The survey – of more than 27,000 adults across 26 countries – found strong support for net access on both sides of the digital divide. Countries such as Finland and Estonia have already ruled that access is a human right for their citizens.

International bodies such as the UN are also pushing for universal net access. “The right to communicate cannot be ignored,” Dr Hamadoun Toure, secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), told BBC News.

“The internet is the most powerful potential source of enlightenment ever created.” He said that governments must “regard the internet as basic infrastructure – just like roads, waste and water”.

“We have entered the knowledge society and everyone must have access to participate.” The survey, conducted by GlobeScan for the BBC, also revealed divisions on the question of government oversight of some aspects of the net.

Web users questioned in South Korea and Nigeria felt strongly that governments should never be involved in regulation of the internet.

However, a majority of those in China and the many European countries disagreed. In the UK, for example, 55 percent believed that there was a case for some government regulation of the internet.

Rural retreat

The finding comes as the UK government tries to push through its controversial Digital Economy Bill.

As well as promising to deliver universal broadband in the UK by 2012, the bill could also see a so-called “three strikes rule” become law. This rule would give regulators new powers to disconnect or slow down the net connections of persistent illegal file-sharers. Other countries, such as France, are also considering similar laws.

Recently, the EU adopted an internet freedom provision, stating that any measures taken by member states that may affect citizen’s access to or use of the internet “must respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens”. In particular, it states that EU citizens are entitled to a “fair and impartial procedure” before any measures can be taken to limit their net access.

The EU is also committed to providing universal access to broadband.

However, like many areas around the world the region is grappling with how to deliver high-speed net access to rural areas where the market is reluctant to go. Analysts say that is a problem many countries will increasingly have to deal with as citizens demand access to the net.

The BBC survey found that 87 percent of internet users felt internet access should be the “fundamental right of all people”.

More than 70 percent of non-users felt that they should have access to the net. Overall, almost 79 percent of those questioned said they either strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with the description of the internet as a fundamental right – whether they currently had access or not.

Free speech

Countries such as Mexico, Brazil and Turkey most strongly support the idea of net access as a right, the survey found.

More than 90 percent of those surveyed in Turkey, for example, stated that internet access is a fundamental right – more than those in any other European Country. South Korea – the most wired country on Earth – had the greatest majority of people (96 percent) who believed that net access was a fundamental right. Nearly all of the country’s citizens already enjoy high-speed net access. The survey also revealed that the internet is rapidly becoming a vital part of many people’s lives in a diverse range of nations.

In Japan, Mexico and Russia around three-quarters of respondents said they could not cope without it.

Most of those questioned also said that they believed the web had a positive impact, with nearly four in five saying it had brought them greater freedom. However, many web users also expressed concerns. The dangers of fraud, the ease of access to violent and explicit content and worries over privacy were the most concerning aspects for those questioned.

A majority of users in Japan, South Korea and Germany felt that they could not express their opinions safely online, although in Nigeria, India and Ghana there was much more confidence about speaking out.

5 ways your TV is slowly killing you

March 29, 2010

Recent research reveals the weirder ways television is ruining your life.
Too much boob tube also makes you weaker, research shows

por Linda Carroll msnbc.com colaboradora

You’ve accepted the idea that TV makes you dumber. You know there are lots of more edifying things you could be doing with your time than cheering on the contestants on “Survivor.” And unless you’re working out to an exercise video, you know those hours sprawled out in front of the screen are going to make you fatter — not to mention the impact of all that junk food you’ve been tempted to scarf down during the commercial breaks. But you’ll be surprised to learn the host of other bad things TV can do to you.

1. TV makes you deader. TV-viewing is a pretty deadly pastime, research suggests. No matter how much time you spend in the gym, every hour you spend in front of the TV increases your risk of dying from heart disease, according to a recent report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. Australian researchers studied 8,800 adult men and women for an average of six years and found that every hour spent in front of the TV translated into an 11 percent increase in the risk of death from any cause, a 9 percent increase in the risk of death from cancer and an 18 percent increase in the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. So, compared to people who watched less than two hours of TV a day, those who watched four or more hours a day had a 46 percent higher risk of death from any cause and an 80 percent higher risk of death due to cardiovascular disease. And that was true even among people who didn’t smoke, were thin, ate healthy diets and had low blood pressure and cholesterol.

