Featured commentary
'Certified Boricua': My Official Puerto Rican Citizenship...
By Tato Torres
Here's an excerpt from Tato's blog on his MySpace site:
"A few months ago, I first read an article which mentioned that there was such a document as a 'Puerto Rican Citizenship certificate', and being the proud hardcore Boricua that I am, I immediately decided to get mine. Until now, the only citizenship, which Puerto Ricans could officially be issued, was that of the United States of America, but that is 'sort'a'' changing…"
For more, go to
www.myspace.com/tatobrujo
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Boricuas Making a Difference
COMITÉ NOVIEMBRE Seeks Community Award Nominations for Puerto Rican Heritage Month in NYC
Each year, Comité Noviembre recognizes outstanding individuals who are making a difference in the Puerto Rican community – men and women, who through the conviction of their character devote their talents to empowering others and making a positive impact. The purpose of this award is to acknowledge and pay tribute to exceptional Puerto Ricans who are usually our unsung heroes.
ELIGIBILITY
Candidate must be Puerto Rican or of Puerto Rican descent.
The accomplishments and contributions of the candidate must directly affect the Puerto Rican community.
Candidates must be agents of change, advocates, or risk takers, individuals who empower others by action and/or help to build organizational capacity.
There is no age limit on candidate.
GUIDELINES
The Puerto Rican Heritage Month Lo Mejor de Nuestra Comunidad Award is given to an individual, based on that individual's personal achievements and commitment. It is not given to groups of people, organizations or as a memorial award to people who have died.
Letter of nomination and support should highlight why the individual is being recommended for this recognition, how long the nominator has known the candidate and the specific contributions this individual has made to the betterment and enhancement of the Puerto Rican community. The accomplishments listed should not be part of the candidate’s job responsibilities.
The nominator should address any significant obstacles overcome by the candidate (if any), and give example(s) of the candidate going beyond the call of duty.
Candidates should represent a cross section of the Puerto Rican community: educators, health providers, artists, community organizers and activists, business professionals, volunteers, youth, senior citizens, etc.
A complete nomination form includes an application form, a letter of nomination, two additional letters of support, and a black and white photograph.
All items must be received by Monday, September 24.
The recipients of the Lo Mejor de Nuestra Comunidad Award will be informed by Friday, October 5.
Nomination must include the following:
A complete nomination form (go to www.comitenoviembre.org to download the form)
Letter of nomination
Two additional letters of support for the candidate
A black and white photograph of the candidate
For more information, call (212) 677-4181.
COMITÉ NOVIEMBRE Seeks Community Award Nominations for Puerto Rican Heritage Month in NYC
Each year, Comité Noviembre recognizes outstanding individuals who are making a difference in the Puerto Rican community – men and women, who through the conviction of their character devote their talents to empowering others and making a positive impact. The purpose of this award is to acknowledge and pay tribute to exceptional Puerto Ricans who are usually our unsung heroes.
ELIGIBILITY
Candidate must be Puerto Rican or of Puerto Rican descent.
The accomplishments and contributions of the candidate must directly affect the Puerto Rican community.
Candidates must be agents of change, advocates, or risk takers, individuals who empower others by action and/or help to build organizational capacity.
There is no age limit on candidate.
GUIDELINES
The Puerto Rican Heritage Month Lo Mejor de Nuestra Comunidad Award is given to an individual, based on that individual's personal achievements and commitment. It is not given to groups of people, organizations or as a memorial award to people who have died.
Letter of nomination and support should highlight why the individual is being recommended for this recognition, how long the nominator has known the candidate and the specific contributions this individual has made to the betterment and enhancement of the Puerto Rican community. The accomplishments listed should not be part of the candidate’s job responsibilities.
The nominator should address any significant obstacles overcome by the candidate (if any), and give example(s) of the candidate going beyond the call of duty.
Candidates should represent a cross section of the Puerto Rican community: educators, health providers, artists, community organizers and activists, business professionals, volunteers, youth, senior citizens, etc.
A complete nomination form includes an application form, a letter of nomination, two additional letters of support, and a black and white photograph.
All items must be received by Monday, September 24.
