Global warming, now politely remained “climate change”, to get over the fact that the warming has, at least for now, inconveniently stopped, is never out of the news and I was alarmed to read this headline today.
World’s largest ice sheet melting faster than expected
Meanwhile, the biggest story to hit the blogs for a long while is the hacking of the CRU email server and the revelation of the shenanigans of the cadre of scientists, including the conspiracy to delete data obtained at public expense lest it “fall into the wrong hands”. The mainstream media has concentrated on the data theft angle of this story so far, ignoring what is a criminal conspiracy to pervert the law by the “top scientists” at the CRU.
To long the public have been told that the science is “to difficult” for them to understand, and we must trust the researchers, ( at least the ones who receive their daily bread and mortgage payments from the global warming trough ). The whole history of this polemic has been mired in the hiding of data, and cherry picking on both sides of the argument.
Bishop Hill has an excellent post on some of the more interesting revelations-
Still, we continue to be shown photos of swimming polar bears, deserts with the perfunctory dead cow skill in a dried out pond ( methinks maybe the camera crew turned up in their 4×4 with a skull specially purchased from the local butcher’s for the purpose).
So, it gets worse. In the chaos that is Mexico, at times, yesterday I got up at 7:00 to let in the workmen, but they did not come. Instead at 8:00 a motley crew arrived at the door with one BIG truck, and lots of pipes. They asked me where the “alberca” was, as they were coming to drill a “pozo”. Now, the alberca is the new small pool that is under construction, and a pozo in my book is a well, and a well is for getting of water. Seems a “pozo” is also for the quitting of water and this is where the old water will go. My understanding of the geography here is that there are few natural rivers or lakes and all water is drawn from underground springs and catchment holes that fill in the rainy season. and they are all connected, so the flushing of dirty water into that system leaves me uneasy. Granted, tho the water always comes out of the tap looking clean, it does not smell of chlorine and some folk say “sure you can drink it”, but they sell them big bottles of 25l of water in the shops for a couple of quid and most people will be drinking that.
So they wheel in all manner of machine, apparatus and tool and a well dressed young guy with a clipboard comes along also and points at stuff, so something is about to happen. A long´pipe runs through the house to the back and the hook it all up and put on ear protection. This is my sign to wheel out my copy of “Drum & Bass Arena 10th Anniversary” and crank it up to ELEVEN.
Eventually up turns a cop. The truck is blocking the street. I’m told that here the cops don’t ever do anything. He shakes my hand and is very nice and tells me I must stop the work. I tell him it’s not up to me, but I’ll speak to the people in charge. He shows me some city statute and murmurs about permits. everyone ignores the cop, and he goes away.
By lunch time they have finished, covered the house inside and out in limestone dust, and drilled 16 meters, or so they say, though there is no proof of this.
Work on the pool now continues, it’s back to tap tap tap, and the smell of torillas and beans at lunchtime, and the sound of that tinny old radio cranked up to eleven that all workmen seem to carry as an essential tool of the trade.
Don't you find your work as a dentist rather boring?
The workmen came on monday and began to dig a hole. In the best traditions of workmen, they are still digging it, standing in it, discussing it, arguing over it, admiring it, and on occasion continuing to dig it. There must be something in the psychie. As a child I remember our gang digging its own hole at the bottom of the garden. We covered it with an old bedspring base and then put grass sods on top, which grew and gave us an underground foxhole. We called ourselves the “Hole Gang”, and had codebooks, passwords, punishments, the whole lot. When we left the house an old lady moved in. My dad did not fill in the hole. I wonder what happened to Mrs Spencer?
So there they were, a digging this hole, a hole in the ground sort of big and sort of round it was….but oh no! While digging this hole, they found another hole, where a hole didn’t aught to be, a bigger hole, so off they went to “look at the plans”, which could not be found. Still, they continue to dig hole number one. Let’s hope they don’t find Mayan ruins, they would have to dig up the whole street….
Tigers have appeared on Montejo, or at least big cats. I think they are pumas or leopards or some such. Was walking down to see my attourney today. It’’s nice to have an attorney, makes one feel imporant. In blighty a solicitor will see you two weeks on wednesday, and charge the earth for his doubtfull advice. Here it’s “yes, come down today when you like and no charge”. The dog wags the tail, as it should be. My attourney nods his head like the churchill dog and says “no problemo”, you can meet at his office or at his branch office “The Viper Bar” where they still have ladies of dubious repute who come and drink with the customers, and you get a good pork dinner dinner for 50 pesos.
