Friday, October 29, 2010
I Vote Do You? Helps Attract Voters in Hidalgo County
Sofia tells us about I Vote Do You?, a non-partisan effort by Hidalgo Vote 2010, to mobilize Hidalgo County's 30,000 registered voters to turn out for early vote and on election day. We meet up outside a polling location at the University of Texas Pan American. You can find out more about the effort by visiting facebook.com/IVoteDoYou.
Gopedicabs of McAllen Texas Brings In UTPA Votes
GOpedicabs, a business from McAllen, Texas that offers rides in the historic 17th Street district is helping bring in the vote at the University of Texas Pan American by giving rides to students to the voting booths.
Free Taco-N-Madre Tacos at UTPA
There are tacos, hot dogs, drinks, and other items available at the UTPA polling locations. There are also pedicabs on the way to offer rides.
This is the last day to vote for early vote. Come on out and be counted.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Pharr Chamber Scruffy2Fluffy Howl-O-Ween Contest
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Monday, October 25, 2010
USA La Feminil Women-Only Bicycle Tour in Brownsville, Texas
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Unlimited Sports Adventures | 4642 Lakeway Drive | Brownville | TX | 78520 |
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Shopping for the Texas Food Stamps Challenge
- Nescafe Clasico (instant coffee, gotta have coffee)
- Moms Oats (cholesterol thing)
- Parade Hot Sauce (anything that tastes bad can be improved with hot sauce)
- Carrots (for snacking between meals)
- Whitehall Specialties Jalapeno Cheese slices (cholesterol free)
- Chicken bologna
- Riceland Rice
- Bimbo soft wheat bread
- 2 lb bulk pinto beans
- 2 garlic bulbs
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 bunch of cilantro
- Breakfast: Oatmeal and coffee
- Lunch: Sandwich with rice or beans (alternating)
- Dinner: Rice and beans, beans and rice (Dave Ramsey Diet)
- Snacks: Carrot sticks
Friday, October 22, 2010
Join the Texas Food Stamp Challenge
The event challenges participants to restrict their diet to an average "food stamps diet" for five days. The Challenge's limitation is that participants only spend $4.50 on meals each day, which is the current average benefit. Then, on the final two days of the challenge, the budget is decreased to $3.70 to reflect the impact of budget cuts. You can read the full details here.
My dear friend Ruby Martinez of the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley naturally thought of me and some other friends as the perfect victims to volunteer for the challenge.
Of course, misery loves company, so I invite you to take the challenge with us by signing up for the Texas Food Stamp Challenge.
I'll be writing some follow-up posts on the challenge to explore some of the major hurdles that this challenge poses. On the surface, it seems that living on an extremely tight budget can be accomplished; but, there's more to it. We'll explore those additional considerations in upcoming posts.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
RGV Life Show 10/21/2010
Quick introduction and hashing out of some ideas of what is to come at RGV Life.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Groupon is Coming to McAllen
What if there were a way to get alerts for deals every day?
Well, there is some good news, Groupon is moving into the McAllen, Texas market to offer locals great bargains at our favorite shopping locations. Watch this video to learn more about Groupon.
Learn How Groupon Works! from The Point on Vimeo.
Of course, the success of Groupon in McAllen all depends on getting local businesses to participate. So, let your favorite shops, restaurants, and service providers know that they have a way to generate a guaranteed amount of sales if they provide a discount. If you have any suggestions or own a business and are interested, send a tweet to @GrouponMCAshley.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Commissioner Bersin's speech at MPI
Find more videos like this on Our Border
Find more videos like this on Our Border
Find more videos like this on Our Border
Find more videos like this on Our Border
Find more videos like this on Our Border
Find more videos like this on Our Border
Find more videos like this on Our Border
Find more videos like this on Our Border
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Thursday, October 07, 2010
The Alleged Pirate Story of Falcon Lake
According to the press, the story would read something like:
The American couple, knowing full well that it is dangerous to visit Mexico, disregarded all warnings for a sight-seeing tour. Tiffany Hartley returned by herself because she and her husband were allegedly ambushed and fired upon by Mexican "pirates". All the facts point to her coming back without her husband with no witnesses to confirm her alleged story. It is well known that criminal enterprises operate in the area, so it would be very easy to commit a crime and blame the poor, innocent pirates.
I embellished a bit to make a point. The word, "alleged" started being used in news as a de rigeur word in criminal cases, even when the person under investigation or indictment publicly committed a crime with many witnesses. This is because the person has not been convicted of a crime. Writers use "allegedly" up to the point where the criminal is convicted. Most importantly, it protects the news outlet from being sued for defamation by implying that somebody was guilty of a crime before being tried in court. At that point, the suspect becomes a convicted criminal or found not guilty.
In the case of the Hartleys, there is no trial. Mrs. Hartley is not under investigation or suspicion. We can't prosecute the Mexican bandits who committed the crime. And, it is unlikely the criminals who did it will sue any news outlet for defamation. In other words, other than what she says, there is no story. We can't seek justice for what happened in another country. The ball is in Mexico's court.
When you use "allegedly" in a story that is not justiciable, you are effectively saying that you doubt the story of the witness, whose only desire, at this point, is to retrieve her husband's body. It appears is that the press is jaded; they obviously don't believe her story and are afraid to outright say it. It is much easier to throw in an "alleged" or "allegedly" to cast doubt on the victim.
Think of it this way:
Fred liked to climb up the sides of buildings without safety gear. On October 1st, 200 onlookers state that he allegedly climbed up a building and fell off to his death as he neared the top.
How is that alleged? Fred can't be prosecuted. The incident can be investigated; but, it's not justiciable. He's definitely not going to sue for defamation. Furthermore, the witnesses all agree on what happened.
Yes, there is always a possibility that the Hartley story was made up; however, law enforcement has not made any indications that they consider Tiffany a suspect. Until that happens, all these implied allegations have no basis. Furthermore, it detracts from the urgency of finding David Hartley's body and bringing him home. It's looking for a story where none exists yet.
If there is a story, it will come out. Be patient. Until then, using "alleged" for this story makes you an ass for piling on and for not putting real thought into your choice of words.
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Friday, October 01, 2010
Alton Firefighter Bash
Alton Fire Fighters have organized a bash for Oct. 2, 2010 from Noon to midnight. There will be entertainment for the entire family, including Tejano group La Mafia. The event is set up behind city hall.
Weslaco Chamber Nominations for Business & Persons of the Year
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Weslaco Area Chamber Of Commerce | 301 W. Railroad St. | Weslaco | TX | 78596 |