Somos Muchos Ya!

New Census numbers released this week show that nearly 567,000 people or 18 percent of the Orlando metro area is Hispanic. In counties like Osceola that figure is far, far higher.

The big news out of all of this is that Orange and Osceola counties now have no single population group that dominates--not white, not black, not Hispanic.

But overlooked was the fact that at the current rate of growth, Osceola will be the first Central Florida county to become majority Hispanic in the near future. It's already 42 percent Latino, and counting. Yes, we Central Floridians will have our very own Puerto Rican Miami right here.

There is one other core take-away from this week's numbers: The Hispanic population numbers do not yet add up to political clout. It's getting better, but we're not there yet.

El área metropolitana se está llenado de agua, but you don't fully see or feel our influence yet among the corridors of power, where the decisions that affect our lives are made. That has got to change.

Osceola County had to fight hard to get the Osceola County Commission to change to single-member districts, making it easier to elect a Latino. The County Commission stalled every step of the way. The federal Justice Department and the advocacy group PRLDEF/Latino Justice had to intervene in order for Osceola Hispanics to gain the voice in public affairs they had earned. I reported on some of this as a reporter and editorial writer, and it was not pretty.

Now Hispanics are represented at nearly every level of government, from the Kissimmee City Commission and the Osceola County Commission to the Osceola County School Board. A ver lo que van hacer...

In Orange County, there is no Hispanic on the School Board that can speak to the issues affecting the approximately 30 percent of students who are Latino. That is a big shame, and it has to change soon.

The Orange school district has been under a federal desegregation order since the 1970s, but the School Board and school administration have been lax in making the school system more equitable to blacks. And remember--the desegregation order doesn't include Hispanics, since at the time of the order it related only to blacks and whites.

Meanwhile, Seminole County also was under a desegregation order and was able to show racial improvement and release itself from federal Justice Department oversight. In addition, the Supervisor of Elections is preparing to offer bilingual ballots after the 2010 Census. He has formed an informal committee of Hispanics to prepare for the day. (Full disclosure: I live in Seminole and was invited to join the committee.)About 15 percent of Seminole high school students are Latino (higher for lower grades. Seminole needs a Hispanic on the School Board.It's time.

Volusia County has had a strong Hispanic presence in Deltona, which is the county's largest city. There is one Hispanic on the City Commission, but no such luck at the County Council or the School Board. This is where folks have to focus their efforts.

I think you get the idea ...

Do not waste time and effort with the Hispanic vs. black or Hispanic vs. white controversies. They are contrived racial/ethnic constructions aimed at focusing your energy elsewhere.

Concentrate on the areas where Hispanics need to exert more influence--and go at it sin temor.

Somos muchos ya.

See the "Somos Muchos Ya" chart at left for current Central Florida Hispanic population numbers.

'IDON' Enters the Galaxy

A fight has broken out among reggaetón fans about Don Omar's latest CD, IDON, which debuted as No. 1 on Billboard's Latin chart this week.

Don Omar has expanded beyond the reggaetón galaxy to try a more electronic fusion, futuristic approach. And herein is the source of the space fight, is it reggaetón?

In the strictest sense of the word, the answer would have to be no. But Don Omar, who rose from Puerto Rico to become a reggaetón superstar, was going after something else.

"Yo vengo dando candela desde hace 12 años," he sings. "Estamos trabajando por encima de tus expectativas," he riffs in the hit "Diva Virtual," from the movie Fast & Furious.

I've been listening to the CD for several weeks, and I find it intriguing and imaginative, very different from anything he's done in the past--upsetting many fans who say he went too far afield.

I don't think so. A true star has to travel to the edge of the galaxy, as Don Omar would put it. This album may be an acquired taste--and I hasten to repeat, it is No.1 on Billboard and a top-selling CD on Nielsen Soundscan.

Of course, commercial success is not necessarily a sign of good music, but somebody out there likes IDON. I love the Middle Eastern and Bollywood influences throughout the CD, but especially in "Oasis" and "Sexy Robótica," the CD's other big hit track and a club favorite. Don Omar incorporates 1940s swing on "Galactic Blues," in an unexpected way.

And you have to laugh at the reggaetón rivalries, threats and braggadocio presumably aimed at Wisín and Yandel and others that show up in various tunes, as when Don Omar sings "Te voy enseñar tu negro futuro," "Te voy estar buscando por cualquier parte de la galaxia" or "Yo siempre soy, fuí y será más grande que tú." Ha!

The 10-track CD, for which Don Omar co-wrote each tune which is not unusual for him, could have dropped "Ciao Bella," a gentle goodbye to an old love that doesn't seem to fit here. And "How We Roll" is a silly tune that doesn't belong either.

Overall, IDON is a CD with catchy tunes that makes you do some listening double takes and pushes you to the edge of reggaetón.

