May 1st, Labor Day

In several countries all around the world, May 1st is the day in which take place the Labor Day's celebrations. But have you ever wondered why is such day chosen to be the one to commemorate workers?

Many years ago, still in the 19th century, the work day's duration was not clearly defined and this drove to exploitation of workers, who were forced to work for long periods that didn't allow them to have enough time to rest and spend with their families. This situation obviously caused unhappiness among the labor force and the situation was deteriorating as time kept running. In October 17, 1884, and after a long struggle between workers and bosses, the American Federation of Labor stated that starting from May 1, 1886, the labor day would legally last eight hours per day. Additionally, the workers said that if such arrangement wasn't respected by the bosses, they'd begin a strike.

Such strike started in the mentioned date in Chicago, and it lasted until May 4, when the workers gathered in a place named Haymarket Square. They were repressed by the Police, who killed and wounded an undetermined amount of workers after an explosion occured, which had a policeman's death as result. After this disturbs, hundreds of workers were arrested, beaten and tortured.

In June 21, 1886, a trial was established to determine the responsibility of 31 workers in this riots, some of them (mostly foreigners) were hung. After all this sad incidents, many patrons decided to accept the 8 hour work day and since then, May 1 is the day in which workers celebrate Labor Day, to commemorate the beginning of the strike in Chicago that led to fair working conditions.

The U.S. National anthem... in Spanish??

As May 1st approches, the latin demonstrations in the U.S. continue to grow and they are already crossing the threshold of unrespectfulness.

I want to make you know that I am NOT an American citizen, nor I take part on the conflict regading illegal immigrants. But I think that the national emblems (such as the flag and national anthem) of every country must be respected by every individual, regardless of the country in which they are living.

I've heard recently in the news that there is a posse of latin singers, musicians, and actors that gathered to record a new version in Spanish of the "Star Spangled Banner", the U.S. National Anthem. They are allegedly doing this to "support the movement" of the illegal immigrants that are demanding citizen rights for themselves in the whole U.S. territory. Worse of all, they are planning to sell this aberration in music stores and they hope that radio stations will broadcast it nationwide.

Well, I had the opportunity to listen to this new version of such Anthem, and although the lyrics are reasonably similar to the ones in English, the rhythm is awful, and I consider that singing the National Anthem of any country in any language different of its original one is an insult. Do you think that Mexican citizens would be very pleased to listen the Mexican National Anthem in English? or would French people like a new version of La Marsellaise in German? This is just not correct to do, and I'd like to say to the people who think that this is a good method to show their inconformity about certain issues, that this is not appropriate to do and that they may lose more than what they can gain with such grotesque expressions. If the national emblems don't inspire respect for the countries anymore, what can we expect next? It's time to think about it.

A little fable (for my dear friend)

Today, I want to share a little fable with you, which I wrote from my own inspiration. It is dedicated to one of my dearest friends I've ever had. And if she reads this, I want her to know that I'm with her, that I'm grateful for the unconditional friendship she has offered me since we met and that I won't forget about what she has done for me. Thanks a lot, I send you a great hug...!

