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The lead news anchor with the largest U.S. Spanish-language television network called the absence of a Hispanic or African-American moderator in the upcoming presidential debates a "grave omission."

"One out of every four of the country's inhabitants is of some other ethnic origin and it is unacceptable that neither a Hispanic nor an African American has been named as moderator. I think the four professionals chosen are extraordinary, but the United States is much more diverse than that," Univision's Jorge Ramos told Efe.

In fact, the first reaction of Univision was to send a letter to the Commission On Presidential Debates asking them to reconsider their decision and proposed Ramos and his network colleague Maria Elena Salinas as moderators.

When the commission turned the idea down, Univision sent Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney an offer to organize a debate for the Hispanic public. READ MORE

The political advocacy group Voto Latino, which promotes civic engagement by American Latinos, is out with a new public service announcement encouraging voter registration, and in a world of more dour political ads, this one strikes a different tone.

Directed by “That 70s Show” star Wilmer Valderrama, it pulls out all the Hollywood studio stops to tell its story through a covert agency out to register voters … by any means necessary. The ad’s title? “The Enforcers.” The PSA features Valderrama as well as Demi Lovato, Tony Plana and Robert Hoffman.

The scenario, as described by a release promoting the PSA: “After word gets to ‘La Jefa’ (The Boss) that people are not registering to vote, Agents One (Valderrama) and Two (90210’s Hoffman) are sent on a mission to remedy the situation by any means necessary. When Agents One and Two can’t get the job done, the toughest enforcer Agent Three (Lovato) is called upon.”

“We tried to have a little bit more fun with our PSAs than the norm,” Valderrama told POLITICO, who described the ad as “Pulp Fiction meets Men in Black.” READ MORE

Nascar dads and Hispanics could be seen as being on opposite sides of the political fence, but that has not stopped Nascar from reaching an agreement with Fox Deportes, the Spanish-language cable sports channel, to broadcast 15 races starting in February.

The agreement includes the broadcast of six live races, including the Daytona 500, which will be broadcast in Spanish for the first time. Among other events are races at the Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

Latinos make up just 10 percent of Nascar viewers. Nascar recently released research showing that it needed to reach a younger and more diverse audience to help offset falling attendance and television ratings. It recently hired Ogilvy & Mather to help create a marketing plan to attract Latinos to the sport, and it has put a number of people on its communications and marketing teams to focus on young viewers and Hispanic outreach.

“It’s important for us across the board to have a diverse fan base,” said Steve Herbst, vice president for broadcasting and production at Nascar. “We want our fan base to look and feel like America. We want it to be similar to what makes up the entire population.” READ MORE

U.K. drink maker Diageo PLC (DGE.LN) is close to a deal to buy the Jose Cuervo tequila business from Mexico's Beckmann family for about $3 billion, the Sunday Times reports.

Diageo Chief Executive Paul Walsh could announce the acquisition alongside annual results on Thursday, the report said without citing sources, though it also said talks could last a few more weeks.

The report said the $3 billion is likely to be paid, at least in part, in shares.

The Beckmanns are being advised on the deal by Barclays Capital, while Diageo is being advised by HSBC and Goldman Sachs, the report said. READ MORE

Mitt Romney’s team kick started the “Women for Mitt” Coalition Wednesday breaking a mold on how Republicans are reaching out to women who are Hispanic.
Optimized rachel campos duffy 240 Obama and Romney each up efforts to appeal to Latinas.

“I find it really puzzling why Hispanic women wouldn’t be attracted to his message,” said Rachel Campos Duffy, a Latina author, television host and mother of six who is serving on the coalition’s advisory board.

“There are so many stereotypes of what it means to be Hispanic, and we often vote Democratic and for some other people, they need to be presented the other side,” Campos told VOXXI.

Campos will be talking to community members in an effort to convince women that the socially-conservative message Romney delivers is a natural fit for Hispanics. Some of the messaging points she will include in her conversations will hit home on pro-life, pro-marriage, pro-family values, combined with an economic opportunity theme. READ MORE

Jorge Ramos has a humbling problem.

He is one of the best-known Hispanics in the U.S. and a respected news anchor for the Univision networks on which millions of Americans routinely rely.

And yet, in Ramos' telling, his 14-year-old son, Nicolas, and his 25-year-old daughter, Paola, don't watch his newscasts.

