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Top news stories personally selected by the publishers for their relevance to the Hispanic-American community.
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WASHINGTON (AP) -- This could be the year that the number of babies born to minorities in America outnumbers babies born to whites.
That's because immigration has boosted the number of Hispanic women in their prime childbearing years. Hispanic women have an average 2.99 children to 1.87 among white women. In 2008, 48 percent of the children born in the U.S. were minorities.
Sociology professor Kenneth Johnson of the University of New Hampshire says by mid-century, census projections suggest that America "may become a minority-majority country." But at the moment, whites make up two-thirds of the total population.
The birth numbers highlight the nation's growing racial and age divide. There are strong implications for the 2010 population count, which begins in earnest next week.
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WGME.COM
http://www.wgme.com/template/inews_wire/wires.national/3ddb80fc-www.wgme.com.shtml
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When interviewing black guests on his show, comedian Stephen Colbert is fond of saying, “I don’t see color.”
Or just a bad campaign?
Not always the case
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For the fifth year in a row, New York City students’ on-time graduation rates have increased, showing small but steady gains, rising to 59 percent last year from 46.5 for the class of 2005, according to figures that state and city education officials released on Tuesday.
In 2008, 56.4 percent of the city’s students graduated within four years.
Over all, the state graduation rate has also climbed incrementally: roughly 72 percent of the class of 2009 graduated on time, compared with 66 percent in 2005. But the improvements appeared to have slowed, increasing less than one percentage point from the 71 percent of students who graduated on time in 2008.
While Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg acknowledged that more improvements were needed, he appeared jubilant during a news conference at the Education Department’s headquarters.
“The results for New York City are historic,” the mayor said. “If this doesn’t put a smile on everybody in New York’s face, I don’t know what will.”
As he jumped enthusiastically from one chart to the next, Mr. Bloomberg emphasized that the city was outpacing the rest of the state in graduation rate improvements. And he was eager to make a connection between the improvements and his takeover of the city schools. Graduation rates hovered around 50 percent from 1992 to 2002, according to the city’s figures.
“For 10 years — nothing happened,” he said. “There is still big room for improvement. Nobody should think the job is done. The job will never be done, but we’re on the right track.”
Praise from David Steiner, the state education commissioner, for the state over all was more tempered. He said the fact that nearly a third of students did not graduate on time was “unacceptable.”
“Once again the results are too low,” Mr. Steiner said at a news conference in Albany.
The figures also show that just 45 percent of the city’s students are graduating with a Regents diploma, which requires that students pass several subject-based tests. Soon everyone will have to pass the Regents test to receive a diploma. Mr. Bloomberg said that he supported raising the standards and that the school system would work to help more students pass the exams.
Mr. Bloomberg called the improvements for Hispanic students the “most dramatic success story” among all ethnic groups, although just over half of Hispanic students graduated on time. Black students did slightly better, with 54 percent of students graduating by last June. And the so-called achievement gap persists: among white students, 74 percent earned their diploma on time, and 77 percent of Asian students did so.
Among all ethnic groups, girls are significantly outperforming boys, according to the state statistics. For example, 62 percent of black girls graduated on time, compared with 49 percent of black boys.
Once again, students still learning English or receiving special education services continued to lag far behind their peers. Less than 40 percent of English language learners graduated on time in June 2009, and less than 25 percent of special education students did so.
Mr. Steiner and Mr. Bloomberg emphasized the increases in five- and six-year graduation rates, saying they showed that more students were willing to stay in school to earn their diplomas even if it took them a bit longer than they hoped.
“Persistence pays off,” Mr. Steiner said. “We need to encourage kids to stay in school a fifth year if they need it.”
The state has also begun to count students who graduate in August. By that measure, 63 percent of New York City students graduated in four years.
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NYTIMES.COM
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/10/nyregion/10graduation.html
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Barry Horn had a behind-the-scenes look at how Jerry Jones snagged this weekend's boxing match.
Jones believes his stadium's seating capacity, its ambiance and its heavyweight video screen combined with North Texas' growing population - which includes a large Hispanic demographic that embraces boxing - are his aces in the hole.
