NewsTaco

By Victor Garcia, Fox News Latino

Tejano music legend Lydia Mendoza is being recognized,  immortalized and given the respect many feels she deserves for her contributions to the American musical scene.

The United States Postal Service issued a stamp commemorating “The Lark Of The Border,” her nickname, whose minimalist Tejano sound was compared to a Spanish-language version of the blues.

“The Postal Service is proud to introduce its new Music Icons stamp series with the issuance of this Forever Stamp honoring the first lady of Tejano music, Lydia Mendoza,” said Marie Therese Dominguez, Vice-President of Government Relations and Public Policy for the postal service.

Click HERE or on the picture to read the full story.

[Photo courtesy Fox News Latino]

By Hope Gillette, Saludify

As the world we live in continues to diversify and becomes increasingly connected, individuals who are bilingual or who speak multiple languages seem to have an obvious advantage. But while the ability to communicate with people from different cultures is a huge asset, bilingual children and adults experience some significant health benefits as well.

“From the perspective of brain development, [growing up bilingual] is very beneficial,” Azadeh Aalai, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Montgomery College in Maryland, and author of Understanding Aggression: Psychological Origins & Approaches to Aggressive Behavior, told Saludify. “Our brain has structural plasticity, meaning it changes and adapts based on what we are exposed to in the environment, so learning multiple languages actually serves as an enriching experience that optimizes the capacity of the brain.”

Research on bilingual children

The American Psychiatric Association indicates children who grow up bilingual have an enhanced ability to process sounds and therefore are more likely to pay attention in a learning situation.

The benefits, outlined in a study from Northwestern University, supported previous findings that demonstrated bilingual children showed reduced levels of anxiety, loneliness, and poor self-esteem, as well as a reduction of negative externalizing behaviors such as arguing, fighting, or acting impulsively. According to the experts, part of the reason for lower levels of social stress among bilingual children had to do with the ability to understand and accept the multiple cultures which came along with learning multiple languages.

This ability to have a multicultural understanding—not just an understanding of multiple languages—is what sets bilingual children apart from someone who has learned a second language just to learn it.

“It is hard to quantify mental reward,” explained Aalai, “as this is a subjective concept which likely varies significantly from person to person; however, certainly the experience of exposure to multiple cultures in addition to multiple languages would likely be more enriching than learning multiple languages without exposure to multiple cultures as well.”

But social skills and the ability to accept others are not the only mental health benefits for bilingual children. In fact, growing up bilingual is beneficial well into an individual’s senior years.

Erlanger Turner, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, explained to Saludify that bilingual people have been found to have enhanced “working memory,” which is a process responsible for manipulating current information so it can be used in active thought.

“Research has consistently shown that bilingual children typically have improved working memory (WM) and executive functioning abilities. These are important cognitive processes involved in learning, comprehension, and planning,” explained Turner. “Declines in WM are typical for many clinical conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia.”

Turner explained that in a recent study in Psychology and Aging by Luo, Craik, and Moreno, they found that bilingual individuals performed better on spatial working memory tasks than monolinguals.

“However, findings were reversed for verbal memory,” he said. “Given this research one might wonder if becoming bilingual might serve as a protective factor against cognitive decline as an older adult.”

Other studies have supported the theory that being bilingual helps prevent cognitive decline. According to a new study published in the January issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, seniors between the ages of 60 and 68 who had spoken two languages for the majority of their lives were faster at switching from one mental task to another compared to monolingual seniors.

“Being bilingual has certain cognitive benefits and boosts the performance of the brain, especially one of the most important areas known as the executive control system,” Ellen Bialystok, a psychologist at York University in Toronto, said at the time of the research.

Brain benefits of being bilingual

“To maintain the relative balance between two languages, the bilingual brain relies on executive functions, a regulatory system of general cognitive abilities that includes processes such as attention and inhibition,” statesThe DANA Foundation. “Because both of a bilingual person’s language systems are always active and competing, that person uses these control mechanisms every time she or he speaks or listens. This constant practice strengthens the control mechanisms and changes the associated brain regions.”

