George Hinojosa practices Parkour because he believes it is useful in everyday life. (Alejandro Alba/Borderzine.com)

Parkour teaches students courage, self-awareness, and how to roll with the jumps

EL PASO – Everything began back at Anthony High School. George Hinojosa along with his two best friends began practicing Parkour along the school hallways and jumping over cafeteria tables gracefully. Parkour is the physical discipline of training to overcome any obstacle within one’s path by adapting one’s movements to the environment. A year later, Hinojosa now finds himself taking on more challenging barriers and obstacles, such as the break along the staircase in front of the Psychology Building at the UTEP campus. Hinojosa said he took on the practice of Parkour to feel some sort of superiority, soaring through crowds and jumping from buildings that are 10 feet high.

(Verónica Domínguez Ogaz/Borderzine.com)

Siete de cada 10 mujeres juarenses son víctimas de violencia doméstica

CD JUAREZ – Mientras sus dedos recorren la fea cicatriz que surca una de sus mejillas, Clara aún recuerda la ultima golpiza que hace seis años le propinó su esposo. Tras sufrir un matrimonio marcado por el estrés, agresión y pesares, ella finalmente obtuvo el divorcio hace cinco años. Hoy su voz suena tan serena que cualquiera diría que su historia de agresión no es real. Asegura que esa tranquilidad se debe principalmente a los cinco meses de terapia psicológica que recibió en un centro de atención, sitio en donde especialistas le ayudaron a recobrar su dignidad y a mitigar el dolor. Clara recuerda que mientras estuvo casada su entonces marido no bebía alcohol ni consumía drogas e inclusive le respetó su forma de vestir y las relaciones de amistad y familiares que mantenía.

The dinning room at El Comedor. (Cheryl Howard/Borderzine.com)

Ambos Nogales, primera vez

Teaching and Learning and Caring Blog

I crossed the border for the first time in six years, used my current passport for only the second time. The sweetness of Mexico hugged me with glad and colorful arms along with the melancholy of my absence. From my settlement of San Juan, New Mexico, I drove to the Tucson Bead Show for the craziness that this city stages every February. This was only my second time to attend, to spend hundreds of dollars on beads that would become, in the coming year, creations of adornment that make me happy to make and make people happy to wear. Putting Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Governor Jan Brewer, and Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake into a guilty corner, I drove from Silver City to Lordsburg through Texas Canyon and into the metropolis.

Few local restaurants offer menus in braille for the vision-impaired

EL PASO – Trying to pick from the vast number of dishes on a restaurant menu can be challenging, but imagine not being able to see the menu. Blind or vision-impaired persons must deal with that anomaly. Only a few restaurants in El Paso offer braille menus to their blind or vision-impaired customers, according to phone interviews with 21 local restaurants. The only ones were the national chains Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Applebee’s, and BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse. Some 21 million adults – about 9 percent of the U.S. population over the age of 18, reported having vision problems, according to the 2011 National Health Interview Survey prepared by the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Magnificent Warning Monument by Máximo González. (Jaqueline Armijo/Borderzine.com)

Ordinary objects challenge perception in Maximo Gonzalez’ art exhibit

EL PASO – Spectators are entangled in an intertwined mess of black cords connected to a red piggy bank, red back scratchers and other red knick-knacks that transforms the entrance of a conventional public building into a world of obsessive red. Maximo Gonzalez’s exhibit “Magnificent Warning” is one of the three current art exhibits featured at the Stanlee & Gerald Rubin Center at the University of Texas at El Paso. The exhibit will be showcased until March 15.  Gonzalez is a recognized Argentine artist who has left a profound mark in the art world. “The mission of the Rubin Center is to bring world class contemporary art to the El Paso region, and Maximo is certainly at the top end kind of the artists we bring. He’s got a really fantastic trajectory.

"Since I grew up in a really strict Christian family, it was hard to express myself", said Daniel Falcon. (Kimberly Garcia/Borderzine.com)

Fledgling media project born in El Paso aims to promote tolerance on a global scale

EL PASO – Sitting on the couch, a shy look on his face, he looks at his boyfriend working on a laptop. Almost as if sensing his anxiety the boyfriend flashes a reassuring smile. He responds back with a smile, takes a deep breath, his shy demeanor replaced with confidence. “I have had people tell me that I was going to burn in hell,” said Daniel Falcon, 22, “that I should reconsider my sexuality.”  Falcon, a recent nursing grad, speaks of the stigma and criticism of being gay that he faces in his everyday life. “It has happened to me a couple of times that if I’m holding my partner’s hand [people] have something to say to me,” said Falcon.

