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tep0621 · 6 months

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Bell Chruch, Baguio: Isang Maikling Piraso ng China sa Pilipinas

Madaling araw ng 5:00 ako ginising ng tatay ko. Nakatuloy kami sa isang hotel na nangangalang Venus Parkview Hotel. Habang ako ay naghahanda para pumunta sa cafeteria para sa aming agahan, pumunta na si tatay sa kwarto nila tita at ate para sabay na kaming bumaba.

Pagkatapos naming kumain ng agahan bumaba ulit kami sa pamamagitan ng paggamit ng elevator para sumakay sa kotse na inihanda ni kuya Bert, ang aming driver. Ang destinasyon namin ay ang Bell Church, ito ay isang mahalagang kultural at relihiyosong lugar para sa mga lokal na Chinese Filipino at isa sa mga lugar para sa turismo ng Baguio. Habang papunta kami sa Bell Church, nakatanaw ako sa bintana na katabi ng upuan ko sa kotse. Nakatingin ako sa labas at napanisin ko ang pagkakaiba ng tanawin na nagmula sa isang masagana at malaking syudad hanggang sa isang malawak na berdeng kabundukan.

Pagkatapos ng isang oras na nakasakay sa aming kotse ay nakadating na kami sa wakas sa aming destinasyon. Humanap si Kuya Bert ng pwesto na pagpaparadahan ng aming sasakyan. Pagkatapos naming bumaba ay nakita namin ang pasukan ng bell tower, isang arko na kulay pula sa itaas ng isang mahabang hagdan. Nang makita ni ate ang mahabang hagdanan, pabiro siyang nagreklamo tungkol sa pag-akyat dito dahil mataas ang hagdan. Pagkatapos ng isang nakakapagod na pag-akyat ay nakaabot ako sa arko na sandali kong pinagmasdan. Sa itaas nito ay may nakasulat na salitang mandarin at sa tuktok ng bubong ng arko ay may isang kampana na pinapaligiran ng dalawang dragon.

Pagkatapos naming dumaan sa ibaba ng arko, nakita namin ang mismong Bell Church. Isang puting templo na nagpapakita ang kaakit-akit na arkitekturang Chino. Ito ay tumataas ng dalawang palapag at pinapaligiran ng mga magagandang halaman at dekorasyon katulad ng mga pulang lampara. Sa gitna nito ay may bukas na pintuan at nakikita ko sa loob ang isang kulay ginto na kampana na nakataas sa isang pulang dambana. Sa kasamaang palad, sa oras nang pagkadating namin ay wala munang pinapayagan na makapasok sa loob ng mismong tempo. Sayang at gusto ko pa namang makita ang loob nito.

Sa gilid ng templo ay may isa pang hagdan na pataas. Sinabi ni tatay na may fountain sa itaaas nito. Sinabi niya rin na pwede kaming maghagis ng sukli dito para magkaroon kami ng swerte. Hindi ako naniniwala sa swerte, pero kahit ganun man ang aking paniniwala ay nakisama na rin ako sa pag-akyat sa hagdan para maghagis ng sukli sa fountain. Naisipan ko na baka maganda ang tanawin sa itaas ng hagdan.

Tama ang hinala ko at ang tanawin sa itaas ay talagang nakakamangha. Ang buong templo, arko, at ang mga bundok sa ibaba ay kitang-kita mula dito. Nakikita ko rin mula dito ang mga bahay at gusali na dinaanan namin. Mula sa pwesto na ito ay nakuha ko ang isa sa mga pinaka kinagugustohan kong letrato. Isang letrato na puno ng magagandang kulay na nagbibihay buhay sa larawan.

Pagakatapos nang sandaling pagpapahinga at pagmamasdan sa mga bulaklak na nakatanim sa fountain, bumaba kami para makabalik na sa aming sasakyan. Naisipan ni tatay na kumuha kami ng letrato bilang isang souvenir sa pagpunta namin sa Bell Church. Kinuha niya ang cellphone niya na nilagay niya sa ibabaw ng isang bench para makakuha ng letrato na magkakasama. Pagkatapos niyon ay dahan-dahan kaming bumaba papunta sa aming sasakyan. Naunang bumaba si kuya Bert para ihanda ang kotse para pagdating namin sa ibaba ay sasakay nalang kami at agad na babalik papunta sa hotel.

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itsawritblr · 1 year

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Hail & farewell, Senator Feinstein.

Dianne Feinstein defied the odds in a field perpetually dominated by men.

