IN THE HUNT
original platform
arcade
developer/publisher
Irem

One of the very few auto-scrolling shooters that’s any good, this submarine game came from the same team that would later create the Metal Slug series, and it’s obvious from the gameplay and graphic design. Go underwater and then kill everyone.

In the Hunt was inducted on January 2nd, 2010.

Return to the National Game Registry to view more inductees.

I read in the Peruvian news while I was home that some chef has decided to construct a chocolate model to commemorate the ancient cultures of Peru, which he called “My name is Peru… with a taste of chocolate.”  I remember reading that it was on display at the Marriott Hotel in Miraflores, but I completely forgot everything else about the display.  I took Kate with me to go find this chocolate wonder, and when it was not readily visible in the lobby of the Marriott, we realized that we had no idea what to ask for.  ”I’m looking for the chocolate Peru” might get us some strange looks.

We waited at the concierge desk for a long time behind some people who were trying to make travel arrangements before we gave up and asked some random person who looked like they might work there about the chocolate Peru exhibition.  She said she had no idea but it might be on the second floor lobby.  Oh, I thought.  There’s a second lobby!  Perfect.

Upstairs we went, in a very fancy elevator (it’s a very nice hotel), and i met a beautiful fountain/pool thing that I wanted to go swimming in.  Anyways we found our chocolate structure, although it was quite a bit smaller than I was imagining, it was pretty cool, except for the fact that I’m pretty sure the chocolate will not get eaten which is totally a waste.

Nazca. It didn’t help that we arrived at 4am at the bus terminal, then waited another three and a half hours in the hotel lobby for rooms to become available. We all crawled into bed exhausted, promising to meet up for lunch, but by the time we woke up the midday heat had set in.

Rob and I had come from the mild tail end of a Peruvian highland winter into the cool spring days of seaside Huanchaco. When we arrived in Lima, the weather had the sudden joy of a Seattle summer day, where you dress in layers to shed if the sun comes unexpectedly out to greet you.

To wake up in the desert oven that was Nazca was a jarring surprise.

Adrian, our tour guide to the aqueducts, told us that the name Nazca comes from the Quechua word for “ouch.” The place of pain. For the Incas who first set eyes on this arid, scorching place with no visible water supply but the tantalizingly dry riverbeds, this place must have seemed a hell.

(From above, in the famous airplanes that daily grant tourists the magic of flight, I find myself captivated more by the sinewy knotwork of the dry riverbeds than the figures that are cut into the land around them. The riverbeds carve their way from the foothills and across the pampas, wrinkled and scabbed.)

The rivers only bring water a few months out of the year, when rain pours out of the mountains to fill them. For the rest of the year the Nazca people survive through an extensive series of 36 aqueducts that access and channel the vast aquifers flowing just below the baked surface. Spiral ramps lead down to the clear water, access points both to find and maintain the underground channels. Adrian tells us that the spirals represent Pachamama, that one enters the spring, the puquio, to receive the life-giving water.

Like most desert cities, Nazca is growing beyond the environment’s ability to sustain it. As the city’s need for water increases, the aqueducts are disappearing. “When the farmers get some money they decide to build a water well,” said Adrian. “They are taking the resource, the water, and the aqueducts disappear.” In the 70’s it was prohibited to dig wells, but that hasn’t stopped people from doing so, and now Nazca has more than 2000 wells diverting water from the aqueducts.

This hot, desperate city has been made famous for the lines that are carved into the pampas, made by clearing away the dark stones scattered across the surface to expose the white clay beneath. It has perfected the art of separating the tourist from the local—you can check into your hotel, eat at the hotel’s restaurant, swim in their pool, organize an overflight or tour of the aqueducts through them (with door-to-door service), and even book your bus tickets on to Lima or Arequipa or Cuzco through them. If you felt like it, you could see all the famous sights of Nazca without ever setting foot in the dusty, crumbling streets of the town.

Adrian drives us back from the aqueducts on a road that passes through the dry riverbed, empty of water but full of trash. I stare up at the foothills, where clouds are gathering. He has just told us that he thinks it will rain this next week, that when it rains in the mountains the rivers can rise to flood proportions, and people sandbag the doors to their houses and sleep on the second floor. I imagine a tidal wave of trash being pushed at the head of the floodwaters, washing away Nazca’s problem and passing it on to the people downriver.

