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American Village News
By The Associated Press
Juanes, others, to perform for peace between Colombia and
Venezuela
The Associated
Press
Mar 11 16:53
BOGOTA, Colombia
(AP) - Some of the biggest stars in Hispanic music plan to give a free
concert Sunday atop a bridge linking Colombia and Venezuela in a show of
unity between the South American neighbors still recovering from a
diplomatic crisis.
Juanes, a
Grammy-winning Colombian rocker, said the "Peace Without Borders''
concert is an effort to ease tensions caused by a Colombian raid into
Ecuador to kill a top rebel leader on March 1. In response to the
attack, Ecuador and its ally Venezuela briefly sent troops to their
Colombian borders.
"We want to
consolidate the union between our peoples,'' he told reporters Tuesday
by telephone from the Dominican Republic. "We are brothers and sisters,
we are equals. We just have to raise one flag together, the flag of
peace.''
Juanes said others
scheduled to perform are Miguel Bose, Carlos Vives and Spanish singer
Alejandro Sanz, who has seen two recent concerts canceled in Venezuela
after he criticized President Hugo Chavez.
Juan Luis Guerra's
publicist confirmed his appearance at the event in an e-mail to The
Associated Press on Tuesday.
The artists will
perform on the Simon Bolivar Bridge linking Cucuta, Colombia, and San
Antonio, Venezuela, while fans from both countries line the banks of the
narrow Tachira River that marks the border, local officials said.
GOP in effort to highlight Dem divisions on
immigration
By JULIE HIRSCHFELD
DAVIS
Associated Press
Writer
Mar 10, 22:24
WASHINGTON (AP) -
House Republicans are trying to force action on a Democratic-written
immigration enforcement measure, the latest Republican Party attempt to
elevate the volatile issue into an election-year wedge.
Republican leaders
hope that by pushing the bill _ endorsed by 48 centrist Democrats and 94
Republicans _ they can drive Democrats into a politically painful
choice: Backing a tough immigration measure that could alienate their
base, including Hispanic voters, or being painted as soft on border
security in conservative-leaning districts.
The plan is fraught
with political risks for both parties. A full-blown immigration debate
could call attention to Republicans' divisions at a time when their
expected presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain, is fighting to gain the
trust of the Republican Party base.
McCain, a senator
from Arizona, played a prominent role in failed legislative efforts to
grant some of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants already here a
path to legal status, which conservatives deride as "amnesty.'' He now
says he would consider such a plan only after the borders have been
fortified.
House Republicans
are eyeing a bill by Rep. Heath Shuler, a Democrat from North Carolina,
that would do just that, as well as mandate that employers verify that
their workers are in the U.S. legally.
Leaders are
expected later this week to use a parliamentary tactic that would
eventually force a vote on the measure if 218 lawmakers -- a majority of
the House -- demand it. Republicans are pressuring Democratic backers of
the measure -- including several first-termers and dozens from swing
districts, all facing tough re-election fights -- to defy their leaders
and sign the petition.
"Lots of
Republicans and lots of Democrats would like to see something done,''
Republican Rep. Roy Blunt, the No. 2 whip, said Friday.
The move would be a
rebuke to Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who opposes the Shuler bill
unless it's paired with measures to allow undocumented workers a chance
at legal status and allow legal immigrants to bring more family members
to the United States. Democratic leaders have been working behind the
scenes to craft an alternative that could dissuade their more
conservative members who back Shuler's bill from joining the Republican
effort to press forward on it.
They are
considering pairing a widely popular measure by Democratic Rep. Bart
Stupak to allow more seasonal workers to come to the United States under
so-called H-2B visas with proposals aimed at speeding the process of
granting immigrants' spouses and minor children visas to join their
parents in the U.S., among others. Also under discussion is a bill that
would allow nonresident immigrants serving in the military to become
citizens.
It's not clear
whether Republicans can gather enough support for a vote on the
bipartisan enforcement bill, which couldn't take place until April at
the earliest. Republican leaders relish the idea of calling attention to
Democrats' rifts on the issue in advance of Congress' 14-day Easter
recess starting next week. They plan to blast Democrats who have
endorsed the legislation but not signed onto the effort to force a vote
on it.
"I think it makes
it harder for the majority to do nothing,'' Republican Rep. Adam Putnam
said of the idea last week. "On a district-by-district basis, there will
be places where this is an important issue.''
Shuler has said he
would sign the petition. He's one of several conservative-leaning
freshman lawmakers whose elections in Republican or swing districts gave
Democrats control of the House in 2006, handing Pelosi the speaker's
gavel. He won his race amid Republican efforts to tie him to Pelosi,
including an ad that accused him of plotting with Democrats "to take
over Congress with the votes of illegal immigrants.''
"He does support
the (legislation) and would like to see an up-or-down vote,'' said
Andrew Whalen, Shuler's spokesman. "He would prefer that it didn't
become a political issue.''