The recipients of the Lo Mejor de Nuestra Comunidad Award will be informed by Friday, October 5.
Nomination must include the following:
A complete nomination form (go to www.comitenoviembre.org to download the form)
Letter of nomination
Two additional letters of support for the candidate
A black and white photograph of the candidate
For more information, call (212) 677-4181.
Community Calendar
'An International Migrant Crossroads: The Circulation of People and Money in Puerto Rico'
Jorge Duany, Ph.D.
Chair & Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Puerto Rico
Tuesday, Sept. 11
6 - 8 p.m.
Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund
99 Hudson Street
14th Floor, Manhattan
This is a presentation of the Center for the New Economy latest research report.
Cocktail reception to follow
Please RSVP to:
salome_galib@prldef.org or 212.739.7511
This report, funded by the Ford Foundation, presents the results of the first field study of remittance activity in Puerto Rico and the flow of people and money between the island, the Dominican Republic and the United States.
About the author
Dr. Jorge Duany is Chair and Professor of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras. He earned his Ph.D. in Latin American Studies, with a concentration in anthropology, at the University of California, Berkeley. He also holds an M.A. in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in Psychology from Columbia University. Dr. Duany has published extensively on Caribbean migration, ethnicity, race, nationalism, and transnationalism in major academic journals and professional books in the United States, Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, and Asia.
About the Center for the New Economy (CNE)
CNE is a San Juan, Puerto Rico-based private, non-profit, non-partisan, organization dedicated to designing innovative economic development strategies.
source: PRLDEF
'An International Migrant Crossroads: The Circulation of People and Money in Puerto Rico'
Jorge Duany, Ph.D.
Chair & Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Puerto Rico
Tuesday, Sept. 11
6 - 8 p.m.
Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund
99 Hudson Street
14th Floor, Manhattan
This is a presentation of the Center for the New Economy latest research report.
Cocktail reception to follow
Please RSVP to:
salome_galib@prldef.org or 212.739.7511
This report, funded by the Ford Foundation, presents the results of the first field study of remittance activity in Puerto Rico and the flow of people and money between the island, the Dominican Republic and the United States.
About the author
Dr. Jorge Duany is Chair and Professor of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras. He earned his Ph.D. in Latin American Studies, with a concentration in anthropology, at the University of California, Berkeley. He also holds an M.A. in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in Psychology from Columbia University. Dr. Duany has published extensively on Caribbean migration, ethnicity, race, nationalism, and transnationalism in major academic journals and professional books in the United States, Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, and Asia.
About the Center for the New Economy (CNE)
CNE is a San Juan, Puerto Rico-based private, non-profit, non-partisan, organization dedicated to designing innovative economic development strategies.
source: PRLDEF
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Vegigante mask at the "Centro cermonial indigena Tibes" Art Gallery
Originally uploaded by Fernando Cuevas.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Mystery writer and crime novelist Steven Torres
Behind the scenes photo of Steven Torres during an interview with PRSUN TV
concretemaze
The Concrete Maze. This is the latest book of my friend mystery writer Steven Torres, a boricua. He is author of the Puerto Rico Precinct series and is now promoting his newest book.
PRSUN TV will rebroadcast an interview with Torres, starting at 3:30 p.m. Mondays on Channel 69, Bronxnet, the Bronx. There will be plenty of opportunity to see the show since PRSUN TV repeats on Tuesdays and Thursdays too.
Torres, who grew up in the Bronx and now lives in Connecticut, will come to Cemi Underground in East Harlem in early September to promote his latest book, which features the Bronx as the setting. Go to www.myspace.com/prsun for more information or go directly to www.cemiunderground.com.
Here's the description as listed in the back of the book:
"The Bronx can be a tough place. And Luis Ramos can tell you it's even tougher to raise a daughter there. How can he keep her safe when every street leads to a new threat, an unseen danger? Now his daughter, Jasmine, is missing, and Luis will stop at nothing to get her back. He's a desperate man, willing to do whatever it takes to find her in the endless maze of the city. Nothing -- and no one -- will stand in his way. Whoever took Jasmine is about to find out just how tough the Bronx can get."
