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.
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
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/.
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
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.
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?
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.
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.
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
"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
Monday, August 16, 2004
Commentary
Vieques’ Revenge
By Cecil Harris
Puerto Rico Sun
The final score of Puerto Rico 92, United States 73 still shocks those who cling to the outdated notion that U.S. superiority in basketball is a given, somehow part of an American’s birthright. The truth, however, is it doesn’t matter anymore that basketball was created in the mainland U.S.—albeit by a Canadian, Dr. James Naismith—because the days of other teams genuflecting before American squads are long gone.
Finally, the phrase “Dream Team,” as it relates to USA Men’s Olympic Basketball, can be retired for good. The phrase is as anachronistic today as the Soviet Union, amateur athletics and American diplomacy.
On Sunday, August 15, 2004 in Athens, Greece, a team of pampered NBA millionaires with an aversion to defense, perimeter shooting, free-throw shooting and team play was humiliated by a team from Puerto Rico before the eyes of the world. Never before had a U.S. team composed of NBA stars lost in Olympic competition.
But this was no fluke. Puerto Rico exposed the flaws of the U.S. team from start to finish. Led by point guard Carlos Arroyo, who had game-highs with 24 points and 7 assists, Puerto Rico held a 22-point lead at halftime. Despite a plethora of bigger names on Team USA—names like Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, Lamar Odom, LeBron James and Stephon Marbury—Arroyo, a starter for the NBA’s Utah Jazz, was the best player on the court.
August 15 may be forever celebrated in Puerto Rico as Vieques’ Revenge. Vieques is the island bought by the U.S. Navy in the 1940s after which many families and farmers were forced to leave to make way for decades of bombing runs and military practices. The inhumane policy prompted years of protest, and an occasional tear-gassing response from the Navy. Finally, President George W. Bush announced in June 2001 that the Navy would leave the island. According the Web site viequeslibre.org, May 8, 2003 marked the first day on Vieques in more than 60 years that was free of bombing.
The U.S. Navy pushed the people of Vieques around for generations, and USA Basketball lorded over the sports world for just as long. Yet Puerto Rico brought an athletic superpower to its knees. Puerto Rico’s strategy was to force Team USA team to shoot from outside. As Iverson told NBC television after the game, “We don’t want to shoot (from) outside. We want to get easy baskets and run.”
Yet the well-schooled Puerto Rico squad packed in its defense to limit easy baskets and invite shots from the perimeter. Team USA shot a dreadful 35 percent from the field, including an obscene 3-for-24 from 3-point range. That’s 12.5 percent shooting on 3-point shots, despite a three-point semicircle that is 20 feet, 6 inches away in the Olympics as opposed to 23 feet, 9 inches away in the NBA. Quite simply, Puerto Rico forced Team USA to do what it did not want to do and could not do well—shoot from the perimeter.
Other teams will pick up on Puerto Rico’s strategy, which will make it exceedingly difficult for Team USA to win a fourth straight Olympics basketball gold medal.
Team USA first sent NBA players to the Olympics in 1992 after a squad composed of college stars finished third in the 1988 Games. The 1992 team was the only true Dream Team—Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Karl Malone, John Stockton et al. Every member of that team (except Christian Laettner) is in the Basketball Hall of Fame or soon will be. From the team that Puerto Rico dominated on August 15, only Duncan and Iverson are certain to be Hall of Famers.
At least lazy broadcasters and headline writers should no longer refer to just any U.S. grouping of NBA players as a “Dream Team.” Such laziness should have ceased in 2002 when Team USA finished sixth in the World Championships in Indianapolis and the NBA’s arrogant, showboating, trash-talking style went over like lead-based paint.
Many will look at Puerto Rico 92, USA 73 and say the rest of the world has caught up. But strictly in terms of playing basketball as a five-man unit, other teams have passed the U.S.A. Puerto Rico has only two NBA players on its Olympic squad (Arroyo and forward Jose Ortiz), but it played as a team—not as a motley crew of self-indulgent individuals.
