A student led initiative in Montgomery County is giving Latino students a better chance at a bright future.

The program called Salto Al Futuro, was started at John F. Kennedy High School to address problems in graduation rates at the school. Founded in the 2006-2007 school year, the program was aimed at increasing high school success and preparing Latino students for higher education, according to Marisol Benitez, a counselor at Kennedy High School and one of Salto Al Futuro’s creators.

“The group started off with twenty ninth graders and sixteen juniors,” said Benitez, noting that enrollment in the program reached as high as 150 students. “Since then, every Latino in Salto has graduated.”

Students enrolled in the program are expected to maintain at least a 2.0 GPA and take at least one honors or Advanced Placement class. They are given resources like tutoring, SAT prep and team building to promote academic and social success that will benefit them in the future.

“Meeting and interacting with successful Latino people often gives group members incentive to work harder,” said Benitez. The students work in groups creating support systems that act as “familias” for the students. “The activities during group meetings show their potential and allow them to evaluate their own skills while improving them at the same time,” said Benitez.

The group also gives back to the community, with students regularly donating bread to local homeless shelters and being involved as translators and ambassadors for various school events, according to Benitez.

One of the main goals of Salto Al Futuro, in addition to creating a support group to motivate students, is to prepare enrolled Latinos for higher education. The high school graduation rate for students in the program has been 100 percent, with 95 percent of students going on to college.

“Being introduced to colleges also provides students a sense of excitement and anticipation for a new life in which they can find independence from family while going on to become successful,” said Benitez. Many parents want their children to be involved with the group, with students often having siblings who are alumni of Salto Al Futuro.

Junior accounting major Taara Fardanesh said the program’s resources and goals are something that she thinks would be beneficial in schools all over.

“Freshman year is usually super stressful if you are new to the workload and teaching style. Building skills early is really smart,” said Fardanesh. She said that her high school did not offer very much SAT prep and that students in Salto Al Futuro are getting a great advantage.

As for what is next for Salto Al Futuro, Benitez said they hoped to get sponsorship and funding so that they can offer the program to the many students wanting to join. She also said she would love if group members could maintain 3.0 GPAs and increase SAT scores in the future.

“Salto has been through many challenges, but in the end it still stands as a group that motivated young Latinos in going to college,” said Benitez. “One can ask an alumnus how Salto has benefitted him or her, and that person will most likely come up with an immediate response.”

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez announced she will partner with Walden Media to make a film version of the popular children’s computer game, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?,  according to Deadline Hollywood.

Although there is speculation as to whether Lopez will play the main character, she is officially attached as a co-producer.

Walden Media acquired the rights to the movie in November, but Disney first looked into creating the movie 10 years ago starring Sandra Bullock before it fell through.

Broderbund Software created Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? in 1985 as an educational computer game to teach children geography. The goal of the game is to follow Carmen’s villains around the world, arrest them, and ultimately arrest Carmen at the end. Players first go to the country where the crime took place and then receive clues to where the villain went next. Players lead a chase around the world before time runs out.

The computer game was then made into a television series that ran from 1991 to 1995 on PBS.

“Carmen Sandiego was one of my favorite games growing up and I hope they actually follow through with making it into a movie this time,” senior sociology major Tracey Hankoff said. “I think Jennifer Lopez would be perfect to play the part.”

However, ­­ junior journalism major Rachel Rosenthal doesn’t know how successful it would be. “It would be really cool if it was turned into a movie, I loved Carmen Sandiego, but I just don’t see how a movie version would work,” she said. “At least in the TV series there could be different episodes, each with a different case, so it was always fun.”

Fans will just have to wait and see when the movie will be released and who will star as the one, and only, Carmen Sandiego.

“I was dead, and dead people do not talk.”

These are the words of Carlos Mauricio, one of the few torture survivors of the Salvadoran civil war and a plaintiff in Romagoza vs. García and Vides Casanova, the landmark case that found his torturers guilty. On November 16^th, a group of approximately 25 students gathered in the multipurpose room of the St. Mary’s Language House for the incredible opportunity to interact with Carlos and to hear firsthand his account of torture.

