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Guatemalan migrant freed from prison after 7 years without trial

The indigenous woman was released for lack of evidence

 

May 25, 2022 – An indigenous Guatemalan migrant who was imprisoned in Mexico for more than seven years without a trial was freed last weekend.

Juana Alonzo Santizo, a Mayan Chuj woman, was jailed in 2014 after she was arrested in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, on kidnapping charges.

A court ordered her immediate release last Saturday and she returned to Guatemala on Sunday.

Netzaí Sandoval, head of Mexico’s federal public defenders’ office, said the court found that there was no consistent evidence against Alonzo, who left the Guatemalan town of San Mateo Ixtatán in 2014 to migrate to the United States to find work.

Sandoval, whose office defended Alonzo, said the charges she faced were not translated into her native language of Chuj until this year. The 35-year-old didn’t speak Spanish when she was detained, but learned the language during her lengthy stay in pre-trial detention.

Sandoval also said that Alonzo was tortured and forced to sign a confession she didn’t understand.

Her release comes after a campaign for her freedom that was supported by her family, her community in Guatemala, Mexican and international groups and President López Obrador. The Tamaulipas Attorney General’s Office eventually dropped the charges against her.

The Centro Prodh human rights organization, one of the groups that supported the “Freedom for Juanita” campaign, said the work of the media in documenting the case and in doing so “putting a face to this story of injustice” played an important role in obtaining justice for Alonzo.

It also said the United Nations played an important role by confirming “the abuses committed against this honorable indigenous woman and migrant.”

Abuses against migrants traveling through Mexico are common, with authorities and criminal organizations among the perpetrators. But migrants are far more likely to face deportation than imprisonment for years on fabricated charges.

Sandoval described Alonzo’s case as “totally aberrant,” asserting that her rights were violated because she is a woman, an indigenous person, a migrant, poor and didn’t know Spanish.

The Associated Press reported that an emotional Alonzo was met at the Guatemala City airport by her family last Sunday. After collapsing into her father’s and uncle’s arms, she changed into traditional Mayan Chuj clothes, AP said.

“It is easy to go to prison, but it is difficult to get out of it,” Alonzo said in hesitant Spanish.

“Her crime was being unable to speaking Spanish,” said her uncle, Pedro Alonzo. “Who is going to pay for that scar?”

There are thousands of people in Mexico’s prisons who have never been convicted of a crime. Official statistics show that over 40 percent of the prison population is made up of people who have not been convicted or sentenced.

One person determined to put an end to the common practice of incarcerating people for months or years before they face trial is Supreme Court Chief Justice Arturo Zaldívar, who said earlier this month that there has been an “abuse” of preventative prison in Mexico.

With reports from AP

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As COVID-19 emergency coverage ends, millions of children could lose their health insurance  

by Jenny Manrique

Ethnic Media Services

 

Some 40 million children currently enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) nationwide are at risk of losing their health insurance once the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) expires. Declared in early 2020, the PHE provides a federal guarantee of continuous Medicaid coverage during the pandemic.

Initially set to expire on July 15, the Biden administration last week extended the declaration to Oct. 15, a provision included in the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act approved in March 2020.

Now states are once again required to check eligibility for everyone enrolled in Medicaid, including kids.

According to the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) of the 5.7 million children covered by Medi-Cal in the state, between 800,000 to 1.2 million kids will lose their coverage.

“This will disproportionately impact children of color, who are more likely to rely on Medicaid for coverage”, said Mayra Alvarez, president of The Children’s Partnership during a briefing hosted by Ethnic Media Services on May 20.

“Seventy-five percent of the more than five million kids covered are kids of color who will miss out on critical preventive and primary care services that are especially important for our youngest children.”

During the PHE, families could stay enrolled in health care coverage through Medicaid without additional administrative renewals or having to prove their eligibility. There were flexibilities with COVID testing and treatments, vaccinations, telehealth access and other public programs.

“Children still need to catch up on their well child visits that were not only missed during this pandemic, but that are particularly important during the first few years of a child’s life when 90% of her brain development occurs”, said Alvarez.

For Georgina Maldonado, Executive Director of the Community Health Initiative of Orange County these changes are part of the systemic barriers “we have been fighting historically as a community.”

“If this is working, why bring back the barrier that has prevented us historically, from obtaining healthcare coverage?”, Maldonado said. “What we’re facing is that most parents have never navigated the manage health care system in our county and our state, they have never had benefits in the past. Enrollment and disenrollment is vital.”

