Lake Tahoe = success

This past weekend 22 LAM members attended LAM’s first official weekend trip to South Lake Tahoe. We have to admit, at first we were all a bit apprehensive because very few people knew everyone (we even had a female member come by herself not really knowing anyone!) However, the energy and positivism every member had made it for a very unique and fun event!

Combined, the 22 members represented 10 different countries and five different languages. We skied/snowboard, went sledding, enjoyed the hot tub with champagne at hand, played ping pong/fuzzball/billiards, got stuck in snow, and ate like kings and queens with catering from Salsa Girl Salsa. The most beautiful thing was that new friendships were made!

We hope to organize future weekend trips and get a larger group for a very exciting weekend! Keep your eyes open to make sure to book your next trip!

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22 members are driving to South Lake Tahoe this weekend to ski, dine, and mingle! We have members representing 12 different countries (and not all are from Latin America, we have Australia, Iran, India, and Poland!)

It will be a great experience (or a crazy one) since very few of the people attending know each other.

The goal of LAM has always been to bring people together via social events and this is our first weekend trip! If it is a huge success, we’ll sure be planning many more!

Wish us luck!

For a few weeks, LAM has been thinking and re-thinking about how to give back to the community and today finally we made a very concrete step towards this goal. LAM was invited by Edgar ‘ShoBoy’ from Univision Radio La Kalle (100.7 & 105.7 FM) to brainstorm and watch Edgar in action with the community.

Today after a very early rise, Giovanni and I met with Edgar and Janet Beleche from http://unshatteredclothing.com to share some ideas about how LAM can contribute to the community.  After crafting some awesome ideas we all moved to Hayward High School, where we met with Little Omar and Counselor Lupe Santoyo, to shadow Edgar. Throughout the day, we met with 3 groups of students who were very eager to hear what Edgar had to say.

The presentation was very motivational and it touched on Edgar’s life, highlighting his family’s challenges, struggles, and unity. It was a monologue/stand up routine that kept the audience hooked, engaged, and laughing. Throughout his presentation, Edgar highlighted the following points:

1. You can CHOOSE whether to be a victim or a creator under any circumstance.

2. We are all an army that are fighting against society’s low expectations, and as such we should remain united and help each other.

3. Go to school, graduate, and be a true baller and not a fake baller.

4. Women are the backbone of a family, and should be all treated with respect regardless of their age.

5. (As a Man and for a reality check) You should fast-forward 10-15 years and think if you would let your daughter date a guy like you.

As we progressed through presentations, the audiences continued to get bigger and more excited about Edgar’s story. Even teachers showed support and asked questions, encouraging students to think about what was really important in their lives. During lunch, students got to listen to La Kalle on campus and even participated in the ‘wave’ and some games.

After lunch, Counselor Lupe Santoyo expressed her interest in forming a partnership with LAM members to help students through High School and help them get to college. Overall the whole experience was motivational and inspiring, and I think that as a part of an organization as LAM who is filled with successful, ambitions, and energetic people, what a better way to give back to the community than to participate in their success.

So as Edgar closed his monologue ‘Don’t be afraid to dream big, but make it a reality Familia’

First party of 2010 takes us to the eighties — 30 years back!

English/Spanish Rock, Pop, Salsa, Merengue from the Eighties by DJ Juan Data, DJ C Bass, and Don Bustamante!

Join LAM at the new venue Sloane SF, with beautiful decor!

RSVP for discounted entrace before 11 pm. ($10 for members with RSVP before 11 pm, $20 at the door)

All members that RSVP and invite at least one friend to join LAM within the month of January will enter to win a beautiful painting by Mirsonia Meisner-Negron.

Eighties Dress Code Requested (have fun, play the part!) — add any comments on ideas!

