Today is Cesar Chavez Day

Yesterday, President Obama issued a proclamation stating that henceforth,  March 31st will be Cesar Chavez day.

Como la Flor: Selena

Today marks the 16th anniversary of the tragic death of one of our brightest stars, Selena Quintanilla-Pérez.  

Is your phone a friend or foe?

by Libby Juliá Vázquez

For five years I had a job that required me to be available 24/7. Out of necessity my phone became my constant companion, and on the very rare occasions that I left it behind somewhere, I immediately felt the lack of its presence. My friends and family often teased that I could fall, have an accident, or something similar and ‘”that phone will still be cradled safely in your hands.”

A year and a half after leaving that job I was at dinner with friends. Immediately after being seated everyone placed their phones on the table as if they were part of the dinnerware. “AHA!” I exclaimed. The very same friends who had teased me mercilessly, who preferred phone calls to text—”It’s so much faster if you just call.”—were now at the dinner table texting, and checking Facebook. I could only grin and say, “Welcome to the dark  side, otherwise known as the 21st century!”

Is Arizona’s being Punk’d?

by Libby Juliá Vázquez

Watching all that has been going on in Arizona during the last year, I sometimes feel as if its poor residents are the unwitting guests stars in a never-edng episode of the prank show, Punk’d. As a viewer, I anxiously await the moment when Ashton Kutcher will come around the corner, or better yet, Gov. Brewer will remove her mask revealing she is in fact Ashton Kutcher and inform them that it’s all been a joke. Though they’re all mad, after a few moments everyone will laugh because, really, how could any of it have been real?

In another such episode, on Tuesday, Governor Jan Brewer signed House Bill 2443 into law, making it a felony for a doctor to perform an abortion based on the sex or race of the fetus.

Small Business Owners’ Series: How to Leverage Customers’ Loyalty

by Carlos Macías

It is a fact that immigrants are the growth engines in America. But all our big dreams start small. New business owners face uphill battles to open, manage and grow their enterprise. In this new “Small Business Owners’ Series,” you will find practical and succinct advise on how to bolster your business practices, engage your clientele and keep your employees happy.

In order to reward your customers’ loyalty, you first need to find out their opinions and solicit suggestions. Start with creating a simple poll and distribute it to your customers via e-mail, direct mail, web application or a handout. Make sure you have a significant number of responses before you start analyzing the data. I would say 100 responses is a good starting point. (This number may vary depending on the type of business you have)

Pull your pants up!

by Robert Rios

Most adults will agree that some of the fashion trends worn by today’s youth are inappropriate. While every generation has criticized the younger’s style of threads, it’s now the choice of how said trends are worn that is cause for growing concern. I’m speaking about pants sagging, and how some young men and women parade the streets of the city with their pants half-way down to their knees, displaying to the world their adolescent assets. 

Growing up in ‘80s and ‘90s during the infantile state of Hip-Hop, I witnessed its cultural influence on fashion and lifestyle first hand; some of it positive and some of it negative, and though not intentional, it is a backlash of the movement. We’ve all seen urban entertainers proudly strutting around with undergarments on display and flesh-clad fabric not leaving much to the imagination. While the cause of such displays may be evident to those who may have gone through the correctional system, there are those in suburban and middle-America who have no idea that they are even portraying jail gang culture by letting their pants sag down to ridiculous proportions. As the growing population of sex offenders in our neighborhoods continues to soar, parents, now more than ever, need to make sure their young ones gain a better perspective and understanding of how they are portraying themselves.

Can Latinos save Detroit?

by Ulises Silva

That smack you heard last week was Detroit slapping its collective forehead after the Census released its numbers. No, not the numbers telling us what we already knew (i.e., that, contrary to what Hollywood says, there are LOTS of Latinos in the U.S.). Rather, the numbers telling another familiar story: that people are leaving Detroit.

Actually, the numbers were worse than expected: a city designed for two million people now has 713,777 in it, representing a sharper population decline than even New Orleans after Katrina.

Dear Mr. President

Dear Mr. President,

Every devoted democrat remembers that inspiring keynote speech you gave at the 2004 Democratic Convention. We all knew then you were special and destined for greatness. Since that day, you became a political star, and people who follow politics started watching you closely and dissecting all your votes in the senate. Then when you announced your candidacy, for the presidency of the United States, in Springfield, Illinois,  you gave another amazing and inspiring speech. Every liberal out there jumped for joy. We were pumped and excited. Finally, after almost 8 years suffering under Bush, we saw the light. We had a formidable and superb candidate.  Everyone knew it was going to be a struggle, but we were passionate.  We were hopeful.

Fasting: It’s not just for religious folk

by Eric Jude Cortes

It was easier than I thought walking around a crowded high school with a big black cross on my forehead. Standing in front of five classes of thirty-five children, most of them from Muslim countries (Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh), I found a simple way to quickly explain my ash mark and then get on with the work.

What consumer behavior statistics reveal about Latino culture

by Alex Levine

Every day there seems to be a new article published about statistical findings regarding the media usage of the US Hispanic population. While the numbers themselves are often interesting, what can be even more interesting is reading between the lines and discovering how this data is reflective of Latino culture.