Some Democrats said
they are eager to debate the legislation.
"It's a very big
issue. I hear a lot about it, and that's why I want to bring it to the
floor,'' said Democratic Rep. Jason Altmire, another first-termer who is
co-sponsoring the bill. "We need to address it. Let's just bring it all
to the floor and see what wins.''
Even some Democrats
who back Shuler's bill bristle at the idea of joining Republicans to
force a vote on it, voicing concern that they're being used as political
pawns.
"For their
presidential candidate to have supported amnesty and for them to be
pulling a stunt like this is pure politics,'' said Rep. Lincoln Davis, a
Democrat from Tennessee and a co-sponsor of Shuler's bill.
In the Senate, a
group of mostly conservative Republicans last week unveiled a package of
legislation to crack down on illegal immigration and secure the border.
They, too, said they would use procedural tactics to get Democrats on
the record on the volatile immigration issue.
Democrats are
trying to turn the tables, hoping that Republicans' efforts to push
get-tough immigration measures will hurt McCain with Hispanic voters and
independents, two groups that have supported him in the past.
In a letter to
McCain last week, Sen. Robert Menendez, a Democrat, called on the
Arizonan to reject the Republican leaders' plans, calling them
"draconian and divisive.''
"Such a rejection
will let this nation's 44 million Latinos know that demonizing them for
political purposes will not be tolerated and that the more hateful
rhetoric in the immigration debate has no place in our country's civic
discourse,'' Menendez wrote.
Tacos sold at Brooklyn soccer field survive
crackdown
By SAMANTHA GROSS
Associated Press
Writer
Mar 10 19:55
NEW YORK (AP) - The
soccer tacos have been saved, after a monthslong fight pitting city
regulation against a delicious tradition.
The Parks
Department announced Monday that vendors at Brooklyn's Red Hook Park
soccer field can continue to serve up tacos, empanadas, pupusas and
other authentic Latin American food for at least six more years.
The department
previously threatened to effectively end the seasonal, decades-old
culinary draw, which provided Latino New Yorkers a taste of home while
they watched weekend soccer tournaments and offered the city's foodies a
bite of authenticity.
"It's a family
affair, not just for the vendors ... but also for our patrons,'' Cesar
Fuentes, executive director of the Food Vendors Committee of Red Hook
Park. "It's 33 years that we've been in that park. That means there are
a couple of generations that have grown up eating there.''
New Yorkers had
organized a fierce campaign to "save the soccer tacos,'' located in a
working-class neighborhood that has recently become a hub for
gentrification and commercial development. The city's food bloggers
religiously followed the vendors' plight, and the cause attracted
high-profile supporters including New York Democrat Sen. Charles
Schumer.
"The vendors have
been at the vanguard of the Red Hook renaissance, and now they have
another six years to continue their delectable work,'' Schumer said
Monday in a statement.
The vendors in Red
Hook had been operating from May to October under temporary permits that
for years were renewed every four weeks. But last year, the Parks
Department decided the vendors had to start following the concession
regulations in place in other areas.
They were required
to submit formal proposals for permanent licenses, and the vendors
feared they would be priced out of their longtime home. In Central Park,
hot dog stand licenses can cost as much as $300,000.
But in the end, the
Red Hook Park vendors' committee was the only applicant, said Parks
Department spokesman Phil Abramson. The sellers' yearly fees --
previously at about $10,000 for the entire group -- would rise by only
about 5 percent each year, he said.
Even so, Fuentes
said, the new rules present a financial hardship for his group's
members.
Each seller may
have to invest upwards of $30,000 for a food vending truck approved by
the Health Department, Fuentes said. He said two of the group's original
13 members have left because of money concerns.
On the Net:
Save Soccer Tacos:
http://savesoccertacos.blogspot.com
Department of
Parks: http://www.nycgovparks.org
Olmos: Bush es el peor presidente de la historia
Por ISTRA PACHECO
The Associated
Press
Mar 10 13:42
GUADALAJARA, MÈxico
(AP) - El actor de origen mexicano Edward James Olmos señaló a George
W. Bush como el "peor'' presidente de la historia estadounidense por sus
polÌticas en torno a los inmigrantes y por desatar la guerra en Irak.
Sin embargo, dijo
que los latinos que viven en Estados Unidos se est·n dando cuenta de que
tienen el poder suficiente para cambiar la situación y votar por un
candidato que trabaje a su favor.
"De todos los presidentes que hemos
tenido, George (W.) Bush es el peor de todos. …El cree que es el mejor,
pero para mucha gente él ha hecho muchas cosas que nunca vamos a poder
cambiar. …El no va a entender nunca lo que ha hecho'', dijo en un aparte
con medios durante el estreno de la pelÌcula "The Golden Age'', en el
marco del XXIII Festival de Cine de Guadalajara.