Still enuff, these things have appeared overnight.
Oh deep joy, the workmen are back. Banging, scraping, digging, watching one another… oh yes, seems to be an unwirtten rule that one of them do something and the rest will watch. Always takes at very least three men to do any job. When they run out of work they just sit and look into the distance. Seems that even if they finish early, they are paid by the hour, so they will happily ( or unhappily, I don’t know ) sit and stare into space for hours on end.
The foreman is “Freddy”, he is the one in the sweatless t-shirt with a modest gold chain around his neck. The also rans wear yesterday´s t-shirts and are slighly darker and slightly shorter than Freddy. They will be digging a swimming pool first, which as far as I can see will be very small, just enuff to stand upright, a bit like a vertical bathtub. I am most intrigued. Unlikley anyone will be getting a certificate for a length of that bath.
Also on the back of the envelope is a sort of garden shed. The garden is already very small, and I killed all the weeds off with a few squirts of Roundup, so the tools required at the moment consist of a plastic spray bottle, and a knife to cut down the overhanging banana branches now and then. Since the garden will now be even smaller, the logic of building a shed to house the tools escapes me, but I’m sure all will become clear in due course.
I am now very involved with The Merida Project. A project to support the contemporary arts in Mérida, Yúcatan. The eventual aim is a fusion arts festival here in the city, but on the way we hope to support local artists in whatever medium. Dance, music, photography, painting… you get the idea.
The first meeting a couple of weeks back attracted one person, Lulu, so she is now on the committee. The second around thirty people, though not all had an interest, some were only there for the beer. There is a website now set up, and a blog and a forum. We also have t-shirts and bumper stickers, a lot of enthusiasm and the need to recruit mew member to help us. Currently we are looking for a head quarters which will double as a vegitarian cafe.
I have lost so much weight in the last few months. So I bought new trousers, now I am shocked to find what was tight a couple of weeks ago is now slipping down, and I have lost a couple more inches yet. Good news, but how was it done? First thanks to Isabelle I started to eat better, and to take some exercise. After she went home, I continued, but I also picked up on the Atkins diet. DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor, do your own research, but it worked for me.
The basis of the diet is low carbs. So very little of rice, break, pasta, potatoes etc. Lots of meat, cream, eggs, cheese, pork scratchings, fried bacon, hamburger… you get the idea. Lots of meat, so a common supper dish is to go down to the local meat shop and get some roast pork. These places buy in a couple of pigs a day, and cook em. They sell all the bits, including something dubious, which is all the liver, kidney, eyeballs etc all cooked up. Actually this is also delicious.
So here’s a picture of the meat. You get a half kilo of roast pork, 15 tortillas, pickled red cabbage, and chillie sauce. A feast! And the cost? 80 pesos, about 4 quid. I only eat one tortilla plus half the meat, and I feel stuffed. Here’s a picture of the meat counter.
It’s monday 2nd of Novenmber, and it is “dia de los muertos” again. Yesterday I went out with my business associates Varon and Jorge, Jorge being Varon’s dad. Jorge has lots of great advice, but the best being, “Ahh pero este es Mexico….”. I will try not to forget that.
We went out scouting premises in the execute transport, which I like very much. Apparently this sort of thing can be got for $500, and will run for ever and cost hardly anything to keep on the road.
love bug
Yes, so this is Mexico, and it keeps getting more interesting.
Long time no blog. Fact is I’ve been very busy the last few months. I have been adventuring here in Merida, around Yucatan and down to Guatemala with my friend Isabelle, who since went back to The Netherlands. My camera exploded in Bacalar, and she has all the photos! If anyone sees this girl, please reminder her to send me the snaps, and I’ll try to blog some of the last few months up.
On another note, life in Merida has suddenly got more interesting. One strand of my efforts is involvement with The Merida Project. The ultimate aim is to mount a fusion arts festival. At the moment we are in the recruitment and awareness phase. There is a website at http://meridaproject.com along with a blog and forums. This should explain it to the curious.
The other strand is the desire to open a business or two or more here in Merida. I came here for two days and I am still here after a year, so about time to stop swanning around i think.
Gratuitous image of a swan
I am linked up with some great locals, it’s going to be a lot of fun. Front runner is a chip shop, or an icecream van to start with, then who knows what empire can be built! I am currently perfecting the chip, and apart from what you could imagine, this is NOT a simple thing. I am aided by my degree in chemistry, and I always knew it would come in useful one day, so the taxpayer’s money of four years at university has not totaly been a waste.
