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Amnesty International: surviving death

Police and military torture of women in Mexico

by the El Reportero’s wire services

Torture is widespread in Mexico’s “war on drugs”, but the impact on women has been largely ignored or downplayed.

This report analyses the stories of 100 women who have reported torture and other forms of violence during arrest and interrogation by police and armed forces.

Of those women interviewed by Amnesty International, 72 reported being sexually tortured and 97 had been physically abused. Rape was reported at all levels of the government, though the highest incidents came from the navy.

Severe beatings; threats of rape against women and their families; near-asphyxiation, electric shocks to the genitals; groping of breasts and pinching of nipples; rape with objects, fingers, firearms and the penis – these are just some of the forms of violence inflicted on women, in many cases with the intention of getting them to “confess” to serious crimes.

In April, a video was leaked showing police and military officials suffocating a woman with a plastic bag during an interrogation. That prompted an official apology from Mexico’s Minister of Defense and National Security Commissioner.

Venezuela’s bid to silence political prisoners’ appeal for amnesty is shot down by UNHRC chair

Venezuela was overruled by the chair of the UN human rights council today when its delegate interrupted a UN speech in a failed bid to stop the reading of an appeal for council members to release political prisoners on the occasion of the council’s 10th anniversary.

The appeal, signed by family members of political prisoners in Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, Venezuela, Vietnam and Cuba, was read out today in the plenary of the council by Hillel Neuer, executive director of the Geneva-based UN Watch, a non-governmental human rights group.

Venezuela’s delegate interrupted as soon as Neuer mentioned the name of jailed opposition leader Leopoldo López. “We do not think it is appropriate to raise specific countries,” he said, even though most of the previous 15 NGO speeches in the session had done exactly that.

However, Venezuela’s objection was shot down with uncommon firmness by the session chair, who strongly defended UN Watch’s right to speak. Many diplomats who chair UN sessions are leery of siding with activists when it could upset country delegates. (UN Watch).

Beaches of Puerto Rico are sold to US billionaires…by Puerto Rican government traitors

On Friday June 24, with only one “No” vote, the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico overwhelmingly approved PC 2853: a bill which transfers beaches in huge coastal areas – including Vieques, Culebra, Condado, Isla Verde, Isabela, Lajas, Cabo Rojo, Guánica and Rincón – into “private” ownership.

If this bill becomes law, all “private” beaches in these areas will be closed to the Puerto Rican public. “But the deepest significance of this bill, is that the politicians of Puerto Rico are knowingly…intentionally…doing the dirty work of the Financial Control Board, before they even arrive on the island,” sources said.

The POLITICS of this bill are important to understand. Please note the following:
• It was introduced in the very last days of the legislative session. This allowed little time for public review, debate or amendment. Probably, many legislators did not even read it.

• The near-unanimity was striking: both parties approved it, with only one of the 51 representatives (José Luis Báez Rivera) voting against it. This is especially shocking, since it involves the controversial selling of public beaches…which should belong to everyone.

• Yet here, the politicians transferred dozens of them in a great hurry…with no floor debate and a near-unanimous vote.

The author of the bill, who also introduced it, was Angel Matos García…the PPD representative from Carolina.

Carolina is where Tito Kayak, Playas P’al Pueblo and hundreds of environmental activists have demonstrated against the Marriott Hotel take-over of their public beach…the Balneario de Carolina…for over a decade.

Puro Bandido with its original Latin rock taste

Compiled by the El Reportero’s staff

One of the groups that has persevered time and the stone age, is Puro Bandido, which will performing nearby the Mission as a tribute to Diamond John, Life Celebration. Come everyone to Slim’s, at 333 11th Street, San Francisco. Doors open at 7 p.m. and show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at Slims 415-255-0333.

Yahir Durán brings his trova to San Francisco

Yahir Duran (1973) Singer-Songwriter, is one of the most notable representatives of the new Mexican trova. As a writer of narrative, has a literary work in the form of stories and chronicles in which recounts his childhood and family roots in autobiographical tone, his memories and the magical surroundings of his native Topolobampo, Sinaloa in a book called Amar adentro.
At the Community Music Center, on Saturday, July 16 at 7 – 9 p.m., 544 Capp St, San Francisco, California 94110

John Leguizamo Returns to the Bay Area with John Leguizamo: Latin History of Morons

The outrageous, multifaceted performer attempts to teach his son (and the rest of us) about the marginalization of Latinos in U.S. history and the vital roles they played in building this country. From a satirical recap of Aztec and Incan history to stories of Latin patriots in the Revolutionary and Civil War and beyond, Leguizamo breaks down 3,000 years into 90 irreverent and uncensored minutes in his trademark comedic style.

