swine flu

Pigs be damned! Some of this year’s Cinco de Mayo celebrations may have been curtailed or cancelled due to the swine flu pandemic but we know the best Mexican fiestas are stay-at-home occasions. Yes, it’s a shame Los Temerarios were forced to cancel their performance at NYC’s grand festival because of el flu del chancho but on a positive note Vicente Fernandez is a) still alive (who knew?) and b) debuting a new song (“Necesito de ti”) on May 5th! So grab your favorite Latino wannabe and enjoy our Guide to Cinco de Mayo.

It has happened again.  The image of the Virgin Mary has appeared on an inanimate object.  Normally Jesus and his mom like to appear to small children (Lourdes, Guadalupe, etc) or on food, but this time Mary decided to go a different route.  The Virgin Mary has shown up on a griddle at the Las Palmas Restaurant...in a swap meet...in Calexico!  Jesus and Mary always did like to kick it with the homies and this time it is no different.  If I was going to have my image appear in a restaurant I would at least show up at Eva Longoria's swanky Latino themed rest

Have you ever seen any of the “Cribs” episodes with Mariah Carey?  For some reason she always needs to show her big, luxurious bathroom, which is about 3 times the size of my entire apartment.  And then, for no apparent reason, except to show us her cleavage, she ends up taking a bubble bath.  Why? No one else on Cribs has ever taken a bath or shower that I can recall.  People have jumped into their pools or gotten into a spa with biking clad ladies to show they are pimps.  But a bubble bath? Only Mariah!

The U.S. plans to issue a travel warning to Mexico today in light of the swine flu outbreak, urging people to avoid non-necessary trips to the country.

The Jets took Mark Sanchez with the 5th pick in the NFL Draft (like any delusional blogger I know my column influenced New York’s decision). Big news in Latino sports, but the Mexican-American’s first round selection finishes second to another story - Mexico’s top clubs playing in front of empty stadiums.

A new strain of the swine flu has killed up to 60 people in Mexico and 8 here in the US. Mexico is also reporting more than 1,000 suspected cases. Most of the victims in Mexico have been young, healthy adults. Classes have been cancelled in Mexico City schools to help contain the illness.