Blog de El Editor de LatinoLA

17 Years and Counting

2017-05-31T17:18:00.001-07:00

LatinoLA.com launched on July 1, 1999. That's almost 18 years. Someday we may actually grow up. In the meantime, enjoy the events and the stories. And remember, you can post your own.

We're Back! Glad to Be Here.

2016-02-26T17:06:00.000-08:00

To our amig@s:

In early-February, LatinoLA.com's server had a catastrophic hardware failure. After a week of technical wizardry by our host, we are back online. Although we've lost some functionality, we are slowly building capacity and are hoping to introduce new features.

Thanks for hanging in there with us.

Social Media amig@s: LatinoLA is on Facebook and Twitter, Be sure to add @LatinoLA or #LatinoLA to your posts and tweets. Also, check out our newest site: Land of 1000 Dances on Facebook, hosted by Frankie Firme and me.

- Abelardo

Se A Cabo

2014-06-24T10:09:00.000-07:00

Picking Up Speed

2014-05-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

I am happy to say that there are more people publishing their stories and events and LatinoLA every day. I enjoy reading the stories and make plans to attend the various music, art, literary, community and professional goings-on. Not enough time to enjoy and learn from all the talent we have in our community. Keep posting, keep reading, keep attending. And we'll see you out there!

Here's where you can share your stories and events: http://latinola.com/contribute.php

Send your images to info@latinola.com

Let me know how you think I could improve LatinoLA. Send me an email at abelardo@latinola.com

¡Gracias!

Sprinting to the last mile

2013-08-18T09:37:00.001-07:00

I get anxious, I know. Worry some. Lose a little faith. I guess it comes with being so involved with LatinoLA / LatinoCities for so long. Personally and professionally, I have a lot at stake here.

So when I sense delay, I think demise. When things go slowly, I fear that the full stop. I am wrong in thinking that way.

After a meeting this past Friday with our development leadership, it looks like we are on the proverbial "last mile" of completing the new site. There is a list of actions that must be taken for that to happen, but the list isn't really that long and probably won't take that much time. We're talking about a few weeks.

With that, let me thank you for hanging in there with us, with me. Your comments have been extremely encouraging. We are onto something big and good for our communities.

¡Gracias por su apoyo!

LatinoLA.com at 14

2013-07-06T11:11:00.003-07:00

Another year came and went. We celebrated our 14th year online on July 1. Hooray!

Let's see:

12, 019 stories published, more or less.

21,550 calendar listings published, more or less.

14 years of newsletters, published weekly (most of the time, let's say, 45 per year times 14 equals ... 630 newsletters, more or less).

Stories by Frankie Firme - about 400, more or less

Page views - in the millions

Our listing on Google when you search on the word "Latino" - Number Four

People who've attended events we've listed: Millions, no doubt

People who've been moved to comment on our stories (to themselves, to their friends/colleagues/family or online): Millions, do doubt.

Yes, our analytics are state of the art.

Still, a sense of disquiet, of foreboding, of fatigue. This is still a struggling site, as I've been working on the next iteration of LatinoLA, calling it LatinoCities, for way too long. And each time I look into its progress, the timeline is pushed further back and further back.

I don't know how long I can continue. I know we are all struggling, but have I put too much effort into this endeavor at the expense of my career, family, personal life? Only I can answer that, but I ask you: Is LatinoLA still a worthwhile media player?

Thanks in advance for your honesty.

Where We Are At

2013-06-03T15:13:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted on this blog for a while. No surprise there. When it comes to writing my own thoughts, opinions, stories, etc., I pretty much drop them on my personal Facebook account or just leave things unsaid.

Little pithy remarks at best.

I utilize most of my time editing other people's words (stories and events) on LatinoLA.com, either submitted via our handy dandy form or sent via email. I don't have a problem with that. I just want to continue providing an online service for la comunidad and make LatinoCities happen.

I think we are getting closer.

