Christmas Musings

Posted on December 25, 2025 by yucalandia

Dec. 25, 2025
As I think about Christmas … and how modern America has almost completely scrubbed “Christ” from Christmas … it’s clear that Christmas songs played on American radio are all about Rudolph and Santa, presents, trees, parties, GIFTS … and even sex: “All I want for Christmas is ~you~.!” …. have completely replaced Christmas Carols … with not even a whiff “Christ” … nor the birth of a baby in Bethlehem.

So, I am struck by ‘what’s a fellow to do’ ?


Fortunately, in his annual Christmas Facebook post, Yucatan Bill again delivers fascinating insights!

“The symbolism of this story is that the wise men or Magi were from the East, hence gentiles who were lost in sin, and yet they travelled West, the apparent direction of a star’s movement… and the direction of salvation, to find the recently born Jesus. In other words, it is a loving story revealing salvation for even the gentiles, not just the Jews. It seems God’s chosen people comes from a larger gene pool than originally thought.”

“Matthew’s first chapter concerned itself in showing Jesus was in the lineage of David, fulfilling scripture. In his 2nd chapter, Matthew’s point was that many of the powerful Jews in Jerusalem at the at that time failed to see this new born child for who he was. Yet these magi, gentiles from the East, came to bring gifts and worship him.”

“Could Matthew 2 be a symbolic story of love and salvation, and not a lesson in weird astronomy?”


“Adoration of the Magi”
by the Italian Renaissance master Domenico Ghirlandaio, 1485–1488



…
Bill is leading us to an interesting dilemma:
Facts are often not truth … and groups of facts often miss the greater underlying truths … and in this case, I ask the reader to consider that the greater truths of Jesus ministries and messages ~transcend~ the differing “facts” that the Gospel writers tell in their Jesus stories…

Yucatan Bill has hit on a main theme of Matthew’s story of Jesus entire life, and how Matthew’s story (written around 80 AD) focuses on how Jesus came for the salvation of “the Jews” … yet “the Jews” keep rejecting him … Notice how even though Jesus was Jewish, and Mary & Joseph were Jewish … and Jesus’ brothers (at least 4) and his sisters were Jewish … Matthew distinguishes “the Jews” and their rejection of Jesus as a problem (especially by 80 AD when Matthew was written, after the destruction of the Temple) … where Matthew wants to identify to the Romans that the new Christian sect was different from the Temple Jews. … where the “Temple Jews” were rejecting Jesus by even Paul’s time of 37AD taking his version of the Jesus story to the pagans. (Note that none of the other Gospel story-tellers talk about “the Jews”.)

So, in Matthew’s Jesus story, the Magician/Sorcerer “Wise Men” as pagans worshiping Jesus … paired with Herod murdering all the infants … and the “Temple Jews” driving the murder of Jesus … combined a metaphor for how “the Jews” rejected Christ, while pagans accept him.

The final 10 unique bits of Matthew’s Christmas version of his Jesus story are revealing: Joseph & Mary are LIVING in Bethlehem in Matthew’s Jesus story … so there is no Roman Census … there is no Inn … nor birth in a stable … nor Angels … nor shepherds … nor circumcision ceremony (brit milah) … nor going to the Temple to be registered … because they have fled to Egypt and are in Egypt instead of going to the Temple … AND Matthew says they return to Bethlehem (their home) from Egypt, but can’t stay in Bethlehem because of the risk from Herod & the Jews… so they had to move to Nazareth according to Matthew. … Note how bone of these things are in Luke’s story of Jesus life, except that Jesus is born in Bethlehem, and Jesus grows up in Nazareth.

…
Next read the Luke story of Jesus life … to compare & contrast Luke’s very different message that Jesus came to minister to poor people and working class people … and to care for poor people & working class peopl … (where the rich Magician/Sorcerer Wise pagan Kings have no place in Luke’s story) … and Herod’s murder of the Innocents has no place in Luke’s Jesus story … and Luke makes up stuff like how “Quirinius” was supposedly the Governor of Syria and running “the Census” … yet Roman records clearly show Quirinius only came to Syria/Palestine at least 6 years AFTER Jesus birth … and Roman records clearly show the supposed Census (taken every 14 years – not justs) happened either 8 years before Jesus birth or 6 years after Jesus birth.

And, just like how Luke added Quirinius & a Census, Luke also adds that Joseph & Mary were from Narareth, up in Galilee before Jesus birth, while Matthew has Joseph & Mary LIVING in Bethlehem before Jesus birth … and Luke has no Wise Men, no fleeing Jewish Herod Archealus persecution & murdering of babies, and no Egypt travels.

Yet, notice how both Luke’s & Matthew’s stories ultimately get Jesus. Mary & Joseph to Nazareth … just by different routes … because Paul writes about how Jesus was “from Nazareth” …

The bigger stories …
Where Matthew’s telling of Jesus life focuses on how “the Jews” keep rejecting Jesus, Luke never even mentions “the Jews” as some malevolent problem, and the Luke story emphasizes over & over & over how Jesus came to minister to ordinary working Jews throughout Jesus life … as Jesus was born poor, in a stable … and his father Joseph was a poor day-worker (tekton in Greek – worked with his hands, not a business owner & not necessarily even a carpenter) … as the local shepherds come, and Angels come … and Luke also tells how Jesus was a good Jew, by Mary & Joseph taking Jesus to the Temple as a good Jew, and how other Temple Jews (Anna & Simeon) recognize even the baby Jesus as special … while Matthew spurns Temple Jews … as Matthew sends the little family off to Egypt versus going to the Temple.

Then notice that Paul … our earliest written source … says nothing about Angels, nor Egypt, nor Wise pagan Magician/Sorcerer Kings … nor travelling stars in the East … which would all seem to be pretty noteworthy events – yet none of the other Gospel writers include these seemingly significant events.

So, the Gospels were never written as factual historical accounts (notice how in 3 Gospel writers’ stories, Jesus cleansing the Temple is his LAST big public act, while John says that cleansing the Temple was Jesus FIRST public act … and notice that 3 Gospels say that the Last Supper & Jesus crucifiction happen on Passover, yet John’s story has the Last Supper & his crucifiction a week BEFORE Passover) …. So each of the Gospels were each written as a separate Jesus story, to emphasize different aspects of Jesus and who he ministers to … and Jesus different messages …

IOW … There really can be differences between “the truth” … versus “the facts”..

Facts are often not truth … and facts often miss the greater truths … and the greater truths of Jesus ministries and messages ~transcend~ the differing “facts” that the Gospel writers tell in their Jesus stories…


Merry Christmas …

Dr. Steven M. Fry


…
Addendum to address one person’s questioning “historical Biblical facts”

Example … Even though we think Matthew was “written” around 80 AD due to it’s historical contexts, and that Matthew & Luke both rely on the “Q” (Quelle) Jesus story as a source … realize the 120 AD Roman records & other contemporary 120 AD sources describe THREE (3) different versions of Matthew’s Gospel … each telling the Jesus story a bit differently …

and the earliest scraps of manuscripts of Matthew’s gospel story that we have (Papyrus 77 & Papyrus 103) date to approximately 200 AD …

and the earliest FULL version of a book of Matthew that we have are a Syriac version (a dialect of Aramaic) dates to around 250 AD … (found only recently in 2023 found as a palimpsest – text written over erased text)…

and it is not until 350 AD with the Codex Sinaiticus that we have a full version of Matthew in Greek …

.
So, when Matthew’s Jesus story was clearly not written before 60 AD (30 years after Jesus death), and because there were 3 different versions of Matthew reported in 120 AD (a full 100 yrs after Jesus life) … and our first earliest copy of Matthew (only recently found) comes from 250 AD … and our earliest full copy of Matthew in Greek comes from 350 AD (220 years AFTER Jesus death) …

how much emphasis should we put on the details ~”facts”~ that our modern English translations** of Matthew’s Jesus story and our modern translations of Luke’s Jesus story report … versus how much emphasis we can put on Matthew’s truths & Luke’s truths about Jesus & Matthew’s & Luke’s different messages about Jesus’ teachings ?

**As a final item, with the internet’s incredibly large blocks of facts, and multiple 24-7-365 news sources, modern people have become uniquely obsessed with “facts” … an aspect of humanity that was not really possible nor present until the last 40 year.


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INM Now Offers Online FMM (FMMd) Forms

Posted on October 19, 2025 by yucalandia

Oct. 19, 2025
Foreigners flying into Mexico are now welcomed to check their FMM / FMMd forms ON-LINE.


This applies to Residente Permanente Visa holders, Residente Temporal Visa holders, and foreigners entering Mexico on their 1-time-usage Consular visa (coming to Mexico to finish their Residente Visa process at INM).

The INM Website describes:
“Foreigners may download the FMMd, only once and within the allotted number of days. To obtain the FMMd, foreigners may scan the QR code found in the immigration review filters or access the INM Service Portal through an internet browser and enter the URL:”
www.inm.gob.mx/spublic/portal/inmex.html


or … Scan this QR code (below) … to check your official FMMd online …

Note: It can be important to check your online version of FMMd, before going to the airport, to determine if there are errors.).

QR Code to access your FMMd on the INM Website



after either clicking on the link above, or scanning this … you will see the message:

“ WELCOME TO THE SERVICE PORTAL ”



Select – Click On the middle option;
“Multiple Digital Migratory Forms by Air and CBX“

and then fill out the blanks in the forms that the website shows (displayed below):

Note that if your last name is hyphenated, do NOT use the hyphen. Just substitute a space in between your two last names.




Notice how these fields fit the old FMM forms and also fit the FMMs used at the border: (as shown below)



Note that if your last name is hyphenated, do NOT use the hyphen. Just substitute a space in between your two last names.


Final Notes:
When entering Mexico at airports, Mexico has different procedures for TOURISTS & VISITORS, than for foreigners with Residente Visas. Tourists using the passport scanners at airports in Mexico City and Cancun are issued a paper-tape receipt (like a grocery store receipt) that shows the QR Code at the top, and prints the instructions, plus the official data describing your entry. Tourists: SAVE THIS RECEIPT … follow it’s instructions … and keep the receipt with you for when you EXIT Mexico.


Tourists: Also be sure to check this receipt for maximum allowed stay exit date. Hopefully it is for 180 days.

~ ~ ~ ~
People with Residente Visas MUST NOT use the passport scanners when entering Mexico, or they will be issued a “Visitante Visa” … which effectively cancels your Residente Visa … forcing you to reapply for a whole new visa at a Mexican Consulate.


