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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Mexican law enforcement visits Montgomery to learn about US judicial system
“MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – A group of law enforcement experts from Mexico were in Montgomery Thursday to learn more about how the United States judicial system works.
Nearly 40 prosecutors, forensic analysts and investigators got to watch court proceedings and ask questions.
This program was through the bipartisan Attorney General Alliance partnership…”
9 Best Places to Retire in Mexico, According to Real Estate Experts
“While Mexico — with its picture-perfect beaches, lush mountains, fascinating culture, world-class cuisine, and friendly people — remains one of the most popular tourist destinations for Americans, the country is also emerging as a retirement haven.
“According to social security data, the number of American retirees in Mexico has nearly doubled since 2016, up from 36,000 to 62,000 retirees in 2023,” said Chet Kittleson, co-founder and CEO of Far Homes, an online marketplace for international real estate. “These folks are drawn to the quality of life, incredible weather, beautiful beaches, lower cost of living, more affordable health care, and the list goes on.” American seniors can save, on average, $44,144 per year, including $8,000 or more on health care alone, if they move to Mexico, Far Homes’ data shows…”
https://www.travelandleisure.com/best-places-to-retire-in-mexico-8410786
Compendium on Chicano poet laureate Juan Felipe Herrera strikes gold
“For fans of Juan Felipe Herrera, the praise rings true — the famed Chicano writer and poet laureate is as versatile and experimental as he is resourceful and prolific. Despite his popularity and renown, however, an anthology of critical essays on the significance of his work had yet to exist.
To fill that void, UC Santa Barbara Professor Emeritus Francisco Lomelí and Osiris Aníbal Gómez, PhD ’20, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota, co-edited a wide-ranging book on Herrera’s 50 year career. Their effort, “Juan Felipe Herrera: Migrant, Activist, Poet Laureate” (University of Arizona Press, 2023) recently won an International Latino Book Awards gold medal…”
https://news.ucsb.edu/2023/021277/compendium-chicano-poet-laureate-juan-felipe-herrera-strikes-gold
Thunderbird at ASU announces regional Center of Excellence in Mexico
“November 29, 2023
In a move that signaled a significant step forward in its commitment to fostering innovation and global, digital leadership in Latin America, the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University, in partnership with Cintana Education and the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara (UAG), has announced a new regional Center of Excellence in Mexico…”
Mexican Journalist Granted US Asylum After 15-Year Journey
“Washington —
Emilio Gutierrez Soto came to the National Press Club on Wednesday with a message of gratitude. Press freedom advocates came with a call to action.
The 60-year-old journalist fled with his son to the U.S.-Mexico border in 2008 seeking asylum after receiving death threats because of his reporting on Mexican military corruption.
After 15 years, the Board of Immigration Appeals ruled in favor of Gutierrez Soto.
He still needs to go in front of an immigration judge in March 2024 to receive his asylum papers, but his immigration lawyer said his case has been resolved…”
https://www.voanews.com/a/mexican-journalist-granted-us-asylum-after-15-year-journey/7379094.html
Critics say Texas immigration bill will lead to racial profiling
“Texas Republicans have upped the ante in their effort to control the southern border, sending Gov. Greg Abbott a bill that gives local police authority over immigration enforcement.
Why it matters: Critics of the legislation say it is unconstitutional and will lead to racial profiling.
- Legal experts argue it violates long-standing Supreme Court precedent and goes far beyond Arizona’s divisive Senate Bill 1070, partially struck down by the high court.
