Restrictions May be Backfiring on Bush

In a New York Times article, it states that Bush is finding opposition on the initial restrictions to Cuba. The opposition is on the travel restrictions and relief packages. After much debate, there was a vote to ease the restriction on sending relief packages to families. The problem Bush is having is that there are recent Cubans immigrants that still have strong ties with their families from the island. They find it hard being able to see them only once every three years.

Now, I believe the Cuban embargo has failed because it has not gotten rid of Fidel Castro. What it has done is further alienate the Cubans on the island that do need the relief packages or money sent to them. I'm going to give a perfect example on this issue. I have family that still lives in Cuba. My parents have to send them money because they can't survive without it. A few years ago, their roof had collapsed and they did not have the means to replace it. My parents had to send them money. Once the money got there, they bought the necessary supplies and replaced it. How could you not send any money to them? What do you do, let them live in house with the roof gone?

The travel restrictions are just as bad. How can you only allow one visit every three years? What if your mother is dying? You visited the island last year, and now you can't see her die. Is that reasonable? When both of my grandparents died, my father was not able to be by their side. I think that's horrible. You should be allowed to visit in situations like these.

I would be all for the embargo if it was effective, but it's not. All Cubans, exiled and from the island, have suffered enough with the policies of the Cuban government. We do not need more restrictions. What we need is dialogue between both governments to open up. Castro would probably ease up because he's receiving help. He accepted help from the Soviet Union over forty years ago. Now that the Soviet Union is gone, who else could help Cuba? I'm not saying he would become a saint, but he would have to cave in to the United States.

Besides if the United States was so interested in getting rid of Castro, than they would have done so during the Bay of Pigs. But as history reminds us, Kennedy called for the withdrawal of the troops. We left those Cubans that were fighting there to die. We could also invade the island now and get rid of Castro. The pact that we made with the Soviet Union that we would not invade the island after the Cuban missile crisis is no longer valid because there is no Soviet Union. Although, that would probably be a waste of life since Castro is not young anymore. He's 74 years old. Even if he lives to be 100, he won't be able to run the country for that much longer.

Being a Kid Again

It was about 8:30 pm last night when I decided to go into the pool with Dan's little cousin, Christopher. It began drizzling and I figured we should stay in the pool as long as it didn't thunder. Christopher was happy and we were playing around. It then began to pour that I could barely keep my eyes open. We kept on tossing the beach ball back and forth. The best part is that my sister-in-law, Sandra, my mother-in-law, Marta, and Christopher's parents, Lucy and Carlos come out to the backyard. Sandra and Marta decided to jump into the pool with their clothes on. Lucy and Carlos are now taking pictures and it's pouring even harder.

We were having so much fun in the pool. Christopher was having a blast because he was being tossed all over the pool. I felt like a little kid swimming around in the pool while it was raining. It felt great! After we got out of the pool, Sandra and I sat around and laughed about it. The best part is that Christopher (since he's almost nine years old) won't forget about this. He'll always remember how we let him stay in the pool while it was pouring. Of course I won't forget about this, either. I think it's good for your soul to act like a kid once in a while. You forget about all the worries you have on your mind and focus on having fun.

Xia's Handmade Apparel

I finally set up my eBay store!! Here's the link to it: My Store
Please, go visit it and tell your friends about it. I will make special orders if anyone likes. Just email me to let me know.

My Apparel

These are some of the stuff that I've made. I am taking requests so please drop me an email.

XiaDiaz@yahoo.com

I am no Longer a Non-Producer

Dan coined that phrase when he was making fun of me for not having a job, expect he called me an "NP." Of course when he said that to me I just started laughing and threatened that I could be a real NP, and do nothing at all throughout the day. He stopped laughing!! I then laughed harder. Anyway, I got a job at Barnes and Noble at the Cafe. I want to see if I work my way into management. The prospects seem pretty good. They are impressed with me. I actually started today. It's like bartending w/o the tips, and no one talking loudly. It seems like a cool job, and management is very nice.

I'm also almost done with setting up my eBay store. I'm waiting for Paypal to verify me, and I'll post my stuff. I'm pretty proud of myself, I already sold two hats w/ the matching scarves to a friend of mine. So, I want to show you guys what I've made so far.

