Thanks....
To our listeners, guests, crew and sponsors who make the Yo Soy Latino show possible a warm and heartfelt thank you.
Yo Soy Latino Radio has been bringing great radio to your neighbors, friends, family, and to you (our listeners) for the past two years. We have done so with help and advertisers like you. But like everyone else in this tough economy we’ve had to tighten our belts and made choices to keep quality programming alive.
If we are to keep the doors open, the lights on and maintain great quality programming like this on the air in Central Florida given these tough economic times, WE NEED YOUR HELP! Your generous contribution today to the Yo Soy Latino Radio Show will fuel its commitment to bringing Central Florida’s focus on public media.
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You can talk with the host on air by calling the station’s guestline at 407-774-0810 every Saturday from 12-1 p.m.
Cool Trivia...
April 30, 2011
1492 – Columbus is given royal commission to equip his fleet
1598 – First theater performance in America (Spanish comedy: Rio Grande)
1772 – Game of Billiards is mentioned in New England Courant
1798 – Dept of Navy forms
1803 – The US doubles in size through the purchase of Louisiana ($15 million)
1859 – Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities” is first published in literary periodical All the Year Round, continues in weekly installments until Nov 26
1864 – New York becomes the first state to charge a hunting license fee
1889 – George Washington Bridge linking NYC and NJ opens
1900 – USA annexes Hawaii
1904 – Ice cream cones, makes its debut
1935 – World Congress for Women’s rights concludes in Istanbul
1960 – Juliana, Queen of the Netherlands, abdicates
1974 – Pres Nixon hands over partial transcripts of Watergate tape recordings
1987 – NY Islander Mike Bossy plays his final game
1990 – US hostage Frank Reed freed after 4 years in the hands of pro-Iranians
2009 – Chrysler automobile company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Movies...
Top 10 Box Office
April 30, 2011
1. Rio
2. Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family
3. Water for Elephants
4. Hop
5. Scream 4
6. African Cats
7. Soul Surfer
8. Hanna
9. Insidious
10. Source Code
Opening This Week:
Fast Five
Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil
Prom
13 Assassins
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Dylan Dog: Dead of Night
Exporting Raymond
That’s What I Am
Movie Review:
Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family (2011) — rating: 3 STARS
I have to admit Madea is clearly Tyler Perry’s signature character. You may see some of the same sap and slapstick. However, it has heart and a heck of a lot of humor.
The story highlights her niece, played by Loretta Devine, who wants to have the clan over for dinner so she can announce that she’s dying of cancer. However, the family won’t stop bickering long enough for her to break the news.
That’s where Madea steps in for she knows exactly how to apply those "tough love" principles. Overall, this film is one take of comedic images dealing with a dysfunctional family’s everyday life with some helpful advice from Madea. Though the reviews were mixed, especially that one from Spike Lee (where Perry told him pretty much where to go) it was enjoyable.
Breaking News...
World and Local News
April 30, 2011
The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton
London (CNN) — It is rare that a royal wedding like this comes around three times in one’s lifetime but for many baby boomers it did. First it was Charles and Diana who started the tradition followed by Sarah and Andrew and now its William and Catherine’s turn. Every eye around the globe will be watching.
Clock Ticking for Obama’s Security Team
Washington (CNN) — President Obama’s new national security team (Leon Panetta, Pentagon and Gen. David Petraeus, CIA and Ryan Crocker, U.S. ambassador) has just 18 months to trim hundreds of billions of dollars from the Pentagon budget, wind down two wars and prepare for conflict anywhere from Syria to North Korea, all the while trying to figure out how things will settle down in the Mideast.
President Obama visits Alabama Friday after tornado aftermath, 300 killed
Washington (CNN) — The Southeast has been hit by dozens of tornadoes in recent days, killing more than 300. The White House said, the president was briefed by emergency officials Thursday morning on relief efforts. He will be travel to Alabama on Friday to view damage from the deadliest tornadoes in nearly 40 years and meet the families devastated by the storms. Also, the president will travel to Florida later Friday for the launch of space shuttle Endeavour.
Plan in Legislature would let Hotels cut taxes by Selling Rooms to Themselves
Orlando Sentinel — Florida hotels would be allowed to sell rooms to themselves at reduced prices in order to lower their tax bills, under an eleventh-hour proposal that surfaced Thursday in the Florida House of Representatives but which was subsequently withdrawn.
