Dia de los Muertos hosted by Self Help Graphics at the East LA Civic Center

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The 36th annual Dia de los Muertos event was held at the East LA Civic Center on Monday, November 2. An incredible gathering of a few thousand, the use of green space around the lake and the lake’s floating stage gave East LA a taste of Woodstock – in my humble opinion – without the sex, drugs and Santana. Locals of all ages, families, friends, couples young and old, enjoyed the non-ticketed event’s music and various art activities and vendors. Beloved local bands Ollín, La Santa Cecilia and Killsonic performed favorites. Texas trio, Girl in a Coma closed the event.

“Cholo Writing: Latino Gang Graffiti in Los Angeles”

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from "Cholo Writing"

photo from "Cholo Writing"

“Cholo Writing: Latino Gang Graffiti in Los Angeles”

by Francois Chastanet with forward by Chaz Bojorquez.

This book gives Mexican-American ‘cholo’ writing its proper recognition and respect as “the oldest form of name graffiti of the 20th century.” Focusing on L.A. ‘cholo” writing styles from an aesthetic point of view, evident long before the explosion of tags and pieces of the early 1970’s.

Cover of "Cholo Writing"

Cover of "Cholo Writing"

Cholo writing is the oldest form of graffiti in the 20th century, evident in Los Angeles long before the appearance of tags and pieces in the early 1970s New York.  It is a Mexican American phenomenom with a unique aesthetic based on blackletter typography, used for street bombing by the latino gangs. In the 1970s, Californian citizen Howard Gribble photographed examples of Latino gang graffiti over a wide geographic area in order to encompass a larger variety of styles, with the simultaneous idea of portraying Los Angeles. More than 30 years later, French typographer Francois Chastanet travelled to the same neighborhoods to photograph the inscriptions of today. (English text in this edition, also available in Swedish)

go to www.dokument.org for more info and to order

Day of the Dead in Queretaro, Mexico

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laquere

Some random dude walking near the Plaza de Armas, looking his ugly Angeleno best. I took this about 15 minutes ago, and posting via the free public wifi provided by the city in the plaza. And some people think Mexico is backwards.

I’ve got some more pics to share, I’ll do that later.  I just don’t feel like sitting in front of a computer just now.

My ride on the LA EASTSIDE Linia de Oro

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photo 3

All I have to say is, eh. That’s right eh. But I’m being to harsh,  so let me take you along for a ride and let you form your own opinion about the new line. All aboard !!

(Editor’s Note: I uploaded all the pics on here through my phone the first time around, but I fixed it now and everything should show up. Sorry for the glitch.)

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Your Dia de los muertos guide

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cyclists

Don’t know how to spend Dia de los Muertos this weekend ? Need some help deciding where to go ? Well stop worrying your pretty little calaca head and let me give you a taste of all things Dia de los Muertos happening in the City of Angeles. It’s a doozy of a list and if anyone wants to add anything, please feel free to post it on the comments on send it to us OR even better yet, submit your own post under guest. So, with that being said, on with the celebration of life.

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Putting an end to hunger in LA

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Various religious groups across the city have come together to put an end to hunger in Los Angeles.  A food drive took place at Hollywood Forever this month, school children are choosing this campaign as their class project, entertainment people are joining in and volunteering at the various community food programs is being encouraged.   The organizers point out that food banks and collections are mere band-aids on the situation.   They have three major ways to end hunger in LA (check out their website at  Fed Up With Hunger –below is one of the methods and the results of an assessment made on our side of town.

A community food assessment by Project CAFÉ that mapped 1273 food establishments in three low income neighborhoods in South and Central Los Angeles found that 29.6% were fast food restaurants, 21.6% were convenience/liquor stores and less than 2% were full service food markets. In Boyle Heights, there is one supermarket for the 90,000 residents of the neighborhood. Tragically, families in these neighborhoods have the highest rates of obesity, overweight and other diet related health problems; cheap foods may ease hunger pangs, but these foods also lead to chronic malnutrition, an emerging health crisis that impacts us all.

The Action: Ask your City Council member to make grocery stores, farmer’s markets and community gardens a high priority in all land-use planning, especially in central and east Los Angeles. Visit the City of Los Angeles’ website and find your Council member in the “My Neighborhood” box.

Poverty Porn or Of Course You’re Concerned

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This is funny to you?

This is funny to you?

As I have relented and signed on to Facebook I realized something, porn is very acceptable and never blocked on work servers. The kind I am referring to is of the poverty porn variety.

There are various genres:

Traditional: where a homeless person wanders around shouting, picking their nose or just sleeping. Yes homeless people are hilarious and great social commentary.

