The Guadalajara Reporter

City Living - July 20, 2013

Read on if you’ve ever taken some great photos of mariachis?

To mark Guadalajara’s upcoming 20th International Mariachi Festival, the Guadalajara Chamber of Commerce is running a photographic competition on “the History and Evolution of the Mariachi.”

The focus of the competition is on images of mariachi groups, their uniforms and their instruments. Each participant can enter a maximum of three photographs in color or black and white, but they must not be digitally edited in any way.

The photographs must be unmounted in 11x14 inch format, with a title and the author’s name and email address written on the back. Digital copies in RAW or JPEG format with a resolution of 300 dpi may also be necessary upon request from the jurors.

A jury of three renowned photographers, one representative of the Chamber of Commerce and one mariachi historian will decide upon the best photographs. The winner will receive 15,000 pesos, with 10,000 pesos for runner up and 5,000 pesos for third place.

Inside their application, entrants should submit an additional envelope containing their name, address, nationality, date of birth, telephone and email. Applications must be submitted before the August 2 deadline to the following address:

Primer Concurso de Fotografía “Historia y evolución del Mariachi,” Camara Nacional de Comercio,  Servicios y Turismo de Guadalajara, Departamento: Proyectos Especiales, Atención: Rocio Covarrubias Cueva Av. Vallarta 4095, Fracc Camino Real Zapopan, Jalisco C.P. 45040.

For more information call (33) 3080-9090, ext. 2134.

Fun diet book

Former Guadalajara staffer Grady Miller, now a resident of Los Angeles, has penned a new book on losing weight that is receiving some excellent reviews.

Referred to by one reviewer as “a diet book with a whimsical tone,” “Lighten Up Now: The Grady Diet” is a fun-to-read, concise blueprint for “regimen change.”

“If Grady can lose seventy pounds and seven pants sizes, anybody can,” wrote another reviewer. “This book will become your constant companion that you will dip into again and again for inspiration and encouragement.”

Miller worked for the Guadalajara Reporter for almost four years in the mid 1990s before moving to California to develop his writing career.

The book, which is available on Kindle through Amazon for 7.99 dollars, is illustrated by cartoons, drawn by Miller himself.

Book Fair

Israel will be the special guest at Guadalajara’s 27th International Book Fair (FIL), the second biggest literary festival in the world, which runs from November 30 to December 8. Current Israeli President Shimon Peres (who twice served as Prime Minister – a more significant role in Israel’s political system), will attend the inauguration. A joint recipient of the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize for peace talks which led to the Oslo Accords, Peres also received an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II in 2008 and last year he was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama. Facsimiles of the Dead Sea Scrolls and manuscripts by Albert Einstein will also be on display at this year’s FIL.