Governor of California, Gavin Newsom has launched a multibillion dollar initiative to prioritize child and youth mental health, including early care and learning investments. Thanks to grassroots organizations like Maldonado’s, undocumented children are now eligible for full MediCal scope. In spite of all these efforts, less than half of uninsured children who are eligible for Medicaid, are enrolled in the program.

That is why the Children’s Partnership has been working with Assemblymember Blanca Rubio (D) on AB 2402, a piece of legislation guaranteeing multi-year continuous Medi-Cal coverage for 0 to 5 year olds. The Senate has included this bill in their budget priorities that are currently under negotiations with the Assembly.

“The opposition to the bill comes from people who believe poverty is a personal responsibility, and that there should be steps for people to prove their eligibility for these programs,” added Alvarez. “Some people are concerned with the cost of programs more broadly.”

On a federal level, the expiration of the PHE will cause that 80 million people, including 37 million children, will have their health insurance checked, said Joan Alker, healthcare research professor and Executive Director at the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families.

“Families could lose coverage as they’re not going to be eligible if their income has gone up a little bit. Adults may be eligible for subsidized marketplace coverage and children may be eligible for CHIP,” explained Alker. “In some states like California, Medicaid and CHIP are all in one program now. But in Texas, Georgia and Florida, they’re not.”

States have 12 months to check everybody’s eligibility once the PHE is expired. Alker is hopeful that with the prediction of a fall and winter COVID’s surge, Xavier Becerra, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, will give at least another 90 days extension (beyond July 15th) to the PHE.

“It’s not that easy to enroll in Marketplace coverage, particularly for families with limited English proficiency. I worry greatly that these are the kinds of families that we’re going to lose during this process. We’re going to need a lot of community support to educate folks and help them through this transition,” said Alker.

Update contact info

Health care advocates are encouraging families to take a simple step: update their contact information.

“It is critical because the counties who are beneficiaries (of the Medicaid program) usually contact families every year through this renewal redetermination process”, explained Yingjia Huang, assistant deputy director at the DHCS. In April, the department rolled out an initiative called ‘DHCS coverage ambassadors’ to encourage community based organizations and advocates to spread the word through social media messages, flyer and calls in 90 languages other than English, so families update their addresses and phone numbers.

Huang urged families to reach out to their counties through phone or pages like https://www.mybenefitscalwin.org or https://www.coveredca.com.

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Free films for limited time

by the El Reportero‘s staff

 

The Mariachi Women Warrior Films program will be available FREE online here at WFF’s Virtual Cinema, through May 25.

Zoom Conversation

On May 24 at 6:30 p.m., Dr. Leonor Xochitl Pérez, Director of the Mariachi Women’s Foundation, will give a virtual talk about how the films selected for this program fit into the broader history of mariachi women. Register here.

Live Music

The Mariachi Women’s Foundation presents its first Northern California Tour, visiting San Jose, Tracy and Watsonville. The Watsonville concert takes place at the Mello Center, Saturday, May 28. Don’t miss it!

A Conversation with Liz Hernández

Reserving First Thursday tickets is highly encouraged for Bay Area residents. For non-Bay Area residents, this event is free with museum admission. Tickets go online two weeks in advance.

Join artist Liz Hernández and Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art Jovanna Venegas for an in-gallery discussion of Hernández’s practice in front of her mural, Conjuro para la sanación de nuestro futuro (A spell for the healing of our future) (2020), part of the ongoing exhibition Bay Area Walls. Hernández completed this work while the museum was closed due to the pandemic, bringing forth symbols and icons from milagros, or miracle charms, to summon a higher power for our community’s health and future.

This conversation will be spoken in both Spanish and English.

Speakers

Liz Hernández (b. 1993) is a Mexico City-born artist based in Oakland, California. Her art practice — which includes painting, drawing, sculpture, and writing — is deeply influenced by her memories and surroundings of Mexico City: buildings covered with handmade signs, chaotic trips to markets, visits to temples and churches, and her grandmother’s house where she grew up. The subjects that she addresses are in a constant state of flux, but an element that is always present in her practice is the search for something that breaks the normalcy of everyday life. Hernández addresses this desire in multiple ways, from finding greater meaning in domestic objects and scenes to using supernatural elements and symbolism to address themes of modern life. Her work, partially autobiographical, has led to collaboration with her family in the shape of very personal research. This inquiry results in constant learning about her environment, family, and herself. She has exhibited in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Mexico City.

