The Art of Manuel Zardain

Nov 9, 2010 4:30 PM • Topic: Culture • Issue: 2010-10

Manuel Zardain

Manuel Zardain, born in Veracruz, Mexico, grew up around with a Culture rich in passion and color which is reflected in his Art work. At an early age he started showing a great inclination for drawing and painting. His talents would show through at the young age of 6 years when he won his first drawing contest at the Colegio Mexico of Orizaba, Veracruz.
As Manuel matured he became a young man with a rebellious and restless nature, he got involved in a historical event from Mexico known as the "Student Movement of 1968". His family afraid of fatal consequences due to his involvement, sent him to Baton Rouge, Louisiana in the United States where he studied Art History at the Louisiana State University.
It did not take long for Manuel express his condemnation of the War of Vietnam which he reflected in the theme of his exhibited at Union College in 1968. Later he moved to Sausalito CA, where he embraced the hippy life style of that time. However, a couple of years later his restless nature leads him to the guerrillas of El Salvador in which he participated actively, but also found time to paint and exhibit his work at the Capital of El Salvador.
When Manuel returned to Mexico he took on work at the Poliforum Siqueiros of Mexico City where he worked with youth groups organized and protected by the great muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros whom Manuel served. He concluded his cycle of study by participating in workshops instructed by Leonora Carrington and by working with renowned Masters of the Art world such as Chucho Reyes and Gilberto Aceves Navarro, as well an many others.
Since then Manuel has participated in multiple collective and individual exhibitions in Mexico and other many other countries. In addition he has provided illustrations for several newspapers, books and magazines for which he has received recognition on multiple levels in the State of Veracruz by the Government and other Institutions.
The two most important elements reflected in the art style of Zardain are the political and bi-national issues regarding migration which he has made the theme of his late paintings; and the influence of his childhood experiences between wet coffee plantations, insects, animals and exuberant vegetation which he shows in his polychromatic portraits of Floral splendors. Currently, Manuel's work is focused on depicting the great and rich Cultural life of Veracruz and Mexico, including Still Life in which he portrays the spirit of México's markets and fiestas (parties) within his vivid oil paintings of mariachis, dancers, singers and bands utilizing his impressionistic style. His colors are bright and intense reflecting the Mexican Culture's love of life. In addition, Manuel explores abstract Art in equally bold colors reflecting the optimism and enthusiasm of Mexican people despite their economic and social difficulties. He has had many exhibitions and his Art is now in collection in the United States, Holland, France, Spain, Japan , Colombia among many other countries.
If you need more information about Zardain’s paintings please contact Dr. Carmen
Velazquez at (619) 651.1879 or write at centrodentaldelmar@hotmail.com

One mans white vision of Tijuana,Mexico

A New Twist On the "GREEN" Fad/Movement

By Alvaro Cervera
Oct 27, 2010 4:33 PM • Topic: Culture • Issue: 2010-10

Marco Sandoval, the young and vibrant 24 year old founder of Recolectora Sanfra has a vision and is on a quest to Whiten Tijuana, Mexico via one student and one house hold at a time.

Roughly ten months ago Marco had an epiphany that there is no reason why the citizens of Tijuana and eventually the rest Mexico could not learn to be more conscious of there environment and the need to recycle all of there trash and waste in general.

The reason Marco does not use the word or color "Green" in his recycling vision, is because, as he learned first hand from speaking with a multiple of people in the industry, currently companies and individuals have become jaded by the turn in the Green Movement toward the belief that it is a "Fashion Statement/Fad" for companies or individuals to say that they are Green or that they Recycle!

Marco believes that the color and term "White" is truly what one wants to achieve when one incorporates recycling into a community. The term or word "White" instantly brings images of cleanliness, purity, and goodness. Hence his reason for naming his vision "The Whitening of Tijuana", he is out to clean-up Tijuana and eventually Mexico by teaching today's children to become tomorrows recycling adults.

He has fomented a formidable plan to teach, enlighten and incorporate into the psyche, culture and customs of Tijuana's children and house holds the importance of learning and applying recycling techniques into there daily lives.

