Does your employer know?

A couple of days ago there was a comment on the radio about Luciano Pavarotti. It seems that the very popular Luciano had a fiscal problem with unpaid taxes in various countries in which he sang in his long and very financially successful career. We are talking about millions and millions of unpaid tax dollars. It was said that his family is fighting this embarrassing affair and there is the possibility that very little will be left to the heirs once the dust settle down. For the last two days we scanned the newspaper hoping to get more informations on this, and nothing. Not a beep. Was that for real or it was an Halloween joke?

853-1212. We moved to California in 1963 and that is the number I called each time I needed to know what time it was. Nothing too much, really. Just a calm automated woman's voice telling me what I needed to know when some of my two clocks stopped or when I wanted to know the exact time. It was something simple and steady and now that too is gone. I don't know how much that service could have cost to the Telephone Company, but, it is gone. My wife says we don't need it anymore. We have cell phones, she says, cell phones that tell us the time (I don't have a cell phone) and a woman has to search her purse to find the cell phone and activate it and a man has to explore his pockets, find the cell and activate the thing. The computer tells us the time, but I found the lifetime gesture to look at the watch on my wrist simple and quicker. Perhaps I am not with "IT". But I am pissed!

Daily News 10/31/07. "Dispirited shoppers a worry for retailers". Well of course shoppers are dispirited. Why not? As a nation, since Vietnam we have been going slowly, but steadly downhill. As a tourist, I came into this country in 1958. Do any of you remember what this country was like in 1958? For me, it was love at first sight. There was something in the air, a light, a feeling of magnificence, a feeling of power I never experienced before.
Two months later, in October, I changed the visa from tourist to student and I was in this country for two year, studying Commercial Art. Thru mail I got a Social Security Number that allow me to get a night job near my school. With my salary I was paying rent (one room, $5 a week) pay tuition, food, cloting, and live a bachelor life. As a working student I was well aware of the danger of being deported, but I took a chance. Two years later I went back home, but, home was not enough for me, not anymore. I wrote to the American girl I left behind. My proposal of marriage was accepted (not by her family, of course) We were going to be married, move to California and take my chances with th Motion Picture Industry, which we did. According to her family, our marriage would not have lasted for more than one years. This September we celebrated our forty six (46) wedding anniversary. It was my spiritual marriage with USA that did not go as well. Vietnam started. I never understood why we got involved in that country. The French were there for about 85 years. The French left sick, tired and defeated. Defeated by a population sick and tired of being dominated by foreigners...and now there were other foreigners wanted to feel the vacuum left by the departed French. Why? If Vietnam was going to be dominated by someone it was going to be one of their one people. An Asian. Not a white man speaking a foreign language they did not understand. We all know how that ended. In the meantime, as our youth was fighting in a foreign land, another war brewing here at home. This quiet war, started in the late forties, was growing and growing. It begin in 1948 at the annual auto show in New York where four VW funny-looking cars appeared tucked away in a corner of the exposition. The American Auto experts laughed at the product that would never sell...and we all know what happened. Other foreign automakers follow the Germans hoping to emulate or bettered what the Germans did. Japan succeded, France and Italy didn't. The secret of the Germans was good service and Japan follow that rule. France and Italy didn't and they collapsed. The once proud name of Fiat became Fix It Again Tony.
More to followed...

Part two of "Dispirited shoppers a worry for retailers". In 1970 Nixon went to China. The Coca-Cola CEOs were drooling at the tought of the million of Coca Colas they were going to sale. Of course, they didn't think (or they didn't care) about what China was going to do to us with the billions of people she (China) was ready to employ in manufacturing basic things we needed in life. Basic things, starting with shoes and going up and up and up. It was about 1980 when I heard stories about Wal-Mart. I didn't pay attention. I was busy with my career, with my children and every other facets of life that people have to vorry about. Going shopping to stores like May Company, Sears, etc. I was seeing that American labels like Arrow, Van Huesen and so on, were labeled as Made in Singapore, Hong Kong, etc., etc. I went to May Co. asking for shirts Made in USA and the answer I got from the two sellers was a big laugh. In another store, Pajamas made in USA of one particular color or size, were made in a different country if the size and color were different. Same labels, same design but a slightly lower price was posted in the merchandise made in a foreign country. The only difference was the "Made in ....."
I woke up to the reality that American Companies were ousourcing their products and slowly, step by step, they were eliminating the American Made in USA because it was too expensive to produce. We, the buyers, fell for the trap. When buying something too large and needing a smaller size, we bought the smaller size, seeing the familiar logo and assuming (wrongly) that if the large size was made in USA, the smaller size was too made in USA. Which of course it was not. American labels of shoes, Hi-Hi, pants, jackets, tools of all kind, toys, etc., were all manufactured in .........you can fill the names.
I decide to do something and I went picketing Toy'R Us in Woodland Hills. There was a mild reaction from the sale personnel but nothing too much to worry. My sign was saying "Buy American Made Products". I was an American saying to buy American Products. Anything wrong with that? I became an American citizen in 1980 and I was proud of it. When I kept my mouth shut no one could tell that I was anything but "An American"! My accent always gave my away. I was there picketing once a week for about a month. A buyer exiting the store showed me what he had just purchased. Look, and showed me a Barbi Doll, this is made in America, he said. Look closely, I said, he did and.....f--k, he said. This is made in China! Did he returned the doll? No. He got in his car and left. I moved to picket Toy'R Us in Santa Monica, same sign and all, and it was worse. More to follow.

