Volume XXVII Number 45 November 7, 2003

FrontPage Stories

Do You Know ... Acteal?

By Raymond R. Beltrán

This nascent surge of Chicano music that surrounds border towns like San Diego defies all caricatured images of Latin culture, especially in a reactionary epoch designated as the “Latin Boom” which departmentalizes Spanish speakers into those that dig J-Lo, those that shake their bon bon with Ricky, and those who can’t wait to see what Christina Aguilera’s going to wear next.

Acteal musicians from left to right: (Bryan Constantino, Carlos Sotelo, Frankie Martinez, Esteban Cardoso, Luis “Archie” Razo, Rodolfo Del Borño, and unseen drummer Octavio Villa).

Nonetheless, a recent Califaztlán-founded musical group, Acteal, has incorporated influences ranging from spiritual/political reggae singer Bob Marley and ska-defining groups like Sublime to influences like local band Revelations and jazz musician Wynton Marsalis in order to synthesize a sound that not even they themselves can classify.

“We didn’t start music to go big,” says Acteal bass player Rodolfo del Borño. “We’d be lying to ourselves if we did, but if you put a group of musicians together in one place, something’s going to happen.”

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Analysis
Pollution Suit in Ecuador Puts Big Oil on Edge
By Lou Dematteis and Suzana Sawyer
LAGO AGRIO, Ecuador—In this ramshackle Amazonian town, high-level corporate lawyers from ChevronTexaco recently sat in a packed, muggy courtroom together with bare-breasted local men and women at the start of what the national media calls “The Trial of the Century.”

Immigrants and refugees’ rights in the aftermath of 9/11 terrorist attacks
By Emmanuelle Le Texier
CCIS - Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies , UCSD
The Center for Comparative Immigration Studies at the University of California - San Diego (UCSD) hosted a debated panel on immigrants and refugees rights in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This seminar opened the floor to San Diego lawyers, civil liberties activists, and academics such as Wayne Cornelius, director of the CCIS, Fausta Albi (immigration lawyer, Larrabee & Zimmerman), Lilia Velazquez (California Western School of Law), Claudia Smith (California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation) and Robert McLaughlin (anthropologist - University of Chicago).

A Salute to Latino Veterans
The focus of this week’s Latino Leadership Link (LLL) is Latino veterans as we prepare a Veterans Day salute to all of the brave men and women who have served this country.

Un Homenaje a los Veteranos Latinos
Mientras que nos preparamos para honrar a los hombres y mujeres valientes quienes han luchado para proteger a nuestro país este Día de los Veteranos, la Conexión Latina del Liderazgo (LLL, por sus siglas en inglés) se enfoca esta semana en los veteranos latinos.

Stories

‘Generation Gringo’: Younger Americans Moving to Mexico
 By Louis Nevaer
MEXICO CITY—In the last decade, an estimated half million Americans moved permanently to Mexico, making the United States’ southern neighbor the country with the most U.S. expatriates in the world.

La Prensa Persa
Two Faces, Two fates
By Kathy Hadizadeh
Miss World, Miss Earth, Miss Beauty, they all sound so mysterious. The mystery lies in the beauty behind each of these words. We get curious to know who lies beyond those titles. The nominated seemingly perfect lady that has the best figure, face and the intellectual talents of all the young, talented girls across the world?

LULAC Files Federal Lawsuit on Texas Redistricting Plan
AUSTIN, TEXAS — A federal lawsuit has been filed by the League of United Latin American Citizens, challenging the Texas legislature’s most recent redistricting plan on the grounds that it violates the voting rights of the Latino community in Texas.

Humanitarians and Philanthropists:
Manuel F. Gallegos and his Wife Judith E. Gallegos Honored
Manuel (Mel) F. Gallegos has been a member of Rotary International for 11 very active and creative years. He and his wife Judith of 33 years, recently attended Rotary’s biggest event of the year, the formal, Foundation Paul Harris (founder of Rotary) Gala. Mel and Judy are strong believers in the Rotary Foundation to which they contribute much of their time and money.