Sen. Paul wants proof of Trump’s GOP Credentials
Washington (CNN) — Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky questioned Trump’s legitimacy, not as an American, but as a Republican. Paul said, “he’s concerned and would like to see Trump’s original long-form certificate of Republican registration” — noting that Trump had given thousands of dollars in donations to Democratic majority leader Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada and Democratic Rep. Charlie Rangel of New York in the last election cycle. Paul’s centered concerns that attention garnered by GOP candidates like Trump distracts from pertinent discussions about the deficit and economy.
Records obtained by CNN show that Trump changed his party registration THREE times over the past 20 years and did not cast a vote in the 2002 general election.
Cigars...
Fire Up with Jose’s top suggestions!
April 30, 2011
90 Miles from Flor de Gonzalez
Alex Bradley Mundial
Aurora 107
El Triunfador
Davidoff Puro de Oro
Jamie Garcia Reserva Especial
Sponsored by:
Ol’ Times Smoke Shop
Casselberry’s best kept secret, located at 860 E HWY 436
Telephone: 407-699-6163, Website: www.oltimescigars.com
Today’s Highlights...
April 30, 2011
Orlando, FL — YSL’s host begins the hour with one perfectly thunderous salutation. Keeping his monologue fresh and moving while on a very relaxed note. And, as you know, he does bring a bit of the mischief to the hour! Gradually announcing today’s guest lineup starting with Iris Gomez an award winning author and most sought out immigration expert. Amy Mercado who is no stranger to Orlando Chairs the Orange County Democratic Party; and of course, Jack Maurice who’s been causing quite a stir in the Central Orlando area when six billboards blanketed the Easter holiday with a message of “Don’t believe in God? You are not alone.”
However, before engaging his guests, Miranda made an announcement. He said, “I want to share with you some news today regarding Yo Soy Latino. There is a strong possibility that this will be our final broadcast. The current economic environment has hit us hard and we need your help.” His voice was solemn but his delivery heartfelt.
As many of you know there are very few progressive shows that aren’t afraid to speak the truth and if we allow this happen, to let this be YSL’s final chapter it would be a shame because Yo Soy Latino radio is vital to the restoration of balance in our communities.
This week YSL had to disclose that financially the program was troubled. Miranda encouraged everyone to show their support and appreciation by going to www.yosoylatino.us click on the donate button and make a small contribution of $5, $10 whatever amount you could do to ensure that YSL remains on the airwaves. It’s easy. Show your support. Don’t delay. Make that small contribution today. Remember together we can make a difference!
Now back to this week’s highlights. There’s a group that caused quite a stir in Central Florida during the Easter holiday. As billboards were placed all over Orlando by the Orlando Coalition of Reason (Orlando CoR) in an aggressive ad campaign to raise awareness that there is a group of free-thinking “non-theist” individuals who do not share the views of many. Of course this raised a few eyebrows by some of the local Christians. So joining YSL today was Mr. Jack Maurice.
Mr. Maurice is the Coordinator of Orlando Coalition of Reason (Orlando CoR) — a growing national organization in the United States with 4 local groups that promote a wakefulness of non-theists present in every community in America. What does that mean exactly? Orlando CoR is devoted to the separation of church and state in the United States through the court system. For more information go to www.OrlandoCoR.org or send an email to Mr. Maurice at GotReason02@gmail.com.
Next Jose invited Amy Mercado, Chairperson for the Orange County Democratic Party to join in. Mercado spoke briefly on what’s been going on with the Party, especially those issues that have a direct impact on each of us in our daily lives. For example the Fair District Preclearance Application (Amendment 5 and 6) which passed with 63% of the votes in the last election to end the ability of lawmakers to draw their district boundaries for their own benefit or that of their party was purposely withheld by Gov. Scott to allow lawmakers to put their own redistricting amendment on the ballot to compete with 5 and 6. However, the Florida Supreme Court threw it out ruling it was misleading to voters. The Orange County Democratic Party like YSL is in need your help. To reach out to Amy Mercado or get more information on the Orange County Democratic Party go to www.orangedemocrats.com.
Last but not least, YSL’s guest of the hour Ms. Iris Gomez. Ms. Gomez is well respected and sought out to speak on the subject of immigration. As an immigrant herself she has dedicated her working days to being one of the best attorneys in her field. However, during her free time she is an award winning author. Ms. Gomez spoke about one of her stories, “Try to Remember” a story about a young girl named Gabriella (Gaby) is said to be a best book club read. She describes this character as likeable but begrudges the relative freedom her brothers enjoy. And as she spoke of the character Gaby she said it resonated so much of her. As one reader put it, “this novel is a beautifully written coming-of-age story that gives insight into the Latina world, but also tells universal truths of growing up and breaking free and the accompanying exhilaration and apprehension those actions bring.” The book is available at Amazon.com for those of you who would like to read this very engaging book. And, if you wish to reach out to Ms. Gomez you can befriend her on Facebook as we did or go to irisgomez.com.
