Okay, so I relaxed a little here in San Cristobal. Now for a crazy 48 hours shooting Day of the Dead activities in town and in the villages. And 5 hours to feed it by internet, to DV Dojo in New York, for projection at the Bowery Poetry Club on Saturday night.
Can Dave do it? He better - there's a blurb about the screening in this week's Village Voice, and a lot of other press about the Girls Club Film Festival.
It won't be Live Dead, but it will still be warm. More craziness later...
And how does this impact the Usumacinta hydroelectric dam issue? From Diane Lindquist, in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Energy reforms in Mexico being held up by politics, observers say
Nanodot | Nanotechnology legislation introduced into US House
In the New York Times, an article about the restoration of a mural by the Mexican artist David Alfaro Siqueiros.
A New Life for Revolutionary Art
Alfonso Morales and Julia Miller have sent recent observations of the Palenque Temple XXI find to a long list of glyphers and friends. He titled his email "Latest report on Chocolates". That's his "technical" term for something like this, when you find the "goodies". His message is below - click MORE.
Joel Skidmore at Mesoweb has much more on the find as he continues to update his report.
Mesoweb Reports - New discovery in Palenque
Meanwhile, I've made it down to San Cristobal, Chiapas, and I'm starting to relax. This town has more "cibercafes" than anywhere else I've ever been. I'm sitting in a place called "Virtual Planet" with my iBook plugged into their system, a good trick in a country that is almost exclusively PC-oriented. The connection is nice and fast. I guess all that fibre we saw being laid along the Pan Am highway last year is paying off.
Glyphers:
Last Friday we had a visit to Arnoldo’s restoration
shop with a good friend Claudia Madrazo, we were shown
some of the fragments of the new throne, less
fragments were visible than on Monday. Claudia asked
if David Stuart had this new inscriptions, Juan
Antonio Ferrer told me yes, Arnoldo had given
instructions to e-mail them to the glyphers, I told
him that nothing has been sent from INAH, Gillermo
Bernal said he will send them in 8 days with his
informe, let me know if you get anything, my feeling
is that Gillermo is the one that has been blocking the
information. The left side with the inscriptions was
been glued in a sand box, it was strange because last
time I look at it was in good condition, so the
question is does it have a new break or was a way of
keeping it away from our eyes, I will compare the
firsts pictures with its new condition. I went back
next day and the stone that was not displayed on
Friday with the name of the Lady Telaraña- Propela was
back in the table.
On Friday, the top of the throne was out of sight, it
was been kept on a back bench with a white paper and a
plastic on top with the inscriptions facing the wall
of boxes, away from us. I asked Juan Antonio if we
could take a look at it he said no problem, so he took
the covers off and put some light on it. The whole
edge of the stone is carved with inscriptions. Almost
to the end of the inscriptions we found the DN
1.04.16.16. When that is added to the beginning long
count date we will end with this:
Initial date: 9.13.17.09.00 3 Ahaw 3 Yaxk’in
Like T. XIX Stucco (8th Katun)
DN 1.04.16.16
Date A in Lakamha’ 9.15.02.07.16 9 Cib
19 K’ayab (I have not seen this)
Guessed DN 2.08.01
Date B in Lakamha’ 9.15.04.15.17 5 Kaban 5
Yaxk’in (I have not seen this)
Righ side DN 2.03
Date C in Lakamha’ 9.15.05.00.00 10 Ahaw 8
Ch’en
Minus right side DN 2.10.01.07.03
Date D in Lakamha’ 7.05.03.10.17 10 Kab’an 5
Muwaan (sic.)
I hope this helps some and I will insist that you guys
get the images so you can share them with the other
guys.
I have a dumb question; do we have any hard evidence
that Pakal II (aka U Pakal K’inich) is the son of AKMN
III?
Alonso Mendez made the observation that new throne has
Pakal II with a feather cape can it be a relation to
the bird name glyph?
Or my other question is can the bird name be related
of the use of the Bird backrack of T.XIX Stucco?
Saludos
Alfonso y Julia
My son Will made me proud today by going to Washington, D.C. for the anti-war rally. I'm waiting for him to get back right now. When was the last one I went to? 1969?
CBS News | Shades Of The Sixties
That's Minnie, Bill Gates, Mickey, Michael Eisner
This also marks my 200th entry in this weblog.
