Archive for September, 2005
40th Anniversary of “la huelga”
6:57 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · California| Politics| society · Comments Off
30 Sep 2005
At the end of this month in which we reflect on Latino history, we observe the 40th anniversary of the now legendary “huelga de las uvas” initiated by the United Farm Workers, made up of the masses of exploited Mexicano and Filipino farmers in California’s Central Valley, Cesar Chavez at the helm in, 1965. So much has changed, yet so much remains the same. From VOA News:
In August, state officials approved emergency rules to prevent heat illness. Temperatures in the Central Valley often rise above thirty-eight Celsius. The heat may have led to the deaths of several farm workers in the past year.
The new rules require employers to provide about one liter of drinking water per worker per hour. Employers must also provide an area where workers can go for at least five minutes to recover from the heat. State legislators will consider more extensive measures.
UFW recently ended another boycott of Gallo Winery.
After so many years of lucha, conditions haven’t changed all that much. There’s still a lot more to fight for so people can have una vida digna, which is the legacy of Cesar.
South Florida residents, Jason Farmer, 20, and Jean Carlos Casely, 19, are two young guys trying to break into the music scene. A couple of weeks ago Farmer created the background musical track for a song dedicated to the victims of Katrina, and needed lyrics. He contacted Casely and in just a few hours Casely wrote the song.
The song, “Unsung Hero” is now being playing on the radio in South Florida and has gotten the boys some media attention. The song of hope includes lyrics such as:
…Work together, let’s unite, I have a feeling we’ll be fine.
Don’t dwell on the pain of yesterday…
…and ends with three simple words:
We will rise.
This song, which is really a nice tribute to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, may be a big stepping stone into launching Farmer’s and Casely’s careers. They are putting the publicity to good use by asking their fans to contribute to the Red Cross, the Casely website stating:
Hopefully, the music will assist the inspiration to give even more, whether its $1 you would spend on a can of soda or the $100.00 you were going to spend at the hairdresser this week.
Of Forgotten Times and Latino Writers
30 Sep 2005
As part of its Hispanic Heritage Month activities, the The Queens Library New Americans Program in New York City presented Dominican author Marisela Rizik. Marisela read from her first novel Of Forgotten Times which was originally written in Spanish. The novel deals via fiction with the dictatorship of Trujillo in the Dominican Republic and its impact on women. The reading, held at a local public library ,was followed by a lively and bilingual question and answer session.
It is events like these that serve to help Latino writers connect in an industry that is all about connections. It also helps readers gain a greater understanding of the role of literature in the community as a way of preserving and relating history.
Daddy Yankee in good with the big guys
10:49 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Celebrities| Marketing| Music · 1 Comment
30 Sep 2005
After heavy coverage in the New York Times and a general buzz that just won’t quit, it seems mainstream media has truly embraced Reggaeton in earnest now, as evidenced in this press release from HispanicBusiness.com (via PR Newswire):
ABC Radio Networks To Create And Syndicate Daddy Yankee National Radio ProgramPR Newswire
NEW YORK, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire/ — ABC Radio Networks announced today an exclusive agreement to create a weekly two-hour syndicated radio program hosted by Puerto Rican Reggaeton sensation Daddy Yankee. This new enterprise underscores the network’s commitment to develop quality programming for the fastest-growing segment of the United States population.
Very transparently, the last line of that paragraph refers to the Latino market boom. ABC, surprisingly, has been pretty quick to identify Daddy Yankee as their inroad into the elusive Latino youth market. And pretty quick to write him a quote in the release that I can’t image actually coming out of his mouth:
“I aspire to be a trendsetter and I hope that with this deal I will be able to open doors so that others might be able to follow. I am proud to be the first Reggaeton artist to have his own nationally syndicated radio show and with this tool I will be able to reach audiences we hadn’t been able to reach before, this will prove to those that still doubt it, that the Reggaeton movement is a real musical genre,” Yankee reiterated.
“…Yankee reiterated…”
I love PR.
The Oveja Negra of Pan-Latino Culture
30 Sep 2005
Rock en Español is still seen as the black sheep of Latino culture. Its use of rhythms native to Latin American countries combined with hard rock drums and guitar riffs defies easy categorization. It also has had the ability to reach audiences across the Latino diaspora. Latino rock can’t be claimed by any one country more than another. It’s unifying that way. The places where fans gather also have that pan-Latino vibe. In New York City one of those places has been la Oveja Negra. Located in the heart of immigrant NYC, Queens, la Oveja has played host to bands from all over the world of el rock including Chileno Joe Vasconcellos , Argentinos Babasonicos, and Libido from Peru. la Oveja also offers up space for up and coming local rockeros to play and network.
But it isn’t all rock paz y amor. As Reggaeton is growing in popularity, its presence in the traditionally all rock venue has been creating some drama and dissatisfaction with management.
Regardless if your scene is rock or reggaeton, la Oveja Negra does have something for everyone, including drinks and dancing.
Spain Promotes Their Products in US, Miami
8:02 am By Maegan La Mala · Florida| Marketing| Shopping| Spain| World · 1 Comment
30 Sep 2005
Yesterday in Miami, Spain launched a $95 million campaign to promote Spanish products. Considered the #10 economic power in the world, their sales don’t project that image with US sales last year less than $7 billion. The balance is currently tipped in favor of the US with our exports to Spain in 2004 almost reaching $9 billion.
The marketing campaign run by Spain will focus on creating an image of quality and innovation, not just on traditional products such as proscuitto ham and oil, but also on products and services in the technological realm. Also expect to see more advertising for quality Spanish wines, fashion, and Spain as a tourist destination.
