Enlightenment in the Garbage
By Osvaldo Castillo
El Observador
If poverty and drug cartels were not enough for children growing up in Tijuana, Mexico, imagine having to live near a dumpster and having to work 12 hours a day in it in order to survive.
The Tijuana Project, a film that was part of this year's Cinequest film festival, is a documentary that tells the story of the children living in one such dump in the extremely poor neighborhood of Fausto Gonzalez in Tijuana, Mexico.
The neighborhood inhabitants dig through the dump everyday trying to find recyclable items such as aluminum, glass and copper to sell to their local recycle center.
They make an average of seven to twenty dollars a day. It is not much, but it is all they have. The inhabitants prefer working in the dump instead of a factory.  There are many safety and health issues involved with the work. There is also wide spread drug use by the workers.
Luis and David are two of the children that live in Fausto Gonzalez. They help their parents dig through the garbage and have witnessed several horrible things at their young age such as dead babies and violence.
Yet they go on everyday knowing that the dump is their only means of survival.
David Lynch, an American, teaches the children at a school near the dump. He believes that the only way the kids will be able to have better lives and get out of the dump is through education.
Luis hopes to become a police officer and protect the people of Fausto Gonzalez, while David hopes his skills as an artist will help him make millions of dollars.
The dump in Tijuana ends up moving to the nearby city of Tecate, forcing the workers to take an hour-long bus ride to work. However, the kids do not follow. Instead they choose to attend school in Fausto Gonzalez.
Their living conditions have not change except that the dump is not empty. The kids play throughout the area but the land remains contaminated because of several years of garbage and trash dumping.
For more information on the Tijuana Project visit www.tijuanaproject.org. The kids are looking for money donations for their school as well as supplies such as digital cameras, Imacs, gas cards, and back up hard drives.

Artistry of CSMA Students AND TEACHERS on exhibit at mountain view city hall

Students and their CSMA art teachers at schools in Mountain View, Los Altos and other local communities have been hard at work creating art just in time for national "March for Arts Education" month, a celebration of the importance of providing children with arts education. The result is a teacher/student collaborative exhibition called The City Show. The show, which presents a colorful mix of paintings, drawings, sculptures, collages and more, is open to the public through March 21, 2010 at City Hall, Rotunda, 500 Castro St, Mountain View. City Hall is open Monday-Friday, 8 am-5 pm. The free public exhibit is sponsored by the City of Mountain View Visual Arts Committee and the Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA).

On display will be more than 300 pieces of art by students (GR 1-8) and their CSMA art teacher from 17 local schools, including every public Mountain View Whisman District elementary school (Bubb, Castro, Huff, Landels, Monta Loma, Stevenson, Theuerkauf), as well as Covington, Gardner Bullis, Loyola, Oak and Springer Schools (Los Altos School District), Montclaire School (Cupertino School District), Costano School (Ravenswood School District), St. Nicholas (Los Altos Hills), The Academy (San Jose) and Baywood (San Mateo). All of the children receive weekly art instruction through CSMA's in-school program Arts in Action.

"The City Show explores activities that people are involved in when they live or visit a city, as well as the physical 'look' of cities, from architecture to street landscapes, from stores and businesses to well- known city landmarks," said Cal Cullen, CSMA's Art in the Schools Program Coordinator. "This annual teacher-student collaborative project culminates in a wonderful community exhibit, but it also represents much more," said Cullen. "Students come to see their teacher as an 'artist' and learn how to draw inspiration from an idea or concept to create art." Teachers used a piece of their own artwork as inspiration for the lesson.

The Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA) at Finn Center serves more than 6,000 children annually through its in-school programs Arts in Action and Music in the Schools/Music in Action. Since 1981, these programs, offered as part of the curriculum day in schools in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, have engaged youth through an in-depth, sequential curriculum. CSMA's visual arts and music educators teach weekly, hands-on classes and professional musicians present interactive concerts. Funding is provided by the City of Mountain View, school districts, individual schools, parent organizations, foundations, corporations, California Arts Council, and CSMA donors. In the Mountain View Whisman School District, major funding for CSMA's art and music programs is provided by the Mountain View Educational Foundation.

Founded in 1968, CSMA is the largest non-profit provider of arts education programs in the region and is among the top 10 schools of its kind in the nation. The school is committed to providing Arts for All, regardless of age, level, background or economic means. CSMA reaches more than 40,000 people annually through: lessons, classes and camps in music, visual and digital arts; arts-in-the-schools programs; after-school art clubs; free family concerts, lectures, exhibits and other community outreach events. In keeping with its mission to make the arts accessible to all, the school's Financial Aid Program awards approximately $275,000 annually through tuition assistance and program subsidies. In January 2004, CSMA opened its first permanent home at Finn Center, an $11.7 million, state-of-the-art facility located at 230 San Antonio Circle, Mountain View.

For more info about the exhibition The City Show (through March 21, 2010) at Mountain View City Hall, Rotunda, 500 Castro St., contact Cal Cullen, CSMA Art in the Schools Program Coordinator, at 650-917-6800, ext. 308 (ccullen@art4all.org) or see www.arts4all.org.

To Whom It May Concern: Ka Shen's Journey
By Cinthia Rodriguez - El Observador
There are very few Asian characters being portrayed in films, but one person made a difference. In the pursuit of becoming a famous ballet dancer, Nancy Ka Shen Kwan would lead the way to exposing marketable Asian actors. The worldwide premiere of "To Whom it May Concern," during the Cinequest Festival tells her adventure in detail.
It all started when American directors and producers started taking a chance, hiring real Asians to play the role of Asians. During the production of "The World of Suzie Wong," (1960) the lead had been given to a Broadway star, but with luck Kwan landed the role. Her true intentions were to become a famous ballet dancer, but that only prepared her for future roles she would play.
At a time where Caucasians were taking on the role of Asian characters, everyone fell in love with Eurasian actress Kwan. She was born to a Chinese man and a British woman in a time when interracial marriages were looked down on. No matter, they had created Hong Kong's gift to Hollywood.
Films were being completed and she had plenty of projects to work on. But the real success was the exposure she gave to her people. A pathway was being created. Aspiring Asian actors were made aware that they had realistic dreams. They could pursue their goal with a better chance of being discovered than ever before. 
Kwan also starred in "Flower Drum Song," (1961) a story of romance and clashing cultures set in San Francisco's Chinatown. According to her website, throughout the eighties and nineties, she continued to star in films, mostly independent ones.
The documentary gives the viewers an inside look of her personal life as well. The relationship between her parents, lovers and child is exposed. The balancing act seemed to be working fine wherever she was. Whether in China or California, she managed to do it all.
The film features Joan Chen, France Nuyen, Vivian Wu, and Sandra Allen together with a host of family and friends of Nancy Kwan. For more information about her work visit: http://www.nancy-kwan.com/ksj_wifts.html

Don Francisco ayuda a sus hermanos chilenos
Santiago, (Notimex).- El animador chileno Mario Kreutzberger, el popular Don Francisco, realizó este viernes una campaña televisiva para recaudar unos 28 millones de dólares, con el fin de ayudar a los miles de damnificados del terremoto en Chile.
El animador del programa internacional "Sábado gigante" decidió ponerse al frente de una cruzada solidaria para ir en ayuda de los damnificados del sismo de 8.8 grados en la escala de Richter que azotó el centro y sur del país, informaron medios locales.
Con esos recursos se irá en ayuda directa de los damnificados, para la construcción de viviendas de emergencia, compra de víveres y artículos de primera necesidad.