El Colorado

Are illegals overwhelming the healthcare system?

2006-09-26T12:12:00.000-06:00

"Too many illegal immigrants are overwhelming the healthcare system and driving up health insurance costs. That's the latest sound bite in the war of words over immigration reform. In a recent poll, a majority of the respondents thought that illegal immigrants were responsible for 50 percent or more of the uninsured treated in Southern California hospitals. But is that really the case?"

Read the complete article here:
http://www.hasc.org/lott.cfm?ID=73623

Se habla English, Vol. II

2006-09-26T07:58:00.000-06:00

Some of the comments on the previous article:

"Check any american coin. It says E PLUIBUS UNUM. (FROM MANY TO ONE)"

"He doesn’t speak spanish & won’t work for $8.00 an hour. We don’t have 8 extra people living in our house to split the the bills."

"...I don’t see how we can fault others who are 'just off the boat' for taking a while [to learn English]."

"They ruin our way of life, they ruin our schools,our neigborhoods, and most of them smell like barnyard animals."

"Quizás podemos conversar en coreano o ruso."

"They learned the language, they opened businesses, they became policemen and firemen and even politicians."

"This is America and English is the language of the land."

"People who don’t assimilate into the American culture publicly are an insult to the country that has welcomed them."

"The reality is.. we’re in a melting pot and communities are changing daily..."

"[Walmart] makes announcements over the PA system in both English and Spanish."

" We put up signs in Spanish, Korean, martian, anything that we cant think of to get the almighty dollar through the door. "

More comments...

Se Habla English...

2006-09-26T07:36:00.000-06:00

Many newcomers, regardless of their immigration status, don't speak English when they arrive to the United States of America.

This creates the illusion that those immigrants will never learn English.

How long does it take to learn a language, written and spoken?

Since most of these immigrants are adults, their first priority is to work, and learning a new language becomes a secondary one.

Here is an excerpt of an article regarding this matter, which sometimes gets mixed up with cheap labor and standards of living:

"I noticed an unfamiliar man performing landscaping services in my backyard. I opened the window and asked him what company he worked for and what days they are scheduled to work in our community. The middle-aged gentleman who looked Latino just smiled and kept saying “Buenos dias.” He was unable to understand or respond to basic questions that he probably knew the answers to. Because my Spanish is about good as his English we were at an impasse to communicate basic information."

Do you need an interpreter to live in [America]?

Immigration is in America's Self-Interest

2006-09-25T19:08:00.000-06:00

It is true that immigrants work when they get to America. They get jobs as soon as they can, and yes, they’re willing to work cheaply. But they don’t steal jobs. If you’re paying the teenager who baby-sits your children $15 an hour, and the girl across the street comes along and says, “I’ll do it for $10,” has the new girl stolen anything when you hire her? Of course not. It’s your money. You have no obligation to pay a higher price, if you can get the labor for a lower one. That doesn’t change when the nationality of the cheaper babysitter happens to be Mexican. As long as the money that you worked for still belongs to you, you get to choose what to do with it.

http://capmag.com/article.asp?ID=540

Stopping the Invasion

2006-09-25T19:05:00.000-06:00

"To listen to some of these demagogues, one would assume that the Twin Towers had been blown up by followers of the Virgin of Guadalupe or that Spanish had recently been decreed the official language of Connecticut. Having failed to scourge the world of evil by invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, Republicans, supported by some Democrats, now propose that we invade ourselves: sending the Marines and Green Berets, along with the National Guard, into the hostile deserts of California and New Mexico where national sovereignty is supposedly under siege."

Mexico's immigration problem

Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day

2006-09-25T18:58:00.000-06:00

MSU President responds to 'Catch an illegal' event

http://www.statenews.com/article.phtml?pk=37774

Immigration Reform for Dummies

2006-09-25T18:51:00.000-06:00

This is a nice article by conservative writer "Ruben Navarrete, hijo" :)

"First, as any border patrol agent will tell you, there's no fence that can keep out someone who is desperate to feed his family and who's willing to go around, go over, or go under.
Next, every time we crack down on the border, it enhances the bottom line for these multimillion-dollar smuggling outfits. Whereas it used to cost about $500 to cross the border, now the price is closer to $3,000. If we build more walls, the smugglers will raise prices again. That's bad. It creates an incentive for smugglers to stay in business since business is so good.
Lastly, we've built fences before, and it only resulted in more illegal immigration. It used to be that one member of a family would go north -- a father, son or brother -- and he'd work and go back to Mexico for Christmas or Mother's Day.
Each time he returned home, there was the chance he'd stay. Now, it's too difficult and expensive to cross, so the workers no longer go back. Instead, they're paying smugglers to bring their families to join them in the United States.
That's why the numbers have gone up. Like I said, 'Immigration Reform for Dummies.'"
Read the whole article here:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/25/navarrette/index.html

Secretary Gutierrez visits Colorado Springs

2006-09-04T00:19:00.000-06:00

Secretary Gutierrez visits Colorado Springs
“We need workers” - that was the message related to Secretary Carlos Gutierrez at a round table discussion held at the Broadmoor on Monday.
“We have jobs in our country, that American citizens either don’t want to do or aren’t available to do, but need to get done.”
Stephen Bartolin, Jr. President & CEO of the Broadmoor stated the Seasonal Worker Visa (H2B) program is needed. “Without the Seasonal Worker Visa, I’m not sure what we would do. These are not minimum wage jobs we offer,” stated Bartolin, “the average housekeeper is going to make $10 an hour with a healthcare, dental and vision plan. All of that is there. But we can’t find anyone who wants to make up 12 rooms a day; work in the laundry or the golf course.”
The President of the Colorado hotel and Lodging Association reminded all that some business can outsource, but “you can’t clean a room from India”
Over all, the group was in concert that a guest worker program such as H2B is sorely needed.

www.hispanianews.com

America's growing diversity has reached nearly every state.

2006-08-15T15:44:00.000-06:00

From South Carolina's budding immigrant population to the fast-rising number of Hispanics in Arkansas, minority groups make up an increasing share of the population in every state but one, according to figures released Tuesday by the Census Bureau.

"This is just an extraordinary explosion of diversity all across the United States," said William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. "It's diversity and immigration going hand in hand."

West Virginia is the exception, with its struggling economy and little history of attracting immigrants. (See state-by-state comparisons)

Frey said states that attract large numbers of immigrants can consider it a "badge of economic success." There have, however, been backlashes.

"In some places it will be a while before they are accepted by the locals," Frey said. "All we have to do is look at this immigration debate."

Immigration policy is a big issue in this year's midterm congressional elections, and the new data help explain why.

Immigrants -- legal and illegal -- make up a growing portion of the population in 46 states and the District of Columbia. Nationally, they went from 11.1 percent of the population in 2000 to 12.4 percent last year.

The 2005 figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, which is replacing the "long form" on the 10-year census. Starting this year, the annual survey of about 3 million households provides yearly data on communities of 65,000 or larger. By 2010, it will provide annual multiyear averages for the smallest neighborhoods covered by the 10-year census.

The data released Tuesday cover race, immigration, education and age characteristics. Economic and housing data will be released in the coming weeks.

The survey, which cost $170 million in 2005, has limitations. For example, only people living in households were surveyed. That excludes the 3 percent of people who live in nursing homes, hospitals, college dormitories, military barracks, prisons and other dwellings known as group quarters.

Also, the numbers for Gulf Coast states do not reflect the effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which scattered hundreds of thousands of people last year.

Among the findings:

Education levels increased in every state from 2000 to 2005. Nationally, the share of adults 25 and older with at least a high school diploma increased from 80 percent to 84 percent. The share of adults with at least a bachelor's degree increased from 24 percent to 27 percent.

Every state is getting older. Nationally, the median age -- the one at which half the population is older and half is younger -- went from 35.3 in 2000 to 36.4 last year.

Hispanics increased their hold as the country's largest minority group, at 14.5 percent of the population, compared with 12.8 percent for blacks. Hispanic is a term for people with ethnic backgrounds in Spanish- speaking countries. Hispanics can be of any race, and most in the U.S. are white. When demographers talk about the shrinking percentage of white people in America, generally they are talking about whites who are not Hispanic.

Such whites are a minority in four states -- Hawaii, New Mexico, California and Texas -- and the District of Columbia. The share of white people fell below 60 percent in three other states: Maryland, Georgia and Nevada. Nationally, non-Hispanic whites make up about 67 percent of the population, down from 70 percent at the start of the decade.

California, New York, Texas and Florida have the nation's largest immigrant populations. The new data show that immigrants will travel beyond those states if there are jobs available.

South Carolina's immigrant population grew by 47 percent since 2000, more than any other state. The Hispanic population grew by 48 percent in Arkansas, the most for any state.

Michael MacFarlane, South Carolina's state demographer, said immigrants and Hispanics were attracted by a healthy economy that offered jobs requiring few skills.

"They are in all sorts of construction, food processing, service jobs, the whole spectrum, where they used to be primarily in agriculture," MacFarlane said.

West Virginia, meanwhile, was one of only two states in which the percentage of white people grew. The other was Hawaii, where whites are an increasing minority.

U.S. about to have 300 million Americans

2006-07-05T19:31:00.000-06:00

Some countries have growth headaches, others beg for babies

WASHINGTON (AP) -- As the U.S. population speeds toward 300 million, the growth is producing headaches for Americans fed up with traffic congestion, sprawl and dwindling natural resources.

But the alternatives are pretty scary, too. Just look at Europe and Japan, which are on the verge of such big population losses that several countries are practically begging women to have babies.

"Europe and Japan are now facing a population problem that is unprecedented in human history -- declining population over time with an increase in the percentage of old people," said Bill Butz, president of the Population Reference Bureau, a Washington think tank.

Countries have lost people because of wars, disease and natural disasters but never -- at least in modern history -- because women stopped having enough children, Butz said.

The U.S. is the fastest growing industrialized nation in the world, adding about 2.8 million people a year. That's a little less than 1 percent, but enough to mitigate the kinds of problems facing Japan and many European countries.

Europe, with 728 million people, saw its population shrink by 74,000 since the beginning of the decade, according to the United Nations. By 2050, it is projected to lose a total of 75 million people.

That ought to give motorists on Germany's Autobahn some extra room to change lanes. But experts warn it could cause labor shortages while straining retirement and health programs, ultimately threatening economic competitiveness.

The problem is that birth rates are so low there aren't enough young people entering the work force to support an aging population, said Hans-Peter Kohler, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Pennsylvania.

"Presumably, many people would not be so concerned about the numbers declining if it wasn't combined with an aging population," Kohler said. "I think it's more the age structure that gives rise to these concerns, and these concerns are well justified."

Russian President Vladimir Putin is so concerned he recently proposed paying women to have children. Last year, France increased monthly stipends to parents who take time off work to care for a third child.

When Japan announced in June that its population had shrunk in 2005 for the first time, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said, "The data must be accepted gravely."

On Friday, Japan announced that it is now the world's most elderly nation, with more than a fifth of its people 65 or older. Italy is second.

On average, women must have 2.1 children in their lifetimes for a society to replenish itself, accounting for infant mortality and other factors. Only one country in Europe -- Albania -- has a fertility rate above 2, according to statistics gathered by the Central Intelligence Agency. Russia's fertility rate is 1.28. In Japan, it's 1.25.

"We're going to have the chance to learn from Europe," Butz said. "For better or worse, they are leading the world into something that has never happened before."

John Seager, president of Population Connection, predicted that any adverse affects of shrinking populations will be temporary.

"It may be the only good crisis we ever had," said Seager, whose group, formerly known as Zero Population Growth, advocates lower birth rates.

America is getting older, too -- the oldest baby boomers turn 60 this year -- and there have been consequences. Private pensions are failing at an alarming rate and Social Security, if left unchanged, is projected to drain the money in its trust fund by 2041.

Twelve percent of the U.S. population is 65 or older, a share that is projected to grow. But two factors keep America younger than Europe: higher fertility rates and immigration.

The United States has a fertility rate of 2.05, about enough to maintain a stable population. The U.S. also adds people through immigration, something many European countries have shunned.

About 40 percent of U.S. population growth comes from immigration, both legal and illegal, according to the Census Bureau. However, if the fertility rate remains unchanged, all of America's population increase will eventually come from immigration, Butz said.

The immigration issue has preoccupied Washington and much of the country for the past year, with Congress working on legislation that would tighten borders and, perhaps, create an avenue to citizenship for many of the 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants.

Advocates argue that immigrants take jobs that would go unfilled by people born in this country. They note that the number of immigrants in the U.S. has nearly quadrupled in the past 40 years, to about 36 million, and unemployment remains low.

Opponents accuse immigrants of driving down wages and adding to an increasingly crowded country.

"Population growth kind of cuts both ways," said Steven Camarota, research director for the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates tighter restrictions on immigration.

"If you are someone who sells cars for a living, you've got more people to sell cars to," he said. "But if you are someone who drives, you have a lot more cars to contend with."

A USA Today/Gallup Poll found that 39 percent of adults think U.S. population growth is a major problem, and 57 percent think it will be a major problem in the future.

But even with immigration, the nation's growth rate is slowing. The number of people had been doubling about every half century, from 75 million in 1900 to 150 million in 1950. The Census Bureau projects it will hit 300 million sometime in October.

By 2050, the United States is projected to have about 420 million people.

Many developing countries, meanwhile, are facing population explosions. India is projected to add 473 million people by 2050 for a new total of 1.6 billion, sending it past China as the world's most populous country.

Some smaller nations will grow significantly as well, with Uganda projected to more than quadruple its population and Niger projected to more than triple its size.

At the other end is Ukraine, which is projected to lose more than 40 percent of its population, shrinking to 26 million.

China, with its one-child policy, is expected to maintain a stable population for the next four decades, leaving it the second most populous country. The United States would remain third.

"Most people would consider moderate population growth preferable to the alternatives," said Kohler, the sociology professor. "I would say that's where the U.S. falls."

Presidential address on US immigration policy

2006-05-16T08:56:00.000-06:00

President George W. Bush: "Good evening. I've asked for a few minutes of your time to discuss a matter of national importance -- the reform of America's immigration system.

