Couchsurfing + Venezuela = Disaster?

Okay so I bet you're wondering what is couch-surfing and what does it have to do with Venezuela? Well imagine a non-Spanish speaking travel writer hitchhiking across the country and sleeping in other peoples' homes. Sounds like grand ol' time unless you have no clue what the country is about. But sure enough there are people across the world that love traveling and care enough to share with us what they experienced. And now we have Jamie Maslin.

In Maslin's new memoir, Socialist Dreams and Beauty Queens, our couchsurfing travel writer offers an irreverent, informative, and entertaining account of a young adventurer's journey through a breathtakingly beautiful country that tourists rarely get to see. Did you know the murder rate in Venezuela is higher than Iraq's? Well that's where Maslin spent days upon days traveling.

And now the question of what he experienced? Sure there were corrupt cops but there was also the following:

• Recognizing the Venezuelan body-complex epidemic that fuels the country’s love for beauty pageants that transform young girls into grown women through surge
• Meeting a poverty-stricken populace looking to exploit naïve travelers
• Witnessing natural beauty in flat-topped jungle plateaus, waterfalls, rolling deserts, and the famous lightning that appears suddenly in the sky with no rain or thunder

Don't worry. There's a lot more. Will this bring bad publicity to Venezuelan tourism? I'm sure it will. But sometimes there are those people that love the "raw and uncut" stories. Let's hope Maslin didn't end up in NatGeo's "Locked Up Abroad."

The Hispanic White House

I recently came across the White House's Hispanic page and was actually amazed it existed. Over President Obama's presidency, I have seen more of an interest in Hispanic culture and our buying power. Sure it always comes down to money but the more we grow, the more we'll be involved on a variety of levels.

According to the website, "To win that contest and secure prosperity for Hispanics and all Americans, we have to out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the rest of the world." We definitely play an important role in this country's future. Of course there are immigration and educational issues which everyone needs to improve on, but that can't happen without our commitment. I hope more of the younger generation can see what is happening and will make smart decisions. It's important we teach them (including myself) their role and how important they are to this country's future.

I really sometimes wonder about this future. By our I mean America in general. With racism CLEARLY still in existence and with laws in Arizona ready to pass, I fear for those residents who aren't citizens. Let's hope Obama's visit to Puerto Rico goes well and something comes out of it.

American Idol's many Latino moments

Anyone notice an American Idol trend this season? First Jennifer Lopez joins the judges and then a lot of the finalists were Latino or came out and said they were "half Latino." I guess the Census numbers did a number on Fox. Our friends at FoxNewsLatino listed Top Latino 10 moments during this season. Some were reaching but some were some were legit moments. I wonder what other shows will "Latinize" their programming.

Then the season finale ends with a performance by Marc Anthony and J-Lo. Coincidence? I think not.

Word of the day: Emboricuate

You know, I wonder what goes through someone's head sometimes when they start advertising campaigns. Then I wonder why the agency/festival/parade/company would allow some slogans along with their name. Not only do you have the Puerto Rican Parade crest on this ad, but you're also advertising the idea about being Puerto Rican and drinking. Emboricuate? Um. Definitely sends a bad message.

A recent TelemundNY article brings up all the drama from past Puerto Rican Day Parades as well. So what logic is there behind producing this advertising? Unfortunately if you ask me, it usually comes down to the money. If you're willing to pay that much money to sponsor an event, the business usually approves. Don't get me wrong though, this is not always the case. Would you let something like this print? Even if it meant the survival of your organization? Yes the Puerto Rican Day Parades across the country are meant for fun, but they are here to celebrate our culture and keep history alive.

Jarritos takes over the social media world

When we last spoke about Jarritos, I somehow found a small obsession with the fruit soda. Well as if the 10 or so flavors weren't grabbing your taste buds, they've rolled out a whole new flavor: Mexican Cola. Any may I add it's made with 100% natural sugar and not high-fructose corn syrup. Just saying.

In addition to the new flavor, it seems as though Jarritos Nation has taken the way of the Facebook page. They've rolled out some additional features:

• Send-a-Bottle app with a brand new design.


• Jarritos Nation contest - Daily scavenger hunt where users can follow clues to win sodas, t-shirts, gift cards, and more.


• Club Jarritos program integration to their Facebook page so players can redeem bottle cap codes online instead of having to mail them in.

So if you're into a sugary drink and want to win free stuff, check out Jarritos Nation. The funny thing is that I've seen the drink distributed more and more now in Philadelphia. Weird.

Our obsession with novelas

As a child I would watch novelas with mom and dad but later on I just stopped watching. It wasn't until my recent career move that I had a sudden interest in the novelas. With everyone talking about Reina del Sur, I had to see what the fuss was about (although I missed the entire series). Unlike mainstream soap operas, Spanish novelas only last one season and don't go on for 10+ years.

Last night, Mi Corazon Insiste, premiered on Telemundo. I must say it caught my attention. I'm a sucker for love :sigh: so it was interesting to see all the drama roll out. And talk about grabbing your attention. This pilot episode had everything a novela from my past had and then some. It reminded my of Moulin Rouge. Why? Because above all else, all you need is love. Sure there's the bad guy who happens to be the father of the main character who is in love with a girl younger than him sent to prison for 5+ years and when she gets out on probation he is getting married to someone else. Too much? Now I know why our comunidad just LOVE these novelas. Anyone want to start the Club de Noveleras in Philly lol.

2011 Hispanic Choice Awards

Ugh oh, speaking of festivals, to close off the Hispanic celebrations of the year, the Philadelphia Hispanic Choice Awards (HCA) is back and what a difference. The Hispanic Choice Awards honors and celebrates Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware's Latino professionals, organizations and businesses across all sectors. Nominations are made via an online campaign and is open to the public. The HCA program highlights the meaningful collaborations and socially responsible impacts of the Latino community in the entire Delaware Valley.

This year's new (and slimmer) awards are as followed:

• Community Advocate of the Year - "Impact" Award
• Education Champion of the Year - "El Futuro" Award
• Creative Artist of the Year - "Vision" Award
• Business Person of the Year - "Trailblazer" Award
• Corporate Partner of the Year - "Alianza" Award
• Lifetime Achievement Award - new for 2011

As you can tell, this year's show will most likely be shorter. And in all honesty, this awards show should not have been 6 hours long. The slimmer awards will make competition a little better and will surely bring out more people. Nominations can be made from today through July 14th. Winners will be announced live at the HCA's on Tuesday, October 11, 2011. Throughout the years, we've seen more and more outstanding winners announced during the event. Of course some may think it's a popularity contest, some might think of this event as a chance to award those who haven't gotten the spotlight. There are hundreds of leaders out there in the world and only a small portion get recognition. See you then.

Latino festivals gear up for el verano

Now that Philly's Latino festival season has geared up, maybe we should start thinking about how difficult it is to put these events together. I don't know why I'm even blogging about this, but it's true. Imagine trying to put on a large scale event where anything can go wrong. Imagine you have a huge name coming to perform and 10 hours before the event starts, the star cancels, or worse...they don't even show up. Imagine one of the event attendees decides to pass out or get hurt? Imagine the worst because it can happen.

But nonetheless, these festivals have to go on! The media pay close attention to these celebrations of culture. When there's "drama" brewing up with participation, sponsorship and/or themes, the media only look at the negative. Yes year after year festivals try to reinvent themselves but sometimes the public agree things get repetitive. I've seen some festivals drop in attendance and some get higher. What would you want to see different? Musical talent? Contests?