Lazy Day

This has to be the laziest day I've had in years.  First of all, I woke up at 10:00 am.  Normally, I'm up the latest 8:30 am.  Then at around 1:30 pm, I went back to bed and woke up at 4:53 pm.  The funny thing is that  almost everyone in the house has done the same thing.  I still can't wake Dan up.  He told me to give him ten minutes.  I can't believe I've wasted this day away! 

Dan and I were planning to leave to the beach at around 4:00 pm.  I guess that's not happening anymore.  I think what happened was there was a big rain storm that made the day very gloomy, and we all just layed around.  Well, must go wake Dan up before he sleeps the rest of the day.

Winning Miss Chubby Contest

Yup that's the record I want to hold.  I want to be the fattest person in the country.  This contest was held in Italy and it was meant to show that being stick thin is not always the best way.  Newsflash:  Neither is being the fattest!  Everyone knows that models or actresses have those great bodies because they have the time and could afford personal trainers and chefs.  Now beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but health isn't.  Weighing 200-400 lbs. is not healthy.  This is not an issue of being beautiful. 

I'm not at a healthy weight, either.  I'm not as disciplined as I should be with my workouts.  I don't have a self image problem, either.  So, I don't need to prove to anyone anything.  I recognize that I should eat less and workout more.  This is not an easy task.  Even though I love working out, I have a hard time going regularly.  Last week, I worked out three times.  I really want to work out more, but I  need to make more of a commitment.  This contest is an atrocity to all men and women.  

Giovanna Guidoni, the winner, said she came in second place last year.  The organizers of the contest stated that her success is due to her being an owner of a restaurant.  She weighs in at 416 lbs., and she is only 20 yrs. old.    This woman will probably not live to see her 30's or 40's if she keeps up at that rate.  Instead of making her a winner, they should have doctors teach her how to eat and exercise.  They should make a contest on who is healthier, not skinnier or fatter. 

Let's Bargain With the Terrorists

Thanks to Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the president of the Phillipines, the terrorists have an upper hand in bargaining.  How great is that?  Arroyo stated "It would have been silly to sacrifice the life of the hostage, Angelo dela Cruz, when the troops were scheduled to go home in August in any event."  Number one rule:  NEVER BARGAIN WITH TERRORISTS!  As silly as she thinks it was to sacrifice Angelo dela Cruz's life, the fact of the matter is that she's now endangered more lives.  A country caving into the requests of terrorists only leads to more kidnappings and more beheadings.  It gives the terrorists and their cause legitimacy, which is something that should be avoided at all levels. 

Finally Finished!

Remember the scarf I was knitting?  Well, I finally finished it.  It took me a total of four days to do.  It's 58 inches long and 5 inches wide.  I also said it was going to be beautiful.  Well, it really isn't.  The problem is that it has some holes in it because the stitching wasn't even.  Since I wasn't completely happy on its outcome, I decided to keep the scarf.  Besides it is my first knit scarf and I worked a lot of hours on it.  I'll use it for when I go up to New Jersey to visit (if I'm able to do that). 

Cuba Restrictions? Maybe Not.

A company from California called CancerVax Corp. will be developing three cancer drugs with the Cuban government.  This transaction has been approved by the government despite the new restrictions that were just imposed by the Bush administration.  If the drugs they make are approved for sale, CancerVax will share the profits with the Cuban government.  CancerVax will also pay Cuba $2 million a year in food and medicine over the next three years. 

Gardening

Whoever said gardening was an exercise, was not kidding!  This morning I had to repot my aji cachucha plant (this is what is called in Spanish; the best way I could describe it is that it looks identical to a Jamaican hot pepper, but not as hot and a bit sweeter).  This plant was given to me by Dan's great aunt and uncle, Luisa and Pancho.  They found out that I'm into gardening and planted this for me (they are very sweet and I was very touched when I found out they were doing this for me).
 
