A Thankless Thanksgiving

Gobble Gobble (The Simpsons)

Tampa, (Fl) ---  This is season is so full of scents, people are happier, they eat and gather with families after not seeing them for a long time. Let me say something Fuck those people and fuck the end of the year. One thing I learned by working in a controlled retail environment and applying some gestalt concepts to analyze people behaviors made me think -this time of the year brings the worse of people. -

Lets start by analyzing people behavior in a supermarket. When you see people buying a lot of food and complaining that they didn't found what they wanted; because they have a full house and they are trying to satisfy different people. - That means the person in question is shallow and instead of appreciating the company is trying to buy the people with food in order to compensate the abandonment for over a year.

I am thankful for being alive, but that is not one shallow phrase I will swear once a year. - I am thankful for being alive, because when you are LGTBQ the chances you commit suicide are twice as a higher as anyone; I am thankful for not selling my ideals, or succumbing to peer pressure, I am thankful for being myself (not original) but just myself; I am thankful that every day that pass even if there are new challenge I win little by little. - I feel pity for those people who goes into the appearances instead of having a dinner that will be valuing the company and the people you surround with.

I am thankful, but not on Thanksgiving, is just another day for me where I spend it alone or just going to eat outside at any restaurant; just like any other weekend. Some people just have to realize as many holidays, one day a year that you see the person in question, doesn't mean you are related.

Second kind of person you will see in a supermarket buying for Thanksgiving are the "Martha Stewart Type". - Soccer moms who have no life beyond screaming at their children and fucking their gardeners; they are thankful for all the material things but nothing that it really matters. You can see their lack of manners when they go on a trip to the supermarket.

Why to be thankful only one day.? When is a day that the sales of certain items just hit to the roof and a day later sales in general boost because of Black Friday. So maybe we should be thankful for the market economy,? than anything else.

Shall we be thankful one day for our freedom,? when much of the time during the other 364 days we don't do anything for our communities and we are only shallow.

Count your blessings because if you don't put from your part one day they will fade away.

Rising the Hourly Rate, A Tactic of the Democratic Party in the 2014 Elections

Tampa, (Fl) --- It doesn't sound as a bad idea to raise the minimum wage from US$7.25 to the proposed US$10.10. In essence it could be a good stimulus for the economy but at the same time it can develop some serious consequence into some part time jobs as well products that the sellers would have to increase the prices of the items in order to cover the difference between the sales and the salaries.

The initiative proposed by Sen. Tom Harkin was supported last week by President Obama last week. As so far 31 Democratic senators and 1 Independent from Vermont have come in support of the legislation. The legislation would tie the minimum wage to inflation so the Congress wont have to debate the wage increase a few years; beside that, the tipped workers would get 70% of that rate (I guess Papa Johns Pizzas will go even beyond the roof, such as Papa John blood pressure and his lack of care of his employees.)

Talking about retail as well other business that are in sales, and the margin of hours a part timer can get depends of the profits, the raise could be problematic as the hours of part timers could drop significantly in order from the "fiscally conservative" business owners that are trying to protect their assets from any employee that is looking over time as well any full time option.

There is a small margin that if this happens, the Consumer Price Index per multiple items will increase as well, as it was stated previously with Papa John example.

Probably an initiative that can generate support and weight to the legislature of raising the minimum wage is to boost local business and small entrepreneurs instead of chains as WalMart, Exxon, just to name a few; because the key of the market economy doesn't lie in lowest prices but equal opportunities to everyone who wants to help their communities because they will have the initiative and support from the government instead of looking for a job in a company that the funds from the profits earned in a day are not going to be invested locally.

Maybe that is the main issue, is not about raising the minimum wage but find a way, create a legislature that will stimuli local economy more than corporations. Not only stimulating the people for creating job but since the money would be spinning locally also to help local banks as well credit unions; then, when the government stop looking at obvious solutions and looking at the real problems and their possible answers, then the economy will improve.

If they plan to rise the hourly rate, another problem they should tackle is the gas prices, the CIP items (food and consumables). It's impossible to pay for gas when you earn the minimum wage and less is almost impossible to buy a car when you earn nothing. If the government can put their difference to the sides, find a legal and logical way to solve all those puzzles pieces that aren't fitting in the puzzle, then the economy will improve. 

The move to make this issue a focal point, it is because it can mobilize low-income voters and to put the Republicans as a caucus who has lose their way of working for the poor and the middle class. During a February interview with The Washington Post, Democratic Congressional Campaing Committee Chairman Rep. Steve Israel of New York said the minimum wage <<could be a major wedge issue in the suburban congressional districts where Democrats hope to take seats from Republican in 2014>>. 

