Cozumel Sun News August 13, 2018

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In this edition of The Cozumel News and Information, The Sargassum Crisis, Vehicle Liability Insurance Mandatory,  Telcel Offers Internet service, United States Passport Renewal, United States Absentee Ballot, and more!

The Sargassum Crisis

The growing amount of sargassum on the beaches of the Mexican Caribbean present a serious natural disaster.  The presence of sargassum has doubled on Mexican beaches since 2015. This  very short-term ecological disaster, is also a socio-economic disaster, because the entire industry in Quintana Roo depends on tourism .

What is Sargassum

Sargassum is a genus of brown macroalgae in the order Fucales. Numerous species are distributed throughout the temperate and tropical oceans of the world. They generally inhabit shallow water and coral reefs, and the genus is widely known for its planktonic species. Most species within the class Phaeophyceae are predominantly cold water organisms that benefit from nutrients up welling, but the genus Sargassum appears to be an exception. Two species have become holopelagic—reproducing vegetatively and never attaching to the seafloor during their life-cycle. The Atlantic Ocean’s Sargasso Sea was named after the algae, as it hosts a large amount of sargassum.

What is being Done

The Mexican Government is looking for ways to remove the seaweed before it reaches the shore.  The larger hotels in the state have been investing around one million pesos a month to keep their corresponding beach clean.

The state of Quintana Roo has allocated 300 million pesos (US $16.2 million) to sargassum removal in the next 15 days on top of the 80 million pesos already spent.  The state is installing a system of containment booms to keep sargassum off the beaches. The booms consist of 50-centimeter-deep plastic barriers hanging from buoys. With the help of wind and ocean currents, the plastic fence will divert the seaweed away from the beaches and then gathered for disposal on dry land.

• The federal Environment Secretariat (Semarnat) has acquired special machinery to remove sargassum seaweed in the Caribbean Sea, but it won’t be delivered until November.
• Research on what is available in other countries has found that the technology is limited.
• The few vessels that can be used to clean up the seaweed before it hits the beaches are very expensive and their capacity is limited.
• Collecting the algae before it lands on the shore is preferable to gathering it with heavy machinery on the beach.
• Analyzing sargassum’s possible use for food, pharmaceutical or energy purposes.

  

Vehicle Liability Insurance Mandatory

Private cars and motorcycles of all types will be obliged to carry a civil liability insurance effective September 12. As part of the Mobility Law that will come into force on September 12, all drivers traveling in the state of Quintana Roo, must carry proof  of current vehicle liability insurance.

Liability insurance is intended to protect the damage caused by a vehicular accident to third parties, either other cars, city /government property (street lights, signs, etc.) or other people. The insurance, in addition to allowing protection for the motorist, helps protect third parties involved in an accident.

Telcel Offers Internet

Cozumel Internet and Cable Television Services available improve each year. This month, Telcel has expanded their services to include home internet. We now have a choice of Cablemas, Cable de Cozumel, Telmex, or Telcel for our internet needs. Find contact information for each of these companies in The Cozumel Sun under Cable Television Services or Internet Services in the Business Directory.

Unfortunately, in Cozumel ALL of the internet companies receive their bandwidth from CFE that owns the ONLY fiber optic cable that runs between Cozumel and the mainland. The internet here is SLOW during periods of high usage. There is down time with all of them, there are complaints about all of them. Some areas seem to work better with a specific company and the weather affects the speed;  you will have to make a decision based on your needs.

Due to the nature of our businesses, we contract with TWO companies for internet services Cablemas and Telmex Infinitum. When one is down, our computers automatically connect with the other. Do not switch companies because your friends have better service with another company. You might not get the same results where you live, check with  your neighbors before making a change.

Aurita’s Corner

United States Passport Renewal

This morning husband Charlie successfully applied for renewal of his United States Passport at the Playa del Carmen Consulate Office. The building, almost across from Sam’s Club was easy to find, but the office itself was not because of poor signage. I assume they want to keep a low profile. They are on the second floor, to the left.

I understand the staff was friendly and efficient; they were in and out of there is no more than five minutes. We expect the passport to arrive in two or three weeks via the prepaid FedEx envelop we provided.

United States Absentee Ballot

The three of us missed voting in the last United States Federal elections. We had used our family beach home address in previous elections, and upon selling that property planned to vote using the mailing service address.  By the time I realized this could not be done, it was too late to go through the process of registering as a citizen living abroad and mailing in an absentee ballot.

All state laws differ, so the sooner you start investigating what you need to do the easier it will be. Go to https://www.fvap.gov/ as soon as possible and find out what the requirements are in your registered state.  In Florida, we must register via mail, so time is of an essence. Once registered, we can vote via FAX. I will be setting up a United States number FAX Machine in the Papeleria over the next few days.

Mini Super
35 Avenue with 17th Street Colonia Independencia
PROMOTIONS!
Serving 7 Days a Week
Extra Hours Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Liquors, Beers, Refreshments, Ice, Snacks, Cigarettes
Tamales, Salbutes, and Panuchos Fridays and Saturdays
Stop by and Support Another Cozumel Sun Community Project!

The Cozumel Sun’s Back to School Project

The schools are out for the summer in Cozumel and we are preparing for the all important back to school fund raising effort to assist as many Cozumel children with their school needs as possible. We fully fund school supplies and fees to a few families,  we give at cost discounts to a few families, we have a layaway plan in place, and offer a 10% discount to the rest.

We have something new this month, Gift Cards of $50, $100, and $200 pesos.  In Cozumel, each child receives a list of supplies. This list varies by grade, by teacher, and by school. They specify which brand of notebook, what style, and what color they want for each topic. The same goes for paints, pencils, pens. etc.

Please keep our gift cards in mind, for the beginning of the school year and as an alternative gift for birthdays and special events.

Sun Garage Sale

Now collecting items for Distribution and Sales: Please keep donating the items you do not need, drop it off anytime day or night, or call and we will pick up! We are currently displaying the garage sale items in the Papeleria store and items are available to clientele daily.

 

 

Papeleria y Novedades Mama Lilly
School and Office supplies, copies, printing, FAX, laminating, scanning, and binding.
Cosmetics, Perfumes, Beauty Needs, Gifts and Novelty Items. Avon,
Terramar,  Mary Kay, Refreshments, Ice Cream, Ice, Snacks
Cyber Café and Calls to Mexico, U.S, and Canada.
We are licensed, provide Facturas, and deliver to your home, business, or office.
AFTER HOURS EMERGENCY SERVICE AVAILABLE!
Support a Neighborhood Business!
Telephone:   987-869-3119
EMAIL: mapapeleria@outlook.com
06:30 a.m. – 09:00 p.m. Monday through Friday
08:00 a.m. – 08:00 p.m. Saturday
08:00 a.m. – 08:00 p.m. Sunday
https://www.facebook.com/papeleriamamalilly/
35 Avenida Sur Entre Calles 17 y 15 Bis
Colonia Independencia (Near Independencia Sports Center)

 

Aura Holguin-Resch
The Cozumel Sun News
RFC: HORA500201TP1
987-118-4453 CELL
386-445-8702 USA
auraholguin@thecozumelsun.com