February 2012
218 posts
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“Where has the Republican party in general gone wrong? That perhaps is the right...”
– This is Republican Puerto Rico Governor Luis G. Fortuño’s response to Joe Scarborough’s question on what has presidential candidate Mitt Romney done wrong in courting the Latino vote on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program today.
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The death of Latina girl after a brief school...
The death of a California fifth grader, Joanna Ramos, has been ruled a homicide. (Photo:AP)
Joanna Ramos would have turned 11 in two weeks. Instead, the Long Beach, California girl’s family is planning her funeral. Los Angeles Country Coroner’s office said today Joanna died of “blunt force trauma to the head,” hours after classmates say Joanna and another 11-year-old...
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The Colombian trainer of Uggie talks filming "The...
Uggie has taken Hollywood by storm after his star turn in “The Artist” along with his appearances on red carpets, including the 84th Annual Academy Awards. (Photo by Tibrina Hobson/FilmMagic)
Uggie is having a very good year. The 10-year-old Jack Russell Terrier nearly stole the show in “The Artist” — which won five Oscars last night. Colombian trainer and Uggie’s owner, Omar...
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Fears of bullying in one community fuel crusade...
In Cincinnati, one Latino leader decided to create an end to bullying. (Photo/Getty Images)
Carlos Verastegue was just six years old when he was bullied in his school’s playground, taunted by his classmates for being Hispanic. Insults from his peers escalated with physical confrontation and Carlos – who was in first grade at the time – was choked by a school mate before a school administrator...
“Rather than a constructive debate about what to do, Governor Romney is...”
– Congressman Charles González, (D-TX), criticizing Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney’s recent comments on immigration as well as his endorsements by lawmakers such as Arizona Governor Jan Brewer.
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Maryland English-only law “sends a message”: But...
Blaine R. Young, President Frederick County Commissioners. Frederick County passed an ordinance declaring English the official language. (Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
After a 4-1 vote, Frederick County commissioners in Maryland adopted English as its official language last week.
Just like that, all government documents have to be printed in English and are not...
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Latinos sizzle at SOBE Food & Wine Fest
There was certainly food from around the world at the 2012 South Beach Food & Wine Festival in Miami, but no one can argue that a decidedly Latino flair seemed to permeate much of what was mixed and poured, cooked and served. From ceviches to tacos, high end añejo rums to elegant sipping Tequilas, even a down-and-dirty pig roast—our flavor was everywhere. Case in point: There’s nothing...
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WatchAn 10-year-old girl was taken to a hospital unconscious and not breathing after an after school fight in Long Beach, CA on Friday, Feb. 24, 2012. The Los Angeles County coroner’s office ruled on Monday Joanna Ramos’ cause of death was a homicide. We’ll have more about what happened and how Ramos’ family remembers her.
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Opinion: What we can learn from Jeremy Lin
Jeremy Lin #17 of the New York Knicks in action against the Atlanta Hawks on February 22, 2012 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
By ESTHER J. CEPEDA CHICAGO — l admit that when I first saw the headline “Ben & Jerry’s apologizes for Jeremy Lin fortune cookie frozen yogurt,” I innocently wondered:...
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What was seen and not heard at The Oscars
Jennifer Lopez walked the red carpet at the 84th Academy Awards on Sunday February 26,2012. (Photos/Getty Images)
Jennifer Lopez always seems to know how to get a reaction at the Oscars, even if she’s not nominated for anything. Her form-fitting Zuhair Murad gown with a plunging neckline got people gasping about whether or not her nipple was showing.
There were so many tweets about the...
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Colombia rebels say freeing all 'prisoners of war'
A man lights a candle among others forming the word ‘Peace’, on January 26, 2012 in Cali, Colombia, during a tribute to the FARC hostages who died in captivity. (Photo /Luis Robayo/AFP/Getty Images)
by the Associated Press
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia’s main rebel group says it will free the last of the government captives it has held for years. It also says it will...
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“The number of Latinos with a bachelor’s degree or higher went from 2.1...”
– The U.S. Census Bureau’s annual Current Population Survey out this week showed for the first time in the country’s history more than 30 percent of U.S. adults 25 and older had at least a bachelor’s degree.
