tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66728342503256322312024-03-05T19:24:06.876-06:00Rancho Santa ClaraMexico through the eyes of two American expatsalcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.comBlogger634125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672834250325632231.post-3225858284242873462022-08-22T16:03:00.002-05:002022-08-22T16:03:36.451-05:00The Rancho Santa Clara blog has moved!<p>The new location is </p><p>elranchosantaclara.com</p><p>Be sure to put "el" before "ranchosantaclara.com"</p><p>Then also remember to subscribe to the blog at its new location, using the box on the right-hand side. </p><p>Hope you like the new design. Any mechanical problems (subscribing, comments etc.) please let me know by email at stewnal@gmail.com</p><p>Hope to see you there...</p><p><br /></p><p>Al</p>alcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672834250325632231.post-24893809470126359922022-08-11T12:52:00.000-05:002022-08-11T12:52:33.652-05:00Honk if you prefer stick shift cars<p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">W</span><span style="font-size: medium;">hen Stew and I went shopping for our 2018 Audi Q5</span></b></span> it turned out to be a doubly frustrating search. We wanted a blue or dark green one with a manual transmission. </p><p>We had done an unscientific visual survey and found that about 80 percent of the cars on the road were either black, white or silver. We wanted something different. To get our green Q5, though, with light brown leather interior, we had to special-order it from the Audi assembly plant in Puebla and wait three months. </p><p>As for the stick shift, <i>fuggedaboutit.</i> Q5s with manual transmissions are sold only in Europe. </p><p>An August 8 article in <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/08/stick-shift-manual-transmission-cars/671078/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=one-story-to-read-today&utm_content=20220809&utm_term=One%20Story%20to%20Read%20Today"><i>The Atlantic</i> magazine</a> confirmed our suspicions: Manual transmissions are a dying phenomenon in the U.S. In 2000, 15 percent of the cars sold by CarMax had manual transmissions; by 2020 their share had dropped to 2.4 percent. </p><p>The eventual disappearance of manual transmissions from the American and Mexican markets is all but sealed. <i>The Atlantic</i> magazine's author lamented the trend. I hereby join in the lamentation. </p><p>I imagine car makers will argue that shrinking customer demand is driving the demise of manual transmissions. But the situation might not be that innocent. What if manufacturers just want to simplify production and inventories by giving car buyers no choice but automatic transmissions? </p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">F</span><span style="font-size: medium;">or me, m</span><span style="font-size: medium;">ost of the fun of driving in Europe</span></b></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">is</span><span style="font-family: "Roboto Condensed"; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;"> </span>to drive a stick shift, and merrily run through the gears at every intersection and turn. Stew won't have anything to do with driving in Europe, manual transmission or not. One thing I haven't tried is driving on the left-hand side in Britain, or as Americans describe it, on the "wrong" side of the road. </p><p>During our time together, Stew and I have owned several stick shift cars, including a Chevy Vega (a pathetic piece of junk); a Toyota Corolla; a tank-like Volvo and a Nissan Pathfinder SUV. But recently we haven't been able to find a car we like with a manual transmission.</p><p>I confess that our predilection for manual transmissions might be, hmm, a "man thing." Shifting gears gives you a mild testosterone rush, a feeling that you are in charge of the car, as you hear the engine rev up and down, while using your hands and feet. </p><p>In the Q5 much of the driver's control has been taken away. The Audi silently shifts from one gear to another, and from two- to four-wheel drive, on its own, whenever the car's electronics thinks it's appropriate. If you insist, you can shift gears "manually," but damn if the automatic function doesn't override your decision if it senses the engine is revving too fast. There are multiple safety beeps and warnings too, most startling that the car will automatically jam on the brakes if it senses you're about to back into something. </p><p><a href="https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15099915/2018-audi-q5-first-drive-review/">Car and Driver reviewers</a> gushed about the Q5's electronics. Their only complaint was that the power steering was so smooth it didn't provide enough "driver feedback" about the road. Indeed, cruising on a smooth road toward a Pacific Coast beach a few years back, the speedometer was closing in on 90 mph before I realized it. </p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> remember too, many moons ago, riding in a friend's Oldsmobile Ninety Eight</span></b></span> with a monster engine. When Lou "opened 'er up" on an expressway, the car would accelerate to whiplash speed in seconds, initially protesting with a mild groan before breaking into a roar that made you feel you were aboard a jet fighter. <br /></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzYroIdHPZbX_U0PGIbZU1NCqrUl7sgQd6-epylnWJiFHIjHXsHaDKvdjs0PuzGalBs5QfbRFveTD1y6WN87G1FnrNMZDoTgBkZXoYr3IMdTH1b2U9MxINllsdic2MP36vwKVGpRXHAI-8-00wGLcqRFGdUmskN-wbBEnPYV9dZkDWwwijjs7iG67/s1024/olds%2098.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="1024" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzYroIdHPZbX_U0PGIbZU1NCqrUl7sgQd6-epylnWJiFHIjHXsHaDKvdjs0PuzGalBs5QfbRFveTD1y6WN87G1FnrNMZDoTgBkZXoYr3IMdTH1b2U9MxINllsdic2MP36vwKVGpRXHAI-8-00wGLcqRFGdUmskN-wbBEnPYV9dZkDWwwijjs7iG67/s320/olds%2098.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Olds Ninety Eight: Ah, the smell of gasoline, the roar of a V-8</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Of course, these thrills came before energy conservation, global warming and other such killjoys. When he reached cruising speed, Lou would just smile, look at me mischievously and wink: "Well, there goes another gallon of gas!"</p><p>Cars now are much more civilized, perhaps too much so. When cruising at less than thirty miles per hour, electric cars are so quiet that manufacturers <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_vehicle_warning_sounds">are considering adding some artificial warning sounds</a>, such chimes or polite beeps, to alert pedestrians and cyclists. In Japan, a blind man and his guide dog got run over by an electric car they didn't hear approaching an intersection. I can just imagine a future of chimes and whistles from electric cars as they cruise on city streets. </p><p>Another late automotive "improvement" I haven't seen, much less tried, <a href="https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/best-self-parking-cars#:~:text=Best%20Self%2DParking%20Cars%20for,News%20Overall%20Score%3A%207.9%2F10">is self-parking cars</a>. Ultrasonic sensors supposedly pick out a suitable parking spot and parallel park the car on their own while the driver holds a button and presumably attends to more pressing chores like adjusting his tie or checking cell phone messages. </p><p>The ultimate, post stick shift iteration in automotive design has to be <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/10/23299973/ralph-nader-tesla-fsd-recall-nhtsa-autopilot-crash">self-driving vehicles</a>, which so far have shown a alarming propensity to crash into people and things. Car safety avatar Ralph Nader calls Tesla's self-driving cars <span style="background-color: white; color: #424242;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“one of the most dangerous and irresponsible actions by a car company in decades.”</span></span> </p><p>Here's my bet. After a couple of years of mishaps and close calls involving self-parking and -driving "smart cars," the Luddites among us will rise in protest and demand a return to dumber car models with manual transmissions that will force drivers to keep their hands and feet occupied—and pay attention to where the hell they are going. </p>alcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672834250325632231.post-22161009463693322682022-08-09T17:23:00.009-05:002022-08-11T13:01:30.450-05:00Our gardener's Texas odyssey and the self-defeating politics of U.S. immigration <p><b><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-large;">I</span><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: medium;">t's been almost a year since our gardener Félix</span></b> went to work in Texas, along with his brothers Juan and Sergio, all of them undocumented. This was Félix's fourth trip across the border. He was a teenager the first two times, and was detained and sent back the third time by <i>Mexican </i>cops, who stole all his money. This last trip with his two brothers went smoothly, as illegal border crossings go, and landed him a job in Tyler, a city near Dallas, where he's been doing roofing. </p><p>The last two times we've spoken, Félix sounded unhappy and exhausted. He desperately misses his wife and three kids, with whom he speaks daily, and complains about working outdoors in Texas' brutally hot summers and equally unpleasant winters. </p><p>Early on too Félix caught Covid and was sick for three or four days, and lost his sense of smell for several weeks, but soldiered on for fear of losing his job. Sick days or health insurance are not part of his employment deal. He plans to return to Mexico early next month but his two brothers say they'll stay until at least the end of the year. </p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span><span style="font-size: medium;">n their north-of-the-border sojourns</span></b></span>, Félix and his brothers have joined practically every 20- to 30-something Mexican male Stew and I have met since we moved to the ranch 13 years ago.</p><p>Another Juan we know has been doing roofing in Kerrville, west of San Antonio, for the past two years. Ulises, our present gardener, worked in landscaping in San Antonio for eight months, before returning to get married. Pascual, a body builder, landed a gig as bouncer at a Mexican cantina in Dallas. His brother Gabriel worked at a recycling center in Dallas for ten years during which he married and had two children with a Puerto Rican woman. They all moved to Mexico six months ago to finish a house Pascual had started a couple of years ago. Lupe, a shy 90-pounder, worked construction in Tyler and returned a year ago; his two brothers are still working there to pay for the house Lupe and their father are building in Sosnabar. Rubén, attempted the crossing but was caught because of the dumb move of using his cell phone, which was detected by U.S. immigration patrols. The wispy Crispín, son of Vicente, the rancher across the road from us, also tried his luck crossing the border but was caught. </p><p>Going to the Other Side to work seems like a rite of passage for young guys in this impoverished nook of Mexico, and the crossings follow a similar script. </p><p>Much like travel agents, c<i>oyotes</i> or <i>polleros </i>in Sosnabar, the nearby, hardscrabble town Félix comes from, will, for about $6,000 dollars, make all the arrangements and deliver you to an eager employer somewhere in Texas with immediate job openings. </p><p>In the case of Félix and his brothers the employer advanced the money to pay the <i>coyote</i>, and deducted the amount from their wages in installments. They live in a trailer—air-conditioned, much to Félix's relief—for which they each pay $50 dollars a week. </p><p>Félix' experience sounds much like that of my own cousin Julio who came from Cuba alone about ten years ago and hauled four-by-eight-foot drywall panels, another back-breaking job, at construction sites around Austin, along an otherwise all-Mexican work crew. </p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span><span style="font-size: medium;">o able-bodied, nearly illiterate Mexican guys</span></b></span> like Félix and his cohorts, illegal crossings are well worth the risk. Construction work in Tyler pays between $17 and $19 dollars an hour. Work weeks range from 50 to 75 hours, depending on the project. If you work, say, the minimum 40 hours, you'd be making about $700 weekly—or the inconceivable amount of <i>$14,000 pesos a week</i>. </p><p>Compare that amount to the <a href="https://www.mexperience.com/mexicos-minimum-wage-in-2022/#:~:text=Mexico's%20general%20minimum%20wage%20(Salario,the%202021%20rate%20of%20%24213.39.">current minimum wage in Mexico</a> along the U.S. border, of $260 pesos a day or some $1,300 pesos weekly. I can't imagine, though, employers in Mexico could pay so little and still find any workers. </p><p>The Mexican migrants we've met here hardly fit the profile of rapists, drug traffickers or welfare chiselers so often portrayed by some American politicians. </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLVluk8dAR9rcY53IgKLk55bGsyUSQZQe97RcK80lUOKYmE-g94RNN5D3rApe1RBiqVEhZyQYMFE3OAnNsLwrNknU9id3UNS4sUYlNL-zGWiJ9KfqnJM7gMGK1EwKwNyAbBW-Vx0xoawZynC_0aVr4Ay--ua3Q3ddRN-YypQ0W2KNhSdC16nt_IsCl/s6000/edgar.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLVluk8dAR9rcY53IgKLk55bGsyUSQZQe97RcK80lUOKYmE-g94RNN5D3rApe1RBiqVEhZyQYMFE3OAnNsLwrNknU9id3UNS4sUYlNL-zGWiJ9KfqnJM7gMGK1EwKwNyAbBW-Vx0xoawZynC_0aVr4Ay--ua3Q3ddRN-YypQ0W2KNhSdC16nt_IsCl/s320/edgar.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Edgar: Awaiting his own bedroom</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The migrants' ambitions are far more modest and temporary: To send enough money back home to build or finish a house, or start a small business, perhaps buy a flashy truck. Remittances by Mexican migrants in 2019 came to <a href="https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/mexican-immigrants-united-states-2019?gclid=CjwKCAjwi8iXBhBeEiwAKbUofXexnu_H4nXKdub7fP-BHyqmrFa42XnDZ7PH0yeD4DTR3j5bXSsOvBoCb9oQAvD_BwE">approximately $39 billion dollars</a>, or approximately three percent of Mexico's GDP. </p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Félix wanted to build a bathroom to his house,</span> which lacked indoor plumbing, and add a bedroom for his ten-year-old son Edgar, who now sleeps with his sisters. He's accomplished that by remote control, wiring money to his brother Esteban and his brother-in-law who did the work here. His wife Isela very proudly showed me the new bathroom, which has a toilet, sink and shower, a solar water heater and a septic tank nearby. Not an architectural landmark, but perfectly functional. Edgar's bedroom is still to come. </p><p>As Félix explained, most every newish, freshly painted house in the otherwise bleak Sosnabar was built by migrant remittances. </p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">D</span><span style="font-size: medium;">uring our last two trips to San Antonio,</span></b></span> the flipside of this labor and immigration equation was not hard to see: Help Wanted signs abound, particularly for fast food and other service jobs. For lack of personnel, some restaurants have closed their dining rooms and only serve customers in their drive-thru windows. One McDonald's advertised jobs for $17 dollars an hour. </p><p>Google the phrase "construction jobs in San Antonio" and you'll get dozens of listings for <i>laborers, </i>offering pay starting at $15 dollars an hour. As of June, the unemployment rate in Texas stood at 4 percent—economists consider a 4 to 5 percent rate as "full employment"—and clearly there are widespread labor shortages in some sectors, especially unskilled jobs.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAkxfe-lLj8L15Z-eorpTyeO3N9NXCioxxLelzH31rMF5Sw0GWLwQV0WSgbYmnISMy1Sab6ppnvCdsM0dHIcEKBbi_CGGPn186oIBaK0ylryFKilkX8bqdfUwKWn6U566pO-fjMU2WgsA3C32HLSC-HCmeC4ncrZat3tqn7Vod0SDhVoTaX-sKF7ug/s4865/arzolas.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="4865" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAkxfe-lLj8L15Z-eorpTyeO3N9NXCioxxLelzH31rMF5Sw0GWLwQV0WSgbYmnISMy1Sab6ppnvCdsM0dHIcEKBbi_CGGPn186oIBaK0ylryFKilkX8bqdfUwKWn6U566pO-fjMU2WgsA3C32HLSC-HCmeC4ncrZat3tqn7Vod0SDhVoTaX-sKF7ug/s320/arzolas.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Felix' family await his return in September. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Simple, all-capitalist supply-and-demand equations suggest that it would benefit Texas employers in construction and other sectors to <i>welcome </i>the creation of a well regulated immigrant worker program to satisfy labor needs. That doesn't mean "open borders" but rather a recognition of economic realities of Texas and other parts of the U.S.</p><p>It would also alleviate the underground illegal immigration problem to bring Félix and others like him out in the open, and facilitate their travel back and forth to Mexico depending on their personal needs and those of the labor market in the U.S. <i>Coyotes </i>might be the main losers in this arrangement.</p><p>But such market calculations clash with the Trumpian immigrant-demonizing catechism preached and practiced by his acolytes in Texas state government. Gov. Greg Abbott instead prefers political stunts such as deploying the Texas National Guard to the border, supposedly to stop illegal immigration. Most recently—and shamefully—Texas has been busing asylum seekers, sometimes against their will, to more immigrant-friendly cities such as New York or Washington, D.C., in effect treating them like trash to be moved from one's driveway over to a neighbors'. </p><p>For his part, Félix seems to be making arrangements to come back to his family. When we communicate, <i>"mi familia" </i>comes up in every other sentence. And as any good service provider, the Sosnabar <i>coyotes </i>offer scheduled return trips. He says he's signed up for the September 3 departure of the 25-plus hour trek from Tyler back home, to his family. </p>alcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672834250325632231.post-55469128542217180632022-07-31T18:01:00.003-05:002022-08-11T12:56:44.428-05:00To Covid or not, so what is the answer?<p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="font-size: medium;">mid the daily avalanche of media reports about the Covid pandemic</span></b></span>—some based on science, others on speculation and still others, perhaps the majority, on Internet conspiracies and high-octane bullshit—occasionally you run across a new angle to this topic. </p><p>Such was the case with a <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2022/07/never-had-covid-infection-avoidance/670620/">July 22 piece in the The Atlantic magazine</a>, that designated an increasingly small portion of the American population, about 18 percent, who so far have never been touched by the virus, as the "Covid virgins."<br /></p><p>In April, Stew and I ended our two-year travel fast with a trip to Croatia and a few days in Vienna on the return leg. Though we brought the requisite supplies of antiseptic gel and masks, almost immediately we jettisoned all caution. Neither the passengers nor the crew of our KLM flight wore masks, or the passengers aboard the cruise ship or on the ground at airports or cities we visited. The only exception seemed to be passengers aboard trams and buses in Vienna. </p><p>Complacency set in and we implicitly declared ourselves "Covid virgins" who hadn't been touched by the virus because we had been vaccinated and "boostered," and we lived in a ranch outside any populated areas. So the hell with masks, gel, potions and safe distancing. </p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">W</span><span style="font-size: medium;">rong move.</span></b></span> When we got back to San Miguel, Stew came down with what we thought was a case of the common flu and an raspy cough that lasted three days, and which he passed on to me. Neither one of us had any fever or other symptoms. I went to the local lab for an unrelated blood test, and out of curiosity, asked for a Covid test, which to my shock turned out positive. Stew also was positive. So much for Covid virginity.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFWrqOAiy7UuEkcdO_5fenQqj74tw927QQZZtYSsM9GKTezOJo7EIdHMYuBbkMpQwcx4bEuzqcCPNLRuplNz6wgom3jdDowbwQCadeCYfTT35YL75OMhMCyyyEaaZaRhhLr3yz8Wf-j95nAzZJW3CiBX9c-EwCbuNxCHITQApFHcNC6rtDUenKa2yI/s6000/opera.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFWrqOAiy7UuEkcdO_5fenQqj74tw927QQZZtYSsM9GKTezOJo7EIdHMYuBbkMpQwcx4bEuzqcCPNLRuplNz6wgom3jdDowbwQCadeCYfTT35YL75OMhMCyyyEaaZaRhhLr3yz8Wf-j95nAzZJW3CiBX9c-EwCbuNxCHITQApFHcNC6rtDUenKa2yI/s320/opera.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>The Vienna State Opera getting ready for Wolfgang.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Stew did some Googling about the incubation period of the virus and placed the probable site and time of our infection at the elegant venue of The Vienna State Opera, where we saw a performance of Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro." </p><p>While Figaro, Cherubino and the rest of the characters were carrying on onstage for three and a half long hours, nobody in the sellout audience of about four thousand, including twenty or thirty young standees immediately behind us, wore masks. The only masks I saw were among a few ushers in the lobby. Signs urging the wearing of masks seemed so much like part of the ornate décor of the place.</p><p>Our bad luck with Mozart's Figaro also confirmed our preference for Italian or French operas, and their more in-your-face dénouements where characters jump off balconies, die of tuberculosis in unheated attics, commit hara-kiri or just plain go to hell.</p><p>During a visit to San Antonio, for some medical tests, we went for our fourth Pfizer vaccine at a Walgreens, in addition to a pneumonia vaccine and a previous flu shot. But even after all those shots, we're not any more confident about how to keep from getting re-infected with Covid, amid all the conflicting signals, articles and advice.</p><p><b><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-large;">I</span><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: medium;">n Mexico masks are still prevalent</span></b> in streets and most establishments. But in Texas and in Europe they seem like yesterday's news. Did the rest of the world get an "all clear" signal that we missed in Mexico?</p><p>The Atlantic magazine article says 82 percent of the U.S. population has had a brush with the virus, and experienced the gamut of symptoms from mild, as in mine and Stew's case, all the way to death. According to the daily Covid tally <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html">published by the New York Times</a>, as of July 30, the daily average of cases reported was 124,090, 44,207 of which required hospitalizations, put 5,100 people in intensive care and resulted in 477 deaths. Since the virus exploded in the U.S. at the beginning of 2020, an astonishing 1,026,322 people have died from it. </p><p>Whatever is going on, it seems as if the Covid threat, while not as dire as two years ago, is hardly over.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqA67nF9r_z2QhGmIADDGb4ru94v1kYzqBMVGeiJ6qQzkiIm3KK2PXVgSKczK92xs6m7oRrIgDNnmbaBPR1B4Of-OC9Z31N3bzKkxn_IENS5x6Lq7--5oJ42qku9PeDUnCXGzK2xeW1wGQfUL6Fzb79QcZdlCbU3aY9W4veuqCkpBSXrMGfJHV4GKC/s6000/masks.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqA67nF9r_z2QhGmIADDGb4ru94v1kYzqBMVGeiJ6qQzkiIm3KK2PXVgSKczK92xs6m7oRrIgDNnmbaBPR1B4Of-OC9Z31N3bzKkxn_IENS5x6Lq7--5oJ42qku9PeDUnCXGzK2xeW1wGQfUL6Fzb79QcZdlCbU3aY9W4veuqCkpBSXrMGfJHV4GKC/s320/masks.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Mask liquidation in Vienna. </b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>I used to believe that a vaccine against Covid shielded you from the virus. But a friend who is an M.D. and used to work at Abbott Labs in North Chicago, which developed one of the Covid tests, corrected me: Vaccinations greatly increase your odds of not being hospitalized or dying from Covid but are no guarantee of not being infected. </p><p>Exhibit A of that would be President Joe Biden, who has been quadruple-vaccinated against Covid, and presumably works in a highly protected environment, yet has tested positive twice and is in his second quarantine. He also received the drug Paxlovid after his first infection, but now it's not clear <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2022/07/biden-paxlovid-covid-drug-rebound-infections/671009/">whether it was useless or in fact is to blame for his rebound infection.</a> </p><p>Also my cousin Pablo, who was also vaccinated and "boostered" (his son Ariel is a pharmacist at Walgreens) and picked up the virus and was hospitalized during a vacation in Boston. Our gardener Ulises was sick for two days last week with what he called a "gripa" that included a high fever, and which he treated with an all-Mexican concoction of garlic and honey. When he returned to work we gave him a Covid test we had picked up in San Antonio, and it turned positive. We gave him another test kit to use on his wife, who was negative. He says his parents and wife had been vaccinated but not him. Why?</p><p><b><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">F</span>aced <span style="font-size: medium;">with these contradictions</span></span></b>, my brother-in-law and his wife, and likely millions of other Americans, perhaps understandably have come to suspect media reports about Covid and rely on fabulist reports on the internet. They refuse to be vaccinated. <i>The internet says</i> that some undertakers have found clots in the veins of cadavers of people who were vaccinated so dense they could not be embalmed. <i>The internet says </i>there has been a quantum increase in deaths among athletes; could that be a result of the Covid vaccines? And so on, even after he had a three-day bout of Covid that left his senses of smell and taste partially impaired. <i>The internet says.</i> </p><p>Locally, just yesterday someone posted a notice on the expat internet bulletin board that honey could be effective in the treatment of Covid. Maybe my Mexican gardener is on to something, or the opinion of person touting this Covid cure is, ahem, compromised because she sells honey. </p><p>Out of all these conflicting inputs, Stew and I have drawn some conclusions. We are going after whatever new vaccinations are offered as new variants of the virus show up. Vaccinations may not be a guarantee against infections, but evidence strongly suggests they greatly reduce the chances of serious symptoms let alone death from Covid. </p><p>We also will continue to abide by the Mexican insistence on wearing masks, annoying at they are, and limit our dining options to restaurants with outdoor seating, an easy choice given San Miguel's temperate climate. </p><p>And just to cover our options, including some long shots, I'll take extra care of my plot of 15-odd garlic plants, and resurrect our four beehives which Stew has allowed to fall into disrepair. Is his touch of sloth a symptom of Covid? You can never tell. </p>alcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672834250325632231.post-50944048795380547812022-07-21T12:27:00.000-05:002022-07-21T12:27:10.298-05:00Tentative summer gardening forecast: Tomato downpours with frequent gazpachos<p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">O</span><span style="font-size: medium;">n Saturday we returned from San Antonio</span></b></span>, and it felt not a second too soon. For the five days we were there daily high temperatures hovered around the low 100s and were aggravated by the drought that's engulfed the southwestern U.S. and the northern states of Mexico for months, if not years. I feared we'd find the same situation in San Miguel, where seasonal rains were three or four weeks behind schedule.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdcLAY6MEjfiCf_OGoBCY5vxThajywcZgjKpfw9Ab6K_D4fY3Ni7Zbicm_e5-vm63LJT4_xEy5Hw-oduO5AYHHNEIh22jDy_z6aJZdRosUK5kNQZUcAdPbWu4lvKS484StHvVrj-d9RXVPs4SnOqFWy8BXD1O8dcv3hNvfzLtv_3xtGO2QHAJUgMEV/s256/tlaloc2.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="197" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdcLAY6MEjfiCf_OGoBCY5vxThajywcZgjKpfw9Ab6K_D4fY3Ni7Zbicm_e5-vm63LJT4_xEy5Hw-oduO5AYHHNEIh22jDy_z6aJZdRosUK5kNQZUcAdPbWu4lvKS484StHvVrj-d9RXVPs4SnOqFWy8BXD1O8dcv3hNvfzLtv_3xtGO2QHAJUgMEV/w246-h320/tlaloc2.jpg" width="246" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>When Aztec gods are smiling</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table>Quite the opposite, happily. The weather here is cool, with highs in the low 80s, and on Monday and Tuesday, Tlaloc, the usually gruff Aztec god of rain, cracked a smile and we had about two inches of rain. <p></p><p>It's too early to say if the rain might save four or five surviving but comatose evergreens stricken by a still mysterious pandemic that, for sure, already has killed another five or six mature and beautiful pine trees and cedars. </p><p>It seems, though, that spraying with a wide-spectrum insecticide, applications of fertilizer, and now a soaking rain, may have at least saved the four Michoacán pines, my favorite trees in the ranch, and stemmed the spread of the disease. We'll just have to wait another month or six weeks for a definitive verdict. </p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">D</span><span style="font-size: medium;">espite such bad news, this year's vegetables</span></b></span> in the raised beds and in another enclosed area at one corner of the ranch are putting on a dazzling show. But one must not gloat too soon, because the yearly armies of grasshoppers, grubs, mites, cutworms, earwigs and other marauders haven't arrived yet. <div><div><br /></div><div>We have bell peppers, cucumbers, zucchinis, sweet peas, carrots, radishes, beans and six or seven stunted plants of Illinois sweet corn. I'm giving up on sweet corn, even though our friend John, much to our mortification, grows it successfully in his small vegetable plot not far away. We also have several pots of strawberries that the birds seem to enjoy thoroughly. Must look for netting in the basement.</div><div><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiog_tOKJ6_tYxKjNmCoFSOuGzfPolPHfR_fNlQkxbqLtpgiER3cRx3g-ByjmlpWJjlmWMLn_N_gGll4C5NL1O7eisAJEbKhjJHFRhnhALzK6SysUDzeC44rfAOHx9_kAYdvjIfQuGn46ui3j22BO-FZYmlmb8VmsErHZ6fbqUuVw2J_oNXAYeqSjxj/s6000/strawberries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiog_tOKJ6_tYxKjNmCoFSOuGzfPolPHfR_fNlQkxbqLtpgiER3cRx3g-ByjmlpWJjlmWMLn_N_gGll4C5NL1O7eisAJEbKhjJHFRhnhALzK6SysUDzeC44rfAOHx9_kAYdvjIfQuGn46ui3j22BO-FZYmlmb8VmsErHZ6fbqUuVw2J_oNXAYeqSjxj/s320/strawberries.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>One of three strawberry pots.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table>One gardening aside is that our new gardener Ulises, who lives in a ranch on the other side of San Miguel with his wife and mom and dad, brought us a half dozen ears of corn. The kernels were mostly white with some purple ones, which made me even more suspicious because I've never liked Mexican corn to begin with. </p><p>Alas, Stew steamed the ears of corn, and we slathered mayonnaise, salt and Tajín chili powder, and to my surprise they were delicious. The kernels were unusually large and plump and a bit chewy, but the flavor was terrific. </p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">B</span><span style="font-size: medium;">ut it's the tomatoes, perhaps encouraged by the rain and cool temperatures</span></b></span> that have taken off. I've counted about 15 plants of six different varieties, including Black Krim Heirlooms, my favorite. I had to stake and prune some of them already, this early in the season. </p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-ZH33-yk0k3KSSi2gAqhmLITCIeADbVn0ww86Fc1n9jmvV4sexxQkSoQVZVI9AEoG9By02SldtIETn7MxVd29HDCDA6zgxB7iNH8y3K23JGAx4Iq9Qr1RAUVlwqz1KAqazIbxkx03FSK6srKCzal7S1F8xGNHb8KQEQbHCVaZFRN-AiLmvyehibc/s6000/tomatoes2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-ZH33-yk0k3KSSi2gAqhmLITCIeADbVn0ww86Fc1n9jmvV4sexxQkSoQVZVI9AEoG9By02SldtIETn7MxVd29HDCDA6zgxB7iNH8y3K23JGAx4Iq9Qr1RAUVlwqz1KAqazIbxkx03FSK6srKCzal7S1F8xGNHb8KQEQbHCVaZFRN-AiLmvyehibc/s320/tomatoes2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>It's raining tomatoes, hallelujah. Or so I hope.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table>A bumper crop of tomatoes is something to really celebrate because the only variety sold in Mexico, in addition to grape tomatoes occasionally, is "<i>jitomate bola</i>," that looks like a plum tomato and is reliably tasteless. </p><p>The mystery of why other varieties of tomatoes are not sold here needs to be investigated. As is why some Mexico-grown produce sold at grocery stores in Texas is far better quality than what we get at our local La Comer and grown within spitting distance of San Miguel. </p><p>Or why, oh why, can't we find juicy, softball-size peaches from Fredericksburg, Texas here, next to the apples we get from Washington state, thousands miles farther north. </p><p>The debacle with the sick evergreens hasn't dampened my desire to plant more trees around the ranch. I have first to determine which varieties of cedars and pines are susceptible to the "plaga" that killed their siblings, and what trees to put in their place. </p><p>For the time being I've replaced a six-foot-tall dead cedar outside the office window with a good-size magnolia. Looking at a dead tree so close to the house made me sad and angry. </p></div></div>alcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672834250325632231.post-72121901843198048322022-07-05T14:57:00.000-05:002022-07-05T14:57:20.425-05:00A conflicted Fourth of July<p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">W</span><span style="font-size: medium;">e spent the Fourth at a lovely picnic</span></b></span> hosted by our friends Bill and Edith, and with a few other people some of whom we hadn't seen in years because they live in a small community of expats in a quadrant of the San Miguel countryside we'd never visited. </p><p>Though the menu contained the usual fare of hamburgers and corn on the cob, there weren't any Fourth of July props like American flags or music. Except for a couple from Venezuela and a Swiss woman, the picnickers were Americans and San Miguel old-timers, some who had arrived here twenty or thirty years ago and professed no interest in<i> ever</i> moving back to the U.S. </p><p>For them, Mexico is the last stop. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDk3pE3dMN9rqySZVPaWdnOeR3HBfrZUU61DKCxCpWMcJ0d4f3SRCmpqK4uKveP-xXCt_-yvfxzmVute3REDKcm7myigEJxvXx_sAfQbGaTwlMVEujSaGHxcw-R8osngl2_62Kr9Z6ZPrJlFc-kYcxEi7uOioe4IR8Ue6NdTfIrz_55qy9fBCsm5HQ/s5974/flag2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5974" data-original-width="3983" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDk3pE3dMN9rqySZVPaWdnOeR3HBfrZUU61DKCxCpWMcJ0d4f3SRCmpqK4uKveP-xXCt_-yvfxzmVute3REDKcm7myigEJxvXx_sAfQbGaTwlMVEujSaGHxcw-R8osngl2_62Kr9Z6ZPrJlFc-kYcxEi7uOioe4IR8Ue6NdTfIrz_55qy9fBCsm5HQ/w266-h400/flag2.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><p>We've encountered that attitude among quite a few other friends, even more recent arrivals. Some have become Mexican citizens, though I've never heard of anyone who renounced their U.S. citizenship. They don't want anything to do with the U.S., except to continue getting their Social Security or other retirement checks.</p><p>Such nihilism regarding the ol' sod has always puzzled us. "We love the United States, it's our country, warts and all," Stew and I would tell each other. Indeed, we've periodically talked about a "Plan B": Some place in the States where we might move back to, maybe for medical reasons or the final stretch of retirement. </p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: medium;"><b>During the past few months,</b></span> though, those negative attitudes are beginning to make sense to us. The U.S. is not just passing through a phase of political or social disfunction—McCarthyism, homophobia or other -isms and phobias—that our natural American optimism reassured us would be overcome if given time. </p><p>Even some Americans still living in the U.S. question whether the country will get past the current spiritual slump. <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2022/06/30/how-to-move-out-of-the-us-and-the-best-places-to-escape/?sh=5684f4ef5a0f">According to Forbes magazine</a>, at the Center for International Living, which helps with relocations abroad, there has been a sharp spike in inquiries from Americans who are alarmed by the <i>Roe v. Wade</i> and rulings on guns by the U.S. Supreme Court, and are considering a move abroad. </p><p>For starters, the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, horrifying as it was, may not be a one-off event, such as labor riot or some other civil disturbance, but the leading edge of a substantial political movement that wants to claim power at any cost, even if it takes overturning the results of an election or otherwise rejecting the peaceful transition of power. </p><p>There's also the rise of what one prominent Protestant minister calls "<a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzGpGnLXbQSkVlCZKkMMZsxWGMhW">Christian fascism</a>," or the imposition of a religious vision of government on the country. Rev. Jerry Falwell, Anita Bryant and Phyllis Schlafly may have come and gone, or so we thought, but now a U.S. Supreme Court seems bent on enshrining their anti-abortion, and possibly anti-gay marriage views, even if the majority of the American public rejects such extreme views. </p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">W</span><span style="font-size: medium;">ith the inmates gradually taking over the asylum</span></b></span>, all sorts of craziness suddenly gains currency, such as charging women who chose abortion with homicide, and those who might drive them to an abortion clinic with "aiding or abetting" in the commission of a crime, or persecuting women who cross state lines to have an abortion. No word yet on penalizing men for their share of responsibility for the pregnancy. Indeed, Texas and Oklahoma have become laboratories of policies that extremists a few years ago only fantasized about. </p><p>And just yesterday six people were shot and killed and scores wounded when a lunatic opened fire on a Fourth of July parade in the wealthy and otherwise placid Chicago suburb of Highland Park. Sadly, this is not a unique tragedy but one more episode in a string of mass killings commonplace in the guns-for-everyone America of today.</p><p>My innate optimism keeps me from giving up on my home country yet. But on this past Fourth of July, the fatalism of many of my expat friends who have chosen Mexico as their final destination may have infected Stew and me. </p>alcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672834250325632231.post-42212186140982470772022-06-29T14:37:00.000-05:002022-06-29T14:37:00.955-05:00A memorably gay weekend in Mexico City<p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">N</span><span style="font-size: medium;">ew Covid variants.</span></b></span> A mass killing at a Texas grammar school. The war in Ukraine grinding on. A stream of alarming revelations by the congressional committee investigating the January 6 mob assault on the U.S. Capitol. And just before we left, news that the ayatollahs on the U.S. Supreme Court had overturned Roe v. Wade, and that Justice Clarence Thomas was musing that same-sex marriage and other hard-won protections for gays and lesbians might be targeted next. </p><p>When Stew and I left on Friday morning for the four-hour bus ride to Mexico City for the Gay Pride parade in Mexico City the next day, our minds were sweltering with the onslaught of bad news. Perhaps as an unconscious protective reaction I just shut off all news on my phone and tablet and turned to a book I'd been meandering through for weeks. I finished it before we arrived. </p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span><span style="font-size: medium;">hen came Saturday morning.</span></b></span> Mexico City pulsed with anticipation of the annual Gay Pride parade. It was scheduled to begin at one o'clock, but a sea of rainbow flags and cheering people gathered an hour earlier by the city's iconic Angel of Independence monument and started to walk down the majestic Paseo de la Reforma, a rare occurrence in a country where practically everything starts late.</p><p>Stew and I stood, sat and walked amid the masses of people, while a seemingly endless caravan of floats, most constructed on the flatbeds of semi-trucks, rode by for approximately six hours, with hardly a pause. Crowds—hundreds of thousands—greeted each float with cheers, relishing the spectacle, both on the ground and on the floats, of people in ever more outlandish getups, some of which left very little or nothing to the imagination. The city's supply of glitter, tinsel and sequins must have been exhausted for the occasion. </p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">W</span><span style="font-size: medium;">hat struck us was the universal gayety of the occasion</span></b></span>, both in the old-fashioned sense of <i>happiness </i>or<i> festiveness,</i> and the more recent metaphorical tag that describes same-sex attraction and love. After a six-hour immersion in this infectious celebration, we were showered by one last handful of rainbow confetti, went out for some ice cream (at a sushi restaurant!) on the way back to the hotel, and had a terrific steak dinner later, to talk about what a great time we'd had. </p><p>We felt as if we'd been through an exorcism. The bilge of bad and upsetting news, including the rising homophobia the U.S., seemed as distant as an exoplanet. We felt truly <i>happy </i>and <i>gay</i>, thanks to the spectacle we had just witnessed, and the not insignificant fact that Stew and I were also celebrating our fiftieth—that's five-oh—years together. We were glad to be in Mexico.</p><p>Following are a collection of photos of the event. I selected shots of young bodybuilders showing off, over-the-top drag queens, families and even decked-out dogs. Take your pick.</p><p>This blog has a space for comments at the end, and I invite you to use it. If for some reason you can't connect directly, please email me your comments at stewnal@gmail.com and I will paste them in the comments section. Please leave your name even if you don't want it published.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIq8RipeosTzf0RqPh29oT9TPNhjJQKZr2pDyNn-KnkJ2D1o-xn7jnDRBoyxwYKldKNussCnnfbG89eX_FoB_1Awdi9CUEf6oaDknYY-112xXVM_GlqFRHvmTjyBrXJvhXtKLP_59L6lsyyATVd3bQtNXWZxZ6I-nBUTMU-R77qR5XdC-og7ONx8O8/s4000/pride%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3614" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIq8RipeosTzf0RqPh29oT9TPNhjJQKZr2pDyNn-KnkJ2D1o-xn7jnDRBoyxwYKldKNussCnnfbG89eX_FoB_1Awdi9CUEf6oaDknYY-112xXVM_GlqFRHvmTjyBrXJvhXtKLP_59L6lsyyATVd3bQtNXWZxZ6I-nBUTMU-R77qR5XdC-og7ONx8O8/s320/pride%202.jpg" width="289" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Tinsel, bubbles and a rainbow flag</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9d_iLo1F7NbhyasprcdG5Drq8mTlsvqlQ3D2Uh-Epw1Bt5uG5y0KWYcDEBUqV3Q-PXZcgnkIOkEcT4SuSWkj4tNCCkGYqiFq0rpqlt_O7o0u1vMGOwR9fd1Ahs_JYr0pDw7ZbWUIhzuzaGvh0_JJjytDqRa9mQIk7DiPHLivRYqjupx7epmromGvc/s5591/pride%2011.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5591" data-original-width="3818" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9d_iLo1F7NbhyasprcdG5Drq8mTlsvqlQ3D2Uh-Epw1Bt5uG5y0KWYcDEBUqV3Q-PXZcgnkIOkEcT4SuSWkj4tNCCkGYqiFq0rpqlt_O7o0u1vMGOwR9fd1Ahs_JYr0pDw7ZbWUIhzuzaGvh0_JJjytDqRa9mQIk7DiPHLivRYqjupx7epmromGvc/w274-h400/pride%2011.jpg" width="274" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Mr. and Ms. La Va-Voom<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKV7_WuI0kADaLvkTrOgGUP8QcUOAHOO4ce7cCmWc8YIsJJFPdCUjn99CrHsVTg33tKvgLMwJVigsv1LEtlCSsgNRcP9vPEiKtjEVqXpzO2kzrFEutbB0LcAeStGVjbo89o_tya4a9UmaAaM2qnB5JRIiRgpNsXD6P9aMAquR27ifUUdvWm3SN0DSb/s5648/pride%2012.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5648" data-original-width="3807" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKV7_WuI0kADaLvkTrOgGUP8QcUOAHOO4ce7cCmWc8YIsJJFPdCUjn99CrHsVTg33tKvgLMwJVigsv1LEtlCSsgNRcP9vPEiKtjEVqXpzO2kzrFEutbB0LcAeStGVjbo89o_tya4a9UmaAaM2qnB5JRIiRgpNsXD6P9aMAquR27ifUUdvWm3SN0DSb/w270-h400/pride%2012.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Her day job is a Welcome Wagon hostess.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRASUAJMqM3kUz6WOrE4BsZ6CRurkOL1bGfOAdqvbVTas6oWkabezkzHxO8dQUidq9Q0U2xiZVLxORFzkJC_xLmgb48zZK8ZRM4KCzZExvtfwX9ntGDdctezUNmx5ycS-Lzf_YY5_o2jVS7ZxSjOnkKzW5uCZHVHOeAhj5C5bV-l-5mJsu28HzfLaa/s5375/46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3908" data-original-width="5375" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRASUAJMqM3kUz6WOrE4BsZ6CRurkOL1bGfOAdqvbVTas6oWkabezkzHxO8dQUidq9Q0U2xiZVLxORFzkJC_xLmgb48zZK8ZRM4KCzZExvtfwX9ntGDdctezUNmx5ycS-Lzf_YY5_o2jVS7ZxSjOnkKzW5uCZHVHOeAhj5C5bV-l-5mJsu28HzfLaa/w400-h291/46.