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An Interview with Oscar-Winning Director Alfonso Cuarón

With a new film on Netflix this week, the iconoclastic auteur opens up about facing his insecurities

by Marco Payán

The Mexican film director has no fear of the unknown. Upon the release of his new film, “Roma,” the Oscar winner shares how he overcame feelings of insecurity and why his curiosity to explore uncharted territory is what challenges him to unlock new levels of creative freedom.

Alfonso Cuarón does not like to repeat himself

Over the course of his nearly 30-year career, the acclaimed director has created eight distinctive universes, an octet of films not bound by genre or geography — from the enchanting fairy tale “A Little Princess” and the coming-of-age road trip “Y Tu Mamá También” to the apocalyptic nightmare of “Children of Men” and his Oscar-winning turn in space with “Gravity.” But despite all the obvious differences, Cuarón’s entire body of work is connected by a sense of exploration, one that pushes his creative boundaries, both technically and personally. In his follow-up to 2013’s “Gravity” — the box office smash starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney — Cuarón decided to make “Roma,” a black-and-white film rooted in 1970s Mexico City featuring a largely unknown cast (available on Netflix December 14). It’s a deeply personal story for the 57-year-old, who has said that 90 percent of the scenes came from his memory. Set during a time of political unrest, the film is a snapshot of one middle-class family told through the perspective of their housekeeper. Although it is not another technical marvel set in space, “Roma” still posed challenges for Cuarón. But as he explains, without challenging yourself, there is no payoff. There are no discoveries unless you have the courage to explore the unknown.

The Red Bulletin: You’ve said in past interviews that you burned your bridges in Mexico. That’s obviously not something you’d recommend?

Alfonso Cuarón: It is so exhausting, and it’s not good for business. The way I produced my first film, “Sólo con Tu Pareja,” wasn’t looked upon terribly well. I had a lot of support from the Mexican government, but their investment was minor. I was adamant that they were not my bosses. The film was under my control and that didn’t seem to please everyone. I wanted to manage the movie the way I believed was best. I was aware that I would fall out of favor for any projects to come. So I ended up [taking the film to the] Toronto Film Festival, fully knowing what I had left behind, with the prospects of either going back or starting over. And then I began receiving offers from the United States.

How was your first experience working in the States?

I remember directing an episode of “Fallen Angels” for Showtime. I was full of insecurities and feeling numb. Besides, I was the only unknown director in the series. The other directors included Steven Soderbergh, Jonathan Kaplan, Phil Joanou — even Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks directed an episode. If Tom Hanks’s project needed a couple more days, those were taken away from me. I felt ignored. That’s why I’m so grateful to my actors, Alan Rickman and Laura Dern, because when they saw me paralyzed like that they told me, “Relax, we are here for you. We want you to direct us and we are going to do whatever you tell us to do.” At that point I finally began to let go. And then my episode, “Murder, Obliquely,” won all these awards. It was then and there that a friendship with Alan Rickman and Laura Dern was born.

Where did those insecurities come from?

When I first came to Hollywood, it wasn’t about being Mexican but about being from a Mexican generation so different from today’s Mexico. It used to be a closed-tight Mexico, oblivious to the world. It was a Mexico where looking for international impact was seen as a sign of arrogance. It was almost considered a lack of nationalism. I grew up in Mexico during the height of the PRI [Institutional Revolutionary Party], in the age of revolutionary nationalist ideology and closed markets, of repression and an enormous control over information, both incoming and outgoing. What movies were shown and what kind of music was played. Rock concerts were strictly forbidden. Then the first rock concert was the band Chicago at the Auditorio Nacional. There was so much repression that the moment it opened up a bit for a little concert, people destroyed the doors. That was our “being young” attitude. That was our outlet. When I came to the States in the early ’90s, I was still living with the ghost of that sick perception Mexico has of Hollywood — too romanticized and idealized.

How have your perceptions changed?

Those insecurities at the beginning of my career were not because of being Mexican but because there was an ideology. Now there’s a new generation that has no borders or limits. This is natural for them. I admire them because of that. They have no complex. From then on, my insecurities were no longer creative.

You’ve been open about your disappointment with “Great Expectations,” your second U.S.-produced film after “The Little Princess.” What did you learn from that process?

With “Great Expectations,” I was seduced by the machinery, and I had to pay the price. It was a movie I didn’t fully understand. I thought something I didn’t understand would work if I used visual tools. I was overcompensating. Once I became aware of that problem — that’s the reason I made “Y Tu Mamá También.” With that project I developed a whole new point of view about filming. Even in “Great Expectations” I wanted to do something technically polished and clean. El Chivo [cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki] and I came from a cine Mexicano that wasn’t crafted with excellence. Except for a couple of directors, the cinematographic language was poor.
Photography wasn’t done properly. We were trying to shake things up. It wasn’t until “Y Tu Mamá También” that technique ceased to matter — what really mattered was the subject and the concept. The special thing about “Roma” is that it’s the first film where I feel completely liberated, completely free of insecurities. I had the certainty I didn’t know how to make it but I had no fear to explore. To give in completely to the idea I had of the movie I wanted to make.

You didn’t know how you were going to make the film, but you proceeded anyway?

I am inclined to try to imagine how I’d film a certain movie, but if I know how to do it I lose interest. If I know how to do it I get bored with the idea. More than the challenge, it’s curiosity for the unknown that drives me. It’s curiosity for knowing I have a perspective about the film I want to make, but I have no idea about how to do it. The process itself doesn’t let me lower my guard. That’s why I believe all the movies I have made are so different from each other.

