Issues from abroad and back

Y que? Bueno:
Ustedes se dan cuenta como en los Estados Unidos que los Boriquas parecen ser mas aceptado? I've begun to unreveal exactly what it is to be a Puerto Rican Man in America, a difficult and draining task. I intend on wrtiting an article for "La Vos" (Syracuse U. student paper)I returned rececntly from living in Zimbabwe for 5 months. The "isms" : classim, sexism , racism & mysogyny over lap in the so called "Latin(o)" culture as in Afican culture. I find that if one detail is stressed then the entire picture is at risk of a loss. America implicates that light skinned Puerto Ricans are the Latino of choice, a private "fiesta". Just watch T.V. for an 1hr a day you'll find out. I know that I am excluding the shoes Latin women have to fill in, (pun intended.)My appologies. I still feel as if Dominicans have a tighter network amongst themselves. I have yet to come to terms with feeling jealous of Dominicans rootedness with themselves and to DR. It's evident that we will cause our own destruction if we neglect the problems of the global community. We must connect our expereiences to one another, commuinicate our daily routines to the larger world (outside America that is); everyday problems + everyday people. Here is my step:
holla.

Amen!!!

E-mail me if you would be interested in having your article published in "La Voz Hispana" The largest Spanish language publication in Ohio, when you write it. You risk stirring up a hornet's nest but it is overdue and high-time someone does.
.
Looking forward to your comments & experiences.

Hey Loren can I get copies?

I am sure that La Voc (sic) has at least three subscribers...LOL The guy needs to attend a writing course before he starts writing...even for a student paper...
He does have some well observed points, but he seems to lack the vocabulary techniques to bring them out clearly.

HB

Re: Hey Loren can I get copies?

Perhaps he should put his bong down so he can type with two hands.

La Voz Hispana

Hell, I'll cut the kid a little slack and give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that English is his second language and he is at syracuse University so he probably is still learning. I know my written Spanish is not as good as my spoken Spanish. Whenever I write a Spanish piece for "La Voz" (rare)I have it proofread before I turn it in to the editors.

The publisher is an associate of mine and the paper is actually doing pretty well. It is interesting what is happening here in Ohio with the Hispanic population. There has been a Puerto Rican population up near Lake Erie since World War 2, recruited at that time to work in the steel mills. In Northwest Ohio near Toledo there was for many years a migrant Mexican population. Thanks to the work of activist and state legislator John Garcia (R-Toledo) the conditions over the years improved enough to where many were making a decent enough living to permanently settle there so now you have a considerable permanent rural Mexican population in Northwest Ohio and Indiana. In Columbus and to a lesser extent Dayton and Cincinnati the very tight labor market (as low as 2-3%)and relatively low cost of living has caused a very recent surge in the population of Mexicans and Central Americans. There is also a smaller but steady migration of Cubans and Dominicans to the area. Incidentally, Columbus also has a large Japanese population because of all the Honda plants, and the largest Somali community in the United States.

The Spanish Newspaper "La Voz Hispana" was not the first Spanish language paper in Ohio but most of the others were community oriented and local in nature, covering individual neighborhoods in Cleveland and Toledo. La Voz has a lot more politics, international news and is tied into the wire services. Its content mix is a print analog to maybe Univision, with considerable local content, but a broader flavor to it. It came along at an opportune time with the local Hispanic population exploding, but it is a lot more professional, run by a saavy Mexican-American entrepreneur with an MBA in Marketing versus the other local papers which are more "mam? y pap?" operations (which are honorable endeavors, don't misinterpret that as a slam.)

P.S. Yes Hillbilly, you are probably joking but if you are serious I would be glad to send a copy down to you. If you wait a couple of weeks though you can get my on-the-scene report on the Nicaraguan Presidential Elections where Bola?os beat up on Daniel Ortega Saavedra fair & square!

Re: Loren, don't forget Dominicans in Cleveland

Hey Loren, I was surprised to see you omit the fast-growing Dominican community in Cleveland in your discussion. My comadre is moving there next year from NYC -- the rest of her extended family is already there! As are quite a large Dominican community, from what she tells me. Wonder if the latest census stats reflect this?
Regards,
Keith

Re: Loren, don't forget Dominicans in Cleveland

That doesnt surprise me. I know a few Dominicans in Cleveland but I wasn't aware of the demographic shifts. I'm going to be more observant. Unlike the rest of the major cities in Ohio, Cleveland is very "Northeastern" in nature, meaning that people still settle in ethnic pockets to some extent. There is the Puerto Rican neighborhood, the Greek neighborhood, Armenian, etc. Columbus overall is mixed more on income lines with few old neighborhoods and no history of immigration except pre WW1 (German) and in the last decade (SE Asia, Mexico, Somalia.) Immigrants are dispersed throughout the city based on what they can afford. Cincinnati is very segregated based on black/white lines. Some of the newer suburbs way out are a little different but Cincinnati has the worst reputation for race problems in Ohio. Ohio is still light-years ahead of Indiana which has a record that would make many Southern states blush. Dont know a whole lot about Dayton, Springfield or Akron. Toledo is very Mexican. Youngstown is notorious for mafia but I don't know if it's Italian or what ethnic group, if one in particular. For many years there were no national chain grocery stores in Cleveland / Youngstown because the mob ran the local ones and would blow you up if you tried to move in. There werent even Wall-Marts. Cleveland is making a slow comeback but it is a lot better than it was 20 years ago. The lake was a dump but now its something to be proud of. More fish harvested than the other 4 great lakes combined!

Fish/Lakes

One of my lasting memories of the Great Lakes was when we first looked out on Lake Erie, it was so huge! And there at my feet was the very large pike, dying....I had no idea, then as to why this beautiful and frightful fish was dying, but there it was gasping on the beach..way over 50 years ago....And then Rachal Carson published Silent Spring. and we found out about Love Canal.

HB

Re: Fish/Lakes?"The "love canal"?

Very polluted lakes in the 50s and 60s. Love Canal in Buffalo was the worst case: A housing development built over an extremely toxic waste dump. Huge lawsuits eventually leading to the EPA creation and the forced removal of all residents and the Clean Up of this and other sites is costing billions.

HB

Re: Fish/Lakes?"The "love canal"?

"Shame on me!" I was "trying",to be sexually explicit,the "LOVE CANAL",get it? Sorry, Criss

Blue Pike

The Blue Pike, which actually was not a pike but a close cousin to the walleye and a member of the perch family was last observed in Lake Erie in 1974. It is now extinct. No one knows if this was due to pollution, overfishing or natural causes. The clean up in Lake Erie has been phenomenal and it now enjoys the reputation of a clean lake. The zebra mussel infestation had everyone terrified but the mussels filtered out all the plankton and the water is now crystal clear. Lake Erie used to be terribly murky, due not to pollution but because of organic matter.