Tuesday, July 28, 2026
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Bank of America lied to homeowners and rewarded foreclosures, ex employees say

by Paul Kiel
ProPublica

Bank of America employees regularly lied to homeowners seeking loan modifications, denied their applications for made-up reasons, and were rewarded for sending homeowners to foreclosure, according to sworn statements by former bank employees.

The employee statements were filed late last week in federal court in Boston as part of a multi-state class action suit brought on behalf of homeowners who sought to avoid foreclosure through the government’s Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) but say they had their cases botched by Bank of America.

In a statement, a Bank of America spokesman said that each of the former employees’ statements is “rife with factual inaccuracies” and that the bank will respond more fully in court next month. He said that Bank of America had modified more loans than any other bank and continues to “demonstrate our commitment to assisting customers who are at risk of foreclosure.”

Six of the former employees worked for the bank, while one worked for a contractor. They range from former managers to front-line employees, and all dealt with homeowners seeking to avoid foreclosure through the government’s program.

When the Obama administration launched HAMP in 2009, Bank of America was by far the largest mortgage servicer in the program. It had twice as many loans eligible as the next largest bank. The former employees say that, in response to this crush of struggling homeowners, the bank often misled them and denied applications for bogus reasons.

Sometimes, homeowners were simply denied en masse in a procedure called a “blitz,” said William Wilson, Jr., who worked as an underwriter and manager from 2010 until 2012. As part of the modification applications, homeowners were required to send in documents with their financial information. About twice a month, Wilson said, the bank ordered that all files with documentation 60 or more days old simply be denied. “During a blitz, a single team would decline between 600 and 1,500 modification files at a time,” he said in the sworn declaration. To justify the denials, employees produced fictitious reasons, for instance saying the homeowner had not sent in the required documents, when in actuality, they had.

Such mass denials may have occurred at other mortgage servicers. Chris Wyatt, a former employee of Goldman Sachs subsidiary Litton Loan Servicing, told ProPublica in 2012 that the company periodically conducted “denial sweeps” to reduce the backlog of homeowners. A spokesman for Goldman Sachs said at the time that the company disagreed with Wyatt’s account but offered no specifics.

Five of the former Bank of America employees stated that they were encouraged to mislead customers. “We were told to lie to customers and claim that Bank of America had not received documents it had requested,” said Simone Gordon, who worked at the bank from 2007 until early 2012 as a senior collector. “We were told that admitting that the Bank received documents ‘would open a can of worms,’” she said, since the bank was required to underwrite applications within 30 days of receiving documents and didn’t have adequate staff. Wilson said each underwriter commonly had 400 outstanding applications awaiting review.

Anxious homeowners calling in for an update on their application were frequently told that their applications were “under review” when, in fact, nothing had been done in months, or the application had already been denied, four former employees said.

Employees were rewarded for denying applications and referring customers to foreclosure, according to the statements. Gordon said collectors “who placed ten or more accounts into foreclosure in a given month received a $500 bonus.” Other rewards included gift cards to retail stores or restaurants, said Gordon and Theresa Terrelonge, who worked as a collector from 2009 until 2010.

This is certainly not the first time the bank has faced such allegations. In 2010, Arizona and Nevada sued Bank of America for mishandling modification applications. Last year, Bank of America settled a lawsuit brought by a former employee of a bank contractor who accused the bank of mishandling HAMP applications.

The bank has also settled two major actions by the federal government related to its foreclosure practices. In early 2012, 49 state attorneys general and the federal government crafted a settlement that, among other things, provided cash payments to Bank of America borrowers who had lost their home to foreclosure.

Authorities recently began mailing out those checks of about $1,480 for each homeowner. Earlier this year, federal bank regulators arrived at a settlement that also resulted in payments to affected borrowers, though most received $500 or less.

The law suit with the explosive new declarations from former employees is a consolidation of 29 separate suits against the bank from across the country and is seeking class action certification. It covers homeowners who received a trial modification, made all of their required payments, but who did not get a timely answer from the bank on whether they’d receive a permanent modification. Under HAMP, the trial period was supposed to last three months, but frequently dragged on for much longer, particularly during the height of the foreclosure crisis in 2009 and 2010.

