R.I.P. Enrique Fernandez

Cuban-American blogger, journalist and former Village Voice columnist Enrique Fernandez -- best known for -- among other things -- his "El Norte" column in the now-deceased alternative newspaper known as The Village Voice -- joined the fate of his former employer on December 29, 2018, at age 75.

He will be missed.

Light a Candle.com

Longtime online acquaintance and fellow blogger Bluejay recently started a site dedicated to showcasing his favorite songs in an effort to help his fans get through the present health crisis. The site's name is Songs for Sheltering aka Music for Uplift, Every Day. I hope you all have a chance to check it out since I suspect it will be well worth your while.

R.I.P. Charles G. Hill

Oklahoma blogger Charles G. Hill -- who blogged under the name Dustbury -- passed away on September 8, 2019.

He will be missed.

Michigan Gothic

I kinda wish I had thought of the title used for this odd photo-essay about my hometown. Then again part of me wishes that I could not agree with it but alas...

That's Funny. She Doesn't Look Latina: Parte XXV

Deborah Berebichez. A Mexican physicist, data scientist, TV host, educator, and blogger of Jewish descent who is known for promoting education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. In 2004, she became the first Mexican woman to graduate with a Ph.D. in physics from Stanford University. Sometimes going by the name of "The Science Babe", she has appeared in television and radio segments where she explained scientific concepts in ordinary life.

She has also been featured in the television show "You Have Been Warned" (a.k.a. "Outrageous Acts of Science") on The Science Channel, and among other things, she was a recipient for Top Latina Tech Blogger by the Association of Latinos in Social Media LATISM.

R.I.P. Stephen Cozzi

Jill Cozzi of the Brilliant at Breakfast site has always been one of my favorite bloggers on the Internet as well as one of my favorite critics on the old Cinemarati site so I was more than a bit saddened to learn a few years ago that her husband Stephen had passed away and that she was now a widow.

I was a bit embarrassed to comment on it when I first heard about it since so much time had passed since the last time I visited her site. But as time went on, it seemed far better for me to try to say something than to say nothing at all.

Besides, Jill has always treated me in a civil manner even when I didn't deserve it and I still remember the kind words she wrote to me on the Cinemarati site after my father died. I can't pretend I know what it is like to lose a spouse but I do like to think I know something about grief.

In any event, I wish the best for Jill Cozzi.

And, of course, I'd like to think that her late husband has been -- and will be -- missed.

P.S. Upon re-reading the last post on her site, I suddenly remembered that Ms. Cozzi also lost her parents a few year back. I'm sorry for this loss as well -- and for not remembering it earlier.

Then again, when it comes to grief, it's better to risk saying the wrong thing than to say nothing at all.

TV Quote of the Week

Oh, well, we all know how reliable bloggers are.
--Thomas Dekker, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, “Earthlings Welcome Here”

Pensamientos Acerca de Televisión

Ugly Betty: “Back in Her Place”

Oh, cool! Betty Suarez is starting her own blog.

Perhaps I should do something like that.

You Write Sixteen Posts...

What do you get? Another year older and deeper in debt.

Well, at least another year older.

And yes, I'm aware that I did write more than sixteen posts between now and last July but for some reason, "you write umpteen posts..." didn't sound right.

Anyway, it was my birthday yesterday and as you might guess, I took the day off from blogging. I'll probably be celebrating with various friends and relatives this week but I will try to post something from time to time.

Why I Blog

1. Because I can.

2. Because I get so tired of Latino blogs that are either endless apologies for illegal immigration or else endless lectures on the virtues of assimilation.

3. Because if I don't write about certain things, no one else will.

4. Because I need some place on the Net to vent and it would be rude to continually do so on other people's sites.

5. Why not?

Rules of the Internet (Reglas del Internet)

1. The same person who complains about having been insulted during adolescence due to his or her appearance will inevitably feel obliged to insult the appearance of various celebrities on a regular basis.

2. The same blogger who gave a rave review to the latest Hollywood film denouncing materialism will devote more than a few blog posts to bragging about all the nice stuff he or she has.

3. The same person who regularly denounces people for using dirty political tactics will routinely write about certain political candidates in the nastiest way possible.

4. The same person who regularly raves about lowbrow films will be the same person who complains about the large number of dumb movies released by Hollywood.

5. The same person who regularly ridicules all the people who went shopping on Black Friday will inevitably spend a ton of money while shopping online on Cyber Monday.

6. The same person who regularly complains about the growing trend toward anti-intellectualism in American society is the same person who will rarely admit to reading a book that wasn’t written by J. K. Rowling.

7. The same person who talks about Hollywood not spending enough time dwelling on class issues will also complain about having to rub elbows with the masses at the local movie theatre.

8. The same person who regularly writes about how stupid religious people are will regularly champion lowbrow movies.

9. The same blogger who brags about how little he or she cares what people thinks about him or her will inevitably take offense at any readers who choose to qualify a compliment by noting that they don’t always agree with the blogger in question.

10. The same blogger who complains about Hollywood filmmakers interjecting politics into their work will inevitably interject politics into his or her work…

Yo Soy un Bloguero

At least, according to the Spanish version of Wikipedia. Apparently, "bloguero" is the Spanish word for "blogger."

I'm sure some of you all know that already, but I didn't.

Other Spanish terms to note:

bloguear -- to blog.
entrada -- entry.
plantilla -- template.
posteo -- post.

Once again old news to some of you all but not to me.

And they say we don't assimilate...