Discussions: Mas

MAS BOOK CLUB: Be Afraid! Be VERY afraid! Discussing Lords Part One by N.L. Belardes

The first time I'd ever heard of N.L. Belardes was through an email I received from the Chicana Book Club. There was this contest being held for Korn concert tickets. All you had to do to be entered in the drawing was buy an eBook called Thick White Crust by N.L. Belardes.

OF COURSE I jumped at the chance since I'm a big Korn fan. I ended up NOT winning because that's just my kind of luck. (The NO LUCK kind of luck) BUT, I did come across N.L.'s blog website called Paperback Writer.

Through that, I came across the links to the Bakersfield Californian's stories about the Lords of Bakersfield. I was intrigued. I mean, political corruption? Cover ups? Conspiracy theories?

Nooooooooo! Say it isn't so. It's just sooooo hard to believe. (insert sarcasm here)

Anyways, I immediately bought Lords Part One. What happened after wards can only be explained by sharing my first EVER correspondence with Mr. Belardes himself via email.

Email #1: May 30th, 2006
I just want to thank you for being the reason of my new found insomnia. DUDE. I have not been able to sleep for two days. Your book is soooooooooooo disturbing in so many levels. What in the world possessed you to write this? How did the subject come to mind?

I mean, I read your site, so I know you have certain sources… but what prompted your search for said sources? Anyways… very compelling reading but it’s definitely NOT what I was expecting. I was expecting to read about political corruption but not at THAT level. And that damn demon in the book does not stop haunting me. I was watching TV last night and that damn thing came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder… OK, OK, so I imagined it but that is how vividly I see it now. Thanks to YOU! LOL I think you owe me a drink, (or twenty) OR a bottle of Lunesta or SOMETHING! Hahaha Anyways.. I had to put the book down yesterday and try to take my mind off it because it was too much for me. But after a few days when I’m calmed down I’ll finish reading it.

Just wanted to say hi, and the bags under my eyes wanted to say THANKS….. They don’t get out much but thanks to you they have been around for a few days!

Email #2: May 31st, 2006

I finally finished the book today on my lunch. WHY why WHY (*edited so as to NOT give up the ending*) Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

*falls to the ground and crying… screams at the top of her lungs, while shaking fists up at the sky…..

“not my Ritchie, why couldn’t it have been you Bob?” (quoting from the movie La Bamba.. it’s my favorite line.. Husband and I use it all the time)

(*edited so as to NOT give up the ending*)

Great shocking twist though. I have to give you props for that.

So anyways, I was watching the news last night, and they were interviewing some Bakersfield politician fat cat about something or other? I forget what... I was half asleep… just trying to get my last load of laundry done so I could go to bed… anyways… I swear to you… I think I threw up in my mouth a lil bit. Don’t worry, I think I swallowed it. All I could think of is the ex cop in your book… it’s how I pictured him, you know? Chubby, white, balding….. anyways…. THANKS. I am ruined forever.

Now RUN OUT and get your own copy at your local independent bookstore, Russo's or buy it online at noveltown.net

Then get prepared for the most compelling, insane, twisted conversation EVER in the history of the MAS BOOK CLUB.

Also, be ready for and exciting meet and greet with the author at the end of the online discussion. YES! The MAS BOOK CLUB has invited N.L. Belardes to meet his fans and give them a chance to ask him all the hard questions not even the media has been bold enough to ask.

Not just about his gripping tale of crooked men of power in Bakersfield, but of his personal life as well. For example, does he have three toes? Or, is he a twin and if so, is he the evil one or the good one? Or maybe even does he really need glasses or does he wear them because he thinks they make him look cool.

It's your night, folks! Ask away!

You get to ask the questions.

More details to come

CLICK HERE TO BUY LORDS PART ONE BY N.L. BELARDES

CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE MAS BOOK CLUB AS FEATURED IN MAS MAGAZINE'S ARTICLE "OVERBOOKED" BY LAUREN HELPER

MAS BOOK CLUB: Keeping Secrets From Our Parents: Divas Don't Yield by Sofia Quintero

A few years ago my daughter brought a friend home and said, "Mom, she needs your advice. She's scared and doesn't know what to do and she wants to run away from home."

