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Mercosur decides Saturday in Brazil about the expulsion of Venezuela

by the El Reportero’s wire services

Foreign ministers of Mercosur will meet on Saturday in Brazil to discuss the case of Venezuela confirmed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay, Eladio Loizaga.

There will be defined if they conclude with the process of application of the Protocol of Ushuaia, which provides that a country is suspended from the block when it breaks the constitutional order.

Loizaga said that there is not much to analyze in the case of Venezuela and that it only remains to suspend it from the bloc until the democratic order in that country is restored.

He explained that the entire process foreseen in the Protocol had been fulfilled and that now only decisions remain.

He recalled that under the Protocol the last thing before reaching the suspension was to call upon the affected State to state its point of view, but Venezuela did not even respond to this invitation.

It is unclear what will be the position of Uruguay that has been the most reluctant member to sanction Venezuela and prefers to insist on dialogue and a possible understanding.

Guatemalan government seeks indigenous support in dispute with Belize

Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Morales has begun today a working visit to three regions of the country seeking support from mayors, governors and indigenous authorities and explaining the reasons for the territorial dispute with Belize.

The official support is seeking to influence positively in a people’s consultation planned before 2018 and will determine whether or not to take an insular and maritime litigation with Belmopan to the International Criminal Court (ICC) according to press media.

It is tried, in this manner, to solve a claim dating back to two centuries, as published by the Guatemalan News Agency’s official website.

In order to the ICC accept the case the application must be supported by the populations of both nations, according to local authorities.

Guatemala recognized the Belizean government in 1991 but paid no attention to its territorial borders, the Guatemalan Foreign Ministry’s spokesman stated.

The Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales recently asked the political parties not to raise any political banner on this issue, according to foreign minister.

NAFTA renegotiation will harm Mexico, warns peasant leader

Renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) will harm Mexico, assured today the Secretary General of the Independent Agricultural Workers and Peasants Union (Cioac, in Spanish), Federico Ovalle.

The peasant leader criticized what he described as weaknesses in the renegotiation process of NAFTA by the government and the ‘fictitious’ growth figures in agriculture and the creation of jobs.

He stressed that the agricultural chapter should be removed from the trilateral treaty and not go, once more as it happened in 1993, to a subortdinated negotiation of the Mexican economy.

Ovalle summoned to remember and not forget that the trade agreement with the United States and Canada in 1993 was headed by the present party in power, the Partido Revolucionario Institucional, and now the renegotiation is also in its hands.

He called for a great mobilization next August 8 in this capital, on occasion of the 138th anniversary of Emiliano Zapata’s birth date and in defense of the interests of Mexican agricultura, above all, the small producers.

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Boxing – The Gentlemen’s Sport

JULY 29, 2017
Barclays, Brooklyn, NY, USA (Showtime)
Mikey Garcia vs. Adrien Broner
Jarrett Hurd vs. Austin Trout
AUGUST 4, 2017
Chukchansi Park, Fresno, CA, USA (UniMas)
Jose Carlos Ramirez vs. TBA
TBA (ESPN2 / ESPN Deportes)
“Golden Boy Boxing”
AUGUST 11, 2017
Argentina (TyC / VTV)
Caril Herrera vs. Julio Escudero
Sebastian Papeschi vs. Francisco Torres
AUGUST 15, 2017
Shimazu, Kyoto, Japan (beIN)
Shinsuke Yamanaka vs. Luis Nery
AUGUST 18, 2017
TBA (ESPN Deportes)
“Golden Boy Boxing”
AUGUST 26, 2017
StubHub Center, Carson, CA, USA (HBO / BoxNation)
Miguel Cotto vs. Yoshihiro Kamegai
SEPTEMBER 9, 2017
California, USA (HBO)
Wisaksil Wangek vs. Roman Gonzalez
Ekaterinburg, Russia
Shane Mosley vs. Magomed Kurbanov

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Florida county sued for detention of US citizen

Suit against Miami-Dade County claims Honduran-born Garland Creedle was illegally detained, as activists hope to restore Miami’s ‘sanctuary city’ status

by Richard Luscombe

In itself, Garland Creedle’s short stay at Miami’s Turner Guilford Knight correctional centre ought to have been unremarkable. Arrested after an alleged domestic dispute at his family’s home one evening in March, the 18-year-old posted bond, and charges were never filed.

