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SOMOS PRIMOS
APRIL 2017
Editor: Mimi Lozano ©2000-2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Submitters or attributed to: April 2017  

Letters to the Editor

P.O. 415
Midway City, CA 
92655-0490
mimilozano@aol.com
www.SomosPrimos.com 
714-894-8161

JOAQUIN MURRIETA WINS TOP PRIZE IN COLORADO

DENVER, COLORADO  Valadez' most recent work, the quixotic and off-beat short film, The Head of Joaquin Murrieta garnered the Best Documentary Award at this year's Denver Chicano Film Festival (Xicanindie). 

With Festival Director Daniel Salazar at Su Teatro in Denver 

NATIONAL SCREENING and LECTURE TOUR continues in 11 STATES 

Students gather before a screening at East LA College 

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO  -  

The 2016-2017 tour season began at The Colorado College with a screening of The Head of Joaquin Murrieta.  

Valadez answered questions and History professor Doug Monroy moderated the event which was held at the Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center .  

Below is a summary of our most recent tour schedule: 

Shortly before a screening and talk at City College, San Diego

Copyright © Valadez Media, All rights reserved.
Sent by John Valadez 

March 8, 2017

LULAC Congratulates 
Jennifer S. Korn, Latina Appointed White House Senior Advisor

>>> HELD <<<

Dear Mimi:

The League of United Latin American Citizens and the LULAC Women’s Commission invite you to participate in the 2017 LULAC National Women’s Conference presented by The Coca-Cola Company. The conference will take place on Friday, March 31 and Saturday, April 1, 2017 at the Westin Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta, Georgia.

The mission of the LULAC National Commission for Women is to empower Latinas throughout the country to be exemplary leaders in their families, communities, and workplaces. The commission understands that through education, economic development, political empowerment, and leadership development, women can positively impact change in their community.

With the theme, “Women United – Una Voz Unida,” the conference will focus on the political and social challenges that affect women. The conference will also highlight Latinas’ accomplishments in public service and will feature personal stories of women who have overcome adversity. This year’s conference will also feature workshops on health, entrepreneurship, leadership, media engagement, the environment, and civic mobilization.

In addition to hosting the LULAC National Women’s Conference, the LULAC Women’s Commission will host the LULAC Women’s Legacy Awards and Women’s Hall of Fame Luncheon at the 2017 LULAC National Convention in San Antonio, Texas

Sincerely, Lourdes Galvan
National Vice-President for Women

Smithsonian Institution Undergraduate Conservation Internships for Summer 2017

The Smithsonian Institution is pleased to announce conservation internship opportunities for the Summer 2017 10-week session June 5 – August 11.

This internship program will provide an introduction to museum conservation. This program is offered to students to increase participation of groups who are currently underrepresented in the museum field and visual arts organizations are especially encouraged to apply.

A conservator’s work involves the preservation of collections, including documentation, treatment, and research. Conservators have academic backgrounds in the arts, sciences or social sciences and attain a professional graduate degree in conservation. For more information about the field see: http://www.conservation-us.org/about-conservation#.WMlyF032aJA.

WHO SHOULD APPLY: Currently enrolled undergraduates or recent degree holders from colleges and universities, with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, with coursework in the sciences (chemistry, biology, physics, engineering, forensic science); or arts and humanities (studio arts, art history, history, anthropology); and skills such as photography/imaging; or various crafts that might be applicable/useful in a museum conservation setting, and an interest in the conservation of cultural heritage are encouraged to apply. Applicants must be U.S. citizens.

INTERNSHIP LOCATIONS: Placements will be made in Conservation Departments at the: Smithsonian American Art Museum (http://americanart.si.edu/conservation/), National Portrait Gallery (http://npg.si.edu/portraits/conservation), Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (http://hirshhorn.si.edu/collection/conservation/#detail=/bio/preventive-conservation/), Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute (https://www.si.edu/mci/), National Museum of American Indian (http://nmai.si.edu/explore/collections/conservation/), National Museum of American History (http://americanhistory.si.edu/JeffersonBible/conservation/), and the National Museum of Natural History (http://anthropology.si.edu/accessinganthropology/alaska/index.html). The 10-week internships will commence June 5^th and end August 11^th.  They will be full-time (40 hrs/week) and carry a stipend. Travel allowance may be included.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Midnight (EST), April 14, 2017 for all materials including letters of reference.

Application Procedure: Applicants must register and submit an online application via the Smithsonian Online Academic Appointment system (SOLAA). After registering, sign onto the SOLAA system. At the top of the screen, select “Start your Application”; Select “Internship” and “Smithsonian Institution Undergraduate Conservation Program” from the drop-down program lists. Within the application you will identify which Smithsonian Unit(s) you are interested in joining for the conservation internship.

Application requirements via SOLAA
- An essay addressing the following (no more than three pages total):
1) A statement of your interest in an internship at the desired Smithsonian Conservation Unit and what you hope to gain from the experience; please state how you found out about the internship.
2) Please discuss the impact that a funded internship would have on you and your education.
3) Provide a short biography describing your background, personal history, interests and major/minor (if declared).
-Curriculum Vitae or Resume
-Undergraduate transcripts (unofficial)
-Names and email address of two professional references (1 must be academic)

CONTACT:
Smithsonian Institution Undergraduate Conservation Internship Program Administrator
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of African American History and Culture
PO Box 37012, MRC 1401
Washington D.C., 20013-7012

NMAAHCMellonAdmin@si.edu

Rigoberto González grew up in a family of immigrant farmworkers. 
Now he writes award-winning books by Rigoberto González, La times, 2-16-17 Critic at large.

 I have faith that those readers will eventually work to become leaders 
and that their momentum will save us all. 

Hernandez vs Texas Signs

The U.S. Army’s all Mexican-American Infantry Unit – 
Little-Known Heroes of the Italian Campaign of WWII

Mexican-American WWII Unit Featured, Guest Blogger, Dave Gutierrez  March 18, 2017
Company E. Photo taken Oct. 1941 at Camp Bowie in Brownwood Texas. 
Photo credits: Dave Gutierrez.  SHARE:FacebookTwitter
War History Online presents this guest article by Guest Blogger, Dave Gutierrez
War History Online, Monday, March 20, 2017,  http://www.warhistoryonline.com/ 

There are several unique WWII units that have been well documented. The stories of all the African-American Tuskegee Airmen and the all Japanese-American unit of the 442nd Infantry can be found in books and films. Now the men who served in the U.S. Army’s all Mexican American infantry unit is finally receiving recognition for their service.

An original National Guard unit was composed entirely of Mexican-Americans from barrios in Texas. The men who served in the 36th Division, 141st Regiment, 2nd Battalion, Company E were involved in some of most crucial battles of WWII during the Italian Campaign.

The 141st Regiment traces their roots back to the Texas Revolution and is the longest serving unit of the Texas National Guard. The 36th Division or T-Patchers as they were known spearheaded the Allied landing at Salerno Italy. The unit saw action at Mount Rotondo, San Pietro and one of the most controversial and deadliest battles of WWII, the crossing of the Rapido River. In a span of forty-eight hours, the 36th Division lost over two thousand men at the Rapido River in January of 1944. It became so controversial that after the war a congressional hearing was held to see if actions should be taken on those who were in command of a unit that lost so many American lives.

Manuel R. Rivera

John L. Chapin

Ramon G. Gutierrez 

Gabriel Salazar 

All photos provided by the author.

Mounted Color Guard in the Marine Corps
by Robin Collins

Riding four abreast atop their palomino mustangs, the Marines of the Mounted Color Guard proudly bear the colors of their country and Corps.

Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Calif., is home to the only remaining Mounted Color Guard in the Marine Corps. This small and unique entity has the honor of representing the Corps in parades, rodeos and other events nationwide. With determination and enthusiasm, these Marines on horseback carry on a time-honored tradition that originated more than a century ago.

The “Horse Marines” was the nickname given to the mounted U.S. legation detachment in Peking, China, a guard unit established in 1900. 

While their purpose was to conduct patrols on horseback, they also participated in weekly parades during their 33-year presence in Peking.

Horses in the Corps haven’t solely been used for ceremonial purposes; with their strength and high endurance, they have assisted Marines in battle as well. 

Sergeant Reckless, perhaps the most beloved horse in Marine Corps history, accomplished a remarkable feat during the Korean War as she supported ammunition carriers—re-supplying and transporting heavy rounds across long distances. After the war, she was retired with full military honors and is buried at Stepp Stables at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Lompoc, CA – A Palomino Mustang stallion, named Sutter, has been chosen as the ASPCA 2016 Horse of the Year.  Sutter was captured on the range as a 2-year-old, and nearly immediately his abuse started. He was adopted by an individual who attempted to break Sutter’s spirit using food and water deprivation, tying him up, throwing him on the ground and covering him with a tarp in the hot sun.

Sutter’s spirit wouldn’t break, so he was returned to BLM as a “dangerous” horse, and scheduled to be euphemized. Sutter was rescued by Heritage Discovery Center in central California, where his gentling began. For months Sutter was so traumatized by humans whenever someone would walk by he would throw himself against the stall walls in an attempt to get away.  Over time, with love and patience, Sutter learned to trust humans and even went on to participate in the Rose Bowl Parade. Sutter moved to Return to Freedom Wild Horse Sanctuary and Preservation, where he lives today. The ASPCA released a statement that reads, in part, “Sutter loves to connect with people, and is a stirring ambassador for the dwindling number of horses who deserve our promised protection on public lands. 

Sutter also reminds us all that when we extend love to animals, we receive it back, multiplied.  For these reasons, Sutter is the 2016 ASPCA Horse of the Year.” The Heritage Discovery Center has saved and provided for horses and other equids since 1992. 

These animals came with Spanish during exploration and colonization. Without these horses & equids the development of western America would have been a very different history and legacy…can you imagine? Appreciation and esteem are due to these integral partners that were essential to the success of our cultural development. Horses provided the opportunity to evolve with an enviable history and legacy unparalleled anywhere. The Spanish had the finest horses in the world…they took their horses everywhere they traveled…spreading their equine wealth throughout the world. The footprint of Spanish exploration included the trail of equine eminence…

HDC is the home of the only documented ‘contained’ & ‘isolated’ herd of original Spanish equine genetics from the period of early exploration, the Colonial Spanish Wilbur-Cruce Mission/Ranching horses…see their story…

Please help us continue: DONATE and help to preserve your Legacy  www.ranchodelsueno.com
Heritage Discovery Center/Rancho del Sueno (Equine division)  40222 Millstream Lane, Madera CA 93636559 868-8681 hdcincrlc@aol.com  & hdcranchodelsueno@gmail.com

A special heartfelt thank you to those few who supported us through this extremely devastating drought  and winter period. Without their assistance, we would have lost the ranch and the horses…Two people in particular made the difference…we would not be here now without them. AGAIN, THANK YOU

A VOICE FOR PEOPLE WHO HAD NONE - 
Remembering Lauro Cruz
by Daisy Wanda Garcia 
wanda.garcia@sbcglobal.net
 

Recently, I read that Lauro Cruz an old acquaintance of my father, Dr. Hector P. Garcia, passed away. I met Cruz in 1973 when he was Governor Dolph Briscoe’s (1973-1979) top special assistant. .Lauro Cruz was responsible for getting my father and me and other members of the AGIF easy access to the Governor and his wife Janie. It was because of this comradery with both men that Papa was able to get a; lot accomplished for la gente at the state level during this period. On one occasion, we were invited to dine at the Governor’s mansion. I will never forget that experience. Papa and Gov. Briscoe were seated at the head of the table. As an aperitif, the footman brought out a large can of jalapenos in a can. The Governor picked up a jalapeno and invited Papa to do the same. Together they consumed the entire contents of the can. 

