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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Meet Elora López-Nandam An evolutionary biologist dives into microscopic marine mysteries.
“Tucked into the labyrinthine recesses of the American Museum of Natural History in New York, among 32 million specimens and cultural artifacts, is the slow loris. Rather, century-old specimens of the petite nocturnal primate from Southeast Asia, with whom Elora López-Nandam became quite acquainted. After spending a summer extracting and decoding their DNA while an undergrad at Columbia, López-Nandam turned her attention to another sluggish creature, the sea cucumber, and the conservation implications of its genetic diversity in the coral reefs near Fiji. Along the way, she decided to devote her life to…”
https://stanfordmag.org/contents/meet-elora-lopez-nandam
UCLA aims to become federally designated as Hispanic-Serving Institution by 2025
“UCLA plans to expand its Latino student population to a quarter of its enrolled student population in five years to qualify for additional federal grants, university administrators said in a campus-wide email Monday.
The university plans to become federally designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution by 2025, which would make it eligible for various federal funds, Chancellor Gene Block and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Emily Carter saidin the email. The university has created a task force with faculty and administrators to reach and maintain HSI status, they added…”
Biden Picks Xavier Becerra to Lead Health and Human Services
“WASHINGTON — President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. has selected Xavier Becerra, the Democratic attorney general of California, as his nominee for secretary of health and human services, tapping a former congressman who would be the first Latino to run the department as it battles the surging coronavirus pandemic…”
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/06/us/politics/xavier-becerra-hhs-health-secretary.html
Remembering professor Juan Gómez-Quiñones, Chicano studies scholar and activist
“…Gómez-Quiñones, the co-founder and former director of the Chicano Studies Research Center, died Nov. 11 from congestive heart failure at the age of 80. He taught history at UCLA for almost 50 years. Gómez-Quiñones is remembered for his activism and empowering the Chicano community through his academic work…”
Cordoba Corporation Welcomes Jacqueline L. Reynoso as Director of Programs and Policy
“I’m delighted to have Jacqueline join our team,” stated Cordoba Corporation Founder & CEO George L. Pla. “She brings tremendous public policy experience and an in depth understanding of diverse community needs and binational dynamics, which will assist our sectors in developing well planned, innovative, and equitable project solutions.”..”
Grupo Folklórico de UCLA to release online Día de los Muertos video performance
“With colorful choreography, dancers shine a celebratory light on death.
Grupo Folklórico de UCLA will release an online video showcasing their annual Día de los Muertos celebration in December, and they finished filming the production Nov. 21 and Nov. 22. Through various traditional Mexican dances, the club hopes to emphasize the importance of community and honor lost loved ones. Featuring dances from Mexican states like Yucatán, Sinaloa, Veracruz, Nuevo León, Michoacán, Jalisco and Guerrero, the performance will be available for anyone to view on the club’s website. Beyond honoring the dead, club coordinator and fourth-year political science student Aranza Guzman said the club’s annual show allows members to honor their heritage…”
Favorites emerge as Latino leaders press Biden to appoint 5 Hispanics to Cabinet
“Top Latino advocacy organizations are pushing for President-elect Joe Biden to appoint five Hispanics to Cabinet-level posts…”
Becky G Honors Her “Abuelitos” and Other Immigrants in Personal AMAs Speech
“…Touching on the importance of her Mexican-American identity, Becky said, “When it comes to me and the decisions that I make in my career, I proudly wave both flags: Mexican and American. Like many children and grandchildren of immigrants — no matter where they’re from — we have learned from the ones before us what sacrifice and hard work looks like. I dedicate this award to all of our immigrant workers in this pandemic.” Becky added, “It’s because of my family, my abuelitos that I stand here today.” To learn more about Becky’s heritage, upbringing, and activism, read POPSUGAR’s recent cover story with the pop star…”
Latino Corporate Directors Association Launches First of Its Kind California Boardroom Equity Scorecard and Tracker to Gauge Impact of AB 979
“WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — The Latino Corporate Directors Association will launch via Facebook Live the first of its kind California Boardroom Equity Scorecard and Tracker, a valuable resource for stakeholders and shareholders and the only publicly available tool that tracks the number of Latino/as on public company boards in California…”
Covid: Mexico passes 100,000 coronavirus deaths
“Mexico has recorded more than 100,000 deaths from Covid-19 – the fourth country to pass the sombre milestone.
According to Johns Hopkins University, the country has suffered 100,104 deaths since the pandemic began.
The news comes just days after the world’s largest Spanish-speaking country reported more than one million infections.
Government officials have acknowledged that the true toll from the pandemic is likely higher.
Only the US, Brazil and India have recorded more deaths than Mexico, which has a population of roughly 125 million. Its mortality rate of 9.8% is one of the highest in the world, according to Johns Hopkins data…”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-55011840
Linda Ronstadt: ‘We Should All Do Our Own Dancing, Playing and Singing’
“With more than 100 million albums sold and 12 Grammy awards under her belt, over five decades, Linda Ronstadt is undoubtedly a music icon. While the effects of Parkinson’s disease forced her into premature retirement after her final performance in November 2009, the world’s love for her has not waned. In ways big and small, Ronstadt’s fans continue to share their admiration and introduce her music to new generations: from the release of two recent documentaries, “Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice,” honoring the singer’s legacy, and “Linda and the Mockingbirds,” which features a road trip to her grandfather’s birthplace, Sonora, Mexico with the band Los Cenzontles; to an indie-rock star wearing a shirt that reads, “Linda Ronstadt Is Queen of LA,” in a social post; and this month’s PBS SoCal and KCET broadcast of “A Tribute to Linda Ronstadt at The Soraya” on “Southland Sessions” featuring notable Mexican and Mexican American musicians. Clearly, Ronstadt is as influential as ever. But ever the humble queen, Ronstadt doesn’t hoard her gifts. “I don’t consider any songs ‘my songs’ — once they’re out there, they belong to everybody,” she says by phone from her home in San Francisco.,,”
President-elect Biden picked this Bay Area doctor to serve on his COVID task force
“We are optimistic. We plan to start turning this thing around in January,” said Dr. Robert Rodriguez, a professor in UCSF’s department of emergency medicine and an emergency physician at San Francisco General Hospital…”
The Community Web New book co-edited by UCSB scholar examines the role of digital communications in activism in Latin America
“For many Americans, digital media is a way to share personal news. But some indigenous communities in Latin America have harnessed its potential as a means of survival…”
Mortality Analyses Share: COVID-19 world wide comparison
“For the twenty countries currently most affected by COVID-19 worldwide, the bars in the chart below show the number of deaths either per 100 confirmed cases (observed case-fatality ratio) or per 100,000 population (this represents a country’s general population, with both confirmed cases and healthy people). Countries at the top of this figure have the most deaths proportionally to their COVID-19 cases or population, not necessarily the most deaths overall…”
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality
National museum dedicated to Army debuts on Veterans Day
“FORT BELVOIR, Va. (AP) — A sword from the defense of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812. A stopped wristwatch recovered from the wrecked E-Ring of the Pentagon on the Sept. 11 attacks. The Sherman tank that first broke through enemy lines at the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.
Those are just a few of the artifacts that tell the 245-year story of the nation’s largest and oldest military branch at the new National Museum of the United States Army.
Planning for the museum has been in the works for more than a decade, and construction began in 2017. Early plans called for an opening in late 2019, but delays pushed it back to 2020, and then the pandemic hit. Those delays, though, provided an opportunity for a debut that coincides with Veterans Day…”
https://apnews.com/article/army-museum-national-debut-veterans-day-908c60e2c6ca1d4115806672d4634073
Dance student to teach his choreography in national tour
“The next move for Christopher Aguirre’s career as a choreographer is just the beginning.
The second-year dance and communication student was invited to choreograph for The Nexxt Move, a two-day dance intensive in several cities across the United States and in London. Aguirre said this will be the first time he has taught his choreography on a national level as he travels to Fort Lauderdale, Florida Nov. 7 to Nov. 8 and Des Moines, Iowa Nov. 14 to Nov. 15…”
Wait, so who is Nero, and why are people comparing him to Trump?
After a weekend of golfing in Florida, President Trump quote-tweeted a mysterious meme Sunday evening, depicting himself playing the violin in front of an orange and red background, with the caption, “MY NEXT PIECE IS CALLED NOTHING CAN STOP WHAT’S COMING.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2020/03/09/nero-trump-rome-burned-coronavrius-twitter/
Latinos gain a Senate seat with Ben Ray Lujan’s win in New Mexico
“…Democratic Rep. Ben Ray Lujan won the U.S. Senate race in New Mexico, bringing the total of Latino senators to five.
“Thank you, New Mexico! Tonight, our campaign showed that people power can elect the son of an ironworker and a public school employee to the Senate,” Lujan tweeted early Wednesday. “I’m grateful for every vote we earned — and no matter who you voted for, it will be my honor to work for you in the Senate.”..’
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/latinos-gain-senate-seat-ben-ray-lujan-win-new-mexico-n1246325
Corona virus Economic Downturn Has Hit Latinos Especially Hard
“The coronavirus outbreak has significantly harmed the finances of U.S. Hispanics. As the nation’s economy contracted at a record rate in recent months, the group’s unemployment rate rose sharply, particularly among Hispanic women, and remains higher among Hispanic workers than U.S. workers overall. With Hispanic households absorbing lost jobs and wages, many have said they may not be able to pay their bills. Yet even before the outbreak, Hispanics were concerned about their economic situation despite near record low levels of unemployment through the end of 2019…”
How Black Lives Matter Made a Mexican-American Beer Writer Rethink Her Role in Craft Beer
“The first time I experienced a brew festival more than 10 years ago, my only expectation was to see a lot of people, try some new and interesting beers, and to enjoy myself. My vantage point was as a volunteer, serving beers to the masses along with my husband. Two of the first things I noticed immediately were: 1. The disproportionate number of men compared to the women in attendance; and 2. The fact that I was one of the very few people of color in attendance. As a second-generation Mexican-American from upstate New York, I have always been aware of my social surroundings wherever I am, and this was no exception.
Later, as I attended fest after fest across the Northeast, the disparities became hard to ignore. I’d say to my husband, whose family hails from Eastern Europe, “Do you notice that I’m the only brown person here?” to which he would reply, “No, I hadn’t really noticed.” Was I uncomfortable..”
