Svetlana

   I know its hard to fathom but I'm in love.  The way this happened is extraordinary.  We met in the course of finding an online bank to help me transfer my wealth that I've accumulated over the 5 years of investing in the oil and gas industry.  I was introduced to Svetlana by a Canadian U.N. member whom I've had dealings with receiving donations in Benin.

      Nothing ever came of that nor did the funds I moved to Canada that I could not obtain due to theft of the opening fees. Life is hard then you die. Never again. Svetlana has helped me to retrieve those funds however, and caused me to proceed to move my Ukrainian holdings to World Bank in Belarus simply because one million was not enough to hold the account together. Go figure.
      I talked her into sending me some of her pictures. After seeing these photos and her beauty I decided it was time to try for her. My thought was a simple online marriage at first with the basic pledge to honor the relationship.  She agreed and soon was making plans to visit me in Mexico.  After all, she needs to meet in person before she truly settles for someone like me. 

     Her body is so beautiful, young and vibrant to my seasoned eye. Possessing a superior intellect and an acute sense of right her skill with numbers and banking will be a vast improvement over my diminished skills.  Every time I talk with her I get excited. I sent her 300 as a token to help defray her ticket cost to Mexico.  At my age it is a rare thing to finally have a reliable partner who can help in many ways in my work relievung suffering and hunger in many communities especially the indigenous populations of whom I am so fond of.

      Not to change the subject, but since I am here I thought I'd share an idea that has been ruminating around my brain for sometime.  Today I noticed in Popular Science that they can recharge a battery wirelessly, specifically for drones.  Why not advance the technology and translate solar energy to electricity via a microwave from dirigibles covered with solar voltaics flying high in the suborbital atmosphere then beam the energy collected to a radio tower that then translates it back into electricity? Shades of Tesla.... This will  be done by someone... why not you?
       One of my dear friends was injured in a car accident Dec 1st 2017.  Please pray for her full recovery. Thanks....Sharon in Pennsylvania

Earthquake country

        Mexico is one of the most active quake regions in the world.  I like to sleep on the floor on an air mattress. That way I can listen to the earth moving way below me. It sounds like rocks moving across sand.  Kind of squeaky yet steady sound as the ground is settling into that restlessness called earthquakes. When the crust releases built up pressure suddenly that is an earthquake.                 What I hear is the movement before an earthquake.  Just this morning I thought someone was pulling on me but it was the sudden shift of an 3.2 earthquake 150 miles to the south of Libertad.

    It can be unnerving when the earth moves rattling the windows and making the steeple bells clang.  The shock is paralyzing.  For really big ones, the ground moves in waves just like the ocean except it is freaking ground moving. The roadbeds go up and down before your eyes. Your senses tells you this is an illusion of some magician. Unfortunately, it is very real. 

         Your first motion should be to get outside as fast as you can. That is the only safety to be had.  Unless the building you are in has been retrofitted for earthquakes, any large temblor will do real and unforgiving damage.
     I chose Libertad because it is at a higher elevation. It is an inverted cone shaped formation of solid granite rock that the earliest settlers chose because it is a few degrees cooler than downtown Tijuana.  You can see the ocean from a few choice spots.  It is high enough to be safe from tidal waves. There seems to be a sea breeze wafting in from the ocean most of the time.  

   Small comfort though, for the insanely hot summers are unbearable unless you grew up in these latitudes. It is quite an adjustment for many. Get a sprayer fill it with ice cold water and mist your way to cool.  People move shadow to shadow during the intense days of sunshine.
      They just discovered another offshore fault system that will surely bring in a tidal wave of enormous proportion.  If it ever goes off which I am doubtful, because these minor releases diffuse the bigger quake.  I certainly hope I am high enough. If you listen to You Tubers, that day is closing fast.  Move now or move later. It is up to you.