Where does that sense of exploration come from?

It might have to do with being a film buff since my childhood and watching how big the universe known as cinema is, and admiring how the language of movies developed, from silent film, the birth of the cinema, to these days. There’s something that overwhelms me from time to time — the idea of not exploring languages. Or of not pushing the limits of certain languages. I believe that’s what attracts me the most.

Your latest film, “Roma,” was a rather large production, even though the story revolves around a more intimate family drama. Would you be interested in making a “simpler” movie?

More than just the plot, I see it as the whole cinematic experience. Indeed, it was what the cinematic experience demanded. Every time I begin a new project I say, “This is a simple film; this one’s going to be simple. I’ll make it fast and that’s it.” My producer always tells me that. For “Gravity,” I said to Chivo, “Let’s make a film the fast and easy way. This is about a woman in space — so we’ll just film her against black backgrounds and that’s it. [Laughs.] Some visual effects and we’re done.” When I began talking to my producer about “Roma,” I insisted, “This is a smaller, more intimate film.” And it’s no lie. But whenever I begin to prepare [for a project], reality starts to show up.

It’s also a chance to watch a big production that really reflects Mexico City.

I would expect that the production doesn’t become the focus, though. The universe within the movie should be the focus. The whole idea is to confront you with a universe.

You’ve been wanting to make a film based on El Halconazo — a massacre of student demonstrators in Mexico City in 1971 — for quite some time, correct?

Yes, I was planning on doing this movie 12 years ago. But because life happens and there are things you can’t control, I wasn’t able to make it back then. I believe it was for the best, though, because I was not mature enough for it. But a lot of the content in “Roma” was already in that early version.

I’m aware of your love for the 1976 Felipe Cazals film, “Canoa,” which also addresses the student protests during that period.

That was shot not long after [the Tlatelolco student massacre in] ’68, when it was off-limits to talk about that. What Felipe did was talk about that subject obliquely, indirectly. He also talked about the whole Mexican sociopolitical context.

Is Roma indebted to “Canoa” at all?

For “Roma,” I tried consciously to avoid influences and references. It was hard, because I have always thought about other movies while filming. I even watch some movies as inspiration, even if they are completely different, as long as I find an emotional connection or a shared language with whatever I am doing. In “Roma,” I didn’t want any of these influences, because I needed to be faithful and pure to the idea of re-creating memories. I remember whistling a melody while framing a shot. I noticed it was a Bach tune that was used in a movie I really love. And when I saw my scene, I discovered that it was also referential of that movie. Then I thought that was not what I wanted. [Roma’s production designer] Eugenio Caballero told me it was a beautiful scene. “Yes, it’s beautiful because it’s someone else’s, not this movie’s,” I told him. The other one is more beautiful, but this is the right one. It doesn’t mean there are no references at all, because, just as in our lives, you are what you’ve been. In filming, you are what you’ve watched and read and listened to — and not just from movies.

You’ve said before that “Roma” is also loosely based on your childhood. Were you able to exorcise any inner demons while making the film?

Every human experience related to a long-lasting project always is going to have a transformative part. When you start a job that takes longer than the average task, you go into a parallel reality. An abstraction begins, and everything outside your project seems to flow at a different pace. It flows differently. And when you reconnect with that reality, you feel the difference. Sometimes that difference creates transformations. Sometimes it’s kind of a shock, but that’s it. In “Roma,” specifically, any human experience focused on its own memory will inevitably have emotional consequences.

But you’re the one who is changing, right?
No, the universe is the one changing! [Laughs.] That’s not true — of course we’re changing. What changes in the universe is your perception about it. The universe doesn’t give a damn about you. In “Roma,” every person willing to focus on their memories is going to discover something. Those might be joyful or unpleasant discoveries. To face your memory is to face what you were back then that still lives inside your subconscious. “Roma” was a three-year process of living in memories, and not only living, but opening doors from the memory labyrinth. And as soon as you open a door, you find new corridors with new doors, and then every time you open a new door you find new corridors. The more you focus on this labyrinth, the more you get lost in it.

“Roma” is in theaters and on Netflix in December. Instagram: @alfonsocuaron.

The cross-border farmworker rebellion

Workers in the berry fields of the United States and Mexico have the same transnational employers. Now, farmworker unions in those two nations have begun to work together

by David Bacon

Surrounded by blueberry and alfalfa fields near Sumas, Washington, just a few miles from the Canadian border, a group of workers last week stood in a circle behind a trailer, itemizing a long list of complaints about the grower they work for. Lorenzo Sanchez, the oldest, pointed to the trailer his family rents for $800 a month. On one side, the wooden steps and porch have rotted through. “The toilet backs up,” he said. “Water leaks in when it rains.The stove doesn’t work.”

His wife, Felipa Lopez, described mistreatment in the fields. “The old man [the grower] sometimes walks behind us and makes fun of us,” she charged. “He yells at us to make us work faster.” Other workers in the circle nodded in agreement.

Ramón Torres, president of the farmworker union Familias Unidas por la Justicia, listened and then took union membership cards from the pocket of his jacket. “This is the first step,” he said. “Join the union. But you have to agree to support each other in this. If he fires any one of you, the others have to stop work to get the grower to give the job back. If he tries to evict you, you have to act then, too.”

