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For Gringos, hammocks are for putting up in the backyard at siesta time. Cartoons show a sleeping hammocker getting spun up into his backyard hammock. But for millions of people living in the tropics, hammocks are a way of life. And a way of rest and sleep.

In my earlier years in Veracruz we used hammocks but not nearly as much as we do on the Yucatan peninsula. Here every house has one and usually many; even the most pretentious rich have hammocks since they are so restful and cool.

In Campeche when we stayed with our aunt she had beds for us but they weren’t used; everyone preferred the hammock. In Escarcega, our cousin has one in every room just in case he needs a nap. In Cancun, our hotel worker friends sleep in hammocks because their family of six can’t fit beds into a 250 square foot apartment. Do the math and you will determine that six beds would leave them with no place to walk.

In many rooms, not just bedrooms on the Yucatan, hooks are embedded on opposite sides of the walls. A hammock can be hung in a matter of seconds if you know what you are doing; if not, better be careful. There is no safety net under a hammock and even dirt floors can be painfully hard.

Taking a siesta in a hammock in one’s back yard is one thing, living with one is another. Some Mexican tractor trailer drivers carry hammocks to string under their trailers when they get sleepy. It’s cooler; they can watch their truck and save money on hotels. In our Maya village most of our neighbors sleep in hammocks. We do too…but not before literally learning the ropes…hammock ropes that is.

But there are issues. In a hammock a pillow is awkward but a blanket impossible. In Quintana Roo we have an occasional ‘norte’ blow in and with it cold air from the north. If it’s cold forget the hammock; blankets don’t stay in place and you most likely will wake up freezing. Or sleep like those hillbilly cartoons with your feet sticking out…so be sure to wear socks.

And if it’s cold, don’t forget there is no padding or insulation in a hammock. If you have three blankets on top but none underneath, you will still freeze.

That’s if it’s cold but it’s usually hot in the tropics which is ideal for hammocks and mosquitoes. Mosquitoes can bite you on any exposed skin and that includes the skin lying directly against the hammock. In a hammock, the pests can attack below as well as above. Nothing can be more miserable than getting bitten on all sides at once.

And then there is the somewhat delicate issue of more than one person sleeping in a hammock. Tropical lovers claim that they can easily fit into a hammock in many different positions. Later, after the baby arrives, the baby can sleep there too. The key to multiple hammock occupancy is to sleep crosswise, not longwise. Otherwise the hammock starts spinning and everyone ends up on the floor or ground.

In Chiapas we saw whole extended families stringing up their hammocks all in a row. I guess the family that sleeps in hammocks stays together or something like that. If campesinos or field workers are sent out to work in the rancherias, they sometimes hang as many hammocks as possible in a palapa hut to stay out of the rain. So in a number of ways hammocks work.

True natives will say they can sleep on their stomachs but I don’t believe them…unless they can curve their spine backwards, which is intellectually a challenge. Still, whenever we’re at our ranch in Felipe Carrillo Puerto and get a bit sleepy, it’s right into the Yucatecan hammock. Yucatan hammocks are considered the world’s finest.

Hammocks are portable but they do require two places fairly close together where it can be hung. A good Yucatecan hammock can be rolled up and stuck in a small bag. For that reason hammocks are used by poorer folk since they don’t have to buy a bed and beds take up a lot of floor space. The Gringo versions with a frame to hang it on are ridiculous…lazy Gringos can’t find a tree.

The hammocks are also used as cradles and cribs. Newborns are layed crosswise and swung gently just like a cradle. If one literally grows up in a hammock then hammocks become second nature and for many preferable to a bed.

With a good mosquito net the bugs stay out and sometimes in the jungle that’s the most important thing. A good mosquito net can also prevent critters like scorpions and small snakes from paying an unwelcome hammock visit.

In the jungle anything is better than the ground.

Jack Deal sleeps in hammocks and is the owner of Deal Business Consulting. Related articlesmay be found at http://www.jddeal.com/blog and http://www.freeandinquiringmind.typepad.com

As a kid, Sherlock Holmes was my hero. Here was really a cool guy if there ever was one. He knew almost everything about everything and could solve almost any crime, even crimes that had stumped Her Majesty’s best. But even Sherlock had his days.