Off-Shoulder Shirts
3/4 Sleeves
Crop Top
Primary Colors
Pink Sweater
Sweater on Waist
Neon
Matching Socks
Thick Belts
Long T-Shirts
Mini Skirts

Hair styles:
Feathered Hair
Rave, tons of it
Stick-up bangs
Multicolored
Crimped
Side Ponytails
Ultra-Teased
Platinum Blonde
Glitter

If you RSVP to Ochentas Party and invite at least one friend to join Latinos A Morir in the month of January, you will automatically enter to win the art work of Mirsonia Meisner!

Latin Vibrations (24 x 24)

Acrylic painting and other media created by International artist Mirsonia Meisner. Thanks to “Latinos a Morir’, this Puerto Rican artist has reconnected with her Latin roots, which inspired her to show her passion for her culture through the vibrant colors, energy, movements of this painting. It shows the freedom and positive energy that our latin culture is known for.

About the Artist

This international artist started her first strokes at age of 6, when her art teacher Emma Cordero asked her for her help to paint a mural in her elementary school; automatically Mirsonia fell in love with painting.

In the 80′s, while she was in middle school and high school in Colegio Angeles Custodios in San Juan, Puerto Rico, she continued drawing and painting those posters that decorated Volleyball Tournaments.

Once in University of Sacred Heart, she decided to put her brushes away to dedicate herself to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality Business. While she was living in San Antonio, Texas, she decided to go back to painting to concentrate in acrylics and oils. Since then, she has not put away her brushes.

In June 2009, Mirsonia was invited to paint a mural of PR Surfer Champion, Angel “Doctor” Rodriguez, in Gasolina Beach Club at Playa de los Caracoles in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. At Gasolina Beach Club, visitors can appreciate 5 murals that Mirsonia finished in 10 days during her last visit to the Island.

Already in different generations of her paintings, she continues to discover and develop her talent in her studio in Larkspur, California, where she happily lives with her three kids, the most important factor that keeps her passion and inspiration for painting.

For more information about Mirsonia’s legacy or painting, please contact Mirsonia at 415-261-7979 or email her to Mirsonia7@yahoo.com. People can appreciate her master pieces in Facebook or at http://mirsonia.shutterfly.com/.

[Updated 02/01/2010]

Congratulations to Lucia Melano!!

Lucia Melano has won “Latin Vibrations”! She won by inviting Nadia Mejia to join Latinos A Morir and attending Eighties party!!

Congratulations Lucia and thank you for your support!!!!

For the first LAM Comadres event of the year the fabulous ladies of LAM got together for a very posh lunch at Asia de Cuba.

In order for us to get to know each other a little better we tapped into our inner Miss Universo. Each lady wrote a question which a fellow Comadre would have to answer. Here are the results, in no particular order. ; P

Lety: “If you had to live somewhere other than the SF Bay Area where would it be?

Ana: “Guatemala or any country in Latin America.”

Gina: “How do you help save the world?”

Imelda: “As a teacher, I like to think that each day is an opportunity to inspire the youth and be a role model to them.”

Ana: “When was your first kiss?”

Laura B.: “My first kiss happened when I was 12 or 13. It was very innocent.”

Imelda: “What part will you play to make the world a more positive place?”

Silvia: “Spread happiness. I would start with bringing joy into my life and being happy with me so that I can make those around me feel the same joy and happiness in themselves.”

Ester: “Who do you think would be the perfect President of the United States?

Veronica: “There is no perfect…but if I had to pick I would say ME! As the First Lady, or in my case, the First Gentleman, I would have a hot Brazilian man by my side. He would make me very happy and if I’m happy I would make very good choices.” JAJAJA

Carla: “When was the first time you fell in love?”

Gina: “In High School. I was sixteen. His name is Carrington.”

Jennifer: “If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?”

Martha Edith: “Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz. I have a lot of respect for her wisdom and strength. Hombres necios que acusais a la mujer sin razon…”

Silvia: “How are you going to make this year special?”

Ester: “I plan to offer my services of biomagnetic therapy to the underprivileged communities.”

Martha Edith: “Why did you move to the SF Bay Area?”

