New Jersey

Like her, many Mexican nationals have found traveling to the consulates in New York and Philadelphia too costly and time-consuming, especially for the hundreds of laborers in Lakewood whose daily wages depend on their steady presence on the Clifton Avenue street corners. An appointment with the New York consulate can take about six to eight months to make. And transportation to Philadelphia’s consulate can cost as much as $200 on top of the application fee.

Because of these obstacles, on Tuesday, the consulate came to people in Lakewood. Hearing of its arrival through Spanish-language newspapers and Hispanic advocacy groups, several Mexicans camped out the night before, awaking in the morning to be the first in what would be a line of several hundred at St. Anthony Claret church.”*

The University is currently reviewing a proposal to offer a Latino studies program, an issue that has been on the administration’s table for more than 10 years.

If approved, the Latino studies program may be available to students as soon as two years from now. The program, which will now focus on the experience of Latinos in the United States, would be different from the existing program in Latin American studies.”*

A state Department of Education investigation into allegations that a black vice principal forced Hispanic fifth-graders to eat on the floor has determined that the incidents occurred, but they were not racist acts.

The investigation found that Sumner Elementary Vice Principal Theresa Brown regularly punished students by making them eat on the gym floor. And although only Hispanic bilingual students eating on the floor were denied lunch trays, that was due to administrative failure, not bias, the report said.”*

Putting one’s self first — even when it comes to health care — is a foreign concept to many Hispanic women.

With the help of 13 Hispanic promotoras, or community health workers, Karen D’Alonzo, PhD, RN, APNC, a researcher and nurse practitioner at the Willetts Health Center at Rutgers’ Douglass Campus, and a Rutgers College of Nursing professor, responded to the need by developing a pilot activity intervention program.

D’Alonzo has trained 13 promotoras to lead classes and serve as instructors and role models for women in the Hispanic immigrant community in New Brunswick, N.J.”*

The office of U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie on Monday issued a statement addressing criticism of remarks he made regarding illegal immigration at a church forum in Dover Sunday.

In response to a question from an audience member, Christie said that immigrants are not committing a crime by being in the country illegally.

Monday, Christie said that while entering the country illegally is considered a federal misdemeanor, simply lacking legal immigration status is a civil violation.”*

“Being in this country without proper documentation is not a crime,” Christie told more than 60 residents and town officials. “The whole phrase of ‘illegal immigrant’ connotes that the person, by just being here, is committing a crime.”

Being undocumented may be a civil wrong, but it’s not a criminal act, Christie said.

“Don’t let people make you believe that that’s a crime that the U.S. Attorney’s Office should be doing something about,” he added of entering the country illegally. “It is not.”"*

Everyone has something to say (don’t you?): Read more quotes

Porras, who has been named senior vice president for academic affairs at Raritan Valley Community College, on Thursday will assume responsibility for faculty, curriculum, instruction and assessment of all credit programs. She also assumes leadership of the college in the president’s absence.

“Whatever the student needs, we want to provide it,” Porras said. “It feels wonderful to be here. I have known about Raritan Valley Community College for some years now, so I know it’s a very good institution and has a very good reputation. What really brought me here is that since the moment that I read the ad, it was asking for somebody who 00003would be interested in working in academic support, helping our students succeed . . . get them ready for transfer, and that is something I have been working with for quite some time and am very interested in doing.”

Porras has 28 years of academic leadership experience and most recently served as instructional dean at Montgomery College in Maryland.”*

Over 500 farms worth $475 million are at risk of failure because of increased immigration enforcement, according to a report released Thursday by a credit firm serving farms in the northeastern U.S.

First Pioneer Farm Credit found 25,636 New Jersey jobs could be lost due to a depleted labor force if increasingly punitive enforcement against illegal immigrants continues. The study found 508 farms could be forced to cut back or simply collapse altogether due to a loss of labor.”*

“Sandbar Café,” New Jersey’s premier two-acre indoor/outdoor entertainment & nightlife complex located on the beautiful downtown Jersey City waterfront overlooking NYC’s skyline, will host the ultimate indoor fashion extravaganza, showcasing collections from NY & NJ’s emerging fashion designers.
The event will take place on Saturday, May 3, 2008. Doors open at 6:00 pm, with a scheduled Showtime of 7:30 pm sharp. Advance tickets are $20 and $25 at door. The show ends at 10:30 pm & guests are encouraged to remain for an after party at NJ’s famous Sandbar Café.

SPRING FLING ‘08 WILL FEATURE COLLECTIONS FROM DESIGNERS: Prizy Sebastian, iLLWEAR, Glenda Cestona and Juan Vargas.