No matter what else happens at the 2004 Olympics, the Puerto Rico men’s basketball team made history, humbling the once-invincible Team USA. Only after 40 minutes of game time did Puerto Rico’s dominance end. Only then could Team USA feel a sense of relief. Now they could be left alone. Finally. The people in Vieques know the feeling.
#
Cecil Harris is a native of Brooklyn, New York, and lives in Yonkers, New York.
Harris is the author of BREAKING THE ICE The Black Experience in Professional Hockey (Insomniac Press, 2003) and the screenplays The Iceman and White Chocolate. Harris worked as a sports journalist for daily newspapers, magazines and an Internet site. Among his many accomplishments in journalism, he covered the National Basketball Association's Indiana Pacers for The Indianapolis Star and the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes for The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina and the New York Rangers and New York Islanders for Newsday.
Harris has covered such major events as the World Series, the American League Division Series, the American League Championship Series, the NBA Finals, the NBA playoffs, the NCAA men's basketball championships, the NCAA Division I football national championship game, the Stanley Cup finals, the Stanley Cup playoffs, the U.S. Open tennis championships, All Star Games in baseball and hockey, the New York City marathon, the Millrose Games and the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.
Harris contributes to sports columns to Puerto Rico Sun.
Check out Harris' website at www.cecilharris.com.
Vieques’ Revenge
By Cecil Harris
Puerto Rico Sun
The final score of Puerto Rico 92, United States 73 still shocks those who cling to the outdated notion that U.S. superiority in basketball is a given, somehow part of an American’s birthright. The truth, however, is it doesn’t matter anymore that basketball was created in the mainland U.S.—albeit by a Canadian, Dr. James Naismith—because the days of other teams genuflecting before American squads are long gone.
Finally, the phrase “Dream Team,” as it relates to USA Men’s Olympic Basketball, can be retired for good. The phrase is as anachronistic today as the Soviet Union, amateur athletics and American diplomacy.
On Sunday, August 15, 2004 in Athens, Greece, a team of pampered NBA millionaires with an aversion to defense, perimeter shooting, free-throw shooting and team play was humiliated by a team from Puerto Rico before the eyes of the world. Never before had a U.S. team composed of NBA stars lost in Olympic competition.
But this was no fluke. Puerto Rico exposed the flaws of the U.S. team from start to finish. Led by point guard Carlos Arroyo, who had game-highs with 24 points and 7 assists, Puerto Rico held a 22-point lead at halftime. Despite a plethora of bigger names on Team USA—names like Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, Lamar Odom, LeBron James and Stephon Marbury—Arroyo, a starter for the NBA’s Utah Jazz, was the best player on the court.
August 15 may be forever celebrated in Puerto Rico as Vieques’ Revenge. Vieques is the island bought by the U.S. Navy in the 1940s after which many families and farmers were forced to leave to make way for decades of bombing runs and military practices. The inhumane policy prompted years of protest, and an occasional tear-gassing response from the Navy. Finally, President George W. Bush announced in June 2001 that the Navy would leave the island. According the Web site viequeslibre.org, May 8, 2003 marked the first day on Vieques in more than 60 years that was free of bombing.
The U.S. Navy pushed the people of Vieques around for generations, and USA Basketball lorded over the sports world for just as long. Yet Puerto Rico brought an athletic superpower to its knees. Puerto Rico’s strategy was to force Team USA team to shoot from outside. As Iverson told NBC television after the game, “We don’t want to shoot (from) outside. We want to get easy baskets and run.”
Yet the well-schooled Puerto Rico squad packed in its defense to limit easy baskets and invite shots from the perimeter. Team USA shot a dreadful 35 percent from the field, including an obscene 3-for-24 from 3-point range. That’s 12.5 percent shooting on 3-point shots, despite a three-point semicircle that is 20 feet, 6 inches away in the Olympics as opposed to 23 feet, 9 inches away in the NBA. Quite simply, Puerto Rico forced Team USA to do what it did not want to do and could not do well—shoot from the perimeter.
