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Poetry and song in SF-honoring Rubén Darío

Compiled by the El Reportero’s staff

147th anniversary of Rubén Darío.Rubén Darío

Opening the door to a new year, a group of poets and reciters will be celebrating the 147th birth date of the Prince of Letters, the great poet, Rubén Darío. This important celebration will be conducted by the poetic directive of Luis Echegoyén and musically led by Enoc Jérez, and it will have open mic for the audience. There will be Nicaraguan appetizers. The event will take place from on Jan. 19, from 1 – 4 p.m., at the Lelenitas Cakes, at 3743 Mission Street, San Francisco. For more info please call at 415-871-4613.

On Jan. 24-Feb. 8, 2014, Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sundays at 6 p.m. (Please note showtimes Sat, Feb 8 are 4 p.m. & 7 p.m.) Advance tickets are available at www.brownpapertickets.com, or 1800-838-3006.

SamTrans Pilots Reduced Day Pass Pricing

Additional Fare Incentives Aimed At Boosting Ridership

New fare changes designed to increase ridership on SamTrans took effect this week.

Approved in October by the SamTrans Board of Directors, the following fare changes were implemented beginning Jan. 1:

– Reduced the price of the SamTrans Day Pass to two-and-a-half times the one-way cash fare for up to 18 months. The Day Pass was formerly three times the one-way cash fare. This provides customers who ride three or more buses a day with a discount compared to paying cash. Information at www.samtrans.com/daypass.

– Established an annual pass for purchase by housing complexes and businesses. Participating property managers and employers pay a set price per eligible resident (five years and older) or employee (working 20+ hours a week.) The pass costs $115 this year and will increase to $125 in 2015. Minimum participation is 100 users. Information at www.samtrans.com/faretypes.

– 20 percent discount for groups of 25 or more people who pre-purchase tickets. Information at www.samtrans.com/grouptravel.

Develop Your Resume and Cover letter writing skills

The Berkeley Public Library hosts a Resume and Cover Letter – Workshop on Monday January 27, 2014, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in the 3rd Floor Community Meeting Room of the Central Library, 2090 Kittredge Street.

This free workshop is led by resume expert Marilyn Tullius from Delta Strategies for Marketing. She will address how to handle gaps in employment, focusing the resume for specific jobs, common dilemmas in resume writing; as well as answer individual questions.

Attendees should bring copies of their current resume and cover letter for review and advice in a small group discussion setting. The dates for the Resume and Cover Letter Workshop are: January 27, February 24, March 24, April 28, Tuesday May 27, ( due to May 26th being Memorial Day) and June 23, 2014.

SFJAZZ & SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director and seven-time Grammy nominee, John Santos

Don’t miss this one!

SFJAZZ & SFJAZZ informaciónResident Artistic Director and seven-time Grammy nominee, John Santos present: Un Danzon pa’ Cachao, Una Descarga pa’ Walfredo.

Two historic concerts honoring two giants of Cuban music: Israel López “Cachao” and Walfredo de Los Reyes featuring

The John Santos Sextet: Dr. John Calloway, Melecio Magdaluyo, Saúl Sierra, Marco Díaz, David Flores. With special guests Walfredo de Los Reyes, Orestes Vilató, Paquito D’Rivera, Anthony Blea and the Classical Revolution String Trio, and Javier Navarrette.

On Saturday, Jan. 18, at 7:30 p.m. (There will be a brief post-concert talk by John and his special guests on Saturday) and Sunday, Jan. 19, 7 p.m., at the gorgeous new SFJAZZ Center, 201 Franklin at Fell St., San Francisco. http://www.sfjazz.org. 866-920-5299.

Boxing

The Sport of Gentlemen

Boxing” de Molina

Saturday, January 25 – Washington, District of Columbia (SHOWTIME) –

Light welterweights: Lamont Peterson (31-2-1, 16 KOs) vs. Dierry Jean (25-0, 17 KOs).

Saturday, February 1 – Monte Carlo, Monaco –

Middleweights: Gennady Golovkin (28-0, 25 KOs) vs. Osumanu Adama (22-3, 16 KOs).

Saturday, February 15 – Los Angeles, California –

Featherweights: Jhonny Gonzalez (55-8, 47 KOs) vs. Abner Mares (26-1-1, 14 KOs).