The U.S. Department of State International Information Programs helpfully provides a transcript of comments by Fox and Bush in a photo op press conference.
Here's what they give us from Fox's comments:
Q: (Asked in Spanish.)
PRESIDENT FOX: (Answered in Spanish.)
PRESIDENT BUSH: (Speaking Spanish.)
Q: For President Fox -- it's the same question, basically. For President Fox, are you prepared to support the U.S. position at the U.N. and vote for a resolution authorizing force? And for President Bush, are there any consequences for nations that don't support our position at the U.N.?
PRESIDENT BUSH: The only consequence, of course, is with Saddam Hussein. And if the U.N. does not pass a resolution which holds him to account, and that has consequences, then as I have said in speech after speech after speech, if the U.N. won't act, if Saddam Hussein won't disarm, we will lead a coalition to disarm him. Q: President Fox?
PRESIDENT FOX: (Answered in Spanish.)
END 11:18 A.M. (L) (end transcript)
Here's my kind of guy. Patrick Manley is a mason from Maine who started a group that goes to Guatemala each year to build better cooking stoves for Maya villagers.
Bangor Daily News - Maine masons make stoves, and a difference, for Maya
For anyone else playing with layouts in a weblog, or any kind of website, goddesskristine at scriptygoddess has posted a number of links to CSS resources. Once my head clears from the latest bout with the workaday world, I may hit CSS again.
CSS Tricks: CSS layout resources
I ran out of steam when I got to the design you see here. But I was pleased to read here that this "3 column page with a fluid center" is the holy grail, "the most elegant technique and perhaps the most sought after layout."
If my Dad was still around he could explain this to me. He was a materials engineer and would have loved this stuff: a liquid metal that molds like plastic and is harder than steel.
Business 2.0 - Hasta La Vista, Titanium
So you're living in a wireless cloud but don't want the cloud to know you're there? Drop your device in a cloaking bag, a modern Faraday cage.
Wireless privacy / security, mobileCloak
I'm a techno primitive, the last guy in New York without a cell phone. But I've got an EZPass in my car. I drive through toll booths without stopping, they see whatever is in the little beige plastic box and bill my credit card. What if I'd rather pay cash and not leave a record of where I've driven? Stick the EZPass in the mcloak. Or leave it at home.
Via Boing Boing
Kathleen Keith ("Spinyarn") has passed along some details of a meeting in Guadalajara this past August, including information about the Boca del Cerro dam project. According to this report, the dam would be 135 meters (tall?) and provide the equivalent of 31% of the total electric power generation of Mexico. We've heard a figure of 2% of total electric power. I'll post the entire email below.
From: Spinyarn
To: Alfonso Morales
Cc: Bonnie Bade
Sent: Monday, October 21, 2002 11:30 PM
Subject: Usumacinta Dan Project underway!
I just ran across this information in a magazine I get. I don't
know if any of you in the archaeological community have heard of this or
not, but I think it needs the widest circulation possible and SOON! ...
Kathleen Keith in Louisville Kentucky
San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico.
I'm heading there on Monday. And it seems that the CFE (Federal Electricity Commission), with which we are battling over the Usumacinta dam, is also busy clearing trees on a private ecological preserve outside San Cristobal. Janet Schwartz has the story:
Debate sur - CFE depreda reserva ecológica
Nano nano.
EE Times - Cascading molecules drive IBM's smallest computer
Check out graphics and animation here:
IBM scientists build world's smallest operating computing circuits
Unfortunate that they are calling hydrogen-producing devices "reactors" but it is impressive and humorous to see a hydrogen-powered Beetle pulling its own fuel plant behind it.
Company Shows Off Hydrogen-Powered Car
In spite of US non-cooperation, international efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions continue.
Beyond the Kyoto Protocol: Talks Open in India
On Monday, 9 of the 13 root servers for the Internet were put out of commission by a coordinated electronic attack. Hardly anyone noticed, and no one knows who was responsible. The net goes on. For now.
The Globe and Mail: Powerful Internet attack thwarted
Major Net backbone attack could be first of many
News: Net attack denied but threats still loom
My apologies to all 12 of my readers. I've been too busy to post much lately, and there hasn't been much news on the Usumacinta dams front.
But for folks looking for downloadable books, here's a link, thanks to Cory Doctorow, to books in the public domain in much of the world. Might be useful to some friends in Mexico and Guatemala. But then there's always Amazon.
