Tuesday, August 31, 2004

Health News

Teen Drug Treatment Jumps 65 Percent Over Decade, Federal Study Says

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- The number of admissions to substance abuse treatment for adolescents ages 12 to 17 increased again in 2002, continuing a ten-year trend. These data were released today in the "Treatment Episode Data Set: National Admissions to Substance Abuse Treatment Services 1992-2002" by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
The new data show that the number of adolescents ages 12 to 17 admitted to substance abuse treatment increased 65 percent between 1992 and 2002. In 1992, adolescents represented 6 percent of all treatment admissions. By 2002, this proportion had grown to 9 percent. This report expands upon data published in May in the "Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) Highlights 2002."
The increase in substance abuse treatment admissions among 12 to 17 year olds was largely due to the increase in the number of admissions in this age group that reported marijuana as their primary drug of abuse. Between 1992 and 2002, the number of adolescent treatment admissions for primary marijuana abuse increased 350 percent. In 1992, 23 percent of all adolescent admissions were for primary marijuana abuse. By 2002, 63 percent of adolescent admissions reported marijuana as their primary drug.
"The youthfulness of people admitted for marijuana use shows that we need to work harder to get the message out that marijuana is a dangerous, addictive substance," SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie said. "All Americans must begin to confront drug use -- and drug users -- honestly and directly. We must discourage our youngsters from using drugs and provide those in need an opportunity for recovery by encouraging them to enter and remain in drug treatment."
Forty-eight percent of all adolescent treatment admissions in 2002 involved the use of both alcohol and marijuana. Admissions involving these two substances increased by 86 percent between 1992 and 2002.
In 2002, more than half (53 percent) of adolescent admissions were referred to treatment through the criminal justice system. Seventeen percent were self- or individual referrals, and 11 percent were referred through schools.
The TEDS report provides detailed data on admissions to substance abuse treatment for all age groups. The 2002 data show that polydrug abuse (abuse of more than one substance) was more common among TEDS admissions than was the abuse of a single substance. Polydrug abuse was reported by 55 percent of all admissions for substance abuse treatment in 2002. Alcohol, marijuana and cocaine were the most commonly reported secondary substances. For marijuana and cocaine, more admissions reported these as secondary substances than as primary substances.
This new report provides information on the demographic and substance abuse characteristics of the 1.9 million annual admissions to treatment for abuse of alcohol and drugs in facilities that report to individual state administrative data systems. The report also includes data by state and state rates.
The report is available on the web at http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/.


SAMHSA, a public health agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the lead federal agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment and mental health services in the United States.


Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

CONTACT: Leah Young of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration, +1-240-276-2130


Web site: http://www.samhsa.gov/
http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/



Monday, August 30, 2004

source: jointogether.org

Most Crimes in Puerto Rico Linked to Illegal Weapons
8/30/2004

Testifying before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee of Public Integrity, Pio Rechani Lopez, the executive director of the Institute of Forensic Science, said most of the crimes in Puerto Rico are committed with illegal and stolen weapons, the Associated Press reported Aug. 27.

"There are illegal weapons arriving from other countries or the United States that enter the island as contraband that are more used for these types of crimes. The majority of the firearms used in murders and crimes are assault weapons, like the AR-15 or the AK-47," Rechani Lopez said.

Rechani Lopez said it's difficult to monitor the flow of illegal weapons into Puerto Rico because some assault weapons illegally entering the island are obtained legally in states like Kentucky and Texas.

Note: This article is online at http://www.jointogether.org/z/0,2522,574404,00.html

Visit www.jointogether.org for complete news and funding coverage, resource links and advocacy tools supporting community-based efforts to reduce and prevent substance abuse and gun violence.

Join Together Online (www.jointogether.org)
Join Together is a project of the Boston University School of Public Health.

Saturday, August 28, 2004

Featured Site

Escape to Puerto Rico (there is a link to the site from the prsun.blogspot). But there is one more reason to visit.

Check out:
http://escape.topuertorico.com/postcards/new.shtml

I am pleased to report that my photos are featured at
Escape to Puerto Rico as part of its Puerto Rico e-cards collection.

