Famous Hispanics Pedro Calderón de la Barca Writer, Spain

How to save your own life during a heart attack What you do during a heart attack can mean the difference between life and death. If you're having a heart attack and there is no one there to perform CPR on you, do the following: · Immediately take a deep breath and cough twice, as hard as you can. · Wait a couple of seconds, take another deep breath, and again cough twice. This will contract your diaphragm and compress the heart, causing it to pump. · Call 911 This is a simple form of self CPR. · Keep repeating the process until your heart begins to beat normally (or until help arrives). · Once your heart has stabilized, chew and swallow one aspirin · Take two cayenne pepper capsules or a table spoon of Tabasco sauce. Aspirin will thin your blood and prevent platelets from sticking. Tabasco or cayenne will dilate your blood vessels so that blood can flow freely. This a simple technique that can dramatically increase your chances of survival. Are you or someone you know afflicted by a stroke? See here ¿Ha tenido Ud. o alguien que Ud. conoce una embolia? Lea aquí

Study English in Baltimore at College of Notre Dame

Iraq War Casualties Just so we remember US and Coalition Iraq War casualties as of May 29, 2004 -- Days: 437 Total US Dead (see here) 811 Who were they? See here Total US Wounded as of 5/8/04 4327 Total Coalition Dead Avge. per day: 921   2.11 Iraqis dead 20000+

The Hispanic Challenge

Election 2004

IMMIGRATION REFORM. Reality or fiction? Keep reading

Invest in Spain Today Spain is the sixth largest manufacturer in the world and the third in Europe, ahead of the UK and Italy, and just behind Germany and France. Keep reading

Festival Latino en Annapolis, MD. Se necesita Ayuda y Voluntarios. Siga leyendo

No se pierda la XVI Feria de Sevilla del Centro Español de Washington el domingo 6 de junio de 12 a 6pm. Flamenco! Bailes regionales, arte y la magnífica comida española. En Fort Reno Park (entre la Nebraska y la calle 40). Siga leyendo

¿Qué es la educación multicultural?
El comentario del Gobernador Ehrlich de que la educación multicultural es una “bobada” hecha en un programa de radio, ha generado muchos comentarios, pero al parecer ninguno de los que hicieron dichos comentarios entiende lo que es la educación multicultural. Siga leyendo

Like it or not, the future is multicultural
Language: American demands for uniformity won't stem the rising tide of linguistic diversity. Keep reading

Keep reading

'Bunk' in the eye of the governor is a longtime schools priority
Keep reading


Multiculturalism is in their roots

Keep reading

Mayor O'Malley shows the two governors what sensitivity means

U.S. Hispanics to meet in Chicago to develop a national agenda for the 2004 national elections, June 17 to June 20th. Keep reading

More Federal Hiring of Hispanics Urged. A coalition of Hispanic organizations urged the Bush administration and Congress yesterday to dramatically increase the number of Hispanics working in the federal government, saying the minority group is underrepresented throughout the bureaucracy. Keep reading

SBA Loans Facing Cuts. Would-be entrepreneurs would find it costlier and likely harder to get federal loans under a White House plan that has some lenders, Congress members and small-business advocates worried. Keep reading

Teatro de la Luna. Venecia (Venice) Mayo 14 a Junio 12, 2004. Gunston Arts Center in Arlington. Siga leyendo

Baltimore gives $3,000 to Hispanics to buy a house here. But the home-purchase grants raise legal doubts. Keep reading and see the Hispanic reaction -- And a letter from Mauricio Barreiro

USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services, formerly INS) increases fees for Immigration services The new fees add an average of $55 to the current cost of immigration benefit applications, and increases the biometrics fee by $20 for certain applications. Keep reading

Illegal Entry From Mexico to U.S. Spikes After a four-year decline, illegal immigration from Mexico is spiking as several thousand migrants a day rush across the border in hopes of getting work visas under a program President Bush proposed. Many also are trying to beat tighter security to come in June. Keep reading

Latino Fest is coming to town. The 24th year, at Patterson Park. Don't miss it. Keep reading

GALA Hispanic Theatre presents Candombe! Tango Negro Junio 3 - Junio 27, 2004 Concebida y dirigida por Hugo Medrano En el Warehouse Theatre. Las raíces africanas del Tango: el candombe, la habanera y la milonga. Un musical que pone al descubierto los orígenes oscuros del Tango. Los personajes, la música y la danza, que, a través de cien años, sigue llegando al corazón del pueblo. Siga leyendo

El terrorismo global amenaza cualquier lugar del planeta y la vía de la fuerza como único camino para intentar lograr finalmente la paz, se está revelando como un camino que no lleva a ningún sitio. Siga leyendo

Songs of Cuba, Silenced in America Keep reading

The persistent inflow of Hispanic immigrants threatens to divide the United States into two peoples, two cultures, and two languages. So says a Harvard professor with evident biases and not a small dose of xenophobia. Keep reading and let us have your impressions.

