World Open Chess Tournament in Philadelphia – HELP ME GET THERE!!!

Here is why I need your help: (If you don’t need convincing go here: http://www.gofundme.com/kquko)

For the past year I have been working extreme hard to improve my chess skills. I have increased my rating and skills almost to expert level. I am on the verge of becoming an expert but before I do there is one massive tournament that I need to win: The National Open.

                The National Open will be held in Philadelphia this year and it is probably the largest tournament held in North America. The guaranteed prize pool is over $200,000! I would be paying in the U2000 rated section (I am currently 1900) and I will have a chance to win a 1^st prize of $13,000 dollars. I have never competed for such a prize pool.

                The main challenge is the cost of this tournament. Here is the breakdown of the $2200 minimum amount of money I need to play this tournament:

1.       Entry Fee = $350

2.       Hotel = Min $50 a night x 8 nights = $400

3.       Food = Min $40 a day x 9 days = $360

4.       Flight = Min round trip = $500

5.       Training Sessions = 8 x $60 a session = $480

Total = 2090 + 110 fun money = $2200

                At the moment this seems like a daunting amount and I only have 2 months to raise the money!!! Never the less I will mount a fundraising campaign. I must attend this tournament and there is no stopping me from winning.

                I plan to train for at least 2 hours each day until the tournament.  That is over 100 hours of training for this tournament so that I can play the best possible chess.

                Convinced about my determination yet? Then come donate here: http://www.gofundme.com/kquko

                Not convinced well let these incentives convince you:

                Level 1: 0-9 dollars – I will send you a chess puzzle with an interesting tactic or mini chess story / poem written by me.

                Level 2: 10-24 dollars – I will teach you the 3 opening Secrets of chess.

                Level 3: 25-49 dollars – I will give you a mini 30 minute chess lesson

                Level 4: 50-99 dollars – I will give you a full hour long chess lesson

                Level 5: 100-499 dollars – I will give you a 2 hour long chess lesson plus a poem / short story about chess

                Level 6: 500-999 dollars – I will give you 2 – 2 hour long chess lessons, a poem / short chess story and a signed chess board signed by yours truly

                Level 7: 1000 dollars +  – I will give you 4 sessions of 2 hour chess lessons, a poem / short chess story, a signed chess board, and I will make you a personalized chess set!

So with these awesome prizes for helping me please donate: http://www.gofundme.com/kquko

We were Mexicans for a Night

With our money broken up into small units and safely tucked into every crevasse of our backpacks, we crossed the US – Mexican border. The rotating gates ushered us over the border like livestock to this new land where I had only been a few times and one of mis compadres was visiting for the first time. We were entering into a smiling adventure despite the best advice of friends, family, and looming media. We came to find that these fears contained only a little more than a grain of truth for what was otherwise a shining border town.

We crossed into Tijuana and quickly shunned the advances of suave taxi cab drivers promising to drive us to our hotel for only five dollars. We wanted to make our own way and experience Tijuana without the lens of a turista.  I asked for directions a few times reaclimating my voice to the Spanish language. Our hotel was on Agua Caliente. Stubbornly, we decided to walk despite the advice that our hotel was too far. After walking a few miles and talking to a beautiful family, we discovered our hotel was still a few miles away. We decided to pick up a taxi rojo (red taxi) and soon arrived at our hotel.

We didn’t stay here long. We had no intention to hide away in the corporate bubble of safety. Since we had received no trouble and only friendly help on the way to our hotel, we were emboldened to head out into the streets to find a bite to eat. We stopped at two different street side stands: one taco stand and one torta stand. The food was a tasty respite from our journeys and we found only more friendly people. I was even told that my Spanish was surprisingly good for a gringo.

We then hopped into a cab and told him to take us some place to find margaritas. We should have known that he would bring us to tourist central. I cannot remember the names of the next two restaurants as they had a non-descript tourist atmosphere. Despite becoming gringos tipicos, we found that drinking margaritas y cervesas on roof top balconies to be quite exhilarating. At the last tourist stop, we met a talkative and entertaining host named Gemma. He told us to yell off the balcony if we needed anything.

