04/13/05

LC050413

Val Zavala>> Tonight on Life and Times --

They were just kids when the Pope came to Los Angeles, but
they'll never forget the day he visited their school.

Oscar Cruz>> To us, he was very amazing. Having the
opportunity of meeting that person that embodies everything that
we believe in, obviously at the age of twelve, to me, you know,
I didn't know this. I didn't understand the whole complexity or
the whole picture.

Val>> And then, what can you learn from a plate of tamales?
Cris Franco gives us a short course on his favorite food.

It's all straight ahead on tonight's Life and Times.

Life and Times is made possible through the generous support of
the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality
of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of
medicine, health, science and education.

And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg.

Val>> It was a once in a lifetime event. The year was 1987 and
Pope John Paul II came to Los Angeles and visited with some
children at a very lucky Catholic school. It's now eighteen
years later and these children, now adults, can't forget that
meeting, but did it really change their lives? Hena Cuevas has
their story.

Cardinal Roger Mahony>> "We welcome His Holiness, Pope John
Paul."

Hena Cuevas>> When Pope John Paul II visited Los Angeles in
September of 1987, he spoke to thousands at this public mass
and, during his forty-eight hour trip, he was able to meet with
celebrities at this gathering of fifteen hundred. But when his
helicopter landed at this Catholic elementary school in downtown
Los Angeles, he held one of the most private meetings of his
visit.

Mary Ann Murphy>> This event, I'm told and I believe, was the
most intimate thing the Holy Father did while he was here in Los
Angeles with such a small group of people.

Hena Cuevas>> Mary Ann Murphy was the principal back then. She
still runs Immaculate Conception School today. She was thirty-
three years old in 1987 and this was her first job as a
principal. A month after she began, she received a phone call
telling her the leader of the Catholic church would be coming to
their school. John Paul II would be visiting, escorted by then
First Lady Nancy Reagan.

Mary Ann Murphy>> Wow, what a way to begin. You know, it's
such an honor. It would certainly be an exciting time for the
school and a very memorable way to begin.

Hena Cuevas>> She doesn't know why her small school was chosen,
but she thinks it might have been because most of the students
here are Hispanic.

Mary Ann Murphy>> This is a gateway for immigrants from Mexico
and Central America especially. So when he first became Pope,
the very first place he traveled to was Mexico, so I believe
that coming to Los Angeles he wanted to touch those roots again.

Hena Cuevas>> When they found out the Pope was going to come
and visit the school, the big question then became how do you
decide who out of the nearly three hundred students would get
the opportunity for that face to face meeting with the Pope?
The principal says she thought the best way would be to do it
randomly with names literally being pulled out of a hat.

Mary Ann Murphy>> I didn't want people to just pick out the
most likely children to want to talk to the Holy Father. I
really wanted it to be a fair chance for everybody.

Hena Cuevas>> The Pope would appear before the entire student
body, but only a lucky few would get to meet him personally.

Lorena Calderon>> Oh, I jumped for joy when I heard part of my
name being called out. I just jumped (laughter).

Hena Cuevas>> Lorena Calderon was only fourteen years old and
in eighth grade when she was selected as one of the twenty-one
students who would get this once in a lifetime experience.

Lorena Calderon>> And I remember my father actually saying
you're very privileged and this is a blessing and you're
actually going to meet the representative of Jesus Christ on
this earth.

Hena Cuevas>> Thirty year old Guido Nunez was twelve and in the
seventh grade.

Guido Nunez>> Someone put their hand in there and took out
twenty-one names and I happened to be the second one that came
out of the bowl.

Hena Cuevas>> Oscar Cruz is also thirty. He was in the sixth
grade and his family had just immigrated from Guatemala.

Oscar Cruz>> To us, it was very amazing having the opportunity
of meeting that person that embodies everything that we believe
in. Obvious, at the age of twelve, to me, you know, I didn't
know this. I didn't understand the whole complexity or the
whole picture.

Hena Cuevas>> That day, September 16, 1987, Pope John Paul II
arrived and was greeted by Principal Murphy. He was then led to
the classroom where the twenty-one students were waiting.

