Blog: Origin of the 12 grapes on New Year's Eve, Nochevieja

"The grapes could not be sold and the growers were faced with a rotting harvest and mounting losses. As astute merchants, they decided to create a "ritual" event to sell the grapes."

http://mylatinovoice.com/politics-and-us/25-lo-que-es/1475-las-12-uvas-the-latino-tradition-of-the-12-grapes.html

NYT: Univision to produced its own Latino shows in USA

"About 35 million people speak Spanish in the United States, and Univision is watched by about 3.5 million of them on an average night, making it the nation’s dominant Spanish language network."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/business/media/07univision.html

Recap on the rise of fall of Starmedia dot com hype and fraud allegations

"Dot-Com Years

Espuelas, a skilled marketer armed with cash from his successful IPO, was the mastermind of massive public relations campaigns on his own behalf. During the height of the .com bubble, a brief image of Espuelas often appeared within the 15 second top-of-hour video spot on CNN, amongst renowed politicians and celebrities. His public relations firm continually referred to Espuelas as "The Hispanic Bill Gates", a term that the media would accept and recapitulate in articles and interviews referencing Starmedia. As time went on, employees noticed increasingly reckless behavior in Espuelas. In one particularly odd moment, an angry Espuelas allegedly turned over a table of food on top of Quepasa.com founder Jeffrey Peterson amidst a disagreement at a meeting in San Antonio, Texas in February of 1999. In Miami, a team of twelve blue-haired "Starmedia girls" followed Espuelas between media conferences."

http://en.allexperts.com/e/f/fe/fernando_espuelas.htm

L.A.Times; Do Latinos like the Chipmonks Sqeakquel?

"Fox's "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" collected $50.2 million over the weekend and $77.1 million since it debuted Wednesday. Its crowds were 70% families and heavily Latino."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2009/12/biggest-weekend-in-box-office-history.html

Pew study: US born Latinos most likely to be online

"Latinos who were born in the U.S. were much more likely to go online than those born outside the U.S. This gap persisted even after accounting for differences in education levels, household income and English proficiency, the report said."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g7zPXJySO3utkWefP-z6-ievJVuwD9COD5900

LA Times: Cal. Governator nominates Latino Republican Abel Maldonado for Lt. Governator

"With tears occasionally welling in his eyes, (Abel) Maldonado (state Sen. of Santa Maria) recalled a childhood spent picking strawberries alongside his parents. And now, he marveled, he was accepting the nomination for lieutenant governor. "Only in America can that happen," Maldonado said."
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-week29-2009nov29,0,839190.story

AsburyParkPress: anti-immigrant Dobbs vs pro-immigrant Menedez in Senate challenge?.

"Lou Dobbs, former CNN host and populist doyen of the anti-illegal immigration crowd, says he is seriously considering running for U.S. Senate in New Jersey by challenging Sen. Robert Menendez, one of the nation's most ardent supporters of immigrant rights — legal and illegal — when his term is up in three years."

http://www.app.com/article/20091127/OPINION01/911280305/Lou-Dobbs-in-campaign-mode

AzCentral: Arizona Latino group releases data on Hispanics

• Hispanics 18 to 34 average 1,200 cellphone minutes a month
  
• Forty percent have profiles on social media sites.
  
• Fifty percent of U.S Latinos online
  
• Bilingual Latinos are more likely to use the Internet than those who speak only Spanish.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/2009/11/18/20091118biz-datos1118.html

HispanicBusiness: Sosa says he bleached his skin

""It's a bleaching cream that I apply before going to bed and whitens my skin some," he said. "When I was playing for Chicago all those years, I was in the sun a lot for 1 o'clock games.""

http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/2009/11/13/sammy_sosa_breaks_the_silence_on.htm

Bloomberg: Televisa investing in cable internet speeds in DF

Grupo Televisa SA plans to spend $450 million to upgrade its Mexico City cable network, improving Web speeds to win more Internet clients, said Jean Paul Broc, chief executive officer of the division.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=axyxTsasHkw4

ABC: Republican says GOP needs to change its tune on immigration

"The demographic makeup of these border states is going to continue to shift. Texas, Arizona and New Mexico have historically elected Republicans, but they need to recognize that Latinos are going to be majorities in some cases." "

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/republican-rift-latino-obama-supporters/story?id=9018326

Portada analysis of comScore data: Google, Microsoft tops in Mexico, Argentina

Google and Microsoft continue to be in the top position in most Latin American countries. Both media properties’ number of unique users grew by approximately 20%.

http://www.portada-online.com/printarticle.aspx?page=/html/website/paid/2009/101509panreg/Internet-user-latam-comsore-eng.aspx

Reuters: Televisa expects taxes to hurt profits

Mexican broadcaster Televisa expects planned tax increases in Mexico to hit profits, but still plans to bid in a long-awaited spectrum auction to develop a wireless phone network in the country.

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIntegratedTelecommunicationsServices/idUSN2310492620091023

AdWeek: Hispanic market continues to grow

"Hispanic Americans continue to grow in number at a rate four times that of the general population, with the 2010 Census expected to show their total rising to nearly 50 million, from 38 million in 2000. And second-generation Hispanics are fast becoming the driver of the group's growth, with 88 percent of Hispanic children born in America, versus 61 percent of adults."

http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/agency/e3i26911e62ce1ee0f7f41748d31d4e42a0?imw=Y

Christian Science Monitor: The heat rises on Dobbs

"The National Council of La Raza and the Southern Poverty Law Center have started a project called “Drop Dobbs” to put the heat on CNN advertisers."

http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/10/31/lou-dobbs-takes-flak-from-many-directions-he-fires-back-too/

Study: US born Latinos' health care much better than that of undocumenteds

"Compared to US-born Latinos, undocumented Latinos were less likely to have health insurance, had the lowest levels of usual source of care, blood pressure and cholesterol checks and were less likely to report excellent or good health care in the past year. Undocumented Latinos were also the most likely group to report receiving no health information from their doctor in the past year. Forty-five percent of undocumented Latinos believed they received poor quality of care because they were unable to pay, 39 percent linked poor care to their ethnic background, and 48 percent thought they received poor care because of their accent."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028140046.htm

AdAge takes Univision on-line viewership claims to task

"My outrage began when I read a Multichannel News story claiming that Univision's web series "Vidas Cruzadas" had become one of the "three most-watched online properties ever," with 2 million video streams served. The story was served up as fact, without any analysis whatsoever."

http://adage.com/digitalnext/post?article_id=139985

NYT: CNN special on Latinos becomes rally cry to get CNN to fire Lou Dobbs

"“We won’t allow the network to court us as viewers while, at the same time, they allow Dobbs to spread lies and misinformation about us each night.”"

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/24/business/media/24cnn.html?em

ChicagoTribune: Media companies finally realize its not just about Spanish.

""I've worked in Latin television before, and they've said, 'You don't speak enough Spanish,' 'You sound funny when you speak Spanish,' " says 24-year-old Crash."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-tc-arts-bilingual-1007-1011oct12,0,4269092.story

Ruben Naverette: Boycotting census would hurt, not help Latinos

"Being disappointed is no excuse for being self-destructive. Boycotting the census is a horrible idea that would only further disenfranchise the Latino community by, among other things, shortchanging it in the redistricting that will take place in state legislatures after the survey."

http://www.star-telegram.com/242/story/1676218.html

WashingtonPost: Latino leaders urge support of Census, others push boycott.