In addition to providing continual exercise for the brain, being bilingual causes physical changes to the brain, increasing grey matter in the left inferior parietal cortex. White matter, the part of the brain known better known as myelin, also has shown physical changes in bilingual children and adults, suggesting being bilingual not only changes how the brain sends signals but its physical attributes as well.

Health benefits of growing up bilingual

The health benefits of growing up bilingual extend beyond just improved cognitive function into the areas of wellbeing, as bilingual children who experience less social stress are less likely to become involved in dangerous health habits such as alcohol use, drug use, overeating, and risky behavior.

At the root of the benefits, however, is the brain, and the direct cognitive benefits of being bilingual include:

• Improved attention to detail
• Ability to focus on important details
• Early onset of conflict management skills
• Improved memory
• Improved executive control
• Protection against certain illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease
• Lessening of symptoms associated with cognitive decline
• Improved social skills
• Reduced stress
• Reduced risk for depression

“The cognitive and neurological benefits of bilingualism extend from early childhood to old age as the brain more efficiently processes information and staves off cognitive decline,” explained The DANA Foundation. “What’s more, the attention and aging benefits discussed above aren’t exclusive to people who were raised bilingual; they are also seen in people who learn a second language later in life.”

Aalai told Saludify learning a second language as an adult keeps certain neurons in the brain stimulated, which makes an individual less susceptible to cognitive decline as he or she ages.

Is there a negative side of growing up bilingual?

“From the perspective of identity, what we find is that individuals who are bilingual are actually navigating multiple identities,” said Aalai. “What I mean by this is you may actually see individuals respond differently to personality measures or other psychological test based on what language the tests are in. Individual responses tend to conform to the values of the larger culture that language endorses.”

Aalai adds the finding is not necessarily considered negative, but it does offer a look at how language affects an individual’s world perception. She points out previous research has linked Americans’ ethnocentrism (the perception their culture is superior to others’) to being monolingual. Based on that finding, the ability to speak multiple languages may actually lessen reliance on stereotypes; another benefit.

This article was first published in Saludify.

Hope Gillette is an award winning author and novelist. She has been active in the veterinary industry for over 10 years, and her experience extends from exotic animal care to equine sports massage.

[Photo by hcplebranch]

By Victor Landa, NewsTaco

I’ve been waiting for this all week!

Friday, Jazz de México day at NesTaco. It’s here!

It’s time…

Click back, click below, and listen.

It’s the best Latino jazz musicians and composers, brought to you by San Antonio KRTU 91.7′s Jorge Canavati, recorded in the studios at Trinity University.

This program was first broadcast on KRTU.

[Photo by malojavio. El Saucejo]

By Katherine Boyle, Washington Post

The Kennedy Center announced Thursday revisions to the selection process for the annual Kennedy Center Honors after a seven-month internal review of how artists are chosen for the annual awards ceremony.

The Kennedy Center hopes to bring greater transparency to a selection process that has been largely opaque in past years. Last year, some national Hispanic advocacy groups criticized the Honors’ selection process after noting that only two of the 186 honorees since 1978 were Hispanic.

Click HERE or on the picture to read the full story.

[Image courtesy Kennedy Center Honors]

By Martha Garcia, Saludify

Acculturation, or adapting to the culture of the society you live in (including diet, lifestyle habits, language), is often at the heart of criticism for many Latinos. Stay true to tradition or adapt to life in the U.S., is a common Latino dilemma. But, what is the difference between acculturated and non-acculturated Latinos when it comes to health?

While many people assume all Hispanics living in the U.S. do not live as long as other ethnic groups due to health care gaps and high rates of chronic diseases, the Hispanic Paradox reveals a different picture.

Recent census information backs up the research.

Overall, Hispanics live 2 years longer than non-Hispanic Whites and an average of 8 years longer than African Americans. They also have a lower rate of infant mortality than other ethnic groups. Shocking statistics if you consider that Hispanics in the country have the highest uninsured health rates of any ethnic group, a rate that increases to nearly 50 percent if the person was not born in the United States.

