August 2014

The Voice
The American Society of Jalisco S.A. La Sociedad Americana de Jalisco S.A.
Avenida San Francisco 3332, Chapalita, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México
Tel: (33) 3121 2395 • Email: amsoc@megared.net • www.amsocguadalajara.org
August 2014
August Events
A Taste of AmSoc
Ice Cream Social
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The meeting is 12 August
Set-up at 12:00, lunch at 12:30
Tastes of AmSoc meets on the 2nd Tuesday of each
month to share food prepared by members.
Pork (BBQ, salad, baked etc.) and cake are the August
themes.
If you would like to attend as a guest to taste some
phenomenal food for $100 pesos, limited seats are
available on a first-come basis. To place your
reservation, or if you have questions, please email
tasteofamsoc@gmail.com
or contact Gail (cell) 333 968 6072
The July meeting featured
BBQ and Blue Ribbon
Desserts. All the members
were licking their fingers
after eating the People’s
Choice Winner BBQ Ribs
prepared by David Ruiz. If
we could include a scratch
and sniff picture here you
would think you were in a
BBQ joint located in the
Deep South. Patty Becerra
Ice Cream Social and Games Party
Thursday, August 21
12Noon-1:30p.m.
Menu
Salad ($30 pesos) Cup of lentil soup ($15)
3 ounces of grilled chicken breast ($20)
Special desserts to choose from: ($30I each
Root beer float •Coke float
Ice cream Sundae • Banana split
Inside
4th of July photos
John Brennan obituary
Last word
Quotations
Travel – Bette Drummond
prepared a special
Queso Flan with Dried
Fruit and Nuts, which
won the award for
desserts. The members
continue to amaze one
another with the
flavorful and delicious
dishes that are brought
for tasting each month.
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Editor/Writer: Vicki Wootton
Typesetting/Distribution: Vicki Wootton
Email: inglesa.37@gmail.com
Home phone: 001-604-855-0875
Advertising Rates (Pesos)
Members: $30/m. $300/an.
Non-Members: $50/m. $500/an.
Half-page one-time ad $100
Photos © Gail Early
Photographs not attributed are from Google
Images
Fourth of July on the Fifth
AmSoc Celebrates American Independence Day
Photos © Carlos Ruiz Checa
Farewell to Long-time AmSoc Member
John Brennan passed away on July 21st at the age of 85.
John became a member of AmSoc in 1964. He was also
a
paid-up-for-life
member
of
American Legion Post 3 where he was
a member for more than twenty
years and served on the executive
Board for several years.
He will be missed at AmSoc
where he rarely failed to appear at a
Thursday lunch, in spite of his
declining health. He also turned up at
most of the special luncheon events,
( C ) C ARLOS
often accompanied by his extended
family, children and grandchildren.
Realizing that, as an employee, he could easily lose his
job, John decided to go to the University of Guadalajara and
study law after several long talks with his wife. Lorena
supported the family on her income from the lab while John
was in university. He graduated in 1976.
He felt that this was his most rewarding
accomplishment. He didn’t speak a word of Spanish when
he first came to Mexico in 1957 and yet he was able to obtain
his law degree—with an overall average of 89—after five
years of studying extremely abstract material. After
graduating, John went into general practice with fellow law
school student.
Excerpts taken from a profile of John Brennan published in
The Voice in February, 2011. Vicki Wootton
Quotations
John had an eventful and varied career, showing great
dedication and tenacity in reaching his goals. The son of a
doctor, John was born in Akron, Ohio in December, 1928.
After graduating from school in 1948, he joined the US army
and spent part of his service in Tokyo as a military
policeman where he reached the rank of sergeant.
Unselfishness is the badge of human greatness.
The Urantia Book
Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the
intent of throwing it at someone else. You are the one
who gets burned.
Gautama Buddha
Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no
common denominator, but among those whom I love, I
can: all of them make me laugh.
W.H. Auden
El hombre es el único animal que puede aburrirse Eric
Fromm
He went on to represent several international
corporations in Africa and eventually ended up in Mexico
where he learned to speak Spanish and became quite
proficient in in the language, which was mostly self-taught
John married Lorena Bourdon in 1967. She was a
medical technologist who had her own lab in Guadalajara.
The couple had seven children, two sons and five daughters
of whom John is rightfully proud. They all lived up to his
personal philosophy—be an achiever!—and are now
successful in their chosen professions. He was determined
to encourage his grandchildren with the same ideal.