Ross Greenburg, HBO sports president, calls Cowboys Stadium "a potential Woodstock for sports," equating big fights with major events like NCAA Final Fours and NBA All-Star Games.
"Put on a quality event and people will come," he said.
Top Rank boxming promoter Bob Arum and Jones preach that the sheer number of seats at Cowboys Stadium offsets the tonier price of seats in Las Vegas.
"It's simple math," Arum told Horn. "And watching replays on the big screen during the fight is something that has to be mind-boggling. ... Anybody misses anything, and believe me that happens even at ringside, and there it will be replayed bigger than life."
For Pacquiao-Clottey and its heavily Hispanic undercard, Cowboys Stadium has been configured for 45,000 seats. More than 35,000 tickets have been sold. That's a big number for boxing in Texas, where day-of-the-event ticket sales traditionally are huge.
Mega-fights, matches between two high-powered boxers, don't come along every year. But competitive fights that include at least one big-name boxer are relatively plentiful. Jones said he thinks he can host "three to five fights" a year.
Arum said talks already are under way for a bye-week fight at Cowboys Stadium during the football season.
Arum and Jones agree that they will both make money on the first fight card at Cowboys Stadium.
"Even if we didn't make a dime," Jones said, "in the context of exposure worldwide for our stadium and opening it up to the small guy who can't buy Cowboys tickets, this will be a successful promotion."
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STADIUMBLOG.DALLASNEWS.COM
http://stadiumblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/03/e-t.html
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Jane L. Delgado, president and chief executive officer of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, has written a book, The Latina Guide to Health: Consejos and Caring Answers.
In the book Delgado, a clinical psychologist, talks directly to Hispanic women about their lives and health and the lives and health of their families.
``What inspires me in my work is how women, given information, will negotiate what they need,'' she said. ``Sometimes it's hard to go at it alone, but together we can do a lot.''
We talked to D22elgado about her book. Her answers have been edited for space.
Q: Why did you think there was a need for a book specifically about Latina health?
A: The need for a book on Latina health is based on what we know about Latina health and also on the way Latinas see themselves.
Q: What's the danger of ``aguantando,'' loosely translated as holding everything together in a stoic fashion?
A: We do not go in for the wellness visits. [Aguantando] is a combination of ``suck it in'' and a ``stiff upper lip'' -- but doing it joyfully. In English, we don't have a word for it, yet I can see a lot of my female friends who are not Hispanic do that, too.
Q: How is family both a strength and a problem for Hispanic women?
A: It's like anything good. Up to a point it's good. If you do it to an extreme, it's not good. Latinas take care of themselves last. They take care of their families first. I think for both Hispanic and non-Hispanic women the challenge is finding the balance that works for them and their families.
Q: Why are U.S. definitions of a healthy weight a problem for Hispanic women?
A: We've always had excess weight. The thing is, how can we have healthy habits and manage our size to have a size that is good for us? I try to stay away from a specific number, because no one number really works. BMI is a concept that people talk about, but it's only one measure. In 1998, the NIH brought definitions in line with the WHO guidelines. By doing that, 30 million people who were considered healthy were now considered overweight. The whole thing about BMI is that it assumes everyone's weight is evenly distributed. We know that apple-shaped women and apple-shaped men have more problems. That could be an indicator that your endocrine system is not working well.
Q: Do Hispanic women have something to teach non-Hispanic women about body image?
A: A lot. Part of it is being more positive about ourselves.
Q: Your book mentions that more Hispanic women have diabetes and are overweight, but they are less likely to suffer heart disease and strokes and they live longer than non-Hispanic whites. Why do you think that is?
A: For a long time, this finding was very hard for the medical community to accept because it runs counter to what we hear. But in fact, it was such a consistent finding that about two years ago NIH launched a major study, called the Study of Latinos, and they're looking at Hispanics in Miami, Chicago, New York and San Diego. We know it's not genetic, because the more Hispanics adopt the health habits that are more popular among North Americans, the worse their health becomes. It wasn't until 1989 that the national death certificate mode had a Hispanic identifier. Up until then we weren't even collecting data.
Q: You mention in the book two friends who died. What did you learn about the problems of the health system through your friends' final illnesses?