Research, however, has found that while Hispanics in the U.S. live longer than non-Hispanics, non-acculturated Latinos live longer and healthier lives than acculturated or U.S. born Hispanics. In fact, acculturated Hispanics have higher rates of chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity and cancer.

What is it about the acculturation process that takes a toll on our health? While there may not be a definitive answer yet, a look into our rich Latino traditions and culture can certainly offer some clues.

Acculturation: Losing family traditions?

A major component of Latino life is the focus on family and community. Familismo, is an increased value of immediate and extended family members beyond mom, dad and grandparents. This can include aunts, uncles, compadresand other close knit community members.

Family support can indeed help individuals cope with daily stress.

A “strong sense of community and close family ties” can lead to better health, according to David Hayes-Bautista, director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at the University of California, Los Angeles.

A very important part of Latinos coming together is the food, of course. Latinos’ family and friends reunions are usually about homemade meals. Non-acculturated Latinos might be more prone to still come together for family time, prepare food from scratch, using natural and fresh ingredients from their own garden or a nearby market.

An important aspect of these family dinners is the social bond it offers the family. A Canadian based study found frequent family dinners was associated with an increased rate of emotional well-being, pro-social behavior and life satisfaction among adolescents.

The findings offer a clue into the positive effects frequent family dinners can provide to the entire family. Offering family members a strong outlet for increased communication, which can lead to increased mental and physical health and may be a key role in Latino longevity.

It is also about what non-acculturated Latinos eat. The recent juice cleanse craze has proven to be a healthy dietary addition in the U.S., but Latinos have long known the benefits of consuming fresh fruit and vegetable juices.

A tradition long honored by Hispanics, juices and licuados are as much a part of Latino culture as tacos and burritos for Mexicans. All infused with items, like fresh orange juice, celery, mango, spinach, nopal, cinnamon and other natural ingredients, non-acculturated Hispanics are more likely to prepare these juices instead of buying them already prepared from the grocery store.  Acculturation usually implies adopting the rhythm of the American life, which in turn may lead to less time to prepare meals, and more access to and acceptance of fast food options.

True, Hispanic food often includes unhealthy aspects, like fried food or items heavy in fat. However, traditional Hispanic cultures opt for home cooked meals made from scratch with fresh ingredients, which is always a much healthier alternative to packaged food with added preservatives.

The non-acculturated Latino household will opt for ingredients which are completely fresh, shying away from canned and packaged goods which may contain added sugar and chemicals. In fact, according to a recent survey, 52 percent of non-acculturated Latinos prepare fresh home cooked meals more often than acculturated Latinos.

Acculturation might also lead to more access to English-language marketing campaigns and television shows promoting fast food and related lifestyle habits.

Acculturation and access to health care

When Americans get sick they often turn to the doctor for help. Many traditional Hispanic cultures dictate that when someone gets sick, you turn to the family for home remedies first. Research indicates nearly six out of 10 Latinos will try home remedies first, as a cure for illness.

Every Hispanic culture has a rich history of using plant remedies and foods administered by abuelas andcuranderas as prescriptions for sickness. Latinos often turned to the yerba buena for stomach aches or oregano oil for earaches. Even the nopal, leaf of the cactus, is known to help lower blood sugar and fight cholesterol.

Studies reveal non-acculturated Hispanics turn to home remedies 80 percent of the time as opposed to acculturated Hispanics, who seek herbal remedies only 50 percent of the time. Acculturation might involve a tendency to rely more on prescription and over the counter medications, which often cause side effects.

Could this be the key to Hispanic longevity? While the practice is culturally approved, it is also a favorite among Latinos because of the cost difference. In a country where Latinos have the highest uninsured health rates of any racial or ethnic group, opting for low cost alternatives proves to be practical economically for many Latinos, not just culturally.

However, relying on natural remedies for more serious illness can also prove detrimental to Latinos, who often crowd the hospital’s emergency rooms when their condition worsens.

Acculturation and physical activity levels

Regular physical activity has been proved to improve an individual’s overall health and reduce the risk for chronic diseases.

When it comes to Latinos, levels of physical activity vary greatly among acculturated and non-acculturated individuals. There is also conflicting information about this issue.