On those rare but revealing occasions when our good Sherlock was bested, he had to swallow his pride, no small task, and go and seek counsel with his older brother Mycroft. Mycroft lived at the gentleman’s club Diogenes, a place where few members spoke and all sipped their coffee and brandies and read the newspaper and looked at each other through the tops of their eyeglasses. That’s where Mycroft lived. Mycroft also had some sort of government job but his exact duties and functions were unclear.

Sherlock would approach Mycroft and Mycroft would immediately start this sarcastic teasing of Sherlock. Only under the most extreme of circumstances would Sherlock go this route but there were times when he just couldn’t get over the hump in the case. Even our man Sherlock could get stumped.

After a fair amount of belittling, Mycroft would give Sherlock the hint and one almost wondered if in fact Sherlock already knew the answer, but just couldn’t get it out. And our poor hero Sherlock would slip away dragging his tail and feeling just a little bit wiser but a lot more foolish. Mycroft was Sherlock’s comeuppance and reality check.

Yet curse as he may, Sherlock knew he would use Mycroft again. Sherlock knew there would come another case and he would have to go meekly before his brother and beg. The only thing worse than shame is ignorance.

Now whether Mycroft actually had the knowledge or just real good people skills is the question of the day. In the end Sherlock probably had the imagination and creativity to solve anything but at times just hit one of those mental blocks, as we humans are prone to do.

Did Mycroft actually know the answer or did he know how to structure the perception and question to reveal the answer? Did Sherlock always have the answer already within himself? Was Mycroft really too lazy to do the investigative work?

Would that our man Mycroft were around and on call today to help us out on this one. Like Sherlock we most likely would discover that a good dose of humility is a small price to pay for the right answer. The right answer can mean the difference between a project’s success or failure. The wrong answer can lead one down a Narnian path to the twilight zone of no return.

Mycroft’s secret was he kept getting a bigger and bigger perspective on the problem. At some point, he simply mastered it and moved on. Sherlock would hit dead end and like most of us throw up his hands in despair. Not Mycroft. Mycroft didn’t structure the problem that way in his mind so he didn’t feel that frustration. Mycroft didn’t care. Mycroft just kept trying to get the greatest perspective he could on the problem and then probe Sherlock’s head to fill in the blanks and connect the dots.

Holmes certainly led a more exciting life but clearly excitement was not how Mycroft measured his own life. Mycroft appears to be forever content sitting around the club reading the evening edition. Or the morning edition. Or looking wistfully at clouds of tobacco smoke. The club was Mycroft’s reward for being Mycroft.

So in the end Mycroft probably didn’t know the answer. Mycroft was a club rat; it kept him insulated from the cruel and insane world, a world of which our man Sherlock was always knee deep in; rogues and scoundrels and that sort of thing. In the end we have to conclude that Mycroft was nothing more than a well dressed guru pointing the way…and did perhaps Mycroft envy Sherlock?

At any rate we Sherlock freaks would like even tougher cases and to see our man Sherlock having to squirm and run to Mycroft for more brotherly advice. Sherlock seldom squirmed. This is what it’s all about and part of what make both Mycroft and Sherlock tick. Well, at least Sherlock.

With Mycroft it was all just one big crossword puzzle but for Sherlock it was a way of life so that is why Sherlock wallowed in it. Mycroft didn’t have to. Sherlock was the populist; Mycroft the aloof landed gentry. Sherlock lived life; Mycroft experienced life vicariously since it was so much tidier that way. Two paths that cross through necessity.

Besides, our Sherlock would never be content with the dull, gentlemanly life of the Diogenes club, right Sir Doyle?

Jack Deal is a Sherlock Holmes fan. Related articlesmay be found at http://www.jddeal.com/blog/business and http://www.freeandinquiringmind.typepad.com

It all started on a trip to Quintana Roo to do a feasibility study for an eco-tourism project in the Sian Ka’an biological reserve. Part of the project’s challenge was that all food and palapa building materials had to be brought in as nothing could be cut or grown within the reserve. In other words, to make the project work, all food and building materials had to be sourced outside the reserve. No small chore.

The key was to source on the mainland near the city of Felipe Carrillo Puerto. The area is famous for its many communal farms and its radical if not bizarre politics. Having traveled extensively in the area before we were certain we could find what was needed in one communal farm, greatly strengthening my case for getting approval for the necessary permits.

Two days before going back to San Jose we were approached by a member of one of the farms. He said he had diabetes and the doctor told him he could no longer work on the farm. He also said none of his children wanted to farm; they had all moved to Merida, Cancun and Chetumal. He said he had been building it up as a sheep ranch but after fencing in a 10 acre parcel, building a sheep building and digging a well, he got sick. We drove to the little village near his ranch to spend the night.

It was love at first sight. It had everything we needed; a small lot in the Maya village and a pretty decent road to the ranch. For those that know Mexico, access is critical especially in the rainy season.

The night before we left we met the owner at his house in Playa del Carmen. We sat down and had a chat and went through the obligatory niceties before getting down to business. He asked me how we liked his ranch and if the if the jungle scared me.

He asked me about sheep and said it was up to me what to do but the place was made for sheep. He laughed.

The following month we flew back with the check and got the deed. The ranch was ours. But no sheep. Never.

We fixed up our hut in the village and contracted to do some clean up work at the ranch. The spot was beautiful and perfect for a ranch house out of the sheep building, putting in a solar water pump and creating a Garden of Eden. After it was cleaned up a bit it looked great especially since the water table was only fifteen feet down and some of the purest water on the planet.

Six months later we returned and were dismayed. The jungle had grown some 10 feet in our absence and was covering everything. Obviously we did not clearly understand the jungle is one big hothouse.

Our neighbor Poot had another idea. He said our ranch was perfect for sheep and he would move there, fix it up and we could split the lambs that were born. It would be a shame to let the good sheep ranch go to waste.

And that’s how we became partners in our sheep ranch. We have the short haired variety and they are not used for wool. And sheep still smell but sheep barbecue is increasingly popular in Cancun and the Riviera Maya.

So there it is. We will eventually create five or six jobs and probably set up another sheep ranch near another well on our property. In four or five years we could have a couple of hundred sheep. Or maybe just let the jungle take back over…

And the simple lesson learned is never, never, say never.

Jack Deal somewhat raises sheep in Mexico. Related articlesmay be found at http://www.jddeal.com/blog and http://www.freeandinquiringmind.typepad.com

Going back a few years when I first moved out of my parents home to live in London, in University halls of residence, I remember feeling more excited than scared. The world of independence, no curfews and late night parties were something that had overwhelmed my senses. I felt extremely elated the first day I had arrived at my flat, knowing that this was the beginning of some exciting times. However, I was soon going to learn that maybe I should have prepared better for the daunting task of keeping up with the rent, doing my own laundry, buying food, cooking, cleaning and actually using the right cleaning equipment for getting rid of the beer stains!

I guess my first month of living in a flat with flatmates consisted of drinking, partying, more drinking and more partying. My first year at University appeared easier than I had expected, as with most students, this year was all about the novelty of entering into the world of university, making new friends and living in a completely unfamiliar area. It could not get any better for me - until one day I checked my bank account and the world of adulthood crashed down upon me. So coming from someone who is experienced in the world of ‘being skint’ there are a few things one must follow when beginning your new life.

First and foremost, stock up on your cleaning equipment. It is hard living with other people, as they are strangers to you at first and you each have differing habits. This is where you all need to get together when you first move in with each other, get to know each other (over a few drinks), and perhaps establish a routine of some sort. Drawing up a timetable of who will be doing the dishes on what day will not always work, but it is helpful and the finger can be pointed at the one that did not follow the roster. If you are a clean freak, like me, then you may need instigate rules of your own about cleanliness (without being too dictatorial).

Secondly get into a habit of budgeting, give yourself a realistic amount of money to spend so then you will not end up in a difficult situation of not having any money for food. Some people prefer to use envelopes, mark each of the week on each envelope and place a certain amount of money each envelope, forcing them to stick to a tight budget. This is fine, if you know you not be withdrawing any money from the bank, I recommend you stick to a carefully planned out budget and try to stay strong.

