Desde esta tribuna en la que me siento de vez en cuando, y miro a ambos lados del océano, me pregunto siempre ¿qué nos falta para mejorar? Parece, a priori, una bobada cuestionarse el mundo en el que vivo desde esa perspectiva, porque es mucho más fácil observar la realidad,  apoyándose en las declaraciones o publicaciones de los distintos expertos, que explican las crisis y las medidas sociales y políticas que hay que tomar. A la postre, comprobar fue siempre más sencillo que inventar. Y entender el punto de vista de un erudito es también más cómodo que ingeniárselas para poder resolver una situación. Lo digo porque, en ocasiones, está uno tan metido en un asunto que los árboles no te dejan ver el bosque.

Esto me viene a la cabeza porque, de verdad, me estoy cansando de oír tanta medida disciplinaria para atajar crisis, desfalcos, corruptelas y demás en mi país de origen. Por supuesto que los que están apretándose el cinturón hasta no poder respirar más, son la gran masa de gentes que forman el estado. Y el hartazgo y la desmoralización se están empezando a notar incluso fuera de las fronteras. Esta es la fecha y aún no he leído, ni escuchado, ni visto ni olfateado siquiera alguna solución a uno sólo de los problemas que existen. Desde aquí parece que el visto bueno ha de venir de instituciones y políticos supranacionales, que nada tienen que ver con la patria de origen, que no la conocen, que no les importa, y cuyo objetivo mayor estriba en el sometimiento económico de unas cuantas naciones a las directrices partidistas y convenientes para un solo pueblo, que es el único que prospera, porque históricamente han demostrado su creencia en una “raza superior” -la de ellos, ¡claro!-.  Pero, hete aquí que si eso fuese cierto, medio planeta estaría hablando su lengua, porque habrían sido capaces de ver más allá de sus límites, habrían sido capaces de soñar con una realidad diferente y habrían sido capaces de ir a por ello como pudiesen. Sin embargo, no es eso lo que sucedió. Por eso las apariencias engañan. Hasta el punto de que recientemente, varias instituciones de carácter mundial han afirmado, con total rotundidad, que la Tierra no está en crisis. Que ése contexto sólo se da en la zona euro. Los grandes gigantes económicos siguen creciendo tal y como se preveía. Las potencias emergentes siguen su ascensión imparable. Asia se desarrolla adecuadamente. África continúa igual. Es el primer mundo el que se retuerce en una debacle de la que no sabe salir. Hay un vacío de ideas y de liderazgo. El peso del poder ha dejado de estar repartido para condensarse en las mismas manos. Uno a uno, distintos países han ido cayendo bajo la égida prestamista alemana. Por alguna razón, la atención se centra de pronto en un territorio, y se derrumban  sus instituciones financieras. Sus estructuras sociales no resisten el embate del descrédito y se entra en una espiral que sólo sabe ir cuesta abajo. Entonces, a pesar de alguna revuelta popular controlada, Europa brinda una ayuda abusiva que atrapará al sitio en cuestión por varias generaciones venideras. Y el ofrecimiento viene de los mismos, con una miríada de condiciones, recomendaciones y zarandajas más propias de un tribunal que de los amables vecinos que quieren echarte una mano. Luego, a cada paso, a cada decisión interna del país, hay que seguir complaciendo y obedeciendo porque “quien paga, manda”.  Total ¡ya arreglarán el asunto los bisnietos o tataranietos, si es que, al fin, consiguen la libertad económica suficiente como para construir la sociedad que quieren sin que se la arrebaten!

Es por eso que inquiero ¿qué nos falta para mejorar? Y recuerdo las palabras de una reina árabe a su hijo, el rey Boabdil el Chico, cuando hace mucho tiempo, vio que se perdía el único reino que le quedaba, que era Granada: “Llora como una mujer, lo que no has sabido defender como un hombre” –afirmó ella-. Estoy convencida de que, en ése punto, cualquier alternativa, por imposible que fuese, sería acogida, ¡Oh, casualidad atemporal!, como agua de mayo.

I was really fascinated by the latest episode of Revolution “The Longest Day.”  Through some different storylines, this episode showed how various characters have further evolved according to their circumstances.