Once upon a time, there was goat that lived in a high mountain peak. She had a lonely life, as not many visitors used to go to the place she lived in, so her life was really quiet, and she was satisfied with it.
One day, the goat saw that, surprisingly, a beaver came into her territory. The beaver noticed the presence of the goat and he quickly introduced himself with her.
-"Hello", he said. "I'm a beaver that had to escape from my natural habitat because some men came and destroyed the place I lived in to build their own homes".
-"I don't care", replied the goat. "This is my territory and I don't like anybody else to enter it. Go away!"
-"But please, let me stay here", answered the beaver. "I've lost my family and I have no place to go. Let's be friends and defend our interests together".
The goat laughed at the beaver. "I don't need your friendship. I can take care of this territory alone, so leave!" ordered the goat.
The beaver left the place and the goat felt really satisfied of her brave attitude to defend her territory. Some days passed, and suddenly the beaver came again. This made the goat upset.
-"What do you want?" asked the goat.
- "I've been wandering for many days and I haven't found any friendly animals around here yet. I need a good friend to protect me from enemies, and I thought you could help me".
- "Don't bother me, I won't help you", said the goat."Don't even dare to come back here, this is my territory and I won't let you in".
- "But please! I'll get lots of wood for you to build a cabin, and so we'll both be safe" begged the beaver, as he bit some logs to obtain wood, to see if he could gain the goat's frienship.
- "I can take care of myself alone. Get out of here, and don't come back!"
And the beaver left the place once again. The goat felt strong by taking these actions, and she built a tiny cabin with the wood that the beaver left for her.
One day a stormy rain fell in the place where the goat lived. The winds were extremely strong, and the goat decided to hide in the cabin she built with the beaver's wood. After the storm passed, she felt really relieved and she said to herself: "I'm saved thanks to that little beaver! I think I was too hard with him, he has showed that he can be a loyal friend for me and I've been too hostile. I must be grateful with him for saving my life". So she decided to seek the beaver to apologize and to see if she could still save a great friendship. The goat went down the mountain and she looked for the beaver. After some days of looking for him, she found out that the defenseless beaver had been hunted by his enemies.

Don't ever reject a good friend, as if the friendship is true, you'll both be benefited by it.

Latest Mobile Technologies!

I have no doubt that technology is advancing and is making our lives easier, but does this bring real benefits to us? I have some points of view related to mobile phones and new technologies, which I'd like to share with you.

Does your mobile phone look like the one on the image above? It's a proof of how quickly technology is advancing, and the benefits that we can obtain from a single mobile phone. Do you remember how did the mobile phones look like 5 years ago? they were something like the one below:

They weren't very beautiful indeed, were they? But I guess they had some interesting points for them. At least, some years ago, mobile producer companies used to worry about the basic mobile functions to work properly: good signal, coverage, and long-lasting batteries were some of the characteristics that users seeked most in these gadgets.

But in recent years, the customer preferences appear to have changed, and so had the worries of the mobile manufacturers. They don't seem to focus on good quality phone features, but they pay special attention in other features that don't have anything to do with mobiles.

You can experience this situation when you go to the store to buy or rent a mobile phones. Try asking the clerk about the functionality of any mobile phone, you can expect an answer like: "Well, this mobile is fully equipped with 1,436,170 ring tones, SMS and Multimedia messages, 800 different games, AM/FM radio, sparkling lights that blink 300 colours the whole day, two LCD screens, caller ID, mp3 player, 3.1 megapixels digital camera with integrated flash light, video and voice recording, and tons of colored skins to switch". Oh, yes, that's great.

But try asking about the essential mobile features that a decent phone must contain, most of the times the clerks and assistants do not have any idea of what you're talking about. Ask them about the quality of reception that a mobile phone has, or about the lasting time of its battery. They don't have the slightest idea, believe me.

Next time you buy a mobile phone, don't get just blinded by the extra features that the gadgets have. If you really want to use your new acquisition as a mobile phone, don't discard the extra features, but ask also about its functionality as a mobile phone. You won't regret it, and it may save you from sour problems. ;)

Chernobyl and the modern nuclear threat

Twenty long years have passed since the explosion of reactor number 4 of the nuclear power plant of Chernobyl, Ukraine, and it seems that the scars of that catastrophe are still visible and vulnerable. According to some ennironment protecting organizations, the nuclear accident of Chernobyl is still to cause some hundreds of thousands of deaths. And let's not forget about people who sacrificed their own lives to save the planet from this radioactivity, and people who has suffered strange illnesses since that day.
This disaster made very clear that nuclear power is a clean way to produce energy and to make life easier for us, but it can be very harmful as well if it is obtained by unadequated personnel, and for non peaceful purposes.
It should be a global concern the situation that the world is seeing with the case of Iran, country that is producing enriched uranium (which is one of the main materials needed to build an atomic bomb) allegedly for peaceful purposes. I seriously doubt that these people are only wanting to produce electricity for the well being of the Iranian population, especially when considering the multiple occasions in which president Ahmedinejad has expressed his intentions to "disappear" the State of Israel and his unwillingness to deal with occidental countries as they are "enemies of Islam". He has always threatened the US if they try to stop his nuclear program.

