Essays from The Third World

I've been helping out my brother with his essays - editing his grammar, reviewing his ideas, giving him tips that would appeal to those North American or British admission officers. All so that he can have another chance in life, other than what our country offers him: a perilious army duty, incredibly hard work for extremely low wages and constant battle with a corrupt system. I hope he makes it... it's a lota money coming out of savings, but I think it's worth it.

Remembering 9-11 Victims

I lost track of time between traveling and running errands. I am still adjusting back and shame on me -- I forgot what day it was! I turned on the TV to break the morning silence of my apartment and out flowed the endless list of 9-11 victims. Their families calling up their names, paying their respect and reminding us of the day the whole world changed. One girl leaned into the microphone, said a name and called him "my amazing brother." Her world changed on that fateful day in an undescribable way... You could sense the rawness of her pain in those simple words. No matter how or if this war on terror ends - what does it matter? Her amazing brother is gone.

New Orleans Discussions - From Argentina

Just got back from Argentina... a wonderful country. The average folks on the streets of Buenos Aires -- regardless of professional background -- are humane, polite and friendly. And boy, are they feverish about politics! They are not just focused on themselves, they keep an eye out on the world. (This is something we're definitely missing in the US, where the emphasis is on local events.) A cab driver taking us from the airport to our hotel was asking us how the American people were reacting to the New Orleans disaster. What were they saying about the help efforts? How was the government taking action? Indeed, it was impossible to miss out on the news about Katrina. Flipping channels in a humble hotel with basic set of cable channels was enough to get a sense of how the rest of the world was just as tuned in to the events in the gulf as Americans themselves might be.

I found this web site which gives general news about New Orleans and provides links to blogs and message boards covering the hurricane aftermath: www.nola.com You may want to visit it or make donations through www.redcross.org

Everything else is secondary right now...

Cafe Tortoni