Cardinal Roger Mahony>> "This is the only classroom of children
in the whole country that His Holiness Pope John Paul II is
meeting with."

Hena Cuevas>> After a few words, the Pope was ready to answer
questions the students had written down on index cards.

Mary Ann Murphy>> I was surprised at the depth of questions
that the young people could come up with and really touched at
his interest in what they were thinking and what they wanted to
know about him.

>> "Holy Father, when you were young, did you ever dream you
would be the head of the church?"

Mary Ann Murphy>> And he engaged in a little bit of word play
with them.

Pope John Paul II>> "It seems to me that I didn't have such a
dream."

Mary Ann Murphy>> Well, nothing like that ever came to me in my
sleep. Not that kind of dream. He was probably more
comfortable with them than the students were. I think they were
just very awed by his presence.

Hena Cuevas>> He even joked with them.

>> "How do you feel about taking a risk of probably getting
hurt, you know, visiting?"

Pope John Paul II>> "To visit you? Oh, no, no. You are very
good boys and girls. No danger (laughter)."

Hena Cuevas>> Guido Nunez wasn't able to ask his question.

Guido Nunez>> I wanted to know what kind of recreational things
he did (laughter) when he wasn't doing his papal duties. I
don't know. I guess today I would have probably said something
different, but, you know, being a little kid, that's what I
wanted to know. What he does when he's not actually working.

Hena Cuevas>> After about forty minutes, it was time to go.

Pope John Paul II>> "I am very limited in the time."

Guido Nunez>> He was enjoying it and he was having fun with it
and, you know, Cardinal Mahony kind of jumped in and he was
like, well, at least let me have your questions. I want to know
what they are. We gave him our cards full of questions.

Hena Cuevas>> The Pope then went around and gave each one of
them a rosary and kissed them.

Pope John Paul II>> "Very nice questions."

Hena Cuevas>> He then proceeded to meet the rest of the
students who were waiting outside.

Mary Ann Murphy>> When we went downstairs to the assembled
student body, they went wild.

Newscaster>> "Remember when I told you, Larry, this was the
high point of the Catholic school child's entire education?"

Newscaster>> "Oh, yes."

Mary Ann Murphy>> And the Holy Father went right up to the
front row of children and he put his hands on their cheeks and
he just, you know, caressed their cheeks and was just very, very
dear with them.

[Film Clip]

Hena Cuevas>> Now, eighteen years later, six of the twenty-one
came together to recount that unforgettable day and share their
memories with the students at Immaculate Conception today.
Cruz, who works for an international nonprofit organization, is
still a Catholic, although he admits he doesn't agree with some
of the teachings of the church.

Oscar Cruz>> What I personally get from the Pope, this Pope
John Paul, is that he had a vision of maybe having been more
flexible in changing and adapting to the times.

Hena Cuevas>> Nunez went on to earn an MBA and works in sales.
He credits that meeting eighteen years ago with his still being
a Catholic today.

Guido Nunez>> I know a lot of close friends and family that
were Catholic back then and aren't Catholic anymore and your
inner circle influences you a lot as we grow up. But no matter
which way they swayed, I wouldn't let go of my Catholic roots.
I don't see myself going anywhere. You know, this is what I
believe in and I think it has a lot to do with that day I met
the Pope.

Hena Cuevas>> For Calderon, mother of three with the fourth one
on the way, that encounter has helped her sustain her faith
throughout her life.

Lorena Calderon>> His words. I can't forget his words, the
courage. Do not be afraid, do not be afraid to evangelize, to
evangelize with your life.

Hena Cuevas>> But the one thing she says she will always
treasure is a special moment she shared with the Pope.

Lorena Calderon>> I guess he saw that I was overwhelmed with
tears and he took my hand and I don't remember if I hugged him
first or he hugged me or it was spontaneous that at the same
time we hugged each other.

Newscaster>> "There's one little lady there that just didn't
want to let him go."

Lorena Calderon>> And there was a very beautiful tight hug,
very loving. Beyond paternal.

