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Bill to control health insurance rates passes Assembly Health Committee

Compiled by the El Reportero’s staff

SACRAMENTO – AB 52, which would allow state regulators to reject excessive health insurance rate increases, passed the Assembly Health Committee this afternoon by a vote of 12 to 7.

Introduced in December 2010 by Assemblymember Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles), AB 52 would require health plans and insurers to seek approval from state regulators prior to raising health care premiums, copayments, or deductibles. It would build upon newly-implemented federal and state law improving the health insurance rate filing and review process.

Civil Rights Groups Set Benchmarks to Correct “Vast Disparities in Access” to Broadband Cite Internet Access as Imperative to Reducing Unemployment in Minority Communities

Washington, D.C. – A coalition of national civil rights and labor organizations has responded to the Federal Com­munications Commission’s request for commentary on how to improve access to broadband for low-income, minority, and other unserved and underserved communities.

In a letter to FCC Commissioners, the coalition urged swift action to broaden the reach of broadband access through the Lifeline and Link-Up programs as an economic imperative for minorities, stating that: “This access is critically important for success in the job market, especially in a competitive job market where March 2011 unemployment was 8.8 percent, black unemployment was 15.5 percent and Latino unemployment was 11.3 percent Broadband plays a critically important role in all parts of the jobs pipeline – covering job readiness that includes obtaining skills necessary for a job, job placement that includes successfully applying for a job, and job progression that includes retraining for advancing through a job.”

Children’s Oakland RNs call 5 – Day strike May 5-10

Children’s Hospital Oakland RNs will hold a five-day strike May 5-10 to protest continuing demands by the hospital administration to sharply reduce healthcare coverage for nurses and their families, the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United announced today. Earlier this week Children’s RNs voted to authorize a walkout. Additional contract talks are scheduled for April 26, but the differences remain substantial.

The nurses say the unwarranted changes would leave Children’s RNs well below community standards offered by other Bay Area hospitals, undermining their ability to retain experienced RNs and recruit new nurses, and punishes Children’s RNs who have devoted their careers to serving the children and community that the hospital is supposed to represent.

Coca-Cola investors strongly support resolution addressing toxic chemical BPA in can linings

A resolution asking Coca-Cola to disclose its plans around continued use of bisphenol-A (BPA) in beverage can linings won support today from 26 percent of the company’s shares. One out of four Coke shareholders is now concerned about BPA, representing a 20 percent increase from last year when one of fi ve supported this resolution.

“Coke has become the industry laggard on BPA and that’s a bad message to send to investors,” says Michael Passoff, Senior Strategist at As You Sow. “Usually 10 percent is enough to move a company to take action, but Coca-Cola’s refusal to address this issue last year is why it is the only company targeted with a BPA container shareholder resolution again this year. Unlike other major can users who are starting to phase out of BPA, Coca-Cola has shown no evidence that it is actively searching for alternatives.

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The 545 responsible for all of U.S. woes

por Charley Reese

(Date of publication unknown)

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them

Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits? Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don’t propose a federal budget. The president does. You and I don’t have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does. You and I don’t write the tax code. Congress does. You and I don’t set fiscal policy. Congress does. You and I don’t control monetary policy. The Federal Reserve Bank does. One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president and nine Supreme Court justices – 545 human beings out of the 235 million – are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country. I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress.

In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered but private central bank. I excluded all but the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don’t care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislation’s responsibility to determine how he votes.

A C O N F I D E N C E C O N S P I R A C Y

Don’t you see how the con game that is played on the people by the politicians? Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of Tip O’Neill, who stood up and criticized Ronald Reagan for creating defi cits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating appropriations and taxes. O’neill is the speaker of the House. He is the leader of the majority party. He and his fellow Democrats, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetos it, they can pass it over his veto.

REPLACE SCOUNDRELS

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 235 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted — by present facts – of incompetence and irresponsibility.

I can’t think of a single domestic problem, from an unfair tax code to defense overruns, that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist. If the tax code is unfair, it’s because they want it unfair. If the budget is in the red, it’s because they want it in the red. If the Marines are in Lebanon, it’s because  they want them in Lebanon.

There are no insoluble government problems. Do not let these 545 people ­shiftthe blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take it.

Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exist disembodied mystical forces like “the economy,” “infl ation” or “politics” that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do. Those 545 people and they alone are responsible. They and they alone have the power. They and they alone should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses – provided they have the gumption to manage their own employees. This article was first published by the Orlando Sentinel Star newspaper

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Good-bye matricula

by Jorge Mújica Murias

mexicodelnorte@yahoo.com.mx

It was born over 100 years ago, as a document to certify that a Mexican lived somewhere else instead of living in México. For over a century it wasn’t good for anything else and now, at least in North Carolina, it might also become a worthless document.

The Mexican Matrícula Consular had a short Golden era alter the infamously famous September 11th 2001. It became the favorite item of thousands, hundreds of thousands of Mexicans who did not have any paper to show they were Mexicans they were Juan Pérez and not Osama Bin Laden. Today, some four or five million Mexicans have a Matrícula.

Until about 2004, the document was issued in “good faith”, based on a picture less birth certificate, a baptism certificate or a “neighborhood acquaintance” letter, commonly issued by a Presidente Municipal to any resident of the neighboring ranchos. Its best use was as a companion document to the ITIN, Individual Tax Payer Identification number, issued by the U.S. Treasury to undocumented immigrants to ease their paying taxes. Then thing got complicated.

People like Lou Dobbs and other anti immigrants started attacking the Matrícula as a document which “legalized Mexicans in the United States” and “easy to forge”, and the Mexican government reacted promoting it and meeting with bankers and government officials, and finally issuing the “High Security Consular Matrícula,” with 13 security measures, from holograms to magnetic bar codes. So secure that it was highly praised by the U.S. Secretary of State.

On the Mexican side, the Matrícula was almost worthless, not recognized by anyone until November of 2004, when it was formally stated in Article 3 of the Nationality Act that it is “a document which proves Mexican nationally.” In general, all Matrículas (Mexican, American, Guatemalan and all others,) are recognized by the Vienna Convention of Consular Relations.

“Not Worth The Paper They Are Printed On..

Not withstanding all theabove, Republican representative

Mike Hager, Rutherford, North Carolina, is pushing for a law disallowing the Matrícula and “all consular or embassy documents” in the state, to “certify identity or residence.” Hager says his law in “very simple” and it targets “IDs who are known to be distributed among illegals.” “The Matrícula Consular”, according to his colleague George Cleveland, is “Not worth the paper or plastic is printed on”, and it is a document “developed by the Mexican government to “legalize its citizens who live north of the border.”

An immediate effect, if this law is approved, would be that some parents could not pick up their kids at school, according to local rules who make mandatory to present IDs to do so. Hager says that “teachers should not be allowed to release a kid to someone they may or may not know but is has a potentially forged document.”

Some Democrats tried to defend the Matrícula, like Diane Parfitt, Cumberland, skating the she google-searched “Fake Matrícula Consular” and got 13 thousand result, but that she also googlesearched “Fake N.C. IDs,” and got over 700 thousand results. That is not surprising, since everyone knows that most documents in the U.S. are owned and used by underage students to buy alcohol and get access to discos and party like crazy.

The law, obviously, will not solve any problem and it seems to me that it violates international agreements about official documents. Trying to attack the Mexican Matrícula, it disallows even passports. I wonder what a German tourist will think when he tries to rent a car in North Carolina and he is told his passport is not good in the whole state.

On the other hand, Hager and his cronies have some reason. The real reality is that Matrículas are not real IDs, but only “proof.” or a “receipt” issued to a person who registered in his/her consulate as a national residing abroad. To recognize and use them as IDs is optional, just like a driving document, a driver license, is recognized to cash checks at a local bank. But Hager should not worry. The worst enemy of the Matrícula is the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Despite the fact that they turned consulates into supermarkets for documents, their efforts to serve first the interests of paranoid individuals like Hager and Cleveland has made impossible for most Mexicans in the U.S. to obtain a Matrícula. They have to present “proof of nationality”, “proof of identity” and “proof ­of residency;” in the case of minor, even “proof of vaccination”, plus permits from parents and legal guardians, and just in case, is always good to present the green copy of the yellow paper. It seems to me Foreign Affairs should sue North Carolina if they approve their law, and then issue Matrículas to all, including Salvadorans and what not, just for the sake of it…

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What is HAARP? Part 2

­by Marvin Ramíre­z­

­­Marvin J. Ramírez­Ma­rv­in­ R­­­a­­m­­­­í­r­­­ez­­­­­

FROM THE EDITOR: Given the latest tsunamis, earthquakes and hurricanes that have stricken several nations in the world, leaving many deaths and destruction, there are beliefs – based on scientific analysis – that those events might have been manmade. El Reportero found the following article, which due to its length, it will be published in six parts. In order to better read and follow up the whole story, we suggest you read part one. You may access older editions at: https://elreporterosf.com/editions/?q=epublish/1.

