HS News Daily

Ecuador President, Rafael Correa, has declared a ‘state of siege’ today after a national police strike turned violent, shutting down airports and blockades of key highways.  The President himself was hospitalized when officers attacked him with tear gas, he was briefly hospitalized.

The police are angered by their reduced benefits that went into effect yesterday and took over key cities throughout the country including Quito, the capital.  Much highway access to the capital has been cutoff.  The striking police are now occupying the National Assembly in essence freezing the government.

Even though reports are sketchy as to the extent of the police insurrection international reaction has been swift.  The U.S. Embassy has already issued a warning message to its citizens in Ecuador “to stay in their homes or current locations, if safe.”  Neighboring Peru has closed all its border points with Ecuador but expressed support for President Correa.

Read more at MSNBC →

The U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission has published a comprehensive study on the health status in the U.S.-Mexico border region defined as 44 counties that are located either in California, Arizona, Texas or New Mexico.

Data presented in this document provides critical information for the use of policymakers, public health professionals, researchers, community members, and all others working to improve the health of border residents.

Key finds show the border population disproportionately affected by diabetes, cervical cancer, certain communicable diseases including tuberculosis, and certain injuries, while showing a low infant mortality rate and a low death rate from two of the nation’s leading causes of death, heart disease and cancer.

The rapid growth of this population poses a challenge to provide enough health care workers.  The cultural and language barriers and lack of health insurance combined with other factors is also an impediment to accessing health care.  Barriers to access are particularly acute for Hispanic border residents. 

Two critical factors affecting health status – overall levels of poverty and unemployment – are very high in the border area, noting that the homicide rate in U.S. border counties is substantially below the national level. 

Read more at Office of Minority Health →

Universal Studios Hollywood famed ‘Halloween Horror Nights’ has added a new feature or more aptly said has hispanicized its event by adding La Llorona (The Wailer) of Mexican folklore. 

La Llorona is a famous legend that has scared generations of children from Mexico and Latin America.  According to legend, a woman throws her children and herself into a river distraught because her husband cheated on her.  She doesn’t stop there, she returns to haunt the living, wailing for her lost children and searching for new souls to replace them. 

We’re not sure if this is a high or low point in Hispanic-American acculturation but it sure will be fun for everyone.  The move by Universal Studios is being seen as a way for it to connect to the sizable Latino population in the area. 

Halloween Horror Night will run until Halloween night in Universal Studies in California and includes 3-D mazes, terror trams and the Bates Motel from Psycho.

Read more by HS News Staff →

Latin America and the Caribbean face potentially crippling economic and social costs from natural disasters and need to do more to reduce risks and prepare government finances to respond to eventual catastrophes, according to a new set of indicators

The new edition of Indicators of Disaster Risk and Risk Management details the potential economic losses a group of 17 countries in this region could suffer in the event of a natural disaster and evaluates how effective their governments are in managing these risks. The indicators show that the region’s systems and policies to manage disaster risk are still unsatisfactory.

Human and economic losses stemming from natural disasters have increased over the past century in this region as a consequence of population growth, unplanned urbanization, overexploitation of natural resources and probably the effects of climate change. Earthquakes, floods and storms caused $34 billion in economic losses in 2000–2009, compared with losses of $729 million in the in the 1940s.

For example, the indicators show that if Peru were hit today by an earthquake similar to the one that hit Chile earlier this year, it could suffer economic losses of as much as $15.8 billion. A similar event could cause losses of as much as $5.2 billion in Mexico, $3.8 billion in Colombia and $3.5 billion in Ecuador.

Read more at Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo →

The Office of Immigration Statistics has produced a report based on 28 years of data on the characteristics of people who became citizens between 1980 and 2008.  In the 1980’s 2.1 million individuals became citizens and that figure doubled in the 1990’s to 5 million and this decade 6.1 million individuals as of 2008 have become citizens.

The median age of new citizens is 34, 39 percent are male and 54 percent are female.  Those naturalized in the ‘80s were more likely to have a college degree than those being naturalized now, however the recent median family income for new citizens is $61,000. 

The new U.S. citizen spent an average of 7 to 9 years trying to become a citizen with those from Mexico waiting 11 years for their citizenship.  In the 1980’s more Philippine born people became U.S. citizen than from anywhere else, now most new citizens are from Mexico followed by India.  For the full report, visit HSN Library. 

Read more by HS News Staff →

After 401 scoreless minutes, the Chicago Fire unearthed their offense, with a 3-0 victory over San Jose Wednesday night.

Visit HS News Chicago Fire Soccer Club Section for frontline Daily Reporting on Chicago’s very own, and also check the latest MLS Scores & Schedules.  Enjoy our Mexican Futbol Section with schedules, results, and the entire Mexican Futbol league Stats.

