Author: José A. Rodríguez
Image: Paula Anderanin

I spent most of the afternoon on 9/11 watching The Concert For New York City re-broadcast on VH1.  This was the concert where entertainers came together with NYC police, fire and other safety officers to raise funds for the families affected by the disaster. During the course of the program, so many memories and emotions re-surfaced and I was glad for it.  I’ll tell you why.

One of the things that I remembered the most is how our country came together in our collective grief.  Those of us old enough to remember clearly recalled where we were or what we were doing when we either saw the coverage on TV or first found out.  Whether we were directly affected by the terrorist attacks or were eyewitnesses, we shared in this pain.

I remember when we declared our resolve to continue living our lives, so that we could show that we would not be stopped.  The thing about terrorism is that it has its power through the fear of what might come.  We moved past this fear to gather together and defend our way of life.

I look at our country ten years later and wonder what happened? There is both overt and covert discrimination against Middle Eastern people and those that would be confused for them.  There is discrimination against people perceived to be undocumented.  We are about to come to what I feel is one of the most bitter elections during my lifetime.  We went from being Americans to being Democrat, Republican, Tea Partier, liberal or conservative.  The sense of togetherness that wrapped us collectively seems to have long since disappeared.

I think about Emma Lazarus’ poem “The New Colossus” that was on The Statue of Liberty.  It has some lines that read:

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

If no other country land would accept these people, then, at least, the United States would. Can we say that this is still true?

I challenge us to hold to our pledge that we, as a country, made ten years ago.  Let us go on and live our lives.  Let us allow people to practice their religion without fear of discrimination.  Let people’s names and their customs be respected.  If somebody “different” arrives to our country, they should be welcomed with open arms, not strange looks or snide comments.  I might be wrong, but I don’t think that these things happen lately half as much as they should.  Let us walk the walk and continue to live our American Way of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Admission will be free for all films that are part of the Mexican Cinema series.

The film schedule will be as follows:

• September 17  at 2pm    Fernández and Figueroa
• September 22 at 7pm     Julio Bracho’s Vision
• September 29  at 7pm   El Santo, Superstar
• October 6 at 7pm        Cinematography and Literature
• October 13 at 7pm      Luis Buñuel Double Feature

This event will feature educational activities for children and adults, traditional foods, art, and a dance presentations from Latin Extravaganza and Fantasia Ballet Folklorico.

For more information, call 313.496.2704 or 734.946.3500

Image: Rome Randolph

Motor City Wine will holding an Argentinian wine tasting on September 13, 2011 from 5pm-7pm.  The cost is $10 per person.

To register, go to Motor City Wine.

Author: Rhonda Gutierrez
Image: Paula Anderanin

I met an elderly lady the other day that really made me think.  Not only did she make me think, but she broke my heart.  As she, a complete stranger, sat there and told me the story of her life,…I froze.  Her story took me back to a time when women were seen and not heard. The disappointment of a  life wasted was completely apparent.  Her husband cheated, controlled and disrespected her and her daughters while she quietly went about her life.  After fifty years of marriage, the hate was still obvious.  The hurt was written all over her face.

“What has changed since all those years ago?” I thought to myself.  Back then, women were married for life—through thick and thin.  I remember my grandmother saying to me, “If he doesn’t beat you, provides a good living, puts a roof over your head and goes to work everyday,  you should overlook the rest.  Men will be men.”  This type of mentality just doesn’t fly today.  Women refuse to be cheated on and quickly divorce after the first sign of adultery.  What has changed?  Was it the women’s rights movement or modern thoughts of independence?

Personally, I think it was a little of both.  Years ago, women depended on men completely for financial support and social acceptance.  Single mothers were frowned upon and divorced women need not enter the church.  Women were almost forced to remain in unhappy marriages and men knew this.  Many of them took advantage of the fact that their wives had nowhere to go and they could control their every move.

We ask why the divorce rate has increased during recent years and my only answer is that we, as women, refuse to stay married unless we are treated well and respected.  ¡Que vivan las mujeres!

