September 2005 Issue 30

INTRODUCTION

Things are back to somewhat normal with this issue of The Akumalian.  There's been a lot of electricity in the air with almost daily thunder storms later in the afternoon, so we looked skyward once again.  And, this month is a BIG one for Mexico holidays, as Independence Day comes on September 16^th.  We even have some "Comings and Goings."
 

CONSEJO DE DESARROLLO DE AKUMAL A.C.

            And once again, if you are in arrears on your Pledge, please bring it up-to-date, and if you are not a member of the Akumal Council, please consider becoming a member ASAP.

Check out the Akumal Council's web site at www.arkumalcouncil.com for the 2004 Annual Report, and the 2005 Business Plan.  And be advised that the next General Meeting is scheduled for Friday, September 30, at 11:00 AM at Lol-Ha.  If you are in town, you really should make an effort to attend.
 

FULL MOON

The Full Harvest Moon occurs on September 17, 9:01 p.m. ADT (Akumal Daylight Time).  Traditionally, this designation goes to the Full Moon that occurs closest to the Autumnal (Fall) Equinox.  In two years out of three, the Harvest Moon comes in September, but every third year it occurs in October.  Usually the full Moon rises an average of 50 minutes later each night, but for the few nights around the Harvest Moon, the Moon seems to rise at nearly the same time each night: just 25 to 30 minutes later across the U.S., and only 10 to 20 minutes later for much of Canada and Europe.   

DID YOU KNOW?

MEXICO'S INDEPENDENCE DAY - EL GRITO!!

16 de Septiembre: El Grito de Independencia - Independence Day  

Every 16th of September is the Mexican Fiesta par excellence!  On this day Mexicans all over the world celebrate Mexico's independence from Spanish rule.

As you know, indigenous peoples were the first to inhabit what is now known as Mexico.  They created great civilizations such as the Olmec, the Teotihuacan, Maya, Toltec, and of course the most powerful of all, the Aztec Empire.

After Christopher Columbus "discovered" America, the Spaniards carried out expeditions to find gold and riches from these faraway lands.  In 1521, about 500 Spanish soldiers arrived in Mexico, headed by an ambitious man, Hernan Cortes.  At this time, the Aztecs had built a great empire that ruled over all Mesoamerica, so the Spaniards directed their attacks towards them.

The indigenous nations that were under the Aztec rule were tired of the physical and economic hardships imposed upon them by this empire.  This circumstance made them think that by helping the Conquerors defeat the Aztecs, they would be better off.  So they decided to aid the Spaniards.  This is how the Conquest of what is now Mexico began.

On the 13th of August 1521, Cuauhtemoc, the last Aztec emperor was captured.  The indigenous allies of the Spaniards raided Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec empire.  They didn't know it at the time, but they had been liberated from one oppressor and fallen in the hands of a much more powerful authoritarian.

This was the beginning of three centuries of Spanish rule.  The new colony was named Nueva Espana, New Spain.  The years that followed were devastating.  The conquerors brought with them diseases unknown to the natives.  The epidemics that broke out as well as the merciless workload imposed upon the natives dramatically diminished the Indian population.  There were approximately 20 million Indians inhabiting this territory before the Conquest, and after just one century of Spanish rule there were only 1 million left!

Colonial society was highly stratified.  Spaniards born in Spain, occupied the higher echelons, followed by Criollos, those born in Mexico from Spanish parents; Mestizos, the mix- blood offspring of Spaniards and Natives; Indios, Native Indians; Negros, African slaves.

Each socio-ethnic group had different rights and duties.  The privileged were the peninsular Spaniards.  Discontent steadily grew, especially amongst the Criollos, who were always treated as second-class subjects of the Spanish Crown.  It is no surprise then, that Criollos were the spark that ignited the Independence movement.

In 1808, Napoleon invaded Spain, and decided to impose his brother Jose Bonaparte, as king of Spain (1808-1810).  The Criollos found in this circumstance the opportunity to seek their independence form Spain.

Influenced by the concepts of liberty, equality and democracy proposed by the French philosophers Rousseau, Montesquieu, Voltaire, and by the war of Independence of the United States, they decided to start a revolt.  It was 1810, and their plan was to start the war on the 2nd of October.  Unfortunately, their plans were discovered in early September.  The movement was in trouble.  They had two alternatives; either abandon their plans, or move faster and start the revolt immediately.  Fortunately for Mexico, they decided upon the second alternative.

In the early hours of September 16, 1810, Father Hidalgo, accompanied by several conspirators - Iganacio Allende, Dona Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez - rang the bell of his little church, calling everyone to fight for liberty.  This was the beginning of the Independence War, which lasted 10 years.  

