Ojo: The "Cholo Word Of The Day" is simply for fun. This is not an academic exercise, therefore I do not spend much time checking for espelling or grammatical errors. Most of the words are not only used by "cholos," but by many people in S. Texas - and their usage can vary. c/s

Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Webb County Soldiers Keeping Salary

Webb County has committed to continue to pay salaries to any county employees called to active duty.

Read the article.

I am very impressed. I understand this means the tax payers are footing the bill for these soldiers, but I definitely think this is a great step to aid military families. I would hope private companies would follow suit.

Who said Webb County wasn't progressive? I applaud the County Commissioners for taking this step.

Monday, November 29, 2004

5 Days, 1859.4 Miles

My calculated 779.3 mile roundtrip vacation to Arkansas turned into a 1,859.4 miles detour which took me through Arkansas, Oklahoma, North, Central and South Texas with another slight detour into Laredo.

Wednesday morning I woke up 30 minutes late. I quickly showered and then rushed to pack 2 mountain bikes, water, Pepsi, Vanilla Diet Coke, a bag of Tootsie Rolls and my clothes onto the back of my 2001 White Dodge Ram pick up truck. 30 minutes later the road trip was on. Destination : the Ozark Mountains in the northwestern part of Arkansas. My Mapquest maps calculated the trip taking 6 hours and 59 minutes. I figured it would take me 6 hours. I got there in 5 ½ hours. Our log cabin home for the next two days was amazing.

Friday morning I woke up and realized I really wanted to be in McAllen for a number of reasons. I wanted to visit the familia, go to a friend’s wedding in Laredo, and also crash a party while I was in Laredo. But you say that’s 903.8 miles away? Not a problem. I took off at 9 in the morning after eating a healthy breakfast. I stopped in Dallas for an hour to shower and eat and then I was again headed South. I got home to McAllen at about 11:30 that night. I was making plans to go out that night but instead I just hung with the folks. I was way too tired to go out, plus I was eating some damn good tamales.

The next day I went to eat breakfast with my parents, got my haircut at some old school barber’s and made my way to Laredo. That’s about 3 hours away from McAllen. That night I went to a wedding, a party, and a torna boda. I was asleep by 4am. The friend I took to the wedding with me got kicked out because he was wasted. Pinche Borracho, para pasar verguenzas.

Raza Getting The Boot On Long Island


A protestor in Long Island Posted by Hello

The NYT's published an article today about anti-immigrant sentiments against undocumented workers.

Read the article: L.I. Clash on Immigrants is Gaining Political Force

- The NYT's is subscription based. It's free. Just in case you don't want to get a subscription - here's an excerpt.

Everywhere Steve Levy went last year in his successful campaign for Suffolk County executive, he said, he heard the same complaints. A new wave of Hispanic immigrants had swept Long Island, and many residents were furious about the overcrowded homes and lines of day laborers they saw in their towns. They told Mr. Levy they wanted action.

This month, Mr. Levy floated a proposal to deputize some Suffolk County police officers, giving them the power to detain people found to be in the United States illegally after being taken into custody on other charges. Right now, Suffolk police and corrections officers say, they are prohibited from asking immigrants whether they are in the country legally. Mr. Levy's proposal, which he later amended, was met by objections from the police unions.

Tuesday, November 23, 2004

Cholo Word Of The Day - Naco

UPDATED

I found the comments on the word Naco very interesting. I've posted a couple of them here in case you don't regularly check out the comments section.

From Elena:

In México the word 'Naco' is a racisit term for an 'indio', thus not just 'indio' but almost like saying 'nigger'.


From Oso:

I've never heard that before. Are you sure? I use "naco" all the time. Mostly just joking around with my friends. But when I say it I'm picturing a skinny kid with black jeans and an AC/DC shirt on, not un Indio.

NaCo is also a clothing brand from Guadalajara. I'm proudly wearing by NaCo hoodie as I type this.


Oso: I think Elena may be right, even though I've never heard it used like that.