ProPublica began detailing the failures of HAMP from the start of the program in 2009. HAMP turned out to be a perfect storm created by banks that refused to adequately fund their mortgage servicing operations and lax government oversight.

Bank of America was far slower to modify loans than other servicers, as other analyses we’ve cited have shown. A study last year found that about 800,000 homeowners would have qualified for HAMP if Bank of America and the other largest servicers had done an adequate job of handling homeowner applications. (Infowars)

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11-year-old mariachi defies racists, sings national anthem again

by the El Reportero’s wire services

Sebastián de la CruzSebastián de la Cruz

The racist backlash that followed an 11-year-old Hispanic boy’s rendition of the national anthem before game three of the NBA Finals in San Antonio didn’t deter the Spurs from inviting the young mariachi to perform at game four of their series against the Miami Heat.

Sebastian de la Cruz’s performance, which was perfect, immediately sparked all kinds of criticisms and commentaries denigrating Latinos and immigrants.

That brought a strong defense of De la Cruz, who gained fame as a contestant on “America’s Got Talent.”

Thursday night, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro and his wife escorted young Sebastian – again in full mariachi costume – to center court at the AT&T Center. The youngster’s performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” earned a standing ovation from the capacity crowd and coaches Gregg Popovich of the Spurs and Erik Spoelstra of the Heat walked out onto the court to congratulate De la Cruz, a San Antonio native.

Castro called De la Cruz an example for young people all over the world because of his talent and class as a human being, and said he represented all the children of San Antonio and of America. Before the tip-off to start the fourth game, Popovich denounced the authors of the racist comments about De la Cruz and offered praise for the young singer.

“He’s a class act. Way more mature than most his age. And as much as those comments by the idiots saddens you about your country, he makes you feel the future could be very bright,” the San Antonio coach said.

De la Cruz came out to sing the national anthem before the third game because the person ABC had engaged, country singer Darius Rucker, was unable to make it on time due to flight delays.

Sebastian de la Cruz’s performance at Game 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LVJRJZ0Pw-Q.

Mexico’s El Pinacate Reserve In Running for UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Mexican government has obtained the inclusion of El Pinacate Biosphere Reserve and Great Desert of Altar on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Environment and Natural Resources Secretariat said.

“The process has taken more than eight years. In the year 2004 the Mexican government began taking the necessary steps to get El Pinacate Biosphere Reserve and Great Desert of Altar included on the list of tentative sites,” the department said in a statement. This protected natural area in the northwestern state of Sonora “provides habitat for more than 1,000 species of flora and fauna, so it is considered the desert with the greatest biodiversity in the world,” the secretariat said.

The area has 40 species of mammals, 200 of birds, 40 of reptiles, a number of amphibians and two native species of freshwater fish, “as well as fragile ecosystems typical of desert areas, with vegetation on drifting and stabilized sand dunes that sustains a vast amount of wildlife.”

According to protectors of the environment, some endemic species in the area are in danger of extinction, such as the Sonora antelope, desert bighorn sheep, Gila monster and desert tortoise.

The secretariat said that with its inclusion on the tentative list, the reserve could be declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization, or UNESCO, as early as this year.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee will meet June 16-27 in Cambodia to study the nominations and determine which will be definitively included on the list of World Heritage Sites, it said.

Mexico already has four Natural World Heritage Sites: the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve (1987), the Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino (1993), Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California (2005), and the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (2008). http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qEh4ofBaTNA.

Latin America and the Estimated Population Growth

According to a recent UN report, the world’s population will hit 7.2 billion next month and 10.9 billion by 2100. Interestingly, the populations of less developed countries are expected to double by 2050

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McDonald’s closing all restaurants in Bolivia as nation rejects fast food

by Lance Devon

McDonald’s happy image and its golden arches aren’t the gateway to bliss in Bolivia. This South American country isn’t falling for the barrage of advertising and fast food cooking methods that so easily engulf countries like the United States. Bolivians simply don’t trust food prepared in such little time.

The quick and easy, mass production method of fast food actually turns Bolivians off altogether. Sixty percent of Bolivians are an indigenous population who generally don’t find it worth their health or money to step foot in a McDonald’s. Despite its economically friendly fast food prices, McDonald’s couldn’t coax enough of the indigenous population of Bolivia to eat their BigMacs, McNuggets or McRibs.

