media chola

"Lets Impeach the President"

2006-04-25T20:19:00.000-04:00

Neil Young wrote a song with that title. He was interviewed by a celebrity shows with a bunch of stupid questions. The Hollywood Liberal has more on it and a link.

My Dad

2006-04-21T18:15:00.000-04:00

Yeah, my dad has some really interesting stories and adventures about living in Peru. He knows Peru better than me. To some extent i find it embarrassing. I guess it is an advantage of being all grown up in Peru and being a journalist. Here is a great example.

Under the Influence of Oil

2006-04-17T16:00:00.000-04:00

Kevin Philips gave a very interesting interview on Morning Edition this morning. I specially liked what he had to say about recommending someone to follow a political carrier at te end. Here is the interview.

Gangs on the Internet

2006-04-15T19:09:00.000-04:00

An article on The Washington Post reports on "cyberbanging" in Maryland. Even some Crips and Bloods need to socialize online. Like in Yahoo.

Financial Aid and the War on Drugs

2006-04-15T18:37:00.000-04:00

You would think that education would be the best weapon on the war on drugs. In 2000, Republicans did not agree. In the past couple of weeks I have increasingly heard more and more about students being denied financial aid because of drug convictions. In my opinion, these students are the ones who need the aid the most to improve their financial situation and move into a new chapter in their life. It is a ridiculous correlation and an unfair denial of rights.Talk Left has more on this.

Only Democrats Go To Nats' Games

2006-04-12T18:36:00.000-04:00

"And there were a lot of boos out there, maybe even more boos than cheers for the vice president today. Dick Cheney threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Washington Nationals' home opener. Cheney's pitch bounced in front of home plate, before the catcher, Brian Schneider, scooped it up -- Cheney getting some boos in the District of Columbia, a heavily Democratic area, not necessarily all that surprising."

This is Blitzer playing down the boos Cheney received yesterday at the Nationals' opening game. As Media Matters points out they were not the only media outlet trying to cover such beautiful display of disappointment.

Think Progress has a small blurb on how The Washington Post changed their copy after several blogs complained that they did not portray yesterday's game accurately. And also Think Progress has the video of Fox muting the boos.

Peruvian Presidential Elections

2006-04-11T21:33:00.000-04:00

This Sunday, April 9, 2006 Peruvian Presidential eElections took place. I would like to give my view on this, but since I have been sick, it is hard for me to keep a continuous train of thought. Still I could not pass it over without making a note. As this New York Times article points out, we are heading for a run off. Klephblog gives a good show overview of the candidates. And I think has the a statement that characterizes most Peruvian candidates in every election:

One gentleman interviewed on television recently described the choice between them [the candidates] as “being forced to choose between AIDS and cancer.”

That is Peruvian politics for you...

Got him good

2005-09-15T21:56:00.000-04:00

Kilmore on abortion

And yes, I am a few days late with this...

Bush on criticism

2005-09-09T06:46:00.000-04:00

"Stooooop iiiit!!!"

I am famous

2005-08-31T10:54:00.000-04:00

We had a showing for the families who appeared on the Animal Planet show I had mentioned a few posts ago. Some local reporters came and took pictures. I was walking with some of the girls who spoke Spanish and teaching them the name of some of the common flowers we had in our butterfly garden. We had some pictures taken, which appeared in our local news paper: Children's Inn captures the healing power of butterflies One thing that disappoints me the most is that Jessica and Valeria were not mentioned even though they are in the picture with me. They could just not mentioned me (avoiding messing up my title) and probably made Jessica and Valeria's day. Anyway, those girls are the reason for the garden.

Update: I corrected the link... too bad the picture did not show my fro!