What is more unbelievable of the situation is that he is being supported by countries like Russia and China, who are also defending Iran's right to develop nuclear power. I find this really strange, and I wonder: Don't they feel threatened as well by that president that clearly hates every non-islamic country? Didn't they learn of the possible consequences of nuclear power being posessed by irresponsible people? Don't forget about what happened in Ukraine on April 26,1986.

March of the Living

Today took place the March of the Living, in which approximately 8,000 people from all around the world commemorated the six million jews (and many other gypsies, polish, soviets, and people from other origins) that were killed by German troops during World War II. This march is organized every year, and the route followed is the one that links the Auschwitz and Birkenau extermination camps in Poland.

I had once the opportunity to participate in such event (during the spring of 2000) and believe me it is one of the most (or maybe the most) touching demonstrations in which a person can take part. It's very shocking to visit the concentration and extermination camps in which the nazis systematically killed people, and to find there clothes, shoes, luggage and other belongings of innocent people who found in those places a cruel death made me want to cry. There are also some blue stains on the walls of the gas chambers that are really frightening.

It is undescriptible the feeling of being in those places, the atmosphere there still carries sadness and horror.

To participate in this March is an experience that makes people grow and have a totally different perception of life. In this ceremony not only jews participate, but people from every country regardless of their religious beliefs, political affiliation, race or gender. So everyone can, and maybe should, live this as well. After all, I can't believe that there are people out there that still claim that the jewish Holocaust is only a myth and that it never happened. I invite those people to visit the concentration and extermination camps and to learn a little bit of how destroying human hate and ignorance can be.

Let's not forget what happened during the World War II. Remember that, if we do not learn from history, it will tend to repeat. The best thing to do is to live peacefully and respectfully with the rest of human beings, and not forget nor allow another tragedy like the Holocaust to happen. again.

A mock to International Economics?: The Big Mac Index

The Big Mac Index is, probably, one of the most creative economic indicators ever proposed. Although it has not been officially recognized as an economic index, it is an interesting way to compare the economic situation between two or more countries.
Its method consists of comparing the price of a standard Big Mac hamburger in two different countries (or more, depending on the number of countries that are subject to the evaluation) on the same date, in order to evaluate the living costs in each country and to know if the local currency is over valued or under valued.
This index was first proposed by The Econimist Newspaper on September, 1986, and although it is quite unexact because of social issues and ways of thinking, it gives a good idea about the different costs of living that are found in several countries.
Some other methods have been proposed lately, such as comparing the cost of a tall regular coffe at international Starbucks shops, or the cost of the Coca Cola. I think that those are only copies of the original method: The Big Mac Index.
So, next time you're having a Big Mac, think about the powerful economic tool that you're holding in your hands!!! Hehehe...

Poll: World's most beautiful Spanish word

Tomorrow the world will know which word is the most beautiful in the whole Spanish language, according to the School of Writers.

The contest took place since April 3 until April 21, 2006, and many Spanish-speaking personalities proposed some words that could win this bizarre prize. Some of the logically awaited nominees are: "generosidad" (generosity), "hermosura" (beauty), "amor" (love), "libertad" (freedom), and "espléndido" (splendid), just to mentione some. There are other nominee words for which I don't understand where to find their beauty, but they also have a chance to win: "aguamarina" (aquamarine), "gárgola" (gargoyle), "luciérnaga" (fire fly), and "sendero" (path), among others.