While, non-acculturated Latino parents might be more likely to promote outdoor play time among their children and be more active themselves, especially if their financial situation is not strong, they often run into obstacles to be active.

According to a review, many low-income Latinos, find themselves with multiple role responsibilities that leave little time for leisure and physical activity. Many of them also perceive their own neighborhoods as not safe, which keeps them from activities such as walking and going to the park.

However, non-acculturated Hispanics are more likely to be found working in jobs that require strenuous physical activity such as construction, gardening, and cleaning. Acculturated Latinos, on the other hand, are more likely to be found in desk jobs that promote a more sedentary life.

All in all, the process of acculturation might take a toll on someone’s health – by leading a more stressful life, adopting the so-called American diet, reducing levels of physical activity, and distancing oneself from cultural traditions that may be physically, mentally and emotionally healthier, something to keep in mind, especially for those Latinos raising children in the U.S.

This article was first published in Saludify.

Martha Garcia is a freelance writer living in Los Angeles. She writes for various magazines, newspapers & websites. Martha is the Faith editor for the Signal newspaper. She loves to travel, learn about new things and continues her pursuit of healthier living.

[Photo by Daquella manera]

By Adrian Carrasquillo, NBCLatino

The co-author of the controversial Heritage Foundation immigration study, who resigned after theories published in a 2009 dissertation on low Hispanic IQs surfaced, says he doesn’t regret what he said, only that he was unable to go into further detail on a sensitive subject.

“I don’t apologize for any of the things that I said,” Richwine told the Washington Examiner.“But I do regret that I couldn’t give more detail. And I also regret that I didn’t think more about how the average lay person would perceive these things, as opposed to an academic audience.”

In comments widely published from his dissertation last week, Richwine wrote that “No one knows whether Hispanics will ever reach IQ parity with whites, but the prediction that new Hispanic immigrants will have low-IQ children and grandchildren is difficult to argue against.”

NBC Latino has repeatedly reached out to Richwine for comment without receiving a response.

Youtube videos released by the American Enterprise Institute where he used to work, shortly after the dissertation surfaced, showed that he disagreed with the idea that all races and ethnicities are equally likely to assimilate. He said blacks, Native Americans and Mexicans have shown an inability to assimilate and that unlike the Irish and Sicilians, some groups have little chance of assimilating.

“We have blacks, we have American Indians and even early Mexican-Americans who have been living in the country for a long time and have not assimilated to the cultural mainstream as typified by white Americans,” he said.

In his first comments since resigning, Richwine said he regretted not going into the nuance of information regarding IQs. “”I am a much better writer than I am a speaker. I probably would have written those things differently than I spoke them. What I emphasized was that ethnic group differences in IQ are scientifically uncontroversial,” he said.

“That being said, there is a nuance that goes along with that: the extent to which IQ scores actually reflect intelligence, the fact that it reflects averages and there is a lot of overlap in any population, and that IQ scores say absolutely nothing about the causes of the differences — environmental, genetic, or some combination of those things,” he added.

In talking about how the controversy affected him, Richwine said the accusations of being a racist were the toughest to deal with.

“The accusation of racism is one of the worst things that anyone can call you in public life,” he said. “Once that word is out there, it’s very difficult to recover from it, even when it is completely untrue.”

This article was first published in NBCLatino.

A multimedia journalist with a love for (read: obsession with) social media and how it interacts with news. He is of Puerto Rican/Ecuadorian descent and went to Stuyvesant High School before graduating from Stony Brook University’s School of Journalism. He worked at MyFoxNY.com and Fox News Latino before joining NBC Latino. Adrian sought to continue his work in Latino news because he believes there are stories out there asking to be told and a community that deserves a news site that reflects the nuance, richness and depth of the U.S. Latino experience.

[Photo courtesy The Heritage Foundation]

From the textmex obsessed imagination of Memo Nericcio

Hit the  image above, the “wetback tweets” graphic, for a link to GEOGRAPHY OF HATE website and the second image below, a more general map, for the Daily Mail story.

This article was first published in textmex galleryblog.