“They call us illegal:” Fast-food workers face silence raids

Protesters demand respect for undocumented workers.(PHOTOS BY DAVID BACON)

by David Bacon, Truthout

OAKLAND, CA (11/23/13) — Since the Golden Arches rose above the first southern California drive-ins, workers have labored in their shadows for the lowest legal wage a boss can pay. Other fast food chains have mushroomed since, copying the same ideas. Pay workers the least possible. Keep them guessing from week to week how many hours they’ll get. If anyone gets upset, there are always many more people on the street, ready to step behind the counter, clean up the dirty tables, or stand at the grill in the heat and smoke.

Is it a surprise that many people in those jobs came to this country to feed their hungry children, or give a future to those they left behind? People will put up with a lot when they’re hungry enough. They’ll take ibuprofen to get through the shift, or line up for food at the local food pantry at the end of the month, because their paychecks won’t stretch that far. All to keep that job.

These days many of those workers have heard about strikes and work stoppages. The word is out about protests asking for $15 an hour instead of the $8 minimum.

So fast food chains are finally discovering what building service contractors and garment sweatshops have known for years. They’ve “suddenly realized” their workers are immigrants, and maybe some don’t have good immigration papers. By asking for papers, and firing those that can’t come up with good ones, the restaurants imagine they’ll restore the previous willingness of workers to accept the minimum, no questions asked.

Is that what happened at Jack in the Box in Oakland? Did the corporate office simply decide that the time had come to give workers a good scare? And did the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency of the Department of Homeland Security help them? It wouldn’t be the first time.

In each of the last five years ICE has audited the records of over 2000 employers, ordering them to fire undocumented workers. The mass firings include thousands of janitors and sewing machine operators, as well as workers in farms, factories and meatpacking plants. Now these so-called “silent raids” have arrived at fast food joints, just in time to scare workers as they stage more walkouts and protests.

The government says forcing bosses to fire workers is more humane than deporting them. Instead of mounting the kind of factory raids immigration authorities did a few years ago, with black-clad agents carrying machine guns, ICE now says it uses this “softer” method. It has an electronic system to find and fire the undocumented – a database called E-Verify.

ICE says it targets employers who pay workers substandard wages or force them to endure intolerable working conditions. But curing intolerable conditions by firing or deporting workers doesn’t help the workers. And in the fast food restaurants, the conditions don’t change just because people get fired for not having good papers.

Beneath the benevolent-sounding rhetoric is a whispered subtext as well. If “those people” without papers can’t work, they’ll leave. But no one is heading for Mexico. People stay, but instead they lose homes and pull their kids from school, while looking for work on street corners or cleaning other peoples’ homes.

In 1999 unions said they would try to put a stop to this. At the AFL-CIO convention, they said they’d help immigrant workers get organized to raise wages and make conditions better. Unions would campaign to repeal the law, called “employer sanctions,” that makes it a crime for someone without papers to hold a job to support his or her family. But today Congress is debating laws that would make these firings even more widespread, and criminalize people even more. These bills come from both the Tea Party and mainstream Democrats, who see no problem in firing workers for not having papers.

But Maria Saucedo and Diana Rivera are not invisible, nor are they willing to be quiet. Both were fired recently at Jack in the Box in Oakland for not having papers. Their experiences are a reality check — the reality of the “silent raid” and its human cost. Today communities and unions are starting to see that the future could change in fast food restaurants because of the willingness of these two women, and others like them, to stand up and ask for that $15 wage.

But the organizations that support them have to answer their question: Is it just, to get fired because you don’t have papers? Doesn’t everyone have the right to put food on the table for their families?

I was working 35, sometimes 39 hours a week, and only taking home $500 every two weeks. So if they take away four or five hours it has a big impact. I can’t even pay the rent and our bills with what I make. Plus, I have to send money to my daughters. Sometimes I get to the end of the month and I don’t have enough money to buy food. I have to decide which bills I can pay or only pay part of them. I go to the food pantry on 98th Avenue to get food then, because I don’t have enough money to buy it.

They’d been shorting me on my check for weeks.

My last check should have been for 40 hours, and instead they only paid me for 21. I told her that if she was firing me she had to pay me the hours they owed. I told her “You know my rights — you can’t fire me without paying all you owe me.” She said she didn’t have any money available for that, and I still haven’t been paid.

