An interview with Federal Judge Sotomayor. Check it out...
May 31, 2009
May 30, 2009
Weekly Address: President Obama on Judge Sotomayors Experience
President Obama on Sotomayor's nomination to the supreme court.
May 29, 2009
U.S.Passport: You MUST!!
Hello Folks -Well, for those of you who travel during the summers, especially bet. Mexico, U.S., and Canada, effective June 1st '09, U.S. citizens MUST have their U.S. Passport when entering the United States.
For more information about the new traveling requirements to take effect, I recommend you visit the State's dept. website to accurately update yourself with the right info in your particular case:
Safe travels!!
President Obama Stops for Lunch
Hey I know this place!! And it seems like now the President does too.
May 28, 2009
Corporate America Suck UP
Business warms to Democratic leaders Corporate America partnering on bills
Boston Globe, 5/28/2009
Reported By: Susan Milligan
WASHINGTON - As the House Energy and Commerce Committee prepared to pass a landmark climate change bill earlier this month, committee leaders received a glowing letter from an unexpected source: the chairman of Dow Chemical Co., one of the firms that would be forced to limit the amount of pollutants it emits and pay new fees for the privilege of polluting.
"America is at its best when it leads," gushed Andrew Liveris. "Sound and predictable policy to address climate change will unleash investment in new technologies that will advance both energy security and sustainability."
"America is at its best when it leads," gushed Andrew Liveris. "Sound and predictable policy to address climate change will unleash investment in new technologies that will advance both energy security and sustainability."
Such accolades are increasingly common from business leaders to Democratic congressional leaders, who are ushering in a new era of regulations on the environment, healthcare, and finance. Confronted by Democratic majorities, a Democratic president, and a voting public furious over Wall Street lapses, the business community, which once adamantly opposed almost all forms of government regulation and mandates, has opted to join rather than fight.
"The crass political answer is that you're either at the table, or on the menu," said Peter Molinaro, a spokesman for Dow, explaining why Liveris chose to work with Democratic representatives Edward Markey and Henry Waxman on the climate change bill.
But Molinaro also said that by taking a seat at the table, Dow was able to get some satisfaction: The proposed new rules, while costly to the chemical industry as a whole, will also help companies create less waste and be more energy-efficient, he said, saving them money in the long run.
"It became natural for us to not just acknowledge the problem [of global warming], but in being part of the solution for it," Molinaro said. "It's for real. It's not just about image."
Republicans - who, according to recent campaign finance statistics, have lost their dominance among many major business lobbies - insist that the partnership between Democrats and big corporations will be short-lived, and that business will eventually come back to the party that supports tax cuts and less regulation. And it is unclear if industry leaders will lobby for the major energy, healthcare, and financial legislation as it gets closer to the president's desk. But at this critical developmental stage of bill writing, business leaders are working side-by-side with Democratic lawmakers.
In addition to the leaders of major corporations who have been working with Markey and Waxman on the climate change bill, leaders of business groups that fought a healthcare overhaul mightily in the 1990s now meet twice a week with staff members of Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, who is helping to craft a major bill that will probably include new mandates on employers, such as a requirement that large companies contribute to the cost.
And the beleaguered financial services industry is supporting efforts by Representative Barney Frank, a Newton Democrat, to draft legislation to regulate hedge funds and other investments.
Lawmakers and business leaders say that much has changed with Democrats controlling the White House and Congress. With a 59-40 Senate majority - one that could expand if and when Democrat Al Franken is certified the winner of the disputed Minnesota race - Democrats are better positioned to muster the 60 votes needed to break a GOP filibuster. No longer can industry count on measures to die when they reach the Senate, as they often did when Democrats had to corral a half-dozen Republicans to break filibusters.
But with the high cost of employee healthcare, in particular, and an emerging consensus in favor of greater environmental protections, industry leaders also are also softening their positions.
"They know certainty is their friend," Markey said, asserting that industry would rather have a uniform national standard than a hodgepodge of state regulations. That was a major reason why automakers agreed to a sweeping deal President Obama announced last week with state officials and environmental groups to increase fuel efficiency standards and lower emissions.
"There is a confluence of concern that many business executives have about climate and energy on the one hand, and healthcare on the other, that is making it possible for us to put together these historic coalitions," Markey, a Malden Democrat, said in an interview. "Being inside the tent is always better than throwing rocks."
With sharply rising healthcare costs - Starbucks now spends more on healthcare than on coffee beans, and car companies spend more on healthcare than on steel, a Kennedy staff member noted - business leaders are working with Congress on a universal coverage plan, hoping to obtain some relief in the form of cost-containment or government assistance.