"I have no patience for cell phone drivers"

2005-08-27T22:46:00.000-04:00

I said to some of my coworkers on Friday. As expected their reaction was defensive, considering that I don't own a cell phone or car, and they tried to excuse their actions. I guess nowadays people see a cell phone as an attachment to their ear and it's ok to be oblivious to the rest of the world (most people are usually shocked that I do not own one) and somehow it has become a benign and at times amusing behavior. I find it irritating, annoying and rude. Sitting on the bus I have no interest in hearing someone else's life, dramas or what they are planning to do once they get off the bus. Most importantly and to the point, I don't feel like being nearly run over while trying to cross the street by drivers on their cell phones in rush hour traffic. Well, I decided to back up my generalizing and judgmental conclusions, so I googled "cell driving drunk driving". I continually found articles supporting my conclusions. I found a good blog entry, Drunk Drivers vs Distracted Drivers. It has links to a few interesting studies that reach an obvious conclusion:

"Drivers on cell phones showed greater impairment, less responsive behavior and more accidents than drunk drivers."

In my words: you are more ignorant and irresponsible if you pick up a cell phone than if you are intoxicated while you drive. And by the way headsets do not make a difference on your concentration.

If you do not take my word, check out MythBusters' Episode 33: Killer Brace Position.

Watch Backyard Habitat on Animal Planet...

2005-08-11T20:17:00.000-04:00

You might just see me waking by in the background. A few weeks after I started working at The Children's Inn Animal Planet came to film our new butterfly garden. Well, now we will be on TV! Here are the details... Swallowtail and Red-Spotted Purple Butterflies.

The Many Faces of Democracy

2005-06-01T08:52:00.000-04:00

Today, we present Bush's definition:

Protesters Attacked in Cairo

"Officials of President Hosni Mubarak's National Democratic Party, or NDP, led hundreds of young men who attacked anti-government demonstrators. Journalists and witnesses at the scene of several incidents, including this correspondent, saw riot police create corridors for stick-wielding men to freely charge the demonstrators. Women were particular targets, with at least five pulled from the mass of mostly male demonstrators on the steps of the Journalists' Syndicate in central Cairo and subjected to slaps, punches, kicks and groping. The blouses of at least two were ripped."

"By about 6 p.m., the riot police and the NDP contingent abandoned the Journalists' Syndicate building. The men who had done the beating were transported away in the same big metal vans used by the riot police.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, asked about the violence in an interview with Agence France-Presse, said, "I've not seen the reports that you're talking about today." She added, "We have said to the Egyptians that this process needs to be as open and as forward-leaning as possible, because political reform is a necessity for Egypt. Now, they are taking steps forward. Not everything moves at the same speed, and there are going to be different speeds in the Middle East."

Cairo Woman Attacked by Mob

After the two-day visit of first lady Laura Bush this week, opposition groups expressed concern that the U.S. government had abandoned the cause of political reform in Egypt. On Monday, Bush praised Mubarak for taking a "wise and bold" step toward democracy with his proposal for multi-candidate elections.

On Thursday, however, the White House spokesman, Scott McClellan, condemned the attacks on Kifaya. "I think our view is very well known when it comes to freedom of assembly, and freedom of assembly by opposition parties and critics of those in power is important when it comes to conducting free elections," McClellan said.

Egyptian state television and government newspapers reported nothing about the opposition demonstrations and the violent response to them

I Amuse Myself

2005-05-23T20:10:00.000-04:00

I just got a call from some company offering me a free cell phone. To which I responded that I was not interested on a cell phone. He asked me if I had one. I replied no and added "but I don't want one. They are the work of the satan." Of course he continued to try to convince me. I asked him "do you want to send me to hell? If you don't then don't offer me a cell phone" So he proceeded to offer me high speed internet. I told him that I had accepted service for high speed internet guess from who? SATAN!!! and therefore I could not get any other service that would be faster. He asked me if there were any other family members or housemates who would be interested on a free cell phone with 600 free minutes. I told him that they probably were, but they were to busy worshiping Satan. So he started again on the cell phone. I stopped him mid-stream and said "Look, I am only interested in going to the 2 circle, cause i like to read porno on the web. Obviously you are interested in the 8th or 9th circle depending on the kind of fraud you are about to commit if i buy what ever crap you want to sell me. So, lets save each other a circle or two of eternal pain, though i doubt it will help you considering the business you are in..." Nah, I didn't say that. I am not that witty. Though it would have been funny because it would have helped him conclude that I was nutz... though my actual response was equally as insane "Long Live Satan!" and he started to crack up and said good bye. It just made my day.