Every day on the table where we put our lunch we have cans of Red Bull. Instead of drinking soda lots of people drink it so they can get the strength to keep on working. People take aspirin also for the pain. There was one young man who would take Advil with caffeine with his Red Bull, as a way to keep awake while he was working at night.

I take Herbalife that also has caffeine to get the energy to keep working. I take Ibuprofen and Advil for the pain, especially for the headaches I get because of the pressure and for the aches in my feet. If you’re working on the grill, in the heat, you have to take pills for the pain you get in your hands there too. – Due to the lack of space, this article was cut in half. Here’s the link to the entire article: http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/20289-theycall-us-illegal-fast-foodworkers-face-silent-raids.

Peña Nieto secures landmark reforme but challenges lie ahead

by the El Reportero’s wire services

Enrique Peña NietoEnrique Peña Nieto

In a coruscating climax to the political year, President Enrique Peña Nieto won approval for probably the most significant reform in Mexico’s modern history. To push through an energy reform, entailing amendments to sacrosanct constitutional articles at the heart of the Mexican Revolution and ending the 75-year monopoly of the state oil company Pemex, just one year after he took office is a remarkable feat.

The left-wing Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD) was powerless to prevent the bill’s passage through congress at both a federal and state level, but it is adamant that it has merely lost a battle and not the war. It is simultaneously challenging the reform before the supreme court and pushing for a referendum to be held on it in 2015. In the meantime Peña Nieto will need to get secondary legislation through congress to enact the reform and convince potential private investors in the oil sector not to be deterred by judicial uncertainty.

Once supportive Latinos turning backing on President and Affordable Care Act

They were among President Obama’s best supporters, but support for the president and his signature health insurance scheme is quickly dying among Hispanics.

A recent Gallup poll showed Obama’s approval rating among Hispanic down 23 percent, to 52 percent in November from 75 percent in December 2012.

“Hispanics’ approval ratings of Obama have shown the most variation of any group’s ratings throughout his presidency,” the pollsters said when they released their report Dec. 5. “That means their views of him are less firmly anchored than those of other groups, which may help explain why their opinions of the president soured more than any other group’s in recent months.”

That’s not good news for the president, who is in desperate need of Hispanic support for the Affordable Care Act. A recent Kaiser Family Foundation report found that Hispanics account for 32 percent of the nation’s non-elderly uninsured population — just the group he needs to buy into Obamacare to make it a success.

Highly Respected Colombian Journalist Antonio Jose Caballero

Colombian journalist Antonio Jose Caballero, who covered assorted incidents involving late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and was an expert on Vatican issues, died Tuesday in Bogota, RCN Radio – for which he worked – reported. He was 68. Caballero, an excellent and widely respected reporter, died in the Clinica del Country of an illness that had afflicted him for some time, the medical center said in a communique.

Born in Santander de Quilichao, in southwestern Cauca province, Caballero studied at Madrid’s Complutense University and at Italy’s RAI Television Directorate, after which he returned to Colombia, where he worked for some of the country’s most important media outlets.

Cuban Woman Arrives in US to Donate Bone Marrow to Sister in Miami

A Cuban woman finally arrived in Miami to donate bone marrow to a sister suffering from leukemia, after a month of uncertainty due to U.S. authorities’ initial rejection of her visa request, El Nuevo Herald newspaper said Tuesday. The emotional meeting of Alina Ortega Reyes and her ailing sister, Damay Ortega, took place Monday night at Miami International Airport. The visa is “the best gift of my life,” Alina, 47, said upon arriving in Miami, El Nuevo Herald reported.

This is how you create jobs in the United States Part 2

by Marvin Ramirez

Marvin J. RamirezMarvin Ramirez

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: The following article by Devvy Kidd, is very alarming in showing where our country is heading to, and China is shown as destroying the U.S. Americans, including Latinos, African Americans, Asian Americans, European Americans, etc., have much to lose. People came to this nation for liberty and opportunities to grab a piece of the American dream – the right to have an education, own a place one can call home, have a job, and be happy. But all of that seems to be disappearing, in part because we have a government that doesn’t serve the interests of its own people, but rather those of foreign corporations.’ However, you, the reader be the judge. – Due to its length, it will be published in several parts. PART 1.

This is how you create jobs in America

by Devvy Kidd
truther

“The measure of the wealth of a nation is indicated by the measure of its protection of its industry; the measure of the poverty of a nation is marked by the degree in which it neglects and abandons the care of its own industry, leaving it exposed to the action of foreign powers.” Congressman Henry Clay, 1824

I’m one of those who fought against NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement (No American Factories Taking Jobs) because so many of us knew what was going to happen: the total gutting of our most important job sectors which provided good jobs, good pay and job security. Here we are 20 years down the road with massive trade imbalances, MILLIONS of jobs lost – all for cheap labor for corporations who dumped on American workers. What a bargain. Cheap, you say? Go to Macy’s or other department stores like Sears or Neiman Marcus and compare some rag on the hanger from commie China, commie Hong Kong or Bangladesh. It is equal to or MORE than the same or similar garment made here in America. Go ahead and compare, I have. Maybe you can get some sweats or tees at China (Wal) Mart cheaper, but either we support America first or we will not survive.

We continue to see recalls of products from China. Gifts from the East. Seafood full of dangerous antibiotics. Toothpaste tainted with, love this one – an ingredient in antifreeze. Automobile tires missing a key safety 1component. Years ago it was toys from China slicked with a date rape drug.

Of course, there’s no malice or intent by the companies in China, a Godless, communist country, putting a date rape drug in toys to be sold in America. It’s all just a mistake, not enough ‘quality control.’ Right. That factory making toys for children in America and somehow large quantities of a date rape drug just happens to be in the work area where toys are being mass-produced? Let’s not forget the million or so dogs and cats skinned ALIVE by “businessmen” in China every year who take the fur and put it in sweaters, parkas and doll clothes which gets shipped and sold illegally here in the U.S. The next time you buy a $75 dollar sweater, a $250.00 ski parka or doll clothes for a Christmas gift from China, there’s a good chance it has dog or cat fur from a poor little creature skinned alive. Don’t believe those labels because they’re lying.

How about dangerous prescription drugs being consumed by you or your family?

* Chinese Chemieconomy. Both are more intertwined than many realize.

Simply put, the less we make in our nation, the more the government must borrow to try to sustain spending. The trade deficit leads to national insolvency.

“Yet, the opposite is true, too: the MORE we make in our nation, the less the government has to borrow.

When we buy more of what our people make, we put them to work without the government needing to spend on a stimulus plan. Those folks get off of welfare (less government spending), start paying taxes (reducing the budget deficit) and have the opportunity to at least have a shot at what it is supposed to mean to be American.

“Even a small move would make a tremendous difference. If, for instance, 10 percent of our people would shift one or two purchases a month to Made in USA, it would create hundreds of thousands of jobs! However, if we took it to the next level, we would really heal this great nation and stop the decline!”

Todd also wrote this absolute truth two months ago: Federal Debt and Trade Deficit are Intertwined

“As the battle over the Washington’s budget deficit heats up again, it is timely to point out that even a partial solution to the trade deficit would be a huge source of government revenue without raising taxes. Presently, the billions of dollars that leave our economy daily mean not only fewer jobs at USA factories and their suppliers, but also much less tax revenue collected at every level of government.

“For example, if a factory that employs 10,000 Americans moves to Asia, we’re not just putting Americans out of work. We’re also losing all the taxes those employees would have paid, those the workers at their suppliers would have paid, and so on. That web of economic activity not only disappears, but so do the tax revenues that would have been collected!

“Thus, the more that is Made in USA, the more tax revenue the government collects. Indeed, the correlation between the rise of the budget deficit (excluding Social Security transfers) and the trade deficit since 1970 is very tight. We not only vote USA when we purchase Made in USA, we add tax revenue to the government without raising taxes!”

The impostor in the White House is pushing like the Devil he is to finally destroy this country through a very secretive trade treaty.

Make no mistake: Dirty Harry Reid and the other traitors in the U.S. Senate and likely John Boehner who has given Barry Soetoro aka Obama everything he’s wanted in trade treaties the past few years selling out his constituents in Ohio as well as the rest of America, will be happy to hand that Marxist what he wants: Obama’s Super Secret Treaty Which Will Push The Deindustrialization Of America Into Overdrive – Trans-Pacific Partnership. So secret most members of the Outlaw Congress can’t even look at the language.

