various plans and particulars of insuring foreign-plated cars. The agency is among the few able to clarify plan details and provide insurance for foreign-plated cars and trucks at competitive prices.
Representing the agency in the Puerto Aventuras venue are Elisa Vela, Gabriela Cavia and German Derbez. They have 30 years of combined insurance experience and represent some of Mexico’s largest and best known insurance carriers.
Vela & Associates has the capacity to provide custom designed insurance coverage for all cars, trucks, golf carts and motorcycles, at comparatively low cost, and tailor coverage to your specific needs. The agency also writes hurricane protection policies for the safeguard of real estate assets.
Remember, to learn more, meet Elisa, Gabriela, and German in person at Mimi’s Café Café between 10 a.m. and noon on Saturday, Feb. 18 or Monday, Feb. 20. They believe the informal atmosphere will be more comfortable for those seeking answers to routine or specific questions. Coffee and refreshments will be provided. For a private and more personal meeting, contact Vela & Associates at 984-119-0484 or 984-146-4176. Email addresses aregabriela.cavia@hotmail.com or derbezgmex@hotmail.com

Banking steps you should know: Learn them on Feb. 21

Saving money is knowing how to bank it, and tips to help will be shared with PA residents in the Colonos meeting room at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, by Bancomer’s Sandra Alvarez Escarcega and Hiram Alarid Felix, senior segment managers of the bank’s English speaking preferred customers’ unit.
Master of ceremonies John Schwandke notes that snowbirds who don’t already have a bank account in Mexico would be well-served by attending the meeting, as well as those with bank accounts who need a refresher course in Mexico banking changes over the year.  They will discuss, among other topics:
Safe and easy transfer of money between USA-Mexico with favorable exchange rates;
Free Internet banking that includes auto bill pay, account and wire transfers;
Checking, savings accounts, high-yield money market and investments:
Debit card that is same as cash discounts when shopping;
Benefits of the Preferred Custgomer Unit;

 

Alleged party house  spurs quest for noise rule

Posted 2/15/12 by Pelican Paulie
A so-called emerging “party house” on Bahia Xaac, a residential zoned street, may compel residents to file for a neighborhood “noise bylaw” with the Colonos to be voted upon at a general assembly.
Neighbors have complained the house at 33 Bahia Xaac, reportedly owned by an architect, is becoming a nuisance violating the unwritten rules of common decency and respect for neighbors.

“I have been living here since 1998,” said one neighbor, “and it is the first time we have a  house like this.” Two parties on successive weeks beginning with Super Bowl Sunday, have occurred there, neighbors say, attracting from 15 to 20 young boys and girls who cavort on the public street while loud disco music is being played and a “bar complete with stools and disco lights” under the carport is in operation.
Neighbors say they called Security but nothing was done to abort the cacophony of revelry and trespassing onto neighboring lands that went on until 2 a.m. They say that judging from their antics, some of the young people appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, but have no proof that this is the case.
Chief of Colonos Security Jesus Galdeano told the Pelican Free Press that his personnel responding to the calls from neighbors did not see under-age drinking and that there is currently no Colonos bylaw in existence to force the owner of a private home to contain noise. He said Security requested music be turned down and to his knowledge it was, he said.
Colonos GM Armando Rincon underscored the fact that there is no Colonos-wide bylaw to reasonably control excessive noise at night. He said that would dampen hotel business. His inference was that a neighborhood or residential-zone anti-noise by-law is up to stakeholders to petition Colonos to implement one via a general assembly vote.

Noise regulations can only be found at some condominium complexes and most notably the Centro Comercial district where mixed-use is made possible by cooperation from businesses that willingly adhere to an 11 p.m. noise curfew – the time at which loud music in particular must be contained within the walls of a business or living unit in deference to the majority of neighbors who are trying to sleep.
But even in Centro Comercial, there is one building, the one housing Gringo’s, that is independent of the Centro HOA and it is drawing complaints from neighbors for loud music after the curfew.
One Bahia Xaac neighbor said he doesn’t mind the parties but did move his car off the street to avoid potential damage by the foolish golf-cart driving antics of some of the revelers, he said.
Other neighbors said they heard late-night noises on their carport and turned on lights to find two trespassing bodies sprawled there with mouths wide open, as though in a stupor. They said they saw some youths trespassing on another house site to urinate. One passerby saw a youth had removed his pants and was cavorting behind a car in his underwear.
A resident from a nearby condo complex saw youths trespass on a golf cart at 6:20 a.m. and at least one of them use facilities at the private condo pool to wash. “Where are the parents?” asked a condo dweller as a group of six piled onto the golf cart and left.
Residents may remember that the only way some canal residents achieved peace was to remove the source – the youth-magnet derelict vessel Kukulkan – which the Fideicomiso scuttled after repeated complaints. Now there are reports from owners there of peace and contentment with their investment.
The Colonos administration office noted a “rumor” that the Bahia Xaac proprietor constructed the outdoor bar facing the street for his son, reportedly in his thirties, to invite friends over instead of having to go to Playa del Carmen for recreation. Unfortunately, most investors say they chose to build in PA partly to escape the party atmosphere of Playa and evidently resent importing it here.
It would appear a noise by-law for residential-zoned neighborhoods is the first recourse for those seeking freedom from insensitive neighbors and relative peace on earth at a reasonable hour.