The streets of Nazca were nearly empty around our hostel, the odd taxi creeping past piles of bricks and bags of cement. The sun beats straight down, and each passing car kicks up a choking cloud in its wake. We go out to the Plaza de Armas to sample the street venders, then we retreat into the gringo familiarity of our hotel to await our night bus to Arequipa. Another new city to wake up in.

Sunday – Cuzco, Peru

What a long day, extreme height and altitude sickness, hundreds of miles of twisties, dirt roads, wet roads, nice long straight fast roads and hail

I had a bit of a sleepless night, kept waking up and this was not a good way to start a long days riding, but I ended up getting up at 5.30 and sorted some stuff on the bike. Namely I wanted to add the new metal hose clamp to the right hand tool tube, it had broken the other day and was being held on by a cabletie, so that got done and a new Auzzie flag was the main other one, then I packed away the PacSafe bag mesh as it was a bit of a hindrance when I wanted something from the waterproof bags, I believe I am now in safer country with less light fingers. So, after packing and a quick snack we fuelled up headed off out of town, nearly on time at 7.30am, of course we soon ran into road works then lots of climbing twisties, real cool stuff, but it was a very slow pace we were making but within the hour we were up quite high and the views were spectacular

We had some shitty roads with dirt and potholes thrown in and after another hour of very slow riding we were up way high and amongst new animals to run over, a very welcome addition to my road kill warning signs

Now, I said we were climbing and it was getting a bit chilly, I had stopped to add my heated jacket and cables and also the heated gloves, that way I had it all available as we were going further up I of course lost touch with G&S but soon caught them up as they were held up by more road works. This is where I found out exactly how high we were. As you can also see from the profile I was not at the highest point just yet

It had taken us 2 hours to do 100km, a very slow start and this was the section we had thought we could get some distance done as there was going to be twisties later on, that should be exciting For the next hour the scenery was magnificent with plenty of time to look despite the corners and animals that seemed always to be using the road, I hope they pay road tax!

Not long after this we entered a small town with just about every road torn up, it was a freakin mess!!! After I had stopped for the photo of G&S coming around a corner it meant I was behind and while we were stopped at the works, I could not get around a truck, this meant I lost them by the time I got around through the dust etc. As they had the GPS with road maps and not me, I had to now start looking for a way out and wonder of wonders, they actually had signs which said Diverso Cusco, so I just followed a convoluted path through town and eventually out the other side, but no sign of G&S!

OK, they had GPS so that meant they had skipped ahead, but I was sure they would not be going as fast as I could go, so I planted it and after some time came to a section where I could see the road for miles, no bike in sight, where were they, it was a bit concerning?

I stopped a few times at nice lookout sections and waited but I could not see them behind me either. I was stuffed to know what to do, do I continue on or go back for a look, were they way in front or behind??? In the end, although I was worried, there were two of them and I would continue on but stop at the town we had agreed as a fuel stop. At that point, if need be, I could return and start looking over the edges, a decision not taken lightly. By now I was up over the 4.5km mark and I hit hail, not a lot but it still hurt. It did not last too long and I then started to go downhill which made it a lot warmer. It also allowed me to breathe a bit better, because the air up there was so thin I was starting to get dizzy and this is not a good thing when travelling at 70mph along the plateau!

By this time it was gone 1pm and I was getting hungry, I did stop at a small town, but I could not communicate with the local indians, so I kept on going and eventually found a small village which seemed to have fuel and a few different cafes. I stopped and ordered some lunch and figured as fuel was low I would fill up here, and this time I would use 90 octane, the 84 I had filled up with in Nazca had caused some problems up top and it kept stalling under hard brakes, of which there were heaps!

I was just tucking in to some chook and rice(hmmm) when I hear a beep and G&S turn up, that was a big relief they were both OK and were behind me and not in front!

It turns out they had NOT followed the GPS through that little town and missed the diversion sign and followed the normal Cusco sign, this was bad and they were amongst some bad road and slop and eventually tipped it over. They finally got out of town and were way behind me and their thoughts were in the same frame as mine, was I OK and where was I After lunch I fuelled up and we hit some fast roads in the bottom of the valley which went on for quite a while which was real good as we were making up some time, but it was gone 3pm and we were still a long way from Cusco, not good, but I figured if we could get there before 7pm it should still be light.

