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Thursday, May 31, 2007

Improving worker conditions in Canada!

TORONTO, May 31 /CNW/ - Garment and service workers across North America
will join workers from a Canadian warehouse in leafleting American Eagle
Outfitters stores in 18 cities over three days. From Vancouver to Pittsburgh,
thousands of Canadian and U.S. shoppers will learn of unfair treatment of
workers at the third-party warehouse, National Logistics Services (NLS), that
distributes merchandise to American Eagle stores throughout Canada. American
Eagle Outfitters, the largest customer of NLS, manufactures casual clothing
for young men and women and operates nearly 1,000 stores in North America.

In late April, a majority of workers at National Logistics Services
(NLS), in Mississauga, outside of Toronto, applied to the Ontario Labour
Relations Board to have UNITE HERE certified as their union in order to
improve their working conditions, including stagnating wages and a lack of job
security. Employing a tactic outside the norm of labour relations in Ontario,
NLS hired a U.S.-based labour relations firm that orchestrated an anti-union
campaign of harassment and intimidation against the 180 workers. After this
campaign of misinformation, workers lost the vote for a union despite
expressing a desire to form a union just one week before.

"We work hard and want to be treated fairly," said an NLS worker who
spoke anonymously for fear of retaliation. "We feel insecure about our jobs
because of the company's intimidation. We need a union because we have no
voice."

While American Eagle now outsources its distribution operations to NLS,
the clothing company directly owned and operated the distribution centre until
early 2006. Since the takeover by NLS, workers have reported that conditions
have deteriorated.

American Eagle has, thus far, denied any responsibility, in direct
contradiction to its stated responsibilities outlined in its Code of Conduct
for Contractors, part of the retailer's efforts to promote "corporate social
responsibility.

" The code requires that "contractors must respect the rights
of employees to associate freely, join organizations of their choice and
bargain collectively without interference."

"If American Eagle is serious about their Code of Conduct, then they will
demand compliance from NLS for Canadian workers, just as they will for garment
workers in China sewing jeans or shorts," said UNITE HERE's Canadian
Co-Director, Alex Dagg. "Furthermore, American Eagle should not think it can
flout its own rules by going across the border to Canada or across the ocean
to Asia."

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Fuimos parte de la Historia y no nos dejaran fuera!

Latinos y veteranos
JOE MOZINGO . LOS ANGELES TIMES

Martes 29 de mayo de 2007

Durante el Memorial Day, familiares de soldados hispanos caídos en distintas guerras estadounidenses advirtieron que no dejarán que la historia "los haga a un lado"

LOS ÁNGELES.- Hace cuatro años, Devin Cárdenas se puso su uniforme del Ejército y fue al Monumento a los Mexicano-estadounidenses de Todas las Guerras, en Boyle Heights, para honrar a los soldados que murieron en servicio.

El año siguiente, cuando Cárdenas, Ranger del Ejército, tenía 20 años de edad, murió en un ejercicio con municiones reales en el estado de Washington, mientras se preparaba para combatir en Afganistán. El domingo, su madre, Diana, llevó una corona de flores al memorial para honrar a su hijo y a todos los soldados estadounidenses caídos, para "hacerles saber que su sacrificio no fue en vano, y que no serán olvidados".

Para el 60 aniversario del memorial, los veteranos de Eastside organizaron una vigilia de 24 horas en la que participaron autoridades, veteranos, soldados en activo, jóvenes y miembros de la comunidad, que hicieron guardia en el lugar. La vigilia terminó ayer por la mañana, con un saludo con armas y la colocación de coronas de flores. El acto concluyó el mismo día en que se conmemora en EU el "Memorial Day", o "Día de los Caídos", a quienes el presidente estadounidense George W. Bush rindió homenaje en el cementerio nacional de Arlington, cercano a Washington, donde afirmó que los soldados muertos en guerras como las de Irak y Afganistán representan a una nueva generación de "héroes".

Pero la ceremonia que culminó en Cinco Puntos fue particularmente relevante, en vista de la controversia generada por la forma en que, inicialmente, el director fílmico Ken Burns excluyó a los soldados latinos de su documental sobre la Segunda Guerra Mundial, que será transmitido en siete partes por la cadena PBS. "No olvidaremos lo que nuestros hombres y mujeres han hecho", dijo Arturo Herrera, de 70 años, veterano de la Fuerza Aérea que sirvió en Libia después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial y cuyo hermano murió en Corea.

La senadora estatal demócrata Gloria Romero dijo sentirse furiosa por el hecho de que, en un principio, la serie no incluyera las historias de los latinos, que se enlistaron por miles y representaron un porcentaje mayor de las Fuerzas Armadas que como civiles estadounidenses.

"Fuimos parte de la historia estadounidense y no nos dejarán fuera", subrayó. Ken Burns aceptó reeditar la serie para incluir las historias de los soldados latinos ante la presión de grupos defensores de los derechos de este sector. El documental se estrena en septiembre próximo.

La vigilia de Boyle Heights fue organizada por los Veteranos de Guerras Extranjeras (VFW, por su sigla en inglés), Puesto 4696, y por el Puesto 804 de la Legión Estadounidense. Los voluntarios montaron guardia en turnos de 30 minutos, mientras las familias de los soldados muertos colocaban fotos de sus seres queridos en un pizarrón y se detenían a recordarlos. Escenas similares se repitieron ayer en distintos puntos del país, donde cada año, el último lunes de mayo son recordados los soldados estadounidenses muertos y desaparecidos. Sólo en Irak 3 mil 454 militares perdieron la vida desde el comienzo de la guerra, en marzo de 2003.

Friday, May 25, 2007

Muere la Ingenieria de Proyectos en Mexico!

Agonizan empresas de ingeniería


En América Latina, México tiene un nivel muy inferior en estas empresas a
comparación de Brasil y Chile, con 2 mil 300 y 950, respectivamente


Por Karla Ramírez



Ciudad de México (25 mayo 2007).- En menos de 10 años, el alto en el desarrollo
de proyectos de infraestructura causó que las empresas de ingeniería estén
agonizando, al pasar de mil 800 a 400, según datos del Colegio de Ingenieros
Civiles de México (CICM).


Luis Salazar, presidente del organismo, explicó que después de la crisis
de 1995, "la chamba" se acabó para las empresas de ingeniería de proyectos
porque muchas obras se cancelaron y otras salieron a cuentagotas, lo que
motivó el quiebre de firmas como Tribasa, así como el cierre de Bufete
Industrial y de por lo menos mil firmas pequeñas y medianas.

La Comisión Federal de Electricidad, Pemex y la SCT también desmantelaron
la presencia de ingenieros y la contratación de empresas nacionales dedicadas
a la ingeniería de proyectos.

Estas empresas se involucran desde la planeación, diseño y construcción de
proyectos de infraestructura, y pueden encargarse del mantenimiento y la
operación de dicha obra, por lo que se considera delicada su desaparición.

En América Latina, México destaca por las pocas firmas de ingeniería de
proyectos,
pues datos al 2005 arrojan que Brasil y Chile tienen registradas a 2 mil
300 y 950, respectivamente, contra las 400 mexicanas.

"Son menos firmas en proporción a lo que hay que ejecutar, tenemos una gran
demanda de ingenieros especializados en diseño, porque estamos viviendo en
un mundo globalizado y hay ingenieros que están por llegar a su jubilación,
entonces en varios países están buscando para sustituirlos", comentó José
Luis Guerrero, director general de ICA.

El directivo ejemplificó que para la reconfiguración de Minatitlán, de los
ocho paquetes de obra, sólo en uno la ingeniería de proyectos es realizado
por una mexicana, el resto es de extranjeros.

Un estudio de Pemex señala que ante la falta de empresas de ingeniería, se
han incrementado los tiempos en la entrega de los equipos. Por ejemplo, los
reactores pasaron de 20 a 36 meses, mismo caso para la entrega de los
compresores.

Las "ganonas" han sido las contratistas internacionales, ya que vienen
acompañadas
de sus propios proveedores.

"Es muy triste que la ingeniería mexicana siga siendo menospreciada, devaluada,
solamente se habla de lo que hicimos en el pasado, hay una competencia desleal
con las firmas extranjeras.

"No tenemos créditos, no se tiene confianza, han desaparecido empresas por
completo, lo cierto, es que la capacidad de ingeniería va a la baja, pero
en caída libre, y vamos a acabar de subcontratistas de un coreano, un español
o un japonés", reiteró Jorge Pérez Montaño, directivo del Grupo Denco, firma
de ingeniería.


Depende Pemex de extranjeras


Petróleos Mexicanos es un claro ejemplo de la elevada dependencia de la
ingeniería
extranjera.


Ernesto Ríos Montero, director corporativo de Ingeniería y Desarrollo de
Proyectos de la empresa, afirmó que 70 por ciento de la ingeniería que requieren
sus proyectos es desarrollada por empresas de Corea, Venezuela, España y
Estados Unidos.


