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Top 7 reasons to eat oatmeal for breakfast

by Joanne Washburn

 

Oats are a great breakfast option. Prepared as oatmeal, these filling and nutritious grains offer some major health benefits thanks to their fiber, protein, calcium, thiamine, iron and other essential nutrients.

This incredible nutritional profile shouldn’t come as a surprise since oats are among the healthiest grains on earth. Plus, these gluten-free grains are a great source of antioxidants that can help fight chronic diseases.

Reasons to eat oatmeal

Let’s face it: plain old oatmeal isn’t the best breakfast food because of its blandness and texture. But don’t let that keep you from avoiding it altogether. Numerous studies attest to oatmeal’s reported health benefits. Plus, there are tons of recipes out there to help you get around that boring milk-and-oats combo.

– Oats support heart health – The soluble fiber in oats signal the liver to get rid of all that bad cholesterol in the bloodstream. This kind of cholesterol can clog our arteries and heighten our risk of heart disease. In addition, antioxidants in oats, such as avenanthramides, can fight chronic inflammation linked to heart disease.

– Oats boost the immune system – Oats are immune-boosting foods. Their beneficial effects on the immune system are all thanks to their natural sugars, called beta-glucans. These sugars help boost our infection-fighting immune cells. Minerals like selenium and zinc in oats are also essential nutrients for fighting infection and disease.

– Oats help keep blood sugar stable – Besides reducing bad cholesterol, beta-glucans also aid in regulating blood sugar. Numerous studies also confirm that soluble fiber in high-fiber foods stalls the digestion of food in the intestine, thus keeping blood sugar from spiking after a meal. In fact, recent research suggests that oats intake has a beneficial effect on glucose control in diabetic patients.

– Oats regulate appetite – The fiber in oats helps keep us feeling full for longer periods. In fact, just half a cup of oats should keep us full until the next meal.

– Oats support gut health – Fiber-rich oats also make it easier to pass stool, thus minimizing the risk of constipation. In addition, increased fiber intake is linked to a reduced risk of colon cancer.

– Oats make for a balanced breakfast – One cup of cooked oatmeal contains about 150 calories, four grams of fiber (soluble and insoluble) and six grams of protein. Oats are also often cooked in butter or milk to increase their protein and nutrient content.

– Oats can be incorporated into other dishes – Shocking as it might sound, oats aren’t just for making oatmeal. These gluten-free grains can be combined or paired with other foods, including fruits, salad greens, spices and even last night’s leftovers.

Oatmeal recipe for breakfast

The classic milk-and-oats combo can get tiring after some time. But instead of grabbing some other food for breakfast, use these recipes instead for a fun spin on the classic oatmeal.

Steel-cut oatmeal

Steel-cut oats, or Irish oatmeal as it is also called, are perhaps the closest you can get to the original, unprocessed oat groat. These oats are the perfect building block for an ultra-nutritious breakfast.

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups boiling water
  • 1 cup steel-cut oats
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon low-fat buttermilk
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation:

  1. In a large saucepot, melt the butter, then add the oats.
  2. Stir for 2 minutes or until the oats are toasted.
  3. Pour in the boiling water and reduce the heat to a simmer.
  4. Keep it at a low simmer for 25 minutes without stirring.
  5. Pour in the milk and half of the buttermilk with the oatmeal.
  6. Stir to combine and cook for 10 minutes.
  7. Transfer the oatmeal onto a bowl and top with the remaining buttermilk, sugar and cinnamon.
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Here’s a good reason to switch to the Mediterranean diet: It helps prevent cancer, says study

by Skye Anderson

 

The Mediterranean diet is an eating plan that gained popularity worldwide in the 1990s. Although the very first study mentioning its health benefits was published in 1978, the Mediterranean diet didn’t attract public attention until it began featuring in books and other mainstream media as a diet that promotes weight loss.

Today, the Mediterranean diet is considered one of the healthiest — if not THE healthiest — diets in the world. Many studies have emerged promoting the health benefits of this eating pattern, which include, above all things, a longer lifespan. The longevity enjoyed by people who follow this eating pattern is attributed by researchers to a lower risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity and cancer.

In a recent article written by Italian researchers, they reviewed published literature about the Mediterranean diet and how it could help reduce the risk of certain cancers. Given the wide variety of foods associated with the Mediterranean diet, the researchers specifically addressed the lack of current information about which components of the diet can help prevent the development of cancer.

Facts about the Mediterranean diet

Back in the 1950s, researchers noticed that blood cholesterol levels and heart attack rates varied widely between countries with different diets. Formal studies conducted in Finland, Greece and Italy, on the other hand, reported that certain foods and eating patterns may have a favorable effect on disease rates. These findings convinced a physiologist from Minnesota named Ancel Keys to conduct a large study now known as The Seven Countries Study.

The Seven Countries Study was built on the assumption that the physical characteristics and lifestyles of different populations, particularly the amount of fat in their diet and their blood cholesterol levels, have a huge impact on their risk of coronary heart disease. To explore these associations, Keys brought together researchers from all over the world. Their collaborative effort involved populations in countries with traditional eating patterns and lifestyles, such as Finland, Greece, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, the former Yugoslavia and the United States.

One of the most significant findings reported by The Seven Countries Study was the existence of dietary patterns that contributed to good health and long life. Keys and his colleagues reported that diets prevalent in the Mediterranean as well as in Japan in the 1960s were not only associated with low rates of coronary heart disease but also of all-cause mortality. In addition, they noted that together with a healthy lifestyle, which included sufficient physical activity, no smoking and only moderate alcohol consumption, this healthy diet, now known as the Mediterranean diet, also delayed cognitive decline and decreased the risk of depression among the elderly.