In spite of the link title, there are books on this list that are legal downloads in the US.
One of the things holding back hydrogen fuel cells has been the necessity of an energy source to produce the hydrogen. The energy is often electricity produced by oil fired plants or nuclear reactors. That limits the self-sufficiency and environmental benefits of fuel cells.
But now there's the Electrical Chemical Hydrogen Fuel Reactor:
"The ECHFR is one of the first hydrogen reactors that eliminates the need for an outside energy source to produce a pure commercial-grade of hydrogen at low pressure. This proprietary process delivers a highly mobile, more cost-effective and physically safe production of hydrogen than alternative methods requiring outside energy sources such as electricity, solar power and fossil fuels."
Another, better article on something I posted before: NASA's involvement in anti-gravity research. This one's a profile of the guy behind it.
Feeling Antigravity's Pull - Can NASA stop the apple from falling on Newton's head? By Adam Rogers
A report from my adopted hometown, by way of today's edition of TheNewsMexico.com. The conflict in Chiapas has been quiet for months, but the reasons for it remain.
The News - Poverty stokes conflict in Chiapas, peace commissioner says
From John Perry Barlow, a rant that suits my current state of burnout.
Here's a sample from Barlow:
It pains me deeply to say this, but I think that part of the problem may be the Internet.
A lot of what's wrong may be the very sort of thing you're reading right now.
The Internet, has, as expected, provided a global podium to everyone with an opinion. Cyberspace has become an infinite set of street corners, each with its lonely pamphleteer, howling his rage to a multitude all too busy howling their own to listen.
All of our energy goes into things like this BarlowSpam, energies that might be better spent in creating traditional blocs like the NRA, or the AARP, or some large group capable of either buying Congress or scaring the shit out of them. This screed won't scare an elected official anywhere. And it wouldn't generate enough money to elect or defeat a dogcatcher.
As much as I loathe organizations, we need to organize.
At the moment I'm dying to get out of the editing room, but I usually take it with me, on my laptop. Final Cut Pro brilliantly mimics the Avid systems we've used for years, although the model for both is outdated in my opinion - source "monitor" on the left, record on the right. It's a throwback to tape editing.
For other grizzled veterans trying to learn the newer stuff, there's an intriguing new book.
Final Cut Pro for Avid Editors
After 28 years here, I'm definitely a New Yorker. But the last couple of months I've been immersed in dark 50's Los Angeles, editing a show on L.A. Confidential, the book and the movie. That's also why I'm a little slow posting here the last few days. Author James Ellroy is in a new anthology of L.A. writing, reviewed here:
In La Jornada, coverage of the new find in Temple XXI. This is the cover, click through to more photos and a longer article.
NUEVO HALLAZGO CRUCIAL EN PALENQUE
Thanks to Alfonso and Julia for passing this along.
We've been coordinating our efforts with Homero Aridjis and his Grupo de los Cien, who were instrumental in preventing the Usumacinta dams in the past. In today's Reforma, Aridjis published the editorial we've been waiting for.
Fascinating article on the slowness of the intelligence community to grasp the importance of the internet, by John Perry Barlow, former lyricist for the Grateful Dead. His story of being drafted as a consultant to the CIA is both hilarious and sobering.
An official of the Federal Electricity Commission has confirmed a plan to build a dam on the Usumacinta, according to Tabasco Hoy. The article gives figures for area affected and number of archaeological sites, and points out that neither Mexico or Guatemala have submitted plans to the Comisión Internacional de Límites y Aguas entre México y Guatemala (CILAMyG), a binational commission established in 1961 to review and approve any river projects.
Turbinas de CFE inundarán campos
Janet Schwartz filed a report yesterday on the blockades that were mounted on highways around the state of Chiapas. In Rancho Nuevo, the demonstrators "symbolically" took over a military base. Full text is below.
And here's a link to the NewsMexico story
The News - Indigenous groups protest free trade corridor
JANET SCHWARTZ PARNES
Rancho Nuevo, Chiapas (MAYA PRESS). - Con motivo de los 510 años de la
invasión española, la resistencia indígena, negra y popular, miles de
indígenas y campesinos bloquearon todas las principales carreteras del
estado de Chiapas, además la frontera con Guatemala, y en este lugar,
conmemoraron el fallecimiento de compañeros zapatistas en el alzamiento
armado de 1994, al tomar simbólicamente esta sede militar.
