William and Kate, the Royal Wedding

If you have not yet received an invitation for the nuptial service,  chances are that you are not one of the 1,900 some selected UK and world dignitaries, senior politicians or celebrities who will be attending this century’s most pompous wedding ceremony.  On April 29, 2011 the Royal couple Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton will say “I do”; witnessed by the privileged guests and observed by millions of TV spectators around the world.    
Countless royal subjects and fans of the crown have joined a lively countdown for this magical fairytale story. Heartfelt outburst of admiration erupt as if temporarily isolating them from the hardships of natural calamities, nuclear meltdowns, wars, and horrendous human rights violations that plague our planet and that affects us all. 
For sure this wedding is generating a downpour of criticism and even demonstrations that potentially threaten to break the magic spell.  Not only due the exorbitant cost of the festivities that will inevitably be passed down to the hard working Britons, but because it is out of sync with the asphyxiating misery experienced by billions of unprivileged people worldwide… a shattered humanity suppressed by bitter conflicting realities suffers as the fortunate graceful couple unfold their love story on the way to an altar.  

To make sure that the world tunes for the event the city of London is preparing for an onslaught of 8,000 journalists heavily equipped with cameras, microphones and far reaching antennas. They are all competing for a strategic locations on top of buildings and view sites between the Buckingham Palace and the Westminster Abbey . They have promised to bring to the world the most spectacular television event in history and the masses expect nothing but the best.  A media frenzy that will start with royal wedding procession across the most memorable and picturesque surroundings in London will climax with the wedding itself.
  
As a conscientious observer of the occasion, I wish that when the excitement subsides and reality takes its reign, the wedding and the subsequent story of their glamorous lives does not downgrade itself into a forgotten footnote of contemporary history.  The philanthropic legacies left by Princess Diana should inspire this couple to return with deeds for those who suffer; and preserve the confidence we place on them through our encouragement and continuous support.  Cheers to William and Kate! 
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Note: The official Google blog has spectacular 3D images of London's landscape of the procession from the palace to the abbey. It is worth a visit. The video clip below features there as well. 

Geishas of the Yorikoh

The Geisha -
A Film by Hideo Gosha; a winner of  9 Japanese academy awards.  
Released: 1983 -  based on a novel by Tomiko Miyao - the script by Kôji Takada.
The story takes place at the beginning of the Showa era (1925) in Tosa, Koichi prefecture; where there is a palace of sensual and beautiful woman: the Yorikoh.  The story centers around Momokawa who was sold to the Yorikoh at the age of 12 by her father - there she starts her journey to a place in hell where hundreds just like her, struggle to bloom behind the glamorous veneer of their polished ways, but inevitable bend to wilt in the heat of their passionate lives...
Hideo Gosha portrays the Geishas of the Yorikoh very unlike many historians who depict them as living work of art: the image of the perfect woman, the embodiment of Japanese culture and refinement.  On Gosha's film they drink and dance burlesque western rhythms; and to the dismay of many purist have sex with their clients.
Geishas have generally not been prostitutes. Part of their allure has been the suggestion not the reality of sex. However, on occasion, if the mood, the man and the money were right, they sold their bodies or served as mistresses to wealthy men who took care of them, but they are not supposed to utter one word about it.  Follow this link if you wish to learn more about geishas.

Enough is ENOUGH!

Considered as a cradle of civilization the Middle East has been a place of constant change. This year marked by colossal social unrest, the region has dominated the news headlines throughout the world (where news are not censored).
Humanity is at the harbingers of a new era of hope; where true democratic values based on our human rights will not be taken for granted by tyrant states, embezzling corporations, corrupt entities or criminals of all stirps.
People across the Middle East have stopped to be silent, history is unfolding before our eyes and we are hearing the same message across their land very loud and clear – Enough is enough!
Proud and at the center stage are the courageous people of these ancient lands that once again will lead humanity to a genuine rebirth of our civilization and add true meaning to our universal human rights.
To mark this awakening I have selected two videos about our human rights.  The third one shows a chronological map of the evolution of the Middle East since the onset of civilization.





Imperial History of the Middle East
Who has controlled the Middle East over the course of history? Pretty much everyone. Egyptians, Turks, Jews, Romans, Arabs, Persians, Europeans...the list goes on. Who will control the Middle East today? That is a much bigger question.

The ugly side of not speaking English? Indiana’s SB 590 Attacks Immigrants and their Languages

This posting was inspired based on an article I read   dated January 14, 2011  from Hispanically Speaking News titled: “Indiana’s SB 590 Attacks Immigrants and their Languages” - this  is the link 

These words reflect my opinions and are sardonic in tone. They do not intended to insult anyone living or dead. Hopefully you will find this entertaining and and at best humorous.  

Remember though: 

"A joke is a very serious thing". 

                                  Winston Churchill

Being allowed to act on “reasonably suspicious” premises may totally eclipse prejudice; it reminds me of the fascist practices imposed by the Nazis during WWII. 

Please let me know about your thoughts on being questioned to proof your identity on the basis of your looks, that is, on the grounds of being "reasonable suspicious". 

Visible minorities, who are residents of Indiana, should not be afraid these days, you live in the “developed” world and this is the year 2011.  The probability of being questioned because the pimple on your nose is ugly, or because your accent is foreign, or because you prefer to speak in a foreign language is absolutely zero!  Believe me; all officers in Indiana are reasonable except when suspicious.    

If the color of your skin you wear is not within the “norm” it should not be a problem to you either; however, it may be a little controversial (if not illegal) if on top of your color your moves betray you as suspiciously gay!   But now seriously speaking, never mind if your loose apparel reveals you ethnicity or religious believes (touchy subject, mind me writing so small). Don’t worry for any of these totally insignificant stereotypes my dear friendly; minority looking resident of Indiana.  I am absolutely sure that it is still safe to J-walk there! 

One should only be fearful of “reasonable suspiciousness” if you are an innocent white Polish immigrant going through the control gates at the Vancouver international airport… There, the authorities mercilessly greet those of that kind with powerful Taser stun guns! (Robert Dziekanski – RIP Nov. 2007) But then, Indiana is not in Canada and thus one more reason not to be fearful. 

The truth is that legislators in the State of Indiana are reasonable persons and wish to protect your civil rights – they are only after illegal humans and not you. What???? Did I say that right?… illegal humans? – How can it be illegal to be a human? … Trust me there are illegal humans amongst us. There is nothing to hide about it any more. This was on the Wiki leaks cables, but even Mr JA (the big mouth!) had his reservations about going public with this one, but I will not!  

Legislators are mainly concerned about persecuting mutant aliens coming from outer space that look suspiciously human; these are the culprits of all things that go wrong in Indiana, they are dangerous to society, and the world is being invaded as we speak… watch out for them as they are lurking in your neighborhood, and we know for a fact that Indiana is a preferred destination! 

Now you have the real picture and an explanation of the truth,  Please tell the world that you read it in my blog!  If you still want to play it safe, my other best advice for you to evade being singled out in public, is to mind flatulence that smells too spicy – that will certainly get you in trouble, unless of course, you can blame it on someone else! 

Cheers. 

Cesar Macher

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Here is a copy of the article:

"Indiana State Sen. Mike Delph, R- Carmel not only wants to implement a Arizona style bill but wants to bar the use of any language but English in most government transactions.

“We’re taking the handcuffs off of law enforcement. We’re holding employers who are thumbing their noses at the law accountable. And we’re lifting up the English language,” Delph said Friday.

Opposition groups fear the bill will lead to profiling and hurting businesses in the state.

“I’m worried that the unintended consequences of what he’s doing is to put a sign on our state saying we don’t want immigrants,” said John Livengood, co-chairman of the Alliance for Immigration Reform in Indiana, a coalition of groups that want to see immigration reforms left to the feds.

Senate Bill 590 is a thirty page proposal and includes:

-requires state and local law enforcement officers who stop anyone for violating a law or ordinance to ask for proof that the person is here legally if the officers have “reasonable suspicion” that the person is not a citizen or legal visitor

- Businesses that hire illegal immigrants can be shut down.

- Most government transactions, documents and meetings would be in English. The state would shut down their Spanish language portal and printing forms, ballots in other languages

-The state will bill to Congress for reimbursement of all costs for undocumented residents in Indiana.

-No financial aid, scholarships or grants for education at U of I and would have to pay out of state tuition.

- Cities and counties would be barred from limiting the enforcement of federal immigration laws.( No Sanctuary Cities)

According to the Pew Hispanic Center, Indiana was estimated to have 120,000 illegal immigrants in 2009, up from 10,000 in 1990.

“This is going to lead to profiling almost surely,” Livengood , Alliance for Immigration Reform in Indiana co-chair, said. “Our biggest fear—my biggest fear—is that Indiana becomes known as a state where immigrants aren’t welcome.”

Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon, a Hammond Democrat who is one of two Hispanics in the legislature, agreed.

“While I don’t condone illegal activity, it’s pretty foolhardy to pass a bill modeled after a bill being litigated in federal court,” she said.

The bill has already been promised a hearing in the Senate Pensions and Labor Committee. Ten senators have signed on as co-sponsors, and Delph expects more.

He predicted: “This is going to fly.”

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the article also features on our facebook page, this is what a friend of mine had to say about it:

Oswaldo Trigueiros

It seems the republicans have nothing better to do, than blame immigrants for their failures, so instead of working on positive attitudes to generate employment, better working conditions for their states they sit around and waste their time on coming up onlaws based on prejudice. I guess they should have listened to MLK speech.

I agree everybody should speak english, and not only in the US but everywhere, its the language for doing business, plus we dont any more laws regulating our lives, we have to keep the Govt out of our lives.

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