Columbus, OH - The Ohio Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs presented Senator George V. Voinovich with the Latino Community Champion Award in appreciation for his efforts to improve the lives of Hispanic Ohioans.  Several local and statewide Latino leaders joined the Commission to honor the retiring Senator’s esteemed career in public service.

 

Senator Voinovich will retire from the United States Senate after over 40 years in public service.  He has a long-standing interest in promoting diversity and did so as Mayor of Cleveland, Governor of Ohio, and as a U.S. Senator.  As Mayor, he instituted diversity training for Cleveland’s police ranks and created the first-ever Community Relations Committee and Latino Community Liaison position.  As Governor, he created the “Governor’s Challenge in Diversity”, which encouraged Ohio cities to create and present their diversity plans at the state level. He opposed “English Only” legislation as Governor because he believed the bill did not support Ohio’s diversity and did not encourage immigrants to learn English while still embracing their native language.  Most recently, he broke party ranks to vote for the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court of the United States - making her the first Hispanic woman to serve on the nation’s highest court.

 

He has been a bi-partisan leader on comprehensive immigration reform in calling for a path to citizenship for immigrants, while also understanding the need for border and interior enforcement. As a member of the Homeland Security Committee and ranking member of the Appropriations Sub-Committee on Homeland Security, he has overseen investment in border security and an increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) capacity during his tenure. His comments today indicated that reform will confer a greater benefit to the U.S. than will additional border security. After addressing his recent vote on the Defense Authorization bill (which included the DREAM Act as an amendment) he commented that bills such as the DREAM Act and AG Jobs should be considered as part of comprehensive immigration reform.

 

One Latino leader said of Senator Voinovich, “He is a man of principle and integrity who has dedicated his life to making a better life for all Ohio citizens. He works with his political party, but when the issue is crucial for the well being of Ohioans, he does what he believes is the right thing to do - even if it means crossing party lines.”

BEREA - Browns quarterback Jake Delhomme returned to practice in a limited role Thursday, and coach Eric Mangini said he’ll start whenever he’s healthy. Delhomme limped through the locker room, then favored the injured right ankle during the half-hour of practice open to the media. He participated in individual drills and took his turn in the [...]

LeBron James has gone from being one of the most beloved athletes in the country to being one of the most hated.  Sixth most hated, to be exact.

(image via)

After “The Decision”, James has been vilified not only in Cleveland, but nationally as well.  It has been one of the biggest stories of the summer.  You know things are getting out of control when people take the time to make Hollywood Hulk nWo videos.

But LeBron thinks there’s more to it than simply fans disliking the move he made, or how he did it.  He thinks race has played a huge factor in the negative coverage.

"I think so at times," James said. "It’s always, you know, a race factor."

Said Carter: "It definitely played a role in some of the stuff coming out of the media, things that were written for sure."

LeBron, stop acting like you are the first person who has left a team and felt the onslaught of criticism.  You aren’t even the first in Cleveland.  Jim Thome left the Indians after the 2002 season, and fans still boo him when he comes to town.  And he’s just an “aw shucks” white guy who eats pancakes before every game!

For the nine billionth time, it’s so much that you decided to leave, it’s how you decided to do it.  You kicked Cleveland in the balls for an hour straight.  It was so bad that the entire country had Cleveland’s back.  How often does that happen?

Your decision even reaches out to people who really couldn’t care less about sports.  My coworker, Boone, doesn’t follow sports.  At all.  He just put it perfectly:

“When people start feeling bad for Cleveland, you know something’s wrong”.

The country hasn’t been piling on you because you’re black, everyone hates you because you’re a D-BAG.  Look at Brett Favre, he’s as white as can be.  Big pickup truck, Wrangler jeans, dirty hat, scruffy beard, plays football in the mud, blah blah blah.  He’s a white country hick.  Everyone thinks he’s a D-BAG.  You know why?  Because he does D-BAGGY things.  He doesn’t go to training camp, doesn’t let his teams know his intentions, doesn’t let anyone know if he’s healthy or not, etc.

Look, I’m sure some people (namely racists) have increased their hatred because of all this, but since they’re racists, they hated you anyway.  But not for one second do I think that if you were white, this wouldn’t be as big of a story.

You essentially bought an ESPN program and left your hometown team.  The team you said you were going to bring a championship to.  The team who’s fans you said you adored, and you were one of us.  That’s why you’re the sixth most hated person in sports.

It’s not because you’re black, it’s because you’re a D-BAG.

UPDATE:

Put more eloquently here.

And what I wish I could say here.  Although this one has nothing to do with race.  Just funny.