Once we got to Abancay we fuelled up again, I did not need much but it made sense not to have to stop another time later on. On the other side of this town we climbed once again as we had been down near the 2000m mark and it was raining! Not much but enough to dampen the roads and they were slippery as heck, my front tyre was real unstable and this was causing the bike to lose traction at the back as well, I had to back off so much I was nearly at a standstill, I lost a lot of confidence in my tyres on this hill climb, I could not believe they could deteriorate so fast, but whatever, my speed was way down, I hated this section, even though the views were as spectacular as ever, but after about half an hour the dribble stopped and I started to go down the other side of the range, still another 150km to go.

It is now 5pm and all the cows were being taken back to their homes, usually along the damm road, which was interesting I guess The dirt sections were an interesting surprise, not much but enough for an ‘ahh bugger’ thought but eventually the high highs were over with and the road was dry and I started to get a bit more confidence again in the tyres, maybe that section of road was at fault, maybe oil and crap with light rain made it slippery, but I am not going back to find out

I caught up with G&S as they had hit a pothole and their lights were out of wack and so I led in the dark, dodging all the cows, donkeys, moto and nonmoto taxis usually with no lights until about 7pm we got into Cuzco, finally, whew We grabbed a cab to take us to a hotel where some other biker friends had been staying and we were soon booked into the Casa Grande hotel and amongst a group of other bikers

After meeting some of the other riders we headed out for some food and a beer. Now, just outside a young girl accosted me and asked if I wanted to buy some knitted wooly things, I said no, but when I answered her ‘Which country are you from’ question with Australia, she rattles off all these facts and figures about my country, I was so impressed I gave her $5 Sol and in exchange she gave me a finger puppet of a Llama, this is Maria, I reckon she will grow up to be rich and famous, I hope she remembers me

So, we had a hamburger at a local bar and a rum and beers etc. During all this time, we found out that the rest of the group had booked a Machu Pichu tour the next day and we decided to go do it as well, despite the radical cost, it would save about 3 days of mucking around. Of course this meant an early start, be ready to leave at 6am, so the night was early, then shower and bed. Here is me, Graham, Sue, Gino and Girt.

Day – 421 miles and 678 km
Trip – 47,016 miles and 75,665 km

Salud
TravellingStrom

WORLD

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Nazca



Now on to Arequipa!

We’ve been a bit absent from the site for a few days on account of my parents coming into town. We’ve been on the go pretty solid since then, and after six weeks of relaxing in Huanchaco I think Rob and I have lost a bit of our traveling stamina. It’s hard work to stay on the go!

Mom and Dad flew into Lima late Monday night. We decided to stay in the neighborhood of Magdalena del Mar (just north of Miraflores), in this great hostal called Tambopacaya Backpackers. I’ll be writing more about Tambopacaya and Scott, Tambopacaya’s owner, in a later post.

Magdalena del Mar made a good base for exploring Lima (we’re falling more and more in love every time we visit). More to come on Magdalena, as well.

In Lima, we hit up some of the local sights, retracing our steps. It was fun to be able to share some of the places we’d grown to enjoy: Miraflores, Barranco (we went to eat at El Muelle, of course), and the bus system. We went to Central Lima and saw the Church of San Francisco, the Plaza de Armas, and all the rest. I also caved in and bought a fantastically impractical pair of shoes made out of Peruvian patterned fabric. They go with absolutely nothing I own, and I love them.

We had intended for that to be the end of our Lima adventure, but after getting all packed up and heading to the bus station we were told that no buses were leaving for Pisco. Why? Problemas, said the harassed young woman at the front desk. She wouldn’t tell me any more.

Mom and I went out looking for more information and found out that there was a protest in Cañete, a little south of Lima, and they had blocked the entire Panamericana Highway. As that’s the only road south we had little choice. We went back to Scott at Tambopacaya.

This gave us the opportunity to visit the nearby neighborhood of Pueblo Libre the next day, visiting the National Archeology Museum and Simon Bolivar’s house. The museum was extremely thorough, passing through the progression of cultures in Peru from the Chavín to the Inca. We hired an English-speaking guide, which was helpful since most of the signs were in Spanish, and they didn’t cover nearly the amount of information that our guide provided. I thought I knew a lot about Peru’s ancient cultures, but this museum taught me a ton.

We ended up taking an overnight bus to Nazca, counting on the protests in Cañete to add a few extra hours to our trip so that we didn’t arrive at 4am. But apparently things are better now, and we still arrived at 4am this morning, then waited in the lobby of the hotel until our rooms were available at 7:30.

