I saw this great little movie called Little Miss Sunshine. It was original and very funny. I find myself really attracted to character-driven ensemble films. This is one of them. I think the movie is particularly appealing to audiences because of the family aspect. Let's face it we all have family that have angered or embarrassed us at times and we still love them. We fight over trivial matters and come together when the unspeakable happens. I thought it was sweet film...you should see.
and oh yes, it is set in Albuquerque...but I swear people in Albuquerque do not live like these people do!
28 August 2006
End of MBA first term
It's been quite sometime since I last wrote and life has been rather hectic. I worked tirelessly into the morning last night to complete my marketing plan for class. I must say that there was a lot of research I enjoyed doing for the motion picture industry. I also wanted to recommend the "Marketing Myopia" article to anyone interested in marketing or business. It was an influential piece of writing in the 70s and still very relevant today.
We've begun the first of three weeks of Accounting. I just hope we don't have long drawn out problems like we had in Statistics. I love looking at things from a financial perspective but I don't want to just keep plugging in formulas...I am happy to have made it through my first MBA term will most of my sanity intact. I realize how over-extended I am. My ambitions keep me very busy...and sometimes it's too busy for my own good but I'm really working on maintaining a balance that keeps me busy but less stressed out.
Being in business school has really nurtured and encouraged the entrepreneurial part of me! I have another half dozen great business ideas I could implement tomorrow. It’s such an invigorating process to sit and talk with Erica about the feasibilities of new business and to hammer out the kinks in our current ventures. I’m launching a new business with my mom and encouraging everybody else I know to examine what they might be interested in. In reality, most people are more comfortable showing up to work with a purpose instead of creating their own luck. It’s too hard, or there isn’t enough time when in reality I think that people always make time to do what they want. People spend countless hours on the telephone, playing video games, or going to the movies.
A week or so ago I had a good mid school friend come to LA and we had a lot of fun. We went to Disneyland, which is a great place to eat bad food and laugh! We went to a professional soccer game, which was more fun that I thought it would be. I played soccer when I was younger and just don't like watching it on TV but in person is great! I'd love to see another one!
Unfortunately we ran out of time before she had to go back to Albuquerque but it was good fun. Spending time with this friend reminded me of how precious people are...
Over the last year a few people I held in high regard have come in and out of my life. Some of it has been truly devastating in many ways. How could I be so wrong about somebody I thought I was close to for 10 years? In life there are no certainties and I have found a way to embrace that. It's tricky at times but I think I'm stronger today than I was last year! I'm committed to success and happiness and don't really want people around me who don't bring something to the table. I think this is something most people forget to ask for. Anyway, I guess that's enough psychoanalysis for now.
We've begun the first of three weeks of Accounting. I just hope we don't have long drawn out problems like we had in Statistics. I love looking at things from a financial perspective but I don't want to just keep plugging in formulas...I am happy to have made it through my first MBA term will most of my sanity intact. I realize how over-extended I am. My ambitions keep me very busy...and sometimes it's too busy for my own good but I'm really working on maintaining a balance that keeps me busy but less stressed out.
Being in business school has really nurtured and encouraged the entrepreneurial part of me! I have another half dozen great business ideas I could implement tomorrow. It’s such an invigorating process to sit and talk with Erica about the feasibilities of new business and to hammer out the kinks in our current ventures. I’m launching a new business with my mom and encouraging everybody else I know to examine what they might be interested in. In reality, most people are more comfortable showing up to work with a purpose instead of creating their own luck. It’s too hard, or there isn’t enough time when in reality I think that people always make time to do what they want. People spend countless hours on the telephone, playing video games, or going to the movies.
A week or so ago I had a good mid school friend come to LA and we had a lot of fun. We went to Disneyland, which is a great place to eat bad food and laugh! We went to a professional soccer game, which was more fun that I thought it would be. I played soccer when I was younger and just don't like watching it on TV but in person is great! I'd love to see another one!
