Archive for April, 2007
Dominican Republic welcomes luxury marina
5:48 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Celebrities|Dominicans|Events|society · Comments Off
30 Apr 2007
Who would think that the Dominican Republic has a problem with poverty, what with the star-studded festivities around the launch of a billion-dollar yacht marina in the eastern part of the country this past weekend:
Children of US billionaire Donald Trump, the singer Julio Iglesias and fashion designer Oscar de la Renta were among the stars who gathered Saturday in the Dominican Republic’s Cap Cana to inaugurate a luxury marina, organizers said.Touted as the “most complete and modern marina in the Caribbean,” organizers said in a statement that the facility will, once finished, be able to accommodate 1,000 yachts as well as mega-yachts.
Spider-Man Speaks Spanish
5:26 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Events|language|Miami|Movies · 1 Comment
30 Apr 2007
This Friday, the highly anticipated Spider-Man 3 is opening in theaters nationwide. If you’re going to be in the Miami area for the opening, though you may want to get used to saying El Hombre Araña 3. That’s because film goers there can watch Peter Parker speaking Spanish since there will be a dubbed version available on the big screen. Usually people have to wait for the DVD version to watch their favorite films in Castellano or settle for sub-titles. Just goes to show you how big a force the Spanish speaking community is. How do you say spidey senses in Spanish?
Via / Univision.com
Chavez lashes out at ex-presidents
12:57 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · mexico|Peru|Politics|Spain|Venezuela · Comments Off
30 Apr 2007
Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez is spittin’ mad at comments made recently by ex-Spanish president Jose Maria Aznar (a personal friend of Chavez’s nemesis, Bush) who, at a conference in Philadelphia, urged the world to see to it that Cuba change its course after the death of Castro. He also said that Latin America needs to “open itself up to democracy.” There are too many things about these comments that could piss Chavez off, and not to be outdone, he lashed out, accusing the Spanish ex-president of being a pawn for Bush:
…”he is a facist and he also supported the (April 2002) coup, he’s of the same sort as Adolph Hitler, a true Bush lackey,” said Chavez.
Don’t Call It A Comeback : Is Fidel Ready for his Closeup?
2:12 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Bolivia|Cuba|Politics|Venezuela · Comments Off
29 Apr 2007
Two of Fidel Castro‘s buddies are hinting that the Cuban leader, who has been out of the spotlight since having surgery last summer, is ready to retake his position as President. His little bro, Raul Castro, has been taking care of business since Fidel’s gastrointestinal operation last July. Bolivian President, Evo Morales, was the first to speculate, saying that he fully expected Fidel to be present at Havana’s May Day parade on Tuesday. Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez didn’t say when his amigo would make a public appearance, but he would say the Fidel Castro was back in charge.
As usual, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Via / BBC News and Yahoo! News
MySpace goes Spanish for U.S. Latinos
5:59 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Bilingualism|Internet|literature|Marketing · 1 Comment
27 Apr 2007
It didn’t take a genius to realize that MySpace — one of the “new” internet’s biggest (and most unlikely) success stories — needed to address the issue of language sooner or later. To better serve the presumably millions of Spanish-speaking users already on MySpace and to attract even more (cha-ching!), the company has made the very smart decision to launch MySpace en Español:
“We’re moving rapidly to build communities that reflect and respect the lifestyles of our diverse members,” Travis Katz, senior vice president and general manager of MySpace International, said in a statement. “MySpace en Español opens the community even wider, giving our Hispanic members the choice to share their experiences, connect with family members and plan their social lives in either Spanish or English.”
Spanish: Second most studied language worldwide
2:10 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Bilingualism|language|World · Comments Off
27 Apr 2007
While Newt Gingrich might think that Spanish is the language of the ghettos, la lengua de Cervantes is now the second most studied language in the world, after English. According to Spain’s 20 Minutos, there are now more than 14 million people studying Spanish in 90 countries in which Spanish is not an official language.
