HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Dear readers: on this editorial I would like to wish all the couples, people in love you a happy Valentine's, which will be celebrated on Monday February 14. On this day, which is mostly celebrated in North America, but which is also celebrated in some countries in Central and South America, it is customary to give your partner a rose. This is also common among relatives and friends. Take into consideration that according to the tradition the colour of the flower bears a special symbolism: the red rose symbolizes love, the white one peace, and the yellow and the blue one friendship.

Besides this celebration, that takes place in several countries, I would like to invite you to take some time to visit our newly designed website www.latinlife.ca. On our new website, you will be able to be in contact with us by sending us your suggestions, opinions and feedback. You will be able to enjoy 24 hour TV programming on “Latin Life TV” with the new “stream” system. You will also be able to watch at any time video clips from our countries, interviews, documentaries, commercials, some live events and more for your entertainment.

Don't miss this innovative information system which will be available to you starting this month.

Happy Valentine's and enjoy our programming

RECIPES: Cordon Bleu-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups water
2 Tbsp. margarine
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
8 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (2 lb.), pounded to 1/4-inch thickness
16 slices OSCAR MAYER Deli Fresh Shaved Brown Sugar Ham 8 KRAFT Deli Fresh Extra Thin Swiss Cheese Slices
3 Tbsp. KRAFT Honey Dijon Dressing

Preparation

HEAT oven to 350°F.

BRING water and margarine to boil in medium saucepan. Stir in stuffing mix; cover. Remove from heat; let stand 5 min.

PLACE chicken, top-sides down, on cutting board; top with ham, cheese and stuffing. Starting at 1 short end, tightly roll up each chicken breast. Place, seam-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish; drizzle with dressing.

BAKE 35 to 40 min. or until chicken is done (165°F).
Courtesy www.kraftrecipes.com

Biography RICKY MARTIN and his last album MÚSICA+ALMA+SEXO

 Both a GRAMMY and Multiple LATIN GRAMMY winner, Ricky Martin is the leading Latin Music figure of his generation - beloved by fans worldwide for his instinctive understanding of rhythm, passion for performing, and equal compassion for giving. Already accustomed to the spotlight from the five years he spent in Menudo, Ricky Martin setoff on his own musical path with the 1991 release of his self-titled debut solo album. With his first two albums quickly establishing Martin as a superstar throughout the Spanish-speaking world, it did not take long before his magnetic performance ability began to entice audiences well-beyond the era’s perceived limitations for a Latin music artist. With the continuously escalating success of landmark singles such as 1995’s “Maria” and his globally embraced 1998 World Cup Anthem La Copa de la Vida (“The Cup of Life”), Martin vaulted to the level of bona fide global superstar and the natural performer to lead an oncoming cultural revolution.

In a definitive example of stealing the show, Ricky Martin burst in the consciousness of American music fans with a historic performance of “The Cup of Life” at the 41st Annual GRAMMY Awards on the evening of February 24, 1999. The New York Times said the famed GRAMMY moment “put a match to the tinder of the pop-music world” and instantly established Martin as “the symbol of Latin culture’s new mainstream status in the United States.”


Declared “an international pop icon and Latin Music’s Global Ambassador” by Billboard and recognized by the Latin Recording Academy as it’s youngest-ever “Person of the Year” honoree, Ricky Martin has now sold over 60 million albums and continues to perform to sold-out stadium and arena audiences throughout the world. Martin has been the recipient of dozens of prestigious international awards saluting both his career achievements and far-reaching philanthropic efforts.
As essential a part of his persona as his love of music, Martin is equally dedicated to extensive charitable work through the programs of the Ricky Martin Foundation - which advocates for the well being of children around the globe in critical areas such as social justice, education and health. Martin’s many efforts in this area have included speaking engagements before Congress and other world policy gatherings on the horrors of child trafficking, acting as a global ambassador for UNICEF, work with Bill Gates and Microsoft on the development of an online safety program for children in Latin America and personal visits to several international shelter for trafficked children. Recently, The RMF has also deepened Martin’s long-standing support of Habitat for Humanity by becoming a principal partner in their rebuilding efforts following the devastating earthquakes in Haiti and Chile.

Having taken the last two and a half years off from the music industry in order to devote time to raising his twin sons Matteo and Valentino, Ricky Martin is once again returning to his natural place in the artistic spotlight, now with an even deeper understanding of his personal and musical journey. After recently making his debut on the New York Times Bestseller list with the release of his highly-praised autobiography “ME,” Ricky Martin’s eagerly-awaited twelfth album is set for release in February of 2011. Soon after, Martin will once again take to the stage of arenas and stadiums with an extensive world tour set to run through the year.


(Full Album Chronology Follows Below)

- more Ricky Martin Discography
Since his earliest days as a performer, Ricky Martin has always known that in order to have an enduring career, his musical evolution must never end. That is why he has honed his creative spirit by exploring the diversity of Latin music genres. Knowing that music has no boundaries has fed his artistic growth and inspired his voice to become a vehicle of diverse expression. With perseverance and hard work over the course of a two decade career, Martin has become one of the world’s top- solo artists, having sold more than 60 million albums.

“Ricky Martin”
In 1991, Martin unveiled his self-titled first album Ricky Martin. With hits such as “El Amor de Mi Vida,” “Fuego Contra Fuego” and “Dime Que Me Quieres” capturing the attention of critics and fans, it is the first taste of Martin’s music with traces of global character.

“Me Amarás”
It was with that global vision and the hand of the famous producer, Juan Carlos Calderón that Martin recorded his second album Me Amarás. Boasting the hits “Entre el Amor y los Halagos,” “Que Día es Hoy” and the title track “Me Amarás,” Martin completed his second extensive tour of Latin America in support of the album.

“A Medio Vivir”
In 1995, Martin joined forces with the songwriter/composer Robi Draco Rosa and producer K.C. Porter to create his third album: A Medio Vivir. The hit single "María" and the ballads “Te Extraño, Te Olvido, Te Amo,” “Fuego de Noche, Nieve de Día” and “Volverás” have now became repertoire favorites for Martin. Without question, this is the album that laid the groundwork for Martin’s fast-approaching international superstardom. It was also at this time in his career that Martin took to Broadway, playing “Marius” in the beloved show “Le Miserables.” Martin’s run in the production was met with eleven weeks of sold-out houses and critical praises for his performance.

“Vuelve”
In 1998 Marin returned with his fourth album Vuelve. It was with this effort that Martin was catapulted to the forefront of international world pop music, as the single "La Copa de la Vida" (“The Cup of Life”) became the theme for the 1998 World Cup in France and quickly reached #1 on the charts in more then 60 countries across the globe. Millions of fans also embraced additional famed tracks as “Perdido Sin Ti,” “La Bomba” and the title track “Vuelve”.

“Ricky Martin” (first English Album)
Following the path established by Vuelve and his-post GRAMMY reception, Martin released his first English album in 1999 with the again self-titled Ricky Martin. The world-wide hit “Livin' La vida Loca” redefined global pop music success and spearheaded album sales of over 17 million copies. Martin again reached out to fans directly with a groundbreaking tour performing 250 concerts in 80 cities across 35 global countries.

“Sound Loaded”
For his second English album, Martin worked once again with producer Desmond Child and once again delivered multi-platinum success. Released in 2000, the singles “She Bangs,” “Nobody Wants to be Lonely” with Christina Aguilera and “Loaded” became worldwide hits.

“Almas del Silencio”
In 2003, showing loyalty to his Spanish language fan base, Martin releases Almas del Silencio – a production on which he worked with a wide-range of friends, composers, and musicians to pay tribute to the richness of Latin music. The album reached #1 on the Billboard charts and produced the hits “Tal Vez,” “Jaleo” and “Todo Queda en Nada”.

HEALTH : Anemia and obesity

This time, we are going to answer a question from one of our reader's: “ can an obese child suffer from anaemia?” “how can we treat it?”

It is important to consider that child obesity is one of society's growing and more frequent problems, thus being a significant risk factor for the development and the cause for further problems in children population. That's why this question not allows us to explore the topic of anemia but also that of obesity in children.

Several medical research studies suggest a significant relationship between obesity and anaemia. Specially in 1 and 2-year old’s. This is due to the fact that the main food in this age is milk. There's a common believe that if the child drinks milk that will be enough and that if the child is chubby that means he/she is healthy. Analysis have shown that a lack of Iron, which is present in foods other than milk, would cause anaemia. The treatment consists in a diet with iron rich foods such as red beans, broad beans lentils, spinach, peas, Swiss chard, watercress, etc.


In this case and to finish answering our reader's question, it is important to have more information such as his/her medical file and a physical test before starting a personalized therapeutic treatment . As mentioned at the beggining. Obesity in children has become one of the most significant issues with repercussions for children. Some of the factors for this are: lack of physical activity, increased consumption of foods high in sugar, hormones, carbohydrates, hormones and preservatives. These are elements that we need to control for the prevention and treatment.


William E Alvarez MD, ND ( Colombia) HD,RPN ( Canadá)
(Translation by Juan David Gomez)

“Finis terrae”

By Eduardo Cejudo


Possibly, wines are the introductory letter for Chile, the American "Finis Terrae". But not only the wine is representative of this South American country, Chile also contributes to the world with high-quality, human capital; and this time, through these lines we will met Rodrigo Herrera. Rodrigo was born and raised in Santiago, Chile's bustling capital of nearly 6 million people. With a major on Civil Engineer degree from the University of Chile, his line during the undergrad studies were focused on an area called hydraulic and environmental health, which is the study of water in relation to human settlements and natural areas. Subsequently, he worked for Consultant companies asked to conduct studies used by the Mining industry, especially what he calls "the water availability of certain ecosystems, where mining is intense. Rodrigo recalled the challenges faced with particular case. "The mines in northern Chile are established in the mountains, at high altitudes; since they use groundwater in an area where water is scarce, the exploitation must be taken into account to carefully determine how much water can be used, since the same water maintains sensitive ecosystems, such as salt lakes and wetlands. In some of these salt lakes, flamingos live and nest, that is why conserving these ecosystems is important". Let suppose that the mine is a tank, and the salt lake is another tank, both connected to each other: if we consume too much water from a tank, they will tend to level off, for they are connected; this way if you use lots of water from one tank, the other will have less water than the necessary, that it exactly what happens in Northern Chile.


Rodrigo is currently pursuing a Master degree at the University of Waterloo, carrying out a study that will provide valuable information about aquifer recharge in the south area of Cambridge. His knowledge put into practice, will allow better understanding of groundwater flows in order to achieve a better management of the water we use, and how to use it wisely.


"From the distance (in Chile), it gives you the impression that all North America is the same" said Rodrigo, "but our stay here has allowed us to bring down several myths about North America; we have had very good experience thanks to everyone that we have known, whether foreigners or Canadians, allowing us to know the world's cultural diversity even in a small city like Waterloo". Rodrigo share joys and sorrows with Claudia, the companion of his life, and there is no much doubt in his voice when says that they would like to return to their country, explaining that "our professional projection will allow us to have a good performance and quality of life in Chile, which is a privileged position, to which not many Chileans (students) could gain access". Talking with Rodrigo, though brief, was a plethora of thoughts about the great opportunities that a stay in another country provides, weigh up and evaluate what we have in our countries and firsthand experience that adding up work, effort and luck is the actual combination necessary for success in life.

Grilled Lemon Fish with Asparagus


Ingredients

- 5 lemons, divided
- 1/2 cup  KRAFT Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing
- 4 firm-textured fish fillets (1 lb.), such as cod, tilapia or salmon
- 1 lb.  asparagus, trimmed 


Preparation
SQUEEZE juice from 1 lemon; mix with dressing. Pour half the dressing mixture over fish in shallow glass dish; turn fish over to coat both sides of each fillet. Refrigerate 15 min. to marinate. Refrigerate remaining dressing mixture for later use. 

MEANWHILE, heat grill to medium heat. Cut each of the remaining lemons into 4 slices. Remove fish from marinade; discard marinade. Place 8 lemon slices on grill grate; top with fish. Brush with some of the remaining dressing mixture. Cover grill with lid. 

GRILL fish 5 min.; turn over. Add remaining lemon slices and asparagus to grill. Grill 5 min. or until fish flakes easily with fork and asparagus is crisp-tender, brushing occasionally with the remaining dressing mixture. Remove fish, lemon slices and asparagus from grill. Discard lemon slices under fish. Serve remaining lemon slices with fish and asparagus.

Editorial

MOVING FORWARD WITH FAITH AND
OPTIMISM
One of the good things about a new year
is that we have the opportunity to reflect
on the previous year: focusing on all the
positive things that happened to us and
remembering all the moments that we
spent and shared with our significant others
as well as with people around us.
Most importantly, we must appreciate
what we have accomplished with our own
efforts, and to take into consideration what
we have yet to do and accomplish
Let's think about our unfinished projects,
always keeping in mind and that they're
attainable, and that we can do it, hoping
that our goals and projects for this new
year become a reality.
Lets look forward to the future with faith
and optimism. Let's plan ahead our
projects always convinced that we
deserve the best results at the end.
“Vida Latina” is starting its 6th year with
some significant changes: new image for
the newspaper's printed edition as well as
for our website, also partnerships with
media such as radio and television.
As a final note, I'd like to share with you a
popular saying related to this month's
editorial: