http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/
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CASCOS, MCDONALD AND TORRES IN 2010
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<span style="font-weight: normal; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtADs4xnPViYdE8LufI4wWhDIjrrOljbOQxJWwNP4gHc4_Kh-Iz_HdSjPNF_Jh3IcHVuiU2Y297mSkplgYD6I36Dbi599Tvu1KQiPZ_Qmc7VBaOO2fHdJxaHKgrWueUgdRTVE5Vxaap8/s1600/toques.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtADs4xnPViYdE8LufI4wWhDIjrrOljbOQxJWwNP4gHc4_Kh-Iz_HdSjPNF_Jh3IcHVuiU2Y297mSkplgYD6I36Dbi599Tvu1KQiPZ_Qmc7VBaOO2fHdJxaHKgrWueUgdRTVE5Vxaap8/s400/toques.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712094221947967186" /></a>By</span><b> Juan Montoya</b><div style="font-weight: normal; ">You've heard of the political saying "vote early and vote often," referring, of course, to political shenanigans often pulled in South Texas.</div><div style="font-weight: normal; ">Well, our friend Enrique Barroso (nicknamed Toques) has taken it to a brand new level. You can often see his truck barreling along the streets of Brownsville plastered with political ads (and others as well).</div><div style="font-weight: normal; ">Well, maybe "barreling" isn't exactly the right verb here. It's more like sluggishly making his way through traffic at a snail's pace. Toques is getting along in years and after a few mishaps on the stairways of the judicial wing at the Cameron County courthouse has pretty much limited himself to parking in the handicapped parking space in the parking lot.</div><div style="font-weight: normal; ">Somebody needs to tell him that two of the candidates on his truck (Arturo McDonald and Carlos Cascos) already won their races (2010) and that one, Tony Torres, is dead.</div><div style="font-weight: normal; ">Now, some cynics may say that the dead rise in Cameron County come election time, but why would anyone vote for a dead candidate? Old habits dies hard, perhaps, but it could be that Enrique has continued collecting for his services from someone. Or could it be that he just hasn't realized that the 2010 elections are over and that his friend Tony is no longer around?</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6016803033174468094-5892479707811277712?l=rrunrrun.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>
LINK: http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2012/02/cascos-mcdonald-and-torres-in-2010.html
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IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CATHEDRAL SHUT DOWN FOR ROOF REPAIRS, ASH WEDNESDAY FAITHFUL FIND OUT
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By <strong>Juan Montoya</strong><br /><br />Those believers who traditionally go through the religious ritual of Ash Wednesday at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in downtown Brownsville were surprised to have themselves steered away from the massive doors and led to the gym at the school across Jefferson Street when they showed up Wednesday morning.<br />"Apparently, the roof on the cathedral is in bad shape and they're afraid it might collapse on the people," said a person who attended early mass Wednesday. "I hear it<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWB2Wxsz3MYNXanUVMgBtx85aiorVxG6WjyfkN8DUC2K2cyfjSCnR2nhNAiPTeXNRf7nldjCN6QT9qUFelFGcc8SVOlrjdd2FwLI275OdJ245yEERmtBPqb2pLPE4cJPsNL3DsNu7lprA/s1600/ImmaculateConceptionCathedral.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 367px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 224px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712056725217377186" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWB2Wxsz3MYNXanUVMgBtx85aiorVxG6WjyfkN8DUC2K2cyfjSCnR2nhNAiPTeXNRf7nldjCN6QT9qUFelFGcc8SVOlrjdd2FwLI275OdJ245yEERmtBPqb2pLPE4cJPsNL3DsNu7lprA/s400/ImmaculateConceptionCathedral.jpg" border="0" /></a>'s going to be closed for at least a couple of months."<br />A Brownsville Catholic Diocese receptionist told a caller that the roof repairs were a "major project" that could take the better part of two or three months.<br />The cathedral was built in 1856 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 as Immaculate Conception Church.<br />According to a Wikipedia post, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate were the first priests to celebrate Mass in the area of Brownsville in 1849. The present Gothic Revival style building was designed by Peter Yves Keralum. The Oblates operated a seminary in the rectory, which also was a haven for priests who fled the revolutions in Mexico.