Strike effects leak into other arenas
By Joseph Peña
Customers, employees and corporations aren’t the only ones feeling the effects of the UFCW strike on Vons, Ralphs and Albertsons stores in southern California.

LA COLUMNA VERTEBRAL
Por Beverly Liles
Factores de Riesgo Para los Defectos de Tubo Neural
Existen una serie de defectos de tubo neural que pueden desarrollar los bebés durante el embarazo, pero los dos más comunes son la Anancefalia y la Espina Bífida. La Anancefalia es la ausencia parcial o total del cerebro del bebé. Este defecto causa un fuerte daño al feto. La mayoría de bebés anancefálicos nacen sin vida o mueren pronto luego del parto.

Places of the Heart
by  Ernie McCray
This past Sunday as I gazed up at a perfectly blue sky scattered with white clouds delicately tinted with gray, and breathed in what seemed like the freshest air possible, I couldn’t help thinking of our brothers and sisters who lost homes and loved ones under darkened choking skies as the Cedar fire raged relentlessly through their communities. I could never know the depth of their pain but as one who frequents their bucolic environs I know what they have lost. I know the beauty that was scarred. I know the dreams that suddenly became a nightmare. I know the paths along which they fled.

2003 San Diego Veterans Day Parade
Celebrating America’s Heroes
“Yesterday’s Veterans Salute Our Future Veterans” is the theme for the 2003 San Diego Veterans Day Parade on Tuesday, November 11, 2003, starting at 11:00 a.m. The parade starts at the County Administration Building at the corner of Harbor Drive and Grape Street and proceeds south on Harbor Drive to Seaport Village. “We want to invite all the San Diego community to join with us in honoring our veterans at the 16th annual Veterans Day Parade,” said Tom Splitgerber, parade chairman.

Mt. Soledad Veterans Day Tribute to Honor Bob Hope, Jerry Coleman, Korean War Veterans
Veterans Day, November 11, 2003 marks the 50th anniversary of the official end of the Korean War. The Mt. Soledad Memorial Assoc., which erected its original war memorial in honor of Korean War veterans in 1954, will mark the anniversary with a special Veterans Day ceremony beginning at 2 p.m. at the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial located atop Mt. Soledad in La Jolla. The event is open to the public and is free of charge.

Two Medal of Honor Recipients to Tell Their Heroic Stories at Central Library Event on Nov. 15
The City of San Diego Public Library will host two Medal of Honor recipients, Capt. Robert J. Moorzejewki, U.S. Marine Corps, Ret.; and Capt. Jay R. Vargas, U.S. Marine Corps, Ret. Both of these heroes are profiled in “Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty,” a new book by Peter Collier.

Community Notes:
Come Celebrate Marines’ Birthday Dinner-Dance at Don Diego VFW Post

Editorials

Editorial:
Americans Want Answers, Not Catch Phrases
It was the next day. The day after guerrillas in Iraq shot down a helicopter killing 16 soldiers, President George W. Bush defiantly declared that ‘America will never run.’ The President once again is making his stand and damn the cost.

Comentario
Dejando A Los Estadounidenses Rezagados
Por: Congresista Xavier Becerra (CA-31)
Seis y medio millones de familias, 12 millones de niños (4.1 millones de los cuales son latinos), y quizás más impresionante, las familias de miles de soldados en Irak, Afganistán y otras zonas de combate fueron olvidadas por el Congreso, en una votación partidísta, aprobando la irónica ley de Trabajos y Reconciliación del Aumento de Alivios Contributivos de 2003 en Mayo. Este recorte contributivo mal estructurado falló en cubrir a todas las familias estadounidenses con las provisiones del crédito contributivo infantil que esta ley incluía, haciéndola esencialmente una para los estadounidenses ricos que le costó al Tesoro $350 mil millones.

