How did I get here?

Last week, I had the privilege of talking with some members of the WCCO staff when they came to speak to the Trojan News and Trojan Online class. As they recalled their road to a career in broadcast journalism, I began thinking about my own path to the Daily Globe.
If you knew me as a child, or even as a teenager, the last thing you ever would have thought I’d grow up to be is a journalist.
I was shy as a child. I don’t mean a little shy, like hide behind mom on the first day of school shy. I mean painfully shy. I would scarcely talk to anyone outside of my immediate family until junior high. And I was timid and very small. Which meant I got shoved around on the playground. A lot.
I didn’t grow up wanting to be a reporter, but the one thing I could do — with reckless abandon — was write. That was, appar-ently, the one area in which I was not shy. So I wrote. Journals and stories and poems. And when I got to high school, I took a jour-nalism class, still not considering the field as a career. We put out a few issues of the Packer Pipeline, as it was called, before cuts to funding left us without a student newspaper. And to be honest, I didn’t think a lot more about it. It did, however, dawn on me that if I was going to write for a living — and at that point a career as a pro athlete was out of the question — reporting might be a way to draw some form of steady income from my craft.
My senior year, I took a mentorship class and ended up with two mentors. I was lucky to score both a job shadow at the Star Trib-une and an internship at a local television station. With time, I began to learn the workings of a professional newsroom, and with even more time, I became an experienced videographer. I produced a short video about the art show at my high school and it placed third in a NATOA (National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors) competition. How cool was it to compete against professionals and win? Very cool. But I still had a lot to learn.
I went off to college, where I immediately began work on our campus weekly. I was paid $25 a month to write whatever the editors assigned me. My first piece on the opening of a new dormitory and it was delayed two weeks because the editors were short on space. But it didn’t matter. I was learning. I worked my way up, eventually becoming editor-in-chief my senior year. In the mean-time, I kept busy with a slew of other jobs: I was a fry cook for campus dining; a tutor at the local home for troubled youths, a resi-dent assistant. During the summer I worked 14-hour days, answering phones at my dad’s photography studio during the day, throwing pizzas at Domino’s at night. All the other jobs had their perks, namely that they kept me from going entirely broke, but I didn’t really enjoy anything as much as my poorly paid gig on the school paper. I got to hobknob with administration, feel the rush of writing on deadline and learn the inner working of the campus.
Soon it was time to graduate to more real-world experience, and in January 2007 I began my internship on the features desk of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls (Iowa) Courier. It is a sizeable daily paper, which made it a great place to start. I wrote about everything from doggie diet pills to text message break-ups and it was lots of fun. But it wasn’t a challenge like what came next. Following my time abroad, I was hired on as a freelancer for the paper, which quickly turned into another internship, this time on the news desk.
I had barely settled in at my new desk when disaster struck the state. First, an F5 tornado flattened the town of Parkersburg. Then, a majority of the state — including the street I lived on — was hit by massive flooding. It was then I was faced with the more challenging parts of the job: wading through sewer water to interview residents stranded by the flood, stressed editors and my personal un-favorite: making people cry. I even dropped the ball on a pretty major story because I was distracted by, well, life. I took a short internship in the promotions department of KWWL (Waterloo) and finally learned how to write for television — not a month before I was to graduate.
But again, I was learning. All that learning came in handy when I graduated in May 2008 — and didn’t have a job. Luckily my former classmate, Daily Globe sports editor Aaron Hagen, knew of an opening. And so I landed in Worthington. A-year-and-a-half into my time here, I’ve learned the secret terminology of the city council (RFP, O&M) and of educators everywhere (AYP, IEP, NCLB). I still have trouble with semicolon usage. But I’m learning.
 

 

Posted by: lgrevas on 09 February 2010 at 9:47 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: career, college, learning, news, newspaper, television

Carnaval

¡Feliz Carnaval!

El día festivo de Carnaval se celebra en Brasil, Bolivia, Panamá, Uruguay y Venezuela.

Carnaval is celebrated in Brazil, Bolivia, Panama, Uruguay and Venezuela (Oh, and New Orleans, too! It ends with Mardi Gras).
 

Posted by: lgrevas on 05 February 2010 at 12:00 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: brazil, carnaval, carnival, carnival latina

Aniversario de la Constitucion Mexicana

¡Feliz Aniversario de la Constitución Mexicana a todos mis lectores mexicanos!

Posted by: lgrevas on 05 February 2010 at 1:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: constitucion, constitution day, mexican, mexicana

Mexican Constitution Day

Did you know that Mexico has a constitution day?
Maybe I should back up. Did you know that the U.S. has a constitution day?
Yeah, I didn’t either. Just one of the fascinating facts I’ve learned during the biweekly ritual known as “Oh, crap! I’m supposed to be in The Buzz tomorrow!”
So, let me redeem my lack of patriotism by sharing some fun facts. I realize fun facts are hard to come by when one is writing about governmental documents, but give me a chance.

First, our constitution day. It’s celebrated on Sept. 17 to commemorate the day the 39 delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the document on Sept. 17, 1787 in Philly. Fascinating facts, according to the Web site archives.gov: There is no mention of education in the U.S. Constitution (but there is an article of the Mexican Constitution dedicated to it). Rhode Island and Providence Plantations did not send delegates to the convention. Did someone say slackers? Speaking of slackers, 19 members of the convention never attended any of its meetings.
The document itself was drafted in fewer than 100 working days, which may explain why it has needed a bit of tweaking over the years. Delegates met in Philadelphia, which according to the 1790 Census had a population of a whopping 28,000 people. Fascinated yet?
Let’s move on to Mexico. The Political Constitution of the United Mexican States was drafted in Santiago de Queretaro during the Mexican Revolution. (At least according to Wikipedia, the source for all things kinda factual. I tried to visit the government’s Web site, but it was under construction; and it is the general consensus here that a trip to the library is out of the question in this weather.) It was approved by the Constitutional Congress on Feb. 5, 1917, making Feb. 5 the annual date of celebration for Aniver-sario de la Constitucion Mexicana, or Mexican Constitution Day. The ratification was actually delayed by fighting among rebel factions that followed the revolution removing Porfirio Diaz from office.
Bits of the constitution read a lot like ours: separation of church and state as well as separation of religion and education (the dis-tinction is made); the right to remain silent, freedom of speech and the press, right to bear arms.
Here’s where it gets interesting: “Men and women are equal under the law. However, ‘Development of the family’ is placed under the responsibility of the woman.” Feminists everywhere are weeping. Then again, it did take us longer than it should have to grant women the right to vote. Which is why I exercise that right (sometimes it’s the only exercise I get all year). But I’m getting off track.
The constitution also places political and economic restrictions on the Roman Catholic Church in response to claims the church had abused its power. (History.com)
In more recent news, Article 22 banning cruel and unusual punishment was modified in 2005 to include language that clearly pro-hibits the dealth penalty. That decision actually affects us: Mexican courts can refuse to extradite U.S. citizens if there’s a chance they could face the death penalty.
On that note, I’ll leave you to celebrate — or not celebrate — Mexican Constitution Day next Saturday as you see fit. Because your freedom of expression is guaranteed — by both constitutions.

Posted by: lgrevas on 28 January 2010 at 9:00 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: celebration, constituion, laws, mexico, united states

Diary of a snow-shoveler

I received this forwarded e-mail in my inbox today and just had to share. Enjoy!

December 8 - 6:00 PM
It started to snow. The first snow of the season and the wife and I took our cocktails and sat for hours by the window watching the huge soft flakes drift down from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses Print. So romantic we felt like newlyweds again. I love snow!

December 9
We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Can there be a more lovely place in the whole world? Moving here was the best idea I've ever had! Shovelled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks. This afternoon the snowplow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again. What a perfect life!

December 12
The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such a disappointment! My neighbor tells me not to worry-we'll definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much snow by the end of winter, that I'll never want to see snow again. I don't think that's possible. Bob is such a nice man, I'm glad he's our neighbor.

December 14
Snow, lovely snow! 8 inches last night. The temperature dropped to -20. The cold makes everything sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmed up by shovelling the driveway and sidewalks. This is the life! The snowplow came back this afternoon and buried everything again. I didn't realize I would have to do quite this much shovelling, but I'll certainly get back in shape this way. I wish I wouldn't huff and puff so.

December 15
20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4 Blazer. Bought snow tires for the wife's car and 2 extra shovels. Stocked the freezer. The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think that's silly. We aren't in Alaska, after all.

December 16
Ice storm this morning. Fell on my a** on the ice in the driveway putting down salt. Hurt like h*ll. The wife laughed for an hour, which I think was very cruel.

December 17
Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I should've bought a wood stove, but won't admit it to her. God I hate it when she's right. I can't believe I'm freezing to death in my own living room.

December 20
Electricity's back on, but had another 14 inches of the damn stuff last night. More shovelling! Took all day. The dam* snowplough came by twice. Tried to find a neighbour kid to shovel, but they said they're too busy playing hockey. I think they're lying. Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower and they're out. Might have another shipment in March. I think they're lying. Bob says I have to shovel or the city will have it done and bill me. I think he's lying.

December 22
Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more inches of the white crap fell today, and it's so cold, it probably won't melt till August. Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to pee. By the time I got undressed, peed and dressed again, I was too tired to shovel. Tried to hire Bob who has a plough on his truck for the rest of the winter, but he says he's too busy. I think the butthole is lying.

December 23
Only 2 inches of snow today. And it warmed up to 0. The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning. What is she, nuts?!! Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago? She says she did but I think she's lying.

