CHICANO RADIO NETWORK U.S.A. Blog

By Latinovations

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed a long-awaited Farm Bill that will preserve crop subsidies, but cut food stamps, causing many Latino families to lose the primary source for feeding their families. “I know many of my colleagues would just like this whole farm bill issue to go away. They want to pass a bill and forget about it and move on to something else, but … the people that will be hurt by this bill aren’t going away,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., “This bill will make hunger worse in America, not better.”

According to a 2012 Pew Research Center Survey, 22 percent of Latinos have relied on food stamps at some point, slightly more than the 18 percent rate for Americans in general. The bill will be cutting approximately $800 million a year from the food stamps program which will undoubtedly have a big effect on Latinos.

Republicans claim the reason behind the cuts is to ultimately save money and scale back on benefits that do not have the funds to support it. These cuts in the end will reduce spending by $23 billion over the next decade.

Though the spending will be reduced, families who would be affected by these particular cuts would have to figure out how to put food on their family’s table. The bill now moves over to the Senate where..

Read More: http://www.newstaco.com/2014/01/30/house-passed-farm-bill-will-affect-latino-families/

January 29, 2014
By Robert Schoon

Last November, NBC announced it was going to shut down NBC Latino, the Latino-focused news site that only launched in the summer of 2012. Early in 2014, NBC quietly closed NBC Latino’s offices, but Latino journalists and opinion writers have had many things to say about it.

Shutdown

NBC Latino, the website, is still up and accessible, but NBC says it will incorporate whatever NBC Latino material is still being produced into the larger NBCNews.com, as well as redirecting users to the larger site. The move is being made in tandem with the 2014 redesign of the NBC News website.

An anonymous NBC spokesperson told MediaBistro that the re-incorporation will “allow its content to reach a much larger audience and it will further enhance NBC News’s commitment and ability to cover news and issues that matter to the Latino community.” So on Friday, Jan. 18, NBC Latino was shut down and four of the seven staffers for the site were let go. The others were reassigned.

Reactions

So what do Latino journalists think about the shutdown? Was it just an experiment, or is the shutdown a big blow for Latino journalism? Did NBC just create NBC Latino because it felt like it needed to compete with Fox News Latino?

One of the strongest reactions came from Adrian Carrasquillo, former NBC Latino journalist who now works at Buzzfeed, where his piece, “Why would a major network cut back on Latino news?” ran last week.

In it, Carrasquillo states, “Latino journalists in the newsroom is not some bullshit exercise on a diversity checklist, but an acknowledgement that the newsroom should reflect the country, the people you are writing about, the audience … a newsroom can’t afford to be cut off culturally from a huge piece of American life in the 21st century.” Carrasquillo thinks NBC Latino failed partly because it “needed to be better appreciated and taken more seriously inside the building,” and partly because “a failure, at times, to grasp what people care about on the internet,” a jab at NBC’s legacy newsroom status.

Marisa Treviño, writing for Latina Lista, said that incorporating NBC Latino back into the larger, more popular NBC News site for more exposure is beside the point: “The trouble is no one understood, nor continues to understand, that a site focused on Latinos means Latinos, in essence, control the conversation. As someone who was among the first to enter the online news space for Latino-centric content, I know how different editorial decisions are made in an environment that is focused on one demographic. The only time the issue of balance in content comes up is when deciding on how many stories to post featuring politics, lifestyle, health, etc. versus how many stories with a Latino slant can be posted before it’s perceived that the site is catering to one group over another.”

Others were more circumspect in their reactions, criticizing NBC for throwing in the towel and essentially making Latino coverage less of a priority, but also accepting the realities of the 21st century newsroom.

Hugo Balta, President of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) said he met privately with officials from NBC, where he used to work, and shared his criticism of the move. Saying he agreed with many of Carrasquillo’s points, he also mentioned that “the realities of business models, corporate priorities, and strategies have an effect on any operation.” Balta also pointed out that NBC Latino may have pigeonholed itself, mentioning that a Latino news site for English-speaking Latinos should include general news:

“Research shows that Latinos are not looking to have the spot light on them. What they want is to be included in the conversation. What they want is to be reflected in the content (journalists, experts, central characters, decision makers). That’s not to say there isn’t a place for stand-alone vehicles produced by Latinos for Latinos. But when you’re specifically targeting English dominant Latinos; they prefer to be part of the larger conversation.”

