May 3, 2000
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Page B5
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ÍM etro/EL ©OBSERVA®®!^
Cinco de Mayo
Calendar of
Events
Ride Tri-Met and get a free trip
home
Riding T ri-M et to C inco de
M ayo at Portland’s W aterfront
Park is a great w ay to avoid •
p a rk in g h a s sle s a n d i t ’s a
bargain, too. W hen you ride to
the celebration, you can get a
free ride home.
The offer is good during all four
days o f festivities, w hich run
T h u rs d a y , M ay 4 th ro u g h
S u n d ay , M ay 7. A ll th a t’s
needed to get a free return trip is
to show your T ri-M et receipt at
th e f e s tiv a l’s m a in b o o th .
T hey’ll give you a ticket that will
get you hom e anytim e that day.
T here is a lim it o f one ticket per
custom erperday. Call 503/238-
RIDE.
I n t e r n a tio n a l
School
Celebrates Cinco de M ayo
Beginning Friday, April 28, The
International School w ill kick
o ff a w eeklong celebration o f
w orld events and activities that
include a traditional M exican
fe a st w ith fo lk m u sic an d
dancing; Japanese singing and
dancing; Italian opera; ballet; a
student art show ; and planting
flow ers for P o rtla n d ’s R ose
Festival. F or m ore inform ation,
call T orrence Burrow es, H ead
ofS chool at 226-2496.
C elebrate C inco de M ayo at
C hinook W inds C asino
I t’s F iesta tim e at C hinook
W inds C asino on M ay 5-7 w ith
the C elebration o f C inco de
M ayo and three fun-filled days.
Friday through Sunday, tickets
w ill be given aw ay for the
u p c o m in g Ju n e 9, F re d d ie
Fender concert. Both Friday and
Saturday from 11 am . to 4 pm.,
the buffet will feature authentic
M exican entrees and the Rogue
R iver Restaurant & Lounge will
have “South o f th e B order”
specials as well. O ther surprises
will follow. Call Call 541/996-
5815.
US Naturalization C erem ony
A U.S. Naturalization Ceremony
sponsored by Squires & Lopez,
A ttorneys at Law (presented by
Y oung L aw yers Section o f the
M u ltn o m a h C o u n ty B a r
A ssociation) w ill be held at the
W estern U nion M ain Stage at
W aterfront Park on Friday, M ay
5,2000 from N oon until 1 pm.
M e x ic a n
C r a f ts
and
Beadmaking
T here w ill be an all day face
p a in tin g , p iñ a ta b r e a k in g ,
jew elry and flow er m aking as
w ell as balloons given by Joe
the Balloon Man from Thursday,
M ay 4 until Sunday, M ay 7 at
W aterfront Park in the US W est
C hildren’s Plaza.
O n-Site Soccer C linic
A utograph signing by M exican
Team m em bers o f the National
W om en’s Soccer C up playing
at C ivic stadium is sponsored
by the O regonian. M eet these
w om en on Saturday, M ay 6 at
W aterfront Park from 2 pm. and
4 pm.
C incode Mayo atThe Viscount
Ballroom
An evening o f Latin dance and
live perform ances. C inco de
M ayo at the V isc o u n t w ill
include a dance perform ance by
S abor
L a tin o ,
m u sic a l
perform ances by both Palante
and La Comparsita, and our final
d a n c e-o ff o f the V isc o u n t’s
m o n th - lo n g s a ls a d a n c e
competition. It will be an evening
o f Argentine Tango music, small
Latin-influenced diner menu,
free beginning salsa less, Cuban
C a r n iv a l, an d a d a n c e
c o m p e titio n . T h e V is o u n t
Ballroom is located at 722 East
B um side. Call 233-7855 or call
www.viscountballroom .com .
Celebrating Cinco de Mayo
Happy Cinco de Mayo
Today, celebrating Cinco de M ayo m eans to recognize the
rich cultural and individual contributions that people from
Mexico and o f M exican-American ethnic background have
contributed to the U.S. for centuries. D elicious foods,
splendid costum es for folk dances and the w onderful
sound o f the Spanish language try to com m unicate to a
wider public the cultural riches that N ative A m ericans,
Spaniards and M exicans have created during m ore than
five hundred years. Just eating M exican foods w ould m ean
to m iss the deeper m eaning o f this celebration.
