roots

Dave Alvin, Flaco Jimenez, David Hidalgo y Los Cenzontles: ‘Hey, Baby, It’s the Fourth of July’

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Roots rock singer/guitar slinger and East Los homie (Downey) Dave Alvin sings a classic ode to America, folky roots, broken hearts, independence and Mexican kids shooting fireworks Hey, baby, it’s the Fourth of July! Alvin is backed in this version by Los Cenzontles, Tex-Mex accordion superstar Flaco Jimenez and David Hidalgo of Los Lobos.

Here’s the original music video, so old it’s in black and white!

Mas…Dave Alvin, Flaco Jimenez, David Hidalgo y Los Cenzontles: ‘Hey, Baby, It’s the Fourth of July’

Pre-Hispanic ingredients like bugs make Mexican food special (video)

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bugsLong before the European invasion, the original inhabitants of Mexico were making amazingly complex food and taking complete of advantage of every creature that flew, swam, wriggled or crawled. That’s right. We’re talking edible insects. Correspondent Aissa García reports from Mexico, DF for Conexión Global on Caracas, Venezuela network teleSUR:

Mas…Pre-Hispanic ingredients like bugs make Mexican food special (video)

Lamar High junior drops ‘slave name,’ renames self ‘Jennifer Lopez’

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(PNS reporting from HOUSTON) A local teen has decided to discard her slave name “María de la Paz Rodriguez Ramírez” and rename herself “Jennifer Lopez” after her Latina idol.

“I’m tired of being kept down by the man. My slave name ‘María de la Paz’ is clearly a name with Spanish roots and my family is originally from Mexico City, the former capital of the Aztec empire,” the 16-year-old Lamar High School junior said.

“I will no longer be kept down by my conquerers’ attempts to stifle my culture.”

Mas…Lamar High junior drops ‘slave name,’ renames self ‘Jennifer Lopez’

Why do I discipline my daughter – and dance – in Español?

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As a small girl, I refused to speak Spanish with my mother.

She was born in Sonora, MX and grew up speaking nothing but Spanish so this must have frustrated her. Now, I think, wouldn’t it have been easier to just learn the language while I was small?

Thankfully, I finally realized the value of being bilingual in my teen years and made a commitment to become fluent in Spanish during high school.

I watched only Spanish TV and every summer my mom would drop me off in Hermosillo to be immersed in the culture and spend time with my cousins. It was a lot of fun, and it worked.

Now that I am a mom, I think I might have figured out why I refused my mother’s native language for so long. Just the other day, my daughter acted out in public over the absence of her sippy cup and the first words that came flowing out of my mouth were, “Mi hijita, no me grites. Espérate por favor.”

The situation caught my attention when everyone around us stopped what they were doing and looked at us, confused. That’s when I realized I raise my daughter in English but I discipline her in Spanish.

Mas…Why do I discipline my daughter – and dance – in Español?

Pan-Latino underground club in Queens: Welcome to Metal Kingdom

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Hey! It’s a Cinco de Mayo Sabado Pochonte video shoutout to the heavy metal head banger pochos in New York City — no banda for you! Welcome to Metal Kingdom is a short documentary on an underground Pan-Latino heavy metal club in Queens, NY. Filmed, directed and produced by Denise R. Gaberman. (NSFW language, etc.)

Letter to the Editor: The Ghetto Manifesto by Lady D (NSFW audio)

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It came in exactly this way via our handy SUBMIT form. (On the go? There’s a NSFW two-minute audio podcast version we created at the bottom of this article):

This is to every person who wants to get out and break free to be human and not be a fucking stereotype. I call it the Ghetto Manifesto. I was bred from a culture that lives in fear to succeed. We were once the Gods of the Temples- the living legends standing proud on the steps of Tenochtitlan- Now we are on our knees glorifying the filth around us. Our streets are filled with soldiers of ignorance and rage- fighting brother against brother- for what? A piece of land that we don't even own? For the love we did not receive at home? We call out names- spill our hateful rhetoric, beat each other to be let in to an exclusive group of clowns with silly names. Taking family trips in to unknown territories using hurtful toys to shed innocent blood. The family. What a fucking joke.

Mas…Letter to the Editor: The Ghetto Manifesto by Lady D (NSFW audio)