Cuban reporters unmuzzled. Perhaps.

NPR keeps me company while I cook dinner.
I had to put my knife down to take in the whole of this story.

Cuban journalists who work at the paper Juventud Rebelde (Rebel Youth) are doing actual investigative pieces. The word "journalist'' is used loosely when it comes to the island nation, which controls the media and, well, everything else.

As you listen to the NPR story you can hear the joy in the reporters' voices. The yee haw of being able to actually do their jobs. Fabulous, really fabulous.

From the NPR story:

"For years, Fidel Castro told Cubans that their problems were the result of the U.S. trade embargo, the loss of Soviet aid or globalization: There was always an excuse. But Herminio Camacho, deputy editor of Juventud Rebelde, says it's time for Cuba to acknowledge its own failings.
"These articles aim at raising people's awareness," Camacho says. "People need to know that things don't have to be like this here. We're bringing up problems that can't be blamed on our shortages, or on outside forces, or the embargo, or the world situation."

We in the Fourth Estate (I still claim ink in the veins) get bashed a lot. Some deserved, of course. But, without a free press, without the kind of people who revel in the truth, many of us would be much, much worse off.

Getting down from soapbox now.

Go listen to the story. It's wonderful and inspiring. Makes me hope.

--30--

Hot Latin body courtesy of frijoles and puerco asado

Laura Martinez of the wonderful Mi blog es tu blog tips us to this book, a promise of cha cha, pica pica caliente-ness. What she said about it is here.

I really must stop eating gringo Oreos.

Ask a Mexican on YouTube

I want to have lunch with Gustavo. Watch his funny and true commentary on assimilation.

And now, public relations for small business, or She works hard for the money

Maria walks into the room Sunday morning.

"What are you doing on your computer?''
"I am writing. You know, Maria, people pay Mami and Daddy to write stories, words and sentences for them. Isn't that cool?''
"Yeah, but you don't write baseball.''

Daddy, the sportswriter, is way cooler than Pollitos and PR.

So I have launched yet another business, a public relations consulting gig.

A client I love fell into my lap. For the last several years, since I quit reporting and launched Los Pollitos Dicen, I've helped small business owners write releases and pitch media, so why not get paid for some of it too, si? (Especially since the calls and e-mails from friends of friends of friends increase the more I help.)

So, in yet another act of shameless self-promoting, if you know someone who needs a media kit, a press release and some no-bull marketing and media advice from a no-bull former reporter with small business experience and national press contacts, send them my way.

If I can't help, I know people who can.

Are you a Jersey blogger mama?

Consider this a public service announcement:

A media friend in Jersey is looking for Jersey blogger moms willing to write for a state-wide publication. Pass the word.

E-mail me and I'll forward the contact.

Fame awaits you.

Yes, Hispanics eat ice cream and moose is alce

The keyword searches that bring people here give me great joy. It feeds the nosy person/former reporter in me. Some are relevant to what we're doing here and others are not. Some are just plain icky and these two just made me laugh out loud:

"do hispanics eat ice cream" (yes!)
"advice long winded talker'' (of course they found me)

And you know, one of the most all-time popular and constant searches:
"how to say moose in spanish.''

Go figure.
Maybe I'll go have ice cream now.

Spanish children's website by RIF

The summer break is nearly here and Maria and I have been thinking about all the cool things we're going to do -- play in the creek, ride our bikes, learn to embroider. She's going to attend a music camp for a week and we will go to Miami to see the familia.

As much as I am looking forward to mornings that do not include my saying: "Hurry, go pee pee so we won't be late...'' I expect to be driven a little loca as I struggle to hang with her and work business magic at the same time.

We have DVDs and we have friends who are encouraging play dates and sleep overs. That'll help. Sometimes I let her play on my computer (Noggin and PBS only) when I am packing orders.

So, I am grateful for the shy Puerto Rican lurker (my goodness, so many of you lurk) who sent me a lovely note and a link to the Spanish site for Reading is Fundamental. (Remember them?) It is wonderful. Truly wonderful. Songs, animal facts, games.

