¿Qué es un pueblo dormido?
The memory
of an immense
imaginary ram
or life growing
unwillingly
a la orilla de un río.
A town that sleeps
rise without fear
el filo distraído
of sacrifice,
respira al compás
of every hidden stone
and wonders
quién se animará
to throw it.
There is something that goes back
mientras un pueblo entero sueña
and there is something that advances
in that retreat.
***
That spinning bottle
in the middle
será mi primer beso,
the blackbirds
they fly
over our heads.
¿En cuántas bandadas
se cuenta el día?
le habíamos preguntado
to the witch
The cage
los pájaros en las jaulas
stun
Don Calvo cuts off a wing
to the little gray pigeon
arrested
between your fingers:
̈No duele,
es como el pelo o las uñas,
no estés triste ̈
Una niña de ciudad,
out of tune
The knife has
an uneven edge
like wire edge
when it joins the sky.
***
Diana was ours
like stones
que juntás en un río y entonces:
yours.
like the square
y el mástil erguido al cielo.
Diana barked
y todos detrás de ella
after his black steps
I wonder where they are going
and they come.
I was waiting too long
on the sand,
plácida
como un animal acuático,
a stingray
shooing away the flies
with the tail
and time stopped
in Diana
and in his tail
to come and go.
Marianela Fernández nació en Buenos Aires, pero vivió la mayor parte de su vida entre las ciudades de Córdoba y Nueva York. Es licenciada en Filosofía y Estudios Clásicos y tiene una maestría en Literatura Infantojuvenil. Se ha desempeñado como profesora de Filosofía en diversas escuelas secundarias, terciarias y en la Universidad Nacional de Villa María. En el 2010, publicó su primer libro de poemas “La otra”. Sus escritos han sido publicados en diversas antologías y revistas literarias.
Todo es tan triste aquí. Ya no río, nunca. Siento que me asfixio y no creo que haya espacio ni para una risa chiquita. Todavía me duelen los golpes. Me duele el silencio. Me duele lo oscuro. También tengo hambre. No me acuerdo cuándo fue la última vez que comí. Todo es rojo aquí adentro. También hace calor.
Sí me acuerdo, en cambio, de Rudy. De su cabeza peludita, de su panza aguada porque me gustaba sacarle el relleno por la nariz, de sus ojos de botones negros, de su olor a trapo viejo. Si al menos Rudy estuviera conmigo no me sentiría tan sola.
Íbamos de paseo. No recuerdo casi nada pero lo sé porque todavía tengo la mochila colgada en la espalda. Quizá todavía esté ahí el jugo que me puso mamá. Tengo sed. Mi boca es un desierto.
Pero todo parece tan lejano. Es curioso: como si no fuera éste un encierro tan pequeño. Quiero alcanzar la mochila y no puedo. Mis brazos se quedaron mudos, como mi boca, como mis ojos.
Tengo miedo. Tampoco puedo llorar. Ya no tengo lágrimas.
¡Oh! ¡Todo se mueve! ¿Qué está pasando? ¿Quién habla tan fuerte? ¿Qué son esos sonidos chirriantes, distorsionados? ¿También son voces?
¡Y la luz otra vez! Aunque tengo los ojos cerrados siento cómo calienta mis párpados, mis mejillas, las manos con que abrazo mis rodillas. No me puedo mover. Todos hablan al mismo tiempo. ¿Dónde está mi mamá? ¿Quiénes son estas personas? ¿Por qué no entiendo nada?
Creo que me desmayé. Eso ha de haber sucedido. Ahora estoy acostada en un lugar muy frío. Sigo abrazada a mis rodillas, con la cabeza agachada. Quizás así me quedaré para siempre. Pero tengo mucho frío; me arrancaron la ropa. ¿Dónde está mi chamarra roja?, ¿y mis pantalones de mezclilla? ¿Dónde está el gorro que me tejió mamá? ¡Me va a dar más frío! ¿Por qué hacen esto? ¿Dónde está mi mochila? Ahora sí he perdido todas las esperanzas de encontrar mi jugo. Y esta sed que no se calma. Ojalá pudiera hacer pipí y tomármela. Por lo menos eso. Pero nada sale de mi cuerpo.