The Honduran-born teenager, however, now finds himself at the centre of a legal fight that immigration activists hope could ultimately restore Miami’s status as a so-called sanctuary city – and end county mayor Carlos Gimenez’s controversial cooperation with Donald Trump’s aggressive anti-immigrant agenda.

A lawsuit filed against Gimenez and Miami-Dade County by a coalition of advocacy groups, including the University of Miami school of law’s immigration clinic and the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, claims county jail officials acted illegally by detaining Creedle for two days at the request of US Customs and Immigration Enforcement (Ice) as a “removable alien” even after his bond payment had posted.

According to the lawsuit, not only is Creedle a US citizen, making him ineligible for deportation, but Miami-Dade’s actions in holding anyone on an immigration detainer without a valid arrest warrant contravenes both the US constitution and Florida law.

“That a US citizen was held illustrates the problematic nature of these detainers, and one of our claims is there’s an insufficient probable cause finding on the detainer,” said Rebecca Sharpless, Creedle’s attorney and director of the immigration clinic at UM law school.

“We warned the county; we wrote to the mayor and commissioners before they decided to go forward, stating it was unlawful and that it was bad policy because it mixes immigration policy with our criminal justice system. They failed to heed our warning.”

The lawsuit, Sharpless says, is the culmination of six months of frustration and fear among south Florida’s sizeable immigrant community.

Gimenez caused outraged in January when he overturned years of county policy and ordered jails to approve all immigration detainer requests instead of only those for people facing serious charges. It followed an executive order from Trump cutting federal funds from cities and counties who offered safe haven to the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US.

The mayor, who did not respond to a request for comment this week, justified the move at the time by pointing to $355m in government money Miami-Dade received for public housing, transportation and police programs.

Yet despite a federal judge blocking Trump’s order in April; a subsequent clarification from the US attorney general, Jeff Sessions, that only certain law enforcement funds would be withheld; and community protests, Gimenez and the Miami-Dade commission have persevered with the policy.

One consequence, opponents say, has been an upswing in the number of episodes in which law enforcement officers have taken into custody immigrants suspected of even the most minor offences, then passed them on to Ice.

“One of the big promises Gimenez kept saying was police officers would not function as immigration agents, but he either chooses to ignore it’s happening or doesn’t know,” said Thomas Kennedy, deputy political director of the immigration advocacy group FLIC Votes.

“The tension is inextricably linked with police enforcement. Say you’re an undocumented immigrant driving to work and run a stop sign, or you’re involved in a minor accident and the police decide to take you in. Your due process gets violated and you’ll be held for the immigration agency.

“It’s a fear immigrants have always had, even in the Obama years, but Obama wasn’t targeting the average, working-class immigrant. Driving every day, interacting with police officers, it’s always a nerve-wracking experience. This policy can bring such a heavy penalty and rip families apart.”

Between Gimenez signing the order in January and mid-June, Miami-Dade turned over 124 detainees to Ice custody, figures show. Among them is Raul Quiroga, a father of two from Argentina who has lived undocumented in the US for 15 years and was driving to his job as a construction worker in Miami in May when he bumped another vehicle with his truck.

He was arrested by state troopers, passed on to Ice and has been held at an immigration facility 40 miles from his family’s home pending deportation.
“My children are not well, they are very sad because they cannot see their dad and they do not understand why this is happening,” said Laura Quiroga, whose younger son, Thiago, nine, is a US citizen.

“Raul is the only support for the family, and we are being evicted from our apartment. I hope we can stay in the US but I’m very afraid he’ll be deported at any time.”

Members of several activist groups staged a protest at the privately run Broward detention centre in Pompano Beach on Saturday, accusing Ice agents of “kidnapping” detained immigrants for profit and denying them basic human rights and dignity.

“A deportation monster is being created by asking Congress [for] millions of dollars to increase detentions and deportations,” said Maria Asuncion Bilbao of United We Dream. “At times like these all we have is each other, and we have no choice but to organize and fight together.” the Guardian.

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Mexico seen as winner of first battle in NAFTA talks

There is some optimism after US document makes no mention of tariffs

Compiled by Mexico News Daily

Fears that a push from the United States to renegotiate the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) would have a negative effect on Mexican exports and the economy in general might prove to be unfounded.