One indigenous woman, Esther Choque, waiting for a bus to arrive outside a Mc-Donald’s restaurant, said, “The closest I ever came was one day when a rain shower fell and I climbed the steps to keep dry by the door. Then they came out and shooed me away. They said I was dirtying the place.

Why would I care if Mc- Donald’s leaves [Bolivia]?”

Fast food chain remained for a decade, despite losses every year

The eight remaining McDonald’s fast food shops that stuck it out in the Bolivian city’s of La Paz, Cochabamba, and Santa Cruz de la Sierra, had reportedly operated on losses every year for a decade. The McDonald’s franchise had been persistent over that time, flexing its franchise’s deep pockets to continue business in Bolivia.

Any small business operating in the red for that long would have folded and left the area in less than half that time. Even as persistent as McDonald’s was in gaining influence there, it couldn’t continue operating in the red. After 14 years of presence in the country, their extensive network couldn’t hold up the Bolivian chain. Store after store shut down as Bolivia rejected the McDonald’s fast food agenda. Soon enough, they kissed the last McDonald’s goodbye.

Deep cultural rejection

The McDonald’s impact and its departure from Bolivia was so lasting and important, that marketing managers immediately filmed a documentary called, “Why McDonalds’s went broke in Bolivia.”

Featuring, cooks, nutritionist, historians, and educators, this documentary breaks down the disgusting reality of how McDonald’s food is prepared and why Bolivians reject the whole fast food philosophy of eating.

The rejection isn’t necessarily based on the taste or the type of food McDonald’s prepared. The rejection of the fast food system stemmed from Bolivian’s mindset of how meals are to be properly prepared.

Bolivians more so respect their bodies, valuing the quality of what goes into their stomach. The time it takes for fast food to be prepared throws up a warning flag in their minds. Where other cultures see no risk, eating McDonald’s every week; Bolivians feel that it just isn’t worth the health risk. Bolivians seek well prepared, local meals, and want to know that their food was prepared the right way.

This self respect helps Bolivians avoid processed “restructured meat technology,” often used by fast food joints like McDonald’s.

The McRib: 70 ingredients all restructured into one

Did you know that the McRib is processed with 70 different ingredients which include azodicarbonamide, a flour-bleaching agent often used in producing foamed plastics? McRib’s are basically “restructured meat technology” containing a mixture of tripe, heart, and scalded stomach. Proteins are extracted from this muscle mixture and they bind the pork trimmings together so they can be molded in a factory.

The McRib is really just a molded blob of restructured meat, advertised and sold like fresh ribs. There’s nothing real about it, the preparation or the substance. In fact, McRibs really came about because of a chicken shortage. The restructured meat technology approach kept the McRib on the menu, despite the shortage, and the profits continued rolling in. (Natural News).

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A thought on Father’s Day: Remembering my papá

by Marvin Ramirez

Marvin J. RamirezMarvin Ramírez

This passed father day I heard people going to Father’s Day parties; at the supermarket I was wished a happy father’s day by the cashier.

“Well, he died a few years ago,” I said.

“Oh, you’re not a dad yet!” she responded.

“No, not yet,” I said, while a few people hearing the conversation looked at me.

While driving, I heard radio shows dedicating their programming to fathers, some callers recited poems honoring their old man, and others saying eloquent words, remembering the positive roles their dad played in their lives. I heard a man telling young people how they are taken cared of by their fathers while we grow up until we become fathers ourselves.

Every year in the calendar, as Father’s Day nears, my heart saddens. Four days before that day, my father, José Santos Ramirez Calero, left me. He passed on June 12, 2004, in San Francisco. In his agonic state, just before he passed, I was told that he called my name, and then he died. He was gone. I wasn’t there, I didn’t see him part to say good-bye for the last time.

During his funeral, Piero’s song, Mi Viejo, immortalized the memory of my father with his song in my mind and soul. The lyrics and its music will always remain in my heart and will remind me of him until the day when I also have to leave. I can see my father walking slowly and heavy as he went by, just like the song says.

