Monday, March 16, 2015

Monday 16th March 2015…at last!!!

Today is a holiday in Mexico to celebrate the man below ….most laces closed today…


History of Benito Juarez

SUMMARY: Benito Juarez is considered one of Mexico's greatest and most beloved leaders. During his political career he helped to institute a series of liberal reforms that were embodied into the new constitution of 1857. During the French occupation of Mexico, Juarez refused to accept the rule of the Monarchy or any other foreign nation, and helped to establish Mexico as a constitutional democracy. He also promoted equal rights for the Indian population, better access to health care and education, lessening the political and financial power of the Roman Catholic church, and championed the raising of the living standards for the rural poor.
Benito Juarez was born March 21st 1806, the child of Zapoteco Indians. After they died when he was three, he went to live with his uncle, but when he was 12 he joined his sister in Oaxaca. He began studying for the priesthood, but in 1829 changed to studying for a law degree, which he received in 1831. That year he also began his political career, with a seat on the municipal council. In 1841 he became a judge, and the governor of Oaxaca.

Benito Juarez, President and national hero

Benito Juarez - Mexican President and National Hero

In 1853 the conservatives took power in Mexico and many liberals were exiled, including Juarez, who spent his time of exile in New Orleans. In 1855 the liberals won the election, and Benito Juarez returned from his exile as the Minister of Justice. In 1857 he was elevated to preside over the supreme court, in effect making him the Vice President. In 1858 the conservatives rebelled, and again Juarez had to leave Mexico City, this time fleeing to Veracruz, where he created a government in exile.
In January 1861 the conservatives lost power, and Benito Juarez became the President of Mexico. As the treasury was practically empty Juarez made the decision to suspend payment on all foreign debts for a two year period. After Mexican congress rejected an agreement Juarez had made with the British Prime Minister to protect the interests of European countries Spanish, British and French troops landed in Vera Cruz. Spain and Britain were there to protect their financial interests, and left in April, after it became clear that France had conquest in mind. The French troops fought for two years, and although suffering a serious defeat on 5th May 1862, eventually captured Mexico City in June 1863, and placed Archduke Maximilian of Austria on the Mexican throne.
Benito Juarez and the government of Mexico were forced to retreat right back to Ciudad Juarez, on the border with the USA. After four years with growing pressure from America, continuing resistance from Mexicans and criticism from the French govenrment and people, finally the Napoleonic forces withdrew. Maximilian himself was captured and executed on 19th June 1867.
Juarez returned to Mexico city, and the presidency even after suffering a stroke in October 1870, and the loss of his wife in 1871. He won the presidential election in 1871, but died on 18th July 1872, of a heart attack

 

 

 

 

Well the rain has stopped but the skies are still gloomy they reckon we had close to five and a half inches fall in the last two days that is a lot of water.

I was glad to get out on my scooter this morning and I went to my Spanish class…this was a good class which I enjoyed I usually do not enjoy them but Maryisol is so good with me and she piled on the homework again……I went into town and bought fixings as when I go home I am going to make an Irish stew in the crockpot in honor of St.Patrick's day tomorrow.

I decided at home that I needed to get out and packed up and walked from the house and headed for my favorite SMA hike the one behind the big grocery store into the canyons with the suspension bridge and maybe if I was lucky some waterfalls.

this is the view from the highway

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The zoom on this camera of mine is awesome

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Getting closer I have to go up to the cross first

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When I was here about three weeks ago there was no water and this bed was dry

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This is the base of the canon and this pool was also dry and I guess it is now got about 8 feet of water!!!

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I then started to climb upto the cross

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Looking back to the lake and my house is somewhere in there

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At last the top!!!

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After about 15 minutes walking I came out to my favorite location and this is taken from the suspension bridge across the canyon

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I then went to the top of the falls

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This is where the falls begin

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I then climbed down some rocks and sat on the ledge and just watched the waterfall

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I really love it here and I sat around 30 minutes and thought about all sorts of stuff but mainly that it is only 8 more weeks before I leave SMA and start my summer and winter journey……

came home tired but happy and it was about 11 mile hike just what I needed…..

Had a wonderful Epson salt bath and now after dinner getting ready for a soccer game that was played this afternoon in England!!!

This is a good article I think but does anyone think that he in this shot below looks a little like me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

_81656196_jpmcenroe_getty

 

John McEnroe: Serena Williams should run for US President

John McEnroe has always been outspoken. He was outspoken on the court as a player and he's been consistently outspoken from the commentary box.

In an interview with the BBC's tennis correspondent Russell Fuller, the 56-year-old American, who won seven Grand Slam singles titles, gives his latest ideas for revitalising tennis and also talks politics and social welfare.