The issue of immigration stirs intense emotions, and in recent weeks, Americans have seen those emotions on display. On the streets of major cities, crowds have rallied in support of those in our country illegally. At our southern border, others have organized to stop illegal immigrants from coming in. Across the country, Americans are trying to reconcile these contrasting images. And in Washington, the debate over immigration reform has reached a time of decision. Tonight, I will make it clear where I stand, and where I want to lead our country on this vital issue.

We must begin by recognizing the problems with our immigration system. For decades, the United States has not been in complete control of its borders. As a result, many who want to work in our economy have been able to sneak across our border, and millions have stayed.

Once here, illegal immigrants live in the shadows of our society. Many use forged documents to get jobs, and that makes it difficult for employers to verify that the workers they hire are legal. Illegal immigration puts pressure on public schools and hospitals, it strains state and local budgets, and brings crime to our communities. These are real problems. Yet we must remember that the vast majority of illegal immigrants are decent people who work hard, support their families, practice their faith, and lead responsible lives. They are a part of American life, but they are beyond the reach and protection of American law.

We're a nation of laws, and we must enforce our laws. We're also a nation of immigrants, and we must uphold that tradition, which has strengthened our country in so many ways. These are not contradictory goals. America can be a lawful society and a welcoming society at the same time. We will fix the problems created by illegal immigration, and we will deliver a system that is secure, orderly, and fair. So I support comprehensive immigration reform that will accomplish five clear objectives.

First, the United States must secure its borders. This is a basic responsibility of a sovereign nation. It is also an urgent requirement of our national security. Our objective is straightforward: The border should be open to trade and lawful immigration, and shut to illegal immigrants, as well as criminals, drug dealers, and terrorists.

I was a governor of a state that has a 1,200-mile border with Mexico. So I know how difficult it is to enforce the border, and how important it is. Since I became President, we've increased funding for border security by 66 percent, and expanded the Border Patrol from about 9,000 to 12,000 agents. The men and women of our Border Patrol are doing a fine job in difficult circumstances, and over the past five years, they have apprehended and sent home about six million people entering America illegally.

Despite this progress, we do not yet have full control of the border, and I am determined to change that. Tonight I'm calling on Congress to provide funding for dramatic improvements in manpower and technology at the border. By the end of 2008, we'll increase the number of Border Patrol officers by an additional 6,000. When these new agents are deployed, we'll have more than doubled the size of the Border Patrol during my presidency.

At the same time, we're launching the most technologically advanced border security initiative in American history. We will construct high-tech fences in urban corridors, and build new patrol roads and barriers in rural areas. We'll employ motion sensors, infrared cameras, and unmanned aerial vehicles to prevent illegal crossings. America has the best technology in the world, and we will ensure that the Border Patrol has the technology they need to do their job and secure our border.

Training thousands of new Border Patrol agents and bringing the most advanced technology to the border will take time. Yet the need to secure our border is urgent. So I'm announcing several immediate steps to strengthen border enforcement during this period of transition:

One way to help during this transition is to use the National Guard. So, in coordination with governors, up to 6,000 Guard members will be deployed to our southern border. The Border Patrol will remain in the lead. The Guard will assist the Border Patrol by operating surveillance systems, analyzing intelligence, installing fences and vehicle barriers, building patrol roads, and providing training. Guard units will not be involved in direct law enforcement activities -- that duty will be done by the Border Patrol. This initial commitment of Guard members would last for a period of one year. After that, the number of Guard forces will be reduced as new Border Patrol agents and new technologies come online. It is important for Americans to know that we have enough Guard forces to win the war on terror, to respond to natural disasters, and to help secure our border.

The United States is not going to militarize the southern border. Mexico is our neighbor, and our friend. We will continue to work cooperatively to improve security on both sides of the border, to confront common problems like drug trafficking and crime, and to reduce illegal immigration.

Another way to help during this period of transition is through state and local law enforcement in our border communities. So we'll increase federal funding for state and local authorities assisting the Border Patrol on targeted enforcement missions. We will give state and local authorities the specialized training they need to help federal officers apprehend and detain illegal immigrants. State and local law enforcement officials are an important part of our border security and they need to be a part of our strategy to secure our borders.

The steps I've outlined will improve our ability to catch people entering our country illegally. At the same time, we must ensure that every illegal immigrant we catch crossing our southern border is returned home. More than 85 percent of the illegal immigrants we catch crossing the southern border are Mexicans, and most are sent back home within 24 hours. But when we catch illegal immigrants from other country [sic] it is not as easy to send them home. For many years, the government did not have enough space in our detention facilities to hold them while the legal process unfolded. So most were released back into our society and asked to return for a court date. When the date arrived, the vast majority did not show up. This practice, called "catch and release," is unacceptable, and we will end it.

We're taking several important steps to meet this goal. We've expanded the number of beds in our detention facilities, and we will continue to add more. We've expedited the legal process to cut the average deportation time. And we're making it clear to foreign governments that they must accept back their citizens who violate our immigration laws. As a result of these actions, we've ended "catch and release" for illegal immigrants from some countries. And I will ask Congress for additional funding and legal authority, so we can end "catch and release" at the southern border once and for all. When people know that they'll be caught and sent home if they enter our country illegally, they will be less likely to try to sneak in.

Second, to secure our border, we must create a temporary worker program. The reality is that there are many people on the other side of our border who will do anything to come to America to work and build a better life. They walk across miles of desert in the summer heat, or hide in the back of 18-wheelers to reach our country. This creates enormous pressure on our border that walls and patrols alone will not stop. To secure the border effectively, we must reduce the numbers of people trying to sneak across.

Therefore, I support a temporary worker program that would create a legal path for foreign workers to enter our country in an orderly way, for a limited period of time. This program would match willing foreign workers with willing American employers for jobs Americans are not doing. Every worker who applies for the program would be required to pass criminal background checks. And temporary workers must return to their home country at the conclusion of their stay.

A temporary worker program would meet the needs of our economy, and it would give honest immigrants a way to provide for their families while respecting the law. A temporary worker program would reduce the appeal of human smugglers, and make it less likely that people would risk their lives to cross the border. It would ease the financial burden on state and local governments, by replacing illegal workers with lawful taxpayers. And above all, a temporary worker program would add to our security by making certain we know who is in our country and why they are here.

Third, we need to hold employers to account for the workers they hire. It is against the law to hire someone who is in this country illegally. Yet businesses often cannot verify the legal status of their employees because of the widespread problem of document fraud. Therefore, comprehensive immigration reform must include a better system for verifying documents and work eligibility. A key part of that system should be a new identification card for every legal foreign worker. This card should use biometric technology, such as digital fingerprints, to make it tamper-proof. A tamper-proof card would help us enforce the law, and leave employers with no excuse for violating it. And by making it harder for illegal immigrants to find work in our country, we would discourage people from crossing the border illegally in the first place.

Fourth, we must face the reality that millions of illegal immigrants are here already. They should not be given an automatic path to citizenship. This is amnesty, and I oppose it. Amnesty would be unfair to those who are here lawfully, and it would invite further waves of illegal immigration.

Some in this country argue that the solution is to deport every illegal immigrant, and that any proposal short of this amounts to amnesty. I disagree. It is neither wise, nor realistic to round up millions of people, many with deep roots in the United States, and send them across the border. There is a rational middle ground between granting an automatic path to citizenship for every illegal immigrant, and a program of mass deportation. That middle ground recognizes there are differences between an illegal immigrant who crossed the border recently, and someone who has worked here for many years, and has a home, a family, and an otherwise clean record.

I believe that illegal immigrants who have roots in our country and want to stay should have to pay a meaningful penalty for breaking the law, to pay their taxes, to learn English, and to work in a job for a number of years. People who meet these conditions should be able to apply for citizenship, but approval would not be automatic, and they will have to wait in line behind those who played by the rules and followed the law. What I've just described is not amnesty, it is a way for those who have broken the law to pay their debt to society, and demonstrate the character that makes a good citizen.

Fifth, we must honor the great American tradition of the melting pot, which has made us one nation out of many peoples. The success of our country depends upon helping newcomers assimilate into our society, and embrace our common identity as Americans. Americans are bound together by our shared ideals, an appreciation of our history, respect for the flag we fly, and an ability to speak and write the English language. English is also the key to unlocking the opportunity of America. English allows newcomers to go from picking crops to opening a grocery, from cleaning offices to running offices, from a life of low-paying jobs to a diploma, a career, and a home of their own. When immigrants assimilate and advance in our society, they realize their dreams, they renew our spirit, and they add to the unity of America.

Tonight, I want to speak directly to members of the House and the Senate: An immigration reform bill needs to be comprehensive, because all elements of this problem must be addressed together, or none of them will be solved at all. The House has passed an immigration bill. The Senate should act by the end of this month so we can work out the differences between the two bills, and Congress can pass a comprehensive bill for me to sign into law.

America needs to conduct this debate on immigration in a reasoned and respectful tone. Feelings run deep on this issue, and as we work it out, all of us need to keep some things in mind. We cannot build a unified country by inciting people to anger, or playing on anyone's fears, or exploiting the issue of immigration for political gain. We must always remember that real lives will be affected by our debates and decisions, and that every human being has dignity and value no matter what their citizenship papers say.

I know many of you listening tonight have a parent or a grandparent who came here from another country with dreams of a better life. You know what freedom meant to them, and you know that America is a more hopeful country because of their hard work and sacrifice. As President, I've had the opportunity to meet people of many backgrounds, and hear what America means to them. On a visit to Bethesda Naval Hospital, Laura and I met a wounded Marine named Guadalupe Denogean. Master Gunnery Sergeant Denogean came to the United States from Mexico when he was a boy. He spent his summers picking crops with his family, and then he volunteered for the United States Marine Corps as soon as he was able. During the liberation of Iraq, Master Gunnery Sergeant Denogean was seriously injured. And when asked if he had any requests, he made two: a promotion for the corporal who helped rescue him, and the chance to become an American citizen. And when this brave Marine raised his right hand, and swore an oath to become a citizen of the country he had defended for more than 26 years, I was honored to stand at his side.

We will always be proud to welcome people like Guadalupe Denogean as fellow Americans. Our new immigrants are just what they've always been -- people willing to risk everything for the dream of freedom. And America remains what she has always been: the great hope on the horizon, an open door to the future, a blessed and promised land. We honor the heritage of all who come here, no matter where they come from, because we trust in our country's genius for making us all Americans -- one nation under God.

Thank you, and good night."

Chihuahua - Colorado Connection...

2006-01-17T23:07:00.000-07:00

There are a few thousands immigrants from Chihuahua in the State of Colorado, and at least Pueblo is a sister city of Chihuahua City, as well as Colorado Springs is a sister city of Nuevo Casas Grandes.

But the most strange connection goes back two hundred years ago, when Zebulon Pike was taken prisoner by the Spanish army in present Colorado and taken South to Chihuahua for questioning by the Spanish authorities.

Interesting article by The Gazette:
http://www.gazette.com/display.php?id=1313742&secid=1

New Orleans Mayor Candid Phrases

2006-01-17T22:54:00.000-07:00

"Get every doggone Greyhound bus line in the country and get their asses moving to New Orleans."
September 2005

"How do I ensure that New Orleans is not overrun by Mexican workers?''
October 2005

"Surely God is mad at America. He sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it's destroyed and put stress on this country"
January 2006

"It´s time for us to come together. It´s time for us to rebuild New Orleans — the one that should be a chocolate New Orleans"
January 2006

Please post more phrases and a link back to the source.

To Kill an American

2006-01-03T01:00:00.000-07:00

From Hispania News

You probably missed it in the rush of news last week, but there was actually a report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper an offer of a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American.

So an Australian dentist wrote an editorial the following day to let everyone know what an American is ... so they would know when they found one. (Good one, mate!!!!)

"An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek.

An American may also be Canadian, Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani or Afghan.An American may also be a Comanche, Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navajo, Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans.

An American is Christian, or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims in America than in Afghanistan. The only difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them chooses.

An American is also free to believe in no religion. For that he will answer only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.An American lives in the most prosperous land in the history of the world.

The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence , which recognizes the God given right of each person to the pursuit of happiness.

An American is generous. Americans have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their time of need, never asking a thing in return. When Afghanistan was over-run by the Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country!

As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan. Americans welcome the best of everything...the best products, the best books, the best music, the best food, the best services. But they also welcome the least.

The national symbol of America, The Statue of Liberty , welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest tossed. These in fact are the people who built America.

Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September 11, 2001 earning a better life for their families. It's been told that the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30 differ ent countries, cultures, and first languages, including those that aided and abetted the terrorists.

So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did. So did General Tojo, and Stalin, and Mao Tse-Tung, and other blood-thirsty tyrants in the world. But, in doing so you would just be killing yourself. Because Americans are not a particular people from a particular place. They are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an American.

Immigration bill only a half measure

2006-01-03T00:58:00.000-07:00

Excerpt From The Seattle Times

THE immigration-reform bill the U.S. House passed last month is half-baked — and, if passed by the full Congress, could devastate parts of the nation's economy.

While it promises a major crackdown on illegal immigration both at the border and in the interior, the bill does almost nothing about why people sneak into the United States: jobs and better wages than in Mexico or other countries where the people come from. Employers need the workers — and hire them. Even with as many as 11 million foreign-born people living in the United States without legal authorization, the nation's unemployment rates are low...

Profesionistas mexicanos buscan mejores oportunidades en USA

2005-12-09T01:08:00.000-07:00

No sólo los sectores más pobres del país emigran

El problema migratorio de México hacia Estados Unidos no es condición de los sectores más pobres del país, pues uno de cada de 13 profesionistas mexicanos busca en la Unión Americana mejores oportunidades de desarrollo y empleo.

El subsecretario de Desarrollo Urbano y Ordenamiento Territorial de la Sedesol, Rodolfo Tuirán Gutiérrez, informó lo anterior al señalar que el fenómeno migratorio ha dejado ser de origen rural y cada vez se concentra más en las ciudades.

Una migración selectiva
En rueda de prensa en la residencia oficial de Los Pinos, informó que se estima que 10 millones 600 mil mexicanos viven en Estados Unidos y que cada vez la migración se ha vuelto más selectiva toda vez que la escolaridad es más elevada y 700 mil migrantes son titulados de alguna carrera a nivel licenciatura.