Letters - Cartas

El comentario del Gobernador Ehrlich de que la educación multicultural es una “bobada” hecha en un programa de radio, ha generado muchos comentarios, pero al parecer ninguno de los que hicieron dichos comentarios entiende lo que es la educación multicultural. Hay que reconocer que el término es difícil de definir. Uno puede suponer que consiste en enseñar que una nación puede estar compuesta de personas que hablan idiomas diferentes y que provienen de orígenes y culturales distintas. Sin embargo, éste no es el enfoque del término si tenemos en cuenta como éste es usado hoy en día en los medios educativos. A este término le has pasado lo que ha ocurrido con muchos otros términos y frases aparentemente de carácter legítimo. La izquierda los usurpa y los usa para dar legitimidad a su agenda de políticas izquierdistas.
Si uno se fija en las metas de los defensores de la educación multicultural, puede apreciar que el reconocimiento del derecho que un americano tiene a ser bilingüe y bicultural es sólo una pequeña parte de su amplia agenda política. Como defensor de la educación bilingüe y miembro desde hace años de la Asociación Nacional de la Educación Bilingüe [National Association of Bilingual Education], he considerado en varias ocasiones hacerme miembro de la Asociación Nacional para la Educación Multicultural [National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME, por sus siglas en inglés)]. Cada vez que estudio la posibilidad de pertenecer a dicha organización, me parece que sus ideas y sus políticas son diferentes de las mías, de las de la mayoría de los maestros bilingües y de las de la mayoría de los padres cuyos hijos se encuentran en escuelas bilingües.
Según el sitio web de NAME, la educación multicultural “ayuda a los estudiantes a desarrollar por sí mismo un concepto positivo por medio del conocimiento de las historias, culturas y contribuciones de diversos grupos. Prepara a todos los estudiantes a trabajar de una manera más activa hacia una igualdad estructural tanto en organizaciones como en instituciones a través del conocimiento, de las disposiciones y habilidades para la redistribución de poder e ingresos entre diversos grupos. De este modo, el plan de estudios escolar debería enfocarse directamente en asuntos como el racismo, el sexismo, el clasismo, la diferencia lingüística, la discapacidad, la discriminación por razones de edad, las posturas contra la homosexualidad, la intolerancia religiosa y la xenofobia”.
Francamente, veo muy poco parecido entre las agendas del educador bilingüe y el educador multicultural. Los educadores bilingües usan dos idiomas para enseñar asignaturas y para desarrollar el bilingüismo. Esto es una agenda educativa y no política. Sin embargo, la educación multicultural busca la manera de implementar una agenda política dentro del plan de estudios escolar. Debido a las diferencias existentes entre ambos campos educativos, hay muy pocos educadores bilingües que están afiliados a NAME.
Ana Sol Gutiérrez, Delegada Demócrata Liberal, ha sido una de las personas que más ha criticado el comentario improvisado del Gobernador Ehrlich sobre la educación multicultural y debido a que nos encontramos en un año electoral su propósito es hacer que el Gobernador parezca estar en contra de los hispanos. Incluso hace unos años, cuando la Delegada Gutiérrez era miembro de la Junta de Educación del Condado de Montgomery, recibió fuertes críticas de padres hispanos por querer implementar un plan de estudios sobre “un estilo de vida alternativo” en las escuelas públicas del Condado de Montgomery. Enseñar “un estilo de vida alternativo” quiere decir que se le enseñaría a los menores entre 10 y 17 años de edad que la homosexualidad es una forma de sexualidad legítima y perfectamente natural.
No me sorprendería saber que no hay ni un solo educador bilingüe en Maryland que pertenezca a NAME y yo, personalmente, no conozco a ninguno que participa en su agenda política. El Gobernador Ehrlich también ha mencionado que mientras era miembro del Congreso tuvo la oportunidad de informarse sobre la agenda de la educación multicultural. Quizás sea por eso que la califica de “bobada”.
Charles Stansfield
10713 Mist Haven Terrace
N. Bethesda, MD 20852
Ph. 301-231-6046

