VivirLatino

Living & Luchando la Vida Latin@

Obama Shells Out Major Dough for the Latino Vote

July 30th, 2008

Who said Obama doesn’t care about Latinos? He’s got $20 million burning a hole in his pocket and guess where it’s going? To try to get the Latino vote — which some say he has in the bag — to swing his way for sure.

Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign launched a massive $20 million effort to attract Latino voters on Tuesday, hoping to erase the inroads the Republican Party has made with the key demographic group in the last two presidential elections.

Frank Sanchez, the chairman of the Obama for America National Hispanic Leadership Council, said the unprecedented effort will focus on paid advertising, online organizing, increased staffing in Latino communities and organizing surrogates to hit the campaign trail.

Sanchez said efforts will be particularly focused in the key swing states of Nevada, Florida, New Mexico and Colorado, where Latino voters could make up the margin of victory.

Money’s not everything, of course, but $20 million will buy you a whole lotta Obama mariachi ads (or ads like the one above) in key states.

Via / CBS News

Local Univision Reporter Miriam Ayala Sues Boss

July 30th, 2008

Local New York Univision reporter Miriam Ayala filed a federal lawsuit against the local Univision station (channel 41) and the larger network, claiming that she was passed over for plum positions anchoring and on good stories because she wasn’t light skinned enough, young enough or pretty enough.

The Federal Civil Rights lawsuit, (which you can read via TMZ of all places) Ayala states that despite her over 25 year career at the station she was moved from prime-time reporting to graveyard shift reporting. She also states that she was offered early retirement (meaning get the hell out cuz you’re making too much noise) and told how to dress appropriately. Her vacation requests, despite being made in a timely fashion according the Univision policy, were denied according to the lawsuit.

I have seen Ayala work, om the air and on the opposite end of the Univision camera and have always seen her act in a most professional manner. Plus anyone watching Spanish language news knows that Latina women on air, be it in the newsroom or in the novelas, are often light-skinned and conventionally “pretty”. I believe that her lawsuit has merit. Let’s see where this goes.

Read the entire lawsuit at TMZ. (Save yourself the headache and don’t read the comments though)

Cheeso Cristo

July 30th, 2008

We couldn’t make this stuff up if we tried.

A Missouri woman found Cheesus, in a bag of Cheetos.

She calls the cross shaped snack Cheesus, I call him yummy.

Apparently Jesus likes fake queso snacks. Just look at all the Cheesus appearances.

Via / Yahoo! News

African-American and Latino Families in Danger of Falling Out of Middle Class

July 29th, 2008

Showing that Latin@s and African Americans are certainly connected in more ways than their mutual love for Obama, a new report states that the Latin@ and African American communities are both in danger of “falling out of” the U.S. middle class:

The vast majority of African-American and Latino families who have entered the middle class are either borderline or at high risk of falling out of the middle class altogether. The 2008 study by the policy center Demos and the Institute for Assets and Social Policy (IASP) at Brandeis University shows that one in four African-American and fewer than one in five Latino middle-class families in America are financially secure.

This makes me wonder if the historical tension between Latin@s and African Americans (that was vastly over played during the early stages of the election by the media) is about something deeper and more complex than “you hate us and we hate you.”

Arizona Latino Neighborhood Slips Away After Immigration Crackdown

July 29th, 2008

Immigrants are exiting in throngs the Reed Park neighborhood in Mesa, Arizona, leaving homes behind and a ghost town of what was once a bustling Latino barrio. The Arizona Republic reports on what might be one of the first real indicators of the effects of local immigration crackdowns:

Already struggling with blight, the Reed Park area near Gilbert and Broadway roads is taking another hit as undocumented immigrants leave the neighborhood, pressured by the state’s employer-sanctions law, stricter immigration enforcement and a sagging economy.

There is no reliable data on just how many immigrants have left Mesa in the past year, but there are other indicators: vacant houses and apartments, a sharp drop in business at stores that cater to Latinos, and a decline in attendance at churches and schools.