Before Cinco de M ayo becam e a celebration o f cultural
pride in the U.S., it was a remembrance o f a Mexican military
victory over French m ilitary occupation forces that took
place near the M exican City o f Puebla. There, on M ay 5,
1862, M exican forces under the leadership o f G eneral
Ignacio Zaragoza defeated French occupying troops. Under
the leadership ofGeneral Ignacio Zaragoza, a Mexican army
o f 2000 soldiers delivered a crushing defeat o f 6000 w ell-
equipped professional soldiers com m anded by General
Charles Latrille. From a long-term perspective, this single
victory w as futile. A fter som e m onths, th e F rench
occupation forces o f N apolean III regrouped and forced a
new European dictatorship onto M exico. U nder the reign
ofPrince Maximillian and his wife Princess Charlotta, once
again, Mexico had become part o f European colonial empire,
ending alm ost fifty years o f independence.
Consulado de Mexico Atención!
Trabajdores M igrantes M exicanos
en el Estado de Oregon
El C onsulado G eneral de M éxico en
P o rtla n d O re g o n , s o lic ita co n
urgencia la presencia en sus oficinas
de las p e rso n a s cu y o s nomferes
que el interesado o su fam iliar acudan
a la brevedad con una identificación
oficial vigente a 1234 SW M orrison
St. Portland, O R. 97205., de lunes a
viernes de 8:15 a.m. a 1:30 p.m.
aparecen en la lista que sigue, o de un
fam iliar directo, con el proposito de
tr a ta r un a s u n to d e su in te re s
personal. Para ello es indespensable
En caso de encontrarse lejos del
C onsulado, favor de com unicarse a
los telefonos 503/274-1442, y 274-
1450.
Looking for a good home
Understanding the passion
of Cuban-Americans
The State O ffice for Services to
C hildren and Fam ilies have more
than 6,000 children in foster homes
creating a critical need to recruit
more families.
O ver 500 o f these children are
m inority children ready to be
adopted. These children com e to
us w ith theirow n experiences and
backgrounds. Therefore, w e need
fam ilies who can provide love,
s ta b ility and sa fe ty to th e se
Bv J acob G, H ornbercer
Last year, I spent a w eek in Cuba with the official perm ission o f the U.S.
Treasury Departm ent and the C uban Interest Section in W ashington,
D.C. (the diplom atic agency that is “hosting” Elian G onzales’s father,
Juan Miguel Gonzalez). The purpose o f m y trip was to conduct an informal
study o f both C uba’s econom ic system and the effects o f the U.S.
em bargo on Cuban life. The Cuban authorities arranged official visits for
m e w ith various think tanks at the U niversity o f H avana and gave me
perm ission to freely interview people on the streets.
I have studied com m unism and socialism for m ore than 20 years. I have
also traveled extensively throughout Latin A m erica, w here governm ent
intervention dom inates the econom ic affairs o f the citizenry. But I was
unprepared for w hat I encountered in Cuba.
In C uba, the state effectively ow ns all the places o f em ploym ent. All the
food-ration stations, service stations, restaurants, radio and television
stations, hotels, m useum s, schools, pharm acies, and clinics. Therefore,
practically everyone in Cuba w orks for the state. Im agine w hat that
means. If a person upsets his em ployer and loses his jo b , he is not able
to obtain alternative em ploym ent because, for all practical purposes,
Fortunately for M exico, changes in European politics
forced N apolean III to w ithdraw his m ilitary occupation
forces. A s the num ber o f French soldiers dw indled in
M exico, so did the F rench effort to m ake M exico a mere
province in its colonial em pire.
O nce the M exican nation was reborn as an independent
country, the victory at the battle o f Puebla on Cinco de
M ayo assum ed new sym bolic significance. The victory
in Puebia and over the French in general was reason for
national price. At least in this case, the Mexican David
had soundly repelled the French m ilitary Goliath and the
prince that was put into C hapultepec Castle. European
superior technology and strength in numbers had been
outw eighed by M exican m otivation and determination
to fight. In M exico, this holiday has remained second to
the D ay ofN ational Independence on September 16 each
year.
But M exican im m igrants to the United States brought
along this holiday and the spirit o f pride and success. As
important, it could be used to instruct Mexican-American
children through this im portant lesson about the struggle
for pow er in the face o f pressure from outside forces. As
ethnic origin becam e an im portant tool for identification,
the Cinco de M ayo holiday took on a greater im portance
in the United States than in M exico. Today popular
disregard for history and an occasional narrow focus on
having a good tim e w ith tacos and beer, m akes us forget
the achievem ent o f G eneral Saragoza one hundred thirty
eight years ago.
children.
W e urge you to get involved now to
help children win the freedom that
only being a part o f a loving family
can provide. I f you w ould like to
adopt a foster child or need m ore
information, please call 731-3147, ext.
2247.
