Club de Golf Los Encinos, un pequeño lujo... pero creo que lo valgo

Hay, camino a Toluca, por el municipio de Lerma, una amplia extensión de terreno donde se ubica el humilde Club de Golf Los Encinos. Pobremente, familias que han podido juntar sus créditos de Infonavit han llegado a vivir a orillas de un campito de golf y, a 30 años, han podido pagar sus casas de 6, 7, 10, 25 y hasta 50 millones de pesos.

Yo conozco el club, he jugado ahí y la verdad es un lujo. A pesar del billete que se ve que cuestan esas casas, las excentricidades no se encuentran, pues domina el buen gusto y la sobriedad. No conozco a detalle la vida y obra de cada habitante del fraccionamiento Los Encinos, pero de los que conozco puedo hablar muy bien.

También sé que, no sólo para pertenecer al club de golf (hay gente que vive ahí, pero no juega) sino para adquirir una casa o terreno en él, el aspirante debe pasar un proceso de selección del Consejo de Administración y recibir votos favorables de la mayoría de los colonos, así dicen los estatutos. No sea que se les vaya a colar un Cabal Peniche o algo por el estilo.

Recientemente se acaban de anotar un 10, pues resulta que a principio de año, la rata de dos patas de Arturo Montiel había presentado su solicitud, en calidad de urgente e innegable, para poder hacer ahí una casita con los ahorros de su periodo en la gubernatura del Estado de México. Pero para pronto que el Consejo en pleno dice: Vecinos de Montiel? primero ratas!!... preferimos mudarnos todos a la Buenos Aires si se le permite a ese individuo ser nuestro vecino!! y que le rechazan la solicitud.

El acceso de la izquierda es el de "visitantes", el único que podrá usar Montiel

Áaandenle, ya ven cómo son! les decía Pagés a los miembros del Consejo. "Aparte ya ven... con la de favores que nos hizo y sigue haciendo su gobierno con lo de la escrituración de los terrenitos, lo del agua tratada y lo de la demanda esa que tenemos, pues... hay compromisos"... Pero los del Consejo no se bajaron de su macho y siguen, a la fecha, negándole el acceso.

¿Persona non grata? Ni que fuera nuevo, lo que pasa es que nadie se le había puesto a este mequetrefe de frente, así, sin miedo a que vaya a venir Enrique Peña a jalarles las orejas. Aparte, yo digo: que yo sepa el individuo no juega golf y, si lo hiciera, ya tiene una casa (nada modesta) en el Club de Ixtapan de la Sal.

"Ah sí, pues al cabo que ni quería, ustedes no tienen una casa en Careyes": Montiel

Y yo digo: ¿por qué no hacemos unos estatutos nacionales, así como en Los Encinos, para no dejar que vivan a nuestro lado rateros como Arturo Montiel... Ah, esperen, sí los tenemos... y se llaman elecciones.

Certainly not the most forward thinking and educated bunch, are they?

But I digress. One of our fellow refugees from Timblair.net, Ubique, has proposed a meeting on Thursday 22 May somewhere in Perth to celebrate and commiserate the closing of the FUCKING BEST BLOG IN THE WORLD, THIS ONE WILL GET THERE EVENTUALLY TOO NO DOUBT BUT TIMBLAIR.NET SET THE BAR PRETTY FUCKING HIGH AND WE ALL KNOW IT... where was I? Right. Drinks someplace the evening of Thursday 22 May at 1900 hrs or so at perhaps:

The Queens Hotel; or
The Left Bank, or
Little Creatures loft; or
The Norfolk; or
The Captain Stirling; or
The Brass Monkey.

Expressions of interest can be directed to myself at philmoscowitzloveablerogue@gmail.com.

We hope to see you all there. Wherever 'there' turns out to be. And pass the word!

The Apac women’s representative to the Parliament of Uganda, Hon Betty Amongi (right), is more of a loose cannon than a serious legislator because her trail is packed with scandals emanating from her loose tongue and behaviour. She has a tendency of spitting venom without substance and this can damage other people’s hard-earned reputation. Unless she rectifies the situation now, some of her recent remarks will seriously haunt her in future.

Amongi’s loose tongue

In an article entitled “Egwea missed several points” (Lango Web, April 2008 ) Hon Amongi made a sickening statement regarding Hon Cosmas Adyebo (RIP), Hon Betty Okwir (RIP) and other Lango MPs. She wrote: “The history of those who have taken the line of licking the boots of the current regime is well documented from Hon. Adyebo, to Hon. Betty Okwir, Hon. Jovino Akakai etc the list is endless”.

Amongi has to date failed to substantiate her distasteful remarks. Hon Cosmas Adyebo (RIP) and Hon Betty Okwir (RIP) are known to have made enormous contributions to the development of Lango and Uganda as a whole, and yet Betty Amongi had the audacity to rubbish them in such a disgraceful manner instead of honouring them.

Her statement had potentially serious implications for relatives of the deceased and the Government of Uganda. Therefore, she was asked by the Editor of Lango Web to substantiate her statement and was given ample time to do so. Was she implying that the two people died because they were eliminated by some people for supporting the present regime, or were they eliminated by the regime for some reason? Whatever the case may be, she should substantiate it.