I foresee some free time for Mami this summer.

(gracias, comadre...)

Introducing embroidered Spanish infant onesie, and a big screaming sale

Sweet and glorious Luca, 5-months, is wearing our latest design: embroidered "Los Pollitos Dicen Pio Pio Pio" onesies in our vibrant yellow and red.
They're so new they aren't even on our website yet.
I can't even properly describe just how amazingly cute these are.

If you want one now, you can e-mail me (mamahen at los pollitos dicen dot biz) or you can purchase them on our site very soon. $18. Size 6 months.
They're a great newborn gift.
No egg box, but each one comes with the lyrics to Los Pollitos.

In the only act of "de madre" Luca ever has displayed, he models our Feliz Cumpleaños onesie and announces that these guys, festive as they are, must go.
They're on super clearance - $7 dolores.
Get yours while they last. Some 4T are available.

Time to make room for new designs at Los Pollitos Dicen.
Pa'lante, my people, Pa'lante.

Oh, and hey, if you order a regularly priced t-shirt or onesie before May 31, you get a free bib. Designs include Candela, Gordito, Gordita and Los Pollitos Dicen.

Cuba Nostalgia kicks off

Last night, while I watched Lost in the Boonies, a few hundred Miamians, (Maiamenses?) partied at Cuba Nostalgia. I thought of them all and wished we were there, as we were the last two years.

Curious about the goings-on this weekend? Watch it via Babalu Blog. Que rico. I can hear the music from here.

If you're in Miami and you're looking for Los Pollitos, you can find them at Sentir Cubano.

edited Friday afternoon: Coming back to say that if you are Cuba Nostalgia and you see something that looks like a Pollito, but isn't a Pollito, well, it isn't a Pollito. Accept no imitations, my friends. No imitations.

118 Reasons to Love Being Latina

The Latina magazine June cover story: 118 Reasons to Love Being Latina.

So, I think: 118? Hmmm. Did they aim for 120 and fall short? Did they aim for 100 and have too many?

A quick glance inside reveals that churros, hoop earrings and Juanes are among the reasons.

Personally, I like being Latin because it gives me a genetic excuse for my expanding posterior.

Azucar!

What are yours?

A Cookbook and Cubans, Cubans, Cubans Everywhere

Car'ai, this post was intended to be longer and poetic and maybe even funny, but I'm headed to Geek Squad con PDF problemas. Oy.

So, without the fluff, let me tell you about Marta's new Cuban cookbook. You know Marta from My Big Fat Cuban Family. If you don't. Go there now. Hang out, read and be happy you are Cuban, or wish that you were. Buy her fabulous cookbook. Give it as a gift, maybe coupled with one of her aprons and a mojito muddler. (Andy Garcia will have one soon.) Marta is in Southern California.

Next, because it is true there is a Cuban everywhere, let me tell you about A Cuban in London. I have no idea who he is yet, but tripped onto his site yesterday and spent more time than I truly have. It's beautifully written and the music and poetry he posts is wonderful.

And, while I have been reading Elsa Mora's blog for a while, I have failed -- I mean, really failed -- at posting a link from here. I am sorry to have deprived you, if you haven't already found her. Go look at her beautiful and creative art, her etsy shop and the amazing Oscar dress she designed for herself. Elsa is a multi-talented Cubanita in California with a Hollywood Husband.

Now, I am off, praying to los santos that this computer is not about to fry.
Enjoy the links.

Free tips: How to send a celebrity a gift basket

When Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt introduced their youngest daughter to the world wearing a Kingsley t-shirt, the garment went into immediate back order.

Celebrities are mighty powerful, we all know that. Their wearing, or using, an item can mean instant sales and forever cool.

A few months ago when celebrity news was full of stories about gorgeously pregnant Latina stars, Los Pollitos Dicen and three other fabulous Latina-owned businesses put together gift baskets for Salma Hayek, Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Lopez.

We participated because of their star power, of course, but also because the mom in us recognized the mom in them. All Latinas, all on adventures - business and mothering. I had resisted sending gifts to celebrities because it felt kinda funny, you know? But, with these three it just felt right. (I particularly have empathized with Hayek and Lopez who, like me, came to mothering a little later in life.)

Anyway, the point of this post is not really to tell you about our gift baskets, (which really were very cool), but to tell you, small business owner with little dinero, how to send them yourself.

If you’ve ever looked into giving “swag,’’ as they call it, through a gifting company or at a celebrity event like the Grammy’s, you know it isn’t cheap. Participation can run from $50 to hundreds or thousands of dollars. It could pay off. Or it may not.

So, while you grow your business and ponder whether to pay mucho to send gifts via a swag company, I’m going to tell you how we did it. It will cost you more than $50, but not much more than that and some time. So...

HOW TO SEND A CELEBRITY A GIFT BASKET:
THE CRIB SHEET

• Head over to Who Represents and search the Celebrity of Choice.
  I like to start with the publicist. (You can register for the service if you need to).
  
• If no publicist is listed, look for manager or management company.
  
• Then, Google the name of the publicist and the star to see if that spokesman or spokeswoman has been speaking for the Celebrity of Choice lately. (Databases can be out of date.)
  
• If you can’t find free information, Google your Celebrity of Choice and words like “publicist’’ and “spokesman’’ and “spokeswoman.’’ Make sure any results are current. You also can hang out over at Perez Hilton or any celebrity site of choice - People, TMZ, etc. and keep track of whose talking for whom. And sometimes, celebrities have contact information on their personal web pages.
  
• So, once you’ve pretty much got it that this particular publicist still indeed does speak for Celebrity of Choice, Google the publicist to find his, or her, address and company name.
  
• Call the company and ask for the publicist’s office. Don’t bother asking to speak to the publicist herself. Tell the receptionist - which we all know, knows everything - you would like to send a gift basket to the Celebrity and need the best address. Speak kindly and confidently. (You can puke from nerves later.)
  
• Now, the PR person’s office might refer you to the agent’s office or the star’s personal office. Call, don’t e-mail.
• Say "Thank You Very Much'' and head to the post office.
  

We sent baskets to three celebrities. I got addresses very quickly for two. For the third, the receptionist gave me a publicist’s e-mail address. Of course, she never answered. So, I called back and got the management office name and address. After a quick call and an address, off the basket went in all its colorful glory.

The baskets arrived at their destinations and they were not sent back, which always is a possibility. Then, we posted this press release on PRWeb. (See the release to read about my partners.)

Cost to upload release: $80, split by four. Because I wrote it, there was no additional release-writing cost, but if you need someone to write it, you'll be looking at $100 to $300.

What did our businesses get out of it? I can’t speak for the other vendors, but the Pollitos got exposure and sales. The Web pages and message boards that featured us will hang around for a long time, so we’ll continue to get some exposure.

And I know you want to know: Did we get a Gracias?
No. Not yet. I am not sure one was expected.

However, can’t say we’re not all hoping for a photo in People or US Weekly or on Perez, our favorite bad boy cubanito.

Personally, I am keeping fingers crossed Jennifer’s twins show up on her upcoming TLC reality show dressed in their “Gordito’’ and “Gordita’’ onesies.

Any questions?

Feliz Dia de las Madres

I hope you're all brunched up.

I received a hand-drawn card from Maria: She and I in a field with flowers and blue sky and a blue heart.
Her teacher took the dictation: "I love my mommy because I do different things with her: Folding towels, eating ice cream and more.''

Heart-breakingly delightful.

Last week, I told you about Violeta Garcia-Mendoza. Her column debuted today at Literary Mama. Give yourself a Mother's Day gift. Go read it.

Happy is a new bike and birdsong...

The sun is shining. The birds are outside singing and devouring the seed. The house smells like "peen-aroma'' and I have this to look forward to again this weekend...