William Anthony Nericcio, aka “Memo,” is the Director of San Diego State University’s ever-evolving MALAS program (The Master of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences)–a dynamic, interdisciplinary, cultural studies graduate program located near the U.S./Mexico border. Nericcio also serves on the faculties of the Chicana/o Studies Department, the Center for Latin American Studies and the Department of English and Comparative Literature at SDSU.This article was first published in textmex galleryblog.

By Anne Constable, The New Mexican

Barbara Salinas-Norman was a Chicana activist, a bilingual teacher, an author, a publisher and an artist. She was “intelligent,” “inspiring,” a “trailblazer.” But her life had begun to unravel, and this once well-connected woman apparently died alone in her Santa Fe home, where her body lay undiscovered for several months behind an unlocked door. Her decomposed remains were found Monday at the Zia Vista Condominiums on Zia Road.

Police originally speculated that Salinas had been dead since October, but family and friends said Friday they thought the 70-year-old might have died long before that — a year or more ago.

Click HERE or on the picture to read the full story.

[Photo courtesy The Sante Fe New Mexican]

By Hispanically Speaking News

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel “The Great Gatsby” is seeing a resurgence with the new Baz Luhrmann film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, and Tobey Maguire.

While the book does not have any Hispanic characters, there are a few latino connections that should not be missed.

Check out the little known Hispanic facts about “The Great Gatsby.”

1. Francis Coradal-Cougat created the book cover art “Celestial Eyes” for “The Great Gatsby” book. 
Cugat was born in Spain and raised in Cuba. The infamous cover was created before F. Scott Firzgerald finished writing the book.  It is said that he was so enamored by the artwork that he “wrote it into” the novel.  The cover shows disembodied eyes and a mouth over a blue skyline, notable, there are images of naked women reflected in the irises.

2. “The Great Gatsby” takes place 1922 when the U.S. was experiencing a great wave of immigration.

Between 1901 and 1920, more than 14 million immigrants entered the United States, largely from Southern and Central Europe.  In 1921 The Immigration Act of 1921 restricted the number of southern & eastern Europeans but did not limit the number of Mexican agricultural workers coming to U.S.

3. The novel was almost called something else—Fitzgerald had been throwing around the idea of using: “Trimalchio, Among the Ash Heaps and Millionaires” or “Trimalchio in West Egg.”
Trimalchio is a character in ancient Roman fiction.  Trilmachio was also made famous in Octavio Paz’s poem “I Speak of the City.”  Instead of using Trilmacho in the title, Fitzgerald opted to cite him in the book, “It was when curiosity about Gatsby was at its highest that the lights in his house failed to go on one Saturday night – and, as obscurely as it began, his career as Trimalchio was over.”

4. Ernesto Quiñonez was inspired by “The Great Gatsby”  in his novel “Bodega Dreams.”
Set in Spanish Harlem, Quiñonez develops a character, Chino, who searches for a lost love who he built his success to impress.  Similar to what Gatsby does to catch Daisy’s eye.

5. The Spanish poet and writer Jose Luis Piquero translated and provided the prologue to the latest Spanish-language version of  “El Gran Gatsby.”
Piquero’s 2011 version has been very successful in Spain.  The writer is also known for translating other celebrated works ranging from Charles Dickens to Mark Twain.

This article was first published in Hispanically Speaking News.

[Photos courtesy Hispanically Speaking News]

By Federica Longo, Voxxi

Latino history in the United States has been obscure until now. A new documentary series narrated by actor Benjamin Bratt will chronicle the history of Latinos in the United States, going back 500 years and leading up to where Latinos are today, the largest minority group in the country.

Producer Ray Telles, responsible for producing a portion of a new upcoming series on PBS called “Latino Americans“, spoke to VOXXI about the project, his contribution and the future of Latinos in America.

The Emmy award-winning producer has been behind PBS Frontline’s “Children of the Night” and “The Fight in the Fields”, a 90-minute documentary on Cesar Chavez, among other films.

Being Mexican-American himself, Telles couldn’t be more passionate about “Latino Americans”. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Telles maintains a connection to his Mexican roots. In a way, this series shows the history of his family and allows for other families to relate and learn more about their own culture.

I was fortunate enough to interview Telles and get more details about this upcoming documentary based on the history of Latin people and the last episode of this series, which he produced.

Q&A with Ray Telles

Q: So Ray, tell me a bit about “Latino Americans”?

A:  It’s a three-part series made up each of two hours airing three consecutive Tuesdays.  Basically, it’s a total of six hours and each hour goes through a different period of Latin history. It begins in the 1500s and ends in present day so we cover a lot of territory. The first show, for example, covers the 1500s to the 1880s, Spanish explorers landing in North America up through the Mexican American War, and that’s just the first hour of the first night.

Q: Where did the idea to create this series arise from?

A: This idea has been around for at least 20 years. Several independent producers in the mid ’90s and I tried to raise money for it and couldn’t do it. But about four or five years ago Jeff Bieber, executive producer for WETA, got together with Latino Public Broadcasting and tried to get this off the ground. We got together, started to raise the money and develop this so it’s been in the works for about four or five years and we went into production about a year and a half ago.

Q: What was your role in this project?

A: I produced the last show, show number six, which deals with history from the 1980s to present day. The people of Miami in the ’60s and ’70s were basically in a bilingual city. You had the bilingual forms at the county and people could get city services in both English and Spanish. But in the 1980s there was a strong reaction to it and it started to trigger anti-bilingual measures around the country that continued for 20 years. That’s where we start and we go through the history to bring us to where we are today. Hour six [Episode 6] takes us through the last 30 years.

Q: What would be your hopes for Latinos in the future?

A: I think the key is education. Marta Tienda,  a sociology professor at Princeton, says you got to look at Latino youth, which means there is going to be a huge number of Latinos coming to age over the next 15 to 20 years and what happens to them is going to dramatically influence what happens to this country. These are the people of our future. If we educate our youth that’s good. If we don’t, then things can go badly. How we deal with our youth is going to have a dramatic impact on the direction of this country, just by looking at the numbers. I hope that Latinos get fully recognized for our contribution and we all thrive and prosper as full members of this society. I’m hoping that we are all allowed to have a place in society. It’s kind of a utopian idea, but I think it would be good for the whole country.

‘Latino Americans’ to serve as educational tool

“Latino Americans” will serve as a form of education for both Latinos and non-Latinos.

“We want to get the word out there about who we are and get some recognition for our contributions,” Telles said. “It’s important that North Americans understand that the issues that are concerning us as Latinos concern all Americans and the issues that concern other Americans concern Latinos.”

“Our population is growing so large that it is a very considerable part of the American population. Whether people are documented or undocumented at this point isn’t the issue, because those 11 or 12 million undocumented people do pay taxes and use the social services and we all deserve a voice. We really all have to be incorporated into the American discourse.”

Along with the narration being done by Bratt, there will also be some recognizable figures sharing their experiences such as Gloria Estefan and Rita Moreno. Estefan was pivotal in terms of Latino music and Moreno migrated from Puerto Rico and became the star of “West Side Story”, along with winning numerous awards. “We have people telling stories of that period that they were brought up in, and personal stories is something that engages people,” shared Telles.

The series airs in September and right now it is gearing up for an outreach campaign with Voto Latino. The whole idea is to get young people engaged, to bring them together to make changes in the community. “Voto Latino has this principal that American issues are Latino issues and vice versa. It focuses on Latino Youth. Ultimately the power is in the vote and they are trying to get youth to understand that whole concept,” Telles said.

This atricle was first published in Voxxi.

Federica Longo was born and raised in Miami from Argentinian descent and she is a recent graduate from Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale.

[Photo courtesy Brett Buchanan Photography, 2012]

By Patrick Kevin Day, Los Angeles Times

“Sesame Street” has concluded its search for the new Latino character who will be moving on to the cozy New York address for the show’s 44th season. And the lucky guy is actor Ismael Cruz Cordova, a Puerto Rican actor who’s been seen previously on “The Good Wife” as Jimmy Patrick (though that show has zero crossover with “Sesame Street’s” audience).