June 2008  Issue 66

INTRODUCTION

Well, during the last week of May and into June, Akumal is finally getting some rain, but it's coming in spurts with very strong winds from the aftermath of Tropical Storm Alma.  The Staff's Rain Dance was meant to bring a gentle, prolonged shower between 10:00pm and 6:00am, but "somebody" must have missed a step here or there.

Even though it was publicized numerous times in May, including a preliminary issue of The Akumalian, it needs to be highlighted that there is going to be a General Assembly of the Akumal Council on Friday, June 27^th, and you really should make an effort to either be there in person, or have a personal representative there for you.  While the Agenda has not been released yet, one can only expect that the new Tulum Municipality will be very high on said Agenda.
 

AKUMAL COUNCIL MEETING ON NEW MUNICIPALITY

The Akumal Council convened a special meeting on Thursday, May 15, 2008 to present what it knows about the new Tulum Municipality and answer questions about its impact on Akumal.  The meeting was chaired by Gonzalo Arcila, Sergio E. Gonzalez Rubiera, and Din Richardson.  The meeting was fairly well attended by about 16 members of the Akumal Council, including two accountants.

Gonzalo re-iterated a lot of what he distributed in his e-mail of 2008-04-26 (see April 26 letter) as not too much new has transpired since that time.  However, he did mention that he has been following this issue via information the government diligently posts on the Internet, and he read from a 5 page document – Tulum (municipio) - which he printed off the webs site at  Tulum Municipality.  This is an excellent description of the Tulum Municipality, albeit in Spanish.  As far as Akumal is concerned, the northern boundary of the Tulum Municipality is the southern edge of Yal-Ku Lagoon.

Timeline

• 2/21/08            the State Congress votes unanimously to make Tulum the 9^th Municipality
• 3/13/08            Tulum is ratified as the 9^th Municipality
• 5/6/08              Official Announcement on the Tulum Municipality
• 5/16/08            10 days later, Official Decree to be published Public State newspapers, making it official
• 5/27/08            (approximately 10 days later) State Congress to appoint the 11-person Municipal Council as an interim government until the elections in February 2009.
• 7/27/08            (approximately) the Interim Council has 60 days to invite the political parties to get organized and participate in the election process for 2009.
• Feb. 2009        the new elected Town Council and its Mayor will be in office for only 2 years (instead of the normal 3 years), in order to sync with the administration periods in the whole State. 

During the process of reception, the Municipality of Solidaridad must transfer all the available information to the new Municipal Government, such as tax information, subdivisions, records from Catastro, etc.  This process should include the transfer of all municipal obligations, services and infrastructure.  All paperwork, procedures and legal situations remain in the exact same status as they are now.  Same status quo, but under a new Municipal Government.

 The Akumal Council has made several statements in the press in order to call the attention of the authorities to the importance of the Akumal community.  It has requested that someone from our community be appointed to the board of the new Town Council.

 Gonzalo stated that he has been invited to several meetings with the active participants and politicians involved in this process, but that there is actually no official information about who and how they will be integrating this new position.

The meeting lasted over two hours, and there was a lot of discussion, but there were no new revelations.  Some of the discussions covered: 

• North Akumal Regularization.  This is a familiar subject at most Akumal Council meetings, and it was re-iterated that North Akumal was never regularized as part of the Cozumel or Solidaridad Municipalities; Solidaridad was created in 1993 when the municipality of Cozumel was split into two, with the mainland section constituting the new municipality of Solidaridad, which covers a total surface area of 4,245.67 km² and, in the 2005 census it had a population of 135,512.

North Akumal does not have the normal infrastructure (streets, sidewalks, street lighting, sewerage, water, etc.) that defined by a municipality, and while the battle/discussions go on, it is very possible that North Akumal will never be regularized and really recognized by any Municipality. 

It was explained and agreed upon, the need to continue in our process of Regularization and to finally deliver the FRACCIONAMIENTO (starting with Akumal North) to the Municipality.

• Akumal Membership on the Interim Council.  This seems to be a grey area with regards to how the State Congress will allocate the seats on the Interim Council, and the question was not asked (specifically) on when, where, and how Akumal might nominate its candidate(s).  There seems to be a willingness on the membership for Gonzalo Arcila to have a role in the Interim Council, and there was some discussion about Maria Del Carmen Domani being the Akumal representative, as Maria had once been a member of the Municipality Solidaridad.
   
