In a sign of the strengthening relationship between the artistic worlds of Los Angeles and Mexico this year’s 23rd annual International Book Fair of Guadalajara (FIL GDL), which runs from November 28 – December 6, includes a plethora of discussions, performances and art exhibits by Angelenos who have made the trip down to this city that has given us so much, including a large number of immigrants, a gazebo and a soccer team.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grln3-4_f5Q[/youtube]

Opening the day after Thanksgiving with a visit from Mayor Villaraigosa, the FIL GDL promises to introduce Guadalajara to the rich cultural life of Los Angeles, with an understandable emphasis on Latino artists and authors. On top of the hundreds of publishers from all over the world, local publishing houses and authors will be representing in numbers, including Roosevelt favorite Luis Rodriguez, author of Always Running, and his Tia Chucha Press. Rodriguez is speaking on two panels and is also presenting an exhibit of two lowrider cars in the esplanade of the Expo Guadalajara, the main site of the festival. He plans on blogging throughout the week.

I am heading down to Guadalajara next weekend to check out the fair, after getting a really great deal on a package with Mexicana and Holiday Inn. I already used the FIL’s handy agenda planner to choose events to attend, including a panel discussion sponsored by Zocalo Public Square called “What makes an LA Writer?” with food critic Jonathan Gold and another presentation sponsored by UCLA called “Los Ángeles desde UCLA”.

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Writer Daniel Hernandez, who has spent the last 18 months in Mexico City researching youth culture for a book project, will be visiting Los Angeles later this month, attending the wedding of a Roosevelt teacher (not yours truly), and giving a public lecture on Thursday, June 25 at 7:30 pm at MoCA downtown as part of the Zocalo series.

Now before you say to yourself, “Public lecture? And your point is?” I want to let all of you know that Daniel came to speak to my journalism class a couple of years ago and had the whole class captivated by his storytelling. Not only does this guy kn0w how to write, he also knows how to keep an audience’s attention.

Swine flu, a contracting economy, rising unemployment, a wild and bloody conflict with drug traffickers, the constant threat of natural disasters and ransom kidnappings—Mexico faces several serious challenges. Since the contested 2006 presidential election there, the country has suffered crisis after crisis, constantly testing the Mexican people’s ability to realign their everyday lives. Some seek economic refuge in the United States, but most remain home, adapting, tuning out, dancing with Death. Daniel Hernandez, a former Los Angeles Times and LA Weekly writer who has spent the past 18 months blogging Mexico City, visits Zócalo to share his insights on that sprawling capital, its youth culture, and the alternately defiant and detached, resigned and resistant approaches of Mexican people to threats always looming.

Hernandez has put out a special request for young people to attend his lecture, so I encourage Rough Riders to represent in full force.

But I’d like to envision a different kind of dynamic for this lecture. Bring the kids. There are few things I enjoy more than speaking about my work to audiences of young people. I am constantly amazed by the sophistication of their thinking, by their ability to quickly synthesize new information and challenge assumptions.

MoCA is located at 3rd and Grand, just a short bus ride away. From Boyle Heights, you can take the 31, Montebello 40, 68, or the 720 Rapid Bus. Check the Metro Trip Planner for exact directions.

Click here to make reservations.

In my opinion Guillermo Ochoa is the best goalkeeper in the world, one reason is because he plays for the best team in the world Club America and the other reason is becuase through out then year he has shown all the people in tyhe world that he is good at what he does.

Francisco Guillermo Ochoa Magana was born in Guadalajar, Mexico in July 13 1985 . He is currently 23 and plays for Club America. He debuted in 2004 at the age of 18 playing against CF Monterrey during this game he demostrated how skilled and talented he was. He won with Club America the Clausura 2005 and in 2006 was called up to Mexico’s National team. Every year he blooms and gives excitment to America’s fans and will bring Mexico to their first World Cup. He has been in Oswaldo Sanchez’s shadow in the National team but not anymore as he was the starter goalkeeper against a tough team of Costa Rica.  MExico is going to play Honduras and they are going to win because Ochoa is going to be MExico’s goalkeeper. ARRRRRRIVA LAS AGUILAS DEL AMERICA ARRIVA MEXICO Y ARRRIVA OCHOA

As i sat in my living room watching the news about the fire and people dieing or other horrific things there was a story that caught my attention. the story was about a legal drug that not many knew about, well at least i didn’t. It’s called “SALVIA DIVINORUM”.

