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Pure Latin Rock with Dakila

Compiled by the El Reportero’s staff

The legendary 1970’s Latin rock band that made its glorious return to the stage at the 2013 Voices of Latin Rock, will perform on Saturday July 18, 7 p.m. at Slim’s SF, at 333 11th St, San Francisco. For more info call 415-255-0333
or http://www.slimspresents.com. Tickets: $15 Adv./$20 Door at: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/dakila-at-slims-w-sol-d-edward-presented-by-dr-rock-and-latin-rock-inc-tickets-16944465352

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid
Come and join the Berkeley-East Bay Gray Panthers. Hear Teri Gerritz of California Retired Teacher’s Association(CalRTA) on the expansion of Social Security and Jodi Reid of California Alliance of Retired Americans(CARA). There will be music, fun and surprises.
Wednesday, July 22 at 1:30 p.m., at North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst, Corner of MLK, Berkeley. All Welcome. Wheelchair Accessible.

Summer Nights Outdoor Concert Series
Come watch and listen to the great playing by Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca.
Afro-Cuban Beats.
Congo born musician and singer, Ricardo Lemvo, arrives with his band, Makina Loco, along with their blend of Afro-Cuban rhythms with pan-African styles, to the 2015 Summer Nights Festival for an evening of innovative music.  And dancing!
On Saturday Aug. 1, 6:15 p.m. doors open, 6:40 p.m dance lesson, 7 p.m. show starts.
At the Osher Marin JCC Kanbar Center for the Performing Arts, 200 N San Pedro Rd, San Rafael. www.marinjcc.org/performingarts/summer-nights-outdoor-concerts.
Tickets and info at:: http://www.marinjcc.org/events/2015/08/01/performing-arts/ricardo-lemvo-makina-loca-summer-nights-outdoor-concert/55885
ALSO at the Osher Marin JCC Kanbar Center, ‘Plena Libre Celebrate Puerto Rico,’ on Saturday Aug. 8, 6:15 p.m. doors open, 6:40 dance lesson, 7 p.m. show.
Tickets and more info at: http://www.marinjcc.org/events/2015/08/08/performing-arts/plena-libre-summer-nights-outdoor-concert/55886/
$20 members / $23 public / $28 Day of (members & public), ages 17 and under FREE!

Mex I am: Live it to Believe it Festival
The Consulate General of Mexico cordially invites you to the second edition of Mex I Am: Live It To Believe It, a multidisciplinary art and cultural Festival that will run July 19-26, 2015, at different venues across the San Francisco Bay Area.
The multidisciplinary Festival will feature some of the finest performers and food and wine artisans from Mexican genres and traditions at different venues across the San Francisco Bay. In addition to presentations by influential Mexican artists in their fields of expertise from around the world, including opera, art exhibitions, Latin jazz, ballet, as well as scientists, humanists and society game-changers, and more.
Mex I Am is proudly presented by The Mexican Foreign Ministry, the National Council for Culture and the Arts (Conaculta), and Mexico’s Ministry of Tourism (SECTUR), in collaboration with the SFJAZZ Center.
The presentations include:
Natalia Lafourcade – Songs of Agustín Lara
Thursday, July 23, 7:30 p.m.
SFJAZZ Center’s Miner Auditorium
A three-time Latin Grammy winner and the most celebrated singer to emerge from the Mexican pop scene in recent years, Natalia Lafourcade presents the West Coast premiere of material from her new album, Hasta La Raíz, on July 23.
La Santa Cecilia
Friday, July 24, 7:30pm
SFJAZZ Center’s Miner Auditorium
2014 Grammy winner La Santa Cecilia is on a meteoric rise as one of the most visible and celebrated Latin bands to emerge from the L.A. music scene in recent years, bringing universal songs of love, loss and heartbreak to audiences worldwide and to SFJAZZ on July 24.
Tania Libertad – A Tribute to Chavela Vargas
Saturday, July 25, 7 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
SFJAZZ Center’s Miner Auditorium
Tania Libertad presents her loving tribute to influential vocalist Chavela Vargas whose songs of defiance and triumph broke down borders throughout the Americas for two shows on July 25.
Flaco Jiménez and Max Baca
Sunday, July 26, 7:30 p.m.
SFJAZZ Center’s Miner Auditorium
The foremost living ambassador of Tex-Mex music, accordionist Flaco Jiménez has transcended the limits of the conjunto style, collaborating with artists including the Rolling Stones and Carlos Santana. He is joined by 12-string guitarist Max Baca, celebrating their new album, Legends & Legacies.
The Festival runs from July 23-26, For more information visit sfjazz.org.