My work is located under the categories:

Old San Juan
http://escape.topuertorico.com/postcards/oldsj8.shtml

Churches
http://escape.topuertorico.com/postcards/church4.shtml

Folklore
http://escape.topuertorico.com/postcards/folklore3.shtml

Thanks.


Friday, August 27, 2004

Latino/a Literature: A Resource for Standardized Testing


book
Originally uploaded by Manny.
By Manny Hernandez

Manny, who regularly contributes to Puerto Rico Sun articles on education and Latino issues, is the author of the Latino/a Literature book, a resource for young adults and standardized testing in America.
Essay

The Latino Agenda in the Upcoming Elections: Education

By Manuel Hernandez

There has been a lot of talk that Latinos are now the largest minority in the United States. According to recent projections, close to half of the population will be Latino by half of the 21st Century. Hispanic Magazine describes the phenomenon as the “Minority Nation.” The Latino population growth has surpassed all predictions and continues to baffle census specialists. There are many Latino issues on top of the electoral table, but the following seem to be the most relevant: home ownership, immigration, health insurance, economic growth, security and education. As a hard-core believer in the power of education, all of the issues served on the electoral table are appetizers of a quality education.

It was in 1967 with the publication of "Down These Mean Streets" that the legendary pioneer of Latino letters, Piri Thomas, made “El Barrio” in Manhattan a household name. The classic autobiography portrayed and depicted the issues of the late 1960's: identity, survival and racism.

But in 2004, the climactic point in the Latino drama is education. With an approximate 25 percent high school dropout rate average and merely 6 percent registration rate at the graduate level in colleges and universities across America, the numbers speak for themselves and have been thrust around at will by those who have all kinds of interests.

Despite the good intentions coming from one party and another, a sound and solid based educational plan has yet to be designed and created. How will the National Latino high school dropout rate be attended? What academic plan will be drawn to ensure that Latino teens entering high school in 2004-2005 will not drop out tomorrow? How will those young adults graduating from high school receive motivation, information and support to pursue graduate studies? The answers to these and other educational questions remain tied up in the “language of ideas” discussed by politicians at all corners of the electoral table.

Under President Bush’s No Child Left Behind Law, there is renewed accountability, enhanced flexibility and community control. At the same time, there is an emphasis on teaching strategies that have worked in the past. But there are no specific, concise and detailed suggestions on how states should tackle the desired educational outcomes. Senator Kerry’s people are talking about providing quality education and recognizing that “children need good schools” (Hispanic Magazine, page 84). The good intentions are undeniable, but the ideas do not fulfill the academic demands of a population that continues to impact, influence and redefine America.

The academic demands cannot be taken lightly and should provide immediate intervention, pre-planned prevention and long-term planning. The highest high school dropout rate amongst minorities is preventing Latinos to attain a higher education degree. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, a college graduate will earn more over a lifetime period than a high school graduate. However, in the traditional age group, only 25 percent of foreign-born Latinos who graduated high school are enrolled in an undergraduate institution. On the other hand, 40 percent of second generation Latino high school graduates attend college.

If Latinos are less likely to graduate from high school but continue to grow in population, the United States has an economic situation that needs serious attention. Why not make it a national priority to work with states to develop a vision in tune with the necessities of the Latino teen?

Latino teens are scoring poorly in city, state and national testing requirements. Teens have difficulties reacting and responding to literature that is far away from their immigrant experience. The literary text possesses no fixed and final meaning or value; there is no one "correct" meaning. According to Louise Rosenblatt, a poem is "what the reader lives through under the guidance of the text." If Latino teens cannot make a connection with the text, there will be little possibility of an interpretation. As a consequence, the possibilities of better scores in these exams are reduced to a minimum.

Latino teens today are open to options. It is the responsibility of government, teachers, administrators, parents and educational advocates to provide them with the keys to their educational experience. I strongly believe that education should be highlighted as the core issue once and for all -- not only by Bush and Kerry but by Latino leaders and academics alike. There are so many of us, but we have not decided on the best interest of our future generations: education.