Commentary
The Downsizing of America
By Robert H. Linnell
Southern California wild fire news blotted out news about the 70,000 workers on strike in supermarkets there. Understanding this strike and its ramifications for America is important. I want to discuss the idea of a “level playing field” and “connect the dots”. This strike can be related to Detroit, to the growing crisis in health care and to Congressional action (or lack of it).

Comentario
El Meollo de la Problemática Migratoria
Por: Humberto Caspa, Ph.D.
La elección para destituir al gobernador de California Gray Davis ya es historia. Arnold Schwarzenegger venció con un porcentaje mayor al que se esperaba. Su inmediato perseguidor, el vice-gobernador Cruz M. Bustamante, sólo llegó a conjuntar 30.1% del voto general, una diferencia de 20% con relación al candidato oficial Republicano. La derecha californiana, cuyas bases gestionaron los trámites de destitución de Gray Davis, se ha conjuntado nuevamente para frenar, a través de la recolección de firmas y por medio del plebiscito, la disposición estatal democrática que concede el derecho a los inmigrantes –documentados o indocumentados— portar licencia de conducir. Según ellos, “Por razones de Seguridad Nacional”. Este argumento no hace mas que enmascarar el rostro xenofóbico de la pequeña facción conservadora del partido Republicano.

Commentary:
Keep the barriers against Cuba travel in place
Frank Calzon
A few weeks ago, Cuba’s communist dictator Fidel Castro prohibited Cuban human-rights leader Oswaldo Payá from traveling to Germany to accept an international award. Payá responded by sending a message to the international community: “We have never supported [Cuba’s] isolation, but at this late date it is an insult to be told that foreign tourism and investment can lead to an opening in Cuba.

The Public Forum . . . El Foro Publico
If you can’t beat them, join them.
It’s time to surrender. The Repubs are having too much fun.  I want my shot at the simple life. Perhaps it’s time to hop on the bandwagon and become a hardcore member of today’s wacky right. Yeah, that’s it. What a world that would be! Just imagine how simple life would be without wrestling with those dang complex issues! Everything would be neatly separated into black and white. There would be only good or evil. Bueno!

Correction: In the La Prensa article The Purpose of the Prop? that was released on October 24, 2003, Allen Bailey’s name was misspelled as “Alan.” He is also not a retired police officer, but a former police officer now serving on the police review board as a member. It is the policy of La Prensa San Diego to correct its errors.

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

A Red CalacArts Dia de los Muertos
By Raymond R. Beltrán
Last Sunday, November 2, Chicano Perk Café in Sherman Heights overflowed with people from all over San Diego to witness the Red CalacArts Collective’s (RCAC) first annual El Dia de los Muertos Commemoration. Poets and artists from various organizations and areas provided a multidisciplinary arts agenda for this jam-packed venue. RCAC co-founders Mariajulia Urías and Sara Durán, co-founder of Taco Shop Poets Miguel-Angel Soria ignited the stage with a cross fire of slam poetry, spoken word, and a bit of teatro cucaracha from East L.A. writer Olga A. García.

No estoy satisfecha
Karyme Lozano sabe muy bien lo que quiere
Por Jose Daniel Bort
En estos días los televidentes tienen doble tanda de Karyme Lozano. A las 7 de la noche es la mala del cuento en “El manantial” y a las 9 de la noche protagoniza el refrito de las Amazonas, convenientemente retitulado “Niña amada mia”.
Macuilxochitl's Kiva
Frankie J believes in himself
By Francisco Ciriza
Tijuana native Frankie J. has recently released a Spanish version of his latest, self-titled, English-language CD on Sony Discos. With a great artistic divide amongst those artists who make the cross-over from their Native Spanish to English, Frankie J. has done something slightly different. He’s gone from English to Spanish. However, instead of a mere translation of one recording to another, he’s also added four new songs to the all-Spanish record with some help from former Luis Miguel collaborator, Kiko Ciprian, who resides here in San Diego, as well.

