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Border Communities Focus of New Exhibition at San Francisco Main Library

Submitted by the SFPL

 

SAN FRANCISCO, January 14, 2022 – For photographer David Bacon, the border region between the United States and Mexico is a land marked by life and death. Each year, at least 300-400 people die trying to cross into the U.S. in search of a better future for themselves and their families. The border is also bustling with life. The once-small towns of Ciudad Juárez and Tijuana are now home to millions of people, many of whom make up the industrial workforce of Southern California, South Texas and New Mexico. Taken over a period of 30 years, Bacon’s photographs and accompanying text panels, which are presented in English and Spanish, in San Francisco Public Library’s exhibition More Than a Wall explore all aspects of the border region and its vibrant social history. Continuar leyendo en español.

The photographs trace the social movements in border communities, factories and fields. According to Bacon, “These photographs provide a reality check, allowing us to see the border region as its people, with their own history of movements for rights and equality.  By providing this, the exhibition seeks to combat anti-immigrant and anti-Mexican hysteria, and develop an alternative vision in which the border can be a region where people live and work in solidarity with each other.”

The photographs were taken in collaboration with Binational Front of Indigenous Organizations (FIOB), the Coalition for Justice in the Maquiladoras and California Rural Legal Assistance. They are featured in a new bilingual book, More Than a Wall, published by the Colegio de la Frontera Norte in Tijuana.  Bacon’s photographic work is housed in the David Bacon Archive in the Special Collections of the Green Library at Stanford University.

Gaspar Rivera-Salgado, Mixtec professor at UCLA and co-founder of the FIOB, says, “David organically integrates his photographic work with the testimonies of the actors themselves, and provides thorough analysis of critical points in the lives of workers and communities on both sides of the border. The effect is shocking.  But he also describes a future with full sharpness that seems complex and full of possibilities – possibilities we may still not fully imagine.”

The exhibition opens on February 12 in the Main Library’s Jewett Gallery, which is located on the lower level. The public is invited to the opening event, The Media, Art and the Border, which will feature Bacon in conversation with San Francisco artists and photographers about the way the border is represented in media and the arts.

February 12, 1 p.m., Main Library, 100 Larkin Street, Latino/Hispanic Community Room. Per the City’s Health Order, masks are required at all times in the Library.

On view at the Main Library, Jewett Gallery, Feb. 12 – May 22, 2022.

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The cathedral in Mexico that is full of Nazi symbols and baffles everyone

In Mexico there is a temple that disconcerts its visitors due to the presence of Nazi symbols We tell you where it is and what its history is

 

Shared from/by Mexico Desconocido

 

Being the Nazi swastika the most censored symbol by all of humanity, it is not surprising that all those who enter the Tampico Cathedral for the first time are frozen when they see that the floor of the temple is engraved with 141 swastikas. What is the link of the Nazis with this building?

And in the absence of explanations, visitors begin to speculate about the reason why such an infamous insignia related to Hitler, hatred of Jews, racial supremacy and death, is in the most important church in the state. The most common is that the construction of the enclosure was financed by a supporter of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, could it be?

History of the Tampico Cathedral, before the Nazi symbols

According to the documents, the Tampico Cathedral began to be erected in 1841 under the design of Lorenzo de Hidalga and the supervision of the San Carlos Academy. It was completed in 1872. So far, by the dates, we can see that the temple was not made thinking of showing sympathy with the Nazis, since this ideology, with everything and swastika, began to be established from 1920.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves because strong doubts come. In 1917 the central nave of the Tampico Cathedral collapsed, as if that were not enough, a few years later a lightning bolt caused the west tower to fall, both events ended up leaving the temple in ruins. It was then that the controversial oil tycoon from the United States, Edward Doheny, came to the rescue with his money.

With money from Edward Doheny, the floor with Nazi symbols is installed in the Tampico Cathedral

The millionaire financed the construction of new domes, vaults, walls, columns, and of course the floors that are preserved to date, including the one with the 141 swastikas that would have finished being installed in the central corridor of the temple between 1926 and 1931, dates in which the advance of Nazism and fascism was a burning issue in the world.

A few years ago, the former administrator of the Tampico Cathedral, Monsignor Elías Gómez Martínez, denied that the swastikas were placed to pay homage to Adolf Hitler’s National Socialism, but rather that they were placed because the symbol has older positive meanings. And you’re right.

