Former Menudo turned financial expert Xavier Serbia to visit the Bronx

Community calendar



Xavier Serbiá, ex-integrante del grupo Menudo, lanza en Nueva York su primer libro LA RIQUEZA EN CU4TRO PISOS, CÓMO CONSTRUIR LA INDEPENDENCIA FINANCIERA
7 p.m. jueves 26 de marzo
Barnes & Noble Booksellers Bay Plaza
290 Baychester Ave.

Xavier Serbia, a former member of Menudo, will be in the Bronx promoting his first book LA RIQUEZA EN CU4TRO PISOS, CÓMO CONSTRUIR LA INDEPENDENCIA FINANCIERA at 7 p.m. March 26, Barnes & Noble, Bay Plaza. The book is about building financial independence.

Editor's note: Serbia's book is also available at the PRSUN aStore.

PR to slash thousands of government jobs

Yesterday's big story from Puerto Rico is that the governor plans to cut 30,000 government jobs. The government is one of the biggest employers on the island and this is devastating news to the island's economy. This new wave of cuts will also probably lead to new migration to the United States.

Featured story

Puerto Rico plans to slash 30,000 government jobs

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, March 3 (Reuters) - Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuno said on Tuesday he would slash 30,000 jobs, freeze salaries of government workers and raise some taxes, as he warned the U.S. Caribbean territory must confront "the reality of a bankrupt government."
For the complete report, go to
http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSN0350631020090303.

Artist spotlight: Mia Roman Hernandez

For Women's History Month, PRSUN talks to boricua multimedia artist Mia Roman Hernandez about her many loves: art, life, culture, family and the month of March.
This month is a busy one for Mia. She's organizing and taking part in a lineup of Women's History Month events in New York City aimed at celebrating and highlighting the work of Latina artists. She is participating in a group art exhibit, curating and showcasing her photography in a group exhibit titled "Latinas En Foco/Celebrating Women in Photography" and performing in a poetry show titled in "Her Food For Thought/Celebrating Latina Women in Poetry." For Mia, March is an important time to celebrate sisterhood.


The Interview

1. What kind of artist are you and what is your mission?
I would say that I am a multimedia artist. I enjoy painting, poetry and photography. I love to sample all types of mediums and touch on various subjects. My mission is to produce art whenever possible. As an artist, I enjoy sharing the love of my culture, spirituality and artistic views with others. I have found a way to express myself with visual arts that I was unable to do in any other way.

2. Did you always want to be an artist?
I never set out to be an artist and never thought I would be an artist. Growing up, I was surrounded by creative people. Watching my mom paint small murals in our Brooklyn apartment, hearing her play the congas, helping her make our Halloween costume and taking crocheting lessons from my grandmother were just some of the daily things that surrounded me. Art was second nature to me growing up. I was encouraged to use my creativity and was always praised when I did. There was no wrong or right to art. It was always a way of self expression even as a child.
2a. When did you realize that art was for you and do you remember what was your first piece of art?
I was always making something. If it wasn't a piece of clothing for my dolls, I was playing makeup artist with my friends. I did crafts, painted clothing and designed jewelry as a teen. It wasn't until the passing of my grandfather that I started painting on canvas. He painted into his late eighties and loved painting landscapes of Puerto Rico. I would watch him paint the patio of the house, build shelves for the flower pots and then paint the flower pots. He painted coconuts, sea shells and anything he could get his hands on. After his passing, I walked into his studio and something came over me. It was almost as if he was passing the torch. I inherited his art supplies, books and sketches and just took it from there. His paint brushes are with me during every show, whether in my pocket or in my bag. It's a way for me to bring him along. My very first piece was a spiritual piece of an altar with offerings on the beach.

