October 2005 Issue 31

INTRODUCTION

This issue is being distributed a little earlier than "normal" - whatever that might be - because of the Mexican national holiday, Dia de la Raza, on October 12.  In the US this date is recognized as Columbus Day.
 

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, December 9, at 11:00 AM at Lol-Ha.  If you are in town, you really should make an effort to attend.

On September 29th, the Akumal Council hosted the visit of Mr. Jose Acevedo, Economical Director of the Municipality, representing Mr. Carlos Joaquin the Mayor.  The visit/tour included:

• Visiting the Parking Lot on the road into Akumal and the old Fidecaribe building proposed to be the Police and Tourist Information Center.  He confirmed that the concession of the building has been authorized, and we are just waiting for the official documents.
• A Site Inspection of North Akumal, with an explanation of the Akumal Council’s Project to become "regular" and officially recognized as a part of the Municipality.
• Dialogue with Municipal Authorities and Board Members of the Akumal Council.

 Other Issues Discussed included thanks and appreciation for support with:

• Cleanup and recovering after Hurricane Emily.
• Lighting at the sidewalk of main entrance.
• The next installation of traffic lights at the highway crossing.
• Work done in the Pueblo (Akumal West).

 The last General Assembly Meeting was on September 30^th, and it primarily was providing a re-cap of recent activities, including:

*     Presentation of Parking Project.
*  Proposal of New Tourist Image for the Pueblo.
* Up Date on North Akumal Procedures to become "regular" (part of Municipality).
 *    Public Security and Police Agreement. Status and Follow Up.

DID YOU KNOW?

FULL MOON

The Full Hunter's Moon occurs at 7:14 am on October 17^th, so make sure you are up and about to observe it.  During early morning, a slight partial eclipse of the Moon is visible from the western half of North America.  Look for a slight dent in the Moon's southeast edge; it's deepest at 7:03 a.m. ADT.

It's the Full Hunter's Moon, and with a little paraphrasing and editor's license; With the leaves falling and the agouti fattened, it is time to hunt.  Since the fields have been reaped, hunters can easily see quadamundi and deer, and the iguanas which have come out to glean.

This month, October, Mars shines big and bright all month as it makes a close approach by Earth.  At the beginning of October, Mars doesn't rise in the east until 8:30 or 9 p.m., but by month's end it's already up and glaring low in the east as twilight fades.  Meanwhile, off to the northeast, bright Capella is also making its appearance.  The summer star Vega is still the brightest star very high in the west after dark. Altair shines almost as high to Vega's left, in the south to southwest.

DID YOU KNOW?

DIA DE LA RAZA

In Mexico, October 12th is a national holiday known as Dia de la Raza or Day of the Race.   This date is honored in other countries as Columbus Day (October 10^th in U.S.) and under other names; but the event it commemorates and the way in which it is observed have become quite controversial.

In the fifteenth century, an obscure Italian seafarer named Christopher Columbus became convinced that it was possible to reach the East from Europe by sailing westward across the Atlantic and that this route would be shorter than traveling around Africa; he underestimated the size of the Earth and overestimated the size and eastward extension of Asia.  After eight years of negotiations, he convinced Queen Isabella of Spain to support his enterprise.  He finally set out in three small ships, and on October 12th, 1492, he landed on an island in the Bahamas inhabited by the Taino or Arawak tribe, thinking that it was India.

One of the main consequences of this contact, was the imminent conquest of the new world by the old.  In writing of his discovery, Columbus noted how he and his men were greeted with gifts and said: "As soon as I arrived in the Indies, on the first Island which I found, I took some of the natives by force in order that they might learn and might give me information of whatever there is in these parts".  And, generally speaking, this was to characterize relations between the old world and the new: Europeans sought wealth and to impart (or impose) their culture.  The indigenous people befriended them and were dominated by armies from abroad.

Less than 30 years later, in 1521, Hernan Cortes landed on the shores of Mexico.  He too was received with gifts, and he proceeded to conquer the vast Mexican empire which is Mexico today.  Relations between the indigenous population and the conquerors of Mexico during the 300 year colonial period were complex.  Spain sought riches in the new land, but also converts for Catholicism.  Missionaries traveled with the soldiers.  Some of them were greatly impressed by native cultures and are responsible for the preservation of many codices and documents regarding the period.

