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Show 1 'Feliz Navidad Chile, in many ways, holds a special place among the nations in Latin America. The nations ribbon-lik- e geographic configuration stretching over 2,600 miles from north to south, but overlaying only 150 miles in width, is certainly unique in the world. Chilean democracy was also unique in all of Latin America. Since it independence from Spanish domination in 1810, Chileans lived as the longest democracy in Latin America. The mixture of Araucanians (native Indians of Chile) and those of European descendence was a strong one. International Corner This mestizo race, which was 85 percent white people, made Chile a prosperous and most respected country. With only five percent of the people illiterate, Chile was one of the most educated and westernized countries in Latin America. by Myriam Hernandez There is no place like home, and this holds true especially at Christmas. For many nations, the peace brought by the holiday season would be just another unreachable dream. Many men will be home for Christmas in Central America, thanks to the proposal given by Daniel Ortega to cease fire for a few months. They even have a Nobel Peace award winner in their midst. President Oscar Arias of Costa Rica. But those who were exiled from Chile in 1973 will not got a chance to be with their loved ones this year. They havent been home for 15 years. jj -- The metamorphisis of Chile from a peaceful democracy to a society wracked by violence and civic breakdown began in 1970 with the election of the socialist President Salvador Allende. Allendes government was good news for the poor. The minimum wage rose and slum owners got proper housing. The poor had bet-- , tered their lives and become more powerful, but for the middle and upper classes, Allende meant bread lines and chaos. The upper class began to sabotage Allende. Their strong ally, as a U.S. congressional committee confessed in 1975, was the CIA. When Allende assumed power, President Nixon told members of his administration, Chiincluding Henry Kissinger, to make the went CIA The loud. lean economy cry out further than that it helped to organize the coup. The coup descended from chos to hell. Augusto Pinochet, who had been a trusted general, assassinated Allende and bombed La Moneda. Over the next few days, Chiles soccer stadiums became death chambers for hundreds of Allendes supporters. Over the next three years, the regime killed 15,000 to be content By now, Chileans have learned are the these only things and patient. Maybe they can afford. While the rich become richer because of the coup, the poor become more desd of all Chileans lie in perate. Today, is surrounded by Santiado extreme poverty. and crime where prostitution are slums, places sniff glue to, and bread the daily overcome hunger pangs. one-thir- nine-year-ol- Pinochets regime has transformed the bravery of a national autonomy into a quiet discontent. The Chilean people have been emotionally, people. But the killing and abusive treatment did not stop there. At 7:30 a.m. on J uly 2, 1986, the Chilean people went into a national strike and two young people were killed. Gloria Quintana and Rodrigo Rojas, who were returning to Chile from Washington D.C., were dosed in gasoline by the soldiers and set on fire. Rodrigo died four hours later. Gloria is a walking ghost, a living witness of Pinochet d regime. Chiles universities have also fallen victim to Pinochets free market economic strategy. For young Chileans, the present and future are obscure. About half of them do not possess real jobs and the future holds little reason for hope. iron-han- When the pope visited Chile this past summer, Chileans hoped that he would confront Pinochet. I nstead of accusing Pi nochet of violation of human rights, the pope asked the people to be patient- - bru-taliz- ed physically and psychologically. Many homes were broken by the regime when family members were taken away. Many of them are still on exile, some have disappeared and many others have been killed. It is almost Christmas. The only way we can make the earth a better place for mankind is to stop making another Chile, another Vietnam. Men, like the forefathers of this county, whom many Latin Americans look up to, can make it happen. The American Constitution has been the basis of the building of many nations democracies. Only a responsible superpower nation like the United States can help to take home those who have been away for so long. And perhaps it can help ensure that fathers and sons never spend another Christmas away from home due to war or politics. Glamorous Holiday Nails 15 Full set only Stactt iSft&xwoocl dVait tSfiiciatixl 2jS-ig0- 5 V St. Vincents serves many by Myriam Hernandez It is 9 a.m. in Salt Lake City and it is all quiet in the St. Vincent le Paul Center. A few xople are talking, and Claudette Revees, program director, has been in her office since 8 a.m. The kitchen is now in progress. Something