This song has the key that makes me feel the presence of my papá, and makes me cry when I listen to it. It is originally played in Spanish, but you can read the lyrics in English with this translation or listen to the song from the link below. It’s a beautiful, very touching song. I am sure that everyone who listens to it, will also be touched.

José Santos Ramirez CaleroJosé Santos Ramirez Calero

/It’s a good guy my old man, who walks alone and waiting/ he has long sadness, for so much walking/I look at him from afar, but we are so different; is that he grew up with the century, with trolley car and red wine/ My old beloved old man, now he walks shuffling, like forgiving the wind/He has benevolent eyes and a heavy body, the age overwhelmed him, with neither carnival or comparsa/I have young years, and the old years, the pain he carries it inside, and has timeless stories/ My old beloved old man, now he walks shuffling, like forgiving the wind, I am your blood my old man, I am your silence and your time.

You can listen to the song with English subtitles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnisy3nTYl8.

When I was a child, maybe 2 or 3 years old, he took me to the Men’s Procession (La Procession de Varones), a traditional Catholic Church walk attended mainly by men, carrying me on his shoulder. But I was so small, that when he put me down to take a rest, I couldn’t see anything, so he put me back over his shoulder and said to me: “Son, you’re heavy. Let me rest for a while,? and then put me back down.

Those were moments that I really loved: being with my daddy, just him and I, surrounded by thousands of people who attended the walk. He was a very well-known journalist, especially in Managua, a city so small both in size and in population in the 1960s, that he was always greeted by people. He used to tell them: “This is Marvin, my son.” I felt so proud when I shook his friend’s hands, so proud of having a well-known father, and also happy for being his son.

Although he was usually quite, he told me great stories, the kinds that impacted me for the rest of my life.

Smoking was starting to be a fad in my city of birth, Managua.

I saw people smoking very often, with style and with an arrogant face. But I noticed that my father didn’t smoke. And I wanted to know why.

“Papá, why don’t you smoke, too, like the other people?” I asked him. He looked at me, and then up to the ceiling for a minute, and then back at me. He then took a pause and responded to my question, very calmly.

“Son, when I was about 15 years of age, I used to smoke a lot. I liked it. Every night, I couldn’t go to bed without smoking. Money was not easy to get, so it was hard for me to get cigarettes.”

I could see the images of my dad: young, a handsome young man, sucking from a cigarette, like an addict, sitting on the sidewalk of his house while my grandmother was already in bed, for someone to give him a cigarette butt.

“Every evening, at 11 p.m., I waited for this man to pass by, sitting on the sidewalk. Street lighting were pretty dimmed in those days in Managua. The street looked solitary and dark those days at that time. Only people returning home from work would walk that late. It was in the late 1920s and early 1930s, not too long from the day when the U.S. Marines disembarked in Nicaragua and Sandino was about to start his guerilla war against the invaders.

“He would gave me the butt of his cigarette, and I that would make me so delighted: having the last smoke before going to bed. Sometimes I spent my only change to buy cigarettes.

“But one day, I realized that smoking was bad for my health, and saw how my hard-earned money was being burned up in smoke.”

His story was so amazing, that he was practically making me a disciple of no smoking.

“Your money just burns up in the air,” he said, “and do you know how hard it was to make money to live, then?” he asked me. “And on top of that, your mouth and your clothes stink…”

Sometimes people who know me notice that they have never seen me smoking, and sometimes they ask me if have I ever smoked. Inside of me, I know why and laugh. And sometimes I say, “it was a story that my father told me when I was a child that made me a nonsmoker.”

Father, I will always love you and you will always be in my heart. I wish I could turn the clock back and be the best son that I was not when you were alive. I missed you on this Father’s Day.

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We must overhaul the role of the TSA and who pays the bill

by Glenn Mollette

You probably think this doesn’t apply to you. Wrong. Even if you never enter an airport your hard earned dollars are paying big salaries and big benefits to thousands of federal TSA workers – right now.

How many times a year do you fly on an airplane? Millions of Americans have never flown on a commercial plane and millions more have only flown a couple of times. Statistics of who have and have not flown vary. Fifty million people in the United States are living in poverty and on Food Stamps. Are these people jet setting around the country? Another one hundred million people in the United States are still earning about $40,000 or less each year. Do you think these individuals have lots of plane cash stashed aside? They do not. Consider the millions who seldom take a vacation and prefer to drive when they do and you start seeing a smaller number of frequent air travelers. How many people fly each year in the United States?