• Continuation of Services.  This is a REAL grey area that nobody knows the answer to.  One of the major roles of the Interim Council will be to oversee a clean and clear transition of the related elements/services of the Municipality Solidaridad to the new Municipality Tulum.  What happens with the police coverage?  Garbage collection?  The pot-hole filler for North Akumal?  Water delivery.  The Tax Offices and services? And on and on…….?  TBD.
   
• An Observation, or the Facts of Life.  SteveC made a comment that there is absolutely no way that the new Tulum Municipality can continue, at least in the short term (2 years?), to provide the level of services and recognition we got from Municipality Solidaridad when you look at the size of the two.  As mentioned above, Playa del Carmen had a reported population of over 135,000 in the 2005 census, while the population of Tulum is set at just under 15,000. As a result of the population, and the fact that Playa del Carmen continues to be the fastest growing city in Mexico, you can easily see the services and infrastructure as you drive through on MX307.  There probably are more police with radar guns on MX307 within the immediate city limits than the entire police force in the sleepy little town of Tulum.  In Playa, they just recently expanded the fire house on MX307, and there are new government buildings being created over by the Mall of the Americas.  The process for paying taxes has been greatly improved. Consider all the hotel rooms within Playa del Carmen and Playacar, to say nothing of Myakoba.

 Admittedly, the Akumal Council has played a major role over the last 3 or 4 years to get Akumal recognized by Municipality Solidaridad, and this resulted in police coverage, garbage collection, and the pot-hole filler for North Akumal, among others.

 Where will we be once Municipality Solidaridad washes its hands of Akumal?
 

• Tulum Master Development Plan.  It is not the subject of this paper, but there is a small reference to the (Plan de Desarrollo Urbano, PDU) for Tulum on page 2.  It’s at Tulum PDU.

While things might appear rather bleak in the short term, the general mood seemed to be one of optimism and OPPORTUNITY.  It is absolutely imperative that as many people attend the Akumal Council General Meeting on Friday, June 27^th.

AKUMAL COUNCIL GENERAL MEETING

There is a General Meeting of the Akumal Council scheduled for 10:00 on Friday, June 27 at the offices of the Akumal Council, on the 2^nd floor of the "old" Fidecaribe building across from Akumal Real Estate.  Obviously, there is no agenda yet, but it is expected that this will cover things like:

• The Tulum Muncipality
  • Where are we today?
  • Interim Council membership
  • What constitutes "Akumal" to the Tulum Municipality
  • Related on-going services
  • Sub-Committees
• Akumal Master Development Plan
• North Akumal Regularization
• Membership; it looks like the Akumal Council needs to revitalize its membership program

 While June is a relatively low season period of time, it would be outstanding (literally) if the Akumal Council office was not large enough to hold all the attendees.

IMPORTANT JUNE FACTS

Several stories are passed around to show how the month of June was named.  The most widely accepted explanation is that it is named after the Roman goddess Juno, wife of Jupiter and equivalent to the Greek goddess Hera.

Gemini   May 22 - June 21
Cancer   June 22 – July 22

 June Birthstone:  Pearl
Aphrodite's tears of joy, Cleopatra's love potion, Krishna's wedding gift for his daughter.  The legends stretch fast and far, however one fact is undeniable: Pearls are the oldest known gem and were considered the most valuable, for centuries!  In fact, the Roman General Vitellius allegedly financed an entire military campaign with just one of his mother's Pearl earrings!  The only jewel that is not made by mother Earth, the Pearl is created from a secreted resin of the oyster.

 June Flower:  Rose
One of the earliest flowers known to man, symbolize love magic, hope, passion.  The rose represents beauty and perfection.  The name rose comes from the Latin word rose which means red.  Nebuchadnezzar used roses to decorate his palace.  They were grown for perfume oil in Persia.  The Greeks associated roses with the blood of Aphrodite's beloved Adonis.  There are more than a hundred species of wild roses.
  

JUNE BIRTHDAYS

Birthdays and Anniversaries
4          Betty McElhatten
8          Harry Bittner
10        Salvador
16        Ingrid Clouther
20        Demetrio’s girls
?          Hans Schnitthenner and Joan Potenza Anniverary
25        Janet (Tricia’s mom)
25        Katie & Joel Datica Anniversary
29        Bud & Alice anniversary 

There must be more than this.  Let’s hear about YOUR birthday.

