Hispanic Professionals Networking Group

Posted on April 17, 2011 by Phil Velez

This Tuesday, the Hispanic Professionals Networking Group (HPNG) will be sponsoring an entrepreneurs event at the Lounge at the Elmo Restaurant in New York City. The guest speaker will be Robert W. Walsh, the commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services. Registration cost for the networking event is $25.

The HPNG provides opportunities for Hispanic professionals to grow their networks and develop their careers. It hosts networking events and offers professional and personal development workshops that address Latino-specific issues. Workshop topics include career and leadership development, financial planning and investing, real estate matters, legal issues, and other topics.

Founded in 2003 in by Ali Curi in New York, HPNG produces monthly networking events and career management workshops in New York and Miami.

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East WillyB: A Latino Web Series

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Phil Velez

A talented and innovative group of Latinos and like-minded artists have joined forces to produce a web series showcasing the issue of the gentrification of Bushwick, Brooklyn. The series, East WillyB, presently airs two short segments online. The segments are less then three minutes long and future segments will be aired.

Creators Julia Ahamuda Grob and Yamin Segal aim to reach the “new generation of Latinos” who are wired and plugged in, educated, and tired of one-dimensional stereotypes in the media. With limited English language Latino programming on television and the challenges of getting such shows on the air, the pair decided to launch their series online.

The webisode earns its name from “East Williamsburg,” a name conceived by real estate agencies to reference Brooklyn’s popular Williamsburg area and entice renters to neighboring Bushwick. The name also refers to the main character, a second-generation Puerto Rican named Willie Reyes Jr. who is the owner of a neighborhood sports bar. With hipsters moving into el barrio and rents going up, Willy Jr. is faced with the possibility of going out of business.

The web series features April Hernandez (Dexter, Freedom Writers), Flaco Navaja (Fighting, Falling Awake), Raul Castillo (Nurse Jackie, IFC’s Cold Weather), Caridad “La Bruja” De La Luz (Bamboozled, Down to the Bone), Danny Hoch (Black Hawk Down, American Splendor), and many of NYC’s top Latino actors.

If the series is successful more segments will be aired, so visit the East WillyB site, signup for segment notifications, join its Facebook and Twitter pages, and pass along this information to anyone you think would enjoy this incredible online effort.

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Social Networking for a Job

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Phil Velez

According to About.com, at least 60 percent – some report even higher statistics – of all jobs are found by networking. In a slow job market, finding employment via the traditional manner could be quite ineffective. I know firsthand. I have been looking for a mid-career communication position for quite a long time. Since January of this year I have been searching for an entry-level paralegal position. However both searches thus far have come up empty.

So, I have decided to finally use my social network to get the word out. If you know of any possible employment positions in my chosen fields or know people in the communication or legal industries, please pass along any leads. I can be found on LinkedIn or you can just forward the link to my professional blog, which also serves as my résumé online, to any potential employers.

I will continue to do my part and am confident the right job will come up eventually, but if you can help spread the word I would really appreciate the valued assistance. Thanks in advance for your effort.

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Restaurant Week in Brooklyn

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Phil Velez

You still have a few days to take advantage of Restaurant Week in Brooklyn. I was able to participate last Friday when I visited my favorite Latin restaurant in New York City: Bogota Latin Bistro in Park Slope. This place continues to amaze me. It opened more than five years ago and it’s still going strong. The atmosphere is cozy, the music adds to the excellent decor, and the customer service is one of the best in the restaurant business. Bogota Latin Bistro that Friday night had crowds waiting to be seated and some without reservations had to find another place to eat. But there’s no place like Bogota Bistro. You have until Thursday night to enjoy the restaurant week specials, however Bogota Bistro is sure to be around for many more years to come. If you have not visited this Latin gem in Park Slope you’re really missing out in some fine food and a great dining experience.

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Crime in Puerto Rico

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Phil Velez

Photo: armytimes.com

Crime in Puerto Rico has always been a problem. However within the last two decades, the United States territory has seen the highest crime rates ever recorded. Drug trafficking, severe unemployment, and other social issues on the island indicate there may be no end in sight to the increase in troubling crime statistics.

Police data shows there were 110 murders in Puerto Rico for the month of January this year, 34 more than during the same month in 2010. As of February 22, 2011, there were 179 homicides recorded, 40 more than in the same period last year.

Police statistics dating back to 1940 showed the highest number of murders on the island occurred in 1994, when 995 murders were reported. Since then murder rates have gone down, however in recent years the numbers have skyrocketed again.

On December 25, 2010 police data showed there had been 962 reported violent deaths, 72 more than in 2009, making 2010 the second worse year for homicides on the island since it starting keeping such records.

Crime overall has gotten worse in Puerto Rico and the tough economic times may also be a causing factor. In January of this year the unemployment rate of the U.S. commonwealth claimed up to 15.7 percent.

The combine issue of crime and economic hardship has most likely also caused a slight exodus from the island.

Puerto Rico’s population declined by 2.2 percent in the last decade, which makes the commonwealth one of only two U.S. jurisdictions that saw this trend.

Along with all the troubling statistics, some studies highlight the social affect of Puerto Rico’s problem with crime.

A study by the Josephson Institute of Ethics for the Puerto Rican government found that 28 percent of the island’s 10th-12th grade students took a firearm to school at least once during the past year.

Another report revealed that one in every four high school students had stayed away from school on at least one occasion because they did not feel safe.

For more information about crime in Puerto Rico you can read the full article at ElBoricua.com.

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