Manuel Hernández contributes education essays to Puerto Rico Sun. He is the author of Latino/a Literature in The English Classroom. If you would like to publish the article in your local newspaper, call his editor at 787-355-0099. Feel free to visit his page at www.puertoricans.com.





Wednesday, August 25, 2004

Featured site:

Association of Hispanic Arts (www.latinoarts.org)

Founded in 1975, the Association of Hispanic Arts, Inc. (AHA) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of Latino arts, artists and arts organizations as an integral part of the cultural life of the nation. It facilitates projects and programs designed to foster the appreciation, growth and well being of the Latino cultural community.

Site includes listings of opportunities for Latinos interested in developing films, information about art exhibitions and culture events and a book store featuring literature on and by Latinos. Worth a visit.

Monday, August 23, 2004

Literacy Tips for Latino Families

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- It's a growing trend: more education experts are offering bilingual resources addressing the needs of Latino families. From the launch of PBS's Maya & Miguel family-themed website and television program later this fall, to online resources such as Reading Rockets' www.colorincolorado.com, the message is clear that reaching the growing Latino audience -- even with literacy advice -- demands special cultural consideration.


(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040823/NYFNSF02 )


"Getting children and families of all backgrounds excited about reading requires more than a one-size-fits-all solution," said Carol H. Rasco, president and CEO of Reading Is Fundamental, the nation's oldest and largest children's and family literacy organization. "By offering resources tailored specifically to empower Latino families, we're taking an important step in reinforcing positive attitudes and behaviors toward literacy."


To encourage literacy every day, RIF offers families these tips:

* Talk with your children as you play, go shopping or work around the
house. Listen to what they say. Ask questions. When you talk to your
children, you help them learn to use words.

* Let your children see you read. Show them you think reading is important
and that you enjoy it, too.

* Ask older children to read to younger ones. Older children will be proud
of their skills and younger children will want to read like their older
brothers, sisters, or friends.

* Say rhymes, raps, and poetry and sing songs. Rhymes and songs are easy
for kids to remember, so they can say them and sing along with the rest
of the family. Rhymes also help children learn letter sounds.

* Tell stories about your family, and stories you enjoyed when you were a
child. Ask other family members to tell stories, too. Write down these
stories and those your children tell. Save them to read aloud later.


In September, RIF will launch its own special initiative aimed at promoting early childhood literacy among Latino families in the United States. Called "Un futuro brillante empieza en un libro" (A brilliant future begins with a book), the campaign emphasizes the ways families can incorporate into their lives simple, appropriate activities -- many of which families already do regularly -- that will promote literacy among their children.


The core component of the campaign is a comprehensive, Spanish website (http://www.rif.org/leer) that offers tips and advice for families. RIF will also begin distributing two Spanish language television public service announcements (PSAs), featuring television personalities Cristina Saralegui and Jorge Ramos, and a half-hour educational parent video in Spanish.


Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF) works to build a literate nation by helping young people discover the joy of reading. For more information and to access reading resources, visit http://www.rif.org/.

Sunday, August 22, 2004

Wall


Wall
Originally uploaded by clarisel.
Old San Juan

Stop in and view the latest photos.

Friday, August 20, 2004

Poetry

CONDEMNED
By Fernando A. Zapater

In that poker game god dealt me cards
An anti-Semitic joker as a wild trump
That played me like a well-tuned guitar
To the fine tune of a mashuganov gentile
I traveled 32 hundred miles
To reach the rabbis daughter and reconcile
But imagine a balsero boricua all the while
After he had his heart circumcised
Perhaps in past incarnations I had been
A nazi luftewaggen first lieutenant air force
Maybe I was the roman soldier who gave Christ
His hideous last drink
Or perhaps had been the Jew that condemned
Him to be crucified
It is my karma I accept in mazel tov
All the while thinking in Luria’s mysticism
And when my love for Mordecai borders fanatism
You will know me also as his sidekick companion
Esther’s lover, Lilith’s cousin, a Jew beloved
Like Moses leadership amongst the waters
But when Palestinians explode like watermelons
It is time to corner Arafat with serious questions
Not only traveled a mile for a camel
But 32 hundred for a whole herd
With which we will conquer the west
And will have again Jerusalem and Bethlehem
We must not thrust aside the Palestinians
For they are a tribe that is here to stay
I have been dealt the anti-Semitic trump
It’s now my turn to twist and shout, to hum and hump
We shall live like a civilized tribe
Amongst human, spirits, and animals alike
Love and peace shall prevail amongst all the same
Shalom, Mazel-tov, Hola, Hello, Bienvenido, y Como estas.