Mr. Cruz had humble origins. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps in the Korean War. When he returned he found the treatment of Hispanic Americans not acceptable and became an activist for farm workers in 1966s. 

I never heard about him again until I read his obituary. Rest in peace Lauro Cruz. 
You accomplished and opened a lot of doors for our people. For that we are eternally grateful.

Artist: Ignacio Gomez

March 11, 2017
LULAC Praises Congressman Curbelo’s 
“Recognizing America’s Children Act” 
as a Good First Step Toward Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Recent increases in number of minority administrators don't keep up with demographic shifts, but new study finds broad pay equity.
By Rick Seltzer 
March 2, 2017

Look only at the trend line showing the slowly climbing percentage of higher education administrative positions held by minority leaders, and it appears colleges and universities are inching toward a day when their leaders reflect the diversity of their student bodies.

But add a few other pieces of data, and a very different picture takes shape. Look at the much faster growth in the proportion of minority college graduates and the growth in the U.S. minority population. It becomes clear that a substantial representation gap exists between the percentage of minority administrators and the makeup of the country. Further, the ethnic and racial makeup of administrators isn’t changing fast enough to keep up with broader demographic shifts -- the line showing the percentage of minority higher education leaders is not growing closer to lines that show the country's minority population or the percentage of minority college graduates.

Those are some key findings in a new piece of research released Wednesday by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources, CUPA-HR. Researchers reported more equality in salaries, finding that minority administrators are paid equitably on the whole in comparison to white administrators. In fact, minority administrators are paid significantly better in parts of the country where they are less represented, possibly indicating high interest in recruiting and retaining them.

CUPA-HR found that in 2016, 7 percent of higher education administrative positions -- which includes top executives, administrative officers like controllers, division heads, department heads, deans and associate deans -- were held by black staffers. Just 3 percent of those jobs were held by Hispanic or Latino people, 2 percent were Asian and 1 percent identified as another race or ethnicity. The remaining 86 percent of administrators were white.

The percentage of white administrators mirrors that of private industry. In the private sector, 87 percent of senior-level executives are white, CUPA-HR said. That means members of minority groups are underrepresented in both higher education and private industry leadership.

Minority representation among higher education administrations has been slowly rising over the last 15 years. The 14 percent of higher ed administrators in 2016 who belonged to racial or ethnic minority groups was up from 11 percent in 2001.

But that wasn’t enough to keep pace with increases in the proportion of people in the United States who are members of minority groups. They accounted for 38.5 percent of the U.S. population in 2016, up from 30.1 percent in 2001.

Nor did minority representation in higher ed administration increase fast enough to keep up with growth among minority college graduates -- an important benchmark, since candidates need degrees before they can enter the pipeline leading to administrative positions. In 2016, the portion of college graduates who were members of minority groups came in at 26.7 percent. That’s up sharply from 19.1 percent in 2001.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/03/02/racial-gap-among-senior-administrators-widens#.WLnHhivTX2Y.mailto
Source: LARED-L@LISTSERV.CYBERLATINA.NET

Sent by Dr. Frank Talamantes, Ph.D,
Professor of Endocrinology (Emeritus)
University of California
Santa Cruz, California, 95064
Residence: 83 Sierra Crest Dr.
El Paso, Texas 79902

Spanish Presence in the Americas' Roots

Youtube: Spanish Colonization of North America  
Robert and Nancy Munson during the Spanish vessel, San Salvador's public viewing 
March 16, 2017, Daughters of the American Revolution Texas State meeting, Dallas 
La Opinion de Malaga, Spain of 8 of March 2017 sent by María Ángeles O'Donnell de Olson
Click to:  British-American Jews, Sephardic and Ashkenazi Supported the American Revolution 

 March 16, 2017, Daughters of the American Revolution Texas State meeting, Dallas 

Judge Ed Butler at Dallas state meeting of Texas DAR with Lynn Forney Young,  immediate past National President General of DAR


March 16, 2017

Judge Butler With his wife Robin,
in the process of signing books.

 sarpg0910@aol.com     Photos courtesy of Anthony Startz malstartz@outlook.com 

Galvez / Spain - Our Forgotten Ally In The American Revolutionary War: A Concise Summary of Spain's Assistance Paperback – 2015

by Sr. Judge Edward F. Butler (Author)  

4.7 out of 5 stars    4 customer reviewsPaperback 
from $29.001 New from $29.00.

Editorial Reviews

Felipe VI de Borbon, King of Spain asked the author to write this book in May 2010. This book details the May 1776 agreement between Spain and France to support the American Colonists in their battle for independence from Britain. In addition to the battles in North America it points to the fact that our American Revolutionary War was only a small part is a greater world war among England, Spain and France. The "Donativo" lists show which Spanish soldiers and colonists donated to the war effort. It reflects details of the "Texas Connection to the American Revolution. Louisiana Spanish Governor Bernardo de Galvez, transhipped military supplies up the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers to the troops of both George Washington through Fort Pitt and General George Rogers Clark at Ft. Nelson starting in 1776. The Spanish navy captured 55 British ships, which today is still the largest capture of enemy vessels on the high seas ever recorded.

So far, this book has won five awards:

            1)         The Texas Connection To The American Revolution presented the 
                         "Best American History Book about the American Revolutionary War in 2014;

            2)         Readers' Review gave it its "5 Star Award;"

            3)         The Sons of the Republic of Texas presented its "Presidio La Bahia Award; "

            4)         Texas Hill Country Chapter of Colonial Dames - "Best History Book in 2015."

            5)         International Latino Book Award for Best History Book in 2016,   plus an                                                                             
            6)         Honorable Mention in the 2016 North Texas Book Festival's Book Awards for Adult
                        Non Fiction.

EARLY AMERICAN PATRIOTS

SPAIN AND BENJAMIN FRANKLIN'S INFLUENCE 
TO SUPPORT THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

A Strategic Analysis of Documents in the 
Franklin in the Archives of Spain Project
Dr. Thomas E. Chávez

Spanish Music Lost and Found:
The Legacy of Manuel Areu (1845-1942)
Dr. Celia López-Chávez

Yo Solo:  Bernardo de Galvez - Let Him Sing
A opera showcase of the unsung hero of the American Revolution!
Mary Carol Warwick, Composer
Marec Bela Seffens, Librettist

Rick University - Herring Hall Auditorium
Wednesday, April 5, 2017   3:00 to 6:00 pm
Reception following - Free and open to the Public

Granaderos y Damas de Galvez  |  Rice University  | General Consulate of Spain

Gobernador de Luisiana, 
logró liberar el Misisipi y el Golfo de México

Published today in the Spanish newspaper:  
Bernardo de Gálvez: Yo solo



BORJA CARDELÚS 
20/02/2017 01:23h - Actualizado: 20/02/2017 01:23h.
Guardado en: Cultura  http://www.abc.es/cultura/ 

En tres semanas ha tomado tres fuertes y hecho mil prisioneros, y regresa a la base de Nueva Orleans para dar un respiro a sus tropas y allegar refuerzos. Pero los éxitos del jovencísimo Gálvez ya están despertando recelos en los superiores locales Navarro, gobernador de Cuba, y Bonet, jefe de la Armada de las Antillas, que escatiman los refuerzos pedidos. En España, ayer y hoy la parte más difícil de un sonado triunfo es sobrevivir a las envidias que genera. Pero Gálvez decide pese a todo continuar su campaña del río con las fuerzas a su disposición, y las dirige ahora contra una plaza de fuste, Mobile.

ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT
El héroe de la independencia de América que apoyaron los españoles
Daniel Mediavilla
El Pais, Ciencia, 10 mar 2017

Las cartas de Alexander von Humboldt, padre de muchas ideas fundacionales del ecologismo, muestran su agradecimiento a la corona hispánica en cuyas colonias realizó su investigación.

Alexander von Humboldt
Un retrato de Alexander von Humboldt, realizado por Friedrich Georg Weitsch.

Geografía de las plantas de Tenerife. Von Humboldt anotaba las plantas que crecían 
a cada altitud según se ascendía al Teide

HISTORIC TIDBITS

Youtube: Españoles Olivdados de Norteamérica 
March 16th, 1758 -- Indians attack San Sabá mission
Strange coincidences in History by Gilberto Quezada

March 16th, 1758 -- Indians attack San Sabá mission

http://tshaonline.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9ac611cecaa72c69cecc26cb8&id=cd069f82a8&e=3967c4da92
Source: The Texas State Historical Association  

HONORING HISPANIC LEADERSHIP

Gloria Rodriguez, Comunicad President and CEO, said "Carlos was a man of great character and integrity who believed in helping people work better and smarter. He was committed to creating new opportunities for the Latino business community and always followed through until the task was done." 

Family and friends may continue to share wonderful memories and words of comfort @comunicad on Facebook and Twitter, or at info@comunicad.com. 

Sent by Kirk Whisler, Hispanic Marketing 101
email: kirk@whisler.com    |    voice: (760) 579-1696    |    web: www.hm101.com    |    Podcast: www.mylatinonetwork.com

Latino 247 Media Group, 3445 Catalina Dr., Carlsbad, CA 92010-2856

Latino soldiers
 Cebu, Phillipines, WW II

AMERICAN PATRIOTS

Horses & Veterans by Robin Collins

Horses are a perfect complement to helping Veterans learn to reintegrate into society. Horse have no sense of shame or guilt, make no judgments, have no biases or hidden agendas and only care about what is going on "in the moment.”  They are responsive and reactive – mirroring Veterans feelings and actions. They give IMMEDIATE feedback to what is happening now.

"Cortes and I, sharing in clean-up duties.""
This outdoor, physical experience with horses helps Veterans develop an awareness of how they are presenting themselves. Veterans are free to express their feelings physically and emotionally with horses they may not be able to do in therapy. The Ranch gives them a safe environment to practice modifying, improving and relearning communication and relation skills. It also allows for time to decompress while learning how to work on stress and anger management issue.  All aspects of horse care will be covered, including grooming, safe handling, equine psychology, herd/social behavior, body language, training and stall cleaning.
                                                                                                                           
I have been experiencing all the different facets of working with the horses and learning about ‘ranch life’ and duties.  This personal familiarity and first hand education has given me adventures that have enriched and changed my life forever.  Along with developing heartfelt relationships with the horses I have met others who have also enjoyed similar experiences and developed deep bonds with the horses and new friends as well.
   
   Horses for Women’s Wellness…Unbridled Spirit

"Developing relationships with Delecia." Our Colonial Spanish Horses come from and represent our period of ‘Pioneer Spirit’ and Discovery, the early colonization time of Colonial California before statehood. These horses embody sensitivity, intelligence and self-reliance not found in today’s breeds, making them extraordinary ambassadors for communication and as partners.

The freedom of his nature abides in the eye of the horse. There is no manner of servitude capable of degrading a horse.   We want to assist in the development of gender and ethnic equality in our ‘Rancho del Sueno’ Women’s Center.  In helping women wear the pants in their life, our courses take women from ‘Victims to Victorious,’ and from ‘Violence to Vision’ to help transform them from war to women of wellness, worth and wisdom.

Our method of education and transformation is partially accomplished with our horses as partners in exploration and development. These Spanish horses were the backbone of our colonization, missions, military, ranching and agricultural endeavors/development in the West. They are the icons of personal freedom because they were the equine partners that survived arduous trips across the ocean and represent adaptability, durability and perservence. They were our companions that helped us develop independent lifestyles in the new world.  Education using this historical period and these special Colonial Spanish horses involves cultural and ethnic diversity, personal evolution and demonstrates the bond between humans and horses.

