A massive ‘Seven Sisters’ rose bush is the prominent feature of Raul Reyes’ home in the Los Altos neighborhood of West Dallas. Photos by Evans Caglage.
Raul Reyes
Category Archives: News
Quote of the Day
“They used to arrest middle-aged perverts who get their jollies from talking dirty to children. Today, they get a television show, a nationally syndicated column, a lecture circuit and multiple visits to the Obama White House. You know – forward.”
– Matt Barber, Director of Cultural Affairs with both Liberty Counsel and Liberty Alliance Action, in a column for Renew America.
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Cinco de Mayo – From Blood to Beer
Battle of Puebla
The Cinco de Mayo holiday is closely associated with 2 things: México’s independence and beer. That’s only half true. México’s actual Independence Day is September 16, Dies y Seis de Septiembre. It was on that day in 1810 that a Catholic priest, Father Miguel Hidalgo, issued a proclamation known as “El Grito de Dolores,” calling for all the people of México to unite in rebellion against Spain. It took more than a decade, but México finally achieved complete autonomy from the Spanish empire in 1821.
The Cinco de Mayo affair was not as dramatic or bloody, but it’s still a significant event in Mexican history. Even after winning freedom from Spain, México struggled politically and economically to establish itself as an independent republic. Its fiduciary weakness allowed the United States to defeat México in the Mexican-American War of 1846 – 1848 and take control of what is now the American Southwest.
In 1861 President Benito Juarez – having inherited a bankrupt nation – issued a moratorium halting payments on all of México’s financial obligations. Much of that debt was owed to France. The following year Napoleon III dispatched his powerful and much-feared military to México. The French Army expected to march from the port of Veracruz to México City without much resistance. Juarez responded, however, by ordering General Ignacio Zaragoza to confront the French. Comprised mostly of Indian soldiers, the Mexican Army was poorly-equipped and outnumbered 4,700 to 5,200. Yet, when the two factions met in Puebla de Los Angeles on May 5, 1862, the French were surprised by the Mexicans’ determination and fortitude. After a bloody battle, the humiliated French were forced to retreat. Undeterred, however, the French launched another attack; this time with more enforcements. They made it to México City and ousted Juarez; installing Austria’s Emperor Maximilian as the reigning monarch of México. But, once again, the French underestimated the Mexicans’ resolve. In 1867, Juarez regained power, when he led a revolt that culminated in Maximilian’s assassination.
Technically, therefore, México boasts two independence days. But, it’s Dies y Seis de Septiembre that matters the most to them. Cinco de Mayo is more of a source of national pride; that a bunch of poor, uneducated, mostly Indian soldiers were able to defeat one of the most powerful militaries on Earth at the time. But, Cinco de Mayo’s popularity in the U.S. was not born of such noble intentions. A close friend of mine told me how shocked an official at his daughter’s grade school was when he explained the real reason for Cinco de Mayo celebrations up here. Like a number of schools with large Hispanic and / or Mexican immigrant enrollments, the school honored May 5 as a cultural event; a way to help those particular students stay in touch with their heritage. Please.
Cinco de Mayo became fashionable because beer companies – most notably Corona, which was introduced to America in 1981 – wanted to tap (pun intended) into the lucrative U.S. consumer market. Cinco de Mayo also precedes Memorial Day, an exclusively American holiday, which in turn, is the unofficial start of summer. And, just like Memorial Day has become synonymous with barbecues and patio furniture sales at Wal-Mart, Cinco de Mayo is now linked to beer consumption and fist fights over water volleyball games gone wrong. Besides, Cinco de Mayo is easier to pronounce than Dies y Seis de Septiembre.
Some people think because I’m part Mexican Indian and my mother was born in México that I celebrate Cinco de Mayo with fervor. I don’t. Neither does my mother, or most everyone else in my family. I celebrate July 4th because that’s the United States’ Independence Day. And, that’s who I am – an American. Cinco de Mayo has about as much significance to me as a rainy Monday morning.
Oh, and the aforementioned school official? My friend told me they put a stop to Cinco de Mayo festivities shortly thereafter. Kids and beer really don’t go well together.
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Quote of the Day
“Forget about being politically correct by being pro-choice. Let me tell you something: A) Hitler was pro-choice. He chose to send the Jews to Auschwitz. That was not their choice; that was Hitler’s choice. B) Murderers, assassins and criminals are pro-choice. They choose to put a gun to your head and take your life. That is not your choice. That is their choice. C) The baby in your womb will not choose the saline solution that will burn his or her skin away nor will he choose the forceps that will crack his little head off. That is not their choice; that is your choice.”
– New York State Sen. Ruben Diaz, writing on his official state website.
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Rare White Buffalo Killed on Texas Ranch
Lightning Medicine Cloud, a rare white buffalo born on the Lakota Buffalo Ranch in Greenville, Texas, in May 2011 was found slain and skinned a few days ago. The next day its mother was also found dead. Weeks earlier its father apparently had been fatally struck by lightning. Hunt County police officials are investigating, along with the Texas Rangers and other state agencies. White buffalo are sacred to the Lakota Sioux people who believe the birth of such an animal is a spiritual call for peace and unity. They also are very rare; only about 1 out of a million buffalo are albino.
