I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. ~Charles Dickens

I sometimes think we expect too much of Christmas Day. We try to crowd into it the long arrears of kindliness and humanity of the whole year. As for me, I like to take my Christmas a little at a time, all through the year. And thus I drift along into the holidays - let them overtake me unexpectedly - waking up some fine morning and suddenly saying to myself: "Why, this is Christmas Day!"

By~David Grayson

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulders; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. - Isaiah 9:6

By Edmund Despot

I posted my Blog in June, 2009 and I got no response. I soon discovered that more must be written, than just posting a blog. I found the dash board and started to interface with the dialogue boxes and I got responses. I am at the mercy of Google+ and I am hoping that they have the answers, after all they are offering a free medium on which to Blog. I have some rough moments, an individual notified me that he is taking me out of his circle. I am shocked!  The people I come into contact with on Google+ have varying talents and for me this is most rewarding.  Should I use a single Blog for all my post or not, it is a decision I have to make.  The Google+ software prompts you and this makes it easy to navigate on the Blog, providing you have some basic software knowledge. Sometime I am hopelessly lost, I utter, “Where on earth am I, on this Google+ page”!

Why am I not getting a response from Bloggers, I posted my first blog “Living in Panama” June 2009.  It was just the punch line no more information.  I was working in the dash board clicking on the dialogue boxes seeking some kind of reaction. I had no one to call, I live in Trinidad and Tobago a twin island republic in the Caribbean. In my country, Bloggers are few and difficult to find. Even at this time I do not know any individual whom I can call and get help to navigating my way around the blog. With Google on my side I am hoping that I will prevail on the blog.

With Google as my tutor, I am guided in the dash board and prompted, to follow   groups or individuals. Put names of people in  circles and name the  circles. I did. I tinkered around and I clicked on “View in Google”, one thing led to another and there I was, seeing the "Stream" for the very first time . Filled with glee, I am out of the dash board discovering and exploring my circles. So I am very cautious, filled with anxiety, as I charge into my adventures.

I am shocked, to have a Google+ member posting a note to me, “I am going to take you out of my circle”. I remembered posting an article on “Universal Children’s Day Nov 20”, then another post, about Cruelty on Whaling. I responded to the individual asking what had offended him but I got no response. However if I published some item that offended this individual or any other persons, it was not intentional. In the absence of a response from the individual, I am truly sorry if I offended you. This individual will continue to remain in my circle.

Thrilled! I am notified by someone that I was placed into their circle on Google+. Then the invitation came, “say hello” to a fellow Google+ for placing me in their Circle. I can still remember Marina Gomez saying “Hi”, she is from India. This is indeed a global family. There is also those that have tolerated, pointed and guided me, in the stream. They have done this by inviting and encouraging words, I appreciate this. 

After posting fifty-nine articles on the same blog, “Build the Pan American Highway across the Darien Gap”, I am thinking that this not the best approach. With this Blog I was hoping to build some interest in completing the 18000 miles long Pan American Highway. There is a 50 miles gap in the highway between Panama and Colombia, if completed, you can drive from Prudhoe Bay in Alaska to Ushuaia in Argentina. To continue to spread the message about completing the Pan American Highway, I will use another strategy on the blog.  Google+ is indeed an experience worth sharing.

With Google’s supervision, I have been able to navigate the blog, I am evolving. It is with much trepidation I decided to use Google+ to express my views. I can recall days when I screamed “where on earth am I on this Google+”!  It is a challenging medium where you will eventually find yourself running with the wolves but I dare say, that, “I am in the pack”.  Google, sounds like a baby goooogling with saliva running from its lips. I wonder when Google+ is going to learn to talk?

Belize To Link Up With Pan American Highway

Belize March 3, 2011 By Belizean

Belize has signed a $47 million dollar contract to pave the last 23 miles of its southern highway to connect to Guatemala in the deep south and link up with the Pan American Highway system. The project funded by the Kuwaiti and OPEC investment funds will provide hundreds of new jobs over the next three years of the life of the project. And more importantly provide a sorely needed link to Central America in Belize’s deep south – the area with the largest concentration of poverty and underdevelopment in Belize – home of the Ketchi Maya and Garifuna nations.