What is HAARP? – Part two of six

Ionospheric disturbances at high latitudes also can act to induce large currents in electric power grids: these are thought to cause power outages. Understanding of these and other phenomena is important to maintain reliable communication and power services. Other civilian applications from the program’s research could lead to improved local and world-wide communication such as satellite communication.

Furthermore, and possibly more significant, is the potential for new technology that could be developed from a better understanding of ionospheric processes. DoD Involvement Potential applications of the HAARP research include for detecting cruise missiles and aircraft and for communicating with submarines. Although HAARP is being managed by the Air Force and Navy, it is purely a scientific research facility which represents no threat to potential adversaries and would therefore have no value as a military target.

HAARP Transmissions

HAARP would transmit HF radiowaves in a narrow beam, pointed upward to interact with the ionosphere. The beam would be several degrees wide, depending on frequency, and thus would influence a region several miles in diameter in the lower ionosphere, expanding to several tens of miles in the upper ionosphere. The transmissions would be accomplished through the design and construction of a world-class ionospheric research instrument (IRI).

Ionospheric changes produced experimentally by the IRI would be similar to phenomena which occur under natural conditions. However, nature operates on a much larger scale, and for a much longer duration, than would the IRI. The effect of the IRI would be temporary only; the ionosphere would return to its original state within a matter of seconds and there would be no lasting changes.

Because most of the energy of the high power radio beam would be emitted upward rather than toward the horizon, potentially hazardous values of radio field strength would not be present at ground level except possibly very close to the IRI. To prevent human and large mammal exposure to these near-in fields, an exclusion fence would be constructed. The upward-directed IRI main beam could be suffi ciently strong potentially to interfere with electronic equipment in aircraft fl ying nearby.

To preclude this possibility, an aircraftperdetection radar would be interfaced with the operations center of the IRI, to automatically turn-off the high power transmissions should aircraft be detected flying on a route to pass through the radiowave beam.

The IRI would be constrained to operate within the 2.8 – 10 megahertz (MHz) band on a clearchannel, non-interference basis. Theoretical calculations indicate that interference with television, AM and FM radio, ham radios, cellular phones and/or satellite dishes possibly may be anticipated, in addition to the possibility of interference with HAARP’s own radio equipment. The Air Force and Navy are committed to a mitigation program that includes acquisition of equipment to minimize

out-of-band transmissions; properly orienting the IRI array to reduce signals emitted toward local population centers; adoption of operating procedures, including beam steering, to reduce the percentage of time large signal levels would be transmitted toward large cities; employing special techniques such as null placement; and working with complainants to reach a mutually satisfactory solution. A smaller, less powerful, IRI will be constructed as a demonstration prototype to ensure mitigation techniques will alleviate possible interference.

HAARP Facilities

The major components of the main HAARP research facility would include the IRI, the combined Operations Center & Diesel Power Building, and a number of scientific instruments used for data- gathering, termed “diagnostics”, placed at various locations on the HAARP site. The IRI would consist of an antenna array and associated transmitters, operated from a control room within the Operations Center. The diagnostics would be used to observe the natural parameters of the ionosphere as well as the experimental results with the lRI operating.

The antenna would occupy a rectangular area roughly 1000 ft x 1200 ft and would consist of a 12 x 15 array of antenna masts, each supporting two horizontal crossed dipole antennas, stacked one above the other. The masts would reach a maximum height of 72 ft and would be constrained by guy wires. It is anticipated that the masts would sit on individual piles; gravel fill between the rows and columns of masts would permit access by maintenance vehicles. While some of the diagnostic instruments would be collocated with the IRI at the research facility, others, due to data collection requirements, must be located off-site at some distance from the IRI. One of the primary on-site diagnostics would be an incoherent

scatter radar (ISR) ­which would transmit radiowave signals in the 430 – 450 MHz band. The ISR would be a 120 ft diameter radar dish supported by a 25 ft diameter pedestal. The combined power demands of the IRI and ISR would be roughly 12 megawatts (MW). The method of power supply has not been finalized; however, the use of diesel generators is under consideration. IT WILL CONTINUE ON NEXT WEEK’S EDITION.