No sé cuánto tiempo ha pasado, pero hoy me voy de aquí. Lo sé porque me pusieron un vestido blanco. Me peinaron. Me metieron en una caja larga, como una cama, pero mucho más angosta. Apenas quepo porque doblaron mis brazos frente a mi pecho. (De algún modo lograron estirar mis rodillas). Me siento tiesa. Mi cabeza está descansando en una almohada blanca, brillante. Me pusieron una corona con flores blancas muy chiquitas en el pelo.
He llegado a mi nueva casa. Estoy en esta caja larga y alrededor hay mucha gente. Gente que no conozco. Alguien habla por un micrófono. Habla de una tal Ángela, pero yo no me llamo así. Quizá es el nombre que me pusieron porque nunca supieron quién soy. Ese hombre da un discurso del que no entiendo casi nada; sólo una cosa se me queda grabada: hoy me están sepultando, dice, porque es el Día Internacional contra el Maltrato Infantil, y nadie, en dos años desde que me encontraron en una maleta deportiva, reclamó mi cuerpo.
Audacity Performing Arts Project es una organización sin fines de lucro que busca acercar a los jóvenes al arte a través de programas escolares que complementan el desarrollo de los niños, niñas y jóvenes.
Audacity Performing Arts Project brinda espacios especiales para la recreación y el arte, lo que ayuda al desarrollo integral de los niños y jóvenes, pues a través del arte pueden entender y expresar sus sentimientos, así como formar lazos de identidad desde sus raíces y dentro de su comunidad.
El arte es un lenguaje de expresión durante la niñez y la adolescencia, la creatividad y la imaginación lo tienen un papel relevante en todo el proceso; al momento de pintar, dibujar, hacer teatro o aprender de música o baile, los niños, sin darse cuenta, pueden experimentar sentimientos y sensaciones profundas que les permiten mostrarse tal cual son.
Audacity Performing Arts Project es una organización sin fines de lucro que busca acercar a los jóvenes al arte a través de programas escolares que complementan el desarrollo de los niños, niñas y jóvenes.
Los profesores de Audacity comprenden el mundo que rodea a los niños y se acercan a escucharlos mientras comparten tiempo juntos durante las clases de CORAL, que es un programa pensado para realizar actividades recreativas después de la escuela.
Paul Contreras es un profesor que forma parte del programa CORAL y busca ser parte de la vida de los niños y jóvenes, no sólo como un maestro más, pues espera que encuentren un amigo y alguien en quien confiar, ya que él fue un niño que vivió las mismas circunstancias a las que se enfrentan hoy en día los estudiantes.
“Yo iba a escuelas así como estas, nuestra familia no tenía mucho dinero, no éramos pobres, pero tampoco teníamos mucho, mi mamá y mi familia hacían lo que podían para seguir con la escuela y nos quedamos en el programa después de la escuela porque mi mamá trabajaba. Ahora estos estudiantes en su mayoría tienen esa vida, donde sus padres los dejan en los programas después de la escuela y al final del día llegan por ellos”, comentó Paul Contreras.
Para Paul, encontrarse en los salones de clases es más que una labor, es la oportunidad de cambiar vidas, tocar otras y en los mejores casos dejar huella en los que más lo necesitaban.
“Lo que hacemos nosotros es más que estar aquí, me gusta decir que les compartimos nuestro tiempo, estamos con ellos y los escuchamos y hablamos con ellos”, agregó.
Para los profesores del programa CORAL de Audacity Performing Arts Project, la tradición del festejo del Día de los Muertos no es algo común en las escuelas, a pesar de tener alumnos latinos.
