That Really Doesn't Grind My Gears...Halloween

Weekend. Holidays. Relaxing. Party? Yep, that pretty much sums it up. See you Monday!

MySpace goes bi-cultural

What that means exactly? Who even knows. Sure, "young Hispanics, 16 to 25, making up 18 percent of the U.S. Gen Y population and approximately 20 percent of Myspace users", but how does that make your new site bi-cultural? Then again catering to this young bilingual audience could mean adding mainstream things, but because we are Latino I would assume there should be some Latino elements? Not in the video below...if adding the movie MACHETE makes this multicultural, I would suggest relooking into things.


Welcome to the new Myspace

Myspace | Myspace Video

That Really Grinds My Gears...Weather (again)

Is it me or do we always complain about the weather? I guess it just seems easy to complain about something that won't hurt us...wrong! It's pretty much bad karma. You complain about the heat, we get 10 inches of snow; you complain about the cold, we get 110 degree weather. And today (almost November), we were up to 75 degrees. I find that a little odd. We can predict a good and/or bad winter, but in the end it will always be a surprise. *shakes fist* at upcoming winter.

FANIA Tribute Fiesta

What do you get when you combine a free concert with Fania Records? How about the Official Fania DJ Tribute Party at the Kimmel Center! Fania Records has recruited some of the hottest Latin music DJs in each city to spin the Latin anthems for the Official Tribute parties. AfroTaino Productions will enlist one of Philadelphia's leading Latin & World Music DJs, DJ Rahsaan, as the lead music consultant for the Official Philadelphia Tribute Party.

So if you're ready to dance to the sounds of Celia Cruz, Hector Lavoe, Willie Colon, Tito Rodriguez, Ruben Blades, among others, be sure to bring your best. AfroTaino productions have continuously helped bring Latino talent to the Kimmel Center in an effort to diversify their audience.

Kimmel Center (Philadelphia)
260 South Broad Street on the Avenue of the Arts
Commonwealth Plaza

Friday, November 26

5:30pm

FREE!

Tweets on a good day

Hump day is usually the day we start to "officially" plan our weekends. I'm pretty sure we get the funniest Tweets on these days because it is the middle of the week. Why complain when you can tweet!? Here are today's tweets of the day:

I love food and when people tweet about it lol.

What's right after food? Why drinks of course!

Can't forget about America's birthplace celebrating their birthday!

Southwest. When don't they ever fail you?

Hispanicize your industry

The Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA), Hispanic PR Blog and Hispanicize proudly invite you to attend the largest gathering of Latino marketing professionals and Latino bloggers ever assembled at Hispanicize 2011, the 2^nd Annual Hispanic PR & Social Media Conference, April 6-8, 2011 in Los Angeles, CA. The conference will last three days and bring media professionals, bloggers, industry leaders and more together to discuss public relations industry and how everyone can basically work together.

To be honest I was shocked to read last year was the first conference ever. So why is it happening in Los Angeles? Well here's a fun fact for you, public relations agencies contribute more than $445 million to Los Angeles County’s economy annually, while each new public relations job creates nearly two new jobs. More details about the conference will be announced November 2nd. Stay tuned!

Dra. Ana Maria Polo loves the arts

Last viernes Dra. Ana Maria Polo attended Taller PR's gala. Here were some of her words to Taller and the community. Enjoy.

Two years later the hisPANIC lives

My blog has officially turned two years old! Two years ago I ventured on a writing journey I never imagined would turn into what it is today. Of course I do not get paid for any of this nor do I even care; I blog because I love to write and share information. What has changed in the past year? Well I started getting pitched more and I have three weekly blog columns. Wednesday = Tweets of the Day, Thursday = That Really Grinds my Gears and Friday = That Really DOESN'T Grind My Gears. Should I do more?

