Mario Benedetti dies at 88

Mario Benedetti, a prolific Uruguayan writer whose novels and poems reflect the idiosyncrasies of Montevideo's middle class and a social commitment forged by years in exile from a military dictatorship, died Sunday, his secretary said. He was 88.

My favorite "Antologia Poetica" with introduction by Pedro Orgambide, is among the books I keep next to my bed. Great activist, great talent, great loss!

You can listen to some of his poems at:
http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/graficos/00coberturas/benedetti/

Through Boom and Bust:
Minorities, Immigrants and Homeownership

The Pew Hispanic Center released a report that analyzes trends in homeownership from 1995 to 2008; higher-priced lending to Hispanics and blacks in 2006 and 2007; and factors related to differences in foreclosure rates across the nation's 3,141 counties. The condition of the local economy, house prices and higher priced lending to minorities are among other key factors related with county foreclosure rates.

The report,authored by Rakesh Kochhar, Associate Director for Research, Pew Hispanic Center, Ana Gonzalez-Barrera, Research Analyst, Pew Hispanic Center, and Daniel Dockterman, Research Assistant, Pew Hispanic Center, is available at the Pew Hispanic Center's website, www.pewhispanic.org. Just follow the headline's link.

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Rights, Not Raids

By Bill Ong Hing & David Bacon
This article with original date on April 29, 2009, appeared in the May 18, 2009 edition of The Nation.


For more than two decades, the authors say, undocumented workers have been accused and hunted like criminals, just for the simple reason of trying to hold a job in the United States.

Would President Obama carry on the campaign promises of Immigration Reform? Read on how these "enforcement" policies have destroyed the lives of many workers and their families, and how international leaders see the situation from another perspective.

Obama to Push Immigration Bill as One Priority

Finally the national debate about immigration will start, according to this article published today on the online version of the New York Times.

Latino immigrants supported President Obama with over 60% of their vote, which in time meant high pressure for the promises made during the campaign about discussing immigration.

Is Obama going to come forward with his promises? And if so, what are the conditions that his proposal will include to legalize 12 million undocumented immigrants? Will he follow the "Bush road" of "pay to play"?

State’s Crackdown on Immigrants Fuels Hispanic Media Growth

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news

Do you think the media should be the government agencies' watchdog? Read this article about North Carolina ethnic media. When the nation's immigrants are getting ready to march next May 1st, what is the role of media in this national debate?

"Most Spanish-language publications in the area have a specific section dedicated to immigration coverage. Radio stations such as La Tremenda La Raza in Charlotte broadcast daily talk shows that cover the latest developments on the immigration debate."

Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System

This new report by Mark Hugo Lopez, Associate Director, and Gretchen Livingston, Senior Researcher, Pew Hispanic Center is based on two different studies the Center conducted nationwide.

Not surprinsingly, Hispanics show less confidence in police effectiveness than whites and close to what Blacks believe. I say it does not come as a surprise when the "correctional" system is mainly crowded with Blacks and Hispanics.

Also read the interesting study about prisons in the US on the same page:
Pew Center on the States, "One in 31: The Long Reach of American Corrections," March 2, 2009.