Thirdly try to cut down on your shopping for essentials only, keeping one or two days of the week a treat day. It is all very well going to pubs and students union bars with your friends, or shopping for wholesome food, but this can also place a heavy dent on your bank account. I have been in situations whereby I have spent extortionate amounts of money on shopping for food; this is where I had to learn about value for money foods and actually calculating how much I would need in a week. I would also spend a lot on cleaning equipment and products, falling into the trap of spending unnecessarily. So be careful.

Finally, devise a timetable for studying. University is all about finding out more about the big bad world, learning how to budget, meeting new people and enjoying your freedom. However, it is a time for you to work towards a fruitful and prospective career, so I am afraid to say that as much you will like to have fun, it is very easy to lose track of why you are here and end up with your grades suffering. Many have failed their first year at university, some have even dropped out, you want to be the one who stays on and continues throughout the whole of degree course. It is far more exciting to see how your time at university pans out - it gets better each year you are there.

Anna Stenning stocks up on all her cleaning equipment and is absolutely strict about cleanliness, which is evident from her time of living in a flatshare accommodation during university. For more on useful cleaning tools click on http://www.vipclean.co.uk/

If you’re like me, you spend hours surfing the internet looking for weird stuff that you’ve never seen or read about before. During my extensive research one evening, as I scoured cyberspace to find some new and unusual crap to entertain myself with, I finally found what I was looking for.

At about 2:00 A.M. on a Thursday night, I couldn’t relax, couldn’t sleep, so I traveled downstairs to the computer and went online to find some information about meditation or relaxation techniques to help me clear my head so I could fall asleep.

On one of the websites I visited, there was a collection of links to various websites that teach meditation and relaxation techniques, such as yoga, Zen, and something called “open-eye meditation.” None of these things interested me, until I found a link to a website for something called “Remote Viewing & Remote Influencing.” This was intriguing, so I clicked through to the website.

At the very top of the first page was the title, “Welcome to the Remote Viewing and Remote Influencing Information Page - Your Real Life Time Machine.” I sat forward in my chair, excited as can be. “This is it,” I said to myself. “This is the kind of weird crap I’ve been looking for.”

The information contained there was fascinating. Remote viewing was allegedly developed by the CIA during the Cold War era, circa 1970, as a way to make use of our natural psychic potential to spy on the Russians without having to travel to the Soviet Union to do it. Using remote viewing, by focusing one’s mental powers on a certain point in space and time, it is possible to view what is going on anywhere at anytime; past, present, or future.

On the website, it also claimed that there were operatives who were trained in remote viewing and became so clairvoyant that they had to be locked underground in cages at different locales around the world. One was locked in a cage in Brazil, another in an intelligence base near Washington, and the third in an underground facility in Paramus, NJ. Yes, that’s right, Paramus, NJ!

After I finished reading about remote viewing, I arrived at the remote influencing part of the website, which was even more bizarre, but cool. According to the information posted there, “remote influencing allows you to create your own fate and future, attracting the people and situations you want, and not be subject anymore to or addicted to the system of group consciousness.” Apparently, remote influencing is some sort of mind control technique which enables you to create any reality you desire, alter your appearance, and change the world as you see fit; to play god, sort of speak.

The website never explained as to how one can actually learn to do this, though it did say that for $89.95 I could order their training tapes, which are backed by a 30-day money back guarantee. Right above the order form on the website was written “Order now for only $89.95, and learn how to change the world and play God - or your money back!”

I thought to myself, “For only $89.95 I get to become the Lord! What a great deal!” But, by that time it was 3 A.M., and since I was too tired to go back upstairs and get my credit card, I went back to bed. The next day, I did some further research, and I found a message board where people were discussing remote viewing and remote influencing products they had ordered online, and they revealed that what was sent to them was nothing more than some relaxation tapes narrated by a man with an eerie voice, accompanied by some ethereal background music.

So, are remote viewing and remote influencing proponents a bunch of quacks? Not necessarily. The principles they teach are probably true for the most part. They’re basically saying that we have the power within our own minds to control our destiny and to harness the power of the subconscious mind to do things that would seem supernatural to our conscious mind. Personally, I do believe in the power of the mind and that we can break free from the shackles of consciousness to achieve a higher state of mental well-being.