What’s Nazca like? I’ll give you a better idea in tomorrow’s post, when I’ve had a chance to see it when I’m not exhausted and way to hot and hungry and cranky. We’ll be flying over the lines, of course, then going off to see the aqueducts in the afternoon. Tomorrow night we’re off to Arequipa in a full cama bus (über-cushy reclining seats!). Keep an eye out for more dispatches from the whirlwind trip with Mama and Papa Kwak!

Rob and I have an article up on Matador Trips: On the Trail of Ruins in Northern Peru

We’re in Nazca right now with Mom and Dad–look for a longer post in a couple of hours!

Friday – Nazca, Peru

Amazing how I can change my mind, it must be the inner women in me

I was already awake, but later than normal when Graham knocked to say bye, they were heading to Nazca. I mentioned about heading due east from Lima to Cusco and he said it is mostly dirt and bad roads, so when we checked on his more detailed map, it looked like I may need to go down to Nazca after all if I wanted to stay on decent roads. I decided right then that I would head south as well, and Graham said they would wait if I wanted to ride with them, so that is what I did, a quick pack, and a few photos of the wild life living in the hotel upstairs near the breakfast room.

Then we had the crap traffic to negotiate to get out of the city. The only reason I had stayed here was to do tyres if I could and had found out on the HUBB that they are a bitch to find in this city, so that meant this stop inside the central area was a waste of time. Never mind, after an hour of traffic, road works etc we found the PanAm Sur and stopped for breakfast at a small side stand

Now, once again thanks to SanDiegoLisa we had tea, because although we had ordered tea, all we got was hot water and sugar and milk, hmmmm, thanks Lisa After that we followed the coast south sometimes through sand dunes sometimes a mixture of green oasis areas with surrounding sand dunes and not to mention the side wind, that is a constant. We grabbed some fuel a bit later before climbing some headlands and bluffs where the view was nice, except for the thousands of chook farms lining the road, they were a bit on the nose! Then onwards and eventually stopping for lunch around one or so at a small shack style food joint, but the food was good

After lunch it was more of the same, although due to some traffic I was separated for a while from G&S, but as I was stuck behind a line of trucks which they managed to pass earlier, I took a movie of a normal passing manoeuvre down here, basically take a chance because of you don’t, you will be stuck for ages, lucky the road shoulders are hard eh

After a quick environmental stop, I managed to catch up to G&S again and then some more windy desert but we at last saw a sign showing a distance marker for Nazca. One of the things I noticed down in this section was that the road sides were planted with trees, mostly they were still quite young and a lot of them had ropes holding them vertical against the prevailing breeze/gale.

A bit of fun after this as we entered some twisties, it made a change after all the straight bits and it took us down into the Rio Grande valley through some lush agriculture.

Now, here is a funny thing seen quite often on the road, the back of some trucks have these branches placed there, the only thing I can think of for a reason, is that it stops people hitching a ride, but I will endeavour to find out, all I need to do is ask some questions, hey Des

Well, just a short while after this we found the Nazca lines and there was a small tower where you could climb up and actually see two of the images, a pair of hands and a tree Now, as you may recall I was not really interested in going to Nazca for the reasons mentioned previously, but by crikey I was excited to be here and seeing a few of the images was a real bonus

Of course there were the normal hawkers and artisans around and I was quite happy about that too, a t-shirt and some stickers and a few other things, why not

We were soon in Nazca and booked into a nice resort type hotel called Don Guache, with secure parking, pool, internet, bar, food and only two blocks from the main plaza, cool stuff GPS – S 14 49.891 W 74 56.218

Here we had some beers and met up with Mike and Alana, they are doing the ride on a Ural with sidecar and filming a documentary on marriage, so that could be a fun thing to see later on, in the meantime, their blog could be a fun read, all I need is time!

A bit later on we headed into town for a feed, after chatting with a group of kids who were asking all types of questions.

After that, I grabbed some beers for the fridge back at the hotel and had a quiet evening sorting out some info on the net. One thing we had organised through the people at the hotel was a flight over the Nazcar lines tomorrow morning at 8am. This is a big turnaround from what I intended, but we had been assured, only us three in the plane and in the morning it should be less bumpy. It was also a cheaper flight at $50 each, so a lot less than the $125 I had heard about. But, I was here now, so why not, it could be fun

Day – 291 miles and 468 km
Trip – 46,595 miles and 74,987 km

Salud
TravellingStrom

WORLD

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A recent study by archeologists from the University of Cambridge has argued that the Nazca people, so famed for their patterns that can only be seen from a plane, precipitated their own decline with excessive deforestation. According to David Beresford-Jones from the McDonald institute for archaeological research, the decision to convert forest for agricultural use, proved disastrous. The mass clearing of huarango trees led a drying of the climate, soil erosion and increased vulnerability to volatile weather, all of which led to a decline of the Nazca civilization from around 600 AD.