Driving the news: Abbott made the issue a priority, calling lawmakers back for a fourth special session to send a bill to his desk…”
https://www.axios.com/2023/11/28/texas-immigration-bill-sb-1070-mexico-border
Table of Experts: The vital role of the Native American business community in New Mexico’s economy
‘Will Martinez, president and publisher of Albuquerque Business First, and Kamal Ali, president of PNC Bank, sat down with other business leaders for a discussion centered on the vital role of the Native American business community in New Mexico’s economy. The dialogue aimed to empower and support Native American entrepreneurs and promote economic growth within their communities. Panelists were Mike Canfield, president and CEO of Indian Pueblo Cultural Center; Monica Jojola, president Montech Inc.; and Tina Archuleta, owner of Itality…”
UCLA Spanish course explores culture through sensory experience
“…Cohen, a continuing lecturer in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, said he created the course Spanish M172XP: “Topics in Community Engagement: Cine Vivo: Community-Engaged Sensory Ethnography” to teach students about topics in community engagement, specifically within the field of sensory ethnography.
Sensory ethnography is the study of cultural and social interactions often through visual media to capture sensory data including sight, touch, smell, taste and sound. Throughout the quarter, students form groups to create a film project capturing the images and sounds of the human experience in Latino communities in Los Angeles…”
https://dailybruin.com/2023/11/24/ucla-spanish-course-explores-culture-through-sensory-experience
Mexican Americans Face Higher Odds for Liver Cancer With Each New Generation
- “Mexican-Americans born and raised in the United States have higher odds for liver cancer than those born in Mexico
- This uptick in risk is increasing with each successive generation, new research shows
- Lifestyle factors — obesity, drinking, smoking — are partly to blame, but other issues may play a role…”
- https://www.healthday.com/health-news/cancer/mexican-americans-face-higher-odds-for-liver-cancer-with-each-new-generation
UK DMA student elevating opportunities for Mexican, Mexican American compose
“LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 21, 2023) — Juan Saldivar Jr., D.M.A. student in the University of Kentucky School of Music, is elevating opportunities for Mexican and Mexican American composers through a new initiative.
Saldivar, a native of border town Laredo, Texas, co-founded the trombone duo, Border Bones, with friend Alex Lopez Velarde, principal trombonist of the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Mexico. Through Border Bones, Saldivar and Velarde aim to increase trombone duet repertoire from rising marginalized and underrepresented composers…”
A Mexican American professor who struggled with impostor phenomenon helps others overcome it
“…Like many people of similar backgrounds who she meets through her research, Gutiérrez suffers from the affliction commonly known asimpostor phenomenon, a condition that Gutiérrez refers to as “impostorization.” It’s the uneasy, ever-present sensation that you’re a fraud, your successes aren’t deserved, and it’s only a matter of time before you’re unmasked as the failure you truly are.
Typically, and ironically, it tends to afflict high achievers. In the United States, impostorization also tends disproportionately to affect women, people of color and immigrants or their offspring…”
Policy Concerns or No, Mexico Natural Gas Imports to Keep Growing, Experts Say
“Mexico’s pipeline imports of U.S. natural gas should continue rising over the coming years even in the most conservative demand scenarios, experts agreed at the US-Mexico Natural Gas Forum
Mexico: The Medical Profession Defends Conscientious Objection
“…Rosario Laris, general director of the Safe Sex platform and holder of a doctorate in bioethics, explained during the press conference what conscientious objection is in the context of the medical profession. She explained that “conscientious objection arises from the knowledge that the health professional has acquired through his academic preparation and that he continues to acquire with the sum of his daily experience, which allows him to consider whether a treatment is appropriate or not for his patient.” “In other words, this ‘conscience’ pushes him to seek the good of the patient at all times,” she emphasized…”
CWC Global: Corazón Azul
“Science-fiction drama Corazón Azul (2021) immerses viewers in an alternate reality where Fidel Castro—one of the foremost leaders of the Cuban Revolution and long-time President of the post-revolutionary Cuban state—uses genetic engineering to build a new kind of man and save his socialist utopia. Castro’s brazen experiment, however, eventually fails as these new beings prove to be highly intelligent but also cruel and uncontrollable. Rejected by their creators, a group of these engineered outcasts organizes a series of terrorist actions and sows chaos across the island. Along the way, one of its members, Elena (Lynn Cruz), traces the origin of her genes and begins a journey to try to discover her humanity.”