2. TV makes you drunker. TV may make you drink more. When it comes to drinking, we’re apparently very susceptible to what we see on TV, according to a report published in Alcohol and Alcoholism. To discover whether what we view actually affects drinking habits, researchers rounded up 80 male university students between the ages of 18 and 29 and plunked them down in a bar-like setting where the students were allowed to watch movies and commercials on TV. The researchers found that men who watched films and commercials in which alcohol was prominently featured immediately reached for a glass of beer or wine and drank an average of 1.5 glasses more than those who watched films and commercials in which alcohol played a less prominent role.

3. TV can make your kid pregnant. Teens who watched a lot of TV that included sexual content were twice as likely to get pregnant, according to a study published in Pediatrics. Once a year for three years, Rand Corporation researchers surveyed 1,461 youngsters — ages 12 to 17 at the beginning of the study — about TV-viewing habits and sexual behavior. Boys were asked if they had ever gotten a girl pregnant and girls were asked if they had ever been pregnant. To get a handle on how much sexually charged TV kids were watching, the researchers asked teens if and how often they viewed 23 specific programs. Another study showed that kids who watch two or more hours of TV a day start having sex earlier, according to a report in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. Researchers followed 4,808 students for a year. The kids — all ages 15 or younger — had never had sex at the beginning of the study. Among kids with parents who disapproved of teen sex, those who watched two or more hours of TV per day were 72 percent more likely to start having sex by the end of the study. The researchers said they weren’t surprised to find no TV effect among kids with parents who didn’t care about teen sex since those kids were at high risk of early sex anyway.

4. TV weakens your bones. Hours spent watching TV can set a kid up for later problems with brittle bones, according to a study published in the Journal of Pediatrics. Until we hit 25 or so, we accumulate bone in a kind of savings account. The more bone we build when we’re younger, the less likely we are to develop the brittle-bone disease osteoporosis. To see whether TV watching might impact kids’ bone growth, researchers followed 214 3-year-olds for four years. The children’s height and weight were checked every four months, along with their activity levels. At each checkup, parents were asked about their kids’ TV-viewing habits. The more TV kids watched, the less bone they grew, regardless of how active they were at other times.

5. TV makes you less engaging. A recent study found that when the TV is on — even if it’s just in the background — parents interact less with their kids. To learn more about TV’s effects, researchers brought 51 infants and toddlers, each accompanied by a parent, to a university child study center, according to the report published Child Development. Parents and kids were observed for half an hour in a playroom without a TV and then for a half hour with the TV tuned to an adult program such as “Jeopardy!” When the TV was on, parents spent about 20 percent less time talking to their children. And when parents did pay attention to their kids, the quality of the interactions was lower: With a program on in the background, parents were less active, attentive and responsive to their youngsters.

545 vs. 300,000,000 THE TRUTH!

March 29, 2010

by Marvin J. Ramirez

We all need to read this and pass it on – more truth than poetry…

545 vs. 300,000,000EVERY CITIZEN NEEDS TO READ THIS AND THINK ABOUT WHAT THIS JOURNALIST HAS SCRIPTED IN THIS MESSAGE. READ IT AND THEN REALLY THINK ABOUT OUR CURRENT POLITICAL DEBACLE.

by Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them. Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do 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 equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 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 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 legislator’s responsibility to determine how he votes.

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 a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. 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 and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi.

She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted — by present facts — of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can’t think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people.

When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the 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 Army & Marines are in IRAQ , it’s because they want them in IRAQ If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it’s because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the 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 this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like “the economy,” “inflation,” 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 the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

What you do with this article now that you have read it………. Is up to you. This might be funny if it weren’t so darned true. Be sure to read all the way to the end:

Tax his land,

Tax his bed,

Tax the table

At which he’s fed.

Tax his tractor,

Tax his mule,

Teach h

im taxes

Are the rule.

