So, its like you can be a general and at the same time commander of the southern forces, i dont know. Damian so, you were an ambassador at some point in some other country . Mauricio yes, yes. My rank is ambassador because wethe Foreign Service is a career, as a military career. And i have been ambassador, and my last post was portugal, by the way. Damian all right, theyre playing now in the confederacion as well. Welcome again to the show. Were here to talk about a very important topic because president trump, and you can see how powerful his tweets are, he tweeted a couple of weeks ago that now we need to build a wall because mexico has become the second either deadliest or most violent country in the world. Ill let you respond to that. Well show you some video of what he means, go ahead. Tell ustell us what youwell, give it your response. And here were looking at obviously some of the things happening along some of these states in mexico. Mauricio okay, yes, of course. Everybody knows, and we cannot hide it, that mexico has problems of violence, provoked mainly by the drug cartels. And, but we are not the second nation in the world, most violent, after syria. That comes from a study, a research from a british institute, the institute of strategic studies in great britain. But thats false, those are fake news. And what the reality is that they are revising the methodology that they used because we called them, the Mexican Government called them, and now they are revising because actually, the most trustable source in the world is the United Nations studies about criminality. And the un figures are completely different. For instance, usually the ratethe figure they use, the rate of murders for 100,000 inhabitants. So, honduras, according to the un, has a rate of 90. 4; belize, 53; colombia, 44; brazil, 30; and mexico, 16. 4. So, its quite far from beingand we are talking about these latin american nations. But comparing, for instance damian and these are figures from the United Nations youre using . Mauricio from the United Nations. And with the samewith the same sources and talking about cities, new orleans, the rate in new orleans is 49 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. St. Louis, missouri, 40. Baltimore, 34, and so on and so on. And mexico, 14. Los angeles, 7. I dont have in san jose, but i suppose its very, very low. Damian yeah, well, lets show you now video of the mexico that you know, and thats the beautiful, cultural, historic, postcolumbian city that you know of. Talk abouti mean, did you take it as a slap in the face and your government take it as a slap in the face when you heard the president tweet that . Mauricio yes, but we are insisting in the dialogue. We think that walls or statements, that they arent useful at all. And putting the finger in the other face has no sense. We think we have to cooperate against the criminality in the region because we are responsible, we are a north american region, with walls or no walls, and we have to fight against criminals and organized criminals first. And there are four main fronts on we have to fight. First is we have to reduce drugs consumption. And the main consumer in the world is the United States. And i amwith all my respect, but i dont know if you agree with me, but there are very few campaigns against drugs consumption in this country. Damian so, youre saying, if were not using drugs in america, mexicos not shipping drugs across the border . Mauricio well, its a shared problem, its a common problem. So, but we need to fight the consumption in order to reduce. Because mexico or the mexican cartels, they dont force anyone to consume drugs. They produce, and they bring the drugs, and thats not good, of course. Damian they dont inject them in you or shove themim going to go a little bit longer with you on this segment because i think its important. But do you think that the sre, the secreteria de relaciones exteriores, has had to change strategies in this part of the country or in this part of north america because of all the rhetoric thats coming from the white house . Mauricio well, of course, the Foreign Policy in the United States has changed a lot since the new republican government. And so, mexico has reacted, but not reacted in a violent way. And we arewe have been sending our representatives, the ministry of foreign affairs, of course, the ministry of commerce, and we are negotiating. And we have an environment of dialogue between both countries, and we think that we have to preserve that to build solutions. Damian because i think consulates all across the country have been a little more vocal than before, from what ive noticed personally, i dont have any data to back it up, a little more vocal in protecting those rights of mexican nationals in this country. Mauricio yeah, our First Priority now is to protect our communities in the United States because we think that they have been threatened with the new statement by the government. Damian all right. Well, the Mexican Consulate in san jose with embajador mauricio toussaint. Its on enzo drive down in the south end of town. Theres the number to call for more information. Any final thoughts, embajador, before