Specifically, he thinks Serena Williams should become president of the United States - with him as vice-president, of course...

"I would have thought that a woman would have become president before a black man. What I think is frustrating for Americans is that it feels like more was going to change with Obama. So maybe we need a black woman - maybe we get Serena to run."

McEnroe the social reformer

McEnroe admits quite happily that it is "against my nature to try and work within a system and be a politician".

But there is plenty he would like to change. It frustrates him that tennis remains a predominantly white sport and that families are being priced out of the world's most expensive capitals.

"It seems like the richer you are, the more chance you have of paying less tax. Why have real estate prices gone absolutely insane in London and New York?"

It didn't take long for me to realise that this was a rhetorical question.

"Because there's a bunch of foreigners that want to park their money somewhere - in a lot of cases, for mysterious reasons - and yet they are paying all types of crazy money and that has forced the average person out," he continued.

JP McEnroe Grand Slam titles

Wimbledon singles champion 1981, 1983, 1984

US Open singles champion 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984

Wimbledon doubles champion 1979, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1992

US Open doubles champion 1979, 1981, 1983, 1989

"You need a thriving middle class and if you don't have that, I think it becomes something different than it was ever planned to be.

"The way things are going, in 20 years you are going to have to go onto the Triborough Bridge [in New York] and show someone a card that says your net worth is at least a million dollars - or they're not even going to let you in the place."

Why are tennis players expected to behave as if it was 1955?

McEnroe's views on the future of tennis are especially relevant, as he is a member of the ATP's Legends Advisory Board, which has been tasked with coming up with ideas to make the sport even more appealing in future.

Andy Murray has an exchange of views with Tomas Berdych

Andy Murray has an exchange of views with Tomas Berdych

The ATP's executive chairman Chris Kermode should expect to do a lot of listening when he meets McEnroe for lunch in the next couple of days.

"When I came on the tour," McEnroe continued, "I thought, why don't they treat tennis players the same way they look at football players? Because I've got news for you, when they are on the pitch, they are not saying 'Hello, how are you?' out there.

"Even the cricketers are probably going at each other - something tells me they are trash talking a bit. It was totally like tennis players have to act a certain way - well, why do we have to act a certain way they acted 60 years ago? The women got the right to vote in 1920 in America - does that mean we should think the way people thought in 1910?"

Do we really need line judges?

A line judge at Wimbledon

Should tennis do away with line judges like this one at Wimbledon?

And in a similar vein, McEnroe thinks the sport would be a lot more exciting if players were asked to call their own lines. It will be trialled on the US seniors' circuit over the next couple of months.

"Murray, you bum, you just cheated Nadal, and vice versa," McEnroe imagines the crowd shouting out if the implausible suggestion ever became official policy.

"It would have this incredible excitement and you wouldn't know what was going to happen and that is part of what makes sport so great.

"Things would get a whole lot more intense, and I'm telling you, 30% more exciting. We've got to think ahead 10 or 20 years from where tennis is now, and think bigger picture to get back in the mix along with the top sports."

Scrap the warm-up

McEnroe will have much more support for his desire to abolish the five-minute knock-up that precedes every match - as it can break the tension of the occasion. Instead, he would take a leaf out of boxing's book.

"Boxers come out into the ring," he said. "They are about to tear each other's head off and possibly your life is at stake. They don't go out there and tap each other, hit each other: for that first punch, your anticipation is 'Wow!'"

Introduce a deciding set tie-break in every Grand Slam

The US Open is currently the only one of the four Grand Slams to allow a final set tie-break.

McEnroe is convinced that Wimbledon, Roland Garros and the Australian Open should follow suit - arguing it is inhumane to expect players to continue past six-all in the fifth set.

John Isner against Nicolas Mahut in 2010

A delighted John Isner is smiling after beating Nicolas Mahut 70-68 in the final set at Wimbledon 2010

"These people play four or five hours and is it not enough that they've got to go to six-all in the fifth: after all that time, the stress and the fact that they've got to go out and potentially play four, five or six more matches?"

In the spirit of compromise - could he really become a consensus politician? - McEnroe suggests a final set tie-break could kick in at 10-all, or even 15-all, but is adamant that he never wants to see a repeat of John Isner's 70-68 final set win over Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon 2010.

"I think it was the perfect time to change the rule that day. Don't ever, ever, as long as we have a sport called tennis, put two people through that again. Did you see him the next day? The guy looked like a statue. He couldn't even take a seat. Laughable. Do we have to have people endure this hell, the torture, where these guys weren't the same people for six months?"

Boris Becker, Mats Wilander, Lleyton Hewitt and Carlos Moya are the other members of the Legends Advisory Board. They will do well to get a word in edgeways.

 

Yashi Kochi!!!

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