Cada viaje a la universidad es una odisea para los estudiantes juarenzes. (Fernando Aguilar Carranza/Borderzine.com)

Súbase, agárrese y cállese – Sufriendo el ineficiente y obsoleto transporte público de Ciudad Juárez

CIUDAD JUÁREZ – “Súbase, agárrese y cállese”, reza así la imperativa leyenda de un letrero rotulado en el interior de uno de los viejos camiones que diariamente Ana toma para poder llegar a la universidad. Ana es una de las decenas de miles de estudiantes universitarios que desde su niñez conocen de primera mano la exasperante experiencia de viajar por las calles de Ciudad Juárez a través de un sistema de transporte público catalogado de ineficiente y obsoleto. La odisea de Ana empieza a las cinco de la mañana, hora en que se levanta y alista para ir a la escuela. Ella reside en la colonia Tierra Nueva, un populoso y anárquico asentamiento urbano ubicado al sureste de la ciudad. A las seis en punto Ana ya se encuentra presente en esquina de su cuadra, a la espera del camión “Tierra Nueva” que la dejará en el bulevar Zaragoza y la avenida Tecnológico.

Vanessa Hernandez is decided not to let MS control her life. (Kimberly García/Borderzine.com)

Support for persons with Multiple Sclerosis exists in El Paso despite a lack of awareness

EL PASO — Like many 18-year-olds, Vanessa Hernandez is going to college, but unlike most students sitting in the lecture hall she has been diagnosed with a chronic and disabling disease – Multiple Sclerosis (MS). “I was diagnosed with MS when I was nine years old,” said Hernandez, who is studying to become a nurse. “January 5, 2005 is the exact date.”

Multiple Sclerosis attacks the central nervous system, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The caused is believed to be an abnormal response of the body’s immune system along with environmental, genetic, and bacterial or viral factors. Though Hernandez looks like a normal college student MS does affect her studies.

Annunciation House at 1003 East San Antonio Ave. (Aaron Montes/The Prospector)

Mexico asylum seeker finds refuge in El Paso shelter

EL PASO – Patricia spends her days adjusting to a new life in the United States that she never intended on having. Every day she plays her guitar and spends time with her family, who are also in El Paso out of necessity, not want. But some of her family members are not with her, some stayed behind in Patricia’s hometown in the Mexican state of Durango, and others were killed. It is because of those murdered relatives that Patricia and her family relocated to El Paso. “It all started because the violence in Durango became really difficult,” Patricia said in Spanish.

Bob Stull, UTEP's Athletics director, presents The Mike Price Era timeline at the Don Haskins Center. (Hector Escobedo/Borderzine.com)

Mike Price Era

EL PASO – As the football season ended, UTEP Miners head coach Mike Price made one last appearance at the Don Haskins Center. He was the main event in the halftime show for the Men’s Basketball Battle of I-10. The crowd was roaring as he gave his final “spell out” cheer for the Miners. Athletics director Bob Stull gave him an emotional timeline titled ‘’The Mike Price Era.’’ Price’s era began on December 21, 2003. He resurrected the program, bringing two 8-4 seasons in his first two years.

Marcy, 28, is local photographer, artist and writer. (Courtesy of Marcy)

Transgender individuals still face discrimination despite growing acceptance

EL PASO— Jenna Talackova, a 32-year-old Canadian model and television personality, was one of Miss Universe Canada 2012’s finalists, but she was disqualified from the competition when it was discovered that the beautiful blonde was born a boy. The contest organizers said that contestants must be ‘naturally born females’ and since Talackova had undergone surgery to become a woman, she could not compete. This is an example of the problems that transgender individuals face throughout their lives. These individuals also endure discrimination and harassment at school and in the workplace. Marcy, a 28-year-old woman who says she just happened to be born into a male body, realized from a very young age that she did not relate to the male gender.

The Urban Art-Fitters League of El Paso working on "Winter wonderland" at Fourth St. (Iris Lopez/Borderzine.com)

Local artists intend to beautify downtown El Paso one alley at a time

El PASO – Sun City artists are showcasing their art in the sun. The main goal of the Urban Art-Fitters League of El Paso is to beautify the streets of downtown El Paso, one alley at a time.  Their theme is to “make love not war.”

After a tragic car accident took the lives of Jeannette Lazaro and Evalynn Rose, both close friends of Silver IsReal, he found a way to deal with the grief and keep the spirit of both girls alive. With this concept in mind, he and Carlo Mendo cofounded the Urban Art-Fitters Street Gallery project. “Make love not war was the last thing that Jeanette wrote on her mirror before she passed away, and it is something that I keep really close to my heart. I wanted to keep her and Evalynn’s spirit alive so I started the ‘Make love not war’ project” IsReal said.

