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Suffering from Back, Shoulder, Hip or Knee Pain? Don’t Miss Dinner-with-the-Docs Program on Orthopedic Problems, Solutions

2012-05-23T18:00:00Z

Chicago, Ill. – May 23, 2012 – Diagnosing and treating orthopedic problems – including back, shoulder, hip and knee pain – will be the focus of “All Right Now!,” a Dinner-with-the-Docs program sponsored by Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center (SMEMC). The buffet-dinner program will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on June 13 at Prasino, 1846 W. Division St., Chicago.

“All Right Now!” will feature four board-certified physicians from SMEMC. The doctors will present the latest information on diagnostics and procedures to help individuals get back to doing the things they enjoy. They will discuss common sports injuries and advanced minimally invasive procedures to treat orthopedic conditions. Other topics include preventive methods to protect the body’s major joints and how to work with your primary care physician to avoid orthopedic problems.

SMEMC speakers include:

Gabriel Levi, M.D., orthopedic surgery, completed his fellowship in joint reconstruction and sports medicine at the Insall Scott Kelly Institute in New York. He specializes in hip, knee and shoulder problems.

Roger Lichtenbaum, M.D., neurological surgery, completed his residency and a fellowship at New York University. He specializes in spine and back problems.
Noel Rubio, M.D., internal medicine, completed his residency at Saint Louis University – with expertise in primary care.
Joseph Sheehan, M.D., is board-certified in both orthopedic surgery, and physical medicine and rehabilitation. He completed his residency at the Mayo Clinic in Minn. He specializes in ankle, foot, hip, knee and shoulder problems.

“This program will feature excellent information for individuals who are suffering needlessly from a wide range of orthopedic problems,” said Margaret McDermott, CEO/executive vice president, SMEMC. “Our specialists will cover back, shoulder, hip and knee issues – including how to prevent injuries and surgically treat painful conditions so patients regain their health.”

The program will include a buffet dinner, exhibits, blood pressure and foot-plate analysis screenings, and an opportunity to talk with physicians. Tickets are $25 per person. Registration is required by calling 877-RES-INFO (877-737-4636) or registering online at http://smemc.reshealth.org/spirit

About Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center (SMEMC)

SMEMC is a premier medical center on Chicago’s near northwest side and includes the: Saint Mary Campus, 2233 W. Division St., and Saint Elizabeth Campus, 1431 N. Claremont Ave. For 2012, HealthGrades named SMEMC one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for general surgery and gastrointestinal (GI) care. For three years in a row (2010-2012), SMEMC was among the top 5 percent of U.S. hospitals for clinical performance – earning HealthGrades’ Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence Award™. The Saint Mary Campus is certified as a Primary Stroke Center and accredited as a Chest Pain Center. The hospital specializes in cardiac care, digestive diseases, emergency services, neuroscience services, obstetrics, primary care, behavioral health and wound healing. SMEMC also ranks No. 22 in "U.S. News & World Report” in the Chicago metro area. Visit our website at smemc.reshealth.org.

About Provena Health – Resurrection Health Care, Now Joined as Presence Health

SMEMC is part of Presence Health, a family of Catholic, not-for profit, healthcare services providing advanced medical care and exceptional service with compassion and hope. With locations in Chicago and its collar counties, as well as in East-Central Illinois, it is the largest Catholic health provider in Illinois, encompassing 12 hospitals, 27 long term care and senior residential facilities, numerous outpatient services, clinics, home health services, hospice, private duty, and comprehensive Behavioral Health services. Presence Health is sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart, the Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary, the Sisters of the Holy Family, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas and the Sisters of the Resurrection. Visit www.provenaresurrection.org to learn more.

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Tell your State Rep. to vote no on HB4277- House Floor Amendment No. 1 as Proposed

2012-05-24T16:42:56Z

West Side advocate and community development consultant Valerie Leonard is urging residents to take a stand against a bill she says will decrease funding for neighborhood public schools.

In the News: CTU rally gets city's attention

2012-05-24T13:30:25Z

In an impressive show of force and fighting spirit, the Chicago Teachers Union staged what it called a "historic" rally Wednesday at the Auditorium Theatre that was followed by a 6,500-strong march to CPS headquarters.

Here are media reports on the rally:

To read Catalyst's tweets from the CTU rally on Storify, click here.

CTU has a striking photo from the rally on its Facebook page. Taken from the stage, it shows CTU President Karen Lewis looking out onto a sea of red-shirted union members.

