A Christmas Gift from Where The Sideblog Ends

 

PRESENT?!?! WHAT COULD IT BE?!?! Photo: Faye Lacanilao

Since I probably won’t have internet access on Christmas Day, I wanted to make sure I got this through. Thank you for dealing with my randomness, long-winded entries, and weeks/ months of inactivity. I truly believe in gifts that keep on giving. So my present to you are two videos that really define the holiday season…and make me laugh no matter how many times I watch them (courtesy of Saturday Night Live). Enjoy and have a good and safe holiday weekend (go Chargers)!

UC San Diego grad student scrambling to avoid deportation

Anyone who thinks Mark and his family came here to “take advantage of this country’s welfare system” really need to find that thing in their heart called “compassion” and hold onto it. You really have to put yourself in his family’s position and ask “would I do the same to save my family?” And if Mark doesn’t deserve to be here, what makes any of us think we deserve it more? Do people like Sarah Palin really deserve to be here more than Mark? We definitely need to rethink our immigration policies if folks like Mark are deemed threats to this country.

Please sign the petition!: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/markfarrales/

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http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-deport-20101219,0,3308780.story?page=1
Mark Farrales, whose family sought political asylum when he was 10, is to be sent back to the Philippines. The Harvard alumnus hopes Congress will consider a private immigration bill.

Mark Farrales figured his time in America could be up when he answered the door at his Reseda home to find two men standing there in black bulletproof vests emblazoned with three large white letters.

“It read ICE,” he said. “My heart just sank.”

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were there to arrest him for being in the country illegally.

Journalists slam US forces for ill treatment

This is just another example of how the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) directly violates the sovereignty and independence of the Philippines. It shows who really is in control of the Philippines and that even in their own country, Filipinos are subordinate to foreigners (particularly, U.S. imperialists).

What were the U.S. soldiers trying to hide? Why are they scared of journalists doing their job? It’s not like they were in a hidden bunker deep underground, this was outside and visible to the public.

We need more journalists to hold people accountable and to defend their right to report the truth. The VFA just shot itself in the foot.

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Journalists slam US forces for ill treatment

By Abigail Kwok
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 09:28:00 12/21/2010

Filed Under: Media, Military, Justice & Rights, Agreement (general)

MANILA, Philippines—The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) on Tuesday slammed the alleged ill treatment of American soldiers to Zamboanga City-based journalists who were covering the visit of retired general Edilberto Adan of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) Commission.  In a statement, the NUJP said a television reporter in Zamboanga was ordered by one of six US soldiers guarding the headquarters of the United States military’s Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines inside the Western Mindanao Command to stop taking footages of the event.

A Nerd’s Xmas Wish

Dear Jeebus Yoda Claus,

I know it’s only a couple days until Christmas, but I wanted to make sure you knew what to get me. I’ve been a very good boy all year long. What I want, out of the entire world is…

I Watched: Black Swan

Black Swan – (2010) – Dir. Darren Aronofsky – 103 min. – USA

A movie about ballet doesn’t really jump at most people in today’s action-packed, 3D-converted world. But if you bring together the right people with a script dripping with drama, sexuality, and multiple personalities, then you’ll find people willing to say “hey, so I watched that ballet movie this weekend…”

If you want a sense of “Black Swan’s” tone, you just need to be reminded that director Darren Aronofsky was the man behind “Requiem for a Dream” and “The Wrestler“. He has shown the ability to reach inside your head and pull at anything he sees. While infamous in the indie film scene, none of his films have made more than $45 million at the box office. But they have produced numerous film festival and mainstream award nominations and wins.