History was never so mind-blowing…or hysterical! Latin History for Morons plays July 1-August 14 at Berkeley Rep. Discounts for under 30. Bring a group: Buy 10, save $10 (each ticket!). Visit BerkeleyRep.org for tickets. 

“My Brother’s Keeper? Expressions of Our World Today” art exhibition

Are we our brother’s keeper? When it comes to the earth, equality, and the harmony of our fellow humans, do we bear a responsibility, regardless of who or where we may be? Back To The Picture presents six artists and their vision of our world today through powerful depictions on our present state.

Join us in July for a commentary, sometimes raw and intense, sometimes playful. What at first may seem light on the surface, soon pulls a deeper truth from within.

On display works of Art Hazlewood, Jessie Aquire, Kathy Aoki, Consuelo Jiménez-Underwood, Mark Harris, Robyn Kralique. July 3 – 31, 2016 Curated by Derek Hargrove.

Opening reception with the artists Saturday, July 9, 2016 7-10 p.m.

La Gente extends its marathon of live music at American Music Hall

LA GENTE will be headlining in the most historic music Venue in San Francisco: The Great American Music Hall! We will be teaming up with our brethren from across the bay: the infectious, funk-madness of PLANET BOOTY! And San Francisco’s newest up and coming soul group: The Histville Soul Sisters! We also will be featuring a slew of specials guests from all the top bands of the Bay Area. This is going to be a historic night for the Bay Area Music Scene! Get your tickets today!!! 
Saturday July 16, 850 O’Farrall, San Francisco, at 8 p.m., $16 cover.

Los Van Van bring Cuban music to the United States

by the El Reportero’s news services

The orchestra Los Van Van monopolizes the attention of all Cuban music lovers during its US tour in June, when performing in more than 10 cities in addition to Puerto Rico. They played in San Francisco on June 10 at the Herbst Theater.

The media, particularly the specialized music magazine Billboard, praised the presentation of the legendary group, which has retained its popularity since its founding over 40 years ago.

According to reports from that publication, Los Van Van are one of the essential groups in Cuban musical history, an icon in the soundscape of the island.

The group also performs this month in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Then, it will travel to New York, New Jersey and Washington; and will end the tour at the amphitheater Tito Puentes, of Puerto Rico, on July 9.

This is the second time Los Van Van made a US tour, after the death of its creator, Juan Formell. Its concert in Miami last year is still remembered when it performed before an audience of more than 5.000 spectators.

Mexico receives software for preserving cultural heritage

The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) of Mexico will preserve and restore the cultural heritage of the country with a software donated by the German company Fokus GmbH.

Upon receiving two licenses of the program called Metigo MAP, the institute can make digital graphic records, and create and modify images processed (rectified), in situ or in the office, movable and immovable property.

It was developed in Germany by engineer Gunnar Siedler, in 2000.

This places these entities as the first public institutions in Latin America with this computer program, said Saturday in a statement INAH.

This software also provides specialized tools for drawing graphic record of projects, such as deterioration of the object and interventions, among other processes.

With this platform, said Gunnar Siedler, we worked on over 400 projects and one of them is the conservation and restoration of the murals of the church of St Ludwig in Munich, Germany, built between 1829 and 1844 paintings.

For the first time he offers a course in Latin America and said the company Fokus GMbH is interested in the preparation of future restorers, why two licenses donated to INAH.


Mexico hosts 1st International Crime Novel Festival

The 1st International Novel Festival Huella del Crimen (Traces of the Crime) started today in Mexico City with a round table for the analysis of William Shakespeare’s works, on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of his death.
The analysis session, titled “Shakespeare and Crime”, will host British authors Val McDermid and Mari Hannah, as well as French Bernard Minier.

Participants will discuss the presence of essential components of the crime genre in Shakespeare’s classic tragedies, like crime, intrigue and mystery.

Other participants include forensic anthropologist Sarah Hainsworth, Head of the Center for Advanced Microscopy at the University of Leicester, UK.

The play Richard III, whose original title is “The Life and Death of King Richard III”, is another of the tragedies written by William Shakespeare (1564-1616), and the last one of his tetralogy about England’s history, a statement by the Ministry of Culture said.

The Festival will take place from Jun 17th to 19th at the San Luis Potosí’s Arts Center, and it will include conferences, talks, workshops and film screenings, among other activities.

Boggling flu hoax: not for prime-time news

by Jon Rappoport

“Repeat a lie often enough and people believe it. We all know that. But there are millions of people out there who think a public-health agency like the CDC, a scientific body, would never engage in such tactics. Those millions of people would be wrong. There is a rule: the most holy, sacred, revered, uncontestable organization hides the biggest secrets. It’s a good rule to keep in mind. Major media don’t apply it. But you can.” (The Underground, Jon Rappoport)

There are many propaganda operations surrounding the flu. Here I just want to boil down a few boggling facts.
Dr. Peter Doshi, writing in the online BMJ (British Medical Journal), reveals one monstrosity.

As Doshi states, every year, hundreds of thousands of respiratory samples are taken from flu patients in the US and tested in labs. Here is the kicker: only a small percentage of these samples show the presence of a flu virus.
This means: most of the people in America who are diagnosed by doctors with the flu have no flu virus in their bodies.

So they don’t have the flu.

Therefore, even if you assume the flu vaccine is useful and safe, it couldn’t possibly prevent all those “flu cases” that aren’t flu cases.

The vaccine couldn’t possibly work.

The vaccine isn’t designed to prevent fake flu, unless pigs can fly.

Here’s the exact quote from Peter Doshi’s BMJ review, “Influenza: marketing vaccines by marketing disease” (BMJ):
“…even the ideal influenza vaccine, matched perfectly to circulating strains of wild influenza and capable of stopping all influenza viruses, can only deal with a small part of the ‘flu’ problem because most ‘flu’ appears to have nothing to do with influenza. Every year, hundreds of thousands of respiratory specimens are tested across the US. Of those tested, on average 16 percent are found to be influenza positive.

“…It’s no wonder so many people feel that ‘flu shots’ don’t work: for most flus, they can’t.”
Because most diagnosed cases of the flu aren’t the flu.

So even if you’re a true believer in mainstream vaccine theory, you’re on the short end of the stick here. They’re conning your socks off.

In December of 2005, the British Medical Journal (online) published another shocking Peter Doshi report, which created tremors through the halls of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), where “the experts” used to tell the press that 36,000 people in the US die every year from the flu.

Here is a quote from Doshi’s report, “Are US flu death figures more PR than science?” (BMJ):

“[According to CDC statistics], ‘influenza and pneumonia’ took 62,034 lives in 2001—61,777 of which were attributable to pneumonia and 257 to flu, and in only 18 cases was the flu virus positively identified.”
Boom.

You see, the CDC has created one overall category that combines both flu and pneumonia deaths. Why do they do this? Because they disingenuously assume that the pneumonia deaths are complications stemming from the flu.
This is an absurd assumption. Pneumonia has a number of causes.

But even worse, in all the flu and pneumonia deaths, only 18 revealed the presence of an influenza virus.
Therefore, the CDC could not say, with assurance, that more than 18 people died of influenza in 2001. Not 36,000 deaths. 18 deaths.

Doshi continued his assessment of published CDC flu-death statistics: “Between 1979 and 2001, [CDC] data show an average of 1348 [flu] deaths per year (range 257 to 3006).” These figures refer to flu separated out from pneumonia.

This death toll is obviously far lower than the parroted 36,000 figure.
However, when you add the sensible condition that lab tests have to actually find the flu virus in patients, the numbers of flu deaths plummet even further.

In other words, it’s all promotion and hype.

“Well, uh, we say that 36,000 people die from the flu every year in the US. But actually, it’s closer to 20.
However, we can’t admit that, because if we did, we’d be exposing our gigantic psyop. The whole campaign to scare people into getting a flu shot would have about the same effect as warning people to carry iron umbrellas, in case toasters fall out of upper-story windows…and, by the way, we’d be put in prison for fraud.”

False realities bloom from the intentional planting of false seeds. Bit by bit, garden by garden, pasture by pasture, the reality spreads, until it is considered unimpeachable. This is how the game works.

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

The cult of ignorance in the U.S.: Anti-intellectualism and the dumbing of America – 2nd of two parts

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR:

Dear readers,

Do you believe the people in the U.S. are becoming less and less intelligent and that their increased use of artificial intelligence like computers and social media have anything to do with it? The following article, written by Ray Williams in the science magazine Psychology Today could open a new way of thinking on the subject. This is the Second Part of a Series of Two.

by Ray Williams
psychologytoday.com

According to a 2006 survey by National Geographic-Roper, nearly half of Americans between ages 18 and 24 do not think it necessary to know the location of other countries in which important news is being made. More than a third consider it “not at all important” to know a foreign language, and only 14 percent consider it “very important;”

According to the National Endowment for the Arts report in 1982, 82% of college graduates read novels or poems for pleasure; two decades later only 67% did. And more than 40% of Americans under 44 did not read a single book–fiction or nonfiction–over the course of a year. The proportion of 17 year olds who read nothing (unless required by school ) has doubled between 1984-2004;

Gallup released a poll indicating 42 percent of Americans still believe God created human beings in their present form less than 10,000 years ago;

A 2008 University of Texas study found that 25 percent of public school biology teachers believe that humans and dinosaurs inhabited the earth simultaneously.