From The Washington Post:

In 1969, soon after Dianne Feinstein first made history, a San Francisco newspaper published a bemused feature on her marriage. Headlined “The Big Man in Dianne’s Life,” it centered on her husband, Bert Feinstein, a prominent local surgeon, and began:

“When Mama is in politics, there’s many an unkind query heard about who wears the pants in the family. Such is the fearsome image of a lady politico.”

The fearsome Mrs. Feinstein had recently shocked the town, finishing first in a crowded race for the Board of Supervisors. She was the first woman elected to the city’s legislative body in a half-century — and only the second ever. Capturing the top vote total positioned her to become board president, San Francisco’s second-most influential municipal office after mayor.

For the newspaper, this raised a crucial question:

“Did Dr. Feinstein feel humbled or intimidated now that the little lady was occupying the limelight?”

Oy.

This anachronistic specimen of cringeworthy sexism (and journalistic fatuity) reads today as an artifact of cultural anthropology, a reminder of the mores that Feinstein (and her then-husband, who declared himself neither humbled nor intimidated) confronted as she began her pioneering career.

Feinstein has died at the age of 90. In political time, her demise seems far more than the end of a mere era — more like the passing of an eon.

As politician, policymaker and uncommonly private public figure, Feinstein for six decades modeled attitudes, behavior and values that have become increasingly rare. Reliably favoring civility over churlishness, she preferred independent judgment to ideology, pragmatism to partisanship, problem-solving to power-seeking.

“Dianne wasn’t in politics, she was in government,” former Democratic congressman John Burton, her San Francisco contemporary, once said of her, with faint disdain.

Many tributes for California’s longest-serving U.S. senator will no doubt highlight Washington achievements. But any assessment of her historical influence begins with the generations of women who followed her into national and state politics, passing through doorways she was the first to breach: women such as Vice President Harris, former House speaker Nancy Pelosi and former senator Barbara Boxer, to name three from Feinstein’s home area alone.

Among the milestones and high-profile achievements, it’s easy to overlook the long years when Feinstein paid her dues in relative obscurity. From the early 1960s until she became mayor, she persisted through recurring defeats, private anguish and countless petty slights — the prologue to a remarkable career shaped by determination to defy the odds in a field perpetually dominated by men.

It is commonplace for politicians to set forth self-regarding narratives of tribulation overcome, but Feinstein eschewed personal revelation and confession — although she had plenty of authentic material for both. Though raised in privilege, she and her two sisters were physically and emotionally abused by their mentally ill, alcoholic mother. The family’s painful secrets were not discussed outside their fashionable Presidio Terrace home; behind closed doors, Dianne bore the brunt of her mother’s eruptions and struggled, as the eldest, to protect her siblings.

In the early 1960s, she ended a disastrous first marriage; as a divorced single mother, when both still carried a whiff of social scandal, she gained a foothold in politics via an appointment to the California Women’s Board of Terms and Parole. For 10 days every month, for nearly five years, she left her little girl with a babysitter to travel to the women’s state prison at Chino. During her term, the board there adjudicated nearly 5,000 cases of female prisoners — abortionists, arsonists and burglars, murderers, swindlers and thieves — plunging Feinstein into the core of the criminal justice system.

But when she won a national award for her work in local jail reform, a big story about it was headlined “A pretty expert on crime,” a harbinger of how often coverage focused less on her ideas than on her appearance — the “raven-haired beauty” in the “fashionable blue Norell original with a bolero top and wide white belt” was “sufficiently eloquent to divert the minds of the mostly male members of the club from her stunning good looks.”

Twice in the 1970s, San Francisco voters overwhelmingly rejected her bid for mayor, apparently uneasy at the notion of a female chief executive. The sting of those defeats was slight, however, compared to the sorrow of nursing Dr. Feinstein, her beloved second husband whose name she kept, after his 1976 cancer diagnosis and through his lingering death two years later.

In despair, she just kept going to work, confronted by a new board of supervisors, including Harvey Milk, the nation’s first prominent gay officeholder, and an ex-cop named Dan White, whose clashing personalities and politics she tried to mediate and balance.

But on the morning of Nov. 27, 1978, long-simmering hatred and grievances over politics, personality, race and sexuality exploded in terrible violence, as White murdered Mayor George Moscone and Milk.

In an instant, Feinstein had attained the job she’d so long sought, in the worst way imaginable.

In the aftermath, as one of the first female mayors of a major U.S. city, she guided San Francisco with compassion, dignity and skill. She responded early and effectively to the AIDS epidemic and managed thousands of other day-to-day crises and mundane affairs with diligence and industry.

Nine years later, she left office with lofty ratings and a formidable political brand. In 1990, she became the first woman nominated by a major party to run for governor in California. Though narrowly defeated, Feinstein effectively won by losing, gaining statewide and national recognition that installed her as a front-runner for a U.S. Senate seat in 1992.

