Volume XXXIII Number 02 January 9, 2009

FrontPage Stories

Top Latino Athletes of 2008

By Daniel Cásarez
Vida En El Valle

Sports — from soccer to boxing to baseball to Olympic competition — had no lack of Latino participation in 2008. Vida en el Valle offers the top Latino newsmakers from the year.

Manny Ramírez/Baseball

Manny Ramírez — despite reviving the Los Ángeles Dodgers playoff hopes — has apparently worn out his welcome.

The East-turned-West Coast slugger is no longer being courted by Dodgers’ owner Frank McCourt. Ramírez has rejected a two-year, $45 million offer from the Dodgers. The New York Yankees are reportedly interested in hiring the Dominican player for three years.

The 12-time All-Star player was traded by the Boston Red Sox to the Dodgers on July 31. Ramírez put up monstrous numbers for the Dodgers: .396 batting average, 17 home runs, and 53 RBI.

The money — of which Ramírez has earned more than $162 million in his career — and fame are not that important, he said on his Web site: “Playing baseball is a job that gives you a lot of fame. But I don’t play for fame. I will always do my best, because I love the game.”

The 36-year-old Ramírez is a nine-time Silver Slugger winner and most likely a future Hall of Famer.

For the rest of the story, please follow this link:



A Year of War, Recession and Repression
By Kent Paterson
Many people in the borderlands will say good riddance to 2008. On both sides of the border, war, recession and repression were words that will almost certainly stand out in the writings of future historians recapturing a tumultuous year.

Traerá 2009 alto a la violencia?
Por Mariana Martínez
Con la entrada del 2009 se cumplen ya dos años del llamado “Operativo Tijuana”; La llegada a la ciudad de fuerzas federales para apoyar en la lucha contra el crimen organizado, pero los hechos arrojan pocos logros y muchos riesgos en esta estrategia federal.

Nicole Jordan: The First Colombian Astronaut
BOGOTA, CO. (ConCienciaNews) – Ever since she was a little girl, Nicole Jordan dreamed about coming close to the stars and traveling in a rocket across space. Now, at 27 years old, this Colombian has become the youngest candidate to be astronaut working as a mission specialist.


Stories


School Matters: Seven Years of No Child Left Behind Were Enough
By Annette Fuentes
Seven years ago today, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act was signed into law by Pres. George W. Bush and there is probably no public school in the United States that hasn’t been shaken by the changes it set loose since then.


México del Norte
Por Jorge Mújica Murias
El Voto que Faltó
Tengo varios amigos en los cuales confío y a los que frecuentemente les hago caso. Pero esta no es una de esas ocasiones. Por esta vez, voy a hacer lo contrario a lo que me recomiendan.


Mueren 30 Por Ciento de Tortgas Marinas Entre Redes y a Manos de Saqueadores
Revelan Grave Depredación de Tortugas en Distintos Sitios Turísticos de México
Por Sergio Flores Hernández
ACAPULCO — El 25 por ciento de los nidos de tortugas marinas son saqueados y 30 ejemplares de cada 100 son asesinadas a lo largo de casi mil 500 kilómetros de playas en cinco estados del Pacífico mexicano, donde además, construcciones y contaminación afectan las áreas de anidación, según informó Alberto Elton Benhumea, Director Regional de Occidente Pacífico Centro de la Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas CONANP.

Ocupación: Reina de Belleza
Por María Dolores Bolívar
La detención de Laura Zúñiga Huízar, recientemente ganadora del concurso Nuestra Belleza Sinaloa, en un operativo policíaco digno de James Bond o Get Smart, es uno más de los muchos acontecimientos que, en relación con el narcotráfico, hacen quedar a México como el país de matones y policías en el que se ha ido convirtiendo —acaso deberíamos decir simplemente matones—. Armas de alto calibre, droga a mares, altas sumas de dinero. ¡Si hasta parece que no hay quien no viva de este negocio ilícito! Que sólo es ilícito de palabra, pues a través de fronteras y de estratos opera a entera libertad, cual si no lo fuese.

LA COLUMNA VERTEBRAL
Por José López Zamorano
La Paradoja Racial
Es innegable que la nueva ola de crímenes por motivos raciales es una de las mayores paradojas sociales de estos tiempos, justo cuando la histórica victoria de Barack Obama como el primer presidente electo de origen afro americano aparecía en el horizonte nacional como una clara señal de la evolución positiva de las relaciones raciales en Estados Unidos.


Nuevas Leyes Para 2009
Por Lic. Jess J. Araujo
Cada año nuevo trae cientos de nuevas leyes para las personas que viven en California. El año pasado, el Congreso de California, produjo 1,187 Proyectos de Ley (propuestas de ley) que fueron enviadas al Gobernador. El Gobernador solamente firmó 772 de estos Proyectos de Ley que luego se convirtieron en leyes el 1ro de Enero de 2009. Unas pocas de estas leyes están descritas a continuación:

Community Notes:
LULAC Members Gathered Together at the National Guard Armory in National City for its Annual Christmas Food Basket Program

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Calendar of Events
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Event Planned at Naval Air Station North Island, Jan. 15



Editorial and Commentary

Editorial:
Nature Center appears to have been saved
Now what?
The City of Chula Vista is in dire straits, as are most other cities, trying to find $4 million savings this fiscal year (2008-09) and a projected $20 million dollar deficit for the 2009-10 fiscal year. Morale is low amongst citizens and city employees because there is no obvious, easy choice for the kind of budget trimming that is necessary. And as Chula Vista and the rest of the nation face looming deficits, all aspects of spending must be examined.


Commentary:
Protecting Chula Vista’s Economic Engine
By Vince Vasquez
When the City of Chula Vista began reviewing its budget-balancing options last fall, government officials considered cutting the city coordinator for the “enterprise zone” (EZ) program. A new economic analysis released this week finds cutting this position would be a mistake, as Chula Vista’s participation in the San Diego Regional Enterprise Zone has created hundreds of jobs and developed millions of dollars for potential community benefit.

Commentary:
Hiding In Plain Sight
Supplies for a bad drug habit are as near as your corner store
By Congressman Bob Filner
Over the past few years, a silent but dangerous threat to our children and communities has crept into neighborhood markets and shopping centers in alarming numbers: Businesses that sell illegal drug paraphernalia.

Commentary:
To Achieve Change President-Elect Obama Needs to Bet on Women
By Linda Tarr-Whelan
President-elect Obama has now moved swiftly to name talented and creative people to Cabinet-level offices and the key members of the White House team. But a nagging thought keeps coming back to me: Why isn’t he naming more women to bring our experience, creativity and energy to address the problems that face us?


Comentario:
Requiem de los periódicos
Por José Uzal
Tener acceso a periódicos, es libertad. Tener periódicos de buena calidad es una bendición. Leer periódicos es una religion.

The Public Forum . . . El Foro Público
Put Money Into Jobs
The incoming administration and congress are developing an economic stimulus plan of about $800 billion, which is supposed to create approximately three million jobs. The jobs will evolve from projects designed to rebuild and replace our roadways, bridges, dams, and possibly runways. Schools will be upgraded. There could be substantial funding of energy projects, which will hopefully reduce our dependence on foreign oil.


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


¡ASK A MEXICAN!
By Gustavo Arellano
SPECIAL MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. EDITION
Dear Mexican: What is it with Cesar Chavez? Recently in Dallas, we’ve gone through three attempts to name streets after Mr. Chavez. In one instance, the plan was to remove the name of two brothers who were city founders from a street named after them and rename the street Cesar Chavez Ave. This is being touted under the banner of, quote, “recognizing the contribution of Latino culture,” and “necessary so that we can feel we are respected in this city.”


Photoessay: Living Under the Trees
By David Bacon
About 30 million Mexicans survive on less than 30 pesos per day-not quite $3. The minimum wage is 45 pesos per day. The Mexican federal government estimates that 37.7 percent of its 106 million citizens-40 million people-live in poverty. Some 25 million, or 23.6 percent, live in extreme poverty. In rural Mexico, more than 10 million people have a daily income of less than 12 pesos-a little more than one dollar.


Entrevista:
Publicarán Cinco Nuevas Ediciones de Autores Bajacalifornianos
“Vianka Santana, Pablo Jaime Sainz, Gabriel Trujillo, Elizabeth Cazessus y Roberto Castillo, los Autores”
Por: Paco Zavala
Inicia 2009, con excelentes noticias para las gentes que se dedican a cultivar el arte de las letras, el Centro Cultural Tijuana después de un análisis a conciencia de veintidós obras presentadas para su dictamen, ha tenido a bien determinar que las obras: “Patrimonio en la tierra encantada” de Vianka Santana (novela), “Crónicas chúntaras: la música de la plebada” de Pablo Jaime Sainz (crónica), “Gente de fronteras: Personajes memorables de Baja California” de Gabriel Trujillo Muñoz (crónica), “No es mentira este paraíso” de Elizabeth Cazessus (poesía) y, “Nuestras vidas son otras” de Roberto Castillo (reunión de poemas), son las que merecen ser publicadas.

Javier Ramírez Limón at the Museum of Contemprorary Art
On January 18, 2009, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego will open Cerca Series: Javier Ramírez Limón at its La Jolla location. The exhibition—curated by MCASD Assistant Curator, Lucía Sanromán—will feature photographic works by the Tijuana-based artist Javier Ramírez Limón, and will be on view through May 10, 2009.

San Diego REPertory Theatre and Award-Winning Writer/Actor Rick Najera Introduce DADDY DIARIES
San Diego REPertory Theatre will present a one-night only special workshop performance of author/writer and native San Diegan RICK NAJERA’s new comedy, DADDY DIARIES on Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 7pm.


Arias gets ‘Big Break’ in new family film
By Kiko Martinez
Moises Arias has never let a little shyness control the things he’s wanted to do in life. When his parents realized he was a bit socially timid, they immediately enrolled him in acting classes so he could break out of his shell.

Bell Wants to Ring in the New Year with Another League Banner
By John Philip Wyllie
For the last two years Bonita Vista High School’s wrestling team under Gabe Ruz, the former Mexican Olympian, has captured the Mesa League championship. If junior rising star Frank Bell has anything to say about it the Barons will have another banner to display in their newly refurbished gym at season’s end.

Cristian Mijares Regresa al Gimnasio
Por Jesús Gómez Flores
GÓMEZ PALACIO, DGO. — Este lunes 5 de enero al medio día el excampeón mundial supermosca versiones CMB y AMB Cristian Mijares regresó al gimnasio después de un descanso de dos meses en los que se alejó por completo del boxeo y dedicó todo este tiempo a pasar gratos momentos con su familia y amigos sobre todo en las fechas tan especiales de fin de año como Navidad y Año Nuevo, algo de lo que no podía disfrutar al cien por ciento en los últimos años debido a sus compromisos deportivos, hasta se dio tiempo y por cuenta propia, de repartir bolos y regalos a niños de familias de escasos recursos residentes en colonias de la periferia de su municipio natal Gómez Palacio Durango.  

Family Day Set for SDSU-Utah Men’s Basketball Game
Fans can purchase four or more select tickets and receive them for the general admission price

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