La eterna historia de la parcialidad de CNN... para muestra un boton:

Chávez reta a Bush (El Universal)
"Le lanzo una apuesta señor Bush: vamos a ver quien dura más. Ud. allá en la Casa Blanca o yo aquí, en Miraflores. Decida Ud. si la quiere la apuesta en bolívares o en dólares"...

... el gobierno de Bush no es legítimo "porque se robaron las elecciones y pruebas suficientes hay"...

Insultó a Bush de "pendejo" por haber creído que el 11 de abril de 2002 lo habían sacado de la presidencia. "El muy pendejo se lo creyó como también se lo creyó la oposición golpista".

Amenazó a los EEUU de no suministrarle más petróleo si continúan con la intervención en el país. "Sí eso llegara a ocurrir, ellos dicen que nos embargarían las petroleras, pero si eso pasa nosotros embargaríamos sus instalaciones en Venezuela. Lo que es igual no es trampa".

mientras tanto, CNN reporta POBREMENTE:
Una masiva marcha a favor de Chávez rechaza "injerencia" de EE.UU.

Me dicen quienes vieron la intervencion del Desgraciado Dictador que a las 5:15 pm repetia tal cual las palabras que publica CNNenEspañol. Entonces, a quien engañán? Pobre y mediocre periodismo vendido a los intereses de otros, en lugar de reportar la verdad.

Guardia Nacional lanza bombas lacrimogenas y dispara perdigones contra la marcha
Que mas espera la OEA para aplicar la Carta Democratica? A que espera el Dr. Cesar Gaviria?

Venezuela Troops Use Gas, Rubber Bullets at Marchers
What more does the OAS need to apply the Democratic Letter? What is Dr. Cesar Gaviria waiting for?

Prince sets extensive arena tour
The Prince is back! He will be induced into the R&R Hall of Fame on March 16th, 2004. Way to go! I look forward to seeing him live. I've only heard the best comments about his shows.

Una mentada de madre con todo mi corazon para los 3 CdM del CNE, que siguen jalandole bolas al HdP de Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias.

(copiado del blog http://desgraciadodictador.blogspot.com/, con permiso...)
Propongo algo bien interesante, haciendo usa de una tecnica de mercadeo para internet, pero a la inversa. Se llama Goggle Bomb, y en lugar de explicarles que es, los invito a que lean este articulo.

Si no lo creen, intentenlo: tipeen "Miserable Failure" (con comillas incluidas) en Goggle (o si les da ladilla, hagan clic aqui) y vean que resultado sale de primero. Para entender como lograron esto, vean los resultados de la busqueda del link correspondiente a la biografia de G.W.Bush en este web site, que muestra todos los blogs que apuntan a esa direccion: con apenas 418 personas apuntando al web site de la Casa Blanca usando como texto en el link las palabras "Miserable Failure" se coloco de primero el resultado en las busquedas de Goggle.

Invito a todos para que coloquen en sus blogs un link a la biografia de Hugo Chavez, usando como texto del link las palabras Desgraciado Dictador. A ver si logramos el efecto Google bomb con este presidente incompetente que le ha vendido el pais y el alma a Fidel Castro!

The Mercury Program
The things you run into... Thanks to my friend James at work, I just discovered this band! They're from Gainesville, FL (just a two-hour drive north of here), and they rock. Totally worth your time: a post-rock band, but unlike Godspeed You Black Emperor, not overly complex, but far from basic or commercial. Instrumental music for you to kick back to!
(and Tom, the guitar player is quite the Web Designer too! -check out his personal site)

Enjoy their KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic performance (requires Real Player).

Ceguera o imbecilidad?
Una interesante columna de Juan Manuel Santos, publicada el pasado domingo en el diario EL TIEMPO de Colombia...

Creo que llego el momento de hacer mas, los que estamos fuera y quienes aun estan en Venezuela. Por mi parte, pienso redactar una carta dirigida al propio Gaviria y enviarla esta noche...

MENSAJE DE LA COORDINADORA DEMOCRATICA A LOS JEFES DE ESTADO Y REPRESENTANTES DE LOS PAISES DEL G-15 QUE SE REUNEN EN CARACAS.
Vienen ustedes a Venezuela, una sociedad democrática en pie de lucha en la defensa de sus valores y tradiciones libertarias, amenazadas por el intento autoritario de un gobierno que, violando la Constitución, las leyes y los compromisos internacionales, se niega a someterse a la consulta popular.

Vivimos en un momento decisivo y lleno de peligros. Así lo asumimos los venezolanos que hemos puesto nuestro mejor esfuerzo en construir una salida democrática, constitucional, electoral pero sobre todo pacífica, a través del referéndum revocatorio del mandato del presidente Hugo Chávez. Así lo entienden también gobiernos y organizaciones internacionales que de diversas maneras han reconocido el deterioro acelerado de la institucionalidad democrática, la radicalización de las posiciones y los visibles riesgos de violencia que amenazan al país, de no concretarse esta salida.

Tras ocho meses de negociaciones facilitadas por el Secretario General de la OEA, el Centro Carter y el Programa de Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, respaldadas por el Grupo de Países Amigos del Secretario General de la OEA, negociadores del gobierno y de la alianza opositora Coordinadora Democrática se comprometieron con la firma del Acuerdo del 29 de mayo de 2003, a crear las condiciones necesarias para llevar adelante la convocatoria del referendo revocatorio del mandato presidencial.

Desde entonces, la oposición ha hecho importantes concesiones con la intención de facilitar la salida electoral convenida. Sin embargo, luego de dos meses y medio de la entrega de 3.448.747 firmas, el Consejo Nacional Electoral ha pospuesto en dos ocasiones la presentación de los resultados de su verificación y ahora ha presentado objeciones y enviado a reparo 213.190 planillas -un estimado de 1.918.710 firmas- tras haber modificado durante el proceso de verificación las normas previamente adoptadas por dicho órgano electoral; decisión que viola abiertamente los principios generales del derecho como la irretroactividad de las leyes, la presunción de la buena fe y la carga de la prueba, al pretender poner en cabeza de los firmantes, la responsabilidad de demostrar la autenticidad de sus firmas.

Llegan ustedes a Venezuela en una hora crucial en la que se ha asestado un duro “golpe” a la democracia. La actuación del Consejo Nacional Electoral, aunada a la opinión de voceros gubernamentales y directivos del propio poder electoral desconocen el carácter vinculante del Acuerdo del 29 de Mayo, e intentan descalificar la observación internacional.

La Coordinadora Democrática advierte a los representantes de los países del G-15, que en momentos de un deterioro socioeconómico acumulado del país en cinco años de gobierno, aumento de la deuda pública, cierre de empresas, desempleo y empobrecimiento, violencia e inseguridad, y la acelerada pérdida de eficacia y confianza en instituciones fundamentales para la vida democrática, el Presidente de la República pretende manipular la reunión que se celebra en Caracas, como un acto de respaldo internacional a su gestión de gobierno.

Queremos recordarles que la democracia venezolana jugó siempre un rol protagónico en la cooperación sur-sur y en la constitución del G-15. En nombre de esa trayectoria, requerimos su respaldo para evitar que se trunque la salida democrática a la grave crisis que el pueblo venezolano demanda.

La comunidad internacional y en especial los países latinoamericanos presentes en esta reunión, a los que tanto ha costado hacerse democráticamente gobernables, tienen razones de principios para entender y atender conjuntamente, de la manera más comprometida, una crisis que amenaza con generar caos y violencia más allá de las fronteras venezolanas, que se avizora como una amenaza para la estabilidad de la región.

El pueblo de Venezuela reclama de la Comunidad Internacional el compromiso de mantener la atención y vigilancia permanente sobre la grave situación del país, compromiso indispensable en esta etapa para la preservación de la democracia y la paz de nuestra nación.

Me lo mando un amigo del colegio... preocupante de verdad...

=========================
Estimados:

Por supuesto que no hay imparcialidad en el arbitro.

La noticia llegó, lo que todos esperábamos, pero no queríamos
creerlo, las sospechas se hicieron realidad, si, llegando de la
playa o quizás quitándote el disfraz prendes el televisor y (BOOOMM)
nos informaron lo que ya sabíamos. NO VA A VER REFERENDUM antes del
15 de agosto y después pa´ que.