Dijo que de acuerdo con estudios de la Sedesol, las grandes ciudades como Guadalajara, Distrito Federal y Monterrey mantienen niveles crecientes de expulsión de migrantes que encuentran un aliciente en la cantidad de mexicanos que ya se encuentran en el vecino país del norte y con su ayuda amortiguan la parte negativa de la experiencia migratoria.

Tuirán Gutiérrez refirió que 400 mil mexicanos buscan viajar a Estados Unidos anualmente para mantenerse de manera permanente como trabajadores migrantes, mientras que una cifra similar lo hace para participar en trabajos temporales como es la agricultura.

No hay vínculos con la pobreza
Con base en estos, el funcionario rechazó que el fenómeno migratorio esté vinculado con la pobreza y los sectores menos favorecidos del país, pues consideró que éstos en muchos casos no cuentan con los recursos que requieren para trasladarse al otro lado de la frontera.

Al respecto, la secretaria de Desarrollo Social Josefina Vázquez Mota informó que con el Programa Tres por Uno a la fecha se desarrollan más de cuatro mil obras en las comunidades expulsoras de migrantes.

Explicó que al inicio de este programa en el que por cada peso de remesas familiares cada uno de los tres niveles de gobierno aporta un peso más, se trabajaba con 20 clubes en el año 2002 y hoy son 800 los que participan.

Anualmente, mencionó, se han invertido unos mil millones de pesos en obras de coinversión entre los trabajadores migrantes y sus familias con la participación de los gobiernos municipal, estatal y federal.

Beware: The Dangers of Selling on eBay 101

2005-10-31T15:26:00.000-07:00

It's obvious that eBay provides internet users with an online flea market where buyers and sellers from around the world meet to conduct trade.

However, like most traders who are faced with an innovation of this sort, the first question will always be: It is safe?

The answer is yes, but devious scammers seem to be plotting daily to forward their dastardly schemes and take advantage of eBay's power.

So, what is the user's recourse? The users of eBay must learn to gather information and take meticulous care in dealing on eBay. Only then can they be less gullible to scammers.

A common consensus is that bidders are often scammed by sellers. But it is possible for things to be the other way around.

Here is a list of the common problems sellers encounter and the means to handle them.

Fake Escrow Services
A winning bidder may request that an escrow service be used to assure both parties of a fair transaction. Unfortunately, the seller is sometimes duped into using a fake escrow system.
To avoid this situation, the seller must always verify the authenticity of an escrow service. eBay recommends the use of escrow.com. If the bidder insists on his or her escrow service, chances are, that person is a scammer.

Victims of this fraud find it difficult to reclaim their items. They may, however, appeal to the legal system afforded by the state they live in. They must also contact eBay regarding the matter for any assistance they may be willing to offer.

Deadbeat Bidders
Deadbeat bidders (a winning bidder who doesn't pay for an item at the auction's close) are more common on eBay. If the winner of your auction does not pay, you may leave that person a negative feedback.

As for the listing fees the seller shells out, eBay lays out a four step procedure that sellers can use to potentially recover lost selling fees. If sellers complete the process to eBay's satisfaction, they will receive a Final Value Fee credit and a re-list credit. Filing out an Unpaid Item dispute is the first step toward eBay reimbursing such fees. A person can report an unpaid item up to 45 days after an auction's close.

Trade Dispute
This occurs when the seller and bidder disagree on some terms of the sale. This may also happen if there is a purported violation of any of these agreements.
If communication between both parties does not help, they may consider availing of a third-party dispute resolution outfit to help. SquareTrade.com is one of these outfits that eBay recommends.

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure
A seller's life may be made terrible because of the constant scamming attacks unscrupulous individuals undertake. But, with proper information and care, he or she can continue trading on eBay with relative safety.

Payment Methods on eBay
Gone are the days when only cash (or cattle in some cases) was the only accepted mode of payment for trades. As the concept of trading evolved, so did the means of paying for items.
Today's electronic world pushes the envelop further. With the advent of online trading systems such as eBay, many new forms of payment have flourished.

First of all, on eBay, the mode of payment depends on the agreement between the buyer and the seller. Most often, the seller will specify his or her desired payment method. In these cases, the seller often has primacy in the decisions regarding payment modes. However, the buyer may still communicate with the seller regarding a viable alternative if it suits both parties.
The following is a list of common eBay payment modes.

Cash On Delivery
Cash is, after all, still cash. This payment method can be done through a third party courier system or by the buyer and seller meeting each other at an agreed place. The advantage of a cash transaction is that the exchange of the item for payment is done in the presence of the buyer and the seller (or the seller's representative). However, some people will not accept the risk present when two strangers meet.

Personal Check
One popular method of payment is personal check. Writing checks is easy and safe. However, many sellers do not like accepting check because they are easy to cancel.

PayPal
PayPal is the payment of choice on eBay. In fact, eBay owns PayPal.
Using PayPal is easy, convenient, and relatively safe. PayPal acts as like an internet 'wire transfer.'

After signing-up for PayPal, one may send cash to anyone with an email address using the PayPal system. PayPal also has security features that safeguard against fraud in case there is a dispute between the seller and the buyer. This system is best for transactions up to $1000.

Escrow.com
Escrow.com is the payment of choice for purchases over $500. Escrow.com holds the buyer's money from the seller until the seller delivers the item. Only then will the funds be released to the seller. This system makes for a very safe, although highly procedural transaction.

Wire Transfer
This is the payment of choice for countries that do not carry the PayPal service. Wire transfers are risky because the buyer usually has to wire over the funds before the seller sends the items. The chance for non-delivery of items is high.

Other Payment Systems
The number of third party payment services is steadily on the rise. Their systems for payment vary. However, to be successful they must be convenient to use and safe as well.

About the Author
Brad Eden is a Entrepreneurial Sciences expert with 14 years of industry experience in real estate, marketing and technical communication. He currently consults with IBM in CA. Brad owns & operates a free traffic resource for entrepreneurs. http://www.americanfreetraffic.com

Bush dice que USA deportará a indocumentados "sin excepción"

2005-10-22T12:21:00.000-06:00

En su mensaje radial semanal, el presidente recalcó que su administración tendrá mano dura contra los indocumentados, pero al mismo tiempo promovió su plan para dar permisos temporales de trabajo a extranjeros.

El presidente de USA, George W. Bush, dijo que el objetivo de su Gobierno es deportar a toda persona que entra ilegalmente en el país, "sin excepciones".Bush destacó que la Ley de Presupuesto para el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional, que firmó el martes, permitirá a su Gobierno reforzar la vigilancia fronteriza y ampliar los centros de detención para extranjeros.

El presidente dejó clara su meta: "Nuestro objetivo es enviar de vuelta a toda persona que haya entrado ilegalmente (en USA), sin excepciones"."Nuestros agentes de inmigración y de la Patrulla Fronteriza están haciendo un buen trabajo, pero aún así tenemos un problema", dijo Bush."Demasiados inmigrantes ilegales están entrando y estamos capturando a muchos más inmigrantes ilegales no mexicanos de los que podemos enviar a sus casas", recalcó.

Uno de los motivos es la falta de espacio en los centros de detención, explicó Bush, lo que obliga a las autoridades a poner a muchos no mexicanos en libertad tras darles una cita para acudir a los tribunales."La mayoría nunca se presentan y desaparecen en las sombras de nuestras comunidades", dijo el presidente, quien enfatizó que esta política de "capturar y soltar" es "inaceptable".Anuncia medidasPara intentar solventar este problema, Bush recalcó que agrandará en un 10 por ciento la capacidad de los centros de detención, gracias a 3.700 millones de dólares contemplados para este fin en la Ley firmada esta semana.

La Ley también dedica 2.300 millones de dólares a la Patrulla Fronteriza.Bush explicó que con esos fondos se contratarán mil nuevos agentes, se mejorará la tecnología con la que cuentan, se ampliarán las estaciones de vigilancia en la frontera y se instalarán más vallas y barreras.El presidente también mencionó en su mensaje radial, aunque mucho más brevemente, su plan para otorgar permisos temporales de trabajo a extranjeros.

Bush dijo que las medidas policiales contra los inmigrantes indocumentados "no pueden funcionar a menos que sean parte de una reforma migratoria amplia".

"Trabajaré con los miembros del Congreso para crear un programa que proporcione a nuestra economía la fuerza de trabajo que necesita sin perjudicar a los trabajadores estadounidenses y sin dar una amnistía", prometió.Unos 11 millones de inmigrantes indocumentados residen actualmente en Estados Unidos.

Lea el artículo completo aqui:
http://us.starmedia.com/noticias/inmigracion/bush_102471.html

Troubled waters

2005-10-06T12:25:00.000-06:00

The U.S. immigration system is broken. Can Washington fix it?
by Gavin Ehringer

Increasingly, Americans have come to look upon Latin Americans in general and Mexicans in particular in much the same way they view grizzly bears: loved in their native environment, but suspicious and often feared when they show up in America's back yards.

Before Cindy Sheehan and Hurricane Katrina blew them off the front pages, the activities of nativist, anti-migrant groups like the publicity-seeking Minuteman Civil Defense Corps were the big stories of the summer. Their message: that America is being overrun by hordes of undocumented migrants intent on stealing U.S. jobs and welfare benefits, undermining national security and tearing to rags the country's social fabric.

Minuteman critics may disagree with their tactics, or increased militarization in general, yet all sides of the current immigration debate have come to a consensus on one point: The current system is broken, and the time has arrived to repair it.

So far this year, two pieces of proposed legislation, the Secure and Orderly Immigration Act and the Comprehensive Enforcement and Immigration Reform Act, have found support in Washington. Both have exposed the economic complexities of U.S.-Mexico relations that, like bears underneath the porch, are poised to rear their heads.

Russian Roulette or death?

Uneducated, impoverished Mexicans aren't the only ones seeking marginal employment in the United States. The economic lure is strong even for skilled and educated Mexicans, says Dina Snow, a naturalized U.S. citizen who grew up on the Mexican border, in Nogales, and now owns a graphic design firm in Colorado Springs.

"There is nothing for us to do in Mexico," says Snow. "Even with a college education and the ability to speak English, it would have been almost impossible for me to find work there. There just aren't the opportunities to work in Mexico."

Mexico boasts a relatively low official unemployment rate, just 3.9 percent in 2005, according to LatinFocus, which compiles such statistics from throughout Latin America. Mexico, however, uses different statistical methodology from that of the United States.

A U.S. Department of Labor Statistics abstract explains the discrepancy: "The rates reflect the need for persons to subsist through any work at all, rather than a situation of full employment." That is to say, a person barely subsisting by selling shoelaces all day on the street is, by Mexican definition, fully and gainfully employed.

Snow feels a great deal of empathy for the poor in her former homeland.

"Even though I came here legally and with the benefit of a college education, I can identify with [undocumented immigrants'] problems. Coming from southern Mexico or Central America, your kids are hungry. Dying of hunger, perhaps. What are you going to do? Watch them die? Or play Russian Roulette [and] take your chances crossing the border illegally?

"I am not sure if it is 100 percent right," she adds. "Mexico shares in the responsibility. But people are desperate. They want to do what is best for their families.

"Working for minimum wage is nothing to U.S. citizens; you exist at poverty level. But back in Mexico, it's a big deal. Big enough that people are willing to die for that income."

Free-trade follies

The struggle to earn a living in Mexico, many argue, has been exacerbated by the very policies that were supposed to ease that plight. NAFTA, in particular, has had a disastrous effect on Mexican farm families.

Lisa Duran, executive director of Denver-based Rights for All People, works with such families. Trade agreements, especially NAFTA, she argues, are systematically destroying Mexico's traditional rural economies.

"The trade agreements advocated by the U.S. -- NAFTA, CAFTA, and the General Agreement on Trade & Tariffs [GATT] -- have destroyed local economies," she says. "We have a lot of stories among our members of the family farm that used to provide a living. But sometime after 1996, their commodities became unable to compete with ConAgra and other U.S. agribusiness firms in the global market."

Duran's assertions are backed by reports in the Latin American press and demographic data on Mexican migrants themselves. Increasingly, migrants hail from southern states, rather than the traditional emigration states further north.

In December 2002, farm workers from the southern states protested against falling farm prices. Mexican President Vicente Fox promised to seek changes in NAFTA's agricultural provisions to protect the 25 million Mexicans living in rural areas. So far, the trade agreement has not been amended, and Fox has just one year left in office.

The problems for rural Mexicans, Duran notes, are made worse by the displacement of Central Americans, who migrate to Mexico to escape military violence, natural disasters and faltering economies back home. Indeed, Mexico has its own immigration issues, as hundreds of thousands of refugees from El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua come north in search of sanctuary.

A "cheap labor addiction"

How Americans deal with the undocumented worker issue largely depends on who prevails in an ongoing congressional debate.

On one side are conservative Republicans who advocate increased border enforcement, repatriation of undocumented migrants, and punitive fines for employers who hire undocumented workers in the United States.

On the other side is a coalition of moderate Republicans and Democrats who support a conditional amnesty program for those already living and working here, reinvigorated and expansive guest workers programs, and increased border enforcement.

U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., espouses the hard-line approach. Representing a mainly Caucasian constituency of suburbanites outside Denver, Tancredo has felt scorn from the local and national press for unwittingly hiring an undocumented immigrant to complete a home remodeling project, and for objecting to Spanish-language materials in Denver's public libraries.
But as a congressman, Tancredo has stirred up the furor for immigration reform and helped to steer Republican policy-making in his direction.

Speaking to the Independent, Tancredo describes the issue in black-and-white terms.
"America's illegal immigration problem is the result of two things: We have an addiction to cheap foreign labor, and countries that are contributing to that labor are addicted to remittances," he says.

Mexican workers sent about $13 billion to family members in Mexico in 2003, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, making remittance Mexico's second most important revenue source, behind petroleum.

One wonders, however, how Mexico would replace that income and employ millions of repatriated workers if the United States actually spent the $230 billion that the Center for American Progress, an immigration think tank, estimates it could cost to deport every undocumented Mexican.