Jovanna Venegas is currently the assistant curator of contemporary art at SFMOMA. She received her BA in Art History from UCLA in 2010 and her MA in Curatorial Practice from the School of Visual Arts in 2017. She worked in the Public Programs Department at the Hammer Museum from 2008–10. From 2010–15, she lived in Mexico City and worked on exhibitions at House of Gaga, Colección Cesar Cervantes, and Eduardo Terrazas Studio. She also assisted on exhibitions at La Tallera (Cuernavaca, MX), Santa Monica Museum of Art (U.S.), and SITE Santa Fe (U.S.). While in New York, she worked on public programs and curatorial projects at e-flux, the Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros, Independent Curators International, and the 11th Gwangju Biennial. At SFMOMA she has assisted on New Work: Etel Adnan, New Work: Rodney McMillian, and SOFT POWER. She curated Bay Area Walls: Liz Hernández and co-curated New Work: Wu Tsang Presents Moved by the Motion. She will co-curate Shifting the Silence, opening April 2022, and the SECA Art Award, opening in December 2022.

Related Exhibition Bay Area Walls, Thursday, June 2, 2022 at 6 p.m.

Floor 3, meet in front of Conjuro para la sanación de nuestro futuro. Part of the series: First Thursdays

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Dzibanché, a Maya city off the beaten path, has possible ties to Calakmul

Archaeologists believe this site near Chetumal was once the capital for a powerful Calakmul dynasty

 

by Thilini Wijesinhe

 

If you are keen to see archaeological sites off the beaten path, then Dzibanché — called Dzibanché-Kinichná — is for you.

Dzibanché and Kinichná are two nearby sites that were part of a settlement of four groups.

While their location — around 81 kilometers from Chetumal (off Highway 186) — is not the most convenient to visit, you will not regret seeing the beautiful structures here. The pyramid in Kinichná is a key highlight.

You can combine a visit to Dzibanché with a trip to several archaeological sites, including Kohunlich and Oxtankah. We visited the sites from Bacalar.

According to the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), Dzibanché was discovered and named by Thomas Gann, a British military doctor and archaeology enthusiast who visited the site in 1927.

Dzibanché is Mayan for “writing on wood,” referring to the wooden lintel with glyphs that was in one of the site’s temples. According to INAH, the settlement dates to around 300 B.C. and lasted until A.D. 1400–1550.

Only two of the settlement’s four groups — Dzibanché (also called the Main Group) and Kinichná — are open to visitors. Ancient Maya white roads (raised roads) connect these groups.

Notably, INAH says that Dzibanché is believed to have once been a capital of the powerful Kaan (Kaanu’l) dynasty, also called the Snake dynasty, who ruled in Calakmul.

Expect to spend a few hours exploring both sites. You can climb many structures, but there are steep steps, so take good care.

Once you enter the Dzibanché group, you will come across the Temple of the Lintels, a pyramid base with a temple on top. The wooden lintel that inspired the site’s name was found here.

The pyramid’s platform has characteristics resembling an architectural style from Teotihuacán in central Mexico.

Next, you can walk to Plaza Gann, named after the man who discovered the site.

West of the plaza is an interesting structure called the Temple of the Captives, which has a pyramid platform and a temple on top. You can observe the remains of a stucco mask on this structure.

Don’t forget to look out for the glyphs on this building’s stairway. INAH says the stairway records the war victories of a Kaan ruler, and that the glyphs include images of prisoners and related text.

North of the Gann Plaza is the Temple of the Toucans. It has a platform with a central stairway thought to have been used as seats to watch ceremonies in the plaza. You can see remains of stone blocks on this building that once had stucco masks.

A notable building in this area is the Temple of the Cormorants, the tallest on the site. It has a pyramidal base with a temple on top.

Multiple chambers were found within the platform, and one contained remains of what was called the “Lord of Dzibanché” with a rich offering, according to INAH. Make time to see the remains of reliefs on this building.

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The Drudge Report effect: a dumpster of social engineering and mind control

by Jon Rappoport

 

In reporting on the Buffalo shooting, Drudge prints a series of headlines at the upper left of the page:

* Buffalo shooter targeted Black neighborhood…

* Was inspired by racist theory underpinning global carnage…

* Scene like Armageddon…

* Terrified shoppers jumped in freezers…

* Gov. calls for social media crackdown; ‘Instruments of evil’…

* Copycats becoming deadlier… Grim chronology…

* UPDATE: One dead, multiple injured in CA church shooting; Taiwanese congregation…

The key phrases are “inspired by racist theory underpinning,” and “social media crackdown.”

The whole point is convincing people to believe in the INCITEMENT narrative, when it comes to free speech:

“You see, we have to limit what people can post and write and say, because OTHER PEOPLE will be inspired by words to commit evil and violent crimes.”