The episode opened up with a drone attack ordered by Monroe on the rebel camp.  Charlie and Jason, whom were away, signaled the warning.  Once that they were discovered missing, Miles went back to search for Charlie, after ordering an evacuation.  Nora joined him, as well as Tom Neville (Giancarlo Esposito), who said how “his [Jason's] mother would never forgive me, if I left him behind.”

One of the things that Miles experienced, while knocked out from the attack, was Rachel’s voice asking him not to be the man that he once was—the same one that trained Monroe Republic soldiers and the one that kidnapped her.  This is something that he has struggled with all season, though circumstances have required him to periodically draw on these skills.  This struggle, also, leads him to periodically rescue Charlie―this instance being no exception.

While we saw more humanity out of Miles, we saw a little of the same from Tom.  All through this season, we have seen the horrible things that Tom has done, even to his own son. However, we, also, saw him go back and rescue him—supposedly out of avoiding a guilt trip from his wife.  Nevertheless, once that Tom succeeded in rescuing Jason, he told him, “Of all the things that I have done against The Good Book, I would never leave you to die.”

Something that we have, also, learned about are the multiple assassination attempts against Bass Monroe―the first being by Miles Matheson.  In this episode, we saw another one, resulting in him turning his attention toward Jeremy Baker (Mark Pellegrino), his last remaining friend.  The large amount of circumstantial evidence led Monroe to order his death.  However, Jeremy had the last word in telling Monroe that his paranoia drove everybody away, especially Matheson.

In her attempt to help bring Monroe’s fall, Rachel has been on a quest to find The Tower, so that she can turn the power back on.  Tagging along is Aaron.  Since the last episode, Aaron had been moving Rachel, who had been nursing a nasty open leg fracture.  In order to fix her leg, she used the nanite implant retrieved from the body of her son, Danny, to fix her wounds. Unfortunately, they were discovered by a hunter and his party.  The hunter was led to believe that they could save his son, who was dying of wounds from a fall off of a horse.  This turned out to be a lie.  Once that Rachel revealed her sole intention of turning on the power so that Monroe would be killed, Aaron saw the complete opposite of himself in Rachel’s cold eyes.

With post-apocalyptic shows such as this, one of the things that drives them is the characters’ drive to preserve their humanity.  I like how this episode showed the characters’ struggle to maintain their inner selves amidst some horrendous circumstances.  In Rachel’s case and, especially, Monroe’s, we saw people taking a turn for the worse.  On the other end, we saw Miles and to a lesser extent Tom taking action to redeem themselves for their past atrocities.  This intriguing struggle is one of the things that keeps me tuned in time and will have me watching next week.

Revolution is on NBC on Monday nights.  Check for your local listings.

Author: José A. Rodríguez
Graphic: Starz

Last Friday’s “The Tower” showed both Leonardo and the Medicis fighting for their lives. The Medicis were working to land the King and Queen of Spain to preserve their wealth and power. Similarly, Leonardo was trying to defend himself against sodomy charges.

Lorenzo was reeling because he was notified that the Pope was withdrawing his funds from the Medici Bank. As a result, he needed a replacement. Once that the Medicis heard that Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain were visiting, they were scrambling to organize appropriate entertainment for the pious royals. Unfortunately, the task fell to Lorenzo’s impetuous brother, Giuliano.

Meanwhile, Leonardo was still in prison awaiting his trial. As the trial progressed, it became clear that the deck seemed to be stacked against him. For one, his workshop was searched to uncover more evidence.

During a visit from his father, Leonardo had an idea. He, somehow, was able to make black powder, which he attached to bats, so that it appeared that Florence might be under attack. During the disruption, Zoroaster, came into temporarily trade places.

In trying to figure out how to entertain the Spanish royals, Guiliano decided to put on a show based on Boccaccio’s The Decameron, in particular the pig episode on the eighth day and the sixth tale. When Lorenzo heard this, he was horrified because it was one of the bawdiest tales. In an attempt to strike a compromise, he instructed Giuliano to remove the bawdiness, while preserving the rest.

