Mark your calendars! There will be a benefit show Sunday, 3-7 pm, 15 December at Las Chinitas on Calle Santander in Panajachel celebrating the one year anniversary of the Escuela de Musica. The show will present first year performances by students and additional performances by local musicians. There will be door prizes and a raffle for only Q25 to help with scholarships for our growing number of students.
Every Wednesday night the Music School hosts an “open mic” from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. at La Palapa, on Calle Principal. Look for upcoming postings for events in Austin Texas and Portland Oregon.
Esquela de Musica provides basic education for children in Panajachel who may not otherwise have such an opportunity. "We outreach to the community to recruit students and provide scholarships to study with qualified professional musicians.
Come on out and support this great community resource! http://www.atitlanmusicschool.org
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Santa Cruz resident, Alex Morritt, author of "Glimpses of Guatemala - a poetic and photographic perspective" has a recently released new book out, titled "Guises of Guyana - Peering into the Interior", following an extended trip to South America earlier this year.
Both books make great Xmas gifts and can be previewed and purchased online from Blurb.com in either US$, £GB, EUR, CAD$ or AUS$, and dispatched directly to folks back home, saving you the hassle of having to send Xmas gifts from here.
"Glimpses of Guatemala" book link : http://www.blurb.com/b/3183261-glimpses-of-guatemala-print-format-pdf-download
"Guises of Guyana" book link : http://www.blurb.com/b/4346573-guises-of-guyana-print-format-pdf-download
XMAS GIFT DISCOUNT OFFERS:
The publisher also has 2 x fabulous XMAS GIFT DISCOUNT OFFERS available which are valid only until MONDAY DECEMBER. 2nd 2013. (11.59 local time)
EITHER:
1. Apply the promo code "BOOKEND20" on checkout to receive 20% discount off the book price total of either one or other of the author's two book titles listed above. No minimum spend required. Valid for printed books only. (Ebooks for iPad & PDF digital downloads also available but not subject to discount offer)
OR:
2. Apply the promo code "25BETTER" on checkout to receive 25% discount off the book price total of either the author's two book titles listed above. Minimum purchase of 2 books required. For those orders shipping to the UK, there is an additional benefit of free delivery on standard delivery times or a discount on expedited deliveries. Valid for printed books only. (Ebooks for iPad & PDF digital downloads also available but not subject to discount offer)
BOOK SIGNINGS BY THE AUTHOR:
For those who prefer a personally signed copy of either book in their hands, the author will be carrying out a limited number of book signings in Santa Cruz and Pana between now and Xmas. (Dates t.b.c.) Alternatively, if you would like to reserve a signed copy of either book in advance, please make contact directly. E: [email protected]
MORE INFO.
More information on either book is available at http://www.glimpsesofguatemala.com or http://www.guisesofguyana.com
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The following blog post is reprinted with permission from Lake Atitlan resident and travel guide, Lee Beal, owner and operator of Los Elementos Adventure Center located in Santa Cruz la Laguna. To see Lee's original post and to check out Lee's blog, Lake Atitlan Travel Guide Blog, go here: http://www.lakeatitlantravelguide.com/lake-atitlan-guatemala-safety-sensationalism/
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Lake Atitlan Guatemala - Safety Over Sensationalism
Guatemala, one of the world’s great travel destinations, is often singled out for violent crime without telling the whole story. While there is sporadic violence along parts of the country, Key tourism areas of Antigua, Rio Dulce, Tikal and Lake Atitlan Guatemala are not only safe, but safer than many other popular tourism areas.
While the media often portrays Guatemala as the most dangerous place on earth, it is statistically quite safe. According to NationMaster.com which uses U.N.-based data, Guatemala doesn’t even make the list of the 36 nations with the highest murder rates. Mild-mannered nations like Sweden and Switzerland top Guatemala for murders on NationMaster.com. The assault rate in the U.S. is nearly 5 times greater than that of Guatemala in the independent Prominix report adjusted for under-reported crime.
Even when we add on independent estimates for unreported homicides, Guatemala ranks behind many popular vacation destinations. Places we think of as idyllic Caribbean retreats have double, triple, even quadruple the murder rates of Guatemala. Guatemala ‘s famous vacation areas are even safer than the averaged statistics, and even safer still for tourists.
