Bilingual Weekly
Archive for August 2011
Caltrans Receives $55 Million to Reduce Congestion and Improve Safety on Pacific Surfliner
SACRAMENTO – Caltrans today announced that the Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA) has awarded three grants totaling $55 million to
reduce congestion and increase safety on the Pacific Surfliner intercity
rail corridor between Los Angeles and San Diego. Continue reading
OPINION: Congelando Precios
Thomas A Benigno
Tracy, CA -
Muchos que estuvieron durante los cuarentas probablemente recordaran el OPA y el congelar de los precios durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Era simple, todos los productos que se vendían eran o ya sea racionados o todos los precios de los productos congelados. [more]
La guerra era una causa que necesitaba dinero para pelear desde su inicio del 7 de Diciembre de 1941 cuando Japón atacó Pearl Harbor, Hawai. Muchas cosas ocurrieron en ese tiempo. Una de las más importantes fue el recaudar fondos para pelear la guerra. El gobierno inicio a vender bonos de defensa a como ellos los nombraron en aquellos años. Recaudaciones con fierro viejo, plásticos, y colectas de lavamanos, medias y otros productos se efectuaron.
Para comprar gas, zapatos, azúcar, café, y otros productos. Gasolina, llantas, equipo de cosechas, autos, camiones no se vendían sin presentar una orden de necesidad a el gobierno para que ellos otorgaran permiso.
Eso es un poco de lo que ocurrió en aquellos días. Recientemente yo escribí una historia sobre el congelar los precios acto que debió iniciar al principio de la guerra con Irak. El mismo proceso nos hubiese ahorrado miles de millones de dólares. Algunos se preguntan ¿como hubiese funcionado en la segunda guerra mundial? Solo aquellos productos militares que se necesitaban se reproducían con un precio y estándar. Para construir un avión, era un proceso simple que construya miles de aviones. Los barcos eran construidos por Kaiser y avía un limite de tiempo y limite en precio para asegurarse que suficientes se construirían.
No como en los últimos 10 años, el costo de construir maquinaria de guerra fue muy caco y fuera de control par al economía. Al principio de la invasión de Irak, nosotros sonó tendríamos dos misiles, después cuando se otorgaron contratos, el costo subió a 600% mas caros cuando se compararon con el precio original. Esta era la causa principal para congelar los precios durante tiempos de guerra, para parar la industrialización del militar. Como Kaiser, y Rockefeller que se beneficiarían de la guerra cuando escondieran la ganancia en sus fundaciones, de las personas que trabajan para ellos.
Las formas antiguas de generar ingresos era vender bonos de guerras como ellos los nombraron cuales eran buenos para general dinero y fundar la guerra. Ellos enseguida gastaron dinero del seguro social
Hay que ser muy positivos sobre lo que se tratan las guerras y como pueden quebrar los países que pelean en la guerra, a como lo hemos hecho en los últimos 12 años en Irak, Afganistán y Pakistán. Durante la segunda guerra mundial había un dicho NO HAY UN SOLO CENTAVO PARA PAZ PERO MILES DE MILLONES PARA DEFENZA…
OPINION: Price Freezing
Thomas A Benigno
Former congressional candidate and business person.
Tracy, CA -Many who were around in the 40′s probably remember the OPA and price freezing during World War 2. It was simple. All items sold were either on rationing or all goods and service prices were frozen. Continue reading
RTD Approves Service Modifications to Take Effect October 2
Stockton, CA – At its August 23 meeting, the San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD)
Board of Directors approved modifications to the Stockton Metropolitan Area (SMA), Metro and
County Hopper, and Intercity services that will take effect on October 2, 2011.
Continue reading
Dying for a Glass of Clean Water in San Joaquin CA’s Valley
New America Media, Photo Essay, david bacon, Posted: Aug 22, 2011
LANARE, Calif. — When Mary Broad moved to Lanare in 1955, there were only four other families still living in this tiny, unincorporated community in the middle of the San Joaquin Valley, halfway between old Highway 99 and Interstate 5 on the cracked blacktop of Mt. McKinley Avenue.
Central Valley Walk for Union Rights: UFW plans Madera County to State Capital march — Stockton stop estimated on August 29th and 30th.