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Ex Miss USA Susie Castillo says TSA agente sexually assaulted her

by wire news services

Ex Miss USA abusada por su propio gobierno: Susie Castillo, ex Srita. USA, llora después de ser manoseada sexualmente por una agente de TSA en el Aeropuerto de Texas.Ex Miss USA abusada por su propio gobierno: Susie Castillo, ex Miss USA, cries after having been sexually touched by a TSA agent at the Airport of Texas.

A former Miss USA, Susie Castillo, was filmed weeping as she described her ordeal at the hands of a TSA agent, who she said sexually assaulted her after she refused to go through a naked body scanner.

In 2003, Castillo was selected as the most beautiful woman in the United States when she won the Miss USA competition. Castillo, 31, who had a video camera, filmed at the airport and complained that she was “violated” by a female TSA agent at a security checkpoint at Dallas airport in Texas. In a blog post dated Monday, April 24, Castillo recounts (http://www.susiecastillo.net/blog/2011/4/25/my-tsa-pat-down-experience.html) what happened to her.

The former beauty queen, who is now an actress, said she decided to stand in a longer line to avoid going through the full body scanner because she had heard the extra radiation could be a health risk.

After opting out,” I proceeded to follow a very nice older female TSA employee to the “pat down” area. It was an inconvenience, but I thought, “No biggie. I just went through document his  at LAX for the fi rst time and it wasn’t too bad, so let’s just get it over with.” Well, this pat down was completely different. It was MUCH MORE invasive than my fi rst one at LAX, just a week before. To say that I felt invaded is an understatement.

What bothered me most was when she ran the back of her hands down my behind, felt around my breasts, and even came in contact with my vagina! Honestly, I was in shock, especially since the woman at LAX never actually touched me there. The TSA employee at DFW touched private area four times, going up both legs from behind and from the front, each time touching me there. Was I at my gynecologist’s office? No! This was crazy!

‘This woman touched my vagina four times,” the Daily Mail quoted her as saying in a distressed voice. “She went up both legs from behind and then turned around and did it from the front. That was my experience this morning at Dallas airport.

“I am already so upset that ­they are making me choose to get molested – because that’s what I feel like – or go through a machine that is completely unhealthy and dangerous.

“I travel a ton and I don’t want to be radiated more than I already am. I am crying because I am really, really upset because as an American I have to go through this. I feel violated,” she stated. After complaining to the authorities, she said she was given a TSA comment card to make a complaint. “I am hoping other people that feel violated as Americans make a complaint. Maybe then something will change in the near future. This whole thing is very troublesome to me,” she said.

An elderly airport volunteer told Castillo that it was better to go through an awkward pat down than to be blown up. “I guess I was supposed to find comfort in that and I didn’t. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that this would make me cry,” she added

 

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Curcumin naturally fights cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, obecity

by John Phillip

Natural News

(NaturalNews) Curcumin is one of a small number of super nutrients which has the demonstrated ability to dramatically lower the risk from cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer`s disease and has been shown to influence the storage of body fat by altering fat metabolism.

Curcumin is a natural polyphenol which is extracted from curry powder and has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. You can experience a multitude of health benefits by eating the spice in its natural form or by supplementing with a concentrated extract of active curcuminoids.

Curcumin in the Fight against Cancer

Curcumin has been shown to be a powerful tool in the fight against cancer as it helps to restore immune system function which begins to weaken in many people as a result of decades of poor diet and environmental factors. Curcumin works to bolster immune function by restoring the function of key immune cells known as CD4 and CD8 T cells. According to a study published in The Journal of Biological Chemistry, curcumin increases the production of proteins which are needed for immune cell proliferation while reducing the development of proteins which destroy immune cells.

