The Scream

As the end-of-year holidays near, the stress is getting to a lot of folks. The war or unemployment has made two people flip a switch, first in Fort Hood then here in Orlando. Things may get worse before they get better because the holiday period increases pressure on parents and others to provide for their family or to be "cheery" in ways they may find difficult.

I'm not making excuses for the two nut jobs who went on rampages earlier this week, but we all know national unemployment is higher than 10 percent (higher in certain cities and states) and the economy sucks. The inability to control your destiny or provide may make some people crack. I have a couple of friends who have been out of work more than one year. That’s scary.

To prove how scary, out comes a new survey by the American Psychological Association defining  stress levels among different groups. Latinos are feeling the stress of the down economy more than anyone else, according to the survey. 

Compared with nonHispanic whites and blacks, whose stress levels have gone down since 2008, the opposite is true for Latinos. More than 1,500 people, including 311 Latinos, were interviewed for the nationwide survey conducted this summer. That translates to a 5 percent–plus margin of error in the Latino responses because the group is small, so take some of this with a grain of salt.

About  50 percent of Latinos reported they were stressed out, up a significant 6 points from 44 percent last year. For nonHispanic whites the stress figure was  40 percent (down from 49 percent last year), and for blacks it was 39 percent, an improvement over 43 percent in 2008.

What’s stressing us out? Not enough dólares in the pocket—and dólares is what you need during the holidays. About 77 percent of Latinos are worried about money, but ironically they are less concerned (68 percent) about work. Not sure how that works, since I was under the impression the two are connected.  It could be, however, that folks are working but there is less income coming into the home.

The situation is taking a physical toll. Nearly half of Hispanics are feeling fatigued, nervous or anxious (la falta de dinero cansa). About 45 percent are experiencing a lack of motivation or energy (la calle está dura), another 44 percent report ailments such as headaches (la economía es un dolor de cabeza) and 33 percent would like to cry (un buen llanto te hace bien).  A little more than one-quarter report a loss of appetite (el apetito es lo de menos).

It’s hard to tell unemployed friends and others to take things easier when you have a paying job. So I am not going to say that. But I know that Latinos are a resourceful people. They find other ways to make money, and go to great lengths to do it. I admire how some of my friends are making ends meet. Some have become more entrepreneurial, for instance, selling jewelry, taking contract work, juggling two part-time jobs, going back to school, etc. 

Así que ¡adelante!  Hopefully, this, too, shall pass soon. 

Mourning in America

A moment of silence for the horrible rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, that left 13 dead and dozens of others wounded.

And to think that the alleged shooter is a major in the Army, and a psychiatrist to boot.  That is truly crazy. 

Que vayan con Dios. 

Juan Gabriel Brought Down the House

The Latin Grammys started out slow, but ended the night with a bang when Juan Gabriel brought down the house. Loved his "Esta noche me emborracho."  I was waiting for him to smash the wine glass on the floor, but perhaps that would have been too dramático—even for us Latinos.

Calle 13 didn't quite put its foot in mouth, although front man René Pérez did mention the big layoffs in Puerto Rico while accepting the first of several awards. I could have sworn I detected the other half of the duo flinch as he spoke and presenters hold their breaths.

I must say it was classy of Pérez to dedicate his best album award to the late great Mercedes Sosa.

Cuban songstress Omara Portuondo won the award for best tropical album, but I didn't see her sing. Did I miss something? Maybe she was only to make an appearance?

As for Luis Enrique, he walked away with the best salsa album award.  Some of my Twitter friends said Enrique doesn't hold a candle to Gilberto Santa Rosa and Oscar D'Leon, but I beg to differ. Sure, Santa Rosa and D'Leon are leading salsa figures, but if the rest of the songs on Enrique's album "Ciclos" is like "Mañana," then it has to be amazing.

Escándalo TV

It might be fun to watch the 10th Annual Latin Grammy Awards tonight from Las Vegas on the Univisión network. A favorite to win is Calle 13, a reggaeton duo from Puerto Rico that has been nominated in five categories. Even more interesting is the irrepressible “Residente,” the face of the group and whose real name is René Pérez.
 
Pérez is known for making unexpected controversially cutting comments about his competitors and also about events of the day. During a recent appearance as co-host of Premios MTV Latino, he cursed Gov. Luis Fortuño of Puerto Rico, who is in the midst of laying off about 20,000 government workers, calling him an “hijo de …”.   Woweee.

Pérez didn’t stop there: He took on all of Latin America throughout the night. He wore a tee shirt stating that Colombian President Alvaro Uribe is a “paramilitary,” referring to the right-wing groups that have cropped up in the country.

Another tee shirt said that Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez was nominated for “best pop artist.” He compared Honduras’ interim president Roberto Micheletti to “Pinocheti,” referring to the disgraced late Chilean President Augusto Pinochet.

He said Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner should stop using “Botox.”  Ouch!

Did he go too far? You betcha, and he’s already paying a price for it.  Some Calle 13 shows have been cancelled. Acknowledging his outlandishly rude performance, Residente has promised to behave at tonight’s Latin Grammy Awards.

That alone ought to make it a great show to watch.  Atrévete.