Cheers …

Dr. Steven M. Fry


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Natural Risks fromTramping Around in the Jungles & Backyards of Yucatan

Posted on September 4, 2025 by yucalandia

Sept. 4, 2025
Most people heading into the back-yards & jungles of Yucatan have some idea about the risks from the small brown or black scorpions whose sting makes your tongue go numb & causes days of pain, along with our poisonous snakes ( … Red-touches-Yellow kills-a-fellow coral banded snakes, Fer de Lance, Yucatecan Cantil, and our Hognosed Pit Vipers & Ratttlesnakes) … Yet most folks are unaware of our hazardous plants.

No doubt some of you have heard to use care when picking some variations of tasty chaya leaves, to avoid the skin irritations … yet how many readers are aware of our asp caterpillers, our p’oop’ox plants, and our Chechén trees?

Let’s start with the asp caterpillers .. aka “flannel moth caterpiller”, “furry puss caterpillar”, or “Megalopyge opercularis“

These nasty rascals can cause you days of extreme pain if you brush against one with bare skin, and take no remediation steps.

They come in different color variants here … yet ALL are just nasty.





Do not touch them … the pain, burning & swelling are *awful* …

If you do contact one:

1. Remove hairs: Use adhesive tape to gently lift any embedded hairs from the skin.

2. Thoroughly wash the area with soap and water.

3. To reduce subsequent symptoms, apply an ice pack to help with pain and swelling, or use a hydrocortisone cream to alleviate itching and redness.

4. If the rash worsens or if you experience severe symptoms, seek medical help.


…
Next … The vine-like weed that Maya people call p’oop’ox.
If you go out to weedy areas or agricultural areas, rural areas, or on the edges of the jungle, there is a slightly-vine-like plant, called p’oop’ox in Maya, (Tragia yucatensis), whose leaves cause 15 – 30 minutes of intense burning if you touch them.


Next: Out in the jungles of Yucatan, we have the Chechén tree that has toxic sap, where touching the trunk of the Chechén tree ( Metopium brownei ), causes rashes & burning because it’s poisonous sap contains urushiol, the same irritant found in poison ivy, causing a severe, blistering rash upon contact.

When you encounter a typical mature Chechén tree here, it has no lower branches below about 15′ to 25′ – but touching the bark (esp. the sap) with bare skin is worse than poison ivy. The leaves also contain urusiol, but they are typically up high -not in contact with human skin.

The Chechén tree has a contrast of dark, ruffled leaves and a bright white bark with black sap running from its trunk. Remember the image below with the distinctive trunk & black sap.

There is a corresponding charming Maya story about the antidote for the Chechén tree, called the red-barked Chacáh tree (Bursera simaruba) … The nectar of the Chacáh tree contains chemical constituents that act as an antidote to the Chechén’s poison.

Maya stories say that these two trees “always” grow within a few yards of each other, leading to Mayan folklore that tells about a tragic love story between them

~ ~ ~ ~
Next come the Triatomines ~ Reduvidae … Reduvid bugs … aka “Kissing Bugs”.

They live in the jungle, but also lurk up in thatched-roofs here. When they sense a sleeping victim below, they drop out of the thatch down onto the sleeping victim to suck their blood.

Too many of them carry the Chagas Disease parasite (Trypanosoma cruzi), that ultimately destroys our heart muscles.

The antiparasitic drugs benznidazole and nifurtimox (Lampit®) are very effective at killing the Trypanosoma cruzi parasite that circulates in our bloodstream, especially if the parasitic infestation is treated early.

~ ~ ~ ~


Finally, I am left describing a kind of ant, that I am still waiting for someone to give either a common name to … or Latin name for. There are some smallish back-yard ants here that swarm & bite – aggressively … As smallish ones, they are 2mm-3mm long => not tiny, not super fast, with sturdy bodies that are dark reddish brown in color. Maybe someone can reply with their name. In over 35 yrs here, I have never encountered them inside a home, but they do like our back yards here.

If attacked, you should quickly brush or flush them off, and scoot out of their territory … and then wash the affected area. Because the pain of their bites comes from Formic Acid, baking soda can help with the pain & burning sensations in severe cases.

and … as Dermatologists often recommend, if you are having allergic reactions or unusual swelling, Benedryl creme or Caladryl lotion can help.



Cheers …

Dr. Steven M. Fry


*           *           *           *

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Protozoan Parasites May Be Driving Increased Impulsivity & Emotionality in USA & Canadian Adults

Posted on July 18, 2025 by yucalandia

July 18, 2025
Do you have a brain parasite?
Does someone you know have brain parasites?

It turns out that as many as 30% of adults and up to 80% of senior adults in the USA & Canada have protozoan parasites, Toxoplasma gondii … that have moved from their gut to their brains … and the there’s evidence that these T. gondii parasites are significantly affecting dopamine production & dopamine levels.

The increases in dopamine, along with T. gondii’s immunomodulatory effects on brain inflammation, have been shown to contribute to
~ Impulsivity,

~ Risk-taking, and

~ Sometimes even driving sexually aggressive behaviors reported in some infected individuals.

.
Individual Context:
~ T. gondii parasitic infections aren’t just a public health and hygiene concern — there is evidence that they shape how we think, feel, and act — spreading, growing & increasing over the decades of the parasite-infested person’s life.

~ Up to 30% all Americans & Canadians and up to 80% of mature Americans & Canadians appear to be affected.

~ That rare-steak eater, or medium rare~hamburger eating individual ~ … or ~indoor cat-keeping pet owner~ …
grows more & more parasitic cysts over time … slowly, gradually becoming more impulsive … more emotionally reactive … less rational over time … due to more & more T. gondii PARASITES … growing & accumulating over the decades.

…
Why haven’t we heard about this before?

In a series of 5 research reports this past year, scientists are just now reporting on both the brain chemistry changes and neurological changes caused by protozoan parasite infections of Toxoplasma gondii … found in under-cooked meats … and cat feces.

Seriously:
Does someone you know eat rare or medium rare meats?
Do someone you know have a litterbox?

Have they become a bit irrational? … Impulsive?

Specifically, T. gondii directly increases dopamine production in infected neurons by expressing its own tyrosine hydroxylase, a key enzyme in dopamine synthesis.

Infections with T. gondii parasites that form cysts in the brain unfortunately have been shown to disrupt key circuits in emotion and decision-making …

The parasite cysts also raise risks of disorders like schizophrenia, depression, or even suicidal behavior.

…
Why now?
This past year’s research studies reveal that T. gondii parasites appear & grow as accumulating parasitic cysts in the brain, skeletal and cardiac muscle of the host … Troublingly, reporting that as many as 30% of all Americans & Canadians … and up to 80% of mature adults suffer from biochemical and neuroimmune changes from the accumulating parasite cysts.

.
Additional T. Gondii Facts & Effects:
Toxoplasma cysts vary in size between 5 and 70 μm, are intracellular, and typically reside within neurons. Neurons are responsible for receiving and sending sensory and motor signals, allowing for information to be transmitted in our brains, and in our bodies.

Toxoplasma cysts are able to spread, persist, and grow over decades, by masking their presence from detection by our immune system … altering our normal neuron-astrocyte communication, bypassing our traditional immune mechanisms of recognition.

Why care?
Key Facts:
The implications reach beyond individual health, suggesting that widespread infections could even influence societal trends in aggression, risk-taking, and mental health disorders.

~ That medium rare-steak eating individual ~ … or ~indoor cat-keeping pet owner ~ … grows more & more parasitic cysts over time … slowly, gradually becoming more impulsive … more emotionally reactive … less rational over time … due to more & more PARASITES … growing over the decades.

…
“Behavioral Impact: Infected individuals may exhibit more aggression, impulsive decisions, and even heightened sexual risk behaviors.”

“Public Health Relevance: Up to 80% of older humans may carry T. gondii, underscoring the widespread potential for subtle behavioral influence.”

…
Parasitic infections aren’t just a public health and hygiene concern— the evidence shows that they can also shape how we think, feel, and act – by affecting our astrocytes in our central nervous system & brain.

“Astrocytes are the most abundant glial cell in the brain and assist with support and nourishment of neurons, promoting signaling, and taking-up nutrients from the blood to transfer to neurons [11]. In addition, astrocytes are vital for maintaining the blood brain barrier (BBB) and their dysfunction can lead to neurological disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases, stroke, and epilepsy [12].”

“Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), a prolific protozoan parasite, forms cysts within neurons of the central nervous system that maintain infection for the lifetime of the host. Astrocytes are fundamental to neuronal health by providing nutrients and structural support and help regulate neurotransmitters by continuous communication with neurons.”

Further, T. gondii cysts have profound effects on our astrocytes’ extracellular vesicles (EVs) that are critical to moving key biochemicals in our bodies, nervous systems & brains.

“Extracellular vesicles (EVs) function in intracellular communication and can contain proteins, lipids, DNA, miRNA, and other RNA subtypes. The cargo of EVs can be diverse and includes DNA, RNA, and protein. Micro RNAs (miRNAs) can alter gene expression by post-transcriptional silencing or via chromatin modifications to silence or activate genes.”

https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1012733

https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1012733

“EVs are produced by all cells and play an important role in neuronal-astrocyte interactions, including the regulation of glutamate receptors on astrocytes. Previous work has demonstrated that Toxoplasma infection reduces astrocytic expression of the primary glutamate transporter, GLT-1.”

” Here we tested if cyst infection of neurons alters the production and content of EVs. EVs were isolated from uninfected and infected primary murine cortical neurons and their size, concentration, and characterization were confirmed with nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ELISA, western blot, liquid chromatography (LC)-mass spectrometry (MS)/MS, and microRNA sequencing. Analysis reveals that infection of neurons reduced neuronal production of EVs and altered their protein and miRNA content.”

“In addition to changes in host protein content, EVs from infected neurons contained the Toxoplasma proteins GRA1, GRA2, GRA7, MAG1 and MAG2. Following incubation of neuronal EVs with primary astrocytes, GRA7 protein could be observed within intracellular EVs and the nuclei of GRA7 + EV-containing cells. EVs from infected neurons altered gene expression of astrocytes resulting in an increase in pro-inflammatory transcriptional signatures, along with a downregulation of GLT-1 protein expression with similar transcriptional changes found in astrocytes in vivo.”



BIG DEAL RESULTS:
” These results demonstrate the ability of a parasitic infection in the brain to alter EV production and the fundamental communication between neurons and astrocytes.”

“Our study found that Toxoplasma cyst infection decreased EV production by neurons and altered EV host protein and miRNA content. “

…
So … SOME of the last 30 years of USA & Canadian societal changes … and changes in some individuals’ increased impulsivity … and increased risk taking … may be due T. gondii parasites … from eating undercooked meat … and from cat-litter boxes …

https://neurosciencenews.com/brain-parasite-personality-29480/#:~:text=Summary:%20New%20research%20highlights%20how,potential%20for%20subtle%20behavioral%20influence.



Cheers …

Dr. Steven M. Fry


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Mexican Taxes Owed by American Residents in Mexico

Posted on July 6, 2025 by yucalandia

July 6, 2025
A fun tax question has come up on FB forums for foreigners from the USA … regarding how much taxes the USA-nian owes to Mexico on USA-sourced income … Plus, we have added a section at the end of this report describes how US Social Security (and other Govt. pensions) are taxable by ONLY the USA, while private pension income from the USA are taxable by both the USA & Mexico.**

WHEN the USA-nian qualifies as a Mexican Resident (under Mexico’s ISR tax-home residency rules) … then, even though the taxes paid in the USA are credited against the Mexican taxes owed (eliminating any “double taxation”**), the USA-nian resident of Mexico can still owe taxes on their US income … especially if the USA-nian is a high-income earner.**

Typically, if you have income from the USA that totals more than about $80,000 annually, the top tax brackets of Mexico can have higher % tax rates than the USA – so the taxes you pay in the USA may not cover the difference of the higher taxes owed to Mexio, as a high earner who is a resident of Mexico.

**It’s worth first noting the basic principles of the 1992 USA-Mexico Tax Convention (“Tax Treaty”):

1. No Double Taxation … Any US dollars paid to the US IRS are credited against any MXN pesos owed to Mexico’s Hacienda/SAT … and vice versa … Taxes paid to Mexico are credited against any US taxes owed.

2. All tax deductions, all tax-deductible expenses, all tax exemptions and tax waivers by the US IRS are “allowed” … accepted … by Mexico’s Hacienda/AST … and vice versa … the US IRS accepts / “allows” all of Mexico’s deductions, waivers, & exceptions.

3. Both Mexico and USA charge their “residents” taxes on world-wide income. Whatever $$ you earn anywhere in the world … are taxable by Mexico AND the USA … when you are a “resident” of Mexico or the USA.


Mexico’s Top Tax Rate Exceeds the USA’s tax rates for most USA-High Earners:
Mexico’s top marginal rate is 35%.. Mexican “residents” (residency is defined by the Mexican ISR) are taxed on worldwide income, while non-residents are taxed on only Mexican-source income.

IOW … IF you are a resident of Mexico, based on tax code definitions, then you CAN owe taxes on US based income that has been taxed in the USA at rates less than 35%. …. and Mexico’s 30% tax rates for “residents” are triggered at just $30,000 USD of net taxable income after deductions … (See Mexican ISR Tax Table below.)

By comparison, the US IRS triggers 32% taxes ONLY above $192,000 USD … so many higher*income US-anians living in Mexico as “residents” … DO also OWE MEXICAN income taxes, after they have paid their US taxes

…
Example … any US taxable income total that’s less than $243,726 USD (when USA’s 35% rates kick in to equal Mexico’s top 35% rate) then part of that high-income can also be taxable by Mexico.

Example…
**A US income of $100,525 (after deductions) is taxed at just 24% by the USA … while Mexican rates on that income are 34%.

… As a RESIDENT of Mexico, (determined by Mexico’s ISR rules) a high-earner would owe Mexico the difference … of net 10% income taxes
=> owing $10,052 USD in taxes to Mexico … and $24,126 to USA.

Mexican Tax Table Rates by Income
https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/mexico/individual/taxes-on-personal-income




and
US Income Tax Rates
https://www.irs.gov/filing/federal-income-tax-rates-and-brackets


Social Security Retirement Benefits:
What USA Pension Income is Taxable in Mexico … and Which Pension Income is Exempt:
US private pension is taxable in Mexico, along with being taxed by the US IRS, meanwhile Government paid pension income from the USA is exempt from Mexico. The “savings clause” in Article 1 of the treaty describes how the US applies its laws, not withstanding the treaty in most cases.

The US IRS taxes the world-wide income (with some exemptions) of its citizens and green-card holders regardless of residence. With a private pension, USA citizens in Mexico, may owe taxes in Mexico. First, compute the tax due in the US, and then use Form 1116 to claim a Foreign Tax Credit against US taxes for the pension tax paid to Mexico.



Cheers …

Dr. Steven M. Fry


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Learning Mexican Spanish Shortcuts … Gringo-Style

Posted on June 26, 2025 by yucalandia

June 26, 2025
With all the people struggling to live in the USA, lots of North of the Border folks are seriously considering moving to Mexico.

These earnest gringos/gringas are cautioned by Social Media ~ old-fart foreigners-in-Mexico~ that they should WAIT to move here, and come here ONLY …
… “When you learn Spanish … FIRST ” ….

That approach sounds reasonable, yet … the current President may already be out of office, if you wait to come to Mexico before speaking Spanish. … Spanish is quite complex … especially with all the Arabic-rooted words* … 14 verb tenses** … and all the peculiarities to Mexican Spanish and especially Yucatecan Spanish.

Are you ready to try?

Here are some practical shortcuts to learning Spanish:
Consider learning the present, past and future tenses of only the commonly used irregular verbs: ser, estar and ir.*

Next … Learn ~just~ the present tenses of other common verbs … and then for irregular verbs, talk like a China-man – using the present tense verb form combined with “today” … “tomorrow” … “yesterday”:

“You go … NOW !” … “You go TODAY !” … “You go … TOMORROW !”
… You go … YESTERDAY!“

Only then … learn the other verbs’ endings for ONLY past and future for ONLY regular verbs.

To conjugate regular Spanish verbs, identify the verb’s ending (-ar, -er, or -ir) and remove it to find the stem/base word. Then, add the appropriate ending based on the subject, pronoun and tense. For regular verbs, the endings follow predictable patterns.

Regular Verb Conjugation:
Infinitive: All Spanish verbs end in -ar, -er, or -ir.
Stem: The stem is the part of the verb before the infinitive ending (e.g., in “hablar,” the stem is “habl-“).

Conjugation:
-ar verbs: Remove the “-ar” … and add -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an.
-er verbs: Remove the “-er” … and add -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en.
-ir verbs: Remove the “-ir” … and add -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís, -en.

Example:
Comer => stem/base = Com-

Yo como (I eat) … Yo comí (I ate … ) … Comeré queso mañana. (I will eat cheese tomorrow.) …

Hablar (to speak):
Yo hablo, tú hablas, él/ella/usted habla, nosotros/as hablamos, ellos/ellas/ustedes hablan.

Comer -full version (to eat):
Yo como, tú comes, él/ella/usted come, nosotros/as comemos, ellos/ellas/ustedes comen.

*Except for learning the irregular verb tenses for estar, ser and ir … I would just treat all other verbs as if they were regular verbs – and just say them as 3 tenses (like English’s 3 tenses – past, present & future) …

Doubters – and people who love to argue, can consider the complexity of an adult foreigner learning just the very commonly used verb hacer. (See below)


Next:
~ Recognize all the words in English that have 2 forms … Romance based and Teutonic (Germanic) based:

Example: Subterranean & underground … The more elegant form will be Romance based … Choose that one, and say it with a Spanish accent…

Skip “Underground” and go to Subterranean … which phoenetically becomes soob-tehr-rahneo …

Flower – Bloom … Flower is obviously the Romance version => Flor …

AND
Be SURE to learn the gender of each noun WHEN you learn it.
Raya = a scratch (in the paint) or a stripe
Rayo = Lightning bolt

Olla = pot (for cooking)
Hoyo= hole (in the ground) … TRICKY because the “H” is silent, and the “Y” sounds just like the “LL” …

.
Are readers starting to understand why waiting in the USA until you “can speak Spanish” … likely means waiting until after the current President will be out of office. 🤣🥰🤣



Next:
Learn the common FALSE COGNATES – False Friends – that sound almost exactly the same in Spanish and English … but have very different meanings.

Embarazada in Yucatecan Spanish sounds just like embarassed – but Embarazada means pregnant … meanwhile “vergüenza” means embarrassed.

There are at least 50 or so FALSE Cognates worth knowing – because you will confuse Spanish speakers by using the wrong word … See the website below for the Internet’s biggest list of Spanish-English / English-Spanish false cognates.

Spanish – English False Cognates

.

Next:
Learn that there are often 2 words in Spanish for the same thing … Betabel & remolacha …. are both “beet” … So when you learn just 1 word for something in Spanish – then Spanish speakers will sound intelligible when they use the other word.

Then … SKIP LEARNING formal Spanish from Spain – because the paltry 46 million Spaniards speak REALLY WEIRD Spanish … versus the 450 MILLION Americans speaking “American Spanish” **… 😉

Alhambra, Grenada, Spain


Next:
Learn to recognize all the peculiar Arabic-Moorish words that occupy 10% of Spanish words … starting with the ones that start with A … or Al … because… your Romance Language-Germanic Language tuned brain will likely have NO REFERENCE points for them – yet those Arabic words in Spanish are super common => 10% of common Spanish words.

Why? …Spain is a VERY YOUNG country (just 500 yrs old) … while “Spain” was Arabic-Moorish (Arabe-Morro) for a much longer 700 years:

Examples:
Almuerzo (Al-muerzo) = Lunch … at 2 pm

Almohada (Al-mohada) = Pillow

Alfombra (Al-fombra) = Carpet

Aduana (A-duana) = Customs (like at a border crossing)

Alcalde (Al-calde) = Mayor (of a city)

Algodón = Cotton

Azúcar = Sugar comes from the Arabic “as-sukkar”.

Aceite = Oil (for cooking)

Arroz = Rice

Alacrán = Scorpion => an issue here in your bedroom in Yucatan

Azafrán: Saffron

Ojalá = Hopefully … God willing …

Alcohol (Al-cohol) … and Algebra (Al-gebra) are easy …

YET, there are ~merely~ 10,000 Arabic/Moorish words in Spanish …

Alhambra … in Grenada, Spain

.

all of which pushes back “moving to Mexico” even farther … by coming “only after learning Spanish” …

🤣


Finally …

*American Spanish (what’s spoken in the Americas) … has so many local idioms, so many local colloquialisms … and so many Native American words … that learning “proper” formal Spanish from Spain … will leave you badly hobbled here in the Americas.

Quick … When at a restaurant … What’s a straw … here in Mexico? … “Popote” !

from the Nahuatl word for reed.

Meanwhile Spaniards say “pajita” …

It’s “pitillo” in Colombia and Venezuela

“Cañita” is the preferred word in Peru.