After decades of studying the Mediterranean diet and its benefits, modern researchers have concluded that there is no one right way of following this eating pattern. There are, however, certain foods that should be more prominent in meals and foods that should be avoided or eaten in very limited amounts. Here are the foods that should be included in a Mediterranean diet:

– Fresh fruits and vegetables

– Nuts

– Seeds

– Legumes

– Whole grains

– Herbs

– Spices

– Fish and other seafood

– Bread

– Extra-virgin olive oil

Foods that should be eaten in moderation include poultry, eggs, cheese and yogurt. A glass of red wine a day is considered acceptable. Red meat, on the other hand, should only be eaten occasionally.

Foods that have no place in the Mediterranean diet include the following:

– Refined grains like white bread and pasta made from refined wheat

– Refined oils live canola oil and cottonseed oil

– Processed meats like sausages, hot dogs and bacon

– Sugar-laden foods like ice cream, candies, pastries and sodas

– Highly processed foods that contain trans fats

Following the Mediterranean diet can lower your risk of certain cancers

For their review, the researchers conducted a thorough analysis of studies published within the last 10 years on the Mediterranean diet and its impact on cancer risk. They noted that the combination of foods included in this eating plan, as well as their abundance of essential nutrients and active plant components, are what’s responsible for the Mediterranean diet’s numerous health benefits.

According to multiple studies, adhering to a Mediterranean diet is one of the best ways to protect yourself against cancer. The Italian researchers found that high intake of olive oil, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables, can greatly lower cancer risk because they are rich in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients. These beneficial components can fight inflammation-causing oxidative stress, which is linked to the onset of different cancers, such as those of the breast, lungs, prostate, stomach, bladder, ovaries, head and neck, biliary tract, rectum and colon.

“Given its protective effects in reducing oxidative and inflammatory processes … and [preventing] DNA [damage], [cancer] cell proliferation and survival, angiogenesis, [inflammation] and [cancer] metastasis, the Mediterranean diet is … a powerful and manageable method [that can] fight cancer,” the researchers concluded in their report, which appeared in the journal Nutrients.

The benefits of the Mediterranean diet include not just better heart health, but also protection from life-threatening diseases like cancer. These protective effects are thanks to plant-based foods, which are excellent sources of beneficial plant nutrients. These phytonutrients include antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds that can protect cells and DNA from damage caused by harmful free radicals. Research suggests that oxidative damage to both triggers the development of cancer.

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New political movement seeks greater citizen participation

‘The citizens of Mexico must take the future in their hands:’ Sí por México

 

by Mexico News Daily

 

A new political movement opposed to the government of President López Obrador will be formally launched on Oct.s 20.

Sí por México (Yes for Mexico) is committed to combatting corruption and ending polarization fostered by the president, among other goals, according to a document posted on Twitter by Gustavo de Hoyos, president of the Mexican Employers Federation (Coparmex).

His publication of the document came hours after López Obrador said at his morning news conference that a new opposition movement was being formed. The president claimed that Claudio X. González, a businessman, and de Hoyos would head up the opposition group, which he likened to the National Anti-AMLO Front, or Frenaaa, which last month set up a protest camp in Mexico City’s main square.

“[It will be a] Frenaaa 2,” said López Obrador, best known as AMLO.

The document posted by the Coparmex chief began with a question: “What bothers you Mr. President? That citizens are organizing? That there are people who think differently?”

It confirmed that Sí por México was indeed organizing.

“We don’t want to return to how things were before but nor can we remain as we are. The citizens of Mexico must take the future of Mexico in their hands,” the document said.

“On October 20, 2020, we will begin our campaign: yes to citizens’ causes, yes to dialogue and unity, yes to the right to think differently, yes to a fairer Mexico, yes to the head-on combat of corruption, yes to listening to each other, especially others,” Sí por México said.

“This is not the movement of a single person nor two or three. Today there are at least 100 organizations supporting Sí [por México]. The people you mentioned are participating like any other organization; they’re not the bosses. … There are dozens of organizations and thousands of people behind and in front of Sí.”

Sí por México says it is a community of people and organizations that believes that “another Mexico is possible.”

“We are convinced that citizens’ participation is the best path we have to achieve the change the country has been seeking for decades,” the document said.

“Our mission is to break down the walls that separate citizens from politics and to place the great causes of citizens at the center of the political discussion … so that politicians work for the causes of citizens …”

Sí por México said it aimed to achieve its goals with a three-point plan.

“Firstly, we’re going to propose a great national agenda,” the organization said, adding that it would seek to put an end to polarization, “sterile debates” and fights between politicians.

Secondly, a “new majority” will be built around Sí por México, the document said. “We’re going to promote the proposals of Sí in every corner of the country and we’re going to join together all the organizations and people who are willing to work for a Mexico where everyone has a place.”

“… We’re going to show the government and the political parties that we are the difference between winning and losing elections; that they need us given that their duty is to work for the citizens.”

Thirdly, Sí por México said it would “challenge” political parties to adopt its proposals, asserting that a party can win our vote with a “real commitment” to them.

“We’re going to demand that they commit to our agenda in the lead-up to the next elections [in 2021] and we are going to be vigilant [to ensure that] whoever wins complies with their agreements. We’re not going to wait passively for them to come and ask for our vote, we’re going to be active so that they are accountable and win our support.”

The names of about 90 organizations appear on the document. Although de Hoyos published it on his Twitter account, Coparmex is not one of them.

Speaking at his news conference on Thursday morning, López Obrador said the formation of Sí por México was part of a plan by “organic intellectuals” to bring together opponents to his government in the lead-up to the elections, at which the lower house of federal Congress will be renewed and new municipal and state representatives will be elected.

“It’s OK, they’re within their rights and all their freedoms are guaranteed,” he said.

Despite that pledge the president, after reading a different document he attributed to Sí por México, took a moment to mock the group, saying sarcastically: “I am moved, they are so sincere.”