Mauricio recounted the story of his kidnapping and the impact the torture has had on his life during the two hour event, entitled “Making Human Rights Violators Accountable.”

At a point in the war where an average of 50 civilians were being killed every week, Mauricio, a professor at the Universidad de El Salvador, was kidnapped from his classroom and tortured by the Salvadoran military. Following his rescue by the Red Cross, he fled the country.

He has since traveled extensively, including returns to El Salvador, with the goal of ending impunity. Mauricio has worked towards closing the U.S. Army School of the Americas, working in the School of the Americas Watch delegations in Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Child, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. He has also traveled to Burma, Cambodia, and Peru following conflicts in order to stop human rights violations. Mauricio returns to the Universidad de El Salvador every summer to run an educational program in Salvadoran History and Human Rights, and recently completed a book entitled Bajo Investigación.

Mr. Mauricio showed the audience a film called “Justice and the Generals,” which documented a trial immediately preceding his. Four nuns, working with the poor in rural towns, were abducted by the Salvadoran military and executed at point blank range. Likely because none of the victims could be present to testify, the trial resulted in a “not-guilty” from the jury. Mauricio’s trial followed immediately after, and he believes the ability of the plaintiffs to testify tipped the jury towards the right verdict in his case.

After the video, Mr. Mauricio opened up the floor for questions from the audience. When asked what he believed would have happened had the trial been held in El Salvador, Mauricio responded, “Nothing.” He elaborated by discussing impunity and the problems it presents, stating that it “nurtures crimes.” Mauricio discussed his project, Stop Impunity Now, and how he hoped it would help to resolve the problem. Throughout the question and answer period, Mauricio returned to the two needs that he and other survivors have: the first, to be believed, and the second, to preserve the horrors of the Salvadoran civil war so that those horrors would never occur again.

After Mr. Mauricio’s presentation, he remained to enjoy refreshments with the students and faculty. Made evident by his willingness to interact with the audience, he stressed the impression that the students had made upon him. The event brought attention to a topic that many students showed an interest in. Mauricio hopes that by sharing his story, a dialogue can be maintained among University of Maryland students concerning impunity and human rights.

More than 50 people gathered for the Coalition of Latino Student Organization’s annual Holiday Bash at the Nyumburu Cultural Center’s multipurpose room for a chance to relax and eat with friends before the rush of finals.

The Dec. 1 Holiday Bash’s purpose was to raise money for CLSO to host its awards banquet in the spring, at which it will commend organizations for achievements.

Attendees ate food prepared by the CLSO’s board members and socialized with each other. Guest speakers Carla Castro from the Student Government Association and assistant professor for American studies and U.S. Latino/a Studies Perla Guerrero made remarks at the beginning of the event.

Castro talked about an upcoming SGA reform commission meeting. Guerrero spoke about the relatively new U.S. Latino/a Studies minor, which is housed in the department of American studies. She said she hopes that one day there will be a major offered in the subject.

Guerrero said that students should learn about problems Latinos and Latinas encounter living in America. “We’re trying to not just keep students interested, but also get them more involved,” she said. “I think it’s more important for students to have a depth and breath of understanding of some of the issues that you’re living through, that you’re going to face.”

DJ Rumba or Raul Marin, who graduated in 2008, spun tunes ranging from American pop to merengue to Christmas classics. Towards the end of the night, several students danced to the Cha Cha Silde.

The food was the main focus of the event; the CLSO served both Latino and American traditional fare. Students, faculty and parents ate mashed potatoes, fried plantains, turkey, chicken, rice and beans and arroz con leche, or rice pudding.

Sophomore international business major Courtney Butler, who attended the event as a part of her Diversity in the University class, said she liked branching out and eating something different. “It’s not food that I normally eat,” she said. “I’m not used to plantains and rice and peas, but it was good! I liked it.”

CLSO spent three weeks preparing for the event, said coalition president and senior history major Adriana Rosas. The group advertised on Facebook and Twitter, as well as put fliers up. Rosas said a lot of the people who came were friends with people in the coalition, but “we had a lot of new faces.”

