Writing Opp. Fracking and heating Aztlán. Chavez.

Conjunto Writing Opportunity

News from San Anto Guadalupe Center

Camaradas de Conjunto: We're looking for literature on Conjunto Music for publication in the 32nd Annual Tejano Conjunto Festival en San Antonio 2013 program magazine. Any literature, including poems, short stories, interviews, scholarly articles, etc., as long as it deals with some aspect of conjunto music, of any length, will be accepted for review and possible publication through March 31, 2013. Conjunto is that original American musical ensemble and style of music which was created by the Texas-Mexicans and which utilizes the button accordion and bajo sexto as its principal instruments.. E-mail the literature to Juan Tejeda no later than early April. There's a relatively short turnaround so I appreciate spreading the palabra. Hope to see you here in May. Gracias, Juan Tejeda  (juantejeda@sbcglobal.net).

The 32nd Annual Tejano Conjunto Festival en San Antonio 2013 will take place May 15–16 at the Guadalupe Theater, 1301 Guadalupe Street and May 17–19 at Rosedale Park, 303 Dartmouth. The festival will feature a Seniors Conjunto Dance; inductions into the Conjunto Music Hall of Fame; workshops on the button accordion and bajo sexto; a New Directions concert; and three days and over 36 of the very best bands in conjunto music at Rosedale Park that includes special tributes, plus food and beverage booths, accordion raffle, student recital and more.

For more information, call (210) 271-3151, or visit www.guadalupeculturalarts.org. The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1980 to preserve, promote and develop the arts of the Chicano/Latino/Native American peoples for all ages and backgrounds through public and educational programming in six disciplines: dance, literature, media arts, theater arts, visual arts and music.

Fracking Update for Aztlán and beyond

As an author I want my works read for centuries to come. Making certain there will be young readers around to enjoy the works is a simple matter of self-interest. That's not the only reason Global Heating and combatting fracking extraction matters, but it's one reason I feel it should be of interest to La Bloga readers.

If you're in Arizona, your might get the worst of Global Heating that fracking will exacerbate, at least, in terms of heat. Go here to read about getting rid of your estufa because you'll be able to fry your eggs on the sidewalk, as long as you like to add a lot of sand to your revueltos. Very soon.

If you think the jobs that come with fracking might benefit you or the economy, read about the advantages of being a fracking worker: My winter as a frack rat

If you're not sure whether fracking is going to be operating under your barrio or suburb, go here to read about how you'll be able to hear and feel it. And how your wells and walls may suffer just from the search for fracking sites, something you have a right to have a say-so about.

Throughout Aztlán and beyond, if you were hoping Obama would stop the Keystone XL Pipeline, go here to read about how your Congressional legislators are attempting to push approval of the pipeline past Obama.

If you want to do something about fracking in other parts of Atlán, go here.

Next is info about a Colorado action this coming Monday:

There will be an amendment to the budget bill next week that would force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline.  Most worrying, Senators’ (Mark Udall and Michael Bennet) staff say they are “undecided” on whether to stop the pipeline.

350 Colorado and our friends from across the state have written a letter to our Senators explaining why they need to stop the pipeline, and we hope you will add your name before we deliver it to their offices on Monday.

Please co-sign the letter to let our Senators know that you want them to reject any attempt to push forward the pipeline. Click here to read and add your name.

After you sign, please share it with friends and colleagues -- the more signers, the stronger our message will be.

If you're in the Denver area, join us this Monday, March 18th, for a letter delivery event to the Senators’ offices. We meet at 11:45 in Downtown Denver  to send a message in person. At this critical moment, it's important we show there are lots of us who expect nothing less than for them to reject this pipeline outright.

Details:

WHAT: No KXL letter delivery to Senators Bennet and Udall

WHEN: 11:45 AM, Monday March 18th. (we should wrap up by 2 PM)

WHERE: Meet at Senator Bennet's office, 1127 Sherman Street, Suite 150, Denver CO

Más sobre el sudamericano Chavez

Excerpts from an article by Bill Fletcher

"It was clear Chavez had phenomenal support among the poorer and the darker parts of the Venezuelan population while the opposition looked like it could have walked in from Madrid. With the combination of the social movements plus President Chavez’s support, race came to be openly discussed in Venezuela and actual steps were taken to address a very different form of white supremacy than the version with which we are familiar here in North America.

"The Bolivarian process, which is far from over, has suggested multiple levels of struggle but in every case drawing upon mass action and mass involvement.  This goes beyond huge demonstrations—as important as they may be—but more in the direction of encouraging alternative institutions as well as revitalized (or in some cases new) social movements.

"Upon the discovery of his cancer, he apologized for not having taken sufficient care of himself. I was struck by this comment for two reasons. The first was the admission that he had not been on top of his health and that he was prepared to take responsibility for that. The second reason implicit in his comment:  that it is a duty to pay attention to one’s health, to live for the struggle (as opposed to living to struggle). Neither can one so underrate one’s own role that we think that as individuals we do not matter."

