Dog Walk

My dogs have a routine. Just like their human companions, they thrive on love, guidance and protection. This is not to say they cannot wake up one day with a little crankiness or what we call in Spanish, waking up with the left foot.

Their lives are dictated by routines, and being creatures of habit like most of us, they have learned to recognize the subtle ways of passing time, the unfolding of precious hours of leisure or boredom, until I come home from work and they are excited again for what follows: the evening routine.

My dogs have adapted wonderfully, I must say, to their new and constrained living quarters. Whereas before they had a suburban haven, a four-bedroom, two-story house to themselves where they spent their days napping blissfully and sunbathing by the windows, now they are confined to a 600 square foot loft in the middle of a bustling city.

I will never understand why dogs love walks so much, even my oldest dog which sometimes limps and is quite old, seems ready to welcome another monotonous day ahead and enjoys the sweetness of routine interactions which are part of her walk. Leaving our building enlivens them. On occasions, we encounter dogs returning from their walks and I cannot help but think theirs is over while mine’s are just beginning. Sweet walk ahead.

We walk impatiently towards the Building Museum, which has a big lawn, and is a plus in this part of town called the Land of the Lofts. This is doggy heaven, where neighborhood dogs come to do their business. As soon as she is out the door, my oldest dog fixates her nose and eyes on the food crumbles she will make it a point to find in her path ahead. Sometimes, I feel embarrassed by her annoying habits of eating anything off the floor, straining her leash to get to some food particle stuck between the concrete ridges of the sidewalk. She is not starving, I keep telling myself, just obsessive about food. My younger dog is a rambunctious male terrier, who weighs no more than 13 pounds and howls at every other passing dog and loud truck. This is the second embarrassment of the walk I have to face. Most dog owners in this area have pretty well-behaved dogs, or they have never had a Jack Russell Terrier. I do hope it’s the latter, because if not, I easily become the embarrassment of the block.

Once on the grass, my dogs do their business. They smell, they pee, they rub their bodies in the grass. I have seen them get curious over bees, and butterflies and squirrels and birds. It strikes me as funny when they see something up ahead and cannot decipher what it is; they slowly approach the suspicious item, which can be anything from an empty bucket to a curled up bag, with such caution that you feel their bodies tense up and their ears perked up. When it’s nothing, and it usually is, one sniff diffuses the situation. However one time, I failed to react fast enough when my JRT snatched a young opossum from inside a trash can.

After returning from their morning walk, it is breakfast time, followed by nap time while I organize the house and get ready for work. They spend the entire days alone, God knows doing what, until I come home from work and take them out for their second walk. Now this one is a tricky one, because everyone else is coming from work and doing the same thing. All these dogs are out, some are anxious from being left alone, others cranky because someone forgot to leave out their favorite toy and others just plain hungry. After dinner, the last walk is followed by bedtime.

Some people say that dogs resemble their owners in many quirky ways. Some may even boast physical similarities, while others are content to copy our behaviors, not to mention that almost all of them learn to read our moods which they use as a jumping board to interact with others. My dogs are amazing creatures; they don’t ask for much and hardly ever complain about the tedious routine they are subjected to everyday. The least I can do is take them out for long walks, play catch, meet other dogs, bring them in the car when doing car errands and give them lots of affection. At the end of the day the walk is a powerful bonding tool.

Ayuda para la blogosfera Cubana

Yoani Sanchez pide ayuda "para saltar la censura, o hacerle grietas".

This girl has been blogging by phone since April 2007, from internet cafes, posing as a tourist, mainly because domestic internet connections are blocked in Cuba. She and her group of bloggers are followed closely and have been denied tourist visas. She is the most famous blogger on the island, and her Generation Y Blog has captured the imagination of many, as she narrates the idiosyncrasies of the Cuban regime in a resourceful and poignant voice.

She now needs our help. She is asking for technical advise on how to circumvent censure in her country.

