Questions and Thoughts on Language

Some questions and thoughts on language that I am currently pondering:

1. Why are Americans afraid of the Spanish language being spoken in the United States? Without a doubt, Spanish is the second most used language in the US. Equally without a doubt, Spanish is subordinate to English in the US. Many countries have more than one “official” language. For example, English and French are the official languages of Canada. Many other countries have more than one “natural language” spoken in their country. For example, Spanish, Catalan, Valencian, Basque, Gallician, Asturian, Castillian (“Castellano” to everyone who ever took a Spanish course), are all natural languages of Spain. Heck, the natural language of the US consists of various different Native American languages (most of which are dead or dying). What is the big deal with speaking Spanish in the US? Why is it wrong?  Why is one looked down upon if you speak Spanish?

I am tired of hearing “learn English or go back to Mexico” being yelled at our recent immigrants. At the turn of the last century, I am sure everyone heard German, Italian, Polish, Irish (Gaelic), etc. being spoken all around New York and the East Coast. Don’t worry folks, as time will show, the children of recent immigrants and their decendants will probably never learn to speak Spanish. Just like German, Italian, Polish, etc. is not spoken by the descendants of those immigrants at the turn of the last century.  They will all become the beautiful thing known as the monolingual American.

2. Why do native-born Mexicans look down on Chicanos who do not speak Spanish? Growing up, I worked with a lot of recent immigrants who looked down harshly on Pochos who only spoke English. Doubly so if you were a dark skinned Chicano. “Ese mendigo buey tiene el nopal en la frente y ni puede hablar Espanol. Que mamon!” Luckily, I spoke both English and Spanish!

Pensamientos on Summer Reading

One of the books that I read this summer was The Trouble With Islam Today; A Muslim’s Call for Reform in Her Faith by Irshad Manji. I found Trouble With Islam Today to be a fascinating book. The book provided me with a “look through an open window” view into a religion and culture that I had very little knowledge of prior to reading this book. You can visit Irshad Manji’s website at www.muslim-refusenik.com.

For a long time now, I have had a lingering feeling of discontent with the coverage in the traditional news media (LA Times, CNN, FOX News, NBC, etc.) regarding such important subjects as the Middle-East, Islam, Muslims, terrorism, and the war on terror, just to name a few.

Tres Años

El mes pasado, la Señora TacoSam y yo celebramos nuestro tercero aniversario de matrimonio. Estos tres años se han pasado como un suspiro corto, tan rápidos. Reconozco que casarme con mi esposa ha sido una gran bendición y una de las dos mejores decisiones que he hecho en esta vida. Felicidades mi amor, mi vida, y gracias por compartir tu vida y tu amor conmigo. Sigue sonriendo porque somos dichosos y muy afortunados! Nunca olvides que te amo.

Maestro, Descansa en Paz

Its a sad day because one of the most beautiful voices has been taken from us. Called home. Maestro Luciano Pavarotti died today, September 6, 2007. Pavarotti canta con el corazón. No hay comparación.

I discovered opera during my college years when I would go to the Music Center in Downtown L.A. and take advantage of the “student rush” tickets for $10. Opera was a brand new world to me. It fascinated and captured me because of its passion and emotion. I had the privilege to attend the Three Tenors Concert in 1994 at Dodger Stadium (as part of the festivities for the World Cup) and it was a legendary night to remember. Singing in Center Field were Maestros Pavarotti, Carreras and Domingo. Un tesoro para los oídos.

The video clip above is the very last performance of that summer night in 1994 in Chavez Ravine. “Nessun dorma“ is an aria from the final act of Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot. It was the signature song of Maestro Pavarotti.

Below is another awesome video clip from Dodger Stadium in 1994. The Ave Maria. Words cannot describe the emotions I feel when I hear that song. I love the Ave Maria so much that I had an Angel sing it at our wedding. I watched this vido clip again and it made me shed a tear. Tu voz vive. Adiós Maestro y que Dios te bendiga. Siempre Cantaras!

Roasting Like Hot Dogs

It was damn hot in Thousand Oaks today. It was so hot it triggered a memory. What happened to vinyl car seats? Growing up, my dad drove a big, green 1973 Plymouth station wagon that had dark green VINYL bench seats in front and back. In the summer those vinyl seats heated up to, oh, I would guess, 10,000 freakin’ degrees Fahrenheit!!! It was as if the Sun itself had been sitting on those green vinyl seats just before we got in the car. You got an extra treat if you wore shorts. As you would get in the backseat of the station wagon, you would forget how scorching hot the vinyl seats were until the moment you sat down and the skin on the back of your thigh INSTANTLY singed itself to the car seat like a well-done charburger. “YEEEEEEEOOOOOOOWWWWW”!! I would scream as I tried to jump up as fast as I could.