This is one of the basic tenets of Scientology, that people have the power within themselves to do amazing things. So, despite having stumbled upon something that at first glance seemed like a scam or a bunch of empty nonsense, there was at least some wisdom imparted to me after having read through the information presented. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go to my remote viewing class that starts in a half hour; we’re going to use remote viewing to try to find Bin Laden.

Jim Pretin is the owner of http://www.forms4free.com, a service that helps programmers make an HTML form

I’m off to see my girlfriend today. Morag McTavish is the light of my life and anything her little heart desires, she gets. In the past I’ve brought her a new collar studded with pink rhinestones, a new bone china drinking bowl and a coat of fox fur.

I’ve taken Morag for long, romantic walks up on the hills, we’ve been for fun nights out on the town laughing at the drunk humans and, when her owners have allowed me indoors, we’ve even snuggled up in front of the fire together.

We’re on the eve of Morag’s birthday and she has requested a trip into our favourite part of the Scottish countryside. We’ll be able to go for long walks in the heather fields, maybe do a spot of rabbit hunting and then cuddle up in the evening in the cottage that belongs to my owners friends.

I have plans for this birthday far surpassing rabbit hunting. I intend to ask Morag to marry me. I want to do this properly so, instead of going away with our owners, I have hired a car and will be taking her myself.

Car hire in Scotland is easily obtainable due to the sometimes difficult terrain that people don’t like walking - wimps! Mind you, some of the most beautiful scenery takes some getting to and even the short little legs of us Scottie dogs can struggle at times.

I have prepared as much as possible for this event but my owners are not very understanding. Spring has come early this year along with the ear mites. Believing they were doing the best thing for me, my owners have rid me of ear mites with the age old method of garlic cloves steeped in oil overnight. The oil then being dropped into my ears the following day.

Great, no mites, I just stink of garlic - just what you need travelling around in the confined spaces of a hired car. To combat this, I’ve stopped off on the way to the car hire company and rolled in some fox urine. That’ll get Morag going!

Anyway, I’ve wolfed down the breath freshening biscuits, packed up our tartan blanket, visited car hire Scotland and I’m on my way to pick up Morag.

The excitement and anticipation is getting to me. What if she turns me down? What if she says yes? It’s all getting too much and I’m starting to drool. One thing Morag hates about me is my drooling and I need to stop it before I get to hers.

I’ve brought my emergency supply and retrieve it from the back of my hire car. Oil of cloves on a sugar cube stops drooling within minutes. It tastes repulsive and gives me hiccups but it’s better than drool.

I pick up Morag on time and she is impressed with my choice from the car hire company. Plenty of room in the back, if you know what I mean! Just as well, when you consider the amount of luggage accompanying her. Does she not understand that we are dogs? There are only so many fur coats one dog needs. It seems she is out to impress to so the outlook for my proposal is good.

We arrive at the cottage, unpack our hire car and gratefully relax in front of the fire for a while. However, anxiety is beginning to get the better of me and I need this proposal out of the way to know where I stand.

After a rest, I convince Morag to come for our first excursion into the heather fields.

Along with the mites, the early spring has awoken all sorts of insects and the heather fields are live with bees and wasps. What is wrong with this female that she insists on playing with the wasps? How many times do I have to tell her I am allergic? Morag is dancing around attracting these wasps to us and it’s driving me crazy.

When I ask her to stop and come and sit by me she’s unable to sit still. I try to find out what is wrong and get snapped at. It turns out Morag has fleas! Something, she tells me, she is very susceptible to.

Apparently, she wasn’t trying to attract the wasps, she was trying to scratch her flea bites. How disgusting. If there’s one thing I cannot live with, it’s fleas.

I decide against the proposal, get her back into the hire car and drop her off at the nearest vets on the way home. A lucky escape for me.

Highland expert Catherine Harvey looks at the
use of car hire in Scotland for holidays and short breaks. To find out more please visit http://www.budget.co.uk/car-hire/car-hire-scotland.htm/