1	In the News Panorama The headlines of Hispanidad. read more...
2	UPFRONT Ruben Navarrette, Jr. An Affirmative Action success story. read more...
3	UPFRONT Dr. Eduardo Padrón Sparks of understanding can be radicalizing. read more...
4	Ask Julie Understanding the power of social lending. read more...
5	First Person A look inside the world of Delia de la Vara. read more...

SPORTS
¡Viva Baseball!
This summer, the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, marked its 70th anniversary by launching its first permanent exhibit recognizing the Latin American impact on baseball.
Entitled ¡Viva Baseball!, the exhibit features more than 100 artifacts, from a Fernando Valenzuela bobblehead to a baseball used in a 1871 game that featured Cuban Esteban Bellan, the first Latin American big leaguer. Hall of Fame broadcaster Jaime Jarrín, now in his 51st year with the Dodgers, narrates the exhibit’s state-of-the-art multimedia presentation in both English and Spanish.
The exhibit focuses on the rich baseball traditions of five Caribbean Basin countries: Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. “Over the last 30 years, perhaps nothing has impacted baseball more than the rise of the Latino star and the number of Latino players making important contributions to the game every day,” Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson said when the exhibit was dedicated.
Puerto Rico’s Roberto Clemente was the first Latino elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973. He has since been joined by Martin Dihigo, Jose Mendez, Tony Perez and Cristobal Torriente (Cuba); Juan Marichal (Dominican Republic); Rod Carew (Panama); Orlando Cepeda (Puerto Rico); and Luis Aparicio (Venezuela).
At the exhibit’s opening, former first baseman Orlando Cepeda said he was pleased to see a recognition of the difficult road and racism Latinos faced in the world baseball. “To be here today,” he said, “we went through some obstacles.”

GOVERNMENT
Be Counted
For the first time, the Census Bureau will mail out 13 million English-Spanish bilingual questionnaires across the country. It’s part of a new effort to make sure Hispanics are counted during the 2010 Census. Although official Census day, April 1, 2010, is still some time away, the bureau is getting the word out about the importance of participating. “Every year, the government allocates more than $400 billion to states and communities based on census data,” says Raul E. Cisneros, chief of the 2010 Census Publicity Office. “Census data are used to determine locations for retail stores, schools, roads, hospitals, new housing developments and other community facilities.” In other words, the numbers help determine in which communities money will be spent. Still, some Hispanics, like members of other groups, have had reservations about filling out the questionnaire. Cisneros says that one of their chief concerns is privacy. According to the official Census website, there are laws and procedures in place to ensure that the information collected on individuals is not shared and that Census workers are sworn to secrecy under strict penalty.

10%
Percentage of Hispanic children who live in a household with a grandparent, compared to
6 percent for non-Hispanic white children.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

HEALTH
The Fat Factor
As the nation’s obesity health crisis continues to escalate, Hispanics have more to worry about. According to recently released figures, Hispanics have a 21 percent greater prevalence of obesity compared to non-Hispanic whites. The higher rates appear to be due to several factors, including lower rates of physical activity among Hispanics, different cultural norms regarding weight, and less access to affordable, healthful foods in many minority neighborhoods. The rate of obesity in the U.S. has more than doubled in the past three decades.

48
Number of the nation’s 3,142 counties that are majority-Hispanic.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Youth
Fitting in
Although studies have shown that Latino youth face numerous risk factors when integrating into U.S. culture, from increased alcohol and substance abuse, to higher suicide and school dropout rates, a new study indicates that adolescents who actively embrace their native culture—and whose parents become more involved in U.S. culture—stand a greater chance of avoiding these risks and a better chance of developing healthier behaviors overall.
“We found teens who maintain strong ties to their Latino cultures perform better academically and adjust more easily socially,” says Paul Smokowski, Ph.D., who directed the project. “Also, the study showed parents who develop a strong bicultural perspective have teen children who are less likely to feel anxiety and face fewer social problems ... Parents who were more involved in U.S. culture were in a better position to proactively help their adolescents with peer relations, forming friendships and staying engaged in school. This decreases the chances of social problems arising.”
The findings are from a longitudinal study by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill-based Latino Acculturation and Health Project, which is supported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The results were presented as part of a series of articles in a special issue of The Journal of Primary Prevention.
“It is interesting that, in order to obtain these benefits of biculturalism, adolescents and parents often need to do the opposite of what their natural tendencies tell them,” says study co-author Martica Bacallao, Ph.D., from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. “Parents who are strongly tied to their native cultures must reach out to learn skills in the new culture. Adolescents who quickly soak up new cultural behaviors should slow down and cultivate the richness in their native cultures.”

34%
Percentage of Hispanics who are reconsidering their retirement plans due to the heavy toll the recessions has taken on their savings.
Source: Pew Hispanic Center

"I just needed a new outlet, and I found it by writing in Spanish... I found it liberating to be able to sing in the Latin language and to express myself from my Latin soul."

Nelly Furtado, on her new all-Spanish album, Mi Plan, set for release September 15. Associated Press

Immigration
Comings and Goings
Whether because of the economy or increased enforcement, the number of apprehensions at the U.S. border has dropped for the third year, falling to a level not seen since 1973. Figures show the U.S. Border Patrol last year intercepted 724,000 people trying to enter the country illegally, a drop of 17 percent from 2007. Some 91 percent of those stopped were Mexican. The numbers are a far cry from their peak in 1986, when there was more than double the arrests with nearly 1.7 million. Researchers at the Pew Hispanic Center say it is impossible to determine whether the drop was due to a shortage of work in the U.S. or increased border security, and theorized it was probably a combination of both factors.

16
The number of states in the U.S. with at least a half-million Hispanic residents.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau