Daily Headlines: September 18, 2014

* Argentina: Three medical staff and two former commanders of a secret military hospital have gone on trial over their alleged roles in the illegal adoption of babies from political dissidents during the Dirty War era.

* U.S.: New Census Bureau data found that the poverty rate for Latinos dropped by 2.1% in 2013 while median income grew last year for the first time since 2000.

* Panama: Is the Central American nation of Panama really the world’s happiest country?

* Brazil: The U.N. removed Brazil from the World Hunger Map after concluding that the number of undernourished residents decreased by more than 80% in ten years.

Video Source – CCTV America via YouTube (Estela de Carlotto, leader of Argentina’s Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, reconnected last month with her long-lost grandson).

Online Sources – BBC News; Los Angeles Times; The Guardian; ABC News

Daily Headlines: April 1, 2014

* Venezuela: A Venezuelan military commander claimed that security forces have retaken the city of San Cristóbal though unrest still continues in other major cities where opposition protesters keep demonstrating against the government.

* U.S.: A new report found that children of African-American, Latino and Native American background face greater obstacles in areas like education and health compared to white and Asian minors.

* Panama: A Panamanian law went into effect last week that prohibits the importation of wild animals as part of "circuses, shows, exhibitions, entertainments, audience interactions and similar events."

* Puerto Rico: Puerto Rico’s economic woes and high rates of homicide could explain why the island’s population dropped by 3% between April 2010 and July 2013.

Video Source – Associated Press via YouTube (“Masked protesters clashed with police in eastern Caracas on Monday night following a resumption of anti-government protests.”)

Online Sources- Reuters; GlobalPost; LAHT; BBC News

Daily Headlines: September 6, 2013

* Peru: Lima's Astrid y Gastón was named by the World's 50 Best organization as Latin America’s top restaurant, followed by D.O.M. in São Paulo and Pujol of Mexico City.

* U.S.: According to new Census Bureau numbers, Latino college enrollment has been increasing despite a national decline in enrollment.

* Argentina: Spanish foreign minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said that Argentina “can count on Spain's support” in its sovereignty claim over the Falklands Islands.

* Chile: The family of Victor Jara filed a lawsuit against a former Chilean army officer allegedly involved in the 1973 murder of the famed folk singer.

Video Source – YouTube via user wbpstarscom

Online Sources- CNN; The Telegraph; NBC Latino; Eater National

Daily Headlines: May 16, 2013

* El Salvador: Officials launched a violence prevention program in areas where the country’s two largest street gangs – the Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18 – have honored a fourteen-month truce.

* Venezuela: The government’s plans to import fifty million rolls of toilet paper as Venezuelans complain of shortages in basic commodities and foods.

* Brazil: Defending Copa Libertadores titleholder Corinthians of Brazil were ousted from this year’s version of the tournament by six-time champions Boca Juniors of Argentina.

* U.S.: A new Census Bureau report found that an influx of immigrants is expected to outpace U.S. population growth from births within thirty years.

Video Source – Video via Al Jazeera English (Video uploaded in May 2012).

Online Sources- The Guardian; infosurhoy.com; SBS; Reuters

Daily Headlines: October 20, 2010

* Latin America: The International Monetary Fund warned that Latin America’s growing economy could “overheat” due to increased domestic demand.

* U.S.: According to the Census Bureau 12% of the U.S. population (36.7 million people) is foreign born with nearly half of them coming from Latin America.

* Paraguay: Retired soccer star Jose Luis Chilavert was accused of attacking an Argentine agent at Asuncion’s main airport.

* Mexico: President Felipe Calderon proposed modifying the law so that military suspects involved in cases of forced disappearance, torture and rape get tried in civilian courts.

Image – MercoPress
Online Sources- CNN, Canadian Press, Bloomberg, UPI

Haiti: Population “booming” says Census

Last January’s massive earthquake in Haiti claimed 230,000 to 300,000 lives and left the country reeling. Yet the country is going through a population “boom” according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released Monday.

The current population of Haiti based on the agency’s figures stands at about 9.6 million and this is expected to increase by four million by 2050. By 2012 it is estimated that Haiti’s population will reach pre-earthquake levels and that the growth is expected to rise at the same rate as that of neighboring Dominican Republic.

The expected growth in Haiti’s population could hinder rebuilding efforts that have been progressing very slowly. In addition, it could mean that immigration across the border into the Dominican Republic and further away to the U.S. may not diminish any time soon.

Image- news.com.au
Online Sources- UPI, AP, Miami Herald

Report: Census workers botch race/ethnicity queries

In the months leading up to the 2010 Census the Census Bureau carried out a p.r. campaign so that Latinos would participate in the national count. Despite calls by a few groups to boycott the Census most of the Latino community seemed to have done their duty and filled out the forms.

An interesting conundrum appeared for numerous Latinos who tried to fill the census papers: how to accurately answer the questions pertaining to race and ethnicity. If one is of a mixed racial background such as mestizo, for instance, then how should one classify his/her race for the Census? What about the person in this article who claimed that “"I would consider myself Hispanic or Mexican-American, but definitely not White”?

A report from the U.S. Commerce Department Office of the Inspector General found that some Census workers have ignored similar troubles during their door-to-door visits. Rather than clarify concerns some of the workers in the study made things worse:

Upon their visits, census workers are supposed to read aloud the 10 census questions, including those on race and ethnicity. Yet, according to the report, 71 workers incorrectly communicated the race and Hispanic-origin question to respondents. Some census workers made assumptions about individuals' race and filled in boxes without asking the respondent the ethnic background questions, while others failed to ask their respondents if they wanted the questions read aloud.

Only 15% of the 480 observed workers in the report made mistakes during their door-to-door visits and a Census spokesman told CNN that the bureau would "take corrective actions where appropriate." But these mistakes could be costly when so much is on the line like apportioning congressional districts and deciding where some federal funds go.

Image- nj.com
Online Sources- U.S. Commerce Department Office of the Inspector General, CNN, azcentral.com, Vivirlatino, USA TODAY, The Latin Americanist

Telenovelas promote Census count

The Spanish-language TV soap operas known as telenovelas are often viewed as an escape from the tedium of reality. With its convoluted plots, hammy acting, and cheap music, telenovelas are primarily fun and entertaining.

There are occasions, however, when these soaps tackle real-life situations and issues of importance to the community. In Argentina, one telenovela raised awareness of illegal “Dirty War” adoptions while a Cuban soap broke taboos in its frank discussion of homosexuality.

In the States, some telenovelas have recently examined topics like the health care debate (in the case of one series developed by Colorado state officials). Though scant Latino groups have urged a boycott of the 2010 Census count, one popular soap has gone in a different direction:

Perla Beltrán, a young woman from the wrong side of the tracks in New York, has suffered a great deal lately — her husband, a thief, has been murdered and she has been associating with lowlifes. But she thinks she has found a way out: as a recruiter for the United States Census Bureau.

Ms. Beltrán, a character in the popular Spanish-language soap opera “Más Sabe el Diablo,” “The Devil Knows Best,” represents only one element of the government’s yearlong effort to garner trust among Hispanics, an ethnic group that has been historically wary of the decennial census process.

The situation is viewed by Census officials and TV network Telemundo as a win-win situation; the former raises awareness of the Census via “people placement” while the latter gets valuable PR and a possible ratings boost.

It’s easy to be dismissive of telenovelas yet they deserve recognition when they try to do something positive for its viewers beyond mere escapism.

Image- New York Times (“The soap opera “Más Sabe el Diablo” featured the 2010 census.”)
Online Sources- NPR, The Latin Americanist, New York Times, UPI

Did the immigrant population really drop?

The immigrant population in the U.S. dropped in 2008 according to figures released by the Census Bureau though there’s more than meets the eye.

The annual American Community Survey (ACS) concluded that the number of foreign-born residents in the U.S. fell by an estimated 99,000 (approximately 0.3%). The largest foreign-born decline was among Mexican immigrants with a drop by about 300,000 to 11.4 million. The overall Latino population decreased nationwide except the Northeast were it stayed about the same.

The drop in immigrant population has been blamed by some on the recession since those states with the largest declines where also those hardest hit by the economic downturn. Others point the finger at stronger enforcement of immigration laws.

Yet details of the ACS show that percentage of foreign-born (12.5%) is still “close to the peak reached during the last massive wave of immigration between the 1880s and 1920s.” Furthermore, it’s unknown exactly how the economy has affected immigrant populations in decades past since the Census bureau used to measure that every ten years. Lastly, the methodology behind the ACS may indicate that the foreign-born may not have declined at all:

The data come from the Census Bureau's annual survey of about 3 million Americans, not the entire population. The survey's margin of sampling error is high enough to make it possible that the number of foreign-born people in the country actually remained unchanged from 2007 to 2008 rather than declined.

Image- USA TODAY (“An ICE agent searches a man at a meat plant in Greeley, Colo., during a 2006 raid.”)
Online Sources- USA TODAY, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, AP

Census Bureau: More Latinos in poverty

More Latinos in the U.S. find themselves impoverished according to a report released today by the Census Bureau.

Using information collected in 2008, the agency found that median income for Latinos dropped by a whopping 5.6% to $37,913. This is more than any other racial group and only the second-lowest real median income just ahead of blacks.

Furthermore, nearly one in four Latinos (23.2%) were below the poverty line in 2008; a number that was slightly less than blacks but far more than other racial groups. Nevertheless, median income fell for all racial groups and poverty levels increased across the board.

The current numbers ma be worse since the Census figures did not take into account most of the recession which officially began in December 2008. Furthermore, family incomes below the poverty line did not account for income from food stamps or that was unreported. Along with the growth in the medically uninsured (31% of Latinos), some activists are calling for more to be done like health care reform:

At the Yorkville Common Pantry, an emergency meal program in East Harlem, Joel Berg, the executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, said the troubling numbers underscore the need for health reform.

"Today's new numbers make it clearer than ever that lack of health insurance and inability to pay medical bills is one of the greatest contributing factors to poverty and hunger in America," Berg said. "People in poor health rarely earn significant wealth."

Image- CNN (“Migrant laborers help in the post-Hurricane Katrina cleanup in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2006.”)
Online Sources- New York Times, Miami Herald, Census Bureau, Univision.com

Report: Most “Boricuas” live on mainland

According to the Pew Research Center, more Puerto Ricans reside in the fifty U.S. states than the commonwealth itself.

The report by Pew cited statistical data from the U.S. Census Bureau stating that 4.1 million Puerto Ricans live on the mainland as well as Hawaii and Alaska compared to 3.7 million on the island. In addition, roughly one-third of those born in the fifty U.S. states were born in Puerto Rico before moving on.

The profile of Puerto Ricans by Pew also revealed other interesting data:

The numbers showed Puerto Ricans are the second-largest population of Hispanic origin residing in the United States, accounting for 9.1 percent of the U.S. Hispanic population in 2007, while Mexicans constituted 29.2 million, or 64.3 percent, of the Hispanic population.

The analysis also found as a group, Puerto Ricans are older than Hispanics on average but are younger than the U.S. population. They were found to be less likely to be married than either Hispanics overall or the U.S. population overall.

The Pew Center said 56 percent of Puerto Rican women who had given birth in the prior 12 months were unmarried.

Image- New York Sun (Revelers enjoy the 2008 Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York)
Online Sources- Pew Research Center, Los Angeles Times, UPI