In American schools, the culture exalts the athlete and good-looking cheerleader. Well-educated and intellectual students are commonly referred to in public schools and the media as “nerds,” “dweebs,” “dorks,” and “geeks,” and are relentlessly harassed and even assaulted by the more popular “jocks” for openly displaying any intellect. 

These anti-intellectual attitudes are not reflected in students in most European or Asian countries, whose educational levels have now equaled and will surpass that of the U.S.  And most TV shows or movies such as The Big Bang Theory depict intellectuals as being geeks if not effeminate.

John W. Traphagan, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Texas, argues the problem is that Asian countries have core cultural values that are more akin to a cult of intelligence and education than a cult of ignorance and anti-intellectualism. In Japan, for example, teachers are held in high esteem and normally viewed as among the most important members of a community. There is suspicion and even disdain for the work of teachers that occurs in the U.S. Teachers in Japan typically are paid significantly more than their peers in the U.S. The profession of teaching is one that is seen as being of central value in Japanese society and those who choose that profession are well compensated in terms of salary, pension, and respect for their knowledge and their efforts on behalf of children.

In addition, we do not see in Japan significant numbers of the types of religious schools that are designed to shield children from knowledge about basic tenets of science and accepted understandings of history–such as evolutionary theory or the religious views of the Founding Fathers, who were largely deists–which are essential to having a fundamental understanding of the world, Traphagan contends. The reason for this is because in general Japanese value education, value the work of intellectuals, and see a well-educated public with a basic common knowledge in areas of scientific fact, math, history, literature, etc. as being an essential foundation to a successful democracy.

We’re creating a world of dummies. Angry dummies who feel they have the right, the authority and the need not only to comment on everything, but to make sure their voice is heard above the rest, and to drag down any opposing views through personal attacks, loud repetition and confrontation.

Bill Keller, writing in the New York Times argues that the anti-intellectual elitism is not an elitism of wisdom, education, experience or knowledge. The new elite are the angry social media posters, those who can shout loudest and more often, a clique of bullies and malcontents baying together like dogs cornering a fox. Too often it’s a combined elite of the anti-intellectuals and the conspiracy followers – not those who can voice the most cogent, most coherent response. Together they foment a rabid culture of anti-rationalism where every fact is suspect; every shadow holds a secret conspiracy. Rational thought is the enemy. Critical thinking is the devil’s tool.
Keller also notes that the herd mentality takes over online; the anti-intellectuals become the metaphorical equivalent of an angry lynch mob when anyone either challenges one of the mob beliefs or posts anything outside the mob’s self-limiting set of values.

Keller blames this in part to the online universe that “skews young, educated and attentive to fashions.” Fashion, entertainment, spectacle, voyeurism – we’re directed towards trivia, towards the inconsequential, towards unquestioning and blatant consumerism. This results in intellectual complacency. People accept without questioning, believe without weighing the choices, join the pack because in a culture where convenience rules, real individualism is too hard work. Thinking takes too much time: it gets in the way of the immediacy of the online experience.

Reality TV and pop culture presented in magazines and online sites claim to provide useful information about the importance of The Housewives of [you name the city] that can somehow enrich our lives. After all, how else can one explain the insipid and pointless stories that tout divorces, cheating and weight gain? How else can we explain how the Kardashians,or Paris Hilton are known for being famous for being famous without actually contributing anything worth discussion? The artificial events of their lives become the mainstay of populist media to distract people from the real issues and concerns facing us.

The current trend of increasing anti-intellectualism now establishing itself in politics and business leadership, and supported by a declining education system should be a cause for concern for leaders and the general population,one that needs to be addressed now.

Ten reasons not to vaccinate

by D. Samuelson

How difficult it must be for parents to make a decision whether or not to vaccinate their child. In today’s increasingly draconian society, the right to exempt out of injecting your tiny ones with a concoction of toxic ingredients is being fought in legislators’ offices, and not in the hearts and minds of parents. The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) reported that in 2015, “state legislatures across the United States experienced an unprecedented flood of bills backed by the pharmaceutical and medical trade industries to restrict or remove personal belief vaccine exemptions, expand electronic vaccine tracking systems, and require more vaccines for children in school and adults in the workplace.” The stakes are high.