CLSO board member Chris Martinez, who communicates with organizations within the coalition in his role as internal liaison, said he was relieved that there was enough food despite the large turnout.

Martinez felt that CLSO achieved its goal for the Holiday Bash. “Everyone’s talking and mingling, there’s not one single person I see here that’s not conversing or enjoying themselves,” he said. “That was really the main goal overall.”

Cuba may be a ways away from UMD, but at the corner of 9th St. and G St. anyone can spend a night on a Havana street.

Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar’s high ceilings, cobblestone floors, and Cuban architecture allow patrons to enjoy the outdoor atmosphere indoors.

Chef-Partner Guillermo Pernot is behind the Zagat-rated restaurant’s authentic Latin cuisine, but there is much more to Cuba Libre than what fits on a plate.

On Oct. 7, they launched Cuba Libre Nights on Fridays and Saturdays. Viva Fridays includes a variety of Latin music such as salsa, merengue, bachata and other tropical beats while Bilamos offers a wider range of music such as mashups of Latin music and Top 40 hits on Saturdays. Due to the diversity, guests can attend both nights without risk of musical déjà vu.

In less than two months, Cuba Libre Nights is highly rated by The Washington Post as one of the best dance floors in D.C.

“There are some other properties in town that offer Washingtonians music that we offer,” said Amnon Pick, the restaurant’s general manager. “What is unique about our experience is you can be in Washington but feel that you’re in some sort of a tropical gateway.”

Their rum bar offers many Latin and South American cocktails, but their specialty is their mojito. There are 14 different types of mojitos on the menu.

All drink ingredients are made fresh daily in-house, from fruit purees to fresh-pressed sugar cane.

The restaurant also cooks everything from scratch daily, from desserts made by pastry chefs to daily-prepared entrees.

“Our strategy is to help our nation understand, enjoy, and explore what we call ‘the forbidden fruit,’ which is the island of Cuba,” Pick said. “It’s only 90 miles away from Miami yet it’s so foreign to many.”

“Being in Havana by dinner time is what we’re trying to achieve,” he added.

Cube Libre is accessible to a number of metro stops and all metro lines. It is one block from Gallery Place-Chinatown and the Verizon Center, two blocks from the Metro Center, and two blocks from the Convention Center.

Joan Smalls | Stylefrizz.com

Racial diversity in fashion is still an unrelenting issue although the industry is consistently tasked with expanding and defending its narrow view of beauty.

Over the past two to three years, plus-size female models like Crystal Renn, Marquita Pring, and Robyn Lawley have conquered high-fashion magazine covers, ad campaigns and runways. But the scrutinizing media generally ignores the blatant absence of racial diversity.

However American lingerie magnate, Victoria’s Secret, differs from other brands in being known for their annual televised fashion show where Latinas dominate the diversified catwalk.

Brazilian models, Alessandra Ambrosio, Adriana Lima, Flavia de Oliveira, Lais Ribeiro, Izabel Goulart, Emanuela De Paula, and Puerto Rican Joan Smalls represented the Latina community while walking the runway during the 2011 Victoria’s Secret Fashion show at the Lexington Avenue Armory on Nov. 9, in New York City.

“Well, they’re all really hot but I did notice that they had a lot of Latina and Black models,” said Stan Tinter, 22, senior government and politics major at the University of Maryland, “It’s the modern way of thinking. If this was the 1960’s I’m pretty sure every model would be White with blue eyes and blonde hair.”

Hoping to usher in a new idea of beauty, cosmetic company Estée Lauder recently launched a campaign featuring Chinese supermodel Liu Wen and Victoria’s Secret Joan Smalls to show a more multicultural idea of beauty entering the mainstream.

The ad aims to convey that “diversity is beautiful” and that “every woman can be beautiful”, which is the name of the campaign.

While the message is not new, the industry’s commitment to reflecting this ideal is often called into question with even successful models like Naomi Campbell complaining of racism.

