Wealthy suburb gets 100 times the bandwidth at the same price as Time-Warner here in New York? Grrr...
SoCal Suburb To Get 45-Mbit Internet Service
The president of the World Bank is traveling through Mexico and Guatemala for the first time. He's right that Guatemala has great tourism potential, but whether that alone could pull the people out of poverty is subject to debate.
Guatemala puede convertirse en 'paraíso turístico' dice Wolfowuit
...but will be again soon. Thanks to Alex Toftgaard Nielsen for the panorama he took this month in San Cristobal.
Good sketch of biological research in Lacantun Biosphere Reserve.
Lacantun Biosphere Reserve - Park Profile - Conservation and research
For the first time, Guatemala is participating in this cultural festival, celebrating all of the area touched by the Usumacinta River. Begins May 5. And I won't be there. Too bad.
Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche y Guatemala, unidos en festejo cultural | 2006-04-28 | La Crónica de Hoy
Blogs Chapines, el directorio de Blogs de los Guatemaltecos
From the meeting in Guatemala opposing dams and defending "rivers, lands, communities and water".
http://216.240.136.6:8000/radiolibertad.mp3.m3u
Bought by Google, Sketchup now has a free version - but just PC for now. Mac version coming soon, they say.
But there's a long way to go until July 2.
Domestic | Reuters.co.lta - Oficialista toma ventaja rumbo a elección México en nuevo sondeo
Too much cool stuff on this blog.
Ogle Earth: A blog about Google Earth - Podcast2GoogleEarth
Say no more.
Geeky Traveller - A Travel Blog for Nerds | The Geek Shall Inhabit the Earth
I'm pleased to be included on this excellent page of KMZ and KML files for Google Earth, compiled by Henri Willox at the Colegio Franco-Mexicano de Guadalajara.
Project to design and fabricate small hybrid delivery trucks in Mexico. via WorldChanging
16% of the land, 200,000 persons in protected areas of Mexico, according to a local diputada in Mexico City. Tolerance by government officials is one cause. But what can be done?
Diario de Mexico - Hay más de 700 asentamientos irregulares en áreas protegidas
Subcomandante Marcos, now calling himself Subdelegado Zero, warned the Mexican government that building the La Parota dam in the state of Guerrero would set off a new war in the southeast, that is, Chiapas. He made the statement while on the national tour known as "La otra campaña", the other campaign, in this presidential election year.
Desencadenaría conflicto armado proyecto impulsado por Fox: EZLN - Prensa Latina
In response, the leader of the PAN party in Guerrero called him a terrorist.
Líder del PAN tacha de "terroristas" a Marcos y opositores a La Parota
Not just a KMZ file. There are some good questions raised by Stefan Geens, based on this imagery.
His warning that Congress should not pass anything to anger Mexicans, or AMLO will be elected, is the most interesting part of this rant.
MENACE IN MEXICO By DICK MORRIS - New York Post Online Edition: postopinion
And the reaction in Mexico's La Jornada:
López Obrador, ''ultraizquierdista ligado a Chávez y Castro'': Morris
With two and a half months still to go, signs that Obrador's lead is narrowing.
"Si las elecciones se celebraran en la actualidad, un 38 por ciento de los mexicanos votaría por López Obrador, del Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD), y un 34 por ciento por Calderón, del gobernante Partido de Acción Nacional (PAN).
Les sigue Roberto Madrazo, del Partido Revolucionario Institucional, con un 25 por ciento."
But there's still plenty of time for a misstep by any of them.
Nueva encuesta da menor ventaja a López Obrador para elecciones
Mexican officials who served under President Zedillo are considering backing Calderon, the PAN candidate, against Madrazo. More signs that this will be a Calderon - Obrador race, and that PRI is breaking up, at least on the national level. And interesting in light of recent conversations I've had with other members of the Zedillo administration.
Milenio - Ex secretarios de Zedillo estudian unirse a Calderón
Here's another good review of the Mexican candidates, promoting Lopez Obrador as can be expected. But the comments cover some of the contradictions in AMLO's populist campaign.
AlterNet: A Rising Tide in Mexico
Leon again. Blonde bearded longhair, profane gospel wail. Tulsa in LA.
Gringo by the Grijalva. And I thought I could tell this story.
Stranger in a Strange Land.mp3
For geeks. via Ben Hammerley's Blog. An easy way to embed a Flash object in a page. Because Lyn wants Flash and I must deliver.
deconcept - FlashObject: Javascript Flash detection and embed script
I'm currently in a very walkable town, San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico. Perhaps a one hour walk from one side to the other. 15 minutes from my house to the center. An "andador" that is pedestrians only, where last night there was a religious procession over a colored sawdust painting three blocks long. Stunning!