She triumphed that November, her victory a centerpiece of what the media termed the “Year of the Woman,” as the political energy of female voters, triggered by the Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas hearings one year earlier, shaped elections across the nation.

It was a pivotal moment for politics — and for Feinstein. As she embarked upon the second three-decade act of a historic political career, the chauvinism and misogyny she had faced for a quarter-century began to be recognized and called out.

“Up until this election being a woman has not been an asset,” she told a reporter back then. But now, “women have become symbols of change.”

#Dianne Feinstein #Senator Dianne Feinstein #trailblazing women #women in politics #Jewish women #true feminist #women who've made history #first female Jewish U.S. senator

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fashionbooksmilano · 3 years

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Chino Bert Arte - Moda - Grafica

progetto grafico e impaginazione Chino Bert e Massimo Spataro

fotografia delle opere Chiara Samugheo, Gianni Mario, Luca Timossi

Bacchetta Editore, Albenga 2001, 112 pagine, tiratura limitata e firmata dall’artista

euro 45,00

email if you want to buy :[email protected]

Chino Bert, al secolo Franco Bertolotti, stilista e pittore italiano, nasce a Pavia nel 1932e muore ad Albenga nel 2012. All’età di 19 anni debutta come disegnatore di moda. Nel 1952 presenta sulla prestigiosa pedana di Palazzo Pitti la sua collezione di modelli “Scatola”, destando l’interesse degli intenditori. Si trasferisce poi a Roma per disegnare le collezioni della sarta Maria Antonelli. Viene successivamente viene scoperto come illustratore di moda dalla celebre Maria Carità, che dirigeva il prestigioso Salone di bellezza in Rue St. Honorè a Parigi, disegnando in seguito per il quotidiano di moda l’ “Aurore” e per il mensile l’”Art e la Mode”. È del 1963 l’alleanza stilistica con Mila Schon e Loris Abate: 20 modelli a Palazzo Pitti e, due anni dopo, l’ambitissimo premio Neiman Marcus a New York. Nel ’65, è chiamato dalle Fendi che debuttano sulle passerelle ufficiali. Per Mila Schon disegna anche le sete Taroni e Terragni e le lane Nattier e Agnona. Dopo un viaggio a Hollywood nel 1973, scompare. Si saprà più tardi del suo ritiro nel monastero benedettino di Santa Scolastica. Chino diventa don Franco. Negli anni ’90 comincia a dipingere. Passa dal figurativo all’astratto, all’informale, sul filo di una tavolozza sempre ricca di colore e di suggestioni, spesso illuminata da colpi dorati.

07/04/21

orders to: [email protected]

ordini a: [email protected]

twitter: @fashionbooksmi

instagram: fashionbooksmilano, designbooksmilano tumblr: fashionbooksmilano, designbooksmilano

#Chino Bert #disegnatore moda #fashion illustrator #Maria Antonelli #Mila Schon #Fendi #illustrazione moda #fashion books #fashionbooksmilano

