Maybe the festivity itself has turned into a more religious holiday than it was before because you know the history of Thanksgiving and the relation to the lost of the land of the aborigines, it’s quite complex if you analyze it through different factors that go beyond any meaning and imagery that were teach in school or through a sutler paternal speech about Thanksgiving is a day to be thankful to God. It amuse me a lot this specific day of the year because it has evolved so much over the centuries that it’s a basically a new secular festivity that has an interesting history but at the end right now it’s be thankful (even if you are an Atheist or not religious) that even in the worse scenarios there are people that are willing to be with you and help you or maybe having good health? Who knows as it can have different meanings at the end, so what I’m grateful for? Let’s say I am happy just to be me.

What a shame Walmart, whose next the world? Za Warudo! One of the fights came with the new Star Trek movie where Walmart reduced the price so much that technically is free to get it, hey I will be going tomorrow or maybe later to buy it!.

Is this a way to promote one of the cities that is Patrimony of the humankind? No is not and when tourist go to Cartagena one of the most beautiful cities in the world no wonder why sometimes they feel deception. The photo was taken in La Cordialidad.

La cultura es rentable

En Colombia, según un estudio realizado por la Organización Mundial para la Propiedad Intelectual (OMPI), en 2005 las industrias culturales generaron más de 1 millón de empleos directos, facturaron exportaciones por 2.000 millones de dólares e importaciones por 4.000 millones de dólares.
En 2003, según el Banco Mundial, las industrias culturales registraron una participación del 7% en el PIB del planeta y se predice que crecerán, en promedio, un 10% anual.
De acuerdo con datos de la Unesco, el crecimiento de este sector en dólares fue del 300%, entre 1980 y 1998.
En Estados Unidos, las industrias culturales son el segundo sector exportador; en Inglaterra, representan el 6% del empleo.
Según Sandra Gibson, directora de la Asociación de Promotores de las Artes Escénicas de Estados Unidos, “a pesar de haberse sentido con fuerza la crisis económica, los estadounidenses invierten ahora más en industrias creativas que en tiempos de tranquilidad. El gasto en cine, compra de libros y regalos de discos se ha incrementado y esta situación ha estimulado a la gente a sobrellevar los momentos de dificultad. La gente necesita un escape y la respuesta está en las industrias culturales, que gracias a este fenómeno han aumentado su demanda en los últimos meses”.
Para el alemán Michael Hutter, director cultural de la Unidad de Investigación en Fuentes Culturales Novedosas de Alemania, el gran desafío está en la innovación.

Check this note from Yahoo:

On September 8, in what the Department of Education is touting as a “historic” speech, President Obama will be talking directly to students across the U.S., live on the White House website. But some parents and conservatives are blasting the president, calling the speech an excuse to brainwash American children.

Last month, in an interview with 11-year-old student reporter Damon Weaver, the president announced his big back-to-school plan:

“I’m going to be making a big speech to young people all across the country about the importance of education; about the importance of staying in school; how we want to improve our education system and why it’s so important for the country. So I hope everybody tunes in.”

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan sent a letter to the nation’s principals, inviting schools to watch the speech and included suggested classroom activities. But Jim Greer, the chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, came out swinging against the planned speech. An excerpt from his statement:

“The address scheduled for September 8, 2009, does not allow for healthy debate on the President’s agenda, but rather obligates the youngest children in our public school system to agree with our President’s initiatives or be ostracized by their teachers and classmates.”

NBC spoke with Katie Gordon, a spokeswoman for the Florida Republican Party, who said the party’s “beef” is with the accompanying lesson plans. The guide for pre-K through grade 6 suggests questions students think about during the speech, such as “What is the President trying to tell me? What is the President asking me to do?”

The plan for grades 7-12 includes a “guided discussion,” with suggested topics: “What resonated with you from President Obama’s speech? What is President Obama inspiring you to do?”

The Cato Institute, a public-policy research foundation, issued a press release entitled “Hey Obama, Leave Those Kids Alone,” criticizing the “troubling buzzwords” in the lesson plans:

“It’s one thing for a president to encourage all kids to work hard and stay in school – that’s a reasonable use of the bully pulpit. It’s another thing entirely, however, to have the U.S. Department of Education send detailed instructions to public schools nationwide on how to glorify the president and the presidency, and push them to drive social change.”

Across the blogosphere, comments covered the spectrum, from critical to supportive, and from one student, a little anger:

“I sent my children to school to be educated NOT indoctrinated.” — justamom

“The fact that people want to keep their kids from hearing the President of the United States encourage them to do well in school shows a true level of ignorance.” — Firefey

“As an [sic] 9th grade student, I’d like to say that 1. I’m not sure why everyone is so scared that we’ll all be brainwashed by the President … 2. My school is one that is not allowing us to watch the speech, and quite frankly, I’m pissed.” — Willbw

Both Presidents George Bush and Ronald Reagan both gave speeches aimed specifically at students that were nationally televised. In 1989, Bush delivered a televised anti-drug speech, and Reagan’s 1986 commencement speech and Q&A session was “beamed over public television into 171 school districts,” according to the L.A. Times.

It’s worth noting that schools are, encouraged, not required, to air the speech. The Houston Chronicle reports that one Dallas school district is leaving the decision to individual teachers. Susan Dacus, spokeswoman for the Wylie school district, says parents who don’t want their children to see it can opt out.

In an ironic twist, one Missouri school won’t be airing the speech because of a lack of funding. Michelle Baumstark, spokeswoman for Columbia public schools, told the Columbia Daily Tribune, “We don’t have the funding or the equipment to support that type of broadcasting.”

The region of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach are one of the places that have experience a major exodus but why? At least in Miami-Dade everything is freaking expensive even the gas and the groceries (my brother says that is one of the most overrated cities just like New York) I can’t imagine why people like to stay there.

During 2008 and 2009 so far 27.000 residents from 18 million had left the State arguing the same “monetary reasons and high taxes during a difficult time”.