Good Reading on LatinoLA Today!

2013-02-13T16:49:00.000-08:00

We've been busy the last couple of days! Here are the latest stories on LatinoLA! http://latinola.com/
• Latino Funny on DVD: Cheech, Rudy, Culture Clash y Muchos Más by LatinoLA Contributor
• News From the Brown Side of Town 2.13.13 by Frankie Firme, Contributing Editor
• Free Farm Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, While Supply Lasts!
• Something Different ... and Liquid ... for a Change by Frankie Firme, Contributing Editor
• Indio Guide to Avoiding Cheesy Clichés This Valentine's Day
• The Fuchsia Dress at the Grammys by Guadalupe Gonzalez, Contributing Writer
• On The Abdication of A Pope by Guadalupe Gonzalez, Contributing Writer
• It's a Wonderful Life? by Rodolfo F. Acuña
• Cindy Vela: Model, Actor, Musician ... Next Big Thing? by Dr. Al Carlos Hernandez, Contributing Editor
• Rejected for Decades, WWII Servicemen Receives Memorial Service by Diana Martinez, Editor, San Fernando Sun

Family Featured This Weekend

2013-02-04T14:27:00.001-08:00

At LatinoLA.com, we consider all of you ... contributors, readers, supporters ... our familia. But on special occasions, I get to brag on the accomplishments of my own family members. And this weekend we have a double dose for your pleasure.

First, my brother, Adrian de la Peña, will be part of a group exhibition at the Vincent Price Art Museum in East L.A. College called Sanctified: Spirituality in Contemporary Art. The reception is this Saturday at from 5 to 7 pm.

You all know we love the band Quetzal. The family connection? My brother Jaime is married to Esther, who's the cousin of Quetzal's lead singer Martha Gonzalez. The band is celebrating their Grammy nomination at a free concert, also in East L.A. And it starts at 8 pm, so you can enjoy both art and music, family-style!

Reminder: You can still tix to Brazilian Carnaval! Here's how: Go to the Brazilian Carnaval calendar page on LatinoLA here. Scroll down to the bottom of the page. Where it says: "Leave a Message", tell us why you really, really want to go. Best comments win tix! We have three pair to give away. (Make sure you include your name in the message field.)

Win Tix to Brazilian Carnaval at Nokia Live!

2013-01-25T09:25:00.001-08:00

Here at LatinoLA, we've been fans of all thing Brazilian since our launch back in the day.

One of our favorite ways to celebrate Brazilian culture is by attending the annual Brazilian Carnaval, produced by our friends at BrazilianNites. This year, Carnaval takes place at Nokia Live on March 2, 2013.

Win tix to Brazilian Carnaval! Here's how: Go to the Brazilian Carnaval calendar page on LatinoLA here. Scroll down to the bottom of the page. Where it says: "Leave a Message", tell us why you really, really want to go. Best comments win tix! (Make sure you include your name in the message field.)

Bao Sorte! (Good luck!)

It's Heating Up in LatinoLA! The Latest Events and Stories.

2013-01-18T13:42:00.001-08:00

After the recent bone-chilling cold, it's nice that the weather is warming up. Time to get out of the house and enjoy the wealth of talent based here in the center of the Latino universe: The greater Los Angeles area. Music, art, literature, tech ... we've got it all.

Check out the events on the left: They're all taking place this weekend. And we've only just begun in 2013. You, too, can publish your own event. Click here and find out how.

We're also enjoying an increasing number of great stories coming from the community: Politics, entertainment, career opportunities, community issues ... we've got it all. And we've only just begun in 2013. You, too, can publish your own story, reprint your blog post, republish from your website. Click here and find out how.

And wait, there's more ... we're on Facebook. Click here and "like" us. We're on Twitter. Click here and follow our feed. And we're moving forward on LatinoCities. Click here to keep updated.

