English Translations

IMAGE: Part of a series of photos titled, "The Real Story of Super Heroes" by Dulce Pinzón.

The vision of the artist is that this woman in the costume is a super hero, but society doesn't view her in this way.

What follows are the words from Amelia Malagamba-Ansótegui, curators for the "Caras Vemos, Corazones No Sabemos" exhibit that will be free and open to the public for display at the United Community Centers' Latino Arts and Marquette University's Haggerty Museum from April 11 to July 13.

In a certain moment in the history, photography represented the legitimate document to reveal or describe the truth and reality. It's still used in that manner today, but photography doesn't always reveal the truth. This photo, which is part of a series of similar photos, presents us the case of Catwoman - a woman that renders her services in New York City. In reality, she's a woman that the artist met, she's not a model. She invited her to participate in this process and the message that the artist wants to give is that one can play with the truth with these photos. Obviously a person will not take care of children dressed up as Catwoman. The artist selects, like in other photographs, costumes of heroes of American culture. These are figures of heroes from comic book, movies that are highly recognized in American culture.

The woman in this photo is Minerva Valencia; she works in the house of a highly privileged person because in New York (where the photo was taken) it's not easy to have a nice apartment. She takes care of a white girl, redhead, and a white baby. They are the innocence of a child that doesn't know and has no idea of what the reality of this woman, who takes are of them, feeds the, and sends money to her family in another country is. It's very likely that when she finishes her shift, Valencia returns to a house that's very different from the one she works in. And even then, she's a super hero because she gives these children love, as you can clearly see in this photo.

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Love your Heart

Be careful with high cholesterol, it can end your life
By Ingrid T. Maida

Imagine having to give up everything that's good in your table: sautéed meats, ham and eggs or ice cream? "Impossible," says Rocío Escobar, originally from Mexico who at 35 years old already has high cholesterol, high blood pressure and is over weight. "I've tried at some point to change, but I always come back to the same thing," she says with shy smile, adding that she's aware of the dangers of suffering a heart attack or a brain hemorrhage. "But it's very hard to change when one is used to eating a certain way," she says.

One of every three Latinos has high blood pressure and one of every two Latinos has cholesterol levels higher than the acceptable limit, much more than whites and African Americans, according to the American Heart Association. Cholesterol and high blood pressure are - along with obesity, cigarettes, diabetes, stress and lack of exercise - the main causes to develop heart problems, according to medical experts. And heart problems are the main cause of ending the lives of many Latinos.

The immigrants were interviewed by ¡Aquí Milwaukee!, began having cholesterol problems when they came to the United States. Rosa García, a Mexican from Veracruz, says she gained more than 20 pounds since her arrival. "In Veracruz (Mexico) I would eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and here I eat a lot of meat and bread, and since I don't have much time to cook, I buy fast food or simply eat out." Rosa gave us her interview while she waited in line in the meat section of El Rey supermarket on the south side. She said her daughter, who's 26 years old, and her grand-daughter who's 8, have been diagnosed with high cholesterol too.

Reducing cholesterol is a simply step that those who have cardiac problems must take or even those who want to prevent problems in the future. That is what María Teresa Sánchez, who's 50 years old and originally from Mexico City is doing. "I've stopped eating meat, including pork. I only eat steamed chicken or fish and I try to eat a lot of fruit, vegetables and fat free milk. I also walk a lot during the day before going to work," she says while resting from her job as a cleaning supervisor at Mayfair Mall in Wauwatosa.

The results? María Teresa has already reduced her cholesterol level from a dangerous 260 mg/dl to the desired 200 mg/dl, which will probably lengthen her life span.

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a necessary substance for the body-particularly for the formation of cell membranes. Our own liver produces it. The problem comes when we eat excessive amounts of saturated fats. These come primarily from animal products like meat, butter, ice cream, milk and eggs. This extra cholesterol gets stuck in our arteries that give blood and oxygen to the heart and brain, and form a barrier that impedes proper circulation. When the arteries become severely obstructed, a heart attack or brain hemorrhage can occur; in some cases, both. To help control your cholesterol the American Heart Association suggests the following:

1. Reduce the consumption of foods high in saturated fats (fatty meats, dairy products, eggs, butter and margarine.)
2. Increase your consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals, legumes, nuts and seeds.
3. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day.
4. Loose excess weight.
5. Relax: stress can increase cholesterol levels

When the arteries (in blue) get blocked, the blood and oxygen can't get to the heart and brain that easily. This can cause a heart attack or stroke. One in every three Latinos dies due to problems with the heart.

When one eats too many saturated fats and does very little exercise, the cholesterol (in yellow in this photo) grows within the arteries and blocks them.

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Did you know that the human heart beats 100,000 times a day?

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From Colombia, a New Crisis

The guerilla problem and drug trafficking in Colombia is by far a real problem since 1960. Since then, the country has faced these social problems and has asked for help from the American government, not only to train their soldiers in war against drug trafficking, but also with the guerilla - especially the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC). This strategy has been successful: the guerilla is living one of its' worst moment against the Colombian government.

But Colombia also faces another intervention, that of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. Thanks to Chávez, six people who were kidnapped by FARC were liberated-something that no other Colombian president has ever been able to achieve. It's believed that in Colombia there are more that 3,203 people who are kidnapped by illegal armed forces group like FARC. Of the numerous people kidnapped their identity, whereabouts or misery they live in is not known.

The president of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, refuses to negotiate with FARC-whom he identifies as "terrorists"-to liberate more refugees, position that has put him in conflict with Chávez. Now a new crisis emerges: Colombia assassinated a leader of FARC in Ecuadorian territory, which has caused turmoil in both Ecuador and Venezuela. Given this situation, ¡Aquí! Milwaukee asked Sergio and Rosalba Rodríguez, a Colombian couple who live in Fox Point, if Chávez should keep on fighting to help liberate more refugees from FARC. "I think he should not get involved," Rosalba said. "He is not the appropriate person…he has no flexibility," added Sergio.

However, Rosalba recognizes the drug problem in Colombia-which has financed FARC for many years-due to the U.S. consumption. "If the United States didn't demand so much production of drugs, the problems would diminish in Colombia."

4.5 million dollars, military help that Colombia received from the United States from 1996 to 2006. Colombia receives more money from the United States than any other Latin American country.