News (Noticias) Tagged ‘Dental’

Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) is enhancing service to its Spanish-speaking members.

Effective July 11, Humana launched its Interactive Voice Response Systems (IVRs) with complete Spanish functionality. IVR is an automated telephone technology that allows a computer to interact with members through pre-recorded voice responses, to gather and provide information and to route calls to further resources such as a live customer service representative.

“Spanish-speaking members will now be able to more efficiently perform such tasks as request new identification cards, get a proof of insurance fax or make a health savings account (HSA) withdrawal,” said John Brown, service vice president for Humana. “With this added functionality, Spanish-speaking members will have the same level of self-service and call routing offered to English-speaking callers.”

Humana has a number of IVR systems designed to meet the needs of members and customers. An IVR for Humana’s commercial members was recently designed for Perfect Service, an essential consumer-centric initiative through which Humana challenges its associates and service functions to not only meet customers’ needs, but to anticipate and exceed their expectations. This system provides enhanced self-service that allow our members to get information about their benefits and claims or request new identification cards without waiting to talk to a customer care associate.

Humana offers additional self-service opportunities through special IVR systems supporting the company’s Medicare products, RightSource prescription drug mail order, Nurse Advice and member spending accounts such as health savings accounts, personal care accounts and flexible spending accounts.

All of these systems will be completely Spanish-enabled when the new system goes into operation in July. An IVR for Humana’s dental members will be enhanced with Spanish later in 2008.

The Spanish-language interactive voice response systems were enhanced to facilitate communication with the growing segment of Spanish-speaking members enrolled in Humana health plans. A large number of membership within Humana is located in states where, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanics are the largest minority population. These states include Florida, Texas, Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Oregon, Utah and Washington.

The estimated Hispanic population of the United States as of July 2006 is 44.3 million making people of Hispanic origin the nation’s largest ethnic or race minority. There are 32.2 million U.S. household residents age five or older who speak Spanish at home. Hispanics now comprise 15 percent of the nation’s population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and are expected to comprise 20 percent of the population within the next 20 years. “

Members of the United Steelworkers (USW), labor and community activists demonstrated in front of Occidental Petroleum headquarters today in support of a people’s tribunal in Bogota, Colombia that is hearing evidence of murders and death threats against union activists involving the company’s alleged approval.

“Corporations that operate in areas of conflict should not contribute wittingly or unwittingly to human rights abuses,” said USW District 12 Director Terry Bonds. “Occidental Petroleum should ensure human rights violations are not being committed by state agents or their proxies operating to defend the company’s interests.”

Bonds represents USW members in California, including about 80 workers employed at Occidental Petroleum in Long Beach.

Demonstrators chanted slogans like “Enough Violence, Basta Con La Violencia,” and held picket signs. They collected signatures for a petition to Congress and delivered a letter to Dr. Ray R. Irani, chairman, president and CEO of Occidental Petroleum.

In the letter, the United Steelworkers Union (USW) expressed concern over Occidental’s complicity in human rights abuses in Colombia. The union urged the company to “come clean” about the full extent of its involvement in the Dec. 13, 1998 bombing of Santo Domingo and expressed concern about its reported financial and logistical support for the Colombian 18th Army Brigade, which has committed numerous human rights abuses including the August 2004 murder of three union leaders. There is evidence the Brigade, which helps protect the company’s Cano Limon oil pipeline, continues to aid and abet the paramilitary groups.

The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal, Tribunal Permanente de los Pueblos (TPP), being held today and tomorrow in Bogota is exposing transnational corporations like Occidental Petroleum, British Petroleum, Coca-Cola, Nestle, and Chiquita Brands International for their alleged participation with the Colombian security forces and rightwing paramilitary groups in silencing and sometimes killing trade unionists and community activists. The tribunal is composed of 130 members and includes experts in international law, human rights and international humanitarian law.

The lack of prosecution and conviction of those responsible for these killings of human rights activists, trade unionists, journalists, teachers, health workers, indigenous people, peasant farmers and elected officials has led Democratic congressional leaders to hold up the vote on the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement until the Colombian government proves it is actively going after the perpetrators and brings them to justice.