Belize currently has but two land border crossings, one at the north with the prosperous Mexican state of Quintana Roo, and one at the west with the relatively underdeveloped town of Melchor de Mencos in Guatemala. The new highway will link Belize to the Izabal department in Guatemala and provide a strategic link to markets in the Rio Dulce, Moralez, Puerto Barrios, Santo Tomas de Castilla (both prominent deep water ports) and northern Honduras areas. All important for tourism and trade.

The highway will be built by Belizean company Cisco Constructiuon Ltd. and will pave the area known as The Dump near Punta Gorda, Toledo, to Jalacte which abuts the Belize Guatemala border in the southwest. The  upgrading will give the residents of Western Toledo improved access to Punta Gorda and the rest of the country. A spokeswoman for the Belize Ministry of Works was quoted as saying that “This 23 miles of road has been an area of major maintenance demands for us due to the rugged terrain so it’s a long overdue and we can’t wait to see it upgraded to the standard we have designed.”

There is speculation that the new highway may be linked to new petroleum deposits in southern Belize that have yet to be developed. Prime Minister Dean Barrow has been quoted as stating that the best prospects for further petroleum discoveries are in southern Belize. Belize currently exports 5,000 barrels per day of high grade sweet light crude oil to Central America and the U.S. This from but one oilfield in western Belize.

Red Pinecone Ginger- Ginger lily plants are aromatic perennials which come in many shapes and sizes. Some Ginger Lilies have beautiful clusters of flowers while others are known for their showy foliage.

 Most Ginger Lily blooms have a series of small flowers arranged spirally around a stem. Flowers typically have two nectar glands each making Ginger Lilies very effective in  attracting butterflies.

This Ixora can be used as a hedge. The leaves are not too large to be a good hedge material and when it is pruned  most of the stem tips are not cut, allowing the flowers to emerge. 

Not all ixoras are grown for flower color. Some are grown for there lingering scent. They thrive well in the tropical shade, produces huge beautiful blooms on a 4-5 foot bush. Excellent for shaded front door porches or backyard sitting areas

Almost all ixoras do best in full sun, acid soil, free from nematodes, a moist organic mix that is also well drained.   

When a man throws an empty cigarette package from an automobile, he is liable to a fine of $50. When a man throws a billboard across a view, he is richly rewarded. ~Pat Brown, quoted in David Ogilvy, Ogilvy on Advertising, 1985

The husband assumes that his wife will pay the mortgage at the bank on time but her priority was different, she kept an appointment at the school with the children's teacher.

After all he is working overtime at his construction job and he does not have the time to do this. Later, when he gets a letter from from the bank stating that payment is overdue, conflict between the husband and wife can be the result.

When one person assumes something about another person, then getting a different result, this, can cause distress to the person who assumed that everything will be alright.

Now, the wife assumes her husband will remember their anniversary this year. After all, how can he forget that most important date, in their life?

A conflict can result when the husband not only doesn’t make plans to celebrate their special day but doesn’t even remember that it is their anniversary.

 

If you have a tendency to avoid or postpone talking about the conflict, you are trying to ignore it and hope it goes away. This rarely works with serious conflicts. If you want to leave a relationship because of the conflict, that’s your choice. But, putting your head in the sand and not dealing with the problem means that you will not learn from the experience either. What you fail to learn, you are bound to repeat in other relationships.

Lolita

Nuri Vallbona / AP
Trainer Marcia Hinton with Lolita during a performance at the Seaquarium in Miami in 1995.
By The Associated Press

Supporters have offered $1 million for her release. Annual demonstrations have demanded her return to the Northwest. Over the years, celebrities, schoolchildren and even a Washington state governor have campaigned to free Lolita, a killer whale captured from Puget Sound waters in 1970 and who has been performing at Miami Seaquarium for the past four decades.

Activists are now suing the federal government in federal court in Seattle, saying it should have protected Lolita when it listed other Southern Resident orcas as an endangered species in 2005.