Bueno, a mi criterio esto es lo que resume lo sucedido hasta hoy, en
la Coordinadora la gran mayoría esta convencida de que NO VA HABER
REFERENDUM, a mi entender le llegó la hora a los operadores
políticos, ellos son los que tienen la información de lo que sucede
en la OEA, Centro Carter, Grupo de Amigos, Ejercito, Partidos
Políticos, TSJ, AN, Policía y otros factores de poder que mal o bien
tienen mucha o poca ingerencia en el tema. Además ellos son los
únicos que saben cuales son las consecuencias de tomar otras vías
(las que sean) y por último son los que tienen el poder de ejecutar
cualquier plan. Dios y la virgen los guié y ojalá recuerden las
palabras de Winston Churchill justo después del bombardeo alemán que
arrasara ferozmente con la ciudad de Coventry, y ante una masa de
decenas de miles de personas que le pedían al unísono 'bombardeemos
a Berlín', el genio inglés respondió con decisión 'bussiness before
pleasure'.

Por mi parte creo que estamos ante cuatro panoramas con los
siguientes porcentajes de probabilidad.
1. Chávez hasta su muerte…………………………………......…50%
2. Salida violenta auspiciada por sectores militares
autocráticos (al no existir salidas democráticas esto suele suceder)
……………. 30%
3. Salida violenta auspiciada por sectores democráticos (suena
raro pero contra gobiernos autocráticos la violencia puede ser
democrática)….15%
4. Salida pacífica, constitucional y democrática ………..………. 05%


Este es mi humilde criterio que comparto, por su contenido, solo con
mis amigos, un abrazo a todos,

(firma borrada, respetando su deseo de compartir la informacion solo con el grupo a quien se lo envio inicialmente)

Peligro...
Me preocupa demasiado esta noticia. No se ve imparcialidad de parte del arbitro. Es demasiado lo que esta en juego. El peligro de una guerra civil es inminente si el referendum no se efectua antes de Agosto (o no se efectua en lo absoluta) por culpa de manipulaciones y trampas de este tipo...

I ran into this quote from Howard Schultz, Chairman of Starbucks, last night:

"We aren't in the coffee business, serving people. We are in the people business, serving coffee."

Very good (I think), to reposition what you do, to give you a fresh perspective on things.

What do you think?

Hey Ya! (Snoopy style)
Enjoy and have a great day! ;)

The Tech Worker Challenge
In the best style of Frogger, this is some funny way to depict part of today's reality with offshoring of IT jobs...

What does your cell phone ring like?
I am SO happy to learn I am not alone. I use a ringtone included with my cell phone, but not the default... I refuse (at least for now) to pay to hear my phone ring! :
How about you?

Taking Sides

Last night (while the baby went through his fourth consecutive night sleeping the whole night through) we watched "The Quiet American", with Michael Caine (playing Thomas Fowler, a British journalist in Vietnam in the 1950s) and Brendan Fraser ("a seemingly innocuous American named Alden Pyle", befriended by Fowler). We liked thjavascript:void(0)
Publishe movie a lot (won't write a review about it, tough). I just wanted to share a quote that I found particularly deep:

"Sooner of later, Mr. Fowler,
One has to take sides,
If one is to remain human."
(told by Fowler's assistant to him, when he found out the stench behind some of the events in the movie... until that point, he had felt proud to only be a "reporter" who was unbiased and limited himself to repeating what he saw, without taking sides.)

So, when it comes to taking sides... what are the issues that you feel most strongly about?
If you ask me, I feel very strongly that Chavez has done so much damage to Venezuela, that he deserves to be ousted. At this point, sadly, I am starting to doubt that the recall vote will not take place... I don't loose hope yet. It just blows me away that someone could become so attached to power, to the point of not caring any more about the future of the rest of the country...

In the meantime, I'd like to present to you two blogs I recently learned about, which detail day to day the events that unfold back in my homeland, Venezuela:
Caracas Chronicles
and
Venezuela News and Views

One Person Wins Mega Millions Jackpot
What would you do with $230 million dollars?