December 24
6 inches - Snow packed so hard by snowplow, I broke the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If I ever catch the son of a b*tch who drives that snow plow, I'll drag him through the snow by his balls and beat him to death with my broken shovel. I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shovelling and then he comes down the street at a 100 miles an hour and throws snow all over where I've just been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our presents, but I was too busy watching for the damn snowplow.

December 25
Merry fricking Christmas! 20 more inches of the dam* slop tonight - Snowed in. The idea of shovelling makes my blood boil. God, I hate the snow! Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wife says I have a bad attitude. I think she's a fricking idiot. If I have to watch "It's A Wonderful Life" one more time, I'm going to stuff her into the microwave.

December 26
Still snowed in. Why the h*ll did I ever move here? It was all HER idea. She's really getting on my nerves.

December 27
Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze; plumber came after 14 hours of waiting for him, he only charged me $1,400 to replace all my pipes.

December 28
Warmed up to above -20. Still snowed in. My WIFE is driving me crazy!!!

December 29
10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave in. That's the silliest thing I ever heard. How dumb does he think I am?

December 30
Roof caved in. I beat up the snow plow driver, and now he is suing me for a million dollars, not only the beating I gave him, but also for trying to shove the broken snow shovel up his BUTT. The wife went home to her mother. Nine more inches predicted.

December 31
I set fire to what's left of the house. No more shovelling.

January 8
Feel so good. I just love those little white pills they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?

Posted by: lgrevas on 25 January 2010 at 11:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: crazy, ice, shoveling, snow, snowplow

Guia para padres de adolescentes (English)

Guía para padres de adolescentes is a cultural adaptation and translation of Teen Talk for Spanish speaking families. Building on strategies for helping parents overcome obstacles of parent-teen communication, the Teen Talk fact sheets (English and Spanish) focus on teaching parents strategies that facilitate open communication and provide parents with the knowledge and confidence to talk with their teens about challenging topics.

There is no cost for Guía para padres de adolescentes, they are available as PDF documents on the web: http://www.extension.umn.edu/FamiliesWithTeens/order.html#spanish

This project is a collaboration between University of Minnesota Extension and North Carolina Extension.

For more information, contact Jodi Dworkin, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, at jdworkin@umn.edu or 612-624-3732 or Colleen Gengler, Extension Family Relations Educator, at cgengler@umn.edu, 888- 241-4635 or 507-372-3907

 

Posted by: lgrevas on 21 January 2010 at 10:55 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: adolescence, online, parents guide, teens, university minnesota

Guia para padres de adolescentes

La Guía para padres de adolescentes es una traducción y adaptación cultural de “Teen Talk” para las familias hispanohablantes. Esta guía sirve de ayuda a los padres para que aprendan estrategias para resolver y superar las dificultades que hay en la comunicación entre padres e hijos. Las hojas informativas “Teen Talk” (en inglés y en español) tienen como principal objetivo la enseñanza de estrategias que llevan a una comunicación abierta entre padres e hijos. De esta manera, los padres adquieren el conocimiento y se sienten seguros para hablar con sus adolescentes sobre temas difíciles de afrontar.

Esta Guía para padres de adolescentes es gratuita y puede obtenerla en formato PDF en la siguiente página de Internet:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/FamiliesWithTeens/order.html#spanish

Este proyecto es el resultado de la colaboración de Extensión de la Universidad de Minnesota y Extensión de la Universidad de Carolina del Norte.

Para obtener más información puede comunicarse con Jodi Dworkin, Profesora Asociada y Especialista de Extensión, escribiendo a la siguiente dirección electrónica: jdworkin@umn.edu o llamando al teléfono 612-624-3732 o con Colleen Gengler, Especialista en Relaciones Familiares, escribiendo a la siguiente dirección electrónica cgengler@umn.edu o llamando a cualquiera de los siguientes teléfonos: 888- 241-4635 o 507-372-3907.

 

 

Posted by: lgrevas on 21 January 2010 at 10:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: adolescentes, internet, padres, university of minnesota

Vacuna H1N1 disponible en Worthington

Habrán vacunas contra la gripe H1N1 entre las horas de 2 y 7 p.m. el 4 de febrero en el Northland Mall, 1635 Oxford St. en Worthington.
Estarán disponibles las vacunas en forma de inyección . La vacuna es gratis y disponible para cualquiera persona que tenga seis meses o más. Los que son menores de edad necesitaran una forma de permiso firmado por sus padres.

Si desea mas infomacion, llame a Nobles-Rock Community Health Services (507) 295-5272.
 

 

Posted by: lgrevas on 20 January 2010 at 10:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: gripe a, gripe porcina, h1n1 virus, h1n1 clinics, h1n1 flu vaccine, vacuna, worthington

Prestando atencion

Con frecuencia, con demasiada frecuencia, un desastre natural nos da un sentido de conciencia que no teníamos antes. Aunque ya sabemos, o debemos saber que hay muchísimos países mas pobre que los Estados Unidos, es fácil ignorar el sufrimiento cuando no nos toca en nuestras vidas cotidianas.
El cubrimiento de los medios con respecto al terremoto que recién pasó en Haití ha enfocado en las esfuerzas de salvar vidas, pro-veer comida y atención medical y las esfuerzas siguientes de construir el país de nuevo.
Pero en Haití, como en Nueva Orleans después del huracán Katrina, el desastre ha traído a la luz la pobreza extrema en la que vive la gente. Haití fue un país muy pobre antes del temblor, y seguirá como país pobre después. Pero con el terremoto damos el dinero. Con el terremoto damos ayuda. ¿Por que es eso? ¿Por que no tomamos cada día la abundancia que tenemos y compartirla? No hablo de tirar dinero por todos lados, sino de hacer voluntario y compartir lo que no necesitamos con ellos que si lo necesitan. ¿Puede ser porque no siempre nos enfrentamos con las problemas de los demás? ¿Qué piensan uds.? Han decidido donar plata a las esfuerzas de alivo? ¿Por qué o por que no?
 

 

Posted by: lgrevas on 18 January 2010 at 3:00 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: ayuda, dinero, haiti, haiti earthquake, pobreza, terremoto

H1N1 vacuna disponible

Habrá disponible la vacuna contra la gripe H1N1 entre las horas de 3.30 y 6 p.m. el 27 de enero, en la cafetería Luverne Elementa-ry School, 709 North Kniss Ave., en Luverne.

La vacuna es gratis y disponible para cualquier persona que tenga seis meses o más. Los que son menores de edad necesitarán una forma de permiso firmado por sus padres. Si ud. no puede colocar su vacuna en esta fecha, favor de llamar al Sanford Clinic – Luverne (507) 283-4476. Solo tiene la vacuna en forma de la inyección.

Posted by: lgrevas on 14 January 2010 at 5:00 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: gripe a, gripe porcina, h1n1, h1n1 clinics, h1n1 flu vaccine, luverne, vacuna

A Snowplow Named Desire

Today marks the second time in my life I have been saved from the perils of winter weather by the kindness of strangers.

The first wasn’t really my fault. I was only 7 years old on Jan. 20, 1993 (my mom remembers the date because it was the first of former president Bill Clinton’s inaugurations), when I fell asleep on the bus ride home from school, slumping out of the bus driver’s range of vision. We were in the midst of a terrible ice storm with temperatures well below freezing, and the driver, in an effort to get home to her own children, forgot to check the seats when she parked the bus. I woke up shortly after, alone in the giant school bus parking lot. I didn’t know what to do, so I stayed put, which turned out to be pretty good logic for a first-grader.

Naturally, my parents called the bus company when I didn’t return home with the other children. It was then that a kindly older gentleman effectively ice skated across the lot to find my bus and get me inside. He drove me home in his own car; and during the ride we discovered we shared a birthday — Aug. 27. The man carried me up the driveway the best he could: it was far too slippery to walk, and my parents nearly needed a tow rope to retrieve me. But all was well.

The driver felt terrible, and in the days before everyone sued everyone else, her apologies were enough to placate my parents. Fast forward 17 years to Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010.

Guess who didn’t take her own advice, written in an article about cold weather preparedness? If you guessed Laura Grevas, you win a prize. I was heading to Round Lake following an early morning interview at Southwest Star Concept High School when I found myself accidentally disobeying my GPS’s directions.

I started to turn around, but I overshot the rather steep edge of Jackson County 20. The right half of my car fell into a pile of white quicksand. I couldn’t go forward, I couldn’t go backward. I stepped out to assess the situation and discovered I was in need of both boots and a shovel, neither of which I had.

Needless to say (but I’ll say it anyway), I felt a bit stupid. Losing control of your car on a slippery road is one thing; but face-planting your Pontiac Sunfire in a snow bank while travelling no more than 3 mph is quite another.

I was in luck. I couple of gentlemen stopped by and attempted to push me out. No dice. But the fact that I didn’t lock the doors to my car and refuse their help is a sure sign I’m shedding my city slicker habits.

Having neither family in the area nor friends who drive around Okabena with shovels, I put in a call to my co-workers. Just then, another fellow with a pick-up truck and tow rope happened by. Thankfully, he was able to pull me out backwards, and I was soon on my way to my interview in Round Lake. My sincerest thanks go to those three men, wherever you are, for taking time to perform a true act of Midwestern kindness.

I’m actually beginning to sense a theme of being saved from snowy situations by others. It made me think of the sad closing scene of “A Streetcar Named Desire,” when poor Blanche is taken to the insane asylum. “Whoever you are,” she says to the doctor, “I’ve always depended on the kindness of strangers.”

And while I don’t foresee a trip to the asylum anytime soon, I’m lucky to have found my own “Snowplow Named Desire” scenario among the helpful folks of southwest Minnesota.

And don’t worry. I bought a shovel.