Undocu Open House highlights support systems for students without legal status
“…“For a lot of undocumented students, the biggest concern in terms of pursuing higher education has to do with financial aid and funding,” Moreno said. “Even though we have the California DREAM Act and AB 540 legislation, there are still a lot of students who are left out.”
According to the California Student Aid Commission, the California DREAM Act allows eligible students, including students without legal status, to pay in-state tuition at any public college in California and receive certain types of financial aid. Under California law Assembly Bill 540, eligible nonresident students who meet certain criteria can be exempt from paying nonresident supplemental tuition, according to the UC admissions website…”
UTHealth Houston partners with Mexican organizations for $5 million NIH grant to improve implementation of cancer control interventions in Mexico and Latin America
“A five-year, $5 million grant has been awarded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to the UTHealth Houston Institute for Implementation Science to support research and training in implementation science, with a focus on improving cancer control efforts in Mexico and Latin America.
The grant brings together researchers from UTHealth Houston, the Mexican National Institute of Public Health (INSP), the Mexican National Cancer Institute (INCan), and the University of California San Francisco (UCSF)…”
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1007686
Mario Lopez set the doubters straight — he’s Mexican American In a video, the longtime Access Hollywood co-host seemed surprised that people were questioning his Latino heritage after seeing him on videos discussing Mexican dishes.
“Mario Lopez just wanted to show us how yummy his mariscos (shrimps) with mayonnaise were, but instead he shocked a few fans with this reality: He’s Mexican American!
In a video he posted on social media, the longtime “Access Hollywood” co-host noticed he was trending. When Lopez investigated why, he learned some people were shocked to find out he was of Mexican descent when they saw him on videos discussing his favorite dishes, using slang of the raza, or culture…”
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/mario-lopez-set-doubters-straight-he-is-mexican-rcna124659
Refusing to Forget seeks oral histories of Mexican Americans in South Texas
“A lonely historical marker stands in the desert winds of Presidio County in far West Texas, telling of the 1918 Porvenir Massacre, when 15 Mexican American members of a farming and ranching settlement were murdered by a company of Texas Rangers.
The marker is the result of efforts by San Antonio-based nonprofit Refusing To Forget working with the Texas State Legislature to give a more complete historical picture of life along the Texas borderlands…”
Mexican and Cuban experts to discuss diversification of the sugar agroindustry
“HAVANA, Cuba, Nov 3 (ACN) Experts and specialists of the Associations of Sugar Technicians of Cuba and Mexico (ATAC-ATAM) are meeting today in Havana for their 7th meeting on the flexibility and diversification of the sugar agribusiness in their countries and also in Brazil.
The deliberations will be held at the National Sugar Training Center, starting from the consideration of aspects common to their respective managements, especially for a space for analysis, reflection and exchange of experiences, ATAC reported exclusively to the Cuban News Agency.
Mainly, it added, to contribute to the reorientation and development of the productive chains of co-products and derivatives, in an efficient and effective way in the current conditions, taking into account the requirements of sugarcane agriculture that supports it…”
Meet the fellows: UC President’s and Chancellor’s postdoctoral fellows begin new award year
“Julio Orellana, English
President’s Postdoctoral Fellow
A child of Guatemalan migrants who left Guatemala under dire structural conditions, Orellana joins UC Santa Barbara with a doctorate from UC Riverside. His research in Central American studies looks at forced migration in Guatemala.
“The study examines Guatemalan labor migrants from various racial and ethnic backgrounds, primarily Maya and mestizo/a/x ladino/a/x,” he said. “My family was part of these large migration streams that arrived in the U.S. beginning in the late 1960s and throughout the 1980s and 1990s during Guatemala’s 36-year civil war. People were forced to leave Guatemala for various reasons including those in search of dignified material conditions, along with those fleeing political violence, persecution and in the case of Mayan communities, state sponsored genocide.”…”