Source: Sin Embargo (sp), Animal Político (sp), Forbes México (sp) 

 

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Postpone new refinery, direct resources to essential activities: IMF  

The fund also urged more fiscal support to reduce economic effects of coronavirus

by Mexico News Daily

 

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recommended that construction of the new oil refinery on the Tabasco coast be postponed.

In a concluding statement after an official staff visit to Mexico, the IMF said that Pemex’s business strategy, including construction of the Dos Bocas refinery, is “crowding out resources for essential spending.”

Given the state oil company’s “widening losses,” it is advisable that it focus production only in profitable fields, the organization said.

Many analysts have criticized the plan to build the US $8-billion refinery on the grounds that it diverts resources from Pemex’s more profitable exploration business.

To improve its financial position, the state-run company, which has debt in excess of US $100 billion, should “sell non-core assets, curb plans to increase refining output at a loss and postpone new refinery plans …” the IMF said.

It recommended that Pemex partner with private firms, asserting that doing so would supply “needed capital and know-how.”

The government has been criticized for not allowing Pemex to enter into new joint ventures known as farm-outs with private companies.

In its concluding statement, the IMF also noted that the coronavirus pandemic “has exacted a tragic human, social and economic toll on Mexico.”

Given the coronavirus-induced economic downturn, Mexico needs more near-term fiscal support, the organization said.

“The [Mexican] authorities are providing very modest near-term direct fiscal support. They increased health spending and direct budget support to households and firms by 0.7 percent of GDP. However, this compares with over 3 percent of GDP support among G20 emerging markets,” the IMF said.

“To stem the decline in economic activity and rise in poverty, Mexico would benefit from higher temporary near-term fiscal support of 2½–3½ percent of GDP (relative to pre-pandemic policy settings). Mexico has some fiscal space and enjoys comfortable market access that could be used during these difficult times.”

The IMF also said that there “appears to be room for further monetary easing,” even though the central bank has cut interest rates seven times this year, lowering the Bank of México’s benchmark rate from 7.25 percent at the start of 2020 to 4.25 percent.

Lower interest rates would provide further relief to the economy, “with likely limited risk to external financial stability,” the monetary fund said.

“A lower cost of borrowing would help reduce debt servicing pressures, especially among weaker borrowers, possibly boost investment, and increase the marginal attractiveness of the credit facilities of the central bank.”

Farmers to stop military burning poppies; it’s their only source of income

They say authorities have failed to deliver on promises of education, health and road improvements

Residents of 33 communities in Guerrero have pledged that they will not allow the military to destroy their opium poppy plantations.

Townsfolk from the municipalities of Helidoro Castillo and San Miguel Totolapan who say that cultivating poppies provides them with their only source of income signed a document in early June in which they committed to defending their plants in the face of destruction by the army, which routinely burns fields of the illicit crop.

At a meeting in Helidoro Castillo on Sunday, leaders from the 33 communities agreed that if they don’t receive a commitment from federal authorities that their poppies will be respected, they will block highways in Guerrero.

In video footage of the meeting, one of the town commissioners proposes blocking the Acapulco-Zihuatanejo highway and the one linking Chilpancingo and Iguala.

Another town commissioner said municipal, state and federal authorities have failed to fulfill promises in the areas of education, health and construction of roads. “The truth is we’re forgotten,” he said.

According to a report by the newspaper Reforma, the community leaders warned that if something untoward happens to a military fumigation helicopter or to military personnel deployed to destroy poppies, it will not be their fault but rather that of the federal government.

In the June document, the residents pledge to defend their “work” until the government provides them with financial assistance that allows them to maintain their families.

“We are determined to prevent our poppy plantations from being destroyed whether it is by air or land,” the document said.

Reforma reported that the protest tactics of farmers from the Sierra region of Guerrero, some of whom have been growing opium poppies for decades, have become more radical, noting that residents of one Helidoro Castillo community detained a group of 40 soldiers in April last year to demand that they halt operations to destroy poppies.

Farmers from the Sierra region have also detained soldiers and police to demand that the government distribute free fertilizer.

Farmers say they use state-supplied fertilizer for crops such as corn, beans and squash. But federal and state authorities have detected that most farmers use the fertilizer for illicit crops, including opium.

Source: Reforma (sp).

 

Doña María, 103, wins 11-day battle against coronavirus

She always maintained a sunny disposition and was proactive about her care, the hospital said

A 103-year-old Jalisco woman has beat Covid-19 after 11 days in the hospital battling the deadly coronavirus.

The woman, identified only as Doña María, left a public hospital in Jalisco Friday healthy, with a smile on her face, and to thunderous applause from the hospital’s staff.

“The whole time she was very animated, aware, talking with the doctors,” reported David Sánchez González, the hospital’s director. “At the end, she told us to take care of ourselves.”

The centenarian was admitted to the hospital September 22 after being referred there by her medical clinic, where she presented with a fever and difficulty breathing. According to Sánchez, she was likely the oldest coronavirus patient that the Mexican Institute of Social Security in Jalisco has ever treated.

Doña María arrived at the hospital with a preexisting condition, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which she developed from years of being exposed to wood smoke while cooking.

But she did not have other risk factors like diabetes, hypertension, or obesity, a fact which probably explained why she responded well to treatment, said Sánchez. She never needed to be on a ventilator.

“She’s the mother of five children and, really, is quite healthy, besides the pulmonary condition, which makes her dependent on portable oxygen,” he said, adding that she always maintained a sunny disposition and was proactive about her care.

Each Covid-19 case brings doctors at the hospital unique lessons, Sánchez said, but Doña María’s is one that has really motivated staff, “because we feel like what we’re doing matters.”

