Feliz Navidad para todos

Feliz Navidad from Southern California to all. I will be leaving to Miami tonight.

UCLA won today against Northwestern in the Sunbowl in El Paso! Happy New Year everyone!
 

Borderlands: El Muro de la Verguenza

When I visited Oaxaca City, Oaxaca in southern Mexico, I was surprised at how arid the city was in the middle of the spring. Somehow, I expected the terrain to be more wet and humid. But what really impressed me, was when I visited the ruins of Monte Alban on the hilltop overlooking the valley and seeing the wide open spaces.

I am not comparing my panoramic views of the Oaxacan valley to the borderlands between the United States and Mexico, but I am saying this very clearly: the proposed wall across the border is the worst and quite possibly the most embarassing legislative decision of 2005.

It is incredible to digest that over 260 congress men and women honestly believe that building a wall across the entire border with Mexico is a good idea.

The mere proposal of such a plan is such a huge slap in the face to the millions of hardworking immigrants that come to this country to do the work that no American citizens want to do. It is frustrating to acknowledge that after hundreds of statistical reports demonstrating that immigrants contribute incredible wealth to our economy, our elected officials continue to legislate against the grain of such hard evidence in order to please a xenophobic and racist subgroup of our society.

For many of us on the sidelines, witnessing the slow decline of American benevolence and goodwill is hard to watch. Where have our leaders gone? Where are our FDRs, Eleanor Roosevelts and Robert Kennedys?

My generation longs for those Americans that acted on justice, fairness and for the true meaning of America. Is America destined to become just another country that promised so much, but that in the end became the victim of its own greed and selfishness?

Has history not taught us anything about our country's role in the world? For the United States to build a wall across the border with Mexico sends a message of intolerance, lack of compassion and most unfortunately a commitment to the true bottom line: money over people.

But there are alternative options available. For such a wealthy country full of thousands of research universities, it is a shame that our foreign policy towards immigration has been reduced to the rebuilding of a Berlin or Chinese Wall across our southern border. But the wall won't solve any problems.

You can't stop a river from flowing when you have thousands of employers on the inside of the wall thirsty for cheap and unprotected labor.

The real solution will surface sooner or later. It is only a matter of time.

Below is an article on the subject of the Wall of Shame that the U.S. plans to build across the border with Mexico:

Mexico seeks international support against deadly US border wall

12/28/2005 11:53
http://english.pravda.ru/world/20/91/368/16687_Mexico.html

US lawmakers proposed to build some 700 miles of barriers to stop illegal immigration from the South.

Sixteen years after the fall of the Berlin wall, another barrier of bricks is being fuelled to separate two nations and stop immigration. A proposal by U.S. lawmakers to build some 1,130 kilometers of barriers along their nation's southern border as part of efforts to stop illegal immigration has irritated Mexicans, who are seeking international support to block Washington's plans.

The Mexican Congress is asking legislatures in Spain, Portugal and Latin American countries to join a coalition against the US proposal. The request, backed by the Mexican President Vicente Fox, is contained in a letter drafted by the speaker of the Mexican lower house, Heliodoro Diaz.

"I hereby ask you, in an act of unity among Ibero-American Congresses, that you share our concern about and condemnation of (the U.S. wall), and that you express the deepest solidarity with the Mexican Congress, in order to impede the construction of a wall on the border of the United States of America with Mexico, and the approval of the law promoting it," says the missive.

On Dec. 16, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill that envisions building 700 miles of fences along the border with Mexico, makes illegal immigration a crime - it is currently a civil offense - and calls for prosecuting U.S. citizens who aid undocumented migrants.

Mexican authorities have expressed their concerns on the proposals, as if it is finally approved by the Senate, it could become a hot spot in what already is a key issue for the relations between both North American nations.

In his letter, Diaz expresses his respect for the legislative function of the United States Congress, but points out that the phenomenon of migration, for its social and economic effects, should be looked at in a comprehensive way within a bilateral framework.

"The aforesaid law, should it be approved, will result in highly negative effects for our countries, such as criminalizing migration, violating the human rights of migrants to that nation, exacerbating racism against minorities, and repudiating various agreements achieved through existing free-trade treaties," the document says.

Mexican Foreign Minister, Luis Ernesto Derbez, met Monday with the US Secretary of Commerce, Roberto Zoellick, to complain about the initiative. Derbez said the bill was "racist." President Fox had said last week that the new wall was "a shame" and a "bad signal of the United States to Latin America."

According to Human Rights groups, about 500 Latin American immigrants die annually in the US-Mexican border, many of them killed by US guards. Those immigrants looking for better conditions of life are only from Mexico but from close U.S. allies such as El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and other Central American nations.

If finally built, the wall will be the longest in world's history, not including the Chinese one in the list.





 

BioWillie - Beyond Gasoline

For those that are wondering what gasoline prices are like in Southern California at the end of 2005, well here is your reference for the price per gallon. ARCO is a subsidiary of British Petroleum (BP).

But before you complain or criticize the oil industry, read the New York Times article below by Danny Hakim on how Willie Nelson is dealing with the situation.