“Relationships, marriages are ruined where one person continues to learn, develop and grow and the other person stands still. ” Catherine Pulsifer

]]> http://miestilomag.com/marriage-yesterday-today/feed/ 0 http://miestilomag.com/911-where-were-you/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=911-where-were-you http://miestilomag.com/911-where-were-you/#comments Thu, 08 Sep 2011 05:04:24 +0000 jarodriguez http://miestilomag.com/?p=8353 Read more ]]> Sharing Our Stories Of Where We Were That Day

Author: José A. Rodriguez
Image: Paula Anderanin

It’s been 10 years. Hard to believe that it’s been 10 years, since the three events occurred that changed the date of 9/11 in the minds of Americans and the rest of the world. This made us all think differently and we never saw the same way since. It changed our country, especially the younger generations like mine.

On the morning of 9/11, I was waking up from a nap just before class at UM-Dearborn. It was early in the morning, yet I could hear a buzz circulating. I was hearing something about planes crashing, The World Trade Center and New York City. This was before the Internet was huge and before everybody had smartphones. Hell, I didn’t even have a cell phone yet. When I called my dad to find out, I had to use a nearby pay phone.

At first, I just wanted to confirm if this was true. When he told me that it was, I tried to wrap my head around it. I envisioned some small private plane that was lost and crashed into the building. At that time, I couldn’t have picture the slowly approaching reality. The buzz kept building up and I wasn’t sure what was true and what wasn’t. All that I wanted was some type of confirmation.

Truth be told, I don’t remember, if I even went to class that morning. The thing that stood out the most was hanging out with some guys that were passing acquaintances and we were all trying to figure out what was going on. When we heard that a second plane crashed, we knew that it was no accident. What the hell was going on?

The other guys and I were in our early 20s and we envisioned another Vietnam. We all did the math to see if we were of draft age and we were. We had visions of being drafted, going to boot camp and going overseas to fight some war. The only thing that we knew for sure was that our world had changed forever. We were no longer innocent.

In the end, unlike other institutions in the area, we didn’t close for classes. It was weird going to class and, in the backs of our minds, we were worried if we were next. I remember that, in my women’s lit class, the instructor scrapped the class for the day and we just talked about the aftermath. I guess from what I heard UMD was looked at to see if there would be unrest on campus. Fortunately, nothing happened.

I think that anybody who is old enough to remember and saw those images on the media were forever marked. At that time, we, as a country, were united in our pain and in feeling for all of those people that were lost. The world, also, shared in our mourning. However, that didn’t last that long. It saddens me, as we approach the tenth anniversary, that the world lost that togetherness.

As for me, I have a much deeper appreciation for a lot that we regard as American. Every time that I hear the National Anthem performed and it gets to the lines, “And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,/Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,” I tear up because I see the flag recovered from Ground Zero and perched on a piece of wreckage by some firefighters. That spot on Ground Zero became my Fort McHenry.

So with me sharing my story, I invite our readers to share their stories. Although ten years have passed, we are united through the events of that day. We were all affected. We all remember.

Author: José A. Rodriguez
Image: Paula Anderanin

When I found out that Tuesday, 9/6/11, would have been Queen frontman, Freddie Mercury’s 65^th birthday, I couldn’t help but be struck by the thought, “What would he be doing now?” What makes this all even more poignant is that November will mark the 20^th anniversary of his death from AIDS.

It’s easy to forget how great of a frontman he was because each of the characteristics that made him great are so strong. The public might remember his operatic tenor or his flamboyant unitards. They might remember that he was a musician: played guitar and piano. While Queen contributed to the songwriting, it’s easy to remember the songs that he wrote that read like their greatest hits. However, the one thing I feel made him one of the best of all time was his command of the audience.

If you haven’t yet seen any of Queen’s 1985 performance at Live Aid, then do yourself a favor and jump on Youtube. It was at this performance that Queen found their second wind and did they ever. While their overall performance has been regarded as one of the event’s best, check out “Radio Ga Ga.” It was incredible to see how the audience followed each and every one of Mercury’s movements. He was one with the audience and they were one with him―the mark of a master performer.