"The estimated 47 million Hispanics living in the United States make up the nation's largest minority group. As part of an unprecedented outreach to Hispanics, the Census Bureau for the first time will send bilingual forms to largely Hispanic areas."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/01/AR2009100103206.html?hpid=moreheadlines

WSJ: Latinos, Blacks denied for home refinancing more than others

A Federal Reserve report on home mortgage data showed that blacks and Hispanic whites were far more likely than non-Hispanic whites to be denied last year in applying to refinance.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125434471703353677.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Sotomayor danced and sang Karoke, according to Fox News and DCist

Occurred at Irish Channel in Chinatown, according to DCist.
Irish Channel Washington, DC
500 H St. NW
Washington, DC 20001
202-216-0046

Why real journalists cannot be replaced by the blogoshere: L.A. Times reporter fact checks an anti-immigrant email chain worthy of Lou Dobbs

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-tobar7-2009sep07,0,503680,full.column

NYT: Suffolk Co. anti-Latino hate central?

Many Latino immigrants in Suffolk County say they have been beaten with baseball bats and other objects, attacked with BB guns and pepper spray, and have been the victims of arson, the report said. Latinos, it added, are frequently run off the road while riding bicycles or are pelted with objects hurled from cars.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/03/nyregion/03suffolk.html

Poder profiles new Univision exec

"Conde also brings to Univision a rare blend of Hispanic cultural background with an all-American upbringing, which analysts say is key to the network’s success. “He is fully bi-cultural,” says Sergio Bendixen, president of Bendixen and Associates, the Miami-based public opinion research firm. “This guy is a mix of Hispanic and American culture. He understands Latin America and the different way many of the people who come here look at life, and he understands the American way.”"

http://www.poder360.com/article_detail.php?id_article=2421

AP: Ruling favors Latino suit against Texas 2-step Democratic primary

In a lawsuit filed last year, the Latino groups argued that the way Texas Democrats awarded presidential delegates unfairly discriminated against Latinos by awarding fewer presidential delegates to heavily Hispanic areas. They did not contest to whom the delegates were awarded, but rather how the allotment was made.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iB5yNn9MW-yV4gTGNJXBcnR3XmrgD9AA4E1G1

Batanga launches US Latino ad network

"Batanga launched the Batanga Network, a network of websites targeting the U.S. Hispanic Market. the Batanga Network is a brand new network comprised in part of the sites that used to belong to HispanoClick, which Batanga acquired early last year. "

http://www.portada-online.com/html/website/paid/2009/081709/Batanga-Launches-New-Online-Ad-Network.aspx

In Q2, Univision overall revenue down 4%; In online, visits up 7%

http://www.rbr.com/media-news/16473.html

Univision President/COO to retire at 58

Univision President/COO Ray Rodriguez to retire.

http://news.radio-online.com/cgi-bin/rol.exe/headline_id=n19594

Newsweek weighs in on Sotomayor confirmation

""To have her ascend to the highest court in the land, it is such a strong feeling of belonging," says Lillian Rodríguez López, president of the Hispanic Federation. Sotomayor's nomination was "recognition of the contributions our communities…have made to the United States.""

http://www.newsweek.com/id/212024

SF Gate: GOP to pay for petty opposition to Sotomayor

"Republicans know not what they did. They're only fooling themselves if they think they won't pay a price for their petty opposition to the nation's first Latina justice."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/11/EDMM19734V.DTL#ixzz0NyOW8ySK
"

WP: GOP seems unconcerned with Latino vote in opposing Sotomayor

"But some senators and Republican strategists worry that efforts to shore up support from conservative voters who dominate the GOP primaries could become a missed opportunity to extend an olive branch to Latino voters, who gave just 31 percent of their ballots to McCain last fall. "

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/04/AR2009080401691.html?hpid=moreheadlines

DailyTexan: lack of education hurts Latinos and economy

"...48 percent of the Latino workforce has less than a high school diploma, whereas the rate for the white population is 9 percent. This will result in a 5 percent decline in per capita income for the entire Texas population between 2000 and 2020, Gándara said."

http://www.dailytexanonline.com/top-stories/latinos-face-economic-educational-inequities-1.1788225

L.A. Times: Latino unemployment rising rapidly

"Latino unemployment in California, which has been rising rapidly, reached 15.7% in the quarter ending June 30, exceeding African American joblessness for the first time in the current economic downturn, according to a new analysis."

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-latino-jobless28-2009jul28,0,1355699.story

PBS: Roberto Clemente's story

PBS does a great job in this retelling of Roberto Clemente's story.

http://video.pbs.org/video/1150315379#

Politico: Hispanic voters up 28% in 08 over 04

Census Estimate: Hispanic voters
• 9.745 million in 2008
• 7.587 million in 2004.
• up 28.4%.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0709/More_Hispanic_voters.html

WSJ: Illegal immigration from Mexico lowest in 10 years

"The flow of immigrants from Mexico to the U.S. declined to the lowest level in a decade during the past year, a sign that the recession is deterring economic migrants from heading north in search of jobs."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124830603836573915.html

WSJ: Media powerhouse Televisa missed expectations

Televisa, Mexico's No. 1 broadcaster and the largest producer of Spanish-language content in the world, said late Thursday its net profit dipped 0.7% on the year in the second quarter to MXN1.83 billion, slightly below expectations.

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090717-710578.html

L.A.Times: U.S. Latino powerhouse Univision wins fight w/ Mexican media giant Televisa on internet distribution rights

A federal judge in Los Angeles on Friday handed Univision Communications a major victory in its hard-fought battle with its programming partner from Mexico, underscoring Univision's exclusive rights in the U.S. to the wildly popular Spanish-language soap operas that fuel its huge ratings.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-univision18-2009jul18,0,2823896.story

WashPost: Latinos size up Sotomayor in person

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/13/AR2009071303311.html?hpid=topnews

NYT: Sotomayor pledges her Latin heritage will not affect her legal judgment

She pledged that “at no point nor time” would she let her background affect how she rules. Life experiences are important in perceiving facts, she said, “but the law commands a result.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/15/us/politics/15confirm.html

NY Daily News: Don't miss NY's Chase Latino Festival

"Even in a city like New York, where so many great music, theater and film festivals occur, the Chase Latino Cultural Festival ranks as truly unique.

"This is the largest and most diverse Latino festival in the city," said festival director Claudia Norman. "It offers a wide range of culture, from traditional and folkloric to new and popular voices.""

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2009/07/12/2009-07-12_chase_latino_cultural_festival_offers_whirlwind_tour_of_latin_culture.html

WashPost: Sotomayor's former Prof recalls her as a freshman

"But Sonia made a strong impression. She was not the best student I taught in my seven years at Princeton -- though she certainly was high on the list -- but she was the one who took greatest advantage of the opportunities there and emerged most transformed by her experience."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/09/AR2009070902391.html

Navarette: Latinos on the rise

http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_12770218

WSJ: Latino activiests urge census boycott, potentially hurting federal funding and congressional seats

"Some Latino activists are seeking to drum up support among undocumented immigrants to boycott the 2010 census as a strategy to prod the federal government to overhaul immigration laws."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124646713043481165.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

L.A.Times: US Latino youth with strong ties to heritage grow up healthier

The study found that teens who maintained strong ties to their Latino culture performed better at school and adjusted more easily socially. For every one-point increase on a scale that measured involvement in Latino culture, there was a 13% increase in self-esteem and a 12% to 13% decrease in hopelessness, social problems and aggressive behavior.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/06/latino-youth-fare-better-if-raised-biculturally.html

TotalTelcom: Mexico mobile market not necessarily ready for new entrant

"According to Cofetel, there were 76.6 million mobile subscribers (in Mexico) at the end of March 2009, up 11.4% year-on-year and equivalent to a penetration rate of 71.5%."

http://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?ID=446743

WSJ: S&P changes Univision ratings outlook to stable

"The rating agency said the junk-level rating is due to Univision's high debt since its 2007 leveraged buyout, its failure to sells assets as planned, continuing declines in television and radio advertising, and ad prices that don't match its audience share.