A hot issue.-Tres Politicians. A fast food chain. A lady from Guatemala.
To W. Donald Schaefer, honest man with a brilliant past as a mayor of Baltimore, governor of Maryland and the present time Maryland Controller deserves our gratitude. It seems however that the years have made his temper to take a bigger share of his personality. He complained bitterly in a Public Works meeting, of all places, about the lack of English understanding of a lady employee in a McDonald’s fast food. His remarks reached the papers and the show was on. We wonder why he did not call the attention of the McDonald’s manager. The problem had been solved to his satisfaction and he had been able to get even some free happy French fries.
Our Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. jumped into the controversial situation with unexpected strength. “This multi-cultural crap, this bunk, that some folks are teaching in our college campuses” He said. Obviously, if some folks are teaching that multi-cultural crap in college campuses that crap has a very good pedigree, it has not the roots in any barrio.
But our governor, a bright man, whose ability we do not question, is forgetful, he may have forgotten the loyal followers who helped him when he was “ Bob” and just a candidate to the governorship.. It was about two years ago that Hispanic fellows invited him to the City Hall. There was a party celebrating the birthday of Jose Marti, a Cuban hero, and they took that opportunity to give Mr. Ehrlich a good publicity. At that point a select group of Hispanic leaders offered him the help of their political muscle. Further, they established the Hispanic Caucus whose objective was, and is, to elect and reelect Mr Ehrlich as governor.
Mayor O’Malley. was the political star. He had te nice touch to address the controversial subject in Spanish. He has surrounded himself of a loyal group of very well known community leaders, several of then, Hispanics. The remarks of Comptroller Schaefer and Governor Ehrlich. have been widely published but unfortunately the friendly gesture of mayor O’Malley has been mainly ignored.
McDonald’s fast food.-In addition to English speaking minorities, it seems that McDonald’s hires students, handicapped and immigrants. For the students it is an opportunity to spend time learning the work discipline and earning a few dollars. For the handicapped it is a door open to self respect and out of welfare. For the immigrants it is a way to start climbing the road of assimilation and finally, citizenship. English speaking minorities make the bulk of the good service that we are used to get in McDonald’s. The other groups mean a continuos flow of newcomers learning the trade. Weekends seems to be the students wave. The handicapped are the steady workers who clean floors and give a faint, absent smile to the customers. Immigrants can be found at any time, depending on their personal ability and mainly the manager’s decision. Behind the counter with the inexperienced help there is often a supervisor who in addition to bring the ordered items to the serving tray, fix the cash register if the new employee did not press the correct key. The mistakes and misunderstanding of the new help are sometimes annoying to us, the
customers, but I firmly believe that McDonald’s should be commended for their social vision and their employees should have our empathy and understanding. The lady from Guatemala.- Because her lack of good English she was given a hard time and bad publicity by a highly regarded member of the State Government. Probably she received a reprimand from her boss and was demoted to a more menial job, away from the customers. Has anybody thought that the lady from Guatemala has to work for a minimum wage, has no transportation, lives in a place that we would consider undesirable, has to send money to her relatives and also, to learn English?.
Very few people have an idea of the plight of the immigrant woman. For some time I was honored to be a member of the Hispanic Committee of Advisors to President of the City Council Sheila Dixon. The very capable chairman of the committee was our good friend Hector Torres. About two years ago, in a meeting, I brought to the attention of the assembly the situation faced by the immigrant ladies. When they come come to the States they miss their humble home, the parents, children and even the neighborhood gossip. Their gender limits their work possibilities to the lower paying jobs in homes or fast food places. Add the fact that because they are women and therefore desirable , they become fair game for the boss, the co-worker or even the relative. I related that day a case I was familiar with. There was in Laurel a young lady from Argentina. The owner of the business, a married man, took advantage of her. She had a baby and when she tried to get financial help from him, (the owner of the business and father of the baby), he threatened her to call the police and to send her back to her former country. It was a tragedy, but the real tragedy is that it was not an isolated case and that we could do nothing about it!! Finally I want to tell the lady from Guatemala that we wish her well.
Buena suerte muchacha.
Pepe Herrera
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Javier,
Thank you for the information. I am glad to see that the hispanic community is reading the truth about what's going on in government.
Carlos Abinader
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Sir,
When can we see a Hispanic run for City Council! Please let me know, because I would vote for a chance for Baltimore.
Daniel Bleemke
Note: A Hispanic, Angelo Solera run for the City Council First district in 2003. James Kraft won the election.
---------------------------------
Javier:
I like your editorial. Short, sweet and to the point. In your own words: “the man’s a mess” and needs to move on, preferably to a rocking chair that creaks - the better to drown out his intolerant tirades on our Multi-cultural society. I hope to see your response to the Governor’s remarks.
Gilberto De Jesus
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Javier,
I hope the hispanic community realizes the little appreciation this
administration has for us hispanics and our contribution to the work force and economy of this state.
Nestor Cardona
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Dear Javier,
I have sent the following letter out to various newspapers I thought I would share it with you and your readers.