Tecate

        A cold and windswept morning greeted John Delgado as he drove his black SUV to Tecate along the Frontera or as the Mexicans like to say La Linea. He glanced at his fuel gauge. He was nearly empty. The PEMEX station was just ahead. He knew the area well and usually stopped at this particular station on the way home. His wife and two little girls would be asleep when he finally arrived at his little bungalow on the outskirts of town.
        It had been a long night of watching and documenting the cocaine trade that was exploding along the border.  His hard work was finally going to pay off as all that was left to do was submit the evidence. This undercover work was taking a toll on him and soon he would be on a beach somewhere just chilling.  He is a Federal agent.
        Rolling in, he was greeted by the old man who served as the night clerk at the station. The worn and weary look on the old man's face seemed like a reflection of his own demeanor. He just needed to rest.
       As the fleet of three similar SUV's drove by, John noticed the telltale glint of an AK-47 which one of the passengers was holding military style. Alarmed now, he quickly finished up and reached into the drivers door for his 9 mm and spare clips of ammo.  Grabbing the old man and pushing him through the entrance of the station he was able to just get in before the rat tat tat of gunfire began tearing through the building. There were 9 hombres who dismounted the SUV's and surrounding the station forming the kill zone.

      Someone had given him up to the cartel. This was a planned assassination. Overkill would leave a message not to watch their business. He was in trouble and needed help right now. He made the phone call to the barracks. The startled soldier answering the phone ran for the Captain who soon rounded up a truck full of soldiers. They were nearly an hour away in Tijuana but help was coming.
     Meanwhile the gunfire continued unabated. The designer of this building had incorporated self locking doors and bulletproof windows. They were in a fortress and relatively safe for now.
       He returned fire killing three of the gunmen before the soldiers arrived. The last six simply laid down their weapons and assumed the position. John could see the sunlight shining brightly on the horizon. He thought to himself, "would it look the same further south at the vacation hideaway?"

Beach time

      After the dust settled and things were getting straightened out, John Delgado decided he would need even more time away. With his wife and two girls in tow, they boarded a jet to an undisclosed location in  Costa Rica. It seemed safe for now.  Knowing himself well, he began inquiring about the cocaine trade in Costa Rica which mattered greatly since CR was the funnel that led to Mexico and the United States which was the destination of most of hard narcotics. The American Dollar rules the world.

      He soon was on the way to the National Park and another surveillance mission. His wife was aghast at this new assignment. She complained that a vacation means a break from work. Not using the family as a cover for more interdiction. It made sense to John. That was not John though. He couldn't stop.
     He had heard about this beach that's a smugglers' cove for traffickers.  He was determined to have a look. He promised her not to do anything more than observe for the sake of the family. They packed a nice picnic basket complete with the red and white checker cloth that made it special for the kids. Soon everyone was frolicking at the waters edge and thinking about the great lunch that was planned.
       John was taking a walk along tree line above the beach when he noticed something in the sand. It was just a bare spot with no leaves or debris which was unusual since there had been a lot of wind the night before.   He started kicking away the sand and sure enough, he uncovered some planking which in itself, was nothing. Possibly an old crate that had long since been buried by the wind and waves.   Something else did not look correct.  The sand was now falling into the cracks which meant a hollow space.

       Now he was really curious. He finally uncovered the edge of the plank and was able to lift it up revealing an underground vault of carefully wrapped packages all stacked in neat rows. He knew what he had. He made the call to the National Police Chief and told him of his discovery.  Soon a group of soldiers arrived and finished uncovering the massive find of cocaine which instantly went viral on Costa Rican News channels.
     Later in the day, a backhoe made its way to the beach to make this holding bin just another beachcombers' curiosity.  Over 5 tons of pure cocaine was interdicted that day and marched out to the road by the soldiers. John quickly made his exit as he did not need the face time on the tube. The glory went to the soldiers and the National Police.