For more information on Steven Torres, go to www.steventorres.com.
PRSUN TV will rebroadcast an interview with Torres, starting at 3:30 p.m. Mondays on Channel 69, Bronxnet, the Bronx. There will be plenty of opportunity to see the show since PRSUN TV repeats on Tuesdays and Thursdays too.
Torres, who grew up in the Bronx and now lives in Connecticut, will come to Cemi Underground in East Harlem in early September to promote his latest book, which features the Bronx as the setting. Go to www.myspace.com/prsun for more information or go directly to www.cemiunderground.com.
Here's the description as listed in the back of the book:
"The Bronx can be a tough place. And Luis Ramos can tell you it's even tougher to raise a daughter there. How can he keep her safe when every street leads to a new threat, an unseen danger? Now his daughter, Jasmine, is missing, and Luis will stop at nothing to get her back. He's a desperate man, willing to do whatever it takes to find her in the endless maze of the city. Nothing -- and no one -- will stand in his way. Whoever took Jasmine is about to find out just how tough the Bronx can get."
For more information on Steven Torres, go to www.steventorres.com.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Community Calendar
La Bodega De La Familia
Annual Block Party!
Wednesday, August 29
12 - 4 p.m.
East 3rd Street between
Avenue C and Avenue D on the Lower East Side.
Enjoy a day of art, poetry, music and dance presented by
La Bodega De La Familia
Visit The People's garden for an afternoon of poetry hosted by
Poet/Author/Community activist
Bobby Gonzalez.
Scheduled to perform:
Boricuation.com Artist
G Positive
Adele Ramos
Melinda "Poeta Guerrera" Gonzalez
Taina
and
Jaime "El Maestro" Emeric
The mic will be open to the public after the performers.
Sign up at entrance of The People's garden for the Open Mic.
This event is sponsored by Poets & Writers and Boricuation.com
La Bodega De La Familia
Annual Block Party!
Wednesday, August 29
12 - 4 p.m.
East 3rd Street between
Avenue C and Avenue D on the Lower East Side.
Enjoy a day of art, poetry, music and dance presented by
La Bodega De La Familia
Visit The People's garden for an afternoon of poetry hosted by
Poet/Author/Community activist
Bobby Gonzalez.
Scheduled to perform:
Boricuation.com Artist
G Positive
Adele Ramos
Melinda "Poeta Guerrera" Gonzalez
Taina
and
Jaime "El Maestro" Emeric
The mic will be open to the public after the performers.
Sign up at entrance of The People's garden for the Open Mic.
This event is sponsored by Poets & Writers and Boricuation.com
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Review: El Cantante
By Robert Waddell
In Marc Anthony’s and Jennifer Lopez’s star vehicle “El Cantante,” Marc Anthony sings and looks like legendary salsero Hector Lavoe; Lopez embodies a 1970s sensibility in portraying the singer’s wife. However, as with the 1970s, Marc Anthony, Lopez and director Leon Ichaso have successfully revived the drug crazed morally deficient characters that demoralized Latinos in films like “Fort Apache, the Bronx” and Ichaso’s “Pinero.”
Marc Anthony’s Hector Lavoe is a great artist who falls victim to drugs and temptation right from the start of the film. As with many musicians’ biographies –“Bird,” “Ray” and “I Walk the Line” – a great artist is thrown into a pit of despair and drugs. The more famous he becomes the worse his vice. In “El Cantante,” Lopez’s character Puchi, Lavoe’s wife, said that the bigger Lavoe became an artist, the less human he became.
To many Puerto Ricans, Lavoe has iconic status. Marc Anthony reproduces all of the familiar Lavoe images on screen, but there’s little depth. On the other hand, Lopez has more to grab onto.
Trouble starts in the ominous moment when Lavoe meets Willie Colon who looks like a mafioso in sepia colors. The scene is dark and the ambiance is menacing and heavy handed for the beginning of a creative collaboration that catapulted the Fania All-Stars into international celebrity.
Lopez looks beautiful as always except for the character she plays. She has a lot to sink her teeth into as the worst kind of manipulative, rapacious, money grubbing, enabling delusional villain. Puchi is simply not likable.
