Author: Xiomara Spadafora

Last Saturday August 5th, the Paris St Germain’s fans were let down. The star that cost them 263 million euros couldn’t shine at the Parc de Princes Stadium against the Amiens, because the CTI (International Transfer Certificate) was not registered the eve before the game to finalize the transfer process.

After reading sports articles of American, Colombian, British and Spanish magazines, the majority highlighted in their headlines the “immorality” of Neymar’s price tag. Nonetheless, what morality in terms of money can be expected from Qatar, the richest country in the world and owner of the PSG? According to data from the 2017 Forbes report, the GDP of the Persian Golf state is $130,000 a year.

Continue reading “Is Neymar’s transfer price to PSG immoral?”

Last Thursday, July 27th, I was left in anguish after I read the order issued by the State Department for the diplomatic corp stationed in the American Embassy in Caracas. In a few words, the instructions were to get their families out of Venezuelan territory and join them if they wished so.

That same day, Avianca–the emblematic Colombian airline–joined the growing list of airlines that stopped servicing the Caribbean country in the last months, and flew the routes from Bogota and Lima to Caracas for the last time ending decades of operations with the neighbor nation. Continue reading “An island named Venezuela”

Last Monday I woke up to the very disturbing news of a freight truck that was found at a parking lot in San Antonio, TX transporting immigrants illegally from Mexico to the US. Eight dead people were found inside the trailer and more than a dozen survivors were sent to local hospitals. Two more died by Monday evening.

The San Antonio Police Department couldn’t get the exact number of immigrants that entered the country. Based on the evidence of the surveillance cameras located in the parking lot, several SUVs picked up groups of people on Sunday’s early hours before the authorities arrived at the crime scene.

Nonetheless, the testimony of a few survivors verify that there were at least 100 people in the container. They also said that they begged for water and food from the smugglers–known in Spanish as Coyotes–but were refused saying that the ride would be short and the air conditioning would be turned on.

Hours passed and the coyotes didn’t honor their promises. In the contrary, the AC remained off and the trailer became a sardine tin with a small ventilation hole that the passengers shared with desperation trying to survive the asphyxiation. Experts estimated that with an outside temperature of 110°F, the temperature inside the container could have easily reached 150°F.

So far, the only responsible held in federal custody without bail is the driver, James Bradley, a 60 year old man from Clearwater, Florida. According to the authorities, in his initial testimony Bradley alleged that he was hired as a driver and didn’t know the nature of the cargo until he stopped at Walmart to use the bathroom and heard the cries for help. He faces life sentence or the death penalty.

When I read the story the first question that came to mind was, did the coyotes develop a formula to shrink people so they could hide from the border patrol at the checkpoint? The answer is no. Human and drug traffickers have infiltrated the Department of Homeland Security and the Customs and Border Protection Agency by placing pawns in strategic positions that allow them to operate with total impunity.

In December of last year The New York Times published an article that revealed some of the most recent bribe cases that show the epidemic inside the DHS and the border patrol and the inefficient efforts to dismantle the corruption networks.

Although combating illegal immigration is a national security priority, the DHS and the Customs and Border Protection Agency currently only counts with 200 active internal affairs investigators which is 300 short of the actual employee corruption complaints.

Even though the San Antonio story breaks one’s heart, the days of its life span in the news cycle are numbered. The victims of this case will never have a name, and the master-minds of human trafficking will continue to take advantage of the desperation and profit from the poverty of their own countrymen. Blocking this lack of compassion will required more than a wall.

Thanks for reading and sharing.

Xiomara Spadafora

This column was sponsored by Zellner Insurance Agency. Many things in life don’t have insurance. For everything else call Zellner (888) 208-8119

The 2017 Tour de France began and with it the contagious fever for millions of fans around the world. It even got yours truly as I bought a new bicycle and started riding last Sunday. Of course, it is not a racing one but a beach cruiser so my back doesn’t hurt.

Before I hit the road, I took the bike to the store to get the breaks checked–I didn’t trust my husband doing it! hahaha–and there I had an experience that filled my heart with patriotic pride. The kid behind the counter noticed my accent, when I told him I was Colombian his eyes opened wide and said with respect, “Wow! We need to put you in one of our teams so you can beat them all!” Continue reading “The Colombians’ Jersey of Honor”

Last week I took a short vacation and drove to Orlando, Florida to meet one my best friends from grade-school and her entourage. The group included my friend, her husband, her three kids (6,4, and 2), her mom, her gradma, one of her aunts, her two sisters, the boyfriend of one of them, my husband, my son, and yours truly. In other words, we were a football team plus three water boys.

Although our friendship has shared it all–even the year we married and had our first born–the moment she said she was going to visit the theme-parks at Orlando I chose to forfeit the game and catch up with her at the end of her adventure.

So, while my husband and I played a round of golf and rested comfortably at the house I rented in the afternoon, my friend and her family came back at 10 p.m shuffling their feet like zombies, with aches and pains everywhere, sunburned, and wet.
Continue reading “Summer Vacation in Orlando”

The countless incidents in which American government officials have been involved with Colombian prostitutes evidence that, these women are like kryptonite for Superman: a lethal substance.

The article published by the Miami Herald on May 26th about the most recent scandal is like the preview of a movie, specially because the Colombian and American authorities kept the situation top secret since it happened on the wee hours of February 4th, 2017. Next, I’ll give you the highlights of the article. Imagine a suspenseful soundtrack and a deep narrator’s voice: Continue reading “Curvy Secret Agents”

The Summer vacation began and so ended my morning rush for a while. So, yesterday I read an interesting article in a Colombian magazine while I enjoyed my coffee at breakfast. The subject was the debate about providing more leisure time for children and teens, rather than too much after school work to prevent stress and isolation.

I took it upon myself to research the most recent PISA test from 2015 (the triennial international survey that evaluates education performance in math, science and reading for 15-year-old students in the world) and what I found confirmed my thoughts: seven out of the ten top scores where from far east. The same ratio was resent in the PISA 2012. Continue reading “Homework for parents”

The month of May is known for the graduations and in my case I had the privilege to enjoy two. My husband’s son graduated from college on May 6th and his daughter from high school last Thursday.

At both ceremonies I saw hundreds of young men and women dressed with their gowns and caps dreaming about their future, following their passion, and making an impact on the world as all millennials desire these days. However, reality is not what they expect and the jobs with the high profile careers are scarce. Continue reading “Success beyond a diploma”

Foreword: I know nothing about football–soccer in the US–beyond wearing the Colombian national team’s jersey when my mom reminds me of a World Cup’s qualifying game. Nevertheless, the controversy surrounding James Rodriguez and Real Madrid motivated me to write about it this week, not from a sports perspective, but rather than a common sense one.

James Rodriguez’s transfer was the fourth most expensive in the history of football clubs. Needless to say I was very proud as were many of my fellow Colombians. However, in my humble sports knowledge I did think, “Is he ready for the big league?” Continue reading “Falling Star”