While I regard him as one of the best frontmen, I can’t forget his strength as a songwriter―something that is much too overlooked. Now, each of the Queen members contributed to their broad catalog. When the original songwriter would submit a song to the band, it would, eventually, receive the “Queen” treatment. John Deacon wrote “Under Pressure.” Roger Taylor wrote “Sheer Heart Attack” and “Stone Cold Crazy” among others. However, Mercury wrote a virtual whos-who that resembles their greatest hits: “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Somebody To Love,” “We Will Rock You” and “We Are The Champions.” He didn’t just write a lot of songs. He wrote them in various musical styles. Prolific is an understatement for Mercury.

I am a huge Queen fan―something that has happened over the last few years. My generation was undoubtedly introduced to them through the “Bohemian Rhapsody” scene in Wayne’s World. This was my entry point. Through the years, I grew to love many more of their songs.

One in particular sticks with me: “Show Must Go On.” This song was off of Innuendo, the last album released during Mercury’s lifetime. The line that stays with me says, “My makeup might still be flaking, but my smile still stays on.” I can almost visualize the tremendous difficulty that Mercury experienced, as he fought back the effects of his disease to pull off on of his best Queen vocal performances.

I can’t help but wonder what he’d be doing right now. Would he be collaborating with Lady Gaga (took her name off “Radio Ga Ga”)? Maybe jamming with Muse? Another duet with David Bowie? We will never know. Indeed, this is one of those cosmic rock n’ roll what-ifs.

As I wrap up this tribute, my teary smile grows wider. We faced your death with a grin, Freddie. You are still missed.

Author: Gabriella Muñoz
Image: Karla Casab

With the weather cooling off, fall has surely arrived.  With it have come many annual events that have been going on for years like Dally In The Alley and Art and Apples.  Our nation will, also, be remembering the devastating acts of terrorism on Sunday with many events honoring 9/11.

My top 5 picks for this weekend, include some festivals, walks and remembrance events.  I wish you all a good weekend!

September 9-11   Art and Apples Festival will be taking place at Rochester Park in Rochester this weekend.  If you love, art fairs you definitely do not want to miss this one! This family festival has lots of food, entertainment and art.  It is the second largest juried fine art fair festival in the country.

September 10     Dally In The Alley: This annual culture, food and music festival will be celebrating 34 years in Cass Corridor this weekend and is free to attend.  This festival is a personal favorite of mine and brings me back to my Wayne State days.

You never know what you are going to see buy or hear at this festival.  This year’s festival promises to have a long line-up of music spread throughout four stages.  The rain out date is set for September 11.

September 10    Red Wings Hockey Fest: Calling all Red Wing fans! You won’t want to miss this if you are Wings fan.

This event will be taking place at Joe Louis Arena from 11am-6pm.  There will be opportunities to get player autographs, tour the Red Wings locker room, plenty of photo ops along with contests and prizes.

Adult general admission is $25 and children 12 and under are $15.

September 10    Walk Now for Autism Speak will take place at The Palace of Auburn Hills on Saturday at 11am with registration beginning at 9:30am.

This walk is a family friendly event and is one of the leading fundraising sources for autism research.  This is your chance to do something and help make a difference with fighting Autism.

September 11    A 9/11 Candlelight Remembrance and Unity Vigil will take place on the front lawn of the Henry Ford Museum from 6:30pm-7:30pm.

This event will commemorate the 10 year anniversary of this fateful day.  Members of the Dearborn Fire and Police departments along with area religious leaders will be a part of the program.

Between art, music, fundraising and the patriotic, there’s something for everybody.  So go out and enjoy the weather before it gets too cold!

This year’s event will honor the three organizations responsible for the foundation of the center 40 years ago: New Detroit Inc., LA SED Inc., and Wayne State University.

The evening will feature a keynote address delivered by Rep. Hansen Clarke (D-MI) with Guadalupe Lara, from Southwest Detroit’s LA SED, as mistress of ceremonies.

The gala will also include a number of musical performances featuring traditional African, Spanish and Afro-Caribbean rhythms.  José Riojas and Friends will open the evening with traditional Spanish guitar, followed by an African dance and drum performance by Heritage Works.  Southwest Detroit operatic virtuoso Jesse Vicente Murillo will treat guests to a vocal performance during dinner.  Lastly, Caribbean music ensemble Eddie Caraballo and La Cura will cap the event with live music and dancing.