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Mexico to be the guest of honor at the International Book Festival in Guatemala

by the El Reportero’s news services

Mexico is the guest of honor at the 12th edition of the International Book Fair in Guatemala, which begins today aiming at promoting reading and the literary and intellectual exchange.
That neighboring country known for its great editorial effort and the development of writers throughout history, recognized the Editors Guild of Guatemala in a note included in the official program of activities.
The Industry Park in this capital will host the International Book Fair in Guatemala 2015 (FILGUA 2015 in Spanish), until next July 26. The imperative need to promote reading in Guatemalan society is crucial, since readership is rather low there.
To this Guild of Editors belong the Editorial Santillana, F&G Editors, GP Editores, Promociencia/FLACSO, Libraries and Publishers Artemis Edinter, Editora Educativa, among others.
Carlos Fuentes (1928-2012) and Elena Poniatowska are some of the artists who have contributed with their work to enrich Mexican literature.
Fuentes is considered one of the most important writers of literary history of his country, whose narrative is described as an exploration of the history and Mexican identity.
Meanwhile, Poniatowska has cultivated genres such as the novel, has also written essays, poetry and testimony, chronic and interview, mostly inspired in events, social movements and characters of contemporary Mexico.

Famous U.S. filmmaker Ford Coppola visits Cuba
U.S. filmmaker and producer Francis Ford Coppola taught a conference at the International Television and Movie School of San Antonio de los Banos (EICTV) in Cuba.
Together with his son Roman, also a movie director, and his grandsons Gia, Pascale Electra and Marcello Archimedes, Ford Coppola will be in this capital until Sunday.
During his visit, Ford Coppola will meet Roberto Smith, president of the Cuban Institute for Art and Movie Industry (ICAIC).
The famous movie director and producer, who directed unforgettable films such as The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, Dracula and others, showed a great interest for talking to the Cuban young filmmakers and know about their artistic aspirations.
Coppola will discuss in coming days, from his vast experience, some film productions by novice directors who are now in Cuba.
The also producer and screenwriter, winner of five Oscars, has been described by critics as one of the essential names of world cinema.
Just a month ago, Ford Coppola received in Spain the Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts, because the jury believed his name and figure is essential to understand the transformation and contradictions in the film industry and art, to which growth he has contributed decisively.

Defaced LGBT Latino mural in SF Mission District
Repeated vandalism of a mural in San Francisco’s Mission district that depicts gay, transgender, and lesbian Latinos caused concern in the area of 24th Street and Harrison, a predominantly Latino neighborhood – where artwork is located.
A July 1 rally, held in front of the Por Vida (For Life) mural that is hosted by Galería de la Raza at 24th and Bryant streets, brought together community members and political leaders who denounced the vandalism, which included defacing it with paint and an effort to burn the piece – the last one of three, occurring on June 29.
The mural, by artist Manuel Paul of the Los Angeles-based Maricón Collective, shows a gay couple, a transgender man, and a lesbian couple.
(Prensa Latina contributed to this report).

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Monsanto may occupy the White House with a vote for Hillary Clinton

