Puerto Rico Sun

photos Puerto Rico Sun photos are also featured in the following sites: clarisel.fotopages.com worldisround.com (travel article -- puertorico) flickr.com/photos/clarisel/ Thanks.

the boricua vote here and there Commentary By Clarisel Gonzalez, puertoricosun.com San Juan - Two years ago, a Mexican-American friend visited me from Texas and asked me what was up with "the commonwealth" status. "What's that all about?" he asked. Well, I explained to him that Puerto Ricans are US citizens and have to follow federal laws. But we don't have a right to vote for president or pay federal income taxes. The way we are now I joked is like shacking up with a lover with limited benefits rather than getting married with all the benefits. "Hey," he responded, "I prefer the lover then." "Who wants to pay federal income taxes?" he asked. If he were a Puerto Rican living here, he'd probably be for remaining a US commonwealth every time just because we don't have to pay federal income taxes. "Voting for president is overrated," he joked. If my friend were here, he probably would have been among the thousands

the story of a springfield latina BOSTON, July 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is a transcript of a speech by Eimy Santiago at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, July 28, 2004: Buenas noches! Mi nombre es Eimy Santiago. Tengo 21 anos. Y te quiero contar una historia de como John Kerry ayudo mejorar mi vida. Good evening! My name is Eimy Santiago. I am 21 years old. And I want to tell you about how John Kerry helped save my life. From this stage to my street in Springfield, Massachusetts, it's only a 90-minute drive. But it is a world away. Growing up, I didn't always make the right choices. When I was 14, I ran away from home and into a world of trouble. I fell into a bad crowd. I sold and used illicit drugs. I was trapped in an abusive relationship. Then, I got pregnant and dropped out of high school. A lot of people gave up on me. For a while, I even gave up on myself. That's when a program called Youthbuild changed my life. And Youthbuild has ha

our music Featured Site: Check out  http://www.musicofpuertorico.com/ An educational resource published by the Music of Puerto Rico Foundation , a non-profit corporation to help enhance an appreciation of Puerto Rican music and to instill a sense of pride in Puerto Ricans for their music. The foundation's  complete mission statement.   ..a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring Puerto Rican music...from the soft rhythm of the Puerto Rican  danza , to the traditional  folk music, and  plenas , to hot  salsa , and the latest in  reggaeton . Check it out.

community news blurbs NATIONAL COUNCIL OF LA RAZA KIDS COUNT PUERTO RICO PROJECT TO RELEASE FIRST COMPREHENSIVE DATA BOOK ON CHILDREN IN PUERTO RICO San Juan --  The National Council of La Raza KIDS COUNT Puerto Rico Project will release the 2004 KIDS COUNT Puerto Rico Data Book, which presents data on the major population, health, and socioeconomic characteristics of the child population, for the island as a whole, at a news conference Aug. 2 in Guaynabo. The report presents a mixed picture of the status of children and youth in Puerto Rico. In terms of positive trends, the 2004 KIDS COUNT Puerto Rico Data Book shows that the number of low birth weight babies and the rate of infant and child mortality declined from 1990 to 2000. In addition, the number of births to teenagers, while still high and concentrated in specific municipalities, has also dropped, both for adolescents 15 to 17 years old and for girls under 15 years old. But the book also highlights several worrisome

I have created a directory of resources on interesting sites to visit for information about boricuas. Check out the "Puerto Rico Sun" directory: www.10minuteflash.com/sites/25139 Clarisel

In honor of 9/11 Victims SCORCHED EARTH By Fernando A. Zapater It keeps creeping upon me As an invisible tower of hatred You perceive it through your senses Where you feel the fire burn unto your soul I despise you suicide victims For you are the perpetrators Of your own invincible weaknesses How can I avenge your threat of killing me? Life is a destiny, it is also a tyranny With being alive, and all its serendipity When things happened and the culprit vanished Where do I unleash my anger? Darkness of night was afraid of my tongue of fire The sun was scared of the burning hatred of my desires Tell me earth where do I unleash my anger The one that burns my life with hateful anxieties For every time I fall, I push you down as I get up I’m only a human that stumbled once upon, One more time Mother earth where do I unleash my anger Brother sun, sister moon, tell me siblings where I do Tell me mother I wish not to scorch your face Please tell me soon, my next

