Monday, September 30, 2013
Disney Parks After Dark: It’s a Good Night at the Mexico Pavilion in Epcot
This week’s “Disney Parks After Dark” photo was snapped at the Mexico Pavilion in World Showcase at Epcot. Don’t you just love World Showcase at night?
This lovely shot was taken by Disney photographer Kent Phillips and it just makes me want to line up to watch “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth.”
Mexico seeks "large-scale productive integration" with U.S.
Mexico City, Aug 16 (EFE).- Trade between Mexico and the United States, which amounted to nearly $500 billion in 2012, is indicative of well-developed commercial integration that should evolve into large-scale "productive integration," Mexican Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo said.
"The next step is to have the clear vision that what has been large-scale commercial integration must be consolidated into what is becoming large-scale productive integration," Guajardo said Thursday at the inauguration of a meeting of the U.S.-Mexico High Level Regulatory Cooperation Council.
Last year, Mexico's overall foreign trade was valued at $741.7 billion, 63 percent of it with the United States. The flow of commerce crossing the U.S.-Mexico border amounted to $1.3 billion per day, or $1 million a minute.
The economy secretary said "each peso or each dollar of exports" that flow from Mexico to its northern neighbor includes 40 cents worth of inputs produced in the United States.
These figures show the level of commercial integration, he said, adding that the two nations are working intensively at the meeting, which kicked off Thursday, to harmonize their respective regulatory norms and practices.
The meeting's goal is to review the progress made in aligning the countries' regulatory criteria, which is necessary to reduce costs and increase competitiveness relative to other areas of the world.
Program helps U.S. students transition to Tijuana
By Sandra Dibble Sept. 9, 2013
Young U.S. citizens enrolled in Tijuana's Secondary School Number 10 attend a ceremony launching a pilot program to help them make the transition to Mexican public school. - Lisa Moctezuma, International Community Foundation
TIJUANA - A group of U.S.-born middle school students struggling to acclimate to their new surroundings in eastern Tijuana can now count on some extra help.
A pilot program targeting 32 students in a low-income neighborhood on the city's outskirts was launched Monday, with funds from the National City-based International Community Foundation.
The program, which is slated to last through early January, is aimed at young U.S. citizens who ended up in Tijuana when their parents were deported or because the parents decided on their own to return to Mexico, often for economic reasons.
"I think this is going to be the best thing ever," said Ruth Solorio, mother of 11-year-old Davin, who was born in Escondido.
Mother and son have been living in Tijuana since she was deported two years ago. Davin, who spoke no Spanish when he arrived, has had a hard time keeping up with his classmates. "The hardest thing is that I can't read in Spanish," said Davin, who hopes to return to the United States one day.
The program is underwritten by a $21,000 grant from the foundation and coordinated by Tijuana's Fundación Para la Protección de la Niñez. It targets students from Secondary School Number Ten, a public middle school in a neighborhood known as Ex-Ejido Francisco Villa.
Sessions are scheduled for three days a week outside of school hours at a nearby community center known as Vecinos de la Frontera. The aim is to reinforce participating students' knowledge of English while teaching them Spanish, strengthening their computer skills and offering counseling support to help them adjust to their new school environment.
"The fundamental idea is that the child can have a life plan in either country," said Yara Amparo López, coordinator for the Baja California Public Education Secretariat's Binational Migrant Education Program, which designed the curriculum and selected the teachers.
The secretariat calculates that about 5,000 students in preschool through middle school are foreign-born - more than nine out of 10 of those in the United States, said Emmanuel Mendoza Gómez, the agency's director of support programs.
International Community Foundation president Richard Kiy said he came up with the idea for the program after reading a November 2011 story in U-T San Diego about such students' plight. If the program is successful, he hopes to extend and expand it.
"We wanted to try to make a difference," Kiy said. With many of these students planning to eventually return to the United States, he said, "we felt there was a real need to provide educational enrichment so they could integrate better to the United States when they complete their studies in Tijuana."
sandra.dibble@utsandiego.com
(619) 293-1716
Twitter: @sandradibble
Five short pieces about Tijuana at BorDocs Forum
Teams pose at Tijuana's historic Jai Alai building as they prepare to film five documentaries set in Tijuana that are being screened on Thursday at the Tijuana Cultural Center. - Colef
TIJUANA - Five short documentaries that were shot in Tijuana within the same 100-hour period will premiere on Thursday at 8 p.m. at the city's Cultural Center, or CECUT.
Dubbed Reto Docs TJ, the competition is part of the BorDOCS 2013forum that opened last Friday and runs through Saturday. The event brings together academics, filmmakers, students of the genre and the general public for screenings, master classes, and workshops.
Forum supporters include Cecut, Colegio de la Frontera Norte, Autonomous University of Baja California, and the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana. The aim of the festival, now in its tenth year, is to promote non-fiction films.
The Reto Docs TJ, held for the first time, is inspired by a similar competition in Mexico City. The challenge began at noon on Aug. 29th, when the five participating teams were given 100 hours to film and produce 10-minute documentaries that tell stories set in the city.
The results are being shown at 8 p.m. at the Cineteca movie theatre inside the CECUT. It is open to the public and there is no entrance charge.