<br />The first Catholic bishop to reside at Immaculate Conception was Dominic Manucy who was the Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville. The Vicariate became the Diocese of Corpus Christi in 1912.On July 10, 1965 Pope Paul VI established the Diocese of Brownsville from Corpus Christ and Immaculate Conception became the cathedral for the new diocese.<br />The UTB list of historical landmarks states that the church's "original altar was wooden, ornately carved and trimmed in gold leaf. In 1960, in accordance with Church liturgical reforms, it was replaced with a simple flat marble table. The original pulpit was designed by the church's architect, and was replaced with a simple podium, also in 1960. The hand-pulled bells in the belfry are original; they were taken from a steamship in the late 1800's. Seven of the nine original crystal and bronze chandeliers remain. They were imported from Paris when the church was built."<br />The UTB study states that "in 1963 restoration of the exterior of the Cathedral was carried out. In 1965 the interior was restored to compare favorably with the original beauty. This included total replacement of the canvas ceiling, and painting and decoration of ceiling, walls and columns. A new roof was put on the building. This was the first complete restoration done on the church."<br />"It's old alright," said one of those attending mass Wednesday. "We just never knew the roof was in that bad a shape."<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6016803033174468094-2248889542635295247?l=rrunrrun.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>
LINK: http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2012/02/immaculate-conception-cathedral-shiut.html
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ANOTHER DOG DAY AT MUNICIPAL COURT
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By <strong>Juan Montoya</strong><br />On any given day, a small group of pet owners in Brownsville are called to appear before Municipal Judge John Chosy to defend themselves against citations issued by the Animal Control officers roaming the city looking out after the best interests of Brownie and Fido.<br />On Tuesday, as their names were called out by the court secretary, a <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVIJyio3OkncKhtBBUrewQjylkB1dBL5DCmZo_1dgI5XvOqQfZLMoQ7YZ5N9qMios-_X7DNW09iyaUspX23tf7LPIGB5hxKNYDzjBHXJS-1Y9I25QlRMqwasMJgwRVkhsMq3zi-GmMCrA/s1600/pups.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712051557665913442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVIJyio3OkncKhtBBUrewQjylkB1dBL5DCmZo_1dgI5XvOqQfZLMoQ7YZ5N9qMios-_X7DNW09iyaUspX23tf7LPIGB5hxKNYDzjBHXJS-1Y9I25QlRMqwasMJgwRVkhsMq3zi-GmMCrA/s400/pups.jpg" /></a>handful of Brownsville residents sat on the chairs lined up in the hallway leading to the judge's chambers.<br />Maria (not her name) was there to defend herself against a citations incorrectly termed "humane treatment of animals."<br />"I think I'll plead guilty," she quipped before entering the judge's office. "Yes, your honor, I'm guilty of treating my dog humanely."<br />Apparently, a neighbor (and it's always a neighbor) was bothered when she told him that he shouldn't allow his dog to come and, as she called, "do his business" on her property. The neighbor, in turn, reported her to the animal control people for having a skinny dog.<br />"The food is right there along with his water dish," she complained to her fellow citees. "There are such things as skinny dogs, just as there are skinny people. It's not like I don't feed him. He's just skinny, that's all. What if he was fat? Would they accuse me of having an obese dog?"<br />One of her fellow accused (Jose) said some neighborhood kids are always throwing rocks at his two dogs who he lets wander loose in the fenced yard. A few days ago, a prankster opened the gate and one of them got loose and was running down the street. A neighbor (of course) reported the loose dog to animal control and the wanderlust struck pooch was nabbed and placed in the pound. After paying a fee, he went out and got rabies vaccine for both dogs, and was threatened by the pooch police that they would put the pups to sleep if they every got loose again.