The recent findings add to existing evidence that, as has been argued strongly by Jared Diamond, both the classic Maya and the inhabitants of Easter Island both declined dramatically after exerting too much pressure on their resources. These findings put increasing doubt on the fashionable claim that America´s pre-conquest peoples lived in harmony with their natural habitats. For years, anthropologists such as Darryl Posey have argued that many latter-day indigenous groups have not only had a minimal impact on the environment, but have actually contributed to biodiversity. Indeed, it has become increasingly clear that the pre-conquest Amazon rainforest supported a population of 5-15m without having any obviously devastating impact. Many areas of tropical rainforests which may have been described as “virgin forests” have in fact been anthropogenically manipulated by generations indigenous people.

Mysterious statues: In his book, "Collapse", Jared Diamond argues that apparent decline of Easter Island was only the most extreme example of numerous societal "collapses" provoked by an over-exploitation of natural resources

From a sustainable development perspective, it is hard to know what conclusion to draw from the disparate and often conflicting evidence. One obvious point is that making generalized statements about indigenous peoples and their relationship with the environment is pure folly. Beyond that, one trend that seems to be becoming clearer is that those cultures which have had a neutral or positive impact on their surrounding environments have been those living in small, egalitarian societies with a minimal division of labour, such as the Amazonian groups studied by Posey. However, those societies with a more visible division of labour, greater population intensity, and superior technology, exert increasing pressures on their resources, in some cases with disastrous results. This suggests that when we talk about “sustainable development”, (the improvement of material human wellbeing without reducing the ability of following generations to do the same), we are not only talking about a process which is unprecedented in modern industrial history: it might not even have a precedent in the history of mankind.

So if we have junk the mythical Rousseau-esque figure of “the ecologically noble savage”, are we inevitably opening the door to the spectre of the homo devastans?  This theory, commonplace among environmentalists until recently, has it that human beings will, providing they have the opportunity, aim to dominate and degrade both the environment and other life-forms. However, despite evidence in favour of it, the homo devastans theory is lacking in that it only helps to explain the actions of humans when they don´t associate their collective and individual wellbeing with preservation of the environment.

With this in mind, it might be helpful to remind us of why we have an opportunity to do what earlier civilizations failed to do. We have an unprecedented knowledge of the way our ecosystems work, and the ways in which our own activities impact on them. Of course, it is presumptuous to assume that groups like the Nazca, Maya or Easter Island inhabitants had no awareness of the long-term effects of their actions. They had, after all, coexisted with their environments for centuries, and owed their progress to a certain level of understanding of natural processes. Moreover, it is impossible to ascertain whether there were groups of people in these societies who had their own versions of “sustainable development” and similar concepts. However, it must be clear that they had far less understanding of the global dimensions of environmental issues, and nor did they have the experiences of other civilizations to learn from. Our other great advantage is our understanding of technology, which gives us the potential not merely to master or harness our environment as has traditionally been the case, but also to do so in ways which do not cause irreparable harm to the planet.

Therefore, in the same way we do not take other aspects of ancient culture´s practices as representing some kind of irredeemable failing on the part of our species, there is no reason that we should interpret their environmental failures as anything other than a wakeup call.

Esse comercial foi publicado no YouTube em fevereiro. É a Ambev levando o mesmo discurso de anos da Skol aqui no Brasil, para o lançamento da Brahma no Peru.
OK, você pode imaginar que está tudo em casa, é tudo marca da mesma mãe, mas então quer dizer que toda cerveja desce redondo? A Skol não é mais a melhor, a única com essa propriedade?
É claro que isso não deve fazer diferença pra massa consumidora de Skol, mas pra nós, esvazia o discurso de mais de uma década trabalhado, e muito bem, pela F/Nazca.

Un reportage diffusé ce soir :

Pérou : Sur les traces des Nazca

Avec ses immenses géoglyphes, la civilisation nazca (d’env. 300 avant J.-C. à 800 après J.-C.) reste fort mystérieuse. Mais des fouilles récentes ont permis de faire de passionnantes découvertes.