Univision's position as the dominant U.S.-based Spanish-language TV and radio broadcaster, its long-term contracts to purchase popular TV programming, and the growing Spanish-language population and audience don't offset its problems, S&P added."

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090624-714486.html

ChicagoDefender: AARP to reach out to blacks, Latinos

The largest of its kind in the country, AARP has a membership base that is 88.5 percent white. Less than 5 percent of its 40 million cardcarrying members are African-American, according to organization officials.

http://www.chicagodefender.com/article-5201-aarp-to-increase-bla.html

L.A.Times: "Beisbol not been bery good" to Latino players. (forgive the ancient SNL reference)

Cepeda was referring to the racial prejudice and cultural incomprehension that Latinos have encountered since 1871, when Cuban third-baseman Estaban Bellan of the Troy Haymakers became the first Latino major leaguer. For more than seven decades after that, only "white" Latinos were allowed in the majors (and even they often felt uncomfortable) -- until Jackie Robinson integrated the game in 1947. Many took Anglo names or otherwise downplayed their roots. Even Ted Williams, one of the best-known players in baseball history, got through his entire career without publicly mentioning the fact that his mother was a Mexican American.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-chafets24-2009jun24,0,6757150.story

WSJ: LA Mayor out of race for Cali govenor

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Monday he won't run for governor of California, potentially upending the 2010 race and marking a setback in the onetime Democratic star's efforts to become a force on the national political stage.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124570448605338467.html

Forbes: Univision to sell bonds as it deals with heavy debt load

Univision's bonds sport a CCC-rating from Standard & Poor's, near the bottom of the credit scale, and it carries $10 billion in debt -- a whopping 12 times earnings.

And like other media companies, it's struggling: Univision's first-quarter interest expenses reportedly surpassed operating income.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/06/19/junk-univision-lbo-markets-bonds.html

HispanicBusiness: Univision fatcats fund LA's Lakers' party

They include Jerry Perenchio, the former chairman of Univision Communications, and Haim Saban, a billionaire who is part of an investor group that owns Univision, the L.A. Times reports

http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/entertainment/2009/6/17/univision_execs_among_billionaires_subsidizing_lakers.htm

HoustonChronicle: Obama favoring California Latinos over Texas Hispanics

"Of the top Latinos in the Obama administration, 21 have connections to the Golden State, while 14 boast Texas ties — a reversal from days of Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6477627.html

WSJ: Univision reworks debt as it struggles through market downturn.

Univision, taken private in a $12.3 billion leveraged buyout deal at the height of the credit bubble in 2007, now finds itself under financial pressure in a slumping ad market and global recession. The company is fighting to avoid becoming a casualty of the financial crisis even as it positions itself to benefit from the demographic explosion of the U.S. Hispanic community.

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090611-706822.html

MediaPost: AmericanAirlines launches Latino campaign promoting frequent flyer program

The airline, which claims to already be the "airline of choice" for Latinos and their families, aims to make Hispanics more aware of the benefits of becoming a member of the American Airlines AAdvantage frequent flyer program.

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=107754

Digtial TV happens tomorrow: Will it hurt Univision's ratings?

Nationally, 2.8 million homes aren't set for the TV signal change; that group skews younger, African American and Latino.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-dtv-unprepared11-2009jun11,0,3448247.story

L.A. Times: Televisa fights for the right to internet broadcasts its own shows

"On Tuesday, a federal judge in Los Angeles is scheduled to hear evidence to decide whether Mexico's largest media company, Grupo Televisa, has the right to offer its enormously popular telenovelas to U.S. audiences via the Internet." http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/business/la-fi-ct-univision8-2009jun08,0,6401997.story

WSJ: AARP reports shows pool of older Latino workers growing

"And Hispanics are one of the fastest growing segments of the older population - the number of Hispanics 50 to 69 years old is expected to almost quadruple by 2050, according to AARP. Also, Hispanics at age 65 can expect to live three years longer than non-Hispanic whites and four years longer than non-Hispanic blacks, according to the report."

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090608-705665.html

AP: Mexican Spanish-language TV giant Televisa partners with budding social network hi5

"Mexican media giant Televisa and the social networking Web site hi5 announced plans Wednesday to provide TV programming free online in Latin America."

http://www.masslive.com/entertainment/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-3/1244054109244450.xml&storylist=entertainment

NPR: Media's use of Latino too generic, especially in light of Sotomayor's nomination

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104863976

RebuenNavaratte: GOP's reaction to Sotomayor sealing its fate: no Latino votes for what might as well be forever

But if conservatives wipe their feet on this historic moment and savage an American success story for the sake of political theater, they'll seal their doom with Latinos, who will stay away from the GOP for decades.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/02/EDR617VE4O.DTL&type=politics

L.A.Times: Would Sotomayor be 1st Latina? Questions stem from idiotic US categorization of Latins.

"If that sounds confusing, consider the fact that "Hispanic" is a word made up by federal bureaucrats preparing for the 1980 U.S. census, in an attempt to categorize what was becoming an increasingly diverse population of residents with roots in "Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico" and other Spanish-speaking places, according to the Pew report.

" http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-sotomayor-latino31-2009may31,0,6194995.story

LA Times: Few pharmacies can help in Spanish.

Of 764 pharmacies, only 43.3% could solidly offer instructions in Spanish, 21.7% offered some translation services and 34.9% offered no such services.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/05/if-you-speak-only-spanish-best-of-luck-with-that-prescription-drug.html

WashPost: Pew study shows most Latino children US born of immigrant parents.

"A majority of Hispanic children are now U.S.-born children of immigrants, primarily Mexicans who came to this country in an immigration wave that began about 1980, according to a report released yesterday."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/28/AR2009052801506.html

Lalo Alcaraz carton on Sotomayor

NAHJ rightly scolds anglo reporters for calling Sotomayor's parents immigrants.

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists would encourage news organizations to avoid any confusion over Judge Sotomayor's ethnic background. To be factually correct, her Puerto Rican parents are not immigrants, as some journalists have reported, since island-born residents are U.S. citizens conferred by an act of Congress in 1917. People who move to the U.S. mainland from Puerto Rico are no more immigrants than those who move from Nebraska to New York.

http://www.nahj.org

NPR predicts Obama to pick Sotomayor for Supreme Court

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104530389&sc=fb&cc=fp

Reuters: Televisa tries new ad sales program in Mexico to counter economic downturn

Televisa's broadcasting business has faced hard times in recent quarters as national and regional advertisers cut spending because of the economic slowdown.

Jean said regional sales have met budget targets "but with twice the effort. We have struggled."

http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSTRE54H62I20090518

LATimes: Cooperstown honors beisbol's Latino heritage!

Certainly no area outside the U.S. has produced more talent. Since 1980, Mexico, for example, has sent more players (72) to the major leagues than Canada (65), while Cuba (40) has produced nearly as many as Japan (46), though the Dominican Republic still beats them all (417).

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-latino-baseball23-2009may23,0,6642226.story

MediaPost: MasterCard dances in a new Latino campaign

MasterCard Worldwide is launching a marketing and consumer education campaign for the U.S. Hispanic market that makes dance a metaphor for flexible payment options.

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=106466

NYDailyNews: Poll again shows voting Latinos ignited about immigration

To make matters even more worrisome for the flagbearers of nativism and intolerance, the survey found that the number of Hispanics who exercise their right to vote has dramatically increased since the 2006 midterm elections.

