In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is seen as THE day to celebrate Mexican food, culture, and traditions
As time has passed, the historical context of ‘Cinco de Mayo‘ started to be forgotten.
History of Cinco de Mayo in the US
In 1862, at the time the Battle of Puebla took place, the United States was engaged in its Civil War. The French presence in Mexico was a strategic move:
by gaining a toehold in Mexico, the French could then support the Confederate Army.
The defeat of the French at the Battle of Puebla was not definitive, but it helped to stave off the French while the U.S. Union forces made advances.
Thus Cinco de Mayo can be seen as a turning point in the US Civil War.
Cinco de Mayo was first celebrated in the United States in Southern California in 1863 as a show of solidarity with Mexico against French rule.
Coquito is a coconut-based alcoholic beverage traditionally served in Puerto Rico. It is generally made with rum, coconut milk, sweet condensed milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
Wikipedia
Main alcohol: Rum
Ingredients: 28 oz Coconut milk, 14 oz Condensed milk, 2 Egg yolks, Vanilla, to taste, 16 oz Rum
Preparation: Place ingredients into blender, blend until well mixed. Pour into a bottle and refrigerate until cold. Serve in small glasses and sprinkle top lightly with nutmeg.
Served: Strained
Standard garnish: Cinnamon, Nutmeg
Drinkware: Shot glass
Kool-Aid is a brand of flavored drink mix owned by Kraft Foods.
Kool-Aid was invented by Edwin Perkins in Hastings, Nebraska. All of his experiments took place in his mother’s kitchen. Its predecessor was a liquid concentrate called Fruit Smack.
To reduce shipping costs, in 1927, Perkins discovered a way to remove the liquid from Fruit Smack, leaving only a powder.
Our very dear friend Melanie graciously offered her beautiful home in “BFE” to celebrate some of those ladies who have a birthday in July.
~~In her own words~~
“Our party has arrived, Cancer gals, yank up your pantaloons, bring your best red, white and do they do blue wine? It’s time to celebrate being in this amazing country with us amazing girls. Bring ya bathing suits who knows where we end up! Happy birthday to us Cancers ….. See you here soon. Gonna be fun. 2pm to what time is it in Margaritaville? Bring a dish to eat and BYOB of choice.”
~LA CASA DE LOS MONKEYS~
~~AND FUN IT WAS~~
This greeted us upon arrival. This was the surprise that Ms. Mel had arranged for us middle aged ladies with the heart of kids.
She has it all set up, decorations, food, drink, music, entertainment and great company. Mel, you outdid yourself. The “ball” went way over the fence.
Home run for sure, way out of the park.
Yummy, yummy, yummy ….
The gang started arriving. We were all so finely surprised by all the details. Everywhere you looked there was something else.
It was a celebration to remember.
Oops!! The landing can be a bit rough!!
In spite of the celebration of “years”, those didn’t count. The child at heart definitely made many appearances.
Hoops for everyone!
Gathering inside, waiting on a storm, didn’t dampen the spirit. It all went on.
Snow cones, anyone?
Did I say there was cake?
Good looking ladies indeed!!
Hot mammas!!
Volleyball game and brake time.
Fun, fun, fun ….
~~BIRTHDAY GIRLS~~
Evelyn, Horty, Sue, Melanie, Marta, Alma
Thank you, Melanie.
You did beyond good. Awesome hostess!
~~Cyndi Lauper – Just want to have fun – Instrumental~~
If there’s one thing we know about circuses that use animals, it’s that, well, THEY SUCK.
Elephants, tigers, and other animals used in circuses are stolen from their families, tightly chained or caged for hours or even days at a time, and beaten, electro-shocked, and whipped into submission by circus trainers.
Circuses want you to believe that these animals voluntarily stand on their heads, balance on balls, and jump through rings of fire — but c’mon, y’all.
Check out a few of the most common, often bloodied tools used by the circus industry to hurt animals, and see for yourself that a life in the circus is anything but fun for animals.
~~BEATEN AND ELECTRO-SHOCKED~~
A bullhook, which resembles a fireplace poker, has a sharp steel hook and a point at one end and is used to beat, hit, prod, and jab elephants into submission, sometimes until they’re bloody.
Trainers often embed the hook in the soft tissue behind the ears, inside the ear or mouth, in and around the anus, and in tender spots under the chin and around the feet.
A former Ringling Bros. employee said that beating elephants with bullhooks was a normal routine and that “Ringling even employs a guy to use some special powder to stop up the bleeding when an elephant is hooked too hard. They call it ‘spot work’”—as in “try and ‘spot’ the abuse,” we’re guessing.
~~And that’s not all~~
~~CHAINED FOR DAYS ON END~~
In the wild, elephants walk up to 30 miles each day, but in the circus, these intelligent, social animals are locked in leg shackles that only allow them to take a single step forward or backward.
Ringling’s own documents reveal that on average,elephants are chained for 26 hours straight and are sometimes chained for as many as 100 hours straight.
Constant travel means that animals are confined to boxcars or trailers, often for days at a time, in extremely hot and cold weather, often without access to basic necessities such as food, water, and veterinary care.
While in transit, elephants, big cats, and primates are forced to eat, drink, sleep, defecate, and urinate all in the same place.
How can you help?~~
If you know of a circus headed to your town, e-mail us at peta2@peta2.com, and we’ll hook you up with FREE leaflets, stickers, and petitions that you can use to get the word out in your town about how circuses HURT animals!
Is your class planning a field trip to the circus? OH, HELL NO!
Tell your teacher about how cruel animal-based circuses are and ask to see an animal-free circus such as Cirque du Soleil, the new Pickle Family Circus, and Cirque Éloize instead.
~~Kate del Castillo Aims to Keep Ringling Cruelty Out of Her Country~~
~Say NO to the Circus …. Kate del Castillo~
~~Published on Jan 7, 2014~~
Kate del Castillo takes us behind the scenes in her new PETA exposé, revealing what the circus industry tries desperately to hide.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will drag its abused animals anywhere the circus can make a buck by forcing them to perform. But Kate del Castillo is doing everything she can to show the circus that cruelty isn’t welcome in her backyard.
The Mexico native is aiming to shut Ringling out of venues in Mexico City and Monterrey. She’s written an urgent letter to Guillermo Salinas Pliego, owner of Arena Ciudad de México and Arena Monterrey, detailing the circus’s routine abuse of animals and imploring him to stop hosting the circus. With Ringling scheduled to be there in just a few days, Kate wants to make this year Ringling’s last.
In her letter to Salinas Pliego, Kate urged, “Most performers would love to sell out an arena, but elephants in the circus would surely trade in a packed audience for a life of freedom with their families. I hope to hear that you’ll do the right thing and decide never to host Ringling Bros. again.”
Kate knows all about Ringling’s cruelty — from letting animals suffer rather than getting them needed veterinary care to routinely beating animals in order to force them to perform unnatural and even painful tricks.
It Is What It Is 