Curcumin Prevents Clogged Arteries While Lowering Heart Attack Risk

Curcumin influences the formation of dangerous coronary artery plaque by lowering levels of systemic inflammation which are known to cause the foamy substance to become unstable and rupture leading to a heart attack. This super nutrient regulates the action of our genes to inhibit the release of chemical messengers through the body in response to stress, poor diet and our environment. The result of a study released in The Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine indicates that curcumin prevents platelet coagulation which can result in a life threatening blood clot.

Curcumin shown to Prevent Alzheimer`s Disease

Researchers have noted that the incidence of Alzheimer`s disease among the elderly Indian population where curry is regularly eaten with most meals is significantly lower than their western counterparts.

Curcumin exhibits strong antioxidant properties and is known to cross the crucial blood-brain barrier, where it acts to limit the accumulation of damaging plaque; it also reduces the neuronal response to existing plaque tangles. By inhibiting amyloid plaque formation at the synapse where electrical impulses connect different parts of the brain, memory is preserved and symptoms of this devastating disease are minimized or eliminated.

­Curcumin Assists Weight Management Goals

Curcumin helps to prevent obesity and assists natural weight loss due to its ability to inhibit the formation of new blood vessels which are required to form new baby fat cells. This polyphenol also influences how the body regulates triglycerides (blood fats) which are then stored as body fat or burned as a source of energy. A study published in The Journal of Nutrition details how curcumin prevents excessive accumulation of triglycerides in the blood and shifts our metabolism away from fat storage. The study authors conclude that curcumin `may have a potential benefit in preventing obesity.` Very few natural nutrients exhibit such a wide array of health benefi ts as curcumin.

Extensive research confi rms the powerful antioxidant and anti-infl ammatory effects which provide protection against many of today`s most devastating illnesses.

Whether you choose to add curry to your diet or supplement with a concentrated form of this amazing spice, you can be assured of lowered disease risk and improved quality of life.

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Raúl Castro launches salvage mission for Cuban Revolution

by the El Reportero’s news services

Raúl CastroRaúl Castro

It had been 14 years coming. But between April 16 and 19, 1,000 delegates finally gathered for the first congress of the Partido Comunista Cubano (PCC) to be held since 1997. President Raúl Castro tacitly acknowledged during his inaugural speech that the Cuban Revolution has been sunk for years, weighed down by cumbersome party structures and excessive bureaucracy.

He argued that if it is to be raised triumphantly to the surface it will require the overhaul of the party apparatus and an infusion of youth: his most eye-catching proposal was for two five-year term limits on officials, not just apparatchiks but also members of the politburo and council of state and even his own position at the head of the Revolution, although by then old age is likely to have carried off all of the históricos.

Humala takes the lead in Peru

On April 24 the first national opinion poll for the decisive second round of ­the presidential elections on 5 June gave leftist nationalist, Ollanta Humala a clear lead (of six percentage points) which is the equivalent of 1m votes. Humala’s lead (42 percent to 36 percent, according to the Ipsos Apoyo poll) is not unbridgeable but if Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of imprisoned former president, Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000) is to overtake him she will have broaden her appeal. Currently Fujimori is ahead in Lima, (43 percent to Humala’s 35 percent) where a third of the electorate lives and in the north. Humala is well ahead in the south and interior.

Uruguay: Falling into a Kantian trap

Often cited (along with Chile) as a regional example of a successful and peaceful transition to democracy after overcoming its military dictatorship, Uruguay is revisiting old demons as it looks set to repeal part of its amnesty laws. The initiative has become the most important political issue in the country, dividing the ruling left-wing coalition, Frente Amplio (FA), and simultaneously sparking high-minded debate about constitutionality, the role of government and even the meaning of democracy itself.

U.S. Govt. Refused Habe as Corpus for Cuban Fighter

The US Government urged to reject an habeas corpus request on behalf of anti-terrorist Cuban fighter Gerardo Hernandez Nordelo, who has been held in US prisons for nearly 13 years now.

This government call implies not granting him a hearing to examine his arguments and the alleged evidence presented against him, which proves again the double standard applied by the White House in its alleged war on terror., Fernando Gonzalez Llort and Rene Gonzalez Sehwerert, also known as The Cuban Five, sentenced in 2001 in a trial full of irregularities held in Miami.

Latin News and Prensa Latina contributed to the report.