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/05/21/2009-05-21_hispanic_voters_say_immigrations_no_1.html#ixzz0G9zWl8WT&A

WSJ; tough times despite Latino audience growth for Univision

However, in a daunting sign of the financial hurdles facing the company, Univision's first-quarter interest expense of $157.1 million surpassed its operating income for the period of $102.7 million and its cash flow from operations of $149.9 million. Its cash reserves dwindled by nearly a third to $473.1 million during the quarter.

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090515-713197.html

IAB Mexico: 87 increase in online advertising year over year

"Crece 87% la inversión publicitaria en Internet en el país; el IAB México presenta el 'Estudio de Inversión Publicitaria Online 2008'"

http://www2.esmas.com/061900/iab-mexico-crece-87-inversion-publicitaria-internet

StPeteTimes: Could Cuba go back to the future and become a gambling den of sin?

"Could Cuba ever regain its place as the Monte Carlo of the Caribbean? (Assuming, of course, the demise of the very antigambling Fidel Castro.)

"I seriously doubt it because there is so much more competition today," says Michael Pollock, publisher of the Gaming Industry Observer."

http://www.tampabay.com/news/perspective/article999628.ece

WashintonPost: Obama reaches out to Latinos in Spanish-language town hall

"The biggest test of Obama's commitment to the Latino community, however, may well come over the next few months as he chooses the next Supreme Court justice and decides how hard to push a comprehensive immigration reform proposal -- both issues of critical importance to the Hispanic community."

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/cheat-sheet/050809white-house-cheat-sheet.html?wprss=thefix

NYT: The marketing of Mark Sanchez

"Sánchez has become extremely popular among Hispanics in Southern California, in particular Mexican-Americans who have embraced him as one of their own. In many ways Sánchez has already reached the level of support from the Latino community in Los Angeles that Oscar de la Hoya enjoyed at the height of his popularity. Granted, being a USC quarterback — and a successful one at that — is a big plus. But the Jets have a tremendous opportunity to capitalize on his popularity already by making the Jets the team of Latino America."

http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/08/the-marketing-of-mark-sanchez-to-hispanic-fans/

comScore: Among the top 100 online destinations for Latinos, only four are dedicated Latino sites.

In the April 2008 Comscore release, there were only four purely Hispanic oriented websites among the top 200 Websites. They were Univision.com, Batanga, Terra and Televisa Digital.

http://www.portada-online.com/html/website/paid/2009/042709/Analysis-Univision-Interactives-latest-Moves.aspx

Five Reasons why every American should enjoy Cinco de Mayo

Last Tuesday I tepidly celebrated Cinco de Mayo. A meet up group called Latin VIP invited a bunch of folks to a dance club with a largely African-American clientèle. The bar offered a drink special on Mexican beers, had a few balloons in the shape of cacti and hung up a couple of piñatas. The four-story place was packed on all four levels. This on a Tuesday night.


I enjoyed a few Tecates, but I can't say it felt particularly Hispanic.


Does anyone remember the band War, those 70s Latino rockers and their song Cinco De Mayo? I've never heard it. I kind of dig Liz Phair's song of the same name, Cinco de Mayo. I kinda wanted to hear either of those songs; they played some great salsa, but no one wanted to dance. Maybe its just me.


As Cinco de Mayos go, it was particularly uneventful.


As a young reporter, I once attended a Cinco de Mayo ceremony at the White House. The first George Bush, the senior, presided. I felt like a prop for a photo op. But that was kind of cool, the White House.


So why Cinco De Mayo?


Few know what it is:


Tuesday morning, I heard a dj from WAMU, the local NPR affiliate, call it “Mexican Independence Day.” Sorry, wrong. That's September 16th.


I think the funniest depiction of Cinco de Mayo I've ever seen was on a TV sit com – Girlfriends, a show about four African-American women and their trials and tribulations.


Joan, the leader of the band of girls, volunteered to a do a school play about the event. She dressed in a peasant costume, rode a fake horse and actually got some of the history right.


The day commemorates a successful battle in Mexico over the French on May 5th, 1862 in the Mexican state of Puebla. A rag tag group of Mexicans beat back the greatest military force at the time – an arm of Napoleon's army.


In Mexico, it is known as the Battle of Puebla.


Ok, so why Cinco de Mayo.


A lot of people have asked that question.


Here's one person who recently wrote into the Kansas City Star's “Diversity Diva.”


“Not to be funny, but I’m trying to figure out why people in America celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Is it even a holiday that has anything to do with our country? The company I work for has been having Cinco de Mayo activities for a few years. — Figuring Out Festivities “


So why should “figuring out festivities” celebrate Cinco de Mayo.


But what about other Latinos, ones who are not Mexican.


The AP ran a story this week quoting Latinos who complained the holiday favored Mexicans over all other Latinos.


A Salvadoran man in Seattle said: "Our kids go to this school system, and the school system is more preoccupied with Mexico's history, and not the rest of Latin America's, much less El Salvador's. They “the kids” came back celebrating Cinco De Mayo. That holiday means nothing to us."


Well in Mexico it's no big deal either.


In Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is not a federal holiday. It's celebrated only in the state where the battle took place – Puebla. But even there it's done with limited fanfare.


So why Cinco de Mayo.


It is a really just to market beer? Or give Anglo politicians a license to claim they recognize Hispanics. Or an exercise at schools on diversity?


Well no.


Historians have traced the 1st cinco de mayo celebrations in Los Angeles back to 1863, the year after the battle, at a time when California was firmly part of the United States.


As a reporter for the Austin American Statesman, I traced it back to a little town in south Texas called Goliad. The locals there believe they started cinco de Mayo. You see the general who led the battle of Puebla – Ignacio Zaragoza – was born there.


The Mexican-American community there - for all intents and purposes the community there – decided to celebrate a native son. They renamed the local social group from Sociadad Cuahtemoc, named after an Aztec general, to Sociedad Zaragoza, named after one of their own. From thence on, they celebrated Cinco de Mayo.


It became point of pride in this little south Texas town; a civic celebration of the local boy.


So I suggested by the title of speech that I'd give you five reasons to celebrate Cinco de Mayo; well I lied. There's only one; this is an American holiday.


Cinco de Mayo is as Mexican as Thanksgiving is English. Or St. Patrick's Day is Irish.


It's really about Americans who in the face of adversity took pride in their identity, but contributed to what is the United States.


So I give you one reason: Cinco de Mayo is an American holiday and its' about how all of us have become American, taking parts of our heritage and adding it to the fabric of the American experience.


Blessed few of us can claim heritage that traces to the native Americans from the United States. Each of us has ancestors who have taken their unique heritages and reshaped them into part of what it means to be part of the United States.


So with that, I say again, Cinco de Mayo is an American holiday.

AP story
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hczDUaNYq9WO0oxiheFVH6UaOH9AD980AVLO0

Kansas City Star
Diversity Diva story
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinco_de_mayo

Wikipedia reference
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinco_de_mayo

NYT: comScore says Latino audience online grows

“The Hispanic market is a very attractive one for prospective marketers,” he said. “They know where to reach them, and those categories exhibit the highest level of engagement and interactivity.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/04/technology/internet/04drill.html?_r=1

AdAge: Univision exec explains growth in of all years - 2009

David Lawenda, Univision's president-ad sales and marketing, said, "We want to start with a word you hardly hear any more: growth."

• Latinos account for more than one-half of all U.S. population growth
  
• In New York, Latinos make up 26% of young adults and one-third of all mothers.
  
• 77% of Hispanics speak Spanish at home
  
• Univision ranks ahead of CBS among adults ages 18 to 34.
  
• Latinos made up 46% of ticket sales on the opening weekend of the movie "Fast & Furious".

http://adage.com/hispanic/article?article_id=136397

WSJ: Profit at Televisa - Mexican media conglomerate - down 7.2% in q1

Mexican media company Grupo Televisa SAB (TV) said Thursday its net profit fell 7.2% in the first quarter on higher financial and other expenses, while sales rose on acquisitions and higher broadcast revenue.

