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Original Pelo Diva Mirta de Perales Passes

6:46 am By Maegan La Mala · Celebrities|Cuba|Culture|Entrepreneurs · 2 Comments

10 May 2011

This isn’t usually the story I would write about but I would be denying a huge part of my NY Rican upbringing if I didn’t give a moment to acknowledge the passing of Cuban beautician Mirta de Perales at the age of 88 in her Miami home.

For those of you who don’t know, Mirta de Perales is cult legend, seen in between the novelas your abuela used to watch and Walter Mercado’s show or Iris Chacon’s show (depending on the night), Mirta used to advertise her extensive product line that included shampoos and conditioners. Her segments were more than just mere commercials. She told you the right way to wash and brush your hair (with her branded brush of course). I particularly remember one of my childhood babysitters using the lemon shampoo with conditioner, bright yellow in a clear, small bottle with green lettering. According to El Nuevo Dia, Mirtha became interested in hair at the age of 11 after having some undisclosed hair issues. She grew her business into an empire, apparently even earning some sort of award from President Reagan.

Rest in Peace Mirta and may all your hair days be good ones.

What is a Jibarito Sandwich?

8 Aug 2008

In 2005, I had an opportunity to visit Chicago for a few days for a business conference and as soon as I arrived to the hotel my conference was being held at, I recieved an email on my blackberry from a friend Dulce Ramos. Dulce Ramos is a Chicago native and very successful woman that has an amazing career in real estate as well as very unique women’s shoe store called the Pump Room Boutique. I decided to call Dulce to let her know I was in town and before I knew it…she was at the Hotel picking me up to give me the Chicago Express Latino Tour.

You see…I had written an article inquiring about the existence of Latino Life in Chicago and Dulce really wanted to show me how proud the Boricuas are out in Paseo Boricua. What I encountered was fascinating, all these really nice shops and boutiques with very interesting themes and personality all of their own. She asked me if I wanted to have a “Jibarito” and I looked at her with a puzzled look…I had no idea what she was talking about. She took her time to explain it to me as we drove to a place called “Borinquen Restaurant” which is also known as the home of this Mysterious “Jibarito Sandwich”.

Dear Urban Jibaro,

I work in the toy department of a major retailer in a pretty diverse part of Pennsylvania. I see a lot of Latino families and I am curious about something. Whenever a kid throw a tantrum in my department, I hear their mothers threaten them with “John Kletter” and they immediately start behaving in most cases.

I have 3 kids myself and I would love to know how John Kletter can help me when they act up.

My question is “Who is John Kletter, and why are Latino children so afraid of him?

“Gracias” (thats all the Spanish I know)

Misty (Lancaster PA)

***************************************************

Ok…so being that fact that I am completely new at this, I honestly did not know what the hell Misty was talking about. I googled “John Kletter” and did not find much…and was about to move on to our next submission…that is until I mentioned the question to one of my friends (she made me swear not to reveal her name) who has a thick accent and she said “que eso de jon kleta?”and then it hit me me like a ton of bricks…we had a phonetic translation issue here….John Kletter doesn’t exist…at least not in the Latino universe what Misty actually witnessed was the power of the almighty “CHANCLETA”.

This whole ASK A LATINO thing is gonna be fun…

So now that we got that squared away…Click below to read my official response to the first “ASK A LATINO” question.

Mala’s Shopping Bag : A Little Poco Bit of Latino Cuteness

10:45 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Entrepreneurs|Shopping · Comments Off

19 May 2008

White hipsters don’t have the edge on edgy baby clothes anymore. Enter Little Poco, started by a Nuyorican mami who was expecting twins and looking for something beyond the usual to dress her babies in. Roachele Negron, the mama beyond the label said in an email to VivirLatino:

A couple of summer ago the fashion in the streets was to rock images of Scarface. No one cared/remembered that their beloved kingpin hero dies in the end. Blazed with bullets, alone. This bothered me. Yes, I love the movie. Yes, I have seen it 15+ times, can speak along with most scenes. But to see it rocked? To see kids really celebrating, the devastating end that in reality also comes to many uncles, brothers and friends, didn’t sit right with me. I doubt the tshirts and nikes with Tony’s distraught face was inspiration to go and looked up the Mariel boat lift

Several years back further, anything with Che was all the rage. But when asked, rarely could anyone tell me what he did and stood for. Forget about where he was from or how he died.
Walk down the streets of el barrio, ask a 13 year old who the young lords were. Most likely you’ll get a blank stare. Walk across town to Harlem and ask who the black panthers were, you’ll see some recognition but it the details will be hazy.
It bothers my soul to think about the abridged history that is being taught in our schools. Thankfully the internet is starting to shape up as salvation to combat the growing complacency of our youth. At their finger tips is the uplifting movements of people who believed in themselves and by remembering their past sought to better their future. By choosing images that are unfamiliar to most, I am helping to inspire questions. Littlepoco is not making a political statement, we are helping mi gente to seek out buried information. The images I choose are ones that have always moved me and lead me to ask my own questions. For me it is less about political beliefs and more about honoring the determination of our people to strive for better.
I like the idea that these images are worn by our children. I like to imagine that when the aw in a toddlers eyes is combined with these powerful images, anyone can be jump started to seek more knowledge.

Carlos Slim Investing in Mexico’s Youth Via Computers

8:49 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Entrepreneurs|mexico · 1 Comment

4 Aug 2007

He may have just had his department store bombed, but that hasn’t hardened the heart of Carlos Slim. The billionaire promised to donate 250,000 low-cost laptop computers to Mexican children (why didn’t he spring for the spendy ones?). The machines cost $250 to $300 each. He hopes to be able to donate a million computers to schools and libraries who would then give them to children.

Looking For Latina Owned Businesses Online?

4:21 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · business|Entrepreneurs|Marketing · Comments Off

4 Dec 2006

If you’ve been looking for one source for Latina owned businesses than look no more. The Hispanic Business Women’s Alliance (HBWA) has launched a new, interactive Online Directory of Latina Business Owners and Professionals at http://www.latinamarketplace.com.

This online directory will help Internet shoppers easily find and do business with Latina Business Owners and Professionals in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, registered in the Directory. “According to the latest U.S. Bureau of the Census report (2002), there are 540,909 Latina owned businesses in the United States and another 111,287 Latina businesses jointly owned with a male partner. All are excellent prospects to be registered in this new Directory,” stated Lourdes Aponte-Rosario, President of HBWA and Publisher of the Online Directory.

Is Thalia Running Sweatshops?

13 Sep 2006

While she may not be watching over them directly, recent accusations call into question the conditions under which the Mexican estrella’s clothing collection are manufactured. According to an investigation conducted by the National Labor Committee, there are sweatshops in Jordan engaging in human trafficing, forced labor, and violence against workers. These sweatshops produce clothes with labels for the GAP, Target, Liz Claiborne, Victoria’s Secret, L.L Bean and Thalía Sodi. Thalia, whose clothing line is distributed through K-mart y Sears Holdings responded to the investigation by saying:

Como diseñadora de mi propia línea de ropa siempre estoy consciente sobre todos los aspectos del negocio del diseño, eso incluye dónde y cómo se produce mi ropa.

Kmart y Sears, que son los únicos responsables de toda la producción y manufactura de mi línea de ropa y en quienes confío y sé que son muy diligentes, se aseguran de que las fábricas involucradas cumplan con los rígidos requisitos de la ley y de que sean auditados. Kmart me ha asegurado que éste no es uno de sus vendedores y que ellos manejarán este asunto de la forma más expedita posible

VLMIL Candidate #2: Jennifer Lopez

18 Jul 2006

Jennifer%20Lopez.jpg Name: Jennifer Lopez aka J-Lo.

Age: 36

Occupation: Singer, actress, dancer, designer

Place of Residence: Los Angeles and New York City

Bio: Jenny from the block was born Jennifer Lynn Lopez in the Castle Hill section of the boogie down Bronx to Puerto Rican parents Guadalupe Rodríguez and David Lopez. She has two hermanas, Lynda and Leslie. Jenny from the block was educated in Catholic schools and paid for her own singing and dancing lessons since she was 16. She completed one semester at City Univeristy of NY Baruch College before leaving to persue her dreams of dancing and acting.

Movie Business Caters to Spanish Speakers

11:09 am By Maegan La Mala · business|Entrepreneurs|language · Comments Off

2 Dec 2005

Businesses are always looking for ways to get you to spend your money on their products. A company based out of Denver is doing its part to provide entertainment to Spanish speaking Latinos by presenting newly released films with options that will meet the needs of Spanish speakers, such as subtitles.

I remember as a child my parents taking me to the movie theatre and I knew that they didn’t understand a word the actors or cartoons were saying but yet they continued to take me. After I grew older my parents stopped going to the movie theatre. They no longer had a child to take and what was the purpose anyways if they didn’t understand the language.

I think that this company’s business plan is a great idea. Now, instead of having to wait for the movie to come out on DVD with Spanish options, Spanish speakers can watch films as soon as they hit the movie theatres.

…Many of these Hispanics are movie buffs — going to the cinema an average of 12.1 times a year compared with Anglos visiting theaters 9.4 times a year and African Americans buying movie tickets 6.6 times a year, according to 2004 data from the Motion Picture Association of America.

Via / Houston Chronicle

Gracias to Her For Bringing Libros to Tampa Latinos

3:36 pm By Maegan La Mala · Books|Entrepreneurs|Tampa · Comments Off

16 Nov 2005

When Oceania Gonzalez went to look for quality Spanish language literature in Tampa all she found were magazines covering the latest bochinches. So she solved the problem by saving up and opening up Tampa Libros, the only Spanish-language bookstore in Tampa. The University of South Florida’s Institute for the Study of Latin America and the Caribbean gave Gonzalez a well deserved reception last week, honoring her efforts that preserve and expose to many Spanish Language Latino literature. The Cubana’s small but well stocked store carries books written originally in Spanish and Spanish translations of English language books, including children’s books.

Via / TBO.com

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Archive for the ‘Entrepreneurs’ Category

Original Pelo Diva Mirta de Perales Passes

What is a Jibarito Sandwich?

I Am Latino…Ask Me: Americanos ask about the power of the Chancleta…

Mala’s Shopping Bag : A Little Poco Bit of Latino Cuteness

Carlos Slim Investing in Mexico’s Youth Via Computers

Looking For Latina Owned Businesses Online?

Is Thalia Running Sweatshops?

VLMIL Candidate #2: Jennifer Lopez

Movie Business Caters to Spanish Speakers

Gracias to Her For Bringing Libros to Tampa Latinos

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