Here are ten reasons to not take the word of pharmaceutical companies or physicians over your own common sense. Natural News has the details, with excerpts republished from Michelle Goldstein’s article on Vactruth.com.

“1. Vaccines have never been proven safe or effective. Vaccine studies funded by pharmaceutical companies compare vaccine “side-effects” from one vaccine to another. True, scientific, double-blind placebo studies have never been conducted on vaccines to determine their safety.

2. Vaccines do NOT work. They may create a temporary increase in antibodies for a particular disease, but this does not equate to immunity to disease.

3. The very first vaccine was a disaster. . .The history of small pox vaccines demonstrates that the first vaccine resulted in an increase in the disease and created additional serious health consequences including syphilis and deaths.

4. Vaccines are highly profitable for pharmaceutical companies and the health care industry. Strong financial incentives exist to continue this practice, not effectiveness.

5. All vaccines contain a number of toxic poisons and chemicals that are linked to serious neurological damage including aluminum, thimerosal (methyl mercury), antibiotics, monosodium glutamate (MSG) and formaldehyde. Other dangerous substances found in vaccines include antifreeze, lead, cadmium, glycerine, acetone, and yeast proteins.
6. Every study comparing unvaccinated to vaccinated children demonstrates that unvaccinated children enjoy far superior health. Unvaccinated children generally do not suffer from upper respiratory illnesses, ear infections, autism, ADHD, asthma, allergies, auto-immune disorders and other diseases, in comparison to those vaccinated.

7. Vaccines cause a host of ‘chronic, incurable, and life threatening diseases,’ including autism, asthma, ADHD, auto-immune disorders, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, food allergies and brain damage.

8. The only way to create true life-long immunity to a disease is through natural exposure to the disease in which the body creates true antibodies and immunity on many levels.
9. Vaccines kill infants, children and adults. Strong evidence links vaccines to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). More than one hundred previously healthy young women have died as a result of the HPV vaccine. The flu vaccine has been documented as awarding the most money for serious health injuries, including death.

“The long term effects of vaccines are unknown. It is a medical experiment of one’s health for which no one knows the long-term health consequences. US children are given far more vaccines at younger ages compared to other countries. Infant mortality rates for US children are one of the worst in the world, especially compared to countries who vaccinate their children less and who have wisely raised vaccination ages.

10. If you or a loved one suffers from a vaccine injury, pharmaceutical companies and physicians hold no medical liability. In 1986, the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act was formed, eliminating the ability to directly sue pharmaceutical companies or health care practitioners responsible for vaccine injuries.”
Make your choices carefully.

The fight isn’t over for farmworkers overtime work hours pay

ARVIN, CA - 11JUNE14 - A crew of farm workers pulls weeds in a field of organic potatoes. Because it is an organic crop, the grower, Cal Organics, can't use herbicide, and has to hire workers to remove the weeds before harvesting the potatoes. The crew is made up of immigrant Mexican families, and works for forelady Aurora Gonzalez. Copyright David Bacon

by David Bacon

For the state’s first hundred-plus years, certain unspoken rules governed California politics. In a state where agriculture produced more wealth than any industry, the first rule was that growers held enormous power.

Tax dollars built giant water projects that turned the Central and Imperial Valleys into some of the nation’s most productive farmland. Land ownership was concentrated in huge corporate plantation-like farms. Growers used political power to assure a steady flow of workers from one country after another-Japan, China, the Philippines, Yemen, India, and of course Mexico-to provide the labor that made the land productive.

Agribusiness kept farm labor cheap, at wages far below those of people in the state’s growing urban centers. When workers sought to change their economic condition, grower power in rural areas was near absolute-strikes were broken and unions were kept out.

The second unwritten rule was therefore that progressive movements grew more easily in the cities, where unions and community organizations became political forces to be reckoned with. In the legislature, these rules generally meant that Democrats and pro-labor proposals came from urban districts, while resistance came from Republicans in rural constituencies.

That historic divide in California politics is changing, however.

On June 2 the State Assembly failed to pass a bill that would give farm workers the same overtime pay that workers in urban areas have had since the 1930s. In the outcome, echoes can still be heard of those old rules. But the vote also makes clear that past certainties are certain no longer.

Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938, which established the nation’s first overtime pay requirement-time and a half after forty hours in a week. In the debate, Congress members from the South, heavily dependent on Black workers in cotton and tobacco, opposed making the law apply to farm labor.

