News You Can Use: #RespectTheÑ, Social Innovators, and more!

As Latinos, we come in all shapes and sizes. But if it's one thing we have in common, it's social media. Read more about social media innovators and the unfortunate misspelling of someone who has passed away.

• Time to #RespectTheÑ Again: English-Language Media Can’t Handle Ñ in Peña’s Death -- How did I miss this? 
• 6 Brands That Succeed At Understanding Hispanic Marketing - I completely agree with this list. 
• Elianne Ramos named recipient of Social Media Innovator Award by Maryland governor - So honored to have met Elianne a few years ago. She is an asset to our community. 
• Hispanicize New York-Tri State Group Launches as Unique Platform to Unite Latino Influencers in Blogging, Marketing, Journalism, Tech and Entertainment - Guess I know where I'll be at real soon :)

News You Can use: Lists, first birthdays, Puerto Rico, and more!

From Al Dia: Alex Guevara (l) with his older sister, Dolly.

It's about that time! Here's your weekly "news you can use" where I highlight local and national stories of interest. Do you have an interesting story? Pass it along!

• Mis Primeras Mañanitas - Being Latino and Fisher Price give us the rundown about how to celebrate your baby's first birthday. Oh...there's also a contest as well :).
• 40 Under 40: Latinos in American Politics - Honestly who doesn't love a good list...especially on Latinos. Fact: There are only three Latino Senators, all Cuban-American men.
• ‘Isla del Encanto’ Public Art Mural Finally Finds a Home in Holyoke, Massachusetts - What's Hispanic Heritage Month without a good ol' fight about arts and culture in the community?
• When a Young Latino does in our city, there is only silence - And it's true. The media was all over the gay couple that was brutally attacked by a group of twenty-somethings. But what about this story?

theHispanic is back with "News You Can Use"

So I've been neglecting this blog for quite some time now. It's been about 4 months since my last post and even before that, I sporadically posted. I have no excuses. The Latino community in the United States is very important to me and I must continue sharing these stories. So...let's make this happen!

With that being said, let's start out with a weekly "news you can use" where I highlight local and national stories of interest.

• Sanchez wants language access in all city agencies (Philadelphia)
• Jessica Alba talks Latina identity, complexities of race in new generation
• Latino Partnership Leadership Institute Class 2015 (Philadelphia)
• Ken Trujillo entering race for Mayor of Philadelphia
• Latin run food trucks

So do you have a story to tell? Feel free to send me an email or tweet me! 

Navaja's blog is back in action

Well folks I'm back in action. I know I didn't even give a hint of being on hiatus but things were hectic. First I purchased a car, then I moved to Atlantic City and finally I began my new job. Read about my role in my about.me page. Again if there's anything you'd like me to review or write about let me know. I'm pretty flexible with topics; just as long as they deal with my ever lasting love to the Latino culture. I like videos and photos :).

In the meantime, here are some interesting recent articles by some great Latino outlets:

• Online guide to holiday shopping gone good
• For Latino Groups, Grass-Roots Efforts Paid Off in High Number of Voters}
• A Mamma's Boy gives back to his community
• Puerto Rico rinde homenaje a "Macho" Camacho en su último adiós

And don't forget you can always Tweet me at @navaja1cortes. Hasta pronto.

My car buying experience

This post will be a little personal but I thought it would be interesting. For reasons I cannot announce right now I had to purchase a vehicle. Eric...with a car? Imagine that! Luckily I have friends who are car fiends and know everything there is to purchase a car. Also in my favor, I have driven ZipCars for the past two years and have improved my driving. Right? The next step would be to look up cars and narrow it down to three make/models as well as get quotes for insurance.

On a not-very-sunny Wednesday morning (considering I didn't have to work) my friend Randy and I went into South Jersey to look at Mazda, VolksWagen and Ford dealers all within a few blocks of each other. To be honest I didn't expect to be there for about five hours looking at cars and speaking with sales people. If you know me, I do not like salesmen...at all. They throw all these numbers at you, pretend to be your friend, feed you (I didn't get fed) and then make you sign all this paperwork. But luckily I turned down all three offers and made my own decision; thanks to Randy as well.