Marco has funded via his own pocket and through his own sweat and labor a program that is currently active in two elementary schools here in Tijuana, and has requests by five other schools to be next in line to instill his revolutionary recycling program.

His school recycling program currently consists of setting up several recycling collection stations consisting of sets of three 55-gallon drums, cost free to the schools. He personally buys and modifies 55-gallon metal drums with a can crusher that he incorporates on the lid of one drum.

Each of the drums in the 3-drum set he paints bright white and they each are emblazoned with the universally recognized circular recycling emblem and each drum is designated with one of three words; Plastic, Aluminum or Paper.

He then gives teaching forums to the administrators, teachers and students on the importance of teaching the children on why it is crucial for them to learn and incorporate into their every day psyche techniques on how to separate, properly dispose of waste, and the importance of using the collection stations.

Eventually to show by example Marco is going to set up a free raffle at each school that will let the children win school orientated supplies that he will purchase from the proceeds collected from the sales of all the waste the children and school staff have collected in the collection drums. Instilling in the children that trash collection is not only good for the planet, but can also generates cash.

Currently he is approved by a private gated community to set up his set of collection drums and teach all the residents the importance of proper disposal of all there recyclable trash.

Upon instilling his collection programs into private residences he plans to donate a item made from recycled trash, as in a broom and dust pan set, to each residence so that they are constantly reminded by example of the multiple new uses of recycled trash.

As with all start up businesses in this day and age, what is holding Marco up from installing his recycling drums in the 5-schools and the private community is the lack of monetary funds. The rough cost for a 3-drum set-up is $70 U.S. dollars.

If you would like information on his vision or would like to assist or donate to Marco Sandoval, you can email him at: recolectorasanfra@hotmail.com

Autumn Joy

By Martha Gonzálrez
Nov 25, 2010 12:43 PM • Topic: Culture • Issue: 2010-11

November is a great month and one of my favorites. It is officially autumn but not quite that cold but cool enough to start thinking about Thanksgiving, family, friends, new goals and observation/evaluations of the old ones.
Every year most of us make the same new promises and see that maybe we were not as powerful around the old promises. You know the ones: a new job, new house, new car, spending more time with family or friends,controlling stress, going to the doctor, weight loss, health, exercise and nutrition are among the most common and like last year, around November, you were beginning to really look at what matters most to you and what
you are up to in life and make new promises and goals around that. This year, it may be different, better and full of new hope because Frontier Doctors is here to support you.

Whole Food and Supplement Education

Our company is based on the belief that our customers’ health and nutrition commitments are of the utmost importance. Our entire team is committed to meeting those needs. as a result, a high percentage of our business is from repeat customers and referrals.Our medical Doctor is available for phone consultations,by appointment in the USA or via office visit in Tijuana,mexico. Her specialty is chronic Disease and Supplementation. Our nutritional coach is also available by appointment, per your request, specializing in Whole Food, Supplementation and cell renewal. Our main focus is to share with you the difference Vitality, Whole Body Health and Well Being make and how you too can live better, longer and empowered at any age... by the way....we also do whole family consulting for children with chronic Disease, Obesity or any child looking to better their stamina, health, vitality, learning capacity, concentration and relaxation.

We would welcome the opportunity to earn your trust and deliver you the best service, supplements and consultation in the industry. We base our commitment based on your level and take the opportunity to take you to the next.

