LATINoSUTRA DIARIES: "ATTRACTIVE ARREST"

LATINoSUTRA delves into the relationships and sex lives of latinos.  This week:  Female, Straight, 26 years old, singer and writer.

Day 1

“Ay dios mio”, I thought to myself.“ Look who just walked in?” 

I took a double take when he opened up the door to my spa. He looked like an Abercrombie & Fitch model, about 6 feet tall, fair skinned with a bristled beard and mustache. Without hesitation, he walked right up to me, asking for my help to purchase a face cream (As if he needed it).

“Hey I’m back, I told you I’d stop in.  Listen, I ran out of my shaving cream and a few other products. I was hoping you could show me your selection?”

“Yeah, sure. Of course! I didn’t think I’d see you so soon though.”  I smiled from cheek to cheek, still pleasantly surprised.

I pumped a lotion onto his hands so he could feel the texture, my heart racing as my soft dainty fingers glided against his big, rough ones. And while taking my time, I massaged it into his palms, going around in circular motion. He then lifted my hand as if to kiss it, but it was just to smell the fragrance. Despite my excitement, it was an easy sale.

“Hmm, so you’re a Brooklynite like myself. Don’t you love BK?” I asked as I stood by the registrar, typing in all of his personal information into our clientele data base system.

He leaned his right elbow onto the glass counter.     

“Brooklyn’s great but I’m looking to buy an apartment in Hell’s Kitchen. Manhattans always fit my personality more.”  

“Oh yeah? So the concrete jungle pulls your heart huh? You’d probably look good in one of those I LOVE NY T-shirts.”

He chuckled “How ‘bout you? You hang out in the city at all? Or do you take the train into Brooklyn after your shifts over and call it a day?”

“Ummm…I’m a little like you. At one time I even thought about moving into the city but…Brooklyn’s been changing pretty fast. It’s up and coming ya know. Anyway, I’m really glad you stopped in. Good luck finding a place in the city and don’t be a stranger. Come back again soon.”  I handed him his bag and smiled.

He lowered his eyelids to give off a dreamy effect, “What time you get off work?”

Behind him, my boss gave her approval with thumbs WAY UP! And one of the esthetician’s who was leaning against the wall, lifted her leg up in a white nurses skirt and fanned her face saying, “He’s hot”. But I made an excuse as he kept probing questions and gently led him out of the spa. My boss then walked over to smack my arm, “Tu estas loca? Que guapisimo ese hombre! Tu le vas a llamar?"

“Yo no se”, I replied. “I can’t believe he actually came in here though. I met him earlier today at that little Jewish restaurant down the street. The one you told me to go into. Anyway, I was scrambling for change inside of my wallet and I got so frustrated; I ended up emptying out the entire thing. Hay, yo estaba muy avergonzada!  I couldn’t even afford a freak’n bagel with cream cheese, so he just gave it to me for free since he’s the manager”.

Rolling my eyes up to the ceiling, I let out a sigh before continuing. “When he walked over to introduce himself, I told him he had the most beautiful hazel eyes I’d ever seen.”

CLICK READ MORE BELOW TO CONTINUE.....

HUGO CHAVEZ TO USE PLANES TO FORCE RAIN OUT OF CLOUDS

So what's a president to do when your country is experiencing severe water supply issues?? You tell everyone how to take a shower of course! 

Last week in a broadcasted interview, Leftist President Hugo Chavez called on Venezuelan's to stop singing in the shower and to wash your shit in 3 minutes. Venezuela has recently been plagued by a string of power shortages. The country is struggling to provide adequate electricity and water to its people as it contends with underinvestment and a drop in water levels in the hydroelectric dams that provide the nation with much of its energy.


Calling for water conservation, he said low rainfall caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon meant water levels were critically low in the El Guri reservoir, one of the world's largest dams. "Some people sing in the shower, in the shower half an hour. No kids, three minutes is more than enough. I've counted, three minutes, and I don't stink," he said during a televised Cabinet meeting. "If you are going to lie back, in the bath, with the soap and you turn on the what's it called, the Jacuzzi ... imagine that, what kind of communism is that? We're not in times of Jacuzzi," he said, to laughter from his ministers. 


Among his strategies to deal with the country's water supply issues Chavez mentioned that the government would be using airplanes to try and force rain from clouds. YES..seriously.  Someone in Colombia must of sent Chavez a shipment of the bad shit cause it looks like he forgot to get off the crazy train and went straight on to LOCO VILLE.

LIGHTS.. CAMERA... ACTION: WE'RE BACK ON!

Dear LV Users,

After a short interruption in publishing, we're coming back with amazing new content catered to reflect the voice of the young latino community. There's many new exciting projects in the works including a new editors and a sex/relationship column!

Stay tuned, lots of good stuff on the way.

Saludos,

The Editor

SONIA SOTOMAYOR SWORN IN AS NEW JUSTICE

Justice Sonia Sotomayor took the judicial oath on Saturday, becoming the first Hispanic and third woman to serve on the Supreme Court in United States history. At just past 11 a.m., Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. administered a pair of oaths to her in two private ceremonies at the Supreme Court building, completing her ascent to a life-tenured position as the nation’s 111th justice, and the first to be nominated by a Democratic president since 1994.

ESCANDALO! COPS TASER PREGNANT MEXICAN WOMAN & GRANDFATHER

Now we all know that latino baptism parties can get a little loud, but thats no reason to start tasering the shit out of people!!

Cops in Prince William County, Virginia broke up a backyard baptism party that got loud and boozy.  The popo was responding to a noise complaint and are claiming that the owner of the house, a 55 year old grandfather, refused to identify himself and resisted arrest when they asked him to turn down the music.  The pregnant mother of the baptized boys then attempted to help the grandfather who was on the ground and her ass got some too!  However, according to the family the popo didn't even give the grandpappy  a chance to show his I.D. when they were already tasering him.  Both victims are facing criminal charges but the family is fighting back by claiming discrimination and use of excessive force.  Click here to check out the story on Fox News:

DAILY VIBE: IN THE NEWS

*Oh snap!  - Prominent opponents of President Ahmadinejad's snub his re-election ceremony.  

- NYTIMES.COM

*Despite repeated denials by President Hugo Chavez, new evidence suggests that Venezuelan officials have continued to assist commanders of Colombia's largest rebel group.  

- NYTIMES.COM

*Let the battles begin! - Michael Jackson's mama seeks control of estate.  - CNN.COM

*Its about time - Episcopal church nominates 2 openly gay priests as bishops.  

- HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

*If you care (and can even remember) that dirty old reverend, Alberto Cutie who got caught doing the nasty with his lover of two years, you'll be happy to know that he's now happily married and graces the over of People En Espanol.  - PEOPLENESPANOL.COM

*Drama! Google vs. Apple.. no pulling off wigs ladies! - Google Inc Chief Exec Eric Schmidt is resigning from Apple Inc's board of directors, Apple said, citing increased competition between the two leading technology companies.  - REUTERS.COM

*HSBC is in the shit hole!  - Europe's largest bank by market value said net profit for the first six months of 2008 was $3.3 Billion compared to $7.7 Billion a year earlier.  GULP.  HSBC, we'll go ahead and fax you the bankruptcy application asap.  - WSJ.COM

*Ent' that mah' baby for sale on the internet?? - A Massachusetts mom finds out someone is using her baby's picture in a Craigslist adoption scam!  - CNN.COM

RICKY MARTIN LAUNCHES "POST CARDS FROM THE STARS"

Nothing says "I love you boo" like a video message e-card from Ricky Martin!

This wonderful masterpiece of an idea has been in Beta since October but will officially launch in 2010.  "Post Cards from The Stars" is a website where you pay $3.99 for a personalized video greeting starring Ricky Martin himself or other mystery stars not listed on the site (I'm reallyyy hoping that Charo or Don Francisco are included on the list!!).  

We're wondering if there are any "restrictions" on what the message can say...?  For $3.99 that bitch best get ready to deliver some nasty explicit shit!  After all, we're paying for the service and demand our money's worth!  I'm thinking a sexually explicit video message from a gay lover to another involving leather.  I'm sure Ricky Martin won't have any issues delivering those type of messages.   Click below to watch the video.

WTF: CRISTIANO RONALDO'S LEGS ARE WORTH WHAT?

When we read that the Real Madrid football team has purchased an insurance policy for Cristiano Ronaldo's legs we thought it would be fun to guess for how much.  Say $1MM just for fun?  Ok, perhaps $10MM?  Needless to say we were wayyyyyy off.  

Ronaldo's legs have been insured for $100MM EUROS (Thats $142MM dollars)!  God damn!  We can't even afford to make our monthly insurance payment for COBRA which is already subsided by the guvment!  In a effort to lift our spirits, here's a really hot pic of those legs.  

- Source:  Terra.com

TEXAS HOMEOWNER WANTS HISPANICS TO "KEEP OUT''

A homeowner in Azle, Texas has created a mild stir in his neighborhood after choosing to display a sign reading “Hispanics, Keep Out!” on her property. Some neighbors feel the sign is in poor taste at best and, at worst, hateful and that it should be taken down.

The homeowners, however, are inclined to disagree. A 72-year-old woman who answered the door for reporters echoed the sentiments expressed on the sign and is, in fact, so proud of her convictions that she refused to disclose her name to the press, perhaps so that her words may belong to the people, like a dirty limerick whose original author is lost to time:

Well, you know, I don’t care. I’m upset about them coming over here illegally, too.

We think this is our privilege as an American to protect our property. This is our property.

Poor aunt Ethel.  Still ignorant after all these years.  I'm thinking she might regret the above statement when she checks into a nursing home and finds out that her caretaker is a LATINA.

- WFAA.COM

DAILY VIBE: TOP HEADLINES OF THE DAY

*Darkness falls in Asia during eclipse. - CNN.COM

*In health care fight, Obama reaches a defining moment. - NYTIMES.COM

*Californians are pissed at the Governator. - NYTIMES.COM

*Damn - iPhone factory worker commits suicide over lost G4 prototype.

- NYDAILYNEWS.COM

*Off with their heads - Rats eat toes of Ohio baby, married couple and mom´s boyfriend charged with felony. They should add an ass wipping and let NY rats eat their toes.

- NYDAILYNEWS.COM

*You know the economy is bad when mexicans can´t even make it across the border.

- CNN.COM

GLOBILIZATION IN LATIN AMERICA AND ITS HIDDEN PATH OF DESTRUCTION

A look around and few deep breaths are all that are needed to understand that there is something seriously wrong with the town of La Oroya--tucked away in the once beautiful valleys of the Andes Mountains in Peru. According to the Blacksmith Institute, La Oroya is listed as one of the world’s 10 most polluted places: 97% of the children, below the age of six, are poisoned with lead (study conducted by St. Louis University). The industrial plant in La Oroya conducts heavy metal mining and processing where chemicals such as lead and sulfur dioxide are produced.

While many who live in La Oroya work at the plant and earn their livings there,, the workers’ health is at serious risk. The plant emits 1.5 tons of lead and 810 tons of sulfur dioxide daily. One worker, Claudia Albino, who is a washerwoman at the plant talks about her seven year old daughter’s stunted growth, “This man Rennert [owner of the industrial plant in La Oroya, Peru] I’ve heard of him on television, of his great wealth...as for me, I cannot afford to test these lead levels in my daughter’s blood any longer.”

Finally, Doe Run, which owns the industrial plant in La Oroya, has developed an environmental management plan to be implemented over the next four years. Doe Run plans to install equipment that will reduce emissions, at a cost of $400 million. However, a concerned NGO in the local area has created a movement that is pushing to implement compensation and provide healthcare to the 35,000 residents of La Oroya. In addition, legislation has been passed to deal with the deadly smog of La Oroya. Peru’s Government National Environmental Council has approved a contingency plan for the states of alert. The plan’s aim is to send red alerts out to residents of La Oroya to stay inside their houses when a signal is sounded that air quality or weather conditions are exacerbating pollution levels.

While these measures may reduce the environmental toxicity in the future, the health of many residents of La Oroya is very fragile due to years of unregulated emissions of lead and other toxic chemicals.

By Stephanie Mercado

REPUBLICAN TOM COBURN SAYS SOTOMAYOR HAS "ALLOT OF SPLAININ' TO DO"

Our first reaction to this news was WTF?  

In one of the most hilarious moments of a boring and repetitive third day of her Senate confirmation hearing, Sotomayor made the gun analogy after Oklahoma Republican Tom Coburn repeatedly prodded her to explain if the Second Amendment gave every American a right to self-defense.

"Do I have a right to personal self-defense?" Coburn said.  Sotomayor said she couldn't recall a single federal law that dealt with that issue.  "Most criminal law statutes are passed by states," she said. "The issue of self-defense is usually defined in criminal statutes by state laws."

"Is it okay to defend yourself in your home when you're under attack?" Coburn insisted. "Those are the kinds of things people would like you to answer."

The Bronx-bred Sotomayor wasn't taking the bait. As she has throughout the hearing, she refused to express her opinion on any issue that may come before the high court.  New York law, she replied, allows citizens to "use force to repel a threat" but only "if the threat is imminent."