Well, that concludes another hour of the YSL show. If you’ve missed anything feel free to visit our archived shows, drop us a note and let us know what you think. Don’t forget if it’s Noon time Saturday it’s time for the Yo Soy Latino Radio Hour!
Fashion...
Maxi Dress Goes Sheer
April 30, 2011
We've all heard that old adage, "What goes around comes around!" Well, every season you can expect trends to evolve or one or two to emerge. However, what will be slightly different is the season’s take on a staple for many women’s summer wardrobe, for example, the maxi dress.
Talk about HOT! This dress comes in the shape of a floor or a mid-calf length dress created in any transparent fabric you can think of. It can be both dressy if teamed with the right accessories or a little retro, which opens up a whole new world of style. The most popular shades include a creamy beige style or a sheer black.
Some will have thin spaghetti straps. So during the day it will leave you without tan lines and at night you can dance the night away knowing your dress will stay in place. It’s a great investment piece that can be worn over and over again. To tone it down wear flat sandals but to give it those party flares add heels and a little bling. However, if you want a more rebellious look pair it with some biker boots to give it that edgy feel.
Sports Box...
April 30, 2011
Baseball
Cards erupt for nine-run sixth, win in Houston
HOUSTON (MLB) — The Cardinals showed why they are the best hitting team in the National League on Thursday night, scoring nine runs on 10 hits and sending 14 batters to the plate in the sixth inning en route to an 11-7 win over the Houston Astros.
Patient Yankees overwhelm White Sox
NEW YORK (MLB) — Brett Gardner’s home run sparked what developed into a six-run fifth inning as the Yankees coasted to a 12-3 victory over the White Sox on Thursday.
Lester continues dominance of Orioles
BALTIMORE — Behind timely hits, Red Sox ace now 14-0 vs. AL East foe. The lock of all locks continued at Camden Yards on Thursday night. The Red Sox always feel good when Jon Lester takes the ball, but when the power lefty does so against the Orioles, there is even more reason for confidence.
Top Two Teams in Each Division — Standings: W/L
As of Friday, 4.29.11
AMERICAN LEAGUE
East:
New York Yankees (14-9)
Tampa Bay (14-12)
Central:
Cleveland (17-8)
Detroit (13-13)
West:
Texas (15-10)
Los Angeles (15-11)
NATIONAL LEAGUE
East:
Philadelphia (17-8)
Florida (16-8)
Central:
St. Louis (15-11)
Cincinnati (13-12)
West:
Colorado (16-7)
LA Dodgers (13-13)
Basketball
Jackson Closes another Door
NEW ORLEANS (NBL) — Phil Jackson closed the door Thursday to returning for another season as Lakers coach even if a lockout costs the league part of 2011-2012 and leads to a shortened scheduled that would mean reduced physical strain
Knicks decide to keep Billups for next season
NEW YORK (NBL) — The New York Knicks are bringing Chauncey Billups back for next season.
Football
Newton Now the Top Cat
(NFL) — The Carolina Panthers selected Auburn quarterback Cam Newton with the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft Thursday night, gambling the Heisman Trophy winner will overcome questions about his character and work ethics to become the team’s first franchise quarterback.
Wines...
Top Choices for under $25
April 30, 2011
2008 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough (New Zealand)
2006 Terrazas Reserva Malbec Mendoza (Argentina)
2004 Matchbook Tempranillo Dunnigan Hills (California)
2008 Torbreck Cuvee Juveniles Barossa Valley (Australia)
2007 La Crema Chardonnay Monterey (California)
2005 Domaine Carneros Brut (California)
2005 Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (Italy)
Special Interest...
HELPING OTHERS
The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe has recently been through 2 winter storms leaving the reservation without power or water. They are in dire need of monetary contributions of any size to assist with the incurring expenses. Your donations and contributions will help in keeping their Tribal members alive, fed and warm.
For more information go to the link below: https://secure.piryx.com/donate/0oFFsK8c/Cheyenn-River-Sioux-Tribe/
Also, keep in mind that it’s been a tough year for many Americans and the world at large and your local American Red Cross was not immune. Give generously to this non-government humanitarian emergency assistance and disaster relief program so that they can continue to perform their acts of kindness; for more information go to www.redcross.org.
Recipe...
April 30, 2011
Orecchiette with Pancetta, Peas and Fresh Herbs
Get dinner on the table in 25 minutes with this easy delicious and healthy pasta dish with fresh herbs. Sure to be a winner at your supper table!