Representative J. Mark Wilcox of Florida openly justified this exclusion: “Then there is another matter of great importance in the South, and that is the problem of our Negro labor,” he declared. “There has always been a difference in the wage scale of white and colored labor… You cannot put the Negro and the white man on the same basis and get away with it. Not only would such a situation result in grave social and racial conflicts but it would also result in throwing the Negro out of employment and in making him a public charge.”

The enslavement of African Americans set a pattern of inequality that lasted long after slavery itself was abolished, and the pattern was then applied to other people of color. While the descendants of slaves worked without overtime pay on the farms of the South, immigrants from Mexico and Asia faced the same exclusion in the West.
The rise of California’s farm worker movement began to change the power equation in the 1960s, however, forcing some growers to agree to union contracts, an unprecedented step. Yet even when the legislature debated the Agricultural Labor Relations Act in 1975, the nation’s first law guaranteeing union rights for farm workers, the votes in favor came from urban Democrats, while rural Republicans maintained a solid front against it.

Nevertheless, the farm workers movement sparked a sea change in the politics of rural California. Growers did not lose their power, but even in rural communities that power was no longer uncontested.

In 1975, the year the ALRA was passed, Democrats in the legislature also passed the first proposal to give farm workers overtime pay. But it was still a standard below that of other workers – time and a half after ten hours in a day instead of eight, and 60 hours a week instead of 40. Growers have to pay overtime on the seventh day of work, but only if none of the previous workdays are less than six hours. In practice, few California farm workers today get overtime pay.

Through the 1980s and ‘90s, when Republicans held the governorship and a majority in the legislature, changing that overtime rule was not in the cards. Even when Democrats regained their legislative majority and passed a bill to restore the 8-hour day to most California workers in 1999, farm workers were still excepted. Finally, in 2010, Democrats passed SB 1121 to remove the exception for farm workers in the 8-hour overtime standard. Then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed it.

In his veto message, Schwarzenegger said the 8-hour day and 40-hour week would “not improve the lives of California’s agricultural workers and instead will result in additional burdens on California’s businesses, increased unemployment and lower wages.” He used the argument put forward by grower groups in every overtime battle, predicting that “multiple crews will be hired to work shorter shifts, resulting in lower take-home pay for all workers. Businesses trying to compete under the new wage rules may become unprofitable and go out of business.”

In 2012 Assemblymember Michael Allen introduced a similar bill sponsored by the United Farm Workers. It passed the Senate, but this time it failed in the State Assembly. Fractures in the Assembly Democratic Caucus surprised even the state horse breeders association, part of the grower opposition to the bill. It listed five Democrats “all of whom voted ‘no.’ (Amazing!),” including urban liberals like Joan Buchanan, Fiona Ma and Toni Atkins, as well as others, like Susan Bonilla who skipped the vote.

“Unfortunately, there are a lot of terrible reasons why farm workers have been excluded for 74 years,” UFW President Arturo Rodriguez commented bitterly at the time. “Often people ask us why? As should now be apparent, Democrats are just as vulnerable to big money as Republicans are.”

Due to lack of space we were unable to publish the complete story. To read the entire story please visit: http://davidbaconrealitycheck.blogspot.com/2016/06/the-fight-isnt-over-for-farm-worker_16.html

The stock market crash of 2016: stocks have already crashed in 6 of the 8 largest economies

The Chinese economy is the second largest on the entire planet, and since this time last year Chinese stocks are down an astounding 40 percent

by Michael Snyder
Economic Collapse

Over the past 12 months, stock market investors around the planet have lost trillions of dollars.

Since this time last June, stocks have crashed in 6 of the world’s 8 largest economies, and stocks in the other two are down as well. The charts that you are about to see are absolutely stunning, and they are clear evidence that a new global financial crisis has already begun. Of course it is true that we are still in the early chapters of this new crisis and that there is much, much more damage to be done, but let us not minimize the carnage that we have already witnessed.

In general, there have been three major waves of financial panic over the past 12 months. Late last August we saw the biggest financial shaking since the financial crisis of 2008, then in January and February there was an even bigger shaking, and now a third “wave” has begun in June. Not all areas around the globe have been affected equally by each wave, but without a doubt this new financial crisis is a global phenomenon.

The charts that I am about to show you come from Trading Economics. It is an absolutely indispensable website that is packed full of useful data, and I encourage everyone to check it out.

Let’s talk about China first. The Chinese economy is the second largest on the entire planet, and since this time last year Chinese stocks are down an astounding 40 percent…

As things have started to unravel in China, the Chinese have been selling off U.S. debt and U.S. stocks like crazy. The following comes from Bloomberg…

For the past year, Chinese selling of Treasuries has vexed investors and served as a gauge of the health of the world’s second-largest economy.