"The fact that the federal government has declared these pods to be endangered is a good thing, but they neglected to include these captives," said Karen Munro, a plaintiff in the lawsuit who lives in Olympia, Wash. Plaintiffs include two other individuals, the Animal Legal Defense Fund and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

The lawsuit filed in November alleges that the fisheries service allows the Miami Seaquarium to keep Lolita in conditions that harm and harass her and otherwise wouldn't be allowed under the Endangered Species Act. The lawsuit alleges Lolita is confined in an inadequate tank without sufficient space and without companions of her own species.

The agency is still reviewing the lawsuit, said Monica Allen, a spokeswoman with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, whose fisheries service oversees marine mammals.

Lolita, who is estimated to be about 44 or 45, is the last surviving orca captured from the Southern Resident orca population during the 1970s. She is a member of the L pod, or family. Female orcas generally live into their 50s though they can live decades longer.

Wallie Funk / AP

In this Aug. 8, 1970, photo provided by Wallie Funk, members of a pod of orca whales are held captive in Penn Cove, off Whidbey Island, Wash. Seven of the dozens of whales captured, including Lolita, who has been performing stunts for Miami Seaquarium for the past four decades, were sold to marine parks around the world. Five whales drowned during the capture.

The J, K and L pods frequent Western Washington's inland marine waters and are genetically and behaviorally distinct from other killer whales. They eat salmon rather than marine mammals, show an attachment to the region, and make sounds that are considered a unique dialect. The whales, with striking black coloring and white bellies, spend time in tight, social groups and ply the waters of Puget Sound and British Columbia.

When the National Marine Fisheries Service listed the Southern Resident orcas as endangered — in decline because of lack of prey, pollution and contaminants, and effects from vessels and other factors — it didn't include whales placed in captivity prior to the listing or their captive born offspring.

They're "not maximizing opportunity to protect the species if you exclude captive members," said Craig Dillard, litigation director for the Animal Legal Defense. Lolita should have the same protections as other wild orcas, he added.

He noted that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently considering whether to give all captive chimpanzees the same protection as wild chimpanzees.

'She remembers'
The Miami Seaquarium declined to comment on the lawsuit. It issued a statement saying Lolita is active, healthy, well-cared for and plays an important role in educating the public about the need to conserve the species. Lolita has learned to trust humans completely, the statement says, and "this longstanding behavioral trust would be dangerous for her if she were returned to Puget Sound, where commercial boat traffic and human activity are heavy, pollution is a serious issue and the killer whale population has been listed as an endangered species."

Howard Garrett, co-founder of the nonprofit Orca Network based on Whidbey Island, Wash., said returning her to Northwest waters is the right thing to do. It would be healthier for her, and allow her to rebuild family bonds with the L pod.

"She remembers where she came from. I think she will remember her water and her family," said Garrett, who has spent years advocating for her release and whose group plans to help Lolita transition back to Northwest waters.

Munro joined the lawsuit because she believes Lolita deserves to retire and return to the Puget Sound, where she can swim naturally and attempt to reunite with her family.

She became an advocate for the majestic creatures, after witnessing a "very violent, distressing scene" of orcas being torn from their pods while out sailing in 1976. The captors used explosives, boats and seaplanes to chase the animals into shallower waters and netted them, she said.

"They were taking these orcas away purely for money and profit, because they make huge amounts of money from whale shows. They (orcas) don't belong in these aquariums," she said, adding "Lolita deserves to come back."

There should be some form of medical coverage for treatment to people who have lost their Internet service. If, its for an hour, you can take an Internet sports drink or quencher. I suppose if its down for more than an hour you can have a pill to keep the pain away. If it is more than one day, you should get Internet leave and visit your psychologist for treatment. Any thing beyond that, one should prepare to have corrective brain surgery. Probably Obama care.

