:Vocalo.org

At 10 am We'll be in studio with Clare Munana, Executive Director of the IPRAC-- Institute of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture:  http://iprac.org/

Check out the plans for this exciting new Humboldt Park focal point! Here is her bio: Clare Muñana

Clare Muñana is an international management consultant and President and Chief Executive Officer of Ancora Associates, Inc. She has performed numerous domestic and international engagements for public (primarily UN agencies) and private sector clients in the U.S., Europe, Africa and Latin America. Her most recent assignments include: international strategy for a US/European Foundation and museum, an economic development project for an underserved region in the State of Illinois, a strategic plan for a major museum, a feasibility study for an economic development agency for a large U.S. city, and the development of a technology plan for a major US school district. She holds a Bachelors degree from Boston College, a MA in International Economics and Politics, with honors, from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) - Johns Hopkins University, and a Masters in Business Administration from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. She has a certificate in French Civilization and Language from the Sorbonne. Ms. Muñana serves as Vice President for the Board of Education for the City of Chicago, Vice Chairman of the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, and Co-Chairman of the Mexican American Task Force for the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations. She also serves as a Board member of: The Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, the Chicago Public Education Fund, The Field Museum, and is involved in the Art Institute of Chicago's Committee on Museum Education, the Paris/Chicago Sister Cities Program, Mayor Daley's Council of Technology Advisors, and several other civic boards and business organizations.

She is also an Obama supporter!  If you want to read more on Clare Munana, Google her!  There's LOTS!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Community Organizing for Obesity Prevention in Humboldt Park

José Luis Rodríguez, Program Manager CO-OP Humboldt Park 2703 W. Division St.Chicago, IL 60622 http://www.prcc-chgo.org/coop_humboldtpark.htm

CO-OP Humboldt Park (Community Organizing for Obesity Prevention) is a  program of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center that seeks to build a network of community groups and individuals, medical facilities, and elected officials to create awareness of obesity, related illnesses and create community based solutions to this epidemic.  A recent study found that 25% of adults in the United States are obese. In Humboldt Park that figure is 35%. Obesity puts our community at risk for diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis.

We'll be talking to Jose at 11 am.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At 11:30 am we'll have on Sista Stroke and DJ Colette who are coming to Chicago from Los Angeles this weekend to spin records at SmartBar Saturday night, May 31, 2007...THEY WILL BE GIVING AWAY 6 PAIR of FREE TICKETS to the show to the first six takers to our studio line: 312-893-2993 (we'll open the lines during the mix).  DJ Sista Stroke has graciously provided us with our Friday Mid Day Mini-Mix which we'll hear right after we talk with the ladies!  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We'll be talking to local veteran musician Ness of the band Ness when he pays us a visit here at the studio at 12 noon to talk about his band's new album, You Can't Afford to Feel.

Chicago's Ness were formed in 2001 by two ex-members of Fig Dish after they broke up due to creative similarities (different members once wrote the same exact song independently of one another). Taking their music in an entirely new direction, Rick Ness and Bill Swartz successfully seduced John San Juan (also of the Hushdrops) and Phil Young (formerly of Godspeaks & Moxy Blue) into the Ness line-up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At 12:30 pm we are joined by phone with Grammy award winning Gospel singer and Gospel Fest performer Darius Brooks. 

For the last two decades, Darius has thrived in almost every musical capacity imaginable from songwriter, singer and accompanist, to arranger and producer for a host of Gospel luminaries that includes Shirley Caesar, Vickie Winans, the late Rev. Milton Brunson and the Thompson Community Singers, and Ricky Dillard, jazz legend Ramsey Lewis, as well as, R&B icons Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and current chart-topper Avant, to name but a few.

Chicago's annual Gospel Fest kicks off today and Darius performs Saturday, May 31, 2008, 5:30 pm  for FREE in Chicago's Millennium Park.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finally, last but not least, at 1 pm - Fashion Designer Anna Fong joins us by phone.

The winner of the 2007 AOL Latino Fashionista, in New York City Anna has dazzled the fashion world with her creations on international stages such as Chicago’s World Fashion Focus representing China (October 2007), Featured Designer at Latino fashion Week (November 2007), Model Shoot for Latina Magazine with Si TV (Los Angeles March 2008), Internationally featured in People en Español Magazine (November 2007), among other prestigious events.

This young Fashion Designer from Chicago was first introduced to Fashion at the age of five, making clothes for her dolls. In High School she was enrolled in a fashion design summer course while completing her work- study at Gallery 37.  She continued with her fashion studies at Columbia College in Chicago, Illinois completing her BA in liberal Arts with a major in Fashion Design.

Anna Fong has dressed celebrities such as Kimora Lee Simmons, Christina Brondo, Nadine Velazquez, Former Miss Universe- Dayanara Torres, and comedienne  (and Vocalo.org alumna!)Vanessa Fraction among others.