Everyone signed the cards. They’d actually gone down to the union office in Bellingham two weeks earlier to ask for help-they’d had plenty of time to think about the consequences. After the cards were signed, they all agreed that the following Monday, instead of going into the field to work, they’d confront the grower and demand changes.

Two days later at sunrise, Torres and Edgar Franks, another union activist, joined the workers at the edge of a highway, next to the field where they’d been pruning blueberry bushes. Soon the grower, Gill Singh, drove up with his two sons. Torres gave him a letter from the union. “You don’t have the right to treat people like this,” he told the father. One son responded, “That’s true, they do have that right. But don’t we have the right to require them to work?”

Soon the workers were angrily recounting to Singh and his sons the pressure and the insults they’d endured, adding complaints about low wages and deteriorating housing. In the end, the grower agreed to fix some housing problems, to stop mistreatment in the fields, and not to retaliate against the workers for joining the union or stopping work over the problems. By then it was mid-morning, and the pruners went into the rows to begin their daily labor.

“This is how we’re building the union,” Torres says. “There are a lot of paros [small work stoppages] here all the time, and we come out to help the workers get organized.”

Familias Unidas Por La Justicia was born in 2013 out of a work stoppage like this one, when blueberry pickers refused to go into the fields of Sakuma Farms after one of them had been fired for asking for a wage increase. Workers then mounted a series of guerrilla work stoppages over the next four years to raise the piece-rate wages. At the same time, they organized boycott committees in cities up and down the West Coast to pressure Sakuma Farms’ main customer, the giant berry distributor Driscoll’s Inc. In 2017, Sakuma’s owners agreed to an election, which the union easily won. Familias Unidas then negotiated a two-year contract with Sakuma Farms.

Since then, work stoppages have hit many nearby ranches, and workers have successfully used them to win concessions from growers. Most of those workers are Mixtec and Triqui indigenous migrants from Oaxaca and Guerrero in southern Mexico, who now live permanently in rural Washington. In some cases, however, the paros have been organized by H-2A contract workers, brought to the United States under temporary work visas. In 2017, 70 H-2A workers refused to work at Sarbanand Farms after one of the fellow workers collapsed in the field, and later died.

A union contract has given Familias Unidas a support base for helping the workers in these spontaneous outbreaks. And because the piece rates for picking berries at Sakuma Farms has increased dramatically (allowing some workers to earn as much as $30 per hour) farmworkers at other farms have taken action to lift their own wages.

Job actions like these are not unique to U.S. farmworkers. In fact, the pruners’ job action seemed very familiar to two farmworker unionists from Mexico, who’d arrived in Bellingham to explore another way to give farmworkers more power: cooperation across the border. Their trip was organized by the Solidarity Center of the AFL-CIO and the UCLA Labor Center.

“We’re very similar,” says Lorenzo Rodríguez, the general secretary of a Mexican union, the National Independent Democratic Union of Farm Workers (SINDJA in its Spanish initials), “not just in using tactics like stopping work, but in the ways we recruit workers and organize them. The way Ramón and others lead these movements gives workers the message that we can make a change, that together we can organize, together we can walk out. Above all, that we can represent ourselves.”

According to Rodríguez, the giant ranches of the San Quintin Valley employ 50,000 laborers in over 150 companies. Most of the companies, especially all the biggest ones, have “protection contracts.”

Both in Washington and in Baja California, Familias Unidas and SINDJA have few legal protections, and rely more on action by workers to force changes.

Both Sindja and Familias Unidas are worried about the explosive growth of the H-2A temporary work visa program, which creates a pool of workers with virtually no rights. In 2017, Washington growers were given H-2A visas for 18,796 workers, and the number for 2018 will undoubtedly be much higher. Last year, about 200,000 H-2A workers were recruited nationwide and brought to the United States. This year, the number is expected to exceed 230,000.

Canelo Alvarez vs. Rocky Fielding: Fight time, watch online, date, live stream on DAZN, card

Everything you need to know in order to watch Canelo’s first appearance on DAZN

by Jack Crosby
cbs

In one of the shortest turnarounds of his career, Canelo Alvarez is stepping back in the ring. Alvarez, fresh off a decision win over Gennady Golovkin in September, is attempting to move up in weight to claim his third title in three divisions when he challenges Rocky Fielding on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden for the WBA super middleweight title.

Alvarez’s quest for a super middleweight title will also mark the Mexican star’s first appearance on the DAZN streaming service since signing the most lucrative deal ever for an athlete with the company back in October.

Nearly one year after they battled to a controversial split draw, Alvarez (50-1, 34 KOs) handed Golovkin the first professional loss of his career in a unanimous decision win that has been disputed by some. A third bout between the two middleweight studs has not been completely ruled out for 2019, but first, Alvarez has other goals he would like to attain — beginning with Saturday’s battle.

Fielding (27-1, 15 KOs) will be making his first defense of his 168-pound strap. Back in July, the 31-year-old Liverpool, England, native defeated Tyron Zeuge via TKO in the fifth round to claim the championship. At the time of the victory, the relatively-unknown Fielding probably had little idea that his first defense would come against one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world looking to move up for his prize. Now, he’s been presented with the opportunity of a lifetime if he can somehow knock off Alvarez.

Below is all the information you need to catch the Canelo vs. Rocky super middleweight championship showdown on Saturday, with odds via Bovada.