She then tried to placate Coburn with a hypothetical example:

"If the threat was in this room, 'I'm going to come get you,' and if I go home, get a gun, come back and shoot you, that may not be legal," she said.  Laughter swept through the audience.

"You'll have lots of 'splainin' to do,'" Coburn retorted. It was an obvious reference to the broken-English phrase made famous decades ago by Desi Arnaz, the Cuban bandleader and co-star of "I Love Lucy."

Ummm... I'm not sure if we should just lighten up and take it as a funny joke (which it kind of was) or take it as an insult meant to ridicule?  Share with us your thoughts!  PLEASE COMMENT!

By GC

TOP FIVE INFLUENTIAL LATINO CANDIDATES FOR THE 2012 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

With the historic election of Barack Obama to the Presidency of the United States, racial barriers in politics have been destroyed. Americans have shown their willingness to break from tradition and elect quality officials regardless of their national origin, color, sex, or religion.  Considering this, as well as the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, we thought it would be appropriate to highlight five Latino politicians who could potentially run a successful presidential campaign in 2012.

Antonio Villaraigosa- He is the mayor of the City of Los Angeles. First elected in 2005, he was then elected to a second term in 2009.  Born in Los Angeles in 1953 to Mexican immigrants, he has shown exceptional leadership locally and the potential to take his success national.  He served as the national co-chair on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, as well as part of then president-elect Obama’s economic transition team. With this he has shown an aptitude for national issues and the ability to put his skill to use on a grand scale.  During his time as mayor, he has modeled himself after New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who has taken strong stances on gun-control, education, and quality of life. He has sought to implement similar policies in Los Angeles.  Shortly after his election, Mayor Villaraigosa was featured on TIME Magazine’s list of the 25 most influential Latinos.

Bill Richardson- He is the current governor of New Mexico. He was elected in 2003.  He also served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Energy Secretary under President Clinton.  He also served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives where he sponsored legislation for equal rights for Native Americans, a major constituency in his state.  He also engaged in solo negotiations with Saddam Hussein in the 1990s. He is the son of a white father and Spanish-Mexican mother.  He was nominated by President Obama to be the Commerce Secretary but withdrew himself due to scandal rather than tarnish the President’s image.  He has shown exemplary leadership and a commitment to equal rights for all.  His various offices and appointments make him uniquely qualified to deal with national as well as global issues. 

 

Adolfo Carrion Jr. - He is currently the Director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs Policy, which is charged with the duty to coordinate and implement policy for urban areas nationwide as well as set urban policy agenda with all the executive departments.  President Obama chose him for this position.  Before accepting this position, he was the Bronx Borough President in New York City, which is the boroughs chief executive. In this capacity, he was also the States highest-ranking Latino elected official.  He was born in New York to Puerto Rican parents. He has dedicated his career to helping the under-privileged. He constantly worked with the Mayor and New York City council to improve the quality of life for New Yorkers and minorities.  He would bring a fresh perspective to national politics.

 

Joe Baca- He is the Congressman from New Mexico. He has served in this position since 1999 when he won a special election.  Rep. Baca is a Vietnam veteran, where he served in the Army as a member of the Army’s airborne division.  He has spent his career fighting for veterans rights, anti-violence, agricultural issues, financial responsibility, and more Latino representation is corporate America.  He was born in New Mexico to Mexican laborers.  His experience with national issues and Latino empowerment make him a worthy candidate for the presidency.

 

Luis Gutierrez- He is a Congressman from Chicago.  He was elected in 1992 and became the first Hispanic elected from the Midwest.  He was born in Chicago to Puerto Rican parents.  He is a supporter of Puerto Rican independence and the rights of Vieques’ citizens.  He has spent his career in Congress fighting for immigration reform and immigrants rights as well as financial responsibility and affordable housing for urban areas.  His seventeen years in Congress have given him the experience to deal with local and national issues.  His experience with immigration issues also makes him qualified to tackle the sensitive areas of our relationship with Mexico and Latin America.

While these politicians may have their flaws, like any other, they would bring diversity and richness of experiences to the office of the Presidency.  While their race or ethnicity should not be a determining factor, it would undoubtedly have an affect on how they run the nation and treat minorities nationwide. 

By Chris Carrion

FEATURED ARTIST OF THE WEEK: INTERVIEW WITH JAMES DE LA VEGA "BECOME YOUR DREAM"

“Fuck everybody”, stated the 38-year-old controversial Artist and Philosopher, James De La Vega.  Sitting below the capitol cased letters “BECOME YOUR DREAM” painted above the entrance of his art gallery located at 102 St. Mark’s Place in the East Village, he delivered a message.

“Once you allow people to bend you, eventually they’ll break you, so don’t ever change who you are for no one”, commented Vega.

Underneath his aviator like shades and brown fisherman’s hat, he hides behind a façade yet his opinion exhales like the smoke from his cigar as we discussed how to make a difference through art, music and literature.  He further explained that when one pursues a goal, one must have the confidence to stay true to their vision without compromising. This frame of mind is partly the reason for his arrest back in July of 2003 when he spray painted a fish jumping out of a bowl on the side of a Bronx warehouse with hopes of inspiring random pedestrians, which indeed won him a favorable reputation in the neighborhood, but hardly any with law enforcements. There after, he served 90 days of community service, yet continued coloring the streets of New York with pieces of chalk. One example in particular is of a bird resting upon his mother’s arm with a message underneath. It reads, “Be Free, My Son, Be Free.”

His unconstrained words of advice definitely matched his liberal lifestyle, perhaps due to his father’s independent influence before he died of A.I.D.S. in the early 90’s.  “My father owned a few small business’s… He was always a Boss”, said Vega.

Although De La Vega suffered a great loss in his early teens, today the majority of his art collection pays tribute to Elsie Matos, his mother who was left alone to raise him in El Barrio, better known as Spanish Harlem on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. In an effort to inspire confidence and enlighten the public, he uses his mother’s character in which he refers to as a “strong woman” to portray worldwide celebrities and public figures in various illustrations.

For example, in a 5 x 8 drawing of his mother entitled, “My mother as Rosita Parks”, she is drawn as the only Latin women wearing gold hoop earrings with a slight mustache sitting in the last row of a bus occupied by Black passengers. Thus, the racial slur ‘nigger’ is blatantly crossed out which is replaced by the following statement: ‘Spics not allowed to sit in the front of the bus’.  The next canvas also projects a racist concept with its title, “My mother as Amadou Diallo”. Here, her character is covered with 40 bullet wounds excessively dripping blood while aggressively shooting back with two machine guns, one held in each arm. Although these images are drawn in a cartoonist fashion, it conveys a serious issue while keeping the mood humorous. To further create a lively environment, salsa music circulates the room while one gazes upon the universal selection of innovators and world leaders such as pieces entitled, “My Mother as David Blaine breathing in a fish tank”, “My Mother As Fidel Castro In A Yankees Outfit” and “My Mother as John Lennon wearing a T-shirt that says ‘Nueva York”.

Like a kaleidoscope, this square shaped store is three dimensional, offering even more imagination than what was just previously observed and mentioned. There is a rack filled with greeting cards. The cover of one card has a stick drawing of a fish in three separate scenes. In the first he’s swimming with fins, in the second he sprouts legs, and in the third he runs onto land. A fish with legs! Needless to say, the picture speaks for itself.

“You know, all we have is each other”, De La Vega said. “I can honestly say that if I died tomorrow, I would be satisfied with what I left behind,” and he raised his arms to show off his amazing store that is a reflection of his artistic soul. Therefore when I asked him to explain what his personal dream was, since he motivates others to follow theirs, it wasn’t surprising to hear his reply.

“I want people to know that they can achieve anything they want to achieve and become whoever they want to become”. “OK, but what is your ‘personal’ dream for yourself?” I insisted

“I’d like to open up more stores across the country, especially in Los Angeles. A store in Puerto Rico would be nice too.”  However as of recently, Vega’s work has been invited to participate inside of several restaurants and venues around Manhattan such as NYC’s Sofritos Restaurant (Puerto Rican Cuisine), The East Side Community High School and theatres throughout Manhattan, making him a highly respected artist in demand. Furthermore, while De La Vega focuses on imbuing a mass public, he proudly makes his Puerto Rican heritage known. “Conviertete En Tu Sueno” is written across a free sticker that he throws in every bag after every purchase. However, although the tattoo on his forearm says “BECOME YOUR DREAM”, The English translation for the sticker means, “Transform Into Your Dream”.

After I left for the evening, pleased at our motivational dialogue, I saw three black chairs in front of his store with individual messages written in white letters. They read, For Black’s Only, For Jew’s Only and For Gay’s Only. And off to the far left, was a fourth chair that read For Fat Girl’s Only. Knowing that De La Vega purposely invokes one to think outside the box through visual concepts, I realized that no one should take a seat and that everyone should stand up for their right to dream.

 By Jasmine Clemente

DAILY VIBE: TOP HEADLINES OF THE DAY

*McNair shot dead in sleep by 20 year old girlfriend who was distraught about mounting financial problems and her belief that he was seeing someone else.  - YAHOO.NEWS.COM

*Michael Jackson's daughter touched the hearts of millions when she bid a tearful farewell to her father at his memorial service in a rare public appearance.  CNN.COM

*Google challenges Microsoft with new operating system.  - WSJ.COM

* Thousands of Chinese troops flooded into this city Wednesday to separate feuding ethnic groups after three days of communal violence left 156 people dead, and a senior Communist Party official vowed to execute those guilty of murder in the rioting in western China.  - YAHOO.NEWS.COM

*Barf - GOPers would still vote Palin for prez in 2012 shows poll.  If that ever happens, which I'm sure it won't, I'm moving countries.  - NYDAILYNEWS.COM

*Oscar Mayer founder dead. R.I.P.  - I grew up on those!  Mah' mama used to cook them on a fork and feed me when she didn't want to cook dinner.  Actually that kinds of sad... - HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

THE UNSUNG HEROES OF THE U.S. WORKFORCE: LATINO IMMIGRANT WORKERS

Immigrant latinos represent a valuable part of the U.S. workforce.  Cheap labor has always been a huge asset to corporations in the U.S.  who employ immigrant workers for jobs that need to get done, but nobody really wants to take on.  By employing immigrant workers companies save huge amounts of money that would otherwise pay for insurance benefits among other costs that come along with employing a legal worker.  In other words, cheap labor contributes to the wealth of U.S. companies and in turn to lucrative earnings of corporations.

We recently came across an amazing photographer by the name of Dulce Pinzon who has captured the lives of these unsung heroes of the U.S. workforce.  Dishwashers and other laborers take center in Dulce's art.  Dulce Pinzón was born in Mexico City in 1974. She studied Mass Media Communications at the Universidad de Las Americas in Puebla Mexico and Photography at Indiana University in Pennsylvania. In 1995 she moved to New York where she 

studied at The International Center of Photography (Pinzon 1).

As a young Mexican artist living in the US, Dulce soon found new inspiration for her photography in feelings of nostalgia, questions of identity, and political and cultural frustrations. In her black and white series “Viviendo en el Gabacho” (a Mexican colloquialism for living in the US) she illustrates the phenomenon of the integration of the Mexican immigrant into the New York landscape (Pinzon 1).  The Real Story of the superheroes” comes full circle to reintroduce the Mexican immigrant in New York in a satirical documentary style featuring ordinary men and women in their work environment donning superhero garb, thus raising questions of both our definition of heroism and our ignorance of and indifference to the workforce that fuels our ever-consuming economy (Pinzon 1)

Her work has been published and collected internationally. In 2001 her photos were used for the cover of a publication of Howard Zinn’s book “A People’s History of the United States”. In 2002 Dulce won the prestigious Jovenes Creadores grant in Mexico for her work. In 2006 she won an Honorific Mention in the Santa Fe project competition and she won the 12th edition of the Mexican Biennial of El Centro de La Imagen (Pinzon 1). Dulce was a 2006 fellow in Photography from the New York Foundation for the Arts and is now participating in the 2007 fall session of the Bronx Museum’s AIM program. She is currently a Ford Foundation fellow and lives in Brooklyn New York (Pinzon 1).

 Here's a few of the photographs that we found most interesting and compelling.  

*Latinas take care of your children, teach them manners AND jump start them with the spanish language skills.  Put a price tag on that!

*Some are climbing buildings cleaning the windows with that amazing view from your office.  

*Others are washing your underwear and dirty laundry!  

We personally find Dulce's work not only inspiring but also empowering.  You can read more about her work on her webiste:  http://www.dulcepinzon.com.   Make sure to checkout the site to view complete series!

- (1) Sources:  Pinzon, Dulce.  "Dulce Pinzon Biography."  http://www.dulcepinzon.com/index.

htm.  8 Jul. 09

DAILY VIBE: TOP HEADLINES OF THE DAY

*The world says goodbye to Michael Jackson.  Jackson's body will be at memorial.  More than 1.6MM people registered for free tickets to Jackson's memorial.  Only a total of 8,750 people were chosen to receive two tickets each.  - NEWS.YAHOO.COM

*Mexico's ruling party, PAN, loses mid-term elections to PRI.  - CNN.COM

*Sarah Palin on her political career.  Still trying to stay relevant (keyword is relevant).  She should just join the cost of dancing with the Stars, that always does the trick.  - NYPOST.COM

*Hundreds of protesters in Urumqi, China, defied a government ordered lockdown on Tuesday a day after deadly clashes between Uighurs and Han Chinese.  - NYTIMES.COM

*Sarah Palin hit with another ethics complaint. - HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

*U.S. consumers fall behind on loans at record pace. Egh, join the club.  - REUTERS.COM

*Obama asks Russians to forge partnership with US.  Gulp.  - NEWS.YAHOO.COM

FEATURED ARTIST OF THE WEEK: "NAVEGANTE"... YOU'LL BE ROCKING THESE BEATS!