we let you go . Mauricio well, the second thing is we want to fight together on avoiding firearms exports from the United States. Here, its legal to weapons possession, but not in mexico, and cartels receive firearms from the United States. Third, money laundering. And fourth, corruption. Mexican government is responsible until the border line, but drugs are not consumed in the border line cities in the United States. What happens between the border line and new york, washington, so damian it sounds, it sounds like mauricio there is corruption on both sides, and we have to fight against that. Damian it sounds like youre saying we shouldnt throw stones if you live in a glass house, and thats whats happening here. Thank you so much, embajador. Mauricio thank you, thanks again. Damian an important topic with us, gracias. And up next here on comunidad del valle, the cet celebrating 50 years, stay with us. Where each drop was formulated to be smarter. Even smarter than that. So if a color didnt go on evenly, it would balance itself out to reveal its truest, richest state. If a paint could realize the fullest potential of any color. You have to wonder. Is it still paint . Aura interior from benjamin moo®e. Only available at independently owned paint and hardware stores. For employment training. Letty dominguez is back from cet, and also Chris Longoria is a board member of the center for employment training. Welcome back to the show. Leticia dominguez thank you. Damian well, you guys know how to celebrate milestones. Chris, ill start with you because, i mean, i remember your 25th you celebrated at the old macsa youth center, and that was a bash. I think 45 you brought little joe because that was a big deal. And talk about why its important to celebrate these kinds of milestones. Chris longoria fifty years is just a key time for the cet organization. We were founded in 1967 in Sal Si Puedes neighborhood in east san jose. And its unusual and not very common to have an organization like ours, a nonprofit, private nonprofit, to have survived all these years. So, we want to make this celebration special, not only for the cet staff and people that work for cet, but for the community. And were inviting a lot of the vips, people like los lobos will be the entertainers, and luis valdez will be the keynote speaker, godfather of chicano theater. You know, and having those, and you as our emcee. So, were totallyi mean, just we cant wait for this. And im sure its going to be something that the communitys going to really enjoy being there. Damian and you talk about, i mean, theres those pictures of los lobos, and heres luis valdez, you talk about people who are all about la causa, all those included, and including cet. Heres some of the job training that you all do. This is a big milestone, letty, and it merits the luis valdezes and los loboses. Leticia yes, and as chris was mentioning, luis valdez and los lobos, los lobos when they were with us 25 years ago, it was special then, and its even more spectacular now. Todays times are very different, but it also, if you go back 50 years ago, we had some similar struggles. And so, what were experiencing given our 50year anniversary is bringing some of these powerful folks together in a time when we need to be together, we need to continue to advocate for our community, we need to continue to let our Community Know that were here, were present, and we are here to keep that ongoing hope, that message of hope, and understanding, and workforce. And so, its a very special time in our history. Damian and i mean, i can personally relate. I have an older brother and my older sister who went through the cet program, and they all both have great careers now at a high school and for the county of monterey. But those are the stories, right, chris, that the chris yes, absolutely. And its those types of things that cet has been able to produce all these years. What makes cet so special is the fact that it works with those individuals that may befor whatever reason may not have made it or were successful in the mainstream education or whatever it might be. People, the underserved populations of this country, are those individuals that cet serves. Theywere able to take into account their aspirations, their abilities, their needs. We see each individual with dignity and respect, and we treat each one with dignity and respect. There are not too many programs, i cant think of another program who treats each student the way cet does. We advocate for our students, and we provide the support services that are necessary in order to empower each student to become not only successfully trained, but employed successfully. Damian wow. Leticia and damian, i have to mention that chris does not work for cet. He ishe is our board member, and i think that thats very special when it comes to Board Members that are out there representing organizations. And we happen to have a very special group of Board Members that are truly the face of what we continue to do now, 50 years later. And thats really the goal of our grand celebration is the next 50 years of wonderful work that were doing in the community. Damian your board has great ambassadors