: Minute-Men to arrive at the Mexican Heritage Plaza on September

This looks crazy.

Subject: Minute-Men to arrive at the Mexican Heritage Plaza on September
16th!!!
Importance: High



By the way, below is a description of the event and more information can be
found on: http://www.mhcviva.org/events/detail/2005-09-16-minutemen.html


Or

http://www.commonwealthclub.org/featured.html#minutemen



In Solidarity,



Lucy Hernandez

Community Organizer

Comité César Chávez


The Minutemen: Controversy Over Policing the U.S.-Mexico Border

Sponsored by the Commonwealth Club of California and the Mexican Heritage
Plaza

Mexican Heritage Plaza Theater, 1700 Alum Rock Ave., San Jose, CA
September 16, 2005, 11:30 a.m. (Registration), 12:00 p.m. (Program)
http://www.commonwealthclub.org/featured.html#minutemen


SPEAKERS:
* Chris Simcox, Organizer, The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps
* Art Torres, Chairman, California Democratic Party
* Michael Deleon, Minuteman Volunteer
* Marcela Medina, General Manager, Univision 14 KDTV - Moderator

DETAILS: The Minuteman Project, which has deployed hundreds of armed
volunteers in Arizona for a border watch, is currently enlisting volunteers
to patrol the New Mexico, Texas and California borders this fall. Simcox,
founder of the Minutemen, will explain their approach to border security.
Panelists will discuss the wisdom of having citizen patrols operating on the
U.S. side of the Mexican border to stem the tide of illegal immigration.
They will debate the tactics used by the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, the
need to protect the civil rights of immigrants, the issues around safety of
the volunteers and others, how we might improve the performance of the
Border Patrol and new ideas for restraining illegal immigration, such as the
Bush administration's proposed temporary worker-visa program. This forum is
part of the 'Salon de Mexico' series co-sponsored by San Jose's Mexican
Heritage Plaza, bringing influential speakers to the Bay Area to discuss the
leading issues affecting the Latino community today.

COST: $8 for Club/Mexican Heritage Plaza Members, $15 for Non-members, free
for Students

RBTR-our doc in Film Festival this weekend

Our Doc READING BETWEEN THE RHYMES
will be in the Best Fest Film Festival
this weekend in San Diego.
If you want to check it out it is showing at noon on Sunday.

Where:
Sherwood Auditorium
Museum of Contemporary Art
700 Prospect Street
La Jolla, CA 92037

When:
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Noon – Screening #4
$5 Admission (tickets available only the day of the
event at the Box Office)
DR – A Girl & Her Squid, Carlsbad High, CA – Alex
Carracino, Chris Mayer, Andrew Fisher

DO – Reading Between the Rhymes,
San Francisco State University, CA
– Keith Morikawa, Maya Chinchilla,
Cathrina Chanco, Florian Quant, Michael Scheffold,
Rebekka Sauter

Pics From Brazil

Welcome to Salao Do Encontro

More pictures from Brazil

Okay so we actually were working we just werent as moved to take pictures of all that work but I will post some of us working when I get a chance. Sucks to be home but there is still work to do. We have a lot of transcribing and editing to do. We feel a tremendous obligation to do a bomb ass job for this amazing place. We all took away such a powerful experience that I know for sure I will never forget.

Whats up with READING BETWEEN the RHYMES

Fam,

Eyes up! Another announcement for all the beautiful people out there. After a very well received screening at SFBFF's Urban Kidz Film Festival, we're officially off the bench and running!

In your local newstands now (August issue), check out the write up of Reading Between the Rhymes in XXL Magazine (page 56). There's a cute, little, sliver of an article appropriately titled, "You Must Learn" (krs!) with a picture of my man Jamahl Richardson. Don't like the mag? Don't worry, any exposure is good exposure! Peace to Bear Frazer - we've got ink!

Also good news, RBTR has been accepted into Best Fest America - Student Film Festival. It will take place the weekend of July 30, 31 in La Jolla, CA for all the SoCal party people. Be sure to key up http://www.bestfestsandiego.com/OfficialSelections.html for screening schedule and other film screenings. Congrats goes out to my fellow Reading Between the Rhymes filmmakers. RBTR beat out 503 submissions to be 1 of 8 documentaries chosen for Best Fest!

Last, for the educators on the frontline, I encourage you to check out Edutopia Magazine - The New World of Learning from the George Lucas Educational Foundation. There will be a write up of Reading Between the Rhymes in the August/September issue. More importantly however, it's:
"The one magazine that will give you practical, hands-on insight into what works now, what's on the horizon, and who's shaping the changing future of education"

There is is also a documentary section at www.edutopia.org where you can:
"Watch over 150 online documentaries showcasing imagination and innovation in our public schools"

Remember to progress...