Posted by: lgrevas on 12 January 2010 at 1:00 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: bus, car, ice, kindness, okabena, round lake, snow, street cars, winter

Bed Bug Prevention Tips

According to the University of Minnesota Department of Entomology, bed bugs are becoming a significant problem in the 21st century, after they were almost absent from North America for more than thirty years. Bed bugs are flat, oval-shaped, brown insects, similar in appearance to wood ticks. They can infest beds and other furniture. They live on the blood of humans and animals, so they bite when they have the opportunity.

Jason Kloss, Public Health Sanitarian with Nobles-Rock Community Health Services, has some tips on how to avoid this problem.

He says, be wary when you check into a hotel. Inspect the room, and store your clothing in the closet, not on the floor. Also, inspect carefully before moving into an apartment.

Buying or scavenging used furniture, especially mattresses, can introduce bed bugs into your home. It's best to buy new, if you can. Be very careful before you bring used items home.

Once bed bugs are there, they are difficult to get rid of. Kloss says that vacuuming and steam cleaning can be effective. After vacuuming, dispose of the bag immediately; don't keep it in the house. Wash all clothing that might have come in contact with the bugs. If the infestation doesn't go away, consult with a pest controller.

Jose Lamas, University of Minnesota Extension
Source: Nobles-Rock Community Health Services
 

Posted by: lgrevas on 11 January 2010 at 11:30 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: apartment, bed bugs, health, hotel, infestation, insects, vacuum, wash

Consejos para evitar las chinches

De acuerdo con el Departamento de Entomología de la Universidad de Minnesota, las chinches se están convirtiendo en un problema significativo en el siglo 21, después de que estuvieran ausentes de América del Norte por más de treinta años. Las chinches son insectos marrones planos de forma ovalada de apariencia similar a las garrapatas de madera. Pueden infester camas y otros muebles. Viven de la sangre de los seres humanos y animales, por lo cual, pican cuando tienen la oportunidad.

Jason Kloss, inspector de salud pública de la Comunidad de Servicios de
Salud de Nobles-Rock, tiene algunos consejos sobre cómo evitar este problema.

Él dice, sea cauteloso cuando usted se hospede en un hotel. Inspeccione la
habitación y guarde la ropa en el clóset, no en el suelo. Además, antes de
mudarse a un apartamento, inspecciónelo cuidadosamente.

Comprar o hurgar en busca de muebles usados, especialmente colchones, puede introducir chinches en su hogar. Es mejor comprar nuevos, si puede. Tenga mucho cuidado antes de traer a casa artículos usados.

Una vez que las chinches están ahí son difíciles de eliminar. Kloss dice
que pasar la aspiradora y limpiar a vapor puede ser eficaz. Después de aspirar deseche
la bolsa de inmediato; no la deje en la casa. Lave toda la ropa que pudo haber entrado en contacto con los insectos. Si la infestación no desaparece, consulte con un controlador de plagas.

José Lamas, Extensión de la Universidad de Minnesota
Fuente: Comunidad de Servicios de Salud de Nobles-Rock
 

Posted by: lgrevas on 11 January 2010 at 11:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: chinches, colchones, hotel, infestacion, salud

El Lazo

Les presento una historia por un estudiante de Minnesota State University, Moorhead.

La pareja comprometida no puede tener orígenes más diferentes que los que tenía. La novia se crió en una comunidad del Minnesota central, asistía a una escuela privada, y tenía todo lo que ella necesitaba durante toda su niñez. El novio se crió en unos de los barios más pobres de la ciudad de Comayagua, Honduras. Todavía se puede ver la cicatriz que tiene él en la cabeza de donde una bala le pegó, una suerte que su papá no tuvo. Por difícil que sea imaginar como estas personas podían conocerse, esto es lo que pasó, y menos que 2 años después, los dos estuvieron de pie en una iglesia católica de Clearwater, Minnesota, compartiendo sus votos de matrimonio. Un foco del rito matrimonio fue la tradición del Lazo.
El Lazo, un rosario muy grande, es una tradición hispana de matrimonio. Durante el casamiento, el rosario está puesto sobre la pareja después de que ellos han dicho los votos. Los dos, quien ahora son casados, lo llevan durante el ‘Padre Nuestro’ en la misa. El Lazo significa la unión y protección del matrimonio, un símbolo del amor de la pareja, y une el uno al otro por el resto de sus vidas. Tradicionalmente, la pareja prometida escoge a otra pareja casada, quien es un buen ejemplo, para poner el lazo alrededor de ellos. Después de la ceremonia, el lazo se queda con la novia, como un momento de llegar a ser la única mujer del novio, para siempre.
Después de la boda, como cualquier boda, todas las personas se reunieron para una cena y baile, para celebrar el nuevo Señor y Señora Jose Hernandez. Aunque ya están casados, también hay grandes diferencias que Jose y Mary van a encontrar, como la barrera cultural. Nunca he pensado que tendría que explicar cómo se baila ‘the chicken dance’, y espero que Jose esté preparado para el invierno que viene. A pesar de que los dos son muy diferentes, el lazo es algo que representa la unión que hay ahora entre la pareja recién casada.
 

Posted by: lgrevas on 09 January 2010 at 1:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: lazo, matrimonio, novia, novio, origenes

A long winter's nap

Ah, the sub-zero temperatures, the perpetually ice-covered cars, the jumper cables and chapped skin.
What is it about this time of year that makes us want to curl up with a cup of hot cocoa and devise ridiculously dramatic measures to avoid going outside? I think I have a few ideas.
But didn’t winter used to be fun? Sledding, snowman-making and snowball fights with the neighbors were all activities I relished until at least junior high. Then something changed.
Now I huddle under six blankets, the heat in my apartment cranked way too high. I’m sure the Sierra Club would yell at me, but its members are shivering too hard to make the trip. I am in desperate need of groceries, having been reduced to rice, two slices of turkey (no bread) and cookies. But do I dare venture to the store? Not until we get securely into the double-digits; until then I refuse to go anywhere non work-related.
But this weekend, something truly strange happened. It was the stuff of which magic Christmas stories are made.
‘Twas the night before Jan. 2, and I had just finished laying out Saturday’s paper. I was admittedly a bit exhausted after hours of technical difficulties (and having to work alongside the sports staff), and I set out for home, trying to prevent my wildly shivering teeth from gnawing a hole in my cheek. By 1 a.m., I in my kerchief and pa in his cap, had settled into my crappy old mattress in hopes of catching some Zs. OK, so there was no pa and no cap, but I do hope to one day own a kerchief. Right after I buy a pet alpaca. Anyway, slept I did, not awakening until 11 the next morning. I ate a bowl of cereal, took one look outside and promptly fell back asleep. I didn’t wake again until 3 p.m., and I made a valiant effort to stay awake for the remaining hours of daylight. I failed. I woke again about 8 p.m. after an obscure dream involving sugar plum fairies. This time I succeeded in eating some leftover Christmas fudge before heading back to bed. I made it through a whopping two paragraphs of “Jane Eyre” before the slumber fairy paid me another unwanted visit.
By Sunday morning, I was beginning to get concerned. I awoke at 11:30 and managed to bathe, put away some dishes and call my mom. She thought maybe I was sleeping because I was bored. “I don’t believe in being bored!” I declared, before passing out face-down on the couch. Apparently putting six glasses in the cupboard and washing my hair was just too much to handle. I awoke a few hours later, this time managing an impressive four hours of consciousness before falling back asleep.
But when do you suppose I woke up on Monday morning? 5:45 a.m. I guess my insomniac ways have returned. As for this weekend, who knows? Perhaps I’ve discovered a new strain of mono that only lasts 48 hours. Or maybe I was just in need of a long — a very long — winter’s nap.
 

 

Posted by: lgrevas on 05 January 2010 at 1:00 PM | Comments (4) | Permalink

Tags: christmas, cold, nap, sleep, snow, winter

Feliz Navidad! and Merry Christmas

A todos mis lectores les deseo una Navidad muy feliz y prospero Año Nuevo!!!

Here's wishing all my readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Prospero Año y Felicidad.

Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Prospero Año y Felicidad.

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
From the bottom of my heart.

Letra por Jose Feliciano

Posted by: lgrevas on 25 December 2009 at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: christmas, navidad, new year, nuevo

Y2K? Y not?

Do you remember Y2K?
I do.
“Dear journal,” I remember writing in my notebook as I sat on the floor of my room on Dec. 31, 1999. “If the world does not come to an end tomorrow, here are my New Year’s resolutions…”
I can’t really remember them, but I think they’ve been the same forever: confront my addiction to chocolate, become a world-class athlete (or at least start to exercise), save the world, learn to play a concerto, you know, silly little things like that.
I do remember the last months of 1999: people rushing to buy eight months worth of bottled water and non-perishable food items, building underground shelters, the fear that at 12:00 a.m. Jan. 1, 2000, all the world’s computers would suddenly cease to be. In short, it would be the end of the world.
It wasn’t.
In fact, have you noticed that the world hasn’t actually ended yet?
The world didn’t end with 9-11, it just felt like it. The world didn’t end with the bird flu or the swine flu (H5N1 and H1N1 if you prefer). It didn’t end with Columbine. It didn’t end with the Cold War, or with any war. It didn’t end when some members of our society were finally granted civil rights. We won’t know for sure until 2012, but I don’t think that will be the end either.
In fact, I challenge you to point to any one single, horrific event in the world’s history that actually caused the end of the world. (It’s a trick question actually. We’re all still here.)
Yet every time the government, or the media, or whoever, wants us to panic, we panic all over again. “Y2K?” said the extremists, “Why not?”
I mean, really, what would we do with our time if we weren’t dealing with Orange Level terror threats and panic flus?
Save the world, maybe?
In Lt. Col. Dave Grossman’s book, “On Combat,” he asserts that our nation’s warriors do just that. Grossman, who I met a few months ago while he was presenting to District 518 educators about school violence, gave me a press copy of his book, which I finished reading this weekend.
In it, he makes a bold claim that goes something like this: If there were no warriors or peace officers, civilization as we know it would cease to exist within a generation or two.
Think about it. What would we do without police to protect us from the mad gunmen of the world? If there were not a single person who would step up and stop murderers, more people would undoubtedly be killed. What about the soldiers, who risk their lives fighting awful wars in awful conditions, so the rest of us don’t have to? I don’t believe in blind patriotism and I don’t agree with every war that has ever been fought, but even I have immense respect for our nation’s troops. Would the world come to an end without them? Maybe, maybe not. But it would definitely be a whole lot more dangerous for everyone.
That is why I am including a donation to the Southwest Honor Flight fund as among my long list of New Year’s resolutions.
I encourage you to do the same, and help with efforts to send local World War II veterans to the war memorial in Washington, D.C. It’s the least we can do to say thank you. Or just donate a bit to a charity of your choice. Christmas is a time for giving, and as long as the world isn’t coming to an end, it could really use a hand up.

Posted by: lgrevas on 23 December 2009 at 1:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: christmas, honor flights, panic y2k, solidiers, veteran, veterans day, war, world war ii

Christmas in Mexico (and other places)

Last week, I found myself with a few free moments and thought I would get a head start on my next buzz column. “What should I write about?” I asked no one in particular. (I often talk, mumble or otherwise conversate with myself.) “Why don’t you write about Christmas in Mexico?” responded night editor Ashley Peterson. OK, I thought. Then I realized I don’t really know a darn thing about Christmas in Mexico, or Christmas in any other country, for that matter. I guess I should have paid more attention in high school Spanish. Luckily, I was already planning to cover the Culture Corner Holiday Open House event at Minnesota West. There, I learned quite a bit about Christmas around the world; here are a few tidbits:
Las Posadas
In Mexico, one of the most colorful Christmas traditions is the posada party, celebrated every evening from Dec. 16-24 to commemorate the struggles of Joseph and Mary as they looked for shelter (posada) in Bethlehem. Every night, owners of a different home in a neighborhood host a party. They set up a Nativity scene, and act as the innkeepers. The neighborhood children and adults are the pilgrims (peregrinos) who travel house-to-house, singing a traditional song about the pilgrims to request lodging at each home. Each homeowner refuses until the “pilgrims” reach the site of the party, where they are allowed into the home and pray around the Nativity scene. The event is followed by singing of traditional Christmas songs and a party for the children. The party includes a piñata, which was traditionally made in the shape of a star to symbolize the star that guided the Three Kings to newborn Jesus.
A new doll from Black Peter?
The name for he who shimmies down your chimney varies widely depending on where you live. In the United States and Canada, Santa Claus brings us gifts. In China, he’s Shengdan Laoren; in England, Father Christmas; in France, Pere Noel; in Germany, Christindl or Christ Kind, both meaning the Christ Child. And in Morocco and the Netherlands? Black Peter. (Peter was apparently the black servant to Saint Nicholas in traditional lore)
In many Spanish-speaking countries, the baby Jesus, or el Niño Jesus, brings gifts for children. Puerto Ricans celebrate Three Kings Day (Epiphany) on Jan. 6. Children put grass under their beds for the camels, and in the morning it is replaced with gifts (like the Tooth Fairy, but better!).
Real trees
I had to laugh when Katrin Staudacher, Worthington’s adorable exchange student from Crailsheim, told me that in Germany, they use “real trees” as Christmas trees, not the fake, plastic trees we sometimes use. She also said the tree decorating is done on Dec. 24 instead of shortly after Thanksgiving, as is common in the United States. Trees are then displayed through January.
Food!
What would Christmas be without loads of sugary goodness? Word from the wise: do not eat dinner before attending anything with the words “Holiday Open House” in the title. I heard several attendees at the Culture Corner event raving about the tiny lemon tarts at the England table, and I had to try one. The others were right, but that got me on a roll. I tried flatbread at the Scandinavian table; gingerbread (actual bread, not the cookie) at the North American table; and fruit punch at the booths for Mexico and Guatemala (one a warm cinnamon-like tea with chunks of fruit, the other a vibrant red carbonated punch).
This year, my family is travelling to my grandmother’s for Christmas, and I’m looking forward to her Italian Wedding Knots, frosted cookies that my family tends to adapt for all occasions, including Christmas.

What’s your favorite holiday tradition or food? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
 

 

Posted by: lgrevas on 16 December 2009 at 3:00 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

Tags: black peter, christmas, christmas trees, food, germany, guatemala, holiday, mexico, nativity, posada, posada party, tradition, united states

H1N1 vacuna disponible en distrito 518

La vacuna contra la H1N1 estará disponible en las siguientes fechas y sitios:

9 a.m., 18 de diciembre, para estudiantes en el distrito escolar de Luverne (Luverne Public Schools). Se ofrece el espray que se pone en la nariz y la inyección.

9 a.m. 21 de diciembre, para estudiantes en el distrito escolar de Worthington (518). Las clinicas se ubican en Prairie Elementary, Worthington Middle School and Worthington High School. Se ofrece el espray que se pone en la nariz y la inyección.
 

Los distritos distribuyen más información. Cada niño que quiere recibir la vacuna necesita una forma de permiso, firmado por un padre u otro adulto encargado de el.
Estas clínicas NO son para el público general.

Para más información, llame al Nobles-Rock Community Health Services (507) 295-5272 o haga clic aqui para leer mas sobre la vacuna.
 

Posted by: lgrevas on 15 December 2009 at 1:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: brewster, brewster mn, clinica, h1n1, h1n1 clinics, h1n1 flu vaccine, h1n1 vacuna, luverne, round lake, salud

Noticia importante sobre la vacuna H1N1

El Departamento de Salud en Minnesota (Minnesota Department of Public Health) hará que la vacuna contra la H1N1 estaría disponible a todo el mundo empezando el miércoles. Sin embargo, no hay una cantidad suficiente de vacuna para todos en esta comunidad. Se espera mas envíos en el mes que viene.

Asi que, se enfoquen s en las poblaciones con mas riego por medias de las clinicas locales y las clinicas en las escuelas este mese.

Cualquier vacuna que se queda se despachará en las clinicas comunitarias en el mes siguiente. Por ahora, Nobles-Rock Community Health Services no se acepta citas para la vacuna.
 

Posted by: lgrevas on 14 December 2009 at 4:19 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: clinica, gripe a, gripe porcina, h1n1, h1n1 clinics, h1n1 flu vaccine, vaccine, vacuna

Feliz dia de la Virgen!

A todos mis lectores mexicanos, les deseo un feliz dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe!

CIUDAD DE MÉXICO - Aunque la Iglesia Católica acepta y valida las plegarias por Internet, los feligreses se dividen en apoyarlas o desestimarlas ya que consideran que no es la manera adecuada de recurrir a la Virgen de Guadalupe porque se desvirtúan la fe y la seriedad que debe tener este acto religioso.
 

Para leer el resto del articulo sobre las plegarias virtuales para la Virgen, haga clic aqui.

Que opinan de este articulo?
 

Fuente: Univision.com

Posted by: lgrevas on 12 December 2009 at 9:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: dia de la virgen, fiestas mexicanas, mexico, plegarias virtuales, virgen guadalupe

US-born Hispanics see gains in education, income

By HOPE YEN,Associated Press Writer

 

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Young Hispanics born in the U.S. are less likely to drop out of school and live in poverty than Hispanic immigrants of their age, but they have higher exposure to gangs and violence, an independent research group says.

The study released Friday by the Pew Hispanic Center paints a mixed picture of assimilation for a fast-growing group of U.S. citizens starting to wield their political rights: more education and job advancement, but also social problems.

The survey and analysis of census data found the high school dropout rate among all Hispanic youths ages 16-24 was 17 percent, roughly three times higher than white youths and close to double the rate for black youths. But when looking only at second-generation Hispanics born in the U.S., the dropout rate falls to 8.5 percent, roughly the same as youths of all races.

U.S.-born Hispanics also had improvements in economic well-being. About 29 percent of young immigrant Hispanics lived below the poverty line, more than twice the rate for young whites in a similar age range (13 percent) and about the same as young blacks (28 percent). But among second-generation Hispanics, the figure living below the poverty line improves to 19 percent.

On the other hand, the American-born youths were twice as likely as their immigrant counterparts to have exposure to a gang or have gotten into a fight or carried a weapon in the past year. About 40 percent reported either being a gang member or knowing a friend or relative who was, compared to 17 percent for those who were foreign-born.

Young Hispanics typically reported that their gang contacts were indirect: overall, just 3 percent said they are now or have been a gang member.

The U.S.-born Hispanics also were more likely to be in prison and perceive instances of racial discrimination.

"It is clear that many of today's Latino youths, be they first or second generation, are straddling two worlds as they adapt to the new homeland," according to the Pew report.

The findings come as growing numbers of children and grandchildren of Hispanic immigrants are being born in this country. Currently, two-thirds of Hispanics ages 16-25 are U.S.-born citizens. Due to high birth rates, these U.S. citizens will fuel a doubling of the overall Hispanic population to 30 percent by 2050.

In electoral terms, Latinos have had less clout at the polls than their numbers would suggest.

"Their share of the electorate has not grown nearly as much as their share of the population," said Paul Taylor, director of the Pew Hispanic Center. "Now, with the coming of age of this big generation of U.S.-born children of immigrants, that's all about to change."

