News (Noticias) Tagged ‘Panama’

Marketwire, a full-service newswire and communications workflow solutions provider, today announces the debut of NoticiasDigitales, the newswire industry’s first real-time business-to-consumer digital news service to publish Spanish-language news on Latin American websites. An enhancement to its Spanish-language press release distribution circuits, Marketwire’s NoticiasDigitales displays press releases on more than 100 leading newspaper, financial and economic news, and media websites and portals that bring corporate news to millions of influential Spanish-speaking viewers across North America, Central America and South America.

“With the rapid growth of social media and ‘citizen journalism,’ the future of the newswire industry depends on leveraging new technologies to offer effective business-to-consumer news delivery solutions,” commented Marketwire Vice President of Emerging Markets Hector Botero. “Ethnic, emerging and international markets represent enormous, untapped opportunities for an online digital news distribution service, and we are extremely excited to launch an industry first to our clients who target Spanish-speaking audiences.”

Participants in the large web network at the core of Marketwire’s NoticiasDigitales include major news media, business, finance and technology websites published in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay and Venezuela. Examples of participating websites are Caracol Radio, Clarín.com, Dinero.com, El Universal.com and Nacion.com.

A 30-day testing period revealed that between June 11 and July 11, 2008, Marketwire’s NoticiasDigitales received more than 4 million total impressions from visitors in 21 countries. Thirty percent, or 1.2 million of those impressions came from visitors in Colombia, an economy growing at 6.8 percent a year (two full points faster than the Latin American average); 29 percent, or 1.18 million of the impressions were from the United States; 13 percent, or 520,000 impressions, came from visitors in Argentina, a country that has experienced four consecutive years of more than 8 percent growth in GDP; and 11 percent, or 431,000 impressions, came from Mexico, a country counting the United States as its largest trading partner.

Now, by adding more than 100 websites and 3 million-plus monthly views to its comprehensive Latin America distribution circuits that, combined, reach more than 80,000 media points in Latin America, Marketwire reinforces its position as the leading Latin American market press release distributor. NoticiasDigitales is included in all of Marketwire’s Spanish-language press release distribution circuits: five Latin America/South America distribution packages; newslines to 17 Latin American countries; and its industry-leading North America Hispanic newsline that reaches more than 5,000 journalists and editors through Marketwire’s NoticiasFinancieras news syndicate generating news for print publications with combined circulation exceeding 3 million daily, and readership, including web properties, exceeding 10 million.

About Marketwire

The only fully integrated North America-based global newswire, Marketwire, Inc. is a full-service partner to IR, PR and MarCom professionals seeking top-tier news distribution, media management, multimedia and monitoring solutions. Marketwire’s customer-centric corporate philosophy focuses on being the best by infusing every aspect of its business with the following core attributes: precision, adaptability, innovation and simplicity.

Marketwire delivers its clients’ news to the world’s media and financial communities, fulfilling disclosure requirements in North America in compliance with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), and serving as Primary Information Provider (PIP) with the UK’s Financial Services Authority (FSA). With a reputation for technology leadership, Marketwire offers innovative products and services — including Social Media, Search Engine Optimization, Dashboard Mobile Financial, News Dashboard coverage reports, exclusive access to networks such as the Canadian Press Wire Network, Easy IR and Easy PR workflow solutions, and more — that help communication professionals maximize their effectiveness while ensuring accuracy and best practices.

Having merged companies (Market Wire and CCNMatthews) in April 2006, and enjoying a combined history of 25 years of service, Marketwire is now majority-owned by OMERS Capital Partners, the private equity arm of one of Canada’s largest pension funds. Marketwire distributes the majority of press releases issued by publicly traded companies in Canada and serves more than 8,000 clients worldwide through 19 offices on four continents. For more information, visit us at www.marketwire.com. “*

The Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) will host the Second Annual Future Leaders’ Conference on Wednesday, July 16, 2008, beginning at 9:00 a.m. at the Hall of the Americas in the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, DC. This year’s conference theme “Advancing Democracy and Strengthening the Rule of Law,” will allow conference participants to examine the current challenges and opportunities faced by nearly 900 million people of the Western Hemisphere.

The CHLI Future Leaders’ Conference provides a unique opportunity for Washington, DC summer interns and young professionals to hear from leading experts, public officials and diplomats on the current challenges and opportunities within the region. The Opening Session will feature high-level speakers and will be followed by three panels addressing economic development, political trends and public/private partnerships in the Americas. Registration is free and open to the public.

“It is a great privilege for CHLI to host this annual conference which connects the leaders of tomorrow with the leaders of today throughout our hemisphere,” said Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (FL-21), CHLI Chairman. “CHLI continues to demonstrate leadership by providing an internationalist vision, which in turn empowers the U.S. Hispanic community as a bridge – economically as well as culturally – between North and South of our hemisphere.”

“CHLI is honored to host its Second Annual Future Leaders’ Conference at the OAS. As a growing organization, we continue to realize our mission of ‘Advancing the Hispanic community’s diversity of thought’ by bringing together highly-respected speakers and panelists with different viewpoints and life experiences,” said Octavio A. Hinojosa Mier, CHLI Executive Director.

