By David Magallanes / Guest contributor As it turns out, I use this column not just to inspire and inform, but also to put myself through inexpensive therapy. Just as in “real” therapy, which is well worth the cost as…
Category: Cultural
‘An evening of Andean music with Quijeremá Al Son del Tunduki’ set for Feb. 11 at UCSB
“An evening of Andean music with Quijeremá ?Al Son del Tunduki” will be presented at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11 at the UCSB Multicultural Center Theater. Quijeremá is a dynamic force driven by sweeping bandola choruses with a firm foundation…
LULAC to hold membership meeting on Feb. 4 in Ventura
The League of United Latin American Citizens will hold its next monthly membership meeting from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 4 at Clinicas del Camino Real, 200 So. Wells Road, Ventura. Contact Jorge Napoles, deputy district director, at jnapoles@clunet.edu or…
Mexican Consulate releases calendar of events for February
The Mexican Consulate in Oxnard on Wednesday released its calendar of events for February. Click here for a PDF version of the calendar. Visit www.consulmexoxnard.com
Commentary: Lifetime friends
By David Magallanes / Guest contributor Most of us have friends. Some friends rank higher than others in terms of “specialness.” Some friends are transitory; we’re friends because we happen to work in the same office or attend the same…
Commentary: You can always make something out of nothing — Simms Taback
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier / Guest contributor The other day I visited our local county museum and found one of my favorite “read to the kids” books. A retrospective journey through the career of Simms Taback filled half of the large…
Bilingual report: Mexican Consulate announces teacher exchange program
The Mexican Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Public Education invite educative authorities from Mexico and the United States to nominate candidates for the “Teacher Exchange Program Mexico-United States 2011,” the Mexican Consulate in Oxnard reported this week in a media release.…
UCSB graduate student Jaramillo awarded prestigious fellowship
SANTA BARBARA — UC Santa Barbara graduate student Alejandra Jaramillo has been awarded a prestigious fellowship with the UNESCO-L’Oréal Fellowships for Young Women in Life Sciences for 2011. She is one of only 15 recipients worldwide, the university reported Tuesday…
Commentary: Four possible solutions to avoid foreclosure
By Michael and Stephen Szakos / Guest contributors Just a week ago, we held an educational forum at the Oxnard Public Library. A large number of community members attended and walked away informed and armed with knowledge to move forward. “We were…
Mexican Consulate announces free Spanish language textbook program
The Mexican Consulate in Oxnard has reported that it is accepting applications for the annual Free Spanish Language Textbook Program through March 9. The collection of 55 books each include both textbooks and children’s fiction book in Spanish, used…
Latino Links: Economic Trends
A majority of Latinos (54 percent) believe the nation’s recession has hit them harder than any other group in the United States, according to a survey released last week by the Pew Hispanic Center. The survey found: 75 percent said…
Donations sought to aid Tarahumara Indians
California residents respond to crisis of drought and famine in Northern Mexico, home to the Tarahumara Indians OXNARD— The LUCHA-Tarahumara Relief Fund is still accepting donations to benefit the Tarahumara Indians, the organization reported recently. Tax-deductible donations can also be…
Election 2012: Endorsements coming fast
Race for Congress features former harbor commission president Amigos805.com staff report For those who have been watching, or seeking to avoid the nonstop media coverage of caucuses and primary races in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida — our time…
Commentary: Let’s have coffee
By David Magallanes / Guest contributor How do you go about managing your time, assuming that you do? Not everyone does, after all. Some of us are quite content to “go with the flow,” reacting to whatever blows toward us from the…
Commentary: American Library Awards 2012
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier / Guest contributor If the Pulitzer Prize is the Oscar of the book world, the American Library Awards for books is up there with the Nickelodeon Awards, sans the green slime. The ALA announced their Youth Media Awards of 2012…
CLU examines farmworker health risks with a $150,000 grant to fund Oxnard pesticide study