It’s an idea that shapes LatinPost’s diverse staff and coverage, actually: that a mix of Latino-focused features should always go with mainstream news, viral content, and generally entertaining stories, since the identities and interests of Latinos are not simply shaped by one aspect. Angélica Pérez-Litwin of NewLatina.net put it best in her personal reaction to NBC Latino’s closure:

“As a Latina born in this country… mainstream media is MY media of preference… A media platform or channel constructed around one aspect of my multifaceted life does not appeal to me, at all… Show me a media platform with smart content; that addresses those issues that I’m passionate about; that reports on interests and issues that matter to me; and is written and produced by a group of diverse and talented individuals, including Latinos – and I’ll sign up immediately.”

Source: http://www.hispanictrending.net/2014/01/nbc-latino-shutting-down-reactions-from-latino-journalists-and-columnists.html

Healthy Aging Strategies • Un Envejecimiento Saludable • www.CPLC.org

Elizabeth Vargas is starting a new chapter. The 51-year-old journalist returned to TV on Friday, Jan. 24, following her stint in rehab last fall for alcoholism. In a pre-taped interview with Good Morning America’s George Stephanopoulos, Vargas admitted, “I am. I am an alcoholic.”
“It took me a long time to admit that to myself,” she explained. “It took me a long time to admit it to my family, but I am.”

Vargas shared back in November that she was seeking treatment for alcohol abuse. She left rehab two weeks after her announcement, tweeting: “Hello everyone! I am home, and so grateful for all your support and well wishes. I am so much better and taking it one day at a time.”
The 20/20 anchor told GMA Friday that she decided she needed help after she realized she was “in no shape” to do an interview one day. Vargas shared that wine was her drink of choice. “At night I — that was a ritual,” she said. “I should’ve realized it was a problem way back when Zachary, my oldest son, was born. And he used to call my nightly glass of wine ‘mommy’s juice.’ You know, and I thought that was hysterical. It didn’t occur to me that that was a problem.”

Vargas, mom to Zachary, almost 11, and Samuel, 7, said her husband, Marc Cohn, had previously told her to get help, but she didn’t listen.
“‘You have a problem. You’re an alcoholic,'” she recalled Cohn saying. “It made me really angry, really angry. But he was right.”
Vargas said her triggers to drink were stress and anxiety. “That’s exhausting, to live like that,” she explained. “And it becomes very easy to think ‘I deserve this glass of wine. I’m so stressed out . .

“I started thinking ‘Well, you know, I’ll only drink, you know, on weekends. I’ll only drink, you know, two glasses of wine a night. I won’t drink on nights before I have to get up and do Good Morning America,” Vargas recalled. “But those deals never work.”

Now, Vargas said she leans on family and friends to help her through stressful times. “I’m part of AA,” she said. “I have a sponsor. I have great, great friends who I love and who love me.”
How did she know when she was ready to leave treatment?
“It’s a psychic change, I think. I mean, it’s learning to accept that I’m human,” she said. “That there’s nothing wrong with failing, that there’s nothing wrong with feeling anxiety.”
Vargas will share more of her story when she returns to 20/20 on Friday, Jan. 24.

Read more: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/elizabeth-vargas-returns-to-tv-after-rehab-i-am-an-alcoholic-2014241#ixzz2rOqiFfmH

by Cheryl Corley

As the Obama administration touts an increasing number of people signing up under the Affordable Care Act, there’s a push to get Latinos enrolled. This demographic represents the most underinsured group in the country. Politics around Obama care and Latinos are heating up, with a new ad attacking the ACA and a Latino congressman who supports the measure.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2014/01/20/263361444/language-remains-a-barrier-in-latino-health-care-enrollment?ft=1&f=2&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NprProgramsATC+%28NPR+Programs%3A+All+Things+Considered%29&utm_content=Yahoo+Search+Results

Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc

For almost 45 years, CPLC has provided the necessary tools for individuals and families to become economically empowered and self-sufficient. Click on the following graphic to find CPLC’s Newsletter, that expands upon our work and accomplishments from 2013. We’re excited about the opportunities that 2014 has to offer.