Turns out her friend had a secret she was keeping from her parents. This secret was eating her up sooooo bad for sooo long she eventually felt she had no way out except to run away.

My advice to her was come out with it. I told her she needed to suck it up and just tell her mom. Even if she ran away, her mom was eventually going to find her secret out because you can't keep stuff to yourself forever. Right?

I gave her different scenarios and helped her come up with the right words to say. This girl's biggest fears which she had difficulties overcoming were that her mom would be pissed.

"She'll kick me out of the house."

"She'll hate me."

I told her, "Maybe she will."

WHAT? I wasn't gonna lie to her.

The thing is, you can't change people's reactions to life. You just can't. You can try by the way you come at them or the words to choose to express yourself.

What you CAN do, however, is ease your own conscience.

"I wrecked the car."

"I got an F."

"I was in a fight at school"

"I'm pregnant."

When you DO tell them it's almost certain that her initial reaction will be a negative one. Can you blame her? Put yourself in her shoes! And yes, she probably WILL be pissed. Maybe she WILL think about kicking you out of the house. And maybe... probably NOT but maybe.. she will hate you. Temporarily.

But then after a while, when the initial shock is gone and the anger has subsided and she realizes that no matter what the circumstances are, you are STILL HER DAUGHTER, she will eventually remember how much she loves you.

See, we as parents aren't perfect. We spend the better part of our lives raising you, the whole time dreaming up all these expectations for our you (our children).

We envision that they are going to do all the great things we did, or wanted to do but weren't able to. Everything we dreamed up for ourselves we have now put on the shoulders of our children.

So when life happens, and not according to our plan, well... we tend to take it a little personal. We might get angry, defensive, stubborn, closed minded, etc. BUT we'll get over it.

You can't hold back your secrets forever. And the sooner you let them out, the sooner the people around will react however they are going to react, thus, the sooner you can all move on with your lives.

Why I am going off on a rant about mother/daughter or father/daughter relationships? Because every character in Divas Don't Yield by Sofia Quintero are struggling with their own secrets they are keeping from their parents.

And even though I know it's just a book, I also know how real those scenarios are and I feel like jumping into the book and giving these girls the same advice I gave my daughter's friend years ago.

"Everything will be OK... eventually. Just do it. Do it now. Don't drag in for years because no matter when you choose to tell her, her reaction will be the same. So why not ease your conscience and tell her now? The sooner you tell her the sooner you can move on with your lives!" I feel like screaming!

By the way, the girl that came to my house for advice? She told her mom. Her mom kicked out of the house so she moved in with her older sister. They didn't talk for months and when they finally did start talking, things were tense.

But now? A few years later? They are as close as ever!

CLICK HER TO BUY DIVAS DON'T YIELD by SOFIA QUINTERO.

CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE MAS BOOK CLUB AS FEATURED IN MAS MAGAZINE'S ARTICLE "OVERBOOKED" BY LAUREN HELPER

MAS BOOK CLUB a look into Natalie and Sway in Caramba by Nina Marie Martinez

Reading Caramba! A Tale Told In The Turn of the Cards by Nina Marie Martinez was a very fun experience for me. It took me back to the good ol' days when I was a little girl and growing up with the calendarios of the Aztec princess we collected every year since they were FREE at the local panaderia.

It also reminded me of the novelas I used to watch with my mom with the love triangles and the sordid love affairs and even some shoot 'em up bang bang and narcotraficantes thrown in the mix for good measure.

You see, other than the main characters, Consuelo and Natalie who have known each other since the second grade there are an array of colorful characters as well.

The story starts when Consuelo, better known as Sway admits to just having had murdered a man.

"A few days ago I decided to start excercisin. IN case you haven't noticed, I'm growin quite a gut and I just can't imagine givin up the finer things in life such as menudo or carne asada."

I can certainly relate to her dilema by the way. As I sit here I can feel my pansita get bigger and bigger. Pero ay le sigo comiendo. (But here I continue to eat)

Of course a girl like Sway ain't got no workout outfits, right? So she puts on a pair of cutoffs and a t-shirt. And even though her dead mother's spirit tells her "A girl dressed like you can't have no good intentions, you little sin verguenza" she heads out the door.

No sooner had she walked out the door that she notices a guy slowing down to take a look. Well, since she's used to it she just keeps going. She's too busy worrying about all the calories she must be burning to care about this vato checking her out.

"Out of nowhere there's a screechin of the brakes, and the next thing I know, there's a dead man in the street."

hahahah brings a whole new meaning to DROP DEAD GORGEOUS, right? But let's continue...

She bit her bottom lip, then elaborated, "There was this little old guy tryin to cross the street and he got himself runned over because some pervert was busy checkin out my nalgas. He was even usin the crosswalk."

She felt bad for about half a second until Natalie reminded her it wasn't her fault this happened. I mean how could it be? She wasn't driving right?

"Well I hope you're not feeling bad about it, because it ain't by any means your fault. That's just the price of bein purty."

Then she reminds her it's Saturday and wonders what the plan is.

**You can find this and more on the first few pages of the first chapter.

BUY THE BOOK AT RANDOM HOUSE, INC CLICK ME!

MAS BOOK CLUB (discussion WITH the author?)

Attention book club members!

Don't forget that we will begin our discussion of Caramba! A Tale Told In The Turn of the Cards by Nina Marie Martinez on January 11th.

So go buy your books NOW! Also, at the end of the discussion the author is willing to participate in a phone discussion with us.

I will make the arrangements to get us all on the phone on a specified day and time. It will be a conference call, so we will all be talking to Nina at the same time.

Well, I mean, al mismo tiempo NO! Because then we wouldn't be able to understand each other and then Nina wouldn't have a chance to get a few words in herself, right? jajaja

Therefore, as book club moderator I will have rules to follow so that not everyone talks at the same time.

If you think you will be interested in speaking with Nina Marie Martinez please leave a comment here or email me at ntlopez_99@hotmail.com

Make sure you put NINA MARIE MARTINEZ on the subject line so that I know it's not SPAM/JUNK MAIL. So what are you waiting for? Apurenle! Compren sus libros!

*hurry, go buy the book! So that you can participate in this awesome MAS BOOK CLUB discussion.

What is the MAS Book Club?

It's a new ON LINE book club. It's a great way to network and make friends. We will discuss a book a month. No rules other than be nice, don't spoil the ending and no name calling.

The types of books we will be discussing will be mostly Chicano literature but we are not limiting ourselves to only that genre.

How can you participate?

Look out for any articles with the words MAS BOOK CLUB on the title. Read the article and join in on the discussion!

January's book discussion will be Caramba! A Tale Told In The Turn Of The Cards by Nina Marie Martinez. This discussion will take place from January 11th, 2007 to February 11, 2007 at which time I will post the next book open for discussion.

BUY THE BOOK AT AMAZON.COM, CLICK ME!

MAS BOOK CLUB (contest over) Did YOU win?

Thanks to everyone who participated in the first MAS BOOK CLUB contest! I appreciate everyone's input during our first book discussion Love In The Time Of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

The winner is none other than veronicamct. So Veronica, at your earliest convinience please send me your address via email at ntlopez_99@hotmail.com . Please put "CONTEST WINNER" on the subject line so I know it's from you, and not spam!

Congratulations, Veronica! And everyone else, try again next time. There are definitely more contests to come!

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What is the MAS Book Club?

It's a new ON LINE book club. It's a great way to network and make friends. We will discuss a book a month. No rules other than be nice, don't spoil the ending and no name calling.

The types of books we will be discussing will be mostly Chicano literature but we are not limiting ourselves to only that genre.

How can you participate?

Look out for any articles with the words MAS BOOK CLUB on the title. Read the article and join in on the discussion!