In speeches and interviews to date, Tancredo hasn't addressed that issue. He does, however, say that Congress has lacked the will to address America's immigration issues because its members fear disapproval from the business community.

Although Tancredo supports some kind of guest worker program, he expects substantial opposition to such reforms.

"Several things are not attractive to employers in regard to guest worker programs," he says. "There are constraints on how long an employee can remain in the country, and employers don't want to train people only to have them leave. Employers don't want wages set for them, and they don't want to adhere to benefits programs. It's far easier and cheaper for them to hire undocumented workers and keep them off the books.

"But," he adds, "if we secure the border and fine employees for breaking the law, we could have an effect."

'Enforcement through deterrence'

From 1980 to 1995, the Immigration and Nationalization Service (INS) budget for border enforcement increased sevenfold; it then tripled between 1995 and 2001.

The U.S. government erected massive fences topped with concertina wire and installed motion detectors, ground-pressure sensors and night-to-day lighting systems along miles of border near popular urban crossing points between Tijuana and San Diego; Juarez and El Paso, Texas; Mexicali and Calexico, Calif.; and Nogales, Mexico and Nogales, Ariz.

Thousands of new border patrol officers were added to the government payroll. The policy, termed "enforcement through deterrence," is based on the premise that apprehension deters illegal immigration.

Not only has the policy been a failure, it has been costly and even deadly.

A study prepared in 2002 by the Public Policy Institute of California looked at the effects of the border buildup on unauthorized immigration. Among its key findings: There is no evidence that border enforcement buildup has substantially reduced unauthorized crossings.

Instead, the report notes, migrants have moved to more remote crossing areas in the desert and on desolate ranches in New Mexico, Texas and Arizona, making enforcement and apprehension even more difficult, and costly.

According to Princeton University sociologist Douglas Massey, the United States is spending $1,700 on each immigrant it apprehends, versus $100 in 1986. Massey notes that big increases in enforcement spending over the last 20 years have not only been ineffective, but also counterproductive; ironically, harsher enforcement policies may actually be contributing to illegal immigration into the United States.

By making it more difficult to come into the country, the policies encourage migrants to stay longer in the United States in order to recover the costs of paying off coyotes, human traffickers who charge as much as $1,500 per person to lead people across.

According to INS data, migrant deaths have shot upward from fewer than 200 in 1995 to an average of more than 400 annually in recent years. According to the University of Houston Center for Immigration Studies, causes of death include exposure to extreme heat and cold, drowning, vehicle-pedestrian accidents, homicide and suffocation in the cramped and unventilated holds of automobiles, trucks and containers.

The great wait

In 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed into law the Immigration Reform and Control Act, naturalizing 2.3 million Mexican immigrants and paving the way for even more through a family reunification program. In a single stroke, the act also modified the traditional pattern of back-and-forth migration of mainly young, single Mexican men, replacing it with one that encouraged entire families to migrate.

Although reunification was one stated goal of the legislation, America, for the most part, never followed through on the paperwork to make this happen.

Amber Tafoya, an attorney with the Southern Colorado Center for Immigrant Rights at Catholic Charities in Pueblo, says the backlog of applicants waiting to have their relatives from Mexico join them legally dates back as far as 1987, one year after the legislation took effect.

"In other words, the wait for many families is decades," says Tafoya, who helps migrants weave through the maze of immigration laws, the bulk of which she compares unfavorably to the U.S. tax code.

"After waiting 10 or 15 years, many make the courageous decision that they are going to reunify their families. You'd think people who speak about family values would understand that, that they would try to streamline the process. Yet we blame the victims and say they are here breaking our laws, when what is broken is the system."

Taking 'illegal' off the table

Of the two immigration bills Congress currently is scrutinizing, the more enforcement-oriented is the Comprehensive Enforcement and Immigration Reform Act.

Proposed by Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., it's seen as the "tougher" of the bills. It concentrates on increasing the Border Patrol presence and enforcing current laws. Its language emphasizes a decrease in human trafficking, which can go hand-in-hand with drug smuggling and documentation fraud.

The new twist to this essentially Reagan-era approach is the "guest worker program," by which current immigrants would return to their home countries, then apply for visas that would allow them entry to the U.S. for a period of six years.

The Secure Orderly Immigration Act, however, has gained more support on both sides of the aisle.

Introduced by a bipartisan coalition of elected officials -- including Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., as well as Arizona Republican legislators Jim Kolbe and Jeff Flake -- it seeks to naturalize the vast majority of workers already in the United States. It forces them to pay fines and line up behind the hundreds of thousands who already have waded through the legal process.

It also forces employers to first seek U.S. citizens to fill jobs. Only if they cannot are those employers allowed to contract with foreign workers.

The Secure and Orderly Immigration Act is also finding support among immigration reform advocates like Doug Rivlin of the National Immigration Forum.

"The question before us is: Do we continue to put our heads in the sand and have a guest worker program called 'illegal immigration,' or do we create a legal guest worker system that actually addresses the real situation in America and Mexico?" Rivlin asks.

"If you have 11 million people who aren't part of society, who don't know if they will be here next week, you create a marginalized, underground economy that feeds the black market and is dangerous to this country and its security," he says.

"Many of the things that critics find wrong with the current system have to do with illegalities. By taking these off the table, then many of the concerns of the critics, like Tom Tancredo and the Minuteman groups, will be eliminated as well."

View the complete article here:
http://www.csindy.com/csindy/2005-10-06/cover.html

Domains for sale

2005-10-01T13:06:00.000-06:00

The following domain names are for sale.
Leave a comment if you are interested...

El temor al phishing paraliza las compras on line en Estados Unidos

2005-06-20T14:51:00.000-06:00

Casi la mitad de los estadounidenses no compra en Internet por temor a que les sustraigan su información bancaria a través del phishing, según una encuesta de Cyber Security Industry Alliance. En medio de este pánico de los consumidores frente a los piratas informáticos, este grupo tecnológico afirma que el 71% de los encuestados cree que son necesarias nuevas leyes que protejan la privacidad del consumidor en la Red. De hecho, el 64% desea que el Gobierno haga más por la seguridad de los ordenadores.El Congreso de EEUU esta considerando varias medidas encaminadas a incrementar la seguridad sobre datos corporativos. La mayoría requerirían que las compañías dijeran a los consumidores cuándo existe una brecha en su sistema de seguridad y haya riesgo de la presencia de un pirata informático en el sistema. Otras requieren que las compañías lleven a cabo pasos más concretos, como la encriptación de la información del consumidor. La encuesta ha sido realizada sobre una muestra de 1.003 personas, con un margen de error del 3%. Entre los miembros de la Cyber Security Industry Alliance se incluyen Juniper Networks, McAfee, RSA Security y Entrust.

Lea el artículo completo aquí:
http://www.cibersur.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2349&theme=Cibersur&ref=64
Cibersur.com/Agencias2005-06-20 13:38:26

Roundup Fellowship

2005-05-27T00:00:00.000-06:00

http://www.rup.org

Roundup Fellowship is a non-profit organization serving people with developmental disabilities and associated behavior problems since 1973. Our goal is to promote dignity in all relationships while helping people with disabilities become as productive and independent as possible. Roundup Fellowship is dedicated to providing a genuine community alternative to people with conditions such as mental retardation, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and autism, or those who display physical aggression or self-abusiveness...

Dominios TV

2004-09-13T14:44:00.000-06:00

http://www.tunombre.tv/

De la misma manera que hay millones de direcciones de Internet que terminan en .com, .net y .org, los nombres de dominio del nuevo Internet terminarán con el símbolo de dos letras que son más reconocidas en el mundo: TV. Y nosotros, ¿qué tenemos que ver con esto? En pocas palabras: .tv es el registro oficial en todo el mundo para estos nombres. ¡Busca tu dominio .TV ahora mismo!

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2004-08-27T02:51:00.000-06:00

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Executive Capital, Inc.

2004-08-27T02:41:00.000-06:00

We specialize in providing borrowers with fast, reliable service that they can depend on.

We offer flexible financing solutions for commercial real estate properties that fail to meet conventional underwriting criteria. Purchase loans, refinances, bridges, and interim term loans are often required before projects qualify for conventional financing.Our clients typically need a customized approach for their individual projects.

Therefore, we do not publish a traditional "rate sheet" or underwriting criteria. Interest rates and loan/underwriting costs are commensurate with the risk profile, timing demands and loan terms.We strongly urge you to submit a loan application to us if your project or your borrower/client has been turned away by the conventional mortgage market. You will get a quick response typically within 24 - 48 hours upon submission.

http://www.thefinancingexperts.com/

AP Mortgage

2004-08-27T02:40:00.000-06:00

Here at AP Mortgage, it is our primary goal to get everyone, regardless of credit issues, on the road to financial freedom. Our clients can purchase their own home and have the opportunity to stop renting, even if they have less than perfect credit. We also work for the self-employed borrower.It is our mission here at AP Mortgage to successfully help our clients by placing them into the best possible mortgage program, based on their financial needs. In doing this, it may be possible for them to own the home of their dreams.

We also realize that time is money, so we pride ourselves on being the fastest and most efficient in the industry. We provide quick closings and low cost, so that we can help get our clients and families into their new home as quickly as possible.

http://www.approvalfunding.com/

Casas Colorado

2004-08-27T02:38:00.000-06:00

Making the Difference!

When Kristi Terrazas coordinates a real estate transaction she doesn't just shuffle the papers.
Her main focus is to orchestrate a dream into a reality. Kristi strives to assist her clients with top notch service.

So whether you're buying or selling consider an agent that will make a difference.
Kristi Terrazas is making a difference. Let her make a difference for you.

http://www.casascolorado.com/

Ellis Services, LLC

2004-08-27T02:35:00.000-06:00

Ellis Services has the resources and capabilities to provide a you a turnkey manufacturing or packaging solution that can lower your current costs. Ellis Services represents several manufacturing companies with processing facilities in Mexico. Ellis Services will work with your organization to implement a "Shelter" manufacturing operation in Mexico. We will provide a fully functional Mexican facility, staffed with quality people possessing the skills you specify to us. We will take care of all the requirements of customs and provide transportation for movement of product across the border. With your equipment, raw materials, and your manufacturing process and our facility we will supply a fully operational department manufacturing your product at a lesser cost. Some of the current contract manufacturing industries we serve include newspaper bag sampling programs, push-pull cable assemblies, and furniture manufacturing. Our contract packaging services include high speed shrink-wrap, Blister pack, skin seal, fin seal, clamshells, and carton packing.

http://www.ellisservices.net/

The Hispanic Challenge

2004-08-06T01:55:00.000-06:00

The Hispanic Challenge
By Samuel P. Huntington

From: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/files/story2495.php

The persistent inflow of Hispanic immigrants threatens to divide the United States into two peoples, two cultures, and two languages. Unlike past immigrant groups, Mexicans and other Latinos have not assimilated into mainstream U.S. culture, forming instead their own political and linguistic enclaves—from Los Angeles to Miami—and rejecting the Anglo-Protestant values that built the American dream. The United States ignores this challenge at its peril.

America was created by 17th- and 18th-century settlers who were overwhelmingly white, British, and Protestant. Their values, institutions, and culture provided the foundation for and shaped the development of the United States in the following centuries. They initially defined America in terms of race, ethnicity, culture, and religion. Then, in the 18th century, they also had to define America ideologically to justify independence from their home country, which was also white, British, and Protestant. Thomas Jefferson set forth this “creed,” as Nobel Prize-winning economist Gunnar Myrdal called it, in the Declaration of Independence, and ever since, its principles have been reiterated by statesmen and espoused by the public as an essential component of U.S. identity.

Read the full article here: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/files/story2495.php

Huntington Mailinterpreta Migracion Mexicana

2004-07-06T19:06:00.000-06:00

Londres, 24 May (Notimex).- El profesor de Harvard Samuel Huntington ha malentendido el proceso de migración latina a Estados Unidos y su impacto en la identidad del país, dijo el ex secretario estadunidense de Vivienda Henry Cisneros en el Financial Times.

El ex funcionario de la administración de William Clinton se refirió al reciente libro "Who are we? The Challenges to America"s National Identity" (¨Quiénes somos? Los retos para la identidad nacional estadunidense).

En él, Huntington afirma que la identidad de Estados Unidos se encuentra amenazada por la inmensa inmigración latina y en especial mexicana, lo que afecta no sólo el idioma, sino la cultura anglo-protestante.

En las seis razones que expone el autor contrasta el éxito de las inmigraciones pasadas (de irlandeses, italianos, chinos, alemanes, judíos, etcétera), con la actual que presenta características por completo distintas.

Huntington comienza por decir que pese a la proximidad de Estados Unidos con México, el funcionamiento es distinto; lo que es inevitable es la frontera de tres mil kilómetros que comparten los dos países.

En cuanto a la escala%, más de la mitad de los inmigrantes son hispanos. Es decir, por primera vez la mayor parte de los recién llegados habla una sola lengua no inglesa: el español.

Como tercer elemento, Huntington expone que en 1990 se estimó que 350 mil mexicanos traspasaban la fronteras, lo que significa que alrededor de 69 por ciento de la población ilegal proviene de México.

Por otro lado, la concentración regional de latinos ha cambiado la dinámica de algunos lugares como California, ya que dada la cantidad de personas pueden establecer modelos acordes con su cultura.

La persistencia también es factor, ya que con las condiciones que viven en sus países de origen, parece que esta ola migratoria no tiene ningún signo de eventual disminución.

Para terminar, el autor se refiere al antecedente histórico, ya que algunos estados pertenecieron a México, por lo que muchos inmigrantes consideran que sólo han regresado a lo que les pertenece.

Henry Cisneros admite que Huntington pude tener razón en algunas puntos, pero en otros no ha llegado a las conclusiones correctas ya que "los inmigrantes vienen a Estados Unidos en busca de un mejor nivel de vida".

En el caso de los hispanos, aclara que en general entienden los métodos de progreso y éxito de Estados Unidos y tratan de adaptar tanto el lenguaje como sus prácticas al nuevo estilo.

"Sirven en las fuerzas armadas, pagan sus impuestos, se relacionan con los vecinos, se involucran en la industria y trabajan", enfatizó Cisneros.

