Writers Wanted

Viva Laredo is currently looking for experienced writers to regularly update our blog posts.  If you suffer from a combination of a good writing background, a little bit of leisure time, and a passion for words, we want you.  Our ideal writer will want to write about issues, news, and events affecting the Hispanic community in Laredo or in general.  Additionally, it doesn’t hurt to have had some real experience with blogging, whether that was frequently updating your personal blog or a public one like ours.

We do ask that you send us an authentic writing sample, as it is important to us that we deliver quality work to our audience. If you are interested or know of someone who might be the ideal candidate for this task, please email us at vivalaredojobs@yahoo.com.  As always, we look forward to hearing from you.

Rudy’s now open in Laredo

I was introduced to Rudy’s barbeque in Austin when a university study buddy set up a class meeting there. She swore that if liked barbeque, then I would looooove Rudy’s.  Upon arriving there, I was not sure what she meant, since at first glance, it appears that Rudy’s is no restaurant.  In fact, I thought it was a little weird that she had set up our study group at a gas station!  When I walked in, a friendly hostess asked if I had ever been to Rudy’s before.  Naturally, I shyly replied, “nnno.”  Read more

Palin in a Bathing Suit?! Biden Plagiarizing?!

Obama or McCain? Palin or Biden?

The presidential race increasingly shifts from Obama to McCain to Palin to Biden. I’ve never before seen a race like this where the vice-presidential nominees are such an integral part of our election. Although typically these two fade in the shadows of our presidential nominees, this year, both are vital to the election and interesting too.

The vital part is possibly because of our two presidential nominees, obviously, one is a minority whom the United States may not be exactly ready for, and the other is a bit on the older side, so there’s always the concern for his well-being. Thus, we hope to ensure that we can trust our Vice-President to assume office if need be.

If you’ve kept up with CNN and other popular news channels for the last two days, they have not stopped reporting on Sarah Palin’s appearance on Saturday Night Live this past weekend, during which she condoned spoofs of herself by Tina Fey. She has been widely criticized by the media for allowing this, and some are even worried that her disposition to such ridicule actually hurt the Republican ticket. A former beauty pageant contestant, I’m not sure that Palin has much more to offer than her looks. If you are not convinced and are interested, you may view a video of the potential female VP in a bathing suit here.

On the other hand, upon planning a lesson for a class on avoiding plagiarism, I accidentally stumbled upon a plethora of articles accusing our Democratic Vice-Presidential Candidate Joseph Biden of once plagiarizing both in past campaign speeches and in school.

Plagiarism, in case you don’t know, is considered an exceedingly serious offense that scholars must work diligently to avoid because of the serious consequences that could arise from copying another’s written or spoken words or ideas. It is perfectly avoidable if one does not fail to cite the sources of their information.

Joseph Biden has a history of being amid important presidential elections. Little did I know that he was actually a front runner for the 1988 Democratic nomination which he lost to Michael Dukakis. Eventually, Dukakis lost the nomination to the first George Bush, then-V-P to Ronald Reagan.

Biden did not lose the 1988 Democratic nomination, however, without first winning the embarrassment of being accused of stealing words from a British Labor leader- a certain Kinnock. Dukakis’ campaign team at the time launched this video of Biden and eventually, he was forced to withdraw from the Democratic nominee race. The video exposes that not only did he plagiarize various campaign speeches, but also that Biden was accused of plagiarizing papers in law school.

 With so much to consider about our candidates, how will Laredo vote this November?

Chicken Camp on Loop 20

Hispanic Heritage Month Nears End

In case you were not aware, Hispanic Heritage Month officially kicked off on September 15th, a day of great joy and celebration in Mexico, and is nearing its end on October 15th.  This celebration of our Hispanic Heritage began as a measure to recognize our unique culture, history, and language, among other aspects of being Hispanic. 

Contrary to popular belief, the term Hispanic does not denote one of Mexican descent only. The term became more generally accepted after it appeared on the 2000 U.S. Census, where it became an option to label oneself Hispanic or Latino, if one was of Spanish-speaking descent.  This label does not exclude anyone from Spanish-speaking areas such as Central America, the Carribeans, or even Spain.  Furthermore, the term does not describe a race, but rather an ethnicity, or better yet, a group of individuals who identify with one another on the basis of one commonality- their language.

