Evergreen Cemetery, Boyle Heights
The official and American observance of Memorial Day is to honor people who died while in the military service. In the Japanese American community, Memorial Day was adapted to be a way to honor the ancestors. Those who know some Japanese call it “haka mairi†which means “visiting gravesâ€.
Beware of false Eastsides. As the pretenders to the Eastside name and identity fade into the West…A new question arises for those who may give a shit,..what to call the neighborhoods of East Hollywood, Los Felix, Silver Lake and Echo Park now? As a recent article in la.curbed suggests,..If the already existing names are not trendy enough for you,..add your name suggestions and try to start your own buzz.
Here is my new name suggestion,……the following song says it all and it’s a catchy tune with just a hint of irony. 🙂
[audio:https://laeastside.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Funky-town.mp3]
Every time I see a trailer or ad for the retreaded Russell Crow “Robin Hood” it pisses me off!
I mean this story has been told at least 15 times!!!!! We get it.
When are we going to get the Joaquin Murrieta story?!?!?! Come on Robin Hood had to ditch arrows but Joaquin was dodging bullets and the largest man hunt of that era. This poet breaks it down pretty good. Like all good legends there are slight variations in the story that add to the myth of this man who died “because somethings are worth fighting for.”
In this era of racist States, we need some Joaquin’s to remind people what is worth fighting for.
My sombrero is off to UCLA for “¡Asking A Mexican!” to be their keynote commencement speaker this year. Congratulations to our esteemed friend, Gustavo Arrellano!
“Gustavo Arellano is a keen observer of life in America — in particular the culture and diversity of Southern California,” Judith L. Smith, dean and vice provost for undergraduate education at the UCLA College, said in a statement. The columnist was recommended by a committee of faculty, students and administrators.
Ron Unz announced that he was planning on opening an elementary school in the MacArthur park area to be named after his good friend and fellow Republican Jaime Escalante.
An Unz spokesman Will Garglio, stated that this will be called Jaime Escalante Westside Elementary School (JEWES). Unz plans to open a similar school on the Eastside.
JEWES curriculum will be total English immersion with a focus on media manipulation. Plans include having a student run television station just like professional Latino TV stations. They plan to staff the station with the lightest and blondest of the community, even if they have to import them all the way from Miami to do so. Will Garglio said, “We want these youth to feel like they are in the real world and that world doesn’t look or speak like them, so they need to get used to it now.”
Textbook orders have already been filed and include texts that exclude Sal Castro, Che Guevarra, Rudy Acu~a and other Chicano/Latino heroes that might instill pride in the students, something that must be avoided, according to textbook publisher: Bendover for Texas Press.
My brother is on a cross country tour with the band: “GREEN JELLO“. During their current stop in South Carolina, he visited the local supermarket (FOOD LION). He writes: :”Thank goodness they have a Mexican section, so I can feel at home!” He points out that the Mexican section consists of Mexican beer and 9 packs of cheese….
(photo & quote courtesy of Ego Plum, ebolamusic.com)
In Sunset Junction, aka the Westside,..,.some friends and I created our own comfort station for the marathoners. As the runners came by, we handed out cold cervezas and sprinkle donuts……
Pictured is a Butoh dance entitled Cihuatl 15 performed by endy, at a Prayer for Juarez on Saturday, March 20. Her endurance piece on Saturday offered time and opportunities for inquiry, contemplation and processing in response to the femicides in Juarez. In preparation for this dance movement, she laid still on the sidewalk in front of Casa 0101, as sand was poured over her body, representing the women who had died in Ciudad Juarez and buried in shallow graves.
Butoh’s source is the Japanese avant-garde of the 1960s, a period when Japan struggled with the lingering effects of the atomic bomb detonations at Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended World War II. Originally called “ankoku butoh,” or “dance of darkness,” the medium created a space for the intensely grotesque and perverse on the stage. In Japan endy studied “Sankai Juku†which means “studio by the mountain and the sea,” and implies the serenity and calm which is characteristic of the work. She also studied and has performed with Guillermo Gomez-Peña.
“A Prayer for Juarez” has been a month long of international events raising awareness on the Femicides in Juarez, Mexico. After the slaying of three embassy workers this past weekend in Ciudad Juarez this tragic situation intensifies. Filmmaker/Producer Dianna Perez is hosting two evenings of FREE film screenings March 19 & March 20 at Casa 0101 Annex, 2102 1st Street, Boyle Heights. These films are rare and hard to get a hold of, and really amazing. We invite you to join us!
Friday, March 19th, 8:00 pm
Senorita Extraviada by Lourdes Portillo
Missing Young Woman tells the story of the hundreds of kidnapped, raped and murdered young women of Juárez, Mexico. The murders first came to light in 1993 and young women continue to “disappear” to this day. The evening begins with a short film Sangre y Arena by Rigo Maldonado & Shakina Nayfack, followed by Q&A. This art film shot on location in Lote Bravo (a cotton field irrigation ditch) where 8 women were found at one time in 2001.
Saturday, March 20th, 8:00 pm
Border Echoes by Lorena Mendez Quiroga
Border Echoes-Ecos De Una Frontera, is a documentary that tells the story of the slayings of girls and women in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, through the eyes of investigative reporter Diana Washington Valdez. [Save the date! Award winning El Paso Times reporter Diana Washington Valdez will present in person at Casa 0101 Annex on March 27, 8pm) The evening begins with a short performance called Cihuatl 15 by endy and a screening of Sangre y Arena.
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