There’s a fresh tune hitting the streets of NYC, an electric-Latin funk rhythm that could spread as easily as swine flue. Okay, maybe that’s exaggerating, but the King of Rock himself Carlos Santana, describes Navegante as, “the artist that will carry the torch into the future.”

Navegante is led by Puerto Rican/Peruvian vocalista and cuatrista Jean Shepherd, who you might have known as the front man for the innovative group Radio Mundial. Haciendo la banda completa, is Wash Duke, rocking the Afro beat and Latin rhythm mixed with electro beats; and Guillo Colon, providing his bass and synthesizers skills. 

So what inspires Navegante to be? The fans.

According to the Q&A we had with Navegante, “The faces of the people that truly feel our music at shows is always moving.”

Besides the band presentandonos with cool and inventive beats, there’s a mensaje that Jean and his co-band members want to comunicar.

“Hope. I want my music to give hope to those people who've watched me work hard steadily throughout all the pitfalls and roadblocks, says Navegante. “I do this for them so they can see the possibilities that are out there. “

What a humble message! They’re down to earth people who won’t let their rock star status get to their heads. This is something we all can appreciate because no one likes a big head.

“Those who have supported from the beginning you know that I love you deeply, and that I do this for all of us,” says Navegante.  “My every action is to empower the community, lead by example, and bring as many smiles to you all as possible. None of this Rock star sh#t. I love my people.”

Navegante has many future projects and events.

“I’m touring with Navegante for our Album release, and I'm also working on A Cable TV show called the Flaco Show,” said Shepherd.

If you want to see how awesome Navegante is and view live show listings, check them out on www.navegante.tv.  If you’re in NYC, you can experience the sound uptown at Camaradas, on 115th and First Avenue. Now, go rock out to their album Microcosmos!

By Sharon Saint-Hilaire

WELCOME CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: SHARON SAINT-HILAIRE

LatinVibe would like to welcome our new contributing editor Sharon Saint-Hilaire! 

Originally from New York and of Dominican descent, Sharon majored in Public Relations at the State University of New York at New Platz.   

One of Sharon's major passion points is expressing her creativity through writing.  Her humorous and spanglish latino writing style reflects her youthful and creative personality.  She also enjoys keeping up to date with el mundo de entrenimiento and is addicted to her CrackBerry's (of course we mean BlackBerry!) "Google App" which keeps her informed 24/7.  Other activities include partying until the sun comes up in New York City!  Lol.

LV is very excited to have Sharon on board as a writer... welcome!

BECAUSE LATINOS ARE BILLIONAIRES TOO!

During these days of financial turmoil, when banks are getting bailed out left and right, unemployment rates have reached record highs and some of us are turning to the dollar menu for our evening dining options, we thought it would be FUN to remind everyone that latinos are billionaires too!  This year, 43 latinos out of a total 793 in the world made it onto Forbes's coveted list of billionaires.  Behold the top 5:

#65 - Carlos Slim Helu: When the New York Times was in major financial trouble they turned to billionaire Carlos Slim Helu who agreed to lend the company a whopping $250MM dollars!!

- Age:  69

- Country:  Mexico!

- Net Worth:  $35 Billion

- Industry:  Telecom

#66 - Armancio Ortega Goana:  Armancio is the founder and president of Inditex Group which owns and operates the well known retail store ZARA around the world.

- Age:  73

- Country:  Spain

- Net Worth:  $18.3 Billion

- Industry:  Retail/Textile

#67 - Eike Batista:  This man built his fortune from searching for gold and other precious metals in the Amazon river.  I'll grab the canoe and you the get the gold pan ready!

- Age:  52

- Country:  Brazil

- Net Worth:  $7.5 Billion

- Industry:  Mining/Lumber

#68 - Joseph Safra:  Joseph is the owner of The Safra Group which is an international network of privately held companies controlled by the Safra family, comprising a banking and financial institutions conglomerate, industrial operations and telecommunications.

- Age:  70

- Country:  Brazil

- Net Worth:  $7.0 Billion

- Industry:  Finance

#69 - Iris Fontbona and Family:  Second wife, and now widow, of billionaire Andronico Luksic, who died of cancer in 2005. Family controls copper giant Antofagasta, currently running feasibility study for potential 72,000-tons-per-day mine in Pakistan. Also holds big position in Quinenco, a consumer packaging and beverage maker. 

- Age:  76

- Country:  Chile

- Net Worth:  $6.0 Billion

- Industry:  Mining/Lumber

On the bright side, these billionaires will never know the pleasure of ordering something off the dollar menu!  

DAILY VIBE: TOP HEADLINES OF THE DAY

*Compromise is sought to Honduras standoff. A flurry of negotiations began on Wednesday to lay the groundwork for a possible return of the nation's ousted president Manual Zelaya. 

- NYTIMES.COM

*Miracle plane crash survivor back in France and reunited with father.  - CNN.COM

*Delhi High Court legalizes gay sex.  Now its legal to get on with whoever you would like! 

- WSJ.COM

*U.S. Marines try to retake Afghan Valley from Taliban. - NYTIMES.COM

*Air France plane did not break up in flight.  The plane went straight down, almost vertically towards the surface of the water very fast.  - CNN.COM

*U.S. Job losses rise in June as unemployment reaches 9.5%.  - The sun will come out tomorrow... right? - NYTIMES.COM

*Don't let the door hit you on the way out! - Ruth Madoff receives eviction notice from Upper East Side penthouse apartment.  - NYPOST.COM

*Michael Jackson's memorial to be held at the Staple Center in Los Angeles, CA.  - CNN.COM

*I thought I.O.U.'s were a latin thing??? - California starting to pay vendors and taxpayers with I.O.U's.  This is the second time the state has adopted the emergency payment method since the Great Depression (gulp).  - NYTIMES.COM

SWINE FLU MAY HAVE STARTED IN ASIA, NOT MEXICO

In the past few months Mexico has taken an enormous economic hit caused by the swine flu epidemic whose origins have been traced back to the capital city.  Now new evidence suggest that that swine flu may have started in Asia but traveled to North American in a human.  The New York Times reports:

Contrary to the popular assumption that the new swine flu pandemic arose on factory farms in Mexico, federal agriculture officials now believe that it most likely emerged in pigs in Asia, but then traveled to North America in a human.  But they emphasized that there was no way to prove their theory and only sketchy data underpinning it.

There is no evidence that this new virus, which combines Eurasian and North American genes, has ever circulated in North American pigs, while there is tantalizing evidence that a closely related “sister virus” has circulated in Asia.

American breeding pigs, possibly carrying North American swine flu, are frequently exported to Asia, where the flu could have combined with Asian strains. But because of disease quarantines that make it hard to import Asian pigs, experts said, it is unlikely that a pig brought the new strain back West.

“The most likely scenario is that it came over in the mammalian species that moves most freely around the world,” said Dr. Amy L. Vincent, a swine flu specialist at the Agriculture Department’s laboratory in Ames, Iowa, referring, of course, to people.

The first person to carry the flu to North America from Asia, assuming that is what happened, has never been found and never will be, because people stop carrying the virus when they get better.

Now ain't that a bitch?

-In New Theory, Swine Flu Started in Asia, Not Mexico

MUST WATCH LATINO FOREIGN FILMS OF THE SUMMER

Summer is here and what better way to enjoy the blazing (and humid for some for you) heat then to crank up the AC, mix a couple of Margaritas on the rocks and watch a great foreign film!

The following latino films have all been nominated for prestigious film festival awards ranging from Sundance to Berlin.  We thought it would be great to give you a short list of some of the most buzz worthy latin foreign films of the summer.  Make sure to click on the links to watch the trailers.  Our top recommendation is "Sleep Dealer" check it out:

*Sleep Dealer (U.S./Mexico):  Alex Rivera's first film in set in a near future in which the border has been sealed and militarized, but Mexican workers still toil for U.S. companies via remote robotics.

*La Teta Asustada (Peru):  Director Claudia Llosa won the top prize in Berlin for this magical realism story of a mother who is raped during Peru's civil war and passes on sorrow through her breast milk. 

*Gigante (Uruguay):  Second prize at the Berlin Festival went to this amusing tale from director Adian Biniez about a gentle security guard secretly in love with a female janitor.  

*Emilio (U.S./Mexico):  Another immigrant tale you say?  In this one, a young man (Walter Perez, starring in the upcoming Fame remake) searches for his sister who has been kidnapped by smugglers.  

*Paraiso Travel (Colombia):  John Leguizamo and Ana de la Reguera star in this tale of an obsessive Colombian man who follows his girlfriend to New York City. 

*Sugar (Dominican Republic):  Newcomer Algenis Perez Soto is adorable as a Dominican baseball player struggling to adjust to life in the United States. 

*Sin Nombre (U.S./Mexico):  Produced by Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna, this story of two teens who falli n love while on a dangerous train top ride to the U.S. - Mexico border is haunting.  You can read a previous review by LV here:  "Sin Nombre."

*The Headless Woman (Argentina):  This Pedro Almodovar produced film about a housewife who may have run over a woman is a first rate psychological thriller.  

*Don't Let Me Drown (U.S.):  Latino teens living in Brooklyn just after 9/11 cling to love after tragedy in Cruz Angele's first film.  

Please feel free to send in  your reviews and comments about the films and click on the links to watch the trailers.  Enjoy!

DAILY VIBE: TOP HEADLINES OF THE DAY

*Bernie Madoff is sentenced to 150 years in prison for "an extraordinarily evil fraud" that took a staggering toll on thousands of victims. Hey Bernie, don´t forget to drop the soap.

- HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

*Michael Jackson´s drug use speculation continues. Registered Nurse says she rejected Michael´s plee for sedative Diprivan: "I told him.. If you take this you may not wake up." - CNN.COM

*Miracle - Teams searching the Indian Ocean after the crash of Yemenia Flight 447 rescued a girl who appeared to be the sole survivor of the 153 people on board. - NYTIMES.COM

*Train derailment explosion kills 16 people in Tuscany, Italy. - YAHOO.COM

*Check your wallets - Bailed out bank, Citi, raises credit card rates on millions of consumers.

- FT.COM

*Honduras interim leader Micheletti warns President Zelaya that he will be arrested if returns to the country. Oh damn, this is some quality telenovela shit! - YAHOO.COM

*Al Franken victory bolsters democratic grip in senate: 60 votes and the symbolic ability to overcome filibusters. - NYTIMES.COM

*U2 kicks off its world tour in Barcelona yesterday with a homage to Michael Jackson. - SOME SPANISH NEWS CHANNEL IN MADRID

REMEMBERING AUTHOR & POET MARIO BENEDETTI

Many may have never heard of Benedetti off hand but when reading his writing you can see Benedetti is the voice of reason and truth. On May 17, 2009, at the age of 88, Mario Benedetti, one of Latin America’s most prolific and renowned writers, passed away. Benedetti was an asset to the world of Latin American literature and journalism. He exposed Latin American tradegies and tribulations that no one exposed in such grace and utter honesty.

Benedetti, born on September 14, 1920 to an Italian immigrant family in Paso de los Toros in Central Uruguay, is considered one of the most prolific and important writers of Latin America.

Benedetti immersed himself in the politics of Latin America. While a military dictatorship ruled Uruguay from 1973 to 1995, Benedetti lived in exile in places like Buenos Aires, Lima, Havana and Madrid. Exile from Uruguay was the source of inspiration for many of his works. Benedetti said that it made him “a different person, more wide awake, more wise to the ways of the world.” When democracy was then restored in 1996, he returned to live in Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital.

Benedetti published more than 80 books during his lifetime—topics ranging from love to frustration with middle class life in Montevideo. Perhaps his best known piece is his novel which was published in 1960 entitled, “The Truce.” His storyline of “The Truce” was made into a movie and then was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 1975. In the 1980s, Benedetti was awarded the equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize in Latin America -- Honors Causa from Universidad de la Republica, Universidad de Alicante in Spain and Univerisad de Valladolid. In 1997, he was a recipient of Premio Menendez y Pelayo Prize.

In addition to writing, Benedetti was deeply involved in politics. He spoke against the U.S., championed Cuba’s revolution and embraced the independence and soverneighty for Puerto Rico. In 1971, he helped establish a left-wing coalition called the Broad Front to challenge the two-party system that has existed in Uruguay for the past 150 years.

Commenting in one of his last books, “It wasn’t an easy life, frankly,” he then added, it was the causes he believed in, even in defeat, that kept him going. “Thanks to them,” he said, “I can sleep tranquilly.”