In fact, the Mexican Institute of Financial Executives (IMEF) believes that Mexico has won the first battle in looming trade talks with its northern neighbor after the U.S. government announced Monday that it would not seek to introduce protectionist measures such as tariffs or new quotas on industrial and agricultural goods entering the country.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative released an 18-page document entitled Summary of Objectives for the NAFTA Renegotiation in which it outlined its goals across a range of areas from digital trade to energy, the environment to investment and anti-corruption measures to currency, among others.
President of the national economic studies committee of the IMEF, Gabriel Casillas, explained that one of the main points for renegotiation from the U.S. perspective will be the rules of origin, which determine whether a particular product gets preferential treatment under the agreement depending on where it was made or produced.

However, some of the measures proposed will benefit not just the United States but Mexico and Canada as well, giving all three an advantage over competitors from other regions of the world.

“To update and strengthen the rules of origin, as necessary, to ensure that the benefits of NAFTA go to products genuinely made in the United States and North America,” is the objective as stated in the document.

No reference is made in the document to a desire to introduce tariffs on imports from either Canada or Mexico, news that is welcomed in Mexico.

“That there are no tariffs on the discussion table and a free market is maintained is a 50 percent win for Mexico. It’s probable that in the renegotiation process there will be bumps along the way but in the end it will arrive at a good place,” Casillas remarked.

There are currently more than 16,000 clauses in the 23-year-old agreement, each one dealing with a specific product.

Another objective is “to ensure that the rules of origin incentivize the sourcing of goods and materials from the United States and North America.”

Mechanisms already exist in the agreement that stipulate what percentage of the constituent parts of a product need to be sourced from the North American market in order for protectionist mechanisms not to apply, but the U.S. is seeking to make the rules stricter.

“If you want to make a car in Mexico and export it to the United States we need it to have at least 62.5 percent of its parts from the neighboring country so that it can pass free of tariffs. On this matter, they want to increase the origin content measures on some products for the benefit of the U.S.,” Casillas explained.

Objectives related to tackling corruption and making labor laws central to a renegotiated NAFTA are also outlined in the document.

Casillas conceded that introducing the changes in those areas might be complicated but that they are not necessarily bad for Mexico.

“They can be seen as a straitjacket to achieve good things, above all on corruption issues,” he said.

IMEF president Adriana Berrocal commented that it would be preferable for NAFTA renegotiations to conclude before Mexico’s presidential election and the United States midterms, both to be held in 2018.

“Both administrations are very conscious of that and are doing what is possible to meet [the requirements] on time. If for any reason it is delayed and it carries over to the next government, there’s not much to forecast now,” Berrocal remarked.

The United States has a trade deficit with Mexico that reached $63 billion last year and the stated objective to “reduce the trade deficit with the NAFTA countries” is seen as a priority for the U.S. in the upcoming talks.

Still, both members of the IMEF remain confident that an agreement that benefits all three members of NAFTA will be reached despite President Donald Trump’s occasional rhetoric and Twitter tirades that suggest otherwise.

A trade attorney and former counsel for international trade at the Economy Secretariat described the document as “very positive.”

“It deals with many of the fears of Mexican officials, particularly on going back to a tariff system . . . . It’s clear the U.S. does not want to move back to tariffs,” Carlos Véjar said in a report by the Financial Times.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer today announced that the first round of negotiations will be held Aug. 16-20 in Washington, D.C. He said John Melle, assistant trade representative for the western hemisphere, will be the U.S.’ chief negotiator.

Source: El Economista (sp), Financial Times (en).

Mexico: Left Wing López Obrador leads poll for 2018 presidential race

The National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), headed by presidential candidate Andres Manuel López Obrador, is leading the polls for the July 2018 elections, according to a survey released today.

MORENA, founded in 2014 by the 63-year-old politician who will run for the presidency for the third time, appears with 28 percent, followed by the right-wing National Action Party (PAN) with 23 percent, according to El Sol de México daily.

The ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) has 17 percent and a possible independent candidate got 10 percent.

According to the poll, 80 percent of respondents believe that PRI, which Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto belongs to, should not continue ruling the nation.

Peña Nieto has a low-level of popularity because many Mexicans believe he has failed in his crackdown on widespread corruption, as well as boosting the domestic economy after having pushed several reforms in important sectors of the country, the newspaper said.