Did you know you can get in free at the Akron Art Museum on the first Sunday of every month? (The museum’s open Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.)  Normally, adult admissions are $7, students (with a valid ID) are $5, and children 12 and younger are free with an adult. Probably not going to break anyone’s bank, but still, we’re always looking for ways to scrimp and save. And when it’s free, suddenly we tap into an unspoken desire to introduce our children to something new. I mean, it’s not like I’ve consciously been worrying about developing their appreciation for the finer things in life, such as art, but a free admission makes me think this is something I should do with them. After all, their uncle (my brother David Aylsworth) is a painter in...

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My daughter Stephanie is about to turn 9 in a few months, so I — like most parents — have been worried about those childhood diseases that seem to find their way into the helpless bodies of most kids her age.

Luckily, so far, she has yet to grab any of the famed illnesses.

Chicken Pox? I’m sure it’s right around the corner. Measles? Not yet … and I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Mumps? Do kids still get this disease?

But we haven’t dodged every bullet. Unfortunately, my daughter has come down with a bad case of Bieber Fever.

If you don’t recognize this paralyzing disease, consider yourself lucky (and you probably are the proud parents of a male child). Bieber Fever is the term — surely made famous by Tiger Beat magazine — to describe the infliction suffered by fans of the adolescent pop star Justin Bieber — a 16-year-old singer, dancer, actor and apparent all-around heartthrob.

Common symptoms of the afflicted are Bieber posters plastered all over their bedroom walls, a high-pierced shrieking if the singer is spotted and an urgent, “turn it up, turn it up, turn it up” yelled from the back seat every time a Bieber song comes on the radio.

I’m not quite sure what the cure for this disorder might entail, but I have to think back to my teenage years when I saw a similar sickness spread among the teenage female population … let’s call it the NKOTBubonic Plague. The five-boy band — pioneers of the Boy Ban era — known as New Kids on the Block infected and affected just about every girl I came into contact with.

My sister sang “Hanging Tough” all around the house, my next-door neighbor had each member’s biography memorized — impressive since it was well before the internet age was upon us — and just about every girl poofed up their hair, threw on their brightest neon accessories and paraded around in their NKOTB T-shirts.

You don’t see NKOTB merchandise on every shelf as it was 20 years ago, so the obvious cure for this kind of sickness is time and the inevitable fading popularity of the pop star.

I suppose that Justin Bieber and his Fever will eventually run their course, but I’m afraid my daughter’s popular-culture immune system might never be strong enough to fight off the next big boy craze.

Shaun Bennett is a Chronicle sports writer. You can contact him at sbennett@chroniclet.com.

WADSWORTH — Police said they apprehended a “distraught, suicidal man” who barricaded himself inside his home Wednesday night in the 400 block of Tulip Trail. The 34-year-old city man apparently made serious threats to injure himself and family members, according to a police report, but officers were able to “talk the subject peacefully out of the [...]

WASHINGTON - The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation Wednesday that will rename the Sharon Center Post Office after longtime Sharon Township Trustee Emil Bolas. House Resolution 4602 now goes to the U.S. Senate for consideration. Naming the post office after Bolas is a proper way to thank a man who served his community and the country [...]

JENNIFER C. KERR, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON — Fisher-Price is recalling more than 10 million tricycles, toys and high chairs over safety concerns.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday that two of the products being recalled involved injuries.

In the recall of about 7 million Fisher-Price Trikes and Tough Trikes toddler tricycles, the agency is aware of 10 reports of children being hurt. Six of them required medical attention.

The trikes — some of which feature popular characters like Dora the Explorer and Barbie — have a protruding plastic ignition key near the seat that children can strike, sit on or fall on, leading to injuries that the commission said can include genital bleeding.

Fisher-Price is also recalling more than 1 million Healthy Care, Easy Clean and Close to Me High Chairs, after 14 reports of problems. The pegs on the back of the high chairs can be used to store the tray, but children can fall on them, resulting in cuts and other injuries. Seven children required stitches, the commission said.

CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum said manufacturers need to do more to build safety into their products before they reach store shelves. But she also offered praise for Fisher-Price for “taking the right steps by agreeing to these recalls and offering consumers free repairs or replacement.”

The two other Fisher-Price recalls were:

• More than 2.8 million Baby Playzone Crawl & Cruise Playground toys, Baby Playzone Crawl & Slide Arcade toys, Baby Gymtastics Play Wall toys, Ocean Wonders Kick & Crawl Aquarium toys, 1-2-3 Tetherball toys and Bat & Score Goal toys. The valve of the inflatable ball on the toys can come off and pose a choking hazard to children, said CPSC. The agency said there were more than 50 reports of the valves coming off the balls.
• About 100,000 Fisher-Price Little People Wheelies Stand ‘n Play Rampway toys. The wheels on the purple and green cars can come off, posing a choking hazard.