Recourant à des méthodes d’analyse très sophistiquées – notamment la génétique moléculaire -, une équipe archéologique allemande a émis l’hypothèse que les ancêtres du peuple nazca auraient migré il y a 14 000 ans de Sibérie. Le sud du Pérou aurait été à leurs yeux un jardin d’Eden, avec ses vallées fertiles permettant une agriculture intensive. Un puissant empire économique vit le jour. Mais, dans cette région en bordure du désert, le système écologique était fragile. De longues périodes de sécheresse commencèrent à inquiéter les Nazca. C’est pour apaiser les dieux qui gouvernaient les éléments qu’ils auraient alors tracé leurs séries de dessins visibles du ciel : formes géométriques, spirales et animaux. Et, plus la désertification progressait, plus les géoglyphes devenaient gigantesques…

Diffusions sur arte :

28.11.2009 à 20:45
29.11.2009 à 14:00
02.12.2009 à 09:55

]]> http://rannemarie.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/perou-sur-les-traces-des-nazca/ Sat, 28 Nov 2009 09:54:02 +0000 raannemari http://rannemarie.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/perou-sur-les-traces-des-nazca/

ARTE – 20h45 – samedi 28/11       documentaire de M. Kaschnec

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26OnaeDS9EM

Recourant à des méthodes d’analyse très sophistiquées – notamment la génétique moléculaire -, une équipe archéologique allemande a émis l’hypothèse que les ancêtres du peuple nazca auraient migré il y a 14 000 ans de Sibérie. Le sud du Pérou aurait été à leurs yeux un jardin d’Eden, avec ses vallées fertiles permettant une agriculture intensive. Un puissant empire économique vit le jour. Mais, dans cette région en bordure du désert, le système écologique était fragile. De longues périodes de sécheresse commencèrent à inquiéter les Nazca. C’est pour apaiser les dieux qui gouvernaient les éléments qu’ils auraient alors tracé leurs séries de dessins visibles du ciel : formes géométriques, spirales et animaux. Et, plus la désertification progressait, plus les géoglyphes devenaient gigantesques.

Rediffusions :
29.11.2009 à 14:00
02.12.2009 à 09:55

www.arte.tv

Wycieczka na wyspy Pracas byla jedna z kilku atrakcji dzisiejszego dnia. Mowia o nich, ze to peruwianskie Galapagos.
Co sie okazalo?

Po 40 min jazdy motorowka doplynelismy do wulkanicznych wysepek pelnych ptakow. Naleza one do Narodowego Parku Paracas. Zyja tam kormorany, ostro dziobki, pelikany Humboldta. Oprocz tego widzialam sporo lwow morskich.

Ciekawostka jest to, ze co kilka lat zbierane sa ze skal odchody ptasie. Stanowia one dobry nawoz = guano. Co kilka lat mozna zebrac ok 1 tony tego materialu:)

Milym akcentem byly delfiny, ktore w okolicach portu niesmielo pokazywaly sie turystom w motorowkach.

Dzis nocleg w Nazca. Jutro lecimy awionetka ogladac figury-linie. Przedsmak mielismy juz dzis po poludniu. Nasz autobus zatrzymal sie na Autostradzie Panamerica przy wiezy widokowej. Podziwialismy 2 ksztaly: reke i pajaka.

Jutro 13 piatek, mam nadzieje, ze szczesliwy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