Serving: 4-6 • Time: 25 min
Ingredients:
1 pound orecchiette
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 ounces thickly sliced pancetta, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 cup frozen peas, thawed (about 5 ounces)
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino-Romano cheese
2 tablespoons snipped chives
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped mint
Directions:
Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet. Add the pancetta and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and jalapeno and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the peas and toss to coat. Add the pasts along with the reserved pasta water and the cheese. Season generously with pepper and cook over moderately high heat until the sauce is thick and creamy, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chives, parsley and mint and serve right away.
Source: www.foodandwine.com/recipes, contributed by Grace Parisi.
Health...
April 30, 2011
Emotions Show Our True Colors
Emotional health can lead to success in work, in relationships and in our overall health. In the past, researchers believed that success made people happy. However, newer research reveals that it’s the other way around. Happy people are more likely to work toward goals, find the resources they need and attract others with their energy and optimism which are the key building blocks of success. (Adapted from “Review of Research Challenges Assumption that Success Makes People Happy)
Here are a few things that will help:
Exercise:
You don’t have to knock yourself out to feel good. A little exercise can reduce depression and boost your energy levels.
Turn Lemons into Lemonade:
Hardiness Helps People Turn Stressful Circumstances into Opportunities
Research shows hardiness is the key to the resiliency for not only surviving, but also thriving, under stress. Hardiness enhances performance, leadership, conduct, stamina, mood and both physical and mental health.
The happiness diet:
Limiting over thinking can improve your emotional well-being.
Source: www.apa.org/topics/emotion/index.aspx.
Politics...
April 30, 2011
How High Gas Prices Impoverish the Many While Enriching the Few
by Dan Froomkin, Huffington Post
The next time you're gritting your teeth as you fill your tank with $4 gas, here's something to consider: Your pain is their gain.
The last of the Big Five oil companies announced first-quarter earnings Friday, so the totals are in. Between the five of them, Exxon, Mobil, BP, Shell, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips made $34 million in profits the first three months of 2011 — up 42 percent from a year ago. That's about $110 for every man, woman, and child in the United States — in just three months.
Exxon alone cleared a cool $10.7 billion profit from January through March, up 69 percent from 2010. That's $82,175 a minute. Why the staggering increase in earnings? Precisely because you're paying $4 a gallon for gas!
Gas prices shoot up when oil prices shoot up, and when oil prices shoot up for reasons that have nothing to do with how much it costs to bring it out of the ground, it's a windfall for the folks who produce it.
The average cost to produce a barrel of oil, including exploration, development, extraction and taxes, is about $30, according to a U.S. Energy Information Administration survey. The going rate to buy one is about $113.
Why is the price so high? Part of it is increased demand and geopolitical worries. But no less an authority on the matter than Goldman Sachs acknowledged earlier this month that speculation is at least partially responsible, driving oil prices up faster and higher than supply and demand could possibly explain. That means the people who are betting on oil prices are actually making the price of oil go up.
And while the pain is widely felt — consider all the Wal-Mart shoppers who are agonizing over how to make it to the end of the month — the benefits are not being widely shared.
The industry's powerful Washington mouthpiece, the American Petroleum Institute, argues that the staggering earnings simply reflect oil and gas companies' tremendous contributions to the economy, and that their stock prices are shoring up the nations’ pension funds.
Adam Sieminski, chief energy economist for Deutsche Bank, thinks the numbers get too much attention. “The overall profit numbers look really big because they're really big companies that move a lot of product around,” he says. “To say that they're enormous profits only works if you're talking about the total number. They're not enormous profits if you compare them across other companies and other industries.”
Siemenski even accentuates the positive. “Yes, when gas goes up, everybody squeaks, because it's uncomfortable,” he says. But high oil prices mean, among other things, that “it becomes more attractive to do alternative energy… The worst thing that ever happened to wind and solar power companies was when oil prices collapsed in 2008 and early 2009,” he says. Furthermore, when gas gets pricey, “people who made a decision to get a Prius instead of a Hummer get a payback, and from a societal standpoint, that's probably good.”
And yet, the fact of the matter is that every visit to the gas pump reflects a transfer of money from the many to the few — and in most cases, from the not-so-rich to the super-rich.
By and large, the oil companies' profits are not finding their way back into the communities from which they came; are not being used to create more jobs; and are not being invested in new equipment and exploration.
Some of that money is going back out the door in the form of larger dividends to stockholders. But in the case of two of the big five in particular — Exxon and ConocoPhillips — more than half of their total profits are being used to buy back their own stock.