Alex Steffens pulls together some great ideas for linking walkable geography to the net and online maps.
WorldChanging: Another World Is Here: Walksheds, Cabspotting and Smart Places
Now I have to go out and walk downtown for my press pass to the Burning of the Judases. Thousands of people crowded around flaming, exploding effigies of public menaces and corrupt politicians. Walking on the wild side.
In 1981 I worked on the last of these beasts at WNET13 in New York. My thanks to Paul Pekurney who patiently showed me how to thread the giant reels of two-inch wide tape and calibrate each of the four heads to make a seamless recording. I can still hear the deafening whine and rattle of the thing in operation. In the corner were a few new videocassette machines, only trusted for playing back promos and previews in the breaks, and the one-inch tape machines, state of the art at that point. A heavenly racket as Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers came off the satellites and spun back out for local broadcast. I'd found my place in an electronic cloud.
tvtechnology.com - The Videotape Recorder turns 50
The recovery from hurricanes and mudslides in the region is ongoing. I've just received an update from Kenneth Wood in Santiago Atitlan on plans to rebuild the hospital there. Click MORE for the update. And please donate.
Dear Friends of Santiago Atitlan,
Happy Semana Santa!
Pueblo a Pueblo is pleased to inform you that after many weeks of generous
volunteer labor on the part of our webmaster, Marc Quimbey at Westwind
Studios in Arkansas; our new website is up and running. It reflects many of
the new initiatives that we have begun, as the people of Santiago Atitlan
recover from the disaster. These include:
Hospitalito Atitlan: The decision has been made that the Hospitalito cannot
return to its original site in Panabaj. Together, Fundacion K'aslimaal (the
Hospitalito governing board) and Pueblo a Pueblo have begun a Capital
Campaign to purchase land and build a new, permanent Hospitalito for the
community. The interim Hospitalito continues to provide medical services as
we develop these plans.
Mother/Child Program: With the new website, Pueblo a Pueblo and the
Hospitalito have launched this individual sponsorship program to ensure the
health of pregnant T'zutujil women and their infants. U.S. sponsors will be
able to develop an Email relationship with their "adopted" mother and infant
and the $25/mo. sponsorship will fund prenatal, delivery, post-natal and
well-baby care to the neediest, at-risk mothers and their infants.
Child Education and Health Program: The children of Panabaj who survived
the mudslides, have endured the loss of their family members, friends and
homes. Most are now living in temporary shelters. This sponsorship program
is designed to support a local Panabaj, T'zutujil school and ensure that
these 500 children can continue their education, receive a daily healthy
meal and health care services. Each sponsor can communicate via email with
their child, sharing words of encouragement, pictures and support. Besides
individual sponsors, Pueblo a Pueblo is particularly interested in
developing sponsorship by groups of U.S. students (classrooms, Spanish
clubs, etc.) - providing educational and service learning opportunities for
U.S. students.
Other improvements you will note on the website:
Volunteer information - both medical and non-medical.
Santiago Atitlan Update page that feature new events every two
weeks.
Medical and non-Medical Wish Lists.
Other Disaster Relief initiatives.
Secure on-line donation capacity that will reduce our overhead
expenses.
On behalf of our Board of Directors, let me take this opportunity to again
thank you for your support of the T'zutujil people. It is an honor for us
to assist them to realize their dreams and to work with the many dedicated,
thoughtful and caring volunteers and donors. We encourage you to visit our
new website and appreciate any assistance you can give in promoting this
cause to your family and friends.
Kenneth Wood
President
Pueblo a Pueblo Inc.
P.O. Box 11486
Washington, DC 20008
tel: (202) 302-0622
www.puebloapueblo.org
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change
the world. Indeed it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead
Another quick summary of the candidates in the Mexican elections.
Links to video clips in GE. I did this in February in a Google Earth demo. Video Clips pulled off of third party servers. But they are selling advertising on the page you have to jump to.
Google Earth to Get Discovery Video
General purpose storage online. Pay as you go. I haven't looked at Amazon lately but this looks good.
Amazon.com Amazon Web Services Store: Amazon S3 / Amazon Web Services
No, I didn't go to Chajul with Alonso. But I did get there, and spent 6 days in two different stations. Photos to come. Now I'm on my way from Palenque to Naha, Flores, and back to San Cristobal. Semana Santa and family vacations coming up for all. Sun approaching zenith early May. Could be back in Palenque for the palace heirophanies.