"They get their information in English," Ramos said. "Their friends don't watch me. Their generation is not watching us in Spanish. So we have to do something."

That something is a new cable news channel, so embryonic that there is no name yet, or a clear sensibility. But it does offer a twist for Univision and Ramos: It's in English. READ MORE

Diabetes is a disease that causes blood sugar levels to be too high. Over time high blood sugar levels can hurt many parts of your body, such as your skin, mouth, kidneys, heart, nerves, eyes, and feet. It can even cause death.

Type 2 diabetes — the most common type of diabetes — affects about 1 in 10 Latinos. Within this group, Mexican-Americans are the most affected. Latinas are 17 times more likely to die from diabetes than non-Hispanic white women.

You can't control some risk factors for type 2 diabetes, such as your age, race, or family history. But you can prevent or delay developing type 2 diabetes by taking these steps:
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Improved My Health
Changed My Life
Saved My Life

- Maintain a healthy weight. Calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI) to see if you're at a healthy weight.

- Eat low-fat, well-balanced meals.

- Make physical activity a habit. Health benefits are gained by doing the following each week:

2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity
or

-- 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity
or

-- A combination of moderate and vigorous aerobic activity READ MORE

Support for the DREAM Act may soon become the official stance of the Democratic Party.

In an appeal to Latino voters, three Senate candidates in the Southwest are urging the Democratic National Convention to adopt as part of the party platform support for the bill to help some undocumented immigrants who came here as children attain citizenship.

Rep. Martin Heinrich, the Democratic nominee for a Senate seat from New Mexico, is leading the effort and said that formally supporting the immigration proposal would provide voters with a clear choice on an issue that many care deeply about.

"I think the time has come for the DREAM Act to be part of our identity as a party," Heinrich said in a telephone interview.

Democratic candidate Shelley Berkley in Nevada said she supports the campaign, and a spokesman for Richard Carmona in Arizona said he does as well. READ MORE

Sofia Vergara is probably the most recognizable Hispanic actress working in English-language television. She is one of the stars of “Modern Family,” among the highest-rated scripted shows on network television, and she has parlayed her celebrity into commercials for brands like Pepsi and Cover Girl.

Despite her popularity, “Modern Family” is not a hit with Hispanic viewers. Out of its overall viewership of 12.9 million, “Modern Family” drew an average of only about 798,000 Hispanic viewers in the season. That audience accounts for only about 6 percent of the show’s viewers — less than half of what you might expect given the 48 million Hispanic television viewers that Nielsen measures. READ MORE

Overcrowded emergency rooms can be fatal for Latinos and other minorities living in populated neighborhoods, suggests a study published in the journal Health Affairs.

Because minorities — Hispanics in particular — have low rates of health insurance, the emergency room has become a primary resource for medical care regardless of the severity of the medical issue. The process crowds emergency rooms and in turn emergency services become scarce, resulting in ambulance diversion, says study author Renee Y. Hsia, MD, assistant professor of emergency medicine at University of California, San Francisco. Ambulance diversion refers to a process in which an ambulance is turned away from a hospital, and redirected to the nearest one instead, because they cannot take any more emergency patients. READ MORE

These days a celebrity’s social media presence can go a long way and Shakira, Selena Gomez and Crisitiano Ronaldo are all aware of this as the three Latinos have topped Forbes Social Networking Superstars.

The list includes Barbados vixen and pop singer Rihanna, who came in first place, along with Mother monster Lady Gaga in second place and Gomez’s boyfriend Justin Bieber in fourth.

Shakira earned the sixth slot. The Colombian singer, who is rumored to be pregnant with soccer star Gerard Piqué’s baby, has a solid Twitter following of 17.6 million and 52.5 million ‘friends’ on Facebook.

Trailing behind Shakira is Piqué’s teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, who was the only athlete to make the top 10 Social Networking Superstars List.

Ronaldo has 12 million Twitter followers and has 47.5 million ‘friends’ on Facebook. According to Forbes, Ronaldo is the most popular athlete on social media. The Portuguese soccer player often takes time to thank his fans for their support and his gratitude for being able to play soccer professionally. READ MORE

A quarter century ago, Fox figured there was room for more than just three big TV networks. It created Fox Broadcasting, which would redefine television with shows such as "Married ... With Children," "The Simpsons," "24" and "American Idol."