History's Full Circle

One of the riveting effects of working at the Library of Congress is the everyday realization that knowledge is a transformative intellectual tool that is useful to all, really. Learning about history of peoples and things it is not a solitude exercise. Certainly, the notion that history is something detached or removed from everyday life, and that the study of certain subject matters belong in a time capsule because of the assumption that history is not entertaining, useful or simply a general topic of conversation is an absolute mistake.

I have given in to this assumption many times before. But working at the Library of Congress has changed that. This is how history’s tentacles work.

I decided to attend a public lecture given by one of the fellows in residence at the Center where I work. Timothy Rohan has dedicated his career to studying, curating and interpreting Paul Rudolph’s works, a 20th century American architect. Rohan discussed how the fellowship at the Center, has given him wide access to Rudolph’s entire works, now housed at the Library of Congress, under the Paul Rudolph Collection at the Prints and Photographs Division. He also discussed the exhibition he curated at Yale University, running until January 23, 2009 at the newly rededicated Paul Rudolph’s Art and Architecture Building.

I really enjoyed Rohan’s insightful interpretations of Rudolph’s influence on post World War II architecture, especially in urban planning. Rudolph was famous for reinterpreting urban landscapes and redeveloping existing structures in order to make buildings relevant to contemporary aesthetic needs. Rohan explained how Rudoph’s committed patronage helped test his ideas of structural expression, monumentality, urbanism and prefabrication in many campuses and cities across America.

At the end of the lecture, Rohan personally thanked and pointed at C. Ford Peatross, the curator of Paul Rudolph’s Collection at the Library of Congress. When I got home, I instinctively pulled out the book on Rudolph my husband, an architect, owns titled Paul Rudolph: The Florida Houses. Curious to find out who had written it, I learned that the preface had been written by Peatross, who collaborated extensively with the authors. The book was published in 2003. In the book’s dedication, the authors rightfully thanked many colleagues, including Rohan, the young architectural historian, who is becoming a forceful authority on Paul Rudolph’s works. The perk is that I get to ask Rohan and Peatross to sign the book, but most importantly the book has greater meaning and equitable value now that historians like Rohan are reinterpreting Rudolph’s works in history. This is how history makes its full circle, even if it is a tiny one. By the way, the book’s cost in Amazon is around $800 for a used copy. I tell you, got to love history.

The Holidays

You have been bitten by the holiday bug
If you suddenly feel the Christmas rush
You can run and hide from the cheerful hum
But you cannot ignore the holiday buzz

‘Tis the season to be jolly
Fa la la la la, la la la la…

For some unpredictable reason
Christmas starts early this season
Black Friday¹ has become
A nation-wide symbolic spur
We can’t believe our eyes
When we see the sales arrive

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
had a very shiny nose…

In a time when consumer choices
Trigger global warming causes
The best way to feel redeemed
Is to recycle your Christmas tree²

Joy to the world, the Lord has come
let Earth receive her King…

At Christmas time,
Christians and non-Christians alike
Make the holiday festivities
The center of their lives
After all, unto us a child is born
So is the need of improving our souls
Something we all constantly seek
Regardless of our religious beliefs

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose…

Bountiful feasts abound everywhere
Around fireplaces, children will play
While others instinctively will discern
That kindness and grace will not wane
When the spirit of the season fades

City sidewalks, busy sidewalks
dressed in holiday style…
Soon it will be Christmas day

Wherever we find ourselves
Excitement is everywhere
Winter wardrobes are on display
As scarves and mittens warm up our days
In city centers, windows are dressed
Holiday lights beaming away
While holiday music fills the air
In dreams, children gaze at the Polar Express
And parents hide their holiday stress

Frosty the snowman
was a jolly, happy soul

The holiday spirit is a funny one
Debts are forgiven and people have pride
On the things they offer in a generous fashion
For free smiles are a contagious reaction

In the meadow we can build a snowman
then pretend that he is Parson Brown

The holiday spirit is put to the test
When family members celebrate
One of the things they truly enjoy
Seeing their children play with new toys
But old Charlie Brown was wise,
Christmas has been compromised
By commerce, greed and bottom lines

Good king Wenceslas looked up
on the feast of Stephen

Wouldn’t it be nice if for once?
Instead of maxing up our cards
We do something small and nice
And give to charity with open hearts
The generosity of giving souls
Fulfills our dreams and hopes

Silent night, holy night
all is calm, all is bright….

