Pusing Blogger : June 2018

Retirement Defined Within the Context of Becoming an Expat in Mexico


By Alvin Starkman

My wife say's I'm not retired. I say of course I am. Since 2004, we have been living in the city of Oaxaca in the southern Mexico state of the same name. I was a Toronto litigation lawyer until age 53, when I packed it in and we moved south. A year or so after relocating to Oaxaca we opened a bed & breakfast, did that for several years, then stopped.

During the course of vacationing in Oaxaca two or three times a year since 1991, I developed some expertise in the area of mezcal. Mezcal is the agave based Mexican spirit most of which is fabricated in an artisanal manner in small mom and pop distilleries known locally as palenques. And so in retirement I began leading educational excursions into the villages where the spirit is produced, for both novices and mezcal aficionados alike, teaching bartenders, and assisting entrepreneurs wanting to begin an export brand. I "work" about three days a week, typically not on weekends. I charge for the services I provide, but pretty well all the income derived goes to charitable purposes. I also write about mezcal and industry sustainability for online and print publications, rarely if ever receiving payment for my musings, although a few years back I was on contract for the Mexican government's Mexico Today program, hired to write short pieces promoting tourism and investment in and for the country. Am I retired?

Let's begin with a provisional definition of retirement: If you've had a career or a job for a long time, don't want to do it any longer and don't have to because you're debt free and have enough money to last for the rest of your life and are satisfied that your children and/or partner will be looked after just fine after your passing, and you then stop doing what you had been doing for that extended period of time during your adult life, then you're retired.

Just because you thereafter decide that you want to do something more than sit around the house or play cards with friends or travel, doesn't detract from the status of being retired, even if you are earning money and your new vocation keeps you busy 40 hours a week. Perhaps we should add something to our definition: Retirement can include thereafter doing something new, including having one or more hobbies, even if it produces revenue, as long as you can do it whenever you want for however long you want with no adverse implications for you if and when you decide to do it less or not at all.

If you're an A type personality, you'll always be one, even in retirement. And so there ought to be no worries about no longer doing your day job with concerns about how you will spend your time. I had no idea how I would spend my days when we first moved to Oaxaca.

Using my personal example, one might reasonably ask, "what does he do four days a week if he's supposedly retired and working only those weekdays?" Well, a young bright indigenous Zapotec woman, a god-daughter of ours, has been living with us for the past four years, and will continue to do so while we are putting her through medical school here in Oaxaca. Those readers who have children understand that just because your progeny are over the age of majority does not necessarily mean that they are independent. She occupies some of our time.

Think about it: while working for a living, you finish Friday late afternoon and of course are too tired to go out that evening. Saturday afternoon and evening, and Sunday afternoon are times for yourself. You can't go out Sunday evening because you have to wake up early for Monday morning at work. You've brought some work home from work, so your free weekend is not entirely for personal time. So you basically have one weekend day and an evening to socialize and do cultural activities. If you live in a big city you understand that on pretty well a daily basis there are dance and music performances to attend, gallery openings to see, new restaurants to try, movies you've been told you shouldn't miss. And you don't have time to see your friends during the week because you're working, and evenings you're too tired.

In retirement you can take advantage of what you couldn't see or do during that one weekend day and evening, whenever you want.

Back to my previous question, here's what I did yesterday beginning at 8 am and finishing at 7 pm: took our god-daughter's car in for servicing and returned home in a taxi; dropped my wife off at the periodontist then bought a bag of ice and came home; picked up my wife and came home; finished working on an article, had my wife edit, correct and upload it to the internet; drove with our god-daughter to pick up her car; attended at our orthopedic surgeon's office to pay him; got a haircut; came home.

To my thinking that's a lot for a day in retirement when I'm not doing a mezcal tour, going to a new art installation or to a music concert. And, some of my errands were run on the motorcycle; if I had to do it using a car, it would have taken two days. As it was I didn't have time to get to the bank. Banking, writing this article, and going out for dinner to the new location of our go-to Moroccan restaurant are scheduled for today.