This is not the first time Hon Amongi is embroiled in public controversy. In September 2006, Hon Amongi reportedly made defamatory remarks about her brother in law, Pedro Alele Ecil on Radio Unity FM. She was successfully sued and asked to pay 7 million shillings in damages. Even after the Court ruling, Amongi is reported to have refused to make payment until she was arrested by Police from her Kampala suburb home.

Her loose tongue did not spare the UPC, which she is now courting to endorse her candidacy at the next general elections in 2011. Yet, this is the same woman who castigated the party in September 2005 when she was scrapped off the list of the executive elected in Abeli parish in Kole County, Apac District. At that time, she accused the UPC of rigging elections.

Amongi is on record for saying: “The battle lines have been drawn. Rigging is an attack on democracy… These statements have clearly exposed premeditated plans and tricks used by CSC to exclude independent-minded MPs from Lango in the UPC election processes,”. So, she is now using her loose tongue not only to lick other people’s boots, but to lick her own vomit by going back to the same party that she ridiculed, just like a malnourished ‘gwok okwece’ or village dog.

Cosmas Adyebo and Betty Okwir were heroes

Hon Betty Amongi’s remarks about the late Adyebo and Betty Okwir was completely out of order because the two are actually seen as heroes who should be given due respect. More so, in Lango tradition, people who are already dead are normally accorded some decency. The two stately personalities that Amongi disparaged stood up for Lango as formidable political brokers at a time when Lango was in serious danger of being isolated from the rest of the country due to uncalculated and self-defeating resistance. Through them, Lango was represented at the core of Uganda Government and thus curtailing the marginalisation of the sub-region.

Hon. Adyebo served as a dedicated Prime Minister of Uganda for 4 years. He died on November 18, 1994 in hospital after a long illness. During his short tenure, he did his best to ensure that Lango gets a good share of the national cake. For instance, he is known for initiating the construction of several schools in Lango. More so, according to parliamentary records, he played a vital role in pacifying Lango at a time when the political and security situation in the sub-region was quite volatile.

Hon Betty Okwir, who died on July 21, 2002 after a short illness, did even more to lift the profile of Lango and Uganda as a whole. She served the nation as: Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Woman MP for Lira, Deputy Minister of Youth, Culture and Sports, Minister of State for labour and Social Affairs and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office. Before joining politics, she had served as headmistress of St Catherine, Secondary School for several years.

Therefore, Adyebo and Okwir deserve a place in the history of Lango and Uganda at large as heroes and not the kind of rubbish that a political megalomaniac like Betty Amongi is trying to throw at them.

Lango needs more of Adyebo and Betty Okwir

The untimely death of Cosmas Adyebo and Betty Okwir was a big loss to Lango in terms of representation within the ruling establishment and thus distribution of the national cake. If there were more of Adyebo and Okwir, Lango would have probably benefited more from the NRM government.

However, there still seems to be very strong sentiments in Lango against people who represent Lango at the core of NRM administration in spite of the enormous benefits that such people can bring to the region. A contemporary example is the way some people in Lango relate to Hon Omara Atubo, Minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development. Instead of taking full advantage of his position for the benefit of Lango, some people seem to be determined to bring him down.

Riding on negative sentiments without actually delivering on the ground is detrimental to development, but that is what Hon Amongi appears to be doing. She is all mouth and less substance because she has been accused of abandoning the electorate by a number of Apac residents.

At this material time when Northern Uganda is undergoing reconstruction and rehabilitation after 20 years of war, it would be prudent to have as many representatives from the region as possible at the core of government so as to ensure speedy recovery. Other regions have benefited enormously from the NRM government by having their eggs not only in the opposition but inside the seat of power.

The politics of confrontation with the establishment does not usually work in post-conflict political situations. Instead it only prolongs the isolation or marginalisation of the already disadvantaged people. This might explain why pragmatic politicians like Hon Jimmy Akena are quietly engaging the NRM government. There are already signs that constituencies that do not lash out at the government are benefiting more than others. Lira Municipality and Oyam are good examples.

Following Hon Amongi’s statement about licking boots, a moral delinquent of her type would conclude that Lira Municipality MP Hon Akena, or Oyam District Chairman Col (Rtd) Okello Engola, who are positively engaging the NRM government, are licking the boots of the regime. However, it should be noted that careful lobby of government in any country can yield positive results in terms of development.

So, instead of undermining people who want to bridge the gap between the government and the common man, like Hon Omara Atubo and Hon Okot Ogong, the Langi should instead strive to have more representatives at the core of the government.

Amongi has no moral authority and should answer

Hon Betty Amongi is on record for neglecting the electorate and for scandals involving allegations of inappropriate behaviour during some state duties. The latter is a factor that is said to have contributed to her shameful family breakdown. She therefore has no moral authority to rubbish decent Ugandans who are trying to rebuild the lives of people that have been devastated by 20 years of war.

In light of her repugnant remarks especially with regards to Cosmas Adyebo (RIP) and Betty Okwir (RIP), Amongi should publicly retract or substantiate her remarks in writing. Lango Web, where she submitted her original article, will be happy to publish her substantiated story. The sooner she does it the better because failure to do so will most likely contribute to her political demise.