by Daniel Barker

Something truly terrible has happened in America. It didn’t take place overnight, and the truth is that what went wrong happened so gradually — so incrementally — that most people didn’t see it coming until it was too late.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. I want to talk about two problems, actually, one so big that I have to zoom out a bit to describe it. The other is almost equally huge and is directly related to the first. The first problem will take a lot of concerted effort to solve. The second one, however, can be solved soon, and in doing so, we make great progress towards at least beginning to grapple with the first.
The main problem, in case you haven’t noticed, is that our government has sold us out. Our so-called “leaders” — both Democrats and Republicans, and nearly every last one of them (with a very few possible exceptions) — have been bought and paid for by mega-corporations, cartels, monopolies or whatever you like to call them.
Big Pharma, Big Oil, Big Arms Manufacturers, Big Agriculture — you get the idea…
Through lobbying and other forms of bribery, influence and coercion, these “Big” interests have managed to grab the reins of our once-free nation, and are now steering us in the direction they wish us to go. You can call it an oligarchy, but that’s too dignified-sounding. These people are dangerous criminals; they are as close to pure evil as human beings can be.
These people wantonly murder in the name of profits. They start wars that kill millions of innocent people, they manufacture false enemies, they poison oceans and chop down forests. And perhaps worst of all, they tamper with the very essence of Nature…
The main problem has become so enormous that, as I already mentioned, there now seems to be almost no way to fix it. I hate to sound cynical, but we have allowed a small group of evil humans to push ourselves to the brink of self-extinction.
We have two choices as citizens of this planet and this nation. We can either resign ourselves to what almost looks at this point to be an inexorable fate, or we can stand and fight — even knowing that we may suffer a bitter defeat in the end.
And if we are to fight, we may as well start by picking one of the biggest and most dangerous dragons of all. If we can slay this one monster, there is hope for us yet. And although this dragon is immensely powerful, I believe we can bring it down.
The beast I am referring to is Monsanto (http://www.naturalnews.com/Monsanto.html). If there is truly such a thing as an evil corporation — and I think there is — Monsanto fits the bill. It’s far beyond the scope of this article to list a litany of this company’s sins, but many of you already know exactly what I am talking about. If you don’t know what’s wrong with Monsanto, I have provided enough links below to give you a very good idea of why this corporation needs to be stopped in its tracks before it’s too late.
The main thing I want you take away from this article is the FACT that Hillary Rodham Clinton has been bought by Monsanto, and that a vote for Hillary is a vote for Monsanto.
Mike Adams (AKA the Health Ranger), the founder of Natural News, has written a must-read article detailing the sordid truth:
http://naturalnews.com/049755_Bride_of_Frankenfood_Hillary_Clinton_Monsanto.html
If you haven’t read it already, I strongly urge you to do so. Hillary Clinton is not who people think she is. She is not working for the greater good, she is working for the elites. She is not a champion of the average American citizen, as she would like to have you believe.
Hillary Clinton is part of a soulless political dynasty that could care less about you and your family, your health, your well-being.
We can not allow this person to become president, and we can not allow Monsanto to pursue their deadly agenda. It’s as simple as that.
This issue goes far beyond political affiliation. Many of the familiar labels and terms such as “liberal” and “progressive” have become almost meaningless in the face of what has happened in our country. Both the so-called Left and Right paradigms have been hijacked. America is now the victim of a hostile takeover, and we must fight to take our nation back.
If we elect Hillary Clinton as our next president, we will have essentially thrown in the towel. I will be writing more about this issue, but I urge you to do your own research — don’t take my word for it.
It’s time to wake up, take responsibility and get the word out. This could be the most important presidential election in the history of this country. We are at a crossroads, and we must be very careful which path we choose — Hillary Clinton and Monsanto are not the answer. (Natural News).

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In the 36th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution

FROM THE EDITOR:

Dear reader:

July 19 is a big day for the land of my birth: Nicaragua. It is the anniversary of the hope of a new day of freedom and progress, after the ousting of the dynastic dictatorship of 45 years. This dictatorship had governed the destiny of the country as a private farm and the people were preparing to leave behind the poverty, and the suffering of war and were heading towards reconciliation between Nicaraguans.
But nowadays, another family has taken over the power, and the previous dictatorial abuse repeats itself again, and on a greater scale.
That’s why today, in this edition, I cede the editorial space to a proclamation of a political organization that shows the way and calls for the awakening of a people who sleep while their country is vandalized, its people repressed and their freedom stolen. More painful than this, her sovereignty is being sold abroad. This political organization is the Renovator Sandinista Movement. – Marvin Ramírez

Beautiful Nicaragua inspires our efforts

We commemorate the 36th anniversary of the victory of the Sandinista Revolution that represented new hope for the Nicaraguan people, having ousted the Somocista dictatorship that had dominated the country for 45 years. Through the will of thousands of young people, girls and boys, and the participation of most of the people, national unity and international solidarity, made that heroic exploit possible at that moment.
Nicaraguans suffered through lack of freedoms and democracy; no election was clean; justice was nonexistent; poverty was overwhelming to the majority and repression was the response to any protest, or any social, economic or political demand.
During the ensuing decades, in every generation of Nicaraguans, there arose patriots who wanted to oust that dictatorship. Many people suffered jail, torture, and exile. Many fell down in combat or were murdered. They sacrificed for us to be able to enjoy a different Nicaragua!
Now, again, an ambitious family tries to turn Nicaragua into their own property and enrich themselves while the majority of the people is still kept in poverty and abandonment. Government institutions do not serve the people, only the family in power and its interests. There have been many electoral frauds, corruption is promoted and protected and there is impunity for those who live under the umbrella of power.
The National Police that are mandated to protect us, do not do it and instead have turned into a political police state, which abuses its power and violates human rights, including the right to life of Nicaraguans. Injustice and discrimination prevail in Nicaragua.
In every corner of the country, every Nicaraguan knows that we cannot continue to live this way. A country in which children are murdered by the police with impunity, is not well. A country in which thousands of peasants are threatened by the government to be deprived of their property, is not well. We have to make changes. We will have safety in this endeavor only when the people are united, everyone participates in civic actions, and we have the right to protest and mobilize.
Now is the time to take action, to work, to fight with optimism and hope to make a sovereign Nicaragua a reality, with opportunities, progress, solidarity and democracy for all.
As Nicaraguans we deserve opportunities for employment, education and quality health care, and good social security. We deserve good living conditions, with the expectation that we can make improvements for our families and communities, We deserve to be, and can be, a progressive country, in which producers, businesspeople and cooperatives are stimulated and can be sure of working and investing, without fear of their assets being confiscated, unjustly expropriated or taken by public institutions. We can achieve a progress that improves life for everyone.
Those who fought and fell down to oust the Somocista dictatorship dreamed of a Nicaragua without poverty, without malnutrition, without illiteracy and with equality between men and women. They dreamed of a Nicaragua of solidarity, where the State would provide scholarships, support, credits and housing to those in need, without discrimination, without alienation, without favoritism, without personal connections.
Nicaraguans, women and men, need democracy to be free to express ourselves, to take part of the public decisions, to decide what we want for our lives, our community and our country. We can achieve a country with honest officials who attend to the problems of the people, with equal justice, with police officers and military who are respectful of life and human rights; with institutions that work in accordance with the law and serve all without discrimination.
Those who fought and fell down throughout the decades, did it to have a sovereign country, which was not dominated by the interests of one company, country or foreign force, not to be sold to the highest bidder, as has been done by the betrayer, Orteguismo.
At this commemoration, the dream of a beautiful Nicaragua moves us and cheers us up, as it cheered other generations of Nicaraguans in the past.
We know that we can achieve it, but for it to become a reality, it is necessary to be open to the possibilities of changing the current situation through the civic and political decisions of the people, through the vote of the people, so that other generations of Nicaraguans never again have to resort to taking up arms. For this to happen, we must demand changes in the electoral system that would guarantee every Nicaraguan that his vote will be counted, that his vote will decide the future of the country, and that there will be clean and honest elections. We give homage to the heroes and martyrs, who, for more than 40 years contributed to the overthrow of another family dictatorship that, as is the current one, was keeping Nicaragua oppressed. We give respect and gratitude to those who fell down for democracy and freedom, in the fight for national sovereignty. We give respect and gratitude to those who knew how to raise their voices and their arms for a better Nicaragua.
We remember today these lives, all of those who were not touched by corruption and servility; who were not dominated by fear and apathy; who were incorruptible, generous, honest, optimistic, hopeful, loyal and would not compromise our people and our homeland.
Faithful to this legacy and this example, we renovators will be still determined to work to clear the way for the construction of a beautiful Nicaragua with opportunities, progress, solidarity, democracy and sovereignty for all.

National board of directors of the MRS

Managua, July, 2015

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Why the Chinese don’t get join pain?

by Jesse Cannone –
Post Rehab Specialist

Doctor accidentally discovers why cartilage deteriorates (and how to stop it… using secret hidden in a proven cancer & heart treatment).

Recommends 4 cups a day of popular Asian drink to reduce risk of arthritis

This story didn’t get much press.
But, over 10 years ago a doctor had a hunch that a proven therapy for cancer and heart disease could work wonders for people with arthritis too.
He went about testing his hypothesis…
And on April 2005 he presented his findings to the National Academy of Sciences. When he tested his theory on mice (which is standard procedure) NONE developed severe arthritis! In fact, over 55 percent of the mice got NO arthritis whatsoever!
He tested his theory again not once, but twice. And came up with the same results.
An independent follow up study discovered why his hunch saves joints. It turns out this…
Stops cell suicide!
You see, cells called human articular chondrocytes rebuild worn away cartilage inside your joints. But – for reasons that are not yet completely clear – sometimes these cells self destruct.
This name for this process is apoptosis.
When this happens, your body cannot fix normal, everyday, wear and tear to your joints… and as a result… you develop arthritis.
However, when given this treatment, human articular chondrocytes did NOT commit apoptosis… and therefore… continued to rebuild cartilage… and joints healed (instead of slowly breaking down).
What protects the joints
And it’s all thanks to a type of compound called polyphenols.
These occur naturally in plants and are powerful antioxidants… even more powerful than Vitamin C.
In addition to stopping cell suicide, they protect your body from oxidative stress caused by inflammation (which is another reason why the doctor believed it would help arthritis sufferers as it did for the people suffering from cancer and heart disease… inflammation lies at the core of all three… and inflammation inside joints is one of the top 5 reasons arthritis occurs in the first place).
The specific type of polyphenol the cancer doctor found effective in combating arthritis is something called Epigallocatechin Gallate.
It’s also known as ECGC and is the main antioxidant found in green tea.
4 Cups a Day Reduces Arthritis Aches
Early experiments proved just how effective EGCG is against arthritis.
In the paper, “Prevention of Collagen-Induced Arthritis in Mice by a Polyphenolic Fraction of Green Tea” Dr. Hasan Mukhtar shared the results of green tea extract given to mice. Out of the 18 mice given green tea extract, 10 never developed any arthritic symptoms and the remaining eight had a much milder form of arthritis than normal.
The dose was equivalent to drinking 4 cups of green tea a day.
The results are so intriguing, human trials are currently underway. Nobody has shown any form of toxicity associated with tea.
For this reason, Dr. Mukhtar (and lead author of the paper, Dr. Tariq M. Haqqi) recommend anyone concerned about arthritis drink 4 cups of green tea a day.
However, it’s important to note green tea only stops the deterioration of joints. It DOES NOT heal you if you are already arthritic.

