Tocando Punto en Otro Son

To all my friends,

If you're wondering why I haven't posted anything lately, here's the reason: I was named editor of La Prensa, the Orlando area's oldest Spanish-language newspaper, with nearly 30 years in the market.

It's been an exciting and challenging few weeks. Exciting because I didn't think I would return to journalism after five years of doing something else (marketing). I can confirm, however, that once a journalist, always a journalist. It's also been challenging because there is much to accomplish.

I will post at Orlando Latino from time to time, but probably not as often as before. I'd love for you to follow my progress at www.laprensaorlando.com . Share our stories with your network of friends. Join our Facebook page and follow our tweets on Twitter.

Gracias por tu apoyo,

Maria

Explore Your Rich Hispanic Heritage

It's Hispanic Heritage Month! I've been looking for exciting information to share with you on this the 22nd annual celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, which was officially launched September 15.

For me, Hispanic Heritage Month is about deepening our understanding of who we are as pan Hispanic people in the United States, as well as acknowledging our individual roots, which in my case are Puerto Rican.

There's a very rich and colorful history to explore, so I've pulled together some Web sites where you can find fascinating information about—us! I invite you to come along on this magical heritage tour and to expand this article by adding Web sites and other information of your own. 

Recognize any of these words?

Academia Puertorriqueña de la Lengua Española — Have you ever been involved in a "revulú" or "embeleco"? Drank some "pitirre"? Been a little "chango" or experienced a "pasme"? These are words whose meanings can be traced "100 percent" to Puerto Rican vernacular or regionalisms. Listen to some well-known island personalities pronounce and explain these and other words as part of the campaign "Atrévete y dilo!"

Museo del Barrio —  For those Latinos who trace their roots to Nueva York, here's a fascinating look at the history of Hispanics in the Big Apple. This newly installed exhibit, titled  "Nueva York 1613-1945," got a good review in the New York Times by Edward Rothstein, titled "Looking South, Not East, Into New York’s Past." Rothstein said the exhibit is a "reinterpretation of New York’s relationship to the Southern Hemisphere through an unusual accumulation of artifacts, paintings, political cartoons, clothing, music, books and photographs, which reshape the city’s history." If you can't make it to the la Gran Manzana, be sure and read the review. Better yet, buy the museum's upcoming catalog.

Immigrants heading to New York.

El Diario La Prensa — New York's Spanish-language weekly published a wonderful article by José Acosta about the Hispanic experience at Ellis Island, titled "Ellis Island: Puerto de oro para hispanos."  As it turns out tens of thousands of Hispanics entered the country through Ellis Island. Read the article and explore the Ellis Island Web site. I plugged in my last name and found 312 Padillas who immigrated through Ellis Island from as far away as Ireland (hey, how'd that happen?), Spain, Cuba, Brazil and a few from "Porto Rico." Happy searching.

Borinqueneers training in Bayamón, P.R.

 U.S. Army — On the 60th Anniversary of the Korean War, the United States Army is paying homage to the Puerto Rican soldiers of the 65th Infantry Regiment. The Borinqueneers, as they are known, landed in South Korea in 1950. A year later, they overran the Chinese army’s 149th Division. "Puerto Rico’s Borinqueneers represent Hispanic Americans’ distinguished legacy of courageousness and selfless service spanning the American Revolutionary War to the present-day conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan," according to the Army Web site.

Louis Castro's baseball card.

Who in the World is Louis Castro? —  He is not universally known, but Louis Castro just may be the first foreign-born Latino to play in Major League Baseball. Castro, who played only in the 1902 season as in infielder for the Philadelphia Athletics, may have been born in Medellín, Colombia, according to an article on the Smithsonian site. His baseball career is considered unremarkable, except for the speculation about his birthplace. Castro is "a mystical, mysterious, even phantasmagorical figure," according to the Smithsonian article. Maybe so, but today he would fit right into the MLB, where more than 25 percent of the players are foreign-born Hispanics.

Line Up for the New Puerto Rican Birth Certificate

If you're worried about how to obtain your new Puerto Rican birth certificate, here's a great event for you.  On Saturday, September 11, La Prensa newspaper will hold an event at its Longwood offices that will be open to folks who need to request a new birth certificate.

Representatives of the U.S. State Department, Social Security Administration, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles as well as officials from the regional ICE office in Miami (passports) will be on hand to answer questions and help you get started.

All Puerto Rico birth certificates issued before 2010 will expire September 30 (the original expiration date was set for July but was later extended). As reported, the Puerto Rico government approved a law in late 2009 requiring all persons born in Puerto Rico before 2010 to obtain a new birth certificate in an effort to combat fraud.