Tax his work,

Tax his pay,

He works for peanuts

Anyway!

Tax his cow,

Tax his goat, Tax his pants,

Tax his coat. Tax his ties,

Tax his shirt,

Tax his work,

Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,

Tax his drink,

Tax him if he

Tries to think.

Tax his cigars,

Tax his beers,

If he cries

Tax his tears.

Tax his car,

Tax his gas,

Find other ways

To tax his ass.

Tax all he has

Then let him know

That you won’t be done

Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers;

Then tax him some more,

Tax him till

He’s good and sore.

Then tax his coffin,

Tax his grave,

Tax the sod in

Which he’s laid.

Put these words

Upon his tomb,

Taxes drove me to my doom…’

When he’s gone,

Do not relax,

Its time to apply

The inheritance tax.

Accounts Receivable Tax

Building Permit Tax

\CDL license Tax

Cigarette Tax

Corporate Income Tax

Dog License Tax

Excise Taxes

Federal Income Tax

Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)

Fishing License Tax

Food License Tax

Fuel Permit Tax

Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)

Gross Receipts Tax

Hunting License Tax

Inheritance Tax

Inventory Tax

IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)

Liquor Tax

Luxury Taxes

Marriage License Tax

Medicare Tax

Personal Property Tax

Property Tax

Real Estate Tax

Service Charge Tax

Social Security Tax

Road Usage Tax

Sales Tax

Recreational Vehicle Tax

School Tax

State Income Tax

State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)

Telephone Federal Excise Tax

Telephone Federal Universal Service FeeTax

Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes

Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax

Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax

Telephone State and Local Tax

Telephone Usage Charge Tax

Utility Taxes

Vehicle License Registration Tax

Vehicle Sales Tax Watercraft Registration Tax

Well Permit Tax

Workers Compensation Tax

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY? Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What in the hell happened? Can you spell ‘politicians?’ And I still have to ‘press 1’ for English!? I hope this goes around THE USA at least 100 times!!! YOU can help it get there!!!

GO AHEAD – – – BE AN AMERICAN!!!

Thousands of students and teachers protest education cuts

March 29, 2010

by the El Reportero’s staff

A school child walks in front of the march

Approximately 5,000 students and teachers took on the streets in San Francisco on March 4 to protest education cuts. Marching from 24th Street in the Mission District to the Civic Center the student’s march stopped traffic and the circulation of Muni temporarily, while the marchers shouted slogans energetically.

The rally, which started at 3:30 p.m. and was part of a statewide Day of Action to Defend Public Education, included the participation of 30 public Kirchnerschools. “(The cuts) deny the fundamental right to learn,” said a written statement of of the groups that participated in the march. “There are two basis causes for the crisis in school funding –militarism and the massive transfer of wealth to large corporations and rich individuals.”

The document added that the government says there is no money, but trillions of dollars were handed over to the banks with no restrictions, while foreclosures continue.

Cellphone use linked positively to face-to-face social activities

March 29, 2010

By the University of Michigan

ANN ARBOR, Michigan — Cell phone communication use actually strengthens bonds and supports face-to-face contact with friends and family, new research shows.

In addition, new research suggests that it may also help some people become engaged outside of their social network, with increased involvement in clubs and community organizations.

A new The University of Michigan study counters concerns that cell phones are replacing face-to-face in-person social contact and detracting from civic and community involvement. The research suggests that cell phones may help some people become more socially involved with clubs and community organizations.

“Voice calling and texting complement in-person interactions and help fill in the gaps between in-person gatherings, keeping the cell phone user updated,” said Scott Campbell, assistant professor of communication studies and study’s lead author.

Campbell, who co-authored the study with Nojin Kwak, associate professor of communication studies, analyzed how local and distant cell phone use patterns are related to face-to-face engagement with others and aspects of their communities. People who called and text-messaged Voice calling and text messaging were positively associated with spending time with others for individuals who primarily made local calls – or those less thanothers within 25 miles tended to also spend face-to-face time together from their contact.

The study’s results are based on responses from 587 adults who had a personal cell phones or other wireless device for interacting with othersdevices.. Respondents were asked about group involvement, spending time with or around others in a social setting, cell phone habits and distance of their contacts.