Where in all the world is nobility found without conceit?

Where in all the world is nobility found without conceit?
Where is their friendship without envy?  
Here one finds gracefulness coupled with power, and strength tempered by gentleness…

Our goal is to assist in the development and pursuit of individual choice.  We welcome women from all ethnic backgrounds, all ages, personal challenges and alternative lifestyles.

The freedom of his nature abides in the eye of the horse. There is no manner of servitude capable of degrading a horse.  

 
Please help us continue: DONATE and help to preserve the historical Legacy of the Spanish horse in the development of the United States, and help our veterans, women and men.  www.ranchodelsueno.com
Heritage Discovery Center/Rancho del Sueno (Equine division)  40222 Millstream Lane, Madera CA 93636559 868-8681 hdcincrlc@aol.com  & hdcranchodelsueno@gmail.com

The Voces Oral History Project 
by Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez, PhD. 
March 14, 2017

Voces Oral History Project, The University of Texas at Austin, School of Journalism, 300 W. Dean Keeton A1000, Austin, TX 78712

It is outstanding, interviews, news clips, well narrated, and respectful of the Mexican-Americans involved in WW II.

"Doc" also sends along his website, with lots of military stories and information.  http://www.sealtwo.org 
docrio45@gmail.com

Do not fear the enemy, for they can take only your life.
Fear the media,  for they will distort your grasp of reality and destroy your honor.

Click here: 50 Breathtaking WWII Colorized Photos - Google Search

ALFRED LUGO

DOCUMENTARY PRODUCER/PLAYWRIGHT

VETERAN ALERT!!!

Vietnam Veteran Robert Rosebrock will be going to trial again on Tuesday April 18, 2017 but this time Judicial Watch is representing Robert L. Rosebrock, a Vietnam-era veteran who faces federal criminal charges for displaying two four by six inch American flags outside a Veterans Affairs fence on Memorial Day, May 30, 2016.

Mr. Rosebrock is asking for interested veterans to attend the trial for moral support. Please attend if you can, to see what is really happening at the West Los Angeles Veterans Administration’s property and to Robert Rosebrock. This should not be happening in America! Yes, you can burn the Flag but cannot display it!

Fellow Veterans and Friends of Veterans:

This is a link to Judicial Watch's Facebook with video news reported by JW president Tom Fitton .... https://www.facebook.com/pg/JudicialWatch/videos/?ref=page_internal 

Open first frame and fast forward to 8:45 minutes and Tom covers our cause and holds up 4 x 6 American Flag and makes a dramatic presentation.

The second frame "Should displaying the American Flag be a FEDERAL CRIME?" has pictorial overview.

God Bless America and the Veterans Revolution!

http://www.veteranstoday.com/tag/robert-rosebrock/   

BOEING B-29 SUPERFORTRESS - - - Pima Air and Space Museum, Tucson, Arizona

BOEING B-29 SUPERFORTRESS
The B-29 was designed as what the Army Air Forces called a "Hemisphere Defense Weapon." The 1940 specifications called for an aircraft capable of carrying 20,000 pounds of bombs for 5,333 miles at a speed of 400 miles an hour. While it did not meet all these goals the B-29 still carried more bombs, higher, farther and faster than any other bomber of World War II. It also introduced pressurized crew compartments to military aircraft, which allowed the crews to forego the heavy and awkward cold weather flying clothes that crews of other planes, were forced to wear. Over 4,000 Super Fortresses were built and many continued to serve the U.S. Air Force into the early 1950s as bombers, reconnaissance planes, and as refueling tankers.

Source:  Pima Air and Space Museum, Tucson, Arizona 
Click here: SUPERFORTRESS

EDUCATION

Subject: Honor student, Hallie Parsons Alcantar
Sharing pride in our children's scholastic accomplishments
Sent by Grandpa, Edward Arechabala Alcantar  

to put the 
"Cherry on top, on the cornucopia of life"

Our granddaughter Miss Hallie age 10.  
She has 4 honor classes too. 

Proud Grandpa,  Edward Arechabala Alcantar   edshrl7@gmail.com 
Proud Mom: Dina Parsons Alcantar
dina@dinaparsons.com
Assistant Vice President 
Fidelity National Title  

Fountain Valley sibling scientists will present at international symposium 
by Greg Mellen, 
Orange County Register, 12-6-16

Next week, Nicola Weiss and the children will be going to San Francisco to make presentations at the prestigious American Geophysical Union’s Fall Meeting, which begins Monday. It’s the largest international gathering of earth and space scientists, with more than 25,000 scientists, educators and students scheduled to attend.

The Weisses will be represented by Sean, who’s presenting for the second year, triplets Cameron, Evan and Megan, 14, and Ian, 12, as well as Nicola. The family will present posters that display their projects and findings.

Last year, Nicola Weiss, 45, who has helped launch several so-called STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – programs in local schools, took her kids to the Geophysical Union to experience the event. Weiss is a stay-at-home mom as well as a volunteer for numerous causes.

“The other four (children) were inspired by everything they saw up there,” she said of the effect on her kids, who each took up a project to undertake for consideration this year.

Well, mostly.  “I don’t know if I wanted to (create a project) or had to,” admitted Megan, a freshman at Edison High whose talents take a more artistic than scientific turn.

Her brothers break into peals of laughter when recounting an experiment Megan undertook last year to see if beetles could become stronger through exercise. The experiment apparently involved calisthenics and the pulling of sleds and weights by the insects.

“It wasn’t a bad idea. It was just the execution,” Ian says, setting off another round of laughs.

For this year’s event, Megan studied carbon dioxide conversion to determine which of several kinds of plants release the most oxygen, apparently finding plants made easier test subjects than beetles.

Sean is looking into the very topical and current field of converting methane from cow manure into energy to reduce greenhouse gases. He has been ablle to use methane from cow manure to power several appliances, including a refrigerator.

Cameron studied desalination and the optimal environment for the process. Evan looked at organic decomposition and the release of greenhouse gas, and Ian studied converting heat radiating off pavement into an energy system. He is also one of two students from Talbert Middle School presenting a group project on an array of threats to oceans, including debris and acidification.

Nicola Weiss and John Wood, a teacher at Talbert Middle School, will also have a poster presentation about the STEM program at Talbert.

All five of the children are part of the Bright Students Training as Research Scientists (STaRS) program that brought about 100 middle and high school students to present their research at the gathering.

The students followed the same abstract submission process and standards as the professional scientists making presentations.

Sean’s and Ian’s projects both came from real-life observations. While on poop scooping duty in the backyard, Sean realized there was energy stored in the feces. That eventually led him to explore different projects, including harvesting energy from cow waste, earning him recognition in several science contests.

“It’s had its ups and downs,” Sean says of his experiments.

“Let’s just say one of the lab coats has a permanent stain,” he adds, referring to the effects of the stench on his digestion.

Sean also received recognition in the Register in 2013 for organizing blood drives and for raising money for cancer research when his friend Zach Zeissner was dying from the disease. Those efforts have led Sean to consider a career in medicine.

For the Edison High sophomore, science is all about exploration and discovery.

Ian, meanwhile, came up with his project idea after burning his toes on hot pavement.

Wood, a scientist who has done extensive polar research, has taught all the Weiss children at Talbert and said he’s proud of the work they are producing.

He said he first met Sean when he was a 12-year-old with a mile-a-minute mind and has been gratified to see him developing focus in his research.

He sees in Ian the same kind of imagination that can observe phenomena and design experiments and produce results.

Nicola Weiss began looking for learning programs and opportunities several years ago when Sean began showing an interest in science. Since then, in addition to helping launch the STEM program at Talbert, she has been involved with the Academy of Sustainability at Edison High and its acclaimed Innovation Lab. She has even done some consulting with the Discovery Cube science center in Santa Ana.

Wood credits the Weiss parents with creating a strong learning environment for the kids. While there is expectation placed on them, he said it is girded by support.

Chad, the creative director for an advertising agency, is described as the one who gives the children their artistic sensibilities.

“This is the type of team effort you like to see in families,” he said.

Talking about his parents’ expectations and support, Evan said, “They drive us to do what we can. But they also expose us to options.”

Whether it’s high school lacrosse or rubbing elbows with some of the leading minds in science in San Francisco, Nicola Weiss said she wants her children to have experiences from which to make choices.

“The thing I hope they get is that little spark,” she said. “If they’re passionate about something, I know they’ll follow through.”

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/weiss-737590-sean-science.html

Source: Los Angeles Times ad, 2-19-17
http://sections.latimes.com/back-to-school/2017/02/#?article=2882315

Fusion Academy revolutionizes the ways students learn, teachers teach, 
La Times, 2-19-17

Fusion Academy is a private middle and high school, but don’t be too quick to envision uniforms and lecture halls. At Fusion, classes are one-to-one: just one student and one teacher per classroom. This allows for personalization of curriculum for each individual student’s strengths and learning style.

This education model was born of frustration with the status quo, and out of a passionate belief in the power of positive relationships to unlock academic potential. Fusion has two of its 40 campuses in Orange County, located in Huntington Beach and Mission Viejo.

The educational experience at Fusion is completely customized to ignite a student’s passion for learning. 

Classes are self-paced, and course material is presented in ways that suit students’ individual interests. It was modeled around the needs of students who weren’t finding their place in traditional school environments – whether they struggled with mild learning differences, social issues, the rigid scheduling, or the boredom of a classroom not geared to accelerated learners.

Along with personalized curriculum, Fusion’s one-to-one teaching model also allows for customized scheduling. Students may enroll at any time of the year, and take classes at a time of day that works best for them. This appeals to students who have demanding schedules outside of school because of sports or artistic involvement.

Each campus includes a state-of-the-art recording studio and mixed-media art studio for students to express their creativity, and a Homework Café where students complete their homework before leaving for the day.

Fusion also offers tutoring and mentoring services. Families turn to Fusion to support their homeschooling efforts by taking classes for credit like world languages and lab sciences. Beyond academics, Fusion partners with therapeutic professionals to support students’ emotional health and help foster a balanced life.

From algebra to yoga and everything in between, Fusion offers more than 250 middle and high school courses,all of which meet state standards. Creative expression is at the core of Fusion, as the pivotal role it plays in students’ wellbeing is understood. The schools offer a robust roster of elective classes like DJ performing arts, graphic design, music theory, vocal fundamentals, recording arts, digital photography, film studies and more.

To learn more, please visit www.FusionHuntingtonBeach.com or www.FusionMissionViejo.com.

El Rancho’s academic enrichment mission continues 
with new buildings, open enrollment

Los Angeles Times ad, 2-19-17

RELIGION

Stone masters 
at Jewish cemetery in India
 by Shashank Bengali, La Times, 2-26-17,

He has done this for half a century, carefully etching the stones that mark the final resting places for members of Mumbai’s dwindling Bene Israel Jewish community.

Behind him, the small graveyard unfolded across a quiet grove of trees in the city’s central business district. More than 6,500 tombstones, most adorned with the Star of David, rose in neat rows from patches of uneven grass. The blare of car horns and thrum of construction crews, the persistent soundtrack of India’s financial capital, seemed to fade inside the tidy cemetery.

Abdul Yaseen, 76, adjusted his glasses and wiped his brow with the sleeve of a crisp button-down shirt that he wore above a loose-fitting cotton dhoti. A small notebook lay in front of him, a stone holding open the page that bore the English epitaph that a family had asked him to sketch, for an 84-yearold woman who died in January:

“Till memory lives and life departs, You will live forever in our hearts.” At the top of the stone Abdul Yaseen had written a brief prayer in Hebrew. As a boy growing up in the northern agricultural state of Uttar Pradesh, he did not learn how to read or write in any language. When he moved to Mumbai in 1968 to look for work, he met Aaron Menasse Navgavikar, a Bene Israel Jew who engraved the community’s tombstones and was looking for an assistant.

Working with Navgavikar, Abdul Yaseen learned not only Marathi, the language of Mumbai and its surroundings, but also Hindi, English and Hebrew. When Navgavikar moved to Israel in the 1970s, Abdul Yaseen took over the practice.

He arrives at the cemetery, marked by a blue sign along a metal archway, around 9 a.m. and works until 1 p.m., except on Fridays, when he leaves earlier in order to attend prayers at his mosque.

Abdul Yaseen is an unassuming symbol of Mumbai’s polyglot heritage: a Muslim engraving Jewish headstones in a city that, like the rest of the country, is overwhelmingly Hindu. Although tensions between Hindus and Muslims have sometimes devolved into communal violence in India, there is less strife surrounding the smaller Jewish and Christian communities.

“India should always be mixed like this,” Abdul Yaseen said. “It doesn’t matter that I am Muslim. It only matters that the community has taken us in and treated us well.”

He brought his son, Islam, into the trade. Now it is the younger man, 53, who operates the heavy stone cutter and chisels the stone by hand. Abdul Yaseen’s body has grown frail, though his hands remain steady enough to sketch out the letters, which he does with the precision and concentration of a surgeon.

Their work may not pass to another generation. The Bene Israel Jews, who have lived along India’s western coast for two millenniums, numbered 20,000 in the 1940s. But with India’s independence in 1947 and the creation of Israel the following year, many began migrating. There are roughly 2,000 Jews left in Mumbai and the surrounding state of Maharashtra, and fewer than 5,000 in all of India.

Islam led a visitor to the oldest grave marker at the cemetery, a simple white slab erected in 1927, and more recently encased in protective concrete. In Hebrew and Marathi, it memorializes Levy Isaac Charikar, who died almost exactly 90 years ago, at the age of 5.

Nowadays, Abdul Yaseen and his son get requests for only two or three headstones every month. Occasionally, a Christian church in one of Mumbai’s suburbs will give them some work. Hindus cremate their dead and Muslim graves rarely feature elaborate markers, so the market for their expertise is limited.

Abdul Yaseen, too, has been invited by community members to move to Israel, where he could continue to work. His wife died 15 years ago and his children — another son and two daughters — all have families of their own.

But he has not seriously considered leaving. He has never been outside India. These days, his life is confined to his small apartment, the cemetery and a mosque, all just minutes from one another on his bicycle.

“I’m as good as retired,” he said.

Islam, who joined the trade at age 19, has his father’s fine, slicked back hair and solemn eyes. Sweat gathered on his forehead as he maneuvered the stone cutter, noisily carving the granite into small squares that would adorn the 84year-old woman’s grave.

His two sons never gave a thought to working at the graveyard. One got into a four-year training program at an outsourcing company that handles technical support for U.S. businesses. Another works as an engineer in Saudi Arabia and was recently married.

With pride, Islam said his son had taken his bride on a honeymoon to Singapore and Malaysia.

“With his own money,” he said, smiling. “That is what boys these days want to do. We worked with our hands so that we could educate them, but it doesn’t mean we should do this forever.”

Rabbit hole leads to incredible 700-year-old Knights Templar cave complex
Digging History, Fox News Published March 07, 2017

Photos by Michael Scott/ Caters News - (Picured: The hole into the caves)  It might look like an ordinary rabbits hole, but this tunnel unearths a stunning CAVE. The unassuming hole reveals a cave which is hidden less than a metre beneath a farmers field.

A font in the caves (MichaelScott/Caters News)

Once inside, Scott encountered arches, walkways, and carved niches. He described the caves as cramped, noting that anyone nearing six-feet tall has to bend down inside the complex. “I had to crouch down and once I was in it was completely silent,” he said. “There were a few spiders in there but that was it. Said to be 700 years old, the caves have been long been linked to the Knights Templar – a Catholic military order that played a key role during the Crusades. Named after Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, where the order was based, the order was founded in 1119 protect pilgrims visiting the Holy Land. With the loss of the Holy Land, the Templars’ military influence waned, although they still held great economic sway in medieval Europe. In 1307 the French King Philip IV, who wanted to wipe out his debts to the order, launched a plot to bring the Knights Templar down. Many Templars were arrested on charges including heresy and dozens were later burned at the stake. Pope Clement V disbanded the order in 1312.

The untouched caves, in Shropshire, date back 700 years when they were used by the Knights Templars - a medieval religious order that fought in the Crusades. Photographer Michael Scott, from Birmingham, set out in search of the historical wonder after seeing a video of it online. SEE CATERS COPY.
The entrance to the cave complex. (MICHAEL SCOTT/CATERS NEWS)

The caves had been closed for a number of years before Scott’s visit. Black magic ceremonies reportedly forced the owners to seal up the entrance to the caves in 2012.  While some people believe the caves are 700 years old, others think that the complex was carved out by followers of the Templars in the 17th century.

Photos of interior: http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/knights-templar-cave 
More images: Click here: Caynton Caves network - Google Search

The one passage on the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict that the mainstream media will never print  

Lost in most all of the media’s coverage of the conflict in Gaza, and more broadly the battle between Israel and the Arab world is a candid discussion of the history of Israel’s founding and specifically what happened to the Arabs of Palestine at the time of its founding.

Shmuel Katz, a South African native who emigrated to Israel in the 1930s, served in the Irgun and later held a seat in Israel’s First Knesset wrote at length about this very topic in his 1973 title “Battleground: Fact & Fantasy in Palestine.” And he asserts something that would enrage today’s mainstream media and undermine a crucial element to their narrative on the conflict: that the notion that Arabs were forcibly displaced from Palestine and made refugees is a farce.

Proclamation of Nationhood is read by Israel’s Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. Around him are members of the provisional government, including Foreign Minister Moshe Shertok (third from right). Labor Minister Moshe Ben Tov (extreme right) wears sport shirt. Portrait above is of Theodor Herzl, Zionism’s founder. (Image Source: Frank Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

Katz makes his argument largely based upon the words of the Western media and Arab leaders themselves during the time of Israel’s founding. Below is the relevant passage:

The Arabs are the only declared refugees who became refugees not by the action of their enemies or because of well-grounded fear of their enemies, but by the initiative of their own leaders. For nearly a generation, those leaders have willfully kept as many people as they possibly could in degenerating squalor, preventing their rehabilitation, and holding out to all of them the hope of return and of “vengeance” on the Jews of Israel, to whom they have transferred the blame for their plight.

“The Arabs are the only declared refugees who became refugees.. by the initiative of their own leaders”

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The fabrication can probably most easily be seen in the simple circumstance that at the time the alleged cruel expulsion of Arabs by Zionists was in progress, it passed unnoticed. Foreign newspapermen who covered the war of 1948 on both sides did, indeed, write about the flight of the Arabs, but even those most hostile to the Jews saw nothing to suggest that it was not voluntary.

In the three months during which the major part of the flight took place – April, May, and June 1948 – the London Times, at that time [openly] hostile to Zionism, published eleven leading articles on the situation in Palestine in addition to extensive news reports and articles. In none was there even a hint of the charge that the Zionists were, driving the Arabs from their homes.

More interesting still, no Arab spokesman mentioned the subject. At the height of the flight, on April 27, Jamat Husseini, the Palestine Arabs’ chief representative at the United Nations, made a long political statement, which was not lacking in hostility toward the Zionists; he did not mention refugees. Three weeks later (while the flight was still in progress), the Secretary General of the Arab League, Azzam Pasha, made a fiercely worded political statement on Palestine; it contained not a word about refugees.

The Arab refugees were not driven from Palestine by anyone. The vast majority left, whether of their own free will or at the orders or exhortations of their leaders, always with the same reassurance that their departure would help in the war against Israel. Attacks by Palestinian Arabs on the Jews had begun two days after the United Nations adopted its decision of November 29, 1947, to divide western Palestine into an Arab and a Jewish state. The seven neighboring Arab states Syria, Lebanon, Transjordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Egypt then prepared to invade the country as soon as the birth of the infant State of Israel was announced.

“The Arab refugees were not driven from Palestine by anyone”

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Their victory was certain, they claimed, but it would be speeded and made easier if the local Arab population got out of the way. The refugees would come back in the wake of the victorious Arab armies and not only recover their own property but also inherit the houses and farms of the vanquished and annihilated Jews. Between December 1, 1947, and May 15, 1948, the clash was largely between bands of local Arabs, aided by the disintegrating British authority, and the Jewish fighting organizations.

The earliest voluntary refugees were understandably the wealthier Arabs of the towns, who made a comparatively leisurely departure in December 1947 and in early 1948. At that stage, departure had not yet been proclaimed as a policy or recognized as a potential propaganda weapon. The Jaffa newspaper Ash Shalab thus wrote on January 30, 1948:

“The first group of our fifth column consists of those who abandon their houses and businesses and go to live elsewhere. . . . At the first sign of trouble they take to their heels to escape sharing the burden of struggle.”

 

Featured Book Title: Battleground: Fact & Fantasy in Palestine Author: Samuel Katz Purchase this book

Another weekly, As-Sarih of Jaffa, used even more scathing terms on March 30, 1948, to accuse the inhabitants of Sheikh Munis and other villages in the neighborhood of Tel Aviv of “bringing down disgrace on us all” by “abandoning their villages.” On May 5, the Jerusalem correspondent of the London Times was reporting: “The Arab streets are curiously deserted and, ardently following the poor example of the more moneyed class there has been an exodus from Jerusalem too, though not to the same extent as in Jaffa and Haifa.”

As the local Arab offensive spread during the late winter and early spring of 1948, the Palestinian Arabs were urged to take to the hills, so as to leave the invading Arab armies unencumbered by a civilian population. Before the State of Israel had been formally declared – and while the British still ruled the country – over 200,000 Arabs left their homes in the coastal plain of Palestine.

These exhortations came primarily from their own local leaders. Monsignor George Hakim, then Greek Catholic Bishop of Galilee, the leading Christian personality in Palestine for many years, told a Beirut newspaper in the summer of 1948, before the flight of Arabs had ended:

“The refugees were confident that their absence would not last long, and that they would return within a week or two. Their leaders had promised them that the Arab armies would crush the ‘Zionist gangs’ very quickly and that there was no need for panic or fear of a long exile.” [Sada at Tanub, August 16, 1948]

The exodus was indeed common knowledge. The London weekly Economist reported on October 2, 1948:

“Of the 62,000 Arabs who formerly lived in Haifa not more than 5,000 or 6,000 remained. Various factors influenced their decision to seek safety in flight. There is but little doubt that the most potent of the factors were the announcements made over the air by the Higher Arab Executive, urging the Arabs to quit.. . . It was clearly intimated that those Arabs who remained in Haifa and accepted Jewish protection would be regarded as renegades.”

And the Near East Arabic Broadcasting Station from Cyprus stated on April 3, 1949: “It must not be forgotten that the Arab Higher Committee encouraged the refugees’ flight from their homes in Jaffa, Haifa, and Jerusalem.”

Even in retrospect, in an effort to describe the deliberateness of the flight, the leading Arab propagandist of the day, Edward Atiyah (then Secretary of the Arab League Office in London), reaffirmed the facts:

“This wholesale exodus was due partly to the belief of the Arabs, encouraged by the boasting of an unrealistic Arab press and the irresponsible utterances of some of the Arab leaders that it could be only a matter of some weeks before the Jews were defeated by the armies of the Arab States and the Palestinian Arabs enabled to re-enter and retake possession of their country.”