“Did you know that Barack Obama has been secretly negotiating the most important trade agreement since the formation of the World Trade Organization?

Did you know that this agreement will impose very strict Internet copyright rules, ban all “Buy American” laws, give Wall Street banks much more freedom to trade risky derivatives and force even more domestic manufacturing offshore?

If you have not heard about this treaty, don’t feel bad. Obama has refused to even give Congress a copy of the draft agreement and he has banned members of Congress from attending the negotiations. The plan is to keep this treaty secret until the very last minute and then to railroad it through Congress and have it signed into law by October.”

The only thing that’s stopped Comrade Obama is the massive catastrophe called Obamacare. The U.S. House will be in their districts Nov. 22nd – Dec. 2nd and then Dec. 14th – Dec. 31st. Likely the Senate will be gone the same days on our dime. Not only bring down the house over Obamacare, but tell he/she they will not survive their primary next year if they vote for the Trans-Pacific Partnership. All the house is up for reelection, but only 1/3rd of the dirt bag senate, so check to see if your senator is Class II – they’re the ones to target.

Let me remind Americans under the age of 40: Full page ad, NY Times, April 15, 1994: 1944. Bretton Woods: The IMF and the World Bank. 1945. San Francisco: The United Nations. 1994, Marrakech: The World Trade Organization. History knows where it’s going. The final act of the Uruguay Round….to the WTO, the third pillar of the New World Order, along 2043with the UN and the IMF.” Henry Kissinger, a tried and true traitor and Soviet agent recently said when asked the most important role Marxist Obama can play regarding the middle East: “Obama can give a new impetus to American foreign policy….his task is to step forward to create a new world.”

Duck Dynasty controversy should have us talking more politics and religion at the table

by Thomas J. Basile,

As Duck Dynasty fans rally behind the bearded reality TV family’s patriarch and Washington’s so-called power brokers attack each other over the budget, I can’t help but think about that an old etiquette tip that admonishes us not to talk politics and religion in polite company. Christmas is nearly here and most Americans will be joining together to celebrate, give thanks, exchange gifts, pray and, of course, eat. The Holiday party season is in full swing, and I think it’s the perfect time to talk about politics and religion.

I find that conservatives are more inclined to follow this odd rule as opposed to more progressive folks who speak their minds with greater ease. This dynamic is particularly true in bluer states. Regardless of where you live, it’s important for all of us to appreciate that the freedom we enjoy is directly proportional to our ability – and some would say- responsibility to express our values.

Political correctness needs to give way to substantive, respectful dialogue. In plain terms, that’s called people having a conversation. It’s old fashioned I know, but it’s important. In fact, I would suggest that the more we as Americans recoil from constructive discussion about the issues of the day, the less freedom we will ultimately enjoy. If people who hold fast to the American values of personal freedom, responsibility and individual empowerment are afraid to speak out then the growing forces of government will undoubtedly control all debate.

So this Christmas try it. Try having a civil discussion about the issues we face as a nation. Try disagreeing without automatically believing someone is an idiot or questioning their patriotism. At a time when, according to Gallup, 72% of Americans view big government as the greatest threat to America’s future, a good robust discussion about how to craft that future is more vital than ever before.

The trick of course is to not let the conversation turn into a debate where mashed potatoes, or in the case of my family, slabs of lasagna, go flying across the room.

John Podesta and Martin Bashir probably are not models to be emulated. They and others on both sides of the aisle are part of the problem. In today’s America we all too often equate the idea of expressing ones views with the cacophony of talking heads on television trying to out-shout one another. We think of an issues discussion as being more akin to the name-calling, snide comments, put-downs and dismissals we often hear and see on television or among our elected officials.

We too often view the debate from our respective political corners rather than as members of a community. We’re far too 2concerned with offending people with our opinions and not concerned enough with the lack of respectful, substantive discussion.

Here’s a quick tip for all you willing to dip your toe into the discussion – don’t start with subjects that will immediately cause a fight to break out in the dining room. In other words, if you know your mother-in-law is pro-choice, don’t initiate a conversation about abortion. Tackle subjects where common ground is possible and where emotions are less likely to get in the way of the debate.