Thousands of Chicago Public Schools teachers jammed the streets of downtown Chicago Wednesday afternoon, where their union held a rousing rally. The show of force comes as the Chicago Teachers Union and school district are locked in contract negotiations, and as a vote authorizing a strike seems increasingly likely. (WBEZ)

Thousands of Chicago Teachers Union members held a boisterous rally at the Auditorium Theatre on Wednesday afternoon, with many teachers showing support for a possible strike in the fall. (Catalyst)

Mayor Rahm Emanuel bore the brunt of criticism from angry teachers who filled the Auditorium Theatre on Wednesday to make clear their unhappiness with the administration's efforts to overhaul public education in Chicago. (Tribune)

Board of Education members granted the wishes of two organized community groups in making polar opposite decisions about newly-built schools. South Shore International College Prep will have no neighborhood boundaries, starting in September. Meanwhile, a new elementary school at 48th and Rockwell will be reserved for attendance-area students. (Catalyst)

Barbara Byrd-Bennett, former Cleveland public schools CEO, was hired Wednesday to act as “chief education advisor” to Chicago Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard and to temporarily fill the gap left by the resignation of Chief Education Officer Noemi Donoso. (Sun-Times)

DePaul and Loyola universities to partner with two Chicago high schools to provide high-caliber choices designed to stop middle-class families from fleeing to the suburbs. DePaul will join forces with Microsoft to help Lake View High School make the conversion to one of five so-called STEM high schools specializing in science, technology, engineering and math. Loyola University will help Senn High School make the leap to one of five neighborhood high schools devoted exclusively to the rigorous International Baccalaureate diploma program tailor-made to prepare students for college. (Sun-Times)

IN THE STATE
Oak Park School District 97 appointed Sam LeDeaux as the new principal of Horace Mann Elementary, where the current principal is stepping down following allegations of improper ISAT testing procedures. (Trib Local)

The number of minority teachers in Rockford Public Schools is below the national average while District 205 has a large minority student population. (WIFR.com)

IN THE NATION
Mitt Romney said Tuesday that under a K-12 education plan that he's proposing, federal education funds will follow every low-income or disabled American child so that he or she can attend any school in the state, including private ones. (ABS News)

The economic downturn seems to have worsened an already vast gap between the numbers of men and women teachers, particularly in the early grades. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2011 Current Population Survey, men make up only 18.3 percent of elementary and middle school teachers and 2.3 percent of preschool and kindergarten instructors—a dip from the 2007 prerecession proportions of 19.1 percent in grades 1 to 8 and 2.7 percent in preschool and kindergarten. (Education Week)

Academic outcomes improve for quiet students when there's less pressure to speak up, according to experts. (Education Week)

Brazilian Immigrants Find Comfort in Faith, Native Language

2012-05-24T05:00:22Z

MELROSE PARK, Ill. – For some, a person’s cultural identity is defined by their skin color, political affiliation and often, by their sports team. For a few dozen Brazilians living in the Chicago suburbs, that identity comes mainly from their birthplace, family roots and religious background. The group of about 40 Roman Catholic immigrants from Brazil who get together twice a month at the St. Charles Borromeo church here in west suburban Melrose Park say it’s all about feeling connected to their faith and their people. “I think most of us miss the warmth of our family and friends in Brazil,” said Luci Mara Tonon, 67, who is originally from the southern Brazilian state of Paraná. “Here we get a chance to travel back to our home country, even if just for a few hours.” The mass spoken in Brazilian Portuguese started in 1993, soon after an event promoted by the Consulate of Brazil in Chicago to celebrate Brazil’s Independence Day was held at Holy Name Cathedral, in the city’s downtown. There, a few Brazilian Catholics got in touch, and decided to form the community. In almost 18 years of gathering, the group has seen many come and go, but [...]

Brazilian Immigrants Find Comfort in Faith, Native Language

Community screening of documentary On The Front Line

2012-05-24T02:39:55Z

The film, which shows the consequences of violence and focuses on solutions to the community's problems, was the first of several planned on the West Side.

CTU shows strength at rally

2012-05-24T01:54:54Z

To read tweets from this event on Storify, click here. For Catalyst Chicago’s interactive timeline of the negotiations and possible next steps, click here.

Thousands of Chicago Teachers Union members held a boisterous rally at the Auditorium Theatre on Wednesday afternoon, with many teachers showing support for a possible strike in the fall.

Union officials announced on Tuesday that a strike vote would likely be taken before the end of the year and that 95 percent of the members who voted in a union survey would reject the current CPS proposal. CPS argues, however, that the union is inaccurately portraying the district’s offer to teachers.