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090430-711122.html

Latino Electorate Grows: Pew Hispanic releases new study

The unprecedented diversity of the electorate last year was driven by increases both in the number and in the turnout rates of minority eligible voters.

http://pewhispanic.org/reports/report.php?ReportID=108

http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/108.pdf

AP: Latinos make less in pay than Anglos with same education levels

"Hispanics with bachelor’s degrees had an average salary of $44,696, amounting to roughly 75 cents for every dollar made by whites."

http://www.kansascity.com/business/story/1165750.html

SanDiegoUnionTribune: Quinceañeras latest causality of the bad economy

"My quinceañera was celebrated at home,” said Maria Casas, Nayely's mother, who grew up in Tijuana and now lives in Chula Vista. “It's totally different now, and you want to give them the best you can, within your budget. But we've had to think about cutting here, cutting somewhere else. We think, 'If there is more money, we can get more photos. Or maybe we'll have one video camera instead of two.' ”"

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/apr/26/1n26party233835-economy-has-latinos-downsizing-qui/

SacrementoBee: Latinos taking to evangelical religions

"Many members of their Latino congregation, however, are new to the faith. Most have been Pentecostals for less than two years, according to Eva Rodriguez. From the music to the language, the Latino culture is a big part of the church's appeal."

http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/1808715.html

LATimes: Latino producers lament lack of shows and roles for US Latinos

"Nothing reflects the voice of U.S.-born, English-speaking American Latinos."

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-latinos24-2009apr24,0,6502064.story

SothernPovertyLawCenter: Latinos of any legal status face discrimination as illegals

"“The assumption is that every Latino possibly is undocumented,” Angeles Ortega-Moore, an immigrant advocate in North Carolina, told the law center’s researchers. So discrimination “has spread over into the legal population.”"

http://washingtonindependent.com/39823/report-finds-widespread-discrimination-against-latino-immigrants-in-south

MediaWeek: U.S. Latinos online soar to 20.3m

"n February of 2009 comScore found there to be 20.3 million U.S. Hispanic visitors on the Web, representing a surge of 5.8 percent versus February of 2008. During that same period of time the general Web population grew by 3.9 percent. "

http://mediaweek.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=U.S.+Hispanic+Audience+Hits+20+Mllion+Unique+Users&expire=&urlID=401020330&fb=Y&url=http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/digital-downloads/metrics/e3i9d7aa37d46e1460b30179b17048a6189&partnerID=3621

BostonGlobe: Latinos edge out blacks in school population in Boston's public schools

"In the district's annual student head count, Latinos accounted for 38.1 percent of all students, surpassing African-Americans, who comprise 37.9 percent of the student body, according to data posted on the state's education website. The change follows decades of steady growth among Latino students and more than 10 years of declines in the percentage of African-Americans, according to state enrollment data."

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/04/19/city_schools_challenged_by_shifting_ethnic_mix?mode=PF

My comments: And Lou Dobbs wonders why Obama chose to announce his education plans at a Latino event?

Blogger: NY Times equates Hispanic w/ immigrant as if they two were synonyms

But the article, reflecting current political discourse, lumps together immigrant and "Hispanic;" citizenship status, therefore, is rendered irrelevant.

http://www.alternet.org/rights/136929/as_long_as_%27latino%27_is_synonymous_with_%27immigrant,%27_we_will_remain_a_class_apart/

Original story: Texas Mayor Caught in Deportation Furor http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/us/05immig.html?_r=1

Burger King pulled this ad: what do you think?

USATODAY: Film Sin Nombre retells the immigrant story

"(Sin Nombre) also is the most moving and well-told saga of Latin American immigrants bound for the USA since 1983's El Norte."

http://usatoday.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=%27Sin+Nombre%27+is+an+epic+look+at+the+immigrant+experience+-+USATODAY.com&expire=&urlID=401096335&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Flife%2Fmovies%2Freviews%2F2009-03-19-nombre-review_N.htm%3Floc%3Dinterstitialskip&partnerID=1663

Philly: Latino cuisines go fusion

"I've had Southern barbecue pulled-pork tacos. I've seen Mexican sushi with jicama and ceviche shrimp," said Ken Rubin, a culinary anthropologist at The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institute of Portland in Oregon. "Cuisines are very fluid.

http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20090416_Latin_cuisine_s_big_shift__New_fusions_arise_as_old_culinary_borders_fall.html

L.A.Times: Latin rock evolves

"The eclecticism and growing international standing of these bands indicate how globalized Latin rock has become in the roughly two decades since the beginning of the so-called rock en español movement.

Twenty years ago, punk-rock, ska and hip-hop were the main genres that shaped the sound of emerging Latin American bands. Today, electronica is filling that role. And, as was the case with punk and ska, the more risk-taking Latin bands are tweaking and customizing electronica to suit their cultural and aesthetic objectives, rather than merely imitating existing U.S. and European electronica outfits."

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-latincoachella15-2009apr15,0,3259743.story

McKnights: Latinos in nursing homes get poorer care

"Nursing facilities with a primarily Hispanic resident population generally provide lower quality care than facilities primarily servicing whites, say Brown University researchers who focused on pressure ulcer care."

http://www.mcknights.com/Study-Hispanics-receive-poorer-nursing-home-care/article/130520/

LaPrensaSanDiego: Univision hypes its new Sunday news show.

"“Latinos will become, eventually, the majority in this country,” said Ramos, noting that they currently represent 14 percent of the U.S. population. “This is becoming a bilingual country. ... And Univision is not an ethnic media. Univision is mainstream media, but the only difference is that we broadcast in Spanish.”"

http://www.laprensa-sandiego.org/current/Univision.041009.htm

SanAntonioBizJournal: New head of Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies named from San Antonio

San Antonio advertising executive Gisela Girard has been named chairman of the national Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies (AHAA).

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2009/04/06/daily43.htmlA

L.A.Times: Latest Fast & Furious appealing to Latinos

"The latest installment of the action-thriller series has a distinctly Hispanic feel, including its south-of-the-border location settings, its soundtrack, several of its characters and its plot line (hot-rodding hero Dominic Toretto battles Mexico-based drug runners)."

http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2009/04/10/furious0410.html

MarketWatch: 10-k shows quepasa.com lost $7m in 2008, had revenue of $56k

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/10-k-quepasa-corp/story.aspx?guid={C2E4EC88-0E6A-45F5-B89F-9D8BAF6A7285}&dist=msr_2

Also, NASDAQ issues quepasa.com a deficiency letter:

http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/04-08-2009/0005003269&EDATE=

AP's Suzanne Gamboa: Half of newly minted Americans Latinos

"Hispanics made up nearly half of the more than 1 million people who became U.S. citizens last year, according to a Hispanic advocacy group."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gQKI-mUtzRTYIm7MjslLxEoz2zVgD97DFPI01

ElPasoTimes: Profile of xicano cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz

"He also creates politically themed posters such as a Mexican revolutionary style "Viva Obama" poster that emerged out of the 2008 presidential campaign."

AP: Latino chilldren more likely to be obese

"Obesity is more common in Hispanic and black youngsters, too, but the disparity is most startling in American Indians, whose rate is almost double that of whites."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iWYxFm-xYioKQmzsZjCWRKWfNbiwD97D9NB00

AdAge: Latino media buys up for '08, but down in 4Q by 5.7%

"Marketers increased their spending on Hispanic media a modest 2.5% in 2008 but cut spending 5.7% in the fourth quarter as the recession deepened, according to a ranking of the top 100 Hispanic marketers compiled with data from TNS Media Intelligence. "
http://adage.com/hispanic/article?article_id=135743

HoustonChronicle: Latinos lagging in higher education in Texas; the states future hangs in the balance

In Texas, 68 percent of Hispanics graduate from high school within four years, 10 points below the general average.