Other teams will pick up on Puerto Rico’s strategy, which will make it exceedingly difficult for Team USA to win a fourth straight Olympics basketball gold medal.
Team USA first sent NBA players to the Olympics in 1992 after a squad composed of college stars finished third in the 1988 Games. The 1992 team was the only true Dream Team—Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Karl Malone, John Stockton et al. Every member of that team (except Christian Laettner) is in the Basketball Hall of Fame or soon will be. From the team that Puerto Rico dominated on August 15, only Duncan and Iverson are certain to be Hall of Famers.
At least lazy broadcasters and headline writers should no longer refer to just any U.S. grouping of NBA players as a “Dream Team.” Such laziness should have ceased in 2002 when Team USA finished sixth in the World Championships in Indianapolis and the NBA’s arrogant, showboating, trash-talking style went over like lead-based paint.
Many will look at Puerto Rico 92, USA 73 and say the rest of the world has caught up. But strictly in terms of playing basketball as a five-man unit, other teams have passed the U.S.A. Puerto Rico has only two NBA players on its Olympic squad (Arroyo and forward Jose Ortiz), but it played as a team—not as a motley crew of self-indulgent individuals.
No matter what else happens at the 2004 Olympics, the Puerto Rico men’s basketball team made history, humbling the once-invincible Team USA. Only after 40 minutes of game time did Puerto Rico’s dominance end. Only then could Team USA feel a sense of relief. Now they could be left alone. Finally. The people in Vieques know the feeling.
#
Cecil Harris is a native of Brooklyn, New York, and lives in Yonkers, New York.
Harris is the author of BREAKING THE ICE The Black Experience in Professional Hockey (Insomniac Press, 2003) and the screenplays The Iceman and White Chocolate. Harris worked as a sports journalist for daily newspapers, magazines and an Internet site. Among his many accomplishments in journalism, he covered the National Basketball Association's Indiana Pacers for The Indianapolis Star and the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes for The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina and the New York Rangers and New York Islanders for Newsday.
Harris has covered such major events as the World Series, the American League Division Series, the American League Championship Series, the NBA Finals, the NBA playoffs, the NCAA men's basketball championships, the NCAA Division I football national championship game, the Stanley Cup finals, the Stanley Cup playoffs, the U.S. Open tennis championships, All Star Games in baseball and hockey, the New York City marathon, the Millrose Games and the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.
Harris contributes to sports columns to Puerto Rico Sun.
Check out Harris' website at www.cecilharris.com.
A Letter to the Editor
Re: News -- The U.S.A. men's Olympic basketball team lost 92-73 to Puerto Rico in Athens on Aug. 15.
Shaggy Flores - New Generation Nuyorican Poeta wrote in an Aug. 15 e-mail:
Familia,
Remember that movie Miracle, that opened last year where the under dog U.S. Hockey team beats the USSR? Remember how everyone went ballistic when the U.S. won?
There's nothing better then waking up this afternoon to see a bunch of overpaid prima-donna's get their butts handed to them by some Boricuas from the island. Not just beat them but I mean, beat them from the very beginning of the game. Outplay them in every way. The Olympics are great!!!
Hey, wait a minute, aren't the players on the U.S. team getting paid a whole bunch of dinero just to dribble the ball and make shots at the NBA for a living. Now we know why the NBA doesn't want other teams in other countries to join the action.
Not too long ago T-Mac got into a confrontation with a player from P.R. named Casiano because of remarks that the NBA players were spoiled and overpaid. Fast forward to today and Casiano was schooling the higher paid and sponsorship endorsed team. Did you see the 3 pointer that Casiano shot from far away in the last seconds? Man, this was as good as seeing the Italians stomp on the U.S.
Don't get me wrong, I like watching the NBA since growing up watching Dr. J, Jordan, Spud Webb, Wilkins, Jabbar, Lakers, Celtics when real players put their heart and soul on the floor. This olympic team is a joke, how are you going to represent us nationally and play like a bunch of scrubs.
