Dear friends & family...

Con Cariño, Philadelphia XOXO™

That Really Grinds My Gears...Smokers

Now I know everyone chooses whether to smoke or not but come on!? Why do people really smoke? I see not a single valid reason for the addiction. The worst part, you can obviously die from fatal cancer!

Here are some key points according to the National Cancer Institute:

• Cigarette smoking causes 87 percent of lung cancer deaths and is responsible for most cancers of the larynx, oral cavity and pharynx, esophagus, and bladder.
• Secondhand smoke is responsible for an estimated 3,000 lung cancer deaths among U.S. nonsmokers each year .
• Tobacco smoke contains thousands of chemical agents, including over 60 substances that are known to cause cancer .
• The risk of developing smoking-related cancers, as well as noncancerous diseases, increases with total lifetime exposure to cigarette smoke.
• Smoking cessation has major and immediate health benefits, including decreasing the risk of lung and other cancers, heart attack, stroke, and chronic lung disease.

Here's another point not mentioned...it stinks!

If you want to quit, try some gum.

And now for the photo of the day...

You like us...you really like us! Pero, porque tres ojos? Either way, thank you to all our supporters.

Phillies for the Phirst time

So last night was my first night at a Phillies game...yes I'm a loser. Although we lost to the Florida Marlins, it was a good experience. However, I do pose a question.

Why every time a black player went up to bat, they played hip-hop music? What made it worst was the song...Stanky Leg! I was surprised they didn't play bachata or merengue when a Latino player went up to bat.

You tell me what you think

Inappropriate or funny? Well to be honest I think it's funny, but to the untrained eye this would probably be offensive. Why? To be honest I don't know...maybe because it depicts a chicken fighting a human being a la bull fighting?

I say...Family Guy is meant to be funny. Family Guy makes fun of EVERYONE...and I do mean everyone. Blacks, Latinos, Asians, gays, the disabled and everyone in between. Unlike the Mexican Burger King ad a while ago, this shouldn't be taken seriously.

And now for your enjoyment...


Peter Vs Chicken - All 3 Rounds Fast - The best home videos are here

Why Sonia Sotomayor is awesome

Porque si se puede that's why. She is living the American Dream (even though she is from Puerto Rico). But the American dream isn't about "immigration" and who is a citizen or not, it's about coming to the United States from a "poor" family with nothing and working hard to achieve something not a lot of people can.

According to a Phila. Daily News article, "the twofer in this case is (1) a powerful message on "the American dream" and (2) a show of impressive political skill."

The judge's story - parents from Puerto Rico, raised in a South Bronx housing project, father died when she was 9, mom worked two jobs, scholarship to Princeton, Law Review at Yale - is another Obama-like "yes we can" life lesson.

Although we need to realize we shouldn't wait until something like this happens, it proves to millions of uneducated Latinos that if there's a will there's a way. I have tried relentlessly to tell people of all ages that you just have to put your mind to it. Whatever it is you want to accomplish, it can happen, you just have to look for it yourself and then be ready to work as hard.

In a Phila. Inquirer article, many of the area's Latinos are ecstatic about Sotomayor's nomination. Nelson Diaz, a former administrative judge of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, says, "I think kids in North Philadelphia should now say: 'I have no limitations on my life. There's no reason why I can't be a judge or a lawyer or a doctor or whatever I want to be.' "

So there it is. That's why Sotomayor is awesome.

Terminator Salvation - Movie Review

So what can you say about a movie which depicts our future? To be honest, it's not so far fetched. Terminator Salvation takes place in the "not so distant" future and after Skynet has destroyed much of humanity in a nuclear holocaust, a group of survivors led by John Connor struggles to keep the machines from finishing the job. Yes this movie has a lot of action, but think about the other theme of the movie...time travel. Ever since the first flick someone/thing tried to prevent Judgement Day. Although somehow judgement day was stopped, for some reason it kept coming back. Does this mean we shouldn't mess with past events? What if one day time travel is possible and we go back in time to prevent incidents...I believe it'll make things worse.