The changes could shift the nation's political discourse. According to the study, young U.S.-born Hispanics tend to be less conservative than immigrants, at least on cultural issues. Nearly two-thirds, or 65 percent, of foreign-born youths say abortion should be illegal, compared to 58 percent of those in the second generation and 39 percent in the third generation or higher.

About 40 percent of young foreign-born Hispanics say they attend church weekly, while roughly one-third of Hispanics in the second- and third-generation and higher say the same. On gay marriage, about 40 percent of young immigrants and second-generation Hispanics say they favored it, compared to 52 percent for Hispanics from the third generation and higher.

Other findings:

—Young Hispanic immigrants are less likely to be unemployed than their U.S.-born counterparts, but they are largely confined to lower-skill occupations such as food preparation and serving, grounds cleaning and maintenance and construction.

—Second-generation Hispanic women are less likely than immigrants to give birth as a teen, but rates are still high: 16 percent for second-generation women ages 18 and 19, compared to 26 percent for immigrants. In all, 26 percent of Hispanic women were mothers by the time they reached age 19. That's compared with 22 percent of blacks, 11 percent of whites and 6 percent of Asians.

—U.S.-born Hispanic youths are generally optimistic about their future. About 78 percent of third-generation young Hispanics and 74 percent of those in the second generation say they will be better off than their parents financially. That's compared to about 66 percent for young Hispanic immigrants.

—Three percent of Hispanic men ages 16 to 25 were in prison in 2008, compared with 7 percent of young black men and 1 percent of young white men. U.S.-born Hispanic young men were more likely than their foreign-born counterparts to be incarcerated — 3 percent vs. 2 percent.

Pew based its findings on 2008-2009 data and interviews with 2,012 Hispanics ages 16 and older by cell phone or landline from Aug. 5 through Sept. 16. The survey's margin of error is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points for all respondents, higher for subgroups.

On the Net: Pew Hispanic Center: http://pewhispanic.org/
 

Source: AP Exchange

Posted by: lgrevas on 11 December 2009 at 10:30 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: education, gang, gang violence, hispanic, hispanic americans, incarceration, jail, latino, pew center, poverty

Contratando una compania de mudanzas

Al contratar a una compañía de mudanzas considere estos consejos: Verifique que la
compañía esté autorizada en el estado. La ley de Minnesota requiere que las compañías de mudanzas autorizadas estén aseguradas. Esto lo protegerá en caso de que
alguna de sus posesiones se pierdan o se dañen durante la mudanza. También se requiere
que las compañías cumplan con ciertos requisitos de seguridad. Además deben
tener un local para tratar quejas. Usted siempre puede verificar con el Departamento
de Transporte de Minnesota si su compañía de mudanzas cuenta con una
licencia. También puede pedir consejo a sus amigos. El seleccionar una compañía simplemente porque tiene un anuncio grande en las páginas amarillas puede que no sea la
mejor opción. Esto no garantiza la fiabilidad. Otra cosa que recomendamos es
que usted consiga un presupuesto por escrito.
El recibir un presupuesto por teléfono no es fiable. Usted no debe escoger a una compañía de mudanzas únicamente en base al precio más barato. Los clientes deben verificar con el estado. La compañía de mudanzas está obligada a listar su tarifa por hora al Departamento de Transporte. Algunas compañías le podrían dar un precio más bajo y luego tratar de cobrarle la tarifa que ellos presentaron al estado. Usted puede obtener más
información sobre las tarifas llamando al Departamento de Transporte de
Minnesota.

José Lamas, Extensión de la Universidad de Minnesota
Fuente: La oficina del procurador general de Minnesota

Posted by: lgrevas on 10 December 2009 at 2:24 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: compania, compania de mudanzas, consejos, departamento de trnasporte, licensia, minnesota, presupuesto

Contracting a mover

When hiring a mover consider these tips: Verify that the mover is licensed in the state. Minnesota law requires that licensed movers be insured. This will protect you in case any of your possessions are lost or damaged during the move. Companies are also required to meet certain safety requirements. Also, they should have a structure in place to handle complaints. You can always check with the Minnesota Department of Transportation to check if your mover is fully licensed. You can always ask your friends for advice. Selecting a company just because it has a big ad in the Yellow pages may not be the best option. This does not guarantee trustworthiness. Another thing we recommend that you get a few written estimates. Receiving a telephone estimate is not dependable. You should not choose a mover solely on the cheapest price. Customers should check with the state. The moving company is required to list their hourly rate with the Department of Transportation. Some movers might give you a lower price then might pursue the rate that they had file with the state. You can more information about rates by calling the Minnesota Department of Transportation. (www.dot.state.mn.us)

Jose Lamas, University of Minnesota Extension
Source: Minnesota Attorney General's Office

Posted by: lgrevas on 10 December 2009 at 2:23 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: estimate, license, minnesota department of transportation, minnesota law, mover, moving, transportation

Inside the H1N1 clinic*

Readers, I was recently given a unique and top-secret mission: working as an imbedded journalist in the seedy underbelly of a local H1N1 flu shot clinic.
I arrived for my mission at 4 p.m. Wednesday, sneaking in through the hidden doorway to the gymnasium at Prairie Elementary. There, I was given a vest identifying me as among the needle-wielding troops (though for some reason, my vest was construction-worker orange and said “Usher”).
Because I believe an informed public is an empowered public, I snuck in a secret recorder and video camera to capture the top-secret process of receiving an “influenza vaccine,” more popularly known as a “flu shot.”
Readers, I risk my very relationship with Nobles Rock Community Health Services by revealing this, but I think you have the right to know what goes on in our country’s war against H1N1. Here’s what I saw:
About 45 minutes before the clinic was scheduled to open, parents, already bracing themselves for a battle with their squirmy 4-year-olds, began to line up outside of the gym. Meanwhile, nurse-troops began to set up six stations with mass quantities of scary needles and even scarier plungers filled with a substance they call “flu mist,” but what I learned should be called “sniffle-inducing liquid.”
At 5 p.m., the parentroopers advanced, bringing fussy 6-month-olds to distract our militia. My sergeant told me to direct and deflect; forcing the troops through an elaborate maze we had set up to win Operation Vaccinate and Vacate. For those who have never seen combat on the flu clinic battlefield, here’s the process:
First, the troops must arm themselves with a clipboard and form, answering a series of grueling questions about their child’s health (Is he allergic to eggs?) before advancing to the screening table. There, specialized military forces known as Public Health Rangers, or “Screeners,” direct them to a number of lines designed to weaken their will as their children throw toys, cry and crawl across the gym floor while waiting to undergo a secret process known only to the nurse-troops working behind the “White Curtain.” One of the veteran ushers notices me scribbling down notes and asks if my observances make me want to rethink having children. Lady, you bet your Day-Glo Orange vest it does. I saw one especially brave warrior repeatedly reeling in his boys as he advanced like a French solider in molasses (not very fast), nearly breaking down as he reached the front lines. I was not allowed behind the “White Curtain,” but sources close to the nurse-troops report that is where the vaccines are given. My hidden cameras even captured the young ones being tagged with colorful cartoon stickers after they had received their vaccine. Then, we ushers began phase two of Operation Vaccine and Vacate. This was a tactical nightmare, as many of the parentroopers had to get in a different line for another child’s vaccine; they were not amenable to our efforts to force a hasty retreat to the parking lot. Some of the veteran parentroopers had brought back up to help them divide and conquer. The rest were not so lucky.
Fortunately, it was a bloodless mission, with all parties surviving with their stickers intact. Sgt. Gen. Brad Meyer of the 103rd Nobles Rock Community Health division told me there are more clinic operations planned for the coming weeks.
Sincerely yours ‘til the next battle be fought,
Laura Grevas, wartime correspondent

*DISCLAIMER: The preceeding account is meant to be a humorous and overexaggerated description of a local flu clinic and should in no way be seen as a condemnation of the flu vaccination process. As soon as you are able, please vaccinate yourself and your loved ones!
 

 

Posted by: lgrevas on 07 December 2009 at 4:30 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

Tags: children, h1n1, h1n1 virus, h1n1 clinics, h1n1 flu vaccine, health, immunization, war, worthington

No al boicot contra el Censo

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Una coalición nacional de funcionarios electos, organizaciones sindicales, comunitarias, religiosas y medios de comunicación en español condenó el jueves la idea de boicotear el Censo 2010 para presionar o protestar en favor de una reforma migratoria.

No tiene sentido

"Es ridículo. No se ganan nada con no participar en el censo", puntualizó el alcalde de Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, en una de las seis conferencias de prensa que se realizaron en el país con el fin de anunciar los planes coordinados de la coalición para asegurar el conteo de la mayor cantidad posible de hispanos en el censo.

 

"Un boicot no tendría ningún sentido".

Algunos líderes comunitarios han propuesto boicotear el censo no haciéndose contar, a modo de presionar al gobierno federal para que apruebe una reforma migratoria integral que beneficie a unos 12 millones de indocumentados.

Pero la idea del boicot es como dispararse en el propio pie, pues los propósitos principales del censo son hacerse visibles y conseguir mayor representación, explicó Angélica Salas, directora ejecutiva de la Coalición por los Derechos Humanos de los Inmigrantes en Los Angeles, integrante a su vez de la red "Ya es hora", detrás de la campaña "Ya es hora, ¡Hágase contar!".

"Parte del ser contados tiene que ver con que se nos vea, que reconozcan que pagamos impuestos y que nos asignen los fondos apropiados", indicó Salas, quien como parte de otra campaña nacional aboga por una reforma migratoria integral.

"El censo nos ayuda a saber quiénes somos, quiénes son legales, inmigrantes, hijos de inmigrantes, para así ser representados debidamente".