Sources: Milenio (sp)

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Mexico bans global brands’ dairy products for breaching standards

by the El Reportero‘s wire services

 

Mexico, Oct 14 – It is inadvisable to consume yogurt and cheeses in Mexico, as they are anything but dairy and, consequently, Mexico’s Economy Ministry and Federal Consumer Prosecutor’s Office (PROFECO) on Wednesday ordered to ban their sale. This was announced by Economy Minister Graciela Marquez and Ricardo Sheffield, from POFECO, who claim to have verified that a great number of dairy products called as ‘cheese’ and ‘natural yogurt’ do not meet the Official Mexican Standards.

Both leaders said its marketing is carried out to the detriment and with information, which can mislead consumers, and ordered the immediate ban of its marketing to many brands.

These two products (cheese and yogurt) violate the ‘100 percent milk’ nutrition fact; add vegetable fat to replace the dairy they should contain in their preparation, provide a lower grammage than that declared on the label as ‘net content’ and do not show the percentage of use of caseinates for the cheese processing.

The most popular cheese brands that were banned from sale are, among others, Caperucita, Cuadritos, Frankly, El Parral, Walter, Sargento and Burr.

Peasants announce protests against ‘Banana Law’ in Honduras

Representatives of several peasant organizations in Honduras announced protests against the so-called ‘Banana Law’, which currently favors domestic and international private capital in the agricultural sector.

According to the peasants, the decree represents a setback for the agrarian conquests obtained in the last few years, as it motivates to transfer lands now cultivated by them to the highest bidder, Criterio noted.

The Executive Decree No. PCM-030-2020, official name of the legal regulation signed by President Juan Orlando Hernandez and his Council of State Secretaries (ministers) on April 9, established measures to ensure sovereignty and food security in Honduras, given the health crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The peasant movement presented at the Supreme Court of Honduras an appeal of unconstitutionality against Decree No. PCM 030-2020.

Consulting attorneys of the peasant movement denounce that the decree gives lands to the domestic and international agricultural industry for 30 years.

Buggies go horseless in Yucatán, gasoline engines take over

Motul replaces horse-drawn buggies with a motorized version

Motul, Yucatán, has become the second city in the state to replace horse-drawn carriages with motorized ones following pressure by animal rights activists to abandon the practice, citing animal cruelty.

Mérida was the first city in the state to begin using gas-powered buggies, which it did in November 2019.

Horse-drawn carriages have been banned in Cozumel, Quintana Roo, since May as the practice violates the state’s animal welfare laws.

They were also banned in Acapulco, Guerrero, this spring after the state decided to begin enforcing animal welfare laws on the books since 2014.

In that city, buggy drivers have taken to pulling the carriages with ATVs provided by the state government. Carriage drivers also received 10,000 pesos (US$ 469) from the government and a year’s worth of free maintenance on the four-wheelers. They were instructed to find a dignified retirement home for the now prohibited horses.

In Guadalajara, horse-drawn carriages were banned in 2017 and replaced with electric buggies equipped with a 10-horsepower motor that can drive the carriage at speeds of up to 25 kilometers per hour.

“We cannot continue to mistake the idea of tradition with animal abuse. That no longer has a place in Guadalajara; we’ve put a stop to it today,” then-mayor Enrique Alfaro Ramírez said at the time.

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Costa Rica’s border shutdown brings about large losses to Panama

by the El Reportero‘s wire services

 

Panama, Oct 7 – Losses due to Costa Rica’s border shutdown caused by popular riots in its neighboring nation amounted to over 30 million dollars, according to Transporters Union.

In statements to the press, Rodolfo De La Guardia, president of the Council of Logistics Company, assured the shutdowns generate negative consequences on domestic economy since they make it impossible to export and merchandise traffic from Panama to other countries in the region.

He specified there are some pharmaceutical products, palm oil and others such as bananas that, if not sent to their destination on time, could deteriorate.

Although he did not refer to an exact figure, the businessman emphasized that any situation at Panama-Costa Rica border really affects business.

On Tuesday, a caravan of trucks waited for the opening of the border to continue heading along the Inter-American highway, the transfer point of land trade to/from Central America.

De La Guardia urged the neighboring country and its people to seek a solution as soon as possible so that the border is definitively opened and trade continues, as this not only affects Costa Rica, but also the entire region.

After the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in the world, the Panama Canal was affected by the consequences of the economic contraction, with emphasis in May and June, when crossings dropped by one-fifth, mainly cruise ships, vehicle carriers and ships laden with natural liquefied gas, according to the source.

The crossings of ships and cargo normalized in August and September, so the fiscal year ended with 475.1 million tons of cargo and 13,369 ships, although both figures were under the plans, the ACP noted.

Container carriers were the most important segment and contributed 35% of the cargo handled during the abovementioned period, followed by bulk carriers, tankers and ships carrying natural liquefied gas and other gases.

 

‘Fair Shake’: Trump Administration introduces changes to H-1B guest worker visa

 

by Daria Bedenko

 

The H-1B is a non-immigrant United States visa for specialized workers, including areas such as IT, engineering, architecture, medicine and others – fields that normally require a degree.

The Trump administration on Tuesday announced new changes to the program of the H-1B visa, touting the move as a means of protecting American wages and cracking down on market abuse.

According to Fox News, citing the Department of Labor, the new rule will change the way the so-called ‘prevailing wage’ is formed with regard to workers in specialized fields, commonly resulting in making employers pay higher salaries.

The move aims at making sure that wages are not artificially suppressed by employers who hire would “lower cost foreign labor”.

“With millions of Americans looking for work, and as the economy continues its recovery, immediate action is needed to guard against the risk lower cost foreign labor can pose to the wellbeing of US workers,” according to Deputy Secretary of Labor Patrick Pizzella.

According to Pizzella, the to-be-introduced new rule will be “faraway one of the most significant reforms made to the H-1B program in the past 20 years”.

“The H-1B program has been abused by some companies who seek to undermine American workers by bringing low cost or low paid foreign labor into our country,” Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Ken Cuccinelli said, cited by Fox News. “The DHS rule will affect over one third of H-1B petitions — I cannot overstate how big a deal this is.”

One change is thought to be an altered definition of the “specialty occupation” to a job, that would require a degree rather than simply recommending it, while also “tightening standards to require that foreign workers show specialized merit to establish their eligibility”.

The H-1B program will also envisage more frequent vettings for compliance with its requirements – moreover, it is noted that in case one fails to fit them, it can lead to “denial or revocation of employer H-1B petitions”.

Trump, who is known to be tough on immigration and visa policy, in June signed an executive order suspending a variety of visas, including the H-1B, until the end of 2020, citing fear that foreign workers would take jobs from Americans.

The move received criticism, particularly regarding the H-1B visa, with many noting that this type of visa is aimed primarily at filling gaps in the US job market that cannot be filled by US-born workers.

Pizzella, when announcing the changes to the program, outlined that they would still allow gaps to be filled, while also giving US workers a “fair shake”.

The US issues around 85,000 H-1B visas annually, according to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data, with the majority of applicants from China and India.

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SF celebrates court decision blocking USCIS fee increases, urges immigrants to naturalize now

by the El Reportero‘s wire services

 

SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco leaders celebrated a federal court decision that blocks U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) from increasing fees for citizenship and other immigration benefits.

On Tuesday, a federal judge in the Northern District of California issued a preliminary injunction blocking the fee increases days before they were set to take effect. USCIS had planned to increase fees, and largely eliminate fee waivers, for naturalization and other immigration benefits starting Oct. 2, 2020. The decision means that USCIS fees would not increase on Oct. 2, 2020, and fee waivers will still be available for qualifying applicants.

San Francisco’s Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs and the San Francisco Pathways to Citizenship Initiative lauded the judge’s decision, which gives immigrants more time to apply for a fee waiver and pay the current fees. But City and community leaders are encouraging immigrants not to wait.

“The San Francisco Pathways to Citizenship Initiative (SFPCI) applauds the court’s decision,” said Anni Chung, president and CEO of Self-Help for the Elderly, the Initiative’s lead organization. “Since the inception of SFPCI in 2013, a vast majority of our participants were assisted with fee waivers and almost 10,000 LPRs (lawful permanent residents) became U.S. citizens.”

Funded by the City and local foundation partners, the San Francisco Pathways to Citizenship Initiative has held 50 free workshops across San Francisco, provided legal screenings to nearly 15,000 immigrants, and saved applicants a total of nearly $4.5 million in application fees.

“San Francisco is committed to making citizenship more accessible, inclusive and affordable for our residents,” said Adrienne Pon, executive director of the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) and a co-founder of the Initiative.

The administration’s new fee rule would eliminate most fee waivers, and dramatically increase fees for naturalization from $725 to $1,170. It would double the cost of applying for a green card and related fees from $1,125 to $2,270, and charge a fee for asylum for the first time in American history. The rule was challenged by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., International Rescue Committee, OneAmerica, Asian Counseling and Referral Service, and Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

Meanwhile, City and community leaders say those eligible for citizenship and other immigration benefits should apply now, and it is crucial for applicants who need financial assistance to get the help they need.

San Francisco is continuing its partnership with local non-profit organization Mission Asset Fund to help applicants cover the cost of citizenship and other immigration applications. The City of San Francisco provides a 50 percent match through Mission Asset Fund for applicants who live, work, or attend school in San Francisco. Applicants can use the 50 percent match to pay the filing fee for naturalization or other immigration benefits including Temporary Protected Status (TPS), U visas for crime victims, family petitions, or renewal of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

Applicants can make an individual appointment with a San Francisco Pathways to Citizenship partner organization at sfcitizenship.org, or leave a message on one of their multilingual hotlines: Spanish: 415-662-8902, English: 415-662-8901, Filipino: 415-692-6798; Russian: 415-754-3818.

[San Francisco Pathways to Citizenship Initiative and the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA)]

 

 

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A bipartisan resolution was introduced recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month  

by the El Reportero‘s wire services

 

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, a commemorative resolution was introduced in the U.S. House and Senate recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month.

The resolution is supported by members of Congress.

“Too long have the contributions of Latinos been overlooked and underappreciated,” said Congressman Tony Cárdenas.

Each year, the President designates September 15th to October 15th as Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrating the heritage and culture of Latinos in the United States and the immense contributions of Latinos to our nation.

Latinos currently comprise 18 percent of the total U.S. population, a number expected to grow to more than 30 percent by 2060. In July, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed H.R. 2420, the National Museum of the American Latino Act. H.R. 2420 would establish a Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino on the National Mall dedicated to honoring the contributions of American Latinos throughout U.S. history.

The resolution notes that Hispanic-Americans contribute more than $1.7 trillion to the United States economy, more than the GDP of all but the top 17 nations in the world.

Hispanic-Americans serve in all branches of the military and have bravely fought in every war in the history of the United States. As of 2019, there are more than 200,000 Hispanic active duty service members of the Armed Forces, and there were approximately 1,200,000 Hispanic veterans of the Armed Forces, including, 136,000 Latinas. Sixty Hispanic-Americans have received the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force that can be bestowed on an individual serving in the Armed Forces of the United States.

 

Guatemala reopens its borders after 6-month Covid closure

Travelers must show a negative coronavirus test to enter the country

 

Guatemala reopened its borders with Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras and Belize on Friday after six months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City was also reopened.

The news comes on the same day that Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei announced that he has tested positive for Covid-19 and will remain in quarantine.

The Ministry of Health has implemented health protocols for travelers who will be allowed to enter the country if they can show officials at land borders a negative coronavirus test conducted within the past 72 hours.

Travelers arriving at the La Aurora airport who cannot provide recent, negative test results will undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine supervised by authorities from the Ministries of Public Health and Social Assistance.