Lety: “Initially, I moved to attend U.C. Berkeley. I stayed after college and worked with a SF corporate law firm. I then moved to Mexico for a few months but returned. I missed my family too much and was offered a great job. I found my soul in San Francisco.”

Veronica: “Why are you here today?”

Carla: “To meet people and learn about them.”

Laura B.: “What simple thing in life do you enjoy the most?”

Jennifer: “Moments such as these. Being surrounded by wonderful company and enjoying a great meal.”

 Read the rest of this entry →

Please help Haiti

In the time of need, we all need to come together and help human kind. Haiti, being one of the poorest countries in the world, was hit by a 7.0 earthquake this last week causing more than 100,000 casualties. We cannot be bystanders and not act.

Latinos A Morir thought about doing a fundraiser for Haiti but we decided it would be faster and easier if we donated to Red Cross directly and encouraged our members to do so as well. Thank you to Ana Orozco, Veronica Cedillos, Edgar Sotelo, Rael Silva, John Chang, and other members that provided the links below.

The fastest way is to text HAITI to 90999 to donate $10. The charges will appear in your next wireless bill. If you can donate more, please see the links below:

Partners in Health:http://www.pih.org/where/Haiti/Haiti.html
Red Cross: https://american.redcross.org/site/Donation2?idb=776710823&df_id=4437&4437.donation=form1&JServSessionIdr004=2hmdlrhx81.app194a
UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org.uk/give/index.asp?page=33&google=haiti_jan10&gclid=COuv2p7NoZ8CFUYA4wode3mEIA
Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders): http://doctorswithoutborders.org/

Also, if you’re a Structural Engineer that speaks French, read below!

If you have more links or information, please share by leaving a comment on the blog post. We hope you donate your money and/or your time.

Ciao!
Latinos A Morir

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Structural Engineer Volunteers Needed
MCEER has approached the Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG) (http://www.aidg.org/mission.htm) to provide support and help.

AIDG has an immediate and dire need for French speaking Civil or Structural Engineers to perform inspections of key buildings left standing after the earthquake to determine their structural stability and to create reports detailing the results of the inspections and any recommended actions.

MCEER has also offered its resources to coordinate a larger group of French speaking Civil/Structural engineers to assist in the effort. If you are or know French speaking Civil or Structural Engineers who would like to volunteer for this task, please forward your resume/CV to Traci Meagley (tmeagley@buffalo.edu).

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From Univision’s La Kalle
Unete a reconstruir Haití…a reconstruir sus hogares, corazones y esperanza… tu puedes seguir siendo parte del milagro… donde todo el mundo… no importa su raza o creyensa se esta uniendo como nunca antes… por una sola causa…para dar esperanza…tu puedes salvarle la vida a un damnificado de hait atravez de la Cruz Roja Americana si tú deseas ayudar, puedes llamar al 1-800-842-2200 o visita Univision.com uniclave Haití para mas detalles y no te pierdas la edicion especial de sabado gigante este sabado en apoyo para los damnificados de Haití…juntos lograremos reconstruir Haití… si queremos podemos…todo es posible con fe en papa Dios! Gracias por escucharnos el dia de hoy!

Join 20 LAM members to join us at a private dinner!

MENU:
Appetizers
Bread and butter
Mix green salad for 20 guests
Polenta batons for 20 guests

Entrée
Choice of: Sliders, Scallops, Chicken Breast, Risotto

Dessert
Assorted dessert for 20 guests – served family style

José Luis is quite young; only twenty-four.  By the standards of youth today, he should be having his “quarter life crisis” – con todo el funemployment and standard unsettling emotions and insecurities that come with it.

But, nope.  That is not José Luis.  Instead, he works at the Northrop Grumman Corporation as an Engineering Analyst and  a second full-time job attending every social event in the Bay Area.  Pachanguero, rumbero, fiestero sí lo es.  Pero antes que nada, es un guerrero.