“Sus padres no comparten estas tradiciones a sus hijos, pero Día de Muertos es muy importante porque habla de la muerte pero no habla mal de la muerte, ya que la gente que se ha ido aún mantiene una conexión con su familia y específicamente en Estados Unidos no les gusta hablar de esta festividad ni de la muerte, por lo que no es común”, subrayó.
Sin embargo, a través de los programas de CORAL se busca acercar a los niños y jóvenes a conocer sus raíces y tradiciones, de esta manera pueden comprender el mundo que los rodea y formar lazos con su comunidad, sus países de origen y sus familias.
Para los profesores, formar parte de esta gran labor de Audacity Performing Arts Project de acercar actividades recreativas a los centros de estudio con el programa CORAL, es algo que ayuda a los niños y jóvenes a encontrar un momento de diversión, pero también un espacio libre donde pueden expresarse de la mejor forma que quieran para mostrar al mundo quienes son realmente.
Es importante mirar hacia adelante con este programa y buscar las áreas de oportunidad para que más escuelas puedan formar parte, así más niños y jóvenes encuentran estos espacios de desarrollo.
“Se busca expandir la organización a varias áreas y otros lugares, ya que los padres de familia no conocen la labor que se está haciendo, el hecho de expandirse ayudaría a más comunidades y nos ayudaría para que nos conozcan, que sepan quienes somos, en qué ayudamos a los niños y a sus familias” concluyó Paul Contreras.
Authorities said that on November 25, one person was arrested for alcohol, another for an outstanding felony warrant, and a third person was arrested for possession of firearms charges and possession of substances.
The Redwood City Police Department reported that during a two-day DUI checkpoint operation in late November, three individuals were arrested and 25 citations were issued.
Authorities said that on November 25, one person was arrested for alcohol, another for an outstanding felony warrant, and a third person was arrested for possession of firearms charges and possession of controlled substances in the DUI.
DUI checkpoints were conducted on El Camino Real and Diller St from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., and on Woodside Rd at Bay Rd from 11:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.
Additionally, 24 drivers were cited for operating a vehicle without a license or with a suspended or revoked license, and 612 vehicles were contacted.
The Redwood City Police Department said DUI checkpoint locations are determined based on reported incidents of drunk driving accidents.
They also stressed that the main objective of DUI checkpoints is to promote public safety by removing drivers suspected of being drunk from the roads.
A DUI checkpoint, also called a DWI checkpoint, involves traffic stops that are placed at random intersections or roads. They are usually conducted without warning and in areas and times when there is a high amount of traffic.
In California, the average age of agricultural workers is 41 years old, which means that there are workers who are 60, others 62 or older, and they continue working in the fields harvesting vegetables, with salaries that are not sufficient to guarantee a retirement.
Many farmworkers who come to the United States from other countries face appalling living conditions, for example sharing a living space with 10 to 15 people. In addition, their income is not sufficient to provide for a retirement, funeral or medical plan, leaving older people helpless.
Agricultural workers are not valued by the employer and are considered "disposable," said a 71-year-old man who has worked 38 years of his life in the fields to Manuel Ortiz during the program Península 360 Radio, in collaboration with Marcos Gutiérrez of "Hecho en California“.
"We ask that we be valued, we are the ones who leave our 'skin' and blood on the wire, as the saying goes. Here the boss really doesn't value us, when you grow up they don't give you work anymore, here we are disposable.”, said the farm worker who preferred to remain anonymous.
On this subject, The New York Times published an article called “Retirement without a safety net: The plight of America's aging farmworkers”, Of which, Anna Lee Mraz, sociologist and CEO of Peninsula 360 Press, commented that it addresses how migrants who have worked for years on American farms, when they are reaching retirement age, face a difficult life without Medicare or social security.