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">A gay-owned pet taxi service <br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-HhTlq50AgInqKcZXyEk8MhBRM_abrTO8bYRi00HJ1YWyKrcSWw6N30p2uzETa9onhaRTM11D0ejYln1DX1T2mGt8oEpeKZXbDFaeAGUNQCyLTZQSZB00rOrsOZERqzOGbjfx8_zpbGVoK4IXLhfnQkvn60JqmCoja7XLBWAWthXYYM54jUz6E9bT/s4394/47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3838" data-original-width="4394" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-HhTlq50AgInqKcZXyEk8MhBRM_abrTO8bYRi00HJ1YWyKrcSWw6N30p2uzETa9onhaRTM11D0ejYln1DX1T2mGt8oEpeKZXbDFaeAGUNQCyLTZQSZB00rOrsOZERqzOGbjfx8_zpbGVoK4IXLhfnQkvn60JqmCoja7XLBWAWthXYYM54jUz6E9bT/w400-h350/47.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Cowboys from Jalisco, source of some of Mexico's best beef.<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6TacuB9ZtjNS6TrTjyaZM0DTuWkN1sjXRUZ4qLrz03Gzv-jUrNmgUkgLplG5Ka6GUN3giWk-QdHkHhoaCpotdxEyny426_G1Yh0PoNzvV3B3RBDFdnVNuSjgg8MhhORdUcSRxtgpLnNCAiNpqx7vQHshrTzSogt99kOCztfn8BwF74oftz3sdIZKL/s4990/54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4990" data-original-width="2843" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6TacuB9ZtjNS6TrTjyaZM0DTuWkN1sjXRUZ4qLrz03Gzv-jUrNmgUkgLplG5Ka6GUN3giWk-QdHkHhoaCpotdxEyny426_G1Yh0PoNzvV3B3RBDFdnVNuSjgg8MhhORdUcSRxtgpLnNCAiNpqx7vQHshrTzSogt99kOCztfn8BwF74oftz3sdIZKL/w228-h400/54.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">The crown of thorns represents the <br />suffering gay people have endured.<br />The rest of the outfit is a mystery.<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVN615OFGGrYUjCNxTRPWD-zGPVhsF-6I8TBjZsQY6hcnf3PbwwJVrc2dljfDspJsRrfKJ9m4FdLng8ZlrGeUQup2iv8UrO9Kfux9NwiSJZqNCZwsUwS7qIEv-WWlndS-28hhFxydMIYK-D55jtgheFo34QHkf1a0_Ur3WQsO596UbWJT-g9cPKfC/s5490/52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="5490" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVN615OFGGrYUjCNxTRPWD-zGPVhsF-6I8TBjZsQY6hcnf3PbwwJVrc2dljfDspJsRrfKJ9m4FdLng8ZlrGeUQup2iv8UrO9Kfux9NwiSJZqNCZwsUwS7qIEv-WWlndS-28hhFxydMIYK-D55jtgheFo34QHkf1a0_Ur3WQsO596UbWJT-g9cPKfC/w400-h291/52.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Phantom of some opera, don't remember which one.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYCbdAUvgVL9ORSmxyoxr4IYjfFZ2CwbgfAtsrcxpxaIH8Png-EHEBVfHfJW3TKRx52BR7K0zobvRJpOeAU_vguM1snSwfew89J2pv6fkHGwzU9B08Br9NCT3soT2lSuDBBW-evRXDGOpM5SHVO52tBtJewiRw7uMcTEcN-ErF2bHNFzbpGgG9f6Fp/s5120/pride%205.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="5120" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYCbdAUvgVL9ORSmxyoxr4IYjfFZ2CwbgfAtsrcxpxaIH8Png-EHEBVfHfJW3TKRx52BR7K0zobvRJpOeAU_vguM1snSwfew89J2pv6fkHGwzU9B08Br9NCT3soT2lSuDBBW-evRXDGOpM5SHVO52tBtJewiRw7uMcTEcN-ErF2bHNFzbpGgG9f6Fp/w400-h313/pride%205.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Beefy Holsteins in love, probably also from Jalisco.<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5yOrMbaF2oJIvp2NCJpszFdhLcZlibeGzWaYDm_tM0dSmfitW6wJmJ1XtUrUlU2-vbz5u8tx5VRB-l9UCwn9zB8Iap23TlO_U2voronsnThdst8eTKvHiEahooeksI2h8Qsq13unvjo9YHSq_pvZcdLy5zrP6nDbnhfQQTcPqKBEi-x7PhOp_HeSD/s6000/pride%202.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5yOrMbaF2oJIvp2NCJpszFdhLcZlibeGzWaYDm_tM0dSmfitW6wJmJ1XtUrUlU2-vbz5u8tx5VRB-l9UCwn9zB8Iap23TlO_U2voronsnThdst8eTKvHiEahooeksI2h8Qsq13unvjo9YHSq_pvZcdLy5zrP6nDbnhfQQTcPqKBEi-x7PhOp_HeSD/w266-h400/pride%202.jpg" width="266" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Here's winking at you<br /></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPx3s95Q48V4J6ScB_xegDkiZ88NPqyTvoeRjwFPwyvUnMRtQ-hrWr5IkML7MtAwcbGdwwHM6EzynnF2cM6u8-pdOMNSU-1oA9uv6NA0Lzy_Urh8Sbp9CWTV5ZUSldLjlUb6mVwEeAyLqWlFcRneYdDp0BKT8jW58-PvUE_djgBYGTUengaCoC-tc/s6000/55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPx3s95Q48V4J6ScB_xegDkiZ88NPqyTvoeRjwFPwyvUnMRtQ-hrWr5IkML7MtAwcbGdwwHM6EzynnF2cM6u8-pdOMNSU-1oA9uv6NA0Lzy_Urh8Sbp9CWTV5ZUSldLjlUb6mVwEeAyLqWlFcRneYdDp0BKT8jW58-PvUE_djgBYGTUengaCoC-tc/w266-h400/55.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Pearls are a girl's best friend.<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zd30IW8TQbfr88CijWIQi1VDVn_GTgJbdPabf80otU0wrQKUpKO48e8tJEDisb7NOkEBoHvB3by2-voRnebfgEzMf6Ues2ZMmqewzaPpALwNyIJpz_HL8SS_IMh7r0-UGywj0K_RhplFA_FL0_hvQdO4nbQY8MziMfmDU2rOfuBo9ZV8i_Xs3Jb6/s4409/43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3776" data-original-width="4409" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zd30IW8TQbfr88CijWIQi1VDVn_GTgJbdPabf80otU0wrQKUpKO48e8tJEDisb7NOkEBoHvB3by2-voRnebfgEzMf6Ues2ZMmqewzaPpALwNyIJpz_HL8SS_IMh7r0-UGywj0K_RhplFA_FL0_hvQdO4nbQY8MziMfmDU2rOfuBo9ZV8i_Xs3Jb6/w400-h343/43.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">You seem happy to see me. I am happy to see you too.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2qBilZkTsUkofd-iLtenwTEPPXFbkcRspZTnmhcE49iw-8cZDqoM0QTcUC1i8qNKkvR_K16iDlBgcP9g8Z733iwwM-tst7P00OKgSZME6HX8OEWmmSEPGQ3B0LQ6mevYOP5Bf-FcKRB7PlbYWSfGVxMbmW6DWuqKO1od415cs0JuweIqxO2h0BmS/s5320/44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="5320" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2qBilZkTsUkofd-iLtenwTEPPXFbkcRspZTnmhcE49iw-8cZDqoM0QTcUC1i8qNKkvR_K16iDlBgcP9g8Z733iwwM-tst7P00OKgSZME6HX8OEWmmSEPGQ3B0LQ6mevYOP5Bf-FcKRB7PlbYWSfGVxMbmW6DWuqKO1od415cs0JuweIqxO2h0BmS/w400-h301/44.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Pole dancing<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEGxMJHUPft1ikzFohoR3whjbWTeMBwtiv8NtBOvyW5Xc4Rq8ciO7ym8E09ZhpPERQq8UxZzNX1ludFGtHSy5fF-HRLOfv92gNb50VzbuqqAOGtJAxXm38iyAXb3ArqrkVFTuJ5MfJ67xv3wwLOXNta9LuodRY-8GM8y74pj_faKFNSaZA-SCcYw4/s5046/49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5046" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEGxMJHUPft1ikzFohoR3whjbWTeMBwtiv8NtBOvyW5Xc4Rq8ciO7ym8E09ZhpPERQq8UxZzNX1ludFGtHSy5fF-HRLOfv92gNb50VzbuqqAOGtJAxXm38iyAXb3ArqrkVFTuJ5MfJ67xv3wwLOXNta9LuodRY-8GM8y74pj_faKFNSaZA-SCcYw4/w318-h400/49.jpg" width="318" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">There is someone for everyone.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtAnU7HADNQOfUBu15gJq8h0PAYr6e2jVE00rIZOL9vJJF7ye63TMQLr2vKifUoSTu4kXhRLLKrGgGXhAWFU-T9vCngMMv_Gq56g7OrIC_7LqoTSfz-87TKOZbtaxlq3ZI4dJAvqJrr_75gvr_w8rt0WBYNhgVxomhku7iN_WAJCNVFKX4WLu9sYL/s6000/pride%207.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtAnU7HADNQOfUBu15gJq8h0PAYr6e2jVE00rIZOL9vJJF7ye63TMQLr2vKifUoSTu4kXhRLLKrGgGXhAWFU-T9vCngMMv_Gq56g7OrIC_7LqoTSfz-87TKOZbtaxlq3ZI4dJAvqJrr_75gvr_w8rt0WBYNhgVxomhku7iN_WAJCNVFKX4WLu9sYL/w266-h400/pride%207.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Do you like my shoulders? I do, I do.<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkmGMsb8Q7zAPHUKguqyn76Ysv59IDlaF3FZJ_-TPa5pQuRlBjxw00QceTEAgHrDC8nOrQRQ-cl5I_sc3ztUf9fRyViL-Ya7epGwK9sCdMpjQHasarmh7m1PJH7BB8V17KHLkg3eh2hv1heVYtYDliiIZ0hQmSalHjd0vsUJZCezCyXYipJaNXQQ8/s3946/pride%208.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3351" data-original-width="3946" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkmGMsb8Q7zAPHUKguqyn76Ysv59IDlaF3FZJ_-TPa5pQuRlBjxw00QceTEAgHrDC8nOrQRQ-cl5I_sc3ztUf9fRyViL-Ya7epGwK9sCdMpjQHasarmh7m1PJH7BB8V17KHLkg3eh2hv1heVYtYDliiIZ0hQmSalHjd0vsUJZCezCyXYipJaNXQQ8/w400-h340/pride%208.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Four-legged Valkyrie<br /></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi--Fi0Tokq_EXqNmYUH53BZmKG2TZO62ktzpQBRZpBd_qo_wvkPu2qF23IOIMo6eoUIe09zdNGyXJl036yP0zhH45-k3l29Z-9gB5myZEO6-U6N_3tJK1FRCUBjF_ZGUfXYLjCScda6IA2ZAvbSNQurd5O-udWyeBQxcXnuP-zTrq6fZgoZto0l0NH/s5521/pride%209.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="5521" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi--Fi0Tokq_EXqNmYUH53BZmKG2TZO62ktzpQBRZpBd_qo_wvkPu2qF23IOIMo6eoUIe09zdNGyXJl036yP0zhH45-k3l29Z-9gB5myZEO6-U6N_3tJK1FRCUBjF_ZGUfXYLjCScda6IA2ZAvbSNQurd5O-udWyeBQxcXnuP-zTrq6fZgoZto0l0NH/w400-h290/pride%209.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Truth in advertising</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXvdXJKzeaMBwCIiG4RJLmLKsLK5jFYvwuOPG-K7VamMXKQMGgIn7Wx6HIwxVKHODYGchOJjwQwfCpqv0UPBNEGc9tSoiYsXZsmnmusXQut6fnEeZTmzB4KTZxH3r7GI7s1-v5165SGHlxLmHhha6vZAFJgQQLm5ys_RWq9NcYe519bdWsgy1uwUgz/s5342/57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5342" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXvdXJKzeaMBwCIiG4RJLmLKsLK5jFYvwuOPG-K7VamMXKQMGgIn7Wx6HIwxVKHODYGchOJjwQwfCpqv0UPBNEGc9tSoiYsXZsmnmusXQut6fnEeZTmzB4KTZxH3r7GI7s1-v5165SGHlxLmHhha6vZAFJgQQLm5ys_RWq9NcYe519bdWsgy1uwUgz/w300-h400/57.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">I had my nails done just for the parade.<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiypMNv3FILxX4ta7-oXLtVrRwLoCJYLGWvt1C1Hksv5z9mgtSzG6cjX_sSDTO0d4cTV48zk2MP2aM6QbdX6zGEy8oCLJi3maHo08UnC15YZ2ymu-z6p64zaHGf-AB9kwapaBFJxK-qun76SsOPkqWZkwWXlVPsxRv4BJ37FBAloqg2t9VUOXPFJj5g/s5625/pride%206.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5625" data-original-width="3637" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiypMNv3FILxX4ta7-oXLtVrRwLoCJYLGWvt1C1Hksv5z9mgtSzG6cjX_sSDTO0d4cTV48zk2MP2aM6QbdX6zGEy8oCLJi3maHo08UnC15YZ2ymu-z6p64zaHGf-AB9kwapaBFJxK-qun76SsOPkqWZkwWXlVPsxRv4BJ37FBAloqg2t9VUOXPFJj5g/w259-h400/pride%206.jpg" width="259" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Young dreamer<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisR-_5JTrTDb952olbUUadVUyQOaMQxSJA96--uX0SDsTqBlZqMyV2uWYjZTEHBHJ54A_DX5_fOLK9yRPzYQNef4LSKn-tsX9CgaQZjl4Q_0qUuFQnc6mqWmLnOQqS0o8bi5cCBb_T8NLHlyLn8KmQgI5_zCHMfGGrfRzOrCjeI9E6dDer9kkAq1jv/s5693/pride%2010.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5693" data-original-width="3523" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisR-_5JTrTDb952olbUUadVUyQOaMQxSJA96--uX0SDsTqBlZqMyV2uWYjZTEHBHJ54A_DX5_fOLK9yRPzYQNef4LSKn-tsX9CgaQZjl4Q_0qUuFQnc6mqWmLnOQqS0o8bi5cCBb_T8NLHlyLn8KmQgI5_zCHMfGGrfRzOrCjeI9E6dDer9kkAq1jv/w248-h400/pride%2010.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Mr. Gay Cowboy 2022</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"></span></td></tr></tbody></table></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4YBcf6On5guMQN2ODFFAObCiCgN3YCiy3t4YAkqvl_Hfi7_6bLymU5WU9lRdYS7OQRDmzGjobpCVYGGsuekiDchLUJDiSkIT8E4MZPMGFXo2s4mQh9rSyLgBs0A86wyvFVt29jZxIN1BLV_k5ZDq4GKpWoHnBgD_rA-FOrZIRZx2T_04E5ILCKCzu/s6000/pride%2013.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="3739" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4YBcf6On5guMQN2ODFFAObCiCgN3YCiy3t4YAkqvl_Hfi7_6bLymU5WU9lRdYS7OQRDmzGjobpCVYGGsuekiDchLUJDiSkIT8E4MZPMGFXo2s4mQh9rSyLgBs0A86wyvFVt29jZxIN1BLV_k5ZDq4GKpWoHnBgD_rA-FOrZIRZx2T_04E5ILCKCzu/w249-h400/pride%2013.jpg" width="249" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Just wondering, are those your real eyebrows?<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh56sa6OEOP5PB_DvjRgdTrQ8IDHCKjbLV3jWHeCThUQd50mydjwyY7t6oSWV1cSwUmEgZakn2OwGg3UgfbzDN557PmpZicoCyKJjkBsIyFi1pYgdJz2h_TVK7AHOwYJ8XWgbq0TU1Y3NLJozpqGqsTX2iXoAb5AAc4nV_AgVtezCwiiIgWeTEQIfJ/s4000/pride%2015.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3668" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh56sa6OEOP5PB_DvjRgdTrQ8IDHCKjbLV3jWHeCThUQd50mydjwyY7t6oSWV1cSwUmEgZakn2OwGg3UgfbzDN557PmpZicoCyKJjkBsIyFi1pYgdJz2h_TVK7AHOwYJ8XWgbq0TU1Y3NLJozpqGqsTX2iXoAb5AAc4nV_AgVtezCwiiIgWeTEQIfJ/w366-h400/pride%2015.jpg" width="366" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">"So many queers together is giving me a panic attack."<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBfqlCbsvnNenAg4G0zVnbziDmf4XotyNrKm9JmaZ6lrY4v8TTEl_Z9uQ92ChmoI6-aiBFDzlSLSCiNH5pyVCz2iNGjIVL-J6bOQsykrCDF4PM0G4CZITF2Z5C5PQObsAeEV51_IBsirJOaMfBY8t5kTxaAD75xMy5uvoLo9Adm2BglOmk5ayv6PZw/s5398/pride%2017.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3745" data-original-width="5398" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBfqlCbsvnNenAg4G0zVnbziDmf4XotyNrKm9JmaZ6lrY4v8TTEl_Z9uQ92ChmoI6-aiBFDzlSLSCiNH5pyVCz2iNGjIVL-J6bOQsykrCDF4PM0G4CZITF2Z5C5PQObsAeEV51_IBsirJOaMfBY8t5kTxaAD75xMy5uvoLo9Adm2BglOmk5ayv6PZw/w400-h278/pride%2017.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">The Big Girls Marching Band<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZT8Tr2zSWO8ld54lHAISm8WnGnrMjM9tPgqynqowBuksudZnVJOmAV_CdyF8frdsi8i_lLQ9zxw6-xeMQIKZXYTjJa84iWUvOY0jIWz0kGqoG6C7QoKGVqfRVGeDuZ2VUGDAyHQ86uBv7VjEtYEu3uI47_4DeFwALNKqd0YyswXcYIooyGS8TK1zl/s5762/Pride%2018.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5762" data-original-width="3739" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZT8Tr2zSWO8ld54lHAISm8WnGnrMjM9tPgqynqowBuksudZnVJOmAV_CdyF8frdsi8i_lLQ9zxw6-xeMQIKZXYTjJa84iWUvOY0jIWz0kGqoG6C7QoKGVqfRVGeDuZ2VUGDAyHQ86uBv7VjEtYEu3uI47_4DeFwALNKqd0YyswXcYIooyGS8TK1zl/w260-h400/Pride%2018.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Mother and son</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitIJYBNoPa85GjYD1ab75UZyAGgj7ZIOYBTyHtJewKidR2xEH9-rLk6GjrPNuSdB7yB3n5A45LFUjWiLIb6f6LPCdVqcALLf5FDpVNvZV5kbo1Hevzvs3vC_eKGGjq2y9UzXl8mtVMFprWLRP6s8wewvTwMxYSVL1S3zWcqPwB0eKdoAPNQS9uwUa2/s4741/Pride%2028.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="4741" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitIJYBNoPa85GjYD1ab75UZyAGgj7ZIOYBTyHtJewKidR2xEH9-rLk6GjrPNuSdB7yB3n5A45LFUjWiLIb6f6LPCdVqcALLf5FDpVNvZV5kbo1Hevzvs3vC_eKGGjq2y9UzXl8mtVMFprWLRP6s8wewvTwMxYSVL1S3zWcqPwB0eKdoAPNQS9uwUa2/w400-h338/Pride%2028.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">An interesting pair<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_-7ez7yNWTzZ266IsZ7bGFOPqw6B0G8_i2kHfj5V2TRjfX0XkfniFjgrtUNNsC-EksXPnqbY4r0qDvpg9wS8_WtmI4JWKuxSkFAhGRFx1m8_hfsx0038UUxehjbbQWPcGCca9-H6CLXL-stzNsWduyirgblSP9nVYUu2NUQTpQ8zFoDqYGMUheIS/s6000/pride%201.jpg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="3614" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_-7ez7yNWTzZ266IsZ7bGFOPqw6B0G8_i2kHfj5V2TRjfX0XkfniFjgrtUNNsC-EksXPnqbY4r0qDvpg9wS8_WtmI4JWKuxSkFAhGRFx1m8_hfsx0038UUxehjbbQWPcGCca9-H6CLXL-stzNsWduyirgblSP9nVYUu2NUQTpQ8zFoDqYGMUheIS/w241-h400/pride%201.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">"Life is a cabaret, old chum."</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfGlKBipD-KYPPOwwqvdmoU6nA6kpLdGux5dwK9mQ_nvA-cZQhsVc8fi7WhfR965YVTwEcu4JYojZZpdKu9Pu5xO9G-8FsqiahMPctIZxaUt0-wPRjm9Hut-qFCaJsCHF85bpjhXuW_6E-2DVhdA3lAUFXFVqye1Kgm6QnrGMQEcv4GiuFzjxUN6-m/s5591/pride%2014.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5591" data-original-width="3898" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfGlKBipD-KYPPOwwqvdmoU6nA6kpLdGux5dwK9mQ_nvA-cZQhsVc8fi7WhfR965YVTwEcu4JYojZZpdKu9Pu5xO9G-8FsqiahMPctIZxaUt0-wPRjm9Hut-qFCaJsCHF85bpjhXuW_6E-2DVhdA3lAUFXFVqye1Kgm6QnrGMQEcv4GiuFzjxUN6-m/s320/pride%2014.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">A doe-eyed bonbon<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqX8VO7PtJRU1aTIxycnMY-AxOgBT1yEGgcZACVnx8o8ExhOuRJ20G3p8OJu2FAI9oY2vKzvkJC-YuzyxWRvOnuUT9HVD_k5dHcaoXw5ESFvOGpIRAccOBW0mpjKZgtjZdxrl5U3lwieNQCVd-Z530oBJxXRY1gVh6Megm_rgA12w23qZv1J2yGOi/s4795/pride%2016.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4795" data-original-width="3681" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqX8VO7PtJRU1aTIxycnMY-AxOgBT1yEGgcZACVnx8o8ExhOuRJ20G3p8OJu2FAI9oY2vKzvkJC-YuzyxWRvOnuUT9HVD_k5dHcaoXw5ESFvOGpIRAccOBW0mpjKZgtjZdxrl5U3lwieNQCVd-Z530oBJxXRY1gVh6Megm_rgA12w23qZv1J2yGOi/w308-h400/pride%2016.jpg" width="308" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">I'm normally very camera-shy, believe me.<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZLGGxeBSAJJnckRRvCJ9oeyth5U-1kYl-Wx0QN_jHDuYEfC0npTZcmyEpygDePg7SeyrWRXwc_UgKaDjFOIqzGC-VWFBTc3d9G4J8tmM8JJWaKTf_gxunrxOplghKivJHl6fo_0U7MjoVGa9wcQJP_68lOLmikfHDRvH58YX6RDUJpS1KVG-1fld_/s5570/pride%203.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5570" data-original-width="3566" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZLGGxeBSAJJnckRRvCJ9oeyth5U-1kYl-Wx0QN_jHDuYEfC0npTZcmyEpygDePg7SeyrWRXwc_UgKaDjFOIqzGC-VWFBTc3d9G4J8tmM8JJWaKTf_gxunrxOplghKivJHl6fo_0U7MjoVGa9wcQJP_68lOLmikfHDRvH58YX6RDUJpS1KVG-1fld_/w256-h400/pride%203.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">I'm going to the opera when this fandango is over.<br /></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi13edKxLRi6QhUCKKJgG2NmmTPwkw0B2an2YjRCbWiqiHzFerb0kHwM-xsxPINW-OfhmwbLfXL79S3RuTxZSDmXHty3BxhlN48fJJsN2Rp_motfx1LXmb-8JNzkJYcSozxMjNqmWLWgDEtNEnk2Dkrs_1xZV1o2IKfEvshKUAPwpUQqUYs_SEoZihw/s4826/Pride%2020.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="4826" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi13edKxLRi6QhUCKKJgG2NmmTPwkw0B2an2YjRCbWiqiHzFerb0kHwM-xsxPINW-OfhmwbLfXL79S3RuTxZSDmXHty3BxhlN48fJJsN2Rp_motfx1LXmb-8JNzkJYcSozxMjNqmWLWgDEtNEnk2Dkrs_1xZV1o2IKfEvshKUAPwpUQqUYs_SEoZihw/w400-h331/Pride%2020.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">There's a gringo in every crowd.<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAx8Ks7nqDzRcBgCUqtTF4-fjlji0WA6uHJskz4NM2LyoHZwez6hP3IhfnzkKD3PyjcUQ13xryHD8Z0YCL-pJNTUxKjXSQZEvL_J1tJtXQvQlqJ5NF4KVbWtGYIoPb-vnUI9UQqlPi-qGd4a5-mX68RzK3u_jtJZwHEucWrHoRA34Nv_yWMKUCK89v/s4764/Pride%2019.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="4764" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAx8Ks7nqDzRcBgCUqtTF4-fjlji0WA6uHJskz4NM2LyoHZwez6hP3IhfnzkKD3PyjcUQ13xryHD8Z0YCL-pJNTUxKjXSQZEvL_J1tJtXQvQlqJ5NF4KVbWtGYIoPb-vnUI9UQqlPi-qGd4a5-mX68RzK3u_jtJZwHEucWrHoRA34Nv_yWMKUCK89v/w400-h336/Pride%2019.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Boyfriends come in all sizes.<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQCdk5cgMyAp6rEHmBf37ZirDmyIIheagab4HWztTwK8jCK-YC1glSZ3M415MHiHUTSIbrNhFDJeWIKqHNrpNXqZnZa9rS5ZuxcJfkdk4zI0-tJhdlIARWeEuLQQyn-jUGY8vJC17IHkQCMfUQdev9tr3hPthrWCX7TjPrS3V0V-viDPfoOFQ--J5/s5201/Pride%2024.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5201" data-original-width="3973" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQCdk5cgMyAp6rEHmBf37ZirDmyIIheagab4HWztTwK8jCK-YC1glSZ3M415MHiHUTSIbrNhFDJeWIKqHNrpNXqZnZa9rS5ZuxcJfkdk4zI0-tJhdlIARWeEuLQQyn-jUGY8vJC17IHkQCMfUQdev9tr3hPthrWCX7TjPrS3V0V-viDPfoOFQ--J5/w305-h400/Pride%2024.jpg" width="305" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">"I need to go to the bathroom. Step on the gas, Mary!"<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDj9XaD6Ho0ps5mOTfwwRdrtyiqsyFzAS5Bu7ryQgL4PAL-fErjzqKaxMG4jMArBTu1cmeHM6ykwQXvP1t32kT1LWTws6CEWLU2n56TveatHcKz1IrREaNnYGbAUAiO-lEPSPKnpPLdXSNDwHbiotJ5q79BTCR05y0K-ksJxTd7D7pO8dsIiDMkLYE/s5637/Pride%2023.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5637" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDj9XaD6Ho0ps5mOTfwwRdrtyiqsyFzAS5Bu7ryQgL4PAL-fErjzqKaxMG4jMArBTu1cmeHM6ykwQXvP1t32kT1LWTws6CEWLU2n56TveatHcKz1IrREaNnYGbAUAiO-lEPSPKnpPLdXSNDwHbiotJ5q79BTCR05y0K-ksJxTd7D7pO8dsIiDMkLYE/w284-h400/Pride%2023.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">"I'm the rainbow sheep of my family."<br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vUkXv9zC3_90RBnjXggVYq8nspyUP1TeIBuT5Xqe3y4fCNnZMBULzWBJs1LbBc9Z5tElXMltgRawtJ0tbZLYNIAb_I2BIgWxYGzoc4vaGwbXaDISXPVjl5HUymeSw2pGOC6sefCdFpYqgIVdZ1TRyzb5GaG6aW1T-4Pe246iBPUI83bMxxdwMQkD/s5137/pride%2030.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5137" data-original-width="3693" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vUkXv9zC3_90RBnjXggVYq8nspyUP1TeIBuT5Xqe3y4fCNnZMBULzWBJs1LbBc9Z5tElXMltgRawtJ0tbZLYNIAb_I2BIgWxYGzoc4vaGwbXaDISXPVjl5HUymeSw2pGOC6sefCdFpYqgIVdZ1TRyzb5GaG6aW1T-4Pe246iBPUI83bMxxdwMQkD/w288-h400/pride%2030.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">"My paws couldn't take any more parading."<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-IwMNZWgHipCQFhMgCOCq06TUnRE3i5LvoXjqXeTZ6vEecrEbwF6ilnXZyS5nalCtufXvOPCE3BmJeGD7QqnhVxG3_MPPswkMPTui0YTfLMmIwKhIxDiEwore-BD53mn58lat3-VIDX44Xul0140GGbAZm3lDQGPnHnxdLK-sEXK3Vp0t1jUUYwP/s5739/Pride%2026.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5739" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-IwMNZWgHipCQFhMgCOCq06TUnRE3i5LvoXjqXeTZ6vEecrEbwF6ilnXZyS5nalCtufXvOPCE3BmJeGD7QqnhVxG3_MPPswkMPTui0YTfLMmIwKhIxDiEwore-BD53mn58lat3-VIDX44Xul0140GGbAZm3lDQGPnHnxdLK-sEXK3Vp0t1jUUYwP/w279-h400/Pride%2026.jpg" width="279" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">A proud mother and daughter team<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii9VicutPBNYdaGr8kjzeC04pt45KFQQuR1hMZ4jXgJWIbPUcOL19p_R3Dheb6XEM1iYrxXrpIBsvS6KVYSAXVWAXNKOm2pWL3w4USfaKJ98DENffMiftIHjtJ-1B66V-KNSZJi3mFfJjSJKhBTjKHAIKshPaW5MnayvugVOd4mA3Ppea0PdKYrAu-/s5707/pride%2029.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="5707" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii9VicutPBNYdaGr8kjzeC04pt45KFQQuR1hMZ4jXgJWIbPUcOL19p_R3Dheb6XEM1iYrxXrpIBsvS6KVYSAXVWAXNKOm2pWL3w4USfaKJ98DENffMiftIHjtJ-1B66V-KNSZJi3mFfJjSJKhBTjKHAIKshPaW5MnayvugVOd4mA3Ppea0PdKYrAu-/w400-h280/pride%2029.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">They are auditioning for the revival of 'Ozzie and Harriet',<br /> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4lMjFr9eC4HbREyhoS1u0zs1GtrR60R59q6pinKaJoZrWyPZTqx5KGcz1dlqKrue15B2YAI6S7Zr3gE1s_hxkBYP3jVrMomHY_dSaNO9L8GU9QBwdehnxkT7Y9Z-2fYHtzDORfRWTSVdQM8-dEqEGDnMOFjiAgyJfXARddU_9V1tuaslChnY3Fdrg/s5342/Pride%2025.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5342" data-original-width="3649" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4lMjFr9eC4HbREyhoS1u0zs1GtrR60R59q6pinKaJoZrWyPZTqx5KGcz1dlqKrue15B2YAI6S7Zr3gE1s_hxkBYP3jVrMomHY_dSaNO9L8GU9QBwdehnxkT7Y9Z-2fYHtzDORfRWTSVdQM8-dEqEGDnMOFjiAgyJfXARddU_9V1tuaslChnY3Fdrg/w274-h400/Pride%2025.jpg" width="274" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Mercury? Adonis? Who cares. <br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtCOZePEEVp5JD7EahYCmQG3t_kuTak6jRJAKMRbzqiiOlDbv7zzOYlTgdTeevbiOKNyfDwerwlJti_zGDV-DZ3_ogT5jQ8JW_tZ3jIhU_MohkOplNlppHYUcAulp0lMaSYKdvwdsJ0CqwXRaJFnVzqqSyPc8KZO_9NboWxVsFP-EiSj6fHLTNwva2/s4510/Pride%2027.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3591" data-original-width="4510" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtCOZePEEVp5JD7EahYCmQG3t_kuTak6jRJAKMRbzqiiOlDbv7zzOYlTgdTeevbiOKNyfDwerwlJti_zGDV-DZ3_ogT5jQ8JW_tZ3jIhU_MohkOplNlppHYUcAulp0lMaSYKdvwdsJ0CqwXRaJFnVzqqSyPc8KZO_9NboWxVsFP-EiSj6fHLTNwva2/w400-h319/Pride%2027.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">A string of pearls and a yellow hat. Perfect.<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkz_SO8yNngLdV-6ixelTHmBYa_23mCoeo-dXPCDHbGG2NKuCFdHKEVXLBor0rk1yO6oYHffSEeBZ14uxAxpW5Il_uCltjE7xdL5AKDFdIPvUAVbFHqCpqXiylxPqw-NExjAbHmqJup7ukAQiwkFpd8pxFsJpQVj4hAq5jsDfrX9BxCZpgBPcUpKZ/s4000/Pride%2022.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3375" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkz_SO8yNngLdV-6ixelTHmBYa_23mCoeo-dXPCDHbGG2NKuCFdHKEVXLBor0rk1yO6oYHffSEeBZ14uxAxpW5Il_uCltjE7xdL5AKDFdIPvUAVbFHqCpqXiylxPqw-NExjAbHmqJup7ukAQiwkFpd8pxFsJpQVj4hAq5jsDfrX9BxCZpgBPcUpKZ/w338-h400/Pride%2022.jpg" width="338" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Oh, you shouldn't have. Really.<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSaf_wPSBF2YNr9w-VaiYx7UfIThzpYU3zMSvukskPqr_WIBXKigYIMdvPR52sgA9kezJ0ulPrVUke2U_bvYU3COBhlj28CLp8EO7wWRYu3jElqFrCulizzWaOZnSvx97o7Cozq-IxA87uXNI_hHNVlPwy66I40_bjHNzCSxuFPuszOQ35TUl3dnjt/s5344/pride%2033.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="5344" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSaf_wPSBF2YNr9w-VaiYx7UfIThzpYU3zMSvukskPqr_WIBXKigYIMdvPR52sgA9kezJ0ulPrVUke2U_bvYU3COBhlj28CLp8EO7wWRYu3jElqFrCulizzWaOZnSvx97o7Cozq-IxA87uXNI_hHNVlPwy66I40_bjHNzCSxuFPuszOQ35TUl3dnjt/w400-h300/pride%2033.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Winner of the Plus-Size Award<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCDqbsgrDuNpJnVK7W_eB9hfNt1duEjSirJFpg2lPjpoc1s0c0o1d9h3DF5WVNE-crT_tJPidlc5lTwHsdnn2HxCgHFM6Qn1fKyctvw2hKX-8S04UOHwKjXeiq9E7fQYmiQqGXHykRtX3UFY9mesDVEUeg9ob8-PiTox85QBf2_5kkJaMyQOItMSqF/s6000/pride%2031.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCDqbsgrDuNpJnVK7W_eB9hfNt1duEjSirJFpg2lPjpoc1s0c0o1d9h3DF5WVNE-crT_tJPidlc5lTwHsdnn2HxCgHFM6Qn1fKyctvw2hKX-8S04UOHwKjXeiq9E7fQYmiQqGXHykRtX3UFY9mesDVEUeg9ob8-PiTox85QBf2_5kkJaMyQOItMSqF/w266-h400/pride%2031.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Great sunglasses. The rest of you is not bad either.<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFM_4eMl5XT1e0YTegPmbPznugvOVOcAMS8UII5tLPIb5jaFLuos-6023e7am8QHhnVzNmKk_N8tYQnjIstnE-nGhXSYANb_2zNujCtMUFZgejBM9UsRvQfwtszWkOxxvDSVdxgHnuJTQsSWf1MSVqFKZzPX3yUfN7VnOBoI9L-sUH_Xf14TsdmQC8/s4185/pride%2032.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3675" data-original-width="4185" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFM_4eMl5XT1e0YTegPmbPznugvOVOcAMS8UII5tLPIb5jaFLuos-6023e7am8QHhnVzNmKk_N8tYQnjIstnE-nGhXSYANb_2zNujCtMUFZgejBM9UsRvQfwtszWkOxxvDSVdxgHnuJTQsSWf1MSVqFKZzPX3yUfN7VnOBoI9L-sUH_Xf14TsdmQC8/w400-h351/pride%2032.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">The one-man contingent representing Honduras<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIr6ZxS-qiD9HI-akBLH39_ImajHFS2vLcmVtx9tzDX1DEW5Bqi_GuEAT3apXT3TSc--ZvH9KHIjhb_kOpu7w63X6gfC6-YxEBFukiP9Kj3gHLnjQRPKPaR0pMrHY0J1IBewQdwTKGLFEXBz_LDNe85GEto3xhxkoSgHfybp-ECajXsTQbNyjbfPRv/s6000/pride%2035.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIr6ZxS-qiD9HI-akBLH39_ImajHFS2vLcmVtx9tzDX1DEW5Bqi_GuEAT3apXT3TSc--ZvH9KHIjhb_kOpu7w63X6gfC6-YxEBFukiP9Kj3gHLnjQRPKPaR0pMrHY0J1IBewQdwTKGLFEXBz_LDNe85GEto3xhxkoSgHfybp-ECajXsTQbNyjbfPRv/w400-h266/pride%2035.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Ursus mexicanus<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCmbu44PL1vEk5DzR_Qr0Af7blzvr_AXI9X6AnWfLzxCRt8_OMFHUH21HTAE4yS2ip4KnONL-WBbB48jMmVQth0AQ24mzkpf6u6OkB8oUQqg7y1ZJd4emEQs7ncfi-kOnWvEFPYoUvehKvC7CxsvBPd2mSeIsS7uxh50xiksFje8myP0I35Fj2hhlK/s5807/pride%2034.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5807" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCmbu44PL1vEk5DzR_Qr0Af7blzvr_AXI9X6AnWfLzxCRt8_OMFHUH21HTAE4yS2ip4KnONL-WBbB48jMmVQth0AQ24mzkpf6u6OkB8oUQqg7y1ZJd4emEQs7ncfi-kOnWvEFPYoUvehKvC7CxsvBPd2mSeIsS7uxh50xiksFje8myP0I35Fj2hhlK/w275-h400/pride%2034.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Father and son team<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBAXQLmi97BIgG8MX-GMqxVERzWQipzczFGE0uLkq1ifBo6az3X8d0oISnmMN6Q1RXBVaFJrYb2TqJyqhZILlCWoLj6ejnzF6031Mk1M0MGJ93EVeKP7eFK_JjSMdAK7nrsNVLsV_PwpCJ_XpnI4-6DyeB8UpJMWD6_xMv4ov5qKuGESqVTC_GrlP/s5716/pride%2039.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5716" data-original-width="3444" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBAXQLmi97BIgG8MX-GMqxVERzWQipzczFGE0uLkq1ifBo6az3X8d0oISnmMN6Q1RXBVaFJrYb2TqJyqhZILlCWoLj6ejnzF6031Mk1M0MGJ93EVeKP7eFK_JjSMdAK7nrsNVLsV_PwpCJ_XpnI4-6DyeB8UpJMWD6_xMv4ov5qKuGESqVTC_GrlP/w241-h400/pride%2039.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">One more cute number. Why not?<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDd20QGGMgm6CnC6rEnX3nZJWNEVC_jgSqThLtaGudTVxnCVaga5zuWb0ZGSYjDyzGe-VIcxYe19-7Du97R2uZC157iqvLDqbO5HXNWguxWkNSzXQ0W9nBpi4k9p56kSAseDSn-qGnUYPMBsk3K0XNOuUkx4IR-GepxMPM2oohm4QTLF_5s_TyWRk/s5622/pride%2037.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3699" data-original-width="5622" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDd20QGGMgm6CnC6rEnX3nZJWNEVC_jgSqThLtaGudTVxnCVaga5zuWb0ZGSYjDyzGe-VIcxYe19-7Du97R2uZC157iqvLDqbO5HXNWguxWkNSzXQ0W9nBpi4k9p56kSAseDSn-qGnUYPMBsk3K0XNOuUkx4IR-GepxMPM2oohm4QTLF_5s_TyWRk/w400-h264/pride%2037.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">After umpteen hours, these parade watchers' enthusiasm is visibly flagging.<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwe6tT0pB_qxiKDtmA0YCbOAGXH7S49EJmsxYou6UbBGyQT9u9OK3lnZS0yZCaRUnTMnK6oZdDsFCgpEiHJYgW-0gzAjs7xwaIaCElGb3To4Mzda-euGCJLzhLU7n3_sN5LLCgNEySxkydM7cuAg9QsZCAZT2OL8I8luyLY-Z6C04bJKtMBUMltwg/s5001/pride%2036.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5001" data-original-width="3421" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwe6tT0pB_qxiKDtmA0YCbOAGXH7S49EJmsxYou6UbBGyQT9u9OK3lnZS0yZCaRUnTMnK6oZdDsFCgpEiHJYgW-0gzAjs7xwaIaCElGb3To4Mzda-euGCJLzhLU7n3_sN5LLCgNEySxkydM7cuAg9QsZCAZT2OL8I8luyLY-Z6C04bJKtMBUMltwg/w274-h400/pride%2036.jpg" width="274" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">And this guy wants to home for a nap.<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_erFcOuZAwhd0HMouHRQWX2YQ7M0zMrFFM7HfArfvAiFo56HA103vyZxhH4RETWDX5jrwwHeWPC0TZFfNVxRaO_-Z5IosizvBA07myUqFAF73E2b3hT982_4EC4EzD3ecNBlssSa84E7A3367LS93RlfOifjJvqXaBLTBnAwmcQ0kfDAndcDxUlXb/s5753/42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3895" data-original-width="5753" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_erFcOuZAwhd0HMouHRQWX2YQ7M0zMrFFM7HfArfvAiFo56HA103vyZxhH4RETWDX5jrwwHeWPC0TZFfNVxRaO_-Z5IosizvBA07myUqFAF73E2b3hT982_4EC4EzD3ecNBlssSa84E7A3367LS93RlfOifjJvqXaBLTBnAwmcQ0kfDAndcDxUlXb/s320/42.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">A shower of rainbow confetti marks the end of the parade.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRuBW10ZQyhEp7oeZUcqFK9zYc6AK58dX2I5ZKNGx-CE_zOamY4r810EVqWIdrWv6lVItLtyBAwy_hUbzgqtBhVYlgA7NthNpV9Nyf2zxOz6QwO2VIDhDwCC1u99YSDS_vNeDHtdwz5UN-rU-8dTlmtDiQ3NH5DoEl48cxFERSTlJZIc7cxfxmYheQ/s6000/50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRuBW10ZQyhEp7oeZUcqFK9zYc6AK58dX2I5ZKNGx-CE_zOamY4r810EVqWIdrWv6lVItLtyBAwy_hUbzgqtBhVYlgA7NthNpV9Nyf2zxOz6QwO2VIDhDwCC1u99YSDS_vNeDHtdwz5UN-rU-8dTlmtDiQ3NH5DoEl48cxFERSTlJZIc7cxfxmYheQ/w400-h266/50.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Parting gift: After the parade some group was giving away marijuana samples.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><br /><br /></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><br /><br /><br /></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>alcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672834250325632231.post-45903967343541719322022-06-22T12:19:00.000-05:002022-06-22T12:19:03.978-05:00A cure for what's killing our evergreen trees? <p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="font-size: medium;">fter two years of helplessly watching</span></b></span> several evergreens and cedars in our ranch, some as tall as 20 feet, suddenly brown up and die, we may have found a cure. Yesterday, our eagle-eyed gardener Ulises showed me a frond from a Michoacán pine whose long needles seemed to be infested with reddish somethings the size of fleas. </p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZ9tj_L1Ktt24R7Khr88KNd6f1zXLaF0_fZ5t4eCyN-9GmFVzwxSacJkkdDfm4Hmx356on7jXsEl_jAnCWp7kp2EvSz0QXL_sOUvM24Fx8IHDsB_qgQadFqdmkxFXvyvm66Cif_71V_M6emjDjtVhY4FluyYBy416tgk6CYRMgbIPfRdWQUPOXO2j/s4080/infected%20pine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZ9tj_L1Ktt24R7Khr88KNd6f1zXLaF0_fZ5t4eCyN-9GmFVzwxSacJkkdDfm4Hmx356on7jXsEl_jAnCWp7kp2EvSz0QXL_sOUvM24Fx8IHDsB_qgQadFqdmkxFXvyvm66Cif_71V_M6emjDjtVhY4FluyYBy416tgk6CYRMgbIPfRdWQUPOXO2j/s320/infected%20pine.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Infected Michoacán pine</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table>His discovery was both alarming and reassuring: Though we may have spotted the culprit, it may have infected a couple of our Michoacán pines, very graceful, bushy evergreens with long needles that dance at the slightest breeze. They are not very common in the state of Guanajuato, and of all the trees we have, they are the ones I least want to lose. </p><p>Sample in hand I went to El Surco, an agricultural products store in town, where a young, thin guy ran off to consult with someone and excitedly returned with an answer. It must have been his first day on the job. </p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">H</span><span style="font-size: medium;">e said the problem is a fungus</span></b></span> and prescribed spraying with the fungicide Chlorothalonil, sold in Mexico under the brand name Metanil. Further, he suggested a good dose of fertilizer and deep watering at the time of application of the fungicide. </p><p>So I bought the Metanil and a 25-kilo sack of ammonium sulfate, an acidic fertilizer commonly used on evergreens, and gave the guy who waited on me a $20 peso tip that further revved up his enthusiasm. </p><p>At home I consulted with Ms. Google, who seemed to confirm the young guy's diagnosis as well as his recommendations for spraying and fertilizing. The fungus seems to be the <a href="https://extension.umn.edu/plant-diseases/cytospora-canker#:~:text=Cytospora%20canker%20is%20a%20common,the%20look%20of%20the%20tree.">cytospora canker of spruce</a>.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWrtkWru0gq_ZfNM_lv-Y4Rnf1z4g9vAkWvl4LhnFy6h1md2v1iTpx1dQoV3LhYFqQ8Ln7LHwxAIScml4SHdak0Q39IypmT6fDv6mLE9YEy7Sgzqe1P3LNwqTdqOleAu0FFSQsjIoaC4YBrOBkerIlcQSbqR9Unh8mk8pFFW0D666jTML6kizmNHQW/s163/infected%20pines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="122" data-original-width="163" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWrtkWru0gq_ZfNM_lv-Y4Rnf1z4g9vAkWvl4LhnFy6h1md2v1iTpx1dQoV3LhYFqQ8Ln7LHwxAIScml4SHdak0Q39IypmT6fDv6mLE9YEy7Sgzqe1P3LNwqTdqOleAu0FFSQsjIoaC4YBrOBkerIlcQSbqR9Unh8mk8pFFW0D666jTML6kizmNHQW/s1600/infected%20pines.jpg" width="163" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Infested trees.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table>Except cankers, as the name suggests, show as runny sores on evergreens, while the infestation here looks more like tiny insects. On the other hand, Google photos of infected evergreens closely resemble ours. </p><p>And having no other possible solutions, for now I've gone with the Metanil fungicide. It is quite a toxic product, and I've equipped our gardener with latex gloves, a face mask and a light hooded nylon jacket.</p><p>Prognosis is guarded, quite guarded in fact, according to Ms. Google. She says sick trees often recover, particularly during the growing season which, I hope, is about to finally start in San Miguel. </p><p>I've also sent a query and photo of the infested Michoacán pine to the University of Minnesota agricultural extension, whose website helped me with my search. I explained that while Mexico may not be in their service area, I used to live in Chicago which, eh, is kind of close to Minnesota. </p>alcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672834250325632231.post-36542867151469119352022-06-15T12:05:00.001-05:002022-06-15T12:05:52.858-05:00'Tis the season of my impatience<p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">T</span><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">he skies over San Miguel this time of the year </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">are frequently cloudy, but that's only a tease.</span> They promise rain but deliver only a couple of timorous sprinkles of little benefit to the plants and trees, except to rinse the dust off the foliage. Last night we had one of those teasers: It came to .05 inches, or basically nothing. </p><p>I temper my impatience by occasionally, and perversely, checking the Weather Channel app to reassure myself that San Miguel's weather could be worse, much worse. </p><p>In much of the southwestern United States it's broiler hot, with temperatures in the upper nineties in San Antonio, Houston, Albuquerque and Miami, along with a stifling humidity that makes the heat feel that much more uncomfortable. Even in Chicago, the forecast high yesterday was 99°F. in addition to the dreaded temperature-humidity index of over 100. </p><p>These days the highs in San Miguel are in the mid-70s, usually with a brisk breeze in late afternoon. Night temperatures, in the 60s, and even 50s, call for a light blanket. It's ideal sleeping weather.</p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span><span style="font-size: medium;">till.</span></b></span> Gloating about the miserable weather elsewhere can't quite compensate for the dreadful appearance of most vegetation here, including yellowed, possibly dead, evergreens and bushes, along with sickly grass.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJ0400JmprLfi0APFe9Jp1a-4-PMCkrjFcT-aHdvYh6UiUCy0cxb2HtFn2iEN-Hrdnj4sGcq-IAQj33KK4jKEuDSdhyXKjCO1fIencz22j69XRzcgvYGhJZD-yogCHgiWd_zQcye4ssFa3kbQcoKmYXWFdOEblykkK2thi98kdrK_lDi7ePR07_TZ/s6000/Dead%20pine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJ0400JmprLfi0APFe9Jp1a-4-PMCkrjFcT-aHdvYh6UiUCy0cxb2HtFn2iEN-Hrdnj4sGcq-IAQj33KK4jKEuDSdhyXKjCO1fIencz22j69XRzcgvYGhJZD-yogCHgiWd_zQcye4ssFa3kbQcoKmYXWFdOEblykkK2thi98kdrK_lDi7ePR07_TZ/s320/Dead%20pine.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">This Michoacán pine looks pretty<br />even after it died.</span></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>Evergreens this year were again afflicted by a lack of rain and probably some sort of insect infestation. I'm betting on the latter, because some evergreens and cedars are nicely green, while similar species, just ten meters away, seem to be dead or close to it. </p><p>If the cause were lack of moisture, they would all be in the same condition, or so I figure. We've had several tanker trucks of water delivered to douse the sickly trees but it doesn't seem to make much difference. </p><p>Back in the States, agricultural extensions of state universities would be able to diagnose the problem and suggest a cure, but I haven't found an equivalent resource here. </p><p>We'll just have to wait for the rains to arrive and perhaps revive the sickly trees. Someone on the Civil List, an expat bulletin board, suggested mites might be the problem and so we have sprayed them with a broad-spectrum insecticide, but with little apparent improvement. </p><p>I called city hall but the one factotum I spoke with didn't seem to know or be concerned about the problem. In fact, he said, no one had even noticed that almost a dozen tall evergreens in front of the building were completely dead.</p><p>Stew and I went out this morning to more closely check the trees, but swarms of bees chased us away. But there is really not much more we can do except wait until the rains return, and hope they green up the ranch, particularly the struggling trees. </p><p>And we'll have to chop down the ones that don't make it, a painful chore because some of the evergreens are as tall as 20 feet. Stew argues against planting any replacements. Enough is enough. </p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisTjAMA0u5Ck0bGz4ETUYDctW8ijokVQQ54YpPlhm9WtDEkZv9UwaWHAGx-hpR_y8wzqvarEM_H39tnQvL_wVAeYH118zjOSd6TejlcUYRCrpvQ63j2jMq5e5kVQZseAkQI0PO8V2blmv-z5MlmNLOrkOf5apXp0CNDtF_izXeXx5HjInNSFcu-R8J/s5498/lettuce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3498" data-original-width="5498" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisTjAMA0u5Ck0bGz4ETUYDctW8ijokVQQ54YpPlhm9WtDEkZv9UwaWHAGx-hpR_y8wzqvarEM_H39tnQvL_wVAeYH118zjOSd6TejlcUYRCrpvQ63j2jMq5e5kVQZseAkQI0PO8V2blmv-z5MlmNLOrkOf5apXp0CNDtF_izXeXx5HjInNSFcu-R8J/s320/lettuce.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">A mash-up of different types of lettuce, <br />with one carrot plant behind. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">O</span><span style="font-size: medium;">n the brighter side,</span></b></span> this year's crop of vegetables seems to be coming along fine, albeit behind schedule. My friend John, whose wife calls him an "inveterate old farmer," is in his eighties and began planting his tomatoes a month or six weeks before I did and they are enjoying them already.</p><p>On the raised beds close to the house, we have about a dozen tomato plants, with exotic names: Black Krim, Bodacious Hybrid, Yellow Cherokee Purple, and Gardener's Delight. Black Krim and Bodacious are growing far faster than the others. We also have four cucumber plants (Bragger Hybrid); carrots; radishes and beans. I've tried to avoid the usual jungle-like crowding of plants in the raised beds so I left out some vegetables I don't particularly like, such as beets, and limited my planting to avoid the usual late-summer vegetable glut. </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMOj9Zn5ZiQubEDTQGqakocPS3-6Z_h0x-VNFsSHkfG1fB2dy93giANrhVWuDCTVUf0S1UFSfhJ4A3jXxiP2qYvImWarzLJc2ea_RiQCgFwLtZB1nF3Jg4NdOtCAs8bnEPdqcOd139hCH2hNIMh1nCsuHo99-6z3mfnuId1GeB0DMWJLLF0ywYvMB/s2934/tomato.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2787" data-original-width="2934" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMOj9Zn5ZiQubEDTQGqakocPS3-6Z_h0x-VNFsSHkfG1fB2dy93giANrhVWuDCTVUf0S1UFSfhJ4A3jXxiP2qYvImWarzLJc2ea_RiQCgFwLtZB1nF3Jg4NdOtCAs8bnEPdqcOd139hCH2hNIMh1nCsuHo99-6z3mfnuId1GeB0DMWJLLF0ywYvMB/s320/tomato.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">This Bodacious Hybrid tomato <br />seedling looks bodacious alright. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>In the greens area, we have romaine, bib, frisee and mesclun lettuces, plus some arugula. Notable for its absence is spinach, which refuses to grow for me. </p><p>In another area of the ranch we are growing peas (can't have too many peas); bush beans, and corn. </p><p>In addition, the one volunteer peach tree near the house gave us a bumper crop of fruit these year. They were small, just a little bigger than golf balls—a far cry from the baseball-sized peaches from Fredericksburg, Texas—but juicy and delicious nevertheless. </p><p>But if I may share a secret, I'm growing tired of all this gardening, which quite often seems and feels like a Sisyphean—and in my case self-inflicted—project. </p><p>We miss Félix, who worked for us for 12 years and had become a manager of all things around the ranch, from irrigating trees to taking sick animals to the vet. His replacement is an agreeable enough fellow who's just not nearly as self-motivated. </p><p>This all will pass. One night we'll wake up to the rumble of thunder, and rain pounding on the roof and windows and gurgling down the pipes to the cistern, while the dogs bark in appreciation or protest. A few days later the palette of the landscape will miraculously turn a hundred shades of green. </p><p>It's all coming, I'm sure, but not nearly fast enough. </p>alcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672834250325632231.post-76842969595666046522022-05-30T18:44:00.000-05:002022-05-30T18:44:31.026-05:00Traveling on to the sunset<p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span><span style="font-size: medium;">tew and I had the good fortune</span></b></span> to be able to retire at age 57, several years earlier than most of our work colleagues and friends, which afforded that much extra time to satisfy our appetite for traveling. </p><p>Though we've not been to the Far East, we've traveled from Iceland to Antarctica, and the Galápagos Islands to Morocco, to name some our destinations, usually at the pace of two long trips a year and a couple of shorter ones usually to Mexico or Canada. </p><p>Curiosity is what drives us, to see up close some of the world's manmade wonders, meet the folks responsible for them and get a taste of what they're like. </p><p>Are the French insufferably snooty? Are all Muslims fervidly anti-American? Do Cubans carry anti-Yankee venom in their veins, after decades of crushing U.S. pressure to overthrow their government? Would Norwegians be welcoming to Stew, whose parents migrated from Norway to the U.S. early in the 1900s? </p><p>Except for Norwegians, our stereotypes and expectations haven't been validated. Norwegians indeed turned out to be a bunch of dour, unwelcoming sticks-in-the-mud, even when they met a genuine one-of-their-own toehead like Stew. All we could figure is that maybe most of the population was either hungover or had too much whale blubber for dinner the night before. </p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">O</span><span style="font-size: medium;">ur travels came to an end early 2020</span></b></span> as a result of the pandemic, except for a couple of medical visits to San Antonio. One trip to tour cathedrals in England was cancelled three times, as Covid quarantines and other regulations kept shifting. </p><p>A month ago we broke our travel fast by going on a cruise on the Dalmatian Coast, with several stops in Croatia, and then five days in Vienna on the return leg to Mexico, for a total of 19 <i>long </i>days<i>.</i> We generally enjoyed the jaunt, particularly Vienna, but it was also a timely reminder of the perils of traveling as you get older, in our case 74 and 75 years old each. </p><p>All told, the final schlep back from Vienna to our ranch was close to 20 hours, counting layovers in Amsterdam and an overnight stay at an airport hotel in Mexico City. Traveling business class alleviated some of the backaches, but not enough. </p><p>We were happy to be home, back with our herd of dogs and cats and sleeping on our own bed, albeit thoroughly exhausted. </p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> contemporary once told us that retirement</span></b></span>—and traveling—consists of three phases: Go-Go Years, Slow-Go Years and finally, the No-Go Years. </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22qtVhWD8hieT_nP3T6vKTczbCMWyH8KD_65mNZIJiN_U_10WjfZPGSSpRN2vSXEd2k2f5P52bykE9UDdKWA9q7bsNSruf56xnwmn18rCDr5LJm2h0Sn5At1aou3HvULjvRAVE5EnnC4qewN4SXEgIR5GZa7nKCm_3F-VSL0RpWF2wMeLxi-uUX8K/s6000/bust.