I had originally repotted her two months ago, but for some reason she wasn't doing well in her new home.  I thought maybe I wasn't watering her as much as I should or that she was exposed to too much sun.  My father-in-law decided to buy a bigger pot and gave it to me last night.  I have to attempt to save this plant because I'll feel really guilty if she doesn't survive.  So, I was very grateful that Frank (my father-in-law) got this for me.
 
Now, this plant is pretty big to begin with.  There was no way that I could just pull her out of the pot without placing the pot on it's side.  Well before I go along with this story, I have to mention that we had a tremendous storm yesterday.  The wind blew off the screen to my bedroom window.  We normally keep the bags of dirt on the side of the house.  It's kept closed, but it doesn't really matter if it gets wet.  Well, I pick up the bag and start walking with it towards the new pot.  I noticed it had a couple of tears in it, but I wasn't worried.  When I start dumping the dirt into the pot, the bag rips open.  I now have dirt all over the terrace.
 
I forgot to mention that this dirt is not the dirt you buy at Home Depot.  We got this bag at a nursery.  The reason I mention this is because dirt from nurseries have a lot of fertilizer, which stains the floor tremendously.  The dirt from Home Depot has fertilizer, but it doesn't really stain the floor.  Of course, the dirt was also wet.  Here I am scooping up the dirt with my hands.  I left my gloves and tools in the garage thinking I wouldn't really need it (this is what happens in the mornings when I only have one cup of coffee).  Eventually, I managed to pick up all of the dirt off the floor.
 
Now on to the plant.  I add some water to the plant in order to pull her out without ripping her roots (now that I think about it, it poured yesterday).  So I place the pot on its side, and there goes the plant and the dirt.  It came right out of the pot.   Needless to say that I was amazed at this point.  I could have avoided all of this if I would have waited for Dan or Frank to get home, and had them help me out (or done this over the grass instead of the tiled terrace).
 
Repotting was successful and I think she likes her new home.  She didn't seem dried up.  After I was done picking up all the dirt off the floor, I began hosing down the terrace.  This was more of a hassle than repotting my plant.  I do have to be thankful that it is  a nice and breezy morning.  I would have passed out if it were the middle of the day.   Now on to that second cup of coffee...
  
  
  
 

Knitting

Remember how I told you that the scarf I was knitting would take me from two to three days?  Well, it's going to take me a very long time.  In the last two days, I've only been able to knit 15 inches of it.  I've gotten the hang of it, but it is very tasking.  What kind of sucks is that I found out how to do different patterns that would look very nice, but I can't incorporate them since I'm so far into the scarf already.  I want to stop knitting this scarf and begin a whole new one, but then I know I'll regret it. 
 
I did buy more yarn for the hat that I was crocheting and finished it today.  I still haven't posted these items on eBay because Dan and I are having conflicting schedules.  I don't remember how to upload pictures into the computer, or for that matter, post them on a website.  Once we resolve this, I'll be in business (hopefully).

Pumping Gas in New Jersey

I found a funny article on why it's illegal to pump your own gas in New Jersey. I suggest you take a look at it. I found it funny since I now pump my own gas, and it's much faster than waiting for someone else to do it for me. That's my take on it.

Crocheting/Knitting

Since I'm not currently working, I decided instead of becoming overwhelmingly bored at home to start crocheting. The last time I crocheted was when I went to Spain twenty years ago. My grandmother knits and crochets all the time. She use to make sweaters for my cabbage patch doll, Dulce Ella. That summer, she attempted to show the me the ropes. I never got the knitting part, but crocheting was a blast.

I told Dan that I wanted to make scarves and hats and try to sell them on eBay. I think it's a good idea. Hopefully, so will the buyers. Surprisingly, I remembered how to do it. I now have two scarves, one hat, and an unfinished hat (I ran out of the yarn I was using). The hat fit my head, which if you all remember I have a huge head. It's a bit tight on me, but it should fit the rest of you normal head people. The scarves are different in size and width. I don't recall the dimensions at the moment, but the one scarf is really wide and thick. The other scarf is narrower and thinner. I used different stitches on these two, also.