Sad as it is, it’s worth mentioning
An ugly side of holiday bliss
Our furry friends³ may stray away
Others will be left in the rain
Nights could turn into despair
If we fail them in good care

¹In the US at least, frenzy consumers fill the stores to slaughterhouse capacity the day after Thanksgiving.
²Not only are we putting our lights earlier this year, a weak economy means Christmas tree sales could spark as more people stay home for the holidays.
³Millions of pets end up in the streets during the holiday season, victims of abuse and neglect.

How to economize without losing your head

By now you should be aware that it’s official: The National Bureau of Economic Research said the US has been in recession since Dec. 2007. However, like many, I have managed to survive the recession so far. Here are my tips for calling the shots and saving my pockets this holiday season:

1.Rethink your expenses. This is a must. Start off with your credit cards. Don’t use them unless it’s an emergency. If you can’t buy something with your debit card, it means you cannot afford it on credit. Make sure that you are paying at least the minimum, that way your credit is not affected. Once you are able to stave off this crisis, you can increase the monthly payments. If you have any other monthly charges which you can live without, get rid of them. These are dry cleaning bills, house cleaning bills, and pet grooming (you can groom Fido yourself). Also seek different shortcuts or bargains for those expenses you don’t want to skimp on, like manicures (who needs a pedicure in this weather) and haircuts. For some people it’s a trade off. I rather keep my monthly donations (ASPCA, WWF, etc) than get expensive manicures and haircuts.

2.Sacrifice your mode of transportation. This is for city commuters. Don’t take that taxi unless is absolutely necessary, use the metro or subway, have an umbrella at all times and walk more. You will be glad you did. It is healthier and you are forced to do more thinking, which in many cases, helps you sort out problems and tackle your next big plan.

3.Personalize and budget gifts. This holiday season, put extra care and thought on the way you give. Survey those friends and family members you are planning to gift, and ask them to rate the gifts they would like to receive. You can send an email asking them to return it to you. Possible choices to include in the survey are gift cards (specific stores), itunes certificates, books (make sure you know their taste), kitchenware, clothes, home accessories, or things you already have in mind for them. The point is to save money by hunting for the special gift and giving them something they want and find useful. Make holiday shopping a good experience. Hit the stores early in the morning, wear something comfortable and have your IPod on. Enjoy, the holidays are only once a year.

4.Eat in. That dinner will cost you more than a week of groceries. So make a list and buy food you can prep at home. Buying vegetables and greens for salads and wraps it’s a healthy way to keep calories on check. Having a bowl of healthy cereal, a banana or an apple and coffee in the mornings helps control your hunger and stabilizes your metabolism. Don’t be afraid of trying a little cooking too, like rice, beans and grilled fish. Make it fun by drinking a glass of wine while preparing food and listening to music. This ritual twice a week warms up your place. Invite friends over for holiday cocktails, all you need is a few appetizers, wine and good conversation. There are plenty of websites you can check to help guide you through one of this fetes as well as channels like the Food Network. In harsh economic times, your home should be your retreat, so make it inviting.

5.Who hasn’t Netflixed? It’s nice to go to the movies with friends and make it a social gathering, but I suggest Netflix for regular moviegoers. The savings are big. For about eight dollars a month you can view up to 5 movies at a time. Invite your friends over, ask them to make a small contribution, and you can enjoy any movie of your choice with wine, some popcorn and something sweet. You can also rotate houses and make movie suggestions as well. This, of course, is for serious movie buffs.