Many cell phone users, according to the fi ndings, want to stay connected and coordinate their on-the-go schedules with organizational activities. For this type of engagement, voice calling stood out as particularly useful.

According to the authors, “More organized forms of social engagement often involve a broader range of interaction, with individuals being connected to organizations, acquaintances in those organizations and perhaps even strangers with whom they do not have ongoing contact.”

Follow-up studies are needed to determine outcomes for cell phone users in other countries and individuals younger than 18, “who in their own ways have been pioneers of mobile communication practices,” Campbell said.

The fi ndings appear in this month’s issue of New Media & Society.

Argentine political confrontation grows

March 29, 2010

by El Reportero

Cristina Fernández de Kirchnerschools

President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner gave her second nationally televised speech of the week on March 4. This speech, and its predecessor, show that the president, and Néstor Kirchner, her husband, predecessor and, he hopes, successor, believe that they have a better chance of intimidating their opponents in congress than trying to fix up alliances with them. The initial signs are that this confrontational strategy may be successful.

HEIRS APPARENT FIGHT FOR COLOMBIA’S TOP JOB AS COURT BARS URIBE’S RE-ELECTION

President Alvaro Uribe will not be able to stand for an unprecedented second re-election on 30 May. The question that has dominated Colombian politics for over a year was answered emphatically by the constitutional court (CC) on Feb. 26 when it voted against the legitimacy of a referendum on whether the country’s most popular head of state should be permitted to seek re-election once again. With Uribe out of the running, the presidential race is suddenly wide open. While Uribe was still in the contest, it was difficult for opinion polls to gauge the support of potential surrogates: the favourite is his former defence minister, Juan Manuel Santos, but the former agriculture minister, Felipe Arias, also lays claim to his legacy. Chávez and Uribe pay lip service to mediation by ‘group of friends’ Colombia and Venezuela have accepted an initiative of the joint Latin American and Caribbean summit to form a ‘group of friends’ to facilitate a rapprochement. This came after another round of escalating acrimony, which at one point threatened to derail the summit. Signs are that little will happen until after Colombia’s impending president elections.

U.S. WILL RESTORE AID TO HONDURAS

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday the United States will restore aid to Honduras that was suspended after a coup and urged Latin American states to recognize new President Porfirio Lobo’s government.

CENTRAL AMERICA AND MEXICO LOOK INTO REGIONAL SECURITY

Porfirio Lobo y Hillary Clinton

Representatives of the Central American Integration System (SICA) and Mexico will meet on Monday in San Salvador to discuss the problems of security in the region. According to the Secretary General of SICA, Juan Daniel Alemán, the regional bloc has the will of promoting the strategies and plans of action adopted in the meeting. Drug trafficking, organized crime, youth gangs and illicit arms trafficking are the main scourges afflicting the region. The problems have increased in the last years due to the use of the isthmus as a route for drug trafficking from the south of the continent to the United States, the world’s largest market and with the highest consumption.

TAKING A STAND AGAINST INTERVENTIONIST COLONIALISM

The Declaration of the Rio Group on the ‘Question of the Falkland Islands’ expresses the support of the heads of state of the region and “the legitimate rights” of Argentina in the dispute with the United Kingdom’s sovereignty over the archipelago. The leaders asked the governments of two countries “to resume negotiations to find as soon as possible a just, peaceful and definitive resolution in the fight for sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and their surrounding maritime areas, in accordance with the relevant resolutions and declarations of the United Nations and the Organization of American States.” (Latin News, World News Prensa Latina and Pravda contributed to this report.)

Nearly half a million residents flee Juarez’s drug wars

March 29, 2010

By Adriana Gómez Licón
Reprinted with permission from the El Paso Times

More than 4,600 killed in Juarez since 2008

EL PASO, Texas Hundreds of thousands of people from violence-torn Juárez are abandoning their homes, closing their businesses and moving elsewhere.

