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Author's note: During the holiday season I will write columns on personal issues and resume the series of medical issues in 2024. By Garnett Stewart In the coming weeks, it's very important to keep an eye on your neighbors. It's a different type of Alert Neighborhood...
By Stephen Vargha The visitors are back! It could be one reason why Cuenca recently was recognized by the country as a “Rincón Mágico del Ecuador” (Magic Corner of Ecuador). “Rincón Mágico del Ecuador is part of a bigger program for all of Ecuador,” said María Rosa...
By Roger Livingston Several months ago I attended the Japan Day fair at the city museum on Benigno Malo and talked to one of the Japanese-Ecuadorian vendors. He told me about all the support the Japanese government offers its citizens living overseas. He explained...
Author’s note: The is the fourth and final article of a three-part series about medical marijuana. By Garnett Stewart In the last three installments, we examined and discussed various elements of taking medicinal marijuana (MMJ). Anything consumed can be dangerous....
Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. -- Plato By Steven Chasson A year ago Karla Sanchez, Director of the Grace Foundacion (Give Refugees a Chance) of Cuenca, started a dream to help refugee children...
By Sylvan Hardy Writing for the German magazine Der Spiegel, travel writer and arts reviewer Otto Kirchner extolled the richness of Cuenca's tradition of arts and crafts. "Whether its ceramics, leather goods, jewelry, tapestry, painting or sculpture, the quality and...
By Hayley Boyd and Addy Bink Depending on where you live, you may be experiencing some of the coldest days of the season. If you aren’t there yet, don’t worry — winter technically hasn’t even started yet. As you bundle up before heading outside to face Old Man Winter,...
By John Olson Expats who miss seeing their favorite Christmas movies on TV can fill the void with ACT’s heartwarming comedy “Miracle on 34th Street” at one of four performances, December 6, 8, 9 and 10. Show details and tickets: www.actseats.com. This will be the...
Women who move abroad sometimes face safety concerns they did not necessarily have to deal with at home. Going for a walk alone or wearing your usual attire may suddenly become problematic. The international expat service, InterNations, provides you with safety tips,...
By Stephen Vargha Enter the operations room of ECU911 and it looks like it could be the war room scene from the 1964 Stanley Kubrick movie, “Dr. Strangelove.” But there is no General "Buck" Turgidson (George C. Scott) screaming, “He'll see the Big Board!” Nor is...
Author’s note: The is the second of a multi-part series about medical marijuana. By Garnett Stewart Last week, I detailed why and how a conservative provider changed her mind and lifestyle to become a medicinal marijuana user. I never used this product for over 40...
The culmination of our 3-part series focuses on our relationship with the world. Released from the bondage of the past and the future, we now focus on the meaning of life itself. The key to the meaning of life is simplicity itself. I use the term "singularity," but...
By Stephen Vargha Because a Cuencano did not believe what he saw on television, Cuenca has a talented man producing unique and interesting furniture and furnishings. “I went to Lake Titicaca in 2006 to see if they were telling the truth,” said Juan Fernando Hidalgo...
By Ana Teresa Solá Americans who move abroad still have a responsibility to file their taxes with the IRS, sometimes in addition to taxes paid in their place of residence. Unsurprisingly, the thought of renouncing their U.S. citizenship may have crossed their minds at...
Author’s note: This is the second of a 3-part series. Following our First Face of Freedom, Freedom from the Past, our second is integrally connected to the first. Essentially an unhealed past requires a future. This is the ego at work, where denial and projection are...
By Rob McFarland "Just relax," says Carlos, our snorkelling guide. Easier said than done when you're about to be plunged into a cave full of sharks. I take a deep breath and he guides me underwater into a murky, sand-bottomed hollow where I come face-to-fin with a...
By Stephen Vargha The historic part of Cuenca is now more than French architecture. There are now French crêpes in El Centro. And a young Frenchman making them: Quentin Levy. Levy, 29, opened his crêperie-coffee shop, Fleurette, three months ago on Calle Luis Cordero,...
By Ronan O'Connell On October 19, the U.S. Department of State issued a rare advisory that Americans overseas “exercise increased caution” due to heightened tensions and chances of terrorism around the world, spurred by the Israel-Hamas war. It’s part of a system of...
Author’s note: This is the third of a three-part series about diabetes. Part 1 offered a basic overview of the disease and its different types. Part 2 discussed ways to control it with pills, diet and exercise. By Garnett Stewart Home monitoring is very crucial....
My older brother passed away six years ago. I wrote the following obituary in one sitting, relying on a flood of memories that poured forth sculpting the character of a unique individual. It was published in our small hometown journal. _____________ Richard (Beau) de...
