FrontPage Stories

60th Anniversary of D-Day

June 6, 2004 marks the 60th anniversary of D-Day. We commemorate this day by re-printing a D-Day story from a local Latino perspective. We are indebted to the U.S. Latinos and Latinas & World War II Oral History Project, organized by the University of Texas at Austin Department of Journalism, who conducted the interviews and compiled the information for this story and the story on Lauro Vega For further information on this project please visit their web site at: http://www.utexas.edu/projects/latinoarchives/index.html

D-Day: What an Invasion!

By Aryn Sedler

At the break of dawn on June 6 1944, the Allied troops launched the most massive military undertaking of World War II. The American, Canadian, British and other Allied forces attacked with everything they had as they invaded Normandy. The stage was set for the beginning of the end of the German occupation of France.

The D in “D-day” stands for the day an operation begins. There were many d-days during World War II, but this particular one stands out as one of the most crucial and important. The Allies turned the tides of the war with this invasion, and attacked Germany with everything that they had. Between 2.6 and 2.7 million people participated in successfully invading Normandy, including soldiers and other personnel. The Allies hit the Germans with the largest Aerial invasion ever. They sent between 10,000 and 11,000 planes and around 13,000 paratroopers filled the skies that morning.

Delays played a crucial role in the invasion. The soldiers on the ships became prisoners of the sea as the weather conditions kept a delay on the invasion. The invasion was to originally take place on May 1 but more supplies were needed. The men then had to wait until the desired tide conditions and moonlight where to occur. There where only three days a month that these conditions occurred simultaneously, June 5, 6, and 7 in 1944.

For the rest of the story:

Lauro Vega - National City Man Recalls D-Day
By Miguel A. Castro
Lauro Vega distinctly remembers when he was in England anxiously waiting for the 197th AAA Battalion, the company he was in, to receive their orders.

World War II Veteran John Martinez
Veteran Receives Purple Heart 59 Years After Paralyzing Injury
By U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Melanie Streeter
WASHINGTON, June 1, 2004 — Fifty-nine years after his plane crashed near Rheims, France, an Army Air Forces staff sergeant received his Purple Heart during a ceremony May 28 at the World War II Memorial here.

8th Annual Conference on Raza Prisoners
By Raymond R. Beltrán
Logan Heights resident Tina Camarillo doesn’t deny her past and exclaims that she has no shame about her teenage years when she was engaged in a life of drugs and violence, something she attributes to a neglected childhood. She lived la vida loca as a recidivist, her youth tangled in the web of “county time” since she was seventeen years old. In 1997, she was sentenced to a four-year stretch in Central California’s Womens Facility (CCWF) in Chowchilla, California for possession of methamphetamines and two firearms.

Stories

In the War for the Hispanic Vote, Education Is the First Battle
Much of the war over the nation’s political future is being fought in a handful of states and in a language most Americans don’t understand, Spanish.

LATINO, FARM ORGANIZATIONS UNITE TO OPPOSE BUSH THREAT TO LOW-INCOME FARM WORKER PROGRAM
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 2, 2004 — The National Farmers Union, the National Council of LaRaza, and LULAC (the League of United Latin American Citizens) are the latest groups to come out publicly in opposition to the Bush Administration proposal to wipe out the National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP). The destruction of the program would mean lost job opportunities and an insecure future for nearly 25,000 largely Hispanic families in the U.S. in the coming year alone, as well as leaving farmers and agribusiness concerns nationwide with a less educated, less healthy and less reliable work-force, according to a warning from the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs (AFOP).

Eastlake Sophomore Honored for Leadership
Inspirational Student Featured on Local News
Conjugating verbs and identifying a noun’s gender in a Spanish class is tough enough. Now imagine that you are doing it through an American Sign Language interpreter who doesn’t speak the language, who is following a teacher who doesn’t sign. That’s just a typical day for Estefanía Peña. And she’s mastering the Spanish language, having never heard it, and has managed to keep an A average all the while. Her Spanish teacher, Ms. Sherry Radford, recognized in her such a dedication to learning—and to helping others—that she nominated her for the NBC 7/39 and San Diego County of Education Inspirational Student of the Month program. Peña’s story has aired several times in the last two weeks on the local NBC affiliate.

From Homeless to College Graduate
1,300 Receive Diplomas during SWC’s 43rd Annual Commencement
CHULA VISTA—In 1994, Debbie Barry, now 44, lost everything. She got divorced, lost custody of her children and subsequently her job. She ended up on the street.