Laredo’s TAMIU celebrates its Hispanic Heritage Month by offering viewings of Hispanic films this week and next in what is left of Hispanic Heritage Month.  If you are a TAMIU student, you may want to check out the time and place of the viewing for the Spanish “The Orphanage” and Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “Love in the Time of Cholera” before the monthly celebration nears its end.  Let us know of how you celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and of any events going on around the city where we can all join in on the fiestas! We’ll definitely keep you posted here.

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

Walgreens is new in Laredo, but will it survive? As Laredoans, we like to try out everything new! We flock to stores when they open.  It usually takes us a few weeks to “out” love these places, and as soon as the novelty is gone, we drop the towel.  We move on to whatever is newer and better.

Walgreens is a superstore, but being super that has never guaranteed a spot in the hearts of Laredoans.  Take for instance Starbucks on Zapata Highway.  I heard it opened, when-last year? Correct me if I’m wrong.  So, I drove by (with my husband on his way to get some great pictures for you all which you will view in a story coming soon) and all that stood was a sad and empty and abandoned building where the coffee shop was.  To my surprise, it’s been closed for months.  I don’t believe it survived the year!  Starbucks!?

That might explain why Starbucks opened up at TAMIU, in case some of you don’t already know.  Now, that one is packed up the door! I’m sure the business figured that readers are heavy coffee drinkers, and it is situated inside the Killam Library.  What a treat to all you who frequent either the library for fun or school out of need! That was a great move, Starbucks.  Many out of town bookstores such as Barnes and Noble already partner up with Starbucks and have a coffee shop within the store where potential customers are allowed to skim the bookstore’s selections before they buy.  Again, quite the treat for booklovers.

But I digress.  As I drove by another failed local business today, MDG, or as most of you know, Manzana de Guillermo, I thought I’d make a list of all the businesses that have failed to capture our hearts.  I’ve listed two, but I can think of a few others.  I used to work for one many, many years ago.  Let us know which are some of the most memorable businesses in Laredo to have failed to mark the spot in your hearts or palates.  I want your feedback, so post some comments, Laredo!

Chatroom Up and Running

Hey!

All you social butterflies, we’re still working on making improvements for you on our website, but the Viva Laredo Chatroom is up and running! Invite your friends to come and check us out.  We look forward to chatting with you in the near future.

‘Miracle at St. Anna’ Delivers

The Holocaust is the extent of what most of us know about World War II. There was that guy who was obsessed with producing a pure Aryan (white with blue eyes) race in Germany and sent millions of Jews, unconventional religious individuals such as Jehovah’s witnesses, and the handicapped to the furnace. Although history should not deflect attention from the 6 million ill-fated victims who suffered the wrath of Hitler not only in Germany, but also in its neighboring nations, hardly ever is the spotlight on Hitler’s armies who worked diligently to quench their master’s thirst for blood, blood, and more blood.

These armies executed the Sant’ Anna di Stazzema Massacre in Italy which occurred on August 12, 1944.  An army of SS officers- infamous themselves for their wartime cruelty- massacred over 500 Italian refugees in the small town. The SS officers were retaliating against Italian insurgents, but amid frustrations of not being able to capture these, rounded up the villagers and murdered women, children, babies, and older men. It is said that they burned down the village along with the bodies of their victims, their youngest believed to have been 20 days old.

A trial was conducted in their absence in Italy on June 2005 for this crime against at least 10 SS officers, all of whom are over eighty years old now, and they were sentenced to life in prison- a sentence that they will perhaps never serve because Germany does not extradite its citizens. Presently, a court in Germany is attempting to bring the charges to the men in that country so that their crimes will not go unpunished.

Although loosely based on this true event, Miracle at St. Anna, a movie playing at our Cinema del Norte only, offers an insight into history that would otherwise remain buried along with thousands of secrets of World War II if not for this production. Details of this massacre were inconspicuously filed away in a cabinet in Rome until 1994. Thanks to that discovery and now to Spike Lee, the event will forever be documented on film.

As far as the film goes, suffice it to say that the plot and the characters are well-developed. A war film, it is over two hours and a half, too graphic for my taste, and focused on the Army’s African-American soldiers AKA the “Buffalo Soldiers” who fought for our nation in World War II. There is some nudity. A big endings nut, I was satisfied with the resolution of our story.  The screenplay is a little jumpy, but other than that….it was quite the educational experience.

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