Sunday 23rd November 2014……a big hike!!!

Woke up at 7am and the sun was shining already nothing like this!!!!!

 

I was down at the gas station by 8am where I met up with Pierre and Kerrie and off we went on our usual Sunday morning hike…..our leader Pierre told us we were heading for the communication towers at the top of the peak of the old volcano ridge…this was good news for me because for a couple of years now I have hiked close to the towers but never actually been there…this is the first peak we have to cross…

and away we go!!!

it seemed where ever we went we always had a view of the lake, which is close to where I live!!!

The first animals of the day…

Check out the ears on the white cow on the right!!!!!

At last we see the towers!!!

At last!!!!

It took us three hours to get here and it was up hill all the way….we had lunch and then the sun was so lovely we all laid down for about 30 minutes it felt so good…..the view into the old crater!!!

More animals on the way down…

I actually got this white horse to come to me and lick my hand and here they are coming to Kerrie!!!

We were back at the gas station 7 hours later and we reckon we hiked 15 tough miles but it was wonderful.

Came home and straight into a long luxurious Epsom salts bath, then something to eat and now watching recorded tennis from France and when this finishes going to watch my Brother’s soccer team from England play!!!!

A nice light joke!!!!

Morris returns from the doctor and tells his wife that the doctor has told him that he has only 24 hours to live.
Given the prognosis, Morris  asks his wife for sex.
Naturally, she agrees, so they make love.
About 6 hours later, the husband goes to his wife and says, 'Honey, you know I now have only 18 hours to live.
Could we please do it one more time?'
Of course, the wife agrees, and they do it again.
Later, as the man gets into bed, he looks at his watch and realizes that he now has only 8 hours left.
He touches his wife's shoulder and asks, 'Honey, please... just one more time before I die.'
She says, 'Of course, Dear,' and they make love for the third time.

After this session, the wife rolls over and falls asleep.

Morris, however, worried about his impending death,tosses and turns, until he's down to 4 more hours.
He taps his wife, who rouses.
'Honey, I have only 4 more hours.
Do you think we could...'
At this point the wife sits up and says, 'Listen Morris, enough is enough

! ​  ​

I have to get up in the morning

​ ​

... you don't.

 

Another good article I think!!!

 

There are big disparities in prize money in football but tennis is among the sports with equal rewards

 

Men get more prize money than women in 30% of sports

By Anna Thompson & Aimee Lewis BBC Sport

 

Sports need to engage "in the battle for gender balance and fairness", says UK Minister for Sport Helen Grant after a BBC Sport study into prize money found 30% of sports reward men more highly than women.

The biggest disparities in prize money were found in football, cricket, golf, darts, snooker and squash.

"There is a gap, it needs to be closed but it's not going to happen overnight. We do know that women's sport is very exciting, we know it can draw really big audiences but we need more media coverage and more commercial investment," Grant told BBC Sport.

"It's not just about the bottom line and profits and the return on investment which I believe they will get, it's also taking part in the battle for gender balance and fairness in the 21st century."

A total of 56 global sports were looked at in the extensive study. Out of 35 sports that pay prize money, 25 pay equally and 10 do not. Fourteen sports, including rugby union and hockey, do not pay any prize money at all. Five sports did not provide information for the investigation and men and women compete alongside each other in horse racing and equestrian.

Athletics, bowls, skating, marathons, shooting, tennis and volleyball have all paid equal prize money since before 2004.

In the past decade, nine more sports have starting doing so with five - diving, sailing, taekwondo, windsurfing and some cycling events - achieving equality in the past couple of years.

Grant was encouraged by the number of sports which do pay equal prize money adding: "In 70% of sports there is parity and that's great and that's what we want. But we also want the others moving in that direction too and I feel it will happen when the full potential of women's sport is seen and realised."

Female footballers are rewarded significantly less than their male counterparts.

For winning this year's World Cup in Brazil, Germany received more than £21m more than Japan's women did after they were crowned world champions in 2011.

This season's men's FA Cup winners, a competition watched in more than 120 countries, will secure £1.8m in prize money while the team who lift the Women's Cup will net £5,000 - the same amount as the winning semi-finalists of non-league competition the FA Vase.

The Football Association has said men's and women's football are incomparable, describing them as "polar opposites" in global reach.

Kelly Simmons, the FA's director of the national game and women's football, said: "The men's game is a huge multi-million pound industry so when you compare it to the women's game, which until three or four years ago was played by amateurs, the gulf is enormous.

"We are investing £12m in women's football this year but we want to direct that investment where we think it will have the biggest impact and at the moment we do not think that is in prize funds.