Is it any surprise that Montgomery County is increasingly out of step politically with the rest of the state? The political posturing by both the County Executive and the County Council regarding Governor Erhlich's remarks on multiculturalism clearly demonstrates that a long silent but simmering issue cannot be addressed by the Governor without a cascade of accusations of insensitivity and bigotry. In Montgomery County, it seems political correctness does not allow the public discussion of the frictions brought about by an increasingly diverse and non-English speaking population.
I agree wholeheartedly with Governor Erhlich's comments on multiculturalism As a society we should emphasize our unity as a people with many different backgrounds but one national language and shared culture. We should be accentuating our common bonds rather than our differences. This does not exclude maintaining our native language, culture and history. For example, our family still speaks Spanish at home and we celebrates our ethnic roots but we agree with Governor Erhlich that muliculturalism at the expense of a national sense of unity is problematic and potentially dangerous.
I also understand and share Donald Shaefer's frustration with limited English speakers in customer service positions. My family and I often experience the same sentiments when we go to the bank, go to a fast food restaurant or get into a taxi cab. What he describes is an all too often experience for all of us-including Hispanics. Non-English speakers come from all ethnic and racial groups
Although I am sure he could have presented the issue differently, I have always appreciated Mr. Shaefer's no nonsense approach to most issues in our increasingly hypersensitive, politically correct world. And unlike most politicians, Donald Shaefer has always let us know his position on issues, even if not gracefully.
As far as my family and I are concerned, the reaction by the press and political critics, to paraphrase William Shakespeare, is much ado about nada.
Armando Camacho,
Laurel, MD
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Sir,
If your schedule permits, can you announce that Bon Secours Baltimore Health System will premiere the New York City... Lincoln Center's Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra on Saturday, June 5, 2004 at the Waterfront Marriott Hotel? Tickets are $150.00. Proceeds will help purchase a CT Scan for hospital patients and will also help provide funding to expand our Child Therapy Program for children who have been tramatized by home and community
violence. For tickets, you may call (410) 362-3800. Thank you for your consideration.
Phyllis Reese
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TARGETED FUNDING, UNDER BALTIMORE CITY’S HISPANIC HOME OWNERSHIP PROGRAM IS NOT A NOVEL IDEA
“Context, context, context,” seems to be the forgotten word amongst our reporting elite these days. Political “gotcha” journalism seems to have overshadowed providing some necessary context for the City’s Hispanic home ownership program. Let’s provide some context now.
It appears that Baltimore City wants to foment and grow diverse and vibrant communities and neighborhoods by funding a teeny weenie little program that provides some Hispanics (and possibly other minorities) with some help and start up monies to get them going on the American dream – home ownership. The City has put aside a couple of shekels to ensure that Hispanics move into targeted City neighborhoods, thereby assuring the growth of the City’s economic base and the prosperity of these neighborhoods.
Is this really so wrong? More importantly, in fancy legal jargon, can this program pass equal protection scrutiny?
The simple answer is -- yes, (it’s not even a close call), and here is the context that you need to support the City’s program. Just read the Baltimore Sun’s article, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Told to Better Serve Poor, Minorities, buried in this past Sunday’s edition, on page 9L, and you will see that even the Federales (the Federal Government), is/are pushing U.S. backed companies, like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to start and maintain similar minority targeted home ownership programs. So where’s the beef??
It goes without saying, that minority communities sometimes have problems getting funding for homes, finding jobs, and starting businesses. America’s immersion process is not really intended for overnight process. Governments like Baltimore City, understand these difficulties, and sometimes start funding programs, like the one being attacked, to help minority communities kick start their way into American neighborhoods and local culture. These maligned home ownership programs are usually good things – whether you are a conservative or a liberal, because they push people to save money and improve their local communities.
The City has had many minority funding programs; free enterprise zones; targeted growth areas; and, financial aid programs, in the past. Let’s not forget the programs that rebuilt the Lexington Terrace apartments; Murphy Homes; Hollander Ridge Apartments, etc. The Federales helped there too. Let’s also keep in mind that the City’s monies are also being used for the revitalization of Howard Street and Little Italy. Be aware that the City has supported many, many other minority-related funding programs over the years.
By trying to help the Hispanic community with a tiny amount of City money, the City has and will attract many good, hard working people, and this home ownership program will revitalize some of the City’s toughest neighborhoods. Rather than be criticized, the City should be applauded with a, “[D]ios los bendiga, Amigos!! You done good!!!
Mauricio E. Barreiro, Esquire
15 East Chesapeake Avenue
Towson, Maryland 21286
410 494-0030
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Javier:
Attached is a response that the Baltimore Hispanic Chamber of Commerce sent to the Baltimore Sun concerning two articles that take issue with Baltimore City's efforts to reach out to the Hispanic community and assist them with the purchase of homes. Instead of creating bridges with other minorities and making Hispanics feel welcome, the Sun attempts to isolate and create an atmosphere of hate and intolerance. It does this by engaging in falsehoods and the distortion of the truth. Since the Sun may choice not to print our response, we want it to be noted that we object to such tactics and below the belt journalism. We hope you can share this article with your community and friends and help us to think creatively to ensure that such attacks do not go unanswered by the larger community. Would a town meeting promote dialogue and a mutual und! erstanding that we are all in this together?
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing"
Gilberto de Jesus
Baltimore Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