Retirement is a state of mind. It can be a full-time job. Perhaps once my wife edits this article she'll understand that I'm retired; perhaps she still won't. At least now I have enough time for what I was too tired to do when I was working to make a living.

Happily in retirement, Alvin Starkman owns and operates Mezcal Educational Excursions of Oaxaca http://www.mezcaleducationaltours.com.

Is Breakup Advice Needed For Saving Your Relationship?


By James Nussbaumer

When a couple is contemplating over the notion, can a relationship be saved, and healing indeed does occur to revive the relationship, this is a wonderful experience.

When a relationship first begins the happiness that you both are feeling deep within you may seem like you can't ask for anything more.

There may come a time when understanding that your relationship is in trouble and might perhaps reach the end of the line, might be stunning and disastrous news to you.

Thus, you have to act now and answer to, can a relationship be saved, and proceed to try to begin saving a relationship before marriage separation or breakup advice is considered.

If you're interested in saving a relationship these ideas might be an excellent point for where to begin:

Determine the Relationship Problem

Determining the root cause of a possible relationship failure is the real first action to save a relationship.

When mulling over, can a relationship be saved, it is really essential for you to recognize the issues present in your relationship, in order to save your relationship and your love for your substantial other.

Talk about the Problem with Your Significant Other

Thus, you have to discuss all things with your spouse or partner in life as soon as you have actually finished recognizing the issues which are present in your relationship.

If you've been in your relationship for a good quantity of time, this will be particularly important to you.

Make Sure that Love Is Present Previously I discussed in a well-received session about when love might be lost and the partner seems to be thinking about separation as a choice, and what you should and should not do.

If you're both together on the idea of, can a relationship be saved, you have to make sure that love is constantly present in your relationship to avoid any possible break ups.
How to save your relationship can be discovered, as long as there is still a glimmer of love within your significant other.

Saving a relationship is actually possible and it means keeping your feelings of defense in check and keeping your cool are also really essential parts to this complex equation.

The Course in Miracles states, "It is essential to realize that all defenses do what they would defend."

You have to act now when considering, can a relationship be saved, and try to save your love for your considerable other as well as your invaluable relationship.

Recognizing the source of the problems of a possible relationship failure is the extremely first action to save a relationship.

Be Willing and Ready to Fix Things

It is truly essential for you to look closely and accept the problems as fixable where healing may begin.

When you are realizing the love you have toward one another and where forgiveness plays a key role in the healing process, can a relationship be saved is answered with optimism.

Yes, saving a relationship is possible, as long as there is a willingness and readiness to heal and forgive, and being open-minded to the spark of love still shining within you both.

Sadly there are times when marriage separation is the option chosen because relationship advice or counseling was sought for too late.

(Please note I suggest searching the net for further content on things like, when ending a relationship is the decision and where relationship breakup seems to be the only way to find happiness.)

To healing and a happy life!

You can find related info on topics like, 'save your relationship and addressing the issues could potentially reach the end of the line and become disastrous and too hard to handle, and so much more: http://jamesnussbaumer.com/save-your-relationship-prevent-divorce-healing-after-a-breakup/

The link above gives you access to further helpful material and for folks who are interested in letting go of the past and moving on in life to attaining Real Abundance, Purpose, and Wellness in their lives.

Hi, I'm James Nussbaumer, I'd like to introduce myself through my thought provoking self-improvement and inspirational books, articles, videos, Podcast, and other content for a better life, where I reflect on the principles of A Course in Miracles. It's about being all you can be and a life of success and happiness. Thank you for visiting.