Air travel: About 42 percent of U.S. adults reported traveling by air for leisure trips taken between August 2008 and July 2009. The percentage of air travelers increases to 48 percent among U.S. adults who traveled for business purposes in the past year. (Source: travelhorizonsTM, July 2009)

Air travel hassles: A June 2008 study by the U.S. Travel Association revealed a deep frustration among air travelers that caused them to avoid an estimated 41 million trips over the past 12 months at a cost of more than $26 billion to the U.S. economy. Air travelers expressed little optimism for positive change, with nearly 50 percent saying that the air travel system is not likely to improve in the near future. The effect of avoided trips cost airlines more than $9 billion in revenue; hotels nearly $6 billion and restaurants more than $3 billion. Federal, state and local governments lost more than $4 billion in tax revenue because of reduced spending by travelers. (Source: Air Travel Survey, 2008) Check USTravel.org for more statistics.

So let’s say one hundred sixty-five million Americans are flying occasionally while the other one hundred sixty-five million are driving or taking other transportation. Why should half of the country who never fly be paying for something they never use? Plus, the payment is big.

The TSA federal budget is over 7.6 billion dollars. This is in comparison to a 3.2 billion dollar green energy budget. The average paycheck for the 3900 employees at the Washington, D.C. office is $103,852 while one executive made over five million dollars for nine months of work. Employees have grown from 16,500 to over 65,000 employees. Like most government entities it continues to grow and devour more of your paycheck.

Airlines utilizing private contractors should provide and pay the bill for those who watch the scanners and check the bags. The people flying should pay the costs. Airplane tickets are high enough. I fly occasionally. I really don’t want to pay more. However, it’s not fair for those who never fly to bear the cost.

Government involvement means more burdens for more taxes on average America that is already stressed to the max on paying taxes.

Further, the TSA is going too far in harassing people at the airports of America. Elderly people, little children and women are being violated and harassed every day in our country. What seemed like a good idea after 911 has become extreme. I understand why the TSA came into existence but like the Patriot Act it needs some edits and compromises. Persons now have to practically undress and are subjected to some stranger patting them down. This is a violation of our civil liberties.

I am not opposed to scanners that detect metal objects,people emptying their pockets and bag checks. However, subjecting people to pat downs and invasive x-rays have to be eliminated.

Every pilot or copilot should be allowed to carry a gun. We now have cabin doors that protect the cockpit crew from an intruder. These cabin doors are vital to our flight security and cost thousands of dollars. Every plane should have a U.S. Marshall or designated plain clothed security guard on board.

I agree that every airport should have the presence of the proper authorities necessary to take someone to jail if necessary. Anyone posing a threat should be detained and escorted to jail.

I am a believer in transportation security but we must overhaul the role of the Transportation Security Administration and who pays for it.

(Glenn Mollette is author of American Issues, Every American Has An Opinion and hundreds of other articles, features and books. Hear him each Sunday evening on XM Radio 131 at 8 EST. Find all his books at Amazon.com or contact him at gmollette@aol.com)

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Remembering the day that Ms. Angélica Chavarría left us

Angélica ChavarríaAngélica Chavarría

Remembering the day that Ms. Angélica Chavarría returned to God.

Was 15 years ago, on Saturday June 22 1998, that Ms. Angelica Chavarría Coello, left this world to give his soul to its Creator.

But the time has not erased the memory and the tender love that she emerged on his family and friends during your stay in the world of the living.

On this day, she is remembered very much by entire beloved entire family, who expect some day to see again in the bosom of God.

Angelica was born in Los Altos de Masaya, Nicaragua, on Sept. 24 1920. She was the mother of her beloved children Leda, María Teresa, Leonel, Ricardo and Alberto. Their brothers and sisters: Alicia, Andrés, Carlos, Melania, Leonor, Mélida, Gonzalo and Olga, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren who were born before and after her separation.

She was aunt of Marvin Ramírez, editor of The Reporter.

That God keep her in her Kingdom with love and peace.