Salvia divinorum(click to web page) is a plant used for its psychoactive effects. Given the right dose, individual, set and setting, it produces a unique state of ‘divine inebriation’ which has been traditionally used by Mazatec healers. This inebriation is quite different from that of alcohol. Salvia divinorum is both similar to, and different from, other drugs that affect the brain and behavior. In many ways Salvia divinorum is a unique ‘magical’ herb. Salvia (and the salvinorin it contains) is very difficult to categorize pharmacologically. It does not fit well into any existing pharmacological class. Louis Lewin, the father of psychopharmacology called vision inducing drugs ‘phantastica’. Let us dust off this venerable term and recycle it by calling Salvia divinorum a ‘phantasticant’.

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What happened to silent movies? The movies where the character made a thousand movements  and the caption said one word. Charlie Chaplin, the famous star and actor of silent movies, best known for his “Tramp” character, was the most known actors of these films.
What about the films in which people like Shirley Temple just danced and sang?

What about those really good shows like The Twilight Zone

 

The Twilight Zone like many others that were view in that period time were, you could say, family viewable.

The shows now, always have violence, sexual content, and things that are just not suitable for young children and TV its self.

Yet, if parents get upset becuase their chlidren are watching these things on TV why do they still allow them. Is it really the shows fault or the parents for not blocking these shows.

 The Twilight Zone show was scary because it made you think and it scared people mentally. Nowadays TV shows scare with all kinds of blood and repulsive pornagraphy.

Moives are just the same. The idea of a good movie is to torture human beings.

Comedy always has to have pornagraphy now. What happened to good jokes? 

The veteran revolutionary Fidel Castro who dictated Cuba since 1959 has recently been replaced by his younger brother Raul Castro.

Raul Castro was chosen by the National Assembly of People’s Power during a Sunday gathering. Although not the official leader of Cuba, Raul began to rule as an interim basis on July 31, 2006, during his brothers recovery after an intestinal operation. This day also marked the end to Fidel Castro’s public appearances thus far and has only been seen on pre-recorded videos.

Fidel Castro’s ideas and government philosophy will however be preserved and followed in Cuba.

“Fidel is irreplaceable and the Cuban people will continue his work even when he is no longer physically here, because his ideas will always be present”
Raul Castro

While in Mexico Che Guevara and Fidel Castro met as castro followed a self-imposed exile after being imprisoned for his acts against the Batista regime on July 26, 1953, influencing the emphasis of the Cuban government known today and for almost half a century.

“Our first argument revolved around international politics…By the small hours of that night I had become one of the future expeditionaries.”
Che Guevara

Guevara joined Castro and his guerilla as a medic and trained in warfare techniques, to which he preffered for the medecine sack and ammunition weighed to much, forcing him to make a decision between the two. Guevara entered Havana on January 2nd with Castro’s 3,000 guerrillas, defeating a 30,000 men strong army. On January 7 Castro arrived to the capital and on that same day the United States recognized the new interim government formed by Castro. Guevara was declared Cuaban born and Castro bacame priem minister of Cuba on February 16.

The new government arrested “Batistianos” for crimes committed during Batistas dictatorship, ending in the execution of more than 500 civil and millitary officials.

Well as some of you bloggers know…or know now… my mother is a teacher and at times i help her with some articles in which she doesn’t understand ….and so i decided to write about the one i just read…

(teachers this is a must read!!!…click on either pic for link)

Researchers found that it is immensely important for teachers to have interaction with their students and children in order for the child to grow up. Interaction at an early age is the basis for good relationships, which benefit the Children in the long run. This interaction benefits every child very much, because they not only get one on one time to talk to their teacher but they also produce positive relationships between teachers and students. Teachers by doing this teacher-child interaction the children can improve or develop good cognitive, socio-emotional and language skills.

Children not only obtain language and social skills but they also obtained sensitivity, the ability to talk out problems, encouragement, and the ability to ask questions with out fear or shame. The suggestions I read about in this article, I believe were very reasonable although I don’t agree that all teachers are alike. Credentials mean nothing for example if they have a Doctoral and are bad teachers or just teachers who took all classes required and more in order to know what they were doing and are still clueless to what their specific style of teaching is.

Though there are people who say “there are no such thing as bad students just bad teachers”, that person had a point but teachers are not bad they just haven’t found their “great way to teach”. My only suggestions would be to make sure that teachers have their own unique way of teaching and to do what they studied with their heart and soul, teach children something useful for the future in which they can look back and say “I know this because a great teacher took the time to explained it”. Good teachers teach, great teachers take time to explain in depth and in simple word, so that the child understands the curriculum in simple matters.

Love always

-kili

Many misunderstand graffiti, some think it is vandalism, but in reality it is a form of art. The graffiti that covers the wall of the smart and final can be considered art. When i drove past some beautiful graffiti murals in Hollywood i was mesmerized by the vibrant colors. It got me to think that it isn’t bad at all. There needs to be more appreciation of this type of art form.