December 30, 2005

Beyond Gasoline

His Car Smelling Like French Fries, Willie Nelson Sells Biodiesel

By DANNY HAKIM

Willie Nelson drives a Mercedes.

But do not lose faith, true believers. The exhaust from Mr. Nelson's diesel-powered Mercedes smells like peanuts, or French fries, or whatever alternative fuel happens to be in his tank.

While Bono tries to change the world by hobnobbing with politicians and Sir Bob Geldof plays host to his mega-benefit concerts, Willie Nelson has birthed his own brand of alternative fuel. It is called, fittingly enough, BioWillie. And in BioWillie, Mr. Nelson, 72, has blended two of his biggest concerns: his love of family farmers and disdain for the Iraq war.

BioWillie is a type of biodiesel, a fuel that can be made from any number of crops and run in a normal diesel engine. If it sounds like a joke, a number of businesses, as well as city and state and county governments, have been switching their transportation fleets to biodiesel blends over the last year. The rationale is that it is a domestic fuel that can provide profit to farmers and that it will help the environment, though environmentalists are not universally enthusiastic about it.

"I knew we needed to have something that would keep us from being so dependent on foreign oil, and when I heard about biodiesel, a light come on, and I said, 'Hey, here's the future for the farmers, the future for the environment, the future for the truckers," Mr. Nelson said in an interview this month. "It seems like that's good for the whole world if we can start growing our own fuel instead of starting wars over it."

In some ways, it is a return to the origins of the diesel engine; some of Rudolf Diesel's first engines ran on peanut oil more than a century ago.

Last week, a cargo-loading company that operates in the Port of Seattle said that to fuel its equipment next year it would purchase 800,000 gallons of biodiesel, most of it a blend known as B20 that is 80 percent conventional diesel. As of late September, Minnesota requires almost all diesel fuel sold in the state to be 2 percent biodiesel, and Cincinnati started using a 30 percent biodiesel blend, B30, in its city buses because of concerns about fuel shortages after Hurricane Katrina.

Biodiesel can cost as much as a $1 a gallon more than regular diesel when pure, though it is typically sold as B20. Prices vary depending on volume and region, and new tax incentives are aimed at closing the cost gap. BioWillie was selling for $2.37 a gallon yesterday in Carl's Corner, Mr. Nelson's own truck stop in Texas that serves as headquarters of his year-old company, Willie Nelson BioDiesel. That was just 4 cents more than the conventional diesel selling at another station nearby.

Mr. Nelson's BioWillie is aimed mostly at truckers and is usually sold as B20 (pure biodiesel can congeal in colder climates). BioWillie is currently sold at 13 gas stations and truck stops in four states (with Texas having the most), and it fuels the buses and trucks for Mr. Nelson's tours.

If BioWillie demonstrates anything, it is that the combination of Middle East wars, global warming and rising prices at the pump has led many people to offer solutions to the world's energy's squeeze. Depending on whom you ask, cars will someday run on hydrogen, electricity, natural gas or ethanol.

Mr. Nelson is making his bet on biodiesel.

"I don't like the war," he said in the interview. "In fact, I don't know if you ever remember a couple years ago, it was Christmas day, and my son Lukas was born on Christmas Day, he's like 16 years old, and we were watching TV and there was just all kind of hell breaking loose and people getting killed and I was talking to my wife, Annie, and I said, You know, all the mothers crying and the babies dying and she said, 'Well, you ought to go write that.' "So I wrote a song called 'Whatever Happened to Peace on Earth?' "

He began to recite the first verse:

So many things going on in the world,

Babies dying, mothers crying.

Just how much oil is human life worth?

And whatever happened to peace on earth?

"That upset a lot of people, as you can imagine," he continued. "I've been upset about this war from the beginning and I've known it's all about oil."

Every alternative to oil, however, has its drawbacks. Biodiesel would reduce most emissions of smog-forming pollutants and global warming gases, and it could be used instead of foreign oil. But some studies show that it increases emissions of one harmful pollutant, nitrogen oxide, and it could not be produced in vast enough quantities to supplant oil-based fuel, or come close to it, unless the nation starts turning the suburbs over to farmland. And as with ethanol, producing great quantities of biodiesel from corn or soybeans could drive up food prices.

Bill Reinert, Toyota's national manager for advanced technologies, said in an interview this year: "I frankly don't see biodiesel being an early alt-fuel player across a wide swath of geography. It's a boutique fuel. There's not enough payoff and not enough people into it."

Peter J. Bell, the chief executive of Distribution Drive, a distributor of biodiesel that is working with Mr. Nelson, said of the nation's nearly 200,000 gas stations, "650 carry biodiesel, so we have a job in front of us." Mr. Nelson sits on the board of Distribution Drive's parent, Earth Biofuels, a publicly traded company.

Daniel Becker, the Sierra Club's top global warming expert, said he would prefer to see wider use of a cleaner alternative fuel, like natural gas.

Referring to biodiesel, he said, "In order to grow soybeans, you need multiple passes over the field with diesel tractors, you need a lot of fertilizer that's energy intensive to produce and, at the end of the day, you have a product that is no boon for the environment."