“We respect our teachers and the work they do on behalf of our kids every day. They deserve a raise for that work, but our children can’t afford a strike. That’s why we are working with an independent negotiator to find a compromise proposal that fairly compensates our teachers and starts the school year on time,” schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard said in a statement.

Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers, was among those who spoke at the rally.

“The next time I come back… I want to see a fair contract,” she said. “I come to you for, and with the support of, 1.5 million people. If all those with silver spoons in their mouths can get help, what about the children of this city and the people who educate them?”

Weingarten said that she had just come from a conference on labor-management collaboration an hour away where 100 districts were represented. “But here in the second city of America, we have to rally to even be heard,” she said. “I will come back every time you need me.”

Earlier at the board of education meeting, the advocacy group Stand for Children held a press conference featuring parents who don’t want to see a strike occur.

Michael Butz, who has a son at Disney, said that if the teachers strike, parents will be left scrambling to figure out what they should do with their children. Like many, both Butz and his wife work.

“I am frustrated and disappointed with the rhetoric,” he said. “It does not help the children…. My son wants to be in school succeeding and learning.”

Harold Trujillo, a parent of two, added: “The talk of a strike brings stress to families and to people. In the name of the parents come together in a humble way.”

Stand for Children, which is a national organization with a local chapter, pushed for the passage of Senate Bill 7. The bill establishes a process for calling a strike and requires 75 percent of the teacher union membership authorize a strike. Currently, CPS and CTU are in the fact-finding stage of the process in which an independent arbitrator considers both proposals and issues a report. That report is due by July 15.

Stand for Children Chicago Director Juan Jose Gonzalez said that the organization thinks it is disingenuous for teachers to call a strike authorization vote before the fact-finding report is released.

“It is not true to the process,” he said.

CTU officials have said the high threshold for approval of a strike authorization vote forces them to schedule it before the end of the school year. Waiting until the summer would make it difficult, if not impossible, to get all members to vote. The way the law works a non-vote is essentially a “no” vote.

Gonzalez would not speak to whether the Senate Bill 7 inadvertently created the need for an imminent strike authorization vote. Instead, he insisted the bill’s purpose was to make the process more transparent.

Teachers at the rally were given stickers and hand-held red paper fans that doubled as signs, with check marks in boxes on them -- likely an allusion to a coming strike vote – next to the phrases “YES to small class sizes” and “YES to well-funded neighborhood schools.” Popcorn and union T-shirts were on sale in the lobby.

When CTU President Karen Lewis took the stage, the entire auditorium shook with stomping feet. “Why are we here?” she asked the crowd, part way through her speech. “Strike!” someone yelled, and it became a chant – “Strike! Strike! Strike!”

Lewis then mocked CPS officials and Mayor Emanuel. “I think it’s very interesting that the spokesmodel for CPS says we are being too aggressive,” she says. She recounted old anecdotes that accused Emanuel of swearing at her, and made fun of Emanuel saying, over and over, “I want the school day long.”

“They took $600 million out of the capital budget,” Lewis complained. “They don’t intend to fix anything.”

The rally was followed by a 6,500-strong march to CPS headquarters that joined with a protest of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

Amy Dollarhite, a 9^th-grade math teacher at TEAM Englewood Academy, said she came to the rally because “our union rep at school told us about this, that it was important for us to come and stand up for our rights.”

She added: “We’d like to be treated with the same respect as any other professionals. I don’t know any lawyer or doctor [office] that stays open more hours without being paid for it.”

Sheila Finley, a teacher at Jamieson Elementary, echoed a concern of many older teachers that “I’ve spent a lot of time and money to be educated and be a better teacher… [but] everything I worked for to earn, like my [stored-up sick] days, I’m going to lose all that.”

As members filed into the theater, a video showed CTU members reminiscing about past strikes, and members stood up and started clapping to an old-style version of “Solidarity Forever.” When “We Shall Not Be Moved” played, the video switched to a slideshow of the union’s leadership. Next, the video segued into pop hits like “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” and slideshows of CTU pickets.

CTU Recording Secretary Kristine Mayle argued that Chicago Board of Education members “want to turn teaching into a low-wage, high-turnover profession.”

“I am willing to do whatever is necessary to ensure our members get a fair contract – are you?” she asked the audience.

“Yes,” the theater bellowed.

One video that played had messages of support from leaders of Chicago’s SEIU and UNITE-HERE locals. Another showed parents and other Chicagoans talking about the positive impact of teachers on their lives.

