“AP-Univision poll: Assimilation, cultural identity important to majorities of ... - FOX News” plus 3 more |
- AP-Univision poll: Assimilation, cultural identity important to majorities of ... - FOX News
- Cultural Collectibles: The Latest in Luxury Turn-Down Service at Cotton Tree, the ... - PRWeb
- Blend of cultural & spiritual music inspires at Houston multifaith chapel - Examiner
- Poll: Latinos want assimilation while keeping cultural identity - Daily Breeze
| AP-Univision poll: Assimilation, cultural identity important to majorities of ... - FOX News Posted: 03 Aug 2010 12:03 AM PDT SAN FRANCISCO Tomasa Bulux speaks Spanish to her children, maintains an altar at home representing her Mayan culture's view of the world and meets once a week with Mayan immigrants who speak her indigenous Quiche tongue. At the same time, she's becoming a part of the diverse, cosmopolitan city she lives in. Her Guatemalan dishes share space on the table with experiments in cooking Thai or Arabic food. She's fluent in English and socializes with her European-American husband's English-speaking family as much as with other Hispanics. Bulux (BOO-loox), 42, an immigrant from Guatemala, is hardly alone. An Associated Press-Univision poll shows that a significant percentage of Hispanics believe it is important to hold on to their unique identity even as they work to blend into American society. That dual view of their cultural space — a strong sense of heritage and a desire to embrace the United States as their home — challenges perceptions that a growing Hispanic population poses a destabilizing threat to national unity. "It is part of life to adapt," Bulux says. "But our identity is already within us — you can't isolate it, suppress it, substitute it for another." The poll, also sponsored by The Nielsen Company and Stanford University, shows two-thirds of all Hispanics surveyed say it is important to maintain their distinct cultures. At the same time, 54 percent say it is important to assimilate into American society. All told, about four in 10 hold both views — a seeming contradiction that reflects the daily balancing act that many immigrants and ethnic groups perform to retain their identity in a diverse, though still Anglo-Protestant-dominant, culture. "Identity is multidimensional and people can see themselves as Hispanic and as Americans, and see themselves as culturally part of the United States and maintaining their Hispanicity, without seeing that as being internally in conflict," said Gary Segura of Stanford University, an authority on Latino politics who helped design the survey. "Hispanics are part of a very long tradition here of incorporating their own cultures into the American mainstream." The poll was conducted during a three-month period that overlapped with Arizona's approval of a law cracking down on illegal immigration. (A federal judge last week blocked implementation of key portions of the law.) The poll detected a shift in attitudes in favor of assimilation after passage of the law on April 23. Before passage, 39 percent of mostly English-speaking Hispanics said blending into society was important. After April 23, 54 percent of English-dominant Hispanics said assimilation was important. Raul Torres, a 45-year-old carpenter's helper from Mableton, Ga., said when he was a younger immigrant from Mexico he had little interest in American culture and focused on working and spending time with his Hispanic friends. "Now I'm more interested with the things that are happening — the Arizona law, that kind of stuff," he said. "I'm interested in blending into American society and to try to speak about the benefits or problems that we face. I'm a citizen now and I'm voting." The desire to assimilate is especially strong among older and foreign-born Hispanics, particularly those who immigrated to the United States as adults. Still, the poll also shows an inclination by Hispanics to stick together socially and, among immigrants, to believe their well-being depends on other Hispanics also doing well. Three out of five of those polled said more than half of their friends are Hispanic, with a quarter saying all their friends are Hispanics. Three out of four foreign-born Hispanics express a sense that their fate is linked to that of other Hispanics, while only 37 percent of U.S.-born Hispanics hold similar views. Hispanics who say Spanish is their dominant language — as well as foreign-born Hispanics — are more likely to believe that it is important to blend into U.S. society than those Hispanics born in the United States. Young Hispanics are less likely to say that it is important to change and blend in: 43 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds say it is important to assimilate, whereas 67 percent of those 65 and older find assimilation important. That is in part because younger Hispanics are more likely to have been born in the United States and have naturally assimilated into the broader culture. Blending in can also be less important for Hispanics such as Ana Maria Matos, a 33-year-old social worker from Brooklyn with parents from Puerto Rico, who grow up in diverse surroundings. "I'm part of the second generation and I try to have the same traditions that my parents taught me with my own children. ... I grew up with my parents telling me all the time, be proud of who you are and where you came from," she said. "And I find that because I grew up in New York City it was very easy for me to assimilate." For Tomasa Bulux, who moved to the United States with her American husband three years ago, the key is "convivencia y aceptacion" — coexistence and acceptance. "You have to manage these differences," she said of the way she and her husband navigate their two cultures. "With the children, I share my culture, he shares his. He speaks English to them, I speak Spanish. "It's about convivencia and aceptacion." The AP-Univision poll was conducted from March 11 to June 3 by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. Using a sample of Hispanic households provided by The Nielsen Company, 1,521 Hispanics were interviewed in English and Spanish, mostly by mail but also by telephone and the Internet. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Stanford University's participation in the study was made possible by a grant from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. ____ Associated Press Polling Director Trevor Tompson, AP News Survey Specialist Dennis Junius and AP writer Alan Fram contributed to this story. Kuhnhenn reported from Washington. Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Cultural Collectibles: The Latest in Luxury Turn-Down Service at Cotton Tree, the ... - PRWeb Posted: 03 Aug 2010 12:10 AM PDT Georgetown, Grand Cayman (PRWEB) August 3, 2010 Cotton Tree, the Cayman Islands' first boutique cottage hotel, now offers guests collectable note cards by local DREADY artist Shane Aquart as part of its turn-down service. Each note card features an illustration from Shane on the cover and an age-old Caymanian saying and interpretation on the back. This distinctive turn-down is the latest touch of authenticity from Owner Heather Lockington, a global traveler born in Cayman that built her dream property in West Bay creating a haven where guests can embrace Caymanian heritage. Aquart is an internationally known Caymanian artist who does a style of art, truly all his own, that he signs "DREADY". His images are part of the collections of everyone from British premier league soccer team Portsmouth FC and the Bacardi Corporation and family to international reggae recording artists, London fashion designers, Malaysian businessmen and Singapore bankers. He was born in Jamaica but raised in England, Canada, Belize, the US and Cayman. Beyond his nomadic early life, Shane has also had 'careers' as varied as cowboy and creative consultant. "As one might expect from a varied upbringing, there's a perspective in the art that's different; it catches the eye, the imagination and then takes them out of the ordinary," notes Lockington as why she was attracted to commission Aquart for Cotton Tree's new collectable note cards. For more information, please visit www.caymancottontree.com or www.dreadyworld.blogspot.com. About Cotton Tree: # # # Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Blend of cultural & spiritual music inspires at Houston multifaith chapel - Examiner Posted: 04 Aug 2010 08:12 PM PDT Houston Humanist Examiner rates this: This past Saturday my wife and I had the pleasure and honor of being guests at the Rothko Chapel for a special member's concert featuring Randy Granger, accompanied by Jodi Roberts and Stephanie Phillips. Rothko Chapel is a sanctuary in Houston, open to people of every belief. It is visited by thousands of people from every faith each year, who come to attend the chapel's many events, to meditate, contemplate, pray, worship, or for interfaith fellowship. It's sleek lines and calm environment is inspired by the late abstract expressionist Mark Rothko, whose work there I have written on before. The intimate setting featured a small stage, table and chairs set up inside the chapel space, covered with rich tapestries and colorful rugs and cloths. Amongst those were set several instruments. Then the three musicians took the stage. Jodi Roberts began standing behind a table of Tibetan bowls. Hitting them gently as their sounds overlapped, the wonderful acoustics of the chapel allowed us to not only hear, but feel the vibrations. Next Stephanie Phillips played the viola. As with the bowls, the sounds of the viola resonated and penetrated your body such that your eyes close and you are drawn inward, focusing solely on the music. Phillips' style seemed to me almost Romanian, in contrast to the Tibetan sounds just before. Yet at times her method produced something beyond expectations of a viola and sounded almost more like a reed flute. After that Randy Granger played something that looked like a UFO flying saucer, or two metallic bowls turned on one another - the Hang drum. This instrument was a veritable mini-band on its own, at lease as Granger played it. By that, I mean the variety of sounds from this one object sounded as though at least three instruments would have been needed to produce them. And wonderfully rich sounds they were. Granger also played a variety of Native American flutes. Granger's rhythms shifted directions and before long all three of these diverse musicians were playing in unison. What would seem an eclectic mix from around the world harmonized together unexpectedly and beautifully. In some of the pieces Granger would also sing. The first pieces evoked a feeling of life in its abstract sense - a process that marches on, and on, developing and growing. Fittingly, the following pieces in which Granger brought in the flutes were like packs of wolves singing to one another at night. A following piece sounded more like monkeys. It was almost as if each piece moved along the evolutionary path of life on the planet. The chapel's announcement of the concert helps explain the link between the arts, spirituality, and social action with a quote from the Dalai Lama: "We can never obtain peace in the world if we neglect the inner world and don't make peace with ourselves. World peace must develop out of inner peace. Without inner peace it is impossible to achieve world peace, external peace." Although these kinds of events have been an excellent fit for the chapel, a private members event was a first for them. The chapel hosted the private concert in appreciation of its members, and intends to do so annually. Members are those who have chosen to support the chapel in its mission of both contemplation and action; in the pursuit of spirituality, human rights, and the arts. A picnic reception under a tent outside the chapel followed the concert.
Randy Granger is an award-winning New Mexico musician, songwriter and composer, and workshop presenter. His music fuses Native American flutes, the ethereal Hang drum, emotive vocals, and evocative songwriting. Profiled on NPR's All Things Considered, his music is heard worldwide on radio, satellite, podcasts and Sirius Mystic Soundscapes. Randy Granger tours and performs throughout the United States as a solo artist and with musicians such as Coyote Oldman and R. Carlos Nakai. Stephanie Phillips is a composer, violist, and singer who conducts workshops in creative music making and improvisation for people of all ages and musical abilities. She has performed extensively with several Texas symphonies and performance ensembles. She plays diverse styles of music including European classical, jazz, salsa and sacred improvisation. Stephanie holds a B.A. from Oberlin College and a Masters in Music Composition from Texas State University. Jodi Roberts is a sound healer, spiritual director, and recording artist who uses the sound of Tibetan bowls, temple bells, and Chinese gongs to weave meditative, ceremonial musical experiences. She plays instruments that express the beauty and resonance of nature. She is a graduate of the University of Texas with a degree in cultural anthropology and trained in cross-cultural native ceremony and healing. She lives in Austin and tours throughout Texas.
Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Poll: Latinos want assimilation while keeping cultural identity - Daily Breeze Posted: 20 Jul 2010 06:49 PM PDT Latinos are eager to blend into American society while still maintaining their cultural identity, a paradox that reflects the complex beliefs of the nation's fastest-growing minority. Yet there are limits to assimilation - most don't expect the United States to elect a Latino president in the next 20 years. An Associated Press-Univision poll of more than 1,500 Latinos uncovered several distinct trends. Latinos worry more than most Americans about losing jobs and paying bills. They place a high importance on education and expect their children to go to college. The poll, also sponsored by Stanford University and The Nielsen Co., showed that Latinos are torn between the daily reality of financial stress and high hopes for tomorrow. America's 47 million Hispanics face acute economic and political pressures. The recession that erased millions of jobs has taken an especially heavy toll on Latinos, whose average income is lower than many other groups. And the Latino community has been jolted by election-season debate over the country's estimated 11 million illegal immigrants, a debate that has increased in intensity following Arizona's enactment of a law that requires police, while enforcing other laws, to question a person's immigration status if officers have a reasonable suspicion he or she is in the country illegally. About three-quarters of the nation's illegal immigrants are Hispanic, according to the nonpartisan Pew Hispanic Center.Just over half in the survey, 54 percent, say it is important that they change to assimilate into society, yet about two-thirds, 66 percent, say Latinos should maintain their distinct culture. Gary Segura, a political scientist from Stanford who helped conduct the study, said those two views are not necessarily at odds. "Identity is multidimensional, and people can see themselves as Hispanic and as Americans," Segura said, adding that better established ethnic groups cling to their traditions. Within the Hispanic community, variety abounds. Forty-six percent were born in the U.S. and 32 percent in Mexico, with the rest scattered among Caribbean islands and Central and South America. Six in 10 are Catholic, and about one in seven consider themselves Protestant evangelicals. Fewer than one in five immigrants say they arrived in the past 10 years, while nearly a quarter have been here at least three decades. The survey reveals a cautious optimism that brighter opportunities lie ahead - and a conviction that the way to get there is better education. Just over half expect it will be easier for their children than it's been for them to find good jobs and buy houses. More than eight in 10 say the most important goal for girls and boys graduating high school is to continue their education, with most saying the aim should be a four-year college. Ninety-four percent say they expect their children to actually go to college - more than double the number who say their own parents expected them to do so. Yet the poll highlights a double-barreled problem: As a group, Hispanics have been hit disproportionately hard by the economic slump and are less educated than others. Forty-five percent say they or a family member have lost a job since last September, with similar numbers or more expressing deep worries about becoming unemployed, paying bills and saving for college. By both measures, that is worse than the downturn's impact on the overall population, according to recent AP-GfK polls. Signaling concern for the future, 36 percent of Latinos expect it to be harder for their children to raise a family than it's been for them. "It's just a struggle. We're cutting back, living with less, adopting to circumstances in a way we really didn't have to in the '80s and '90s," said Amber Thomson, 34, who is half-Latino and lives in Menifee, Calif. Despite their esteem for school, 37 percent of Hispanics are not high school graduates, compared with 14 percent of the overall population, Census Bureau data show. Among Hispanics, there are significant differences between those born here and immigrants, who tend to have rosier views of their new country. Similar schisms are evident between citizens and non-citizens, and between those who mostly speak English or Spanish with their families. Those from abroad are likelier than U.S.-born Latinos to expect their children to attend college and to have better lifestyles than they do. Yet reflecting their lesser integration into American society, 76 percent of immigrants say their well-being depends on other Latinos succeeding - about double the number of American-born Latinos who say so. Those from abroad are likelier to express financial worries, to say it's important to blend into society, and to say at least half their friends are other Latinos. The poll detected a new wariness about the national mood in an election year in which immigration has become a hot issue. Until April 23, when Arizona enacted a law requiring local police officers to check the documentation of people they suspect might be illegal immigrants, 39 percent of English-speaking Latinos said it is important to blend into society. Of those interviewed after April 23, some 54 percent said so. The increase is telling because English-speaking Latinos tend to be more involved in American politics than predominantly Spanish speakers. In a different measure of Latinos' perceptions of their standing, 29 percent expect a Latino president to be elected in the next 20 years - half the number who think a woman will go to the White House. The AP-Univision Poll was conducted from March 11 to June 3 by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. Using a sample of Hispanic households provided by The Nielsen Co., 1,521 Hispanics were interviewed in English and Spanish, mostly by mail but also by telephone and the Internet. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Stanford University's participation in the study was made possible by a grant from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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