In a simulated setting with potential top contenders, López Obrador had 31 percent, while Margarita Zavala, PAN candidate and wife of former President Felipe Calderon (2006-2012), scored 26 percent.

The current Secretary of Interior in the cabinet of Enrique Peña Nieto, Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, PRI candidate, had 15 percent and Miguel Angel Mancera, allegedly representing the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), reached seven percent.

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Guerrero ejidos create self-defense force

But armed forces have agreed to mount operation against a local crime gang

by the El Reportero‘s wire services

It wasn’t long after the establishment of yet another self-defense group in Guerrero that representatives of the armed forces met with its leadership and agreed to go after local criminals.

The spokesman for the new United Ejidos Rural Police said senior officers in both the Army and the Navy met yesterday with the new police force and agreed to pursue members of a gang that has been blamed for murders, assaults, robbery and extortion in seven ejidos, or agrarian communities.

The ejidos are located within the municipalities of Zihuatanejo and Coyuca de Catalán.

Artemio Sánchez Sánchez of the new police force said the meeting also agreed that the police would document the criminal activities of the gang and file criminal complaints.

He said the ejidos’ force, made up of at least 200 men armed with 22-caliber rifles and shotguns, would wait for a few days to see the results of efforts by federal forces before taking any action on its own.

Its original intention, announced Saturday in Vallecitos de Zaragoza, was to take on the gang and defend local citizens against it.

Sánchez lamented that neither state nor municipal authorities were represented at yesterday’s meeting, and issued a plea to the state that it send police to assist the federal forces.

Source: El Sur (sp)

Training CJNG recruits: they eat their victims

Teenage gang members reveal use of cannibalism

Eating human flesh is part of the training for young recruits to the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel (CJNG), two teenage boys told state authorities in Tabasco.

The teenagers, aged 16 and 17, said they were forced to eat the flesh of their torture victims, said the state Attorney General’s office. The two suspected members of a local CJNG cell were arrested recently in relation to the execution of five people on May 23.

Earlier that month the minors apparently kidnapped, tortured and executed an individual. The two boys narrated, “without any sign of remorse,” that they kept the corpse in a fridge and for a period of time cut off and ate pieces of the flesh.

The body was found on May 26 on the banks of the Carrizal River in the municipality of Nacajuca. At the time authorities said the corpse was missing both arms and other unspecified parts.

The Attorney General believes other minors have been trained by the CJNG in the same manner, and that boys as young as 12 could be part of the same process.
The training, said the authorities, is intended to create extremely dangerous, cold-blooded criminals.

Governor Arturo Núñez Jiménez lamented that more and more minors continue to be recruited by organized criminal gangs, and called on the people of Tabasco to assume their shared responsibility to prevent the phenomenon from happening.

Source: El Universal (sp)

Mexico: Former municipal mayor sentenced for beating journalist

Enrique Benjamin Solis, former mayor of the municipality of Silao, in the Mexican state of Guanajuato, was sentenced to two years in prison for qualified injuries and threats to the reporter Karla Janeth Silva, of El Heraldo, the newspaper reported today.

Solis, a member of the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), confessed that he had ordered Police Director Nicasio Aguirre to beat the journalist for criticizing him.

The trial lasted more than two years. The aggression was perpetrated on September 4, 2014, in El Heraldo’s office in Silao, by Jose Samuel Ornelas, with support from Luis Gerardo Hernandez and Joaquin Osvaldo Valero, who were paid by Jorge Alejandro Fonseca, deputy director of the police.

The newspaper noted that although Solis was sentenced, justice was not served, because the other participants in the organization and execution of the attack were not indicted.

It was reported that Solis will only serve seven months and days of the sentence, because he spent one year and four months in the Social Rehabilitation Center (Cereso) during the trial.

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Does Valerian Root effectively treat sleep disorders?

by Fari Magdala

Valerian root supplements worked well for me when I had trouble sleeping years ago. Compared to prescription drugs, Valerian root was a welcome and effective alternative. My mother, who was a registered nurse, suggested it. I’ll never forget the first time I took it. I was shopping with my Mom at a mall. I took one pill and felt sleepy almost immediately.Whew, I was so glad I wasn’t driving! At the time, I was also suffering from stress. I hated shopping but soon felt peace and enjoyed myself.