Read more by HS News Staff →

El presidente Felipe Calderón rindió homenaje a José María Morelos y Pavón en el CCXLV aniversario de su natalicio e hizo votos porque su entrega y sacrificio por la patria muestren el nunca desfallecer frente a quienes pretendan cancelar la libertad, la independencia o la soberanía.

En la casa donde nació Morelos, conocido como el “Siervo de la Nación”, el mandatario dijo que su memoria debe exhortar a todos los mexicanos a seguir luchando por un México más libre y justo, más democrático, de leyes e instituciones que estén al servicio de los ciudadanos.

Acompañado por su esposa Margarita Zavala, el gobernador Leonel Godoy, y portando la Banda Presidencial, Calderón Hinojosa confió en que el ejemplo de Morelos guíe a todos a procurar la igualdad entre los mexicanos, a esforzarse para superar la pobreza y la marginación en la que se encuentran millones de compatriotas.  Asimismo, dijo, que su valentía y amor a la patria inspiren a todos los michoacanos y mexicanos a defender la libertad e independencia.

El mandatario inició diversas actividades relacionadas con el CCXLV aniversario del natalicio de José María Moleros y Pavón, de cuyo puño, dijo, salieron dos documentos importantísimos para el país: los “Sentimientos de la nación” y la Constitución de Apatzingán.

Read more at La Cronica →

Last night, Illinois Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez was honored at the 24th Annual Hispanic Heritage Foundation awards ceremony that was held in Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy Center.  The Foundation honored eight distinguished individuals that included Gutierrez, actress America Ferrera and the legendary television personality ‘Don Francisco’. 

Rep. Gutierrez received the Leadership Award from the Foundation for his work on immigration reform and is considered to be the highest honor for Latinos by Latinos.  Last year’s Leadership Award was given to Sen. Robert Menendez from New Jersey. 

“I am humbled by the honor and to join those who have gone before me,” Gutierrez said. “Fighting for immigration reform and fair treatment of America’s working families is as hard a job as it has ever been. When you see how unpopular the U.S. Congress is and when you read the hate mail my office gets every day from the vocal minority in the anti-immigrant and anti-Latino crowd, it’s nice to get a little recognition and be with people who appreciate what we are trying to do to make America better, more welcoming, and more just.”

Read more at Poder 360 →

In a disclosure Wednesday, Whitman acknowledged that she employed an illegal immigrant as a housekeeper for nine years until she began her run for governor last year. A startling disclosure in light of the fact that, Whitman had said in her first debate the night before,” “We do have to hold employers accountable for hiring only documented workers, and we do have to enforce that law.”

Whitman said that she was unaware of Nicky Diaz Santillan’s legal status until she confessed last year. Whitman said she then did “one of the hardest things I’ve ever done” and fired the nanny and housekeeper.

Celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred said Diaz Santillan, 39, was paid $23 an hour and that her duties included housekeeping and driving to the store, school, and to houses of Whitman’s children’s friends, among other places. Allred suggested Whitman should have known Diaz Santillan was illegal.

Whitman, in the final weeks of a tough race against Democrat Jerry Brown, believes the disclosure to be politically motivated. Whitman has been aggressively courting the Latino vote since she won the June primary.

“This is a shameful example of the politics of personal destruction practiced by people like Jerry Brown and Gloria Allred, “Whitman said in a written statement.

Read more at Sacramento Bee →

Republican Marco Rubio has a double digit lead over Democratic candidate Kendrick Meek and independent Gov. Charlie Crist in Florida’s US Senate race. A Quinnipiac University poll shows Rubio leading at 46%, Crist 33% and US Rep Meek at 18% in the three-way race.

Rubio is a former House speaker and tea party favorite.  Gov Crist is a lifetime Republican and only left the GOP last April to run for the senate without party affiliation.  Rubio still holds 83% of likely Republican voters in Florida, while the survey shows Meeks and Crist splitting the Democratic vote.

The poll shows Rubio benefitting greatly by voter anger. 48% of those questioned are angry with the federal government, while 29% say they are dissatisfied.

Read more at Huffington Post →

Three major cities’ power has been interrupted as Bolivian peasants from the town of Zongo have taken over a power plant.

It is reported that roughly 200 Zongo farmers took over the COBEE plant to demand royalty payments for use of local water supplies.

Affecting electricity output, the peasants have diverted water flow to the plant, leaving many cities such as La Paz, El Alto, and Potosi without power.

Along with another COBEE plant in Miguillas, these plants generate about 24 percent of Bolivia’s electricity.

The interior ministry has shared that Deputy Minister Marcos Farfan and 160 police officers were sent to Zongo to “guarantee the functioning of the electrical energy generators,” and that “under no circumstances will the restriction of basic services be permitted” as the 2009 constitution acknowledges such services are public rights.

In a statement on the matter, government officials stated that cutting off of basic services “constitutes a serious crime, as a result of which appropriate action will be take to punish those responsible for any measure against the interests of the public.”

Israeli firm Inkia Holdings owns the plant.

Read more at LAHT →