!!! CARLOS VIVES !!!

CARLOS VIVES nominated to Prize Planet



By Ingrid Corner

CARLOS VIVES has been nominated to the prizes World Music Awards of BBC in the Planet Prize category. This it is one of the most quoted prizes in the musical environment since not only the winner is selected thanks to the votes of all the lovers of the music around the planet, but besides is an unique privilege so that our local music be exposed and celebrated internationally.

CARLOS VIVES competes in this category with the American guitarist Ry Cooder, the Brazilian singer-songwriter Seu Jorge and the Cuban pianist Omar Dull. Some of the other recognitions that will be done in this delivery they include: Better new band, Better Album of the Year, Prize al I generate eclectic (by crossing musical borders) and the prize Global Club (by fusion of traditional rhythms and electronic music).

The rewards will bring itself to light in a concert April 7 in Brixton Academy in the city of London.

To support to one of our greater Colombian prides, they can register their vote through the page http://www.bbc.co.uk/ before January 31. (FG).

The execution number one thousand

The United States carried out yesterday the execution number thousand since the capital punishment was restored in 1976. They applied a lethal injection to a man who murdered his wife and his father-in-law in 1988.
The execution was done in the presence of witnesses including one of his daughters-in-law. Mr. Kenneth Lee Boyd, asked her “to take care of his son and his grandchildren”
The death or penalty is a very difficult and controversial issue to talk about, but I think that if someone takes someone else’s lives, he/she needs to pay the price. In this case Mr. Boyd paid the price with his life. (FG).

Christmas Time

I like this blog about Christmas tree. At home we put and decorate our Christmas tree as we always do. The day after Thanksgiving. We put adorns and lights on the windows and around our homes. And we share the holidays exchanging gifts and favorite dishes with our family. It is nice to see the streets and homes with Christmas decorations and it is better when we see the snow falling. I think that Natallia is right, I agree with her. I like Winter too. For me it is one of the best seasons of the year not only because almost all members of the family and friends get together to celebrate Christmas’s Eve and New Years' Eve, but also because it is the best moment to reflect and not to think of fighting or arguing in our homes, works, or schools, etc. This is an epoch of marvel, pleasure, generosity and peace. This is a time to share together with others in need, because there are many people in the world that have nothing to share but poverty and hunger. I think that we should help the churches and other institutions that always ask for donations such as clothes, shoes, can food and money. In this way we all can contribute a little bit for those people who need us in this very special time of the year. (FG)

Yonder Damien Reyes

Last week, was a very sad week for the school of St. Mary of the Assumption, in Elizabeth, NJ, where my wife teaches and my son studies. On Monday the principal of the school, called all seniors to a meeting and with tears in her eyes, she told them that one of their peers passed away. This news was terrible for all of them. Most of them cried because they did not want to believe it. The classes for that day for the seniors students were canceled. Yonder Damien Reyes (rests in peace), was an 18 years old senior student. He was killed in a car accident and his girlfriend was severely injured. Yonder was a baseball start in New Jersey with a prominent future according to the “Start Ledger.” (from Monday 28, 2005)
We all attended to his funeral and viewing between Saturday and Sunday and it was very sad. His family is devastated. No words that came from us could comfort them. But I can say that he will be missed and he will be always remembered. Our prayers go to him,his mom, dad, and the rest of his family. (FG)

Helping others

I think this person is correct when she talks about helping others. And also when she mentions that “there are many ways to help people” In my case I like to help my relatives of members of my family or even persons that I do not have any relationship with them, but for some reasons we get to know each other, then we start a conversation. If they let me, I advice them always with positive thoughts, especially when they face some problems that seem to have not solution. Being positive is a good way to get rid of the problems or at least it helps us to accept the things like they are. On the contrary being negative, makes us sick and probably we never find the solution to our matters. (FG)

Black Friday

I agreed with Mariela when she says that black Friday is the official day for people to buy Christmas gifts. It is the busiest retail shopping day in the country. Many people consider this day, as the beginning of the holiday season and for this reason the open hours for most of the retailers change. They stay open until late every day.

Although a lot of people do not like the tumults and prefer to stay home watching TV, or just enjoying the leftovers from Thanksgiving Day, sharing with their relatives that have not seen in a long time, also a lot of people go out and shop, so they can benefit from this day. I have been doing my Christmas shopping on black Friday for three years in a roll and I can say that it is a ! Good business... For example this year I saved around $300.00 that I will use for something else. I did not even have to get up to early; 6:30 in the morning is fine in order to get to the stores around 7:30 and still find good items because the sales are available until 11:00 a.m. or noon. It is true that the customer traffic is very high but it is something that with patience is easy to handle. When I get home and make comparisons with prices without a sale, I can see the difference. At least I feel glad, I feel that I made a good deal. (FG).

