jaysetwo's Xanga

New pics and new subject

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:18:49 GMT

my cuties... Luca and Roberta

Well, I have passed two subjects now in my master studies. It´s going quite well. Next subject will be Statistics. How sad. I hate statistics. But let´s see if I can find some of those stuff in my well-organized brain. I know I put it there somewhere when I had the same subject during my bachelor studies.

What else... Halloween (we celebrated) and "Dia de muertos" (Day of the deaths - we didn´t celebrate) are over. My b-day is coming up. We´re also planning a small vacation at Mazatlan Beach. I really would like to go to the beach for some days. Let´s hope....

Here some pics from Halloween

ready to go... roahhhh

what a cute skeleton

counting profit...

Master and a lot of work

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:53:32 GMT

Well, today is "El Grito". Today Mexico is celebrating independence day. Usually all events are done during the night, since it was in the night from 15th to 16th of september when Mexico shouted its independence. Tomorrow is vacation day. I´m totally full of work these days. Overmore, my employer is paying for having me done my master in marketing. Pretty awesome and I really enjoy being back "at school". It´s not really back since I do all my classes by internet. But there is a lot of homework to do, I can tell you. So far it´s getting no too stressful. I try to do the studying during lunch time every day so that I don´t have to do stuff at night. So let´s see how it will turn out to be a full-time working, and studying mom. So far it´s quite well. I started in September and you know: first classes are pretty light. So I hope I´m not overdoing. Wish me luck!!!

My little Luca is quite well. He understands almost everything although obviously he doesn´t want to understand everything. haha.... He eats a lot currently but also is doing a lot of exercise and running, running, running. Saturdays I drive him to baby swimming, which he loves. He is really a little sunshine.

So that´s all news from me. Hope everyone is fine. See you guys.

Happy Planet Index 2009

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:39:05 GMT

Countries	Region	Life Satisfaction	Life Expectancy	Happy Life Years	Ecological Footprint		HPI	HPI colour code	HPI rank

Costa Rica	1a	8,5	78,5	66,7	2,3	=	76,1	4	1
Dominican Republic	1a	7,6	71,5	54,2	1,5	=	71,8	4	2
Jamaica	1a	6,7	72,2	48,5	1,1	=	70,1	3	3
Guatemala	1a	7,4	69,7	51,8	1,5	=	68,4	4	4
Vietnam	6c	6,5	73,7	47,8	1,3	=	66,5	3	5
Colombia	1b	7,3	72,3	53,0	1,8	=	66,1	4	6
Cuba	1a	6,7	77,7	52,4	1,8	=	65,7	4	7
El Salvador	1a	6,7	71,3	47,6	1,6	=	61,5	3	8
Brazil	1b	7,6	71,7	54,3	2,4	=	61,0	3	9
Honduras	1a	7,0	69,4	48,7	1,8	=	61,0	4	10
Nicaragua	1a	7,1	71,9	51,0	2,0	=	60,5	4	11
Egypt	3a	6,7	70,7	47,2	1,7	=	60,3	3	12
Saudi Arabia	3b	7,7	72,2	55,6	2,6	=	59,7	3	13
Philippines	6c	5,5	71,0	38,9	0,9	=	59,0	1	14
Argentina	1b	7,1	74,8	53,4	2,5	=	59,0	3	15
Indonesia	6c	5,7	69,7	39,5	0,9	=	58,9	3	16
Bhutan	5a	6,1	64,7	39,7	1,0	=	58,5	3	17
Panama	1a	7,8	75,1	58,5	3,2	=	57,4	4	18
Laos	6c	6,2	63,2	39,4	1,1	=	57,3	3	19
China	6a	6,7	72,5	48,6	2,1	=	57,1	2	20
Morocco	3a	5,6	70,4	39,7	1,1	=	56,8	3	21
Sri Lanka	5a	5,4	71,6	38,6	1,0	=	56,5	1	22
Mexico	1a	7,7	75,6	58,3	3,4	=	55,6	4	23
Pakistan	5a	5,6	64,6	36,2	0,8	=	55,6	3	24