The show will also feature a full-feature body painting demonstration by “Vargas,” a world-renowned body painter whose works have been featured on Univision, Telemundo, Don Francisco and more. A belly dance show & special performance by the “ShowGirls” (http://www.xiosworld.com) is also in place for the evening.

The event is produced the legendary Wagner Mateo, better known as “DJ Frikkiao,” CEO of Fiesta Caliente Entertainment (http://www.fiestacaliente.com). Mateo, some may recall, is the same individual who emerged as winner of the reality show “Concierto Clandestino,” which aired on the Telemundo and Mun2 networks in early 2007.

The show will feature a custom “H form” runway that will showcase professional and upcoming models alike, complimented by top-notch makeup and hairstyling (courtesy of the House of Sheek Makeup) with a live DJ right in the middle.

“This event will bring together Nightlife & Fashion Seekers under one roof,” says Mateo. “It’s a great medium to showcase emerging local designers, models, hairstylists and makeup artists.”

“The events will grow in both their quality and content,” says Frikkiao. “Now on its third year, SF08 is the leading brand among Jersey fashion shows and has opened the eyes of many; a fashion revolution in NJ is in full effect. FiestaCaliente.com is proud to have paved the way with quality productions and talented designers,” he concludes.

FiestaCaliente Entertainment LLC (FiestaCaliente.com) is a NJ-based Nightlife & Special events company. Its main audience is Latinos within the 18-35 demographic. “*

Junot Diaz, whose novel about a Dominican misfit growing up in Jersey won the Pulitzer Prize Monday, heard the news on a visit to his mom’s place in Ridgefield Park.

Diaz was shocked. His immigrant mother burst into tears.

“Even she knows about the Pulitzer,” Diaz, 39, said Monday.”*

*From: http://www.nj.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Thousands of people, mostly Mexican migrants, waited, some for up to 24 hours, last week to receive passports from a temporary mobile Mexican consulate set up at Middlesex Community College center on New Street.

The Consulate on Wheels, which was in the city for five days beginning last Monday, issued about 2,500 passports to Mexican citizens. They had to turn away others who did not have the correct paperwork or were not Mexican citizens.
“*

*From: http://media.www.dailytargum.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Today marks the 81st anniversary of the birth of one of the nation’s foremost civil rights and labor leaders, Cesar Estrada Chavez. Despite the ongoing efforts of Democrats in the Senate to pass a resolution honoring this prominent Latino civil rights leader, Senate Republicans blocked it last year and have done so again this year.

U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), co-chair of the Senate Hispanic Task Force, issued the following statement, illustrating the importance of Chavez’s legacy and decrying the Republican objection to the resolution. “*

*From: http://www.politickernj.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Cozen O’Connor has announced that Rafael Perez has been named office managing partner of the firm’s Newark and Trenton N.J., offices.

“I am extremely pleased with the firm’s decision to appoint Ray as office managing partner of the Newark and Trenton offices,” said Thomas A. Decker, president and CEO of Cozen O’Connor. “He is an excellent attorney and we look forward to the continued success of these offices under his direction.”

A member of the firm’s Newark office, Perez is chair of the firm’s diversity committee and a co-head of the public and project finance group. He has been involved in a wide variety of public finance projects, acting as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel, trustee’s counsel and borrower’s counsel, and has represented investment banks, corporations organized under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, for-profit corporations, cities, townships, boroughs, states and their agencies and authorities. He has also represented corporations and financial institutions in transactional and general corporate matters in the United States, Mexico and South America.

Perez is a member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers. He has served as regional president of the National Hispanic Bar Association from 1989-1990, president of the Hispanic Bar Association in New Jersey from 1994-1995 and as a trustee of the New Jersey State Bar Association from 1996-2002. He currently serves as chair of the board of trustees of New Jersey City University in Jersey City, N.J.

A resident of Hunterdon County, N.J., Perez earned his undergraduate degree from Rutgers University (B.A., 1981) and his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School (J.D., 1984). He is admitted to practice in New Jersey and New York.

Founded in 1970, Cozen O’Connor is ranked among the 100 largest law firms in the United States, serving business, insurance and private clients. Cozen O’Connor is a full-service firm with 500 attorneys practicing in 23 offices. The firm has 21 domestic offices located across the United States and international offices in London and Toronto.

Contact: For more information contact Anne Lotz at 215-665-4661 or e-mail at alotz@cozen.com, or Danielle Gibson at 215-793-4666 or e-mail dgibson@startoplin.com.”*

*From: http://www.businesswire.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Last November, 14 new female lawmakers were elected—among them Teresa Ruiz, the first Latina to win a seat in New Jersey’s Senate. There are now 34 women in the state’s legislature—roughly 28 percent of its 120 members. Forty-one percent of all women serving in the legislature are women of color.