Speakers from 19^th Ward Parents and Raise Your Hand also appeared at the rally. Raise Your Hand’s Matt Farmer, in a fiery speech, noted that the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools have seven fine arts teachers. He also quoted the schools’ director criticizing standardized testing and praising teacher unions.

Later, Illinois Federation of Teachers President Dan Montgomery spoke in support of the CTU. “When the current fight is over you will be prouder than you ever have before; you will have more power than you ever had before,” he said, his voice drowned out by cheering.

Community groups get their wish for South Shore, Brighton Park schools

2012-05-23T21:56:38Z

Board of Education members granted the wishes of two organized community groups in making polar opposite decisions about newly-built schools.

South Shore International College Prep will have no neighborhood boundaries, starting in September. Meanwhile, a new elementary school at 48^th and Rockwell will be reserved for attendance-area students.

These decisions are the culmination of battles that began long before the current administration and board. They also show how different communities and parents look at schools in the current environment regarding choice.

Last winter, the debate over who would get to attend the building at the corner of 75^th Street and Jeffrey Boulevard was raging. On one side were parents and current students at the old South Shore buildings, where four small high schools were housed. They desperately wanted to attend the shiny new school.

On the other side were community members who wanted a selective enrollment school, considering it the only way to have a fresh start.

At the time, the CPS administration went with a compromise. The school would have two small specialty programs that would start with a new freshman class, but the majority of the students--61 percent--would come from the neighborhood.

Community activists told board members that the arrangement is not working out. They applauded the decision to keep the International Baccalaureate and career and technical education programs, but to reserve the other half of the seats for students chosen through the selective enrollment process. Though students must apply for IB and CTE programs, the threshold for acceptance is lower.

Students who currently live in the South Shore High School attendance boundary will now be sent to Chicago Vocational Career Academy, a school that has been struggling for a long time but is slated to become a turnaround this year. No parents or community members opposed to this plan spoke at the board meeting.

LaShawn Brown told the board members that there are enough high-achieving neighborhood students to support a selective enrollment high school. The current problem is that they are all leaving, she said. Though she lives only a block and a half away from the new school, Brown drives her child to a selective enrollment high school in another community.

“It is a very great burden on parents,” she said.

She and others told the board that in order to make it work, South Shore International College Prep would need resources and a strategy to create a new brand image for the school. The change will take effect starting in September 2012. CPS will now send letters to students who applied for selective enrollment seats, but didn’t get one, to see if they are interested in attending South Shore International College Prep, said Chief Portfolio Officer Oliver Sicat.

While the community members in South Shore wanted a selective school, those in Brighton Park insisted that there be no barriers to neighborhood students attending their new school.

As far back as the administration of Paul Vallas, community members were pleading for a new school. Shields, at 4250 S. Rockwell, has long been one of the city’s biggest and most overcrowded schools. Currently, Shields has 1,800 students spread across three buildings, one of them an old Catholic school four blocks away.

As it often does, it took more than a decade to secure plans and funds and to get a school onb the drawing board.

Then, this year, just as the building was being completed, parents heard rumors that UNO's charter school network was collecting signatures in an effort to open up a campus in the building. Patrick Brosnan, executive director of the Brighton Park Neighborhood Association, says Ald. Edward Burke told parents and community members it was a done deal.

“The political threat was real,” says Brosnan. Brighton Park Neighborhood Association runs a community school inside Shields.

Parents and community members decidedly didn’t want a charter school. They wanted this new state-of-the-art school to be available to all the students in the community, not just ones chosen in the lottery. And they wanted to make sure that Shields reaped the benefits in that the crowding was relieved.

Lead by Brighton Park Neighborhood Association, parents waged a campaign against the prospect of UNO moving in. They let CPS officials know that they would have a battle on their hands.

“This would have been a very, very big deal,” Brosnan said.

Two weeks ago, in front of a meeting attended by 450 parents, CPS officials announced that they were recommending the school be a neighborhood middle school.

“This way all the neighborhood children get to go to this school,” he says.

In other business, the board voted to close achievement academies, programs for over-aged 8th graders who are not ready for high school. Achievement academies were created as a result of stringent promotion policies announced by then-Mayor Richard Daley in 1996. The policies resulted in thousands of students not graduating from 8th grade, though they were 15 years old or older.

Housed in traditional high schools, the programs were supposed to help students complete elementary school and get them ready to transition into regular high school as juniors. However, the drop-out rate for achievement academy students is high, and on other measures they continue to lag behind.