In Texas, 42.5 percent of Hispanics who graduated from high school in 2007 enrolled in college or a technical training program the following fall, compared with 45.3 percent of black students and 57.5 percent of white students.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/6359209.html

SeattleTimes recommends a michelada with Latino food

Not just a lime squeezed into the neck of a beer bottle, the michelada — also known as "cerveza preparada" or prepared beer — is a true cocktail and a perfect compliment to Latino food.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2008980879&zsection_id=2002252657&slug=zfoo04latinofooddrinks&date=20090404

HoustonChronicle: Lulac growing from its historic US-born, Mexican American base in the southwest to immigrants in New England

"We are seeing new chapters opening up in places like Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New Jersey, and we are responding," Rosales said from her San Antonio, Texas office. "We like to go where there are emerging communities."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6355849.html

Variety: Spanish-language giant Televisa speaks Chinese (Mandarin)

"Following the success of the Chinese version of telenovela "Ugly Betty," the Shanghai Media Group has started production on a local version of Mexican TV giant Televisa's "Las tontas no van al cielo" (Dumb Girls Don't Go to Heaven)."

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118001979.html?categoryid=19&cs=1

WSJ: Univision lose widens

"Univision has also been struggling to make payments on nearly $10 billion of debt, because cash flow has fallen precipitously and cash on hand is declining. Much of the debt came from the company's $12.3 billion leveraged buyout by a consortium of private investors."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123844791484571009.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

MarketingProfs.com Event: Enrique J. Gonzales featured

http://www.marketingprofs.com/events/6/conference

http://www.marketingprofs.com/events/6/speakers

Portada: Hi5 social network site big with Latinos

Hi5, is the world's third-largest social network behind Facebook and MySpace It has a significant amount of share in Spanish-speaking countries. Spanish-speakers made up 40% of the site's 59.6 million January visitors. Overall, Hi5 gets about a quarter of Facebook's traffic and a little less than half of MySpace's, according to comScore.

http://www.portada-online.com/html/website/paid/2009/031809/Market-Intel.aspx

Analysts: Televisa - Spanish-language media powerhouse - strengthens ties with NBC's Telemundo.

So Telemundo extends the reach of the content it produces in line with the worldwide footprint of its parent companies GE and NBC, Televisa aggregates content further expanding its sphere of influence in Latin America, indirectly in the US and also in line with its global strategy and Univision at least in this transaction remains a US distributor of Televisa’s programming with limited efforts to date to produce effective content on its own.

http://www.glgroup.com/News/THE-IMPACT-OF-THE-TELEVISA--TELEMUNDO-CABLE-NETWORK-TO-UNIVISION-36283.html

NYT: Minneapolis case study in health care for immigrants

"The clinic, open three half-days a week, is so busy that it is hard to get an appointment. Dr. Carmen Divertie, an internist from Peru, founded it 15 years ago, modeling it after a clinic for Russians at the hospital."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/health/29hispanic.html

Obama appeals to Latinos on Univision

President Barack Obama told the viewers of a popular Latin music awards show Thursday that they must "stay involved and make your voices heard" as the nation fights its way out of troubled times.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gMjhEKCfsHlvUrB9Xe5OqqoeyAxQD9761N3O3

SacramentoBee: Remembering Cesar Chavez on his March 31 birthday and his slogan that gave hope - 'Si se puede'

"It's not a slogan, it's a mind-set that says you can accomplish something that others say is impossible."

http://www.sacbee.com/agriculture/story/1732844.html

MiamiHerald: Obama to give bilingual speech on Univision 3/26/09

Obama to give bilingual speech on Univision Thursday night, March 26, 2009.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/968250.html

ConsumerReports: Latinos skip buying perscription drugs because of costs

"Struggling to meet health care costs, 29 percent of Hispanic adults said they had decided against filling a script for cost reasons, according to a national poll conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. Survey respondents said that they also economized by asking their doctor for free samples, skipping doses, taking smaller doses, or sharing a prescription with someone else on the same medicine."

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-26-2009/0004995040&EDATE=

ChicagoTribune: Daley apologizes for hiring scam involving Hispanic Democratic Organization

"Sanchez was a leader of the Hispanic Democratic Organization, a group of hundreds of campaign workers that support Daley, many of whom ended up with jobs in the 4,000-employee Department of Streets and Sanitation."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-patronagetrial-da,0,3327608.story

MediaLife: Latino internet use grows

Scarborough Research
1. The percentage of Hispanics with online access trails the national average generally, with only 54 percent online, compared to nearly 70 percent of the total U.S. population.
2. Hispanic users are 21 percent more likely to download digital content than the average adult user.
3. Forty-two percent of Hispanic users have downloaded some form of digital content over the past month, compared to 35 percent of the general internet population.
4. Music leads with nearly a third of Hispanic users downloading music the past month, compared with a quarter of the internet population generally.
5. This also highlights the rapid increase in broadband connections for Hispanics, which have grown from 13 percent in 2002 to 68 percent this year.
6. Overall Hispanics’ internet access has grown 13 percent since 2004, compared to an 8 percent growth rate for the web generally.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/New_media_23/The_scoop_on_Hispanics_on_the_web.asp

AP: Latinos disporportionally losing jobs in economic meltdown

"Much of the disparity is due to a concentration of Latinos and blacks in construction, blue-collar or service-industry jobs that have been decimated by the economic meltdown."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j5nuJ22QSB43rUZWOHrmalHCexeAD973UPKG2

Venevision - player in Spanish-language TV - promises to push digital in 09.

The new strategy of Venevision International begins with the launch of its new entertainment portal NOVULU (www.novulu.com), which distributes content directly to the consumer and centralizes the company's different websites.

http://www.pr-inside.com/venevision-international-turns-to-new-r1067326.htm

CNN: Dobbs equates U.S Latino business group with foreigners, illegal immigrants and drug runners

My comments: Lou Dobbs equates Obama's speech at US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce with foreign policies on drug trafficking and illegal immigration.

Lou Dobbs, you've gone off your rocker; this is crazy stuff. The U.S. Hispanic Chamber is focused on the business success of Latinos in the United States. You've lost it. If Obama gave the speech at CNN, does it mean he favors policies in what ever homeland your ancestors came from. I can see it now: Obama gives speech at CNN; he must be favoring Europeans. But Dobbs wouldn't think so. Why, because people like Dobbs equate white people with Americans and Latinos as permanent foreignors.

Here's Dobb's weak apology.

WSJ/DowJones: Univision to pay debt interest with more debt

"Univision Communications Inc., the Spanish-language broadcaster, has become the latest company to exercise an option on some of its bonds that will leave holders with even more debt.

In a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Thursday, the company said it will pay interest on $1.5 billion of bonds with more debt. These bonds are known as payment-in-kind (PIK) toggle notes, and give a company the flexibility to switch between cash or credit interest payments."

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090313-713435.html

MSNBC-Latino food reinvigorating American palate

""Just as Pan-Asian foods have brought new flavor and ingredient excitement to the American plate and palate, now it's time to make way for Pan-Latin," says Kimberly Egan, CEO of CCD. "

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29756653/

SFGate: Latinos upset on Obama's civil rights pick

"But many raised a cry of dismay, not over Perez's qualifications, but because the job had been offered to another Latino civil rights expert, California's Thomas Saenz, and then abruptly rescinded the day before the Perez was named."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail?&entry_id=37114

AdAge: Univision dumps the expensive upfront sales presentation for a roadshow

"Univision Communications is scrapping its lavish annual TV upfront presentation this year. Instead, the biggest Spanish-language TV network will go on the road with senior Univision executives and talent to host smaller forums in five cities, kicking off in Chicago on April 1 and finishing up in New York on April 30. "

http://adage.com/hispanic/article?article_id=135259

FinancialTimes: Wal-Mart to test 2 Latino themed stores in Houston and Phoenix

Discount retailer Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is targeting Hispanic consumers with two pilot supermarket locations planned to open later this year.