Holiday in Tijuana

    Delgado took the call. The neighborhood of Libertad was hooked on cocaine and heroin. It sounded like a cartel influenced escapade of moving drugs to the US using addicts. He had been set up in Tecate and was currently being set up again. Fortunately, he was living behind a locked gate and door. A bulldog and a cat that can't be trusted rounded out this rental piece on the corner of 18th St and Diego Rivera. This was the territory of the 18th St gang who intimidated the locals with graffiti-smeared buildings and littered the streets with their vileness. He was safe, except for the nightly intrusions by the neighborhood druggies. The loud parties were just an indication that the cartels were using innocent people for recruitment. The innocent are innocent no longer.
      You can recognize these guys easily.  They show up in expensive cars and shaved heads always trying to intimidate everyone with the obnoxious music that's turned up way too loud.  Their friends are simply pickups who have drug problems and are anxious to make money. The talk is always about money and dope. Never about how nice life can be in Tijuana. These types were willing to do anything like wash the car, clean the apt. or load the guns. Yup, the guns are always close but even though guns are illegal in Mexico.        

      The airport is also close which is why this neighborhood is utilized by these cartels. There is always work to be had with these shadowy people.  Anyone can be bought except John Delgado. The police station is close to the airport but the police become jaded until they are called to the scene of an accident.   Real police work begins with good detective work which is undercover and away from the uniform and vehicles that announce your presence like nothing else can.  Undercover is the best way.
   Mexican housing is built with cinder block walls coated with a veneer of cement. The wood is saved for the roof.   It is fortress-like construction and practically fireproof. This is because there is a shortage of firefighting water. They just clear the area and seek to contain the fires that erupt because of leaking gas.  

    There are other fires to be cautious of.  Gunfire is the other.            This type of construction is safe for about 2 minutes of intense gunfire then the blocks crumble. Working in these barrios could be a death sentence but does not have to be if one is careful about who you talk with. One plans his day accordingly and moves during the quiet of the day like the early mornings and siesta times in the afternoons. They still see you through their spotters. This could be someone as innocuous as an old lady or a hopped up kid on a bike.

      John was not carrying his piece since he had his communications in order.  The soldiers are always cruising the roads along the border and never far away. They can be summoned quickly. Well, that was the theory. He was praying that day never comes that brings with it another shootout. If they come at him he will not shoot but seek shelter. There had been days of confrontation and death in the streets some years back. Recently, quiet has prevailed thanks to the stepped up military presence. Things felt almost normal for awhile until the holiday for junkies came down the pike.

     The police actually showed up investigating the junk collectors who move through the neighborhood almost unnoticed.   Delgado waved the cops down to compare notes and to point out suspicious types who definitely use illegal narcotics which is why John chose Libertad.

       To see these players and how they move to bring dope to this neighborhood is essential for interdiction.  His two daughters must not grow up in such a desperate world of death and destruction was his reasoning and motivation to begin the process of restoring the neighborhoods to family life.             

         After all, the children should be the most valued in communities of the people.  They shall inherit this nasty old planet.  Having a normal childhood with both parents present is becoming a rare occurrence in this modern world.  Modernity has not reached down to the barrios of Tijuana. Almost everyone is struggling for the basic necessities of life.  Hot water is a luxury wasted on the wealthy. Decent food can be hard to find in these darkened neighborhoods where criminals rule the night.

     Just last year, he and his wife lost the youngest child to an unknown disease which came on suddenly and took the child in her sleep. It is hard to put that to rest. The mind is always trying to make sense of the unfathomable reason for this tragedy.  He took this assignment to recover his composure in the midst of many sorrows.

     Now, as the first star was twinkling in the fading sunset, he resumed his vigilance as an owl does in the dark. Waiting and waiting for the first movement of people who associate themselves in the night.  It starts subtly, gaining momentum as the doors close and the porches are abandoned for the shelter of the building. 

         The porch light is finally doused for no company is expected at night.   Retiring early is something the poor do because they are poor.  Those pushed by the quest for more,  use narcotics to get money. These are the ones who would trample their own mother to make a grab for some unknowable wealth.