The Mayan language

The other day I was watching the documentary Cracking the Maya Code and it reminded me about the linguistic history the Mayan culture still has today. It also shed a little more light about our history as Latinos. The first portion of the documentary touched on the Spanish conquistadores and how they attempted to convert Mayans to Catholicism. Did it work? It sure did but thankfully there is something called preservation and study.

It took many hundreds of years in order to crack the code. Oddly enough it was a mix of Americans and Europeans to do this. Why weren't Mexicans or other Central/South American countries interested? Maybe it was the European influence that still prevented them from being interested. However, today the people of Southern Mexico and Central America are still true to their roots. They practice many Mayan rituals, but unfortunately cannot speak the language. With hundreds of symbols, the Mayan language is very complex. It took me a while to be able to read the Mayan calendar which unfortunately I do not remember.

In addition, our Philadelphia native friends at the Eyes Gallery recently took a trip to Guatemala to explore more of the Mayan culture in Guatemala. I'm thankful there are people (Latinos and non-alike) who preserve our ancestral culture. Are you staying true to your roots?

Social media and your food

Gotta love social media and the twists and turns it takes. It can be used for marketing, public relations, networking, business and a whole slew of other tools. But what's the one thing people "need" to do in order to survive: eat. About a year old, Foodspotting allows users to recommend their favorite dishes and drinks by taking photos of the items and sharing them with the community via the website or smartphone apps. They can bookmark foods they want to try, endorse their favorite dishes by giving them a blue ribbon or a "nom," to gain points. Sounds like Foursquare, but limited to food.

The good ol' social media folks at the Philly tourism office have partnered up with Foodspotting to promote local food and dining in the Philadelphia area. After all, Philly is a food town, so why not create guides which help out citizens and tourists.

Guides include:

• Taskykake-inspired dishes
• Beer lovers' breweries
• Veg-Out!
• Philly Te Ama, related to food and drink at Latino-inspired eateries

So grab your smartphone and start foodspotting all around town. You might discover a new dish, something you didn't know about vegans or just get trashed drinking beer. Oh and don't forget to follow VisitPhilly's guides on Foodspotting; besides, they have yet another cool contest.

Rebranding, Restructuring...Why not!?

I love it when organizations rebrand themselves. It's an exciting opportunity to present what's new and fresh. I was a part of Taller PR's new logo/website process back in 2007 and it was an amazing experience. In the past month or so two great Philadelphia Latino organizations decided to go with a fresh (younger) look. And why not right? A lot of the Latino organizations in Philadelphia have kept the same logo since when they were founded. And with the age of technology and reaching "youger audiences," I think it's about time change happens.

Yesterday El Concilio launched their new look. When I first look at the new logo (pictured above), I honestly think of health. It just has that essence which the original logo did not have. Founded in 1962, the Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations, Inc. (Concilio) is the oldest Latino organization in Philadelphia and has a well-established reputation as a leader for Latino family services. Our mission is to ensure that equitable social, educational, cultural, prevention/intervention services and programs are made available to the Philadelphia community.

Another organization which launched a new logo is AMLA. Pictured right, AMLA's new logo sure does emphasize a younger taste in music. Talk about attracting new and younger audiences :). Since 1982, AMLA has promoted the development, dissemination, and understanding of Latin music and culture in the Philadelphia area.

Sustainable living and caring

I love sustainable living...even though I sometimes don't practice the idea. However, I'm glad when big corporations take effort in educating communities about sustainable living. Earlier today Aramark, in conjunction with the Mayor's Office of Civic Engagement and the Federation of Neighborhood Centers teamed up with local children from the Lighthouse Community Center to refurbish buildings, construct a community garden and more.

Did someone say community gardens? Yep, the new community garden at the Lighthouse Field will serve the ballpark food! How cool is that?! What's the bigger picture? This is all part of Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" obesity campaign. It's so important to educate our community and children about the idea of living healthy. Start early. If they aren't eating healthy and exercising then what will our children look like in future years?

Feliz Birthday BeingLatino

Two years ago I met someone via Facebook and to this day haven't met the dude lol. However, he created an online space which has turned into something bigger than a fan page. It was in 2009 when Lance Rios took at simple fan page and created BeingLatino (BL). With countless partnerships, everyone is attempting to get a little bit of BL.

According to BL's fearless leader, Being Latino, Inc. has an administrative staff of 11 gente, nine staff writers, a 56k+ fan fase following on Facebook and has relaunched/renamed their blog as BeingLatino Online Magazine in 9/2010. Where else can they go but up right? I'm glad to have been contributing to the blog (not as much as I want to) and engaging with such a diverse group of Latinos (and then some). Sure there are others who "like" the page in order to just bash it, but what can you do. We simply cannot make everyone happy.

Redrawing our boundaries

Look familiar? Of course it doesn't. The image above represents what the LatinoLines Coalition hopes to become the newest 7th council district in Philadelphia. "It's election season and we want to let everyone know who's running the Latino growth in this city is serious," said the group's leader, former Councilman at Large Angel Ortiz. The coalition believes there has been illegal gerrymandering during the last redistricting. Gerrymandering is the drawing of district lines to gain or retain an electoral advantage.

The 7th Council District leader will be decided on Tuesday, May 17 since only Daniel Savage and Maria Quinones-Sanchez are running in the democratic seat. What's going to happen if either wins? We'll just have to wait and see. Although some people think a Latino district needs a Latino councilman (or woman), some think the opposite. The local headlines have been crazy in the past few weeks.

The ministudio del tiempo

Last Saturday during the Dia del Nino event, Telemundo Philadelphia presented their ministudio for children (and adults) to report the weather and traffic. The ministudio attracted over 40 participants wanting to get their opportunity to be on camera. And no one was shy at all! Whether in English or in Spanish, it was a great opportunity for everyone.

Below is an example of one of the videos but for more (any maybe your own), visit holaciudad.com.

The Knight Arts Challenge (in Philadelphia)

Earlier today the Knight Foundation announced their 2011 Knight Arts Challenge winners at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The program hosted only in Philadelphia (this year) is a three-year, $9 million initiative to draw the best and most innovative ideas out of local organizations and individuals seeking to transform the community through the arts. Great ideas can indeed start anywhere, so the challenge was open to anyone.

There were three simple rules:

1. The project must be about the arts
2. It bust take place or benefit Philadelphia
3. Find other funding to match the Knight Foundation <-- The tricky part.

With $2.7 million in funding and only 36 project winners, the competition was enormous. There were over 17,000 entries since the launch of the program. The sole Latino organization to win the challenge, Taller Puertorriqueño. Although there were many organizations that had Latino influence and "new audiences" involved in the program, Taller PR's "Cafe under the Stars: Spotlighting Arts in the Barrio" is an obvious Latino cultivated project.

"Cafe under the Stars" will create personal cultural experiences that connect audiences across cultures by producing a series of monthly outdoor performances in the heart of Latino Philadelphia. See you in 2012 mi gente :).