 Missed May Birthdays and Anniversaries
2                    Steve & Heather DePaola’s 10^th anniversary
5        Michele Meyer Correa
4       Dylan Vladimir Chan Tec, first son was born to Miguel Angel Chan Navarrete (head waiter at Lol Ha Restaurant) and Imelda Beatriz Tec Cob, and he weighed 3.4 kgs., and he is 53 cms tall.  He was born in Cancun at the IMSS.

And, March 23, Kelly Flynn
 

SACRED MAYAN JOURNEY, MAY 30 – JUNE 1

The second Sacred Mayan Crossing will take place from May 30th to June 1st this year.  Thirty 26-foot canoes, each with a crew of four to six, will participate in the event.  The challenge for them is to paddle across the Channel of Cozumel from Pole –present-day Xcaret– to the island of Cuzamil (Cozumel) and to return later to Xamanha –now known as Playa del Carmen.

The Sacred Mayan Crossing is a re-creation of the ancient ritual pilgrimage undertaken by the original inhabitants of Yucatan to Pole, from which canoes set out to Cuzamil.  Once there, they will worship the goddess Ix Chel and consult her oracle, unique to the region.

This year, the celebration will begin at 11:00 p.m. on May 30th with a pilgrimage to Xcaret.  All night long, guests will participate in rituals and supplications to the goddess Ix Chel, as they wait for the first rays of dawn, when they will send the canoes off to Cozumel.  For this special occasion, guests will not be mere spectators, but will rather take part in ceremonies and rituals in preparation for the crossing.  Since the journey was traditionally undertaken to petition the goddess for very particular things, this part of the ritual will be built around the following themes:

 ·        FERTILITY OF THE EARTH
Abundant fruit, bountiful harvests, good fishing and exuberant surroundings

 ·        GOOD WEATHER
A mild climate, favorable winds, enough rain, the right temperatures for growth

 ·        HEALTH
Harmony of body, mind and spirit

 ·        CONTINUITY OF LIFE
Peace and harmony among species, according to the natural order of the planet  

As night falls in Cozumel, offerings will be made to the goddess Ix Chel, who will once more send a message to the inhabitants of Mayan lands.  The canoes will then return to the mainland, bringing with them the goddess’s omens of good fortune, which will be revealed to all those who would go to Playa del Carmen to hear them.

The Sacred Mayan Crossing renews for us the wealth of history and the cultural legacy of the Mayan past from the 11th to the 16th centuries.  It is a living example of the relationship of the Maya with the sacred in life.  The courage and daring of ancient navigators, whose trade networks were one of the crowning glories of Mayan culture in Yucatán, comes alive once more.

For the Maya, this journey was a mystical undertaking in which they were profoundly affected by their intimate contact with the forces of nature.  With these ideas in mind, it has been arranged for this year’s event to revive ancient Mayan traditions: their rituals, dances, music, dress and the relationship with their gods.

Those who wish to witness the 2008 version of the Sacred Mayan Crossing will learn about, and participate in, different re-creations of ancient Mayan cultural practices: trade, numerology, navigation and the re-telling of myths and legends documented in the sacred book, the Popol Vuh.  This will be an enriching and mystical experience for all who attend. 

Go to http://www.travesiasagradamaya.com.mx/index_eng.htm for more information and photos from 2007.
 

HURRICANE SEASON STARTS JUNE 1st

The Atlantic hurricane season is officially from June 1 to November 30.  There is nothing magical in these dates, and hurricanes have occurred outside of these six months, but these dates were selected to encompass over 97% of tropical activity.  

The summer of 2008 will continue a trend of above-average hurricane seasons that started in 1995.  The stormier summers have been due to ocean currents that cause an increase in the Atlantic's salt content, which in turn causes an increase in water temperature.

Hurricane forecasters at Colorado State University (CSU) predict a "well above average" 2008 hurricane season, with 15 named tropical storms gathering between June 1 and November 30.

Long-term yearly averages are nine or ten named storms, six hurricanes, and two intense hurricanes per year.  Eight of the 2008 storms are expected to intensify into hurricanes, which are defined as having winds of at least 74 miles (119 kilometers) an hour.

Four major hurricanes, including one with a good chance of hitting the United States, will form in the Atlantic Ocean during the upcoming hurricane season, and there is a 70 percent likelihood that a major hurricane will make landfall somewhere on the U.S. East Coast during the coming season.

