Palin in a Bathing Suit?! Biden Plagiarizing?!

Obama or McCain? Palin or Biden?

The presidential race increasingly shifts from Obama to McCain to Palin to Biden. I’ve never before seen a race like this where the vice-presidential nominees are such an integral part of our election. Although typically these two fade in the shadows of our presidential nominees, this year, both are vital to the election and interesting too.

The vital part is possibly because of our two presidential nominees, obviously, one is a minority whom the United States may not be exactly ready for, and the other is a bit on the older side, so there’s always the concern for his well-being. Thus, we hope to ensure that we can trust our Vice-President to assume office if need be.

If you’ve kept up with CNN and other popular news channels for the last two days, they have not stopped reporting on Sarah Palin’s appearance on Saturday Night Live this past weekend, during which she condoned spoofs of herself by Tina Fey. She has been widely criticized by the media for allowing this, and some are even worried that her disposition to such ridicule actually hurt the Republican ticket. A former beauty pageant contestant, I’m not sure that Palin has much more to offer than her looks. If you are not convinced and are interested, you may view a video of the potential female VP in a bathing suit here.

On the other hand, upon planning a lesson for a class on avoiding plagiarism, I accidentally stumbled upon a plethora of articles accusing our Democratic Vice-Presidential Candidate Joseph Biden of once plagiarizing both in past campaign speeches and in school.

Plagiarism, in case you don’t know, is considered an exceedingly serious offense that scholars must work diligently to avoid because of the serious consequences that could arise from copying another’s written or spoken words or ideas. It is perfectly avoidable if one does not fail to cite the sources of their information.

Joseph Biden has a history of being amid important presidential elections. Little did I know that he was actually a front runner for the 1988 Democratic nomination which he lost to Michael Dukakis. Eventually, Dukakis lost the nomination to the first George Bush, then-V-P to Ronald Reagan.

Biden did not lose the 1988 Democratic nomination, however, without first winning the embarrassment of being accused of stealing words from a British Labor leader- a certain Kinnock. Dukakis’ campaign team at the time launched this video of Biden and eventually, he was forced to withdraw from the Democratic nominee race. The video exposes that not only did he plagiarize various campaign speeches, but also that Biden was accused of plagiarizing papers in law school.

 With so much to consider about our candidates, how will Laredo vote this November?

Chicken Camp on Loop 20

Hispanic Heritage Month Nears End

In case you were not aware, Hispanic Heritage Month officially kicked off on September 15th, a day of great joy and celebration in Mexico, and is nearing its end on October 15th.  This celebration of our Hispanic Heritage began as a measure to recognize our unique culture, history, and language, among other aspects of being Hispanic. 

Contrary to popular belief, the term Hispanic does not denote one of Mexican descent only. The term became more generally accepted after it appeared on the 2000 U.S. Census, where it became an option to label oneself Hispanic or Latino, if one was of Spanish-speaking descent.  This label does not exclude anyone from Spanish-speaking areas such as Central America, the Carribeans, or even Spain.  Furthermore, the term does not describe a race, but rather an ethnicity, or better yet, a group of individuals who identify with one another on the basis of one commonality- their language.

Laredo’s TAMIU celebrates its Hispanic Heritage Month by offering viewings of Hispanic films this week and next in what is left of Hispanic Heritage Month.  If you are a TAMIU student, you may want to check out the time and place of the viewing for the Spanish “The Orphanage” and Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “Love in the Time of Cholera” before the monthly celebration nears its end.  Let us know of how you celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and of any events going on around the city where we can all join in on the fiestas! We’ll definitely keep you posted here.

Vice-Presidential Debate Stirs Controversy

It’s an exciting time in politics, and tonight Americans will witness the first and only vice-presidential debate expected to have more viewers than last week’s presidential debate between Obama and McCain. The reason: two very controversial VP candidates.

On the one hand you have Governor Sarah Palin,  the hockey mom from Alaska who has drawn a lot of criticism because of her lack of experience, and recent high-profile media interviews; and on the other hand, you have Democratic Senator Joe Biden,  known for his gaffes and cringe-inducing remarks.

Both candidates will battle it out tonight at 8PM (CDT) , so set your TiVO or check out one of the many sites streaming the debate liveLive Debate. Check our chatroom too, where we will be chatting live as the debate goes on. So what questions would you ask the VP candidates if you could? Let us know in the comments below.CNN

What Gwen fFill thought of the debate :

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

Walgreens is new in Laredo, but will it survive? As Laredoans, we like to try out everything new! We flock to stores when they open.  It usually takes us a few weeks to “out” love these places, and as soon as the novelty is gone, we drop the towel.  We move on to whatever is newer and better.

Walgreens is a superstore, but being super that has never guaranteed a spot in the hearts of Laredoans.  Take for instance Starbucks on Zapata Highway.  I heard it opened, when-last year? Correct me if I’m wrong.  So, I drove by (with my husband on his way to get some great pictures for you all which you will view in a story coming soon) and all that stood was a sad and empty and abandoned building where the coffee shop was.  To my surprise, it’s been closed for months.  I don’t believe it survived the year!  Starbucks!?

That might explain why Starbucks opened up at TAMIU, in case some of you don’t already know.  Now, that one is packed up the door! I’m sure the business figured that readers are heavy coffee drinkers, and it is situated inside the Killam Library.  What a treat to all you who frequent either the library for fun or school out of need! That was a great move, Starbucks.  Many out of town bookstores such as Barnes and Noble already partner up with Starbucks and have a coffee shop within the store where potential customers are allowed to skim the bookstore’s selections before they buy.  Again, quite the treat for booklovers.

But I digress.  As I drove by another failed local business today, MDG, or as most of you know, Manzana de Guillermo, I thought I’d make a list of all the businesses that have failed to capture our hearts.  I’ve listed two, but I can think of a few others.  I used to work for one many, many years ago.  Let us know which are some of the most memorable businesses in Laredo to have failed to mark the spot in your hearts or palates.  I want your feedback, so post some comments, Laredo!