Lightning Medicine Cloud’s arrival was met with much fanfare last year. The Lakota Buffalo Ranch named the male calf in recognition of its birth during a powerful thunderstorm. Ranch owner Arby Little Soldier hasn’t yet provided any specifics about the animal’s death, but is offering a $5,000 reward leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for the deaths of Lightning Medicine Cloud and his mother. The ranch intends to proceed with a ceremony May 11 – 12 that would have honored the calf’s first birthday. Instead, it will be a memorial service.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Hunt County Sheriff’s Department at (903) 453-6800 and ask for either Sheriff Randy Meeks or Lt. Tommy Grandfield.
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Museum of Simply Important Things
Recently, Nobel Prize-winning Turkish author Orhan Pamuk established a “Museum of Innocence” in his native Istanbul. Although it’s not “spectacular or monumental,” the “museum” is ingenious in its simplicity. It houses relics of every day Turkish life in the second half of the 20th century.
“Our daily lives are honorable, and their objects should be preserved,” said Pamuk. “It’s not all about the glories of the past. It’s the people and their objects that count.”
He adapted the idea for the collection from his book, The Museum of Innocence, which follows the travails of a young man named Kemal who is engaged to Sibel. Both are from prominent families that adhere to strict cultural rules about marriage and chastity. Things get complicated, however, when Kemal becomes infatuated with Füsun, an attractive young woman who also happens to be a distant relation. As he pursues Füsun over an 8-year period, beginning in 1975, Kemal amasses a collection of objects that chronicle his life and passions. His obsession consumes him so much that he ignores the social and political upheavals occurring in Turkey at the same time.
The real museum contains items Pamuk collected from various resources. There are China figurines, old shaving kits, a film projector and toothbrushes. He’d conceived of the idea over a decade ago, along with the book. The space occupied by the museum was originally meant to open with the novel’s publication, but was beset with delays. Working closely with a team of architects, artists and product designers, it took Pamuk another 4 years to complete the project.
The Museum of Innocence” was Pamuk’s first novel after winning the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature, the first Nobel to be awarded to a Turkish citizen. Pamuk has sold over 11 million books in 60 languages, making him Turkey’s best-selling writer. His outspokenness has also made him perhaps its most controversial. In 2005, he was charged with “insulting Turkishness” over his sharp remarks about the World War I massacre of Armenians. He was eventually acquitted, but the ordeal only intensified Pamuk’s concerns about free speech issues. It also caught the world’s attention and led some to question Turkey’s admission into the European Union.
Pamuk remains undeterred. “When I look back on my life up to the age of 54, I see a person who has worked long hours at a desk, in both happiness and in misery,” he declares in an autobiographical statement. “I have written my books with care, patience, and good intentions, believing in each and every one.”
That is the true spirit of a writer; a philosophy all aspiring scribes should adopt.
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Quote of the Day
“We felt the smell was wrong, but in the end, we decided he knew more about the law than we did.”
– Andrew Young, former campaign aide to John Edwards, talking about pressure to funnel campaign donations to Edwards’ mistress.
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Do You Really Need That Publisher?
In the brave new world of digital and self-publishing, Lisa Buchan, CEO of Sparkabook, poses a question that few dare to ask – do writers need a publisher? It’s most certainly a query that traditional book agents and publishing houses loathe. But, as authors take greater control over their work, it’s an inevitable discussion that needs to be had.
Previously, creative types labored in the name of their art. If they encountered someone who had enough money and power to commission them to complete further works, then they were truly blessed – and ultimately so was the rest of society. The first publishers actually were benefactors – people who sponsored a writer they liked. And, the books these writers cranked out would go almost immediately into the patron’s personal library. In other words, all the sculptors, painters and writers were at the mercy of these affluent individuals. The patrons weren’t making an “investment,” since they didn’t need to generate income for themselves. Art was done purely for art’s sake.
Contemporary publishing isn’t quite so paternalistic, but it’s close. When a publisher accepts a manuscript, they truly are making an investment in the author – in both time and money. They work with the author to polish the final product; have someone design the book jacket and any illustrations inside the text; and engage in marketing and advertising. Consequently, for their efforts, the publisher lops off a certain percentage from the profits. Book agents do basically the same, except the actual printing. If the writer is foolish enough to relinquish all rights, then that means the publishing house can sell movie or TV rights to the book, and the only benefit the writer will see is his or her name in small print beneath the term, “Based on the book by…”
As with any investment, it’s always a risk. An agent or editor may fall in love with a particular book, but – even with heavy marketing – that’s no guarantee it will sell. Every publishing house wants to discover the next Stephen King or Anne Rice. But, they won’t know if they don’t take a chance with the writer. King, for example, couldn’t get any of his horror short stories published when he began his writing career. So, porn magazine purveyor Larry Flynt, of all people, published them. Ernest Hemingway endured almost a hundred rejections before he got his first story published. If a publisher doesn’t accept someone like John Grisham – only to see him go with another company and start making millions – then obviously that first publisher starts kicking themselves. Therefore, publishing is filled with more regrets than glory.
But, as self-publishing gains more respectability and becomes the norm, agents, editors and publishers are squirming. They’re akin to the British Empire seeing power slip from its grasp, as millions of people in India refuse to bow to their authoritarian rule. It’s frightening to them, but exciting to the rest of us.
Read the rest of Buchan’s editorial here.