What is Valerian Root?

The Valerian root plant grows in Europe, Asia, and South America. The details of why Valerian supplements work for sleep and anxiety disorders can’t fully be explained by researchers. From what researchers found, Valerian Root increases brain levels of a chemical known as gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) . GABA aids the body in achieving a calm state.

How effective is Valerian Root in treating sleep disorders?

According to The National Institute of health, Valerian Root was used as medicine in ancient Greek and Roman times. In the 2nd, 16th and 19th century, the herb was used to treat Insomnia, nervous disorders, and heart palpitations. During World War II, Valerian was effective when treating soldiers experiencing air raid stress.

Clinical trials have been done to evaluate the success rate of this herb. But according to researchers reports, outcomes were mixed.   One placebo-controlled study was done of a women suffering insomnia took 300 mg of Valerian root extract 30 minutes before her bedtime for two weeks. She didn’t feel a significant improvement in the quality of sleep. This is surprising to me considering the success I had. For me, within 30 days of taking 300 mg of  Valerian Root nightly, my sleep patterns returned to normal. I was grateful!

Anyway,  another study was done. In this study,  400 mg of Valerian root extract enhanced sleep considerably compared to placebo’s given to 128  volunteers. Healthy volunteers described notable improvements in how long it took to get to sleep, quality of sleep, and how many times subjects awakened during the night.

Another longer term clinical trial included 121 people with insomnia. When each participant took  600 mg of dried Valerian root, symptoms of insomnia decreased in comparison to the placebo after 28 days of evaluation.

One small study involving  36 patients with generalized anxiety disorder yielded good results. Each patient was given  50 mg of Valerian root extract three times a day for a period of four weeks. Their symptoms significantly reduced anxiety compared to placebo.

In my opinion, there’s not enough research being done on the effectiveness of Valerian root for treating anxiety and insomnia. I’d prefer hearing from all the people who have positive testimonials. But scientific research is needed. Although, I don’t think sciences is always accurate in proving the effectiveness of natural treatments. After all, I pay $22 for a one month supply of a supplement that truly helped me.

Since Valerian root has been proven to be effective for those with insomnia, anxiety and stress, it’s worth trying. My insomnia issues have long since been resolved. But I still keep a bottle of Valerian root in my medicine cabinet.

Fari Magdala

I’m one of those people who firmly believes that the truth is never hidden. Our eyes may be covered for a time, but if we truly search with all we have within we find truth.

The first time I noticed the connection between mental health and diet, I was eating a bowl of sauteed rice. I added about four packets of soy sauce. I immediately felt my mood drop. I began recording my food intake and keeping a record of my results with emphasis on my mood changes. After 30 days, I knew I needed to change my diet.

Once diagnosed with clinical depression, I now had some insight on how to heal myself. As my life progressed with much prayer and pointed reading, I realized that the temple of the body needed pure, natural foods to sustain optimal mental and physical health.

 

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The Erik Jekabson Quartet with special guest John Santos

Compiled by the El Reportero’s staff

Erik Jekabson is a remarkable trumpet player, composer, arranger and educator who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has six CDs out under his own name: his most recent album is “Erik Jekabson Quintet” (2017) on the Wide Hive Record Label.

Friday, July 28, 2017 at 8 p.m., the at Piedmont Piano Company, 1728 San Pablo Ave. (at 18th), Oakland. Cover charge $20 – To reserve tickets with your credit card, please call (510) 547-8188.

And here’s Johnny, again:

The Alameda Rhythmix Cultural presents The John Santos Sextet

Seven-time GRAMMY-nominated percussionist John Santos and his namesake sextet return to Rhythmix Cultural Works in Alameda for an enchanting summer evening of Afro-Latin-inspired music, song and culture.

Saturday, July 29th, 2017, 8 p.m., at the Rhythmic Cultural Works, 2513 Blanding Ave., Alameda. For more info call (510) 865-5060.

A special Latin dance night

“Edgardo & Candela” is a Salsa Band based in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 30 years, making them one of the most established Salsa Orchestras in California.

Better known as simply “Candela,” their trade mark is their high energy level performance, featuring great vocals, a tight rhythm section and the powerful sound of the horns.

The band features the crop of professional musicians in the Bay Area, which makes for an incredible musical experience every time they play!

