09 Feb 07 DePaul Plans Seminar on Hispanic Youth Marketing – HispanicBusiness.com

02 Feb 07 Expert on US Hispanics to Discuss Spending Patterns at Marketing … – Business Wire (press release)

13 Feb 06 Guide to Hispanic marketing – WFAA (subscription)

11 Feb 06 "Arkansas' Voice on the Internet" – Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (subscription)

10 Feb 06 Teresa Iglesias-Solomon Named to Board of Directors of AMCORE … – PR Newswire (press release)

03 Feb 06 Hyundai Motor America Selects Del Rivero Messianu DDB as New … – Yahoo! News (press release)

02 Feb 06 Clairol Signs Dayanara Torres to Rep Hydrience Hair Color – Brandweek Magazine

28 Jan 06 HCC wants new vision statement – The Republican

28 Jan 06 State grants help troupes target needs, improve marketing – Arizona Republic

27 Jan 06 MLB Advanced Media Becomes the Exclusive On-Line Partner for … – Yahoo! News (press release)

27 Jan 06 Anonymity doesn't stop Duno's success – Orlando Sentinel

26 Jan 06 Super Bowl Ad May Leave Viewers Asking, 'Que Pasa?' – ABC News

26 Jan 06 Marketing Experts to Discuss New Strategies and Tools to Reach US … – Hispanic PR Wire (press release)

22 Jan 06 Liberty Tax Service Taps the Underserved Hispanic Market – PR Web (press release)

18 Jan 06 HMCA, PRSA Announce Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations Book … – Hispanic PR Wire (press release)

14 Jan 06 Tapping into a culture – Salt Lake Tribune

12 Jan 06 Marketing Pre-Paid Services To Hispanics – RTO Online

10 Jan 06 Senior Vice President of Marketing – mediabistro.com

10 Jan 06 Marketing to Asian Americans Exclusive Forum, Scheduled for … – PR Newswire (press release)

09 Jan 06 The Future Clicks for Hispanic Media

December 2005
By Jesus Chavarria

This issue’s Media Markets Report shows the Hispanic market simultaneously confronting two profound shifts: Hispanic consumers are moving from Spanish to English, and at the same time from traditional media to the Internet. The double crossover has caused confusion about the direction of the market on both Madison Avenue and Wall Street.

The two trends originate from the same underlying demographics. Hispanics’ progress in education, income, English-language usage, and product sophistication makes the conventional Spanish-only media strategy of the past 30 years seem inadequate. Growth of the second and third generation means young Hispanic consumers have more English-language skills and less connection to a country-of-origin culture. In that context, the slowing growth of Spanish-language ad spending since 2003 looks like a rational response to changes in the market (see article "Market Slump or Long-Term Trend?").

But since 2002, online ad spending to reach Hispanics has grown 900 percent, according to the Internet Advertising Bureau. Online expenditures now total an estimated $100 million (see article "Surfing in Two Worlds"). That’s more than several traditional media categories, including out-of-home and magazines. And clearly the Spanish-English shift fuels the traditional-to-online media shift: More than three quarters (79 percent) of U.S. Hispanic Web visitors express a preference for English or bilingual Web sites, according to comScore Media Metrix.

The way the two trends have occurred simultaneously demonstrates the market’s rapid development. Minority populations often lag behind the general market’s front edge, but in this case the Hispanic market has kept pace. The U.S. general market is suffering from the same dislocation of advertising and media – as Google, Yahoo!, and other sites take dollars and audience away from national broadcasters and newspaper chains.

So far, Hispanic marketers and media outlets have struggled to adapt to the shifts, with varying degrees of success. Attempts at bilingual media such as Mun2 and some local newspapers haven’t produced any high-profile successes. Univision has developed a Web portal, but without providing any English-language content. Many Hispanic media outlets have decided to stick with "businesses that are slowing due to new media," in the words of Kit Spring, an analyst at Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. (as quoted in the article "Conflicting Signals").

In light of consumer preferences, it appears that the future will "click" for Hispanic media and the audiences they serve. At Hispanic Business, the online format allows us to provide more research and articles than could ever appear in a paper-based magazine alone. Therefore, our strategic plan for 2006 calls for HispanicBusiness.com to provide more of the data-intensive, relevant content that readers have come to appreciate from the pages of Hispanic Business.

Source: HISPANIC BUSINESS Magazine

09 Jan 06 Hispanic lawyers make slow but steady progress in Tampa

Firms encourage diversity among the ranks

January 6, 2006
By Agustina Guerrero

Miami and Phoenix have long been known to have a high number of Hispanic attorneys. Now Tampa is one of the few U.S. cities with a relatively high number of Hispanic associates in law firms.

Akerman Senterfitt LLP put minority recruiting at the top of its list, and the effort has paid off. The firm was named top law firm for Hispanic Americans by Multicultural Law magazine last month.

That is because 59 shareholders, associates and consultants and 131 support staff are bilingual, out of a total staff of 400 attorneys and consultants. Two of Akerman Senterfitt’s Hispanic attorneys are in Tampa.

"We definitely encourage diversity," said Robert Zinn, chief operating shareholder. "It’s not just the smart thing to do but it’s (also) good business. You have to do what you can to have a group of attorneys that looks and matches your clients."

Clients not only want to see the firms’ statistics about diversity, said Zinn. They want to see diverse people who work in their particular matter. The firm’s statistics may look great, but if the five attorneys working on their matter are not diverse they may not hire you, he said.

Having minorities in their ranks can also help a firm approach a client’s issue from new angles and find solutions that otherwise would be elusive, said Pedro Bajo, a shareholder in Akerman Senterfitt’s Tampa office.

"You can look at the same facts in different ways. It provides a firm with different perspectives," Bajo said.

But Tampa has been traditionally difficult to recruit minorities, said Lawrence P. Ingram, managing partner and practice coordinator of the commercial litigation group in the Phelps Dunbar Tampa office.

Phelps Dunbar has two African-American attorneys in its Tampa office but has yet to hire a Hispanic attorney here, Ingram said.

"Any time you get involved in a competition with Miami or Atlanta, they win out. The candidate says: I love Phelps, but I’m not so sure about Tampa."

Regarding Hispanic attorneys in Florida, Zinn does not think it is terribly challenging to make hires.

"There is a very large pool of very qualified people to choose from," he said. "Tampa has a vibrant Hispanic community and is a place that we don’t have difficulty in terms of finding quality Hispanic people. You may see some issues with people coming out of state, but then it’s just a matter of educating them about Tampa’s vibrant Hispanic community."

Difficulties may come, he said, when firms embark on diversity programs just for the sake of diversity before identifying a need and finding a candidate who fits that need.

Further difficulties arise when attorneys are not given the tools they need to succeed.

It won’t be long until a better opportunity knocks, said Olga Pina, a shareholder with Fowler White Boggs Banker PA in Tampa.

"Minorities are harder to attract, and you can always hope that they stay longer because a good minority candidate is sought after by other firms," Pina said.

Retention is one of the tougher issues local law firms face. They usually approach it by holding minority lawyers retreats and promoting minority networks to make sure that any issues their lawyers may have are addressed.
Tampa’s culture plays big role

Alfred Villoch, an attorney with Buchanan Ingersoll PC, was tempted by larger cities before moving to Tampa.

