More than 300 young girls and women have been killed in Ciudad Juarez since 1993 on the other side of the US border, across from El Paso, Texas. Late November, over 1,000 women dressed in black and holding candles marched through Mexico City to demand that those responsible for killing hundreds of women in the border town of Ciudad Juarez be brought to justice. Despite several federal and state investigations, the authorities have been unable to identify the killers or establish a motive behind the murders. Several people have been arrested or detained, but still the killings continue. Various motives have been offered: satanic black magic rituals, drug related and sex slavery.
Category Archives: enewsletter
The Spratly Islands
The Spratly Islands are 100 tiny formerly uninhabited islets and reefs making up 5 km of actual land spread over 410,000 sq km of sea. They are believed to have oil and gas reserves in addition to good fish stocks.
The problem is that both China and Taiwan lay claim to all of them and Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and the Philippines to part of them.
South East Asian states have just reached a draft agreement aimed at avoiding conflicts over the disputed Spratly Islands. All 10 member-states of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) approved a code of conduct for the islands in the South China Sea, which will in turn be presented to China, which is not a member.
Friction over the islands, in the South China Sea, most recently erupted in August when Vietnamese troops based on one islet fired warning shots at Philippine military planes.
Mac.s Jottings
Signs and thoughts that Mac has seen or experienced on his travels around the world, and noted down in his travel diary.
l. Hong Kong. Budget Garden Hostel. Sign. “No smelly shoes allowed in dormitory.“
2. Simla India. Sign read “Spitting on the road is an offence punishable up to 50 rps under HPMC.” (An Indian was urinating next to the sign).
3. Coffee house in India. Sign saying: “If convenient please speak slowly” (we have the same sign in our snake pit.)
4. Puri, India. Sign “Gods Blessings Of Lord Jagahnath with hearty offerings. All offerings to Lord are free income tax.“
5. In Albert & Victorian museum in London cafeteria they had a sign “Pickpockets operate here” I gave the little old lady behind me a dirty look in case she planned to pick my pocket.
Would you like to tell us about your travels? Contact the Beetle
New Diver Record
A South African scuba diver set a new world record after living underwater in a steel tank for 10 days and surviving by eating through a tube. Tim Yarrow was (30) cheered by hundreds of onlookers shortly after 12:30pm on Saturday when he climbed out of the 3 by 2,3m tank, his home in a Johannesburg shopping mall since November 6. Yarrow spent 240 hours underwater with scuba apparatus in a controlled environment without surfacing. The initial record was just under nine days and Tim managed 10 days, Greg Wharram, team co-ordinator, said they had contacted Guinness World Records before the attempt began and now must file papers to make the record official.
Source: Reuters
Mutual Aid
John from the UK is planning to go from Hawaii to Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, South Africa, Europe, the UK, the US, and Hawaii plus any points in between, depending on limitations of the ticket. Because he intends to start from Hawaii, the UK travel agents have been giving him some very high quotes. Can anyone help him by suggesting a good travel agent, not necessarily in the UK to give a quote? He would also welcome any advice on backpacker travel insurance for the over 50's, with sailing included. To contact John, please e-mail him on: Coehabit@aol.com
Need help? Want a travelling buddy or advice about a place or country – want to share something with us – why not visit our Mutual Aid section of the Website: Mutual Aid
Woolly Mammoth Find
The remains of four woolly rhinos have been unearthed in an English quarry.
Scientists describe the group find at Whitemoor Haye in Staffordshire as “extraordinary” and one of the best Ice Age discoveries of its type in Northern Europe in recent years.
In addition to the great beasts, researchers have also dug out a remarkable range of superbly preserved plants and insects. One of the rhinos even has plant material still stuck to its teeth, giving possible clues to its last meal.
Taken together, the specimens should enable archaeologists to build up a detailed picture of what life was like in this particular corner of the UK 30-50,000 years ago.
“We'll be able to piece together the whole Ice Age environment in that area by the banks of the River Trent,” said Simon Buteux, director of the field archaeology unit at the University of Birmingham.
He told BBC News Online: “The plants in particular are beautifully preserved – they look as if they were buried last week quite frankly. And in amongst them are remains of beetles which are very sensitive to the climate, so this will give us good clues to what the local environment was back then.”
The initial woolly rhino (Coelodonta antiquus) discovery was made by quarryman Ray Davies, who pulled up a massive skull in the bucket of his digger.
Gary Coates, a University of Birmingham archaeologist, said: “I've been working at Whitemoor Haye Quarry for five years and have excavated everything from prehistoric burial grounds to Roman farmsteads, but this find was totally unexpected.