Celebrating!

And this is the moment that every 16th of September is re enacted in every plaza or zocalo of Mexico, and commemorated by Mexicans all over the world.  Streets, houses, buildings and cars are decorated everywhere in the country.  On every street corner there are vendors selling flags, balloons, sombreros and rehiletes -shuttlecock, all with the green, white and red, Mexico's National Colors.

Lighted decorations are set up in every city, the most spectacular being those of the Zocalo (main plaza) in Mexico City.  The main plaza of every town and city is the place where the great 16 De Septiembre celebrations take place.  People of all ages come to this fiesta, to take part in the collective gaiety!

Food is always a very important part of these festivities.  Literarily hundreds of stands are set up several days before and offer the traditional antojitos, most aptly described as a variety of finger foods, Mexican candies, and punch.  Punch (ponche) is a drink made of fruits that are in season: guayabas, sugarcane, raisins and apples, and such a delicious aroma!

During September, Mes de la Patria, the month of our nation as it is called in Mexico, restaurants serve traditional Mexican dishes, such as Mole Poblano, Chiles en Nogada, Guacamole and chips.

During the evening of September 15, people start gathering in the zocalo.  Many people walk around dressed in typical Mexican dress: men as Charros and women as China Poblanas, or indigenous dresses.  Those who don't own a typical outfit, at least dress find something to wear in the colors of the flag.

Live Mariachi Music bands play to the delight of all present.  There are also photography stands where one can have a picture taken, attired with a sombrero and atop a wooden horse!

The euphoria is collective and all are prepared to shout, yell and make as much noise as possible with fake trumpets, noisemakers and whistles!

As the evening advances, the plaza gradually fills with more and more people; suddenly there is practically no room to move.  Excitement and euphoria reach a crescendo at the culminating moment when a government official arrives in the zocalo, at 11:00 P.M. to give the grito or cry of Independence.  This ritual recreates the moment in which Father Hidalgo, gathered his followers in Dolores Guanajuato.

It is customary for the President to deliver the grito in Mexico City’s zocalo.  It is in this plaza, atop Palacio Nacional (the National Palace), a beautiful colonial building, where the President's offices are located, that the original bell rung by Hidalgo is placed.  And this is the bell that is rung every 16th of September.

The ceremony reaches the high point when the crowd joins in proudly shouting out the names of the heroes of our Independence, to end with the exciting VIVA MEXICO!

When the grito ceremony ends, the sky lights up with multicolored rockets that shower a free and independent nation, Mexico
  

DON MIGUEL HIDALGO, FATHER OF MEXICO'S INDEPENDENCE

Late one September evening the name of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla became forever engraved in Mexico's history.  Since that night, his life as well as that of Mexico, changed radically.

Before that historic moment when his voice cried out to demand Mexico's independence from the Spanish crown, El Cura Hidalgo, Father Hidalgo, as he was called, was exactly that -- an old priest from a parish in the small town of Dolores, Guanajuato.  It was there that he organized meetings with the townspeople and taught the farmers to work the land.

He was an enthusiastic and hard-working man, always worrying about the well-being of his community.  To help the indigenous, he built an estate where he established a pottery shop, a tanning shop, a blacksmith stable, a carpentry store, and a looming shop.  In addition, he sent for bees from La Habana and introduced apiculture to the inhabitants of Dolores.

Up until that famous night, Hidalgo was a Creole priest, born in a hacienda in Penjamo, Guanajuato in 1753, and Mexico continued as a Spanish colony, one of the most prosperous ones though full of social injustice.   Hidalgo's liberal ideas led him to join forces with a group of people who opposed the Spanish dominance.  Together with this group of liberals, among them Ignacio Allende, Aldama and Abasolo, they reached an agreement in Queretaro to begin a revolution in October of 1810.  However, they were discovered and forced to move up the date to September 16, 1810.  

Hidalgo took the banner with the image of the Virgin Guadalupe and, ringing the church bell, he gathered many faithful Catholics from his parish to listen attentively to Hidalgo's speech.  He talked to them about Spanish oppression and about the impending need to free themselves from Spain.

The angry people shouted: "Long live independence!  Long live America!  Away with bad government!"  With that, the armed battle began which would give birth to a new nation, free and sovereign.

In 1811, Father Hidalgo fell in an ambush staged by Felix Maria Calleja, and, after being relieved of his duties as a priest, he was sentenced and shot to death.