"I considered Miami and Jacksonville," Villoch said. "I didn’t select Miami because of the cost of living and because I did not have so many family and friends there. I considered Miami, but I didn’t really pursue it that much. Jacksonville I pursued more because my wife’s family is there."

Villoch grew up in South Tampa and used to visit his grandparents in West Tampa every weekend. He graduated from the University of South Florida, got a law degree from Pennsylvania State and got a job with a Delaware law firm. But it didn’t take long to realize he wanted to come back home.

"I got home sick. I missed the Hispanic culture and food," he said. "The major factor in me coming back to Tampa was the Hispanic culture."

Ricardo Roig, a solo practitioner, also chose Tampa over other cities.

"I wanted to do reasonably complex law work, not necessarily the little things, and it was (also) a better place to raise kids," Roig said.
Language advantage

Most Hispanic attorneys have an advantage over their colleagues because of their ability to speak Spanish.

Julio C. Esquivel, a securities attorney with Shumaker Loop Kendrick LLP, works with Hispanic clients on a regular basis.

"In the week leading into Christmas, I had two new clients contact me," Esquivel said. "One was a Latin American investor looking to enter into a joint venture here in Tampa. The other was a local Hispanic-owned business looking for help with a real estate contract."

Spanish is not Villoch’s strength. He understands it but does not speak it fluently. Still, being Hispanic helped him early on.

"It helped me not only get admitted to law school. There was also a minority student association, and I belonged to it. That kind of helped out and gave me a community," he said.

That’s exactly where most law firms look when recruiting diverse talent.

"We go through the regular process of recruiting in campus but also try to reach out specifically to Hispanic student associations and ask them to submit additional resumes in case they don’t get to us," said Jason Murray, diversity committee chairman for Carlton Fields PA.

Carlton Fields’ Tampa office has welcomed several Hispanic attorneys in recent years. Back in 1999 it only had one Hispanic attorney. Today it has four Hispanic associates and two shareholders of Hispanic descent.

"Our law firm has always been a leader in the area of diversity," said Gary Sasso, president and CEO as of February 2006. "I don’t think we’ve had any impediments for lawyers of color achieving positions of leadership."

Ten percent of Carlton Fields’ lawyers are now Hispanic, higher than Florida’s 8 percent. But as Lu Prats, managing shareholder in Tampa, admits, "There’s still a long way to go if you consider that 17 percent of the general population in Florida is Hispanic."

Shumaker Loop has also made considerable progress. In the past seven years, it has gone from having one Hispanic lawyer in the Tampa office to five, or roughly 10 percent of its Tampa lawyers.
Room for improvement

But the Hispanic representation in Tampa’s legal community may be lower than it appears if one considers that some Hispanic lawyers only concentrate on a couple of legal areas.

"The majority of Hispanic attorneys here in Tampa tend to be in the criminal, personal injury and immigration arena but have not transitioned that much to transactional or commercial litigation," said Pina.

Roig also thinks there is a lack of Hispanic lawyers in the commercial and real estate arenas.

"Percentage-wise you see more Hispanic lawyers in personal injury matters," he said. "It is curious because we go down to Miami and see there are a lot more lawyers in the commercial area than here."

Improvement is also possible for firms that still haven’t seen a large representation of Hispanic attorneys locally.

Broad and Cassel has several Hispanic attorneys statewide, particularly in Miami and Orlando, but the firm’s Tampa office currently does not have any Hispanic lawyers on staff. Fisher & Phillips LLP has nine Hispanic lawyers nationwide but none in its Tampa office.

"Our Tampa office is brand new, we have (only) four lawyers there," said Carlos Burruezo, managing partner of Fisher & Phillips’ Orlando office. "We are growing nationally and always looking for qualified minority lawyers because it helps us identify with our clients better."

Tina Dunsford, an attorney with Holland & Knight LLP, said she does not see a lot of Hispanic attorneys in Tampa. "I think it’s sad," she said.

Holland & Knight’s Tampa office can count on the firm’s "large population of Hispanic attorneys firm-wide," said Brad Kimbro, Holland & Knight’s executive partner. The firm does not track the number of Hispanic attorneys it currently has, Kimbro said.

So how long will it take for Hispanic lawyers to be represented in Tampa at percentages that mirror those of the general Hispanic population?

It will happen, but it will take time, said Phelps Dunbar’s Ingram. "It’s a marathon, not a sprint," he said.
Progreso lento pero estable

The percentage of Hispanic lawyers who hold a partner position in Tampa grew from 1.36 percent in 1999 to 3.07 percent last year, data from the National Association for Law Placement shows. Hispanic associates represented 4.15 percent of the total in Tampa back in 1999 and currently account for 5.05 percent, according to NALP.

Source: Tampa Bay Business Journal

09 Jan 06 Colorado’s legacy of immigrants

January 9, 2006
By Lyndsay Jo Hackman

The first non-natives to explore Colorado were the Spanish, nearly 500 years ago. Abounding in Spanish place names – from the Sangre de Cristo mountains to the word "Colorado" itself – the state has a rich Latino heritage. That extends to present-day leaders, from U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar to Ramon Montoya, mayor of tiny Red Cliff.

It may be difficult, then, for immigrants from Mexico or Central America to understand why they’re not always greeted with open arms when they arrive here – particularly by conservative politicians who advocate everything from erecting a wall at the border to legislation aimed at denying services to those in the country illegally.

The fact that about 10 million of the immigrants living in the U.S. are here illegally no doubt has a lot to do with the problem. But some of the resentment can even come from fellow Latinos who’ve been here longer and see illegal Latino immigrants tainting the image of all Latinos.

The current surge of immigration from Mexico has been going on for only about 20 years, so part of the overall acceptance may well just be a process that has to unfold over time.

"I have a friend in Pueblo whose parents’ grandparents were immigrants, and they took great pride in learning English and becoming a part of it," said Lorenzo W. Martinez, chief of the Minturn Police Department for 20 years and a native to Pueblo. "To blend in, you need to learn the language and become a part of the community and not isolate yourself. It’s imperative."

In the early days of Colorado, many foreign workers were brought in by railroad companies to lay tracks and do other heavy labor. Others came to work in the mines – back-breaking work that not many citizens were willing to do.

"Without immigrants, we never would’ve built this place," said Bill Burnett, Minturn town councilman and second of six family generations in Minturn. He also served as Minturn’s justice of the peace from 1948 to 1962. "There were about 100 Japanese here that raised crops of lettuce and peas. The railroad companies brought in migrant workers. The Chinese and Native Americans built the railroads, and a lot were Irish, German or some other nationality."

While many immigrants come to Colorado to work and raise families, there is an underlying cause as to why some people don’t always embrace newcomers, especially those from Mexico. The roots of these differences are a combination of beliefs and personal experience.

"There is friction because both groups have not learned that we come from a common heritage," said Roberto Cordova, a retired University of Northern Colorado professor and Colorado native. "The people from Mexico are less educated, and Americans don’t learn about Mexico’s history. The difference is we’ve been here longer, and they’ll go through the same changes."

As the United States was slowly being claimed by explorers and pioneers, they came to stay and raise families, often intermarrying between different races. Latinos are more true natives than Spanish or other European settlers. As Cordova points out, the vast majority of all Spanish-speaking people in the Americas are a mixture of Native American and Spanish blood.

The earliest Latin explorers pursued the undiscovered territory of North America and slowly claimed property long before their Anglo predecessors. The first Spaniard in the United States was Francisco de Coronado in 1540, who led his expedition through part of Colorado and Kansas, 80 years before the landing at Plymouth Rock.