LA COLUMNA VERTEBRAL
Por John Suval
Parando fuegos antes de que empiecen: Activistas comunitarios continúan la batalla por la justicia ambiental
Hace cinco años, unos relám-pagos cayeron cerca de la casa de John Mataka, incendiando una montaña de llantas —más de siete millones— que habían sido botadas ilegalmente. Las llantas ardieron durante 34 días, creando una nube negra y sofocante sobre las comunidades cercanas, hasta que, finalmente, un grupo élite de bomberos apagó el incendio.

LA COLUMNA VERTEBRAL
Por John Suval
Stopping fires before they start: Community crusaders carry on the battle for environmental justice
Five years ago, lightning struck near John Mataka’s home, setting ablaze a mountain of illegally dumped tires-more than 7 million in all. For 34 days the tires burned, casting a suffocating black plume over nearby communities until, finally, an elite team of firefighters arrived to extinguish the blaze.

San Ysidro Crime Ranks Top Ten in San Diego
Volunteer Ministers Say “Something Can Be Done About It”
According to the San Diego Police April 2004 Crime Statistics report, the San Ysidro area ranks 8th in violent crimes and 6th in property crimes, out of 119 San Diego areas. Lacking solutions, even the most ethical people grasp at straws that lead one to a life of crime and desperation.

“Cycling for life”
By Joseph Peña
Before she started training for the upcoming AIDS Life Cycle, the only bike Jill Sherman-Warne rode was one that didn’t move.

Kraft Foods y el National Latino Children’s Institute Ofrecen un Recurso a las Comunidades Hispanas Para Fomentar Estilos de Vida Saludables
El Cirujano General de los Estados Unidos, Richard Carmona, se unió a Kraft Foods y al National Latino Children’s Institute para anunciar el programa Salsa, Sabor y Salud
El Cirujano General de los Estados Unidos, Richard Carmona, se unió a Kraft Foods Inc. y al National Latino Children’s Institute (NLCI) para anunciar el programa Salsa, Sabor y Salud — el primer programa educacional de su tipo, basado en estilos de vida saludables, y diseñado por latinos para los latinos. El programa fue creado por NLCI, en colaboración con Kraft, para apoyar a las familias hispanas, ya que dicha población en particular, tiene un alto riesgo de obesidad que conlleva problemas de salud.

La Nueva Campaña de Truth Se Conecta con los Adolescentes Hispanos
La campaña muestra las realidades del uso del tabaco a la juventud
Washington DC. – Hoy la American Legacy Foundation dio a conocer su nuevo anuncio publicitario de Connect truth, “Segundos Mamá”, que propone llegar a los hispanos con un fuerte mensaje. Connect truth reúne los conceptos anteriores para dar a conocer una visión más completa sobre los efectos del tabaco y la cadena de eventos que van desde el márketing a los consumidores, hasta la enfermedad y la muerte. “Segundos Mamá” saldrá al aire en los medios de habla hispana para crear mayor concientización dentro de la comunidad.

Ixchel Ahau
El Bordado de Dios
Por Diana Gomez
Este pequeño cuento hace que pensemos que la vida tiene una razón de ser, simplemente que no comprendemos cuál es la misión de nosotros, andamos preguntándonos todo; así perdemos el tiempo comentando sobre todo lo que pasa afuera de nosotros, sin ver adentro que es donde necesitamos encontrar nuestro propósito para vivir plenamente.

In Memoriam

Fernando Oaxaca – Legacy of an American Statesman
A founding director of HispanicVista.com, Fernando Oaxaca, after a prolonged illness passed on Friday, May 28. He was accompanied at his bedside by his loving wife, Bertie, his best friend and brother, Jaime, and other family members and close friends.

USHCC Founder Hector Barreto Sr.
Kansas City businessman and international Hispanic leader Hector Barreto Sr., 68, died Friday (May 14) in his hometown of Guadalajara, Mexico, after a long illness.

Editorials

Editorial
Chula Vista City Council, Tell Us Something We Don’t Know
Public relations consultant Gail Soorza-Gill stood before the Chula Vista City Council Tuesday, June 1, and presented her findings. “The city needs to build a new image. The city needs to aggressively market itself,” she declared. For these pearls of wisdom, the city paid somewhere in the vicinity of $60,000, a price tag that should have required city approval and public debate not to mention.

Comentario
La soberanía y los nuevos gobernantes en Irak
Por Humberto Caspa, Ph.D
En medio del caos de la guerra, al filo de estruendosos estallidos de bombas y ante el estupor del pueblo Iraquí, que simplemente mira y no participa de los azares de una democracia manipulada desde otras tierras, se instauró el nuevo gobierno interino de ese país. ¿Con el advenimiento del nuevo gobierno, cuáles pueden ser los beneficios de la gente común en Irak, cuyos sueños inmediatos son, como expresa uno de sus habitantes, “estabilidad económica y política, fin de la guerra, y sobretodo trabajos para la manutención de sus familias”?

Commentary
The Gathering Storm
By Andrés Lozano
(Part 3 of 3)
[…] From AMLO’s first inauguration onwards, the bilateral relationship with America will be taut and formal, but not unfriendly. “Violets know when and where to shrink.” AMLO’s messianic pose attuned with popular gullibility will pump up the bubble of spontaneous prosperity through public expenditure squandering. During a short-lived interlude emigration will ease off and AMLO will enjoy a respite with the US Administration as massive Mexican immigration lulls. By 2009, when the American public and government start concerning themselves with what is going on in Mexico, AMLO’s reply will be standard fare: he will denounce American intrusion in Mexican domestic affairs coupled with dark evil doers North and South of the border in cahoots against his ‘progressive’ Administration. He is really deft at doing this!

Comentario
La tormenta Se Avecina
Por Andrés Lozano
(Part 3 of 3)
[…] La relación bilateral con EUA será tensa y formal desde el principio de la administración de AMLO, mas no hostil. “Bien sabe el diablo a quién se le aparece”. El mesianismo de AMLO sincronizado con la credulidad popular creará la quimera de la prosperidad espontánea con derroche del gasto público. Durante breve intermedio disminuirá la propensión a emigrar y AMLO disfrutará de una entente de facto con el gobierno americano al frenarse algo la inmigración masiva mexicana inmediata en ese país. Alrededor del 2009, cuando sociedad y gobierno americano se inquieten por cuanto ocurre en México, la respuesta de AMLO será de cartabón: involucrará de nombre al gobierno americano y «a los emisarios del pasado» de ambos lados de la frontera en complot contra su gobierno. Sabe hacerlo.

Commentary
Media Won’t Let the Frito Bandito Die Gracefully
By Joe Ortiz
One of the major responsibilities of journalists is to present their reports as fair and as accurate as possible. As a Latino, I have also undertaken the personal task of holding our industry accountable for more positive portrayals of Mexicans. One of those battles included forcing the removal of the Frito Bandito television commercials several decades ago.

TEZOZOMOC SPEAKS
HIJOLE, qué hacer? Summer comienza. Not only do the crickets come out of the earth to do their once every 17 years ‘cosita’, to guarantee the continuation of their species, before they, once again go underground. This year they are joined by the crazy politicos. Ellos, también, must come out of their holes in the ground in order to guarantee their species survival en el D.F. So, amigos, I hope you have a lot of aguante from now till Noviembre.

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

What About Chicanos?
A new Latino music explosion, this time in Spanglish
By Lizette Escobedo
Hey, have you ever seen those beer commercials directed at Latino audiences? They seem so inclusive, right?

La Esquina: arte de la comunidad
CNU Mambo
A short story by Michael Cheno Wickert
4:27. Wednesday morning. Oldies on the clock radio that his abuelita gave him for his sixth birthday. From outside he is framed in by the window, creating a piece of movement slow and rhythmic against the Navajo white walls, casts a menacing shadow. Mario’s pumpkin-pie colored, two by four legs move only slightly, sometimes bending at the knees without his feet leaving the floor, hips move back and forth, but not really back and forth. Maybe a little side to side, but not really that, either. His hips just kinda move, taking his torso with them, guiding the iron in his right hand as it passes across his khakis, pressing in razorblades protected by Niagara Brand Extra Heavy Duty Starch. He holds the iron up to give it some steam, swaying it in the air for a second in harmony with the song on the radio, doing the Cholo Dance with his ironing board. His right foot lifts off the ground for the first time in minutes as he repositions himself, flips his pants over to the other side, caresses them flat, looks at them close with love in his eyes, close enough to kiss, just to check for perfection. No chance for a double crease tonight, baby.

Encuentre el Camino para ser Feliz en “Lo que Sabe la Gente Feliz”
“Tomar las riendas del propio destino y vivir una vida plena y satisfactoria”.
Por: Paco Zavala
“Lo que sabe la gente feliz”, del Dr. Dan Baker y Cameron Stauth, de la Colección Psicología Aplicada, es un libro con un contenido muy sustancioso, rico en información en vivo, con descripciones diversas de las formas en que el ser humano anda buscando siempre la felicidad.