Masai National Park

Everything is connected. Connectivity is going to be the key to addressing these issues, like contaminants and climate change. They're not just about contaminants on your plate. They're not just about the ice depleting. They're about the issue of humanity. What we do every day -- whether you live in Mexico, the United States, Russia, China, Africa ... can have a very negative impact on an entire way of life for an entire people far away from that source.

what may appear as the truth to one person will often appear as untruth to another person. But that need not worry the seeker. Where there is honest effort, it will be realized that what appeared to be different truths are like the countless and apparently different leaves of the same tree. – Gandhi

It is possible to conceive conflict as not necessarily a wasteful outbreak of incompatibilities, but a normal process by which socially valuable differences register themselves for the enrichment of all concerned. – Mary Parker Follett

What people often mean by getting rid of conflict is getting rid of diversity, and it is of utmost importance that these should not be considered the same. We may wish to abolish conflict, but we cannot get rid of diversity…Fear of difference is fear of life itself. – Mary Parker Follett

Surface travel between Panama and Colombia and further on into South America is a real challenge, as anyone planning a tour of the Americas along the Pan American Highway will quickly find out. One major obstacle is that this part of the Highway was never built, so if you want to make it through the Darien you will need a good machete. No, wait, make that a chainsaw. And take lots of spare fuel (for the chainsaw, not the vehicle). Another problem, the jungle is populated by Guerrilla groups and drug cartels. 

Panama and Colombia, here, where Central and South America come together, existing is a rain forest containing one of the richest ecological regions on Earth. It's also an obstacle to the completion of the Pan-American Highway, more than 16,000 miles of continuous road from Alaska to the tip of South America. The Highway stops at Yaviza in Panama.

The only missing link is a 54-mile stretch through two national parks. The Darien National Park in Panama and the other Los Katios National Park in Colombia. These two national parks contain the Darien Gap's more than 3 million acres of unspoiled wilderness.

In 1971, to facilitate international trade, tourism and the economic integration of Panama and Colombia, the United States Congress agreed to hold $100 million dollars, for use by the Secretary of Transport to fund part of the work needed to complete the highway. The stretch to Yaviza in Panama is completed. Completed is 16,000 miles, what remains to be built is the 54 miles to Colombia.

By Robin Brundell / Business News Americas

Colombia's government has decided to build a highway leading to the Darién Gap, with hopes to later connect with northern neighbor Panama, a Colombian highway administration (Invías) official told BNamericas.

The road is part of the two country's efforts to improve gas, electricity and road connections between the two nations in a plan estimated to cost US$780mn, reported press in both countries.

Although the Panamanian government has repeatedly backed the connection of gas and electricity lines with Colombia, it has opposed road links across the famous Darién Gap, a 26,000 sq km area of dense jungle that acts as a natural and almost impassable divide between Central and South America.

Despite the Panamanians' reservations about opening up the Darién Gap, "Colombia's decision is to start building the road in 2007 and wait for Panama to make a decision on the section of the road on the Panamanian side of the border," the official said.

Although the route for the road has not yet been defined, there are 11 alternatives with one of the most feasible being a 148km highway from the El Tigre area, through Lomas Aisladas and Palo de Letras, eventually reaching Yaviza in Panama, 230km southeast of Panama City and the point where the Pan-American highway halts.

The road would cost US$231mn, according to calculations by Colombian officials presented at a business conference in Cartagena last weekend.

"Construction would be financed with national government funds," the Invías official said, adding that the project would not be offered for concession.

The Colombian government is keen to open up the area because it will bolster security in a region that witnesses frequent movement of right and left-wing guerrillas and traffic of arms and drugs.

However, Panama has been against bridging the Darién Gap because not only does it act as a frontier against most human incursion, but it also has prevented the northward spread of foot-and-mouth disease and the screwworm, which also affects cattle.

There are also logistical problems due to the density of the jungle and the existence of dangerous swamps in the region, as well as the Darién national park in Panamanian territory

"The Panamanian government and environmentalists have been opposed to the construction of the road due to security and ecological reasons," added the official.

However, "the ecological impact would be minimal and security conditions would be improved in the border zone," Colombian transport ministry official Juan de Dios Cisneros was quoted as saying by Panama daily La Prensa.