Fully $5.7 billion of Exxon's haul went to buy back its own stock — and the company announced that it expects to buy back yet another $5 billion's worth in the second quarter of the year. Conoco earned $3 billion in the first three months of 2011 — and spent $1.6 billion of that to buy back 21 million of its own shares.
Buying back stock is not an uncommon tactic among publicly held companies, particularly when they experience a sudden and possibly temporary uptick in revenue. Buybacks are almost guaranteed to send stock prices up, by boosting earnings per outstanding share, increasing the demand for the stock and sending a signal that the company thinks its stock is undervalued.
But from the viewpoint of a company's CEO, other top brass and its board of directors, stock buybacks have all sorts of particular advantages, as well.
Top executives, after all, often get significant stock options. If stock prices don't go up, such options are worthless. By contrast, the higher the stock price goes, the more valuable the option. (Exxon's stock is up 32 percent from six months ago.)
Companies that buy back their stock can either retire it or simply keep it themselves, under the control of the board of directors, to reissue later or award as bonuses.
Dividends, by contrast, are not nearly as good a deal for company executives. For one thing, they are taxed as income. An increase in the stock price is not taxed as income; it's not taxed at all until the stock is sold — and only then at the capital gains tax rate, which is limited to 15 percent. (Fifteen percent would be a lot for the median American family, which pays less than 5 percent of its income in federal taxes. But it's a huge break to those paying income tax at the highest marginal rate of 35 percent.)
“Buying back shares benefits existing shareholders, no one else. And more than anyone else, it benefits existing management,” says Henry Banta, an energy industry analyst and partner in the Washington D.C. law firm of Lobel, Novins & Lamont.
“They're basically enriching themselves,” says Daniel J. Weiss, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. “With this windfall, they enrich the board of directors, senior managers, and shareholders.”
And in 2007, when Exxon was using $30 billion a year from the previous oil-price bubble to buy back its shares, Bloomberg columnist David Pauly wrote: “In most cases, stock buybacks are suspect. Managements should ignore investors' call to repurchase their shares and invest money in ways that will increase profit, not just earnings per share.”
As for the dividends paid by Exxon and the other oil giants, there may be a lot of shareholders, total — including a lot of pension funds and mutual funds — but the vast majority of shares are held by a very small elite.
Edward N. Wolff, an economics professor at New York University, studies wealth distribution. His latest study includes data through 2007. When it comes to total equity in stocks, Wolff says, “it's still very concentrated in the hands of the rich.”
“Less than half of households owned stock as of 2007,” he says. “Probably less now” because of the financial crisis, he suspects: “Probably more like 45 percent, maybe less.” That includes 401ks, mutual funds and the like.
“Even that really overstates things because a lot of the people who do own stock own very small amounts,” Wolff says. As of 2007, the percentage of households that owned $5,000 or more of stock was 35 percent; only 22 percent owned $25,000 or more. Who's got the rest? The wealthiest 1 percent of households has 38 percent, Wolff found; the wealthiest 5 percent has 69 percent; the wealthiest 10 percent has 81 percent.
The bottom 60 percent of households owns 2.5 percent of the total stock. Not so very much.
There's another thing the big oil companies are doing with their profits: they're hoarding them. If precedent holds, as soon as oil prices started shooting up again, a lot of that money started going into the bank for safekeeping — and adding yet more to the $1 trillion or so in corporate cash lying fallow and slowing the recovery.
And as it happens, a not insubstantial chunk of last quarter's profits were a direct gift — from the taxpayers. Somewhere between $4 billion and $9 billion of the industry's annual profits comes from federal subsidies.
President Barack Obama has proposed repealing $4 billion a year in subsidies; the American Petroleum Institute says the proposal would actually cost the industry about $90 billion over the next decade.
Response to Obama's proposal was lackluster at first, from both sides of the aisle. But Democrats, afraid of being thrown out of the White House by an angry, gas-impoverished voting public, are suddenly seeing the fight to repeal those subsidies as a winning political issue.
Although the repeal would neither increase nor decrease the price of gas, it would take a bite out of Big Oil. And pushing for the repeal will almost inevitably highlight the modern Republican Party's nearly lockstep allegiance to the thriving oil and gas interests — something that, in a period of high gas prices and even higher profits, couldn't be good for them.
But yet another thing the industry does with all its cash is buy influence in Washington. (See my April 6 report, How the Oil Lobby Greases Washington’s Wheels.)
For instance, Exxon, during the same quarter it made nearly $11 billion, spent just a tiny fraction of that on lobbying. But that was still a whopping $3 million.