<br />Another charge against him was that the dogs would cause a disturbance with their barking.<br />"I went out and got a lock to put on the fence gate," he said. "You should see the pile of rocks that I found in the yard. If you throw rocks at a dog it's going to bark."<br />The various citations ranged from pets pooping (doing their business, as Maria put it) on the sidewalk to causing disturbance in the neighborhood (as in Jose's case). Another had to present a death certificate to prove that the outlaw pet in question was now deceased which made the citation moot.<br />In the end, Chosy chose not to penalize Maria for having a skinny dog and Jose got off with probation for six months in which the dogs should not be loose on the street.<br />"The good thing about it is that I don't have to take the dogs to a probation officer," Jose quipped. "After serving their probation, the citation will be dropped and they won't have a record."<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6016803033174468094-4120954640820194356?l=rrunrrun.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>
LINK: http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2012/02/another-dog-day-at-municipal-court.html
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AMID THE VIOLENCE, CHARRO DAYS A WELCOME RESPITE
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<div>By <strong>Juan Montoya<br /></strong>When Charro Days started 75 years ago, its founders probably didn’t realize that their brainchild â€" an international celebration by two sister cities â€" would outlast economic booms and busts, wars, and entire generations.</div>What started out as an economic gimmick to prime the economic pump by commerce promoters way back when has flowered into an international celebration that reaches out to our southern neighbor and â€" at least for a too-brief week â€" celebrate the ties that have bound us ever since the two nations were formed on either side of the Rio Grande.<br /><div>In a place where two cultures until recently mingled freely in a semi-tropical setting, residents and winter visitors bask in the warm southeastern trade winds from the Gulf of Mexico with a cool front thrown in for good measure every once in a while.<br />The Brownsville area and its sister city Matamoros predate the signing of the signing of the U.S. Declaration of <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7QrgUPYi2y5z255NTyKLcV15No2Syk83nXiJjyC6zUHBG-t5nWy8VSA32Bkdj4J9I9gwUZEkc8PxawKKj0VPQp2_u5SrVWO4fu1IaPUuYR5JKdcam-7QBECPD_8TScWFDh4yM9e_bc6I/s1600/charro2.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 254px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712019561706749954" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7QrgUPYi2y5z255NTyKLcV15No2Syk83nXiJjyC6zUHBG-t5nWy8VSA32Bkdj4J9I9gwUZEkc8PxawKKj0VPQp2_u5SrVWO4fu1IaPUuYR5JKdcam-7QBECPD_8TScWFDh4yM9e_bc6I/s400/charro2.jpg" border="0" /></a>Independence by nearly a decade.<br />And although Brownsville did not come into being formally until 1853, it was the village commons for Matamoros, which was established in 1765 as San Juan de los Esteros. It wasn’t until the Mexican-American War in 1848 that the U.S. sovereignty extended to the banks of the Rio Grande, and the relationship has flourished since.<br />Graced by an architecture which mirrors the French touch of New Orleans, Brownsville and Matamoros have forged cultural and economic bonds, which have benefited both peoples. The result has been a unique milieu of culture and commerce framed within a context of tolerance and coexistence. The recent troubles across the border have resulted in an influx of Mexican citizens into our town, just as the Mexican revolution and other upheavals did in the past.<br />Less than a half hour by car, warm waters lap on the sands of pristine beaches on the Gulf of Mexico. Its location rivals Miami Beach for its weather, and is much less expensive than the Sun Mecca of Florida.<br />Add one of the longest rivers of the United States and a diverse plant and animal life â€" some of it exclusive to this area â€" and you’ll know why Brownsville is a favored destination for visitors far and wide from both sides of the border.<br />Charro Days is itself named for the proud precursor of the Mexican cowboyâ€" himself a forerunner of the American cowboy. It is at heart a homegrown celebration born of the simple desire to show the world what this city and its neighbors have known all along â€" that they live in a beautiful place with much to offer.