The ease with which students can get loans can cause them to graduate with more debt than they should. (Elliot Torres/Borderzine.com)

As new college graduates go job hunting, the bill collector comes calling

EL PASO – Graduation is an accomplishment every college student looks forward to, a reward for years of hard work, but for some students what should be the beginning of a successful life can be the start of a nightmare – paying back thousands of dollars in student loans. “I would use half of my student loan to help me survive the next six months of school, until I got the next loan,” said Salvador Jauregui, a 2010 graduate from the University of Texas at El Paso. He, like many others across the nation, worked while attending school and relied on student loans to help cover expenses. After gradation Jauregui had difficulty finding a good paying job, and eventually defaulted on his loans. Student loan debt is no small issue.

Rembrandt, Rubens, and Golden Age of Painting in Europe, currently at El Paso Museum of Art. (Christina Duran/Borderzine.com)

Understanding the Baroque through paintings, music and theater

EL PASO — Using words such as chiaroscuro, castrati, and rima to describe paintings by Caravaggio and other Italian artists, Jon Seydl explained the blend of music, poetry, and theater in Baroque paintings. ‘The Lute Player,’ a painting by Caravaggio in the late 16th century was one of the images explained by Seydl. It portrays an androgynous figure believed to be a castrato in a camerino, a small room in houses used for private performances. In the image, the castrato is playing a lute, a violin, a tenor recorder, a spinetta, and a musical score in front of him. This painting is a perfect example how the different aspects of the Baroque culture are shown in the paintings.

In learning about my family and Smelter Town, I found out that my great, great grandma is buried in Smelter cemetary. (Ernie Chacon/Borderzine.com)

Smelter Town – a personal look at a ghost town firmly embedded in El Paso history

EL PASO  – Smelter Town, a deserted ghost town on the north side of the Rio Grande inhabited for a century starting in the late 1880s by residents who worked for the copper smelting company that would become ASARCO has no inhabitants but is loaded with history. I was born in the late 1980s and I had heard stories from my grandma about her time living in Smelter Town when I was young. Of course, then I was a child who didn’t care about any of those things. I just wanted to play videogames, or run around outside pretending I was Indiana Jones with my rope which I imagined was the famous whip from the movies. I do remember news stories that were being reported about ASARCO in the 90s.

Bamboo roll-up shade tying itself in a knot. (Cheryl Howard/Borderzine.com)

Knotty opine

Teaching and Learning and Caring Blog

MIMBRES, N.M. – Why is it that necklaces, bamboo roll-up shades, and extension cords tie themselves up in knots without any help, and intentional knots are so difficult to learn? Since I started making jewelry, I have tried several pendants that are more masculine, or at least earthy, and I wanted to use leather cords rather than metal chains to complete them.  First I took a lesson from Roberto Santos when I made pendants for the drum circle guys. He taught me one way to make the knots so the laces slid up and down to adjust in length. I could do it right then, but I couldn’t do it a few days later when I was working on something else. Next, I took my problem to a luncheon at the Sociology and Anthropology department at UTEP.

El proyecto de la Orquesta Esperanza Azteca pretende no solo formar músicos si no además alejar a los niños y jóvenes de la violencia desatada en la ciudad. (Foto cortesía de Jove Garcia)

Jóvenes, padres de familia y maestros trabajando en concierto tocan un son de esperanza en Juárez

CIUDAD JUÁREZ, México – La vida de la pequeña de 11 años cambió por completo cuando la Orquesta Esperanza Azteca llegó a Cuidad Juárez. Jaqueline, cuyas calificaciones en la escuela no eran las más altas, sentía que le faltaba llenar un vacío dentro de si misma. “Antes de incorporarme a la orquesta me faltaba algo que me hiciera sentir más viva, más plena”, dice Jaqueline. La Orquesta Esperanza Azteca de Cuidad Juárez, un proyecto iniciado por el gobierno municipal y operado por Fundación Azteca, del Grupo Salinas en la Ciudad de México, es un proyecto social cuyo propósito principal es contribuir a la formación de mejores seres humanos a través de la música. “La orquesta consiste aproximadamente de 230 niños y adolescentes de seis a 17 años de edad que provienen de diversos niveles socioeconómicos de la ciudad”, dice Jove Garcia, coordinador del proyecto.

Carlo Mendo, co-founder of EPPG, explains the basics of permaculture to students of Somerset Charter School. (Josue Moreno/Borderzine.com)

Volunteers hope to transform urban blight into green gardens

EL PASO – A once destroyed alleyway covered in syringes and broken bottles in downtown El Paso was turned into a thriving garden by a group of volunteers brought together by the El Paso Permaculture Group (EPPG). “Permaculture is a way of life that helps everyone, and teaches you to respect the earth,” said Claudia Paolla, a volunteer with EPPG. “It teaches the children to learn about their food sources and to appreciate the environment.” EPPG invested staff time and money to set up the garden for nearby families and taught them how to tend the crops. Created about a year ago with the help of various activists and volunteers, EPPG continues to reach out to the community, creating gardens in local schools and unexpected places. Permaculture is a growing movement that examines the issues and problems brought up by the way human beings relate to the earth.