Below is a link to a poem of Benedetti’s work which is a reflection of his exile. I found his words to be very moving but also captivate a nostalgia that expresses the pure desire to go back to his homeland in Pasos del los Toros and live a life of freedom and expression. I hope you enjoy: "Rostro de Vos"

By Stephanie Mercado

LÓREAL FOUND GUILTY OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IN FRANCE

The French cosmetics giant company Lóreal whose advertising campaigns proclaim ¨because you´re worth it¨was found guilty last week of racial discrimination for considering black, arab and asian women unworthy of selling its shampoo.

France´s highest court was told that the group had sought an all white sales team to promote the Fructis Style haircare product made by Garnier, LÓreal´s beauty division. The word went out that Garnier´s hostessses should be BBR, "bleu, blanc, rouge", the colors of the French flag (note to Loreal those are also the colors of the Puerto Rican flag!). The expression is widely recognized in the french recruitment world as a code for white people born to white french parents in effect excluding the millions of ethnic consumers worldwide.

Districom, the employment recruiment agency hired by Loreal, sent out a fax to its headquarters in 2000 saying that Garnier hostesses should be 18 to 22, wear size 38 to 42 and be "BBR." The deputy managing director who sent the fax later said that she had merely wanted hostesses to be able to "express themselves correctly in French." Riiiiight. The French Supreme Court didn´t seem to agree and said that the policy was illegal under French employment law. The judgement was a significant blow to the image of the company who has spent million of dollars in global ad campaigns featuring stars such as a Eva Longoria, Kerry Washington and Penelope Cruz.

It´s kind of disgusting that a company would spend millions of dollars to hire ethnic celebrities to promote their products and then turn around and deny employment to the very same people they´re trying to reach. If Loreal doesn´t think that women of color are worthy enough to sell their products, then they shouldn´t be worthy of our money. Do these french people even know about the intricate and delicate process involved when it comes to colored women´s hair care??? Lord knows my hair needs a heavy duty conditioner 24/7. Igonorant people, they´re failling to speak to the most relevant demographic to their brand. Imbeciles!! I say we take our business over to P&G! Whose with me?? Go out and buy a bottle of Head & Shoulders people!

-TIMESONLINE.CO.UK

R.I.P. MICHAEL JACKSON

The world mourns a loss of a legend.

Michael Jackson was an amazing artist.  In recent year's his image had suffered due to bad publicity surrounding court trials in which he was accused of child molestation.  But many people forget that he was not only a singer but a musical prodigy who inspired a new generation of artist that would follow in his path.  We should remember Michael the artist and not the image of a troubled man who was beaten down by the media in recent years.  Rest in peace Michael Jackson.

LATINVIBE.COM RADIO INTERVIEW TONIGHT ON URBAN LATINO RADIO

GENTE! I'll be on the radio tonight to promote LatinVibe.com!  I'll be a guest on the "Bochinche Bueno Show" on Urban Latino Radio.  So PLEASE log on and listen to the interview on  WWW.URBANLATINORADIO.FM tonight from 7:15PM TO 9PM EASTERN TIME.

DAILY VIBE: TOP HEADLINES OF THE DAY

*Sad news - Farrah Fawcett, sex symbol and actress, dies of cancer at age 62. - CNN.COM

*Iranian President Ahmadinejad demands apology from President Obama for criticism.  Three major newspapers in Iran report that only 105 of 290 members of the Iranian Parliament invited to the presidential victory party attended.  Damn (awkward).  - NYTIMES.COM

*Apple pulls the plug on the first "porn iphone app" called "Hottest Girls." - Thats exactly what the world needs.  Mobile porn.  - THEBUSINESSINSIDER.COM

*The Senator Finance Committee trims down Health Care Bill down to $1 Trillion.  - HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

*Just the world needs... an Ivy Queen doll with big ass nails that sings raggaeton.  Now you know what to get the kids for Christmas this year! - PESP.COM

*Air France flight 447 pilot's body recovered. - NYDAILYNEWS.COM

GLAAD IS PISSED ABOUT PEREZ HILTON'S USE OF GAY SLUR

Is it me or does Perez Hilton kind of look like the gay grinch who stole christmas with a bad hangover?? Anyone?  No?  I'm just sayin'.

GLAAD has asked Perez Hilton to apologize for calling Will.i.am a "faggot" during  a recent altercation.  The controversy stems from the fact that Mr. Perez is a gay man himself and positioned himself as an advocate for gay rights.  You may recall that he blasted former Miss USA Carrie Prejean for her stance against gay marriage and called her a "dumb bitch."  When the media started creating headlines about the use of the gay slur, this is what Mr. Perez had  to say:

"Clearly, I am not homophobic. Also, I am not nor have I ever claimed to be a spokesperson for the gay community. I’ve come to terms with all my incongruities and am proud of who I am and what I do. In closing, words can hurt. But words should not provoke someone to violence."

So is Perez basically trying to dodge the bullet by saying that he's never intended to be spokesperson for the gay community?  UGH.  Absolutely disgusting.  A few weeks ago he was blasting Miss USA for her stance against gay marriage but NOW he's attempting to excuse his behavior?  Oh wait... last night when he found himself in the cross fire generated by his use of the gay slur... Perez issued the following statement:  

The “F” word will never be uttered from my lips again. Just as others use the “N” word to insult and hurt - or as part of their everyday speech - I challenge them to remove it from their vocabulary as well.

I am NOT apologizing to GLAAD. I could care less about them, my former employers.

I am apologizing to the gay community, to anyone who was hurt by my my choice of words, and to all the people who have ever emailed me thank me for all that I have done to fight for gay rights over the last few years.  (WAIT... DIDN'T HE JUST SAY IN A PREVIOUS STATEMENT THAT HE'S NOT A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE GAY COMMUNITY?)

I have reached out to Isaiah Washington, someone I incorrectly labeled a homophobe in the past, despite his own public statements that he was not.

I will be donating any money collected from my lawsuit against Polo Molina, road manager for the Black Eyed Peas, to the Matthew Shepard Foundation.

We're starting to think that Perez Hilton stands for nothing other than his selfish behavior and controversial opinions.  He protects himself under the first amendments and claims to be fighting for freedom of speech, but yet his statements reveal contradicting opinions that discredit him completely.   His use of an offensive gay word that is full of hate towards gay men is completely disgusting.  More so is his hypocritical stance on the controversy surrounding his use of the gay slur.  We think he's full of caca.

LOVE LETTERS BETWEEN GOV. MARK SANFORD AND LATINA MISTRESS EMERGE!

When you woke monday morning and had your Cheerios you probably noded your head as you read in the media about Gov. Mark Sanford's mystery trip abroad while leaving the great state of South Carolina with a "will be back in a flash" sign on the front door.  What you didn't expect were the juicy developments throughout the week leading up to the details of scandalous love triangle!  The man went from, "Ummm... I went hiking" to "My bad, I went away and didn't tell anyone" to "Yeah... I'm having an affair with a hot latina in Argentina."  Which bears the question:  How horny do you have to be to go all the to ARGENTINA for a booty call??

As the plot of this love affair thickens and unfolds the media is blasting the Governor for being a hypocritical cheater who voted to impeach President Clinton after the Monica Lewinsky affair.  Was it right that he lied about his where about's, cheated on his wife, and used tax payer dollars to go on a booty call to Argentina?  Absolutely not.  But when I read the email letters between the Governor and his mistress my cold stone heart melted a little (just a little bit).  What I see is a man who has genuinely fallen a love with a woman and cannot bear to away from her (we just got a little weak in the knees, ugh).  Let's face it, people fall in and out of love all the time.  Marriage is a wonderful thing but reality is that not all of them work out.  What's the point of up holding marital values when the core fundamentals that hold up a marriage such as love, passion and trust are no longer alive?  Should we fault him for being a man who.... fell in love?  You judge for yourself.  

The State newspaper in South Carolina obtained emails between Sanford and Maria last December and is only publishing them now, removing her last name and the names of her children. They are below:

From Gov. Sanford,
Date: Thursday, July 10, 2008, 12:24 a.m.

“One, tomorrow leave at 5 a.m. for New York and meetings. Will think about you on its streets and wish I was going to be there later in the month when you are there. Tomorrow night back to Philadelphia for the start of the National Governor’s Conference through the weekend. Back to Columbia for Tuesday and then on Wednesday, as I think I had told you, taking the family to China, Tibet, Nepal, India, Thailand and then back through Hong Kong on world wind tour. Few days home then to Bahamas for 5 days on a friend’s boat for the last break of the summer. The following weekend have been asked to spend it out in Aspen, Colorado with McCain - which has kicked up the whole VP talk all over again in the press back home …

Two, mutual feelings …. You have a particular grace and calm that I adore. You have a level of sophistication that so fitting with your beauty. I could digress and say that you have the ability to give magnificent gentle kisses, or that I love your tan lines or that I love the curve of your hips, the erotic beauty of you holding yourself (or two magnificent parts of yourself) in the faded glow of the night’s light - but hey, that would be going into sexual details …

Three and finally, while all the things above are all too true - at the same time we are in a hopelessly - or as you put it impossible - or how about combine and simply say hopelessly impossible situation of love. How in the world this lightening strike snuck up on us I am still not quite sure. As I have said to you before I certainly had a special feeling about you from the first time we met, but these feelings were contained and I genuinely enjoyed our special friendship and the comparing of all too many personal notes …

Lastly I also suspect I feel a little vulnerable because this is ground I have never certainly never covered before - so if you have pearls of wisdom on how we figure all this out please let me know… In the meantime please sleep soundly knowing that despite the best efforts of my head my heart cries out for you, your voice, your body, the touch of your lips, the touch of your finger tips and an even deeper connection to your soul.”

——————–

From Maria,
Wednesday, July 9, 2008 8:14 p.m.

“As I told you I shouldn’t have done this trip but I would have felt worst if I wouldn’t have come because it was too over the date, he is a very nice guy, great heart … but unfortunately I am not in love with him … You are my love … something hard to believe even for myself as it’s also a kind of impossible love, not only because of distance but situation. Sometimes you don’t choose things, they just happen… I can’t redirect my feelings and I am very happy with mine towards you.”

——————–

From Gov. Sanford,
Tuesday, July 8, 1:42 a.m.

“Got back an hour ago to civilization and am now in Columbia after what was for me a glorious break from reality down at the farm. No phones ringing and tangible evidence of a day’s labors. Though I have started every day by 6 this morning woke at 4:30, I guess since my body knew it was the last day, and I went out and ran the excavator with lights until the sun came up. To me, and I suspect no one else on earth, there is something wonderful about listening to country music playing in the cab, air conditioner running, the hum of a huge diesel engine in the back ground, the tranquillity that comes with being in a virtual wilderness of trees and marsh, the day breaking and vibrant pink coming alive in the morning clouds - and getting to build something with each scoop of dirt.”

* Exclusive:  Read E-Mails Between Sanford and Mystery Woman. - THESTATE.COM

DAILY VIBE: TOP HEADLINES OF THE DAY

*The bloody death of 26 year old Ms. Agha-Soltan from Iran, as seen on video, has become the instant symbol of the antigovernment movement.  - NYTIMES.COM

*Sad - Ed McMahon dies at 86.  When I was a little boy I always dreamed that he would show up at my door step with a big ass check. - HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

*Tragic - Washington subway crash kills nine people.  - REUTERS.COM

*President Obama harshly condemned the Iranian crackdown against demonstrations on Tuesday, declaring the rest of the world "appaulled and outraged."  - NYTIMES.COM

*GUILTY! - Chris Brown pleads guilty in Rihanna assault case.  Send his ass to the slammer! 

- CNN.COM

*Just your regular, run of the mill liver transplant surgery. - Steve Job goes under the knife. 

- CNET.COM

(R) SEN. BOB CORKER BLOWS OFF MEETING WITH SONIA SOTOMAYOR

**Update: The meeting was reschduled, but still doesn´t change the fact that the blew her off when she was running 10 minutes late.**

Last Thursday Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) was scheduled to meet with Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. When Sotomayor was delayed because of her recent injury, COCKER decided that he had more important things to do than wait for a potential lifetime appointee who is temporarily disabled. "I decided to proceed on to the next meeting," he told a Tennesse Press Association breakfast in Chattanooga. Hobbling along with her leg in a cast, Sotomayor was 10 minutes late.


What's most disturbing about this is the blatant disregard for Sotomayor's nomination and also bears the question: if the nominee was white... would he have waited?? Given all the criticism coming her way from conservatives wasn't COCKER at least a bit interested in giving this lifetime appointee a fair opportunity to state her opinions face to face??


COCKER CAN SUCK IT! Sonia should have gone LATINA on his ass. That's right. Y'all know what I'm talking about. You pin your hair up. Take your earrings off. Give you pursue to your girlfriend for safe keeping and start talkin' smack in spanish with completely dilated eyes!

CHE GUEVARA'S GRANDDAUGHTER GIVES UP SAUSAGE AND POSES FOR PETA

Ernesto 'Che' Guevara's granddaughter, Lydia Guevara, has joined forces with PETA in a new ad campaign that capitalizes on her grandpappy's legacy.  In the ad campaign Lydia appears nude wearing the legendary "Ernesto cap" and a trendy top made of carrots resembling ammunition. PETA is attemping to appeal to suburban Latinos to promote the message of starting a "vegetarian revolution."  Lydia goes on to say that she carries revolutionary blood in her veins and was inspired by her grandfather to fight for a worthy cause and gave up the sausage (as in meat sucios!) three years ago.

