Re: Congratulations

Gracias! It is late here for me but I checked out your blog and will get back to it. Stay strong in the faith and know that good sincere efforts are always rewarded!!

 
http://www.thetroublewithjesus.blogspot.com/

Education for Liberation!
Peter S. Lopez aka: Peta
Email: peter.lopez51@yahoo.com

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/THIRD-WORLD-NEWS/

KeyLink: http://www.NetworkAztlan.com

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From: Ricardo Gómez-Rojí <r.gomez.roji@gmail.com>
To: peter.lopez51@yahoo.com
Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2009 11:44:24 AM
Subject: Congratulations

Peta:

 

Congratulations on your blog providing information on Latinos and Alzheimer's Disease.  I take care of my 80-year-old father and have done so for almost two years.  He is afflicted with the disease.  You may want to visit my blog site where I relate my adventures as a caregiver for my dad: Jesus:  The Trouble with Jesus

 

Best Regards,

 

Ricardo

Latino authors fall into old habits: By JOSE de la ISLA, Hispanic Link News Service

http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/40423

Latino authors fall into old habits

Submitted by SHNS on Wed, 01/28/2009 - 12:55.

• By JOSE de la ISLA, Hispanic Link News Service
• editorials and opinion

The perception of Latinos can no longer be ignored. The issue arises with the release of a book of essays, edited by former Clinton-era HUD secretary and former San Antonio mayor Henry G. Cisneros.

"Latinos and the Nation's Future" by Arte Publico Press, was released Jan. 26 in Washington, D.C. at the Center for American Progress, a think-tank closely associated with the Obama administration.

The dilemma is perhaps best illustrated by a generalization in the forward made by Janet Murguia, National Council of La Raza's CEO. She says immigrants are assimilating well but Latinos as a group are below par on educational achievement, in wage earnings, have dead-end jobs, are growing in numbers exponentially and "put our entire country's future at risk."

Say what?

To be perfectly frank, if the nation is hanging at the edge of a cliff you don't want a blind cripple weakling coming to your rescue, as seems to be portrayed. And well-intentioned Latino advocates sometimes make paltry arguments for Latino strength. That is sometimes the case here and there throughout this book.

It does not give as much clear thinking and insight as it could. The audience is presumed to be naive. More attention needs to go into highlighting Latino strengths. Less needs to go into pleading for government programs. But old habits are hard to break, I suppose.

If this book were a computer, its hard disk would need defragging. Regardless of its merits, this volume needs a spring-cleaning.

The reason is that some of its 17 contributing writers -- not all -- as policy advocates have fallen into a groove that points out social failure as an appeal to caring and government intervention. The social work perspective comes at a time when organizing, democracy and self-help have already won the day. The essays sometimes use cowering language and statistics instead of the bold assertions that policy leaders could make.

Recently, anthropologist Barry Isaac told me, for example, that the Obama election was not a paradigm shift, but an affirmation about what had already taken place in U.S. society.

In the same way, a Latino affirmation is needed here about the United States' future. An inevitable Latino imprint is in the making. Basic demographics make this so, as well as the ascension of so many to the middle-income ranks. This inevitably means -- as it did in the time of President William McKinley in the 1890s -- that the nation's cultural axis is changing too. And that means facing up to the real story about what is happening and how it is transforming the nation.

Raul Yzaguirre, the former executive director of the National Council of La Raza, writes an exceptional essay on civil rights (a story all citizens should know) and Tamar Jacoby should probably serve as the last word on immigrants and newcomers and the emerging new nation.

What's frustrating about the book is that it has such a loose handle on Latino assets -- as business owners, culture trendsetters and among the most aggressive computer and technology users or that Latinos will probably change the politics of the Old South.

If you heard Frank Sinatra doing hip-hop, wouldn't you think an out of place old guard was pretending like it's with it? That's what seems to be going on here.

The tip-off came early. There were two references to salsa overtaking catsup as the number one condiment in the nation. That's an old one, isn't it? Meanwhile, they don't seem to realize Anchorage alone has 30 Latino restaurants or that there's a taco hut north of the Arctic Circle.

If I hear that line one more time about salsa and catsup as an indicator of change, I'm going to vomit.