Yemen	3b	5,2	61,5	32,0	0,9	=	48,1	1	50
Germany	2c	7,2	79,1	56,8	4,2	=	48,1	1	51
Switzerland	2c	7,7	81,3	62,6	5,0	=	48,1	1	52
Sweden	2d	7,9	80,5	63,2	5,1	=	48,0	1	53
Albania	7b	5,5	76,2	41,7	2,2	=	47,9	1	54
Paraguay	1b	6,9	71,3	49,0	3,2	=	47,8	2	55
Palestine	3b	5,0	72,9	36,1	1,5	=	47,7	1	56

Congo	4a	3,6	54,0	19,7	0,5	=	32,4	112
Madagascar	4a	3,7	58,4	21,8	1,1	=	31,5	113
United States of America	2b	7,9	77,9	61,2	9,4	=	30,7	114
Nigeria	4c	4,8	46,5	22,2	1,3	=	30,3	115
Guinea	4c	4,0	54,8	21,8	1,3	=	30,3	116

Burundi	4b	2,9	48,5	14,3	0,8	=	21,8	139
Namibia	4a	4,5	51,6	23,2	3,7	=	21,1	140
Botswana	4a	4,7	48,1	22,6	3,6	=	20,9	141
Tanzania	4b	2,4	51,0	12,5	1,1	=	17,8	142
Zimbabwe	4a	2,8	40,9	11,6	1,1	=	16,6	143

Component Colours
	Blood Red	Red	Amber	Green

Life Satisfaction		< 5.5	5.5 - 7.0	> 7.0
Life Expectancy		< 60	60 -75	> 75
Happy Life Years		<33	33-52.5	> 52.5
Ecological Footprint (g ha)	>8.4	4.2 - 8.4	2.1 - 4.2	< 2.1

		Traffic Lights Scheme

	All 3 green

	2 green, 1 yellow

	1 green, 2 yellow

	All 3 yellow

	Any 1 red

	2 red, or anything with one blood red

The HPI is an innovative measure that shows the ecological efficiency with which human well-being is delivered around the world. It is the first ever index to combine environmental impact with well-being to measure the environmental efficiency with which country by country, people live long and happy lives. The second compilation of the global HPI, published in July 2009, shows that we are still far from achieving sustainable well-being and puts forward a vision of what we need to do to get there.

The Index doesn’t reveal the ‘happiest’ country in the world. It shows the relative efficiency with which nations convert the planet’s natural resources into long and happy lives for their citizens. The nations that top the Index aren’t the happiest places in the world, but the nations that score well show that achieving, long, happy lives without over-stretching the planet’s resources is possible.

The HPI shows that around the world, high levels of resource consumption do not reliably produce high levels of well-being, and that it is possible to produce high well-being without excessive consumption of the Earth’s resources. It also reveals that there are different routes to achieving comparable levels of well-being. The model followed by the West can provide widespread longevity and variable life satisfaction, but it does so only at a vast and ultimately counter-productive cost in terms of resource consumption.

For more information: http://www.happyplanetindex.org/

Luca is 1 year and 3 months old...

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:33:06 GMT

time is running fast. And it doesn´t get better if you try to live life less fast. Luca is 15 months old now and there is already the next step to be coming. We´re gonna send him to Daycare (Kinderkrippe, Maternal) in August. till now an aunt took care of him, when we were at work but now, it´s gonna get serious for him. Well, it´s all playing and stuff there as well, but it feels like letting him go to school (I know I´m exaggerating) .... sniff. We are currently looking for the best institution, well the best we can afford... jeje. I want him to be in one of those bilinguals, so he can already be in touch with the English language. But obviously it shouldn´t be too elite, since I still want him to play and have fun. Well, you see, it´s not so easy all this stuff.

Well, we are still fine. It´s really hot right now, so we currently try to avoid to be outside. We have a pool, that makes things easier but still... Oh, and we have a new family member: Roberta, a Mini-Schnauzer. Really cute.

Anyhow, here some new pictures, hope you like it.

Watching Sesam Street

Luca and his new BFF Roberta

Surferboy with Matchbox Car

just woke up...

with grandpa in our pool...

It´s been a long time...