He went on: "If you're going to go to the trouble of using an alternative fuel, use a good alternative fuel. If you really want to listen to Willie Nelson, go buy one of his records and play it in a hybrid."

Mr. Nelson first heard about biodiesel two years ago from his wife while they were staying in Hawaii. He recounted the story.

"My wife came to me and said 'I want to buy this car that runs on biodiesel, and I said, 'What's that?' And so she told me, and I thought it was a scam or joke or something. So I said, 'Go ahead, it's your money.' "

She bought a Volkswagen Jetta with a diesel engine and started filling it with fuel made from restaurant grease. This is not uncommon. Home hobbyists make their own biodiesel by collecting used grease from restaurants and chemically treating it to turn it into usable fuel, or by outfitting their car or truck with equipment to re-form the grease.

"I drove the car, loved the way it drove," Mr. Nelson said. "The tailpipe smells like French fries. I bought me a Mercedes, and the Mercedes people were a little nervous when I took a brand new Mercedes over and filled it up with 100 percent vegetable oil coming from the grease traps of Maui. I figured I'd be getting notices about the warranty and that stuff. However, nobody said anything."

"I get better gas mileage, it runs better, the motor runs cleaner, so I swear by it," he added.

How far does he think biodiesel can go?

"It could get as big as we can grow fuel or find different things to make fuel from, such as chicken fat, beef fat, add that along to soybeans, vegetable oils, peanuts, safflower, sunflower," Mr. Nelson said.

O.K.. What about hemp?

"Hemp is a very good one," he replied, not missing a beat. "In fact, several years ago, a friend of mine named Gatewood Galbraith was running for governor of Kentucky and we campaigned all over the state of Kentucky in a Cadillac operating on hemp oil. He was trying to get it legalized in the state of Kentucky and, of course, he lost, but the cannabis thing in fuel is a very real thing."

Mr. Nelson said he did not expect to make much money on his venture. As he put it when asked about his Mercedes, "I didn't get it selling BioWillie, I'll tell you."

"I hope somebody makes money out of it; I'm sure they will. And probably what'll happen is that the oil industry will wait until everybody else builds all the infrastructure and then they'll come in and take over," he said. "But that's O.K. I don't worry about that. As along as the idea progresses because all I'm caring about is getting it out there and maybe helping the country, the farmer, the environment."

Asked if he intended to become a fat cat C.E.O. with a big cigar in his mouth, he replied: "I'll give you my part of it. I'll just sign over all my earnings and belongings to you right now and I'll sing 'Whiskey River.' "

One thing is certain: if Mr. Nelson's venture makes any money, none of it will go to pay a $16 million tax bill to the Internal Revenue Service. That debt, which arose from Mr. Nelson's participation in illegal tax shelters, was erased in 1993 with surrender of some property and the profit from his album "The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories?"


 

Avientame y Abrazame

There was something very New Jersey about the piano bar singer at this Italian eatery in Culver City. At first he seemed annoying, but like everyone else there, the Sinatra songs kept on coming and the old couples dancing just added to the charm of his singing and to the general good feel.

I am listening to the classic Cafe Tacuba song titled "Avientame" right now. Avientame means throw me in Spanish. But the song also asks the listener to Abrazame, which means to hug closer.

Avientame

Abrázame y muérdeme
Llévate contigo mis heridas
Aviéntame y déjame
Mientras yo contemplo tu partida
En la espera de que vuelvas y tal vez
vuelvas por mi,
y ya te vas que me dirás,
dirás, qué poco sabes tu decir

Despídete, ya no estarás
Al menos ten conmigo esa bondad
Te extrañaré, no mentiré
me duele que no estés y tú te vas

Amárrame y muérdeme
Llévate contigo mis heridas
Murmúrame y ládrame
Grita hasta que ya no escuche nada
Sólo ve cómo me quedo aquí esperando
a que no estés
En la espera de que vuelvas y tal vez vuelvas por mi
En la espera de que vuelvas y tal vez vuelvas por mi

This is such a great song. I saw Cafe Tacuba perform live at the Zocalo in Mexico City in June of 2005. Nobody can ever take that away from me.

In life sometimes you gotta carve your own path, and whether it is going to a live concert in one of the largest plazas in the world, or simply getting on a cheap public transportation bus called a "Pesero", make sure you do what you feel is right, then and now. Don't look back, because life happens in those seconds and minutes when all things are in motion and yet nothing appears to be moving at all.

Avientame, y abrazame.

 

Speaking of Urban Planners

Speaking of urban planners, I found this picture in my files of Hurricane and Stacy when we all went out for Primo's birthday bash earlier this month. My friend Primo put together a small dinner party in Culver City at this great classic style Italian place. The piano bar was alive and well as older couples showed us how real dancing is done.

I am listening to "Mi Primer Millon" by Bacilos. The CD goes from one Bossa Nova song to a classic South American song and then back.

Below are the lyrics for "Mi Primer Millon," which reminds me of living in New York City on the Upper West Side. And the line about going to Miami is extremely fitting right now!

"Dejemoslo todo y vamonos para Miami!"

Mi Primer Millon

Yo solo quiero pegar en la radio,
Yo solo quiero pegar en la radio

Estoy ya cansado de estar endeudado,
De verte sufriendo por cada centavo,
Dejesmoslo todo y vamonos para Miami.

Voy a lo que voy, a volverme famoso
a la vida de artista, a vivir de canciones
Vender ilusiones que rompan diez mil corazones

*Coro*

Yo solo quiero pegar en la radio,
Para ganar mi primer millonn,
Para comprarte una casa grande,
En donde quepa tu corazon

Yo solo quiero que la gente cante,
Por todos lados esta cancion,
Desde San Juan hasta Barranquilla
Desde Sevilla hasta Nueva York.

Yo te repito que...
Me van a escuchar,
En la radio en la television
Y asi será mi primer millon

Apenas lleguemos llamamos a Emilio,
Yo tengo un amigo, amigo de un amigo
con li­nea directa al cielo de tantas estrellas.

Despues andaremos de aqui para alla
Con Paulina Rubio y Alejandro Sanz,
Tranquila querida, Paulina solo es una amiga

*coro*
Yo solo quiero pegar en la radio,
Para ganar mi primer millon,
Para comprarte una casa grande,
En donde quepa tu corazon

Yo solo quiero que la gente cante
Por todos lados esta cancion
Desde Kabul hasta Curacao
Desde Callao hasta Panama¡

Yo solo quiero pegar en la radio,
Para ganar mi primer millon,
Para comprarte una casa grande,
En donde quepa tu corazon

Yo solo quiero que la gente cante
Por todos lados esta cancion
Desde Guayaquil a Santo Domingo
Desde Tijuana hasta Salvador

ooooooo........

echale pa' delante o echalepa' alla
q echa pa' delante.. echa pa' delante

Ya quiero salir de esta bicicleta,
Salir a rumbear sin pensar en la cuenta,
Comprate un vestido de Oscar de la Renta,
Tranquila que ahi­ viene mi primer millon

(Y como digo yo)

Yo solo quiero pegar en la radio (bis 4)

Yo solo quiero pegar en la radio,
Para ganar mi primer millon,
Para comprarte una casa grande,
En donde quepa tu corazon

Yo solo quiero que la gente cante
Por todos lados esta cancion
Desde San Juan hasta Barranquilla
Desde Madrid hasta Nueva York

Yo solo quiero pegar en la radio
Para ganar mi primer millon,
Para comprarte una casa grande,
En donde quepa tu corazon.....


 

Historic Preservation: The Loco Way

This is the Pollo Loco in Lincoln Heights on the corner of Broadway and Avenue 22. Some people don't realize that fast food places like El Pollo Loco can contribute to the preservation of historical landmarks. I have seen many a fast food place use different types of structures all in the name of historical preservation. Urban planners should be happy that such legitimate businesses exist.

Although I must admit that El Pollo Loco could add some color to this corner landmark in Lincoln Heights. When you walk inside the restaurant, you enter a large room with a rotunda for a ceiling.

By the way, I am including the link to El Pollo Loco here so that all those people who have never tasted this delicious flame broiled chicken recipe can at least see what they are all about.

I am currently listening to Bacilos sing "Tabaco y Chanel." I am getting ready to leave for Miami tomorrow night. The Sunshine State awaits.

Below are the lyrics of the song for all you Colombian song and Bacilos fans:

Tabaco Y Chanel

Con olor a tabaco y chanel
Me recuerda el olor de su piel
Una mezcla de miel y café
Me recuerda el sabor de sus besos
El color de tinar de la noche
Me pregunta donde fui a parar
Donde estas que esto solo se vive una vez
Donde fuiste a parar donde estas

Un olor a tabaco y chanel
Una mezcla de miel y café
Me preguntan por ella
Me preguntan tambien las estrellas
Me recleman que vuelva por ella
Hay que vuelva por ella
Hay que vuelva por ella

No se olvidan, no se van
No se olvidan, no se van
No se olvidan, nada, nada
No se van, no se olvidan
No se van, no se olvidan
No se van, no se olvidan
No se olvidan, nada, nada

Una rosa que no florecio
Pero que el tiempo no la marchita
Una flor prometida de amor
Que no fue pero que sigue viva

Y otra ves el color del final
Del final de la noche
Me pregunta a donde fui a parar
Que esto solo se vive una vez
Donde fuiste a parar donde estas

Un olor a tabaco y chanel
Una mezcla de miel y café
Me preguntan por ella
Me preguntan tambien las estrellas
Me recleman que vuelva por ella
Hay que vuelva por ella
Hay que vuelva por ella

Pero fueron las mismas estrellas
Que un dia marcaron mis manos
Y apartaron esa flor, esa flor de mi vida
De mi vida

Un olor a tabaco y chanel
Una mezcla de miel y café
Me preguntan por ella
Me preguntan tambien las estrellas
Me recleman que vuelva por ella
Hay que vuelva por ella
Hay que vuelva por ella

No se olvidan, no se van
No se olvidan, no se van
No se olvidan, nada, nada
No se van, no se olvidan
No se van, no se olvidan
No se van, no se olvidan
No se olvidan, nada, nada

This song is part of a CD I made about three years ago when I was living in Philadelphia and studying at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. I made this CD and titled it "Astrud Gilberto" in honor of the famous Brazilian Bosa Nova singer. Her voice reminds me of a Hawaii 5-O scene I wish I was in. I picture myself entering a balcony-like room overlooking the Rio de Janeiro skyline and ocean.

