This past Saturday, of course, was Cinco de Mayo. Cinco de Mayo is one of the most important days on the Mexican calendar, commemorating the time when friends and family get together to have a cookout, drink beer and not know why Cinco de Mayo is celebrated.
President Obama held a reception at the White House on Saturday in honor of Cinco de Mayo. Invitations indicated that the festivities would start at 1 p.m. on the dot, so naturally most guest didn’t begin arriving until 4 o’clock. Kids played pin the debt on the donkey and were given a few whacks at an elephant piñata. In a strange coincidence, everyone brought paper plates and tinfoil, so there were no leftovers.
Many advocates for immigration reform were excited to hear Obama call for the passage of the DREAM Act, a piece of legislation that would provide a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who go to college or serve in the military. But, an uncomfortable moment came in Obama’s speech when he said, “I promise that when I’m president, I’ll make passing fair immigration reform my top priority.”
Unfortunately, the dinner ended early when ICE raided the party and the entire White House kitchen staff was detained.
Costa Rica-born Franklin Chang-Díaz has become the first Latino inducted in the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Chang-Díaz is noted for having developed a method for fitting 12 astronauts in a shuttle that seats five.
Kansas City held its first annual Cinco de Mayo Chihuahua parade. Organizers were aiming for the Chihuahua parade record, set at about 700. In all, only 500 Chihuahuas showed up and shivered their way through downtown Kansas City.
Hearts were broken in the Puerto Rican community when Miguel Cotto lost by unanimous decision to the undefeated titan Floyd Mayweather Jr., who hasn’t lost a fight in 16 years. Cotto fans were worried on Sunday when the 31-year-old boxer told reporters that he didn’t catch the fight but heard it was good. Cotto’s grandmother was ejected from the MGM Grand when in the 6th round she jumped in the ring and came after Mayweather with a chancla.
Most boxing fans are hoping that this win will force Mayweather to finally face Manny Pacquiao, but it’s beginning to look like that might never happen. In a related story, Cotto said he’s willing to fight himself if anyone’s willing to watch.
It’s been a tough few months for Josefina Vázquez Mota, who’s looking to become Mexico’s first female president. A politician with an impressive résumé, Vázquez Mota’s campaign has suffered from gaffes and slip-ups from the start. Now she’s about 20 points behind the PRI’s young and charismatic candidate, Enrique Peña Nieto. She claims that the other campaigns are unfairly attacking her, which is kind of true because Peña Nieto has been blaming Vázquez Mota’s complaints on PMS.
An embarrassing moment for Vázquez Mota came when she delivered a speech in a nearly empty arena, to which GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said, “What’s wrong with that? I give speeches in empty venues all the time.”
Speaking of Romney, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus has unveiled the GOP’s new strategy for reaching out to Latinos. Priebus’ plan is to have Romney and campaign workers go door to door in Latino neighborhoods in an attempt to raise money and get the word out. So far, no one has been home.
About Hector Luis Alamo, Jr.
LOL @ 12 astronauts in a shuttle that seats 5. LOL!!!!
This article probably helped me get over the Mondays more than anyone else.
Loved the part about the astronauts