Anyways, T - Salvation is definitely an interested addition to the series. Different from the rest, it was worth the wait and kept true to the plot from first flick. I reallyd didn't like all the innuendos from previous flicks and Arnold's "guest" apperance. But if you paid attention to part 3, Arnold's character was supposed to kill Connor *hint*.

And why isn't this movie so far fetched? Well, take a look at 8 robots you should be afraid of.

Weekend in Photos

Getting ready for Game 1 of the B-Ball tournament

Have you ever seen anything more ghetto!?

view of the court

Championship game versus the Vets

Gamma Phi Sigma placed 2nd and won the Sportsmanship award

That Really Grinds My Gears...the Shenandoah Incident

The ongoing incident in Shenandoah, PA is really starting to grind my gears. Why? Because there hasn't been any justice. It was not too long ago when an all-white jury on acquitted two PA teenagers of all serious charges against them stemming from the fatal beating of an illegal Mexican immigrant last summer.

They said the white teens did not attack the Mexican immigrant because of his ethnicity. However, according to almost everyone else and an e-mail I just received, it was the other way around. Here's a brief summary of what happened

On the night of July 12, 2009, however, Luis Ramirez encountered a group of high school football players who told him to "go back to Mexico" and shortly thereafter began their brutal assault on Luis. The beating ended after Luis was knocked to the ground, kicked and stomped on by the four assailants, and then kicked in the head, which fractured his skull. As they fled, one of the assailants yelled a warning to Luis' friend, who had responded to Luis' distress call, "tell your [expletive] Mexican friends to get the [expletive] out of Shenandoah or you'll be [expletive] laying next to him." 




I don't get why we are in 2009 and people still think this way? The Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund is urging everyone to take action. Please sign their petition and urge the Department of Justice to bring hate crime charges against his assailants today.

The Art of Stepping

So we all know what strolling is right...well it's a form of stepping. And for 10 year's LatinosStep produced one of the most exciting step shows to hit the U.S. However, 2009 has started a new era in step and stroll. While Greekster has taken over the stroll competition, Remo Productions has taken over the step show. With exciting routines, music, skits and more...this year's show is bound to be interesting.

Step 11 is a signature stepping event that evolved from the Latino Greek Summer Step Show that has occurred annually since the summer of 1999. Under the leadership of Remo Production, Inc. (RP) in collaboration with the new Step/Stroll Coalition, this new stepping event is dedicated to unifying stepping among the members of the Latino and African American fraternal community. The First Annual Step 11 is scheduled to take place Saturday, August 8 at York College Performing Arts Center located at 94-45 Guy R. Brewer Blvd in Jamaica, New York.

Who will win? You make your pick.

Unemployment & Immigration...any similarities?

No...plain and simple no. Today I received an e-mail that explained that unemployment & immigration are disconnected. Here's a summary of what the Immigration Policy Center found:

With Congress once again poised to consider comprehensive immigration reform, a key question confronting lawmakers is to what extent immigration and unemployment are related. Opponents of immigration reform frequently argue that immigrants “take” jobs away from many native-born workers, especially during economic hard times. Yet an analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau clearly reveals that this is not the case. In fact, there is little apparent relationship between recent immigration and unemployment rates at the regional, state, or county level. (May 19, 2009)

For more info and the full report go to the Immigration Policy Center.

Once again, pay attention to us...los hispanos

Every day I read something new about Latinos growing in size and how companies need to start paying attention. To elaborate even more, Latinos are "web" friendly. According to a National Jeweler article, "In 1990, the Hispanic population in the United States was 7.9 percent. Today, Nielsen Claritas estimates, Hispanics account for 15.5 percent. And if the segment continues to grow at a rate three times faster than the U.S. population in general, as a recent Goldman Sachs study suggests, investors must pay attention to this emerging group. To reinforce the importance of Hispanics, demographers at the Pew Research Center recently predicted that the United States will be a "minority majority" nation by 2050, Hispanics making up as much as 29 percent of the total population."

So are you paying attention? Are you reading/watching what Hispanics are involved with? You'd be amazed and what we can do...we are hard working multitaskers. We love our families but know when to draw the line with our children. So what's going to happen in the next few decades, well if statistics are correct, we'll be the majority in the U.S.

I say...bring it :).

To My Fellow 2009 Graduates

Don't be scared about real life...it's fun! Yeah we may be in a recession but that shouldn't stop you from doing what you have to do. Yes unemployment is at it's highest in a long time and you are unlikely to find a job quickly, stay positive...it's worth it in the end.

According to an MSN/CareerBuilder article, Philly ranked #2 on list of top cities for new grads to live. The list is based on the ranking of the top U.S. cities with the highest concentration of young adults (age 20 - 24) from the U.S. Census Bureau (2006), inventory of jobs requiring less than one year of experience from CBcampus.com (2009) and the average cost of rent for a one bedroom apartment from Apartments.com (2009). Apparently the biggest job markets in Philly are sales, customer service and management.

I am in the communications field and if you want to narrow it down, it's public/media relations. I graduated from Temple University 2 years ago and found no problem looking for and landing a job. Use what you got in front of you, don't be afraid to ask questions and always have your resume handy. Those 4, 5 (maybe more) years of college will definitely pay off in the long wrong.

Need to get your noticias Colombiana?

Philadelphia already doesn't provide a lot of news en español, so where can you get your Spanish news? I say get it online like everything else; start off at CaracolTV. In fact this seems to be the only station my family watch. Everytime we visit the family in Jersey, they are watching Caracol...we call home Caracolanda lol. Caracol Televisión started in 1954.

And what's a brewing these days. Well according to a recent CaracolTV story, "Si Uribe no se postula a un tercer mandato, el saliente ministro de Defensa no dudará en hacer campaña." To be honest a lot of news coming from Colombia seems to be political...that can be good or bad. From what I have heard and seen on the news (and from the parents), Colombia's current president, Uribe, continues to be one of the most progmatic and intellectual presidents of Colombian contemporary history.

Need some economic boost?

DosLives is offering readers assistance! This is actually your last week to enter so hurry.

Five lucky winners will receive a package of items, valued at $100, ranging from music, food, toiletries and even transit passes. Lots of people have entered, so remember to enter daily to increase your chances of winning! I mean come on, who wouldn't want these prizes?

Since the recession began in December 2007, Latino unemployment has risen 4.7 percentage points, to 10.9 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. To help Hispanics keep on moving and get through this tough time, the English-language Web site catering to bicultural Latinos, www.DosLives.com announces its own Economic Stimulus Package for Latinos living in the United States.

For more info or to enter, visit DosLives.com.

Take out your frustrations

Punch out!! is coming back to the video game world May 18 for the Wii!.

That really grinds my gears...Colombian stereotype

So today I just found out Keanu Reeves will be staring in a movie called Cartagena. When I first read that I was pretty excited...a movie that will portray Colombia in a good way; boy was I dead wrong.

According to a ScreenDaily.com article, "Reeves is an undercover agent in Colombia who becomes embroiled in a conspiracy involving drug dealers and international agents." Go figure huh? Does everything that is Colombia related have to deal with drugs? The worst part, for the past few weeks I have read mispellings of Colombia...there's no "u" people!

Please educate yourselves.

Thanks Management.

Try A Margarita at Mexican Post

I think for the past month or so, I've been to Mexican Post about 4 times. I must say it is a great place. Good food, prices and some alfresco dining to top it off. Be sure to stop by during their happy hour...Monday through Friday from 5-7 PM discounted drinks. Also enjoy $2.99 snacks. Just last week (during 5 de Mayo) everyone decided to come out...go figure. MP's margarita flavors include peach, mango, rasberry and more.

With 2 locations in Philadelphia (1 in Olde City and 1 in Center City) you are bound to leave "happy". Mexican Post also has locations in Canada and Delaware.

