“We Have Water”

That is what William Boynton of the University of Arizona one of the scientist from the Phoenix Mars Lander said regarding the confirmation of water in Martian soil.

This news are …. I mean one thing is seeing what appears to be water on images transmitted from Martian suburbs and another, complete different thing, is receiving confirmation after chemical tests.

Maybe this news will pass without much furor among the massive amount of information that passes through our eyes each day, but I really think it could be one of the greatest discoveries of all time. It may mean that Mars one held some kind of life, or it may mean that humans could inhabit Mars one day (as distant as it may see).

I am no expert on the matter but I wanted to express my opinion in my site (yes for  those 5 people out there reading it)

You can find the news on this page: NASA Spacecraft Confirms Martian Water, Mission Extended.

Quote of the Day:
A good composer does not imitate; he steals.
--Igor Stravinsky

† Rest in Peace Father Marcial Maciel, LC

Father Marcial Maciel, founder of the Legionaries of Christ passed away yesterday January 30, 2008. Father Maciel died at the age of 87 of natural causes in the United States of America.

Father Maciel was the founder of the schools I have attended almost all my life. Since preschool, elementary, middle, and high school at the "Instituto Cumbres" and in college at the "Universidad Anáhuac". The Legionaries of Christ have been an important part of my formation.

I just wish to extend my prayers and condolences for the Maciel family and to all the community of the Legionaries of Christ and the "Regnum Christi" Movement.

The Lion King

Sunday afternoon I went to see The Lion King, the theater play from Broadway, although I didn't saw it on Broadway... I saw it in the "Auditorio Nacional" in Mexico City.

Back in 2005 when I went to New York City I tried to see it, but was not able to get tickets. So Sunday I've finally got my chance to see it.

The show was beautiful. Everything was spectacular, from the costumes, to the music, to the production. Even for a tour show, no details were left unattended. The show was presented in it's original language (thanks!) with Spanish subtitles on the video screens. The "Auditorio Nacional" it's a fairly large venue, it accommodates up to 5,500 persons for a theater play, so even if you don't get the same feeling you'll get in a smaller theater in Broadway, it was a very good experience.

Quote of the Day:
Life is not an exact science, it is an art.
--Samuel Butler, the younger

Carlos Slim, a Mexican, is wealthiest man on Earth

Maybe you have heard/read the news on this, maybe you haven't. The news have been revealed today by Mexican publication "Sentido Común" (Common Sense). The Mexican Tycoon, who has a 33% participation in the stocks of America Movil (the largest mobile telecommunications provider in Latin America) passed Bill Gates as the World's wealthiest man this past second quarter.

The fortune of Bill Gates rises to $59.2 billion and Slim's fortune goes up to $67.8 billion, a difference of $8.6 billion claims the publication.

What is most shocking about this news is that Carlos Slim comes from a country with a great amount of poor people. This only remarks the inequality that exists in this country, where the income is unevenly distributed and you can find very, very rich people as well as very, very poor people.

I hopes that Mr. Slim can give a little back to his country and contribute to it's development.

Original story from "Sentido Común": link (english translation).
Story at The Guardian newspaper: link.

Quote of the Day:
Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.
--C. Archie Danielson

Baja SAE Rochester 2007, a story from an unattending team

Maybe you can remember some of my past posts regarding the "intention" of the Baja SAE Anahuac Team of participating in the Baja SAE Rochester 2007 competition.

First, let me talk about why it turned from a goal, to an intention, to a deception. Some of you may know about it, some of you don't. The team was on time (not on schedule) to finish the vehicle and compete in Rochester. So, why did the team didn't go to the competition? We had a setback. The captain of the team couldn't keep up with the needs of the team and his school needs. So the captain decided to pull back his efforts on the team and the car in order to focus on his academic activities and to maintain his scholarship. You see, in our current team structure and status the captain is the person within the school team (that means to leave the advisors behind) more knowledgeable about the project and, therefore, the responsible of getting the things done. So when you have a captain that can't maintain the effort and momentum of the team, things start falling appart.

It is a pity that we didn't assist to the competition. It is a pity because we were capable of doing so, capable of returning to an international event and getting a good result. It is another story and another deception in the book for our team, we have had a few along our history (see MBQ2003, MBQ2004, MB100, and MBQ2006).

So, what's in store for the team? you ask. First is a s-l-o-w summer period with little to none work done. Then we have the responsibility of finishing the car for the Baja SAE Mexico 2007 competition, 148 days away from today (17-19 November, 2007). And hopefully have a car for the 2008 US competition.

Expect few posts about Baja in the summer and more frequently as BSM2007 comes near.

Oh, yes about the competition in Rochester... It seems that it was a lot of fun, lot of teams, with a Brazilian team taking the first place, Sherbrooke in second, and Tennessee in third (BSRIT 2007 results).

Finally after a very long post (maybe the largest ever in my blog so far!) I leave you with two videos from Baja SAE Rochester 2007. The first one is the start of the endurance race (see the amount of teams competing), and the second is the offical video from SAE, hope you enjoy them....

YouTube - 2007 Baja SAE Rochester World Challenge

 

YouTube - SAE Extreme BAJA RIT 2007

46 Mexico City Legislators: Killers

Just one little thought I wanted to share with you. 46 of the Mexico City Legislators are killers! Yes, they have voted to approve a legislation legalizing the abortion in the first three months of the pregnancy. They are allowing to kill innocent people that can't defend themselves, I am angry, it is an atrocity!

Save Water! World Water Day 2007

Today, March 22, is World Water Day 2007.

We must remember that, as with all the non-renewable resources on Earth, we (E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E) are responsible for preserving it. It is not "ours" it is lend to us.

No water means no life (no brainier here), but sometimes we forget about it.

There are many ways to save water and to preserve it clean and free of pollutants:

1. Take shorter showers (I declare myself guilty on this aspect and try to shorten my showers);
2. Replace old high water-consuming toilets;
3. Fix any water leaks in the house;
4. If you see any leak at your work or at the street, notify it to the person(s) required to fix it;
5. Water your garden early in the morning or in the evening, it is more efficient;
6. Use less pollutant and fewer detergent to wash your clothes;
7. Use less electricity (most of the electricity needs water in various forms to generate it),
8. more, more more.

These are only a few ideas that came to my mind this moment but you can do a little research only in sites like Grist Magazine to find tips, solutions, and alternatives to preserve the vital fluid.

Quote of the Day:
You cannot build a reputation on what you intend to do.
--Liz Smith