Guatemala is as safe as rural U.S. states.
The magnificent volcanoes, beautiful Lake Aittlan, colonial Antigua, and ancient Mayan ruins are among the safest and most spectacular in the world. Guatemala’s homicide rate is slightly lower than the rural U.S. States of Wyoming, Montana, Oregon and Maine.
Guatemala is safer than many cities in the U.S.
More than 15,000 Americans safely visit Guatemala every day. And while the media sensationalizes stories of violence in Guatemala, Guatemala is safer than many major U.S. cities. Travelers feel relatively safe visiting popular U.S. cities like Miami, Philadelphia, Chicago, New Orleans, Washington D.C, or Atlanta. Visitors from around the world enjoy these vibrant cities in relative, reasonable safety. Yet each of these cities is statistically less safe than Guatemala.
Guatemala and politically charged Media Bias
In the debate on immigration reform in the US, the facts on safety in Guatemala have become a casualty of politics. To change public opinion and policy, politicians sometimes throw fuel on the fire.
Media Favoritism versus Facts
New Orleans is beloved and its renaissance is showcased in the news. The FBI reports the murder rate of New Orleans is declining, but it is nearly 4 times higher than all of Guatemala and over 5 times higher than Guatemala City. New Orleans is still an amazing place to visit and the Media is right to champion this inspirational city. But Guatemala is at least as remarkable and there is a clear difference in how each of these storied destinations is portrayed in contemporary news. Every city and country has places that are safe and dangerous. Guatemala is no exception. The areas that are dangerous should be avoided. And those that are safe should be enjoyed and celebrated.
Guatemala City is as safe as Washington D.C.
The U.S. State Department in Washington issues warnings about Guatemala, yet Washington D.C. is as deadly as Guatemala City. Washington’s murder rate has been cut almost in half in the last 10 years, but it still averages 24 per 100,000 vs. 36 per 100,000 in Guatemala City. How do you suppose the U.S. State department would feel if the Guatemalan government posted travel warnings for the U.S. capital?
Guatemala has very low violent crime rates.
The U.S. Assault rate is 5 times higher than Guatemala ‘s. Guatemala ‘s violent crime rates for Assault, Kidnapping and Rape are substantially lower than Canada’s and yet the U.S. State Department issues no such warnings for Canada. The rate for Rape in the U.S. is more than double the rate in Guatemala. The numbers have been adjusted for unreported crime from the respected 2012 Prominix report and are the most accurate statistics available on this subject.
Unless you are involved in the drug trade, you are statistically as safe in Guatemala as anywhere else in North America. Even though the U.S. murder rate of 4 per 100,000 is lower than Guatemala ‘s, tourists and visitors are statistically safer in Guatemala and much less likely to be a victim of violent crime than in the U.S., Canada and many other countries regarded as safe.
Lee Beal
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SANTA CRUZ WEBSITE
http://santacruzlalaguna.weebly.com
This website is for the greater community of Santa Cruz la Laguna and Lake Atitlan. I am in the process of doing an annual update of things on the website and welcome your input. So far I have made some major updates to various pages. Please take a look at them, let me know of changes. All listings are FREE!
Emergency Contact List: http://santacruzlalaguna.weebly.com/emergency-contact-list.html
Rentals/Property Sales: http://santacruzlalaguna.weebly.com/rentals-property-sales.html
Calendar: http://santacruzlalaguna.weebly.com/calendar.html
Let me know of events that you might have or know of.
In particular I would like to add more listings to the Services section and Links page. Send me anything you think should be included.
Also, don't forget that we have a For Sale/Free/Wanted Bulletin Board where you can post articles that you have for sale, to give away or would like. And our Ride Share Bulletin Board where you can post or view ride-share listings.
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Festival Gastronomico, Saturday, 30 November, 12-4 p.m. CECAP Vocational Center, Santa Cruz la Laguna Q125 pp. It is requested that you reserve in advance for the Festival Gastronomico:
Juan Carlos Mendoza: 5739-9001 or [email protected]
Pat Torpie: 5046-8469 or [email protected]
Atitlan Marathon, Saturday and Sunday, 30 November - 1 December, Panajachel