A: Healthcare is changing. Regardless of what happens in healthcare reform, the healthcare provider you know is no longer going to be [TV character] Marcus Welby or someone like that who knows your whole family or your whole history. The people in the healthcare system -- they are overworked and stretched thin. You have to change the way you interact with them in a way that will make you or the patient be better. The idea of having a healthcare advocate or a healthcare navigator to help you in the system is not something we thought of in the past, but healthcare is complex and when you're sick, that's not a teachable moment or a moment in which you can make the best decisions.
Q: What would be your top piece of advice for Hispanic women who want to maintain their health?
A: Take care of yourself first. Because that's how you have the strength to do everything you want to do and need to do.
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MIAMIHERALD.COM
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/09/1519122/book-spotlights-hispanic-women.html
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(CNN) -- Francisca Terrazas could not be left alone.
She burned her foot pouring boiling water over an ant hill in her driveway. She would wander for hours searching for aluminum cans. The effects of Alzheimer's disease had taken hold.
Minorities such as Terrazas are at greater risk for the degenerative disease, according to an Alzheimer's Association report released Tuesday. It found that African-Americans are about two times more likely and Hispanics are about 1.5 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.
The reasons why minorities are at higher risk are unclear but not believed to be genetic.
The disease is indiscriminately devastating, robbing memories and personality as brain cells deteriorate.
But Alzheimer's for minorities presents unique challenges. Socioeconomic disparities can prevent access to health care, early detection or proper management of other conditions linked to the disease such as high blood pressure or diabetes, said Angela Geiger, the chief strategy officer for the Alzheimer's Association.
"African-Americans and Hispanics are less likely to know they have Alzheimer's and dementia," she said. "That has significant impact on the quality of life."
Some families ignore the symptoms, such as behavioral changes and memory loss, because their culture respects the elderly so much that they try to conceal their flaws, said Dolores Gallagher-Thompson, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Minorities may not get early treatment, when medications are more likely to be effective and when patients are more capable of making plans, according to the report. At doctor's offices, some can encounter language barriers and difficulties navigating a complicated health care system.
Beatriz Terrazas sees this dichotomy in her family. Both her mother and her mother-in-law have the disease, and sometimes she feels as if she is "drowning in Alzheimer's."
Her white, well-educated mother-in-law has more financial options and insurance, Terrazas said; she lives in a residential care facility.
In contrast, Terrazas' 80-year-old mother, who has a sixth-grade education, relies on Medicaid and lives with her younger daughter in El Paso, Texas. She requires constant supervision. She goes to adult day care and has a Medicaid-funded home companion or a relative help with her care. When there is no one to care for her, Francisca Terrazas follows her daughter to work.
It's as if her mother has been "rebirthed to infancy," Beatriz Terrazas said.
The Alzheimer's Association's report estimated that 11 million Americans provide 12.5 billion hours of unpaid care for loved ones.
Beatriz Terrazas, who lives near Dallas, Texas, occasionally relieves her younger sister, who is the primary caregiver for their mother. But she and her siblings were on the same page after learning about their mother's Alzheimer's in 2007: They did not want her in a nursing home.
"My family is still very Mexican in at heart," she wrote in her blog, My Mother's Brain. Putting her mother in a nursing home "would feel like giving up a part of my cultural and family history."
In Mexico, the extended family lives in the same neighborhood. When an elderly member became ill, the entire family -- aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, cousins -- pitches in to take care of the afflicted, Beatriz Terrazas said.
But Terrazas' extended family members are scattered across Mexico and the U.S., making home care more of an individual's responsibility rather than that of an extended family.
In addition to the cultural beliefs, Terrazas' family members can't afford more upscale facilities and worry that ones covered by Medicaid would not meet their standards.
Minority families often feel a filial obligation to take care of their elderly at home, said Gallagher-Thompson, who is also director of the Stanford Geriatric Education Center.
"There are very strong cultural taboos against nursing home placement or assisted living," she said. "The idea is that the family is everything. You have to keep the person at home, no matter how hard it is to take care of them."
But the stress of caregiving is enormous, as many family members (often called "the sandwich generation") work full-time and raise their own children.
"They feel that they're being traitors," said Betty Marquez, an owner of New Horizons Adult Day Care, an El Paso center for the elderly that has mainly Hispanic clients.