During the evening, Edgardo will personally assure that everyone is entertained while he mixes singing tunes by Oscar De León, Marc Anthony, Eddie Palmieri, Rubén Blades, Tito Puente, Guaco, Pete “Conde” Rodríguez, Celia Cruz and Ray Barretto among others, but the real treat here is Edgardo’s original music, presenting him as a mature composer and poetic lyricist.

At Le Colonial, 721 Sutter St. San Francisco, on Saturday, July 29. Also with the presence of DJ EldelaClaveSF.

Silicon Valley’s Premier Annual Music San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2017

San Jose Jazz Summer Fest returns for its 28th festival season from Friday, August 11 – Sunday, August 13 in and around Plaza de César Chavez Park in downtown San Jose, Calif.

A showcase for jazz and related genres, SJZ Summer Fest is also nationally recognized as one of the biggest Latin festivals in the country. A standout summer destination for music lovers, concert-goers and families alike, the three-day event features 120+ performances on 10 stages, attracting tens of thousands of visitors to downtown throughout the weekend.

The 28th Annual San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2017 features an acclaimed roster of artists from around the world as well as homegrown Bay Area talent.

San Jose Jazz announces today its second round of confirmed artists: Óscar Hernández and Alma Libre; California and Montreal Guitar Trios; Peter Cincotti; Dayme Arocena; Orgone; Anton Schwartz Sextet; Eddie Henderson Quartet; Kalil Wilson With Love; Naughty Professor; Allan Harris Quartet; Hip Bone Big Band with Michael Davis; Zydeco Flames; Claudia Villela Quintet; Jackie Gage; The Sons Of The Soul Revivers; JC Smith Band; Aaron Lington Sextet; Conjunto Karabali; Juan Pollo Raffo; A.C. Myles; Big Sandy and His Fly Rite Boys; CABANIJAZZ Project; Carlitos Medrano; The Bay Area Salsa All-Stars featuring Jimmy Bosch; Lily Hernández Orchestra featuring Calixto Oviedo; and additional artists to be announced!

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The Mixtec Skylark: opera in 5 languages?

Oaxaca-born soprano sings opera in five indigenous tongues

by the El Reportero’s news services

A list of Mexican opera singers would not be a long one, but a list of those who can sing opera in five indigenous languages would probably bear a single name.

Soprano Edith Ortiz is known as the Mixtec Skylark and has earned a name for herself as a successful opera singer and a promoter of the preservation of indigenous languages.

Ortiz started singing at an early age, both at school and accompanied by her father’s string ensemble in the village where was born, Villa Guadalupe, in the Oaxaca municipality of San Miguel el Grande.

Later she traveled to the state capital where she formalized her music studies at the Miguel Cabrera Artistic Education Center before traveling to Mexico City and enrolling at the National Music School of the National Autonomous university (UNAM).

“Music has always been part of my family, a tradition. My grandfather played the violin, as did my father. This tradition has been encouraged in my family and I am fortunate enough to carry it on,” Ortiz told the news agency Notimex in a recent interview.

She is also grateful to her parents for teaching her both Spanish and Mixtec.

Ortiz finds inspiration in the music of her native Mixtec culture, which she sings not just in Mixtec but in four other indigenous languages as well: Maya, Nahuatl, Zapotec and Mazatec.

Ortiz has performed at Mexico City’s Auditorio Nacional and the Palacio de Bellas Artes, at other venues throughout the country and abroad, introducing Mexico’s cultural diversity to audiences in the United States, New Zealand and Spain.

Ortiz says an important lesson she has learned over the years is that indigenous peoples should not be ashamed to speak their own language.

“It is very important to continue promoting our mother tongue . . . she said, adding that love for her people is love for her language and gratitude to her elders, “who have passed on this tradition.”

Ortiz believes Mexico is very fortunate to have a vast cultural diversity which should be “valued and encouraged among youths and children.

Promoting native languages motivates her to travel throughout Mexico, where she has visited indigenous communities in her native Oaxaca and in the states of México and Baja California, where she teaches the importance of local languages through song.

The singer has recorded six albums and is currently working on her seventh.

Source: El Universal (sp)

Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame Inducts and honors Carlos Vives with 2017 La Musa Awards

The Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame announced July 5 that international music figure Carlos Vives will be inducted into this year’s Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame at the 5th annual La Musa Awards. In addition LSHOF will honor the singer/songwriter with the organization’s Icon Award.

A singer, composer, actor and entrepreneur, Carlos Vives is one of Colombia’s most iconic artists and one of the most important figures in Latin music.

With more than 20 million albums sold worldwide, he is considered a pioneer of the new Colombian and Latin American sound, who continues to sell out in many of the most important venues in the world. He has transcended more than two decades, has won 2 Grammys and 11 Latin Grammy Awards, has had 23 Grammy nominations (American and Latin), and has won multiple gold and platinum albums. He became the first Colombian artist to bring home a gramophone from the Recording Academy.

For more than 20 years, Carlos Vives’ creative impulse as a visionary of music has produced a significant footprint in how we’ve been accustomed to listen and dance to the different rhythms of the Caribbean coast of Colombia.

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Growing old on the streets is not easy says AMAC

There is a pressing need for solutions to homelessness among the elderly

WASHINGTON, DC, July 14 – According to a U.S. government study 1.5 million Americans are considered to be homeless. And, while efforts are underway, and in some cases making progress toward reducing the ravages of homelessness, more needs to be done, according to Dan Weber, president of the Association of Mature American Citizens.

And, he says, there needs to be a special focus on the population of elderly men and women with no permanent access to shelter. It’s hard enough growing old in the comfort of your own home, but imagine how much more difficult and dangerous it is to age on the streets.

“Bear in mind that the homeless are included in the 10,000 Americans who turn 65 years of age each day. So, there is a pressing need for specific solutions to homelessness among the elderly and the need grows more dire with each and every passing day. The issue is particularly poignant for AMAC since reportedly more than 50% of those living on the streets are elderly. The burden of living hand-to-mouth on the streets is particularly difficult for them since they are more susceptible to injuries and illnesses as they age. Efforts to deal with the problem are valiant but thus far have not been able to cope as is evidenced by the growing waiting lists at shelters,” says Weber.

Sara Bloomberg, a freelance journalist in San Francisco, recently reported that in 2014 wait times for access to temporary shelter for the homeless in that city averaged 26 days and that currently the wait time has more than doubled. Bloomberg noted that among those recently seeking shelter was a 97-year-old individual and three who are in their 80s.

Sam Dodge, deputy director of the San Francisco Department of Homelessness, told her in an interview that “we do have some carve-outs within our shelter system for elderly and veterans.”

But, says Weber, a study conducted by the University of California found that in 27 years ago only 11 percent of the homeless population were older Americans, but that now more than half are age 50 or older so carve-outs are not the answer.

He praised the efforts of officials in municipalities across the country to deal with the needs of those who have no choice but to live on the streets.

“But, as any of us with aging parents or grandparents know, the older you are, the more help you need.  One study of homeless individuals whose average age was 58 showed they have more trouble with such simple tasks as getting dressed, keeping themselves clean and eating properly than 80 year olds living in a proper home environment. Bear in mind that as we age we can become more forgetful. We don’t see as well as we used to. We can become depressed more easily and we can forget to take medications.  And, we become more susceptible to physical injuries,” Weber points out.

While temporary shelters fill an important immediate need, there is widespread agreement that we need to design solutions that provide for permanent solutions for those who otherwise have no choice but to live on the streets.

Says Weber, “we need facilities that offer not only a roof over their heads but supportive services, as well. Shelters are a partial solution at best. They provide bunk beds and shared toilet facilities. That’s good as far as it goes, but there is overwhelming evidence that such environments can actually increase the risk of injury and ill-health.  Furthermore, many shelters require that residents must vacate those shelters during the day.  And, that can lead to further dangers as they have no choice but to wander alone on the streets.”

Weber cites the work of the Hearth program in Boston. Hearth was established to find ways of preventing and ending elder homelessness. Its focus is on identifying older individuals who are currently homeless or are at serious risk of becoming homeless.  It seeks to provide “permanent and affordable supportive” housing.

The AMAC chief called on city officials across the country to seek solutions that offer security, permanence and hope for seniors who can’t fend for themselves. “Hearth and programs like it should be the models for municipalities – particularly bigger cities where aging homeless populations are growing at too rapid a pace.  What use is it to provide so-called temporary, not so safe havens that exacerbate the distress, depression and physical harm suffered by elderly American men and women, many of whom served valiantly in the armed services?”

