English Speaking, First

Cedar Rapids, June 13, 2008. The levees breach, rivers overflow, and 400 city blocks become immersed with water. Tenants fled apartment buildings, patrons left their margarita glasses at the bar and families fled for higher grounds, but not everyone was rescued. Listening to the correspondents for Univision on Aqui Y Ahora, many Latin and Mexican residents were left behind to fend for their own shelter. Many business and home owners never fearing such natural disaster would ever take place have no insurance policy in place to safeguard their belongings after the floods dry.

Maybe because resources are limited to those that only speak English and have proof of legal citizenship many people that look just like me are being turned away from rescue shelters. Now homeless many Spanish speaking residents of Cedar Rapids are in distress with no place to go for help. Sleeping in cars, eating out of an ice chest, using the bathroom in a cup at night when public restrooms are not at dispose is the reality to some that have fallen between the cracks of humanitarian help.

Just two days before they got up and went to work, bought their own groceries and paid sales taxes just like you and I. One business owner that was interviewed stated the one thing he learned from this crisis is to treat Nature with more care, he feels like its karma on earth’s inhabitants. For the couple living out of their car not welcome at rescue shelters because they do not speak English, the woman says, “God will tighten his grip, but he won’t choke you”.

Next time you drive thru the fast food restaurant or lay down to sleep in your warm bed with shelter from the outside elements, think of those that lost everything in Cedar Rapids.

Reppin 305

Selena Serrano @ http://www.selenaserrano.ccom/ has got me "Waiting" on her mainstream debut. After hearing her featured on DJ Freddy Fred's Mixtape 305 Till ! Die found at http://www.djfreddyfred.com/. The Puerto Rican songstress has a genuine sound after viewing her interview with 305tv, courtesy of http://www.brightcove.tv/, she's got a new fan with WhoUFeelin.

I wish Selena the best of success and shout outs to Team Pitbull for putting this talent out on my radar.

Because I lust after this ambitious, high energy, sophisticated and street Latino, Pitbull, I am partial to want to hear anything he is a part of, so when I heard he was partnering up with DJ FreddyFred and Baby Bash to tour the House of Blues with Sucker Free Latino TR3,MTV3; I was excited to get the behind the scenes scope. Observing from a far, Pitbull aka Armando Perez is a very hard working artist, teaming up with accomplished and Underground to build an empire for those that have yet to fill a seat at the table. Team Pitbull appreciates the fans and does its best to provide the entertainment you pay for. Guarded about his next move nothing is uncertain for this Capricorn, Pitbull. He leads by example, a man with a vision surrounding himself with skilled DJs from DJ Ideal, DJ Buddha and now DJ Freddy Fred.

Latino Artist On The Rise

Words of wisdom from an independent http://www.smoothvega.com/ that set out to find that expection to every rule. SmoothVega caught my interest while surfing the Internet for at event Block2Block Magazine is set to cover. Courtesy of http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2007/apr/04/smoothvega-talks-and-he-has-lot-say/

Read the interview and get schooled. SmoothVega has a lot of advice for you upcoming artist that might want to listen.

SmoothVega and I share a common interest, Sinful (EL Pecador), a Mexican rapper I been feeling since I first heard him spit a verse on "Latinos Stand Up" with Pitbull. Hearing "La Plaga", Sinful represents for Latino rappers addressing social observations of many neighbors.

Currently, Sinful in on tour but you can hit him up on www.myspace/sinful.com

In Your Face

For those that say racism is an exaggerated excuse that no longer limits minorities or non-English speaking individuals that refuse to learn English for their own good get a load of the facts published by The Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975 that makes it mandatory for lenders to maintain and disclose data in relations to their loans. In recent years HMDA numbers vary wildly across racial lines. Black and Hispanic borrowers are more likely to have a subprime loan than Caucasians.

In fact, in 2006, there was a 36% difference with 53% of blacks having subprime mortgages compared to only 17% for Caucasians. In July 2007, the NAACP filed a lawsuit against 14 lending subprime lenders for practicing “systematic, institutionalized racism in making home mortgages loans.” And for the record those that are thinking” most minorities don’t pay their bills anyway”, while reading this blog, consider that in 2006 the Center for Responsible Lending reported when credit risk was equal, blacks were still 31% to 34% more likely to receive a higher rate than Caucasians.

It’s NOT a fair world we live in and affirmative action doesn’t make it an easy environment to prove your skills without regard to quota. I am not saying it IS or IS NOT still needed considering the latest lawsuit filed against NASCAR by former aspiring racing official, Mauricia Grant.


In the lawsuit, Grant said she complained numerous times to her supervisors about how she was treated, to no avail. On one occasion, Grant said Nationwide Series director Joe Balash, her immediate supervisor, was dismissive of her complaints, explaining her co-workers were "former military guys" with a rough sense of humor. "You just have to deal with it," she says Balash told her.

The lawsuit details a series of those alleged incidents:
• Grant was forced to work outside more often than the white male officials because her supervisors believed she couldn't sunburn because she was black.
• While riding in the backseat of her car pool at Talladega Superspeedway, co-workers told her to duck as they passed race fans. "I don't want to start a riot when these fans see a black woman in my car," she claims one official said.
• When packing up a dark garage at Texas Motor Speedway an official told Grant: "Keep smiling and pop your eyes out 'cause we can't see you."
• When she ignored advances from co-workers, Grant was accused of being gay. She also claimed co-workers questioned the sexual orientation of two other female officials.
After her termination, Grant said she went over her notes and recognized "a pattern of retaliation and discrimination."
"It didn't diminish my love for the sport of auto racing, but the job wasn't always the easiest thing to go to every day," she said.


Lets just hope Mauricia Grant gets her fair day in court in our unfair world. Will the balance of the scales be in her favor? Note: Laughing at racist jokes only imples that the humor is acceptable and it is NOT; its offensive.

Free MixTape Series

This month, June, proves to be a busy month for a money man-Feddi Man. Street translation for those of you that got jokes on how to pronounce the name Feddi, it means cash. Partnering up with BRMG for a free monthly Mixtapes Series mixed by DJ Protege you can download his tracks for free by visiting www.myspace.com/feddiman. A local from Montopolis neighborhood reppin the hood it was only natural that real recognize real and Top Dollar Ent. would make his Friday, June 13,2008 album release possible. That's right check out Top Dollar stores for the merchandise. Stay posted on whether there will be a CD release party to show love. Listening to his lyrics you know Feddi Man is serious about his paper chase staying busy in the studio, making contacts through his manager, alberto@blueroommusicgroup.com. Feddi Man is available for booking.

Being Another Statistic?

Survey says Hispanic teens try drugs, suicide at higher rates, but maybe you never heard about this before because until this morning when the report was released by Associated Press no one cared to discuss the findings. The finding comes from a CDC survey of about 14,000 U.S. high school students that has been conducted every other year since 1991. Results reported Thursday were from last year's survey say higher rates of risk-taking by Hispanics in several areas. One example: About 10 to 11 percent of Hispanic students said they attempted suicide, compared with around 7 percent of whites and 8 percent of blacks.
However, whites reported the highest rates of smoking and heavy drinking, while blacks reported the highest rates of obesity, violence and sexual activity.
One striking behavior in which blacks fared the worst was television watching.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than two hours of daily TV viewing a day for kids. Physical activity is needed to develop mental and social skills and help prevent obesity, and TV violence has been associated with more aggressive behavior in children who watch a lot of it.
The study is the latest in a series of surveys of U.S. high school students every two years. The new report noted black and white students are reporting less sexual activity that in years past, but there was no decline among Hispanics. Experts have not been able to find a clear explanation for that.
In addition, Hispanic students were more likely that either blacks or whites to attempt suicide, ride with a driver who had been drinking alcohol, or use cocaine, heroin or ecstasy.
Hispanics also most often drank alcohol on school property, were offered or sold illegal drugs, and occasionally skipped school because they feared for their safety.
The school environments many Hispanics face may differ considerably from what many blacks or whites encounter, noted Wechsler, director of the CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health.
"There's tremendous segregation in our schools," Wechsler said, in an interview with The Associated Press.

Slim Thug & Trae headline HopeFest

My prayers go out to those doing time. Incarceration tears families apart, but you do the crime and eventually you will do the time. What concerns me is the rate at which juveniles enter the penal system, when more prisons are being built than schools or after school programs within the community. Kuddos to two Houston rappers, Trae and Slim Thug for taking time out of their busy schedules to kick it with Texas Throwaways in the Clemens Unit. As one inmate observed the concert brought unity among inmates that typically don't associate with one another because of ethnic orientation.