… with “bombilla,” “calimete,” “carrizo,” “pajilla,” and “sorbete” thrown in for fun across the Americas … 😉

plus Yucatecan expressions … like huatch/wach … for “outsiders”.

FINALLY … Yucatecan Spanish is weird, because it has so many Mayan words … and so many Mayan people speak/learn Spanish as a second language … that even Mexicans often CANNOT understand local Yucatecans speaking Spanish .. because our “s” and “z” sound exactly the same … “b” and “v” are pronounced the same … and many Yucatecans’ spelling is “very-different” from Spain … Wero/Wera …
LOL

Cheers …

Dr. Steven M. Fry


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12 Official Vacation Days for Mexican Workers for 2025

Posted on May 25, 2025 by yucalandia

December 27, 2022
Rather than the previous minimum 6 legally required paid-vacation days off work for Mexican workers, it’s now 12 “continuous”** total paid-vacation days off work for all employees in 2023.

D.O.F. 12/26/2022 (Diario Official de la Federacion)

**Notice that if both the worker & employer agree, the 12 days of vacation do not have

Vacaciones dignas 2023:


The regularly scheduled Aguinaldo payments still remain the same.

Details on how to calculate Aguinaldos and Vacation Paid Days Off are here:






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2025 Hurricane Risks for Yucatan’s North Coast

Posted on April 20, 2025 by yucalandia

April 20, 2025
As some people report on pot-smoking today, and others cry: ” Wolf! … WOLF !!!” over the latest emanations out of the White House … Yucalandia editors & writers prefer reporting the lastest useful facts in the forms of … a “Look Back at Yucatan’s Hurricane History” … followed by a “Look Forward at Yucatan’s Upcoming 2025 Hurricane Season”
(“Above normal activity for 2025 – with 17 predicted named Atlantic storms … versus 14.4 average,)


Looking Back: What are the historical risks of HURRICANES hitting Yucatan’s North Coast?

~ 1 … Just 1 official reported landfall of a single hurricane in the past 173 years on our North Coast.
and
~ 2 … Just 2 reported landfalls of hurricanes touching the Yucatan’s North Coast in the past 500 years.


How do we know/ …. A diligent fellow confirmed these realities in his report of the historical records of all documented hurricanes to hit the US Coast, the Caribbean Islands, and the Yucatan Peninsula. His report also includes a convenient map of all officially-recorded hurricane landfalls for these areas.

Credit for the lovely map(s) goes to Michael Ferragamo.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/hurricane-dead-zone-map-shows-100258521.html


The article’s hurricane landfall map confirms what 17 yrs of Yucalandias’s reports & reliable-calm Facebook posts have repeatedly, consistently reported since 2006 … that only 2 hurricanes (Isadore & 1 other long past hurricane)  have made landfall on Yucatan’s north Gulf Coast in the last 500 years… 


What Does the Map Mean?
Despite years of occasional near-hysterical panic-posts on local FB expat groups, 173 years of history shows that a combination of geography, oceanography & meteorological factor make Yucatan’s north coast an official “DEAD ZONE” for hurricane landfalls … as we have had just 1 actual hurricane make landfall here in the past 173 years.

Note how empty our Yucatan North Coast is …. free from dots of documented hurricane landfalls.

Then notice the extremely high risks for hurricanes hitting Yucatan’s Caribbean Coast … similar to NORTH Florida’s reasonably quiet Atlantic coast, and the quiet of the Mid-Atlantic States coasts … versus Florida’s Gulf Coast and South & North Carolina’s Atlantic Coast extremely active hurricane landfall zones …


LOOKING FORWARD to the 2025 Major Storm Predictions for the Atlantic Hurricane Zone and Yucatan’s Potential for Big Storms in 2025:

For the last 50 years, the record-setting Atmospheric Sciences Department at CSU has put together the world’s most reliable forecasts for the Atlantic Ocean’s Major Storms hitting the US Coasts, Caribbean Coasts, and Mexico’s Coasts.
https://tropical.colostate.edu/forecasting.html

This year’s 2025 forecasts are …
“ … the 2025 Atlantic basin hurricane season will have above-normal activity. Current La Niña conditions are likely to transition to ENSO neutral conditions in the next couple of months; however, there remains considerable uncertainty as to what the phase of ENSO will be this summer and fall. “

” Sea surface temperatures across the eastern and central Atlantic are generally warmer than normal, but not as warm as they were last year at this time. A warmer-than-normal tropical Atlantic combined with likely ENSO neutral (or potential La Niña) conditions typically provides a more conducive dynamic and thermodynamic environment for hurricane formation and intensification.”

“We anticipate an above-average probability for major hurricanes making landfall along the continental United States coastline and in the Caribbean. As with all hurricane seasons, coastal residents are reminded that it only takes one hurricane making landfall to make it an active season. “

“ Thorough preparations should be made every season, regardless of predicted activity. ”


So … As we approach the upcoming June – October 2025 Hurricane Season, remember to keep an eye on up-to-date weather tracking of actual storms and their actual positions (IOW.. Do not trust the loopy too-often-mistaken big predicted “storm path” cone paths … and instead, make practical proven preparations for possible-but-unlikely big storms with high winds & lots of rain,

yet, remain calm, as you remember that only 2 actual hurricanes have actually hit the Yucatan’s North Coast in the past 500 years.

Dr. Steven M. Fry


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The Real Maya Calendar … all 7 of Them …

Posted on February 26, 2025 by yucalandia

Feb 26, 2025

One advantage of being in Social Media groups … is that we get to see what people are concerned about & thinking about from their questions … like :

What was the Maya Calendar ?
Seriously … there were & are at least 7 different Maya Calendars**
.… Just like we have multiple calenders today, like our solar calendar of 365 days in a year … plus our 7 named days of the week calendar (Sun Day, Moon Day, Thor’s Day, Friya’s day) to match the Jewish 7 day cycle … plus our Zodiac calendar (you know your Zodiac sign right?) … along with the named months of the year … with our 2-faced Janus (January) looking backward at the old year and forward to the new year … Mars- (March) God of War for marching to start new military campaigns … Maia (May) Roman God of Spring & new growth … etc.

**Similarly to all of our “modern” Calendars … The Maya have/had a Haab 365 day solar calendar of 18 months of 20 days per month +plus 5 extra days with no names. (but no leap day corrections – so this calendar gets way off from the sun’s actual day lengths & positions).

**The Maya also have/had a Tzolk’in Calendar 260 day religious(?) calendar of 13 months of 20 days per month,

**Next the Maya have the “Calendar Round” calendric system, which is a combination of the Tzolk’in day name with the Haab day name … where the Calendar Round has an overall 52 yr cycle, before the two day-name pairs repeats …
Credit and thanks to Sidney “Calman” Hollander for his Calendar Round image.

Continuing with the Calendar Round pairs of Tzolk’in Date Day Names +plus Haab Date Day Names, in one prominent example, when the LONG COUNT Calender (see below) for the new 0.0.0.0.1 starting Date when the Long Count finished it’s finished it’s last 2,880,000 day cycle… the NEW cycle’ s first 0.0.0.0.1 Long Count number … the corresponding CALENDAR ROUND day names were: 4-Ajau, 3-Kank’in … as the Tzolk’in Date name, followed by its Haab Date name … followed by its Lord of that Night = God 9 …



**Then the Maya had/have a 28 day LUNAR CALENDAR … that allows a person who knows their full Maya Birthdate, to also simultaneously know the phase of the moon on that night …

**AND the Maya have a running count of days … since Day 1 … named “Day 0.0.0.0.1” … (which was called 4-Ajau, 8-Kumku in Calendar Round dates) … The Maya LONG COUNT calendar counts the dayss linearly … which is the calendric cycle that ended on Dec. 21, 2012 when it hit 13.0.0.0.0

Here’s an example of a pair of glyphs from one Long Count date, from Palenque:
(Courtesy of FAMSI)


The best understanding is that Day 0 (or Day 1) of the Long Count started on August 11, 3114 BCE… So, the Maya’s Long Count Calendar cycle lasts 2,880,000 days, which Maya traditionalists consider a universal cycle. In modern terms, the Long Count cycle is equivalent to roughly 7,885 solar years … And yes, using the Maya Long Count calendar, you can quickly determine how many days you have been married to your spouse … by subtracting your Long Count Wedding Date number, from today’s Long Count number. 😉

… Yet, seriously, even our modern calendar systems don’t work well to determine: “How many days have I been alive?” … or “How many days until my birthday next year?” … while a sharp Maya priest could quickly answer these question.

AND
The Maya Calendar ALSO included a system of Days 0 – 9 for the “Lords of the NIGHT”

The 9 Lords of the Night glyphs are often called the “G’ Series”. Further note that every tun, k’atun and bak’tun since creation has ended with G9, the aged god of darkness and ‘night sun’, which are fitting ends to each block of time … Courtesy of Revista MesoAmerica.





AND
The Maya Calendar ALSO included a system of the visible cycles of Venus … which follow a 584 to 586 day cycle … where Venus spends roughly 263 days as the Evening Star … 50 days absent from our skies … followed by roughly another 263 days as the Morning Star …



SO
When a Mayan Shaman told a person their Birth Date … It started with the Calendar Round date (as the combination of the two Calendar dates of the Haab Calendar Day Name plus the Tzolkien Calendar Day name), followed by their Long Count Calendar Date … followed by which Day Number of the 9 Lords of the Night the person was born on … followed by the phase of the moon as your Lunar Date when born … Followed by the phase of Venus as the Day number of the 584 day Venus Calendar of your birth date. … as shown in this example






and Yes, full credit on most of this goes to the fine mathematician, Sidney Hollander, who wrote the first computer program in the world to convert modern Gregorian Dates to full Mayan Dates back in the 1980’s … who is also the same professional “Calman” who worked at Chichen Itza from 1991 – 2004 as THE Maya Calendar expert for INAH

Credit & Thanks to Revista Mesoamerica




… and additional credit to Dr. Peter Schmid for some technical details in this report – as Peter was Regional Director for decades at INAH … for Yucatec Maya sites across the Yucatan Peninsula.