“It's the biggest find – in all senses of the word – I've ever been involved with.”
Execution denounced in world protest
A coalition of international human rights organisations is calling on countries around the world to abolish capital punishment in the first World Day Against the Death Penalty. Sixty cities around the world marked the occasion by illuminating significant landmarks: Barcelona lit up the Gaudi cathedral, Santiago illuminated its central park, and Belgium lit up its Atomium structure, with a dove of peace on the top. According to Amnesty International, at least 3,000 people were executed in 31 countries across the world last year.
The event was inspired by the city of Rome, which lights up the Colosseum when an execution order is overturned or a country abolishes capital punishment. The coalition wants to bring pressure on nations such as China and the United States, where the death penalty is still widely used.
According to human rights group Amnesty International, China executed more people in the first three months of the campaign that began in May 2002, than did the rest of the world over the past three years. At least 2,600 people were put to death in China last year alone, according to Amnesty. Next to China, Iran had the second-highest tally of executions in 2001, putting to death at least 139 people, Amnesty said. Saudi Arabia was third with 79 executions, and the United States followed, having put 66 people to death, the organisation said.
So You Think You.re Well Travelled?
Here’s a little Beetle quiz based on airport codes. See how many you get right! Go on, have a guess!
Which cities are served by airports with the following codes:
1. CPT
2. NBO
3. VCE
4. ORD
5. PRG
For the answers, see at the end of the e-newsletter.
Learning Spanish in Ecuador
I am in New York and I opened Adelante Spanish School (http://spanishamerica.com) with my Partner, Monica Guerra, who manages day-to-day affairs in Quito. For free help in planning a Ecuador trip, arranging a room in Quito and especially to plan Spanish lessons please contact us (lee@spanishamerica.com in English or monica@spanishamerica.com in Spanish)
In my opinion Quito, Ecuador and Antigua, Guatemala are the best places in the world for a traveller to learn Spanish quickly and affordably and with a great deal of fun. There are hundreds of schools in either city and the competition keeps the quality high and the cost low. The cost of language instruction can be under US$5/hr for one to one instruction and you can experience room and board with a local family for about $15/day. Having experienced both I chose to start my venture in Ecuador.
Quito’s many schools are excellent and the instructors are experienced. You will find relatively few people who speak English inQuito but all are patient with foreigners making it very conducive to learning. You should have no problem mastering Spanish as long as you study. You don’t need to do or study anything before you go. There is a lot to distract in Quito. If you take classes for 4-5 hours a day, try to study for three hours or so either over lunch or at dinner. It is a great place and you will find the most difficult thing about studying is that there are many wonderful things to do in Ecuador.
Ecuador is a place where you can do a lot and don't need a formal plan, reservations, etc. It is very easy to decide to do something (visit: jungle, mountain, hike, colonial, market, coast) on a Thursday night, to get on a bus Friday afternoon and to find a hotel when you arrive. It is the best way to meet people and to make sure that your experience is the best possible. Furthermore, Spanish schools tend to be flexible and accommodating for the spontaneous traveller.
Small schools are less expensive and tend to offer more personal attention and a better immersion experience while more costly larger schools offer the opportunity to socialize with more American students and English speakers. If you want a large number of peers visit a large school as well as a smaller school.
Most schools specialize in one-to-one Spanish instruction. One to one immersion training offers the best way to rapidly develop your language skills. Most professors are skilled and experienced in engaging in interesting conversation with students that is gauged to their level and challengs them to improve at their best ability. Your professor should be able to tell where you need assistance and focus on that aspect of your language training. Discusssion in English can be a welcome relief but they do not often further the goal of learning Spanish nearly so well as struggling with Spanish. That is what immersion is all about. There are volunteer opportunities available in and around Quito. Schools work with organisations to arrange volunteer opportunities
Please contact lee@spanishamerica.com or monica@spanishamerica.com for information or look at their web site http://spanishamerica.com. We can pick you up at the airport even if you later decide not to study with us. We are also happy to discuss your plans and assist in arrangements without any fees.
One Off Ivory Sale
The United Nations agreed last month to allow Botswana to have a one off sale of approximately 20,000 kilogrammes of ivory from elephant tusks, expected to be stockpiled by 2004. Similar bids have also been approved to take place in Namibia (who have 10,000kg of elephant tusk ivory) and South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe have also asked to do the same. Some environmental and conservation groups have reacted angrily to the news, saying the decision could “spell doom” for elephants and will encourage poaching. The African elephant population has fallen from 1.3 million in 1980 to between 300,000 and 450,000 today.