tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927355458761641102010-07-07T01:41:21.978-07:00Welcome to my blog! This will be a place where I will reflect, vent and encourage those who chose to join me in the discussion to "dare to know". It will be a place to share ideas, voice concerns and challenge that which we find unjust, even if it means challenging those we once felt represented our best interests at heart. "SAPERE AUDE" will also inform readers about the many issues that affects us and the world we inhabit.Mexican Filmmakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07025276862885940545noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492735545876164110.post-21721262495520970722010-02-28T21:36:00.000-08:002010-03-01T10:20:41.401-08:002010-03-01T10:20:41.401-08:00Mexican Filmmakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07025276862885940545noreply@blogger.com0 The BBC reported today that in the small town of Den Bosch in the Netherlands, the local priest at Sint-Jan church decided not to give communion to anyone in anticipation of a protest by gay-rights activists who were planning to stage a walk-out over the Roman Catholic Church's policy of denying communion to practicing gay men and women.  The protest was the result of a priest in a nearby town <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Duq_WykLDbWfCZfEOHT4x4QeFKw/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Duq_WykLDbWfCZfEOHT4x4QeFKw/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Duq_WykLDbWfCZfEOHT4x4QeFKw/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Duq_WykLDbWfCZfEOHT4x4QeFKw/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pDfH/~4/X2E8OzBbFBc" height="1" width="1"/>http://mexicanfilmmaker.blogspot.com/2010/02/when-youre-right-youre-right.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492735545876164110.post-85258616234084217462010-02-27T03:31:00.000-08:002010-07-07T01:41:21.994-07:002010-07-07T01:41:21.994-07:00Mexican Filmmakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07025276862885940545noreply@blogger.com0I have been watching the Olympic Games in Vancouver and I must admit, I wish I had planned it better and had cable to see more events than those broadcast on NBC during prime time.  I am fascinated by curling, but did not see a single game.  I was even curious to see a sport called "skeleton" but again, that was not possible.  At a time when technology and the internet are connecting the world <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/AwHNpJJ1yP2EMlNF7jcks_6k4s4/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/AwHNpJJ1yP2EMlNF7jcks_6k4s4/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/AwHNpJJ1yP2EMlNF7jcks_6k4s4/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/AwHNpJJ1yP2EMlNF7jcks_6k4s4/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pDfH/~4/AutD2cFxwoI" height="1" width="1"/>http://mexicanfilmmaker.blogspot.com/2010/02/its-funny-thing.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492735545876164110.post-66781955174838994482010-02-27T02:52:00.000-08:002010-02-27T02:59:50.073-08:002010-02-27T02:59:50.073-08:00Mexican Filmmakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07025276862885940545noreply@blogger.com0At a press conference today, Sea World CEO announced that the theme park will continue to use its killer whales in shows, only no trainer will be allowed to set foot inside the water. What?! What will it take for these parks to realize than no living animal likes captivity and that whenever possible, whenever confined, animals, like humans, will seek a way to escape.  There is a reason why <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/rIwAElEYIrtUfa1y8H5woX_OfNQ/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/rIwAElEYIrtUfa1y8H5woX_OfNQ/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/rIwAElEYIrtUfa1y8H5woX_OfNQ/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/rIwAElEYIrtUfa1y8H5woX_OfNQ/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pDfH/~4/gW9kVNcvThM" height="1" width="1"/>http://mexicanfilmmaker.blogspot.com/2010/02/when-will-they-learn.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492735545876164110.post-82229925197138547802010-02-04T08:54:00.000-08:002010-02-04T09:18:25.618-08:002010-02-04T09:18:25.618-08:00Mexican Filmmakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07025276862885940545noreply@blogger.com0 Ok, so I'm a bit upset.  Wait. No. I changed my mind. I'm livid at the new Vanity Fair cover featuring the latest young actresses.  Ordinarily, I never bother to think about who's on the cover of what magazine.  For me, it's always been about what is in vogue.  George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston and all the other celebrities headlining a magazine, even a tabloid, don't <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/9Luq9WXNZ1oFllXRLZcT7QpQ4WU/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/9Luq9WXNZ1oFllXRLZcT7QpQ4WU/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/9Luq9WXNZ1oFllXRLZcT7QpQ4WU/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/9Luq9WXNZ1oFllXRLZcT7QpQ4WU/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pDfH/~4/aOgUzFmA0n0" height="1" width="1"/>http://mexicanfilmmaker.blogspot.com/2010/02/hollywoods-cinderellas-how-vanity-fairs.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492735545876164110.post-90166440861788494922010-01-21T17:32:00.000-08:002010-02-28T18:16:17.303-08:002010-02-28T18:16:17.303-08:00Mexican Filmmakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07025276862885940545noreply@blogger.com0 I just read an article on the BBC Online where a Jewish man's prayer items triggered  a bomb scare, forcing the plane to land in Philadelphia.  