Coleen Marquez, a fighter. (Loreli Hassan/Borderzine.com)

Her struggle is a powerful tale of survival during breast cancer awareness month

By |

EL PASO – A spider bite saved her life. After going for a walk, Coleen Marquez, 51, came home and suddenly felt a pain on her right breast and, saw later that it was a spider bite she had gotten while changing. It began to swell up and she immediately went to the doctor. She, was always meticulous about her breast self-exams and check-ups, but for some unexplained reason she had missed her appointments in February and March of 2004. “The doctor gave me antibiotics for the bite mark and sent me in for a mammogram,” said Marquez.

Niños huérfanos de Cuidad Juárez encuentran santuario, educación y esperanza en Rancho 3M

By |

Read this story in English

CIUDAD JUAREZ – La vida estable del pequeño de 10 años, su hogar modesto, y una rutina que incluía paseos ocasionales con sus padres a Peter Piper Pizza llegaron a su fin cuando la guerra contra el narcotráfico invadió a Ciudad Juárez. Atrapado en medio de una balacera, Juan se dejó caer debajo de una camioneta, cubriéndose los ojos. Todo se nubló a su alrededor. Cuando salió de su escondite, su padre, su madre y su hermana habían muerto. Unas semanas después, Juan, junto con otros 12 niños, abordó un camión rumbo a Rancho 3M, un orfanato privado fundado por misioneros estadounidenses en el pueblo cercano de Guadalupe.

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

The poet and the physicist…and the retired professor

By |

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.

Mormon temple of the El Paso Texas Stake at 1212 Sumac. (Elliot Torres/Borderzine.com)

Mormons see increased exposure by presidential race as potential benefit

By |

EL PASO —The two candidates running for the presidency in a close election face questions about the fate of the U.S. economy, poverty and discrimination, but aside from these traditional political issues, republican candidate Mitt Romney has to deal with questions about his Mormon faith. We are not only talking about 2012. This happened to John F. Kennedy in 1960 when voters wanted to know if his Catholic faith would make him subject to edicts from the Vatican. Religion has always been a factor in politics, but this year it seems to have a different wrinkle, one that is highlighted by Romney who is a Mormon like some 6 million other Americans. Though the Mormon church has existed for well over a century and half, and was founded in America, it is still misunderstood by many.

Villanueva viene a El Paso como invitada a la premier de la película “Bendíceme, Última” o “Bless Me, Ultima.” (David Smith-Soto/Borderzine.com)

Zoila Villanueva – Una curandera con fe en dios y en la naturaleza humana

By |

EL PASO — Recuperar el alma y limpiarla de malas energías es lo que hace Zoila Villanueva usando plantas medicinales. Pero antes, pide permiso a la tierra para arrancar las hojas necesarias y frotarlas en el cuerpo de sus pacientes. Al terminar la limpia, pedirá que las energías negativas abandonen el cuerpo del paciente y regresen a la tierra. “Las limpias se llevan a cabo cuando se dice que se perdió el alma, se te salió el alma. Es como regresarla,” dijo Villanueva.

Armando Arocha. (Courtesy of David Smith-Soto)

Adios chico – Remembering the plumber of West Tampa, the Mockingbird of Guira de Melena, Cuba

By |

LAS CRUCES, NM – As an immigrant, the grandson of immigrants, covered by a quilt sewn of Spanish, Jewish, European and Central American patches, each stitched in firmly with ethnicity, I often wondered how it all fits into the American Dream, how to define that quilt, measure it. Now, after my father-in-law, Cuban born Armando Arocha, died last month, I think the best way to understand it is to place it gently over and around the life of a single person like piping on a quilt.

Arocha was 88. He came to Tampa before the Castro revolution looking for a better life for his family. He was the man Fidel said he was fighting for – a peasant guajiro with no formal education who cut sugar cane and drove a truck for a dollar a day. But Arocha had no use for Fidel and made his way in his own way in Tampa.

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

‘Chalk the Block’ draws thousands to downtown El Paso

By |

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.