Fri, 29 May 2009 14:57:33 GMT

Sightseeing (and chocolate-eating) in Schwerin with grandpa

great weather in Germany

Family Segeth

I´m hungry!!!!

cute...

.... but not an Angel!!!

I´m walking now!!!!

Zum Nachdenken...

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:52:22 GMT

Geboren vor 1970...

"Es war fast wie in der Feuerzangenbowle, als ich mit meinem alten Schuldfreund Eduard Silkenbäumer vor einiger Zeit zusammen saß und über die vergangene, gemeinsam verbrachte Schulzeit schwadronierte. Lang war es her. Weißt Du noch? Damals? Gemeinsam hatten wir in den 50er und 60er Jahren glückliche und deutlich mehr weniger glückliche Erfahrungen gesammelt. Aber nach einigen Stunden und einigen Schoppen guten Weines kamen wir zu dem Ergebnis: WIR WAREN HELDEN!!!
Natürlich hat das hier mit allen, die nach 1970 geboren wurden, gar nichts zu tun. Oder nur am Rande. Auf jeden Fall ist der Leser gar nicht gemeint.
Wer in den 40er, 50er, oder 60er Jahren des letzten Jahrhunderts geboren wurde, kann heute rückblickend kaum glauben, dass er bei der Unmenge lebensbedrohlicher Gefahren so lange überleben konnte.
Als Kinder saßen wir, wenn überhaupt, in Autos ohne Sicherheitsgurt und Airbag. Unsere Betten waren angemalt mit Farben voller Blei und Cadmium. Die Fläschchen aus der Apotheke konnten wir genauso ohne Schwierigkeiten öffnen, wie die Limo-Flaschen, in denen die Oma ihr Bleichmittel und Spiritus oder der Opa seinen selbst gebrannten Schnaps aufbewahrte. Türen und Schränke waren eine ständige Bedrohung für unsere Finger, und auf dem Fahrrad trugen wir nie einen Helm. Wir tranken Wasser direkt aus Wasserhähnen und nicht aus chic gestylten Mineralwasserflaschen. Gebadet wurde nur am Samstag, sonst mussten wir uns mit kaltem Wasser waschen. Wir bauten Wagen aus Seifenkisten und entdeckten während der ersten Fahrt den Hang hinunter, dass wir die Bremsen vergessen hatten. Wir verließen morgens das Haus zum Spielen, erkundeten die Welt in Ruinen und ungesicherten Neubauten, blieben den ganzen Tag weg und mussten erst zuhause sein, wenn die Straßenlaternen angingen.
Niemand wusste in der Zwischenzeit, wo wir waren. Wir hatten nämlich kein Handy.
Wir bekamen gegen alles Mögliche übelschmeckenden Lebertran zu trinken und ekelhaft riechende essigsaure Tonerde auf verstauchte Knöchel, wenn wir wieder mal in den Fahrradspeichen hängen geblieben waren, weil es noch keinen Speichenschutz gab. Wir haben uns geschnitten und brachen uns Knochen und Zähne. Keiner fragte nach Aufsichtspflicht oder gar Produkthaftpflicht. Niemand wurde deswegen verklagt. Wenn etwas passiert war, hatte niemand Schuld außer uns selbst. Auf Spielplätzen und Schulplatzecken wurde die Hackordnung ausgekämpft und gelegentlich schlugen oder traten wir uns dabei grün und blau. Damit mussten wir leben, denn es interessierte die Erwachsenen nicht besonders. Allerdings gab es weder Waffen noch Messer, sondern nur Fäuste und Füße. Wir aßen Kekse, Drops, Karamellen, Buttercremetorte und kalte Hundeschnauze, schütteten ganz viel süße Brause in uns hinein und wurden trotzdem nicht zu dick. Wir tranken mit unseren Freunden aus einer Flasche und niemand starb daran.
Wir hatten keine Playstation, kein Nintendo, keine X-Box, weder eigene Fernseher, Video- und DVD-Recorder, noch Computer, Internet und Chatrooms, Telefon und Handy. Aber wir hatten ganz viele Freunde!!! Wir gingen einfach raus und trafen sie auf der Straße. Oder wir gingen einfach zu denen nach Hause, wo wir meistens nicht einmal klingeln mussten, weil niemand tagsüber sein Haus hermetisch abschloss. Keiner brachte uns und keiner holte uns wieder ab. Und wenn es regnete, wurden wir eben nass.
Wir dachten uns Spiele aus mit Holzstöcken, Steinen und Murmeln. Wir malten mit Kreide große Kästchen auf den Bürgersteig, um zu hüpfen oder bastelten uns ein Gummitwist. Einige von uns aßen Dreck und Würmer. Und die dunklen Prophezeiungen der Älteren trafen nicht ein. Die Würmer lebten nicht für immer in uns weiter. Und mit den Holzstöcken stachen wir auch nicht besonders viele Augen aus. Beim Straßenfußball durfte nur mitmachen, wer gut war. Wer nicht gut war, musste lernen, mit Enttäuschungen klarzukommen.
In der Schule waren manche Schüler fleißig, stinkefaul oder einfach weniger schlau wie andere. Sie rasselten durch Prüfungen und wiederholten Klassen. Das führte nicht zu emotionalen Elternabenden und schon gar nicht zur Änderung der Leistungsbewertung.
Wir durften Stängel noch mit e schreiben, zu Hause noch klein und zusammen und dass mit ß. Unsere Lehrer hatten keinen Nervenzusammenbruch nach dem anderen und wurden auch nicht reihenweise frühpensioniert.
Unsere Streiche oder das, was wir dafür hielten, hatten Konsequenzen. Nicht immer, aber häufig. Das war jedem klar, und keiner konnte sich hinter einer schlimmen Kindheit verstecken. Wenn wir gegen das Gesetz verstoßen hatten, haben uns die Eltern nicht automatisch aus dem Schlamassel rausgehauen, weil sie oft der gleichen Meinung waren, wie die Polizei.
Trotz dieser Widrigkeiten ist aus uns was geworden, hat unsere Generation eine Fülle von flexiblen, innovativen Problemlösern und Erfindern mit Risikobereitschaft hervorgebracht. Wir hatten Freiheit, Misserfolg, Erfolg und Verantwortung. Mit all dem wussten wir umzugehen.
Geboren vor 1970? Erkennst Du Dich wieder? Dann gehörst Du auch dazu. Herzlichen Glückwunsch!!! WIR WAREN HELDEN!!! Geboren nach 1970? Das ist die Juristen-Generation, die alles durchdenkt, alles absichert und dann leider oft erst dann zu Entscheidungen kommt, wenn die Sache schon gelaufen ist. Die hat etwas verpasst und braucht deshalb den Kick beim Freeclimbing, Bungee, Canyoning oder wie die Abenteuerersatzevents alle heißen. Natürlich alle beaufsichtigt, geführt und produkthaftpflichtversichert. Ihr seid Helden." von Ulrich Hinse