c 2004 Fernando A. Zapater

Fernando A. Zapater contributes his poetry to Puerto Rico Sun. He is the author of "La Biblia Desnuda," and "Cuentos Cortos y Poemas de Un Balsero (Volumes I and II)." "Condemned" is published in the Cuentos Cortos y Poemas Volume II edition, which features writings in Spanish and English.


Wednesday, August 18, 2004

Entertainment

Celebrate Hispanic Culture on PBS

PBS offers variety of Latin-themed programs for Hispanic Heritage Month

Alexandria, VA--(HISPANIC PR WIRE)--August 18, 2004--In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month — September 15-October 15, 2004 — PBS brings the vibrant talents of Latino actors, actresses and producers into viewers' homes. With broadcast premieres and encore presentations, animation, drama, history, art and music, PBS has something with a little Latin flavor for everyone.

Latino artists across the United States take center stage in a groundbreaking six-part television event VISIONES: LATINO ARTS and CULTURE, premiering Sunday, September 5 and airing Sundays through October 10, 2004, 10:30-11:00 p.m. ET. Viewers experience the world of Latino artistic expression as the series journeys throughout the country, capturing rich stories about theater, music, dance, spoken word and the visual arts. From New York City's hip-hop culture to mural painters in Los Angeles and Chicago to theater in Texas, the series offers a unique cross-section of Latino artists working today. Through storytelling and vivid imagery, the fast-paced and entertaining series leads the viewer to understand the origins of Latino art and culture, and depicts the struggles and victories of the artists as part of their artistic interpretation. Additionally, the series examines the nation's diverse Latino communities and how they were able to keep their artistic expressions alive while creating new and unique visions that contribute to art in America.

Kids will find a new place to watch and learn weekday afternoons with the new daily animated series MAYA and MIGUEL. Lively and colorful, MAYA and MIGUEL chronicles the adventures, and sometimes misadventures, of 10-year-old twins Maya and Miguel Santos, and features their family, friends and a richly diverse neighborhood. The programs present culture and language learning as fun, relevant and rewarding for all children, with a special emphasis on the Latino population. This never-a-dull-moment situation comedy revolves around Maya's well-intended meddling in her family's and friends' lives, ultimately creating new quandaries to fix. Sprinkled throughout the series are values of friendship and family and a positive, culturally rich portrayal of Latino family, language and cultures. The weekday series premieres Monday, October 11, 2004 (check local listings).

Oscar-winner Richard Dreyfuss stars as a veteran cop working on Manhattan's Upper West Side in this new two-part offering of PBS HOLLYWOOD PRESENTS, "Cop Shop," airing Wednesday, October 6, 2004, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET. Blair Brown ("The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd," The Astronaut's Wife), Oscar-winner Rita Moreno (West Side Story, Oz), Rosie Perez (Do the Right Thing, White Men Can't Jump) and Jay Thomas ("The Education of Max Bickford," Mr. Holland's Opus) also star. The first part, "Fear," focuses on the heated exchange between police officers and a gathering of local residents on the verge of panic over a series of rapes in the community. The second part, "Blind Date," provides a glimpse into the lives of working women in a neighborhood brothel when their paths cross with the police.

Sure to keep everyone on their feet is the music and beats from the PUERTO RICO JAZZFEST 2003 (September, 2004, check local listings). This year's festival features performances by Berkley professor William Cepeda, Makoto Ozone, Paquito D'Rivera, Claudia Acuña and Chick Corea.