A las ocho "horas indígenas", o nueve "horas de Fox", los indígenas
procedieron a realizar los anunciados bloqueos masivos en 26 puntos de
los 118 municipios de esta entidad, para protestar el saqueo de sus
riquezas naturales, la destrucción de su cultura, "sometiendo nuestros
pueblos en la esclavitud", mientras demandaron el cumplimiento de los
Acuerdos de San Andrés, la cancelación del Área de Libre Comercio de las
Américas, y el Plan Pueblo Panamá que incluye la supuesta construcción
de nuevas represas hidroeléctricas sobre el Río Usamacinta.
De acuerdo a los integrantes de la Coordinadora de Organizaciones
Autónomas del Estado de Chiapas (COAECh), simpatizantes del EZLN, se
apostaron en 26 tramos carreteros que comunican esta entidad además con
Tabasco, Veracruz, Oaxaca y Campeche.
En este lugar, sede de la 31 Zona Militar, mientras hubieron algunos
roces entre los automovilistas, otros grupos de indígenas montados a
caballo, y manifestantes, destacó "la clausura" simbólica de las
principales puertas de entrada y salida de los soldados, con la ayuda de
sogas, chamarras, sacos y camisas amarrados, representando "el sudor" de
los discriminados y marginados.
Antes, en las cercanías, los manifestantes organizados en filas
impidieron el paso de los vehículos en el crucero que entronquen las
carreteras que se dirigen a la frontera con Guatemala, a la Selva
Lacandona de Ocosingo y a la ciudad colonial de San Cristóbal de las
Casas, a doce kilómetros de distancia al oeste.
Luego los centenares de inconformes marcharon a las puertas del
destacamento militar, mientras unos soldados documentaron con video a
los inconformes desde dentro del alambre serpentino.
Con una gran manta demandando la autonomía, una bandera mexicana, y
pancartas en las manos exigieron que se cancele el PPP y el Acuerdo de
Libre Comercio de las Américas y la desarticulación de los presuntos
grupos armados que operan en Chiapas.
Un encapuchado dio lectura al manifiesto en nombre de "los indígenas y
campesinos de estas tierras".
Apuntó: "no solo hemos resistido", sino, "hemos sido los que más vidas
humanas hemos puesto en defensa de nuestra patria y de nuestra
existencia".
Y subrayó que el fallo de la Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nacional, a
las controversias constitucionales en materia indígena, "dejo en claro"
sus "intereses y sus compromisos" políticos y económicos con los dueños
del poder".
Aseguró que esto es una señal que nos dieron, donde se "niega una vez
mas nuestra existencia como pueblos".
El vocero de la COAECh por lo anterior demandó el reconocimiento de los
legítimos derechos de los pueblos indios, expresados en los acuerdos de
San Andrés, suscritos entre el EZLN y el gobierno federal en 1996, para
crear así, las condiciones necesarias para alcanzar la paz justa y digna
en Chiapas.
Después de gritar muchas consignas, entre ellos, "fuera ejército de las
comunidades indígenas" y "viva Marcos", se dieron un minuto de silencio
por los acaecidos en Rancho Nuevo durante el alzamiento armado de 1994.
Antes entonaron el himno nacional.
Por su parte Trinidad López Martínez, vocero de la Organización
Campesina Emiliano Zapata (OCEZ), informó que una de las 22
organizaciones sociales que se movilizaron confirmo que en las nueve
regiones económicas de Chiapas se realizaron 26 bloqueos lo que paralizo
parcialmente las actividades de los 118 municipios.
Mientras por todas las regiones de Chiapas del norte, la selva, costa,
frontera, altos, sierra, frailesca, istmo y centro, miles de personas
fueron obligados a realizar varios transbordos de vehículos para llegar
a sus destinos, aunque en algunos lugares dejaron pasar por 15 minutos a
los vehículos cada cuatro horas para ironizar con los famosos "15
minutos" que el presidente Fox dijo le llevaría resolver el conflicto
armado en Chiapas.
Por su parte oficiales de la Policía Federal Preventiva (PFP), de la
Policía Estatal de Caminos, mantuvieron un operativo de seguridad para
la población, realizando patrullajes continúas entre los espacios no
tomados por los indígenas.
En el municipio de Chenalho, integrantes de la organización pacifista
Las Abejas, sobrevivientes de la masacre de Acteal, sitiaron la
carretera que enlaza con San Cristóbal.