When it comes to government, the enemy within is tough to tackle to be sure. But threats to freedom and society cannot be addressed if people are unwilling to express their views. If you think Obamacare is a disaster, tell people and tell them why. The fact that you can’t stand Obama is not a valid reason. If you believe the cutting of veterans’ benefits in the budget deal is a disgrace and the deficit it too high, then say so. If you think that taxes should be lower or the government should stay out of your personal life let folks know.

As Pope John Paul II was fond of saying to young people, “Do not be afraid” when it comes to talking about issues of faith. If you think there isn’t enough Christ in Christmas, then be proud of your faith and talk about those values.

The key to successful discussion is of course respect. When you commit to expressing your opinion in a respectful way a couple of strange things happen. Those who cling to extreme or unworkable arguments are quickly exposed for lacking a fully-formed or reasonable opinion. Even more importantly, though, we begin to realize that common ground can be found on a whole range of issues. We are not as far apart as the media and professional talkers like to suggest.

The Gallup poll is a startling example of that. Most Americans believe we have significant threats to our way of life and the vast majority of them feel government is what imperils us the most. It’s not the fight between social conservatives and fiscal liberals or the one between the Christian right and secular progressives. Not even the artificial battle lines drawn by the political establishments are our biggest problem.

During this season of expectation, faith and giving, we all must remember that those who are afraid to talk religion and politics for the sake of etiquette or political correctness risk handing tory to institutions that don’t want a debate about either.

In order for America to survive we must be able to have a civil conversation. In order for America to flourish in 2014 and in the years ahead we must be able to celebrate our differences with respectful dialogue. In order for us to remain the greatest force for Freedom on earth, we must recognize that there is more that binds us than divides us – and sometimes it’s okay to agree to disagree.

Thomas J. Basile is a national political commentator and columnist. Follow him on Twitter @TJBasile

Cuba, the island time forgot

Compiled by the El Reportero’s staff

147th anniversary of Rubén Darío.147th anniversary of Rubén Darío.

Discover the Real Cuba: The island time forgot. Where a rich homegrown culture thrives free of the Commercialized World of American Mass Media!

In over 50 years since the revolution, Cuba’s isolation has allowed the culture to evolve on it’s own. In 2011, filmmaker Warren Haack went to Cuba on a lark to experience the music and ended up falling in love with the culture. He returned to film this in-depth look at the music, dance, religion and everyday lives of the people; in the streets, homes and clubs where life throbs to a distinct, captivating rhythm.

The film features over 12 music groups performing and dancing. Images of everyday life are woven into the music. Although the cars may be old fashioned, the music is revolutionary because it creates new genres by the fusion of styles that the originators had never envisioned.

Tiburon Film Society will present “Santiago is Santiago” at the Bay Model located at 2100 Bridgeway in Sausalito on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014 @ 6 p.m.

Poetry and song in San Francisco- honoring Rubén Darío

Opening the door to a new year, a group of poets and reciters will be celebrating the 147th birth date of the Prince of Letters, the great forgot poet, Rubén Darío. This important celebration will be conducted by the poetic directive of Luis Echegoyén and musically led by Enoc Jérez, and it will have open mic for the audience. There will be Nicaraguan appetizers. The event will take place on January 19, from 1 – 4 p.m., at the Lelenitas Cakes, at 3743 Mission Street, San Francisco. For more info please call at 415-871-4613.

Afro-Latin Percus sion Ensemble at CSM

If you love Afro-Cuban and Afro-Latin music and would like to learn the techniques and history of the conga drum this is the class for you. Taught by respected Bay Area musician and historian, seven-time Grammy nominee, SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director and 2012 San Francisco Latino Heritage Arts Awardee, John Santos, this is a beginning/intermediate class. No prior music training is required.

Enrollment is quick and easy and is OPEN NOW for a limited time!!!

Simply go to the College of San Mateo webinsite collegeofsanmateo. edu, click on future students and follow the directions on how to enroll.

Mus. 231 Afro-Latin Percussion Ensemble Spring semester at the College of San Mateo (CSM). Thursdays 3:25 to 6:00, Jan. 16 through May 23, 2014. Taught by John Santos Nominal community college registration fee allows access to nearly all classes offered at the college throughout the semester!