Not an easy one, I guess. As for me:
1) I'd set up a foundation to help a good cause, like people with Leukemia or something like that, and put half of the money in there.
2) I'd set aside money for Santiago and Andreina, like a good $20 million to gain interests in some insanely safe investment.
3) I'd pay off all the debt I have, which is peanuts compared to the pot of money! (including the new home we're about to get into... I'd pay it in cash, and I'd make sure all the improvements that Andreina wants to do to it in the next few years are all taken care of).
4) I'd probably buy a few gadgets: an iPod (at last!!!), a nice Home Theater with a large flat screen so that Santiago doesn't need to sit by the TV to enjoy Findind Nemo! :)
5) And... I don't know... perhaps by now, I still would have several millions left.

I know, for sure, I'd continue to work... I guess I'd continue to think what else to do with so much money! :D

And you, what would you do?

Top 100 Amazon.com Reviewer
Finally, today I made it into the Top 100! I got to #99... I am very happy, I must say.

Windows Leak An Experiment in Open Source?
Very interesting perspective... what happens when the unexpected happens. :)

So now, it's the fish looking into the aquarium from the outside: what a fresh perspective. If they don't turn this an RIAA-like persecution, it might prove to be one of the luckiest mistakes in Microsoft's history. Remains to be seen, considering they've begun to send letters out to some... :|

Ask Manny Amazon reviews - Getting to the Top 100!!!
I am finally just one step from the Top 100. Makes me feel very happy. 785 reviews and some 5 years later (well, I wasn't too productive in the early days!) it's almost there... Thanks to those that have voted for me. As much of a vanity item as it may seem, this is something I've worked my butt off for (if doing what you love on the side can qualify as that) and now it's close to finally happening!!! :D

Come check out the reviews and cast in your vote: if you don't like it, say NO, and if you do, say YES, but don't let anything stop you from voting!

(a little campaigning on the side, huh?...)
I am keeping it fairly open -don't want to get accused of biasing my rankings. As far as I am concerned, I really want all people (here in the US and back in Venezuela) to get off their seats at home and go vote when the time comes... If you let others decide for you, you have no right to open up your mouth and complain afterwards!

Royksopp
Very nice band I ran into today, thanks to my friend James at work. They're very much in the same league as Bent and Lemon Jelly. They offer a few streams n site: worth listenint when you get a break... actually pretty much break music, for breaking out of your routine.

Geek Note: Beware, though... their page sucks up a significant chunk of CPU. That I didn't love about it. :(

Mr. bin Laden, you're clear to fly
Scary, to say the least...

Extracto de de la mas reciente columna semanal de Rodolfo Schmidt
No pude confirmarlo para la hora de concluir esta columna, pero el pálpito es que el embajador Charles Schapiro debería estar en camino hacia Washington... “para consultas”.

Ningún país civilizado puede ignorar la gravedad de los insultos y de las acusaciones que profirió el martes el delirante delincuente de Miraflores contra el presidente de los Estados Unidos, George W. Bush.

Le acusó, nada más y nada menos, de ser el responsable de la Masacre de Miraflores, organizada -el 7 de Abril del 2002- por José Temiente Rangel, desde el Ministerio de Relaciones Interiores, según múltiples testimonios. Allí murieron 20 personas y 300 personas resultaron abaleadas por matones y francotiradores expertos, apostados en las azoteas de edificios cercanos. Las Comisiones de la Verdad, para esclarecer las circunstancias, fueron sistemáticamente bloqueadas por el régimen y los responsables, visibles desde Puente Llaguno, están todas en libertad.

Que un “jefe de Estado” responsabilice a otro jefe de Estado de estas atrocidades equivale a una ruptura de facto de relaciones. Eso es, precisamente, lo que persigue el Delincuente de Miraflores: ruptura de Relaciones con Estados Unidos y expulsión de la OEA. La vieja y manida receta de Fidel Castro, treta que le permitió mantenerse en el Poder durante 43 años. Pero los tiempos han cambiado. Hay un Grupo de Amigos que monitorea la degradación venezolana. Lula le dice que se cuente. Hay un observancia internacional que se la quieren quitar de encima a cómo dé lugar. Habría que agregar que, en la próxima marcha multitudinaria de repudio al régimen, ondearían tantas banderas norteamericanas como venezolanas,... si hubiese dónde comprarlas.