 

Mexico City - Art World Underachiever?

Amigos y colegas:

Aqui les incluyo un articulo que salio hoy mismo en el periodico The Los Angeles Times. !Feliz Navidad y Prospero Anyo Nuevo para todos!

Mexico City - Art World Underachiever?

December 28, 2005 - Los Angeles Times
By Reed Johnson, Times Staff Writer

LETTER FROM MEXICO CITY
Calling all foreign art lovers
Mexico City

The cows are here already. Can the busloads of art aficionados be far behind?

Unfortunately, in this undervalued art capital, the answer is "probably yes." Because although this city is basking this winter in a number of world-class museum exhibitions and other visual-cultural diversions — including the aforementioned bovine objets d'art — it frequently doesn't get the respect it deserves, either from visitors or, oddly, from its own people.

That phenomenon speaks to Mexico City's historic reputation as a bit of an art world underachiever, but there are some promising signs that this situation may be changing.

First, the good news: Both for serious and casual art lovers, this is a great season to be in the Western Hemisphere's largest metropolis, and you don't even need to set foot inside a museum or gallery.

All you need to do is to stroll down Avenue Reforma or through one of several picturesque parks and you'll run straight into a few of the 200 or so fiberglass cow sculptures that began popping up here in October. The "Cow Parade" is the Mexico City version of a gimmicky but irresistible art-for-charity project that has been displayed in Zurich, Prague, Brussels, New York, Sydney and other major cities.

Many of the punning beasts in the Mexico City edition have been customized to reflect the local culture, including "Aztec-Cow," which sports an imposing indigenous headdress and, inevitably, "Frida Cow-lo," a homage to that other famous Frida who liked painting herself in various states of excruciating physical and emotional torment. Several of Mexico's most prominent artists, including the great English-born Surrealist painter Leonora Carrington, contributed to "Cow Parade," which seems to be extremely popular, judging by the throngs of idlers that stop to gawk while walking or passing by in their cars.

Admittedly, the show's corporate tie-in (it's being promoted here by a major dairy company) turns the four-legged artworks into urban product placements for consuming more calcium. But it's nice to see Mexico City being acknowledged for something besides lethal air and kidnapping epidemics.

More important, from a fine-art perspective, in recent weeks two major exhibitions have drawn thousands of visitors to two of the city's premier venues. "Goya: Prophet of Modernity," at the National Museum of Art, is a significant show of works by the Spanish premodern master, including the four groundbreaking print series he made depicting the disasters of war, bullfights, old Spanish proverbs and the whimsical "Caprichos," or "Caprices."

Drawn from more than two dozen museums and private collections across the globe, including London's National Gallery and the Prado in Madrid, which organized the show with Berlin's Nationalgalerie Staatliche Museen, it includes a number of oil paintings, drawings and other works never previously shown in Latin America. The newspaper Reforma reported this month that nearly 40,000 people had visited the exhibition in its first three weeks, a pace that would put "Goya" on track to draw 150,000 visitors by its March 5 closing. (By comparison, the show drew 200,000 last summer and fall in Berlin.)

Better still, at the National Museum of Anthropology and Chapultepec Castle in the massive Chapultepec Park, is "Medieval Spain and the Legacy of the West," an authoritative survey of the astonishingly rich culture that developed in the Iberian peninsula during the years when it was ruled, successively, by the Visigoths, an Islamic caliphate and the Christian kings and queens who would soon dispatch Columbus to go find India. The show of 350 pieces, many on loan from Spanish institutions, demonstrates how the peninsula's unique fusion of Judaic, Islamic and Christian cultures helped produce the exquisite and varied architectural motifs, illustrated manuscripts, religious paintings, romantic poetry and sensuously wrought jewelry and furnishings that stamped the region.

Perhaps most auspiciously for Mexico's cultural future, earlier this month the city hosted a multi-venue festival of electronic, video, sound and Internet-based art that was the first and largest of its kind here. While Mexican contemporary artists were deemed the flavor of the month in international art circles two or three years ago, recognition in their homeland hasn't been quite as high, or at least as hyped. Though Mexico continues to produce exciting young artists dabbling in cutting-edge technology, much of their work remains sequestered in small galleries, hard even for intrepid culturistas to find.