Cold Weekend, Hot Events

2013-01-11T16:11:00.002-08:00

Cold enough for you? Unless you're from certain parts of Argentina, Chile or the Mexican state of Durango, this weather is a bone-chilling challenge.

We've got ways to keep you warm.

Check out the events on our Calendario and you'll bask in the fires of our cultura. Or stay home and catch up on the great stories by LatinoLA's talented writers below.

Speaking of, we'd like to welcome LatinoLA's newest intern Liliana Mota, a student at Cal State Fullerton. She's adding to her workload (2 part-time jobs plus full-time school!) by helping out with editorial and marketing as we transition from LatinoLA to LatinoCities. You can read some of her writing here , here and here.

Speaking of, the final tally on the LatinoCities crowd funding campaign: 75 supporters, $3,231 raised, 70 rewards claimed! My sincere thanks to everyone who contributed and supported this fundraising effort. I'll keep you posted on our progress on this FB page -- https://www.facebook.com/ HelpLatinoLABecomeLatinoCities Log in, "like" it, give us your comments and suggestions. ¡Gracias!

LatinoCities IndieGogo Campaign Ends

2013-01-09T09:20:00.000-08:00

Final tally on our LatinoCities crowd funding campaign: 75 supporters, $3,231 raised, 70 rewards claimed!

Our sincere thanks to everyone who contributed and supported this fundraising effort. It is really going to help as we move forward to launch our new connecting Latino communities throughout the U.S.

I'll keep you posted on our progress on this FB page - https://www.facebook.com/HelpLatinoLABecomeLatinoCities

A Big 2013!

2013-01-01T09:13:00.004-08:00

Here's to a big 2013! Thanks to all of you who've contributed to our LatinoCities campaign.

We've got 7 days to reach our goal.

To get us there, we've added a $20 reward.

But remember, no amount too small (or too large).

¡Adelante!

Here's the campaign link: http://www.indiegogo.com/LatinoCities/x/475127

¡Adios 2012! ¡Places to bring in 2013! Support LatinoCities!

2012-12-28T14:33:00.001-08:00

Amigas y amigos:

Whew ... we survived 2012.

Thanks for your continued support and contributions, especially the writers who contributed stories, op-eds and public service announcements and the artists, musicians, organizations, venues and more who posted their events on our Calendario.

There's still time to help us go national in 2013 as LatinoCities! We have 10 days left in our fundraising campaign and we are short by a whole lot.

The final day to contribute $1, $5, $10 or more is January 7, 2013. Christmas money left over? Send some our way, por favor!

Here's the link to our IndieGogo campaign site:

http://www.indiegogo.com/LatinoCities

We will succeed in 2013!

- Abelardo, el editor

¡Feliz Navidad!

2012-12-20T14:41:00.000-08:00

¡Feliz Navidad from your amigas y amigos at LatinoLA!

Podcast on LatinoCities

2012-12-14T09:18:00.002-08:00

LatinoLA/LatinoCities co-founder Abelardo de la Peña Jr. (me) is the guest on Latino Role Models and Success hosted by Armando F. Sanchez.

Abelardo (I) explains how he's transitioning LatinoLA from a local culture website to LatinoCities.com with a national footprint.

Give a listen.

Click on this link to listen!

Help LatinoLA.com Become LatinoCities! We Need Your Support!

2012-12-03T18:11:00.002-08:00

LatinoLA, as our loyal readers and contributors know, is the online home to Southern California's Latino voices, lives and souls. We started as an email newsletter in 1998, but since then, we've pioneered user-generated content, where anyone with something to say can share their story and/or promote their event. We are now ready to take the next step, by building LatinoCities, a network of Latino “hubs” -- cities, regions and communities large and small throughout the U.S. --, each one reflecting the sabor of its local cultura. We can’t create LatinoCities without resources, which is why we’re asking our great and growing family of readers, contributors and supporters to support us by donating to our crowd funding campaign. Our goal is to raise $15,000 by January 7, 2013. We gladly accept any and all donations, but to make it more compelling to you, we're offering personal, one-of-a-kind and culturally unique premiums for various levels of giving. Please click on this LatinoCities Campaign link to learn more! Any amount will be appreciated. Please leave a comment or suggestion on the campaign website. We appreciate your support! - Abelardo, el editor

LatinoCities Update

2012-09-19T16:33:00.002-07:00

We now have a Project Team Leader at Sensis, the agency that is designing and programming LatinoCities. Their timeline for completion of Phase One ... First quarter 2013.