This is the preferred method of social engineering and mind control these days.

Of course, it’s selective. No “liberal” in his right mind would suggest that leaking the Supreme Court opinion to overturn Roe v Wade incited people to gather at Justices’ homes to try to try to intimidate the Court. Of course not.

But racist posts online incited a white man to commit mass murder of black people in Buffalo. Sure. Right.

Taking the incitement narrative further, we’re supposed to blame the content of online racist posts for the mass murder, instead of focusing on the single shooter himself and saying he is solely responsible for the murders he committed.

Because putting responsibility on his head takes away the effect of the social engineering con.

We have to clamp down hard on social media and censor until the cows come home—to prevent mass murders. That’s what we’re supposed to believe.

Of course, any language in any context can be blamed for inciting someone else.

You write a series of tweets—and a few months later, a print-out of the tweets is found in a locker along with 6000 pages of other material; and the locker was rented by a man who just killed six shoppers in a mall—so you’re guilty of inciting.

Drudge goes for the tabloid effect. He could have posted links to any number of statements about free speech and the Constitution recently posted by authors…but where is the lurid payoff in doing that?

Here’s the picture you’re supposed to see: out there in the country, there are hundreds of men just waiting for the verbal trigger that will set them off. Without those triggers (posts, tweets), they would NEVER cause harm. It’s the triggers that are the problem. The triggers must be eliminated. Censored.

That’s what you’re supposed to see and believe, instead of realizing that a few men out there are already inclined to commit mass murder, and come hell or high water, they’ll FIND a reason to go on a rampage. And no amount of censorship will stop them.

And guess what? This is exactly the situation that applies to rabid censors. No matter what, they will find a reason to impose censorship on the population. They’ll find a reason, and it will align with their political and social agendas.

That’s called reality.

Jon Rappoport, the author of three explosive collections, THE MATRIX REVEALED, EXIT FROM THE MATRIX, and POWER OUTSIDE THE MATRIX, maintains a consulting practice for private clients, the purpose of which is the expansion of personal creative power. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years, writing articles on politics, medicine, and health for CBS Healthwatch, LA Weekly, Spin Magazine, Stern, and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe. Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics, health, logic, and creative power to audiences around the world.

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Detox your liver with garlic, a powerful superfood

by Joanne Washburn

 

November 3, 2021 – Foods and drinks that help detoxify the body are becoming increasingly popular because of how poor the average person’s diet is. Fast food and processed foods loaded with saturated fat, added sugar and synthetic ingredients can easily overwhelm your body’s filtering organs, particularly your liver.

If toxins from those foods overwhelm your liver, you’ll experience various health problems, such as fatigue, nausea and diarrhea. In severe cases, your liver may even fail suddenly. This is known as acute liver failure, and it can cause abdominal swelling, confusion and jaundice — the yellowing of the skin and eyeballs.

Luckily, certain foods can help cleanse your liver and ensure it works properly. One such food is garlic. Any cook worth their salt knows that garlic is the ultimate seasoning. Versatile, easy to use and utterly delicious, you’d be hard-pressed to find a dish that wouldn’t benefit from a clove or two of garlic.

Garlic is a super detoxifier

Garlic has been used as a natural detoxifier for thousands of years. It doesn’t directly flush out toxins from your body. Instead, it helps increase the natural production of glutathione, an antioxidant that’s essential for healthy liver function and detoxification. It works by eliminating toxins in your liver, as well as in your kidneys.

Glutathione also helps eliminate heavy metals and environmental toxins from your body. Additionally, glutathione can protect your liver from oxidative stress, which is caused by harmful free radicals. Increased production of free radicals in the liver has been implicated in many liver diseases.

As you age, your body’s ability to produce glutathione naturally decreases. On top of that, poor lifestyle choices, such as frequently eating processed foods, smoking and drinking too much alcoholic beverages, can reduce glutathione levels in the body. One way you can increase your glutathione levels is by adding garlic to your diet.

Garlic also contains a trace mineral called selenium. Like glutathione, it also works as an antioxidant that protects your liver from toxins. Selenium is also important for other important biological functions, including immune response and thyroid hormone production.

Garlic is best enjoyed raw so that you can fully enjoy its detoxifying benefit. You should also chop or crush your garlic cloves before eating or cooking them to release their beneficial compounds.

Other benefits of garlic

Garlic is a rich source of other nutrients that support overall health, such as manganese and vitamin C. Studies show that garlic helps elevate your body’s level of the compound hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide is both an antioxidant and a blood vessel relaxant that can help reduce your risk of stroke and heart disease.

Another perk of garlic is that it may help prevent unnecessary blood clotting. Powerful compounds in garlic (and onions) can decrease the “stickiness” of platelets in the blood. This also has the effect of reducing your risk of atherosclerosis, or the hardening and narrowing of your arteries. Atherosclerosis increases your risk for blood clots that can cause heart attacks and stroke.

Studies have also shown that garlic can help fight viral infections like the common cold and the flu because of a powerful compound called allicin. Allicin, which is released when garlic is crushed or chopped, can also protect against high cholesterol and diabetes.

How to prepare and cook with garlic

Garlic, a member of the onion family, is one of the most indispensable ingredients in the kitchen. It’s a bit fiery and pungent, as well as crunchy when raw. As it cooks, it gets softer and its flavor becomes more mellow.

Garlic is available year-round, so there isn’t a distinct season when it’s at its best. When shopping for garlic, opt for bulbs that are firm and plump with tight cloves. Avoid bulbs that look dry and have skin that easily falls off since those are likely old. If you cut open a clove and notice a green stem inside, this indicates that your garlic is sprouting and already past its prime.

Garlic cloves need to be peeled before being sliced or chopped. There are two easy ways to do this. The first involves placing the clove on a chopping board, placing the flat side of your knife against it and quickly pushing down with your other hand. This will crush the garlic itself and loosen its skin so that it’s easy to peel off.

The second method involves putting cloves in a mason jar. Secure the lid, then shake the jar as hard as you can. After 20 or so seconds, the cloves should have pretty much peeled themselves for you.

When chopping garlic, you’ll want to do so quickly. Dawdling means the garlic could oxidize and become bitter. Keep the slices the same thickness so that they all cook evenly.

You can add garlic to dressings, salsas and sauces or roast whole bulbs to serve with roast meat dishes. You can also add garlic to stir-fries, casseroles and soups. Foods.news.

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Respect for democracy a condition for attending Summit of the Americas: US official

‘Who are we to judge?’ asks AMLO of participation by Latin American dictatorships

 

Respect for democracy is an essential condition for attendance at the Summit of the Americas, a senior United States official said Thursday.

The U.S. government appears unlikely to invite the presidents of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua to the ninth edition of the regional forum, which will be held in Los Angeles between June 6 and 10.

President López Obrador declared earlier this week that he won’t attend the summit unless all countries of the region are invited.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols said Thursday that “Western Hemisphere leaders have placed strengthening democracy at the center of their efforts to improve the lives of the people of our hemisphere since the first Summit of the Americas in Miami in 1994.”

Speaking virtually to the Americas Society/Council of the Americas’ 52nd Annual Washington Conference on the Americas, Nichols said that each subsequent summit “has reaffirmed our shared dedication to democracy.”

He noted that regional leaders directed the creation of the Inter-American Democratic Charter at the third Summit of the Americas in Quebec City in 2001. The charter was adopted by the Organization of American States (OAS) later the same year.

“In Quebec City the region’s leaders upheld the strict respect for democracy as an essential condition for participation in all future summits,” Nichols said.

“Since then any … interruption of the summit democratic order has presented an obstacle to summit participation. Democracy is vital not only to governments and leaders but to our citizens around the world and in our hemisphere in particular,” he said.

Cuba, whose OAS membership was suspended between 1962 and 2009, was prohibited from attending the first six Summits of the Americas, but sent representatives to the two most recent events in Panama in 2015 and Peru in 2018.

Nichols previously said that the Cuban, Venezuelan and Nicaraguan governments have demonstrated that they don’t respect democracy and would be unlikely to be invited to the upcoming summit. He has acknowledged that United States President Joe Biden will have the final say on whether they have a seat at the table or not.

In addition to López Obrador, the presidents of Argentina, Bolivia and Honduras have called for all countries of the region to be invited to the summit as have leaders of several Caribbean nations.

Meanwhile, the Mexican president on Wednesday responded to a tweet by prominent United States-based Mexican journalist Jorge Ramos, who said that he “has every right not to go to the Summit of the Americas if he doesn’t want to but what he’s asking is that thugs, torturers, censors and oppressors be invited to the party.”

López Obrador questioned the validity of Ramos’ assertion, which he made in reference to Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.

“Who are we to call some people thugs, torturers and oppressors and not others? Do we consider ourselves supreme judges now? Are we going to decide about others? With what right?” the president said.