Our Dear Friend “Calman” Sid Hollander:
https://yucalandia.com/2022/05/30/sid-hollander-yucatans-loss-heavens-gain/


and our the delightful twinkly-eyed German friend … Dr. Peter Schmid

https://yucalandia.com/2023/09/03/chichen-viejo-finally-opens-after-6-years/

Descansa en Paz mis buen amigos …

Dr. Steven M. Fry


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VAT Tax Refunds or IVA Tax Refunds in Mexico

Posted on February 4, 2025 by yucalandia

Feb 4, 2025

One advantage of being in Social Media groups … is that we get to see what people are concerned about from their questions … like :

How Do I Get My VAT Tax Refund from Mexico?
First … Mexico has no VAT taxes like Europe & Canada, we have a 16% IVA. Next … even if you meet all 7 or so requirements, you likely only get part (say 8%) of the IVA tax refunded to you.

Next… Notice that many shops & businesses likely do NOT participate in the IVA-Refund scheme … When buying anything, make sure the vendor or store IS A MEMBER of Mexico’s tourist tax refund scheme. NOT ALL STORES OFFER TAX-FREE SHOPPING, so look for the tax-free sign or ask the cashier to confirm.

To be eligible for Mexico’s tax free shopping, you must ALSO meet these conditions:

~ You are a non-resident of Mexico, typically on a TOURIST – Visitante visa … RESIDENTE VISA HOLDERS likely need not apply for IVA refunds.

~ For TOURISTS buying stuff, you will take your purchased goods with you in your personal luggage;

~ Your purchase must be at least 1,200 MXN, and must be made in one store with credit card, debit card or services issued abroad by only FOREIGN FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS.

~ You can also pay in cash as long as they don’t exceed 3,000 MXN in total.

.
Next: You have to use an official Registered Agent, to handle your claim.

You can apply for your IVA refund in Mexico either offline or online. If you would like to apply for a IVA refund online, you should download the mobile app from one of the registered tax agents in Mexico. But before receiving your IVA refund in Mexico, you must follow the steps below:

~ ~ ~ ~
Get Your Tax Exemption Form(s) … every time:
When shopping, make sure the store IS A MEMBER of Mexico’s tourist tax refund scheme. NOT ALL STORES OFFER TAX-FREE SHOPPING, so look for the tax-free sign or ask the cashier to confirm.

Once you verify that the store is part of the Mexico VAT refund scheme, ask the sales assistant for a tax-free form. You’ll need this form and the original invoice to claim your IVA refund in Mexico. Without these documents, you will not be able to receive your IVA refund. The sales assistant may also request to see an officially recognized identity document, so remember to bring one (e.g., your passport) when you go shopping.

If you choose to process your Mexico tourist tax refund online, you can upload these documents and the migration form to the app’s platform.

Have the Forms Stamped:
Before leaving Mexico, you must validate your tax-free form and goods. At the airport, go to the designated tax-free station to present your goods, passport, tax-free form, and original receipts. If you’re processing your IVA refund at Mexico City Airport (MEX), you can easily find IVA refund counters in both terminals.

For goods valued at 5,000 MXN or more (including tax), customs validation is mandatory. However, keep your goods with you even if their value is below this threshold, as an officer might still need to inspect them.

Obtain an IVA Refund:
Now comes the most exciting part of the process: receiving your IVA refund in Mexico. If you’re working with a tax refund agent, visit their designated counter to claim your IVA refund. If you don’t want to go with any agents, you can follow the instructions on your tax-free form to get your money back.

.
If you choose to claim your IVA refund through an app, enter your credit card information to process the refund.

The IVA refunds will be paid in MXN directly to your credit card, debit card or other financial services that you use to purchase. You can also choose to receive in cash up to a maximum of 50% of the amount to be paid to tourists (not to exceed 10,000 MXN). The remainder of your IVA refunds in Mexico are deposited electronically in the bank card you provide.



Cheers,
Dr. Steven M. Fry


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Maximizing Solar System Returns in the Yucatan

Posted on January 20, 2025 by yucalandia

Jan. 20, 2025

Should you install & orient your solar system panels, to maximize Summertime production … Wintertime production …. or some combination???

Aim them due South ? … Aim them slightly South-East ?…

or … Is that asking the wrong question ?** 😉

. Imagine 3 simple orientations for Yucatan’s weather conditions … latitude … and our angles of the sun’s changing position in the Yucatan sky, relative to the front face of the panels.

1. For MAXIMUM WINTERTIME production … Point the panels due South … with a somewhat steep elevation angle of 19º-21º …. which maximizes the WINTER TIME 9 am to 6 pm energy production … where off-angle production is reduced by at least 10% – due to the sunlight captured is reduced from being deflected by off-angle sunlight reflections.

1.a. FOR THE SAME DAILY CLOUD FLUCTUATIONS (same number of morning clouds as afternoon clouds) … then a due-South orientation points the panels most-directly at the sun … with a higher 19º to 21º degree steeper elevation … to maximize WINTERTIME production … especially when the Sun is lower in the sky (because of the sunlight’s longer path through the earth’s atmosphere reduces the solar intensity at the panels)… and because in the mid-Sept to mid-March months our sun is in the SOUTHERN SKY all day.**

(See explanations of monthly, seasonal variation effects below).**

1.b. What temperatures are we having in Merida?
Merida is a HEAT ISLAND that generates it’s own clouds & own weather. When there is lots of sunlight – and hot conditions, as the daily HEAT increases … we have more afternoon clouds … meaning a due South orientation can sometimes give lower daily energy totals, when Merida’s HEAT (on hot day) drive BIGTIME afternoon cloud production.

IOW … Are this year’s COOLER Merida daytime winter temperatures the new normal? … because if so … then a due South orientation maximizes both morning & afternoon solar productions. … while past years’ warmer Merida winter*temperatures drove MORE PAST afternoon cloud production … making the previous slightly South-Eastern panel orientations more effective by gathering MORE of the pure-brighter morning sunlight …

2. For maximum late Spring, SUMMERTIME & early Fall maximum production … remember that the sun tracks PURELY, ONLY across the NORTHERN sky … from March 21’st to Sept 22’nd … each year.

So having a 14º elevation summer angle (lower height) of panels … lower angle than the 20º winter angle- gives lower wintertime production values … but gives roughly 10% more energy production from mid-March through mid-Sept …

IOW … a much improved energy-efficiency* (but not cost effective*) design would be to have panels on a teeter totter to point them NORTH for 6 months of the year … and SOUTH for the other 6 months of the year … to gain 10% – 15% more energy year round.

and the BEST energy efficiency design (but poorest cost effective design*) is to have them move like SUNFLOWERS … tracking the sun’s movement every 15 minutes… which gains roughly 44% more energy,,,

.
**BUT… because Chinese govt. $$$ subsidies are so large now… panels are CHEAP … so it’s actually cheaper now to just add an extra panel or 2 … to more than equal the lost 15% due to POOR ALIGNMENT.

Real World Example:
Notice that going from a 6 panel system to a 7 panel system, makes up that 15% inefficient-sun-angle problem … for the $200 cost of another panel. changing a 3.3kW system to a 3.8 kW system … gaining an extra 1000 kWh per yr from that panel … @ Merida’s current $4.3 pesos per kWh of Excedente power … => $4300 pesos per year of savings … WHICH PAYS FOR THE EXTRA PANEL IN as little as JUST ONE YEAR. 😉

.
Hint … IF YOUR SOLAR SALES guy did not explain these things … it’s time to get a better solar guy…

.
and …

3. Notice that BECAUSE OUR daily CLOUD CONDITIONS are changing with Global Climate change … a slight angling of the panels to the South-East … combined with a flatter 14º elevation angle … would give a higher YEAR ROUND total … but give poorer mid-Winter production.

.
Finally … Because CFE gives BIG SUMMERTIME April-Sept Hot Season Mexican taxpayer-paid subsidies vs small winter cool season taxpayer subsidies … of summertime 600 kWh’s subsidies to homeowners of almost 3X CHEAPER power

… Saving Merida homeowners $1,842 PER BILL from April through September using 1000 kWh … versus the small $602 pesos subsidies per bill Winter subsidies …

.
SO … Some solar homeowners CHOOSE to have their panels angled DUE SOUTH … to maximize their solar production during the EXPENSIVE POWER RATES Oct-March CFE cool season subsidies of just $602 pesos …

and yes, you lose 10%-15% of energy generation in the summertime … but summertime is when CFE GIVES YOU $1,842 per bill of subsidies…

subsidies paid by us Mexican taxpayers …

.
Again, IF your solar salesperson is NOT explaining these factual realities … maybe it’s time to change solar companies. 🙂

Dr. Steven M. Fry
Ph.D in Science … and Solar System repair guy in Yucatan since 2007.

https://app.cfe.mx/aplicaciones/ccfe/tarifas/TarifasCRECasa/Tarifas/Tarifa1D.aspx


Cheers,
Dr. Steven M. Fry


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Yucatan State 2025 Schedule for Renewing Car License Plates AND Vehicle Tarjeta de Circulació Info

Posted on January 5, 2025 by yucalandia

Jan. 5, 2025

‘Tis the Season (after May) to Renew your Plates – Between June – December.

Depending on the first 4 letters on your Yucatan plates, some plates with the correct 4 letters can be renewed starting June 2025 … followed by all the other combinations of letters through December.

Plan to go replace your plates only during your assigned month … going to the big SSP bldg. behind the Galarias (“Liverpool” Mall in Merida.

People who have lost their front plate, get a police report… and carry that police report in the car … and wait your turn until June – December.




Tarjeta de Circulación Rules Just Published:

The Tarjetas de Circulación are good until May 31, 2025, per Yucatan State Decreto 44/2024, only recently issued on Dec. 21, 2024.

SO YES … You will get a new Tarjeta de Circulacióm.


Here’s the Yucatan State website for registering to get a new Tarjeta de Circulación:

https://reemplacamiento.yucatan.gob.mx/

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CFE Electricity Bills Show Their Annual Increases, again

Posted on January 4, 2025 by yucalandia

Jan. 4, 2025

‘Tis the Season for Complaining about higher electricity bills here in Yucatan.

aka … Follow the Money … Money Talks !

Most immigrants here are seem unaware of the last 40 yr of CFE policies that give large government-handout subsidies of free power during the “Hot Season” (April-Sept) … of $1000 pesos of handouts per BEACH-bill during the Hot season at the beach … and $2,000 pesos of Merida*city handouts per bill in Merida …

– and then … the government-handout subsidies of free power are trimmed back for the Oct-March “Cool Season” months … as the bigger govt handouts are shown on May-Nov. bills … and then smaller ~handouts~ appear on our Dec.-April bills.**

…
For me, as a Mexican taxpayer, paying to subsidize artificially cheap power to foreigners … I am kind of confused by immigrants complaining that their government handout got smaller from Dec-April … ???
😉

$$$ Specifics?
The last 40 yrs of CFE policy has been that a typical immigrant’s beach-CFE-Bill goes up by 87% during the cool season, as almost 2X higher bills when using the same amount of kWh of electricity … due to getting smaller govt. handouts during the Cool Season.