Dorothy Counts - Douglas Martin, de The Associated Press

Deberíamos usar el pasado como trampolín y no como sofá.

Harold MacMillan (1894-1986) Político inglés.

El 4 de septiembre de 1957 Dorothy Counts se despertó muy temprano. No quería llegar tarde a su primer día de clase. Como haría cualquier niña, un día de tantos. Y sin embargo, a sus 15 años estaba escribiendo una línea importantísima en la historia de los Estados Unidos. En la historia de la Humanidad. Porque era negra. Simplemente…

¿Simplemente?

Hasta entonces, los estudiantes negros no tenían la oportunidad de acceder a las mejores escuelas. Vivían segregados. Dorothy y otros tres chicos, en otras tantas poblaciones del país, tenían aquel día una misma misión, eran los elegidos. Un peso abrumador para sus juveniles espaldas. No es cómodo ser pionero, abrir nuevos caminos. Debían renovar la mentalidad de unos cabeza-buques, de un solo martillazo. Y rompieron barreras…

¿A qué precio?

Dorothy Counts acudió caminando a la Harry Harding High School en Charlotte, Carolina del Norte. Una escuela sólo para blancos, que ahora era una escuela interracial. Interracial porque había admitido una negra. A Dorothy…

Esta acción desafió la segregación, la práctica de mantener a las personas separadas de acuerdo a su raza. Fue un día insoportable para la niña, Dorothy tuvo que templar sus nervios para no reaccionar. Para no salir corriendo o para no dar una merecida bofetada a más de uno…

Los alumnos blancos le tiraban piedras que caían junto a sus pies y la insultaban, las chicas la escupían en la espalda, los profesores la ignoraban…

¿Qué debía hacer? ¿Cómo debía comportarse? ¿Por qué la trataban así? ¿Cuál era su pecado? ¿Qué delito había cometido? ¿Sólo por ser negra?

Volvió a casa destrozada. Recelosa. A pesar de su envidiable fortaleza. Una entereza que puede apreciarse nítidamente en la fotografía de Douglas. Pero no era un Dios como Hércules, aunque fuese una heroína, era una adolescente que necesitaba cariño. Aquella noche debió ser interminable para ella. El fin del mundo…

¿Cuántas adolescentes han creído que llegaba el fin del mundo por mucho menos? ¿Por un grano inesperado o por una mirada indiferente?

Dorothy sabía lo que era el racismo…

El segundo día recibió los mismos regalos. Las mismas miradas acusatorias y desalmadas. Sin embargo, dos de las chicas se acercaron. Y la trataron como a una persona, no como a un animal. ¿Un rayo de esperanza?

Nada de eso. Recibieron advertencias del resto de alumnos, las intimidaron como si hubiesen recibido clases del mismísimo Vito Corleone, y las crías decidieron callar y alejarse de Dorothy. Normal. Tampoco eran dioses…

Ni heroínas…

Su familia empezó a recibir llamadas telefónicas amenazadoras. Aporrearon el coche familiar y saquearon la taquilla de la niña…

Nada cambiaba. O si acaso a peor. Los ánimos se encrespaban…

No soportaron el acoso. El cuarto día, el padre dio una conferencia de prensa. Iba a sacar a su hija de ese infierno…

“It is with compassion for our native land and love for our daughter Dorothy that we withdraw her as a student at Harding High School. As long as we felt she could be protected from bodily injury and insults within the school’s walls and upon the school premises, we were willing to grant her desire to study at Harding”

Se mudaron a Pennsylvania, donde Dorothy asistió en Philadelphia a una escuela integrada y luego se graduó de una escuela en Asheville.

Hoy en día, Dorothy sigue viviendo en Charlotte. Ahora es Dot Counts-Scoggins. Es consejera de Child Care Resources. Hace un año Steve Crump realizó un documental sobre aquel día. "9/4/57”. Y Dot volvió a la escuela 50 años después…

Para ver el documental. Le entregaron un diploma honorífico, pero eso no hizo que su corazón palpitara más fuerte. Fue mucho más importante lo que experimentó. Se sintió aceptada, según sus propias palabras. Se respiraba aire limpio. Incluso Marty Wilson unos de los chicos que la insultaron, estuvo allí.
"Yo era muy joven y un muchacho muy tonto", dijo. Y entonces le pidió disculpas a Dorothy por lo que hizo.

¿Qué debía hacer? ¿Cómo debía reaccionar, Dorothy?

Le miró y contestó:

"Gracias por ser mi amigo."

Ella se puso de pie. Él caminó hacia ella…

Se abrazaron y la multitud los vitoreó…

Dorothy había vencido…

Esta fotografía ganó el World Press Photo Award del año 1957.

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=OrzjTjxqRbg

Simplemente es una opinion para aquellos que piensen que no estamos actualizados en noticias importantes, sencillamente no queremos aburrirlos con lo mismo...

Pour faire digérer leurs criss ostie sacrament augmentations à la pompe, ils utilisent un moyen assez simple.  Puisque nous sommes définitivement trop dépendant de l'essence, ils savent très bien que nous allons payer le prix qu'ils dicteront.  On assiste alors à des hausses de 0,10$ à 0,12$ d'un seul coup puis, le lendemain, ils le baissent de 0,02$ à 0,05$. 