"Many of the trails were already forged by the time the Anglos came west," said Cordova. "Pikes Peak was named ‘El Capital’ 250 years before it was named after Zebulon Pike."

Generations and cultures prefer to be categorized by their origin. Monolingual Spanish speakers prefer to be called Latino because of the connection to Spanish extraction. Those from Mexico prefer the term "Latino" and are considered a new version of the culture outside of the country; although people are not offended when these terms are interchanged, Cordova said.

Part of the problem with assimilating Latinos into American culture, Cordova said, is that Americans aren’t taught much about multi-culturalism and how it influenced the nation’s history.

"We’re never taught about it in public schools and we still have teachers who know little about blacks, Native Americans and Asians," Cordova said. "We don’t learn positive things about ourselves (Latino), so there’s no respect – and this causes resentment."

That seeming lack of respect and acknowledgement for Latino history and culture has another adverse effect, he said. "Those that live here, because of the racist school system, have not gone to college or finished high school and are getting lower-end jobs."

Family influence

Not only the community, but also family upbringing can have an effect on how people perceive other cultures.

"I think the parents have a lot to do with it," said Latino James Lovato, son-in-law to Burnett and a Minturn native. "Some people have a chip on their shoulder. When I was a kid, each community had its own school. In the lower valley, they didn’t like us because we were Mexican, but now it’s different."

Because many migrant workers come to Colorado, their children are integrated into the school system. Since many families travel with their jobs, these students have inconsistent learning programs and tend to fall through the cracks.

"A lot of the kids that are in school regularly do well, shown by the CSAP test scores," Martinez said. "Those that move with jobs mostly seem Mexican, and they’re not as stable. It’s not because of intelligence or race – they’re moving and aren’t doing well, and there are other factors as well."

In Eagle County, the arrival of the ski area at Vail in the early 1960s changed the local economy from mostly ranching and farming to a resort industry. The job market changed as well, creating a great many service-oriented jobs that paid an attractive wage – particular for people in countries like Mexico, where a few hundred dollars a month is often the most a worker can earn.

That, in turn, has fueled the incentive for immigrants to enter or stay in the country illegally.

"To me, it puts a lot of responsibility on the employer," Martinez said. "It wouldn’t be a problem if we weren’t luring them into the country. There’s a need for these people, but it really hurts social programs, and citizens pick up the expenses."

To combat the negative stereotypes that accompany Latino immigrants here illegally, people like Cordova believe more understanding has to occur on both sides of the border. Education is also key, he said.

For his part, Cordova helped found the League of United Latin American Citizens Youth Councils program, now established in 40 states. The aim of the organization is to raise cultural awareness, and it also funds scholarships for Latino college students. He hopes he can inspire younger generations to appreciate and understand their heritage.

"I wasn’t born in Mexico; Mexico was born in me," Cordova said.

Source: Post Indepentend

09 Jan 06 Colorado’s legacy of immigrants

January 9, 2006
By Lyndsay Jo Hackman

The first non-natives to explore Colorado were the Spanish, nearly 500 years ago. Abounding in Spanish place names – from the Sangre de Cristo mountains to the word "Colorado" itself – the state has a rich Latino heritage. That extends to present-day leaders, from U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar to Ramon Montoya, mayor of tiny Red Cliff.

It may be difficult, then, for immigrants from Mexico or Central America to understand why they’re not always greeted with open arms when they arrive here – particularly by conservative politicians who advocate everything from erecting a wall at the border to legislation aimed at denying services to those in the country illegally.

The fact that about 10 million of the immigrants living in the U.S. are here illegally no doubt has a lot to do with the problem. But some of the resentment can even come from fellow Latinos who’ve been here longer and see illegal Latino immigrants tainting the image of all Latinos.

The current surge of immigration from Mexico has been going on for only about 20 years, so part of the overall acceptance may well just be a process that has to unfold over time.

"I have a friend in Pueblo whose parents’ grandparents were immigrants, and they took great pride in learning English and becoming a part of it," said Lorenzo W. Martinez, chief of the Minturn Police Department for 20 years and a native to Pueblo. "To blend in, you need to learn the language and become a part of the community and not isolate yourself. It’s imperative."

In the early days of Colorado, many foreign workers were brought in by railroad companies to lay tracks and do other heavy labor. Others came to work in the mines – back-breaking work that not many citizens were willing to do.

"Without immigrants, we never would’ve built this place," said Bill Burnett, Minturn town councilman and second of six family generations in Minturn. He also served as Minturn’s justice of the peace from 1948 to 1962. "There were about 100 Japanese here that raised crops of lettuce and peas. The railroad companies brought in migrant workers. The Chinese and Native Americans built the railroads, and a lot were Irish, German or some other nationality."

While many immigrants come to Colorado to work and raise families, there is an underlying cause as to why some people don’t always embrace newcomers, especially those from Mexico. The roots of these differences are a combination of beliefs and personal experience.

"There is friction because both groups have not learned that we come from a common heritage," said Roberto Cordova, a retired University of Northern Colorado professor and Colorado native. "The people from Mexico are less educated, and Americans don’t learn about Mexico’s history. The difference is we’ve been here longer, and they’ll go through the same changes."

As the United States was slowly being claimed by explorers and pioneers, they came to stay and raise families, often intermarrying between different races. Latinos are more true natives than Spanish or other European settlers. As Cordova points out, the vast majority of all Spanish-speaking people in the Americas are a mixture of Native American and Spanish blood.

The earliest Latin explorers pursued the undiscovered territory of North America and slowly claimed property long before their Anglo predecessors. The first Spaniard in the United States was Francisco de Coronado in 1540, who led his expedition through part of Colorado and Kansas, 80 years before the landing at Plymouth Rock.

"Many of the trails were already forged by the time the Anglos came west," said Cordova. "Pikes Peak was named ‘El Capital’ 250 years before it was named after Zebulon Pike."

Generations and cultures prefer to be categorized by their origin. Monolingual Spanish speakers prefer to be called Latino because of the connection to Spanish extraction. Those from Mexico prefer the term "Latino" and are considered a new version of the culture outside of the country; although people are not offended when these terms are interchanged, Cordova said.

Part of the problem with assimilating Latinos into American culture, Cordova said, is that Americans aren’t taught much about multi-culturalism and how it influenced the nation’s history.

"We’re never taught about it in public schools and we still have teachers who know little about blacks, Native Americans and Asians," Cordova said. "We don’t learn positive things about ourselves (Latino), so there’s no respect – and this causes resentment."

That seeming lack of respect and acknowledgement for Latino history and culture has another adverse effect, he said. "Those that live here, because of the racist school system, have not gone to college or finished high school and are getting lower-end jobs."

Family influence

Not only the community, but also family upbringing can have an effect on how people perceive other cultures.

"I think the parents have a lot to do with it," said Latino James Lovato, son-in-law to Burnett and a Minturn native. "Some people have a chip on their shoulder. When I was a kid, each community had its own school. In the lower valley, they didn’t like us because we were Mexican, but now it’s different."

Because many migrant workers come to Colorado, their children are integrated into the school system. Since many families travel with their jobs, these students have inconsistent learning programs and tend to fall through the cracks.

