You're reading In CA, TX, immigration reform & tech both benefit Latinos by Sara Inés Calderón featured on Más Wired.

Immigration and tech may not seem to be intricately linked on the surface, but the current immigration reform debate in Congress and some recent data show otherwise. States where immigrants are concentrated have strong, and growing, tech sectors, and thus would likely benefit greatly from immigration reform.

California and Texas ranked first and second, respectively, in tech employment, according to a recent Cyberstates report. These states also happen to be places where Latinos, and immigrants, are heavily concentrated. For example, a recent report found that 1 in 10 residents of Los Angeles County was an undocumented immigrant. Another map estimates California’s population of undocumented immigrants is 2.5 million; for Texas this number is 1.65 million.

No other state came close to these numbers of undocumented immigrants. Just like no other states came close to the numbers of tech jobs added. Nationwide the tech industry added 67,400 net jobs, according to the report — and California and Texas alone accounted for 41% of nationwide tech growth.

Immigration reform means not only that talented young people in these states will be able to enter the workforce, but also that talent from other countries can help U.S. businesses continue to prosper.

California ranked first in terms of tech employment, adding 17,700 net jobs to a total of 968,800. And in the Golden State tech workers earned, on average, the highest wage nationwide, $123,900, compared to the $93,800 nationwide average. Emerging industries in the state include computer systems design, as well as R&D and testing labs.

Texas’ numbers were also impressive; the state added 10,000 net jobs to grow the tech employment sector to 485,600 jobs. Workers in this sector earned an average salary of $92,200 and growing in computer systems design and engineering services.

Efforts to promote immigration reform have frequently zeroed-in on economics as a driver for reform. One such effort, iMarch or the March for Innovation, is a nationwide effort to urge Congress to pass immigration reform that has incorporated many different types of technology into its pitch.

The event is taking place on Twitter, as well as physically in locations across the country, and boasts tech and celebrity superstars. In Austin, for example, a live event will be streamed to the Internet,and is being supported by the Austin Technology Incubator, South by Southwest Interactive, Texans for Economic Progress and Texas Instruments.

Another group that’s been pushing specifically from the tech sector for reform is the Mark Zuckerberg-backed FWD.us. The group is using social media to advocate for immigration reform and boasts support from some of the tech world’s biggest names.

For more information about the March for Innovation click here, for FWD.us click here.

[Images Via Júlio Reis and AnonMoos]

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You're reading Latinos flocking to online radio by Sara Inés Calderón featured on Más Wired.

The number of Latinos listening to online radio has almost doubled in the past year, according to a report. The Media Audit just released a report that found that a total of 32.7% of Latinos listened to the top Internet radio stations in March, that’s 4.2 million people, and they are 35% more likely to listen to Internet radio than the rest of the population.

We previously wrote about how Pandora had been targeting the Latino community, whereas Spotify had basically been ignoring them. The results seem to be in:

 A year ago just 13.5 percent of Hispanics listened to Pandora, today 28.7 percent of Hispanics in the top 10 markets reported listening to Pandora in the last month.

And in general, for Latino online radio listeners:

The dramatic 142 percent growth in Hispanic listeners in one year is matched by the 182 percent one year increase in Hispanic listeners who accessed iHeartradio, and 52 percent one year increase in the number of Hispanics who listened to Radio.com.

[Image Via Lisa Padilla]

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You're reading Racism, homophobia, mapped on Twitter by Sara Inés Calderón featured on Más Wired.

Racism and homophobia on Twitter are concentrated pretty much all over the United States, according to a new mapping project that tracked racist tweets against geographic data.

The Geography of Hate is a project from California focusing on the geographic centers of hate speech on Twitter. The map is part of the work by Humboldt State University’s Dr. Monica Stephens and students of her Advanced Cartography course.

Using Google Maps, the researchers pulled geocoded tweets from June 2013 to April 2013 with “hate words” in them (150,000) and students classified them as negative according to a rubric, then these “hateful” tweets were used in the analysis for the map.

The resulting map can be seen here in its entirety. Some interesting points:

• Predictably, urban areas had the biggest concentrations of racist, homophobic and anti-disability tweets
• Georgia and Kansas seem to be centers of really racist tweets
• Racist words describing black people were used across the country
• Racist words describing Latinos were concentrated in Texas, Georgia, Kansas and Kentucky
• Racist words describing Asians were more prominent on the East Coast, Kansas, Georgia and Minnesota
• Homophobic tweets were used all over the country, but for Los Angeles

These results are interesting, considering that whites are a minority of Twitter users; as we wrote previously, only 14% of Twitter users are white, compared to 26% black and 19% Latino. However, as we wrote earlier this year, Twitter is also a vehicle for white nationalist groups to spread their message.

To see the map click here.

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You're reading Seniors adopting tech to better their health by Más Wired featured on Más Wired.

Dr. Yanira Cruz, Executive Director of National Hispanic Council on Aging

For fifty years now, May has been Older Americans Month. It’s a time for celebrating older Americans and for encouraging them to share the wisdom and knowledge accumulated over their lifetimes. In our fast-moving, modern age, we can benefit from the guidance and experience of previous generations.Seniors are not just looking back. They are looking to the future too and, defying all stereotypes, are embracing the high speed broadband tools and technology of the 21st century with enthusiasm and aplomb.

A recent Pew study showed that 53 percent of those 64 and older are online. Many of them are using social networking sites, too. That same study revealed that seniors between the ages of 55–64 use smartphones, and AARP recently reported that 90 percent of people 50 and older own some type of mobile technology.

Technological know-how has increased across every age group, but even as these broadband-enabled devices and capabilities change our methods of communicating and ways to access information, some things remain the same: We all still want opportunities to improve and enhance our quality of life. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that our seniors have recognized wireless technologies and broadband-enabled innovations as important tools for achieving these common goals.

As the President and CEO of the National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA) and as an advocate for health equity, I am particularly pleased that our seniors are incorporating new broadband technologies into their daily lives. Advances in telecommunications technologies deliver many essential benefits to seniors, especially to those in minority communities or in rural areas. At the NHCOA, we have recently had some exciting chances to share and learn about the many health care opportunities made possible by these technological innovations.

The recent National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) annual conference included a panel discussion titled “Using Technology to Serve Hard-to-Reach Populations.” NHCOA participated in that discussion, and we presented information about the obstacles that often prevent access to health care. These “hard to reach” populations include members of minority groups and rural residents, and these seniors often struggle to get quality health care due to location and geographical distance, as well as, sometimes, language and cultural barriers.

For seniors in minority populations that have a disproportionately higher risk of serious diseases and risk factors, including diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, new technological tools can play a vital role in combatting these chronic conditions and eliminating health disparities. Additionally, rural residents also contend with a shortage of primary care physicians. For many of our elderly, minority, and rural communities, these factors lead to declining health, reduced quality of life, and shortened life expectancies.

However, the availability of broadband and broadband-enabled technologies in the form of mHealth and telemedicine offer solutions and hope for a better future. The use of advanced broadband-enabled video teleconferencing, remote monitoring devices, wireless biosensors, and various mobile apps have already made a real difference for many people. Rural clinics can offer video teleconferencing, allowing access to specialists. Wireless in-home monitoring devices can collect health data like heart rate, blood glucose, or respiratory rate and then send that information directly to medical personnel, eliminating the need for some office visits.

A number of health apps, some specifically geared toward minority or senior populations, can help patients with general health concerns as well as those with specific conditions or diseases. Newly developed technologies have presented improved ways for our seniors to live independently. Personal emergency response devices, special shoes that track mobility and predict unsteadiness, and pill bottles that alert patients with sound and light reminders can all play a role in helping our aging and minority populations enjoy enhanced quality of life.

I had the opportunity to learn about some of these cutting-edge solutions last week at a Capitol Hill briefing titled “Technology and Innovation in the Wireless Health Industry.” Wireless innovations are creating a health care revolution filled with opportunities for innovators, doctors, and patients alike, and the briefing highlighted three different stories of innovation at the intersection of health care and wireless technologies. Proteus Digital Health, for example, develops products that enable patients to work with caregivers and medical professionals to create a plan for better health and wellness by analyzing personal health choices. Wearable and even ingestible digital sensors, can reveal the effects of lifestyle and health choices.

Also profiled was Asthmapolis, which uses mobile apps and inhaler sensors to help patients with asthma monitor their condition with physicians and prevent attacks. These and other revolutionary health technologies have the potential to improve health and quality of life for our aging population, in particular. It is my hope that seniors will embrace these innovative solutions, just as they have readily adopted other wireless technologies. However, these innovations depend on the availability of a robust telecommunications infrastructure. If we want to increase the availability of these health care technologies and encourage the creation of new ones, we need to continue to deploy modern broadband networks that can accomplish this vital task. Upgrading and expanding our nation’s networks will ensure access to these and other life-enhancing technologies for all Americans, so our seniors can thrive, and we can celebrate their wisdom for years to come.

[Image Via balleyne]

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You're reading Disney & Día de los Muertos: culture is not for sale by Elaine Rita Mendus featured on Más Wired.