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How bad U.S.-Latin America policy fuels unauthorized immigration

by Catherine A. Traywick

Media Consortium

Too often, the immigration debate in this country ignores the role U.S. foreign policy plays in fueling unauthorized immigration. But as the Obama administration continues to stall on immigration reform in the United States—all the while moving forward with two contentious trade agreements with Colombia and Panama—the connections between the two are worth examining.

CAFTA impoverished Salvadoran famers

Durind President Obama’s tour of Latin America last month, ongoing mass protests underscored the U.S. government’s own hand in stimulating unauthorized immigration to its borders. Reporting on the president’s visit to El Salvador, for example, Juan Gonzales of Democracy Now! notes that hundreds of Salvadorans gathered to demand the renegotiation of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which devastated the country’s agricultural sector, impoverishing and displacing farmers. Considered alongside the country’s tragic history of U.S.-backed military repression (which Democracy Now! explores in greater detail), it should be no surprise that El Salvador is the second largest source of undocumented immigrants to the United States.

NAFTA displaces one million Mexican farmers

The first, of course, is Mexico—which has its own sordid history of U.S. involvement. As Michelle Chen at Colorlines.com explains, “the deregulation of agriculture under [the North American Free Trade Agreement in the 1990s] coincided with the devastation of Mexico’s farm sector, displacing some one million farmers and driving many northward across the border in search of work.”

While NAFTA created considerable economic opportunities for U.S. businesses eager to conduct business in low-wage Mexico, it also allowed American farmers to flood the Mexican market with government-subsidized corn—destroying the country’s own corn industry and bankrupting thousands of agricultural workers.

Obama’s 180 on Latin American policy

It’s worth noting that Obama, during his presidential campaign, promised to overhaul NAFTA on the grounds that “our trade agreements should not just be good for Wall Street, it [sic] should also be good for Main Street.” Yet, as Steve Ellner argues in the latest issue of In These Times, Obama gradually abandoned his initially critical stance on Latin American policy—choosing instead to “placate rightist critics.” Ellner adds that Obama’s shifting position on the pending (CAFTAmodeled) trade agreement with Colombia—moving “from opposition…to lukewarm endorsement…to vigorous support—is just one example of his turnabout on Latin American policy.”

While Obama has taken some steps to address potential labor abuses in the agreement (NAFTA and CAFTA’s absence of such measures is a key criticism of the deals), trade unionists in Colombia and the United States alike have voiced skepticism: Communications Workers of America President Larry Cohen argued against the agreement by pointing out that 15 million Colombians representing 82 percent of the working population are not recognized as workers and thus under the law “have no rights.”

Big Business funds para millitary killings in Colombia

The skepticism is well founded, as the United States has a long history of favoring business interests over the rights of workers— both at home and abroad.

Earlier this month, for instance, evidence surfaced that the Cincinnati-based Chiquita Brands International may have hired Colombian paramilitary groups “responsible for countless killings” as security for its Colombian facilities. This is in spite of the fact that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) concluded an investigation of Chiquita in 2007, ruling that any money paid out to the paramilitary groups—one of which was a designated terrorist watch group—was extorted, and that “Chiquita never received any actual services in exchange for them.”

Jim Lobe and Aprille Muscara of Inter Press Service report that the documents were released by the National Security Archive (NSA), an independent research group, on the same day that President Obama met with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos to discuss labor rights in the pending trade agreement.

According to Michael Evans, NSA’s chief researcher on Colombia, the evidence against Chiquita is clear. “What we still don’t know is why U.S. prosecutors overlooked what appears to be clear evidence that Chiquita benefited from these transactions,” he told IPS.

U.S. banks launder billions for Mexican drug cartels Even more recently, news broke that the federal government failed to prosecute a number of U.S. banks guilty of laundering billions of dollars for Mexican drug cartels. New America Media/Al Diá reports that Wachovia (now owned by Wells Fargo) alone moved $378.4 billion for cartels through money exchangers and $4.7 billion handled in bulk cash between 2004 and 2007. Yet this past March, the federal government formally dropped all charges against the bank, per a set tle agreement reached the previous year, and despite Wachovia’s indirect role in financing a five-year drug war that has taken countless ­lives and continues to drive unauthorized immigration to the United States.