Hena Cuevas>> She says the words he whispered in her ear are
still with her today. He told her they would always be together
in prayer. I'm Hena Cuevas for Life and Times.

Kcet.org is the place to look for the very latest on Life and
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Val>> There's a disturbing trend in Southern California, a
measurable increase in anti-Semitic incidents. Everything from
anti-Jewish remarks on a playground to a swastika painted on a
synagogue in Ontario. So what's behind this increase in Anti-
Semitism? Amanda Susskind is Director of the Pacific Southwest
Region of the Anti-Defamation League. I talked with her about
what their annual audit revealed. Amanda Susskind with the ADL,
thanks for spending some time with us.

Amanda Susskind>> Thanks, Val. It's my pleasure.

Val>> Now your organization does a yearly audit of anti-Semitic
incidents and the trends have gone up and down. What have you
found in the latest audit?

Amanda Susskind>> The latest audit which we just released last
week is showing an increase across the country of anti-Semitic
incidents, about seventeen percent. In fact, in California,
it's a little bit higher. It's over thirty percent.

Val>> So in California, an increase over thirty percent, and
you're talking about those incidents of harassment as well as
actual cases of, say, vandalism?

Amanda Susskind>> Yes. We get reports of people saying things
to each other, bullying, name-calling, leaving messages,
voicemail harassment even. We had death threats on voicemail.
Then, of course, you have harassment by email. It's much easier
to spread hate through the internet and be anonymous through the
internet.

Val>> And can you give us a few examples of what kinds of
incidents are happening and the venues in which they happen?

Amanda Susskind>> Sure. You know, you might think at first
blush that harassment, well, it's just not that big a deal and
especially kids will be kids and they call people names and
things like that. But what we're really seeing is an increased
casual use of anti-Semitic epithets, language that we might
formerly have relegated to the fringe of society, the neo-nazis,
the skinheads, creeping onto the playground, and that ties into
your venue question.

We are seeing this real spike in schools, in classrooms. We
still are very focused on the use of term "that's so gay" as a
negative thing on a school yard. We at the Anti-Defamation
League, of course, deal with bias of all kinds, but in this
particular survey of anti-Semitic incidents, we're starting to
see the use of the term "that's so Jewish" or "you're such a
Jew" or, you know, "I'm going to Jew you down" or that kind of
thing coming up. You might think it's a casual or almost funny
kind of use, but when you see that kind of an increase, it has
to make you sit up and take notice.

Val>> There was a case here in Ontario that was pretty graphic
about some graffiti that was on a synagogue. Tell us about what
that means.

Amanda Susskind>> Yeah. You know, by no means are we
discounting the very real fact of ongoing vandalism in this,
especially the swastika as a fairly obvious sign. What you have
here is the numbers "14" and "88".

Val>> What does that mean? I didn't realize --

Amanda Susskind>> - it's kind of a code. The "88" is the
number that correlates to "H" in the alphabet, so "88" is "HH"
which stands for "Heil Hitler". Many, many of the neo-nazi
groups sign off "HH". It's a very well-known and widespread
used moniker. The "14" is also something that has become very
widespread. "14" is simply the number of words in the racist
credo "We must secure the existence of our people in a future
for white children." Everyone in the white pride movement, as
they like to call themselves, a thinly disguised, extremely
hateful group, the neo-nazis, the white skinheads, the white
supremacists, understand that credo as their lifeblood. That's
what they are living for.

Val>> So why do you think it's increasing? What are the forces
increasing it?

Amanda Susskind>> There's a couple of factors that we attribute
this increase to. First of all, again, the internet has a
proliferation of hate sites, making the availability of hate
rhetoric so much more prevalent and, of course, that age range
is very much on the internet all the time. We do offer, at the
Anti-Defamation League, the kind of preventive measure as a
parent might wish to download from our website, a monitor that
simply blocks hate sites. The problem is, they're growing every
day. They're proliferating every day, so you can't ever keep up
with the proliferation of hate sites and even hate pages on
existing web sites. So that kind of availability, just the
sheer magnitude of it, sends a message of acceptability. It
brings it into the mainstream.

