*New* Local Spanish-Language News Online

This post is contributed by Intern Melissa Duque.

The Northwest now has a daily Spanish news website
… and I couldn’t be more excited.

I moved to the Northwest about a year ago, and over this past year I have been having trouble with my Spanish. I left a predominately Spanish-speaking community in Los Angeles to move to the Seattle area, where I have slowly begun to meet other Latinos.

My biggest issue hasn’t been speaking the language (a quick phone call to a friend or ordering in Spanish does the trick); it has been reading and comprehension that have caused me difficulties.

When it comes to getting my daily dose of news I watch local English-language television stations before my commute to get the weather and traffic. I get my national and international news from English-language broadcasts. Occasionally I will watch the local Spanish news station, Univisión, for international news but not for local.

I did try to read El Nuevo Herald from Miami for a couple of months, and although the celebrity news was great, the news stories weren’t relevant to me. Same goes for La Opinión from Los Angeles--lots of great information but not the stories I needed.

I am not like many of the local Latinos who go to small carnicerías (or "marquetas" as they call them) in the area, so I don’t have a chance to pick up “La Raza de Noroeste” but as of today I can go online to find daily Northwest news in Spanish at the publication's brand new site, Nuestro Noroeste.

The site is pretty easy to navigate and so far I like it. On my iPhone, it's a little difficult to navigate (really big photos) but on a desktop that's definitely visually appealing.

In the following weeks we shall see if this website becomes part of my morning ritual. For now, I will give it a chance. Let me know what you think about this new resource for Spanish speakers by leaving a comment.

Juanes en Cuba: Are you for it—or against it?

This is a post written by Intern Melissa Duque.

Grammy-winning Colombian rocker Juanes is set to perform on September 20th in Cuba for his Paz Sin Fronteras (Peace without Borders) concert.

The event has fueled both outrage and support from the Latino community.

Juanes has received death threats posted to his Twitter account, and yet his tweets are all about promoting peace and support for the event.

All this controversy about whether Juanes should perform in Cuba has me confused. I have read editorials for and against the concert and I have read articles about those who support and who are against it. I have listened to all the Cuban artists and as well as Latin artists who are for and against the performance.

I am still undecided.

Whether the event will bring about positive opportunities or not remains to be seen. All I know is that Juanes is a fantastic musician and I know whenever I listen to his lyrics I am always moved.
Read an article in Spanish from the Miami Herald about those who support the concert. The article talks about the positive message the concert will bring about and talks about the controversy the Pope had when he visited Cuba and how in the end it was a beneficial trip.

For an article in English from NBC Miami about the critics of the concert click here. In the article, critics are quoted as saying that the concert is a “pandering gesture to the Cuban government.”

Some quick disclaimers:

• I am not Cuban.
• I do not live in Miami
• I do not support Castro.
• I do love the music Juanes makes.
• I was listening to Para Tu Amor by Juanes while writing this.