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 Presidential Election Results: Meet Anti-Trump Winner Andrés Manuel López Obrador
“Mexico has chosen left-leaning hopeful Andrés Manuel López Obrador to become its 58th president for the next six years, in what is considered the country’s largest election in history.
López Obrador of the Together We Will Make History coalition won the election with more than 40 percent of the votes, defeating Ricardo Anaya from centrist For Mexico to the Front coalition, who obtained 27.6 percent of the votes. José Antonio Meade of the Everyone for Mexico coalition only received 18.3 of the votes and Jaime Rodriguez Calderón “El Bronco,” who ran as an independent, acquired nearly 5.2 percent of the ballots. Mexico’s former first lady and independent candidate Margarita Zavala dropped out of the race last May because her campaign faced economic hardship and could not garner enough support of more than 10 percent of voters, according to some polls.
Eligible voters also cast their ballots for more than 3,000 posts at the state and federal level, which also include the election of eight governorships, 500 chamber of deputies and 128 Senate seats. López…”
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What you need to know about Mexico’s historic election
“Mexico holds an historic election on Sunday: its biggest to date in terms of the sheer number of races.
Eighty-eight million registered voters — many of whom are fed up with corruption and inefficiency under the administration of current president Enrique Peña Nieto — will get the chance to change the face of Mexico’s government, and affect the course of U.S. relations, with major border and trade issues at stake.
Beyond the presidential race, more than 1600 elected positions at the state and local level are up for a vote across 30 of Mexico’s 32 states — including Mexico City’s mayor — as well as its entire federal legislative body: 500 seats in the legislature, and 128 in its senate…”
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Don Quixote rides anew (on a bicycle!) in Cal Shakes world premiere
“…Brandishing a bedpan as a helmet and reclaimed auto parts as a coat of armor, a bedraggled “Quixote Nuevo” charges on stage at Cal Shakes atop a rickety bicycle instead of a steed.
Octavio Solis’ cheeky new re-imagining of Cervantes’ Don Quixote mythology, exuberantly directed by KJ Sanchez, throbs with wit and poignancy in its world premiere at California Shakespeare Theater in Orinda. Letting acclaimed playwright Solis (“El Paso Blue,” “Santos and Santos”) rub elbows with Shakespeare on the docket is part of Cal Shakes’ mission to redefine the classics in a more inclusive and relevant way that speaks to the soul and politics of life in America today…”
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2017’s Most & Least Educated Cities in America
“College opens many doors. Besides providing invaluable cultural experiences and the opportunity to build lifelong connections, a college education can lead to better job opportunities and increase future earning potential. And the more degree holders earn, the more tax dollars they contribute over time, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
One way to strengthen an economy, the EPI suggests, is to attract well-paying employers “by investing in education and increasing the number of well-educated workers.” In states where workers have the least schooling, for instance, the median wage is $15 an hour compared with $19 to $20 an hour in states where 40 percent or more of the working population hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. Local governments appear to be catching on and maximizing the appeal of their cities to college graduates…”
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Humanity’s Genes Reveal Its Tangled History
…”Reality, it turns out, is more complex and interesting than scientists ever imagined.
In the early 19th century, Jean-Fraconnçois Champollion used the Rosetta Stone to begin the process of deciphering the hieroglyphics of ancient Egypt. We already knew Egypt through the Bible and the histories of the Greeks, but even Herodotus wrote 2,000 years after the beginning of the Old Kingdom. With the translation of hieroglyphics, the legend of Egypt came to life. What had been cloudy became clear.
In Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past, David Reich, a geneticist at Harvard’s Medical School and the Broad Institute, introduces us to the 21st-century Rosetta Stone: ancient DNA, which will do more for our understanding of prehistory than radiocarbon dating did. Where the latter allowed archaeologists to create a timeline based on the material objects they excavated, DNA sequencing allows scholars to explore the genetics of the people who created those material cultures. We may never see the face of Agamemnon, but we already have the DNA of the warlords of Mycenaean Greece, and in the future we could reconstruct their features from genes alone…”
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Stanford students in the military
“Until you have a certain level of security, you can’t do anything,” says Nicolas Lozano-Landinez, a junior at Stanford, and an ROTC cadet. Security is not a forefront concern for students at Stanford, but it is something Nicolas and Pablo think about daily. “A big part of what I’m fighting for is institutions like this one, where people can just longboard, ride bikes, and be carefree,” Pablo says…”
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Upwardly Mobile
The number of Mexican-born professionals living in the United States has more than doubled since 1995. They’re not the undocumented workers you see in evening-news mug shots or aerial photographs of a littered and barren desert. They’re college graduates — some with multiple degrees — who join their blue-collar counterparts in their journeys north…
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Diversity & Inclusive Teaching (Archived)
Both students and faculty at American colleges and universities are becoming increasingly varied in their backgrounds and experiences, reflecting the diversity witnessed in our broader society. The Center for Teaching is committed to supporting diversity at Vanderbilt, particularly as it intersects with the wide range of teaching and learning contexts that occur across the University…
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NAFTA talks focus on low wages for Mexican autoworkers
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has promised to bring auto manufacturing back to the United States from Mexico.
The success of NAFTA negotiations could be determined by how willing the Mexican government is to let him try.
As top officials from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico scramble to come to some sort of deal on the continental free trade pact by next Friday, the overwhelming focus of their discussions is the complicated issue of auto rules…
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Museums Turn Their Focus to U.S. Artists of Latin Descent
When Scott Rothkopf, chief curator of the Whitney Museum of American Art, attended the U.S. Latinx Arts Futures Symposium at the Ford Foundation two years ago, the experience had a profound impact.