 

Chilled volunteers save 55 of 152 stranded

dolphins on Cape Cod beaches since Jan. 12.

Reprinted by permission from Barnstable Patriot, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
     Eleven common dolphins were sighted yesterday [Feb. 9] in the mouth of Barnstable Harbor off Bone Hill Road. As rescuers arrived, four dolphins were swimming and two were freeing themselves in the rising tide. Five were dead, and being covered rapidly by tidal waters, according to Michael Booth, communications officer for the International Fund for Animal Welfare in Yarmouthport.

Katie Moore, manager of IFAW’s Marine Mammal Stranding Network’s rescue and research and Brian Sharp, stranding coordinator, were set to return as the tide lowered again in the afternoon to put numbered red tags on the dorsal fins of any dead dolphins.
Of a total of 152 confirmed strandings by common dolphins on Cape Cod since Jan. 12, 97 were found dead. Of 55 living animals, 35 have been successfully released to deeper waters off of the Cape’s tip. The other 25 either did not survive, or were euthanized if assessed to be unable to be returned to the wild without undue suffering. Most of the dolphins have beached between Wellfleet and Dennis. The Barnstable stranding is the first one this far west.
This winter’s continuous strandings of common dolphins make this the largest single species event in the Marine Mammal Stranding Network’s history. Common dolphins (like other toothed whales) herd together to forage and deter predators, following a leader who may take them shoreward. Rapidly receding tides can leave them unable to swim in the Cape’s shallow waters. The curved hook itself may confuse the animals’ echolocation, and geo-magnetism or other factors may be in play.
IFAW’s resources are stretched thin: half the budget for the year has been used, and staff is tired from so many emergencies.Disease is not a factor in the strandings, and biologists are still seeking answers. If you see a marine mammal stranded or dead, leave it alone and call the hotline at 508-743-9548 .

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Phrase a week … By Gloria Contreras, state certified interpreter
You forgot your cellphone and you need to make a call on a public telephone. You might ask a local: “Hay (pronounced eye) un telefono publico cerca?”
(Ms. Contreras teaches Spanish classes from 3 to 4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at Tiramisu Restaurant and all are welcomed to attend. The fee is $150 pesos. Please call her first to make arrangements at 984-108-3517)

PARK COMMITTEE CLASSES: Drop by to sign up

Cooking:10 a.m. Mondays at Latitude 20 Restaurant
Fitness at the Park: 8:15 A.M.: Tai Chi Tuesdays, Yoga Wednesdays and Fridays
Art: 9 to noon Wednesdays and Sculpture on Thursdays
French: 9:30 to 11 a.m. Thursdays
Kids’ Club: Art 10-11 a.m. Saturdays; French, 4-5 p.m. Mondays; Story hour 3 p.m. Fridays

What’s Playing…

See for yourself what’s showing at the local movie houses in Playa del Carmen at the links below.
http://cinemex.com/cartelera/cartelera_cine.php?cvecine=115

http://www.cinepolis.com/_CARTELERA/cartelera.aspx?ic=70#Cine215

COMING EVENTS…

In Puerto Aventuras – 2d annual charity golf tournament 9 a.m. Feb. 29, followed by public auction at 2 p.m. Golfers can sign up now to reserve a spot by calling Tourney Chairmen Jim and Jeanette Jamieson at 984-873-5336 or ( c ) 617-733-3174 or Bob and Glenna Uecker at 984-873-5195 or visit them at Capt. Rick’s Sportfishing Center in Centro Comercial.

In Paamul – Catholic Spiritual Retreat at Paamul Community Center.Feb. 18th. 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Theme: The Devine Mercy of God. Lunch provided. More information, the Rev. Jim Hogan 984-116-3373.