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More July Fourth photos
Courtesy of Jerry Dankner
Travel: Cholula, Puebla and Tlaxcala
Bette Drummond with input from Jane Pierpoint
After visiting Casa del Dean we walked to the Amparo
museum a short distance away. The first room, which was
huge in in every dimension, was made of clear plastic. It held
the first of two exhibits by the same artist. The walls, ceiling,
and floor were the art. It took a while to figure it out, but it
was a giant cross-stitch with sewing needles (painted on just
like the rest of
the design) that
must have been
more
than
a
meter long. I took
another ton of
photos while in
there. The other
room was the
same style, but
the walls were
opaque
and
covered by huge
insects: cucarachas, butterflies, etc. The Amparo closed not
long after we arrived so I missed seeing the display of
artifacts removed from the cathedral by various bishops
over the years; the photo exhibit, which included the Spanish
Civil War, among other thing; the small pre-Hispanic exhibit
with pieces appreciated as art that reveals the emotions of
the artists, and a modern exhibit featuring indigenous motifs.
Jane knew about a restaurant called Meson Sacristia de
la Compania not too far away, so we walked there. On the
way there was a pretty bridge framed with flowers and a
famous statue, neither of which Michael and Jane had seen
before, so they were quite pleased to discover them.
Near Meson Sacristia de la Compania were several street
vendors so I poked around, and we talked to some of the
vendors. I bought a pulsera that I liked. The little restaurant
was worth the trip, nice ambiance and good food.
So the next day we walked down a different street in
Cholula, parallel to the one on the first day and went back to
the Market. I took several photos of some well-done urban
art (called graffiti when it's ugly). Next we went to the
pyramid, Tlachihualtepetl, with the church, Iglesia de
Nuestra Señora de Remedios, on top of it. There was a blocklong row of vendors at the foot of the pyramid, so we
broused for a while and viewed the pyramid church from
various points of view. Michael discovered that Voladores
were per-forming, so I grab-bed my camera and took a few
shots
We walked back down the line of vendors looking for
crowns of flower for my teen-girl students. Then we walked
a block to the Museum where they had a good model of the
pyramid plus some archeological pots, etc., as well what I
assume is a copy of paintings from inside the pyramid.
Excellent!
The following day, my last full day there, we took a taxi
to Tlaxcala in the state of Tlaxcala which fulfilled another
step in my desire to visit every state in Mexico. The ride took
us higher in altitude
than even Cholula,
which is higher than
Guadalajara. Since it
was
the
Friday
before Easter, we
locals decorating a
street in a small
town along the way.
On their chanced
upon some hands
and
knees
they
created
wonderful
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works of art. Even the children helped. We also passed an
interesting old aqueduct.
The Zócalo area in Tlaxcala is quite beautiful and has
an amazing museum inside the Government Palace showcasing murals. We went through the neighboring church
which had the cross
pieces on the ceiling
in green (with light
yellow background).
Unusual and very
pretty.
There
were
many
vendors
around three sides
of
the
church,
mostly food. Jane
and Michael bought
bread and some
sweets called muegano, which were a deep orange, very
sticky, and looked like an inch-and-a-half long pillow—
yummy. We ate at one of the stands. The lady had one of
those cooking tables that has a bowl shaped center and a
very wide rim where cooked items were drained. I had the
best French fries ever and very thinly-sliced chicken in the
oil. Very good. We were entertained by a man with a
harmonica and another instrument he kept striking with a
short metal stick.
Then we took off for Huamantla, driving past and
around the Malinche volcano. Huamantla is a very pretty
town with a statue of huge bull with curved horns that
apparently represents the town. We saw some pretty
churches and horse drawn wagons.
Salud
Integral
Ubicación: Club de AmSoc
San Francisco 3332 Chapalita
Stress Management Physiotherapy
Massage Therapy Rehabilitation
Sciatica •Sprains •Reflexology
Bioenergetics
Pain management • Post-surgery therapy
Rehabilitación post-cirugía
Masaje relajamiento Manejo del dolor
Reflexología • Depilación laser
Emergency house calls
Terapeuta
Leticia (Lety) Rodriguez
044-333-103-2528
I haven't mentioned Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl
because most of the time they weren't visible. But when I was
going to the bus station, Jane directed the driver down a
different street that had an empty field by it, and the air was
perfectly clear. I could have gotten a wonderful photo,
unfortunately my camera was packed.
I would easily return to such a pretty area.
The last word
I case anyone was wondering why there was no Voice
last month, it was because I was in hospital for five days with
gallstones. After a temporary ‘fix’—the stones were zapped
to smithereens via endoscope—and five days of IV
antibiotics, I was sent home to await surgery, which may
occur in September. So here I sit, not in pain, but vaguely
uncomfortable, forbidden any fats in my diet. I cheat on the
fats, however, not being able to live long without my daily
cheese fix.
One another topic, I’m having a problem with Microsoft
Word, the program I use for this newsletter. Since I started
using the latest version, nothing seems to work the way it
used to, so it takes me much longer to prepare a document.
I’ve done the best I can with this issue after trying a more
simplified layout, but if I am to continue doing The Voice,
I’m going to have to find a new program. One of my problems
is that I am a designer, and if my designs don’t work, I get
annoyed.
If anyone knows of a solution, please let me know.
“Peace!” Vicki
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