So again thank you to all the supporters and remember to COMMENT! I love commenting on blogs and starting conversations. Below are some of my most memorable posts from year two (again thank you):

1. Yummm...Dominican Food
   
2. Our kids are overweight
3. Omega Phi Beta Believes in Dreams
4. Up...to South America?
   

Dia de los Muertos altar

I'm a huge fan of celebrating your culture which is why I'm happy to see Philly Mexicans take to rest. In the middle of their huge bicentennial celebration, el Dia de Los Muertos comes with a bang. This Friday, October 29, the Mexican Cultural Center will have an altar on display in the Bourse Building, which can be viewed anytime between 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. This year's altar will be more interesting since it will be created by four different well-known artist from the area: César Viveros, Anabelle Rodríguez, Francisco Garcia Gorjua & Lucino Mar. On October 29th at 1pm the artists will give a presentation about the Day of the Dead traditions and Altars. The altar will be up until November 10.

For more Dia de los Muertos happenings, click here.

Feria de la Familia's diverse musica

Last sabado thousands of people came out to Telemundo's first ever Feria de la Familia in Philadelphia. Community organization sponsored booths surrounded the Liacouras Center at Temple University where entry was free! With wonderful performances, delicious food and celebrities, I look forward to next years.

Photo Post: Para mi familia

Today I had the honor to meet Dra. Ana Maria Polo from Telemundo's Caso Cerado. Why is she so important? Porque mi mama finds her inspirational. Breast cancer survivor, lawyer, celebrity...what more could you ask from a mujer.

Para mi mama y mis tias. Los quiero.

Contest: What's your SAW moment

"You think it's over, but the games have just begun." Clearly for the past seven years the SAW movie franchise has haunted our dreams over and over again every Halloween. Sure the "games" keep getting a little creepier and at this point you're sick and tired of it not ending. But you have to give it up to them, it's a good concept. Hopefully people that NEED to watch this turn their life around. Could someone use these movies as therapy? Well hopefully SAW 3D (in theaters Fri., October 29) finally shows some sort of "improvement".

Nonetheless, are you a huge SAW fan? Well now you have the opportunity to win a SAW prize package. Just let me know in the comment section your favorite SAW trap. Why the traps? Because it's probably what brings people to watch the films. Remember the barb-wire maze, the body-fat trap, ice cold, or even the merry-go-round!? Again just comment on your favorite trap and please leave your e-mail. Two (2) winners will be announced on Friday, October 29th.

Prize package includes:

• Mini posters (heart pounding and Tobin's face)
• Lollipops <-- random I know
  
• "Survivor" bracelets (styled like LIVE STRONG bracelets)
• T-shirts (L and XL)

That Really Grinds My Gears...Plata

Is it weird that what it really comes down to in this country is money? We go to school, we pay loans, get a job and then somehow still end up in debt. Maybe that's why we need financial advisors or just shown a better way to handle our money. We base a lot of our decisions based on what we have in our account/savings. Egh, just wondering if $$ was never an option, would we live happier lives?

Movie: From Prada to Nada

After reading this BeingLatino blog post I thought, "What the hell!" Who in their right mind would make this movie...then I saw the trailer. Sure the movie is supposed to be about Americanized Latinas settling into their culture because of a traumatic event (aka losing their wealth), but what exactly is this movie really portraying?

Tu Empresa, Tu Futuro

Have you been in business over a year? Can you show proof of revenue? Well quickly write up a detailed budget and how you can use an extra $5k because you could be one of four small-businesses to win some grants! According to an article in Fox News Latino, "To commemorate entrepreneurs across the country, Sears is holding a contest that will award $5,000 grants to four of them across the country."

It's a known fact that Hispanic-owned small businesses grew at twice the national rate from 2002 to 2007—a rollicking 43 percent. The contest called “Tu Empresa, Tu Futuro/Your Company, Your Future” features Cristina Saralegui as a spokesperson. Business owners can enter by completing an online form and submitting a brief essay on what inspired them to create their businesses. Entrants also can refer up to four friends to participate.

Spirit Day and LGBT community

Ahh yes something people do not like to talk about...the LGBT community. It's 2010 and people still get uncomfortable when discussing sexual preference. That's why I commend Chi Upsilon Sigma and Lambda Upsilon Lambda taking this role and producing the event above. Although I'm sure they aren't the first to have this program, it would be great to see more and more people take an active role.

Fraternities and Sororities are supposed to be about "masculinity" and "femininity" right? I'd like to disagree these days, especially with the rise of Latino Greek Lettered organizations and openly LGBT members I've seen. How many openly LGBT members does your org have? I'm pretty sure there are a lot more closeted as well. Why? Because society still doesn't fully accept? I hope the findings in tonight's program end up positive. I think people should just be comfortable with themselves. Sure if you live in a small town things may be different which may cause you to hide your preference. Then again, why should you go around shouting, "I'm gay"? In the end, love yourself and the positive people around you.

p.s. Shout out to everyone changing their status, avatar, Twitter, etc. to shed light on the recent deaths in the LGBT community.

Chipotle opens up in Center City (Philly)

Is it too early to be excited for Chipotle in Center City (Philadelphia)? Sure this isn't a good sign for the Philly dining scene, you got to give it up to them. Did someone say burrito war on Chestnut Street? Qdoba and Chipotle will sit one block apart from each other. Although I've been to Qdoba more times than I can count, I plan on jumping back and forth. Any fans out there?

p.s. Rumor has it they are opening tomorrow, October 20?!

Shakira - Sale el Sol

That's right, today our favorite Colombian princess has released her latest album "Sale el Sol". The album is a little different from her past projects; I'd say it's somewhat tropical. Why? For the first time, Shakira has a merengue(like) song (Loca). Did I mention she collaborated with Pitbull otra vez? You be the judge for yourself.

You can also listen to the entire album on her MySpace page!

Feria de la Familia el sabado!

Don't forget about this Saturday's Feria de la Familia! Free free free and your chance to win fabulous prizes including a tour with Penelope Menchaca. You don't want to miss out.

Square 1682's Cheesesteak Challenge

Yesterday I was given the opportunity to judge Square 1682's Cheesesteak Challenge event. The block party was held in celebration of their 1-year anniversary. Eight chefs from around the area faced off to see whose cheesesteak interpretation was superior. The sandwiches were judged by a panel of local experts, including Tony Luke of Tony Luke's Old Philly Style Sandwiches.

So imagine eating 10 different types of cheesesteaks!? Yes they were small portions but once you had one you were stuffed. Different types of sandwiches included ingredients such as oxtail, lobster, biscuits, spicy ketchup and a lot of stuff I probably shouldn't have tried :). All the proceeds from the event benefited Philadelphia Academies. Philadelphia Academies is a charity dedicated to expanding life and economic options for Philadelphia public school students through career-focused programming, preparing them for employment and post-secondary education.

p.s. Congrats Chef Guillermo Tellez on tieing for the People's Choice award.

That Really Grinds My Gears...No Sleep

I wrote about this before but I just have to talk about it again. Last night I attended the Hispanic Choice Awards...which began at 5:30 p.m. So of course everyone went straight there from work. Long days into nights mean that people will get tired easily. Then people have the nerve to want to go out the same night until 2 a.m. Okay I know I'm not an old man but after getting up at 8 a.m. and being out and about until 10 p.m., I think I deserve a nap...or two. In the end it's my own damn fault...I staid up until around 2 a.m. because I was on the phone. *adm* indeed.

Tweets on a Rescued Week

Today's Tweets of the day:

Seriously. Her whole album!?

The world is watching itself become what we want most...positive.

Any tweet with Modern Family deserves recognition.

Well then.

An Untold Latino Story

Although I love history, remembering dates, locations and almost everything to do with history is a little difficult for me. However, to me history is about the passion people put forth to make something work. Whether a war story, memoirs, founding, etc. history really brings together pieces of a story together and our future.

In America, sometimes the Latino twist is either underrepresented or not shown at all. That's why i was happy to receive an e-mail from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania showcasing tw0 Philadelphia Civil War soldiers of Latino and Anglo heritage. The story starts out as followed:

Adolph (Adolfo) Fernandez Cavada and Frederick (Federico) Fernandez Cavada were born in Cienfuegos, Cuba, sons of a Cuban father and Emily Howard, a native of Philadelphia. When their father died, the boys and their mother moved to Pennsylvania. They were educated in private schools and graduated from Central High School.

In the end we find out about their contribution to not only the Civil War, but to the Latino community as a whole. To read the entire story, click here.

Welcome Home Chile!

Congrats world...you just made a positive impact on all our lives. Just in case you've lived under a rock for the last two months, 33 miners were trapped underground in Chile for 68 days and today the rescue went underway as the world watched and prayed for its success. Here are some of the great tweets I saw throughout the evening:

• @jeannettekaplun: Chilean journalists estimate 1 billion people are watching the miners being rescued #latism
• @LevantateTV: Uno de los hijos de Florencio Ávalos lo espera con gran emoción en la superficie.
• @ERgeekGoddess: @jeannettekaplun Mi vida, siempre! Hoy el mundo entero es chileno #fuerzamineros #latism
• @iGam4 - El hijo del minero se llama "iron" verga!! D: #FuerzaMineros #Chile

LATISM needs a new logo

So as you look at the above logo what do you think? Does it really convey Latinos in Social Media (Latism)? As you may or may not know, Latinos In Social Media is the first organization to assemble social media professionals and non-professionals that produce and consume Latino-based content. Throughout the past 2 years they've held conferences, award ceremony's and about the best Twitter parties ever.

Well now they need your input. Should LATISM change is logo? I mean really think about this one, especially if you're involved with marketing at your job. Here's an organization which assembles all of "us" and spreads the message that Latinos do indeed use social media. In my opinion the Latism logo should represent Latinos/Hispanics across the globe (not just in the U.S.) and social media. What that looks like? Well I'm pretty sure it shouldn't be the above. Again just my opinion. Vibrant colors? Iconic Latino symbol? Is there even a social media symbol? To vote and answer why, visit their poll page here.

Colombia 2025

Because it doesn't hurt to dream big.

Photo Post: Mi Querida Familia

Last week mi Tia Gloria passed away after battling breast cancer for over 2 years. She was the eldest of the 5 kids and fought cancer with great strength. I'll never forget her. Here are some wonderful photos in her remembrance.

Out of the office

Yep once again I won't be blogging due to personal reasons. Maybe you'll find a photo post but other than that nothing. See you next Tuesday.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.9

Nobel Peace Price for Latin America

Peruvian Mario Vargas has won the Nobel Peace Prize in literature. He's the first Latino to be awarded the prize since Mexican author Octavio Paz in 1990. According to CNN.COM, "The author said the Swedish academy called him at 5:30 a.m. to inform him he had won and an announcement would be made in 14 minutes. The announcement was made as scheduled, he said, and the phone started ringing non-stop."

My mom said books were hard to come by back in the day (in South America) so these prizes are a big step and accomplishment for Central/South America. Vargas' novels include comedies, murder mysteries, historical novels, and political thrillers. Several, such as Captain Pantoja and the Special Service (1973/1978) and Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter (1977/1982), have been adapted as feature films.

Why are you loca?

Tweets on an "Eggghh" Day

Twitter. You seem to be changing every day. Although we don't like change, we get used to it after a few weeks. Here are today's tweets of the day.

The watermelon incident will never be forgotten.

Another national game at PPL Park in Chester, PA. Go us!

Is that how you really feel Ricky? lol

*adm* to Latina not being part of Google. Problem.

Food Weather

So I was finally able to watch Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and can we say hilarious? The characters mixed with such a random weather story turns into a lesson learned. What lesson did I get out of this movie? It was a story about family, trust, love and being what you want to be. Oddly enough, there's this character named Manny who keeps to himself and at the end reveals himself to be an immigrant from Guatemala. What else you ask? Apparently he's a cameraman, doctor, and has a slue of other talents behind him. In the end, the monkey, Guatemalan, scientist, weather girl and mayor turn the city upside down but end up making the right decisions.

Phillies: Orgullo hispano

We all love the Phillies, well those living in the Philadelphia region and maybe some others. But now as our favorite team gets closer and closer to that World Series championship, the media are paying attention yet again. Or maybe it's just part of some advertising buy which allowed editorial content. Either way, there's a Latino influence in baseball and the Phillies shows it all the time.

Here's an interview with Univision65, "Carlos Ruiz un orgullo hispano". Enjoy!

Rick Sanchez & CNN

So this is such a touchy subject that I decided to blog about it. So what did he do? Former CNN Anchor, Sanchez, decided to go all out on the Jewish community. What did he say you ask?

"I’m telling you that everybody who runs CNN is a lot like Stewart, and a lot of people who run all the other networks are a lot like Stewart, and to imply that somehow they, the people in this country who are Jewish, are an oppressed minority? Yeah."

And I agree with the way Guanabee.com put it, "Oh Rick, Rick, Rick. In the end, it was not bigotry against working class Hispanics that did you in, but your own stupidity. Not only the stupidity you showed today, but the stupidity with which you've no doubt been embarrassing your producers for some time." And to be honest when you think of Rick Sanchez, you just think of a Latino working in the mainstream media world. However, because of these remarks, we won't be seeing him as former CNN anchor Rick Sanchez, we'll be seeing him as former racist CNN Latino anchor Rick Sanchez. Way to make us all look bad.

But to be honest, do you really consider the Jewish community a part of the minority world? Growing up I was confused because I looked at it as a religion, everyone else seems to think it's a race. Sure a lot has to be considered like genocide, Hitler, etc. but today that shouldn't be an issue. Being Jewish is an option, being Latino isn't. Egh.

What's your positive story?

We're all tired of reading negative Hispanic stories right? It's even worse when you just lost your job, house, car, a loved one or something that just takes over your life. In addition to Being Latino's #LatinosDoingTheirThing, Amway is launching the Positivity Project Contest. This online program provides an opportunity for individuals to share stories about how the “Power of Positive” has changed their lives or the life of someone they know. As if posting a positive story isn't enough, of course there's an incentive!

Amway invites you to share your power of positive story, and enter to win the $10,000 grand Positivity Prize or one of nine $2,500 Positivity Prizes - all intended to help you advance the power of positive in your life, your community and your world. Your story could answer one of the following questions, or it could be about something entirely different but equally as powerful. Hurry because the last day for submissions is October 17.

Post your positive story on Amway's Facebook page.

Photo Post - Marc Anthony

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.9

Educating our youth

We are always concerned with educating our youth and making sure our kids get into higher education, but it's difficult getting them engaged. It's one thing to tell your son or daughter to do this or that but when corporations get involved, you know you have a great opportunity there. That's why I'm glad to hear NASA and Univision are teaming up to engage Hispanic students.

NASA and Univision Communications Inc. are teaming up to launch an on-air and online initiative to help engage Hispanic students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. Beginning Saturday, Oct. 2, Univision will air a series of Spanish-language educational video segments produced by NASA and titled "NASA and You" (NASA y Tu). Featuring Hispanic employees from NASA as role models, the 30-second videos will present new perspectives on education and STEM careers. This is all part of Univision's exciting program "Es el momento".

Again start educating those younger than you. It's important to keep Latinos in the forefront of education and studying everything offered. I sometimes feel as though Latinos tend to go towards the liberal arts, social work, etc. I'm glad NASA is taking this opportunity to work with Univision.