I'll Be the Judge of That - La Estrella de Panorama Mall

2012-08-20T14:30:00.001-07:00

I had the honor and pleasure of serving as a judge for La Estrella de Panorama Mall, a singing competition which took place at the Valley's shopping center from July 14 through August 19. Although I only participated in the first round and finals, it was a lot of fun and inspirational. Thanks to Joman Wong, marketing lead at the mall, along with the host, fellow judges (including the Reyna Treviño) and of course, the contestants. I live tweeted comments and photos during the finals. Here they are: El Editor tweeting La Estrella de @panoramamall finals w/grand prize $1000 shopping spree @dianamera does soundcheck.

DJ Ray get the crowd moving with Cumbia remixes at La Estrella de @panoramamall http://idjray.com

Mason Reese dedicates Selena's I Could Fall on Love to her mother

Leon Green tears up Buttercup

Carlos Pacheco belts out Payaso

Angel Mejia sings Cielo Rojo

Cristal Morales wows the crowd with Por Amor

Jose Pacheco finishes La Estrella de @panoramamall finals with Entre El Amor y Yo, dedicating the song to the ladies

Dancers take to the stage as final votes are counted

First place! Jose Pacheco! Congrats to all contestants of La Estrella

I'll add the link to the LatinoLA article once it's uploaded.

Moving Forward...

2012-05-27T13:30:00.002-07:00

Didn't get into the second round of the Knight News Challenge. About 51 other projects did. Bummed? You bet! Moving forward... Development of LatinoCities delayed three months due to lack of staffing. Bummed? You bet! Moving forward... Sneak preview of LatinoCities for a few LatinoLA contributors last Monday at Sensis Agency. Good comments, suggestions, engagement. Elated? You bet! Moving forward... Stuck at deciding if and when to launch IndieGogo crowd-funding campaign. Confused? You bet! Moving forward... Always, moving forward...

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

2012-04-03T09:40:00.001-07:00

We entered the Knight News Challenge to help us fund our transition to LatinoCities. (Review our entry here.)

During the last couple of weeks, we've put a lot of effort into encouraging our readers and supporters to review our proposal and engage with it, by either liking, reblogging or commenting. I sent many Facebook direct messages to our friends.

Although the comment period officially ended March 29, we are still receiving positive responses and hope they continue to come in. So if you haven't had the opportunity to do so, here's the link again. Also, the Knight people are looking at Twitter engagement via the hashtag #newschallenge.

As of right now, our entry has enjoyed 37 Tumblr responses (Hearts, which equal "Likes", and/or reblogs), 217 "Likes" (recorded by clicking on the "Thumbs Up") and 64 comments.

Our goal was to be one of the top five entries in reader engagement. That way we would get to the next round automatically. But in viewing other entries, I found that a few received much more engagement than ours. So to get to the next round, it's going to be based mostly on the merits of our entry.

Initially, the organizers wrote that the entries going to the next round would be announced on April 2. Now, the website states, "By early April, we will select about 100 proposals for a second round of review."

After that, 10 or so entries will become finalists. Knight staff will spend the rest of April interviewing and conducting due diligence on that group and propose a group of winners to their board of trustees at its next meeting in mid-June.

So there you go. On to other tasks on our journey to launch LatinoCities...

Our Knight News Challenge Entry: LatinoCities

2012-03-27T14:45:00.000-07:00

LatinoLA.com has entered the Knight News Challenge. It's an opportunity to update our features and grow the LatinoLA concept to other cities. We call our entry LatinoCities.

