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Houston will host the 2021 World Table Tennis Championships (WTTC) Nov. 23 – Nov. 29 at George R. Brown Convention Center. This renowned sporting event is the oldest in table tennis history, dating to 1926, and serves as an annual opportunity to showcase the world’s best table tennis players. 2021 marks the first time the World Table Tennis Championships (WTTC) are hosted in the Americas. In addition to the WTTC debut in the Americas in Houston, the event will also celebrate the 50th anniversary year of Ping Pong Diplomacy.
This historic championship will feature five table tennis events, each with its own World Championship title to be won: men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles. Former world champions, national champions, Olympians, and gold medalists alike will headline the week-long tournament.
Priority ticket presale for the 2021 WTTC event begins today, Thursday, Sept. 9, and runs until Sunday, Sept. 12. Tickets are available to the public starting Monday, Sept. 13, and can be purchased here.
Table Tennis History
Invented in England in the late 19th century, table tennis quickly grew in popularity. Amidst this growing popularity, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) was founded in 1926. In the 1950s, China and other Asian countries became table tennis powerhouses with the sport becoming an integral part of Asian culture. Countries like China and Japan have continued to dominate the sport by producing table tennis champions year after year. Even with Asia’s dominance, table tennis has grown to become a truly international sport.
Ping Pong Diplomacy
50 years ago, at the 1971 World Table Tennis Championships in Japan, Ping Pong Diplomacy came into effect. A neighborly moment between a Chinese and American ping pong player served as a catalyst to improved relations between the U.S. and China. After seeing photos of this interaction, the Chinese government invited the U.S. Table Tennis Team to China as a gesture of goodwill. This interaction was the start of Ping Pong Diplomacy and has continued to allow for the exchange of table tennis players between the U.S. and China today.
For more information visit: houstonsports.org/event/2021-world-table-tennis-championships/
HOUSTON, TEXAS – Alley Theatre es una de más de 70 organizaciones nacionales sin fines de lucroquien recibió un subsidio para presentar un proyecto NEA Big Read para inspirar conversacionescomunitarias y explorar más a fondo los temas del libro La Casa en Mango Street, la novela seminal de 1984 escrita por la autora Mexicana-Americana Sandra Cisneros. El proyecto NEA Big Read es una iniciativa del National Endowment for the Arts (el Fondo Nacional para las Artes de Estados Unidos) en cooperación con Arts Midwest.
En celebración del Mes Nacional de la Herencia Hispana y con el fin de crear una conexión a la próxima producción del Alley 72 Miles to Go… Por Hilary Bettis, el Alley inicia la programación de NEA Big Read el 15 de septiembre, 2021 con talleres educacionales en la comunidad, una distribución celebratoria del libro y conversaciones sobre los temas en Cuentos y Charlas Comunitarias. Tambiénincluye el evento culminante quien unirá a la autora Sandra Cisneros a la conversación en NeuhausTheatre del Alley Theatre. Todos los eventos de NEA Big Read son gratuitos y bilingües. Registración previa es requerida visitando alleytheatre.org/neabigread. Una lista de los eventos a continuación.
“El NEA Big Read es una oportunidad importante y creativa para unir a nuestra comunidad utilizando ellibro La Casa en Mango Street como una pieza de arte que inicia conversaciones dentro de la comunidad. Nuestra meta es conseguir que la mayoría de la gente de nuestra comunidad, conversenjuntos, compartan un poco unos de otros y aprendan sobre nuestras tradiciones y cultura mientrasobtienen una mejor comprensión de nuestras vidas y una comprensión más profunda generacionalmente. “- Baldemar Rodriguez
Esta amena novela cuenta la historia extraordinaria de Esperanza Cordero, una joven chicana de 12 años identificando quien y que se convertirá. NEA Big Read: Alley Theatre/El Zócalo lleva la conversación a la comunidad para explorar cultura, tradiciones y dilemas de la comunidad LatinX, encendiendo el dialogo alrededor de la importancia del patrimonio hispano a través de las diversasculturas en Houston. El libro es recomendado para edades de 13 en adelante debido a temas maduros, lenguaje y situaciones sexuales.
En colaboración con Houston Public Library, organizaciones locales y nacionales, lideres comunitarios, oficiales públicos y preparatorias del área de Houston, el proyecto NEA Big Read: Alley Theatre/ El Zócalo produce oportunidades educacionales creativas y bilingües en el corazón de East End Houston. Rica en historia y cultura, East End Houston (también conocido como EADO, Magnolia y Segundo Barrio) está poblado de familias inmigrantes y multigeneracionales. A través de la alegría de compartir un buen libro, El National Endowment for the Arts (el Fondo Nacional para las Artes de Estados Unidos) Big Read está diseñado para ampliar nuestra comprensión de nuestro mundo, nuestras comunidades y nosotros mismos. Esta exploración de tres meses permitirá a nuestras comunidades conectar nuestro aprecio por la lectura, las artes visuales y escénicas mediante lecturas, talleres y exposiciones de pintura artística.
BOLETOS: Todos los eventos de NEA Big Read son gratis y bilingües. Registración previa es requerida visitando alleytheatre.org/neabigread.
Hidalgo.- Derivado de la Iniciativa Económica para el Comercio Esencial, 10 mil 600 personas que laboran en las plantas maquiladoras de Reynosa fueron vacunadas contra COVID-19 durante las últimas semanas en esta ciudad.
El programa fue implementado como una forma de fortalecer el intercambio comercial en la región fronteriza México-Estados Unidos y en él participaron las compañías adheridas a INDEX Reynosa (Asociación de maquiladoras), el Condado Hidalgo y su Departamento de Salud, el Consulado de México en McAllen y autoridades locales y federales del sur de Texas y la administración de los puentes internacionales.