Banner promoting this year's walk. (Vanessa Juarez/Borderzine.com)

The border culture makes fighting HIV more difficult

By |

EL PASO — Jorge “Sasha” Garcia sat in a sterile, impersonal doctor’s office in the summer of 1995 and watched the clock tick away as he waited for the results of his HIV test. He had sought treatment two weeks earlier for an unrelated infection and decided to submit to the HIV test on the advice of his doctor. “This was back in the day before we had the 20-minute test, which allows you to find out right away. So, I waited two weeks and of course those two weeks were grueling,” Garcia said. Finally, the doctor strode into the office with Garcia’s results.

El Paso’s culture war (cont.) – A culture war of El Paso against itself

By |

EL PASO – It’s a culture war! It’s a culture war at several levels, the most serious one has been brought about by GPL (Gullible Political Leaders) caving to the developers who are imposing their vision of El Paso’s future upon this city without the consent of the governed. That is the main idea behind Henry David Thoreau’s refusal to pay his taxes, I quote my previous paraphrasing: Never have so few in the name of so many done so much harm. This baseball stadium boondoggle is ipso facto confirmation of my assertion of a culture war against El Paso. The majority of El Paso’s residents are Mexican/Mexican Americans.

Manuel (left) and Valente Valenzuela wore their uniforms at a recent presentation at UTEP. (Brenda Armendariz/Borderzine,com)

Vietnam veterans fight a new war against deportation from the country they served

By |

EL PASO — Manuel and Valente Valenzuela have been fighting a war all their lives. The U.S. military veterans fought for America in heavy rain under enemy fire in the Vietnam War but now the country they fought for wants to kick them out. They wore the Army and Marine uniforms, laced-up their boots, loaded their weapons, and protected the soil they stand on today. Now they are engaged in a different kind of war, defending themselves against their own government in a protracted fight for citizenship and the right to remain in the U.S.

On November 2008, Manuel Valenzuela, an Army veteran, received a removal notice from Homeland Security stating that he was being deported from this country. A few months later in January 2009 his brother Valente, a Marine veteran, received the same notice.

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

By |

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.

With my mom at the ABQ BioPark Zoo. (©Selene Soria)

Even with extra planning, traveling in a wheelchair is challenging

By |

EL PASO – Traveling requires a lot of planning and a lot of more planning is required when someone with a disability or a wheelchair-bound person like myself is traveling with the group. Last summer my family and I decided to take a trip to Albuquerque and Santa Fe. We planned the trip ahead of time and made the hotel reservation in advance. My mother researched the main attractions for each city to map out the itinerary. Even with all the planning we still encountered some obstacles.

New El Paso law curbing ‘aggressive’ solicitation may have too broad a sweep

By |

EL PASO — On a late Sunday afternoon Eddie Salas Cano, 32, walked from the Opportunity Center on Myrtle Avenue to the busy gateway intersection on Missouri and Cotton wearing worn-out clothes and he stood near the cars holding up a sign that read “Homeless.”

Some drivers quickly rolled up their windows as Salas paced back and forth hoping for someone to drop a dollar. The meager moneys that homeless people like Cano pick up at intersections could be threatened by a new city ordinance that could target them even if they don’t pose a threat. “I have no family and no support, so I usually go to the Opportunity Center for assistance. When I don’t have any money to eat I stand holding my sign hoping for at least two dollars for the day,” Cano said. On October 9, the El Paso City Council passed an ordinance that bans aggressive solicitation in certain parts of the city in front of homes and businesses.

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

To catch a critter

By |

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.

Knight Poverty Journalism Initiative Story Awards – Deadline extended to October 26

By |

Who: Open to journalists of all kinds—salaried, freelance, semi-pro. What: Three $500 awards for journalists to report, write and publish a print, video, audio or multimedia story about poverty in America. When: Deadline for developed story proposals is October 26, 2012 . Where: Email your story proposal to Joan Millon (millonj@wlu.edu) with “Poverty Story Awards” in the subject line. Proposals should include the following:

• Description of your story up to 500 words
• Story lead or premise and why your story is important NOW
• Data sources, main characters and additional sources
• Main medium (print, broadcast, online)
• If primarily text or broadcast, do you plan to include a multimedia component (video, audio, photo, graphics) and how will that enhance the story?