3. You mention that life inspires your art. Could you please elaborate on that?
My life experiences are reflected in my artwork: Latino Culture, my travel experiences, people I meet, things I dream, stories I hear. I am a spiritual person, so I enjoy painting things inspired by spirituality. I paint very much like the book "Like Water for Chocolate." My artwork can almost reflect the mood I was in at the moment. I will have very dark and sad pieces because that is how I was feeling, and some will be very bright and colorful. That is the wonderful thing about art: the possibilities are infinite.
3a. You come from a line of family of artists. Please tell me a little about them and how or if they have influenced your art.
On my maternal side, my grandfather was a graphic artist, musician and cartoonist. He designed the logo for the sugar bags in Puerto Rico. He also wrote a cartoon strip for one of the local Puerto Rico tribunes. My grandmother, now 83 years old, still does puntillo and crochets. My mother is an interior decorator and silversmith/jewelry maker in Miami, Fla. My aunt was a photographer and graphic artist and my uncle is a chef. On my paternal side, my uncle was an architect, my grandfather was a painter and my aunt is a jewelry maker. I have a brother that is an amazing mixed media sculpture, my sister a creative writer, younger brother a wonderful sketch artist and my youngest brother plays the piano. Art is in the blood no matter the craft. Each and every one of them inspire me to go forward and have always been very supportive in any endeavor of mine.

4. The subject of the woman is an important part of your artwork. Why is that?
In my family, the women play a very important role. They have been mother, father, friend, and spiritual advisor. They are the band aid to the boo boo. They always made it better no matter how bad it was. They showed strength, determination and will. These attributes are very inspiring. The images in my artwork are of my family, friends, the women that have crossed my path, and the women I admire and inspire to be.

5. You are involved in several exhibitions and activities during Women's History Month? Why is this month significant to you?
The month of March is a very important month for me. It's a month that showcases the achievements of all women. The month of March is empowering and inspiring no matter what the age, field or craft. I am able to take the month of March and bring a group of talented women together and collaborate as a sisterhood on a particular project or endeavor.

6. Who are your favorite artists and why?
Some of my favorite artists are Frida Kahlo, Lola Alvarez-Bravo, Rafael Tufino and Michael Angelo. The styles of their work inspire me. The works evoke emotion, dialogue and culture and that is exactly what I like to convey in my work.

7. What are your biggest accomplishments as an artist and why?
Some of my biggest accomplishments as an artist are not the awards, merits or honorable mentions. They are the smiles on the faces of the youth I teach art to; they are the ones that I am able to help through donating my artwork to charities/auctions. They are the people that I inspired by sharing my artwork. These are the accomplishments that truly give me a breath of fresh air.

8. What are your biggest challenges as an artist and why?
My work is very cultural and I have found it challenging to showcase my artwork outside the Latino communities. I am a self taught artist. I do not have a fancy fine arts degree from a fancy arts school, and my artwork reflects that independent self taught style, which is very nontraditional.

9. Outside of your art, what do you enjoy doing?
I collect books and am an avid reader, so I will read till I fall asleep or organize my bookcase. I love to go to Coney Island for Nathan's French fries, cotton candy and jelly apples, love the water balloon shooting games and enjoy to watch DVD's in my PJ's on a rainy day.

10. Please tell me anything else I didn't ask that you'd like to share.
I have a Golden Retriever named Bingo, which I adopted from North Shore Animal League. He is nine years old and is the son I will never have. He is a major part of the family.


Mia Roman Hernandez was a guest at PRSUN Radio at www.blogtalkradio.com/prsunradio. You can listen to the show online right here.



For more information about Mia, visit her blog at http://artbymia.blogspot.com or her MySpace page at www.myspace.com/1mamamia.
-- Clarisel Gonzalez

Photos courtesy of Mia Roman Hernandez

Opportunity

Request for Partnership Proposals for Centro Voices
Application deadline: March 15

The Center for Puerto Rican Studies (Centro) at Hunter College in NYC seeks partners to launch Centro Voices, a new peer-reviewed, online magazine devoted to Puerto Rican studies. Centro Voices will be a web-based outlet for the exchange of ideas and scholarship not regularly covered by traditional academic journals. Within this new framework, we propose to support a number of specific community-based and CUNY academic groups that will be able to create online content in their areas of expertise for the public and for the university community.

For more information, www.centropr.org.

source: Centro

Community calendar


Cemi Underground's annual Latina Women's History Month celebration

Cemi in East Harlem is planning a monthlong of events, including art exhibitions, comedy, poetry, freestyle night, music, books and more.
Just in: I have been invited to be part of a panel with Iris Morales and Lenina Nadal about the "Cyber Boricua Chicas-Web 2.0 and the Puerto Rican Experience" on March 12. Details to come.

The events kick off at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 5 with an art exhibition and comedy show, featuring artists Mia Hernandez, Amy Ponce, Reina Miranda, Elena "Mamarazzi" Marrero and Cindy SugaRush.

For more information, www.cemiunderground.com.

(Click on image for larger text.)