Pero todos estos alaridos radicales del régimen constituyen no señales de fortaleza sino de debilidad, en la misma tendencia de las “cadenas” que vienen multiplicándose al ritmo de abril del 2002...

Email: rodschmidt2002@yahoo.com

Coffee... Helps?

Coffee Associated With Lower Diabetes Risk
They talk about Type 2 Diabetes prevention thanks to caffeinated coffee here. I am curious as to the effects on people with Type 1, like myself. In any case, interesting reading.

Glitch identifies anonymous reviewers on Amazon.com
"... laying bare a culture of self-promotion and potential for revenge among authors and users of the online retailer" Don't you just love it when they generalize like this... Now, according to AP all of us Amazon reviewers are part of this "culture"...

RIAA steps up file-trading suits
(to the music of the Stevie Wonder classic...)
"Isn't she lovely?! Isn't she something?!"

Chavez: DeShazo ha mentido descaradamente
Por que? Por que tiene que ser asi... Por que el odio???

Parece que el el beisbol y la vinotinto, son la unica fuente de felicidad que tienen los venezolanos estos dias... Arriba Alex Rodriguez, carrizo!!!

... anoche pensaba lo fragil que era todo... con tal y uno solo (de gobierno o de oposicion) pierda la chaveta, y empiece a echar tiros para uno u otro lado, se prende el Zafarrancho y quien lo detiene luego?

Por que el odio, mano? Como duerme Chavez en las noches? Como puede lidear con la culpa? A lo mejor no tiene consciencia...

Interning in Amazon

So You'd Like to... Do an internship in Amazon.com?
Why didn't I learn about this like a year ago or two years ago? It would have been SO MUCH MORE helpful! :D

Actually, these are some pretty useful book references.

National Do Not Email Registry a scam
Well, I have to admit that this was a pretty clever idea, as much of a scam as it is... Check out some of the comments from the people on the forum following the news bit.

Audioslave

4.5 stars: some of the best rock now, but a bit repetitive at times
I never was much of a follower of Rage or Soundgarden myself. I knew some of their work and liked some of it, so I didn't have too many expectations from this Super-Band resulting of the blend of Cornell (Soundgarden) and most of Rage's musicians. I was blown away, after a couple of listens: that is one thing, the album doesn't sink in the first time you check it out, because it runs on a track different from most of rock music out there right now.

I would say the closest sound I can think of to describe how they sound like is early Pearl Jam, so this is to say that AudioSlave, with the combination of a well crafter guitar work on top of a solid rhythm line, with Cornell's thoughtful vocals and singing, is on the right track: they project a lot of strength, and while they can get to be a bit repetitive at times (several songs have a very similar musical structure to them), when they are able to change gears, their work can exude brilliance, such as the case of songs like "I am the Highway", "Getaway Car" and the closing track.

So, why 4.5 stars and not 5? The repetition here and there. Given what they show on this album, we now all know that they have "it": it's just a matter of letting it come out throughout future albums. In sum, I am happy to hear some solid rock music in a time where most of the music in rock and pop is quite lacking much originality and power (with a few exceptions, such as White Stripes).

Venezuelan Recall Effort Will Miss a Key Deadline
A fairly to-the-point and complete view of the current situation in Venezuela. Keep a close eye on it. Things are (unfortunately) starting to heat up again back there.

Today we traded in our VW New Beetle for a 2001 VW Passat Wagon. It's silver, and we love it! Finally we have the space we needed, to travel with Santiago and all his gear without it being all crammed in the back of out Toyota Echo! (because we obviously weren't being able to do much with Santiago in the VW).

Amazon Glitch Unmasks War of Reviewers
As a committed Amazon reviewer I was dragged in by this very intersting article. Thought you'd want to check out this story about a writer who got caught red-handed prasing his own book! ;)

Afterthought (2/17): There's been quite some activity by reviewers writing about the article on this Discussion Board in Amazon.com

to cleanse the aural palate...