El Nuevo Herald article: “España Lanza en Miami una Nueva Campaña.”
Fuleteame el tanque!
7:58 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Entertainment| Marketing| Music · 2 Comments
29 Sep 2005
Via HispanicTips: is this for real? I guess he’s riding the fame of Daddy Yankee’s Gasolina.
Bimbo, already a huge star in his native Puerto Rico, is instigating the greatest gas giveaway in American history! The novel new campaign is fueled by Bimbo’s smash hit single, “Fill Up My Gas Tank” (”Fuleteame El Tanque”) — currently #2 on R&R’s Latin Club Charts — and its controversial music video: a biting satire in which George W. Bush, Saddam Hussein, Condoleezza Rice and Osama bin Laden are portrayed as greedy strippers, collectively responsible for raising the price of gas.
…At each gas station giveaway, Bimbo gives a blistering performance of his newest hit, while his Freedom Girls are on hand pumping the gas. Bimbo has already helped struggling motorists by giving away thousands of dollars in free gasoline, at gas station events in Lower Manhattan, Washington, D.C. and in the heart of the Bronx…
I wonder who’s idea this was…Oh, it was these people. If nothing else, a timely marketing ploy!
Bank of America, Send Money to Mexico Promo
29 Sep 2005
Bank of America (BoA) is now offering a service they call SafeSend to send money to Mexico – at no cost for BoA account holders. Customers can send up to $1,500 at a time and up to $3,000 USD a month to up to 3 recipients in Mexico.
According to the Money/CNN article, BoA Waives Fees to Attract Hispanic Customers:
The changes raise the stakes in U.S. banks’ push to attract Hispanics, who this decade overtook blacks as the largest U.S. minority group. More than half of the roughly 40 million Hispanics in the United States are Mexicans.
Traditionally, remittances to Mexico made from family members working in the US, have been the #2 income for the country of Mexico. Estimated to total $12 Billion USD in 2003, surpassed only by oil sales, I have recently heard that remittances have now gained the #1 spot, but can not confirm that fact.
Although Bank of America is obviously running the promotion to pull in the Hispanic consumers, it might turn out to be a win-win situation. By requiring the customers to open a checking account, we could see a shift in savings habits of this population, which traditionally works completely on a cash basis with very limited or no funds available for emergencies.
Paulina Doubles Up on Next Album
29 Sep 2005
Paulina Rubio is taking a leap on her next album, set for release in 2006, by making it a double whammy, according to Esmas.com (via Ticias.com, she’s going the Shakira route and recording one in English and another in Spanish:
Pese a no dar muchos detalles ante los medios, sí que pudo asegurar que un álbum será en inglés y otro en español y que actualmente está escribiendo temas con artistas como Juanes, Alejandro Sanz y Coti.
I’m sure she’s counting on Alejandro giving her songs that extra “no sé qué” found on his collaborations with Shakira.
In other Paulina-related news, it seems “la chica dorada” has been doing some weird stuff lately. Last week, she apparently got pissed and decided to skip out on a TV appearance in Chile. This week, the news is that, contrary to the article above, Juanes has no knowledge of a collaboration with Paulina on her new album.
Hispanic Heritage Month is more than about los famosos singing and dancing on television and a few brown looking faces and names being stirred in between your regularly scheduled programming. The Association of American Publishers has published on its website a Latino Recommended Reading List. The list has books for adults and children in English and Spanish. Some books are by Latino authors, others are on Latino subjects or can be useful to Latinos regardless of the primary language used.
Hispanic Heritage is also a great opportunity for Latinos to support publishing houses that specialize in the publication and support of Latino authors. Two such houses worth checking out are Curbstone Press and Arte Público Press.
Hola!
VivirLatino is a daily publication published by 2 Mujeres Media, dedicated to featuring all the latest politics, culture, entertainment of interest to the diverse and influential Latino and Latina community in the U.S.
About | Advertise with us | Contact | Twitter
- Leah Lakshmi: Thank you, beautiful culo-kicker. I miss you. We miss you. xoxox [...]
- Link Cariño | Hissip: [...] Who’s your mama? [...] [...]
- la Macha: I agree totally with you bubbles. [...]
- Bubbles: Re: "Many women have mental, emotional instabilities which cause them to end up in abusive relations [...]
- la Macha: and whaaaa? women who have mental health issues are suddenly to blame for getting beaten? [...]
- Mangos With Chili Presents Beloved: A Requiem for Our Dead in the Bay Area Tonite & Nov. 15th
- Vigil for Marcelo LuceroThis Evening in Patchogue, Long Island, NY
- VL At The Cine: The Fourth Kind
- Rihanna interview
- One of Marcelo Lucero’s Attackers Pleads Guilty
- Remembering Marcelo Lucero : One Year Later, The List of Hate Crimes Grows Longer
- Rihanna Speaks
- A Message To Maine
- Maine Voters Said Yes on 1 and Yes to Marriage Inequity
- New York City Wakes Up to Four More Years of Bloomberg
VivirLatino RSS Feed
- Mangos With Chili Presents Beloved: A Requiem for Our Dead in the Bay Area Tonite & Nov. 15th
- Vigil for Marcelo LuceroThis Evening in Patchogue, Long Island, NY
- VL At The Cine: The Fourth Kind
- Rihanna interview
- One of Marcelo Lucero’s Attackers Pleads Guilty
- Remembering Marcelo Lucero : One Year Later, The List of Hate Crimes Grows Longer
- Rihanna Speaks
- A Message To Maine
- Maine Voters Said Yes on 1 and Yes to Marriage Inequity
- New York City Wakes Up to Four More Years of Bloomberg
