In-depth interviews with 28 Latina women living in Brooklyn revealed six factors that enhance or inhibit Latinas' disclosure of information to their physician. Researchers found that a warm, trusting, compassionate relationship in which the patient feels respected and truly heard is critical for disclosure of important health information. READ FULL STORYRead more…
Despite certain risk factors, Hispanic patients were 57% less likely than Caucasians to undergo coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) one year after successful angioplasty to open blocked coronary arteries, a new study found.
It also found that Hispanics were less likely to have any kind of repeat revascularization (artery opening) procedures, more likely to have diabetes (increasing their risk for heart attack), and more likely to have long lesions blocking their arteries -- an average length of 15.4 millimeters vs. 14.1 millimeters in whites. READ FULL STORYRead more…
When Elena Rodriguez of Apopka buried her uncle, she felt grief -- and sticker shock.
For the native of Tamaulipas, Mexico, the funeral costs were more than she expected, and much more than they would have been in her homeland.
And rather than the customary three days for a vigil, she had less than a day to memorialize him before his body was sent to its final resting place in Mexico. READ FULL STORYRead more…
Barack Obama's victory in the US presidential election has left many euphoric Democrats with a feeling that the landscape of American politics has shifted - but is it true or is it an illusion?
Democratic strategist, Simon Rosenberg, director of the New Democrat Network, is one of those who argues that the pattern of the last four decades has been broken. READ FULL STORYRead more…
Hidden in the numbers from last week's vote tallies is a major concern for the Republican Party: Hispanics have jumped ship. Four states with significant Hispanic populations--Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Florida--swung huge for Obama, reversing course from just four years earlier, when John Kerry effectively battled to a draw in New Mexico and lost the other three states. READ FULL STORYRead more…
Next to the door of one of New York’s favorite stores, Filenes’ basement on 79th and Broadway, there’s a dark dirty figure with a sign that says, “Homeless, please help.”
He is 30-year-old Juan Carlos Gonzalez. He has an inserted bolt in his right ankle ever since he was in a car accident when he was just 15 years old.
Originally from Manta, Ecuador, he came to New York four years ago, after obtaining a work permit to work for an air conditioning company here.
“I came from a small town where streets are made of sand, you know… New York always seems like being in a movie, it’s so beautiful.” Until a few months ago Juan Carlos shared an apartment with a couple of friends, had bank accounts, money to send home, and even money left over for a couple of weekend beers. READ FULL STORYRead more…
Wanda Ramos-Morales not only voted for Barack Obama, she volunteered to make phone calls, knock on doors and take people to the polls.
It was the first time the Puerto Rican mom from east Orange, who had voted for Ronald Reagan, made that kind of commitment to any candidate.
Obama got Ramos-Morales' support because he talked about her issues.
"The food is going up, the rent is going up, gas is high, but your wages are stagnant, and you have people stuck on some part-time job where you can get fired anytime," said Ramos-Morales, 43, who recently lost a job. "We needed change." READ FULL STORYRead more…
The record turnout of black and Hispanic voters played a key role in the victory of President-elect Barack Obama, but in California that same racial and ethnic factor also was instrumental in the passage of Proposition 8, a ballot measure that declares marriage as the union of a man and a woman. READ FULL STORYRead more…
Weeks before Barack Obama won the presidency, he met privately in Washington with his former Democratic rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, and Latino political leaders who had fervently backed her bid.
The cards were laid upon the table, according to one of the participants. The Hispanic leaders said they expected at least two Latinos to be named to an Obama Cabinet — meeting the standard set by President-elect Bill Clinton in 1992 — but preferred three. Of course, they also wanted sub-Cabinet-level posts. READ FULL STORYRead more…
It's a done deal: Proposition 8, making same-sex marriage illegal in California, has been approved by voters.