Se trata del primer esfuerzo binacional de esta magnitud realizado en beneficio de las y los trabajadores de la industria manufacturera, reconoció Humberto Martínez Cantú, Presidente de INDEX Reynosa.
“Tuvimos una gran participación de las empresas adheridas a nuestra asociación y la invaluable coordinación de las autoridades con lo que quedó demostrado que somos todos un mismo equipo en esta región binacional y que tenemos la voluntad y el interés de contribuir al bienestar de nuestra gente”, dijo Martínez Cantú.
Agregó que INDEX Reynosa continuará dando prioridad a proyectos que valoren lo más importante que tienen los seres humanos: la salud y vida, y al mismo tiempo la continuidad de la economía de esta región binacional.
La vacuna de una sola dosis, Johnson & Johnson, fue administrada en el área de estacionamiento del puerto de entrada Hidalgo por personal del Departamento de Servicios Humanos y de Salud del Condado Hidalgo a personas de entre 18 y 39 años de edad, empleadas en las plantas maquiladoras de Reynosa quienes, a bordo de autobuses, fueron transportadas a territorio estadounidense con el único fin de ser vacunadas.
Martínez reiteró el agradecimiento de la Asociación que preside así como de toda la mesa directiva a las autoridades involucradas, al personal de las instituciones públicas que participaron y al equipo administrativo y operativo de INDEX Reynosa, que jugó un papel fundamental en el éxito de esta iniciativa.
Actualmente en Reynosa trabajan para la industria manufacturera más de 135 mil personas en 155 empresas.
Pies
Hidalgo.- Personal del Departamento de Salud del Condado Hidalgo, coordinado con INDEX y funcionarios de distintos niveles llevaron a cabo la vacunación de los trabajadores de las plantas maquiladoras de Reynosa a un lado de las instalaciones de la Aduana de los Estados Unidos en esta ciudad. (Foto cortesía de INDEX)
Hi Emilio Santos, thank you so much for this exclusive interview for Que Onda Magazine – we’re so happy to have you here today.
Thank you very much for having me, thank you for the invite – very excited.
First question that I have is how did the band originate?
Mariachi 7 Leguas originated back in 2004, 16 years ago when I was living in San Antonio for a couple of years and decided to come back to the valley and form Mariachi 7 Leguas. It was It was something that I just wanted to do on the side but in a short amount of time, Mariachi 7 Leguas basically blew up and became very successful.
So was the band impacted by COVID-19 in any way?
Unfortunately it was. That was when we started getting a lot of cancellations. A matter of fact we were supposed to have this concert last year and of course it got postponed to this coming September. A lot of events got cancelled, a lot of private parties got cancelled, so we were basically not playing for…a good nine months – we were out of [our normal routine] where we performed every weekend. However, we did record one song that was actually recorded digitally from our homes and we put it together with the computer, so we made music for the people that were staying at home and staying safe.
What precautions will the band be taking now that performances are now being allowed?
[Everyone] got vaccinated and depending on the location where we’re at, we do wear masks…depending on the location, [how the people and guys feel]. So right now what we’re doing, we used to practice here [in my home] every weekend. Now the Radisson McAllen Airport was gracefully enough to allow us to use their ballroom for practice and be able to [stay 6ft away from each other] and have a successful practice during that [time] so they helped a lot as well.
What was it like for the band to perform again on stage? Will this upcoming concert be their first time performing live after the pandemic or have there been prior shows?
There have been small private shows but as far as our concerts are concerned, like on stage, this is going to be the first one after this long wait of performing for our public audience.
We’re very excited to have you guys here performing on September 25th, myself included will be there! What upcoming shows will the band have after Houston?
Great, great. We’re super excited to be there. We do have some that are being taken care of, that are going to be booked for various cities in South Texas. We do have one coming up, a big show that we were planning to have this year but unfortunately the theater was already booked, so we have one coming up for 2022. We have Brownsville, usually there’s a huge festival that happens in Brownsville every year, which is the last week of February, which is – Charro Days. [Those will be] our next upcoming shows that we will have. Basically we start on Tuesday and end on Sunday, so it’s like a party every single day in Brownsville.
I bet they all love it since it’s so close to home right there. This following question is more personally for you – what would be your favorite song of the band, if you had to choose?
Well if I had to choose…really it all depends on the mood right? There’s a lot of songs that we love playing – I love performing Huapango and Rodinellas. I love playing a Ranchera that’s called, “No Volveré.” Every single piece has its own character, if you will, and it just fulfils the energy and the adrenaline when we play for them because I feel like we transmit that music and when people get to enjoy it, we feel their energy back, so it’s like a whole round energy going on. When we perform those usually it’s a really good sensation – that’s why we love playing those pieces.
I love to hear that – I can see the passion and hear it in your voice! So this time I’m going to give you the opportunity to say something special to your fans, to be prepared to see you guys this upcoming September 25th, here in Houston!
Well guys, ladies and gentleman, people from Houston – We’re loving the fact that we’re going to get to see you [again] with this great concert that we have prepared. We’re going to do a special concert in memory of Jose Alfredo Jimenez – one of the greatest composers that Mexico has ever had. Can’t wait to see you guys in September 25th at the Houston [Baptist] University theater. So I hope to see you there – we’re super excited! And remember, Mariachi 7 Leguas is going to be there to enjoy your presence and transmit our music to you guys!
Don’t miss out on this great upcoming performance and see Emilio Santos for yourself and the rest of Mariachi 7 Leguas LIVE at the Dunham Theater located at the Houston Baptist Church on Saturday, September 25th at 7 p.m.!
You can get your tickets now at Houstonmariachifestival.com – Que Onda! We are everywhere you need us to be!
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