"They feel, 'I'm letting down my mother, father or both parents,' " Marquez said of families who leave their loved ones at the day care. "They've sacrificed so much, and they can't give them the time of day since caring for Alzheimer's, it's 24-7. On top of that, they're working, and it's impossible."
Some days are harder than others.
Francisca Terrazas sometimes stares blankly at her eldest daughter and asks who she is.
"Lord, I'd give anything to have one day to ask her advice, share a family story that she no longer remembers, have a good laugh or cry over it," Beatriz Terrazas said. "Every once in a while, she'll remember something out of thin air. The synapses are firing, and then they're gone again."
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CNN.COM
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/03/09/alzheimer.minorities.hispanics/?hpt=C1
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"Riding with Pancho Villa," a new photography exhibit, has just opened in Abilene, Texas, celebrating the centennial of the Mexican Revolution, and held in conjunction with events honoring the founding of the Republic of Texas (1836-46).
Hosting the events is Frontier Texas!, a nearly seven-acre Disneyland-meets-the-Wild-West historical theme park of sorts, designed to revive "the Old West with the help of state-of-the-art technology." A museum in which visitors can get up close and personal, virtually anyway, with the "people who played out their lives on the Texas frontier." Frontier Texas's "cutting-edge technology puts a visitor in the middle of attacks by Indians and wolves, stampeding buffalo, a card game shootout and a prairie thunderstorm, even a lovely spring evening filled with fireflies." (No word on amusements depicting the fun of Americans attacking and scalping Native Americans.)
Included in this celebration is an exhibit of over 40 rare historical photographs brought to the US by the legendary "outlaw," Francisco "Pancho" Villa's 25-year-old great-grandson, Francisco Villa. It was no simple task to bring these photos to the US from Villa the younger's native Mexico. Due to Mexico's stringent policy regarding protection of it's cultural heritage and artifacts, Villa was required to submit documents signed by authorized US experts guaranteeing that the images were not being imported for sale, but only for temporary exhibit purposes. Fortunately, Villa, being a political science student at Abilene Christian University, was able to secure letters to this effect from the university's Office of Multicultural Enrichment. And the photos made it across the border and into Texas without a hitch.
Francisco Villa's father, Agustin Villa, had been exhibiting these photos in Mexico City at various museums and other select repositories in his country for the past several years. A decade ago, Francisco began attending school in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. "At some point we decided that since I was going to be here it was a good idea to bring [the photos] to the U.S." for what would be a first-time domestic exhibition.
Pancho Villa is, of course, the legendary Mexican Revolutionary general-"outlaw"-"bandit," killer, revolutionary leader, and folk hero (depending which side of the border you're on), especially revered in his native Mexico. Villa (1878-1923) was justifiably notorious for his unique style of guerrilla-like depredations, several into Texas, most most notably in 1916. His raid on Columbus, New Mexico in 1918, earned him the enmity of the US and lead to the famous year-long ultimately futile "Punitive Expedition" incursion into Mexico by the equally legendary US Army General John J. ("Black Jack") Pershing, at the head of some 4,500 soldiers. ("Old Blood and Guts" General George S. Patton was at the time one of Pershing's aides.)
After the Revolution somewhat ended in 1920, Villa, who had briefly semi-retired, once again became active in politics and was assassinated in 1923, under circumstances still clouded in mystery. (Most standard sources claim it was the result of a well-planned conspiracy by Mexican generals with the approval of Mexico's President Alvaro Obregon, who was himself assassinated a few years later.)
Pancho Villa led a rich, extensively documented life, well at odds with what Americans at the time thought of as respectable. Francisco Villa says of his great-grandfather "He had two things he really liked - women and *** fights." Yes, he loved the women: (And he AND his women presumably loved cocks.) roping in some 20-23 wives, several of whom he tied the knot with simultaneously. (Francisco's great-grandmother, Manuela Casas, married Villa around 1920.)
