Just in case you are interested or forgot… here is some history to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Proud to be Boricua! Que Viva La Patria! Oh yeah!

Rivera, Founder and President of the Latino Pastoral Action Center mentioned that this guy was visiting but I had no idea it made some folks mouth off…read Congressman José E. Serrano’s (D-NY)letter here. This is me with Rev. Ray and Congressman Serrano.

I had this entire post on how I felt about the new primetime show Commander-in-Chief with Geena Davis in the starring role and I pressed the wrong button and it was gone! I just can’t write all that again. So this is the short version of what you’ll never see…

So ABC,allows Geena Davis to take the oath of office as the first female president on "Commander in Chief." But Mackenzie Allen is not entirely welcome in the Oval Office, since her ascension from vice president goes against the wishes of even the dying chief executive, who wants her to step aside and let someone "more appropriate" (a man?) take his place. That would be Speaker of the House Nathan Templeton, a political veteran played by Donald Sutherland who will lead the opposition against the Allen administration. Hail to this fascinating new drama!

Although I hear Geena Davis was actually the third choice for the role of Mackenzie Allen the new President of the United States, I think she did a heck of a job tonight.

The NY Times raised a good question about how the creator of this show would go about getting a woman in the White House…would it be through the front door (by getting elected) or the back door (by ascending to the role after Presidential incapacitation or death)…guess which one it was?

"For the first time in our nation’s history, a woman leads us. How will President Mackenzie Allen face challenges, both personal and political, unknown to any previous Commander in Chief? The answers, opinions, and even more questions are here, in the words of the people." There is a site for those who want to comment on the show here.

Democrats hope the show takes off so that maybe, perhaps…some could see a women in the White House some day. Geena herself said "(a Democrat playing an independent) "We’re making this as entertainment. But God willing, if this show stays on and people see a woman in that office for a while, I think it will help people become more used to it. It’s certainly about time that we had a few female presidents."

I was smiling throughout the entire show because I think its time. It still pains me to hear of the ridiculous views some men (even some many of us like and admire) have about women, how some men treat women in leadership, etc. What I thought was real neat was when the dead President’s wife tells Geena aka Mackenzie that if Moses had been a woman he would have lead the Israelites to their destination in one week because he would have stopped to ask for directions. Hilarious!

Anyway, its time for me to hit the sack. But I think this show will be a hit and least that is my hope.

But its not because people find me that interesting. So I wondered to myself, why did my blog traffic increase in two days so much. Hmmm. Inquirying minds. I went to my information center and found some amusing reasons for the increase in traffic.

The top ten reasons why people visit latinaliz is (via search engines or referrals):

10. They were looking for latinos in Colorado

9. The were looking for a recipe to make Coquito

8. They wanted to learn how to say Merry Christmas in Hebrew

7. They were looking for Jorge Ramos, author of the Latino Wave

6. They were looking for information on women in leadership

5. They were looking for information on church, church planting, church leadership, yadda yadda yadda

4. They were curious as some of the people they visited had me linked on their site

3. They were looking for Romanita Hairston

2. They were looking for information on the anything Hispanic

but the most interesting reason people have visited by site is (drumroll please…)

1. They were looking for big butt Latinas, cheating Latinas, Latina sex, and simply anything "Latinas".

I assume the picture of the woman holding up the sheep didn’t do it for them. Now you know…what I know.

how as we continue to get older and explore the world around us we grow in every dimension.I am learning so much as I prepare for a discussion I am facilitating at Rev. Dr. Suzan Johnson Cooke’s International Women in Ministry Conference with Senior Pastors and other ministers. The discussion is on "Can Black and Latino Pastors Partner Together?" Of course the answer is a resounding yes. But the real question is why should we? Why would we? In talking with Rudy and in attending last week’s Acton Institute Conference in DC, I am going to approach this by developing a foundation on the reality of this new world as it continues to emerge based on the fact that Latinos are the nation’s largest ethnic group and that in many areas there are many afro-latino connections. In addition, I plan on introducing the concept of a "politics of difference" which Charles Taylor distinguishes from "politics of equal dignity" mentioned in Miroslav Volf’s, Exclusion & Embrace book. The politics of equal dignity seeks to establish what is "universally the same, an identical basket of rights and immunities" but in the politics of difference we are asked "to recognize the unique identity of this individual or group, their distinctiveness from everyone else. The idea is that it is precisely this distinctness that has been ignored, glossed over, assimilated to a dominant or majority identity. And this assimilation is the cardinal sin against the ideal of authenticity" (pg 19). I am also going to give out some interesting articles on the afro-latino connection, in particular the Black Enterprise 2004 February Issue, which you can read by opening a free account on their site here.  To help me with  my facts, I am also purchasing a book called The Presumed Alliance: The Unspoken Conflict Between Latinos and Blacks and What It Means for America by Nicolas C. Vaca.