The film is told in flashbacks from the perspective of an unreliable narrator. The flashbacks are based on an interview that the real Puchi did. The interviews are recreated in black and white.
Puchi recalls how her first time with Lavoe was so special and nothing was too good for her. But in the next scene, one sees the exterior of a parked car tossed side to side and Puchi cries, “It hurts.” The couple is in the back seat of the car, having sex. While Puchi tells her interviewers that she never did drugs until she met Lavoe, the movie shows she was the person to introduce Lavoe to marijuana.
As with Ichaso’s “Pinero,” “El Cantante” is true to the drugging 1970s Nuyorican salsa groove. Doing drugs looks sexy. But, like a prude, this reviewer wonders why Hollywood will only bankroll films about Puerto Ricans when we’re seen as drug addicts, pimps, whores and criminals? Isn’t this passé already?
Filmmakers need to think in the vein of Gregory Nava’s “Mi Familia/My Family” or Selma Hayek’s’ “Frida.” In reality, no one is 100% good or 100% evil. So, why must Puerto Ricans consciously be demoralized?
Drugs and crime are a part of life, but there are also uplifting and joyful stories, real and fictional human stories of Puerto Rican life. The problem is reality and perception: the reality is that Hector Lavoe did do drugs, but the perception is that Puerto Ricans seem to be always portrayed this way. An example of a positive story is Sonia Gonzalez’s stickball documentary which showed a firefighter who loved the street game and bravely gave his life on September 11. Stories by Nicholasa Mohr, Junot Diaz, Piri Thomas and Ernesto Quinones would also make interesting and bankable films.
One positive note about “El Cantante” is that Marc Anthony and Lopez have each put their best foot forward in recreating a story based on one point of view, but they forgot how important and iconic Lavoe is to the Puerto Rican community, not unlike Julia de Burgos, Pedro Albizu Campos and Roberto Clemente. They’re heroes.
Still, there are private moments in the acting of raw emotion and real acting in this movie. One forgets about the stars and sees real fleshed out characters in these scenes. One forgets that these superstars are married in real life and one sees true dedication to craft, story and music. If only it weren't all so dark and bleak.
The problem for Marc Anthony is that his portrayal is two-dimensional. He looks and sounds like Hector Lavoe, but there’s no depth. If the actor were to go deep, he would have shown a real, flawed human being who was also a great artist. Marc Anthony’s Lavoe takes no responsibility for his addictions or his demons.
Lopez, on the other hand, has so much to sink her teeth into. She gives her Puchi depth and complexity. It must have been fun for Lopez to play the villain and not the soft girls she usually plays. Puchi is a grown-up, a woman. Lopez is beautiful, stylish, sneaky and corrupting, but she takes no responsibility for her actions in enabling Lavoe’s drug addiction. Every man needs to see Lopez’s Puchi to know this is the type of sexy woman your mama warned you about.
I bet the producers of this film are banking on Oscar nods for Lopez, but the Academy Award should go to sound editing and mixing. The sound vibrates the best of "The Voice."
The problem with this film is truth and reality; the truth hurts and the reality is too undiluted. The situation of drugs is common and the stereotypes too familiar. The music here is amazing; it’s the flawed portraits that need re-mixing.
"El Cantante" is in theaters now.
Robert Waddell is a Bronx-based freelance writer who contributes his articles to Puerto Rico Sun.
By Robert Waddell
In Marc Anthony’s and Jennifer Lopez’s star vehicle “El Cantante,” Marc Anthony sings and looks like legendary salsero Hector Lavoe; Lopez embodies a 1970s sensibility in portraying the singer’s wife. However, as with the 1970s, Marc Anthony, Lopez and director Leon Ichaso have successfully revived the drug crazed morally deficient characters that demoralized Latinos in films like “Fort Apache, the Bronx” and Ichaso’s “Pinero.”
Marc Anthony’s Hector Lavoe is a great artist who falls victim to drugs and temptation right from the start of the film. As with many musicians’ biographies –“Bird,” “Ray” and “I Walk the Line” – a great artist is thrown into a pit of despair and drugs. The more famous he becomes the worse his vice. In “El Cantante,” Lopez’s character Puchi, Lavoe’s wife, said that the bigger Lavoe became an artist, the less human he became.