“If we enter that terrain we’ll never get out of the debate. What we seek is unity, not confrontation,” López Obrador said.

He said that Mexico is seeking an agreement so that “we all participate” in the summit, “all of America.”

“If there are differences, let them be exhibited, there should be dialogue,” López Obrador said.

“… I’ve said that no one should exclude anyone. We’re going to seek unity – unity is in our interest. That’s what politics is for, that’s what diplomacy is for,” he said.

Ramos countered that his opinion of the “brutal dictatorships” in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela is supported by “numerous reports about violations of human rights by Amnesty International and other organizations.”

“… There are hundreds and hundreds of political prisoners in Cuban, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan jails. The Mexicans must take sides but our side must be that of democracy, justice, freedoms and respect of human rights,” he said in a video message.

“Mr. President we’re still in disagreement. I believe that the thugs mustn’t go to the party.”

Mexico News Daily

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1,300 have joined campaign to seek jobs in wake of invitation to doctors from Cuba

There are no jobs:’ Doctors continue to insist there is no shortage of medics

 

by the El Reportero‘s wire services

 

A week after leading medical associations rejected the federal government’s plan to hire some 500 Cuban doctors, Mexican doctors continue to insist that there is a surplus rather than a shortage of doctors.

President López Obrador announced May 9 that more than 500 Cuban doctors would come to work in Mexico “because we do not have the doctors we need.”

The heads of 30 medical colleges, associations and federations subsequently issued a statement to express their “profound disapproval” of the government’s plan, saying that it was justified by a supposed rather than real shortage of doctors.

Unemployed doctors have now launched a social media campaign to highlight that they are ready and willing to work but unable to find a job. More than 1,300 doctors have already joined the #AquiEstamos (Here We Are) campaign, according to organizers.

Its most prominent leader is Ana Cecilia Jara Ettinger, a young doctor who has been trying to find a position in the public health system for two years.

“The president of Mexico just said that we don’t have specialist doctors in Mexico and because of that we need to hire Cuban doctors,” she said in a video posted to social media.

The genetics specialist bluntly rejected the claim. “There are no jobs. There is not a single position in which I can work,” Jara said.

“This is just in genetics, the specialty of the future in the United States and Europe but in Mexico there are no jobs,” she said.

Jara, who studied medicine at the National Autonomous University and undertook research in Israel and Italy, said her fellow graduates in specialities such as gynecology and pediatrics are also unable to find work.

“The president says the jobs are in rural areas. I have a lot of friends who want to return to their cities, to their home towns to practice. Where are the jobs?” she said.

“If you say there are no doctors in Mexico I can tell you there are a lot of doctors and a lot of specialists, we’re on waiting lists for years and years to get a job,” Jara said.

She called on other unemployed doctors to join the #AquiEstamos movement.

“You can fill out the form on our webpage so the president knows where we are, how many we are, what [area of medicine] we dedicate ourselves to and where jobs are urgently needed,” Jara said. “There is talent in Mexico, of course there is. We have a lot of doctors and we are looking for work.”

Jara, who has indicated that she is prepared to leave Mexico City if she can find a job, said in a subsequent video that more than 1,300 doctors had registered – “doctors who have been waiting for a position and are willing to go and work.”

She also said the #AquiEstamos campaign has generated a lot of hate against doctors and her in particular. In a Twitter post, the doctor – daughter of former Michoacán governor Salvador Jara – rejected claims that she has links to a political party.

On Tuesday, Health Minister Jorge Alcocer echoed remarks made by López Obrador, saying that there are jobs available for doctors in rural parts of the country.

However, Mexican doctors are unwilling to work in remote areas and for that reason the government decided to hire Cubans, he said.

Alcocer said doctors cite insecurity as the main reason why they don’t want to work in rural areas of the country but claimed that they’re not interested in living in remote areas. “They’re forgetting … the right patients have to be attended to wherever they are,” he said.

Jara told the newspaper Reforma that out-of-work doctors are in fact looking for work outside major centers, but it appears that few have had any luck.

“I’ve looked in Sonora [and] in Michoacán because I’m from there,” she said. “We’ve gone to … the states, we’re not all looking to work in Mexico City, which is very saturated,” said the doctor, who claims that someone has to die or retire for a position to open up.

“… Having years of training is not a guarantee [to find a job], … there is no place for us, but there is for Cubans,” Jara said.

With reports from Reforma and Expansión Política

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California may chop late fees that add hundreds of dollars to traffic tickets

by Jeanne Kuang

 

May 9, 2022 – California is poised this year to make changes to what some call “hidden” court fees, hundreds of dollars often tacked onto traffic tickets and minor violations that can increase their cost nearly tenfold. But so far, state officials disagree on how far to go.