Confirmed speakers for this year’s conference include: OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza; Ambassador Hector Morales, Jr., Permanent Representative of the United States to the OAS;  Ambassador Federico Humbert of Panama; Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan of Mexico; The Honorable Anna Escobedo Cabral, United States Treasurer; as well as U.S. Representative Lincoln Díaz-Balart (FL-21), CHLI Chairman; U.S. Representative Eliot Engel (NY-17), Chairman of House Sub-Committee on the Western Hemisphere; U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar (TX-28); and U.S. Representative Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-25).

Contact:
Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute
Octavio Hinojosa
Executive Director
734 15th Street NW
Suite 620
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 347-8280

Panama continues to be the fastest-growing tourism market in Latin America, but Uruguay is the winner when it comes to growth in receipts. Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic is the country with the region’s highest receipts as a percentage of GDP, according to a Latin Business Chronicle analysis of new data from the World Tourism Organization. “*

Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) and the National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP) announced that Carlos Blanco, 18, of Houston, Texas, has won the “Destino: Latinoamerica” (”Destination: Latin America”) essay contest for Hispanic high school students.

Blanco, a May 2008 graduate of YES Prep School - Southeast in Houston, highlighted the influence of Latin America on his own life in his winning essay, “The Manifestation of Culture.”

“I love our music, our food, our films and our unspoken bond that unites us,” Blanco wrote. “Our united passion is what inspires me to live on as a young Latino destined to change the world.”

Blanco, the son of Bernardo Blanco, originally from Panama, and Rosantina Blanco, who is Mexican-American, won six Continental Airlines tickets to travel anywhere in the U.S. where Continental flies. In addition, his essay will be posted on the NAHP website, nahp.org, as well as published in many NAHP member newspapers around the U.S.

“Part of being Latino comes from family relationships. I chose this topic because my family gave me my roots and my culture,” Blanco said when he learned he had won. “My family has definitely played a great influence on who I am, and the culture plays a role in who we are as a community.”

“The judges had a difficult choice to make this year because the essays we received were especially heartfelt,” said Maria Cristina Osorio, Manager, Public Relations, Latin America and U.S. Hispanic, Continental Airlines. “Carlos just seemed to sum up the essence of Latin American culture with such pride and feeling.”

Blanco, who will attend Columbia University in New York next fall, plans to major in education and journalism. Active in the community, Blanco is working this summer with the Houston Votes organization that encourages Latino voter participation, as well as volunteering with the Latino Learning Center.

“The NAHP is committed to encouraging student expression through programs such as ‘Destino: Latinoamerica,’” said Clara Padilla, president, NAHP. “We are pleased to join Continental in providing a way to let heritage and stories of Latin America’s impact on U.S. life be heard.”

This was the second year for the “Destino” contest. Essay entries had to focus on some aspect of the influence of Latin America on U.S. life. Judges from Continental and the NAHP evaluated the essays for clarity of expression and originality.

Latin America and the Caribbean account for more than half of Continental Airlines’ international destinations. Continental offers service to 76 destinations in 23 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including nonstop service to 31 destinations in Mexico — more than any other airline. Continental also offers nonstop service to more Central American cities (10) than any other U.S. airline and serves nine South American destinations.

Continental offers a number of Spanish-language services, including bilingual flight attendants on many flights to Latin America; and bilingual airport personnel, reservations agents and signage. Spanish-language functions on the continental.com Web site include flight booking, check-in, seat selection, flight and gate information, and OnePass frequent flyer program enrollment. Passengers also may make reservations in Spanish at 1-800-537-9222. For more information, visit www.continental.com (www.continental.com/espanol) .

The National Association of Hispanic Publications, Inc. (NAHP, Inc.) is a nonprofit trade advocacy organization representing the leading Hispanic publications serving 41 markets in 39 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, with a combined circulation of over 14 million. NAHP was founded in 1982 as a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization (501-c-6) to promote Hispanic publications.”*

In life, Wilson C. Lucom was not exactly child friendly. The gruff octogenarian never had children himself and was not especially close to the offspring of his third wife, Hilda, either. When he opened his ample checkbook, friends say, it was more likely to finance a conservative political cause than to help underprivileged youths.

ut Mr. Lucom, a native of rural Pennsylvania who spent much of his life in Palm Beach, Fla., surprised everyone in his will, which was revealed upon his death two years ago at the age of 88. After doling out relatively small portions of his tens of millions to survivors, he left the rest to a foundation he had dreamed up in secrecy to aid the poor children of Panama, where he spent the final years of his life.”*

THE PRESIDENT: Gracias. Siéntese. (Laughter.) Luis, thank you, sir. So he asked, would I come to the prayer breakfast. My answer was, por supuesto. (Laughter.) I am honored to join you. I was proud to stand with you in 2002 at the first National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast. Today, I am proud to stand with you for the final time as your sitting President. This happens to be an important event, in my view. It’s an important event because it reminds us that no matter what our status in life might be, that we have a duty to respond to a higher power. You know, next year in Crawford, Laura and I are going to have a different kind of prayer breakfast. I’ll be cooking the eggs, and she’ll be praying I don’t burn them. (Laughter.)