Before Hitler the swastika was better seen by humanity

The swastika was used at least 5,000 years before Hitler did it on his Nazi flag. It comes from the Sanskrit svastika which means “good fortune”. It is also a sacred symbol for Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Odinism.

There are indications that the swastika made a strong comeback in the late 19th century after archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann found it on pottery inside ancient Troy, thereby ascertaining that it was an important religious symbol of the ancient ancestors. Germans.

When they decided not to remove the swastikas from the floor of the Tampico Cathedral

Returning to the case of the swastikas in the central aisle of the Tampico Cathedral, these had the possibility of being removed in the mid-1990s with the permission of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). However, the priests responsible for the temple decided not to do it, as Monsignor Elías Gómez Martínez explained, but why?

On this mystery Edgar González Ruíz, a researcher specialized in the political right in Mexico, offers some light. He explains that the then bishop Rafael Gallardo García did not want to keep the symbols because of his relationship with Nazism, however those who opposed it were the members of the “ultra-Catholic” sector of Tampico society.

It seems that we will have to live with the doubt of whether the 141 swastikas that go from the door to the atrium of the Tampico Cathedral were placed with or without the intention of sympathizing with one of the most hated characters in universal history.

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Vaccinated people who then test positive for COVID; the wave is building

by Jon Rappoport

Jan. 11, 2022

 

An alert reader pointed me to a key statement in a document published by OraSure Technologies, a manufacturer of a rapid COVID test. The document is posted on an FDA web page.

It is titled, “IntellSwab COVID-19 Rapid Test—Healthcare Provider Instructions for Use.”

The key quote occurs in a section headlined, Limitations of the Test:

“Potential cross reactivity of the InteliSwab™ COVID-19 Rapid Test with COVID-19 vaccines or therapeutics has not been evaluated.”

In the medical community, the term “cross reactivity” is universally understood. It means: a test designed to detect whether X is present in a person’s body is, in fact, detecting Y, an entirely irrelevant item, BUT is mistakenly calling it X.

For example, a person had three drinks the night before his test, and the test then came up positive for the presence of a germ, when actually the test was reacting to the alcohol in the drinks.

And in this document I just quoted, the manufacturer readily admits it hasn’t looked into the possibility that the COVID test is reacting to the COVID VACCINE and then mistakenly stating the vaccinated person has THE VIRUS in his body.

So the question is: why hasn’t the manufacturer looked into this cross reactivity issue? The document shows tests for all sorts of other possible cross reactivity.

And the next question is: how can the FDA grant emergency use authorization for this rapid test, when cross reactivity with the vaccine hasn’t been explored?

The manufacturer clearly understands that cross reactivity with the vaccine is a possibility; otherwise they wouldn’t have mentioned it.

Consider this scenario: a person takes the COVID vaccine. He can now go back to work at his office. But his boss wants all employees to keep getting tested. Three weeks later, the vaccinated person takes the test—and because the test DOES cross react with the vaccine, he’s told he’s positive. He has to go home. If he has a cough or a sniffle, he might end up at the doctor, who might direct him to the hospital. At that point, all bets are off. Who knows what highly dangerous and life-threatening treatments (e.g., a breathing ventilator) the hospital might impose—especially since the hospital is receiving federal money for both the diagnosis and treatment of every COVID patient.

In this article, I’m not trying to explain why the test could cross react with the vaccine. All sorts of educated speculations are possible. I’m simply pointing out the existence of rapid COVID tests that have never been examined, thoroughly, for cross-reactivity with the vaccine.

And this is an entirely separate issue from the huge number of deaths and severe injuries directly caused by the vaccine.

Except…it isn’t a separate issue, because, if very large numbers of vaccinated people are then testing positive for COVID, and the positive tests are occurring because of cross-reactivity, this is contributing to the lunatic medical assertion that people must take TOXIC boosters, to ward off the possibility of “catching COVID” after just one or two vaccine injections.

Bottom line: It’s inexcusable and criminal for a public health agency to approve a test that hasn’t been vetted for cross reactivity with a vaccine, when the vaccine has been taken by millions of people.