"I think there's a desperation now on the part of business for government to bail them out when it comes to healthcare costs," said Drew Altman, president of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, a healthcare policy group. "They've thrown their ideological opposition to government healthcare out the window because they need help with costs."
Meanwhile, the healthcare industry, sensing that a national bill may be inevitable, is offering its help. In a letter to Obama, heads of such diverse interests as the American Hospital Association, the pharmaceutical lobby PhRMA, and the Service Employees International Union declared their "unprecedented effort" to help remake healthcare.
Even Chip Kahn, president of the Federation of American Hospitals and architect of the "Harry and Louise" TV ads that helped kill the Clinton healthcare plan in the 1990s by raising worries about "government-run" managed care, has been attending the Kennedy negotiating sessions, the Kennedy aide said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
In financial regulation as well, business is not balking at efforts toward more regulation. The National Federation of Independent Business supported a credit card clamp-down, signed by Obama on Friday that regulates how and to whom companies can offer credit and offers more protection to consumers.
Frank said the financial services community is also supporting his efforts to regulate hedge funds, the high-risk, private investment funds now uncontrolled by the government.
"Reality has broken through," Frank said, as bankers and mortgage providers acknowledge the demand for stricter rules. But many also believe that regulations will help them, Frank said, by giving consumer and investors more confidence in the markets. Further, legitimate traders do not want to be run out of business by shady competitors, said Frank, chairman of the House Committee on Financial Services.
"It's very different from where they were a couple of years ago," he said.
The Democratic-business detente bodes poorly for the GOP, at least in the short term. Campaign contributions from the energy, healthcare, and financial service sectors shifted dramatically toward the Democrats from the 2006 election to 2008, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.
Representative Tom Price, a Georgia Republican who chairs the Republican Study Committee in the House, wrote off the trend to short-term politics, saying industry would regret it.
"It's expedient for [business] to do so," Price said. "This crowd that's in charge is eviscerating the ability of business to function."
But Democrats see a fundamental shift in the nation's thinking, one that could bedevil the GOP for many years.
"The core conservative argument that government is the problem no longer holds," said Simon Rosenberg, president of the New Democrat Network. "The ideological argument for the Republican Party for the last generation is spent. They're going to have to come up with a new argument."
May 27, 2009
May 26, 2009
Obama's Supreme Court Nominee: Federal Judge Sonia Sotomayor
OMG!
This is music to my ears...
Check out Judge's Sotomayor profile: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonia_Sotomayor
May 25, 2009
May 24, 2009
Arroz con Leche!
Arroz con Leche! It's so good, I guarantee it... lol!
Arroz con Leche recipe for 6 people
Ingredients:
• 5 cups milk
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup rice
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 3 cloves
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 pinch of salt
• ground cinnamon
Preparation: Boiled water in a saucepan with cloves, cinnamon and salt. When water is boiling, add the rice (previously washed) and wait until the rice is cooked (remember to boil over low heat). Later, add vanilla, evaporated milk and sugar (the water should have been dry). Moving steadily to prepare the dessert get the desired consistency. Finally, serve in a dulcera and sprinkled with cinnamon (leave it to cool before serving).
------------------------------------------------------------------
Ingredientes:
• 5 tazas de leche
• 2 tazas de azúcar
• 1 taza de arroz
• 3 rajas de canela
• 3 clavos de olor
• 1 cucharadita de esencia de vainilla
• 1 pizca de sal
• canela molida
Preparación: Hervimos en una olla el agua con el clavo de olor, la canela y la sal. Cuando el agua esté hirviendo, agregamos el arroz (previamente lavado) y esperamos a que el arroz se cocine (recuerde hervir a fuego lento).
Posteriormente, añadimos la vainilla, la leche evaporada y el azúcar (el agua ya se debe haber secado). Movemos la preparación constantemente hasta que el postre obtenga la consistencia deseada. Finalmente, servimos en una dulcera y espolvoreamos con canela molida (dejar enfriar antes de servir).
Posteriormente, añadimos la vainilla, la leche evaporada y el azúcar (el agua ya se debe haber secado). Movemos la preparación constantemente hasta que el postre obtenga la consistencia deseada. Finalmente, servimos en una dulcera y espolvoreamos con canela molida (dejar enfriar antes de servir).
5/23/09: Your Weekly Address
Latinos y Latinas Online Blogera has reached over 1000 views from over 40 states in the Union and 17 countries from all over the Globe. Nice!
May 23, 2009
Ahoy! Salma's Got the Wind in Her Sails
HEY!!! How come they didn't call us for this?? LOL!
Ay Salmita....
President and Mrs. Obama Open White House Poetry Jam: 1 of 9
Only a hip President like Obama would host such event at the highest level of govt. This is awesome!
May 22, 2009
Survey on Latina Birth Rate: Ouch!
So Wazz up with this??
Survey delves into high birth rate for young Latinas
Story Highlights
Survey delves into high birth rate for young Latinas
Story Highlights
- 53 percent of Latinas are pregnant by their 20th birthday, survey finds
- Survey: Most feel that college, career are key to their future
- Most teens in study believe that parents give conflicting messages
You can read the entire article at CNN's Blog:
May 18, 2009
Emanuel Pleitez Feature Story
This election is tomorrow. If Pleitez pulls off this upset, he will be the youngest member of Congress today, and Latino!
Buena Suerte!
Kudos to Carlos!
May 17, 2009
Best Of: Obama Tackles Abortion at Notre Dame
Touchy subject....
Here's a website that focuses on public health and produces policy research data on topics, such as abortion:
http://www.guttmacher.org/statecenter/abortion.html
EP - Empower the People
Emanuel Pleitez - A smart professional Latino running for Congress in Southern California's 32 district. I hear he's gotta a shot...
If you are interested to know more about him, you can visit his website at http://www.pleitezforuscongress.com/main.htm
May 14, 2009
President Obama on Health Care Reform: Urgency and Determination
Health Care Reform is Comng to America!
May 13, 2009
May 12, 2009
Latino Homeownership Through the Boom and Bust
check out today's released paper by the Hispanic Pew Center on minority homeownership through the real state boom and bust odyssey.
May 11, 2009
CA 32nd Congressional Race
For Latinos y Latinas Online Blogera
By Carlos Saucedo
May 9, 2009
Good Job Carlos!
US Soldier Guns Down 5 Fellow Soldiers in Iraq
What a trajedy. Our prayers go out to the victims and their families.
May 10, 2009
5/9/09: Your Weekly Address
This is great news! It's about time the avg. consumer is protected from the credit card company predators.
May 09, 2009
Asamblea Pública Sobre Virus H1N1
The White House addressed the Latino/Hispanic community's concerns on the H1N1 virus this past Friday. I give props to the administration for doing this; an unprecedented event for Americans and in an Administration. However, one suggestion for the folks in the WH running these types of events: next time you should also have subtitles in English for those who are non-Spanish speakers when you post it online. Contrary to popular belief, is not just the Anglo-Saxon or non-white communities who for the most part do not speak Spanish, but also even within our own community in the U.S. there are some who don't speak Spanish or dominate it well, which is understandable. The point is just have it bilingual.
Perhaps one day, unless we become an officially bilingual nation, Spanish would not be so necessary for these types of events to address the Latino community. I'll probably be 80 when this happens. Also, one can see from the audience's reaction when the President arrived, how popular President Obama is in our community. Hopefully the admin lives up to their part of their campaign promises.
Q viva Obama!
May 07, 2009
Race & Hollywood: Latino Images in Film
I came across this article today on CNN Online which led me to this cool project and their site:
http://www.tcm.com/2009/lif/index.jsp
And if you want to read the CNN article where it came from, here it is:
Hope you enjoy these movies being showcased on your local TCM channel this month!
May 06, 2009
America's Most Reputable Companies
I came across the following site after reading the Economist and I thought I share with all of you.
As expected, according to this organisation,
"U.S. consumers feel the most respected and reputable industries are 1) Consumer Products,
2) Transportation & Logistics, 3) Industrial Products, 4) Computers and 5) Food
Manufacturing consumer product companies and transportation."
Check out their site:
http://www.reputationinstitute.com/about/press-releases
As expected, according to this organisation,
"U.S. consumers feel the most respected and reputable industries are 1) Consumer Products,
2) Transportation & Logistics, 3) Industrial Products, 4) Computers and 5) Food
Manufacturing consumer product companies and transportation."
Check out their site:
http://www.reputationinstitute.com/about/press-releases
May 05, 2009
Protester Delays Senate Committee Opening
Undeniable truth, Health = Profit .
At least they're able to express their voice.
Luis Ramirez Hate Crime Petition
If you care to stop hate crimes in America, please sign the petition below to bring Justice to the Ramirez family, and send a signal that America does not tolerate hate crimes.
May 04, 2009
May 03, 2009
No Murder Conviction in Mexican Immigrant's Beating Death
The following CNN article was reported yesterday by Brian Rokus:
He died two days later in a hospital in Danville.
Piekarsky, 17, had faced a charge of third-degree murder for allegedly delivering a fatal kick to Ramirez's head after he was knocked to the ground. He also was found not guilty of ethnic intimidation, aggravated assault and attempting to solicit a cover-up.