I am now teaching myself how to knit. This is definitely harder to do. I'm sure once I get the hang of it, I'll knit faster. At this moment, I'm not getting far. The important thing is that I know the concept of knitting. I'm attempting to knit a scarf. I probably won't be done with this scarf for at least two to three days, but I'm having fun doing it. And I know the scarf will come out beautiful!!

Marriage

It is beyond me why there is a debate about marriage in this country. I don't care if a gay couple gets married. It doesn't offend me. In fact, I have no say in it because it's their decision not mine to make. It is ridiculous that at time when we have just learned that the CIA has made up information about wmds that we are concentrating on whether gay men and women should not be allowed to marry.

Why is this important? Because the religious right thinks it's a sin? I hate to break the news to you, but marriage came about when humans thought about the concept of private property. Before private property, people would have sex and children without any written commitment. When private property became a part of life, men needed to have proof that they were leaving property and money to their own children. The only way to prove this at that time was to have a legal contract binding the women to the men. This makes perfect sense. A woman could always prove that her children are hers, but a man (back in the day) couldn't.

So there you have it. Marriage was brought about because of private property, not because of God. It is a legal commitment that assures that property is being passed on to the rightful heirs. Why is this becoming such an issue is beyond me. If any of these people would understand this concept, then they would allow gay people to marry. They don't procreate, but they can adopt. With all the orphans in the world, why can't these children have two dads or two moms? The point is, they would be loved and cared for. I wish people would think of the bigger picture.

The sanctity of marriage is not in danger because of allowing two men to marry or two women to marry. It is in danger because many people marry without completely thinking about dedicating the rest of their lives to that other person. That's one of the biggest commitments you'll make besides having children. Fifty percent of Americans divorce. Where's the sanctity there?

English, Spanish, or How About Both?

As you may all know, I am job hunting. I'm trying to get a job in the retail industry until I find something else or go into management. But as some of you know, Miami is a strange animal. Some of the stores that I've gone into, have sales reps that don't speak any English. Here I am trying to get a retail job, even though I speak English and Spanish, I can't get hired! I walk into places where I have to speak Spanish because the rep doesn't understand what I'm saying. Is this fair? Isn't it a requirement to know English in order to work in a clothing store?

Maybe, I'm cruel. Maybe, I don't understand this strange animal called Miami. It frustrates me immensely. If you think I'm being a snob or an elitist, so be it. You know, when I was going through the hiring process at Bellsouth, I had to take a Spanish test over the phone in order to get hired. The position I had required that I speak Spanish and very fluently, since most of my calls would be from Hispanic customers. It wasn't a big deal test. I just had to prove to the other person over the phone that I could carry on a conversation in Spanish without throwing in English words. My point is that I needed to prove that I spoke Spanish. It was essential to the job.

I do understand that predominantly the people that walk into stores in the area I live in speak Spanish. But what would these reps do if they moved into Broward county? That's the invisible line between Spanish Florida and English Florida. Are these people creating a trap by remaining in this county because they don't have to learn English? I do want to add that not all of Miami speaks Spanish, either. You drive south a bit and you better know English.

I'm a big proponent of learning English if you're here. My parents can't fluently speak in English and it frustrates me. But I can't blame everyone for not knowing the language, either. Like my father, he has spent most of his time working from 7:00 am all the way to 8:00 or 9:00 at night. When I was younger, he even pumped gas on the weekends (working 12 hour shifts). To his credit, my father tries to understand and speak as much English as possible because he understands that it is important to be able to communicate. My brother-in-law is another one that works three jobs (not much time to learn English there, either). Let's all be honest here, putting food on the table is much more important than learning English.

My concern is that Hispanics are trapping themselves by not learning English. Is it reasonable to live in this country for 30 or 40 years and not be able to defend yourself verbally? If I moved to France, I better learn French because I won't understand what is going on over there. My point is that you have to adapt to the environment you're in. You might get by in life by asking others for help, but what happens when that help is no longer available? How do you survive?

Modern Job Search

This information was passed on to me by Dan and I want to share it with you.

Advice for a Thoroughly Modern Job Search
By: Amy Baldwin, The Charlotte Observer

Heads up, job hunters. Here's what's out and what's in for 2004.

OUT: Using terms like "team player" and "results-driven."