The constitution of the state was amended to take away rights recognized by the California Supreme Court under the equal protection clause of the California constitution just this May. And Latinos were in the vanguard, providing critical support for the passage of Prop 8. READ FULL STORYRead more…
Posted by Angel Garcia on November 6, 2008 at 1:04pm
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Top-Hispanic-Republican-Wins-Gubernatorial/story.aspx?guid=%7B2E529F17-BF50-4EBC-A6C4-293412C85278%7DLast update: 7:32 p.m. EST Nov. 4, 2008SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Nov 04, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Early Results Show Luis G. Fortuno Garners Historic LandslideSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico voted today, in what early results show to be record numbers, to elect fiscal and social conservative Luis G. Fortuno as the next governor of Puerto Rico - making him the Island's first Republican governor since 1968.Fortuno, Puerto Rico's current sole representative in the U.S. Congress, ran in a four-way gubernatorial race as president of the Island's pro-statehood New Progressive Party. His running-mate, Pedro R. Pierluisi, also won, becoming the Island's next representative to Congress.Preliminary results show Fortuno has won solidly the gubernatorial election by the largest margin in more than 44 years. Popular Democratic Party candidate Anibal Acevedo Vila - Puerto Rico's current governor - running for re-election - conceded defeat at 7:12PM in Puerto Rico."This historic victory demonstrates that the people of Puerto Rico want change for progress, and I am fully committed to delivering it," said now Governor-Elect Fortuno. "I have a vision for a stronger, more economically sound and prosperous Puerto Rico, and I am confident that together we will re-energize the Island's economy. The people of Puerto Rico voted to re-instate good government, and my administration will deliver on our promise."Throughout his campaign, Fortuno proposed a profound reform of the Island's government to transform it into a smaller and more agile facilitator of individuals' initiative that will result in spurring economic growth.The wave of change chosen by voters in Puerto Rico today bodes well for Puerto Rico's economy as it sends a clear message that the Island is once again open for business under Fortuno's leadership.A rising star in the Republican Party, Luis Fortuno will continue to work with the GOP leadership to grow and strengthen the party.LUIS G. FORTUNO BIOGRAPHYGovernor-elect Luis G. Fortuno is the first Republican elected governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico since 1968. Fortuno is also president of the Island's Pro-Statehood New Progressive Part (PNP). In 2005, he was the first Republican elected to Congress, representing the people of Puerto Rico.A rising star in the Republican Party, Fortuno began his tenure in Congress by being elected Vice-President of his Freshman Class alongside Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. He was also unanimously elected to serve as Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Conference, and is a founding Co-Chair of the Congressional Friends of Spain Caucus, which strengthens the relationship between the United States and Spain and focuses on political, cultural, economic, commercial, and educational relations between the two countries.Rep. Fortuno was also appointed to serve on the Executive Committee of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), and is a member of the House Republican Policy Committee.As the sole representative in Congress to 4 million U.S. citizens residing in the island, Fortuno defended equal rights and parity in federal funding for Puerto Rico. Under his leadership, Puerto Rico received over $7 billion in federal funds, including over $800 million for infrastructure and transportation and the first increase in Medicaid funding in over 9 years.During the 110th Congress, Rep. Fortuno has served on the Committee on Natural Resources and is Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs - a distinction rarely awarded to a Member with only two years in Congress. Rep. Fortuno has also served on the Committee on Education and Labor - Subcommittees on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education and Healthy Families and Communities. And he has earned the privilege of serving on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and is assigned to the Subcommittees on Western Hemisphere and Europe.Before being elected to Congress, Rep. Fortuno was a partner at a San Juan law firm specializing in corporate finance and real estate law. He entered public service in 1993, after being appointed by the Governor of Puerto Rico as Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company and President of the Hotel Development Corporation. In 1994, he became Puerto Rico's first Secretary of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce.As Secretary of Economic Development and Commerce, Rep. Fortuno was tasked with the development and implementation of large-scale reforms of Puerto Rico's tax, labor, corporate and commercial codes, aimed at facilitating business growth and job creation, reducing bureaucracy, and tax reform. Some of these initiatives included the adoption of the Uniform Commercial Code, the revamping of the General Corporations Law, an aggressive investment package to jumpstart the tourism industry, and the largest tax cut in Puerto Rico's history. At the time of Rep. Fortuno's departure from public service, Puerto Rico's unemployment rate had reached its lowest level in over a generation.Born in 1960, Rep. Fortuno was raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He earned a bachelor's degree from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and obtained his Juris Doctor (JD) from the University of Virginia Law School. He is married to attorney Luce Vela and has three children.SOURCE Fortuno 2008Copyright (C) 2008 PR Newswire. All rights reserved
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California's black and Latino voters, who turned out in droves for Barack Obama, provided key support for a state ban on same-sex marriage. Christian, married and older voters also helped give the measure the winning edge, according to exit polls for The Associated Press.