I’ll give you one educated speculation about cross reactivity. The COVID test is looking for a piece of RNA ASSUMED to be part of “the virus.” The vaccine contains some part of that RNA-piece. Therefore, when the test is run—depending on the sensitivity of the test—many previously vaccinated people are going to be “positive” for “the virus.”

It’s all fun and games—if you consider destruction of lives fun and games.

People who have taken the vaccine, and then are told to get tested, could say, “I want you to guarantee that the test has been thoroughly vetted for cross reactivity with the vaccine. Prove it.”

I’m not saying this argument would fly, legally speaking, because appearing in courts before judges is a roll of the dice; but the employer who ordered the test might back off.

This, however, is definitely NOT a recommendation that anyone should take the vaccine in the first place.

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

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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Spirulina offers benefits for people with Parkinson’s disease

by Joanne Washburn

 

01/13/2022 – Spirulina is a kind of blue-green alga that grows in both fresh and saltwater. Believed to be one of the oldest life forms on Earth, spirulina has been enjoyed by many cultures for thousands of years. The Aztecs of ancient Mesoamerica, for instance, used spirulina to boost their endurance and treat various diseases.

Today, spirulina is hailed as a superfood. It contains many key nutrients, and it has been shown to confer many health benefits. For instance, a study by researchers from India showed that spirulina can increase the lifespan and improve the locomotor activity of rats with symptoms that mimic Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological disorder that causes tremors, slow movement and coordination problems.

Spirulina may help people with Parkinson’s

In their study, the researchers looked at the effects of spirulina treatment on fruit flies. The flies were first exposed to paraquat, a toxic chemical widely used as an herbicide, to induce symptoms similar to those of Parkinson’s disease.

The researchers found that flies treated with spirulina had increased lifespan and locomotor activity, even after they were exposed to paraquat. They attributed spirulina’s beneficial effects to an active component in spirulina called C-phycocyanin (C-PC). C-PC has been studied for its anti-inflammatory effects.

For decades, it has been understood that inflammatory changes occur in the brains of patients with Parkinson’s disease. But only in the last few years has inflammation been viewed as part of the cause of Parkinson’s and not just a result of the disease.

This means that Parkinson’s may start as an abnormal accumulation of proteins in the brain. However, that abnormal accumulation may eventually trigger an inflammatory response that damages the brain and exacerbates Parkinson’s. C-PC in spirulina likely works to combat that inflammatory response.

Overall, the findings suggest that spirulina could be used to improve the lifespan and locomotor behavior of people with Parkinson’s.

More health benefits of spirulina

Due to the presence of powerful compounds like C-PC, spirulina has been linked to other health benefits. These include:

– Provides nutrients – Spirulina contains many essential nutrients, including B vitamins, vitamins C and K, potassium, magnesium and calcium.

– Improves gut health – Previous animal studies suggest that spirulina may preserve healthy gut bacteria as people age.

– Lowers blood sugar – Recent studies have found that spirulina supplementation helps lower fasting blood sugar levels. High fasting blood sugar is a common problem in people with diabetes.

– Lowers cholesterol – Spirulina can lower both total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol. High levels of total and LDL cholesterol can put you at an increased risk of heart problems.

– Boosts metabolism – Metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat into energy. The faster it is, the more calories you burn and the easier it is to lose weight or keep it off. In a small-scale study, people who took six grams of spirulina daily enjoyed beneficial metabolic effects, as well as weight loss and better quality of life.

Spirulina is a nutrient-dense superfood that could help reduce symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Spirulina also offers other health benefits, including reduced cholesterol levels and better blood sugar control. Incorporate spirulina into your daily routine to maintain optimal health and well-being.

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French clothing line under fire for ‘mocking’ Zapotec woman in Oaxaca

Mexican officials said the employees’ behavior undermined indigenous people and communities

 

por Mexico News Daily

 

A French fashion label attacked the dignity of indigenous communities by filming a Zapotec woman dancing in its new clothing line, the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (INPI) charged.

Sézane, a clothing line founded in Paris in 2013, dressed women in their clothes in the market at Teotitlán del Valle, in the Central Valleys region of Oaxaca, on January 8.

In a video uploaded to social media, a publicity team can be seen photographing an elderly indigenous woman against a professional backdrop. One representative encourages the woman to stand up and sway from side to side to a recording of the 1968 Mary Hopkin song, Those Were the Days playing in the background. Several spectators watch the moment, and laughter can be heard in the background of the video.