The documentaries include:
"UkBalaam"by Jesús A. Guerra Huerta, the story of a deportee of Mayan origin who lives in the Tijuana River channel.
"Del Zacaz no me sacas" by Yadira Esther Gutiérrez, focusing on Pancho, the bartender and owner of the Zacazonapan Bar in downtown Tijuana.
"Música que Salva" by Alejandro Montalvo, who follows three children from low-income areas of Tijuana who study music under the Baja California Orchestra's REDES
"Ruta 40" by Paulina Castro Murillo, which tells the story of Don Ciri, an ice cream vendor who holds on to his traditions.
"Debajo del Cuero" by Gabriel Arvizu Rodríguez, about the lives of bikers in Tijuana.
ANNOUNCING A GALA BENEFIT CONCERT FOR THE LOS ANGELITOS ORPHANAGE LOCATED IN ROSARITO, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO.
Peggy Lee Associates, LLC and Rosarito Beach Hotel & Resort in partnership with Baja Blues Fest Organization, proudly present a "one performance only" in Rosarito, performance by the award-winning cabaret star Stacy Sullivan in A TRIBUTE TO MISS PEGGY LEE. The concert will take place on OCTOBER 26, 2013, 6:00 P.M. at the historic ROSARITO BEACH HOTEL. Proceeds from the event will be designated to build a new dormitory, classroom and kitchen for the children at Los Angelitos Orphanage.
2013 Female Vocalist of the Year from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs, Stacy Sullivan has appeared in venues around the world, from The Brasserie Zedel in London to The Cafe Carlyle in New York. Stacy brings her award-winning show, "A Tribute to Miss Peggy Lee", to Baja for her first-ever appearance in Mexico. The show is an interpretive musical exploration of Miss Lee's extraordinary career as a singer, songwriter and actress, garnering international critical acclaim. Clive Davis, of The London Times wrote: "A commanding, willowy presence, Sullivan captures that rare combination of worldliness and vulnerability." And from The Times Square Chronicles: "It only happens sometimes. A performer who can captivate an audience on many levels: voice, phrasing, acting, persona, sensuality, physical beauty, and also Swing. She has that extra wisp in her singing that leaves you breathless and everything she does musically flows naturally. For me, a performance is memorable when its glow lasts the entire ride home. This one had me smiling the next morning."
Prior to the concert, an auction will take place featuring original art by some of Baja's best known artists. Also being presented at auction will be unique, rare tequilas from a private special collection, as well as authentic Peggy Lee memorabilia.
Jamie Alcroft, an American comedian and voice actor will entertain as the Master of Ceremonies and auctioneer. Jamie was half of the comedy duo Mack & Jamie for over 25 years. He currently is the co-founder and president of Community Funding Solutions.
Ticket information is available online at http://www.peggyleerosarito.
Second Annual Sabor De Baja Planned Following Great Success of the First
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SEPTEMBER 12, 2013
More than 200 people paid $35 each to attend the food-and-beverage pairing competition between 10 of the finest chefs in Baja, filling the salon and rooftop terrace area of the 17-story Pacifico Tower of the oceanfront resort.
The event was so successful and the feedback so positive that the next Sabor de Baja already has been planned for the resort on Aug. 27 of next year, said organizer and coordinator Bo Bendana. Sabor de Baja also benefits the Rosarito Boys & Girls Club.
The event will likely be moved to a larger venue at the hotel, perhaps the garden area, to accommodate as many as 750 people, said Rosarito Beach Hotel & Resort owner Hugo Torres. This year's event quickly sold out because of exceedingly high response.
"Baja's cuisine, wine and craft beer is having a wonderful resurgence, thanks in part to attention from celebrity chefs including Anthony Bourdain," Mr. Torres said. "We know this will continue with the many great chefs, wineries and breweries in the region."
"With her great reputation among Baja 'foodies,' Ms. Bendana was able to attract most of the guests plus the best chefs in Baja,' Mr. Torres added. "She did a wonderful job in organizing this exceptional event."
Competing chefs were Javier Plascencia, Mission 19, Tijuana; Robert Alcocer, Malva, Ensenada; Drew Deckman, Deckman 's, Ensenada; Erick Saenz, Casa Blanca, Rosarito; Juan Jose Plascencia, Caesar's, Tijuana; Felipe Raul, Creole Kitchen, Rosarito; Gabriela Melchum, Hacienda Guadalupe; Juan and Ana González, Kobu Restaurant, Mexicali; Susanna Stehr, Susanna 's, Rosarito; Pearl Smith, Contra Ensenada.
A panel of judges, including chef Martin San Roman, food columnist Bill Esparza, plus food and beverage consultant Chuy Tovar, helped decide the winner of the Sabor de Baja for 2013, who was Juan Jose Plascencia, of Caesar's in Tijuana
World-famous Caesar's is the historic restaurant where the Caesar salad was invented, one of Baja's many culinary contributions to the world, which also include Puerto Nuevo-style lobster.
"It is heartening to see Baja's contributions to gastronomy, including the emerging Baja-Med cuisine and our wine scene, achieving such international recognition," said Mr. Torres, who also is chairman of the Baja Image Committee.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Ron Raposa
ronraposa@hotmail.com
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