His fight was not in vain, as Mexico gained its independence September 21, 1821.  Mexico would never have gained independence had it not been for Hidalgo's calling on the people of Dolores.  His grito brought about the birth of Mexico.
 

ANOTHER ABC???

On Wednesday, September 7, Akumal kicked off yet another ABC, thanks to Michelle who organized, managed, supervised, and coordinated the event which was held at the Lol Ha Beach Bar.  This ABC is the Akumal Bunco Championship, and there were three tables (12 players) in on all the high energy action.  The big winners were the ringers from Sacramento, Gary and Mike.  Fortunately, Akumal's favorite in this ABC, Shelley Cope, also won a prize, albeit for the most "Ls" (loses).

A good time was had by all, and it is envisioned that this could become somewhat of a regular occurrence at the Beach Bar.
 

IT DOESN'T HAPPEN OFTEN, BUT MAYBE I WAS WRONG

            By Alice Blanter

Some of you may remember a slightly sarcastic article that I wrote in a previous edition of The Akumalian about fishing.  I now feel that I must amend that article.

When Bud and I visited LeRoy and Margaret Wiedman in Alaska recently, I had a chance to go fly fishing, as well as salmon fishing.  The truth is that I didn't just go, I actually caught fish both times.  We went fly fishing in a beautiful river between Fairbanks and Valdez.  I caught an Arctic Greyling (I had never heard of it before).  Then in Valdez, I reeled in 4 huge salmon (I also lost a few, but we won't dwell on that).  I have to admit that it was a lot of fun!  Moreover, there does appear to be a lot more to the sport than simply putting a line in the water and waiting for the fish to take the bait and jump in the boat.  There seems to be a great deal of technique and knowledge needed to be a successful fisherman - not to mention the strength to get the hooked fish into the boat (good thing I'd been working out).

Now, of course, sitting in a boat in Alaska and enjoying the beautiful surroundings was much more appealing to me than trekking through the mosquito-infested jungles of Mexico.  And actually catching fish that you could eat was another plus.  Now, I must say that I better understand why Bud, Rhett, Bart, and Didier like the sport so much.  And who knows, maybe I'll give fishing in Akumal a chance after all.  That is, if my fellow fisherman can forgive me and bait the line!!!
 

RUMORS - NOT!!!!!!!

Leroy & Margaret Wiedman have exercised their Right-of-First-Refusal with Bob Knill on his ½ share of the first floor of Casa Zama, and they are now buying out Bob's share.  Congratulations!!!

Wal-Mart is building a (huge) store in Playa del Carmen at the intersection of 30^th and 8^th, right behind the Municipality and just down 30^th from San Francisco.  This is not confirmed, but it does look like they are building an underground garage below the store.

 Chedraui in Playa del Carmen has added a new wine and delicatessen section called La Cava.  It's where the wine section used to be, but this has more space, a much better selection of wines (with good prices), and a wall of delicacies from around the world.  It is definitely worth a "look-see."

A Hong Kong restaurant – yes the one from Cancun – is setting up shop just south of Playa del Carmen, right off the highway.  It's a little further south than the new, large mall that is going in.

 Groupo HOSPITEN is building a HOSPITEN Hospital between the Playacar entrances, just off the highway, in Playa del Carmen.  There is a HOSPITEN Cancun on Av. Bonampak - Lote 7, MZ 2, SM 10, and the telephone number there is +52 (998) 881 37 00.  The web site is http://www.hospiten.com/  People who have gone to HOSPITEN Cancun report that it is very good.
 

COMINGS AND GOINGS

A few heads may be missing.  If you are one of them, please send Letter to the Editor.

 Comings

• Bud Blanter makes comings and goings as he returned for a very short site inspection
• Roger & Denise Burton, along with Connie and Savanah, returned for a short stay.
• Michelle, Dave and their two kids have been here for an extended stay at Luna Azul condo.
• Gene and Mary Langdon came down for the Labor Day weekend.
• Macon and Susan Gravlee returned once again; watch out for a hurricane!!
• Kathy Sonheim returned to oversee some renovations/construction.
• Diana Harris & David Walter were back in town for a bit.
• Wendell Day was down in Aventuras Akumal with Lynda, who stayed on a long time to supervise and oversee the repair and cleanup at the condos.
• And, Cindy Braden, Bill Guynes' daughter from an earlier marriage, came to Akumal, from Cancun, for a short visit to see where her dad had spent so many years with so many friends.  It was Friday night at the Beach Bar, so there were a few of us around to talk with Cindy, Doug her husband, Doug's brother, and his wife.