La información recabada cada 10 años en el censo sirve para que el gobierno asigne fondos para servicios públicos y demarcaciones de distritos políticos, que contribuyen a determinar la tendencia política de un área congresal.

"El censo tiene una relación directa con dólares, fondos del gobierno", explicó el concejal de Los Angeles, Ed Reyes. "Cuanta más gente haya en un área, más representación debe tener".

El conteo nacional a realizarse en abril del 2010 pedirá información privada como nacionalidad pero no preguntará si una persona está ilegal en el país. Aparte, la información recabada no será compartida con ninguna agencia del gobierno.

"No tenga miedo de ser contado, tenga miedo de no ser contado", agregó Reyes.

Los miembros de la coalición resaltaron que irónicamente es el grupo de indocumentados el que es más difícil de contar y hacer participar, por lo que planean realizar una campaña informativa para que se hagan contar, que incluye ayuda para llenar los formularios del censo.

"Todos valemos para ser contados, independientemente de nuestra raza, creencia o estatus migratorio", apuntó el cardenal de Los Angeles Roger Mahony. "El censo es confidencial".

El anuncio ocurre el mismo día que el Departamento de Comercio, que administra la Oficina del Censo, dijo que no pedirá un alto a las redadas migratorias para promover la participación de residentes de comunidades difíciles de contar.

La campaña, que cuenta con el teléfono gratuito y bilingüe 877-El censo, fue anunciada en conferencias de prensa en Washington, Nueva York, Miami, Phoenix, Houston.

La coalición está conformada por organizaciones y empresas como Univision Communications, impreMedia, Instituto del Grupo Hispano del Congreso, Entravision Communications, La Liga de Ciudadanos Latinoamericanos Unidos, la Asociación Nacional de Funcionarios Latinos Electos y Nombrados, el Concejo Nacional de La Raza, y el Sindicato Internacional de Empleados de Servicio.

Fuente: Univision.com y Agencias

Posted by: lgrevas on 03 December 2009 at 4:26 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: antonio villaraigosa, boicotear, censo, gobierno, reforma, reforma migratoria

RI ministers vote to support census boycott

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A coalition of Hispanic church ministers from Rhode Island has voted to support a national boycott of next year's census.

The Hispanic Ministerial Alliance of Rhode Island represents dozens of Latino evangelical churches in the state.

Alliance President the Rev. Eliseo Nogueras says the 14-to-4 vote taken after a two-hour closed meeting in Providence.

He tells The Providence Journal the group will not facilitate the census counting of undocumented immigrants until Congress consider an immigration reform bill.

The National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders is urging undocumented immigrants to boycott Census 2010 as leverage for immigration reform.

Opponents of the boycott say it will leave Latinos underrepresented, and their communities underfunded.

___

Information from: The Providence Journal, http://www.projo.com/
 

Posted by: lgrevas on 03 December 2009 at 4:20 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

Tags: boycott, census, church, clergy, hispanic, immigration, immigration reform, latino, religion

Vacuna H1N1 disponible hoy

Nobles-Rock Community Health Services ha recibido una cantidad limitada de vacuna contra la Gripe A (H1N1) que se ofrecerá para niños entre las edades de seis meses y seis anos que viven en los condados de Nobles y Rock. Se determinaran que forma de la vacuna les sirven a los que quieren vacunarse. La vacuna es gratis y hay interpretes disponibles.
 
Hoy 5-8 p.m. en los gimnasios en Prairie Elementary  

Para mas información sobre estas clínicas, llame al Nobles-Rock Community Health Services at (507) 295-5272.
 

 

Posted by: lgrevas on 02 December 2009 at 1:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: clinicas, gratis, h1n1, h1n1 virus, health, nobles, rock, services, vacuna

American Re-education Week

Remember that old bumper sticker, “If you can read this … thank a teacher”?
When’s the last time you really took that message to heart?
The United States of America boasts one of the highest literacy rates in the world. Ninety-nine percent of all Americans over the age of 15 can read. Students spend an average of 16 years in formal education of some kind.*
Contrary what one might expect, we spend more of our Gross Domestic Product on education (5.3 percent) than we do on military expenditures (4.06 percent).
But head south, and rates begin to drop.
Mexico has a 91 percent literacy rate, still good compared to the world average of 82 percent. Now take that number, and reverse it. Only 28 percent of people in Afghanistan can read.
The average female there gets a whopping four years of education, compared with 16 years for the average American female.
Maybe the sticker should read “If you can read this, thank God you aren’t one of the world’s 785 million illiterate adults,” or “Thank God you weren’t born a woman in one of the eight countries where two-thirds of the world’s illiterate are concentrated,” for your odds of ever learning to read would be even worse there.
I mean those countries no disrespect, but they serve as a reminder of how fortunate we are to have any education at all.
And what do we do with our impressive literacy rate? Our pesky, compulsory education for everyone? Our government’s (misguided though they are) efforts to set national standards for schoolchildren?
Uh… has anyone seen that bumper sticker?
Our educators pour their blood, sweat and, in many cases their own money into giving each child a chance at the kind of success that only comes with knowledge of the basics: reading, writing, ‘rhythmetic, and in more recent years, critical thinking.
But still the schoolyards of the United States are filled with grumbling schoolchildren. How annoying it is to have free public education in a country filled with video games and athletes who make millions but can’t spell their own names!
Our education? We ought to outsource that too, because apparently we don’t want it.
According to a June 2009 article in The Christian Science Monitor, the national on-time graduation rate was 69.2 percent in 2006. That was an improvement from 1996 when only 66.4 percent of students graduated with their class. In some states, like Nevada, the graduation rate is less than 50 percent. Of course, there are mitigating factors --- poverty, learning disabilities and language barriers, to name a few --- but I can’t help but wonder what an Afghan woman would say about a country where nearly 100 percent had the opportunity for a basic education, and only about 7 in 10 took it.
I wonder what “Three Cups of Tea” author Greg Mortenson would say when comparing the children he helps --- those who were scratching their lessons into the dirt in remote Pakistani villages --- to teenagers too busy texting to pay their lessons any attention.
She might remind them just how lucky they are. He might tell them to say thank you.
Last week, American Education Week provided a rare opportunity to do just that, tip our hats to the educators who make the world go round.
While a poor teacher will usually leave students no better or worse, a good teacher will inspire beyond measure. A good teacher doesn’t give up on troublemakers or slow learners --- a good teacher sees a student’s extraordinary talent in art, or music and just builds from there.
Some teachers will see the path their students will take in life, even before the child does.
As a very young girl, I spent way too much time barricaded in my room. I read at least a book a day and kept notebook upon notebook of journals and poems. I didn’t know I would grow up to be a writer, though I had my sneaking suspicions.
I didn’t know until I wrote my first “book” in the fourth grade. Wedged between cardboard scraps covered in peach-colored contact paper, I wove a tale of mystery and intrigue. OK, I actually wrote my own, fully-illustrated version of Humpty Dumpty’s last stand.
But it was enough. A painfully shy child, I grew to love reading my stories to the class, cheered on by the teacher who could see that I was the one child for whom her writing assignments were not just homework.
In high school, I took art classes, struggling to find a medium in which I could excel. My senior year, I dropped out of my advanced art class to pursue an internship at a local public access channel and a job shadow at the Minneapolis Star Tribune. I had my art teacher’s full support. He knew then, as I know now, that I had already found my art form, and it was words.
So let me be the first ex-grumbling schoolchild to say thanks, teachers, from the bottom of my heart.
If you just read this, if you can read anything, thank a teacher. If you can balance your checkbook or replicate Picasso or play Mozart, thank a teacher. If you are anything you are today because of a teacher, take a moment to say thank you.
We may need to be re-educated about just how important education is.
Like our soldiers, our teachers are fighting an uphill battle, though with this battle they seek victory over the ignorance that would keep us in the dark.
And they deserve a 21-pencil salute.
*Source CIA World Factbook

 

Posted by: lgrevas on 29 November 2009 at 1:38 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

Tags: american, education, literacy, literacy awareness day

Noticias de Univision

Noticias del dia

Inmigracion:

 http://www.univision.com/content/content.jhtml?chid=3&schid=278&secid=0&cid=2175861

Cocaina en Ecuador:

http://www.univision.com/contentroot/wirefeeds/50noticias/8086886.shtml

EU Politica:

http://www.univision.com/content/content.jhtml?chid=3&schid=160&secid=0&cid=2176347

Aborto en Mexico:

http://www.univision.com/content/content.jhtml?chid=3&schid=12199&secid=0&cid=2175059

Posted by: lgrevas on 20 November 2009 at 6:07 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: aborto, drogas, estados unidos, inmigracion, mexico, noticias

