This blog will cease to operate tonight at midnight as we will move to our new site - www.chesscampeona.com

In our 11-month and 23rd day of existance, this blog will cease to operate at 12:00 a.m. tonight. Both of our sites, English and Spanish Language, will move to its new home, www.chesscampeona.com, starting Tuesday May 18, 2010. The following pictures illustrates our new format. If you notice there are two flags on the top right corner of the new site. When you click on the American Flag, the site will take you to our English section, when you click on the Mexican Flag, you will be transferred to the Spanish section.

This is a new format for bilingual and bicultural chess players, we are the first of our kind.

Two cultures, two languages, one result - www.chesscampeona.com,

Chess Campeona, Claudia, is on FACEBOOK

As the clock ticks and this blog is getting closer to its shutdown period, our new site, that will go online on May 18th at midnight, www.chesscampeona.com, has a FACEBOOK page already.

We ask our readers to please sign in at the following link:


http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=100001092471551&v=wall&ref=profile,


or simply in FACEBOOK search for ¨CHESS CAMPEONA¨ and sign up. Readers in both blogs are signing up at this moment.

The new image of WCM Claudia Muñoz in her new website in 4-days

We introduce to you, Claudia´s new image with her new website, which will be online May 18, 2010, www.chesscampeona.com,

A totally different format since it will be groundbreaking in both English language and Spanish language chess. When the address is inputted, the website will appear.

By clicking on the American flag, the entire site will be in English for the United States, with topics of importance to american chess.

By clicking on the Mexican flag, the entire site will be in Spanish for Mexico and Latin America, with topics of importance for mexican chess.

Two languages, two cultures, one result - ChessCampeona.

In 5-days this blog will be moving to its new home www.chesscampeona.com

Monday will the be the last day that this blog is operational. On Tuesday, both this blog and our Spanish language blog, www.chesscampeona.blogspot.com, will merge into one website BUT WITH A TWIST.

When our visitors go to our new home, www.chesscampeona.com, two flags will appear, the American is for English and the Mexican for Spanish. This way we will have both sites in one location and reap the rewards of a large visitor count, as our Spanish site brings close to 100,000 visitors per year.

This new move represents the duality of Claudia, American and Mexican heritage in one.

Congratulations to World Chess Champion Anand on the retention of his world title

We congratulate World Champion Anand for the retention of his title in Sofia, Bulgaria. We recognize that both Anand and Topalov gave all they had in this Championship match.

Having a bad day?

You think your having a bad day?

Think again.

President of FIDE believes he was abducted by aliens...

The governor of a Russian republic and former president of the World Chess Federation told a TV station that he had been abducted by aliens, who communicated with him telepathically.

The Russian government apparently believes him.

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the governor of Kalmykia, told a popular Russian television host that the aliens came for him in his apartment on September 18, 1997. According to a report on ABC News, Ilyumzhinov said that the aliens didn’t make themselves known to the rest of the world because they weren’t ready, adding that he communicated with them telepathically because there wasn’t enough oxygen.

“I believe I talked to them and saw them. I perhaps wouldn’t believe it if it wasn’t for 3 witnesses -- my driver, my minister and my assistant,” who were apparently in the apartment at the time, he reportedly said.

According to a report on Russian news website GZT.ru, State Duma deputy Andrei Lebedev doesn’t believe that the governor was simply shown around the alien spaceship and released. Lebedev wants to find out what else happened to the president -- and he wants Russian president Dmitry Medvedev to interrogate the abductee.

Russian officials fear Ilyumzhinov may have given the aliens “secret information,” according to the Echo of Moscow radio station.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/05/06/russian-governor-abducted-aliens/

One year later after being received in the arms of our Heavenly Father

Written by Abed - Son of Martha Muñoz

It has been a year since my mother passed away. This year has been a year of adjustments and learning experiences since nothing every prepares you to undergo through a situation such as this. I could write so much from what I have learned, however, last night I poured out my feelings and emotions in our sister Spanish Language blog, www.chesscampeona.blogspot.com,

Nevertheless, I can assure the world that my mother´s spirit lives within me and everything that I do contributes to her legacy as a strong christian who fought for those that were in need. Her spiritual legacy also lives in me, as it was through her prayers that I learned to accept Jesus as my personal savior.