La oficina Estatal de Servicios para
Ninos y Familias tiene have escased
critica de hogares de padres de
crianza tem porales y padres
adoptivos. Pedim os a la
comunidad Hispana que nos ayude
en esta urgente labor.
Si usted esta interesado en recibir
información sobre como ser padre
de crianza temporal o le gustaría
adoptar a uno de los ñiños
hispanos que están esperado
esperando una familia talvez como
la suya, por favor llame a Judy
Orellana, al numero de telefono
503/731-3147, ext. 2247.
9
there is none.
This w as driven hom e to me by a young w om an who w as surreptitiously
show ing m e her national identity card, m aking fun o f it. I asked her why
she did n ’t express her ridicule m ore openly, and she replied, “ If I resist,
the state (her em ployer) will transfer m e to another city on the other side
o f the country - aw ay from the man 1 am engaged to m arry.”
A nother young wom an, a law student at the U niversity o f Havana, said
that her biggest dream in life was to own her own business. W hen I
pointed out to her, “But th at’s not legal in C uba,” she responded, “Yes,
I k n o w ...b u t there is alw ays hope.”
At an open-air (state-ow ned) restaurant, a group o f (state-em ployed)
musicians was performing for the patrons. W hen the musicians approached
m y table, I asked them if they would sing “A briendo Puertas” (“O pening
D oors”), a song m ade popular by Cuban-A m erican G loria Estefan. They
declined to do so. I later learned that he m usicians were not perm itted by
their em ployer to sing E stefan’s songs.
M y visits w ith Cubans on the streets confirm ed that there is a very real
fear for anyone who wishes to display any independence o f m ind or spirit,
a fear o f losing o n e’s jo b but also o f landing in jail. Keep in mind that it
is a severe crim inal offense for anyone to question or criticize Cuba s
political and econom ic system. During my visit, the point w as being
em phasized by the crim inal trial o f several C uban dissidents, w hich was
being show n on national television on C uba s official governm ent
version o f “Court TV .” (The dissidents later received prison sentences
Piense: Su hijo es inteligente,
saludable y encabeza la lista
para ir a la universidad. Le
encanta la trayectoria que su
c a rre ra h a to m a d o . Está
haciendo muchas de las cosas
que planeó y hasta otras que oo había planeado. Vivir
la vida en plenitud es fácil cuando tiene una familia que
lo respalda American Family Insurance. Llame ahora
m ism o y p la tiq u e con nuestros agentes amables.
o f 3-5 years.)
A fter the Soviet U n io n 's subsidies to Cuba w ere term inated, the Cuban
authorities reluctantly began perm itting people to engage in a few
(licensed) self-em ploym ent enterprises. It w as fascinating to see how
C ubans’ entrepreneurial talents and spirit o f independence had surfaced
so quickly albeit in a very lim ited way.
For exam ple, 1 asked a new ly licensed young bookseller at an open-air
m arket, “ How do you know how much to charge for your books?" He
responded in the finest entrepreneurial fashion, “ It is my job to know ."
An old w om en, about 80, w ho w as selling ice-cream on the streets, told
m e that she had to pay incom e taxes at the end o f the year on top o f her
licensing fee o f $250per month. I asked her, “How do they know how much
you have earned?” Looking around to m ake sure no one w as listening,
she sm iled her toothless grin and said, “Yes, how do they know ?”
N ot surprisingly, my visits with the officials at the state research centers
were quite different from my visits with people on the streets. At the think
tanks, people (purport to) continue ardently believing in C u b a 's socialist
system. W hen I asked them how they could justify their continued,
unw avering faith in socialism in the face o f its horrific econom ic results,
their response was to blam e C u b a's econom ic w oes on the U.S. em bargo.
It is not difficult to understand the argum ents o f those w ho wish
to see a father reunited with his son. On the other hand, appreciating the
passionate opposition o f Cuban-A m ericans to returning a 6-year-old boy
to a com m unist society requires an insight into a country in which those
who fail to conform either d o n ’t eat or end up in prison.
Jacob G. Homberger is the president ofT he Future ofFreedom Foundation.
His w ebsite is w w w .fff.org.
)
sted tiene una familia que lo respalda
Comprobará por qué constantemente nos mantenemos
en el rango A+ (Superior, según A.M. Best la autoridad
en la punctuación de agencias de seguros. Después
vaya...sueñe...planee. Usted decida lo que haga
enseguida; nosotros estaremos aquí para ayudarle.
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Toda La Protección Bajo Un Mismo Techo.
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American Family Mutual Insurance Company and Subsidiarles. Madison. Wisconsln 53783-0001 wwwamtam.com
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