 Hurricane Dean, 2007
 

Tropical Storm Alma is the first named storm of the Pacific season, but it crossed into the Caribbean and as a Tropical Depression is now dumping LOTS of rain and wind on Akumal.  On Friday night at the Beach Bar, the wind was slashing rain, and sand into the bar area, even with the shutters down.  According to the forecasts and storm image, it looks like we are in for a lot more of this during the coming week.  The "official" hurricane season has not even started yet, and we already have the hurricane shutters closed!

And, it turned into Tropical Storm Arthur, this year's first named storm in the Atlantic Ocean, a day ahead of the official beginning of the annual hurricane season.  Arthur formed on Saturday near the coast of Belize around 1 p.m. ET with sustained winds around 40 miles per hour.  It was located about 45 miles north-northwest of Belize City and 195 miles south-southwest of Cozumel, Mexico and headed inland, moving at about 8 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

Belize and Mexico have issued tropical storm warnings with the storm expected to have been issued for the coast move over Yucatan on Sunday.
 

HURRICANE SCREENS BAJA

After doing the story on the 2008 Hurricane Season, the Staff came across this. This is just FYI for those of you who might be looking to an alternative to wood panels and/or aluminum folding shutters.  The Staff is not sure of the brand, but Luis Lobo reportedly has something like this (See story below.).

The Hurricane Screens Baja system is:
·        Constructed from heavy duty geo-synthetic polypropylene mesh.
·        Stronger than most steel shutter systems.
·        A screen application that replaces shutters.
·        Lightweight for easy deployment.
·        Perfect for Store Fronts, Tall windows and Long Spans of Sliding Glass
·        The system Can Withstand Wind loads up To 200 MPH.

 With Hurricane Screens Baja:
·        There is no Maintenance, and Hurricane Screen is lightweight and can be packed in a duffle bag.
·        You get visibility from the inside looking out.

 Hurricane Screens Baja are manufactured in Los Cabos Baja, Mexico and shipped over to Akumal.  The price is approximately $12 – 14 USD per square foot, and this includes all the hardware, with special anchors.  The web site is at http://www.hurricanescreensbaja.com/
 

ARMOR SCREEN HURRICANE PROTECTION

These are the ones Luis Lobo has, so you can ask him about additional, personal information.  The web site is at http://www.armorscreen.com and the distributor in Cancun is Cortinas Anticiclonicas Inteligentes SA de CV on Av Bonampak # 3, Edif Domus; telephone is 998-892-0706.

Armor Screen is Miami-Dade certified, including large missile impact and wind pressure tested to 195 PSF (276 MPH).  The patented system uses deflection to cushion the impact of objects as they strike the Armor Screen.  Deflection distance varies with the height of the screen and is engineered for each opening.  Armor Screen is a flexible, transparent membrane designed to withstand even the strongest hurricane winds without rupture and to deflect large and small missiles.  The system is constructed of a technologically advanced, lightweight fabric which is 95 percent solid and 5 percent porous, allowing visibility and natural light into protected structures while effectively eliminating high winds and driving rain intrusion.

The mounting systems for Armor Screen are important to its strength, and they must be installed according to the company’s specifications, depending on the architectural issues and constraints. Also, each screen is custom manufactured to fit each opening.  As a result, only qualified Armor Screen Dealers are allowed to install these products.

All Armor Screen systems are easy to deploy.  The screens are light weight and the mounting systems typically require no special tools or devices.  Because they offer such a wide array of mounting systems, it's impossible to estimate how long your system will take to deploy.

Some systems are pulled across on a track and attached in a couple of minutes.  Others are stored in bags that must be retrieved from storage and attached.  But even this type of system can be deployed easily and quickly.  Most homes can be fully protected in less than one hour by one person.
 

NAVY DAY, JUNE 1st

Navy Day is an official Mexican holiday.  The day is held on the  June 1^st and has been recognized every year since 1942.  It relates to  June 1, 1917 when article 32 of the Constitution of the United Mexican States was applied for the first time.  The article states that any vessel flying the Mexican flag must be crewed by seamen who are Mexican by birth, and thus it is a celebration of national pride and identity.  The day is marked throughout the country with special events taking place in many of the sea ports including Puerto Escondido and Puerto Angel on the Sierra Madre del Sur, and in the Caribbean resort of Playa del Carmen.  Events include navy ceremonies in the harbors followed by traditional singing and dancing
  

ROBIN’S BEST SHIRT AWARD, JUNE 6th

Come one, come all, to the Beach Bar, where we’ll have a ball.

