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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Turning to Mexico in gaining market share
“…Naysayers and skeptics immediately emerged, he recalled. “Unfortunately, there are still misconceptions – Mexico is a third world country; Mexico is too dangerous; Mexico is violent,” he said, mimicking some of the more prominent critiques of his launch. “People thought I was crazy, insane, lunatic,” he said. Skeptics were misinformed about Mexico, Guzzo said, viewing it as a violent country although violence is largely limited to certain regions. He suggested the US has its fair share of violence: “I live in LA,” he added. “I know all about violence.”
His own views on doing business in Mexico have evolved, he noted. “When I started to look into Mexico, I took an investment approach rather than a mortgage approach,” he said, noting he manages a group of more than 30 loan officers although he personally is not licensed to originate loans. “Then I took the mortgage approach and was looking at the numbers.”…”
Cinco de Mayo’s surprise victory affected both Mexican, US history
“A recent poll conducted in the United States by Mexican avocado exporters showed that only 22% of Americans know the true history of Cinco de Mayo. For Mexican Americans, it is a day to celebrate their Mexican heritage. For those who aren’t Mexican — and who often mistakenly think it is Mexico’s Independence Day — it’s a day to imbibe tequila and indulge in guacamole and chips.
But May 5, 1862, had a profound impact on the history of both Mexico and the United States. Cinco de Mayo is a commemoration of the Mexican victory over the French in the 1862 Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War…”
https://mexiconewsdaily.com/culture/cinco-de-mayo-changed-mexican-and-us-history/
Student Mariah Hernandez spotlights strong Latina characters in directorial debut
“Mariah Hernandez is embracing unconventional forms of self-love in her upcoming film, “Self-Love, Mija!”
The fourth-year English student and member of UCLA’s Latine Film and Theatre Association made her film directorial debut exploring young womanhood and the significance of friendship in one’s healing journey, Hernandez said. Entering UCLA without prior film experience, Hernandez said LFTA presented her with the opportunity to delve into an art form she had been interested in but never explored. Beginning primarily as a writer, she said LFTA provided her with the encouragement she needed to challenge herself in a larger, directorial role…”
Biden administration sending 1,500 more soldiers to Mexico border
“…The troops could arrive by May 10, a Pentagon spokesman told reporters.
The soldiers will perform “non-law enforcement duties” such as data entry and warehouse support, DHS said in an earlier statement, attributing the new deployment to an “anticipated increase in migration” at the southwest US border…”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/2/us-plans-to-send-1500-soldiers-to-mexico-border
UCLA releases part 1 of 2023 Hollywood Diversity Report
“Conducted by UCLA faculty and students, the 2023 Hollywood Diversity Report, Part One: Film is the 10th report in an annual series analyzing the degree to which underrepresented groups were involved in front of and behind the camera in 2022. Researchers primarily tracked the following identities of individuals working in Hollywood’s top films: race and ethnicity, gender, and disability status. Overall, both on- and off-screen diversity has improved in some ways and remained the same in others, said Michael Tran, a doctoral candidate in sociology and co-author of the report…”
https://socialsciences.ucla.edu/hollywood-diversity-report-2023/
Prospanica Philadelphia elects Maria Cristina Rios as its new board president
Maria Cristina Rios is the new Board President of Prospanica Philadelphia.
Prospanica Philadelphia is a professional development organization whose mission is to empower and enable Hispanic professionals to achieve their full educational, economic, and social potential. Th
roughout her professional career, Rios has consistently demonstrated ways of reaching her own potential, as she has established herself as a recognized marketing leader. Her specialization includes retail and both multicultural and event marketing.
https://aldianews.com/en/leadership/advocacy/prospanica-phls-new-prez
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/