The Baltimore Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has joined the Mayor's Hispanic Liaison Office in the effort to promote homeownership among Hispanics. We are engaged in this effort because we believe that homeownership is the key to legacy wealth. Gregory Kane's May 5 article in the Sun "Welcome, Hispanic residents - and Tough Luck to the Rest" suggests that somehow, by offering $3,000 housing grants to the Hispanic community, the City denies these opportunities to others. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Mr.. Kane's incendiary article employs an age-old tactic -- divide and conquer - and attempts to pit other minority communities against the Hispanics.& What does he fear? All Hispanics are trying to do is what other minority communities have done in the past: try to move up the social and economic ladder in this Land of Opportunity by purchasing a home.
Promoting homeownership in the Hispanic community helps to ease problems such as what we saw several months ago, when several Hispanic residents in Baltimore perished when an overcrowded apartment burned down. People who own their homes are more stable, invest in their neighborhoods, and more likely to remain and become active in City life. The slumlords and other absentee landlords are put out of business when people buy their own homes.
For over five years, the City has organized trolley tours of Baltimore's neighborhoods for prospective homebuyers. After each tour, the City offered $3,000 grants to a limited number of participants that purchased a home in Baltimore on a first-to-closing, first-served basis. The City has recognized that Hispanics make up the largest segment of Baltimore's immigrant community (about 35%). A review of the $3,000 grants since the inception of the program shows that the beneficiaries of the program have not been Hispanics but: Whites (36%); African-American (59%), Asians (2%), Others (2%) and Hispanics (1%). The City is trying to correct this inequity, particularly in light of the well-chronicled Census projections, which show that Hispanics are the largest growing population in the nation. By the year 2050, 1 in 4 Americans will be of Hispanic extraction, and Hispanics will be the largest population segment in the country. The City has simply made the decision that it is better to draw these people in than allow them to bypass the City for more welcoming venues. We agree.
Last fall, the City added an additional ten grants for potential homebuyers that participated in a special Spanish language trolley tour. The practical effect of this special trolley tour was to level the playing field for a population that faced unique barriers to home purchase in Baltimore - namely the inability to understand how the program works because of their limited English.
It is disturbing that the Sun has chosen to highlight the possibility that if grants are "set aside" for Hispanics, there may be some legal problems. In our view, this is an issue of semantics. Of the 10 grants that were "set aside" for Hispanics in September, only five actually were used by Hispanics. This demonstrates the difficulty that exists in communicating the benefits of the program to the Hispanic community. The City's targeted approach to promoting homeownership is predicated on reaching out to and working with this obviously underserved community. Mr.. Kane's article ignores that reality. ! ; We will continue working with the City to promote homeownership among Hispanics by serving as translators, facilitators and role models for new arrivals who just need a little help in their own language to access housing dollars that are available to anyone.
As the Washington, DC-metro area becomes increasingly unaffordable, it is likely that Baltimore's immigrant community will grow. This new population can join current Baltimore residents in building strength in Baltimore's economy and neighborhoods. If Mr.. Kane and other writers at the Baltimore Sun do not relish the idea of a growing immigrant population, we hope that they will at least avoid publishing slanted stories that foster resentment, divisiveness and needless anti-Hispanic feelings.
Roberto N. Allen, Esq.., President
Gilberto de Jesus, Esq.., VP, Policy and Strategic Planning
Noel Poyo, Co-chair, Homeownership Committee
Baltimore Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
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"THEY KEEP TALKING ABOUT DRAFTING A CONSTITUTION FOR IRAQ. WHY DON'T WE JUST GIVE THEM OURS? IT WAS WRITTEN BY A LOT OF REALLY SMART GUYS, IT'S WORKED FOR OVER 200 YEARS AND HELL, WE'RE NOT USING IT ANYMORE."
Jo Ann
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Hola Javier,
Las Panteras de Baltimore, un club fubolístico sin beneficio propio y que ofrece servicios gratuitos a la juventud de esta ciudad, necesita tu ayuda. Favor de ver el anuncio (inglés y español) que va con este mensaje. Te pedimos que publiques este mensaje en la forma ms conveniente para El Coloquio. Te puedes comunicar conmigo en el Internet o por los telefonos en el mensaje. Te damos las gracias en avanzado por tu ayuda. Sinceramente,
Carlos Lopez-Rodriguez
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Javier,
Although I get 200 messages a day, I always read Coloquio. It's interesting.
Regards,
Charles Stansfield
N. Bethesda, MD
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Corresponsales