Known as a civil assessment, the fee is imposed on hundreds of thousands of Californians as a penalty for failing to pay a ticket by a deadline or failing to appear in court on a charge.

The vast majority of the fees are issued in traffic or infraction cases. A fine can be imposed each time a deadline is missed.

A $300 maximum fine can be added for violations as minor as jaywalking and on tickets that originally cost as little as $35, according to the Debt Free Justice California, a coalition of organizations, policy experts and legal advocates opposing “unfair ways the criminal legal system drains wealth from vulnerable communities.”

California has one of the highest late fees in the nation, the coalition says. The group says the fees trap low-income Californians in a cycle of ballooning debt with the courts.

Money collected from the extra charges bolsters court coffers, leading advocates to accuse the state of paying for its judicial system by charging those who can least afford it.

The fees generate nearly $100 million annually, and the courts retain more than half.

In Riverside County, the fees that the court system kept made up 14 percent of its budget, according to a report published by the coalition this year.

The report gave as an example a San Lorenzo resident who is a CalWorks recipient and mother who could not afford to pay for traffic violations. She was charged late fees on traffic citations five times since 2009, amounting to more than $1,500 of debt, about double the cost of the original tickets.

It made her ineligible for a driver’s license for 13 years, the report said.

“They were trying to take all of this money away from us,” she said, “but we didn’t have any in the first place.”

Civil assessment fees are disproportionately borne by people of color, who are overrepresented in traffic stops compared to their share of the population, the report said.

In January advocates sued San Mateo County Superior Court challenging its practice of automatically charging the $300 maximum fee in all traffic cases with a missed deadline.

Gov. Gavin Newsom in his January budget proposed halving the fees, to a maximum of $150, and spending $50 million to backfill court budgets.

The proposal by some lawmakers and the Debt Free Justice coalition to eliminate the fees entirely could cost about twice as much. Senate leaders endorsed that plan in their budget proposals last month, as they announced an unprecedented $68 billion projected budget surplus.

Too poor for tickets

The coalition said it hopes Newsom will back full elimination of fees when he unveils his revised budget proposal this week. H.D. Palmer, a spokesman for Newsom’s Department of Finance, declined to comment.

The Judicial Council, which governs the court system, has supported making changes to civil assessments. In a 2017 report a commission of courts officials recommended limiting the use of civil assessments or letting fines be converted to community service.

“We’re grateful for the efforts of both the Governor’s administration and the Legislature to reform the system and provide necessary backfill funding for the judicial branch,” said Martin Hoshino, administrative director of the Judicial Council, in an email. “We support the Governor’s proposal and are committed to working with him and with legislative leaders in the coming weeks as they finalize the state budget.”

The proposals come after the state eliminated dozens of court fines and fees over the past two years that advocates said disproportionately affected low-income criminal defendants. The state repealed such charges as the cost of a public defender, drug testing, and probation and supervision services.

Newsom also signed a law last year that limits the state’s use of wage garnishments to claw back those debts and another that expanded a pilot program allowing Californians to ask the courts to reduce ticket fines they can’t afford to pay.

Last year a bill to eliminate civil assessments passed the state Senate but was gutted in the Assembly. The Debt Free Justice coalition said at the time it couldn’t get Newsom to agree to a deal to eliminate the fees.

His administration told lawmakers the fee should be reduced but remain to motivate defendants to come to court.

“We feel the 50 percent reduction strikes a balance of providing immediate fiscal relief for all Californians and also preserving the viability of the civil assessment being used as a tool to keep individuals accountable, to compel individuals to appear in court proceedings,” Mark Jimenez, principal program budget analyst at the Department of Finance, told a Senate budget subcommittee in February.

Jimenez said the penalties are an alternative to issuing warrants to demand court attendance.

But Senators were unconvinced that the fees were an effective motivator for those too poor to pay traffic tickets.

“If they don’t have the money … how is that any incentive to come in?” said Sen. Dave Cortese, a Democrat representing San Jose. “You either have it or you don’t.”

The coalition surveyed 200 Californians with recent traffic citations for its report; 73 percent said they did not know they would be issued a late fee for failing to appear or to pay, and 38 percent said extra fees would not have helped them make a timely payment.

Advocates suggested text messages would be more effective at getting defendants with demanding work schedules to court.

This article is part of the California Divide project, a collaboration among newsrooms examining income inequality and economic survival in California.