Now, Fox is hoping to stage an encore.

Rupert Murdoch's company on Monday unveiled MundoFox, a new Spanish-language broadcast network. A joint venture with Colombian powerhouse RCN Television Group, the network will challenge the Spanish-language media dominance of entrenched rivals Univision Communications and Telemundo.

"It is a fascinating move, and it has the potential to really make an impact," said Diana Bald, a senior vice president at advertising firm ID Media.

Fox and RCN have chipped in an estimated $100 million to hire staff, develop programming and launch the service. The network and its national news team will be based in Los Angeles, unlike Univision and Telemundo, which both operate from Miami.

Fox is banking on the L.A. location to give MundoFox a competitive edge by absorbing the region's Mexican-American culture. Two-thirds of Latinos in the U.S. are of Mexican heritage.

"The key for them is to become a disruptive force rather than be a me-too player," Bald said.

That's precisely the plan, said Hernan Lopez, chief executive of the Fox International Channels division. READ MORE

So you grew up watching Elmo, Cookie Monster and Big Bird, and now you want to be friends with Rosita, Luis and Maria.

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If you are a bilingual actor or actress between the ages of 18 and 25, this may be the chance of a lifetime: "Sesame Street" is looking for a new Hispanic character.

The producers of "Sesame Street" told The Associated Press that they are holding an open casting call on Monday, August 20 at Manhattan's Roseland Ballroom for a recurring character to join the "'Sesame Street' family."

"We hope many people show up. We know the Latino community is full of talented people," said Rocio Galarza, senior director of content planning, design and outreach for Sesame Workshop, the non-profit organization behind "Sesame Street."

Although it's too early to talk about the specifics of the new character — which would depend on the chosen actor or actress' background — Galarza said they are looking for someone capable of singing and improvising in both English and Spanish and with a good sense of humor.

"Sesame Street" debuted in 1969 and has added versions in countries like Israel, Nigeria, Germany and Mexico, where "Plaza Sésamo" is produced. The series has always tried to adapt to the realities of the changing American population, which has seen a sharp increase in Hispanics in the last decades. READ MORE

In a large epidemiologic study, researchers at UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer Center found that babies of U.S.-born Latinas are at higher risk for retinoblastoma — a malignant tumor of the retina which typically occurs before the age of 6 — than children of Mexico-born mothers.

The study, which focused on infants born in California, also found that children of older fathers and those born to women with sexually transmitted diseases were at greater risk for the disease, as were children from multiple-birth pregnancies, which may indicate an increased risk from in vitro fertilization. Those findings confirmed the results of several smaller studies.

The research team used data from the California Cancer Registry and examined all retinoblastoma cases reported from 1988 to 2007, said Julia Heck, first author of the study and an assistant researcher at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Using California data allowed the researchers to cull information from a large and diverse population that included many Latinas.

The study appears in the early online edition of the journal Cancer Causes and Control. READ MORE

When many of us think of starting a business, we think of a long road ahead, a lot of sacrifice, and of course – the burning question – how to secure access to capital.

Every start up business requires seed money – some more than others. Interestingly enough, leveraging digital media to start an online business may be more affordable than one may think and I’m pleased to see that Latinas are jumping onboard this bandwagon early.

We already have several examples of Latina entrepreneurs that are really making a difference with their online businesses. Marie Forleo probably knows this better than anyone as a Latina businesswoman dedicated to helping other Latinas start online businesses through her digital platform Rich, Happy and Hot B-School. According to Forleo: “In a few short years, I’ve been able to build a multimillion dollar business that reaches women in 188 countries all around the world with nothing more than a laptop, a dream, and a desire to make a difference.” Through her online business, Forleo offers a “6 Pillar Map” program that seeks to help women worldwide build a digital media brand and successful online business. READ MORE

There’s enormous and warranted attention in news reports this morning to Ted Cruz’s apparent double-digit victory over the Texas lieutenant governor, David Dewhurst, in that state’s Republican primary for a U.S. Senate seat. It was a headlines-grabbing, come-from-behind trouncing, and the reports focus specifically, and rightly, on what it says about the continued potency of the Tea Party and the lure of a certain sort of purism in the Republican Party, whose establishment seems unable to beat back and control insurgents from the right.