The article tells stories of different farmers from Florida, California, and other states, where similarities were noted, for example: currently there is a decrease in workers due to the danger they face in reaching the United States, it indicates that the number of people who come to work in the fields has decreased by an average of 150 thousand per year.
This is mainly due to the barriers that have been imposed at the border, to the point that many workers who decided to stay since 2006 are now aging and creating a community of older people.
In California, the average age of agricultural workers is 41 years old, which means that there are workers who are 60, others 62 or older, and they continue working in the fields harvesting vegetables, with salaries that are not sufficient to guarantee a retirement.
The average salary of farm workers in the United States is $14.62, around $20,000 a year, which prevents them from covering other expenses, while their access to health care is limited, so any medical service is at their own expense.
"This article highlights that the few savings that the workers have are being saved for their funeral expenses. There is even a lady who mentions: I will surely die in the countryside and she has her savings there so that they can bury her.”, added Anna Lee Mraz.
In California, Oregon and Washington, undocumented farmworkers are entitled to health care and overtime pay. But most states offer them no benefits.
For decades, retirement was not an issue — farmworkers would cross the U.S.-Mexico border for the harvest and then return home until it was time to start the next season again. But this kind of circular migration became increasingly risky and costly as successive U.S. presidents, starting in the 1990s, implemented barriers, placing technology and agents along the border to stem illegal entries.
In the article of The New York Times, it is stated that In interviews last year in California, Oregon, Georgia and Florida, many workers said they had no retirement plan and needed to work to make ends meet.
In most cases, workers pay income taxes by filing tax returns, but this is not enough to benefit them, as more than 40 percent of the country's farmworkers do not have legal immigration status, according to estimates by the Department of Agriculture.
Farmworkers in 2020 earned an average of $14.62 per hour, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
There is an H-24 visa program for seasonal agricultural workers in the country, so they can come to work and return to their country each season, however, this type of contract does not apply to a retirement plan either.
In addition to not having access to or the possibility of having sufficient income to plan for retirement and a peaceful future, they face very deplorable housing conditions, where 10 or 15 people live in the same house, sharing a bathroom, kitchen and other common areas; the employers do not support the maintenance of these spaces, much less provide them with amenities.
Manuel Ortiz commented that Península 360 Móvil, a studio on wheels, reaches vulnerable communities such as those of farmers, and as part of its projects it has worked with farmers in the Pacific coast area such as Half Moon Bay, among other places, seeking to reach rural communities, which are the least served, and will be traveling to Northern California, to continue telling their stories.
Manuel Ortiz explained that “the fields in California are the most difficult to access. It seems that the workers live in concentration camps. As soon as you set foot in the field with a camera, the bosses immediately attack you, because they do not want to expose the working and living conditions of the peasants.”.
He added that it is very complicated to document what happens in agricultural fields and very difficult to gain people's trust, but he is working to create a relationship of friendship as happens in community journalism.
The farmers are very afraid to talk, when you approach the farmers, they will say that they are fine, that everything is fine and that they are better than in other places, said Manuel Ortiz. However, he added that as you go deeper and gain confidence, they really tell you how things are.
Manuel Ortiz said that, in a meeting he had with people from Mexico and other countries who are in the United States, someone said that after spending 2 or 3 years in the United States, Mexicans have few economic problems being on “this side.”
"I commented that it depends on which community we are talking about, because the peasants who are the ones who work the most, can be like the man interviewed, who after 38 years of working lives in very deplorable conditions.”, added Manuel Ortiz, while highlighting that very little is known about this topic.
Finally, Anna Lee Mraz He commented that on one of his visits, he had the honor of entering a house to heat tortillas, a place where 15 people live, where the joints between the roof and the walls could be seen tilted, which puts them at risk: "Homeowners should pay more attention to the living conditions of their workers”.
Low-interest federal loans are now available in 31 California counties to assist small businesses affected by the decision to cancel this year's commercial Chinook salmon season.