"However, we are reviewing it and are looking for a commercial partner to take the women's FA Cup to bigger audiences."

Women golfers can earn a handsome living on the LPGA Tour, with Michelle Wie taking home £452,000 this year for winning the women's US Open.

But the American's reward was considerably less than the £1m cheque received by 2014 US Open winner Martin Kaymer.

Ivan Peter Khodabakhsh, chief executive of the Ladies European Tour, said he was striving for parity in prize money.

"The current significant difference in the prize money between men's and women's golf cannot be justified, taking into consideration the competitiveness and quality of professional women's golf worldwide," he told BBC Sport.

But Khodabakhsh added that achieving equality in prize money would require "considerable effort" from governing bodies, corporations and the media.

 

Sport's prize money gender gap

In squash, Laura Massaro - the first English woman to hold world and British Open titles simultaneously - has been instrumental in bringing equal prize money to the British Nationals and increasing women's prize money for the British Open.

But for winning her world title, she received £16,300 less than the men's world champion Nick Matthew, who secured £28,600 when he won his third world crown in November 2013.

Andrew Shelley, chief executive of World Squash, said the sport's world championships would bring in equal prize money "soon".

"The tours are committed to equal prize money and, indeed, this was reinforced at the recent World Squash Federation conference," Shelley told BBC Sport.In this year's World Twenty20, Australia beat England in the women's final - and were paid £44,000 in prize money - just hours before Sri Lanka's men overcame India by six wickets for which they were rewarded £690,000.

The International Cricket Council told BBC Sport: "We take a more holistic approach to make sure the overall women's game will grow. There's been a 12-fold increase in funding over the last five years where we now invest $25m (£15.5m) in the women's game, compared with $2m (£1.2m) in the previous five years.

"That money will be spent on development, associate members and pumped back into the game. Everything is increasing, such as participation and media coverage. Who knows where the sport will be in 20 years' time? It's heading in the right direction."

Stacey Allaster - Women's Tennis Association chief executive

"It doesn't make any sense to me in 2014 that here we sit with other great female athletes not having a greater share of sponsorship and exposure in media, whether that be print or broadcast. We need a game changer here. There's way too much talk about it. We need people to lead and people to invest."

Tennis was the first sport to pay equal prize money when the US Open started doing so in 1973 after campaigning from Billie Jean King and eight other female tennis players.

Stacey Allaster, chief executive of the Women's Tennis Association, said: "The WTA is where we are today because we had strong leaders, like Billie Jean King, who advocated for equality and she got it done in 1973 at the US Open. It was Venus Williams who got us over the line with Wimbledon [getting equal pay in 2007].

"It's that combination of the athletes advocating for what's right, and then the administrators supporting them, creating the public awareness that more equality, and eradicating gender bias in sport, needs to happen."

In snooker and darts, women are allowed to enter and compete alongside men at world championships, provided they qualify. However they do also run separate women's championships, with the British Darts Organisation paying out £12,000 for the women's title and in snooker, Reanne Evans received £1,500 for winning the women's event this year.

The study, which looked at prize money only and does not include wages, bonuses or sponsorship, was commissioned before a conference on Thursday aimed at transforming sport for the benefit of females in the United Kingdom.

It is being delivered by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF), which is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Ruth Holdaway, chief executive of WSFF, said: "We are encouraged that since 2013 a number of sports have taken the positive step towards prize money parity, and this shows that the momentum currently building behind women's sport is having an impact.

"It is, however, disappointing that in 2014 women still find themselves having to battle for equal reward in elite sport."

 

Yahsi Kochi!!!!

Saturday 22nd November 2014…darn rain!!!!!!!

Had a really strong down pour last night and because of that the courts were not open so my regular singles tennis was cancelled and I do so enjoy those games!!!!!

Had to settle for a  morning on the couch watching live tennis from France and then live soccer from England…..I know I have a hard life!!!

I want to bring you up to date and what is happening or rather not happening with Paola…the last time  saw her was when I took her swimming two weeks ago she told me she was moving house her and her Mum and older Brother were moving into the house of her Mum’s boyfriend, Martin.

I have met Martin once and liked him and he speaks English…….anyway I told Paola I would stop by Martin’s work and find out where she lives and pick her up a week ago yesterday for her dental appointment.

The day before her dentist visit I went to see Martin to get directions to his house so I could get her and he looked really confused and told me that they had not actually moved in with him yet so I asked for directions to where she was but he would not tell me….some strange story about it being complicated anyway he said he would meet me with Paola for her dental appointment on a street corner.

The next day I waited for over 20 minutes for them and they never showed!!!!