Canelo vs. Rocky viewing information

Date: Saturday, Dec. 15
Time: 9 p.m. ET | Location: Madison Square Garden — New York City
Live stream: watch. https://watch.dazn.com/en-US/sports/

Welcome to SF Carnaval New Year’s Eve party on Dec 31st

Compiled by the El Reportero’s staff

Experience the largest Latino NYE in Bay Area at the 4,000-person capacity newly renovated historical structure.

Bring your dancing shoes, masks, costumes, cameras and celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime New Year’s Eve party with Carnaval San Francisco!

The event will feature live performances by DJ Fama from Panama, DJ Bobby A, Hip Spanic AllStars, Salsa AllStars, La Gente, SF, Samba Sensation, Foga Na Roupa and Latin Dance Grooves, as well as Latin and Caribbean cuisine, exotic cocktails, dance performances and more.

Monday, Dec. 31, 2018, 7 p.m. – 2 a.m. At the historical Mission Armory, 1800 Mission Street (14th & Mission), San Francisco.

Ray Cepeda and José “Chepito” Aréas group

Everybody has been asking about the new Ray Cepeda and Jose “Chepito” Areas single. “Mi Gloria” is a Latin Rock ballad that features Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Jose “Chepito” Areas from the original Santana Band. Solid Latin Rock at its best. Great vocals and dual guitar leads. It’s available exclusively at cdbaby.

Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018 at 7 – 10 p.m. Hosted by Ray Cepeda/Musical Artist and Art House Gallery & Cultural Center, Art House Gallery & Cultural Center 2905 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley.

ANNOUNCEMENT – Recruiting Bay Area High School Students: Apply Now for Paid MTC Summer Internship

Do the teens in your life have some extra time over the winter holidays to think about summer internships? If so, let them know that the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) is offering high school students around the Bay Area the opportunity to gain professional experience in transportation planning, engineering and related fields through its 2019 High School Internship Program. The internship program, now celebrating its 19th year, is now accepting applications for paid summer jobs with a variety of public transit agencies, city planning departments and public works agencies throughout the region. Internships are available in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma counties. A list of internship opportunities and the online application instructions are available at: https://jobs.mtc.ca.gov/internships.

Eligible students will be at least 16 years old and completing the 10th, 11th, or 12th grade by summer 2019. They will earn $15 per hour, with their wages paid by MTC, and can choose to work either full- or part-time, up to 250 hours. Students hired through the program are expected to attend an orientation session on June 18, 2019, as well as a closing forum in August, where they will present highlights of their work over the summer. Both events will take place at MTC’s offices at 375 Beale Street in San Francisco.

Students will work closely with mentors at host agencies to create rich summer experiences that foster connections for college recommendation letters and future job opportunities.

Death doesn’t equal someone’s opinion about death

by Jon Rappoport

“I saw people die of HIV.”

No. You saw people die. Doctors said they had HIV.

“I saw people die from Ebola.”

No you didn’t. You saw people die. You yourself have no idea what killed them. You can pretend you know, but you don’t.

“The doctors know what kills people.”

You win a gold star for your faith. You’re now a fully-fledged member of the Church of Biological Mysticism.

People who see other people die often assume they know why it happened. Certainly, when it comes to viruses, they don’t have a clue. They’re sure they know. That doesn’t make them right.

A parent’s healthy son returns from the doctor’s office, saying he just found out he’s HIV-positive. He tells his mother the doctor has put him on AZT. Three weeks later, the boy folds up, can’t get out of bed. He’s so weak he can hardly move. The doctor says, “HIV has spiraled out of control. It’s full-blown AIDS. He must continue taking his AZT.” Three months later, the boy is dead.
The mother says, “My son died of HIV.”

Does she know that AZT, a failed chemotherapy drug, was taken off the shelf for AIDS patients, and that it mercilessly attack all cells of the body, including the immune-system cells?
Of course not.

As I’ve repeatedly pointed out over the past 30 years (starting with my first book, “AIDS Inc., Scandal of the Century”), covert medical ops will use death and dying to construct a false picture of the cause of death and dying.

They know this strategy works, because people, seeing death, will accept what the authorities tell them caused it.

I’ve often cited the groundbreaking review, “Is US health really the best in the world?” Author, Dr. Barbara Starfield, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Publisher: The Journal of the American Medical Association, July 26, 2000.

Starfield concluded that, every year in the US, the medical system directly kills 225,000 people. 106,000 die as a result of medicines the FDA has approved as safe. The other 119,000 die as a result of treatment in hospitals.

Add it up. That’s 2.25 million deaths per decade caused by the US medical system.

Now for the question: how many of those deaths… do you think doctors…voluntarily admit…to families of the dead patients…are medically caused?

I’ll tell you.

None.

In every case, a lie was cooked up. “I’m sorry, but the disease suddenly accelerated…”

That’s 2.25 million lies per decade about the actual cause of death.

But people continue to worship at the feet of doctors and medical experts.

If a doctor says a patient died of virus VCX-2QK-89tf, a supposed thing the mother of the patient will never see and never have a chance of seeing…and if the doctor says he knows the patient had the virus because a diagnostic test was run on the patient…the mother will believe the doctor…even though she has absolutely no idea what kind of diagnostic test was run or whether it is accurate or even relevant.

“I saw my son die of the virus.”

She didn’t. But she’ll believe it. We can understand why she believes it.

But that doesn’t affect our judgment when we look into a virus and investigate whether it is real, whether it actually causes disease, and whether the diagnostic tests for the virus tell a true story.

When you have hundreds of millions of people who assert that Ebola is killing people, you’re looking at faith.

Blind faith in authorities who don’t deserve it.

You’re looking at the construction of reality, which is then sold.

Take this example—a farming village in Liberia, one of the so-called epicenters of Ebola. The families manage to produce enough to get by. They live downstream from a giant Firestone rubber plantation.

For years, to no avail, the people of the village have been protesting the runoff of noxious elements into their water supply. Fish are dying. Crops are failing. That means malnutrition, hunger.
That means chemical assault on their immune systems.

People are developing sores, lesions, fevers, respiratory problems, digestive problems, including diarrhea.

How easy is it to call this Ebola, in light of the current hysteria?

“Everyone knows” it’s Ebola. But it isn’t.

People are obsessed by the idea that a whole population, in far-off nation, under the gun, must all be suffering from One Thing—in this case, a virus.

Splitting this apart into a number of different causes in different regions—contaminated water, open sewage, severe malnutrition, decimating wars, toxic vaccine campaigns, the vast overuse of antibiotics, industrial pollution—this doesn’t have the compelling ring of: “It’s a virus.”

So people say, “Forget about all that. We don’t want to know about it. We know it’s a virus.”

No they don’t.

(Jon Rappoport is the author of three explosive collections, The Matrix Revealed, Exit From The Matrkix, and Power Outside The Matrix).

Half million humans slaughtered, $4 trillion wasted since 9/11 and Al Qaeda is stronger than ever

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR:

Dear readers:

It’s been over two decades since the U.S. suffered the greatest attack on its soil ever. I’ve heard many theories about the origin of the terrorist attack, including that an elite group within the US government, allied with foreign governments, was the mastermind for its execution, with the agenda of dismantling our Bill of Rights that protect our freedoms. Whether this is true or not, what is true is that after the implementation of the “War on Terror” and the Patriot Act, the United States is no longer the land of the free. Without a doubt, it undermined the very foundation our country was built upon: its Constitution. The following article, written by Rachel Blevins, will give you a synopsis of the cost of this infamous War on Terror. – Marvin R.

After 17 years, there is no sign that the War on Terror is ending anytime soon—but there is evidence that Al Qaeda is stronger than ever, thanks to the U.S.

by Rachel Blevins

Every year on Sept. 11, Americans remember the horrific attacks that were carried out in 2001, which have been used to shape United States foreign policy, and to act as a symbol for the “War on Terror.” The attacks were attributed to 19 hijackers affiliated with the terrorist group Al Qaeda—a group that is arguably stronger than ever on the 17th anniversary of 9/11.

On Sept. 21, 2001, just 10 days after the attacks, former President George W. Bush made a speech addressing the nation, and he placed the blame on Al-Qaeda, claiming that “Al Qaeda is to terror what the mafia is to crime.”

“Americans have many questions tonight. Americans are asking: Who attacked our country? The evidence we have gathered all points to a collection of loosely affiliated terrorist organizations known as al Qaeda. They are the same murderers indicted for bombing American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, and responsible for bombing the USS Cole. Al Qaeda is to terror what the mafia is to crime. But its goal is not making money; its goal is remaking the world—and imposing its radical beliefs on people everywhere.

The terrorists practice a fringe form of Islamic extremism that has been rejected by Muslim scholars and the vast majority of Muslim clerics—a fringe movement that perverts the peaceful teachings of Islam. The terrorists’ directive commands them to kill Christians and Jews, to kill all Americans, and make no distinction among military and civilians, including women and children.”

Al Qaeda was not a terrorist group that magically appeared out of nowhere—it grew as a result of Operation Cyclone, a program carried out by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency that armed and funded the Mujahideen in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Operation Cyclone created a vacuum in the region that made the perfect climate for both the Taliban and Al Qaeda to grow and flourish.

However, in 2001, Al Qaeda became the face of evil in the United States, and the Bush Administration launched the “War on Terror” with the purpose of defeating the group altogether.

The results of that ongoing mission have been horrific, and the death toll is staggering. In Iraq alone, the death toll was estimated to have surpassed 500,000 by the end of 2017. According to university researchers in the United States, Canada, and Baghdad in cooperation with the Iraqi Ministry of Health, “about 70 percent of Iraq deaths from 2003-2011 were violent in nature, with most caused by gunshots, followed by car bombs and other explosions.”

In Afghanistan, the War on Terror has cost more than $1 trillion and more than 31,000 civilian deaths have been documented. Civilian deaths have substantially increased in recent years—which serves as a reminder that the situation is only getting worse, and is not ending anytime soon.

According to an analysis from the “Costs of War Project” from Brown University’s Watson Institute, by the end of 2018, the U.S. War on Terror will cost America taxpayers more than $5.6 trillion, which is an average of $23,386 per taxpayer.

“As of late September 2017, the United States wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria and the additional spending on Homeland Security, and the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs since the 9/11 attacks totaled more than $4.3 trillion in current dollars through FY2017. Adding likely costs for FY2018 and estimated future spending on veterans, the costs of war total more than $5.6 trillion.”

As The Nation noted, that estimate does not include several factors such as “the psychic costs to the Americans mangled in one way or another in those never-ending conflicts. They don’t include the costs to this country’s infrastructure, which has been crumbling while taxpayer dollars flow copiously and in a remarkably—in these years, almost uniquely—bipartisan fashion into what’s still laughably called ‘national security.’”

