This is art?

by Ryan Almodovar

Sometimes what people consider art just confuses me. I’ll be honest – I’m not the most artistic guy to walk the earth, though I do pride myself on the ability to call a picture ‘nice’ or an installation ‘cool.’ My interest is literally only paint deep, so it’s not uncommon to me to completely miss the artist’s true intentions.

LeBron slam dunks the critics

by Greg Martinez

Last year, NBA superstar LeBron James became a villain in the eyes of many sports fans when he chose to leave his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and join the Miami Heat. His critics said that it was not so much what he did as how he did it. After months of speculation, James announced his choice on live national television on a show ESPN simply called “The Decision.” If you Google “The Decision” today, the top results are still for the show broadcast a year ago July 8.

The fate of Latino baby boomers

by Cindy Tovar

Years ago, a huge number of Latinos made the choice to leave their friends and family behind for the sake of better opportunities for themselves and their children.  They came to the U.S., worked hard, and adopted this country as their own.

Now, as they reach retirement age, they are faced with another choice: go back to their native country and leave their children and grandchildren behind, or stay and live the rest of their days here.  

To become an American

by Daniel Cubias

I’ve written before about how several members of my family have been naturalized. My mother studied English and U.S. history simultaneously to earn her citizenship. My cousin got shot at in Iraq and Afghanistan to earn his.

A Texas battle for the arts

by Irma Sanchez

Dallas Independent School District (DISD) has made many bad decisions in regards to the management of their schools in the past. However, the new proposed budget cuts version 4.0 for 2011-2012 year that calls for the discontinuation of all nine Academy teachers at Greiner’s Exploratory Arts Academy will be the biggest one of them all.

Harlistas – An American journey

by Eileen Rivera

Whether you call it a bike, cycle, hog, chopper or crotch rocket there’s something exciting about motorcycles and the people who ride them. This, of course, coming from a woman who’s only been on a motorcycle once.

Book Review: Me No Habla with Acento

by Charlie Vázquez

Me No Habla with Acento (Rebel Satori Press, 2011)

Editor: Emanuel Xavier

The allure of Miami

by Adriana Villavicencio

“Drink all day. Play all night. Let’s get it poppin. I’m in Miami b***.”

The attitude and sentiment of this song is an appropriate anthem for a city whose energy and over-the-top aesthetic are infectious. Whether you’re coming from New York or LA or anywhere in between, you’re just a few hours away from a hotbed of glitz, glamour, and 24-hour revelry. Miami is a destination spot for more than a few reasons…

Latino friends are there on the gloomiest of days

by Alex Levine

I think we all know that Anglo culture and Latino culture are very different from one another. You know when I am most strongly reminded of this? On the rainy days.

Which country of origin is the fastest growing Latino population in the US?

A new Pew Hispanic Center for Research study found that according to the 2010 U.S. Census, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans are still the U.S.’s three largest Latino country-of-origin groups. However, while that has remained relatively unchanged since 2000, the next four Hispanic sub-groups grew faster during 2000-2010.