It's time for the fifth monthly "Best Shirt Award", which is held on the first Friday of each month during Happy Hour at the Lol Ha Beach Bar.  This award is based on Robin’s penchant for good, classy Beach Bar shirts, and his sister, Mary Henderson, is ready to once again be the judge and jury as she selects the "Best Shirt" for June.  And, as we go to print the criteria are still somewhat nebulous, but it looks like "coolest", "neatest", and "most colorful" might work.

The May award for "Best Shirt" went to Jim Farrell, who had to go through some very tough scrutiny by the judges, because there was some serious competition.  See May Best Shirt for more photos.

BELMONT STAKES, LAST JEWEL IN TRIPLE CROWN, JUNE 7th

The 140th running of the Belmont Stakes will be held at Belmont Park on Saturday, June 7. ABC-TV and ESPN will provide live coverage of the day's events.

The first Belmont in the United States was not the famous stakes race or even the man for whom it is named.  Rather, the first Belmont was a race horse that arrived in California in 1853 from his breeding grounds of Franklin, Ohio.  The Belmont Stakes, however, are named after August Belmont, a financier who made quite a name and fortune for himself in New York politics and society.  Obviously, Mr. Belmont was also quite involved in horse racing, and his imprint is even intertwined within the history of the Kentucky Derby.

One thing the Belmont does have over the Derby is that it is the oldest of the three Triple Crown events.  The Belmont predates the Preakness by six years, the Kentucky Derby by eight.  The first running of the Belmont Stakes was in 1867 at Jerome Park, on, believe it or not, a Thursday.

Here's a tidbit you didn't see in Derby or Preakness history.  When Grey Lag won the Belmont in 1921, it marked the first running of the Belmont Stakes in the counter-clockwise manner of American fashion.  This 53rd running was a mile and three-eighths over the main course; previous editions at Belmont Park had been run clockwise, in accordance with English custom, over a fish-hook course which included part of the training track and the main dirt oval.

Big Brown, for UPS, is the first 3-year-old since Smarty Jones to head for the Belmont Stakes with a triple try in play.  It’s been 30 years since Affirmed swept the Derby, Preakness and Belmont to give racing its 11th Triple Crown winner.

 Will there be a Preakness Party at the Lol Ha Beach bar on June 7th to see Big Brown take home the Triple Crown?  Stay tuned.
 

COMINGS AND GOINGS

            There were a couple of "events" in May, and the pace seems to be slowing down as we head into June. 

Comings, in May:

• Steve & Laura from NY were here for the “Derby Day” Event.
• Larry & Karen Kantor were back on the Lagoon with their friend, Lou.
• Macon & Susan Gravlee returned to Akumal on May 18 after celebrating their wedding anniversary in Italy, on the Amalfi Coast and Tuscany.
• Sherwood Anders returned to Casa Iguana for the Associating Meeting.
• Ron & Joyce Flake were back in Playa Caribe.
• Cheryl Dergins was back at Casa Milagro.
• Steve & Cynthia Hating were catching up with old friends at the beach bar.
• Susie Hall and her daughter, Jennifer, were once again visiting Aventuras Akumal.
• Diane Mahan and her daughter, Kelly Flynn, were back at Casa Solymar for a week.
• Richard Dooley and Kelly Zhuo were also back at Playa Caribe for a spell.
• Jody and Larry Allen, also in Playa Caribe, were here too.
• Hugh Maynard is back in town for his usual summer stay.
• Bruce & Ellen Eanet showed up at the bar too.

Goings, in May:
·        Gabriella Herbert made a quick trip over to Florida.
·        Jim & Kathy Farrell returned to Austin, Texas.
·        Luis Lobo went off and enjoyed an Alaska cruise.
·        Phoebe Barriett has left (did she really) for Florida and a drive across to Oregon.
·        Hurley Hackler left on the 28^th for another trip to Madrid and Barcelona.
·        Kazue and Beniko Schober returned to Japan for a vacation.
·        Lucy James has left for a visit to family and friends in England
.    Steve & IngridC are soon off for a vacation in MA.