6.Do little things around the house. If you cannot live without candles, then don’t, just buy in bulk. Tealights are a good choice and are not messy. Things like, putting the shower liner in the wash cycle and hanging it back to dry are cheaper, than buying a new one; turning off the TV and lights helps reduce electricity bills, especially if you are having the heater on this winter. The point is to be conscious about consuming less. Once you get into this state of mind, the rest is easier.

7.Find innovative ways to make money. Tools like E-bay, and craigslist are great places to sell your unwanted things. Also, if you speak another language, you can offer classes, or if you like pets, you can consider pet-sitting. For ex., this month I am going to bake brownies and sell them at my job’s cafeteria. Just be creative and don’t stress either.

8.Consider brewing your own coffee. I started doing this and it is so much cheaper. Brew coffee in the morning and just take it in a thermos or sealable cup to work. You will have fresh coffee the whole morning without even leaving your desk. Now that’s awesome.

9.Some reading materials are not created equal. Consider free newsprint. In major cities, they are everywhere. Also I rather subscribe to certain magazines than buy them in the stands. Yeah, it’s nice to stop at a newsstand and buy a magazine on your way to work, but believe me, if you have a defined choice of read, it’s cheaper to subscribe. I receive Time Magazine and save about 66% off the cover. I am now considering an Oprah Home subscription for about $10 a year, or 50% off the cost if I were to buy it in the stands for the same period. Now that’s a good splurge.

10.And finally, be thankful that you still have your job this holiday season. With unemployment at a 16-year high, you should not be complaining. Thousands more will lose their jobs this month. Ouch.

America leads again

Under the watchful eyes of the world America has once again made history. For an overwhelming majority, Obama’s victory creates the possibility for a ‘new’ America. One that is no longer white, homogeneous and singular; but rather multi-racial, heterogeneous and pluralist.

“We as a people” are part of a historic moment in our lives, Obama
said, that glorious night in Grand Park, IL recounting America’s brightest threshold moments from Lincoln’s Inaugural address to the fall of the Berlin wall, Americans have been at the center of all these transcendental events, and Obama’s victory will go down in history as the day America finally ‘evolved’.

Many of our allies in the world have yet to see a moment like this take
place on their own turfs. As the perpetual light bearer of the world, America has shown the ability to startle the world with our passion, our optimism and our sense of renewed hope. It is a place, finally, where the content of our President’s character is more important than his cultural background.

Obama's economic policy team: two thumbs up

Now that the United States is experiencing the biggest economic crisis in modern history, it is safe to say, that America’s best choice is Senator Barrack Obama. After eight years of irresponsible management and low-grade politics, the obvious choice is the Democratic ticket. But instead of capitalizing on the downfalls of the Bush administration and the offspring they have produced, here is why Obama's economic plan is the best option for America.

When it comes to improving the economic prospects of this nation at this critical time, the Obama economic team has highlighted the necessary steps for recovery, reform and renewability desperately needed in the unconscientious American financial system.

Heading Obama’s economic policy team is Jason Furman, a 39 year-old centrist economist and fiscal policy expert from Harvard University. Obama has also enlisted other top-notch economists and academics including Alan Binder, a Princeton University economist and former Federal Reserve Chairman; Austan Goolsbee, senior economist at the Progressive Policy Institute and columnist for the New York Times; Jeffrey Liebman, a pension and poverty expert at Harvard University; and David Cultler, a Harvard University health economist. Other prominent advisors come from The Brookings Institution, The Center for American Progress and Citigroup.

But the most exciting, un-official advisor and supporter comes in the form of an unpretentious billionaire named Warren Buffet, solidifying Obama’s bid for the Presidency. Buffet has held fundraisers for Obama and has rallied entrepreneurs, economists, and union leaders to back him, stressing the fact that it’s about time for tax reform and healthcare reform, specifically shifting the tax burden away from the middle class to the upper rich. In Buffet’s words, it is called social justice.