So this week I have been by his work three times and not connected with him but I left my telephone number for him and he has not called.  I went to the house where she used to live and they do not know where the family moved….I also spoke to the girls that used to come swimming with us and they do not know where she is….I cannot go to her school because she changed schools this Semester and I do not know where the school is…so really I do not know what to do..I will try going by his work place again next week…so obviously I did not take her swimming today…something strange is going on!!!!

This afternoon I took Sara to Costco in the town about 40 minutes away…she stocked up!!!!

Now home and had a long hot soak in the tub I do enjoy those times and just settling down with a good cuppa and watching hockey!!!!

 

 

This article impacted me because my dream as a young teenager was to make a life of playing soccer but of course I could not make the grade.. when I read about the academies and kids going there at 9 and 10 I wish and wonder if they had these facilities in my day would I have made it!!!!!!!!! Will never know!!!!

 

Robbie Savage on what it takes to be a Premier League footballer

In his regular BBC Sport column, Robbie Savage responds to the results of BBC Sport's State of the Game study that shows the restricted playing time for British players in the Premier League this season, and looks at why Arsenal and Manchester United's meeting on Saturday is not the title-decider it once was.

The easiest thing for a English or British player to say if they don't make it at a Premier League club is "well, they bought a foreign player instead". It is a ready-made excuse.

People might argue that more mediocre foreigners coming into the Premier League means our players have less of a chance. But I think the bottom line is that you still come through if you are good enough.

You cannot tell me that if Everton had bought a youngster from a foreign club, he would have stopped Ross Barkley from breaking into their first team.

 

Premier League foreigners used as excuse when English players don't make it, says Robbie Savage

Yes, it is extremely hard to make it at the top level but it has always been the same.

I was fortunate to be part of Manchester United's famous youth team known as the Class of '92. The likes of Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Gary Neville and Nicky Butt came through from that side because they were very gifted and also because they worked. I have never seen a group of players work so hard.

Would they really have been denied that opportunity if it had been so easy then to go out and buy somebody from abroad and put him in the first team instead?

No. I think those players would still have had the career they did, because they were good enough and they had the right attitude.

You have to have all the right attributes as person to make it - it is not only about being a technically gifted player.

So many different things in all aspects of your life decide whether you become a professional footballer at the highest level and I don't think people realise that.

Making it takes more than talent

The Manchester United Class of '92 - including a young Robbie Savage third from the right

Not everybody is as good as Barkley or the Class of 92 and almost every young player has to be able to deal with knock-backs. I know I did.

I was with United between the ages of 14 and 19, when Sir Alex Ferguson told me I wasn't going to be good enough to play for that football club.

I drove home far too fast with his words buzzing in my head and crashed my car.

Lying in my hospital bed, I felt like my life was over. The biggest thing for me was telling my parents I had been released and it felt like a death sentence.

Not only had I lost my job - although I did not think of it like that at the time - I had lost my best mates, who I had grown up with over the past five years. I was a teenager back living at home and thinking "what am I going to do?".

Dario Gradi phoned me up and I went to play under him at Crewe but, in my first year there, I was nowhere near the first team.

Dario Gradi won a reputation for reviving the careers of young players during his 24 years at Crewe

It was a different way of life to go from playing with Ryan Giggs and winning every week, to playing League Two football against grown men who were putting their bodies on the line to make sure they had a livelihood.

I was used to playing against people my own age and suddenly I was in an environment where I was physically small. I was thinking, "I have got no chance here - am I best off going to do something else?".

So I can see why some young players might walk away from the game when they get released by big clubs, but there was something inside me that made me carry on and I got my break in the end.

It was Bobby Gould who changed my career when he called me up for Wales at the age of 21 and put me in midfield. Until then I had been a centre-forward.

Because of my energy and work-rate that change of position meant I was able to achieve what I did in the game and play over 600 games, more than 350 of which were in the Premier League.

Some players take a different path

The fact is that most young players who are playing in youth teams at Premier League clubs will have to deal with being told at some stage that they are not good enough, and have to go down to come back up again like I did.

That is when their character, enthusiasm and desire comes into play, along with their technical ability and physical size. All of that put together will decide whether they make it back up to the top level.

Liverpool striker Rickie Lambert rebuilt his career in the lower divisions after being released by the Reds as a teenager and is now back at Anfield

It is all very well saying that there are not enough English and British players in Premier League teams, but maybe that is down to some of the ones who have been knocked back choosing different paths after being rejected.

The ones who are playing at that level will have been through so many agonies and sleepless nights to get there - I don't think people realise how hard it is to make it as a professional footballer.

I have a different perspective on it now too, because my 11-year-old son Charlie is in an academy at a Premier League club, and trains or plays four times a week. He has been there since the age of five, firstly at a development centre and now their academy.

Savage on competition:

"I know that 99 out of 100 boys don't make it so the odds are against my son Charlie from the start."

The thing I ask myself as a parent is, "should I have put him into a club at the highest level so soon?". But he is there because he was scouted, went along and enjoys it - and he loves going, which is the main thing.

The only reason I will regret it with Charlie is if myself or the club have to sit him down one day and say they are letting him go. I know how much that disappointment hurts, and I also know that 99 out of 100 boys don't make it so the odds are against him from the start.

Will Charlie be a professional footballer? I have no idea. But, as long as he enjoys it, that is what matters.

 

Yashi Kochi!!!!

Friday 21st November 2014….a different kind of a Pearson day!!!!

As you know by now I try to reserve my Fridays for myself….no games…no appointments…..no talking and I usually go for a long hike today was different as I had signed up for an afternoon class so I spent the morning home in my house robe just enjoying the peace and quiet….I did some laundry, had a nice breakfast and then lucky me there was some live tennis from France that I watched.

I then went over for a short while to visit my friend Carol in her new casa it was good to catch up with her and she is starting art classes soon from her house and I have told her I will go to one class, a first for me.

From there I went to my computer class in a private residence close to the center of town there were two other students and the class was really helpful…..our teacher excellent and he taught us how to down load music, movies and TV shows onto out computers…..it was almost a 4 hour class and he was very hands on and whilst there I downloaded two of my favorite TV shows and one music album…..it will mean that I have now an option to TV and will be great when I travel as I do not need Internet to watch what I have down loaded.

Now back home and settling in for the evening…a different day but a good day when you learn something!!!

 

 

 

  Breaking news today!!!!

 

 

Undocumented immigrants and supporters watch Obama speak on immigration in Philadelphia

 

Millions of immigrants living illegally in the US will be allowed to apply for work permits under a major shake-up unveiled by President Barack Obama.

They include immigrants who have been in the US for five years and have children staying legally in the US.

About four million people are expected to benefit from a reform package forced through using executive orders, which allow Mr Obama to bypass Congress.

Republicans have accused the president of an "illegal power-grab".

There are estimated to be 11 million illegal immigrants in the US.

 

Barack Obama: "Our immigration system is broken and everybody knows it"

Under Mr Obama's plan, undocumented parents of children who are US citizens or legal residents will be able to apply for work permits lasting three years.

Only parents who have lived in the US for five years will qualify.

Some 3.7 million people are thought to be eligible for this scheme, according to the Migration Policy Institute.

Another part of the package will extend a programme that gives temporary legal status to people who arrived in the US as children.

Currently only those under the age of 30 who arrived before 2007 can apply for the programme, which was launched in 2012 and already covers roughly 1.2 million people.

Mr Obama has abolished the age limit and extended the cut-off point to 2010, potentially extending the programme to a further 300,000 people.

 

How has the immigration debate in the United States become so polarised, so toxic, so unpleasant?

That it has cannot be doubted. Barack Obama says he has grown so weary of trying to get Congress to engage seriously that he is going it alone.

He's bypassing the legislature and brandishing his big stick - the executive order. It is governance by diktat. And the reaction of his opponents suggests it will spark an atmosphere of retaliation and revenge.

How did immigration debate get so toxic?

The order will primarily affect immigrants with children who are US citizens, like Alejandra Mota (centre) and her son

Mr Obama said in a televised address that his measures would allow illegal immigrants to "come out of the shadows and get right with the law".

He insisted that his proposals, which are the biggest immigration reforms since the mid-1980s, did not amount to an amnesty.

"What I'm describing is accountability - a common-sense, middle ground approach," he said.

 

''I think it needs to go through Congress,'' one voter told the BBC

Republicans reacted with fury, with Arizona Republican Senator John McCain calling it an "illegal power-grab" that "fails to address the root causes of the dysfunction in our immigration system".

And Texas Governor Rick Perry argued the move would "lead to more illegal immigration, not less".

An Obama aide rebuffed the criticism that Mr Obama had overstepped his authority, saying the president had taken advice from the secretary of homeland security and the attorney general about the action.

"It's entirely consistent with the way previous presidents have exercised their executive authority," the aide said.

US illegal immigrants' country of origin (2012)

• Mexico - 59%
• El Salvador - 6%
• Guatemala - 5%
• Honduras - 3%
• Philippines - 3%

 

Mr Obama's plan does not go as far as an immigration bill that failed to pass Congress last year.