 The Staff is voting to change this section to Came & Went, because almost everything is after the fact.
 

FLAG DAY, JUNE 14th

The Fourth of July was traditionally celebrated as America's birthday, but the idea of an annual day specifically celebrating the Flag is believed to have first originated in 1885.  BJ Cigrand, a schoolteacher, arranged for the pupils in the Fredonia, Wisconsin Public School, District 6, to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes) as 'Flag Birthday'.  In numerous magazines and newspaper articles and public addresses over the following years, Cigrand continued to enthusiastically advocate the observance of June 14 as 'Flag Birthday', or 'Flag Day'.

Inspired by three decades of state and local celebrations, Flag Day - the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 - was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916.  While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson's proclamation, it was not until August 3rd, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.
 

TONY AWARDS, JUNE 15th

The 2008 Tony Awards ceremony will be held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on June 15, 2008, and broadcast on CBS television.  Whoopie Goldberg is the host.  The nominations were announced on May 13.

The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American theatre and are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City.  The awards are for Broadway productions and performances, as well as discretionary non-competitive Special Tony Awards and the Regional Theatre Tony Award, and the Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre.

While the theatre-going public may consider the Tony Awards to be the Oscars of live theatre, critics have suggested that the Tony Awards are primarily a promotional vehicle for a small number of large production companies and theatre owners in New York City.  Only shows playing in one of 39 "Broadway" theatres designated by the Tony Awards Management Committee are eligible for the Tony Awards.  The 39 "Broadway" theatres are all large venues located between 40th and 66th Streets and 6th and 10th Avenues in New York City, an area surrounding Broadway from Times Square to Lincoln Center.  Shows playing in "off-Broadway" or "off-off-Broadway" theatres, or shows playing outside of New York City, are not eligible.  Since there are only 39 theatres, only a portion of which will be featuring a "new" production in any given season, and 27 award categories, it's likely that many "new" shows will reap at least one award.
 

DID YOU KNOW?  TONY TRIVIA

·        Harold Prince has won 21 Tony Awards, more than anyone else, including eight for directing, eight for producing, two as producer of the year's Best Musical, and three special Tony Awards.  

·        "The Producers" won the most Tony Awards ever received by a musical with 12 awards, including best musical. 

·        Stephen Sondheim has won more Tony Awards than any other composer, with eight Tony Awards: Best Music and Best Lyrics for Company (1971); Best Score for Follies (1972), A Little Night Music (1973), Sweeney Todd (1979), Into the Woods (1988), Passion (1994); and Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement (2008).  

·        Julie Harris has won the most performance Tony Awards, and has been nominated more than any other performer.  She has won five awards for her roles in I Am a Camera - 1952, The Lark - 1956, Forty Carats - 1969, The Last of Mrs. Lincoln - 1973, and The Belle of Amherst - 1977.  She has been nominated a total of ten times. 

·        Bob Fosse has won the most Tony Awards for choreography, eight, and one more for direction.  Choreography: The Pajama Game (1955), Damn Yankees (1956), Redhead (1959), Little Me (1963), Sweet Charity (1966), Pippin (1973), Dancin' (1978), and Big Deal (musical) (1986).  Direction: Pippin (1973).
 

WHAT'S NEW AROUND TOWN?

AKUMAL

La Vista Azul Restaurant
This has not been personally checked out by the Staff, but it has been confirmed that there is a restaurant on the roof of the Las Villas Akumal condominiums.  It is named La Vista Azul, and it does have an excellent view over the pool out to Jade Bay.  When the Staff checked, it was open for lunch and dinner, but dinner only goes to 8:00pm.

 Billboard
As you enter Akumal on MX 307 from the north, there is a relatively new billboard just before the pedestrian overpass.  What is interesting about this one is that it is advertising 10,000 M2“Lots for Sale”, at the Vive Riviera Maya in Chemuyil.  There’s no mention of how many lots are here, but an approximation looks like about 420. 

 The http://www.vivesrivieramaya.com/en/index.html web site provides additional information. 

Video of Fire at Akumal Beach Resort
Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT7vN3udaEo  for some footage of the fire there last month.

$3,000 Peso ATM
We all know that there is an ATM at Super Chomak, and that the maximum withdrawal is just $1,500 Pesos.  There is another ATM across the street at Mini Super El Pueblito, and its maximum is $3,000 Pesos.
 