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Living in plain sight, without papers

by Viji Sundaram

RICHMOND, Calif. – “I once lived in fear, but then I realized I didn’t do anything wrong and I should stop being afraid,” says 36-year-old Tomasa Espinoza.
It’s hard to tell whether Espinoza inspired her husband, Jesus Pérez, or if it was the other way around. But ever since they came to the United States over a decade ago, the two have never hesitated to make their voices heard for causes they believe in.
Neither of them thinks that being undocumented should force them to live in the shadows.
“We didn’t do anything wrong coming here,” Pérez said. “We just want a better life.”
If there’s an immigrants rights rally in Sacramento, you can be sure Espinoza will be there with her team of West Contra Costa County fellow activists. She has taken part in the recent campaign to demand health care for all Californians, regardless of their immigration status. She was also there participating in the “I was not born in California, but California was born in me” rallies.
Far from worrying about having his wife outing herself, Pérez says he is proud of what she does.
“I admire what she does,” he says. “She believes immigrants have rights too, and I support that idea.”
“We are big dreamers and there’s nothing wrong in that,” Espinoza adds, her husband interpreting for her.
Pérez says that he has been driving since he bought a car from the money he’d saved up doing construction jobs, months after coming to the United States. He knew he couldn’t get a driver’s license because he was undocumented, but he also knew that his freelancing gigs required him to be mobile.
“If I let fear overcome me, I wouldn’t be able to feed my family,” says Pérez, who recently got a license under California’s AB 60 law. Under it, any California resident will be able to apply for a driver’s license. The law was passed last year.
Espinoza also required transportation to take her from one office-cleaning job to another, so she got behind the wheel without a license as soon as she learned to drive. The desire to send her three children to a reputed charter school in Richmond and take them to other activities trumped her fear of getting pulled over by a cop. She is now in the process of getting herself a driver’s license under AB 60.
She quit working about seven years ago because she wasn’t making enough to pay for day care for her children. That freed her up to more fully engage herself politically.
But the couple acknowledges that not having documentation limits them in many ways, especially in protecting their own civil rights.
For instance, they would have liked to find out why their former landlord in Richmond evicted them last year without giving them adequate notice. The lawyers they consulted simply told them they couldn’t do much because of their undocumented status. It was this personal experience that now gets Espinoza to Richmond City Council meetings when tenants’ rights are on the agenda.
Both Espinoza and Pérez have Emergency Medi-Cal cards, a benefit undocumented immigrants are eligible for. But it entitles them to only seek treatment for an emergency medical condition and pregnancy-related services.
Espinoza is worried because she was recently diagnosed as pre-diabetic.
“I have three children and I need to stay healthy,” she says. “I am hoping that Senator Lara’s Health for All bill passes.”
They are also hoping that a federal Texas court will allow President Obama’s recent executive action on DAPA (Deferred Action for Parents of Americans) to move forward. The program gives a three-year temporary reprieve from deportation to parents of U.S. citizens or green card holders, parents like Espinoza and Pérez. All three of their children — nine, seven and four years old — were born in the United States.
One of the first things Pérez wants to do after getting DAPA is to open his own construction firm. He is a licensed electrician, plumber and painter. If he does, Espinoza says she would like to work alongside her husband, after acquiring a few skills.
“Why not,” she says, looking at her open palms. “I am strong and I can learn.”