Además, Huntington omite un aspecto esencial en la inmigración hispana, y es que el promedio de edad favorece a la población joven.

Lo anterior significa que mientras Japón, Alemania, Francia e Italia tienen índices a la baja con todas las implicaciones que esto representa para sus economías, Estados Unidos cuenta con una fuerza de trabajo nueva, energética y comprometida.

"La convergencia de nuevas líneas de pensamiento genera movimiento económico", los diferentes bagajes históricos y las diversas perspectivas "contribuyen a la creatividad".

Cisneros resaltó que en contra de lo que dice Huntington, las grandes ciudades, desde Nueva York hasta Chicago o los Angeles, cuentan con un sólido crecimiento de su población, lo que significa diferentes avances gracias a la inmigración hispana.

Además, "esta diversidad además ayuda a Estados Unidos a construir puentes comerciales y culturales con muchas otras parte del mundo", agregó.

Consideró que el principal error de Huntington es que no ha entendido los fundamentos de la identidad de Estados Unidos, "que no parten de cómo se ve una persona, qué lengua aprendió primero o por cuántas generaciones absorbió la cultura anglo-protestante".

Más bien se basa en la aceptación del Estado de derecho y el proceso democrático; en el respeto a la libertad personal y a la propiedad privada; en el sistema de libre empresa y la adopción del discurso nacional del esfuerzo y el compromiso.

"Con base en mi experiencia puedo afirmar que este tipo de valores son los que los nuevos inmigrantes acogen con más entusiasmo. Después de todo, son estos valores por los que se toman el riesgo de venir", finalizó Henry Cisneros.

Hispanos creen que candidatos no hablan de sus temas

2004-06-28T15:08:00.000-06:00

La mayoría de los hispanos en Estados Unidos piensa que los candidatos políticos no están hablando acerca de asuntos importantes para la comunidad, dice un sondeo dado a conocer el domingo.

AP 28/Juni/2004.-Según la encuesta, conducida por el Consejo Nacional La Raza, 58 por ciento de los entrevistados piensan que los candidatos no están hablando de lo que les preocupa. Una tercera parte de los encuestados estuvo en desacuerdo, y 8 por ciento se mantuvo neutral.

El presidente de La Raza, Raúl Yzaguirre, dijo que ambos partidos políticos tienen que tomar en serio los asuntos hispanos.

"Aparecerse cada cuatro años es bueno para las Olimpiadas, pero no para gobernar", dijo Yzaguirre. El 34 por ciento de los encuestados dijeron que la educación es el tema más importante para los latinos, seguido del empleo, la inmigración, los derechos civiles y la salud pública.

El sondeo encontró además que cuatro de cada cinco hispanos apoya dar la oportunidad de hacerse ciudadanos estadounidenses a los inmigrantes ilegales que han trabajado y pagado impuestos en Estados Unidos.

El sondeo, realizado por Zogby International, entrevistó a 1,000 hispanos en todo el país entre el 27 y el 27 de mayo, y tiene un margen de error de 3,2 por ciento.

Hispanics say candidates ignore issues

2004-06-28T15:05:00.000-06:00

Survey finds 80 percent feel illegals deserve chance at citizenship

The Associated Press
Updated: 1:22 p.m. ET June 28, 2004

PHOENIX - A majority of U.S. Hispanics believe that political candidates are not talking about issues important to the Latino community, according to a poll released Sunday.

The survey was conducted for the National Council of La Raza, a civil rights group dedicated to promoting Hispanic issues that is holding its annual convention this weekend in Phoenix.

According to the poll, 58 percent of Hispanics feel candidates are not addressing their concerns. A third disagreed, while 8 percent were undecided.

La Raza president Raul Yzaguirre said both major political parties need to take Hispanic issues seriously.

“Showing up every four years may work for the Olympics, but not for governing,” Yzaguirre said.

Thirty-four percent of those surveyed said education ranks as the top issue for Latinos, followed by jobs, immigration, civil rights and health care.

The poll also found that four out of five Hispanics support giving illegal immigrants who have worked and paid taxes in the United States a chance at becoming citizens.

The poll conducted by Zogby International surveyed 1,000 Hispanics from across the nation May 25-27. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

MS confirma oficialmente las mejoras de Hotmail

2004-06-28T05:48:00.000-06:00

Comunicado de Prensa:

REDMOND, Wash. - 23 de junio del 2004 - MSN® Hotmail®, el servicio de correo electrónico gratuito más popular del mundo, se someterá a una actualización importante para ofrecer a los clientes protección de correo electrónico de clase mundial y almacenamiento mejorado para satisfacer todas sus necesidades. A partir del 1° de julio, MSN brindará protección antivirus gratuita a los 170 millones de usuarios de MSN Hotmail en todo el mundo, lo que convertirá a MSN Hotmail en el único servicio de correo electrónico global en escanear y limpiar de virus y gusanos todo el correo electrónico entrante y saliente antes de que llegue al buzón del cliente. MSN también anunció que ofrecerá más almacenamiento -buzones de 250MB- a los clientes de MSN Hotmail gratuito en varios mercados, y presentará MSN Hotmail Plus, un servicio Web de actualización premium para ayudar a los clientes a aprovechar al máximo su MSN Hotmail.

"De acuerdo con pláticas sostenidas con nuestros clientes, sabemos que la seguridad en línea es su preocupación principal", dijo Blake Irving, vicepresidente corporativo de Servicios de Comunicación y Plataforma de Miembros de MSN. "MSN está totalmente enfocado en ofrecer una experiencia de comunicación más segura y robusta a los consumidores. Al ofrecer limpieza antivirus gratuita ayudamos a proteger a nuestros clientes Hotmail y a toda la comunidad Hotmail en general, así como a los amigos y a los parientes con quienes se escriben vía correo electrónico".

Más adelante este verano, MSN incrementará los límites de almacenamiento para las cuentas MSN Hotmail gratuitas en varios mercados alrededor del mundo. Los clientes recibirán 125 veces más almacenamiento de correo electrónico a través de buzones de 250MB y la capacidad de enviar archivos adjuntos hasta de 10MB. Una vez actualizados, los clientes de MSN Hotmail también obtendrán un Calendario MSN gratuito, que permitirá el uso individual o compartido del calendario.

Mejor correo electrónico Web con MSN Hotmail Plus
El servicio Web de actualización premium, llamado MSN Hotmail Plus, está diseñado para los clientes que desean obtener más de su cuenta de MSN Hotmail. MSN Hotmail Plus tendrá un precio de $19.95 dólares al año en Estados Unidos y proporcionará a los clientes almacenamiento casi infinito: 2 GB de almacenamiento en línea y la capacidad de enviar archivos adjuntos de 20MB, así como almacenamiento limitado fuera de línea según la capacidad del disco duro de su computadora. Los suscriptores a MSN Hotmail Plus recibirán beneficios adicionales, tales como una experiencia de correo electrónico más optimizada, sin anuncios gráficos ni vencimiento de cuenta. Todos los suscriptores actuales a MSN Hotmail Extra Storage en todo el mundo serán actualizados a MSN Hotmail Plus cuando se lancé a nivel global este verano. Los suscriptores a MSN Premium también obtendrán beneficios de almacenamiento adicionales más adelante este año.

"Al incrementar el almacenamiento de MSN Hotmail ayudamos a nuestros clientes a elegir su servicio de correo electrónico con base en la calidad general de la experiencia de servicio", dijo Irving. "Con estas nuevas ofertas, el almacenamiento dejará de ser un problema para los clientes de MSN Hotmail".

Protección más completa
MSN continúa comprometido en hacer de MSN Hotmail uno de los servicios de correo electrónico gratuito más seguros del mundo. El nuevo servicio antivirus avanzado anunciado este día escaneará y limpiará en forma automática los mensajes y los archivos adjuntos sin la intervención de los clientes. Esta medida es parte de nuestros esfuerzos de ofrecer a los consumidores de MSN una protección en línea completa. MSN continúa invirtiendo en herramientas y tecnologías que ayudan a proteger a los consumidores contra amenazas en línea, incluyendo correo no deseado y virus.

Aunque el volumen de correo no deseado fluctúa a diario, las mediciones muestran que la combinación de tecnologías y soluciones Microsoft® evita que casi 3,000 millones de correos no deseados lleguen a los buzones de los clientes cada día. Asimismo, MSN Hotmail brinda varios niveles de filtrado mejorado que permiten a los clientes definir el nivel de control de correo no deseado en su correo electrónico. Al ajustar los filtros de correo no deseado al nivel Exclusivo, los clientes sólo reciben correo electrónico de las direcciones que aparecen en sus contactos, de anuncios de servicios de MSN Hotmail y de mensajes solicitados. Con MSN, los consumidores controlan el correo no deseado que llega a su MSN Hotmail.

Para más información sobre los esfuerzos contra correo no deseado y las innovaciones en protección de correo electrónico de Microsoft soportadas por MSN Hotmail, tales como SmartScreen Technology, Sender ID y Bonded Sender Program, visite http://www.microsoft.com/spam.

Acerca de MSN
MSN atrae a más de 350 millones de usuarios únicos de todo el mundo cada mes. Con versiones localizadas disponibles globalmente en 38 mercados y 18 idiomas, MSN es el líder mundial en entrega de servicios Web para consumidores y en ventas de publicidad para empresas alrededor del mundo. Actualmente el servicio en línea más útil e innovador, MSN proporciona a los consumidores todo lo que necesitan de la Web para aprovechar al máximo su tiempo en línea. MSN se encuentra en la Web en http://www.msn.com/.

Más espacio para los usuarios

2004-06-24T17:13:00.000-06:00

WASHINGTON (EP/AFP)

Microsoft anunció hoy que ofrecerá una capacidad de almacenamiento sin precedentes y sobretodo, gratuita, a las decenas de millones de usuarios de su servicio de correo electrónico, Hotmail.

Microsoft respondió así los avances de su competidor, Yahoo, que ofrece también un servicio gratuito de correos y anuncia que sus usuarios en sus "diversos mercados" podrán beneficiarse de 250 megabytes de almacenamiento gratuito, es decir 100 veces más que antes.

Yahoo anunció hace pocas semanas que aumentó su propia capacidad de almacenamiento a 100 megabytes. Cien megabytes permiten guardar una media de 50.000 páginas de correo electrónico. Las nuevas capacidades comenzarán a funcionar en verano.

De hecho, los dos rivales se enfrentan a un tercero en disputa: Google. El buscador más usado del mundo, que planea salir pronto a bolsa, anunció hace poco que ofrecería un gigabyte de capacidad de almacenamiento gratuito, es decir 500.000 páginas de correo

Estudio EEUU: Hispanos con alta probabilidad de dejar de estudiar

2004-06-24T17:12:00.000-06:00

The Associated Press
06/24/2004

LOS ANGELES - Los estudiantes universitarios hispanos de primer año tienen el 50% menos de probabilidades de obtener su diploma que los otros blancos, reveló un estudio.

Alrededor de un 23% de los estudiantes hispanos de primer año del estudio obtuvieron su diploma a los 26 años, en comparación con un 47% de los otros estudiantes blancos no hispanos, según el estudio divulgado el miércoles por el Centro Hispano Pew de la Universidad de Southern California, en Washington.

Los negros no hispanos registraron peores números que los blancos, con un porcentaje de graduación del 30%. Los estudiantes asiatico-estadounidenses Asian tuvieron una tasa de graduación del 51%, indicó el estudio.

El autor del informe, Richard Fry, dijo que varios factores afectaban a los hispanos: Existe una probabilidad más elevada de que entren a cursar sólo medio tiempo, a fin de contribuir económicamente con sus familias.

Por otra parte, optan por vivir con sus familias en vez de en las residencias estudiantiles, ya que es más barato.

Viviendo en la residencia "es más probable que tengas un mayor vínculo social y académico y que la universidad sea prioridad", dijo Fry.

Los hispanos también suene atender centros universitarios comunitarios y otro tipo de academias donde las tasas de graduación son menores, dijo Fry.

El estudio se le hizo a 13.000 estudiantes desde 1988, un año antes de entrar a la secundaria, hasta el 2000.

La fascinación del fuego

2004-06-24T00:13:00.000-06:00

"encendio fuego tres veces... al menos tres veces nos dimos cuenta."

Dr.Juan Romeu
Barcelona

Los pirómanos tienen en el verano su estación preferida. ¿Qué es ese trastorno? ¿Cómo es posible detectar a los pirómanos antes de que destruyan buena parte de la naturaleza?

La piromanía es un trastorno del control de los impulsos. Otros trastornos de ese tipo son las ludopatías (incapacidad para controlarse en juegos de apuestas o loterías) y la cleptomanía (incapacidad para controlar el deseo de hurtar cosas en tiendas). Los pirómanos son enfermos que disfrutan provocando fuegos y con la contemplación de sus consecuencias.

Su afición enfermiza suele iniciarse en la edad juvenil, con mayor frecuencia en varones y especialmente en aquéllos que destacan poco o nada por habilidades socialmente atractivas. Suelen ser personas solitarias, grises, que no llaman la atención por ninguna cualidad agradable.

Muchos de ellos expresan su atracción por el fuego participando en programas de prevención, de forma voluntaria. Unos pocos llegan a enrolarse en cuerpos de bomberos, pero lo más habitual es que se trate de "espontáneos" dispuestos a echar una mano siempre que un fuego estalla en sus cercanías. Otros, son visitantes asiduos de los museos sobre fuego y de los parques de bomberos.

Es importante señalar que no buscan móviles económicos en sus fuegos, sino simplemente satisfacer su morboso apetito de incendios y de las situaciones afines. El verano es una época excelsa para dichos maníacos, pues resulta fácil, por las condiciones climáticas, extender grandes áreas de fuego a partir de pequeñas hogueras.

No existe tratamiento concreto para este tipo de enfermedad. El mayor problema es la falta de motivación para curarse que estos sujetos experimentan. El encarcelamiento, o la supervisión de por vida, suele ser la única manera de prevenir la repetición de sus actos.

Native Spanish Speakers Getting Help With Spanish

2004-06-19T01:46:00.000-06:00

"Many immigrants grew up speaking Spanish at home and English in school. The result often is mistakes in their native tongue."

more...