(Jose de la Isla writes a weekly commentary for Hispanic Link News Service. He is author of "The Rise of Hispanic Political Power" (Archer Books). E-mail joseisla3(at)yahoo.com. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com)

Column

Comment: Old habits die hard. I believe that the new Obama Administration has already create a paradigm shift in Amerikan life, but we still have far to go to make it through the urban wilderness of the United States. At least many of us Chicanos are becoming more comfortable with the term Latinos in reference to La Raza Cosmica. Self-identity is key for further liberating our collective consciousness in a way that resonates with all peoples on a global scale. We have been the relatively quiet hard workers who help keep the whole nation going, including repressed Mexican immigrants.With bold courage we all need to come out, stand up and deliver!

 

Education for Liberation!
Peter S. Lopez aka: Peta
Email: peter.lopez51@yahoo.com

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/THIRD-WORLD-NEWS/

KeyLink: http://www.NetworkAztlan.com

Researchers: Alzheimer's disease skyrocketing among Latinos + Comment

http://www.txcn.com/sharedcontent/dws/txcn/houston/stories/khou090127_tnt_latino-alzheimers.c35d0f9.html

Researchers: Alzheimer's disease skyrocketing among Latinos

03:03 PM CST on Wednesday, January 28, 2009

By Vicente Arenas / 11 News

HOUSTON—One day in 1993, Jesus Ulloa noticed something was wrong with his wife, Frances.She started to repeat things and exhibit other odd behaviors, like ordering checkbooks they didn't need.

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Then came the shocking news: The strong, charismatic, loving mother of his six children had Alzheimer's.

It didn't take long for the debilitating brain disease to take its toll.

Her forgetfulness soon got worse, and she lost the ability to walk.

Then her old friends started shying away.

"To me, this is the new leprosy, like the leprosy of the 21^st Century. People, as soon as they know somebody has Alzheimer's, they stay away," daughter Laura Garrett said.

Doctors said that's one reason why so many Latinos and Spanish-speakers wait so late to get diagnosed – they consider the disease to be taboo.

Even though friends left, the family came together, and now they work as a team to care for their mother at home.

The Alzheimer's Association of Houston knows one of its biggest challenges will come from the city's growing Hispanic population.

"And that's why we try to educate the community that there are certain neurological changes that occur in the brain, and the earlier they can get a diagnosis, the earlier there can be an intervention," John Meade of the Alzheimer's Association of Houston said.

When it comes to Latinos, Alzheimer's forecasts are startling.

Researchers expect a 600-percent increase in Hispanics suffering from the disease by the year 2050.

They believe the dramatic rise will be partly due to diabetes and lack of medical care.

Others simply won't be diagnosed early enough. 

"So what has happened is that the Hispanic community is now eight times more at risk," Dr. Adrianna Strutt of Baylor Neuropsychology said.

Strutt is trying to turn those numbers around by studying current Alzheimer's tests and coming up with new ones designed specifically for Latinos and Spanish-speakers.

"At least with this research, what we are trying to do is get rid of all those extra factors that could be clouding the results," Strutt said.

Strutt said traditional tests don't always catch Alzheimer's early enough in the Latino community.

As for Frances Ulloa, she's now in the final stages of Alzheimer's.

Her family agreed to share her story in the hopes that other families will seek help early on.

Related Link and Information:
http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp#brain

Introduction

Alzheimer's disease is a brain disorder named for German physician Alois Alzheimer, who first described it in 1906. Scientists have learned a great deal about Alzheimer's disease in the century since Dr. Alzheimer first drew attention to it. Today we know that Alzheimer's:

• Is a progressive and fatal brain disease. As many as 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's destroys brain cells, causing problems with memory, thinking and behavior severe enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies or social life. Alzheimer's gets worse over time, and it is fatal. Today it is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. For more information, see Warning Signs and Stages of Alzheimer's Disease.

• Is the most common form of dementia, a general term for the loss of memory and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Vascular dementia, another common type of dementia, is caused by reduced blood flow to parts of the brain. In mixed dementia, Alzheimer's and vascular dementia occur together. For more information about other causes of dementia, please see Related Dementias.
  
