"Zombie" flesh-eating drug desomorphine, the street name Krokodil (pronounced crocodile), which gives users an intense "zombie-like" high state -and the side effects are ulcerated skin and limbs- has struck again, and this time in Mexico. In a bizarre sequence of events, what initially was thought to be lacerations caused by a sexually transmitted infection, turned out to be harm caused when a teenage girl injected the drug into her genitals.
The Dominican Republic, a nation that's presently known for its denationalization of Haitians and Haitian-Dominican citizens, rejected a human rights report earlier this month, which states that the Dominican Republic government is guilty of discrimination due to its recent court ruling that will leave hundreds of thousands of Haitians stateless and without citizenship, according to a study.
Amrutlal Patel and Dakshaben Patel, Subway owners in Lexington, Kentucky, were indicted by the federal grand jury for knowingly harboring undocumented Indian nationals employed in their restaurants. The married couple was charged last month with four counts of harboring undocumented immigrants. In similar news, a Latino man by the name of Jose Gallegos was found guilty of transporting and harboring an undocumented immigrant earlier this month.
Dangerous radioactive material, used in cancer-treating medicine, was stolen, along with the truck that was carrying the teletheraphy source containing cobalt-60. Tepojaco, a town in the central state of Hildago was the scene of the crime. The capital and six of Mexico's 31 states were put on alert on Dec. 3, and Mexican authorities were able to recover the material on Thursday of the same week, which had been abandoned in a field.
Nearly one-third of Texans who are 5 years and older speak Spanish at home, according to the 2000 census. And, for children younger than five years old, the percentage is much higher. Naturally, conversational habits used in the home, such as speaking Spanish, continue when in school. Nonetheless, some educators don’t like students speaking Spanish in the classroom for an invariable number of reasons. In fact, one middle school principal, Amy Lacey, in Hempstead, Texas, went as far as to tell students that they could not use Spanish in the classroom; which directly led to the principal being suspended with pay.
Zoraida Sambolin, co-host of Early Start, left the CNN cable network on Friday, Dec. 13, after a three year stint. Sambolin, who shared her 5-7 a.m. slot with co-anchor John Berman, left the show, following Soledad O’Brien’s leave earlier this year; also, a number of Latinas left the network during the year.
New England Patriots alum, tight-end Aaron Hernandez, is being sued by the family of the man that he is accused of murdering, Odin Lloyd, 27. Meanwhile, the police investigate the death of another person related to the case. The Herald-News stated that the wrongful-death lawsuit was filed on Dec. 16 in Superior Court in New Bedford, Mass.
Demi Lovato’s two year tenure as X Factor co-host has come to an end. The (presently) blue-haired bombshell confirmed the news last Wednesday evening, after rumors sparked earlier that day. The former Sonny with a Chance star plans to return to her routine as a singer and musician, spending her 2014 touring, creating an album, and possibly releasing an album.
Border Patrol officers' routine abuse of undocumented immigrants has been called criminal. The result of their ongoing victimization has led to the deaths, hospitalization, and injury of a number of migrants who lined the border, attempting to cross in order to gain access to a better life. Migrants are subject to physical abuse, verbal harassment and mistreatment; which is very deliberate and usually occurs when migrants are apprehended by border patrol officers.
Blackness complemented by Spanish-ready speech is confusing for many, and it immediately prompts questions of nationality, language, status, and ethnicity. Afro-Latinos in the U.S. and abroad are often approached with skepticism and exoticism; their skin-tone and speech forcing them into a position of "other" ...and often, they gain discrimination from both the Latino and Black communities.
Latino buying power has become the thing to talk about, as it has increased six fold since the 1990's: the $212 billion collective purchasing ability has matured to an estimated $1.2 trillion in 2013; as the Hispanic population increased 43 percent within the last 13 years, rising from 35.3 million to 52 million+. However, Latino companies (big business and startups) are still few and far between. Despite the magnitude of Latinos' contribution to the American economy, and the number of Latinos functioning at every level of the workforce, Hispanic-owned and Hispanic-run business often don't make impressions on the American public and mainstream corporations. But, there are a few large Latino companies that have been able to access extensive returns, becoming true competitors in their respective industries. The top revenue-earning Latino companies were recently established by HispanicBusiness.com, showing that Latinos head in a varied range of industries, offering a number of services.
Joseph and Mary searched despondent North Star-driven evenings, seeking refuge, safety, and comfort. Mary still with child, the couple was turned away eight nights before they, and the unborn savior, were able to rest on presepios (a bed of straw) in a barn in the town of Bethlehem. Their journey and routine dismissal is relived by migrant families, who gather on the Mexico-side of the border -to celebrate the annual bi-national posada, or La Posada Sin Fronteras (Lodging without Borders) - where participants ask to take refuge in the United States, but are refused.