In Akumal – Feb.26, 5 p.m.,Academy Awards Night at Lol Ha Snack Bar, $100 pesos to benefit the Akumal Entrance Beautification Project; prizes, best dressed, raffle.

At Mayakoba PGA Golf Feb. 22-26 – Tickets available in Puerto Aventuras from Anne Silver, 802-8331. Proceeds of  sales go to Equinotherapia, a local charity with local PA volunteers that helps brain damaged children by interacting with and riding horses.

In Puerto Aventuras – Moon’s birthday lunch, 1 p.m., Feb. 24 Latitude 20, call ( c ) 984-876-6784 or 984-873-5601.

Briefly Noted…

Compiled from staff, contributor and media reports
GOOD GREEN  NEIGHBORS– Sometimes people quietly do nice things that make other people react, as did Ray Gartside of Condominios Turquesa when he saw a neighbor,

Jan Oliszewicz, and Dennis Burris, of Condominios Esmeralda right next door, joining forces to plant some palm trees and beautification bushes between the two properties.”It was a very positive sight to behold,” Gartside said…DOUBLE YOUR ART – Well-known area artist Michel Brown also emotes with his vocal chords. He belted out a few tunes in Francais at Latitude 20 Saturday and Tuesday nights. Not to be outdone, his artist wife, Lourdes, also sat in with pianist Jerry Fastrup’s jazz trio…PAPERS ARE BEING PASSED and farmers contacted for land that supposedly will ultimately be used for a fast toll road linking Playa del Carmen and Merida…10TH AVENUE ROAD IMPROVEMENTSunder way in Playa del Carmen…TWO THOUSAND CONSTRUCTION workers are unemployed in the Riviera Maya, reports the Confederation of Workers in Mexico (CTM)… CANCUN AIRPORT got top billing from passengers for the second consecutive year as the best airport facility in Latin America and the Caribbean. The survey was conducted by Airports Council International (ACI)…FITCH MEXICO has lowered the state of Quintana Roo from A- to BBB with a negative credit outlook caused by increasing long- and short-term borrowing…

VALENTINE COUPLE - Surf & Turf, 300MxN, Cafe Ole
JUST WAITING TO FISH – See the “for sale” page
GET A BRIGHTER SMILE – Go to “service provider” page
NEED A MINI LAP TOP? – Push the “for sale” button

Sign up now to help Poblado students

reach a new educational level of hope

Event limited to 36 golfers, but public invited

to enjoy auction, raffle following play at 2 p.m.

Posted 2/9/12 by Pelican Paulie
    PA’s second annual charity golf tournament to support the Poblado high school will be held this leap year on Feb. 29 at the PA golf course with a 9 a.m. tee time. Last year’s

initial event with only 27 players raised an estimated $8,000 that furnished windows and doors for the 2-r00m, 2-bath school funded by Anat Kah, this area’s answer to a tax-deductible United Fund.
Students are now using the school classroom while temporary electrical service is being installed by CFE, the government-run electric company.
Fee for golfers is again $100 with opportunities to win cash prizes  for best performance and have fun with various $75-peso mulligans. Last year, beneficent players who enjoyed a merry day with neighbors and friends on the course left their winnings for school use.
Golfers can sign up now to reserve a spot by calling Tourney Chairmen Jim and Jeanette Jamieson at 984-873-5336 or ( c )  617-733-3174 or Bob and Glenna Uecker at 984-873-5195 or visit them at Capt. Rick’s Sportfishing Center in Centro Comercial.
     Committee members Dick and Sally Dawson, Don and Diana Black, Bob and Pam

Beisenherz, the Ueckers nd Jamiesons and others are currently busy drafting posters, getting sponsors, marketing the auction to the public, general logistics and food and performing other myriad tasks for the event.
If it is anything like last year, it will be a day every golfer, raffle ticket buyer and auction bidder will remember as a “hoot,” as Mrs.Jamieson would say.
Nine foursomes (36 players) will enjoy a 5-hour round shooting for 4.5 hours armed with a gift bag containing golf balls, tees, shirt and treats. After play, lunch will be served – and it was delicious last year – with a silent auction in tandem preceding the live auction of 10 major items at 2 p.m. There will be a major prize for a lucky winner of the raffle. Plans are afoot also for hanging a plaque in the clubhouse with the name of the winner of each year’s tourney to be engraved on it.
Jamieson visited the school this week to note the progress being made. There were several electricians fashioning a junction box to handle a temporary flow of electricity to feed power to fans in three

trailers also being used as classrooms, and to the school itself. A lengthy spur of macadam roadway already has been constructed alongside the school and is extending into the jungle where it seems future housing and other development is being planned. In addition, a large hole has been prepared on the school site to accept a septic system.
Like leap year itself that occurs every four years, one day is added at the end of February,which usually ends on the 28th. It is significant that the added day coincides this year with the tourney, symbolically giving students the added time to prepare for a better life of service and success through education.