Although reliable numbers are hard to come by, El Paso police, real estate agents and Juárez demographers note an increase in refugees from Mexico living in El Paso. The city of Juárez’s planning department said 110,000 houses have been abandoned from 2005 to the beginning of 2009. Based on average family size, about 420,000 people, or 30% of the city’s residents, have moved out of Juárez, either to other parts of Mexico or to the United States.

In addition to the violence, more than 75,000 people have lost their jobs since December of 2007 in Juárez, according to numbers from the Instituto Mexicano Seguro Social. Most of the jobs have been lost in the maquiladora industry. Restaurants, hairdressing salons, clinics and bakeries have closed. About 40%, or 10,678 businesses, were forced to close because of the fear of extortions and assaults for not paying fees, or cuotas, to criminal organizations, according to the Mexican Chamber of Commerce.

“Let people here tell how scared we are of even answering the phone,” said Julia Monárrez Fragoso, professor at the Colegio de la Frontera in Juárez, to Mexico President Felipe Calderón during his first visit to the city Feb. 11.

Many people in Juárez want to leave the city, where more than 4,600 people have been killed since 2008. María del Socorro Velázquez Vargas, a professor at the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juárez said the results of a survey conducted with 1,800 people last December showed that about 47% of Juárenses want to move to the United States because of the violence.

Even though brutal attacks have scared away many residents, the weak state of the maquiladora industry also has increased the migration.

“It is the first time that population will increase less than 1 percent,” Velázquez Vargas said. “It’s historic.”

During World War II, the Bracero program allowed farmworkers from Mexico to temporarily work in the United States. During those days, Juárez had huge growth because immigrants arrived in the area to work in the program. The population grew from 49,000 to 123,000 people.

When the program ended in the 1960s, the maquiladora industry skyrocketed and attracted Mexicans from different parts of the country.

The growth in the sector continued throughout the 1990s. It peaked after 1994, when the North American Free Trade Agreement was implemented.

MAQUILADORA JOBS DROP

Just like the automotive industry, maquiladoras began to face competition from low-cost offshore plants in Central America and Asia. Many have shut down or laid off workers since 2000.

Maquiladoras offered jobs to 250,000 workers in Juárez at the start of 2008. The number fell to 176,700 as 2009 concluded. “It’s always recurrent that every time there is a recession in the United States, we feel the impact,” Velázquez Vargas said.

The growth from 2000 to 2008 was slow compared to the decades after 1940. The Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía, the counterpart of the U.S. Census, reported 1.2 million living in Juárez in 2000, and 1.3 million in 2005. Estimates by UACJ demographers calculated that Juárez grew by 55,000 people in 2008, mostly led by births.

The natural growth, which is the difference between the number of people who are born and die, is still what drives population growth in El Paso’s sister city. More couples are giving birth than who die.

CHIEF BUYS 1,100 RIFLES

El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen said that in the past two years 30,000 people have moved to El Paso after fleeing Juárez. The county’s population is about 750,000.

Allen was attempting to justify the purchase of 1,100 M4 rifles by saying his department needed to be ready for a possible spillover of violence from Juárez. He said he arrived at the 30,000 figure through comments he heard at intelligence briefings.

Sergio Ramírez, a real estate agent in El Paso, deals with clients who have come to Juárez in the past few years. He said most Mexicans fleeing Juárez are looking for rental homes and apartments.

“They are all renting because they cannot afford the expenses,” he said. “For every 50 who are renting, two or three are buying.” The latest rental vacancy rate is 2%. The rate was 9.2% in 2008, and 10.5% in 2007.

Meanwhile, some southwest neighborhoods in Juárez are virtually deserted. “That is a problem that is going off like a red light…These are a lot of homes,” Velázquez Vargas said.

La Peña brings hip hop and Afro Cuban folklore

March 15, 2010

by the El Reportero’s staff

La Krudas and Sandy Perez

Join us for an evening of hip hop and Afro Cuban folklore! La Krudas & Sandy Pérez. Special guest Sandy Pérez will join all female Cuban hip hop group Las Krudas. Please join us to witness the intersection of turntables and congas celebrating culture from the old to the new! 9 p.m. $10 adv. $12 dr. On Sat. March 6. Also La Peña brings Café Rumba. Community participatory event. The Afro-Cuban folkloric drums, dances, and songs of rumba. Rumba is the word used for a group of related, community-oriented, musical and dance styles in Cuba. Rumba developed in rural Cuba, with strong influences from African drumming and Spanish poetry and singing. From 3:30 – 6 p.m. Free. Sundays, March 7 & 12. For more info call 510-849-2568 ext. 15. fena@lapena.org.