This, alas, is in keeping with Mexico City's art scene in general. Despite its extraordinary mix of pre-Columbian, colonial and avant-garde architecture, its superb public murals and its thriving (if inadequately funded and publicized) contemporary arts production, the capital is not regarded as an art lover's destination on the order of Paris, London, New York or Berlin. In Mexico City, you don't see many busloads of Japanese or European tourists queuing up at the Museum of Modern Art. Wander the galleries of the magnificent anthropology museum and you'll rarely hear the same linguistic Babel that is as much a feature of the Louvre as the "Mona Lisa."

The reasons for this are complex. Mexico City's simplistic, but not undeserved, reputation as a labyrinth of congested, crime-ridden streets keeps many would-be visitors at bay. More than half the country's labor force earns less than $13 a day; there are more pressing problems here than the lack of bilingual signage for museum art shows.

Many foreign tourists seem to think of Mexico as a place to buy wonderful, low-priced native arts and crafts but not as a place to see Great Art. Yet many of those who come are pleasantly surprised by what they find here. Paris may have a glass pyramid, designed by I.M. Pei, smack in the middle of the Louvre. But how many cities have a genuine 600-year-old Aztec pyramid smack in the middle of one of the world's largest public squares?

Mexicans themselves, particularly those in power, aren't always good custodians of their own cultural heritage. President Vicente Fox has been roundly criticized for cutting back arts funding under his administration. The same upper-class Mexicans who hide behind their electrified fences in swanky neighborhoods and jet off to South Beach and Rodeo Drive to do their partying and shopping may find it easier to gaze at Goyas in the Prado than in the crime-ridden heart of their own capital.

But perhaps the main reason that Mexico City hasn't gotten its due as a world art mecca is the one that Mexicans find most difficult to talk about: The country's historic insularity, and its nationalistic fears of foreign tampering, have produced an art scene that's sometimes less than inviting to outsiders.

Mexicans have good reason to be wary of foreigners casting eyes on their cultural riches. Starting with the Spanish conquistadors, then continuing on with the United States (which "annexed" northern Mexico during the wars of the 1830s and 1840s) and the French (who installed a puppet regime in the late 1800s), Mexico has been plundered of much of its land, its wealth and its cultural patrimony.

When tourists have been hauling off or melting down your national art treasures for centuries, you tend to get a little testy.

Mexico has reacted to this fear of incursions by developing a culture that is proudly, even defiantly Mexican. Its National Art Museum is precisely that: a museum of national, i.e. Mexican, art, rather than an encyclopedic museum of world art such as New York's Metropolitan. Similarly, Mexico City's Museum of Modern Art is not a comprehensive institution that seeks to chronicle the major technical innovations and stylistic masters of the late 19th and early-20th centuries. It's a survey of art by Mexican modernists, many of them brilliant.

Nearly half a millennium since Cortés defeated Montezuma, Mexicans still look back to their colonial and indigenous past for cultural cues. That sense of history keeps Mexico both grounded and burdened.

Like 16th century Spain, 20th century Mexico often turned its back on the world artistically in order to contemplate its own rich and strange history.

In many ways, it has been a fruitful insularity. But this holiday season offers encouraging evidence that Mexicans are eager to discover more of their own artistic treasures, past, present and future, and to share those riches with the rest of us.

Pasadena Sol

In Southern California, we get plenty of sunny days during the month of December. It is one of the many reasons people enjoy living here. Feliz Navidad.  

Invierno y Otono en So Cal

Winter in Los Angeles knows very little snow. But in our defense, there are some parts of Southern California that do reveal some nice foliage here and there. This is a shot of the South Pasadena Middle School off Fair Oaks Avenue. The trees lining Fair Oaks in South Pasadena and Huntington Drive in El Sereno have thousands of red, orange and yellow leaves that collectively represent autumn and winter in Southern California.  

Quincenera Time

The Quinceanera and her Chamberlan dance during the fiesta for all her guests. The Quinceanera chooses her Court from her group of friends and relatives.  

The California Republic

The California Republic has many faces, languages, and fiestas. One of the most common fiestas in California are the Quinceaneras of its Mexican population. Here, my uncle Pascual and my cousin Jackie pose for a photograph during the father-daughter dance.  

Tamborazo Time

A true Zacatecas Quinceanera fiesta comes with its Tamborazo Band to play very loud music and remind everyone of how great the combination of drums, sax and trumpets can be. Here, the band is setting up for their nightlong performance. There's something about this music that really gets your feet moving and tapping. If you ask me, music and nostalgia are the best dance partners.  

DF Jet Lag

My cousin Ray flew all the way from Mexico City and found the church service a little lengthy for his taste.  

Enter the Quinceanera

The Quinceanera and her parents enter the church in Angels Camp together. My tio Pascual and his wife Minga escort their oldest daughter down the aisle for her Quinceanera. 

La Tia Carmela y Sus Sobrinas

Before the church service began, my mom, her younger sister and their aunt shared some moments about the old country. My younger brother looked on in the background. Esta es una foto de la tia Carmela y sus dos sobrinas de Valparaiso, Zacatecas.  

In the Spotlight

The Quinceanera usually shares her day in the spotlight with her Chamberlan and her Court. Here, my cousin Jackie poses for pictures after the church service in Angels Camp, CA.  