While the Mazda dealer was a little aggressive, VolksWagen brought out three different people and even ran out to offer us more random crap when we were driving away. The manager also spoke Spanish to us expecting us to feel more at ease. Sorry, that doesn't work with me. The Ford dealer was the nicest and less pushier of the three. His motto was if you're going to buy the car, you're going to buy it. And it's true. If we want something we're going to get it. Point blank. After a lunch break and some candy shopping I went with my top two: 2012 Mazda 3 and 2013 Ford Focus.So who did I go with? Well the top photo just says it all.

Now came the bad news. Since Hurricane Sandy closed down the entire world, the DMV wasn't able to process temporary tags. I had to wait one more day to actually drive off with the car. Luckily, the sales reps at Mazda were nice enough to pick me up from work the following day to go back to the dealer (it's 30 minutes away). Luckily I handled all the insurance information the previous night; thanks Geico! I signed a lot of paperwork, and then boom! Overall, the experience was tiring. But I am happy to have my own vehicle, awesome credit and now the ability to do a lot more.

Reflection on the year

The year is 2012 and the highlighted theme of the year seems to be the Mayan calendar and the end of the world. While most people scramble to say goodbye and assume the worst, let's begin to assume the best. There was a quote in the movie Jurassic Park that said it best, "Life will find a way." And it's true. When we are at our worst, we assume all is lost and there's no way of getting back up. However, with enough good energy coming from friends, family, colleagues and even yourself, life will find a way.

It was May 2012 (roughly) when I finally got word my legal issues were finally cleared. Don't worry, nothing major. But in the last year since April 2011, it was interesting to see what transpired, who was there for me, who wasn't there and how people are reaching out today. Now I don't hold grudges nor do I think it's necessary for you to be mi amigo, but it always works vice versa. As we grow older it's a little more difficult to maintain those so called friendships we made throughout the years. As we get to know each other more and more, we gravitate to those we can relate to more.

So what does happen as we get older? It's obviously even more difficult to make new friendships. People are in relationships, they get married, they have kids and want friends in similar situations. Right? I try to stay at piece with everyone no matter what they have done (or not done). Life is too short to have quarrels with people and although it's easy to hate, it's not healthy at all. I wish it was possible to maintain all these friendships, but it' natural to grow apart. When you push too much to "hang out" and there's nothing on the other end, why keep trying? I say let time run its course and just maintain focus on you and your goals.

Opinion on bullying

With the release of the new film Bully I can't help but think about my days in high school. I saw lots of bullying in my small high school in Plainfield but didn't really pay it any attention. Of course the bullying happened because people were different. Although the school was predominately African-American, most bullying occurred not because of "race" but because of other reasons: sexual preference, clothing worn, etc. Yes I was made fun of at times but it was never a big thing. High school is that time in your life when social norms are introduced and society puts you in a box.

I recently also red an article in NBC Latino about two Puerto Rican students being bullied in a Connecticut high school. Then it hit me. Do most bullying incidents occur when the school is predominately white? I know this accusation may sound horrible at first but it could be true. Regardless of whether or not race is involved, bullying is a serious issue. These hurtful words can damage a child's mind and the future consequences might not be reversible. Words are hurtful; it's that simple.

Glee is a great program which portrayed bullying at a small and large scale. In various episodes, Glee touched on certain character's sexual orientation (men and women). Some were strong enough to move on with life and some were not. Suicide is probably the last thing on anyone's mind but it's possible. There's also a fine line of bullying and being made fun of. However, there are still hurtful words being used. Remember, being different is cool :). Don't let society tell you where you need to be; you make your own decisions in life.