Why is partnership in the corporate or church world important? Well, besides the fact that reconcilation is something many of us agree is a God-mandate, I think the impact that can be made in our communities and our surrounding culture would be astounding. To quote Congressman Ciro D. Rodriguez (D-TX), "There is no doubt that challenges will abound, but the potential rewards are too promising to dismiss."

Today, 6 years ago, you…Daniel Jeremiah Rios came into my life in the most turbulent of ways…a premature birth, at 26 weeks you were not expected to survive. But although things did not turn out the way mom and dad had hoped, you know, you being a healthy child, you have nonetheless changed our lives. At one time we thought it would be the end of our lives as we knew it but in actuality it was the beginning of a life we had never known…we thought it would be horrible but although it isn’t easy, it is a great life of spiritual awareness, thankfulness for the moments together, and a emergence of a new way of thinking and being. We celebrate you my dear son today, I never want to downplay your birth however drama-ful it was…it is because of you that I am the way I am today. I like me today because God allowed you to enter into my life the way you did. Sure, I still hope and pray for healing but you bring me so much joy just the way you are. Your smile just lights up my day and cheers me up instantly, your laughter which you just started doing in the last year brings such joy to us all that we just stare and watch in amazement and even your tears makes us cry because we appreciate your ability to even do that. We don’t take much for granted anymore because you are a reminder of the daily grace we receive from God almighty and I’ve learned to love more, forgive more, appreciate more and reach out more because of your presence in my life. Today, we celebrate you Daniel Jeremiah, named after prophets you were…although you don’t speak words ‘right now’ your life speaks more than many lives put together in Christiandom. You are our little angel who radicalized our lives and we’ve never been the same. Thank you God…and thank you DJ, chiquitien…you are loved in more ways than you know and we will appreciate your life on this earth for however long God allows because our life was reborn when you were born. Love Mommy

I have friends and family who feel very shall I say "protected" from natural disasters such as Hurricanes. Well, I have something to tell you, Max Mayfield of the National Hurricane Center also listed a number of cities and regions in addition to New Orleans he believes are "especially vulnerable” to damage from a major hurricane: Houston and Galveston, Texas; Tampa; southern Florida and the Florida Keys; New York City and Long Island; and New England. Read more here.

Check out this new company reaching out to all three generations of Hispanics. In addition, I hear Ferrer wants to be Mayor of NY, I hope he wins. He has a pretty good shot. He was a good friend to LPAC when he was Bronx Borough Prez. Here are the top 10 companies to work for as a Latino. The South leads the US in Latino growth but it isn’t Florida.

While immigration has represented the fastest source of population growth for the past three decades, internal dynamics indicate that over time, the U.S. Hispanic market will lose its immigrant character and meld with the mainstream culture. The main driver behind this qualitative change is the growth of second- and third generation U.S. Hispanics. Buy the full report here.  This report helps me in my Sancocho Leadership Model theory. But did you hear that "A report in USA Today states that although Hispanic/Latinos are leaving their traditional Catholicism and joining other churches, the fastest-growing religion of a large portion “is no religion at all.” “The reality is that 40 percent are non-churched or have no affiliation,” says the Rev. Jose Palos, pastor of La Trinidad United Methodist Church in San Antonio and past national coordinator of the Hispanic plan." Read more about this here.

And finally this is depressing and its happening everywhere to everyone.

According to the 2000 Census, Hispanics make up more than half of the residents in Miami-Dade, roughly 17 percent in Broward and 12 percent in Palm Beach County. In Lake Worth, people of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 29.7 percent of its 35,133 population in 2000. It helped this business grow.

One thing I love is books. New books. The smell of books. The crisp clean pages of books. I am what you call a bibliophile: someone who loves (and usually collects) books. What I love more than books are people who send me books…for free.  Thank you (you know who you are!). I will be posting my thoughts on a few books that I get to actually read between my dissertation committee review of my paper. Here is what you can expect to hear my two cents about in the upcoming weeks:

Exclusion & Embrace by Miroslav Volf

Looking Forward by Jamie Arpin-Ricci

Provocative Faith by Matthew Paul Turner

90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper with Cecil Murphey

And finally, Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner (this book was actually mentioned at the conference I JUST CAME from!!! how timely!)