After 17 years, there is no sign that the War on Terror is ending anytime soon, but surely the United States is finally close to defeating Al Qaeda—right?

Unfortunately, the opposite is true. A report from the Los Angeles Times noted that in 2018, “Al Qaeda may be stronger than ever,” and instead of destroying the group, “U.S. policies in the Mideast appear to have encouraged its spread.”

“The group has amassed the largest fighting force in its existence. Estimates say it may have more than 20,000 militants in Syria and Yemen alone. It boasts affiliates across North Africa, the Levant and parts of Asia, and it remains strong around the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.”

While Al Qaeda may have started out as a small terrorist group, it has now grown into a massive network that is flourishing in Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Syria, and Libya—all countries where the U.S. has actively carried out bombing campaigns in recent years.

On the anniversary of 9/11, it is time for Americans to acknowledge that after 17 years, unlimited funding approved by both Democrats and Republicans, and a brutal foreign policy that has killed hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, the only thing the United States has accomplished in the Middle East is to create chaos, destruction, and the perfect environment for extremist groups to flourish. Indeed, US foreign policy has created a million Osama Bin Ladens since that fateful day and we’re on track to create a million more. (The Free Thought Project).

CONFIRMED: A quercetin-tocotrienols combination combats cancer

by Lance D Johnson

The battle against cancer is heading into new territory, as scientists explore the healing ability of substances that support the body’s cells, instead of killing them off. Researchers from the Italian National Institute of Health and Science on Aging (INRCA) have made a breakthrough discovery for preventing the spread of malignant tumors. A natural plant-based combination, including quercetin and tocotrienols, effectively targets aging cells that cause chronic inflammation and cancer. This dynamic, anti-cancer duo causes stubborn cancer cells to die off and simultaneously promotes the growth of normal cells.

This dynamic duo heals the body at the cellular level by triggering a die-off sequence within aging and malignant cells. If old, decrepit cells become inefficient at performing cellular division, new cells cannot be created. If these senile cells refuse to die off, a condition called cellular senescence sets in. This causes an accumulation of aged cells that emit pro-inflammatory chemicals into the body. This process promotes aging in the body and increases cancer risk. Quercetin and tocotrienols help to remove aging cells so healthy cells have space to flourish.

Moreover, quercetin and tocotrienols identify malignant cancer cells and speed up their cellular senescence. This dynamic duo effectively target unwanted cancer cells and speed up their death, preventing cancer cell replication. The two natural substances remove inflammatory, aging cells and stop malignant cells from growing. This combination is a highly intelligent form of medicine that deciphers dangerous cells and manipulates cellular senescence so that the body can heal itself. The combination can be employed as an adjunct therapy for cancers of many origins. This combination can be used to prevent cancer from taking hold and stop early cancers in their tracks.

Anti-cancer intelligence of tocotrienols

Tocotrienols are an anti-inflammatory type of vitamin E that can be found in wheat germ, barley, oat, rye, cranberries, blueberries, kiwi, plum, coconut, and some nuts. It is also isolated in supplement form. Research confirms that this form of vitamin E can reverse cell cycle arrest and reduce DNA damage, especially for treatment of breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, and melanoma.
However, assimilation of tocotrienols in the human intestine is poor because they are lipophilic in nature (they dissolve in lipids and fats). Researchers must find ways to increase the bio-availability of tocotrienols to increase this vitamin’s therapeutic effects. Intestinal absorption depends upon the secretion of bile and transporters such as ?-tocopherol transfer protein (?-TTP); therefore, assimilation of tocotrienols occurs more readily with food. Nutritionists recommend a daily dose of 150 mg of tocotrienols. One should expect to see therapeutic benefits with supplementation after ninety days.

The healing nature of quercetin

Quercetin is a plant-based flavonoid and antioxidant that helps plants defend against disease. When quercetin is combined with tocotrienols, synergy is created; together these natural substances slow the aging process, prolong the life of healthy cells, and induce apoptosis of malignant cancer cells. Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, quercetin can benefit seasonal allergies, asthma, bronchitis, and congestion. Quercetin is commonly found in apples, tea, onions, nuts, berries, cauliflower and cabbage and can be isolated and consumed in the form of a supplement. To rid the body of aging cells, nutritionists recommend a daily dose of quercetin (500 to 800 mg) for up to three consecutive months, followed by a maintenance dose of 150 mg a day. It is best to consult a healthcare professional, as many medications can adversely interact with the body when healing substances are introduced. (Natural News).

Aviation complex will design and build planes, train pilots

Three locations in Guanajuato are under consideration for the 100-hectare development

by the El Reportero’s wire services

A Mexican conglomerate is holding talks with the Guanajuato government with a view to building an aviation complex in the state that will design and assemble planes as well as train pilots.

IK Aerospace Group, made up of light aircraft manufacturer Horizontec, aircraft interior manufacturer Siasa Air and aerospace software company Optimen, told the newspaper Milenio that the new complex could be built in one of three Guanajuato municipalities — León, San Miguel de Allende or Purísima del Rincón.

Construction of the facility, which will be the first of its kind in Mexico, requires approximately 100 hectares of land.

Giovanni Angelucci Carrasco, founder of Horizontec, said that the group’s discussions with the Guanajuato government are already well advanced.

“There is good progress in Guanajuato, where we already also spoke to the next governor. There is a lot of interest on the part of the state government for us to set up there. We have three possible options to lay the first stone,” he said.