Please read the entry by clicking here.

If you are on Tumblr.com, you can "heart" and "reblog". If not, please scroll down to the bottom of the page. If you like it, “Like” the thumbs up. You can choose to share via Facebook or Twitter. I hope you do.

You can also comment. Read them!

Deadline for "likes" and comments is March 29. Thanks!

- Abelardo

Still in My Sweats

2012-03-15T13:58:00.000-07:00

I've been doing great at being showered, shaved, dressed and fed by 8:25 am, then walk Linda to work at the Central Library. Today, I took the Scion to get serviced, just got it back, did a lot of things in-between and doing more now. But today, I'm still in my sweats, hungry and anticipating a road trip to Oakland to pick up Alicia from school for spring break.

It's back to completing LatinoCities entry to The Knight News Challenge. About 2/3rds there. But first something to eat.

I ate a burrito de cream cheese and salsa roja. Drank horchata. Got back to the entry, tightened up the answers and emailed team mates Richard Koffler and Nonny de la Peña for their feedback.

Now...shower!

Sometimes on Saturday

2012-03-04T20:34:00.001-08:00

After Saturday's household chores are done, El Editor sometimes goes out into the world. Yesterday's first stop was Amoeba Records in Hollywood. He decides how much to spend before going into the music superstore and stick to that amount, no matter what. $50 was the limit. There were lots of great new releases and the overwhelming assortment of classic albums on vinyl and CD that he's missed, lost, sold or just never heard of.

He walked away with a deluxe 2-disk DVD of Wizard of Oz, a gift for granddaughter Jewel; Let It Be, a collection of Beatles' remakes by Roberta Flack; Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan, which is a compilation of covers of benefiting Amnesty International (80 tracks!); and More of Other Worlds, Other Sounds by Esquivel, the imaginative Mexican composer and multi-instrumentalist who recorded in the 60's.

The soundtrack to our ride back home was the Roberta Flack. The songs are eclectic and imaginative; some are done in her familiar style -- warm and embracing -- and others are funky and jazzy. Her voice is still rich and full, although it sounded like a couple vocals were auto-tuned. Nice if you like classic Beatles songs. One surprise was "Isn't It a Pity", not really a Beatles song but one recorded by George Harrison after he left the group.

That was coincidental, in a way, because his next stop was the Grammy Museum, currently featuring an exhibit on the musical legacy of the group's lead guitarist and singer and songwriter of some of the Beatles' most well-known and loved songs like "Here Comes the Sun" and "Something". You know, his second wife was a Mexican American named Olivia Arias from Hawthorne.

Also on exhibit was a "Trouble in Paradise: Music and Los Angeles, 1945 - 1975." The guest curator is Josh Kun, and he and the Grammy stuff have put together an incredible display of music, photos, clothes and artifacts from a singular era of musical history. Plan on spending three hours plus, listening to music from iconic musicians like The Doors, El Chicano, Buffalo Springfield, Don Tosti and more. Great photos by George Rodriguez, too!

Two floors down is "George Harrison: Living in the Material World", an overview of the Beatle who's contributions to rock are somewhat overshadowed.

After dinner at Roy's Hawaiian Fusion on 8th and Figueroa (thanks to a gift card), El Editor made his way back home to watch "Q'Viva: The Chosen." His wife was surprised that he actually wanted to watch something with Jennifer Lopez and Mark Anthony. The show, a kind of "Latino American Idol" and travelogue mash-up, was fairly entertaining. A bit too much of J.Lo and Mark A. and their personal drama, though. But the music, dancing and personal stories of entertainers from Panama, Argentina, Mexico, Chile and other countries was thoroughly engrossing. Where else could El Editor have seen tango, salsa, acrobatic quebradita, bomba, malambo (a gaucho style of dancing performed by men), capoeira, and fantastic singing?

And then there was Sunday...