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Who’s really paying for that $10 Uber ride? Surprise: it’s your driver

by Sunita Sohrabji

EMS Contributor

 

Gig economy workers, who now comprise more than one-third of the U.S. labor force, lost an estimated 75 percent of their income in the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gig economy workers comprise app-based drivers for ride-share and food delivery services, such as Uber, Lyft, Doordash, Instacart, and Postmates. They can also work through online platforms, such as TaskRabbit, Fiverr, and AirBnB. House-cleaners, gardeners, temp workers, and independent contractors are also categorized as gig workers. As the pandemic hit, demand for such services exponentially dropped, leaving workers with no money and no financial safety nets such as unemployment or savings.

This emerging labor force is overwhelmingly made up of people of color and newer immigrants, who are largely underpaid, often below minimum wage. The Bureau of Labor Statistics noted in 2017 that 55 million people worked in the gig economy; that number is expected to grow to 43 percent of the U.S. labor pool.

Veena Dubal, a professor of law at the University of California Hastings School of Law, characterized app-based driving as “one of the most dangerous jobs in America,” at an Oct. 2 briefing organized by Ethnic Media Services. She noted that drivers are grossly underpaid, have no health insurance, no sick or paid family leave, and no unemployment insurance.

Drivers work more than 40 hours a week, and net about $10.17 an hour, according to data from the Economic Policy Institute.

“This is a highly exploitative model that really lowers labor costs for companies and and cuts the ability of workers to make a living,” said Dubal.

“Right now, quite frankly, is not a good time to be a gig worker,” said Alexandrea Ravenelle, author of “Hustle and Gig,” at the briefing.

“Gig workers are in jobs that carry a high risk of exposure to COVID because they are often working in close proximity with strangers, whether they are driving strangers in their personal cars or being asked to go into a stranger’s private home to do organizing or cleaning work,” said Ravenelle, a professor in Sociology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, who is currently studying the impact of COVID-19 on gig workers in New York.

Many gig workers who were eligible for unemployment chose not to take the benefit, fearing for their immigration status, said Ravenelle. Moreover, as unemployment levels hit historic highs during the initial onslaught of the pandemic, many former employees turned to the gig economy to make rent and feed their families as unemployment benefits were delayed. This created more competition for existing gig workers, she said.

The sociologist said that gig workers are increasingly vulnerable to scammers amid the pandemic, who use bait-and-switch techniques to lure people in, sometimes into sex work. “So it’s very much a scary Wild West out there for workers who are unemployed or underemployed during this pandemic,” said Ravenelle.

She also predicted that the U.S. labor force would increasingly move towards the gig model, leaving workers without the health and financial protections of past generations.

California voters will get a chance to weigh in on the gig economy this November, with Proposition 22, a ballot measure which seeks to keep app-based drivers classified as independent contractors, and not employees.

Last year, the California state Legislature passed AB5, a measure reclassifying almost all gig economy workers as employees who were eligible for at least minimum wage and health benefits. Last month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 2257 which stipulated that some independent contractors, including musicians and journalists, were exempt from AB5.

Uber and Lyft fought back against AB5, continuing to classify their drivers as independent contractors, in violation of the new law.

In August, California Superior Court Judge Ethan Schulman ruled against the companies, citing them in violation of AB 5. He also ruled that drivers in California were owed billions of dollars in back wages, because they had been making less than minimum wage and were often losing money during the pandemic while demand was so low.

Uber, Lyft, Doordash, Instacart, and Postmates have collectively spent more than $184 million on the Yes on 22 campaign, the most expensive ballot campaign in the state’s history. Almost 900,000 app-based drivers work California’s roads.

“Prop. 22 is the most dangerous labor law that I’ve seen in in my lifetime, said Dubal of UC Hastings, who is an ardent opponent of the ballot initiative. App-based driving companies are currently unregulated, and huge lobbying efforts have allowed them to be free of enforcement of labor laws, she said.

Drivers only get paid for time in which a customer is in their care; they do not get paid for time driving to the pick-up point, nor for time waiting for a ride.

Prop. 22 is also dangerous for consumers, said Dubal, since it limits the liability of companies. If a passenger gets into an accident while in a Lyft or Uber car, the company is not liable for medical expenses and the like. The liability falls to the driver, from whom it may be impossible to extract damages, she said, adding that this dis-incentivizes companies from making sure their drivers are safe to drive when they get on the road, creating hazardous environments for both drivers and passengers.

If the measure passes, Dubal predicted other companies would use the model as a means to exploit labor.

“We are considered free human capital,” stated Roberto Moreno, who has been driving for both Uber and Lyft since 2017. Drivers spend 60 to 80 hours a week on the roads, but 15 to 20 hours of that time is unpaid as they wait for rides. Moreover, the company will charge a customer, for example, a $55 fare, but pay the driver his cut of only a $40 fare, he alleged.

Drivers also often have to drive long distances to pick up a small fare: they are not allowed to reject rides and don’t know the length of the ride until the passenger is in the car. Drivers are also not allowed to reject riders with low ratings, which may put them in hazardous situations with unruly passengers.

“Right now we’re talking about drivers. But after November, if Prop. 22 passes, I believe we’re going to be talking about teachers, nurses, welders, and grocers. All of those people are going to be in the same boat,” predicted Moreno.

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How to read the news

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

 

Dear readers,

 

Perhaps you heard it before: “the media is lying, they always lie.”

Sometimes I say that to people when I believe they have been brainwashed by the media, although it’s been difficult to pin point any verifiable lie that you can remember.

You know there is a lie in there, but – because of the mainstream media is owned by a few and they have an agenda – you believe them, and that is because most of them repeat the same news over and over, but with different faces and different approach.

They say: “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” Repetition makes a fact seem more true, regardless of whether it is or not.