Caste and the Indian Army


By Madan G Singh

The Indian army as we know it today was the British Indian army and traces it origin to the beginning of the days of the rule of the East India Company. In 1947, the prefix British was dropped and it became the Indian army, but in all aspects it remained as the British had left it. It was basically a higher caste army and was recruited on the basis of caste and religion. Thus the infantry regiments were all caste based. The lower castes and the untouchables were never recruited by the English. This was a continuation of the old Hindu caste system that forbade Shudras to muster arms on pain of death. The British accepted this Hindu concept, but brought in a few of their own.

The British divided the populace at large into martial and non-martial races. This distinction was made on the basis of their own experience in battle and also a study of the socio-economic history of India. The British were of the view that races who had faced perpetual wars were martial. Here they accepted the Hindu theory and division between Kshatriyas( Warriors) and non -kshatriyas.

The British were impressed by the fighting prowess of the Sikhs, Jats, Rajputs, Gurkhas, and Mahrattas and classified them as martial races. Of these the Sikhs, Punjabi Muslims and Gurkhas had pride of place because in battles with them the British had a tough time.

The British first tasted a tough challenge during the Anglo-Gurkha wars of 1815-15. The Gurkhas fought bravely and though defeated won the admiration of the British. Again in the Anglo-Sikh wars of 1846-49, the English would have been defeated, but for traitors in the ranks of the Sikhs. The Prime Minister and his general Labh Singh were in league with the East India Company and conspired to defeat the Sikh army. However at Mudki and Chillianwala, the British tasted defeat. The East India Company won the war, but their admiration for the Sikhs as a martial race was engraved in their mind and at any given time the Sikhs with a population of 2%, yet constituted 33% of the British Indian army.

The British also had a healthy respect for Punjabi Muslims and Pathans, which was a result of the 3 Anglo-Afghan wars, where the British were hard pressed. The British were convinced that the hardy tribes of the North West frontier were martial as they had been continuously facing invasion right from the time of Alexander the great, a period of 2000 years.

Were the British right in this differentiation of martial and non-martial races? The taste of the pudding lies in its eating and the British were proved right as the regiments of the British Indian army helped win 2 World Wars and also fought for the Raj from places as far as China and Singapore. How many know that the Boxer rebellion in Peking in China was subdued by Sikh and Punjabi troops of the British Indian army? Tibet was conquered by the Indian army in the famous expedition led by General YoungHusband.

In 1947, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Gandhi decided that the caste-based regiments be retained. This was a practical step as these regiments had their own war cries and food and religious habits. Gandhi has gone on record so many times to say that he favored the Varna system of caste as it was the bedrock of Hindu society. He did not wish this caste system of the army, which was all higher castes be broken up. One cannot comment whether this was right or wrong as now more than 6 decades have passed and the caste-based recruitment continues.. Though the new regiments are broad-based, the core of the Infantry regiments remains as it was during the days of the Raj.

Dare to Be Average


By Irene Roth

Most of us are always trying to be the best that we can be. Others are always trying to be perfect. But can we be perfect, given our frail human nature? Is it even healthy to try and be perfect or are we aiming for an impossibly high ideal that won't take us anywhere anyways?

Perfection is a plague for all of us. Advertisers are always encouraging us to buy their products because we are not good enough just as we are. But is this really true? Do we have to fall prey to such undermining negative attitudes which will make us feel worse about ourselves?

I believe that we must strive to get off the perfection ban wagon and become who we were meant to be when we were born, perfect and without blemish. However, to do so, we must become more aware of all the negative messages that are hurled against us by our culture and especially advertisers.

However, with practise and self-awareness, it is possible for us to like, and perhaps even love, every aspect of ourselves. We are not only good enough just as we are. We are great just as we are. We don't need any gimmicks to be perfect. That is something that we don't believe, regardless of who tells us so.