While the change in New Jersey’s rank represents significant growth, women are not settling. There are still inroads to be made. In a state where Latinos are more than 15 percent of the population, there are only a handful of Hispanics in the legislature.”*

*From: http://www.eldiariony.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

A millionaire businessman and former chief operating officer of
Goya Foods Inc., Andrew Unanue, has entered the race for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.

In a letter sent to Republican Party state chairman Tom Wilson on Easter Sunday, Unanue, 40, of Alpine, confirmed he would enter the race to challenge U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J.

“Senator Frank Lautenberg has been in Washington a very long time. He supports higher taxes at a time when New Jersey’s citizens already face the highest tax burden in the nation, and he votes for higher spending at a time when we face a record federal deficit and a perilous economic climate. New Jersey deserves a change, and they will not get change from Frank Lautenberg,” Unanue wrote.”*

*From: http://www.app.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

State Senate Majority Leader Stephen M. Sweeney, Assembly Deputy Speaker John J. Burzichelli and Assembly Deputy Majority Whip Douglas H. Fisher announced Wednesday that the Puerto Rican Action Committee of Southern New Jersey here will receive a Hispanic Child Highway Traffic Safety grant in the amount of $30,000.”*

*From: http://www.nj.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Despite a letter with the Dover mayor’s signature on it accepting an offer to translate parts of the town’s website into Spanish, Mayor James Dodd now says he is still opposed to the idea.

In a statement, Dodd said Tuesday night that he is “refusing to create a bilingual town website,” and that the letter sent to the Rev. Daniel Martinez, who had offered translation service for free, does not express his true sentiments.”*

*From: http://www.nj.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

The mayor of Dover has had a change of heart about providing information on the town’s website in Spanish, agreeing to allow a church leader to provide translations.

Mayor James Dodd had originally said that since Dover’s Latino residents live in the United States, they should be required to learn English. Although at least 60 percent of its residents are Latino, Dodd said it’s not up to the town to provide Spanish translations.”*

*From: http://www.nj.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

For some, translating a town website into Spanish is a matter of convenience. For others, it’s an issue of warring cultures.

The Morris County town of Dover is one of several in New Jersey with large Hispanic populations whose websites are mostly, if not entirely, in English. Now, some residents are asking the town to translate some regulations into Spanish.”*

*From: http://www.nj.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

State Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney has called for a law punishing business owners who knowingly hire and employ illegal immigrants.

Sweeney’s proposal would suspend for 10 days the license of a business owner caught employing illegal immigrants. A second infraction would result in a permanent suspension, Sweeney said Monday.”*

*From: http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

A New Jersey Senate leader said he will push legislation to punish businesses who knowingly hiring illegal immigrants.

Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney said his decision comes after a federal judge upheld an Arizona law that prohibits businesses from knowingly hiring illegal immigrants and yanks the business licenses of those that do.

“Companies that knowingly hire illegals are destroying job opportunities for the working men and women of New Jersey,” said Sweeney, D-Gloucester. “The practice has to be stopped.”"*

*From: http://www.newsday.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

At-Large Newark City Councilman Luis Quintana this week told PolitickerNJ.com that he intends to go to Texas to campaign for presidential candidate Barack Obama in the lead-up to that state’s Democratic Party primary on March 4th.

“I love this candidate, Barack Obama,” said Quintana, who admitted his own local efforts to stare down the machine makes it easy for him to identify with the first-term Illinois senator’s attempt to buck the system.”*

*From: http://www.politickernj.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

As the U.S. economy enters a period of slower growth and the risk of recession rises, the state’s business owners must prepare for the resulting impact on the bottom line. The natural tendency is to spend less, especially on marketing, when sales begin to decline. Spending less on marketing efforts, precisely when obtaining new customers becomes tougher, only exacerbates a worsening situation. Instead, take the opportunity to invest in reaching a new market that may have been previously overlooked: Hispanics in New Jersey.

Hispanics in our state control more than $33 billion in purchasing power, an increase of 265 percent since 1990, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth. Despite the size of the market, only a small percentage of businesses have an established budget for Hispanic marketing efforts. While many Hispanics respond to general market advertising, more than half—including those who are bilingual—will respond more positively to marketing materials in Spanish or culturally attuned to them. Consider the following guidelines when marketing to Hispanics:”*

*From: http://www.njbiz.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez doesn’t seem to be gunning for vice president. But he won’t completely rule out the prospect either.

“I am just focused on two things: standing up for the families of New Jersey in the Senate, just as we’re doing with the stimulus package where we got higher rates for the rebates, and secondly making sure Hillary has a big win on Super Tuesday and beyond and becomes the candidate of the party,” he said. “Everything else beyond that is so speculative. I appreciate the flattering comments.””*

*From: http://www.politickernj.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish