Arts

Featured article

"Rotund" and "review" seem to go together. This episode brings you new paintings by Diógenes Ballester, plus a couple of leisurely days in Ballester's hometown of Ponce.

http://rworld.thenextfewhours.com

REMINDER

CINE_REAL: Two exhibitions about film.

* Judith Escalona's "Bx3M: A work in process"
* Hector Canonge's "IDOLatries/IDOLatrías"

Opening Reception: TONIGHT, Thursday, November 8, 6PM - 8PM
Exhibition: November 8 - December 20
Gallery hours: Wed - Sat, 3pm - 7pm

MediaNoche
1355 Park Avenue, entrance on East 102nd Street, Storefront
(the Northeast corner of East 102nd Street and Park Avenue, El Barrio)

For more info, go to the Nov. 3 entry in this blog.

In the Mailbox

PR Freedom Album

The Welfare Poets, The ProLibertad Freedom Campaign, Boricuation, Raza NYC and other concerned organizations and individuals have come together to collaborate on a fund raising project to directly aid the current Puerto Rican Political Prisoners, incarcerated for fighting for the independence and self-determination of Puerto Rico. Additionally, we also want to assist past political prisoners who have been freed and are now attempting to survive in a system where many channels are closed to them, and even possibly future political prisoners.
The Freedom Album with be a musical cd/compilation dedicated to the welfare of our political prisoners. We have united under the name The Puerto Rican Freedom Project.
The Puerto Rican Freedom Project has begun to contact Puerto Rican artists of all genres across the US, on the island and elsewhere to let them know about the project and to initiate the process of song submission. Our desire to get a wide range of Puerto Rican artists from the local grass-rooted bands to those who are mainstreamed and have the eye of the world press. Submissions will be taken until December 31st of 2007 and should be sent initially in MP3 format to Freedomalbum@gmail.com.

Background
The fight for Puerto Rico's Independence goes as far back as indigenous resistance to Spanish occupation. For well over 500 years, countless and nameless individuals have fought for our islands sovereignty. Some have paid the ultimate price with their lives. Others have been held captive, arrested against their will, by a court which held no jurisdiction over their cases and tramples on their international right to fight for the liberation of their homeland, our homeland, Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rican people have been able to free many of our political prisoners.
Our goal is to have the compilation completed by the end of the summer 2008. We have been contacting other Puerto Rican organizations and cultural institutions to assist in sponsoring the proposed project.
For more information
www.ProLibertadweb.com - www.welfarepoets.com or www.myspace.com/thewelfarepoets
www.boricuation.com or www.myspace.com/boricuationonline - www.myspace.com/razanyc


Jose Medina
Director – Promotion/Publicity Committee
Puerto Rican Freedom Project
Cell: 917 843 6419
E-Mail: prfreedompromo@gmail.com
prfreedomproject.org

PRSUN TV in the BETA's

PRSUN TV has been nominated for a BETA (Bronx Excellence in Television Access) award at Bronxnet, which is this community station's version of the Emmys.

The awards show will be tonight at Lehman College, the Bronx. Bronxnet usually airs the show on Channel 67, its signature channel.

Wish me luck.

PRSUN TV was nominated last year for a BETA in the talk show category.

PRSUN TV is a cultural arts show that airs on Bronxnet's Channel 69, the culture channel for independent producers.

Community Calendar

Portrait of Loisaida

The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center invites you to join us for the opening reception of two exhibitions:
Opening reception
6:00 - 9:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 8
Portrait of Loisaida
CSV Cultural Center invited two accomplished photographers, Clayton Patterson and Marisol Díaz, to capture a community in transition. The Lower East Side of Manhattan, long referred to by its Hispanic residents as "Loisaida", is presently experiencing the shearing forces of gentrification -- multi-million dollar condominium projects sprouting in the midst of neighborhoods that have housed the city's immigrant poor for generations.

This exhibition is an opportunity to discuss the tensions that these economic and social changes introduce in the community, and the photos of Patterson and Díaz, two photographers with impressive histories of documenting this community, share their images of the people, institutions, and architecture of a neighborhood in transition.

PSA: Public Service Announcement
This group exhibition is part of Borimix, the Puerto Rico Fest 2007 celebration of Puerto Rican art and culture. Curated by Miguel Trelles and Rebeca Noriega, it is an exhibition of contemporary public service announcements referring to classic Puerto Rican prints, co-presented by SEA and CSV Cultural Center. There will be a special recognition ceremony at the reception honoring Council Members Alan J. Gerson and Rosie Mendez

For more information, visit www.csvcenter.com

Justice for Jayson

Justice for Jayson
Originally uploaded by prsuncom

Commentary

Senseless Killing of an Unarmed Man in El Barrio
Text and Photo by Ismael Nunez

Friends and family of an unarmed man killed in late October in a road rage incident involving an off-duty police officer are demanding justice. Even the Reverend Al Sharpton has come out in support of Jayson Tirado's family.
Tirado's relatives and friends have questioned why Officer Sean Sawyer was not immediately arrested when he turned himself in after the shooting on Oct. 22. Sawyer has been suspended without pay and is out free, while a grand jury investigates possible charges.
Tirado apparently refused to let the officer's SUV merge with traffic onto an exit ramp in East Harlem. He also apparently gestured at the off-duty officer as if he had a gun.
But Tirado of the Lower East Side didn't have a gun.
And, he was killed anyway. He was only 25.
Elected officials and Tirado's friends and family have voiced their anger of the NYPD's handling of this case. Who wouldn't be angry? There is a little girl without a dad.
According to Sawyer, a born again Christian, he fired because he thought his life was in danger. He then fled the scene because he panicked. Many in the victim's family and Rev. Sharpton, wonder why officer Sawyer was not arrested for leaving the scene of the shooting for 19 hours. Sawyer has said he did not believe that the shots he fired hit anyone.
Charlie King, attorney who was representing the National Action Network, said: “It’s always the same thing we hear from the NYPD when they shoot at unarmed civilians. It’s always a claim of self-defense...How can you make a claim of self-defense when there is no weapon around?"
How can you?


Ismael Nunez is a freelance writer based in El Barrio who contributes his writings to Puerto Rico Sun.

Behind the Scenes -- Bx3M

Behind the Scenes -- Bx3M
Originally uploaded by clarisel.

Our DP Ted

Cine_Real

Community Calendar

CINE_REAL: Two exhibitions about film.

* Judith Escalona's "Bx3M: A work in process"
* Hector Canonge's "IDOLatries/IDOLatrías"

Opening Reception: Thursday, November 8, 6PM - 8PM
Exhibition: November 8 - December 20
Gallery hours: Wed - Sat, 3pm - 7pm

MediaNoche
1355 Park Avenue, entrance on East 102nd Street, Storefront
(the Northeast corner of East 102nd Street and Park Avenue, El Barrio)

For info: www.medianoche.us or 212-828-0401

ADMISSION: Free

Project Descriptions:

Judith Escalona's "Bx3M: A work in process"
Witness firsthand the ongoing editing of this New York City epic. The director and invited guests (Director of Photography Ted Ciesielski and Actor Jaime Sanchez for starters) go through a performative process of editing. Visitors watch and interact with them. Behind the scenes footage also on display.

Hector Canonge's "IDOLatries/IDOLatrías""
An interactive new media work utilizing barcode and readers to bring attention to yet another way women are objectified. Barcode takes us one more step away from seeing these luscious Latinas on boxes, cans,and jars as anything other than their use value. Consumer heaven or hell, depending on which side of the supermarket aisle you're on.

071031img_4080s
Originally uploaded by Ola Lola.

Arte Ríopedrence

Arte Ríopedrence
Originally uploaded by Moliniano.

Arcoiris Vegetal 1

Arcoiris Vegetal 1
Originally uploaded by Luis Mo..

Community Calendar

Jimmy Bosch & Jimmy Ray Bosch
Live Jam and Poetry!!!!!

Thursday, November 1, 7PM - 10PM
PRdream/MediaNoche
1355 Park Avenue, (entrance on East 102nd Street)
El Barrio
(Two blocks away from Museum Mile)

A note from Jimmy Bosch

Father and Son team up with PRdream/MediaNoche (Judith Escalona) for a good cause. On Thursday November 1st, my son and I will be performing together for the first time ever. Jimmy Ray will be reading some of his very own poetry. He has been writing for years and has read at various Barnes and Noble poetry nights as well as for private events such as the Children's Aid Society and the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in the Lower East Side. I will have a quartet to do a jam session along with
guests who arrive to sit in and donate their time.

We will be raising funds for CURA Inc. which is dedicated to saving lives through their many programs and services designed to help the Latino community members who suffer from drug and alcohol abuse problems. CURA Inc. is a 501(c)3, not for profit organization.

Your presence is required! Please join us from 7 to 10 p.m. as we entertain you with heartfelt poetry and heartfelt music by my son and me. This will be the beginning of a long journey in which my son and I begin to perform together for various causes around the world.

For more information about PRdream call 212.828-0401 or visit their website at www.prdream.com

For more information about CURA Inc. call 973 622-3570 or visit their website at www.curainc.org

Jimmy Bosch

Politics

From the Serrano report:

Serrano's PR Bill Passes Out of Committee

Congressman Serrano’s bill to finally resolve Puerto Rico’s status, H.R. 900, was considered by the House Committee on Natural Resources this week and won passage after several amendments.

Serrano was pleased with the markup and congratulated the members of the Committee on Natural Resources for taking this vital first step in resolving Puerto Rico’s status once and for all. The bill would have the U.S. government ask the people of Puerto Rico a simple question: Do you support the present status or would you like to change the relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States? With the answer to this question, interested parties can begin meaningful negotiations about the future of the relationship between the U.S. and the island.

“There have been many criticisms of my bill from people who oppose change. I worked closely with Mr. Rahall and Mr. Fortuño to craft a compromise bill addressing the concerns of the other side. Unfortunately, their stance seemed to be that there was no concession big enough that would make my bill worthy of their support. I am saddened by this position, because I genuinely believe that we need dialogue and compromise between the two sides to eventually end this colonial relationship—a relationship that no one supports in its current form.

“The Puerto Rican people deserve leaders who will tell them the truth, and lead them into a better future. It is time that we all admit that the colonial relationship with the U.S. and the subjugation that it brings have divided us against one another.

“If we are to move toward a better, empowered future for Puerto Ricans, we must stop the infighting, and work together to solve our status problem. Until that is done, we will never move beyond it. Our heritage, our pride, and our history all call us to do what we need to do to move our people to a bright future.”

The next step for the bill would be a vote on the House floor, although this step has not been scheduled.