Both of the storylines came together the night of the show. Inside the courtroom, Leonardo lit a flare that exposed the judge―naked and stuck to a pig. Unfortunately, for the judge, Da Vinci had a gigantic camera obscura that projected a blurry movie onto the darkened, Florentine sky. In order not to show a clear image, Leonardo made a few requests: the charges to be dropped, his father to be well paid for his services, a signed confession from the judge as leverage and access to the denunciation.

As for Guiliano’s rendition of The Decameron, it became clear that Lorenzo’s concerns were unfounded, when Ferdinand starting chuckling during the performance. Ultimately, the Spanish royals decided to bank with the Medicis.

Once that Leonardo was released, he ended up tying some of the loose ends associated with his trial. First, he ended up running into Jacopo Saltarelli, the same prostitute that was his accuser. Leonardo revealed that some of the accusation was true.

Lastly, Leonardo ended up in a bath together with Lorenzo’s lover, Lucrezia, and told her of his desire to find out who really was behind the accusation. Her eyes grew huge.

These last few episodes dealing with Leonardo’s imprisonment did a great job at depicting the fine line between genius and madness. They have, also, done well with showing some of Da Vinci’s flaws because his cleverness can border on obnoxious. Without showing Leonardo’s flaws, it would be easy for viewers to get bored with his cleverness. Now that Leonardo’s imprisonment has been addressed, what is left now is for Lorenzo’s mole to be uncovered.

Author: José A. Rodríguez
Picture: Starz

Showtime’s Da Vinci’s Demons has continued to keep my attention and I hope that it has captured yours, too. In this latest episode, “The Magician,” we saw escalating tension between the Medicis, Florence’s power brokers, and Rome (The Vatican). In addition, Lorenzo de Medici continued to pursue the mole within his ranks. Parallel to this, Da Vinci carried on his quest to find the Sons of Mithras.

Da Vinci’s rise has now been tied to his newer occupation of weapons designer for Lorenzo. While he continued to build to build multi-barrelled cannons for him, Leonardo had a vision about the possibly horrendous consequences of his work, which resulted in him taking some drastic action. However, then, he had a realization of how illusion might be able to accomplish more than actual weapons. With the help of his partner-in-crime, Zoroaster, Leonardo was able to bluff against Count Riario and, just for the moment, bought Florence a little more time against Rome.

Tied to this was the search for Medici mole. One of the things that Riario said during his conversation with Lorenzo and Da Vinci was about how there are different ways to fight. The insinuation was that he wasn’t necessarily talking about physical weapons. Thinking that he had found his mole, Lorenzo incarcerated his right hand man, Bechhi. In time, he found out that Bechhi indeed wasn’t guilty and that the mole was still out there.

In my initial review on Da Vinci’s Demons, I mentioned how Leonardo’s investigations somehow always tie together and this episode carried on that thread. Numerous times through the episode, Leonardo was obsessed with pomegranates―in fact, asking Nico to fire pomegranates at a Medici statue, so that he could sketch the fragments. Pomegranates would, ultimately, provide him part of the solution in bluffing Riario. The obsession was, also, evident in his observing a leontocephaline statue at the Medici residence and the painting of Lorenzo’s grandfather, Cosimo, that yielded him some Mithraic symbolism.

The episode concludes with Lorenzo having an award ceremony for Leonardo, who embodied the intersection of art and science that raised tiny Florence’s profile in Europe. In real life, Da Vinci is considered the best examples of a “Renaissance Man”―a person showing brilliance and competence in multiple areas (ex. weapons design and engineering). However, the joyous moment was shattered by a serious accusation being leveled against Leonardo. This proved to be a time that Lorenzo was not be able to help him out.

Friday cannot come fast enough and l anxiously wait to see what will happen with Da Vinci, Lorenzo and Florence. The plot twists continue and demonstrate the intrigues that characterized that point of the Italian Renaissance. All of this adds up to another great episode of a show that I hope will continue to mature.