Understanding this effect can help you avoid falling for propaganda, says psychologist Tom Stafford. With this in mind, I introduce you to the following article, “How to read the news, written by one of the most respected investigative journalists in our times.

His tenacity in the search for truth recalls the life of Diogenes (https://www.ancient.eu/Diogenes_of_Sinope/). But what Corbett does, what he has always done, is to FILL THE GAPS.  In this article, he reminds us that the biggest lies may be the truths that are never told. – Marvin Ramírez

 

by James Corbett

corbettreport.com

September 05, 2020 – It’s not the most original observation you’ll read this week, but it’s one of the most important: the news lies to you by omission.

Shocked? I thought not. But let’s really interrogate what this means.

All of us (presumably) would agree with the observation that “the news is lying to you.” But most people hearing that statement immediately interpret it to mean that the news is lying by commission, i.e., deliberately spreading information that they know to be untrue.

While this is certainly true sometimes (and we can all think of examples of the news outright lying about the facts of a case), blatant lies about verifiable facts represent only a tiny fraction of the media’s mendacity. Most of the time, the talking heads of the corporate mouthpiece media are not telling fibs, per se; they’re just leaving out vital pieces of the story.

Often, this type of lying—lying by omission—is a more effective means of duping the public than telling provably untrue statements about independent reality. When the talking heads of the corporate media leave out the proper context for a story, the audience can be led to incorrect conclusions about the world. And, since these perfidious presstitutes haven’t technically said anything that’s untrue, they can never be caught in their lie. They maintain plausible deniability about whether they knew the missing parts of the story.

In the interest of learning how to really read the news, then, let’s look at an example of a news story where the media is hiding key information from the public and see what that news story looks like when we add the relevant context.

Hopefully you’ll remember the Novichok nonsense that took place in Salisbury in 2018. If not, you’ll definitely want to go back and re-read my article on how “The Russian Poison Story is WMD 2.0” and follow that up with a deep dive into the archive of Craig Murray’s coverage of the subject and The Blogmire’s excellent summary of the story.

In case you need a refresher, you can do what the normies do: turn to Wikipedia! Here’s the first paragraph of the wiki summary of the story:

On 4 March 2018, Sergei Skripal, a former Russian military officer and double agent for the UK’s intelligence services, and his daughter, Yulia Skripal, were poisoned in the city of Salisbury, England with a Novichok nerve agent, according to UK sources and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). After three weeks in a critical condition, Yulia regained consciousness and was able to speak; she was discharged from hospital on 9 April. Sergei was also in a critical condition until he regained consciousness one month after the attack; he was discharged on 18 May. A police officer was also taken into intensive care after attending the incident. By 22 March he had recovered enough to leave the hospital.

While everyone who was following the news at the time has likely heard various pieces of this narrative as it was being reported, only those obsessives who were really following all of the twists and turns in the case will know the incredible absurdities that were casually revealed and quickly buried in the weeks and months after the story fell out of the limelight. Those absurdities include:

  • That the military just happened to be running a military exercise—dubbed “Toxic Dagger“—involving responding to chemical, biological and neurological weapons attacks at the exact time of the Skripal poisoning and in the exact same city.
  • That the first responder at the scene just happened to be the Chief Nursing Officer for the British Army.
  • That the poisonings took place just miles down the road from Porton Down, the site of the UK military’s biological and chemical weapons lab that would itself identify the nerve agent as “novichok.”
  • That this “novichok” poison that the crack Russian spies used—allegedly the deadliest nerve agent ever developed—somehow failed to kill either Sergei or Julia.
  • That government officials and the dutiful stenographers in the corporate press immediately began using the phrase “of a type developed by Russia” to associate the chemical with the Russian government in the popular imagination, despite the fact that novichok was originally developed in Uzbekistan and is capable of being created and deployed by any chemist in any country anywhere in the world.
  • That Trump was prompted to blame the Russians and kick out a raft of Russian diplomats in response to the incident because he was shown some (fake) photos of dead ducks.

I could go on. And on and on. (Trust me, we’ve only scratched the surface of the absurdity here.) But if you’re reading this article in the first place, you likely know the drill by now: a spectacular event takes place, it’s shoved down the public’s throat as part of a campaign to demonize the bogeyman du jour, and it’s promptly dropped as soon as contradictions or uncomfortable questions start to arise about what really happened.

In this case, the propagandistic value of the Skripal case is hardly difficult to divine. It was those dastardly Russians, sending their spies into the heart of enemy territory to kill an old retired double agent who hadn’t been relevant to them in years because . . . reasons? And they did it in the most incredibly complicated (and ultimately ineffectual) way possible because . . . Putin wanted everyone to know that he was capable of (not quite) poisoning people in foreign countries?

. . . Or something like that. Just don’t think too deeply about it.

But just when you thought that particular piece of absurdity had played itself out, it’s back! That’s right, there’s been another high-profile novichok poisoning! This time the target was a person that the corporate lapdog press is referring to as the “leader” of the Russian “opposition,” Alexei Navalny. Apparently, Putin didn’t think he made his point well enough with the Skripals so he has once again resorted to using an arcane, elaborate, and ultimately ineffective poison to (not quite) kill his enemy in a way that would inevitably be immediately tied directly back to himself. The fiend!