Part three of "Dispirited shoppers a worry for retailer". (First, I have to clear one thing. I am the one who posted Part 2 on October,31,2007.)

As I said, I was picketing Toy'RUs in Santa Monica and this guy with a baby in his arms stopped and wanted to know the reason of my picketing, I told him why I was doing it. He said that I was wrong. USA was a strong country and I didn't know what I was talking about and he walked away. He had a British accent. I already inspected the merchandise in West Hills and went inside the store to check what they had there. I picked up ten toys and looked. 8 toys were made in China and 2 in USA. The same as the other store in West Hills. Was I the only one seeing that there was something wrong with this set-up? Obviously, I was.
Wal-Mart opened a store in Woodland Hills. It was in 2005 (if I am correct) and by that time I had a slew of informations about Wal-Mart. Informations I got from the internet. At the end of January, one day before noon, I went to the local Police Department and ask if I needed a permit to picket Wal-Mart, the officer at the desk said no. No permit was needed. Wal-Mart was on public land and that was that.
My sign said "Buy Merchandise Made in USA" and at 1 p.m. I was standing in front of Wal-Mart and I got a visit from two employee and they ask me to leave. I refused. The manager came out and told me to leave or she was going to call the Police. Go ahead I said. The Police came and they told me to leave or they would take me in. I took my sign and I drove back to the Police Department. I told the officer what had happen. He made a phone call, came back and told me that I did not need a permit to picket. I requested some signed document and he obliged. That was Friday. Next Monday, I was back in front of Wal-Mart and the s--t it the fan! I was approached by two male employee a woman and the manager. The sign was taken away. We scuffled, I was hancuffed and dragged inside the store. Half hour later two officers, a man and a woman, arrived to take me away. I show them the permit and they (the officers) walked out with one of the goons. Moments later they were back and they took me to the Reseda Police Department and hancuffed me to a bench. I was informed that I had broken the law. Why was I doing something legal a few days before and I was doing something illegal three days later? I was informed that the law had changed. The power of money, I said to the cop. He just smiled. Occasionally I go to Wal-Mart...just to have bowl movement.

I resumed my picketing on the sidewalk (that was legal) at one of the entrance of the parking lot on Victory Boulevard and I changed my sign. The sign now read "Wal-Mart is killing the USA." It was the beginning of March and I picketed until the end of November. One hour each day. I had a bag with lots of information about Wal-Mart. I was giving that to whomever wanted it. I got signs of approval or disapproval. I got cursed and praised. Some gave me water, some coffee. I got spitted on, I got the friendly finger and more. What I never got, and I wanted that very much, was for one person to stand with me with another sign I already had in my car. Nothing. Nothing at all. N-o-t-h-i-n-g.
More to come...

Part 4 of "Dispirited shoppers a worry for retailers." Well, if the retailers would listen to the news or read a newspaper they would see that almost every week an American job is disappearing from our country, even the much applauded (more than 20 years ago) jobs in computers. Of course, shoppers are dispirited. What do you expect? Now, when we shop, do we read the label on the product we are ready to buy with our american dollar? Dollar that is losing value every passing month. Stop reading for vitamines content and look for the MADE IN USA description. Costco had vitamine E and the label said MADE IN USA. That was 4 or 5 years ago. I needed more vitamine E and I picked up a bottle and I saw that the MADE IN USA was gone. I went to the manager and asked him why the MADE IN USA note was gone and he told me that since the product was not made totally in this country, Costco, or the manufacturing company, could not made the claim of MADE IN USA. From then on I pay carefull attention to food sold in our country and I saw the following informations.
DISTRIBUTED BY ........
MANUFACTURED BY........
MANUFACTURED TO OUR EXACTING SPECIFICATIONS, etc., ect.
They give us the phone number to call for informations and the American address to write in case you have something to say...which I do often. What I just said goes for everything we buy in USA, and I mean, everything!
From underwear made in Mongolia to TV sets made in China or Taiwan (which is the same thing) from toothpicks to books (educational books used in our schools) and shoelaces, from hammers to furnitures and let us not forget...American flags. American flags proudly displayed on any car after 9/11 and made in...China. As you see, the American workers is the species that should be put on the list of "endangered species.
More to follow.