Apagón Afecta la Red

2004-06-16T18:57:00.000-06:00

Google, Microsoft y Yahoo! Offline durante una par de horas

Los principales buscadores Google y Yahoo!, así como la web de la todopoderosa Microsoft han estado "offline" durante un par de horas a lo largo del día de ayer.

Se rumorea que no ha sido un fallo en el sistema de gestión de las direcciones de dominios sino que han sufrido un ataque DOS, en el que miles de ordenadores convertidos en una armada de zombis trabajan al unísono para saturar una dirección de Internet.

Akamai Technologies, una compañía con sede en Cambridge (EEUU) que se encarga de adjudicar a cada dirección numérica su correspondiente nombre de dominio y que cuenta entre sus clientes a las empresas mencionadas, dijo que había sido objeto de un "ataque global contra las estructuras de la red".El portavoz de Akamai, Jeff Young, dijo que el ataque estaba dirigido "contra la propia infraestructura de Internet".

Sin embargo, Keynote Systems, una empresa que se dedica a compilar estadísticas sobre la navegación por Internet, señaló que no había detectado signos de ningún ataque a gran escala y que el problema se debió a fallos en el sistema de dominios de Akamai. Según Kenote, algunas de las páginas más populares de Internet, como Microsoft, Yahoo!, Google o Symantec (todas ellas clientes de Akamai) funcionaron al 20 por ciento de su capacidad durante algunas horas del martes.

Un portavoz de Google, David Krane, confirmó el martes que el buscador de Internet se vio afectado durante un corto periodo de tiempo, y señaló que el servicio había sido restablecido.

Microsoft también confirmó que su página de Internet estuvo afectada, pero se remitió a Akamai para información adicional sobre el incidente.

Para Yahoo!, no obstante, los problemas fueron más allá, ya que el incidente coincidió con la ampliación de su servicio de correo electrónico gratuito, que desde el martes permite almacenar hasta cien megabytes en cada cuenta personal. Así, los problemas en el servicio de Yahoo continuaron a lo largo del día, y muchos usuarios no pudieron consultar sus cuentas de correo.

Mujeres del norte

2004-06-16T00:29:00.000-06:00

Por: México del Norte / Jorge Mújica

Ya a nadie le sorprende que las mexicanas emigren.

Hasta hace poco tiempo se hablaba de los pueblos
abandonados por los hombres, al grado que algunos se
jactaban de tener exceso de tierra, mujeres y niños.

Pero las realidades cambian, y las mujeres mexicanas
parece que se cansaron de esperar a los maridos que se
fueron, o a los novios que todavía no regresan, así
que cada vez llegan en mayores cantidades a México del
Norte.

No lo digo yo, lo dice la senadora Lucero Saldaña,
integrante de la Comisión de Equidad y Género, y lo
ratifica la comisionada del Instituto Nacional de las
Mujeres, Patricia Espinosa.

Según las funcionarias, la cifra de mujeres migrantes
se ha elevado hasta llegar al 48 por ciento de los
nuevos migrantes, y poco más de la mitad de las nuevas
ciudadanas de México del Norte tienen entre 12 y 24
años

Para los estudiosos del fenómeno son jefas de
familia, mujeres que sufren violencia intrafamiliar,
féminas que son enganchadas por redes de prostitución,
o simplemente profesionistas o trabajadoras que se
quedaron sin empleo o no lo han encontrado y han
decidido contratarse como empleadas en Estados Unidos.

Muchas vienen con niños, el hijo, la hermana, el
abuelito y por acá las esperan sus hombres, pero otras
vienen solas. Acá ya hay más de 4 millones de
mexicanas, lo que equivale al 4 por ciento de la
población mexicana. Dicen que según las estadísticas
del Consejo Nacional de Población, un 56 por ciento de
las indocumentadas son solteras, y que un 39 por
ciento son jefas de familia.

Son buenas mandadoras de remesas, aunque son más
pobres. Un 42 por ciento envían dinero a su terruño,
dejándonos a los hombres en ridículo, porque solamente
un 39 por ciento de los hombres lo hacemos. En total,
ellas mandan el 20 por ciento de las remesas que
recibe México.

De soldaderas y bailarinas

Sin que sean casos típicos de esta migración, dos
temas de mexicanas en el exterior brincaron la semana
pasada.

El primero es el de Liliana Plata, soldadera en Irak.
A Liliana se la trajo su mamá, huyendo de la violencia
doméstica en México. Cuando el marido le secuestró al
hermano, la mamá de Liliana volvió a huir, cambiándole
el nombre a la hija.

Dieciocho años después, luego de 6 años en la Fuerza
Aérea y 7 meses en Irak, la soldado Liliana Plata fue
enviada de vuelta a Estados Unidos. Pero no como
héroe, sino acusada de fraude de identidad. Resulta
que es indocumentada y está en proceso de deportación.

El otro es, si se puede, peor.

Resulta que las mexicanas cada día son más populares
en Canadá, país que al contrario de Estados Unidos,
tiene un activo "programa bracero", de esos que quiere
Vicente Fox.

En los últimos años, Canadá ha dado un montón de
visas a mexicanas con experiencia en bailes exóticos.
Es tal su popularidad, que México se ha convertido en
el segundo exportador de bailarinas a Canadá después
de Rumania.

Las visas son buenas por seis meses, se otorgan en
base a las fotos de las candidatas, su curriculum y su
experiencia en esta industria.

El programa de visas es, dice el Servicio de
Inmigración y Ciudadanía de Canadá, para "ayudar a
empleadores canadienses a enfrentar la escasez de
empleados capacitados" en ciertas industrias. Las
bailarinas exóticas mexicanas reciben sus visas
temporales para entretener a los canadienses en los
bares de "strip tease".

En fin, que México del Sur hace poco por sus mujeres
migrantes, empezando porque no ha podido darles
trabajo ni a las bailarinas exóticas.

Ah, pero eso si. Según el subsecretario de Relaciones
Exteriores para América del Norte, Gerónimo Gutiérrez,
si se ha puesto especial atención por lo menos en un
aspecto. En el renovado pacto de mecanismos de
repatriación que Santiago Creel firmó con Colin Powel
hay un capítulo que especifica un trato diferenciado a
grupos vulnerables, entre ellos las mujeres. El "trato
especial" significa que no las deporten de noche.

¡Tremendo triunfo! ¡Liliana Plata llegará de día, y
las striptiseras podrán terminar su jornada de
trabajo!

Yahoo! ofrece 100Mb

2004-06-16T00:15:00.000-06:00

A partir de hoy, todos los mails gratuitos de Yahoo contarán con un espacio de almacenamiento de 100 megabytes. De esta manera, la empresa busca contrarrestar los planes de Google, que ofrecerá cuentas con un espacio de almacenamiento de 1.000 megabytes.

Sigue la pelea de los correos gratuitos.

Luego de recibir los embates de Hotmail y Google en la llamada guerra de los correos gratuitos, Yahoo contestó con munición gruesa. La compañía aumentó en 25 veces la capacidad de almacenamiento de cuentas de mails. Ahora, los usuarios de la empresa contarán con hasta 100 Megabytes.

Además, La empresa analiza nuevas estrategias para atraer más usuarios. Para ello decidió permitir que la gente empiece a solicitar direcciones que estuvieron inactivas por años. Con esta estrategia, Yahoo quiere atraer a usuarios de internet que mostraron interés en abrir una cuenta gratuita con ellos, pero se desanimaron cuando se dieron cuenta que la dirección que querían estaba tomada.

Yahoo dijo que "decenas de millones" de direcciones electrónicas inactivas serán reactivadas y ofrecidas de nuevo. "Este es un mercado muy competitivo y decidimos escuchar a nuestros clientes para hacer lo que nuestros usuarios quieren", dijo Brad Garlinghouse, vicepresidente de productos de comunicación de la compañía.

A partir de hoy, todos los mails gratuitos de Yahoo contarán con un espacio de almacenamiento de 100 megabytes. De esta manera, la empresa busca contrarrestar los planes de Google, que ofrecerá cuentas con un espacio de almacenamiento de 1.000 megabytes.

El correo de Google son provistas a través del servicio Gmail, que aún se encuentra en período de prueba.

Hasta ahora, Yahoo ofrecía mails con capacidad de 4 Mb y 6 Mb. "Este es un mercado muy competitivo y hemos estado escuchando a nuestros clientes para hacer lo que nuestros usuarios quieren", dijo Brad Garlinghouse, vicepresidente de productos de comunicación de Yahoo.

Por su parte los usuarios del servicio de pago Yahoo Mail Plus, (que cuesta 20 dólares al año), disfrutarán de 2 gigabytes de almacenamiento. Además, Yahoo aumentó el volumen máximo de los mensajes que pueden enviarse hasta 10 megabytes, frente a los 3 megabytes anteriores.

In Depth: Myths, Heroes, and History

2004-06-14T23:45:00.000-06:00

by By Jared R. Stallones, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Education
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

No event in American history is more laden with myth than the 1836 seige and defense of the Alamo. Visitors to San Antonio, Texas, are sometimes surprised to find that the Alamo is not a designated monument managed by the National Parks Service, but a shrine superintended by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT). The DRT has sometimes been criticized as more interested in perpetuating myth than in strict historical accuracy. One author accused the caretakers of maintaining names on a plaque listing those who had died defending the Alamo long after it was evident that some named on the plaque had lived long past the event. Alternate versions of the Alamo story arose. Hints circulated that Davy Crockett's name appears on land titles dated as late as the 1850s, and that the Alamo heroes were not given a proper burial by Juan Seguin, but were unceremoniously burned by the Mexican forces and dumped in a mass grave over which a department store was later erected. Likely, both versions of the Alamo story contain large portions of myth, that tendency to not let the facts interfere with a good story. So, how does myth make its way into history, and how should we deal with it in the story of the Alamo?

Myth arises in history because of the way history is done, and the way it is used, and the story of the Alamo has been especially susceptible to the forces of historical mythmaking. First, because historians are not omniscient, it is impossible to reconstruct an event with utter accuracy. We marshal our facts to tell a story and fill in the gaps in our knowledge with speculations. These speculations have the potential to grow into myths.

In the case of the Alamo, only a few eyewitnesses to events inside the mission survived. Susanna Dickinson had accompanied her husband, Captain Almeron Dickinson, to the mission and stayed there once the Mexican forces initiated their siege. She lived until 1883 and told her version of the Alamo siege many times. However, her perspective was limited. She could be in only one place at a time. Once the battle began, that place for her and her daughter, Angelina, was hidden out of harm's way. She had no firsthand knowledge of the actions or demise of any of the defenders in the final stages of the battle. Additionally, in subsequent years, she frequently applied to the Texas government for a pension due to her husband's military service. We would be naive not to assume that her version of events was tailored for her audience. So, even an eyewitness account may be skewed by perspective and the purpose for which the story is told.

Myth arises in history because history is used for political purposes. In the days after the fall of the Alamo, the story of the noble few bravely facing overwhelming odds was used to galvanize popular opinion against the ruling Mexican government and to enlist volunteers to fight the invading Mexican army. In this cause, whatever atrocities were committed by Mexican soldiers were likely embellished. The preening General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was made more villainous then he likely was in reality. The Texians also had a wider audience for their story. President David G. Burnet and the other political leaders of the fledgling Republic of Texas hoped that the United States government would join their cause. The United States was rapidly adding stars to its flag as western territories became states, and it was logical that Texas would be next. Portraying the Texians as Davids against an imperial Goliath using the Alamo as the centerpiece served Texas' political purpose. It is no surprise, then, that General Sam Houston's rallying cry at the Battle of San Jacinto, "Remember the Alamo," has become a universal call to action far beyond the borders of Texas.

Myth also arises in history as we use our national story to tell us about ourselves. In countless retellings, we emphasize the events and characters in American history that portray us as we would like to be. The siege of the Alamo occurred at a time when the story of the United States was beginning to adopt mythological elements. The founders had passed from the scene and their lives began to function as character models for the young people in the nation's newly formed public schools. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and other Virginians became models of civic virtue. Why not the Texians?

So, in the Alamo myth Davy Crockett becomes the symbol of defiance in the face of overwhelming odds as he bravely swings his spent rifle as a club against his attackers. Jim Bowie symbolizes courage and irony as he rises from his deathbed, pistols blazing, before he is bayoneted by Mexican soldiers as he reaches for his famed Bowie knife. William B. Travis embodies servant leadership as he is unceremoniously felled by a musket ball while defending the walls shoulder to shoulder with the common soldiers. These are heroes' deaths as we would like them to have been, and in lieu of evidence to the contrary, why not?

Promotional materials for The Alamo, the new movie starring Dennis Quaid and Billy Bob Thornton, state that, as a native Texan, Director John Lee Hancock felt he had to "get it right" in every respect. Did he? Probably not. Did he need to? No, because history is a story. Even if it was possible to ferret out every historical factoid with complete accuracy, that is not the point. While we should not ignore the nobility of our ancestors as some revisionists do, in order to create anti-heroes in American history, neither should we ignore their character defects to make marble caricatures that we could never imitate. The story of the siege and defense of the Alamo provides an opportunity for us to appreciate the strength of ordinary men made extraordinary by their display of character under pressure. They provide a model of courage and nobility that we can emulate when we are called to cross the line in the sand.

The Alamo: History Lite

2004-06-14T23:43:00.000-06:00

By Ted Baehr

There are some historical inaccuracies and some unnecessary obscenities in The Alamo, but this heroic tale is told in good faith and lifts up cardinal virtues.

CBN.com – The Alamo is an entertaining movie with a good heart that tries to accurately present the history of this famous American event. That said, there is a lot to critique in the movie. The movie tries to investigate the characters of Davy Crockett, William Travis, Jim Bowie, and Sam Houston. It succeeds with all of them except Crockett. Historically, Davy Crockett was not only a big man, but he was a man of great Christian virtue. Billy Bob Thornton's portrayal is smiley and reversed, and it does not give the great scope and depth necessary to the charismatic Crockett.