THE ABSCONDED ROSE By FERNANDO A. ZAPATER THE ANGELS SENT ME THIS ROSE BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO PLEASE ME BUT A ROSE IS A ROSE IS A ROSE WHEN IT HAS NO MEANING   BUT THE ANGELS SENT ME THIS ROSE SO IT DOES HAVE A MEANING THERE IS AN ANGEL SOMEWHERE FLUTTERING HER WINGS LOVINGLY AS SHE WATCHES OVER ME   I SENSE HER PRESENCE FLUTTERING HER WINGS LOVINGLY WATCHING HER ROSE BLOOMING WHEN THE ROSE PETALS OPENED I FELT THE BLOWING KISS HER PERFUME SURROUNDED THE AREA AND SUNSHINE CAME FORTH BRIGHT THERE'S A SUDDEN BURST OF LIGHT MY HEART JUMPED INTO IT THEN I DISCOVERED MYSELF IN THE HEART OF THE ROSE ABSCONDED. c FERNANDO A. ZAPATER Zapater contributes his poetry to puertoricosun.com. He is from Ponce.

Poetry   DROP OF LOVE By FERNANDO A. ZAPATER DROP OF LOVE THAT NIBBLES DOWN YOUR BREAST YOU ARE THE MOTHER WHO FEEDS THE INFANT BABY WITH HER MILK ALLOW US TO WORSHIP THOU YOU ARE TO BECOME ANOTHER ANOTHER ONE AMONGST MANY A MOTHER WHO FEEDS HER CHILD WITH HER LOVE, BREAST AND HONESTY WHEN A FEATHER CARESSED YOU IT CAME FROM VERY HIGH ABOVE SUCH TENDER LOVE POSSESSED THE GLORY OF YOUR MOTHERHOOD BUT YOUR DROP OF LOVE WOMAN MOTHER WOMAN GIRL CHILD YOU WAS WHITE AND GLISTENING GOLD SURRENDERED IN LOVE WE TRUST YOUR DROP OF LOVE WOMAN YOUR MOST SWEETEST SELF COMES FROM CLOSE TO YOUR HEART YOUR LOVE JUST POURS ITSELF.   Fernando A. Zapater contributes his poetry to puertoricosun.com. He is from Ponce, P.R.

Commentary Boricua: Let's Have More Pride By Clarisel Gonzalez puertoricosun.com San Juan -- I watched the National Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City on TV last month and listened to Puerto Ricans talk about how much they love their parade, their culture, their history, their flag. "Que Viva Puerto Rico" was the sentiment of the day as it is every year in one of the country's largest cultural parades. Despite all the celebrations of Puerto Rican pride stateside, this little island is badly hurting with Puerto Rican on Puerto Rican crime. Drugs, gang violence, domestic violence, child and sexual abuse and murder are very real cancers here. They are destroying Puerto Rican families. Puerto Rico, with its beautiful palm trees and beaches and historic buildings, is far from a tropical paradise with all this violence. As I write this, there have been 427 homicides on the island to date, 27 more than last year during the same period. Sadly but surel

Latino/a Literature: A Resource For Standardized Testing By Manuel Hernandez   Latino/a Literature is a resource for young adults and standardized testing in America. Voices of concerns were depicted in a widely televised special on November 30, 2003 on Fox television. The prime time segment dedicated a series on education to vividly document stories of children with problems with standardized testing. America is looking for answers and embarking on a journey of redefining its solutions. A resource for the teaching of literature in the United States of America may be Latino/a literature. Studies indicate that there is a strong relationship between reading and writing. Two scholars in the area (Noyce and Christie, 1989) state that the mind assimilates information to explain the missing link between skills and reading/writing. Therefore it is up to educators to provide and include additional material and instruction to help students fill in the missing links. Closing the gap on sta