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Latina chefs becoming the new face in cooking
Chef Michelle Bernstein attends the 12th Annual BNP Paribas Taste of Tennis at W Hotel in New York on August 25,2011. (Photo/Donald Bowers/Getty for BNP Paribas)
By SUZETTE LABOY, Associated Press
MIAMI BEACH, Florida (AP) — A decade after Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez helped Latin music explode into the mainstream, Latina chefs are doing the same for food.
From Food Network’s Marcela...
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Hundreds of Latinos march for peace in Connecticut... →
More than 400 participants marched the streets of East Haven, CT on Saturday to call for the end of discrimination against Latinos, after several policemen where charged of violating the civil rights of Hispanics in town. Some in the crowd carried signs requesting Mayor Joseph Maturo, made infamous by his “tacos for dinner” comment, resign his post.
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Opinion: A False Story about Latinos
Jewish men wrapped with prayer shawls attend the Annual Cohanim prayer, or Priest’s blessing, for the Pesach (Passover) holiday, on April 21, 2011. at the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s old city.(Photo by Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)
BY ESTHER J. CEPEDA CHICAGO — Let’s get something straight: Latinos are not anti-Israel, despite what you may have heard on the...
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BrailleTouch to help the visually impaired
There is now a faster way to text for people who are blind. A new app called BrailleTouch will allow the visually impaired to text on a touchscreen using the same system to type Braille.
The vision impaired already have texting options available to them using a QWERTY keyboard device, as well as the iPhone’s VoiceOver mode, but the concern of Mario Romero, a Postdoctoral Fellow who led...
“The thrust of Movimiento Hispano is to do just what its name indicates: create a...”
– Jose Calderon, Interim President of the Hispanic Federation, announced this week the creation of a campaign led by Hispanic organizations dedicated to increase voter registration and mobilize the Latino vote. The goal is to register 200,000 voters and mobilize at least 100,000 Latinos to vote in...
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Essential Culture: Weekend of February 24, 2012
(Photo/ Ballet Hispanico)
Growing Up Gonzales at the Jan Hus Playhouse (New York, New York)
Andrew Chulisi Rodriguez plays two Nuyorican brothers in their journey towards growth and identity in this one-man play that takes place in 1970s Bronx. It’s a cheeky production chock-full of laughter and jokes that are colored by the bond of brotherhood.
Celebrating Arizona Women at Scottsdale Community...
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Ten easy heart health tips for Latinas
Heart disease is the leading cause of death among Latinas. (Photo/Getty)
Dr. Jane Delgado knows all too well what can happen when Latinas aren’t tuned in to their heart health.
“My mother was one of those factory workers who was part of the Latino factory labor force who didn’t receive the health care she needed while she worked,” says Dr. Delgado, whose parents left Cuba for the United...
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Latinos fill the screen in "Act of Valor" movie
Ray is not an actor playing a U.S. Navy SEAL, he actually is an active real-life U.S. Navy SEAL playing a lead role in “Act of Valor”. The film premieres in U.S. theaters today and is expected to top the box office this weekend. This is the first time a film originated as a recruiting effort for the Navy and has turned into a feature film.
More money has been spent marketing it than...
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SOBE FOOD FEST: Cuban chef Douglas Rodriguez
(Photos/Courtesy of Douglas Rodriguez)
Trying to interview chef Douglas Rodriguez at his South Beach restaurant a couple of days before the beginning of the annual Food & Wine Festival here is something like trying to chat with Don Corleone on the day of his daughter’s wedding—no way around it, you’re going to get interrupted. Just as Rodriguez sits with me on a couch in the lobby bar at...
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Our pets are fat too
(Photo/Getty Images)
With rising obesity rates, Americans are getting more weight conscious. But maybe it’s our four legged friends who need to be counting calories.
A recent study shows about 53 percent of the nation’s cats and 55 percent of dogs are overweight which means 93 million pets need to lose weight. In addition, more than one in five of those is clinically obese, meaning at least 30...
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Salvadoran General Faces Deportation:...