 

Astrid Silva: "Our system has been broken for so long that people like my dad are locked out of it"

The bill was supported by the Democrat-led Senate, but the Republican-controlled House of Representatives refused to debate the proposal.

It would have provided a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants.

Mr Obama stressed that his plans would not offer citizenship, or entitle immigrants to the same benefits as Americans.

Campaigners for migrants' rights broadly welcomed his plans.

But some activists worried that the promise of a three-year work visa would not be enough for many people to come out into the open.

"It's a step in the right direction, but it's going to fall far short of the mark," veteran advocate Cheryl Little told Reuters news agency.

She said the reforms amounted to "simply a temporary reprieve from deportation".

What is an executive order?

• Directive issued by the president to federal employees usually concerning the implementation of laws
• Power not explicitly outlined in the constitution, but exercised by most presidents
• Orders generally cannot force through major policy initiatives, which usually require an Act of Congress
• Courts can strike down an order if it is deemed incompatible with other laws or the constitution
• Up to October, President Obama had issued 193 orders in almost six years, a lower rate than most of his recent predecessors

Yashi Kochi!!!

Thursday 20th November 2014…..tennis, parades, protests and Spanish lesson!!!!!

Today was another cool and gloomy morning but off I went at 9am for tennis I sure will be glad when my new racquet arrives next week…the tennis was great and afterwards I stopped and took in some of the huge parade….the locals sure know how to celebrate!!!!

Isn’t she a cutie!!!

This afternoon I did something that I promised myself I would do and have been a little negligent in doing but I found a Spanish teacher that came very well recommended and I met Marisol and we had our first lesson.

Marisol is a 29 year old bright attractive and articulate Mexican lady and if the first class was any indication I am going to enjoy the lessons and know I will improve that goes without saying because I really know nothing…..My homework is to go buy a Mexican sports magazine, rent a Mexican Movie, listen to Mexican songs and try to understand the pronunciation of the letters.  It was so good I feel really glad that this is just the start!!!!

We were to go to her apartment but at the last minute changed to a small restaurant and these are the grounds…..

What is that box in the back ground…..would you believe a proper British telephone box!!!

I know there are local protests taking place but I did not go into the main square…the article below is very interesting!!!

Mexico's missing students: Mass protests due

The protests for the missing students reflect wider anger at political corruption.

 

Mass protests are expected in Mexico for a group of 43 students who disappeared in September.

Caravans containing relatives of the missing are due to converge on Mexico City. They have been travelling around the country rallying support.

The Mexican authorities say local police handed the students to a drug gang who then murdered them.

But some families of the missing are unconvinced by this explanation and still hope they will be found alive.

Thousands of people are expected to take part in the march in the capital. There are also protests planned in other parts of Mexico and abroad.

The abduction has galvanised opposition to rampant political corruption and violence, says the BBC's Wyre Davies in Mexico City.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has accused some of the protestors of trying to "destabilise" the state.

The students, all trainee teachers, went missing after attending a protest in Iguala, Guerrero State.

Forensic tests are being carried out on bodies found in mass graves in the state.

More than 100,000 people have been killed and 27,000 have disappeared in Mexico in the last decade.

 

 

 

 

Mexico missing students: Travels on the protest caravan

By Vladimir Hernandez BBC Mundo

The 43 missing, who the authorities say may have been murdered by a drug gang.

 

In Mexico, a roadblock is not usually a good sign.

We were travelling with a caravan of friends and relatives of the 43 students that went missing in south west Mexico in late September.

They have been crossing the country to join mass protests in Mexico City against the government's handling of the investigations.

The initial look of consternation from those on board slowly changed to relief, and then joy. The roadblock had been set up by locals from a tiny rural village along the way.

They had forced the caravan to a halt because they wanted to express their support to the parents and friends who have been in anguish for almost two months.

The villagers had drawn up their own posters, with photos of those missing. The encounter quickly turned into a march along the road, blocking transit from either side.

Those on board the caravan have been touched by the support they have received along the way.

There is widespread anger at the authorities over the missing students.

Travellers and locals shared chants and tears.

"This is the third time we've been stopped today," one of the caravan members told me.

"People just want to join us."

The widespread support each one of the three caravans that are crossing the north, south and west of Mexico has received has taken many by surprise.

The anger of the relatives has not only been directed at the government of President Pena Nieto, but also at the left-wing opposition. No-one in the political establishment has been left unscathed.

Oasis

Getting aboard the caravan was not straightforward.

After lengthy negotiations, the parents and friends of the 43 students agreed to give us access to their bus.

The bus, one travelling student explained, had become a sort of oasis where the group could rest, reflect and keep to themselves until reaching the next town.

