Every Day is Magic: Ada Limón
In her 2015 collection, Bright Dead Things, a National Book Award finalist for poetry, Ada Limón writes of moving to Kentucky: “Confession: I did not want to live here.” It’s perhaps not a surprising sentiment coming from a coastally oriented person who was raised in Northern California, attended college in Seattle, and then spent over a decade in New York City.
But Limón and her husband, Lucas, have been in Lexington for seven years now and the effects of settling into this place are noticeable in her new book, The Carrying (Milkweed, Aug.). It’s a phenomenally lively and attentive collection replete with the trappings of living a little closer to nature. While Bright Dead Things is marked by a preponderance of light, such as images of fireflies and neon signs, The Carrying features numerous appearances by various trees, birds, and beetles. Limón also demonstrates a greater willingness to be explicit in naming colors, particularly green. “It’s crazy green, the whole book,” she says. “Lexington is the greenest place I’ve ever lived.” Similarly, where in Bright Dead Things, Limón tells a lot of stories and anecdotes, in The Carrying she is very present in her thoughts and experiences.
As it turns out, these shifts in focus have another, altogether unexpected source. While putting Bright Dead Things together, Limón was diagnosed with chronic vestibular neuronitis, which can cause bouts of vertigo. “If I’m really having vertigo, it’s pretty intense and I really have to focus,”
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Mexico , Brazil and Argentina News US firm Avaya ramps up nearshoring in Mexico, Argentina
“US customer experience and contact center company Avaya plans to expand its specialized workforce in Mexico and Argentina this year to strengthen its nearshoring capabilities, Galib Karim, senior global VP for Latin America, told BNamericas.
In the past two months, Avaya opened around 150 positions in these countries. It could surpass the mark of 1,000 professionals providing services to other geographies from the region within 18 months, according to Karim.
Avaya has around 9,000 customers using its products in Latin America, mostly small and mid-sized enterprises, and around 800 direct employees. The go-to-market, including sales and installation, is mainly handled by distributors, channels and resellers…”
https://www.bnamericas.com/en/news/us-firm-avaya-ramps-up-nearshoring-in-mexico-argentina
Mexico’s treatment of migrants raises concern ahead of U.S. policy shift
“MEXICO CITY, April 25 (Reuters) – An impending change in U.S. border policy could put increased pressure on Mexico’s migrant detention system and lead to more reports of rights violations, migrant advocates have warned, in the wake of a fire that killed 40 people…”
To lionize his Long Beach barrio, Christopher Suarez turns to clay
“A darling of our anthropologic past, pottery has been embedded in culture for thousands of years, leading to great insights about different communities of people and how they lived their lives. Today clay is only one of many available materials, and for most everyday uses, it isn’t the most practical option. But in a new exhibition at UC Santa Barbara’s Art, Design & Architecture Museum (AD&A), artist Christopher Suarez
is using clay to record the everyday spaces of his Long Beach barrio.
“I was looking at Indigenous pottery and thinking about how those cultures would use clay and ceramics in their daily lives, whether functional or religious … and how clay can serve as a recorder of time and place,” said Suarez, a Los Angeles-based sculptor, in a public talk presented by the museum. “I want to work in that same manner, putting my values in my work — mine, my family’s and my community’s
https://www.news.ucsb.edu/2023/020983/lionize-his-long-beach-barrio-christopher-suarez-turns-clay
School of Management receives $3M grant for programs for underserved students
“…Mary Odell, chair of the Riordan Foundation, said the programs at Anderson were created with the purpose of providing a pool of qualified candidates from underserved communities with skills to enter the business world. Roxanne Mendez, the executive director of the Riordan Programs, said in an emailed statement that the funds will be used to continue that legacy…”
How Tajin Expands its Marketing Beyond its Mexican American Core Consumer
“Tajin, the Mexican company that produces several varieties of condiments consisting predominantly of chili peppers, lime and salt, entered the U.S. market in 1993. It has since obtained a considerable following among Mexican Americans. The brand also targets the overall U.S. population transcending cultural and linguistic boundaries. Portada interviewed Luis Alfaro, Brand Leader at Tajin USA…”
Mexican doctor wins 2023 Carlos Slim Health Award
“…Dr. José Alejandro Madrigal Fernández is a physician at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Thereafter, he studied the specialty and the doctorate at the universities of Harvard, London and Stanford. His research focuses on immunotherapy and stem cell transplantation
Dr. Madrigal’s leadership led him to pioneer the establishment of donor registries and umbilical cord banks around the world. He was the founder and scientific director of the Anthony Nolan Cellular Therapy Center. His leadership led him to chair the European Transplant Society. Besides. He was Vice-Chancellor for Latin America at University College London.
His research has resulted in the publication of over 500 articles in the world’s most prestigious journals, including Nature, Nature Genetics and The Lancet. He is currently conducting research on cell therapy against different types of cancer…”
https://worldnationnews.com/mexican-doctor-wins-2023-carlos-slim-health-award/
Waxing and Waning Relations Between the Jewish and Mexican-American Communities in Los Angeles
“…Beyond Alliances contains four biographical essays in rough chronological order. Genevieve Carpio wrote the first one about Jewish attorney David C. Marcus, one of whose most important clients was the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles and whose second wife, Yrma, was a political refugee from Mexico and a devout Catholic. In 1943, he successfully defended the Bernals, a Mexican-American family whose Orange County neighbors wanted them evicted because their presence violated a racially restrictive housing covenant that stated that property should not be “used, leased, owned or occupied by any Mexicans or persons other than of the Caucasian race.” Five years before the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed racially restrictive covenants in Shelley v. Kraemer, Marcus was able to persuade the court that there was no such thing as a “Mexican race,” and that therefore the restriction was (in words that sounded like television’s Perry Mason objecting to D.A. Hamilton Berger’s question) “incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial.” Marcus noted that the status of Mexicans as Caucasians had permitted him to marry Yrma, notwithstanding California’s laws that at that time had prohibited miscegenation. Furthermore, the restrictions went contrary to President Franklin Roosevelt’s “Good Neighbor Policy” with Latin America, which was part of the nation’s wartime defense fabric. The judge ruled in favor of the Bernals…”
The second edition of the Mexican-American Film and Television Festival was launched
“More than 130 Chicano/Mexican American filmmakers from the United States were encouraged to submit their films, shorts, documentaries and television projects, stories that speak about identity, high school angst, love, animation, relationships, immigration, marriage, among others.
This year, the Mexican-American Cultural Education Foundation (MACEF) will continue its mission to amplify the voices of these creators through the screening and awarding of their work in person and virtually during the two-day festival…”
https://aldianews.com/en/culture/screen/honoring-chicano-cinema
Among U.S. Latinos, Catholicism Continues to Decline but Is Still the Largest Faith
“…As of 2022, 43% of Hispanic adults identify as Catholic, down from 67% in 2010. Even so, Latinos remain about twice as likely as U.S. adults overall to identify as Catholic, and considerably less likely to be Protestant. Meanwhile, the share of Latinos who are religiously unaffiliated (describing themselves as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular”) now stands at 30%, up from 10% in 2010 and from 18% a decade ago in 2013. The share of Latinos who are religiously unaffiliated is on par with U.S. adults overall..”
Black And Mexican Americans Displaced From Palm Springs, California, Neighborhood Seeking Reparations
“Lawrence W. McFarland grew up on a parcel of land on a Native American reservation in Palm Springs, California. One day, the family was told to leave their home. As a little boy, McFarland, his mother, and his brother packed their belongings and moved to Cabezon, California.
McFarland told The Associated Press that his childhood home had been burned down and destroyed.
“We thought they were just cleaning up some of the old houses,” McFarland said to The AP.
In 2021, Palm Springs City Council voted to apologize to former residents for the city’s decision to displace them during the 1960s. The Native American reservation known as Section 14 was the home of Black and Mexican families, the outlet reports…”
Mexican kidnappers targeting American tourists have ‘no code’ curbing ruthlessness: expert
“Kidnapping Americans in Mexico was “a business” executed by professionals with a law enforcement or military background – and was more prevalent during the 1980s than any other time in history – renowned private investigator Jay Armes III told Fox News Digital.