Violence in schools, killers in the media

Every morning, I roll out of bed and set out to learn something new about someone or something. Another phone call, another interview or budget report to sift through, and it all gets lost in a day’s work.
Until, every once in a while, it doesn’t. Every once in a while, I am sent to cover an event that shakes me to my very core.
Nov. 2 was one of those days. I was privileged to hear Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, one of the world’s foremost experts in the field of human aggression and psychology of combat, tell a group of teachers and other community leaders, how to make their schools a place no killer— as Grossman points out, they are only “shooters” until they kill someone -— would want to mess with.
I was in seventh grade when “Columbine,” as it has come to be known, happened. I remember the saturation of news coverage that followed, but what I remember more is the silent discomfort that settled upon my school the next day. Suddenly, it seemed, the whole country realized feared even, that it could happen to them.
And that, for a little while, was all it took. We were taught to report, and report often, any suspicious activity as a growing number of troubled kids turned to making threats of fights, bombs and shootouts at our suburban secondary school.
By ninth grade, a classmate had threatened to ‘shoot up the school.’ And even after a letter of reassurance from the superinten-dent’s office, I stayed home. So did about half the 1,600-student population of our building.
A few weeks ago, the same classmate added me as a friend on facebook. Curious, I looked at his profile. He was employed and, at least according to his profile, a Christian.
Go figure.
So perhaps he had made the threat to get attention. According to Grossman, many who perpetrate acts of mass violence on schools do so with the knowledge that the massacre will garner nationwide attention.
Though many kill themselves at the end of their shooting sprees, he said their goal is to leave a legacy — one that can be secured only by a noticeable body count and the media’s tendency to turn killers into celebrities.
As a member of the media, I can’t help but wonder if he’s half right. I couldn’t name a single victim of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, but say the names Eric Harris or Dylan Klebold and I know exactly who you are talking about. My mind flashes instantly to an aerial view of the school surrounded by SWAT team members — The same images I saw on television when I was 13 still linger more than a decade later.
Grossman offered other examples of juvenile mass murderers in the public eye: Harris and Klebold have made the cover of TIME — twice, an unlikely feat for anyone else their age; and the Virginia Tech shooter mailed a video of himself to the NBC news in the midst of the massacre.
“He actually picked out his obituary photo. Think about that,” Grossman said. The shooter’s gun-toting self portrait ran on the front page of many newspapers nationwide.
The idea that the media could unintentionally encourage would-be murderers is a disturbing thought.
More disturbing, even, than the horrific incidents of mass murder and molestation at schools that Grossman recalled during his presentation. He does not and will not say the names of the killers. But he will make mention of heroes like Liviu Librescu, the Holocaust survivor and professor who was killed in the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre while protecting his students.
That attitude appealed to me, and it is definitely something I will be aware of if, God forbid, I should ever have to cover such an event.
Grossman, a dynamic speaker by all accounts, is almost startling in his passion for protecting schoolchildren.
And maybe that’s an attitude we all need to adopt.
 

What do you think?

Posted by: lgrevas on 17 November 2009 at 2:00 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

Tags: children, columbine, grossman, juvenille, media, murders, schools, shooters, shooting, threats, violence

Si usted vive en un apartamento compartido

Algunas veces el propietario firmará un contrato de arrendamiento separado para cada
inquilino de un apartamento compartido, pero en la mayoría de los casos, todas las personas que viven en una casa o apartamento de alquiler están bajo el mismo contrato de arrendamiento.

Esto significa que el propietario tiene derecho a la totalidad de la renta y
puede poner una denuncia contra cualquiera de los inquilinos si parte de la
renta no es pagada. Ejemplo: Linda, María y Jen deciden rentar una casa de
Tom. Todos firman un contrato de arrendamiento por seis meses. La renta es de $600
por mes. Cada uno de los arrendatarios paga $200 por mes. Si Jen se muda en el
segundo mes y Linda y María están todavía allí, el propietario todavía
esperará los $600 por mes. María y Linda pagarían $300 cada una. Si María pierde su
trabajo en el quinto mes y sólo puede pagar $100, Linda va a tener que
conseguir el resto de la renta ($500) o Tom podría echar a las dos de la casa.

Sin embargo, Linda y María probablemente le reclamarán a Jen su porción de renta, y María probablemente también le deberá dinero a Linda.

José Lamas, Extensión de la Universidad de Minnesota
Fuente: La oficina del procurador general de Minnesota
 

Posted by: lgrevas on 13 November 2009 at 1:03 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: alquilar, apartamento, arrendamiento, contrato, pagar, propietario, renta

If you have roommates

Sometimes a landlord will sign a separate lease with each tenant in a
shared living arrangement, but most of the time, all the people living in
an apartment or rental house are on the same lease.

One thing this means is that the landlord is entitled to the entire rent
and can take legal action against any of the tenants if part of the rent is
not paid. Example: Linda, Maria and Jen decide to rent a house from Tom.
They all sign a lease for six months. Rent is $600 per month. Each of the
tenants is paying $200 per month. If Jen moves out in the second month and
Linda and Maria are still there, the landlord will still expect $600 per
month. Maria and Linda each pay $300. If Maria loses her job in the fifth
month and can only pay $100, Linda may have to come up with the rest of the
rent ($500) or they could both be evicted by Tom.

However, Linda and Maria will probably have a claim against Jen for her
portion of the rent, and Maria will probably owe money to Linda, too.

Jose Lamas, University of Minnesota Extension
Source: Minnesota Attorney General's Office
 

Posted by: lgrevas on 13 November 2009 at 1:01 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: apartment, house, landlord, lease, rent, university of minnesota

Olson's Financial Planning Tidbit #2

Imagine you’re driving to see a friend in a city you’ve never been to. When you get there, every street looks the same, and you’re all confused! So you decide to call your friend and ask for directions. What’s the first question he/she will ask you? Probably, “Where are you now?”

So it is with financial planning. Reaching financial goals requires you to understand your current financial position. Only then can you make a realistic plan to get where you want to be. Two simple metrics from the field of accounting will help.

Personal Income Statement. Subtract all of your monthly expenses FROM all of your monthly income. If the result is a positive number (a surplus), then you spent less than you earned that month. If the result is a negative number (a deficit), then you spent more than you earned. For now, don’t worry what your number is – just figure it.

For example: A monthly income of $1,500 minus monthly expenses of $1,300 equals a $200 surplus.

Personal Balance Sheet. Subtract the value of all your debt FROM the value of all that you own. Again, you will arrive at either a positive or negative number. A positive number indicates a positive financial net worth; a negative number, a negative net financial worth. Again, don’t worry what your number is now.

Here’s an example:

Everything “Jordan” owns – his assets:

Home ------------------------ $120,000
Car -------------------------- $15,000
Investments ---------------- $30,000
Total Assets $165,000

Everything Jordan owes – his debt:

Mortgage Loan ------------- $120,000
Credit Card ----------------- $6,500
Loan to Uncle -------------- $4,500

Total Debt $131,000

Difference (assets – debts) = $34,000 net financial worth


While it’s important to know what your numbers are, it’s even MORE important to know how much and in what direction these numbers change over time. At my work, I help clients figure these two metrics every 90 days because it reveals what daily, weekly, and monthly money choices are needed to increase their net worth, avoid deficits, and increase surplus cash for use toward specific financial goals, like saving for a family vacation, a donation toward a favorite charity, or their child’s college years.

Using simple math, you can do the same – figure your own personal income statement and balance sheet; repeat the process in 30 days. What does it tell you? Where are you now? What financial direction are you going? Where do you want to be?

 

Source: Peter Olson, Olson Financial Counsel, LLC.

Copyright 2009 Peter Olson
 

Posted by: lgrevas on 11 November 2009 at 1:01 AM | Comments (5) | Permalink

Tags: assets, deficit, expenses, finance, income, money, olson financial counsel, surplus

Consejos financieros #2

Imagínese que usted está conduciendo a ver a un amigo en una ciudad que no conoce. Al llegar allí, cada calle tiene el mismo aspecto, y eso es todo confundido! Así que usted decide llamar a su amigo y pedir direcciones. ¿Cuál es la primera pregunta que él o ella le preguntará usted? Probablemente, "¿Dónde estás ahora?"

Lo mismo ocurre con la planificación financiera. Alcanzar los objetivos financieros requiere que usted entienda su situación financiera actual. Sólo entonces se puede hacer un plan realista para llegar a donde quiere estar. Dos indicadores simples de la esfera de la contabilidad serán de ayuda.

Declaración de Ingresos personales: Restar todos sus gastos mensuales de todos sus ingresos mensuales. Si el resultado es un número positivo (superávit), entonces se gastó menos de lo que ganaba en ese mes. Si el resultado es un número negativo (un déficit), se gastó más de lo que ganó. Por ahora, no te preocupes por lo que es su número — es sólo la figura.

Por ejemplo: un ingreso mensual de $1.500, menos los gastos mensuales de $1.300 es igual a un superávit de $ 200.

“Balance” personal: Restar el valor de la deuda del valor de todo lo que usted posee. Una vez más, se llega a un número positivo o negativo. Un número positivo indica un valor neto financiero positivo, un número negativo, un patrimonio financiero neto negativo. De nuevo, no te preocupes por el número.

Les doy un ejemplo:

Todo lo que "José" tiene - sus activos:

Inicio ------------------------ $ 120.000
Carro -------------------------- $ 15.000
Inversiones ---------------- $ 30.000
Total Activo $ 165.000

Todo lo que debe José - su deuda:

Préstamo hipotecario ------------- $ 120.000
Tarjeta de crédito ----------------- $ 6.500
Préstamo a tío -------------- $ 4.500

Deuda total $ 131.000

Diferencia (activos — créditos) = $ 34.000 el patrimonio financiero neto


Si es importante saber cuáles son sus números, es aún más importante saber cuánto y en qué sentido estos números cambian por tiempo. En mi trabajo, ayudo a los clientes con la calculación de estos dos números cada 90 días, porque revela los opciones de dinero que se necesita para aumentar su patrimonio neto, evitar el déficit y superávit de efectivo para aumentar el uso hacia objetivos financieros específicos, como ahorrar para una vacación en familia, una donación a una organización de caridad favorita, o la universidad de sus hijos.

Usando las matemáticas simples, usted puede hacer lo mismo - la figura de su propia declaración de la renta personal y el “balance” personal; repetir el proceso en 30 días. ¿Qué le dice usted? ¿Dónde está ahora? ¿En qué dirección financiera va? ¿Dónde quiere estar?