Entre el Mes de La Biblia y Como la Ciudad Heroica No ha Separado la Religion y El Estado

Tampa, (Fl) --- A palabras necias oidos sordos, pero cuando se propone imponer una creencia donde hay libertad de eleccion filosofica y de culto, vulnerando los derechos de los ciudadanos que no son de la ende Cristiana entonces ahi hay se esta empezando a vulnerar los derechos de los ciudadanos, porque en la Sentencia C-817 de la Corte Constitucional se reconoce a Colombia como un Estado Laico con libertad religiosa.

El Concejo de Cartagena de Indias esta jugando con fuego, y de acuerdo a los consejales que promueven la iniciativa Duvina Torres, Willian Perez, y Cesar Pion Gonzales; que, argumentan que el Estado no es ateo pero que debe mantener relaciones armonicas con las iglesias del pais. Es extraño porque ya de por si el Estado mantiene relaciones armonicas con la gran mayoria de los credos y negar que el Estado no lo mantiene.

Si el proyecto se aprueba, se puede tumbar con una acciond de tutela y los concejales pueden perder su investidura por no representar a los que los eliigeron.

No solo el Mes Biblico a ese nivel es anticonstitucional, ya que con la Ley 133 se les da a las institiciones religiosas en crear sus centros academicos para promover sus creencias a un nivel educativo y a las instituciones de caracter educativo publicos la libertad de brindar una educacion laica; pero, si esta iniciativa se vuelve proyecto de ley, no solo se vulnera a los ciudadanos de manera individual pero al mismo Estado porque el Gobierno de Cartagena durante el mes de Octubre en sus instituciones publicas les tendria que imponer a los estudiantes que no son Cristianos a que estudien una rama filosofica que no es suya; y, de ahi podia venir la desobediencia civil y por consecuencia una demanda para cualquiera que sienta que sus derechos han sido vulnerados por obligarlos hacer algo que no esta de acuerdo a su libre desarollo a nivel personal.

Es demasiado engorroso en ver como el Gobierno de La Heroica malgasta fondos publicos en iniciativas como esta. Las iglesias de por si en la ciudad se han vuelto un fuerte de eleccion politica y mas que los concejales olvidando que Colombia es un Estado laico se han dedicado a fortalecer de manera electoral a sus iglesias demostrando la inconpetencia de ellos como funcionarios publicos, al mismo tiempo solidificando el concepto de que los gobernantes han usado la religion como arma en la ciudad para cumplir sus objetivos al mismo tiempo lo de los intereses de sus pastores o sacerdotes.

Si analizamos, los concejales son provenientes de familias politicas y religiosas con vinculos de negocios en la ciudad; Duvinia Torres es miembro de una iglesia Cristiana en La Heroica; ha tenido altos cargos en la ciudad pero al mismo tiempo ha tenido relaciones con la familia Zuccardi donde la ex-senadora Piedad Zuccardi se volvio famosa debido a la infamia de tener vinculos con paramilitares.

Salim Guerra, el concejal invoco a Rafael Nuñez como el redactor de la Consitutcion en la cual invoco a Dios como fuente de todas las leyes, pero hay que pensar que la Constitucion de 1886 esta desactualizada, al menos que el Concejal viva mentalmente en esa epoca.

Por eso, aunque haya palabras necias no debe haber oidos sordos, porque si los derechos de los ciudadanos son vulnerados entonces ahi debe haber personas que clamen por sus derechos; pero mas, nosotros como constituyentes debemos saber a quien elegimos que nos represente porqeu si estamos poniendo a las mismas familias politicas y a los mismos mojigatos que lo que buscan es hacer su Agosto en Octubre y Noviembre; entonces, nosotros como el pueblo estamos haciendo algo mal.

Barnes and Noble Shameful Hispanic Section

Barnes and Noble Hispanic Section (1)

Tampa, (Fl) --- As a Hispanic man in Florida, and a man who can speak and read in 3 languages but my main being Spanish and being in Florida I can expect more from the local bookstore.

A couple of weeks ago I went to find a few books about Latin American Literature and my surprise I found more about books For Dummies, Paulo Coehlo (which is not Hispanic) and a lot, and I mean a lot, almost two rows filled with novelizations about teen movies from the United States such as the novelization of Twilight as well Catching Fire; but, I didn't found any pertinent book from the Latin American Literary Culture beyond one Chronicle of a Foretold Death by Garcia Marquez which I found in between Pregnancy for Dummies (Embarazo para Dummies) and How to Keep and Awesome Body at Any Age (Cuerpazo a Cualquier Edad).

Shame on you Barnes and Nobles, that in the area where I am as well in Tampa, which there is a big Hispanic population there are no decent books to read in Spanish. 

I asked the clerks, twice on two different weeks and they sent me to the same sections on the books I was looking, only to not find anything because the more educated sections are just composed by trash; yet, is a shame that good books are found in the Nook and not in the physical aspect.

I don't want to go to the public school library which is another, actually both public schools have as book stores Barnes and Noble; but, the prices of the books are ridiculously high. Is a shame that at least in Tampa there are no other bookstores beside the Barnes and Noble, the Books A Million are too far away and is sad that Borders closed many years ago because their selection was more varied.

I don't want to have an awesome body at age 40, or learn about pregnancy or anything about teen movies that were based on books and got books. I want to see a bookstore with more books than coffee, movies and calendar. Shame on you Barnes & Noble.

The Axiom of the Latino Identity in The States

Tampa, (Fl) -- We are a multicultural, multiethnic society; where we as immigrants who we have the Hispanic roots as well the language. As the Borgs subjugating the humans we have surrender to the assimilation.

Maybe; not assimilation but we, as first generations that we'd came to the country on different times we are letting our children and specially ourselves to lose our history and heritage in order to get anything towards governmental help instead of going out and fight for it.

To define Latino is a double negative, the first reason it's because Latino's are not in the most strict sense of the words people who speak Spanish, Latino's are from Latina - Italy, specifically the Lazio region; but yet it goes in a contradiction that we Spanish speaking people, who we share a language but different cultural factors we identify ourselves as Latino's, a word that didn't had a meaning until the Cuban migration of the 1960's.

Sombrero Vueltiao 

One of the items I always associate with an axiomatic fallacy towards the cultural identity is the Sombrero Vueltiao from Colombia; as I am Colombian I tend to analyze the behavior of my peers more deeply than any other cultural group.

If Gustavo wears a Sombrero Vueltiao means he is proud of being Colombian; but, if Gustavo doesn't wear any iconography then he is ashamed. We can go with the same fallacy to apply it to U.S. born individuals as If they don't wear an U.S. pin in their shirts or any bands around their wrists it means they are not fully Americans.

There is an identity depending on the country were you from and how much you keep in touch with your history as well how that message is transmitted properly to your children and as well future generations, in order to not lose any experience learned around the time living in the United States as a foreigner.

If we go, and make a pseudoanalisis in our axiom about Latino Identity  we can take the concept of dualism and the relation between mind and body as separate substances, if we trans-point the idea of the substance into cultural identity as well personal identity. If we analyze both substances, they can interrelate as they can be opposites reflections because we can make cultural identity as part of our own personal identity, but yet the idea of giving to a culture we are not use to, and start calling ourselves with other terms we are not, is a negative.

Then, there is the point expressed by philosopher Frank Jackson - there are more facts than the physical facts alone, - trying to understand the reasoning on why to betray our cultural identity in order to assimilate, can be expressed in the simple argument the person lacks of knowledge towards of how they are as well what they can learn from their ancestors in order to structure their identity.

I.E.  I go to to a carnival, the carnival is a Hispanic heritage carnival; if I go there expecting to put in within the different national roots and at the end I find that the carnival is not giving me a proper feedback because the music as well social attitudes don't reflect anything that is in my knowledge system, then I can find something else that will make me happy as I can't identify myself with my own culture or the dual culture I share.

The idea of negating any traits and trying to masquerade, can be reflected into how some people who don't know any language of core aspects of the culture they are keen to, feel in close relationship because of banal aspects as pop music vs personal image up to the point of people obsessed with K-POP without even knowing a word of Korean.

Where we can debate if, identity as we know it can be summarized with a signifier.? 

The Other American Dream - The Lost People

Micro-Graffiti

Tampa, (Fl) --- I always say one thing - Go in a bus, walk around far away from the upscale neighborhoods, interact with different people and you will see a more to the ground reality about people who simple are forgotten by the dominant class. -, There is one American Dream, is not as a dream is just a cyclical nightmare for many but is also the daily lives for many people who aren't seen in the spotlight, people who are not forgotten but just not seen.

Bus drivers; fast food workers, employees of a supermarket, people you see on a daily basis or at least weekly basis but you don't know their names, but they always know yours.

Then, there is the American Dream that was lost in the shadows, the people who are truly lost. I keep finding traces where I live, but is everywhere about people who felt abandoned, people who just went to that side of humanity that lurks in causing harm because they couldn't know any better or fight for anything better, because there was no will power to face life.

I've walked many paths in life, and seen many people; I've been around different cities and neighborhoods, walked among many people with fear and sometimes without any traces of it; I walk because I don't want to understand the essence of humanity, I walk because  I want to see the different realities that compose the amalgamation of humanity is.

Why people forfeit the dream of a better life,? the dream of helping the community,? the dream of succeeding... maybe, my cousin Alexandra S. was right - we need people who have no aspiration in order for other people to achieve higher. - A form of natural selection I would say with my words.

Then, just by walking in the middle of the night, I saw so many different realities, people who go and work 15 hour days to keep the dreams of other alive; people who have a quality of person, manners but have no fault of living in a Section 8th neighborhood but will always treat other people with such an amazing quality, even strangers who are asking for help.

You will find in life other people who came here running away and never learned the language but found away to move forward; but, some people are just nasty, some people don't have any respect of manners and live according to their own ego-centrism. I ended up asking for a taxi after finally found my way back to the area near my house. I waited around a Red Roof Inn where the receptionist and the security guard where really nice and let me stay in the premises until I was in a safe place.

During that hour in the hotel I saw some people who in their behavior where extremely nasty and rude just to get what they wanted but the receptionist of the hotel always showed a class that was amazing, even when a Hispanic guy and a really awful lady of African origins wearing some kinky boots (not to say a cheap ass hooker) were asking to change rooms because the toilet wasn't flushing; the receptionist always had her poise. She kept her composure no matter what. I saw the other side of the American Dream, a dream that is much as a coin with two faces, where some people just give up or as a my friend Suly Rosado say "some people are just plain ass ghetto with no respect, except on their social services officers or the ones who give the food stamps." Then there is the more optimistic side - where some people aren't that lost and are facing adversity. But, do I am going to do again this joy ride by mistake.? Never again.

   

La Salud y El Juego de la Muerte - La Plaga de las EPS

Tampa, (Fl) --- Acaecía un dicho que mi abuelo paterno expresaba "No hay plaga mas innecesaria que los médicos, los abogados, y los políticos porque los dos se nutren de la muerte en mayores casos." tenia razón ya que no hay nadie en este mundo peor que esas tres plagas que solo una es tan necesaria.

Pero de ahí con los doctores viene una horrenda "necesidad" en donde la salud que debe ser algo universal se vuelve algo tan escabroso porque se torna en un negocio en que la muerte es una crónica anunciada y explotable para que los médicos y su personal compren las ultimas tecnologías o los últimos vehículos de lujo.

En Colombia había un dicho, al menos en Cartagena de Indias "No hay nada peor que morir en una ambulancia esperando atención medica", y así le pasaba a muchos. Siendo un ciudadano dual, ahora que el Obamacare se avecina, y la falta de integridad de muchos gringos al momento de poner vidas ajenas en peligro y hacer negocios para beneficiarse por unos cuantos miles de dólares, me pone a pensar ¿Cuánta gente morirá por que una noble intención se volvió un negocio mas.?

De ahí viene una pesadilla en potencia para muchos, muchos que no pueden comprar un seguro, muchos que no se los descuentan, muchos de los cuales no los compraran porque les importara un pepino, muchos que se harán los de vista gorda al momento que descubran un '- hueco en el sistema.-

El sistema público Norteamericano es extremadamente deleznable y etéreo, es un sistema tan complejo pero tan fácil de explicar en donde uno puede resumir lo que acá llaman la "basura de tráileres" o los champetas en Colombia tienen la ultima tecnología de Apple pero viven del las estampas de comida del gobierno y van a comprar en pantalones de pijamas en Wal-Mart cigarrillos a las dos de la madrugada; pero, entre los champetas de Colombia, a esos no se les ve el ultimo iPhone y gritando que el gobierno les debe.

Entre los dos segmentos, la "basura de tráiler" como un término general podría volverse el punto más sensible debido a la falta de recursos y de allí el gobierno tendría que buscar una estrategia para no dejar desamparado a nadie; Colombia, nunca ha tenido esa suerte, porque por ambos lados hay un desinterés extremadamente grande para erradicar esas plagas ya que casos donde las personas mueren esperando se siguen dando y los gringos no sería raro que se unirían a esa alternativa para hacer limpiezas sociales, legales de los indeseados que no pueden pagar la salud.