January's book discussion will be Caramba! A Tale Told In The Turn Of The Cards by Nina Marie Martinez. This discussion will take place from January 11th, 2007 to February 11, 2007 at which time I will post the next book open for discussion.

BUY THE BOOK AT AMAZON.COM, CLICK ME!

MAS BOOK CLUB! A fun quiz for Love!

CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA QUIZ

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How well do you remember Love in the Time of Cholera?

Take this quiz to find out!

1. Why did Jerome de Saint-Amour commit suicide?

a. Unrequited love

b. He had a terminal illness.

c. He did not want to grow old. d. He fell into deep financial trouble.

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2. What was Dr. Urbino and Fermina's worst fight about?

a. His affair with Barbara Lynch

b. A bar of soap

c. Fermina having too many pets

d. Fermina's love for Florentino Ariza

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3. What were Dr. Urbino's last words?

a. "My wife has never loved me."

b. "I knew that parrot would be the end of me."

c. "Only God knows how much I loved you."

d. "You scoundrel!"

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4. What kind of flower does Fermina refuse from Florentino when they were younger?

a. A rose

b. A daisy

c. A gardenia

d. A camellia

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5. Who said the following: "There is no greater glory than to die for love"?

a. Dr. Urbino

b. Jeremiah de Saint-Amour

c. Florentino d. Lorenzo Daza

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6. What does Fermina give to Florentino before her father forces her to take a long journey?

a. Her handkerchief

b. Her braid

c. Her perfume

d. A camellia

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7. Why did Fermina's cousin Hildebranda decide to help her secretly communicate with Florentino?

a. She was also a friend of Florentino.

b. She was a spy for Fermina's father.

c. She worked at the telegraph office.

d. She, too, had a forbidden love.

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8. Dr. Urbino says a man needs two wives—one to love and one to…

a. Fight with

b. Do the cooking

c. Sew his buttons

d. Help him run his practice

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9. Who considers himself a poor man with money?

a. Dr. Urbino

b. Lorenzo Daza

c. Uncle Leo XII d. Florentino

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10. What does Florentino hire Euclides to do?

a. Dive for buried treasures

b. Pilot one of his company's ships

c. Become his personal driver

d. Follow Fermina Daza

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11. Who says, "The problem with marriage is that it ends every night after making love, and it must be rebuilt every morning before breakfast"?

a. Lorenzo Daza

b. Tránsito Ariza

c. Dr. Urbino

d. Fermina Daza

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12. What did Rosalba carry her baby in?

a. A basket

b. A hat box

c. A birdcage

d. A bag

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13. Who said this memorable quote: "He is ugly and sad … but he is all love"?

a. Leona Cassiani

b. América Vicuña

c. Barbara Lynch

d. Fermina Daza

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14. What food does Fermina grow to love?

a. Mushrooms

b. Fish

c. Artichokes

d. Eggplant

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15. Which of Florentino's lovers was killed by her jealous husband?

a. Sara Noriega

b. América Vicuña

c. Lucretia del Real del Obispo d. Olimpia Zuleta

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16. Where did Florentino and Leona Cassiani meet?

a. On a trolley

b. On a ship

c. In a brothel

d. At work

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17. What's the one thing Florentino could never write?

a. A love letter

b. A poem

c. A song

d. A business letter

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18. According to Ofelia Urbino, love between elderly people is…

a. Sweet

b. Disgusting

c. Scandalous

d. Life-affirming

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19. What color is the flag of cholera?

a. Blue

b. Yellow

c. Red

d. Green --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

20. What's the name of the ship Florentino and Fermina sail away on?

a. The New Fidelity

b. Queen Mary

c. True Love

d. The Forever

CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE QUIZ

then share your results with us !

I got 12 right out of 20! Yeah, I know, I KNOW! But now lets see! Can YOU beat my score! Be honest when sharing your scores, ok? No se me pasen de listos! jajaja

*any comments posted here will count towards the drawing for a free signed copy of Caramba A Tale Told In The Turn of The Cards. Click HERE for more details about that MAS BOOK CLUB CONTEST!