INPI said in a statement that the behavior of the Sézane representatives “undermines the dignity of [indigenous] peoples and communities and reinforces racist stereotypes about indigenous culture and traditions,” before adding that legal action was being considered. “There will be dialogue with the authorities of Teotitlán and the aggrieved people to undertake a legal action, in accordance with the law.”

The agency demanded companies “cease exploiting indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples and communities as cultural capital since they are not objects of clothing but citizens under public law who possess a vast cultural heritage and traditional knowledge.”

It cited Article 2 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: “Indigenous peoples and individuals are free and equal to all other peoples and individuals and have the right to be free from any kind of discrimination, in the exercise of their rights, in particular that based on their indigenous origin or identity.”

A new piece of legislation in Mexico, Article 21 of the Federal Law on the Protection of the Cultural Heritage of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Peoples and Communities, is set to become law pending presidential approval and aims to protect the “dignity and cultural integrity of indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples.”

Sézane has stores in New York, Madrid, London and France and focuses on vintage styles.

The fashion industry has consistently come under fire in Mexico for the alleged exploitation of indigenous culture and designs. The federal Culture Ministry announced in May, 2021 that it had sent letters to Anthropologie as well as Zara and Patowl for the “improper cultural appropriation” of designs from Oaxaca.

The federal government and other authorities have previously accused several other international brands of plagiarizing indigenous Mexican designs. Among them are Zimmerman, Isabel Marant, Carolina Herrera, Mango and Pippa Holt.

With reports from El Universal 

https://twitter.com/i/status/1480439186327015428

 

Indigenous languages support seen as low priority for federal government

Federal government wants to incorporate 2 federal indigenous support agencies into 1

A proposal to incorporate the National Institute of Indigenous Languages (INALI) into the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (INPI) shows that protecting native tongues is not a priority for the federal government, according to Mexico’s representative to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII).

The office of President López Obrador is proposing that the INALI, which was established in 2005, become part of the INPI, which was created by the current government in 2018 but continues the work of the now-defunct National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples.

Irma Pineda, a Zapotec poet from Oaxaca who began her term as a representative to the UNPFII at the start of 2020, told the newspaper Milenio that the proposal would have an adverse effect on the former institute and goes against Mexico’s support for indigenous languages via the United Nations, which declared the period between 2022 and 2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages.

“[INALI] would have less ability to design and establish linguistic policies at the national level,” she said.

“All this is regrettable, …  [the proposal sends] a very bad message to indigenous people because it says that indigenous languages don’t matter much or they’re not a priority or that languages will be allowed to disappear,” Pineda said.

She noted that López Obrador participated in an indigenous cleansing ceremony on the day of his inauguration as president but his administration is now sending “very contradictory” messages with regard to its support for the nation’s indigenous people.

Pineda asserted that the INALI would face additional budget cuts as well as staffing cuts if it is absorbed into the INPI. She also claimed that the policy areas over which it has influence will be reduced.

Fernando Nava, the director and founder of the INALI, also opposes the plan to make the institute part of the INPI.

“In Mexico, we took a long time to give a special place to indigenous languages, and in less than 20 years, the institute is losing its autonomy,” he said.

The government’s proposal is indicative of a “sociopolitical disinterest” in indigenous languages, Nava said.

“At the beginning of the decade, attention to and the budget of the institutional space dedicated to languages was reduced,” he said.

More than 60 indigenous languages are spoken in Mexico, but many are considered endangered.

Practices such as Castilianization, which aim to convert speakers of an indigenous language to Spanish speakers, continue to exist in the state of Chiapas and exacerbate the risk of native languages disappearing, researchers from Western Kentucky University said last year after commissioning a survey in Mexico that included questions related to indigenous issues.

With reports from Milenio

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They denounce that López Obrador’s party is preparing bills against the Church in Mexico

by David Ramos

ACI Press

 

The CitizenGO platform denounced that the Morena party, of the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, is preparing a series of bills with which they “go against the Church with everything.”

In an email sent to its subscribers, CitizenGO pointed out that “through five legislative projects”, members of López Obrador’s party “basically what they want is to criminalize those who do not think like them.”