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU...

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 23:17:46 GMT

... and of course a very HAPPY NEW YEAR. I hope all of you are very well and I hope next year I´m gonna see you. I´m sure the next year will have new, beautiful things in my life. My dad is coming over and hopefully we will have the chance to come to Germany in spring or summer. We will also start to plan our wedding. I will keep all of you updated. Anyhow I hope all of you have some great christmas holidays and starts the new year with a bright smile on your face. That, at least, I am gonna do. Greetings...

Hilarious....

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 13:56:53 GMT

Something different...

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:17:21 GMT

"Mama Africa" is dead:

Miriam Zenzi Makeba was born in Johannesburg in 1932. Her mother was a Swazi sangoma and her father, who died when she was six, was a Xhosa. As a child, she sang at the Kilmerton Training Institute in Pretoria, which she attended for eight years.

Makeba first toured with an amateur group. Her professional career began in the 1950s with the Manhattan Brothers, before she formed her own group, The Skylarks, singing a blend of jazz and traditional melodies of South Africa.

In 1959, she performed in the musical King Kong alongside Hugh Masekela, her future husband. Though she was a successful recording artist, she was only receiving a few dollars for each recording session and no provisional royalties, and was keen to go to the US. Her break came when she starred in the anti-Apartheid documentary Come Back, Africa in 1959. She went to the premier of the film at the Venice Film Festival.