We can appreciate the ultimate goal of the campaign but why does she have to be neked?  Why not pose with a basket of bunnies or kitties or the chupa cabra??  Good luck PETA with trying to get latinos to go vegetarian!  HA.  Latinos love them some MEAT!  We'd rather give up our first born child than give up meat, seriously.  Just kidding.  But thats how much we like meat!   Last night for dinner we had a four tacos!  Two steak and two chorizo.  Yum.

DAILY VIBE: TOP HEADLINES OF THE DAY

*Iran's most senior panel of election monitors acknowledges that the election was flawed and that the number of votes cast in 50 cities exceeded the actual number of voters.  - NYTIMES.COM

*Some white dude wins the U.S. Open.  - NYDAILYNEWS.COM

*The media death watch is finally over! - Media stocks are finally starting to score double digit growth gains for a promising comeback.  Finally I can go back to work! - NYPOST.COM

*Eleven Air France victims identified. - CNN.COM

*Perez Hilton got beat down, allegedly, by Will.iam from the Black Eyed Peas.  

- NYDAILYNEWS.COM

*SJP gets off with a warning for driving at night with her headlights off?! - You know if she would have been latino her ass would have been slapped with a triple digit fine.  Ugh. 

- NYPOST.COM

*North Korea is talkin' that smack again - Threatening to retaliate if U.S. attacks. 

- HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

GEORGE LOPEZ ON THE VIEW; MAKES A CRACK ON SONIA SOTOMAYOR

Last week George Lopez was on The View to promote his new talk show premiering in the Fall.  He pointed out that late night talk needs more diversity with a latin perspective on culture, music, entertainment and socially relevant issues which is exactly what LatinVibe.com is all about!  

We're very much looking forward to seeing George Lopez on late night TV.  He's absolutely hilarious when it comes to making fun of latinos.  When talking about what inspired him to pursue the idea of the show he mentioned that "showing young juveniles that they can get their own talk show too" was at the top of his list.  He went on to say that his show will have a fancy couch too but it will most likely be covered in plastic.  When asked to comment about Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomiation he made a hilarious joke by pointing out that "she hasn't even started on the job and she's already on workers comp from her ankle injury."  Lol.  Gotta love George Lopez.

On Obama he mentioned that latinos connect with the President for many reasons:  "He lives in a house thats not his and spends money he doesn't have.  Bailing people out... thats mexican!  And his mother in law is helping raise the kids." 

Checkout his interview with President Obama pre-election win where he asks for a cabinet position as the "Ambassador to Mexico." 

DAILY VIBE: TOP HEADLINES OF THE DAY

*Iranian ruling Cleric denies accusations that presidential elections were rigged and warns Iranians of consequences from further demonstrations.  - NYTIMES.COM

*Bring it North Korea!! - U.S. is prepared for North Korea missile launch. - BBC.CO.UK

*Morgan Stanley CEO John Mack spent $368,675 on private jets last year.  Barf. 

- NYMAG.COM

*Peru overturns decrees that incited protests leading to the death of one dozen indigenous civilians. - NYTIMES.COM

*You're damned if you do, damned if you don't.  - Obama's reticence on Iran stirs stew of opinion. - USATODAY.COM

*Britney Spears kicked off her concert by yelling "What's up London?", except that she was in Manchester.  Nice. - NYMAG.COM

ESCANDALO! RICKY MARTIN ALMOST COMES OUT

I love me the trashy spanish magazines!  

Back in 2005 Ricky Martin told Barbara Walters, "I think that sexuality is something that each individual should deal with in their own way. And that's all I have to say about that." It certainly didn't help all that gay speculation! Four years later, it appears Martin, who's been out of the public eye for a bit, doesn't really care.  

He tells Spanish-Language TV Aqui magazine that "his heart could belong to a woman or a man."  DOUBLE GAY GASP!!  Of course his publicist could always backtrack and say he was referring to his two twin baby boys.  

EVA MENDES AND CALVIN KLEIN ARE SELLING JEANS... RIGHT?

Eva Mendes is a lady of many talents as seen in the latest ad campaign for Calvin Klein jeans. We wouldn't mind her taking off her clothes and arching her back for numerous Calvin Klein campaigns if it wasn't for the following statement:

"I would like to think I will have a more serious career than J.Lo.  We may both be of Latin origin but that's where the comparisons stop.  She manages her career like the head of a big corporation, whereas the only thing I care about is becoming the best actress possible."

Eva... honey sweetie cookie baby... lets cut to the chase.  The acting thing is not going as well as you had planned but that's no reason to give up and show your business to the world.   Furthermore you once stood for something that said you were an actress of honor and principle so don't ive that up and reinforce a steoreotype that says Latinas are only good for their talents from the neck down.  Now that we've got that out of the away... lets play a game!!  Let's see if you can spot Eva "talent" and what the hell these CK ad campaigns are selling, which may not be as obvious as you think:

*Nobody is even wearing clothes in this ad!   

*Seriously... wet jeans are in?  Quick, someone get Eva some water she's looking a little dehydrated... she can't even walk!  

*I'm thinking this is an ad for either food, men's deodorant, or coppertone.  You can't see Eva in this ad but she's actually laying on the floor doing a sexy pose.  

*Wet jeans are the leading cause of yeast infections.  Just giving you the heads up Eva.  

DAILY VIBE: TOP HEADLINES OF THE DAY

*"Tonight's special is shark with a side of coke."  - Officers find nearly one ton of cocaine inside frozen shark carcasses aboard a freight ship en route to the U.S. from Mexico.  Shocker. 

- HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

*David Archuleta's psycho dad is arrested for soliciting a prostitute. - Well, we all gotta get some.  Good for him.  

- LATINA.COM

*Usher kicks is wife to the curb. Someone's about to get paid! - CNN.COM

*North Korea may threaten to fire a missile towards Hawaii. - HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

*Alicia Villareal looks like a vampire tranny in her new video.  I'm just sayin'.  

- BATANGA.COM

*An 84 year old polish woman woke up in a morgue after being declared dead by her doctor! 

- TELEGRAPH.CO.UK

*Not exactly what you want to hear when you're on a flight - Continental pilot dies during flight. - HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

OMG: LAUREN CONRAD DISSES "THE HILLS" ON THE VIEW

I'm not quite sure what it is about The Hills that I absolutely love!   Perhaps its all the back stabbing drama that takes me back to a warm place when I was a child.  Watching telenovelas with mah' mama was my favorite thing to do!  There was nothing best than an evening of watching ROSA SALVAJE and hot coco!  Or in my mom's case a box of wine. 

Anyway... moving onto my obsession with THE HILLS!  Lauren Conrad was on The View today to talk about life after the show and her new book "LA Candy."  On Friday Chucky and his bride, AKA Spencer and Heidi, had just been on the show where Spencer talked about his apology to Lauren and how it meant allot to Heidi, bla bla bla.  So Elizabeth Haselsucks thought it would be a good idea to ask LC to comment on his interview and how she felt about the apology.  After much hesitation on responding LC finally said that she really couldn't comment on how felt because the apology NEVER HAPPENED!!  (Gay gasp!) "To be perfectly honest, I wasn't on the other end of that call," "What do you mean?" Hasselsucks asked.  "That was filmed and I wasn't on the other end," Conrad Reiterated.

Something tells me that LC is totally pissed with MTV!  She totally blew a gasket in the whole production of the show and basically told the word that the show is staged.  Now, we've always known this anyway but most of us have been living in complete denial about it for the longest time.  Its kind of like the slutty aunt in the family that you just don't talk about but  everyone knows she's a hood rat.  One of the big controversies at the end of the show was the appearance of Kristen Cavallari who is posed to take over for exiting star LC who are said to be arch rivals.  

Talk about taking the DIRT ROAD!  Me thinks that this was an extra nasty way of exiting the show by confirming everyone's suspicions that the show is completly staged.  Nice work LC!  Having said that, I'm totally watching next season.  With a box of wine.

DAILY VIBE: TOP HEADLINES OF THE DAY

*Why the GOP Party is a shit hole - Tennessee Senator's aide caught sending racist Obama email. - INQUISITR.COM

*Iran reverts to "slowing down" internet connections to prevent media coverage of the mass protests disputing the presidential elections.  - NYTIMES.COM

*President Obama is extending benefits to same sex partners of federal employees but stopping short of a guarantee for full health insurance.  As an added "thank you for your patience" federal employees will also receive a can of spam and wedge of government cheese.  

- APNEWS.COM

*Drama! - CIA may be supressing "Holy Grail' torture report to protect Cheney. 

- HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

*Obama smacks the shit out of a pesky fly, Mr. Miyagi style.  - CNN.COM

*Welcome to the unemployment line!  - Retailer Eddie Bauer files for bankruptcy. - WJS.COM

TEATRO STAGE FEST IS HERE!

On Monday the highly anticipated TeatroStageFest kicked off for a week long celebration of Latino culture and heritage. The Latino International Theater Festival of New York, Inc.presents the third annual TeatroStageFest, which brings to NYC the best productions the U.S., Latin America, and Spain have to offer. 

The Festival kicked off its celebrations on Monday with the Opening of  Broadway’s R.Evolución Latina starring performers and musicians from In The Heights along with other talented Broadway performers.   What's most compelling about the festival is that there's a list of different plays appropriate for different age groups and interests. I'm personally looking forward to seeing  "Third Wing" and "December" which are two of the cutting edge productions from South America that will be featured in the festival.  I think this is an amazing opportunity to become immersed by some of the most original contemporary playswrights and directors from Argentina and Chile.  Fun fact:  The production of "Third Wing" in Buenos Aires are performed in Claudio Tolcachir's own living room and 30 eager people line up nightly outside his home to watch his shows!  If you're looking for a comedy night with a mix of spanglish humor make sure to checkout "Long Island Iced Latina" and "Pardon My Spanglish:  Porque Because!"  Both shows are sure to deliver an evening of high energy combined with humourous anecdotes on bi-culturalism and the dilemmas of Latino life in the U.S.A.    

The Festival also salutes the passion and high energy of Latino performing arts through dancing with Pregones Theater’s "Dancin’ in Da Bronx" and "Glamour Tango." Children can embark on the adventure of a lifetime with a whimsical show of the larger than life puppet production "Open Sesame."  And thats only part of it!  There will also be lectures and cultural discussion panels that are free of entry to the public.  Don't miss out on this amazing festival!  For more information click here:  TeatroStageFest

HUGO CHAVEZ IS NOT A FAN OF "COKE ZERO"

Hugo Chavez aparently woke up on the wrong side of the bed (AKA the crazy side) and decided to ban Coke Zero from Venezuela citing unspecified dangers to health.  GASP!  I heart Coke Zero.  How dare he!  What's next?  Baby Formula??  What I find most entertaining about Chavez is that his decisions are completely unfounded and irrational.  But to his defense maybe he received a shipment of the bad shit from Colombia (or Mexico these days, you never know) so we'll cut him some slack.  Regardless, this just another example of Chavez's latest anti-capitalist policies and rhetoric against consumerism that proves he's good at making decisions that are pointless and egotistical.   Click here to read the entire story:  Reuters.com

DAILY VIBE: TOP HEADLINES OF THE DAY

*Social networks spread defiance online. - Social media sites are challenging levers of state media control and allowing Iranians to find novel ways around restrictions. - NYTIMES.COM

*Get your bong ready!  California Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, a San Francisco Democrat, introduced a bill in February to legalize and tax marijuana similar to alchohol. - MSNBC.COM

*File this under WTF - British Airways has asked its 40,000 staff to work withouth pay for a month as the airline seeks to cut costs... which basically equals an 8% pay cut.   Sneaky bitches! 

- TIMESONLINE.COM

*Iranians gather in mass demonstrations protesting Friday's presidential election. - Recount offer fails to quell political turmoil. - NYTIMES.COM

*Sarah Palin isn't pissed anymore. - FOXNEWS.COM

*Obama makes his case for healthcare reform. - REUTERS.COM

*Judge Sonia Sotomayor on Monday defended her membership  in an all female networking club stating that the group did not discriminate in an innapropriate way. - NYTIMES.COM

*Tired of wiping your own ass??  Well then cast your vote and bring back the ComfortWipe! 

- NYMAG.COM

WELCOME CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: ANDREW QUEVEDO

LatinVibe.com would like to welcome Andrew Quevedo as one of our new contributing editors!

Originally of Cuban and Spanish descent, Andrew is currently a student at the University of New Haven majoring in English.  In the past he's worked as a writer for The Charger Bulletin, University of New Haven's local newspaper, and enjoys writing about music, fine arts, literature and theatre.  He's writing can be described as slightly satirical and provocative, yet intelligent and surprising.

LatinVibe.com is thrilled to have Andrew on board as a writer! 

MEXICO'S REAL WAR ON DRUGS

Forty years ago, President Nixon declared a “war on drugs” that was to take place on our own soil. Today, the war has moved south to Mexico, the largest hub for illicit drugs moving into the U.S. The streets of Mexico are frequent grounds for gun battles between federal police and workers for the organized crime corporations. President Felipe Calderon positioned 45,000 troops and 5,000 federal police to 18 states since January 2007. The U.S. is planning to help fight the war on drugs in Mexico by simply keeping the warfare we are involved in at the border.  Despite the numerous headlines regarding Mexico’s political decay as a failed state, the billions of dollars generated by drug trafficking has also served as a stimulus package for the country’s failing economy.

Until the shootings in Acapulco, Guerrero, which left 2 soldiers and 16 gunmen dead, tourist cities in Mexico saw considerably less crime than the rest of the country. Drug lords are known to give constant amounts of money to the restoration of communities, making Mexico ultimately become a better place to live and raise a family.  This includes money to build schools and community infrastructure such as roads and bridges.  In fact, in a recent report for the L.A. Times, photographer Don Bartelli stated, “drug traffickers are seen as celebrities and successful businessmen in the community.” Because of their territorial nature drug lords have also been known to help improve the living conditions of others in the surrounding neighborhoods by building new homes and financing loans in exchange for an act of loyalty or service.  All is well in the land of drug lords until the peace is disturbed by a corrupt political official who’ s unhappy with his payout.  In reality, most of the violent gun battles that breakout can be attributed to relationships between drug lords and corrupt political officials that have gone bad.

All this is happening at a monumental time for the U.S., with 13 states already allowing medicinal marijuana, many others proposing to allow medicinal use, and California opening up debates for the sale and tax of hemp products. If this were to take place, California would be above the deficit in approximately 18 months. There have been claims and theories that if marijuana were to be legalized, not only would there be somewhat of a ‘reefer renaissance,’ but the global economic crisis would somewhat be lifted off our shoulders. However, this would not allow Mexico to be our marijuana supplier, unless they take the same actions America has.

 President Calderon has to take a step back and realize what is going on, and how he could ultimately end the violence by taking a progressive step forward. Mexico’s tourist revenue has slowly decreased since 2007, a number that is sure to continue its decline unless action is taken. The fact is we are ultimately losing money to these organized crime units, and if the job were to be taken care of correctly, the money could be expanding Mexico's billfold, just helping it even more to climb out of the global economic decline.  

Let’s open up our arms and welcome Tia Juana from down south into our homes!

By Andrew Quevedo

LATINVIBE.COM IS NOW ON FACEBOOK!

LatinVibe.com is now on Facebook!  Please look us up and become a fan.  Thank  you!!!

LATINVIBE.COM:  DAILY NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WITH A LATIN PERSPECTIVE

DAILY VIBE: TOP HEADLINES OF THE DAY

* Members of an indigenous group oppose Peru's plans to open large parts of the Amazon to drilling and logging.  Last week's protests resulted in dozens of deaths of indigenous people.  

- NYTIMES.COM

*Competing candidates for presidential election in Iran both declare victory.  - This smells like trouble to me.  Quick... head to the bomb shelters!  Shit's about to go down.  

- NYDAILYNEWS.COM

*Obama's former pastor, Rev. Wright, says dem' Jews won't let him talk to the the Prez.  - Nice job with the anti-semitic remarks Pastor!  - CNN.COM

*Why can't the senate just let smokers be! - Historic anti-smoking vote grants new power over marketing ingredients in tobacco. - MSNBC.COM

*Sarah Palin takes a break from shootin' moose in Alaska to tell off David Letterman and the bitch is pissed!! 

- HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

*Former Prez George Bush goes skydiving on 85th birthday. - Call me crazy but isn't he just begging for a hip injury?? My abuelita won't even go on the mary go round.  - YAHOO.NEWS

*The fight for democracy in Iran - Incumbent President Ahmadinejad vs. Mir Hussein Moussavi. 

- NYTIMES.COM

*File this under "dumbass thieves" - Thieves used a backhoe to steal an ATM but when it fell off the back of their truck they had no way of getting it back on.  - HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

*Will sanctions against over North Korea ever work? - Me thinks that NK needs a good old ass wippin', U.S. invasion style.  Lol.  JK. - NYTIMES.COM

THE ULTIMATE LATINA THEATRE FESTIVAL: EXPLORING THE COMPLEXITIES OF LATINA LIFE

As young child I was raised in a single parent home by three latina women.  My aunt Nidia was the money making business woman constantly trying to advance her career.  Aunt Esther was the sister with the beautiful figure always driving men crazy!  And my mother was the older responsible sister; kind of like the moral authority of the family constantly struggling with the challenges of raising two children, problems with money and failed relationships. 

When I first head about The Ultmate Latina Theatre Festival I was immediately drawn to the festival's concept and source of inspiration.    Sexual passions, intelligence, humor and frustrations with dead end jobs are a few of the issues discussed in a array of theatrical plays that explore the complexities of Latina life.  

Last thursday The Ultimate Latina Theatre Festival opened with the rousing and funny "Please Hold" by Jenny Saldana.  The trailer can be viewed on YouTube.com:  "Please Hold."  Saldana's play is the first of 8 nights at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York where Latina actors, playwrights and producers showcase their work.  LatinVibe recently had the pleasure to interview one of the Stars of "Please Hold", the beautiful and wonderful, Rachel Strauss!  We're honored to have this opportunity to bring you the inside scoop:

What do you feel is the significance of The Ultimate Latina Theatre Film Festival and how did you land this role?

The Latina Theater Festival is the brainchild of the amazing Linda Nieves-Powell and it’s so very significant to me because it celebrates Latinas both on stage and behind the scenes. It is a true blessing to be a part of the culture and have a platform that commemorates us Latinas in the arts. 

I landed the gig after Jenny Saldana saw my feature in HBO Latino’s Habla Ya special. She was also one of the featured subjects of the documentary, and we actually met in the makeup prep room the day of the shoot last year! She hand-picked me for the role of Suzy in her play, “Please Hold”, and it was an incredible honor to be selected.

Tell us more about your character Suzy AKA Cinnamon. What are her goals and ambitions?
Cinnamon is my “900 Horny Chick” name! LOL (The three of us, Elaine, Maria and Suzy work at a customer call center and take all different kinds of calls for different businesses) So my character’s real name is Suzy, and she recently moved to New York City from Greenville, IL to become an actress. She uses A LOT of acronyms in her speech (i.e. LOL, OMG, ASAP, etc...) She is bubbly, ambitious, and very excited to take on the big apple and score a huge acting gig. The only problem is she just keeps landing roles as “extra girl # 3” on episodes of Law and Order. She’s still waiting, and waiting, and waiting for her big break! 

Are there any personal experiences that you feel allowed you to relate to your character? 
Absolutely! So I guess I’m a thriving actress in real life too! Right? Rachel is also pretty bubbly (and loves to talk in 3rd person LOL). 

In the play Suzy juggles playing different roles as an operator... first as a bank operator, then hair product company rep and lastly as a 1-900 sex operator (I'm loving it!) What role did you enjoy playing the most and why?
The sex phone operator! LOL One of my favorite scenes is where Cinnamon is chatting with a shy woman who is trying to save her marriage by learning how to be “sexy”. Cinnamon teaches her a few things, including how to do a split, and turns the woman on so much that she leads the {at first shy} woman to a big “O”! It’s very caliente!

Humor aside... what do you feel is the overall message that the play is trying to send to young Latinas?
The overall message is that no matter what’s handed to you on a silver platter or what you strive for, success and happiness are attainable; you just have to want it. Sometimes you just have to put certain viewpoints on hold. 

The frustrations of working 9 to 5 dead end jobs can be very overwhelming at times. For young latinas that are in this position... what would you like them to know?
Sometimes you must take a step backwards in order to take a leap forward.

The play was written by Jenny Saldana... were you able to work with her directly? What was it like to work with Saldana?
Jenny is an incredible playwright, director and actress. She’s a true inspiration to work with. I learned so much from her; from how to develop my character, to how to genuinely have fun on stage. She’s tough, and it was a lot of work, but our performance was as close to perfection as I dreamed. 

Tell us about the dynamics between you and your castmates. How fun was it to work with such a cool group of Latinas?
OMG! (Jeez, I can’t seem to get out of character!) Inma Heredia, Jenny Saldana and I were all featured on HBO Latino’s Habla Ya documentary (we were coined the Habla Ya girls!), so to transition from working together on camera to the stage was amazing. The dynamic was fierce. It was so important to jive together, because there are no do-over’s in theater! It was vital to listen to each other, feel each other’s emotions, and react appropriately. I love these women, and hope to work with them again very soon!

What did you enjoy most about this experience?
Tough question! If I had to choose one thing, it would be the bows we took after opening night at in front of a packed house at the Ultimate Latina Theater Festival. I’ve been in the audience of the legendary Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe many-a-time, but to grace the stage, receive a standing ovation and take that bow of accomplishment was an out-of-body experience. I could have bowed all night...it felt so good! 

You seem to be involved in so many exciting projects including a Hispanic radio show. Please tell us about your radio show! 
Yes! I am a renaissance Latina! I am Loca La Boca on Urban Latino Radio. I am the host of a weekly show entitled “Bochinche Bueno” where my fellow crew members (Mizz Melodie, Mike Diaz and K-Von) and I dish out on the gossip of the celebs we love to hate, with a twist of our signature sarcasm of course! We play fun games, pranks, have special guests and just bug out. You can listen to us every Thursday from 7-9PM on www.UrbanLatinoRadio.FM!
I also just landed and shot a great gig with the NY International Latino Film Festival. I am so proud to have been selected to star in their 2009 advertising campaign. I haven’t seen the final product yet, but you should be able to see me on their web site pretty soon www.NYLatinoFilm.com, as well as on Time Warner Cable, HBO, and anywhere else they advertise!

When you wake up in the morning, what inspires you to keep pursuing your dreams?
You know, I recently pin-pointed what my destiny is in life...it’s to entertain and make people smile. Sound so simple, but it’s a tough job... SOMEBODY has to do it! But really, I wake up every day and I always try to one-up myself. What can I do that will top what I’ve already accomplished? How can I climb higher? These are the questions that keep me going...

Whats next for Rachel Strauss and where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?
Ten years huh? Well, I kind of wanna pop out some kids by then! In the interim, I am going to stick to entertaining...I plan on eventually developing a one-woman show and broadcasting it to the world. So stay tuned!!!

Many thanks to Rachel for the wonderful interview!  Its great to see young hispanic talent doing innovative things in the industry that celebrate our latino culture and heritage.  You can visit Rachel Strauss's blog at LocaLaBoca.com or follow her on MySpace and Twitter!

The Ultimate Latina Theatre Festival ends on 6/11 so there's still an opportunity to catch one last show!  Click here for more information.  

DAILY VIBE: TOP HEADLINES OF THE DAY

*Tragic - 88 year old Neo-Nazi opens fire in U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum killing one. 

- CNN.COM

*Miss California will be reporting back to the unemployment line cuz her ass has been fired! 

- DLISTED.COM

*The United Nations agrees to implement new sanctions against N. Korea including search of ships into the country. - WSJ.COM

*New signs that Air France jet broke up in flight. - NYTIMES.COM

*In Iran, Ahmadinejad's rivals gain momentum and women demand equal rights. - TIME.COM

*The World Health Organization has declared a swine flu pandemic the first in 41 years. 

- HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

*Mexican police officers can't be trusted with cellphones. - NYTIMES.COM

*David Letterman punks out to Sarah Palin and kisses her ass.  Boo!!! 

- HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

HATE: A SNAPSHOT OF OUR MORAL HISTORY

The twentieth century has been filled with hate.  It has now spilled over into the new millennium.  Globally, it tore apart our civilizations, took the world to war, and left a scar on the face of humanity.  Why do we hate? And why does our hate compel us to such evil?  We may never know the answers to these questions, yet, we must try to answer them.

Whether we are talking about the horrific genocide of the Jews by Hitler’s Nazi’s, or the ethnic cleansings in Rwanda, Kosovo, and recently in Darfur, or the slaughter of innocents in My Lai, Hiroshima, and the Middle East, hate and cruelty have driven our primitive species to these heinous acts.  Hate also manifests itself in the form of discrimination.  The United States went through decades of racial discrimination against African-Americans, Latinos, and now homosexuals.  In the news recently, there are loads of headlines on hate related crimes such as the assassination of abortion provider, Dr. Tiller, and the shooting at the National Holocaust Memorial Museum by a Holocaust denier.  For a species that prides itself on its ingenuity, civilization and intelligence, we do not seem to be as advanced as we think.  We are the only species on the planet that hates.  Lions do not discriminate.  Bears do not lynch other bears. Monkeys do not try to exterminate gorillas.  Imagine what our great civilization would have been like had the Aztecs not been wiped out, if genius scientists had not been killed in the Holocaust, or if some intelligent slave was never a slave at all.  Imagine the possibilities.  Hate has only served as a hindrance to the advancement of the human race.

What good comes from hate? The Afrikaners in South Africa would have lived the same good life had the Africans been treated equally, and apartheid never existed.  The Jews were not to blame for Germany’s problems after WWI.  African-Americans did not degenerate American life. And homosexuals do not erode the moral fabric of America, or the world.  It seems that we fear only what is different from us.  We learn to hate what we do not understand, simply because it does not look or think like us.  We mask our hate in the guise of nationalism, patriotism, tribalism, and most importantly, religion.  We use our differences to create rifts, and then use these rifts to delineate some imagined superiority between ourselves and that which we mean to hate.  Even our political system suffers from hate and discrimination.  Look at the Republican Party and their recent woes due to their rejection of unity and inclusiveness.  Instead of focusing on our differences, we should instead focus on what binds us to each other.  Once we do that, we will be surprised to find that we have more in common than we think.  The poor black boy from the projects has more in common with a young Klansman from a trailer park than we would expect.   If the hate stopped today, I guarantee that the progress of humanity would grow exponentially.  

By Chris Carrion

DAILY VIBE: TOP HEADLINES OF THE DAY

*SHOCKER - Adam Lambert confirms in new issue of Rolling Stone (on stands tomorrow that he's gay.  I can't put my finger on it, but I'm thinking it was the glitter, side fringe and eyeliner that gave it away? I could be wrong. - OMG.YAHOO.COM

*Pay up bitches! - Treasury lets 10 big banks start to replay bailout money.  - NYTIMES.COM

*Apple unveils iPhone 3.0 - Apple Inc. slashed the entry price for an iPhone in half and rolled out new laptops for $300 less than previous models Monday, the company's first dramatic price cuts since the recession began a year and a half ago.  - HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

*U.S. top court judge delays Chrysler sale for now.  Both Chrysler and the Obama administration have said a long delay could kill the deal and end up with Chrysler's liquidation. Fiat can walk away from the deal if it does not close by June 15. - REUTERS.COM

*U.S. protests N. Korea's treatment of Journalist.  President Obama and his top national security aides on Monday urged North Korea to release on humanitarian grounds two American journalists sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for entering North Korean territory.  

*Congress rushes to pass health care legislation by August and deliberates on whether to create a new public health insurance plan. - WSJ.COM

*The first Guanatamo detainee who is to be tried in a U.S. civilian court has arrived in New York today.  Ahmed Ghailani faces charged in connection with the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in East Africa.  

MEN COOKED DRUG DEALER'S BODY. YES, COOKED.

A high school football coach and another man killed a cocaine dealer to avoid paying a debt, dismembered his body and cooked the remains at a concrete business, prosecutors said Monday.

Daniel Bradley, 47, of Westwood, and Paul Moccia, 48, of Dedham, pleaded not guilty Monday in Wrentham District Court to murder charges in the death of Angel Antonio Ramirez, a construction worker from Guatemala who lived in Framingham.  Moccia met Ramirez near the concrete company in Walpole that Bradley co-owns and shot him in the back with a .357-caliber pistol, said Norfolk Assistant District Attorney Robert Nelson.

Moccia owed Ramirez $70,000 from drug deals and decided to kill him instead of paying up, authorities said.  Bradley dismembered the man's remains and then tried to get rid of the evidence once and for all, Nelson said.

"It was cooked," he said.

Prosecutors didn't say how they arrived at their theory, or how the body was cooked or disposed of.  Defense attorneys said their clients are innocent and noted prosecutors haven't produced a body.  Prosecutors believe forensic evidence from the concrete factory will bolster their case against the suspects, Nelson said.  Investigators found blood spots inside the concrete business, RJ Bradley Co. Inc., Nelson said, as well as on a pair of Bradley's boots at his Westwood home.

Bradley is an assistant football coach at Xaverian Brothers High School; the school didn't return a message left after business hours Monday. Moccia is a veteran Mass Pike toll collector. They were ordered held without bail in Wrentham District Court.  A pretrial hearing has been scheduled for July 7.

DAILY VIBE: TOP HEADLINES OF THE DAY

*OMG!  - N. Korea sentences 2 U.S. Journalist to 12 years of hard labor.  The two journalists, Laura Ling 32 and Euna Lee 36, were charged with illegal entry and hostile acts AKA freedom of speech.  - NYTIMES.COM

*Laura Bush on Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomination:  "Sotomayor Sounds Like A Winner."  YES!  Thats right!! - HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

*Busted!  - State department official arrested for spying for Cuba for past three decades. 

- WASHINGTONPOST.COM

*Sad - Seventeen bodies found from Air France flight. - CNN.COM

*Some loco white man arrested for threatening to kill Sotomayor and Obama.  

- OLIVERWILLIS.COM 

*U.S. considers returning N. Korea to countries on the insanity list AKA terror list. 

- NYTIMES.COM

*Cheer up unemployed America, including myself! - Job losses slow to lowest numbers since September; many believe it may be sign of recovery. - REUTERS.COM

HOW HUGO CHAVEZ DEALS WITH THE LIBERAL MEDIA IN VENEZUELA

The head of the only nationwide private TV station critical of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been charged with usury. Also Thursday, one of his homes was raided for the second time in two weeks.

Officials say Globovision President Guillermo Zuloaga, who also owns two Toyota dealerships, was accused of hoarding 24 cars at one of his properties, the official Venezuelan News Agency reported. In addition, Venezuelan authorities searched one of his homes to see if Zuloaga, an avid hunter, had killed any protected prey, Globovision reported.  Zuloaga denies the accusations, saying they are politically motivated.

“This is something to try to scare Globovision, to silence Globovision, something they are not going to achieve,” Zuloaga said as he emerged from a hearing Thursday in which he was charged with usury. “Let the government know that silencing or closing communication media is not a way to hide what is happening.”

Chavez's pushback came to a head two years ago when the government did not renew the broadcast license for RCTV, another independent broadcaster. The station had to go off the public airwaves and transmit solely on cable.  Other TV stations seemed to get the message, a watchdog group said.

"Televen and Venevision hung on to their frequencies by adjusting their editorial line," the Reporters Without Borders press organization said in its 2009 World Report, referring to two national TV stations. "Globovision alone kept up its criticism of the government."

As a result, Chavez frequently criticizes the station. At a joint news conference last week with Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Chavez lambasted what he called "terrorists" who use the airwaves to subvert his rule. It is a complaint he makes often.  

DAILY VIBE: TOP HEADLINES OF THE DAY

*Rush Limbaugh filps and says that he may become a supporter of Sonia Sotomayor. 

- POLITICO.COM

*President Obama visited a WWII concentration camp and urges Iranian President Ahmadinejad that he should come visit - When asked what Iranian President Ahmadinejad could learn from Obama's visit to the Nazi concentration camp, Obama says: "He should make his own visit... I have no patience for people who would deny history."  NICE! THATS MAH' PRESIDENT TALKIN'! - HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

*Cuba rejects the Organization of American States membership. - CNN.COM

*Update on Air France Flight #447 - Some Debris May Not Have Been From Missing Jet. 

- NYTIMES.COM

*R.I.P - David Carradine, star of Kill Bill Volume I and II, found hanged in Asia. 

- CBSNEWS.COM

*New Hampshire is the sixth state in the U.S. to legalize gay marriage; calls arise for NY to be next. - NYTIMES.COM

*Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown facing tough times and pressure for resignation. 

- MSNBC.COM

*Obama's speech in Cairo pushes for peace and is received well by Muslims. - NYTIMES.COM

EX JUDICIAL ADVISOR, MANUEL MIRANDA: "LATINOS ARE NOT LIKE AFRICAN AMERICANS"

This Tuesday Manuel Miranda of the Third Branch Conference, a right-wing coalition that provides oversight of federal courts, spoke about the Sotomayor Supreme Court nomination at the Heritage Foundation during their weekly briefing. Manuel Miranda, a  right-wing Cuban American (not surprising!) who was busted for hacking into the files of Senate Democrats while he served as an aide to former Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, is spearheading the right-wing backlash against Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the Supreme Court.

At the briefing, Miranda offered a truly unique take on how conservatives could criticize Sotomayor’s qualifications without alienating the Latino community. He argued that Latinos had concerns similar to those of “everyone else,” but then appeared to suggest that African-Americans somehow think differently from other people. Read the quoted text below:

“Hispanic polls, Hispanic surveys, indicate that Hispanics think just like everyone else. We’re not like African-Americans. We think just like everybody else. …..And that’s how Hispanics are. This is an opportunity to educate them on all of our issues and they will resonate in the way that they resonate with everyone else.”  He also went on to bash Sotomayor on her alleged “racist remarks” in a 2001 speech.  

We’re very much looking forward to Miranda’s cognitive thesis on how African American’s “think differently” than the regular/normal people out there.

This statement is obviously making tons of headlines and creating much controversy across the media.  Even though consensus here at LatinVibe is that Miranda is a total douche bag, we too believe in the right to due process.  So in all fairness we must attempt to acknowledge what Miranda was trying to imply but failed miserably. Paraphrasing his comment he's saying that polls and surveys indicate that hispanics share common values with the rest of the country and implies polls and surveys would indicate that blacks have values and thinking outside the mainstream.  But clearly that is not the message that was delivered during his statement due to his poor choice of words.  

Now that we got that out of the way we would like to introduce LatinVibe’s “Douche-O-Meter” point rating system through which we measure the level of “douchness” of political figures and their stupidity:

*LV’s Rating on Miranda as a political leader:  4 out of 5 douche points!  Seriously? The man HACKED into the Dems political files and was fired!  YES.  Lets listen to the douche bag that was almost indicted.  Brilliant.

*LV’s Rating on Miranda's comments at the Third Branch Conference:  5 out of 5 douche points!  As the leader of a coalition movement on such a sensitive subject which already has racial implications, you should probably do a better job at thinking about your statements BEFORE GOING ON LIVE RADIO.  Just an idea.

*LV’s Rating on Miranda’s political figure for the Hispanic community:  5 out of 5 douche points!  Sorry, we’re not going easy on Miranda.  His careless words will only lead to widening the gap and rift between Hispanics and African Americans.  Be prepared for future Miranda endorsed slogans like:“ Don’t think like a moreno, vote for Manny Miranda, the Conservative!”

Regarding Miranda’s arguments on why Hispanics should oppose Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination, we’re not listening.  Given his reckless track record and poor choice of words, Miranda has no place as a political figure.  We’d rather take advice from a monkey at a circus that can’t even scratch its own ass.

By Massimo Alpian and George Carranza

DAILY VIBE: TOP HEADLINES OF THE DAY

*Obama visits the Mideast and Bin Laden throws a bitch fit. - Bin Laden threatens Americans In New Tape. - NYMAG.COM

*Sotomayor Tells Senators She'd Follow The Law - Supreme court nominee Sonia Sotomayor sought Tuesday to hit back against Republic charges that she would let her background as a Latina dictate her rulings.  - MSNBC.COM

*Playboy.com under fire for publishing an article titled "The Top Ten Conservative Women We'd Love to Hate F*ck."  The article advocated violence and rape against women.  GULP.  Now you know Playboy is going to have some NASTY PR backlash from this!  Who in the right mind would publish such an article??? - YOURDAILYDOSE.COM

*Summit Fails to Reach Accord on Cuba - Thirty four members of the Organization of American States gathered to argue over whether to readmit Cuba.  By the end of the day the United States had failed in an attempt to broker a deal that would have lifted the ban on Havana. - NYTIMES.COM

*Wreckage in Atlantic Ocean is confirmed to be of Air France jet, no survivors have been found. - CNN.COM

*Have you ever wanted to live near the beach?  How about near a nuclear site??  Well, today is your lucky day! - US Accidentally Releases List of Nuclear Sites.  - NYTIMES.COM

FEATURED ARTIST OF THE WEEK: BOYCE AVENUE

I recently became a huge fan of Leona Lewis.  Perhaps it was my depressive psychotic post breakup episode that sent me into a vicious cycle of listening to "Keep Bleeding" and "Better In Time."  While searching on youtube for "Better In Time" I came across an amazing band called Boyce Avenue composed of three members who are not only brothers but also happen to be Latinos!  Below is their their cover video of "Keep Bleeding" and you can also checkout more of their videos on youtube.com:

Boyce Avenue is a Florida-based band popular for its strong acoustic roots and melodic rock sound, consists of the three brothers Alejandro, Fabian, and Daniel Manzano. The band first came together in 2000, when Alejandro (lead vocals, guitar, piano) and Fabian (guitar, vocals), then 14 and 16 years old, respectively, started playing guitar. Within 3 months, Alejandro and Fabian took to the stage with their older brother Daniel (bass, percussion, vocals), then 20 years old, to perform before an audience of over 350 at a Pine View High School show.   Since then the band has performed at hundreds of venue and their music has been featured on MTV.  

The debut album, titled “All You’re Meant To Be,” was released by Boyce Avenue on March 2008. The physical album is available worldwide exclusively through www.campuscustom.com/boyceavenue and download versions can be found on iTunes.  Since the album's release, it has been written about in CNN Money, the Kings of A&R, and in other press and the band has established itself as one of the top 8 Artists of All-Time on YouTube, with over 90 million hits. On the strength of the band's touring success in the United States and the Philippines, the band is poised to launch a worldwide tour in 2009.