Cassius Clay

I read an article about Muhammad Ali, this morning in one of the local newspaper from Union county, called “Panorama”. It is a very sad article. It says that Ali “has a few months to live”. I remember him as a Cassius Clay, “the greater.” He was one of my heroes when I was a little kid. He was spectacular in the ring; he used to jog all the time during a fight because of his good physical condition and made fun of his opponents. My father used to tell me that the greatest boxer of all times was Joe Louis, but I did not know him, I was not born yet when he was champion.
Now according to “Panorama” Howard Bingham, a friend of Ali’s family says that “Ali’s health is deteriorating rapidly and has a few months to live only.” I think that Ali is loosing his worst fight against his illness, the Parkinson decease. Other great personalities such as Pope Juan Pablo II died this year from Parkinson decease and actor Michael Fox is also affected by this illness. I hope the research can find a cure to this terrible infirmity, but in the mean time all my blessings go to Cassius Clay and his family. (FG)

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving
Perhaps this day is the beginning of Christmas commercials season or just for watching football on TV, it is the most American of all traditional holidays. Thanksgiving is one of the most important celebrations in the United States. All families get together and thank God for each thing they received in life.
A brief story about this celebration started when people came from Europe to America looking for freedom of religion. They arrived in Massachusetts, where they started a new life. For them, this country was another world and together with Native Americans, they learned how to survive in this continent.
In the 1700 century, President George Washington declared the “Thanksgiving Day” as a national holiday and many years later, in 1863 president Abraham Lincoln declared the fourth Thursday of each November as an official holiday in the United States. For me I think that this holiday should be universal, because it is important to meet with our families and relatives, hug them and kiss them and share a good time. We all should meditate about our lives and say, thanks God for all we have especially for our existence.

Sancocho de Gallina

! Wow … What a wonderful recipe. It opened my appetite. This is the season where we enjoy eating different kinds of dishes in our homes. even though we gain a few pounds, this does not matter; the most important part here is that we share with our family and friends having a good time and remembering old memories. A typical soup from Colombia “ Sancocho de Gallina” Takes the meaning of chicken soup to another level. This hearty soup contains chicken, good green plantains, yucca, potatoes, corn, red beans and plenty of other tasty ingredients such as onions, tomatoes, garlic, and parsley. You will not want to miss out this chicken soup and I though it was very appropriate to tell you something about food in this special season of the year. ! Enjoy it! (FG).

Misspelled words

I understand that this page has been created for people to write whatever they want to write. Here the most important quote as the professor Nelson says is “who cares” I also understand that when we read a Blog, we are not supposed to criticize grammar, spelling, vocabulary or punctuation. Or we can do it in a way that the writer does not feel offended. This blog (comments on AA's blog)refers to a critic about grammar, vocabulary and misspelling words. However the first sentence on this blog does not make any sense and the words grammar and comments are misspelled. When we write something, our minds are faster than our hands. This is one of the reasons why we have to be very careful, checking everything before we post it. Microsoft Word has a great spelling check tool that can help us a lot to fix these mistakes. (FG)

English Language and the Immigrants

Learning to speak English is the most important goal that immigrants have to achieve when they came to the United States of America, Europe and other lands in the world, because English is a universal language.
I believe that I can compare people who do not speak English with the illiterate ones, because they need someone to translate the words, phrases, sentences and conversations. This is very sad and frustrating. Without this essential language, it is very difficult to do the basic things such as: going to the doctor, dentist, bank, supermarket, to find a job, etc.
People that are living in this situation may feel margined, ignored and even discriminated. That is why it is very relevant to learn to speak English; and when we achieve this goal, we feel more confident in ourselves and prepare with the most important tool to face new goals. However it is very sad to see immigrants that are living in this country for many years and do not make the minimum effort to learn to speak English.

I am still learning myself; I try to improve my English every day. My major is education. In the future I would like to do a Master degree in ESL so in this way I would like to help the immigrants to achieve this goal. (FG)

On top of the mountain

Lake Placid is a wonderful town that is located in New York. This picturesque place has a beautiful landscape and is well known in the country because the Winter Olympic Games from 1932 and 1980 were celebrated there.
I went to ski there on December with my wife, my son and our dear friend Mike. I have gone to ski to different places a couple of times before, but this place is bigger and much better. Mike has been skiing for thirty years; he has a lot of experience in this sport. We bought a package that included our equipment, the lift ticket, the lessons and the instructor for five days.
After we learned some techniques, we were able to go up to the mountain, slide and ski. When we were on top of the mountain named “White Face,” we could see everything covered with snow. We also rode on the ski lift many times and had lots of fun.
In our way back home we stopped on the winery store and tried some wines. This was nice too because people that pass by that store can try six different kinds of wine for $3.00 and they can keep the glass. We did that and also bought some good bottles of wine from that part of New York.
After this amazing adventure we decided to go back there every year because this sport is very fascinating and it is for all ages also. So in less than two months, I will be on top of the mountain again. (FG)

Check Engine Light

The check engine light is a common problem in today’s cars that is complicated to fix. This small imperfection could cost us a few bucks or in the contrary sometimes a lot of money. Diego tells us in his blog about a recent problem he faced with a car that he bought and a few days after he drove it the check engine light appeared.
Most of the time it is good to have a second opinion and Diego made the right decision asking his cousin who is a mechanic to help him to solve this problem that cost him only $3.99.
This blog called my attention because a few months ago the checked engine light appeared in my truck, so I took it to a mechanic that I trust. After some time he called me and told me that he had to change two parts; the canister vacuum and one of the sensors. He charged me $500.00 and gave one year guarantee. To my surprise one day after I picked my truck the light came on again. Besides money this small inconveniences waste your time, in my case I had to bring my truck to the shop and live it there for a couple of days.
Seven months had passed and the problem has not been solved yet. The engine check light still appears and I keep bringing my truck to the same place because of the guarantee. I am not sure about this mechanic’s honesty anymore and I am thinking to bring my truck to the dealer, they may be able to fix this matter. (FG)