And rounding out the month is the conclusion of the encore presentation of the the Emmy(R) award-nominated miniseries AMERICAN FAMILY — JOURNEY OF DREAMS. This compelling epic interweaves the Gonzalez family's courageous escape from the Mexican Revolution to seek a better life in America with the sacrifices the family made in the 1990s to send their first-born son to medical school and the consequences of those sacrifices as seen through the war in Iraq. Edward James Olmos, Constance Marie, Yancey Arias, Jesse Borrego, Patricia Velasquez, Kate del Castillo and Raquel Welch star, with special guest stars Esai Morales, Lynn Whitfield and Rachel Ticotin and special appearances by Sonia Braga. AMERICAN FAMILY — JOURNEY OF DREAMS airs Sundays, 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET through October 23, 2004.

Throughout the months of September and October PBS offers a wide variety of encore presentations of award-winning documentaries and acclaimed specials. Please check local listings for airdates and times of the following programs:

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE "Zoot Suit Riots"
In August 1942, the murder of a young Mexican American ignited a firestorm in Los Angeles. The tensions that had been building up for years between Mexican and white Los Angelenos boiled over. The press claimed that Mexican youth — known as "zoot-suiters" for the clothes they wore — were terrorizing the city with a wave of crime. Police fanned out across the city arresting 600 Mexican Americans. Seventeen zoot-suiters headed to a trial in which prosecutors had little evidence to present. Nonetheless, guilty verdicts were handed down to all. The tensions the trial inflamed sparked riots between servicemen and the Mexican American community that led to zoot-suiters being beaten and stripped of their clothes. Despite vigorous denials from city officials, a citizens' committee concluded the riots had been fueled by racial prejudice and encouraged by sensational news reporting and a discriminatory police department.

BEYOND THE BORDER
Over the past decade, thousands of Latinos seeking "la vida buena" (the good life) have migrated to Kentucky, finding low-paying jobs in the tobacco, manufacturing and horseracing industries. As the Latino communities have swelled, so too have xenophobia and discrimination. BEYOND THE BORDER traces the painful transition made by four sons in the Vierya family, who leave their parents and sisters in Mexico and fight cultural, class and language barriers in Kentucky.

COME AND TAKE IT DAY
Myth, history and heavy metal collide in Jim Mendiola's enticing South Texas tale of dreams, schemes and revenge. The century-old legend of the lost treasure of Tejano folk hero Gregorio Cortez changes the lives of four present-day Texans, each working in a tourist trap restaurant on the San Antonio Riverwalk. This Tejano film noir explores the class structure of San Antonio's multi-layered Latino community while telling a fascinating story of obsession, betrayal and death.

FLAMENCO: THE PASSION OF SPANISH DANCE
This one-hour performance program of sizzling group presentations, sultry duos and solo interpretations of the passion of Spanish dance features Maria Benitez, an internationally acclaimed performer, choreographer and director (who has appeared on EVENING AT POPS) who performs "El Amor" with her troupe, Teatro Flamenco.

INDEPENDENT LENS "Foto-Novelas: Junkyard Saints and Broken Sky"
Exploring the Latino experience through the prism of dreams, memories and reality, "Foto-Novelas" consists of two half-hour dramas: "Junkyard Saints," a spiritual thriller set in a South Texas automotive graveyard; and "Broken Sky," a fictionalized account based on the real-life 1948 plane crash that killed 28 Mexicans in Fresno, California.

P.O.V. "90 Miles"
Juan Carlos Zaldavar's "90 Miles" is a personal memoir that offers a rare glimpse into Cuba, a country as mythologized to Americans as the United States is to the rest of the world. The Cuban-born filmmaker recounts the strange fate that brought him as a teenage communist to exile in Miami in 1980 during the Mariel boatlift. Zaldavar uses news clips, family photos and home movies to depict the emotional journey of an immigrant father and son struggling to understand the historical and individual forces shaping their relationships and identities in a new country.