Home Sweet Home?

Is the Orlando housing market bottoming out? It seems so, by two measures: what real estate sales are reporting and my own totally subjective experience watching the free fall.

The Orlando Regional Realtor Association reported this week that home sales shot up 41 percent in April, compared with April 2008. Sales of homes under $200,000 are going much faster than homes in higher price ranges. About 75 percent of all home sales last month were for under $200,000, while 10 percent sold for more than $300,000.

This market is a great market for people who are looking to buy, as well as folks who are entering the home market for the first time. Newbies qualify for a $8,000 federal tax credit. That means Latinos and others can now afford to buy a home again, thanks to falling prices. Half of Orlando-area homes sold for more than $132,900, while half sold for more--a very good price point for newcomers.

Frankly, it was ridiculous to see Orlando-area condos that were barely worth $100,000in the real world go for more than $250,000. But then again, the housing boom was not tied to the real world.

Personally, I have watched the value of my home decline significantly in the past year or so. But I am nowhere near underwater. In fact, I'm still floating safely out at sea. And I see a glimmer of hope on the horizon: The pace of the decline in my home's value has substantially slowed, based on my own tracking.

If you would like to track how your home or neighborhood is faring, check out www.zillow.com. Zillow zooms in not only on your home, but also your street. If you are nosy like I am, you can see how your neighbors' homes are doing as well. In fact, you can check out anybody you like in the United States as long as you have an address.

Another site worth checking out is www.trulia.com. Trulia shows current home price ranges in your city or county, as well as the areas where real estate is hot.

Of course, you can always Google the property appraiser's Web site for your county, which contains info on actual home sale prices. However, the property appraiser takes a month or so to record these figures. You can also go to www.realtor.com to search the going prices of homes for sale in your area.

Keep these sites on your "favorites," and follow the real estate rebound (yes, I dare use that word) on your block.

Here are some April figures from the Orlando Regional Realtor Association:

Lake County: 24.67 percent above 2008 (1,142 homes sold to date in 2009 compared to 916 in 2008)
Orange: 64.37 percent above 2008 (3,889 homes sold to date in 2009 compared to 2,366 in 2008)
Osceola: 105.54 percent above 2008 (1,410 homes sold to date in 2009 compared to 686 in 2008)
Seminole: 6.74 percent above 2008 (1,030 sold to date in 2009 compared to 965 in 2008).

Shuttle on My Mind

One of the great pleasures of living in the Orlando area is seeing a shuttle launch and feeling the sonic boom as it re-enters our air space. There's nothing like it.

I can see nighttime launches fairly clear from my home. All the neighbors run out of their homes and stand in the street to watch the ball of fire clear the trees and head yonder. When I worked for the Sentinel, many staff members would climb the stairs to the roof to watch a daytime shuttle launch. I always look forward to the shuttle's sonic boom rattling my walls and doors--and all of us out of our comfort zones. My daughter, who is studying in California, tells me she misses the sonic boom. I know what she means.

This is not to say, one way or the other, that the shuttle's life should be extended or ended. It's simply a Central Floridian's ode to a truly unique feature of living in this area. When I have guests, I like to take them to Canaveral National Seashore in the hopes they'll forget I-Drive and remember something of the real Florida. They are always deeply impressed not only because they've come so close to the shuttle, but also because of the breathtaking beach and dunes.

I was out at Canaveral a few Sundays ago and could see two shuttles on launch pads ready for the next mission. It's pretty dry out there due to lack of rain. And frankly, there was a funky odor I had not smelled before. I clicked some photos with my cell phone camera and I now have the two shuttles as my wallpaper. Check out this photo taken by NASA Televison.

Once A Priest, Always A Priest?

If you didn't get to see the interview with Padre Alberto on Primer Impacto, I'm posting a link here. Essentially, Padre Alberto is sorry, but he's not sorry. "I'm a priest and I'll always be a priest," he said. Take a look at www.univision.com

You can also watch the video from the interview with Padre Alberto on The Early Show at http://comunidad.terra.com/comentarios/index.

Top Five Things that Remind Me of Mom

Following the David Letterman style, let's count backward:

5. Old Puerto Rican songs remind me of when Mom was younger. "Y todo a media luz . . ." or how about "Sombras nada más . . ."

4. The smell of sofrito reminds me of her great cooking skills, and all the wonderful meals she has lovingly provided throughout the years.

3. Cleaning reminds me of how Mom taught us to be thorough. Move the furniture! Get behind the . . . Yes, my sisters and I have turned into Escobitas, the Sequel.

2. My daughter, nieces and nephews remind me of what a great Abuela she is. Mom is a lot softer with the grand kids than she ever was with us. I guess that's the way it's supposed to be.

1. The importance of family and forgiveness reminds me of Mom. You can't have one without the other.

What are the top five things that remind you of your mom?