Kenneth Bilby, one of the Americans who covered Palestine for several weeks during the war of 1948, wrote soon afterwards on his experience and observations:

“The Arab exodus, initially at least, was encouraged by many Arab leaders, such as Haj Amin el Husseini, the exiled pro-Nazi Mufti of Jerusalem, and by the Arab Higher Committee for Palestine. They viewed the first wave of Arab setbacks as merely transitory. Let the Palestine Arabs flee into neighboring countries. It would serve to arouse the other Arab peoples to greater effort, and when the Arab invasion struck, the Palestinians could return to their homes and be compensated with the property of Jews driven into the sea.” [New Star in the Near East (New York, 1950), pp. 30-31]

“The Arab States encouraged the Palestine Arabs to leave their homes temporarily”

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After the war, the Palestine Arab leaders did try to help people –including their own–to forget that it was they who had called for the exodus in the early spring of 1948. They now blamed the leaders of the invading Arab states themselves. These had added their voices to the exodus call, enough not until some weeks after the Palestine Arab fighter Committee had taken a stand. The war was not yet over when Emil Ghoury, Secretary of the Arab Higher Committee, the official leadership of the Palestinian Arabs, stated in an interview with a Beirut newspaper:

I do not want to impugn anybody but only to help the refugees. The fact that there are these refugees is the direct consequence of the action of the Arab States in opposing Partition and the Jewish State. The Arab States agreed upon this policy unanimously and they must share in the solution of the problem. [Daily Telegraph, September 6, 1948]

In retrospect, the Jordanian newspaper Falastin wrote on February 19, 1949:

The Arab States encouraged the Palestine Arabs to leave their homes temporarily in order to be out of the way of the Arab invasion armies.

The Secretary General of the Arab League, Azzam Pasha, assured the Arab peoples that the occupation of Palestine and of Tel Aviv would be as simple as a military promenade. . . . He pointed out that they were already on the frontiers and that all the millions the Jews had spent on land and economic development would be easy booty, for it would be a simple matter to throw Jews into the Mediterranean. . . Brotherly advice was given to the Arabs of Palestine to leave their land, homes, and property and to stay temporarily in neighboring fraternal states, lest the guns of the invading Arab armies mow them down.

As late as 1952, the charge had the official stamp of the Arab Higher Committee. In a memorandum to the Arab League states, the Committee wrote: 

Some of the Arab leaders and their ministers in Arab capitals . . . declared that they welcomed the immigration of Palestinian Arabs into the Arab countries until they saved Palestine. Many of the Palestinian Arabs were misled by their declarations…. It was natural for those Palestinian Arabs who felt impelled to leave their country to take refuge in Arab lands . . . and to stay in such adjacent places in order to maintain contact with their country so that to return to it would be easy when, according to the promises of many of those responsible in the Arab countries (promises which were given wastefully), the time was ripe. Many were of the opinion that such an opportunity would come in the hours between sunset and sunrise.

Most pointed of all was the comment of one of the refugees: “The Arab governments told us: Get out so that we can get in. So we got out, but they did not get in.”

 

Note: The link to the books in this post will give you an option to elect to donate a percentage of the proceeds from the sale to a charity of your choice. Mercury One, the charity founded by TheBlaze’s Glenn Beck, is one of the options. Donations to Mercury One go towards efforts such as disaster relief, support for education, support for Israel and support for veterans and our military. You can read more about Amazon Smile and Mercury One here.

This message may contain copyrighted material which is being made available for research of environmental, political, human rights, economic, scientific, social justice issues, etc., and constitutes a "fair use" of such copyrighted material per section 107 of US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material in this message is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research/educational purposes. For more information go to:  http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

Sent by Odell Harwell 
odell.harwell74@att.net

CULTURE

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/art-737947-surf-roy.html

BOOKS & PRINT MEDIA

Artist: Ignacio Gomez 

April 10th is the final deadline for the 2017 International Latino Book Awards, our 19th competition. The Awards have grown substantially over the years and are now the largest Latino cultural Awards in the USA. We've enclosed the 10 page ILBA 2017 Awards Package in both English and Spanish. 

Winners have come from nearly state in the USA, almost every Spanish and Portuguese speaking country around the world, and more than a dozen other countries. Winners have come from major publishing houses, smaller publishers, as well as from self published authors. In total 2,171 authors and publishers have won over the past two decades.

Editor: Armando Rendon
http://www.somosenescrito.com/2017/03/writers-of-resistance-somos-en-escrito.html

Latinopia founder Jesús S.Treviño documented on film and in his book “Eyewitness: A Filmmaker's Memoir of the Chicano Movement” the most important events in the Mexican American/Chicano Civil Rights Movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. “¡CHICANO! History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement,” the 1997 four-part PBS documentary series that Jesús co-produced remains a classroom staple throughout the country.

Jesús recently received the 2016 American Book Award given by The Before Columbus Foundation for his collection of short stories, “Return to Arroyo Grande” (Arte Público).

Other national awards Jesús has received include: ALMA Award for Outstanding Director of a Television Drama, and Outstanding Co-Executive Producer of Best Prime-time drama series, and (twice) Directors Guild of America award.

Salomón Baldenegro

HERE’S THE LINK TO LATINOPIA: http://latinopia.com/blogs/political-salsa-y-mas-with-salomon-baldenegro-3-12-17-false-heroes/  

Arte Público Press 
September 2015 
ISBN-13: 978-1-55885-819-0 
Paperback 160pp $17.95 

 Timewatch - The Myth of the Spanish Inquisition (BBC 1994) - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY-pS6iLFuc 

Imperiofobia y Leyenda Negra, 
Roma, Rusia, Estados Unidos y el Imperio español
 ~ Maria Elvia Roca Barea

ABC Lee la primera edición de ABC del domingo 5 de marzo en Kiosko y Más
María Elvira Roca Barea:  "Hernán Cortés tenía un hijo indio que adoraba, mientras que Jefferson vendió a sus hijos mestizos."

La editorial Siruela publica un ensayo sobre la hispanofobia todavía vigente en Europa

Guardado en: Cultura Libros
El éxito del libro «Imperiofobia y leyenda negra» (Siruela), que ya va por su quinta edición, ha sorprendido a su autora, María Elvira Roca Barea, sin una razón para explicarlo. ¿Está España en uno de sus momentos más bajos de autoestima? ¿Son los ataques a su historia lo que reclaman urgentemente este tipo de lecturas? «No creo que estemos peor que hace cuatro años, por ejemplo. La autoestima española está por los suelos desde hace siglos. Eso ya es una constante».

Autoestima, propaganda y leyenda negra son términos íntimamente relacionados. El Diccionario de la RAE define leyenda negra como aquella «opinión contra lo español difundida a partir del siglo XVI» y como «opinión desfavorable y generalizada sobre alguien o algo». Frente a otros libros recientes que han analizado este fenómeno como algo ya superado, Roca Barea denuncia su fuerte penetración en corrientes culturales fundamentales en Europa. Del Humanismo a la Ilustración; del nacionalismo germánico al italiano... «Es difícil que la gente acepte una historia diferente de la que se escribió en el siglo XIX. En ese momento toda la propaganda protestante contra España se convirtió en historia normalizada», explica.

El origen de la falsificación y el odio
Los primeros cimientos de esta guerra de mentiras y medias verdades surgieron en la Italia del siglo XVI, aquella que frente a la superioridad militar de los aragoneses y los castellanos respondió al principio con ironía: «Dios s’era fatto Spagnolo» (Dios estaba de parte de los españoles). Del sarcasmo y la burla se pasó pronto al antisemitismo a través de la proclamación de que los españoles tenían sangre de «marranos», esto es, que se mezclaban con los judíos. Pero fue en su salto al Norte de Europa cuando el asunto adquirió realmente dimensiones racistas. «En el caso del nacionalismo alemán hay un antisemitismo muy violento y una inquina contra lo latino ya en el siglo XV. Es complicado encontrar el origen de tanto odio», sintentiza la autora de «Imperiofobia y leyenda negra».

La profesora malagueña María Elvira RocaLa profesora malagueña María Elvira Roca- EFE
Al valerse Carlos I de España y V de Alemania del oro y la infantería española para hacerse con el cetro imperial, los príncipes alemanes temieron que un emperador con poder real pudiera amenazar su independencia. «La religión solo fue una excusa. Había habido muchos luteros antes de Lutero, él solo fue el vendedor de una mercancía que necesitaban los nobles para fastidiar al emperador», sostiene Roca Barea.

El Imperio español sufrió un constante choque de trenes contra los nacionalismos emergentes del siglo XVI, del que acabó naciendo el protestantismo y la propaganda moderna. Al igual que su padre, Felipe II reaccionó con torpeza ante una rebelión en los Países Bajos instigada por la nobleza local y camuflada de guerra religiosa. «En ideologías como la protestante es necesario construir un enemigo común y colocarle todas las cualidades del mal. La contrapropaganda española fracasó estrepitosamente porque los pueblos católicos no han sabido manejarla. Felipe II pensaba que la verdad se terminaría imponiendo y eso pocas veces ocurre».

–Nada más empezar el libro presentas tus cartas ideológicas y tus convicciones religiosas, ¿es algo imprescindible para hablar de estos temas?

–Era necesaria la presentación de mis cartas ideológicas porque al final este es un libro de opinión sobre la Historia. Pero no hay que ser de derechas o de izquierda para defender que ha existido una leyenda negra. Ha habido pocos españoles más allá de Julián Juderías y Loyot que hayan explicado realmente la envergadura de esta leyenda negra tan bien como Salvador de Madariaga. Y no se puede decir que Madariaga fuera ideológicamente de derechas.

–Hay quien directamente dice que no existe esta leyenda negra o que ya no está en vigor.

–Eso es porque han asumido un paquete ideológico donde la leyenda negra está presente. Hay que tener en cuenta que no existe el vacío: si se quita la leyenda negra del argumentario de muchas ideologías habría que relatar otra historia de Europa a modo de sustitución. Y es difícil que la gente acepte una historia diferente de la que se escribió en el siglo XIX, cuando toda la propaganda protestante contra españa se convirtió en historia normalizada y oficial.

«Los imperios son fenómenos de expansión con integración por replicación, esto es, emplean grandes herramientas de integración de pueblos distintos»–En el libro lo primero que explicas es que la imperiofobia es algo que han sufrido prácticamente todos los imperios.

–La imperiofobia es muy habitual. Está muy arraigada en el ser humano como protesta al poder hegemónico. Los italianos vivían en una Europa dominada por los españoles y cuando se cabreaban decían que pareciera que eran los primogénitos de Dios. No obstante, cabe señalar que una cosa es este resquemor (algo inconsciente) y otra el proceso de construcción consciente que dio lugar a la leyenda negra. No es algo difuso, en el libro expongo que es una actividad muy bien organizada, donde ciertas oligarquías tienen un fuertísimo vínculo con los intelectuales y un control sobre los mecanismos con los que se escribe la historia.

–¿Cómo es posible que algunos imperios hayan esquivado esta imagen tan negativa sobre ellos, como es el caso del Imperio británico?

–El Imperio romano sufrió también su particular leyenda negra, pero hay procesos de reconciliación y rehabilitación que son efectivos a lo largo de los siglos. En el caso del Imperio británico, directamente no creo que fuera un imperio, porque el Colonialismo es un fenómeno diferente. Los imperios son fenómenos de expansión con integración por replicación, esto es, emplean grandes herramientas de integración de pueblos distintos. Por el contrario, el Colonialismo no genera mestizaje, ni cultural ni racial. Para los ingleses una cosa era la metrópoli y otra las colonias.