piod is cooking and the smell is filling the dining room, which is already decorated in tune with the Christmas spirit. Volunteers are enjoying what they do best, helping others, said Joe Dispenza, dining room superviser. It is now 12:30 and the Center has come alive. People from all over are coming in. There's a long line of small people, tall people, skinny people...hungry people. Daily 350 homeless people are fed at this facility, homeless people who go back to the streets after eating their meal of the day. The Christian story of Christmas repeats itself here everyday. U nfortunately, there was no place for the baby Jesus in the inn. Luckily for the homeless people of Utah, there is always a place for them in the St. Vincent de Paul Center. "Come to me all you who are weary and burdensome and I will refresh you, reads the sign on one of the dining room walls. This is just what they do here five days a week. The St. Vincent de Paul Center operates under the auspices of the Catholic Community Services and exists to serve anyone in need, especially the poor and homeless, regardless of residency, race, religion, national origin or any other restricting factor. 8 Forum We serve 350 people on a daily basis and up to 8,000 a month, said Revees, and they come here only when they need us the most. The end of the month is when the most people are served. This is mostly because they have run out of food stamps and money, Revees explained. Task Force, a program convened by Mayor Palmer DePaulis. estimates that there may be as many as 2.000 homeless jiersons in Salt Lake County on a daily basis. The number one request of these people when they come to us for help is to find a job for them, said Revees. Next comes clothing and shelter. It is important to understand that the homeless are in this predicament because they have no other choice and not because they do not want to work, said Revees. Many of the people are alcoholics, others are mentaly ill and some iare couples who do not have children. They are very vulnerable and go through a lot of suffering, said Revees. Most of the homeless are in poor health, according to Revees, and there is little they can do to prevent it. When you and I get a cold, we can go home, take aspirins and go to bed. The homeless do not have that privilege,said Revees. The basic purposes of the Center are crisis intervention and a support system for the people who beedme homeless. Nobody is on the street because they want to be, said Revees. The Center is run by five paid staff members and the rest is all on a volunteer basis. There are 524 volunteers who rotate in and out over the month. It takes 18 volunteers a day to prepare and serve lunch and eight to work with the support program daily. The volunteers come from all religious denominations. The Center was built from an effort of all faiths in Utah. The Center hosts professional people who donate their time to help others. These professionals, also from different religious denominations, help the homeless with health screenings, dental problems and substance abuse to name a few. According to Revees, most of the homeless families are continuously on the move because of the fear that children will be taken due to the fact that parents can not take away care of the chddren. The St. Vincent de Paul Center was dedicated on Feb. 26. 1987. It received the National Association of Social Workers Jane Addams Agency Award for consistent service to those in need. It also was awarded a certificate of recognition from the Ulster project Utah for contributing to the success of the 1987 peace building plan. These long time friends retired from Kenne-co- tt and now donate five days a week to volunteer work. They learned about helping through mining disasters. Big casualties happened then, so we were always helping one another, said Leyba. Leyba worked for Kennecott approximately 42 years, and saw a lot of strikes during that time. We went long periods of time without pay, help from others came in handy, said Leyba. Dispenza helps the cook make salads and sandwiches. He started his volunteer work last February. Dispenza and Leyba agree that Christmas is a family time. Dispenza said, My daughter and her husband are coming This daily project of feeding 350 people is all managed by Claudette Revees. If it were not for her, it would be difficult to do a proper job. said Chuck Shamel, a Vista Volunteer. After all. she deals with only five paid staff members and the rest are volunteers 1 hey come from different parishes and differ-ent wards, so it is hard to organize them. For Ullises. a regular at the Center, St. 13 mSt Wonderful thing ever have been all over the United States and in each city, there was a St. Vincent de Paul down there, too. Ullises said, creating a stir of I laughter from the volunteers. Joe Dispenza, dining room supervisor and Nelson Leyba. scullery supervisor, out a long time ago what Christmas isfigured 11 Issue 8 Dec. 15. 1987 - |