Jaltemba Sol...a webzine for those who love Mexico

WANTED - (ENGLISH- SPANISH) SECRETARY-RECEPTIONIST
WILLING TO LEARN, GREAT PRESENTATION AND HONEST
OFFICE HOURS 9.00 TO 5.00 P.M.; MONDAY TO FRIDAY; WILLING TO MOVE TO TEPIC.
SHE WILL HAVE AN OPORTUNITY TO INTER-ACT WITH MEXICAN CULTURE, TAKE CLASSES AT THE UNIVERSITY AND PERHAPS GIVE ENGLISH PRIVATE LESSONS FOR EXTRA INCOME.
SALARY TO BE DISCUSSED.
ANYONE INTERESTED PLEASE CONTACT .
LIC. LIVIER VILLALOBOS VALENCIA
AV. JUAN ESCUTIA # 45
COL. H. CASAS C.P. 63080
311 2120803
2164065

American citizens living in the Costa Banderas region will have no excuse for not voting in the U.S. General Elections on November 4, 2008. The Costa Banderas Chapter of Democrats Abroad Mexico is offering assistance for eligible voters to request and mail their absentee ballots.

You do not have to be a Democrat to take advantage of the service. The project is non-partisan, and open to any eligible voter from any political party in the U.S.

It is strongly recommended that eligible voters request their ballots as soon as possible, in order to assure that the ballot is received, voted, and mailed back in time to be counted. Democrats Abroad recommends that absentee ballots be requested no later than October 1st.

Voting in the General Election cannot be done via the Internet, and having voted in Primary Elections does not automatically mean you will be sent an absentee ballot. Your absentee ballot must be requested by an approved format that includes your signature. This form must be mailed to your local US Board of Elections. When the absentee ballots for your jurisdiction are printed, yours will be mailed to you here in Mexico. Once received, you will vote your preference, and the voted ballot, double-sealed in envelopes and signed, must be mailed back to be counted.

Democrats Abroad, Costa Banderas Chapter is assisting eligible voters in two ways:

1. On any Wednesday afternoon, from 1 pm to 3 pm, volunteers will be available at Mailboxes Etc., (Av. Fco. Medina Ascensio #2180, at Plaza Caracol, next to the tire center) to assist you in the process. All you need to do is bring legal identification and the address of the last place you lived in the US. Your US address must be a street name and number (not a PO Box), city, state and zip code.

Democrats Abroad volunteers will be on hand to help you with the rest. Throughout the summer and until October 1, the Costa Banderas Democrats Abroad chapter will be available to assist voters both in requesting absentee ballots and with returning voted ballots to local election districts. A $50 peso donation is requested to help defray provided postage and handling costs.

-OR-

2. U.S. citizens who are eligible to vote can also use the website VoteFromAbroad.org. On this site, you will be asked to fill out a series of questions regarding your US and overseas addresses, party affiliation preference, etc. Based on your responses, a completed absentee ballot request form will be produced and must then be downloaded and printed. Sign the form, seal it in an envelope, and mail it to the address provided for your local Board of Elections. The correct address for your Board of Elections is provided based on the U.S. address you provided on the form. For faster turnaround, you can turn in your envelope to a Democrats Abroad volunteer on Wednesdays at Mailboxes Etc. as above.

A special mailbox has been reserved at Mailboxes Etc. to receive blank absentee ballots for voters. Democrats Abroad volunteers will contact voters when their absentee ballot has arrived to our mailbox. You will be asked to pick it up; vote your preferences for U.S. President, Congressional races, and any local election candidates or issues in your voting district. Your ballot will then be sealed, stamped, and delivered to the U.S. Consulate office in Nuevo Vallarta for transfer to the U.S. by diplomatic pouch. Once in the U.S. your voted ballot will be mailed to your local district to be counted. Using the Mailboxes Etc. service and diplomatic pouch to send ballot materials to the US will be faster than the Mexican Postal Service.

For those who are not registered to vote, even if you've never voted, you can register to vote in the fall elections. Any U.S. citizen who is eligible to vote may register in the last place of legal residence in the U.S. where you lived, even if you no longer have a residence in the U.S. Federal law allows citizens abroad and citizens in the uniformed services to register to vote only in the state that they last resided. If you never lived in the US, you may be able to vote using the address where your American parent(s) last lived. Voting in federal elections cannot be used to affect the determination of federal or state tax liability.

Our Adam seems to be a hit among readers Adam Caddell

Hola Dorothy and Bill: Have to tell you that Fred and I can hardly wait for Mondays and Fridays knowing that the Jaltemba Sol will be waiting for us on the computer. Love the articles that Adam has been doing. It brings the people of La Penita that much closer to us. Particularly liked the one on Dr. Lidia and thought that I would add that she often works with families with little or no money. She has a heart bigger than life itself and does a lot with very little. I was able to leave a supply of asthma medications with her last year and she said that she would be able to help so many that otherwise would not have access to these medication as a result of my gift.

Having spent a fair amount of time in her office myself, what with one thing and another I can vouch for her professionalism, her expertise and genuine caring. What you see is what you get. She is to be commended for her work with the less fortunate. I consider myself lucky to be added to her list of patients and highly recommend her services to any that might need them.

Keep up the great work Adam, your articles are a welcome addition to a wonderful, informative newspaper. Look forward to meeting you in person when we return in the fall. Fred and Faye Hodson

To view all of Adam's previous stories click here

Dear Adam: I really enjoy your articles- they have motivated me to try the various businesses. However, there are no addresses given: what town, what street? I've asked my gringo friends, and they don't know either. Very frustrating to me. Another item to include in future articles, whether the business speaks English- remember that your audience is English speaking (especially the large snowbird population during the high season). Thanks for the delightful bios- I look forward to more! Tara Spears
editor note...below is a map and locations of Adam's ongoing features of people in the Jaltemba area...check out previous stories by clicking the "People" button on the left of this page.

Hi Bill and Dot,

Counting the days until we leave home for marvelous Mexico. We had 5 glorious months in NZ and Auz in 2008 but back to Mexico this year.

Is there a website that gives me current prices of diesel in Mexico?? If you don’t know I don’t think anyone else would!!

Thanks

Nancy and Larry Schnurr

Fuel Prices ( July 18, 2008 )
Magna (Gasoline)	6.92 pesos per liter	$2.53US per gallon (approx.)
Premium (Gasoline)	8.64 pesos per liter	$3.16US per gallon (approx.)
Diesel	5.91 pesos per liter	$2.16US per gallon (approx.)