–Es hasta cierto punto lógico que los enemigos de estos imperios inventen mentiras, pero en qué punto consiguen que los propios países calumniados asuman estas leyendas como ciertas.

–Los imperios necesitan mantener viva la autocrítica para poder mejorar y aprender de los errores. En el caso español, la autocrítica ayudó a desarrollar el Derecho internacional en la Universidad de Salamanca y las leyes en defensa de los indígenas. Sin embargo, otra cosa es que esta crítica, ya negativa, sea asumida cuando los imperios ya ni siquiera existen. Lo sorprendente de España es su resistencia, su tenacidad y su capacidad de soportar todas estas mentiras. En el mundo británica la crítica está totalmente prohibida. Si alguien critica su historia desaparece de la visibilidad. Todavía no me he topado en mi vida con un solo inglés que supiera que Shakespeare era católico. Cuando se lo dices se quedan a cuadros y lo niegan.

–EE.UU. es el actual imperio y quien recibe el aluvión de críticas, ¿las está gestionando mejor que España?

–No sé si está teniendo más éxito. Los estudiosos norteamericanos de la leyenda negra española han entendido al momento lo que ocurrió con España y las similitudes con el caso de EE.UU. No hay un solo estudioso americano que haya negado en la actualidad la leyenda negra, mientras que algunos británicos como Henry Kamen han rebajado su importancia o han dicho que no tienen vigencia.

–Al final la conclusión a la que llega la leyenda negra es que los anglosajones son superiores a los latinos.

–Ese es el hilo sobre el que se ha extendido la idea generalizada hoy de que el norte es trabajador, virtuoso, cumplidor y los inventores del todo lo bueno de Occidente. Eso a pesar de que es manifiestamente falso. El primer avance hacia el lujo en el estilo de vida se produjo en la Italia renacentista, que cultivaba la elegancia y el bienestar.

«¿Qué une a todos los PIGS (Portugal, Italia, Irlanda, Grecia y España? Pues que ninguno es protestante»–¿Entonces en la prima de riesgo también hay rastro de la leyenda negra?

–Ocurre siempre que hay problemas. En 2008, el norte con toda su propaganda volvió a excitar a la opinión pública en la idea que la culpa de la crisis la tenía el sur y su atraso crónico. La prima de riesgo ha subido en los países del sur y bajado en el norte, a pesar de que Alemania es quien más problemas de pago tuvo en el siglo XX y de que Gran Bretaña tuvo una crisis enorme en 1976. España, en cambio, lleva pagando todas sus letras sin fallar en sus obligaciones desde 1898. Te has preguntado alguna vez ¿qué une a todos los PIGS (Portugal, Italia, Irlanda, Grecia y España)? Pues que ninguno es protestante.

–Los europeos de su tiempo decían de los españoles que tenían su sangre contaminada por mezclarse con los judíos, pero luego uno de los puntales de la leyenda negra es el supuesto fanatismo español contra los hebreos. ¿Cómo es esto compatible?

–Ha habido un montón de expulsiones de judíos en Europa y todas más terribles que en España, porque aquí no hubo un decreto de expulsión sino de conversión; y sin embargo solo se recuerda la de 1492 en el imaginario. Esto es porque en el origen del Sionismo los sefarditas magnificaron su importancia social en la Península ibérica y así justificaron la caída del Imperio español por las consecuencias de esta expulsión. Pero eso es imposible si precisamente un siglo después del decreto España se había convertido en el país más poderoso de Europa. Un relato exagerado de la importancia de los judíos en la España de los Reyes Católicos que además sirve a los protestantes para decir que los españoles tenían la sangre contaminada.

–La Inquisición española es presentada muchas veces como el máximo exponente de la intolerancia religiosa en la historia.

–El contexto en el que se desarrolla la Inquisición era de una intolerancia religiosa generalizada en Europa. Todo el mundo lo era, pero la diferencia estaba en cómo se gestiona esta intolerancia en cada territorio. Se podía hacer como en el centro de Europa con la persecución bárbara contra brujas o las quemas que hizo Calvino de los católicos; o bien como en España con el tribunal de mayores garantías procesales de su tiempo: la Inquisición. En este sentido, el primer autor que niega las cifras de la inquisición es un inglés estudioso del derecho del XIX que, comparando el derecho anglosajón con el derecho romano, llega a la conclusión que el Santo Oficio no pudo provocar tantos muertos con un proceso legal tan complejo.

Grabado del holandés Theodor de Bry (1528–1598) mostrando la supuesta quema de indígenas en AméricaGrabado del holandés Theodor de Bry (1528–1598) mostrando la supuesta quema de indígenas en América

–A lo mejor el problema de la Inquisición para que perdure en la memoria no está en las crifras, sino en que se alargó mucho en el tiempo. Hasta 1834 no se abolió definitivamente.

–Lo de alargarse en el tiempo no es buen referente, porque la Inquisición española terminó mucho antes de que fuera legal enterrar a un católico en Inglaterra. Tampoco es cierto que la Inquisición ejerciera una represión cultural realmente efectiva. Los memoriales de los arbitristas que elevaban a los Reyes Habsburgo o los textos de muchos clérigos eran altamente críticos con la Monarquía y a esa gente no le pasaba nada. Hay cosas que se escribían entonces que no se permitirían ni siquiera hoy. Esto generó un enorme espacio de libertad de expresión que el país aprovechó. Imagínate que el ataque de Francis Drake a Cádiz provocó un choteo increíble, lo que demuestra que nunca hemos tenido problemas a la hora de hablar de las derrotas como sí les ha pasado a los ingleses.

–En la América hispánica también parecen haber calado profundamente estas cuestiones.

–Políticos hispanoamericanos de derecha y de izquierda han acudido con frecuencia a píldoras de la leyenda negra para justificar el fracaso económico de Sudamérica. Aunque luego te encuentras con hechos irrefutables como es que la América hispánica en 1812 era mucho más rica que el norte. Mejores ciudades, más infraestructura, correos más rápidos que en Europa. Los americanos deberían reflexionar sobre qué ocurrió para que se produjera el empobrecimiento que de sus ciudades, la caída del poder adquisitivo de su población y, en el caso mexicano, la pérdida sustancial de territorio.

«La América hispánica en 1812 era mucho más rica que el norte. Mejores ciudades, más infraestructura, correos más rápidos que en Europa»–El genocidio provocado por los españoles en la población también resulta recurrente, ¿existen datos que justifiquen esta idea?

–Es una palabra muy ofensiva y demasiado fácil de pronunciar. Ni siquiera tenemos datos de cuánta población había antes de la llegada de Cristóbal Colón. Si sabemos que la gente estaba muriendo es porque los funcionarios de la Corona y los clérigos fueron informando y tomando medidas como la creación de hospitales y medidas de cuarentena.

Los españoles eran muy pocos y necesitaban a la población local para levantar un imperio de esa magnitud. Si hubieran hecho como los ingleses en el norte, que estaban aislados y solo crecieron tras la independencia a base de la llegada de europeos, hubieran tenido un problema demográfico.

–¿El mestizaje de los españoles demuestra que ellos no eran tan racistas?

–Los españoles también eran racistas, pero nunca tanto como para entorpecer el desarrollo biológico. Hernán Cortés era racista pero tenía un hijo mestizo («los latidos de mi corazón») que adoraba más que a los legítimos; mientras que dos siglos después el presidente de los EE.UU. Thomas Jefferson vendió a los hijos que tuvo con una esclava negra. Esta incapacidad de los pueblos germánicos para mezclar su sangre es algo incomprensible ya desde tiempos de los romanos, que se asombraban de que sus soldados germanos pudieran estar años sin tener relaciones sexuales por no mezclarse con otras poblaciones.

http://www.abc.es/cultura/libros/abci-maria-elvira-roca-barea-hernan-cortes-tenia-hijo-indio-
adoraba-mientras-jefferson-vendio-hijos-mestizos-201703010122_noticia.html 

Enviado para Somos Primos por Dr. C. Campos y Escalante
campce@gmail.com 

Spanish SURNAMES

Do you have Jewish Lineage? I found out that I sure do!!  Mimi Lozano

DNA

Ancient skulls unearthed in China 
could belong to little-known extinct human species
by Weston Williams 
Christian Science Monitor, March 5, 2017 

Sent by John Inclan 
fromgalveston@yahoo.com  

Study: (A Spanish) Neanderthal Used 'Aspirin' for Tooth Pain
News: Science and Tech
Published 8 March 2017

Sent by John Inclan 
fromgalveston@yahoo.com 

FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH

"SOMOS PRIMOS" DVD OF PAST ISSUES (1990-1999)
TEN YEARS OF "SOMOS PRIMOS" DVD OF PAST ISSUES (1990-1999)
$10.00 INCLUDING TAX OR $12.50 IF IT INCLUDES SHIPPING 

YOU CAN NOW ORDER TEN YEARS (1990-1999) OF PAST QUARTERLY ISSUES OF "SOMOS PRIMOS", HERETOFORE ONLY AVAILABLE IN PRINT.  ALL ISSUES ARE INCLUDED IN ONE DVD IN JPG FORMAT.   INDEXES ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST FIVE YEARS (1990-1995) AND THE REMAINING COPIES EACH HAVE A TABLE OF CONTENTS.

THE DVD WITH ALL THE PAST ISSUES (1990-1999) IS AVAILABLE AT THE LOW PRICE OF $10.00 INCLUDING TAX PLUS $2.50 FOR SHIPPING.  TO ORDER YOUR COPY SIMPLY COMPLETE THE ORDER FORM BELOW AND MAIL IT WITH YOUR CHECK FOR $12.50.  EXPECT YOUR DVD WITHIN TEN DAYS AFTER YOUR ORDER HAS BEEN RECEIVED.

ORDER FORM

NAME:___________________________________________

ADDRESS: _____________________________________________________

CITY:_____________________   STATE:_______________________ ZIP:_____

NUMBER OF DVD'S DESIRED ____________________

AMOUNT ENCLOSED:  ______________________

MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO: SHHAR

PLEASE SEND IT TO: SHHAR
P.O. BOX 4911
ANAHEIM, CA 92803

Free Family History Library Classes &Webinars 
for April 2017

Online classes offered in the schedule below are noted as "Webinars". Webinar attendees need to click on the link next to the class title to attend the online class on the scheduled date and time. Those attending the Library in-person need to simply go to the room noted. Invite family and friends. All times are in Mountain Standard Time (MST). No registration is required.

Not able to attend a webinar live or in-person? Most sessions are taped and can be viewed later online at your convenience in the archive for Family History Library Classes and Webinars. 

###
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ORANGE COUNTY, CA

Come join us at the April 8, 2017 monthly meeting of the Society Of Hispanic Historical & Ancestral Research (SHHAR) featuring Viola Rodriguez Sadler as our speaker.  Her topic will be as follows:   

Were my Grandparents Really Related? A la Prima se Arrima, Kissing Cousins? Looking at Marriage Dispensations in Northern Mexico.  

Viola Rodriguez Sadler will explain the wealth of information available for genealogy researchers in Marriage Dispensations and in Información Matrimoniales. What are the degrees and types of relationships that needed approval by the Catholic Church.  

Viola Sadler is a long time member of the SHHAR Board of Directors and has been a great resource to the organization through the years.  As a retired teacher and with many years as a genealogy researcher she has a lot to share with us!  

John Schmal, SHHAR March speaker.

Volunteers will provide research assistance from 9 -10 a.m., and Sadler will speak from 10:15 -11:30 a.m.

For information, contact Letty Rodella at lettyr@sbcglobal.net.    