Here’s Erik Eckholm’s analysis, in his story this morning for The Times: “Mr. Cruz, 41, is the latest conservative rebel to bring down an established party leader, tapping into frustration within the Republican ranks nationwide. These dissident triumphs include, in this year’s primaries, the defeat of Senator Richard G. Lugar of Indiana by Richard E. Mourdock and Deb Fischer’s win over a veteran Republican for the Senate nomination in Nebraska.”

And here’s David Catanese, in Politico: “Cruz’s double-digit victory in a megastate ushers in what Tea Party members hope will be a new phase in which no amount of money, name ID or establishment support is immune to the burgeoning movement.” READ MORE

Everyone knows that yellow and blue make green ... but what do Latino and non-Latino make? For starters, it's causing a new dynamic called interculturization—the interaction and marriage of different cultures.

Hispanic Group claims that the Latino craze that has been sweeping the nation for the past decade is causing this phenomenon, which is having a dramatic impact on American culture with all things Hispanic exploding in the mainstream. Non-Latinos living in predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods—like Miami, Los Angeles and New York—are just as likely as their Hispanic counterparts to know how to dance salsa and where to eat the best ceviche. With Spanish being the top foreign language being taught in schools, the Latino culture is undoubtedly leaving a profound imprint on society.

"When two cultures collide and co-exist, they breathe life into a new fusion known as interculturization," said Jose Luis Valderrama, President and founder of Hispanic Group. "That's how one of the most popular festivities in the U.S.—St. Patrick's Day—was born and now we all wear green on March 17."

If Latinos were hot before, 2012 can easily be classified as the year that Latinos were on fire: launch of English-language news outlets focusing on Latino news, William Levy dominating on Dancing with the Stars, Sofia Vergara as the new spokesperson for Diet Pepsi and even Usher singing Bachata. There is no doubt that Hispanics are passionate about their food, music, fashion and television. So whether marketers like it or not, they've learned to embrace Latino culture, not as a passing phase but as a permanent fixture in American life. And those who have are cashing in on the Latino purchasing power. READ MORE

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released two reports regarding diversity in federal employment that should not escape notice in the Federal Eye.

The reports on Hispanics and people with disabilities, released in late July, show noteworthy increases in employment, particularly among Latinos in the Senior Executive Service.

The percentage of new SES hires who are Hispanic jumped to 5.4 percent in fiscal 2011, from 2.7 percent the year before, a significant increase. The increase in federal Latino employment overall was insignificant, from 8 percent in 2010 to 8.1 percent last year.

“A 0.1 percent increase in Hispanic employment in the federal workforce in four years is not change to brag about,” said Jorge E. Ponce, co-president of the Council of Federal EEO & Civil Rights Executives. “Nevertheless, I'm glad of the Hispanic increase at the SES ranks. While the numeric increase in Hispanics in the SES ranks is small, it is progress in the right direction.” READ MORE

Unlike other U.S. wars, the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have relied on a relatively small number of volunteers deployed multiple times. This combination puts an extreme mental toll on the women and men who serve and has put a spotlight on the increase in post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, cases among service members. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently reported that 15 percent of veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq currently suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The situation is even more severe for Latino veterans. There are more than 1.2 million Hispanic veterans and the Department of Veterans Affairs reports that 39 percent of Hispanic veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder—a condition they will have to cope with for the rest of their lives. Despite this prevalence, however, the needs of Latino veterans are often overlooked. With more and more Latinos serving in the military, it is important that we understand the circumstances confronting this population so we can better support every veteran. READ MORE

Eight summers ago, a fresh faced politician took to the podium for a keynote address at the Democratic convention that launched him onto the national stage and a path to the White House.

Among the viewers of then Sen. Barack Obama's national debut was Julian Castro, now mayor of San Antonio, who will follow in Obama’s footsteps as keynote speaker at the Democratic convention this year in Charlotte.

In picking Castro, Democrats are acknowledging the power of the Latino vote in the 2012 race for the White House and the changing demographics across the country. In attempting to fill Obama’s shoes, Castro, 37, is set to raise his national profile and lay the foundation for possible statewide or national ambitions.

“He could be the first Latino President or Vice President and it would be reasonable to suggest that Julian would be well positioned to be the Democratic nominee for Texas Governor, ” said Walter Clark Wilson a professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. “Right now he is doing everything right to set up these kinds of situations for the future.” READ MORE