Philly's Latino Talent Search!

It's almost time! The Hispanic Choice Awards is getting closer and closer. However, they still need participants for their Desrube Tu Talento show. Hurry cuz the deadline for entries is June 15th. Auditions will take place on July 7, 8 and 9 at the Community College of Philadelphia.

Descrube Tu Talento is the official Latino Talent Search Competition for the Hispanic CHoice Awards. Each year the HCA's honor and celebrate Latinos in the Philadelphia area with a grand celebration. This year's gala will take place during Hispanic Heritage Month on October 13th at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

ALERT ALERT JOB FAIR!

Need a trabajo or don't even have one!? Well tomorrow is AL DIA’s 8th Annual Latino Job Fair! During these troubled times I suggested taking advantage of all these opportunities.

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009
PA Convention Center
12th & Arch Street
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Registration begins at 9:30 a.m.

Don’t miss what has become THE recruitment event for Hispanics in the Tri-State Region, featuring over 60 exhibitors looking to recruit top bilingual talent with all levels of experience, education and backgrounds.

BRINGS PLENTY OF RESUMES!

Professional attire and bilingual skills are required. For more info please visit the Latino Professional Network.

Con Cariño, Philadelphia

There's a time and place for everything and it's called college...but there's also a place to do it at, it's called Philadelphia. Why Philadelphia? Because it just is one of the perfect destinations to come visit...even if it is just families and friends. And I def plan on making my parents come visit me (yes I'll put them in a hotel).

Philly is also #2 city on list of top cities for new grads to live in. I mean hey why not I did it and got a great job. Philadelphia has given me everything I needed and I'm not just saying this. This summer is going to be one of the most interested yet for me...why? Because I want to do "most" of the touristy stuff there is to do around here that I haven't been to in years.

I also hope it's going to be a hott summer because those concerts/events at Penn's Landing are always great. You got the Roots Picnic, Hispanic Fiesta, Mexican Independence Day Festival and much more! Don't forget about the ice cream festival during Sunoco Welcome America a.k.a. 4th of July in Philly.

With that said, I hope you come join me on my little adventure.

Con Cariño, Navaja
xoxo ;-)

Star Trek: The Next "Diverse" Generation

What can I say about Star Trek...wow! Somewhat different from the other Star Trek flicks, this movie I say was geared towards the young, tech-savy bunch of people. And despite what Trekkies are saying, Star Trek was great. It had a new cast and that usually makes a film great.

According to a San Antonio Express News article, "Multiethnic characters, portrayed by an equally diverse cast, have been Starfleet officers and the villains they faced. Latinos have had their share of “Star Trek” screen time." Although the new Star Trek really only had one Latina, over the coarse of each movie, representation was good. Zoe Yadira Zaldaña Nazario, born to a Dominican father and Puerto Rican mother, plays the lovely Nyota Uhura. Yeah you can't really tell throughout the movie because she is playing the woman who knows a zillion languages, but you know now :).

The craziest part? My brother went on to explain to me the paradox...you figure it out. *shakes fist*

The Philadelphia Union?

Sometime last December, MLS decided to give Philadelphia it's own soccer stadium/team. Months have gone by to think of the perfect name for the team; so what do they come up with? Yep, the Philadelphia Union...sounds like a bank.

According to an ESPN article, "The name Independence was thought to be an early favoite, but didn't make the final cut of four finalists." (Someone needs to proofread their work) I would rather have taken Independence. Other finalists included Philadelphia SC, the initials standing for "Soccer Club;" Philadelphia AC, for "Athletic Club," and Philadelphia City. I think if Philadelphia City was chosen I would probably write a letter complaining.

Oh well it doesn't really matter. I can't wait to check out the new stadium and cheer on another Philly sports team. Come on 2010!

Shakira and the Pies Descalsoz Foundation

This is why Shakira is such a great artist...because she also believes in something else.

my Chifa review

So I know a while back I informed everyone about Jose Garces opening another restaurant; but now I finally got to preview the restaurant. And what a day to preview the menu! To be honest I think it's a good deal...2 items for $18 (including a non-alcoholic drink).

As soon as you see Chifa you know you're going to expect something exotic. Today being such a nice day we decided to eat alfresco. We were in the middle of everyone going on lunch break with occasional tourists looking for a place to eat. Although I really didn't check out the inside lobby, eating right outside was splendid.

As I said we got to choose 2 items from the menu; however, there was a problem. I really wanted the chicken wings but unfortunately they were unable to remove the soy glaze *tear* from the food, so I went with the empanada instead. I realized it was a seafood empanada but I ate it anyways *delicious*. After finishing the empanada I ordered a cranberry/orange drink and um wow; I think I'm going to start mixing drinks again (I used to do it as a kid but forgot). My second portion was the arepa sandwich and yet again *yumm*. Although I was a bit hesitant because it looked like a sloppy sandwich, it really wasn't; it also came with fries which were great.

So if you have $18 to spare during lunch, I suggest taking a trip (and a date) to Chifa.

Chifa
707 Chestnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 925-5555

Hot Hot Hot...2nd Annual Roots Picnic

There comes a time where we as a people should come together and celebrate diversity. This summer in Philly be sure to check out the 2nd Annual Roots Picnic. Last year it attracted over 5,000 visitors so I'm sure this year it'll be bigger! Philadelphia’s cultural ambassadors and hip-hop band will play host to Public Enemy, TV on the Radio, Santigold, The Black Keys, Antibalas and other acts during the daylong festival on June 6.

Last year was just phenomenal. Obama paraphernalia was selling like crazy and we were in one of those sweltering heat ways. The festival is held right by the Delaware River on Penn's Landing.

Tickets are on sale now and are available through www.Livenation.com

That Really Grinds My Gears...My Wrist

As if I already have been through a lot of pain...this week has been the worst. It has been raining for the past 6 or so days; I don't remember when was the last time I saw the sun. Well last June I had surgery on my wrist due to a "freak" accident. It's about to be one year and it still bothers me. Although I have a cool scar, the doctor said every time it rains or snows, I may experience some pain. Some pain? It's a throbbing pain. Well, at least I'm not the only one out there experiencing it.

Check out the crazy metal/screws inside my wrist below.

Revenge of the Fallen

Those who think this movie will not be hot should be shot immediately...too much? And if you want more, check out the entire robot list!

Free Chicken

Have I caught your attention? Two major words Latinos love to hear...Free and Chicken. Yesterday, May 5th, Oprah announced she wants to give away this free KFC meal. This took the social media world by storm! KFC ended (right now) is the #5 trend topic on Twitter...i guess the system works.

So what do you get with this coupon? You actually get a whole meal: 2 pcs Grilled Chicken, 2 individual sides and a biscuit. When I would go home while in college my parents would always want to go to KFC. As much as I loved chicken, I actually got tired of eating KFC's; there was just a certain taste that said I had enough. There is one thing about their meals that I don't like. If you order any chicken combo meal, the drink is separate. *shakes fist*

The coupon will be available for a limited time only.Coupon download available from 9 a.m. CDT on May 5, 2009, to 11:59 p.m. CDT on May 6, 2009. Coupon is redeemable at participating KFC® locations in the United States from May 5, 2009 to May 19, 2009—excluding Mother's Day, May 10, 2009.

To download your coupon go to unthinkfc.com.

A Storm is Brewing in PA

After reading what is happening with the Shenandoah, PA case, I believe it is an outrage. How can 2 teenagers kill a human being, then one year later be set free? According to the CNN.Com article:

Blows had struck the 25-year-old illegal Mexican immigrant with such force that they left a clotted, bruised impression of Jesus Christ on the skin of his chest from the religious medal he wore. His attackers were white teenagers, including star students and football players, witnesses told police.

After a night of drinking, the teens taunted the undocumented worker with racial epithets, pummeled him to the ground and then kicked him in the head, court documents charge. He died in a hospital two days later.