Labor leaders continue to be murdered with impunity. Since 1991, over 2,300 trade unionists have been murdered. Under President Uribe’s tenure, convictions have been reported in 59 trade union homicide cases, an average of less than one per month, for the past five years. Of the 59 convictions, only 22 of them are for the over 450 murders committed since Uribe took office in August 2002.

Ever since it discovered the Cano Limon oil field in 1983, Occidental’s presence in the Arauca region of Colombia has attracted the participants of the civil war: leftwing guerrillas, the military and the paramilitaries. According to Amnesty International, many of the human rights abuses done by these groups has occurred in communities and areas that border the company’s Cano Limon oil pipeline. Occidental has admitted its personnel have paid the guerrillas in exchange for being left alone.

According to the LA Times, a security firm hired by Occidental to monitor guerrilla movements (another U.S. company known as AirScan) provided coordinates to Colombian military pilots when they dropped cluster bombs on Santo Domingo, a village near one of the company’s pipelines. Seventeen civilians, including seven children, died in the attack.

In the past, Occidental supported the Colombian military in its attempt to forcibly remove the U’Wa Indian tribe from its ancestral land to make way for the company’s pipelines.

The company successfully lobbied the U.S. for expanded military operations in Arauca and was a big supporter of Plan Colombia, a multi-billion dollar effort to fund the country’s military so it could ostensibly fight drug trafficking.

One of the other companies being charged is Drummond, which the USW sued for its alleged role in the murder of three union leaders in 2001. The leaders’ union has gone on strike in Colombia against Drummond, thereby increasing their vulnerability to violent reprisals. The USW stands in solidarity with those striking workers.

Besides the Los Angeles demonstration, events are being held today at the corporate headquarters of Coca-Cola in Atlanta and Chiquita Brands in Cincinnati. There are also community-based efforts in New York and Boston.

As the largest industrial union in North America, the USW represents 850,000 active workers employed in the oil, chemical, paper, metals, rubber and service sectors.

For more information on the USW’s campaign against human rights violations in Colombia and its opposition to the Colombia FTA, go to: www.usw.org .
“*

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Since the agency’s dental clinic in a rural part of north-central Illinois hired a Spanish-speaking dentist about three years ago, the number of patients has grown from 3,000 to 8,000.

“The Hispanic community is getting more and more comfortable coming here, and that’s the goal of public health,” Rawlings says. “We do see a lot of children in our dental clinic.”"*

Children in U.S. households where English is not the primary language experience multiple disparities in health care, a UT Southwestern Medical Center researcher has found.

In a study available in June’s online issue of Pediatrics, Dr. Glenn Flores, professor of pediatrics at UT Southwestern and lead author, used statistics from the National Survey of Children’s Health to examine whether disparities exist for non-English primary language (NEPL) children in medical and dental health compared to households where English is the primary language.

“Although 55 million Americans speak a language other than English at home, there has been little research on health disparities and NEPL children,” said Dr. Flores, who holds the Judith and Charles Ginsburg Chair in Pediatrics at UT Southwestern. “To my knowledge this is the first analysis to examine the impact of NEPL on medical and dental health, access to care and use of services in a nationally representative sample of U.S. children.”

	Dr. Glenn Flores

Conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, the survey used nationwide random sampling of households with children ages 18 and under. One child from each household was selected as the survey subject with 102,353 interviews of household caregivers completed in 2003 and 2004 in both English and Spanish. The survey is the largest and most diverse containing data on the primary languages spoken at home.

The researchers found that children in households where English is not the primary language are significantly more likely than children in English-speaking households to be poor and Latino or Asian/Pacific Islander. The NEPL children are also more likely to be overweight, have only fair or poor dental health, and be uninsured or sporadically insured. These children also made no medical or preventive dental visits during the previous year and had problems attaining specialty care.

“These children are more likely to live in low-income households,” said Dr. Flores, who also serves as director of the division of general pediatrics at Children’s Medical Center Dallas. “Clinicians providing care for them should make sure caregivers are aware of programs documented to benefit poor children. Providing all children with health and dental insurance could significantly reduce barriers to health and dental care for NEPL children.”

Nonfinancial-related barriers appeared also to hamper NEPL children’s access to care. The survey showed that caregivers in NEPL households were often dissatisfied with physicians and health care providers who did not spend enough time with a child or explain things in an understandable way.