Compared to previous versions, there is a lot of good history in The Alamo. Bowie and Houston have more depth, while Travis comes off as a real hero. There are slight inaccuracies in the battle, and some of the dialogue is static rather than dramatic. Furthermore, there are some unnecessary obscenities in the movie, language which would not have been used at that time. In truth, the movie is greater than the sum of its parts. It tells the story and lifts up cardinal virtues such as heroism, self sacrifice, patriotism, trust, loyalty, forgiveness, and faith.

Google loses to Yahoo

2004-06-14T23:38:00.000-06:00

From The Courier Mail

GOOGLE'S efforts in the Australian market have taken a body blow as News Interactive yesterday became the third major online publisher to sign a search marketing distribution agreement with Yahoo's subsidiary Overture.

The News Corporation Ltd's online arm joined Fairfax's F2 and CNN in ditching Google in favour of Overture, which has also signed No1 website publisher Ninemsn in the four months since it opened a local office. Both News Interactive - which publishes AustralianIT - and F2 had been Google customers for just over a year.

The losses for Google's local operations come as the company prepares for its highly anticipated $US2.7 billion ($3.9 billion) float.

The News deal was Overture's most comprehensive to date, as Overture would also provide search functionality within NI websites and contextual advertisements alongside content services, which NI managing director Nic Jones said Google had been unable to offer in Australia. But there was general dissatisfaction with Google's service.

"The reality is they haven't committed that much resources and time to Australia because they've worried more about other areas," he said. "We've had six different account managers within Google in a very short space of time, and getting them to concentrate has been pretty tough.

"I would suspect others have had similar experiences."

The agreement was initially for three years and Mr Jones, who was formerly the managing director of Yahoo Australia, said other Overture partnerships were being discussed. Google declined to comment.

Search marketing, which allows publishers to display relevant text-based advertisements next to search results with particular keywords, has grown quickly and is expected to be worth more than $US2 million this year, providing a badly needed second wind for the online advertising market after the dotcom crash.

Overture pioneered the concept before it was bought by Yahoo in July, but Google and other companies, such as Australian-founded LookSmart, have also offered search marketing services.

Overture's Australian managing director, Mel Bohse, said that, unlike Google, her company did not have its own high-profile web presence, which meant there was less risk to publishers of their readers being diverted to another search destination. Ms Bohse said that the agreement took Overture's distribution reach to 85 per cent of Australia's online population.

Search marketing allows advertisers to bid against competitors by paying more to receive a more prominent placement in the case of popular keywords.

Ms Bohse said that, unlike its competitors, Overture employed editorial staff to ensure the keyword placements were being bought by companies with a legitimate link to the word.

She pointed to the Jetstar launch, when Flight Centre bought advertising links on Google so that web users searching for "Jetstar" were served up sponsored links to the travel agency.

"That would never happen on Overture. It's not a good experience for consumers to be taken somewhere they don't want to go," Ms Bohse said.

"And it's not good for advertisers, they're looking for qualified leads."

Población hispana de Estados Unidos rozó los 40 millones en 2003

2004-06-14T17:44:00.000-06:00

Washington (EFE).- Estados Unidos tenía en julio de 2003 39,9 millones de hispanos, la principal minoría y el grupo de mayor crecimiento del país, que aumentó en un 13 por ciento desde abril de 2000, según informó hoy la Oficina del Censo.
En ese período de 39 meses, el número de latinos en este país se incrementó en 4.592 millones de personas, lo que significa una tasa de crecimiento cuatro veces superior a la media de la población de EEUU.

El Censo de 2000 situó la población hispana estadounidense en 35.305 millones, lo que significa que en los últimos tres años la población latina ha aumentado a un ritmo de algo más de 1,5 millones al año.

Durante el período de 39 meses investigado por esa institución el crecimiento demográfico en general de Estados Unidos fue de 3 por ciento, con lo que este país alcanzó una población total de 290,8 millones de personas.

Los datos del Censo indican que la amplia corriente de inmigrantes hispanos y asiáticos que cobró impulso en la década de los 90, siguió la misma tendencia al alza a principios de la actual década a pesar de la recesión económica y de los atentados del 11 de septiembre de 2001.

Otro factor del aumento demográfico entre esa minoría es el hecho de que los latinos de EEUU, que pueden ser de cualquier raza, tienen un alto índice de nacimientos en comparación con otros grupos de la población.

La Oficina del Censo asegura en su informe de hoy que los blancos no hispanos continúan siendo el mayor grupo de población, con 197,3 millones de personas, y un crecimiento del 0,9 por ciento en el período 2000-2003.

Las proyecciones del Censo difundidas en los primeros meses de 2004 muestran que la población blanca no hispana podría reducirse hasta quedar igualada al conjunto de las demás minorías para el año 2050.

Organizaciones que promueven el voto de los hispanos en las elecciones del 2 de noviembre próximo aseguraron que las revelaciones demográficas publicadas hoy confirman que los latinos están consolidando su fuerza política y económica en EEUU, y que en el futuro cercano tendrán un enorme poder de decisión.

Kerry supera a Bush

2004-06-11T01:36:00.000-06:00

El candidato demócrata John Kerry cuenta con el 51% de la intención de voto frente a 44% para el presidente George W. Bush, de acuerdo con una encuesta difundida el jueves.

Pero la ventaja de siete puntos porcentuales en favor de Kerry pasa a ser sólo de seis cuando se incluye al postulante independiente Ralph Nader, según un sondeo de opinión publicado por el diario Los Angeles Times.

Al ser consultados sobre los tres aspirantes a la presidencia, el 48% de los entrevistados dijo que votaría a Kerry, y el 42% optó por Bush.

Más de un tercio de los encuestados dijo que no conocía lo suficiente a Kerry como para decir si será mejor presidente que Bush.

Pero cuando le preguntaron quién tiene más probabilidades de cambiar su posición en algunos temas, respondieron que Kerry con un margen de 2 a 1.

El 56% opinó que Bush era ‘‘demasiado ideológico y testarudo’’, mientras que el 16% dijo lo mismo de Kerry.

La mayoría de los entrevistados respaldó a Kerry en temas como el fortalecimiento de la economía, el respeto de Estados Unidos en el mundo, y el manejo del sistema de cuidado de la salud.

La encuesta telefónica fue realizada entre 1.230 votantes de todo el país entre el sábado y el martes. El margen de error es de más o menos tres puntos porcentuales.

Gatekeepers of our dreams

2004-06-10T12:23:00.000-06:00

By Ted Baehr

Hollywood, Calif. - A recent article in the Los Angeles Times about the homosexual marriage debate said, "The right can't win this one." Not so, the truth is that we can win it, because the wrong would destroy the future of our children and grandchildren.

In fact, this is a time when Nobel prize-winning scientists like Dr. Gary Becker and prestigious Ivy League institutions like Dartmouth College have found that babies are hardwired for a father and a mother. In fact, no one can replace a mother's care. Touching, cooing, and cuddling are not just pleasant activities; they are essential for the baby's cerebral frontal lobe to develop. This hardwired need cannot be fulfilled by some surrogate mother or caregiver, and a father is just as essential for the child to develop biologically.

Furthermore, the facts have shown that while a significant percentage of young adolescents may curiously explore same-sex relations, by the time they're 25, only a very small proportion - only 2.8 percent - are stuck in that adolescent stage of development. So with morality on our side, facts on our side, science on our side, and the survival of mankind on our side, how can we lose?

We can lose because we have abandoned the mass media of entertainment to those who value perversion and license over a healthy society, a long productive life, and prosperity. Susan Sarandon has said that the media elite are the keepers of our dreams, and they've been injecting nightmares into our culture, demonic visions promoting lust, porno violence, and perversion. To refute these dreams, we have relied on articles like this, and on preaching, teaching, and the facts, but it doesn't work.

The keepers of our dreams in Hollywood understand, as did their forefathers such as Dr. Joseph Goebbels, that "the play is the thing that captures the attention of the king." Goebbels tried documentaries and propaganda campaigns to destroy the morality of the German people and failed. Then, he started making dramatic movies like I ACCUSE, and he perverted the German people from being 90% against "mercy killing" of unwanted people to 60% in favor of it. His successors of perversion have implanted porno-erotic nightmares into our minds. They understand the power of the story. They have few resources, but they use them well.

Every year, the church and charity takes more than 25 times more money than movies do at the box office. Yet, churches have not used their resources to create compelling stories to shape our culture. Jesus understood the power of stories; He used parables in most of His preaching and teaching, but only once did He give a Sermon on the Mount.

The message is that if we want to win the battle for the future of our families, for our children and grandchildren, we need to create the stories that will give people a vision of truth, love, and hope, and help them understand that the way of perversion is death.

Christian churches need to start supporting Christians who make entertaining, successful mainstream movies, videos, and TV programs that promote a Christocentric, biblical worldview, but a worldview which does not compromise the moral and spiritual values taught by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. After all, Jesus Christ minced no words in Mark 7:20-23 when He declared, in no uncertain terms that all sex outside of heterosexual marriage, all murder, all slander, all deceit, all arrogance, all greed, all malice, all stealing, and all lewdness to be evil.

We seem to have lost this sense of evil in today's culture, even in our churches but especially in the entertainment we feed our children and grandchildren. We need to ask ourselves, therefore, what are we, as people of the Book, doing to recover this Great Truth? Why are we surrendering the souls of our children to the Enemy, to do with as he will? If churches and parents will not protect the eyes of innocence, who will?

Stand Up for America!

2004-06-10T03:18:00.000-06:00

By Ted Baehr

Support the Red, White and Blue

Dear Concerned Friend,

On July 2nd, just in time to celebrate Fourth of July, a very rare phenomenon will occur -- a truly patriotic movie will come to a theater near you. Called AMERICA'S HEART AND SOUL, it is a movie that will make you want to stand up and cheer for America.

You can receive a FREE AMERICA'S HEART AND SOUL Bible Study Guide by calling 1-888-DISNEY6 (1-888-347-6396)!

AMERICA'S HEART AND SOUL is a beautifully photographed ode to the best in America -- a Spirit-filled documentary celebrating what is good in the USA. This captivating documentary introduces us to individuals around the country, from Thomas Roudy Roudebush, one of the last cowboys in Colorado, to dairy farmer musician George Woodard, to aerobatic pilot Patty Wagstaff, to Olympic boxer Michael Bennett, to blind mountain climber Erik Weihenmayer, who is climbing the tallest peak on each of the seven continents, to jazz musician James Andrews, to oil well firefighter Ace Barnes, to gospel singer Mosie Burks, and many more.

AMERICA'S HEART AND SOUL presents captivating portraits of people full of faith and values. In the process, it teaches us something about America and something about the soul.

The movie is peppered with great faithful reflections. Mosie Burks had to take care of her younger siblings after her mother died. She would work and cook all night and then go to bed praying for miracles; the next morning, God would provide through a loving neighbor or unknown benefactor.

One vineyard owner talks about God's glory and Jesus' first miracle. Another asks if Jesus came back, what kind of car would He drive? Another talks about the sovereignty of God. And, another claims that "God blesses me to bless Him." Furthermore, the gospel songs, as well as the other music, are faithful and terrific.

AMERICA'S HEART AND SOUL tugs at the heartstrings, and the photography is superb. The music is representative of the different individuals. It is several movie vignettes that have come together to form a seamless whole. This is a courageous movie to distribute and should make everyone who sees it stand up and cheer for America.

If you love your country, you will want to see this movie when it opens. It has a limited marketing budget and will not stay around unless YOU support it.

Please take your family and friends and stand up for America by going to see AMERICA'S HEART AND SOUL.

AMERICA'S HEART AND SOUL is COMING SOON TO A THEATRE NEAR YOU.

To find the closest theatre to you showing AMERICA'S HEART AND SOUL, go to www.americasheartandsoul.com . You can even order tickets online in advance on the site.

Call 1-888-DISNEY6 (1-888-347-6396) to get your FREE AMERICA'S HEART AND SOUL bible study guide.

See AMERICA¹S HEART AND SOUL when it opens in on July 2nd, 2004!

New role for Google

2004-06-07T17:58:00.000-06:00

Source: FCW.com

Company pitches search appliance for agency intranets

Google Inc. officials introduced a new version of the Google Search Appliance last week, a move company officials hope will help the popular Internet search engine developer make inroads into the intranet market and become even more appealing to government agencies.

First launched in 2002, the search appliance is already in use by agencies such as the departments of Energy, Education and Defense and by state governments, including Arkansas, Tennessee and Virginia. The new version comes shortly after company officials announced the initial public offering of their stock, which greatly interested investors all over the world.

The original appliance held up to 300,000 documents and could perform approximately 60 queries per minute. Agencies, however, continue to put more and more information on their intranets and many, particularly at the state and local levels, are using the search appliance to open their documents to the public. Designed to accommodate that expansion, Google's new version supports up to 1.5 million documents with queries performed at about five times the previous speed, said Dave Girouard, general manager for Google's enterprise group.

Its ability to continuously search the network for new documents a change from the previous periodic batch checks helps keep search results up-to-date and cuts down on bandwidth problems, Girouard said.

"This begins to be strong enough to support the full enterprise," he said.

Arkansas has been using the current search appliance since 2002, moving to it after years of trying to use free open-source search engines. "Those just weren't meeting our needs," said Janet Grard, general manager with NIC Inc., which runs the state's Web portal under the oversight of the Information Network of Arkansas.

The Google appliance was easy to install and the basic administrative features, such as the support for multiple file formats, have been critical, Grard said. "It is very flexible, and it provides the quality search results we need."

For users with even greater needs, there are clustered versions with five or eight of the appliances grouped together that provide much greater capacity. Clusters can be placed and administered anywhere geographically, so they also provide redundancy, Girouard said.

As easy and comfortable as it is for users and administrators, however, the Google Search Appliance is not the solution for everyone seeking access to their documents, said Sue Feldman, research vice president of content technologies at IDC.

"There are large enterprise installations that have very knowledgeable staff and have very specific things that they want to have in their search," she said. "And then there are smaller organizations, and they just want to provide access to their documents and, by God, all they want is [the] Google" Internet search engine.

The search appliance relies on the same basic technology as the search engine with which so many are familiar. In addition to focusing on a defined set of pages instead of the entire Internet, the biggest difference is that administrators can easily control security and access. Many agency documents are not intended for general view.