Por su parte las líneas de autotransporte publico suspendieron sus
corridas que tenían hacia Centroamérica, la ciudad de México y otros
destinos del país, ante los cierres carreteros.
Al cierre de esta edición los indígenas y campesinos, apoyados en
algunos casos por estudiantes, empezaron a levantar los bloqueos a las
16:00 horas , mientras en lugares más remotos de la Selva Lacandona, los
manifestantes acordaron mantener los caminos cerrados hasta por 72
horas.
A first story on the protests today.
Indians protest Columbus Day across Mexico, Central America
"Indian farmers also put up barricades on four other northern highways in the nearby Peten region to protest the construction of a Mexican hydroelectric dam farther up the Usumacinta River. Opponents say it will flood Mayan archaeological sites."
Here's a first glimpse of the new find at Temple XXI in Palenque. It's a were-jaguar on a fragment of the "throne" that has been discovered. Click on the thumbnail for a larger view.
Joel at Mesoweb has more photos and more analysis.
But I haven't figured out this generation yet! Now, in addition to checking Sam Churchill's DailyWireless every day, I have to look at this site. It has a good wrapup of wireless trends. I'll never catch up. But a point-to-point 5 GHz link from town of Palenque to the Panchan, then 802.11b at Don Mucho's for Chato's clientele - hey, I sound like I know what I'm talking about!
For Chris Powell, some famous geometric curves to soothe his soul. Even the names are evocative: the Pearls of de Sluze, the Pear-Shaped Quartic, Freeth's Nephroid.
This by way of Bruce Sterling.
A Maya farmer has been arrested for moving stones from a ruin into a pile on his property.
Reuters AlertNet - Pile of rocks sends Mexican Indian to prison
Happy Birthday: Thelonious Sphere Monk, 1917-1982.
Thanks to Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Below you can find a detailed description of the find at Temple XXI in Palenque. Some details not confirmed in this report may be clearer by now. I've received some photos, with instructions not to publish them yet. But soon...
On Aug 27th, our excavators stumbled on a bench or throne with inscriptions in the south east gallery. The bench spans the 3 meter gallery joining a medial pier with the south wall and the glyphs grace the front edge of the slab. This slab which measures aprox 3 meters by 1.70 m. shows signs of breakage and stacking of the fragments on the south side ( possibly precolumbian looting). The rubble from the roof that collapsed onto it caused further damage.
Directly in front of it we found a beautiful tablet measuring almost 3 meters by 55 cm. This tablet was damaged the most on the left hand side by an immense vault stone that landed on it shattering and hurling pieces of it as far as three meters. Despite the damage we have been able to recover so far at least 90%. Framing the tablet is a text similar to the XIX tablet on the south side of the throne. We are still piecing together the first part of the text, but the right hand side is intact except for a couple of glyphs. The part that we are able to read now has a lot of similar info as the south side of XIX and mentions the same katun ending ceremonies. Also a mention of Akal Mo Nab.
The Image begins on both the right hand and lefthand with two rodent like looking were-jaguars in the capes of a jaguar skin whose head drags down behind like a tail. Their hands and feet are those of jaguars and they extend a bouquet or bunch of feathers and tassles toward three other more human looking fellows in royal dress and headress that kneel before him.
Facing the Jaguar figures are two figures in feather capes (possibly the same capes are the feather bunches that the jaguars hold out ). These hane been identified as Akal Mo Nab on the left and U Pakal Kinich (the son) on the right. We have not been able to verify the right hand figure but the cartouch on the left hand does coincide with Akal Mo Nab name glyphs they are both identified as ahau of Bac.
The third figure is the central one, and without a doubt the most important. He holds in his right hand the personified bloodletter and seems to hand it toward an unreceptive Akal Mo Nab ( it is strange that both the other figures turn away from him , Perhaps the answer is in the depth of field as these two figures´ knees hide behind the throne backing they are clearly behind the central figure. He may be handing the object to someone else outside of the picture).