Most of the products were being recalled in the United States, but about 400,000 of them were sold in Canada.

Consumers can visit the company’s website at www.service.mattel.com for more information on the dates of sale and model numbers for the recalled products.

Online: Consumer Product Safety Commission: http://www.cpsc.gov.

Organizers from diverse groups will be marching on October 2^nd in a sign of unity

Washington, DC - Hundreds of thousands of people from all backgrounds, faiths, heritage, identities from across America have put aside their differences and come together as a united voice for jobs, justice and education. Committed to Putting America Back to Work and Pulling America Back Together, One Nation Working Together supporters will march on Washington Saturday, October 2 at noon at the Lincoln Memorial to refocus national priorities on investments in America’s people.

“This is an unprecedented group of individuals who have come together because they see a need in our country,” said LULAC National President Margaret Moran. “We are marching with trade unions, human and civil rights organizations, youth, students, faith groups, Latinos, African American, Jewish, Native American, Asian American and everyone who have a stake in this fight for a better quality of life. We all want our fundamental right to the American dream. We are holding our elected officials accountable.”

To highlight the urgency of the One Nation Working Together movement, consider the figures released by the US Census Bureau yesterday showing that one in seven Americans - that’s 45.6 million people - lives in poverty in the United States. This is the third consecutive year of increases. African Americans saw an increase from 24.7% to 25.85%, and Hispanics living in poverty jumped from 23.2% to 25.3%.

Representing the true majority in America, the One Nation Working Together movement aims to recommit every person in the United States to the principles that this nation was founded upon: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This means that every person who wants to work should have a secure job with a livable wage, equal protections under the law, and access to excellent quality public education for all children, from pre-school through college or technical school and we must include the passage of immigration reform.

One Nation Working Together supporters and marchers demand from political, business and civic leaders A Plan for A New Economy based on secure jobs, justice and quality public education. This plan includes at least one million new jobs now including green jobs, extended unemployment support, paid sick days and family leave for all workers, fixing the broken immigration system, extending civil and human rights protections to all, ending racial profiling, curbing re-segregation attempts, completing the promise of health care reform with the public option, and ensuring that all people have access to affordable, high quality public education from pre-school through college.

Highlights of the One Nation Working Together Plan for a New Economy
We the Americans of One Nation Working Together commit to help turn our country around and refocus on:

• Good jobs: One million new jobs now. Jobs where each voice and lifestyle are respected. Every working American is able to share fairly in the wealth he or she helps create, is able to live in a safe community and to care for her or his family.
• A fair chance for everyone to live the American Dream. Every American, regardless of race, class, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, religious background, beliefs or heritage can have the opportunity to fulfill his or her potential and live in dignity.
• Excellent quality education from pre-kindergarten through college that is accessible and affordable to most families.
• An America that works for us all: So that no matter what happens, the basics of life- food, shelter, medical care and education — are never denied.

“With this march on Washington, we are serving a notice to Congress,” says Moran. “We will march now and then take that to the voting booths on Election Day. “We need and expect leadership to overcome this country’s urgent challenges. We in One Nation Working Together are stepping up.”

By Marcus Atkinson

hispanicohio.com editor

The Wall Street Journal has reported the Republican Party is making a conscious effort to have Hispanic nominees for this years Nov. elections as well as the 2012 presidential elections in an effort to attract the largest growing minority population in the country. 

It is no secret the Republican Party has been criticized for not including the Hispanic voting bloc in their platform. 

.In states such as Nevada and New Mexico, nominees have expressed strict immigration beliefs.  The party hopes that Hispanics will vote for them because the ballot names seem familiar, not necessarily because of similar views on critical issues.   

 

“There is a stereotype that Hispanics must be in favor of different policies than I am expressing, and that’s not what I’m finding at all,” said New Mexico Republican gubernatorial candidate Susana Martinez, who would be the country’s first elected female Hispanic governor.

 

Leading Hispanic Republicans on the ballot in Nov. is Florida’s U.S. Senate hopeful Marco Rubio, Nevada gubernatorial candidate Brian Sandoval, and Martinez. Hispanic There is Republican House candidates in Florida, Texas and Washington with conservative views and is in contention for seats as well.

The sudden change of approach is off the crest of the Republican national chairman stating there were racist beliefs within the party (the chairman is African-American). 

In 2008, Barack Obama received almost 70 percent of the Hispanic vote

“Hispanics around the country were completely turned off by the immigration debate in 2006,” said Whit Ayers, who is Rubio’s campaign pollster. “But having Hispanic candidates be successful on the Republican ticket and visible nationally will go a long way toward rectifying that damage.”

 

Information gathered from the Wall Street Journal