Happy, joyous, abundant Spring to you, wherever you are, amigos...

Yoani Sanchez: Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World

Yoani Sanchez is quickly becoming a personal hero of mine. When I heard this story on NPR this morning, I could not stop smiling, could not stop shaking my head at her audacity and courage and smarts and big you-know-whats.

If you don't know about Sanchez, she's a Cuban in Cuba who blogs about Cuba -- with honesty and regularity, defying government regulation, censorship and blockage.

In Cuba most don't even dare tell their brother what they really think about the government, but the 32-year-old Sanchez tells the world. Her posts can get more than 1,000 comments. I believe she is educating the globe and inspiring change on the island. (I hope those who defend The Retired Bearded Dictator and his brother read her blog thoroughly.)

The Spanish newspaper, El Pais, gave her a prize for journalism, which the Cuban government did not let her go get this week. (Thank you to my Spanish friend, Raul, for correcting my original post. I had said it was the government who gave the prize).

And now, Time has named her among the 100 Most Influential People in the World.

I love her. I cheer her. I wish her safety. And freedom.

An interview in Spanish:

Loving what we do and links you'll love

When Oscar, my Pollitos partner, and I worked together in the newsroom we cracked each other up with the silliest of things - cubanisms, stuff our padres said, things non-Latin Southern friends said to us about Latins. We were, for a time, the only Latins in the editorial department, and perhaps the entire building of 2,000 people. Of course, we bonded.

When he moved to Philadelphia, it was as if my little brother had left home. I give regular thanks to Ma Bell and Al Gore for allowing us to stay in touch via phone and long cable. We are on the phone and on-line together a lot and we still crack each other up. It can get absurdly silly and giddy when we talk about future designs and big plans.

We love this. We love what we do. We love that we produce a sweet gift, a colorful slice of culture, available to all Latins and the people who love them and la cultura. (That’s a lot of people, despite what the news says about long walls and raids.)

So, my days are made especially joyful when a customer writes and shows us their pollitos in Pollitos. (Makes us realize we’re not just giddy, crazy people.)

This came last week from my Miami friend Amanda. Her beautiful cubanito wears the Fo!/Stinky tee well.

This week another customer wrote to share what she posted on her blog about her three children in Los Pollitos Dicen t-shirts. What I found was not only a lovely tribute, but a gifted writer whose work I will be reading regularly.

Meet Violeta Garcia-Mendoza, who writes at Multi-Culti Mami and whose new column will launch Sunday May 11 at Literary Mama. Here is a beautiful and moving column she wrote last year about adopting her babies.

So, now you see why I'm a giddy, crazy person who loves what she does?

Our customers are the best, the coolest, lo mejor.

Thank you for going on this ride with us.

Happy Cinco de Mayo: Taco truck tacos for everyone!

While this was taken last month, it screams Cinco de Mayo to me. Makes me want a Margarita on the rocks with lots of salt. Makes me want taco truck tacos al pastor. Now, even at 6:28 a.m.

Good thing I don't live in L.A. Those crazies are trying to ban the most delicious of cheap, heaven sent food. As told on NPR here.

You'll find me on Charlotte Pike this afternoon patronizing a truck for dinner. While I can.

Ole!

Los Pollitos adds an Amazon store

Buenos dias, all.

A quick note to point you to the right-hand column and the Los Pollitos Dicen Amazon store.

We've included the books and music that have touched our lives, or have come highly recommended by friends and family on the bilingual journey.

There also are some books for inspiring creativity at home and parenting/mothering books that have meant a lot to me during my journey as Maria's madre, a walk that is both joyful and exhausting. (Aye, esa nina...)

I'll be adding more titles soon.

If you buy a book via our store, 25% of the proceeds will go to the non-profit and non-partisan National Latino Children's Institute...and if you have any books or music to recommend, let me know.

Oh, and one more thing, I'll be sending out the Pollitos newsletter in the next few days and introducing a new item, so if you haven't signed up, go do so. Apura!