I do want to welcome the First Lady of Panama, Vivian Fernandez de Torrijos. Thank you for coming. (Applause.) As some of you may or may not know, the — mi niñita lived in Panama for a while, and the government and the people there were so kind and hospitable, and I’ll never be able to repay you for that. So thank you very much. Please give your esposo my best regards, el Presidente de Panamá. Sí, thank you. Proud to be here with pastors and community leaders. Thank you for doing what you’re doing.

Each of you here this morning is here to celebrate a simple and powerful act –- prayer to an Almighty God. You know the comfort that comes from placing our worries in the hands of a higher power. You know the humility that comes from approaching our Maker on bended knee. And you know the strength that comes from lifting our thoughts from worldly cares and focusing on the eternal.

Today I ask all to join together to pray that God continues to bestow His blessings on our wonderful country. We pray that the Almighty will strengthen America’s families. A caring family is the foundation of a hopeful society. We pray that every child in America can grow up in a loving and stable home. We pray for the day when every child in America is welcomed in life and protected in law. (Applause.) And we pray that in every community across this great land, the Almighty will strengthen los valores de la familia y de la fe. (Applause.)

We pray that America will strengthen those who serve nuestros hermanos y hermanas in need. We pray for the continued success of faith-based and community groups like Esperanza — (applause) — all aiming to transfer [sic] our great country one heart, one soul, one conscience at a time. I was proud to hear of the work of Esperanza in Philadelphia. I’ve known Esperanza for ochos años. I was first impressed by the vision of making sure that every child gets a good education. It’s Luis who started the charter school. It’s a tremendous school. Less than one percent of students drop out –- and more than 90 percent of the graduates are planning to go to college this fall. There’s nothing more hopeful than to give a child a good education. (Applause.)

I’m impressed by the program called Esperanza Trabajando. This program helps at-risk youths and former prisoners move from lives of hopelessness to futures of accomplishment and self-sufficiency. Esperanza Trabajando, for those of you who don’t speak Spanish — and frankly, mine isn’t all that good — (laughter) — means “Hope is Working” –- and that’s exactly what you are demonstrating, Luis, and others in this room demonstrate cada día — every day.

For the past eight years, my administration has provided unprecedented support for the compassionate work performed by faith-based and community groups, because I understand this: government can hand out money, but government cannot put hope in a person’s heart. And oftentimes that is found in our faith community and our community organizations. And so we’ve lowered the barriers that kept government and faith-based groups needlessly divided –- and ensured that America’s armies of compassion are at the center of our nation’s efforts to make our society more hopeful for every individual.

Organizations like yours have shown the ability to save and change lives. And in your mercies of love and mercy, you must always have a strong and reliable partner in government.

We pray that Almighty will strengthen and protect those who serve the cause of freedom. These brave men and women share our cherished belief that the desire for liberty is written by the Almighty in every human heart. We believe in the universality of freedom. And where we see people suffer from forms of government that create hopelessness, or disease and hunger, and mosquito bites, that deny people a hopeful life, the United States must act under the theory, under the principle that to whom much is given, much is required. (Applause.)

I’m impressed, deeply impressed by those who wear our nation’s uniform. (Applause.) I appreciate — some have given their lives, others have suffered injuries in freedom’s cause. And this morning, I am honored to note that five brave servicemen who are being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center are with us today. We thank you for your sacrifice, we pray for your recovery, and we honor your service to the United States of America. (Applause.)

This, like, might not be on the schedule, but if you five guys would mind letting me have my picture taken with you, I’d be honored — so, like, when the speech is about to end, which is soon, head to the exits, and I’ll see you.

We also honor those who struggle for freedom against oppressive regimes. It’s essential that the United States always remember, in our great comfort that we always remember that there are those who want their freedom just like we have our freedom. One of those men is Juan Carlos Gonzales Leiva. He’s a lawyer and human rights activist on the island of Cuba. Juan Carlos was unjustly jailed for more than two years by the Cuban regime because he supported a dissident journalist. While he was imprisoned, his cane and his dark glasses were confiscated –- which was especially cruel, because Juan Carlos is blind. The guards took away his Braille Bible. But they could not take away his spirit. Today, Juan Carlos is no longer in jail, but he remains under the surveillance of the Cuban government.

Juan Carlos continues his important fight for human rights in Cuba, and the United States must always stand squarely with those who struggle for their human rights against tyranny. And today we’re honored that his hermano is with us. Onel Ramon Gonzales Leiva is here on his behalf. Onel, we want to thank you for coming. Our prayers go out to your brother and those who struggle with him. And we ask for the day, we pray for the day when the light of liberty shines on the people of Cuba and those who long for freedom. Onel, bienvenidos. (Applause.)

So as I mentioned, this is my last visit as your President to the Hispanic Prayer Breakfast. It’s been a joy every time I have come. During the last seven-and-a-half years, I have been touched by how many Americans have come up and said, “I’m praying for you, Mr. President.” People I’ve never seen before in my life, may never see again. It’s amazing, you would think they would come up and say, I’d like a new highway, or — (laughter) — how about an additional bridge. But, no, total strangers come and say, I just want you to know we lift you up in prayer. Somebody asked me what all that meant, and I said, well, you know, I’m finally beginning to understand the story of the calm in the rough seas. And I attribute it to the fact that millions of people have been so kind and generous to pray for me and Laura.

