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)

Autism

I chose this topic because this neurogical disorder called my attention. This disorder has been increasing in this country year after year. The developmental disability appears during the first year of a baby’s life. Researchers have been conducted; Scientifics are finding that autism has multiple causes.
Another reason is because this disability touched me very close in my life. One of my wife’s nephews is autistic and he inspired me to do this writing. I have found many articles about autism, but there is not any light on the way to find a solution to this rare illness because it is still a mysterious disorder that attacks children without consideration.

Many families in this country suffer this problem because their children are autistic. They spent a lot of time looking for immediate solutions such as; therapies, music therapies, free chest, vitamins, anti-anxiety pills and steroids. These families just want to see their children improve their lives. In the six decades since autism was identified. Modern medicine has exploded like: antibiotics cure infections, organ transplant and many other diseases that the researchers finally found a solution. But still autism brain disorder has not been resolved yet.

Autism is a very complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life. The results of this neurological disorder affect the functioning of the brain. Children and adults with autism typically have difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions and communication skills. It is the third most common developmental disability in the United States, more than Down’s syndrome. In this rare disease it is very important to know who can help. Professional people like, psychiatrists, or psychologists are able to observe and analyze the children. The pediatricians can recognize healths problems in children with developmental delays, but the psychiatrics can help in an initial diagnose and prescribed medications to provide help in behavior. The Occupational therapist is focused on practical, self-help skills that will aid in daily living as dressing, much work in sensory integration of movements. The Physical therapist helps to improve the uses of bones, muscles, joints and nerves. Other important professional is the speech language therapist, who is involved in the improving of communication skills, including speech and language and finally social workers provide counseling services.
Another very important point in the autism’s life is education. The education for patients with autism ends at the age of 18. The Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that the transition planning begin at the age of 14, becoming part of the Student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP), which involves the students and parents to work together in order to help the individuals. The students receive a set of activities from school to post-school, including post-secondary education, vocational training, integrated employment, continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living and community start participation. It is important that schools and families start planning the transition early for the individuals with autism and in this way increase success in adult’s life. (FG)