To vote the most beautiful word in Spanish, many celebrities such as writers, artists, politicians and even cybernauts participated and I guess that they are anxiously waiting for the final result of this event, which will be published on Book's Day.

Do you really find interesting to know which is the most beautiful word of any language? I personally don't know what's the basis on which they are determining a beautiful or ugly word. I don't even find what advantage will Spanish speakers obtain from knowing the most voted beautiful word in their language, and as this is useless, it will be remembered as a funny anecdote... but for how long? Will Spanish speakers remember such word maybe fifty years from now? History will let us know.

This is for you Hockey Fans!

Oh boy! I'm so excited for the final approach of the NHL's Season! I like to follow the NHL also, I believe it's a very competitive and amazing league.
Well, if you like the NHL as much as I do, maybe you've read on the news that the Conference Quarterfinals are almost on the go. So I'd like to share with you my opinion and forecast (which, believe me, will probably not be accurate!) for each of the duels that we'll have the delight to follow in this phase of the tournament:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

OTTAWA SENATORS vs. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

To be honest, I don't think this will be a tough one for the Senators. Their performance during the whole season has been awesome, and that effort has paid off: The President's trophy. But I wouldn't suggest the Senators to take this easy, as the Lightning is a team that from time to time gives some surprises.

CAROLINA HURRICANES vs. MONTRÉAL CANADIENS

Carolina did a great regular season, although during the final games they lost their wining streak and I would dare to say they seemed to be a little weak compared with the rest of the season. However, it is normal for high performance teams to act that way as the postseason approaches. In the other hand, the Canadiens are a legendary team that will for sure face the Hurricanes and they won't let them win so easily. Anyway, I think that in this occasion, the Hurricanes have the best chance.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS vs. NEW YORK RANGERS

These teams know each other's strenghts and weaknesses because they're close rivals who battle the same division. This will be a very difficult step for both teams, as they are more or less equally powerful, so this one will probably be decided by only a few goals. I'll pick the Rangers as my favorites.

BUFFALO SABRES vs. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

This is what I call action! two of the best offensive lines will battle face to face. I like most the strategy of the Sabres, I think they will become a nightmare for the Flyers if they keep the good level they showed during the whole season. And, as they are the team I like most in the league, I must choose the Sabres for this game.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

DETROIT RED WINGS vs. EDMONTON OILERS

The Red Wings have one of the most powerful teams in the whole NHL; definitely they are very hard to beat and I think that the Oilers will have to do some extra effort if they really wish to have a chance against Detroit. We'll have the opportunity to see some fireworks if the Red Wings come to the rink with all their heaviest artillery.

DALLAS STARS vs. COLORADO AVALANCHE

It's as simple as this: the Stars are on fire. I really find hard to believe that the Avalanche will have any opportunity to beat the Stars, but maybe they've got an ace to show for this challenge. Let's see if the Avalanche will stop the Stars on their road, although it seems extremely difficult.

CALGARY FLAMES vs. ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS

Both teams have had variate regular seasons, and as they are quite unpredictable, the result for this game is difficult to forecast. Anaheim's offensive play has been more effective than Calgary's, but their deffensive lines have operated on the inverse way. I guess that the Mighty Ducks will have a good opportunity to show why they are still on the run.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS vs. SAN JOSE SHARKS

This will be a nice dispute to follow closely. Their performance was very similar during the regular season, but let's remember that the Sharks finished with a very impressive wining streak that will generate some extra confidence for the team. It wouldn't be really surprising to see the Sharks pass over the Predators.

So these are the games that will be starting today. Let's enjoy some high-quality Hockey action! Have fun!