Pan dulce and candies to honore the victims on violence in Juarez. (Krystle Holguin/Borderzine.com)

Relatives mourn victims of Juarez violence at Día de los Muertos remembrance

EL PASO – An altar with pan dulce, candles, and fruit baskets placed next to photos of the dead honored the victims of violence in Juarez on this year’s Día de Los Muertos remembrance. Early Friday afternoon, Nov. 2, a mother wept as she stared at the photo of her 15-year-old son, murdered in Juarez, Mexico, in drug-related violence. She said her son was shot at his own residence. About 30 other photos of persons who were killed or who suddenly disappeared were displayed on the altar

Laughter and sobs were heard as family members remembered their loved ones.

Visitors to the Mirazozo Luminarium compared the experience to walking into a kaleidoscope. (Francis Regalado/Borderzine.com)

Visiting the Mirazozo Luminarium is like floating inside a giant kaleidoscope

EL PASO – Inside a structure shaped like a spaceship, a world of bright luminous red, green and blue stripes of light form bouncing patterns of color on the walls of five metallic domes like fireworks in outer space. The structure, called a Mirazozo Luminarium, a creation of the British company Architects of Air was brought to El Paso as part of this year’s Chalk the Block event from October 12 to 14 and was displayed on Cleveland Square Park, next to the El Paso Museum of History. “I think it was awesome, “ said Esmeralda Quintana. 29. “I carry a kaleidoscope in my car and being inside the Luminarium was a dream come true.”

Residents approaching the event could see the 158 ft.

Stones with holes made into pendants. (Cheryl Howard/Borderzine.com)

The poet and the physicist…and the retired professor

Last night a former student suggested I get into the political arena. I responded that art, not politics, was my new life and then I reminded myself of a quote from the poet John Keats: “beauty is truth, truth beauty, /that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”

Art, however you define it, is a well that never runs dry. It quenches a thirst that no day job could ever do. It expands your world in every dimension, even those we haven’t named. We can’t eat art, or if we could, most of us couldn’t afford it.

Aeialists performing on stills were the delight of kids. (Krytle Holguin/Borderzine.com)

‘Chalk the Block’ draws thousands to downtown El Paso

EL PASO – On his hands and knees, local artist Matthew Kohls chalked the sidewalk and described the portrait of a man he was creating on the grainy concrete as art in search of the truth. Kohls says that although he is new to the art world, he developed a passion for art and photography at a young age and was encouraged to pursue his dream by his cousin Diego Martinez, who also participated in the art event. Some 200 artists participated in the 5th annual Chalk the Block in downtown El Paso. Kohls said that he concentrates on composition more than anything else using the “rule of thirds” as a core principle to inject life into his work. Organizers said that more than 37,000 persons attended the event October 12-14, which included the sidewalk chalk art, live music, food, art vendors, and some aerialists performing on stilts.

Miguel Gómez, former president of La Red, talks to a group of members at their weekly meeting on September 30th. (Hecko Flores/Borderzine.com)

Businesses that migrated to El Paso still maintain their Juarez roots

EL PASO – The violence in Ciudad Juarez has had a huge impact in the cross-border area economy in recent years as businesses relocated here to become successful enterprises. The emigrating business owners, however, did not sever all ties to Juarez. The drug war and the climate of criminality it spawned took a huge toll on the Mexican economy, closing down businesses, chasing away clientele and most importantly stemming cash flow. This caused a large number of establishments to slash prices, cut jobs and eventually just close down. Many Mexican investors took a leap of faith and transferred their assets across the border to find a safe environment where their business would flourish.

Tripper. Need I say more? (Cheryl Howard/Borderzine.com)

To catch a critter

MIMBRES, N.M. –There is an old dicho from England, “it takes a thief to catch a thief.”  The theme seems to be a popular one. In 1955, Alfred Hitchcock directed a film titled To Catch a Thief starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. Then a series of TV shows emerged with the same premise: It Takes a Thief, Remington Steele, and more recently, White Collar. Not too many thieves here in the Mimbres, but there are lots of critters. I can hear the cows lowing in the morning, the roosters crowing and hens clucking.

Firefighters at a fire in Fabens. (Photo by Pink Rivera)

Fire has always fascinated me

EL PASO – When I was younger, my dad would smoke his Marlboro’s outside in the porch and I remember always playing with his lighter. Once I figured out how to turn the wheel fast enough so that sparks came out, I was hooked. One of my most treasured memories is the day I tried on my uncle’s firefighter gear. Even though I was only 11 years old and I knew I could get in trouble, at that moment I knew what I wanted to do with my life. That day I decided I was going to become a firefighter.