SORPRESA: EL ESPAÑOL, HABLADO «FLUENTEMENTE»

Nos hablan de un cambio «sorpresivo» del gobierno de Estados Unidos en materia impositiva. Si ustedes me lo permiten, difiero en este aspecto -con todo respeto- del libro mayor del idioma, el Diccionario de la Real Academia. Según su definición, «sorpresivo» significa «que sorprende, que se produce por sorpresa». Creo que convendría deslindar estos matices y reservar lo de «sorpresivo» para lo que se PRODUCE por sorpresa, dejando «sorprendente» para lo que CAUSA sorpresa.
Una medida puede ser sorprendente, pero lo sorpresivo es más bien lo que toma por sorpresa, sin previo aviso ni indicio de lo que se avecina. Se emplea, por ejemplo, tratándose de acciones de las fuerzas armadas, o de las del orden. «Detuvieron sorpresivamente a los malhechores en plena actividad criminal.» En tal caso, los policías fueron sorpresivos, los criminales quedaron sorprendidos, y lo sorprendente, acaso, fue que las fuerzas del orden tuvieran tanto éxito. Pero ya nada nos sorprende, amigos, en boca de nuestros competentes presentadores de noticias espanglizadas.
Por ejemplo, cuando nos hablan de un alto funcionario del servicio exterior del actual gobierno estadounidense -John Negroponte, para más señas- que habla «fluentemente» el español, surgen dos detalles relacionados entre sí.
Primero,ya no nos SORPRENDE que haya hispanos o ciudadanos de raíz hispana en importantes puestos, pues es motivo de orgullo que nos estemos destacando en las altas esferas oficiales, sobre todo si contribuye al buen desempeño de sus funciones el conocimiento de nuestro idioma.
Ahora bien, en segundo lugar: sí nos SORPRENDE la afirmación de que hable el español «fluentemente», pues nadie que maneje la lengua de Castilla, que yo sepa, se vale de una voz tan poco fluida, digamos antimelíflua, cacofónica por su rima consecutiva en «-ente» para calificar la manera en que alguien se expresa. De más está decir que se trata de un calco del inglés «fluently», que en español --si nuestros amables lectores nos permiten la expresión--, no pega ni con cola.
¿No será que los que deben hablar el castellano como Dios manda son justamente los que nos están dando semejantes esperpentos, precisamente en la lengua de Cervantes?
Vamos a darles la solución a nuestros amigos, los locutores, pues incurren en un contrasentido que, si no fuera tan penoso, resulta casi cómico. Lo que se suele decir en nuestra cultura es que un idioma se habla «con soltura«, o más comúnmente, «bien», «muy bien« o, si es del caso, «perfectamente». Aunque el hispanohablante prefiere evitar los adverbios terminados en «-mente» por la sencilla razón de que no siempre son eufónicos.
Así que estamos ante un caso en que los presentadores, que deben hablar el idioma con soltura, nos traicionan precisamente al así afirmarlo, haciendo, SORPRESIVAMENTE, lo contrario.

by Larry DeWitt

Well, just when we thought we must have seen it all in the story of Mad Cow Disease, the tale just keeps getting weirder and weirder. I swear, I am not making this up.