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Pedro Almodóver’s “I’m So Excited” opens L.A. Film Fest with a laugh

by the El Reportero’s news services

Jennifer LópezJennifer López

Pedro Almodovar and three stars of “I’m So Excited!” – Blanca Suárez, Miguel Angel Silvestre and Javier Camara – brought Spanish glamor to the opening night of the Los Angeles Film Festival with their latest movie.

The filmmaker from Spain’s La Mancha region, who noted that he has always been treated with great affection in Los Angeles, told Efe Thursday night on the event’s red carpet that the best way to connect with an American audience is to get people laughing from the start of the film.

“If I’m able to amuse people right away, that would be the best way to grab them,” the director in his pistachio-green suit said before entering the downtown Regal Cinema L.A. LIVE Stadium 14. “I think that in Los Angeles,and in America in general, people really like it that my movies are packed with situations and there’s a lot going on,” he said.

“They always find that entertaining. The most flattering thing I ever heard is that with the screenplay of each movie I’ve made you could make three different movies. It’s a public that likes to be entertained,” he said.

In a hurry to enter the theater on time – where some 300 people were waiting to see the movie – and give a brief introduction to his latest work, Almodovar laughed as he gave a quick summing up: “‘I’m So Excited!’ – It’s very much me,” he said before disappearing into a crowd of photographers.

Jennifer López to Receive Star No. 2,500 on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame

Singer and actress Jennifer López will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to the music world in a ceremony scheduled for June 20, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced Thursday.

The Latino artist will be honored with star No. 2,500 on Hollywood Blvd. in Los Angeles, a milestone that will be marked with a special emblem on the sidewalk.

“Jennifer López was an obvious choice,” said Ana Martinez, the producer of the Walk of Fame ceremonies, who recalled that in 1994 star No. 2,000 was awarded to Sophia Loren.

The event will be broadcast live on the Internet via the organization’s Web page Walkoffame.com.

Argentine Nat’l Library to unveil Jorge Luis Borges monument June 14

Argentina’s National Library plans to unveil a monument to Jorge Luis Borges on Friday, the 27th anniversary of the world famous writer’s death, officials said.
The full body statue by sculptor Antonio Oriana will honor Borges, who served as the library’s director from 1955 to 1973.

The work, which will welcome visitors to the library, will show the writer sitting on a bench surrounded by his books and his famous cane.

Oriana made the 800-kilo (1,762-pound) statue, which is 1.6 meters (about 5 feet) tall from a plaster mold filled with cement, sand and an iron skeleton.

The sculptor, who worked on a Borges statue in the 1970s but later abandoned the project, has created statues of painter Benito Quinquela Martin, doctor and politician Alicia Moreau de Justo and musician Astor Piazzolla.

Borges was born on Aug. 24, 1899, in the middle-class suburb of Palermo, which today is one of Buenos Aires’s more fashionable areas, and he died on June 14, 1986, in Geneva.

The author of the short-story compilations “Ficciones” (Fictions) and “El Aleph” (The Aleph), among many other works, received numerous international honors throughout his life, including the Formentor Prize in 1961, the Miguel de Cervantes Prize in 1979 and the Ollin Yoliztli Prize in 1981.

Borges, however, was never awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, an omission that many critics have attributed to his conservative leanings.

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Reading program at Berkeley Public Library

Compiled by the El Reportero’s staff

Coro Hispano de San FranciscoCoro Hispano de San Francisco

Studies have shown that children who continue to read over the summer maintain or improve their reading skills, avoiding the “summer slide”. Summer Reading Programs are an important and fun way to keep children reading over the summer months.

Children entering grades 1-8 earn prizes by reading books of their choice and visiting the library three times. In keeping with this year’s theme, we will be offering a variety of food related events and other deliciously fun activities. Berkeley Public Library is participating in the California State Library’s Reading is So Delicious Food Drive – everyone is invited to bring non-perishable food items to their local branch during the Summer Reading Program.

Just a sampling of our events includes: a cooking class; movies about food and other (somewhat) edible things; a Children’s Tea with Annie Barrows, author of Ivy and Bean; bilingual music from award-winning educator, author and musician Jose-Luis Orozco; Kenn Adams’ interactive Adventure Theater program and; in conjunction with the Berkeley Comic Arts Festival, a visit from the author of Babymouse!