Val>> There's also a poll about attitudes toward Jews in our
society. What has this year's survey shown?

Amanda Susskind>> The poll that we do of sentiment is more a
telephone poll that we call people and we ask them. We don't
simply call people and say, hey, are you anti-Semitic? We
actually have a very scientific way of telling. There are
eleven questions that are asked.

Val>> Things like, do you think Jews have too much power?

Amanda Susskind>> Care more about the Jews than anybody else?
Here's a good one. Are more loyal to Israel than America? So
it's not just simply one question that we judge people. I just
thought I would clarify that. These are polls that we do all
over the world and let me start by saying that we look really
good in comparison to the rest of the world. I mean, there's
nothing like what's going on in Europe and, of course, Arab
nations are off the charts in terms of anti-Semitism.

But in America, we have really, really low rates of anti-
Semitism and that's still low. It's pretty close to where it
was in the last survey. It's about fourteen percent across the
board and I think the last survey was seventeen percent across
the board, so it's very close. But then when you break it down,
there's sort of some interesting stories in there. For an
example, the number of people who believe that Jews are
responsible for the death of Jesus has gone up, something our
late Pope did so much to counteract, you know. But now this
year, it's up to thirty percent.

Val>> Really?

Amanda Susskind>> Kind of interesting. That was an interesting
spike.

Val>> Your poll also had some interesting findings about the
attitudes of Latinos and Jews, or Hispanics and Jews.

Amanda Susskind>> There's an interesting statistic in the
Latino community for non-native born Latinos.

Val>> In other words, those who were born in Mexico or Latin
America?

Amanda Susskind>> Right, or South America or Central America.
We do see a much higher rate of people answering to those
questions. Again, I want to preface that sometimes people may
not even realize that it's a negative thing to say that Jews
care more about Jews than they do about other people. Now
here's the good news. The native-born which are the first
generation or later generations of Hispanic Americans are pretty
much at the same levels as the national average. It's about
nineteen percent instead of fourteen percent. It's very close.

Val>> So you can say that anti-Semitism and those attitudes
decrease as they spend more time here in the United States, as
they live longer in the United States?

Amanda Susskind>> And maybe they've gone to an Anti-Defamation
League education seminar (laughter) or maybe they've seen our
literature or they've just, you know --

Val>> -- or just watched TV.

Amanda Susskind>> Or been on the playground or in the school
yard with kids of all different types and their attitudes
change. So that's actually really a good thing. We do look at
these issues especially in Los Angeles because, as you know,
it's the most diverse community in the history of the world. So
we're especially interested at the Anti-Defamation League in
finding ways to build those bridges and lead the world by
example in learning how to respect each other and get along.

Val>> Well, keep up the good work. We need it.

Amanda Susskind>> Thank you.

Val>> Thank you so much, Amanda.

Amanda Susskind>> Well, thank you so much for being here.

Val>> The Anti-Defamation League has been around for a hundred
years. They keep close track of neo-nazi and white supremacist
groups. They also help victims, work closely with law
enforcement and offer civil rights programs for schools. If
you'd like more information, you can go to their website at
www.adl.org.

[Film Clip]

Val>> It's hard to define, but you know it when you see it.
No, I'm not talking about pornography. I'm talking about art.
It can be anything from Campbell's Soup cans to the Mona Lisa
and Patt Morrison went in search of her own definition of art in
this piece from the Life and Times Vault.

[Film Clip]

Patt Morrison>> So they said to me, we want you to talk about
art and I said, all right, how many hours do I get? There is
pop art and op art, the faux and the cubists, surrealists and
pointillists. Some art exists to exalt and console. Some art
exists to shock the hell out of us. I like art that comes out
of California, out of the soil and out of our heads. I like
movie posters. We invented movie posters as an advertising
gimmick and now they've become masterpieces of graphic arts in
their own right.

The same goes for the art of the orange crate label. It's
terrific. It's vivid commercial art and I don't think that's a
contradiction in terms. All of it celebrates who we are as
Californians.

[Film Clip]

Patt Morrison>> Defining what makes something art is almost as
tricky as defining what makes us human. Art can be a machine
like the exquisite and sensible Gamble House in Pasadena.