The juvenile admitted on the stand to shouting "go home you Mexican [expletive]" after the first fight dispersed, prompting Ramirez to turn back and attack him.
The juvenile's testimony was corroborated by Walsh, who admitted to punching Ramirez and knocking him to the ground after he charged the juvenile.
Both witnesses said Piekarsky delivered the final blow to Ramirez's head while he was on the ground, but others testified that they couldn't be certain who had actually kicked him. The incident drew national attention to the small town of Shenandoah, highlighting issues of race relations.
Now more than ever, this display of injustice within the court system is another reason why this country needs a Supreme Court justice on the Bench that understands the needs of vulnerable communities, such as the Latino community. It is this kind of injustice that obligates the highest bench to act on behalf of the American people, because although this is done today to a member of the Hispanic community, believe me, tomorrow it can be done to any other member of any other non-white, vulnerable community in this country. I hope that President Obama takes notice of these types of flaws in the justice system, and regards it as another important factor in the decision-making to replace former justice Souter.
I hope somebody out there brings justice and peace to Mr. Ramirez family.
POTTSVILLE, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- A fomer Pennsylvania high school football player was acquitted of murder Friday in the beating death of a Mexican immigrant last summer.
Luis Ramirez died of blunt force injuries after a confrontation with a group of Pennsylania teens.
However, a Schuylkill County jury found Brandon Piekarsky and Derrick Donchak guilty of simple assault stemming from the death of Luis Ramirez, who died of blunt force injuries to the head after a fight with the defendants and their friends.
Donchak, 19, was also found guilty of providing alcohol to the group of teens that encountered Ramirez the night of July 12 on a residential street in the rural mining town of Shenandoah.Both teens were acquitted of ethnic intimidation charges.
Prosecutors alleged the teens baited the undocumented Mexican immigrant into a fight with racial epithets, provoking an exchange of punches and kicks that ended with Ramirez convulsing in the street, foaming from the mouth.He died two days later in a hospital in Danville.
Piekarsky, 17, had faced a charge of third-degree murder for allegedly delivering a fatal kick to Ramirez's head after he was knocked to the ground. He also was found not guilty of ethnic intimidation, aggravated assault and attempting to solicit a cover-up.
An all-white jury of six men and six women heard from several prosecution witnesses, including a juvenile co-defendant and another teen who pleaded guilty in federal court for his role in the fight.
While the jury heard conflicting accounts about who initiated the encounter or delivered the final kick to Ramirez's head, defense lawyers attempted to place the blame on another co-defendant, who is facing charges in juvenile court, and Colin Walsh, who has pleaded guilty to violating Ramirez's civil rights.The juvenile admitted on the stand to shouting "go home you Mexican [expletive]" after the first fight dispersed, prompting Ramirez to turn back and attack him.
The juvenile's testimony was corroborated by Walsh, who admitted to punching Ramirez and knocking him to the ground after he charged the juvenile.
Both witnesses said Piekarsky delivered the final blow to Ramirez's head while he was on the ground, but others testified that they couldn't be certain who had actually kicked him. The incident drew national attention to the small town of Shenandoah, highlighting issues of race relations.
Now more than ever, this display of injustice within the court system is another reason why this country needs a Supreme Court justice on the Bench that understands the needs of vulnerable communities, such as the Latino community. It is this kind of injustice that obligates the highest bench to act on behalf of the American people, because although this is done today to a member of the Hispanic community, believe me, tomorrow it can be done to any other member of any other non-white, vulnerable community in this country. I hope that President Obama takes notice of these types of flaws in the justice system, and regards it as another important factor in the decision-making to replace former justice Souter.
I hope somebody out there brings justice and peace to Mr. Ramirez family.
May 02, 2009
Legal to "delete a citizen?"_CT_10
This lady rocks and she should run for public office in her community!
Reps. Gutierrez and Maloney On Protecting Consumers
It's hard to believe that Congress is trying to defend the avg. consumer. Props to Congress(House side) to protect consumers on this particular issue.
To know more about Rep. Gutierrez, please visit his website at, http://luisgutierrez.house.gov/
May 01, 2009
President Obama Makes Surprise Appearance
Here's a quote when Senator Obama was asked back in July '07 in front of a gathering at a Planned Parenthood Conference about his criteria for picking supreme court justices:
"We need somebody who's got the heart, the empathy, to recognize what it's like to be a young teenage mom. The empathy to understand what it's like to be poor, or African-American, or gay, or disabled, or old. And that's the criteria by which I'm going to be selecting my judges."
Ole!
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