The lid cartouch is a little more confusing here as it begins with a glyph that seems to represent the impersonation of someone. Some people here call it a number tree glyph and there is an example of it also in the XIX throne tablet where it talks of Akal Mo Nab impersonating Itzam Na. In this case the person being impersonated is combination of a new head variant glyph with a crest like a quetzal that has "Casper" glyph or something that looks a lot like it in its mouth, followed by the familiar U Kix Chan ( the Mythological Founder of Palenque) and then the phrase 5 Katun Ahau with a Vulture glyph variant that has a curiously penis-like shape to his head, complete with a laceration. The cartouch according to Bernal continues on the right hand side to finally clarify that this mystery figure is none other that Kinich Ha´nab Pakal or Pakal the great.
In CNN online, a report on Mercedes and Honda hydrogen fuel cell cars, and support by the mayor of Los Angeles for these clean fuel alternatives.
CNN.com - New clean, quiet cars guzzle hydrogen
And in Japan, the island of Yakushima, home of 1,000-year-old cedar trees, is looking to replace oil with hydrogen. They will use micro-hydro generators to make electricity, which will be used to make hydrogen.
There's word that more blockades are planned for this weekend (Oct. 12) in the Palenque area, to protest the dam plans. A security officer from the archaeological site said that "...there will be blockades at the Catazaja- Villahermosa intersection as well as the Ocosingo- Chancalá juncture."
If anyone down there has a DV camera, try to get some shots for the future documentary, okay?
For those following Eldred vs. Ashcroft, today was the big day. Larry lessig argued his case before the supreme court. Here's the AP story and here's an eyewitness, detailed account.
Joel Skidmore has posted a report on the unfolding Temple XXI story. Our friend Janet got on the road at 5am today to drive the twisting road from San Cristobal to Palenque, expecting an official announcement. When it didn't come (it's now promised for tomorrow) she filed a story with La Republica en Chiapas with the headline "Archaeologists Hide Discovery in Palenque". Here's Joel's summary of news to date.
Mesoweb Reports - New Discovery in Palenque
Joel and I will both publish details tomorrow.
By way of Doc Searls, a paper originally published in 1991, with equal relevance today.
Metaphor and War: The Metaphor System Used to Justify War in the Gulf
Convictions in the murder of a Guatemalan human rights figure have been overturned:
BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Guatemala court annuls rights verdict
Moises Morales, spiritual father to many of us, staged a one-man protest this weekend outside the gates of Palenque. It was his response to the secrecy surrounding the recent find at Temple XXI. I'll post more information when I get it, but I've been protective of my sources up until now. Things seem to be getting a little tense there. I'll know better in a couple of weeks when I go down to visit.
(click on these thumbnails for larger photos)
Doc Searls reports on the Digital Hollywood Conference last week, in The Real Battle.
He quotes one of the speakers, describing the problem everyone in my business (broadcast and cable television production) is dealing with:
"Let's look at the larger skew. There are today 380 digital television networks. Ten years ago there was one Discovery Channel. Today there are fourteen Discovery Channels. Now you cannot tell me there is fourteen times as much advertising money flowing into Discovery Channels. They have fourteen times as much programming costs, fourteen times as much satellite transponder costs.... This is a train wreck. This cannot sustain itself..."
No kidding. Except, there aren't 14 times the programming costs. There's less and less available to produce each program, with ever greater production quality required to cut through the haze of channels and get the show watched.
Yes, I'm a burnout, but it's not just me. I built my career making shows faster and cheaper, sometimes smarter. But we're hitting the wall.
Some good news from the Maya region. Plans have apparently been cancelled for a system of roads that would have cut through the Peten of northern Guatemala, connecting to the Yucatan in Mexico and bringing new settlers and construction into the last large tracts of tropical forest.
Janet Schwartz sent the Tabasco Hoy article, which you'll find below.
Algarete el circuito turístico Olmeca-Maya
Truncan carretera México-Guatemala
La vía ha encontrado resistencia de ecologistas y habitantes de El Petén.
Por Miguel Avendaño-Murillo
Tabasco HOY
Villahermosa, Tabasco 01:01 horas
04 de octubre de 2002
El primer revés internacional al Plan Puebla-Panamá (PPP), lo asestaron los
ecologistas de este país: lograron la cancelación de dos carreteras que unirían el
circuito turístico Olmeca-Maya provocando que la vía Tenosique-El Ceibo, sea "una
inversión a la nada", utilizada para el tráfico de ilegales, fayuca, drogas y armas.
