Do you think Hispanics are discriminated against? Not in Phoenix.
A publicly traded corporation this week agreed to pay almost half a million dollars to end a discrimination suit that started two years ago when federal investigators found Hispanics were routinely hired over job candidates from other ethnic groups.

According to a story published today in Phoenix’ East Valley Tribune, the rejected candidates include 11 Asians, 66 blacks, 17 American Indians, and 370 whites, who were deemed qualified job applicants but were not hired simply because they were not Hispanic.

OK, it’s not that these guys were missing out on a very fancy job. The company in question is the Corrections Corporation of America, the firm running a state prison in Florence, Phoenix, and one of the country’s largest private prison firms. (By the way, the guy featured on the company’s Web site does not look very Latino to me, so there’s something fishy here)

Besides the economic penalty, the suit established the Florence Correctional Center also must undergo a future audit by federal investigators to determine if it has met the federal hiring standards. If the prison has not changed its hiring practices by then, the company could face stiff penalties including fines or termination of its government contracts.

No possibility of jail time was mentioned. Too bad, it would have been a convenient penalty to comply with.

Analyzing Cuba can be a confusing task. Thankfully, a group of Miami journalists is here to help. In a statement released Friday via Hispanic PR Wire, Mega TV announces the debut of Pronósticos, a program which “will analyze the future of Cuba as the country prepares for a leadership transition following the eventual passing of Fidel Castro.”

What’s confusing about this? Well among the “notable” guests featured on the show are Alvaro Vargas Llosa, political analyst and son of Mario Vargas Llosa and “Francisco Aznar,” ex president of the Spanish government.

Qué???? Last time I checked, the guy formerly running Spain was José María Aznar, whose full name is actually José María Alfredo Aznar López. Where on earth did they get Francisco?

Now I wonder if the show’s host, Carlos Alberto Montaner, might not actually be Venezuelan singer and songwriter Ricardo Montaner (born Eduardo Reglero). Confused? Well, so am I!