 

More than 120 show for car, FM3, pet primers

Best advice of the day?
Purchase a Mexican car

     More than 120 people jammed the Colonos meeting room Tuesday for advice on new rules governing the temporary (and permanent) importation and use of foreign-plated cars. When that segment of the fact-filled 3-hour schedule ended, the best advice seemed to be “Buy Mexican!”
New rules dictate that driving a home-country car into Mexico from now on will require an affidavit that the car will also be driven out and to insure that,  the government will require deposits ranging from $200 to $400USD depending on age of the car. Break the permit or immigration rules and you lose the deposit and the car could possibly be confiscated under certain circumstances.

That’s a major difference from the old rules that have allowed cars to remain in this country without current registrations either in Mexico or the USA, meaning fee-and tax-savings for the owners. But under the new rules, bring a car in, you’ve got to take  it out…even if it isn’t running.
The new rules also require a lot of paperwork, multiple copies of just about every pertinent paper and piece of information about the car and the owner and a process that runs through three to five separate agencies, some of which are in fairly distant locations like Cancun. Anybody with an FM3 knows what that’s like.
Getting a permit, which costs $44 USD, requires valid passport, immigration document  and car title or registration. If it’s a rented car, a copy of the lease agreement is required. If the car is financed, bank permission is required. Also mandated is a “promise to return” affidavit.
Obey the rules and your deposit is returned. Break them by allowing a breach of your immigration status or permit, and you lose it. However, even if you lose your deposit, the car permit is still extended so long as your immigration status is.
For those whose cars that were here before the new law, the car is legal and its validity is based on the owner’s immigration status. A vehicle is automatically permitted along with one’s visa renewal. It was quite obvious there were too many details in the talk for people to remember and their hopes were dashed when they learned the U.S.Consul agent could not post the English translation on the Internet “because the laws change.”
Temporary importation is for foreign tourists, non-immigrants and immigrant rentistas and expires with the length of the various visas. The car can remain in Mexico for the length of extended visas as long as the visa is continuously valid.
There are many more details and specifics about these rules, too many to be repeated in this space. For people who still need good information, such as getting a permit over the Internet and other processes, Lic. Aurea Ma. Munoz Beristain of the Mexican Customs Office, who explained the rules in Spanish, and Samantha Mason, U.S. consular agent in Playa del Carmen who repeated them in English, strongly suggested  getting the details straight from the law itself at www.aduanas.gob.mx or calling the agency from Mexico at o01-800-463-6728 or, from the U.S. or Canada, 1-877-448-8728. The agency has English-speaking information agents.
Boats and motor homes can be permitted for 10 years and accessory small vehicles can be trailered into the country with the main vehicle.
Now that the tax has been removed from owning a Mexican-plated car, and the seemingly complicated new process, with its potential for loss of deposit,the murmur heard in the room  was indicative of a foundation change of things to come and a logical conclusion to “Buy Mexican.”

Keep your luggage close,
but keep your pets closer

U.S. Consular Agent Samantha Mason clarified a problem that has lately beset several U.S. citizens bringing their pets to Mexico. One PA visitor recently complained to the Pelican Free Press about their pet being left in a customs warehouse for some 17 hours without food and

water and having to pay $800 to a customs broker to retrieve the dog.
The consul agent said, generally, that transporting a pet as cargo requires the services of a customs broker to retrieve the pet upon arrival. She strongly advised that rather than save money on extra baggage by putting pets free in cargo instead, pets fly with the owner.
As long as a pet has a certificate of health and vaccinations, it can fly with the owner and enter the country without problem. But if the pet flies cargo, it must go through customs and be retrieved by a broker whose basic charges, said the consular agent, is alleged to be $1,620 pesos.
(That did not explain why the PA vacationers were initially charged $800 USD, then dropped to around $600. The plaintiffs also alleged the airline made the error by shipping the dog cargo and an attempt was being made to recover the payment from the airline.)
Immigration process
looks brighter……maybe

Snowbirds and expats were told the future seems much brighter for a more accommodating immigration process if new laws already written on the federal level are actually promulgated at some future time.