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Boxing

Thursday, May 6 — at Paris, France

Jean Marc Mormeck vs. Fres Oquendo

Saturday, May 8 — at Carson, CA (HBO)

Paul Williams vs. Kermit Cintron

Saturday, May 8 — at Aguascalientes, Mexico

Antonio Margarito vs. Roberto Garcia

Interim WBA World super featherweight title: Jorge Solis vs. Mario Santiago

Brandon Rios vs. Urbano Antillon

Friday, May 14 — at Rancho Mirage, CA (ESPN2)

Julio Diaz vs. Herman Ngoudjo

Dominic Salcido vs. Guillermo Sanchez

Saturday, May 15 — at New York, NY (HBO)

WBA light welterweight title: Amir Khan vs. Paul Malignaggi

Víctor Ortiz vs. Nate Campbell.

Saturday, May 15 — at Culiacan, Mexico (FOX)

WBC lightweight title: Humberto Soto vs. Ricardo Domínguez

­Saturday, May 15 — at Ciudad Obregon, Mexico

IBF featherweight title: Cristobal Cruz vs. Orlando.

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Town hall meeting joins youth affected by detentions and deportations with government

­by the El Reportero’s staff

Meli RiveraMeli Rivera

Town hall meeting featuring U.S. youth and families that are being impacted by detentions, deportations, and separation. They will be joined by immigration reform champion Congressman Luis Gutiérrez (D-IL4) Garcia-Villa family, two Dream Act graduate students from Santa Clara State University who are facing deportation.

Among the youths will be Valeria Lorenzo, a Dream Act student who due to her legal status she was not able to benefit from financial aid having to drop out from a 4 year institution and Genesis Pérez, a Bay Area resident struggling with the broken immigration system. Among the officials in attendance will be Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez of Illinois (D-IL4) Alicia C. Aguirre – Vice Mayor of Redwood City Gilbert Cedillo – Assembly Member Interim Chief of Police, Edward Hernandez Capt. Chris Cesena – Redwood City Police Department.

Every year, nearly 400,000 families are separated because a loved one is deported from the United States. On April 26, state and federal elected officials will participate in a town hall meeting at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church where Bay Area residents will tell their stories about the toll these deportations are taking on their lives. The town hall meeting is part of a national tour, Campaign for American Children and Families, led by Rep. Luis Gutierrez and local community leaders. As part of the event, petitions urging President Obama to exercise his ample executive discretion to provide relief will be signed.

At St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 178 Clinton St., Redwood City, at 3 p.m.

Dani Towers & Daniel Álvarez Flowers in alive

Dani Towers is a dynamic guitarist, singer, and multi-instrumentalist with a variety of styles and kinds, bringing his talent, knowledge and enthusiasm to performances as soloist and in group, the County of Mendocino to the Mexican border since 1991. Rock music, Spanish ­guitar, salsa, mariachi, folk, top 40, country, jazz, classical, gypsy, Middle Eastern, and several other music of the world are part of the musical repertoire of Dani.

Daniel Álvarez Flores is a singer, composer and virtuous guitarist who studied in his native El Salvador with Cándido Morales, a student of Barrios of Agustín Mangore, as well as in the Conservatory of Music of SF. Daniel he has performed at Mission Cultural Center, the Museum of Oakland, in KQED-TV, and in various cultural events and public festivals through out the Bay Area.

On Thursday April 28, at the Night Art House Gallery, 2905 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. For more information call 510-472-3170.

Port Rican singer/composer Meli Rivera & the Celtic Trio of Harp Triskela

Celebrates Latin American and Celtic cultures. Followed by two sold-out concerts “Celtic & flamenco Nights” Port Rican singer/ composer Meli Rivera returns from Puerto Rico to the Bay Area to bring her extraordinary mixture of Celtic & Latin American music, baptized in Berkeley as “Celtorican.”

Together with the praised Celtic trio of harp Triskela, the multicultural percussion of Teed Rockwell and the Celtic violin of Teed White, the night will breathe an air of mysticism where the Latin American rhythms and Celtic melodies are mixed in an exceptional fusion of cultures that will make the audience travel in the wheel of time.

Friday May 6, 2011. $18 adv., $20 at the door. At 8:30 p.m., La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. For more information call 510-849-2568. http://www.lapena.org/event/1755.

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