Con información de Alma Hernández

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Videos of the Civil War in Spain!

More videos!!!

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ChristieBooks, PO Box 35, Hastings, East Sussex, TN34 2UX, UK

Players for all our 250+ films (features and documentaries) can also be
viewed directly from your own website. (Instructions on how to do this are
available on the ChristieBooks Brightcove website)

http://tinyurl.com/t8sta or

http://www.brightcove.com/channel.jsp?channel=219646953&firstVideo=0

The proofs of the electoral fraud will be destroyed!

2006 ballots won’t be saved


Leer articulo en El Universal, Jueves 17 de mayo de 2007

Any last hope for a citizens- or media-led recount of the July 2, 2006, presidential ballots all but flickered out Wednesday when the nation´s top electoral court rejected a last-ditch appeal for public access

Any last hope for a citizens- or media-led recount of the July 2, 2006, presidential ballots all but flickered out Wednesday when the nation´s top electoral court rejected a last-ditch appeal for public access.

Instead, the Electoral Tribunal (TEPJF) cleared the way for final destruction of all the ballots.

General Council members of the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) said they were only awaiting Wednesday´s TEPJF action to set a date for destroying the ballots.

All that´s left to decide is how the deed will be done - by burning, burying or grinding them into a recyclable pulp.

The approximately 40 million ballots became some of the most famous documents in Mexican history shortly after preliminary official results showed Felipe Calderón edging out Andrés Manuel López Obrador by just more than half a percentage point. The López Obrador campaign said there had been ballot tampering first at the voting stations and then at the storage sites.

The TEPJF rejected a petition for a full vote-by-vote recount, insisting there was no legal basis for it. Calderón was confirmed as winner on Sept. 5, and took office on Dec. 1.

Later, some of the media expressed interest in organizing an unofficial recount, much as news organizations did with the disputed Florida ballots after George Bush´s election-deciding victory in that state in 2000.

But on April 25, the TEPJF turned down a request for ballot access by private citizen Daniel Lizárraga and others. The tribunal ruled the ballots were not public property, and that the only entities that legally qualify to count them are the 300 district commissions that operate under IFE, and the TEPJF magistrates themselves.

The ruling was criticized by Horacio Duarte, the liaison to IFE from López Obrador´s Democratic Revolution Party (PRD). "Far from clearing up doubts about this fraudulent chapter in the July 2 election, the tribunal has only assured that the uncertainty will continue," he said at the time.

Wednesday´s TEPJF action was a rejection of Lizárraga´s appeal of the April 25 ruling.

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Regularize your status in Mexico!!!

FM2 (Mexico) regs to be streamlined

Immigration Commissioner Cecilia Romero said the mexican government is streamlining procedures to help foreigners regularize their immigration status.

She said her office, a division of the Interior Secretariat (Segob), will simplify procedures for foreigners in Mexico seeking to establish themselves in the country permanently.

"The tradition was that to be a permanent resident of Mexico one had to be a temporary resident for five years," she said.

"But in the coming months the FM2 form (which shows proof of legal residency status in Mexico) will be granted" to those who request it and fulfill the requirements, Romero said at a meeting in Mexico City with some 70 consular representatives from different countries.

The measure will only benefit immigrants who settled in the country before Jan. 1, 2005, and who have ties to Mexicans, have a job or carry out activities that are legal, honest and beneficial for the country, Segob officials told EFE.

This new initiative is part of the government´s 2007 Immigration Regularization Program that Romero´s office, known as the INM, set in motion on Dec. 23.

Romero added that Mexican authorities are looking for ways to simplify the lives of all those who want to visit, work, invest or study in Mexico.

"We want to open the doors of the INM so that they can put their papers in order and can walk the streets with the certainty that their rights will be respected in our country," Romero told the consular representatives.

She said that currently 0.5 percent of those living within the nation´s borders are of foreign origin - roughly 5.1 million people out of a total population of 103 million.

Of these immigrants, 95 percent hail from Central America, Romero said.

The commissioner said that the INM is committed to pursuing a "comprehensive" policy that puts a priority on the dignity of all people.

She said the Calderón administration recognizes the wealth of contributions by immigrants and is committed to ensuring respect for migrants´ human rights and dignity and streamlining the INM´s procedures.

Mexico exporta construction workers!!!

Nuestros albañiles son ahora construction workers


El Día de la Santa Cruz se festejó también en Estados Unidos y con razón. Con la migración registrada en los últimos años, hay casi tres veces más albañiles mexicanos en Estados Unidos que en México.