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Trans Pacific Parnership: Corporate escape from accountability

by Paul Craig Roberts
Analysis

Information has been leaked about the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), which is being negotiated in secret by US Trade Representative Ron Kirk. Six hundred corporate “advisors” are in on the know, but not Congress or the media. Ron Wyden, chairman of the Senate trade subcommittee that has jurisdiction over the TPP, has not been permitted to see the text or to know the content.
The TPP has been called a “one-percenter” power tool. The agreement essentially abolishes the accountability of foreign corporations to governments of countries with which they trade. Indeed, the agreement makes governments accountable to corporations for costs imposed by regulations, including health, safety and environmental regulations. The agreement gives corporations the right to make governments pay them for the cost of complying with the regulations of government. One wonders how long environmental, labor, and financial regulation can survive when the costs of compliance are imposed on the taxpayers of countries and not on the economic activity that results in spillover effects such as pollution.
Many will interpret the TPP as another big step toward the establishment of global government in the New World Order. However, what the TPP actually does is to remove corporations or the spillover effects of their activities from the reach of government. As the TPP does not transfer to corporations the power to govern countries, it is difficult to see how it leads to global government. The real result is global privilege of the corporate class as a class immune to government regulation.
One of the provisions allows corporations to avoid the courts and laws of countries by creating a private tribunal that corporations can use to sue governments for the costs of complying with regulation. Essentially, the laws of countries that apply to corporations are supplanted by decisions of a private tribunal of corporate lawyers.
The TPP is open to all countries. Currently, it is being negotiated between the US, Australia, Brunei, New Zealand, Singapore, Vietnam, Chile, and Peru. Australia, according to reports, has refused to submit to the private tribunal system.
What are we to make of the TPP? It is perhaps too early to have all the answers. However, I can offer some ways of thinking about it.
I doubt that the TPP is a New World Order takeover. If anything, the TPP reduces the scope of global government by exempting corporations from government control. Also, global government, unless it is government by the American Empire, is inconsistent with the neoconservatives insistence on US hegemony over the world. Powerful US ideological, private, and government interest groups have no intention of losing the power that they have acquired by being rolled into some New World Order unless the New World Order is a euphemism for American Empire.
In the criticisms of the TPP, much emphasis is placed on the costs that corporations of foreign members of the agreement can impose on the US. However, US corporations gain the same privileges over those countries, as the agreement gives every country’s corporations immunity to the other countries’ laws.
It could be the case that US corporations believe that their penetration of the other countries will greatly exceed the activities in the US of Brunei, New Zealand, Peru, et al. However, once Japan, Canada, China and others join TPP, the prospect of American firms getting more out of the agreement than foreign firms disappears, unless from the US perspective the definition of foreign firm includes US corporations that offshore the production of the goods and services that they market in the US. If this is the case, then US offshoring firms would be exempt not only from the laws and courts of foreign countries, but also exempt from the laws and courts of the US.
This point is possibly mute as the agreement requires all governments that are parties to the TPP to harmonize their laws so that the new corporate privileges are equally reflected in every country. To avoid discriminatory law against a country’s own corporations that do not engage in foreign trade, harmonization could mean that domestic corporations would be granted the same privileges as foreign investors. If not, domestic firms might acquire the privileges by setting up a foreign subsidiary consisting of an office.
As the TPP is clearly an agreement being pushed by US corporations, the implication is that US corporations see it as being to their relative advantage. However, it is unclear what this advantage is.
Alternatively, TPP is a strategy for securing exemption from regulation under the guise of being a trade agreement.
Another explanation, judging from the unusual collection of the initial parties to the agreement, is that the agreement is part of Washington’s strategy of encircling China with military bases, as the US has done to Russia. One would have thought that an agreement of such path-breaking nature would have begun with Japan, S. Korea, and Philippines. However, these countries are already part of China’s encirclement. Brunei, Singapore, New Zealand, and especially Vietnam would be valuable additions. Are the special privileges that Washington is offering these countries part of the bribe to become de facto outposts of American Empire?
Yet another explanation is that Ron Kirk is caught up in the deregulatory mindset that began with the repeal of Glass-Steagall and financial deregulation. If financial markets know best and are self-regulating, requiring no government interference, then so also are other markets and businesses.
The TPP is likely serving many agendas. As we learn more, the motives behind the TPP will become clearer. From my perspective as an economist and former member of government, the problem with Ron Kirk’s TPP is that the agreement is constructed to serve private, not public interests. Kirk is a public official charged with serving and protecting the public interest. Yet, he has conspired in secret with private interests to produce a document that exempts private corporations from public accountability.
There is a paradox here. While financial corporations and now all corporations are being made independent of government, US citizens have lost the protection of law and are now subject to being detained indefinitely or murdered without due process of law. Corporations gain an unimaginable freedom while citizens lose all freedom and the rights that define their freedom. Similarly, foreign countries, which as members of TPP can be exempt from US law, are subject to “pre-emptive” US violation of their air space and borders by drones and troops sent in to assassinate some suspected terrorist, but which also kill citizens of those countries who are merely going about their normal business.
Perhaps one way to understand TPP is that the US government is now extending its own right to be lawless to corporations. Just as the US government today is only answerable to itself, the TPP makes corporations answerable only to themselves.
Public Citizen’s analysis of TPP can be found here: http://www.citizen.org/documents/Leaked-TPP-Investment-Analysis.pdf and the leaked document here: http://www.citizenstrade.org/ctc/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/tppinvestment.pdf
This article first appeared at Paul Craig Roberts’ new website Institute For Political Economy in July 2, 2012. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His Internet columns have attracted a worldwide following.