Sure, lots of intenet posts mistakenly claim that:

“Something NEW is going on.”

“Maybe, somebody tapped into your power. “

“The Government changed their policy.”

“Have your electric meter checked … “

…
Yet … We’re simple experiencing the normal last 40 yrs of annual officially changing from LARGER “Hot Season” subsidies of govt. handouts of free power … to SMALLER “Cool Season” month’s subsidies of less govt. handouts of free power.

Seriously … Nothing much has changed … as we expect almost DOUBLED CFE bills when we go from CFE Hot Season big govt. handouts versus the Cool Season’s much smaller govt. handouts …


There has been one change this past 12 yrs … … The Excedente rate (cost of producing electricity) has gone from $2.8 per kWh in the past, now up to $3.7 per kWh … mostly due to a weaker peso & due to a drop in Mexican oil production … causing CFE to hemhorrage over $200 million pesos of losses per year … shortfalls PAID by us Mexican taxpayers.

“1B” Beach Rates for CFE: https://app.cfe.mx/aplicaciones/ccfe/tarifas/TarifasCRECasa/Tarifas/Tarifa1B.aspx

“1D” Merida Rates for CFE: https://app.cfe.mx/aplicaciones/ccfe/tarifas/TarifasCRECasa/Tarifas/Tarifa1D.aspx


Check the Official CFE Policies:
Doubters are welcomed to check out the actual various CFE subsidies, using the CFE link …. where Basico rates show the most VERY*heavily tax-payer subsidized rates …. versus the two Intermedio heavily-subsidized rates …. versus the Excedente (normal cost of producing & delivering electricity) rates …

as readers are welcomed to plug in “April” for the beginning of our “Hot Season” into the link … and enter the hot season or cool season month that you want to check.


Despite their complaints … in 2025 Beach Dwellers really do get $812 of free power each bill … paid for by us Mexican taxpayers every hot season … and they get just $536 of Mexican Taxpayer Handouts of free power from CFE … on evey Dec – April bill …



Meanwhile, further South, Meridanos using a lot of power get $1,850 pesos of Mexican Taxpayer Handouts of free power from CFE on evey May-Nov. bill … and they get just $609 of Mexican Taxpayer Handouts of free power from CFE on evey Dec – April bill.


Conclusions?
Sadly, in our modern world … typical USA & Canadian immigrants coming to Mexico really do publicly complain …. bitterly … every year … when our Mexican govt. annually cuts the size of the ~handouts~ of FREE POWER given to the expat-immigrants during the Cool Season months …


Why?
I think Boomer expats believe their anthem …

” I want it ALL … and I want it NOW !!! “

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFDcoX7s6rE


as harsh reality (aka facts) show that American Boomers & Canadian Boomers consume over 20X more than ordinary people of other nations …

…
as we were at SAFE levels of COC, just 350 ppm of CO2 Global Warming pollution, back in 1989 … yet just the last 35 yrs of Boomers’ excessive lifestyles … recently added as much pollution … as the previous 200 yrs of Industrial Revolution pollution combined … 😦


Time for Change??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4ga_M5Zdn4





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Change gonna come … Tren Maya news

Posted on December 30, 2024 by yucalandia

Dec. 30, 2024

Tren Maya Reminders … & Updates

 
Fresh questions keep coming up about the Tren Maya … schedules … and delays …
Remember the Current Factual Contexts:

As they keep adding new trains … the schedules change every 2 weeks, so the Tren Maya system has only been selling tickets online for 2 weeks or less in advance. … as it can be best to buy your ticket in person at the La Plancha station, or at their Torre Nia office in north Merida.

and no … Our Tren Maya PROGRAM … is not just some mythical bullet-train from Cancun to Palenque … It’s actually at least 5 total big different rail systems, most still in their final planning phases. … plus a BIG natural gas pipeline system from Vera Cruz to Merida …  running alongside the Tren Maya tracks … 

and yes … Remember that trains … run at least 20X more efficiently that buses & trucks … and they have 20X less pollution. 

… as 100,000’s of freight containers are scheduled to come from Taiwan, Thailand, China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Indonesia & Malaysia are scheduled to be dropped off at our new BIG Pacific Ocean port at the new Istmo de Tehuantepec mega-rail corridor program – shipping 100,000’s of future containers of parts & materials to the new maquiladora complex going in just west of Merida … and all those fresh new finished goods will flow straight out to the sea … to USA, Canda & Europe … through our new BIG port outside of Progreso.


May be an image of map and text

Short Term vs. Long Term Realities:
The system is still in it’s near infancy … of a big 5 yr planned roll-out of 5 big new programs, under the “Tren Maya” umbrella … including electric trains, hybrid trains

… high-speed express tourist trains …

… and freight trains from the Istmo de Tehuantepec all the way to Merida & Progreso’s new zona de maquiladoras …

& even a special Tren Maya route to Progreso’s NEW PORT …

. . .

So … Just like babies only crawl, at first …. and then toddle along in uncertain steps … and the ultimately run along gleefully … and joyfully … REMEMBER that our Tren Maya system really is still just in it’s ~ INFANCY ~ …
😉



Change gonna’ come …

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5zDRtEC0x0

image

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Merida Drinking Water Quality, Kidney Stones, and Staying Healthy in the Tropics

Posted on December 29, 2024 by yucalandia

Dec. 29, 2024

Merida Drinking Water Quality, Kidney Stones, and Staying Healthy in the Tropics

Helpful … Factual … Practical advice on Merida tap water?
The issue of Merida’s JAPAY drinking water keeps coming up on expat forums … yet most of the supposed ‘information’ & internet comments are completely factually false – and some are even destructively misleading (though well-intentioned).

Consider a series of 12 simple facts on Merida’s drinking water:

~ Pro Hint:
IF you are on Merida City tapwater, (JAPAY) or on  SMAPAP city water  at the beach – then test your incoming water for Free Chlorine, using just a simple swimming pool chlorine test kit.

IF your incoming JAPAY or SMAPAP water still has measureable free chlorine levels, then it’s safe. 😉


~ The last independent scientific study reported that over 97% of 364 Merida homes were found to have very clean, very safe drinking water at their meters, where the water enters their house. 


 ~ We really must drink healthful amounts of water … to stay healthy … especially in our hot humid Yucatan climate.
~ Drinking enough water to stay hydrated, is the BEST antidote to all 4 kinds of kidney stones …

 ~ Readers should monitor the intensity of the color of their urine in the toilet bowl … as a constant monitor of their hydration levels…

 ~ Our urine in the bowl has only the color of light-straw, when we are sufficiently hydrated.

 ~ People here should trust 97% of Merida’s tap water from our very clean 160 ft deep wells- because it is so much better quality & safer than typical USA drinking water from contaminated USA rivers & lakes.

 Data & Facts versus Myths & Personal Imaginings:
~ Reader`s should NOT drink the toxic lead-contaminated water of the over 5,000 US water districts (consistently failing US EPA standards every year since 2005) … because toxic lead … and other heavy metals …. accumulate toxic lead & heavy metals in our bodies throughout our lives
… so even small regular ingestions of toxic lead & heavy metals (like Nickel, Chromium & Mercury) add up to health problems over time.

~ Merida’s tap water has no toxic lead & no toxic heavy metals that are present in over 10,000 USA Drinking Water districts.

~ Don’t stress over all the fake claims and false opinions … of non-scientists … … Brush your teeth with Merida’s tap water … Drink healthy tap water & eat healthy foods, prepared in our Merida tap water, with confidence … versus the fear-mongoring, worry & fake claims of so many of the internet’s non-scientists.


 ~ Note that the rumor that drinking hard tap-water magically supposedly causes “kidney stones”… is completely FALSE … because each glass of Merida tap water contains just a trivial 3 mg of Ca.

 ~ Remember that a glass of milk has 220X times more Calcium than a whole LITER of Merida tap water. … and a small slice of cheese has 145X times MORE Calcium than a WHOLE liter of Merida tap water.

 ~ Realize the fact that 3 out of 4 kidney stones have ZERO CALCIUM in them. … Drinking water does NOT cause kidney stones – Instead … it is the best defense AGAINST them.

 ~ Just 1 vitamin-mineral daily supplement pill has more Calcium than 44 glasses of Merida tap water.

 . . .
Sadly … too many internet comments *trick* readers into ignoring those 12 pieces of …. helpful … practical … useful … FACTUAL advice. 😉

 


THE NEXT CHAPTER in this saga?
There have been some GREAT questions … coming in about the quality of water in the No. Yucatan Coast beach areas.
At first glance, I can’t tell if the quesitions are asked about personal well water or personal Ojo de Agua water in Chicxulub or Progreso … or whether they are asking about SMAPAP water quality there?
In either case … Great question !
1. Ignore the non-scientist’s unscientific, non-factual internet comments.
2. Most of Yucatan’s north coast beach communities are built on ‘permanent’ sand bars that sit on top of an AQUATARD (water-proof geological barrier) down at between 18 ft – 24 ft below the sandy surfaces.
3. … The PURE rainwater that on the north Yucatan beach areas percolates through the sand, and accumulates on top of this aquatard … creating small “perched aquifiers” of fairly pure rainwater.
4. They are called -> “Agua dulce” in Spanish … and sometimes the Yucatan’s north coast has natural springs of this pure rainwater … and near-surface pools of pure rainwater … in the form “Ojo’s de Agua” … that are proven FAR FAR CLEANER than most USA tapwater.
5. The question of purity of your personal well water from either Ojo’s de Agua … or from 18 ft – 24 ft deep wells (where the well driller does NOT penetrate the aquatard) …depends on:
~ The cleanliness of the sand in your area** …
~ The proximity of asphalt & concrete roadways (and their awful polluted runoff) ..
~ The proximity of your septic system …
~ The proximity of your neighbors’ septic systems …
~ and the occasional incursions of sea water (that makes the well water taste salty.
~ ~ ~ ~
FORTUNATELY, I have personally had “Agua Dulce ” and water from “Ojos de Agua” … tested … and those samples have tested clean, just like the rainwater that they come from.
~ ~ ~ ~
IF… however … somebody changed their motor-oil and dumped the oil onto the sand … or
IF your well / Ojo de Agua are near some septic system, or old gas station
… or some auto body shop where they spilled & dumped solvent or paint
… or some past dry-cleaners shop … or some guy who washes his dirty oily auto parts in solvent
or … IF your well / Ojo de Agua are contaminated by some fool using heavy amounts of pesticides or herbicides near your well …
then, in those cases … your well water may be contaminated …
but those instances are generally unusual in rural beach areas.
. . .
Still … there will be non-scientific naysayer internet commentors … who believe that … beach sand is somehow toxic** … and that pure rainwater is somehow toxic** …
**yet … what readers seeing this … are
~ AFRAID to walk on the beach sand?
~ Afraid of sea water ?
~ Afraid of the salt that crystalizes out as ocean wave spray droplets drying out …?
~ Afraid of sea sal ….?
and even
~ Afraid of rain water.
😉
. . .
IOW. …
IF I lived in downtown Progreso … I would NOT drink the well water …
… But I would be happy filling my swimming pool with it … and chlorinating that pool water.
SO …
This is one of those questions/issues where a mix of facts, science and COMMON SENSE … can work superbly well …
😉
Dr. Steven M. Fry
Ph.D. in Env. Health & Public Health

 

Dr. Steven M. Fry

Ph.D. in Env. Health & Public Health

 .
. .
Sadly … Facts … and reality … so often carry little weight … and have little value … in the personal imaginings of so many people on the internet…
🙁
Go with FACTS … Be Healthy !

