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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 6, 2003)
®lje Jìortlanò (ßbseruer August 06. 2003 Page AS First Out of the Gate Bug Wiped From Windshield Forever ( AP) — The last Volkswagen Beetle has rolled o ff the assembly line, 70 years after A dolf Hitler's government introduced Germans to a two-door passenger car that became an icon around the globe. Competition from newer compacts and a Mexi can government decision to phase out two-door taxis led Volkswagen to shut down its only remain ing “bug” production line at its plant in Puebla, 65 miles southeast o f Mexico City. Workers painstakingly crafted the final car: a baby blue version marked No. 21,529,464 that will go to a museum in Wolfsburg, Germany, home ofV W headquarters. Adorned with a Mexican flag made o f flowers, the car was serenaded by a mariachi band playing "El Rey,” or “The King.” “You didn’t just participate in the construction o f a car. but in the creation o f a legend,” Reinhard Jung, president o f the executive committee o f Volkswagen Mexico, told workers and executives. Last w eek’s ceremony at the factory was closed to outsiders but transmitted around the world on a satellite television feed. The very last VW beetle is decorated with a wreath o f roses and a message on its windscreen which reads “Volkswagen of Mexico last Sedan in the World. 30th July 2 0 0 3 ’ as it rolls o ff the production line at VW's Puebla plant. (AP Photo) RMMNMMNNMI photo by T ony Life Saving Youth Videos Earn High Reviews Drugs Become Northwest Film Center and Oregon “I have no doubt that this project Young Latinos Council for II ispanic Advancement. has had a profound impact on these a Trade Issue Forty-nine Latino youth, ages students. We see them discover share their (A P) — Poor nations like 14 to 19, worked with Northwest more about themselves, celebrate M exico that w ant to use low cost Film Center faculty to document and embrace the Latino contribu hopes and copies o f patented drugs to treat their lives and communities and to tions to this country, and acknowl d iseases like H IV /A ID S and share their hopes and aspirations edge that education is clearly the aspirations m alaria are m oving tow ard an gateway to opportunity,” said State agreem ent that w ould keep the drugs from being smuggled back to rich countries. The issue o f how to ensure essential drugs are available in the poorest nations has been a m a jo r s tu m b lin g b lo c k to progress in the W orld Trade O rganization’s negotiations on a new global treaty to cut barri ers to international trade. WTO rules already allow coun tries facing public health crises to override patents and order their drugs frdrn Cheaper, generic sup pliers. But they can order only from dom estic manufacturers, which is o f no use for the majority o f poor nations that have no phar maceuticals industries. For too long the rich history o f Latino families in this state has received little notice. What is it like to be young and Latino in Oregon today? Accord ing to top educators and leaders, one o f the best ways to find out is by w atching N u estra V ision, Nuestro Futuro, a new video series being distributed free o f charge to schools, libraries and community groups by the Portland Art Mu seum Northwest Film Center. The two 30-minute compilations lend themselves to classroom use, public presentations and discus sion groups and are appropriate for English and Spanish-speaking gen eral audiences o f all ages. The series was created through the Oregon Latino Youth Video Project, a three-year statewide m e dia arts education initiative o f the - Serena Cruz, M u ltn om ah County Commissioner on video. “We are showing the positive things our people are do ing in the community, how we have impacted thecommunity,"expl»i ns Adam Martinez o f Ontario, one o f the students who worked on the project. Some o f Oregon ’ s top educators and leaders are impressed. Superintendent o f Public Instruc tion Susan Castillo. “For too long the rich history o f Latino families in this state has re ceived little notice,” said Serena Cruz, Multnomah County Commis sioner.” These young people share important moments in their lives with us; moments that all ages and backgrounds can relate to— the joy o f love, family and friendship, the pain o f loss, the struggle to endure in this country, and the triumph o f achievement.” ■i The videos can be ordered free onlineatwww.nwfilm.org. W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver Portland City Commissioner Jim Francesconi in