The exhibit, is comprised of photos acquired from the Casasola Archives, widely acclaimed as the most richly detailed collection of images documenting Mexico's history in the early 20th century. Agustan Casasola (1874-1928), was a photographer and author who created Mexico's first press agency in 1911, and in 1917 published the famous Album historico grafico, which was intended to be a complete photographic record of the Mexican Revolution. (Unfortunately only the first six volumes, covering 1910-1912, were actually published.) The Casasola collection, well over 500,000 prints and negatives, is now housed at the Casasola Archives at the Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia.
Of all the photographs, the one most treasured by Francisco is an image of Pancho Villa surrendering after a bloody ten-year campaign against the Mexican government. He says, "You can see in his face that he is not tired, he understands he must go through another way. You can tell [his soldiers] are burned from the desert, they are all dirty."
Captions for the Frontier Texas! exhibit are, appropriately, bilingual with text in both English and Spanish, each accompanied with a quote from one of Villa's biographies. Jeff Salmon, executive director of Frontier Texas!, says of this exhibit: "it allows us to show a piece of history that deserves discussion. Although Villa is a controversial figure to many - it was a very important time in history. The photos are a fascinating look at a particular time and place in history."
Also highlighted in the exhibit are documents relating to the bicentennial of Diez y Seis de Septiembre (Sept. 16, 1810), when Mexico won its freedom from Spain. The exhibit continues at Frontier Texas until May 28, 2010. Other activities in this celebration are listed on the Frontier Texas! homepage. If successful, Francisco Villa and his family hope to take the exhibit on tour across Texas and the US. Pancho Villa had at least 23 children with various wives, so more great-grandchildren are bound to turn up somewhere on the exhibit's ride.
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SEATTLEPI.COM
http://blog.seattlepi.com/bookpatrol/archives/196927.asp?from=blog_last3
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First lady Michelle Obama participated in a free youth soccer clinic for kids in Washington, DC on Friday, promoting soccer as a way to fight against childhood obesity. The clinic kicked off a partnership between the U.S. Soccer Foundation and the National Alliance for Hispanic Health. The group launched a 25-city tour that will provide the opportunity for free health screenings in addition to a free soccer clinic with the goal of emphasizing the importance of physical activity, proper diet and healthy lifestyles. They will also help connect families with local soccer programs.
Don Garber, commissioner of Major League Soccer and Sunil Gulati, President, U.S. Soccer, appeared with the first lady, as well as D.C. United players Christian Castillo, Jaime Moreno, Eddie Pope, Claudio Reyna and Washington Freedom goalkeeper Briana Scurry.
Childhood obesity is rampant all aross the country and even right here in Kansas. In the community of Rosedale, more than half of the elementary school children are overweight or obese, a rate ten times greater than the the federal government's Healthy People 2010 objective.
"This is a problem for us, and down the road it would be a bigger problem for the health of those children and health care of our area," said Jane Heide, with the Rosedale Ministerial Alliance.
Studies show that children who play organized sports, such as soccer, at an early age are more likely than non-athletes to adopt healthy habits that stick for life. The benefits of soccer abound.
- It's aerobic-during a soccer game or practice, kids get plenty of running and physical activity. Soccer's continuous action helps kids build stamina, strengthen their heart and muscles, and develop coordination.
- It's cooperative-passing the ball is essential on both offense and defense; players must communicate well and be mindful of their team members' whereabouts on the field.
- It's inclusive-over 40 million children and young people participate in the U.S.; boys and girls of all ages, shapes and sizes can play.
Best of all, it's easy to learn. Runnning and kicking a ball comes natural to kids, and the objective of kicking the ball through a goal is simple to grasp.
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EXAMINER.COM
http://www.examiner.com/x-16388-Wichita-Soccer-Examiner~y2010m3d7-Michelle-Obama-promotes-soccer-for-health-care-and-fitness
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The UN recently presented popstar Shakira with a medal in honor of all of her philanthropic work over the years helping children in need as part of their World Day of Social Justice celebration. As usual, Shakira used her moment in the spotlight to help those less fortunate, calling on everyone to do their part. "It's not too late to keep our promise to our children, but we must act now. Together, we can make education and decent work for all a reality," she said while accepting the award in Geneva, Switzerland.