Let’s look at weight control and heat health during the holidays.Remember... Thanksgiving is ONE day, ONE meal. If you wish to indulge, do so. For ONE day. Then, get sensible again the next few days. If you love turkey with gravy and mashed potatoes...go for it.
One day. If you love wine, ok. One day. If you must have pumpkin pie with whipped cream... yes! But not the whole pie and yes only one day. And by the way... try this on: what if, you had a turkey dinner with all the fixings and then, you actually had dessert the next day? Not reasonable you say? Then how about exercise that whole weekend, starting Thanksgiving Thursday through Sunday? Long walks? Short walks? Bike rides? Yoga? Fruits/ vegetable /fish detox for the other meals? Considering that most traditional Thanksgiving meals are packed with about 2,000 calories maybe you may consider going
“low fat” the next day or two , something around 2,000 cal the whole day. Try extra Omega 3 rich foods, add another dose of your capsule to your day. How about extra C or D, really rev up your antioxidants and water intake, among many other things.
Did you know that most heart attacks happen just a few hours after your indulgent turkey dinner? And here is some more information, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, people do more of the things that can lead to heart attacks, including eating more high-fat foods, just eating more in general, drinking more alcohol and smoking more cigarettes. At the same time, they cut back on some of the things that can help prevent heart
attacks, like extra exercise and their supplements. Then there is stress. What else could we add to this amazing pot of things we do that don’t help? Who know? Who cares?
Try this:
5 Healthy Holiday Foods you can eat.
Pumpkin - Pumpkin is rich in Vitamin A and also provides fiber. Pumpkin seeds are high in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids (the good fats). Pumpkin itself is quite low in calories and is a healthy holiday food. Pumpkin pie, however, becomes a high-calorie food because it’s made with eggs, sugar, evaporated milk and baked in a high-fat pie crust. To make a lower-fat pumpkin pie, you may consider using an egg substitute, light cream or low-fat evaporated milk in your recipe. Go for a pie crust with the lowest amount oftrans fat possible. Better yet, try a home-made pie crust recipe that is not made with shortening.
Fresh Cranberries - Cranberries are packed with Vitamin C and also provide a fair amount of dietary fiber and manganese. Cranberries also contain proanthocyanidins, a type of antioxidant that can prevent the adhesion of bacteria to the urinary tract sometimes causing urinary tract infections.
Sweet Potato - Sweet Potato is a rich source of antioxidants such as Vitamin C and beta-carotene. Similar to the banana, it is also an excellent source ofpotassium. If you eat the skin, you will also reap the health benefits of fiber, making the sweet potato a healthy holiday food.Turkey - In addition to being an excellent source of protein, turkey offers
the least amount of fat per serving, among all other meats, if you pass on the skin.
Green Beans - Green beans are probably one of the healthiest holiday foods out there. They are an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K (important in bone health) and manganese. They also contain a good amount of vitamin A, dietary fiber, potassium, folate, and iron. Green bean casserole in a traditional Thanksgiving meal is rather high in calories as it contains butter, cream of mushroom and cheese. Prepare this dish with lower-fat version of these ingredients such as fat-free cream of mushroom and light butter and you will be able to enjoy the yummy taste without the guilt!

Lastly, how can Frontier Doctors support you this holiday season? See your doctor and call your nutritionist! Together they can design a healthy,fun and taste good way of living that will give you all the power around what is really important to you. For most, living longer,
stronger and with joy is what it is all about. Salud!

Ana Ituarte is a Food Coach and Supplement Advisor who works together with health practitioners and doctors to provide education, powerful living guides and supplementation
to people who are committed to feeling great,living longer, reversing aging and being happy.

Mexico

Independence day septiembre 16

In the early nineteenth century, Mexico, with a little influence from the US and France, began talking about a revolt against Spain. Father Miguel Hidalgo from Dolores, Mexico, was a leader of one of the rallying groups. Hidalgo and his officers were planning a revolt for late fall of 1810. The Spanish people found out about the revolt which led the Spanish Government to order the arrest of Hidalgo and his officers. When Hidalgo found out, he called a meeting at his church.He rang the church bell on the night of September 15, 1810 to call his congregation to mass. Here Father Hidalgo rallied the people to fight.He gave the speech which is now known as ‘Grito de Delores’, saying “Viva Mexico” and “Viva la independencia!” These famous words have been remembered and are said each year at the Independence Day celebrations.
Everyone fought together, including the Criollos (wealthy Mexicans of Spanish descent), Mesizos (children born from the marriage of a Spaniard and an Indian), and Indians. Armed with clubs,knives, stone slings, and ancient guns, they fought as they marched to Mexico City. A battle took place in Guanajuato between the Spanish soldiers and Hidalgo’s followers. The army sacked the town, killing the Spaniards. They continued to fight on their way to the capital. When they finally reached Mexico City, the army hesitated before going in to fight and some of them even disserted the army. Before the year was over Father Hidalgo was captured and executed. Some people continued to fight for the cause and Father Hidalgo’s Grito de Delores (Cry of Delores) became the battle cry of the Mexican War of Independence. The people fought for eleven years before they finally won their freedom.
Today Mexican Independence Day is a major celebration in Mexico and is bigger than Cinco de Mayo. It is celebrated with a fiesta (party). The celebrating begins on September 15 (the eve of Independence Day) where crowds of people gather in the zocalos (town meeting place)
of cities, towns, and villages. In Mexico City a huge square is decorated with flags, flowers and lights of red, white, and green. People sell confetti, whistles, horns, paper-machete
helmets, and toys in the colors of red, white and green.There is also plenty of feasting! When the clock strikes eleven o’clock the crowd gets silent. On the last strike of eleven the president of Mexico steps out on the palace balcony, and rings the historic liberty bell that Father Hidalgo rang to call the people. Then the president gives the Grito de Delores. He shouts “Viva Mexico” “Viva la independencia” and the crowd echoes back. People do this at the same time all across Mexico. While the crowd says this they fill the air with confetti, streamers and hoopla. Castillos explode in showers of red, white, and green.
The actual day of September 16 is similar to July Fourth in the US.There are rodeos, parades, bullfights, horseback rider performances and grand feasts. The statues in memory of Father Hidalgo are decorated with red, white, and green flowers. The Mexican Flag is made up of green, white, and red. The green is on the left side of the flag and symbolizes independence. White is the color in the middle of the flag and symbolizes religion. The red is on the right side of the flag and symbolizes union. These colors are used often in decorating for the Mexican Independence Day fiesta.

Painter Gloria Muriel

Pop Surrealism on a Spiritual Quest




Painter Gloria Muriel’s work conveys a glowing immediacy, yet evokes timeless, remote worlds of mystery and allure.Her paintings, primarily acrylics, are characterized by their dazzling color and enigmatic, symbol-rich iconography. The work is predominated by images of big-eyed girls,often playing musical instruments;birds, and anthropomorphized nature, like trees and flowers with faces. Most of these compositions have a dense, murky background that suggests tangled vegetation or water.

Gloria says the prevalence of young girls in her work probably refers to her inner child and
hearkens back to the time in her life that was most idyllic. Though she had a happy childhood, she was also something of a loner and cultivated a rich inner world. This might explain the melancholy look of the girls in the pictures, alone with their thoughts and absorbed in their music, even as they commune with nature.
This mingling of dark and precious iconography, in otherworldly settings, is largely responsible for the paradoxical moods her work evokes—an in- tertwining of sadness and joy; of lightness and gravity that intrigues more than it comforts. Perhaps the uneasiness threaded all through Gloria’s work, from the most seemingly innocuous pictures to the freakiest, serve to express her belief in a larger, cosmic sadness, which envelops the variable moods of every individual. “In the end you’re alone,” she says. “No matter what, you have to cope with life on your own.

”The spiritual/mystical dimension of Gloria’s paintings is salient, with recurring elements that suggest pantheism or animism—the belief that a divine presence inhabits everything around us. Nature is truly alive in her paintings, and the girls depicted, with their meditative expressions, seem utterly responsive to their animated landscape and supremely calm as the chaos of nature surrounds them.
Some of the spiritual iconography in Gloria’s work is overt and draws on her research into dreams and symbols. One piece shows the goddess Lakshmi—another young girl, this one with three eyes. In Hinduism, the third eye, also called the “eye of the heart,” represents spiritual perception. Many other religions revere the eye as a symbol of magical, visionary power.

Gloria, a native of Mexico, lives in San Diego and is a graphic designer by trade. She has two daughters ages 11 and 12, which is the same general age as the girls in her pictures (“a coincidence,” she says, slyly).
Much of Gloria’s work shows the influence of illustration and is reminiscent of the pop surrealism championed by the influential magazine Juxtapoz. She cites Dali as a major influence, which is evident in her vivid palette and fantastical images. Her personal vision, though, comes through powerfully in each picture and anchors the work soundly within the realm of fine arts.