To identify, monitor and eliminate health care disparities, Dr. Flores recommends health care institutions and systems routinely collect data on the primary language spoken at home for all patients. He says improved access to medical interpreters, better cultural competency training and more family-centered health care systems could eliminate barriers to care.

In a previous study, Dr. Flores surveyed hospitals in New Jersey to assess current language services and identify policy recommendations on meeting the needs of patients with limited English proficiency.

He found that most New Jersey hospitals had no full-time interpreters, multilingual hospital signage or translation services. A substantial majority of the hospitals’ representatives surveyed stated that third-party reimbursements for interpreter services would benefit their hospitals.

“In Texas alone, 7.3 million families speak languages other than English at home,” Dr. Flores said. “It’s imperative that our health care system recognizes on a nationwide scale how language is affecting health care for NEPL children.”

Sandra Tomany-Korman of Signature Science, LLC, also contributed to the Pediatrics study.”*

Osteoporosis is a disease that can be crippling, leaving bones brittle, weak and easily broken. There are already some 8 million women in the U.S. who suffer from osteoporosis* and experts say that number could soon skyrocket.

She may not quite understand the language yet, or the technology behind the test, but Sandra Ramos knows the importance of a simple heel scan.

“I’m told with time, my bones can get weaker,” says Ramos.”*

El Salvador-based money transfer operator Gigante Express and New Orleans-based insurer Pan-American Life on May 5 launched an insured remittance product that protects recipients in the case of the sender’s accidental death. What is the market for remittance insurance? Will other insurance and remittance companies team up in the future? What impact will insurance have on remittance flows?”*

Data from a government health agency shows that gingivitis, a form of gum disease, affects one out of every two adults in America, including Hispanics.(i) The Mexican-American population has one of the highest percentages of prevalence. In collaboration with Dr. Ivan Lugo, DMD, MBA, past-president of the Hispanic Dental Association and Associate Dean of Temple University School of Dentistry, Crest(R) Pro-Health(TM) Toothpaste and Oral-B(R) are promoting a four-step, comprehensive, at-home dental routine to help Hispanics prevent gum disease before it starts and maintain healthy teeth for years to come.
Gingivitis is an early stage of gum disease caused by build up of dental plaque. When left untreated it can progress to a more serious stage, periodontitis, a leading cause of tooth loss.(ii) Moreover, the majority of adults do not realize that they may be affected by gingivitis as they are unaware of the symptoms, including reddened gums, swelling and bleeding.
“As an active member of the Hispanic dental community I am proud to be the spokesperson for this initiative to raise awareness in our community on how to help prevent and treat oral health conditions, like gingivitis,” said Dr. Lugo.
“It is important to note that, if not treated in time, gingivitis can advance to periodontitis, which can cause gums to separate from teeth and form pockets that become infected, resulting in loose teeth that may sometimes have to be removed. The good news is that gingivitis is both preventable and reversible with bi-annual dentist visits and, most importantly, an oral care routine done at home that includes specialized products which help kill and inhibit the bacteria that cause gingivitis, such as Crest Pro-Health Toothpaste,” added Dr. Lugo.
As part of their initiative to help Hispanics protect their teeth and help stop gingivitis before it starts, Crest Pro-Health and Oral-B are promoting this four-step comprehensive at-home dental routine:
1. Brush twice a day with a toothbrush with bristles that are able to
surround each tooth to clean the entire tooth surface and combat
gingivitis-causing plaque that hides in hard-to-reach places like
between the teeth and along the gum line, such as Oral-B Vitality
Precision Clean Power Brush, which moves at nearly 8,000 times a minute
to reduce up to two times more plaque than a regular manual brush.
2. Next, make sure to use specialized toothpaste designed to fight
gingivitis, like Crest Pro Health toothpaste, to help kill and inhibit
the bacteria that cause gingivitis.
3. Flossing at least once a day is an important step in the teeth cleaning
process as it removes plaque and food particles between teeth and at
the gum line where gingivitis starts. Crest’s Glide Deep Clean Floss is
made with GORE-TEX, a micro-textured material resistant to shredding,
allowing it to slide comfortably between teeth and below the gum while
lifting and removing plaque.
4. The final step is to rinse with an anti-gingivitis mouthwash, like
Crest Pro-Health Oral Rinse, to remove leftover particles and kill the
germs that cause plaque, gingivitis and bad breath, after brushing and
flossing.