"A lot of the kids that are in school regularly do well, shown by the CSAP test scores," Martinez said. "Those that move with jobs mostly seem Mexican, and they’re not as stable. It’s not because of intelligence or race – they’re moving and aren’t doing well, and there are other factors as well."

In Eagle County, the arrival of the ski area at Vail in the early 1960s changed the local economy from mostly ranching and farming to a resort industry. The job market changed as well, creating a great many service-oriented jobs that paid an attractive wage – particular for people in countries like Mexico, where a few hundred dollars a month is often the most a worker can earn.

That, in turn, has fueled the incentive for immigrants to enter or stay in the country illegally.

"To me, it puts a lot of responsibility on the employer," Martinez said. "It wouldn’t be a problem if we weren’t luring them into the country. There’s a need for these people, but it really hurts social programs, and citizens pick up the expenses."

To combat the negative stereotypes that accompany Latino immigrants here illegally, people like Cordova believe more understanding has to occur on both sides of the border. Education is also key, he said.

For his part, Cordova helped found the League of United Latin American Citizens Youth Councils program, now established in 40 states. The aim of the organization is to raise cultural awareness, and it also funds scholarships for Latino college students. He hopes he can inspire younger generations to appreciate and understand their heritage.

"I wasn’t born in Mexico; Mexico was born in me," Cordova said.

Source: Post Indepentend

09 Jan 06 Not all kids embrace their Latino heritage

January 8, 2006
Source: LA Daily News

Q: I married an American in my country and moved to the United States because of the insecurity in Latin America, so my family is half-Latino.

My oldest son, Jose, was born in the same country as I; my youngest one, Pedro, was born in the U.S. My problem is that Jose won’t accept his culture. My house is decorated with things brought from the Latin American places we’ve been to, and we speak only Spanish at home, even though my husband is white.

Once, when I cooked some frozen tacos, Jose asked with an incredulous face, "What is this?"

I don’t know how to get to my son. We speak of the beauty of our countries, their culture and music, and we travel to my home country whenever we can. What have we been doing wrong that he won’t identify himself with our culture? He’s 11 years old, and the younger one is 4. My younger son has fun speaking Spanish and knowing that there are a lot of people who are not bilingual. Not only that, but he dances merengue better than my husband. What do we do?

CATHERINE: Your son has only one problem: He needs space. It is normal for a kid his age to hate anything about his family that makes him different from his peers. During this stage, your son just wants to fit in, and he will fight violently against anything that makes him stand out.

The older he gets, the more independent his identity will become. Don’t be surprised if you see him finding a great deal of pride in his Latin roots later in his adolescence. Just give him time. The more he senses your anger right now, the more he will pull away.

LILY: I have a feeling my two boys won’t always want to acknowledge our little hometown of Zuazua as their own. They will probably request that I turn off the Tejano music as I drop them off at school. They may even get upset when I suggest tamales and "cajeta" as Christmas presents for their teachers.

At some point, "el que diran" will matter more than their cultural ID _ be it hormones or phases or teenage revolt. "Dale tiempo al tiempo." On his own, he will come to you and ask about family, about customs, about traditions. And never stop reminding both your sons of their heritage. They might act like they’re ignoring you _ but they’re not.

DANNY: Mom, is this you trying to get back at me for dyeing my hair blond and refusing to speak Spanish while learning a Texas accent? Can you please let it go? I was only 15 back then!

I am so glad you never made me feel ashamed for doing the things I did. You allowed me phases, dreams and freedoms, and were there to pick up the pieces. It was a good thing I left home for college because I learned that everything I ever wanted to be, you already were. What a turn, huh?

GLOSSARY:

cajeta: a caramel candy

el que diran: what they might say

dale tiempo al tiempo: give it some time (literally, give time, time)

09 Jan 06 Many Latinos in Clark county are ‘invisible’

January 8, 2006
Source: Springfield News-Sun

Statistics show Clark County’s Hispanic population on the rise, but statistics don’t tell the whole story.

Casa Amiga Program Director Maria Messer said there are many “invisible� Latinos in Clark County.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimated in 2004 that 2,038 Latinos resided in Clark County, compared to 1,699 in 2000 and 970 in 1990.

The figures don’t include all the Latinos in the county, Messer said. Some come to work only during the summer and others simply have gone unnoticed.

The Latino population in Springfield and on the western side of the county is growing more rapidly than in other parts of the county, according to statistics from the 2000 census, the most recent census that details village populations.

Nurseries, restaurants, manufacturing jobs and construction are some of the businesses where Latinos are employed in the county, Messer said.

But she said she does not know a specific reason why the population grows in some areas more than others. Latin Americans moving to Clark County do, however, tend to move to areas where other Latinos already reside, Messer said.

Holding on to customs and values is important to Latinos moving to the United States, Messer said. Though they want to learn about their new environment, they also want to keep their heritage.

Religion, family, language and signs of respect hold high value among Latinos, along with their pride in their origin, she said.

Sometimes, this pride can be misinterpreted by Americans — another topic discussed in Tecumseh YMCA Spanish classes taught by Mark Ensalaco, University of Dayton’s director of International Studies and Human Rights Programs.

Ensalaco talked about the misconceptions of why Latinos immigrate to America, but don’t learn the language right away.

“They really do want to learn English … but they just don’t want to lose Spanish,â€? he said. “If things were reversed and we found ourselves having to move to Germany, we wouldn’t want to lose our English …â€?

09 Jan 06 (PZ) MEDirect Latino Inc. Achieves Record December Revenue Results – Houston Chronicle

09 Jan 06 New Study Shows Hispanics Less Likely to Use Medication to Quit … – HispanicBusiness.com

09 Jan 06 (PRN) – Greater Cleveland Partnership Names Richard Batyko to … – Bolsamania.com

09 Jan 06 The Week Ahead – Salt Lake Tribune

07 Jan 06 Hispanic Demo Gets Hotter

January 6, 2006
By Jason Lee Miller

The Hispanic online community is a demographic that shouldn’t be ignored by the online marketer. In fact, this demographic is one of the fastest growing and most earnest groups of Internet users, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).

It helps that 45% of online Hispanics are 24 years old or younger, making them a hot group to target. A younger consumer is typically a more frivolous consumer.

In the United States alone, over 14 million Hispanics have Internet access and by 2020, Hispanics are expected to make up a fifth of the US population. Even better for the online salesman, buying power for this group is growing faster than for non-Hispanic groups.

So it’s probably a good idea to pay attention, especially since this growing group of Hispanic web-surfers views 15% more pages and spends 9% more time online than the general US market.

Source: webpronews.com

Hispanic Demo Gets Hotter

06 Jan 06 Hispanic Migrants Face Emotional Struggles

January 5, 2006 
ViaHealthDay News

Ambivalence about moving to the United States may contribute to poor mental health in male farm workers from Mexico and Central America.

That’s the conclusion of a Wake Forest University School of Medicine study of 60 Hispanic migrant farm workers in North Carolina.

These men often face competing desires, the researchers noted. They want to remain with their families in their homelands but realize that migrating to the United States offers the promise of a better future. This results in feelings of ambivalence that may cause mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety.

"The consequences of poor mental health are serious. Farm work can be a hazardous environment and if workers have anxiety or depression, they may fail to take appropriate precautions to prevent occupational health injuries," researcher Joseph G. Grywacz, an assistant professor of family medicine, said in a prepared statement.