What does it mean to be average? Well, here are a few things that it does mean:

• Accepting ourselves in our own skins.
• Accepting our flaws, be they character flaws or physical disabilities.
• Acknowledging where we are, without worrying about anything else.
• Not comparing ourselves to others because it is a waste of time, energy and inevitably it can make your life miserable.
• Honouring who you are right now, without worrying about anything else.
• Becoming more aware of what the media is telling us to be and to avoid being those things.
• Loving ourselves and knowing deep in our hearts that we are unique just as we are.
• Not wanting to be anyone that we are not but celebrating who we are now.
• Celebrating our unique talents, because we have a lot of them.
• Realizing that we are all average, and we can all be great by how we lead our lives.
• Living joyfully in the present moment, celebrating all the little and not so little experiences in our lives.
• Living a more aware life one that is grounded in the present.

By accepting where you are in life and daring to be the best version of who you are now, you can live the best life that possible.

People who exude this kind of self-confidence look pretty perfect. They hold their heads up high and they celebrate this moment right now because it is the very moment where they are meant to live and be their best version of ordinary. Are you ready to be average?

Irene S. Roth writes for teens, tweens, and kids about self-empowerment. She is the author of over fifty-five books and e-books and over one thousand online articles. She also has over two thousand published book reviews both online and in print. In addition, she published an e-book on how not to scattered in our culture. Please double click on this link for more information.    https://www.amazon.com/Scattered-Scattered-Mind-Twenty-First-Century-ebook/dp/B0193PC5L4?ie=UTF8&qid=1451453621&ref_=sr_1_1&s=digital-text&sr=1-1

No One Took A Knee, But A Political Controversy Led To Player Boycott Fifty Years Ago


By Doug Poe

In light of the assassination of the man who would likely become the next President of the United States, the man in the Oval Office declared a national day of mourning on the ninth of June. Because of the sadness, and to share their respect for the slain senator, a group of players decided to boycott their games scheduled for that day.

Although such a situation sounds like something that could be happening in the current world of sports, when protests are frequently in the headlines, this case happened exactly fifty years ago today. Robert Kennedy, the leading candidate to be voted in as the next President in the upcoming election, was assassinated on June 9, 1968.

When Johnson announced a national day or mourning, members of the Cincinnati Reds urged baseball officials to postpone the double header scheduled for that day. Because their words fell on deaf ears, the players decided that they were going to boycott the games.

The protest was led by a multiracial tandem, white pitcher Milt Pappas and African-American All-Star outfielder Vada Pinson. The two managed to get just enough votes from their teammates to approve their idea to stay in the clubhouse rather than go onto the baseball field, as a statement about the assassination of the important Democratic candidate for President.

Just like the front offices in the sports world of today, the executives of Cincinnati expressed wrath at the players' refusal to participate in the games. General Manager Bob Howsam was especially peeved, and he requested skipper Dave Bristol to find nine volunteers to play.

Future batting king Pete Rose soon left the clubhouse with glove in hand, along with Rookie of the Year Tommy Helms and ace starting pitcher Jim Maloney. Not long after that, the rest of the team reported to the field and the games were played.

However hesitant those players might have been, the Reds jumped out to an eight to nothing lead by the fourth inning. St. Louis rebounded in the fifth, compiling ten runs of their own to win game one 10-8.

The Cardinals rode that momentum into the second game, charging out to a six to one lead. Cincinnati, as the Cardinals had done in the opener, rallied in the fifth to tie the game.

Deadlocked for the next six frames, the score finally changed in a twelfth inning that involved three future Hall of Famers. Left hander Steve Carlton, in his third inning of relief for the Cardinals, gave up a lead off single to Cincinnati first baseman Lee May.

Third baseman Tony Perez reached on a fielder's choice, but would have to wait to advance because Carlton struck out catcher Johnny Bench. Perez did make it to second, and the all the way to the plate, after shortstop Leo Cardenas doubled him home with the winning run.

Although the Reds managed a split, Pete Rose may have wished he had stayed in the clubhouse that day. The perennial .300 hitter managed just one hit in times at the plate.

Vada Pinson, on the other hand, was probably glad his boycott had been averted. He went a combined four for ten with a home run and five runs batted in during the twin bill.