Mosaico de Actividades Culturales en Tijuana
Por: Paco Zavala
En el Teatro del Estado en la ciudad de Mexicali, B.C. el próximo 15 de noviembre a las 20:00 horas, presentarán a la soprano Esther González y a la pianista Elena Getman, en un concierto de ópera denominado “Romance de Otoño”, en el que se interpretarán arias de ópera y obras para piano, abarcando un repertorio clásico romántico de los siglos XVIII y XIX, formado por obras de Mozart, Chopin, Verdi, Strauss, Schubert, Puccini, Schumann entre otros.

Triunfan, Dos Talentos, Dos Personalidades Latinoamericanas en los EE.UU
Por: Paco Zavala
Cuando el general y gran conquistador del mundo de sus tiempos, Julio César, decidió tomar la carrera de las armas y las cuales lo llevarían a convertirse en uno de los más grandes generales conquistadores y estadístas que narra la historia, era muy jovencito. Desde muy temprana edad comienza su lucha en la vida; educado con los más grandes maestros de su época, a los 17 años de edad era ya sacérdote de Júpiter.

Calendar of Events...
By Berenice Cisneros
**The Boys Next Door” plays October 10 – November 16 at Lamb’s Players Theatre. These boys are the most unique bunch of neighbors you could ask for – golf pro, expert on Russian, donut king, exterminator, but Tom Griffin’s funny, heartwarming story of an extraordinary group of developmentally disabled men living in a most unusual group home – is one of Lamb’s Players Theatre’s biggest hits ever. Tickets are $20 - $40 and are available by calling 437-0600 or online at lambsplayers.org.

Gabe Ruelas And Dan Goossen: Boxing Is Family Business
By Fiona Manning
When promoter Dan Goossen was looking for someone to act as a Spanish translator and media liaison officer for his burgeoning boxing enterprise Goossen Tutor Promotions, he reached back into the future and selected boxing legend, former WBC super feather weight champion, Gabriel Ruelas to take the reins.

Water Polo Set For Conference Championships
Harper Leads Both Men’s And Women’s Teams Into Miramar
By Jaime Cárdenas
CHULA VISTA – Southwestern College men’s and women’s water polo teams will compete in the Pacific Coast Conference championship tournament this weekend – Friday, Nov. 7 and Saturday, Nov. 8 – at Miramar College.

SWC Ready For Southern California, But Is Southern California Ready For SWC?
By Jaime Cárdenas
CHULA VISTA – “We are ready... We are ready... We are ready!”

San Diego State Falls in MWC Quarterfinal, 2-1
Aztecs out-shoot UNLV, 12-4, in the loss
 SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Despite out-shooting its opponent, 12-4, San Diego State (7-10-2) fell to UNLV (9-9-2), 2-1, in a Mountain West Conference Quarterfinal game Wednesday evening. The game was played in front of a snowy white Wasatch Mountain Range and under the bright lights and snow-covered seats of Rice-Eccles Stadium, home of the 2002 Winter Olympics and the University of Utah football team.

U.S. Army Brings Free Soccer Clinics to San Diego Campuses and Soccer Fields
Soccer Players Citywide ‘Get Drafted’ For High Energy Day With Major League Soccer Players, Scrimmages, Prizes and Sweepstakes
Grab your cleats and get drafted for a weekend of soccer with the U.S. Army and Major League Soccer forward Bobby Rhine of the Dallas Burn. Through “Goal Army – Play with the Pros,” the U.S. Army is offering a free, high-energy day of tips, drills, fast-paced scrimmages, giveaways and sweepstakes on San Diego campuses and soccer fields. The Army is recruiting San Diego college and high school players of all abilities, races and backgrounds to dribble, pass, trap and shoot alongside the pros and receive hands-on instruction. Players can choose from three different San Diego clinics from Friday through Sunday, November 14-16, 2003.