  
• Has no current cure. But treatments for symptoms, combined with the right services and support, can make life better for the millions of Americans living with Alzheimer's. We've learned most of what we know about Alzheimer's in the last 15 years. There is an accelerating worldwide effort under way to find better ways to treat the disease, delay its onset, or prevent it from developing. Learn more about recent progress in Alzheimer science and research funded by the Alzheimer's Association in the Research section.
  
  

Comment: Several years ago I was a CNA (Certified Nurse Assistant) at Sutter Oaks Alzheimer's Center in Sacramento. It was a tough job but I learned a lot about humane compassion from my patients. At first when a patient is admitted the family comes every day, then as time goes by less and less. Maybe on Christmas. The Alzheimer patient and his or her personality begins to shrink away more and more with memory. We find out that our concept of who we are is largely based upon our memory. We are who we remember ourselves to be and those we remember from our family.

It is not a linear disease in the sense that some days the patient is more lucid than other days, there are ups and downs in terms of cognition and interpersonal communications. It is a terrible devastating disease that mainly those who have had a family member stricken with it can appreciate, especially if it is a parent. I believe in the long run that Alzheimer's research and new discoveries will help humankind better observe, understand and treat a whole range of mental disorders and learning disabilities.

Preventative measurs include creating new memories, being open to new experiences, learnng on a constant daily basis and taking care of our nutritional needs.
 

Education for Liberation!
Peter S. Lopez aka: Peta
Email: peter.lopez51@yahoo.com

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/THIRD-WORLD-NEWS/

KeyLink: http://www.NetworkAztlan.com

http://sev.prnewswire.com/publishing-information-services/20090128/DC6353027012009-1.html

Latino Voting in 2008: Part of a Broader Electoral Movement

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In the 2004 general election, President Bush garnered perhaps 39 or 40 percent of the Latino vote. Four years later, after extensive debate on immigration, Sen. McCain received approximately 32 percent of the Latino vote. Some have suggested that the GOP's stance on immigration has hindered political gains among Hispanic voters.

The Center for Immigration Studies has released a new Backgrounder challenging that assertion. "Latino Voting in the 2008 Election: Part of a Broader Electoral Movement," by Prof. James G. Gimpel of the University of Maryland, argues that GOP losses in the election were not limited to Hispanic voters and not affected by the immigration debate.

The Backgrounder is available online at: http://cis.org/latinovoting

Among the findings:

• Exit polls from Election Day indicated that President Barack Obama won 67 percent of the Latino vote, and John McCain 32 percent. This compares to estimates of Latino support for George W. Bush in the range of 39 percent or higher in 2004. In 2000, Bush is thought to have received 35 percent of the Latino vote.
• McCain's consistent history of advocating a legalization program for illegal immigrants made no impression on Latino voters.
• McCain lost the Latino vote by a wide margin even in his home state of Arizona, 56 to 41 percent. This was in spite of widespread news coverage of his immigration stance in that state.
• The drop in Republican support among Latinos between 2004 and 2008 was part of a broad-based electoral movement away from the GOP, and was hardly specific to that demographic group. McCain received only 57 percent of the white male vote, compared with 62 percent for Bush in 2004, and McCain's 55 percent of regular church goers was significantly lower than Bush's 61 percent.
• Credible surveys indicate that the major policy concerns of Latinos were no different than the concerns of non-Latinos: The economy and jobs topped the list.
• There is little evidence that immigration policy was an influential factor in Latinos' choice between the two candidates once basic party predispositions are taken into account.
• In 2008, Latino voters supported the GOP ticket at levels above the usual 30 percent only when they resided in states that were already safely in GOP hands.
• The size of the Latino voting population should be kept in perspective alongside other subsets of the electorate. An estimated 11.8 million voters were of Latino ancestry, compared with 17 million African Americans, 19.7 million veterans, 23.6 million young people, 34 million born-again white Christians, and 45 million conservatives.

The Center for Immigration Studies is an independent research organization that examines the impact of immigration on the United States.

Website: http://cis.org/latinovoting/

 

Education for Liberation!
Peter S. Lopez aka: Peta
Email: peter.lopez51@yahoo.com

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/THIRD-WORLD-NEWS/

KeyLink: http://www.NetworkAztlan.com