his Office at City Hall. continued only city to close the achievement gap-” He said after-school programs work to keep latchkey kids out o f trouble and assist working parents. The first person to declare his candidacy, Francesconi currently from Front the Portland Organizing Project. He created the Youth Employment and Em pow erm ent C oalition, through which he worked to con vince business owners to hire kids < The Fire Department *is not where it needs to be, but it s a lot more diverse than the Police Department. — Mayoral C andidate Jim Francesconi with a history o f gang involve ment. Francesconi said he’s commit ted to improving education and employment for all. ‘We hpve to focus on how not to be divided by race äh<J class,” he said. “I want Portland to be the runs unopposed. Mayor Vera Katz had decided to retire at the end of her term in 2004. Earl Blumenauer, a Democratic congressman from Portland and City Commissioner Erik Sten are both rumored to throw in their hats for the position post-Labor Day. M M aa N M M N M M N M M M N M M M M Hispanic Voters Share Opinions (AP) — Hispanics tend to iden tify more with Democrats and gen erally favor them on domestic is sues, but many haven’t decided what they think o f President Bush and lean toward his position on tax cuts and school vouchers, says a new poll. The CBS-New York Times poll suggested Hispanics tilt toward a Democratic candidate in the 2004 presidential race, but many remain undecided. When Hispanic registered vot ers were asked whether they would vote for Bush or a Democratic can didate forpresident, 21 percent said Bush, 31 percent said a Democrat and 45 percent were undecided. Hispanics were more likely than non-Hispanics to prefer tax cutting to reducing the size o f the deficit. And they were more inclined to support tax-supported vouchers to send children to private schools. And on social issues like abor tion and gay relations, the poll showed Hispanics tend to be more conservative than non-H ispan ics. But by almost a 2 -1 margin, His panics were inclined to say the Democratic Party comes closer to representing their values. Asked which party cares more about the needs o f H ispan ics, 50 percent said Democrats, and 19 percent said Republicans. One in five said they didn’t know. BEEN FAKED OUT BY INMNNMMMNNNM PCC Begins High-Tech Training Non-native English speakers may soon have a workforce advan tage in high-tech jobs, thanks to a training program from Portland Community College. PCC and a consortium o f circuit board manufacturers in Washing ton County are offering the entry- level high-tech skills training pro gram for those entering the high- tech field for the first time. The program primarily focuses on non native English speakers in Wash ington County. Consortium members include Merix Corporation, Vanguard EMS and Matsushita Electronic Materi als, Inc. The business consortium plans to hire from the pool o f stu dents completing the training. Job search assistance will also be of fered. This six-week training is free and offered at PCC Capital Career Cen ter, 18624 N.W. Walker Rd. in Beaverton. The training will be held from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday from Sept. 15 through Oct. 24 Contact Eduardo Garnica, PCC career specialist, with any ques tio n s at 5 0 3 -5 3 3 -2 8 1 9 or egamica@ pcc.edu. Mexico Connections Fine-Ttined at PDX Mexicana Airlines will add non stop service on Mondays between Portland International Airport and Guadalajara and eliminate existing service on Fridays to better meet the needs o f customers. With this enhancement, the non stop flights between Portland and Guadalajara will operate on Mon days, Thursdays and Saturdays. The flights offer continuing ser- vice betw een G uadalajara and Mexico City and connecting ser vice to Morelia. “W e’re fine tuning our sched ules to best meet the needs o f our customers,” said V irginia Barclay, M exicana m arketing director. “W e’re hearing that this change will work out better for both leisure and business travelers.” Mexicana launched the fast. convenient, new nonstop service May I at PDX. The flights use M exicana's new Airbus A319 air craft with a capacity o f 120 passen gers. The flights arrive in Portland at 12:10p.m. and depart Portlandat 1:20 p.m. Elapsed flying time be tween Portland and Guadalajara is 4 hours 30minutes. Travel to Mexico City or Morelia is just a short hop from Guadalajara. FREE CHECKING? WE CAN HELP T R U LY F R E E C H E C K IN G You may be getting duped and not know it. 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