Gloria Muriel’s work reveals a distinct personal style that is consistent but never static. Overall, the work has an aura that might be called immersive, where subject and periphery, foreground and background merge in a way that is all-encompassing. Such art naturally affects the viewer in a similar way, for this is work—this is a world—to get lost in. This reflects Gloria’s essential approach: “Art is a state of being and I lose myself in the beautiful chaos that I depict in my paintings. Those feelings develop at the precise moment when my brush hits the canvas.” Ultimately, though, her “aesthetic philosophy” can be summarized even more directly: “I paint what I feel.”

So what is Dia de Los Muertos anyway?

Oct 27, 2010 4:35 PM • Topic: Culture • Issue: 2010-10

Dia de Los Muertos is not just another spooky, get the sheets out, rip the two holes and say “boo!” kind of holiday, this is very serious stuff to us Latinos, and yes it is a “Holy Day”, let me explain.
Halloween is not what is celebrated by the the ancient peoples of South and Central America in old rituals. Our day is Dia De Los Muertos or The Day of The Dead. The ritual, Dia De Los Muertos, dates back thousands of years and has since been adapted by the Catholic Church and celebrated in almost every South and Central American Countries. Skulls are prominently used to celebrate and honor the dead.
Dia de Los Muertos, like the day of the hollowed eve to the Celtic, or Feralia to the Roman it has its roots in the belief that the dead continuing to live in another plain. It also adopts the belief that during a certain times of the year communication is more favorable between the living and the dead.
More than 500 years ago, when the Spanish Conquistadors landed in what is now Mexico, they met with Aztecs who practiced a ritual that seemed to mock the death. It was a ritual the indigenous people had been practicing at least 3,000 years back. A ritual the Spaniards would try unsuccessfully to eradicate. This ritual known today as Día De los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. This was a celebration to honor and celebrate the family members who has passed onto the other side of existence.

Today, Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico and in certain parts of the United States and Central America. People wear wooden skull masks called calacas and dance in honor of their deceased relatives. These wooden skulls are also placed on altars that are dedicated to the dead. Sugar skulls, made with the names of the dead person on the forehead, are eaten by a relative or friend.
In rural Mexico, people visit the cemetery where their loved ones are buried. They decorate grave sites with marigold flowers and candles. They bring toys for dead children and bottles of tequila to adults. They sit on picnic blankets next to grave sites and eat the favorite food of their beloved. Laughing, joking and sometime crying, friends and family gather to say “I love and miss you” one more time and reminisce.
As time has gone by and commercialism has set in, this day now marks the evening of fun, costume and yes… tricks and treats. For Tijuana, since the beginning has been characterized for being a very peculiar city and with its proximity to the boarder, the trans-cultural acceptance of something between Halloween and Dia de Los Muertos is inevitable.  During the first half of the 20th century, communication with the Capital was very difficult, so Tijuana met its needs through its relationship with the United States. There a kind of union emerged. In spite of the economic, political, and social changes and differences that were once and have risen now and again between the two towns and two countries, there is unique kind of brotherhood that has been created in both San Diego and Tijuana.  An example of this is that now, here in Tijuana, we follow many of the Anglo-American festivities, including Halloween, or “night of witches” as we call it.  We plan the day and its activities around the children and their costumes. In October, we share about the shopping centers scenes in San Diego, the upcoming scary movies and most especially about the costumes we will buy and wear. Trans-cultural ”ism” is a reality that cannot be ignored.  It is a celebration and in the purest form, a demonstration that two countries, of two apparently different races and ways of thinking, can be united by a few regional customs. With or without the “boo!”.

One Journalist´s View of Mexico

By By Linda Ellerbee
Oct 27, 2010 3:59 PM • Topic: Culture • Issue: 2010-10

Untitled

Sometimes I’ve been called a maverick because I don’t always agree with my colleagues, but then, only dead fish swim with the stream all the time. The stream here is Mexico.
You would have to be living on another planet to avoid hearing how dangerous Mexico has become, and, yes, it´s true drug wars have escalated violence in Mexico, causing collateral damage, a phrase I hate. Collateral damage is a cheap way of saying that innocent people, some of them tourists, have been robbed, hurt or killed.
But that’s not the whole story. Neither is this. This is my story.

I’m a journalist who lives in New York City, but has spent considerable time in Mexico, specifically Puerto Vallarta, for the last four years. I’m in Vallarta now. And despite what I’m getting from the U.S. media, the 24-hour news networks in particular, I feel as safe here as I do at home in New York, possibly safer. I walk the streets of my Vallarta neighborhood alone day or night. And I don’t live in a gated community, or any other All-Gringo neighborhood. I live in Mexico. Among Mexicans. I go where I want –which does not happen to include bars where prostitution and drugs are the basic products–, and take no more precautions than I would at home in New York ; which is to say I don’t wave money around, I don’t act the Ugly American, I do keep my eyes open, I’m aware of my surroundings, and I try not to behave like a fool.
I’ve not always been successful at that last one. One evening a friend left the house I was renting in Vallarta at that time, and, unbeknownst to me, did not slam the automatically-locking door on her way out. Sure enough, less than an hour later a stranger did come into
my house. A burglar? Robber? Kidnapper? Killer? Drug lord?
No, it was a local police officer, the beat cop for our neighborhood, who, on seeing my unlatched door, entered to make sure everything (including me) was okay. He insisted on walking with me around the house, opening closets, looking behind doors and, yes, even under beds, to be certain no one else had wandered in, and that nothing was missing. He was polite, smart and kind, but before he left, he lectured me on having not checked to see that my friend had locked the door behind her. In other words, he told me to use my common sense.
Do bad things happen here? Of course they do. Bad things happen everywhere, but the murder rate here is much lower than, say, New Orleans, and if there are bars on many of the ground floor windows of houses here, well, the same is true where I live, in Greenwich
Village, which is considered a swell neighborhood — house prices start at about $4 million –including the bars on the ground floor windows.
There are good reasons thousands of people from the United States are moving to Mexico every month, and it’s not just the lower cost of living, a hefty tax break and less snow to shovel.. Mexico is a beautiful country, a special place. The climate varies, but is plentifully mild, the culture is ancient and revered, the young are loved unconditionally, the old are respected, and I have yet to hear anyone mention Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, or Madonna´s attempt to adopt a second African child, even though, with such a late start, she cannot possibly begin to keep up with Angelina Jolie.
And then there are the people. Generalization is risky, but— in general — Mexicans are warm, friendly, generous and welcoming. If you smile at them, they smile back. If you greet a passing stranger on the street, they greet you back. If you try to speak even a little Spanish, they tend to treat you as though you were fluent. Or at least not an idiot. I have had taxi drivers track me down after leaving my wallet or cell phone in their cab. I have had someone run out of a store to catch me because I have overpaid by twenty cents. I have been introduced to and come to love a people who celebrate a day dedicated to the dead as a recognition of the cycles of birth and death and birth — and the 15th birthday of a girl, an important rite in becoming a woman — with the same joy.
Too much of the noise you´re hearing about how dangerous it is to come to Mexico is just that — noise. But the media love noise, and too many journalists currently making it don´t live here. Some have never even been here. They just like to be photographed at night, standing near a spotlighted border crossing, pointing across the line to some imaginary country from hell. It looks good on TV.

Another thing. The U.S. media tend to lump all of Mexico into one big bad bowl. Talking about drug violence in Mexico without naming a state or city and the area of that city where this is taking place is rather like looking at the horror of Katrina and saying, damn did you know the entire U.S. is under water? Or reporting on the shootings at Columbine or the bombing of the Federal building in Oklahoma City by saying that kids all over the U.S. are shooting their classmates and all the grownups in the US are blowing up buildings. The recent rise in violence in Mexico has mostly occurred in a few states, and especially along the border in areas where few if any US citizens would even consider being. It is real, but it does not describe an entire country.
It would be nice if we could put what´s going on in Mexico in perspective, geographically and emotionally. It would be nice if we could remember that, as has been noted more than once, these drug wars wouldn´t be going on if people in the United States didn´t want the drugs, or if other people in the United States weren´t selling Mexican drug lords the guns. Most of all, it would be nice if more people in the United States actually came to this part of America – Mexico is also North America (you will recall) to see for themselves what a fine place Mexico really is, and how good a vacation –or a life– here can be.
So come on down and get to know your southern neighbors. I think you´ll like it here.
Especially the people.
LINDA ELLERBEE

