Tuesday 24 August 2010 Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle who was born at Cana and brought by the Apostle Philip to meet Jesus. Nothing further is known for certain. Eusebius speaks of him in India, but the Roman Martyrology has him martyred in Armenia, skinned alive according to the Persian custom. Because his relics were enshrined on the island in the Tiber that is principally used as a hospital, he has become a patron saint of the sick.

Today is also the anniversary of the death of Monsignor Ronald Knox (1888 - 1957) He was born into a Church of England family (his father later became Bishop of Manchester and his grandfather was Bishop of Lahore), and had a brilliant career at Oxford and afterwards in the Church of England. He was received into the Catholic Church in 1917, after having inspired many of his friends to do the same.

Throughout the 1920s and 1930s he was one of the Church’s great apologists both in the newspapers and in books, making his points with equal parts of wit, charity, and cogency. Several of his opponents joined the Church in their turn, not coerced or converted by him, but inspired by his example and with their difficulties removed.

He was the Catholic Chaplain at Oxford from 1926 to 1939, where he equipped several generations of young men for the difficult transition from Catholic schools, where the faith was taken for granted, to the wider world, where it was met with indifference or outright hostility.

He translated the entire Bible into English, both the Old and the New Testaments, in a heroic single-handed project undertaken at the request of the English Catholic bishops; but it is by his spiritual writings (especially A Retreat for Lay People) and by his apologetic and doctrinal works that he is most worthily remembered.
Miss Elegance Wins Miss Grandmother Title: We have a new Miss Abuelita 2010 in Yucatan! She won after being elected Miss Elegance – and elegant she is! She claims to be 68 years of age, but we would have guessed at least 10 years younger. She works with Doctors of Humor, operated by a group of doctors who believe a smile can make all the difference when treating those who are ill. After seeing the photos of Sra. Norma Bonada y Hernandez, we might have guessed movie star as her career, but Doctors of Humor sounds like a wonderful thing to be doing when one is 68, Miss Elegance and, now, Miss Abuelita 2010.

Nauti-Cup Traffic Jam: In Mexico, there is a competition called the Nauti-Cup, which consists of contestants following what is called the Nauti-Cup Trail to compete in such events as rowing and canoeing. One of the stops is in Progreso and they manage to make it here at least twice a year. The problem with holding the Nauti-Cup in Progreso is that there is not a parking lot large enough to hold everyone who wants to watch the event. To make matters worse, this year, there was a 5 hour traffic jam on the highway between Merida and Progreso because no one told the Federal Highway Department that all of those cars would be on the road that day. When attempts were made to drive to Progreso en mass, the would-be spectators found that one of the lanes of the highway was closed because it was being repaved. If ever there was a commercial for riding the bus from Merida to Progreso, this is it. No worries about parking when you get there! I also suggest that you book a room (well in advance) and go the day before so you’ll be fresh to really enjoy whatever event you intend to attend.

Malecon Crowds: Every year, throughout the month of August, crowds on the Malecon in Progreso grow bigger as the month wears on. It really hasn’t been too bad this year. It began with only 30,000 visitors the first weekend. The second weekend saw 50,000 visitors on the Malecon and the third weekend boosted that number to 80,000. If past numbers hold, and I am certain they will, the Malecon in Progreso can expect well over 100,000 visitors both this weekend and probably the next as well. No wonder so many beach residents rent out their houses and take a month’s vacation elsewhere during August!

Baby Turtles Released near Telchac Puerto: Children, as usual, released 42 baby turtles this past week from a turtle camp near Telchac Puerto and a long-standing question we’ve had was finally answered. We knew that CETMAR has a camp for the protection and conservation of turtle nests but, sometimes, the people who come to the rescue come from not only farther away, but from a completely different direction! We wondered if there are other turtle camps in Yucatan – and now we know. Sedum has turtle camps at Telchac Puerto, Dzilam Bravo, and Sisal; CETMAR has the turtle camp at Yucalpeten; and Pronatura has turtle camps at Celestun and El Cuyo. In all, that adds up to six camps working constantly to protect and conserve the endangered sea turtles. As usual, employees and volunteers at all of the turtle camps are asking that citizens and visitors do their best to not put anything on the beaches that might get in the way of the baby turtles making their way to the sea, and that all outside lights are turned off at night so as not to confuse the baby turtles.

News from the Fishermen: Unfortunately, pulpo season is turning out to be the worst it has been in many years. Since this is the major cash catch on the coast of Yucatan, we hope that this soon turns around for the benefit of all who depend on the fishermen’s spending capacity for their incomes as well as for the fishermen themselves. Sadly, a poor pulpo season only encourages the illegal capture of sea cucumbers, a species that is prized in Asia and, because of that, is endangered now around the world. We do hope that conditions for pulpo fishing improve soon so that the local economy at the beach will no longer be under this kind of stress.

Finally, congratulations to: Jimena Navarrete Miss Universe from Mexico. Jimena Navarrete Rosete (born February 22, 1988). She was previously crowned Nuestra Belleza Jalisco in Guadalajara, Jalisco, on July 16, 2009, and Nuestra Belleza México on September 20, 2009, in Mérida, Yucatán. Born and raised in Guadalajara, she studied nutrition prior to her participation in beauty pageants. After winning her state pageant, she won the title Nuestra Belleza México 2009, competing against thirty-three other contestants. She is the second consecutive winner from Jalisco, following Karla Carrillo, the outgoing titleholder.