PUERTO RICO SUN

Tomorrow night's guest at PRSUN Radio is Judith Escalona, executive director of PRdream and MediaNoche in NYC's El Barrio. PRdream (Puerto Rico and the American Dream) is the award-winning website on the history, culture and politics of Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rican diaspora. The mission of PRdream is to empower community through technology. As part of that mission, PRdream launched MediaNoche, a new media project and digital gallery. MediaNoche offers residencies and exhibition space for artists working in new media. The Digital Film Studio at MediaNoche is a space for independent filmmakers to converge. Works-in-progress screenings, screenplay readings and a variety of workshops are offered. Escalona is also a filmmaker. To read Escalona's bio, go to my blog at www.blogtalkradio.com/prsunradio . The show will be at 9 p.m. at www.blogtalkradio.com/prsunradio . UPDATE To listen to PRSUN Radio's chat with Judith Escalona: RELATED OPPORTUNITY FINAL CUT PRO AND PHOTOSHO...

Excerpts from a news conference held March 28 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center with members of the STS-119 crew, which included boricua astronaut Joseph Acaba, following their successful landing of space shuttle Discovery. courtesy of NASA TV

In the Mailbox Please listen tbo Barrio Block 99.5 FM (in New York City) today 2 to 4 p.m. Special guest Andy Gonzalez and others talking about the late Manny Oquendo the six decades of music is created and help create. Vaya! -- Americo Casiano Jr. Editor's Note: Manny Oquendo's music is available at the PRSUN aStore. Here's a link.

I board the #6 train to the Bronx and get off at the Whitlock Avenue stop. As I walk to my destination, I listen to the busy car traffic and the sounds of people working in garages and businesses in the area. Within minutes, I’m in another world. I’m inside a community treasure: El Maestro. Some refer to this place as “Juan Laporte’s Boxing Gym,” named after Laporte who was a boxing champion in the early 1980’s. But the gym located at 1029 East 167th Street doesn’t serve only as a gym. It’s also a cultural and educational oasis for those with an interest in Puerto Rican and Latino themes. The center is an endeavor aimed at transforming a social void into a valuable community space. It serves as a social and cultural center for the entire community. It’s a place for community members to socialize and participate in ongoing programs and activities for children, teenagers and adults. Among the cultural programs that take place at El Maestro are: “Puerto Rican Roots Music performances (...

Puerto Rico Sun supports Earth Hour. TONIGHT at 8:30 p.m. you can send your statement about conserving energy by switching off your lights for one hour, Earth Hour. For more information, http://www.earthhour.org/home/ .

Community calendar

Last Thursday during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Inhofe (R-Okla.) asked the Navy whether it had plans to return to Vieques, since it seemed well placed to respond to a variety of needs in Latin America. Although the Navy was non-committal in its response, Congressman Serrano immediately asked the Navy to clarify its position on Vieques and sought assurances that it had no intention of returning to Vieques. On Friday, Serrano received confirmation from the Navy’s Congressional Relations office that the Navy has no intention of reopening Vieques as a training range. “I am pleased to hear that the Navy has no plans to return to Vieques,” said Serrano. “The people of Vieques have suffered enough. I am glad that the Navy now realizes the harm that has been caused, and agrees that this painful chapter in the history of Puerto Rico must remain closed.” Source: Congressman Jose Serrano's statement on Vieques in The Serrano Report