Month: February 2009

This Little Gadget Says it All…in Spanish

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small_blueselectoRemember the culturally-relevant padlock, which allowed Hispanics to set their combination in Spanish?

Well, a company in St. Louis, Missouri is now launching Blue Selecto, the “first Spanish-language only programmable thermostat” in the market. The gadget, says Emerson Climate Technologies, was the result of “exhaustive” research that showed that “most Spanish-speaking homeowners feel enthusiastic about the opportunity to use an accurate digital thermostat in their own language.”

I couldn’t agree more, because there is nothing more reassuring than knowing Vent is short for Ventilación (not Ventilation;) Temp is short Temperatura, not Temperatura and so on.

(Oh, and just in case you were wondering: 70 in Spanish is also 70.)

And you Thought you Had Cool Friends…

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piolinbarackobama3Barack Obama this week put in a call to Univision Radio’s Eddie “Piolín” Sotelo to let him know he’s hard at work fixing the immigration mess -and that they are now BFF. I’m not going to bother you with details (you can read the full transcript here) but the highlights of the show were definitely the first and last 5 seconds:

1:48 P.M. MST

THE PRESIDENT: Hello.

PIOLIN: Hello.

THE PRESIDENT: Who am I speaking with?

PIOLIN: Piolín.

THE PRESIDENT: Piolín, my friend, this is President Barack Obama.

And, just a few minutes later, at 1:57 P.M. MST:

THE PRESIDENT: All right. Well, thank you so much, Piolín. It’s great to talk to you.

PIOLIN: Mr. President, you know we are close friends and you know that I have your BlackBerry phone number and you have mine.(Laughter.) So keep in touch.

What Ever Happen to Hearty, Spanish Meals? King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía Go Low Fat

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spanishroyaltyYou would think Spain’s King and Queen would cheat a little on their respective diets during their recent visit to the U.S. (After all, what is a gastronomic peccadillo here and there?) But, as it turns out, the royal couple opted for a low-fat version of the meal they shared with 500 guests at a Royal Society Luncheon in Pensacola, Fl.

Jim Shirley, one of the five Pensacola chefs who prepared the lunch, said the menu was planned per Queen Sofia’s instructions. The chefs dutifully took her instructions and crafted a main course of grouper with tasso, charred sweet corn, lump crab and cheese grits for the guests. The king and queen enjoyed a low-fat version that consisted of grilled fish and wild rice.

Let them eat grease, she said. Just like Marie Antoinette.

Looking for a Real Outdoor Adventure? Come to Sinaloa. Take a ‘Narcotour’

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pulmoniaNobody can accuse Mexicans of having ran out of ideas. Take the Northern state of Sinaloa, where a budding group of entrepreneurs are offering visitors tours associated with the state’s most dangerous drug lords.

“The tours include visits to their mansions and to the places where some high-profiled narcos have been killed,” according to press reports. Some of these visits are done riding a pulmonía, those golf-cart-type taxi substitutes that roam free on the roads of Mazatlán.

Alas, the Narcotours are apparently clandestine, and certainly not authorized nor promoted by Mexico’s Tourism Board.

Yet.

Tough Times Ahead: Lady Liberty Takes up the Iron

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drycleanRemember those glorious days when Lady Liberty was a mere symbol of freedom and enlightenment?

Well, folks, that is nothing but gone now. In these turbulent times, in which only U.S. Latinos seem to be the only ones who can afford to buy anything, Lady Liberty herself has been forced to take up the iron and work hard at pitching dry cleaning services… in Mexico.

Who knew the llama eterna would end up becoming the plancha eterna? Ay, Dios!

Hat tip to paisano, and loyal Miblogestublog follower Rafael Carballo.

Why Pay a Fortune for a Latin-Themed Teddy Bear When you Can Get this Thing for Valentine’s?

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aquapetForget Papi Chulo and Mamacita teddy bears. In these turbulent economic times, why pay for a stuffed animal when you can get yourself some aquatic, battery-enabled entertainment?

This Limited Edition Dora Aquapet takes 2 AA batteries and promises a lifetime of pleasure next to our favorite Latin niña, Dora the Explorer. Oh, and unlike Vermont’s Latin teddy bears, which go for as much as $79.95, this beauty is only $19.95!

Happy Valentine’s Day.

(Todo con exceso, nada con medida.)

Queen Noor of Jordan, Now Queen of Telmex?

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queenQueen Noor of Jordan, the U.S. born, 57-year-old widow of the late King Hussein of Jordan, is reportedly dating H.M. Carlos Slim, King of Telmex, Prince of Sanborn’s and Count of the many-many dollars.

According to Spain’s Semana magazine, the two are an item and have been seen globe-trotting in super luxurious planes and automobiles.

“Carlos Slim and Noor of Jordan just spent a few days at the Villas of Cap Cana in Dominican Republic. Before that, the pair was seeing globe-trotting around Spain, Sweden, Italy and Colorado,” said a nameless source, whom we really want to believe because this is a great story!

At last! After centuries of borrowing news and gossip from somebody else’s royalty, Mexicans now boast our very own royal couple. [Sigh]

(The tons of money the two must be saving in all those calls between Mexico City and Amman…)

Introducing the iPray. For the Busy Devout in You

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With this portable electronic rosary player, all you have to do is push a button to be able to pray the rosary in only 26 minutes: You can pray while you walk, cook, drive or rest. Yes, you can. And it’s only like, four easy payments of $240 pesos each*.

“I don’t have to go to church anymore. My granddaughter gave me this little thing and it’s really wonderful,” says one happy user.

“This is like praying with the Virgin herself,” adds another one –who goes by the name of Karolina Preciado Domit.

So, what are you waiting for? (Hurry! the peso has just devalued another 50% against the U.S. dollar, so this gadget is truly a bargain.)

*No incluye baterías. Los resultados pueden variar. No se garantizan milagros. No incluye cuentitas.