Starting this summer, over-aged 8th graders will go to an intensive four-week program and then into their freshman year of high school.

Over the years, CPS’ promotion policy has been weakened. College and Career Pathways Officer Akeisha Craven said that CPS has learned that, while retention has some short-term benefits, it doesn’t help in the long run.

Gov. Pat Quinn and Italian Prime Minister Emphasize Italian-American Business Partnership

2012-05-23T22:58:28Z

Gov. Pat Quinn and Chicago’s main political heads welcomed Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti in a private ceremony at Loyola campus last Saturday and discussed the importance of Italian-American business partnership. Monti said he was proud to meet the international leaders in Chicago, because Chicago is a great city and it’s where President Barack Obama spent big part of his life. “Chicago is an outstanding city for business, culture, arts and politics,” he said. Monti said he is proud of the activity of the Italian community in Chicago and emphasize the importance of keeping a strong partnership between the two countries. Gov. Pat Quinn said in a private interview that it’s an honor for Illinois to have so many people coming from different countries, and in particular from Italy. He encouraged investors to consider the state of Illinois for their business. “People of Illinois are very friendly, they are hardworking, people who understand family and education. And that’s a good place to invest,” he said. Quinn said the partnership between Italy and the U.S. is an important aspect of Illinois. He said the alliance between Chrysler and Fiat Group has brought many jobs to Illinois, and next summer the number [...]

Gov. Pat Quinn and Italian Prime Minister Emphasize Italian-American Business Partnership

Teacher’s Union marches downtown after School Board meeting

2012-05-23T23:00:00Z

After the Chicago Public School Board held its final meeting of the 2011-2012 school year, thousands of teachers rallied downtown, hoping that the public—and the mayor—would listen.

Photo exhibit examines women as warriors

2012-05-24T10:00:20Z

In an election season already filled with glamorous celebrities taking up sides in the political campaign, one woman and her band from Omaha, Neb,. have an idea that's the antithesis of the name-calling and accusations that will fly across the aisle. She wants to reinvent the image of strong women doing good work as leaders in their communities. A total of 66 women from across the country, including some from the Chicago area and some with high-profile names, have posed in warrior-like stances unique to their style, highlighting their fight for a better world. They call themselves the New Revolutionists.  

Turkey: Bringing back the alliance?

2012-05-24T10:00:21Z

As an economic crisis hits Europe, Turkey emerges as a strong economic alliance partner.

Caring for aging parents: growing trend for Americans, old tradition for Chinese

2012-05-24T10:00:14Z

An increasing number of Americans provide long-term care for their parents. Taking care of aging parents generates a lot of stress but a nursing home is often not the best solution for aging people. Caring for aging parents is quite common in Chinese culture. Despite some pressure, the way Chinese adult children view this responsibility may offer a role model for others.

Is NATO over? Out-moded? Past its usefulness? Not by a longshot, which is why it was in Chicago

2012-05-24T10:00:19Z

The U.S. has led NATO efforts since its inception. It’s time for Europe to shape up. As the U.S. ends operations by 2014 in Afghanistan, the U.S. is now reorienting itself to Asia-Pacific, leaving alliance members to hang. But NATO experts say the alliance is still relevant, alive and kicking. The Chicago summit proved that to critics and others.

Chicago’s rising murder rate is troubling for another reason: The danger it poses to education

2012-05-24T10:00:16Z

Chicago is on pace for 500 murders this year for only the second time in nine years. Violence of this sort, especially when concentrated in neighborhoods, affects the entire community, including its children and their ability to learn.

NATO Summit: “Protest the Global 1%” (VIDEO)

2012-05-23T21:23:54Z

On May 18, 2012, registered nurses, renowned musician Tom Morello, labor, community, and Occupy Wall Street activists gather to call for a “robin hood” tax on financial institutions and a stop in cuts to social services, kicking off protests on the eve of the NATO summit in Chicago.

NATO Summit: “Protest the Global 1%” (VIDEO)

FREE FAMILY MURAL DAY!

2012-05-23T18:00:00Z

You're invited to our 1st Annual Family Day!

Architreasures and IPRAC have collaborated with master artists Antonio Martorell, Beto Torrens, Anabel Vazquez-Rodriguez and John Vergara to inspire you to create a mural with your family. This will be a fun family activity for all. The murals will be displayed along the fence at IPRAC for the 34th Annual Puerto Rican People's Parade & Fiestas Patronales.

We look forward to seeing you on
Sunday, June 3rd from 11am - 3pm!