 Follow good practical, factual advice … from talented well-trained professionals.

Dr. sez: Don’t worry … Be HAPPY ! 😉

https://yucalandia.com/2019/11/20/drinking-water-quality-in-merida/

 

 

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US Phone & Voice Mail: 970-672-9133

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Ancient DNA results … Climate Change … and Data Driven Science versus Guesses & Handwaving**

Posted on December 26, 2024 by yucalandia

Dec. 26, 2024
Ancient DNA results … Climate Change … and Data Driven Science versus Guesses & Handwaving**

Walkers versus Boat-People:

When faced with dramatically rising sea levels, from Climate Change … Whom would you choose to join? 

Walk the 12,000 km (7,500 miles) from Russia to Mexico … or paddle your boat … or even hoist a sail?

According to the latest studies of ancient human DNA from Mexico, the first human civilizations to populate the Americas were the Central and South American peoples – by ancient Siberians and by Sundaland-ers* … using boats … The latest DNA results show that first colonizations most-likely took place at least 30,000 to 40,000 years ago**, which is much earlier than anthropologists’ & archeologists’ previous GUESSES.

Appearing & Disappearing Land Masses, Due to Ice Ages and Climate Change:
Sundaland was an ancient extension of the SE Asian continent corresponding to present-day Indonesia and surrounding islands … just like Doggerland … Both Sundaland & Doggerland disappeared due to rising sea levels at the end of the last Ice Age … as Climate Change forcing ancient humans to move.

*… where Sundaland was an extension of the Malay Peninsula, and Doggerland was the big area connecting the British Isles to Continental Europe … and Climate Change forced both sets of ancient peoples to move

… as Climate Change created the Islanders we now call Brits … and Climate Change also created the first “Americans” … 

Why care about Sundaland?
2023 DNA results published by Nanyang Tech. Institute (2023) in the Journal Nature (see below) …. show that South & Central Americans not only were the FIRST HUMANS to come to the Americas**, but that they came from Sundaland. In the Nature study, high-coverage whole-genome data generated by the GenomeAsia 100 K consortium29 for 763 individuals were derived from 59 ethnic groups that are native to Southeast and South Asia with European populations as reference groups – as the genetic basis for characterize Sundalanders.

CLIMATE CHANGE Driving Human Migrations:
Because Sundaland DISAPPEARED due to rising sea levels … the Sundalanders were forced to move … as some of them took to boats … and SAILED to AMERICA … at least 30,000 years ago.

Next:
**Pair the Sundaland DNA results & Siberian Inupiat DNA results with Mexican researchers results (from Nature, 2020) on ancient human remains from the Chiquihuite Cave, Mexico, plus comparably ancient findings in the Chiapas highlands, Central Mexico, and the Caribbean coast … and the results show that modern humans occupied various parts of Mexico at least 27,000 YEARS AGO … LONG before any previous anthropologists’ & archeologists’ previous ~GUESSES~ that ~”humans supposedly walked from Siberian” just “12,000 – 14,000 years ago”~ .

Guessing & Hand-Waving … versus Data Driven Science:
DNA studies of American Natives reveal that the Sundaland DNA data shows that the Sundalanders were the “mother people” … and that the Inupiat Siberians were the “father people” of those first “Americans” who colonized Mexico, Central America & South America between 27,000 – 40,000 yrs ago … Meanwhile the walkers from Siberia came over to North America a full 13,000 – 27,000 years later.

Using data-driven factual analyses… The simplest calculations show that:
“It takes centuries, or millennia, for (walking) people to cross Beringia and arrive in the middle of Mexico.”

Yet : “It (then) takes many years of previous presence for (even boat people) to get to inland points in Mexico & the Caribbean coast, (even) if they came (to Mexico) by sea … ”
per Dr. Ciprian Ardelean

… This DNA evidence means that humans were likely in Central America long before 30,000 years ago … and they came by boat, from Sundaland … and by boat from Siberian Inupiat peoples.

Why are the Two Ancient American Population Sources Important?
These latest DNA results show that those EARLIEST native peoples of Central and South America come from two distinct ancestral groups. The latest DNA evidence shows that they have both a “mother people,” who are identified as “population Y,” (the original inhabitants of Sundaland) …. and ancient DNA results show they have a “father people,” (“population X”) … from the Iñupiat peoples of Siberia.
…

So … Just like how 97% of Carl Sagan’s GUESSES that he told people – as supposed “science”, and 98% of Einstein’s GUESSES that he told people as supposed “science” … has been proven factually wrong by modern DATA-DRIVEN science.

REAL modern science … driven by data … is exposing just how much of 1950’s-1970’s supposed “Science” were just elaborate GUESSES … that were very very wrong.
😉

Dr. Steven M. Fry
Ph.D. in Science

https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-023-04510-0
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2509-0
https://scelse.sg/scelse-pi-honoured-with-outstanding-woman-researcher-award/

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2024 Aguinaldo & Vacation Pay Rules for Mexico

Posted on November 20, 2024 by yucalandia

Nov. 27, 2023
AGUINALDOs … and Vacation Days-Pay … INCLUDING 2023’s Additional ~25% Vacation Pay Premium**

As Christmas holiday chatzkies are appearing on store shelves …. as we make our holiday plans … It’s time to remember our beloved household help and employees (including nuestro querido “muchachas” y “mozos”).

Please plan ahead to pay them their end of the year Aguinaldos and Vacation Pay by at least December 20’th …. and Plan to also give them paid-Vacation days OFF  for the year … Ignore the gringo-myths:   The Aguinaldo is NOT a optional bonus. Our Mexican workers and their families count-on and depend on these critical annual payments owed to them, by law.

Because the Annual vacation pay & Aguinaldo payments are mandatory, you can pay them whenever you want … like even ~NOW~ … so they can enjoy using those $$ for the upcoming holiday sales !

Aguinaldo Calculation:
Basically the Aguinaldo is 15 days of pay. (calculated on a 7 day work wk) – so it formally 2 weeks of pay, plus another day of “Daily Rate Pay”.

Specifically, the annual aguinaldo payment is precisely 15 days of “Daily Rate pay”. … Note that  “Daily Rate pay” is a bit peculiar, because you take their weekly pay, and divide by 7 days.

Example, if your cleaning person is paid $350 pesos each time, for 2 times a week, then their “Daily Rate Pay” is => $700/7 days = $100 per day.

This means a 15 day Aguinaldo for her would be:
15 days x $100/day =    $1,500 Aguinaldo   for the Year

It is not a Christmas bonus.   It is a mandatory wage payment that is due by the 20’th of December.   The aguinaldo is equivalent to at least “15 days wages”, and may be pro-rated if the employee has been working for you for less than a full year.

If the person only worked part time or just some months of the year ... One method is to simply divide their TOTAL annual pay $$  by 365 days … to get the “Daily Rate Pay” … and then MULTIPLY that part-year-adjusted “Daily Rate Pay” by 15 days.

mexico-ramirez-family

Note that if they work only a part year, and you don’t know the total amount paid during the whole year:
An alternate way of calculating the aguinaldo is determined by multiplying the total days they worked in current year  … times 15 … then divide by 365 days .. and then finally … multiply that value by the daily rate:

For a part-year worker coming in for 2 days a month for 9 months =>
18 days total worked … x  … 15 days of Aguinaldo = 270
270 / 365 = 0.7392 …    0.74 x   $Daily Rate ($100 pesos/day?)   = $ 74 pesos

==================================

Vacation Pay – 2023 Update !

4 pesos

==================================

Vacation Pay – 2023 Update !
Vacation pay starts with a basic minimum payment of 12 days of Daily Rate pay, plus a 25% bonus.** … => Daily Rate pay x 1.25 x # of Vacation Days.

**Further, as of 2023, Mexican labor law requires employers to pay a vacation premium, a bonus of **at least 25 percent of the base salary**, so that vacation days are paid at a 125 percent salary rate at a minimum,

https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/global-hr/pages/mexico-paid-vacation-days.aspx

1st year – 12 days of Daily Rate pay**
2 years – 14 days
3 years – 16 days 
4 years – 18 days
5 years – 20 days
6 to 10 years – 22 days
11 to 15 years – 24 days
16 to 20 years – 26 days
21 to 25 years – 28 days
26 to 30 years – 30 days
31 to 36 years – 32 days

**Daily Rate pay is based on a 7 day work-week calculation.   Either divide their weekly pay by 7 to get their Daily Rate pay …  and then …
**Increase that Daily Rate pay by MULTIPLYING it by 1.25 for Vacation Pay calculations.

or .. Calculate the full year pay, and divide by 365 days to get the Daily Rate pay, and Increase that Daily Rate pay by MULTIPLYING it by 1.25 for Vacation Pay calculations.

Happy Holidays !

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See more details at our Full Articles:
https://yucalandia.com/answers-to-common-questions/labor-law-for-household-employees-in-mexico-what-must-we-pay/

… and   https://yucalandia.com/answers-to-common-questions/mexicos-new-2012-labor-law-and-the-effects-on-expats-with-household-help/

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Customs Fees Charged to Tourists Eliminated for Extra Electronics at Cancun Airport

Posted on October 12, 2024 by yucalandia

Oct. 12, 2024:
Friday, Oct. 11, the Q-Roo Governor, Mara Lezama, just announced:

~ Tourists passing through Cancun International Airport will NO LONGER be charged a fee for bringing more than one larger electronic device, including laptops and tablets. ~

The change is effective Saturday, 10/12/2024.