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Around 10,000 Mexican policemen to look for ‘Chapo’ Guzmán

by the El Reportero’s wire services

Some 10 000 federal police officers in Mexico were assigned to search for Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, head of the Sinaloa cartel, including trained dogs to support the operation, it emerged today.
Interpol is also Looking for “El Chapo” Guzmán.
This will facilitate the checking of passenger and cargo vehicles, as to find clues that enable the capture of the man considered the most wanted drug trafficker in the world.
The Interior Ministry reported last night about the operating aimed at recapturing ‘El Chapo’, who escaped from the high security prison of Altiplano, in the state of Mexico last Saturday night.
The federal police will look in hospitals, hotels and funeral homes, while simultaneously distributed 100,000 flyers “with recent photographs of the fugitive”, he said.There are also warnings for the control of private flights and a rigorous passenger review.
The Secretariat also referred to the existence of 101 revision filters located in the main federal highways in 22 states of central and southern zones of the country.
As it was explained, one of the groups with greater specialization of the Federal Police is the Gendarmerie, which has about five thousand members. From these 180 members of special groups in this division, who perform search actions and location, were chosen.
Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, was included in the list of the most wanted criminals by Interpol, to which 199 countries are linked. Guzman escaped from his cell through a tunnel 1.5 kilometers long leading to a house under construction.

 

Nicaragua police under fire after massacre of family
Anti-narcotics police in Nicaragua mistakenly massacred a family then allegedly tried to cover it up, sparking a backlash against a force that has previously been held up as an example in the region.
Preliminary reports state the police were lying in wait for a drug shipment when they were approached by a car carrying eight members of a local family. Mistaking the car for the suspected drug traffickers, the police opened fire, killing three people, including two children aged 11 and 12, reported La Prensa.
Witnesses on the scene told media how, after the shooting, police sealed off the area and prevented anyone from reaching the vehicle despite the cries for help that could be heard from within. The witnesses claimed police then confiscated cellular phones of people who had been filming the scene, then planted several suspicious objects in the car, according to La Prensa.

 

Income of Mexican households drops
In the first two years of President Enrique Peña Nieto the income in Mexican homes fell 3.2 percent in real terms, compared to 2012, revealed a survey released here today.
The National Household Income and Expenditure Survey indicated that the current average household income stood at 39.719 pesos quarterly (just over 2,700 US dollars), which represents a decline of 3.5 percent at constant prices, compared to 2012.
The survey conducted by the National Institute of Geography and Statistics reveals that households spend a higher percentage of their income in food, beverages and snuff, with 34.1 percent; transport and communication, with 18.8 percent; education and recreation, with 14 percent.
Expenditure on housing and fuel was the only category that showed an increase of 2.9 percent between 2012 and 2014. All non-cash components of the current expenditure also fell in the period, excluding the estimated rental for housing.

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Mex I am: Live it Believe it Festival

Compiled by the El Reportero’s staff

The Consulate General of Mexico cordially invites you to the second edition of Mex I Am: Live It To Believe It, a multidisciplinary art and cultural Festival that will run July 19-26, 2015, at different venues across the San Francisco Bay Area.
The multidisciplinary Festival will feature some of the finest performers and food and wine artisans from Mexican genres and traditions at different venues across the San Francisco Bay. In addition to presentations by influential Mexican artists in their fields of expertise from around the world, including opera, art exhibitions, Latin jazz, ballet, as well as scientists, humanists and society game-changers, and more.
Mex I Am is proudly presented by The Mexican Foreign Ministry, the National Council for Culture and the Arts (Conaculta), and Mexico’s Ministry of Tourism (SECTUR), in collaboration with the SFJAZZ Center.
The presentations include:
Natalia Lafourcade – Songs of Agustín Lara
Thursday, July 23, 7:30 p.m.
SFJAZZ Center’s Miner Auditorium
A three-time Latin Grammy winner and the most celebrated singer to emerge from the Mexican pop scene in recent years, Natalia Lafourcade presents the West Coast premiere of material from her new album, Hasta La Raíz, on July 23.
 La Santa Cecilia
Friday, July 24, 7:30 p.m.
SFJAZZ Center’s Miner Auditorium
2014 Grammy winner La Santa Cecilia is on a meteoric rise as one of the most visible and celebrated Latin bands to emerge from the L.A. music scene in recent years, bringing universal songs of love, loss and heartbreak to audiences worldwide and to SFJAZZ on July 24.
Tania Libertad – A Tribute to Chavela Vargas
Saturday, July 25, 7:00 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
SFJAZZ Center’s Miner Auditorium
Tania Libertad presents her loving tribute to influential vocalist Chavela Vargas whose songs of defiance and triumph broke down borders throughout the Americas for two shows on July 25.
 Flaco Jiménez and Max Baca
Sunday, July 26, 7:30 p.m.
SFJAZZ Center’s Miner Auditorium
The foremost living ambassador of Tex-Mex music, accordionist Flaco Jiménez has transcended the limits of the conjunto style, collaborating with artists including the Rolling Stones and Carlos Santana. He is joined by 12-string guitarist Max Baca, celebrating their new album, Legends & Legacies.
The Festival runs from July 23-26, For more information visit sfjazz.org.

The 2015 frozen line up: ready to dazzle and entertain
You are invited to the 2015 frozen opening night mixer.
This year’s lineup is set to chill out July 16th to the 18th! Films include jaw dropping documentaries, dramatic short and comedic film collections, an epic animation collection, plus international features, and intense surf/skateboarding films.
Come mix mingle and celebrate the arts at the 2015 Frozen Film Festival opening night party and meet other film lovers, filmmakers, singer/songwriters, media/bloggers and supporters! We want to meet you!
At Dalva (SF) on Thursday, July 16 at 7 p.m. 3121-16th St., SF. At the Roxie Theater, July 17 & 18, 3117 16th St, San Francisco San Francisco.
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid
Come and join the Berkeley-East Bay Gray Panthers. Hear Teri Gerritz
of California Retired Teacher’s Association(CalRTA) on the
expansion of Social Security and Jodi Reid of California Alliance
of Retired Americans(CARA). There will be music, fun and surprises.

Wednesday, July 22 at 1:30 p.m., at North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst, Corner of MLK, Berkeley. All Welcome. Wheelchair Accessible.

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Olga Tañon fulfills her dream of returning to Cuba

by the El Reportero’s news services

Puerto Rican singer Olga Tañon fulfilled her dream of returning to Cuba after the great concert Peace without Borders performed six years ago, which triggered the admiration of the Puerto Rican singer for Cuba.
On her Facebook and Twitter accounts, Tañon said she feels excited and happy to return to Havana, the ways of which is so close to her homeland Puerto Rico.
Since she arrived yesterday, Tañon has posted on the Internet several pictures of her arrival at the Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, her meetings with friends and her visits to some places in Havana, as Casa del Cafe and Hotel Nacional de Cuba, where she was greeted by many admirers.
Olga, as she is known by her closest friends, is back and Cubans are eagerly awaiting to hear her sing at least some of her most catchy songs, which have made her one of the most popular female singers of the Latin American music in the recent decades.
Born on April 13, 1967 in the Puerto Rican city of Santurce, Tañon has been awarded two Grammy Awards and two Latin Grammy, with more than twenty albums she is currently considered one of the most versatile Puerto Rican artists due to the variety of music styles through which she expresses her talent.

Classic Italian film La Dolce Vita to be remade
La Dolce Vita, one of the most iconic films of Italian cinema, will have a new version. This is possible, because Federico Fellini’’s family sold the copyright, reported today the specialized media.
According to a press release, AMBI Pictures, along with Italian producer Daniele Di Lorenzo, will assume the remake of the classic movie, but still is unknown, who will direct it and who will take on the leading roles.
Francesca Fellini, niece of Federico Fellini, explained that the family was approached countless times and asked to consider remakes and re-imaginings to prequels and sequels, but they knew it would take very special producers and compelling circumstances to motivate the family to allow rights to be optioned.
AMBI Pictures “have a beautiful vision of a modern film, and considering their Italian heritage and deep appreciation and understanding of my uncle’s works, there couldn’t be a better alignment for this project”, she added.
More than 50 years after its premiere, La Dolce Vita still is one of the most outstanding films of the Italian cinema. This film won the Palme D’or at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival and was directed by Fellini.
The leading roles were played by Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg, Anouk Aimée and Yvonne Furneaux.

Stolen Auguste Rodin sculpture found after 24 years
Art Recovery International confirmed today, that a stolen sculpture by French artist Auguste Rodin was recovered at the auction house Christie’’s in New York. The sculpture disappeared 24 years ago.
The bronze statue, titled Young Girl With Serpent, is believed to be worth around $100,000. The statue was stolen from a house in the US city of Beverly Hills in 1991.
Roding is considered one of the fathers of modern sculpture by the Impressionist style of his works. The French artist also created extraordinary artworks like The Kiss, The Thinker and The Gates of Hell.

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