Museum of the History of Polish Jews

The Museum of the History of Polish Jews, which will open in 2012 on the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto, was the focus of attention at a lavish reception hosted by Mrs. Wanda Presburger and Mrs. Helena Krol, at the Krol's beautiful Beverly Hills, California residence.

Ms. Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, Head of the Core Exhibition Planning Team gave a detailed presentation on the Museum, the first and only museum to focus on the history of Polish Jews.

Poland was once home to the largest Jewish community in the world and center of the Jewish Diaspora. Many Jews trace their ancestry to Poland, which was one of the largest countries in Europe and one of the most culturally diverse. As a result, the legacy of Polish Jews extends also to areas that are today Lithuania, Belarus, and Latvia, as well as to parts of Ukraine, Estonia, and Western Russia. The Museum of the History of Polish Jews will be a portal, a place to begin an exploration of the world of Polish Jews.

Initiated by the Jewish Historical Institute Association in Warsaw in 1996, the Museum of the History of Polish Jews will be a unique institution. It will seek to explore the Jewish presence in Poland across the ages, including the first settlements; the unique guarantees offered to Polish Jews in the 13th century; the “golden age” of Polish Jewry in the 16th and 17th centuries; the Shoah and the remnants of the extinguished presence in post-war Poland. Visitors will be taken on a virtual journey to a lost world in which countless generations lived and flourished. The Museum will discover the vibrant civilization of what was once the largest Jewish community in the world and center of the Jewish Diaspora.

In attendance was the Consul General of Poland in Los Angeles, the Honorable Krystyna Tokarka Biernacik, the Honorary Consul of Poland in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Honorable John Petkus, the U.S. Representative to the World Federation of Consuls and Honorary Consul of Chile in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Honorable Paulina Biggs-Sparkuhl, the Honorary Vice Consul of Guatemala in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Honorable Dr. Aldo A. Aguirre, the President Emeritus of the Consular Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Jonathan Warren, Mr. Stanley Kolodziey and Peter Krol, from KROL Vodka.

Cocktails with The Consuls

Inaugural event attracts overwhelming, diverse crowd Consuls General of Uzbekistan and Japan fly in day before; Seven honorary consuls take part.

The first annual Cocktails with the Consuls took place at the Parisian Palace in Las Vegas, to the acclaim of an at-capacity, unusual collection of guests.

At-capacity crowd of dignitaries converges on the Parisian Palace for Cocktails with the Consuls
International business people, political candidates, personal and corporate security specialists, former CIA, FBI, State Department and Special Forces officers mixed with diplomats, entertainers, celebrities, corporate sponsors and local Las Vegas society, in a renaissance of international business and investment opportunity.

It was a great function. Congratulations to the Las Vegas Consular community for this great evening. Ditto on the recognition of Nico, Jonathan and Paulina. Nico’s design skills are incredible. What a wonderful venue. I will see you all again soon. Thanks for the opportunity, I enjoyed it very much. -Gary Furlong, Honorary Consul General of Uzbekistan.

Included in the honored guests were:

• Mr. Ken Walther, decorated former CIA officer
• The Hon. Gary Furlong, Honorary Consul General of Uzbekistan
• The Hon. Kathleen Blakely, Honorary Consul General of Japan
• The Hon. Paulina Biggs Sparkuhl, Honorary Consul of Chile and Member of the Board of Directors of the World Federation of Consuls
• The Hon. Jerome Snyder, Honorary Consul of Great Britain
• The Hon. John Petkus, Honorary Consul of Poland
• The Hon. Dr. Aldo Aguirre, Honorary Vice-Consul of Guatemala
• The Hon. Dr. Geoffrey Vanderpal, Honorary Consul of Slovakia*
• The Hon. Senator Roberto Benvenuti (ITALY)

Guests were treated to a brief talk by Consul General Gary Furlong, who’s legendary and daring work in the former Soviet Union is chronicled in the book “Who the Hell is Bob” by Steve Rudman.

Following Gary our keynote speaker was Ken Walther, a decorated veteran of nearly three decades as a CIA officer. Ken’s work in 100 countries is chronicled in several books, and the unique secret technology department he helped develop is the subject of the book “Spycraft“ by Robert Wallace. Event photos available on the Facebook page of The Palace Club: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=139578899396

*Dr. Vanderpal is the immedate past consul in Las Vegas, Nevada and is Consul Applicant in Austin, Texas

Guatemalan Organizations Elect Representative to CONAMIGUA

In an election held at the General Consulate of Guatemala in Los Angeles, CA, 19 Guatemalan community organizations elected Julio Villaseñor as their representative to the Advisory Council of the National Council for Migrant Services of Guatemala (CONAMIGUA).


A total of 19 community organizations registered to participate in the election process, disputed among four candidates, Julio Villaseñor, Marvin Pinto, Rosa Posadas, and Dr. Carlos Roberto Calderon. Julio Villaseñor and Marvin Pinto were elected after a second round of votes was held to break up an initial tie, Villaseñor as the Representative, and Pinto as the Alternate.

In attendance from were Under Secretary of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Ambassador Miguel Ángel Ibarra, as well as Congress Members Sonia Segura, Julio López Villatoro and Carlos Bautista. Secretary of CONAMIGUA Erick Maldonado oversaw the process, which was directed by General Consul of Guatemala in Los Angeles, CA, Consul Pablo Garcia Saenz.

Election observers included the General Consul of Spain in Los Angeles, His Excellency Ambassador Inocencio Arias, and the General Consul of Costa Rica in Los Angeles, Xenia Vargas. The Honorary Vice Consul of Guatemala in Las Vegas, NV, Dr. Aldo A. Aguirre was also present to observe the process.

"This has certainly been clear proof of the power of the Guatemalan immigrant community in Los Angeles, California, to unite behind one common cause through a completely transparent democratic process. I was very pleased to witness such an important event and look forward to assisting Mr. Julio Villaseñor in getting in touch with the Guatemalan community of Nevada. We anticipate he will visit Las Vegas sometime in the Spring of 2010," concluded Vice Consul Aguirre.

Hungry in Guatemala

The Atlantic - Samuel Loewemberg writes about how solutions in Guatemala, plagued by chronic malnutrition, keep coming up short. The real problem: poverty and income inequality.


At the G8 meeting in Italy last month, the world’s richest countries agreed to devote $20 billion to food security and agricultural development. President Barack Obama declared that the "purpose of aid must be to create the conditions where it's no longer needed, to help people become self-sufficient, provide for their families and lift their standards of living." The initiative was primarily spurred by concerns about the effects on struggling populations of global warming and the economic downturn. But it is also perhaps a reflection of Obama’s stated intent to put a greater emphasis on what his administration calls “smart power” – diplomacy and development, as opposed to primarily defense – in his approach to foreign policy.

Here’s an unlikely candidate to be the poster child for the new program: Guatemala. The Central American nation has the sixth-worst rate of chronic malnutrition in the world, despite being what might be described as a relatively well-off lower-middle class country. Indeed, the situation there bears little resemblance to the well-worn picture of skeletal children in African refugee camps. Measured by average GDP, Guatemala is doing fine economically. But that fact hides dramatic income inequality: while wealthy citizens live luxuriously in sequestered Guatemala City neighborhoods, the poor are barely noticed, living like feudal peasants in the countryside. Nearly half the children in this country of 13 million are chronically malnourished, according to the World Food Program.

FULL ARTICLE

The State of the World's Children Report

A special edition issue of UNICEF's flagship The State of the World's Children report, tracking the impact of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the challenges that remain, was released yesterday on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Convention’s adoption by the UN General Assembly.

"The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most ratified human rights treaty in human history," said UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman. "It has transformed the way children are viewed and treated throughout the world."

The Convention has 193 ratifications, the process by which countries decide to be bound by the articles of an international treaty. It articulates a set of universal children’s rights, such as the right to an identity, a name and a nationality, the right to an education, and rights to the highest possible standards of health and protection from abuse and exploitation.

Guatemala has made progress on some human rights issues impacting children, but there is still much work to be done. Although Guatemala has a medium per-capita earnings, its levels of malnutrition at 43.4 percent compares to countries with low per-capita earnings, this according to UNICEF's Adriano Gonzalez. Further more, Guatemalan children continue to be subject to labor exploitation, victims of violence, poor care and sexual exploitation.

"It is unacceptable that children are still dying from preventable causes, like pneumonia, malaria, measles and malnutrition," said Veneman. "Many of the world’s children will never see the inside of a school room, and millions lack protection against violence, abuse, exploitation, discrimination and neglect."

Mobile Consulate Serves Guatemalan Community in Las Vegas, Nevada

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - 19 November 2009 -- The General Consulate of Guatemala in Los Angeles, California provided mobile services for over 200 Guatemalans this past November 14 and 15 in Las Vegas, Nevada, including inssuance of passports, consular IDs, registrations of birth and weddings, travel permits, and authorizations for children. Guatemalans also had the opportunity to renew their drivers' license, a service of the Department of Transportation by way of Maycom Company.

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We are very grateful to Mrs. Deborah Melendez, owner of Rapid Care Medical Clinic, for allowing us to use her facility to provide services to the Guatemalan community in Las Vegas, Nevada," stated the Honorary Vice Consul of Guatemala in Las Vegas, Nevada, Dr. Aldo A. Aguirre. "Having the mobile services in town saves Guatemalans time and money they would otherwise expend having to compelte their consular documents in Los Angeles, California. It is of great benefit to a community already burdened by a very difficult economic period," concluded Aguirre.

