Blogging mostly about mundane stuff like, immigration, Workers' Compensation and other immigrant related activities.

Saturday, June 10, 2006

3rd World Farming. A Deadly Game.


Imagine how difficulty it would be to try to earn a living and raise a family as a farmer in the Third World.

Do you fancy yourself to be educated, smarth and resourcefull? You think it's really not all that difficult? If so, then give the 3rd World Farmer game a shot. Lets see how well and how long you and your family lasts.

How many seasons will Mr./Mrs./Miss Farmer John endure? How long before drought, disease or civil unrest devastate your crops, kill off or worse just come along and steal all of your harvest and livestock.

If you are lucky you may be able to feed your family and keep starvation and disease at bay.

I was fortunate to last 46 seasons, but my success came at a high expense which was the loss of two of my children to disease. Once I reached some measure of success, the militia stole most of my livestock and belongings. After several seasons of struggle, I was able to achieve limited success, but had to agree to burying toxic waste on my land and growing illicit crops in order to raise enough capital to properly invest in my farm and livestock.

The civil unrest in my country once again led to a loss of most of my livestock and farming tools which sadly coupled with drought ended in the starvation of my entire family.

It may have been just a game for me but, sadly for farmers all over the Third World it is anything but a game.

Via: Houtlust :: nonprofit advertising :: social campaigns

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Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Can I Swim in Your Pool?


The weather is getting hotter in L.A. and this has led to more frequent visits to our sisters home in Norwalk, CA.  My sisters home has a very large yard with a faboulous pool.  Our family has an unspoken policy which allows sisters and brothers the ability to show up unannounced, provided they bring food and drink, and partake of the pool. 

The "unspoken policy" generally results in what can only be categorized as a long-drawn-out-pool-party with any number of family and guests coming and going, without any real start or ending of the festivities.

The fact that I'm heading over to my sisters myself, also unannounced reminded me of The Swimmer starring Burt Lancaster.  Over at, the We-Make-Money-Not-Art website someone posted a beautifully shot web narrative of John Cheever’s short story.  The narrative is done by filmaker Maya Churi who also did Letters from Homeroom.  Churi's voice narrative and the story line is captivating and wonderful.  The interactive web short runs about 40 minutes, but is well worth the time.


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