Reflection on an extended weekend

17 years ago I went to Colombia to visit my dad's side of the family and fell in love. Today my prima @ElectricMagda visited the United States and took a nation-wide tour hitting Vegas, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, NJ/NY and Miami. It was the first time someone from my father's side of the family visited and I must say it was a blast. Even for just two days, I was so happy to meet (again) her and just talk about random things. Everything from family to "did you knows" and life reflections.

Hearing a completely different (and similar) opinion about various family issues made me appreciate things even more. Remember, you can change your friends but family is forever. Only 2.5 years older than me, I appreciated all her stories and fun vibe she brought. Life is definitely too short to hold back and just complain. My cousin brought a bright and positive vibe into my life. Even though it was only for two days, it helped out a lot. We did the whole history tour, ate a cheestesteak, ran up the Rocky steps (or tried), shopped at King of Prussia mall and ended with a wonderful happy hour/karaoke night. Thank you Magda for these two days I'll never forget :).

A community divided through housing

Remember my post about not trusting your local community? Didn't think so. Anyways...a few weeks ago the Norris Square Civic Association presented their plans for the new co-op housing units in the Norris Square neighborhood of Philadelphia. At first I was pretty much confused as to what exactly co-op housing was all about. The definition of a housing cooperative is, "A legal entity—usually a corporation—that owns real estate, consisting of one or more residential buildings; it is one type of housing tenure. The corporation is membership based, with membership granted by way of a share purchase in the cooperative. Each shareholder in the legal entity is granted the right to occupy one housing unit." Probably doesn't make any sense whatsoever.

I attending a meeting to help better understand a housing cooperative. Considering this is new to the neighborhood and pretty much involves the community, it's very important Some people see the negative and some people see the positive. The new property will include 15 units (for 15 families) and half of those families living in the units will have to serve on the board. The board pretty much comes up with all the rules and regulations, bylaws, costs, etc. associated with the property. Sound confusing yet? Considering the neighborhood, think about the type of people that "deserve" to not only live in this units, but also be in control. A person's ethics/morals comes to mind since this is strictly business.

There are countless factors to consider when seeking tenants and the board. Also, just because a person qualifies does not necessarily mean they can afford this type of housing. This is very similar to owning a house and living in a dorm room (during college). I'm certainly interested but then again, I have lots of questions. Do you think a housing cooperative can work? Any examples?

Today's MLK day of service

Today we celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by devoting a whole day to service. I was happy to help out this morning at the Lighthouse by painting their kitchen and lobby. The Lighthouse is a community organization that provides educational, recreational and economic improvement programs. It serves the Kensington and North Philadelphia communities of Philadelphia. Dr. King thrived on non-violent actions and unfortunately Philadelphia has been facing horrible acts of violence. What can we do to better our community? Although, it was great to see so many people come together all over the city for community service, it needs to happen every day. Hopefully we can see change in the future.

A split second of racial profiling

I'm not one to judge a book by its cover, but there are a lot of people that do. Whether it's the way we dress or our hairstyle, people can be friendly or unfriendly just by looking at few things and not getting to know the person. It's even worse when you are in a certain neighborhood or location; race relations are the worst. Well earlier today, this happened to me. I think it was the first time I was profiled but not necessarily in a good nor bad way. Here's the story:

• Me: ::Walks into Dunkin Donuts::
  Man 1: Hey you speak English?
  (Already irritated) Me: Um yeah.
  Man 1: You speak it good?
  Me: Um yes I speak it well.
  Man 1: Okay well you know what a wingman is?

So although random, it was just weird being asked if I spoke English. And out of all places I was in Fishtown -_-. Could demographics really be changing the way people think? Either way I was irritated because he asked two annoying questions and it was lunch time so I was hungry. I think about whether or not I should be angry or just brush it off. In the end I think it was funny because the dude was hitting on the cashier (hence the wingman comment). Egh. C'est la vie.

A role model in the world

A role model in the world...that's all we need. Growing up surrounding yourself with positive role models is a little hard to come by these days; especially male figures. Today I had the opportunity to speak at Mariana Bracetti Academy's College & Career Week. I spoke about my journey throughout college and how I got to where I am today at Telemundo Philadelphia. After speaking to them it hit me how much trouble our youth is in.