The People’s Bank of China, owner of the world’s biggest foreign-exchange reserves, burnt through 20 percent of its war chest since 2014, dumping about $250 billion of U.S. government debt and using the funds to support the yuan and stem capital outflows.

While China’s sales of Treasuries have slowed, its holdings of U.S. equities are now showing steep declines.

Unfortunately for China, their economy just continues to slow down, and George Soros is so alarmed by this and a potential “Brexit” that he has been selling off stocks and buying enormous amounts of gold in anticipation of an even bigger global downturn.

Japan has the third largest economy in the world, and over the past year Japanese stocks are down a total of 26 percent from the peak…

Personally, I have been extremely alarmed by what has been happening in Japan lately. Japanese stocks were down almost 500 points last night, and overall the Nikkei is down a whopping 1,800 points so far in June.

Of course the Japanese economy as a whole is essentially a basket case at this point. For a detailed analysis of this, please see my previous article entitled “Watch Japan – For All Is Not Well In The Land Of The Rising Sun“.
Germany has the fourth largest economy in the world, and over the past year their stocks have fallen 19 percent from the peak of the market…

The key thing to watch for in Germany are serious troubles at their biggest bank. I wrote a long article about the slow-motion implosion of Deutsche Bank last month, and just this week Deutsche Bank stock hit an all-time low.

The fifth largest economy on the planet belongs to the United Kingdom, and since last June their stocks have fallen about 13 percent…

One week from today, the “Brexit” vote will be held in the UK, and if they vote to leave the EU that could have very serious economic and financial implications for them and for the rest of Europe as well. For an in-depth look at this, please see my previous article entitled “June 23, 2016: The Brexit Vote Could Change EVERYTHING And Plunge Europe Into Financial Chaos.“

France has the sixth largest economy in the world, and over the past year French stocks are down 20 percent from the peak of the market…

The French economy is really struggling these days, and we have not heard much about it in the U.S. media, but there have been tremendous riots in major cities in France in recent weeks.

The seventh largest economy on our planet belongs to India. Even though India is facing some very serious economic problems, their stocks are doing okay for the moment. Even though stocks in India are down over the past 12 months, we have not seen a major financial crisis over there just yet.

But there is definitely a major crisis in the eighth largest economy in the world. Italian stocks are down a staggering 32 percent from the peak of the market. That means approximately a third of all stock market wealth in Italy is already gone…

Earlier this year, I wrote about the horrifying collapse of the Italian banking system that has greatly accelerated since the start of 2016. It looks like virtually all of their big banks will ultimately need to be bailed out, and this threatens to become a far bigger crisis than the crisis in Greece ever was.

And let us not leave off the ninth largest economy in the world. Not too long ago, CNN ran an article entitled “Brazil: Economic collapse worse than feared“. So not only are they admitting that the ninth largest economy on the globe is collapsing, they are also admitting that it is even worse than what the experts had anticipated.
So did I leave anyone off the list?

Ah yes, I haven’t even addressed what has been going on in the United States yet.

U.S. stocks did crash last August, but then they recovered.

Then they crashed again in January, but then they recovered again.

Now U.S. stocks have been taking another tumble here in June, but we are being assured that there is nothing to worry about.

Meanwhile, the underlying numbers for the U.S. economy just continue to get worse and worse and worse. If you have any doubt about this, please see the article that I posted yesterday entitled “15 Facts About The Imploding U.S. Economy That The Mainstream Media Doesn’t Want You To See.“

Hopefully this article will clear a lot of things up. In this piece, I have presented undeniable evidence that a new global financial crisis has begun over the past 12 months. We have not seen global stock declines of this nature since the great financial crisis of 2008, but much worse is still to come.

I would love to be wrong about that last part.

It would be wonderful if the worst was now behind us and good times for the global financial system were ahead.
Unfortunately, every single indicator that I am watching is telling me just the opposite.

Remembering probably the founder of the first Spanish newspaper in SF – my father

by Marvin Ramírez

José Santos Ramírez Calero (1916-2004)

For most of us, perhaps there aren’t more important and impacting dates like the ones when a very loved one passes away, to continue the journey we all will take sooner or later.

To me, this memorable date is June 12, when my father José Santos Ramírez Calero, a warrior of letters succumbed to his dead after a short but fast illness of cancer, and Alzheimer. It happened just a few days before Father’s Day on June 15. And as this month of June is almost history, and my father has been gone since 2004, I can only remember and share with you my readers, what a great guy was Ramírez Nieto, as he used to sign his name in El Nuevo Demócrata, his twice-a-month newspaper he started in 1938 in Nicaragua.