According to the Director of the Instituto Cervantes – the Spanish organization that looks to promote the language all over the world — one of the main reasons that people are choosing to study Spanish is because they believe that it will professionally benefit them in today’s global economy. He also pointed to Brazil’s decision to make Spanish an mandatory subject in schools as an example of the growing importance of Spanish in the world.
Puerto Rico’s Status Debated (again) in Washington
1:11 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · history|Politics|Puerto Rico · Comments Off
27 Apr 2007
Yet again the issue of Puerto Rico‘s status was debated on Wednesday on the floor of Congress with little progress in any direction. Three positions are being argued for. One being to maintain the current Associated Free State status with Ricans on the island granted U.S. citizenship but without being able to vote for members of Congress or the president. They pay no federal income tax but pay about a third of their income to island tax collectors. The second option is to make P.R. the 51st U.S. state. The third option would leave the island an independent country. The reality of the situation is that all the debate of the world doesn’t change the fact that the U.S. Constitution only allows for two options: statehood or separation. So while many tout that fact that the people of Puerto Rico have voted in four plebiscites on their status since 1967, none were authorized or recognized by Congress, which the Constitution charges with overseeing territories.
After so many years of debate and with nothing changing, when will Ricans realize that the the U.S. has no interest in changing the status of the colony?
Via / The LA Times
Premios Billboard de la Musica Latina : Silicone y Salsa
11:34 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Events|Miami|Music · 8 Comments
27 Apr 2007
I watched parts of the Premios Billboard de la Musica Latina live on Telemundo (canal 47 here in NYC) last night ( I channel flipped among the awards, Ugly Betty/Grey’s Anatomy, a PBS documentary about NYC history, and a repeat of a Summerstage concert I saw live with Seu George). The pre-show was a one big advertisement with stars walking down a green carpet sponsored by the green bottled beer (that shall remain nameless) and the Target dog was flashed across the screen more than once.
The local coverage here seemed to be dominated by telenovela stars like Gabriela Spanic who spoke out against President Hugo Chavez’s ban on telenovelas saying he’s taking away jobs from Venezuelans. Thankfully they showed male telenovela stars to like the oh so yummy Dame Chocolate star Carlos Ponce who was one of the main presenters of the evening.
As usual the fashion was dominated by women with plunging necklines revealing thousands of dollars worth of implants like la bon bon asesina Ninel Conde who showed more silicone than the FDA should allow in one woman.
Telenovela star murdered
5:40 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · TV|Venezuela · Comments Off
26 Apr 2007
Venezuela, home to one of Latin America’s most thriving television industries, has lost a famous telenovela star to violent crime, a social problem that has increased in recent years in that country. Yanis Chimaras, 51, was violently murdered on Tuesday in an unexpected attack while in the company of two other people:
He was killed early Tuesday in the Caracas suburb of Guatire when he arrived in a car to pick up his daughter’s friend, police said. Chimaras, who was with his daughter and brother, honked the horn repeatedly for the girl to come out.At the time, robbers were inside the house holding up the girl’s family. They thieves came outside, forced Chimaras out of his vehicle at gunpoint and stabbed him three times, police said. He suffered a punctured lung and bled to death.
Venezuela and Iran may create energy partnership
1:13 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Politics|Venezuela|World · Comments Off
26 Apr 2007
In a move likely to ruffle some feathers in Washington, the Venezuelan government announced yesterday that it is studying the possibility of a future energy partnership with Iran with the creation of new electric companies:
The Minister of Basic Industries and Mines [of Venezuela], José Khan, told the ABN news agency yesterday that both governments are considering the possibility of creating electric companies in Venezuelan territory, according to AP.“The [Iranian] businessmen that are here have manifested their interest in creating a mixed business which will allow Venezuela and Iran to produce the tools necessary for the electric company and for Petróleos de Venezuela,” said Khan.
The possible partnership is just one more for Venezuela and Iran, who, according to Venezuela’s El Universal, have already signed 162 agreements.
Via / El Universal
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