Shakira uses her influence to help out in a variety of ways. Her own Pies Descalzos or Barefoot Foundation has built schools in some of the poorest sectors of Colombia and now provides education and adequate nutrition for over 6,000 children. She is also a founding member of the ALAS Foundation, which promotes positive public policies for children in Latin America and the Caribbean, and is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
So what inspired the Colombian singer to dedicate so much time and effort to making the world better place for youth? Seeing children around her growing up so poor that they couldn't afford shoes had a serious impact on her. Shakira says the experience "shaped my dream and my vision of social justice: to see a world where every child can live a dignified life with the opportunity to reap the benefits of a good education and a chance to pursue their dreams.
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LATINA.COM
http://www.latina.com/entertainment/celebrity/shakira-honored-united-nations
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What does a 65-year-old man do when he has one million toys in his personal collection? Mexican architect Roberto Shimizu opened an underground museum at his home in Mexico City.
Roberto Shimizu The architect's collection is not the result of a short-term buying spree. Instead he started collecting very young, back in 1955. Shimizu's parents were Japanese immigrants who ran a business importing food and toys so his earliest treasures were gifts from them. But most of his toys are objects he recovered from flea markets, bazaars, scrap merchants and a network of suppliers. Today Shimizu has the biggest and most important toy collection in all of Latin America, with pieces that span the 19th and 20th centuries.
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SFGATE.COM
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/inthemission/detail?&entry_id=58597
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Ron Unz caused quite a stir in the blogosphere when he published an article in The American Conservative—yes, Pat Buchanan’s former magazine—arguing that Hispanic crime rates are not higher than white crime rates. Unz called Hispanic criminality a “myth” that immigration restrictionists should stop repeating if they want to be taken seriously.
Already familiar with much of the relevant data, I wrote a detailed critique of Unz’s article for the new webzine Alternative Right, and Unz then responded to my critique. I won’t rehash all of the points of contention here, as interested readers can follow the links to decide for themselves who has the better of the argument. In my opinion, much of Unz’s response was already anticipated and answered in my original critique.
But one part of his response did bring some new data from California to bear on the question, so let me tackle that here. First, some quick background. Unz calculated the Hispanic incarceration rate divided by the white rate (call the result “HDW”) using state-level data published by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. He then crudely controlled for age and gender, and declared that HDW in California is only about 1.1. (I’m inferring that number from one of his bar graphs.)
I found his approach problematic for several reasons. I preferred to use American Community Survey data on institutionalization. (Note: Institutionalization does not include people in college dorms or military barracks, as has been alleged.) Using regression analysis to adjust for age, my HDW calculation for California comes to 1.53, which is substantially higher than Unz’s figure.
Though this is only one of many contentious issues, Unz suggested that a 2006 report from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) could help resolve it. The PPIC report uses incarceration data from California’s government that Unz says could be among the most reliable available. The report gives an HDW of 1.48, which Unz claims as a victory. Once we control for age, he says, the HDW comes down to just about his 1.1 estimate.
But Unz missed something important in the report. The 1.48 number is already fully controlled for age. I exchanged emails with one of the PPIC report’s coauthors to confirm this fact.
To reiterate, Unz’s estimate for California was 1.1, mine was 1.53, and the estimate of his suggested referee gives us 1.48. To the extent that the PPIC report can corroborate anyone’s analysis, it is mine—not his—that is confirmed.
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BLOG-AMERICAN.COM
http://blog.american.com/?p=11109
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T-Mobile USA is giving soccer enthusiasts a chance to win one of 10 trips to South Africa as part of its new national campaign geared toward Hispanics.
The campaign, entitled El Llamado del Futbol, runs through April 19. Consumers can enter online daily at a dedicated Web site.
"We know that our customers -- especially our Hispanic customers -- are among the most passionate followers of soccer, and we are committed to bringing them exciting ways to connect with the game they love in 2010," says Wendy Pinero-DePencier, vice president of brand and calendar marketing at the Bellevue, Wash.-based T-Mobile USA, in a release.
Support for the campaign and sweepstakes includes in-store promotions, retail events and handset offers with the launch of the T-Mobile-exclusive Nokia 5230 Nuron. Upon launch of the device in the coming weeks, customers will be able to purchase the new Nokia Nuron at participating retail locations and receive a special edition soccer ball while supplies last.