My friend James at work fired out this really hilarious page of a singer, sounding like a star from a Japanese "novela" of the seventies: Baeho!
(please, do yourself a favor, and play the MP3 in the page... you will thank me for the laughs!) :D

(as she said: "to cleanse the aural palate...")

Windows Source Code Leaks Online
Ooooohhhhh.... not good... :S

Doing something about Leukemia and Lymphoma

This is a blog from a friend (Robin Southern) who used to work with me in Quepasa.com. Now she's training to run a marathon to raise funds for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

===

En honor de nuestro querido Sergio Perez, los invito a que hagan una donacion a beneficio de la Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Robin (quien trabajaba en Quepasa.com conmigo) esta entrenando a beneficio de un paciente de Leucemia que vive en Tucson.

Habiendo entrenado hace poco mas de un año a beneficio de la American Diabetes Association, creo fervientemente en estas causas y el empeño que hace falta para lograr recaudar fondos para ellas.

Human Clone Produces Stem Cells

It is accomplished... I can see a lot of things stemming out of this. It's a really huge step for science. Many, I MEAN MANY people can benefit from this, since so many medical conditions can be treated with a technique for creating stem cells out one's own body cells, to ensure succesful transplants of organs, etc.

Let's see where the ethical discussions lead. If you ask me, I am in complete favor of therapeutical cloning like they've succeed doing in Korea.

Weta Digital: From Gollum to Kong
So, after the King returns from Middle Earth, so does Weta Digital to normal life, and now they need to find their way through to the next King: Kong...

Rage Against Off-Shoring Is Off Target

Excellent article from Fortune!

Rage Against Off-Shoring Is Off Target
Sending jobs overseas is inevitable—and might even be beneficial.
Feb 09 2004
By David Kirkpatrick
Fortune.com

Seldom have so many had such strong opinions about something they understand so poorly.

The topic is offshoring--and the anger over it is hard to avoid. Politicians are shocked and outraged at the prospect of U.S. service and back-office jobs going to places like India. Democratic presidential candidates condemn offshoring and blame it on George Bush's policies. Economic Cassandras warn that as many as ten million U.S. jobs could be at risk. New York Democratic Senator Charles Schumer recently co-wrote a New York Times op-ed confessing that because of offshoring, he's doubting the whole concept of free trade. Legislators in Washington, D.C., and a number of states are pushing to restrict offshoring. Indiana's governor this past fall canceled a contract to pay India's Tata Consultancy Services $15 million for processing, ironically, state unemployment claims. The next-highest bidder, a U.S. company, reportedly wanted $8 million more for the same work. When you're willing to pay a 50% premium--well, that's real anger.

Or is it just real stupidity? The fact is, we can't stop offshoring--and we shouldn't try. For all the handwringing, offshoring is inevitable, frequently makes business sense, and might even be beneficial... [more]

Traffic Info for: janet-jackson.com/
Shows what an exposed breast can do for a celebrity... :/
(notice the little spike in the traffic chart in the page...)

What Matters Most

What Matters Most: How a Small Group of Pioneers Is Teaching Social Responsibility to Big Business, and Why Big Business Is Listening
Very interesting title on the ever more important topic of Corporate Social Responsibility. Love it!

El Capitalismo

A thought from a friend...
"el capitalismo es destructivo, and that's the beauty of it..."

Jacqui Naylor

Jacqui Naylor's "Shelter"
Why Jacqui Naylor has a place among the stars?
(from the Amazon.com review about the album Shelter, by Jacqui Naylor

Though the track "Miss You" could make you think otherwise, and in spite of the repeated comparisons with the folk-jazz diva, I prefer Jacqui Naylor's work above that of Norah Jones. Having taken that out of my chest, and knowing I will probably get flamed by Norah's fans (although I didn't say I disliked Norah Jones' music), I stand by my statement and here's why.

This is a very mature album, which is not coincidential, considering she's recorded two albums before this one (check out her site www.jacquinaylor.com, for MP3s to allow you to sample her entire discography). For this recording, the songs fall into four somewhat distinct categories: the piano-based tracks, the guitar-based and cello-guitar-based tracks, the tropical-influenced tracks and the "standard" jazz songs.