For more photos go to:
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/csuf-745208-correa-state.html

LOS ANGELES, CA

https://www.prageru.com/courses/economics/there-only-one-way-out-poverty

CALIFORNIA 

April 22: 214th Anniversary "Battle of San Diego Bay"
April 30: San Juan Capistrano 5th annual "Fiesta Days"
Looking Ahead: Canet & Romero Family Reunion, July 22, 2017

September 2015  Robert and Nancy Munson  on the San Salvador's first public view

The 214^th Anniversary

“Battle of San Diego Bay”

April 22, 2017, 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Presented by: House of Spain, 

Casa de España in San Diego

Through:

The Courtesy of the U.S. Navy Naval Base Point Loma

San Diego, California

                                                               PROGRAM

Master of Ceremonies:  Philip Hinshaw, Sons of the American Revolution

Flags of 1803 raised by:  Ambassador Javier Vallaure, Consul General of Spain in Los Angeles

                                       Capt. Howard Warner, III, Commanding Officer, Naval Base, Point Loma

National Anthems:  United States & Spain,  U.S. Navy Band

Invocation by:  Lt. Steven M. Walker, Chaplain of Naval Base Point Loma

Welcome by:  Capt. Howard Warner, III, Commanding Officer, Naval Base Point Loma

Keynote Speaker:   Mr. Joseph Bray, Curator, Special Collections Department, 
                              University of California San Diego Library

Organizations participating in this event:

Cabrillo National Monument (San Diego)

    Explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo

Maritime Museum of San Diego

    Galleon San Salvador

San Diego History Center
     Giving the Serra Museum New Life

San Diego Chapter Sons of the American Revolution

San Diego Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution

 
Red, White and Blue Society Children of the 
     American Revolution

     Spain in the American Revolution

San Diego/Alcalá Sister Cities Society

     Don Quijote de la Mancha

The Order of Santiago, Renaissance Organization

    Historic Weapons Exhibit

The Heritage Discovery Center 

     Importance of Horses in the Encounter     

Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancestral  
     Research       

House of Spain, Casa de España in San Diego

     Contributions to the American Independence

      Statue of Vasco Núñez de Balboa

      Real Fuerte de San Joaquín de Punta Guijarros

      Spanish Exploration of the Pacific

The Spanish Presence in America´s Roots (SPAR)

Naval Base Point Loma

     Spanish Themed Craft Activities for children

The Heritage Discovery Center

     Importance of Horses in the Encounter     

 House of Spain, Casa de España in San Diego

      Contributions to the American Independence

      Statue of Vasco Núñez de Balboa

      Real Fuerte de San Joaquín de Punta Guijarros

      Spanish Exploration of the Pacific

Naval Base Point Loma

      Spanish Themed Craft Activities for children

No-Host “After Monument Commemoration Party”

       You are cordially invited to the no-host “After Commemoration Party” where paella, tapas and flan will be  served  with sangria, wine, beer, soft drinks or water.            

San Juan Capistrano 5th annual Fiesta Days
April 30th

This year Ballet Folklorico will perform at 1:00 in colorful costumes and present early California music. Throughout the day, Frances Rios will play ...19th century music in the Leck House on the keyboard and the pump organ.   

Frances Rios is a descendent of the San Juan Capistrano Rios clan. 

A preview of the upcoming exhibit on the 75th anniversary of Camp Pendleton can be seen in the viewing window of the Leck House.

The Montanez Adobe will be open and docents will be available to answer questions. At 1:15 a docent will talk about the Rios Adobe in front of the building.

francesrios499@hotmail.com 

Mimi... I will be performing at this event.  I'll be playing the keyboard and pump organ.

Looking ahead: 
Canet & Romero Family Reunion, July 22, 2017
Location: El Chorro Park in San Luis Obispo, CA 93408

11 am Meet and Greet
12 pm: Tri-Tip cook off  (competitors will need to arrive earlier than 11 am)
1 pm:  Judging and lunch 

Pan-Pacific Rim

Domingo de Bonechea, el marino que incorporó Tahití a la Corona española
Publicado - JORGE ALVAREZ

En la larga lista de personajes de la historia de España que han caído en el olvido debería figurar un marino, vasco para más señas, que estuvo a punto de cambiar de forma considerable el mapa del Pacífico de haber tenido éxito. 

En la larga lista de personajes de la historia de España que han caído en el olvido debería figurar un marino, vasco para más señas, que estuvo a punto de cambiar de forma considerable el mapa del Pacífico de haber tenido éxito. No fue así y si otros permanecen en el letargo de los recuerdos pese a sus triunfos, con más razón ha quedado relegado éste, máxime al vivir en una época donde las glorias nacionales ya se iban quedando […]Sello conmemorativo polinesio/Imagen: El Dentista
No fue así y si otros permanecen en el letargo de los recuerdos pese a sus triunfos, con más razón ha quedado relegado éste, máxime al vivir en una época donde las glorias nacionales ya se iban quedando atrás. 

Me refiero a Domingo de Bonechea, el hombre que intentó incorporar Tahití a la Corona en la segunda mitad del siglo XVIII.

A pocos les sonarán el nombre y la misión por esa región del globo. Los más tendrán en mente, más bien, los viajes de James Cook (con el que, por cierto, Bonechea estuvo a punto de coincidir), que es quien ha pasado a la posteridad popular ligando su nombre al archipiélago polinesio, aunque en realidad ese honor debería corresponderle a Pedro Fernández de Quirós, que presuntamente lo avistó y consignó cartográficamente en 1606 (aunque sus datos cartográficos no coinciden y es posible que el verdadero descubridor fuera García Jofre de Loaísa a bordo de la carabela San Lesmes). 

Incluso hubo un inglés, Samuel Wallis, que pisó aquella tierra antes que Cook, en 1767, mientras buscaba el famoso continente austral, al igual que lo hizo unos meses más tarde Louis-Antoine de Bouganville.

James Cook/Imagen(1): dominio público en Wikimedia Commons
De hecho, Cook utilizó la información facilitada por Wallis, Quirós y el francés, y enroló en su barco a algunos de sus marineros para la que sería la primera de tres expediciones, desarrollada entre 1768 y 1771. Su misión era observar y documentar el tránsito de Venus sobre el Sol y la Isla del Rey Jorge, como bautizó Wallis a Tahití, que constituía el mejor sitio para ello; por supuesto, había otros objetivos complementarios de descubrimiento y cartografía. 

El éxito del viaje, en el que su nave, el HMS Endeavour, dio la vuelta al mundo, fue tal que al poco de regresar a Gran Bretaña ya se anunciaba otro para buscar el continente austral que había reseñado siglos antes otro español, Luis Váez de Torres (no en vano, al Océano Pacífico se lo conocía como el Lago español). En ese contexto es donde aparece Domingo de Bonechea.

Nació en Guetaria (Guipúzcoa) en 1723, hijo de una familia de larga tradición marinera; su padre, un pescador de aquellos que se iban hasta Terranova a faenar, ingresó luego en la Armada como capitán, cargo que también desempeñaba su tío. Se supone que Domingo pasó por la Real Compañía de Guardiamarinas de Cádiz, aunque no se ha encontrado su expediente y hay constancia de que antes sirvió como piloto durante ocho años. 

En cualquier caso, en 1740 ya tenía el despacho de alférez de fragata y le tocaba embarcarse para hacer la preceptiva singladura de prácticas, pese a que en realidad era un veterano. Cruzo dos veces el Atlántico con la Flota de Indias, tomó parte en la Batalla de Toulon en 1744 y cuatro años después era nombrado alférez de navío. En 1751 volvía a ascender a teniente de fragata y como tal combatió con patente de corso por la costa norteafricana mediterránea. 

Retrato de Domingo Bonechea/Imagen(2): Museo Naval Bonechea continuó acumulando experiencia y viajó a Filipinas al mando de un bergantín. En 1762 también participó en en la defensa de La Habana ante los británicos, donde fue derrotado pero se le exoneró porque había combatido con honor y, de todas formas, se había perdido la ciudad.  El momento decisivo de su carrera empezó en 1767, ya como capitán de fragata, al encomendársele el mando de la Águila (antes Santa María Magdalena), de veintiséis cañones, para navegar hasta Montevideo; en aguas sudamericanas permaneció tres años, como era costumbre, y después recibió la orden de doblar el Cabo de Hornos para arribar al puerto peruano de El Callao y desempeñar labores de guardacostas. En ello estaba cuando, en 1771, llegó a oídos del virrey Amat la noticia de que había británicos en Tahití.

Era un doble peligro, pues por un lado la isla podía convertirse en una base desde la que la Royal Navy atacara el virreinato y por otro quedaba amenazada la isla de San Carlos (actual Rapa Nui, más conocida como Pascua), posesión española. 

San Carlos no estaba ocupada de facto -de hecho ni siquiera se tenía su localización exacta-, así que Amat encargó a Bonechea que fuera hasta allí pero también que continuara a Tahití y entablara relación comercial con los indígenas, procurando su evangelización y trayendo de vuelta a algunos para enseñarles el idioma y que hicieran luego de embajadores. 

Lo que no sabía, por aquello de las largas distancias que debían cubrirse para llevar las nuevas, era que Cook no sólo había regresado a Inglaterra sino que se disponía a iniciar un segundo viaje con dos barcos, el HMS Resolution (originalmente llamado HMS Drake pero se le cambió el nombre precisamente para no ofender a los españoles en caso de tener que tocar alguno de sus puertos) y el HMS Adventure. Con ellos debía insistir en la búsqueda del continente austral y llegó a Tahití en julio de 1772, pero esta vez estaría menos tiempo.

Entretanto, la fragata Águila fue provista de varios botes extra para facilitar el acceso a las difíciles costas de esas latitudes y zarpó el 26 de septiembre de 1772. A finales de octubre llegó a una isla donde fue imposible tomar tierra por los arrecifes y la actitud hostil de los aborígenes. De ahí pasaron a otra que los naturales llamaban Hairaki y los españoles bautizaron como San Quintín, donde tampoco pudieron desembarcar. 

La situación se repitió con otras dos a las que nombraron Todos los Santos (Anaa) y Cerro de San Cristóbal (Meetía). A la quinta fue la vencida y el 13 de noviembre apareció Tahití. Fue difícil encontrar un sitio para fondear y el buque encalló varias veces pero al final pudo pisar tierra, a la que se puso el nombre de Amat en honor del virrey; los barcos de Cook ya no estaban, aunque los españoles encontraron utensilios que los británicos habían dejado allí. 

Como anécdota, cabe señalar que Bonechea prohibió a sus hombres mantener relaciones con las nativas, algo que resultó desconcertante e incomprensible a éstas porque eran gente proverbialmente amigable y efusiva.

La fragata Águila permaneció allí más de dos meses para luego regresar al continente, entrando en el puerto de Valparaíso el 21 de febrero de 1773, no sin antes reseñar el descubrimiento de una nueva isla que se llamó Santo Domingo. No pudo acercarse a San Carlos por una vía de agua y se desplazó directamente a Lima. 

Dados los buenos resultados, el virrey decidió organizar una nueva expedición, esta vez ya para colonizar el territorio de forma decidida, de ahí que a la Águila se le sumase el paquebote Júpiter, mandado por José de Andía y Varela. 

Zarparon de El Callao en septiembre de 1774 (justo cuando Cook acababa de arribar a Inglaterra de su segundo viaje), cargando todo lo necesario para construir y dejar un fuerte con su guarnición: semillas para plantar, ganado vacuno y ovino, aves de corral… y dos franciscanos que debían intentar convertir a los indígenas, ya que se aconsejaba procurar no combatir contra ellos. Como era preceptivo, también habría que cartografiar las islas. 