Finally, someone with enough guts has finally called McCain’s bluff. It’s not socialism you swiftboating morons, it’s social justice.

Obama is Not a Movement

Obamanism is the term coined by the media to describe the feverish excitement many Obama supporters are experiencing in this primary elections. Many are calling it a movement to reawaken the dormant electorate. I found this piece written by political scientist Benjamin Barber in his blog, which attempts to diffuse the misrepresentation.

Movements outlast candidates and candidacies. Their leaders generally don’t even run for office — think Martin Luther King, Hugo Chavez, Benjamin Spock, and Betty Friedan; or Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh. Candidates may become attached to or embody a cause, but the cause comes first and the candidate is never himself (herself) the cause, any more than working to elect the candidate is the movement. Movements do not start in a candidacy or end in an election.

When Senator Obama calls for your engagement in the political and civic process, do you really think he means only as long as it’s about voting for him? About voting at all? If there is a movement attached to his cause, beyond making him the nominee, it is a movement to call on citizens to reassume the responsibilities and obligations of citizenship. To understand that the quality of our democracy depends less on the quality of leadership than the quality of citizenship

http://blog.civworld.org/

Obama is not a movement. He is only a candidate trying to get elected.

The Green Revolution

It is not surprising to see green collar jobs making its debut in an overwhelmingly changing global economy. They are the dot.com versions of a highly evolved, technology driven, renewable-energy and energy-efficient industry that could grow to as many as 40 million jobs by 2030, according to a report by the American Solar Energy Society. Whatever the reason for this green jobs evolution, i.e., switching careers for higher paychecks, acquiring and developing green skills or awakening an inner passion for saving Mother Earth, private industry is outperforming government in a sprinting race to save the Planet, and of course making plenty of money in the process.

As I strolled in to work this week, I caught up with work announcements calling for a greener work environment. I work in a government building in Capitol Hill, where the average employee is a middle class citizen, and gets its benefits, commute, childcare, and savings plan subsidized by an out-of-touched government. My husband on the other hand, works for an architectural design firm, where employees are encouraged to take mass transportation in an effort to be more socially conscious. In fact, industries like construction, finance and marketing are pioneering the movement towards a greener lifestyle, and this output has translated into half a dozen or so other industries following their lead.

But in my office, computers are not turned off, lights are on 24/7, and copy paper is a renewable resource. In fact, while many residential and office buildings across the US, including some government buildings, are going green; this turn of the century, vault of wisdom and American values institution, which has been retrofitted twice, still uses incandescent light bulbs, and recycles very little.

People like Al Gore, a private industry individual, have put global warming in the forefront of our public policies concern, but now it’s the government’s turn: The new tenant of the White House has to cast this government in a leadership role and turn this race into an economic advantageous pursuit as well as a humanitarian gain.

Not Giving Up

When you consider the recent polls in the Democratic primaries you can see why Clinton is choosing to stay in. The margin between the candidates stands about 135 delegates, however it’s not a big one. Here are three fundamental reasons why she should stay in:

1. Clinton generally outperforms Obama in general debates. She is a hell of a debater, particularly because she has been surrounded by government officials for the past 35 years, making her the ideal candidate, at least by Washington standards, to withstand Republican bashing in a general election, akin to the idea that the devil knows best not because he is evil but because he has been around longer.

2. She keeps winning states. The next primary is Pennsylvania, and polls show that Hillary will take it by a 20% margin, and this state has plenty of delegates count. Next stop is Indiana and North Carolina on May 6, which shows Obama’s lead in the two states, with N.C. being taken by a wider margin. Then comes May 13, and it swings back to Hillary with Nebraska and West Virginia holding primaries. On May 20, in Oregon and Kentucky it’s Clinton country all over again, and many are expecting Sen. Edwards to have come out in her favor, since it was last reported that Elizabeth Edwards was joining the Center for American Progress, which was founded by former Clinton Chief of Staff John Podesta, who is expected to be an appointee in a future Clinton Administration.