Please register below and share with your family and friends. For more information call Architreasures at 773.772.4416

Sincerely,

The Institute of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture and Architreasures

Westside Musical Festival presents free summer concert series beginning next month in Austin

2012-05-23T16:39:49Z

The three-part event, running from June to August at Columbus, Douglas and Garfield parks, will feature local acts, gospel choirs and artists Musiq Soulchild and Syleena Johnson.

Carlos Fuentes: el novelista que descubrió lo mexicano

2012-05-23T18:00:00Z

Casi al inicio de mis cursos de preparatoria, me encontré con La región más transparente, de Carlos Fuentes. Es el escritor que, en mi opinión, ha sido el mejor en definir al mexicano y su realidad, no sólo su tragedia; más bien confrontando lo que es una desgracia a veces, también una celebración y una constante de lucha por la supervivencia y en busca de una identidad.

“En México no hay tragedia: todo se vuelve afrenta. Afrenta, esta sangre que me punza como filo de maguey. Afrenta, mi parálisis desenfrenada que todas las auroras tiñen de coágulos. Y mi eterno salto mortal hacia mañana. Juego, acción, fe – día a día, no sólo el día del premio o del castigo: veo mis poros oscuros y sé que me lo vedaron abajo, abajo, en el fondo del lecho del valle…”

Es una cita tomada de La región más transparente, que refleja al mexicano después de la Revolución, en una ciudad que entraba a la modernidad traída por Miguel Alemán, el presidente que abrió el país al capital extranjero, lo cual trajo como práctica diaria la corrupción, el robo, el saqueo y el soborno. Con este libro, Fuentes Inauguró en Mexico la novela moderna del Siglo XX.

Hoy añoramos la región más transparente, el México de ayer que quizás sólo podemos recapturar en las canciones de Chava Flores, el cantautor que capta el México de ayer, el que no es, en la búsqueda de esta identidad en la capital de la república, la ciudad de México, con todo y sus fallas, la ciudad más bella del mundo.

Fuentes siempre me acostumbró a mirarlo con su suéter de profesor o intelectual. Fue uno de los críticos más fuertes de los gobiernos de la Revolución Mexicana, aunque él mismo fue parte del sistema como embajador y representante de México en organismos internacionales.

Fuentes nos lleva al trágico deceso de la Revolución Mexicana con la novela histórica La muerte de Artemio Cruz cuyo personaje principal se corrompe al igual que el proceso post-Revolución Mexicana; es, como lo describe Octavio Paz en El laberinto de la soledad, el Chingón, el hijo de la chingada.

Fuentes y Paz: ambos dedicaron muchos de sus escritos a encontrar al mexicano, que también buscó Vasconcelos en La raza cósmica.

Fuentes, en su narrativa, inicia un nuevo estilo literario que deja el paso abierto a los jóvenes como José Agustín, René Avilés Favila, Salvador Elizondo y Gustavo Sainz, que entran a describir a los jóvenes de mi época.

Carlos fuentes es uno de los principales escritores en la Literatura Latinoamericana con la misma grandeza que García Márquez, Julio Cortázar y Mario Vargas Llosa, quien, a diferencia de Fuentes, viró a la derecha.

Fuentes ha sido el mejor en entender esta relación tan difícil entre México y Estados Unidos. En Gringo Viejo describe la admiración del gringo por lo mexicano. En realidad, varios periodistas norteamericanos buscaron a Pancho Villa para conocerlo por el tremendo misterio que significaba este personaje de la Revolución Mexicana en el ánimo de los estadounidenses. Aún hoy en día, lo odían pero lo admiran.

Carlos Fuentes abordó en La frontera de cristal el tema de la emigración de los mexicanos al norte y redefine en la descripción tan impecable del hombre mexicano que lava ventanas trepado en un andamio en un gran rascacielos, donde puede ver a la mujer judía profesional y mantener una relación extraordinaria a través de una ventana que los separa a una altura que se podría decir el cielo. En esta obra Carlos Fuentes describe esta relación que nos separa por medio de una frontera, pero que tiene que ver con el éxodo de los mexicanos al norte y los desafíos del idioma, el racismo y lo bicultural.

Carlos Fuentes es sin duda el escritor mexicano mas prolífico, novelista ensayista y periodista. Un crítico profundo de la realidad capitalista, apoyo la Revolución Cubana, aunque después también fue su crítico. También fue un defensor de la Revolución Nicaragüense y de Salvador Allende.