El Gobernador de la Provincia, ingeniero José Luis Gioja presidió la inauguración del Conector Sur “15 de Enero”, tramo General Paz y Comandante Cabot y que se extiende hasta calle Doctor Ortega, en Rawson. También podrán usufructuar la obra Pocito y, eventualmente, 25 de Mayo y 9 de Julio.
La obra de este tramo tuvo un costo de casi 29 millones de pesos, con una extensión de 2,200 kilómetros, con dos manos de tránsito, un boulevard central de 2,80 metros parquizado; dos calzadas a ambos lados de 8,50 metros, albergando tres carriles de ida y otros tres de vuelta, demarcados con bastones blancos discontinuos.
Los trabajos incluyeron un corredor de hormigón con defensa metálica, donde se ubica una ciclovía de 2,20 metros de ancho con circulación hacia y el norte y el sur, que dará seguridad a los ciclistas que transiten el conector.
Por otra parte, los trabajos se complementaron con cunetas de desagües para el agua del colector y de la que proviene desde el sector Oeste de la vía, con tasas de arbolado público, vereda de hormigón peatonal y luminarias con columnas metálicas de 12 metros de altura y en doble brazo, doble lámpara de 250 wattios cada una. Por su base plana no encandilarán a los conductores de vehículos.
En cada esquina se han construido rotondas para el ordenamiento de las calles demarcadas con sendas reductoras de velocidad y demarcación horizontal; cordones amarillos que prohiben el estacionamiento y cartelería informativa. 
El mandatario apuntó que cuando los sanjuaninos buscan causas buenas y justas, las consecuencias de esas luchas aparecen.
Afirmó que hoy se inauguraba una de las vías más lindas que tendrá San Juan. Reiteró que por ahí las palabras huelgan, están de más, porque alguien, de quien se aprendió mucho, admirado y que dio su vida por esta patria decía: “Mejor que decir es hacer, mejor que prometer es realizar” y aquí estaba realizada una obra para todos los sanjuaninos.

Destacó que la obra parte desde el Parque de Rawson y finaliza en capital, frente al edificio en construcción de la Escuela Obreros del Porvenir y donde se hará el Teatro del Bicentenario, en un tramo donde circuló hace más de cien años el progreso de San Juan. Luego el tren desapareció en casi todo el país, incluyendo a San Juan y aparecieron muchos problemas en estos terrenos: desde una villa de emergencia, un basurero y hoy está convertida en una vía de acceso, que es ejemplo para todos y sirve para todos.
Luego reiteró que lo más rescatable de su tarea de gobernar fue que aunque queda mucho por hacer, dijo sentirse feliz por una cosa: el sanjuanino ha ganado en autoestima, se quiere más, se ha sacado la mufa de encima y encima está cada vez más orgulloso de ser sanjuanino.
Planteó que la desidia nunca más se debe instalar en la provincia y hoy San Juan comienza a ponerse de pie, como lo está haciendo la Argentina. 
Este San Juan que los sanjuaninos votaron y que su gobierno no puede fallar y debe seguir haciendo. Sostuvo que cuando hay objetivos no pueden haber diferencias.
Lamentó que no esté presente el intendente de Rawson, a quien se invitó a compartir la alegría , ya que esto no tiene banderas políticas, no hay elección cerca y sí hay generaciones futuras que desean ver a todos juntos trabajando por San Juan y el país.
Reiteró su convocatoria a todos a seguir soñando, sin dormir, para no perder el tiempo; tener esperanza, fe, ganas, trabajar, ser actores y arquitectos de su propio destino..

CARACTERÍSTICAS GENERALES

El conector Sur tiene una longitud total de casi 4000 metros y está dividido en dos secciones. La sección Uno comprende las obras en el departamento Capital y se extiende desde calle General Paz hasta calle Comandante Cabot. Fue ejecutada por un monto de contrato de $ 13 millones de pesos.
La Sección Dos, inaugurada recientemente, comprende las obras en el departamento Rawson desde calle Comandante Cabot hasta calle Dr Ortega y fue construida por la empresa Dumanzic Hnos. SA por un monto de $ 18 millones.
El diseño vial contempla un ancho de zona de camino de treinta metros, en coincidencia con el ancho que abarca la zona de vías del ex ferrocarril General San Martín.
Como el objetivo de la construcción de este conector, es lograr una vía de tránsito ágil entre los departamentos Capital y Rawson, a lo largo de la traza se han generado intersecciones a nivel solamente con las calles transversales principales: Gral. Paz, 9 de Julio, Arenales, Av. de Circunvalación, Comandante Cabot, Castaño, República del Líbano, Nazca, Guayaquil y Dr. Ortega. En todas estas intersecciones se han construido rotondas e islas de distribución.
Cabe destacar por su importancia que este conector posee importantes obras anexas como son las calzadas de circulación vehicular de ida y vuelta de 8,50 metros de ancho con tres carriles cada uno. Ambas calzadas están separadas por un cantero central de 2,80 metros de ancho que servirá para realizar los giros a la izquierda en las intersecciones que correspondan y como separador de tráfico en ambos sentidos.
También se construyeron dos bici sendas de 2,20 metros de ancho, cada una, de doble mano para que todo el tráfico de bicicletas típico de los barrios aledaños puedan acceder en ambas direcciones, sin necesidad de cruzar, las calzadas principales. De lo contrario, daría lugar a la posibilidad de accidentes y se desvirtuaría una de las razones del proyecto que es la de hacer una vía de tránsito rápida.