Fuente: Peter Olson, Olson Financial Counsel LLC
Derechos reservados 2009 Peter Olson
 

Posted by: lgrevas on 11 November 2009 at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: consejos, deuda, dinero, financiero, ingresos personales, matematicas

Se busca ayuda con Futbol y Exploración (Scouting)

El distrito 518 busca a dos asesores que están interesados en trabajar con los programas del fútbol y Scouting para los niños. Este programa tiene como propósito atraer a los chicos inmigrantes.

Descripción del Posición:
10 horas cada semana, incluyendo fines de semana y algunas horas de la tarde
Debe ser bilingüe (Español/Inglés).
Salario: $13/hora

Actividades:
Preparar y dirigir las actividades de programa Fútbol y Exploración en reuniones semanales y quincenales.
Ayudar con la contratación de entrenadores de fútbol y exploración y organizar los equipos.
Ayudar con la creación de un calendario para equipos de fútbol y los Scouts.
Distribuir material promocional en el área de Worthington.
Mantener registros de los logros para el rango de Cub Scout.

Si desea más información o si desea aplicar, por favor contacte a Erin Lawrence antes del 20 de noviembre. Se puede contactarle por teléfono, 727-1273, o envíe una carta a la siguiente dirección:

Erin Lawrence
District 518 Community Education
117 11th Ave., Suite #3
Worthington, MN 56187
 

Posted by: lgrevas on 10 November 2009 at 10:47 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: actividades, bilingue, boy scouts, communtiy education, district 518, emleado, futbol, scouting, soccer

Help needed for Community Ed. soccer/scouting program

District 518 Community Education is currently looking for two youth program aides who are interested in working with soccer and scouting for boys and girls in grades K-5th grades. This program has been designed to attract Latino and other immigrant youth.

Program Aide Position Description:

Approximately 10 hours per week, including weekend and some evening hours
Must be bilingual (Spanish/English).
Hourly wage of $13/hour

Prepare and lead activities for Soccer and Scouting program in weekly/biweekly meetings.
Help committee recruit coaches for Soccer and Scouting dens/packs and organize into teams.
Help committee create game schedule for Soccer and Scouting teams.
Distribute promotional materials in the Worthington area.
Maintain records of Cub Scout achievements toward rank.

 

If you would like more information or if you want to apply, please contact Erin Lawrence by Nov. 20. You can reach her by phone, 727-1273, or by sending a letter to the address below:

Erin Lawrence
District 518 Community Education
117 11th Ave., Suite #3
Worthington, MN 56187
 

Posted by: lgrevas on 09 November 2009 at 11:45 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: community education, employment, jobs, latino, scouting, soccer

Un arbol que se llama 'Esperanza'

Salió de la nada.
Un lunes por la mañana, hace unas semanas, mis compañeros de trabajo y yo sentíamos que hubo algo diferente en la sala de redacción.
Y entonces lo vimos.
Ubicado entre un escritorio y el equipo de foto era un árbol de 2.5 metros que se puede describir, a lo mejor, como un árbol de palma anémico. Los dos delgados del árbol, con ramas de color blanco-gris, se extendió hacia arriba en forma de un ‘V,’ hasta sus hojas largas de verde oscuro. Las dos ramas, al parecer, propensas a la división de distancia, habían sido atadas entre sí por una cinta de Velcro.
Pero ¿de quién era? ¿De dónde había salido?
El misterio consumó nuestra junta de personal y la investigación continuó durante todo el día.
Finalmente, aprendimos que el árbol nos "regaló" el departamento de recursos humanos del Daily Globe. Sus hojas largas había alcanzado el techo de una oficina en la planta baja, y por eso fue movido: un experimento para determinar la altura que podría crecer con los límites más elevados de la sala de redacción.
Renunció a hacer algo con un árbol que Charlie Brown podría rechazar, los periodistas protestaron.
"Bueno, no podemos dejarlo ahí,” resoplaron.
"Me lo llevo", dije yo. Mi escritorio en la esquina ya me quita el contacto visual con casi todos mis compañeros, que tenga un árbol para hacerme compañía, pensé.
Como el árbol de Navidad de Charlie Brown, mi amigo adoptivo pronto comenzó a arrojar sus hojas, amarillentas pedacitos de que caigan sobre mí mientras trabajaba en mi escritorio. ¡Por supuesto! Pensé. Ya a salvo de cualquier apariencia de sol, tal vez mi árbol también fue sed. Encontré una jarra de plástico para agua, y comencé a guardarla al lado del árbol.
El árbol dejó de derramar mucho, y nos dirigimos nuestra atención a un nombre para nuestro nuevo bebé.
"Phillip?" Sugirió uno. "Prefiero ‘Lolita’", insistí.
Creo que fue Beth que sugirió que lo se llamamos ‘Esperanza,’ "Porque es un árbol de la esperanza,” dijo ella.
Estamos satisfechos. Tomé una hojita de papel, escribió "Esperanza", Es un árbol de la esperanza ", con un marcador verde y pegué mi signo a la cinta de Velcro. Seguimos de normal, prestando poca atención a nuestro compañero de trabajo callado.
Era el viernes pasado que Esperanza se volvió loco.
Yo acababa de sentarme para hacer las llamadas a las oficinas de la policía local, cuando oí un ruido tenue detrás de mí. Mire detrás justo a tiempo para ver Esperanza majestuoso, nuestro árbol anémico, derrocar al suelo con estrépito tal que salté de mi escritorio para ver qué ocurrió.
Llamé a Editor Ryan, "Oy, no vas a creer lo que acabó de suceder."
Para empeorar las cosas, Esperanza había llevado con ella mi jarra de agua, dejando un charco de agua y mugre entre mi escritorio y la pared. Mientras luchaba para ponerla en posición vertical, Ryan fue a buscar un vacío.
Diez minutos más tarde, había sacado un poco de agua con toallas de papel, pero sólo consiguió agravar la situación por incrustar la mugre, que aun no era seca — en la alfombra.
Me sentía como un niño con leche derramada como Ryan contempló la escena, la cabeza en las manos.
Hace unos momentos, él estaba cantando alegremente al tema "Raspberry Beret" en su oficina, mientras yo escuche con una sonri-sa. Cantar los viernes por la noche se ha convertido en algo de una tradición.
Y Esperanza, el árbol con el nombre más irónico en el mundo, había silenciado la voz angelical de Ryan.
"Este", declaró Ryan, como suele decir, "es un desastre total y absoluta".
Gracias Esperanza, muchas gracias. 

(Foto abajo) 
 

 

Posted by: lgrevas on 04 November 2009 at 11:24 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: arbol, esperanza

A tree called Esperanza

PHOTO BY BRIAN KORTHALS/DAILY GLOBE

It came out of nowhere.
One Monday morning about a month ago, my co-workers and I could sense that something was different about the newsroom.
And then we saw it.
Nestled between the sports desk and the photo computer was an eight-foot tree that can be described best, though I’m sure inaccurately, as a rather anemic- looking palm tree. The tree’s, two thin, whitish-grey branches spread upward in a V-shaped pattern, giving way to bladelike dark green leaves. The two branches, apparently prone to splitting apart, had been tethered together by some green Velcro tape.
But whose was it? Where had it come from?
The mystery consumed our staff meeting and the investigation continued throughout the day.
Eventually, we learned the tree had been a “gift” from the Globe’s human resources department. Its long leaves had reached the ceiling in an office downstairs, so it was moved: an experiment to determine how tall it could grow with the newsroom’s higher ceilings.
Resigned to dealing with a tree even Charlie Brown might reject, the reporters protested.
“Well, we can’t leave it there,” they huffed.
“I’ll take it,” I offered. My corner desk already bars me from visual contact with almost everyone in the newsroom, I might as well have a tree to keep me company, I reasoned.
Like Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree, my adopted friend soon began shedding its leaves, yellowed bits of them falling on me as I worked at my desk. Of course! I thought. Already shielded from any semblance of sunshine, perhaps my tree was also thirsty. I rummaged through the Globe’s lounge and emerged with a plastic pitcher of water, which I began to store alongside the tree.
The tree stopped shedding so much, and we turned our attention to a name for our new baby.
“Phillip?” Suggested one. “I prefer Lolita,” I insisted.
I think it was Beth who suggested we name the tree Esperanza, the Spanish word for hope. “Because it’s a hopeful tree,” she said.
We were sold. I grabbed a nearby piece of scrap paper, wrote “Esperanza, “It’s a hopeful tree” with a large green marker and taped my sign to the Velcro tether. We went about our business, paying little attention to our silent co-worker.
It was last Friday night that Esperanza went rogue.
I had just sat down to make the nightly calls to area sheriffs’ offices, when I heard a faint rustling behind me. I turned just in time to see majestic Esperanza, our anemic tree of hope, topple to the ground with such a clatter that I sprang from my desk to see what was the matter.
I called to Editor Ryan, of “Tales from the Chief” fame, “Uh, you’re not going to believe what just happened.”
To make matters worse, Esperanza had taken my water pitcher with her, leaving a pool of water and spilt soil between my desk and the wall. As I struggled to put Esperanza upright again, Ryan went to fetch a vacuum.
Ten minutes later, I had sopped up some of the water with paper towels, but only managed to exacerbate the situation by grounding the not-yet-dry dirt into the carpeting.
I felt like a little kid with spilt milk as Ryan surveyed the scene, head in hands.
Just moments earlier, he had been gleefully singing along to “Raspberry Beret” in his office as I listened with bemusement. Friday night sing-alongs have become somewhat of a tradition.
And Esperanza, the worlds most ironically named tree, had silenced Ryan’s angelic voice.
“This,” declared Ryan, as he often does, “is a complete and utter debacle.”
Thanks Esperanza, thanks a lot.
 

 

Posted by: lgrevas on 04 November 2009 at 10:18 AM | Comments (5) | Permalink

Tags: daily globe, esperanza, hope, newsroom, tree

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