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aguycalledkwest · 4 years

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'Paint The Town Blue?' 1990s Independant Hip Hop Documentary featuring Swollen Members, Foreign Legion, Dilated Peoples, Q-Bert, Rob Swift, Scratch Perverts HIP HOP REALM - A film dedicated to the golden age of underground hip hop. 3rd Bass - 7L & Esoteric - Alkaholiks - A Tribe Called Quest - Above The Law - Anticon - Army Of Pharoahs - Arsonists - Artifacts - Atmosphere - Beastie Boys - Beat Junkies - Beatnuts - Black Moon - Black Sheep - Blahzay Blahzay - Bored Stiff - Bomb Squad - Boogie Down Productions - Boot Camp Clik - Brand Nubian - Channel Live - Cocoa Brovaz - Company Flow - Comptons Most Wanted - Constant Deviants - Cypress Hill - Da Beatminerz - Da Lench Mob - Double Life - Das Efx - De La Soul - Def Squad - Da King & I - Deltron 3030 - Digital Underground - DITC - DJ Jazzy Jeff - EPMD - Eric B & Rakim - The Fab 5 - Flipmode - Finsta Bundy - Funkdoobiest - Freestyle Fellowship - Foreign Legion - Gangstarr - Geto Boyz - Ghetto Concept - Goats - Grandmaster Flash - Gravediggaz - Heltah Skeltah - Hieroglyphics - High & Mighty - House Of Pain - Invisibl Skratch Piklz - Jedi Mind Tricks - Jungle Brothers - Jurassic 5 - KMD - K oatix - Leaders Of The New School - Lootpack - Lords Of The Underground - Mad Kap - Mysterme - MOP - Main Source - Madvillain - Mantronix - Molemen - Mood - Mobb Deep - Natural Elements - NWA - Nextman -Nice & Smooth - Non Phixion - Non Prophets - Obscure Disorder - Onyx - Organized Confusion - People Under The Stairs - Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Pharcyde - Polyrhythm Addicts - Poor Righteous Teachers - Public Enemy - Rascalz - Roots - Run DMC - Run The Jewelz - Screwball - Sacred Hoop - Showbiz & AG - Siah & Yeshua - School Of Hard Knox - Souls Of Mischief - Smif n Wessun - Stesasonic - Styles Of Beyond - Swollen Members - Tha Mexakinz - Third Sight - Three Times Dope - Ultramagnetic MCs - Wu Tang Clan - Yaggfu Front - Zion I - Akrobatik - Aceyalone - Aesop Rock - Afu ra - Alchemist - Apathy - AZ - B Real - Big Daddy Kane - Big Mike - Big Pun - Blaq Poet - BUMS - Blade - Buckshot - Buckwild - Busta Rhymes - Cappadonna - Celph Titled - Charizma - Cage - Chino XL - Citizen Kane - Common - Dr Octagon - Daddy O - Del - Diamond - DJ Shadow - Defari - Doug E Fresh - Dr Dre - Easy Moe Bee - Easy E - ED OG - El Da Sensei - Erick Sermon - Evidence - Eyedea - Fat Joe - Funkmaster Flex - Grand Puba - Grand Master Flash - Guru - GZA - Hi Tek - Ice Cube - Ice T - Ill Bill - Inspectah Deck - J Dilla - Jeru The Damaja - J Zone - Keith Murray - Kid Capri - Killah Priest - King Tee - Kool G Rap - Kool Moe Dee - KRS ONE - Kurious - L Swift - Large Professor - LL Cool J - Lord Jamar - Lord Finesse - Mike Zoot - Madchild - Madlib - MC Eiht - Nr Live - Mark B - MC Serch - Method Man - MF Doom - Mic Geronimo - Nas - Necro - No ID - Notorious BIG - Ol Dirty Bastard - Paris - Pharoahe Monche - Phife - Planet ASia - Positive K - Peanut Butter Wolf - Prince Paul - Prince Po - Problemz - Prodigy - RA the Rugged Man - Rasco - Raekwon - Ras Kass - Redman - RZA - Saafir - Shamus - Sean Boston - Sabac Red - Sage Francis - Scott Lark Da Sensei - Schooly D - Sean Price - Shyheim - Snoop Dogg - too Short - Tragedy Khadafi - Xzibit - Yungun -

#90sundergroundhiphop

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sincerelylaureen · 3 years

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Thanksgiving 2021 ❤️🦃 (will go into detail of these soon!!)

My loves came over for Thanksgiving!

-eating

-bike ride

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-checking out apartments the next morning

-ulta

-changing oil

-berts/shopping at Berts

-chino hills / 7 leaves boba/ sushi/vans

-dicks sporting goods

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-went tool shopping at Home Depot but before we attempted Harbor freight

-went home and drove our bikes a little bit and took a photo

-drove do Dylans house

-opened up all of his tools!!

-talked to devlin and jess outside with the baby

-ate Thai food!

-went around Ramona and he took me on the Old Julian Highway

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-woke up and went on a BEAUTIFUL drive my loves wanted to show me through Julian and alpine on Sunset highway!!! (mention his comment about simplicity)

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livinginlandmarketing · 3 years

Link

Do you love guacamole? Would you eat it every day if you could?

Enter El Pollo Loco’s new contest and you could be eating free chips and guacamole every day in August.

In honor of National Avocado Day (Saturday, July 31), El Pollo Loco is teaming up with Avocados from Mexico to offer limited-edition Guac Passes, which grant a free order of chips and guacamole every day in August.

How can you enter? Join the chain’s Loco Rewards program (join or download the app here: www.elpolloloco.com/rewards), and make any purchase through Saturday (July 31).

To qualify, place the order via the app, scan your account’s QR code at the register, or scan the receipt’s bar code into the app.

Alternatively, you can follow El Pollo Loco on Instagram, and reply with an avocado emoji on the chain’s National Avocado Day post.

El Pollo Loco will randomly choose 5,100 winners who will be notified via email, and a new coupon for a free small order of chips and guacamole will be loaded into their Loco Rewards account every day in August.

For all the details, visit www.elpolloloco.com/guacpass.

Taco ’bout breakfast

Last week, Del Taco expanded its breakfast menu with a trio of new double cheese breakfast tacos.

All three feature both grated cheddar and Queso Blanco.

Here’s what’s on offer:

$1 Egg and cheese taco: Features scrambled eggs with grated cheddar cheese and Queso Blanco, in a warm flour tortilla.

$1.39 Hash browns and beef taco: Includes hash brown sticks, seasoned beef, grated cheddar cheese, Queso Blanco and scrambled eggs in a warm flour tortilla.

$1.69 Hash browns and bacon taco: Features crispy bacon, hash brown sticks, grated cheddar cheese, Queso Blanco and scrambled eggs in a warm flour tortilla.

The new tacos are available during breakfast hours only at participating locations. Prices may vary.

Dog Haus fights hunger

Dog Haus has rolled out a limited-time burger and is dedicating a portion of its sales to help solve childhood hunger in America.

The Big Kahuna burger, created in collaboration with King’s Hawaiian’s Executive Chef Bert S. Agor Jr., is available through Aug. 31.

Dine 909: New Arby’s open in Rialto; Riverside’s University Village gains two eateries

Dine 909: Two Inland Empire breweries celebrate anniversaries while another changes its name

Dine 909: New Ontario shopping center offers new eateries, with more — including a brewery — to come

Dine 909: San Bernardino Long John Silver’s reborn as The Pin Seafood House, plus more new restaurants

The $11.99 burger features an Angus beef patty, topped with American cheese, smoked bacon, miso ranch, wild arugula, pickled jalapeños, pickled peppers, scallions, onion rings and bang bang sauce, and is served on grilled King’s Hawaiian rolls.

The chain will donate $1 of each Big Kahuna burger sale to No Kid Hungry, an organization dedicated to ending childhood hunger here in America.

Dog Haus has previously raised more than $100,000 for No Kid Hungry.

Inland Empire Dog Haus locations include Chino Hills, Claremont, and Rancho Cucamonga. An Eastvale location is in the works.

A year in Yucaipa

Hops and Spokes Brewing Company in Yucaipa will celebrate its first anniversary this weekend.

Plenty is planned, including a new beer release, food, giveaways and musical entertainment.

On Friday, July 30, Cousins Maine Lobster will serve food from 2-8 p.m., and Psycho Punx will perform at 7 p.m.

Saturday, July 31, Hoja Blanca will serve food all day. The Honey is set to perform at 2 p.m., and The Blues Buzzards at 7 p.m.

On Sunday, Aug. 1, The Decades is set to perform at 4 p.m., and Josh’s Front Yard Barbecue will be serving food.

The brewery will also release First Offender, a Citra single-hop India Pale Ale.

Attendees can purchase a 25-ounce anniversary stein for $15 and get $7 refills all weekend, plus receive a surprise gift. One person will win a free beer every day for a year.

Hops and Spokes is at 34324 Yucaipa Blvd., Suite A.

Dunkin’ update

Dunkin’ has introduced Popping Bubbles, fruit-flavored bubbles that can be added to any iced or frozen drink for a burst of strawberry flavor.

The chain has also rolled out several doughnuts that are exclusive to Central and Southern California.

Available locally are French Cruller, Chocolate Long John, Maple Long John, Chocolate Butternut, Sour Cream and Bavarian Crème.

And to help you fight the Monday blues, the chain is offering its DD Perks members a free medium or hot iced coffee Mondays through Aug. 17.

Simply order ahead in the Dunkin’ app (available for iOS and Android), or scan your DD Perks QR code in-store.

-on July 28, 2021 at 03:05AM by John Plessel

#riversidenews

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ardandil · 6 years

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Crónicas del Grinch 2018. Auld lang syne

Por los viejos tiempos[1]

Queridos compañeros de estas Crónicas del Grinch 2018, ha llegado el momento de deciros adiós, al menos hasta el año próximo. A partir de ahora es tiempo de familia, es tiempo de Navidad. Agradezco de corazón la atención que habéis prestado a mis relatos. Significa mucho para mí. Me despido con un homenaje a una película muy especial, que vemos en casa todos los años. Feliz Navidad y un Maravilloso Año 2019.

Que el bar estuviera tan lleno era bueno para la caja, pero malo para el negocio. Todas las nochebuenas sucedía lo mismo. Aunque este año solo habían venido dos autobuses de chinos, y eso era algo que Nick agradecía. Resultaba agotador recordarles una y otra vez que estaba prohibido hacer fotos dentro del local.

Las campanillas de la puerta repicaron y el sujeto con la cara más triste y desesperada que Nick había visto en años, entró y se dejó caer en la barra. Era de mediana edad, vestía una gabardina raída y llevaba el pelo desordenado. Por el aspecto de sus zapatos, Nick pensó que había caminado por la nieve mucho tiempo. Colocó sobre el mostrador un libro gastado de Las aventuras de Tom Sawyer, de Mark Twain.