Rural: poor white people shopping at WalMart with funny clothes or hanging out with mullets.

Urban: poor black people are filmed with their funny hair, funny clothes, arguing, dancing or eating.

Interracial: poor people of different races participate in a fight to the finish in regards to space or dominance, with the money shot being the police coming or one of the participants being thrown out the store or the bus or the subway.

Children: poor people’s children eat cheetos, smoke cigarettes, say foul language or/and have funny hairstyles.

Snuff: poor people die through some beating act. Continue reading →

Rambling On My Mind: 12th Annual Latino Book and Family Festival. Day 1 Recon

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It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood. My home in City Terrace is but a twenty minute walk to CSULA. Grab my headphones, a notebook and we off. Gotta take some notes because I won’t remember all things literary at such an event.
Got there and I’m handed a program guide (how organized, no?)

Latino Bk Fr Program
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Cholo Ghosts

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cholo_ghost
Do cholo ghosts haunt your hood?

Cholo ghosts, phantom cholos and spectral gangstas, call them what you will. I asked last year if anyone has ever seen a cholo ghost and received some interesting comments. Frequent LA Eastside commenter Rolo claims they don’t exist because it takes at least one hundred years in the ghost world for a spirit to take shape. Or perhaps the lack of cholo ghost sightings is due to other factors? Maybe there’s discrimination in the after life too?

My mother claimed to see the ghost of Little Ray once, a young teenage vato from her neighborhood who had recently been killed. He stood at the foot of her stairs and then left. My mother like so many other Latina women is Catholic and superstitious so it’s no surprise she has these kinds of tales. But just to get it out there, anyone else have spectral encounters of the “ese” kind?

(I write this post in jest, inspired after a long discussion I had with friends the other night. You often hear stories about New England roads or old buildings haunted by the ghosts who left the world in an unexpected fashion and yet, there is so much death and murder in Los Angeles and the only ghoul we have is La Llorona. What’s up with that? Just for the record, I mean no disrespect to anyone who has lost a friend or family due to gang violence. It’s a serious and important issue in our community.)

An Unnatural Obsession…?

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DSC01644

I recently observed this vehicle ad in Santa Monica and I became flushed….

Ok, is it just me? or does it seem like people on the Westside have a way deeper preoccupation with their scatological functions?

Living in the Eastside, I never once came across any signs that this colonics cottage industry (I vaguely remember hearing the word “LAVATIVA” once in Spanish) existed to the degree that  I see it here in the West of L.A. It’s like an accepted part of everyday life it seems….people here budget their colonics along with their cable and cell phone bills.

Has this stuff ever been medically proven to work the wonders it promises? Does anybody from the Barrio get into this? I need to know the answers….

by the way,….eeewww.

Volunteer at Self Help for Dia de los Muertos

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SHG DOD INVITE_inside(Corrected)

This year, Self Help Graphics & Arts celebrates its 36th Annual Dia De Los Muertos in a new location–the East Los Angeles Civic Center, in Belvedere Lakeside Park. With so much space we are able to expand SHG booths to accommodate more of our faithful vendors, increase the kid’s arts space, and expand the entertainment area. This year, we need many more volunteers than ever before. As an experienced Day of the Dead volunteer, we are asking that you join our efforts by giving us your time to make our signature event a dynamic and memorable evening for all who participate. Our main event will take place on Monday, November 2, 2009 between 5 PM-11 PM. We can use your help with event set up, event design and décor installation, face painting, vendor assistance, entrance guardians and event breakdown. For those who cannot assist in the main event, other opportunities to volunteer at Self Help Graphics & Art (in the Upper Level of the building located at 3802 E. Cesar E. Chavez Ave., Los Angeles, 90063) are:

· Workshop assistants on Saturdays in October between 12 PM – 4 PM

· Noche De Ofrenda, Saturday, October 24th, 2009 5 PM to 10 PM

· Deadly Stylish Art Exhibit Opening, Sunday, November 1st 4-8 PM

· Deadly Stylish Art Exhibit Docent, Tuesday, November 3-28*

*Additional training required, Docent schedules to be determined upon availability. As you can see, there are many opportunities for you to participate in. We are requesting:

· A three-hour commitment per shift and

· Attendance to one brief Volunteer Training Session at Self Help Graphics on:

Tuesday, October 20, at 7 PM or Thursday, October 22 at 7 PM. If you’re interested in volunteering, please read and fill out the attached volunteer form, email it to volunteer@selfhelpgraphics.com.

Click here to download volunteer application

Muy Agradecidos,

Day of the Dead Volunteer Committee

Self Help Graphics & Art