According to the Financial Times and Retailer Daily, two former Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market locations will reopen under the Supermercado de Walmart banner.

http://www.mediabuyerplanner.com/2009/03/13/wal-mart-targets-hispanic-market/

Ruben Navarette: Latinos in Forgotten Racial Limbo

"There's this almost hyper-visibility of Latinos," she said. "But it's a narrow and often wrong kind of hyper-visibility because it is the 'illegal alien.' Every Latino is presumed to be an immigrant and secondly to be an undocumented Mexican."


...

Granted, it's not easy to turn a blind eye to an ethnic group that, according to Census estimates, could represent one in four Americans by the year 2030. But some people -- like our attorney general -- manage to pull it off.
And in doing so, they describe America as it used to be, not what it is, let alone what it is becoming.

http://www.indystar.com/article/20090313/OPINION12/903130301/1002/OPINION

cnet: AOL attempts to launch Latino social network

"AOL-owned social network Bebo announced Monday that it has launched a U.S. site for Latinos. According to the company executives, they decided to open a version of its site catering to the Latino community after enjoying success in offering a similar experience to those in the U.K., Ireland, Poland, and elsewhere."

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10191547-2.html

The competition for social networks is stiff. Hi5 and Sonico, not to mention Facebook and My Space, are already doing extremely well in the space.

AP: Bloomberg attempts Spanish to woe Latinos

The billionaire businessman has been studying Spanish since his first run for mayor, and he had mostly limited his public utterances to a few phrases and greetings here and there.
But now, with more and more Latino voters in New York City, along with higher-rated Spanish-language news broadcasts, Bloomberg is looking for more ways to be heard despite his inelegant accent and clumsy verb conjugations.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gOJOPngo9IthyxKtM7E2uYfTWxcQD96Q0HV80

MSNBC - Latinos in US would be 27th largest nation

With more than 46 million people, Nuevo Hispania is the 27th-largest nation on Earth and the fourth largest in the Western Hemisphere. Its residents wield $1 trillion of buying power in the marketplace. Even as the rest of the economy contracts in the global recession, Nuevo Hispania remains a thriving, even booming, market that’s expected to grow by 48 percent in the next four years.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29470143/

HoustonChronicle: Latinos to have profound impact on the US culture

Of course, the rise of Hispanics into the middle class will not be accomplished through the traditional path of leaving the “old country” culture behind in order to become “Americans,” purified through a melting-pot process. In fact, the opposite will be true; a bilingual-bicultural citizenry capable of navigating cultural differences at many levels will emerge. Dual citizenship will be more common and university systems will expand across borders to prepare graduates capable of operating in this new culture.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/6292392.html

NYT: Latinos still waiting on Catholic Church for a Hispanic archbishop in NYC

The muted response did not reflect indifference to the new archbishop, whom many people seemed to like, or to the notion that appointing a prelate with a Hispanic name instead of a Celtic one might be smart: Latinos are not only ascendant in New York, but also likely to be the majority of Catholics in the United States within a decade.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/nyregion/03bishop.html?em

IssuesInHigherEd: Get more Latinos in Science

Hispanics, who are the largest minority in the country at 14 percent and growing, earned just 7.5 percent of bachelor’s degrees in engineering in 2005, according to a recent report from the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering. They earned just 7.5 percent of the bachelor’s in biological sciences that year; 6.8 percent in computer sciences; 6.5 percent in physics; and 5.8 percent in mathematics.

http://diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_12347.shtml

BostonGlobe: Comcast expands Latino line-up in Spanish

Comcast Corp. customers in Boston and Brookline may be seeing more breaking TV news reports, dramas, and sports coverage en español from such places as Colombia, Peru, Mexico, and Venezuela. The cable provider this month introduced an expanded Hispanic programming package that imports 50 popular Spanish networks from Central and South America.

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2009/02/26/tuned_in_to_hispanics/

L.A. Times: Univision lays off 300, 6% of workforce

Univision lays off 300 workers
The nation's largest Spanish-language broadcaster owns KMEX-TV Channel 34, the top-rated Los Angeles station. The company also cancels its weekend newscast.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-univision28-2009feb28,0,7229671.story

Reuters: Televisa's 4Q flat despite higher revenues

Televisa, the world's largest producer of Spanish-language television, beat analyst expectations, but had a flat quarter, according to Reuters.
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN2629734920090227

AtlantaJournalConstitution: Latino churches push for immigration reform

Eric Tabora burst into tears as he remembered his wife being hauled away by federal immigration officials.

The 33-year-old independent contractor said his wife was arrested when they returned to their home in Powder Springs Wednesday morning after driving their 11- and 7-year-old sons, both U.S. citizens, to school.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2009/02/25/hispanic_immigration_reform.html

Computer Training Costa Rica

For the final week of February, I spent several days helping provide basic computer training at a Methodist mission in rural Costa Rica, the town of Los Chiles, a community of about 8,000 people near the Nicaraguan border.

Over the course of two days, we trained as many as 75 people in one hour training sessions in groups of five or more. The students ranged in age and skill from teenagers to seniors and completely new to computers to more advanced. For some, the training was beyond basic. We provided instruction on the most basic concepts;

• how to use a mouse;
• how to open a program;
• how to enter text;
• how to erase text;
• how to copy and paste;
• how to save a document;
• how to find a file;
• how to delete a file;
• and how to recover a deleted file from the recycle bin.

We used five obsolete HP laptops donated from my employer with external USB mice.

Of all that we taught, the thing many of our students found most difficult to learn was how to hold and use the mouse. For some, the first instinct was to grab the mouse with the thumb and index finger, move the mouse, remove the hand and then click with the index finger, either right or left clicks. Holding it with the thumb and second to last finger and then hovering the index and the third to last finger hovering over the left and right buttons didn´t seem to work. It´s a bit of coordination that I do day in and day out that in their lives was as foreign as snow boots or an ice scrapper. For them, holding the mouse in such an awkward way was a kin to the average English speaking rolling his or her "r"s. It something you could do, but because you don´t do it every day, it´s difficult.

The experience taught me something. The students in Los Chiles, those who we trained, could very well understand what we taught them, but because they do not have a daily need to use the skills, even the most basic actions seem daunting.

As such, the digital divide between those who have access to modern electronic communications and those who don´t may widden.

PalmBeachPost: QuePasa.com tries to reinvent itself

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/hp/content/business/epaper/2009/01/26/a1f_quepasa_0126.html

Top social networking sites for Latinos

• My Space
  
• Facebook
  
• Mi Gente
  
• all others
  

NYT: Carlos Slim, Mexico's reluctant media mogul

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/business/media/16slim.html?pagewanted=2&em

CrainsBusiness: Univision to see layoffs?

"The rounds of layoffs that have been sweeping across the media industry will soon hit Univision, according to industry insiders."
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20090215/SUB/302159976&cid=0&usg=AFQjCNGgmQMnRhKiT7Qp9OzWnh1nekx0jQ

WSJ: Univision and Televisa settle lawsuit

"Televisa, Mexico's largest broadcaster by market share, and closely held Univision, the biggest Spanish-language TV company in the U.S., have been locked in a dispute over royalty payments for popular Mexican soap operas and other programs. Televisa-produced telenovelas are the most popular programming on Univision."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123267144868908403.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

My comments: Please accept my apologies for not posting this sooner. But this is of course of huge for traditional Latino marketing. Univision needs Televisa and vice versa. The two juggernauts make the Latino media world go round.