The pro-life and pro-family platform pointed out that the package of legislative projects that are already under discussion in the Chamber of Deputies of the Congress of the Union, Mexico’s federal legislative body, “includes an initiative with a draft decree by which section IV of article 29 of the Law on Religious Associations and Public Worship is reformed”.

With this reform, he warned, the aim is to “expressly punish religious associations or ministers of worship, when they express expressions or acts of discrimination against people, particularly in the case of those acts of discrimination against people for reasons of their sexual identity or gender expression.

“The proposal contemplates avoiding ‘any attack or discrimination from religious organizations and their agents,'” CitizenGO continued, questioning: “Who do they consider their agents? To all of us who agree and assume the positions of the religious?

Another of the legislative projects, CitizenGO pointed out, seeks to add “a section XII Bis to article 29 of the Law of Religious Associations and Public Worship, ‘to sanction with the loss of registration as a religious association, those associations that hide or cover up ministers of cult who have committed acts of pederasty and violence against women’”.

The bills are promoted from Morena by the lesbian deputy Reyna Celeste Ascencio Ortega and the transgender deputies Salma Luévano Luna and María Clementa García.

For CitizenGO, “in addition to the failure in insecurity; of the failure in dealing with the pandemic and the economic failure that we Mexicans suffer, the radicals of Morena want to pay for the division and rancor.”

More than five thousand people have signed CitizenGO’s “NO to legalization of political persecution” campaign. To join, you can go to: https://citizengo.org/es-mx/205898-no-legalizacion-persecucion-politica.

 

Government to expropriate 198 private properties for Maya Train

Some of the properties, which are located in northern Quintana Roo, are owned by hotels

 

The federal government has declared its intention to expropriate 198 privately owned properties for the construction of the Maya Train railroad in Quintana Roo, raising concern among local authorities and the business community.

In a notice published in its official gazette on Monday, the government said it intended to expropriate properties of “public utility” in the municipalities of Benito Juárez (Cancún), Puerto Morelos and Solidaridad (Playa del Carmen). Mexico News Daily.

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Back to campus under COVID: Students reflect on an unusual semester

by Juhi Doshi, Itzel Luna, and Stephanie Zappelli

Calmatters

 

Back to normal life — sort of.

With COVID-19 vaccines widely available, California colleges welcomed students back for a mix of in-person and online classes this fall. After months of studying virtually from childhood bedrooms and other remote locations, students could once again ask questions of professors face to face and socialize with their peers IRL.

The transition didn’t always go smoothly.

Some students struggled to find affordable housing. Others discovered they actually preferred online classes — especially when trying to juggle work with school. And policies around vaccines and other coronavirus safety measures were sometimes confusing and unevenly enforced. Still, many said the chance to connect with other students in person was worth the strife, whether that meant putting on a theater performance together or simply studying side by side.

Reporters with the CalMatters College Journalism Network spoke with students from around the state about their experience returning to campus this fall — the highs, the lows, and the just plain weird. (Comments have been edited for length and clarity.)

 

Analí Salazar, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Junior transfer student, studying mechanical engineering

I’m a transfer from Santa Barbara City College. Going from a school where we had an environment where it was all people of color, all coming from similar backgrounds, to coming to a campus where everyone’s white, it’s definitely a transition to say the least. I have a friend in my class who I know from City College, and he also speaks Spanish. We’ll be in our welding class, speaking in Spanish, and we’ll be yelling at each other in Spanish because that’s how we are, and everyone is staring at us, like, “What are they saying?”

It’s been funny in that circumstance, but it’s definitely different in the aspect of walking around campus and then seeing a huge group of frat boys walking towards me. I am a small person. I am a five-foot little brown girl. So seeing a huge group of, like, 6’3” white frat men — not a great feeling. That’s been the biggest difference, being in an environment where I don’t know if I’m ok. They could be the nicest people ever, but also, you have no idea, because of how many incidents so many frats have had.

— Interviewed by Stephanie Zappelli

 

Airin Valdez, Stanford University

Freshman, major undecided

As a first-generation student, I did not feel adequately prepared for college-level work, especially at a school like Stanford.

My whole senior year (of high school) was online learning. It was very difficult to not only learn the material but have to teach myself the content since personally I’m more of a visual and tactile learner. Having to balance school work and home responsibilities also made my online experience challenging. I’m the oldest of three children. My brother was a freshman in high school so I had to help him a lot with homework and also my younger sister, who is in middle school. I also had to help around the house.