"Puede ser que Èl
se muera sin dimensionar lo que le ha hecho a la humanidad'', agregó con
rostro un tanto compungido, al tiempo en que descartó que en algún
momento vaya a aspirar a un cargo polÌtico porque "yo puedo ayudar más
con mi integridad y dando apoyo'' a las causas humanitarias.
Ganador de un Globo
de Oro y postulado al premio Oscar por su actuación en "Stand and
Deliver'' (1998), James Olmos recordó que los latinos son la minorÌa de
m·s rápido crecimiento en Estados Unidos y auguró que en un futuro quien
no pueda hablar inglés y español en la potencia norteamericana estará en
desventaja.
"Todo está
cambiando para el pueblo latino. Con esta fuerza que ya tenemos estamos
creciendo, nunca va a ser lo mismo y lo que hemos visto es que la gente
lo está entendiendo más y más allá', afirmó.
En sus recientes
visitas a México dijo haber visto con tristeza cómo sigue la corrupción
rampante y la pobreza, lo que empuja cada vez a más personas a buscar un
mejor futuro fuera del paÌs.
"AquÌ tenemos unos
problemas que todos sabemos y la corrupción, desde el más alto y entre
los más ricos para abajo, se está poniendo más y más y m´ås difÌcil'',
expresó.
"Hay muchos que
dicen que México está avanzando mucho pero ... los pobres son más pobres
y los ricos son más ricos cada año'', mientras que la clase media es
casi inexistente.
Su propuesta para
un cambio es que "los que están aquí se eduquen y los que están afuera
regresen a ayudar''.
Sobre una posible
huelga de actores que ya amenaza con paralizar las filmaciones en
Hollywood en el verano, dijo que su éxito o fracaso dependerá de cuán
unidos luchen por sus derechos, como lo hicieron los guionistas, que
tras 100 dÌas de paro consiguieron lo que exigían.
"Sufrieron mucho,
pero al final de cuentas ganaron porque se unieron. Creo que es
necesario que la gente forme sindicatos para que los que tienen mucho
poder no nos digan cómo debemos vivir nuestra vida'', declaró.
Actualmente el
actor graba la última temporada de la serie de televisión "Galáctica'',
que considera su mejor trabajo en ese medio.
Narrado por James
Olmos, "The Golden Age'' es un documental sobre una liga de fútbol en
Nueva York en la que participan latinos mayores de 40 años.
Además,
est·áescribiendo junto al reconocido escritor Carlos Fuentes el guión de
una pelÌcula a titularse "La frontera de cristal''.
"Va muy bien'',
adelantó. "Estamos trabajando en el guión... Yo voy a producir y a
dirigir''.
Aún es incierta la
fecha de inicio del rodaje, los actores que intervendrán en el filme o
su presupuesto.
Miami group claims detentions rising in Cuba
By LAURA WIDES-MUNOZ
AP Hispanic Affairs
Writer
Mar 12 15:57
MIAMI (AP) - A
Miami-based group that supports dissidents in Cuba said Wednesday
politically motivated arrests are on the upswing in the communist
nation.
More than 350
political arrests occurred last year in Cuba, while 200 people were
detained this January alone, according to the Cuban Democratic
Directorate, which receives funding from the U.S. government and private
sources.
In February, the
same month that Fidel Castro officially ceded the presidency to his
younger brother Raul, another 50 people were arrested, said the group,
which based its numbers on incidents collected by the Cuba-based Council
of Human Rights Rapporteurs, which formed last May.
Several calls to
the Cuban government's interest section in Washington went unanswered
Wednesday.
Most of the
detentions were brief, and during that same period some higher profile
prisoners were released. But Janisset Rivero, the directorate's
executive director, said during a news conference she believes the rise
in arrests signifies "little change is likely under Raul Castro.''
Cuban attorney and
council member Juan Carlos Gonzalez Leiva spoke to reporters by phone
from the island.
Gonzalez Leiva has
been imprisoned for speaking out against the government. His group
documented 13 people who died in the custody of Cuban authorities last
year due to alleged beatings, lack of medical attention and suicide. Not
all were political prisoners.
Last month, Cuba's
government signed two key international human rights treaties long
opposed by Fidel Castro, including one guaranteeing civil and political
freedom, as well as peaceful assembly and freedom to leave the country.
The move came after
the U.N.'s Human Rights Commission, which had been highly critical of
Cuba, was replaced in 2006 by the Human Rights Council. The council
promptly dropped Cuba from its list of countries with questionable human
rights records.
Both the U.S. and
Canada strongly criticized the change.
The directorate
released its report just as U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., introduced a
bill to present the Congressional Gold Medal to Cuban human rights
activist, Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet. Biscet is serving a 25 year prison
sentence there for speaking out against the government.
"Awarding this
honor to a man with such courage and conviction will strengthen his
cause and the cause of all Cubans,'' Martinez said.
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