DallasMorningNews: GOP losing any pull with Latinos

" Hispanic Republicans are an endangered species. That's not wishful thinking on the part of Democrats. It's a growing concern by Hispanic Republicans themselves, and they say the GOP leadership seems oblivious to it."

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/localnews/columnists/molivera/stories/DN-olivera_14met.ART.State.Edition1.4c528c9.html

NY Daily News: Latino non-profits hurt by bad economy

The bad economy has dealt a big blow to the city’s Latino nonprofits, many of which have been forced to cut hours, reduce services and even consider closing.

http://www.nydailynews.com/latino/2009/02/11/2009-02-11_latino_nonprofits_feel_the_squeeze_of_ec.html

L.A.Times: Latinos successful lobby for Census to report to Obama

"Growing political battle over the Census: Latinos versus Republicans"

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/02/battle-over-the.html

NYT: Overturning Rockefeller laws to help Latinos

"The Rockefeller laws tied the hands of judges by requiring lengthy prison terms even for first-time offenders. ... The law has been especially disastrous for black and Latino offenders... "

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/09/opinion/09mon3.html

RubenNavarette: GOP lost Latino votes not because of immigration, but approach to immigration.

"The reason for the Hispanic exodus from the GOP is not because Republicans took a stand against illegal immigration. It's the way they did it — or at least many of them did it. "

http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_11655279

L.A.Times OpEd: Latinos vote on immigration as critically as larger social issues.

"At least 10 million Latinos turned out to vote on Nov. 4, a stunning increase from the approximately 7 million who voted in the 2004 general election. And where immigration was concerned, Latinos supported the candidate that was more clearly in favor of reform. They did this during the primaries (Latinos were a deciding factor in Sen. John McCain's primary victory over other Republicans, delivering Florida at a crucial juncture of the campaign) and in the general election (They helped President Obama in key states such as Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Indiana, North Carolina and Virginia)."

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/sunletters/la-oew-martinez5-2009feb05,0,1915757.story

CQ: Black & Latno leaders question Obama's commerce secretary pick

"The head of the Congressional Black Caucus and a group representing Latino government officials raised questions about Sen. Judd Gregg ’s fitness to lead the Commerce Department on the day President Obama nominated him for the post."

http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docid=news-000003023493

NYT: NY's new senator says she'll take a less anti-immigrant stance

"Kirsten E. Gillibrand, New York’s new senator, suggested to Latino elected officials on Sunday that she would take the lead on some immigration issues — and perhaps quickly drop some positions that they considered objectionable."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/nyregion/02kirsten.html?ref=us

Use caution when quoting so called Latinos online experts.

Here's one reason to be cautious about anyone who claims to be an expert on Latino marketing online.

http://sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/lr19627.htm

Search engines & portals continue to expand in LatAm

Despite the downturn in the USA, sites focused on Latin America - on Yahoo en español, Starmedia, Terra and Google in Latin America - continue to expand.

http://www.portada-online.com/printarticle.aspx?page=/html/website/paid/2009/012909/major-portals-expand.aspx

SanAntonioExpressNews: Cisneros says Latino progress critical for USA

"Former Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros and several Latino leaders say the global competitiveness of the United States hinges on the progress of the country's Hispanic population — the fastest-growing minority group."

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/38513484.html

AP: Cisneros to start non-profit focused on immigrants

"Former Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros said Monday he plans to create a nonprofit that will help integrate newcomers to U.S. society by improving their English and expanding their participation in military service and civic activities."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g8l15v6JNN2h6jebW_p9F8wEWJDgD95V2GT80

NYT opinion piece: Latinos want Obama to deliver on issues

"Latinos, who make up 9 percent of the national electorate, lent their support overwhelmingly to President-elect Barack Obama, voting for him at a rate of 2 to 1 over his Republican rival, Senator John McCain. The votes were roughly equivalent to Mr. Obama’s margin of victory in the popular vote and in key swing states such as Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico, which flipped from red to blue."

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/19/immigration-tops-latinos-wish-list-at-dc-meeting/

WashingtonPost: Latinos party at the inaugural

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2009/01/latino_stars_pols_gather_for_t.html?hpid=topnews

MSNBC: NY cops more likely to pull over blacks, Latinos

If you’re black or Latino, you’re more likely than white drivers to get pulled over in New York City, according to a new report.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28675613/

NY Daily News: More TV in English for Latinos

"In the decades since Spanish language broadcast giants Univision and Telemundo invaded the U.S. market, the Latino demographic has changed radically.
More and more children have been born here to immigrant parents — they now constitute the majority of Hispanics — and they are growing up speaking English."

http://www.nydailynews.com/latino/2009/01/14/2009-01-14_explosion_of_tv_in_english_for_latinos_.html

MiamiHerald: Cuban American National Foundation leader and brother sentenced for fraud

"U.S. District Judge Patricia A. Seitz said the brothers had been ''two-faced for too long'' in bilking Kendall Regional Medical Center out of $5 million in a fraud that lasted 14 years."

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/v-fullstory/story/842608.html

NYT: Latinos recall prior hate violence in Long Island

"Carlos Orellana, a construction worker from Ecuador, was walking home from work in this small Long Island town on July 14, he said, when about a dozen teenage boys on bicycles knocked him to the ground and kicked and beat him, shouting, “Go back to Mexico.”"

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/09/nyregion/09patchogue.html?hp

L.A.Times: Latinos want to incorporate East L.A. as a city

East Los Angeles is proudly known as the community that sparked a Mexican American civil rights movement, gave birth to Los Lobos and jump-started low-rider car culture.

But for all its notoriety and close-knit feel, East L.A. has never been a city. Rather, it's an unincorporated area governed by the county Board of Supervisors.

But on Friday, the community took a major step toward gaining independence.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-eastla10-2009jan10,0,1207394.story

AP: 10% of Latinos behind on mortgages

"Nearly one in 10 Latino homeowners fell behind in mortgage payments last year, and about 3 percent said they had received a foreclosure notice, a Hispanic research group reported Thursday."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gk9Hf55GttUNZRHCJHVKGaJwaRogD95J1C0O0

L.A.Times: Bill Richardson's withdrawl from Cabient consideration a blow

"The federal investigation involves a Beverly Hills company, CDR Financial Products Inc., which was paid to help the state issue road-construction bonds. The FBI is looking into whether anybody in Richardson's administration tried to influence CDR's selection."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-richardson6-2009jan06,0,3854200.story

NY Daily News: 2 lenders disciplined for overcharging Latinos for mortgage fees

Two mortgage brokerage companies must compensate 445 black and Hispanic borrowers who were systematically charged higher fees than white clients.

http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2009/01/05/2009-01-05_lenders_overcharged_latinos_blacks.html

WSJ: Mortgage bust hurting Latinos more

Between 2000 and 2007, as the Hispanic population increased, Hispanic homeownership grew even faster, increasing by 47%, to 6.1 million from 4.1 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Over that same period, homeownership nationally grew by 8%. In 2005 alone, mortgages to Hispanics jumped by 29%, with expensive nonprime mortgages soaring 169%, according to the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123111072368352309.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Bloomberg: Children's book awardees have few if any Latino protaganists

"Characters depicted in Newbery winners are more likely to be white, male and come from two-parent households than the average U.S. child, according to a Brigham Young University study. The trend has accelerated even as the U.S. has diversified, with fewer black and Hispanic main characters in the past 27 years than in the Civil Rights era of 1951-79."

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=aCT1f48_Qwzo&refer=muse