This event kicks off Wayne State’s observance of Hispanic Heritage Month and raises money for the center’s student retention programming.  It is made possible through the charitable contributions of its many partners, as well as sponsors such as DTE Energy, Comerica Bank, UAW, MGM Grand Detroit, AARP, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Bank of America and Global Strategic Solutions.

For more information or to purchase ticket, you can RSVP.

Su filarmonía surge desde su niñez al contemplar a su papá y a sus tíos cantar y tocar la guitarra en las reuniones familiares. Desde entonces su interés por la música lo incitó a aprender a tocar los instrumentos que sus tíos tocaban.

Empezó a tocar el piano pero por ahora prefiere la guitarra, le gusta la versatilidad, para escuchar un sonido distinto.

Nació en Guadalajara, Jalisco, lugar en el que vivió hasta los 10 años porque su familia necesitaba encontrar la mejor rehabilitación para su hermano menor, quien nació con parálisis cerebral. Primero, vivieron en California y después decidieron residir en Detroit.

En lo que se refiere a la promoción de su música, Ricardo Naipes ha sido invitado al programa matutino “Tu desayuno Alegre” de la cadena de televisión Univisión, al programa de radio “El Colmillo” que se trasmite a nivel nacional por Univisión Radio, al programa de televisión “Al Día” de Azteca América, entre otros programas de radio. Igualmente, ha tenido oportunidad de conversar con el famoso comunicador latino Don Francisco, y con su ídolo Sergio Vallín del grupo Maná.

Ricardo Naipes, es un talento local, un joven muy trabajador que logró nueve calificaciones en la Academia Latina de la Grabación de los GRAMMY, que es un proceso previo a las nominaciones. También es un etreprenur porque decidió debutar como productor independiente bajo el sello Maquina Records, creando de esta manera “Estrategia Sobrevivir” bajo su propia dirección y producción.

En un ambiente casual, en el restaurante Las Brisas en Mexicantown, tuve el gusto de platicar con Ricardo Naipes antes de su presentación.

ME: ¿Cuáles fueron tus primeros pasos en la escena musical?

RN: A los13 años mientras trabajaba en un restaurante, un grupo me invitó a tocar con ellos porque en una ocasión me vieron tocar el piano, estuve tocando con este grupo de música regional mexicana por tres años.

Decidí separarme de este grupo para empezar con mis propios proyectos de Pop Rock, y hasta estos momentos comienzo a ver los frutos de este proyecto.

ME: ¿Qué ó quiénes influye en tu música?

RN: El primer CD que recibí fue el del grupo MANA, desde entonces esta agrupación ha influido en mi carrera . También, me gustan las composiciones y estilo de cantar de Benny Ibarra y otros cantantes de rock pop en inglés.

Ricardo Naipes, no quiere limitarse a un sólo estilo musical, desea que su música se escuche sincera.

“Yo quiero que la gente vea que soy un chavo normal con problemas que escribe canciones, que me gusta esta carrera. Quiero que la gente se identifique con mi música, que la escuchen, que la incorporen, porque pienso que en algún momento dado la gente puede identificarse con alguna de mis canciones”.

ME: ¿Cómo te inspiras, como compones?

RN: Surge en cualquier momento, trabajando durante el día o a media noche mientras duermo. Nunca se cuando me va a llegar, a veces cuando más estoy tratando de crear algo nuevo, no me sale nada en ese momento, y cuando menos me lo espero me sale una canción, por eso siempre trato de llevar mi celular para grabarlo en un cuaderno.

ME: ¿Cuál es un ejemplo de este tipo de creación?

RN: Por ejemplo, “Por que no me dices” de la producción “Estrategia Sobrevivir”.

¿Cómo evalúas lo que has logrado hasta ahora?

- R.N: Siempre hay perdidas y ganancias en este sueño, porque es un sueño que comienza a dar frutos.

A los interesados en conocer más de la música de Ricardo Naipes, visiten su página oficial: http://www.ricardonaipes.com.  Sus canciones están disponibles en iTunes.

Escritora: Georgina García