California — during the late hours of June 28, 2011 Governor Brown vetoed a bill that would have made it easier for farm workers to join a union. “I am not yet convinced that the far-reaching proposals of this bill – which alter in a significant way the guiding assumptions of the ALRA [Agricultural Labor Relations Board] – are justified,” Governor Brown wrote in his veto statement of SB 104 — Labor representatives: elections.
Immigration Rights Activists are Obama’s Freedom Riders
New America Media, Commentary, Henry Fernandez, Posted: Aug 19, 2011
Fifty years ago this summer, hundreds of young people organized, rode buses into the deep South and got arrested for challenging Jim Crow segregation in inter-state transit. They were beaten, firebombed and imprisoned. The Freedom Riders knew full well they would not convince segregationist Southern politicians like Alabama’s Sheriff Bull Connor or Governor John Patterson to embrace integration.
Stockton’s First Probable Case of West Nile Virus this year
Stockton, CA — San Joaquin County Public Health Services is reporting a probable case of
West Nile Virus (WNV) in a 74-year male resident of Stockton. This marks the first human infection of the
mosquito-borne disease in San Joaquin County this year. Initial testing is positive for WNV, but the case
can only be confirmed after further testing is complete. The patient has been hospitalized with the
neuroinvasive form of the disease.
Continue reading
Cantinflas: At 100 years of his birth, 28 of his visit to Stockton…
www.bilingualweekly.com | Special to bw by Roberto Radrigán
Stockton, CA -This month the Spanish-speaking world remembers one of its most beloved comedians and film actors of all time. Mario Moreno —known to most as Cantinflas— would be a 100 this August if he was still among us.
I met Cantinflas, here, in Stockton. The year was 1983 and on that warm September night the Stockton Metropolitan Airport was full of life like never before —and probably never after. Thousands of local residents —most of them Mexican and Mexican Americans— arrived to see up-close the arrival of a legend they had seen only projected on the screen.
After a brief ceremony that included receiving the Keys to the City from the mayor, Arnold Rue, Cantinflas started his three-day stay in the city-by-the-tules.
Cantinflas had not come to Stockton to work in the fields, but to share the stage with Mexican ballad singer Jose Maria Napoleon on a fundraiser benefitting Catholic Charities’ local programs. Cantinflas was the only —out of a long list of stars that were approached— to come for free.
At the many receptions Moreno attended in those two feverish days, he signed autographs and posed for photos with everyone who succeeded on breaking through a weak barrier of volunteers. Opposed to his well-known character, Moreno wore an expensive suit most of the time… but the back of his shirt was always hanging out.
Cantinflas was a pious man and was not to miss his Sunday’s mass, so St. Mary’s Parish Father Fernando Villalobos had to resort to every chair available in the Diocese to accommodate attendees— who overflowed the church across Washington Street and way under the Crosstown Freeway.
The final event at the Stockton Civic Auditorium on September 4th was more than sold-out; people ringed the building just to hear or get a glimpse of Cantinflas… Napoleon’s $10K show was an expensive intro for the one who everyone wanted to see and hear. Then the whole thing bombed: the tapes Moreno had brought to playback his singing did not match the Auditorium’s sound system… the music started and no voice came out. Moreno couldn’t sing, but Cantinflas came to his rescue: with humor and charisma he improvised the show —that included a sampling of his trademark nonsense speeches— and the people just loved it! It was a long night, for Moreno never left without obliging to his fans.
When he finally boarded the plane to exit the county forever, Cantinflas had drawn a smile on the face of thousands of local Hispanics who —for at least a couple days—felt they were part of a movie. Amongst those whom were able to enjoy his visit up-close, he left a difficult-to-explain “good-feeling” that lasted days after his departure.
It could be that Mario Moreno “Cantinflas” was the genius so many claim he was, or maybe he was just a good actor playing a routine that guaranteed him the laughs, only time will tell. What is certain is that everyone I know in Stockton who experienced that iconic visit in 1983 has never forgotten the smallest details.
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Arts and Education Advocate contracted as Interim Executive Director
SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, CA — On August 15, 2011, the Mexican Heritage Center & Gallery (MHC&G) board of directors voted unanimously to contract Stockton native and arts-advocate Joel Reyna Jr. as interim Executive Director.