Youth of the Nation

On April 21, 1999, two armed students entered their High School in the suburb of Littleton, Colorado, and started firing at students. A security school officer allegedly returned the fire, but the final result of this incident was 15 fatal victims and some other wounded.
Seven years have passed since that sad passage. It is painful to remember that this was not the only shooting that took place in a High School in the United States; many times we've heard about this kind of disgraces and maybe this is a nice time to think about what's going on with American youth.
This may sound quite strange, but in my opinion, this problems are home-made. As American families tend to sever more and more each time (for many reasons, e.g., divorces or children leaving their homes), this brings some consequences. First of all, the children have to face several problems as sometimes their parents fight and discuss each other, it is not rare that children also take part on these troubles and they affect them badly. Another major problem that probably is linked with this kind of behaviour is the consumption of drugs and alcohol by youngsters since an early age. It is well known as that kind of substances lead to behaviour disorders and this can grow to dangerous levels.Most of the times the youngsters approach to drugs and alcohol because of their loneliness, or because of the company of negative influences for them.
A third possible cause of this may be the loss of moral and social values. In a world with so much trouble, it is very important to forge solid familiar links, which is a non attended issue by the majority of American families.
I consider that shootings into schools and other related tragedies can be clearly avoided if the above mentioned issues are improved. I'd encourage people to approach their children, and to spend time with them, teaching them the way to make this world a better place to live in. It's time to make the difference, isn't it?

Random thoughts

Sometimes I feel like writing but no inspiration comes to my mind. I am sorry to admit that today is one of such days in which, no matter how hard I try, not even one word comes out from my mind. And as I can't target on any idea, I decided to write some random thoughts today, just to feel somehow philosophic...

Thought 1. Hard times have an end: Sometimes we feel as if the world was collapsing right over our heads. Don't lose hope and faith, those times will come to a happy end most of the times.
Thought 2. Think twice befor acting: I think that this is one of the most repeatedly heard advises that people give to their friends and relatives. Unfortunately, it seems that we just don't understand its real meaning, which is supposedly very logical. Is it very difficult for us, human beings, to think of the possible consequences of our acts before doing anything? Believe me we usually don't see anything beyond our nose.
Thought 3. Don't get trapped into negative thoughts: This is a valuable advise. One of the worst things that can happen in life is to live tied to a negative memory. It's sometimes hard to get through some situations, but remember that life isn't trapped in a bubble, and we can always go out to explore the world and to seek for experiences and help that will allow us to get into the optimistic and positive way again. No negative thing is the end of life.

These are only some of the thoughts that I'd like to share with you. Believe me I'd like to write all of them, but it would take me too much time! At my point of view, the best suggestion I can give you about this is to acquire and forge your own thoughts by yourself, as experience is the best teacher in life. Don't forget to share a happy face with the people around you every day of your life!!

Bored? How about reading a nice book?

Reading is an excellent way to take advantage of spare time and to acquire valuable knowledge, but sadly, the development of newer and more sofisticated media technologies has somehow contributed to minimize the importance of this habit for the new generations; especially in countries where reading is not encouraged for children since their early ages, such as the ones in Latin America or Africa.
I would really suggest to get into the fascinating world of high-quality reading, and that's why I recommend to read some great works (my top 15 favorites), such as the following:

1. Satires - Horace
2. The Republic - Plato
3. The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint Exupéry
4. The Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka
5. Tevye the Milkman - Shalom Aleichem
6. The Prince - Niccolo Macchiavelli
7. One Hundred years of Solitude - Gabriel García Márquez
8. Dialogues - Plato
9. The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
10. Animal Farm - George Orwell
11. Oedipus Rex - Sophocles
12. The Divine Commedy - Dante Alighieri
13. Iliad - Homer
14. One Thousand and One Nights - Anonymous
15. Euthydemus - Plato

So, this is the list. I hope you really enjoy any of these books, and remember: any book is best enjoyed when read in its original language! Enjoy.

Hollywoodecadence

Do you remember when was the last time that you went to the movie theater and felt that it was worth paying for the ticket after watching the movie?
It has been a long time since I don't feel like that. I think that the last time I was really satisfied for paying the price to watch a movie was when "The Island" (starring Ewan McGregor) was being showed. As I can see, the movie industry has focused lately to produce only soap-opera-like movies, like the ones starred by (in my opinion) talentless actors, such as Hugh Grant or Adam Sandler.
I believe that this industry has fallen into a severe hole from which it hasn't be able to exit. I wonder when will we have the opportunity to watch movies at the movie theaters that will be remembered by further generations. Is it really hard to produce movies with original scripts and topics, like was The Godfather on its time? Is the problem that there aren't enough talented actors, or writers? I seriously doubt that's the drift. Maybe the problem is that we, movie customers, are getting satisfied with low quality movies, instead of demanding for better material for the price we have to pay every time we go to the movie theater. Maybe it's time for us to do something...

Ranking: Bottom Five Companies!

For many years, rankings have been a useful tool to determine the top companies in the world considering their efficiency, customer care, prices, work environment, social responsibility, among many others issues.
It's just a pitty that not every company can be remembered for their positive issues. That's why I bring to you my unfamous rank of the Bottom Five Companies, this time based on their service and customer care:

1. DHL (USA - International Package delivery). For about 35 years, DHL has served its customers by delivering supposedly on an overnight service packages all around the world. My experience with DHL was very sad during the last year: I sent three packages from Mexico to Canada on different dates and from different offices, having negative issues on every time. 1) With the first package, it took them about 6 days to deliver it, arguing that the documents I sent were stopped at the customs and they had "little delays". 2) On the second time, I sent the package once again to Canada (to the British Columbia), and DHL's qualified personnel somehow understood that I was sending things to England, so my documents ended up somewhere in London. It took them about 5 days to bring the papers back to Canada. 3) On the third occasion, they not only took too long to deliver the documents, but they also made me pay about 5 USD above the regular price. Fortunately, after several phone calls and complaints, I got my 5 dollars back. I strongly recommend you to use Fedex's or UPS' services instead of DHL.
2. HOLIDAY 2000 (Israel - Short term apartments rental). This company claims to offer fully furnished apartments, to stay there for a short term. They initially offer you a nice apartment, located in a convenient area near the beach and with full utilities. But after staying there for a week or two, they move you to a nearby suburb (which is less attractive than the initial one) arguing that they "mistakenly" agreed to rent that apartment to someone else (for which I think that the first apartment is only used as a hook for customers). Worst of all, at the end of your stay, you'll be charged for use of water, electricity, and all the utilities, at the price that THEY consider convenient (I had to pay even for the Cable TV Service). So remember, whenever you're planning a trip to Israel, do not consider Holiday 2000 as an option for your accomodation.
3. SHELL AUTOSERV (Netherlands - Car repair). This is really disappointing: Shell is worldwide known for its seriousness in business. But it seems that the employees of their division in Mexico don't think that customer care and satisfaction are relevant to attract more potential customers. I had a 1993 Chrysler Spirit Turbo, which suddenly started to have problems essentially because of its age. I decided to take the car to Shell Autoserv to fix it. I want you to know that not only they didn't fix the car properly, but they ruined it even worse! They used old spare parts (which they charged me as if they were new), the motor's sound was like the one of a 1975 truck, and believe it or not, it wasn't turbo anymore!!!! The employees claimed that the turbo was "just gone", and that they weren't able to fix it so the car could run like a real turbo one. After some time, when I took the car to another place to fix it, I was also warned that the diagnosis of the problem that the "experienced" personnel from Shell gave me about the car was simply mistaken. Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time that I had complaints about Shell's service, on many opportunities I noted that the spare parts that they were using were of a poor quality and from time to time I found that some pieces were missing from my cars. I think that Shell has many car repair stations all around the globe, so if you have to take someday your car to be fixed, please avoid taking it to any Shell workshop. Please note: This note complaints only about Shell's car repair service, it does not involve gas stations or any other Shell product or service.
