1	In the News Panorama The headlines of Hispanidad. read more...
2	UPFRONT Dr. Eduardo Padrón Women are grabbing their piece of the pie. read more...
3	UPFRONT Ruben Navarrette, Jr. What hate crimes say about this nation. read more...

Panorama

social trends
What Latinas Want
Today’s young Hispanic women are far more concerned about getting a college degree and taking care of themselves than about finding a husband, according to a new survey. Getting married is not the top goal of Latinas, who apparently have redefined their priorities to put a premium of higher education and careers. The study, titled “What Latinas Want,” was released by Telemundo and Meredith Hispanic Ventures.
Of those surveyed for the study, 80 percent said that higher education was a top personal goal and 72 percent said career development was a priority. That compared to 50 percent who indicated that getting married mattered more.

justice
Civil Rights and Hate Crimes
The acquittal of two Pennsylvania teenagers of all serious charges in the death of Luis Ramirez has become a rallying cry for justice among Hispanics. Among the protestors is the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, which established an online petition on its website at www. maldef.org/luis_ramirez_petition_naleo/
MALDEF is urging the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the case and file federal hate crime charges against Ramirez’s assailants. Ramirez died on July 14, 2008, after he was beaten in the coal town of Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. The 25-year-old father of two was in a park with his girlfriend when he was attacked by a half-dozen high school football players who shouted ethnic slurs.
In May, two of the teens charged in the assault were found not guilty of third-degree murder, aggravated assault and ethnic intimidation. Instead, they were convicted of simple assault.
The case has brought to light difficulties in enforcing hate crime laws designed to keep minorities from becoming targets. It also has prompted renewed calls for the passage of a hate crimes bill expanding enforcement. The law, already passed in the House, was awaiting Senate consideration.

"Change has come to the White House, change has come to late night!"

Comedian GEORGE LOPEZ, on whether the traditionally white male domain of late night talk is ready for his new show, scheduled to debut on TBS in November.
CNN.com

family
The New Mommy
A record number of unmarried women in the United States are having babies, and the rate is highest among Hispanic women, according to a new report by the National Center for Health Statistics.
Nearly four in 10 births in the U.S. were to unmarried women in 2007, an increase of 26 percent from 2002. In raw numbers, that means about 1.7 million children were born to unwed mothers in 2007, compared to 1.26 million in 2002 and fewer than 400,000 in 1970.
The report showed there were 106 births to every 1,000 unmarried Hispanic women, compared to 32 births per 1,000 white non-Hispanic women. The lowest proportion of unmarried births was to Asian women, while blacks fell in the middle, with 72 births per 1,000 women.
With the stigma of unwed motherhood clearly on the decline, Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, deputy director of the National Latina Health Institute, noted it is important not to present single motherhood as a problem.
“Women have the right to have children whenever they think this is appropriate for their unique, individual circumstances, whether they’re married or not,” Gonzalez-Rojas says. Most critical is “to have social systems in place that support their decision.”

employment
Looking Good pays off
A new study by the American Psychological Association determined that attractiveness, along with confidence, may be keys in helping job-seekers stand out to employers.
In fact, pretty people seemed to have better lives all around.
The researchers found that physical attractiveness had a significant impact on how much people got paid, how educated they were and how they evaluated themselves.
The good news is that the influence of a person’s intelligence on income was stronger than that of a person’s attractiveness.
“It turns out that the brainy are not necessarily at a disadvantage to the beautiful,” said the study’s lead author, Timothy Judge, PhD, of the University of Florida. But, “If one possesses intelligence and good looks, then all the better.”

34%
percentage of the U.S. Hispanic population that is under age 18. The number reflects the demographic’s youth, which has long-term implications. The corresponding percentage for the total population was 24 percent.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

honors
A Winning Couple
They may not have passed through Ellis Island, but Gloria and Emilio Estefan are great examples of how immigrants enrich the American tapestry. The music superstars were honored recently by the Ellis Island Family Heritage Awards presented by The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation. They received a B.C. Forbes Peopling of America Award, which honors the lives of immigrants who arrived through another port of entry.
Gloria and Emilio Estefan fled Cuba with their respective families after the rise of Fidel Castro. They met in a Miami band in 1975—and the rest is history.

demographics
New Numbers
The weak economy has taken its toll in an unexpected arena. Following years of robust increases, the rate of growth of the Hispanic population dropped off last year, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The latest figures show the Hispanic population’s expansion slowed from 4 percent in 2001 to 3.2 percent in 2008, a drop that is prompting government officials to revise their estimates on when minorities will become the majority in the U.S. The bureau projected last August that white children would become the minority in 2023 and the overall white population would follow in 2042. It now says it will recalculate those figures.
Experts blame the recession and reduced immigration for the slowdown. Among the 36 states that had a lower Hispanic growth than the year before, many were areas where the housing bubble burst and construction jobs were lost. Still, Hispanics remained the largest and fastest-growing minority group, reaching 46.9 million people. In 2008, nearly one in six U.S. residents was Hispanic.

"In terms of roles for women, I don’t want to be home baking every day, or waiting for Spider-Man to rescue me. I like strong roles."

Actress Zoe Saldaña, who plays a young Uhura in the new Star Trek movie.
New York Daily News

wellbeing
Unhealthy Economy
One in seven women has postponed an annual ob-gyn check-up because of the economy, according to a new Gallup poll conducted for The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. “When women are increasingly worried about their financial situation, they are more apt to skip much-needed routine health care and cut back or stop taking their medications,” Dr. Iffath Abbasi Hoskins, ACOG vice president, said as the numbers were released. “These are disturbing trends amid the tough economy that could have a negative impact on the long-term health of women.”
The troubled economy is also greatly influencing women in their decision about when to become pregnant and how many children to have, according to the poll. Among married women, 17 percent said the economy has had an effect on their plans to increase the size of their family.