When Mexico celebrated the four hundredth anniversary of Columbus' landing, in 1892, the  country was ruled by Porfirio Diaz, who remained in power for over thirty years and was a great admirer of European culture, especially the French.  At that time, the government prepared a celebration of "The communion of all peoples in sentiments of justice and admiration for the past, noble aspirations and glowing hopes for the future" for October 12, 1892.  As in most of the world, this event praised Columbus for his skill as navigator, for his Discovery of America and for bringing European culture to this land, although all of these things have since been questioned and re-examined.

In 1918, philosopher Antonio Caso took October 12th as an opportunity to praise the "Mexican mestizo race", La Raza, the rich mixture of Spanish and indigenous cultures which characterizes Mexicans.  He was perhaps the first to coin the term La Raza, which has now been adopted by Latinos from all across the continent.  Ten years later, the Dia de la Raza was declared an official national holiday by Congress, after only minor debate.

DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME

            It wasn't until 1996 that Mexico adopted DST.  Now all three Mexican time zones are on the same schedule as the United States, so at 2 a.m. on October 30, groggy Akumalians will turn their clocks back one hour, marking the end of Daylight Saving Time (DST).

The federal law that established "daylight time" in the U.S. does not require any area to observe daylight saving time, but if a state chooses to observe DST, it must follow the starting and ending dates set by the law.  From 1986 to 2006 this has been the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October.

Arizona and Hawaii and the territories of Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa are the only places in the U.S. that do not observe DST, but instead stay on "standard time" all year long.  And if you've spent any time in the sweltering summer sun in those regions you can understand why residents don't need another hour of sunlight.

In the European Union, Summer Time begins and ends at 1 a.m. Universal Time (Greenwich Mean Time).  It starts the last Sunday in March, and ends the last Sunday in October.  In the EU, all time zones change at the same moment.

On August 8, 2005, President George W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005.  This Act changed the time change dates in the U.S.  Beginning in 2007, DST will begin on the second Sunday of March, and end the first Sunday of November.  Note that the Secretary shall report to Congress on the impact of this change.  Congress retains the right to revert the Daylight Saving Time back to the 2005 time schedules once the Department study is complete.

 The official spelling is Daylight Saving Time, not Daylight SavingS Time.

Saving is used here as a verbal adjective (a participle).  It modifies time and tells us more about its nature; namely, that it is characterized by the activity of saving daylight.  It is a saving daylight kind of time.  Similar examples would be dog walking time or book reading time.  Since saving is a verb describing a single type of activity, the form is singular.

Nevertheless, many people feel the word savings (with an 's') flows more mellifluously off the tongue, and Daylight Savings Time is also in common usage, and can be found in dictionaries.

Part of the confusion is because the phrase Daylight Saving Time is inaccurate, since no daylight is actually saved.  Daylight Shifting Time would be better, but it is not as politically desirable.
 

THIRD ANNUAL TURTLE FESTIVAL

As a member of the Regional Marine Turtle Conservation Committee, CEA is participating in the Third Annual Turtle Festival 2005, to be held on October 21 and 22.  The festival, to celebrate the end of the 2005 nesting season, takes place in Tulum and at X'cacel beach, with beach clean-up, presentations, music, sand sculptures, drawing and painting contests, as well as plays, and ends with the liberation of about 2,000 turtle hatchlings in the evening.

COMINGS AND GOINGS

Just when we were getting this column back to "normal" - there it is again - it gets a brief coverage this month, because the Editor is traveling to Uxbridge, Massachusetts to celebrate Ryan Fredette's 12^th birthday.  Not being around and about Akumal, there's no way of knowing who is coming and going, but there are a few known sightings.

 Comings

Ron & Shari Stern returned to drown their sorrows at the Beach Bar over Casa Zama.

Lisa Combs returned to hand deliver her son's wedding invitations.

Macon & Susan Gravlee were down for one of their longer stays.

Jim Coke is back……….

Mike Mulgrew visited briefly

Patsy Tyler and Suzy Campbell reportedly returned to Akumal in October

Steve & Judy Holtz are in Aventuras for the month of November

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

            It's back!!!  Actually it has never gone away.  It, along with the ISS, have somewhat fallen off the radar through DST, but there should be a good viewing opportunity on Monday, tomorrow, evening, if you are so inclined to look skyward - towards the NNW - at 6:44 - 6:46pm.

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