He and his colleagues found that 75 percent of the migrant farm workers reported ambivalence about leaving their wives and children and 66 percent were torn about leaving their parents. Each type of ambivalence was associated with more symptoms of anxiety, compared to men who expressed no ambivalence about coming to work in the United States.

"Family ambivalence inherent in migration is associated with poorer mental health among Latino men. We found that the anxiety can be exacerbated when they are unable to call relatives in Mexico frequently," Grywacz said.

He suggested that agencies and people who deal with migrant workers should do more to help the workers communicate with their families back home.

The study was published in the Journal of Immigrant Health.

Previous research found that about 25 percent of Mexican immigrants to the United States have mental health problems, such as depression or anxiety, during their lifetimes. Common explanations for poor mental health among immigrants include the clash of cultures and the physical and emotional demands of immigration, the researchers said.

Source: Forbes

06 Jan 06 Outlook Group Signs Ten-Year Agreement with Madison Direct … – Business Wire (press release)

06 Jan 06 Meet the System—Inland Empire, Calif.: Give Me the Simple Life – CableFAX’s CableWORLD

CableFAX's CableWORLD

Meet the System—Inland Empire, Calif.: Give Me the Simple Life CableFAX’s CableWORLD, NY - 5 hours ago … Another potential marketing tool is using databases and segmentation to pitch phone service to specific communities, such as the 40% Hispanic population in the …

05 Jan 06 Commercial Capital Bancorp, Inc. Announces That Subsidiary, TIMCOR … – Business Wire (press release)

05 Jan 06 Marketing To Women Survey: TV Commercials Favor Thin, Young, White … – NewsReleaseWire.com (press release)

04 Jan 06 Management-level hirings and promotions in the Austin area – Austin American-Statesman (subscription)

03 Jan 06 Study: Hispanic influx created jobs, depressed wages by $2 bil.

January 03. 2006 2:18PM
Via The Associated Press

A study designed to gauge the economic impact of the Latino population in North Carolina suggests Hispanic immigration created work but caused a drain on wages.

The study says low-wage Hispanic workers depressed wages in North Carolina by nearly two (b) billion dollars in 2004. However, the study also says their presence also created nearly 90,000 jobs for others.

It’s billed as the first investigation of Latino economic impact in a state with one of the country’s fastest-growing populations.

The study by members of the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise says Hispanic residents filled about a third of the new jobs created in North Carolina in the last decade and make up about 30 percent of the jobs in the construction industry.

It’s also estimated that there are about 601,000 Hispanics living in the state, with about 45 percent lacking legal status in the United States.

Source: The Dispatch

http://www.hispanicprwire.com/news.php?l=in&id=5396&cha=10

03 Jan 06 Charter Provides Integrated Communication Experience Via Spanish … – PR Newswire (press release)

03 Jan 06 New Online Shopping Channel for Inland Southern California Offered … – TMCnet

03 Jan 06 Memo From The Front: 2006: A Whole New Year – Brandweek Magazine

03 Jan 06 Singing in Spanish pays off for artists – Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (subscription)

03 Jan 06 ZenithOptimedia Direct Enters Hispanic Marketing via New Unit – DM News

02 Jan 06 Legal vs. illegal

To the dismay of Latino U.S. citizens, the two are often confused

January 2, 2006
By Brady McCombs

In Colorado, where the majority of illegal immigrants are from Latin American countries, all Latinos are sometimes mistakenly lumped into criticisms with illegal immigrants.

When a Latino commits a crime, the general population assumes he or she is an illegal immigrant, said Penny Gonzales-Soto, an immigration attorney with Catholic Charities Northern in Greeley.

"What does the general population do? Hispanic face front page, and what is that attributed to — immigrants," Gonzales-Soto said. "I mean it just all comes together: brown face, Hispanic equals immigrant. So that’s an injustice, throwing everybody into the same pot."

This reasoning was behind one of the criticisms of a proposed resolution in support of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Greeley being considered by the city council.

Latinos Unidos, a group born from their opposition to the idea, said blaming illegal immigrants for methamphetamine, violent crimes and drug problems would cause stereotyping of all Latinos.

Perhaps for this reason, U.S.-born Latinos tend to be less supportive of illegal immigrants. According to a 2005 study by the Pew Hispanic Center, 76 percent of foreign-born Latinos believe illegal immigrants help the economy by providing low-cost labor rather than hurting the economy by driving wages down. In contrast, 55 percent of U.S.-born Latinos believe that statement.

When asked in this same survey if they favor laws that deny illegal immigrants drivers licenses, 60 percent of U.S.-born Latinos said yes, while 29 percent of foreign-born Latinos said yes.

Gonzales-Soto also said school districts need to be careful not to assume every Spanish-speaking child is an illegal immigrant.

"Because a child speaks only Spanish when they enter kindergarten or first grade doesn’t mean they’re not a U.S. citizen," Gonzales-Soto said. "It just means their parents don’t speak English, and that’s the language they learned at home."

Source: Greely Tribune

02 Jan 06 Real People: Success with service – Amarillo.com (subscription)

02 Jan 06 Language of success – Poughkeepsie Journal

02 Jan 06 Paying `à la carte' would cost us – Sun-Sentinel.com

01 Jan 06 Volunteer Opportunities – Winston-Salem Journal

01 Jan 06 Multicultural marketing can be a minefield – Arizona Daily Star

30 Dec 05 Business leaders make resolutions new goals – DesMoinesRegister.com

29 Dec 05 The New AT&T Launches Unprecedented Brand Cam – HostReview.com

29 Dec 05 Meredith Corporation to Webcast Citigroup Conference Presentation – PR Newswire (press release)

29 Dec 05 AT&T to launch major brand campaign – Telecom Paper (subscription)

29 Dec 05 Latin stars sticking to Spanish – Sioux Falls Argus Leader

28 Dec 05 Helping Hispanics plan retirement – Richmond Times Dispatch

27 Dec 05 Republican Strategist Is Taking Heat for Taking Mexico as Client – New York Times

27 Dec 05 Experts Reveal Secrets of Using PR to Reach the Exploding Hispanic … – Hispanic PR Wire (press release)

27 Dec 05 Branding Tortillas May Put Dollars in Producers’ Pockets – AgNews

27 Dec 05 Latin artists sing in Spanish, still make it big in US – Jackson Clarion Ledger

CJAD

Latin artists sing in Spanish, still make it big in US Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS - 20 hours ago … degree by Rochelle Newman-Carrasco, owner of the Los Angeles-based marketing firm Enlace … records, and who make up a large percentage of the Hispanic population … SINGING OUT EN ESPAÑOL Monterey County Herald all 11 related

26 Dec 05 Tapping ethnic markets without getting lost in translation – Naples Daily News (subscription)

26 Dec 05 Marketing Narnia – AlterNet

26 Dec 05 Hola: Toys for ni̱os РFort Wayne Journal Gazette

20 Dec 05 Bilingual Fun and Games – The Ledger

WXIA-TV

Bilingual Fun and Games The Ledger, FL - 2 hours ago … another PBS's cartoon, "Dragon Tales," which features a Hispanic brother and … Miami University marketing Professor Arun Sharma says the popularity of ethnic and … Hip toys have Hispanic theme Myrtle Beach Sun News Hispanic-themed toys get big displays for holidays El Paso Times all 79 related