To many Puerto Ricans, Lavoe has iconic status. Marc Anthony reproduces all of the familiar Lavoe images on screen, but there’s little depth. On the other hand, Lopez has more to grab onto.
Trouble starts in the ominous moment when Lavoe meets Willie Colon who looks like a mafioso in sepia colors. The scene is dark and the ambiance is menacing and heavy handed for the beginning of a creative collaboration that catapulted the Fania All-Stars into international celebrity.
Lopez looks beautiful as always except for the character she plays. She has a lot to sink her teeth into as the worst kind of manipulative, rapacious, money grubbing, enabling delusional villain. Puchi is simply not likable.
The film is told in flashbacks from the perspective of an unreliable narrator. The flashbacks are based on an interview that the real Puchi did. The interviews are recreated in black and white.
Puchi recalls how her first time with Lavoe was so special and nothing was too good for her. But in the next scene, one sees the exterior of a parked car tossed side to side and Puchi cries, “It hurts.” The couple is in the back seat of the car, having sex. While Puchi tells her interviewers that she never did drugs until she met Lavoe, the movie shows she was the person to introduce Lavoe to marijuana.
As with Ichaso’s “Pinero,” “El Cantante” is true to the drugging 1970s Nuyorican salsa groove. Doing drugs looks sexy. But, like a prude, this reviewer wonders why Hollywood will only bankroll films about Puerto Ricans when we’re seen as drug addicts, pimps, whores and criminals? Isn’t this passé already?
Filmmakers need to think in the vein of Gregory Nava’s “Mi Familia/My Family” or Selma Hayek’s’ “Frida.” In reality, no one is 100% good or 100% evil. So, why must Puerto Ricans consciously be demoralized?
Drugs and crime are a part of life, but there are also uplifting and joyful stories, real and fictional human stories of Puerto Rican life. The problem is reality and perception: the reality is that Hector Lavoe did do drugs, but the perception is that Puerto Ricans seem to be always portrayed this way. An example of a positive story is Sonia Gonzalez’s stickball documentary which showed a firefighter who loved the street game and bravely gave his life on September 11. Stories by Nicholasa Mohr, Junot Diaz, Piri Thomas and Ernesto Quinones would also make interesting and bankable films.
One positive note about “El Cantante” is that Marc Anthony and Lopez have each put their best foot forward in recreating a story based on one point of view, but they forgot how important and iconic Lavoe is to the Puerto Rican community, not unlike Julia de Burgos, Pedro Albizu Campos and Roberto Clemente. They’re heroes.
Still, there are private moments in the acting of raw emotion and real acting in this movie. One forgets about the stars and sees real fleshed out characters in these scenes. One forgets that these superstars are married in real life and one sees true dedication to craft, story and music. If only it weren't all so dark and bleak.
The problem for Marc Anthony is that his portrayal is two-dimensional. He looks and sounds like Hector Lavoe, but there’s no depth. If the actor were to go deep, he would have shown a real, flawed human being who was also a great artist. Marc Anthony’s Lavoe takes no responsibility for his addictions or his demons.
Lopez, on the other hand, has so much to sink her teeth into. She gives her Puchi depth and complexity. It must have been fun for Lopez to play the villain and not the soft girls she usually plays. Puchi is a grown-up, a woman. Lopez is beautiful, stylish, sneaky and corrupting, but she takes no responsibility for her actions in enabling Lavoe’s drug addiction. Every man needs to see Lopez’s Puchi to know this is the type of sexy woman your mama warned you about.
I bet the producers of this film are banking on Oscar nods for Lopez, but the Academy Award should go to sound editing and mixing. The sound vibrates the best of "The Voice."
The problem with this film is truth and reality; the truth hurts and the reality is too undiluted. The situation of drugs is common and the stereotypes too familiar. The music here is amazing; it’s the flawed portraits that need re-mixing.
"El Cantante" is in theaters now.