Sure, I know that might hurt some sports fans out there but truth is truth, if your only job is to play ball then you might as well be nice at what you do. This is why I like watching Street Ball where everyday cats are playing the game not just for the money, but also for respect and love.
Anyway, today was sheer poetry and a wake up call that Boricuas are in the house!!!! Might just have to write a poem about the experience!!!
Pa'lante Arroyo! Pa'lante Casiano! Puerto Rico, Ho!!!!!!
Shaggy Flores
nuyorican poeta
www.shaggyflores.com
Re: News -- The U.S.A. men's Olympic basketball team lost 92-73 to Puerto Rico in Athens on Aug. 15.
Shaggy Flores - New Generation Nuyorican Poeta
Familia,
Remember that movie Miracle, that opened last year where the under dog U.S. Hockey team beats the USSR? Remember how everyone went ballistic when the U.S. won?
There's nothing better then waking up this afternoon to see a bunch of overpaid prima-donna's get their butts handed to them by some Boricuas from the island. Not just beat them but I mean, beat them from the very beginning of the game. Outplay them in every way. The Olympics are great!!!
Hey, wait a minute, aren't the players on the U.S. team getting paid a whole bunch of dinero just to dribble the ball and make shots at the NBA for a living. Now we know why the NBA doesn't want other teams in other countries to join the action.
Not too long ago T-Mac got into a confrontation with a player from P.R. named Casiano because of remarks that the NBA players were spoiled and overpaid. Fast forward to today and Casiano was schooling the higher paid and sponsorship endorsed team. Did you see the 3 pointer that Casiano shot from far away in the last seconds? Man, this was as good as seeing the Italians stomp on the U.S.
Don't get me wrong, I like watching the NBA since growing up watching Dr. J, Jordan, Spud Webb, Wilkins, Jabbar, Lakers, Celtics when real players put their heart and soul on the floor. This olympic team is a joke, how are you going to represent us nationally and play like a bunch of scrubs.
Sure, I know that might hurt some sports fans out there but truth is truth, if your only job is to play ball then you might as well be nice at what you do. This is why I like watching Street Ball where everyday cats are playing the game not just for the money, but also for respect and love.
Anyway, today was sheer poetry and a wake up call that Boricuas are in the house!!!! Might just have to write a poem about the experience!!!
Pa'lante Arroyo! Pa'lante Casiano! Puerto Rico, Ho!!!!!!
Shaggy Flores
nuyorican poeta
www.shaggyflores.com
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Sol
This is Sol, the Spanish name for sun.
Sol is Puerto Rico Sun's mascot. Sol lost part of her ear and tail in a car accident when she lived in the streets. We thought she was going to die, but she fought for her life. She showed me a lot about strength and lived up to her name. She is a beautiful, energetic, feisty sata and currently lives with me.
Sol was born in San Juan.
Sol is Puerto Rico Sun's mascot. Sol lost part of her ear and tail in a car accident when she lived in the streets. We thought she was going to die, but she fought for her life. She showed me a lot about strength and lived up to her name. She is a beautiful, energetic, feisty sata and currently lives with me.
Sol was born in San Juan.
Friday, August 13, 2004
Featured site:
our culture, our history
If you are interested in quality TV programming on boricuas, a site worth visiting is www.tutv.puertorico.pr, the site of TUTV Universo Television.
One of the best features of the site is that you could watch quality cultural TV programming online. The programming is largely in Spanish.
Among the cultural shows featured include such programs as "Cultura Viva," "Asi Canta Puerto Rico," "De Pura Cepa" and "Prohibido Olvidar."
It's worth a visit.
our culture, our history
If you are interested in quality TV programming on boricuas, a site worth visiting is www.tutv.puertorico.pr, the site of TUTV Universo Television.
One of the best features of the site is that you could watch quality cultural TV programming online. The programming is largely in Spanish.
Among the cultural shows featured include such programs as "Cultura Viva," "Asi Canta Puerto Rico," "De Pura Cepa" and "Prohibido Olvidar."
It's worth a visit.
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