Goings

• Denny & Diane Mahan left for two weeks in the Dallas area.
• Steve & Ingrid Clouther are heading off to Massachusetts and Germany.
• Anna Magdalinski is going back to Australia to visit her mother.

HE’S REALLY GONE, BUT HE WILL RETURN TO AKUMAL

Back in July, Cliff Meyer, owner of Los Primos with Hollis Hines, had been in the hospital for a couple of weeks, and had been sent home, because there was nothing more that could be done for him.  He had been battling thyroid cancer for the last ten years or so, and it had finally gotten critical.  He broke his arm taking off his jacket in Security on his way to a case in San Francisco, two weeks before he died. 

Cliff died the evening of July 19.  His two daughters, Monica and Michelle, were there, along with Monica's two children.  Hollis was there as well.

Cliff didn't want a funeral.  He wanted a party in his honor after he died, and the party was held August 14^th at the Montage Resort in Newport Beach, where he lived.  Hollis reports that it was beautiful--with a few hundred people, a lot of laughs, stories, and, of course, sadness at losing a smart, dear friend, who was a great storyteller and very well loved by his family and friends.

Cliff had been coming to Akumal for at least twenty years, and he really loved it.  He loved the beauty, the funkiness, and all the dramas that play out among its "locals."  He got a huge kick out of it all.  This whole time he has been working as a lawyer, and so he could never take as much time as he wanted to be in Akumal. 

In Cliff's honor, his daughters, Michelle and Monica (and their family and friends), came to Akumal for most of August.

Cliff loved Akumal enough to want his ashes scattered in the garden at Los Primos, and his daughters are coming down at the end of March, or the first of April, while Hollis will still be here, so that they can have a little ceremony for him.  Hollis says, "If anyone would like to join us at that time, I'm sure his daughters would welcome them."  It's strange to think of Cliff as gone.
 

COMETS VS METEORS – Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask.

Since The Akumalian totally missed the 2005 Perseid Meteor Shower last month due being pre-occupied with Hurricanes, it only seems fitting that this issue is addressed.

 "What’s the difference between a comet and a meteor?", I hear you ask. 

COMETS
Comets are primarily composed of ice and dust, causing some astronomers to refer to them as "dirty snowballs."  They typically move through the solar system in orbits ranging from a few years to several hundred thousand years.  Comets are not on fire.  As they near the sun, the sun's heat melts the comet's ices and releases dust particles which are most evident as the comet's tail.  Comets rarely come within a few million miles of Earth and, thus, have a slow apparent motion across our sky.  Typical comets remain visible for periods of several weeks up to several months.

Seeing a comet with the naked eye is a somewhat rare occurrence.  On the average we get a naked-eye comet once every five or six years and this includes comets that become barely visible to the naked eye.  Classic comets with long tails only appear about once every 10-12 years.  The motion is very difficult to detect and comparing its place with naked-eye stars over several days is the only way to see it move.  In general, comets are best observed with telescopes or binoculars. 

METEORS
Meteoroids are the smallest particles orbiting the sun, and most are no larger than grains of sand.  From years of studying the evolution of meteor streams, astronomers have concluded that clouds of meteoroids orbiting the sun were produced by comets.  Meteoroids can not be observed moving through space because of their small size.  Over the years numerous man-made satellites recovered by manned spacecraft have shown pits in their metal skins which were caused by the impact of meteoroids.

Meteoroids become visible to observers on Earth when they enter Earth's atmosphere.  They are then referred to as meteors.  They become visible as a result of friction caused by air molecules slamming against the surface of the high-velocity particle.  The friction typically causes meteors to glow blue or white, although other colors have been reported.  Most meteors completely burn up in the atmosphere at altitudes of between 60 and 80 miles.  They are rarely seen for periods of more than a few seconds.

Occasionally, a large meteor will not burn up completely as it moves through Earth's atmosphere.  The subsequent pieces that fall to Earth's surface are known as meteorites.

Meteors appear as fast-moving streaks of light in the night sky.  They are frequently referred to as "falling stars" or "shooting stars."  Most are white or blue-white in appearance, although other frequent colors are yellow, orange.  The colors seem more related to the speed of the meteor rather than composition.  Red meteors occasionally appear as very long streaks and are usually indicative of a meteor that is skimming the atmosphere.  Green meteors are also occasionally seen and are usually very bright.  The green color may be a result of ionized oxygen.
 