Barely a day after it became public that Disney had made a move to trademark Dia De los Muertos for an upcoming Pixar film about the holiday, the company has given up the effort.

A company spokesperson has stated that the effort to trademark Dia was given up as the film’s title would change. However, the backlash regarding the move was enormous — and almost instant. Many were furious that Disney had attempted to turn their culture into a piece of consumerism. The effort to fight off this cultural appropriation is certainly admirable and a testament to how the Internet can become a loudspeaker for the marginalized, however, Dia De los Muertos did not escape unharmed, and the exploitation of the holiday continues unabated — with icons and symbols being sold constantly to naive consumers at Hot Topic.

This isn’t the first time that retailers have appropriated ethnic images and dress styles.

The weird trend of “Navajo” patterns, on dresses, bags, and moccasins was just the tip of the iceberg. It met with backlash, of course. Next, “Aztec” style patterns are springing up on the racks — but they seem to be as Aztec as the Mayan ba’ktun cycle. America isn’t all to get exploited, though!

Victoria’s Secret re-sexualized the geisha of Japan with a downright trashy “sexy geisha,” upsetting plethoras of Asian Americans for carrying on a stereotype that Asian women are “exotic.” Not to be outdone, Urban Outfitters decided to mix it up and sell an ethnic Ethiopian dress — which either sold out quickly or got pulled down after Ethiopians and Ethiopian-Americans noticed it.

Now, it seems that the calavera, Dia de Los Muertos, and the Virgen de Guadalupe are up for appropriation now on Hot Topic’s website and in their stores.The choice of these images hasn’t been brought up much — but it is rather troublesome, and definitely tasteless. Tank tops, tee shirts, and even bikini pieces feature the images. Glitter-shaped calaveras on people’s chests or butts, and shirts or patches featuring defaced images of  la Virgen de la Guadalupe with a calavera for a face are also up for sale, as well as a boatload of other images that steal the motifs and imagery and turn them into wearable outfits.

Nothing screams trendy or cool like exploiting people’s culture. The clothes pull Mexican images and culture from where they belong and turn them into cute jokes for teens and twenty-somethings to wear without a clue or a care as to where these images came from. The meaning and culture is completely pulled from the holiday when somebody decides to slap a picture of Marilyn Monroe with her face done up as a sugar skull onto a tee shirt. Or, turn a Star Wars storm trooper’s helmet into a calavera.

It’s sickening. It’s a sign that despite the big victory against Disney trademarking Dia, Latinos and other minorities need to continue the fight against corporations which seek to make a quick profit over their symbols. The sudden torrent of anger toward Disney was impressive and swift, it forced them to give up their bid to turn a holiday name into a profit. However, it can not end there. Stores such as Hot Topic, Urban Outfitters and others which pull from ethnic and cutlural images such as Dia need to be aggressively pursued and harassed about the trashy images they peddle around of our culture. To the 20-somethings who will buy this merchandise, wear it, then throw it out when it’s no longer in vogue, our culture means nothing.

It’s a cute gag, a cute picture to wear. A “punk” skull with “cool” symbols. It’s a stupid little trend for now to these people who buy and consume these materials. An oddity. Our culture is not your fashion statement. If we sit back and breathe a sigh of relief that Dia De los Muertos is not going to have a grinning mouse behind it, then we might as well give up our culture right now. It is imperative that we continue to watch for and fight vehemently against appropriation of our culture.

Otherwise, what was the point of raising hell against Disney?

It would have been pointless because Hot Topic, Urban Outfitters, whatever, will continue to make profits off of Geisha girls, defaced Virgens, African dresses, and whatever else they continue to get their hands on and run with. It is not okay to let our traditions and history fall victim to predatory capitalists and ignorant hipsters, and we need to fight that tooth and nail. Otherwise our heritage and holidays will mean nothing.

More Dia De los Dólares void of meaning.

[Image by Lalo Alcaraz via Pocho.com]

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You're reading Study: our brains are racist by Sara Inés Calderón featured on Más Wired.

A new study from researchers at the University of Toronto Scarborough recently found that our brains respond differently to people of different races. In the study white participants watched men of different races pick up a glass of water and take a drink.

Researchers reported that, typically, when we watch people perform a task a part of our brain fires that correlates with when they themselves would perform that task. But in this study:

…participants’ motor cortex was significantly less likely to fire when they watched the visible minority men perform the simple task. In some cases when participants watched the non-white men performing the task, their brains actually registered as little activity as when they watched a blank screen.