She tells Glamour magazine, “You know, the American president may be Black, but as a Black woman I am still an exception in this business.”

Chris Hart, 21, junior finance major at Wake Forest University, said the trend of Latinas modeling could be attributed to the increasing number of Latino residents on the United States.

“The model agencies want to appeal to all audiences and show that they are accepting of all ethnicities just like most companies in the US” said Hart, “People think a much wider range of attributes are beautiful today.”

But while some may think marginalization and racism is decreased due to new campaigns and diversified runways, public relations sophomore, Allison Greene, 18, believes only certain sects of the industry show variation.

“In commercials and print ads the casting companies are still looking for the typical Kate Moss fair skinned look-alike,” said Greene, “But for Victoria’s Secret they’re promoting a different beauty that really has nothing to do with the rest of the fashion industry.”

Greene said the fact that Brazilian and Puerto Rican women rule the lingerie runways does not encourage racial equality but rather promotes the stereotype of the hyper-sexualized over-passionate Latin lover.

While Victoria’s Secret may not be synonymous with the rest of the fashion industry, the company strives to fuel a multicultural revolution to “take you beyond the typical supermodel” according to their website mission.

“Beauty is diverse and at least one major label can recognize that,” said Hart. “Even if [Victoria’s Secret] are the only ones to promote this I think perseverance is key, everyone will follow suit eventually.”

Siestas, two to four hour long midday breaks spent leisurely eating lunch or taking a nap, are customary in Spanish culture, but with a struggling economy, Spaniards may not be able to afford this tradition that for some borders on sacred.

“It is quintessentially Spanish,” said Lauren Feldman, junior Spanish major at the University of Maryland, “When I lived in Spain I would be roaming around lunchtime and not one store was ever open. It seemed like a ghost town that spent more time relaxing during the day than working.”

However as Europe’s economic crisis worsens, Spain, the fourth largest European economy, is burdened with its own multitude of woes including low productivity due to these lengthened workdays.

Looking to reinvent itself, Spain needs to lower the unemployment rates standing at 21.5 percent, help the amounting debt, and solve the housing slump.

In changing the Spanish work ethic to more American-style 9-to-5 schedule, University of Maryland labor economics professor John Rust said, “There is nothing particularly sacred with US style 5 day per week 9-5 work schedules. While a 3 -hour siesta may be on the excessive side, it may be better for productivity in Spain than copying American puritanical, obsessive, overly macho 9-5 work schedules that deny any space for a nap after lunch.”

“[Spain’s] problems are due largely to the same problems that created our ‘Great Recession’ in the US: tax lending and a bubble in real estate that ultimately popped and crashed housing prices and left Spain with mountains of debt, not the institution of the siesta.” Rust said.

Reform-seekers say an early clock out would motivate people and thus garner better work performance if the country were to take on this new work ethic.

“Its understandable that Spain wouldn’t want to get rid of this tradition,” said sophomore economics major, Samantha Hills, “But if they’re eliminated people will be able to use that time to go shopping and spend money instead of going home and going to sleep. Keeping stores open and circulating more money into the economy would definitely help fix some economy issues.”

Many Spaniards feel that the country is in desperate need for reform as well. The Association for the Rationalization of Spanish Schedules, a lobby group pushing for Spain to make better use of its time, has contacted all major candidates in the upcoming general election for prime minister to back their cause.

According to Eurostat, the European Union’s statistical agency, of the 17 nations that share the euro as currency, Spain is disappointingly 10^th in productivity per hour worked and because there is no Spanish law that mandates workers to get two hours for midday meal it could be difficult for unions and companies to work together to eradicate the siesta tradition.

Junior history major, Danielle Katz, explains that before the Spanish Civil War of 1936 Spaniards ate lunch earlier, in sync with the rest of Europe.

“After the war the country was in ruins. There was a period of hunger and a lot of people needed two jobs to support their families. They’d go to a job in the morning and then another in the afternoon. In between they would go home and take a long break for rest which is where the custom came from.” Katz said.

The Labor Ministry said the National Statistics Institute has no concrete figures on how many of Spain’s workers might participate in this extended break midday and in 2005 the central government tried to set an example for the rest of the country by mandating all ministries shut down for the day by 6 p.m.

“Its not just the two to four hours either,” said Feldman, “when everyone gets back from the siesta the first hour back is also pretty much wasted. People are lounging and relaxing. Still waking up.”

In the future Rust proposes that Spain not look to a “medicine” for their economic struggles but rather a more deep rooted solution.

“Its misguided to suggest that Spanish productivity would be increased by getting rid of Siestas, causing Spaniards to be even more under pressure and sleep-deprived than they already are. Studies show naps after lunch can even increase productivity.” Rust said, “People get paid more and more based on what they produce, not how many hours that they show up in the office.”

Whether you are looking to dance or listen, there are various authentic Latin clubs as close as Baltimore, Annapolis, or Washington, D.C.

Latin Palace, which is in Baltimore, is equipped with a large dance floor and plays music ranging from salsa and merengue to bachata and reggaeton. The club also offers dance classes Thursdays through Saturdays.

Also in Baltimore, Mari Luna Mexican Grill is home to both tasty food and frequent live music according to Yelp. On Friday and Saturday nights, the basement lounge called Luna Lounge plays salsa music. Lessons are offered on weekends.

The 13th Floor, found in the Mount Vernon area of Baltimore, is located on the thirteenth floor of the Belvedere hotel and offers live music such as reggae and mambo.

Paladar Latin Kitchen & Rum Bar is in Annapolis and has happy hour everyday. The restaurant features food and drinks from Central and South America, Cuba, and the Latin Caribbean. The rum bar offers a long list of traditional and contemporary drinks, but they are known for their mojito, caipirinha, and margarita, which can be flavored with mango, guanabana, strawberry, coconut-pineapple, and pomegraante-ginger.

Bossa Bistro & Lounge, which is located in Adams Morgan in D.C., is a restaurant and lounge that features both live salsa music and dancing. Bossa offers Happy Hour on Thursdays, features live music Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and has a DJ Fridays and Saturdays.

Adams Morgan is also home to Habana Village, a Cuban restaurant and dance club that has Latin Fusion Night on Fridays and Saturdays and offers salsa dance lessons. DJ Azucar plays a mixture of salsa, merengue, bachata, timba, and the latest hits according to their website.

Rumba Café is a Latin American restaurant and bar in the same area that offers live Latin music Wednesday through Saturday. Every Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. has live tango music, Latin jazz Thursdays at 9:30 p.m., Cuban salsa and Colombian music Fridays, and South American rock-pop on Saturdays.

Nearly a block southeast of the Dupont Circle Metro Station is Café Citron, a Latin American restaurant and bar known for its happy hour, mojitos, and free salsa lessons. Café Citron’s event of the month is Salsational Wednesdays, which features $4 bottles of Dos Equis until 11 p.m.

If someone happens to stroll past the Wavedancer Board Shop located in Hunt Valley, Md., they will be struck by an awe-inducing array of bright colors that beam from the window display.

If that person steps closer to the display, they will see piece after piece of vibrant unique clothes ranging from t-shits to sweatshirts all with the simple, yet unique logo of a script style letter “o” forming a face with two eyes, no mouth, wearing a snap-back baseball cap.

That person just discovered OLLIElife.

OLLIElife, upstart clothing and skateboard brand and the brainchild of college student and longtime skater and snowboarder Ali Seirafipour, just dropped the first fall/winter line of its young upstart life.

With the simple, unique logo, bright colors and the slogan “Get Weird” printed on each piece’s stitched tag, OLLIElife brings an inviting nature to the action sports industry.

“I just wanted to make clothes that were fun to wear and broke away from the direction every other company was heading in with conservative designs on conservative colors,” said Seirafipour.  “A fun loving culture that aims to enjoy life and wear whatever they want.  I want to create clothing that is unique both graphically and how it is constructed.

“Above all else, I wanted to create a brand that effectively utilized all the different talents of the surrounding culture.”

Seirafipour, who officially launched the brand in early 2011, said one of his major inspirations stemmed from working in skate shops and constantly listening to arguments about which brands were “core”.

The niche culture that many brands create is one factor that motivated Seirafipour to take his line in a different direction.

“I think people forget how kooky they were when they started out skating, surfing or snowboarding,” said Seirafipour about steering away from creating an uninviting niche culture.

Response to OLLIElife has been very positive so far due to an extremely supportive community of friends, family and mentors, said Seirafipour.

“What I see with his brand is that he hasn’t gotten caught up so much in the fashion-end of things, but relies more on promoting a certain kind of culture that in turn shapes they way people view his clothing,” said John Prater, Wavedancer employee.  “Public reaction has been stellar so far.  We’ve marketed it well in our shop and the bright colors naturally catch the eye.”

“I love the idea behind it and love that it is open and accepting to everyone. I also like the big, basic logo, easy to wear with anything,” said John Bonner, Wavedancer employee.

When asked about future goals and aspirations for the brand, Seirafipour said he wants to create a great base for the brand and then focus on growth.

“For now we are trying to build a strong foundation for the brand before expanding into more stores,” said Seirafipour.  “Another major goal down the road is to get into custom manufacturing, meaning designing the cut of our garments ourselves rather than being forced to abide to the sometimes boxy cuts designated by the mills we order from.”

Above all, Seirafipour wants to focus the brand on creating “community, not exclusivity”.

“OLLIElife is about allowing everyone to demonstrate their value, an outlet for their self-expression,” said Seirafipour.  “I wanted to create a culture that everyone wants to be a part of because of the people who are representing it.”

smosh.com

After a roommate is diagnosed with Leukemia, three student roommates and many of their friends decided to for go the typical fundraiser and throw parties to help benefit his cause.

This past Friday, roommates Greg Wohlfort, Max Sposito, Anthony Towle and about 80 of their close friends got together for the “Mustaccio Bashio”, a party in honor of their roommate Ryan Strasdauskas who is currently battling Leukemia.

The party took place in their house off of Carleton Terrace in College Park and was mustache themed, requiring every person attending, male or female, to either grow a mustache, draw one on their face, or wear a prop mustache.

Many who attended also drew a mustache on the inside of their index fingers to place over their upper lip to provide the same effect.

On top of the required mustache, there was a $10 entrance fee that contributed to food and beverages for the event as well as the Ulman Cancer Fund, which helps fund support for young adults affected by cancer.

The Mustaccio Bashio went off without a hitch and raised $525 for the charity.

“I’ve always thought that fundraisers should be enjoyable for the people attending them,” said operations and supply chain management major Greg Wohlfort.  “I think people may be getting a little tired of running 5k’s.

“We lucked out living in an awesome house with a lot of space for entertaining. When Ryan got sick, I knew we could use it as a fun way to raise awareness and money for teen cancer.”

“I think it’s an innovative way to raise money, while still having a fun time,” said communications major Max Sposito.

Earlier this fall, the roommates and an even larger committee of friends put on a formal event called the “Fall Ball” at their house.

The party was an invite only event of roughly 120 guests and featured a wide selection of food drinks and entertainment followed by an after party at R.J. Bentley’s Restaurant in downtown College Park.

According to Wohlfort, the Fall Ball raised $1005 for the Ulman Cancer Fund.

“Being a friend of Ryan gives an extra meaning to planning and attending these events because we’re having fun with our friends and we’re also benefiting a cause that means a lot to him,” said materials science and engineering major Erik Weinhold.  “It makes you feel good that you’re helping out a good cause and it’s awesome to see all of our friends come together and make these events a huge success.”

“We are definitely going to continue to have events,” said history and philosophy major Anthony Towle.  “I think we could possibly network through our group of friends to get more donations, be it though work, family, etc.”

“This whole thing has definitely been a collaborative effort with our friends,” said Wohlfort.  “We have a close knit group of friends from Baltimore and we couldn’t have done any of this without them.”

According to the roommates, they are looking to do another formal event in the spring.