Angelucci explained that the idea for the project is to have a private runway, a manufacturing plant, an aircraft maintenance center and a flying school for pilots, which could include future customers who purchase light planes manufactured at the new complex.

Guatemala welcomes heads of state for Ibero-American Summit

Just some few hours after the highest-level segment of the 26th Ibero-American Summit opened, Guatemala welcomes on Wednesday the first heads of State and Government, foreign ministers and delegations.

According to the agenda of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala, the first ones to arrive in Guatemala will be Antoni Marti Petit, Head of Government of Andorra; King of Spain, Felipe VI and President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez Perez-Castejon.

The Guatemalan authorities will also receive with all the honors the Mexican president, Enrique Peña Nieto; Brazil’s Michel Temer; and Paraguay’s Mario Abdo Benitez.

The summit, to be run in the colonial city of Antigua Guatemala on Nov. 15-16, will be an opportune moment so that the governors meet after an intense electoral activity and political changes in the region.

Since the last meeting held in Colombia in 2016, about 10 of 22 Ibero-American governments have undergone change, which is why analysts consider this meeting as a historical milestone due to the economic and social political situation surrounding its holding and the announced commitment to progress in the application of the 2030 Agenda.

Guatemalan Foreign Minister Sandra Jovel said on Tuesday that the final Declaration will include 19 resolutions focused on education, culture, cooperation, economy, tourism and South-South cooperation, among other issues addressed between 2016 and 2018, time in which the Central American country assumed the Pro Tempore Secretariat of the Ibero-American Summit.

During those years, about 35 activities were carried out, among them, keynote speeches by Ministers of Justice, Economy and Tourism, Education, Labor and Social Security and Culture, as well as the First Meeting of Ibero-American High Authorities with Indigenous Peoples and the 3rd Ibero-American Forum on Migration.

All meetings paved the way to facilitate the Heads of State the approval of several documents on Friday, when Guatemala, after concluding its mandate, hands over the Secretariat to Andorra.

The 4th Meeting of National Coordinators and Responsible for Cooperation, will conclude on Wednesday, and participants opened the agenda of debate since Monday to give way to that of the foreign ministers.

New help center for the homeless is inaugurated in the SF Mission District

by Fernando A. Torres

Catholic Charities reported that the new social assistance center called Access Point The Mission, will join its program of prevention of homeless families and help services on immigration in a new location at 3270 18th Street with South Van Ness.

The presence of Catholic Charities and their social programs is not new to the Mission. They have been providing services for more than fifty years in the largest Latino neighborhood in Northern California. This time the new location will unite all social services under one roof, to continue providing “compassionate and comprehensive care to families and individuals struggling to survive and thrive.”

José Cartagena, director of programs, said that programs to help the homeless, immigration and financing to pay rent, will work in the recently inaugurated location. “We are very happy to be opening this Access Point center, which is the center, the connection of homeless families to receive services in the city. Our function is to establish and be the bridge so that homeless families can receive the services they need, be it shelter and shelter, be it references for low-cost housing, or subsidized rent programs, “said Cartagena.

Founded in 1907, Catholic Charities is part of the Archdiocese of San Francisco but its actions are independent. With the motto of “charity and justice” the organization was created in the Bay Area to help the orphans of the San Francisco earthquake.

At the opening of the premises last week, attended by various personalities and officials of the city. Mayor London N. Breed said the problem of the homeless is great especially in California. Of all the homeless people in the country, 24 percent are in California, Breed said.

“This center will provide services not only for homeless families who sadly struggle on our streets, but also for our immigrant community. As we know, we have a President who attacks our immigrant community every day … but despite these attacks and threats, we will continue to offer resources for our community, “Breed said.

The mayor informed that this new center is part of a coordinated municipal system of five centers for families that have lost their homes; to enter a system of protection aid, shelter and permanent housing. The city provides help to 50 people weekly and waiting in line “there are another 65 people … We know that the homeless represent a big problem throughout the State”, that is why it is important to find “regional solutions” because the city San Francisco “can not do it on his own,” Breed said.

San Carlos Church priest and Episcopal Vicar for Hispanics in the city’s Archdiocese Moisés Agudo said that Catholic Charities aims to reach “the most marginalized, those who are most defenseless. Families that are losing their homes; families that suffer from fear and even the terror of going out on the street. Every man needs to live with dignity. This center stands as a center that will enlighten and empower the Hispanic community. That they are not afraid, that they leave, that the church is with them, “Agudo said.

In a city where a one-bedroom apartment is worth 3,000 or 4,000 dollars; One of the biggest problems is economic, said Cartagena. “This implies that many families can not afford a rent. The rent is very high and the income of the family is much less … We are forced to have to share an apartment with three or four families to be able to sustain this. We are talking about Latino immigrant families who earn less than twelve hundred dollars a month; It is not enough to pay the rent and there is the problem of the homeless.

“Cartagena concluded that it is more economical to keep that family in their apartment or house than having to afford them shelter and shelter. The average cost to give refuge to a family is between 30 and 40 thousand dollars. “It’s much cheaper to help them pay the rent so that it is not evicted … we do not feel bad because we need help. Let’s not have grief or fear. If we need help, let’s look for it. There are programs like ours and we are here to serve them, “he said.