And yes I am a simpleton...

An Observation

2005-05-09T19:30:00.000-04:00

Is the right dysfunctional?

2005-04-24T22:01:00.000-04:00

That was the title for one of today's Mclaughlin Group discussions. I heard about it yesterday and was really interested in hearing what they had to say. I figured it would be good for a few chuckles. I was wrong. It was not as riveting as the title makes it sound. They did touch a good point: the right is getting into a slump, where they seem to be going into different directions without a common goal. You have the issue with the Bolton nomination, Bush's public support for him, questions in Congress, not to mention Powell's questions about the nomination, Delay's position on the Schiavo case disaster and other instances of the right digging in their heels regardless of public disapproval, i.e. Social Security Privatization. Tony Blankey from the Washington Times called it the "Second Term Slumps." No one agreed with him. The discussion was too general and fast passed for this subject. I would have liked to see something more in depth, though it did point to an outline of reasons. I figured that by this time they would have the video on their site and could give a better outline of this, but they don't. I will continue to check and update this post.

Now you know what I do with my Sundays, watch Meet the Press (which was boring this morning... analyzing the new Pope with a nun and priest who was the student of the new Pope and a pretty intelligent historian), Mcglauplin Group, Mcglauglin One on One, an afternoon of History of Jazz (great documentary by the way) a relaxing reading break and then back to PBS for a early night fix of Nature and Deep Jungle... I know, I have no life!

A New Pope

2005-04-19T17:07:00.000-04:00

I saw the news before lunch: a new Pope. To be honest I am disappointed in the choice, but when I heard about the candidates, I did not expect any better. Still, I hoped that a more progressive Pope would be elected. Someone like the Honduran Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodrigez Maradiaga or even Dionigi Tettamanzi. Here is a good general profile of all the candidates. Of course Ratzinger wins 2/3's of the vote. I am not sure how good that is, good because there is no question on majority and bad because he was the ultra conservative candidate. My reaction to him is pretty much the same reaction I have for Bush. Mainly because his doctrine track record and recent sermon bemoaning relativism and belief that the church holds the absolute truth. In other words, leading to more divisiveness. The perfect example being the pressure he exerted on priests in China not to preach acceptance of other faiths as a way of God... Issues such as poverty, AIDS, more rights for women in the church, homosexuality, and not to mention his actions to stomp down Liberation Theology. Personally, I believe the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is a step back by a few more decades... And we just went back a few more decades with the first election of Bush Jr. this past November...

Here are some good links to learn more about Liberation Theology:
Wickipedia has a decent general summary
Liberation Theology and Land Reform has a good historical background
Here is Ratzinger's position on Liberation Theology.

Jumping on the bandwagon

2005-02-25T22:49:00.000-05:00

Here is Paris Hilton's voicemail.

And here are some of her pics, e-mails and crap.

OK and I also found this Oh, yummy!

I am back! I think...

2005-02-23T21:40:00.000-05:00

I have been gone for the past few weeks, because I have been sick for a few months, and it just got worse in some aspects. OK, also the inauguration pissed me off, but the innocence of my keets has brought hope. Though, some symptoms have improved, I still have a bunch new tests I have to take in the next week, as I found out this evening. My concentration has been shot, so I have watched the most reality TV I have ever watched in my life. Today, I actually sat down and watched American Idol for the first time. When a show inspirers you to go to your refrigerator and look for what is stinking in there and clean it out AND wash all your dishes and pots AND fill all your water bottles, you know you are watching bad TV. This is what happened with American Idol. It was way too contrived and everyone there looks like losers... and yeah, missy Eliot has bored me. For the curious, a bottle of protein drink i made a week and a half ago and some onions where stinking up my fridge... and it was bad!!!

lies! lies!!!