Huarango forest

Huarango (Prosopis pallida) is the ultimate survivor. This hardwood tree has survived in the arid and frigid Atacama – Sechura deserts of Peru for over a millennium. Veteran trees since the time of Spanish conquistadors still exist in isolated pockets. The trees are critical to the ecosystem. They nourish soil, capture moisture from the sea fog, prevent desertification and soil erosion, increases biodiversity of the region and provide food and timber to the villagers. However, centuries of deforestation have depleted Huarango woodlands to 1% of its original size. Although conservation efforts are underway, cutting down of Huarango for firewood continues unabated.

Here again the immediate business of survival and profit have taken precedence over preservation. Someday, jolted out of our complacence we would blink and see that the only jungles left behind are concrete ones.

Inspired by article in NY Times – Link

In Colorado, a programme wants to save farms by playing matchmaker.

In the UK, plans are in place to bring consumerism to academe.

In Peru, the Nazca were brought-down by deforestation.

Fiji isn’t getting-along with Australia and New Zealand.

Boris Johnson is a bicycle vigilante.

Prosopis sp. (caroubier américain)

D’après un climatologue les Nazcas auraient pu être victimes de leur agriculture intensive :

La disparition de la civilisation nazca : une catastrophe écologique ?

A terra desconhecida

Após completar no mês passado a marca de 50 edições realizadas, a Nave faz novo pouso no próximo sábado, às 23h na Boomerangue, para mais uma longa noite de diversão com os melhores sons da música pop mundial de todas as épocas. Os passaportes custam R$ 15 por passageiro. Uma das festas mais longevas da cidade, há 4 anos a Nave faz viagens mensais em busca de novos planetas sonoros, e para completar mais uma missão com sucesso, convocou para a festa de novembro uma tripulação especial.

Do planeta Rio de Janeiro, o músico Lucas Santtana embarca na Nave com um set recheado de mashups e batidões, numa novidade para quem acompanha o seu trabalho autoral ou seus sets como DJ de música brasileira. Da longínqua galáxia de soononmoon, o DJ Nazca, pioneiro da cena trance no norte-nordeste, prepara um set inteiro especialmente para Nave, numa rara exceção pouco vista nos seus 12 anos de profissão, com clássicos de Chemical Brothers e outros grandes nomes do big beats, até electro e discopunk recente como Digitalism, Crystal Castles, !!! e Rapture. Um momento único na noite baiana!

Voltando à cabine após um longo período explorando novas festas no planeta Rio Vermelho, a DJ titamüller alerta que continuará suas incursões pelo pop de Lady Gaga, La Houx e afins, mas a saudade da Nave a levará também pela trilha indie rock de Kings of Leon, Maximo Park e outros da geração 00. A estréia da noite fica a cargo de Alph, que em dezembro passado pilotou a Nave por alguns minutos na promoção DJ por uma noite, e agora terá um set completo para os seus agitados skas e punk rocks.

Os comandantes da Nave, DJ Janocide e DJ el Cabong, trazem a seus passageiros, além do já conhecida viagem por todas as décadas do rock e pop, as melhores músicas de 2009: O primeiro vai focar seu set nos novos sons internacionais, e o segundo mostra um pouco do que foi produzido de melhor no indie brasileiro nesse ano. É bom se preparar durante o dia de sábado, porque a noite será longa e a festa só termina na manhã do domingo! E lembre-se: venha à vontade pois palminhas, mãos pra cima e passinhos desengonçados são mais do que permitidos!

Serviço:

Nave
[Rock - Indie - Pop - Electro - Mashup - Discopunk - Batidões]

DJs:
Janocide
el Cabong
Nazca
Lucas Santtana (RJ)
titamüller
Alph

07/11/2009 | 23h | R$ 15 (sem consumação obrigatória)
Boomerangue (Rua da Paciência, 307 – Rio Vermelho)
Salvador-BA
Telefone: (71) 3334-5577
Classificação: 18 anos

Contato: festanave@gmail.com

Sites:
http://festanave.wordpress.com
http://twitter.com/festa_nave
http://orkut.com/Main#Community.aspx?cmm=70570049
http://myspace.com/festanave
http://fotolog.com/nave_/