But for Diana Abarca, whose brother Luis Alberto is one of the missing, the caravan means something else.

A roadblock, usually an ominous sign in Mexico, turned out to be something positive.

"Being here helps me very much, because if I stay at home I get very sad. Here, instead, I feel supported and remain hopeful that my brother will return."

Ms Abarca is travelling with her mother, who is in her sixties. As soon as we get on board she falls asleep. The week-long journey these travellers have faced is taking its toll.

"It has been very hard," says Eucladio Ortega, father of Mauricio, 18, who was part of that group that in late September was last seen bundled by the police into vans.

"But we do this because we want to force the government to give us back our children, all of them."

The Mexican authorities, however, believe there is little hope.

Earlier this month Mexico's Attorney General, Jesus Murillo Karam, announced that it was very likely that some of the badly burnt remains found in one of several mass graves unearthed by diggers in the state of Guerrero were those of the missing 43.

He stopped short of confirming the official death but gave away details of the government's inquiry, which is waiting for DNA tests to be finished in the coming weeks.

Hope endures

This view, however, has not dampened the spirits of the parents we met.

Most have an extremely sad stare. Their pain is visible, and some can't stop the tears when asked about their sons.

The protest tour has helped relatives and friends of the students support each other.

Despite the authorities saying it is likely the students have been killed, hope continues.

But all seem to have the same answer: they are alive.

"When I heard what the government said it just gave me more strength and resolution. Because I know they are alive," says Francisco Lagro, father of Magdaleno, 19, one of those missing.

"It's been almost two months without knowing where they are. We don't know anything and we are desperate. We, as parents, are asking all sorts of things. What are they doing? How are they being held? Do they get any food or water? We have many unanswered questions."

In some cases the anguish is taking its toll within these families.

"My wife doesn't want to come with me to these caravans," says Mr Ortega.

"She simply doesn't want to join me. We have our differences."

The caravans end in Mexico City, and most of these travellers will then go back to their homes, in the state of Guerrero.

It is one of the most impoverished places in Mexico.

"I have to go back to my crop. At some point I need to go back to growing my corn," says Mr Lagro.

 

Yashi Kochi!!!!

Wednesday 19th November 2014…..a really busy day!!!

I have not been to yoga in a week a bit busy and then the instructor went away but I think I am going to change schools and go to a new class starting on Monday…..this morning I went to a private residence where a lady was giving a talk on private medical insurance for expatriates living in Mexico…this medical coverage gets a bit complicated for me because I have been out of my home province in Canada too long I am no longer covered unless I go back and reside there for 5 months out of the year….I do have a local Mexican coverage policy but will not cover major procedures.  I also have air evacuation coverage but that is no good as I get air vacced to Canada and I am not covered…..so really my choices are to go back to BC and reside there for 5 months or buy private insurance which is what the meeting was about……the policy coverage is quite good and the cost reasonable for a years coverage and it is world wide so I really have to sit down and study it and what it does and does not cover and then work on my options for staying here full time…so lots to think about even though I know I am in great shape and able to do all I want to do I also know that for over 25 years I have had an irregular heart beat which could cause me issues anytime…so as I say lots to think and to talk over with my friends about.

I went straight from there to poker…….sorry I have no idea why the font suddenly changed……it was another winning afternoon for me but this time serious money I won 290 pesos!!!!!

Back home in time to change and go down town again for my English class but before I did I had to stop at the bakery to buy the two Birthday cakes I had ordered yesterday as two of my students have had Birthdays in the last few days

Marisol……

Blanca….

 

 

……I have not seen my students for a week because there was no class on Monday so I look forward to seeing them.    I have a surprise for them next Monday instead of coming to class we are going to meet down town and then I have arranged for them to go to a private residence where the owners have a mask Museum with over 500 masks that have all been used in ceremonies in Mexico…I think they will enjoy it and sure none of them have been before and the tour will be in English…stay tuned!!!

I do not like it is dark when I drive home but nothing can be done about that…..now relaxed after supper and a bath and watching a live hockey game!!!

 

This article shows why the common woman and man cannot relate to these athletes!!!!

Sport's highest earners compared

By Alan Jewell BBC Sport

Giancarlo Stanton might be an unfamiliar name to most people outside North America, but the baseball player has been elevated to one of the highest earners in sport after signing a £208m ($325m) 13-year contract with the Miami Marlins.

Under the terms of the most expensive deal in United States sporting history, the 25-year-old slugger will earn £16m per year, £307,692 per week, £1,831.50 per hour and £30.53 per minute.

It is a particularly stunning headline figure given that the Marlins' payroll for their entire 25-man roster in 2014 was only £33.4m with Stanton's previous contract with them worth just over £4m annually.

The value of the deal makes it a Major League Baseball record, although the £187m ($292m) 10-year contract Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera signed in March pays more annually.

BBC Sport looks at how Stanton compares to a selection of sport's highest earners.

And in the time it's taken you to read this far, he's earned £26.

Floyd Mayweather

The unbeaten five-division world champion is known as 'Money Mayweather' for a reason.

According to the Forbes 2014 list of the world's highest-paid athletes, the 37-year-old earned approximately £67m ($105m) from fights against Saul Alvarez and Marcos Maidana.

Floyd Mayweather (left) is unbeaten in 47 professional fights

He is only the second sportsman or sportswoman to break the $100m (£64m) barrier, after golfer Tiger Woods, despite having no personal endorsements.

Mayweather signed a 30-month, six-fight deal with pay-per-view broadcasters Showtime in 2013 and tops the list.

Forbes say he has earned almost £255m ($400m) in the ring since he turned professional in 1996.

Cristiano Ronaldo

The Portuguese forward, 29, is second in the Forbes list, with an estimated annual salary of £33.2m topped up by endorsements worth £17.9m.

Ronaldo signed a new five-year contract with Real Madrid in September 2013. He has scored 275 goals in 262 games for the Champions League holders.

Tiger Woods

Woods, 38, topped the Forbes' list for 12 consecutive years until 2011 but his earnings have suffered a significant drop since he was engulfed by scandal in his personal life in 2009.

The loss of sponsors such as Accenture and EA Sports hit his bottom line, while increasing injury problems have limited his tournament play and contributed to a downturn in results.

However, despite failing to win a major tournament since 2008, Woods is still sixth in the Forbes ranking with a total income of approximately £39.1m, £35.1m of which comes from endorsements and £4m from salary and winnings.

Forbes' 2014 list of world's highest-paid athletes

Athlete
Sport
Earnings

The Forbes list covers the period between June 1, 2013 and June 1, 2014

1. Floyd Mayweather

Boxing

£67m ($105m)

2. Cristiano Ronaldo

Football

£51.1m ($80m)

3. LeBron James

Basketball

£46.2m ($72.3m)

4. Lionel Messi

Football

£41.3m $64.7m

5. Kobe Bryant

Basketball

£39.3m $61.5m

6. Tiger Woods

Golf

£39.1m ($61.2m)

7. Roger Federer

Tennis

£35.9m ($56.2m)

8. Phil Mickelson

Golf

£34m ($53.2m)

9. Rafael Nadal

Tennis

£28.4m ($44.5m)

10. Matt Ryan

American football

£28m ($43.8m)

Roger Federer

The winner of 17 Grand Slam titles, it is a keenly-contested debate as to whether the 33-year-old Swiss is the greatest tennis player of all time, but he is almost certainly the most beloved and his worldwide popularity has contributed to his vast earnings.

Seventh on the Forbes list, Federer's income was approximately £35.9m, with £33.2m from endorsements and £2.7m from his achievements on a tennis court.

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton has won 32 grands prix, the most by a British driver

The 29-year-old Briton's current annual salary is $31m (£19.8m) without including bonuses and endorsements.

However, if the Mercedes driver wins his second Formula 1 World Championship on Sunday, he can expect his earnings to increase substantially.

Wayne Rooney

The Manchester United and England striker's latest contract, signed in February this year, is relatively close to the deal signed by Stanton, with the 29-year-old earning roughly £46.50 per hour less than the Miami Marlins man.

Rooney is thought to earn up to £300,000 a week, £1,785 every hour and just under £30 every minute.

If he saw out the length of the five-and-a-half-year deal, it will earn him more than £70m.

Forbes has his annual income at £15m, with £11.8m from his salary and £3.2m from endorsements.

Usain Bolt

The six-time Jamaican Olympic gold medallist, 28, has estimated earnings of £14.8m, almost all of which came through endorsements.

German sportswear company Puma provide his main sponsorship, worth approximately £6.4m annually.

 

Yashi Kochi!!!!

Tuesday 18th November 2014….the week begins!!!!!

For a change this morning the weather was overcast and cool I was a bit chilly riding down to tennis at 9am and it took over an hour for the sun to show his face……great tennis and my racquet situation is solved I have found the racquet I want which is the one I am renting from the club and Rita’s son Josh is coming to SMA a week on Thursday is going to bring it down for me…Rita ordered it for me and had it sent to her son’s address so in ten days I will have my new racquet and all will be well.

Home in time to sit outside and soak up some rays and then off to Rita’s house for are usual afternoon cards and chats always enjoy this and Rita as I say often is one of my hero's!!!!!