There are laws about illegal immigration that the U.S.A. should take under consideration. For example:
* There will be no special bilingual programs in schools.
* There will be no special ballots for elections.
* All government business will be in our language.
* Foreigners will have no right to vote no matter how long they are here.
* Foreigners will never be able to hold political office.
* Foreigners will not be a burden to taxpayers.
* No welfare, no food stamps, no health care or other governmnet assistance programs.
* Foreigners can invest in this country but it must be an amount equal to 40,000 times the daily minimum wage.
* If foreigners do come and want to buy land,they can, but options will be restricted: Foreigners are not allowed waterfront property, that is reserved for citizen naturally born in this country.
* Foreigners may not protest; no demonstrations; no waving a foreign flag; no political organizing; no bad-mouthing our President or his policies. If you do you will be sent back home.
* If you enter the country illegally, you will be hunted down and sent straight to jail.

Seems hard and cruel? Perhaps. BUT THOSE ARE THE GUIDELINES OF IMMIGRATION LAWS IN...MEXICO.

Calling on Chris, Mariel, Patrick, Mike, Bridget, Earl, etc. There is no comments from you regarding the absurdity that the city of L.A. spent three years and million of dollars building a more comfortable place for half a dozen of apes, while we have in our streets living and sleeping thousand and thousand of homeless men, women and children? On TV wee see and hear children gushing and babbling about the precious apes. Why don't we show them how nice are the accomodations of our homeless at five thirty in the morning when they crawl out of their tents and boxes. That would be a little more more educational.

The day after Christmas I wento to Topanga Mall with my 16 year old grandaughter. She had a gift card for one of those beauty shop and I went with her. Inside, I saw three young girls trying on their faces this or that product. I watched as they were applying one lipstick, finished, put it back on the counter, took another one, used it and put it back, and then the other and the other. When we enter some hospital we are asked to rub a disinfectant gel on our hands or wash our hands and here...what if one of these girls have HIV? Leprosy? Gonorrea? Syphilis? I read about the high percentage of sexually transmitted diseases in our teenages population and I ask my grandaughter about it. She shrugged and dragged my out. None of the employee of the store took noticed of what was happening, or they didn't care. Anyway, for me it was an eye opener on youth hygiene.

Hydrogen Highway project is dying, courtesy of "someone" who doesn't want to see the possibility of cars running for about 250 miles before refueling. I can guess who these "someones" are and you don't have to be an Einstein to think "OIL COMPANIES" and everyone else in our Government connected with them OIL COMPANIES.

Jan. 12, 2008. Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf says American forces not welcome on Pakistani soil...but you can bet your sweet bottom that Musharraf will welcome in Pakistani soil the $698 the USA is planning to send him

Today, 1,12,2008, at 2pm there was a meeting at the
Sagebrush Cantina in Calabasas. There were Republican representatives for the Republican Presidential candidates. Each of therepresentatives spoke for about 4 or 5 minutes. It was followed by three questions and answers. All the candidates were praised for this or that, they were going to do this or that, they were going to take care of Afganistan, Iran, Iraq, Medical care, Veterans needs, the Economy, Taxes, illegal immigration, crime and Education. At the end I remember some political figures said "We must fund school programs to prepare our students for the jobs of the future" Yeah, but they never, never, mention where the money for the funds was going to come, or what were the jobs of the future. We still remember what our current Governor promised to do...and with little variations, it sounded just like that.

Juno is a charming film. Charming and friggin' dangerous. This film depicts two seemingly under age youngsters having a very caual sex and very casually...she gets pregnant. I guess our schools don't teach about the danger of not using condoms. This non-action can result in pregnancy, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, etc., etc., etc. Luckily for Juno, she has very understanding parents. Abortion is out of the question and her father does'nt go after the befudle expecting father and beat the crap out of him. The mother is very accomodating and only waits for Juno to get out of the house so she can get the dogs she so desperatly wants. Juno, finds a young couple who wants very much to adopt the incoming baby and at the end of the film the newborn will have a loving mother, Juno and the boy patch up their differences and will live happily ever after...yahhh. I do sincerely hope that young viewers won't take this La-la-land fairy tale too seriously. Reality can be quite ugly, really ugly.

Talk, talk, talk. From candidates and news reporter we are inundated by words saying a lot and saying nothing. In my 77-year-old-man opinion, we are up to our American neck with manure and soon we will start to EAT IT. Again, in my opinion, only two people were clear in their opinions. Former twice (honestly) elected President Einsenhower warned the nation about militarism (and we should have paid attention to what he said) the other was a former 1992 candidate for Presidency, Ross Perot. "I hear a giant sucking sound of money leaving the United States going to foreign countries" he said, and boy o boy was he ever right! All the candidates tell us of the problems besieging the USA. Thanks a lot, candidates. We are not idiots! We know what our problems are, we just want you to tell us how to solve them! But of course, you cannot tell us what to do because you, yourselves, don't know what to do. You are going to get funds for this or that, but, you never specify where exactly the money you so desperatly need is going to come from. Aside from continuing plundering the Social Security Fund, (soon to be exausted) and the continuing disappearance of American jobs what other places are you currently investigating? Please, check into the funds of companies manufacturing guns and intelligent bombs. These funds must be overflowing with devalueted dollars. Those kind of jobs will never be outsourced, of that we are sure. Please condidates, be honest and tell us that you really don't have a clue on how to solve our national problems, but, you will honestly do whatever you can to stop this avalanching friggin' economical disaster.

"Invest in USA." In today Daily News, section YOUR OPINION, this is the heading of a letter by Sol Taylor. He is right when he says that FDR got the economy running with mega projects as the Hoover Dam, George Washington Bridge, Golden Gate Bridge, thousands of miles of interstate highways, etc., etc. He seems to forget one thing. Working on those projects were people wearing PANTS and SHOES and BOOTS and SHIRTS made in USA. Those people were handling TOOLS made in USA. Driving CARS and TRUCKS made in USA. We had people manufacturing those items creating the backbone of an economy that allowed the country to go on and build those magnificent mega projects. Most of what these people TOUCHED was made in USA. I dare to say that most of the MONEY made during that period was reinvested in the USA and not going to China or Latin America and I dare to say that between 1930 and 1940 we were not involved in a very expensive and unpopular WAR. A war that is a drain to our sinking economy as our sinking dollar keep on losing value every passing day. Sol Taylor wants the candidates for the presidency to outline their planes for the future but he better forget about getting a honest and realistc answer from any of them, because, frankly...they can't. They all have a dreams, yes, but dreams are dreams and sooner or later we all wake up and face reality, and as ugly as reality can be, we have to face it. By the way, after 9/11 we went to war to capture and punish Osama Bin Laden (I almost forgot how to spell his name) and after more than five years, after thousands of civilians and military personnel killed and maimed, where is he? Where is Osama?

High Definition, HDTV. We are debating about the legality of HDTV. I say HDTV is another way to "steal" money. The other side of my family calls HDTV "progress". We do not have cable. Cable was offered to us and we said, no thank you, we have enough channels to watch. We had a choice and we choose not to Cable. Now, with the advent of HDTV forced on us by the Government and associated interests, we don't have a choice, if we don't go HDTV we get nothing, which is fine with me, I still get radio. The other side of my family will shell out money to see the same garbage enhanced by HDTV.

Today, Sunday, 2/17/08, at noon, I went to the AMC Theater in Woodland Hills, to see a screening of Puccini's MANON LESCAUT...and it happened again. The Finnish Karita Mattila, a lovely soprano sang well and looked FAT. The same FAT thing happened when the same theater recently presented Gounod's ROMEO ET JIULIETTE, with another really beautiful soprano. The Russian ANNA NETREBKO and the rest of the cast looked FAT. The problem of these unwanted FATTNESS stems from the compulsion some people have to see every inch of the screen covered. It does not matter if the HD film is not shot in the format to cover the screen from corner to corner. When the Met beams its products, someone, partially dead-brain, I assume, stretches the film and the screen is totally covered. Covered with SQUAT people. Do Netrebko and Mattila know what they look like on screens all over the world? If they do, why they don't get a lawyer and sue the pants off the "brain". We overlook a fat soprano (or tenor) when a great voice compensate for what we see, but why punish us (and the singers) by presenting them in an unflattering image just because a "brain" lost...its brain. Today, at the end of Act one I went to the manager, demanded and got a refund. The manager claims that nothing was done to the film itself. The film was beemed like that from the Met. I called the Met and I was told that the fault was of the Theater. I told the lady exactly what the manager of the AMC told me and at the other end the line went dead.

Today's Daily News, page B4. Boeing fights tanker contract and wants to know why the Air Force (USA Air Force, that is) would award such an important, high-value contract (as the fight tanker) to a European company over an American company. Answer to the question. Someone in our USA government, got paid under the proverbial table.

VANTAGE POINT, a flawed interesting film. I was willing to accept the repetitious opening scene. I was willing to accept the endless killing. I was willing to accept the endless car chase. What I could not accept was the dumb ending. This is the ending. "Three terrorists, have finally kidnapped the President of the USA and they are driving away in an ambulance. The ambulance is chased by the American bodyguard. Standing in the middle of the highway there is a 8-10 year-old girl screaming for her mommy. The driver instead of running her down swerves the ambulance to avoid hitting her. The ambulance flips over, the bodyguard arrives, kills the surviving terrorist and the President is saved." Duh!!! The film wants us to believe that the driver of the ambulance (the leader of the terrorist, a guy that up to know killed anyone getting in his way) has finally kidnapped the President of the USA and he jepordize everything he has done for the sake of a little screaming girl??? Pleeeeeeeaseeee.

About two years ago, an American soldier sacrified his life for the sake of others. Two years later, at the White House, George W. Bush spoke about that moment and he cried. Bush was the one who got our country into this war, got our people killed and now George W. Bush was shedding tears? And God didn't fulminate him?

Bush says"...rebates going on Monday will boost economy." Really? Whose economy? Not ours. Go shopping in any mayor retailer, Wal-Mart, Costco, Home Depot, etc., and try to buy something that says Made in USA. Someone should tell Bush that the strenght of a country is based in what a country makes not in what retailers sell. And while we are in the subject of manufacturing in USA, Goodyear & Rubber Co. swung to a profit in the first quarter by focusing on higher-priced tires and strong international market. To keep its stockholders (and CEOs) happy the company will cut/cease/close tires production in the USA, where sales have been sluggish. Happy stockholders and happy CEOs, feed growing unemployment lines.

Today I read Cha-change, by Muriel Garza. The answer, Jack Kyser, senior economist at the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp., gave you about what to do with the "stimulating' cheque we will be soon getting is...for the birds. "Go to the mall and spend it in a variety of store," he said. Gee, thanks. I'll go to a mall if J. Keyser, senior economist etc., etc., can tell me which mall sells product made in USA. Also, to give money to Global Green to rebuild Katrina-ravaged New Orleans is a good idea..if the money is spent buying tools made in USA to be used in New Orleans...and Mariel, when you decide to by fluorescent light bulbs and an energy-efficient refrigerator make sure that they are Made in USA.

When John Hagee commented on Catholic Church's anti-Jewish violence, Crusades violence and Inquisition violence he was not referring to current times. He was referring the the well documented past, when these events took place around 1400. Read "Captain from Castile" by Samuel Shellabarger, "The Source" by James Michener, "En busca del Gran Kan" by Vicente Blasco Ibañez or listen to "Don Carlo" by Giuseppe Verdi, and you will see that John Hagee was putting forwards some elements of the Catholich Church that some people would like to ignore or forget

Edwards gives long-awaited endorsement to Obama. If Obama gets elected, guess who will ne the next Vice-President in USA?

"Miss Pettygrew Lives For A Day." A well made short dumb movie, with a good beginning that fizzled into nothing.

Daily News, Sunday. DAISETTA, TEXAS - ALLIGATOR NOW RESIDING IN SINKHOLE. I was thinking. We have been pumping oil from underground for more than a century. I am asking you, are these sinkholes the result of the space/wacuum left by the disappearing oil? A child can dig a hole, put an inflated baloon in it, cover it with soil, puncture the baloon with a long needle and voilá, a sinkhole. Question. Was Daisetta once the site of oil fields?

OBAMA EXTENDS FUNDRAISING LEAD ON APRIL'S $31 MILLION. I came to the conclusion (possibly mistaken) that we are going to elect our next president not on character, past achievements or experience, but, in the capacity of this or that person to raise money. Are we so gullibles to believe that all that money collected by presidential runners comes free of the proverbial attached "strings?"

Headlines in today's paper. HATE CRIME SURGE IN THE VALLEY...but the LAPD can't explain why. It's the economy, stupid! When the economy goes down, crime goes up! Haven't we learn anything in the last one hundred years? What is pathetically stupid is the fact that we, americans, are mostly to blame for the condition of our country. We elect idiots, we drive guzzling gasoline cars and we compulsively buy the latest expensive crap dumped on our shores by foreign manufactures and then we complain!!!

In today's paper, Impressive PANINI. Impressive indeed. Sometime Americans get impressed with nothing. What used to be a sandwich (two pieces of bread with something inside) morfed into an expensive "panino." For 25 years I lived in Italy. We did not have sliced bread and we didn't grilled anything. We had panini, bagette, bread with olive oil, bread with raisins and that was it. A snack in the afternoon was a bagette trown down to us from a third of fourth floor balcony. If I was lucky, the bagette was rubbed with olive oil, garlic and rock salt and that was gradmother's special. There is a 1953 Italian film, "Bread, Love and Fantasy." It is lunch time and the local policeman sees a man leaning against a building, eating bread. The policeman asks "What are you eating?" "Bread" the man answers, "What do you have inside?" and the man says "Fantasy." During the Second War we had a lot of fantasy. Even now, when I make or buy a sandwich (old Italian style) I only use cold cuts and nothing else. No mayo, no lettuce, no onions, no ketchup, no nothing.

"FLAWLESS," the latest film of Demi Moore and Michael Caine is far from being flawless. Cardinal rule on a crime commited by more than one person is this. Once the crime is commited (especially if involves lots of money) the party involved in the crime should never be seen toghether or speak to each other...and that is not what happens in this film. Moore, a high ranking very elegant employee and Caine an old run-down janitor are employed in a diamond firm. They steal an enormous amount of diamonds and during the investigation they are seen speaking to each other by the agent in charge of the investigation. Also, twice Moore (always elegant) visits old Caine in a low-class beer joint. All that would have never happen if the writer and the director would have screened the old 1944 Paramount's classic "Double Indemnity."

On page B4 of today Dailynews we see a list of BEST CAREERS FOR JOB SECURITY, and these are: Healthcare, Education, Security, Environmental science and Governmment. It seems that this is the best our country is offering to our youth and if that is the best...I'm glad I am an old man and I won't be around much longer to see the black economic hole our country will plunge in and vanish. And we did it! We did it ourselves! As an annoying mantra I will come back to list what is ailing this country, but before I leave, I want to mention to our youth one more job security that was not listed in today's paper. The job of a DRIVER. Driving a bus, a taxi, a truck, etc., those are jobs that cannot be outsourced...unless some brilliant mind is already at work looking for a way to do just that.

Bush moves to spur economy(06/07/08) Nor Bush, nor the current candidates for Bush's job, nor most of past presidents could, or wanted to find a way to prevent the sliding of our country into the disaster the USA is sinking. The "stimulus" cheques we are getting from the government are not going to solve anything, except, giving a momentary moral lift to people on sales and making a few CEOs richer. Obviously, our "leaders" are not doing what they were elected to do (or the USA would not be in the miserable condition it is now) it is up to us americans to show our "leaders" by DOING. And let begin with this. When we shop, ask (if we can find a salesperson) if the store has anything we want that is made in USA, and if the store has nothing made in USA, just turn around and leave. Perhaps, I say, perhaps, that could start a thinking process, a first step to a long way to a--can I dream--economy recover.

Barack Obama becomes the first black man nominated by a major political party as president, 06/08/08. Question. Barack Obama has a white mother and a black father. He is fifty percent white and fifty percent black. Why can't he be referred as a white man and not only as a black man? There is something wrong with is mother that his family is hiding? Can anyone give us a clear answer? Not a cockamamie answer, but an intelligent one.

Recently I saw "The Visitors" a good solid movie with good acting and a believible story line. I saw "Sex in the city." This is what my wife calles a "chicks" movie. For what it was it was enternteining, with a plethora of strange dresses. Then I saw another "chicks" movie, "Dame of honor" and this was just dumb. My wife agree with me on that. She saw the movie and remember the ending, when the hero gallops to rescue his woman from an unhappy marriage and as he gallops his face and body get wipped by branches. Then he flys headlong against the door's church, the door opens, he lands face down...and not a scretch on his face? No nose bleeding, no mouth bleeding, no broken bones, nothing. My wife said it was a chicks movie. Does it means that when a movie is geared to "chicks" the producers and directors think that women are idiot? That whatever idiotic situation they present will be accepted because "chicks" have no brain? You tell me.

...EVERY AGE FINDS THE HEROES IT NEEDS. This came from David Brooks on today's COMMENT on the Daily News 06/18/08. Boy, is he ever right! This current workship of so called sport overpaid "heroes" put continuosly on the front page of newspapers and magazines is befitting our age. Feed entertainments to the bamboozled masses and they will--temporarely--forget the messy disaster, war, inflation, unemployment, rampant crime etc., awaiting them, once the show is over. When the masses remember what our "leaders" are doing to them, more games performed by overpaid "heroes" will be presented to the nation and the cycle will repeat. That, is more or less what Nero did in ancient Rome. The only difference was that the ancient masses did not have to paid the exorbitant price of admission our masses are paying now.

Today, is Tuesday and these "uplifting" news are in the paper. InBev takes over Anheuser-Busch. Run on IndyMac continues. Shares of Washington Mutual, Vachovia, Citigroup Bank, Bank of America are tumbling. Bush pulls National Guards form borders. Oahu wants to send trash to Washington state. Bush lifts oil-drilling ban. Los Angeles Times would lay off 250 employee including 150 in the newsroom. Plus the daily attacks on our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan by insurgents-patriots-freedom fighters. And most of all, the news of Angelina and her babies. And today is only Tuesday...

If soft drinks are banned in our schools why do I see inside and outside some elementary schools a plethora of latino sellers (man and women) selling all kind of colored drinks and junk food?

Obama said "Michigan children's will grow up facing competition not just from California or South Carolina, but also from Beijng and Bangalore." As I see it, at this moment, the only thing our children see competition is in the form of Sport Events, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars and those idiotic reality shows. One segment of our economy market still competing around the globe is the automotive market. Ford, Chevy, Pontiac etc., are still building cars shown alongside Toyotas, Datsuns, Kias, Mercedes, etc. We have a choice, we can purchase our cars or foreign cars. With freedom of choice comes competition. What competition is given to the American buyer when he/she decide to get a TV set? A computer? Shoes? Pants? Cameras? Cell phones? Shirts? Kitchen items? Tools? Toys? And anything else you can think you need? Walk thru any mall and look carefully and see that pratically nothing is made in the USA. And that means only one thing. That the USA is not competing! I am not whining. I am not bitter. I am just a grandfather with grandchildren to think about. Truman and Einsenhower come back. We need you.

Front page of 7/24/08, DailyNews. L.A. FEARS FUND RAID BY STATE. SACRAMENTO COULD TAKE CASH FROM LOCAL STREETS, BUSES, SCHOOLS. Allright, we have a financial problem and what's new with that? Nothing new, really. But, if we turn to page A24, Councilman Richard Alarcón says "...we have a very healthy and strong business community who can advocate strongly for our agenda..." Allright then, where and what is the strong business community Alarcón is talking about? And if we have a strong and healthy business community why are we short of money to feed the need of our community? Can someone clear this?

Last Monday, I was at Macy's and gazing at the splendiferous display of merchandise I was thinking of the healthy and strong manufacturing business we had. That moment of pride soon vanished as I picked up this and that piece and again (sadly) I saw that the strong and healthy business was not here in the USA, but...in China. I gave in and I went to Costco and for the first time since I ritired (1996) I bought two pair of pants made in Santo Domingo. Hey! My family (unlike the people in charge of our city) is in a strict budget and one lemon now sells for a $1,50!

Obama in Berlin. Forgive this old man for being a little cynical regarding the crowd roaring its approval to Barack Obama's speech in Berlin. As a kid, back in Italy I remember the roar of approval the crowd gave to Benito Mussolini and the even bigger crowds in Germany giving their roar of approval to the OTHER ONE. Europeans love to roar approval and they are just as capable of hanging up (roaring) what they were once frenetically applauding.

"Mamma mia" was outstanding for two things. First, the orchestra was too loud, making almost impossible to hear the singers and second, nowhere in the credits there was mention that "Mamma mia" was based on a film made in 1968 with Gina Lollobrigida, Phil Silvers, Peter Lawford, Telly Savalas, Shelley Winters, Lee Grant and Janet Margolin.

Oops. I forgot something. "Buonasera Mrs. Campbell" was the title of the 1968 film from which "Mamma mia" was copied, inspired, influenced or whatever you want to call it.

The chinese athlets have definite advantage over all others partecipants in the Olimpic Games soon to begin. They (the Chinese) are conditioned to train and exercise in densily smoggy conditions which the outsiders are not. Is anyone doing something about that?

Front page of today'paper. "Anti-gang job fuled by prayer." Well, in the poor english of old-man's opinion, Rev. Jeff Carr is praying to and with the wrong crowd. Rev. Carr, should preach to the Beverly Hills crowd, the Bel Air crowd, the Santa Monica, Malibu and Hollywood crowds. In these crowds money is plentifull and drugs of all kind float in and out. And not just in the so called upper-class. In the early eighties at a motion picture studio in Burbank, in full daylight, I witness truck drivers cutting drug on the hood of their vehicules. The same thing was happening inside editing rooms where cocaine and marajuana where sold, bought, snort or smoked. Drug was the order of the day. Is that changed? I think so... What this has to do with gangs? Well, am I wrong in saying that drug trafficking has a lot to do with gangs survival? You tell me. Rev. Carr, you should go to those so called upper-class churches and preach to those crowds about the evil of drugs. Perhaps they will laugh at you, and perhaps not. Who knows? It could be a long time before you will be praying again over the dead body of an eight-year-old girl.

"LIVE AND BECOME" is a sublime movie I saw last July. A week later I invited my soon-to-be sixteen-year-old grandaughter for some quality time with grandpá. I choose the lunch site, "In & out" and she choose the movie. Big, big, big mistake. She choose STEP BROTHERS.
This film should get some award for...for...I don't know what, because I cannot find words to describe this kind of film. Even the witches in Macbeth could not have conjured up a concoction as disgusting as STEP BROTHERS. What don't we do for the love of our grandchildren!

Today Daily News, on page A3. NO TAKERS FOR SELF-DEPORTATION. Really? None of the estimated 457,000 elegible (I like that, "ELIGIBLE". It sound sooo classy) illegal immigrants stepped forwards and said, take me home. After paying thousand of dollars to be smuggled across deserts, montains and valleys, hoping finally to cross our border and sometime in the process of doing that being raped, beaten, robbed or shot, our government (sic) expect them to ask to be taken back to the cesspool they escape from? I have another stupid idea. Why don't we offer to reimbursed them (the illegals) the 2,3,4 thousand dollars(plus interests) they pay to the infamous coyotes to be moved here?

Today Daily News, on page A3. NO TAKERS FOR SELF-DEPORTATION. Really? None of the estimated 457,000 elegible (I like that, "ELIGIBLE". It sound sooo classy) illegal immigrants stepped forwards and said, take me home. After paying thousand of dollars to be smuggled across deserts, montains and valleys, hoping finally to cross our border and sometime in the process of doing that being raped, beaten, robbed or shot, our government (sic) expect them to ask to be taken back to the cesspool they escape from? I have another stupid idea. Why don't we offer to reimbursed them (the illegals) the 2,3,4 thousand dollars(plus interests) they pay to the infamous coyotes to be moved here?

Daily News, page A4. Officers make arrests in ATM card caper. Caper. I like that! It sounds like something you can put on salad. Why they don't call it for what it is. A ROBBERY! An action done with a gun or with a skimmer has only one goal. To steal money. Now, these three guy arrested in this "caper" what will they get? Jail time? Death sentence? First, if (and this is a big IF) if they get jail, these guys will spend their time finessing what they do best, stealing money.
In Venezuela, Chavez spent two years in jail after failing a coup to overthrow the government. In jail, he read and read and learned how to do things the right way. He was pardoned (big mistake) got out of jail and now we all know what he is doing. Second, on the other hand, if we want to adopt some of the chinese way to handle criminals as in "The chinese authority catches a drug dealer, the dealer goes to trial, the dealer is found guilty, the dealer is executed, the dealer will never sell drugs again..." No. Of course not. In the USA we are civilized, we are not barbarians. But, if we follow the chinese example one thing is certain. The three criminals the Glendale police apprehanded will never steal again. Extreme measures? Perhaps. But if you care to read the September issue of Consumer Report you may understand the enormous financial disaster these criminals are happily perpetuating fully confident in the knoweldge that "white crime" is not really a crime. If sometime the victims are driven to suicide...well, that is another thing a smart lawyer will play around with.

Daily News 8/10/08, pg. A30. The ex-mistress of John Edwards says she will not permit an invasion of her privacy. Really? While dear John was "invading" he "privacy" didn't she think of the conseguences of humping a political figure with presidential aspiration discovered, and that act, made public to everyone here and abroad? What was she thinking? Or better, what was he thinking? Or this was one of the classics "What they can do to me? Me, the golden boy. Me, most promising Presidential material, etc., etc." How lucky this country is!

At the opening Olympic Games, China cheated a little by presenting a cute girl mouthing a song while the real singer was kept away from the cameras. So? What else is new? Well, yesterday I discoverd another little trick made by the "unscrutable ones." At Costco there was a man testing one of those big, fat, leather chair that massage the body up and down, left and right. I saw that the chair was Made in P.R.C. I asked him what was P.R.C. China, he said, China. And he walked away smirking at my stupidity.

Daily News, 08/15/08, pg. A6. DEM'S BUDGET SET FOR VOTE. After many "do this or do that and do that or do this" the writer ends with: SOME REPUBLICANS HAVE SAID THEY WOULD RATHER BORROW FROM SPECIAL FUNDS THAN INCREASE TAXES. Fine. But, what is a special fund? Where are these special funds? Are republicans the only one who can borrow from special funds? Can a liberterian like me borrow from a special fund? I don't need too much, just enought to redo my floors, who are really falling apart. I am calling on Weinkopf, Garza, O'Connor, Dobrer, Hutchinson, Asghar and Chung to give an illuminated answer to this old immigrant. How can I borrow from a special fund and when do I pay it back and at what interest rate do I pay it back? Or, following the example of some political figures, I don't pay it back at all? A good answer will give you a cup of coffee at Starbuck. I'll pick up the bill.

Once the Games are over, two shapes I don't want to see again. The shape of a Coca-Cola bottle and the shape of Michael Phelps.

Daily News, 08/16/08, Front page. ENGLISH VS. SPANISH.
Why in the American city of Lancaster we have to consider to vote for spanish or english to become the official language of that city? Is Lancaster located in South or Central America? No. Is Lancaster located in California, USA? Yes! Damn it, yes!!! If citizens of Lancaster do not want to learn english, they can all go back to where they came from! All of them! My uncle and aunt left Italy in 1948 and moved to Venezuela. He was 47, she was 41. When I met them in 1954 they spoke spanish and italian and the first thing my uncle told me was to pick up the local newspaper and read it. What was I suppose to read? "Anything, he said, just read it. If you want to work here you better learn spanish." So, I started to read. I can still remember seing a film with Maria Felix (one of the most beautiful women of the 40s and 50s) and the excitment I got when she said "Tengo un dolor de cabeza." and I knew what she was saying! She had a headache! Whoopee! I was learning spanish! In 1960 I came to the USA and I learned english. That what immigrants are suppose to do when they move to a foreign country. Learn the friggin' local language or go back home! And if home is sooo appealing, sooo beautiful what the heck are you doing here?! Italy is beautiful, yes, if you have money to spend. I made my life here, I became an american citizen and I do not regret one single moment I spent In this country. To those "foreigners" in Lancaster who want to change our system for their own latino political reasons I can only repeat what I said before. "No te gusta los Estados Unidos? Pues, coño, vuelvete a tu pais y quedate allá por el resto de tu vida!

I just saw KIT KITTREDGE: AN AMERICAN GIRL. The film also show the future of the USA. I did'nt like the film or the future of the USA.

Daily News, 08/19/08. pg. A15. Navarrette says that the immigration debate is fueled not by concerns over border security or economic competition but by insecurities over the changing face and the shifting culture of America. Insecurities indeed! Of course we (legal americans) are concern about the too fast changing face and culture of America! Navarrette, just look (and I am sure you are looking) at the debate going on, in the city of Lancaster where a segment of the population (latino segment, I presume) want to change the local language (english) from english to spanish. If that change take place, it will create a sismick effect that will ripple throught every small city and town in the USA. Isn't that what people like you and Villaraigosa are waiting for?