Robert Waddell is a Bronx-based freelance writer who contributes his articles to Puerto Rico Sun.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Community Calendar
"CLASE APARTE BAND"
SOUND OF YESTERDAY / IN STYLE TODAY
AND THE TAINA'S TOUCH ARTS CONNECTION'S
OUTDOOR SHOWCASE EXTRAVAGANZA
@
LA PLACITA DE LA MARQUETA
115th & 116th Streets/Park Avenue
August 25 (SAT.) 12 - 6 p.m.
ART EXHIBIT
ARTISTS: VITA GIORGIO, FERNANDO SALICRUP, ALEXANDER PERCY, BOB DANIELS, TAFA, RICARDO HERNANDEZ
ARTISAN: TAINO JEWELRY AND OTHER EXQUISITE PIECES:
OLGA AYALA
MUSEUM:
THE HISPANIC HERITAGE STICKBALL & BASEBALL MUSEUM HALL OF FAME (IT WILL HAVE MEMORABILIA).
MINI BOOK FAIR
AUTHORS: DR. LOUIS REYES RIVERA, LONNIE HARRINGTON, FABIAN ARENAS, PRISONERA, CARMEN DE LUCCA, ELENA MARRERO, LINDA ADDISON, CEMI UNDERGROUND, BOBBY GONZALEZ AND ELVIRA & HORTENSIA COLORADO
ENTERTAINMENT
3 - 3:30 p.m. "FENIQUE" LONGEVITY RECORDS RECORDING ARTISTS
THERE WILL BE OTHER GUEST PERFORMERS
3:30 - 4:30 p.m. SALSA AND SWING "CASH PRIZES" DANCE CONTESTS:
WINNERS: $ 100 (ADVANCED) $ 75 (INTERMEDIATE) $ 50 (BEGINNERS)
CONTEST JUDGES: JIMMY DELGADO, JAIME "THE MAESTRO" EMERIC, OLGA AYALA, FERNANDO GONZALEZ, OLA WAYMMAN, RUBY REEVES, CLYDE WILDER, WILLIE HALL, RAY MCKETHAN...,
For an application and questions about the August 25, call Taina Traverso at
917-645-8735.
"CLASE APARTE BAND"
SOUND OF YESTERDAY / IN STYLE TODAY
AND THE TAINA'S TOUCH ARTS CONNECTION'S
OUTDOOR SHOWCASE EXTRAVAGANZA
@
LA PLACITA DE LA MARQUETA
115th & 116th Streets/Park Avenue
August 25 (SAT.) 12 - 6 p.m.
ART EXHIBIT
ARTISTS: VITA GIORGIO, FERNANDO SALICRUP, ALEXANDER PERCY, BOB DANIELS, TAFA, RICARDO HERNANDEZ
ARTISAN: TAINO JEWELRY AND OTHER EXQUISITE PIECES:
OLGA AYALA
MUSEUM:
THE HISPANIC HERITAGE STICKBALL & BASEBALL MUSEUM HALL OF FAME (IT WILL HAVE MEMORABILIA).
MINI BOOK FAIR
AUTHORS: DR. LOUIS REYES RIVERA, LONNIE HARRINGTON, FABIAN ARENAS, PRISONERA, CARMEN DE LUCCA, ELENA MARRERO, LINDA ADDISON, CEMI UNDERGROUND, BOBBY GONZALEZ AND ELVIRA & HORTENSIA COLORADO
ENTERTAINMENT
3 - 3:30 p.m. "FENIQUE" LONGEVITY RECORDS RECORDING ARTISTS
THERE WILL BE OTHER GUEST PERFORMERS
3:30 - 4:30 p.m. SALSA AND SWING "CASH PRIZES" DANCE CONTESTS:
WINNERS: $ 100 (ADVANCED) $ 75 (INTERMEDIATE) $ 50 (BEGINNERS)
CONTEST JUDGES: JIMMY DELGADO, JAIME "THE MAESTRO" EMERIC, OLGA AYALA, FERNANDO GONZALEZ, OLA WAYMMAN, RUBY REEVES, CLYDE WILDER, WILLIE HALL, RAY MCKETHAN...,
For an application and questions about the August 25, call Taina Traverso at
917-645-8735.
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