As for the piano tracks, co-producer/songwriter Art Khu plays the piano in most of them, adding an intimate touch that magically blends with Jacqui's voice, yielding some of the most amazing works in the album, such as the case of the title track, the touching "I Remember You" and the ballads "All For You" and Joan Armatrading's "Love & Affection" (with the rhythmic counterpart of Jon Evans on bass and Jason Lewis on drums).

Matt Brubeck's cello work (Berkeley Symphony, Sheryl Crow, Sarah McLachlan, Indigo Girls and others) pours a life and a special soul into a few tracks (perhaps too few, for my preferences), always going alongside an exquisite (and very Sting-like, it must be said, too) Nylon String guitar by Craig Steen, Steve Erquiaga and Brian Pardo. "Free My Love", "Climb Higher" (my favorite track) and the closing track are the best examples of this type of work.

In terms of the more "tropical" tracks, there's a little bit of everything, but mainly Brazillian influences can be felt outside the tracks mentioned so far. For starters, when I listen to "Miss You" (a Jagger-Richards song) I can't avoid thinking of the very groovy NY-Rican band, SiSe. But the real flava' of the album begins in the second half, when Bossa Nova-influenced "Winter", and bossa ballads "Take This Chance" (also with Matt Brubeck on cello) and "If You Know Love" show a whole new dimension of Jacqui's voice that would otherwise remain hidden from us.

Finally, for straight jazz lovers, there's "Tired" (though not without some Brazillian touches sprinkled by Emiliano Benevides) and "Cheese Puff Daddy". So, when someone tells me that Jacqui sounds a bit like "Norah Jones meets Beth Orton", though I can see the resemblance in a few places, I say "Nah!" Jacqui's voice stands out like none of the two, and she definitely also has a place among the stars. Time will confirm it, I am sure.

Como Salir de la Pesadilla

Una frase genial, para cerrar la semana de Grammys y nominaciones democratas...

***UNO NO SALE DE LA PESADILLA CAMBIANDO DE MONSTRUO, UNO SALE DE LA PESADILLA DESPERTANDOSE del historiador Manuel Caballero.

Dr. Robert Heller

When/if you can put an hour of your time together, this might prove an invaluable man to listen to. I heard him recently speak on public radio, as part of the Walter Hoadley Economic Forecasts sessions sponsored by the Commonwealth Club of California, and his insights about global and US economy caught my ear. When I came to realize, he was done talking and I had learned a lot. This is a man that accumulates a wealth of knowledge and information, so it is very much worth listening to him.

Also, to complement this, if you continue to be interested, there's this nice site, packed with useful information for thinking managers from Edward de Bono and Robert Heller.

ThinkMap

s m i t h s o n i a n w i t h o u t w a l l s
Very cool application that takes advantage of one of the most interesting visualization tools I've run into in quite a while, called Thinkmap (by PlumbDesign)... let's you look at things in a way you probably weren't able to before. I encourage you to also try their Visual Thesaurus. They offer a 30-day trial license which will give you a flavor of it you won't be able to let go afterwards...

Catch Us If You Can
Very insightful story that almost seems to fit in more in Wired than in Fortune magazine, where it just appeared... about the current work of the founders of Kazaa, Skype, their new baby, a free, high-quality VoIP provider that they are putting out (now with over 6 million users) to compete head to head with telcos the world over. Highly recommended reading!

NutriSystem

NutriSystem - The Good Carb Answer - Effective & Safe Weight Loss Program
We just got started on this today. You order a 28-day supply of meals that are thought of for you, with a controlled glycemic index eating style in mind, and based on this, it's supposed to be ideal for diabetics. We'll see... For now, we're on it for one month. We'll let you know how it goes! :)

San Francisco Photos

altay's fotopage - - Fotopages.com
There are some breathtaking San Francisco Bay area pics taken by Altay, a good friend of my wife Andreina, from School... check it out.

Early Worm Gets SCO Bird:
I don't know whether I should feel good about this type of thing, because today it's SCO and tomorrow it could be anyone that a pissed-off hacker decides to target. But it sure shows what things greed without limits can stir up... let's see what happens to Microsoft's site tomorrow. I doubt it will suffer even half as much as SCO's today, but it remains to be seen.