Surprisingly, we ran into very few tourists like ourselves. The tourist area seemed to be sucked of its life with only a few shopping and drinking. Of course, it was the off season so the number of tourists should have been low. But, it was also a Saturday, so the popular impression that Tijuana was unsafe had obviously taken its toll. After I bought a Cuban cigar, we decided despite the low number of tourists, the area was not to our taste. The sun was beginning to set and we ventured off into the Tijuana night.

I want everyone to take note of the next bar we found: Cantina del Revolucion. The reason this bar caught our eye was that the entrance was a swinging saloon style door. I walked in with my hands on my hips ready to draw and I shot a couple smiles. The hosts laughed and gave us a table. The room was plastered with images of Che Guevara and other revolutionaries. This bar seemed like it belonged in some hip neighborhood of L.A. We drank and drank and drank some more. Our gracious host, Manuel, poured us shots of tequila gratis (free). Our beer gleamed in massive glasses containing a yard of beer. I talked with Manuel and he told us the sad story of a city that had once been teeming with tourist money. Now, the night clubs and bars were occupied by mainly Mexicans looking for a good time. This was good for us as we did not want to run into any more tourists. We wanted to dance so we thanked Manuel and headed to Blanco y Negro.

The rest of the night swirled together as we were thoroughly toasted at that point. We danced and then danced some more. As the night wounded down, we headed back to our hotel. One woman in our party decided to go back out and found romance with a shy Mexican man. I was worried for her but my worries were unfounded. She came back safe and sound with hopes of a future romantic email.

The rest of the trip was quite pleasant and uneventful. We wandered into a Menudo shop looking for juevos rancheros and narrowly escaped to find a nice shop ran by a family. The food we ate was refreshing and very good. We paid our small tab with full stomachs and ventured out to head back to El Norte. We were sad to leave this wonderful place so soon. We vowed to come back and stood in the long line to return home.

So what was the grain of truth about Tijuana? The only aspect true to popular opinion of Tijuana is that it was run down. The buildings and streets held a slight gleam of their former glory but were obviously crumbling. The war on drugs perpetuated by the American and Mexican governments’ violent opposition of the cartels was taking its toll. But, as you see from our account, the violence was not seen in everyday life.

I think the larger reason that Tijuana is suffering is because of a concentrated media effort to smear the beauty of this town. We are often bombarded by stories of gruesome violence but where are the stories of actual people that live and work in Tijuana? Where in the media do you see the stories of people like Gemma, Manuel, or the pleasant hard working family with the restaurant? It is a sad reality of the American desire to close the border. I hope this never happens. Voting may help to stop this but the true way to keep the border open is to go. If you have never been to Mexico, go now. Do not wait. There are wonderful people willing to share their food, drink and ideas. Go, even if it’s only a few steps over the border into Tijuana.

Pick this up MTV: Extreme Chess

      Since today is the day before the great consumerist holiday’s eve, I have decided to write about a news worthy event. It is not a political event though chess can sometimes contain politics. It is a cultural event. I have chosen to include this topic for levity because who is going to want to read solely about doom and gloom? No, I want to show a positive side of America which is its diverse range of subcultures.  Cultural diversity is necessary for the growth and survival of a nation. The subculture that is chess is vibrant, alive and provides a positive outlet for competition in America.

     Chess is a niche culture. It appeals to a tight group of people that are devoted to borderline clinical obsession. As far as popular appeal, it has a very small foothold (maybe that’s an overstatement). In the popular mind, Bobby Fischer is probably the only thing the majority of Americans know about chess. Bobby Fischer was able to capture and break into mainstream competition with his quirky attitude and the World Championship matches he won in 1972. But, for nearly the last forty years chess has barely been a subconscious thought in the national consciousness. Until now.

Jennifer Shahade Capturing the Popular Consciousness.