Cancer prevention institute of California hosts March 6 in San Francisco

“Beyond Breast Cancer” – the Bay Area’s most comprehensive annual conference about breast cancer issues — is scheduled for Saturday, March 6 at the Presidio in San Francisco where experts convened by the Cancer Prevention Institute of California (formerly the Northern California Cancer Center) will provide new and practical information about issues ranging from controversial mammography guidelines to the latest treatments for this life-changing disease. Co-sponsored by the Stanford Cancer Center, the 9th Annual “Allison Taylor Holbrooks/Barbara Jo Johnson Breast Cancer Conference” is scheduled for 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Golden Gate Club in the Presidio, San Francisco.

The Cancer Prevention Institute of California (CPIC) conference will feature eleven cancer experts as well as survivors who will explore and deliver straightforward and topical information for breast cancer survivors, their families, friends and medical professionals.

Grand Opening for new Resource Center in the Mission

Laza Adelante (www.plazaadelante.org) is hosting its Grand Opening celebration. Speakers at the press conference include Mayor Gavin Newsom, Supervisors David Campos and Chris Daly, Assembly member Tom Ammiano, State Senator Mark Leno and community members and non-profit leaders. The Grand Opening Celebration will close down 19th street between Mission and Capp and feature live music by local Latin hip-hop funk band Bayonics, Aztec dancers, and a live DJ. Free tax preparation sponsored by Bank of the West will take place throughout the day, as well as MEDA sponsored workshops on homeownership and business development. The event will feature a press conference beginning on Saturday, March 6th, 2010 at 11:30 a.m. and ribbon cutting ceremony followed by a community festival and non-profit resource fair that takes place until 4 p.m.

Two Spanish-language films from South America compete for Academy Award

March 15, 2010

by Antonio Mejías-Rentas

Placido Domingo as Pablo Neruda.

OSCAR HISTORY: For the first time, two Spanish-language films from South America are competing for an Academy Award in the foreign language film category. Perú’s La teta asustada and Argentina’s El secreto de sus ojos are among five Oscar nominees in the category announced last week in Los Angeles. The Peruvian film — its first-ever Oscar nominee — is from director Claudia Llosa. The Argentinean film is from Juan José Campanella, whose El hijo de la novia was a nominee in 2002, the latest of five times his country has been nominated. Only once before had two South American films competed for the Oscar, but the 1998 nominees were Tango, a film from Argentina spoken in Spanish and Central do Brasil, a Portuguese-language entry from Brazil. Coincidentally, there was a second Spanishlanguage film nominated that year: Spain’s El abuelo. Only on three other occasions have there been two Spanishlanguage nominees for an Oscar. The Academy Awards will be handed out March 7 in Los Angeles.

NO FIFTH SEASON: ABC will air its last episode of Ugly Betty on April 16 amid speculation writers will give the namesake character a beauty transformation for the finale. Head writer Silvio Horta has told Entertainment Weekly that Betty Suárez will have her characteristic braces removed in one of the remaining episodes, but declined to say whether the U.S. Betty will transform into a beauty who marries her wealthy boss, as she did in the original story. Inspired by the blockbuster Colombian telenovela Yo soy, Betty la fea, starring America Ferrera, has had several versions around the globe. It’s the only current network show with a lead Latino character. It will end its four-year run on ABC with fewer that the 100 episodes that would make it a likely candidate for syndication.