El Salvador’s former Defense Minister has been found guilty of torture in an historic immigration trial and faces deportation. (Photo/Getty)
Salvadoran-American Carlos Mauricio thought he would never get a chance to confront the former Defense Minister who led the military in 1983, when he was abducted and tortured in his native country. Two decades later, Mauricio confronted the...
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Mexico has become a killing field for reporters →
NBC News’ Erika Angulo and Wilma Hernandez write about how dangerous it has become for journalist to report on the drug war in Mexico.
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Time magazine’s Latino voter cover features...
TIME Magazine’s Arizona Latino voter cover featured Michael Schennum, pictured behind the large ‘M’ in Time, a Chinese-American man.
TIME magazine’s latest issue, which features portraits of 20 Latino voters in Arizona, has received praise from many Hispanics who feel they are finally getting their do as a significant group in the upcoming 2012 presidential election.
Except...
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WatchLos Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck says he supports giving driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants in California to improve road safety. What do you think?
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“United States citizens and legal residents were separated from their families...”
– Los Angeles Board Supervisor Gloria Molina’s statement on the unanimous vote on Tuesday to formally apologize to Mexican-Americans whom the county helped to round up during the Mexican Repatriation from 1929-1944. More than one million of those repatriated were American citizens and legal...
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NBC Latino Congratulates: Raphael Sebastian
Raphael Sebastian might be new this year to Charlotte Latin School in Charlotte, NC, but he is already a champion with straight A’s.
“He’s always enthusiastic and always asks questions,” says his science teacher, Edward Fox. “He’s really interested in the material, not just in what is going to be asked on the test. He’s always happy. Strange, first thing in the...
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Which Latinos will take the Oscar home?
Berenice Bejo attends the 84th Annual Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon on February 6, 2012. (Photo/Steve Granitz/WireImage)
With the 84th Academy Awards fast approaching, the preeminent film award show will showcase a plentiful roster of Hispanic film talents in a wide array of categories. But what are their chances to win and do they really have a shot at taking home Hollywood’s most prestigious...
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Salma Hayek makes a splash as new bilingual 'Milk...
(Courtesy The National Milk Mustache “got milk” campaign)
Salma Hayek will be delivering the message that milk should be a healthy start to the day in English and Spanish as the new bilingual spokeswoman for The National Milk Mustache “got milk” campaign.
The Mexican-American actress is the star of a new initiative called “The Breakfast Project” which promotes milk as part of a...
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Miami International Film Festival: "Lemon", the...
Courtesy Miami International Film Festival
Lemon Andersen is an accomplished spoken word artist, but he’s also a champion at hurdling obstacles. He went from growing up in a Brooklyn gang and being a thrice convicted felon, to a Tony-Award winner for “Def Poetry Jam on Broadway.”
On March 3, he’s having his story be told in a documentary, “Lemon,” at the Miami International Film...
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SOBE FOOD FEST: Celeb chef Marcela Valladolid
(Photo/Courtesy of Marcela Valladolid)
It’s two days before Mexican television chef Marcela Valladolid boards a plane from San Diego to Miami, where she’ll attend the 2012 South Beach Food & Wine Festival this weekend, and she’s already finished her list of things to pack. Shampoo and conditioner. Check. Flip flops. Check. Sexy little Dolce & Gabbana dress with stiletto heals. Hello,...
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Facebook ads can now be targeted to U.S. Latinos...
Facebook’s self-serve ad platform now allows advertisers to target a “Hispanic (US) tab, which is the only option for ethnic targeting. (John Lund, Getty Images)
Advertisers using Facebook’s self-serve ad platform have always had a few different options when targeting users. The location of the Facebook user, their age and sex, and their interests or pages they already like.
Now...
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GOP still lacks a frontrunner? That's ok, say...
Republican Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum campaigning in Michigan ahead of the state’s upcoming primary. (Photo/AP)
Last night marked the 20th debate between the Republican presidential hopefuls. Did the spirited Arizona debate help clarify a “front-runner” or favorite? No - but that is not the point, according to Latino Republicans we spoke to today.
“The primary...
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Georgia bill would bar illegal immigrants from...