El Centro Pew dice que hay 2 millones 249 mil trabajadores hispanos nacidos fuera de EU en el sector constructor. 63 por ciento de los hispanos son de origen mexicano, según las estadísticas del gobierno estadunidense. A partir de estos datos, podemos calcular que el número de mexicanos que trabajan en la construcción en Estados Unidos es cercano a un millón 420 mil. En México, según el INEGI, hay 403 mil 472 personas empleadas en la industria de la construcción.

Lo más relevante es que la presencia hispana se está incrementando en las obras. Ellos se quedaron con un tercio de los empleos generados por el sector entre 2005 y 2006, unos 825 mil puestos. ¿Cuántos fueron para mexicanos? Podemos situar el total entre 400 mil y medio millón, sin temor a exagerar.

Los hispanos fueron el grupo menos afectado por los recortes, luego del enfriamiento de la edificación de viviendas nuevas. Esta inmunidad se explica por la diferencia de salarios. Un inmigrante hispano gana 388 dólares semanales por un trabajo de tiempo completo, frente a 653 dólares de un estadunidense. Este descuento de 68 por ciento es un mundo cuando se trata de bajar costos.

El estereotipo nos dice que el trabajador mexicano va a trabajar al campo en Estados Unidos. Esto sigue siendo real, hasta cierto punto. La agricultura emplea a 24 por ciento y es el primer destino laboral. Sin embargo, la industria de la construcción ha ganado terreno y se ha convertido en el segundo lugar, por encima de la industria de la alimentación.

La presencia hispana en la obra es tan significativa que hay una revista especializada, El Constructor Latino, y en varias ciudades se han puesto en marcha cursos de inglés para trabajadores hispanos. Son el grupo que tuvo más accidentes en la industria y se cree que el desconocimiento del lenguaje fue una de las causas. Allá se dieron cuenta de que algo está pasando y comenzaron a actuar. Aquí no pasa casi nada, aunque sea un caso de fuga de cerebros... que trabajan con las manos.

Saturday, May 05, 2007

Report from LA!!!!!

May Day 2007; A Report To Correct The Balance
by Nick Napolitano Wednesday, May. 02, 2007 at 2:20 AM


The following is a summary of what occurred when LAPD decided to disperse a peaceful march. The following contents of this article may be used for non-profit only.

It is 12:53am and I am exhausted having just ate dinner (thankful that I had a meal to eat and a roof over my head.) I write the following with great hope that story of what happened with LAPD and the peaceful protestors today does not get truly lost within the annals of corporate media.

The local major media news outlets are all reporting that “anarchists” caused the melee by throwing some bottles. First, I would like to pose this question: Are empty plastic water bottles really a threat to anyone let alone police officers in full riot gear? Second, Should there not be some sort of maturity factor involved in officer response and conduct? Third, The “anarchists” as they are so eloquently called (simply because they wear bandannas over their respective faces I assume) were the ones trying to keep the peace. One supposed anarchist was actually pleading with the officers and saying “We are peaceful protestors; we came here for immigrants rights; we are no threat to you; please do not rush; women, children, and men will get hurt; you can disobey orders that do not go with your beliefs.” Who was angry and threw a couple of bottles? The youth of Los Angeles were simply angry and frustrated. They have been dealing with the reality that ICE can rip their families apart at any moment due to legal status. The rumor that ICE was on the scene was also quite persistent hanging high in the back of many minds. Does it justify throwing a couple of water bottles? No; but was it really a threat to the officer’s safety? Please also take note that Police Chief Bill Bratton has reported that “missiles” were thrown. Would you consider an empty plastic water bottle a missile?

Let us now take a look at the side of the coin that the media seems to be purposely under reporting.

The following events are listed in chronological order.

Rampart division officers harass and illegally search and detain a peaceful protestor for 15 minutes because the protestor was documenting the march and had decided to take a photograph of the wrong officers. The protestor is released when a crowd starts to gather and take pictures of the incident. (Please note that event #1 occurred when all was calm and peaceful and the march was slowly winding its way into MacArthur Park)

(Approximately 30 minutes after the first event) Officers start to push a protestor at the corner of Wilshire & Parkview. This results in the Los Angeles chapter of Copwatch quickly moving into action to document the incident. A crowd quickly gathers and the street starts to fill up with people of all ages and backgrounds. A protestor was shown the true force of a police baton in blunt force trauma to the head. Organizers start to plead with people to leave the street for fear that the officers will declare this an illegal assembly because of people being in the street. People remain in the street simply because they are trying to protect those that they love and care for. LAPD was now fully mobilizing at this point getting riot gear ready and forming a defensive block. Bear in mind; this all started with LAPD attacking peaceful protestors.
An alert is issued that police have started attacking and pushing a young man on the opposite side of the lake in MacArthur Park. Protestors quickly rush to the scene to try and protect the young man from the officers. Once again plenty of media (Corporate & Indy) are there to document all that occurred. It is at this point that the tide seems to turn; LAPD now seems to be gearing up for something much larger. They start to block off all streets surrounding MacArthur Park. One can see certain officers joking about getting to beat people with their batons. The bicycle officers are moved out of the way. The officers wearing helmets are moved in and form a line. Word gets out that SWAT has mobilized in the southern portion of the park; the fear of women, children, and men getting hurt quickly spreads. Protestors quickly start moving to try and get people to move back to protect the innocent. Protestors continue to plead with LAPD to prevent the use of unnecessary force.

Without an order to disperse or a warning shot all hell breaks loose. LAPD is now firing rubber bullet kisses into a crowd of families gathered for a peaceful cause. LAPD uses absolutely no discrimination in whom they choose to shoot; women, children, men, the homeless, the media, and those whom cannot walk without assistance are not safe. LAPD continues to fire round after round until MacArthur Park starts to resemble a scene in a horror film where the a monster has just showed up and everyone is running for their lives and safety grabbing whatever they could to try to get to a safe place without getting hurt. I was able to witness a community working together in that I saw others rushing in to the rubber bullets to pick up people that they were just meeting for the first time. I saw two protestors picking up a man without a clue of what was going on and explaining that he needed to get to shelter; the protestors carried him to safety, as he could not walk on his own.

At this point it is amazingly clear that the officers on duty are neither protecting nor serving the people; they are simply protecting and serving themselves and their own respective interests. Protestors try to grab some red wooden fencing from the stage truck so that people can hide behind the fencing. The officers on the scene would hear nothing of it; they continued to fire until the protestors were driven into streets near by.

Protestors are now in the near by streets running as fast as possible to get away from the shear brutality being served ice cold. LAPD continues to file in and attack protestors who are still attempting to get to safety.

By roughly 8:00pm most of the protestors have gotten to safety.

LAPD continued to block off streets surrounding MacArthur Park for an unknown amount of time.

Reports of video footage of a protestor being shot three times by an officer at point blank range while they were lying on the ground have surfaced; hopefully the footage will get out.

I just want to point out that despite the tragic end; the march was beautiful and it was filled with people from all backgrounds marching for worker’s rights no matter if they have “legal status” or not. We all should try to understand that worker’s rights have no borders. We all are in this struggle together. We all want to live and enjoy life in peace. We are all human and I think some forget this fact. Sometimes we lose a bit of our humanity and I think that it is time for people to take care of one another. In this world we only have each other. If we do not take care of each other then who will? I think Katrina showed quite well that we cannot rely on our government when it comes to taking care of the people.

Know your neighbor; know your community. Take care of each other. There seems to be no justice in this cold system. Just us!

Why 5 de Mayo?

Cinco de mayo

The Battle won over the French on May 5th, 1862

May fifth (cinco de mayo) is a national holiday in Mexico. Do you know why? Back in the year 1862, a French army of 6,000 well-armed men invaded Mexico, led by General Laurencez. The excuse was that Mexico owed money to their country and could not pay it right then. But they were also allied with the Mexican conservatives to overthrow the liberal government of President Juárez and found an empire. General Ignacio Zaragoza faced these forces in the city of Puebla with only 4,000 poorly-equipped men with little training. Laurencez was so sure of his superiority that he attacked the Mexican army head on as a sign of his contempt. This mistake cost the lives of one thousand Frenchmen on that battlefield. Zaragoza defeated them and make them retreat. Although this did not stop them, and the Empire of Maximilian was founded in our country, the event had great impact.

Each year, we commemorate that battle on the fifth of May. This was the last time that an army from another continent invaded the Americas.

It has become a symbol of what a people can do when defending their culture and their land.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons it has become a symbol of self-determination of peoples and respect for their cultures. In the United States of America, the country that is our neighbor to the north, they also celebrate cinco de mayo in a very important way. Latinos, Chicanos and various communities of Mexican origin have adopted this national holiday as an opportunity for celebrating their roots, defending their customs and the richness of their culture. In cities with a lot of Hispanic people, big fiestas are held with food, music, dancing, art, handicrafts, and this is an excellent way to reaffirm and share what's best in our culture.