America Ferrera y Silvio Horta

ONE LINERS: Il Postino, a new opera by Mexican composer Daniel Catán based on the 1994 movie which itself was based on the novel El cartero de Neruda by Chilean writer Antonio Skármeta, will now open the Los Angeles Opera’s 2010 season in September with Plácido Domingo singing the role of Pablo Neruda; the world premiere had originally been announced for the current season with Mexican tenor Rolando Villazón in the title role. It will now be sung by Charles Castronovo … Jennifer López will play a self-help author who tries to tame the womanizing Barney, played by Neil Patrick Harris on How I Met Your Mother in an episode of the hit CBS series that will air in March.

Congresswoman Lee receives award for work in the fi ght against HIV/AIDS

March 15, 2010

Compiled by the El Reportero’s staff

Barbara Lee

Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-09) received an award last week from the Alameda County Commission on the Status of Women for her legislative efforts to combat HIV/AIDS both nationally and abroad. Congresswoman Lee was honored by the Alameda County Commission on the Status of Women and the Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) during their Annual Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day event at the Newark Community Center in Newark, CA. The event was held in conjunction with the 36th Annual Black History Month Observance celebration that was sponsored by the Afro-American Cultural & Historical Society.

“I want to thank the Alameda County Commission on the Status of Women, along with members of BWOPA, for this award,” said Lee, who was unable to attend the award ceremony. “I am truly honored and humbled to receive this recognition. I thank members of both organizations for their commitment and diligence in the ongoing fi ght against HIV/AIDS.”

Giants Renew broadcasting at KIQI 1010 AM & KATD 990 AM for 2010 Season

The San Francisco Giants continue their rich, Hispanic heritage on the airwaves with Spanish radio partner, KIQI 1010 AM and KATD 990 AM. KIQI and KATD will carry a total of 69 broadcasts, including every weeknight home game and all weekend home series. The games will be simulcast on both stations covering the entire San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, Stockton, Chico and Modesto.

KIQI 1010AM is one of the original Spanish talk radio stations in the Bay Area serving the Latino community for over 30 years. A complete list of games can be found on sfgigantes.com or sfgiants.com. The Giants broadcast team of Tito Fuentes and Erwin Higueros will call the games from the Giants’ Spanish language broadcast booth – Fuentes for his seventh straight season and Higueros for his 13th season.

More ethnic studies classes will be offered at SF high schools

The Board of Education voted unanimously on Tuesday night to implement an Ethnic Studies pilot program in SFUSD High Schools for the 2010-11 school year. There are currently five elective ethnic studies classes offered at three of its schools, and the board voted to add at least another ten sections at five schools in the 2010 – 2011 school year. More Ethnic Studies Classes will be Offered at SF High Schools The existing Ethnic Studies curriculum developed by SFUSD teachers encourages students to explore specific aspects of identity on personal, interpersonal and institutional levels and provides students with interdisciplinary reading, writing and analytical skills.

State Attorney warns homeowners to avoid forensic loan audits

The State Attorney and the Bar of California warned Californians to avoid forensic loan audits, the loan-modification industry’s latest “phony foreclosure-relief service,” in which homeowners pay up-front fees for a forensic review of their lender’s practices, but are provided no actual foreclosure relief. “Forensic loan audits are yet another phony foreclosure-relief service hawked by loan-modification consultants trying to cash in on the desperation of homeowners facing foreclosure,” State Attorney Edmund Brown said. “The foreclosure-relief industry continues to be long on promises, but short on results.”

1...581582583...717 Page 582 of 717

CAMBIO DE IDIOMA

English
Español

SELECTIONS

U.S. prepares new tariffs targeting several Latin American countries

July 23, 2026

Spain’s historic double crowns a World Cup that changed U.S. soccee

July 23, 2026

Oakland tenants renew calls for safer housing conditions

July 23, 2026

POPULAR TICKETS

U.S. prepares new tariffs targeting several Latin American countries

July 23, 2026

Spain’s historic double crowns a World Cup that changed U.S. soccee

July 23, 2026

Oakland tenants renew calls for safer housing conditions

July 23, 2026

ABOUT US

Welcome to our Marvin J. Ramirez website! We are an innovative newspaper located in the heart of San Francisco. With a relentless passion for telling powerful stories, we inform our community with truthful news, insightful analysis, and compelling reporting.

Contacto: lreportero@aol.com