He republished it for a few years when he migrated to San Francisco in 1945, and stopped publishing it when he returned to his country, where he resumed his work at the daily, La Noticia. He worked there for 45 years.
When I am writing and putting together every edition El Reportero every week, I feel the pain of not having him with me, watching me write, checking the spelling or correcting the style, as he did in the beginning when I started the paper. But soon he started complaining that he was forgetting things, so he didn’t want to do a bad job. So he quit helping me.

Ramírez Nieto, which means grandson, was the son of José Santos Ramírez Estrada, a U.S.-graduated electrical engineer who became famous and wealthy in Managua, when he brought from the U.S., giant and loud speakers that he placed on top of his car, which helped him grow a very profitable advertising business. People in Nicaragua still call the whole ensemble, “barata,” which means bargain, cheap, big sale. Its used to announce sales or events in the absence of radio or television at the time, as was the case in the 1920s.

My dad, Ramírez Nieto, however, left his own legacy, and Nicaraguan people in this part of the world, San Francisco, should have good reasons to remember him.

A journalist since he was 10 years old – he published the first newspaper in Spanish, unless there is evidence to proof the contrary.

El Nuevo Demócrata, of similar tabloid-size as El Reportero, so far it’s the only known to be the first newspaper published in San Francisco in Spanish.

I hope some day be able to erect a statue of José Santos Ramírez Calero in his honor to commemorate his work on behalf of the freedom of the press and his contribution to Spanish-language journalism in San Francisco.

La Gente with its Trío Show

Compiled by the El Reportero’s staff

The best deal in town for live music, artisan tapas and art exhibitions is back! Arte y tapas at 83 Proof! This event features live concert by La Gente Trio, Artwork by DJ Agana and 3 courses of delicious artisan tapas by Lovage Cooking all included with admission.

So we are really excited to invite you to our intimate Trio show
this Sunday June 19th @ 83 Proof as part of arte y tapas! 
At 83 1st Street, SF, at 6 p.m. Cover charge $13.

El “Día de San Juan” salsa festival brings hottest sounds to the Bay Area

Bay Area Puerto Ricans celebrate their heritage with a day of live music, salsa dancing and authentic food at History Park in San Jose on Saturday, June 18, 2016. Keeping the Puerto Rican culture alive and now in its 38th year, El “Dia de San Juan” festival is by far one of the most favored events within the Puerto Rican community, nationalities of all flavors, salseros y salseras, and the public at-large. This scholarship fundraiser event features talented musicians playing the best that salsa offers– both classico‘ y nuevo.

This Puerto Rican festival has grown into a significant family and community event with over 2,000 supporters enjoying the open space of History Park. The music-filled day includes NYC favorite Jose Mangual, Jr. “Campañero” and local talents of Mazacote with Louie Romero, Julio Bravo y Orquesta Salsabor, Eric Rangel y Orquesta America, La Mixta Criolla con Hector Lugo.

The public is invited to celebrate the day. Doors open at 11:00 am. Advance tickets are $15 online and available at wrprc.org. Admission is $25 day of the event.

Saturday, June 18, 2016 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., at History Park, 1650 Senter Road, San Jose.

John Leguizamo Returns to the Bay Area with John Leguizamo: Latin History of Morons

The outrageous, multifaceted performer attempts to teach his son (and the rest of us) about the marginalization of Latinos in U.S. history and the vital roles they played in building this country. From a satirical recap of Aztec and Incan history to stories of Latin patriots in the Revolutionary and Civil War and beyond, Leguizamo breaks down 3,000 years into 90 irreverent and uncensored minutes in his trademark comedic style.

History was never so mind-blowing…or hysterical! Latin History for Morons plays July 1-August 14 at Berkeley Rep. Discounts for under 30. Bring a group: Buy 10, save $10 (each ticket!). Visit BerkeleyRep.org for tickets. 
“My Brother’s Keeper? Expressions of Our World Today” art exhibition.

Are we our brother’s keeper? When it comes to the earth, equality, and the harmony of our fellow humans, do we bear a responsibility, regardless of who or where we may be? Back To The Picture presents six artists and their vision of our world today through powerful depictions on our present state.

Join us in July for a commentary, sometimes raw and intense, sometimes playful. What at first may seem light on the surface, soon pulls a deeper truth from within.

On display works of Art Hazlewood, Jessie Aquire, Kathy Aoki, Consuelo Jiménez-Underwood, Mark Harris, Robyn Kralique. July 3 – 31, 2016 Curated by Derek Hargrove.

Opening reception with the artists Saturday, July 9, 2016 7-10 p.m.

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