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22qtVhWD8hieT_nP3T6vKTczbCMWyH8KD_65mNZIJiN_U_10WjfZPGSSpRN2vSXEd2k2f5P52bykE9UDdKWA9q7bsNSruf56xnwmn18rCDr5LJm2h0Sn5At1aou3HvULjvRAVE5EnnC4qewN4SXEgIR5GZa7nKCm_3F-VSL0RpWF2wMeLxi-uUX8K/s320/bust.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Et tu, Al and Stew?</b> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Stew and I are definitely in the middle stage. Today I look wistfully at 20-somethings trudging through airports with backpacks bulky enough for a trek to Mt. Kilimanjaro. Indeed, after college I zigzagged my way through Europe for three months, the only certainties being a skinny roll of camouflaged cash, a U.S. passport and an Eurail pass. Daily bathing optional. I was 23. </p><p>We definitely plan to keep on traveling, but with some adjustments suggested by our most recent venture.</p><p>For one thing, we might be done with packaged tours, even those supposedly tailored to the tastes and limitations of older travelers. </p><p>Sailing the Dalmatian Coast—the gorgeous archipelago off the coast of Croatia—took us 11 days, probably five days too long, an itinerary at times seemingly drawn out. The trip was organized by Martin Randall Tours, a high-end British outfit specializing in educational tours. Maybe <i>too </i>educational for us, it turns out. </p><p>Stew and I wanted see the sights of Dubrovnic, Split and a few other Croatian jewels, sample local food and perhaps get a sense for the recent history of the area, the Serbo-Croatian conflict for example, take lots of photos and talk to folks.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6qb8ZP2zGGdgwFMJnkevsuKOJh3VRzHCDHGcC2CE0G7bT9fijxdDOn2-orX_MSnV1xxziH3Xrr7x0tgMqw50j60mQY41cZQpPCluj_s86k4Ub7o4iAOGSteI0tgOhbslWnVdKWlMSrX4GIFD6Je4mg60EH4sX4VpjVTVw_dbvmGNRw0v0IPHXEWRn/s5761/super%20yatch_.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3730" data-original-width="5761" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6qb8ZP2zGGdgwFMJnkevsuKOJh3VRzHCDHGcC2CE0G7bT9fijxdDOn2-orX_MSnV1xxziH3Xrr7x0tgMqw50j60mQY41cZQpPCluj_s86k4Ub7o4iAOGSteI0tgOhbslWnVdKWlMSrX4GIFD6Je4mg60EH4sX4VpjVTVw_dbvmGNRw0v0IPHXEWRn/w640-h414/super%20yatch_.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b>Come aboard? Don't think so. A $300 million, 500-foot-long</b></span><b style="font-family: "Roboto Condensed";"> superyacht </b><b style="font-family: "Roboto Condensed";">owned by the former</b><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><br />prime minister of Qatar, and docked at Dubrovnik, Croatia. It has a crew of 50.</b></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Our tour instead turned out to be a deep dive in the Greco-Roman history of the Balkans, conducted by a lovely Cambridge-educated woman thoroughly versed in all the historical granules of that era.<p></p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span><span style="font-size: medium;">nstead, Stew and I remember some of our do-it-yourself driving tours</span></b></span>, most memorably in Iceland, Portugal, Tuscany, and southern Spain. We saw what we wanted to see, occasionally do a U-turn if we missed something, and skipped the tourist mobs. Go here, forget that, move at our own pace. </p><p>Huge art museums like El Prado or the Louvre bore the hell out of us, but we really enjoy smaller venues like the Van Gogh in Amsterdam, the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris, or the Belvedere Palace in Vienna. I can hear the <i>ughs</i> from some of our more refined friends, shocked by our bumpkinishness. </p><p>On the other hand, both Stew and I are fascinated by old churches, and not for religious reasons. There's nothing like sitting on a one-hundred-year old pew inside an eight-hundred-year old cathedral, and to just look up in silence and <i>imagine</i> all the things that took place there. </p><p>Huge, musty cathedrals, we've found, are showcases of history, where kings get crowned, beheaded or buried, depending how their reigns turned out, time capsules of the art, music, engineering, science and other cultural highlights of their day. </p><p>Once, on the spur of the moment, we popped in for a evensong service, in Dutch, at a typically spartan church in Haarlem. Didn't understand a thing, but we still remember the experience. Or a high mass at the church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris, its pipe organ and choir bellowing obscure hymns, sunlight piercing the sooty stained-glass windows. </p><p>In retrospect, we wish we had spent less time in Croatia, gorgeous as it was, and added that extra time to our stay in Vienna, one of those legendary world cities that you can only nibble at around the edges even if you stay for a couple of weeks. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-waOKZBgFkfsjgBEzeVkiRwkjEotLIUcdsN_fbr7WAHARXIZ2fubyxJiZYODgRqN0rfyIVp9Q6DdUUotQlo8Fau3lYK9tETDtPrzKuUMtad5tZxS6pb_PfycwyJgBo8qlcrQSvUmuvb_QBfo9wzeRmxaVw5hYHeAWFtC8Q9FqJYNZvhMa4OZ5E87y/s5459/dog%20in%20Croatia.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="5459" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-waOKZBgFkfsjgBEzeVkiRwkjEotLIUcdsN_fbr7WAHARXIZ2fubyxJiZYODgRqN0rfyIVp9Q6DdUUotQlo8Fau3lYK9tETDtPrzKuUMtad5tZxS6pb_PfycwyJgBo8qlcrQSvUmuvb_QBfo9wzeRmxaVw5hYHeAWFtC8Q9FqJYNZvhMa4OZ5E87y/w640-h469/dog%20in%20Croatia.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>The ultimate in personalized touring of Croatia.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">W</span><span style="font-size: medium;">e've also become allergic to mobs.</span></b></span> On a visit to Florence's Piazza del Duomo, it seemed as if twenty percent of the population of mainland China was also visiting, each person taking a photo of the person next to them. We'll probably never see hyper popular Venice, unless we go there in January. Never been to India; between the crowds and the cows it looks asphyxiating. </p><p>So we're casting our glance elsewhere, far from well trod tourist paths. Rumania, anyone? Two friends found it fascinating. Gary, a reader in England, said he wanted to visit either Tunisia, Algeria or even Libya, can't remember which. All of them potentially interesting, with minimal tourist pushing-and-shoving. </p><p>Or we could try again for a tour of English cathedrals, which we had originally scheduled with Martin Randall, the British tour company. But this time, we'd drive around on our own, see what we can and skip the rest. At one-fifth the size of Texas, England is eminently drivable, has lots of quaint villages and friendly folks—nowadays probably a hell of a lot friendlier than Texans. </p>alcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672834250325632231.post-57340721834661150792022-05-27T17:54:00.002-05:002022-05-27T17:54:47.290-05:00The futile search for a solution to gun violence <p><b><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-large;">A</span><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: medium;"> few years back I got embroiled in yet another email argument</span></b> with a friend whom I respect, about gun ownership. Our opinions on guns, and politics in general are, and remain, as diametrically opposed as east and west. </p><p>He's a firm, long-time owner, who, if I recall correctly, keeps a couple of handguns in his house and carries one strapped to his leg sometimes when he goes outside. </p><p>One time we visited him and his wife in Florida and he showed Stew his <i>plastic, </i>but very real, Glock handgun. Stew was wide-eyed, as if Superman was being shown a chunk of kryptonite. I skipped the demonstration. I'm openly terrified of guns. </p><p>The portraits in the New York Times of the 19 schoolchildren killed in Texas a couple of days ago—all Mexican-American— at first almost made my cry. </p><p>Their faces were a mixture of innocence with a mischievous sparkle in their eyes. They reminded me of our former gardener's Felix's three kids, now ages eight through thirteen, whom we watched grow when they came to visit over the years. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm2UbCC7Gje6F4x4urzv9LwRABWeQ1PGQ9whqOFUamH5y04248aZUPKQhT1vf-phxl-VfrOdToTpGf5krkHGINCNE6JivGv0X28okArxKjqvxjzQhDvVWaDn0CIHkvusSI5Gpfpc6CF58uA_7HhcceIN8Ar0tm75dNwBiJAGnLBdX3fWHAD1JBsdT1/s2048/uvalde.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm2UbCC7Gje6F4x4urzv9LwRABWeQ1PGQ9whqOFUamH5y04248aZUPKQhT1vf-phxl-VfrOdToTpGf5krkHGINCNE6JivGv0X28okArxKjqvxjzQhDvVWaDn0CIHkvusSI5Gpfpc6CF58uA_7HhcceIN8Ar0tm75dNwBiJAGnLBdX3fWHAD1JBsdT1/s320/uvalde.webp" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Three of the kids murdered in Texas.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Strangely, I have also thought of the arguments my friend and I have had over guns, especially his assertion that owning a gun gives you a feeling of "personal empowerment," by affording you a measure of protection from the whirlwind of craziness that surrounds us. </p><p>It's an insane yet frequent reaction: Guns <i>caused</i> those kids deaths. And yet, if previous gun massacres are any indication, gun sales across the country will <i>increase, </i>past the 400 million guns already in private hands, as people seek some sort of relief from the sense of powerlessness they feel at times like these. I wish I could offer an alternative balm but I have none.</p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">E</span><span style="font-size: medium;">xtending our "thoughts and prayers"</span></b></span> to the families of the victims has been become such a putrid cliché no one dares use it anymore. It makes me sick.</p><p>Likewise, craven politicians like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, afraid of even the slightest whisper about gun control laws, blamed the tragedy on "mental health issues," or "the politicization of the problem," whatever that means. </p><p>Worst of all, perhaps, from some right-wing corner of the internet universe, some got the rumor going that the <a href="https://www.factcheck.org/2022/05/social-media-posts-make-baseless-claims-about-gender-identity-of-uvalde-shooter/" target="_blank">killer was either an undocumented immigrant, a transgender woman</a>, or both. </p><p>Among those spreading the rumor was U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, Republican of Arizona. He <a href="https://perma.cc/R3S2-HQZ2" rel="noopener" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0a5a8e; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">tweeted</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 16px;">, in part, that the shooter “</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">is a transsexual leftist illegal alien named Salvatore [sic] Ramos.” The tweet was deleted later, but the zombie rumor lives on out there. </span></p><p>My response to this horror may in a way sound as cowardly as Abbott's, and won't be of any comfort to anyone who reads this. After the initial news story, I've avoided reading or watching any more news analyses, speculation or bloviation about it. </p><p>Yet the faces of those 19 kids will likely be stuck in my mind for some time.</p>alcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672834250325632231.post-36162445340226483882022-04-27T18:07:00.005-05:002022-04-28T09:28:51.712-05:00To mask or not to mask? But why? Does anyone know?<p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: medium;"><b>Tomorrow evening Stew and I will be going on a thrice-postponed trip abroad</b></span>, our first since the Covid-19 pandemic began more than two years ago. We've been vaccinated twice and received the booster, in addition to a flu vaccine and the first of two shingles vaccines. And of course, we'll carry our KN-95 masks in case a bus, taxi, airport or airline requires them.</p><p>And so far, so good, I must add. Neither Stew nor I have tested positive for Covid or gotten sick, while numerous friends and acquaintances have. </p><p>Yet, despite our religious adherence to all the Covid-prevention protocols, and our gratitude for avoiding infection so far, Covid-prevention rituals any more are looking like an absurdist theater production in which we are all trapped. </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ngufb6qkHSjCdFZsmG3nxoL8hNF91qiVO1phTjBNNG3Zgui3ei925aFiSKYuHgLQrf4C_nkYvFHwFjAgHIOp2PVSW_enBECe8Vuh_1Bqy9rbrOc4tYx8jF8xwSxQvgsATaSIsTFdTAtKL1-8WyeZO97kx7M8kRwi7lTzxLFVQvBGNoJYuguEA9Pt/s4080/covid%206.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ngufb6qkHSjCdFZsmG3nxoL8hNF91qiVO1phTjBNNG3Zgui3ei925aFiSKYuHgLQrf4C_nkYvFHwFjAgHIOp2PVSW_enBECe8Vuh_1Bqy9rbrOc4tYx8jF8xwSxQvgsATaSIsTFdTAtKL1-8WyeZO97kx7M8kRwi7lTzxLFVQvBGNoJYuguEA9Pt/w242-h320/covid%206.jpg" width="242" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>And try to have a nice meal anyway.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>At a restaurant yesterday, we were required to wear masks, have our temperature taken, scrub our hands in disinfectant gel and then wet the soles of our shoes on a tray with some unknown liquid—followed by a warning not to slip on the wet marble floor. Every other table at the restaurant was vacant, in compliance with distancing requirements. </p><p>How many millions of dollars or pesos have been spent on digital thermometers and to what end? Has a feverish patron ever turned up? What's with the shoe-disinfecting tray? Do shoes transmit Covid? And how about the nonsensical requirement that all restaurant patrons must wear a mask when in fact people can't eat or drink while wearing one? </p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: medium;"><b>Lest I sound too cranky,</b></span> I must admit that Covid protocols today in San Miguel are not half as ridiculous as when the pandemic started. A year ago I found my dentist dressed in a head-to-foot, one-piece garment with a plastic visor that made her look like an astronaut ready for a space walk. </p><p>My barbershop was shut down by the federal government for several weeks, and fined several thousand <i>dollars,</i> for some sort of Covid masking violation. What could it have been? After all, your mask has to come off for the barber to cut you hair, and he can't do so standing a meter away, in accordance with social-distancing requirements. </p><p>Most theatrical of all were the entrance arches installed at San Miguel's central square, which sprayed all visitors with a mysterious, presumably anti-bacterial substance. And the police check points installed at all entrances to the city where visitors aboard vehicles with out-of-state plates had to show proof of a hotel or restaurant reservation, and have the temperature of all passengers taken, before they could enter San Miguel. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTV24BvGlJZi_LEd76tEekdd8hTM6UlHEHwd-sZgjjbb2DFIbeUKwOKVztc2Ebqp9brWhCRNbwlonfO9GId6MLZnSGl36EE5wbCaG41P6Y0fu5Vj6nXYA5ehkM57R9jnCp5Yl-1muAkCvn2GxW-dqKkLQPh2RCkDNQxFJu8x5IBFf8EhqOSirlX_C/w207-h275/covid%208.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="207" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Have masks, will travel.</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>I'd hoped Covid protocols might come up for reassessment when a U.S. judge voided the federal mask mandate in public transportation. True, the judge who wrote the decision, appointed by the Trump administration, was rated "not qualified" by the American Bar Association when she was nominated. <p></p><p>Still, millions of passengers—myself included—were relieved by the apparent end of the mask requirement, even if it came from a somewhat dim legal bulb, and for political rather than medical reasons. </p><p>The Biden administration is expected to appeal the ruling, but not too strenuously and largely to protect the president's executive privileges.</p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: medium;"><b>But I forgot that decisions by an American judge</b></span> don't apply in Mexico or to foreign airlines. So in preparation for our ten-and-half-hour flight tomorrow, I checked the internet for KLM's mask requirements. </p><p>An entry on March 24 said that KLM had suspended mask requirements, but the airline's official internet stated just the opposite: Everyone has to wear a mask during the flight. So which is it?</p><p>And do we have to wear one during our four-hour bus ride to Mexico City, and in the waiting rooms at bus stations and the airports in Amsterdam, Vienna and Croatia? </p><p>Must we wear a mask when we sit in the hot tub of our small cruise ship catching some rays, bobbing around the Dalmatian Coast? </p><p>For now, I'm afraid the only answer to these vexing questions might be to keep reciting the Serenity Prayer—slowly and often—with my mask on. </p>alcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672834250325632231.post-7697480463879925172022-04-17T12:29:00.002-05:002022-04-17T12:29:45.083-05:00Mother Nature cuts through the gloom of current events <p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: medium;"><b>Stew checked our rooftop weather station</b></span> a couple of days ago and found that, so far this year, we've had 0.07 inches of rain. That's damn close to zero. </p><p>He also found that relative humidity during the past week has been in the low double digits, sometimes dipping down into the single digits, particularly inside our house. That's bone-dry. </p><p>Moreover, if previous weather patterns in San Miguel hold true, we should not expect get any measurable precipitation until mid-June at the earliest. </p><p>So if you crave constantly cloudless skies, blazing sun and warm temperatures—albeit with occasional afternoon wind bursts that kick up dust devils and propel brush fires—this is your place to be. </p><p>But for impatient gardeners, this is the season of the heebie-jeebies, an interminable intermission before a second act they can't wait for. </p><p>Out the windows of our house I keep looking for the sight of gray, gravid rain clouds that will kick off the "real" spring season, but instead I see dried-up fields, except for isolated exclamation points of bright flowers and a few trees that have started to leaf out. </p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: medium;"><b>This year, the waiting has been especially frustrating</b></span>, coming on top of the horrible news from Ukraine and reports of a possible new variant of the Covid virus, along with renewed talk about masks, a fourth vaccination and lockdowns—just about when the pandemic seemed to be coming to an end. </p><p>In fact, these days I try to wean myself from the constant barrage of bad news but without becoming a recluse.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisoyjHti7A_WtUqKBbCHC9cGEbLdSX9VjXVpTh63S2mIpM_fspQmCKwfQvBawm3FksZuocALyt-ZFvbwRB0eU1L5RsJy9d28uSYQENpt0QSo9hIO-6Ncilc2zuoxWc6GvGnx9YCpQrfaY9zuWrQQlvEOi-OxrFidtsnuKrO9-m06iD59nIHkiwkKLq/s4655/mountain%20laurel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3418" data-original-width="4655" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisoyjHti7A_WtUqKBbCHC9cGEbLdSX9VjXVpTh63S2mIpM_fspQmCKwfQvBawm3FksZuocALyt-ZFvbwRB0eU1L5RsJy9d28uSYQENpt0QSo9hIO-6Ncilc2zuoxWc6GvGnx9YCpQrfaY9zuWrQQlvEOi-OxrFidtsnuKrO9-m06iD59nIHkiwkKLq/w200-h147/mountain%20laurel.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Look closely for the purple flowers<br /> of my Texas mountain laurel.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Then last week San Miguel's weird climate cycles propped up my sagging spirits. You see, even though it won't rain here for at least two more months, if you look close enough, nature is already signaling that there are better days to come. </p><p>A Texas mountain laurel tree that I planted 18 months ago suddenly is putting out its delicate purple flowers. Some succulents, in pots or out in the yard, sport improbably bright flowers. The 20-foot alder tree by the bathroom window has shaken off its winter torpor and is covered with delicate bright-green leaves. </p><p>And all of this without the help of a drop of rain, never mind "April showers." </p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: medium;"><b>During the two and a half years of the pandemic</b></span>, vendors of seeds and plants have reported dramatic increases sales that have to be attributable, at least partly, to bored people looking for something to do while cooped up in their homes. </p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXvCwa8ryW3A0ZSGpoOO4lKfOtG4mT-FHQglLiE2eWEKRy3dExox5GKt-6gQZONOCbhqbbzRyAe7-B8MJa51mJ_BlRuWIG4gpBFTPNX85mWAgYHdZqDN9q5efnCVdP1TPd1L66b9th1TR3n8H5MtMBuHbiDApXg6kgaAtN0NOAhglpVkmgUoVx3cw4/s6000/greenhouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXvCwa8ryW3A0ZSGpoOO4lKfOtG4mT-FHQglLiE2eWEKRy3dExox5GKt-6gQZONOCbhqbbzRyAe7-B8MJa51mJ_BlRuWIG4gpBFTPNX85mWAgYHdZqDN9q5efnCVdP1TPd1L66b9th1TR3n8H5MtMBuHbiDApXg6kgaAtN0NOAhglpVkmgUoVx3cw4/s320/greenhouse.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>It's party time in my greenhouse.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table>According to the 2020 book, "The Well Gardened Mind: The Restorative Power of Nature," gardening indeed can soothe our troubled minds, even those of people in prisons. </p><p>"Gardening grounds us and gives us something to look forward to," according to the author, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/16/realestate/gardening-pyschology.html?searchResultPosition=5">English psychiatrist Sue Stuart-Smith in an interview with The New York Times</a>. "In times of crisis, these simple qualities can offer a psychological lifeline." </p><p></p><p>The very act of gardening in fact offers hope and optimism. </p><p>A month ago, almost instinctively, and without waiting for our April showers to arrive at the end of June, I reactivated my mini greenhouse, which had lain pretty much barren since last year and turned into a messy, glorified tool shed.</p><p>Now it's filled with trays with rows of small plastic yogurt containers that I'd been saving for months, filled with damp soil and fragile plantlets. When I mist the trays in the morning, just the discovery of a new tiny green sprout is cause for a small mental yelp of joy.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMX5DXW42-NSdYrOS6g2ogj33F3czUmv8mQNnJR5NQkkRwv-seId676cKR7di-3tDwwGHLNIiqnfOwB2dKvWM7Zqv8Yd4DCeSASwTbEripnH6RbenA0mI4YzucthSBT8NjjNRFFqXbq3T_mwFDQ_SpY7keRsbb0VFBvcxOdUNwOU4e5v0TYrKMeIJk/s5032/potted%20succulent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3450" data-original-width="5032" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMX5DXW42-NSdYrOS6g2ogj33F3czUmv8mQNnJR5NQkkRwv-seId676cKR7di-3tDwwGHLNIiqnfOwB2dKvWM7Zqv8Yd4DCeSASwTbEripnH6RbenA0mI4YzucthSBT8NjjNRFFqXbq3T_mwFDQ_SpY7keRsbb0VFBvcxOdUNwOU4e5v0TYrKMeIJk/w200-h137/potted%20succulent.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Beauty on the terrace.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>In a plot covered with plastic netting at one corner of the ranch, small sprigs of sweet corn, squash and beans also are poking out of the ground, with the help of some irrigation. Plus, peas, lots of them. You can never have too many fresh peas, or tomatoes. </p><p>Meanwhile, Stew is brushing up on his beekeeping skills through an online course that I hope will bring back to life our four beehives now dormant. </p><p>I've gone through this accelerated spring routine enough times to be optimistic but not naïve. There will be pests to deal with—especially the yearly plague of grasshoppers—gardening adventures that just don't pan out, or insufficient rain like we experienced in 2019 and 2020. </p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDU-3tWs3Xspf4wxekjHJ-QwEeEWJ-YxJrjDR-BKkSiXWfm9CpZZlZrY-G4MZy9yDn-w6mKJK5Dc3UpnPvyE30GEQgRxl5ADSG4duPZPclF0zM8aTgjT8ypVxBYSSPcn6RTb1Jwa7TgjsmlTXEli_LaijcD_D27GEg3UFmXzgsdP_JrnXLpY0dNjeG/s5180/aloes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="5180" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDU-3tWs3Xspf4wxekjHJ-QwEeEWJ-YxJrjDR-BKkSiXWfm9CpZZlZrY-G4MZy9yDn-w6mKJK5Dc3UpnPvyE30GEQgRxl5ADSG4duPZPclF0zM8aTgjT8ypVxBYSSPcn6RTb1Jwa7TgjsmlTXEli_LaijcD_D27GEg3UFmXzgsdP_JrnXLpY0dNjeG/w200-h154/aloes.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Flowering aloe.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table>But as if to counter these sober reminders there are small visions and <i>oohs</i> and <i>aahs</i>, like the enormous flowers I expect in late summer, from dahlias resurrecting from tubers we saved last year. Plus mail-order dahlias that are supposedly in the mail, along with fancy lilies I can't wait to put in the ground. </p><p>I still pray every morning for the beleaguered people of Ukraine, and hope that new Covid restrictions don't upend the lives of any more people. Meanwhile, small but reassuring discoveries in the garden surely help me along. </p><p><br /></p><p>###</p>alcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672834250325632231.post-65756288695501437582022-03-31T18:36:00.003-05:002022-03-31T18:36:24.697-05:00The unbearable wokeness of the film industry<p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: medium;"><b>Stew and I are avid movie watchers</b></span>—this year we had seen most of the Oscar nominees for Best Picture—but we are also impatient with the notoriously long-winded award ceremonies. We record the broadcast so we can zip through the endless commercials, meh comedy skits, acceptance speeches that turn into orations, and other chaff that consume half the air time, and may be one of the factors why viewership keeps shrinking.</p><p>To that complaint, I'd like to add the morning-after insistence by the media and movie critics to view so many of the films, and even the Oscar ceremony itself, through the prism of race, sexual orientation and other so-called "woke" concerns. </p><p>Stew and I saw, and thoroughly enjoyed, Steven Spielberg's remake of West Side Story, even though it bombed at the box office both in the U.S. and Mexico. In particular we loved the performance of Ariana DeBose, as Anita. We would have given her <i>two </i>Oscars. </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiac3gh4cKjonAO7mHkOBWQazup8xSSjDsAyp2QPKyBViZs5abSteRoGB09cslzXqQY8W2Myy5gmCmshZ7flPUuKuygQKH7bt8F1Ypyz-UlzpadGwnylT0HscyIwNmMWKGwr2-7hNBwXxRJejRiqpoYytxBCO6RAyYc_vHEG3d5YXV8HO-9PvLpLMY/s275/debose.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="184" data-original-width="275" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiac3gh4cKjonAO7mHkOBWQazup8xSSjDsAyp2QPKyBViZs5abSteRoGB09cslzXqQY8W2Myy5gmCmshZ7flPUuKuygQKH7bt8F1Ypyz-UlzpadGwnylT0HscyIwNmMWKGwr2-7hNBwXxRJejRiqpoYytxBCO6RAyYc_vHEG3d5YXV8HO-9PvLpLMY/w320-h214/debose.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>DeBose in her glorious star turn in West Side Story</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Yet instead of focusing on her distinguished acting career, in several Broadway productions, and the shelf-full of awards she has received, many of the media accolades centered on her being queer, "of color," and Latina, her ethnic background in fact being an ethnic minestrone consisting of having a Puerto Rican father, a white mother, plus "Italian and African-American roots" and growing up in North Carolina. She mentioned this during her acceptance speech.</p><p>I say let's applaud her talent and stellar performance in West Side Story, and skip over her sexual orientation, convoluted ethnicity and the all-too-obvious color of her skin. Yet The Guardian newspaper felt obligated to cover her Oscar win with the headline "Ariana DeBose makes history at first queer woman of colour to win Oscar." </p><p>Yeah, and who cares about all that? Do we mention the sexual orientation or pigmentation of other Oscar winners?</p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: medium;"><b>Then came the unscheduled Will Smith vs. Chris Rock kerfuffle</b></span>, over Rock's snide and inexcusable joke at the expense of Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who has alopecia, an immune system condition that has caused her to lose most of her hair. Will Smith clenched his teeth at first, but when he noticed the grimace on his wife's face also, charged the stage and slapped Rock. </p><p>The best that can be said for this bit of low drama is that at least it took our minds off Ukraine and the endlessly mutating Covid virus, albeit for only one 24-hour news cycle.</p><p>The coverage could have revolved on the low-grade humor that pervades much of the Oscar skits, in this case delivered by Rock, or Will Smith's disgraceful response. A classier guy, Black, White, Latino or whatever, could have just looked at his chagrined wife, clasped her hand for comfort and just let the jejune and offensive joke pass, instead of lingering days afterward as it has.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttWBJYKQDCPQTUtlg7-wCydSo2yvsRqht_JY1a83DyjLKNi6d1oAIo8e7HEGfG-hUYVSffC0gh5NATtJ0ol2tDP-EQ4nu3ZzGAjmOZip20ie6b5DPHCSAAH2QBUVksDpRKCSp52IjV-uETKXeLqXh9i3m6pDxlErsdjyeho1jjjiJww3Y1jovC3K5/s1200/jada%20pinkett.webp" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttWBJYKQDCPQTUtlg7-wCydSo2yvsRqht_JY1a83DyjLKNi6d1oAIo8e7HEGfG-hUYVSffC0gh5NATtJ0ol2tDP-EQ4nu3ZzGAjmOZip20ie6b5DPHCSAAH2QBUVksDpRKCSp52IjV-uETKXeLqXh9i3m6pDxlErsdjyeho1jjjiJww3Y1jovC3K5/w200-h150/jada%20pinkett.webp" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Will Smith's wife, Jada.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table>Instead, Will Smith got himself tangled up in a meandering and tearful five-minute acceptance speech for Best Actor, plus tweets the day after, with more apologies and so on. Smith received standing ovations for his acceptance speech. Were the attendees applauding his speech or justifying his behavior?<div><br /></div><div>The media chatter then went on overdrive, attempting to analyze the whole ridiculous event as a <i>racial </i>incident, focusing on both men being Black, and how it might have been <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/03/two-americas-debating-will-smith-chris-rock-oscars-slap/629407/">perceived differently by White or Black audiences</a>. One commentator provided a lengthy analysis of how hair is particularly important to Black women and so alopecia is especially traumatizing event for them. </div><div><br /></div><div>Suddenly losing one's hair is an awful experience for anyone of any race or gender. I don't think white women would dismiss alopecia as minor contretemps, even if they ended up looking half as stunning as Will Smith's wife. She has apparently written extensively about her condition and the suffering she has endured, and we can sympathize, her race being incidental to her trauma. </div><div><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: medium;"><b><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2lUjb5ce9HHYnTE_aqNxN08Ov3X8nhYgmq7pjEGGpcQle9v6zFcfDAL_hwW97ZuqoOkuCbp0TbHR4t7kXs7qC-0nEGBaXgPgfYwfv7K1klR4tj-fR5jeQCn-kMe0oNhX1xqP5GVtWF8oJe_rgOQkn9qqxodb0hbEpO5vYJ7juBeN-vQTlbkFDKMB/s384/In_The_Heights_teaser_poster.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="259" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2lUjb5ce9HHYnTE_aqNxN08Ov3X8nhYgmq7pjEGGpcQle9v6zFcfDAL_hwW97ZuqoOkuCbp0TbHR4t7kXs7qC-0nEGBaXgPgfYwfv7K1klR4tj-fR5jeQCn-kMe0oNhX1xqP5GVtWF8oJe_rgOQkn9qqxodb0hbEpO5vYJ7juBeN-vQTlbkFDKMB/s320/In_The_Heights_teaser_poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Great flick but the cast <br />was not dark enough.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table>Finally we have the Lin-Manuel Miranda film adaption a year ago</b></span> of the Broadway musical In the Heights, about the mostly Dominican neighborhood at the foot of the Washington Bridge in Manhattan. </p><p></p>It's a phenomenal musical, Stew and I loved it—though, like West Side Story, it bombed at the box office. It appeared here at a Queretaro movie house for exactly <i>one</i> day, before it vanished. (Maybe our liking a film is the kiss of death.) We managed to see it on TV during a limited engagement on HBO Max, but its extravagant dance production numbers would shine most brightly on a big movie screen. <p></p><p>Heights is about the different Latino groups in the neighborhood and their <i>sueñitos, </i>or "little dreams." It premiered at the Los Angeles Latino Film Festival in June 2021, and received very good reviews—until the politically correctness police charged Miranda, who is Puerto Rican, with a newly minted form of bias I'd never heard of, called "colorism." </p><p>It seems that although the cast and the plot line of the musical takes into account the various Latino groups in the U.S.—Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Cubans, Mexicans and what-have-you—it failed to portray sufficient number of Black Latinos. The Times published a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/21/movies/in-the-heights-colorism.html?searchResultPosition=3">lengthy panel discussion of the omission</a>. </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3dSKmhCtp7PVqXSdsmdod7clrErBwlQ1dWdatcLe1DwgaUzd4f09vnA5xvIpVCGdlhUwMVkUj3M_FyJvRCCyu1Pi32bhXjduekzh0u1KARZtvUaJK8VpJn4Hun2Oqkry2IInI2jexn4x1ernKPleufAZD0vBHbt0NPVn1VV0CGIoNqoZsiv4HIfL/s1133/anthony-ramos-nom-pro-gettyimages-1354775407.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1133" data-original-width="850" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3dSKmhCtp7PVqXSdsmdod7clrErBwlQ1dWdatcLe1DwgaUzd4f09vnA5xvIpVCGdlhUwMVkUj3M_FyJvRCCyu1Pi32bhXjduekzh0u1KARZtvUaJK8VpJn4Hun2Oqkry2IInI2jexn4x1ernKPleufAZD0vBHbt0NPVn1VV0CGIoNqoZsiv4HIfL/w150-h200/anthony-ramos-nom-pro-gettyimages-1354775407.webp" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Anthony Ramos</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Regrettably, Miranda mumbled some apologies for his supposed oversight, which to me, diminished his tremendous contribution to putting Latino faces, of any color on the movie screen by making In the Heights. He also wrote and starred in the hit musical Hamilton, which had a multi-racial and -ethnic cast and was considered a breakthrough in that regard. Just last night Stew and I watched Encanto, a lovely Latino-theme animated feature, for which Miranda wrote all the music, in the vein of Coco, except it's set in Colombia.</p><p>Among Latinos, especially those from the Caribbean, the lines between White, Black and the vast multi-ethnic racial middle are often blurry. Anthony Ramos, one of the stars in Hamilton and the lead in In the Heights, is ethnically Puerto Rican but probably has some African blood in him, and so do several members of the cast whom critics deemed not dark enough. </p><p>But again, why should it be a concern if he is a Puerto Rican starring in a film about a neighborhood called Little Dominican Republic? Or his exact racial background?</p><p>In the Heights was directed by Jon M. Chu, who is Asian and also directed Crazy Rich Asians, for which he was praised, but also criticized, for not casting the exact blend of Asians and Asian-Americans (the lead in that film is Henry Golding, who is biracial.)</p><p>Perhaps what I find most bothersome about the ethnic and racial nitpicking is that it overlooks the inroads that Latinos have made in the film industry thanks recently to the notable contributions of Lin-Manuel Miranda, a white Puerto Rican, if you must ask. We are a long ways from when the role of Maria in the original West Side Story was played by Natalie Wood, and Marlon Brando played the lead in Viva Zapata! in 1952. </p><p>As some Times readers remarked in letters to the editor, even if the cast of In the Heights didn't have precisely the right color mix, can't we accept it as a great portrayal of the varied mix of America's Latino community? Must perfection trump the perfectly good?</p><p>###</p></div>alcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672834250325632231.post-704073094192315572022-03-26T19:27:00.052-05:002022-03-27T11:05:19.414-05:00A visit to the trashy side of San Miguel<p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: medium;"><b>While living "off the grid" may have an ecologically virtuous ring to it, </b></span>some definite inconveniences come with the lifestyle, in this case having no garbage pick-up for three weeks, which sent us looking for the San Miguel trash dump. </p><p>The location of the dump is apparently a well guarded secret, and only Stew's homing-pigeon memory and sense of direction led us to a most unlikely location: A stretch of the highway to Dolores Hidalgo, a few miles outside of town, which has been christened by local realtors as the <a href="https://sanmigueldeallende.realestate/area/hacienda-la-presita/">"Golden Corridor."</a> </p><p>Both sides of the Corridor are flanked by guarded, monumental entrances to residential subdivisions with names such as Viña del Cielo ("Vineyard of Heaven") offering Tuscan villas, French country homes and Mexican-modern palazzos, some with prices in the millions. That's dollars, not pesos. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNlxFWfuKkiDhAqQiO7WEABuL7EusnoXkA5ZAYbNHTdPvIq5dBrWYIcDsmmR1AXjtyYB8ixUsfadJr1q1dapXH2LQDg8CSbTyqxMImVg-g9wN4O3jO2U6o1kXtj9r0ToEgTZPR33vTSRS23D8xROx-mjsV94mpq1nfHaGeMvz2pXvhjR8qoyjlYfIF/s4527/Trash%202.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4527" data-original-width="3758" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNlxFWfuKkiDhAqQiO7WEABuL7EusnoXkA5ZAYbNHTdPvIq5dBrWYIcDsmmR1AXjtyYB8ixUsfadJr1q1dapXH2LQDg8CSbTyqxMImVg-g9wN4O3jO2U6o1kXtj9r0ToEgTZPR33vTSRS23D8xROx-mjsV94mpq1nfHaGeMvz2pXvhjR8qoyjlYfIF/s320/Trash%202.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Chapel of Our Lady of the Landfill.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;">Stew insisted that <i>sometime ago</i> he had seen garbage trucks coming in an out <i>somewhere</i> around there. So we drove for over an hour, going down side roads, asking for directions, and making several U-turns until we found a nicely paved road that turned into cobble-stone, parallel to railroad tracks—and a garbage truck headed in the opposite direction. </span><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Still, we missed a final turn-off onto a narrow dirt road that finally led us to a stone arch welcoming visitors to the "San Miguel Sanitary Landfill." There had been no prior signage, except a growing amount of loose trash along the final kilometer before the main gate. </span></p><p>Also greeting visitors by the entrance was an unfinished, open-air chapel to the Virgin of Guadalupe. It sat at the foot of a water tower that in combination with the chapel took on the appearance of an outsize belfry. </p><p>Once inside we were greeted by a polite attendant who looked rather incredulously at us and our late-model Chevy Colorado pickup filled with household garbage. He must have thought: <i>Are you guys lost? </i></p><p>He explained that there was a fee, based on weight, for dumping garbage and directed us to drive onto a truck scale. He would weigh us now and when we left empty, and charge us for the difference, with a minimum fee of $70 pesos, or $3.5 dollars, per load. <i> </i></p><p>From there he pointed us to a narrow dirt road to the right, past a couple of idle bulldozers, that led to a high point overlooking a landscape of trash awaiting a final shove into the landfill below. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN46luosqzzToAHbxhugh95-niGh7-k1UWvsvQMWCvj1JFZzkGPy-JixdQ6AEBFaPDODzTbTtSp69EfccvbVzFsNUjvIZ0iU0B7z26ODw6HPW_xNFwT8ddWvW4L1lEia9dPwEYZdsbVYEsj8FBPz9LeFGsNkgqPclTmQytUREMft9GSpbDh8vLkIMf/s6000/Trash%208.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN46luosqzzToAHbxhugh95-niGh7-k1UWvsvQMWCvj1JFZzkGPy-JixdQ6AEBFaPDODzTbTtSp69EfccvbVzFsNUjvIZ0iU0B7z26ODw6HPW_xNFwT8ddWvW4L1lEia9dPwEYZdsbVYEsj8FBPz9LeFGsNkgqPclTmQytUREMft9GSpbDh8vLkIMf/w400-h266/Trash%208.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Working at the landfill. </b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: medium;"><b>We paused a hundred feet before the final pile of trash</b></span> and took in the unsettling sight of dozens of people—men, women and children<span>—</span>and twice as many stray dogs, knee-deep in trash, feverishly scavenging for any saleable items. <div><br /></div><div>The long shadows projected by the late-afternoon sun gave the scene a particularly apocalyptic appearance. <div><br /></div><div>Before we had backed up the truck to a full stop near a pile of trash, two or three young guys already had jumped into the bed and cleaned it out. A boy around ten or eleven years old approached me pleadingly and I impulsively handed him $50 pesos or $2.50 dollars for <i>something,</i> I suspect to salve my discomfort. </div><div><br /></div><div>I had read about the "<i>pepeneros" </i>or entire families who not only made a living sifting through the garbage at Mexico City's vast dumps but who also lived there, something that seems inconceivable given the unsanitary conditions. </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: medium;"><b>I meant to get off the truck and speak with a few of the folks here</b></span> <span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: medium;"><b>but froze</b></span>, feeling a combination of revulsion, embarrassment and compassion that human beings had to make a living this way. Stew couldn't get away fast enough. </div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vCUmEm-wq6K3oJ1g1XkIRpyBi8ikmJvmwQqhYGFVRmHk9Dn8s0zYuyps-dM2G9cY8RwqAJoTTcOtoehQ1dvFJrlW2tb5p2lsynUjUM-q6rfBTyJuFdMKXpFu_wuWuJ6MHaxRPRV9J8gYWomRJ834RshP1G_iixDtaUtl4VuaVinWPUbuQhKLCsly/s4597/Trash%201.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3171" data-original-width="4597" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vCUmEm-wq6K3oJ1g1XkIRpyBi8ikmJvmwQqhYGFVRmHk9Dn8s0zYuyps-dM2G9cY8RwqAJoTTcOtoehQ1dvFJrlW2tb5p2lsynUjUM-q6rfBTyJuFdMKXpFu_wuWuJ6MHaxRPRV9J8gYWomRJ834RshP1G_iixDtaUtl4VuaVinWPUbuQhKLCsly/s320/Trash%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Birds presiding over a mountain of trash. </b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div>As far as I could make out, the trash pickers look for any recyclable items, sort them in huge canvas bags and bring them to a staging area below, probably to sell them to a commercial recycler. </div><div><br /></div><div>The attendant at the gate of this privately run operation told me that most of the pickers lived at a nearby town of Palo Colorado, and not at the dump. </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: medium;"><b>Up until about a year ago, we recycled practically everything at the ranch,</b></span> from aluminum, plastics and glass to newspapers and cardboard, all neatly sorted and bundled, so our former gardener Félix periodically could take the load and sell it at a nearby recycling center. </div><div><br /></div><div>But after several trips, Félix said that the sale price was so ridiculously meager that the effort wasn't worth it. A full pickup of various items would fetch only $100 pesos or $5 dollars. So now we recycle only plastic and aluminum and just give it to the recycling center. </div><div><br /></div><div>I have no way to calculate how much the pickers at the landfill make. Judging from what we used to get, I would guess it would be somewhere around $300 pesos, or about- $15 dollars a day. Not much, in my opinion, for the risk and miserable working conditions required. </div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEVw7ez7jruK8q0_cSA09B-1vgnvB506HU8HotAzhI60Qm9SEcAKOvW8cgKupv88dXnvL6t9kQVL8kijpV154sEygG8Uic9v2rk1zlt77vtrZBG1OqTP5qjnawghohiWLI-8HSOHkhK0eQU_4MBwvRokX_14CwS_4lEVTpejCeaWcQGcjmRAL8ERe/s5528/Trash%209.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3942" data-original-width="5528" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEVw7ez7jruK8q0_cSA09B-1vgnvB506HU8HotAzhI60Qm9SEcAKOvW8cgKupv88dXnvL6t9kQVL8kijpV154sEygG8Uic9v2rk1zlt77vtrZBG1OqTP5qjnawghohiWLI-8HSOHkhK0eQU_4MBwvRokX_14CwS_4lEVTpejCeaWcQGcjmRAL8ERe/s320/Trash%209.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Two young guys with their bundles of recyclables.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: medium;"><b>But from a purely rational point of view,</b></span> I must assume that garbage pickers have figured it's all worth it compared to other menial jobs available in town, such as picking vegetables at nearby farms. This may be the best they can do. </div><div><br /></div><div>Or that the municipality, which has no recycling program, has decided to let people manually pick through the trash instead. </div><div><br /></div><div>On the way out, our pickup was weighed again, and supposedly we had left 50 kilos of trash behind, for a fee of $70 pesos. </div><div><br /></div><div>My curiosity prompting me again, on the way home we looked for "Palo Colorado" on Google Maps and followed the directions to a nearby town. It seemed no more impoverished than some of the towns near us, and then the road became narrower before it finally turned into what a seemed like a dead-end dirt path. We never found Palo Colorado. </div><div><br /></div><div>We returned home and tried to have dinner at Cien Fuegos, one of the many restaurants along the Golden Corridor, but I had no appetite for anything more than half a piece of lukewarm lasagna and a piece of a chocolate dessert. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>###</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;">Additional images:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNNX-jHu2Y8iepp5TBnz_KsKUp-wA7zl78cYde7e9RXRLk5oRszfmSHNqXDQPKmg0aioMaejOhPVCZpkUUsPVlGA6wEgZNnGgLxafVoEXFR8zauIj_439sHt8_shkw8dvofk8mYPtHinPFI-3kahWXRIA2JKvaa_o0mdsDEBvfEsPuY4HVZy7zs8pn/s4023/Trash%2015-23.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2728" data-original-width="4023" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNNX-jHu2Y8iepp5TBnz_KsKUp-wA7zl78cYde7e9RXRLk5oRszfmSHNqXDQPKmg0aioMaejOhPVCZpkUUsPVlGA6wEgZNnGgLxafVoEXFR8zauIj_439sHt8_shkw8dvofk8mYPtHinPFI-3kahWXRIA2JKvaa_o0mdsDEBvfEsPuY4HVZy7zs8pn/s320/Trash%2015-23.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Check-in: Five stray dogs at the<br /> landfill growl at a picker coming in to work.<br /><br /></b></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFV0cv5CJKUd6dHFnWZHM8AwyYYB0S6sND1-KI37j7rqyazlfOwogQ-z--BLIPpevAFmyId8G1GifIf51aUH0ZEExfyHTIutXWzOcwylbaxHL_4Hh0Qqed6frYU9ZCqq5KIlPITySNiLlNDM9A1-ZDFLZXpVQxlJMaET4YddSVDJ-lCU_Wi8x4TQB6/s4752/Trash%2015X-15.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3179" data-original-width="4752" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFV0cv5CJKUd6dHFnWZHM8AwyYYB0S6sND1-KI37j7rqyazlfOwogQ-z--BLIPpevAFmyId8G1GifIf51aUH0ZEExfyHTIutXWzOcwylbaxHL_4Hh0Qqed6frYU9ZCqq5KIlPITySNiLlNDM9A1-ZDFLZXpVQxlJMaET4YddSVDJ-lCU_Wi8x4TQB6/s320/Trash%2015X-15.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Permanent canine residents<br /><br /></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-BrNjE6YbFM3ZUe--3AHkr5XggWLHtWCPMa8Blnvi9OcV-QTqL9FaCRb3N6bK9I2xdDkW8kYfFEQoFZ04ZnjlAWbsASawek40KKYCEhdyrrxuzB6HnLQ6Nte-KaZcw02i938S0RywiDmw2qZTbBiODY6OPZGcBXOmEVsBzIZ8RWx8yi1wqz1sv9x/s5111/Trash%2015X-16.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3470" data-original-width="5111" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-BrNjE6YbFM3ZUe--3AHkr5XggWLHtWCPMa8Blnvi9OcV-QTqL9FaCRb3N6bK9I2xdDkW8kYfFEQoFZ04ZnjlAWbsASawek40KKYCEhdyrrxuzB6HnLQ6Nte-KaZcw02i938S0RywiDmw2qZTbBiODY6OPZGcBXOmEVsBzIZ8RWx8yi1wqz1sv9x/s320/Trash%2015X-16.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Hauling away part of the day's loot. </b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b></b></span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1a3IoQP6uRMk5vUXUkob6dRx3NPbDTPrsnFuQYmyV0cqgCsFd1yhJOe_Zt415JWkISJ_AaNHP4c0FLM_ZdiP9l-NSTBXrhZqyJufi_cvvBm3bferQMi3WrQyKN5bJzmTywC-sCmjp5LVgnGAivWJ8GDl96xvMLZg33uCbclPOIyBvWi9tRtwvqH1u/s6000/Trash%2015-22.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1a3IoQP6uRMk5vUXUkob6dRx3NPbDTPrsnFuQYmyV0cqgCsFd1yhJOe_Zt415JWkISJ_AaNHP4c0FLM_ZdiP9l-NSTBXrhZqyJufi_cvvBm3bferQMi3WrQyKN5bJzmTywC-sCmjp5LVgnGAivWJ8GDl96xvMLZg33uCbclPOIyBvWi9tRtwvqH1u/s320/Trash%2015-22.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Area downhill where recyclables are collected.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></b><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOJbLMHfFhey1p1gYEfsSQMYbGeu7O9U7f9vTw6_0PA5DXgLWZNqHNOJcUkBSPgnIGbcS1ulbVensU9bg2gdliYpZEmdlZq9hHRL8PTUoIsTXiOqF1NfctU9CfudFivAHCHrNgGMxIEiOn6S6HxTZLLGZm61MKpiX-fHp4mH-W-xM4rgxLq4zqkN5w/s4384/Trash%2013-28.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4384" data-original-width="3727" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOJbLMHfFhey1p1gYEfsSQMYbGeu7O9U7f9vTw6_0PA5DXgLWZNqHNOJcUkBSPgnIGbcS1ulbVensU9bg2gdliYpZEmdlZq9hHRL8PTUoIsTXiOqF1NfctU9CfudFivAHCHrNgGMxIEiOn6S6HxTZLLGZm61MKpiX-fHp4mH-W-xM4rgxLq4zqkN5w/s320/Trash%2013-28.jpg" width="272" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Entrance to the landfill.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></b><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><br /></span></div>alcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672834250325632231.post-4536755901246106742022-03-12T19:58:00.000-06:002022-03-12T19:58:09.418-06:00Taking the Lithium Ferro Phosphate Cure<p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: large;"><b>After a little over 12 years of service,</b></span> a few weeks ago we replaced the two monster lead acid battery packs of our solar electric system with a deceivingly petite set of lithium ferro phosphate (LFP) batteries. The change felt somewhat comparable to trading in a lumbering, gas-guzzling—but familiar—2009 Crown Victoria for a snazzier set of wheels, far nimbler and more efficient, but whose mechanical innards you don't quite understand yet. </p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQJb-Yk05FHzAHroHYG4PWMGK7NS1APrWFIZfITUxIuLuVyahgUbZ9XdrKHUmPV-KNdhiT9FxQk5rNCemGCuYAK7PPmmGSOS_jbnojmwomUynjhkmvxb0jBeH1uSVLgsIeECoGE8rF5avvgLtZB--6PdaplPRen1-Qyb8w5q-2jkW9QvVtTG6z1ytu=s6000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQJb-Yk05FHzAHroHYG4PWMGK7NS1APrWFIZfITUxIuLuVyahgUbZ9XdrKHUmPV-KNdhiT9FxQk5rNCemGCuYAK7PPmmGSOS_jbnojmwomUynjhkmvxb0jBeH1uSVLgsIeECoGE8rF5avvgLtZB--6PdaplPRen1-Qyb8w5q-2jkW9QvVtTG6z1ytu=s320" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Good bye old friends</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table>The switchover was neither quick nor easy. It took the installers the better part of a day before the flip of the switch and the "aha!" moment. Everything worked on the first try and continues to work flawlessly.</p><p>The two original quarter-inch thick metal battery cases, each holding six lead-acid batteries, weighed about 900-pounds each and are often used in forklifts, as both a power source and counterweight. </p><p>Our batteries resided just outside the garage in a dedicated mechanical closet by now badly stained with battery acid. To take apart the two packs, and remove the individual batteries inside, required a radial saw, crowbars and some spirited banging with a metal mallet. </p><p>The reason for their retirement was declining performance of their storage capacity, which required us to use a generator if there was more than one day of cloudiness. If we accidentally turned on more than one heavy user of electricity, say, the dishwasher and microwave, or any other such combination, the system could crash. </p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: large;"><b>Whither the old batteries, I'm not sure.</b></span> But I suspect that a Mexican junk yard will resell the metal enclosures, perhaps give the 16 old battery units a second life, or even cannibalize the contents down to the lead and battery acid. </p><p>I wish I could describe our experience with solar electricity as a smooth, virtuous arc, but instead at times it was more like the jagged line of a seismograph, particularly during the first couple of years. </p><p>I blame most of the startup problems on the incompetence of our first installer—an American retiree who after a successful stint as a Midas muffler franchisee decided to launch a new career here in the solar energy business—rather than on the equipment itself or the technology. </p><p>Even with an energy conservation lifestyle befitting a Trappist monastery, we experienced recurring blackouts blamed by the installer on ever more inventive causes. My favorite was a mysterious "energy drop" somewhere that made our new house almost sound haunted. The particularly dark and rainy 2009-10 winter didn't help. </p><p>With the help of another American installer who actually knew what he was doing, we gradually corrected the problems, redid the improper wiring of the solar panels, inverter and controllers, and added eight more solar panels for a total array of 20. </p><p><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lessons learned? </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Obviously, find yourself an experienced person to design and build your solar system. At least in our neck of the Mexican woods, solar installers seem to be proliferating, and many of them are charlatans or fly-by-nighters. </span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Second, a failsafe option is to oversize the system rather than playing on the edge. Even in seemingly eternally sunny locations like central Mexico there will be days and even weeks of intermittent clouds and rain, and modern "essentials" like dishwashers, jumbo TVs, microwave ovens, meat locker-size refrigerators, and large clothes washers and driers consume a lot of juice, particularly if they decide to come out and play simultaneously. </span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: large;"><b>Our new LFP array at first seemed suspiciously small</b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">, almost toy-like, compared to our old batteries. I can't begin to explain the different chemical reactions and electric storage characteristics of each system because, frankly, I don't understand them, despite my above-average performance in high school science class. </span></span></p><p><span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjEfslCLSdmA13mU6Nvi9EyDCbARX3sZklIToRnXE6IpvGkpxG08NZn3_UmxrO916RbbNZzl3PRaa9O0MhGIDPir_HgHEIzFiMvqB0_YbtIzYf2TTCev0QLWQ8x5GvIaAlfp4ZIp1My6ZvqF-fW4u64SoGUaFkAXCuv1xfxh1tECryeqRaSGOFRRe4l=s4741" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="4741" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjEfslCLSdmA13mU6Nvi9EyDCbARX3sZklIToRnXE6IpvGkpxG08NZn3_UmxrO916RbbNZzl3PRaa9O0MhGIDPir_HgHEIzFiMvqB0_YbtIzYf2TTCev0QLWQ8x5GvIaAlfp4ZIp1My6ZvqF-fW4u64SoGUaFkAXCuv1xfxh1tECryeqRaSGOFRRe4l=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>In come the new, and smaller, babies</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></p><p><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">But we did some internet research <a href="https://unboundsolar.com/blog/lead-acid-vs-lithium-batteries#:~:text=Lithium%20Battery%20Comparison,match%20their%20higher%20price%20tag.">for comparisons of the two systems</a>, and briefly, the rap was that lead acid batteries were a proven technology—they've been around for over a hundred years—and are much cheaper to buy and install. </span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">LFP systems, on the other hand, are much smaller and lighter; more efficient as far as their storage capacity; require no maintenance such as refilling with distilled water; and have a longer life—but at a significantly higher initial investment.</span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">In our case the closet that used to be taken up with the lead acid batteries is now used for storage (including a few jugs of battery water we had bought at AutoZone) while the two new, 8-unit LFP battery packs are about the size of a medium-size suitcase, and sit discreetly under a table in the garage. The new system has computerized controllers and its status can be monitored via Bluetooth and a smart phone application. The three large charge controllers used by the previous system are still connected but have essentially become obsolete. </span></span></p><p><span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEie5OosF3mvB4sXBiVEyEggRm1_D4Lr8WeeEMmB7Y5Zf_BRmYNAqflDe94rdYpQc8mlkrlS1VTefzZKOPe_BvsAZt0xQDTZeJogkPyzlexde-6WPKoRw03jFpcaeK5q438oL7W2o68OIj02JL-NwAbTlUzh6apZJx4vRnrmSKj_fzwbcfNpWdYtGvvK=s4080" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEie5OosF3mvB4sXBiVEyEggRm1_D4Lr8WeeEMmB7Y5Zf_BRmYNAqflDe94rdYpQc8mlkrlS1VTefzZKOPe_BvsAZt0xQDTZeJogkPyzlexde-6WPKoRw03jFpcaeK5q438oL7W2o68OIj02JL-NwAbTlUzh6apZJx4vRnrmSKj_fzwbcfNpWdYtGvvK=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>The 16-battery LFP rig could be mounted on the wall, but ours<br />rests on the floor in plywood containers.</b> </span></td></tr></tbody></table>The one prediction that surprisingly didn't come true was that LFP batteries would be more expensive. Stew, a compulsive filer and record-keeper, checked and in 2009 we paid $6861 dollars ($8984 dollars today, <a href="https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/2009?amount=1">adjusted for inflation</a>; a 2009 dollar is worth $1.31 today). </span></p><p><span>The new batteries, including installation, cost $5460 dollars. In fact, the costs of solar panels and associated equipment is decreasing rapidly because of a growing market and cheaper imports from China, which is where our LFP batteries came from. </span></p><p><span>But there is also the possibility that the original installer ripped us off to the tune of a couple of thousand bucks. We remember that transaction as a particularly confusing event, even amid the construction chaos of our new house. </span></p><p>We conducted an acid (pardon the pun) test of the new batteries three nights ago, when after a day of clothes washing, TV watching and other high-electricity activities, we turned on the dishwasher before going to bed. The next morning the dishes were clean and the solar system had barely blinked. </p><p>Then the sun came up. So far so good. </p><p>--30--</p>alcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672834250325632231.post-30818345213407378192022-02-24T17:18:00.000-06:002022-02-24T17:18:31.901-06:00Terrifying news from Ukraine<p>Just this afternoon, I received this Messenger text from my family in Kyiv. The grammar is not great but their message is clear. I feel frustrated. Wish I could do something for them.</p><div class="rj1gh0hx buofh1pr j83agx80 l9j0dhe7 cbu4d94t ni8dbmo4 stjgntxs nwf6jgls" style="display: flex; flex-basis: 0px; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit; max-height: 100%; overflow: hidden; position: relative;"><div class="buofh1pr j83agx80 eg9m0zos ni8dbmo4 cbu4d94t gok29vw1 isf3ygkp" data-release-focus-from="CLICK" style="contain: paint; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit; overflow: hidden auto; overscroll-behavior: contain;" tabindex="-1"><div class="du4w35lb" style="font-family: inherit; z-index: 0;"><div data-testid="mw_message_list" id="jsc_c_az" style="font-family: inherit;"><div data-pagelet="MWV2MessageList" style="font-family: inherit;"><div aria-label="Messages in conversation with Tatyana Stefanovska" class="ns9esd28 tqkqlopc" role="grid" style="border-left: 2px solid var(--messenger-card-background); border-right: 2px solid var(--messenger-card-background); font-family: inherit;"><div class="__fb-light-mode l9j0dhe7" role="row" style="--accent: hsl(214, 89%, 52%); --always-black: black; --always-dark-gradient: linear-gradient(rgba(0,0,0,0), rgba(0,0,0,0.6)); --always-dark-overlay: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); --always-gray-40: #65676B; --always-gray-75: #BCC0C4; --always-gray-95: #F0F2F5; --always-light-overlay: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4); --always-white: #FFFFFF; --attachment-footer-background: #F0F2F5; --background-deemphasized: #F0F2F5; --base-blue: #1877F2; --base-cherry: #F3425F; --base-grape: #9360F7; --base-lemon: #F7B928; --base-lime: #45BD62; --base-pink: #FF66BF; --base-seafoam: #54C7EC; --base-teal: #2ABBA7; --base-tomato: #FB724B; --blue-link: #216FDB; --button-corner-radius: 6px; --card-background-flat: #F7F8FA; --card-background: #FFFFFF; --card-corner-radius: 8px; --comment-background: #F0F2F5; --comment-footer-background: #F6F9FA; --dataviz-primary-1: rgb(48,200,180); --dataviz-primary-2: rgb(134,218,255); --dataviz-primary-3: rgb(95,170,255); --dataviz-secondary-1: rgb(118,62,230); --dataviz-secondary-2: rgb(147,96,247); --dataviz-secondary-3: rgb(219,26,139); --dataviz-supplementary-1: rgb(255,122,105); --dataviz-supplementary-2: rgb(241,168,23); --dataviz-supplementary-3: rgb(49,162,76); --dataviz-supplementary-4: rgb(50,52,54); --dialog-anchor-vertical-padding: 56px; --disabled-button-background: #E4E6EB; --disabled-button-text: #BCC0C4; --disabled-icon: #BCC0C4; --disabled-text: #BCC0C4; --divider: #CED0D4; --event-date: #F3425F; --fb-logo-color: #2D88FF; --fds-animation-enter-exit-in: cubic-bezier(0.14, 1, 0.34, 1); --fds-animation-enter-exit-out: cubic-bezier(0.45, 0.1, 0.2, 1); --fds-animation-expand-collapse-in: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-expand-collapse-out: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-fade-in: cubic-bezier(0, 0, 1, 1); --fds-animation-fade-out: cubic-bezier(0, 0, 1, 1); --fds-animation-move-in: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-move-out: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-passive-move-in: cubic-bezier(0.5, 0, 0.1, 1); --fds-animation-passive-move-out: cubic-bezier(0.5, 0, 0.1, 1); --fds-animation-quick-move-in: cubic-bezier(0.1, 0.9, 0.2, 1); --fds-animation-quick-move-out: cubic-bezier(0.1, 0.9, 0.2, 1); --fds-animation-swap-shuffle-in: cubic-bezier(0.14, 1, 0.34, 1); --fds-animation-swap-shuffle-out: cubic-bezier(0.45, 0.1, 0.2, 1); --fds-black-alpha-05: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); --fds-black-alpha-10: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); --fds-black-alpha-15: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15); --fds-black-alpha-20: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); --fds-black-alpha-30: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3); --fds-black-alpha-40: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); --fds-black-alpha-50: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); --fds-black-alpha-60: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --fds-black-alpha-80: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); --fds-black: #000000; --fds-blue-05: #ECF3FF; --fds-blue-30: #AAC9FF; --fds-blue-40: #77A7FF; --fds-blue-60: #1877F2; --fds-blue-70: #2851A3; --fds-blue-80: #1D3C78; --fds-button-text: #444950; --fds-comment-background: #F2F3F5; --fds-dark-mode-gray-100: #1C1C1C; --fds-dark-mode-gray-35: #CCCCCC; --fds-dark-mode-gray-50: #828282; --fds-dark-mode-gray-70: #4A4A4A; --fds-dark-mode-gray-80: #373737; --fds-dark-mode-gray-90: #282828; --fds-duration-extra-extra-short-in: 100ms; --fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out: 100ms; --fds-duration-extra-long-in: 1000ms; --fds-duration-extra-long-out: 1000ms; --fds-duration-extra-short-in: 200ms; --fds-duration-extra-short-out: 150ms; --fds-duration-long-in: 500ms; --fds-duration-long-out: 350ms; --fds-duration-medium-in: 400ms; --fds-duration-medium-out: 350ms; --fds-duration-none: 0ms; --fds-duration-short-in: 280ms; --fds-duration-short-out: 200ms; --fds-fast: 200ms; --fds-gray-00: #F5F6F7; --fds-gray-05: #F2F3F5; --fds-gray-100: #1C1E21; --fds-gray-10: #EBEDF0; --fds-gray-20: #DADDE1; --fds-gray-25: #CCD0D5; --fds-gray-30: #BEC3C9; --fds-gray-45: #8D949E; --fds-gray-70: #606770; --fds-gray-80: #444950; --fds-gray-90: #303338; --fds-green-55: #00A400; --fds-highlight-cell-background: #ECF3FF; --fds-highlight: #3578E5; --fds-primary-icon: #1C1E21; --fds-primary-text: #1C1E21; --fds-red-55: #FA383E; --fds-slow: 400ms; --fds-soft: cubic-bezier(0.08,0.52,0.52,1); --fds-spectrum-aluminum-tint-70: #E4F0F6; --fds-spectrum-blue-gray-tint-70: #CFD1D5; --fds-spectrum-cherry-tint-70: #FBCCD2; --fds-spectrum-cherry: #F35369; --fds-spectrum-grape-tint-70: #DDD5F0; --fds-spectrum-grape-tint-90: #F4F1FA; --fds-spectrum-lemon-dark-1: #F5C33B; --fds-spectrum-lemon-tint-70: #FEF2D1; --fds-spectrum-lime-tint-70: #E4F0D5; --fds-spectrum-lime: #A3CE71; --fds-spectrum-orange-tint-70: #FCDEC5; --fds-spectrum-orange-tint-90: #FEF4EC; --fds-spectrum-seafoam-tint-70: #CAEEF9; --fds-spectrum-slate-dark-2: #89A1AC; --fds-spectrum-slate-tint-70: #EAEFF2; --fds-spectrum-teal-dark-1: #4DBBA6; --fds-spectrum-teal-dark-2: #31A38D; --fds-spectrum-teal-tint-70: #D2F0EA; --fds-spectrum-teal-tint-90: #F0FAF8; --fds-spectrum-teal: #6BCEBB; --fds-spectrum-tomato-tint-30: #F38E7B; --fds-spectrum-tomato-tint-90: #FDEFED; --fds-spectrum-tomato: #FB724B; --fds-strong: cubic-bezier(0.12,0.8,0.32,1); --fds-white-alpha-05: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.05); --fds-white-alpha-10: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1); --fds-white-alpha-20: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); --fds-white-alpha-30: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --fds-white-alpha-40: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4); --fds-white-alpha-50: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5); --fds-white-alpha-60: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6); --fds-white-alpha-80: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); --fds-white: #FFFFFF; --fds-yellow-20: #FFBA00; --filter-accent: invert(39%) sepia(57%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(147.75%) hue-rotate(202deg) brightness(97%) contrast(96%); --filter-always-white: invert(100%); --filter-blue-link-icon: invert(30%) sepia(98%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(166.5%) hue-rotate(192deg) brightness(91%) contrast(101%); --filter-disabled-icon: invert(80%) sepia(6%) saturate(200%) saturate(120%) hue-rotate(173deg) brightness(98%) contrast(89%); --filter-negative: invert(25%) sepia(33%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(110%) hue-rotate(345deg) brightness(132%) contrast(96%); --filter-placeholder-icon: invert(59%) sepia(11%) saturate(200%) saturate(135%) hue-rotate(176deg) brightness(96%) contrast(94%); --filter-positive: invert(37%) sepia(61%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(115%) hue-rotate(91deg) brightness(97%) contrast(105%); --filter-primary-icon: invert(8%) sepia(10%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(166%) hue-rotate(177deg) brightness(104%) contrast(91%); --filter-secondary-icon: invert(39%) sepia(21%) saturate(200%) saturate(109.5%) hue-rotate(174deg) brightness(94%) contrast(86%); --filter-warning-icon: invert(77%) sepia(29%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(128%) hue-rotate(359deg) brightness(102%) contrast(107%); --font-family-apple: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; --font-family-code: ui-monospace, Menlo, Consolas, Monaco, monospace; --font-family-default: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; --font-family-segoe: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; --glimmer-spinner-icon: #65676B; --global-panel-width: 68px; --header-height: 56px; --hero-banner-background: #FFFFFF; --highlight-bg: #E7F3FF; --hosted-view-selected-state: rgba(45, 136, 255, 0.1); --hover-overlay: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); --media-hover: rgba(68, 73, 80, 0.15); --media-inner-border: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); --media-outer-border: #FFFFFF; --media-pressed: rgba(68, 73, 80, 0.35); --messenger-card-background: #FFFFFF; --messenger-reply-background: #F0F2F5; --mwp-message-list-profile-start-padding: 8px; --mwp-reply-background-color: var(--comment-footer-background); --nav-bar-background-gradient-wash: linear-gradient(to top, #F0F2F5, rgba(240,242,245.9), rgba(240,242,245,0.7), rgba(240,242,245,0.4), rgba(240,242,245,0)); --nav-bar-background-gradient: linear-gradient(to top, #FFFFFF, rgba(255,255,255.9), rgba(255,255,255,0.7), rgba(255,255,255,0.4), rgba(255,255,255,0)); --nav-bar-background: #FFFFFF; --negative-background: hsl(350, 87%, 55%, 20%); --negative: hsl(350, 87%, 55%); --new-notification-background: #E7F3FF; --non-media-pressed-on-dark: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --non-media-pressed: rgba(68, 73, 80, 0.15); --notification-badge: #e41e3f; --overlay-alpha-80: rgba(244, 244, 244, 0.8); --overlay-on-media: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --placeholder-icon: #8A8D91; --placeholder-text-on-media: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5); --placeholder-text: #8A8D91; --popover-background: #FFFFFF; --positive-background: #DEEFE1; --positive: #31A24C; --press-overlay: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); --primary-button-background: #1B74E4; --primary-button-pressed: #77A7FF; --primary-button-text: #FFFFFF; --primary-deemphasized-button-background: #E7F3FF; --primary-deemphasized-button-pressed-overlay: rgba(25, 110, 255, 0.15); --primary-deemphasized-button-pressed: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); --primary-deemphasized-button-text: #1877F2; --primary-icon: #050505; --primary-text-on-media: #FFFFFF; --primary-text: #050505; --primary-web-focus-indicator: #D24294; --progress-ring-blue-background: rgba(24, 119, 242, 0.2); --progress-ring-blue-foreground: hsl(214, 89%, 52%); --progress-ring-disabled-background: rgba(190,195,201, 0.2); --progress-ring-disabled-foreground: #BEC3C9; --progress-ring-neutral-background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); --progress-ring-neutral-foreground: #000000; --progress-ring-on-media-background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); --progress-ring-on-media-foreground: #FFFFFF; --rating-star-active: #EB660D; --scroll-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1), 0 -1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) inset; --scroll-thumb: #BCC0C4; --secondary-button-background-floating: #ffffff; --secondary-button-background-on-dark: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); --secondary-button-background: #E4E6EB; --secondary-button-pressed: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); --secondary-button-stroke: transparent; --secondary-button-text: #050505; --secondary-icon: #65676B; --secondary-text-on-media: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.9); --secondary-text: #65676B; --section-header-text: #4B4C4F; --shadow-1: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); --shadow-2: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); --shadow-5: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); --shadow-8: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); --shadow-inset: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5); --surface-background: #FFFFFF; --text-highlight: rgba(24, 119, 242, 0.2); --toggle-active-background: #E7F3FF; --toggle-active-icon: rgb(24, 119, 242); --toggle-active-text: rgb(24, 119, 242); --toggle-button-active-background: #E7F3FF; --warning: hsl(40, 89%, 52%); --wash: #E4E6EB; --web-wash: #F0F2F5; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><div class="" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t l9j0dhe7" data-release-focus-from="CLICK" data-scope="messages_table" role="gridcell" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><div class="j83agx80" role="none" style="display: flex; font-family: inherit;"><div class="j83agx80 buofh1pr g5gj957u hpfvmrgz" data-testid="message-container" role="none" style="display: flex; flex-grow: 1; flex-shrink: 1; font-family: inherit; min-width: 0px;"><div class="ns4p8fja j83agx80 cbu4d94t a6sixzi8 bkfpd7mw nred35xi a1xu1aao" role="none" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: stretch; display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-end; max-width: calc(100% - var(--mwp-message-list-actions-width,62px) - 5px);"><div class="j83agx80 k4urcfbm" role="none" style="display: flex; font-family: inherit; width: 178.333px;"><div class="ll8tlv6m j83agx80 cbu4d94t d2edcug0 l9j0dhe7" style="align-items: flex-start; display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; position: relative;"><span class="tojvnm2t a6sixzi8 abs2jz4q a8s20v7p t1p8iaqh k5wvi7nf q3lfd5jv pk4s997a bipmatt0 cebpdrjk qowsmv63 owwhemhu dp1hu0rb dhp61c6y iyyx5f41" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: inherit; display: inherit; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; max-height: inherit; max-width: inherit; min-height: inherit; min-width: inherit; place-content: inherit; width: inherit;"><div class="j83agx80 k4urcfbm" role="none" style="display: flex; font-family: inherit; width: 178.333px;"><div class="cxgpxx05 d1544ag0 sj5x9vvc tw6a2znq l9j0dhe7 ni8dbmo4 stjgntxs e72ty7fz qlfml3jp inkptoze qmr60zad jm1wdb64 qv66sw1b ljqsnud1 odn2s2vf tkr6xdv7" role="none" style="border-radius: 18px; color: var(--always-white); font-family: inherit; max-width: 564px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 12px; position: relative; word-break: break-word; z-index: 1;"><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb __fb-light-mode" role="none" style="--accent: hsl(214, 89%, 52%); --always-black: black; --always-dark-gradient: linear-gradient(rgba(0,0,0,0), rgba(0,0,0,0.6)); --always-dark-overlay: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); --always-gray-40: #65676B; --always-gray-75: #BCC0C4; --always-gray-95: #F0F2F5; --always-light-overlay: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4); --always-white: #FFFFFF; --attachment-footer-background: #F0F2F5; --background-deemphasized: #F0F2F5; --base-blue: #1877F2; --base-cherry: #F3425F; --base-grape: #9360F7; --base-lemon: #F7B928; --base-lime: #45BD62; --base-pink: #FF66BF; --base-seafoam: #54C7EC; --base-teal: #2ABBA7; --base-tomato: #FB724B; --blue-link: #216FDB; --button-corner-radius: 6px; --card-background-flat: #F7F8FA; --card-background: #FFFFFF; --card-corner-radius: 8px; --comment-background: #F0F2F5; --comment-footer-background: #F6F9FA; --dataviz-primary-1: rgb(48,200,180); --dataviz-primary-2: rgb(134,218,255); --dataviz-primary-3: rgb(95,170,255); --dataviz-secondary-1: rgb(118,62,230); --dataviz-secondary-2: rgb(147,96,247); --dataviz-secondary-3: rgb(219,26,139); --dataviz-supplementary-1: rgb(255,122,105); --dataviz-supplementary-2: rgb(241,168,23); --dataviz-supplementary-3: rgb(49,162,76); --dataviz-supplementary-4: rgb(50,52,54); --dialog-anchor-vertical-padding: 56px; --disabled-button-background: #E4E6EB; --disabled-button-text: #BCC0C4; --disabled-icon: #BCC0C4; --disabled-text: #BCC0C4; --divider: #CED0D4; --event-date: #F3425F; --fb-logo-color: #2D88FF; --fds-animation-enter-exit-in: cubic-bezier(0.14, 1, 0.34, 1); --fds-animation-enter-exit-out: cubic-bezier(0.45, 0.1, 0.2, 1); --fds-animation-expand-collapse-in: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-expand-collapse-out: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-fade-in: cubic-bezier(0, 0, 1, 1); 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--fds-blue-40: #77A7FF; --fds-blue-60: #1877F2; --fds-blue-70: #2851A3; --fds-blue-80: #1D3C78; --fds-button-text: #444950; --fds-comment-background: #F2F3F5; --fds-dark-mode-gray-100: #1C1C1C; --fds-dark-mode-gray-35: #CCCCCC; --fds-dark-mode-gray-50: #828282; --fds-dark-mode-gray-70: #4A4A4A; --fds-dark-mode-gray-80: #373737; --fds-dark-mode-gray-90: #282828; --fds-duration-extra-extra-short-in: 100ms; --fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out: 100ms; --fds-duration-extra-long-in: 1000ms; --fds-duration-extra-long-out: 1000ms; --fds-duration-extra-short-in: 200ms; --fds-duration-extra-short-out: 150ms; --fds-duration-long-in: 500ms; --fds-duration-long-out: 350ms; --fds-duration-medium-in: 400ms; --fds-duration-medium-out: 350ms; --fds-duration-none: 0ms; --fds-duration-short-in: 280ms; --fds-duration-short-out: 200ms; --fds-fast: 200ms; --fds-gray-00: #F5F6F7; --fds-gray-05: #F2F3F5; --fds-gray-100: #1C1E21; --fds-gray-10: #EBEDF0; --fds-gray-20: #DADDE1; --fds-gray-25: #CCD0D5; --fds-gray-30: #BEC3C9; --fds-gray-45: #8D949E; --fds-gray-70: #606770; --fds-gray-80: #444950; --fds-gray-90: #303338; --fds-green-55: #00A400; --fds-highlight-cell-background: #ECF3FF; --fds-highlight: #3578E5; --fds-primary-icon: #1C1E21; --fds-primary-text: #1C1E21; --fds-red-55: #FA383E; --fds-slow: 400ms; --fds-soft: cubic-bezier(0.08,0.52,0.52,1); --fds-spectrum-aluminum-tint-70: #E4F0F6; --fds-spectrum-blue-gray-tint-70: #CFD1D5; --fds-spectrum-cherry-tint-70: #FBCCD2; --fds-spectrum-cherry: #F35369; --fds-spectrum-grape-tint-70: #DDD5F0; --fds-spectrum-grape-tint-90: #F4F1FA; --fds-spectrum-lemon-dark-1: #F5C33B; --fds-spectrum-lemon-tint-70: #FEF2D1; --fds-spectrum-lime-tint-70: #E4F0D5; --fds-spectrum-lime: #A3CE71; --fds-spectrum-orange-tint-70: #FCDEC5; --fds-spectrum-orange-tint-90: #FEF4EC; --fds-spectrum-seafoam-tint-70: #CAEEF9; --fds-spectrum-slate-dark-2: #89A1AC; --fds-spectrum-slate-tint-70: #EAEFF2; --fds-spectrum-teal-dark-1: #4DBBA6; --fds-spectrum-teal-dark-2: #31A38D; --fds-spectrum-teal-tint-70: #D2F0EA; --fds-spectrum-teal-tint-90: #F0FAF8; --fds-spectrum-teal: #6BCEBB; --fds-spectrum-tomato-tint-30: #F38E7B; --fds-spectrum-tomato-tint-90: #FDEFED; --fds-spectrum-tomato: #FB724B; --fds-strong: cubic-bezier(0.12,0.8,0.32,1); --fds-white-alpha-05: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.05); --fds-white-alpha-10: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1); --fds-white-alpha-20: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); --fds-white-alpha-30: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --fds-white-alpha-40: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4); --fds-white-alpha-50: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5); --fds-white-alpha-60: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6); --fds-white-alpha-80: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); --fds-white: #FFFFFF; --fds-yellow-20: #FFBA00; --filter-accent: invert(39%) sepia(57%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(147.75%) hue-rotate(202deg) brightness(97%) contrast(96%); --filter-always-white: invert(100%); --filter-blue-link-icon: invert(30%) sepia(98%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(166.5%) hue-rotate(192deg) brightness(91%) contrast(101%); --filter-disabled-icon: invert(80%) sepia(6%) saturate(200%) saturate(120%) hue-rotate(173deg) brightness(98%) contrast(89%); --filter-negative: invert(25%) sepia(33%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(110%) hue-rotate(345deg) brightness(132%) contrast(96%); --filter-placeholder-icon: invert(59%) sepia(11%) saturate(200%) saturate(135%) hue-rotate(176deg) brightness(96%) contrast(94%); --filter-positive: invert(37%) sepia(61%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(115%) hue-rotate(91deg) brightness(97%) contrast(105%); --filter-primary-icon: invert(8%) sepia(10%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(166%) hue-rotate(177deg) brightness(104%) contrast(91%); --filter-secondary-icon: invert(39%) sepia(21%) saturate(200%) saturate(109.5%) hue-rotate(174deg) brightness(94%) contrast(86%); --filter-warning-icon: invert(77%) sepia(29%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(128%) hue-rotate(359deg) brightness(102%) contrast(107%); --font-family-apple: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; --font-family-code: ui-monospace, Menlo, Consolas, Monaco, monospace; --font-family-default: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; --font-family-segoe: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; --glimmer-spinner-icon: #65676B; --global-panel-width: 68px; --header-height: 56px; --hero-banner-background: #FFFFFF; --highlight-bg: #E7F3FF; --hosted-view-selected-state: rgba(45, 136, 255, 0.1); --hover-overlay: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); --media-hover: rgba(68, 73, 80, 0.15); --media-inner-border: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); --media-outer-border: #FFFFFF; --media-pressed: rgba(68, 73, 80, 0.35); --messenger-card-background: #FFFFFF; --messenger-reply-background: #F0F2F5; --mw-blockquote-border-start-color: var(--placeholder-text); --mwp-message-list-profile-start-padding: 8px; --mwp-reply-background-color: var(--comment-footer-background); --nav-bar-background-gradient-wash: linear-gradient(to top, #F0F2F5, rgba(240,242,245.9), rgba(240,242,245,0.7), rgba(240,242,245,0.4), rgba(240,242,245,0)); --nav-bar-background-gradient: linear-gradient(to top, #FFFFFF, rgba(255,255,255.9), rgba(255,255,255,0.7), rgba(255,255,255,0.4), rgba(255,255,255,0)); --nav-bar-background: #FFFFFF; --negative-background: hsl(350, 87%, 55%, 20%); --negative: hsl(350, 87%, 55%); --new-notification-background: #E7F3FF; --non-media-pressed-on-dark: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --non-media-pressed: rgba(68, 73, 80, 0.15); --notification-badge: #e41e3f; --overlay-alpha-80: rgba(244, 244, 244, 0.8); --overlay-on-media: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --placeholder-icon: #8A8D91; --placeholder-text-on-media: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5); --placeholder-text: #8A8D91; --popover-background: #FFFFFF; --positive-background: #DEEFE1; --positive: #31A24C; --press-overlay: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); --primary-button-background: #1B74E4; --primary-button-pressed: #77A7FF; --primary-button-text: #FFFFFF; --primary-deemphasized-button-background: #E7F3FF; --primary-deemphasized-button-pressed-overlay: rgba(25, 110, 255, 0.15); --primary-deemphasized-button-pressed: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); --primary-deemphasized-button-text: #1877F2; --primary-icon: #050505; --primary-text-on-media: #FFFFFF; --primary-text: #050505; --primary-web-focus-indicator: #D24294; --progress-ring-blue-background: rgba(24, 119, 242, 0.2); --progress-ring-blue-foreground: hsl(214, 89%, 52%); --progress-ring-disabled-background: rgba(190,195,201, 0.2); --progress-ring-disabled-foreground: #BEC3C9; --progress-ring-neutral-background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); --progress-ring-neutral-foreground: #000000; --progress-ring-on-media-background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); --progress-ring-on-media-foreground: #FFFFFF; --rating-star-active: #EB660D; --scroll-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1), 0 -1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) inset; --scroll-thumb: #BCC0C4; --secondary-button-background-floating: #ffffff; --secondary-button-background-on-dark: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); --secondary-button-background: #E4E6EB; --secondary-button-pressed: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); --secondary-button-stroke: transparent; --secondary-button-text: #050505; --secondary-icon: #65676B; --secondary-text-on-media: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.9); --secondary-text: #65676B; --section-header-text: #4B4C4F; --shadow-1: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); --shadow-2: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); --shadow-5: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); --shadow-8: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); --shadow-inset: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5); --surface-background: #FFFFFF; --text-highlight: rgba(24, 119, 242, 0.2); --toggle-active-background: #E7F3FF; --toggle-active-icon: rgb(24, 119, 242); --toggle-active-text: rgb(24, 119, 242); --toggle-button-active-background: #E7F3FF; --warning: hsl(40, 89%, 52%); --wash: #E4E6EB; --web-wash: #F0F2F5; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="ii04i59q jq4qci2q g9io39s2 oo9gr5id" dir="auto" role="none" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 20px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are all in Kyev. It is really dangerously. The real war. I could not imagine such a scenario in the worst dream. We try to keep strong. In case of nessasity of evacuation,Yuriy and I are not able to go. We need to stay and take care of parrents.