Two time women’s US champion, Jennifer Shahade is trying to change the perception that chess is only for nerds and bring it to a popular audience. She has just released the 1^st episode of a new series: The Extreme Chess Championships. This episode is a well produced piece that feels like a show that would air on MTV. The Championships take place at the world famous Marshall Chess Club in Manhattan. All of the competitors are young adults and are not at all the typical nerdy chess players. They appear fashionable, intelligent, and well rounded.

The time format is a quick 15 5 which means that the competitors each have 15 minutes to begin with every move adding 5 seconds to their clock. The editing is well done with quick cuts to show the action without the audience getting bored. Shahade and an expert chess player Jonathan host the show. Their commentary provides an understandable and exciting narrative of the games.

Enough explaining; see the episode yourself.

Dylan Quercia

Kim Jong Whocares and the Wukan Clan

I have been contemplating this blog post for the last few days. I was online wasting more time on facebook when I saw the first posts roll in:

“Yay, Kim Jong Il is dead”

“He is dead… finally”

There was a strange excitement for the death of a leader that none of my friends had ever met. They were excited because he was portrayed as a psychopath. The next day, NPR presented a good article about Kim:

This article portrays him as a competent leader who tried to defend North Korea from outside influence. It does acknowledge his brutality but it tries to dispel the idea that he was completely insane. I believe it was his flamboyant nature as God of North Korea that made it easy for him to be portrayed as a psychopath. The media had an interest in trying to discredit him as the United States has looked for a way to get rid of the “Dear Leader” since he took power in ’94.

Despite this biased approach, let us be clear, Kim Jong Il was a brutal authoritarian dictator. I found this paper submitted to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

This paper is definitely biased but it documents good examples of his human rights abuses. It seems his prison camps are notorious inside of North Korea and he will not hesitate to murder someone if prison camp is not punishment enough. I recommend reading the part about his deity, too, at least get a glimpse into why he was a megalomaniac.

With all of this said, I want to be clear again:

In all reality, Kim Jong Il’s death marks no change in North Korean society. It will not open up to the Western world. Why? Possibly because the US and its allies have tried to destroy North Korea. President Bush deemed it one of ‘axis of evil’ and it has held that esteemed position even with a so-called liberal President such as Obama.  Or, possibly because those with power will not unclench the iron fist.

Kim Jong Il will be replaced by his son, Kim Jong Un, despite being in his 20s, has probably been well trained for this moment. In case he is too green, there are plenty of senior military officials to carry on the brutality and oppression of the North Korean people.

As depressing as this sounds, it really has no bearing on our lives. We will continue to live and consume merrily (or not so much) until the cancer has infected the entire body politic. No, there is another world event that I want to draw your attention to that is getting much less mainstream media coverage.

Right now, 13,000 peasants in Wukan, China have forced out the Communist Party Officials in response to recent government seizure of land. Here is a good article on these events:

This quote really stood out to me: “Down with the corrupt officials! Return our land! Please help us, central government!” they shouted, while raising their fists.

The above article stated that the protesters are not calling for the ouster of the Communist Party in general but rather the end to illegal seizure of their land. They want corruption to end.

Sound familiar? Here is one example of a similar smaller scale occurrence in the US:

Whatever you believe about the Occupy Wall Street movement, the 2^nd stage in Occupy Wall Street: Occupy Our Homes is doing the exact same thing that the Wukan protesters are doing. They are both trying to push back against Corporate forces that are currently manipulating governments and economic systems to steal from the people. Even if you are blind to the predatory lending practices that occurred in the Great House Crash of the Oughts, the interest rates charged by these banks is criminal.

We must face it. We live in a world where power is still derived from land and resources. The corporations already control most of the world’s resources. If we allow banks to steal the land as well… then we might as well shackle ourselves to the plow and resign to slavery.

I will keep an eye on the Wukan situation. My guess is that it if it does not dissipate soon by itself, it will be helped along by government forces. I hope that the people can stand continue to stand up against this oppression because if the Wukan protest is put down, another larger protest will spring up in the future. I hope that we can say the same thing for the homes of those facing foreclosure.

Ban together with your fellow Americans and do not let the banks seize private property.