The Berkeley Public Library’s Summer Reading Program, “Reading is So Delicious”, runs from June 14 – Aug. 17.

Please be aware that some events require pre-registration. Call 981-6223 or check http://berkeleypubliclibrary.libguides.com/summer for information and additional events.

Coro Hispano de San Francisco prepares for this year’s Fandango XIII

This year we bring you something new: music as festive as ever, starting with love-songs from Califa-México, but this time branching out to explore the Califa Caribe connection: sones, guajiras and boleros from Cuba, danzas and merengues from Venezuela, a danzón from Puerto Rico, a chacona from España, and two habaneras far from Havana: one from Los Ángeles, the other from Manila.

Our companion ensemble this year is the high-energy, exhibition salsa troupe Mambo Groovin’ – the dancers that burnt up the stage at our Pachanga last year.

So put the dates on your calendar: we’re running it two nights this year, Friday and Saturday; and bring your friends!

Admission is free, free parking close by, but get there early; doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Coro Hispano de San Francisco & Conjunto Nuevo Mundo is directed by Juan Pedro Gaffney Rivera, with the sizzling Latin Dance Company Mambo Groovin,’ artistically directed by Sandy Chao; and choreographers John York & Ricardo Peñate.

On Friday, June 28 and Saturday, June 29 at 7 p.m. At Golden Gate Club, 135 Fisher Loop, Presidio of San Francisco. Entrada gratis. Courtesy of Presidio Trust.

“Back on the Streets” Rick Stevens 1 yr Anniversary show

If ever there was a man who can say he is living in “ Heaven on Earth “, it is Rick Stevens. Please join Rick as he celebrates his one year anniversary “Back on the Streets” again from, as he says, The Betty Ford Clinic. Following 2 recent performances to standing ovations with his original group, Tower of Power at the San Mateo County Fair, Rick will be performing at the Great American Music Hall on Friday July 12 with Lydia Pense & Cold Blood, special guests Paula Harris, Jeff Tamilier formerly of Tower of Power and openers Raya Zion & Tribal Blues Band. More guests to be announced.

Friday July 12, Doors 7pm / Show 8 p.m. Tickets: $16 / Dinner & Admission – $40.95 At the Great American Music Hall, 859 O’Farrell St, San Francisco.

For more info call at (415) 885-0750 or visit: http://www.slimspresents.com/?sort=july.

Pulitzer Prize winner coming to SF

Pulitzer prize-winning author Michael D’antonio, along with a panel of experts, will talk about his new book, mortal sins: sex, crime and the era of catholic scandal.

D’Antonio and a panel of experts—including San Francisco-area survivors and advocates—will present a gripping discussion on the clergy sex abuse crisis in the United States and the Bay Area.

On Saturday, June 29 at 2:30 p.m. at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, located at 2868 Mission Street, San Francisco. The event is free and open to the public.

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Boxing

The Sport of Gentlemen

boxing

June 22

At Mendoza, Argentina, Juan Carlos Reveco vs. Ulises Lara, 12, for Reveco’s WBA World flyweight title.

Sakio Bika vs. Marco Antonio Periban, 12, for the vacant WBC super middleweight title; Julian Williams vs. Joachim Alcine, 10, junior middleweights.

June 28

At Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Xiong Zhao Zhong vs. Denver Cuello, 12, for Zhong’s WBC straweight title; Sofiane Sebihi vs. Sunday King Hammer, 10, cruiserweights.

At the Civic Center, Kissimmee, Fla., Joan Guzman vs. Vicente Mosquera, 12, for the interim WBA World light welterweight titles.

At Veteran’s Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Fla. (ESPN2), Gregorza Proska vs. Sergio Mora, 10, middleweights; Patrick Teixeira vs. Marcus Willis, 10, junior middleweights.