“It is troubling to see the high rate of adults who are affected by this preventable condition, including Hispanics,” said Anelsie Ramos, External Relations Manager for P&G. “As part of our commitment to improve the lives of the communities we touch, we have launched this initiative with the help of Dr. Lugo to educate our Hispanic consumers on the proper oral care routine that will help them prevent gingivitis before it starts and protect the health of their gums and teeth.” “*

An Emmy award-winning actress made a political stopover in Medford Monday afternoon. America Ferrera, the star of the “Ugly Betty” television series, visited la Clinica as part of Hillary Clinton’s Latino outreach campaign.

The facility provides medical and dental services to diverse populations within the community.

Ferrera toured La Clinica, took photos, signed autographs and encouraged Oregonians to “vote for Hillary.”"*

At risk of sounding stereotypical, it seemed only natural that Jaci Velasquez and Salvador’s Nic Gonzalez would end up marrying and starting a family together. Not only are both Christians and Latinos, but they’re also among the biggest proponents of their individual music styles—she in the realm of Christian pop, he the frontman of Christian music’s premier Latin pop/rock band. But the relationship was not a smooth one, initially. The two dated several years ago, only to break up and go their separate ways—Velasquez got into what she now calls an “accidental” first marriage while Gonzalez kept busy focusing on touring. In 2006, the pair reconnected and, picking up right where they left off all those years ago, tied the knot in a small wedding in the groom’s hometown of Austin, Texas. Today, the couple resides in Nashville, celebrating a trio of recent projects: the release of their respective albums—Velasquez’s Love Out Loud (A’postrophe) and Salvador’s Aware (Word)—as well as the birth of their first baby boy, Zealand David. The young Latin lovers talked to Christian Music Today about their new season in life together and what effect it’s had on their creativity.”*

Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc. (SBS) (NASDAQ: SBSA) announced today that during the entire month of May, Mega Cine will present five fabulous Puerto Rican movies every Saturday at 8:00 PM ET on Mega TV Channel 22 in Miami, 9:00 PM PT on Channel 405 DirecTV M�s in the rest of the United States, and 9:00 PM on Channel 169 of DirecTV in Puerto Rico.

On May 3, “Maruja” (1959), the first great box-office success of Puerto Rican cinema, will premier. The film is about a sensual and beautiful woman who draws the lust of various men, but eventually faces tragic results. Despite having a Spanish screenwriter and an Argentinean director, the Puerto Rican roots of “Maruja” are easily distinguishable. The movie is set in location similar to that of Bayam�n Puerto Rico’s second most populated island, and stars Axel Anderson, Victor Arrillaga, Elena Montalban, Roberto Rivera Negr�n, Mario Pabon, Manuel Perez Durand, and Marta Romero.

“Linda Sara” (1994), which was directed by Jacobo Moral and stars Chayanne, Dayanara Torres and Adamari Lopez, will premier on May 10 and be the second film of the month. The story centers on Sara and Jos� who work in the sugar industry and enjoy happy times until they are faced with a crippling financial crisis. The film is a moving story about a family whose transcendent love helps them face the risk of losing their most valued possession: a house filled with relics and memories in which they’ve lived since the children. The story takes an unexpected turn, however, when a new development brings the characters into conflict with one another.

“El Mar no Perdona” (”The Sea Does Not Forgive”), a story about people moving to another city in order to make a better life for themselves and their families, will premier on May 17. The movie was directed by Vicente Fort and stars Alexandra Malag�n, Walter Rodriguez, Miguel Ramos, Martita Mart�nez, Maribel Qui�ones, Xiomara Rodriguez, Cesar Paredes and N�stor Rodriguez.