Et comme la grande majorité des gens, je suis content de payer seulement (sic) 1,289$/litre parce qu'à la radio j'ai entendu que dans l'ouest de Montréal le gaz venait de monter à 1,394$/litre.  Je me dépêche même à trouver une station service parce que la montée des prix est une maladie contagieuse entre les cies pétrolières!!!

Non vraiment, y'en aura pas de facile!

My page can be found here: Michael Luciano, Jr's OurEcho

Lovely.

Michael

En esta ocasión publican una entrevista aparecida en el diario : "laopinioncoruña.es", donde dos entrenadores del Club Alquimia de Patinaje Artistico realizan una entrevista y nos hablan de los problemas que tienen los Clubes Deportivos dedicados a este deporte-arte para sobrevivir.

Nos ha parecido de especial interés esta entrevista puesto que nos suena a una historia vivida también por nosotros en varios clubes en los que hemos permanecido y actualmente es la realidad que viven todos los pequeños clubes y asociaciones dedicados a la enseñanza y práctica de esta mdalidad deportiva.

LINK AL POST: http://patinajeartisticosobreruedas.blogspot.com/2008/05/por-amor-al-arte.html

By extraditing the paramilitaries, Uribe effectively removes the cloud of suspicion that he is sympathetic to the paramilitaries. This event will have far-reaching consequences, particularly for the approval of the Free Trade Agreement with the U.S. Nevertheless, Uribe must still demonstrate that he is doing something about the harassment and assassination of Colombian union leaders by rearmed paramilitaries.

I'll be perfectly honest with you: I don't have a good impression of vegetarians.

Incorrect or otherwise, I have this view that herbivores tend to be moody, socially inept, judgmental hacks who are on some chlorophyll induced mission to frown upon omnivores like myself. And, whenever I encounter someone who would fulfill my stereotypes, I would quietly say to myself "Bitch is just hungry."

Mmmmmm. Made of 100% Vegetarians!!

Fortunately, I came across an article on Slate.com by vegetarian Taylor Clark that helped debunk some of my misconceptions.

In his article, entitled Meatless Like Me he covers pretty much what I think about "V People". Some of the points he brought up helped enlighten some of my views, others just confirmed it. Now, if you have the same feelings, I suggest you check out the article, too.



Who knew they can be so.... normal?

So, I thought I'd start the week off with my top 10 list (in no particular order) of movies with storylines centering on real life human rights heroes. All but one of the movies may be found on DVD and are worthy of watching again...and again!

1. Hotel Rwanda

Director Terry George's 2004 film of how one man, Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager, dared what seemed to be impossible odds by protecting more than a thousand Tutsi refugees during one of the world's worst acts of genocide. While the majority of the world turned their back on the Tutsi in Rwanda, Paul Rusesabagina bravely opened up the hotel to as many Tutsi refugees as he could and at the risk of his own life and the life of his family, he stood strong against the Hutu militia and all other forces. Don Cheadle's performance of real life hero, Paul Rusesabagina is one of the finest screen performances of all time. This is a movie not to be missed. In the midst of the most horrible of times, hope and courage prevail. To learn more about Paul Rusesabagina and his continuing work to help the women and children affected by the genocides in Rwanda and other African nations, visit the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation

2. Rabbit-Proof Fence

For more than 60 years, 1910 - 1970, children born of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander decent were forcibly taken from their parents by the Australian and State government agencies for the purposes of training them to become domestic workers and thus, integrating them into a white society. Director Philip Noyce's 2002 film tells the true life story of three young mixed-race girls who were a part of this "Stolen Generation" in Australia. In 1931, Molly Craig, her younger sister and a young cousin were stolen from their mothers and taken to the Moore River Native Settlement 1500 miles from their home. Escaping not long after their arrival, Molly leads her sister and cousin on a nine week journey back home -- all the while being tracked by both a white man of the law and a black tracker. Staying one step ahead, Molly leads the girls home by following the rabbit-proof fence that bisects the continent. This story is beautifully told in both dialogue and imagery. To learn more about Australia's Stolen Generation, visit the European Network for Indigenous Australian Rights.

3. A Woman Called Moses

Cicely Tyson is an actress that can cause tears to well up in my eyes just at the mention of her name. To me, her ability to bring the power, vulnerability, and beauty of a character to the big screen is rarely matched. She is simply outstanding. In 1978, Cicely Tyson brought a performance to the small screen that I have never forgotten. Director Paul Wendkos's television movie brought the real life story of humanitarian, abolitionist, and Union spy, Harriet Tubman to the public. Having escaped from slavery herself, Harriet Tubman made 13 dangerous missions to free 70 slaves through the "Underground Railroad" - safe houses set up by antislavery activists; aided John Brown recruit men for his raid on Harper's Ferry; was the first woman to lead an armed exhibition in the war; guided the raid on the Combahee River liberating more than 700 slaves; and in the post-war era she fought for women's suffrage. Harriet Tubman was a woman of great courage, faith, and determination to help change the world for the betterment of all man and woman kind and Cicely Tyson could not have been a better choice to play such a noble human being. To learn more about Harriet Tubman, visit www.harriettubmanbiography.com.