Panama is the southernmost country of Central America, bordered by Costa Rica and Colombia. Its inhabitants' ethnic makeup is Mestizo (mixed white and Native American) 66 percent, Blacks/African descent 16 percent, white 8 percent, and Amerindian 10 percent; the Amerindian population including seven indigenous peoples. Panama's second largest population, Panamanians of African descent, are targeted for discrimination at multiple levels, according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Guatemalan singer-actor Oscar Isaac Hernandez, known professionally as Oscar Isaac, has earned a Golden Globe nod for his portrayal of the title character in the Coen Brother newcomer, "Inside Llewyn Davis."
Previous BET "106 & Park" host Raquel Roxanne Diaz, professionally known as Rocsi Diaz, who now acts as "Entertainment Tonight" correspondent, recently spoke about hosting "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" movie premiere in Washington,D.C and a recent interview she had with the cast.
Pop queen Britney Spears recently placed her foot into her mouth during an interview on Univision’s Despierta América, which took place last week. When asked what her favorite aspect of Latino culture was, Spears asserted that Latinos were "very sexy," and they made her think of the typical "bad boy" type that fathers warn daughters against. Spears, 32, could have easily used the opportunity to endorse positives that are apparent in the Latino community, such as strong family values, connections to the church, or perseverance.
Social media channels flared with concern over Sofia Vergara's possible separation from fiancé Nick Loeb. Competing reports have stated that the ring has been on ...and the ring has been off. There's as much swarming fanfare around Vergara's potential nuptials that's been given to fellow Latinas Christina Milian (engaged to Jas Prince), Alexis Bledel (engaged to Vincent Kartheiser), Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi (engaged to Jionni LaValle), Alexa Vega, (engaged to Carlos Pena Jr.), Elizabeth Gutierrez (engaged to William Levy), Eva Mendez (engaged to Ryan Gosling), and Naya Rivera (engaged to Big Sean). 2012 and 2013 have been the year of distance wedding bells for a number of Latina celebrities. However, an exchange of engagement rings does not guarantee the resounding exchange of vows.
Latino/a Americans require community-wide development of services made available to them, and they are in need of organizations that have a desire to push them to the forefront by sponsoring services that ensure access to quality education, economic stability and healthcare. Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP), under the masterful leadership of Senior Manager for Corporate Relations Alexandra Aquino-Fike and a number of other skillful individuals, has helped to mobilize and motivate Latinos for the last 30 years, by funding and supporting more than 600 Latino organizations from coast-to-coast.
Brazil, the fragrant, colorful and ethnically varied Latin American country has Christmas customs that evoke the traditions of a number of people from a number of countries, though many customs come from Portuguese heritage.
New York City Democratic Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio recently appointed stop-and-frisk innovator William Bratton to the position of police commissioner, which according to The National Latino Officers Association and a number of other groups, was yet another missed opportunity to advocate for a qualified Latino, such as First Deputy Commissioner Rafeal Pineiro, to take on the esteemed role.
Snow doesn’t fall in the Dominican Republic, so stories are shared about snow and chilly frightful weather, and about smoke stacks rising from chimneys before jolly old Saint Nick climbs into them during his miraculous worldwide journey to visit every child’s home. These stories are told by elders to young ones, and young children exchange the holiday tales like coins. Musicians called Pericos Pipiaos sing and play Merengue; and carolers travel in fleets from home-to-home in what is called Aquinaldos, during which the carolers are expected to be invited in and treated to an informal party.
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) published a study that reveals that Argentina has eradicated national hunger, but it also ranks as the third highest Latin American country in obesity.
Junot Díaz, famed Dominican-American Pulitzer Prize winner, has written short stories and novels, and is best known for his works The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Drown, and This Is How You Lose Her.
Poverty and birth rates share a dialogue, particularly for Hispanics. Families with children increasingly fall victim to poverty, an epidemic which mounted during the recession; caused by limited access to jobs, low wages, under-education, and high pregnancy rates. This directly relates to Latinas, as they have the highest rate of teen parenthood compared to other major racial or ethnic group in the country.
Specific interactions that can be interpreted as small acts of non-physical aggression, in regards to race, culture, or gender are called microaggressions. These brief and routine acts of ignorance are intentional and unintentional hostile or derogatory racial slights, and subtle insults against minorities, which can be further undermined when addressing someone's gender, sexual orientation or ability.