Newsletter: http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ql10TXkTA9k16hkqTCf08t20h1J6Yjo4

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Rita Moreno did a little of everything in accepting the lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild. She sang, she danced, she dropped the F-bomb.
The 82-year-old entertainer was clearly delighted with being singled out at the SAG Awards on Saturday night. The crowd of actors at the Shrine Auditorium gave her a standing ovation, with Julia Roberts whooping it up as Moreno’s giddy acceptance speech came to a close.
“I am so (expletive) thrilled,” she crowed after being introduced by old friend Morgan Freeman. “I hope the man with the button was there on time.”
He was; her swearing was bleeped on the live TNT telecast.
“I’m sorry about that word,” she said, then added mischievously, “Actually, I’m not.”
Moreno is one of Hollywood’s rare EGOT winners — owner of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards. Her Oscar came in 1962 for her iconic portrayal of saucy Anita in “West Side Story.”
“Late in the first act of my career I was recognized with an Oscar. I was 31 and so astonished and surprised,” she told the crowd. “And now this unexpected honour at 82. Hopefully it’s early in the third act of my life.”
Moreno closed her remarks by breaking into a snippet of a cappella song: “So let the music play, as long as there’s a song to sing, I will be, I will be younger than spring.”
The crowd rose to its feet again, with Brad Pitt and Meryl Streep applauding.
“I didn’t expect people to cheer and carry on,” Moreno said backstage.
Later, in a nod to Moreno,”Breaking Bad” star Bryan Cranston came up to accept his trophy for actor in a dramatic series and sang, “I won a SAG Award.”
Moreno’s nearly 70-year career includes movie, stage, television and concert credits. She and Freeman starred on “The Electric Company,” a 1971 comedy variety show that taught reading concepts to kids.
She is the only Hispanic performer to win entertainment’s top four trophies. Backstage, she was asked about the ongoing push by Latinos to earn more positions in front of and behind the camera.
“It’s about persevering. We’ll get there,” she said. “The door is ajar. I’m saying we have to open that door some more. I don’t think it will happen in my lifetime, I mean I’m 82.”
Moreno hardly looked her age in a Roberto Cavelli black-and-gold flowered gown and Herve Leger gold-studded leather jacket.
“I may be the only performer here tonight that actually paid for this stuff,” she said backstage. “It’s edgy, but it doesn’t look like I tried to look too young.”

Source: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/photos/morgan-freeman-presents-rita-moreno-screen-actors-guild-photo-032935814.html

01/08/2014 – 01/09/2014
CPLC Insurance – Community Outreach
2:00 PM – 7:00 PM
CPLC Insurance will be conducting community outreach to educate individuals regarding the Affordable Care Act Enrollment. For more info, please call: 602-282-8520.

January 11, 2014
CPLC Insurance – Community Outreach
12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Cover Arizona “BEYOND” Enrollment Event

BEYOND is an ongoing community-wide event to commemorate the anniversary of January 8th.

(On January 8, 2011, U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and eighteen others were shot during a constituent meeting held in a supermarket parking lot in Casas Adobes, Arizona, in the Tucson metropolitan area. Six people died, including Federal District Court Chief Judge John Roll; Gabe Zimmerman, one of Rep. Giffords’ staffers; and a nine-year-old girl, Christina-Taylor Green.)

Cover Arizona, is an organization that is assisting with getting individuals enrolled in the Affordable Care Act. CPLC Insurance will participate in this event to help educate individuals around the Affordable Care Act and potentially have them enrolled with BCBSAZ.

For more info, please call: 602-282-8520.

Putting a finishing touch on his second term Cabinet, President Barack Obama on Wednesday nominated Maria Contreras-Sweet, the founder of a Latino-owned community bank in Los Angeles and a former California Cabinet secretary, to be head of the Small Business Administration.