I can't help but wonder if this is in any way related to Elena's conversation about Gringo a while back.

Another Update:

From Elena:

I remember going to see "Y Tu mama tambien" with some Chilango friends of mine. They translated the word "naco" to "White-trash" my friend brought up and noted that it was actually the opposite of White trash. "Opposite" was the word he used. Opposite because "naco" is someone who is very indeginous and indegionus as if it is a bad thing.
My definition could be different in that my Spanish is Southern Mexican Spanish, not cholo spanish, not Spanglish, and not big-city-pesudo-northern-Mexcio Guadalajara Spanish.


From Cyndi:

you know, i think i see it as a lot more negative than oso does. i know people throw it around lightheartedly now, but it just has such negative class and racial connotations. have you ever heard "chúntaro" or "chunti"? i see it kinda like that...

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Naco, is not a cholo word, but often used by fresas to describe cholos. I think the word has taken on different meanings during the years. Naco was used to refer to poor people. Now it's often used to refer to tacky folks or losers (defined by the person using the word, claro).

I thought of the word again, because a friend of mine was making fun of somebody and said, they're not even naco, they're a naco wannabe. I thought that was hillarious.

Word:
Naco

Meaning According To DT:
tacky, loser, wannabe, outsider

Used in a sentence:
"Viste a el Toni? Se ve bien naco usando esos baggy pants y gold chain."

"Sabes que, porque no le dices eso a su cara, aver que pasa."

Translation according to DT:
"Did you see Antone? He looks really tacky wearing those baggy jeans and gold chain."

"You know what, why don't you tell him that to his face, and see what happens."

Monday, November 22, 2004

El Que Vino

I'm charged with buying some good Vino for my Thanksgiving escapade into Arkansas' Ozark Mountains. My quest to find good wine reminds me of a saying my Tio Beto from Monterrey is fond of. I imagine there are different variations:

"El que vino a este mundo, vino a tomar vino, si no a que chingados vino."

- Tio Beto

Friday, November 19, 2004

Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism:

Defintion: characterized by or based on the attitude that one's own group is superior


A visitor to my blog asked me what I thought about ethnocentricsm. I don’t know Xolo. All I know is that he’s a soon to be psychologist. I decided to begin by looking up the official definition of ethnocentric. I officially memorized the definition of this word in h.s., but didn’t really see it in practice until I got to college. My college classmates would throw around words like ethnocentric, nationalist, patriarchy, militant, eurocentric, and other colorful words. I’m sure I was called most of these at one point in time.

So, what do I think about ethnocentrism? I think many people are mislabeled as being ethnocentric because they are proud of their culture. I am proud of whom I am and I am proud of where I come from, but that doesn’t mean that my way of doing things is better than yours. I think it’s good to be proud of who you are. We should encourage people to teach others about their culture, customs, language, and tradition. I think that’s a positive thing. In college, somebody told me that they didn’t look at the color of my skin, or my culture, or that I was a Chicano. I told them they should because I want them to know who I am. I don’t believe in being color blind. I believe that people should acknowledge each other and work together because of their differences, not in spite of their differences. In my opinion, it’s the only way to learn about each other.

Ethnocentricsm and Eurocentrism do exist. Unthinking Eurocentrism is a great book that talks about stereotyping and media images shaping the way we think. It teaches us to be critical of everyone including ourselves.

Are there ethnocentric people out there? Yes. They’re called pendejos. I dunno, I guess there are other definitions for ethnocentricsm. That’s just my take.


Friends Of Tom Delay

Tom Delay led the redistricting battle in Texas this year.

THE HOUSE majority leader, Tom DeLay, who was cited by the House Ethics Committee for three violations this year and another in 1999, was rewarded yesterday by his fellow Republicans with a rules change that will allow him to keep his leadership position even if he is charged with a serious crime.


Here's the article.

Wednesday, November 17, 2004

Movie Reviews - Sort Of

Motorcycle Diaries - Brilliant
Sideways - Hillarious
Incredibles - Pretty Good
Ray - Marvelous
Bridget Jones - No Vale/Sucks

Tuesday, November 16, 2004

Hispanic Death Toll In Iraq High

The numbers of Latinos killed in Iraq out of proportion for the population. That's not a surprise. There are two main factors for the large number of Latinos serving in the military as I see it - 1.the Raza is poor so it seems like a good way out and 2. we're very patriotic.

Monday, November 15, 2004

New Technology at Border Tested

I haven't seen anyone post about this, so here's a link to a story about the new technology test. Homeland Security is taking pictures, fingerprinting, and asking questions to people coming into the country. It's an effort to curb terrorism and illegal immigration.

Right now they're saying that it's not really delaying the lines at the border. I know this isn't the most important argument for/against using this technology for most folks, but for the people who cross the border every day, this is just another pain in the ass. Hopefully it flows smoothly though.

Friday, November 12, 2004

Picture Friday - To Church In El Refugio


Headed To Church: Pilgrims walked from "La Barranca" towards the church. The trek probably took them about 1.5 hours - down from the mountains, where they live. They walked in two single file lines. At certain points, they would sing. At other points, they would pop VERY loud fireworks (we call them palomas -illegal in the States), as announcement of their arrival. This lets other people know the location of these specific pilgrims. Groups like this come to El Refugio from all over. Posted by Hello

Wednesday, November 10, 2004

La Mano - Santito

Older people are usually much wiser than me (except for ex-bosses, of course). I have always shown my respect for older people by calling them, señor, señora, sir, ma’am, mr., mrs., don, doña, usted, - lo que sea. Bueno, pues, I thought that was showing chingos of respect until I saw my cousins doing their Santito bit.

My primos have been doing this since I was a kid. Before going to bed they go up to all of my aunts, uncles, grandparents, and other older relatives and say, “la mano.” They are asking for a person’s hand, so that they can kiss, before going to bed. In return, the adult says, “Santito” and touches their head, does the sign of the cross over them, or just wishes them a good night.

I was at my grandmother’s house this summer and I noticed my primo Marin doing this. Marin is a big, strong, cholo-looking, 24-year old California chicano with a wife and a young daughter. He went up to my grandmother, aunts, and my mom, and asked for “la mano.” I was amazed that he still does this. Everyone obliged of course.

I never did this as a kid and neither did most of my other cousins. My Tio Juan’s and Tio Rafa’s kids were probably the only kids who did this. It’s a practice still common in El Refugio.

I asked my aunt and my mom about this custom – after twenty some odd years of seeing it done – and they told me they never really thought it necessary. In fact, they rebelled against it, when they were kids, because my grandmother wanted them to ask their oldest brother (My Tio Rafa), for “la mano.” You can imagine why young girls would rebel against having to ask their older brother for a blessing.

I usually say “Buenas noches” or “Hasta mañana” when I’m heading to bed, but I must admit, it’s probably pretty nice to ask for a blessing before going to bed.

Cholo Word Of The Day - Bien Cuete

Thanks to Soul Musings for pointing out that Cuete, not only means, what I wrote 2 days ago, but also to be bien pedo.

We'll go with Bien Cuete for this tranlsachion.

Word:
Bien Cuete

Meaning According To DT:
pedo, drunk ass, really drunk, grifo

Used in a sentence:
"Viste a el Toni, andaba bien cuete en la wedding."

"Si'mbre, se puso bien baboso."

Translation according to DT:
"Did you notice Anthony, he was quiet inebriated at the wedding."

"I sure did, he was acting very silly."

Tuesday, November 09, 2004

Resignations?

Yikes, I just read that this.

Attorney General John Ashcroft and Commerce Secretary Don Evans resigned Tuesday, the first members of President Bush's Cabinet to leave as he headed from re-election into his second term.

Ashcroft, in a five-page, handwritten letter to Bush, said, ``The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved.''

Monday, November 08, 2004

Cholo Word Of The Day - Cuete

ok. so this isn't the official spelling of this word, but que importa. The official spelling, according to my muy muy Mexicana friend from San Anto is: cohete.