MAS BOOK CLUB (reminder)

*I know I sound like a broken record... but just wanted to remind you all.........

*WIN A FREE PERSONALIZED SIGNED COPY OF Caramba! A Tale Told In The Turn Of The Cards by Nina Marie Martinez by leaving a comment on Nov/Dec MAS BOOK CLUB book of the month Love In The Time Of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

*Deadline is January 1st, 2008 so hurry!

CLICK THE COVER BELOW AND ENTER NOW!

What is the MAS Book Club?

It's a new ON LINE book club started by MAS reader, Twinkie. We will discuss a book a month. No rules other than be nice, don't spoil the ending and no name calling.

The types of books we will be discussing will be mostly Chicano literature but we are not limiting ourselves to only that genre.

How can you participate?

Look out for any articles with the words MAS BOOK CLUB on the title. I will post the chapters you are allowed to discuss and then we'll just see how it goes from there.

BUY THE BOOK AT AMAZON.COM, CLICK ME!

College decision time

At this time, many high school seniors have sent out applications to universities across the nation, maybe even closer to home.

Where is your student hoping to attend? What does your student want to study?

Any news on acceptance?

Share your college questions and comments here.

MAS BOOK CLUB

Is anybody almost done with the book? Did you catch the question I asked in my last MAS BOOK CLUB discussion?

Did anybody get a chance to see the movie based on the book? I watched it last weekend and WOW! In the end I think there were a group of ladies crying in the back row and then laughing about crying. It was funny.

I haven't exactly had a chance to get too far into the book though so I'm curious on your thoughts and questions.

At the end of this discussion I will be holding a drawing. Whoever posts a comment about the book will be entered in a drawing for a free book. The book will be whichever book I've picked for the next months discussion!

So join in, and have fun!

~Twinkie

MAS BOOK CLUB: Love In The Time of Cholera FIRST DISCUSSION pages 1-100

Welcome to our first discussion of Love In The Time of Cholera.

I have found some fun interactive guides to this book on the Oprah.com website, in her book club section.

The first one is HERE and basically it's A CHARACTER GUIDE to the characters in the book. I don't know about you but the thing I have the most trouble with when reading is trying to keep the names in order.

By the first few chapters I have them down, but when it comes to books like Love In the Time of Cholera or THE RED TENT where the story takes place through generations it can be a bit overwhelming.

The next thing I thought was pretty cool was the QUIZ. I suggest you don't take the QUIZ until you're done reading the book.

And now for the question of the week:

*(HINT) this answer is found within the first 70 pages

When Tránsito Ariza tells Florentino he looks as if he were going to a funeral when he is going to visit Fermina, why does he respond by saying, "It's almost the same thing" ?

Aside from this question, don't forget....

This is YOUR book club, folks! I'm just the moderator of sorts so feel free to post what you want whether it's quizzes you've found, your own thoughts, videos of you reading the book to a room full of elderly people while volunteering at a Convalescent home... you get the idea, right?

LET'S HAVE SOME FUN!

The only rules are, don't spoil it for others, always keep your discussion within the chapters in the title. BUT you don't have to hold back your thoughts while waiting for us.

POST YOUR OWN ARTICLE! The only reason for posting the CHAPTER NUMBER or PAGE NUMBERS involved in your discussion is so if another reader hasn't gotten there yet, they have the option to read your article or wait till they've gotten to the same point you have!

OK, well, off I go to find someone to read my book to while doing cartwheels on a pogo stick so I can videotape it for my next MAS Book Club discussion.

Tee hee! NO SE CREAN! No estoy tan loca! hahaha

City councilman's controversial immigration proposal fails

At the Sept 26 Bakersfield City Council meeting, Councilman David Couch saw the defeat of his controversial proposal focused on undocumented immigrants living here.

Local citizens and political activists, including members of the UFW and the Dolores Huerta Foundation, packed the meeting hall seats to give public statements against Couch’s proposal.

Couch had proposed the following that the city of Bakersfield:

• Declare English the official language of the Bakersfield.
• Declare that the city is not a “sanctuary city” for undocumented immigrants.
• Staff would determine whether any city services can be withheld from undocumented immigrants.

Instead, the City Council, as whole, did not throw its support on the proposal. They, in turn, support a proposal by Councilwoman Sue Benham who asks that the federal government take a bigger look at immigration reform and that it encourage English literacy and that local city police work with immigrant agents when needed.

So, the proposal has been defeated. But what do you think?

What needs to be done now?

Many Latinos and nonLatinos showed up in support against Couch's plan. But what is the next step? And how do you feel about the mobilization and success of the campaign to defeat it?

To Comment, go to www.masbakersfield.com and post your reaction or email us and we may consider running your comments in next week's MAS!!

Who is your hero?

Who is your hero, your mentor ... the inspirational person who kept telling you to have ‘ganas’ (the desire to learn)?

At MAS Magazine, we want to honor that person in our Sept. 14 special issue of 30 local Latinos making a difference.

Please send us your nominations!

Who qualifies?
Any Hispanic who lives in Kern County.

Is there an age limit?
No, it can be your mom, grandpa, little brother. It’s not the age, but the impact they have left on people that’s important.

What occupations?
Every occupation is important, but a nominee can be even those who take care of la familia at home or the children who are working hard in school. Other examples are a volunteer, coach, teacher, priest, or coworker.

How do I nominate someone?
It is easy!
Post your comments here by hitting the "REPLY" button. You must be a registered user and the comment must be "public." Don't forget to include photos.
OR you can.....
Write us a letter (250 words maximum) explaining who this person is, why he or she means a lot to you, and why they deserved to be recognized in our Special MAS “Local Hero” issue.
Send us pictures, too, if you can. Please be sure to leave us your name, address, number and email so we can reach you if your nominee was selected!

Mail your nominations to:
Olivia Garcia, Managing Editor
Mas Magazine “My local hero story”
PO Box 2344
Bakersfield, Calif. 93303

Or post your article online at:
www.masbakersfield.com
(You must register on the site, but it’s free. Once registered, click “Post Something” and begin writing! Don’t forget to submit a picture or two)

You can also email your article and photos to:
ogarcia@masbakersfield.com

We will consider all nominations for possible inclusion in our anniversary Sept. 14 “Local Heroes” issue.

HURRY!!!!

The deadline to submit your nomination is Sept. 3, noon.

For more information, please call 661-716-8640

Chicano, Latino, Hispanic - which is better term?

As we all know, Latinos represented many culturally diverse groups. That said, what term do you prefer when people ask you about your ethnic background?

Are you Latina?
Do you prefer to be called Chicano?
Or maybe you prefer Mexican American or Hispanic?
What about just Mexican?
Tell us what term you think best represents your raza and why!

LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and his private affair, or is it?

Many of you may have read recently in newspapers or on TV news that Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa recently separated from his wife, Corina. It is now public that he was involved in a relationship with a Telemundo TV reporter, Mirthala Salinas, in LA.
Villaraigosa has been thrown in the national spotlight because of it. He has asked the media to respect his privacy and doesn't want to go into his personal matters, but he's been heavily criticized in the media about his private matters lately.
The question is do we respect his privacy and leave his private matters private or is it the public's right to know about his personal life and marital problems?

Some have said that he has ruined the Latino male image, making it seem like they are all macho and cheaters.

Others say he is being unfairly picked on because he is Latino.

Tell us what you think.

To post your reply, click "Reply or Comment" below.
But you must SIGN IN as a User to comment.
Sign in, or register for a user ID if you don't have one, then post your message.
It's free to register.

Best and worst pick-up lines?

MAS columnist Ay Mujer, aka Deborah Ramirez, recently answered a reader about the best and worst pick-up lines.

She asked readers to share stories of the best and worst lines given to them by someone trying to catch a date.

One of the worst pick-up lines I have heard is "Excuse me, can I have your phone number? I seem to have lost mine.

Tell us yours!

To post your reply, click "Reply or Comment" below. Sign in, or register for a user ID if you don't have one, then post your message.