to the cause. If youd like more information, its the cet 50th anniversary with los lobos and luis valdez. Now, the program has been sold out, but not the dance with los lobos, so well talk more about that when we continue. Stay with us. And we mentioned about the program, thats been sold out, the one with luis valdez. Leticia yes, the gala itself has been sold out, but whats wonderful is that we will be having a special performance by los lobos. And following los lobos, we will have rocio y su sonora dancing the night away. So, where we can buy tickets and purchase your tickets, its at www. Cetweb. Edu events, to make it super simple. This way you can purchase your tickets while tickets last, yeah, or they can contact us directly at cet. Damian very good. And chris, letty mentioned about the fluctuating job force, but what is it about cet that has allowed you to stay here for 50 years, given that weve transitioned, when cet was founded from an agricultural valley to a hightech valley . Chris i think it starts with the outstanding staff that we have. We have dedicated, loyal staff working for cet, and we have individuals that have been on the job for almost 20 years now. Even retirees of cet come back and help out. And so, i think it starts with the staff. And the dedicated staff just continue to contribute each year. We have the instructors, we have the job developers, and we have the support services on staff that also help, that key element that is necessary in order to provide that empowerment that the student will need once they finish the training. But we stay on top of the job labor market, and thats key. Excellent, topnotch staff, thats all i can say that we have. Damian i mean, im not just hearing it, i can vouch for it. Again, another anecdote from my brother, it got him out of the fields. He came out of the fields, and he went to cet in salinas, and he got his training there. And when he became part of the at t company in salinas, we were so proud as a family because he was out of the fields, and now hes working in an office setting. And that wouldnt have happened without the cet training. Chris exactly. Leticia yeah, and a lot of the miracles happen within the organization. A lot ofa lot of whats happening is that we also have a wonderful relationship with our community partners. We have a wonderful relationship with workforce development, whether it be employers letting us know exactly what it is that theyre looking for. Because we can have marvelous programs, but they might not be relevant to the workforce, and thats key to what weve done since 1967, which is when the valley of the Hearts Delight began to change. We knew that we needed to advocate and be there for our community in the sense where when companies, huge companies, whether it was Electronic Companies in those years were looking for workforce, we were letting them know and we were knocking on their doors, letting them know that we have a community of people who want to work, and theyre ready to work, and theyre dedicated, and theyre community members, theyre our neighbors. And so, we have stuck to our mission, which iswhich is another really very special, important part of why we arewe are here to stay as an organization, and how we continue to evolve as well when it comes to changes in the workforce. Damian thats key, thats key. She doesnt like the limelight, she doesnt like the attention, but talk about the giant that hermelinda is and has been. Chris oh, Hermelinda Sapien is amazing. She is our leader, she is our leader. And, theres no ifs, ands, or buts. And we as Board Members are very, very appreciative to have her leading cet. You cant say enough of her. Ive been to washington dc with her many times, and going through the Senate Building and other buildings there. These senators and members of the house of representatives come out and greet her as if she was the president , you know . And thats the type of impact that she has. Shes a leader, a true leader. And everywhere she goes, shes very wellrespected. Damian thats cause shes not afraid to knock on doors. And if she has to, shell knock that door down. Chris absolutely. And so, were very, very fortunate to have Hermelinda Sapien as our leader there at cet. Damian i remember when she got her masters fromher mba from stanford, and you knew what was ahead. Again, still Tickets Available for the pachanga part. Leticia yes, there are still Tickets Available. You can reach us any time. Werewe dowe are selling out quickly. And so, for our community, please come join us at our grand celebration. Were going to have a great time together. Damian all right, 50 years of the center for employment training, and the website is there for you to log on. And is it edu, or is it cetweb. Org . Leticia its edu. Damian there it is. Leticia yeah, thats new, whoo hoo. Damian well be back and wrap this up. Stay with us. The it senses your everyere with move and automatically adjusts on both sides. Right now save on sleep number 360™ smart beds. Plus, its the lowest prices of the season with savings of 500 on our most popular p5 bed. Ends sunday. And before we went to break, chris, you were going to say something, but i had