(The Association of Mature American Citizens [http://www.amac.us] is a vibrant, vital senior advocacy organization that takes its marching orders from its members. We act and speak on their behalf, protecting their interests and offering a practical insight on how to best solve the problems they face today.

Live long and make a difference by joining us today at http://amac.us/join-amac).

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I still cannot understand the xenophobit attack on a humble street vendor

It would seem that the gates of hell had let out the most evil souls to come to harm and create confusion among peaceful and honorable mankind – only to do harm. In this case, the victim turned out to be a humble street vendor named Benjamin Ramírez, 24.

Like thousands of Facebook users who first saw the video taken by the victim – and uploaded to Facebook by his mother, Imelda Reyes – who shows a man accompanied by a woman with a dog, offend, humiliate and throw the source of work of a young man on the street, turning his cart where he sells his merchandise to live, I was astonished. And all because he blocked the sidewalk with his food cart.

“How cold and mean are those people!” I said, if you can call them people.

And just two days after having dumped the cart with its merchandise of elotes (corns) and its bottled ingredients, on Hollywood Boulevard in the city of Los Angeles, the video has been visited by more than 8.3 million.

Meanwhile, the young Mexican man has received a great unexpected and deserved solidarity and support in social networks and newsreels, condemning the action.

And not only that, but he also has received offers of monetary aid, which no doubt will contribute to enhance his small family business – so to make the Argentinean jealous.

In some messages, the aggressor, who was identified as Carlos A. Hakas and regrettably born in Argentina and known to be a musician, has been classified as the most hated man in social media.

I can already imagine the permanent damage that will bring to the name of this poor wretch – especially in the musical environment, for whome I feel only pity.

Very little is known about Latinos – although there are some out there – who bring out from the closet this type of hatred towards people of their own community and who are exposed in front of millions of people. But why did he do this? It only occurs to me that he suffers from a high degree of psychopathy.

And I wonder, where and with whom has this man grown up to have such feelings, such wild and insensitive behavior towards a humble young man who was not doing anything to him?

It’s amazing how fast the news runs on social networks using a simple video taken from a cell phone and within a few hours of having happened, to have been seen and touched the sensitivity of thousands of people, and how quickly have been discovered the identity of this individual, where he lives since he his identity.

According to some unconfirmed reports, police detained Hakas after the incident and after interrogating him they let him go, but is again being sought for another incident he would have had with another man working in the same neighborhood.

In an interview with ABC7 the victim said that he already had three previous confrontations with the couple that opposes him to sell in that corner, but this time wen beyond words. Before, the man had already threatened him.

In an article titled, Musician Carlos A. Hakas could learn a thing or two about love, published on DeeDee Garcia Blase’s network Huffpost, contributor co-founder of Somos Independents – National Mexican-American Woman-led Get Out The Vote orgaqnization, she said:

“Normally, when a person thinks of a great musician or a legendary musician, we think of people like Bob Marley, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Selena or the like. Clearly their music was inspired by love for their peers …“

He added: “However, it seems that musician Carlos A. Hakas should probably learn one or two things about love – you know, the kind of love that John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix wrote.

In a commentary on the site, Hernández, CEO of Latin Heat Entertainment wrote:

“Carlos A Hakas – You cannot do what you did to that food seller! You deserve all the bad karma you’re getting … maybe next time you’ll see other people with respect … because what you did deserves no respect.“

TG Williams wrote:

“A racist bullying. I have seen your video, and I am a native of America, and my ancestors include the first illegal immigrants of Spain. I am ashamed of the humanity of this person, and your art is negligent if it does not speak to humanity. (You) a failed human being, and a failed musician.“

Alejandro Venegas wrote:

“… you’re a piece of sh… messing up with those in your own community, because people like you is why this country is the way it is. You should be helping people like him who work hard every day and work hard to put food on the family table, this should be a lesson so that you do no more harm, because karma is going to get back to you.“

Karina Morales wrote:

“I hope your career dies and you have to be on the streets selling corn and that way you learn how difficult it is.”

To hate this man for his xenophobic action is to bring upon oourselves the karma that would be his own by nature; that is why we must forgive him, for he did not know what awaited him or what will await him by his action.

And for the victim: “There is no evil that for good does not come”. It will turn into a blessing for you.

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