You Must Learn,
Keith Morikawa

1st week in Betim, Greetings from Belo Horizonte

I started writing this message a week and a half ago and didnt get a chance to finish cause we had to go...here~s the original email below and I will try to write more when I can.
We are in Belo Horizonte at Vanessa~s familys vacation house called Retiro Das Pedras
until July 1st. We are working our creative problem solving skills because we have been having troubles with our cameras and wanted to at least get an edited rough cut done by the end of this trip... we are also having computer problems. So Vanessas family has been running around to see if we can borrow a camera to capture all our video to the computer and see if we can get our computer fixed. A little stress but we get a little time off to take care of our personal infrastructure. ANd also we got time yesterday to see a BRAZILIAN SOCCER GAME! it was Cruzeiros (from Belo Horizonte) vs Vasco the Rio team. We off course were rooting for Cruzeiros even though Vanessa and her brother-in-laws team is another Belo team (that wasnt playing). It was a really great time. Cruzeiros scored early and dominated most of the game but the ref seemed to be calling all kinds of things against them and after a penalty kick for the other team and another goal scored the tense game ended in a tie. Okay gotta to go and finish a resume to send to see if I can get a job when I get back.

Last weekends message:
Hello beautiful people! Sorry I havent written but much but we are only finally taking some time off and relaxing in a small mining town called OURO PRETO. Its a colonial town with a strong mining history. We had a little problem with our guide he likes to talk very loud and repeat everything he says a few times while he talks and walks very slowly. We finally had enough and decided to take off to hang out and do a little email. This past week has been such a contrast to our time in Rio. IT has been inspiring and uplifiting. We get up very early and work late into the night doing our preproduction and planning for our video shooting. Luckily we are fed amazing food and lots of coffee and good bread. We feel a tremendous responsibility to work really hard and create great final projects that this organization can use to help promote the work they do.
We are like rock stars to the kids at Salao do Encontro. If we go anywhere by ourselves especially near the under 7 aged kids we get attacked, with questions and come here lets go there, lets play, sign my arms, sign my paper, speak english!!! GIGGLES ALL AROUND. Yesterday we got interviewed by the state newspaper (Estado do Minas) and they took pictures of us as if we were doing our interviews and filming. This Local TV station is supposed to come Monday and there is a rumor that the national TV station wants to do a story on us. It kinda weird postmodern, media doing stories on media doing media but all of it brings attention to this great organziation.
Dona Noemi the inspriration behind Salao is a feisty 80 year old woman who was ordering the photographers to highlight us and not her, and telling them where we should be fotographed and how to be fotographs. She doesnt like to be video taped especially so we are still unsure if she will agree to be interviewed. ...

June 12- Leaving Rio de Janeiro

Hello beautiful friends and family, Sorry I havent written more but we have been going nonstop since we got here. You know I like my sleep but I havent been getting much of it! We´ve gone to the beach a little bit with such amazingly beautiful people. Gorgeous people in Impanema. The more I am here the more sexy I feel. This big booty pays off big here (so to speak!) all the beautiful ladies have very big round booties, lots of curves I fit right in. I even bought a brazilian bikini, dont worry not too scandalous, just wearing a bikini for me is a big deal but here I fit right in. I also am able to communicate pretty well with my spanish and portanol.

Monday we start portuguese classes and watch out Brazil when these boys learn some more of the lanuguage...The girls on this trip are great we get along really well, take care of each other and like to do the same things. We hang out together most of the time (and dont worry we never go anywhere alone, there are plenty of men in our group on the trip to take us to the bank and hang out with us at night, for those of you who like to remind me to be careful...duh) We are in the fancy part of Brazil, Impanema. Im sure it will be such a contrast to the place we are going to do the video.

Last night we went to a free festival on copacabana Beach where we saw Fernanda Abreu and Jorge Ben Jorge. I recognized many of the songs! we sambaed on the beach (what a work out) with Brazilian friends from the hostel we are staying at and of course Darren who has been our english friend from London. He likes to tell us how maybe he should talk slower so we dumb americans can understand him better...yeah its a dry humor but he's been basically a part of our group going on all our ventures and teaching the guys in our group about chivalry, being "civilized" and cockney humor.

The best night in Rio so far for me was the night before last (thursday) when we went to a place called Bunker to dance to hip hop and "Brazilian Funky" Only the three ladies Rinchen, Evangeline, and I along with Joe and Darren went. When we first got there, there were a whole bunch of thug life looking guys hanging out outside and white, almost see thru Darren was a little worried since that is not really his scene... But I had the greatest time once we got inside. I love Brazilian Funky music whatever that is I need to investigate a little more, it seems kinda like funk and reggae.

I would have liked to stay all night but everyone else wanted to go since we had to get up early to go on a jeep ride thru a forest called Tijuca. We saw monkeys and beautiful scenery but the best part was bathing in a little waterfall. They said that in Brazil that there is a belief you must bathe in water because it clean the soul.
Then we went to the famous Jesus protector which is so high up and such a beautiful view.

Where ever we go we have been having such a great time. Everyone is pretty easy going and we decided to share our pictures on one of those picture sharing sites when we get back.

I'm pretty amazed at how easily I have been able to communicate using what little I know of Portuguese and then throwing in Spanish when I dont know...I have been translating when necessary I understand pretty well...Just speaking sometimes can be difficult.

We are getting ready to leave to Belo Horizonte on a 6 hour bus ride where we will go to Vanessa~s families house to eat. (she's the grad student ion my program who is organizing everything. She has been so amazing taking such good care of us.)

Then we go to Betim to start work on our video of Salao do Encontro. I have no idea what to expect but I know it will be a much smaller and humbler town than Rio or BH. We have a lot of work ahead of us. I am having an amazing time. Beixos