He was not arrested and the plane landed just fine. A few months ago, a Latina grandmother was asked to unboard a plane after she politely asked the flight attendant for an extra 2 minutes to finish prayer her rosary. It was her first time on a plane <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/9eNpT4RJeHj-PpRUEllgZ3UHwCs/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/9eNpT4RJeHj-PpRUEllgZ3UHwCs/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/9eNpT4RJeHj-PpRUEllgZ3UHwCs/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/9eNpT4RJeHj-PpRUEllgZ3UHwCs/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pDfH/~4/sY0XkCOhCTg" height="1" width="1"/>http://mexicanfilmmaker.blogspot.com/2010/01/our-greatest-fear-is-that-we-are-afraid.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492735545876164110.post-33400485933792925122010-01-03T13:24:00.000-08:002010-01-03T13:49:14.522-08:002010-01-03T13:49:14.522-08:00Mexican Filmmakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07025276862885940545noreply@blogger.com1 There comes a time when I am everso proud of being Mexican, of being a member of a community and people who have preferred to "die on their feet than live on their knees", as Emiliano Zapata once said.  But on New Year's Eve, my heart sank at the news that Roberto Salcedo, a ferverent immigrant rights activist was murdered execution style in the Mexican state of Sonora.  According to news <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/k1hqb8sLvd5ZushTQ5j1-3lESBg/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/k1hqb8sLvd5ZushTQ5j1-3lESBg/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/k1hqb8sLvd5ZushTQ5j1-3lESBg/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/k1hqb8sLvd5ZushTQ5j1-3lESBg/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pDfH/~4/0zFbtjbeTFA" height="1" width="1"/>http://mexicanfilmmaker.blogspot.com/2010/01/remembering-mr-salcedo.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492735545876164110.post-37910281482836078272009-12-23T19:08:00.000-08:002009-12-25T06:52:32.063-08:002009-12-25T06:52:32.063-08:00Mexican Filmmakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07025276862885940545noreply@blogger.com0A few short hours ago, I finished talking to my little sister in South Korea via Skype when I came across an article on CNN.com that disturbed me. According to the article, it seems there is a long-standing policy of not writing letters of condolence to families of soldiers who commit suicide. Those who know me know that I am an anti-war activist, but that I reserve the right to support military <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/b8K7D5y6-Ej5tEHvgOZ1aupZe_A/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/b8K7D5y6-Ej5tEHvgOZ1aupZe_A/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/b8K7D5y6-Ej5tEHvgOZ1aupZe_A/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/b8K7D5y6-Ej5tEHvgOZ1aupZe_A/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pDfH/~4/pPUt-H2OuTQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://mexicanfilmmaker.blogspot.com/2009/12/military-suicides-not-worthy-of.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492735545876164110.post-11510056131381376462009-12-23T02:23:00.000-08:002009-12-25T06:51:21.360-08:002009-12-25T06:51:21.360-08:00Mexican Filmmakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07025276862885940545noreply@blogger.com0A few months ago, I saw a commercial on television during a UCLA football game promoting UCLA -- my alma mater -- and it made me think about my experience and the changes I have witnessed first hand over the 16 years I was a part of that institution. (Click here to see the commercial) Since graduating from high school, UCLA has been my second home. It is at the Westwood campus that I spent most <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ozouDC0gVdMnvdczQE4QutqeG5E/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ozouDC0gVdMnvdczQE4QutqeG5E/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ozouDC0gVdMnvdczQE4QutqeG5E/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ozouDC0gVdMnvdczQE4QutqeG5E/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pDfH/~4/kegrkSxvipw" height="1" width="1"/>http://mexicanfilmmaker.blogspot.com/2009/12/ucla-commercial-lacks-diversity.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492735545876164110.post-1342453735816751222009-12-22T16:05:00.001-08:002009-12-25T06:57:54.865-08:002009-12-25T06:57:54.865-08:00Mexican Filmmakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07025276862885940545noreply@blogger.com1So I was sitting all alone in my empty apartment, listening to classic Billie Holiday, when I received an email on my Google account. Like many of you reading this, I saw the subject line and decided to send it directly to my 'spam' folder. What struck me odd about this particular email was that the subject line promised to change my life if only I were willing to spend 20 hours a week blogging <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/lJI0ipJJAh0L-Urqk4hjWiRY0gI/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/lJI0ipJJAh0L-Urqk4hjWiRY0gI/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/lJI0ipJJAh0L-Urqk4hjWiRY0gI/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/lJI0ipJJAh0L-Urqk4hjWiRY0gI/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/pDfH/~4/3aiEp_FUl5Q" height="1" width="1"/>http://mexicanfilmmaker.blogspot.com/2009/12/to-new-beginnings.html