[Film Clip]

Patt Morrison>> Or it can be the serendipity of nature like
vines fringing a freeway overpass off Riverside Drive. It can
even be the stuff we just throw away like old Seven-Up bottles.
Take a look at the Watts Towers.

[Film Clip]

Patt Morrison>> We're fond of celebrating art, but sometimes
art can be a celebration in itself. Art can move. We call that
kinetic. But to be art, it must move us.

[Film Clip]

Patt Morrison>> Just how does it move us and why should it
matter? Trying to figure that out brings us here. How can art
be both a manifestation of our utter individuality and something
that brings us together to a single point of view? It's not a
single viewpoint.

[Film Clip]

Patt Morrison>> Perhaps it's easier to comprehend how important
art is in our lives by imagining Los Angeles without it. No
music center, no MOCA, no mariachis, no Kent Twitchell murals,
no Greene & Greene, no Frank Lloyd Wright. You know, we can
build a million miles of freeways or get rid of them all. We
can build a thousand hospitals or close them all. But this is
what endures to take the story of us into the future. By our
works shall they know us.

[Film Clip]

To send a comment or a question to our program, you can reach us
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Val>> You've heard of cultural anthropology. Well, how about
culinary anthropology? Cris Franco, our comic commentator,
unwraps the history of the tamale.

Cris Franco>> I'd like to shed some light on a subject that's
near and dear to my heart and stomach: tamales. Don't they
smell good? Oh, I might let you watch me eat one later, but
first you have to pay close attention to what I'm about to teach
you. Derived from the Aztec word for corn, Tlaxcalli, the
popular singular form of tamales is tamale. These are tamales,
this is a tamale.

There are meats, veggies or sweets in a corn dough wrapped in a
corn husk, then steam-cooked. Oh, if you eat them hot, it's
like a Turkish bath for your intestines. From a socio-cultural
point of view, to we people of the Mexican persuasion, tamales
means so much more. We've been eating them since way back
before Olvera Street, before the missions, before people and
Espanol. Meso-American women evolved this miracle morsel as a
quick, delicious, sustaining foodstuff that traveled well. An
original Happy Meal. It doesn't come with a toy, but you can
turn the corn husks into a really neat bow tie.

In fact, it's been theorized that we've been eating tamales for
over seven thousand years and you know what? It would take you
about seven thousand years if you tried to make a batch alone.
You see, making these babies is very labor-intensive. So when
people get together to make a big batch, it's called a tamalada.
Here's a small tamalada my family had shortly after arriving in
the United States, but for this report, I went to Carrillo's
Restaurant to see how the big boys -- girls -- do it.

Do not try making this many tamales at home. These women are
trained professional tamaleras. Tony grinds fresh corn and adds
Carrillo's secret ingredients. While the tamalada opens steamed
corn husks, others prepare the fillings. Once everything is
ready, assembly begins and it's all wrapped up into a neat
little succulent sack.

Today we're eating more tamales than ever in a variety of
designer flavors. "Father, I have something to confess. At
this point, I was going to begin complaining about these crazy
new tamale fillings like sushi, brie, cuscus, shark fin, tofu,
herring?" But that rant flew out the window when I learned
about the even crazier original indigenous flavors. How would
you like to have a tamale filled with frog, tadpole, snake, bee,
ox or gopher? Could you go for some gopher?

I'll just stick to eating my good old-fashioned caramel and
mushroom and poi tamale. Um, shouldn't I be using a fork? Did
we forget something?

Val>> And I'm waiting for the low-carb tamale. And that's our
program. I'm Val Zavala. For everyone at Life and Times,
thanks for watching. We'll see you next time.

Life and Times was made possible through the generous support of
the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality
of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of
medicine, health, science and education.

And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg.

Val>> Next time on Life and Times --

When it comes to office buildings, it may not be easy being
green, but it is important.

>> Buildings use twice as much energy as cars and trucks.
Seventy percent of the electricity in the United States is
consumed by our homes and our office buildings.

Val>> That's next time on Life and Times.