Other Latin Grammy highlights:
• The Mercedes Sosa, who died recently, is nominated for best album and best folk album awards.
• Luis Fonsi goes up against Calle 13 for record of the year.
• All the reggaeton greats—Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Wisin y Yandel and Calle 13—go to war over best urban album.
• Cuban songstress Omara Portuondo is nominated for best tropical album, and also will make an appearance.  She’s a contemporary of the Buena Vista Social Club members, and a wonderful singer.
• Luis Enrique is competing with Gilberto Santa Rosa and Oscar D’Leon for best salsa album. I absolutely love Enrique’s tune, “Yo no sé mañana,” which has great music and lyrics. Go, Enrique!

¡Vota por mi!

Holy cow! I just found out I was nominated as one of the best Latino bloggers in
Central Florida by Latinos in Social Media. What an unexpected honor.

Latinos in Social Media (Latism) is a relatively new group, of which I am a member, that promotes all kinds of Web-based connectivity known as social media. This includes blogging, tweeting on Twitter, Facebook, My Space, etc. Social media is essentially the virtual universe where we all converge to socialize—and do business—now.

Latism, the nation's largest organization of Social Media profesionals of Hispanic origin, has its first Orlando conference coming up next week. 

Those of you who follow me meet up on the street corner known as Orlando Latino, the work of one sometimes wise woman: me. I have no help. I do not get paid. I am not sponsored by anyone, nor do I have a large institution such as a newspaper standing behind me. 

I have earned each follower by the sweat of my keyboard and the vision I have of what this blog can be. Believe me, I am nowhere near where I'd like to be, and maybe I'll never get there. The competition is stiff, and my expectations are not high.

But I am elated that I am making enough inroads to be recognized in this manner. Find out who's a finalist here. If you like what you read, cast your vote for Orlando Latino here. 

As they say in Puerto Rico, ¡vota por mi!

Colombianos: Last Chance to Register to Vote

OK, Colombianos, it’s time to register to vote.

If you want to make your voice heard in the Colombian elections of March 2010 and the presidential elections in May 2010, you have to register to vote by Friday, November 6 here in Florida.

There are plenty of places to register in Florida, including three in Central Florida:

2469 Michigan Ave. Kissimmee, FL. 34744 34744 Mon. to Sat.: 9am to  8pm LA CAMPINA EXPRESS Kissimmee

156 S Semoran Blvd 32807 Mon. to Fri.: 8.30 am to 3.00 p.m. Latinos Express Orlando

4300 South Semoran Blvd Suite #110. Orlando, FL. 32822 Mon. to Fri: 9am to 6pm, and Sat.: 9am to 5pm TIENDA LATINA, LLC

Colombia is one of a number of countries that allows its citizens abroad to vote. In the 2001 presidential and congressional elections, more than 155,00 Colombians residing outside of the country registered to vote. They totaled nearly 9 percent of all Colombians registered. In the 2005 elections, more than 144,00 Colombian citizens abroad registered, comprising 6.5 percent of the total.

If you’re not located in Central Florida, there are seven other locations in Florida from which to choose.  And in all of the United States, there are 49 places to register from Los Angeles to Atlanta.  Follow this link to find and click on “Exterior” to find a location.

Newspaper Downbeat Goes On

The news about newspapers is getting gloomier and gloomier—as in last week's announcement of circulation numbers for the April to October time period.

Orlando readers may be shocked to learn that their hometown newspaper the Orlando Sentinel is down to a daily circulation of about 181,000.  That is abysmally low. A little perspective is in order: When I joined the paper in 1997 as a senior reporter, its daily circulation was about 250,000-plus. As recently as 2002, the Orlando Sentinel reported its best circulation increases ever to 265,365 daily and 387,728 on Sundays.

The rapid decline is not just happening in Orlando; it's happening everywhere.  Check the newspaper  in your own city in the Wall Street Journal story here.

Back at the Sentinel, a little math shows that nearly one-third of its circulation has vanished in just nine years. At that rate of decline, will the Sentinel's circulation be 121,000 in another nine years? Scary.

It's so scary, the Sentinel didn't report its circulation free-fall—at least none that I could verify on its Web site. It did run an Associated Press report on the circulation drop among big newspapers. You have to turn to the Orlando Business Journal and the St. Pete Times for the Sentinel info.

Here's an ironic note: The Sentinel had to lose a third of its circulation in order to become the second largest paper in Florida, a position formerly occupied by the Miami Herald. But the Herald's circulation—now a stunningly low 162,000 daily—has plummeted even faster than the Sentinel's, allowing Orlando to surpass it. I guess that's nothing to crow about for either paper.

Everybody knows the problem at the heart of these numbers: shrinking advertising, free online content cannibalizing the paid paper product. Most newspapers have responded with deep cuts in staff and coverage, providing readers with fewer incentives to read.

The discussion is now centered on whether to publish several times a week versus daily and whether to charge for online content. But if newspapers cut the number or editions, will they also cut your subscription costs? Dont' bet on it; they need the money. What's more, a new poll reveals that more than 55 percent of readers won't pay for online content that is now free.

Big problems, few solutions. And the downbeat goes on.