Author: José A. Rodríguez
Photo: Renée Rodríguez

With everything leading up to Cinco de Mayo, I have been fascinated by the discussion of whether or not Cinco de Mayo is a “real” holiday.  The way that people party on Cinco de Mayo you would think so.  However, Mexican Independence Day is actually September 16th (el 16 de septiembre).  I have seen the difference of opinions, when talking to Mexican-Americans vs. Mexican nationals (ex. my family and a friend’s girlfriend).  When I told my tíos about Cinco de Mayo, you would have thought that I told them that the sky was green.

Believe it or not, I didn’t write this to engage in the discussion of how valid a holiday Cinco de Mayo is.  I feel that the larger point is that Cinco de Mayo could serve as a way to open up dialogue regarding issues that have only recently begun to be marginally addressed (immigration of the undocumented, the DREAM Act, etc.).  Like many, I am not satisfied.  However, it’s a start.

I find it funny how some of the people that rally against the “invasion of illegals” or talk about the undocumented coming to take American jobs are the same ones that will go out to eat chips and salsa, while washing it down with tequila or a Corona on Cinco de Mayo.  If these people feel comfortable enough to party, then why not try to feel comfortable enough to talk about coming up with some better solutions? If they are so concerned about someone coming over, then why not look at the reasons? It would be great to think that these matters are black and white.  However, life often turns out to be some shade of gray.

I can’t speak for all Mexicans, all Mexican-Americans or all Americans for that matter.  I can only speak for myself.  For me, it doesn’t matter whether or not Cinco de Mayo becomes a recognized holiday.  For me, it doesn’t matter whether or not Spanish becomes a recognized language.  What matters is moving past the anger and the drama that seems to dominate many of these discussions and implement some solutions that we can build upon.  Many of these problems didn’t sprout up overnight, nor will they be solved overnight.  We need a start and who knows.  Cinco de Mayo could be that start.

This past event saw one of its biggest turnouts―an estimated 5,000 people of which about one-fourth were registered. Most of those registered had children.

Dia de los Niños’ sponsors and supporters ranged from educational institutions, community organizations, media and the Mexican Consul Vicente Sánchez Ventura. Some of the organizations that had booths included The Parade Company and WSU Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies (CLLAS). Forgotten Harvest was, also, there to pass out food. There were, also, various performances, as well as activities for the children.

Based on the turnout, Dia de los Niños was a big success and promises to bring another great event in 2014. If you missed out on this event, keep your eyes open for upcoming information.

Author: Gabriella Muñoz
Image: Karla Casab

Hello everyone! I am happy to be back contributing to Mi Estilo. I have resurrected my weekly column, Gabby’s Going Out with events that are going on in Metro Detroit each week.

I thought there was no better way to kick off the column than with a list of my Top 5 picks for things to do this Cinco de Mayo weekend!

May 3-5  Celebrate the weekend with a frosty beverage of your choice and some delicious food at one of Metro Detroit’s many Mexican restaurants. Most Mexican restaurants are celebrating Cinco de Mayo this weekend with specials and live entertainment. If you don’t mind a crowd, visit one of the many restaurants or taco trucks in Southwest Detroit to get the kind of food that tastes just like abuelita’s.

May 4-5  Visit Mexicantown this weekend for the Cinco de Mayo Festival. There will be mariachis, vendors with Mexican artifacts, pony rides, folkloric dancing and more. The festival will be taking place on 21st Street and Bagley. Each day the festival will run from
1-8:30pm.

May 5  For all the runners in the area there is an event for you too! Participate in the 7th annual Detroit Cinco de Mayo 5k Fun Run & 1 mile walk. The event will begin at 11:30AM.

Register onsite the day of, if you have not done so already. The cost is $25 for the run and $15 for the walk.

For more information, visit http://www.detroitcincodemayo.org/.

May 5  Get your parade on at the annual Cinco de Mayo Parade in Southwest Detroit. The Parade will begin at noon at Patton Park on Vernor and Woodmere and conclude at Clark Park.

After the Parade, stick around to find some of the glorious street food in the area. Visit a taco truck, get some elotes and have a paleta for dessert!

May 5  If you are looking to go dancing this weekend you will not want to miss Salsa Detroit’s Biggest Cinco de Mayo Bash at Woody’s in Royal Oak. There will be 3 levels of dancing from 1:00pm-9:00pm.