2005-01-31T22:31:00.000-05:00

O.K. I lied about how I have found a new breath of hope. First, I finally got my computer back on Saturday. The logic board went caput and I spend 8 hours 2 Saturdays ago getting all my data back and then sending my baby to get its booboo fixed... And on my way home I picked up 2 new roommates. We are still getting to know each other, and I can't understand their names yet. I will update you later when I understand what they tell (or yell at times) at me.

awwww

2005-01-31T17:51:00.000-05:00

Look at what my sweet mo'rahn made for me. Oh! the impecable html, the magnificent photoshop skillz, grandious page design... This just warms my heart to the point of melting all Bush thoughts!!!

Some Good Reading

2005-01-26T15:00:00.000-05:00

And I am still speechless.

m.i.a.

2005-01-23T22:10:00.000-05:00

Ever since the inauguration came along and I found out i had to work that day, I have been in a moody funk. Plus, I made the mistake to listen to fox during the inauguration... Bush, the new man, the Bush Doctrine... Right now, I need a break... See you guys in a few days.

And Ron, I don't feel like spellchecking.... ppppssssppppssssstttttt!!!!

Mandate

2005-01-20T13:13:00.000-05:00

After looking at a graph comparing Bush's mandate to 2-term presidents of the past 54 years, I shake my head. He has the highest disapproval and lowest approval of any other re-elected president. Wait, I am wrong he beats Nixon by 1% in approval and by 9% in disapproval... Makes me laugh in delight...

Bush's Hall of Mirrors

2005-01-13T22:49:00.000-05:00

Most corrupt administration ever... What I wonder after reading this article is what has gotten us here? This is far more than just a result of 4 years of Bushisms. It could be that from just hearing them, we get dumber. It is more than that. People are for sale. Stand for nothing, but their own upward mobility. Have no principles. And use religion, morals and values as a front to disguise and manipulate a blatant lie. Something in our culture makes it acceptable. This leads back to my first post: Bush is just a symptom.

NEWS FLASH!!!

2005-01-13T11:10:00.000-05:00

After hearing about this on Monday night, I finally find a link to it. Yes, Iraq is having erections!!!

Necessary Objects

2005-01-12T13:27:00.000-05:00

i think this was a brainchild of the bush administration... ok, maybe they just fueled whatever people need to feel to buy one of these piece of shit. please, make sure you take a look at the demo... its priceless....

Jeans and Diamonds: Coronation Texas Style

2005-01-11T13:29:00.000-05:00

Historically, presidents have decided to tone down their inauguration celebrations during times of war. Not this one. Instead, Bush & Co. want the DC residents to front the inauguration costs. Furthermore, they are also requiring the city to close most of its downtown metro stops, and roads as security measures. To avoid the complete meltdown of the city they have to give federal employees half the day off on the 19th and a full day off on the 20th. I guess, they are doing all that to afford the beautiful gowns the first lady, and the twins. Jenna will wear an emerald green dress and Barbara an aquamarine one. If we want to rise to the occasion we should have a jeans and diamonds party Texas style. I guess that is why the protestors' access to the inauguration is limited... They won't be that all that stylish next the beautiful gowns...

The more we take the less we become

2005-01-10T21:42:00.000-05:00

Sarah Mcglauchlin made a video for her song World on Fire on $15.00, instead of paying the regular $150,000. What did she do with the remaining cash? She donated it to different causes around the world... I like that...

Thanks to the viejo for the link.

The approaching Bush inauguration

2005-01-09T21:52:00.000-05:00

As the inauguration approaches more anti Bush inauguration posters appear in DC. These 2 are located in opposite corners of Columbia Road and Ontario Road in Adams Morgan.