4. Anne Frank Remembered

Jon Blair's 1995 Academy Award-winning Best Documentary on the life of Anne Frank and her family should be a must see on everyone's list. With previously unseen archival footage, this film brings a picture of Anne Frank, who some call "the holocaust's most famous victim" to life like never before. With narration by Glenn Close, Kenneth Branaugh and Joely Richardson, this story of the Frank family's time in hiding during World War II in Amsterdam, Holland and Anne's wise-beyond-her-years outlook on life is the first time an audience fully sees Anne for the person she was -- a young girl who would change the world by teaching us that even in the darkest of hours, believing in the goodness of humanity is not only possible, but right. To learn more about Anne Frank, visit the online Anne Frank Museum.

5. The Killing Fields

Anyone who saw director Roland Joffe's 1984 film when it was first released will probably remember leaving the theater in silence. The power of this movie earned it 7 Academy Award nominations in all of the major fields including Best Picture, and Oscar wins for Best Supporting Actor Haing S. Ngor, Best Film Editing and Best Cinematography. Based upon the true story of New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg's coverage of the civil war in Cambodia in which 2 million "undesirables" were "ethnically cleansed" under the direction of tyrant Pol Pot. During one of the most horrific acts of genocide, Sydney Schanberg and local representative, Dith Pran record and report the most tragic of events shedding light on the truth and the madness -- reporting which would lead Sydney to receive the Pulitzer Prize. When the American forces leave Cambodia, Dith manages to get his wife and children on the transports, but stays behind to continue helping his friend cover the horrific events. Being an American, Sydney is able to freely leave Cambodia, but the same is not for Dith. True life hero, Dith Pran was captured by the Khmer Rouge and spent nearly 4 years in labor camps throughout Cambodia suffering extreme hardships. This film shares the amazing story of strength in friendship and the strength in the human spirit during the reign of one of history's most brutal dictators. To learn more about Dith Pran and Cambodia's Killing Fields, visit The Dith Pran Holocaust Awareness Project.

6. Gandhi

Nominated for 11 Academy Awards, director Richard Attenborough's 1982 film received an outstanding 9 Oscars in 1983: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Writing, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Ben Kingsley. Serving as a biography of Mahatma Gandhi, Attenborough tells the tale of the lawyer turned leader who led the people of India -- advocating non-violence and truth -- in campaigns to organize poor farmers and laborers against discrimination and oppressive taxation; the liberation of women; the alleviation of rampant poverty; economic self-sufficiency for the nation; a commonality among the various religious and ethnic groups; an end to the "untouchability" and caste discrimination; and most of all, independence for India from foreign domination. Ben Kingsley's moving performance of Gandhi is something to watch again if you have not seen this film since its release in 1982. To learn more about the life and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, visit www.mkgandhi.org.

7. Schindler's List

As history teaches when a brutal dictator arises, whether it be out of fear, greed, ignorance or whatever, many people, weak in character, succumb to the ways of such brutality. However, as history also teaches, greatness of character also arises within the few unwilling to give into fear, but rather bravely hold fast to their belief in humanity and the rights of their fellow mankind. Nominated for an incredible 12 Academy Awards and receiving 7 including Best Picture and Best Director, director Steven Spielberg's 1992 film brings the heroism of real life Oscar Schindler to the big screen and to the world. Set during the autraucities of Hitler's holocaust, Spielberg brilliantly recounts Schindler's courageous work to save more than 1,200 Jews from death at the hands of the Nazis. An unlikely hero, Schindler discovers the truth within him -- humanity is more valuable than money -- and proceeds to defy all odds in saving as many Jews as he can. Once a war profiteer, Schindler eventually died penniless having spent all his money to save and protect his list of Jews. To learn more about Oscar Schindler and his wife, Emilie, who served along side him, visit The Oscar Schindler Story.

8. Iron Jawed Angels

Some may claim this to be more of a civil liberties film, but I see it as both a civil liberties film AND a human rights film. When an entire population of human beings is shut out of having a voice in how their government is to be run because of their gender, race, or religion, then I see it as a human rights issue. Knowing how government affects our daily lives, real life suffragists Alice Paul and Lucy Burns fought with all of their might to win women the right to vote in the United States of America. Director Katja von Garnier's incredible 2004 HBO film sets a new standard for period pieces. Incorporating contemporary music, camera and editing techniques, Katja tells the story of Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, played by Hillary Swank and Francis O'Connor respectively, as they take on not only Washington D. C. politicians and President Woodrow Wilson, but the National American Woman Suffrage Association founded in 1890 by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Successfully leading the campaign that would brought the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920 giving women the right to vote, Alice Paul and Lucy Burns discovered just how determined many men -- and women -- were to prevent this from happening. At times fighting with their very lives, these courageous women and their team soldiered on. Two women that should be in every American history school book, OH GOSH, surprisingly are not. If you have a daughter, BUY this dynamic DVD! Have it on hand. Teach your daughter(s) about the women who fought with their lives to make this world a better place for all women who would come after them -- a place where your daughter(s) have an equal voice to your son(s). To learn more about Alice Paul and her legacy, visit the Alice Paul Institute. To learn more about Lucy Burns, visit the National Women's History Museum.