Islas polinesias cartografiadas por Bonechea/Imagen(4): Museo Naval
Los españoles descubrieron siete islas polinesias más y alcanzaron Tahití sin novedad, acordando con el rey local su incorporación a la Corona española, que en ese momento dirigía Carlos III, así como la cesión de un terreno en la zona de Tautira para construir; todo ello firmado en un documento ante notario con fecha de enero de 1775. 

A lo largo de las semanas siguientes se fue levantando el asentamiento mientras se exploraban las islas vecinas pero un imprevisto iba a dar al traste con todo: regresando de una de una de esas exploraciones, Bonechea empezó a sentirse enfermo y en muy poco tiempo, el 26 de enero, falleció. Fue enterrado en Tahití, bajo la habitual gran cruz de madera que los marinos españoles solían levantar tradicionalmente en cada territorio que descubrían, sin llegar a enterarse de que a los pocos días de su partida de Perú se le había notificado su ascenso a capitán de navío. 

Los barcos retornaron a América pero la colonia no perduraría. En 1775 Juan Cayetano de Lángara capitaneó un tercer viaje pero el cambio de virrey y la coyuntura política hicieron abandonar la isla el 12 de noviembre; además, los religiosos querían regresar. La lejanía del lugar, con la consiguiente dificultad de abastecimiento, hicieron que no se pusiera interés en continuar su colonización. 

Y mientras, como pasa con otros grandes personajes de la historia de España, hoy se desconoce la localización exacta de su tumba, no porque fuera profanada por los indígenas, como se dijo, ni porque lo hiciera Cook en 1777, que también hubo esa versión (aunque el marino inglés sí destruyó la inscripción que había dejado Bonechea en la cruz de madera, lo que hizo protestar al gobierno español recordando su soberanía), sino porque en 1906 un maremoto provocó grandes inundaciones y daños en Tautira. 

Fuentes: Domingo Bonechea Andonaegui y sus expediciones a Tahití (Itsas Memoria. Revista de Estudios Marítimos del País Vasco) (Francisco Meilén Blanco) / Expediciones peruanas a Tahití, siglo XVIII (Jorge Ortiz Sotelo) / El Gran Océano(Rafael Bernal) / Indomables del mar. Marinos de guerra vascos en el siglo XVIII(Enrique de Sendagorta).

http://www.labrujulaverde.com/2017/03/domingo-de-bonechea-el-marino-que-incorporo-tahiti-a-la-corona-espanola 
Enviado por: Dr. C. Campos y Escalante 
campce@gmail.com
 

SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES   

Edwin R. Sweeney of St. Charles, Missouri, author of an acclaimed 1991 biography of Cochise, has employed a wide variety of primary souces to trace the life and career of the elusive Merejildo Grijalva from his youth as an Apache captive through his career as the most notable Apache scout in Arizona in the 1860s and 70s.

SOUTHWESTERN STUDIES NO. 96
ISBN 0-87404-191-0
The University of Texas at El Paso.
El Paso, Texas 79968-0633

 A Golden Horse representing our Golden State and the period of our Golden years of the ‘El Dorado’…

Sutter Creeks beginnings are a story of our forgotten equine Legacy…once a necessity for exploration, colonization and the development of our Missions, Pueblos, Great Ranchos, Vaqueros, cattle industry, Military, Agricultural development and our unique and fabled Alta California’s ‘El Dorado’.

Time passed in the West, statehood and the great Gold rush changed the complexion and character of our great state of California.  The rapid growth of technology, and immigrant population explosion brought changes that focused our western development toward industrial pursuits and motorized travel.  Our Spanish horses were left unmanaged and found their own way to open range establishing bands/herds and populating unmanaged grasslands.  No longer required for daily lifestyle they wandered the state, now called ‘Mustangs’ (without owner).  Sutter Creek came from these unmanaged, now considered feral ‘Wild Horse’ vast herds.

Often hunted and killed for their meat, hair and hooves, or fun, the term ‘Mustangers’, became popular for the men who hunted and killed these horses of our open public lands. Movies, such as ‘The Misfits’ with Clark Gable & Marilyn Monroe 1961, were made about the deadly pursuit of the horses that roamed free throughout the same territories where they  were once honored and they shared their lives with people as partners and friends.

Now considered a problem, the Bureau of Land Management organized to capture and remove the Mustangs from our Public Lands.  In 1971, ‘Wild Horse Annie’, Velma Bronn Johnston was successful in stopping the hunting and inhumane treatment to our wild horses and burros, the descendants of the Spanish livestock brought to the Americas.

All American's owe the survival of wild horses and burros on the North American plains to this magnificent woman who dedicated her life to end their inhumane treatment and slaughter. http://www.ispmb.org/Annie.hum

Wild Horse Annie rose up against tremendous odds to achieve one of the greatest accomplishments in American history, the ideology that one person can change the world! She brought much needed attention to our country that our public lands are not just for the vested interest groups but that they belong to all the people of the United States. From her early efforts, spawned other legislation that resulted in furthering the protection of public lands such as NEPA. (National Environmental Protection Act.

Passage of the Wild Horse Annie Act did not alleviate the concerns of free-roaming horse advocates, who continued to lobby for federal rather than state control over the disposition of free-roaming horses. Since most horses in the desert regions recently descended from rancher's horses, ownership of the free-roaming herds was contentious, and ranchers continued to use airplanes to gather them Johnston continued her campaign and in 1971, the 92nd United States Congress unanimously passed the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971.^[6] It was signed into law by the then President Richard Nixon on December 15, 1971. This act prohibited capture, injury, or disturbance of free-roaming horses and burros.

Unfortunately, this act of 1971 did not resolve all the management and conditions of our remaining equine legacy.  The act placed laws to stop the public abuse, however the inhumane treatment only changed hands to our Government BLM agency.

Sutter Creek is a survivor from the Mustang & Burro BLM adoption program which gathers wild horses and burros from public lands. This is a sordid and controversial ongoing issue. Sutter’s story demonstrates the finest qualities that horses possess: recovery, character, perseverance, generosity, adaptability, forgiveness, friendship and unconditional love…Sutter is all of this, and more…

At less than two years old, he was saved from a failed abusive adoption by a young girl who wanted him as a roping horse. He had rope burns and wounds especially where she had roped him, tied his legs together and left him lying in the hot sun covered with a black tarp for hours at a time.  Sutter had been returned to the BLM as dangerous, aggressive, incorrigible and stupid…she said that she could not break him and that he was worthless. I re-adopted him and brought him home to HDC.

Sutter recovered from inflicted severe physical and emotional trauma to re-kindle his spirit and take his place among other equine Heroes…returning from incarceration and pain to show us the way to overcome life’s darkest personal days. Since Sutter was saved by Robin and the HDC, Sutter has participated in innumerable public activities and events. Just to list a few: The Pasadena Rose Parade, The Santa Barbara Fiesta and Parade, The Western Film Festival, Documentaries such s ‘Generations’ about Portola and Father Serra coming to Monterey and developing the Carmel Mission and capital of Colonial Alta California, re-enactments for The Anza Trail, Ceremonies for Missions and Presidios.  Sutter also participated in television and news events such as 60 Minutes, visited schools hosted and entertained children and adults alike at HDC ranch tours. Sutter’s obvious enduring spirit for life and unconditional love has been a beacon of light for all who have had the privilege to meet and know him. Sutter has given courage to those apprehensive, joy to those despondent and Love to All…

Sutter is the Golden Horse with the Golden heart.

Robin’s friend, Neda de Mayo, started a Mustang sanctuary in Lompoc, Ca., ‘Return to Freedom’.  Neda needed an equine ambassador to show the public what extraordinary horses had evolved from their Spanish predecessors, and how important it was to honor and save them as an integral part of our western Legacy.

Sutter Creek has continued at ‘Return to Freedom’, to enhance the lives he touches and serve continuously and enduringly as an exemplary example of the enduring relationships and values that horses have shared with mankind.  You can find out about the wonderful work Neda has done for Mustangs and the educational programs available at Return to freedom and the significant role Sutter has played at his home with Neda.  www.returntofreedom.org

Sutter Creek is thirty years old this year.  Sutter has earned two distinguished honors this year.  The ASPCA has named Sutter Creek ‘Horse of the Year’, this award has been bestowed on him for his extraordinary work as an ambassador and representative for all other equines that have not have had their lives known or their life’s story told. Sutter’s remarkable influence epitomizing what horses have shared with humans.

Sutter Creek has also been included in EQUUS’S Horse Stars Hall of Fame this year.

The Horse Stars Hall of Fame was established by the EQUUS Foundation and the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) in 2013 to celebrate the extraordinary talent of horses and their magical and powerful bond with people. The purpose of the Horse Stars Hall of Fame is to honor the contributions of amazing horses; share the stories of their athletic and humanitarian feats; and build a more informed and compassionate America that values the bond between horses and people.
The inductees include stellar, accomplished athletes selected by the USEF annually as the "USEF Horses of Honor" and horses selected by the EQUUS Foundation that have had or are having a life changing or inspirational impact on the public as companions, teachers and healers.

The Heritage Discovery Center and equine division ‘Rancho del Sueno’ are committed and devoted to saving and providing for horses and other equids that share endless stories and histories.  Please help us continue to save these revered partners who share our Colonial legacy and that continue to provide endless values for us today.

Donate: The Heritage Discovery Center, Inc.  
40222 Millstream Lane,  Madera  CA   93636
559 868-8681  hdcincrlc@aol.com   &    
hdcranchodelsueno@gmail.com 
www.ranchodelsueno.com  &.org  

TEXAS

Celebrating Texas Spanish History By José Antonio López

                                         (File photo: RGG/Steve Taylor)

López:  Celebrating Texas Spanish History

By José Antonio López – March 2, 2017

For more than 150 years Texas has had the power to Secede . . . From Itself

An 1851 map of the United States shows Texas and the New Mexico, Utah and Indian Territories. (Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection, University of Texas) By Erick Trickey
Smithsonian.com  March 2, 2017

Introducing Mo. Enrique Carreón-Robledo,
Newly appointed, General and Artistic Director of OPERA San Antonio,
April 5th, 2017, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

The Mexican Cultural Institute San Antonio The City of San Antonio, and The Asociación de Empresarios Mexicanos

Cordially invite you to welcome Mo. Enrique Carreón-Robledo,

Recently appointed as General and Artistic Director of OPERA San Antonio, Into the Arts and Culture community of San Antonio.

The introduction will take place at Wednesday, April 5th, 2017, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Auditorium Mexican Cultural Institute 
600 Hemisfair Plaza Way, 
San Antonio, TX 78205

After being presented to our community Mo. Carreón-Robledo will offer an introductory talk to the upcoming OPERA San Antonio production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia

TEJANO HISTORY MATTERS

The Battle of Medina Historical Society
April 8, 2017 
Presents the 10th annual celebration of The Founding of the First Texas Republic 
at the Spanish Governors Palace 105 Plaza de Armas in down town San Antonio.

Our Mission: To Protect, Promote and Preserve Tejano History
If we don’t do it no one will do it for us
Sent by Rosie Carbo rosic@aol.com 

San Jacinto Symposium - April 8th -  La Porte, Texas 

This event is brought to you by The San Jacinto Conservancy and sponsored by the Center for the Study of the Southwest, Texas State University, The Texas State Historical Association, and Humanities Texas. 

Our mailing address is: 
Texas State Historical Association 
3001 Lake Austin Blvd.
Suite 3.116 

Copyright © 2017 Texas State Historical Association, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you provided your information from our website or one of our campaigns.

APRIL 11: "TCARA" SPECIAL PRESENTATION
OF THE OLD SAN ANTONIO ROAD, EL CAMINO REAL
BY BOB HARRIS