Volume XXVIII Number 4 January 30, 2004

FrontPage Stories

Groundwork Celebrates One Decade of Zapatismo

By Raymond R. Beltrán

“We asked for land and the government didn’t give us any and so we began the take-overs and its response was repression. Then we said to ourselves, ‘if with the best they don’t give it, then the worst.’ And so we took it and armed ourselves.”

-Major Insurgente Ana María, EZLN
March 7, 1994

Members of the EZLN celebrated ten years of their resistance in the state of Chiapas earlier this month, opposing the disfranchisement of Southeast México’s Mayan communities, whose land and labor produce such natural resources as uranium, coffee, minerals, iron, aluminum and copper, to name only a few. Supporters in Spain, Norway, France and Italy also honored the struggle’s anniversary for self-determination by painting murals, organizing concerts to accumulate donations for the EZLN, while gathering in solidarity. At Groundwork Books Collective, a bookstore at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), workers organized week long educational events geared toward the history of indigenous resistance in México and the role of gender equity in all struggles, while adopting the work ethics of the people deep in the Lacandon jungles for those here at home, in the urban jungles of America.

Collective workers from Groundwork Books celebrate EZLN (Ejército Zapatista de Liberacion) anniversary. From left, clockwise: Patricia Segura, Carla House, Aiina De Triana, Joanna Burgess and Carlos Gomez a.k.a. DJ Subversive 1.

At Groundwork Books, a co-op business functioning by a majority and what seems to be solely a female workforce, collective workers are beginning to change the model of orders and obedience, which are very common in the American business apparatus, by building upon a collective style decision-making process, which was modeled not only by the culture of indigenous México, but by their struggle to create social change.

Being a co-op, or cooperative business, the Groundwork Books Collective strives to build on a work process that includes a consensus, or the input of all workers involved in the function and labor of the business, hence, the title collective.

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Better support systems for Mexican women who abort a must in border region, says SDSU Scholar Norma Ojeda
By Perlita R. Dicochea
On the eve of the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, Norma Ojeda, associate professor of sociology and Chicana/o Studies at San Diego State University, urged the room of 25 students, professors, and public health practitioners to acknowledge that Mexican women who have abortions need better support structures. Ojeda presented her research as part of a series of seminars organized by The Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies at the University of California, at San Diego.

Six Candidates Running for State Assembly, District 76
By Raymond R. Beltrán
In the nearing Primary Elections on March 2, 76th District State Assembly Representative Christine Kehoe will be completing her last term in office, having been originally elected in 2000, and re-elected in 2002. Currently running for the candidacy will be Democrats Vince Hall, Heidi von Szeliski, Lori Saldaña, Republicans Bill Stamps, Tricia Hunter, and Libertarian Jennifer Osborne.

Hispanic Tuesday:
The Hispanic Vote and the 2004 Democratic Primaries
By Adam J. Segal
Hispanic voters will play a historic new role in the Democratic presidential primaries. For the first time, two states with large, growing Hispanic populations, New Mexico (Hispanics are 42.1% of the population) and Arizona (25.3%), will hold primaries or caucuses on the same date in the first multi-state round of Democratic presidential contests, February 3, 2004 – Hispanic Tuesday. With a competitive field of Democratic candidates now in place, the growing Hispanic communities in early primary states have greater ability to influence the outcome of primaries than at any previous time. This means that earlier than ever before, and at a higher rate than ever before, Hispanics in key electoral states will be part of some of the important first primaries, wielding more deciding influence on which candidate will represent the Democratic Party in the general election.

New Poll: Latinos Wary of Bush Immigration Plan
By Marcelo Ballve
Latinos, the targets of aggressive election-year courting by both political parties, are evenly split on whether to support the White House’s new immigration proposal, according to a new poll.

Lawsuit Settlement Brings Major Changes to State’s Implementation of Federal Reading First Program
Immigrant children enrolled in some of the state’s poorest school districts will now have access to millions of dollars to help them learn to read
San Francisco -As a result of a settlement reached in the lawsuit (Pazmino v. Calif. State Board of Education) filed on behalf of immigrant children, parents, teachers and nonprofit educational organizations throughout the state, California’s State Board of Education has agreed to dramatically alter its implementation of the “Reading First” program. “Reading First” is a program funded under the federal “No Child Left Behind Act” aimed at helping the state’s most vulnerable children achieve grade level in reading by the end of third grade.

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Stories

Newspaper War: Spanish-Language Press Battles for Booming Audience
By Marcello Ballve
“We’re here to fight.” Ninety years ago, that feisty mission statement launched the U.S. publishing career of Ignacio E. Lozano, founder of Los Angeles newspaper La Opinión, the country’s largest Spanish-language daily.