After Woody’s, you can move down the street to Cantina Diablo’s for more dancing from 10:00pm-2:00am.

For more information visit: http://www.detroitsalsa.com/.

With so much going on this weekend, there’s no reason to stay home. Grab some tasty food and your favorite beverage to celebrate one of Metro Detroit’s biggest holidays.

Author: José A. Rodríguez
Graphic: Starz

I am a huge Leonardo Da Vinci fan. So, when Starz announced the premiere of their show Da Vinci’s Demons, I couldn’t wait to see it. In case that you haven’t yet, you can tune in on Fridays at 9PM Eastern. If you can’t, then it’s well worth recording on your DVR.

The cast is headed up by Tom Riley, who plays a young Da Vinci. Riley brings a lot of charisma to a figure normally seen as the enigmatic, bearded genius. Elliot Cowan puts in a strong performance as Lorenzo de Medici, patriarch of the powerful Florentine banking family and patron of the arts. Opposing the Medicis, are Pope Sixtus IV (James Faulkner) and his nephew, Count Riario (Blake Ritson). Last and not least is Al Rahim “The Turk,” played by Alexander Siddig―familiar to fellow Trekkies as Dr. Julian Bashir on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Al Rahim is Da Vinci’s mentor, who leads him on his search for the mysterious Book of Leaves.

Starz did a great job with developing this show that is part of the recent wave of historical fiction on cable TV. It captures how Da Vinci’s search for knowledge in different areas fed into each other. Also, they pay great attention at how various factions and families would work to covertly sabotage or outright assassinate each other. In all, they take a wide breadth of historical events that lend toward operatic storylines that could be digestible and engaging. If David Goyer (The Dark Knight Trilogy co-writer and Da Vinci Demons creator) and his team continue to do well at interpreting these historical events, then this show will have a strong future.

So far, the show is only three episodes in and the fourth will air this upcoming Friday. This show has plenty of tasty intrigue and lots of action. I promise that you will not be disappointed with this great, great show that I give a strong 4.5 out of 5 stars. You, too, will be drawn into Da Vinci’s Demons.

La mayoría de nosotros hoy dia estamos conscientes de la importancia de beber suficiente agua diariamente. Tomar nuestra dosis de agua diaria ayuda a nuestros órganos desempeñar sus funciones asignadas, mantiene la piel clara e hidratada y permite que la acción física en nuestros cuerpos fluya sin problemas. A pesar de este conocimiento, todavía puede ser difícil tomar toda el agua que nuestros cuerpos se merece. Cuando tendemos a jugar o trabajar duro, sudar y pasar un tiempo prolongado en el sol o en el gimnasio, beber mucha agua es crítico. Aquellas personas que no esten bebiendo suficiente agua pueden experimentar mala digestión, pensamiento mas lento, piel seca, dolores de cabeza, mal aliento y fatiga en general.

Para comenzar bien nuestro día, acostumbrate a poner un vaso grande de agua junto a la cama cada noche y beberlo cuando te despiertas. Beber agua a primera hora de la mañana ayuda a sacar las toxinas del día anterior y refresca tu sistema para tus actividades diarias. Manten una botella de agua cercana a ti durante el día. Tener una botella de agua cerca te recordará que debes tomar un trago cuando tienes sed. El primer sorbo suele hacerte saber cuánta agua necesitas. Un trago o dos puede ser suficiente, o tal vez necesites un vaso grande. Si bebes bastanate agua duarnte el día, lo más probable es que no tengas sed antes de acostarte. Esto es bueno, ya que beber agua antes de acostarse te lleva a despertarte para ir al baño y perturba el sueño que es necesario para descansar tu organismo.

Qué tan importante es la calidad de el agua?
Algunas personas solo toman agua embotellada, mientras que otras prefieren el agua filtrada, al igual que hay personas que no le gusta el sabor de el agua. Si el sabor del agua ya sea de botella, filtrada o de la llave es poco atractiva, te voy a dar unos consejitos para hacer el agua que tomes sea mas apetecible y divertida. Trata de añadir unas hojitas de menta, un pedacito de perejil, rodajas de pepino, un toque de limón o un chorrito de naranja para hacer el agua más atractiva. Además, beber jugo o té y comer frutas  y verduras crudas contribuyen a el proceso de hidratación en tu cuerpo.