“La �ltima Noche” (”The Last Night”), a story of tragic love, will air on May 24. The film is about the love that Roberto and Julian develop for one another during a time that is filled with hatred and a rivalry between two groups caused by a lack of understanding and communication. It is a gripping movie filled with action, reggaeton music, dancing, amazing special effects and great drama. Filmed in Autonomous City Hall of Caguas, the movie stars singer, Tito El Bambino, Christie Mir�, Junior �lvarez, Jerry Segarra, Maribel Qui��nez, and features the return of TV star, Amalia Cross, the dramatic debut of reggaeton singer, Glori, and Naldo, a producer of reggaeton.

“El Pan Nuestro” (”Our Bread”) will be the last movie in the series to premier and will air on May 31. It is the history of Maribel Rovira, an elite woman who decides to adopt a black boy, and Laura Martell, a black middle-class woman who wants to have a son and decides to do so through artificial fertilization. The movie takes a surprising twist for her, when she is accidentally impregnated with the sperm of a white male. As a result, discrimination, social and racial prejudice, the youth’s rebellion and maternal love all form the heart of an audacious and amusing plot. Directed by Vicente Castro, the cast includes Noelia, Clarissa Chapuseaux, Luis Gonzoaga, Juan Carlos Betancourt and Luz Odilea Font.

Do not miss this extraordinary line up of classic Puerto Rican movies from Mega Cine, every Saturday in May starting at 8:00 PM ET on Mega TV Channel 22 in Miami, at 9:00 PM PT on Channel 405 DirecTV M�s in the rest of the United States, and at 9:00 PM on Channel 169 of DirecTV in Puerto Rico.”

Repertorio Español, the landmark E. 27th St. theater that stages and promotes works in Spanish, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

The theater will mark the feat with a gala on June 3 for which the company will perform its latest production, “Doña Flor and Her Two Husbands,” starring Denise Quiñones and Francisco Gattorno.

One of the city’s most enduring Latino institutions, Repertorio started somewhat accidentally.”*

Miguel Guilarte never thought that running the D.C. Marathon would make him the Sports Editor of the Spanish newspaper El Tiempo Latino (Latino Times.)

Looking through the window of his seventh–floor office at the paper’s headquarters in Arlington, Va., Guilarte remembers the first day when he opened the door of the newsroom. He was applying for a job as an accountant at the Sales Department.

Gularte came to the United States eight years ago from Caracas, Venezuela to study English. He was an accounting manager for the Transportation Authority in Caracas. When he met with the editor-in-chief at the job interview, Guilarte accidentally mentioned that he was a little tired because the previous day he had ran the marathon. The editor then asked him if he wanted to be a sports reporter.”*

Four years ago, Nadia Avellan went from working 12-hour days as a pediatric dentist to full-time duties as a homemaker.

She had closed her dental office in the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas to settle in the Fox Valley and start a family with her husband, Frank.

The transition was radical for the young woman, whose concern for children and their health motivated her to keep a frantic work pace treating them for dental fractures and trauma at a hospital during the day and with routine checkups in private practice evenings.”*

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

Latinas on-the-go search for life-enhancing advice for health, beauty and wellness that’s trusted and unique to them. The 2008 Totalmente Latina Tour (TLT) is a traveling outfit that understands one-size-does-NOT fit all and delivers on relevant activities and tools tailored to the Latina lifestyle. Totalmente Latina Tour stops in San Antonio, Texas on April 5 at Rosedale Park and travels across the nation with hot celebrities like Univision’s Amas de casa Desesperadas star Lorna Paz and musical guests Los Horoscopos de Durango (Celebrity guest appearances may vary from stop to stop). In its fourth year, Totalmente Latina Tour was created by Procter & Gamble (P&G) and its beauty brands including Pantene(R), Olay(R), Head & Shoulders(R), Crest(R), Always(R) and CoverGirl(R). With the kick off in Los Angeles on (March 15) and remaining stops in Houston (April 12th) and Miami (April 26th), the four-city festival is a moment in time in each city to celebrate the beauty of Latin women, her role in her family and her community. Totalmente Latina Tour is loaded with free makeovers, facials and massages; live entertainment performances and give-aways; as well as healthy-family inspired education that combines to make it a little easier to juggle family, health and beauty every day.

“There is a unique, undeniable spark that is a mark of distinction for Latin woman, says Anelsie Ramos-Torres, P&G’s external relations manager and Latina beauty expert. “Totalmente Latina Tour delivers the tools and excitement to maintain sound, healthy regimens that make it easy to keep that flame alive every day,” Ramos-Torres, added.

Totalmente Latina Tour @ A Glance

– Center stage, show-stopping Performances:
- Musical performance by Los Horoscopos de Durango, Jeremias and Ju-Taun.
- Lorna Paz sharing inspiration and excitement with Latina women and families.
- Latest fashion trends showcasing with a K-Mart Fashion Showcase.

– Deepening the experience for TLT since its inception are a range of brands from P&G:
- Head & Shoulders interactive give-away center and enter-to-win product contests.
- Always Fresh Spa treatments with relaxes massages, give-aways and contests.
- CoverGirl Beauty Booths featuring expert make-overs and make-up give-aways.
- Crest Whitening Plus Scope ‘Healthiest Smile Photo’ contest with healthy dental regimens and tips from Hispanic Dental Association;
- Pantene demonstration tables where strong, smooth, shiny and healthy hair regimens begin.
- Olay Total Effects mini-facials with leading experts, Testing Stations and product coupons.

– Totalmente Latina Tour partners with a mix of community alliances to ensure that it delivers an experience that best connects with each city we visit.
- Hispanic Scholarship Fund joins TLT to strengthen communities by encouraging higher education for Hispanic Americans.
- Univision and a host of local market media partners help extend the reach of the tour to Latina women across the nation.
- Community retailers such as CVS, Family Dollar, HEB, K-Mart and Wal-Mart, brings TLT in-store and with activity booths on-site with contests, give-aways and on-stage activities (retailers may vary from market to market).

For additional information visit www.totalmentelatinatour.com or call 1-888-877-2TLT (2858) press inquiries, contact Carmen Cruz at carmen@grassrootspromotions.com or (404) 408-2103. “*

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

Paul Ramirez, a San Antonio, Texas native, is an independent filmmaker and owns an independent production company based in Glendale, California. He has had great success with the release of his first two films Direct-to-DVD. The titles are “Tortillas Again?” (IMDB), a bilingual comedy of errors catered to U.S. Latino audiences about a Latino construction worker that wins the lottery but loses the ticket only to find it in a Tortilla and “For Amor” (IMDB) a bilingual romantic drama catered to U.S. Latino audiences about a Latino businessman that has an extramarital affair while on a business trip to Mexico and has to cope with the repercussions. Both films were released into Blockbuster, NetFlix.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders Books and Wal-Mart.

He has just completed his latest film entitled “Coca”, a bilingual action drama catered to U.S. Latino audiences about a hard working Latino that loses his job of twenty years only to get enticed into trafficking Cocaine from Mexico to the United States with tragic results. This film will be released in the fall of 2008.

His films are low budget but are successful because “Hollywood” is not filling the “Latino Boom” niche. “I am trying to promote positive images of the Latino community and trying to change Latino stereotypes in films by casting Latinos in movies as other than the incidental roles like the Housekeeping staff, the Pool boy and the Gardner as well as preserve our Latino Culture & Traditions in films” states Mr. Ramirez.

He will return to South Texas with his son, who is a writer/director, in the summer of 2008 to film his fourth movie, “The Curse De Oro”, a bilingual teen thriller catered to U.S. Latino youth (17-30) audiences about a group of young college guys and girls that go after a family treasure buried long ago by Santa Anna’s Army while retreating back to Mexico from Texas. The treasure hunt is halted when abnormal things begin happening.

Mr. Ramirez’s production company has several projects in the works. All catered to U.S. Latino audiences including a television sitcom version of his first film “Tortillas Again?” and a multi-million dollar film about a Latino Superhero.

For more information about Lobo Video Productions, LLC visit: lobovideoprod.tripod.com or contact them directly at 818.397.2225

Lobo Video Productions, LLC
P.O. Box 10094
Glendale, CA 91209
818.397.2225
lobovideoprod@yahoo.com

Lobo Video Productions,LLC is a technology driven company located in Glendale, California focusing on the business of designing and producing digital Consumer/Internet Media Videos and Films catered to Latino audiences. The company was formed by Paul Ramirez (Producer/Director/FCP Editor) in 2000 and is now run by Paul, his son Matthew Ramirez(Writer/Director/Actor) and his wife Diana A. Ramirez(Casting Director). Lobo Video Productions, LLC is a privately, minority-owned business established in 2000. The company has the capacity to provide value-added services to its customers through it’s in-house design and digital video productions.”*

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

Some 63 students from Philadelphia’s Esperanza Academy will tour the Frida Kahlo exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art March 31 as guests of Aetna (NYSE: AET), which is the exhibition’s local sponsor.

