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

Talk

I’ve always believed that a lot of the troubles in the world would disappear if we were talking to each other instead of about each other. – Ronald Reagan

Conflict Inside

Not only are there as many conflicting truths as there are people to claim them; there are equally multitudinous and conflicting truths within the individual. – Virgilia Peterson

Up in Smoke

Your grandchildren will likely find it incredible - or even sinful - that you burned up a gallon of gasoline to fetch a pack of cigarettes! ~Paul MacCready, Jr.

So bleak is the picture... that the bulldozer and not the atomic bomb may turn out to be the most destructive invention of the 20th century. ~Philip Shabecoff, New York Times Magazine, 4 June 1978

Garbage household Waste

The packaging for a microwavable "microwave" dinner is programmed for a shelf life of maybe six months, a cook time of two minutes and a landfill dead-time of centuries. ~David Wann, Buzzworm, November 1990

Highway ends Yaviza Panama

Yaviza is a town in the Darién Province of Panama. This town marks the end of the Pan-American Highway. The Pan American Highway stretches from Prudhoe Bay in Alaska and ends in Yaviza, Panama. According to Guinness World Records, the Pan-American Highway is the world's longest "motorable road". However, because of the Darién Gap, it is not possible to cross between South America and Central America by traditional motor vehicle. The Pan-American Highway is missing approximately 87 km (50mls) of road between Panama and Colombia in South America, the road system is therefore is incomplete. 

Living Darien Gap

Building a highway across the Darien and Los Katios National Parks, Panama to Colombia, must take into consideration the two major indigenous groups, the Chocó and Kuna Indians and a number of smaller groups still living by traditional practices. The area was visited by Spanish conquistadors and the coast was explored by Christopher Columbus in 1502. In 1510, the town of Santa Maria la Antigua del Darién was established probably somewhere within the park boundaries.  There is a number of archaeological sites within the parks.

Two Indian tribes live in the park along the edges of the rivers: approximately 1,000 Chocó and 200 Kuna Indians. These stake holder groups, have maintained their subsistence agricultural systems through centuries of European contact.

Motorbiking across Darien Gap

The Darien Gap from Panama to Colombia, locals just progressively move farther and farther into the hinterlands, deeper and deeper into the forest, from both ends and will eventually bump into each other. Regardless of what anyone in either government or any organization wants, a roadway, by the end of the 21st Century will be completed across the Darien Gap. It appears that, Colombia does want the roads to be connected, while Panama and many interests in North America seem not interested.

Pan American High Way

The Darien Gap from Panama to Colombia, locals just progressively move farther and farther into the hinterlands, deeper and deeper into the forest, from both ends and will eventually bump into each other. Regardless of what anyone in either government or any environmental organization want, the Pan American Highway, by the end of the 21st Century will be completed across the Darien Gap. It appears that, Colombia does want the roads to be connected through, while Panama and many interests in North America do not.

 Humans Beings are Generally Good




I believe that the basic nature of human beings is gentle and compassionate. It is therefore in our own interest to encourage that nature, to make it live within us, to leave room for it to develop. If on the contrary we use violence, it is as if we voluntarily obstruct the positive side of human nature and prevent its evolution. – His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Preserve the environment

                                                                                     
I conceive that the land belongs to a vast family of which many are dead, few are living, and countless numbers are still unborn.

Goodness of Nature

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.  Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.  The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.  ~John Muir