THOUSAND OAKS — California Lutheran University has received a $150,000 grant to research environmental justice in Oxnard, the university reported this week in a media release. The California Wellness Foundation awarded the two-year grant for two professors and selected…
UCSB’s Ríos receives $300,000 grant to study gang-associated youth
SANTA BARBARA — Victor Ríos, associate professor of sociology at UC Santa Barbara, has received a $300,000 grant from the William T. Grant Foundation for a study examining how the interactions between gang-associated youth and their parents, school professionals, police…
Volunteers needed for MICOP’s monthly meeting on Jan. 28
The Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project will present its first monthly community meeting of 2012 starting at 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28 at Harrington Elementary School, 2501 Gisler St., Oxnard. “If you’re available and would like to help out we will need…
Democrats continue to see gains in Latino voters in Florida
The number of Latinos registered in Florida as Democrats grew at an accelerated rate, according to data compiled and released this week by the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington, D.C. The final registration statistics for Florida’s Jan. 31 presidential primary…
Social Justice Fund, CLU, CAUSE to present educational summit on Jan. 27
“The 100% Summit: A Tale of Two Counties — Bridging the Widening Gaps in Ventura County” will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27 at the Camarillo Methodist Church Hall, 291 Anacapa Drive, Camarillo. Presented by…
Garcia celebrates 101st birthday in Oxnard
Maria Garcia of Oxnard recently celebrated her 101st birthday. She was born in Jerez, Zacatecas on Jan. 13, 1911. Garcia, is the grandmother of four young mariachi players, Ely, Stephanie, Luis and Denise Garcia, said Javier Gomez, founder of the Inlakech…
Latino Links: Media Trends
Hispanics view the Internet as a virtual “Plaza del Pueblo,” or town square, a place where they can be inspired and motivated to join the conversation, according to a new “Report on Hispanic Digital Influencers” released recently by 360i Digital…
De Colores Art Show to hold closing reception on Jan. 20 in Santa Paula
Xavier ‘Big X’ Montes will turn over show to artist Andrea Vargas at event on Jan. 20 Amigos805.com staff report For 18 years, Xavier ‘Big X’ Montes has led efforts to bring Latino art and culture to Santa Paula and…
¡Viva Arte de Santa Barbara! to present Los Soneros del Tesechoacán Jan. 20-22
¡Viva Arte de Santa Barbara! will present Los Soneros del Tesechoacán (Tay-say-chwa-KAHN) with free concerts at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20 at Isla Vista School, 6875 El Colegio Road, Goleta; at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21 at Guadalupe City Hall; and at 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22 at the Marjorie…
Commentary: Reflections on Martin Luther King Day
By David Magallanes / Guest contributor As I write, we celebrate the life and message of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a genuine American hero of the highest order. I am pleased as I compare the plight of the African Americans (called…
Commentary: National Stalking Awareness Month
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier / Guest contributor January is National Stalking Awareness Month, a time to focus on a crime that affects 3.4 million victims a year. This year’s theme —“Stalking: Know It. Name It. Stop It.” —challenges the nation to fight this dangerous…
Commentary: Do your homework. Rules are changing
By Michael and Stephen Szakos / Guest contributors As we continue to work on short sales throughout the community, we are finding out that the banks are changing the rules constantly, even from client to client. It is vital to obtain help…
Latino Links: Economic trends
The mortgage crisis has hit the Latino community particularly hard. The Center for Responsible Lending reported last year that Latinos were twice as likely to have lost their homes to foreclosure, or are seriously delinquent, compared to white borrowers. Latinos…
Commentary: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier /Guest contributor Soon we will celebrate and enjoy the holiday that commemorates Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In 1957, he was cited as one of the most admired religious leaders in the world. Time Magazine selected him, in 1957,…
Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations kick off with march in Oxnard on Jan. 16