(Linda Jane Smith). Born in Bryan, Texas, U.S.A., 15 August 1944. Educated at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, 1962-64. Married: 1) Mac Smith, 1964 (divorced, 1966); 2) Van Veselka, 1968 (divorced, 1971), children: Vanessa and Joshua; 3) Tom Ellerbee, 1973 (divorced, 1974). Disc jockey at WSOM Chicago, 1964-65; program director, KSJO San Francisco, 1967-68; reporter, KJNO Juneau, Alaska, 1969-72; news writer, Associated Press in Dallas, 1972; television reporter, KHOU in Houston, Texas, 1972-73; general assignment reporter, WCBS-TV in New York City, 1973-76; reporter, the Washington bureau of NBC News, 1976-78; co-anchor, network news magazine Weekend, 1978-79; correspondent, NBC Nightly News, 1979-82; co-anchor, NBC News Overnight, 1982-84; co-anchor, Summer Sunday, 1984; reporter, Today, 1984-86; reporter, Good Morning America, 1986; anchor, ABC show Our World, 1986-87; commentator, CNN, 1989; president, Lucky Duck Productions, since 1987; producer, writer, and host, Nick News since 1993; writer, host, On the Record, on-line production with Microsoft, since 1996. Recipient: Peabody Award, 1991. Address: Lucky Duck Productions, 96 Morton St., New York, New York 10014.

Art in Rosarito

Muralist Morrie Diego Baker

By Kim Wherley 

A true humanitarian and the driving force behind the: “A Happy Day at the Beach” mural project, Morrie Diego Baker, volunteered his artistic talents and time for the greater good of his beloved, “adopted” city of Rosarito in Baja California. Baker has successfully completed 5 murals around the San Francisco Bay area where he flourished as an artist in stain glass, custom lamps and windows for over 15 years. Now retired, Baker has been a resident of Rosarito for 6 years, and felt it was time to “give back” to Rosarito Beach and it’s people.
We asked Baker why he chose to do the mural:“The purpose of my mural this summer,
“A Happy Day at the Beach”, was to do several things: First, to expose art to as many
children in Rosarito as possible; to let them get involved in painting, designing, exploring color; and, to open their eyes to a whole new world of creativity and thought, etc. Second, to get as many retirees as I could to participate in the process as well; to help the youngsters and to give something back to their “adopted” city [of Rosarito Beach].Third, to build community... working together, understanding that we are all on the same small planet and that our differences,including but not limited to age, culture,language, background, ability level of art,color, and race are not reasons we can’t all get along and do something wonderful together! Lastly, to turn a graffiti-covered eyesore into a gorgeous work of art that makes people smile as they walk or drive by it; that will cheer all of us up, that will make us want to say to each other, “that looks like so much fun....let’s go to the beach today!” Rosarito has so much to offer, and the beach is one major item that we all love.
Baker’s mural was supported and honored Mayor Hugo Torres and Artes por Todas Partes. In addition, donated paint from Comex and Baker’s added efforts in providing extra brushes and materials to the mix welcomed everyone and anyone to participate in the completion of the mural. With the additional help of two young, aspiring artists from Rosarito, over 30 local kids and about 25 retired expatriates of the community, the mural was completed on August 15th, 2010. The mural project was not only a fun, intercultural event, but the mural it self symbolizes the spirit and beauty of the Rosarito beach. “A Happy Day at the Beach” mural is located on the outside wall of the sports field “Ejido Mazatlan Shopping Center”,
just one block north of Waldo’s along Benito Juarez Boulevard.