Long time no see

Hello all,

It’s been a while since the last time I posted something. Apologies to my only follower (Hola Lau!!). Things got a bit hard over here. The law firm where I used to work downsized. My last day of work was September 30th. Before downsizing there were 32 attorneys (6 of them, women). After the cut, there are 28 attorneys (3 of them women… 2 interns and 1 junior associate). Figures are pretty bad, right? In order to leave behind any bad feeling or thought, I won’t discuss this issue in depth.

Although the news was hard to handle, it didn’t surprise me. The economy is really messy in Mexico…. and there’s still gender discrimination. Gladly, I’m part-time professor, thus I have at least one source of income.

Being unemployed is like a nightmare, but during these hard times I found the long-awaited turning point. Since my college years, I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to know at the entrance gate of a HUGE & SEXY thing (meaning an international public organization or large transnational company).

I’m not asking for a position at an international organization or large transnational, nooo… I’m wishing for an opportunity to sit down at the negotiating table. I’d like to listen to them and to be listened. Afterwards, we (HUGE & SEXY thing + me) will be in a good position to decide if we’ll be good teammates or not.

It’s so frustrating to be rejected before actually being listened or tested…. wiack!!

Well, folks… I’m sitting at the negotiating table this Wednesday December 2nd, 2009. Wish us luck!!

Best,

Tere

Race to the bottom?? Veiled protectionism??

On September 10, 2009, the U.S. Department of Labor released three reports on child labor and/or forced labor in foreign countries, including the initial List of Goods Produced by Child or Forced Labor required by the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 (TVPRA List). The report informs the public about 122 goods from 58 countries that ILAB has reason to believe are produced by forced labor, child labor or both, in violation of international standards.
http://www.dol.gov/ilab/

This list should concern global vendors and suppliers because it is likely to affect U.S. importers' assessment of risks associated with sourcing from particular countries and could increase consumer pressure for increased transparency and traceability of the listed products.

The countries on the List span every region of the world. The most common agricultural goods listed are cotton, sugarcane, tobacco, coffee, rice, and cocoa. In the manufacturing sector, bricks, garments, carpets, and footwear appear most frequently; and in mined or quarried goods, gold and coal. The report also includes listings of the sources used to make determinations about each good on the List.

The products on the DOL list include, AMONGT OTHER, the following.

. Textiles and toys from China
. Sugarcane from the Dominican Republic
. Cotton from Uzbekistan
. Diamonds and gold from the Democratic Republic of Congo
. Garments from India and Jordan
--- BLACK BEANS FROM MEXICO!!! :(

FLOW = For the LoVe of WATER

One of the greatest advantages of being a full or part-time professor is that you have the privilege of meeting future leaders. I was introduced to this documentary film by a potential environmental advocate :)

Edward M. Kennedy-In Memoriam

Edward Kennedy, one on the last “giants” of THE giant country, and a reference for any democracy and social justice believer.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009

Summer’s almost gone… and the flu pandemic is back :/ Well, actually, HIN1 has never been really gone
Today, amongst other 25 emails, I received one that really caught my attention: Schools and Universities might be shut down AGAIN!!
Human kind is paying a rather expensive bill: financial crisis, food crisis, environmental crisis, global warming, etc etc.
Are we ready to face the pandemic? Are there enough antivirals?? I’m afraid we are not ready!! Cou Cou, Pharmaceuticals!! I would love to hear from you!! We are waiting for your cool youtube videos.

Force Labor!? Let’s call it by its name: SLAVERY!!

As most of you are aware, Drugs Cartels have stolen the peace of almost every single family in Mexico. Some politicians, intellectuals and scholars propose drug legalization as a solution to this GREAT problem (don’t agree with this, but do respect their opinion).
BUT, come on people, HUMAN TRAFICKING IS A CRIME!!! A CRIME!! And most drugs cartels use human trafficking and force labor as a way to increase their profit (wiack, wiack and thousand times wiack).
My humble proposal to alleviate human trafficking and force labor??... Send all people involved (including politicians) to jail or, even better, TO MARS!!!

Teaching basic concepts of U.S. Constitutional Law

I just looooooooove to show this video to my Freshmen students :)