Just Get There

Murphys is a place where people arrive on different types of wheels. You can get here on your bike, your truck with trailer, or simply hike here down from the Sierra.  

Murphys Library - Twain Style

Murphys' early planners were clever to place the town library near the creek. Considering Mark Twain spent some time in Calaveras County and in Murphys, it's nice to imagine him sitting on the porch of Murphys library and wondering what the fuss was all about with all those jumping frogs.

"Murphys is located in Calaveras County which was made famous by Mark Twain's "Jumping frog of Calaveras County". Every year Calaveras County celebrates with the Frog Jumps in nearby Angels Camp.

"Summers in Calaveras County are marked with the Bear Valley Music Festival reminiscent of Tanglewood in Massachusetts. Two weeks of a variety of music under the stars is one of the highlights of summer.

"Murphys is becoming the best rival to Napa Valley for our vineyards and wineries. We have 11 award winning wineries with our fabulous "Passport Week-end" wine tours and dinners provided by noted restaurants."

To learn more about Murphys and Calaveras County click here Murphys.



 

Murphys: Queen of the Sierra

The reception for my cousin's Quinceanera took place in Murphys, California. Murphys is an historic town with a lot of charm and natural beauty. This creek runs parallel to the main street. There are plenty of bridges to cross and benches to use when you visit this goldrush mining town.

Murphys is in the heart of California's historic Motherlode region.

"Located in Calaveras County in the Sierra Nevada Mountains between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park, Murphys is a quaint and charming goldrush-era town replete with well-preserved historic buildings, a welcoming atmosphere and an abundance of recreational and cultural opportunities.

"Often called the "Queen of the Sierra," Murphys has retained the charm of yesteryear, even as it has grown and developed into a modern community with all the amenities expected by today’s visitors. Many original goldrush-era buildings are still in use today, including the Murphys Historic Hotel and Lodge, a registered State Historic Landmark which once hosted such luminaries as General Ulysses S. Grant, Mark Twain, Horatio Alger, and Charles Bolton, aka notorious outlaw “Black Bart.”

We stayed at Murphys Historic Hotel and Lodge. It was a perfect location, less than two blocks down the street from where the Quinceanera took place. For that Saturday night in early November, Murphys became a little bit like Valparaiso, Zacatecas with plenty of sombrero-wearing and boot-stomping guests arriving at the fiesta hall.

"Towering, stately elm trees line Main St., providing a canopy of green that adds to the historic charm and ambience of the streetscape.

"Daniel and John Murphy settled the area in 1848, at the start of the great California gold rush. Shrewd traders and smart businessmen both, the brothers made their fortune supplying the legions of gold miners flocking to the area, and legend has it that they were millionaires by the time they turned 25.

"Located at approximately the 2,000-foot elevation level, Murphys is ideally situated above the central valley fog, yet generally below the snowline. Year-round weather is pleasant and mild, with temperatures ranging from the mid-30’s to 60’s during the winter months, and 70’s to 90’s during the summer."

 

Calaveras County

My uncle Pascual and his family live in Calaveras County in northern California. We visited him recently in early November to celebrate my cousin Jackie's Quinceanera.

"A Quinceanera (the term refers both to the celebration and to the girl who has turned 15) is similar in concept to a debutante's "coming out party" in other countries. The celebration is a means of acknowledging that a young woman has reached maturity and is now an adult, ready to assume additional family and social responsibilities. In addition, the celebration is intended to reaffirm religious faith, good morals, and the virtues of traditional family values." Go Mexico.



 

Lake Turlock

Driving up to northern California can be a pleasant experience if you avoid the 5 freeway. Once you pass Bakersfield, you should consider avoiding the 5 because the smaller roads offer a much better driving experience.

Lake Turlock sits right on the line dividing Calaveras and Stanislaus counties.

Directions to Turlock Lake in Stanislaus county:

About 25 miles east of Modesto on the south side of the Tuolumne River. From Modesto take Highway 132 East 14 miles to Waterford; in Waterford turn right on Hickman Road (county road J-9) and drive 1 mile to Lake Road. Turn left on Lake Road and drive 10 miles to Turlock Lake SRA.

Click on the link to learn more about when to visit Turlock Lake.

 

Cielo Azul in Lincoln Heights

"As early in the 1900s people from all over the world went to Lincoln Heights and visited these places that revolved around Lincoln Park like the Selig Zoo and Movie Studio, California Alligator Farm, Los Angeles Ostrich Farm, Legion Ascot Speedway, Lincoln Park Stadium, The Tango Roller Coaster, Roller Skating Rink, Merry Go Round, Boating and Fishing in Lincoln Park lake, Exhibitions, Indian Village, Dancing, and other places that are long gone and forgotten." Excerpt from The History of Lincoln Heights 90031 website.

People often forget that Los Angeles continues to have some of the most amazing clear days in North America. For a city with the second largest population in the United States, most of its residents enjoy clear skies like this one during the late fall and winter.

This is the intersection of Griffin Avenue and Broadway in Lincoln Heights. Lincoln Heights is community with a lot of history. Today it is a very diverse part of the city, with substantial populations of Latinos and Asians from a myriad of countries.