<br />Charro Days Inc. is an all-volunteer effort by local residents. Only its executive director and office personnel are paid for their services to maintain the organization’s administrative operations. It does not receive funds from the city, county, or state. Fundraisers and sponsorships pay all of its projects, parades, dances and other activities.<br />It is appropriate because the holiday belongs to the people. Everywhere one turns, the work and effort that local residents put into making this fiesta a success are apparent. The hand-made costumes the children sport while participating in the children’s parade and the construction of the elaborate floats testify to the citywide effort that makes Charro Days the huge success it has become.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6016803033174468094-5845186386533080842?l=rrunrrun.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>
LINK: http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2012/02/amidst-violence-charro-days-welcome.html
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AFTER A 1,000 DEATHS, FRANCES RESTS IN PEACE
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By <strong>Juan Montoya</strong><br />She saw her husband and love of her Fred Sr. die after a lingering illness after 56 years of marriage.<br />And then she was there when her other love of her life, Fred. Jr., was brutally stabbed to death before her eyes.<br />I saw the obituary announcement in the local daily that <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFzodGil1OvfCLQgC87W4j-Z8N7YpKMjLVnL2bcfDeeL7GXKBenknNnBh__lbczMBExmt-i05e5HU86Bsr05uIBTLJXMS2UhQVQPs0C1J3jBU1J7gF4PqAizJemflm1oNbaQJtVPCVDs/s1600/bustinza1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712014302841500354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFzodGil1OvfCLQgC87W4j-Z8N7YpKMjLVnL2bcfDeeL7GXKBenknNnBh__lbczMBExmt-i05e5HU86Bsr05uIBTLJXMS2UhQVQPs0C1J3jBU1J7gF4PqAizJemflm1oNbaQJtVPCVDs/s320/bustinza1.jpg" /></a>Frances Bustinza has gone on to her eternal rest earlier this month. After 87 years, having raised a family, and surrounded by er grandchildren, it was enough.<br />When I used to live on Poinsetta Street, Frances and her son Fred would often come visit and sit in the shade of the verdant ebony trees that grace that neighborhood. She liked to sit and chat with my significant other and make over the two boys. She and my ex would knit ornaments for their coffee tables and mantles while Fred Jr. and I would engage in more intoxicating pursuits.<br />After a time, we would walk over and visit Frances, Fred. Sr. and Fred Jr at their home along the frontage road off U.S. 77. Fred had fashioned a studio in the family garage and he would show off his work.<br />Frankly, some of the more esoteric pieces were lost on my uncritical art taste, but Fred took it with a grain of salt.<br />"The human eye can't appreciate art anymore," he would growl. "Our vision has been spoiled by electronic images. We don't appreciate the brush strokes or the composition of the paint as people used to in the past."<br />Throughout all this, Frances would sit smiling benignly and look at Fred with the love in her eyes that only a mom could have for her brilliant son.<br />"They're both so smart," she would comment to my better half approvingly.<br />I, of course, knew better. Merely going to art school at Rutgers, as Fred did, or to Michigan, as I had, did not necessarily make one smart. Fred wasn't taught to paint or draw in New Jersey, but those skills were enhanced by the ambiance generated by art people and practitioners. But tell that to a mom.<br />After Fred Sr. died, mother and son were inseparable. Wherever Fred went, Frances was there to make sure he had a way home.<br />She dearly loved her son and must have suffered untold pain when he was killed before her eyes in a bar brawl.<br />But now Frances has gone on to join her two Freds wherever people go after they leave this earthly plane. Rest Easy Frances. You're home now.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6016803033174468094-8756208636190343892?l=rrunrrun.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>
LINK: http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2012/02/after-1000-deaths-frances-rests-in.html
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