The Pacific Fishery Management Council canceled the 2023 fishing season in April, and on Nov. 29 the U.S. Small Business Administration declared a disaster, allowing the government to offer financial assistance to small businesses that have suffered economic hardship as a result of the cancellation.
“Sonoma County small businesses that rely on salmon fishing for their livelihood were devastated when the fishery was closed,” said Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins. “This disaster declaration will provide loans to these local businesses to help them recover.”
Loans with a 4 percent interest rate are for small businesses, while there are 2.375 percent loans for private nonprofit organizations.
The loans have terms of up to 30 years and are restricted to small businesses without the financial capacity to offset the adverse impact without hardship, according to Sonoma County officials.
Business owners are encouraged to schedule an appointment at a California Small Business Development Center for free recovery guidance. Individuals can visit https://www.californiasbdc.org/find-your-sbdc/ to do it.
Disaster loan applications can also be found online by visiting SBA.gov/disaster and business owners can also call (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information about SBA disaster assistance.
The San Jose Earthquakes soccer team is partnering with Santa Clara County and the City of San Jose to build new professional soccer fields and a training facility at the County Fairgrounds.
The plan was announced at a news conference at the fairgrounds on Wednesday with city and county elected officials and representatives of the Earthquakes, who detailed a plan to install eight fields that could be shared by the Major League Soccer team and the public.
Earthquakes midfielder Edwyn Mendoza, 17, said the fields will give young people in the community the opportunity to train alongside professionals and see their practice routines up close.
“I grew up in San Jose, so this facility will be a game-changer, not only for the Earthquakes players, but also for the kids in my community who have a great time playing the sport they love,” Mendoza said.
“For them, having the opportunity to play on courses right next to the professionals they admire will serve as a visual reminder that they can follow their dreams and make them a reality one day,” he added.
The proposal would have the county lease 30 acres at Umbarger and Monterey roads. Four public fields would be built on 16 acres, the team would lease the other 14 acres and build a 35,000-square-foot training facility that will house locker rooms and weight rooms, a dining hall, a theater, a medical treatment center, offices and more.
Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, who spearheaded the project, said at the news conference that the new fields would further connect the community to the fairgrounds as a public resource.
“Putting this project here is very important because it shows the public that this area really belongs to everyone and the neighborhood that surrounds this community, how important it is to have recreation that is safe and healthy for our children,” Chavez said.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said finding fields for youth teams to play on is a persistent challenge in the city, and that up to 50 fields would have to be built to meet demand.
“This is a community resource that is desperately needed in San Jose,” Mahan said. He said he hoped the facility would become a regional destination for youth soccer and for residents to enjoy the sport.
Earthquakes head coach Luchi Gonzalez took time to run heading drills with some of the kids who attended Wednesday's event. He said the team was committed to training and recruiting local players.
“I have worked across the country, and as soccer continues to grow in the United States, I have witnessed firsthand how important it is for community fields to be connected to their local professional clubs,” Gonzalez said.
San Jose City Councilmembers Dev Davis, Bien Doan, Peter Ortiz and Omar Torres also attended the news conference, along with Santa Clara County Supervisor Susan Ellenberg and Earthquakes President Jared Shawlee.
The team, county and city have until October 2024 to finalize negotiations for the project under an agreement reached in April.
Authorities announced that a test of the emergency alert system will be carried out in Palo Alto next Thursday, December 14 at noon.
The City of Palo Alto announced that it will conduct a test of its emergency alert system on Thursday, December 14 at noon to ensure that residents who have signed up receive emergency notifications as defined in their account settings.
According to a statement from the city, the test is also intended to raise community awareness about the city's emergency alert system, as only one-third of Palo Alto residents are currently registered to receive such alerts.
The City uses AlertSCC, a Santa Clara County emergency notification system used by all cities in the county, to alert the public about floods, wildfires, or other public safety events.
The alert system is an approach used to communicate and keep the public informed during an emergency to share the community's impacts and risks to public safety.
