Before America went crazy, Uncle Sam welcomed immigrants (audio)

Before World War II, the American government cranked up the propaganda machine to WELCOME immigrants with a Sunday afternoon radio program from the INS called I’m An American. Sara Laskow reports for NPR’s All Things Considered.

Here’s the show with immigration posterboy and refugee from the Nazis Albert Einstein:

Mas…Before America went crazy, Uncle Sam welcomed immigrants (audio)

LatinoUSA NPR Audio: The 1% and 99% of Mexico meet in NYC

mariachirestaurantastoria

LatinoUSA’s Antonia Cereijido writes the intro:

If you go to a high-end restaurant in New York City, there’s a good chance that you’re dining among some of the wealthiest Mexicans in the world and being served by some of the poorest. This story was produced in collaboration with Round Earth Media. Tyler Kelley is a co-reporter on the piece.

[Mariachi Restaurant in Astoria, Queens, NY, photographed by Aude. Some rights reserved.]

Los Supercivicos: Satirical super hero citizens of Mexico City (audio)

Supercivicos-600x380Los Supercivicos, Mexico’s City’s self-appointed superhero vigilantes, wield the wicked sword of satire as they fight for truth, justice and the Mexican Way.

Zakiya Gibbons reports for NPR’s LatinoUSA:

Alex Marin y Kall and Arturo Hernández are redefining crime-fighting in Mexico City with their comedy group, Los Supercívicos. Armed with comedy and a camera, the duo hits the streets to shame wrongdoers into good behavior They draw crowds by dressing up as anything from cowboys to nuns, and they improvise “happenings” to call attention to the offender. People even turn to Los Supercívicos for rescue when the authorities won’t help. While it seems all fun and games, Marin y Kall and Hernández are pursuing the serious goal of promoting civic awareness—in Mexico City and beyond.

Mas…Los Supercivicos: Satirical super hero citizens of Mexico City (audio)

Felipe Esparza: The Seven Spanish Cuss Words (LatinoUSA audio)


“There are some words, not many, just a few — that we decided, we won’t use them all the time,” said the late comedian George Carlin in his famous routine about the “seven dirty words.” If you aren’t familiar with it –– the skit tries to pinpoint a definitive list of words you can never say on radio and television [See NSFW video below.]

Mas…Felipe Esparza: The Seven Spanish Cuss Words (LatinoUSA audio)

Rosa Diaz goes ‘method’ on Charles Bukowski project (audio, video)

rosadiazPhilly singer-songwriter Rosa Diaz started a Charles Bukowski-themed project, and to make it authentic, she became a Method Actor — actually living the writer’s hard-drinking life style until it almost killed her.

LatinoUSA’s Nadia Reiman reports:

In this recent a capella music video, Diaz sings about Pain:

Mas…Rosa Diaz goes ‘method’ on Charles Bukowski project (audio, video)

NPR: Who are the refugee kids at the border? (audio, video)

Researcher Elizabeth Kennedy interviewed a 12-year-old boy who returned to El Salvador barefoot; he had been robbed of everything he owned.

"I asked him if he was going to try again," says Kennedy, "and he just burst into tears and said, 'What would you do if you were me? I haven't seen my mom or my dad in 10 years ... and no one here loves me.'"

NPR/Parallels writes:

Since October, a staggering 57,000 unaccompanied migrant children have been apprehended at the southwestern U.S. border. Sometimes, they’ve been welcomed into the country by activists; other times they’ve been turned away by protesters.

Mas…NPR: Who are the refugee kids at the border? (audio, video)

Mi Casa Es Tu Casa: Los Romanticos De Zacatecas (video)


Here’s how NPR Music producer Jasmine Garsd tells the story:

For the first installment in the Mi Casa Es Tu Casa series with Fusion, a Mexican band invites Alt.Latino into its house for lively conversation and great music.

Ever since I moved to Mexico City, I’ve been overwhelmed by the amount of music at my fingertips. I’m not just talking about amazing concerts: So many artists from all over Latin America live here in Mexico, and I love being here to check in on their creative process.

Mas…Mi Casa Es Tu Casa: Los Romanticos De Zacatecas (video)

Losing your religion on the Internets and Pocho Ocho other things


The more you use the Internets, the more likely you are to lose your religion, according to a new study.

NPR explains:

America is less religious than ever before. The number of Americans who reported no religious affiliation has been growing rapidly, doubling since 1990. That kind of rapid change matches another societal trend — growth in Internet use. The percentage of Americans who say they used the Internet went from nearly zero in 1990 to 87 percent this year.

Now, a detailed data analysis finds the two trends aren’t just related, but that wider Internet use may actually be leading us to lose our religion.

Mas…Losing your religion on the Internets and Pocho Ocho other things

LatinoUSA Audio: Al Madrigal and Lalo Alcaraz’ ‘Big Adventure’

POCHO Jefe-in-Chief Lalo Alcaraz and POCHO Migrant Editor Al Madrigal (you may also know him from The Daily Show with Juan Estewart) are thankful for lots of stuff. Al is thankful that his son’s school’s athletic mascot is not racist, Lalo is thankful for his new Bordertown gig with Fox, and POCHO is thankful LatinoUSA with Maria Hinojosa let us share this audio from everyone’s favorite Latinos from the Future!

PREVIOUSLY ON LATINOS FROM THE FUTURE:

Mas…LatinoUSA Audio: Al Madrigal and Lalo Alcaraz’ ‘Big Adventure’

Disney Day of the Dead faux pas: Latinos turned noise into news (audio)

From NPR: When Disney tried to trademark Dia de los Muertos for their new movie merchandise inspired by the Mexican holiday, Latinos picked up their own mice, went online and turned things back around.

For this week’s News or Noise, Latino USA guest host Luis Antonio Perez speaks with POCHO Jefe-in-Chief Lalo Alcaraz and Kety Esquivel, a digital media strategist, about how Latinos online retaliated against the entertainment giant.

NPR Cinco de Mayo show taps Gustavo Arellano, La Santa Cecilia

Coming from the East Coast and all, the National Public Radio Alt.Latino peeps needed to come here to get the real California deal on Cinco de Mayo. They called on two local treasures:  Gustavo Arellano, editor of OCWeekly.com, and East Los rockers La Santa Cecilia:

This week we bring ourselves to that most bicultural of holidays — Cinco de Mayo. As we discuss in the show, there is a question about whether or not this is just another opportunity for happy hour specials or store-wide sales: “Get your new bed during our Mexican Mattresstravaganza!!!”

We invited writer Gustavo Arellano to help us shed some light on the issue. He has tackled this theme before in his syndicated column Ask A Mexican.

Here on the East Coast, the Cinco de Mayo experience is different from what it is in California. It feels much less connected to themes of cultural pride and more like an excuse to drink margaritas.

Mas…NPR Cinco de Mayo show taps Gustavo Arellano, La Santa Cecilia