—Perdone, estoy buscando un bar llamado Martini’s.

Nick repitió, por enésima vez aquel día, la misma explicación. Sabía que no sería la última. Era uno de los motivos por los que cada año se prometía cerrar por navidades, pero cada año el respeto a la tradición y a su abuelo se lo impedían.

—Amigo, no existe ningún Martini’s en Pottersville. Nunca ha existido, salvo durante el rodaje de la película —dijo señalando la foto sobre la barra.

En ella se veía a un James Stewart de expresión feliz posando junto a una persona de enorme sonrisa, que guardaba cierto parecido con Nick. Era una foto antigua, en blanco y negro.

El rostro del hombre de la gabardina se iluminó, como si hubiera avistado un oasis después de una larga travesía por el desierto.

—Entonces es aquí, no me he equivocado.

—Eso depende de lo que haya venido a buscar.

Desde la puerta, un lugareño se despidió de Nick y le deseó feliz navidad.

—Usted se llama Nick, y el de la foto es James Stewart, pero en el rótulo de fuera pone El Mayor Don[2], y el pueblo no se llama Bedford Falls[3]. ¿Por qué?

Nick lo miró con una mezcla de hastío y compasión. Estaba cansado de repetir la misma historia todos los años. La mayoría de la gente estaba informada y sabía a lo que venía, pero siempre había algún friki que le vacilaba. Y luego estaban los tipos como el que tenía delante, que parecían salidos del mundo de Nunca Jamás, unos Peter Pan creciditos que no distinguían entre la realidad y la película de Frank Capra. El hombre de la gabardina le hablaba con respeto, no olía a alcohol, y parecía aplastado por una pesada carga.

—Escuche, amigo. La película se rodó aquí en 1946, y nada de lo que cuentan en ella sucedió. Es solo ficción. Mi abuelo —dijo señalando al hombre de enorme sonrisa de la fotografía— trabó una gran amistad con el actor protagonista. Mientras vivió, el buenazo de Jimmy visitaba el pueblo un par de veces al año. Incluso pasó alguna nochebuena con mi familia. Eso es lo que usted debería hacer, volverse por donde ha venido y regresar a casa con los suyos.

—Pero he visto el puente, y el árbol del bisabuelo[4] —dijo el desconocido mesándose los cabellos y sacudió a Nick por los hombros—. Por favor, dígame que es verdad. Necesito que sea verdad. Todo.

Nick empezó a preocuparse. El tipo podía estar drogado, o loco. Así que pulsó con disimulo el interruptor bajo la barra. Solo tenía que entretenerlo hasta que llegara Bert.

—Mire, amigo. Mi familia vive en Pottersville desde hace más de cien años, y llevamos casi el mismo tiempo dedicados a este negocio. Le aseguro que nunca hemos visto pasar por aquí a ningún ángel en busca de sus alas.

—Yo no he mencionado a ningún ángel.

Aquello era demasiado.

—Vamos, sea razonable. Todo el mundo ha visto la dichosa película.

—Yo sé cómo hacer que el ángel aparezca —dijo el desconocido.

Luego se ordenó el cabello y caminó hacia la salida. Dejó sobre el mostrador el libro de Tom Sawyer[5].

Nick vio en sus ojos la resolución de una persona que ha llegado al límite y que no piensa detenerse ante nada. Salió a toda prisa de detrás de la barra y justo en ese momento las campanillas de la puerta sonaron. Era Bert junto con otro agente.

El hombre de la gabardina lanzó una mirada de absoluta decepción a Nick e intentó escabullirse al exterior, pero Bert lo derribó con facilidad y lo esposó.

—Nick, ¿cómo has podido hacerme esto? —sollozaba con amargura el desconocido mientras se lo llevaban—. Mi vida es un infierno. Mi mujer y mis hijos no me dejan vivir, aborrezco mi trabajo, no tengo amigos, ya no aguanto más. Quiero que todo desaparezca.

Nick sintió lástima por el pobre diablo. Ojalá pudiera hacer algo, pero él no daba ese tipo de ayuda. Además, seguro que no podía pagarla. Al menos no se había puesto a gritar llamando a Clarence. Bert, el policía, conocía al dueño de “El Mayor Don” desde que ambos eran niños, y al ver la expresión de su rostro quiso consolarlo.

—Es mejor sacarlo a rastras de tu bar que del fondo del río.

Luego le deseó feliz navidad y se marchó.

Nick no bebía, pero ahora necesitaba un trago. De vez en cuando alguno de los pobres desgraciados que acudían a “El Mayor Don” le tocaba el corazón. Aquella era una de esas veces. Se disponía a vaciar un chupito de tequila cuando las campanillas de la puerta repicaron. Un hombre alto con un abrigo de aspecto caro se acercó sonriente a la barra. Lucía un peinado exquisito y los zapatos más brillantes que había visto en mucho tiempo.

—Amigo, ¿es usted Nick, ¿verdad? —dijo el recién llegado poniendo una pequeña bolsa de viaje sobre el mostrador.

—Yo no soy su amigo y no le he dado permiso para llamarme Nick.

—Tiene razón. No tenemos por qué ser amigos. Esto son solo negocios —contestó el otro mostrándole una tarjeta de visita con unas alas y unas campanillas—. Me envía el el tío Billy, como supongo que sabe.

Nick inspeccionó la tarjeta. Era auténtica. Luego miró su teléfono móvil y leyó el mensaje del tío. Nunca trabajaban en diciembre. El pueblo se llenaba de visitantes, periodistas y cámaras de televisión. Tanta publicidad no era buena para el negocio. Pero el tipo había ofrecido una suma diez veces superior a la habitual.

—¿No podía esperar unos días, hasta después de las fiestas? ¿Tenía que venir hoy, en nochebuena? Se arriesga mucho y nos pone en peligro a nosotros.

—Digamos que hay ciertas personas muy enfadadas conmigo, y son de la clase de gente que no respeta las navidades. Tengo que desaparecer ya.

Nick se resignó. El negocio era el negocio. Le colocó un pin en la solapa del abrigo. Representaba a un chico que sujetaba a la luna con un lazo.

—Vaya al pasillo de los servicios. Al fondo verá una puerta verde. Acérquese y la puerta se abrirá de forma automática. Siéntese y espere.

Cuando el desconocido se hubo marchado, Nick hizo una llamada.

—Hola, Clarence. El tío Billy nos ha enviado un cliente. Léete el dossier. Es un tipo importante. No necesitas decirme que es una locura que haya venido, pero ¿qué podía hacer si ya estaba aquí? Sí, pasaportes, carnés de la seguridad social, y todo lo demás, pero con el pack especial. El tipo paga bien. Lo he enviado al confesionario. Llama a George y dile que venga a por él.

Nick solía escuchar divertido las quejas del otro, pero no aquella tarde.

—Mira, Clarence, estoy harto de que discutáis vuestros nombres en clave[6]. Son una tradición de la familia y no pienso cambiarlos —dijo con tono impaciente y colgó.

Pensó, guasón, que con ese carácter Clarence no conseguiría nunca las alas. La sonrisa se le borró del rostro al recordar la clase de gentuza a la que facilitaba una nueva identidad. Eso le impedía dormir bien últimamente, pero con el dinero que había pagado aquel tipo tal vez pudiera traspasar el negocio y retirarse a una isla tropical. Estaba harto de soportar a todos aquellos turistas una navidad tras otra. Alzó el chupito de tequila hacia la foto sonriente de su abuelo.

—Brindo por la fantástica idea que tuviste, pero por qué diablos no pusiste el negocio en otro estado. Por ejemplo, en California. Si puedes oírme, al menos haz que no vengan más turistas por hoy.

Justo cuando se llevaba el chupito a los labios, las campanillas de la puerta repicaron con alegría, y una barahúnda de asiáticos con gorros navideños y entonando Auld lang syne, irrumpió en el local.

—Maldito viejo guasón —dijo Nick mirando al otro Nick de hacía más de setenta años y apuró el tequila de un trago.

Luego comprobó que el bate de béisbol estuviera en su sitio debajo de la barra. Pensaba destrozarle el teléfono móvil o el ipad al primero de ellos que hiciera una foto.

Fin deAuld lang syne

“Should auld acquitance be forgot,

And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquitance be forgot,

And days of auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne,

We’ll take a cup of kindness yet,

For the sake of auld lang syne”[7].

¡Gracias por leerme! Si te apetece, pásate por mi blog: Peregrinos de la tierra en sombras.

[1] Auld lang syne: es una canción escocesa que se suele utilizar en momentos solemnes, de despedida, al inicio o final de un largo viaje, un funeral, etc. Es un tema habitual en la celebración del Año Nuevo en el mundo de habla inglesa. “Auld lang syne”, en escocés, significa “hace mucho tiempo”; aunque suele traducirse como “por los viejos tiempos”.

[2] The Greatest Gift/ El Mayor Don: cuento de Philip Van Doren Stern, escrito en 1939, en el que se basa la película It’s a Wonderful life, Qué bello es vivir en español, de Frank Capra.

[3] Bedford Falls: nombre del pueblo donde transcurre la historia de Qué bello es vivir. Durante la visión de cómo sería la vida de los demás si George Bailey no hubiera nacido, el nombre del pueblo había pasado a ser Pottersville.

[4] Árbol con el que choca el coche de George en la película. El propietario se preocupa por los daños que pueda haber sufrido, al haberlo plantado su bisabuelo.

[5] Las Aventuras de Tom Sawyer es el libro que le deja Clarence a George al marcharse.

[6] A Nick, es su nombre auténtico, le divierte llamar a los otros con los nombres de los protagonistas de la película. Nick es amigo de George Bailey, y trabaja en el bar Martini’s donde George (James Stewart) habla con Clarence, el ángel que se gana las alas ayudándolo. Bert es el policía amigo de George, y tio Billy el tío de George que extravía el dinero y origina el drama.

[7] Canción con la que acaba la película. Esta es una de las letras que existen: “¿Deberían olvidarse las viejas amistades y nunca recordarse?/ ¿Deberían olvidarse las viejas amistades y los viejos tiempos?/ Por los viejos tiempos, amigo mío/ Por los viejos tiempos/ Tomaremos una copa de cordialidad/ en honor a los viejos tiempos”.

#grinch #christmas #navidades #christmas carol #Villancicos #auld lang syne #it´s a wonderful life #frank capra #james stewart

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fashion4menau · 7 years

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Fashion 4 Men http://www.fashion4men.com.au/shop/tarocash/tarocash-bert-print-shirt-aqua-s/

Tarocash Bert Print Shirt Aqua S

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bertiebearblog-blog · 7 years

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Introducing Frank and Bertie

Difficult day for Bertie. He has really struggled to motivate himself. Not sure what it is. Sometimes he just wakes up in a really bad mood and then I can’t do anything with him. It all started with not being able to find his trousers. “Where are they Bertie?”, I ask as he scrabbles around the bed, peering underneath and toppling off in the process “I don’t know “he moans “I had them on last night!”

Frank giggles and looks away – “I know where they are but I’m not telling you!” Frank, meanwhile, is sitting with a beige tea towel wrapped proudly round his shoulders doing his latest batman impression. He keeps flying off the bed and hitting the floor directly but assures me that he is saving the world. “I’m batman you know” he announces as Bertie eventually finds his trousers stuffed under the pillow. Bertie ceremoniously puts the trousers on his head and looks at me with his challenging brown eyes. I’ll leave him, I think sensibly to myself. Now is not the time to be battling with a pair of bear sized chinos that need braces to stay up at the best of times. “I used to have underpants too” Bertie says miserably, “ but I don’t know what happened to them” I have a sneaking suspicion that they may have turned into a helmet for when Frank is playing warriors but again, I chose not to voice my concerns. We can always get another pair.

Frank and Bert have been teddy chums for years now. Frank came first followed by Bert a couple of years later. Frank found Bert’s arrival quite difficult at first as he was used to having all the room in the bed and was always ready for a cuddle when one of the children wasn’t feeling well. Frank took his role as chief comforter very seriously and it was only when Bertie came along that he started to play up a bit. At first, of course, he was very excited, always wanted a brother, a playmate and all that, but when reality hit and there were two bears in the bed and the younger one seemed to need more attention and cuddles and kept falling out so that Mummy picked him and held him close a few too many times more that was strictly necessary, then Frank started to have second thoughts.

“He’ll have to go back” Frank announced about three weeks into Bertie’s stay. “It’s just not working, there’s only room for one bear around here and I was here first. He’s a baby and he can’t manage” Frank manged to keep the sharp edge out of his voice as he said this but he had never been surer of anything. Two bears in one bed was just NOT going to work. Bertie’s big brown button eyes filled with tears. He loved his older brother and looked up to him, aspiring to get a smart bow tie like his one day and grow as big and strong as he was. He looked terribly sad. Frank softened. (well, he is a teddy bear). “There will have to be conditions then” he added in a slightly superior I’m the big brother kind of way.” You will have to do as I say and I always get to cuddle mum and dad first and if there is cake I get the biggest piece” Bertie wiped his eyes with the back of his paw and nodded his head, he would do anything to stay in the same bed as Frank.

“Ok Frank” he sniffed “ I’ll be a good bear and I won’t bother you or get in the way” “Well, that’s that then” said Frank and he shuffled off to investigate the drama of the missing socks.

#adoption #attachment #sibling rivalry #children's story #children's fiction #bear #teddy bear #family #fiction #writing #blog

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