Obama praised Contreras-Sweet, who immigrated to the United States when she was 5 years old, as a “champion of women-owned and family owned businesses.”

Contreras-Sweet, born in Guadalajara, Mexico, has a history of working with small businesses and has been an advocate for Hispanics. As California’s secretary of the state’s Business, Transportation and Housing Agency from 1999 to 2003, she was the first Latina to serve as a Cabinet secretary in the state and oversaw 40,000 state employees and a $12 billion budget.

In 2006, she founded ProAmerica Bank, a financial institution that aimed to assist small and mid-size businesses. Before that, she was president and co-founder of a private equity firm that provided capital to small California businesses.

“Maria knows how hard it is to get started on a business,” Obama said. “The grueling hours, the stress, the occasional self-doubt, although I have not yet seen self-doubt out of Maria. She knows it herself.”

If confirmed by the Senate, Contreras-Sweet would fill the last vacant Obama Cabinet slot, filling the SBA administrator’s position formerly occupied by Karen Mills who left in August.

Contreras-Sweet would become the second Hispanic in Obama’s second-term Cabinet. The other is Labor Secretary Thomas Perez. She would also become the eighth woman in Obama’s current Cabinet. Obama’s selection had been the subject of intense interest among Hispanic leaders, who wanted to ensure they had a high-profile presence in the administration.

Obama said Contreras-Sweet’s grandmother, a migrant worker in Mexico, once advised her that if she studied hard she might eventually work in an office as a secretary and make her proud. Obama noted that she ended up being a Cabinet secretary in California.

“Maria is fulfilling the vision of her grandma in ways that maybe are not entirely expected,” he said.

Her pick comes as some small business advocates have questioned the Obama administration’s commitment to that broad segment of the private sector.

“Hopefully, upon confirmation, she will reach out to small business organizations and the entrepreneurs themselves to listen to their ideas and concerns,” said Karen Kerrigan, president and CEO of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. “For the past year or more, the SBA has gone dark in terms of outreach.”

Rep. Sam Graves, the Republican chairman of the House Small Business Committee, said the time it took Obama to nominate a successor to Mills “showed us that small businesses really aren’t valued much by this administration.”

By JIM KUHNHENN

October 22, 2013, is one day shy of the anniversary of the October 23, 2012, resolution that was passed unanimously by the Mayor and Council to immediately develop a plan to transform El Rio to a family golf-park facility and put it under the Parks and Recreation Department and the general fund.

To date, one year later, no plan has been submitted to the Mayor and Council or to the community. That is because, we believe, there is no plan, nothing has been done to carry out the directive of Mayor and Council. Apparently, City staff has chosen to simply ignore the directive given them by their bosses, the elected Mayor and Council.

The El Rio Coalition II has sent a letter to the Mayor and Council asking them to (1) have a Public Hearing on El Rio, (2) rescind their decision/vote that made El Rio available for sale, and (3) reaffirm their October 23, 2012, resolution. We have not heard back from any council member or from the Mayor.

Apparently, the way the City works is that the City staff ignores the Mayor and Council and the Mayor and Council ignore their constituents. This culture of arrogance that characterizes City Hall, the house of the people, has to change.

City Hall’s culture of arrogance is evident in the Mayor’s and Councilmembers’ and City staff’s refusal to release public records to the public even after the El Rio Coalition II won its lawsuit and the judge ordered the City to make available all the records relating to the El Rio-Grand Canyon University matter.

The El Rio Coalition II’s first Public Records Request was filed on May 13, 2013. Five months later—and two months after the judge ordered the City to turn over the records—the City has yet to make those records available. Notably, the records the City is refusing to make available to the public are the e-mails and other records from the offices of the Mayor and the Councilmembers (with the exception of Councilmember Kozachik, who has released his records). Obviously, the elected officials are hiding something. Elected officials should not have to be pressured to comply with state law and court orders.

Ceci Cruz, Chair, El Rio Coalition II

(520) 884-0070

[email protected]