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Superfood duos: Boost the bioavailability of turmeric with black pepper

Share from/by Rose Lidell

 

May 3, 2022 – Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a spice famous for its many health benefits and culinary uses. It’s also a staple herb in both Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The use of turmeric as medicine dates back thousands of years. Research shows that turmeric root can offer benefits for cardiovascular, immune, neurological, metabolic and even cellular health.

Additionally, turmeric supports thyroid health and promotes longevity. Turmeric’s many health-promoting qualities are due to curcumin, the active compound that gives turmeric its beautiful golden hue.

According to studies, pairing turmeric with black pepper boosts its bioavailability.

Addressing the weakness of turmeric with black pepper

While turmeric is touted for its many benefits, it has one weakness: curcumin’s poor bioavailability. This means that your body can only use a very small amount of the curcumin you consume.

And since curcumin absorption is very low, your body can’t enjoy the full benefits of the superfood. Thankfully, you can enhance the bioavailability of curcumin by combining turmeric with black pepper.

Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is one of the most commonly used spices on the planet. It can often be found next to salt, another common spice.

Black pepper is also known as “black gold” and “the king of spices.” When stored properly, it has a long shelf life and can retain its taste and aroma for several years.

Like turmeric, black pepper has many health benefits. The spice is often used to treat minor complaints like headaches, nausea, poor digestion and sore throat.

Black pepper’s health benefits and pungent flavor come from piperine, a natural alkaloid compound. Studies show that taking turmeric with black pepper boosts curcumin’s bioavailability by as much as 2,000 percent. This is because piperine is an efficient bio-enhancer.

You don’t need a lot of black pepper to turmeric; a pinch is enough to boost your body’s absorption of curcumin.

Potent piperine

When you consume a nutrient, your digestive system only absorbs a certain portion of it. The proportion of a nutrient that your body can digest, absorb and use corresponds to its bioavailability.

For example, the bioavailability of protein is very high and most people can use over 90 percent of the protein they consume. Once protein moves through your digestive system, your body eliminates the rest as waste.

For a nutrient to be absorbed into your body, it must first pass through a membrane in your gut and enter your bloodstream.

Large molecules have a more difficult time passing through this barrier. But since piperine can relax the intestinal membrane, it makes it easier for large molecules like turmeric to pass through.

The effect of piperine on the liver also plays an important role. As part of your normal metabolism, the liver releases UDP-glucuronic acid. Through glucuronidation, the acid bonds with other substances to make them more water-soluble and easier to excrete.

However, with turmeric, glucuronidation occurs too quickly, meaning curcumin is eliminated from your system before your body can make full use of it.

Fortunately, research has found that piperine lowers blood levels of UDP-glucuronic acid, inhibiting glucuronidation. This helps slow your liver metabolism of curcumin enough for your body to absorb the nutrient more efficiently.

The health benefits of turmeric and black pepper

As mentioned above, both turmeric and black pepper have many health benefits, and combining the two allows you to enjoy the following:

Impressive antioxidant properties

Turmeric is full of beneficial compounds with antioxidant properties. For example, curcumin is a potent antioxidant that’s 10 times more powerful than resveratrol, a well-known antioxidant in red wine.

Piperine also has impressive antioxidant properties. Piperine from black pepper helps reduce oxidative stress caused by a high-fat diet.

When you consume pepper with turmeric regularly, you reap double the antioxidant protection, which is good for your overall health.

Protection from harmful organisms

Cell culture studies show that turmeric is effective against harmful organisms. However, more research is required to determine if this effect can be replicated in the human body.

As a bioenhancer, piperine can boost these abilities and also helps fight harmful organisms.

Great liver health

Turmeric helps increase cholesterol elimination by boosting bile production in the liver. Curcumin also protects liver cells from damage caused by toxins like household chemicals, tobacco smoke, peroxide and galactosamine.

Meanwhile, black pepper helps boost the activity of glutathione, an antioxidant that protects your liver cells.

Great digestive health

In Ayurvedic Medicine, turmeric is used to naturally support digestive health. Modern studies have also confirmed that the spice helps relieve spasms and flatulence.

Both turmeric and black pepper can also boost the activity of digestive enzymes, thus promoting healthy digestion.

Relief from discomfort

Turmeric and black pepper can help relieve temporary discomfort. Specifically, piperine desensitizes a pain receptor called TRPV1. On the other hand, turmeric helps reduce occasional joint discomfort.

When combined, they also help relieve stiffness and soreness, which is why turmeric and black pepper are popular among athletes. Food.news.

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