California Law Firm Nailed for Mortgage Scam
New America Media, News Report, Suzanne Manneh, Posted: Aug 19, 2011
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.—An extensive mortgage-fraud ring led by the law firm Kramer and Kaslow has been stopped in its tracks, and the firm now faces national scrutiny following a lawsuit filed by the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and the State Bar of California. Kramer and Kaslow is headquartered in Calabasa, Calif., and has an office in San Francisco.
Five Community Members Inducted into Mexican American Hall of Fame
Photos by Arturo Vera
Stockton, CA — two education advocates, one devoted religious volunteer, one health care champion and a dedicated community member form the five exemplary community members being inducted into the 2011 Mexican American Hall of Fame on Saturday, August 27th. The Hall of Fame recipients are:
What is Integrated Pest Management and why you should try it
www.bilingualweekly.com| special to bw by Marcy Sousa Program Coordinator
Integrated pest management (IPM) is a strategy that uses environmentally sound, yet effective, ways to keep pests from invading your home, damaging your plants, or annoying you. Successful IPM usually combines several methods for long-term prevention and management of pest problems without harming you, your family, or the environment. In IPM, using pesticides may be an option, but when other nonchemical methods are used first, pesticides are often not needed.
Follow these steps to manage pests around your home and garden:
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. Identify your pest correctly to be sure the management method you choose will be effective. If you aren’t sure what your pest is, call the Master Gardeners at 953-6112. Find out if the pest is a problem that needs to be controlled and learn about its life cycle and biology.
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. Determine if there are preventive or nonchemical methods you can use to reduce the problem. For best results, combine several methods from the following categories:
o Prevention: Prevent pests from invading or building up their populations in the first place. This might include removing the pests’ sources of food, water, and shelter, or blocking their access into buildings or plants.
o Cultural controls: Cultural practices are things you can do to discourage pest invasion such as good sanitation, removing debris and infested plant material, proper watering and fertilizing, growing competitive plants, or using pest resistant plants.
o Physical or mechanical controls: Control pests with physical methods or mechanical devices such as knocking pests off of plants with a spray of water, using barriers and traps, cultivating, soil solarization, or heat treatments.
o Biological control: Biological control is the use of beneficial organisms (called natural enemies) to manage pests. Encourage natural enemies by planting flowering and nectar-producing plants and avoiding the use of broad-spectrum pesticides.
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. If effective nonchemical methods are not available, consider using pesticides.
o Pesticides can be part of IPM, but use them only as a last resort and only after you have tried other methods. Be sure that your pest problem is serious enough to warrant a pesticide treatment. Always use the least toxic, yet effective, materials available and use them in ways that reduce human and pet exposure and protect the environment.
o Combine pesticide treatments with other preventive methods to discourage pests from coming back.
Here are a few IPM tips and tricks for dealing with snails and slugs.
Copper barriers will keep snails and slugs out of planting beds; the copper reacts with the slime that snails and slugs secrete, causing a disruption in their nervous system similar to an electric shock. You can trap snails and slugs beneath boards or flower pots in problem areas. Scrape off the snails and slugs daily and destroy them; crushing is the most common method. Don’t use salt to destroy snails and slugs, since it will increase soil salinity.
Beer-baited traps buried at ground level to catch and drown slugs and snails that fall into them also work. Because it is the fermented part of the product that attracts these pests, you also can use a sugar-water and yeast mixture instead of beer.
Do you have a pest in your garden or other questions related to gardening? The San Joaquin Master Gardeners are available to help identify pests and provide solutions free of charge. Visit our web-site at http://sjmastergardeners.ucdavis.edu or call the hotline office at 953-6112. For more information related to IPM visit the UC Davis IPM site at http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/index.html
*Information for this article was taken from the UC IPM web-site
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FREE RECYCLING
An Interview with California’s Secretary of Natural Resources – John Laird
http://www.bilingualweekly.com Special to bw by Deanna Lynn Wulff
John Laird
CALIFORNIA- John Laird has a pivotal and powerful position. As the new California Secretary of Natural Resources, he is at the center of controversial issues such as Delta water management and park and wildlife protection. Continue reading
Same-Sex Bi-National Couples Now “Low-Priority” for Deportation
New America Media, News Report, Raul Rodriquez, Posted: Aug 20, 2011 | www.bilingualwekly.com
Same-sex bi-national couples’ marriage and family ties will be included as part of the new criteria that will halt deportation proceedings on a case-by-case basis for undocumented immigrants.
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