</div></div></div><div class="ns4p8fja j83agx80 cbu4d94t a6sixzi8 bkfpd7mw d2edcug0 buofh1pr nred35xi" role="none" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: stretch; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-end; max-width: 100%;"><div class="buofh1pr rj1gh0hx" role="none" style="flex-basis: 0px; flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit;"></div></div></div></span></div><div class="ns4p8fja j83agx80 cbu4d94t a6sixzi8 bkfpd7mw d2edcug0 buofh1pr nred35xi" role="none" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: stretch; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-end; max-width: 100%;"><div class="buofh1pr rj1gh0hx" role="none" style="flex-basis: 0px; flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit;"></div></div></div><div class="ns4p8fja j83agx80 cbu4d94t a6sixzi8 bkfpd7mw d2edcug0 kb5gq1qc nred35xi" role="none" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: stretch; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 0; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-end; max-width: 100%;"></div></div><div class="ns4p8fja j83agx80 cbu4d94t a6sixzi8 bkfpd7mw d2edcug0 kb5gq1qc nred35xi" role="none" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: stretch; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 0; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-end; max-width: 100%;"><div aria-hidden="true" class="pfnyh3mw j83agx80 cbu4d94t jcr6t5e3 taijpn5t buofh1pr l9j0dhe7 s90hwng2 qnrpqo6b" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; justify-content: center; padding-left: 5px; position: relative; width: var(--mwp-message-list-actions-width,62px); z-index: 10;"><div class="bp9cbjyn jcr6t5e3 j83agx80 btwxx1t3" role="none" style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; font-family: inherit; width: var(--mwp-message-list-actions-width,62px);"><div class="bp9cbjyn jcr6t5e3 j83agx80 btwxx1t3" role="none" style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; font-family: inherit; width: var(--mwp-message-list-actions-width,62px);"><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="tojvnm2t a6sixzi8 abs2jz4q a8s20v7p t1p8iaqh k5wvi7nf q3lfd5jv pk4s997a bipmatt0 cebpdrjk qowsmv63 owwhemhu dp1hu0rb dhp61c6y iyyx5f41" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: inherit; display: inherit; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; max-height: inherit; max-width: inherit; min-height: inherit; min-width: inherit; place-content: inherit; width: inherit;"><div class="" style="font-family: inherit;"><div aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="menu" aria-label="React" class="oajrlxb2 gs1a9yip g5ia77u1 mtkw9kbi tlpljxtp qensuy8j ppp5ayq2 goun2846 ccm00jje s44p3ltw mk2mc5f4 rt8b4zig n8ej3o3l agehan2d sk4xxmp2 rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 mg4g778l pfnyh3mw p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x tgvbjcpo hpfvmrgz jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso l9j0dhe7 i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of du4w35lb n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql btwxx1t3 abiwlrkh p8dawk7l j83agx80 lzcic4wl" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><div class="hcukyx3x cxmmr5t8 b73ngqbp rgmg9uty j83agx80 s45kfl79 emlxlaya bkmhp75w spb7xbtv pfnyh3mw n5ue3fu6 bp9cbjyn taijpn5t oqcyycmt nhd2j8a9 opvtebq1 l9j0dhe7" style="align-items: center; border-radius: 50%; cursor: pointer; display: flex; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; height: 24px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; place-content: center; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 24px;"><div class="p1ueia1e pgctjfs5 l8rlqa9s sh06z9xi i2p6rm4e" style="font-family: inherit; height: 22px; opacity: 0.6; width: 22px;"><svg height="22px" viewbox="0 0 22 22" width="22px"><circle class="rvno3twz mlqo0dh0" cx="11" cy="11" r="7" stroke-width="1.5px"></circle><path class="rvno3twz mlqo0dh0" d="M8,13Q11,16,14,13" stroke-width="1.5px"></path><circle class="m50y4xls" cx="9" cy="10" r="1.2"></circle><circle class="m50y4xls" cx="13" cy="10" r="1.2"></circle></svg></div></div></div></div></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="tojvnm2t a6sixzi8 abs2jz4q a8s20v7p t1p8iaqh k5wvi7nf q3lfd5jv pk4s997a bipmatt0 cebpdrjk qowsmv63 owwhemhu dp1hu0rb dhp61c6y iyyx5f41" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: inherit; display: inherit; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; max-height: inherit; max-width: inherit; min-height: inherit; min-width: inherit; place-content: inherit; width: inherit;"><div class="hcukyx3x cxmmr5t8 b73ngqbp rgmg9uty j83agx80 s45kfl79 emlxlaya bkmhp75w spb7xbtv pfnyh3mw n5ue3fu6 bp9cbjyn taijpn5t oqcyycmt nhd2j8a9 opvtebq1 l9j0dhe7" style="align-items: center; border-radius: 50%; cursor: pointer; display: flex; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; height: 24px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; place-content: center; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 24px;"><div aria-label="Reply" class="oajrlxb2 gs1a9yip g5ia77u1 mtkw9kbi tlpljxtp qensuy8j ppp5ayq2 goun2846 ccm00jje s44p3ltw mk2mc5f4 rt8b4zig n8ej3o3l agehan2d sk4xxmp2 rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 mg4g778l pfnyh3mw p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x tgvbjcpo hpfvmrgz jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso l9j0dhe7 i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of du4w35lb n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql btwxx1t3 abiwlrkh p8dawk7l j83agx80 lzcic4wl" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><div class="p1ueia1e pgctjfs5 l8rlqa9s sh06z9xi i2p6rm4e" style="font-family: inherit; height: 22px; opacity: 0.6; width: 22px;"><svg height="22px" viewbox="1 1 21 21" width="22px"><g class="m50y4xls" fill-rule="evenodd" stroke-width="1"><path d="M10.8932368,14.7625445 C10.8932368,15.535432 10.0849567,15.996442 9.48116675,15.5677995 L4.03193175,11.696707 C3.49257425,11.313742 3.49287675,10.4694645 4.03193175,10.0864995 L9.48116675,6.2157095 C10.0849567,5.7867645 10.8932368,6.248077 10.8932368,7.020662 L10.8938418,9.0755445 C15.2129368,9.0755445 18.1517243,11.027577 18.1523293,15.7226795 C18.1523293,16.0820495 17.9036743,16.3349395 17.5273643,16.3349395 C17.2487618,16.3349395 17.0164418,16.1746145 16.8527893,15.680027 C16.1588543,13.584307 14.1063918,12.7049395 10.8938418,12.7049395 L10.8932368,14.7625445 Z"></path></g></svg></div></div></div></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="tojvnm2t a6sixzi8 abs2jz4q a8s20v7p t1p8iaqh k5wvi7nf q3lfd5jv pk4s997a bipmatt0 cebpdrjk qowsmv63 owwhemhu dp1hu0rb dhp61c6y iyyx5f41" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: inherit; display: inherit; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; max-height: inherit; max-width: inherit; min-height: inherit; min-width: inherit; place-content: inherit; width: inherit;"><div aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="menu" aria-label="More" class="oajrlxb2 gs1a9yip g5ia77u1 mtkw9kbi tlpljxtp qensuy8j ppp5ayq2 goun2846 ccm00jje s44p3ltw mk2mc5f4 rt8b4zig n8ej3o3l agehan2d sk4xxmp2 rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 mg4g778l pfnyh3mw p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x tgvbjcpo hpfvmrgz jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso l9j0dhe7 i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of du4w35lb n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql btwxx1t3 abiwlrkh p8dawk7l j83agx80 lzcic4wl" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><div class="hcukyx3x cxmmr5t8 b73ngqbp rgmg9uty j83agx80 s45kfl79 emlxlaya bkmhp75w spb7xbtv pfnyh3mw n5ue3fu6 bp9cbjyn taijpn5t oqcyycmt nhd2j8a9 opvtebq1 l9j0dhe7" style="align-items: center; border-radius: 50%; cursor: pointer; display: flex; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; height: 24px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; place-content: center; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 24px;"><div class="p1ueia1e pgctjfs5 l8rlqa9s sh06z9xi i2p6rm4e" style="font-family: inherit; height: 22px; opacity: 0.6; width: 22px;"><svg height="22px" viewbox="0 0 22 22" width="22px"><circle cx="11" cy="6" fill="var(--placeholder-icon)" r="2" stroke-width="1px"></circle><circle cx="11" cy="11" fill="var(--placeholder-icon)" r="2" stroke-width="1px"></circle><circle cx="11" cy="16" fill="var(--placeholder-icon)" r="2" stroke-width="1px"></circle></svg></div></div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div><div class="ns4p8fja j83agx80 cbu4d94t a6sixzi8 bkfpd7mw d2edcug0 buofh1pr nred35xi" role="none" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: stretch; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-end; max-width: 100%;"><div class="buofh1pr rj1gh0hx" role="none" style="flex-basis: 0px; flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit;"></div></div></div><div class="ns4p8fja j83agx80 cbu4d94t a6sixzi8 bkfpd7mw d2edcug0 kb5gq1qc nred35xi" role="none" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: stretch; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 0; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-end; max-width: 100%;"><div class="j83agx80 aovydwv3 ni8dbmo4 stjgntxs odw8uiq3" data-testid="messenger_delivery_status" id="" role="none" style="align-items: flex-end; display: flex; font-family: inherit; overflow: hidden; width: 20px;"><div class="pfnyh3mw pgctjfs5" style="flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; width: 22px;"></div></div></div></div><div class="nred35xi k4urcfbm" role="none" style="font-family: inherit; height: 7px; width: 307.333px;"></div><div aria-label="Details and actions" class="oajrlxb2 gs1a9yip mtkw9kbi tlpljxtp qensuy8j ppp5ayq2 goun2846 ccm00jje s44p3ltw mk2mc5f4 rt8b4zig n8ej3o3l agehan2d sk4xxmp2 rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 mg4g778l pfnyh3mw p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x tgvbjcpo hpfvmrgz i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of pq6dq46d btwxx1t3 abiwlrkh p8dawk7l lzcic4wl __fb-dark-mode hhcrnkbu ormqv51v i9k17dj3 ms7hmo2b ue3kfks5 pw54ja7n uo3d90p7 l82x9zwi r92hip7p pybr56ya d1544ag0 f10w8fjw tw6a2znq tkr6xdv7 spvqvc9t ikw5e13s ebnioo9u lq84ybu9 hf30pyar s8sjc6am rfd0zzc9" role="button" style="--accent: hsl(214, 100%, 59%); --always-black: black; --always-dark-gradient: linear-gradient(rgba(0,0,0,0), rgba(0,0,0,0.6)); --always-dark-overlay: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); --always-gray-40: #65676B; --always-gray-75: #BCC0C4; --always-gray-95: #F0F2F5; --always-light-overlay: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4); --always-white: white; --attachment-footer-background: rgba(255,255,255,0.1); --background-deemphasized: rgba(255,255,255,0.1); --base-blue: #1877F2; --base-cherry: #F3425F; --base-grape: #9360F7; --base-lemon: #F7B928; --base-lime: #45BD62; --base-pink: #FF66BF; --base-seafoam: #54C7EC; --base-teal: #2ABBA7; --base-tomato: #FB724B; --blue-link: #4599FF; --button-corner-radius: 6px; --card-background-flat: #323436; --card-background: #242526; --card-corner-radius: 8px; --comment-background: #3A3B3C; --comment-footer-background: #4E4F50; --dataviz-primary-1: rgb(48,200,180); --dataviz-primary-2: rgb(134,218,255); --dataviz-primary-3: rgb(95,170,255); --dataviz-secondary-1: rgb(129,77,231); --dataviz-secondary-2: rgb(168,124,255); --dataviz-secondary-3: rgb(219,26,139); --dataviz-supplementary-1: rgb(255,122,105); --dataviz-supplementary-2: rgb(241,168,23); --dataviz-supplementary-3: rgb(49,162,76); --dataviz-supplementary-4: rgb(228,230,235); --dialog-anchor-vertical-padding: 56px; --disabled-button-background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); --disabled-button-text: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --disabled-icon: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --disabled-text: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --divider: #3E4042; --event-date: #F3425F; --fb-logo-color: #2D88FF; --fds-animation-enter-exit-in: cubic-bezier(0.14, 1, 0.34, 1); --fds-animation-enter-exit-out: cubic-bezier(0.45, 0.1, 0.2, 1); --fds-animation-expand-collapse-in: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-expand-collapse-out: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-fade-in: cubic-bezier(0, 0, 1, 1); --fds-animation-fade-out: cubic-bezier(0, 0, 1, 1); --fds-animation-move-in: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-move-out: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-passive-move-in: cubic-bezier(0.5, 0, 0.1, 1); --fds-animation-passive-move-out: cubic-bezier(0.5, 0, 0.1, 1); --fds-animation-quick-move-in: cubic-bezier(0.1, 0.9, 0.2, 1); --fds-animation-quick-move-out: cubic-bezier(0.1, 0.9, 0.2, 1); --fds-animation-swap-shuffle-in: cubic-bezier(0.14, 1, 0.34, 1); --fds-animation-swap-shuffle-out: cubic-bezier(0.45, 0.1, 0.2, 1); --fds-black-alpha-05: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); --fds-black-alpha-10: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); --fds-black-alpha-15: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15); --fds-black-alpha-20: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); --fds-black-alpha-30: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3); --fds-black-alpha-40: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); --fds-black-alpha-50: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); --fds-black-alpha-60: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --fds-black-alpha-80: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); --fds-black: black; --fds-blue-05: black; --fds-blue-30: black; --fds-blue-40: black; --fds-blue-60: black; --fds-blue-70: black; --fds-blue-80: black; --fds-button-text: black; --fds-comment-background: black; --fds-dark-mode-gray-100: black; --fds-dark-mode-gray-35: black; --fds-dark-mode-gray-50: black; --fds-dark-mode-gray-70: black; --fds-dark-mode-gray-80: black; --fds-dark-mode-gray-90: black; --fds-duration-extra-extra-short-in: 100ms; --fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out: 100ms; --fds-duration-extra-long-in: 1000ms; --fds-duration-extra-long-out: 1000ms; --fds-duration-extra-short-in: 200ms; --fds-duration-extra-short-out: 150ms; --fds-duration-long-in: 500ms; --fds-duration-long-out: 350ms; --fds-duration-medium-in: 400ms; --fds-duration-medium-out: 350ms; --fds-duration-none: 0ms; --fds-duration-short-in: 280ms; --fds-duration-short-out: 200ms; --fds-fast: 200ms; --fds-gray-00: black; --fds-gray-05: black; --fds-gray-100: black; --fds-gray-10: black; --fds-gray-20: black; --fds-gray-25: black; --fds-gray-30: black; --fds-gray-45: black; --fds-gray-70: black; --fds-gray-80: black; --fds-gray-90: black; --fds-green-55: black; --fds-highlight-cell-background: black; --fds-highlight: black; --fds-primary-icon: white; --fds-primary-text: white; --fds-red-55: black; --fds-slow: 400ms; --fds-soft: cubic-bezier(0.08,0.52,0.52,1); --fds-spectrum-aluminum-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-blue-gray-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-cherry-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-cherry: black; --fds-spectrum-grape-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-grape-tint-90: black; --fds-spectrum-lemon-dark-1: black; --fds-spectrum-lemon-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-lime-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-lime: black; --fds-spectrum-orange-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-orange-tint-90: black; --fds-spectrum-seafoam-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-slate-dark-2: black; --fds-spectrum-slate-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-teal-dark-1: black; --fds-spectrum-teal-dark-2: black; --fds-spectrum-teal-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-teal-tint-90: black; --fds-spectrum-teal: black; --fds-spectrum-tomato-tint-30: black; --fds-spectrum-tomato-tint-90: black; --fds-spectrum-tomato: black; --fds-strong: cubic-bezier(0.12,0.8,0.32,1); --fds-white-alpha-05: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.05); --fds-white-alpha-10: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1); --fds-white-alpha-20: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); --fds-white-alpha-30: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --fds-white-alpha-40: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4); --fds-white-alpha-50: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5); --fds-white-alpha-60: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6); --fds-white-alpha-80: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); --fds-white: black; --fds-yellow-20: black; --filter-accent: invert(40%) sepia(52%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(189%) hue-rotate(191deg) brightness(103%) contrast(102%); --filter-always-white: invert(100%); --filter-blue-link-icon: invert(73%) sepia(29%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(103.25%) hue-rotate(189deg) brightness(101%) contrast(101%); --filter-disabled-icon: invert(100%) opacity(30%); --filter-negative: invert(25%) sepia(33%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(110%) hue-rotate(345deg) brightness(132%) contrast(96%); --filter-placeholder-icon: invert(59%) sepia(11%) saturate(200%) saturate(135%) hue-rotate(176deg) brightness(96%) contrast(94%); --filter-positive: invert(37%) sepia(61%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(115%) hue-rotate(91deg) brightness(97%) contrast(105%); --filter-primary-icon: invert(89%) sepia(6%) hue-rotate(185deg); --filter-secondary-icon: invert(62%) sepia(98%) saturate(12%) hue-rotate(175deg) brightness(90%) contrast(96%); --filter-warning-icon: invert(77%) sepia(29%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(128%) hue-rotate(359deg) brightness(102%) contrast(107%); --font-family-apple: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; --font-family-code: ui-monospace, Menlo, Consolas, Monaco, monospace; --font-family-default: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; --font-family-segoe: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; --glimmer-spinner-icon: white; --global-panel-width: 68px; --header-height: 56px; --hero-banner-background: #E85D07; --highlight-bg: rgba(24, 119, 242, 0.31); --hosted-view-selected-state: rgba(45, 136, 255, 0.1); --hover-overlay: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1); --media-hover: rgba(68, 73, 80, 0.15); --media-inner-border: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.05); --media-outer-border: #33363A; --media-pressed: rgba(68, 73, 80, 0.35); --messenger-card-background: #242526; --messenger-reply-background: #18191A; --nav-bar-background-gradient-wash: linear-gradient(to top, #18191A, rgba(24,25,26,0.9), rgba(24,25,26,0.7), rgba(24,25,26,0.4), rgba(24,25,26,0)); --nav-bar-background-gradient: linear-gradient(to top, #242526, rgba(36,37,38,0.9), rgba(36,37,38,0.7), rgba(36,37,38,0.4), rgba(36,37,38,0)); --nav-bar-background: #242526; --negative-background: hsl(350, 87%, 55%, 20%); --negative: hsl(350, 87%, 55%); --new-notification-background: #E7F3FF; --non-media-pressed-on-dark: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --non-media-pressed: rgba(68, 73, 80, 0.15); --notification-badge: #e41e3f; --overlay-alpha-80: rgba(11, 11, 11, 0.8); --overlay-on-media: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --placeholder-icon: #8A8D91; --placeholder-text-on-media: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5); --placeholder-text: #8A8D91; --popover-background: #3E4042; --positive-background: #1F3520; --positive: #31A24C; --press-overlay: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1); --primary-button-background: #2374E1; --primary-button-pressed: #77A7FF; --primary-button-text: #FFFFFF; --primary-deemphasized-button-background: rgba(45, 136, 255, 0.2); --primary-deemphasized-button-pressed-overlay: rgba(25, 110, 255, 0.15); --primary-deemphasized-button-pressed: rgba(24, 119, 242, 0.2); --primary-deemphasized-button-text: #2D88FF; --primary-icon: #E4E6EB; --primary-text-on-media: white; --primary-text: #E4E6EB; --primary-web-focus-indicator: #D24294; --progress-ring-blue-background: rgba(45, 136, 255, 0.2); --progress-ring-blue-foreground: hsl(214, 100%, 59%); --progress-ring-disabled-background: rgba(122,125,130, 0.2); --progress-ring-disabled-foreground: #7A7D82; --progress-ring-neutral-background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); --progress-ring-neutral-foreground: #ffffff; --progress-ring-on-media-background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); --progress-ring-on-media-foreground: #FFFFFF; --rating-star-active: #FF9831; --scroll-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1), 0 -1px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.05) inset; --scroll-thumb: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --secondary-button-background-floating: #4B4C4F; --secondary-button-background-on-dark: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4); --secondary-button-background: rgba(255,255,255,0.1); --secondary-button-pressed: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); --secondary-button-stroke: transparent; --secondary-button-text: #E4E6EB; --secondary-icon: #B0B3B8; --secondary-text-on-media: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.9); --secondary-text: #B0B3B8; --section-header-text: #BCC0C4; --shadow-1: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); --shadow-2: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); --shadow-5: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); --shadow-8: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); --shadow-inset: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.05); --surface-background: #242526; --t68779821: 0 2px 4px 0 var(--shadow-5); --text-highlight: rgba(24, 119, 242, 0.45); --toggle-active-background: rgb(45, 136, 255); --toggle-active-icon: #FFFFFF; --toggle-active-text: #FFFFFF; --toggle-button-active-background: #E6F2FF; --warning: hsl(40, 89%, 52%); --wash: #3E4042; --web-wash: #18191A; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: 8px; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-shadow: 0 2px 4px 0 var(--shadow-5); box-sizing: border-box; clip-path: inset(50%); clip: rect(0px, 0px, 0px, 0px); cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; height: 1px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; overflow: hidden; padding: 12px; position: absolute; right: 4px; text-align: inherit; top: -2px; touch-action: manipulation; transform: translateY(-100%); user-select: none; width: 1px; z-index: 1;" tabindex="-1"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: -5px; margin-top: -5px;"><div class="qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb d9wwppkn mdeji52x e9vueds3 j5wam9gi knj5qynh oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto" style="color: var(--primary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.2308; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Enter</span></div></div><div class="n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql i09qtzwb n7fi1qx3 b5wmifdl hzruof5a pmk7jnqg j9ispegn kr520xx4 c5ndavph art1omkt ot9fgl3s" data-visualcompletion="ignore" style="border-radius: inherit; font-family: inherit; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; transition-duration: var(--fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out); transition-property: opacity; transition-timing-function: var(--fds-animation-fade-out);"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="__fb-light-mode l9j0dhe7" role="row" style="--accent: hsl(214, 89%, 52%); --always-black: black; --always-dark-gradient: linear-gradient(rgba(0,0,0,0), rgba(0,0,0,0.6)); --always-dark-overlay: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); --always-gray-40: #65676B; --always-gray-75: #BCC0C4; --always-gray-95: #F0F2F5; --always-light-overlay: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4); --always-white: #FFFFFF; --attachment-footer-background: #F0F2F5; --background-deemphasized: #F0F2F5; --base-blue: #1877F2; --base-cherry: #F3425F; --base-grape: #9360F7; --base-lemon: #F7B928; --base-lime: #45BD62; --base-pink: #FF66BF; --base-seafoam: #54C7EC; --base-teal: #2ABBA7; --base-tomato: #FB724B; --blue-link: #216FDB; --button-corner-radius: 6px; --card-background-flat: #F7F8FA; --card-background: #FFFFFF; --card-corner-radius: 8px; --comment-background: #F0F2F5; --comment-footer-background: #F6F9FA; --dataviz-primary-1: rgb(48,200,180); --dataviz-primary-2: rgb(134,218,255); --dataviz-primary-3: rgb(95,170,255); --dataviz-secondary-1: rgb(118,62,230); --dataviz-secondary-2: rgb(147,96,247); --dataviz-secondary-3: rgb(219,26,139); --dataviz-supplementary-1: rgb(255,122,105); --dataviz-supplementary-2: rgb(241,168,23); --dataviz-supplementary-3: rgb(49,162,76); --dataviz-supplementary-4: rgb(50,52,54); --dialog-anchor-vertical-padding: 56px; --disabled-button-background: #E4E6EB; --disabled-button-text: #BCC0C4; --disabled-icon: #BCC0C4; --disabled-text: #BCC0C4; --divider: #CED0D4; --event-date: #F3425F; --fb-logo-color: #2D88FF; --fds-animation-enter-exit-in: cubic-bezier(0.14, 1, 0.34, 1); --fds-animation-enter-exit-out: cubic-bezier(0.45, 0.1, 0.2, 1); --fds-animation-expand-collapse-in: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-expand-collapse-out: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-fade-in: cubic-bezier(0, 0, 1, 1); --fds-animation-fade-out: cubic-bezier(0, 0, 1, 1); --fds-animation-move-in: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-move-out: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-passive-move-in: cubic-bezier(0.5, 0, 0.1, 1); --fds-animation-passive-move-out: cubic-bezier(0.5, 0, 0.1, 1); --fds-animation-quick-move-in: cubic-bezier(0.1, 0.9, 0.2, 1); --fds-animation-quick-move-out: cubic-bezier(0.1, 0.9, 0.2, 1); --fds-animation-swap-shuffle-in: cubic-bezier(0.14, 1, 0.34, 1); --fds-animation-swap-shuffle-out: cubic-bezier(0.45, 0.1, 0.2, 1); --fds-black-alpha-05: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); --fds-black-alpha-10: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); --fds-black-alpha-15: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15); --fds-black-alpha-20: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); --fds-black-alpha-30: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3); --fds-black-alpha-40: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); --fds-black-alpha-50: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); --fds-black-alpha-60: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --fds-black-alpha-80: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); --fds-black: #000000; --fds-blue-05: #ECF3FF; --fds-blue-30: #AAC9FF; --fds-blue-40: #77A7FF; --fds-blue-60: #1877F2; --fds-blue-70: #2851A3; --fds-blue-80: #1D3C78; --fds-button-text: #444950; --fds-comment-background: #F2F3F5; --fds-dark-mode-gray-100: #1C1C1C; --fds-dark-mode-gray-35: #CCCCCC; --fds-dark-mode-gray-50: #828282; --fds-dark-mode-gray-70: #4A4A4A; --fds-dark-mode-gray-80: #373737; --fds-dark-mode-gray-90: #282828; --fds-duration-extra-extra-short-in: 100ms; --fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out: 100ms; --fds-duration-extra-long-in: 1000ms; --fds-duration-extra-long-out: 1000ms; --fds-duration-extra-short-in: 200ms; --fds-duration-extra-short-out: 150ms; --fds-duration-long-in: 500ms; --fds-duration-long-out: 350ms; --fds-duration-medium-in: 400ms; --fds-duration-medium-out: 350ms; --fds-duration-none: 0ms; --fds-duration-short-in: 280ms; --fds-duration-short-out: 200ms; --fds-fast: 200ms; --fds-gray-00: #F5F6F7; --fds-gray-05: #F2F3F5; --fds-gray-100: #1C1E21; --fds-gray-10: #EBEDF0; --fds-gray-20: #DADDE1; --fds-gray-25: #CCD0D5; --fds-gray-30: #BEC3C9; --fds-gray-45: #8D949E; --fds-gray-70: #606770; --fds-gray-80: #444950; --fds-gray-90: #303338; --fds-green-55: #00A400; --fds-highlight-cell-background: #ECF3FF; --fds-highlight: #3578E5; --fds-primary-icon: #1C1E21; --fds-primary-text: #1C1E21; --fds-red-55: #FA383E; --fds-slow: 400ms; --fds-soft: cubic-bezier(0.08,0.52,0.52,1); --fds-spectrum-aluminum-tint-70: #E4F0F6; --fds-spectrum-blue-gray-tint-70: #CFD1D5; --fds-spectrum-cherry-tint-70: #FBCCD2; --fds-spectrum-cherry: #F35369; --fds-spectrum-grape-tint-70: #DDD5F0; --fds-spectrum-grape-tint-90: #F4F1FA; --fds-spectrum-lemon-dark-1: #F5C33B; --fds-spectrum-lemon-tint-70: #FEF2D1; --fds-spectrum-lime-tint-70: #E4F0D5; --fds-spectrum-lime: #A3CE71; --fds-spectrum-orange-tint-70: #FCDEC5; --fds-spectrum-orange-tint-90: #FEF4EC; --fds-spectrum-seafoam-tint-70: #CAEEF9; --fds-spectrum-slate-dark-2: #89A1AC; --fds-spectrum-slate-tint-70: #EAEFF2; --fds-spectrum-teal-dark-1: #4DBBA6; --fds-spectrum-teal-dark-2: #31A38D; --fds-spectrum-teal-tint-70: #D2F0EA; --fds-spectrum-teal-tint-90: #F0FAF8; --fds-spectrum-teal: #6BCEBB; --fds-spectrum-tomato-tint-30: #F38E7B; --fds-spectrum-tomato-tint-90: #FDEFED; --fds-spectrum-tomato: #FB724B; --fds-strong: cubic-bezier(0.12,0.8,0.32,1); --fds-white-alpha-05: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.05); --fds-white-alpha-10: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1); --fds-white-alpha-20: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); --fds-white-alpha-30: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --fds-white-alpha-40: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4); --fds-white-alpha-50: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5); --fds-white-alpha-60: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6); --fds-white-alpha-80: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); --fds-white: #FFFFFF; --fds-yellow-20: #FFBA00; --filter-accent: invert(39%) sepia(57%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(147.75%) hue-rotate(202deg) brightness(97%) contrast(96%); --filter-always-white: invert(100%); --filter-blue-link-icon: invert(30%) sepia(98%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(166.5%) hue-rotate(192deg) brightness(91%) contrast(101%); --filter-disabled-icon: invert(80%) sepia(6%) saturate(200%) saturate(120%) hue-rotate(173deg) brightness(98%) contrast(89%); --filter-negative: invert(25%) sepia(33%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(110%) hue-rotate(345deg) brightness(132%) contrast(96%); --filter-placeholder-icon: invert(59%) sepia(11%) saturate(200%) saturate(135%) hue-rotate(176deg) brightness(96%) contrast(94%); --filter-positive: invert(37%) sepia(61%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(115%) hue-rotate(91deg) brightness(97%) contrast(105%); --filter-primary-icon: invert(8%) sepia(10%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(166%) hue-rotate(177deg) brightness(104%) contrast(91%); --filter-secondary-icon: invert(39%) sepia(21%) saturate(200%) saturate(109.5%) hue-rotate(174deg) brightness(94%) contrast(86%); --filter-warning-icon: invert(77%) sepia(29%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(128%) hue-rotate(359deg) brightness(102%) contrast(107%); --font-family-apple: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; --font-family-code: ui-monospace, Menlo, Consolas, Monaco, monospace; --font-family-default: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; --font-family-segoe: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; --glimmer-spinner-icon: #65676B; --global-panel-width: 68px; --header-height: 56px; --hero-banner-background: #FFFFFF; --highlight-bg: #E7F3FF; --hosted-view-selected-state: rgba(45, 136, 255, 0.1); --hover-overlay: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); --media-hover: rgba(68, 73, 80, 0.15); --media-inner-border: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); --media-outer-border: #FFFFFF; --media-pressed: rgba(68, 73, 80, 0.35); --messenger-card-background: #FFFFFF; --messenger-reply-background: #F0F2F5; --mwp-message-list-profile-start-padding: 8px; --mwp-reply-background-color: var(--comment-footer-background); --nav-bar-background-gradient-wash: linear-gradient(to top, #F0F2F5, rgba(240,242,245.9), rgba(240,242,245,0.7), rgba(240,242,245,0.4), rgba(240,242,245,0)); --nav-bar-background-gradient: linear-gradient(to top, #FFFFFF, rgba(255,255,255.9), rgba(255,255,255,0.7), rgba(255,255,255,0.4), rgba(255,255,255,0)); --nav-bar-background: #FFFFFF; --negative-background: hsl(350, 87%, 55%, 20%); --negative: hsl(350, 87%, 55%); --new-notification-background: #E7F3FF; --non-media-pressed-on-dark: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --non-media-pressed: rgba(68, 73, 80, 0.15); --notification-badge: #e41e3f; --overlay-alpha-80: rgba(244, 244, 244, 0.8); --overlay-on-media: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --placeholder-icon: #8A8D91; --placeholder-text-on-media: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5); --placeholder-text: #8A8D91; --popover-background: #FFFFFF; --positive-background: #DEEFE1; --positive: #31A24C; --press-overlay: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); --primary-button-background: #1B74E4; --primary-button-pressed: #77A7FF; --primary-button-text: #FFFFFF; --primary-deemphasized-button-background: #E7F3FF; --primary-deemphasized-button-pressed-overlay: rgba(25, 110, 255, 0.15); --primary-deemphasized-button-pressed: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); --primary-deemphasized-button-text: #1877F2; --primary-icon: #050505; --primary-text-on-media: #FFFFFF; --primary-text: #050505; --primary-web-focus-indicator: #D24294; --progress-ring-blue-background: rgba(24, 119, 242, 0.2); --progress-ring-blue-foreground: hsl(214, 89%, 52%); --progress-ring-disabled-background: rgba(190,195,201, 0.2); --progress-ring-disabled-foreground: #BEC3C9; --progress-ring-neutral-background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); --progress-ring-neutral-foreground: #000000; --progress-ring-on-media-background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); --progress-ring-on-media-foreground: #FFFFFF; --rating-star-active: #EB660D; --scroll-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1), 0 -1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) inset; --scroll-thumb: #BCC0C4; --secondary-button-background-floating: #ffffff; --secondary-button-background-on-dark: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); --secondary-button-background: #E4E6EB; --secondary-button-pressed: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); --secondary-button-stroke: transparent; --secondary-button-text: #050505; --secondary-icon: #65676B; --secondary-text-on-media: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.9); --secondary-text: #65676B; --section-header-text: #4B4C4F; --shadow-1: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); --shadow-2: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); --shadow-5: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); --shadow-8: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); --shadow-inset: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5); --surface-background: #FFFFFF; --text-highlight: rgba(24, 119, 242, 0.2); --toggle-active-background: #E7F3FF; --toggle-active-icon: rgb(24, 119, 242); --toggle-active-text: rgb(24, 119, 242); --toggle-button-active-background: #E7F3FF; --warning: hsl(40, 89%, 52%); --wash: #E4E6EB; --web-wash: #F0F2F5; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><div class="" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t l9j0dhe7" data-release-focus-from="CLICK" data-scope="messages_table" role="gridcell" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><h3 class="gmql0nx0 l94mrbxd p1ri9a11 lzcic4wl kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x" dir="auto" style="color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span class="spvqvc9t ikw5e13s ebnioo9u lq84ybu9 hf30pyar s8sjc6am rfd0zzc9" style="clip-path: inset(50%); clip: rect(0px, 0px, 0px, 0px); font-family: inherit; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; width: 1px;">Tatyana</span></h3><div class="nred35xi k4urcfbm" role="none" style="font-family: inherit; height: 2px; width: 307.333px;"></div><div class="j83agx80" role="none" style="display: flex; font-family: inherit;"><div class="ns4p8fja j83agx80 cbu4d94t a6sixzi8 bkfpd7mw d2edcug0 kb5gq1qc nred35xi jy3qco62 dflh9lhu" role="none" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: stretch; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 0; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-end; max-width: 100%; padding-left: calc(var(--mwp-message-list-profile-start-padding,8px) - 2px); padding-right: 8px;"><div class="pfnyh3mw ciadx1gn mudddibn aovydwv3 j83agx80" style="align-items: flex-end; display: flex; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; height: 28px; width: 28px;"><span class="tojvnm2t a6sixzi8 abs2jz4q a8s20v7p t1p8iaqh k5wvi7nf q3lfd5jv pk4s997a bipmatt0 cebpdrjk qowsmv63 owwhemhu dp1hu0rb dhp61c6y iyyx5f41" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: inherit; display: inherit; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; max-height: inherit; max-width: inherit; min-height: inherit; min-width: inherit; place-content: inherit; width: inherit;"><img alt="Tatyana Stefanovska" class="k4urcfbm bixrwtb6 datstx6m q9uorilb" src="https://scontent-qro1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-1/240100096_4962364287113829_1684605629257931067_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_p100x100&_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=7206a8&_nc_eui2=AeFKUtTBuB_1KBeBA0cgZp8eLDoRrJrFx5IsOhGsmsXHkiGgyOKZOclK4rNJonaDazo&_nc_ohc=mMDDfDGs8KsAX_nbuZg&_nc_ad=z-m&_nc_cid=0&_nc_ht=scontent-qro1-1.xx&oh=00_AT-hI8bYuE4lcxd4Mwy4JVsgziwF3StYipXkrKObityjbQ&oe=621C0877" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 0px; display: inline-block; height: 28px; object-fit: cover; width: 28px;" /></span></div><div class="nred35xi k4urcfbm" role="none" style="font-family: inherit; height: 18px; width: 28px;"></div></div><div class="j83agx80 buofh1pr g5gj957u hpfvmrgz" data-testid="message-container" role="none" style="display: flex; flex-grow: 1; flex-shrink: 1; font-family: inherit; min-width: 0px;"><div class="ns4p8fja j83agx80 cbu4d94t a6sixzi8 bkfpd7mw nred35xi a1xu1aao" role="none" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: stretch; display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-end; max-width: calc(100% - var(--mwp-message-list-actions-width,62px) - 5px);"><div class="j83agx80 k4urcfbm" role="none" style="display: flex; font-family: inherit; width: 36px;"><div class="ll8tlv6m j83agx80 cbu4d94t d2edcug0 l9j0dhe7" style="align-items: flex-start; display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; position: relative;"><span class="tojvnm2t a6sixzi8 abs2jz4q a8s20v7p t1p8iaqh k5wvi7nf q3lfd5jv pk4s997a bipmatt0 cebpdrjk qowsmv63 owwhemhu dp1hu0rb dhp61c6y iyyx5f41" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: inherit; display: inherit; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; max-height: inherit; max-width: inherit; min-height: inherit; min-width: inherit; place-content: inherit; width: inherit;"><div class="ns4p8fja j83agx80 cbu4d94t a6sixzi8 bkfpd7mw d2edcug0 kb5gq1qc nred35xi" role="none" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: stretch; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 0; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-end; max-width: 100%;"><div class="d2edcug0 l9j0dhe7 tkr6xdv7" style="font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; position: relative; z-index: 1;"><div aria-label=" Like, thumbs up sticker" class="_576q" role="img" style="background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 36px 36px; cursor: default; display: flex; font-family: inherit; height: 36px; justify-content: center; width: 36px;" tabindex="-1"><div class="_1i1j" data-testid="messenger_hotlike_svg" style="flex: 1 1 0%; font-family: inherit;"><svg aria-labelledby="js_b" height="100%" viewbox="0 0 16 16" width="100%"><path d="M16,9.1c0-0.8-0.3-1.1-0.6-1.3c0.2-0.3,0.3-0.7,0.3-1.2c0-1-0.8-1.7-2.1-1.7h-3.1c0.1-0.5,0.2-1.3,0.2-1.8 c0-1.1-0.3-2.4-1.2-3C9.3,0.1,9,0,8.7,0C8.1,0,7.7,0.2,7.6,0.4C7.5,0.5,7.5,0.6,7.5,0.7L7.6,3c0,0.2,0,0.4-0.1,0.5L5.7,6.6 c0,0-0.1,0.1-0.1,0.1l0,0l0,0L5.3,6.8C5.1,7,5,7.2,5,7.4v6.1c0,0.2,0.1,0.4,0.2,0.5c0.1,0.1,1,1,2,1h5.2c0.9,0,1.4-0.3,1.8-0.9 c0.3-0.5,0.2-1,0.1-1.4c0.5-0.2,0.9-0.5,1.1-1.2c0.1-0.4,0-0.8-0.2-1C15.6,10.3,16,9.9,16,9.1z" fill="#0084ff"></path><path d="M3.3,6H0.7C0.3,6,0,6.3,0,6.7v8.5C0,15.7,0.3,16,0.7,16h2.5C3.7,16,4,15.7,4,15.3V6.7C4,6.3,3.7,6,3.3,6z" fill="#0084ff"></path></svg></div></div></div></div></span></div><div class="ns4p8fja j83agx80 cbu4d94t a6sixzi8 bkfpd7mw d2edcug0 buofh1pr nred35xi" role="none" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: stretch; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-end; max-width: 100%;"><div class="buofh1pr rj1gh0hx" role="none" style="flex-basis: 0px; flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit;"></div></div></div><div class="ns4p8fja j83agx80 cbu4d94t a6sixzi8 bkfpd7mw d2edcug0 kb5gq1qc nred35xi" role="none" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: stretch; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 0; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-end; max-width: 100%;"><div class="hybvsw6c j83agx80 hm271qws bkfpd7mw l9j0dhe7 k4urcfbm tkr6xdv7" role="none" style="display: flex; font-family: inherit; height: 18px; justify-content: flex-end; position: relative; width: 36px; z-index: 1;"><div class="j83agx80 sg75zgpm" role="none" style="display: flex; font-family: inherit; transform: translateY(-7px);"><div aria-label="1 reaction, see who reacted to this" class="oajrlxb2 gs1a9yip g5ia77u1 mtkw9kbi tlpljxtp qensuy8j ppp5ayq2 goun2846 ccm00jje s44p3ltw mk2mc5f4 rt8b4zig n8ej3o3l agehan2d sk4xxmp2 rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 mg4g778l pfnyh3mw p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x tgvbjcpo hpfvmrgz jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso l9j0dhe7 i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of du4w35lb n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql pq6dq46d btwxx1t3 abiwlrkh p8dawk7l lzcic4wl" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="-1"><span class="tojvnm2t a6sixzi8 abs2jz4q a8s20v7p t1p8iaqh k5wvi7nf q3lfd5jv pk4s997a bipmatt0 cebpdrjk qowsmv63 owwhemhu dp1hu0rb dhp61c6y iyyx5f41" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: inherit; display: inherit; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; max-height: inherit; max-width: inherit; min-height: inherit; min-width: inherit; place-content: inherit; width: inherit;"><div class="ggysqto6 exrn9cbp ojkyduve abpf7j7b ftzlm3b6 hybvsw6c fni8adji hgaippwi fykbt5ly ns4ygwem tlilfck6 j83agx80 bp9cbjyn taijpn5t" role="none" style="--t68779821: 0 2px 4px var(--media-inner-border); align-items: center; border-radius: 10px; box-shadow: 0 2px 4px var(--media-inner-border); display: flex; font-family: inherit; justify-content: center; padding: 1px; text-align: right;"><div class="bp9cbjyn hybvsw6c s45kfl79 emlxlaya bkmhp75w spb7xbtv soycq5t1 nhd2j8a9" style="align-items: center; border-radius: 50%; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; line-height: 0;"><div class="" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="😢" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t67/1.5/16/1f622.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span></div></div></div></span></div></div><div class="nl5py54v kb5gq1qc g5gj957u" role="none" style="flex: 0 1 8px; font-family: inherit;"></div></div></div></div><div class="ns4p8fja j83agx80 cbu4d94t a6sixzi8 bkfpd7mw d2edcug0 kb5gq1qc nred35xi" role="none" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: stretch; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 0; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-end; max-width: 100%;"><div aria-hidden="true" class="pfnyh3mw j83agx80 cbu4d94t jcr6t5e3 taijpn5t buofh1pr l9j0dhe7 s90hwng2 jfpizvyy qnrpqo6b" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; justify-content: center; padding-bottom: 18px; padding-left: 5px; position: relative; width: var(--mwp-message-list-actions-width,62px); z-index: 10;"><div class="bp9cbjyn jcr6t5e3 j83agx80 btwxx1t3" role="none" style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; font-family: inherit; width: var(--mwp-message-list-actions-width,62px);"></div></div></div><div class="ns4p8fja j83agx80 cbu4d94t a6sixzi8 bkfpd7mw d2edcug0 buofh1pr nred35xi" role="none" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: stretch; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-end; max-width: 100%;"><div class="buofh1pr rj1gh0hx" role="none" style="flex-basis: 0px; flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit;"></div></div></div><div class="ns4p8fja j83agx80 cbu4d94t a6sixzi8 bkfpd7mw d2edcug0 kb5gq1qc nred35xi" role="none" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: stretch; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 0; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-end; max-width: 100%;"><div class="j83agx80 aovydwv3 ni8dbmo4 stjgntxs odw8uiq3" data-testid="messenger_delivery_status" id="" role="none" style="align-items: flex-end; display: flex; font-family: inherit; overflow: hidden; width: 20px;"><div class="pfnyh3mw pgctjfs5" style="flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; width: 22px;"></div></div><div class="nred35xi k4urcfbm" role="none" style="font-family: inherit; height: 18px; width: 20px;"></div></div></div><div class="nred35xi k4urcfbm" role="none" style="font-family: inherit; height: 7px; width: 307.333px;"></div><div aria-label="Details and actions" class="oajrlxb2 gs1a9yip mtkw9kbi tlpljxtp qensuy8j ppp5ayq2 goun2846 ccm00jje s44p3ltw mk2mc5f4 rt8b4zig n8ej3o3l agehan2d sk4xxmp2 rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 mg4g778l pfnyh3mw p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x tgvbjcpo hpfvmrgz i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of pq6dq46d btwxx1t3 abiwlrkh p8dawk7l lzcic4wl __fb-dark-mode hhcrnkbu ormqv51v i9k17dj3 ms7hmo2b ue3kfks5 pw54ja7n uo3d90p7 l82x9zwi r92hip7p pybr56ya d1544ag0 f10w8fjw tw6a2znq tkr6xdv7 spvqvc9t ikw5e13s ebnioo9u lq84ybu9 hf30pyar s8sjc6am rfd0zzc9" role="button" style="--accent: hsl(214, 100%, 59%); --always-black: black; --always-dark-gradient: linear-gradient(rgba(0,0,0,0), rgba(0,0,0,0.6)); --always-dark-overlay: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); --always-gray-40: #65676B; --always-gray-75: #BCC0C4; --always-gray-95: #F0F2F5; --always-light-overlay: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4); --always-white: white; --attachment-footer-background: rgba(255,255,255,0.1); --background-deemphasized: rgba(255,255,255,0.1); --base-blue: #1877F2; --base-cherry: #F3425F; --base-grape: #9360F7; --base-lemon: #F7B928; --base-lime: #45BD62; --base-pink: #FF66BF; --base-seafoam: #54C7EC; --base-teal: #2ABBA7; --base-tomato: #FB724B; --blue-link: #4599FF; --button-corner-radius: 6px; --card-background-flat: #323436; --card-background: #242526; --card-corner-radius: 8px; --comment-background: #3A3B3C; --comment-footer-background: #4E4F50; --dataviz-primary-1: rgb(48,200,180); --dataviz-primary-2: rgb(134,218,255); --dataviz-primary-3: rgb(95,170,255); --dataviz-secondary-1: rgb(129,77,231); --dataviz-secondary-2: rgb(168,124,255); --dataviz-secondary-3: rgb(219,26,139); --dataviz-supplementary-1: rgb(255,122,105); --dataviz-supplementary-2: rgb(241,168,23); --dataviz-supplementary-3: rgb(49,162,76); --dataviz-supplementary-4: rgb(228,230,235); --dialog-anchor-vertical-padding: 56px; --disabled-button-background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); --disabled-button-text: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --disabled-icon: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --disabled-text: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --divider: #3E4042; --event-date: #F3425F; --fb-logo-color: #2D88FF; --fds-animation-enter-exit-in: cubic-bezier(0.14, 1, 0.34, 1); --fds-animation-enter-exit-out: cubic-bezier(0.45, 0.1, 0.2, 1); --fds-animation-expand-collapse-in: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-expand-collapse-out: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-fade-in: cubic-bezier(0, 0, 1, 1); --fds-animation-fade-out: cubic-bezier(0, 0, 1, 1); --fds-animation-move-in: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-move-out: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-passive-move-in: cubic-bezier(0.5, 0, 0.1, 1); --fds-animation-passive-move-out: cubic-bezier(0.5, 0, 0.1, 1); --fds-animation-quick-move-in: cubic-bezier(0.1, 0.9, 0.2, 1); --fds-animation-quick-move-out: cubic-bezier(0.1, 0.9, 0.2, 1); --fds-animation-swap-shuffle-in: cubic-bezier(0.14, 1, 0.34, 1); --fds-animation-swap-shuffle-out: cubic-bezier(0.45, 0.1, 0.2, 1); --fds-black-alpha-05: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); --fds-black-alpha-10: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); --fds-black-alpha-15: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15); --fds-black-alpha-20: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); --fds-black-alpha-30: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3); --fds-black-alpha-40: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); --fds-black-alpha-50: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); --fds-black-alpha-60: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --fds-black-alpha-80: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); --fds-black: black; --fds-blue-05: black; --fds-blue-30: black; --fds-blue-40: black; --fds-blue-60: black; --fds-blue-70: black; --fds-blue-80: black; --fds-button-text: black; --fds-comment-background: black; --fds-dark-mode-gray-100: black; --fds-dark-mode-gray-35: black; --fds-dark-mode-gray-50: black; --fds-dark-mode-gray-70: black; --fds-dark-mode-gray-80: black; --fds-dark-mode-gray-90: black; --fds-duration-extra-extra-short-in: 100ms; --fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out: 100ms; --fds-duration-extra-long-in: 1000ms; --fds-duration-extra-long-out: 1000ms; --fds-duration-extra-short-in: 200ms; --fds-duration-extra-short-out: 150ms; --fds-duration-long-in: 500ms; --fds-duration-long-out: 350ms; --fds-duration-medium-in: 400ms; --fds-duration-medium-out: 350ms; --fds-duration-none: 0ms; --fds-duration-short-in: 280ms; --fds-duration-short-out: 200ms; --fds-fast: 200ms; --fds-gray-00: black; --fds-gray-05: black; --fds-gray-100: black; --fds-gray-10: black; --fds-gray-20: black; --fds-gray-25: black; --fds-gray-30: black; --fds-gray-45: black; --fds-gray-70: black; --fds-gray-80: black; --fds-gray-90: black; --fds-green-55: black; --fds-highlight-cell-background: black; --fds-highlight: black; --fds-primary-icon: white; --fds-primary-text: white; --fds-red-55: black; --fds-slow: 400ms; --fds-soft: cubic-bezier(0.08,0.52,0.52,1); --fds-spectrum-aluminum-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-blue-gray-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-cherry-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-cherry: black; --fds-spectrum-grape-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-grape-tint-90: black; --fds-spectrum-lemon-dark-1: black; --fds-spectrum-lemon-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-lime-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-lime: black; --fds-spectrum-orange-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-orange-tint-90: black; --fds-spectrum-seafoam-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-slate-dark-2: black; --fds-spectrum-slate-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-teal-dark-1: black; --fds-spectrum-teal-dark-2: black; --fds-spectrum-teal-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-teal-tint-90: black; --fds-spectrum-teal: black; --fds-spectrum-tomato-tint-30: black; --fds-spectrum-tomato-tint-90: black; --fds-spectrum-tomato: black; --fds-strong: cubic-bezier(0.12,0.8,0.32,1); --fds-white-alpha-05: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.05); --fds-white-alpha-10: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1); --fds-white-alpha-20: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); --fds-white-alpha-30: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --fds-white-alpha-40: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4); --fds-white-alpha-50: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5); --fds-white-alpha-60: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6); --fds-white-alpha-80: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); --fds-white: black; --fds-yellow-20: black; --filter-accent: invert(40%) sepia(52%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(189%) hue-rotate(191deg) brightness(103%) contrast(102%); --filter-always-white: invert(100%); --filter-blue-link-icon: invert(73%) sepia(29%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(103.25%) hue-rotate(189deg) brightness(101%) contrast(101%); --filter-disabled-icon: invert(100%) opacity(30%); --filter-negative: invert(25%) sepia(33%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(110%) hue-rotate(345deg) brightness(132%) contrast(96%); --filter-placeholder-icon: invert(59%) sepia(11%) saturate(200%) saturate(135%) hue-rotate(176deg) brightness(96%) contrast(94%); --filter-positive: invert(37%) sepia(61%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(115%) hue-rotate(91deg) brightness(97%) contrast(105%); --filter-primary-icon: invert(89%) sepia(6%) hue-rotate(185deg); --filter-secondary-icon: invert(62%) sepia(98%) saturate(12%) hue-rotate(175deg) brightness(90%) contrast(96%); --filter-warning-icon: invert(77%) sepia(29%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(128%) hue-rotate(359deg) brightness(102%) contrast(107%); --font-family-apple: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; --font-family-code: ui-monospace, Menlo, Consolas, Monaco, monospace; --font-family-default: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; --font-family-segoe: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; --glimmer-spinner-icon: white; --global-panel-width: 68px; --header-height: 56px; --hero-banner-background: #E85D07; --highlight-bg: rgba(24, 119, 242, 0.31); --hosted-view-selected-state: rgba(45, 136, 255, 0.1); --hover-overlay: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1); --media-hover: rgba(68, 73, 80, 0.15); --media-inner-border: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.05); --media-outer-border: #33363A; --media-pressed: rgba(68, 73, 80, 0.35); --messenger-card-background: #242526; --messenger-reply-background: #18191A; --nav-bar-background-gradient-wash: linear-gradient(to top, #18191A, rgba(24,25,26,0.9), rgba(24,25,26,0.7), rgba(24,25,26,0.4), rgba(24,25,26,0)); --nav-bar-background-gradient: linear-gradient(to top, #242526, rgba(36,37,38,0.9), rgba(36,37,38,0.7), rgba(36,37,38,0.4), rgba(36,37,38,0)); --nav-bar-background: #242526; --negative-background: hsl(350, 87%, 55%, 20%); --negative: hsl(350, 87%, 55%); --new-notification-background: #E7F3FF; --non-media-pressed-on-dark: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --non-media-pressed: rgba(68, 73, 80, 0.15); --notification-badge: #e41e3f; --overlay-alpha-80: rgba(11, 11, 11, 0.8); --overlay-on-media: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --placeholder-icon: #8A8D91; --placeholder-text-on-media: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5); --placeholder-text: #8A8D91; --popover-background: #3E4042; --positive-background: #1F3520; --positive: #31A24C; --press-overlay: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1); --primary-button-background: #2374E1; --primary-button-pressed: #77A7FF; --primary-button-text: #FFFFFF; --primary-deemphasized-button-background: rgba(45, 136, 255, 0.2); --primary-deemphasized-button-pressed-overlay: rgba(25, 110, 255, 0.15); --primary-deemphasized-button-pressed: rgba(24, 119, 242, 0.2); --primary-deemphasized-button-text: #2D88FF; --primary-icon: #E4E6EB; --primary-text-on-media: white; --primary-text: #E4E6EB; --primary-web-focus-indicator: #D24294; --progress-ring-blue-background: rgba(45, 136, 255, 0.2); --progress-ring-blue-foreground: hsl(214, 100%, 59%); --progress-ring-disabled-background: rgba(122,125,130, 0.2); --progress-ring-disabled-foreground: #7A7D82; --progress-ring-neutral-background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); --progress-ring-neutral-foreground: #ffffff; --progress-ring-on-media-background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); --progress-ring-on-media-foreground: #FFFFFF; --rating-star-active: #FF9831; --scroll-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1), 0 -1px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.05) inset; --scroll-thumb: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --secondary-button-background-floating: #4B4C4F; --secondary-button-background-on-dark: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4); --secondary-button-background: rgba(255,255,255,0.1); --secondary-button-pressed: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); --secondary-button-stroke: transparent; --secondary-button-text: #E4E6EB; --secondary-icon: #B0B3B8; --secondary-text-on-media: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.9); --secondary-text: #B0B3B8; --section-header-text: #BCC0C4; --shadow-1: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); --shadow-2: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); --shadow-5: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); --shadow-8: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); --shadow-inset: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.05); --surface-background: #242526; --t68779821: 0 2px 4px 0 var(--shadow-5); --text-highlight: rgba(24, 119, 242, 0.45); --toggle-active-background: rgb(45, 136, 255); --toggle-active-icon: #FFFFFF; --toggle-active-text: #FFFFFF; --toggle-button-active-background: #E6F2FF; --warning: hsl(40, 89%, 52%); --wash: #3E4042; --web-wash: #18191A; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: 8px; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-shadow: 0 2px 4px 0 var(--shadow-5); box-sizing: border-box; clip-path: inset(50%); clip: rect(0px, 0px, 0px, 0px); cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; height: 1px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; overflow: hidden; padding: 12px; position: absolute; right: 4px; text-align: inherit; top: -2px; touch-action: manipulation; transform: translateY(-100%); user-select: none; width: 1px; z-index: 1;" tabindex="-1"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: -5px; margin-top: -5px;"><div class="qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb d9wwppkn mdeji52x e9vueds3 j5wam9gi knj5qynh oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto" style="color: var(--primary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.2308; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Enter</span></div></div><div class="n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql i09qtzwb n7fi1qx3 b5wmifdl hzruof5a pmk7jnqg j9ispegn kr520xx4 c5ndavph art1omkt ot9fgl3s" data-visualcompletion="ignore" style="border-radius: inherit; font-family: inherit; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; transition-duration: var(--fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out); transition-property: opacity; transition-timing-function: var(--fds-animation-fade-out);"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="__fb-light-mode l9j0dhe7" role="row" style="--accent: hsl(214, 89%, 52%); --always-black: black; --always-dark-gradient: linear-gradient(rgba(0,0,0,0), rgba(0,0,0,0.6)); --always-dark-overlay: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); --always-gray-40: #65676B; --always-gray-75: #BCC0C4; --always-gray-95: #F0F2F5; --always-light-overlay: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4); --always-white: #FFFFFF; --attachment-footer-background: #F0F2F5; --background-deemphasized: #F0F2F5; --base-blue: #1877F2; --base-cherry: #F3425F; --base-grape: #9360F7; --base-lemon: #F7B928; --base-lime: #45BD62; --base-pink: #FF66BF; --base-seafoam: #54C7EC; --base-teal: #2ABBA7; --base-tomato: #FB724B; --blue-link: #216FDB; --button-corner-radius: 6px; --card-background-flat: #F7F8FA; --card-background: #FFFFFF; --card-corner-radius: 8px; --comment-background: #F0F2F5; --comment-footer-background: #F6F9FA; --dataviz-primary-1: rgb(48,200,180); --dataviz-primary-2: rgb(134,218,255); --dataviz-primary-3: rgb(95,170,255); --dataviz-secondary-1: rgb(118,62,230); --dataviz-secondary-2: rgb(147,96,247); --dataviz-secondary-3: rgb(219,26,139); --dataviz-supplementary-1: rgb(255,122,105); --dataviz-supplementary-2: rgb(241,168,23); --dataviz-supplementary-3: rgb(49,162,76); --dataviz-supplementary-4: rgb(50,52,54); --dialog-anchor-vertical-padding: 56px; --disabled-button-background: #E4E6EB; --disabled-button-text: #BCC0C4; --disabled-icon: #BCC0C4; --disabled-text: #BCC0C4; --divider: #CED0D4; --event-date: #F3425F; --fb-logo-color: #2D88FF; --fds-animation-enter-exit-in: cubic-bezier(0.14, 1, 0.34, 1); --fds-animation-enter-exit-out: cubic-bezier(0.45, 0.1, 0.2, 1); --fds-animation-expand-collapse-in: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-expand-collapse-out: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-fade-in: cubic-bezier(0, 0, 1, 1); --fds-animation-fade-out: cubic-bezier(0, 0, 1, 1); --fds-animation-move-in: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-move-out: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-passive-move-in: cubic-bezier(0.5, 0, 0.1, 1); --fds-animation-passive-move-out: cubic-bezier(0.5, 0, 0.1, 1); --fds-animation-quick-move-in: cubic-bezier(0.1, 0.9, 0.2, 1); --fds-animation-quick-move-out: cubic-bezier(0.1, 0.9, 0.2, 1); --fds-animation-swap-shuffle-in: cubic-bezier(0.14, 1, 0.34, 1); --fds-animation-swap-shuffle-out: cubic-bezier(0.45, 0.1, 0.2, 1); --fds-black-alpha-05: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); --fds-black-alpha-10: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); --fds-black-alpha-15: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15); --fds-black-alpha-20: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); --fds-black-alpha-30: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3); --fds-black-alpha-40: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); --fds-black-alpha-50: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); --fds-black-alpha-60: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --fds-black-alpha-80: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); --fds-black: #000000; --fds-blue-05: #ECF3FF; --fds-blue-30: #AAC9FF; --fds-blue-40: #77A7FF; --fds-blue-60: #1877F2; --fds-blue-70: #2851A3; --fds-blue-80: #1D3C78; --fds-button-text: #444950; --fds-comment-background: #F2F3F5; --fds-dark-mode-gray-100: #1C1C1C; --fds-dark-mode-gray-35: #CCCCCC; --fds-dark-mode-gray-50: #828282; --fds-dark-mode-gray-70: #4A4A4A; --fds-dark-mode-gray-80: #373737; --fds-dark-mode-gray-90: #282828; --fds-duration-extra-extra-short-in: 100ms; --fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out: 100ms; --fds-duration-extra-long-in: 1000ms; --fds-duration-extra-long-out: 1000ms; --fds-duration-extra-short-in: 200ms; --fds-duration-extra-short-out: 150ms; --fds-duration-long-in: 500ms; --fds-duration-long-out: 350ms; --fds-duration-medium-in: 400ms; --fds-duration-medium-out: 350ms; --fds-duration-none: 0ms; --fds-duration-short-in: 280ms; --fds-duration-short-out: 200ms; --fds-fast: 200ms; --fds-gray-00: #F5F6F7; --fds-gray-05: #F2F3F5; --fds-gray-100: #1C1E21; --fds-gray-10: #EBEDF0; --fds-gray-20: #DADDE1; --fds-gray-25: #CCD0D5; --fds-gray-30: #BEC3C9; --fds-gray-45: #8D949E; --fds-gray-70: #606770; --fds-gray-80: #444950; --fds-gray-90: #303338; --fds-green-55: #00A400; --fds-highlight-cell-background: #ECF3FF; --fds-highlight: #3578E5; --fds-primary-icon: #1C1E21; --fds-primary-text: #1C1E21; --fds-red-55: #FA383E; --fds-slow: 400ms; --fds-soft: cubic-bezier(0.08,0.52,0.52,1); --fds-spectrum-aluminum-tint-70: #E4F0F6; --fds-spectrum-blue-gray-tint-70: #CFD1D5; --fds-spectrum-cherry-tint-70: #FBCCD2; --fds-spectrum-cherry: #F35369; --fds-spectrum-grape-tint-70: #DDD5F0; --fds-spectrum-grape-tint-90: #F4F1FA; --fds-spectrum-lemon-dark-1: #F5C33B; --fds-spectrum-lemon-tint-70: #FEF2D1; --fds-spectrum-lime-tint-70: #E4F0D5; --fds-spectrum-lime: #A3CE71; --fds-spectrum-orange-tint-70: #FCDEC5; --fds-spectrum-orange-tint-90: #FEF4EC; --fds-spectrum-seafoam-tint-70: #CAEEF9; --fds-spectrum-slate-dark-2: #89A1AC; --fds-spectrum-slate-tint-70: #EAEFF2; --fds-spectrum-teal-dark-1: #4DBBA6; --fds-spectrum-teal-dark-2: #31A38D; --fds-spectrum-teal-tint-70: #D2F0EA; --fds-spectrum-teal-tint-90: #F0FAF8; --fds-spectrum-teal: #6BCEBB; --fds-spectrum-tomato-tint-30: #F38E7B; --fds-spectrum-tomato-tint-90: #FDEFED; --fds-spectrum-tomato: #FB724B; --fds-strong: cubic-bezier(0.12,0.8,0.32,1); --fds-white-alpha-05: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.05); --fds-white-alpha-10: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1); --fds-white-alpha-20: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); --fds-white-alpha-30: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --fds-white-alpha-40: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4); --fds-white-alpha-50: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5); --fds-white-alpha-60: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6); --fds-white-alpha-80: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); --fds-white: #FFFFFF; --fds-yellow-20: #FFBA00; --filter-accent: invert(39%) sepia(57%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(147.75%) hue-rotate(202deg) brightness(97%) contrast(96%); --filter-always-white: invert(100%); --filter-blue-link-icon: invert(30%) sepia(98%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(166.5%) hue-rotate(192deg) brightness(91%) contrast(101%); --filter-disabled-icon: invert(80%) sepia(6%) saturate(200%) saturate(120%) hue-rotate(173deg) brightness(98%) contrast(89%); --filter-negative: invert(25%) sepia(33%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(110%) hue-rotate(345deg) brightness(132%) contrast(96%); --filter-placeholder-icon: invert(59%) sepia(11%) saturate(200%) saturate(135%) hue-rotate(176deg) brightness(96%) contrast(94%); --filter-positive: invert(37%) sepia(61%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(115%) hue-rotate(91deg) brightness(97%) contrast(105%); --filter-primary-icon: invert(8%) sepia(10%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(166%) hue-rotate(177deg) brightness(104%) contrast(91%); --filter-secondary-icon: invert(39%) sepia(21%) saturate(200%) saturate(109.5%) hue-rotate(174deg) brightness(94%) contrast(86%); --filter-warning-icon: invert(77%) sepia(29%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(128%) hue-rotate(359deg) brightness(102%) contrast(107%); --font-family-apple: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; --font-family-code: ui-monospace, Menlo, Consolas, Monaco, monospace; --font-family-default: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; --font-family-segoe: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; --glimmer-spinner-icon: #65676B; --global-panel-width: 68px; --header-height: 56px; --hero-banner-background: #FFFFFF; --highlight-bg: #E7F3FF; --hosted-view-selected-state: rgba(45, 136, 255, 0.1); --hover-overlay: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); --media-hover: rgba(68, 73, 80, 0.15); --media-inner-border: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); --media-outer-border: #FFFFFF; --media-pressed: rgba(68, 73, 80, 0.35); --messenger-card-background: #FFFFFF; --messenger-reply-background: #F0F2F5; --mwp-message-list-profile-start-padding: 8px; --mwp-reply-background-color: var(--comment-footer-background); --nav-bar-background-gradient-wash: linear-gradient(to top, #F0F2F5, rgba(240,242,245.9), rgba(240,242,245,0.7), rgba(240,242,245,0.4), rgba(240,242,245,0)); --nav-bar-background-gradient: linear-gradient(to top, #FFFFFF, rgba(255,255,255.9), rgba(255,255,255,0.7), rgba(255,255,255,0.4), rgba(255,255,255,0)); --nav-bar-background: #FFFFFF; --negative-background: hsl(350, 87%, 55%, 20%); --negative: hsl(350, 87%, 55%); --new-notification-background: #E7F3FF; --non-media-pressed-on-dark: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --non-media-pressed: rgba(68, 73, 80, 0.15); --notification-badge: #e41e3f; --overlay-alpha-80: rgba(244, 244, 244, 0.8); --overlay-on-media: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --placeholder-icon: #8A8D91; --placeholder-text-on-media: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5); --placeholder-text: #8A8D91; --popover-background: #FFFFFF; --positive-background: #DEEFE1; --positive: #31A24C; --press-overlay: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); --primary-button-background: #1B74E4; --primary-button-pressed: #77A7FF; --primary-button-text: #FFFFFF; --primary-deemphasized-button-background: #E7F3FF; --primary-deemphasized-button-pressed-overlay: rgba(25, 110, 255, 0.15); --primary-deemphasized-button-pressed: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); --primary-deemphasized-button-text: #1877F2; --primary-icon: #050505; --primary-text-on-media: #FFFFFF; --primary-text: #050505; --primary-web-focus-indicator: #D24294; --progress-ring-blue-background: rgba(24, 119, 242, 0.2); --progress-ring-blue-foreground: hsl(214, 89%, 52%); --progress-ring-disabled-background: rgba(190,195,201, 0.2); --progress-ring-disabled-foreground: #BEC3C9; --progress-ring-neutral-background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); --progress-ring-neutral-foreground: #000000; --progress-ring-on-media-background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); --progress-ring-on-media-foreground: #FFFFFF; --rating-star-active: #EB660D; --scroll-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1), 0 -1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) inset; --scroll-thumb: #BCC0C4; --secondary-button-background-floating: #ffffff; --secondary-button-background-on-dark: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); --secondary-button-background: #E4E6EB; --secondary-button-pressed: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); --secondary-button-stroke: transparent; --secondary-button-text: #050505; --secondary-icon: #65676B; --secondary-text-on-media: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.9); --secondary-text: #65676B; --section-header-text: #4B4C4F; --shadow-1: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); --shadow-2: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); --shadow-5: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); --shadow-8: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); --shadow-inset: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5); --surface-background: #FFFFFF; --text-highlight: rgba(24, 119, 242, 0.2); --toggle-active-background: #E7F3FF; --toggle-active-icon: rgb(24, 119, 242); --toggle-active-text: rgb(24, 119, 242); --toggle-button-active-background: #E7F3FF; --warning: hsl(40, 89%, 52%); --wash: #E4E6EB; --web-wash: #F0F2F5; font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><div class="" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t l9j0dhe7" data-release-focus-from="CLICK" data-scope="messages_table" role="gridcell" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><h3 class="gmql0nx0 l94mrbxd p1ri9a11 lzcic4wl kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x" dir="auto" style="color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span class="spvqvc9t ikw5e13s ebnioo9u lq84ybu9 hf30pyar s8sjc6am rfd0zzc9" style="clip-path: inset(50%); clip: rect(0px, 0px, 0px, 0px); font-family: inherit; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; width: 1px;">Tatyana</span></h3><div class="nred35xi k4urcfbm" role="none" style="font-family: inherit; height: 2px; width: 307.333px;"></div><div class="j83agx80" role="none" style="display: flex; font-family: inherit;"><div class="ns4p8fja j83agx80 cbu4d94t a6sixzi8 bkfpd7mw d2edcug0 kb5gq1qc nred35xi jy3qco62 dflh9lhu" role="none" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: stretch; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 0; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-end; max-width: 100%; padding-left: calc(var(--mwp-message-list-profile-start-padding,8px) - 2px); padding-right: 8px;"><div class="pfnyh3mw ciadx1gn mudddibn aovydwv3 j83agx80" style="align-items: flex-end; display: flex; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; height: 28px; width: 28px;"><span class="tojvnm2t a6sixzi8 abs2jz4q a8s20v7p t1p8iaqh k5wvi7nf q3lfd5jv pk4s997a bipmatt0 cebpdrjk qowsmv63 owwhemhu dp1hu0rb dhp61c6y iyyx5f41" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: inherit; display: inherit; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; max-height: inherit; max-width: inherit; min-height: inherit; min-width: inherit; place-content: inherit; width: inherit;"><img alt="Tatyana Stefanovska" class="k4urcfbm bixrwtb6 datstx6m q9uorilb" src="https://scontent-qro1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-1/240100096_4962364287113829_1684605629257931067_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_p100x100&_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=7206a8&_nc_eui2=AeFKUtTBuB_1KBeBA0cgZp8eLDoRrJrFx5IsOhGsmsXHkiGgyOKZOclK4rNJonaDazo&_nc_ohc=mMDDfDGs8KsAX_nbuZg&_nc_ad=z-m&_nc_cid=0&_nc_ht=scontent-qro1-1.xx&oh=00_AT-hI8bYuE4lcxd4Mwy4JVsgziwF3StYipXkrKObityjbQ&oe=621C0877" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 0px; display: inline-block; height: 28px; object-fit: cover; width: 28px;" /></span></div></div><div class="j83agx80 buofh1pr g5gj957u hpfvmrgz" data-testid="message-container" role="none" style="display: flex; flex-grow: 1; flex-shrink: 1; font-family: inherit; min-width: 0px;"><div class="ns4p8fja j83agx80 cbu4d94t a6sixzi8 bkfpd7mw nred35xi a1xu1aao" role="none" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: stretch; display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-end; max-width: calc(100% - var(--mwp-message-list-actions-width,62px) - 5px);"><div class="j83agx80 k4urcfbm" role="none" style="display: flex; font-family: inherit; width: 178.333px;"><div class="ll8tlv6m j83agx80 cbu4d94t d2edcug0 l9j0dhe7" style="align-items: flex-start; display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; position: relative;"><span class="tojvnm2t a6sixzi8 abs2jz4q a8s20v7p t1p8iaqh k5wvi7nf q3lfd5jv pk4s997a bipmatt0 cebpdrjk qowsmv63 owwhemhu dp1hu0rb dhp61c6y iyyx5f41" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: inherit; display: inherit; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; max-height: inherit; max-width: inherit; min-height: inherit; min-width: inherit; place-content: inherit; width: inherit;"><div class="j83agx80 k4urcfbm" role="none" style="display: flex; font-family: inherit; width: 178.333px;"><div class="cxgpxx05 d1544ag0 sj5x9vvc tw6a2znq l9j0dhe7 ni8dbmo4 stjgntxs e72ty7fz qlfml3jp inkptoze qmr60zad jm1wdb64 qv66sw1b ljqsnud1 odn2s2vf tkr6xdv7" role="none" style="border-radius: 18px; color: var(--always-white); font-family: inherit; max-width: 564px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 12px; position: relative; word-break: break-word; z-index: 1;"><div class="rq0escxv l9j0dhe7 du4w35lb __fb-light-mode" role="none" style="--accent: hsl(214, 89%, 52%); --always-black: black; --always-dark-gradient: linear-gradient(rgba(0,0,0,0), rgba(0,0,0,0.6)); --always-dark-overlay: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); --always-gray-40: #65676B; --always-gray-75: #BCC0C4; --always-gray-95: #F0F2F5; --always-light-overlay: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4); --always-white: #FFFFFF; --attachment-footer-background: #F0F2F5; --background-deemphasized: #F0F2F5; --base-blue: #1877F2; --base-cherry: #F3425F; --base-grape: #9360F7; --base-lemon: #F7B928; --base-lime: #45BD62; --base-pink: #FF66BF; --base-seafoam: #54C7EC; --base-teal: #2ABBA7; --base-tomato: #FB724B; --blue-link: #216FDB; --button-corner-radius: 6px; --card-background-flat: #F7F8FA; --card-background: #FFFFFF; --card-corner-radius: 8px; --comment-background: #F0F2F5; --comment-footer-background: #F6F9FA; --dataviz-primary-1: rgb(48,200,180); --dataviz-primary-2: rgb(134,218,255); --dataviz-primary-3: rgb(95,170,255); --dataviz-secondary-1: rgb(118,62,230); --dataviz-secondary-2: rgb(147,96,247); --dataviz-secondary-3: rgb(219,26,139); --dataviz-supplementary-1: rgb(255,122,105); --dataviz-supplementary-2: rgb(241,168,23); --dataviz-supplementary-3: rgb(49,162,76); --dataviz-supplementary-4: rgb(50,52,54); --dialog-anchor-vertical-padding: 56px; --disabled-button-background: #E4E6EB; --disabled-button-text: #BCC0C4; --disabled-icon: #BCC0C4; --disabled-text: #BCC0C4; --divider: #CED0D4; --event-date: #F3425F; --fb-logo-color: #2D88FF; --fds-animation-enter-exit-in: cubic-bezier(0.14, 1, 0.34, 1); --fds-animation-enter-exit-out: cubic-bezier(0.45, 0.1, 0.2, 1); --fds-animation-expand-collapse-in: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-expand-collapse-out: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-fade-in: cubic-bezier(0, 0, 1, 1); --fds-animation-fade-out: cubic-bezier(0, 0, 1, 1); --fds-animation-move-in: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-move-out: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-passive-move-in: cubic-bezier(0.5, 0, 0.1, 1); --fds-animation-passive-move-out: cubic-bezier(0.5, 0, 0.1, 1); --fds-animation-quick-move-in: cubic-bezier(0.1, 0.9, 0.2, 1); --fds-animation-quick-move-out: cubic-bezier(0.1, 0.9, 0.2, 1); --fds-animation-swap-shuffle-in: cubic-bezier(0.14, 1, 0.34, 1); --fds-animation-swap-shuffle-out: cubic-bezier(0.45, 0.1, 0.2, 1); --fds-black-alpha-05: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); --fds-black-alpha-10: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); --fds-black-alpha-15: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15); --fds-black-alpha-20: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); --fds-black-alpha-30: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3); --fds-black-alpha-40: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); --fds-black-alpha-50: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); --fds-black-alpha-60: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --fds-black-alpha-80: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); --fds-black: #000000; --fds-blue-05: #ECF3FF; --fds-blue-30: #AAC9FF; --fds-blue-40: #77A7FF; --fds-blue-60: #1877F2; --fds-blue-70: #2851A3; --fds-blue-80: #1D3C78; --fds-button-text: #444950; --fds-comment-background: #F2F3F5; --fds-dark-mode-gray-100: #1C1C1C; --fds-dark-mode-gray-35: #CCCCCC; --fds-dark-mode-gray-50: #828282; --fds-dark-mode-gray-70: #4A4A4A; --fds-dark-mode-gray-80: #373737; --fds-dark-mode-gray-90: #282828; --fds-duration-extra-extra-short-in: 100ms; --fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out: 100ms; --fds-duration-extra-long-in: 1000ms; --fds-duration-extra-long-out: 1000ms; --fds-duration-extra-short-in: 200ms; --fds-duration-extra-short-out: 150ms; --fds-duration-long-in: 500ms; --fds-duration-long-out: 350ms; --fds-duration-medium-in: 400ms; --fds-duration-medium-out: 350ms; --fds-duration-none: 0ms; --fds-duration-short-in: 280ms; --fds-duration-short-out: 200ms; --fds-fast: 200ms; --fds-gray-00: #F5F6F7; --fds-gray-05: #F2F3F5; --fds-gray-100: #1C1E21; --fds-gray-10: #EBEDF0; --fds-gray-20: #DADDE1; --fds-gray-25: #CCD0D5; --fds-gray-30: #BEC3C9; --fds-gray-45: #8D949E; --fds-gray-70: #606770; --fds-gray-80: #444950; --fds-gray-90: #303338; --fds-green-55: #00A400; --fds-highlight-cell-background: #ECF3FF; --fds-highlight: #3578E5; --fds-primary-icon: #1C1E21; --fds-primary-text: #1C1E21; --fds-red-55: #FA383E; --fds-slow: 400ms; --fds-soft: cubic-bezier(0.08,0.52,0.52,1); --fds-spectrum-aluminum-tint-70: #E4F0F6; --fds-spectrum-blue-gray-tint-70: #CFD1D5; --fds-spectrum-cherry-tint-70: #FBCCD2; --fds-spectrum-cherry: #F35369; --fds-spectrum-grape-tint-70: #DDD5F0; --fds-spectrum-grape-tint-90: #F4F1FA; --fds-spectrum-lemon-dark-1: #F5C33B; --fds-spectrum-lemon-tint-70: #FEF2D1; --fds-spectrum-lime-tint-70: #E4F0D5; --fds-spectrum-lime: #A3CE71; --fds-spectrum-orange-tint-70: #FCDEC5; --fds-spectrum-orange-tint-90: #FEF4EC; --fds-spectrum-seafoam-tint-70: #CAEEF9; --fds-spectrum-slate-dark-2: #89A1AC; --fds-spectrum-slate-tint-70: #EAEFF2; --fds-spectrum-teal-dark-1: #4DBBA6; --fds-spectrum-teal-dark-2: #31A38D; --fds-spectrum-teal-tint-70: #D2F0EA; --fds-spectrum-teal-tint-90: #F0FAF8; --fds-spectrum-teal: #6BCEBB; --fds-spectrum-tomato-tint-30: #F38E7B; --fds-spectrum-tomato-tint-90: #FDEFED; --fds-spectrum-tomato: #FB724B; --fds-strong: cubic-bezier(0.12,0.8,0.32,1); --fds-white-alpha-05: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.05); --fds-white-alpha-10: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1); --fds-white-alpha-20: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); --fds-white-alpha-30: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --fds-white-alpha-40: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4); --fds-white-alpha-50: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5); --fds-white-alpha-60: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6); --fds-white-alpha-80: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); --fds-white: #FFFFFF; --fds-yellow-20: #FFBA00; --filter-accent: invert(39%) sepia(57%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(147.75%) hue-rotate(202deg) brightness(97%) contrast(96%); --filter-always-white: invert(100%); --filter-blue-link-icon: invert(30%) sepia(98%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(166.5%) hue-rotate(192deg) brightness(91%) contrast(101%); --filter-disabled-icon: invert(80%) sepia(6%) saturate(200%) saturate(120%) hue-rotate(173deg) brightness(98%) contrast(89%); --filter-negative: invert(25%) sepia(33%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(110%) hue-rotate(345deg) brightness(132%) contrast(96%); --filter-placeholder-icon: invert(59%) sepia(11%) saturate(200%) saturate(135%) hue-rotate(176deg) brightness(96%) contrast(94%); --filter-positive: invert(37%) sepia(61%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(115%) hue-rotate(91deg) brightness(97%) contrast(105%); --filter-primary-icon: invert(8%) sepia(10%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(166%) hue-rotate(177deg) brightness(104%) contrast(91%); --filter-secondary-icon: invert(39%) sepia(21%) saturate(200%) saturate(109.5%) hue-rotate(174deg) brightness(94%) contrast(86%); --filter-warning-icon: invert(77%) sepia(29%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(128%) hue-rotate(359deg) brightness(102%) contrast(107%); --font-family-apple: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; --font-family-code: ui-monospace, Menlo, Consolas, Monaco, monospace; --font-family-default: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; --font-family-segoe: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; --glimmer-spinner-icon: #65676B; --global-panel-width: 68px; --header-height: 56px; --hero-banner-background: #FFFFFF; --highlight-bg: #E7F3FF; --hosted-view-selected-state: rgba(45, 136, 255, 0.1); --hover-overlay: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); --media-hover: rgba(68, 73, 80, 0.15); --media-inner-border: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); --media-outer-border: #FFFFFF; --media-pressed: rgba(68, 73, 80, 0.35); --messenger-card-background: #FFFFFF; --messenger-reply-background: #F0F2F5; --mw-blockquote-border-start-color: var(--placeholder-text); --mwp-message-list-profile-start-padding: 8px; --mwp-reply-background-color: var(--comment-footer-background); --nav-bar-background-gradient-wash: linear-gradient(to top, #F0F2F5, rgba(240,242,245.9), rgba(240,242,245,0.7), rgba(240,242,245,0.4), rgba(240,242,245,0)); --nav-bar-background-gradient: linear-gradient(to top, #FFFFFF, rgba(255,255,255.9), rgba(255,255,255,0.7), rgba(255,255,255,0.4), rgba(255,255,255,0)); --nav-bar-background: #FFFFFF; --negative-background: hsl(350, 87%, 55%, 20%); --negative: hsl(350, 87%, 55%); --new-notification-background: #E7F3FF; --non-media-pressed-on-dark: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --non-media-pressed: rgba(68, 73, 80, 0.15); --notification-badge: #e41e3f; --overlay-alpha-80: rgba(244, 244, 244, 0.8); --overlay-on-media: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --placeholder-icon: #8A8D91; --placeholder-text-on-media: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5); --placeholder-text: #8A8D91; --popover-background: #FFFFFF; --positive-background: #DEEFE1; --positive: #31A24C; --press-overlay: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); --primary-button-background: #1B74E4; --primary-button-pressed: #77A7FF; --primary-button-text: #FFFFFF; --primary-deemphasized-button-background: #E7F3FF; --primary-deemphasized-button-pressed-overlay: rgba(25, 110, 255, 0.15); --primary-deemphasized-button-pressed: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); --primary-deemphasized-button-text: #1877F2; --primary-icon: #050505; --primary-text-on-media: #FFFFFF; --primary-text: #050505; --primary-web-focus-indicator: #D24294; --progress-ring-blue-background: rgba(24, 119, 242, 0.2); --progress-ring-blue-foreground: hsl(214, 89%, 52%); --progress-ring-disabled-background: rgba(190,195,201, 0.2); --progress-ring-disabled-foreground: #BEC3C9; --progress-ring-neutral-background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); --progress-ring-neutral-foreground: #000000; --progress-ring-on-media-background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); --progress-ring-on-media-foreground: #FFFFFF; --rating-star-active: #EB660D; --scroll-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1), 0 -1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) inset; --scroll-thumb: #BCC0C4; --secondary-button-background-floating: #ffffff; --secondary-button-background-on-dark: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); --secondary-button-background: #E4E6EB; --secondary-button-pressed: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); --secondary-button-stroke: transparent; --secondary-button-text: #050505; --secondary-icon: #65676B; --secondary-text-on-media: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.9); --secondary-text: #65676B; --section-header-text: #4B4C4F; --shadow-1: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); --shadow-2: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); --shadow-5: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); --shadow-8: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); --shadow-inset: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5); --surface-background: #FFFFFF; --text-highlight: rgba(24, 119, 242, 0.2); --toggle-active-background: #E7F3FF; --toggle-active-icon: rgb(24, 119, 242); --toggle-active-text: rgb(24, 119, 242); --toggle-button-active-background: #E7F3FF; --warning: hsl(40, 89%, 52%); --wash: #E4E6EB; --web-wash: #F0F2F5; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="ii04i59q jq4qci2q g9io39s2 oo9gr5id" dir="auto" role="none" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 20px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our Nation lost 57 people today</div></div></div><div class="ns4p8fja j83agx80 cbu4d94t a6sixzi8 bkfpd7mw d2edcug0 buofh1pr nred35xi" role="none" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: stretch; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-end; max-width: 100%;"><div class="buofh1pr rj1gh0hx" role="none" style="flex-basis: 0px; flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit;"></div></div></div></span></div><div class="ns4p8fja j83agx80 cbu4d94t a6sixzi8 bkfpd7mw d2edcug0 buofh1pr nred35xi" role="none" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: stretch; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-end; max-width: 100%;"><div class="buofh1pr rj1gh0hx" role="none" style="flex-basis: 0px; flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit;"></div></div></div><div class="ns4p8fja j83agx80 cbu4d94t a6sixzi8 bkfpd7mw d2edcug0 kb5gq1qc nred35xi" role="none" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: stretch; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 0; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-end; max-width: 100%;"></div></div><div class="ns4p8fja j83agx80 cbu4d94t a6sixzi8 bkfpd7mw d2edcug0 kb5gq1qc nred35xi" role="none" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: stretch; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 0; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-end; max-width: 100%;"><div aria-hidden="true" class="pfnyh3mw j83agx80 cbu4d94t jcr6t5e3 taijpn5t buofh1pr l9j0dhe7 s90hwng2 qnrpqo6b" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; justify-content: center; padding-left: 5px; position: relative; width: var(--mwp-message-list-actions-width,62px); z-index: 10;"><div class="bp9cbjyn jcr6t5e3 j83agx80 btwxx1t3" role="none" style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; font-family: inherit; width: var(--mwp-message-list-actions-width,62px);"></div></div></div><div class="ns4p8fja j83agx80 cbu4d94t a6sixzi8 bkfpd7mw d2edcug0 buofh1pr nred35xi" role="none" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: stretch; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-end; max-width: 100%;"><div class="buofh1pr rj1gh0hx" role="none" style="flex-basis: 0px; flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit;"></div></div></div><div class="ns4p8fja j83agx80 cbu4d94t a6sixzi8 bkfpd7mw d2edcug0 kb5gq1qc nred35xi" role="none" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: stretch; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 0; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-end; max-width: 100%;"><div class="j83agx80 aovydwv3 ni8dbmo4 stjgntxs odw8uiq3" data-testid="messenger_delivery_status" id="" role="none" style="align-items: flex-end; display: flex; font-family: inherit; overflow: hidden; width: 20px;"><span class="tojvnm2t a6sixzi8 abs2jz4q a8s20v7p t1p8iaqh k5wvi7nf q3lfd5jv pk4s997a bipmatt0 cebpdrjk qowsmv63 owwhemhu dp1hu0rb dhp61c6y iyyx5f41" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: inherit; display: inherit; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; max-height: inherit; max-width: inherit; min-height: inherit; min-width: inherit; place-content: inherit; width: inherit;"><img alt="Seen by Tatyana Stefanovska at 8:56 AM" class="kkf49tns cgat1ltu hrs1iv20 abiwlrkh s45kfl79 emlxlaya bkmhp75w spb7xbtv" data-testid="messenger_single_seen_head" height="14px" src="https://scontent-qro1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-1/240100096_4962364287113829_1684605629257931067_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_p100x100&_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=7206a8&_nc_eui2=AeFKUtTBuB_1KBeBA0cgZp8eLDoRrJrFx5IsOhGsmsXHkiGgyOKZOclK4rNJonaDazo&_nc_ohc=mMDDfDGs8KsAX_nbuZg&_nc_ad=z-m&_nc_cid=0&_nc_ht=scontent-qro1-1.xx&oh=00_AT-hI8bYuE4lcxd4Mwy4JVsgziwF3StYipXkrKObityjbQ&oe=621C0877" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 0px; margin-left: 4px; margin-right: 4px; user-select: none; vertical-align: baseline;" width="14px" /></span></div></div></div><div class="nred35xi k4urcfbm" role="none" style="font-family: inherit; height: 7px; width: 307.333px;"></div><div aria-label="Details and actions" class="oajrlxb2 gs1a9yip mtkw9kbi tlpljxtp qensuy8j ppp5ayq2 goun2846 ccm00jje s44p3ltw mk2mc5f4 rt8b4zig n8ej3o3l agehan2d sk4xxmp2 rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 mg4g778l pfnyh3mw p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x tgvbjcpo hpfvmrgz i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of pq6dq46d btwxx1t3 abiwlrkh p8dawk7l lzcic4wl __fb-dark-mode hhcrnkbu ormqv51v i9k17dj3 ms7hmo2b ue3kfks5 pw54ja7n uo3d90p7 l82x9zwi r92hip7p pybr56ya d1544ag0 f10w8fjw tw6a2znq tkr6xdv7 spvqvc9t ikw5e13s ebnioo9u lq84ybu9 hf30pyar s8sjc6am rfd0zzc9" role="button" style="--accent: hsl(214, 100%, 59%); --always-black: black; --always-dark-gradient: linear-gradient(rgba(0,0,0,0), rgba(0,0,0,0.6)); --always-dark-overlay: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); --always-gray-40: #65676B; --always-gray-75: #BCC0C4; --always-gray-95: #F0F2F5; --always-light-overlay: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4); --always-white: white; --attachment-footer-background: rgba(255,255,255,0.1); --background-deemphasized: rgba(255,255,255,0.1); --base-blue: #1877F2; --base-cherry: #F3425F; --base-grape: #9360F7; --base-lemon: #F7B928; --base-lime: #45BD62; --base-pink: #FF66BF; --base-seafoam: #54C7EC; --base-teal: #2ABBA7; --base-tomato: #FB724B; --blue-link: #4599FF; --button-corner-radius: 6px; --card-background-flat: #323436; --card-background: #242526; --card-corner-radius: 8px; --comment-background: #3A3B3C; --comment-footer-background: #4E4F50; --dataviz-primary-1: rgb(48,200,180); --dataviz-primary-2: rgb(134,218,255); --dataviz-primary-3: rgb(95,170,255); --dataviz-secondary-1: rgb(129,77,231); --dataviz-secondary-2: rgb(168,124,255); --dataviz-secondary-3: rgb(219,26,139); --dataviz-supplementary-1: rgb(255,122,105); --dataviz-supplementary-2: rgb(241,168,23); --dataviz-supplementary-3: rgb(49,162,76); --dataviz-supplementary-4: rgb(228,230,235); --dialog-anchor-vertical-padding: 56px; --disabled-button-background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); --disabled-button-text: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --disabled-icon: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --disabled-text: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --divider: #3E4042; --event-date: #F3425F; --fb-logo-color: #2D88FF; --fds-animation-enter-exit-in: cubic-bezier(0.14, 1, 0.34, 1); --fds-animation-enter-exit-out: cubic-bezier(0.45, 0.1, 0.2, 1); --fds-animation-expand-collapse-in: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-expand-collapse-out: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-fade-in: cubic-bezier(0, 0, 1, 1); --fds-animation-fade-out: cubic-bezier(0, 0, 1, 1); --fds-animation-move-in: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-move-out: cubic-bezier(0.17, 0.17, 0, 1); --fds-animation-passive-move-in: cubic-bezier(0.5, 0, 0.1, 1); --fds-animation-passive-move-out: cubic-bezier(0.5, 0, 0.1, 1); --fds-animation-quick-move-in: cubic-bezier(0.1, 0.9, 0.2, 1); --fds-animation-quick-move-out: cubic-bezier(0.1, 0.9, 0.2, 1); --fds-animation-swap-shuffle-in: cubic-bezier(0.14, 1, 0.34, 1); --fds-animation-swap-shuffle-out: cubic-bezier(0.45, 0.1, 0.2, 1); --fds-black-alpha-05: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); --fds-black-alpha-10: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); --fds-black-alpha-15: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15); --fds-black-alpha-20: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); --fds-black-alpha-30: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3); --fds-black-alpha-40: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); --fds-black-alpha-50: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); --fds-black-alpha-60: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --fds-black-alpha-80: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); --fds-black: black; --fds-blue-05: black; --fds-blue-30: black; --fds-blue-40: black; --fds-blue-60: black; --fds-blue-70: black; --fds-blue-80: black; --fds-button-text: black; --fds-comment-background: black; --fds-dark-mode-gray-100: black; --fds-dark-mode-gray-35: black; --fds-dark-mode-gray-50: black; --fds-dark-mode-gray-70: black; --fds-dark-mode-gray-80: black; --fds-dark-mode-gray-90: black; --fds-duration-extra-extra-short-in: 100ms; --fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out: 100ms; --fds-duration-extra-long-in: 1000ms; --fds-duration-extra-long-out: 1000ms; --fds-duration-extra-short-in: 200ms; --fds-duration-extra-short-out: 150ms; --fds-duration-long-in: 500ms; --fds-duration-long-out: 350ms; --fds-duration-medium-in: 400ms; --fds-duration-medium-out: 350ms; --fds-duration-none: 0ms; --fds-duration-short-in: 280ms; --fds-duration-short-out: 200ms; --fds-fast: 200ms; --fds-gray-00: black; --fds-gray-05: black; --fds-gray-100: black; --fds-gray-10: black; --fds-gray-20: black; --fds-gray-25: black; --fds-gray-30: black; --fds-gray-45: black; --fds-gray-70: black; --fds-gray-80: black; --fds-gray-90: black; --fds-green-55: black; --fds-highlight-cell-background: black; --fds-highlight: black; --fds-primary-icon: white; --fds-primary-text: white; --fds-red-55: black; --fds-slow: 400ms; --fds-soft: cubic-bezier(0.08,0.52,0.52,1); --fds-spectrum-aluminum-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-blue-gray-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-cherry-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-cherry: black; --fds-spectrum-grape-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-grape-tint-90: black; --fds-spectrum-lemon-dark-1: black; --fds-spectrum-lemon-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-lime-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-lime: black; --fds-spectrum-orange-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-orange-tint-90: black; --fds-spectrum-seafoam-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-slate-dark-2: black; --fds-spectrum-slate-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-teal-dark-1: black; --fds-spectrum-teal-dark-2: black; --fds-spectrum-teal-tint-70: black; --fds-spectrum-teal-tint-90: black; --fds-spectrum-teal: black; --fds-spectrum-tomato-tint-30: black; --fds-spectrum-tomato-tint-90: black; --fds-spectrum-tomato: black; --fds-strong: cubic-bezier(0.12,0.8,0.32,1); --fds-white-alpha-05: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.05); --fds-white-alpha-10: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1); --fds-white-alpha-20: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); --fds-white-alpha-30: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --fds-white-alpha-40: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4); --fds-white-alpha-50: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5); --fds-white-alpha-60: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6); --fds-white-alpha-80: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); --fds-white: black; --fds-yellow-20: black; --filter-accent: invert(40%) sepia(52%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(189%) hue-rotate(191deg) brightness(103%) contrast(102%); --filter-always-white: invert(100%); --filter-blue-link-icon: invert(73%) sepia(29%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(103.25%) hue-rotate(189deg) brightness(101%) contrast(101%); --filter-disabled-icon: invert(100%) opacity(30%); --filter-negative: invert(25%) sepia(33%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(110%) hue-rotate(345deg) brightness(132%) contrast(96%); --filter-placeholder-icon: invert(59%) sepia(11%) saturate(200%) saturate(135%) hue-rotate(176deg) brightness(96%) contrast(94%); --filter-positive: invert(37%) sepia(61%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(115%) hue-rotate(91deg) brightness(97%) contrast(105%); --filter-primary-icon: invert(89%) sepia(6%) hue-rotate(185deg); --filter-secondary-icon: invert(62%) sepia(98%) saturate(12%) hue-rotate(175deg) brightness(90%) contrast(96%); --filter-warning-icon: invert(77%) sepia(29%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(200%) saturate(128%) hue-rotate(359deg) brightness(102%) contrast(107%); --font-family-apple: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; --font-family-code: ui-monospace, Menlo, Consolas, Monaco, monospace; --font-family-default: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; --font-family-segoe: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; --glimmer-spinner-icon: white; --global-panel-width: 68px; --header-height: 56px; --hero-banner-background: #E85D07; --highlight-bg: rgba(24, 119, 242, 0.31); --hosted-view-selected-state: rgba(45, 136, 255, 0.1); --hover-overlay: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1); --media-hover: rgba(68, 73, 80, 0.15); --media-inner-border: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.05); --media-outer-border: #33363A; --media-pressed: rgba(68, 73, 80, 0.35); --messenger-card-background: #242526; --messenger-reply-background: #18191A; --nav-bar-background-gradient-wash: linear-gradient(to top, #18191A, rgba(24,25,26,0.9), rgba(24,25,26,0.7), rgba(24,25,26,0.4), rgba(24,25,26,0)); --nav-bar-background-gradient: linear-gradient(to top, #242526, rgba(36,37,38,0.9), rgba(36,37,38,0.7), rgba(36,37,38,0.4), rgba(36,37,38,0)); --nav-bar-background: #242526; --negative-background: hsl(350, 87%, 55%, 20%); --negative: hsl(350, 87%, 55%); --new-notification-background: #E7F3FF; --non-media-pressed-on-dark: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --non-media-pressed: rgba(68, 73, 80, 0.15); --notification-badge: #e41e3f; --overlay-alpha-80: rgba(11, 11, 11, 0.8); --overlay-on-media: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); --placeholder-icon: #8A8D91; --placeholder-text-on-media: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5); --placeholder-text: #8A8D91; --popover-background: #3E4042; --positive-background: #1F3520; --positive: #31A24C; --press-overlay: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1); --primary-button-background: #2374E1; --primary-button-pressed: #77A7FF; --primary-button-text: #FFFFFF; --primary-deemphasized-button-background: rgba(45, 136, 255, 0.2); --primary-deemphasized-button-pressed-overlay: rgba(25, 110, 255, 0.15); --primary-deemphasized-button-pressed: rgba(24, 119, 242, 0.2); --primary-deemphasized-button-text: #2D88FF; --primary-icon: #E4E6EB; --primary-text-on-media: white; --primary-text: #E4E6EB; --primary-web-focus-indicator: #D24294; --progress-ring-blue-background: rgba(45, 136, 255, 0.2); --progress-ring-blue-foreground: hsl(214, 100%, 59%); --progress-ring-disabled-background: rgba(122,125,130, 0.2); --progress-ring-disabled-foreground: #7A7D82; --progress-ring-neutral-background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); --progress-ring-neutral-foreground: #ffffff; --progress-ring-on-media-background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); --progress-ring-on-media-foreground: #FFFFFF; --rating-star-active: #FF9831; --scroll-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1), 0 -1px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.05) inset; --scroll-thumb: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3); --secondary-button-background-floating: #4B4C4F; --secondary-button-background-on-dark: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4); --secondary-button-background: rgba(255,255,255,0.1); --secondary-button-pressed: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); --secondary-button-stroke: transparent; --secondary-button-text: #E4E6EB; --secondary-icon: #B0B3B8; --secondary-text-on-media: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.9); --secondary-text: #B0B3B8; --section-header-text: #BCC0C4; --shadow-1: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); --shadow-2: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); --shadow-5: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); --shadow-8: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); --shadow-inset: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.05); --surface-background: #242526; --t68779821: 0 2px 4px 0 var(--shadow-5); --text-highlight: rgba(24, 119, 242, 0.45); --toggle-active-background: rgb(45, 136, 255); --toggle-active-icon: #FFFFFF; --toggle-active-text: #FFFFFF; --toggle-button-active-background: #E6F2FF; --warning: hsl(40, 89%, 52%); --wash: #3E4042; --web-wash: #18191A; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: 8px; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-shadow: 0 2px 4px 0 var(--shadow-5); box-sizing: border-box; clip-path: inset(50%); clip: rect(0px, 0px, 0px, 0px); cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; height: 1px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; overflow: hidden; padding: 12px; position: absolute; right: 4px; text-align: inherit; top: -2px; touch-action: manipulation; transform: translateY(-100%); user-select: none; width: 1px; z-index: 1;" tabindex="-1"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: -5px; margin-top: -5px;"><div class="qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb d9wwppkn mdeji52x e9vueds3 j5wam9gi knj5qynh oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto" style="color: var(--primary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.2308; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">Enter</span></div></div><div class="n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql i09qtzwb n7fi1qx3 b5wmifdl hzruof5a pmk7jnqg j9ispegn kr520xx4 c5ndavph art1omkt ot9fgl3s" data-visualcompletion="ignore" style="border-radius: inherit; font-family: inherit; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; transition-duration: var(--fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out); transition-property: opacity; transition-timing-function: var(--fds-animation-fade-out);"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="j83agx80 aovydwv3 pybr56ya f10w8fjw" style="align-items: flex-end; display: flex; font-family: inherit; padding-bottom: 12px; padding-top: 12px;"><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="tojvnm2t a6sixzi8 abs2jz4q a8s20v7p t1p8iaqh k5wvi7nf q3lfd5jv pk4s997a bipmatt0 cebpdrjk qowsmv63 owwhemhu dp1hu0rb dhp61c6y iyyx5f41" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: inherit; display: inherit; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; max-height: inherit; max-width: inherit; min-height: inherit; min-width: inherit; place-content: inherit; width: inherit;"><div aria-label="Open more actions" class="oajrlxb2 gs1a9yip g5ia77u1 mtkw9kbi tlpljxtp qensuy8j ppp5ayq2 goun2846 ccm00jje s44p3ltw mk2mc5f4 rt8b4zig n8ej3o3l agehan2d sk4xxmp2 rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 mg4g778l pfnyh3mw p7hjln8o tgvbjcpo hpfvmrgz l9j0dhe7 i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of du4w35lb n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql pq6dq46d btwxx1t3 abiwlrkh p8dawk7l lzcic4wl ecm0bbzt ph5uu5jm e5nlhep0 b3onmgus aahdfvyu tvmbv18p cgat1ltu kkf49tns" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; 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display: inline-flex; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; max-height: inherit; max-width: inherit; min-height: inherit; min-width: inherit; place-content: inherit; width: inherit;"><div aria-label="Attach a file" class="oajrlxb2 gs1a9yip g5ia77u1 mtkw9kbi tlpljxtp qensuy8j ppp5ayq2 goun2846 ccm00jje s44p3ltw mk2mc5f4 rt8b4zig n8ej3o3l agehan2d sk4xxmp2 rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 mg4g778l pfnyh3mw p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x tgvbjcpo hpfvmrgz l9j0dhe7 i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of du4w35lb n00je7tq arfg74bv qs9ysxi8 k77z8yql pq6dq46d btwxx1t3 abiwlrkh p8dawk7l lzcic4wl ecm0bbzt ph5uu5jm e5nlhep0 b3onmgus" role="button" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-radius: inherit; border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 4px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><svg class="a8c37x1j ms05siws hr662l2t b7h9ocf4" height="20px" viewbox="0 -1 17 17" width="20px"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none"><path d="M2.882 13.13C3.476 4.743 3.773.48 3.773.348L2.195.516c-.7.1-1.478.647-1.478 1.647l1.092 11.419c0 .5.2.9.4 1.3.4.2.7.4.9.4h.4c-.6-.6-.727-.951-.627-2.151z" fill="#0084ff"></path><circle cx="8.5" cy="4.5" fill="#0084ff" r="1.5"></circle><path d="M14 6.2c-.2-.2-.6-.3-.8-.1l-2.8 2.4c-.2.1-.2.4 0 .6l.6.7c.2.2.2.6-.1.8-.1.1-.2.1-.4.1s-.3-.1-.4-.2L8.3 8.3c-.2-.2-.6-.3-.8-.1l-2.6 2-.4 3.1c0 .5.2 1.6.7 1.7l8.8.6c.2 0 .5 0 .7-.2.2-.2.5-.7.6-.9l.6-5.9L14 6.2z" fill="#0084ff"></path><path d="M13.9 15.5l-8.2-.7c-.7-.1-1.3-.8-1.3-1.6l1-11.4C5.5 1 6.2.5 7 .5l8.2.7c.8.1 1.3.8 1.3 1.6l-1 11.4c-.1.8-.8 1.4-1.6 1.3z" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke="#0084ff"></path></g></svg><div class="i09qtzwb n7fi1qx3 b5wmifdl hzruof5a pmk7jnqg j9ispegn kr520xx4 c5ndavph art1omkt ot9fgl3s s45kfl79 emlxlaya bkmhp75w spb7xbtv" data-visualcompletion="ignore" style="border-radius: 50%; font-family: inherit; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; transition-duration: var(--fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out); transition-property: opacity; transition-timing-function: var(--fds-animation-fade-out);"></div></div></span></div><div class="pmk7jnqg cgat1ltu hcukyx3x tvmbv18p i09qtzwb j83agx80 taijpn5t bp9cbjyn g3zh7qmp flx89l3n mb8dcdod tntlmw5q" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; display: flex; font-family: inherit; justify-content: center; left: 32px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 4px; position: absolute; transform: scale(1); transition-delay: 0.15s; transition-duration: 0.1s; transition-property: transform;"><span class="tojvnm2t a6sixzi8 abs2jz4q t1p8iaqh k5wvi7nf q3lfd5jv pk4s997a bipmatt0 cebpdrjk qowsmv63 owwhemhu dp1hu0rb dhp61c6y iyyx5f41 pq6dq46d" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: inherit; display: inline-flex; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; max-height: inherit; 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list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 4px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><svg class="a8c37x1j ms05siws hr662l2t b7h9ocf4 crt8y2ji" height="20px" viewbox="0 0 17 16" width="20px" x="0px" y="0px"><g fill-rule="evenodd"><circle cx="5.5" cy="5.5" fill="none" r="1"></circle><circle cx="11.5" cy="4.5" fill="none" r="1"></circle><path d="M5.3 9c-.2.1-.4.4-.3.7.4 1.1 1.2 1.9 2.3 2.3h.2c.2 0 .4-.1.5-.3.1-.3 0-.5-.3-.6-.8-.4-1.4-1-1.7-1.8-.1-.2-.4-.4-.7-.3z" fill="none"></path><path d="M10.4 13.1c0 .9-.4 1.6-.9 2.2 4.1-1.1 6.8-5.1 6.5-9.3-.4.6-1 1.1-1.8 1.5-2 1-3.7 3.6-3.8 5.6z" fill="#0084ff"></path><path d="M2.5 13.4c.1.8.6 1.6 1.3 2 .5.4 1.2.6 1.8.6h.6l.4-.1c1.6-.4 2.6-1.5 2.7-2.9.1-2.4 2.1-5.4 4.5-6.6 1.3-.7 1.9-1.6 1.9-2.8l-.2-.9c-.1-.8-.6-1.6-1.3-2-.7-.5-1.5-.7-2.4-.5L3.6 1.5C1.9 1.8.7 3.4 1 5.2l1.5 8.2zm9-8.9c.6 0 1 .4 1 1s-.4 1-1 1-1-.4-1-1 .4-1 1-1zm-3.57 6.662c.3.1.4.4.3.6-.1.3-.3.4-.5.4h-.2c-1-.4-1.9-1.3-2.3-2.3-.1-.3.1-.6.3-.7.3-.1.5 0 .6.3.4.8 1 1.4 1.8 1.7zM5.5 5.5c.6 0 1 .4 1 1s-.4 1-1 1-1-.4-1-1 .4-1 1-1z" fill-rule="nonzero" fill="#0084ff"></path></g></svg><div class="i09qtzwb n7fi1qx3 b5wmifdl hzruof5a pmk7jnqg j9ispegn kr520xx4 c5ndavph art1omkt ot9fgl3s s45kfl79 emlxlaya bkmhp75w spb7xbtv" data-visualcompletion="ignore" style="border-radius: 50%; font-family: inherit; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; transition-duration: var(--fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out); transition-property: opacity; transition-timing-function: var(--fds-animation-fade-out);"></div></div></span></div><div class="pmk7jnqg cgat1ltu hcukyx3x tvmbv18p i09qtzwb j83agx80 taijpn5t bp9cbjyn g3zh7qmp flx89l3n mb8dcdod chkx7lpg" style="align-items: center; bottom: 0px; display: flex; font-family: inherit; justify-content: center; left: 64px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 4px; position: absolute; transform: scale(1); transition-delay: 0.2s; transition-duration: 0.1s; transition-property: transform;"><span class="tojvnm2t a6sixzi8 abs2jz4q t1p8iaqh k5wvi7nf q3lfd5jv pk4s997a bipmatt0 cebpdrjk qowsmv63 owwhemhu dp1hu0rb dhp61c6y iyyx5f41 pq6dq46d" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: inherit; display: inline-flex; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; max-height: inherit; 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list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 4px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><svg class="a8c37x1j ms05siws hr662l2t b7h9ocf4 crt8y2ji" height="20px" viewbox="0 0 16 16" width="20px" x="0px" y="0px"><path d="M.783 12.705c.4.8 1.017 1.206 1.817 1.606 0 0 1.3.594 2.5.694 1 .1 1.9.1 2.9.1s1.9 0 2.9-.1 1.679-.294 2.479-.694c.8-.4 1.157-.906 1.557-1.706.018 0 .4-1.405.5-2.505.1-1.2.1-3 0-4.3-.1-1.1-.073-1.976-.473-2.676-.4-.8-.863-1.408-1.763-1.808-.6-.3-1.2-.3-2.4-.4-1.8-.1-3.8-.1-5.7 0-1 .1-1.7.1-2.5.5s-1.417 1.1-1.817 1.9c0 0-.4 1.484-.5 2.584-.1 1.2-.1 3 0 4.3.1 1 .2 1.705.5 2.505zm10.498-8.274h2.3c.4 0 .769.196.769.696 0 .5-.247.68-.747.68l-1.793.02.022 1.412 1.252-.02c.4 0 .835.204.835.704s-.442.696-.842.696H11.82l-.045 2.139c0 .4-.194.8-.694.8-.5 0-.7-.3-.7-.8l-.031-5.631c0-.4.43-.696.93-.696zm-3.285.771c0-.5.3-.8.8-.8s.8.3.8.8l-.037 5.579c0 .4-.3.8-.8.8s-.8-.4-.8-.8l.037-5.579zm-3.192-.825c.7 0 1.307.183 1.807.683.3.3.4.7.1 1-.2.4-.7.4-1 .1-.2-.1-.5-.3-.9-.3-1 0-2.011.84-2.011 2.14 0 1.3.795 2.227 1.695 2.227.4 0 .805.073 1.105-.127V8.6c0-.4.3-.8.8-.8s.8.3.8.8v1.8c0 .2.037.071-.063.271-.7.7-1.57.991-2.47.991C2.868 11.662 1.3 10.2 1.3 8s1.704-3.623 3.504-3.623z" fill-rule="nonzero" fill="#0084ff"></path></svg><div class="i09qtzwb n7fi1qx3 b5wmifdl hzruof5a pmk7jnqg j9ispegn kr520xx4 c5ndavph art1omkt ot9fgl3s s45kfl79 emlxlaya bkmhp75w spb7xbtv" data-visualcompletion="ignore" style="border-radius: 50%; font-family: inherit; inset: 0px; opacity: 0; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; transition-duration: var(--fds-duration-extra-extra-short-out); transition-property: opacity; transition-timing-function: var(--fds-animation-fade-out);"></div></div></span></div><div class="buofh1pr j83agx80 flx89l3n dpja2al7" style="display: flex; flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit; transform: translateX(100px); transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: transform;"><div class="spvqvc9t ikw5e13s ebnioo9u lq84ybu9 hf30pyar s8sjc6am rfd0zzc9" id="jsc_c_b7" style="clip-path: inset(50%); clip: rect(0px, 0px, 0px, 0px); font-family: inherit; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; width: 1px;">Write to Tatyana Stefanovska</div><div class="b3i9ofy5 orhb3f3m czkt41v7 fmqxjp7s emzo65vh rq0escxv buofh1pr hpfvmrgz" style="border-radius: 20px; box-sizing: border-box; flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit; min-width: 0px;"><div class="j83agx80 lhclo0ds bkfpd7mw" style="display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-end;"><div class="j83agx80 buofh1pr nhadk0th ozuftl9m aov4n071 bi6gxh9e hpfvmrgz l9j0dhe7" style="display: flex; flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit; margin: 8px 32px 8px 12px; min-width: 0px; position: relative;"><div aria-describedby="jsc_c_b7" aria-label="Message" class="oo9gr5id lzcic4wl l9j0dhe7 gsox5hk5 buofh1pr tw4czcav cehpxlet hpfvmrgz eg9m0zos notranslate" data-lexical-editor="true" role="textbox" spellcheck="true" style="color: var(--primary-text); flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit; max-height: 124px; min-height: 20px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow-y: auto; position: relative; text-align: initial; user-select: text; white-space: pre-wrap;" tabindex="0"><p class="kvgmc6g5 oygrvhab" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px;"><br style="background-color: #f0f2f5; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>alcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672834250325632231.post-89466685845324191892022-02-23T10:53:00.000-06:002022-02-23T10:53:36.318-06:00Ukraine in my mind and heart<p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: medium;"><b>Ukraine should occupy no more space in my brain</b></span> than Uzbekistan or Xinjiang but for the whims of fate, in particular my living in Chicago for 30 years, where I made some Ukrainian friends, and the Cuban diaspora after the communist takeover, including two close relatives who wound up in Ukraine. </p><p>Those connections now fuel my worries, and not a small amount of sadness, about what might befall Ukraine and its people, as the Russian eagle hovers above, ready to pounce and end that country's three decades years of independence. Tuesday night Russia invaded two eastern Ukraine provinces. Might that be a prelude to a wholesale Russian takeover? </p><p>My introduction to Ukraine began in 1972 when, fresh out of graduate school, I took a job at the then-U.S. Atomic Energy Commission's Argonne National Laboratory, southwest of Chicago. My job as an investigator of civil rights complaints had nothing to do with protons or hydrogen bombs, but led me to become friends with Maria Oharenko, a full-blooded Ukrainian, or Ukie as she sometimes called herself, who lived with her parents and brother John in Chicago's Ukrainian Village. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEih014OE8mOiGl2VEikXTrGb8x7hDmqcL5S8V7-KX14H32CBy_otbU_FyTASc_IH1RaiF6xo1BDUS-UswfGR2NRMnJzS93E8op6mqSS-a7I2sQk4kc5Jc68L48XfCVj7rwU5gpB5Z50wHUFL5qMAKIEmG-CBHYZLZHc7Qd2n7v8AplxFb17qmTU1Lrk" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEih014OE8mOiGl2VEikXTrGb8x7hDmqcL5S8V7-KX14H32CBy_otbU_FyTASc_IH1RaiF6xo1BDUS-UswfGR2NRMnJzS93E8op6mqSS-a7I2sQk4kc5Jc68L48XfCVj7rwU5gpB5Z50wHUFL5qMAKIEmG-CBHYZLZHc7Qd2n7v8AplxFb17qmTU1Lrk" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Ukrainian flags in Chicago</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Ukrainians began moving to Chicago sometime around the late 1800s, so their enclave is no Potemkin creation but an established ethnic community with restaurants, bakeries, museums and four churches, the newest being <span style="background-color: white; color: #303336; font-variant-ligatures: no-common-ligatures; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">the Sts. Volodymyr and Olha Ukrainian Catholic Church, </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #303336; font-family: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: no-common-ligatures; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">an imposing edifice that opened in 1971. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #303336; font-family: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: no-common-ligatures; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Churches here follow the Julian calendar, which marks Christmas on January 6 with an hours-long Ukrainian-language liturgy of candles, chanting, prayers and processions. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #303336; font-family: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: no-common-ligatures; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Maria's cooking skills, particularly her beet borscht and Ukrainian dumplings were formidable, as was her girth. For one Fourth of July concert she catered an al fresco gathering for a half-dozen friends at Chicago's lakefront Grant Park. A dainty wicker picnic basket hardly sufficed. So Maria wheeled in a Red Flyer wagon full of wine, cheeses and assorted Ukrainian delicacies. By the time the cannon blasts of the 1812 Overture and fireworks concluded the concert, all of Maria's friends were stuffed and ready to lie back and stare at the stars for an hour or two. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigq_9o8csU3mWht6oR_TuS5G5PCRE3Ui1YscUfU9GiayBCNDUuSMBRiUUXD7HnVB8Uhel2TP0g2XYvX8f3f2n069pgz74Fqzg2JlYb4IlnIYwrKEfiDqsA0Q3tLtyRAJI4JcuDARzaq4q8m1t0k89kc01G0JiYR5Tq0QUO02ZqmJTPjYWp7fjBvXDx=s1571" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1571" data-original-width="1178" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigq_9o8csU3mWht6oR_TuS5G5PCRE3Ui1YscUfU9GiayBCNDUuSMBRiUUXD7HnVB8Uhel2TP0g2XYvX8f3f2n069pgz74Fqzg2JlYb4IlnIYwrKEfiDqsA0Q3tLtyRAJI4JcuDARzaq4q8m1t0k89kc01G0JiYR5Tq0QUO02ZqmJTPjYWp7fjBvXDx=s320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">In Chicago's Ukrainian churches there's no <br />such thing as too many icons or candles.<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #303336; font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: medium; font-variant-ligatures: no-common-ligatures; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><b>Maria would not abide misunderstandings about Ukraine</b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #303336; font-family: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: no-common-ligatures; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">, and would issue firm corrections. It is not <i>The </i>Ukraine, she said, as if to designate a region within a larger country, like "the<i> </i>Midwest," but just Ukraine, its own country. Ukrainian and Russian languages may have a similar-looking Cyrillic alphabet but are as distinct as Spanish and Portuguese. Most important, Ukraine is not <i>part </i>of Russia, no more than Scotland is part of England, though both may share some common history and culture. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #303336; font-family: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: no-common-ligatures; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Those distinctions may sound trivial but are now crucial to understand Russian President Vladimir Putin, ominous words to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/24/opinion/russia-ukraine-putin-biden.html">President George W. Bush in 2008</a>: "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">George, you have to understand that Ukraine is not even a country. Part of its territory is in Eastern Europe and the greater part was given to us.” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/21/world/europe/putin-ukraine.html">According to Putin's take</a>, Ukraine has no more claim to independent nationhood than Arkansas. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: medium;"><b>Maria left Chicago for Washington D.C. and then California</b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> and for a while I lost touch with her and things Ukrainian, until my second cousin Tatyana Stefanofska, who lives in Kyiv with her husband Yiriy, paid Stew and me a visit in Chicago in 2005, at the conclusion of a year-long Fulbright Fellowship at the University of California at Davis, doing research in biological control of pests. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZA7ZeJ9GU6XqCgWPNOcY_W2p4nBlvJc_0zPZRnFtzmy7lacazRcseLjE2t2K7h9lSsdB3aoBEfo6-h39RmDJPN2Fjxjj3qx66CpxHRXzfDUfyGrkcwwoNDEJODPaF8jerftOph7ex1W24ewU_63LrWhrWqnD8m4dze76T77hFF81m7brqL3S8O6dN=s1779" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1779" data-original-width="1186" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZA7ZeJ9GU6XqCgWPNOcY_W2p4nBlvJc_0zPZRnFtzmy7lacazRcseLjE2t2K7h9lSsdB3aoBEfo6-h39RmDJPN2Fjxjj3qx66CpxHRXzfDUfyGrkcwwoNDEJODPaF8jerftOph7ex1W24ewU_63LrWhrWqnD8m4dze76T77hFF81m7brqL3S8O6dN=s320" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Tatyana in Chicago in 2005</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tatyana's dad is my cousin Roberto, now 85, who went to Russia in 1961 to study Russian, one of tens of thousands of young Cubans who travelled to universities behind the Iron Curtain to appreciate the wonders of communism up close. Many of them never returned home. </span></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Roberto fell in love with his teacher Svitlana, and four years later had their only daughter, whose full-throated name, according to the Ukrainian patronimic rules, is Tatyana Robertivna Lanier. She later married Yiriy Stefanosvkiy and became Tatyana Robertivna Stefanovska, or Tanya for short. She is a professor of applied biology at the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And just like my friend Maria in Chicago, Tatyana says her family's roots are all-Ukrainian, I suppose except for my cousin. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: medium;"><b>Separately, in 1972, my cousin Gustavo</b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">, travelled by ship with about 800 other young Cubans to the Black Sea port city of Odessa, also in Ukraine, to study naval engineering. By mad coincidence, another student aboard was Pablo, who was headed for Bulgaria, where he met and later married Gustavo's sister, my cousin Olga. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gustavo's trajectory was far more tragic.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> He lived in Odessa until 1976 when he broke away from a group of Cuban students visiting Tokyo, went into the U.S. Embassy and asked for asylum. He was refused at first, until he threatened to jump off a sixth-story window if he was forced to return to Cuba, no doubt to face imprisonment. This bit of drama should have been an early sign of Gustavo's mental problems, but he was granted asylum in the U.S. anyway </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">From Japan, Gustavo went to California and then Miami, though the details of his travels are foggy because by this time he'd lost touch with his family. Years later, relatives in Miami found him at a halfway apartment for the mentally ill, living with a stray dog named Chance, which he had found on the beach and adopted as his closest friend. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5Ri3xNK2bLJB1QhSuTHtBA5rlUE8MTeIHTDYE6zr-FtRWbF-eu6f3bmmXRvpj1xs0qmPUg5PYkz93-fhukLHl7RaHri9F1GlftjYuobYJG7VldbTiZiFEkiVqgjjkREZDaOraewwJEa9FH9JnTKC-sDfie6dDKlyCK1dJ5Jxe1lAGdv2d0YfegaFC=s1511" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1511" data-original-width="1043" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5Ri3xNK2bLJB1QhSuTHtBA5rlUE8MTeIHTDYE6zr-FtRWbF-eu6f3bmmXRvpj1xs0qmPUg5PYkz93-fhukLHl7RaHri9F1GlftjYuobYJG7VldbTiZiFEkiVqgjjkREZDaOraewwJEa9FH9JnTKC-sDfie6dDKlyCK1dJ5Jxe1lAGdv2d0YfegaFC=w138-h200" width="138" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">Gustavo and Chance</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Stew and I visited him and Chance and went out to lunch. Though in perfectly fluent English, the conversation wandered erratically. Gustavo reconciled with his sister and family in Miami for a few years, but the death of beloved Chance apparently pushed him over the edge. Distraught, Gustavo committed suicide around 2003.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"></span></p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: medium;"><b>The winds of migration have scattered both sides of my family </b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">to Ukraine, Florida, Austin, Las Vegas, Mexico and another cousin to Chile who has since died. The family tree in Cuba is now barren, except for an Afro-Cuban branch, whom I discovered in 1998 while visiting the island. But that's another story, and by now they probably have fled too. </span><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My connections with Ukraine and my relatives there survive and I keep in touch with Tatyana about the current situation. And so do the tragic memories of Gustavo and Chance, fraught though they may be by his illness. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In recent exchanges, Tatyana sounded optimistic about a peaceful resolution of the escalating confrontation between Ukraine and Russia. She speculated that Putin's saber-rattling was bluffing, to establish himself and Russia as a major world player, and that he would back off in the face of strong pressure by Western countries. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Her messages, two days before Russia launched its invasion of two of Ukraine provinces, have turned darker. She recognized that Putin might invade the two eastern Ukraine areas of Luhansk and Donetsk under the pretext of "protecting" Russian nationals living there, even if those claims would ring as hollow as Hitler's excuse in 1939, </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">before World War II, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">for invading and annexing the Sudetenland area of Czechoslovakia to "protect" the German population there. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have no idea what's in Putin's head. In an essay in today's <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/23/opinion/putin-ukraine.html?campaign_id=39&emc=edit_ty_20220223&instance_id=54004&nl=opinion-today&regi_id=30508336&segment_id=83653&te=1&user_id=dc91b08553b3b1a94f2a5f39c2c4318a">New York Times</a>, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright describes him as "so cold as to be almost reptilian." (Though I've never met him, Putin rather reminds me of an <i>opossum</i>.) Either way, I doubt Putin will be satisfied with grabbing just a chunk of Ukraine, a country about the size of Texas. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The prospect of a defiantly democratic and independent Ukraine abutting the corrupt autocracy Russia has become under Putin, can't be a situation he would be happy with, as he tries to piece back together the former Soviet empire, whatever suffering that project might bring to human beings along the way. </span></span></p>alcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672834250325632231.post-14225362736768769172022-02-09T17:42:00.018-06:002022-02-10T10:27:43.931-06:00"The Bleak Midwinter," San Miguel style<p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span>an Miguel newbies</b></span> are shocked to discover that we do have a winter season here after all, with some overnight freezes, sere vegetation and spells of gloominess that might seem interminable next to the eternal sunshine they expected. </p><p>Our winters are not nearly as bleak, mind you, as the one Gustav Holst depicted in his hypnotic Christmas carol "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE0aIQp9V4s">In the bleak midwinter</a>," <span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>(<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">Earth stood hard as iron, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">Water like a stone, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">Snow had fallen, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">Snow on snow on snow)</span></i></span>, or the winters compatriots suffer through in the northern tiers of the U.S. </p><p>But San Miguel winters are bleak enough to propel caravans of expats to decamp to one of Mexico's beaches—as Stew and I did last week. </p><p>Typical building construction here—brick, concrete, tile floors, and single-pane, leaky windows—doesn't alleviate the indoor clamminess of most homes. Gas fireplaces with fake logs take the edge off the cold, but they struggle to deliver a steady, comfortable warmth, and sometimes provide gas fumes instead. </p><p>At our ranch, we have a wood-burning version, a "real fireplace," in the living room. Maybe it's an optical illusion, but a crackling wood fire feels <i>warmer</i>, even if you have to poke and nudge it, only to be rewarded with an occasional burp of smoke.</p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">F</span>or gardeners everywhere, winter is the season of the heebie-jeebies.</b></span> It's the time to pull out, mow down, clean up and haul away the remains of the growing season. Just today, I discovered that a large agave, and a companion nearby, got badly singed by the single overnight freeze we had a couple of weeks ago. They might survive but only severely deformed. And a few trees that succumbed to the mystery plague last year, still need to be cut down. </p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh22-cMwyZa82rm0hfza51Wubhd9XwaIEe8vVWVveA44pTo29LMxksx-92Q7ehMVmhNj7kSb2leIdzpe3u8dUeO8cYePigUQbx4MoBP_csaaXRPpmMV-ktZTWOJNV_H7leChxMN-GKI7tr7bs9WvcCRYJrj4TKxcWbV-R5q8UlF78Zm_U6y1IsCCl7k=s5753" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="5753" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh22-cMwyZa82rm0hfza51Wubhd9XwaIEe8vVWVveA44pTo29LMxksx-92Q7ehMVmhNj7kSb2leIdzpe3u8dUeO8cYePigUQbx4MoBP_csaaXRPpmMV-ktZTWOJNV_H7leChxMN-GKI7tr7bs9WvcCRYJrj4TKxcWbV-R5q8UlF78Zm_U6y1IsCCl7k=w400-h278" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Winter's rare beauty at my ranch.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table>Most every type of vegetation, except for evergreens and large succulents such as prickly pears, looks uniformly <i>dead, kaput,</i> though I know well they are not. And yet. What was kelly green at the end of October, is now varying shades of brown. </p><p></p><p>Celebrated Dutch landscape designer Piet Oudolf, urges his myriad fans <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/garden/10garden.html">to embrace the austere beauty of the winter landscape</a>.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> "<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">You want a moment in the garden to be quiet. There’s so much to do in the summer, with cutting and keeping up with plants and just enjoying and looking at the garden," he says. "Sometimes it’s too much. In the winter you need less to get satisfaction from the garden. If you have only a few plants in the garden in winter, it’s enough to keep it interesting."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjCoNkMBB4CEbmqVkdKo1rQwqmEf8aUnlYSMC3iXSCSEoE8dAulk6d1NwY_RhxqOTCuXpWe_aZ-2e94lnH4cYZzaBxGPFTLWlYDh9Q03LRu43l2LCz-v3hltAwQc0lCSHNl6up6IbuC41OspitF7n6OvfTF1kjv4xhUrka19R6MMbGifDMxdWdwCNar=s1024" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjCoNkMBB4CEbmqVkdKo1rQwqmEf8aUnlYSMC3iXSCSEoE8dAulk6d1NwY_RhxqOTCuXpWe_aZ-2e94lnH4cYZzaBxGPFTLWlYDh9Q03LRu43l2LCz-v3hltAwQc0lCSHNl6up6IbuC41OspitF7n6OvfTF1kjv4xhUrka19R6MMbGifDMxdWdwCNar=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Oudolf's winter garden in the Netherlands.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">I'll meet Oudolf halfway, and gra</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">nt him there is a mysterious enchantment to the landscape around the ranch early in the morning, when dense fog envelops all vegetation more than six feet away. But that disappears by nine or ten o'clock.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Or around sunrise or sunset, that fleeting interval photographers call "the magic hour," when the backlight of the sun exaggerates colors and contrasts. Wintertime also extends the morning magic hour, as if giving me a chance to get out of bed.</span></span></p><p>Beyond that, I engage in the favorite pastime of gardeners the world over: Dreaming, envisioning and fantasizing what the presently bedraggled landscape will look like once we get to work on it. Just this week we planted a new xeriscape garden, featuring round river gravel and hardy succulents. It'll be a work in progress for several more weeks. </p><p>In the meantime, seed catalogs have arrived. </p><p style="text-align: center;">--30--</p>alcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672834250325632231.post-34400062303789625192022-02-08T16:54:00.000-06:002022-02-08T16:54:08.552-06:00A heart of stone, just in time for St. Valentine's Day<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span>n deference to the demographics of our circle of friends,</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> who trend old and often trip over things, yesterday w</span>e hired a backhoe and two young guys to clean up the stones that boobytrapped the garden in back of our house, and patch up the holes with black dirt. Alas, by noon the project had turned into a boondoggle that had us questioning our good intentions if not our sanity.</p><p>Our ranch is so littered with thousands of rocks of all sizes and shapes it makes me wonder if this area might not have been a meteorite landing field, only recently covered up by a thin layer of black dirt. </p><p>It's a perfect terrain to build a house. To build the foundations, a little over 12 years ago, workers just had to cruise around with wheelbarrows and pick whatever size or shape rock they needed. And once up, this sucker has not settled one millimeter. Some San Miguel homeowners might complain about cracked plaster and other settling problems, but we haven't spotted as much as a single hairline crack in the walls or ceilings. <i> </i></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span>he problem, though, comes when doing any landscaping.</span> Any attempt to dig a foot-wide hole to plant a tree inevitably takes you straight to a rock, usually a big one. Backhoes, renting for approximately US$24 an hour, including the time of often amazingly dexterous young operators, are indispensable for any kind of tree planting, as well as truckloads of black dirt for backfill.</p><p>Within a hour of starting, yesterday's rock-removal campaign immediately uncovered a problem we'd neglected to consider: "The Iceberg Effect." </p><p>Rocks innocently poking a mere four or five inches above the ground would turn out to be but the tip of a boulder as big as a washing machine. It was then I recalled that jackhammers attached to backhoes had to be summoned to dig the trenches for our house's foundations, and also that around here, the favored raw materials to build farm fences and houses and pave roads, are rocks, rocks and more rocks. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEieTfz9Y-T5xTUNdlrs8xOKReaZORBWidL0fpaT-7XwIhKWcazAJAbM5L27sx2B2hOSBDGS6s95urwEZzknYL66LJS_i4nSMjWnhgx9SNJqHVvuClIqvM7he_NbdPDoQzSGOreSp7FrSAUENR17ZGG_Py1DST_6-kyabmmpA1QYHMCdZ9zB1eeU02jj=s3498" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3475" data-original-width="3498" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEieTfz9Y-T5xTUNdlrs8xOKReaZORBWidL0fpaT-7XwIhKWcazAJAbM5L27sx2B2hOSBDGS6s95urwEZzknYL66LJS_i4nSMjWnhgx9SNJqHVvuClIqvM7he_NbdPDoQzSGOreSp7FrSAUENR17ZGG_Py1DST_6-kyabmmpA1QYHMCdZ9zB1eeU02jj=w400-h398" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>As if from outer space.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span>s the old backhoe belched and farted its way back to our driveway</span>, the rocks grew bigger, approaching ginormous. Then we reached the one specimen that had the machine grunting like it was going to bust a hernia. And with it partially exposed, clearly there was no turning back.</p><p>After twenty minutes of a machine-versus-nature struggle, amid a cloud of diesel fumes, out came something that had everyone gasping—a rock, maybe five feet across, weighing at least a ton and perfectly shaped like a <i>heart</i>. </p><p>It didn't break or show any signs of being, God forbid, a fragment of yet an even bigger boulder. Just a huge, perfectly shaped rock. </p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span>tew, who seems to be embracing the occult in his later years</span>, pronounced it a good omen, certainly a traditional symbol of love. And just in time for St. Valentine's and our fiftieth anniversary coming up on June 20. </p><p>The Mexican workers began debating how to position the rock just-so, for best visual impact. I quickly declared that our heart-shaped conversation piece was in a perfect location.</p><p>In other words, we weren't going to move that sonofabitch one inch from where it had been uncovered, and it would be the last rock with would dig up. </p><p>Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. </p><p style="text-align: center;">-30-</p>alcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672834250325632231.post-84367253677957170842022-01-19T12:00:00.012-06:002022-01-23T18:29:19.999-06:00Who's afraid of Mickey Mouse?<p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span>tew and I believe gray mice are endearing.</b></span> And apparently so did The Walt Disney Company, who's made billions off Mickey and Minnie, and also Remy, the protagonist of Disney•Pixar's 2007 animated feature "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratatouille_(film)">Ratatouille</a>," about an irresistibly charming Parisian rat who aspires to become a chef. </p><p>A lot of people are unpersuaded by the charm of rodents, starting with our housekeeper Rocío, a normally sane woman who freezes at the sight of a mouse, particularly a live one. She will summon me, Stew, the gardener or any other male around and cease her chores until someone removes the tiny corpse, or chases the live mouse out of the house. </p><p>Rocío's alarums become more frequent during the winter when mice seek shelter inside. There's no point explaining to her that a two- or three-inch mouse poses no threat to a human who, from a mouse's viewpoint, must look as colossal as the Statue of Liberty. </p><p>This year mouse incursions have increased since we installed a pet entrance, a little flapper gizmo, about 8 by 5 inches, so our three cats can get in and out of the house at will. Since then, and combined with colder temperatures, tiny grey mice have been appearing in our bedroom almost daily: Cats are not content to just catch a mouse, but feel obligated to ostentatiously bring it to you as a ritual offering, proof that they're earning their keep. </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0DdQTGPPBPbd-KiX6EPrvkz7N8VxOndizsuyMLW9zzKTmcHwfXluJMjWLEVc4rfVJsFnpDLF_fs3W-wP7e668YeLQI4f6w7w1FqwLRCrcMZGLbPMqFIUGchZtZo0hSM-qOOftofRnCnlRZm7Jei4lLGX2wqIcOaeCI3MdUBSf96Qywaw4z4Tvty9K=s3456" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3396" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0DdQTGPPBPbd-KiX6EPrvkz7N8VxOndizsuyMLW9zzKTmcHwfXluJMjWLEVc4rfVJsFnpDLF_fs3W-wP7e668YeLQI4f6w7w1FqwLRCrcMZGLbPMqFIUGchZtZo0hSM-qOOftofRnCnlRZm7Jei4lLGX2wqIcOaeCI3MdUBSf96Qywaw4z4Tvty9K=s320" width="314" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Prime suspect.</b> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>If the victim is dead, it'll appear on the rugs by the sides of the bed or in the bathroom. If still alive, their presence will be known by the banging and crashing of things around the bedroom early in the morning, the sounds of a cat still in hot pursuit.