IN: Citing specific examples of such traits.

OUT: One-page resumes if you have 7+ years of experience.

IN: Two- to three-page resumes that highlight quantifiable achievements.

OUT: Functional resumes organized by skills and experience.

IN: Resumes that list experience in reverse chronological order.

OUT: Covering up employment gaps.

IN: Explaining gaps in cover letter.

OUT: Relying on want ads for job leads.

IN: Sending resumes to a "target list" of companies for which you want
to work.

OUT: Vague answers to standard interview questions.

IN: Real-life examples to illustrate your points.

OUT: References with impressive titles who don't know you well.

IN: Variety of well-informed references, including former peers.

OUT: Telling the interviewer you want the job.

IN: Offering to assume post on trial basis.

Bush Loosing Grip on Cuban-Americans in Florida

Bush's new ruling restricting Cuban-Americans is not sitting all that well with the Cuban-American community in Florida. A report from Reuters states, "Sixty-six percent of respondents said they would support Bush if the election was held today, down from 82 percent who voted for him in 2000, according to the poll of 800 Cuban-Americans, commissioned by the William C. Velasquez Institute." This does not mean good news for Kerry, either. According to this report, only sixteen percent would vote for Kerry.

I am now intrigued to find out how the Cuban-American community in Florida is going to affect the election this year. I would like to hear from my fellow Cuban-American friends to find out what you're take on these restrictions will affect how you vote in November. Feel free to leave a comment or email me.

Finally, We Hear About Our Ports

On foxnews.com, I found an article that shows the US is doing something about our ports. On one of my previous posts, Cole-Style Attacks, I had reported that I found an article from wirednews.com (which by the way, the link no longer works and you can't find the article when you do a search) stating that we were vulnerable to attacks from ships. My major complaint was that I hadn't found any other article stating this.

Tom Ridge is vamping up security on our ports in order to prevent any dirty bombs from reaching us. I'm relieved that it has been addressed and they are doing something about it. I haven't seen any other articles pertaining to this information. I am going to look harder to see what else I find.

Big Fat Lie

There you have it folks, CIA director, George Tenet, lied about weapons of mass destruction according to the Senate Intelligence Committee. Why would Tenet lie about this? This seems pretty sloppy business coming from the head of the CIA. This report is very troubling.

According to another report from the AFP,they found no evidence that the Bush administration pressured Tenet to come up with false reports. Although, according to the BBC, "The report does not address the issue of whether the Bush administration exaggerated the case for war in Iraq - which is being investigated separately." An article from BreakingNews.ie states, "But some intelligence analysts did tell the committee they felt a need to emphasise one piece of evidence over another – a form of pressure, several Democratic lawmakers will point out in an “alternative view”, according to a Democratic congressional aide."

If some of the analysts felt they had to emphasize certain pieces of evidence over others, we have a huge problem. If the Bush administration was involved in skewing the reports, we have to hold George W. Bush accountable. This is an atrocity to the men and women who have lost their lives defending our country. This report is going to lead to more damning news. Unfortunately, we look like morons in front of the international community.

Bring on the Books

"Arts Report Reveals Johnny Won't Read," is an article that shows the decline of reading throughout the United States. The article gives you some statistics who's reading and who's not, but overall reading has dropped across the board. Have people not realized that reading is important?

Of course, the least amount of readers are among the Hispanic community. This infuriates me. Does the study take into account the Hispanics that don't know English, but read Spanish books all the times. For example, my parents read books all the time. They just don't read them in English. Does it also take into account the Hispanics that don't know how to read or write in their own language? I wonder what this study consists of.

From my experience, all of my Hispanic friends read, and a lot. I read all the time. I have books in English and Spanish. Have you seen my wish list on Amazon.com? One Christmas, I was repeatedly asked by my gift givers if I really wanted only books for X-mas. My response--yes.

Anyway, it is a very scary thought that people are not reading. You don't have to read historical books (like I do), but pick up a book. It's good for you. Besides you always end up learning new vocabulary, which makes you sound smarter and more educated. News flash--being well versed in numerous areas is very attractive. I'm not talking about sexually, either (although I love it when Dan starts spewing information that I don't have a clue of). Sitting down with a friend or a coworker and being able to discuss different topics makes you someone that might be useful at a future job.