Go here to read his entire article. 

BlackCommentator.com Editorial Board member and Columnist, Bill Fletcher, Jr., is a Senior Scholar with the Institute for Policy Studies, the immediate past president of TransAfricaForum, and the author of “They’re Bankrupting Us” - And Twenty Other Myths about Unions. He is also the co-author of Solidarity Divided: The Crisis in Organized Labor and a New Path toward Social Justice, which examines the crisis of organized labor in the USA.

Es todo, hoy,

RudyG

Hugo Chavez 1954-2013, QESD

(Que en Sueños Descanse)

As a Chicano living in the U.S., compared to most people in the Third World, I live a privileged life, just by chance of birth. For that reason, I don't believe it's my right to criticize what the people of the poorest countries in the world decide to do to end their impoverishment, exploitation and repression they've suffered, especially by corporations and gov't agencies of my country. Nor what their democratically elected leaders decide to do, however flawed every dream. Such debate and struggle are for the people of that country to decide.

About this "maker of dreams":

"At this challenging time of President Hugo Chávez’s passing, the United States reaffirms its support for the Venezuelan people and its interest in developing a constructive relationship with the Venezuelan government. As Venezuela begins a new chapter in its history, the United States remains committed to policies that promote democratic principles, the rule of law, and respect for human rights." – Statement of President Obama on the Death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, 3/5/13

Upon awarding Hugo Chavez the José Martí Prize:

"By embodying a nation’s aspiration to sovereignty and its struggle for liberty, his activity has contributed to the unity and integration of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean and to the preservation of their identities, cultural traditions and historical values." The UN's UNESCO International José Martí Prize (to promote and reward an activity of outstanding merit in accordance with the ideals and spirit of José Martí)

"President Chavez will be remembered for his bold assertion of autonomy and independence for Latin American governments and for his formidable communication skills and personal connection with supporters in his country and abroad to whom he gave hope and empowerment. During his 14-year tenure, Chavez joined other leaders in Latin America and the Caribbean to create new forms of integration. Venezuelan poverty rates were cut in half, and millions received identification documents for the first time, allowing them to participate more effectively in their country's economic and political life.

Where Chavez supporters lived

"At the same time, we recognize the divisions created in the drive towards change in Venezuela and the need for national healing. We hope that as Venezuelans mourn the passing of President Chavez and recall his positive legacies -- especially the gains made for the poor and vulnerable -- the political leaders will move the country forward by building a new consensus that ensures equal opportunities for all Venezuelans to participate in every aspect of national life." – Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter

"President Chavez spoke to the challenges and aspirations of the most vulnerable Venezuelans. He provided decisive impetus for new regional integration movements, based on an eminently Latin American vision, while showing solidarity toward other nations in the hemisphere. His contribution to the current peace talks in Colombia between the Government of President Juan Manuel Santos and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has been of vital importance." – U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

"The death of President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela caused a lot of sadness in Palestine and in my heart. President Chavez stood by Palestine and supported the rights of the Palestinian people all along." – Nabil Sha'ath, senior Palestinian official

"Per capita [Venezuelan] income grew about 2.5 percent annually, which is pretty good even compared to the rest of Latin America. It's vastly better than what they had before Chavez." – Mark Weisbrot, the co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research

"Today the United States lost a friend it never knew it had. And poor people around the world lost a champion. I lost a friend I was blessed to have. My thoughts are with the family of President Chavez and the people of Venezuela." – American gringo actor Sean Penn

Petare, Caracas

"He will be remembered as a great figure of Latin America, one who spoke up for the indigenous people and the poor and changed the whole narrative of the politics of the continent towards redistribution of wealth and spending oil resources on people rather than returning it to distant multi-national companies. I think he will be remembered very warmly by a lot of very marginalized and very poor people across the continent. His legacy is one that has asserted Latin American cultural values and asserted Latin America in a way that very few leaders in the whole continent ever have. I think he'll be remembered ... as somebody who stood up against very difficult odds." – Jeremy Corbyn, member of the British Parliament

“The Cuban people think of him as one of their greatest sons, and have admired, followed and loved him as one of their own. Chavez is Cuban too! He felt in his flesh and bones our hard times and problems, and he did everything that he could, with extraordinary generosity.” – Communiqué from the Council of State led by President Raul Castro. (On March 5, Havana declared three days of national mourning for Chavez.)

Others who will remember Chavez:

Venezuela's Oil Giveaway - "In 2005, 13 U.S. Senators sent a letter to American oil companies seeking heating fuel aid for lower-income residents in northern states, a subsidiary of the state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela, Citgo was the only one to step forward.

"25,000 families received affordable heating oil for the winter, not caring that the help comes from a principle of Chavez's Bolivarian Revolution: the redistribution of oil revenues, especially for the poor." 5 million gallons of heating oil at a 40% discount (half price) went to low-income Philadelphia residents.

"Following that, Philadelphia, Boston, the Bronx and cities in Maine, Vermont and Rhode Island received 45 million gallons of the subsidized Citgo fuel, and other cities were slated for another 5 million. Citgo set aside about 10% of its refined petroleum for the program. Said Larry Birns, director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs in Washington, D.C. "Unfortunately for the Bush Administration, Chavez is proving to be a more inventive thinker in terms of hemispheric politics." [This was after the Bush Administration was widely accused of backing a failed 2002 coup against Chavez, a charge it denies.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner: "The great legacy of Chavez is the social inclusion of millions of Venezuelans that used to be invisible and today are protagonists."

His strongest regional ally, Bolivia's Evo Morales: "We are hurt. We are devasted. We feel Hugo Chávez is more alive than ever. He will continue being an inspiration for people who fight for liberty."

Petare, Venezuela

Impoverished Venezuelans, like in Petare, a shantytown in western Caracas – "Chavez focused on developing welfare programs for the poor. The programs, called misiones sociales, have measurably reduced poverty in places like Petare.

"I would argue his legacy goes beyond that. Chavez ushered in a new area of populist leaders including Rafael Correa in Ecuador, Evo Morales in Bolivia and Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua. They have all borrowed Chavez's playbook by catering to the poor and railing against the United States, a country they call "the evil empire." They all benefited from cheap oil from Venezuela while Chavez made allies who helped him slowly but surely tilt Latin American politics to the left.

"Hugo Chavez was beloved by millions around the world. He changed the course of a continent and led a collective awakening of a people once silenced, once exploited and ignored. Chavez was a grandiose visionary and a maker of dreams.

"An honest man from a humble background who lived in a mud hut as a child and sold candies on the streets to make money for his family, Chavez dreamed of building a strong, sovereign nation, independent of foreign influence and dignified on the world scene. He dreamed of improving the lives of his people, of eradicating the misery of poverty and of offering everyone the chance of a better life, el buenvivir, as he called it.

"President Chavez made dreams come true. During his nearly 14 years of governance, Chavez's policies reduced extreme poverty in Venezuela by more than 75%, from 25% to less than 7% in a decade, according to statistics from the Center for Economic and Policy Research. Overall poverty was reduced by more than 50%, from 60% in 1998 when Chavez first won office to 27% by 2008.

"Chavez was a maker of dreams. He recognized the rights of the disabled, of indigenous peoples, all genders and sexualities. He broke down barriers of racism and classism and declared himself a socialist feminist. He not only made his own dreams come true, but he inspired us all to achieve our fullest potential."

by Eva Golinger

(a NY attorney living in Caracas, Venezuela, since 2005; author of The Chávez Code: Cracking US Intervention in Venezuela and Bush vs. Chávez: Washington's War on Venezuela; Editor-in-Chief of the Correo del Orinoco International. Blog at Chavezcode.com.

Chavez was the same hombre who had to deal with "changing public schools to a full day, including nutritional meals for students. Most schools had run only half-time, lacked air-conditioning, and were in such a state of neglect that they were beyond repair. Before Chavez, education was truly a disaster requiring at least 11 years of work and 4.5 billion dollars to improve."

Chavez's critics will raise questions of his stacking the Supreme Court, undermined production and shortages of basic food products, inflation, currency depreciation, a high murder rate, revocation of TV licenses and human rights alarms about repressing opposition and silencing dissent, and backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Libyan Gaddafi. That's not a complete list.

Hugo Chavez quotes:

"Christopher Columbus was the spearhead of the biggest invasion and genocide ever seen in the history of humanity."

"Just look at the internal repression inside the United States, the Patriot Act, which is a repressive law against US citizens. They have put in jail a group of journalists for not revealing their sources. They won't allow them to take pictures of the bodies of the dead soldiers, many of them Latinos, coming from Iraq. Those are signs of Goliath's weaknesses."

"Israel has gone mad. It's attacking, doing the same thing to the Palestinian and Lebanese people that it has criticized - and with reason - [in the case of] the Holocaust. But this is a new Holocaust." - on Israel attacking Lebanon."

And his most notorious:

"The Devil is right at home. The Devil, the Devil himself, is right in the house. And the Devil came here yesterday. Yesterday the Devil came here. Right here. And it smells of sulphur still today. Yesterday, ladies and gentlemen, from this rostrum, the president of the United States, the gentleman to whom I refer as the Devil, came here, talking as if he owned the world. Truly. As the owner of the world." - on George W. Bush, who appeared before the UN General Assembly a day earlier in 2006.

Es todo, hoy,

RudyG