20 Dec 05 ClickDiario Network Delivers over 1 Billion Ad Impressions in … – Business Wire (press release)

20 Dec 05 RMG Connect Buys Direct.com – DM News

19 Dec 05 YAHOO! en español’s News Site to be Headed by Veteran Spanish … – HispanicBusiness.com

19 Dec 05 Univision Joins Nielsen Television Index; Groundbreaking Contract … – Business Wire (press release)

19 Dec 05 ImpreMedia Acquires San Francisco's 'El Mensajero' – Editor & Publisher

19 Dec 05 PMI Expands Spanish-Speaking Homebuyer Education Classes – Business Wire (press release)

18 Dec 05 Southwest Hip-Hop from Rap Artist Big Rich Tha Don – ThugLifeArmy.com

ThugLifeArmy.com

Southwest Hip-Hop from Rap Artist Big Rich Tha Don ThugLifeArmy.com - 17 hours ago On October 1st, 2005 at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in the city of Albuquerque … has been added on to the roaster of a well know marketing agency RDS …

18 Dec 05 Anderson Analytics Brings Cutting-Edge Analytic Technologies, and … – I-Newswire.com (press release)

16 Dec 05 Hispanic food and cooking favorites – Havana Journal

16 Dec 05 If You Think You Know How US Hispanics Eat, Guess Again; The NPD … – Business Wire (press release)

15 Dec 05 CyberAds to Acquire Majority Interest in Planet X Group, Inc. – Market Wire (press release)

15 Dec 05 Reveille and Hyperbole – Interbiznet Bugler

15 Dec 05 (PRN) – Sonoco-Alcore Announces Coreboard Increase in Europe … … – Bolsamania.com

15 Dec 05 Marketers to Bolster in-Store Efforts in 2006, Predicts … – Business Wire (press release)

15 Dec 05 Chrysler Group Executive Vice President and Controller Accepts the … – PR Newswire (press release)

13 Dec 05 Scripps to Launch Its First Broadband Channel, HGTV KitchenDesign – Marketing Vox News

13 Dec 05 New films target US Hispanic audience – Bradenton Herald

12 Dec 05 Feliz Navidad & Próspero Año Nuevo from Hispanic Trending

I’ll be visiting family for the Holidays; posting will be sporadic at best for the rest of the month.

In the meantime please check out the Hispanic Trending archives; there’s lots of interesting information that will help you get a clearer picture of Latinos in the USA.

Here are a couple of suggestions on where to start:

• Click here to Google it
• Review it month by month (look under “ARCHIVESâ€?) *
• Visit the different “CATEGORIESâ€? *
• Start from Day One

* Scroll down and look for these two lists on the right-hand column.

Muchas bendiciones,

Juan Guillermo

12 Dec 05 Immigration Hits Five-Year High, Report Says

December 12, 2005
Source: Associated Press via Forbes.com

Immigration – both legal and illegal – continues to boom as Congress grapples with how to better control America’s borders.

A new report by the Center for Immigration Studies found that 7.9 million people moved to the United States in the past five years, the highest five-year period of immigration on record.

The report, released Monday, comes as the House prepares to take up a bill to curb illegal immigration by boosting border security and requiring workplace enforcement of immigration laws.

There are 35.2 million foreign-born people living in the United States, according to the report, which is based on the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey from March. The report said an estimated 9 million to 13 million are here illegally.

"The 35.2 million immigrants living in the country in March 2005 is the highest number ever recorded – two-and-a-half times the 13.5 million during the peak of the last great immigration wave in 1910," said the report by Steven Camarota, director of research for the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates tougher policies on illegal immigration and favors attracting immigrants with needed job skills.

About 12.1 percent of the current U.S. population was born in another country, the highest percentage since 1920, according to Census figures.

The report’s estimate of the overall number of immigrants living in the United States is consistent with other analyses. But experts warn that it is difficult to accurately measure the number of people entering the country each year.

A recent study by the Pew Hispanic Center found that immigration levels peaked around 2000, then dipped in 2002 and 2003. Nevertheless, Jeffrey Passel, a research associate at the Pew Hispanic Center, said immigration levels remained high, compared with historic levels.

Audrey Singer, an immigration fellow at the Brookings Institution, said, "There’s no doubt that we are at a high in immigration to the United States." Singer said immigrants are attracted by economic opportunities and social ties to people already living in the United States.

"Look at places where people come from, these are places with very limited economic opportunities," Singer said.

Mexico is the largest supplier of immigrants to the United States, followed by East Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, Central America and South America, according to the report.

A divided House Judiciary Committee approved a bill last week that would enlist military support in border surveillance and set new mandatory minimum sentences on smugglers and people convicted of re-entry after removal. Illegal presence in the country, now a civil offense, would become a federal crime.

The full House is expected to take up the measure this week, before it adjourns for the year.

President Bush has proposed a guest worker program that could allow illegal immigrants to stay in the country temporarily to fill jobs unwanted by Americans.

The guest worker provision is not part of the House bill.

Activists have been arguing for years that America needs to better secure its borders against illegal immigrants, while others argue that the American economy would collapse without the cheap labor provided by undocumented workers.

The Center for Immigration Studies report says that immigrants, on average, are less educated and more likely to live in poverty than people born in the United States.

The Pew Hispanic Center, however, says that education levels are improving among recent immigrants.

Camarota said the U.S. should work harder to expel people who are in the United States illegally.

"The obvious thing is to enforce the law, at the border and at the work site, and to deny access to bank accounts and driver licenses," Camarota said.

But Angela Kelley, deputy director of the National Immigration Forum, said it would be impossible to deport as many as 11 million illegally immigrants, who make up about 5 percent of the U.S. work force.

"There isn’t fairy dust that is going to make the 11 million people go away," Kelley said. "It would be far more sensible to have them come out into the light of day … and give them a chance to join the American family on a permanent basis."

12 Dec 05 For Chicago area Hispanics, this really is home now

December 12, 2005
By Gery Chico

They have come to the United States, they have come to Chicago, in great numbers to work, live and raise families. Some in the nation focus on ways to keep immigrants from illegally crossing the border. The Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame, on the other hand, took a close look at the current state of what it calls "Latino Chicago." Compiled with the help of its Metropolitan Chicago Initiative, directed by Sylvia Puente, its report, titled This is Home Now, presents a startling portrait of demographic change in the Chicago metropolitan area.

Puente and I recently sat down to talk about the results of the institute’s research. It was fascinating. The Hispanic population in the six-county Chicago area has quadrupled from 5 percent in 1970 to 20 percent last year; and it’s projected to grow to 39 percent by 2030. According to the Institute, the "Chicago region has added more than 1.3 million Latinos in the last 35 years — 96 percent of the region’s total population growth."

More than 53 percent of the Chicago area Hispanics were born in the United States. Two-thirds of Latinos are U.S. citizens, including almost 90 percent of the children. Hispanics constitute the largest minority group in the Chicago area, and they are here to stay. This is their home now.

The report also notes that most of the growth in Hispanic population has been in the suburbs and more than half of all Hispanics live in the suburbs. Towns like Aurora, Waukegan, Melrose Park, Elgin, Joliet and many others have seen rapidly changing demographics. Hispanics there are becoming a real presence in the work force, among the merchants, in the schools and among the voters.

The key challenge posed in the report is to find ways to integrate Hispanic Americans into the community. Puente told me we must avoid the segregation and ethnic enclaves of the past by making these new residents feel welcome and getting to know them.