The Darién Gap is the only break along the Pan-American Highway, which stretches from Alaska to southern Chile.

 Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Universal Children's Day 20 November

December 1954, the General Assembly recommended that all countries institute a Universal Children's Day, to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children. It recommended that the Day was to be observed also as a day of activity devoted to promoting the ideals and objectives of the Charter and the welfare of the children of the world. The Assembly suggested to governments that the Day be observed on the date and in the way which each considers appropriate. The date 20 November, marks the day on which the Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 1989. In 2000 world leaders outlined Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015. Though the Goals are for all humankind, they are primarily about children. UNICEF notes that six of the eight goals relate directly to children and meeting the last two will also make critical improvements in their lives. (MDGs, UNICEF.)

Universal Children's Day

Universal Children's Day takes place on November 20 annually. First proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1954, it was established to encourage all countries to institute a day, firstly to promote mutual exchange and understanding among children and secondly to initiate action to benefit and promote the welfare of the world's children. It was also chosen as the day to celebrate childhood. Universal Children's Day is preceded by International Men's Day on November 19 creating a 48 hour celebration of men and children respectively during which time the positive roles men play in children's lives are recognized.

The holiday was first celebrated worldwide in October 1953, under the sponsorship of International Union for Child Welfare in Geneva. The idea of a Universal Children's Day was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1954.

November 20 is also the anniversary of the day when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the [Declaration of the Rights of the Child] in 1959. The Convention on the Rights of the Child was then signed on the same day in 1989, which has since been ratified by 191 states.

Universal Children's Day November 20.

"Children Day", as an event, is celebrated on various days in many places around the world, in particular to honor children. Major global variants include a Universal Children's Day on November 20, by United Nations recommendation. Children's Day is often celebrated on other days as well.

Hitching a Yacht to cross Darien Gap

You will be surprised how many skippers take passengers. Running a private yacht is very expensive. So yacht owners look for company on long trips or simply for someone to contribute to the running cost. The going rate $100-200/week. Don't expect to get a lift for free, this is very rare. Actually you will not be a passenger but a temporary crew member. You will be expected to perform tasks on board like cooking, cleaning and keeping watch. Females should always exercise extra care when travelling. If you have sailing experience, all the better. It will be useful to understand where and when you can best find a yacht going your way.

Fly across the Darien Gap

Wooden Raft

Flying is certainly the easiest. It's an option for motorcyclists. If you have a car or truck a boat or ferry must be taken. The vehicles are loaded on a sea going vessel at Colon in Panama and taken to Catagena, Colombia. Jungles, swamps, rivers, insects, guerillas all these have to be faced in order to cross the most intense 90km on Earth. You might have been duped into thinking that its possible to drive between North and South America - for surely there must be a road that connects from Alaska to Argentina! Well, as it turns out, there is absolutely no road connection.Travel advisories clearly say "Don't Go", even if you feel somewhat suicidal. to cross, its truly wild and dangerous.

Darien Gap between Panama and Colombia. The Darien gap is the most difficult part of travelling the Americas. If the Pan American Highway is completed it would be possible to drive from North America to Argentina in South America. Between Panama and Colombia, the Darien Gap is a stretch of about 50 miles where there is no road. To cross it involves a sharp machete, a strong arm, good mosquito repellent, malaria prophylactic, food, and lots of patience. Also, timing must be in the dry season. Since the early '90s, crossing the Darien on foot is considered by most locals as dangerous since it has recently become a channel for drug smugglers from Colombia. For most normal people, including those only slightly abnormal, this leaves three options. Fly, take a boat, or turn around.

Pay Day! Remember to wash the car

Pay Debts

It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.
Thomas Jefferson

Wall Street Pay Day

The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.
Friedrich Nietzsche

Pay Day
It is said that the world is in a state of bankruptcy, that the world owes the world more than the world can pay.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Listen

It is astonishing how elements which seem insoluble become soluble when someone listens. How confusions which seem irremediable turn into relatively clear flowing streams when one is heard. – Carl Rogers