Florida

Quepasa Corp., once one of the Valley’s highest-flying dot-coms that sought to be the Internet portal for a booming Hispanic market, has moved its headquarters to Florida.

Quepasa, now a former dot-com, terminated its lease on its Scottsdale Airpark headquarters effective May 1 and moved its offices to West Palm Beach, executives said in an update conference call with investors last week.

The company has sublet the Scottsdale offices, Chief Financial Officer Mike Matte said. He did not respond to phone calls for more details on the move. “*

The International Kids Fund, a charitable arm of the Jackson Memorial Foundation that helps raise money to pay for surgery for foreign children, and the United Way of Miami-Dade honored the president of the FedEx Express Latin America & Caribbean Division with the first Corporate Generosity Leadership Award.

Juan N. Cento was honored for exceptional community involvement at the first Latin American and Caribbean Awards Luncheon on April 30 at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Miami.”*

LBM, along with media and business sponsors, is proud to present the Second Annual Latino Press Awards. The awards ceremony will be held May 13th, 2008 at 7:30PM at the prestigious Lincoln Theatre 541 Lincoln Road in Miami Beach. The event is set to honor those business and media members who have supported the gay Latino community and have remained dedicated to its causes throughout the year.

“This year’s awards ceremony has grown exponentially since last year and it has become much bigger than we had anticipated. It’s about coming together as a community and we’re so honored that Lili Estefan will receive recognition for her years of outstanding journalism in the entertainment industry, receiving the LPA Prestige Award,” said Adeilson George, LBM Publisher. “As a part of the media community dedicated to keeping Latinos informed of pressing issues, we’re so proud and humbled at the same time to have the opportunity to recognize those outstanding members of the community,” said Josue Santiago, LBM Editor. Award categories include:

Award categories include:

• Columnist of the Year
• Photographer of the Year
• Outstanding Service to the Community
• TV/Radio Programming of the Year
• Showgirl of the Year
• Night Club of the Year … and many more

The LPA’s will be hosted by Cachita from Univision’s “El Gordo y La Flaca,” and Vixen from LBM’s own “Vix in the City.” Guests will also have the opportunity to experience quality entertainment with exclusive performances by
Martha Luiza directly from Brazil, New York’s finest Angelique Ali and Machete Music’s First Lady, Kuky.”*

Three bright aspiring Miami entrepreneurs garnered the opportunity to train and compete at the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) Foundation Regional BizFest in Sacramento, CA in September. These three students were part of an introduction to business training funded by Ford Motor Company Fund. The USHCC Foundation holds similar trainings throughout the year and throughout the country to help Latino youth turn their entrepreneurial ideas into profitable business ventures through hands-on practical business training.

Held April 28-May 2, 2008 in Miami in partnership with the Cuban American National Council (CNC), the course featured 25 students representing the Little Havana and Hialeah Institutes, managed by the CNC. During the three-day program, participating students developed a viable business idea and a detailed executive summary on their idea. The executive summaries were then evaluated by a panel of judges and the three strongest ideas were given the opportunity to train and compete at the upcoming Regional BizFest in Sacramento taking place during the USHCC 29th Annual National Convention and Business Expo. The three finalists are Tasharia Spivey, Keishla Torres and Roberto Garcia all from Little Havana Institute.

“We are proud to have these talented young adults join us in Sacramento, they truly are outstanding aspiring entrepreneurs,” said Shana Mosher, Senior Director of Program Operations. “Not only was this an opportunity for bright Latino and minority youth to learn the essential steps of opening their own business but with the collaboration of local community based organizations like the CNC, it helps open their eyes to the resources and support services that are available to them in their own community.”

“Education is a top priority for Ford Motor Company Fund. We are proud to support USHCC Foundation because of the innovative programming it provides Hispanic youth,” said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. “We also are pleased to see a partnership form between the USHCC Foundation and the CNC, both organizations with which Ford Motor Company Fund has longstanding relationships.”
“*

Florida’s Republicans are gathering Saturday in Orlando to shore up support among Hispanics as the presidential election nears — part of a long-term strategy to earn the community’s votes for good.

Among the heavy-hitters attending the Republican Hispanic Conference: Luis Fortuño, the front-runner gubernatorial candidate from Puerto Rico; U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez; and U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida.

“What you can expect to see is a lot of people excited, discussing how to get the word of Republican principles to the Hispanic community,” said Marcos Marchena, an Orlando attorney who is chairman of the party’s Hispanic Leadership Council.
“*

When migrant workers arrive here, they know to expect long hours in packing houses or excruciating days under the hot sun in fields.

A new program is expected to bring them more skills and help them meet a growing demand for locally grown, organic food.

This fall, the Ellenton-based Florida West Coast Resource Conservation and Development will train its first group of farmworker apprentices. Two to three years from now, they may be able to operate organic farms of their own.”*

Damariz Nunez is Colombian at heart. She shops at Latino grocery stores for produce to cook the dishes she enjoyed as a child. She speaks Spanish, her mother tongue, at home or with friends.

She enjoys dancing to the music of her native land.

But since moving to the United States from Barranquilla , her hometown, more than 20 years ago, she has made an effort to learn U.S. history, to speak and write English, and to follow Florida and national politics.”*

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The difference is small - less than a percentage point, but it reflects a long-term demographic shift that could benefit Democrats: the increasing dominance of non-Cubans, particularly Puerto Ricans, among Floridians of Hispanic descent.

For years, conservative, anti-Castro Cubans, mainly in South Florida, have made the Hispanic vote a GOP bastion in Florida. However, waves of Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Colombians, Venezuelans and others are turning Florida’s Hispanic cohort into more of a swing vote, experts say.”*

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital(R), the world’s premier pediatric cancer research and treatment center, celebrates its sixth annual FedEx/St. Jude Angels & Stars Gala on Saturday, May 17, at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County. Latin stars join Daisy Fuentes in honoring Emilio and Gloria Estefan for their commitment to international healthcare, the local community and their presence in the music and entertainment industry. “We are overwhelmed with pride to be honored by such an esteemed group,” said Gloria Estefan. “We are especially grateful for the hospital’s life saving efforts throughout Latin America. The St. Jude International Outreach Program offers hope for sick children and their families, and they also share their medical knowledge with the doctors who treat these children in their hometowns and villages.”"*

Hispanic voters registered as Democrats have overtaken Hispanic Republicans in Florida, signaling a trend that, if it continues, could have far-reaching implications for the 2008 election and U.S. foreign policy.

Until now, the politically influential, mostly Republican Cuban-American community in Miami-Dade made Florida the only state in the country where, among Hispanics, Republicans outnumbered Democrats.

April voter registration statistics show 418,339 Hispanic Democrats statewide, compared to 415,068 Hispanic Republicans and 345,108 registered with neither party, according to a Florida Democratic Party analysis of state data. The state provides registration data sorted by party and race to the public only in the month before an election.”*

ad:tech expositions, LLC announced its second annual show in Miami, the only digital marketing show with a Hispanic focus. The event will take place from June 3 - 4 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. “*

Mofongo! It sounds like a battle cry.

Actually, it’s a word of African pedigree for a classic Puerto Rican preparation of mashed green plantains with garlic and pork crackling. Like many dishes from La Isla, as its children call it, mofongo has much in common with classics from Cuba (fufú) and the Dominican Republic (mangú).

If Cuban dishes can be faulted for being a bit bland, Puerto Rico’s are zesty, with the criollo taste kicked up by the enthusiastic use of cilantro and culantro, as well as the mildly peppy chile called ají dulce.”*

No, the man being honored by 500 fellow Cuban Americans at a sold-out gala was Luis Posada Carriles, the former CIA operative wanted in Venezuela on terrorism charges and under a deportation order for illegally entering the United States three years ago.

Posada, 80, has mostly kept a low profile since his release from a Texas prison a year ago and a federal judge’s dismissal of the only U.S. charges against him — making false statements to immigration officials.

But recent events like the Friday dinner and an exhibition and sale of his paintings last fall show that the man who spent his life trying to topple the communist government of Fidel Castro has returned to the social forefront of this city’s exile community.”*

In recent years, the Miami area’s main botanical garden has become almost as well known for its art as its rare plants and orchids. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden’s latest sculpture exhibit continues that blend of natural and manmade beauty.

Colombian artist Fernando Botero’s immense black statues of portly people stand out in his first exposition in a botanical garden and each detail was meticulously planned so that complete harmony exists between his work and the setting, organizers said.

In general, since the display opened Feb. 15, the public has come “because the art gets your attention and then they learn about the plants”, said Nannete Zapata, the garden’s operations director and one of the Botero organizers.”*

May Day came and went in Southwest Florida.

But none of the area’s major immigration advocacy groups took part in Thursday’s nationwide protests.

Why?

According to some, area immigrants have other things weighing more heavily on their minds.

“It’s a hard economic time,” said Tirso Moreno, general coordinator for the Farmworker Association of Florida.”*

José Reyes has joined Miami based MARCA as Creative Director with a focus on bridging traditional, non-traditional and digital opportunities for MARCA’s clients. Reyes will report to Armando Hernandez, the agency’s Chief Creative Officer. “*

A new Cuban-themed restaurant is expected to join the Pointe Orlando entertainment and shopping district this fall.

Called Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar, the eatery will serve traditional Cuban dishes and modern interpretations of the island’s cuisine. It will also feature indoor and outdoor bars, a large patio, two dance floors and three private rooms. Late night entertainment will be offered, including Latin-themed floor shows, salsa dancing and DJs spinning Latin dance music.”*

WHILE THERE have been many Independents, Libertarians, and Greens running for office in the elections that are being held in America in 2008, there are some people within the Democratic Party that are worth mentioning. One of them is Joe Garcia. Garcia is running against incumbent Republican Congressman, Mario Diaz Balart, for the upcoming elections of the 25th District of Florida, with a promise of common sense in a country and district that needs it.

Garcia deserves to be mentioned in this life and time. While I do not know Garcia personally, I have seen him in Versailles Restaurant (a popular Cuban Restaurant) in Miami, Florida, talking about politics and other subjects. He would either be talking with those in the tables while waiting for their food. After seeing these reunions, I was reminded of the painting by Rembrandt: ’The Syndics of the Cloth maker’s Guild’, in which there is a dominance of intellectual discussion. I was also reminded of the discussions that Voltaire (French writer of the 18th century) with other intellectuals of the day. Yet, his intellectual discourse is based on common sense. He is also one of the few Cuban Americans who took the road from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party.”*

For the Rev. Nino Gonzalez, last year’s contentious debate over immigration reform was a rude awakening — one that has propelled him into the political arena.

Mainstream white and black evangelical leaders initially denounced the bipartisan effort to create a path to legalization for undocumented workers. Some even argued for the roundup and deportation of millions of Hispanic immigrants in the U.S., the very people to whom Gonzalez ministers every day at Iglesia el Calvario just south of Orlando.

“I was stunned, shocked and surprised,” Gonzalez said of the initial reaction of those he thought of as his spiritual allies. “They turned their backs on the Hispanics.”*

Democrats are poised this week to pass a crucial milestone in Florida:

For the first time, the number of Hispanic Democrats in the state is expected to exceed the number of Hispanic Republicans.

The Florida secretary of state is expected to release the month’s voter registration figures to the state Democratic and Republican parties. The last set of figures, released in April, showed a bare majority of 212 Republicans over Democrats among the state’s roughly 1.2 million voters who describe themselves as Hispanic on their official voter registration forms. In each month since the state started tracking Hispanic registration more than two years ago, Democrats have gained.”*

Minutes after the winner in the gubernatorial primary of Puerto Rico’s pro-statehood party was announced, Orange County Commissioner Mildred Fern�ndez received a phone call.

She wasn’t surprised it was from a prominent Central Florida doctor who offered to hold a fundraiser for the winner at a palatial Lake Nona home.

“There are strong ties between Puerto Rico and Central Florida,” said Fern�ndez, who was on the island for the March 9 primary. “The things that are happening between these two communities are not happening in any other place. It only makes sense that people would want to meet the leaders and, in this case, potentially the next governor.”"*

He arrived in Osceola County nearly two decades ago to recover from a near-fatal medical condition. Instead of resting, though, Armando Ramirez dedicated his time to community activism. He often plants himself at a Kissimmee cafe, where he provides an ear for people to vent about local government, the poor economy or personal struggles. Ramirez is again running for office. That’s almost a given, as he’s sought elected posts in 2002 (Kissimmee city commissioner), 2004 (supervisor of elections) and 2006-2007 and 2008 (county commissioner). Even so, many residents don’t see him as a politician. They consider Ramirez a strong voice for the Hispanic community. Not everyone appreciates the way he pushed for a single-member district system to elect county commissioners, or his style on other community issues. Ramirez’s activism here dates to 1991, when he criticized appointments to the county’s minority affairs committee. Ramirez recently spoke to Sentinel reporter Eloisa Ruano Gonzalez.”*

Leon County Sheriffs say they’ve noticed an increase of robberies where a higher concentration of Hispanic residents live in Tallahassee.

They say there’s been a string of robberies along West Tennessee Street, Blountstown Highway and Lake Bradford within the past several months.”*

For years, Brian Moroney, a teacher at an elite Jesuit high school in Manhattan, took a few of his students to the New York Philharmonic to broaden their minds. Decades ago, one such student, Miguel B. “Mike” Fernandez, a Cuban refugee, particularly impressed Moroney with his maturity, his humility and how at peace he was with himself. “Nothing to prove,” says Moroney, who was also struck by the freshman’s devotion to the arts.

For Fernandez, however, the attraction of the philharmonic wasn’t the bassoons on the stage, but the tycoons in the audience. He went to the concerts to study the wealthy, he says. “I would sit around and watch how they talked to each other and how they nodded their heads and how controlled they were in their personalities,” recalls Fernandez, 55. “They didn’t speak with their hands as much as people that I knew. It was a place where I went to learn what I wanted to be.””*