Desde luego, tuvo sus acercamientos con el poder en México, algunos cuestionables, pero en general fue un hombre de izquierda, un medidor de la realidad mexicana. Apoyó a los zapatistas en 1994.

Sobre la sucesión presidencial de este 2012, dijo que los candidatos mexicanos eran muy pequeños para la grandeza de los problemas del país, pero también enfatizo que Peña Nieto era un ignorante y finalmente dijo que apoyaría a López Obrador si se rodeaba de gente buena.

Con ochenta y tres años de vida, Fuentes deja un gran legado, sus libros, que siempre podremos comentar, discutir e interpretar. Ya es la hora de la nueva generación.

In the News: CTU to flex its muscle at big rally

2012-05-23T12:22:11Z

It's a big day for the Chicago Teachers Union, as it expects thousands of its members to attend a rally at the Auditorium Theatre that's staged to fire up teachers and serve as a display of muscle in the midst of protracted contract talks with CPS.

CTU Vice President Jesse Sharkey says while thousands of teachers will rally at the Auditorium Theatre today, the event will not include a strike vote. (CBS Chicago)

Nearly 80 percent of Chicago Teachers Union members voted to reject the latest teacher contract proposal in recent straw polls — more than what would be needed to authorize a real strike under a new law, CTU leaders said Tuesday.

Schools in Chicago's Austin area are slated to receive a little more than $12 million as part of Chicago Public Schools’ $110 million and five-year capital improvement plan announced earlier this month that will address immediate health and safety concerns for its public schools. (Austin Talks)

IN THE NATION
Teacher union leaders and school administrators this week at the Labor Management Conference in Cincinnati will focus on ways to transform the teaching profession with such targets as better recruiting, preparation and career development, and evaluations based on effectiveness. (CBS News)

The Education Department is issuing draft criteria for the $400 million in new Race to the Top competitive grants earmarked for districts. (Education Week)

With the need for charter administrators growing, the sector is developing its own leadership-training programs, many of which are as diverse as the in dependently operated public schools themselves. But questions remain about whether those entrepreneurial programs are growing quickly enough to meet the demand for charter school leaders and whether the programs are turning out leaders of high quality. (Education Week)

The New York Times obtained information showing how scholarship programs have been twisted to benefit private schools at the expense of the neediest children. Spreading at a time of deep cutbacks in public schools, the programs are operating in eight states and represent one of the fastest-growing components of the school choice movement. This school year alone, the programs redirected nearly $350 million that would have gone into public budgets to pay for private school scholarships for 129,000 students, according to the Alliance for School Choice, an advocacy organization. Legislators in at least nine other states are considering the programs.

Rostros de la Migración en Casa Michoacán

2012-05-22T18:00:00Z

"Rostros de la Migración" en Casa Michoacán

El pasado martes 15 de Mayo se inauguró la exposición Al otro lado del Sueño del fotógrafo italiano Nicola “Ókin” Frioli a la par del proyecto binacional de grabados Rostros de la Migración-Chicago. Este evento, presentado en Casa Michoacán dio inicio, junto con una presentación de un proyecto comunitario de medio ambiente, a las Jornadas de Migración Cultura y Juventud dentro del National Latino Congreso.

La exhibición me pareció muy enriquecedora ya que se trató de una muestra con dos conceptos visuales muy distintos en forma, pero no en fondo.

Por un lado tenemos una compilación de 17 grabados que nos hablan sobre el viacrucis de la migración. Estos grabados se suman a un proyecto convocado por el artista Gabriel Macotela para apoyar al movimiento sociopolítico del 2006 en Oaxaca. El colectivo Migrantes Frontera Sur difunde el proyecto Rostros de la Migración que ya cuenta con más de 50 obras de artistas de diferentes lugares, todos con el mismo fin. Primero, apoyar el albergue Hermanos en el Camino ubicado en Ixtepec, Oaxaca, ya que todos los trabajos fueron donados por los artistas para recaudar fondos y respaldar la labor del Padre Alejandro Solalinde. Segundo, difundir la situación y las condiciones en que se vive en la frontera sur de México.

"Riding the Beast", linóleo, Carlos Barberena, 2012

(c)José Guzmán

En estos grabados que se suman al proyecto (en nuestra ciudad coordinado por los artistas plásticos Héctor Duarte y René Arceo) podemos encontrar interpretaciones muy diferentes de estos episodios migratorios. Recuerdo la obra de Carlos Barberena, grabado excelentemente ejecutado donde se ve un migrante con un rostro de incertidumbre, acompañado de muchas calaveras en el lomo del tren, su compañera de al lado es la muerte, viaja con un reloj de arena en las manos y en el fondo vislumbramos un símbolo de McDonalds.