Sam Transto offer free service on New Year’s Eve; Sunday schedule on New Year’s day

Eugenio stressed that this film was directed to a general audience, not just Mexicans. This seems perfect to me, since we are very divided by nationalities at times.
At the end of the day it doesn’t matter if you are Mexican, Colombian, Venezuelan, or Cuban; we are all Latinos and we are united by our language.

$25M lawsuit against JLo and Marc Anthony alleges they stole reality show idea

by the El Reportero’s news services

Jennifer Lopez and her ex-husband Marc Anthony are uniting as they face a $25 million lawsuit for alleging “stealing” the idea for the reality show “Q’Viva! The Chosen.”

John Jacobs alleges he presented a show concept back in 2007-08 to Lopez and Anthony’s respective production companies and in turn they used his idea to launch the show on Univision without him.

The talent reality show, which premiered in 2012, took Lopez and Anthony on a cross-country search for the best in Latin music, artistry 6and dance. The production was executive produced by Simon Fuller of ‘American Idol’ fame. The show and its English-language counterpart on the Fox Network was not brought back for another year of production. The show, however, became the #1 Spanish-language show on the Univision network in Puerto Rico, Peru, Uruguay, the Dominican Republic and Colombia.

Jacobs stated his idea and the show that aired were so similar “that they were twins.” Lopez and Anthony have made no comment on the suit according to TMZ.

Spanish filmmaker brings bill collectors’ telephonic terrorism to short film

by the El Reportero’s news services

Miguel ParraMiguel Parra

Journalist and moviemaker Miguel Parra opens one of the most painful wounds suffered by those in debt, the telephonic harassment they endure from businesses calling about unpaid bills, in his first fictional short film “Sin Respuesta” (No Answer), starring Natalia Mateo.

“I wrote the screenplay because a friend of mine, who hadn’t paid one of the last installments of a very small personal loan, began to get telephone calls from a woman who badgered him with such cruel remarks that I asked myself, what must life be like for people who get behind on much bigger mortgage or loan payments,” the 46-year-old Spanish filmmaker told Efe.

The journalist launched an investigation that he turned into a film story condensed into little more than 10 minutes, but in which every second is absolutely essential.

Shot in a claustrophobic cubicle where a telephonic bill collector goes after debtors, and with the face of actress Natalia Mateo the only video content, the short tells several stories about the people in arrears she is hounding, and whose only presence is their voices.

The film is all about “the perversion of the system,” Parra said. “The same telephonic bill collector will earn very little, but this is her job – these are the times we live in. I think we have to ask ourselves what on earth we’re doing, what kind of world are we leaving our children,” he said.

With the most expressive words and images, Parra manages to make the viewer feel the same anguish as is suffered by those receiving the dunning phone calls.

The short has been honored with awards at the ABC Ibero-American Short Film Festival (Fibabc) and the Aguilar de Campoo Short Film Festival, and has just been nominated for France’s Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, considered the world’s most prestigious in the category.

Latin films and actors making a difference

by Alejandra Arce-Salazar
Reach Hispanic

Eugenio Derbez is without a doubt one of the most prominent Latino actors from Mexico working in the United States.

The 52 year old Mexican actor decided to pursue his career at the age of 7, when his mother, the actress Silvia Derbez, saw the Oscars as a dream come true.

Today, he could be nominated to this prestigious award.

His movie, “No se aceptan devoluciones” (Instructions Not Included), is one of the most successful foreign films in the country at the moment. “Instructions Not Included” has brought in more than $44 million in the United States, and $46 million internationally.

Partygoers can forsake their cars on New Year’s Eve and rely on the designated driving of SamTrans, which will be offering free service on the big night.

Starting at 8 p.m. and lasting until 5 a.m., SamTrans will allow passengers to ride free of charge on all bus lines. RediWheels, the San Mateo County Transit District’s paratransit service provider, also will offer free rides between 8 p.m. and midnight, when the service closes.

On the day of New Year’s Eve, SamTrans will operate on a regular, non-school day service. On New Year’s Day, SamTrans will operate on a Sunday schedule.

For more information about fares and schedules, call SamTrans Customer Service at 1-800-660-4287 (TTY 650-508-6448), or visit www.samtrans.com.