A "cohete" is a firework. A cuete is not.

Lady, you know who you are so thank you.

Word:
Cuete

Meaning According To DT:
gun, handgun, rifle, ak-47

Used in a sentence:
"Tira el cuete antes de que te pesque la chota."

"Bueno chief, pero dale gas. Esta ranfla ya nomas no."

Translation according to DT:
"Get rid of that firearm before the nation's finest apprehends you."

"Ok comrade, but please make haste. This vehicle isn't as polished as before."

Friday, November 05, 2004

Picture Friday


This is my grandmother standing in her old kitchen. You'll notice the "stove" behnd her. She used to have to cut up some firewood cook whatever she wanted to in there. It was kind of tough, I must imagine. She's wearing a nice dress because she was headed to my Grandfather's novenario mass. Posted by Hello

Cholo Word Of The Day - Chores

At first, you might this the word I am using is "chores," but in fact, the word is pronounced: Cho - res. Chores can also be called cortos. They are baggy and often khacki.

Word:

Chores

Meaning According To DT:
shorts, baggy shorts, long shorts

Used in a sentence:
"Vas a usar chores cuando vayas a la store?"

"Si, porque esta muy caliente para usar los pants."

Translation according to DT:
"Are you going to use shorts when you go to the store?"

"Yes, because it's extremely hot to use pants."



Thursday, November 04, 2004

And They're Off

Wow, there are some interesting comments being posted on my blog. It's good to see such passion.

To say that John Kerry or any other Democrat or Liberal has no moral values is ridiculous. In this election, it's sad, if people did think John Kerry didn't have moral values. In fact, that's why he lost, I think.

It is our job to get people to understand that simply because we believe a woman should have the right to choose, doesn't mean we're evil. In fact, I consider myself to be a very moral person when I refuse to agree with the death penalty, but many people don't see it that way. More later. Let's organize.

Wednesday, November 03, 2004

I'm Sad and Scared

"a country deserves it's president" - Howard Stern

"how does it feel to live in the dumbest country in the world" - co-worker

"it's a day of mourning" - friend

"I'm sad and scared" - me

"mostly it makes me sad b/c sooo many people in our country believe that Bush's approach (which is mostly the equivalent of a school yard bully) is the right one. also, that they don't see/understand the long range damage he is doing domestically" - another friend

I don't even know what to say. The war won't end. Many more soldiers will get killed. The stock market is up. The price of oil won't go down. The economy - well, damn it.

Maybe I'm wrong. If most Americans think it's ok to invade a country under false pretenses, then maybe it's right. If most Americans believe that slashing military benefits and paying teachers less is ok, then maybe it's right. If most Americans believe that a chump change "tax break" is ok, while the richest people in this country get a huge tax break, then maybe it's right. If most Americans don't care that the vice-president has anything to gain by Haliburton getting every contract in Iraq, then maybe I shouldn't. If most American's think it's ok to let the government have access to every little detail of your life, without letting you know, then maybe it is ok.

I get at least a couple of hours of being depressed. Plus, I've got either a cold or the flu, so I feel like caca.

We have to organize better. I know I didn't do enough.

Tuesday, November 02, 2004

My Candle Is Lit!

Ya prendi la vela and I've said a prayer. I voted this morning. The guy that runs our office came out and told everyone to quit what they were doing and go vote. I was impressed. It's a good idea because he gets everyone out of the office at the same time and also, because he encouraged everyone to go vote. I only know of one person in our office who won't vote. We've all given him hell for it and I hope he realizes why it's so important to us.

Today might also be the first time my Mother casts a ballot as a U.S. citizen. I need to call and check to see if she went through with it. She was a bit apprehensive. She doesn't read very well and is intimidated by things like that. I told just to go and try it out. We'll see.

My head is killing me. I think I'm getting a cold. The reunion kicked my ass.

Monday, November 01, 2004

Please Vote!

The end. I'll be back later.