I am very happy to transition onto on-campus life since I have the opportunity to experience my first year of college in-person, but after a year of online learning, it’s very difficult and so different. I often feel behind compared to my peers who have more resources or had the opportunity to be exposed to content that is completely new to me.

A way the university has helped with this transition has been having programs in place for students that are first-generation and low-income, like me. I was able to come onto campus early during the summer and take a math and English class to develop my skills. But their support is very continuous, not just during the summer but also now during the school year — like being able to speak with an academic advisor who specifically works with first-generation and low-income students.

— Interviewed by Itzel Luna

 

Jeevan Acharya, Chapman University

Senior film production and computer science major

We shot my thesis October 17th weekend, and the weekend after. My thesis is about a newlywed, reserved, Indian-American woman who risked being excommunicated from her and her husband’s family after they see her in a provocative commercial while on vacation in Mexico.

The biggest part about (the production) was adapting as the situation was changing. And every week, we had to update our (COVID-19) guidelines to make sure everybody was safe. If you have holes in there, your production could get shut down. So any minor things are taken pretty seriously.

My freshman and sophomore year — before COVID happened — I had a lot of experience on set. But a lot of those positions weren’t in key roles —they were kind of learning and being an understudy of those key positions. And your Advanced Production comes at a crucial time where you step from those smaller positions into those larger roles, and you carry a lot more responsibility on your shoulders.

The way I prepared for it was a lot of counsel with my advisors, and just kind of trusting the process, having faith in myself that I would deliver in the end. I feel like that’s a really hard thing for creative people, and especially art students to do: to trust what they’re doing, really believe in themselves 100 percent, and have faith that it’s going to turn out the way you want it if you put the work in.

Having time to really mold the film into what I want is just such a huge stress reliever. Over the summer it was almost like this looming shadow over my head. And now that it’s done, it’s like, I see brighter days.

— Interviewed by Juhi Doshi

Doshi, Forschen, Luna, Mendez, Taylor, Vargas and Zappelli are fellows with the CalMatters College Journalism Network, a collaboration between CalMatters and student journalists from across California. This story and other higher education coverage are supported by the College Futures Foundation. 

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They denounce that López Obrador’s party is preparing bills against the Church in Mexico

by David Ramos

ACI Press

The CitizenGO platform denounced that the Morena party, of the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, is preparing a series of bills with which they “go against the Church with everything.”

In an email sent to its subscribers, CitizenGO pointed out that “through five legislative projects”, members of López Obrador’s party “basically what they want is to criminalize those who do not think like them.”

The pro-life and pro-family platform pointed out that the package of legislative projects that are already under discussion in the Chamber of Deputies of the Congress of the Union, Mexico’s federal legislative body, “includes an initiative with a draft decree by which section IV of article 29 of the Law on Religious Associations and Public Worship is reformed”.

With this reform, he warned, the aim is to “expressly punish religious associations or ministers of worship, when they express expressions or acts of discrimination against people, particularly in the case of those acts of discrimination against people for reasons of their sexual identity or gender expression.

“The proposal contemplates avoiding ‘any attack or discrimination from religious organizations and their agents,'” CitizenGO continued, questioning: “Who do they consider their agents? To all of us who agree and assume the positions of the religious?

Another of the legislative projects, CitizenGO pointed out, seeks to add “a section XII Bis to article 29 of the Law of Religious Associations and Public Worship, ‘to sanction with the loss of registration as a religious association, those associations that hide or cover up ministers of cult who have committed acts of pederasty and violence against women’”.

The bills are promoted from Morena by the lesbian deputy Reyna Celeste Ascencio Ortega and the transgender deputies Salma Luévano Luna and María Clementa García.

For CitizenGO, “in addition to the failure in insecurity; of the failure in dealing with the pandemic and the economic failure that we Mexicans suffer, the radicals of Morena want to pay for the division and rancor.”

More than five thousand people have signed CitizenGO’s “NO to legalization of political persecution” campaign. To join, you can go to: https://citizengo.org/es-mx/205898-no-legalizacion-persecucion-politica.