Unfortunately we ran out of time before she had to go back to Albuquerque but it was good fun. Spending time with this friend reminded me of how precious people are...
Over the last year a few people I held in high regard have come in and out of my life. Some of it has been truly devastating in many ways. How could I be so wrong about somebody I thought I was close to for 10 years? In life there are no certainties and I have found a way to embrace that. It's tricky at times but I think I'm stronger today than I was last year! I'm committed to success and happiness and don't really want people around me who don't bring something to the table. I think this is something most people forget to ask for. Anyway, I guess that's enough psychoanalysis for now.
07 August 2006
The U.S. indirectly funds the Mexican economy...why?
Yesterday I was reading some of the news headlines on CNN and came across the article below. It made me wonder why nobody else in the U.S. is talking about the fact that remittances from Mexican migrants living in the U.S. are the second largest source of income into the Mexican economy. While our healthcare system continues to unravel, the Mexican economy continues to take valuable dollars from the U.S. That's a lot of money that never counts toward change for the soil on which it was earned. It almost seems like they(Mexico) are entitled to U.S. money but the U.S. is not allowed to mention issues such as border security for fear of offending the migrants living here. We don't need another "si se puede" march because we(U.S. citizens) want to address the issues created when a million or more immigrants cross our borders each year...so what are we supposed to do?
Drug violence, political unrest mar Mexico tourism
Industry struggling in some areas
Friday, August 4, 2006; Posted: 1:05 p.m. EDT (17:05 GMT)
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AP) -- A human head washes up on an Acapulco beach. Protesters hassle visitors at makeshift checkpoints in the colonial city of Oaxaca. And in Mexico City, leftist demonstrators turn the tourist draws of Reforma Avenue and the Zocalo plaza into sprawling, ragtag protest camps.
Growing political unrest and drug violence are making foreigners think twice about visiting Mexico, where the $11.8 billion tourism industry is the country's third-largest legal source of income, after oil and remittances from migrants in the United States.
Mexico has been struggling since last fall, when Hurricane Wilma hit the country's biggest tourism moneymaker, Cancun.
No tourists have been reported hurt in Mexico City, Oaxaca or Acapulco, but hotels are being hit by cancellations of thousands of reservations.
In Mexico City alone, hotels, restaurants and stores are losing $23 million a day, according to the city's Commerce, Services and Tourism Chamber. Some businesses have threatened to stop paying taxes unless the government cracks down on the demonstrations.
Protesters in Oaxaca, claiming fraud in the state gubernatorial race, have taken over the picturesque downtown to pressure Gov. Ulises Ruiz to step down. They forced the cancellation of an ethnic festival, and tourists must pass through checkpoints to reach the arch-ringed main plaza.
Protesters want to use the unrest to "force the population that relies on tourism to pressure the government," said Jose Escobar, head of the Oaxaca employers' federation.
In the Pacific resort of Acapulco, drug gangs are battling for control of lucrative smuggling and sales routes. Human heads have been dumped in front of government offices and in the glittering resort's bay. There have been gun battles on the streets.
In Mexico City, supporters of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador have taken over streets to press election officials for a re-count in the disputed July 2 presidential elections.
And tourism officials say things could get worse.
"If this goes on for a week or 10 days more, some hotels are going to be in a desperate situation," said Carlos Mackinlay, director of Mexico City tourism promotion.
Double-decker buses no longer tour the tree-lined Reforma, which connects the city's Chapultepec Park to the historic center but is now closed to traffic. Museums, restaurants and hotels stand largely empty.
Tourists who brave the demonstrations must skirt rickety gas cookers and duck under ropes holding up tarps as they hike back to their hotels. Mayor Alejandro Encinas said Thursday that city officials would guarantee access to hotels.
For now, helmetless motorcycle "taxi" drivers offer white-knuckle, 15-peso ($1.35) rides on the backs of their bikes, navigating past lawn chairs, cots and tents.