Now one year later, the two teenagers were acquitted of almost all charges. Our very own city councilwoman is outraged. “Me parece increíble que resultaran libres de todos los casos, podrían ser inocentes quizás de algunos pero de todos, es un mensaje de que no va a haber justicia cuando una persona llena de odio rompa la ley”, dijo Quiñones. I know this shouldn't be a factor but apparently the entire jury was white...coincidence?

Philadelphia wants new murals

And you get to decide which mural wins! In celebration of 25 years of great murals, the Mural Arts Program has started a city-wide mural project entitled "This We Believe". This initiative has provided an opportunity for people throughout the city to share what they believe about Philadelphia. Community forums held and facilitated in neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia, and attended by two teams of artists, gave voice to the audiences. Now everyone gets to decide of the two teams which will win.

Team 1, made up of artists Kien Nguyen, Eric Okdeh and Michelle Ortiz, created a colorful design with panels showing different parts of the city, present and past.

Team 2, which included Phillip Adams, David Guinn and Damon Reaves, created a design showing an outpouring of people as part of the city's landscape.

To vote visit www.philly.com/murals. Voting ends May 18th.

So do you really know what 5 de mayo is?

I bet you don't. I bet it's just another reason for you to drink at a Mexican bar or something to do on a Tuesday night. So why do we celebrate 5 de mayo? Well I put up the question on Twitter: I wonder how many people actually know why 5 de Mayo is celebrated?! First reply gets applause ;-). I didn't expect responses but I actually got 3 good ones.

1. KineX4CUS@navaja1cortes beCUS the Mexican troops defeated the French and mexican traitor army on 5 de Mayo in Puebla. Booyah I can keep going...about 9 hours ago from TwitterBerry
2. RDarioBermejo@navaja1cortes kicked the Napoleonic French forces out of Mexico, that is basically cinco de Mayoabout 9 hours ago from web in reply to navaja1cortes
3. cintya2@navaja1cortes unlikely victory over the french in 1862.. in Puebla... :-)

I was happy to see there are some smart people out there.

But just in case you need something to do this cinco de mayo, NBCPhiladelphia put a nice list of local spots. The list includes Jose Garce's Distrito in University City and Northern Liberities' Las Cazuelas. So drink the night away and please be sure to tell your colleagues why you drank on a Tuesday night.

Latin Night @ Shampoo

So I'm already not a big fan of big clubs but I guess this one was cool. Every first Saturday of the month, Shampoo hosts Latin night. There are 3 rooms with music so if you don't like salsa/merengue/bachata you can get your hip-hop/reggateon on in another room. There was also a rock en español room which was pretty interesting (not that many people in that room). And to just walk a lot to get to another room is not cool. However, I was happy with the "bottle" service and it was free before 11 p.m. Of course there weren't that many people there before 11 p.m. but hey we are in tough times.

p.s. what's up with the bathroom at this club? the sink was only filled with soap?

So why don't I like big clubs? For that reason, why do I need to be surrounded by hundreds of people looking to get laid. Give me a small lounge with small dance floor and I'm good to go. However, as you can see, everyone wasn't dancing because they were paying attention to the dancer on the random cube on the dance floor.

Phillies Spanish Announcer?!

Another great video via Al Dia Newspaper.

That Really Grinds My Gears...Changing up Movies

So after watching X-Men Origins: Wolverine I finally realized movie producers/writers really need to stop messing with the Marvel Universe. What I mean is changing up the character story lines. They did it with Spider-Man, Fantastic Four and the most obvious was X-Men.

Exhibit A...Rouge. In the comic books she was clearly not a "punk" girl who had a small crush on Wolverine. Who are the people behind the scenes thinking "this won't work"? Granted I understand they want to make the movie special by adding their own twist to it; but you can only go so far. Want to know the crazy part? So far DC Universe movies have gotten to be much butter...even though every now and then both DC and tends to start the series up again (Superman, Batman, etc).

Worst example by far goes to Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.