In the new version, the security is based on HTML forms that pull the authentication and authorization rules for users from existing policies, such as those in Microsoft Corp.'s Active Directory in Windows.

"Our system will essentially inherit the credentials for each document," Girouard said. "What we're trying to avoid is the search engine becoming a leak."

There are also usage reports to tell administrators what documents users are pulling up, tools to automatically find and report broken links and the ability to prioritize documents through a tool called KeyMatch. That tool allows administrators to set certain documents to be highlighted in some way, ensuring that users will notice them when certain searches are performed, such as flagging a new payroll form for searches involving the words "pay" or "benefits."

That last feature has been particularly helpful, because officials often want to make sure people see specific documents or services, Grard said.

Arkansas officials have not tested the new version of the appliance yet, although the state's contract is up for renewal soon, Grard said. But beyond the greater capacity and faster search times, the new continuous crawling of the network would be a big plus, ensuring that government users and citizens are finding the most up-to-date information and documents, she said.

The Google Search Appliance is fairly inexpensive compared to full document management applications, with a baseline cost of $32,000. That seems to be a big draw for many government agencies that are looking to get some basic capability for their users, particularly at the state and local levels where budgets are tighter, Girouard said.

For cash-strapped agencies, the increased capacity and search time "means you're getting more bang for your buck," Feldman said. "If you just want to plug it in and go it's pretty affordable compared to some of the search applications."

That really is the appliance's selling point, she said. It doesn't take much time and it takes little expertise for a system administrator to install it and get it going. It will not, however, replace a full document-management application, and organizations have to decide which capability they need and whether they have the technology and expertise to meet that need.

"You've got basic search vs. lots of flexibility and lots of features it's just a different approach," Feldman said.

A los veteranos

2004-06-06T02:20:00.000-06:00

Carta abierta a los veteranos de la Segunda Guerra Mundial del Secretario de Asuntos del Veterano, Anthony J. Principi

Estimado y honrado veterano:

Un momento único en la historia Americana, el 7 de diciembre del 1941, permanece para siempre como “un día de infamia”. En respuesta al reto de ese día, usted y millones de sus compatriotas orquestaron una fuerza por la justicia sin precedentes en la historia humana. Ustedes dejaron sus hogares, sus fincas, sus industrias y sus escuelas para levantar sus armas y combatir los vientos de la tiránica guerra que soplaron sobre los continentes, océanos e islas del mundo.

Desde Tunisia al Mar de Coral, desde Monte Casino al Atlántico del Norte, desde las junglas de Burma al aire sobre Berlín, desde Iwo Jima a Normandía y a lo largo del frente en casa, los hombres y mujeres en uniforme – ya fuera en fatigas verdes o uniformes blancos de hospital – lucharon desinteresadamente para terminar con un arrasador terror global.

Se enfrentaron al enemigo en el campo de batalla donde sus botas se congelaron en el terreno invernal o se derritieron en el calor de la selva; confrontaron al enemigo de la Democracia bajo las olas y sobre las nubes; le hicieron frente a los opositores de la libertad a costa de su propia libertad – experimentaron la brutalidad de los campos de concentración y la crueldad de Bataan…y aún peor. Sin embargo, a través de todo esto, resultaron victoriosos sobre los malvados que nunca pudieron saborear la victoria porque los Americanos estaban prestos a izar la bandera de la libertad.

De los 16 millones de Americanos que sirvieron en la Segunda Guerra Mundial, más de 400,000 de sus compatriotas hicieron el sacrificio máximo sobre el altar de la libertad, y casi 700,000 soldados, marineros, pilotos y Marines regresaron a sus hogares heridos o incapacitados. Desde entonces, diez millones de veteranos de la Segunda Guerra Mundial se han despedido de esta vida y ahora descansan en honor eterno.

Por su valor y fortaleza, a través de su amor por la paz y su fe en la libertad, los enemigos de la libertad aprendieron sobre la afilada navaja de la justicia que los ciudadanos Americanos – soldados – hombres y mujeres – no permiten tiranos y agresores.

La misma determinación sin egoísmo y propósito de misión que inspiró a los GI’s Americanos a sobreponerse a los obstáculos de la guerra y construir una nueva paz, les inspiraron a reconstruir a América junto a sus compañeros. Su compromiso con nuestro país encendió una flama de honor que permanece encendida. Hoy, la antorcha de la libertad, alimentada por sus desinteresados sacrificios realizados hace ya tantas décadas, brilla como un farol de esperanza a través del mundo.

Aunque nunca solicitaron que se dijeran las palabras, es hora de que escuchen a América decir “Gracias”. Gracias por todo lo que disfrutamos hoy como ciudadanos de una gran y próspera Nación; gracias por un país bendito con numerosos derechos y libertades que nos hacen únicos – y envidiados – en el mundo entero; y gracias por poner en riesgo sus vidas por los nobles principios de la democracia que son tan inmutables hoy como cuando se fundó nuestra Nación hace 227 años, y tal como eran hace 60 años cuando ustedes se sostuvieron firmes en su defensa.

A nombre de una Nación agradecida, les saludo.
/s/ Anthony J. Principi
Secretario de Asuntos del Veterano

Aztec Eagles commemorate WWII service

2004-05-31T02:13:00.000-06:00

By LISA HOFFMAN
November 5, 2003

They were called the "Aztec Eagles," a squadron of Mexican fighter pilots who flew side-by-side with Americans during World War II battles against the Japanese.

Once 300 strong, these volunteers made history as Mexico's first - and only - military force to serve outside the Latin American nation's borders.

Now, 59 years later, their numbers are fading fast, with just 10 of the combat pilot and ground crew veterans still alive. Last month, the U.S. Defense Department honored their long-ago service, which is little known in America and largely forgotten in Mexico.

"We receive more attention in the United States than in our own country," said retired Mexican air force Col. Carlos Garduno, 79, at the Pentagon's Hispanic American Heritage Month observance.

Mexico was one of a handful of countries in the Western hemisphere which contributed troops to the Allied effort against the Germans, Italians or Japanese. Among those was Brazil, which sent 25,000 men to the Italian front and served as a supply bridge between the United States and Australia. Canada and other parts of the British empire also pitched in.

The Mexican squadron - called El Escuadron 201 in Mexico - was created in 1944 after the Mexican government overcame still-fresh resentments over the 1847 war with the United States and America's occupation of Veracruz in 1914 during Mexico's civil war. A 1942 German U-boat attack on two Mexican oil tankers in the Gulf of Mexico prodded Mexico into declaring war on the Axis.

In the summer of 1944, Garduno and the other pilots and crew were dispatched to several military bases in Texas and Idaho for nearly a year of training in engineering, communications, air tactics, formation flying and gunnery.

In April 1945, the squadron arrived at Clark Field in the Philippines, where it was attached to the Army's 5th Air Force, 58th Fighter Group. From there, 31 pilots flew P-47D Thunderbolt single-seat fighter aircraft in missions aimed at pushing the Japanese out of Luzon and Formosa.

In all, the squadron flew 59 combat missions during its six months at war. The pilots' targets were oil depots, bridges, ships, ports and ground forces. Five Mexican pilots were killed.

Their performance even drew the notice of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, U.S. commander of the Pacific theater.

"I have watched over its combat activities with growing pride and admiration," MacArthur said.

After the war, members of the squadron received U.S. Air Medals and the Mexican Medal of Valor. Mexico erected a modest monument to their service in Mexico City's sprawling Chapultapec Park.

Garduno said his squadron colleagues formed a veterans association, and on Nov. 18 every year commemorate their return from the Pacific front. Retired after 37 years in the Mexican air force, Garduno said citizens of the United States and Mexico should remember their countries' alliance in war and aim for the same close friendship in peaceful times.

"Unity, cooperation and integrity for our beliefs in freedom are the important thing," Garduno told the American Forces Press Service.

"We won the war, but we still want to be winning the peace that we've had since then."

Website http://www.medalofvalor.com/AztecEaglesWWII.htm

New Movie Mocks Christian Faith

2004-05-28T13:06:00.000-06:00

Hollywood, Calif. - Ted Baehr, world-renowned media scholar and founder of the Christian Film & Television CommissionTM ministry, says the new Hollywood movie, SAVED!, to be released May 28 by MGM, is a sad, bigoted, anti-Christian movie that mocks the Christian faith.

He urged other religious leaders, including Jewish and Moslem leaders, to warn their constituents about the "bigoted" movie, which stars Mandy Moore and Macaulay Culkin in a story about self-righteous Christian youths, set in an uptight Christian school.

"SAVED! is a hateful, politically correct movie," Dr. Baehr declared. "The movie is being heavily marketed to the community it mocks to lead Christian youth astray and make them hate their faith."

"The one character who tries to preach the Gospel in the movie," he noted, "is actually the villain in the movie. The heroine, Mary, played by Jena Malone, is told in a vision by Jesus to fornicate with the school hunk in order to save him from homosexuality."

"At the end, Mary learns that her true friends are a rebellious Jewish girl who claims to have been a stripper and the villain's brother, who denies being a Christian and lusts after the so-called stripper."

Dr. Baehr asks, "Imagine if this movie were set in a Jewish school with the faithful Jewish children cast as the villains and the Christian as the heroine who exposes their legalism. Or, what if it were set in an Islamic school, with the faithful Muslims cast as the villains and a Jewish girl as the heroine?"

"The outcry in the press would be tremendous!"

"Just as it would be wrong to mock Jews and Muslims, so it is wrong to mock Christians and God."

www.movieguide.org

GmailSwap

2004-05-27T23:48:00.000-06:00

GmailSwap was created with a simple idea in mind: to exchange Gmail invitations/accounts for other good, being those material, spiritual, or merely funny.

The offers vary from money, gift cards, software, hardware, and of course, sex.

A few days ago it seemed as a good way to obtain an invite to Gmail, but lately, several users are complaining about being scammed after sending money or invitations, getting nothing in exchange.

Good luck!

¿Qué es GmailSwap?

2004-05-25T00:58:00.000-06:00

GmailSwap fue creado con una idea simple: el intercambiar cuentas de Gmail por otros bienes, sean estos materiales, espirituales, o meramente graciosos.

Las ofertas van desde dinero, tarjetas de regalo, software, hardware, y por supuesto sexo.

Hace una semana parecia una buena forma de conseguir una cuenta de email, pero ultimamente, muchos de los usuarios se quejan de haber sido defraudados al enviar su dinero o invitación y no recibir nada a cambio.

Suerte!

Sorteo en España

2004-05-25T00:38:00.000-06:00

El premio será una invitación para abrir una cuenta en GMAIL.

El sitio "Diario de un Jabalí" está rifando una invitación para abrir una cuenta nuevecita de Gmail.

Gmail es el nuevo portal de correo electrónico desarrollado por el buscador Google. Gmail ha generado mucha expectativa desde que lanzo sus pruebas beta, el pasado 1ro de abril. La mayor atracción de éste nuevo servicio de correo electrónico es que cada cuenta tendrá un gigabyte de espacio (1000MB).

Hasta ahora, las cuentas Gmail se pueden abrir solamente por invitación. "Diario de un Jabalí" tiene una invitación extra que quiere compartir con algun afortunado cibernauta.

Para ganar la cuenta gratuita solo se necesita dejar un mensaje en el sitio (.../archivos/categorias/internet/quieres_una_cuenta_gmail.html), y esperar a que el administrador del sitio seleccione a un ganador.

Gmail: overrated and underestimated.

2004-05-20T12:40:00.000-06:00

Who needs 1000MB of space, and why?

A whole gigabyte for all your photos, email messages, years of conversations, passwords, spam, mp3's, videos, and any other fragment of your cyberlife. Thousands of records in your inbox that make you a digital being. That is the new offer of Gmail, a concept of Google, the ones who brought you a new paradigm in searching, the verb "to google", and now a new contender in the free email arena.

Will you use "all" that space? Yes.

One gig sounds like a lot of space, and you are thinking that you'll never fill it up, but c'mon, remember when 10MB of email space was humongus?. It was just 1992 when the first 1GB hard drives where available for PC's. Back then it seemed like enought space to install Windows, Lotus, and all of your DOS files. There was no premonition of your dog's digital pictures, your vacation videos, and much less the web as we know it, including all your emails.

Will other contenders offer similar amounts of space?

My prediction is that free email boxes will become the standard. Oops, I meant free-with-tons-of-space-free. I keep getting these flashbacks and it seems 1997 all over again... people is excited about free email accounts! Free with more-space-than-you-need, that is. While today, a Gmail is equal to 500 Hotmail, or 250 Yahoo accounts, it is likely that other email providers will step up their offers, since page views are imperative for those portals who want to keep in the loop and grace of advertisers.

Why is Google doing email?

Seems a good move for Google to go into the email business, because first of all, as they say in their Gmail FAQ, it is a "natural area" to assist users search their emails. I sense that AdSense (pun intended) is partially responsible for all this non-sense. The business approach implies that Gmail offers a "natural area" of growth to AdSense to display more ads in the web... the more available content (in forms of email conversations), the more targeted those ads will be... bringing a better ROI for advertisers. Just like Hotmail advertises for MSN, and YahooMail for Yahoo, Gmail advertises for Google.

Page views is the other culprit in this story. While MS has many online properties bringing them millions of page views (Hotmail, MSN, Microsoft, BCentral, as well as international counterparts for these properties and many others as well as partnerships); and Yahoo has many services as well: chat, auctions, mail, and of course, search engine and directory; leaving Google in third please of page views.

It is obvious that Google, before IPO'ing wants to increase visitors and page views.

Other services are already stepping up to the 1GB offer. Yahoo will offer 1000MB to their premium users and 100MB to their free ones. SpyMac.com is offering a 1000MB account already.

And, as I said in a previous paragraph, it will not be as much as we thing. This gigabyte inboxes will be soon filled with photos, videos, audio, and anyother rich content that we can find.

What is worst, they will be filled with rich content spam.

Oh well, I've been looking for a GMAIL account for a while now... to no avail. It is not available to me because I don't want to spend a few bucks to buy one on Ebay I guess... they are going from around 50-100 usd in there.

If you have an invite, please send me one... or two, to give to my rich-content friends.

-- Send me a link related to "GMAIL Privacy concerns" and please post your comments.