The Nokia Nuron will combine 3G speeds with a full touchscreen and access to downloadable applications, games, and free turn-by-turn navigation. Customers can also receive Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)-themed mobile content and services to personalize their phones including ringtones, wallpapers, games, accessories and applications.
Later this spring, T-Mobile will kick off "2010 Chances to Win" as part of El Llamado del Futbol, giving customers the chance to instantly win soccer-themed or cash prizes daily. As part of the promotion, T-Mobile will host retail events in select U.S. cities where fans can meet soccer legends.
"For a true fan, soccer lasts longer than 90 minutes -- it's a chance to connect with family who've followed the sport and rallied behind teams for generations," Pinero-DePencier says. "That's why El Llamado del Futbol will offer a variety of memorable experiences for fanaticos, whether through player appearances at retail events or the ultimate prize, a trip for two in June to South Africa."
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MEDIAPOST.COM
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=123675
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The countdown to this summer's World Cup ticked under 100 days Tuesday, a milestone marked in the host country, South Africa, with street dances and other public performances.
Half a world away, in a 10th-floor hotel room in Pasadena, Mexican Coach Javier Aguirre was also showing off some moves of his own, metaphorically dancing between the high hopes and the lowered expectations he has tried to simultaneously create for his team.
In Mexico this year's national team, which plays New Zealand on Wednesday at the Rose Bowl, is being hailed as the country's best ever — a christening that seems to take place in the run-up to every World Cup.
Only this time it may actually be true.
Eleven months after taking over for Sven-Goran Eriksson, Aguirre has transformed the Mexican squad from a sluggish underachiever that was in danger of failing to qualify for the World Cup into a team that could go deeper in the tournament than any in Mexican history.
"We're going for it all. We have the capacity to beat any team we play," two-time World Cup veteran Cuauhtemoc Blanco said of El Tri, which has advanced as far as the tournament's quarterfinals only twice, both times on Mexican soil.
"This is the moment to do something big, something historic," added Rafael Marquez, the captain of Mexico's last two World Cup teams.
And while Aguirre agrees, at the same time he begs for a little perspective as well.
"The Mexican team is very talented," Aguirre, speaking in Spanish, said Tuesday as a chilly breeze blew through the open French doors of his corner suite. "It has all the ingredients. But it's not going to be easy. We're in a tough group. And there are six or seven rivals who also want to win the World Cup. Brazil, like always, Argentina, England, Spain, Germany, Italy.
"I just want people to see the reality and not be saying that we should be champion because we have the best team in the world. Yes, we have the best Mexican team ever. Yes, we're prepared for this challenge. But it's not easy."
Given his late start with the national team – most coaching staffs have been preparing for South Africa since the last World Cup in 2006 – Aguirre isn't close to choosing his 23-man roster yet. But he has a deep pool from which to choose.
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LATIMES.COM
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/03/sports/la-sp-soccer-mexico-20100303
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Last year in one of the longest advertising stalemates in TV's up-front history, broadcast company Univision sold all its inventory before any other network. The reason, Univision's president of advertising and sales David Lawenda says, is that some marketers are finally cluing in to the importance of marketing to Hispanics.
But it turns out not many markets really are. More than half of small, medium and large businesses in the U.S. don't market to Hispanics, according to Los Angeles advertising agency Orcí, which surveyed senior marketers at 9,300 companies across the nation. Despite the recognition that the Latino population, an estimated 45 million to 50 million, will affect overall U.S. product and services, 82% of marketers say they have no plans to start or ramp up existing Hispanic marketing efforts.
If this story sounds familiar, it's because it has been told for the past 30 years or so. Not much has changed except for the fact that the Hispanic demographic is at an all-time high, accounting for more than half of the nation's overall population growth. Around 30 million hispanics regularly browse and shop on the Internet from their homes and cellhones. Nearly 60% of them tune in to Spanish-language TV every night. And they're spending money too--around $1 trillion a year. "There's no reason any company shouldn't be pitching to this market," says Hector Orcí, co-chairman of Orcí.