Korean businesswoman Sophia Noh, 28, paced outside the blockaded stock exchange building Thursday, wondering how she was going to get in for a meeting.
"This has made things harder," Noh said. "I think both sides should begin to negotiate."
Across the street, 60-year-old tourist Elvira Gotuzzo of Buenos Aires, Argentina, was trying to rent a car to get out of town. She and her family were too scared to sightsee in the city's 7-century-old downtown, which is occupied by demonstrators in ragged tents.
"This is a crime," Gotuzzo said. "It's such a shame!"
Despite growing calls from President Vicente Fox and even Lopez Obrador's own supporters, city officials who are allied with the leftist candidate have refused to take action.
In Mexico City's financial and cultural heart, loudspeakers blare salsa music and harangues about alleged vote fraud.
The protesters claim the presidential election was tainted by fraud, giving conservative Felipe Calderon a narrow lead. The case is before an electoral tribunal, which has until September 6 to declare a president-elect or annul the election.
Things aren't likely to improve soon.
"This is only the first step," said protester Fernando Martinez, helping block a downtown office building. "Next, we're going after the airports."
Drug violence, political unrest mar Mexico tourism
Industry struggling in some areas
Friday, August 4, 2006; Posted: 1:05 p.m. EDT (17:05 GMT)
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AP) -- A human head washes up on an Acapulco beach. Protesters hassle visitors at makeshift checkpoints in the colonial city of Oaxaca. And in Mexico City, leftist demonstrators turn the tourist draws of Reforma Avenue and the Zocalo plaza into sprawling, ragtag protest camps.
Growing political unrest and drug violence are making foreigners think twice about visiting Mexico, where the $11.8 billion tourism industry is the country's third-largest legal source of income, after oil and remittances from migrants in the United States.
Mexico has been struggling since last fall, when Hurricane Wilma hit the country's biggest tourism moneymaker, Cancun.
No tourists have been reported hurt in Mexico City, Oaxaca or Acapulco, but hotels are being hit by cancellations of thousands of reservations.
In Mexico City alone, hotels, restaurants and stores are losing $23 million a day, according to the city's Commerce, Services and Tourism Chamber. Some businesses have threatened to stop paying taxes unless the government cracks down on the demonstrations.
Protesters in Oaxaca, claiming fraud in the state gubernatorial race, have taken over the picturesque downtown to pressure Gov. Ulises Ruiz to step down. They forced the cancellation of an ethnic festival, and tourists must pass through checkpoints to reach the arch-ringed main plaza.
Protesters want to use the unrest to "force the population that relies on tourism to pressure the government," said Jose Escobar, head of the Oaxaca employers' federation.
In the Pacific resort of Acapulco, drug gangs are battling for control of lucrative smuggling and sales routes. Human heads have been dumped in front of government offices and in the glittering resort's bay. There have been gun battles on the streets.
In Mexico City, supporters of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador have taken over streets to press election officials for a re-count in the disputed July 2 presidential elections.
And tourism officials say things could get worse.
"If this goes on for a week or 10 days more, some hotels are going to be in a desperate situation," said Carlos Mackinlay, director of Mexico City tourism promotion.
Double-decker buses no longer tour the tree-lined Reforma, which connects the city's Chapultepec Park to the historic center but is now closed to traffic. Museums, restaurants and hotels stand largely empty.
Tourists who brave the demonstrations must skirt rickety gas cookers and duck under ropes holding up tarps as they hike back to their hotels. Mayor Alejandro Encinas said Thursday that city officials would guarantee access to hotels.
For now, helmetless motorcycle "taxi" drivers offer white-knuckle, 15-peso ($1.35) rides on the backs of their bikes, navigating past lawn chairs, cots and tents.
Korean businesswoman Sophia Noh, 28, paced outside the blockaded stock exchange building Thursday, wondering how she was going to get in for a meeting.
"This has made things harder," Noh said. "I think both sides should begin to negotiate."
Across the street, 60-year-old tourist Elvira Gotuzzo of Buenos Aires, Argentina, was trying to rent a car to get out of town. She and her family were too scared to sightsee in the city's 7-century-old downtown, which is occupied by demonstrators in ragged tents.
"This is a crime," Gotuzzo said. "It's such a shame!"
Despite growing calls from President Vicente Fox and even Lopez Obrador's own supporters, city officials who are allied with the leftist candidate have refused to take action.
In Mexico City's financial and cultural heart, loudspeakers blare salsa music and harangues about alleged vote fraud.
The protesters claim the presidential election was tainted by fraud, giving conservative Felipe Calderon a narrow lead. The case is before an electoral tribunal, which has until September 6 to declare a president-elect or annul the election.
Things aren't likely to improve soon.
"This is only the first step," said protester Fernando Martinez, helping block a downtown office building. "Next, we're going after the airports."
Economics ends MBA week 5!
This past week covered an introduction to Economics including Porter's Five Forces, and supply/demand in elastic/inelastic markets...
It was a welcome change from the monstrously long statistics problems we were dealing with for three weeks.
The week 5 assignment had us analyzing an HMO medical contract for a theoretical Dental office. Most people tend to shy away from topics like statistics and economics but if you look closely you'll see that they are particularly relevant to everything that goes on in any kind of business anywhere. I find myself better equipped to discuss some of the issues that have come to mind because of my new and improved vocabulary.
I can't believe that I'm two thirds through my first MBA semester!
It was a welcome change from the monstrously long statistics problems we were dealing with for three weeks.
The week 5 assignment had us analyzing an HMO medical contract for a theoretical Dental office. Most people tend to shy away from topics like statistics and economics but if you look closely you'll see that they are particularly relevant to everything that goes on in any kind of business anywhere. I find myself better equipped to discuss some of the issues that have come to mind because of my new and improved vocabulary.
I can't believe that I'm two thirds through my first MBA semester!
04 August 2006
Is Oprah too powerful?
I've been meaning to post this blog bit I read on the Huffington Post website. It was written by Bill Robinson and I thought it was particularly interesting. Not sure I completely agree/disagree with it, but it did make me think...what do you think?
07.09.2006
How To Sell Your Soul for the Cover of Vanity Fair!
Like most people, I don't often think about Hilary Swank. Or her husband Chad Lowe. I've met them a couple times in the course of work, and they seemed lovely. So it was surprising when my computer started insisting I read about their marriage. Suddenly, I couldn't even check my email without dodging pop-up windows, teasing me with the promise of their tawdry secrets: "Hilary Swank tells all about Chad's substance abuse problem!" I mean... Seriously? Putting aside the obvious question of who fucking cares, there was the sadder feeling of a two-time Oscar winner ratting out her ex-tv star ex-husband (whom she forgot to thank in her acceptance speech) after dumping him. Why would she do such a graceless, tacky thing? Then it all clicked: she wanted the cover of Vanity Fair. And she got it.
The fact is, spilling an ugly secret is the price of admission for the cover of Vanity Fair. And it's corporate policy. Just ask Teri Hatcher, who tried to peddle "I got dumped by Clooney and/or Seacrest" and ended up having to go with "my uncle molested me" to get the cover. Anderson Cooper revealed "for the first time" the tragic details of his brother's suicide, and became one of the few men to grace the cover. Jennifer Aniston practically subjected herself to a full cavity search to get the cover. And of course there's perennial fave Nicole Kidman, who has really mastered the art of giving V.F. readers emotional, in-depth interviews that reveal absolutely nothing. In fact, other wanna-be cover victims should take a page from Nic's book; she's great at gaming the system.
But I don't really blame Vanity Fair for the current pop culture of confession. In fact, I blame Oprah. She legitimized and encouraged the notion that celebrities have to reveal hideous secrets to become human, and humans have to reveal hideous secrets to become celebrities. It's probably not a coincidence that a woman like Oprah, who was raised reciting scripture in Mississippi churches from the age of three, would become the nation's pastor, hosting afternoon confessionals. Every weekday afternoon, she leads her flock of 25 million into one side of the sacred booth, to hear what co-opted guests will whisper through the partition.
But even Oprah's raising the stakes. No longer is it enough to kiss and tell. Any of J.Lo's husbands could do that. No, Oprah now wants to actually possess her victims. Recently, of course, there was Jennifer Aniston, the modern role model for all victims who would like to cash in personal sorrow for fame vouchers. She literally moved into Oprah's Santa Barbara ranch, sensing no safer place for a woman wronged who's eager to spill intimate details in front of a camera.
Then Oprah had Anderson Cooper actually drive with a camera crew to show us the spot where his brother hit the pavement after jumping to his death from his apartment balcony. He hadn't been there in a long time. He choked back tears. Oprah wasn't with him of course, she's far too busy to actually participate in the orgiastic confessional ritual from which she profits so handsomely. But she did arrange to have Anderson's mother listen in the audience as he recounted the tragedy. Oprah then had mom recount her version, while Anderson listened, framed in the tightest close-up possible with current technology. That, my fellow Americans, is the price of doing business with Oprah.
So, too, is punishment by Oprah. Fake drunk author James Frey had to get ambushed, not because she cares about the integrity of her book club, but because there is no greater offense in Oprah-land than a false confession. And just a couple weeks ago, she started gunning for guest Meg Ryan when Meg wouldn't play "poor me" in response to Oprah's baiting questions about how hard it is to be famous. "I don't think many people can relate to that problem, Oprah. I'm here to talk about the CARE organization in India." Oprah looked like she was going to kill her.
According to Christianity Today, Oprah's "effect extends beyond media. She is a force that has permeated the way we think about culture and interpersonal communication." The Wall Street Journal coined the word 'Oprahfication' to describe "public confession as a form of therapy." Jet magazine uses Oprah as a verb: "I didn't want to tell her, but. ... she Oprah'd it out of me." Politicians now hold "Oprah-style" town meetings to gauge the mood of their constituents.
Like many, I respect the hell out of what Oprah has done to make the world a better place. And I guess I shouldn't be surprised that a woman whose rise was fueled by her own confessional stories of child molestation, incest, and teen pregnancy would believe there is healing power in revealing all in front of a devoted congregation. But the inevitable bastard child of such ethics is the cover of Vanity Fair, and people like Hilary Swank selling loved ones down the river to get there.
A while back, I had dinner with an Oscar winning actress who had been unceremoniously dumped by an Oscar winning actor, so he could marry a younger, more famous Oscar winner. "Vanity Fair called," she told me, "they said they'd put me on the cover if I gave them dirt on (her ex)." I knew this was a real dilemma for her, as her acting career could use the boost such publicity would bring, and her venom for her ex was still running hot. The opportunity seemed too tempting to turn down. "I'm not gonna do it," she said, surprising the hell out of me. "Really?" "Yeah. I think Jackie O. had it right, you know? Keep your fucking mouth shut."
07.09.2006
How To Sell Your Soul for the Cover of Vanity Fair!
Like most people, I don't often think about Hilary Swank. Or her husband Chad Lowe. I've met them a couple times in the course of work, and they seemed lovely. So it was surprising when my computer started insisting I read about their marriage. Suddenly, I couldn't even check my email without dodging pop-up windows, teasing me with the promise of their tawdry secrets: "Hilary Swank tells all about Chad's substance abuse problem!" I mean... Seriously? Putting aside the obvious question of who fucking cares, there was the sadder feeling of a two-time Oscar winner ratting out her ex-tv star ex-husband (whom she forgot to thank in her acceptance speech) after dumping him. Why would she do such a graceless, tacky thing? Then it all clicked: she wanted the cover of Vanity Fair. And she got it.
The fact is, spilling an ugly secret is the price of admission for the cover of Vanity Fair. And it's corporate policy. Just ask Teri Hatcher, who tried to peddle "I got dumped by Clooney and/or Seacrest" and ended up having to go with "my uncle molested me" to get the cover. Anderson Cooper revealed "for the first time" the tragic details of his brother's suicide, and became one of the few men to grace the cover. Jennifer Aniston practically subjected herself to a full cavity search to get the cover. And of course there's perennial fave Nicole Kidman, who has really mastered the art of giving V.F. readers emotional, in-depth interviews that reveal absolutely nothing. In fact, other wanna-be cover victims should take a page from Nic's book; she's great at gaming the system.
But I don't really blame Vanity Fair for the current pop culture of confession. In fact, I blame Oprah. She legitimized and encouraged the notion that celebrities have to reveal hideous secrets to become human, and humans have to reveal hideous secrets to become celebrities. It's probably not a coincidence that a woman like Oprah, who was raised reciting scripture in Mississippi churches from the age of three, would become the nation's pastor, hosting afternoon confessionals. Every weekday afternoon, she leads her flock of 25 million into one side of the sacred booth, to hear what co-opted guests will whisper through the partition.
But even Oprah's raising the stakes. No longer is it enough to kiss and tell. Any of J.Lo's husbands could do that. No, Oprah now wants to actually possess her victims. Recently, of course, there was Jennifer Aniston, the modern role model for all victims who would like to cash in personal sorrow for fame vouchers. She literally moved into Oprah's Santa Barbara ranch, sensing no safer place for a woman wronged who's eager to spill intimate details in front of a camera.
Then Oprah had Anderson Cooper actually drive with a camera crew to show us the spot where his brother hit the pavement after jumping to his death from his apartment balcony. He hadn't been there in a long time. He choked back tears. Oprah wasn't with him of course, she's far too busy to actually participate in the orgiastic confessional ritual from which she profits so handsomely. But she did arrange to have Anderson's mother listen in the audience as he recounted the tragedy. Oprah then had mom recount her version, while Anderson listened, framed in the tightest close-up possible with current technology. That, my fellow Americans, is the price of doing business with Oprah.
So, too, is punishment by Oprah. Fake drunk author James Frey had to get ambushed, not because she cares about the integrity of her book club, but because there is no greater offense in Oprah-land than a false confession. And just a couple weeks ago, she started gunning for guest Meg Ryan when Meg wouldn't play "poor me" in response to Oprah's baiting questions about how hard it is to be famous. "I don't think many people can relate to that problem, Oprah. I'm here to talk about the CARE organization in India." Oprah looked like she was going to kill her.
According to Christianity Today, Oprah's "effect extends beyond media. She is a force that has permeated the way we think about culture and interpersonal communication." The Wall Street Journal coined the word 'Oprahfication' to describe "public confession as a form of therapy." Jet magazine uses Oprah as a verb: "I didn't want to tell her, but. ... she Oprah'd it out of me." Politicians now hold "Oprah-style" town meetings to gauge the mood of their constituents.
Like many, I respect the hell out of what Oprah has done to make the world a better place. And I guess I shouldn't be surprised that a woman whose rise was fueled by her own confessional stories of child molestation, incest, and teen pregnancy would believe there is healing power in revealing all in front of a devoted congregation. But the inevitable bastard child of such ethics is the cover of Vanity Fair, and people like Hilary Swank selling loved ones down the river to get there.
A while back, I had dinner with an Oscar winning actress who had been unceremoniously dumped by an Oscar winning actor, so he could marry a younger, more famous Oscar winner. "Vanity Fair called," she told me, "they said they'd put me on the cover if I gave them dirt on (her ex)." I knew this was a real dilemma for her, as her acting career could use the boost such publicity would bring, and her venom for her ex was still running hot. The opportunity seemed too tempting to turn down. "I'm not gonna do it," she said, surprising the hell out of me. "Really?" "Yeah. I think Jackie O. had it right, you know? Keep your fucking mouth shut."
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