José Luis was born in Tijuana, México in March, 24 1985 and migrated to San Diego in 1998.  He then attended an unknown university in Boston – hey, you might have heard of it.  M-I-T?  There was some movie about it once.  If not, let me Google that for you. So, yeah, that is José Luis for you – he was the first one in his family to attend college (and not just any college, but MIT) and didn’t pay for it (yup, lots of scholarships).  ¡Que orgullo!

When he is not working  or attending LAM events (over 20 or so) he is volunteering throughout the Bay Area – from education programs to churches, el Pepe anda cambiando el mundo. What an inspiration to all.

José Luis is not a close friend (yet).  But he could easily be.  I hung out with him once and from that brief interaction, I was able to witness his charisma, optimism and loyalty.  Y es como que guapito. If I was younger….and single. Pobrecito, no se escaparía.  Ha. 

Three and half years ago, José Luis was involved in an accident resulting in a spinal cord injury – whereas the general population would victimize themselves for such tragedy, José Luis was able to return to college after only 2.5 months of rehabilitation.  Wow. Speechless.

So, what does he say after experiencing such adversity? ”Keep smiling and be patient =)” (and chicos y chicas, that happy face ain’t mine!  - he wrote it in his bio.  Que optimismo.)

Sí ustedes llegan a conocer a este LAM Member, hopefully he will remind you of his favorite Chinese proverb, “Queda aroma en la mano que da rosas.”

Inolvidable el aroma de este gran chavo.

¡Felicidades, José Luis!

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By being member of the month, he will receive VIP entrance for the rest of the year and get two free drinks at our next event.

If you believe you or someone you know merits recognition, please send an email to info@latinosamorir.com with the subject line titled ‘Member of the Month’. In the body, please answer the following questions (keep answers short and informational):

- Name of nominee
- Previous/Current accomplishment(s)
- Community involvement story
- Number of LAM events attended (rough estimate OK)
- A biography of nominee (where born, grew up, profession, family, anything else interesting)
- Project they would like to promote during their feature (for example, if Giovanni, the founder of LAM, would be featured in a magazine, he would like to promote Latinos A Morir)

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Thank you to Laura Gomez for being LAM’s best blog author and helping with this and other posts! (www.latinageek.com)

What do people look for in a social event?

• Energy
• Good Music
• Good Venue
• Sexy People?

How do you portray these qualities via emails, flyers, word of mouth, etc.?

I have been dealing with these questions since LAM started and I recently had a conversation with a friend which sparked my interest even more. It has been my belief that objectifying women on advertisements creates an image that most people hate yet accept and sometimes … enjoy. Sex sells, but I don’t believe it has anything to do with the making of a great party.
I have observed and spoken with various event organizers in San Francisco and all have agreed that sex sells … and it sells big. I understand that portraying an angle of sexiness is sometimes necessary to entice people to attend an event, but I wonder if attendees think of the sexiness angle in a conscious or subconscious manner. Everyone likes to feel they’re part of an elite group of sexy people but I am an extreme believer that this does not make a party any good without positive energy, ambiance, and good music.

I have been very careful to not use extreme sex symbols in LAM’s advertising except for women’s lips (which I still have a difficult time with). From day one, Latinos A Morir wanted to be a social network of energetic, friendly people … yet lately I had thought of incorporating “sexy” as a selling point and making it part of LAM’s brand strategy. Hence, I write this note to make a statement that I will not be using sex as a selling point since, in my eyes, has nothing to do with a great party. Instead, I will focus on creating a brand that portrays beauty, elegance, and energy.

• Beauty refers to the qualities that give pleasure to the senses … the beauty of the Latin American culture, the music, its people, its languages
• Elegance refers to a refined quality of gracefulness and good taste … the elegance of the event themes, its venues, the dress code, the sponsors, and its people
• Energy refers to a positive vibe throughout peoples’ bodies and spirits … the energy to be alive and share it with everyone at the event
  

I write this post to ask you to help me stay true to my words and not give in to the easy side of marketing in the entertainment industry.

Until next event …

Title was borrowed and modified from the Ad of Sobieski Vodka.