Under the old system, Puerto Ricans could hold multiple copies of official birth certificates because island government agencies often required originals for transactions. This created a black market for the certificates to be used by non citizens.  I posted a story dated March 7 and titled "Hurry Up and Wait for Your Puerto Rico Birth Certificate" here.

If you're an island-born Puerto Rican, what this means to you is, millions of people—including 1.4 million who were born in Puerto Rico but now live in the states—will be requesting birth certificates at the same time. Diablo!

This sounds like a great mess in the making, given the legendary inefficiencies of the island's bloated  bureaucracy.  For instance, if you have changed your name through marriage or divorce or for any other reason, you must show proof of the change. The motor vehicle office of the state of Ohio has already stated that it will no longer accept the old Puerto Rican birth certificate as proof of identity for obtaining a driver's license. These are but two examples of the legal quagmire you may find yourself in.

The new birth certificates will have the seal of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and are bilingual. They have no expiration date.

The La Prensa event is ideal for anyone needing help filing for a new birth certificate—or even if you don't. Just placing your paperwork in the right hands or being able to verify the status of your already submitted application ought to give you peace of mind.

What: Help obtaining a new Puerto Rican birth certificate
When: September 11, 2010
Time: noon to 4 p.m.
Where: La Prensa offices, 684 S. Ronald Reagan Blvd., Longwood 32750

Sign of the Hispanic Times

The Univisión network's theme.

As we approach Hispanic Heritage Month, here's a bit of news about the increasing influence of Hispanics, particularly Hispanic youths: Univisión, the dominant Spanish-language television network, reported this week that it beat English broadcasters in the coveted 18- to 49-year old audience demographic, a milestone for Spanish-language television.

According to television ratings agency Nielsen, Univisión captured 2.1 million viewers during prime-time segments, up 12 percent from the week before. However, networks such as NBC and CBS are seeing their audience continue to disintegrate, as reported by the Associated Press.

It has been widely reported that Spanish-language networks dominate in cities such as Miami and Los Angeles, due to their overwhelming Hispanic population numbers. But to be able to score that goal on a national level is another story.

That Univisión was able to do so–and may continue to do so–is testament to the power of the Latino population, the fastest-growing group in the nation due to our larger families and higher immigration numbers. And it also underscores the power and influence of Hispanic youth. It's no secret that Latinos are the nation's youngest population, with a median age of about 28—Mexicans are younger, Cubans are much older. Compare that to the general population, which has a median age of nearly 37 years, according to the census. Big difference.

This subgroup is like a bulge in the Hispanic population, which numbers 48 million. It will continue to open new pathways as it makes its way through society.  As a result, you can expect to read more news like this in the years to come.

Swimming with the Manatees

Enjoyed my first beach outing this summer this week and the timing couldn't have been better. Florida wildlife decided to put on a show for us.

Checking out the manatees.

There we were resting on the beach at Fort DeSoto Park in Pinellas County, a favorite of ours for its white sugary sand and warm, calm Gulf water, when out of nowhere comes a pack of manatees heading east in the shallow waters. Not sure what they were seeing, some folks ran out of the water—a good instinct if you're on the Atlantic side, where there are sharks.

At first, we thought they were dolphins but the creatures didn't behave like dolphins, which like to jump out of the water.  These guys were large and rolling around in the water and for manatees they were traveling fast. They swam past us not once, not twice, but three times!

The manatees' flat tails.

A few of us tried to get as close as possible. But you have to be careful because the lumbering sea cows can weigh up to 1,200 pounds and extend to 10 feet long, according to Florida's Save the Manatee Club. One manatee brushed against my husband's hand. He said it felt hard and coarse. We noticed some scars on the skin of a few of the gray aquatic mammals, likely the result of run-ins with motor boats and jet skis, a major cause of manatee injuries and deaths. Manatees are considered an endangered and protected species, with only 3,800 remaining in the United States, according to Save the Manatee. 

Manatees migrate to the warm Florida waters in the winter months. I usually pay them a visit each January to March at the Canaveral National Seashore near the space center. It's unusual, but not unheard of, to see them at this time of year. The manatees seemed delighted to be there. They were playful and gentle, and they lingered a little longer in our stretch of water with each pass.

Long live the manatees!

My husband and I  had not been to the beach all summer long, compared with last year when we spent nearly each weekend exploring a new beach. But I guess you can say that in our case the Big Kahuna saved the best for last, demonstrating once again the beauty of Florida's fine beaches and its abundant wildlife.