America’s New Soccer Moms: Latinos Are The Swing Vote In 2004
By Pilar Marrero
President George W. Bush offers undocumented immigrants temporary work permits. The Democrats may choose a governor with Mexican heritage as a vice presidential candidate. And the Feb. 3 Democratic primaries are labeled “Hispanic Tuesday.”

Estudio de UCLA revela una tendencia preocupante para el futuro de la salud de los bebés de Latinas nacidas en EE.UU.
Las madres latinas nacidas en EE.UU. enfrentan riesgos mucho mayores de padecer complicaciones durante el embarazo que las madres latinas inmigrantes de California, según un estudio realizado por el Centro de Estudios de la Salud y la Cultura Latina de UCLA, dirigido por el Director fundador David Hayes-Bautista.

Bone density study can help for early detection
By Joseph Peña
Fifty HIV-positive and 50 HIV-negative women are still needed for participation in a bone density clinical study through UCSD.

LA COLUMNA VERTEBRAL
Por Diego Alvarez
La propuesta de Bush: ¿Gato encerrado?
“Gracias por asistir, gracias por la cálida bienvenida, gracias por acompañarme al hacer un anuncio importante... un anuncio que considero que hará que Estados Unidos sea un país más compasivo y más humano y fuerte”.

Community Notes:

Corrections to “Water Transfer Not Enough, Conservation is the Key” January 16, 2004
By Perlita R. Dicochea
All water measurements are in acre-feet, not million acre-feet, with the exceptions of California’s legal allotment of 4.4 million acre-feet of the Colorado River and Mexico’s legal entitlement to 1.4 million acre-feet. Expert reader Robie Susej confirms that the average yearly total flow of the Colorado River is about 15 million acre-feet.


Editorials

Editorial:
Proposition 57 and 58 a Bad Deal for Minority Communities
We are combining Propositions 57 and 58, because one without the other does not matter. In this election, the fate of Prop 57 is dependent on Prop 58, and vice versa. Budget/bond issues are, inherently, difficult to understand and with the co-dependency of the two, these Propositions are even more confusing for the common man or woman.

Editorial:
Proposition 56 will Tax You the Homeowner
Proposition 56. State Budget, Related Taxes, Reserve, Voting Requirements, Penalties — State of California (Constitutional Amendment and Statute, put on the Ballot by Petition Signatures - Majority Approval Required). Should the State Constitution and certain statutes be amended to allow the state legislature to pass the state budget and budget-related tax and appropriation bills with a 55 percent vote, and to make other changes to the budget process?

Perspective
A Sticky Issue
By Andrés Lozano
I derive much pleasure from reading and listening to both sides of the immigration topic. It is amusing because they do not hold antagonistic, but merging views. Normally intelligent and educated persons propose and defend stances in a manner they would shun in other issues. The reason is simple: one side does not want to be perceived insensitive to the plight of the working poor arriving and the citizenry of such backgrounds; the other does not want to be held accountable for the abrupt change of the national identity. The outcome is that both employ a sort of Orwelian newspeak to put forward their proposals, muddling instead of clarifying issues. Actually, both sides hold right views, while being oblique in their way of stating them. Therefore, it is my intention to do away with such code-laden language, being in the advantageous position of being a Mexican-American with close bonds to both sides and hardly tilted towards any of their approaches.

Perspectiva:
Tema Pegajoso
Por Andrés Lozano
Me entretiene leer y escuchar a ambos lados del debate sobre la inmigración. Es entretenido porque no sostienen ópticas antagónicas, sino convergentes. Personas, por lo general inteligentes y capacitadas, proponen y defienden posturas de una manera que rechazarían en otros temas. La razón es sencilla: una de las partes no quiere ser percibida como insensible al predicamento de los pobres que arriban y a la ciudadanía de esos orígenes; la otra no quiere ser responsabilizada del cambio brusco de la identidad nacional. El resultado es que ambas emplean una especie de lenguaje orweliano al plantear sus propuestas y enturbian en vez de aclarar temas. De hecho, ambas partes tienen enfoques correctos aunque los expresan en forma oblicua. Por ello, es mi intención librarme del lenguaje en clave, al estar en la ventajosa situación de ser mexicano-americano con vínculos cercanos en ambos lados y con dificultad ladeada en cualquier sentido.

Comentario
Responsabilidades Manifiestas en Irak
Por Humberto Caspa, Ph.D.
Bagdad y las otras ciudades vecinas se han convertido en lugares inhóspitos para los soldados norteamericanos. Pocos pueden conciliar el sueño, algunos ya empiezan a sentir el pesar psicológico que acompaña a toda contienda bélica, todos están con la mirada sigilosa, tratando de encontrar a los responsables de los esporádicos ataques que cobraron más de 500 bajas estadounidenses, cerca de 100 ingleses y miles de civiles Iraquis.