Some marketers have made the move, though only 50 of the top 500 companies in the U.S. can says so. Ford Motor is placing its cars in Hispanic network Telemundo's new telenovela "Perro Amor." Dr Pepper increased its Hispanic marketing spend 20% to $18 million last year and is expected to ramp up again this year. Honda ( HMC - news - people ), an Orcí client, launched its effort more than two decades ago and saw a 270% sales lift in the first year. Procter & Gamble ( PG - news - people ), McDonald's ( MCD - news - people ) and Burger King ( BKC - news - people ) have reaped the rewards for years.
Still, so many are missing the opportunity, says Lawenda. To fill his ad space, he's been knocking on marketers' doors for years, trying to convince them of all the upsides of pitching to this population segment. Hispanics have been early adopters of social media. They are brand loyalists who, because they have strong financial support networks, remain faithful to their favorite products even when they lose their jobs.
Their median age is around 36, which means they're starting families, buying groceries and products for the home. And unlike many others, they tend to see the glass as being half full. "It's a community ripe for advertisers," says Lawenda. "Yet so many still ignore it."
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FORBES.COM
http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/03/hispanic-marketing-orci-survey-univision-cmo-network-hispanic.html?boxes=financechannelforbes
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As part of the NBA’s first-ever, fully-integrated Hispanic marketing campaign, éne•bé•a, the NBA today announced the schedule of this season’s Noche Latina (Latin Night) program, which celebrates the league’s Hispanic heritage with special telecasts and in-arena festivities, including distinctive NBA team uniforms.
This year, Noche Latina celebrations will begin on March 3 and take place in Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, San Antonio, Dallas, Chicago, Houston, New York, and Orlando, and highlight the impact of the league’s Hispanic players - including 18 players from six Latin American countries - while paying tribute to the more than 16 million Hispanic NBA fans across the country.
“With Hispanics comprising 15 percent of our fan base, we have a responsibility to connect with them in meaningful ways," said Saskia Sorrosa, NBA Senior Director of Hispanic Marketing. “Noche Latina is an opportunity for us to thank the Hispanic community for their support and showcase how their pride and passion impact our teams and players.”
Noche Latina, first launched during the 2006-07 NBA season, features uniforms that display the team name as spoken by the Latin population. The Miami Heat, for example, is called “El Heat”; the San Antonio Spurs are referred to as “Los Spurs.”
To further honor Hispanic fans and players during Noche Latina games, participating teams will host in-arena Latin-themed activities, including music, performances, and giveaways. Noche Latina events will be supported with television and radio advertising on both English- and Spanish-language media across the country as well as on the league’s Spanish-language Web site, NBA.com/enebea. Noche Latina merchandise, including the special game jerseys produced by adidas, will be available at the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue in New York City, Champs Sports retail stores, online at NBAStore.com, and at in-arena stores for participating teams.
Noche Latina 2010 Schedule:
1. Wednesday, March 3 – Detroit Pistons @ New York Knicks (Nueva York)
2. Saturday, March 6 – New Jersey Nets @ New York Knicks (Nueva York)
3. Wednesday, March 10 – New York Knicks @ San Antonio Spurs (Los Spurs)
4. Thursday, March 11 – Chicago Bulls @ Orlando Magic (El Magic)
5. Friday, March 12 – Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls (Los Bulls)
6. Saturday, March 13 – New York Knicks @ Dallas Mavericks (Los Mavs)
7. Tuesday, March 16 – San Antonio Spurs @ Miami Heat (El Heat)
8. Thursday, March 18 – Orlando Magic @ Miami Heat (El Heat)
9. Saturday, March 20 – Boston Celtics @ Dallas Mavericks (Los Mavs)
10. Sunday, March 21 – Washington Wizards @ Los Angeles Lakers (Los Lakers)
11. Sunday, March 21 – Portland Trail Blazers @ Phoenix Suns (Los Suns)
12. Wednesday, March 24 – Los Angeles Lakers @ San Antonio Spurs (Los Spurs)
13. Thursday, March 25 – Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls (Los Bulls)
14. Friday, March 26 – New York Knicks @ Phoenix Suns (Los Suns)
15. Tuesday, March 30 – Washington Wizards @ Houston Rockets (Los Rockets)
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NBA.COM
http://www.nba.com/magic/news/latinheritage_030210.html
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