The changes charted by the Notre Dame study have many implications. Perhaps the most significant is economic. From 1990 to 2003, the growth in Hispanic workers was 1.3 million — which almost equaled the number of new jobs in the region. In 2002, there were 40,000 Hispanic-owned businesses in the state, earning $7.5 billion in revenue. In many areas, Hispanics have revived dying business districts by opening new stores, restaurants and services.

The report also found that income for Hispanics in the Chicago area has increased more rapidly than in other parts of the country. In the 1990s, median household income among Latinos rose from $30,200 to more than $44,300. Almost one-third of Hispanic households have an income of $60,000 or more; one in five have incomes exceeding $75,000.

Given the growing income, it’s not surprising that more than half of Hispanic families own their own home. Latinos are major contributors to the housing boom in the Chicago area: 46 percent of the growth in home ownership is due to Hispanics.

All of this means that Hispanics are a major economic force in the metropolitan area and will become even more so in the next two decades.

To help this growing community succeed and continue to make positive contributions to our larger community, we should focus on several key areas:

*Education — Schools, particularly in the suburbs, need to expand their bilingual and multicultural programs, along with career training.

*Health services — As one of the groups with the least coverage, more workers need health insurance; all children should be covered, (the governor’s All Kids program moves us closer to that goal).

*Business support — Latinos looking to start businesses can benefit from the availability of capital and financial training, along with assistance from local banks and business chambers.

*Language — Inclusion in the larger society depends greatly on the ability to speak, read and write English. Efforts to help both children (through school) and adults become fluent need to be readily available and effective.

We are all connected, and how well we address the issues posed by Hispanic population growth will determine the strength of our future.

Source: Chicago Sun-Times

12 Dec 05 Search Marketing for the U.S Hispanic Market

December 12, 2005
By Chris Winfield

As the U.S. Hispanic population continues to grow and Hispanic online shopping increases, smart search marketers will find ways to incorporate that segment into their marketing plans.

An estimated 43 million Hispanics constitute 15 percent of the U.S. population, making them the largest minority group in the country. Furthermore, more than half of the population is under age 35 — prime purchasing age, according to advertisers. And according to The Direct Marketing Association’s study on the Hispanic population’s direct buying habits three out of 10 Hispanics spend more than $200 on online purchases while 82 percent made an online purchase within the last year.

What should these facts mean for search marketers? That there is a large relatively untapped consumer segment ripe for targeting.

So, while it’s quite obvious that the online Hispanic market deserves some serious attention from search marketers, how does one actually go about marketing to that segment of the population? How does it differ from marketing to “traditional� segments of the population?

Well, the most obvious challenge, and opportunity, to marketing to Hispanics online is language. While many U.S. Hispanics speak English and those most likely to shop online speak English, as well, that doesn’t guarantee that they will always type English search terms into search engines. And even if they do use English when conducting searches, they might be more receptive to a Web site that offers Spanish features, such as a Spanish translation section. And, lastly, but equally as important is the fact that the Hispanic market is quite diverse — Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, etc. — and the actual meanings of phrases sometimes vary depending on where a Hispanic consumer originated.

First and foremost, just as the parameters of any search marketing campaign include initial research, so should a campaign targeted specifically at the Hispanic market. Recognizing that this segment is one with unique requirements including differences in language, culture, and spending habits will go a long way in forming a strong foundation for a search marketing campaign.

Just as a Web site must be user-friendly for the typical shopper, it should also be equally accommodating for the Hispanic market. This could include everything from featuring more images of Hispanics on a Web site, making cultural references that would appeal to Hispanics in the content presented, or creating an entire page or duplicate site “En Espanol.� Because even if the majority of online Hispanic shoppers do speak English, no one likes to feel left out, and a Web site that demonstrates that it has considered the wants and needs of Hispanic shoppers is much more likely to convert a Hispanic visitor to a customer and possibly a faithful customer, at that.

Actually getting Hispanic shoppers to a Web site is where the hard work begins. Research, which will probably cost a little but could foster much more in returns, is essential to ensuring that the correct search terms are being used to bring Hispanic shoppers to a Web site and not alienate them from it. For instance, one thing that might not be obvious to a search marketer is that Spanish keywords are sometimes backward to their English translations (e.g. “green blouse� translates to “blusa verde� in English).

Also misspellings of both English and Spanish terms should be considered. And, highly important is the consideration of varying meanings of words throughout the Hispanic community. For example, the Spanish term “cuero� could mean “drums� to a Cuban shopper but have a quite negative and offensive meaning to a Puerto Rican shopper.

Attempting to tap into the Hispanic market is not something that a Web site owner should take on single-handedly in a free afternoon by picking Spanish keywords that sound good and sending them over to his in-house tech guy to optimize and implement on the site. It should include serious preparation and research, and possibly outside help, to guarantee the best returns. But the benefits are well worth the time and initial cost for many online retailers.

Source: DM News

12 Dec 05 Hispanic Out of Line

Latino lay offs untimely, but can lead to better things

December 10, 2005
By Al Carlos Hernandez

I have a deep abiding concern for those who have been laid off, or suspect that the may be cut loose in the near future, especially during the Christmas season. Yes, I said Christmas ¿Y Que?

In a move that would make the Grinch proud, Hispanic on-line has laid off its hard working editorial staff including my friend Virginia Cueto, saying that they intended to out-source the work. Only to send out a press release two hours later announcing their replacements.

If no one else says it, thank you Virginia Cueto for the five years of hard work and contributions you have made to the online effort. A word to Mexico-based media company’s that intend to ingratiate themselves into American media: your country failed, that is why the people come here.

In my eclectic work experience, I have been: laid off, let go, re-assigned, promoted, demoted, fired, bum rushed, asked to leave, asked to manage, and occasionally blind-sided by a burrito and a road map.

That being said, I demand that my picture and columns no longer run on the Hispanic-online website. There, I fired myself for once.

Most people think that it can’t happen to them: the boss likes them, and the company needs them. It can and does happen and now often times the boss gets the boot as well. There is a certain consolation when the boss gets the same pink slip at the same time you do once you hit the parking lot. Corporate etiquette would have it that you have to give him or her at least a three-step lead before you start chasing them.

Getting laid off feels a little bit like getting killed. Your whole identity, lifestyle, and ego are drastically changed within one day. Your source of security, identity, and income gets executed. In America it’s not who you are, as much as what do you do. In Oakland, we say it’s not what you do, but how you do…

I have some hard lived advice for those who get the short end of the economic stick. The first thing you have to realize is that most of the time it’s not your fault, don’t blame yourself. Laying people off is simply a financial decision it has nothing to do with you as a person. The second thing to realize is that those in the company who are not laid off have to do twice or three times the work at the same pay. The third thing is that the company bites anyway.

Most people are in denial and don’t anticipate job cut backs. They figure the company can work at a loss for a while, and the boss doesn’t look worried. Always assume that you can be laid off any minute. Always have a plan B job that can pay quick cash, that you can fall back on, house painting, babysitting, whatever. Immediately apply for un-employment, even if you expect to be called back.

Be aware of similar companies that can use your abilities, know who is hiring, and consider taking some classes learning another trade should your vocation go into a drought mode. As a mass media major in college once, I was black-listed from full time Spanish media. I found myself un-employable, so I took a job selling cars, then learned the sales trade. Car dealerships have an intensive sales training system. I used the sales ability to get many jobs and feed my family until the economy got right again.