9. The Great Raid

What's a war movie doing in a top 10 human rights hero movie list? Exactly what it should be...telling the real life story of a small group of Army Rangers and Filipino soldiers who risked their lives to liberate more than 500 American Prisoners of War in the Philippines during World War II AND telling the story the real life woman, Margaret Utinsky, a Medal of Freedom recipient, who risked her own life to smuggle life saving medication, food, shoes, and money into the Japanese POW Camps during this same war. Director John Dahl's 2005 film relives the Army Ranger raid on Cabanatuan, a real life Japanese POW Camp in the Philippines, with amazing historical accuracy. Understanding that this is a major motion picture and not a documentary and certain film license is needed, the director's cut of this movie is truly a credit to John Dahl's dedication to honoring the heroes of this war in the Pacific. The culture of the Japanese military at the time of World War II viewed prisoners of war as almost non-human. Their treatment of POW's was barbaric to say the least. Under the command of real life heroes Captain Bob Prince and Lt. Colonel Henry Mucci, a small band of 120 Army Rangers and a group of Filipino soldiers travel 30 miles behind enemy lines and up against thousands of Japanese to successfully achieve the greatest military rescue in the history of war. The director's cut of this film is the version to see and the additional material included in this set is powerful beyond description. To learn more about Margaret Utinsky, visit WW II Remembered. To learn more about the raid on Cabanatuan, visit Army Public Affairs.

10. Norma Rae

Based upon real life hero Crystal Lee Jordan, director Martin Ritt's 1979 film, which won Sally Field her first Oscar, focuses the world's attention on the rights of workers. Fighting for the rights of decent pay for decent wages and decent working conditions - the right to unionize, Norma Rae stands up to not only corporate pressure and threats, but to those in her own circle of relations who want her to just shut up. With dialogue like this, it's a no wonder that this film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Writing:

Agreeing to organize a campaign, Norma asks her minister to use the church for a union meeting. "That's black and whites sitting together," Norma tells him. Horrified, the minister responds, "We're going to miss your voice in the choir, Norma. To which she says, "You're going to hear it raised up somewhere else."

What Crystal Lee Jordan was able to accomplish for workers in America, through great threat, pressure and the loss of her job, was no small miracle. And Sally Field's performance stand today as one of the great performances in the history of the cinema. To learn more about how labor unions fought to honor the American workforce, visit infoplease.com.

When you think of movies that tell the story of real life human rights heroes, which ones come to your mind?

Quick roundup of the news today, starting with AnandTech talking about Fallout 3:

Fallout 3 is a game that needs no introduction - at least if you're a PC gamer and have been around a while. If you're not a PC gamer and have stuck mainly to consoles through the years, chances are the only taste of the beloved Fallout series you got was a hack-n-slash spinoff Brotherhood of Steel, released in 2004. In all fairness, let's forget I mentioned that game, shall we? The original Fallout game made its debut in 1997 and is still referred to by many as the RPG to end all RPG's. A year later, Fallout 2 was released, thus turning the Fallout name into a franchise that would rival the likes of the ever popular Diablo series. Now, ten years later, the third installment in the series surfaces as Bethesda Softworks (maker of The Elder Scrolls series) takes the reigns. Much has changed, but Bethesda has made it clear that they are not looking to create The Elder Scrolls: Fallout.

JeuxvideoPC has a preview based on the demo shown in Europe, all in French, NMA has a translation of a couple of paragraphs:

Rather strange that despite the gory path taken by the game, Bethesda did not choose to keep the immoral possibilities of the previous episode. Indeed, and it's rather deceiving, you will not be able anymore to pimp your wife, to sell drugs, to star in porn movies or to be a slaver. Being immoral is over. Our new hero will behave respectably in this post-apocalyptic world.
(...)
Despite its respect of the background and its partly turn based combat system, we were not really impressed by Fallout 3. Visually a bit flat, too undaring as far as ethics are concerned, Bethesda's game will only be a great RPG if it manages to prove that the fundamentals are still here. In order to do that, Fallout 3 needs a great storyline, original quests aswell as a deep stat system and a great choice as far as equipment is concerned.

Some parts of this may not be correct, mind you, we'll have to wait a bit more to find out.

Spotted at NMA, NMA.fr and Fallout 3 Nucléar.

DA 07-0373,

2008 MT 167,

ROB HAGER,

Plaintiff and Appellee,

v.

J.C. BILLION, INC., a Montana corporation,

Defendant and Appellant.

Also, in the wake of some posts on other blogs recently about financial blogging, I’d like the answer the question of why I blog.

As I state on my About page, I’m not an investing professional, and have no expertise in economics, accounting, corporate finance, or anything else related to finance. I do, however, have experience investing my own funds, and I know what works for me, and I believe that those experiences can help others. I believe this blog can be a place for regular investors to share their own experiences and ideas about investing, and help the community as a whole.

I blog, because I enjoy writing, and because I need an outlet that lets me express my thoughts and opinions on investing and the investing industry. I also blog because I want to help readers try to make sense of all the stuff that comes out of Wall Street.

I’m going to share articles I find in the news or on other blogs that I think are relevant to the Main Street investors’ experience. And I’m going to pen some opinion pieces, some how-to’s, and general other stuff that I feel like writing about.