It's Turtle Season
It is that time of the year, and the turtles are now coming ashore and laying their eggs.  As of this writing, there are at least three or four nests along the beach at South Akumal.

Rattlesnake at Hekab Be Bibliotheca
Maggie McKown reported that she encountered a 3 - 4 foot rattlesnake at the door to the library on Friday, May 30, and with a little help from a 2 x 4 and some workers, she was able to dispatch of it and protect the children. The Staff could not get Maggie to pose with the snake draped around her shoulders, so this photo will have to do.
 

FATHER’S DAY, JUNE 15TH

Historians have recorded that there was a tradition to celebrateFather's Day even thousands of years ago.  Their studies say that 4,000 years ago in Babylon, a son called Elmesu carved a father's day message on a clay card.  In his message Elmesu wished his father a long and healthy life.  There is no knowledge as to what happened to this father son duo, but it is believed that several countries retained the custom of celebrating Father's Day.

The tradition of celebrating Father's Day, as seen today, originated in the last century.  Though there are several people who are credited for furthering the cause of Father's Day, there is far greater acceptance for Ms Sonora Louise Smart Dodd's contribution.  A doting daughter from Spokane, Washington, Ms Dodd is recognized as the Founder, or Mother, of the Father's Day Festival.

Inception of the Father's Day took place in Sonora's mind when she happened to hear a Mother's Day sermon in 1909.  Sonora, who was 27 then, had begun to recognize the hardships her father must have gone through while bringing up his six children alone.  When Sonora was 16, her mother had died during childbirth.  Sonora's father a Civil War veteran by the name of William Jackson Smart raised six children including the newborn on his own.  Sonora questioned that if there is a day to recognize mothers, then why is not there a day to honor fathers?

Many people laughed and joked at Sonora's idea, but her will did not droop.  She began a sincere campaign lobbying for the cause of Father's Day.  Her hard work began to show signs of success when Spokane celebrated its first Father's Day on June 19, 1910 with the support of Spokane Ministerial Association and the local Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA).  To pay tribute to her affectionate father, Sonora wished that Father's Day be celebrated on her father's birthday on June 5, but it so happened that there was not enough time for preparation, and the day came to be celebrated on third Sunday in the month of June.

The noble idea of celebrating Father's Day became quite popular in US, so much so that President Woodrow Wilson approved of the festival in 1916.  President Calvin Coolidge too supported the idea, but it was President Lyndon Johnson who signed a Presidential Proclamation declaring the third Sunday of June as Father's Day in 1966. ,Then in 1972, President Richard Nixon established a permanent national observance of Father's Day to be held on the third Sunday of June.
 

FULL MOON, JUNE 18th

The Full Strawberry Moon occurs on June 18^th at 12:30am AST.  This name was universal to every Aztec tribe.  However, in Europe they called it the Rose Moon.  Also, because the relatively short season for harvesting strawberries comes each year during the month of June, so the full Moon for June was christened for the strawberry!

SUMMER SOLSTICE, JUNE 21st

Solstice, from the Latin for sun stands still, in astronomy, either of the two points on the ecliptic that lie midway between the equinoxes (separated from them by an angular distance of 90°).

At the solstices the sun's apparent position on the celestial sphere reaches its greatest distance above or below the celestial equator, about 23 1/2° of arc.  At the time of summer solstice, about 2:06pm on June 21, the sun is directly overhead at noon at the Tropic of Cancer.

In the Northern Hemisphere the longest day and shortest night of the year occur on this date, marking the beginning of summer.  At winter solstice, about December 22, the sun is overhead at noon at the Tropic of Capricorn; this marks the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. For several days before and after each solstice the sun appears to stand still in the sky, i.e., its noontime elevation does not seem to change from day to day.
 

SUMMER SOLSTICE AT CHICHEN ITZA

The Kukulcan pyramid at Chichen Itza is notable for the fact that at the spring and fall equinoxes (March 21 and September 22) the sun projects an undulating pattern of light on the northern stairway for a few hours in the late afternoon—a pattern caused by the angle of the sun and the edge of the nine steps that define the pyramid's construction.  These triangles of light link up with the massive stone carvings of snake heads at the base of the stairs, suggesting a massive serpent snaking down the structure.
 

EVENTS

During the month of May, there was one other "Event" beside the Best Shirt Award, and that was the Kentucky Derby "party" on May 3rd.  For photos, go to Kentucky Derby.

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