There are a few stages one goes though once handed the pink slip. The first is denial, you are somehow convinced that it is a mistake and they will re-hire you the next day. The first day home is like a day home sick from school, you don’t know what to do with yourself and wait for the phone to ring or an e-mail that never comes. You call work to see who misses you or if anything has changed. Soon they make excuses not to take your call.

The second phase is you humble yourself and start asking your friends who is hiring, then check the want ads and eventually start going on some whack interviews. You soon find that there are lousy jobs out there with way too many over qualified candidates, and they want to pay peanuts.

The third phase is that you get used to being home, interview less frequently, and for many, give up. This is a mistake.

Psychologists say in order to be emotionally healthy; people need two things, security and significance. A job gives one significance. In my down times I have learned to forgo ego and have taken jobs that before I would consider beneath my stature and had some of the best and most rewarding times in my life. People around me were happy to know that I was no longer a legend in my own mind.

The life experience of starting over vocationally and knowing that I had to scrap for my money, have served to enhance the quality of my life immeasurably and have given me a confidence I couldn’t have received any other way.

I tell my sons that I believe that I could be dropped flat broke from a helicopter in Kentucky and have a job and apartment and a Cadillac, with two weeks because now I know how to get my money. Getting laid off at various stages in my life showed me the way.

I hate to quote cliches but this faith-based one is most appropriate, “Tough times don’t last but tough people do.�

Source: LatinoLA

12 Dec 05 Ryland Homes Partners With Univision Radio and Julie Stav – PR Newswire (press release)

12 Dec 05 New ad and marketing firm geared to Hispanics – Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

12 Dec 05 Tortillas go mainstream – Long Beach Press-Telegram

11 Dec 05 Hispanic immigrant takes civics lesson to son’s school

December 11, 2005
Via News-Leader.com

Lorenzo Rubio was upset, and for good reason. His son had been suspended from his Kansas City, Kan., school for speaking Spanish in the hall. How ridiculous?

Rubio is an immigrant to this country and an American citizen. He understands how this country works.

"You can’t just walk in and become a citizen," he told a reporter from the Washington Post. "They make you take this government test. I studied for that test and I learned that in America, they can’t punish you unless you violate a written policy."

So when he learned why his son had been expelled, he went to the principal. He asked to see the written policy forbidding speaking Spanish in the hallway.

The school didn’t have one. Such a policy would be ridiculous. Students go to school to learn different languages, not to be prevented from speaking them.

Rubio then called the superintendent and his son’s suspension was revoked.

Zach Rubio, Lorenzo’s son, knows not to answer a teacher’s question in English with Spanish. But when a friend asked him a question in Spanish in the hallway, it was only natural to respond with the same language. The Rubios speak both English and Spanish.

Being able to speak two languages is something that should be celebrated, not punished.

10 Dec 05 Businesses see gold in Latino ads – OregonLive.com

10 Dec 05 Minnesota’s illegal workers in the spotlight

December 10, 2005
By Jean Hopfensperger and Heron Marquez Estrada

Ramon Leon was 24 years old when he slipped across the Mexican border into California in 1987. Four years later he headed to Minnesota, landing a job as a dishwasher the day he arrived.

Leon later became an upholsterer, small-business owner and founding president of the popular Mercado Central cooperative, which has helped revitalize a Lake Street business district in Minneapolis. Today Leon heads a Latino economic development group and is a sought-after speaker around the country.

When Leon arrived, however, he was an illegal visitor to the United States. The cost of undocumented immigrants in Minnesota was spotlighted in a report by Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s office this week.

While most illegal immigrants will not be as successful as Leon, the vast majority work, pay taxes and buy Minnesota goods, he said.

"We know that we might cause some expenses, but we know the economic impact is great," he said. "Just in Minneapolis, we [the Latino community] have $300 million in buying power. At least 24 Minnesota counties have populations of Latinos with buying power of more than $10 million."

Undocumented workers are all part of this equation, said Leon, who was an undocumented worker for 13 years and is now a U.S. citizen.

The governor’s report estimated that illegal immigrants cost Minnesota up to $188 million a year. The vast majority of the money was spent educating about 17,000 children of illegal immigrants. The report concluded that rising illegal immigration posed "financial and social challenges" that policy makers would eventually have to confront.

The governor’s report offers little information on who these illegal immigrants are. Here is what is clear:

Numbers: Between 55,000 and 85,000 people, according to the Urban Institute, a Washington think tank that was a key source in the governor’s report. This was not a direct count, but an extrapolation based on numbers of legal immigrants.

Where they’re from: Most are Latinos, from Mexico in particular, said state demographer Tom Gillaspy. Within Mexico, there’s been a steady stream from the state of Morelos, said Leon.

Age: Most are men in their early 20s when they arrive here, typically without wives or children, said Minnesotans familiar with undocumented workers. Many plan to stay a few years, then return home. Many don’t, however, largely because they fear they couldn’t get back into the United States.

Where they live: Illegal immigrants tend to live in the same neighborhoods as legal immigrants. That includes urban neighborhoods, first-ring suburbs and outstate Minnesota communities with large meat-processing plants.

Where they work: More than 1,000 Minnesota firms were sanctioned by federal immigration officials for hiring illegal workers in the 1990s, according to Bruce Corrie, a Concordia University professor who drew information from the Center for Immigration Studies database. The workplaces ranged from Valleyfair amusement park in Shakopee to Tony Downs Food processing in St. James to an Arby’s in Eagan. "I even saw the State of Minnesota somewhere," Corrie said, referring to the list.

Meet Ignacio

Ignacio, whose last name is being withheld because of his immigration status, is typical of many illegal immigrants. He came to the United States in 1993, entering through California. He moved to New Jersey and then to Minnesota, after hearing the job market was good.

Ignacio worked on and off for temporary employment firms and now works at a bakery. In the meantime, he met his wife and they had two children — one of whom is attending a public school in the Twin Cities area and whose cost of education is considered in the governor’s report.

Although the Mexican native has been paying income taxes for more than a decade, he generally has not filed for a tax refund. It’s a point noted in the governor’s report, and one stressed by immigration advocates: namely, that illegal immigrants often pay income taxes and Social Security taxes but get no benefits.

Like most illegal immigrants, Ignacio didn’t come to the United States with plans to stay indefinitely. And he never singled out Minnesota, with its frigid weather, as his top destination. But it became home and a good place to raise a family.

"All of us are here to help our families," said his wife, as their toddler played at her feet. "We came here because my country was too poor. We do well for the companies that we work for."

In fact, immigration experts argue that many Minnesota industries would be reeling without the pool of illegal workers who take a lot of the unpleasant, low-paying jobs that are typically tough to fill. That’s especially true in meat-packing industries, they said

"Sometimes entire towns rely on these meat-packing companies; the towns would disappear without them," said Leon.

"We call them illegal, but one of the first things we do is give them a tax number," added Corrie. "If they [undocumented immigrants] just walked out of Minnesota, it would be like a couple of tornadoes hitting us.

"They are subsidizing our lifestyles in Minnesota," he said. "Whether we’re putting on a new roof, getting a floor installed, enjoying a turkey at Thanksgiving."

Corrie and other immigration researchers in the Twin Cities said they hoped the governor’s office would sponsor another report looking at both the costs and benefits of illegal immigration. Said Corrie: "We have to look at the whole picture; otherwise we’ll just be tilting at windmills."

Source: The Star Tribune