books

Books I have finished:

Alchemist by Paulo Coello
This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and inspiring wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles along the way. But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of the treasures found within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is an eternal testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
The novel begins with Edmond Dantès returning to Marseille, where he meets his family and friends. There, the reader learns that he is the ship's first mate, about to receive promotion to captaincy and also is on the verge of marrying a beautiful Catalan, Mercédès.
It is revealed that the previous captain Leclere, who was a staunch supporter of the now exiled Emperor Napoleon, charged Dantès on his deathbed to deliver a package to former Grand Marshall Maréchal Bertrand, who has been exiled to the isle of Elba. During his visit, he spoke to Napoleon himself, who asked him to deliver a confidential letter to a man in Paris for him.
However, the naive Dantès does not realize how his fortune affects those he considers friends. Danglars, the ship's chief of cargo who envies Edmond's promotion, and Fernand, who desires Mercédès, seek to expose Edmond as a Bonapartist agent; he is sent to the deputy public prosecutor and magistrate, Villefort. Though Villefort is at once sure of Edmond's innocence and is on the verge of setting him free, he discovers that the addressee is none other than his own father, Noirtier, a prominent Bonapartist. However, the son has denounced his father to improve his relations with the current royalist regime, and a resurgence of speculation about his true loyalties could irrevocably damage his career and prevent his imminent marriage to a well-known aristocratic family. In order to bury this secret Villefort sends Edmond to languish indefinitely in the infamous Château d'If.

Beloved by Toni Morrison
The book follows the story of Sethe and her daughter Denver as they try to rebuild their lives after having escaped from slavery. One day, a teenaged girl shows up at their house, saying that her name is "Beloved." Sethe comes to believe that the girl is another of her daughters, whom Sethe killed when she was only two years old to save her from a life of slavery, and whose tombstone reads "Beloved." Beloved's return consumes Sethe to the point where she ignores her other children and even her own needs, while Beloved becomes more and more demanding.
The novel follows in the tradition of slave narratives, but also confronts the more painful and taboo aspects of slavery, such as sexual abuse and violence. Morrison feels these issues were avoided in the traditional slave narratives. In the novel, Beloved, she explores the effects on the characters, Paul D and Sethe, of trying to repress - and then come to terms with - the painful memories of their past.

State of Fear by Michael Crichton
Like most of his novels it is a techno-thriller, this time concerning eco-terrorists who threaten the Earth. Unusual for a novel but common among Crichton's work, the book contains many graphs and footnotes as well as two appendices and a twenty page bibliography.
Crichton included a statement of his own views on global climate change at the end of the book, affirming that the world is heating up, but arguing that the causes, consequences and benefits or harms of this change are unknown. He warns both sides of the global warming debate against the politicization of science, and endorses the preservation of wilderness and the continuation of research into all aspects of the Earth's environment. Despite being fiction, the novel received the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) 2006 Journalism Award. AAPG Communications director Larry Nation told the New York Times, "It is fiction, but it has the absolute ring of truth." The presentation of this award has been criticized as a promotion of the politics of the oil industry, and for blurring the lines between fiction and journalism.

Mountains Beyond Mountains : The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World details Farmer's work in Haiti, Peru and Russia, as well as his efforts to balance clinical and academic responsibilties with having a family of his own.


"The bourgeoisie, by the rapid improvement of all instruments of production, by the immunity facilitated means of communication, draws all, even the most barbarous notions into civilization. The cheap prices of commodities are the heavy artillery with which it batters down all Chinese walls, with which it forces the barbarians intensely obstruct hatred of foreigners to capitate. It compels all nature, on pain of extinction to adapt the bourgeoisie made the production, it compels them to introduce what it calls civilization into their midst is to become bourgeoisie themselves. In one word, it creates a world after its own image."

Utila

Utila Town, Honduras

So, Utila, home of the Canacol, the place I learned to rescue panic, tired, and crazy divers. I am not a certified RESCUE DIVER. Watch out, now! Here I come to save the day.