When last we checked-in with this madness in our meat supply America was shamed (and some of us were worried) by the fact that we currently check a fraction of 1% of our cattle going to slaughter for this disease, which is fatal to humans. In Europe, remember, they test about one-third of their animals; in Japan they test 100% of their beef before allowing it into the food supply. So when a case of mad cow was discovered in the meat from one cow (out of 20,000 randomly tested) we were unsure if this was really a single case, or an indicator of as many as 2,000 infected animals passing undetected into America's hamburgers and steaks. Keep reading

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Remembering Vietnam

During the Vietnam War, I was a student at a small public university in Arizona. Periodically we students pranced about the campus protesting the war. We never ventured off-campus to demonstrate, for the timorous reason that the locals might crack our heads if we were outside the cocoon of the university's protection. So we protested from the comfort of our dorm rooms as it were--on mommy and daddy's dime in most instances. Keep reading

LA PIRATERIA

Durante el transcurso de mi vida he tenido la oportunidad de escribir un sinnúmero de artículos, ensayos, escritos, y entre ellos un par de libros , pero nunca se me ha presentado la ocasión de escribir por ejemplo una columna periodística, a excepción de un velado intento, en el formato anterior de la revista “Coloquio” , cuando aparecían una líneas mías en forma mas o menos secuencial, hasta que la mordaza de la censura desangrara mi vena humorística.

Pero si hubiera tenido la oportunidad de hacerlo, o lo hiciere en el futuro me gustaría titularla “MI TELARAÑA”, como lo estoy haciendo hoy día por vez primera , aunque no presumo que este segundo proyecto cristalize mi deseo de que mí así acariciada columna pueda pasar los estrictos canones de la censura sutil. Siga leyendo

EDWIN RAMIREZ “Poeta de la camara”

”...Mi sueño es llegar a Hollywood...” Nos comenta con mucho orgullo y seguridad el salvadoreño Edwin Ramirez, un talentoso artista de la cámara quien sin duda llegará a donde se proponga. Lo hemos visto trabajar y no deja de sorprendernos el cómo para conseguir la perfección que busca no vacila en subir al árbol más alto o pasar horas en un río con el agua hasta el cuello. Pero, los resultados que obtiene hablan por si solos.
En un reciente simposio de filmación en la Organización de Estados Americanos en Washington DC. Todos los asistentes elogiaron el trabajo de Edwin, incluso la prensa internacional que ahí se encontraba. Algunos de los periodistas hasta comentaron que la calidad de sus obras era digna de Hollywood. Quedaron especialmente impresionados de cómo en un video para la cantante local María Isolina, esta parecía estar cantando en su país natal de El Salvador cuando en realidad la video filmación había sido realizada totalmente en exteriores en Virginia.
Claro, para el artista motivado no hay barreras, cuando la inspiración llega es capaz de vencer cualquier obstaculo para lograr su objetivo. Ramirez se licencio en la Universidad tecnológica de El Salvador en Publicidad y Comunicaciones. Vino a los Estados Unidos en busca de mejores oportunidades con la intención de llegar a poseer nada menos que su propia productora. Pero al llegar aqui tal y como le sucede a muchos hispanos, ha tenido que realizar los trabajos más arduos y humildes para llegar a construir su sueño. Creemos que lo conseguira.
Algo que le ha motivado a realizar video clips es, que acá en el área de Washington hay mucho talento hispano. Hay grandes artistas en todas las áreas. Ramirez desea, a travez de su cámara poder facilitarles a que puedan expresarse para así realzar lo nuestro. “Con mi lente voy... donde está mi gente” es su lema. Y es que sus videos son impactantes. El prefiere trabajar con el ambiente natural, mas que apoyandose en efectos especiales. Sombras, colores, luz, formas, paisajes son expertamente moldeados por el lente de Ramirez hasta convertirlos en el perfecto complemento para el artista en el video. Su entrega y su creatividad en su obra es total. Y para el hacer un trabajo de cien dolares como de cien mil envuelve la misma responsabilidad. ¿ Y, qué mensaje tiene Edwin para los hispanos que se abren paso en los Estados Unidos? “...Con la perseverancia y la confianza en Dios, se pueden lograr los sueños en este país de oportunidades. Hay que saber aprovecharlas cuando se presentan...” Es obvio que el si las ha aprovechado; por esto la misma María Isolina se ha referido a Ramirez diciendo “...es más que un camarografo, es un poeta en la camara...”