I'm not too familiar with the education system but from what people tell me, it's in trouble. From what I saw in just two classes, I felt bad. Kids will be kids but when they don't believe in themselves at that age, what can they look forward to? Some of the students didn't know what they wanted to do and some were just hesitant to reach their goal. I hope at least one of those kids took something out of what I said and that was really to just push forward; don't let anyone stop you. So don't turn around if you see a young person, embrace them and help them. They can be a bit much but isn't that why we have kids?

Meeting like-minded individuals

I've been writing a lot more personal posts in the past few weeks. Not sure what the reason but sometimes it does spark convo, sometimes it just means I'm venting. This morning I had the pleasure of having coffee with (insert name) whom I met at the Most Influential Latinos event. I actually rarely have coffee/lunch with anyone; and if I do it's usually about work-related things. However, this was just a casual talk about life and career...um awesome.

I probably should have started this a while ago but it felt good. I was happy to talk to someone who felt the same way I did about some things in the city and in general. In Philly (and most likely other places), as a Latino you get stuck into two worlds. You're either for your culture and only doing Latino-related things or you're assimilated and not involved. I don't understand why you can't be both? Why can't you enjoy a nice arroz con pollo and also a cheesesteak from Jim's Steaks? The older generation in this city find and mold the younger generation into something they don't want. If you stay away, they look at look like an alien.

It's great to have your immediate friends who probably work in different industries, but it's even better to see who else is out there. Sometimes I feel as though people have hidden agendas and want to take advantage of who you know and where you work. It's rare to meet the other kind that just want to pick your brain. With that, go forth and learn. Be someone who wants to meet people just because, not to grow your network/business. Keep in mind that's what networking is, but don't be selfish. Anyone up for coffee? lol.

An intern reunion

A few weeks ago I attended the Department of Labor - Office of Public Affair's (DOL/OPA) intern reunion in Philadelphia. It was great seeing some familiar faces and people working in the industry and even knowing they took part in the same internship I had. According to the DOL, "Since the start of the program in 2003, the office has provide learning opportunities to nearly 40 college interns from colleges throughout the Philadelphia metropolitan area, including The University of Pennsylvania, Temple, Drexel and Rutgers." 

I would like to thank Leni and the rest of the DOL team because if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be in my Telemundo Philadelphia chair right now :). The OPA internship was my first approach at public relations and outreach. Considering my major was journalism, it was the start of my journey to the other side (or as some call it the dark side).  Some of the past interns now work in great leadership positions including city government, corporate communications and more. Moral of the story: take the internship!

Why do we get involved?

So I may have written about this before but this past week just hit me like a 12 pack of...Miller Lite? Anyways, I sometimes have to re-ensure myself about getting involved with this community. Note: This community = Philadelphia's Latino community. And let me tell you, it's pretty nasty. Latinos who have been in the game look at you with disgust, African-Americans let you be and don't really care, and our "white" counterparts just think you're Puerto Rican. Sure this isn't the case for everyone but I have seen it at its worst.

But going back on topic, I get involved because one never knows where these professionals and organizations will take you. Currently I'm most involved with the Philadelphia Public Relations Association and the National Association of Latino Arts & Culture Philadelphia Host Committee. Pretty much taking up a lot of my time, but it expands my network; did I mention it's a lot of work? Don't get me wrong I love supporting these organizations. I never have a hidden agenda and I always stay open-minded. I get involved because in order to get anywhere in life, I have to say "yes." Then again if I had millions of dollars I could just stay at home and do nothing...maybe volunteer.

Maybe I just need to relax. The holidays are approaching and I need to concentrate on family and the people close to me. The professional life is getting more and more intense since a lot of people don't have jobs, people who do have jobs are getting so many demands and so on. Occupy Wall Street (and every other city) is putting a lot of pressure on big corporations and banks. What is to come of our future? 2012...I hope you're a little better than what 2011 brought me.