And so on my final trip here as your sitting President, I thank you for your prayers. I can’t thank you enough for your spiritual support. And it’s made a significant difference during these seven-and-a-half years. Being your President has been an unimaginable honor and a joyous experience.

Thank you, and God bless.

“*

High-achieving Latino students will debate issues and experience the complex world of government while participating in the National Hispanic Institute’s 19th Annual Colorado Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session June 22-29.

The Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session, sponsored by and held on the Colorado State University campus, is a weeklong conference where students engage in a mock legislative process and judicial hearings that examine the challenges faced in Hispanic communities. Students representing Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington and the countries of Mexico and Panama will attend.

The event gives high school sophomores and juniors a better understanding of community equity building and a chance to improve their skills in public speaking, organizational management and constituency building.

“This experience challenges students to examine their cultural ties and understanding of the Latino community and inspires them to become involved,” said Varo Maldonado, conference coordinator and associate director of Admissions at Colorado State. “All participants emerge with a new understanding of how they can shape their future and that of the Latino community through a better understanding of the political system.”

The weeklong session features activities that include a general convention, senate and Supreme Court speeches, legislative sessions, Supreme Court trials and committee hearings.

Students will campaign for elected positions such as governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house, senators, attorneys, or one of nine Supreme Court justice positions. Candidates will make speeches before the delegation and work to build constituencies. Each student must identify issues facing the Latino community and address them with long-term solutions. Students present and debate the merits of their proposed solutions before their peers and strive to have their ideas passed into law.

Colorado State University and the National Hispanic Institute have co-hosted this event since 1990. To qualify, students must have 3.2 grade-point averages or above and must be enrolled in a college-bound, high-school curriculum.

Ernesto Nieto, executive director of the National Hispanic Institute, founded the non-profit organization in 1979 as a way to encourage young Latino students to enhance their leadership abilities and actively participate in the Latino community. Students interested in participating in next year’s conference may contact Varo Maldonado in the Office of Admissions at Colorado State at (970) 491-6311.”*

Leaders from the Hispanic business community held a press conference this morning to announce Tampa Bay as the first city in the United States chosen to host the 18th Annual Retailers of the Americas Conference. Present at the press conference to discuss highlights of the event were the following members of the Tampa Bay’s Host Committee:

– Derek Lloyd, President of Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce of Tampa Bay (CACCTB),
– Augustine Martinez, USHCC President & CEO,
– Julio Fuentes, President of the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

“The CACCTB is committed to the growth and development of the Tampa Bay region and Florida.” stated Mr. Lloyd. “We are pleased to welcome our Caribbean, South and Central America neighbors to Tampa Bay and provide a favorable setting which encourages numerous opportunities to promote and expand their business successfully.”

Tampa was selected due to leading attributes such as its diverse Hispanic heritage and the opportunities that Tampa Bay region provides globally and locally for its cultural ties, airport facilities, port, industrial centers and distribution of goods. From a business perspective the Tampa Bay region provides more than just theme parks, it provides an industry that parallels the growth in global commerce and communication.

“Tampa holds such a talented cross-section of people, all looking to promote the city and what it has to offer,” said Augustine Martinez. “In our preliminary search for the perfect city to name as host for this one of a kind event, we were blown away by the Tampa community. We highlighted Tampa for the simple fact that, when thinking of how to bring commerce to the U.S., Tampa has it covered. Geographically and culturally, it is the perfect gateway to the Americas.”

“On behalf of the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, we show full support of this great conference,” said Julio Fuentes, FSHCC President. “We are excited that the city of Tampa was chosen and extend the invitation to Hispanic businesses in the rest of Florida to participate.”

“Small businesses play a significant and important role in our economy. We need to continue opening markets at home and abroad to raise living standards and consolidate democratic gains in the hemisphere,” said Senator Mel Martinez on the benefit the conference will have on Tampa and the state of Florida.

The 18th Annual Retailers of the Americas Conference, also known as XVIII Congreso del Comercio Detallista de las Americas, will host hundreds of business executives and dignitaries from across Latin America and the United States. The conference, expected to see an attendance of 3,000, will convene in Tampa between November 20 -22, 2008.

The press conference took place at the Embassy Suites (Downtown) at 10:30AM. Speakers also included the Honorable Faye Culp, Florida House of Representatives and Neighborhood Services Administrator Santiago Corrada.

Background:
The mission of the 18th Annual Retailers of the Americas Conference is to integrate the commercial sectors in the western hemisphere in a collaboration effort to develop strategies and initiatives directed at fortifying technological know-how, economic development and the creation of jobs. Previous host countries include, Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Panama, Costa Rica, Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Chile, Puerto Rico and Argentina.

About the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Founded in 1979, the USHCC actively promotes the economic growth and development of Hispanic entrepreneurs and represents the interests of more than 2.5 million Hispanic-owned businesses in the United States that generate more than $388 billion annually. It also serves as the umbrella organization for 200 local Hispanic chambers in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Bolivia and Uruguay.”*

Pan-American Life Insurance Company has excelled for the third straight year ranking first among Hispanic companies in the state of Louisiana according to Hispanic Business 500, the magazine’s annual business directory.