What it comes down to is that, at a neurological level, our brains don’t identify with people from other races the same as they do with people from our own race, according to the study. Researcher Jennifer Gutsell said in a report:

“What we found is that there is a basic difference in the way peoples’ brains react to those from other ethnic backgrounds. Observing someone of a different race produced significantly less motor-cortex activity than observing a person of one’s own race. In other words, people were less likely to mentally simulate the actions of other-race than same-race people”

[Image Via U.S. National Institute on Aging, Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral Center]

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You're reading Map tracks attacks on journalists, bloggers in Mexico by Sara Inés Calderón featured on Más Wired.

Freedom House and the International Center for Journalists (ICJ) is launching a digital and interactive map to track the attacks on journalists and bloggers in Mexico. According to a report from ICJ more than 80 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 2005.

Periodistas en Riesgo, Journalists at Risk, is a crowdsourced map that allows people to report assaults anonymously.

You can see these reports reflected on the map or on a stream on the site, check out the map here.

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You're reading Billions proposed for new border security by Más Wired featured on Más Wired.

By Christie Thompson, ProPublica

Federal spending on border security is at an all-time high—and it would get even higher under the Gang of Eight’s new plan. The Senate immigration proposal, released last week, would allocate $4.5 billion in the next five years to tighten control of U.S. borders.

The U.S. spent nearly $18 billion dollars on immigration enforcement agencies last fiscal year, more than all other law enforcement agencies combined.

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You're reading Boston Marathon shooting & Google Person Finder by Elaine Rita Mendus featured on Más Wired.

The Boston attacks are still fresh in the minds of many. One suspect was killed in a firefight, another has been detained — and is reportedly being outfitted with a good defense team. However, there are still unresolved issues. We have no clear motive,  and the question of whether the FBI bungled it’s job are the two big questions. Despite the unresolved threads in the attacks, we have witnessed innovation in technology by bystanders and concerned persons.

One of the most innovative uses of technology came in the form of crowdsourcing via “Google Person Finder.”

It is not always easy to reach people during crises. Phone lines might be down, or ordered to be shut off. People may be stranded with the Internet as their only voice out, or nothing at all. First employed during the Japanese Tsunami last spring, Google Person Finder is a tool which is meant for users to upload their status during the disaster. The data is then able to be used by first responders to download and synchronize with their own data base, or a first responder’s database can be uploaded to Google. The data can also be embedded into a website with basic HTML code, allowing website owners to provide users with access to this data.

The Boston data has been taken offline and deleted in accordance with Google’s policy, but can be located here.  Google provides numbers for hotlines for victims or to the police department to report information in lieu. When the spreadsheet was up and active, anybody could edit the spreadsheet, anybody could view the spreadsheet, and the information was unverified by Google. Like any disaster situation, there always runs the risk of inaccurate, or false, information.

The Boston data might be offline, but the data from the Japanese earthquake is still online in a way. Clicking “Japan” on the Person Finder page brings the user to two options, the option to search for a person, or to upload information about a person. Google issues the same disclaimer it does with the Boston data here, the information is public and edited by anyone. They hold no accountability for the data. However, unlike Boston, the Japanese data is not sorted out in a giant spreadsheet for public viewing.

This is not the first time that technology has been utilized to cover disasters, and sporadic violence is nothing new. Twitter, for example, was notorious for relaying info to protestors in Egypt during the Arab Spring when traditional media had failed the public, or been muzzled shut. It allowed for relaying of information about protests to others with ease. In Mexico it has also had the same effect, uprooting the traditional news outlets for failing to do their jobs. Bribes or fears of endangering newscrews turned the natives of cities into citizen-journalists, blogging what was going on through tweets, which allowed their community to keep up to date on violence, and out of harms way.

Technology also isn’t perfect, either. In some situations Internet connectiosn can be lost for days or weeks – obviously, Person Finder’s uses would be more constrained in these situations. Despite the lack of Internet in disaster situations it could be possible for the information to be changed and updated once responders left a disaster situation, or at the very least, offer up a way to disseminate a missing person’s list. The drawbacks, though, are outweighed by the benefits. No situation is going to be ideal during a disaster. The innovation of people in these situations can not be discounted, and this is but another tool for the person caught in a situation where they must relay information with speed.

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You're reading Infographic: immigration reform’s paths to citizenship by Sara Inés Calderón featured on Más Wired.

The “Gang of 8″ bipartisan group of Senators introduced immigration reform legislation last week that, after a time, would theoretically allow people without legal status in the U.S. to gain access to a path to citizenship that would take 13 years.

There are many caveats in the bill, as you can see from this infographic put together by Quartz. There are caveats if you committed crimes, what dates you arrived to the U.S. and more.

Check out this infographic from Quartz and let us know what you think about immigration reform.

To see the full size image click here.

[Image Via aherrero]

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