HispanicTrending

Groups help plant seed to keep Hispanics in good health

February 26, 2012
By Ronica Shannon

Two local organizations are making sure Madison County’s Hispanic families have the opportunity to find healthy food options in their own backyard.

The “Planting Seeds of Hope” garden project will begin in March, and interested families now are being asked to join in the effort.

The project is a united effort between The Mujeres Unidas Hispanic Outreach Program and Grow Appalachia, a part of the Berea College Appalachia Fund.

“Nutrition-related health problems such as obesity, cardiovascular problems and diabetes, are widespread in all segments of the American population, with Kentucky residents having some of the highest rates of these afflictions in the country,” said David Cooke, director of Grow Appalachia and the Berea College Appalachia Fund.

“The goal of Grow Appalachia is not only to address these issues at their root causes, but also to help participating families develop entrepreneurial attitudes and skills in order to generate economic development from their gardens. Hispanic women want what women worldwide want — safe, nutritious, fresh food to feed their families and put up in their pantries for the cold months.”

The gardens will be at St. Thomas Lutheran Church on Barnes Mill Road in Richmond, as well as at homes of several participating families.

The garden project “will introduce locally grown fruits and vegetables that may be unfamiliar to Hispanic women who are not native to Kentucky,” said Sandra Anez-Powell, director of the Hispanic Outreach Program of the Kentucky River Foothills Development Council.

The program also will support the production of herbs that are common in Hispanic/Latin cuisine, but are not found in central Kentucky markets.

“In addition to supporting participants in growing their own food, this project will promote basic nutrition aimed at addressing health disparities commonly experienced by Hispanic women,” Powell said.

According to reports from the Centers for Disease Control, Hispanic women are twice more likely to die from diabetes than non-Hispanic white women, Powell said. They also have higher rates of increased blood pressure and obesity with 40 percent of Hispanic women being obese as compared with 30 percent of non-Hispanic white women.

The National Vital Statistics Systems report that heart disease is the leading cause of death in Hispanics.

Also, a CDC study found that more than half of Hispanic women living in Kentucky reported that they suffered from severe depression.

“The project will increase the availability of affordable, high-quality, fresh produce including fruits and vegetables that can be used for family meals as well as provide a source of supplemental income derived from selling surplus foods or products made from them like jams and jellies,” Powell said. “It is very thrilling to know that there are so many different ways to make a positive impact on our community, and this way we will see the outcome of our efforts.”


Source: The Richmond Register

Number of Latinos with College Degrees Soars 80 Percent

February 25, 2012
Via EFE

The number of U.S. Hispanics with a bachelor's degree or higher increased by 80 percent between 2001 and 2011, from 2.1 million to 3.8 million, the Census Bureau said.

Just over 14 percent of the country's 50.5 million Latinos had a bachelor's degree in 2011, compared with 11.1 percent in 2001.

In general terms nationwide, 26.2 percent of Americans had a degree in 2001, compared with 30.4 percent a decade later, the first time in the history of the Census when more than 30 percent of people over age 25 have graduated from college.

"This is an important milestone in our history. For many people, education is a sure path to a prosperous life," Census Bureau Director Robert Groves said.

People with higher education have a lower unemployment rate than those who have not graduated from high school, according to Census data, as well as higher wages.

More than a third of the 56 million Americans with bachelor's degrees have graduated in engineering or science.

For Hispanics, this increase in obtaining college degrees is a particularly important step because of the possibility that Congress might pass the DREAM Act, which would assure legal status for young immigrants who have grown up in this country and decide to attend university or enlist in the Armed Forces.

Source: Fox News Latino

Netflix Said Near Accord With Univision for U.S. Rights to Spanish Shows

Feb 24, 2012
By Andy Fixmer and Cliff Edwards

Netflix Inc. (NFLX) is nearing an accord to provide U.S. online customers with Spanish-language programming from Univision Communications Inc. (UVN), said two people with knowledge of the situation.

The deal, when concluded, is expected to include programs from Mexico City-based Grupo Televisa SAB (TV), the world’s largest Spanish language broadcaster, said one of the people, who wasn’t authorized to talk publicly.

Netflix is adding shows from the most-watched U.S. Spanish- language network to reach an audience of 50 million U.S. Hispanics. Hulu.com added Univision in October. The accord represents an expanded relationship for Univision, which already provides shows to Netflix in Latin America.