Dylan Quercia

Speeding Towards Fascism

This one is a heart stopper: The National Defense Authorization Act. It was voted into law by the Senate on Thursday and WILL NOT be vetoed. If you have been mesmerized by network TV for the last two weeks and have missed all of the news, I will fill you in.

The main controversy surrounding this bill is a clause that would allow the military to seize and detain ANYONE suspected of terrorism no matter where they are located in the world. It essentially turns America into part of the battleground in the ‘War Against Terror’. It allows the military to seize an American citizen and hold them without charge or trial. What type of evidence or warrant? None, speculation and circumstantial evidence is sufficient.

For most I don’t need to go into how bad this. But, I will because it is probably the most Unconstitutional piece of legislation passed since the Patriot Act. There is a reason why some headlines from today’s news read: “But Who Will Guard the Guards themselves?” and “NDAA: The Death of America”. Is it really this grim? Or is that a media fear mongering tactic?
Yes, it is grim. The Senate and the Congressional party zombies have infected the whole government. Only about 1/3 of Members of the house (136) and less than 1/6 of the members of senate (13) voted against it. Now, Obama has backed off a veto threat as they have given him the power to choose whether a person stays in military detention or is returned to the Feds. The system has spun entirely out control.

The attack on the constitution and the bill of rights is clear. The echo on facebook is that voting for this bill is itself a treasonous act because it goes against everything our constitution stands for. But, fat chance that would ever end up in court. Dick Cheney has yet to see the inside of a court room and he has blatantly advocated torture of prisoners if not obviously laundered money from the government into Halliburton. Slim chance any politician will catch legal heat for voting for this bill.

We can hope that it gets struck down by the Supreme Courts. But, if you think about who put them there (not to mention the recent Citizen’s United Decision)… I think the justices take their job seriously. But, they are held in the pocket of powerful interests as well. I hope they would strike it down but the Patriot Act has not been struck down yet…

The largest thing we can do at the moment is try to get everyone who voted for this bill out of office. Here are the lists of who voted FOR the bills:

Senate Bill – http://freakoutnation.com/2011/12/16/the-86-senators-who-voted-to-pass-ndaa-need-to-occupy-the-unemployment-line/

House Bill – http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/268602/20111216/ndaa-did-congress-member-vote.htm

I don’t know if it is possible, but we must try. America is speeding towards Fascism and we all need to work together to pull the emergency break.

Dylan Quercia

PS – I didn’t even get to mention the bills 662 billion dollar price tag and the DANGEROUS sanctions the bill puts on Iran’s central bank. I will discuss these in future posts.

The National Pulse is Beating… Barely.

A few months ago, decided I wanted to delete my facebook account. I found it a voyeuristic waste of time. I felt that it was a self centered exercise that I needed to cut myself off from.

I also felt that I wanted to eliminate my digital trail. I have downloaded Peerblock which if you do not know about the program, go download it immediately. It blocks any attempt from corporations, governments and other shady organizations to collect your information and other digital data. You will be appalled by how many hits your computer gets daily. This is an amazing program but despite how good it is at blocking data mining, there are probably plenty of ways to get around it.

In this digital age, it is nearly impossible to be off the books. There are cameras recording our every movement any time we step outside. There is a digital stamp and record of nearly everything we do online. Telecommunications companies sell this data to the government and do it openly. Not to mention if you are engaged in political activity, you are almost guaranteed a government file. I would need to go into exclusion if I wanted to be entirely private. So I have decided to do the opposite.

I dedicated my facebook posts nearly entirely to politics for the last few months. I had decided to be as entirely open and transparent as possible along with turning a vice into a productive outlet. Now, I am taking one step further and starting this blog.

The nation’s pulse IS beating. The experiment that is the United States of America has not gone flatline, yet. I believe that it is in grave danger however and we need to be diligent as citizens. The 1st way that we can fight for our constitution and for our rights as people is to be aware. I hope to raise awareness of issues that are current and pressing. I hope that I can help shed some light on current events that impact all of our lives. I hope that I can engage in and stimulate dialogue. I hope you join me, whatever your beliefs are.

Dylan Quercia