In the June issue, the magazine ranked Pan-American Life as 23rd among all Hispanic businesses in the nation and second among the top 10 companies in the finance sector.

“Pan-American Life’s growth mirrors our distinctive competitive advantages; a multicultural management team, strong brand recognition in Latin America and an understanding of the complex multicultural nature of the U.S. Hispanic population,” said Chairman of the Board and CEO Jose Suquet. “In terms of insurance, we are the bridge between Hispanics working here in the U.S. and their extended families back home.”

Since January 2008, Suquet has enlisted four new senior managers to reposition the company in the Americas. Today, 50 percent of the company’s senior management, more than 39 percent of its home office employees, 76 percent of the overall company employees and 60 percent of its policyholders are Hispanics.

Pan-American Life had a 4.9 percent increase in revenues, growing from $262.43 million in 2006 to $275.21 million in 2007, while total assets reached $2.1 billion and total capital of $331 million, an all-time high.

For more than two decades, the Hispanic Business 500 has served as a barometer of the U.S. Hispanic economy.

About Pan-American Life

Founded in 1911, New Orleans-based Pan-American Life Insurance Company is a leading international insurance company, employing more than 700 worldwide, providing top-rated life and health insurance, worksite benefits and financial services in 46 states, the District of Columbia (DC) and Puerto Rico. Its international operations, offering individual and group life and health insurance throughout Latin America, includes affiliates in Panama, Guatemala and Colombia, and branch offices in Ecuador, El Salvador and Honduras. For more information, visit the Pan-American Life Web site at www.panamericanlife.com.

Pan-American Life Insurance Company is a member of Pan-American Life Insurance Group. The Group is comprised of a number of insurance and reinsurance companies serving nearly half a million customers throughout the Americas. “*

The explosions that shatter the early morning quiet here are perfect metaphors for another kind of boom, the economic one transforming Panama’s capital.

The blasts a few miles north of the city are part of the first phase of the $5.25-billion Panama Canal expansion project. They are clearing a path for new locks that will modernize the historic waterway and, in 2014, enable bigger ships to traverse the isthmus.

This country’s economy grew 11% last year, in large part because of expectations of continued prosperity resulting from a bigger and busier canal. But there is more going on in Panama than just a massive public works project.”*

Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) and the National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP) announced that Carlos Blanco, 18, of Houston, Texas, has won the “Destino: Latinoamerica” (”Destination: Latin America”) essay contest for Hispanic high school students.

Blanco, a May 2008 graduate of YES Prep School — Southeast in Houston, highlighted the influence of Latin America on his own life in his winning essay, “The Manifestation of Culture.”

“I love our music, our food, our films and our unspoken bond that unites us,” Blanco wrote. “Our united passion is what inspires me to live on as a young Latino destined to change the world.”

Blanco, the son of Bernardo Blanco, originally from Panama, and Rosantina Blanco, who is Mexican American, won six Continental Airlines tickets to travel anywhere in the U.S. where Continental flies. In addition, his essay will be posted on the NAHP website, nahp.org, as well as published in many NAHP member newspapers around the U.S.

“Part of being Latino comes from family relationships. I chose this topic because my family gave me my roots and my culture,” Blanco said when he learned he had won. “My family has definitely played a great influence on who I am, and the culture plays a role in who we are as a community.”

“The judges had a difficult choice to make this year because the essays we received were especially heartfelt,” said Maria Cristina Osorio, Manager, Public Relations, Latin America and U.S. Hispanic, Continental Airlines. “Carlos just seemed to sum up the essence of Latin American culture with such pride and feeling.”

Blanco, who will attend Columbia University in New York next fall, plans to major in education and journalism. Active in the community, Blanco is working this summer with the Houston Votes organization that encourages Latino voter participation, as well as volunteering with the Latino Learning Center.

“The NAHP is committed to encouraging student expression through programs such as ’Destino: Latinoamerica,’” said Clara Padilla, president, NAHP. “We are pleased to join Continental in providing a way to let heritage and stories of Latin America’s impact on U.S. life be heard.”

This was the second year for the “Destino” contest. Essay entries had to focus on some aspect of the influence of Latin America on U.S. life. Judges from Continental and the NAHP evaluated the essays for clarity of expression and originality.

Latin America and the Caribbean account for more than half of Continental Airlines’ international destinations. Continental offers service to 76 destinations in 23 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including nonstop service to 31 destinations in Mexico — more than any other airline. Continental also offers nonstop service to more Central American cities (10) than any other U.S. airline and serves nine South American destinations.

Continental offers a number of Spanish-language services, including bilingual flight attendants on many flights to Latin America; and bilingual airport personnel, reservations agents and signage. Spanish-language functions on the continental.com Web site include flight booking, check-in, seat selection, flight and gate information, and OnePass frequent flyer program enrollment. Passengers also may make reservations in Spanish at 1-800-537-9222. For more information, visit www.continental.com (www.continental.com/espanol) .

The National Association of Hispanic Publications, Inc. (NAHP, Inc.) is a nonprofit trade advocacy organization representing the leading Hispanic publications serving 41 markets in 39 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, with a combined circulation of over 14 million. NAHP was founded in 1982 as a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization (501-c-6) to promote Hispanic publications.”

Even though Wisin and Yandel were applauded by their fans during their concert last Thursday in Panama City –where they made everyone dance– the Reggaetón duo has been accused by a Panamanian songwriter of plagiarizing one of his songs. “*

You won’t find too many portraits of Bill Clinton hanging in Cuban American households — adiós, Elián — but in Puerto Rican homes, he’s as familiar a face as any Catholic saint. RFK is the martyr of choice on Mexican Americans’ walls, while the late white-skinned president Joaquín Balaguer presides over Dominican barbershops across Manhattan’s Washington Heights. The Latino-American community is diverse and divided, some forty-four million people and twenty different nationalities struggling in their own way with immigration, assimilation, and political destiny. Yet for all the differences, there’s one thing language aside that many Latinos have in common: You won’t find too many pictures of dark-skinned leaders in their homes.

Growing up in Spanish Harlem in the eighties, I don’t recall too many Latinos of any nationality going crazy over Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition. I recall a dark-skinned Panamanian church elder cheating on his wife with a white woman; when his dark-skinned Puerto Rican wife found out, she forgave him and dyed her hair blond, all the better to mimic the prize of the white world. I recall the urban legend of the black-skinned Latino with a pregnant wife who entered a botanica to ask the orishas to grant him a white baby. I recall terms like “un negro fino,” or “a delicate black,” meaning light black skin, thin lips, and a sharp nose, and I recall “un negro bembon,” which meant the opposite. I recall pecking orders and historic beefs and a belief that light skin was somehow preferable to dark, and I recall nobody thinking twice about it.”*

Contrary to conventional wisdom, pianist Danilo Perez and saxophonist David Sanchez are not great Latin jazz artists. To confine them to that musical subgenre would be to obscure the breadth of their work.As Perez and Sanchez showed over the weekend before a nearly sold-out Symphony Center, they offer a music that’s informed by Latin America but not defined by it. Perez’s Panamanian roots and Sanchez’s Puerto Rican heritage, in other words, clearly play a role in this music; but it’s overshadowed by the musical rigor of their arguments and their daring in developing them.

So when Perez took the stage alone Friday night, listeners had no idea exactly what to expect—and neither, one suspects, did Perez. He began by tapping a stop-start, fiercely syncopated rhythm on the inside of the instrument, without so much as touching the keyboard. Before long, he was sculpting exquisitely elliptical lines in the upper registers of the piano, punctuating them with pulsing rhythms down low. “*

When Henry Leace opened the first Havana Shirt Store in 2001 in Bayside Marketplace, the Panama hats, cigar boxes and Cuban art were all meant as decorations.

Quickly, customers started trying to buy them.

That helped Leace realize he had an opportunity to sell more than just guayaberas and tropical sportswear. His new focus: creating a store and a private-label brand called Havana Nines that caters to the Latin lifestyle and has potential for national expansion. The goal is to have 55 stores by 2013.”*

Making Movies, a Latin alternative rock trio out of Kansas City, will make the I-70 trek and play Cicero’s Tuesday.

Led by Enrique Chi, the band is touring the region (and Miami) in support of their debut EP, “Tierra Firme.” They will also be here on June 21 for the Hispanic Festival in Florissant’s Knights of Columbus Park.

The songs on the release conjure the Police and Latin electronic rock trailblazers Cafe Tacuba.”*

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As a bonus to its highly recommended exhibit “American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music,” Experience Music Project presents the greatest salsa band of all time — El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico — at 8 tonight at EMP.

With its 40-year-plus legacy of more than 50 albums, including a Grammy-winning 40th anniversary concert disc, El Gran Combo is the real deal — salsa as it has been danced to in Puerto Rico, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Curaçao and beyond for more than four decades. With saxophones, trumpets and trombone answering the call of an infectious vocal trio — which in turn follows its own lead-and-chorus patterns — and a thicket of percussion thrusting the music forward, El Gran Combo creates an irresistible mix for dancing or listening.”*

“Chicago ARTEahora,” dubbed Chicagos first Latin American art fair, is being staged this weekend at the River East Art Center in downtown Chicago.

Curators Aldo Castillo and Thomas Monahan, along with adviser Hernan Carrara, put together nearly 300 contemporary and modern art works by more than 120 artists from Latin America, including Mexico, Cuba, Chile, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Panama, Guatemala, Ecuador and other countries.”*

John McCain’s birthplace in Panama was an idyllic tropical posting for U.S. sailors that the Republican presidential candidate speaks fondly of but the Caribbean port has crumbled into poverty and decay.
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McCain was born in 1936 on the Coco Solo submarine base in a U.S.-run territory in Panama where his father was a Navy officer.

Now, children play next to open sewers in the town that was built around the base and large homes once inhabited by American service families lie abandoned and strewn with debris.”*

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

The 49th Annual Meeting of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which will be held in Greater Miami April 4-8, will bring together high-level government officials, star CEOs and international celebrities, among them U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez.

“I am pleased to participate in an event that is bringing world-class business and government leaders together. With such close commercial and social ties to Latin America, Miami is the ideal venue for this meeting,” Gutierrez said. The Annual Meeting of the IDB is the premier forum on Latin American finance, trade, and economic development.

Secretary Gutierrez will deliver a keynote address as part of a panel on competitiveness in the Americas, which will highlight the IDB’s role in building member nations’ capacity for maintaining and expanding economic activity in an environment of rapidly changing trade conditions.

Others participating in the competitiveness panel include Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete Lopez, president of Telefonica Latin America; Juan Cento, president of FedEx Express Latin America and Caribbean Division; Danilo Astori, Minister of Economy of Uruguay; Rui da Costa, Managing Director for Latin America and the Caribbean of Hewlett Packard; Manu Bhaskaran, a member of the Knowledge Panel at MasterCard; and Andres Velasco, Minister of Economy and Finance of Chile.

According to Jorge L. Arrizurieta, Chairman of the IDB Miami 2008 Host Committee and former Alternate U.S. Executive Director of the IDB, the panel on competitiveness is one of many groundbreaking events scheduled for the Annual Meeting. Others include a seminar on private philanthropy, an event on youth as agents of change, a panel on infrastructure, and a seminar on confronting natural disasters.

“This historic event will again allow Miami to unite the private and public sectors of Latin America and the Caribbean, further highlighting our role as a business center for the region,” Arrizurieta said.

A forum on the role of private philanthropy in development will feature a keynote address from Microsoft founder Bill Gates and remarks by IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno. Preceding these appearances, Alberto Ibarguen, President and CEO of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, will moderate a panel of high-level executives including Emilio Azcarraga, Chairman of Televisa; Christina Gold, President and CEO of Western Union; and Bill Rhodes, Vice Chair Citi. Cesar Alierta, Chairman of Telefonica International, will make a presentation.

“The IDB wants to become the region’s preferred partner in private sector development, bringing additional benefits such as mobilization of private bank funds, improved corporate governance and compliance with environmental standards,” said IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno. “We want to be closer to our customers and build strategic alliances with governments, privates sector companies and NGOs to bring the benefits of growth to the 70 percent of the population who earn less than $3000 a year.”

General Anthony Zinni, Vice President of DynCorp and former CENTCOM Commander, will speak on response and preparedness for natural disasters, a priority of the IDB and an important safeguard of human welfare in the region. Joining General Zinni on the panel will be Roberto Velluntini, Sector Manager, Infrastructure & Environment Dept. IDB; Omar Dario Cardona, a consultant for the IDB on natural disaster issues; Lorenza Martinez Trigueros, General Manager of insurance at the Mexican treasury (Secretaria de Hacienda y Credito Publico); Anne Hassberger, Deputy Head for International Financial Institutions, Federal Dept. of Foreign Affairs, Swiss Agency for Development & Cooperation (Moderator).

“Latin America and the Caribbean are a very important partner,” Zinni said. “I am excited to accept the Host Committee’s invitation to share my views on how to prepare and mitigate natural disasters. This is of vital importance to the development and growth of the region and ultimately it impacts people the most.”

As part of the forum Celebrities and Youth as Agents of Change, the IDB and MTV Latin America will present the U.S. premier of their television program on youth as agents of change. The program celebrates youth whose leadership has made a difference in their community. As part of a roundtable discussion led by Generation Engage, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing political awareness among young people, Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson will participate in an iChat dialogue with youth leaders. The President of MTV Latin America, Pierluigi Gazzolo, will speak about the impact of the program.

A panel on opportunities and challenges for private investment in infrastructure in the Americas will bring together a number of distinguished private and public sector leaders, including Robert Mosbacher, President of the Overseas Investment Corporation; Manny Diaz, Mayor of the City of Miami; Felipe Montoro Jens, Head of Project and Structure Finance of Odebrecht; Alberto Aleman Zubieta, CEO, Panama Canal Authority; Carlos Contreras, Executive Managing Director, Caja Madrid; Javier Falces, General Manager, Global Via Infraestructuras; and John Gage, Chief Researcher and Director of the Science Office, Sun Microsystems; Sergio Cabral, Governor, State of Rio de Janeiro; Daniel Scioli, Governor, Buenos Aires; Norman Anderson, CEO, CG/LA Infrastructure; Lic. Federico Patino, Director of the Mexican National Infrastructure Fund. “*

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

Digicel, the largest mobile operator in the Caribbean and new entrant to the Central American market, today announced that Jose Antonio Rodriguez is the newly appointed CEO for Digicel El Salvador. In addition to the new CEO appointment, Luis La Rocca, the former El Salvador CEO, has been promoted to Vice President of Business Development for Digicel Central America, spearheading Digicel’s expansion across the region.

Jose Antonio Rodriguez, a native El Salvadorian, has more than 10 years of telecommunications industry experience. He joins Digicel El Salvador having formerly served as Country Manager of Telefónica El Salvador. Rodriguez will leverage his vast telecommunications expertise to drive Digicel’s continued growth in El Salvador.