Aetna also will host a tour for 40 supporters, employees and volunteers of Congreso de Latinos Unidos, a nationally recognized, community-based, non-profit organization that has been strengthening Latino communities in Philadelphia for over 30 years.

Founded in 1977 as a grassroots agency, Congreso has grown to be a leading provider of employment, education, and supportive services to Latinos in the Philadelphia region. Through these services, Congreso transforms people’s lives by providing individuals with the tools to move up the economic ladder and out of poverty.

“As a major insurer and employer in Southeastern Pennsylvania, Aetna is proud to help make the Frida Kahlo exhibition available to the people of Philadelphia,” said Patrick Young, president of Aetna’s Mid-Atlantic Region. “In particular, we’re delighted that the students of Esperanza Academy will get to see the works of a renowned Latina artist.”

While most school districts are experiencing massive cuts in funding for arts education, Esperanza Academy recently invested $2 million in a new facility specifically designed to teach the arts. The new arts wing offers students opportunities to major in dance, drama, film, instrumental music, voice and visual arts. The curriculum also offers career tracks in information technology, journalism, entrepreneurship, and teacher education.

Esperanza was founded in 1987 by Rev. Luis Cortés Jr. and the Hispanic Clergy of Philadelphia in direct response to the challenges and opportunities in the Hispanic community. It has since become the largest national, Hispanic faith-based development corporation in the nation.

Aetna has worked closely with Esperanza on several community programs. In 2007, the company donated $10,000 to support “Tu Eres La Respuesta” (“You Are the Answer”), an HIV/AIDS awareness program.

In both 2006 and 2007, Aetna donated $10,000 to support the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast and Conference. Rev. Cortés and Esperanza organized the first National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast in 2002 as an opportunity for Hispanic clergy to gather together in prayer for the nation and its Hispanic community. Today, it has evolved into an event that annually attracts more than 750 participants to the nation’s capital for prayer, advocacy and celebration.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is the only East Coast venue for Frida Kahlo, the first major exhibition in 15 years to be devoted to the immensely influential Mexican artist in the United States. The exhibition includes more than 40 paintings, including some works not previously shown before in this country, and is drawn from more than 30 collections in Mexico, France, Japan and the United States.

Paintings are complemented by more than 100 photographs from Kahlo’s personal collection. They include images by pre-eminent photographers, as well as personal images of Kahlo with family and friends, including her husband Diego Rivera and cultural and political figures such as Leon Trotsky and surrealist Andre Breton.

“The museum is delighted with Aetna’s support, which has not only contributed to bringing the Frida Kahlo exhibition to Philadelphia but also helped to complement and extend the museum’s mission of serving all communities in the region,” said Marla Shoemaker, senior curator of education at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Aetna provides health benefits to more than 1 million people in Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey.

Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 36.7 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities and health care management services for Medicaid plans. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. www.aetna.com“*

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

As one of the few Hispanic dentists in Connecticut – indeed, in the country – Dr. Sarita Arteaga relishes her role as president of the Hispanic Dental Association.

“I’m kind of a pioneer,” says Arteaga, assistant clinical professor in the Department of Oral Rehabilitation, Biomaterials, and Skeletal Development.

“Our organization is young, established less than 20 years ago, and I feel like I’m helping build the collaborations and partnerships that support our mission to improve oral health for the Hispanic community. I can see how much we are growing, and I feel my opinions and my work will affect how we move forward.””*

*From: http://www.advance.uconn.edu
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Dressed in their distinctive hand-embroidered costumes with broad-brimmed sombreros and carrying feathered power-wands, over 650 men and women from Mexico’s indigenous Huichol community have been staging a “sit-in” in a remote forest clearing on their communal lands in the Sierra Madre Occidental since 6am on February 11.

They are attempting to halt a highway, construction of which began in November and which the Huichol claim to be illegal. The road has now reached the Huichol heartland in the remote state of Jalisco, an area renowned for its sacred sites and biodiversity.

The Huichol territory, which covers zones of tropical forest as well as high montane pine and oak forest, is listed by the WWF and the World Conservation Union as one of 200 priority eco-regions in the world. A refuge for wolves and mountain lions this remote region is also an important habitat for birds such as the endangered pygmy owl and golden eagle; and the Military Macaw, a red data species which has seen a dramatic loss of habitat over the last decade due to logging.”*

*From: http://travel.timesonline.co.uk
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British patients are not the only ones going elsewhere for cheap dental treatment – Americans are now heading to Mexican border cities for the same reasons.

Dentistry in the US has become prohibitively expensive for some patients, with bills that can run to tens of thousands of dollars.

US dental treatment costs up to four times as much as in Mexico, making it tough for uninsured Americans to treat common problems such as abscessed teeth or pay for dentures.”*

*From: http://www.dentistry.co.uk
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Víctor Vargas is a polo-playing banker who zips between his six homes in a fleet of luxury jets. So you might expect him to be struggling in today’s Venezuela, where President Hugo Chávez has vowed to build a classless society.But Mr. Vargas, 55 years old, hasn’t missed a beat. His Banco Occidental de Descuento is expanding amid an oil-fueled economic surge. Like other bankers, he snares profits dealing in a flood of government-issued debt. And the Chávez years have done little to damp Mr. Vargas’s exuberance for the trappings of wealth.

“People write stories about me saying I have a Ferrari, a plane, a yacht,” he said during an interview at one of his homes, in the posh Country Club neighborhood of Caracas. “But it’s not true. I’ve got three planes, two yachts, six houses. I’ve been rich all my life!”"*

*From: http://online.wsj.com requires paid registration
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It never ceases to amaze me. Somehow liberals and other sensitive types in this country have managed to turn America’s greatest cable news crusader into a bigot.

Just because Lou Dobbs spends night after night fighting to criminalize people who cross the desert to pick your tomatoes, some loony leftwingers have accused him of harboring white supremacist sentiments. Just because he accidentally quotes studies conducted by racist organizations and occasionally references the opinions of eugenicists, some people have decided that Daddy Dobbs is driven by nefarious motives. Well I’m not one of them. Who among you has not unwittingly supported a Nazi on occasion? We’re all only human.”*

*From: http://www.236.com
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DentalPlans.com, the leading online marketer of discount dental plans, today announced the launch of www.PlanesDentales.com, a Spanish-language version of its full-service website. The new Spanish-language site was developed to make discount dental plans more accessible to Hispanic individuals, families and businesses across the U.S. PlanesDentales.com offers an easy, comfortable way to make informed dental benefit decisions in Spanish and English. To visit the new site, simply go to www.PlanesDentales.com or click the “En Espanol” link on www.DentalPlans.com.

“PlanesDentales.com was created to offer Spanish-speakers an online experience that is virtually identical to DentalPlans.com,” says Josh Babyak, CEO of DentalPlans.com. “We’ve always given consumers the freedom to choose the discount dental plans that best suit their needs; now, they can compare and choose plans in Spanish and English.”*

*From: http://www.healthnewsdigest.com
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Mike Huckabee announced Tuesday a plan to block immigrants hailing from terror-sponsoring nations — one of the hardest stances in the Republican presidential race that could incidentally lead to restricting immigrants from Cuba.

At a campaign stop in Rock Hill, S.C., Huckabee told a crowd that ”we ought to put a hiatus on people who come in here,” the Associated Press reported, “if they come from countries that sponsor and harbor terrorists.””*

*From: http://www.miamiherald.com
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Edgar Velásquez, an illegal Mexican immigrant who accidentally slashed his face open with a chainsaw in 2006, yesterday won a $30,000 settlement in a groundbreaking case against the owner of a Warwick tree service company.

Velásquez was working for William J. Gorman Jr., owner of Billy G’s Tree Care, who hired the 22-year-old and then turned his back after Velásquez sustained severe injury.”*

*From: http://www.projo.com
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