The organizers “wanted to draw people’s attention to the fact that Latinx artists were falling into neither category — they were not part of the growing interest in Latin American artists but also not seen as American artists,” Mr. Rothkopf said. “I left thinking that it was extremely important that the Whitney expand its thinking in this area and, by virtue of being a museum of the U.S., could do something unique by drawing attention to these artists as U.S. Americans — they could be part of the story.”..
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The New York Latino Film Festival, Presented by HBO, Celebrates its 15th Edition After Record Breaking Return
NEW YORK, April 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — The New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF), fresh off its highly anticipated return, is excited to announce that it’s gearing up to kick off its 15th edition this summer and presented by its founding partner, HBO. The festival will once again ignite screens with the best the Latino community has to offer. With the addition of industry partners including AMC Theatres and the Motion Picture Association of America, the move into the summer is a welcome addition to the season’s Latino offerings that will further make New York the place to be for all things Latino. Final dates will be announced soon.
“As we (Latinos) continue to dominate the box office, and the conversation surrounding diversity and inclusion is at the forefront of all things, we are truly proud to be here. NYLFF’s return to celebrate its 15th edition is a testament to how much we’ve heard from the community including the entertainment industry that the festival is vital at this time.”
-Calixto Chinchilla, NYLFF Founder…
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Engagement, Content Sharing High Among Hispanic Millennials
A recent study released by marketing trade organization the Culture Marketing Council details many of the unique online engagement trends salient among U.S. Hispanic audiences today.
Social media was cited as the number-one digital activity among Hispanic Millennials ages 18-34, and these audiences also seem to view and share more online and social media content than their non-Hispanic white counterparts: according to the study, Hispanics ages 18-34 shared an average of 33 percent more content than non-Hispanic white respondents in the same age group…
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Mexican Startup Raised US$6M to Democratize Social-TV Advertisement
SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Initially raising US$5 million to build a social network, Flyr shifted course a year ago to continue with the longtime dream from visionary VFX genius Hassan Uriostegui that one day the iPhone would be the new platform where everybody would access the power of creative software…
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Brands Utilizing Hispanic Baseball Stars In New Ad Campaigns
What: Hispanic players, which make up nearly a third of opening day rosters, are starting to be used in national campaigns, even for non-sports brands.
Why it matters: Brands may be catching up to the crossover appeal of the sport’s top Latino stars.
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Coco and Frozen Songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez Win Their Second Oscar at 2018 Academy Awards
The 90th annual Academy Awards delivered Oscars to a handful of stage favorites, including composers Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (currently represented on Broadway with the Disney musical Frozen).
The husband-and-wife songwriting team picked up their second Oscar March 4 for Coco’s “Remember Me.” The two won in 2014 for the Frozen anthem “Let It Go”; in their acceptance speech this year, Lopez gave a shout-out to the cast and creative team of the Frozen stage adaptation, now in previews at the St. James Theatre. On hand to present the trophy were Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and his Mary Poppins Returns co-star Emily Blunt…
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Hispanic dropout rate hits new low, college enrollment at new high
The high school dropout rate among U.S. Hispanics has fallen to a new low, extending a decades-long decline, according to recently released data from the Census Bureau. The reduction has come alongside a long-term increase in Hispanic college enrollment, which is at a record high.
The Hispanic dropout rate was 10% in 2016, with about 648,000 Hispanics..
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Latino community mourning loss of an “exceptional” couple known for helping others
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Juan Muniz was always helping people in the city’s Latino community, said their friends at El Concilio. Whether it was addressing the needs of the people on the radio or helping a senior citizen find employment, he was doing something to serve others.
“He definitely was someone who was constantly on the move, trying to find ways of helping people,” said Lissette Mira-Amaya with a smile. “And so ways Maria. We cannot forget Maria.”
Muniz’s wife — who also went by Mary — was always by his side, said Mira-Amaya who’s known them for decades. According to police they were both tragically killed Tuesday night in a car crash…
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Anthony Acevedo, U.S. Army medic who endured prison-camp horrors during WWII, dies at 93
During the winter of 1944-45, Anthony Acevedo was a 20-year-old Army medic assisting wounded soldiers fighting against Nazi forces in World War II. The war in Europe was coming to an end, but for Mr. Acevedo the horror was just beginning.
His ordeal in German prison and labor camps, which he kept hidden for decades, led to his recognition as the first Mexican American soldier to be designated a Holocaust survivor…
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HSBC Highlights Corporate Optimism’s Resilience Over Global Trade Uncertainty
Protectionism has cast a shadow of uncertainty over global traders, and North America’s trade relationships are in flux.
Early in President Donald Trump’s presidency, the U.S. withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. One year later, the nation’s participation in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is also changing as the U.S., Canada and Mexico engage in negotiations that are expected to continue through April, according to Bloomberg reports this week.
Despite ongoing change and uncertainty, however, new analysis from HSBC finds corporates across North America remain confident in their future global trading operations…
…Eighty-seven percent of Mexican professionals, 77 percent of U.S. professionals and 70 percent of Canadian professionals say they are optimistic about increasing cross-border trade volume over the next year…
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Seeking better data on Hispanics, Census Bureau may change how it asks about race
Federal officials are considering major changes in how they ask Americans about their race and ethnicity, with the goal of producing more accurate and reliable data in the 2020 census and beyond. Recently released Census Bureau research underscores an important reason why: Many Hispanics, who are the nation’s largest minority group, do not identify with the current racial categories…
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