THUNDER AND LIGHTNING

            Thunder is the sound of air exploding as lightening heats it up. The air rushing out sets up a sound wave of vibrating air.  A strike of lightening immediately heats up the air to between 15,000 and 60,000 degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than the Sun's surface.  When the air is heated so quickly it expands violently and then contracts which causes an explosion of air that creates the sound of thunder.

Lightening and Thunder happen at exactly the same time but because light travels faster than the speed of sound, you always see the lightening first then hear the thunder a few seconds later.  The longer the gap between the lightening and thunder the further away the thunderstorm is.

The light reaches you at once.  Sound takes some time to reach you.  Usually you see the lightning stroke before you hear the thunder.  As soon as you see lightning, count the seconds until you hear the thunder.  If there are 5 seconds, the lightning was about a mile away; (Sound goes about 1,000 feet a second).  In metric, if it takes three seconds to hear the thunder, the storm is about a kilometer away.  If you see lightning and hear thunder at just about the same moment, watch out.  The storm is right above you, only a few hundred feet away. 

DID YOU KNOW?

• There are over 8 million lightening strikes a day around the world.  That means there are 100 lightening strikes per second each day.
• In the United States, an average of 67 people are killed each year by lightning.
• A thundercloud is called a Cumulonimbus cloud.
• Within distant thunderstorms, the lightning bolts flash, and their light can be seen as much as 160 kilometres (100 miles) away, depending on the height of the bolt within the cloud, the clarity of the air between us and the bolt, and our elevation above the ground.
• Thunder, in comparison, has a much shorter range of detection -- usually less than 25 km (15 miles) in a quiet rural setting and under 8 km (5 miles) in a noisy city environment.
   

HEAT LIGHTNING

If a lightning strike is a sufficient distance from the observer, sound from the strike will not be heard.  These silent bolts are called heat lightning.  Lightning bolts produce thunder, but the thunder sound does not travel all the way to the observer if the observer is too far away.

The movement of sound in the atmosphere depends on the atmospheric properties of the air such as temperature and density.  Because temperature and density change with height, the sound of thunder is refracted through the troposphere.  This refraction results in spaces of volume in which the thunder does not propagate through.

The sound of thunder often reflects off the earth's surface.  The rumbling sound from thunder is partly due to reflections off the earth's surface.  This reflection and refraction leaves voids where thunder can not be heard.

The earth's curvature also contributes to people far from the strike from not hearing it.  Thunder is more likely to be bounced off the earth's surface before it reaches an observer far from the strike.  With this said, the right refraction and reflection can result in people on the earth's surface being able to hear thunder at very far distances from the storm.  The reflection and refraction in the troposphere determines who hears the strike and who doesn't.

The term "heat" in heat lighting has little to do with temperature.  Since heat lightning is most likely to be seen in association with air mass thunderstorms in the warm season, the term "heat" may have been used because these flashes are often seen when surface temperatures are warm. 

DID YOU KNOW?

• Within distant thunderstorms, the lightning bolts flash, and their light can be seen as much as 160 kilometres (100 miles) away, depending on the height of the bolt within the cloud, the clarity of the air between us and the bolt, and our elevation above the ground.
• Thunder, in comparison, has a much shorter range of detection -- usually less than 25 km (15 miles) in a quiet rural setting and under 8 km (5 miles) in a noisy city environment.

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO???

Katie Datica reports from Colorado.

Joel and I are very happy!  Moving to Colorado was really the best move for us.  Joel started school immediately upon us arriving in Denver, and has recently received his Real Estate Broker license.  He works for one of the most exclusive agencies here in Denver, ReMax of Cherry Creek.  You can check out his bio at www.kerryklun.com .

I am continuing my work with LocoGringo, and I am very fortunate to have a home office.  I love the internet!  Even our dog, Moso, settled in quite nicely.  He now has a large yard, and we get to take him hiking on the weekends, which we all love to do.

In the few months that we have been here, we have even had some visitors from Akumal!  Joel & Terri were able to spend some time here with our nephew, Diego, and Lorinda and Juan were recently here for a nice visit. 

Although we terribly miss our friends and family in Akumal, we know we will be back to visit often.  After all, we still consider Akumal home; well one of two homes now.

Love and best wishes to all! 

Joel & Katie

SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAY PARTY AT BEACH BAR

On Friday, September 16^th there is a birthday "party" at the Lol Ha Beach Bar (Happy Hour) for the Virgo and September "babies", and these include Linda Morgan on 6^th, Scott Brown on 7^th, Mary Henderson on 14^th, and Jen Smith on 16^th.  Others include Claudia T., Gayle, Pato, Liz, and Din.  Come to the "pahh-ty", enjoy some cake, sing-along, and good company.

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