The Public Forum . . . El Foro Publico
An Open Letter regarding the lies in Mr. Bush’s January 20 State of the Union speech
Mr. Bush gave his State of the Union speech and like a film star who cannot act he claimed the nation was in perfect health and on the road to full recovery. In his speech he said:


Etc. Etc. Etc.
Entertainment, Reviews, Sporting news, and other tid bits

“México en Escena” Brinda Apoyo a Grupos Artísticos Profesionales de Artes Escénicas
Por: Paco Zavala
Todos los seres humanos nacemos con una estrella artística que nos ilumina, esa estrella hay que descubrirla, para trabajar arduamente y hacerla desarrollarse. Algunos decimos que no tenemos talento para nada, pero es que no lo hemos descubierto o no queremos descubrirlo, tenemos temor de nosotros mismos o del ridículo que demostremos al principio de promover nuestro acercamiento para adquirir el conocimiento y la destreza que necesita nuestro talento. De ésta manera a veces nos encontramos con una verdadera y agradable sorpresa, al enterarnos que nuestro talento es el de narrar cuentos, es el de escribir versos, es el de cantar tangos, es el de un comediante o en fín, existen tantos quehaceres escénicos, que nos ocuparía un buen espacio enlistarlos.


Vivir para Contarla
Por: Paco Zavala
Escribir sobre la extensa y profusa obra literaria del colombiano, radicado en México, Gabriel García Márquez, es audacia temeraria, porque el maestro simple y sencillamente, es el maestro de las letras hispanoamericanas, sin mácula en su extenso trabajo.


VAMOS AL CINE:
Angustia Adolescente
“A perfect score” revisa la tradición de las películas juveniles
Por Jose Daniel Bort
Se dice que las décadas se visitan en la televisión y el cine cuando los que crecieron en ella llegan a posiciones de poder en Hollywood. La nueva película de Brian Robbins, “A perfect score”, cuadra sistemáticamente con esta premisa.


VAMOS AL CINE:
De Dalí a Del Toro
Latinos brillaron en las Nominaciones al Oscar
Por Jose Daniel Bort
Un fanático religioso envuelto en un destino que no puede cambiar; un grupo de cubanos decididos a cambiar su destino; un cortometraje con más de cincuenta años de destino incierto y un grupo social brasilero con el destino contado acapararon varias de las nominaciones al Oscar este año.


Calendar of Events........
By Berenice Cisneros
**Pre-Super Bowl Party ’04 on January 30 at Parkway Community Center, it’s a night of activities with games, bloopers video, pizza and snacks for children ages five to 14 while their parents enjoy three hours of free time from 6-9 PM. Parents must be available to pick up their kids at the end of the event. Registration fee is $5 per child. You may register online at www.chulavista ca.gov/rec #9050.162 or at the center, 373 Park Way. For more information call (619-691-5083.

Sweetwater’s Quiroz a Tower of Strength in the Midfield
By John Philip Wyllie
For four years, Ana Quiroz has toiled in the Sweetwater Red Devil midfield trying to help her team advance to the CIF San Diego section tournament. In each of the previous three seasons, her skillful play has earned her a well-deserved berth on the all-league team. Although Quiroz appreciates the many individual accolades she has received, a more important goal has thus far eluded her.

Women’s Soccer Player Tries Out For Football Team
Monroy Is “As Serious As A Second Hear Attack”
By Audria Ruscitti
CHULA VISTA – Southwestern College women’s soccer sweeper Paola-Ivette Monroy is trying out for the football team. “Weird, I know, but hey, someone’s got to break the barrier” said Monroy. Always ready to try something new, she said she is willing to take the challenge. A well-rounded athlete, Monroy has won trophies for soccer, volleyball, basketball, rollerblading, and has appeared on Real TV for her BMX stunts.


Ruz Makes Wrestling a Family Affair
By John Philip Wyllie
After nearly four decades in wrestling, Gabe Ruz thought back in 1999 that it was finally time to say goodbye to the sport that had brought him international acclaim. At the time, Ruz, a two-time Olympic wrestler, was completing a highly successful run at the helm of Montgomery High School’s well-respected wrestling program. Having achieved what he had set out to do, he felt it time to step down. From 1999 until last year, Ruz was content to pursue other interests, but when his son, Gabe Jr. unexpectedly decided to follow in his footsteps, the former Mexican Olympic star decided it was time to return to coaching.

Israel Vazquez: His Second Chance is Magnífico
By Fiona Manning
Israel “Magnifico” Vazquez, one of the most talented and likable fighters on the southern California fight circuit is looking forward to his next shot at a world championship crown.