AlertSCC is free to everyone and quick and easy to set up, with users able to select whether alerts are sent directly to their mobile device, landline and/or email address.
To register for the city's emergency alert system, interested parties can visit the site www.alertscc.com.
The City of Palo Alto said it plans to conduct a test of the emergency alert system annually each December. The emergency notification will indicate that the message is only a “test.” If you already have an account, you will receive the “test” alert as a call, text message, and/or email message, depending on your account preferences.
Local officials asked that people refrain from calling the city's 24-hour dispatch center (either 9-1-1 or (650) 329-2413) after testing to ask questions or obtain additional information.
“Our public safety dispatchers are not involved in this test and have no way to control their alert preferences,” they said.
In addition to Palo Alto's emergency alert system, there are other ways for the community to stay informed before, during and after an emergency, public safety incident or other event that poses a risk to the public safety of residents.
City of Palo Alto social media channels including Nextdoor, Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). Follow the City on these platforms at www.cityofpaloalto.org/connect
Un perro murió en un incendio en una casa cerca de Redwood City la madrugada de este miércoles, según el Distrito de Protección contra Incendios de Menlo Park.
Crews responded at 12:50 p.m. to a fire reported at 560 Beresford Ave., a home in an unincorporated part of San Mateo County.
Las llamas estaban inicialmente en la terraza trasera de la casa, pero se extendieron al interior. Todos los residentes escaparon ilesos y los bomberos impidieron que el fuego se propagara a las casas adyacentes, pero el perro de la familia murió, dijeron funcionarios del departamento de bomberos.
La causa del incendio está bajo investigación. Los funcionarios del departamento de bomberos dijeron que la propiedad estaba valorada en 3.2 millones de dólares y que el incendio causó daños por más de 1.2 millones de dólares.
Fighting back tears as they spoke Tuesday, San Francisco Supervisors Dean Preston and Hillary Ronan introduced a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, joining the cities of Richmond and Oakland in publicly condemning the conflict.
The resolution calls for a sustained ceasefire, an influx of humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages and the condemnation of anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian hatred.
Since the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 that killed more than 1,200 Israelis, more than 15,000 Palestinians have been killed and an estimated 1.7 million have been displaced, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.
Preston said he intended to add the city's voice to the chorus of international human rights and humanitarian organisations, countries, cities, trade unions and city residents calling for an end to the violence, destruction and death taking place abroad.
His performance was followed by 40 seconds of applause and cheers from a packed room. Audience members shouted, “You got it, Dean!” as he struggled to speak.
“Just this morning I heard from a Palestinian-American friend here in San Francisco who informed me…” Preston said, pausing to wipe away tears. “Seven more members of my family have been killed overnight, and at least 100 have already been killed since October 7. Meanwhile, Jews are still in shock because the October 7 massacre fulfilled the worst fears and nightmares of so many of us.”
Ronan was equally passionate.
“I must, I must! It is in my blood,” she said, recalling seeing the numbers tattooed on the forearm of her great-uncle as a child, who survived Auschwitz. “I must speak out against the overwhelming killing of innocent lives in Gaza, including nearly 7,000 children.”
“The resolution doesn’t actually condemn anyone,” said Samer Araabi of the Accountability Council, a nonprofit that helps small communities affected by international development projects. He spoke ahead of the meeting on behalf of the Arab Resource and Organizing Center.
“Ceasefires require a high degree of cooperation, so they lead to a kind of mutual trust-building process that allows for de-escalation,” said Araabi, who studied ceasefire dynamics at the London School of Economics.
Passionate public comments came from a variety of community groups and members of San Francisco’s Palestinian and Jewish community who wanted the resolution adopted. Many wore T-shirts reading “Cease Fire Now” and “Jews Say Stop.”
“When elected leaders join the call for peace, the city becomes safer for everyone,” said one Palestinian speaker.
