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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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..”
Student’s craft business offers personalized necklaces, custom LED acrylic lights
“Yasmin Olvera’s high school entrepreneurial dream came true – now, she ships out craft orders to people all over the country.
The fourth-year geography and environmental studies student said her initial idea for her craft business originated when her coworker introduced her to the Cricut, a machine used to cut through all kinds of materials. While the machine is quite expensive, she said she decided to make the investment and offset the cost by selling personalized Starbucks cups. Olvera said she launched her business, Valley Blossomed, after returning home from campus in March. This simple product idea became more complex as Olvera expanded her inventory – creating custom necklaces, stickers and her most sought after product, LED acrylic lights…”
A Recipe for Success
“When the California state legislature passed Assembly Bill 2016 mandating the development of ethnic studies curricula for high schools, Lisa Sun-Hee Park was delighted.
The professor and chair of Asian American studies at UC Santa Barbara had been meeting with the chairs of Chicano and Chicana studies, Black studies and feminist studies and they all saw the bill as a great step forward for diversity and inclusion…”
What We Owe Columbus (And What We Don’t)
“Statue of Cristóbal Colón in Barcelona, Spain (Andrew Moore/Flickr)
I hated my father for a long time. Maybe hate is too strong a word; let’s say my thoughts about him were consumed by a smoldering resentment: first for what he did to my family, then for what he didn’t do — namely, stick around. Yet even now I cannot deny that a small part of me still loves him deeply, if only for the mere fact that he gave me life.
And so it is with Christopher Columbus for many, if not most Latinos. His name stirs up painful memories but, nonetheless, he is the man who started it all. He is why they’re here. The point was made in a recent op-ed by Jonathan Marcantoni, who made a strong effort to remind us that, despite how much liberals love patting themselves on the backs for their public curses of the man who stumbled upon the Americas in 1492, Latin America, the United…”
https://www.latinorebels.com/2015/10/12/what-we-owe-columbus-and-what-we-dont/
4 ways to move to Canada under CUSMA
“U.S. and Mexican citizens can work and conduct business in Canada under CUSMA, here are your options.
Eligible U.S. and Mexican citizens can skip some of the red tape to come work or conduct business in Canada.
The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) allows workers, traders, and investors to come to Canada without going through the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) process. Before July 1, 2020, CUSMA was known as the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA…”
https://www.cicnews.com/2020/10/4-ways-to-move-to-canada-under-cusma-1016005.html#gs.hxnj6b
Mario Molina, Nobel-winning Mexican chemist who made key climate change finding, dies at 77
“MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mario Molina, winner of the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1995 and the only Mexican scientist to be honored with a Nobel, died Wednesday in his native Mexico City. He was 77 years old.Molina’s family announced his death in a brief statement through the institute that carried his name. It did not give a cause of death.He won the prize along with scientists Frank Sherwood Rowland of the United States and Paul Crutzen of the Netherlands for their research into climate change…”
Hispanic Heritage Month gets justifiable criticism, but it’s still worth celebrating. Here’s why
“It happens like clockwork: At least one corporation ends up apologizing during Hispanic Heritage Month because their campaign intended to celebrate Latinos ends up offending them. This year’s loser is Twitch.
The Amazon-owned live video streaming platform issued an apology within hours of launching its campaign last month after users called them out on Twitter for the design of their Hispanic Heritage Month-themed emotes, which employed stereotypical and racist depictions of what Latinos are like…’
Latino Voices for Boardroom Equity releases statement on Governor Newsom’s signing of AB 979
“Latino Voices for Boardroom Equity, a partnership formed by The Latino Corporate Directors Association (LCDA) and leading business and civic leaders including the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), UnidosUS, the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund (MALDEF), the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC), the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA), and the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC), congratulates Governor Newsom and AB 979 Co-Authors Assemblymember Holden, Assemblymember Cristina Garcia, Assemblymember Chiu, Assemblymember Reyes, and Senator Hueso, on the enactment of a law requiring California-based public corporations to include directors from underrepresented communities, including US Latinos, on their company’s boards of directors…”
Joseph Castro, Fresno State’s president, selected as new California State University Chancellor
“The California State University Board of Trustees selected Fresno State President Joseph I. Castro on Wednesday to lead the nation’s largest public university system. Castro will replace Chancellor Timothy White, who is expected to retire at the end of the year.
Castro, a grandson of Mexican immigrants, will become CSU’s first chancellor of color when he takes over the job on Jan. 4. He is also the first chancellor since the system was formed in the early 1960s to be named from inside the CSU system and first time the board selected a president of one of its campuses to head the system…”
