Judy's Tooth

Judy cracked a tooth last Friday and the Dentist would not be in until Monday, so wehad to change our plans. On our way back from the Farmers Market on Sunday we stopped at a local Book Store where we purchased the latest Cruisers Guide. We met the owners, a very nice couple who recommended their Dentist and gave us his phone number. We went to his office on Monday and will return today (Wednesday) for him to pull Judy’s tooth. Judy is also communicating with her daughter (Annie) in the states, who is a dental hygienist. Her options were a bridge or an implant. It looks like it will be an implant, as the bridge would cause future problems. We will find out how much it will cost today when she has her tooth pulled. The bridge would cost over $3000 in the states, and $1000 here. We have been told that the implant process will take about twelve weeks to complete. That means that we will stay in the Loreto area for the next three months until the dental work is completed. Oh well, we could be stuck in worse places during hurricane season. Puerto Escondido (a good hurricane hole) is close by.

A PANGA HEADING OUT AT SUNRISE

A FRIENDLY VISITOR

AND HIS/HER FRIEND

Yesterday we had a couple of visitors while I was working on fixing a secure place to lash some five gallon cans to the starboard rail. A couple of young Pelicans decided to land on the cabin to inspect my work. They hung around for about an hour or so, and then flew over to the Loreto Marina, which is full of them. They are very docile and friendly birds. The only problem with them is the mess they leave everywhere. Fortunately, these particular birds left no mess for us to clean up. However they did make us conscious of the fact that we had been neglecting our decks of late. It amazes me how fast they get so dirty. One would think that it would be cleaner out in the ocean than on land, but this is not so. There seems to be a lot of dust and dirt everywhere these days!

INSPECTING MY WORK

JOB COMPLETED

ANOTHER DAY'S END AT LORETO

I thought the following article, about Mexico’s poverty level, might be of interest to some of you. It sure demonstrates how lucky we are. It sure as hell could be a lot worse. I wonder if this is what is in store for the US?

Poverty grew in Mexico to nearly half the population, study finds

The government of President Felipe Calderon blames the poverty numbers on the global financial crisis that sent Mexico into recession in 2009 and the worldwide hike in food prices.
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By Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times
July 29, 2011, 7:34 p.m.
Reporting from Mexico City—
Mexico received more bad economic news Friday with a report that shows poverty is steadily on the rise.
The number of Mexicans living in poverty grew to 52 million in 2010, up by more than 3 million people from two years earlier, the report says. That means 46.2% of the population lives in poverty.
Within that group, 11.7 million people live in extreme poverty, a figure that held steady over the same period.The report was produced by the National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy, an autonomous but federally financed agency, and represents the state's most comprehensive study of poverty to date.
The government, which has sought to portray the country's economic standing in an especially optimistic light, blamed the poverty numbers on the global financial crisis that sent Mexico into recession in 2009 and the worldwide hike in food prices.
"This government like no other has sought to give opportunity to the poor," President Felipe Calderon said in response to the report.
Heriberto Felix Guerra, who as minister of social development is in charge of poverty-reduction programs, also defended the government's efforts, saying the administration took steps to contain the damage from the global financial meltdown of 2008-2009, which started in the United States, Mexico's most important economic partner.
"It would be irresponsible to deny the impact of global conditions" on Mexican poverty, he said, "but it would also be irresponsible not to recognize our achievements in recovering from the worst financial crisis in memory."
But social development and human rights groups criticize the Calderon administration for what they say is a failure to make poverty reduction a priority.
"Behind these figures are people with stories of injustice, dispossession, discrimination and insecurity," Alberto Herrera, director of Amnesty International in Mexico, said in a statement. "Millions of people who live in poverty cannot continue to wait" for the government to take action.
The council defines poverty as a monthly earning in urban zones of less than 2,114 pesos, or about $180. Extreme poverty is below 978 pesos, or about $83.
The council measures poverty based not only on income but also on access to food, education, healthcare, housing and basic services.
The report noted that access to healthcare had improved but access to food had declined, with nearly a quarter of the population insufficiently fed. Household income also fell about 12% between 2008 and 2010.

wilkinson@latimes.com
Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times

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