If you don’t like the blog, well thanks for stopping by any way. If you like what you see here, please check back regularly. I welcome your comments, and I will try to respond to each comment as necessary.

DA 07-0461,

2008 MT 166,

IN THE MATTER OF DECLARING B.P. and A.P.

Youths in Need of Care.

DA 07-0254,

2008 MT 165,

IN THE MATTER OF the Application for Transfer of Location for Montana All-Alcoholic Beverages Resort License No. 07-999-2667-009, THE MOUNTAIN MONKEY, 3842 Winter Lane, Whitefish, Flathead County, Montana

APPLICANT: The Stube & Chuckwagon Grill, LLC - Rande Hall, Sole Member (Cause No. 06-116-LQ),

Petitioner and Appellant.

Voy a ver unas cosas que tenía grabadas en DVD y menuda sorpresa me he llevado cuando me da el típico "Error de lectura". Es uno de esos momentos en que dices: "Bueno, probemos a volver a meter el DVD", pero nada, que no funciona... pruebas en otros dos ordenadores (cuatro lectoras de DVD en total) y error en las cuatro. Es una de esas pesadillas que nos ocurren en ocasiones, y que nos hacen llevarnos las manos a la cabeza diciendo "¡Mierda! esta era mi única copia"

Es algo que realmente te cabrea, y más aún si eres una persona despistada como yo que suele hacer una copia de seguridad cada año y eso cuando se acuerda. Desde aquí quiero recordar que en este mundillo informático, las cosas dejan de funcionar de la noche a la mañana, de hecho te puede pasar que una noche apagues el PC y al encenderlo a la mañana siguiente esté clinicamente "muerto"... y los mismo pasa con DVD's y demás soportes, memorias USB, reproductores MP3 o cualquier aparato por el estílo.

Asi que recordad haced copia de seguridad de los datos importantes o de las cosas que de verdad quereis conservar. Se que es un engorro tener DVD's duplicados, pero pensad que en ocasiones es mejor tener dos copias de algo y que ambas funcionen, a tener solo una y que esté "muerta".

Un saludo

THIS IS TO OFFICIALLY INFORM YOU THAT WE HAVE VERIFIED YOUR INHERITANCE FILE AND FOUND OUT THAT WHY YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED YOUR PAYMENT IS BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOT FULFILLED THE OBLIGATIONS GIVEN TO YOU IN RESPECT OF YOUR CONTRACT/INHERITANCE PAYMENT.

SECONDLY WE HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT YOU ARE STILL DEALING WITH THE NONE OFFICIALS IN THE BANK YOUR ENTIRE ATTEMPT TO SECURE THE RELEASE OF THE FUND TO YOU. WE WISH TO ADVISE YOU THAT SUCH AN ILLEGAL ACT LIKE THESE HAVE TO STOP IF YOU WISH TO RECEIVE YOUR PAYMENT SINCE WE HAVE DECIDED TO BRING A SOLUTION TO YOUR PROBLEM. RIGHT NOW WE HAVE ARRANGED YOUR PAYMENT THROUGH

SWIFT CARD PAYMENT CENTER ASIA PACIFIC THAT IS THE LATEST INSTRUCTION FROM MR.PRESIDENT,UMARU YAR'ADUA (GCFR) FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AND FBI.

THIS CARD CENTER WILL SEND YOU AN ATM CARD WHICH YOU WILL USE TO WITHDRAW YOUR MONEY IN ANY ATM MACHINE IN ANY PART OF THE WORLD, BUT THE MAXIMUM IS FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS PER DAY, SO IF YOU LIKE TO RECEIVE YOUR FUND THIS WAY PLEASE LET US KNOW BY CONTACTING THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUNDS DEPARTMENT CARD PAYMENT CENTER. YOUR CODE OF CONDUCT IS (ATM-822) YOU HAVE TO INDICATE THIS CODE WHEN CONTACTING THE CARD CENTER BY USING IT AS YOUR SUBJECT.

MRS. LINDA HILL ON HER EMAIL
ADDRESS: lindahill01@live.com
AND ALSO SEND THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:

1. YOUR FULL NAME
2. PHONE AND FAX NUMBER
3. COUNTRY/ADDRESS WERE YOU WANT THEM TO SEND THE ATM CARD
4. YOUR AGE AND CURRENT OCCUPATION

THE ATM CARD PAYMENT CENTER HAS BEEN MANDATED TO ISSUE OUT USD6.8MILLION AS PART PAYMENT FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR 2008. ALSO FOR YOUR INFORMATION, YOU HAVE TO STOP ANY FURTHER COMMUNICATION WITH ANY OTHER PERSON(S) OR OFFICE(S) TO AVOID ANY HITCHES IN RECEIVING YOUR PAYMENT.

KINDEST REGARDS,

MR. DAVID MARK.
SENATE PRESIDENT.

NOTE: DO NOT REPLY TO: jamie.mcguire@snc.edu
FARWARD ALL REPLY TO: lindahill01@live.com

 Answer:

Dear Mr. Mark,

        I am greatly relieved to hear that my inheritance fund is still intact. I'm amazed at how no one can die in America without Nigeria being notified.