“Digicel is pleased to appoint Jose Antonio Rodriguez to the role of CEO Digicel El Salvador. Given Jose’s excellent track record, we are confident he will foster the continued growth of Digicel’s El Salvador operation at the phenomenal rate we have seen in recent months,” said Kevin White, COO of Digicel Group Ltd.

Since its official El Salvador launch last year, Digicel has increased its El Salvadorian subscriber base threefold and grown its market share from five percent to more than 18 percent, successfully competing with the other mobile providers in the market.

As Vice President of Business Development for Digicel Central America, Luis La Rocca will be responsible for leading Digicel’s expansion efforts across the region, and will be actively involved in the bidding team for the imminent license auction in Panama for which Digicel has prequalified. La Rocca previously held a similar position with BellSouth where he led that company’s expansion into Panama, Nicaragua and Guatemala. Prior to this appointment, La Rocca led Digicel’s entry into the El Salvador market through an acquisition in October 2006 and the subsequent brand launch in April 2007.

“We are pleased to promote Luis to the role of VP of Business Development for Digicel Central America,” said Donal O’Shaughnessy, CEO of Digicel Central America. “With a recent license in Honduras and even more opportunities for new licenses ahead, this is a very exciting time for Digicel in Central America. Digicel is entering into this next phase of growth with solid management teams in place to execute against our aggressive business goals.”

Jose Antonio Rodriguez’s past experiences include the positions of both Marketing Director and Commercial Director for Telefónica’s El Salvador and Guatemala operations. Prior to Telefónica he held senior management positions at Telecommunicaciones de America SA de CV (TELECAM) and at GBM of El Salvador, SA de CV, an IBM Alliance company. Rodriguez graduated in Computer Engineering from the Tulane University in New Orleans, USA and earned an MBA from the Pontificia Catholic University of Chile.

With an investment of US$190 million, Digicel has dramatically expanded its operations in El Salvador in the last year to offer a first class service. The company increased its population network coverage by 20 percent in just six months, achieving 95 percent coverage to reach communities previously underserved by competitors. Digicel El Salvador directly employs 487 people and has 464 independently managed retails stores nationwide.

Digicel Central America Holdings Limited is a sister company to Digicel Group Limited and Digicel South Pacific Limited.

About Digicel

Since its launch in 2001, Digicel has become the fastest growing wireless telecommunications operator in the Caribbean. After seven years, Digicel is renowned for competitive rates, unbeatable coverage, superior customer care, a wide variety of products and services, and state-of-the-art handsets. It is the largest GSM operator in the region.

By offering innovative wireless services and community support, Digicel has become a leading brand in the Caribbean and has placed the region at the cutting edge of wireless communications.

Digicel is incorporated in Bermuda and has operations in twenty three markets including Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, Curaçao, The Cayman Islands, Dominica, El Salvador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, St Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Turks & Caicos. Digicel also has a license in the British Virgin Islands and coverage in St. Martin and St. Barths.

The company is the lead sponsor of Caribbean sports teams including the West Indies Cricket Team, Special Olympics teams across the Caribbean and is title sponsor of the Digicel Caribbean Football Union Cup, which involves over 30 Caribbean countries and is an important qualifier towards the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Visit www.digicelgroup.com for more information on Digicel.”*

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

U.S.-based Spirit Airlines is expanding its presence in Latin America, aiming to cater to passengers not served by the big commercial carriers like American Airlines, Continental and Delta. “Less than 5 percent of the population used air transportation within the region in 2007 - which means there is room for growth if the fares are reasonable,” says Robert Booth, chairman of U.S.-based consultancy AvGroup.

In the past 12 months, Spirit has opened up seven new routes to Latin America - connecting its Fort Lauderdale hub with Port-au-Prince, Haiti; San Jose, Costa Rica; Guatemala City, Guatemala; Lima, Peru; San Pedro Sula, Honduras; Managua, Nicaragua and Panama City, Panama.”*

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

High-octane guitar arpeggios pierce through the opening bars of the new song by Cienfue, “Macho de Monte Suite,” the title track on his eagerly-awaited new release.

Cienfue, the artistic name for versatile Panamanian musician Camilo Navarro, is set to unleash a fresh gamut of sounds on Costa Rican audiences for the first time, for two nights. He is scheduled to play tonight at San Pedro’s Jazz Café and tomorrow at San José’s Latino Rock Café.”*

*From: http://www.ticotimes.net
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

Cristina Richards didn’t want to leave her native Panama for the United States in 1989, considering she had a good accounting job at the upscale Marriott hotel in Panama City and spoke virtually no English.

But then the political situation fast began to turn ugly, with Gen. Manuel Noriega being implicated in drug trafficking and falling out of favor with the U.S. government.

Six months before 27,000 U.S. troops invaded Panama and captured the dictator in December 1989, Richards, at age 28, left for the U.S. — Columbus specifically — to join her mother and sister.”*

*From: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

A burgeoning Hispanic population in the U.S. has created a strong demand for Spanish-speaking contact center agents. Many American companies find such agents in Mexico.

While Mexico’s close proximity and attractive labor costs are strong selling points, some companies are also starting to consider other Latin American alternatives, according to a destinationCRM.com article. Chile, Costa Rica, Argentina and Panama are among the options, says Peter Ryan, head of contact center outsourcing for Datamonitor.”*

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