My point: READ. Pick up a book and start reading. You don't have to read two to three hundred pages a day (I could do that at Dan's amazement, but I'm a bit freaky). Besides if you have kids, the best example you give them is picking up a book. Trust me on this. One important thing I remember from my childhood is my mother constantly reading. Watching her read, made me want to sit down with her and read too. In fact, now-a-days when Dan starts reading, I do the same thing. We lay in bed and spend an hour or so reading. It's very catchy.

Weird from Wired

I'm not going to comment on these stories, just read them. Wired News

Bites

Ever since Dan and I moved to Miami, I've learned a valuable lesson: Always carry a tube of Benadryl cream. Why you might ask? Well, it turns out that I'm allergic to mosquito bites. What ends up happening is that I don't only get one bite, I get 4-6 bites in one area. As you can imagine, I become extremely swollen.

One time, I had 7 bites on my right foot. I thought I would have to go to the hospital because my foot looked as if it were going to explode. Luckily, a coworker of mine went to Walgreens and got me some Benadryl, but not the cream. Needless to say, I became very sleepy at work.

What's great about the cream is that you don't get sleepy, and could function like a person that is not on drugs. When I first got here, though, I was taking Benadryl syrup and I spent a lot of time sleeping. Not a good thing when you have a job. The cream stops the itching and reduces the swelling, which is extremely important.

Just to give you an idea on how much these little buggers love me, I have five bites on my left leg. I also have two bites directly opposite of each other under each arm. The weirdest part about this is that I've become accustomed to having these bites.

Bias

Liberal bias is always a hot debate. Does it exist? Is it a right wing conspiracy? Now, I've mentioned before that a journalist should keep his or her own private thoughts out of the equation when reporting the news. I think we could all agree on that. But what happens when he or she fails to omit personal beliefs? Better yet, how do you pick that information up, especially when you agree with the reporter? This not an easy task. For instance, if you are a conservative and find a report that puts Kerry in a negative light. Do you realize that it's justifying your opinion?

I came across this article from Reuters, which focuses on the tribulations Kerry faces being a Catholic today compared to when John F. Kennedy was president. The article is well written until it mentions abortion. Here's the quote, "A group of Catholic bishops has proposed denying communion to politicians like Kerry who are Catholic but do not oppose a woman's right to abortion." A woman's right to abortion? Adding "a woman's right" makes the statement personal. The issue ceases to be about abortion and becomes about women's rights. How dare those Catholic bishops deny communion to Kerry because he doesn't oppose a woman's right? Catch my drift?

The author of the article, Ellen Wulfhorst, should had simply written, "A group of Catholic bishops has proposed denying communion to politicians like Kerry who are Catholic but do not oppose abortion." With the statement written in this manner, you avoid taking sides. As a reporter that is exactly what you should be doing. Did Wulfhorst do this on purpose? Probably not. As I said, the article is well written.

Let me play devil's advocate here. What if the statement read "a fetus's right to life?" How uncomfortable would that make you feel if you're pro-choice? I know it would make me feel uncomfortable and angry for seeing a statement like that. Believe it or not, there are people out there that don't believe in abortion, and they have every right to believe that. But if the reporter is pro-life, he or she has no right to impose his or her views on me.

For those of you that don't know me well. I'm not a right wing nut. I'm very pro-choice and do not believe in organized religion. I do believe it's a woman's right to choose. So, I'm not part of the right wing conspiracy. I just want to make my point.

Cole-Style Attacks

On a previous post, "Smuggling Goes Underground," I pointed out how underground tunnels are being built into the United States in order to smuggle people and drugs. I have a new spot we are vulnerable in. This new spot is vast, actually 361 ports. You got it! "Coast Guard: US Vulnerable to Cole-Style Attacks," is the article I stumbled across that states we are very vulnerable.

Has anyone heard about this, today? I sure haven't. In fact, I pretty much spend enough time on the internet scanning articles. For those of you that do the same, you know that every major news source has the same articles. The article was not even on the main page of wirednews.com. I was searching through their website, and happened to find it.

Now, I find this to be alarming news. Don't you? This actually crossed my mind. I was watching a documentary on the History Channel on how German spies were actually living in the US during the Hitler era. These spies posed as American citizens (like the sleeper cells in the US now) and trained in Germany to infiltrate the US. They actually took a ship back into the US to plan an attack. Anyway, my point is that this is not something the US has not experienced before.

You would think this would be headline news everywhere, but it's not. Why? Shouldn't the citizens of the US be informed on what could happen? I think so. Why haven't Bush or Kerry addressed these issues? Why hasn't the media jumped on this? Why, why, why? Well, I'll let you make up your minds on this. I could come up with quite a few different reasons why this is not so public. In the meantime, all I could do is inform you of what's going on.

Liberal Bias?

I found this weblog, PressThink,which deals with the press. The editor of the blog is Jay Rosen, who is a professor at New York University. I was checking out the website and found an article, "Editor and Publisher Wants Answers: Are Newsrooms Too Liberal? Very Tricky Question."
I suggest you take a look at it, especially if you're one of those people that believe this to be true (like me). Now, it even talks about the Fox News Channel, which I know my liberal friends would like to hear about.

There's nothing wrong with being liberal or conservative. Absolutely nothing. When it becomes a problem is when you believe that the way you think is the norm and report it in that matter. It becomes important when journalists are reporting straight up news. I am not talking about commentary shows either. They are not reporting the news; they are commenting on them. You know what you are getting with those types of shows. For example, if you listen to Rush Limbaugh, you know you are getting a lesson on how to be the perfect Republican. He doesn't hide that fact.

So check out this article and the website. I found it interesting, hopefully you will, too.

Money or Sanity?

I chose sanity. I did it. I resigned from work. I figured out our bills and realized we won't go bankrupt if I left. Money will definitely be tight, but I couldn't bare going in there again. So last night I had a long discussion with Dan, and he gave me the green light. I realized that I had to leave when Dan had told me he was going to drop me off at 7:30 am because he needed to go to DMV (I wasn't in until 11), and I threw a fit. If it hadn't been so late in the night, I think I would have broken everything in sight. No job is worth me freaking out about, especially flipping out on Dan. I think he then realized how miserable I actually was, and told me to resign. I was so relieved when he said those words to me.

So, this morning I typed up my letter of resignation, and printed out a bunch of copies of my resume. After the flat tire incident (which of course I took it as bad sign), I dropped off Dan at DMV and drove to work. When I got there, I was beginning to think that maybe I was making a bad decision. But then, I heard somebody's sales pitch and I knew I was going to be ok. I was extremely happy that I wasn't going to answer any more calls. I said goodbye to everybody, and was off on my way. My supervisor was very nice and said I could use her as a reference. She knew I wasn't going to be there for much longer.

There you have it folks. I'm going to have to bite the bullet for a while. I'll see if I get a job anywhere in the meantime. Decisions like these are hard to make. I hope that my decision to resign doesn't hurt us financially too much. Then again, we spent six months without either one of us having a job. We survived that situation. I have hope that we'll also survive this.

Flat Tire

Dan and I are getting ready to leave this morning. When he comes back from walking the dogs, he announces that we have a flat tire. It just so happens to be the brand new tire that we got about a month ago, when he ran over a bolt. Now, I don't know how hot it is outside. Let me put to you this way, I wouldn't walk around the lake with this heat. I probably die of a heat stroke. Anyway, my dear husband proceeds to change the tire. You know, I should have just hosed him down (besides, it probably would have been erotic in some weird way). He was soaked from sweat. This Florida sun has no mercy. I brought him a big glass of iced water and a roll of paper towels. He just wouldn't stop sweating. He would dry his face and two seconds later, he was drenched.

Finally, he changed the tire. I offered to help, but of course he refused. I have to give Dan a lot of credit. He did his job and not a peep came out of his mouth. He did curse the sun when it started going away when he was tightening the bolts on the donut. I think we could all agree that's not out of this world.