Boxing

The Sport of Gentlemen

Boxing” de Molina

Tuesday, December 31 – Osaka, Japan

Junior flyweights: Kazuto Ioka (13-0, 9 KOs) vs. Felix Alvarado (18-0, 15 KOs).

Friday, January 3 – Minneapolis, Minnesota (ESPN2)

Junior lightweights: Argenis Mendez (21-2-1, 11 KOs) vs. Rances Barthelemy (19-0, 12 KOs).

Saturday, January 25 – Stuttgart, Germany

Cruiserweights: Marco Huck (36-2-1, 25 KOs) vs. Firat Arslan (33-6-2, 21 KOs).

Five important go-to detoxifiers for every home pharmacies

by Lance Johnson

For the health of the nation to change, individuals must stop relying on pharmacies and must instead start creating their own farmacies at home.

While pharmacies carry drugs that cover up symptoms, a personal farmacy provides beneficial herbs, spices, roots, vegetables, nuts, fruits, barks, clays, seaweeds and berries that come straight from a garden or are wild crafted from nature. These natural substances don’t block normal bodily functions like pharma drugs do, but instead work in a purifying way at the cellular level without bringing all the harmful side effects. These natural substances are curative in a way that works with the body’s natural processes. More importantly, using natural substances is a great prevention strategy.

Naturally anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antiseptic, the following five natural resources are a must-have for any home farmacy. This beginner’s list contains five staple, go-to detoxifiers that are perfect in the fight against toxins, cancer and disease.

One: Apple cider vinegar with the mother Apple cider vinegar is an inexpensive go-to remedy with a multitude of uses.

As a daily tonic, a couple of teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in a shot of water before meals provides necessary nutrients, probiotics and enzymes which aid in proper digestion and nutrient absorption. Apple cider vinegar is only medicinal when the “mother” is still intact. Unlike processed vinegars, which have been distilled and stripped of beneficial nutrients and enzymes, raw apple cider vinegar contains the “mother,” which is a stringy, web-like substrate that floats in the vinegar. This “mother” passes on gut-friendly bacteria and pro-digestive enzymes. ACV is quick to cure stomach ailments and alkalize the body to prevent disease.

Two: Turmeric, curcumin Turmeric, containing the active ingredient curcumin, is an anti-inflammatory, bloodpurifying powerhouse.

Many studies now report curcumin’s skin-protecting, cancerkilling properties. Safe, effective and affordable, turmeric should be purchased from an organic source and utilized weekly as a great preventative medicine and cooking spice. As a natural detoxifier, turmeric cleanses the blood, purifying the liver and kidneys in the process. Used externally, it can remove boils. Used internally, it can aid in removing cysts.

Three: Bentonite clay Bentonite clay comes from the Earth and can be mixed in water to form a paste.

Used externally, it can be applied and wrapped on skin conditions like poison ivy to help draw the poison out. Under normal circumstances, bentonite clay can be used as a facial mask to cleanse the pores, as well as stopping stinky foot odor and diaper rashes, to name a few benefits. Internally, bentonite clay is a natural colon cleanser. With its strong negative ionic charge, it attracts heavy metals, toxins, harmful bacteria and pesticides, removing them safely from the body in bulk off of cached colon walls.

Four: Zeolite clinoptilolite Many companies now sell zeolite clinoptilolite in easy-to-use bottles.

The best forms of zeolite are in micronized form. The micronized dispersion method allows tiny lava mineral zeolites to travel with water into the hard to reach cells of the body. Zeolite attracts and traps heavy metals and radioactive particles that have been stored up in the cells of the body. With the toxins now trapped in zeolite’s dynamic structure, they are then flushed out of the body through body’s waste systems.

Zeolite is great to have during a time of toxin exposure and is great for anyone wanting to detoxify regularly from constant environmental exposure to pollutants.

Five: Activated charcoal

Activated charcoal comes in a black powder and can be mixed in water to form a paste for external cleansing purposes. As a natural astringent, it can be diluted in water and consumed for internal detoxification. During a time of foodborne illness, chemical or drug poisoning, activated charcoal should be used first to help remove the poison and bacteria from the body. Activated charcoal should be in every emergency kit. It is quick and effective. Natural News.