Si desean contactar a Ramirez lo pueden hacer a powyns@yahoo.com o al celular
240-483-3433 See the article here

Cicadas in the Sun

It’s not easy to write about summertime in Russia with all of this noise surrounding us. So I thought we could focus on that which demands our focus during these loud, sunny weeks. Right now, all the buzz centers around the cicadas.

They’re back in full force. It’s been seventeen years since the cicadas invaded our neighborhoods, our trees, our moments of silence. They’re out swarming by the billions, males singing to potential mates, luring the maidens to their trees. Take a walk outside in any Baltimore neighborhood and it sounds unearthly, like an alien landscape from an old science fiction movie from the 1950s.. Make that 1953 – another year of the cicadas.

The cicadas spend seventeen years underground, living off tree roots. Then, in a feat that still baffles scientists today, they all emerge at once, coming out of the soil, and singing cicada songs. And as one cicada-laden week flies into the next, their shells and bodies form a carpet in some neighborhoods reminiscent of a dark, bug-crawling scene in an Indiana Jones movie.

It’s interesting to take a look at the cycles of the cicadas; to glimpse what was going on in the world the last time these thumb-sized bugs opened their eyes to the surface world. The last time the cicadas invaded our land was in 1987. The movies to watch were Full Metal Jacket, Fatal Attraction and Dirty Dancing. Songs like “Lean on Me,” “Always” and “Living on a Prayer” were “Big Time,” as Peter Gabriel sang. Michael Jackson was singing about how “Bad” he was; something he is fighting to disprove during this cicada cycle. U2 still hadn’t found what they were looking for on the street with no name, with or without you. We had an actor as our Republican president; today we have a “fictitious president,” as Michael Moore put it.

Wars seem to follow the cycle of the cicada. In 1953, we ended our conflict with Korea. In 1970, we were in Viet Nam. Sometimes war skips a cicada generation, as in 1987. And now, we are unofficially at war in Iraq, still lingering in Afghanistan, and doing battle with that elusive foe known as terrorism.

In 1953, with cicadas singing, Joseph Stalin died, From Here to Eternity won the Oscar for best picture and Hemingway won the Pulitzer Prize. In 1970, the movies to watch were Patton, Love Story and M*A*S*H. Soviet author Alexander Solzhenitsyn won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Cicadas have been a part of this land long before settlers came here and called it America. Native American Indians used to eat cicadas when they emerged. It was a delicacy to look forward to every seventeen years; a year of abundance. Cicadas are protein-packed. I’ve heard the taste and texture described as a cross between avocado and potato, nutty and buttery.

So go ahead and try a cicada in the sun. I think I’ll just stick with the vodka.

Join me next month for another shot of vodka in the sun.

por Fermín García Rodríguez

Este es el texto que una señora de Madrid, Ana María, envió a Radio Nacional de España para que lo leyera en uno de sus programas:

"Desde que las insignias se llaman pins, los maricones gays, las comidas frías lunchs, y los repartos de cine castings, este país no es elmismo: ahora es mucho, muchísimo mas moderno. Siga leyendo

Los Jaboncillos Una presentación de Power Point. Vea aquí

Examen de Música Siga leyendo

por Montenegro

Despues de lo dicho por nuestro ex-Gobernador y el presente Gobernador, sobre multiculturalismo, lo que estoy haciendo es muy peligroso. Escribir un artículo en Español y sobre fútbol me hace sentir como si fuera un guerrillero, un aventurero el Che del multicultural. Si continúan investigando mis antecedentes se van a dar cuenta que soy mas multicultural de lo que pensaban. Que hago ¿esperó a que me deporten a otro Estado o pido asilo politico al Estado de la Florida?.....................

Basta de política ............. Estoy muy enojado con los mandamases de ESPN. Lanzan ESPN DEPORTES con promesas de deportes en Español en especial La Champions League la cual ESPN es dueño de los derechos. Siga leyendo

Máximo, El País, Madrid