and Culture and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Eastern Washington University in creative writing with a secondary emphasis in literary editing. A former California State Park docent, Cynthia has also worked as a proofreader, a freelance editor, a ski instructor and art teacher. Ever exploring her relationship to people, places and cultures, she has travelled to China, Egypt, Southeast Asia, Europe, and most of the National Parks of the western U.S. She lives in Cheney, Washington with her husband, son and ill-mannered Quaker parrot named Dudley Do-Right.In December of 2006, Mexico's new President Felipe CalderÃ³n declared war on the drug cartels, reversing earlier government passiveness. Since then, the government has made some gains, but at a heavy price - gun battles, assasinations, kidnappings, fights between rival cartels, and reprisals have resulted in over 9,500 deaths since December 2006 - over 5,300 killed last year alone. President Barack Obama recently announced extra agents were being deployed to the border and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton heads to Mexico today to pursue a broad diplomatic agenda - overshadowed now by spiraling drug violence and fears of greater cross-border spillover. Officials on both sides of the border are committed to stopping the violence, and stemming the flow of drugs heading north and guns and cash heading south.