A presentation by U.S. citizen and Mexican law student Solomon Freimuth  approached an exercise in futility since there was no way of knowing, he said, what decision would be made on the new legislation.
But briefly, the law as written does seem to be more welcoming to foreigners. It evidently eliminates the FM3 – 2 and sets up a broad category of “temporary resident” that would include visitors who could stay to 180 days as tourists, working tourist who could remain in country up to 4 years, and – the one that would mostly impact retired snowbirds…a one-time visa for those who support themselves from outside money, such as Social Security, pensions, etc. Now that would be nice and save many old folks those frustrating FM3 complications and long waits for service.
The proposed law also contains a points system to attract skills the country needs, such as educators, doctors, engineers, etc. For those who want more specifics despite the fact the law remains only a proposal and could face multiple amendments and/or political inertia, go to Freimuth’s promotional website at www.mymexicanlawyer.com .

Phrase a week … By Gloria Contreras, state certified interpreter

You are at the bank and want a balance on your account. Ask the clerk: “Quiero mi estada de cuento, por favor.”
(Ms. Contreras teaches Spanish classes from 3 to 4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at Tiramisu Restaurant and all are welcomed to attend. The fee is $150 pesos. Please call her first to make arrangements at 984-108-3517)

PARK COMMITTEE CLASSES:

Cooking:10 a.m. Mondays at Latitude 20 Restaurant
Fitness at the Park: 8:15 A.M.: Tai Chi Tuesdays, Yoga Wednesdays and Fridays
Art: 9 to noon Wednesdays and Sculpture on Thursdays
French: 9:30 to 11 a.m. Thursdays
Kids’ Club: Art 10-11 a.m. Saturdays; French, 4-5 p.m. Mondays; Story hour 3 p.m. Fridays

COMING EVENTS:

What’s Playing…

See for yourself what’s showing at the local movie houses in Playa del Carmen at the links below.
http://cinemex.com/cartelera/cartelera_cine.php?cvecine=115

http://www.cinepolis.com/_CARTELERA/cartelera.aspx?ic=70#Cine215

Briefly Noted…

Compiled from staff, contributor and media reports
POWER OUTAGE Tuesday evening didn’t help with production of the Pelican this week as Freddie Kilowatt took a hike and left the entire village except hotels with generators without illumination until Wednesday morning. It ruined many a dinner as did a water repair shutdown Wednesday evening. The outage was caused, we are told, by a broken transformer near Akumal…TRASH TALK – While the resort community went about five days without rubbish pickup last week, the “problema” with the municipal collection contractor has evidently been overcome, reports the Colonos. Some folks began to worry about rodents and other

organisms should rubbish remain uncollected…SEVERAL EXOCITC ANIMALS,including a tiger and macaw among others used to entertain visitors, were taken over by authorities from shops and sites along Playa del Carmen’s 5th Avenue last week because they evidently lacked proper permitting papers…RUMORS (slosh, slosh!)OF A DROUGHT in Puerto Aventuras are grossly exaggerated…PEEWEE SIGNAL?- No, it isn’t what you might be thinking. It’s a traditional Mayan delicacy of corn on the cob cooked underground for about three days. It is known as “Pibi Nal”  in Yucatec Mayan and no longer a widespread practice…BEATLE PAUL MCCARTNEY is expected to give a concert at Chichen Itza when his final world tour gets under way, say state and federal officials despite the fact that no contract has yet been signed…SMALL HOTELS in Playa had to decrease room rates by 60 percent in order to achieve 50 percent occupancy in December and January as managers say there is no relief from the economic doldrums in that sector…CONVERSELY, INVESTMENT-MINDEDreal estate dabblers can take heart in a prediction by the Mexican Association of Real Estate Owners in Riviera Maya that the worst is over, that is, the 2008 economic downturn and the 2009 influenza scare, and the real estate future looks brighter. Now all owners have to figure is a way out of

capital gains…LIONFISH HUNT – Twelve divers this week participated in the first lionfish tournament off Playa del Carmen  and the effort was called a success as bags of lionfish were brought ashore, poison spines removed, and fish served as ceviche. The lionfish is a predator  with the potential of destroying the reef ecology. PA divers  have been removing them from local reefs for several years…TULUM FOODSTANDS are the target of health officials who said growing cases of suspected salmonella reported at the local hospital moved them to ask for hygienic inspections of  local eateries…SIX DEHYDRATEDCubans on an escape  raft were rescued off the coast near Isla Mujeres this week after being spotted by a fishing boat…SEARCH FOR a British passenger who jumped or fell from a cruise ship off Cozumel last week was to end this week without success…

END THIS POST