Jilma Meneses, Executive Director of Catholic Charities, said the organization has been working in San Francisco, Mari and San Mateo for more than 150 years. Similar programs are also developed in the Bayview neighborhood. The city of San Francisco is helping to finance the center. But the fundraising campaigns must continue “to turn it into a viable and sustainable project … We provide services to everyone, regardless of origin, gender, color, sexual orientation, religion. We are in a place where everyone is safe and welcome. You are brothers and sisters regardless of your offspring. You will never be rejected from our family … I am an emigrant. As a child I was motivated by the services that I and my family received and now it is an honor for me to return this, “said Meneses.

Message of urgency about the avalanche of migrants that is approaching Tijuana

by Bernardo Méndez

@Americasinmuros, its president Kino Miquirray and its director Bernardo Méndez Lugo inform as a matter of urgency and national emergency:

Possible scenario with the arrival of caravans exodus migrants to the border of Mexico-US: the case of Tijuana, urgent actions of the three levels of government.

It is very possible that of the three Exodus Migrant Caravans coming from Central America, most of the migrants are concentrated in the Tijuana region.

By the middle of December or before, between 9,000 and 10,000 Central Americans will be present in Tijuana and a fourth caravan of 10 thousand people from El Salvador has been announced that would leave in the middle of December (in a month) towards the border of Mexico-US border.

Many less will be arriving in Mexicali, Nogales and other border points with the United States. On this point, Dr. Alejandra Castañeda indicates that “Tijuana needs to be considered for attention in a scenario where the crossing to the United States is at the drop rate. Transferees who are being financed should go to different points of the border. I also reiterate that it is very important to make people aware of the situation in the United States where they will be detained for months, separated from their families.

On this point, Dr. Leticia Calderón Chelius of the Dr. José María Luis Mora Research Institute writes: “Wait at least two months in Tijuana in winter to see if they pass the filter that takes them to a prison in the United States while they wait to be in front of a judge to defend their case … what a difficult dilemma when there are no options.” This option will be viable for less than 10 percent of the members of the Exodus Migrant Caravan. The vast majority must remain in Mexican territory.

Most of them will not be able to cross into the US due to extreme restrictions imposed by the Trump government, including the 90-day executive order (which is unconstitutional) that denies the right to seek asylum from members of the Caravan, the militarization of the entire border and the presence of armed anti-immigrant groups known as “Minutemen.

The ability to process asylum applications for the US is very limited and the more applicants arrive, the greater the rigidity and closure to process and accept asylum from Central America.

The challenge to meet the needs of about 10,000 migrant people in Tijuana is of great magnitude and the municipal and state governments can not solve it. Without the support of the federal government, every day that goes by will aggravate the situation of migrants, especially unaccompanied children, minors in general, pregnant mothers and older adults.

These challenges are of a wide range: capacity of the shelters thinking that since there is no alternative to cross the border they will have to stay for an indefinite time in Tijuana and this implies: maintaining the capacity of the shelters, feeding, medical attention and preventive health, endowment of winter clothing, capacity for minors and adolescents to be integrated into the school system, transportation and for older adults adequate conditions.

While there are a number of around 3,500 people who have requested Refuge in Mexico, the budget for COMAR tasks must be strengthened in order to process these thousands of requests, an emergency budget must already be generated for COMAR.
The members of the Caravan that arrive in Tijuana are not those that have requested refuge and in the vast majority they will seek to apply for asylum in the US and it can be said that the vast majority will be denied. No more than 7 percent will be able to obtain asylum in the US.

The federal government of Mexico must generate humanitarian visas with work permits. And in this area, the Government of Mexico must integrate border companies in the supply of jobs within the framework of the “Youth Building the Future” Program that begins on December 1, 2018 that includes returning and transmigrant Mexican migrants.

In addition, the Cooperation Plan with Central America that coordinates the future Chancellor Mtro Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon with greater involvement of the Business Advisory Council, several of them with strong investments in Central America as @Ricardo Salinas Pliego of Grupo Salinas, should be activated as soon as possible. This Plan must be advanced in its proposals to be executed in at least 80% according to Ebrard’s statements. The main goal of the Plan is to generate decent jobs, especially in the three countries with the greatest expulsion, so that greater economic development significantly reduces migration.

It is urgent that the federal government generate a budget to support the network of Tijuana hostels, we should not wait for the sexennial change since the next two weeks are crucial. Failure to address the magnitude of this problem will overtake the Tijuana municipal government and unprecedented crises and unimaginable social conflicts could erupt. There are already worrying signs of discontent and radicalized anti-immigrant outbreaks of Tijuana population centers, as has been observed in the Colonia Playas de Tijuana.

It is time for the outgoing and incoming federal government to coordinate with the municipal government of Tijuana and the State Government of Baja California to address the problem and prevent the conflict situation from growing. There is no time to lose. There are not many options and action must be taken immediately. It is also a task for entrepreneurs and civil society. It is not healthy to expect the situation to get worse to act and generate responses that should be short, medium and long term.

The latest news is that a SF judge has imposed a veto on Trump’s executive legislation that limits the right to asylum at the border to members of the Caravan for 90 days.

In my opinion this order of the Judge will not limit the temporary effectiveness of Trump’s executive order and it seems to me that very few will be able to process their requests and will have to wait several months in Tijuana or other border cities.

Now the vast majority have opted for Tijuana and the City authorities say they can only hold the migrants of the Caravan for six days. I sense that very difficult days are approaching for migrants on the Tijuana border.

(Bernardo Méndez is director of América Sin Muros and ex Consul of Mexico).

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