Newcomer Republican Barbara Carrasco talks to the press. (Francis Regalado/Borderzine.com)

Distinct stands on major political issues mark the El Paso congressional race

By |

EL PASO – Fresh from winning one of the biggest upsets in local political history last May against eight-term U.S. Rep. Sylvester Reyes, Democrat Beto O’Rourke now faces political newcomer Republican Barbara Carrasco in a run for Reyes’ Congressional District 16, seat. O’Rourke won the Democratic primary election with a margin of less than five percent of the vote and he says he did it with legwork. He explained that what made his team the best was that people of all ages and all walks of life came together with the same idea to better the community and did what it took to make it happen. “We were able to put together one of the best teams in campaign history in El Paso,” O’Rourke said. Democrat O’Rourke and Republican Carrasco have different positions on the following issues important to the El Paso community, such as job creation and the economy, education and healthcare.

The beauty of San Carlos couldn't keep me from wandering through Sonora's rural towns. (Image taken by Victor Hugo de Lafuente Flores)

A meandering trip in Sonora brings back memories of my Pennsylvania boyhood

By |

I now know why I enjoy taking trips into rural Sonora in Mexico. It’s because those sweet trips remind me of my growing up in a rural western Pennsylvania town. I love reading maps, and when I spotted Ortiz, Sonora as a small, obviously rural dot on the map of Sonora, I said aloud to myself, “Why not go there?”

But for some mystifying reason, on my way there, I rented a small house in San Carlos, Sonora. I spent a couple of days there, exploring San Carlos’s rugged shoreline watching seals, dolphins, and seabirds fooling around in pristine tidal pools. But I soon grew restless, because, in general, I dislike tourist sites, especially ones that cater to middle-class Americans, Canadians, and Mexicans, as San Carlos does. Soon realizing the big mistake I’d made, I fled San Carlos driving southeast from San Carlos to Empalme, which was – once upon a time – an important, prospering railroad town. That was definitely confirmed when I crossed a double set of railroad tracks where off to the left and right of me I saw the rusting, tilted hulks of locomotives, boxcars, and cabooses.

Helper Natividad Vasquez (right) and cook Lupita Ceron de Navarrete prepare steak fingers at Hillcrest Middle School. (Brenda Armendariz/Borderzine.com)

New federal school-meal guidelines cause concern in some and revulsion in others

By |

EL PASO — Just like Cookie Monster who is now eating more vegetables and fewer cookies, students in all El Paso school districts must also eat a healthier diet due to the new federal nutrition standards for school meals. But many young students are tossing their healthy meals at Oscar’s garbage can. Officials say that high school students have been more accepting of the new menu, but middle school students have been placing the required fruits or vegetables right into the garbage can. The new federal nutrition standards went into effect on July 1st, 2012 as part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 introduced by First Lady Michelle Obama. These meals must meet science-based requirements to provide a healthier lifestyle to students in Texas schools.

El Paso is one of six sectors where Operation Streamline is enforced. (Christina Marie Duran/Borderzine.com)

High-cost zero-tolerance strategy shows little effect on illegal immigration

By |

EL PASO — The U.S. government started Operation Streamline a “zero-tolerance” border enforcement strategy, at the Del Rio sector in Texas in 2005 in an attempt to stem the flow of millions of undocumented Mexicans who leave their families and homes every year to cross the border into the U.S.

Operation Streamline (OS) set tougher penalties for illegal immigration. First time offenders serve two to three days in jail while they wait for a trial. These undocumented immigrants are then left with a criminal record and repeat offenders can end up serving several years in prison. “My research continues to show a negative effect within the operation,” said Pia Orrenius, a labor economist from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. “The main motivation for these illegal immigrants to attempt to cross over is money and the pursuit of a better way of living.”

Orrenius visited The University of Texas at El Paso on Sep.

El Paso's City Hall and the Insights Museum are part of the buildings that would be demolished to give space to the new stadium. (Luis Barrio/Borderzine.com)

Wake up El Paso: It’s not a new baseball stadium; it’s a culture war

By |

EL PASO – I won the bet. El Paso was the loser, along with my friend who bet Mayor John Cook would do the right thing and veto the proposed baseball stadium. The words of Henry David Thoreau in his Essay on Civil Disobedience, which I paraphrase, come to mind: Never have so few in the name of so many done so much harm. Thoreau went to jail for refusing to pay the tax to finance the war against Mexico. He realized it was a blatant land grab to extend slavery and enrich a few in Congress and members of the board of the South Carolina Railway Company that wanted a cheaper rail line to the Pacific Coast.