De lado guatemalteco, el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID) canceló la
construcción de una carretera estatal que prácticamente partiría en dos la Biosfera
Maya, al norte del departamento El Petén; también negó apoyos para diversos
desarrollos sociales que entre otros, afectó programas de bienestar social uno de
los cuales destinaría recursos por más de dos millones de quetzales para la
construcción de 22 kilómetros de carretera que unirían la comunidad mexicana de
Tenosique con la guatemalteca El Naranjo.
Hoy existe un gran conflicto de intereses políticos, económicos y ambientales que
han llevado a la confrontación de diversos sectores sociales y gubernamentales con
posiciones en pro y contra para la construcción de ambas carreteras.
De las dos vías, una está cancelada definitivamente, al menos hasta que el gobierno
de César Portillo concluya, es la que partiría desde Tikal hasta el Parque Nacional
El Mirador-Río Azul, en la frontera entre Guatemala y el estado de Campeche en
México.
La otra, donde más se ha invertido del lado mexicano que fue la construcción de 61
kilómetros de Tenosique-El Ceibo obra que se realizara en la administración de
Roberto Madrazo y en la cual se invirtieron 100 millones de pesos.
El último tramo de 22 kilómetros está "suspendida" y sin apoyo del gobierno
guatemalteco, ambos proyectos son parte toral del PPP para unir el "norte con el
sur" y tratar de hacer del sur un "lugar de inversiones y potencialidades
turísticas.
Estrategia foxista
El PPP, en el apartado de "proyectos de impacto regional sursureste", contempla la
carretera de Tenosique-El Ceibo-El Naranjo, como una obra prioritaria para "el
segundo eje geográfico: Frontera con Centroamérica.. donde se ha avanzado para
convertir a Tabasco en la puerta de entrada al mercado centroamericano, vinculando a
las regiones Centro, Golfo, Norte de Chiapas y Península de Yucatán con Guatemala".
La estrategia foxista dice: "La carretera Tenosique-El Ceibo, adquiere importancia
estratégica con la proximidad puesta en marcha del Tratado de Libre Comercio con los
países del triángulo del Norte".
Y afirmaba: "representa una gran oportunidad para aumentar los flujos del turismo
relacionados con el circuito "Mundo Maya" integrado en México por los estados de
Tabasco, Chiapas, Yucatán y Quintana Roo".
Dentro de este proyecto, especificado como el Segundo Eje Geográfico se hablaba para
la realización del proyecto que impulse el desarrollo industrial y comercial del
sureste en la frontera con Centroamérica, es necesario la modernización de las
siguientes tres obras de soporte: Puerto de Dos Bocas; Puerto de Frontera y
Tenosique como ciudad Nafta (zona de libre comercio).
Sin embargo, los ambientalistas guatemaltecos truncaron el proyecto: no habrá
circuito Olmeca-Maya, pues la idea del primer tramo de 80 kilómetros era
descabellada, pero aún así el gobierno chapín la mantenía, dijo Carlos Albacete de
la agrupación Trópico Verde en entrevista con este diario.
BID reprueba el proyecto
Según el gobierno centroamericano el objetivo de la carretera de doble carril era
unir el complejo turístico de Tikal con el parque nacional El Mirador-Río Azul. Los
ecologistas argumentaron que se arrasaría gran cantidad de bosque primario si
embargo el BID canceló el apoyo económico que brindaría para dicha obra.
Luego de estudiar el proyecto, la respuesta no fue la que esperaban las autoridades,
el banco les negó los fondos, por considerar que se destruiría una reserva natural
protegida por el organismo de las Naciones Unidas (ONU).
La carretera en mención llegaría hasta el estado de Campeche y Quintana Roo para
formar parte del proyecto Mundo Maya, que buscaba unir distintos sitios
arqueológicos. Sin embargo, también fue rechazado por el Instituto Guatemalteco de
Turismo ante la presión de los ambientalistas. Julio Galicia, viceministro de
Comunicaciones, Infraestructura y Vivienda de Guatemala, reconoció que se tenía
planeado ejecutar la ruta, pero ecologistas y el BID, así como la población de El
Petén se opusieron, por lo que definitivamente no se llevará a cabo, como lo
hubieran deseado, a pesar de que esta rúa permitiría llegar a México de forma más
rápida, dijo en entrevista telefónica con Tabasco HOY.
Santuario natural
La Cuenca Mirador, se encuentra situada a 160 kilómetros al norte de la cabecera del
departamento El Petén, es un Santuario considerado una de las maravillas del Mundo.