to go to break. Go ahead and give us your thoughts. Chris i just wanted to, again, extend an invitation to the community. Its august 26, 2017. Everything starts at 5 30 this afternoon. Its going to be a special event, Hermelinda Sapien will be there, Board Members will be there. Arturo rodriguez from the united farm workers is going to be there. And so, we have a lot of vips. And its the coming together of all of these 1960s activist organizations that are going to be under one roof, and thats special to me. Luis valdez, arturo rodriguez, members of the chavez family, people are all going to come together and just enjoy the festivities, and its going to be so special. The founders, father antonio sotto, russell tershy, they willi wish i could say will be there, but damian but they will. Chris the celebration is especially for them. They were the founders, they started the whole process, and here we are now. Damian and the fact that youre having these vips says a lot about what youve done in the past and what you continue to do. We talked briefly about the edu at the end of your website. If you can, letty, briefly tell us the significance of adding. Edu at the end. Leticia well, now were 50 years later, and we are cetweb. Edu. The significance is enormous. Weve worked very hard as an educationalwe are an educational institution, and we always have been since our beginning, but it doesit does take a lot of determination of center for employment training, and we did it. We are now. Edu. Damian does that mean more access to other grants or educational grants, or what does that mean cause you went from org to edu . Leticia no, it doesnt change. We continue to act as what we are, which is an educational place for someone to come, and they can apply for Financial Aid, and thats still ongoing. We have Financial Aid year round, and one can come. The difference is were not quarters or semesters, were yearround. Were just like the workforce, were january to december. And if youre ready to come in, you can come in at any time. Damian thats awesome. Again, thats the center for employment training, celebrating 50 years with a big bachanga. Los lobos, luis valdez, and artie rodriguez, and there it is, august 26. And there is their new website for more information, cetweb. Edu. Any final thoughts, chris . Because i mean, how can you wrap up 50 years in 2in a minute . Chris you cant. And i think the public will have to be there to see this happen. Its a special moment in our history. Its a moment in the history of the cet that can noone time only. And were justcant wait, we just cannot wait for it. And again, its going to be great having you there as an emcee. Damian thank you, im honored. Chris so yeah, were ready to do it. Damian and letty, quickly, youve been there a while. And the fact that youve been there a while says that you seeyou see the mission, and you believe in that mission, and you want to follow it. Leticia i believe in it very much. So, my parents went through the immigration, the Citizenship Program that we have there. I have a brother who is a proud graduate and is working in the city of san diego. So, when you have family come through the program and or, you know, be involved in some way, its wonderful. It feels good, feels really good, yeah. Damian all right. Well, thank you all so much. Do you have any final thoughts before we let you go . Leticia we hope to see you there. Cetweb. Edu events. Damian thank you all very much, and congratulations, and good luck in the next 50 years. Chris thank you. Thank you, damian. Damian now, if youd like to contact us here on comunidad del valle, there is our contact information. My handle is newsdamian. Also, pick up a copy of El Observador newspaper, and support your bilingual weeklies all across the bay area. You can also watch us in espanol on telemundo channel 48 every sunday morning right after this show at 11 a. M. However, we took the month of june off on telemundo, because of the confederaciones cup. Its all about soccer on that side of the dial. So, watch us every sunday at 11 a. M. On telemundo channel 48, your comunidad del valle in espanol. Thank you so much for sharing another part of your sunday with us on this show. Well, well see you again here next week. And congratulations again to the center for employment training. Pase usted. That had the power to whawaken something old. Or painfully dated. Or something you simply thought was lost forever. Because it could form a strong bond, regardless of age. If a paint could give any timeworn surface stunning new life. You have to wonder. Is it still paint . Regal select exterior from benjamin moore®. Only available at independently owned paint and hardware stores. Home of the olympic games, the fedex cup playoffs, the nhl, the nascar playoffs, and super super bowl lii only on nbc. Announcer welcome to the u. S. Bank nbc sports report. Hi everyone. Were moments away from Katie Ledecky and the 400 free at the usa Swimming National championships, but earlier today, it was stage 2 of the 104th edition of the Tour De France from dusseldorf, germany to belgium. In stage 2 was marred by nasty weather and slippery course. Threetime tour winner c