Receta del mes (Gracias a cursos-especiales.org)

Smoothie de frutas
Ingredientes:

• 4 Tazas de Fresa peladas y desinfectadas
• 1 Plátano en trozos
• 2 Duraznos
• 1 Taza de jugo de tu elección, puede ser de naranja, durazno, mango o manzana
• 2 Tazas de hielo

Preparación
En la licuadora mezclamos las fresas, el plátano y el durazno y licuamos hasta que tengamos una consistencia de puré. Una vez que ya hicimos lo anterior, licuamos la mezcla con el jugo de nuestra elección, agregamos hielo y volvemosa licuar hasta que obtenga la consistencia deseada.

Amaury Perez, Ph.D,HC 

Tienes preguntas, escribeme un email, visita mi pagina o sigueme en twitter:

email: preguntas@naturalhealthcoach.info

web: www.naturalhealthcoach.info

twitter: @perezphd

Image courtesy of zirconicusso / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Graphic: Detroit Opera House

Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida, the epitome of grand opera, will be presented by Michigan Opera Theatre for five performances from May 11-19 at the Detroit Opera House. The production will be sung in Italian with English supertitles projected above the stage.

Verdi’s Aida, with libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, made its world premiere in Cairo, Egypt, in 1871. Though Verdi’s expansive body of work has earned him a reputation as the greatest Italian musical dramatist (more than 25 operas to his credit), it is his Aida, which more than any other work has secured a special place in the repertoire of opera companies worldwide. Its rich score and dramatic libretto continue to captivate audiences more than 130 years after its premiere.

Set in Ancient Egypt, Aida is the tale of an Ethiopian princess who’s enslaved by the king of Egypt. She’s in love with General Radamès, a man at war with her own people, and promised to another princess, Amneris. When Aida’s father, Amonasro, is captured by the Egyptians, Aida must choose between loyalty to her homeland and loyalty to her lover.

Soprano Latonia Moore (May 11, 15, 18) makes her company debut as Aida, after captivating the opera world’s attention in the same role with her unexpected debut at the Metropolitan Opera in March 2012, when she replaced Violeta Urmana. She alternates with Canadian soprano Yannick Muriel Noah (May 17, 19).

Up-and-coming Georgian mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili (May 11, 15, 18) makes her company debut as Amneris, alternating the role with Serbian soprano Milijana Nikolic (May 17, 19), who also debuts.

Italian spinto tenor Riccardo Massi (May 11, 15, 18) makes his company debut as Radamès. He alternates with Australian-born tenor Rosario La Spina (May 17, 19).

American bass Peter Volpe, who appeared in MOT’s 2007 Cyrano, sings the role of Ramphis. American baritone Gordon Hawkins, who most recently appeared in last season’s Pagliacci, plays Amonasro. MOT Young Artist Apprentice and Grosse Pointe native Angela Theis returns in the role of Priestess following a triumphant run as Marzellina in MOT’s spring opera Fidelio.

MOT favorite Steven Mercurio conducts the production, while Bliss Hebert, who staged MOT’s most recent production of Aida, directs.

The opening night performance will be broadcast live on WRCJ 90.9 FM, with commentary beginning at 7 p.m. with Dave Wagner.

Access.Opera tickets for students and young professionals, ages 18-40, are available on Wednesday, May 15, at a reduced price, with a reception following the performance.

A free opera talk begins one hour prior to each performance.

The spring opera season is made possible by the General Motors Foundation and Cadillac. Additional sponsors for this production include the DeRoy Testamentary Foundation and the Ida & Conrad H. Smith Endowment for Michigan Opera Theatre.

Ticket prices range from $25 to $125. Tickets may be purchased online at www.MichiganOpera.org, by calling (313) 237-SING or in person at the Detroit Opera House (1526 Broadway, Detroit). Tickets may also be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, any Ticketmaster outlet, or by calling (800) 745-3000.

Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida Showtimes
Saturday, May 11                      7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 15                  7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 17                          7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 18                      7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 19                        2:30 p.m.