> The Freedom March in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. will begin at 8 a.m. Monday, Jan. 16 at Plaza Park, Fifth and C streets, in downtown Oxnard. The march will continue on to the Oxnard Performing Arts Center,…
Commentary: The young maiden and the snake
By David Magallanes /Guest contributor My family, like most families, shares photos of its members via email. It’s exhilarating to see the children and grandchildren, the native citizens of cyberspace, maturing over the years. It’s likewise powerfully poignant to see us older…
Bilingual report: Teatro de las Américas announces casting call
We begin the 2012 season casting for La zapatera prodigiosa / The Shoemaker’s Prodigious Wife! Greetings! Teatro de las Américas announces auditions for the play La zapatera prodigiosa/ The Prodigious Shoemaker’s Wife, by Federico García Lorca, Teatro reported in a…
Commentary: Hope for tomorrow
By Michael and Stephen Szakos / Guest contributors Over the past few weeks, we have shared some sad stories with you. Some tragic. Some seeming without hope. There is hope and there are answers! A family we helped recently purchased a new…
Los tres Reyes Magos entregaron cerca de 600 juguetes en la cuidad de Ojai
OJAI —El pasado sábado 07 de enero cerca de 600 niñas y niños se dieron cita en la Iglesia de Santo Tomás de Aquino para saludar a Melchor, Gaspar y Baltazar, siguiendo una de las tradiciones mexicanas más arraigadas, “El…
Foro sobre el Voto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior el Sábado 14 de Enero de 2012
Con el objetivo de apoyar al Instituto Federal Electoral (IFE), en México, en la promoción del Voto de los Mexicanos residentes en el exterior, particularmente para el registro a la Lista Nominal de Electores Residentes en el Extranjero (LNERE) que vence el…
David Cruz Show to start Jan. 16 on KTLK 1150 AM
LOS ANGLES – Clear Channel Radio – Los Angeles is launching a new program, the David Cruz Show, starting Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. The program will air weekdays 3-6PMon KTLK, 1150AM, the company reported this week in a media release. “This…
Commentary: The Christmas Gifts
By David Magallanes / Guest contributor The following is an essay I wrote several years ago. In the Hispanic world, Christmas isn’t over until January 6, so I can still slip this one in: It was that time of year: time…
Commentary: What if the Mayans are right?
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier /Guest contributor Is December 21, 2012 the End or just a new winter solstice? Is it another Y2K or cause to start worrying? Just because the Mayan calendar ends on that date in 2012 doesn’t mean the world ceases to exist.…
Commentary: The truth shall set you free
By Michael and Stephen Szakos / Guest contributors Happy New Year! May 2012 be a tremendous year for each of you. A fresh start. A new beginning. We know that 2011 was a very difficult year for many of you for various…
Bilingual report: Reyes Magos celebration set for Jan. 7 in Ojai
The Mexican Consulate in Oxnard and the Unity Shoppe Organization will present a Los Reyes Magos celebration from 8 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7 at Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 185 St. Thomas Drive, Ojai. *** El Consulado de…
Commentary: Reflecting on 2011, working together in 2012
Dear Editor: As 2011 comes to a close one cannot help reflecting on the past while looking ahead to the future. For me, as I enter my fourth year on the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, I feel very grateful.…
Commentary: Top ten in local education
By Denis O’Leary / Guest contributor We will see many lists within the next few days. I would argue that education is a topic of utmost importance and yet we will not see a resume of last year in this subject.…
Commentary: Time to turn the calendar to a new year
Amigos805.com staff report We wish everyone a happy and prosperous 2012. Residents of the 805 region and the rest of the nation in 2011 continued to battle back from the effects of the Great Recession. As noted recently by Bill Watkins, executive…
Commentary: The management of time
By David Magallanes / Guest contributor Here we are on a collision course with 2012, and many of us haven’t even begun to write down our resolutions. Assuming the Mayan predictions aren’t true and that we actually will live through…
Commentary: Hope For 2012
By Michael and Stephen Szakos / Guest contributors All of us on Team Szakos hope you had a wonderful holiday with your family and friends and we wish you nothing but the best for 2012! As we read in the news, watch…