Government to expropriate 198 private properties for Maya Train

Some of the properties, which are located in northern Quintana Roo, are owned by hotels

The federal government has declared its intention to expropriate 198 privately owned properties for the construction of the Maya Train railroad in Quintana Roo, raising concern among local authorities and the business community.

In a notice published in its official gazette on Monday, the government said it intended to expropriate properties of “public utility” in the municipalities of Benito Juárez (Cancún), Puerto Morelos and Solidaridad (Playa del Carmen). Mexico News Daily.

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Philanthropic Grants and Donations Addressed Needs Related to Racial Equality and Economic Opportunity

Bank of America Awards $2.2 million to Silicon Valley Community Partners in 2021

 

Submitted by Cheryl Reiss

Stories Matter

 

San José, Calif. – As part of its commitment to strengthening communities by addressing critical needs that help advance racial equality and economic opportunity, Bank of America awarded a total of $2.2 million to local nonprofits across Silicon Valley in 2021.

Bank of America’s local giving was directed towards health, jobs, small business support and affordable housing.  Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, LifeMoves, Destination Home, JobTrain, NPower, Latino Business Action Network and The Housing Trust of Silicon Valley are some of the community partners receiving support last year.

In addition to philanthropic capital, Bank of America donated nearly one million pieces of personal protective equipment including masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer to non-profit partners in the region. Bank employees volunteered over 10,000 hours locally.

“While the pandemic has taken a significant toll on every person, there’s no doubt it has had a disproportionate impact on the communities already grappling with the effects of economic and social inequality. The private sector has a responsibility to provide support that can serve as a catalyst to help advance equity and economic opportunity for everyone,” said Raquel González, President, Bank of America Silicon Valley.

As an essential business, Bank of America also invested in the health and economic stability of its own teammates in 2021 by raising its minimum hourly pay to $21 as a next step in the company’s plans to increase hourly pay to $25 by 2025.

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JPMorgan Chase survey results on growth

JPMorgan Chase Survey Results: Businesses Set Their Sights on Growth in 2022 Despite Ongoing Supply Chain and Cost-Related Challenges

 

Summitted by JPMorgan Chase

 

  • Companies express increased optimism for their business performance and broader economic outlooks
  • Jumps in revenue and credit needs expected as businesses address challenges and focus on growth plans

 

January 5, 2022 –Small and midsize U.S. business leaders remain confident in their companies and resourceful in their approaches to confronting macroeconomic challenges that have created growing pains over the last year, finds JPMorgan Chase’s 2022 Business Leaders Outlook Survey released today.

As a new year begins, the majority of business leaders are feeling upbeat: 83% of midsize and 71% of small businesses are optimistic about their own performance in 2022, up from 77% and 63% one year ago, respectively.

Black and Hispanic and Latino small business owners report their biggest challenge has been shifting consumer habits due to COVID-19 (26% & 37%, respectively)

A significantly greater number of Black and Latino business owners are planning all types of changes to their physical space compared to other small business owners in total.

Optimism, especially among Black business owners remains strong, with a higher percentage expecting increases in revenue, sales and profits in the year ahead compared to the national average.

And while both Hispanic and Latino and Black business owners have high expectations for the future, there is significant concern when it comes to finding quality workers.

Both groups are trying multiple approaches (i.e., increased wages and benefits, upskilling/training, improved infrastructure) to attract qualified candidates, more so than all other groups of small business owners.

Business leaders also have increased optimism around their industry performance and local, national and global economic outlooks compared to the start of 2021.

Despite continued uncertainty posed by COVID-19, businesses are setting their expectations high, with 81% of midsize businesses and 63% of small businesses anticipating revenue and sales growth in the year ahead.

In line with these expansion plans, more than 4 in 10 of those surveyed expect credit needs to increase in 2022, representing the highest percentages recorded in the last five years.

“Businesses have been key accelerators of the continued economic recovery through their resolve and ingenuity in finding new ways to deliver products and services to their customers,” said Jim Glassman, head economist, JPMorgan Chase Commercial Banking. “They now have a stronger sense of how to remain competitive in the current economic landscape, which should allow them to build on last year’s momentum.”

More than half (53%) of midsize businesses are operating at least at the same capacity as they were before the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly one-third (31%) now running at a greater capacity than their pre-pandemic levels, indicating that some businesses have leaned into the disruption and continued to grow. Seventy percent have also seen profits return to or exceed pre-pandemic levels. The return to pre-pandemic productivity is on track to continue as 9 out of 10 midsize businesses expect to grow in 2022, with the most common growth drivers including expansion into new markets or geographies, innovation or diversification in product and services and increased consumer demand.