VAMOS AL CINE
Harry Adolescente
La saga del mago inglés continúa con “El prisionero de Azkabán”
Por Jose Daniel Bort
Al final de sus siete planeados estrenos, es probable que la versión de los libros “Harry Potter” de J.K. Rowling, se conviertan en la franquicia cinematográfica más vista y más exitosa alguna vez filmada. Aunque todavía no ha sido escrita en su totalidad (tan solo cinco de ellos han visto la luz pública), la educación del aprendiz de mago y su paso por la adolescencia tiene asegurado a un público cautivo que lo ha seguido desde el primer film.

Calaca Press imprint, Red CalacArts Publications, releases first book in Guerrilla Chapbook Series
¿Under What Bandera? makes an ofrenda against the war in Iraq.

Gane $1,000 en el Concurso Nacional del Cartel del Festival de la Hispanidad
El Festival de la Hispanidad invita a artistas, amateurs o profesionales, a participar en el Concurso Anual del Cartel Conmemorativo. El cartel ganador será utilizado para la promoción local, nacional e internacional del Festival de la Hispanidad celebrado en Miami, Florida. Desde hace quince años el concurso ha tenido una proyección nacional, recibiendo el año pasado más de 100 obras de artistas de todos los Estados Unidos.

Foxploration Baja California to host June 5th Event for New Tijuana Pacific Rim Park
“To connect the cities of the Pacific like a String of Pearls”
Students from around the world will be coming to Tijuana this summer to help renowned artist James Hubbell build the fourth international friendship park linking San Diego and Tijuana to their sister cities of Vladivostok (Russia) and Yantai (China). Foxploration Baja, along with the Rotary Clubs of San Diego and Baja California Norte, the Ilan-Lael Foundation, the Americas Foundation, and the Sister City Societies invite the public to support the creation of the new park by attending the internationally-themed festivities and open house to be held at Fox Baja Studios from 5:00 pm until 10:00 pm on June 5, 2004.

Foxploration Baja California te invita este 5 de Junio al Evento en beneficio al nuevo Parque Tijuana Pacific Rim
Estudiantes de alrededor del mundo estarán visitando Tijuana este verano para ayudar al renombrado artista James Hubbell a construir el cuarto parque internacional de la amistad que ligará a las ciudades de Tijuana y San Diego con sus ciudades hermanas de Vladivostok (Rusia) y Yantai (China).

Calendar of Events...............
By Berenice Cisneros
Come Celebrate with us!
** It’s Chicano Perk’s 1 Yr. Anniversary Sunday, June 6th, 2004, Free Mexican Organic Coffee all day.

Mosaico de Actividades Culturales en Tijuana
Por Paco Zavala
Estamos esperando la celebración de un Aniversario más de la fundación de la ciudad de Tijuana, mismas que acontecerán el próximo mes de julio. En el marco de estas celebraciones se han organizado una serie de actividades artísticas y culturales diversas, por los diferentes frentes encargados de promoverlas. Además, como ya se sabe se unen estas festividades con las próximas fiestas patrias y prácticamente son tres meses de pachangas y fiestas, que como están en la actualidad los bolsillos quedan temblando, después de este periodo.

Bullfight World
By Lyn Sherwood
Castañeda & Garibay Triumph in Tijuana
With beautiful weather and a crowd of nearly 7,000, the second corrida of the 2004 summer season was celebrated, last Sunday, in Plaza El Toreo de Tijuana. Facing bulls of Marcos Gárfias, mata-dores Rafael Ortega, Cesar Castañeda, and Ignacio Gara-bay offered an afternoon that coincided with the 55th anniversary of the taurine club Los Aficionados de Los Angeles. Present for the affair was renowned author Barnaby Con-rad and his wife, Mary.

Oscar de la Hoya’s Collision Course With Sixth Division Win
By Fiona Manning
There was no question that the gold limousine pulling into the parking lot of the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Tuesday night belonged to boxing’s Golden Boy, Oscar de la Hoya.

Chula Vista Olympic Training Center to Host Multi-Carnival Competition
CHULA VISTA - In effort to provide additional track and field Olympic Trials qualifiers, the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista will play host to a Multi-Carnival competition June 5-6 featuring heptathlon, decathlon, discus and pole vault. All events will take place at the Emily Hunte Black Athletics Complex, located at the Olympic Training Center, 2800 Olympic Parkway, Chula Vista.

Las espectaculares tierras públicas de California
Por John Suval
Para el biólogo Raúl Valdez la oficina ideal está en las montañas. Es precisamente allí, en los parajes silvestres, donde más a gusto se siente, mientras investiga y estudia especies exóticas de borregos salvajes. Uno de los sitios más espectaculares, según él, es el Monumento Nacional de las Montañas de Santa Rosa y San Jacinto, un territorio de 272,000 acres situado en California y donde habita el borrego cimarrón, una especie en peligro de extinción.