Proposition 8 overturns a May California Supreme Court decision legalizing gay nuptials and rewrites the state constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
Exit poll data showed seven in 10 black voters and more than half of Latino voters backed the ballot initiative, while whites and Asians were split. READ FULL STORYRead more…
Some people have misconceptions of Latinos' level of civic commitment, according to a new Brown report.
A team of researchers, including some Brown faculty members, recently released a report that presents counter-arguments to commonly held myths about the opinions and attitudes of the Latino community.
Under the leadership of Evelyn Hu-Dehart, director of Brown's Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America, the project, entitled "Myths vs. Reality: Results From the New England Latino Survey," was an extension of the Latino National Survey. Conducted in 2005 and 2006 by a group of Latino political scientists, the survey, according to a University statement, was "a study of political and social attitudes of more than 8,600 Latino residents in the United States." For the New England-focused report released Oct. 30, the Latino communities in Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts were surveyed. READ FULL STORYRead more…
Barack Obama drew on support from Hispanics, young voters and women to score victories in New Mexico, Nevada and Colorado — three Western states that voted for President Bush in 2004.
Obama also contributed to an Election Day sweep in New Mexico that put the state's entire congressional delegation in Democratic hands for the first time in 40 years. READ FULL STORYRead more…
About two-thirds of Hispanics voted for Barack Obama, decisively surpassing the 53 percent who voted for Democrat John Kerry in 2004, exit polls showed.
Democrat Barack Obama gained lopsided support from Hispanics in Tuesday's election, winning solidly among voters with whom President Bush had made inroads in 2004.
About two-thirds of Hispanics voted for Obama, decisively surpassing the 53 percent who voted for Democrat John Kerry in 2004, exit polls showed. That year Bush enjoyed a high-water mark of GOP support from Hispanics with 44 percent of the vote from the nation's fastest growing ethnic group. READ FULL STORYRead more…
In the final stretch to the U.S. presidential election, more than three quarters of likely Hispanic voters say they support Democrat Barack Obama over Republican John McCain, a study found.
The Univision/Reuters/Zogby poll released on Tuesday said that 78 percent of a sample of 1,016 Latino likely voters favored Sen. Obama, with 13 percent supporting McCain, an Arizona senator. READ FULL STORYRead more…
In 1963, at age 20, Lillian Aida Martinez came to the United States from Chile.
"Even though this country gave her a lot of opportunities, she still experienced setbacks," said Martinez's 37-year-old daughter, Linda Kelly.
Maybe it was because she didn't know anyone in the States or because she was a woman. It could have been her broken English and thick Chilean accent. No matter the reason, Martinez was met with challenges she never wanted her daughter, Linda, to face. That's why Martinez always made sure to encourage her daughter to learn perfect English and pursue a good education — while holding on to her Latin-American roots. READ FULL STORYRead more…
Despite the considerable and growing numbers of Hispanics living in the United States, little is known about their alcohol-beverage preferences. A new study of U.S. Hispanics belonging to four national groups – Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban American, and South/Central American – has found that beer is their beverage of choice. READ FULL STORYRead more…
The homecoming football game had just ended, and students clad in orange T-shirts were swarming the quad in search of post-tailgating festivities, but the nearly 1,700 African-American students packed in a nearby auditorium at the Downstate campus barely noticed. READ FULL STORYRead more…
When Nilza Mirabal goes to cast her presidential ballot Nov.4, she plans to vote for Democrat Barack Obama over Republican John McCain.
And she has lots of company. READ FULL STORYRead more…