En sus 2,128 kilómetros cuadrados se encuentra uno de los últimos pulmones del
planeta. Milagrosamente se ha conservado la selva prístina con su magnífica
biodiversidad.
La cuenca mirador
En la Cuenca Mirador se encuentran al menos 20 sitios arqueológicos mayas que
sobresalen por su arquitectura monumental. En el sitio arqueológico de El Mirador se
encuentra la pirámide más grande que existe en el mundo.
Según los ecologistas las carreteras abren el paso a invasiones sin control y a la
tala de los bosques por lo que exigieron la permanencia de la Cuenca en su estado
silvestre, y la participación de las comunidades de los alrededores que han vivido
del chicle, del xiate y la madera, tienen la oportunidad de obtener el beneficio de
un nuevo recurso económico: el turismo de bajo impacto.
Las estadísticas indican que la tradicional tumba roza y quema descontrolada y falta
de recursos para combatir incendios son las principales causas de la avanzada
deforestación y destrucción de la Biosfera Maya, en El Petén.
La otra carretera a la que se oponen los ambientalistas guatemaltecos es la que
uniría las comunidades de Tenosique en México y El Naranjo en Guatemala. Hoy sólo
quedan los trazos de lo que sería el "gran lazo comercial con Centroamérica".
Inversiones millonarias al bote de basura
Los datos del Ministerio de Comunicaciones del gobierno guatemalteco indican que la
carretera Tikal-Mirador-Río Azul que está cancelada tendría una longitud de 80
kilómetros con un ancho de corona de 12 metros y de dos vías y costaría
aproximadamente unos 8 millones y medio de dólares.
Con lo que respecta a El Ceibo-El Naranjo la cual también está cancelada tendría una
longitud de 22 kilómetros con un ancho de corona de 12 metros y de dos vías y un
costo por medio de tres millones de dólares, su interconexión Tenosique-El Ceibo la
cual está concluida tiene una extensión de 61 kilómetros con un ancho de corona de
12 metros de dos carriles y se erogaron 100 millones de pesos.
En Guatemala triunfó la cultura ecológica y de preservación pero aún no está dicha
la última palabra sobre la carretera que sólo sirve para todo tipo de ilegalidades.
From Voice of America News, a resolution in the killing of an anthropologist and human rights worker.
Retired Guatemalan Colonel Convicted of Murder of Myrna Mack
UPDATE 10/5:
David Stuart sent in a link to a study on the Usumacinta, specifically the international law issues of the river as border. It's a pdf document from the University of Florida College of Law.
THE USUMACINTA RIVER: Building a Framework for Cooperation between Mexico and Guatemala
From the NWA News in Arkansas, a report on a tour by Carlos Humberto Muralles through the South. He is speaking on threats to indigenous communities in Central America.
Guatemalan Agronomist To Discuss Effect Of Proposed Development
As we prepare to send President Vicente Fox of Mexico a letter concerning the planned dam, a reminder from John Ross of the career and current activities of the ex-Presidente.
The Pesadilla of Ernesto Zedillo
Across the East River from us, in Queens, there's an entrepreneur in wireless internet access. When I saw this story, I thought at first that he was going to give it away to his neighborhood, as I hope to. For now, he is. But he hopes to charge $39 a month once it takes off. That's still cheaper than DSL or cable modem. But it's not what I have in mind.
In today's San Antonio Current (thank you Google News) is a story that our friend Janet Schwartz uncovered last year, about Maya converts to Islam who live on the outskirts of San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas. The article tries to tie the group to "radical anti-globalists" without too much success.
Here's a page of water flow and catchment area data for Boca del Cerro which might be useful to hydrologists. It also has links to other river systems in North America for comparison purposes.
From sci-fi writer Bruce Sterling, a link to some news you can use, if you are a corporate criminal.
Forbes.com: Best Places To Go To Prison
More on mesh networks. It's the swarming, smart mob moment. Via Slashdot, a link to LocustWorld, a company with a number of mesh developments.
UPDATE: A new entry by Sam Churchill at Daily Wireless has more information about the Athens, Georgia wireless cloud and other municipal networks.
DailyWireless - City Clouds: Wireless Athens
With so many college campuses going wireless or considering, it's great to find an introduction to the field. Here's a link so I can get back to it myself, when I get back to planning the community network.
Syllabus Article: The Brave New World of Wireless Technologies: A Primer for Educators