“Our content is in great demand, and we are in negotiations with several distributors,” Monica Talan, a spokeswoman for New York-based Univision, said in an e-mail. She declined to comment further.

Netflix, based in Los Gatos, California, fell 1.2 percent to $111.67 at the close in New York. The stock has climbed 61 percent this year. Closely held Univision is owned by Saban Capital Group Inc., Madison Dearborn Partners LLC, Providence Equity Partners Inc., TPG Capital and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP.

Univision reported today that revenue rose 6.9 percent in the fourth quarter, according to a conference call transcript. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization increased 6.3 percent.

The company had about $9.2 billion of debt at the end of the year, according to the transcript.

Source: Bloomberg

'Los Heroes Del Norte' Concludes its Season as the Top Prime Telecast in Spanish-Language Cable

February 24, 2012
By Sara Bibel

 Galavisión, the leading Spanish-language cable network announced today that the finale for the hit series, “Los Heroes del Norte” (Heroes of the North), the story of the exciting adventures of five band members and their search for stardom, ranked as the top primetime telecast in all of Spanish-language cable with Hispanic total viewers 2+, Hispanic adults 18-49 and Hispanic adults 18-34. The finale was the No. 4 telecast of the night with Hispanic Adults 18-49 in Spanish-language primetime among all cable networks regardless of language.

“Los Heroes del Norte” completed an exceptionally successful 18-episode run delivering an average 278,000 total viewers 2+, 202,000 adults 18-49 and 121,000 adults 18-34. These robust numbers garnered triple-digit growth over last year’s time period performance, prompting an encore of the finale, which is now scheduled to air in primetime on Friday, March 2. The finale delivered an average of 277,000 Total Viewers 2+, 213,000 Adults 18-49, and 103,000 adults 18-34.

Fans can access the latest episode recaps, videos and photos online at Univision.com, keyword: Los Heroes del Norte. Mobile video clips will be available on the Univision Video App for Smartphones, and online polls and dedicated forums will continue engaging users throughout the season.

Source: TV by the Numbers

Community Leaders Launch Campaign to Register 200,000 Latino Voters

February 24, 2012
Via EFE

Hispanic community leaders on Thursday launched an "unprecedented" national campaign to register 200,000 Latino voters and mobilize some 100,000 to go to the polls in November, motivated to do so - activists say - by conservative anti-immigrant rhetoric.

The Latinos for Democracy campaign is part of the Movimiento Hispano that includes efforts against the suppression of the minority vote, education about the most pressing issues in the community and integration programs for immigrants.

The effort to mobilize voters, announced at a press conference, is the fruit of cooperation among the Hispanic Federation, the Labor Council for Latin America Advancement, or LCLAA, and the League of United Latin American Citizens, known as LULAC.

The goal of the three organizations is to take advantage of the broad network of community resources that are available to mobilize every Hispanic eligible to vote.

The incendiary rhetoric of the Republicans and conservative groups against legalizing undocumented immigrants will only serve as an incentive for Latinos to go to the polls on Nov. 6, the activists say.

"The Republican extremism is unacceptable. They have to have practical proposals that benefit the country and not an extremist rhetoric that is creating hatred against the Latino community and an environment where crimes motivated by hatred against Latinos are increasing," LCLAA executive director Hector Sanchez told Efe.

"With the community under attack, the vote is one of our best weapons of defense," Sanchez emphasized.

On Wednesday night, during the Republican presidential debate in Arizona, Mitt Romney said that the state's SB 1070 law, which aims to criminalize undocumented immigrants, is a "model" for other state fighting against illegal immigration.

Romney's comment earned on Thursday the condemnation of activists defending immigrants, given that for some time they have criticized the rhetoric of the Massachusetts ex-governor and the other Republican candidates against immigration reform.

In Arizona, which is shaping up to be one of the key states in the upcoming election, the number of Hispanics increased 46.2 percent between 2000 and 2010 and they make up 29.6 percent of the state's population.

Latino voters, many of whom have a relative or know someone who is undocumented, will make the Republicans pay at the polls for opposing immigration reform, activists say.

Francisco Heredia, the director in Arizona of Mi Familia Vota (My Family Votes), said that the political scenario has changed in the state thanks to the "incredible potential" of Hispanic voters.

"The politicians who ignore or marginalize this electoral bloc during the primaries will pay the consequences in November, while Latino voters continue to involve themselves more than more in the democratic process," he added.

Source: Fox News Latino