Puerto Rican Film Series in Chicago

Film

The Institute of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture (IPRAC) announces the
Puerto Rican Film Series 2008, kicking off with FLAGS OF STEEL Saturday July 12

Bring blankets, folding chairs and picnic baskets and enjoy a film under the stars!

Starting Saturday, July 12 and continuing every other Saturday, IPRAC presents the Puerto Rican Film Series, an outdoor film festival featuring the film work of new and established Puerto Rican directors, producers and actors. In its fifth year, the series has become in a Chicago summer favorite. The Puerto Rican Film Series is the only Puerto Rican/Latino film program in the park system gathering visitors from Chicago and the Midwest counting in average 300 attendants per screening. Families with their pets, couples and friends can bring their picnic baskets, folding chairs, blankets and enjoy a film under the stars at the beautiful grounds of the Humboldt Park Boat House. FREE parking, admission, popcorn, raffles and a night of culture and entertainment.

This year the Puerto Rican Film Series kick off Saturday July 12 with a film program by Chicago filmmakers featuring “Flags of Steel” by Mildred Amador and the short film “Between Western and California” by Nick Medina, Darrell Robbins and Amir George. “Flags of Steel” is a historical recount of the Puerto Rican community in Chicago. The documentary recognizes first Europeans settlers and recounts the on-going transformation of this community. The film documents the design, engineering and fabrication of the neighborhood gateways while paying homage to many Puerto Ricans who migrated to the Midwest to work in the steel mill industry.

The Puerto Rican Film Series also presents titles such as “Mambo to Hip Hop” by Luis Chaluisan (Sat. July 26), “Ocho Puertas” by Paloma Suau (Sat. Aug. 9), and “Los Peloteros” by Jack Delano (Sat. Aug. 23). The film program appeal different audiences and films are subtitled when in Spanish.

The series is presented by Institute of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture (IPRAC) in collaboration with the Chicago Park District, Division Street Business Development Association and the Chicago Children’s Museum.

The series will run from July 12 to August 23 at dusk (approximate 7:30 to 8 p.m.) at the Humboldt Park Boat House, 1359 N. Sacramento (Humboldt Blvd), Chicago, IL.

For more information, call IPRAC’s program office 773-486-8345 or email: JorgeFelix@iprac.org. The website is www.iprac.org.

source: Puerto Rican Cultural Center (PRCC) press release

(Photo courtesy of www.prcc-chgo.org/paseo_boricua.htm)

Puerto Rico American Idol Auditions

Despite my disdain for the show and it's evil twin Objetivo Fama, there is no denying that I'm in the minority, because both dominate the ratings. And so it is, that for the first time, American Idol will conduct auditions for the 8th season of the show here in our little corner of the ocean.

On August 2nd, in the Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot, the production team from American Idol will conduct auditions. While the trio of judges, that I think everyone universally hates, but is strangely attracted to, will not be present at the auditions, it is rumored that they will be present when they begin to whittle the list of local contestants down. Or whatever it is they do during the course of the the show, because, I truthfully have never seen an episode of the program. Of course, since I've been doing the whole starving entrepreneur thing for a while now, cable is a distant memory. Anything I want to watch now has to come via BitTorrent, and believe me, my bandwidth is too precious to be spent downloading episodes of American Idol. In fact you can probably count on one hand the number of shows I do consider BitTorrent worthy.

While Puerto Rico has been excluded from the first seven seasons of the program, due to the popularity of Objetivo Fama (OF), I guess they want to jump on the bandwagon and see if they can duplicate the following of OF. I'm skeptical, because there are many factors that work together to make OF so successful here in PR. I guess we'll soon find out. If you start to hear people talking about American Idol everywhere you go, then they will have succeeded.

To participate in the auditions, participants must be between 16 and 28, and be willing to travel to the United States. Two days before the auditions, the production team of the program will be giving out bracelets to aspiring singers, which will determine the time of their audition. They are hoping that will limit the usual insane behavior that that usually accompanies an event of this magnitude. I wish them luck with that, LOL. -- by MC DON DEES

(This article by MC DON DEES was originally published in Dónde Quiera at http://blog.dondees.com/. Check out the blog.)

Puerto Rican Music Roots and Beyond

Community Calendar



Concert featuring William Cepeda and his group Afro-Rican Jazz

The “King of Plena,” Angel Luis Torruellas, salsero Michael Stuart and more

This Brooklyn concert will focus on the Puerto Rican folkloric genre of Plena, both traditional and contemporary.

Saturday, July 5 at 7 p.m.

The concert is part of the All Celebrate Brooklyn series of summer performances at the Prospect Park Bandshell. The entrance to the Prospect Park Bandshell is located at Prospect Park West & 9th Street in Park Slope. Free though there is a $3 suggested donation at the gate.

For more information,
http://www.briconline.org/celebrate/070508.asp

Featured site: Sazon Boricua

If you are interested in recipes or information related to Puerto Rican food, here's a site for you: www.sazonboricua.com.

I just visited Sazon Boricua for the first time today. Boricua Jeannette Quiñones (aka fruttadi on flickr.com and a member of the Puerto Rico Sun photo group) runs Sazon Boricua. Her current entry features Puerto Rican-style sofrito.

I am adding a link to the site in this blog as well. Apoya lo nuestro.

Photo "Sofrito al estilo puertorriqueño" by fruttadi

Do You Believe Puerto Ricans are Happiest?

Did you know that Puerto Rico has been ranked among the top 10 happiest countries in the world? I'm wondering whether you agree that Puerto Rico is one of the happiest countries. Do you think people in Puerto Rico are really so happy and why?

Anyway, the top most happiest country in the world title goes to Denmark. But boricuas on the island are happy too if you believe this report. Puerto Rico is supposedly the second happiest country.

Featured story

Denmark 'happiest' country in the world

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Denmark is the world's most content nation, according to a new study on global wellbeing, but the good news is, despite the credit crunch and rising fuel and food prices, all of us are getting happier.
Denmark's prosperity and democratic systems are seen as key to its contentment.
Researchers at the University of Michigan said Denmark's prosperity, stability and democratic government placed the country at the top of the rankings, with Colombia, Canada, Puerto Rico and Iceland all in the top 10.
The United States -- the world's richest nation -- ranked 16th among 97 countries, while Britain was placed 21st.
For more, go to
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/07/02/nations.happiness/index.html?eref=time_health

Here's a related press release from Science Daily:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080630130129.htm

So, what do you think? Do you believe people in Puerto Rico are really among the happiest in the world?

New: PRSUN Flags Line Stamp

Support PRSUN



You can use this stamp to send your mail via the U.S. Postal Service. This is a way not only to support the Puerto Rico Sun project, but to show some boricua pride every time you send a letter. This Zazzle custom stamp features a photo by Clarisel Gonzalez titled "Flags Line."

UPDATE: New customized designs have been added. I plan to offer a variety of postage designs, so visit my store at www.zazzle.com/prsuncom. Thanks.