GRAVITY > LIGHT! “Let there be light: and there was light.” ~Genesis 1:3

Design of appropriate low-tech devices for third-world people is an area of special interest to me. I recently noticed a solar lantern (by SolarSister), but it seems quite pricey at $48 US. Now comes a really wonderful design which has all the markings of sustainability – as gravity is with us everywhere, and its free!

Kerosene is used by over 700,000,000 people to light homes; fumes are equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes per day. CO2 from this is projected at 190 million tons annually. All of this can be made unnecessary with a  device costly less than $10. After three months recovery of investment, it saves families walking to buy fuel/petrol. More info: http://deciwatt.org/#gravitylight

This then is the message we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. ~1John 1:5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas decked out in Merida

Two blocks from our flat is a street which gets closed off every Saturday night for festivities, termed Noche Mexicana, here decked for Christmas.

We’ve been here before. I think this is our third Christmas in Merida. Christmas day is forecast to be 95ºF (35ºC): Hot! That would be the highest winter temperature we’ve seen. While the birth of Jesus –  the reason for the season, had nothing to do with winter solstice, but rather, an awakening to a conscious ongoing relationship with the Divine – the cultural artifacts are nonetheless enjoyable. (For anyone who might like to ponder that relational event further, here is a Christian nondenominational , nondual site written by a friend who has done a superb job articulating the new birth into awareness: CLICK http://tinyurl.com/chl6svg 

Fat man in red suit rides again. Memo: Eric, “you must become as a little child” to get past this stuff.

Elder brother gets his portrait drawn, while little brother really has to pee.

CLICK: VOCALIST  (Short Video)

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And, of course, there are many food kiosks selling crepes, corn, tortillas . . .

Here, Sobrina, the most famous taco maker in Merida, (our favorite) feeds multitudes.

And don’t forget the mirimba players.

 

Hockey Night in Merida: Fire without Ice

Knowing that the hockey season up north has been “misplaced” makes the event photographed and shared here all that much more amusing. Especially, please notice the flaming “puck” – a nine pound rubber ball; and the fact that these players are barefoot. (I bought the theme for Hockey Night In Canada from iTunes, just to taunt my Canadian readers, but have not been successful at embedding it into the post. Sorry fans.)

These photos were all made on Maya “New Year’s Eve” at the close of the 13th Bak’Tun, knowing that tomorrow would be the end of the world, or the Beginning of a New Epoch.

 

It’s the Jaguars vs the Bucks tonight at Plaza Grande arena (we’re talkin street hockey, here, folks) in front of Merida’s main cathedral. The bench is deep, and the goons are fierce. The lighting is a bit weird, but hey, some say tomorrow will never come, so it should be a colorful, memorable event. And in the old days of this game, (called pok a pok by insiders who speak Mayan) the captain of either the winning or losing team (historians disagree) would be sacrificed by beheading – so make it your best game ever, guys!

Who sez stickmen don’t look good in pink?

The referee lights the “puck” – a nine pound rubber ball.

No, the Ref didn’t burn his fingers at face-off. He just blew a whistle.

Here’s a short video of the action. (Dont’ step on the burning embers in bare feet!)

CLICK TO PLAYMVI_2993

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Goalie makes a fashion statement! (Actually, they don’t have goalies. This dude was just hangin in the end zone. A bouncer?)

 

 

That ring in the upper right corner of this photo is the goal. The puck must be lofted through it. We actually saw three goals scored.

The Buck bench looks on while the Jags eat their Buck teammates for lunch.

Another night of good, clean, free fun in the lovely, gentle city of peace:  

Merida, Yucatan, Mexico.

Wandering Wolf, Maya Elder.  (Video of a new beginning.)

DON Alejandro Cirilo Perez Oxlaj, (“Wandering Wolf”) a senior elder of the Maya

A major documentary, SHIFT of the AGES, linked below, holds forth hope and promise for a new day. It tells the ongoing story of our global transition from tribalism to a united, harmonious, human family. There is drama, and a quest, when a sacred object conferring authority is relinquished by the featured elder, and is then kept by another elder rather than continuing to circulate. Wandering Wolf demonstrates humility, perseverance, stamina, and peace in pursuing a just outcome. There is much beauty in this film, which speaks peace to a world in turmoil, seeking awakening. Settle in, make some popcorn even. (Hey, corn came to us all, from these people. What else do they have to offer?)

CLICK: http://www.shiftoftheages.com/

TruckIT and the ELF: Pedal assisted EV’s.

A recumbent bike with electric assist having range of 30 miles at 20mph.

 

Two vehicles, made in USA, are ready for order, and sure to be a big hit. The stories can be read at these clickable links. What fun!

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2012/12/17/the-solar-powered-bike-car-thingy-weve-all-been-waiting-for/

http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/12/16/2545386/hobbit-sized-elf-cycle-ready-to.html

p024vqg6Bicycling in Europe

MAYA STONE CALENDAR

Maya baktun (144,000 day) stone calendar. Image: Michael Bisanz, Wikimedia commons

I’m enjoying the many articles about end-of-world prophesies. Anyone who cares to notice will quickly discover that the Maya prophets weren’t predicting the end, but rather a new beginning, a fresh start. And while it would be faulty reasoning to believe that the sun will rise tomorrow simply because it rose yesterday, some of the fun facts surrounding this event have me grinning, and looking forward to 12/12/2012, the big day. One is the blog item linked below, from Tom Toles, a fellow Buffalonian, now editorial cartoonist at Washington Post. (I really love his cartoons.) I’ve linked a few others after his pasted entry. When I find the right link, or information, I will share the spiritual dimension of the festivities going on in Merida. There are jumbo-trons broadcasting blessings from thought leaders and holy people worldwide, being heard and viewed in the various parks. 

Holiday present

By  blog entry for 12.17.2012

One of the hardest things to do is live in the present moment, and this is mostly because it is so LITTLE! The Past? It stretches out in a leisurely vastness in which you could spend 100,000,000 years or so with the dinosaurs before you even sit down with a sandwich. The future is the same way, theoretically at least, except this week, when the Mayans (blast from the past!) will menace us with their calendar, a big round stone, that if they’d thought to put it and three others on a wagon, it would have simplified their pyramid building.

There are a couple of nice features to End of the World days. First, they are always wrong, so we’ll get to have another weekend. But as it happens, I will be in a plane on the 21st, so if the world DOES happen to disappear, I’ll get a good view, and will be safe, though longer-term prospects will be problematic. Second, even if only in a pretend way, the end of the world can help us focus on this wee small, fast-moving present moment of our lives and try to live in it for once, even though it’s usually like trying to stand on one foot atop a flagpole.

I don’t have any special wisdom regarding living in the present. I tend to be future-oriented, and I have a family member who is just the opposite. But whatever, the mystics have something interesting to say about it. which i will report here, inaccurately. As speedy and narrow as the present moment is, if you do manage to slide in and get comfortable, it paradoxically expands, into infinity. If you want to experience immortality, that’s a way to do it. Anyway, small children seem to live there, and aside from the problem of lining up the next meal for yourself, it’s not a bad place to be. The problem with being always future oriented is that it never gets here. A friend on his deathbed said that it’s the people in your life that are the important thing, and the rest is distraction. I’m inclined to believe him. Those people are right here, right now.

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http://yucalandia.com/science-health-issues/2012-maya-calendar-mystery-and-logic-vs-thors-day-worship-the-sun-day-et-al/

12/21/12: Definitely Not the End of the World | Wired Science | Wired.com