Radio Lazer, Vista Ford of Oxnard bring joy and toys to Oxnard children
OXNARD — Hundreds of Oxnard children received an early Christmas on Dec. 14 thanks to the generosity of Vista Ford of Oxnard and Radio Lazer, according to a media release. For the fifth year, the two Oxnard businesses teamed up…
Commentary: Boomers, seniors, everyone — You can still enjoy Mexico
By Boyd Lemon / Guest contributor For many years I have loved visiting and traveling in Mexico. Sadly, some of the places I have visited are now unsafe, and generally driving through much of Mexico is risky. The good news is…
Capps writes to Entravision CEO urging him to reconsider cancellation of ‘Noticias Univision Costa Central’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) on Dec. 21 released a letter she sent to Mr. Walter Ulloa, Entravision Chairman and CEO, to express her concern about the potential cancellation of “Noticias Univision Costa Central,” the only Spanish-language…
Commentary: The American Dream—Part III
By David Magallanes /Guest contributor I grew up next door to five cousins, all brothers, who may as well have been my brothers. In fact, genetically, we are brothers. That’s because we are not only cousins — we’re “double cousins.” Their father…
Commentary: Radio program an effective way to reach hardest hit segment of home mortgage crisis
By Michael and Stephen Szakos / Guest contributors To the morning radio audience along California’s Central Coast, Michael and Stephen Szakos of TEAM SZAKOS Real Estate are fast becoming the Batman and Robin of the continuing home mortgage crisis, as the duo…
Commentary: College trustees must act to investigate source of leaked document
By the League of United Latin American Citizens President Franklin D. Roosevelt was fond of saying — “In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.” On Tuesday night (Dec. 13) the Ventura…
Sugar Beets Restaurant to raise funds Dec. 17 for family
“Red Carpet Christmas Toy Drive — Party for a Purpose,” benefiting Arlene Hernandez and family, will be held on Saturday, Dec. 17 at Sugar Beets Restaurant & Bar, 455 So. A St., Oxnard. The restaurant will take donations for the…
Volunteers needed for MICOP’s Dec. 17 Fiesta Navidena
The Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project is seeking volunteers for its annual Fiesta Navidena, which will be held this year on Saturday, Dec. 17 at the Boys & Girls Club, 1900 W. 5th St., Oxnard, and at Rio Real Elementary School, 1140 Kenny…
La Hermandad to hold ‘Posada Navideña’ on Dec. 18
La Hermandad’s Hank Lacayo Youth & Family Center will present “Posada Navideña” from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18 at 520 W. Fifth St., Oxnard. Call 805.483.4620 for more information.
Clinicas del Camino Real distributing toys throughout Ventura County
For the past three years, during the holiday season, Clincas del Camino Real Inc. has been distributing toys to its pediatric patients, Clinicas reported this week in a media release. The toy distribution, which began Dec. 9, will continue on…
United Way’s Latino Action Team holds successful book drive
The United Way of Ventura County’s Latino Action Team hosted its first-ever “Donation to the Imagination” holiday book drive in partnership with the Oxnard Public Library to benefit low-income children living in Oxnard. The community was asked to donate new and/or…
Commentary: Christmas traditions
By Mona AlvaradoFrazier / Guest contributor “It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. ‘What…
CEDC’s Fernandez honored at recent meeting of the Stress, Health and Longevity group
Rodney Fernandez, executive director of Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation in Ventura, was honored by the Stress, Health and Longevity group during its recent weekly meeting. Fernandez, who was recognized for his years of community service in leading the affordable housing…
Interfaith leaders call on policy makers to stop separating immigrant families, stop endangering children
Dozens of immigrants and their allies gathered by candlelight in Oxnard’s Plaza Park on Dec. 10 to raise an urgent moral call to policy makers for justice for immigrant families, and especially for the children and young people who are being hurt by…
Commentary: ‘Save Your Family First’ free foreclosure prevention clinics held each Wednesday
By Michael and Stephen Szakos / Guest contributors Among the downtown Oxnard storefronts, a weekly gathering is attracting local residents trying to save their homes. Each Wednesday night, volunteers are working with homeowners facing foreclosures. The situation is all too…