Georgia State Capitol building in Atlanta. (Photo/Hisham Ibrahim)
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA — A Georgia state Senate committee has passed a bill that would bar illegal immigrants from state colleges and universities and also would tweak some existing state laws having to do with illegal immigration.
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday heard testimony from both...
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WatchA 3-month-old baby received an artificial heart last week so she could survive long enough to get a transplant. Daniela Soto was born with a fatal heart condition and underwent a 10-hour surgery to install a walnut-size artificial heart at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas.
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Florida Senator Marco Rubio attended the Mormon...
(Photo/WireImage)
There is something you might not know about Florida Senator Marco Rubio. He and his family attended the Mormon Church for a number of years when they lived in Las Vegas.
“His family attended the Mormon Church in Vegas when he was around 8 years old, and then returned to the Catholic Church when he was around 11,” says Rubio Press Secretary Alex Conant. Conant...
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Opinion: GOP Latinos in Arizona may help Santorum
Republican presidential candidates U.S. Rep. former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum (L) and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney participate in a debate sponsored by CNN and the Republican Party of Arizona at the Mesa Arts Center February 22, 2012(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
BY DR. VICTORIA M. DEFRANCESCO SOTO
Rick Santorum has been getting too close for Mitt Romney’s comfort in the most...
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Opinion: When I chose life
Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum prays during the Ohio Christian Alliance conference Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
BY ESTHER J. CEPEDA CHICAGO — Here I am less than a week from my annual memorial to the daughter I lost at birth and I can’t help but defend Rick Santorum’s recent statements about...
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Alabama Latinos on edge as immigration law sits in...
About 400 Immigration law protestors gather outside the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Ala., Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012. (AP/Dave Martin)
With Alabama’s immigration law stuck in legal limbo there have been reports that immigrants who fled the state in the Fall have returned. Some in the state say that has not been the case.
“We haven’t seen many families who have come back,” says Vanessa...
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How much sugar is in brand-name baby formula?
Brand-name infant formulas don’t always list sugar levels in their product ingredient labels (Photo/Getty)
Infant formulas may seem a natural option for mothers of babies under 12 months of age, but a new investigative report shows that premium formulas may contain as much as 13.5 grams of sugar per serving – levels of sugar that could have affect a baby’s weight and taste for sugar.
...
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Everyday, Teachable Moments at Home
(Photo/Getty Images)
BY MONICA OLIVERA
For a young child, every day is filled with learning opportunities. And so many of these can be found at home. Unfortunately, many of these opportunities go by unnoticed.
Parents who want to be involved in their children’s education and help support their development can train themselves, though, to recognize or create these moments of learning for their...
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SOBE FOOD FEST: For Cuban food truck owner, fest...
Eileen Andrade has taken her family’s Cuban restaurant on the road with her food truck, CubanCube. Her brother Jonathan (pictured on right) joins in on the fun as one of the truck’s cooks. (Courtesy Eileen Andrade)
Sweet Asian-style steamed buns stuffed with crispy Cuban ham croquetas topped with a swirl of creamy maple bacon sauce are just one of the exciting offerings at CubanCube,...
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10 tips to follow before you do your taxes
(Photo/Getty Images)
Marianela del Pino-Rivera says Latinos have the tendency to get their taxes paid by “fulano de tal” who was recommended by their cousin’s friend’s brother. She says this is a no-no.
Del Pino-Rivera has more than 25 years of experience as a certified public accountant - advising clients on all aspects of accounting, taxation and financial management. She is on...
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WatchTelemundo’s José Diaz-Balart spoke to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa about what’s next for him after his term runs out as mayor. Villaraigosa talks about what he did right and wished he could have done better.
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Have some passion (fruit) on National Margarita...
(Courtesy B.R. Hospitality Group)
February 22 is National Margarita Day, and what better way to celebrate this tequila-driven Mexican cocktail than with a recipe from celebrated restaurant Dos Caminos?
It may come as no surprise that the senior mixologist at the B.R. Guest Hospitality Group, owners of the high-end New York and South Florida Mexican eatery Dos Caminos, is Latino. That he’s...
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WatchNew Mexico’s Governor Susana Martinez lost a hairstylist over her opposition to marriage equality. KOB TV has the story.