The Republic reports that rent prices in the area have plummeted in an effort to attract more tenants, and some landlords are even offering free rent. In addition, local businesses catering to Latinos are suffering as immigrants leave the area.

Via / Arizona Republic

Bolivia : Indigenous Communities and Helping Bloggers

July 29th, 2008

Al-Jazeera has a really interesting video story about the struggles of the Indigenous communities against land/power owning mestizos and those of European descent.

I do have to question the choice of the opening sequence of the statue ripping out the heart of a European. Seems like the story is trying to link the current struggle as a continuation of a long history.

Via / The Intelligent Indian News Service

Did Obama Support Lead to Car Keying?

July 29th, 2008

A Vancouver woman with a Barack Obama sign by her house found her car keyed with some choice words.

The words “white power” and “I’m gay” were etched into the car of Karen Wastradowski last Saturday. Wastradowski had left her car in the driveway of her home when the vandals struck.

She filed a report with Vancouver police. Wastradowski said a blue “Elect Obama” sign in her yard could have caused the crime.

I know that whenever I see a John McCain sign I have the uncontrollable urge to tag “Puerto Rican Power” oh but wait, I don’t think I’ve seen a John McCain sign.

Apparently the area where the keying happened has a history of racist assholes.

Yes, Clark County has its share of unrepentant bigots. Earlier this year the son of a Battle Ground city council member was charged with cyberstalking over virulently racist emails sent to a black council member and other community members. So while vandalism is not exactly an unusual thing during the summer months, it’s also not acceptable to just shrug off racist defacement of private property as “just kids being kids.” They learned it somewhere.

Via / Pam’s House Blend

18 to Life for Argentine “Dirty War” Perps

July 28th, 2008

8 men accused of torture and murder in Argentina’s “dirty war” have been sentenced to 18 years to life in prison for their actions. 18 years might not seem like much, but it’s significant if you are already 80 years old like ex-general Luciano Menendez:

Menendez commanded the army zone that ran La Perla, the biggest clandestine detention center in central Cordoba province, during the 1976-1983 dictatorship in which rights groups say up to 30,000 people died or disappeared.

“He was the main perpetrator behind the reign of terror our province lived under 30 years ago. He sowed death and terror, committing crimes against humanity,” Cordoba Governor Juan Schiaretti told local television after the sentencing.

Upon sentencing, Menendez was defiant. Reuters quotes him as saying: “Terrorists used to be illegal. Now they have taken over the system and pretend to be peaceful, law-abiding citizens who respect the constitution.”

What can you say about creeps like this? Even at the eleventh hour he refuses to take responsibility…incredible.

Via / Canada.com

National Immigrant Bond Fund

July 28th, 2008

With ICE raiding communities across the United States, people are left scrambling dealing with the political, personal, and economic aftermath.One important front in the struggle for human rights is ensuring access to a fair legal process to help avoid deportation and stop the fragmentation of families.

Legal experts across the nation agree that the best chance immigrant detainees have to avoid deportation is to post bond immediately and contest their case in the courts. Posting bond sets jurisdiction in the district where the arrest took place, thereby avoiding ICE’s rapid transfer of detainees outside the district. Posting bond also increases the detainee’s ability to argue his/her case for a stay of deportation before a judge. Lastly detainees able to post bond have better access to community resources and family support.

Monday Morning Bochinche : J. Lo. Gets Pumped

July 28th, 2008

As a working mami I’m lucky to have an uninterrupted shower, but Jennifer Lopez, mami to twin 5 month olds has time to prep for a triathlon. According to the always reliable OK! Magazine, the Rican singer/actress/businessmujer/mami is training everyday. And according to her trainer, Gunnar Peterson, she’s doing it without help.

“She may be the most efficient multitasker I know. She literally has every aspect of her life in check,” he says. “She doesn’t have a nanny, a chef or a nutritionist. She makes time for the kids. Family comes first.”

This makes it sound like no one helps her which is um unbelievable. Ay no se maybe bein rich and famous makes you magical and special.

Via / The Orlando Sentinel