Makeba then travelled to London where she met Harry Belafonte, who assisted her in gaining entry to and fame in the United States. She released many of her most famous hits there including "Pata Pata", "The Click Song" ("Qongqothwane" in Xhosa), and "Malaika". In 1966, Makeba received the Grammy Award for Best Folk Recording together with Harry Belafonte for An Evening With Belafonte/Makeba. The album dealt with the political plight of black South Africans under Apartheid.

She discovered that her South African passport was revoked when she tried to return there in 1960 for her mother's funeral. In 1963, after testifying against Apartheid before the United Nations, her South African citizenship and her right to return to the country were revoked. She has had nine passports, ^[2] and was granted honorary citizenship of ten countries.^[3]

Her marriage to Trinidadian civil rights activist and Black Panthers leader Stokely Carmichael in 1968 caused controversy in the United States, and her record deals and tours were cancelled. As a result of this, the couple moved to Guinea, where they became close with President Ahmed Sékou Touré and his wife. Makeba separated from Carmichael in 1973, and continued to perform primarily in Africa, South America and Europe. She was one of the African and Afro-American entertainers at the 1974 Rumble in the Jungle match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman held in Zaïre. Makeba also served as a Guinean delegate to the United Nations, for which she won the Dag Hammarskjöld Peace Prize in 1986.

After the death of her only daughter Bongi Makeba in 1985, she moved to Brussels. In 1987, she appeared in Paul Simon's Graceland tour. Shortly thereafter she published her autobiography Makeba: My Story (ISBN 0-453-00561-6).

Nelson Mandela persuaded her to return to South Africa in 1990. In the fall of 1991, she made a guest appearance in an episode of The Cosby Show, entitled "Olivia Comes Out Of The Closet". In 1992 she starred in the film Sarafina!, about the 1976 Soweto youth uprisings, as the title character's mother, "Angelina." She also took part in the 2002 documentary Amandla!: A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony where she and others recalled the days of Apartheid.

In January 2000, her album, Homeland, produced by Cedric Samson and Michael Levinsohn^[4] was nominated for a Grammy Award in the "Best World Music" category^[5]. In 2001 she was awarded the Gold Otto Hahn Peace Medal by the United Nations Association of Germany (DGVN) in Berlin, "for outstanding services to peace and international understanding". In 2002, she shared the Polar Music Prize with Sofia Gubaidulina. In 2004, Makeba was voted 38th in the Top 100 Great South Africans. Makeba started a worldwide farewell tour in 2005, holding concerts in all of those countries that she had visited during her working life. ^[3]

Her publicist notes that Makeba had suffered "severe arthritis" for some time.^[6]

She died in Castel Volturno, near Caserta, Italy, in the evening of 9 November 2008, of a heart attack, shortly after taking part in a concert organized to support writer Roberto Saviano in his stand against the Camorra, a mafia-like organisation.^[7]^[8]^[9] In his condolence message, former South African president Nelson Mandela said it was “fitting that Makeba died doing what she did best - singing.”

----from Wikipedia----

Why is that important to me? Well, I loved her songs. I read her biography and I was inspired by her life, her power, her goodness, despite of having had a childhood in a cruel and violent surrounding and having experienced incredibly terrible things in her life.

Goodbye Miriam!!!

New pics.... New Car.... New House....

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:46:14 GMT

Hi there,

here some new pics of my little sunshine. Sept. 26th Luca turned 6 months. Half a year.. That´s just awesome.

"I am King Luca"

"Hey, no pictures when I´m doing my morning toilet!!"

Luca and Mario in the Caves of García near Monterrey.

and there are other good news. I have a new Car. And this one is really new!!! Dodge CALIBER 2009

Happy........ Isn´t it beautiful?? It even smells new inside. Great, great, great...

Saturday we´re gonna have our new house!!!! So I hope the end of this month we can move there.... yeahhhh!!!

Great, great, great!!!

I´m happy... you can imagine.... hahaha... Now I´ve to go back to work. I´m really busy actually.

Oh right, I almost forgot. here a picture of some friends who visited me the last weekend

Thanks for coming, Claudi and Tom!!!

Kisses and Hugs..