At this moment, he's taking a shower. We were suppose to leave the house at around 8:00 am. Obviously, we got to a late start. I have to give it to him. Dan is a great guy. I'm glad I picked him. Now, back to the hosing down part......

Mistake or Spinning?

So my man Bill O'Reilly is being criticized for an editing he did while debating his guest, David Cole. I'm going to let you read the article and make up your own mind.

You could come up with three conclusions after reading this article.

Number 1: O'Reilly twisted the words and used it to his advantage to prove his point of view.
Number 2: The statement he made was a correct interpretation of Thomas Kean's statement.
Number 3: Since, the article doesn't state the content of the show in question, you cannot come up with any conclusion.

I do want to add that I didn't see the airing of the show that is being discussed in this article, nor did the author, Howard Kurtz, state that he saw the airing. Also, David Cole, the one accusing O'Reilly of foul play, did not state the contents of O'Reilly's argument. I don't know if he was trying to state there was a direct connection between Saddam Hussein and 9/11, which would mean that he twisted Kean's words to make his point. Or, if there is a connection between Hussein and Al-Qaida, which would mean his statement was not incorrect.

Outsourcing

The Micro-Multinational is an article the takes the side of outsourcing jobs. It claims that it produces more jobs in the US and it gives you some numbers. Big companies aren't the only ones outsourcing, either.

The reason I'm posting this article is because I always hear how bad it is to outsource. I haven't come across an article that states otherwise. In order to come to a decision about certain issues, you need to hear the pros and cons. That's what I'll try to do, give you both sides. I'm a firm believer that you need to know what you're supporting and not supporting. Besides, it makes for great debate.

Getting Old

I think I'm getting old. Dan and I went out earlier today to pre-celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary (July 29). We decided we might as well do it now, since I won't have a job by the end of the month. For some reason when we got home at around 6:00, I went directly to bed. I slept until 8:00-8:30. Don't ask me why.

Anyway, it's around 10:45 and people are setting fireworks off. It just so happens to be that in the state of Florida, the selling of fireworks is legal. In fact, I had my own explosive device that I set off earlier. It was fun. But now, I face my getting old dilemma. I'm not going to get any sleep. Number one, I took a two hour nap. Number two, people are celebrating Independence Day. Number three, I have this horrible back pain from I don't know what (I think I worked out too hard the other day and pulled something). Doesn't anyone like going to sleep anymore? I wish the fireworks would stop.

Smuggling Goes Underground

Yahoo! News - Smuggling Goes Underground
Yup, this makes me feel safer. Why haven't we heard about this? There are people digging tunnels from Mexico into the US. This is the first time I hear about this. Listen, I'm all about immigration. I wouldn't be here if that wasn't the case, but digging tunnels? We need to patrol the border much more than what's being done. We can't have tunnels dug into our country. All we need is for terrorists to get a hint about this and we're screwed. Besides, these tunnels are being used to traffic drugs into the country. We don't need any of that, either.

Coffee

National Business Review (NBR) - Business, News, Arts, Media, Share Market & More
Here is to all the coffee fans out there. Drink it up!! They have found that drinking coffee (up to 6 cups a day) is beneficial in reducing the risk of getting diabetes. I'm also sure that a combination of diet and exercise helps. But, I'm glad to hear something good about coffee, for once.

Polling Point

This post is for all of my media savvy friends. Visit Polling Point to cast your vote on media personalities. The poll focuses on people like Peter Jennings and Dan Rather. The purpose of the poll is to identify if they are slanted in their reporting. Check it out.

Wired News: New Media's Age of Anxiety

Wired News: New Media's Age of Anxiety

This is an interesting read. For all of you that spend most of your time getting your news from the internet, you'll appreciate this article. Like myself, I usually read the news on the net. This is not because I don't like picking up a newspaper. The reason is because it's hard finding the New York Times down here in Miami (you have to be careful on what they print--I find they at times express their opinion), but the Miami Herald usually focuses on local news. I'm all about the local news, but I like to focus my attention on global news. The fact of the matter is that it's easier and cheaper to get your news on the net. What is better about the internet is that you have access to different sources. So, take a look at this article!