A Jarritos Nation of luchadores

So today I received a very nice package from Jarritos Nation and what I thought was going to be a pack of Jarritos was more than just that. It included two wrestler figurines and a super cool luchador mask. While I haven't check their website an enclosed note mentioned they changed a whole bunch of stuff and made it more engaging; I'll have to check it out when I get home.

On a somewhat similar note I may have found my costume for Halloween. While it has been a while since I dressed up for this nonsense holiday I will have to now find a party to crash and show off my luchador costume. Thanks Jarritos Nation!

My HS reunion...in NJ (and social media)

I don't normally write about my own personal past experiences but every since Facebook created these new semi-hidden groups, I've just been a little annoyed at one in particular. I know my 10-year high school reunion is coming up in 2012 and I'm actually happy about it. However, there's no need to have 200+ opinionated people comment on about what we should do. You have your committee and they should easily be able to make the decisions for us. Not everyone is going to be able to make it, it's that simple. And those that make it will be able to make it. I'll most likely attend just because it'll be fun...and it's something to do.

I could just be thinking way too hard about this. Or maybe I should just turn off all notifications off, but I just thought I'd give my two cents...not on Facebook. Let's turn things up a notch, I've been added to the "You know you're from Plainfield if..." <-- Annoying much? I'm sure this group will only stay active a few weeks and like any other group die out in a few. Social media...some people love it, some hate it and some just use it because it's free.

Anyways, I've actually found a lot of old friends on Facebook. Some whom I have never talked to, some who were friends and some that just because we both graduated the same year decided to friend me. -_-. Oh well, it's just Facebook. The chances of us meeting again are slim; it's possible, but slim. Well that's pretty much it. See you in 2012!

A completed event

Yesterday I had my first big event at work. It's funny because you always prepare for the worst and need to be on your toes in case something does happen. Yesterday was Telemundo Philadelphia's local upfront featuring Maria Celeste from Al Rojo Vivo. And what can I tell you, the day went by smoothly!

Sure there was the scare that people weren't going to show up on time but they did. Plus the Belle was due to embark on its journey at noon. In my time at GPTMC I valued their events because it showed me how much detail is needed. The A/V, food and venue are all essential to the event planning. And since I knew a few media friends, why not get them to run a story. Here's to many more events...or not lol.

Opinion: My ideal community

After celebrating the 4th of July in Philadelphia and spending a long weekend with good people, I somehow can't come to a conclusion about how I feel about my life right now. Okay I'm not trying to complain but I had a lot to think about. This was the most I have celebrated July 4th activities since I was in college and to be honest it was fun. However, as I looked around the celebrations, there was something missing...my community. But what exactly is my community?

My community consists of intelligent people who like to have fun with their lives and don't think negatively all the time. Sure I come across a lot of negative people but like anyone else, I'd rather be around positive minded folk. My community likes and appreciates their own culture but is open to learning about others. My community doesn't just work and go home, work and go home, work and go home; my community enjoys activities outside their normal lives. For the last few years a lot of my friends have moved on to other cities yet I'm still here. Not to knock Philadelphia down, but I foresee myself somewhere else in 5 years.

I'm glad to have met these individuals for the past eight years. I've met some great people from various schools around the area (especially Temple University), my past and present employers and the various other communities in the area. Hopefully I get to keep these relationships for the rest of my life. There's a lot going on right now that most of you don't know but in due time I'll overcome this adversity. Hasta pronto.

A family photo from the past

A picture is word a thousand words; that's why I was so happy when my tio Gonzalo in Colombia posted the photo above on Facebook. Sure it's just an elderly woman with two younger men but to me it's family. It's a family photo which I have never seen and is over 30 years old. Pictured you see my abuelita (who I never met), tio Gonzalo and my father. Seems like a lot of contemplating was happening and the position of the mountains with the bridge is perfect. Kudos to whoever took the photo. It almost seems as if they aren't supposed to go past the bridge and they're trying to figure out how to go about it and who is going to lead.

Thoughts about the photos?