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Present and future of Ecuador’s Yasumí National Park

Indigenous people from Yasuní, Ecuador.

by Orsetta Bellini

In the midst of a conflict between indigenous peoples living in the park, the Ecuadorian government will evaluate the continuity of the Yasuní-ITT Initiative.
Yasuni National Park is a wonderful part of the Amazon in northwest Ecuador. The park is second in biodiversity in the world and is home to indigenous peoples. The richness of Yasuní also lies in its soil: 20 percent of the country’s oil reserves, present in the park are some of the “assets” of the place called ITT (Ishpingo-Tambococha-Tiputini).
By late June, Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa will evaluate the continuity of the innovative Yasuní-ITT Initiative. “The logic of the initiative is that Ecuador would leave the oil reserves found in the Yasuní National Park, if he can collect funding from the international community – individuals, countries or organizations”, Osvaldo Leon, coordinator for the Ecuadorian Latin American Information Agency (ALAI), told El Reportero. “The government says we will not undertake oil explorations, but we need money for development programs. The initiative was welcomed, especially in Europe, but because of the economic crisis, many have backed down”.

The proposal was initiated by the Ecuadorian government in March 2007 and aims to keep the Yasuni underground reserves of 846 million barrels of oil untouched in the ITT field. In return, Ecuador asks the international community for at least $3,600 million, equivalent to 50 percent of the resources it would receive for oil exploration. However, also in March 2007, the government signed a memorandum of understanding with Brazil’s Petrobras, China’s Sinopec and Chile’s ENAP over the potential exploitation of ITT. In fact, the project also includes the “option B”, which allows operations in the ITT in the event that the initiative does not reach the target amount.

“It will be a difficult decision for the government because the project has been welcomed by the people of Ecuador. In terms of image, it will be difficult to opt for the exploitation of Yasuni”, says ALAI’s Osvaldo Leon. In fact, only the area of Yasuni ITT is still virgin. Since 2012, Petroamazonas started working in Block 31, an area of 200,000 hectares, of which 80 percent belongs to the park. Furthermore, from Yasuni’s Block 16, Repsol draws about 45,000 barrels a day, the Bloc Tigüino is operated by Petrobell and blocks 14 and 17, by the Chinese company Petroriental, in the border of the ITT.

The pressure of the companies operating in Yasuni is the main cause of conflict that since 2003 is bleeding the park dry. Ever since oil companies are operating in the park, indigenous peoples are being pushed into new territories because of the pollution and noise, making it difficult to hunt and to fish. Furthermore, while some Waorani peoples such as the Taromenane and Tagaeri decided to live in voluntary isolation as an extreme form of resistance to preserve their own culture, other Waorani groups accepted the presence of multinational oil companies. According to Napoleon Saltos, director of the School of Sociology at the Central University of Ecuador, some of them supported the interests of companies and have signed partnership agreements, even some leaders gave in to them.

On March 5, a group of Taromenane surpassed a Waorani couple with their boats. After a few weeks, a Waorani group in their speedboats and armed with rifles – which according to the online newspaper El Sol de Pando were provided by the same companies – fire and shot against a Taromenane cabin. Thirty people died in the dispute and two girls were abducted.

Priest Miguel Angel Cabodevilla, a scholar on the indigenous peoples of Yasuni, claims that the government is responsible for the “Policies for the Protection of Peoples in Isolation”, established in April 2007. It needs to comply with Article 57 of the Constitution of Ecuador, which states that: “the territories of peoples in voluntary isolation are irreducible and intangible ancestral possession, and they shall be closed to all extractive activities”.

Due to this tense situation, Correa will revise the initiative. By the end of April, the head of the negotiating committee for the Yasuni-ITT Initiative, Ivonne Baki, said the initiative has raised 9 percent of the total, since the government reached $ 336 million (it is unclear if it has actually raised the money or it only has been committed) and the goal is to get 3,600 million in 12 years. “The target will be achieved if in the next 12 years between 250 million and 290 million dollars are raised per year,” said Ivonne Baki. Unfortunately, this is difficult to meet, particularly in a moment of economic downturn.

“I think that eventually the Yasuní will be exploited, under the rationale that we cannot stay poor, while living over a sack of gold, so the government’s oil policy is going in this direction,” complains Ermel Chavez, leader of the Front for the Defense of the Amazon. “There are other alternatives for raising the funds that the government requires not to exploit the ITT. For example, by applying improved technology we could get more oil from existing fields where production is declining. Another way to raise money could be to stop the fuel subsidies to big companies. Furthermore, in our view, conservation should be a state policy, without conditions.”

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