Abductions were “run as operations” that targeted the elite and wealthy with average ransom demands of $25 million, and they kept the victim alive if the family paid up, he said. If they didn’t pay, the victim was dead…”
US-Visa-Online Offers E-Visa For All People.
“Us-Visa-Online is pleased to announce that we are now offering an online visa service for those traveling to the United States.This new service provides a convenient and hassle-free way to apply for a visa, and we are committed to providing our customers with the best possible experience.We have a team of experienced professionals who are available 24/7 to assist with any questions or concerns you may have.We believe that this new service will be a valuable resource for those planning to travel to the United States, and we are excited to offer it to our customers…”
https://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/news/us-visa-online-offers-e-visa-for-all-people-
Spotlight Dorado was created for Latino filmmakers
“Today, Latinos make up nearly 20% of the U.S. population and are a driving force in countless industries, including media and entertainment.
While Latinos are avid moviegoers (24%), their stories are often overlooked and currently make up only about 1% of those told by Hollywood.
Bridging this gap is key to helping shift the narrative about the Latino experience in the U.S., and fostering new voices. With these numbers in mind, Spotlight Dorado was created by McDonald’s in collaboration with Ben Lopez from the consulting firm L21 Consulting and the The Hispanic Heritage Foundation…”
https://aldianews.com/en/culture/screen/spotlight-dorado-2023
Mexico asks China for help on fentanyl, slams US critics
“MEXICO CITY, April 4 (Reuters) – Mexico’s president said on Tuesday he had written to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, urging him to help control shipments of fentanyl as he fended off criticism in the U.S. that Mexico is not doing enough to stop trafficking of the synthetic opioid…”
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexico-asks-china-help-control-fentanyl-shipments-2023-04-04/
UCLA professor emeritus Judith Baca receives 2021 National Medal of Arts
“…Among her many works, Baca created “La Memoria de la Tierra: UCLA,” a mural displayed outside of Ackerman Union highlighting the presence of the Native American communities where UCLA was founded. The mural, which was unveiled last year, showcases the original Los Angeles River and its original peoples, highlights influential members of the UCLA community and displays a future in which the university coexists with and recognizes the Native land…”
After growing GM corn for decades, some US farmers open to Mexican restrictions
“CHICAGO, April 6 (Reuters) – Mexico has found unexpected allies as it tries to limit imports of genetically modified (GM) corn: some U.S. farmers who grow the crops.
Farmers have for decades planted GM corn, which protects against insects and weedkillers, with seeds sold by companies like Bayer AG (BAYGn.DE), Corteva Inc (CTVA.N) and ChemChina’s Syngenta.
But as believers in a free market, some say the U.S. should agree to sell Mexico non-GM corn, rather than deepen a trade dispute over the proposal, and note they could earn a premium for growing more conventional corn…”
Unity in Rhythm Cumbia connects nations and generations through music and dance; an upcoming symposium explores the genre’s culture
“…Some of Raquel Pacheco’s favorite childhood memories are of family trips to Mexico City. The relatives they visited there were deeply religious and, as the cultural anthropologist recalled, not especially into partying…”
Activists’ network in Mexico helps U.S. women get abortions
“CHIHUAHUA, Mexico (AP) — Marcela Castro’s office in Chihuahua is more than 100 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, yet the distance doesn’t prevent her from assisting women in the United States in circumventing recently imposed bans on abortion.
From the headquarters of Marea Verde Chihuahua, an organization that has supported reproductive rights in northern Mexico since 2018, Castro and her colleagues provide virtual guidance, as well as shipments of abortion pills for women who want to terminate a pregnancy on their own…”
https://www.metro.us/activists-network-in-mexico-helps-u-s-women-get-abortions/
U.S., Mexico agree deal to fix labor dispute at VU Manufacturing plant
“WASHINGTON/MEXICO CITY, March 31 (Reuters) – The U.S. and Mexico on Friday announced a deal to resolve a U.S. labor complaint at VU Manufacturing in northern Mexico that requires the auto parts plant to let workers freely choose their union in line with a trade pact aimed at improving labor rights.,,”
Danny Trejo
““Danny’s incredible life story shows that even though we may fall down at some point in our lives, it’s what we do when we stand back up that really counts.” – Robert Rodriguez, American filmmaker…”