Navigating Economic & Operational Challenges

The achievements of the last year have not come easy, as businesses of all sizes have had to navigate an uncertain and obstacle-ridden operating environment. Below are the top three challenges cited by small and midsize business leaders.

 

Business Leaders’ Top Challenges
Small Businesses Midsize Businesses
Economic uncertainty Labor shortage
Inflation Ongoing supply chain issues
Shifting consumer habits due to COVID-19 Higher cost of doing business

 

In response to today’s challenges, small and midsize businesses have made changes to their business models, including:

  • Supply Chain Workarounds: To alleviate supply chain disruptions, nearly two-thirds (65%) of midsize businesses have used strategic stockpiling and over half (51%) have added suppliers from new geographies. A significant number have also allocated more funds to cover increased costs related to moving products (48%), changed materials or manufacturing processes (32%) and replaced or stopped doing business with certain suppliers (30%).
  • Employee Incentives: In response to recruiting and hiring concerns, a staggering 81% of midsize businesses and 38% of small businesses have or plan to increase wages. Flexibility is also a key consideration for many business leaders, with 45% of midsize businesses having or planning to give employees flexibility on where they work and 40% of small businesses already offering  or planning to offer employees more flexible hours. To retain staff, small businesses have boosted their employee benefits, such as health insurance (61%) and 401K programs (37%).
  • New Consumer Channels: While small businesses are concerned about how shifting consumer preferences due to COVID-19 will impact them, they are increasingly taking action to reach consumers via digital channels. Nearly one-quarter (24%) of small businesses have implemented more contactless payment options and 22% have increased selling on social media platforms. In the year ahead, 19% expect to move to a nearly 100% e-commerce model, up from 12% one year ago.

“Businesses today are eager to grow, but are having to navigate the reality of not being able to fill open roles quickly enough and dealing with disruptions in their supply chain that are slowing them down,” said John Simmons, head of Middle Market Banking & Specialized Industries, JPMorgan Chase Commercial Banking. “At the same time, it’s encouraging to see companies’ adaptability and the pivots they’ve made to push through major pain points. I’m inspired everyday by the grit and ingenuity of America’s business leaders, who have continued to shine throughout the pressures of the past 18-plus months.”

The Financial Needs of Small Businesses

In the year ahead, small business leaders are increasingly seeking new ways of financing and funding. Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) report planning or needing financing in 2022, up from 59% a year ago, with software systems and development being the greatest need (23%). To help fund their purchases, nearly half of small businesses plan to use business credit cards (48%), up from 38% a year ago, with line of credit funding being the next most common funding method. A growing number of small businesses (68%) also plan to explore online lending options, up from 56% a year ago.

“We’re pleased to see that small business owners’ confidence level is improving,” said Ben Walter, CEO, Chase Business Banking. “Challenges remain, but our clients are resilient and we are proud to support them as they navigate supply shortages, adapt to shifting local safety requirements, and find creative ways to hire employees in a tight labor market. As confidence improves, we see a greater need for credit, and Chase stands ready to help.”

New Year, New Considerations

Businesses should consider the following as they plan for 2022:

  1. Embrace Uncertainty: Resilience has been essential to businesses’ survival and success throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, as demonstrated by the survey, making it all the more important for them to examine how they’re deploying their cybersecurity defenses, becoming more agile and digital-savvy, and attracting, retaining and supporting their employees for years to come. Learn more here.
  2. Remain Patient: As painful as supply chain bottlenecks and rising costs currently are, the flow of goods could return to more normal levels in the coming months as manufacturers ramp up production and demand for goods eases, in turn helping reduce inflationary pressures. Until then, businesses that utilize strategic stockpiling and look to add suppliers from new geographies may be ahead of the curve. Learn more here.
  3. Consider ESG: Even for small and midsize businesses, examining which environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors are core to their mission and considering reporting on their ESG efforts can help build a well-defined company culture and improve employee retention, particularly in a competitive hiring environment. Learn more about building an ESG framework here.

For more information on the Business Leaders Outlook, please view the midsize and small business reports.

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