</p><p><b style="font-family: "Roboto Condensed";"><span style="font-size: x-large;">W</span>e've narrowed down the feline assassin. </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's</span> our orange three-year-old tomcat Fred. Even after neutering he still exhibits the traits of the species <i>Gatus mexicanus</i> <i>mucho macho. </i>He briefly stops by our bed for a piece of cheese at night and then struts through the trap door to spend the night outside, terrorizing the wildlife. </p><p>Fifo, our fifteen-year-old tomcat is too old to waste time on such frivolity. Every morning he just goes outside through the trap door and circles the house once, maybe twice, and then returns to sleep or stand by some window and pensively gaze at the world outside as if mentally editing his memoirs. </p><p>Our third feline, Franny, Fred's sister, is too prissy and timid to chase mice. She has blue eyes and a gorgeous coat of gossamer fur. Aside from sleeping and eating, she just poses, as if waiting for her imminent closeup. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYrjIMkIncIQgBw2VjEz-uiWPhc7zeRayXTHESOw5UhiBrxMfhxdO3PSjj10Z_b87rjjcOk4vt6pp51JVl36Yjxz3U8WxC0QDSLuvBo-GC3QnRjN5IPLroD72ftpyEXQ4nv0RbfuxX6cSpnV3ftytXLuuxq9Rtut0BCVGaqKtFomho0U8LsjjB_wO0=s1072" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1072" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYrjIMkIncIQgBw2VjEz-uiWPhc7zeRayXTHESOw5UhiBrxMfhxdO3PSjj10Z_b87rjjcOk4vt6pp51JVl36Yjxz3U8WxC0QDSLuvBo-GC3QnRjN5IPLroD72ftpyEXQ4nv0RbfuxX6cSpnV3ftytXLuuxq9Rtut0BCVGaqKtFomho0U8LsjjB_wO0=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Who doesn't love a vole?</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table>Gray mice also look for shelter in the outdoor areas of the house. Two nights ago Stew went to light the gas grill to cook one of his favorites, <a href="https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/piri-piri-chicken-359750">Chicken Piri-Piri</a>, an spicy African dish that we sampled in Portugal. <div><br /></div><div>But as he opened the lid, he noticed a tiny gray mouse, resting on a nest of shredded paper, apparently guarding her litter. Stew moved his cooking to a broiler inside. "I don't have to heart," Stew said. <p></p><p></p>Several months ago, I had a more moving experience. I was pulling out weeds from a large flower pot on the terrace and ran into a mouse nest. I quickly stopped and moved away, hoping I hadn't disturbed the residents. Then a few minutes later I witnessed the mother mouse return, and one by one, methodically relocate the tiny newborn mice elsewhere. I apologized but I don't think she understood English or Spanish.<p></p><p>Scientific studies attest to the affection rodents, in one case <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-can-rodents-tell-us-about-why-humans-love-180949441/">voles</a>, which are quite affectionate towards one another. Another article speaks about how <a href="https://www.peta.org/features/hidden-lives-rats-mice/">mice and rats</a> bond with their families and even humans. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0OgHqR9Zyg23LHHEjOurlPbIhceHdBfKF7JRIzaWxEI2DnzL2wUEuajJm8NO5J-F4moJhZSxcYr1W9fFPoLzy5y7Oxcqz5r02Pf-Chkr7p3sJxwDFaQiFoyawtBg_Upd6gL1Sm1JUCxDmVK3p483GCUtlf_AmKBVsM8e1uhochfJvc5zPeUWR9esd=s4080" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0OgHqR9Zyg23LHHEjOurlPbIhceHdBfKF7JRIzaWxEI2DnzL2wUEuajJm8NO5J-F4moJhZSxcYr1W9fFPoLzy5y7Oxcqz5r02Pf-Chkr7p3sJxwDFaQiFoyawtBg_Upd6gL1Sm1JUCxDmVK3p483GCUtlf_AmKBVsM8e1uhochfJvc5zPeUWR9esd=s320" width="241" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Stew's own mouse trap.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Y</span>et <i>musophobia</i> is widespread.</b></span> Félix, our former gardener, loved most animals but <i>loathed </i>mice, which he called <i>ratas</i>, rats, instead of mice, or <i>ratones</i>. No difference to him, as he repeatedly proposed mouse traps of all sorts, including the cruel adhesive strips where mice get stuck to die a slow death, or maybe rip off their toes trying to get away.<p></p><p>Aside from chewing up cardboard and fabric as material to build their nests, I find gray mice rather harmless. </p><p>I'll grant you, there was that unfortunate <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubonic_plague">bubonic plague</a> contretemps in Europe during the 14th Century, which killed an estimated 25 million people. </p><p>The fake news media of the time unfairly blamed mice that came aboard ships from Asia even though, more precisely, it was the <i>lice</i> on the mice that carried the dreaded plague. </p><p>Nowadays, the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/plague/maps/index.html">U.S. Centers for Disease Control</a> reports only a handful of cases of bubonic plague, and no deaths, so we should all lay off mice on that account. </p><p>To help calm Rocío's nerves, Stew has developed a most humane mouse trap. He puts a plastic cottage cheese carton on the mouse and then slips a piece of carboard underneath. Then he relocates it outside. </p><p>Gentle as that trapping may seem, I can't bring myself to do it. Instead I yell for Stew and point at the mouse, pretty much like Rocío does. </p><p>My excuse is that I don't want to hurt the mouse with some clumsy moves. But the truth may be far more embarrassing: Am I afraid of those cute little mice too? </p></div>alcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672834250325632231.post-6545402653841065372022-01-04T18:28:00.002-06:002022-01-05T07:29:23.098-06:00How I'm going to make 2022 an exciting year<p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span>ome people, myself included, make New Year's resolutions that are bound to fail.</b></span> Take, for instance, my vowing to take up marathoning despite my penguin-like flat feet that keep me from running more than a block at a time. Other people inventory all their defects and deficiencies, the weight of which end up crushing their spirits rather than motivating them to change. </p><p>Looking back through the rubble of 2021, or 2020, for clues of what we might do in 2022 is not very helpful unless it leads you to do <i>just the opposite.</i> Last year, most Americans followed the advice of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Covid oracle, and embraced a quasi-monastic life. I know people who didn't leave their home for several months. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnODYV5a3rX3sr4YhghwhESdblytMlytZCc7Slj_KyP34TtiqCajnSw2ZrBXwicGJRAn1GoChVgbLzp5ozD9zjJX8ab5CcZBHZotcxJ1EUqx_CBcA5bJcxhW4R8PbnW3sMpEek10eB_yI/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="286" data-original-width="176" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnODYV5a3rX3sr4YhghwhESdblytMlytZCc7Slj_KyP34TtiqCajnSw2ZrBXwicGJRAn1GoChVgbLzp5ozD9zjJX8ab5CcZBHZotcxJ1EUqx_CBcA5bJcxhW4R8PbnW3sMpEek10eB_yI/w197-h320/image.png" width="197" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Fever? Better get tested. </b></span></td></tr></tbody></table>We obediently vaccinated, boosted, and kept our face masks on. It seemed to work for awhile, but Covid roared back anyway in the form of the Omicron variant. And just think how many more letters are left in the Greek alphabet. <p></p><p></p><p></p><p>At this point, you're excused if you feel like taking the advice of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCRZZC-DH7M">Miss Peggy Lee</a>: <i>"If that's all there is my friend, let's just keep dancing, break out the booze and have a ball."</i> </p><p>Except I can't dance and I'm not going to discard 37-some years of sobriety. But neither am I ready to get stuck in the mud and keep doing the same ol'. </p><p>So I've picked out some resolutions that in some cases may be more like <i>reactions</i> to what we experienced during 2021.</p><p><span><b style="font-family: "Roboto Condensed";"><span style="font-size: x-large;">1.</span> On matters of science, I will turn my attention to outer space. </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">As daily reports about the virus have become an ever more confusing muddle, the mysteries of the universe appear not only awesome and inspiring but comparatively straightforward, and on track to become more so in the new year. </span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzaqcF5ianDgJPC79MY30XCX5L5IwSAoYQV2eCLUJ4hBKMo58aLZfmC75mtcO6LUmVNpF5pdD2WBZj7todYDBoywj3JPR7NMGlN2gbrDRYYRCIN_X_aMa9134uas2GQJqTsA0uYDSqDsA/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="284" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzaqcF5ianDgJPC79MY30XCX5L5IwSAoYQV2eCLUJ4hBKMo58aLZfmC75mtcO6LUmVNpF5pdD2WBZj7todYDBoywj3JPR7NMGlN2gbrDRYYRCIN_X_aMa9134uas2GQJqTsA0uYDSqDsA/w400-h249/image.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Hello, little Martians, wherever you are.</b> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>In February 2021, the U.S. landed a exploration vehicle on Mars the size of a small car, that among a myriad instruments carried a small helicopter that made 18 brief picture-taking flights. Everything worked flawlessly.</p><p>If you're not impressed, consider that Mars and the earth are between 55 and 400 <i>million</i> kilometers apart, depending on their relative orbital locations. Landing something on Mars is like someone hitting a baseball in Wrigley Field into the mitt of a waiting outfielder in Bombay. </p><p>On Christmas Day, the U.S. and its European space partners launched the James Webb Space Telescope, an incredibly complex piece of equipment that is zooming to its final destination, an orbit around the earth <i>one million</i> miles away. When the telescope is finally set up, man will be able to peer farther into the universe than ever before. </p><p>And as if wasn't enough, Cpt. James Tiberius Kirk who was born in Riverside, Iowa in 2233—and is also known as William Shatner, age 90—<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/oct/13/william-shatner-jeff-bezos-rocket-blue-origin">rocketed his chubby butt into space</a> aboard one of Jeff Bezos' rockets. It gave all those over 65 renewed hope of a quick ride into space, at least if they have lots of money. </p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">2.</span> Research into renewable energy will keep its rapid growth in 2022.</b></span> Electric vehicles, including trucks, and renewable energy sources, once considered far-fetched, suddenly are upon us. </p><p>Right here at the ranch, in 2022 we plan to replace the two ten-year-old, lead acid batteries in our solar electric system with the latest-generation <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_iron_phosphate_battery">lithium ferro phosphate batteries</a>. The current batteries weigh 900 lbs. each and are normally used to power forklifts. </p><p>The three new batteries weigh only 78 pounds each and are the size of a briefcase. They are waiting for us in one of those container ships from China meandering outside Los Angeles for the past six months. </p><p>More curious, or cynical, readers might ask: How are we going to dispose safely of those monstrous old batteries? Indeed. Stay tuned, is all I can say.</p><p>And have you noticed how during the past two years, quaint colonial San Miguel has quietly changed all the sodium vapor street lamps in favor of LEDs that consume only a fraction of the electricity, even if they emit a fairly harsh light? </p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">3. </span>I will have renewed respect for the sensibilities of animals.</b></span> Two films and a book last year revealed how intelligent and even soulful animals can be. </p><p>The Oscar-winning documentary <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Octopus_Teacher">My Octopus Teacher</a> (Netflix) is about a year-long relationship between a South African diver and an octopus, who develop an intimate bond that shows the keen intelligence of the octopus. </p><p>That led me to <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22609485-the-soul-of-an-octopus">The Soul of an Octopus</a>, a book by Sy Montgomery, which shows not only the intelligence but the consciousness of octopuses, which can befriend humans, play tricks, solve problems and on occasion, even be a little wily.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-TgwwWOTVLSz4d0KK1wkoniqQfsAzsbB1TB-ARSBRVemT_qgy7BKo4AdkBFAdGaP6UDGOJZKsK0uj9UaDJ6Q2fVeYmWQVcSE3Dgc3rNLlZtGGe51pYXYXZjzm_PZr0TiyIk61XpwbBx4/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-TgwwWOTVLSz4d0KK1wkoniqQfsAzsbB1TB-ARSBRVemT_qgy7BKo4AdkBFAdGaP6UDGOJZKsK0uj9UaDJ6Q2fVeYmWQVcSE3Dgc3rNLlZtGGe51pYXYXZjzm_PZr0TiyIk61XpwbBx4/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Gunda: Get along little piggies. </b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>And a pig named <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gunda_2020">Gunda</a>—who's still alive—is the protagonist in a strange, fascinating and ultimately heart-wrenching eponymous movie, about life on a Norwegian farm. The film is in black and white and has no script, dialogue, music or any other manmade noises—just the sound of Gunda's grunts and oinks, and of other animals on the ranch. </p><p>The movie grabs you and doesn't let go until the end, when you'll probably be reaching for a box of Kleenex. Pigs have the smarts of a three-year-old kid and are social, gregarious animals. </p><p>After reading and watching those films, I've resolved to pay more attention to my four dogs and three cats, which I tend to take for granted. How I'm going to do that it's not clear. Maybe play more with them, look at them in the eyes, take them on walks, talk to them, try to learn their differences and observe how they process different games and situations. </p><p>As far as my diet, well, I never ate octopus. As for giving up pork chops, I'll have to meditate on that. Sorry, Gunda. Dogs and cats are safe. </p><p><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-large;"><b>4</b>.</span> <b><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;">We will try to kick the meatloaf habit.</span> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's interesting how that works: Americans and Canadians move here singing their love of everything Mexican, but then get stuck in a rut of eating the same stuff—<i>meatloaf special today?</i>—at a handful of restaurants, with the same dining partners. </span></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgfBIl68msGvjYNcCUUxbGdLvsziL08Wq-V1lKc57dGxtfXWEr_cjzXpATpe3i05LxueLjf_omBWOo-KxLiXI_9XQu5WwAD7YIRmqavthoKwIQn8Ua89_bluw66AFsH7PD-zmdvI_RxaMamKy-QWfhuPn24L-qtx3Qg7wjSRLeg_TEqBO84Z3iyV9n4=s612" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="612" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgfBIl68msGvjYNcCUUxbGdLvsziL08Wq-V1lKc57dGxtfXWEr_cjzXpATpe3i05LxueLjf_omBWOo-KxLiXI_9XQu5WwAD7YIRmqavthoKwIQn8Ua89_bluw66AFsH7PD-zmdvI_RxaMamKy-QWfhuPn24L-qtx3Qg7wjSRLeg_TEqBO84Z3iyV9n4=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Today's special is meatloaf! Again?</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yet, San Miguel's roster of restaurants of all types grows daily, offering different cuisines, locations, and price ranges. Just this afternoon, I discovered a new Cuban restaurant! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Even when we find a new restaurant, after a while we often drift back to the familiar. Instead, I'd like to sample Mexico's fabulous cuisine beyond the ol' enchiladas—<i>green or red salsa?</i> </span></p><p><b style="font-family: "Roboto Condensed";"><span style="font-size: x-large;">5.</span> 2022 will be the year Stew and I resume traveling. </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Back in January 2020, we bought tickets to London on Aeroméxico that we've had to cancel three times. Mercifully, Aeroméxico each time has given us full-price vouchers, the latest to expire on Nov. 30. </span></p><p>No more cowering at home, wondering what the virus is going to go next. Odds are that the risks of contagion are no worse in Chicago than in London or Vancouver. And if I'm going to wear a mask, I'd rather do so sitting at a sidewalk café in Rome or Paris, than roaming at the Don Pedro hardware store or having another meatloaf special in San Miguel. </p><p>2022? Bring it on. We're ready. </p><p style="text-align: center;">-30- </p>alcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672834250325632231.post-2066903903879778452021-12-21T18:57:00.000-06:002021-12-21T18:57:57.084-06:00The strange and sad story of our gardener Lupe<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span> week ago last Sunday</b></span>, on the feast day of the Virgin of Guadalupe, or <i>Lupita </i>as she is affectionally called by some Mexicans who venerate her more fervently that even Jesus himself, Stew, a friend and I went to Querétaro to see Steven Spielberg's remake of "West Side Story." We all loved it, although I caviled about the too-graphic depiction of gang violence. In the 1961 version, dazzling music and production numbers seemed to airbrush some of the blood, guts, knifings and personal tragedies inherent in the story. </p><p>During dinner after the movie I got a call from our 24-year-old gardener Lupe, himself named after Mexico's patron saint. He was frantic, borderline incoherent. I could make out only half of what he said: Something about him and his brother being in trouble because some people had been knifed in a fight—<i>en una riña—</i>the night before. I sent him a WhatsApp text, asking for details but his altered state of mind and nearly illiterate Spanish didn't help. </p><p>Whether life imitates art or the other way around, the coincidence between the violence in the movie and in our "hood"—the string of dirt-poor villages surrounding our ranch—struck an eerie note. Since we moved to the ranch some 12 years ago, there must have been more than 20 or 25 actual or attempted killings around us, all seemingly linked to guns, knives, pent-up testosterone and alcohol. Lots of alcohol. </p><p><span><b style="font-family: arial;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">F</span>rom what I've heard, t</span>he brawl involving our former gardener, </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">and</span><b style="font-family: arial;"> </b></span>his younger brother Narciso, was triggered by a small gang of thugs who came in from a nearby village and into Lupe's town of Sosnavar, and past his family's house, behind the local elementary school. Lupe, allegedly quite drunk, took it as a taunt and responded by shooting a pistol into the evening air. </p><p>The invading gang, the story continues, responded in kind by assaulting Lupe and his brother. A rumble was on. Narciso pulled out a knife and slit the throat of one of the other guys<i>, </i>and plunged the knife into his gut a couple of times for good measure. The victim, who was in a coma for several days, miraculously survived. <i>Did Lupita intercede to save the life of this well well known delinquent? </i></p><p>Another one of the thugs also was knifed, but not as seriously. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPNT1VkdtQYUD5CuhXDSzvMiMewn7CaJVXnLCyLcJG-Rq-2Fsv1haGTeVRITsbsS9N64v8ni724sxgZ8KHH2BG8SGeAQGu4nDie0k_hV53SXiex9DpQXo7EOj_bW9qSsm702InPtjWm946NhE68hcR8UmKP2owfuCcDScLlT9vpvm4kL0_7GGJiscY=s500" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="352" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPNT1VkdtQYUD5CuhXDSzvMiMewn7CaJVXnLCyLcJG-Rq-2Fsv1haGTeVRITsbsS9N64v8ni724sxgZ8KHH2BG8SGeAQGu4nDie0k_hV53SXiex9DpQXo7EOj_bW9qSsm702InPtjWm946NhE68hcR8UmKP2owfuCcDScLlT9vpvm4kL0_7GGJiscY=w281-h400" width="281" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Dear Lupita: If it pleases you, save your disciples from one another.</b> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>In another voice message on WhatsApp on Monday, Lupe stuttered that he hadn't stabbed anyone, that he was scared of being sent to prison along with his brother, and asked me to keep his job open so he could come back when the matter was cleared up. </p><p>Another one of Lupe's brothers is already serving time for the gang rape of a minor, and two other brothers have been working in the U.S., without papers, for more than two years, Lupe once told me. He worked in the States for a year too, but came back claiming he was "bored."</p><p>Any estimate of the extent of the violence around our ranch is bound to be vague, because police don't have much of a yen to investigate violence involving drunken John Does in the campo, much less compile statistics. A lawyer friend also explained that once a crime is under "investigation," the matter is considered sealed. Neither does the local media show much interest in covering routine killings, except as fodder for graphic reports. </p><p>So if you want to make any sense of the mayhem around here, you're left with word-of-mouth as the prime source of information, and from there, draw your own conclusions. </p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">L</span>upe's presence and deportment</b></span> during the three months he worked for us after Félix' departure, make this latest crime story all the more incongruous. He's about five-foot-two or -three, must weigh no more than 90 pounds and has the physique of a 14-year-old, not of a married 24-year-old with a two-year-old baby girl. Instead of the regulation baseball cap most Mexicans his age wear, he wore an Indiana Jones hat, perhaps to make him look taller. When we spoke his delivery was so diffident often I'd have to ask him to speak up and look at me so I could understand him. </p><p>His job performance was impeccable almost obsessive, invariably showing up on time, and doing more work than he was asked. When he cleaned and weeded a flower bed it looked as if it had been vacuumed. During our recent two-week stay in San Antonio, Lupe repainted all the windows and doors in the house, in and out, without leaving a speck of stray paint behind. Stew and I were astonished. </p><p>He did his job fervently as if in constant fear of losing it. <i>Please don't fire me, I desperately need this job. </i>In retrospect, I suspect he may have had problems with previous employers and his gig with us was an attempt at a fresh start. </p><p>So how did this small, meek guy change into a gun-wielding street fighter? People who know him told me his entire family are notorious drinkers and that Lupe himself was drinking on the job while we were away in San Antonio.</p><p>Last I heard, Lupe and Narciso are both in hiding, afraid not of the police but of retribution by the families of the two guys who got knifed. Lupe's supposedly trying to raise money to pay a coyote to take him back to the States, to join his two brothers there working construction around Dallas. Or he could flee to another part of Mexico. </p><p>Either way, his prospects for a peaceful life for himself and his family seem dim indeed, all at the young age of 24. </p><p>-30-</p>alcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672834250325632231.post-69510739651968566772021-12-14T16:00:00.002-06:002021-12-14T16:00:40.681-06:00My own curious sidebar to the coronavirus story<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">D</span>uring a recent 15-day sojourn</b></span> in San Antonio, Texas, for Stew to undergo knee-replacement surgery—and for me to play his personal Florence Nightingale during his recovery—we both got the booster Pfizer shot and the annual flu vaccine at a Walgreens pharmacy. </p><p>Taking both vaccines simultaneously was perfectly safe, or so we had read. That was true in Stew's case, who had hardly any reaction, but which in my case triggered an odd flashback to an unpleasant episode from my childhood: What seemed to be a form of chickenpox. </p><p>If you expect an anti-vaccination screed you won't find it here. From what I've learned from reputable sources—government health organizations and medical researchers, as opposed to conspiracy mongers trolling the internet—vaccinations are the most concrete and effective weapon available now against the spread of the coronavirus and its variants. </p><p>What I did learn from my experience, though, is that end of this health crisis is nowhere near and indeed may never come. Individuals are different and so may be their reactions to vaccines and various viruses. </p><p>Viruses of all types, and how they operate within the body's immune system, are phenomenally complex and elusive organisms. They don't just vanish but rather hide or go dormant, as in a game of Whack-a-mole, to perhaps reappear years or decades afterward.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaU0exzwu-dk46iYbA05j2k3MLp9lnfW36ol4BBrvaruzztIWbDQBWD90PpeYDGLKrWoaKa0d2nVTqFcF_OJiiAC64TKX5C1o6rTa6lYFJ65id_N13jRvfLpaUU-iNHqvZ7CbjVyeutZuzloAbOeO8a6ABKkLsBgTV47AdgfN0UmK2XsTIYNr4sByl=s612" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="612" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaU0exzwu-dk46iYbA05j2k3MLp9lnfW36ol4BBrvaruzztIWbDQBWD90PpeYDGLKrWoaKa0d2nVTqFcF_OJiiAC64TKX5C1o6rTa6lYFJ65id_N13jRvfLpaUU-iNHqvZ7CbjVyeutZuzloAbOeO8a6ABKkLsBgTV47AdgfN0UmK2XsTIYNr4sByl=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;">A depiction of the chickenpox virus which, hmm, looks strangely familiar.</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">M</span>y<span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span>symptoms began about 15 days ago,</b></span> when I developed aches in my head, ears and throat, but curiously only on the right side of my head. </p><p>The volume of my chronic tinnitus, a slight buzzing in my ears, also increased noticeably, but only on my right ear. </p><p>My initial stab at self-diagnosis was that I had an abscess in my upper-right gums that was somehow causing the pain in my ears. </p><p>A quick visit to the dentist, which included X-rays, quickly shot down that notion. She found a slightly loose implant but nothing else wrong.</p><p>Again trusting my instincts—and the advice of Dr. Google—I started taking, every four hours, antibiotic pills left over from a previous infection. Combined with ibuprofen, I figured that would take care of the problem.</p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span>t didn't and in fact the pain began to keep me awake</b></span>. I went to the emergency room, and a young doctor peeked in my ear and confidently diagnosed a gonzo ear infection, and prescribed a strong antibiotic and some ear drops. He said the problem would clear up in a couple of days. The pain did ebb for a day or two, but then returned.</p><p>Stew's replacement knee had pretty much healed up by now but I was getting sicker. </p><p>Meanwhile, small, suppurating skin lesions appeared, particularly around my chin and earlobes—but only on the right side of my face. This was getting strange. Another visit to Dr. Google suggested that the antibiotic I was taking perhaps was too powerful and had triggered an allergic reaction. </p><p>Back at the same emergency room, I was attended by a different young medic who concurred with Dr. Google, and wrote a prescription for a milder antibiotic, and suggested I cut back on the ear drops from six to four times a day. That didn't help either.</p><p>By now I was wondering if had contracted the coronavirus somehow, except I wasn't running a fever and my symptoms were not related to my lungs or breathing, but were clustered around the right side of my face and throat. </p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">O</span>n day five or six, and increasingly cranky from the lack of sleep</b></span>, I went to see an ear, throat and nose specialist whom I probably should have seen in the first place. </p><p>From pre-Covid days I remember her as a slight, quite attractive, confident woman, who was very thorough in her exams, though she'd only checked my ears for excessive wax buildup. </p><p>Now she was dressed head-to-foot in a pandemic battle gear: Her head and neck were covered with a brightly colored silk scarf, like devout Muslim women wear, her eyes with oversize plastic goggles, mouth with a thick mask, hands with blue rubber gloves. </p><p>At first I found the get-up a bit over-the-top until I realized that her specialty exposed her to patients' noses and throats—the main avenues of transmission for the coronavirus—and her preventive concerns made perfect sense.</p><p>She questioned me about my exposure to chickenpox, mumps and other childhood diseases. Then, as if to rule out a Covid infection, I said I had recently received the Pfizer booster and the flu vaccine on the same trip to the pharmacy. Aha. </p><p>She came up with a diagnosis which, like her outfit, at first I found a bit out-there, but made sense when it sank in. I went from skeptical to impressed by her thinking.</p><p>The lesions on my face, she said, looked like chicken pox, which like shingles, herpes and other viruses go dormant in the body, and reappear maybe years later, rather than vanish. My double vaccination in San Antonio, she surmised, likely had triggered a response in my immune system that had caused the reactivation of the chickenpox. No, it was not an generalized infection, she said, because it seemed to be contained to the right side of my face. </p><p>She prescribed pills for treating herpes-related infections; advised me to take the rest of the antibiotics prescribed by the second doctor, along with an analgesic and an ointment for my skin lesions. </p><p>Things are better. The earaches have receded, along with the headaches, but the pain on the right-hand side of my throat persists. Blemishes are also disappearing. </p><p>I'll go in for another exam next week and vow not to do a double-take at her strange but timely outfits. </p>alcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6672834250325632231.post-50773704982215726482021-11-09T10:42:00.007-06:002021-11-09T18:03:44.210-06:00Zipping above Mexico's Copper Canyon<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span><span style="font-size: large;">ourism-promoters</span></b></span> often resort to grandiose pitches that may not be exactly correct—we've got the fastest this or the biggest that. And so Mexico claims that its Copper Canyon, in the northern state of Chihuahua, is larger in area than the Grand Canyon in Arizona. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It all depends on how measure them. The Copper Canyon is in fact composed of <i>seven</i> separate canyons that, if added together, cover a larger area than that of its cousin in Arizona which is <i>one</i> continuous canyon. But aside from sheer size, some argue the Grand Canyon is more impressive because of its stunning rock formations, while much of the Copper Canyon is covered with pine forests that dull its visual impact somewhat. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgI2dxA3m-zJr5r6lTbeSJgLnBPx8vAG0jIw7BYL8nsqSaGv_XCdD3nWVXLa0ViJS4Qr4eRpDsRw5DG0KipHcbJq7p8MJPQ3qPuNN9ta9OOg9btCaXQylgi7Q5QSNglIgrFkJJcXFByps/s2048/sunrise+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgI2dxA3m-zJr5r6lTbeSJgLnBPx8vAG0jIw7BYL8nsqSaGv_XCdD3nWVXLa0ViJS4Qr4eRpDsRw5DG0KipHcbJq7p8MJPQ3qPuNN9ta9OOg9btCaXQylgi7Q5QSNglIgrFkJJcXFByps/w400-h266/sunrise+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Sunrise on the Copper Canyon.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">Whatever. When you're sitting on a small canvas seat hanging from a one-inch cable, a quarter of a mile off the ground and going as fast as 85 miles an hour—if only for a few minutes—the immensity and wondrous beauty of the Copper Canyon make measurements and other comparisons moot. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So-called zip lines are a common feature of natural parks around the world, and Mexico, naturally, claims that the 8,327-foot-long (1.6 miles) Zip Rider, hanging 1,450 feet (about a quarter of a mile) over the Copper Canyon is the <i>longest and highest</i> in the world. Not so fast, says the Guinness Book of World Records, which gives those titles to the zipline at the Toro Verde Adventure Park in Orocovis, Puerto Rico, which is 7,234 feet long and 1,200 feet above the ground. You decide. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">L</span><span style="font-size: large;">ast week Stew and I went on the Zip Rider</span></b></span> at the Copper Canyon's Parque Aventura and the experience was thrilling but with a scary coda. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiPo25hwnjfHMI_ePiV1i3VluTVvII4RFs9K7RO27I-68ggAav9HCxOza3_GSNcKCIr-cKWdjywDZB_cyUrMORPeQOQ3vMynPZ3fuQ-aHtx1cxRG9TlMaOS_gg-SS8OFmHpfws0-haLbs/s2048/stew.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiPo25hwnjfHMI_ePiV1i3VluTVvII4RFs9K7RO27I-68ggAav9HCxOza3_GSNcKCIr-cKWdjywDZB_cyUrMORPeQOQ3vMynPZ3fuQ-aHtx1cxRG9TlMaOS_gg-SS8OFmHpfws0-haLbs/s320/stew.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Stew getting ready for takeoff.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: left;">The fee for the Zip Rider is US$50, which provides you with a canvas seat attached to harnesses with multiple straps, plus a helmet, other buckles and safety belts and a two-roller "zipline trolley" that will hook you onto the cable.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>Of course, there are multiple tiny-type disclaimer forms to be signed, absolving Zip Rider operators from any liability in case you go splat on the canyon floor, get hit by a rock or suffer some other mishap. Our tour operator, if I recall correctly, required a similar disclaimer. </div><div><br /></div><div>You are also advised of some restrictions: No one over 75 years old, anyone with cardiac problems or funky knees, or some such impediments. But no need to worry because practically everyone is good to go if they pay the fifty bucks and sign the forms. </div><div><br /></div><div>From there, you climb a few steps onto a wooden platform, where two very young assistants, check your straps and belts, and hook your zipline trolley to the cable. The metal door noisily slams open, and one assistant whispers <i>¿Listo?"</i> and gives you a gentle shove into the abyss.</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfvHrlqI3H41mknnzeL3XD9x6f79DTSo6otV7xYxLOS6ls_6xA13YJshxh6v86ZlfJU3d8UBbk51JIjY-uTtRz3UOfKxkb8bEmKEYru24fla45x15Shyta3FCFp85Cf3SWU0x462dTbXM/s2048/zipline+1.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfvHrlqI3H41mknnzeL3XD9x6f79DTSo6otV7xYxLOS6ls_6xA13YJshxh6v86ZlfJU3d8UBbk51JIjY-uTtRz3UOfKxkb8bEmKEYru24fla45x15Shyta3FCFp85Cf3SWU0x462dTbXM/w400-h266/zipline+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Cables over the Copper Canyon: The two in the foreground are for the aerial <br />tram; the one farther away is for the Zip Rider.</b> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span>he ride is an unforgettable, if brief, adrenaline rush.</b></span> After the sudden drop immediately after takeoff, you go across the canyon at a dizzying speed that almost feels like weightlessness. </div><div><br /></div><div>That high only lasts two or three minutes before you make an abrupt landing against rubber shock absorbers at the destination platform, where a young woman sets you free of all the straps and harnesses. </div><div><br /></div><div>There is no machinery involved. What propels you to the other side is simply your own weight, the forces of gravity and the resulting momentum. The weight of the cable creates a gentle sag in the middle. The take-off platform is a few hundred feet higher than the landing area which gives you the speed that takes you up to the landing pad. </div><div><br /></div><div>Videoclip of Stew airborne: </div><div><br /></div><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/wBv_FShwZt8&source=gmail&ust=1636588954895000&usg=AFQjCNEM4AI835j7MZ4Z268s0MBW-PTMUA" href="https://youtu.be/wBv_FShwZt8" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/wBv_FShwZt8</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, Noto, sans-serif" style="color: #065fd4;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: nowrap;"><br /></span></span><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4v72OonsJ_ToYPvJUXTqm3gIPZBzVE8-eOv1kOn-isrnO90JBAB7WfQ52EaKon4_Ki5l7DsSB_EXNTvmssAI3c7_7_IrAjE6_p6kty6hIg8F5bD5k2ue4nS-tJJKRT2qvDa9d_66xtfA/s2048/zipline+trolley.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1505" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4v72OonsJ_ToYPvJUXTqm3gIPZBzVE8-eOv1kOn-isrnO90JBAB7WfQ52EaKon4_Ki5l7DsSB_EXNTvmssAI3c7_7_IrAjE6_p6kty6hIg8F5bD5k2ue4nS-tJJKRT2qvDa9d_66xtfA/w147-h200/zipline+trolley.jpg" width="147" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Zipline trolleys.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>Your speed depends on your weight. One of the people in our group, a bearded, slight man, didn't quite make it, and got stuck in mid-air, about 40 feet from the end zone. A young woman had to climb on the cable and pull him with a pole. Ouch. </div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span><span style="font-size: medium;">hen came the scary part:</span></b></span> A steep, one hour-plus climb on a winding path of gravel and loose stones, up the side of a mountain, atop which we would catch the cable car to bring us back to the other side. Parts of the path narrowed to three feet or so, with no railing or ropes to hang on to. At times the cable car station seemed to be moving ever farther and higher away.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Ahead of us, a guy in our tour—the same one who got stuck on the zipline—had a great deal of problems making the climb and had to be helped by someone else climbing <i>backward</i> and essentially yanking him up. A couple of times I slipped and found myself on all fours. A mother-and-daughter team in our group, who said they were experienced hikers, described it as "extreme climb." Not a great time. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3jY8XiyE78gwkBMfr3DflcvymF3ehY5ZsIXKZjTGouxnofqpRYuuhKlDMFBZyv0INGAx7QGFC71hgSpTjibq5B4QIIBPdbQ7nhJMLgSggm-HMYLJKeJ3cjSmWhyRpeSK12tMuwt9gNEs/s2048/canyon+1.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3jY8XiyE78gwkBMfr3DflcvymF3ehY5ZsIXKZjTGouxnofqpRYuuhKlDMFBZyv0INGAx7QGFC71hgSpTjibq5B4QIIBPdbQ7nhJMLgSggm-HMYLJKeJ3cjSmWhyRpeSK12tMuwt9gNEs/w400-h266/canyon+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Another view of the Copper Canyon.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: left;">Neither the signage at the park, nor the operator of the tour we were on—who had never been on the Zip Rider himself—had warned us about the difficulty of the return hike. Back at the hotel, a several people in our tour group—many of whom were over seventy years old—seemed quite restive and complained to the tour operator, who, alas, was not able to muster an apology for not warning us. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">If it hadn't been for the hair-raising schlep to the cable car, I would have taken a second ride on the Zip Rider—and maybe even a third one. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And if Stew and I visit Puerto Rico again, I'll be sure to try its zipline to check if it's in fact longer, higher—and more fun—and take some pictures while airborne. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#30#</span></div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">A few more pictures:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihlX7KqonllGVgsW3lZns-f3zDeojtiY5m1yj9VggFfBSsiAHbbBorLlGkUV1HaCzFxDY6gh496cSP9MRyi9-_mp_L15gIcZCX9lNLASXruq_yrQWd61hU0-IM1dr8b4_xd8hDuBR25Ro/s2048/canyon6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1265" data-original-width="2048" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihlX7KqonllGVgsW3lZns-f3zDeojtiY5m1yj9VggFfBSsiAHbbBorLlGkUV1HaCzFxDY6gh496cSP9MRyi9-_mp_L15gIcZCX9lNLASXruq_yrQWd61hU0-IM1dr8b4_xd8hDuBR25Ro/s320/canyon6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-k6YFLZFKA4_d93Lb5dO3CW454fIcJBs_7fsfYddTIC9QVu7KFEcdXvgwhvqnfywmXMgcyI0qjXqyUNzVeS_gjA_Y-X3Z4YfJ4e8L0LMc_OKWoxG2Lu2bTei4r4J3E9fdlmudaOc317s/s2048/canyon+5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-k6YFLZFKA4_d93Lb5dO3CW454fIcJBs_7fsfYddTIC9QVu7KFEcdXvgwhvqnfywmXMgcyI0qjXqyUNzVeS_gjA_Y-X3Z4YfJ4e8L0LMc_OKWoxG2Lu2bTei4r4J3E9fdlmudaOc317s/s320/canyon+5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-OBrUc7BxhJR0JvX1El1nqAJrUhENRZf4hh3UeUgYEP9gmTErNFZ-eOxWSnbL5qX1rlwcv2rkZ67Bt7I9Dl7cBCWJ8e-6SDnqYHNhDFHHa1LUtuWDeTwdB9PC9UkkuRWo_rVLu3q9_ac/s2048/canyon+6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-OBrUc7BxhJR0JvX1El1nqAJrUhENRZf4hh3UeUgYEP9gmTErNFZ-eOxWSnbL5qX1rlwcv2rkZ67Bt7I9Dl7cBCWJ8e-6SDnqYHNhDFHHa1LUtuWDeTwdB9PC9UkkuRWo_rVLu3q9_ac/s320/canyon+6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>The red roof of the hotel where we stayed is visible on <br />the upper left-hand corner of the photo. </b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1449" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5brlW05ZraqK4Yro0Z96y96Lb6rb91mM8HiJXf7gnGhpb8eiYLv6ZI-RMv1pIxANWSSXpzi0ACnd-QDQEEZq8EkaGLMkm6oJfuExd3STkjGCegnnUvFcN8YZyslb5P3KSLWLamdquHJI/s320/church-12.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="226" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Sugar-free Coke, according to this huge sign.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5brlW05ZraqK4Yro0Z96y96Lb6rb91mM8HiJXf7gnGhpb8eiYLv6ZI-RMv1pIxANWSSXpzi0ACnd-QDQEEZq8EkaGLMkm6oJfuExd3STkjGCegnnUvFcN8YZyslb5P3KSLWLamdquHJI/s2048/church-12.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"></span></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXFmuQfWROxgqHPC9tVoOnzEIMjLiZgQb1NccRiDVIVbRrFTed46kTsUQ5zX0P6zLUbKyhmXs-7guXOJlFujmzqH9hTr-OuQOA2Dg6LeDgi1Eq5L63TERXw-NxRGeEJg8lJgdy2aOveZk/s2048/church-18.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1430" data-original-width="2048" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXFmuQfWROxgqHPC9tVoOnzEIMjLiZgQb1NccRiDVIVbRrFTed46kTsUQ5zX0P6zLUbKyhmXs-7guXOJlFujmzqH9hTr-OuQOA2Dg6LeDgi1Eq5L63TERXw-NxRGeEJg8lJgdy2aOveZk/s320/church-18.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>A church at the small town of Cerocahui.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGwsHw2tAYojaZjHzoLdrOBAsXHPzv4G9Aav8CUpv0uZ_-kYXsy20GhFQxSpYfpObq7AiBFTgAjs_wQB3i-ohXV0pqSQztwPDi9Nomq_nMjRBLI1T_ao1h1V02chHQll9I173uiZcZTVI/s2048/church-22.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGwsHw2tAYojaZjHzoLdrOBAsXHPzv4G9Aav8CUpv0uZ_-kYXsy20GhFQxSpYfpObq7AiBFTgAjs_wQB3i-ohXV0pqSQztwPDi9Nomq_nMjRBLI1T_ao1h1V02chHQll9I173uiZcZTVI/s320/church-22.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tlw44cw6Mf9bHO1SyUdEkS07X__2XoR-L8DRxPbdoxwMbM0eBpxs9p-efBVYpDXAHcce4jm82aO6-xDS1I782raeJbNVda7-XG6ueD9bjh4KFMATXxrFDylnlqH7DGdfv-y8tgqnnxM/s2048/church-30.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tlw44cw6Mf9bHO1SyUdEkS07X__2XoR-L8DRxPbdoxwMbM0eBpxs9p-efBVYpDXAHcce4jm82aO6-xDS1I782raeJbNVda7-XG6ueD9bjh4KFMATXxrFDylnlqH7DGdfv-y8tgqnnxM/s320/church-30.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>A memorial to two guys who ventured too far over the edge.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFj6apEYksfoqzQfzdOu3PgjzVEigh3B5DZXdLp_pcFl3bI0kQ8O4G2Oj4q69mkuM_w2GC_LaHXxI7wJZLUxcQygXn0qXZmwWJqTLLcKQexujf2dThWmPZI5iT9uqZZZGxdTyZmcwFmA/s2048/church-49.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFj6apEYksfoqzQfzdOu3PgjzVEigh3B5DZXdLp_pcFl3bI0kQ8O4G2Oj4q69mkuM_w2GC_LaHXxI7wJZLUxcQygXn0qXZmwWJqTLLcKQexujf2dThWmPZI5iT9uqZZZGxdTyZmcwFmA/s320/church-49.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAnYBdo-ufb3cOJvoe2bn-RU08iELY43RfIdY2Nnf0MklE7umNQipgHlko9ki9tWBvxgq4szwAWASkMbHVvHr2SbnfbyCEs2LznajGi5Gk_85MG_h985XmLUIxPTEEcBViWIPsKqSVrE/s2048/church-58.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAnYBdo-ufb3cOJvoe2bn-RU08iELY43RfIdY2Nnf0MklE7umNQipgHlko9ki9tWBvxgq4szwAWASkMbHVvHr2SbnfbyCEs2LznajGi5Gk_85MG_h985XmLUIxPTEEcBViWIPsKqSVrE/s320/church-58.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b>Sunset.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj7sKBuUwDAOhfvag-rI49agdPod5qNLd_CWYKY5qnZt4t34yRLucMwwEyQ6AowB3T03_dxUEsrv1RhKAJIAOX7g9hjkPrWf0sxxD5V2QFxAlAxzdDbGBa2X2_XJNj5p9Z0_8nLDwHOUM/s2048/church-91.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1897" data-original-width="2048" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj7sKBuUwDAOhfvag-rI49agdPod5qNLd_CWYKY5qnZt4t34yRLucMwwEyQ6AowB3T03_dxUEsrv1RhKAJIAOX7g9hjkPrWf0sxxD5V2QFxAlAxzdDbGBa2X2_XJNj5p9Z0_8nLDwHOUM/s320/church-91.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Roboto Condensed; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>These sandals are made for running:</i> The Tarahumara, <br />the indigenous people of the Copper <br />Canyon area, are world-renowned for their incredible feats <br />of ultra-long-distance running, sometimes longer than<br />60 (sixty) miles, wearing no other footwear than their<br />traditional sandals. A brief documentary on Netflix, <br />"Lorena of the Light Feet," is about a <br /> Tarahumara woman ultra marathoner. </b><br /><br />-30-</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div>alcubanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667546605871850986noreply@blogger.com0