tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281623402024-10-25T02:36:14.419-03:00There is a constant in the search for knowledge. The accumulation of it does not exempt you from suffering or witnessing evil, it does exempt you, however, of being part of it.Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28162340.post-70947435648564765422009-06-26T14:18:00.001-03:002009-06-26T14:18:20.802-03:00

The Great Recession needs a lifeboatPosted using ShareThis

Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28162340.post-54422087037808436782009-06-21T15:10:00.012-03:002009-06-23T11:41:34.196-03:00

This week's unprecedented events in Iran's streets represent a worst case scenario for the clerics and their puppets. The violence unleashed against the peaceful protesters and real martyrs of this green revolution is being amplified and twittered to all corners of the world. It's not an exaggeration to imply that Ahmadinejad is done with and the Ayatollah has clearly suffered a shattering

Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28162340.post-86558181972266867412009-06-10T15:25:00.016-03:002009-06-10T17:00:10.773-03:00

I just read David Leonhardt’s column in today’s New York Times and I praise it for its easy to grasp explanation of complex economic terms when it comes to the national deficit.For those who still believe that Obama’s stimulus bill is sinking this country into steep deficits, I invite you to read the complete column here.If you are going to skip the column, this is the national debt explanation

Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28162340.post-76642028866826487132009-06-04T14:41:00.001-03:002009-06-04T14:43:35.210-03:00

The rating of a US president’s first 100 days in office has become a must see media show in the coliseum of modern journalism. President Obama was no exception. A recent Pew poll showed Obama’s approval ratings for the first 100 days in office higher than Reagan’s. Unlike Reagan, who did not face the biggest recession since the Great Depression, Mr. Obama encounters unprecedented challenges in

Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28162340.post-79499080302132759882009-05-20T17:26:00.008-03:002009-05-21T11:21:59.196-03:00

A win for credit card consumers, but a devastating loss for gun control and wildlife supporters.When the win is a devastating loss, the only option is to keep your head high and your hopes higher.US consumers obtained a sweeping victory yesterday after the Senate passed the first credit card reform bill in decades to stop interest rate spikes and penalty fees, which hurt consumers.The new credit

Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28162340.post-50430123638847804792009-04-27T01:00:00.005-03:002009-05-07T17:06:04.300-03:00

Republicans are beginning to look dazed and confused. Without a leader in sight or a relevant slogan, they are still making banter and noise, desperately flocking TEA parties and resurrecting radio hosts. After many closed door sessions, they still have not produced a single counter-reformative measure that can effectively compete with Obama’s much criticized stimulus bill.Just this week, a new

Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28162340.post-89830648951760113302009-03-23T10:57:00.007-03:002009-03-23T13:50:14.692-03:00

So the Pope makes another incongruous statement, this time about how condoms are not the answer for the prevention of AIDS in Africa, and I thought we were well into the 21st century! The moral stance on the use of condoms in church doctrine is easily becoming the last straw for many Catholics, including those who might not have been initially swayed by the whole pedophilic scandals at the

Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28162340.post-50002844581361222382009-03-16T17:37:00.013-03:002009-03-16T19:47:54.665-03:00

Well, here we are again. I guess it must be foolishness, because shrewdness it is not. The Administration’s saga on economic recovery earnestness continues to show a lack of traction under the current regulatory parameters of the financial system. Last night’s 60 Minutes interview with Ben Bernake, the Fed Chairman, raises the stakes even higher and confirms our worst fears: Without a carefully

Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28162340.post-5340491429979978762009-03-10T22:01:00.008-03:002009-05-29T11:53:59.225-03:00

This has been a very difficult week for the Obama administration. The Geithner/Summers’ economic plan, mid-way from being implemented, has come under a half-sensical attack. On one side, Republicans have unitedly opposed it as a crazy spending spree with a socialist agenda, while a vast majority of economists, many now working for Team Obama, still think it is not enough to stimulate and grow the

Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28162340.post-29255046632720138002009-02-26T00:46:00.004-04:002009-03-16T11:13:56.571-03:00

Yesterday’s speech by President Obama, addressed to a joint session of Congress and clearly directed at the American people, was a sour reminder of the uphill battle our nation faces toward recovery and reform. Guilty of caution to an extreme, the President managed to sound hopeful to an increasingly politically incredulous crowd. But this is insular Washington, so in my book, he gets points

Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28162340.post-46908712963236504042009-02-09T11:45:00.006-04:002009-03-16T11:14:13.528-03:00

No doubt President Obama’s first days in office have been stressful. From faulty nominations to uncooperative deals, some say it's politics as usual. The media is busy dissecting all of this, highlighting, with some merit, his inexperience in back-channel negotiation tactics. But the truth is more profound. The economy and our livelihoods are in crisis and I think it’s time for Obama to put

Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28162340.post-44976249825476334922008-12-19T14:56:00.007-04:002008-12-19T15:10:31.974-04:00

My dogs have a routine. Just like their human companions, they thrive on love, guidance and protection. This is not to say they cannot wake up one day with a little crankiness or what we call in Spanish, waking up with the left foot.Their lives are dictated by routines, and being creatures of habit like most of us, they have learned to recognize the subtle ways of passing time, the unfolding of

Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28162340.post-33191273707499467502008-12-17T20:42:00.006-04:002008-12-17T21:04:50.100-04:00

Yoani Sanchez pide ayuda "para saltar la censura, o hacerle grietas".This girl has been blogging by phone since April 2007, from internet cafes, posing as a tourist, mainly because domestic internet connections are blocked in Cuba. She and her group of bloggers are followed closely and have been denied tourist visas. She is the most famous blogger on the island, and her Generation Y Blog has

Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28162340.post-40362325586847020012008-12-17T16:09:00.005-04:002009-03-05T23:16:57.277-04:00

One of the riveting effects of working at the Library of Congress is the everyday realization that knowledge is a transformative intellectual tool that is useful to all, really. Learning about history of peoples and things it is not a solitude exercise. Certainly, the notion that history is something detached or removed from everyday life, and that the study of certain subject matters belong in a

Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28162340.post-80469859495614973692008-12-15T23:49:00.000-04:002008-12-15T23:55:42.044-04:00

You have been bitten by the holiday bugIf you suddenly feel the Christmas rush You can run and hide from the cheerful hum But you cannot ignore the holiday buzz‘Tis the season to be jollyFa la la la la, la la la la… For some unpredictable reason Christmas starts early this season Black Friday¹ has become A nation-wide symbolic spurWe can’t believe our eyesWhen we see the sales arrive Rudolph the

Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28162340.post-41169984352981894982008-12-04T17:23:00.001-04:002008-12-18T16:07:27.495-04:00

By now you should be aware that it’s official: The National Bureau of Economic Research said the US has been in recession since Dec. 2007. However, like many, I have managed to survive the recession so far. Here are my tips for calling the shots and saving my pockets this holiday season:1.Rethink your expenses. This is a must. Start off with your credit cards. Don’t use them unless it’s an

Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28162340.post-53692914902538561092008-11-21T10:03:00.001-04:002008-12-18T16:08:59.079-04:00

Under the watchful eyes of the world America has once again made history. For an overwhelming majority, Obama’s victory creates the possibility for a ‘new’ America. One that is no longer white, homogeneous and singular; but rather multi-racial, heterogeneous and pluralist.“We as a people” are part of a historic moment in our lives, Obamasaid, that glorious night in Grand Park, IL recounting

Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28162340.post-47718249657617240852008-11-04T15:02:00.001-04:002008-12-18T16:09:55.327-04:00

Now that the United States is experiencing the biggest economic crisis in modern history, it is safe to say, that America’s best choice is Senator Barrack Obama. After eight years of irresponsible management and low-grade politics, the obvious choice is the Democratic ticket. But instead of capitalizing on the downfalls of the Bush administration and the offspring they have produced, here is why

Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28162340.post-33341450158712789232008-04-22T16:56:00.001-03:002008-12-18T16:10:40.893-04:00

Obamanism is the term coined by the media to describe the feverish excitement many Obama supporters are experiencing in this primary elections. Many are calling it a movement to reawaken the dormant electorate. I found this piece written by political scientist Benjamin Barber in his blog, which attempts to diffuse the misrepresentation.Movements outlast candidates and candidacies. Their leaders

Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28162340.post-50455654736585035192008-04-21T16:19:00.002-03:002008-12-18T16:11:31.179-04:00

It is not surprising to see green collar jobs making its debut in an overwhelmingly changing global economy. They are the dot.com versions of a highly evolved, technology driven, renewable-energy and energy-efficient industry that could grow to as many as 40 million jobs by 2030, according to a report by the American Solar Energy Society. Whatever the reason for this green jobs evolution, i.e.,

Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28162340.post-14085077220597635342008-04-18T00:16:00.002-03:002008-12-18T16:12:51.776-04:00

When you consider the recent polls in the Democratic primaries you can see why Clinton is choosing to stay in. The margin between the candidates stands about 135 delegates, however it’s not a big one. Here are three fundamental reasons why she should stay in:1. Clinton generally outperforms Obama in general debates. She is a hell of a debater, particularly because she has been surrounded by

Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28162340.post-33318989259057721982008-04-17T22:40:00.001-03:002008-07-03T11:01:01.152-03:00

It’s truly amazing to witness the intensity of the DemocraticParty’s primaries and how they have flooded the newsorganizations’ agendas and lineups, saturating the news programmingjust to cover any aspect worthy and unworthy of this race. This trendslowly started in 2000, when the euphoric years of the ClintonAdministration came to an abrupt end, and their lackluster achievementsfailed to

Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28162340.post-80768906551072869952008-03-07T15:35:00.001-04:002008-12-18T16:13:56.048-04:00

I have to confess, this election has been the most intense and exciting in my adult life considering I am only 30 years old. But wait; before you dismiss that, I may be onto something here. Look, nobody is saying that previously held elections lacked excitement and intensity, but we have to acknowledge the insane volume of money and public involvement these elections have drawn. Also the country

Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28162340.post-18524166432109195932007-10-30T20:59:00.002-03:002009-05-29T15:20:12.187-03:00

I have been a skeptic all my life. In fact, I am in a state of remission. You name it: the Bible, the Christmas story, Santa Claus, politics, the UN, the Bermuda Triangle, the war in Iraq, even the Paleolithic age seemed iffy at one point -not too bad considering almost all evangelicals, the most rapidly growing Christian church in the world, believe God created the universe less than 6,000 years

Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28162340.post-68061640222197616902007-09-06T18:04:00.001-03:002008-12-18T16:16:02.450-04:00

Call me an idiot if I deeply believe the American economy is not turning a corner any time soon. And call me an ignorant if I also believe that the small-scale depression choking us up is not all driven by the mortgage loan fallout. This is just a microscopic example of a greater problem.The problem is multifaceted. The US is pumping $3 billion a week into Iraq with less than perfect oversight.

Patricia Villamilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07646882405278546909noreply@blogger.com0