3. She is more specific about the issues. These include: Ending the Iraq War, promoting Universal Healthcare, passing an outstanding Energy Policy, possessing greater depth on Economic reforms, reforming the Working Class and Labor Organizations, having a clearer and more centered Education and Immigration reforms, committing strongly to attack Global Warming, etc. She is a ruthless warrior on these issues, not merely an academic, for she has been burned not once but twice while rolling up her sleeves.

So why are Democrats so scared of prolonging this race anyway? Somehow Obama’s supporters and many others think that if this race is not settled before the convention, that this will forever damage Obama’s candidacy in November. The clamor to see Hillary drop out of the race stems from a fear that they would have managed to blow what should have been an easy win, because apparently Democrats don’t do well in extended and prolonged races. Well, this is the time to change history then, let Hillary finish her race, she owes nobody anything, including the Democratic Party. Besides what's wrong with Bill and Hillary having pillow talks? I would much rather see that.

The Amazing Race

It’s truly amazing to witness the intensity of the Democratic
Party’s primaries and how they have flooded the news
organizations’ agendas and lineups, saturating the news programming
just to cover any aspect worthy and unworthy of this race. This trend
slowly started in 2000, when the euphoric years of the Clinton
Administration came to an abrupt end, and their lackluster achievements
failed to nominate Al Gore.

Both camps in the Democratic party, have been up to their teeth,
highlighting their candidate’s personal issues before policy issues,
while the media gladly overplays the rants and the overtones, and adds
their own cacophonic undertones. Both candidates have had it tough, and
both have played into the innuendos they are handed from the media.
They are both fighting to the death in order to obtain this nomination.
It seems to me that, even with the Pennsylvania primary lurking, this
nomination will be decided by the superdelegates.

Even with this said, Obama is leading by about 120 electoral votes, not
a great margin, but nonetheless, a very difficult one to overcome
mathematically; Clinton refuses to be pinned down, maybe because resurrection has been her underlying strategy as of the end of February and one that has yielded limited success. Whether she can keep this up, she should
not concede to Obama yet. The democratic process clearly states that the will
of the people cannot be ignored, therefore democratic leaders calling for her withdrawal should think hard about the goods of democracy, which cannot be packaged in a bulk, distributed to the masses and then withheld in the name of ensuring a candidate’s intact audacity to hope come November.

Why This Election Matters?

I have to confess, this election has been the most intense and exciting in my adult life considering I am only 30 years old. But wait; before you dismiss that, I may be onto something here. Look, nobody is saying that previously held elections lacked excitement and intensity, but we have to acknowledge the insane volume of money and public involvement these elections have drawn. Also the country is in a different state; we are at war, our economy is not looking good, trust in government is at its lowest and our international reputation is in shambles. So, considering all of the above, a lot is at stake this November.

I feel that for the first time, regular Americans are really listening, some may be experiencing primaries exhaustion, but in general, Americans are tuned in more than ever for two important reasons: The candidates’ profiles and the issues at stake. For the first time, a black man and a woman are real candidates for the Presidency, and this, you have to admit, it’s pretty damn exciting for this place we call home.

For many Americans, the real baby in these elections, are the issues, because they don’t generally go away, do they? Liberals hope to capitalize on the public’s anxiety with health care, and the Democratic candidates are pretty consistent and specific about this, in the hopes of finally achieving universal coverage after six decades of trying. What do Republicans have? Well so far the conservative issues are not yet on the agenda, in part because McCain has not have to grease up the conservative machine just yet, that role does not flare up until Democrats have a legitimate candidate. In fact, Republicans will have to face a different electorate this November and the issues they are banking on, like terrorism, security, tax-cuts, are taking a back seat. In effect are other primary issues that have voters anxious and concerned, like the economy, global warming, universal health care, high education costs, trade agreements and the war in Iraq, and these issues are at home with Democrats.

That is why these elections matter, for the first time in many years, they are personal and they are solidifying the American electorate.