"Rastros Trails", aguafuerte, Salvador Jiménez, 2012

(c)José Guzmán

En la obra de Salvador Jiménez podíamos observar unas botas cansadas de tanto caminar, al lado de un morral y una botella de plástico llena de muerte, pero se quedaron en el camino al lado de una cerca de púas. Tal vez ya era demasiado el peso de la travesía y el migrante decidió seguir descalzo, el grabado está enmarcado por las huellas de unos pies (imagino del autor) en rojo sólo con cuatro dedos y con una pequeña ampolla (a mi me pareció) en la que se leía WALK.

"Premonición", xiligrafía y linóleo, Poli Marichal, 2012

(c)José Guzmán

Otro de los grabados que me llamó mucho la atención es el de Poli Marichal en el que se representa a una mujer con la mirada ausente y expresión angustiante… en el fondo encontramos una mariposa. La obra se llama “Premonición”, una fuerte y conmovedora imagen de los que se quedan cuando uno parte: padres, esposas y familiares en general. A estos no les queda más que la angustia y la esperanza de que su gente llegue con bien a su destino final.

Al ver la obra me quedo pensando en lo complicado que es ser inmigrante indocumentado en los Estados Unidos. En algunos estados persiguen más a los inmigrantes que en otros. De igual manera se viven climas racistas más severos en unos estados y con leyes más rígidas en otros; sin embargo el estar aquí, es un respiro… claro, esto independientemente de la discriminación, la falta de derechos sociales y sin una representación real frente a un gobierno que pretende invisivilizarnos a pesar de sacar constantemente y de diversas maneras, provecho económico de la situación y condiciones de los inmigrantes.

De la serie “Al otro lado del Sueño” de Nicola “Ókin” Frioli

(c)José Guzmán

Hay muchos motivos para emigrar del país de origen. La mayoría emigra por cuestiones económicas, otros para perfeccionar el idioma, unos porque se les presenta alguna oportunidad de crecimiento laboral y alguna minoría hasta por aventura y desear conocer una cultura nueva. Sin embargo predomina el hecho de que en nuestros países de origen se vive una desigualdad social alarmante, con una violencia desmedida, una falta de empleo con sueldos que permitan sobrevivir.

También hay muchas maneras de llegar aquí y en muchos casos quedarse en el camino. Los más afortunados entran con pasaporte de turista y simplemente ya no regresan violando los términos de su visa; sin embargo la mayoría llegan con coyotes, caminando por el desierto, escondidos en cajuelas o camiones de carga, a la buena de dios. Cómo estará allá la jodidez para que la gente se arriesgue una y otra vez para cruzar la frontera con todos los peligros y vejaciones que cada intento implica.

De la serie “Al otro lado del Sueño” de Nicola “Ókin” Frioli

(c)José Guzmán

La exhibición en la galería de Casa Michoacán, se complementa con el trabajo fotográfico de Nicola “Ókin” Frioli. Sus fotografías nos muestran a algunos migrantes en específico. Para los centro y sudamericanos el cruzar México es toda una hazaña porque se les maltrata, roba, ultraja y humilla. En esta serie de fotografías ellos nos cuentan (de puño y letra) un pedacito de su historia en trozos de cartón. Su trabajo es impactante y emotivo. Una mujer con un embarazo avanzado nos narra que tuvo que salir porque la amenazaban con secuestrarle al bebe. Vemos chicos de 14 años que han viajado en el lomo de La Bestia. Migrantes secuestrados. Mamás solteras que se vieron orilladas a dejar a sus hijos. Migrantes que siguen intentando cruzar las fronteras, otros que se cansaron de tanto sacrificio y peligro y deciden regresar a sus lugares de origen con las manos vacías… Todo eso cala muy adentro. Duele. Los migrantes son mucho más que estadísticas, tienen rostro e historia, y eso es lo que nos muestra Ókin con una factura impecable.

En una sociedad donde cada vez se pierde más el hábito de la lectura (a menos que se trate de post feisbuqueros, twitters o notas periodísticas cortas) las imágenes se pueden volver un parteaguas importante y funcional. Nos gritan una realidad incómoda y en el mejor de los casos nos pueden hacer razonar sobre una realidad que muchas veces no queremos ver.

La exposición se encuentra hasta el 24 de junio de 2012 en Casa Michoacán, 1638 South Blues Island Avenue.