It is for this reason that I share with you the obituary that I wrote two hours after her passing one year ago.

Her spirit lives on.

________

Martha Sanchez Muñoz (1925 – 2009)

Staying true to the Promise of our Lord Jesus Christ until the very end, Martha Muñoz was received in the loving arms of our Heavenly Father on May 5, 2009 at 12:30 a.m. She passed away in Del Rio, Texas at the age of 83 of complications related to a stroke and brain hemorrhage. In her last days of life, she was surrounded by her son Abed Muñoz, her daughter in law Claudia Muñoz, and her two granddaughters, Faith Abigail Muñoz and Claudia Elizabeth Muñoz and as well as her loving pets, pinky and pecky.

Martha Muñoz was born in the state of Durango, Mexico to a family of seven brothers and sisters of whom she was the oldest. In the 1950’s, she entered the United States in search of the American dream through Isleta, Texas.

In 1960, she relocated to Chicago, Illinois where she opened “MI CASITA” a Mexican restaurant, thus meeting Eulalio Muñoz , her future husband. After marrying, she confessed to having accepted Jesus Christ as her personal savior. In 1968, her only son, Abed Muñoz was born.

In 1977, she widowed and after returning to Mexico, so her son could be educated for a few years there, she performed missionary work in several “colonias” and prisons in Durango, Mexico.

In 1982, she returned to the United States, in Texas, to finish raising her son.

In 1989, she moved to Andrews, Texas where she began to attend First Assembly of God, eventually becoming a member until 2006, when she retired to the Del Rio, Texas area to be under the care of her son and family.

Martha is remembered as a prayer warrior and an avid follower of world events. She enjoyed dogs as well as growing plants. However, her greatest passion was to talk about Jesus to everyone that surrounded her, especially praying for all those that were sick and in financial need.

Immigrant rights as wells as those who had been incarcerated were her constant focus in life, especially children that came from impoverished homes or where raised by single parents, such as was her own life experience.

Martha passed peacefully in the confidence of knowing in whom she had deposited her faith and heart during her life.

Her only son, Abed and his wife Claudia and their two daughters, Faith and Claudia Muñoz, survive her.

A special thanks to the staff of Shannon Medical Center in San Angelo, Texas and Del Rio Nursing & Rehabilitation Center of Del Rio for their support during these last few weeks. However, a special thanks to both Hospice of San Angelo and Del Rio, Texas, their support, care and comfort were invaluable for both Martha Muñoz and those that survived her.

After cremation, as was her final wish, her ashes will be taken to Rio Chico, Durango, Mexico, a peaceful place in the mountains of the Sierra Madre, where she lived a peaceful time in her childhood.

In lieu of flower donations, we ask that all those that were touched by her life contribute to the Children’s Ministry of First Assembly of God in Andrews, Texas, so that the next generation of children may grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Suns to wear 'Los Suns' uniforms to honor Phoenix's Latino community

In general, people in the sports world keep their political leanings to themselves. Sure, there are a few guys who regularly speak out on political issues, but for the most part that's considered bad business. As Michael Jordan put it, "Republicans buy shoes too." That's why what the Phoenix Suns are doing is so amazing.

The team will be wearing its "Los Suns" jerseys for Wednesday night's Game 2 against the San Antonio Spurs "to honor [the] Latino community and the diversity of our league, the state of Arizona, and our nation."

Awesome.

The decision to wear the jerseys came from way up the corporate ladder, as team owner Robert Sarver suggested the team wear their Noche Latina alternates.

Sarver, who was born and raised in Tucson, said frustration with the federal government's failure to deal with the illegal immigration issue led to the passage of what he called "a flawed state law."

"However intended, the result of passing the law is that our basic principles of equal rights and protection under the law are being called into question," he said, "and Arizona's already struggling economy will suffer even further setbacks at a time when the state can ill-afford them."

The Suns voted on the jerseys and unanimously decided to wear them for Cinco De Mayo. As if he weren't likeable enough, Phoenix guard Steve Nash(notes) succinctly summed up the Suns' feelings on the issue.

"I think it's fantastic," Nash said after Tuesday's practice. "I think the law is very misguided. I think it's, unfortunately, to the detriment of our society and our civil liberties. I think it's very important for us to stand up for things we believe in. As a team and as an organization, we have a lot of love and support for all of our fans. The league is very multicultural. We have players from all over the world, and our Latino community here is very strong and important to us."
And it's not just the Suns who are speaking out on this issue.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is on board, and the team even tried to get their "Los Spurs" jerseys, though it was too late to do so. When asked for approval to wear the jerseys, the NBA "was all for it," said Suns general manager Steve Kerr. Furthermore, NBA Players Association executive director Billy Hunter issued a press release, denouncing the law.

The recent passage of the new immigration law in Arizona is disappointing and disturbing. The National Basketball Players Association strongly supports the repeal or immediate modification of this legislation. Any attempt to encourage, tolerate or legalize racial profiling is offensive and incompatible with basic notions of fairness and equal protection. A law that unfairly targets one group is ultimately a threat to all.

We applaud the actions of Phoenix Suns players and management and join them in taking a stand against the misguided efforts of Arizona lawmakers. We are consulting with our members and our player leadership to determine the most effective way for our union to continue to voice our opposition to this legislation.

It's not much, just an extra three letters on the front of a tanktop, but it means a lot more. As Kerr said, the Suns want to "make sure that people understand that we know what's going on and we don't agree with the law itself." For a sports team, that's huge.

Related: Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs

Ex-New York cop, now Arizona state Rep. John Kavanagh leads tough immigration law

PHOENIX - Arizona state Rep. John Kavanagh, despite what critics say, is an immigration proponent - as he recently explained outside the state Capitol.

The retired Port Authority detective smiled politely when challenged about his heritage by a Hispanic man.

"I'm from Queens," Kavanagh told him.

"What about the people before you?" the man shot back. "They were not born in Queens."

"Ireland and Germany," Kavanagh said evenly before walking away. "But legally."

The grandson of Ellis Island immigrants, born and raised in Middle Village, emerged as one of the most prominent faces - and strident voices - behind the much-debated Arizona immigration law.

"The idea that this law is going to go away is wishful thinking," said the ex-New Yorker, who helped draft the bill. "Arizona residents are fed up with illegal immigration."

Almost overnight, the law - set to take effect in August - has divided the Grand Canyon State. The legislation makes lack of documents a state crime, with the enforcement left to local police.
"Everything has changed in this city," said Jose Luis Gonzalez, 46, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. "You can feel it."

For Gonzalez, looking for work now feels like a crime.

Before the sun rises, he joins about 20 other day laborers at a Home Depot parking lot. When a police car drives by, he covers his face with a red cap and looks the other way.

"We went from people trying to support our families to hiding like murderers," he said.
Critics of the law, including President Obama, fear police officers will use darker skin and lack of English as reasons to question people about their immigration status. Arizona has about 500,000 undocumented immigrants.

"This will be the first state to make racial profiling legal," said Claudia Ortega, 38, a Phoenix immigration activist.

Backers said undocumented residents end up as a burden on the state. In Maricopa County, undocumented immigrants make up 20% of the county jail population, according to county figures.

"This law is not going to stop all of the illegal immigration," said Kavanagh. "But it will help."
According to the U.S. Border Patrol, the number of illegals crossing the border has already dropped precipitously in recent years.

Thanks to increased manpower and sophisticated radar, the numbers are down from 577,517 in 2005 to 248,624 last year, the border patrol says. Some federal and local law enforcement officials believe an alliance will help them reduce these numbers even more.

"Our job is to enforce what the law mandates," said John Howard, a border patrol agent in the Tucson area. "The more cooperation we have between agencies, the better we are."
Some Phoenix beat cops agreed. "The law is the law," said a Phoenix officer who withheld his name for fear of community backlash. "And this is the law now."

Gonzalez sends most of his earnings - $70 on a good day - to his wife and four children back in Mioachacano. A few weeks ago, after a full day fixing a roof on a large home in the upscale part of Phoenix, the owner tried to stiff Gonzalez.

Gonzalez waved down a Phoenix police cruiser. "He was a Hispanic cop, spoke Spanish too," Gonzalez said. "He drove me back to that house and made the man pay me for my work."
That won't happen again.

"I will rather lose the money than risk getting deported," he said, surrounded by eight men nodding their heads in agreement. "We don't even feel human anymore."

esandoval@nydailynews.com