“We managed to eliminate the charge for bringing more than one computer or electronic tablet into your personal luggage, within the #Cancun International Airport, with the support of Mexican Customs,”
per Lezama’s Facebook page.

“”We are thankful to the authorities for their sensibility and for listening with the goal to adapt to this new era, and beginning today, this charge has been eliminated for both National and International travelers.”

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?mibextid=WC7FNe&v=1948074459034109&rdid=sxGZP4XurhWz4w1b

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Be afraid … Be stressed … or Be Prepared ?

Posted on October 7, 2024 by yucalandia

Oct. 7, 2024:
In addition to the comprehensive list below, consider saving key photos & key documents either online on The Cloud … and also on 2 different thumb-drive USB memory sticks … since so many people report that their pictures are what they most miss after losing things in a storm.

and … Here in the Tropics, it can be super helpful to put your outdoor lawn furniture into the swimming pool, to keep it from flying around, along with prepping a “Bug-Out Bag” of clothes & meds.
Cheers!

May be an image of text

*
Here’s a second list of storm preparation activities:

1. Experts now say
“Don’t bother taping your windows, it does nothing.”

2. If you are in a beachside home, consider installing good storm shutters.

3. Move patio furniture into your garage or shed (or in the swimming pool), trim your trees and shrubs, get rid of any yard debris.

4. Have a good store of potable drinking water.

5. Make sure your flashlights and battery powered devices (like a weather radio) are fully charged & working fine.

6. Keep a good stash of batteries & as much as a 3 month supply of key medicines … stored in your fridge.

7. Check outside for things that are not well secured that might fall or fly: even fences, decorative fountains, satellite dishes, solar panels, gazebos or other big outside structures, check them for damage and repair or replace anything that might come loose.

8. Solar chargers & hand-cranked chargers have become better & better quality – to charge cell phones, etc.

9. IF you live in a high-risk coastal area, pack up a BUG-OUT bag of essential things (meds, a few clothes, computer backups & foto backups on a memory stick**).

**10. After past disasters, many people report their key photos & key documents to be among their most precious possessions. **Consider making electronic copies of key fotos & key documents – and store them either on “The Cloud” … and additionally on 2 separate memory-sticks.

11.  Pack a “Bug-Out Bag” of essentials, including clothes & medications.

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May 24’th: The Day that Light-posts & Walls Cast no Shadows … (in Merida, Yuc.)

Posted on May 20, 2024 by yucalandia

May 20, 2024:
Among people who enjoy watching & exploring the natural world around us, there are those who love to jump into the sea; there are others who enjoy tramping around jungles to see exotic insects, exotic birds, exotic lizards … and there are even a few who enjoy marking the passage of celestial events in our skies.

For those who enjoy looking up at the sky:
Many readers know about the longest & shortest days of the year (Summer Solstice – 6/20/24 & Winter Solstice- 12/21/24), and they know about the 2 days when our Sun rises at (nearly) exactly due East … and set (nearly) exactly due West … aka the Spring & Fall Equinoxes …
Yet, if you live in the Tropics => at latitudes between the Tropic of Cancer & the Tropic of Capricorn, then you have a chance to experience an additional TWO special solar*days each year, called the Zenith passage days.
 
In Merida, our Sun will be (briefly) in the Southern sky for just 3 more days, with May 23’rd being the last day it briefly touches our Southern sky at solar-noon … THEN … on May 24’th …. our Sun moves just far enough further north, to be DIRECTLY overhead … at it’s ZENITH … at solar noon, 11:55 local Merida time.
 
This means that on May 24’th, in Merida, perfectly plumb light poles & perfectly plumb walls … will cast no shadows at solar noon (11:55 local time) … because the 24th is one of 2 Zenith passage days each year here, when our Sun is directly overhead at it’s Zenith …
 
Then, on the 25’th of May this year, our Sun then moves to being ONLY in the northern skies between May 25’th through to the next day when the Sun returns to being directly overhead
 
at 12:05 Solar Noon Zenith on July 19’th, 2024, in Merida.**
~ ~ ~ ~
For these reasons, we’re having some of the hottest days of the year, because the noon-time angles of the sun over Merida have been almost 90º perpendicular Sun overhead … as 89.2º today (5/20) … 89.4º tomorrow (5/21) … 89.59º on Wed (5/22) … 89.77º on Thurs (5/23) … 89.90º on Fri (5/24) … and 89.82º on Sat. (5/25) … where 90º is perfectly perpendicular at it’s Zenith = Sun directly overhead.
~ ~ ~ ~
**And YES, Virginia,
If your solar panels are tilted (angled) to face the south – they are pointed completely AWAY from the sun here in Merida, between May 25 through July 19’th … during our HOTTEST MONTHS …
So, South-aimed solar panels are now pointed away from the Sun here. 😉

and Yes, a few ancient people living in between the Tropic of Cancer & Tropic of Capricorn realized this, and they constructed wells with perfectly plumb (perpendicular) walls to detect the Zenith Days.

On the 2 Zenith days of the year, when the Sun is directly ovehead, the bottom of the well is illuminated – with no light touching the side walls.

There’s one Maya site and one Egyptian site with this curious type of well. The Egyptian well was at Syene. I have forgotten the location of the equivalent Maya site.

The Egyptian well at Syene was used by Eratothenes
“Simple trigonometry shows us that a large vertical object (like an obelisk) allows for a greater precision in observation than a short gnomon or sundial provides. Here are two examples of a shadow that objects with different heights will project for a 0º 22’ angle, the difference between the Tropic in Eratothenes’ time (23° 43′ N), and Syene (24° 05′ N).”

Solar Zenith diagram3

” … the arc in the bowl is found to be one-fiftieth of its proper circle. Therefore the distance from Syene to Alexandria must necessarily be one-fiftieth part of the great circle of the earth. And the said distance is 5000 stades; therefore the complete great circle measures 250,000 stades. Such is Eratosthenes‘ method.”

Solar Zenith diagram1

Solar Zenith diagram2

” Here we see the simple geometry of a sundial. The vertical h is shown for two examples: a 6ft (183cm) post and the height of one of the obelisks that still stands in Temple of Karnak, erected by Pharaoh Hatshepsut (c.1478 – 1458 B.C.) As we can see, the question of whether Eratosthenes would have noticed a shadow at Syene if he had carried out the observation is clearly yes. If Eratosthenes would have used a 183 cm staff or post to measure a shadow, he would have noticed a 1.17 cm shadow on the northern side of the hypothetical sundial.”

Or so goes the popular (myth) story …. YET:
“Form the information seen above, it is clear that Eratosthenes did not perform an observation or experiment at Syene to confirm that the city was under the North Tropic. Although many scholars have acknowledged this fact, to our awareness, none of them have calculated when the North Tropic was situated at the Latitude of Syene, nor have they taken into account Cleomedes’ margin of uncertainty in order to calculate a spectrum of time wherein the original observation was made. As we have shown, the time gives between 3750-1500 BC. This is the actual fact of science, but many questions arise from this piece of data. In the feedback we received from other scholars on this question, it has been proposed that Eratosthenes took for granted that Syene was under the Tropic, and that this information came to him through documents in the Library of Alexandria, or through “rumors” circulating at the time. It seems rather clear that the latter idea should be ruled out in favor of the first, not only because it seems the most reasonable in consideration of the volumes the library contained on a variety of sciences, but also because the Tropic had been displaced from Syene thousands of years before the time of Eratosthenes. If any oral tradition existed in Egypt regarding the lack of shadows on the day of North Solstice at Elephantine, it must have been 1300 years old by the time of Eratosthenes, and it is much more likely that such knowledge was preserved in writing. Everything indicates that the Greek geographer had access to ancient sources that provided the method he used and that was later related by Cleomedes, but the Obliquity of the Ecliptic and the chronology it provides forces us to acknowledge that both the method and the observations were originally carried out by the Ancient Egyptians between 3750-1500 BC,”

“Some have proposed that Eratosthenes did perform the experiment in Alexandria, and therefore used the angular shadow of a polos or gnomon to calculate the Polar Circumference of the Earth. Indeed, the thesis that the original method and observations were carried out by the Ancient Egyptians between 3750-1500 BC does not discard the possibility that Eratosthenes performed an observation at Alexandria, and then made his own estimate for the Earth’s circumference. But this theory presents us with the question of how Eratosthenes arrived at the measurement of 5000 stades between the latitudes of Syene and Alexandria. As we will see later, it is much more likely that the distance between Latitudes 24º 5’ – 31º 12’ N was measured by the Egyptians long before Eratosthenes time, and these “stades” are originally Egyptian units of measure. We also do not know how Eratosthenese knew that the Sun was at such a great distance from the Earth that it’s rays would fall parallel on the Earth as Cleomedes states. The fact that Cleomedes quotes Eratosthenes saying that Syene and Alexandria are on the same meridian is an error that indicates an incomplete understanding by Eratosthenes about the method in question, for it is not necessary for the locations to be on the same Longitude or E-W coordinate.”

https://www.academia.edu/27928173/How_the_Ancient_Egyptians_had_Calculated_the_Earths_Circumference_between_3750_1500_BC_a_revision_of_the_method_used_by_Eratosthenes_2020_Update_?auto=download

Other Celestial Curiosities you Might Not have Noticed:
How many readers have noticed

 how our Moon only touches her northernmost Full Moon rising point on the horizon once every 18 yrs…

and how she only touches her southernmost Full Moon rising point on the horizon once every 18 yrs.In other words => So a typical person only gets to see those special Lunar events about 3 times each … in a lifetime.

Here’s a Lunar Analemma … showing her position in the sky … throughout a year … at the same time of night.This Lunar Analemma image is for Turkey:
May be an image of twilight and horizon

 if you liked that Lunar Analemma … consider a Solar Analemma … from neighboring Greece
showing the Sun at the same Solar Noontime from the same viewing point … for a year … in our Northern Hemisphere skies:

May be an image of the Parthenon and text

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Doubters are welcome to use this friendly solar calculator to check these dates out.https://www.suncalc.org/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3_a9X_mZNxMm3X3qMD_NwhcMyJnuhpfNgVW24xstrkI7JneWuJ6o8C2zQ_aem_AT-RFRsJ4Mj76QnS8yNo0WLqlczKNl1mGRfDAdmbqCWaEmsiwS7YSubaMhpaVx-MTXJHeN3FphMnBWq1yv017mG7#/20.9952,-89.6161,3/2024.05.20/17:39/1/3

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© Steven M. Fry

Read-on MacDuff . . .

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