STEALING HOME: THE CASE OF CONTEMPORARY CUBAN BASEBALL
Set against the backdrop of the 38th Cuban National Championship Series, STEALING HOME examines the tension between baseball players who left Cuba in search of freedom and multimillion dollar contracts and the government that invests heavily in their training. This program probes a sociopolitical conflict that is fundamental to any political ideology — the interests of the individual versus those of the greater good. Should baseball players in Cuba be expected to play exclusively in the Cuban National League, forgoing American baseball, in the interests of a society that benefits from the sport both as a national pastime and in less tangible terms as the assertion of a sovereign identity?

Featured Sites:

Photo lovers. If you have a special love for photos of La Isla del Encanto, check out:

http://www.photosofpuertorico.com
http://www.puertoricophotostock.com

You will find an array of images from different parts of the island.

Photos of Puerto Rico is a website dedicated to highlighting the island and its wonders! Enjoy the beautiful professional quality images from talented and dedicated Puerto Rican photographers.

Tuesday, August 17, 2004

ON TV

Piri Thomas and EVERY CHILD IS BORN A POET

Re: Documentary on Nuyorican poet Piri Thomas: EVERY CHILD IS BORN A POET to air at 8 p.m. Aug. 18 on TUTV in Puerto Rico. This program may also be seen online (go to TUTV's site at www.tutv.puertorico.pr).

Combining poetry, documentary and drama, EVERY CHILD IS BORN A POET explores the life and work of Piri Thomas, the 75-year-old Afro-Cuban-Puerto Rican poet and author of Down These Mean Streets. A landmark of modern American literature, this 1967 autobiographical novel continues to be taught in schools for its groundbreaking bilingual style and its realistic portrayal of youth, imprisonment and search for racial identity.

Like the novel, the film traces Thomas’ path from childhood to manhood in New York City’s Spanish Harlem from the 1930s to the 1960s: his home life during the Great Depression, membership in barrio youth gangs, travels as a teenage merchant marine, addiction to heroin, notorious armed robbery of a Greenwich Village nightclub, six years spent in prison and eventual emergence as a writer.

As the first writer of Puerto Rican ancestry to receive national recognition in the United States, Piri Thomas is not just a cultural icon, but also a community treasure. His poetry has inspired and influenced generations of students, artists and activists. But Thomas is not simply a writer. When he started on his own path towards self-reclamation and self-respect, he also made a commitment to help others do the same. Since his release from prison in 1956, Thomas has devoted himself to the development, health and well being of young adults. As a social worker, he pioneered violence prevention and drug treatment efforts. As an educator, he has promoted literacy and taught writing in order to stimulate artistic expression—not only as a means of human enrichment, but also as a tool of individual and community survival. And as a poet, Thomas’ rhythm and style pre-figured rap by decades.

A stylized, genre-spanning production, EVERY CHILD IS BORN A POET includes a spellbinding collage of rare archival footage, still photographs and provocative mixed-media artwork, as it explores Thomas’ use of creativity as a means of overcoming violence and isolation. This coming-of-age story is counter-pointed with dramatizations, spoken word and vérité scenes of Thomas’ ongoing work as an educator and activist empowering marginalized and incarcerated youths. Pulsating with an original Latin jazz score, this is a riveting portrait of a life lived through struggle, self-discovery and transformation.

EVERY CHILD IS BORN A POET, produced and directed by Jonathan Robinson, is part of a weekly PBS series called Independent Lens.

For more information, visit: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/everychildisbornapoet.

ON TV

"Every Mother's Son"

In the late 1990s, three victims of police brutality made headlines around the country: Amadou Diallo, the young West African man whose killing sparked intense public protest; Anthony Baez, killed in an illegal choke-hold; and Gary (Gidone) Busch, a Hasidic Jew shot and killed outside his Brooklyn home. "Every Mother's Son" tells of the victims' three mothers who came together to demand justice and accountability.

"Every Mother's Son" is up next on P.O.V. on Tuesday,
August 17th at 10 P.M. (ET) on PBS.

Be sure to check your local listings for the airtime in
your area - visit http://www.pbs.org/pov/everymothersson
and click the link next to the premiere date which reads
"check local listings."

On the "Every Mother's Son" website you can also find
a film synopsis, photos and trailer, an interview with the filmmakers
and more:

http://www.pbs.org/pov/everymothersson