What I most appreciate about Boyce Avenue is the acoustic melody of their songs and the natural progression of a young latino generation merging into becoming worldwide recognized talent.  Young latinos are much more than salsa, raggaeton, and rock en espanol.  We're a generation of young and talented individuals who express and celebrate our cultural heritage through music.  Its great to see the growth of latinos in the music industry in a way thats influential and put us on the radar as an emerging musical generation that's surprising, provocative and bold.  Make sure to checkout the video for "Not Enough" from their album titled "All You're Meant To Be":

DAILY VIBE: TOP HEADLINES OF THE DAY

*Update on Air France Flight 447 - Brazil Says Debris Found in Ocean Might Be From Plane. 

- NYTIMES.COM

*Head to the bomb shelters, North Korea's leader anoints his son as heir. - REUTERS.COM

*The amount of money sent home in April by Mexicans working in the United States fell by almost  20% year over year - NYTIMES.COM

*Susan Boyle apparently hospitalized suffering from exhaustion after her run with fame.  

- ABCNEWS.COM

*GM and Citigroup fallen from grace! - GM and Citigroup to be removed from the elite Do Jones Industrial Average. - WSJ.COM

*Chinese Company Said to Be Buyer of GM's Hummer Brand.  Does China even have roads big enough for Hummers??- NYTIMES.COM

THE CONTROVERSY BEHIND MTV'S TRUE LIFE "I'M A NUYORICAN" EPISODE

The recent episode of MTV’s “True Life: I’m a Nuyorican” received much criticism from the Hispanic community.  Many said it portrayed New York City’s Puerto Rican community in a negative manner, adhering to the multiple negative stereotypes found in our culture.  The show featured three young Puerto Ricans struggling to find themselves in New York City.  Naizsha, 18, was looking for a way out by joining the Air Force, Rose, 22, was struggling with identity, being a belly dancer who speaks no Spanish fighting pressure to adhere to traditional Puerto Rican culture, and finally Jose, 20, who is a high school dropout looking to make it as a professional boxer. 

When asked to write this article, I read several other articles and blogs about the episode in order to try to understand what the hype was really about.  I found overwhelming criticism against the show and the way it portrayed Puerto Ricans.  I searched the internet and found the full episode at www.mefeedia.com, and decided to watch it for myself.  I must admit, I did not find anything particularly offensive about the show. Many would argue that I am wrong, however, those that find this show offensive have probably never lived or shared most of the experiences of the three young individuals featured in the episode. In the spirit of fairness, I must concede that not all Puerto Ricans live similar lives or share similar experiences.  Many talented, educated, and ambitious individuals auditioned for this particular episode but were declined.  Why, one might ask did they decline so many Puerto Ricans who would shed a more positive light on the stereotypes?  That answer is quite simple.  MTV is not in the business of creating social justice or social awareness; rather, they are a business, dedicated to increasing profit.  Viacom, the parent company of MTV and VH1, is interested in entertainment and receiving advertising revenue.  Although they did tell the truth about the reality of many of New York City’s Puerto Ricans, the imbalanced perspective was done because negativity, like sex, sells. 

I, for one, am a Nuyorican.  I have lived the life of those three individuals and shared in their story.  I lived in a cramped house, and had my doubts about completing high school.  I too, thought about pursuing a life of easy money in sports or entertainment, and even the military; I joined the Army.  I too struggled, and continue to struggle with my identity as Puerto Rican by ethnicity, and American by birth.  I speak Spanish, but prefer English. I do not dance salsa, and I listen to very little Spanish music.  I completed high school, college, and I will now be starting graduate studies in law school.  I live in the Bronx, yet I dream of leaving.  I come from where they come from, yet I have succeeded.  Despite any similarities, and any differences I may share with the three young people, they are, as I am, a “Nuyorican.”

MTV exposed the truth about many Puerto Ricans, though not all.  In 1890, celebrated newspaper columnist and author, Jacob Riis, wrote a wonderful book, which I read, entitled “How the Other Half Lives,” in which he exposed the deplorable living conditions of New York City’s lower class.  At the time, that book too received the outrage of many because it dared expose the dark secrets of New York’s caste system.  MTV exposed to the world how our modern day other half lives.  As Puerto Ricans, and more broadly as Latinos, we should empathize with them. The show should not be demonized as portraying Puerto Ricans in a stereotypical manner, rather it should be recognized for exposing to many what is known by only a few.  People need to see what we go through and what we must overcome.  Stereotypes stem from some sort of truth, and if the MTV show conveys a negative stereotype of Puerto Ricans, then all the detractors and criticizers should focus their energy instead on empowerment and changing the stereotype rather than simply attacking it.  The title of the show is ‘True Life,’ not ‘Politically Correct Life’, or ‘Socially Acceptable Life.’  If you do not like the state of true life for the millions of real life Nuyoricans, instead of criticizing, get up and make a change.

By Chris Carrion

DAILY VIBE: TOP HEADLINES OF THE DAY

*GM bites the dust and declares bankruptcy.  Skip the cup of coffee today and buy yourself some GM stock currently trading at $0.80 - Obama Sees Painful Birth of New GM. - NYTIMES.COM

*Tragedy strikes - Air Frane Jet is Feared Lost In Storms Over the Atlantic Ocean. - HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

*AZUCAR!  - Cuba Agrees to U.S. Talks in New Sign of a Thaw and Repair of Half Century Old Breach with the United States. - REUTERS.COM

*Never mind the millions of tax payer dollars spent abroad at war - Republics attack Obama's trip to NYC on Saturday as a waste of tax payer money. - POLITICO.COM

*Abortion Doctor murdered in Kansas.  Pro-lifers seem to think its ok to murder.  Contradictory or what?? - NYTIMES.COM

MIKE HUCKABEE IS NOT A FAN OF SUPREME COURT NOMINEE "MARIA SOTOMAYOR"

Last week Mike Huckabee fired out against MARIA Sotomayor's appointment as the Supreme Court nominee. Huckabee made sure to point out that Judge MARIA Sotomayor is apparently a left wing conservative nut who will judge based on her feelings and cause a major shift by creating an "Extreme Court."

Lets play a game and see how many stereotypes and assumptions you can find in Mike Suckabee's statement:

"The appointment of Maria Sotomayor (RIGHT!  BECAUSE IF YOU'RE LATINA, THEN YOUR NAME OPTIONS ARE EITHER MARIA, ROSA OR GUADALUPE) for the Supreme Court is the clearest indication yet that President Obama's campaign promises to be a centrist and think in a bipartisan way were mere rhetoric (IN OTHER WORDS, NOMINATING A HISPANIC COMPLETELY COMPROMISES THE PRESIDENT'S VISION OF CREATING A BIPARTISAN CABINET.  THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT IS OVER).  Sotomayor comes from the far left and will likely leave us with something akin to the "Extreme Court" that could mark a major shift. The notion that appellate court decisions are to be interpreted by the "feelings" of the judge (NOT ONLY IS MARIA A LIBERAL NUT BUT ALSO A HYSTERICAL WOMAN) is a direct affront of the basic premise of our judicial system that is supposed to apply the law without personal emotion. If she is confirmed, then we need to take the blindfold off Lady Justice." - POLITICO.COM

What Obama said is that he wants "people on the bench who have enough empathy, enough feeling, for what ordinary people are going through." He didn't say he wants someone to judge based on "feelings." Obama is much too intelligent for such a statement.  He's saying that instead of a group of judges making decisions in an ivory tower, we needed judges who remember what it's like to be an ordinary citizen of this country. This kind of empathy would help judges to make decisions that reflect empathy and understanding of everyday life.

DAILY VIBE: TOP HEADLINES OF THE DAY

*Powerful 7.1 magnitutude earthquake hits Honduras early Thursday morning.  - CNN.COM

*On Sotomayor, Some Abortion Rights Backers Are Uneasy.  - Nearly 11 years as a federal appeals court judgehas never directly ruled on whether the Constitution protects a woman’s right to an abortion. But when she has written opinions that touched tangentially on abortion disputes, she has reached outcomes in some cases that were favorable to abortion opponents.  Now, some abortion rights advocates are urging senators to demand that Judge Sotomayor reveal her views on privacy rights before any confirmation vote. - NYTIMES.COM

*Rihanna gets ready to send Chris Brown's ass to the slammer!  She will appear in court in June and may be called to testify against him.  - NYDAILYNEWS.COM

*Time Warner kicks AOL to the curb! - Time Warner to Split off AOL - MONEY.CNN.COM

*Bust open your piggy banks and search the couch for pennies and nickels, everybody's getting a piece of GM!  - G.M. filled in many of the details of how it would look once it completed its reorganization plan, crafted under the eye of the Treasure Department.  It said the government, which will provide bankruptcy financing of about $50 billion, initially would hold 72.5 percent of G.M., with the union receiving 17.5 percent, and bondholders and shareholders receiving 10 percent.  - NYTIMES.COM

*Sotomayor's Mom:  I'm so proud of her. - NYDAILYNEWS.COM

*HOLY SH$T!  - Woman in Australia checks old lottery ticket and wins $10 Million!! CNN.COM

*South Korea and U.S. Raise Military Alert Level.  This shit is getting serious!! - NYTIMES.COM

THE NEXT GENERATION OF LOS TIGRES DEL NORTE!

If you're ghetto and you like Los Tigres Del Norte raise your hand!  LOL.  Totally kidding!  Get your cowboy hats and alligator boots ready, because the new generation of Los Tigres Del Norte is here!

Praised as the Rolling Stones of Mexico, Los Tigres Del Norte are considered LEGENDS in the Mexican music industry.   Already boasting an unparalleled career resume as “the most influential regional Mexican group” (Billboard) and “the genre’s greatest statesmen” (New York Times), the legendary Los Tigres Del Norte remain one of Latin Music’s leading creative and socially outspoken voices, as they continue to sell millions of albums, regularly top sales and airplay charts, and win the recognition of their peers with multiple GRAMMY & LATIN GRAMMY Awards.

Regional music has played an important role in Hispanic cultural development throughout Latin America.  Often considered a way of sending social and political messages Regional music also inspired the community to fight against oppression and corruption.  Now that legacy will be continued by a new generation of Los Tigres Del Norte!

We're talking about the sons of singer and bass-player Hernán Hernández: 27-year-old Mexia and 19-year-old Raul.  As the musically inclined offspring of a genuine Tigre, they have a lot to live up to. Yet, the brothers, who are from San Jose, California, have decided to chart their own course. Mexia is a hip-hopper who cut his teeth battling and making mixtapes. And Raul is a vocalist, who went to Spain to study business but ended up enrolled in music school instead. They each have an album coming out at the end of August, and we can’t wait to find out if the musical prowess extends to the younger generation.   

TUMBA FALSA is one of the worldwide international hit songs of Los Tigres Del Norte that made them famous.  The song is about some hussy that abandons her baby daddy with the kids!  RUDE.  So what's a baby daddy supposed man to do when the kids start askin' bout their mama?  He tells them she's dead of course!  Totally makes sense.  But WAIT.  Its gets better.  Mama Hoe decides to come back home YEARS later and now Daddy is forced to bring back the dead hence the name of the song:  "Fake Tomb."  

And NOW... the moment you've been waiting for... the infamous song TUMBA FALSA!  Here's a few tips for when you get up to dance to this magical song:  1) Required attire:  cowboy hat and boots, 2) Left heel points up, 3) Shift your body weight from side to side while arching your back, 4) Left hand is on your hip, 5) Turn up the volume in your speakers enough to wake up the neighbors, 6) Spin yourself around in circles and try to avoid any nearby furniture.  Don't forget to hold your cowboy hat with your right hand while you spin around!!  ENJOY:

DAILY VIBE: TOP HEADLINES OF THE DAY

*Bust out your eyeliner and black nail polish!  Adam might be back in the game - AT&T May Have Swayed Idol Outcome to Favor Kris Allen. - OMG.YAHOO.COM

*The Sotomayor spin Doctor has begun - Sotomayor's Opponents and Allies Prepare Strategies. - NYTIMES.COM 

*Tragic - White Tiger Kills Zookeeper As Tourists Watch. - CNN.COM

*Twitter kicks off this year's "All Things Digital Conference run by The Wall Street Journal. 

- WSJ.COM

*$1.2 Billion Stimulus Plan for Disadvantaged Young Adults Job Training. - CNN.MONEY.COM

*North Korea needs to get a beat down USA style - North Korea Threatens Military Strikes on South - NYTIMES.COM

*GASP - London Woman Stuffs Dead Mother's Body Into Freezer AND Leave It There for 20 Years!! - NYDAILYNEWS.COM

WHY LATINOS CONTINUE TO SUPPORT PROPOSITION 8

The California Supreme Court recently upheld a ban on same-sex marriage Tuesday, ratifying a decision made by voters last year.  The ruling comes at a time when several state governments have moved in the opposite direction. 

In the United States Latino opinion regarding gay marriage vastly differs from that of Hispanics in Latin-American countries.  Typically Latin American countries are thought of as conservative, patriarchal and religious societies where the traditional family structure is the glue that holds the community together.  However, within the last few years Latin American countries have proven to be much more progressive than Latinos in the United States. Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador and Mexico are a few of the countries that have legalized gay civil unions.  In the U.S. however, a field poll found that Latinos are the only polled ethnic group who have suppor