Lincoln Heights has historically been a very vibrant and rich neighborhood.

Please visit the following website to learn more about Lincoln Heights and to see pictures of the old Selig Zoo, Alligator Farm, Ostrich Farm, Ascot Speedway, etc.

"Remember hearing lions, tigers, elephants, and chimpanzees all hours of the night right from your home? Also where the early Tarzan movies were made around Lincoln Park lake and home of some the famous silent era movie stars."

Northeast Los Angeles continues to be one of the best kept secrets of where to live in Southern California. Residents enjoy the amenities of living south of Pasadena, immediately northeast of Los Angeles and north of the 10 freeway, giving easy access to the rest of the city. Shhhh. Don't tell anyone about Lincoln Heights and the rest of the Northeast LA communities.

 

Hands Where I Can See Them!

I didn't realize Mrs. Claus was camera shy until it was too late. I was surprised at how so many of the older children were happy to see Mrs. Claus around. In her defense, I didn't warn her that I was taking this picture. Feliz Navidad to you too, Senora Claus.  

Ho Ho Ho

You think you can avoid him, but before you know it, you turn a corner and there he is. The big man in the funny red suit is everywhere in Los Angeles.

I went to see The Chronicles of Narnia this past weekend, and there he was, jolly and merry taking pictures with a slew of children. So you have been warned for the remainder of the holiday season, if you go to the Alhambra movie theatre at the Mosaic, you will be confronted by the big man in the red suit. Ho. Ho. Ho.  

Impressive Piece of Tin

Every morning on my way to work, I get off on Grand Avenue and drive past this impressive piece of tin.

Some days it reminds me of the inside of a soda can, clean and shiny but sharp around the edges. The Walt Disney Concert Hall makes a very powerful statement, it is soft and hard, it is shiny and colorless. The building almost seems to be part of a doctor's office or biomedical research lab because it looks so clean and sterile.

Most people who hate L.A. are quick to point out that the Bilbao Guggenheim building came first. But if you are a true Angeleno, it doesn't matter that Spain has a Guggenheim, what matters most is that Downtown L.A. is the next stop on the bus. And Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall is another final destination in the corazon of our city. Viva L.A.

There's nothing like seeing the reflection of the Southern California sol on this majestic ornament of stainless steel.

To learn more about the history of the Disney Concert Hall, please visit ArchitectureWeek.

 

Navidad en Brazil - Tec de Monterrey

Esculptura en Parque de Mexico titulada "La Corregidora de Queretaro" - Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, California. To read more about this famous Mexican heroine, please visit the link below.

Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez

Hola gente,

Buenos dias, tardes, y noches.

El Comite Ex-A-Tec de California los invita a una Noche de Brazil este Sabado, 10 de Diciembre de 7-9pm (por favor vea invitacion debajo). After party details also included below.

Y para los que nunca estudiaron en el Tecnologico de Monterrey, pues no saben lo que se perdieron! Aqui les pongo el link, por si alguna vez se encuentran buscando una universidad de alta calidad en la Republica Mexicana.

Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (Tec de Monterrey)

Feliz Navidad a todos los Borregos y Borregitas del Tec!

If you attended the Tec de Monterrey, feel free to bring friends and guests next Saturday.


Mariana Rojas
MBA Class of 2005
University of California, Davis


Queridos Ex-A-Tec, la Navidad y el Ano Nuevo estan a la vuelta de la esquina, y que mejor que disfrutar de estos ultimos dias del ano reunidos con nuestros companeros Ex-A-Tec, no?; muchos de nosotros estamos lejos de nuestras familias y amigos, todos sabemos lo duro que es no estar cerca de ellos en estos dias, sabiendo esto, el comite de la Asociacion Ex-A-Tec de California ha organizado una Cena de Navidad especial para todos ustedes.

Familia y amigos son invitados tambien a esta celebracion, asi que sientanse comodos en llevar a quienes ustedes quieran; los datos son los siguientes:

Fecha: 10 de Diciembre 2005
Lugar: Restaurante "GAUCHOS"
411 North Brand, Glendale, CA.
Tel. 818-5501430
www.gauchosvillage.com/
Tipo de comida: Brasilena
Incluye: Show Brasileno, Cena, Tax y Propina.
Hora: 6:15pm a 9:00pm (La Cena se servira de 7 a 9pm unicamente).
Precio por persona: $40.00 dls
No Incluye: Bebidas Alcoholicas. (Cada quien debera pagarlas por su cuenta).

Despues de la cena en el restaurante Imelda B. amablemente nos ofrecio su casa para seguir con la fiesta (9:30pm- 1:00am), ademas de convivir juntos, podremos hacer diversos juegos. Les pedimos lleve cada asistente un regalo envuelto de aprox. $5; el regalo sera usado para participar en uno de los juegos.
Los interesados, favor confirmar lo antes posible
Deseandoles que pasen una Feliz Navidad, les dejamos un saludo muy cordial a todos;
Comite Ex-A-Tec California.