Valeria Poumian, a freshwoman at UTEP's School of Nursing, poses for Borderzine's reporter. (Illustration by Juan Salomón Beltrán)

College women strive to compete with men in the business and engineering classrooms

By |

EL PASO – As Anamaria Camargo gazes around her Business Law classroom from the back seat of the auditorium at the University of Texas at El Paso she sees 10 ponytails out of 50 heads and she realizes that women in her field are still outnumbered by men. Camargo’s next stop is the weekly meeting of UTEP’s Women in Business Association, where women in her line of study are striving to make a difference. She struts proudly through the hallways of the Business Building wearing her light-pink collar shirt with the initials WBA embroidered on her chest. Camargo, 21, is an Accounting major at UTEP and the president of WBA, the first and only all-women organization of its kind at the university. “We had a hard time establishing a professional reputation in the College of Business just because they see that it is an all-girls group,” Camargo said.

This necklace from his family means everything to Martin. (Kel Harris/El Nuevo Tennessean)

Families divided by borders

By |

Daniel A., 32, moved from Honduras to East Tennessee almost four years ago. His family in Honduras accepts the money order he mails every other week instead of seeing their son. His parents were sad to watch their son leave their country, but Daniel knew he could provide a better life for his family if he moved to the United States. Now, as a server in a restaurant in Savannah, Daniel works for tips and shares a small living space with his cousin. Coming to America was an emotional strain for him.

A sport that only 15 years ago was banned in most of the 50 states is now the fastest growing in the U.S. (Shane Hamm/Borderzine.com)

MMA, previously banned sport now popular among children

By |

EL PASO – The two boys wrestling on a padded mat inside a chain-link cage barely tall enough to ride the teacups at Disneyland grab at each other, one grasping the other’s leg leaving himself vulnerable as his opponent throws him off-balance. The sensei or master stops the action after the new student with the structural integrity of his elbow in jeopardy gives a tap of his hand in submission. This is the sport of children’s mixed martial arts or MMA, a new trend in this fast growing sport with children less than 10 years of age strapping on gloves and shin guards in order to pummel one another. While the sport for children in this age group looks like organized rough-housing, their goal is to defeat the opponent utilizing hand to hand combat techniques from muai thai, kick-boxing, wrestling and boxing. Cynthia Baca looks on as her six-year-old son Mason engages in a contact sport played behind a caged wall.

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

Fire has always fascinated me

By |

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.

As we exited the bar my friend decided to lean against a stranger’s vehicle and gossip outside. (Illustration by Loreli Hassan/Borderzine.com)

The trauma and resolution of a terrifying gunpoint robbery

By |

EL PASO – A night out with friends should be a positive experience. This sadly isn’t always the case. We’ve all succumb to peer pressure once or twice in life and have ended up at strange and unknown areas in town. We’ve talked to strangers, some good and some bad. We all have had strange and memorable nights out.

José "Mantequilla" Nápoles muestra uno de sus cinturones que lo acreditan cono campeón. (Jesús Alcázar/Somosfrontera.com))

Gloria del boxeo espera entre carencias “la campanada del último round”

By |

Por Lourdes Cárdenas

CIUDAD JUAREZ, México –  Ya no hay músculo en lo que alguna vez fueron sus rápidos y veloces brazos, ni tampoco agilidad en su caminar o en sus movimientos. Su memoria lo traiciona y con frecuencia se retira a su esquina, ignorando el bullicio a su alrededor, ensimismado en sus pensamientos. Duerme de 5 de la mañana a 5 de la tarde y por las noches juega Solitario y ve televisión. Pero lo que más disfruta es sentarse en una pequeña banca en la banqueta de su casa y fumarse un puro. Entonces, los vecinos llegan a saludarlo y los niños, esos que no habían nacido cuando él estaba en la cúspide de la fama, le recuerdan lo grandioso que fue en el cuádrilatero.