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The General Consulate of Guatemala will hold consular services in Las Vegas, Nevada again in March 2010, at the International Church of Las Vegas, 501 N. Mojave Road, Las Vegas, NV 89101. For more information visit the official website of the General Consulate of Guatemala in Los Angeles, CA http://www.consulaxgt.com/, send an Email to viceconsulguate@aol.com or call (702) 412-5625.

Consul General Visits University Medical Center, Las Vegas, NV

Honorary Vice Consul of Guatemala Dr. Aldo A. Aguirre and the General Consul of Guatemala in Los Angeles, CA, Lic. Pablo Garcia Saenz visit Guatemalan national Alejandro Ramos at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- 19 November 2009 -

The Consul General of Guatemala, the Honorable Lic. Pablo Garcia Saenz and the Honorary Vice Consul of Guatemala in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Honorable Dr. Aldo A. Aguirre visited a 39-year-old Guatemalan national Alejandro Ramos, who has been hospitalized in critical condition at the University Medical Center since September 2009, when he was hit as he traveled on his bicycle.

Mr. Ramos is still unable to communicate, has no immediate family in the United States. The General Consul is helping Mr. Ramos' brother to request a humanitarian visa from the United States Embassy in Guatemala, so he can come to tend to his wellfare. The Guatemalan government is also diligently working to secure a Hospital in Guatemala that will accept the patient.

Order of Consular Emissaries Welcomes Miss Ecuador

From left to right, the Honorary Vice Consul of Guatemala, the Hon. Dr. Aldo A. Aguirre; the president of the Order of Consular Emissaries, Mr. Jonathan Warren; the United States representative to the World Federation of Consuls, the Hon. Paulina Biggs Sparkuhl; Miss Ecuador, Ms. Sandra Vinces Pinargote; Consular Emissaries Mr. David Graham and Mr. David Williams.

The Order of Consular Emissaries welcomed Miss Ecuador, Sandra Vinces Pinargote, at a private reception at their headquarters at the Parisian Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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"Thank you for coming to the beautiful Parisian Palace to honor my country of Ecuador. I am grateful to Mr. Nico Santucci for opening the doors of his home to welcome all of us tonight, and to the Order of Consular Emissaries for hosting this warm reception. I've had the priviledge of representing Ecuador in many different countries, and I can assure you that I've never received such a warm welcome from so many Ecuadorians as I have this evening here in Las Vegas, Nevada. You are true ambassadors of our culture, by helping to keep our customs alive from generation to generation, through maintaining our language and our traditions. I am grateful to you for this warm reception and hope to come back soon to visit you again," concluded Miss Ecuador.

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Although the plight of Ecuador gains little attention in the mainstream media here, Ecuadoreans who number about 260,000 in the United States and some 800 in Southern Nevada, are very much in touch with their families and loved ones left behind their country.

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"It is a true honor to welcome Miss Ecuador to Nevada," said Eugenia Pesantez, a local Ecuadorian community leader. "Her presence sheds light on our community here in Las Vegas, and not only brings us together, but I trust will be the needed impetus to organize our community," concluded Pesantez.

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The president of the Order of Consular Emissaries, Mr. Jonathan Warren, said, "We are delighted to welcome Miss Ecuador and the local Ecuadorian community to our headquarters at the Parisian Palace, and we look forward to future opportunities for international trade between our countries."

Founder and President of Special Education School in Guatemala Visits Las Vegas, Nevada

From left to right, Honorary Vice Consul of Guatemala, the Hon. Dr. Aldo A. Aguirre; the Honorary Consul of Sweeden, the Hon. Lena Walther; Ms. Judy Kerschner, founder and president of the New Life With Education School; the Honorary Consul of Chile, the Hon. Paulina Biggs Spakhul; and, the Honorary Consul of Poland, the Hon John Petkus.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, 30 September 2009 -- Mrs. Judy Kerschner, founder and president of New Life With Education School was the guest of honor at a private fundraiser at the home of the Griffiths.

New Life With Education is a non-profit missionary-operated Christian school for children with special needs in Santa Maria de Jesus, Guatemala. Beginning in 2,000, with one teacher and eight students, the school now has some 130 students in grades Kindergarten through grade six. Many students have graduated from sixth grade and continue their education.

New Life With Education is specifically for children who cannot gain an education in the overcrowded Guatemalan public school system. Some children have severe hearing or vision deficits, learning disabilities, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, muscular distrophy, Down syndrome, attention disorders, or sensory integration difficulities.

Santa Maria de Jesus

Santa Maria de Jesus is a Kakchiquel Mayan village of 24,000 people located on the side of a the Agua Volcano, a few mile from Antigua, Guatemala. It has the highest rate of poverty in the state and 44% illiteracy. Most of those who are illeterate have a third grade education.

Goals

The goal for this School is for the children to see themselves in God's eyes, to know He loves them and has a purpose for their lives and to help them obtain that purpose.

For more information go to: www.newlifeguatemala.com.