Getting settled after my dinner and bath to watch a hockey game…..

Hoe you find this informative

Ebola basics: What you need to know.

A sick family waits for treatment for Ebola on the roadside in the Liberian capital Monrovia

 

The Ebola virus has claimed more than 5,000 lives during the current epidemic in West Africa, the largest outbreak since the virus was discovered nearly 40 years ago.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 13,000 people have been infected during the outbreak.

What is Ebola?

 

The virus, which is thought to have originated in fruit bats, was first detected in 1976 in an outbreak near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.

How is the disease caught and spread?

People are infected when they have direct contact through broken skin, or the mouth and nose, with the blood, vomit, faeces or bodily fluids of someone with Ebola.

The virus can be present in urine and semen too.

Infection may also occur through direct contact with contaminated bedding, clothing and surfaces - but only through broken skin.

It is still unclear how long the virus exists on surfaces but there is some evidence to suggest it can last up to six days. Bleach and chlorine can kill Ebola.

The disease is not airborne, like flu. Very close direct contact with an infected person is required for the virus to be passed to another person.

It can take up anything from two to 21 days for humans with the virus to show symptoms.

People are not infectious until the symptoms develop.

People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus - in some cases, up to seven weeks after they recover.

 

What are the symptoms?

The Ebola virus causes a range of painful and debilitating symptoms

The early symptoms are a sudden fever, muscle pain, fatigue, headache and sore throat.

This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, a rash and bleeding - both internal and external - which can be seen in the gums, eyes, nose and in the stools.

Patients tend to die from dehydration and multiple organ failure.

How is it treated?

Ebola vaccines are being tested on humans in trials in the US and the UK

There is no proven cure for Ebola.

Severely ill patients need to be rehydrated quickly using intravenous fluids. They should be isolated from other people and given intensive care by medical experts.

Potential vaccines are being tested. If the trials are successful they would be used to protect healthcare workers first.

Experimental drugs such as ZMapp have also been used, but their effectiveness has not been proved.

Blood products from survivors are also being tried as a potential therapy.

The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) says this outbreak comes from the deadliest and most aggressive strain of the virus.

It is not known which factors allow some people to recover while most succumb but experts say early treatment is key.

 

Who is at risk?

Doctors wearing protective equipment outside an Ebola treatment unit in Nigeria

Anyone in close contact with Ebola patients is at risk.

Healthcare workers are using protective clothing such as full-body suits and goggles, but hundreds have still died.

Family members of patients are also at risk. In West African funerals, it is traditional for mourners to have direct contact with the body of the dead person, washing and embracing them before burial.

But the Ebola virus is still dangerous and present in the body after death. Prompt and safe burials are now being urged.

MSF has been trying to make people aware of how their treatment of dead relatives might pose a risk to themselves. However, it is a very difficult message to get across.

What precautions can be taken?

Washing hands and improving hygiene is one of the best ways to fight the virus

Avoid contact with Ebola patients and their bodily fluids, the WHO advises. Do not touch anything - such as shared towels - which could have become contaminated in a public place.

Carers should wear gloves and protective equipment, such as masks, and wash their hands regularly.

The WHO also warns against consuming raw bushmeat and any contact with infected bats or monkeys and apes. Fruit bats in particular are considered a delicacy in the area of Guinea where the outbreak started.

In March, Liberia's health minister advised people to stop having sex, in addition to existing advice not to shake hands or kiss. The WHO says men can still transmit the virus through their semen for up to seven weeks after recovering from Ebola.

 

Where is Ebola a problem?

A woman suspected of having Ebola virus cries outside a hospital in Sierra Leone.

Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in West Africa are the countries worst affected by this outbreak, which was identified as Ebola in March 2014.

It started in Guinea, which has never before been affected, and quickly spread to urban areas.

From Nzerekore, a remote area of south-eastern Guinea, the virus spread to the capital, Conakry, and neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Nigeria and Senegal have confirmed a small number of cases, and the US has had three confirmed cases.

In October, a nurse in Spain became the first person to contract the virus outside of West Africa.

Ebola deaths since 1976

Why is this outbreak particularly bad?

Health workers have been brought into affected countries to help treat patients with Ebola

The virus has taken hold in major urban areas this time, allowing it to spread more easily.

The countries most severely affected by the disease have weak health systems. They are short of qualified doctors and nurses, and lack the appropriate equipment and resources to combat the virus.

As a result, this is the largest and most complex Ebola outbreak since the virus was discovered.

There have been more cases and deaths in this one than all other outbreaks combined.

 

Yashi Kochi!!!!