4. TELEFONICA MOVISTAR (Spain - Mobile telecommunication services). Latin America has the disgrace to have Movistar's services offered in the market. Their customer care is virtually inexistent. I'd have many stories to write here to demonstrate the low qualification of Movistar's personnel and the company's miserable service, so I'll write only the most recent one. I called them to complaint about the lack of signal I was experiencing for some days with a mobile phone. Most of the times, the employees that were supposedly helping me just didn't have any idea of what's going on, and instead of taking their time to investigate what happened and to solve my problem, they only cut the conversation by saying "is there anything else that I can help you with??". They didn't give me any opportunity to answer to that question, when they hung up the phone. After trying with maybe 6 or 7 employees and getting the same results, finally a person answered me that Movistar was experiencing troubles with digital mobiles and that they encouraged me to buy a GSM mobile, which should be understood as a polite way to tell me that they were intentionally boicotting the service to force me to buy a GSM equipment, which I didn't want to do. But that wasn't the only trouble of Movistar's service, let me tell you that even their GSM service doesn't work properly! At least, I have had this kind of experiences in Mexico and Venezuela. So if you're in Latin America and you're thinking of getting a mobile phone, don't think of Movistar. Check other companies that offer their services in the market.
5. CABLEVISION(Mexico - Cable TV). Well, what can I say about a company that has made its best effort for customers to lose confidence in them? You should see their customer support offices into malls in Mexico City: The line to receive complaints is much longer than the one to pay for the service. And I have had bad experiences with their service as well on several occasions, but I'll write only about two of them. 1) Among other services, Cablevision offers broadband internet access. I first thought of them to be my ISP when I was willing to get broadband access at home. So I called them and they said that they'd install the service on a certain day. At work, I told my bosses that such day I wouldn't be able to go to work because I had "very important" things to do. As you can imagine, the Cable technician didn't show up at home at the time we agreed, so I called Cablevision to tell them about this situation, for which they replied that he was "a little" late and he'd come 4 hours after the time we agreed!!!. I patiently waited for the 4 hours, and once again, the technician failed to appear. I called Cablevision again to see what happened, and they told me that they had to move my appointment to the next day, without notice!! Obviously I told them where to go and I sought for a serious ISP. 2) We didn't have Cable TV service at home because of some technical problem that Cablevision was experimenting. When we noticed Cablevision about this issue, they told us that they'd send a technician to solve the problem the next day. Of course, the technician didn't come and just like in the lines above, they changed the appointment date for about three or four times, until they finally came and solved the problem. But by then, about 26 days had already passed since we first reported the incident! We logically didn't want to pay for that month in which we didn't enjoy the service, and we notified Cablevision of that. They agreed, but they instructed us to pay for that month's service, and the next month they'd reimburse the respective money. Well, 6 months and a long series of complaint calls had to pass until they reimbursed the money. So please avoid any Cablevision services in Mexico, they suck and they're out of any seriousness.

I hope that this little guide can be helpful for anybody thinking of paying for the services of any of the companies mentioned above... see you next time!

The Buffalo Bills!

As this is the first post ever in my blog, I'd like to dedicate it to one of the greatest football teams ever, of which I consider myself a great fan: The Buffalo Bills!!It's just a pitty that a team with such an amazing background has been passing through so many difficulties during the last years: their strategies have been poor, the performance of the team has been greatly under the expectations of the fans, and the team has been a mess. This last 2005 season was a very disappointing one, as they only managed to win 5 of the 16 games that were scheduled for them that season, and I guess that it is not necessary to mention that they did not reach the playoffs. Too bad, this is the sixth straight year that they don't reach them.However, I am firmly convinced that the new players and coaches that the team has hired for the 2006 season will contribute to improve the team's performance: Dick Jauron, the new head coach, has the necessary experience to manage successfully a team. Also, the new appointment of Marv Levy (the best head coach in the Bills' history) as General Manager of the team is a starting step for a new golden era (hopefully!). Let's see what awaits us during the next years. GO BILLS!!!