 Wow, I should give those "none" officials at my bank a call!   They're in the "habit" of losing paperwork lately!  (sorry, I couldn't resist) and since you have arranged my payment  with the FBI, Please just go ahead and forward all of YOUR information to them:

   Federal Bureau of Investigation
    935 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
    Washington, DC 20535

Sincerely,

Donna T.  Wannebeasucker

Phone/Fax:   (217) 522-9675. Office of the FBI

Country:  The smartest country in the world, remember? 

AGE: Nunya

Occupation: FBI agent 007

The other most popular post I have is on the topic of "Vasomotor Rhinitis."  O.k.  What is wrong with the world??

Well, she called again today and this time my husband answered the phone. He tried to politely explain that we did not want to pursue a relationship with her and explained why (there are specific reasons to point out to her), so she proceeded to lie and accuse me of spreading rumors about her. Everyone who knows me, knows that I am very shy and do not really talk to people much, it is mostly my husband who is the talker and I add a word or two hear and there… My thing is mostly email. That is why I began a blog. Anyway, her accusations would not hold up with anyone who has ever met me and she knows this, so she was just saying it to get under our skin… well, it did.

When she continued repeatedly to say these things to Bradley about me I took the phone and asked her to stop calling us, stop coming by our home, stop text messaging us, etc. I told her that we did not want a relationship with her and that she was lying and needed to stop. She kept trying to interrupt me, but I thought I got my point across so I hung up. She called back immediately and left a message threatening me about rumors that I need to not say anything bad about her (probably because she is worried that someone might find out that we called her out of what all she has done). We don’t want to talk about her, see her, talk to her, etc. The bummer is though, she lives on our street. We purposely go the other way to come and go on our street just to avoid her. This is the time like I was talking about before, where I need to keep reminding myself of that verse: [Psalm 37:7] Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. For that matter, lets look at the entire book of chapter 37. I will separate the chapter in paragraphs to make it easier to read:

Psalm 37

A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and he shall bring it to pass. And He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him: for He seeth that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation. Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the Lord upholdeth the righteous.

The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away. The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth. For such as be blessed of Him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed. Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.

For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not His saints; they are perserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever. The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment. The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him. The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged. Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. Buth the salvationof the righteous is of the Lord: He is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him.

This chapter brings some comfort in the midst of the moment. Everyone has to go through stages of emotions when dealing with situations like this. Obviously, anger is the first emotion. Once that subsides, then possibly pity kicks in for the other person… at that point, you may be able to bring yourself to pray for them, with the help of God. Hopefully, at that point, you will be able to actively forgive them and move on… though most people like this tend to repeatedly cause the offense and you find yourself continually having to work through the same emotions on a regular basis… but as they say, what doesn’t kill you (hopefully) makes you stronger. I will not lash out, I will pray. I will not be consumed by this, I will be filled with the Word of God. I will not hold on to this, I will let it go to God. I can only pray for His help right now, but I know that He is faithful to follow-through where I am weak. His will be done.

A&P By John Updike,I began to read maybe two months ago waiting for my short story class to begin. I found it to be interesting, but never got further than a third of the way in due to the distractions.

Today I finally went back and finished it. I thought it was wonderful. Maybe it's due to my own time spent in a grocery store on the north shore. Or just from the character's odd feelings toward the girls and how he thinks they feel toward him. He's a strange boy, and his quitting was a bit poorly strategized, but it works for him.

I'd like to go into full interpretation of the story, but I am not very up for it right now. I just wanted to share this story with everyone.

After I finish this entry I'm going to my textbook to look for the year he wrote this, because I bet he lived in Ipswich when he did. Though, I don't know if there's many grocery stores down by the beach, Crane's, in Ipswich

Michael

   Algunos opinarán que los jugadores se están pasando, que por la tontería de una promesa no cumplida no hay que montar tanto lío, que son un grupo de privilegiados quejicas, o diosecillos engreídos, etc., etc.

   En este caso, y considerando los mensajes del susodicho Muñoz a Nadal por lo bajini en medio de la crisis, se confirma mi clara impresión de que nos encontramos ante un vendedor de alfombras de zoco marroquí, ducho en los dimes y diretes del conchabeo cercano; muy capacitado para la mentira, el agasajo fácil y la venta callejera. Y presto a cambiar de rumbo como una veleta al ritmo de la Tramontana. Sin auténtico talento para nada salvo su enriquecimiento y promoción personal.

   Además, Nadal ha sido muy duro. Y sinceramente, no creo que haya nadie en España que piense que Nadal es un quejica, un chulo, o un creidito del tenis.

   En definitiva, los jugadores estaban hasta los mismísimos, esta ha sido la gota que ha colmado el vaso, y han decidido echar un pulso al presidente.

   En una empresa eso no se puede hacer, todos lo sabemos... te despiden y se acabó. Pero ellos, por qué no lo podrían (o deberían) hacer? Por qué ellos, auténticos dioses del deporte, también tienen que aguantar a un puto vende-gaitas de tres al cuarto? Además, alguien de quien ni Rita la Cantaora sabía el nombre hasta que ha ocurrido esto? Que pasa, les van a despedir a ellos también?? jajajajaja

   Es decir, si las cosas no aflojan, a quien creéis que le van a dar boleto?