So, here is the Jade Seahorse, which is a pretty funky hotel on the island... Here is the Swamper, Iguana... Where its only true home is in the mangroves of Utila, in the entire world.
Here is a picture of one of the dive shops that I went to... I love the ocean. This is a look at the big town of Utila Town from the hightest point on the island... The water tower.
Here is just another fresh picture of the Jade Seahorse... My Norweigan Pal, Atle with his magic hands..: I originally met him in Panama and we rocked the pool hall in Panama, so people heard about us and didnt want to mess with us in Utila...
Dinner at RJs with a couple of Swiss, 2 Italians, 1 Kiwi, 2 Norweigas, 2 French Canadian, and one from the Yukon. And of course the Yank. .Instead of complaining about outsourcing, said Rajesh, Americans and Western European would “be better off thinking about how you can raise your bar and raise yourself in the doing something better.”

ROATATATA

Roatan, ya se fui.

So my six weeks that I spent in Roatan was pretty amazing. Living in Sandy Bay on the beach, having the waves crash on your back porch is like the most peaceful thing in the world.

Islander life is very tranquill and totally can be the cure for stress...

Open Water Diving and Advanced Diving with David Swain. Divecare.com. It was a great experience! I thought I was going to die the moment that I hit the water, but once you relax underwater you start to see things and realize what an amazing world it is down there.

Crazy guys walking with their daily loads to sale. Mangroves, very cool, and totally spooky... Jonesville, Roatan, home of the Conocal. Paya Bay Resort, totally out of the way, but so nice.

This is beautiful Old Port Royal...
These are the Swain Boys, Jack and Elliot...
The Swain girl and Swain Dad, Elenor and David... along with Ramon and Myself. This is my back porch, isn't it just terrible. And a picture of the daily supply of plantains to sale.
Miss Peggy, Dr. Raymond graduating his class of local volunteers and AudraKatz and Jenn Miller who were some of the cooler girls on the island. Anything which can be done to reduce a U.S. company’s liability for medical coverage would be a plus in keeping jobs in the U.S.

Capt Jon Bonar

Capt Jon Bonar

Check out my cousin!




There is a variety of studies indicating that every dollar a company invests overseas in an offshore factory yields additional exports for its home country, because roughtly1/3 of global trade is within multinational companies

Turtle for lunch.

So, Tuesday for lunch was spent over a nice hot plate of some illegal turtle mean. It was tasty!! Kind of like a cooked Tuna taste meets the texture of lamb or something like that. Very nice! Although the flippers were definitely weird, I still enjoyed eating it all.

I have made my plans for my final month here in Central America. On February 28th in the morning I will be taking a ferry to La Ceiba and another one to Utila, Honduras where I will spend the next 4-5 days out there. Then returning to La Ceiba for the night or so. Moving on to Tikal, Guatemala, Then Lake Antitlan and Antiqua area of Guatemala. Returning to Danli, Honduras by the 17th of March and leaving from Tegucigalpa on the 19th.

I can't believe it is all coming to an end soon!!! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, the hot showers and back to the boring life of gringolandia.

Where should I go next? Who wants to come with?





¨the shared conviction that the rest of the world was wrong for screwing them over, and that someone, someone just and perhaps even omniscient, was keeping score.¨

Mi Familia Catracho

The Stayerman's and the Jacobs .It requires a president who can summon the notion to get smarter and study harder in science, math and engineering in order to reach the new frontiers of knowledge that the flat world is rapidly opening up and pushing out. And it requires a Great Society that commits our government to build, the infrastructure, safely nets and institutions that will help every American become more employable in an age who no one can be guaranteed lifetime employment.

Take a look at my sisters

Crazy Lisa just graduated from the Naval Officer Boot Camp in Pensacola, Florida recently. She is going off to Virginia Beach soon and from there the WORLD...

My parents think it is hard to remember where I am living. Just wait and she what my sister is going to do.

Lisa all dressed up and not allowed to move. And of course there is Belly, she is kinda funny looking don't ya think?
¨lend a voice to the voiceless¨

Dinner out in Coxen Hole

So after work today I went over to the "Country Bar" which is an Islander restaurant. Where on the menu they have Wild Rabbit/Wild Guinea Pig, Mondongo, Cows' Feet and Cow Stew. That is their entire menu. So what do you think I ordered?
The wild rabbit/guinea pig because just in case you didn't know Mondongo is boiled Cow belly and it stinks. The rabbit (whatever it really is) was pressure cooked and prepared nicely except for all of the little bones that were stuck inside it (which are never appetizing). Along with 3 beers, you can beat a meal like that anywhere!

¨No I would say, ´The objective is to inculcate in the doctors and nurses the spirit to dedicate themselves to the patients, and especially to having an outcome-oriented view of TB.´¨ Ïn other words, ´Fuck you.´¨