. . . Or so the MSM would want you to believe. The truth, as always, is a little more complicated. Kit Knightly over at Off-Guardian breaks it down expertly in his article on the story:

  • Alexei Navalny has never held any elected office, his political party doesn’t have a single MP in the Duma, and he polls at roughly 2% support with the Russian people.
  • Despite this, and in the middle of an alleged “pandemic”, Vladimir Putin deems the man a threat and orders him killed.
  • The State apparatus responsible for unnecessary and seemingly arbitrary acts of political murder decide to use novichok to poison him.
  • This decision is taken in spite of the facts that a) Novichok totally and utterly failed to work in their alleged murder of the Skripals and b) It has already been widely publicly associated with Russia.
  • Rather unsurprisingly, the novichok which didn’t kill its alleged target last time, doesn’t kill its alleged target this time either.
  • Compounding their poor decision making, the Russians perform an emergency landing and take Navalny straight to a hospital for medical care.
  • Despite Navalny being helpless and comatose in a Russian hospital, the powerful state-backed assassination team make no further attempts on his life.
  • In fact, seemingly determined to under no circumstances successfully kill their intended victim, the Russian government allow him to leave the country and get medical help from one of the countries which previously accused them of using novichok.
  • To absolutely no one’s surprise, the Germans claim to have detected novichok in Navalny’s system.
  • Vladimir Putin and the Russian government are immediately blamed for the attempted murder.

Sigh. Here we go again. An incredibly unlikely narrative is being shoved down the public’s throat in order to blame that arch-bogeyman, Vladimir Putin.

Never mind that the story makes no sense on its face.

Never mind that Moscow granted permission for Navalny (who is barely a blip on the Russian political radar) to leave the country for medical treatment, thus ensuring that their super secret plan to poison him with novichok would be uncovered and publicized to the world. (As Luke Harding helpfully explains in The Guardian: “The logical conclusion: Moscow wants the world to know.”)

Never mind that it would make no sense for Putin to kill his opponent in such a way (namely, using a mysterious nerve agent that he had been blamed for using in the past and would inevitably implicate himself).

Never mind that this super deadly nerve agent failed to kill the last opponents that he supposedly tried to use it on (and never mind that it has apparently failed once again).

Never mind any of this. The answer to any and all questions about the logic of this story is the same answer that the MSM offers to anyone who dares question why Assad would use messy and horribly ineffective chemical weapons on his own people when his military is on the brink of complete victory over the CIA-supported terrorists in his country. The answer is that Putin, just like Assad, is an insane, bloodthirsty, suicidal monster.

“Germany pressed to rethink Nord Stream 2 pipeline after Navalny poisoning”

Surprise, surprise. It looks like the Navalny case is giving all the opponents of Nord Stream 2 another excuse to derail the project.

If you’ve been following the pipeline politics that are reshaping diplomatic relations in Eurasia, you’ll know that the US has used every trick in the book to halt the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. And if you haven’t been following those pipeline politics, you’ll want to re-read my 2017 article on “US Battles Russia for Heart of the EU,” in which I noted:

Nord Stream 2 is, as the name suggests, an extension of Nord Stream, the natural gas pipeline connecting the Russian port town of Vyborg to the German university city of Greifswald. Nord Stream currently consists of two parallel lines with a capacity of 1.9 trillion cubic feet, but the Nord Stream 2 expansion is expected to increase that capacity to 3.9 trillion cubic feet.

As I reported at the time, the US imposed a new round of sanctions against Russia in 2017 and, surprisingly, the EU actually pushed back on those sanctions. Of course, they only pushed back because the sanctions were targeting European business interests, specifically any and all companies working with Russia in developing the Nord Stream 2 project. But however self-serving that pushback may have been, the incident did demonstrate there is a significant and rising faction in the EUreaucracy who favour building EU independence from the US and pursuing EU business interests, even if those interests are linked to Russia and/or China.

But now the latest dirty trick is being played to scuttle the pipeline project: the poisoning of Navalny with novichok, the nerve agent Absolutely 100% Guaranteed to Be Used Exclusively by the Russian Government or Your Money Back.

And it appears this ploy is working. As Rothschild Reuters reports:

Pressure mounted on German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday to reconsider the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will take gas from Russia to Germany, after she said Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny had been poisoned with a Soviet-style nerve agent.

But even here we can detect the “lie by omission” strategy that is skewing our perception of this event. The only two people cited in the article as “pressuring” Merkel to end the pipeline deal are Norbert Roettgen, descirbed as “the conservative head of Germany’s parliamentary foreign affairs committee,” and Wolfgang Ischinger, described as “chairman of the Munich Security Conference and a former ambassador to Washington.”

What Reuters fails to inform its readers is that Norbert Roettgen is a co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations and a committed Russophobe who has been calling for a more aggressive German foreign policy against the Russians for years. Also missing from the Reuters report is that Wolfgang Ischinger is also a consummate globalist insider, sitting on the board of the Atlantic Council, the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the Future of International Security and a raft of other globalist bodies.

So, to summarize: Merkel is under “mounting pressure” to scuttle Nord Stream 2 because of the phony-as-a-three-euro-bill Navalny novichok incident. This “pressure” is coming from precisely two men, both well-connected globalist insiders, and neither particularly influential in German politics. Merkel herself, as Reuters admits “has been unwavering in her support for the [Nord Stream] project” and has shown no sign whatsoever that she is even thinking of stopping the pipeline over the incident. But Reuters makes it a headline story and implies that her government is on the brink of succumbing to the pressure.

This is how the news is really reported. In bits and pieces, like a puzzle with only enough pieces there to give the audience an (often mistaken) impression of the events in question. Other pieces of the puzzle may be provided later as the story unfolds, but only for the purpose of further misleading the public with even more poorly reported information lacking in key details.

Sadly, this is the status quo of modern corporate mainstream dinosaur media. And the fact that this context-poor, misleading reporting is the norm these days means it falls on the readers of the news to fill in the gaps in these stories themselves. This often involves independent research and the ability to fit together disparate pieces of information reported in bits and pieces over many months and even years.

Naturally, it isn’t feasible for every individual to do this with every story they ever see in the media. But at least keep this in mind: if you have only read one report on a major news event, you not only don’t know the full story of that event but you may be even worse off than if you had never read it at all.

Alexander Pope may have meant it as a warning when he penned the famous line “A little learning is a dangerous thing.” Unfortunately for humanity, the globalists and their media mouthpieces have managed to turn that observation into a business model.

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