The race for the new Bronx boro prez

Politics

Bronx Borough Prez Adolfo Carrion Jr., a boricua, is moving on to his new job for the Obama administration. His last full day on the job as Bronx prez was Friday.

Now the race for the new boro prez is heating up. So far, the only one who has announced that he is in the race is Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr. City Councilman Joel Rivera has expressed interest. Diaz and Rivera are boricuas.

Here's a WNYC report by Elaine Rivera of what's going on:



Bronxites, the special election for a borough president is an important one. Rather than getting blinded by petty partisan politics and last names, residents should be looking at what the new candidate will offer. What are his or her positions on improving the quality of life in the Bronx? Remember that the South Bronx is still considered the poorest Congressional district in the country. The mayor is expected to announce a special election. Bronx Latinos, this race matters.

Here's the description of what a borough president does as posted at http://bronxboropres.nyc.gov/en/gv/president/index.htm:

"The Borough President works with the Mayor to prepare the annual executive budget submitted to the City Council, reviews and comments on major land use projects, and proposes sites for City facilities within his jurisdiction. The Borough President also monitors the administration of City services and engages in strategic planning for the economic development of the borough. He appoints a representative to the New York City Board of Education and the New York City Planning Commission. The Borough President also appoints the members of the Community Boards and is the Chairperson of both the Borough Board and the Borough Services Cabinet. Among other distinctions, the Borough President sits on the New York City Off-Track Betting Site Selection Board, and is a trustee of the New York City Employees' Retirement System. The Borough President's Office also houses the Borough's Topographical Bureau, which is responsible for maintaining the borough's official maps, and assigning street addresses." -- Clarisel Gonzalez

Serrano Passes Senate Resolution Honoring Joe Cuba

Senator Serrano yesterday introduced a resolution in the State Senate that honored the life and music of Joe Cuba, a renowned musician who ventured into all aspects of Latin music. The resolution passed unanimously, a testament to the importance of Cuba's contribution to the music and culture of the community he loved so much.

"It is a great privilege to be able to pay my respects to Joe Cuba with this resolution," said Serrano, chair of the Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation Committee. "Joe Cuba's music defines an era."

Cuba is most famously known as the Father of the Boogaloo, a 1960s musical style that mixed African-American and Latino musical traditions. Boogaloo was a powerful reminder of the diversity and vitality of the neighborhood that spawned the style. The fusion of Latin and R&B rhythms exploded onto the popular charts in the 1960s and 1970s, and helped to define the emerging Nuyorican identity of the time.

"As a distinctly New York sound, boogaloo is an important part of the history of El Barrio," Serrano said. "By singing in English as well as Spanish, he was able to introduce Latin music to a wide audience."

Cuba passed away at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City on Sunday, February 15, 2009. He is survived by his wife Maria Calderon, sons Mitchell and Cesar, daughter Lisa and grandchildren Nicole and Alexis.

To see the video "Serrano Passes Senate Resolution Honoring JoeCuba" on the Senate floor:
http://www.nyssenate28.com/28/Default.aspx

source: press release from Senator Serrano's office

(photo of Senator Serrano)

A conversation with martial artist Shihan Warixi Soto

Bronxite Shihan Warixi Soto is a high ranking martial artist, a multiple Hall of Fame recipient and the creator and Executive Director of F.A.S.T. (Female Alternative Street Tactics) and "Secure Your Child."
F.A.S.T focuses on urban survival and has been created to empower and teach women and teen girls how to avoid all forms of attacks and confrontations. The program was created for the streets of New York City. The other program teaches children ages 4-12 street awareness, self protection and self defense. Both programs have been taught throughout the city since 1983. That same year Shihan Warixi was awarded the rank of “Kaiden” in “Miyama Ryu Combat Ju-Jutsu.” The rank is very similar to 10th degree black belt, and it’s the highest rank awarded. Her specialties are anti-rape tactics, live blade knife techniques, and Ju-Jutsu for adults and children.
She has trained and holds certificates in weaponry. She has training in Jodo (the long staff), bokken (wooden sword) and tanjo (short staff).

The Q&A

Q: What got you into martial arts?
A: It was a few things that contributed to my getting into the martial arts. First, I loved Angela Mao, Bruce Lee, and Sonny Chiba. Second, I grew up fighting. When I was little, my father would take me to the fights. Third, I needed to get in shape. You can see it was a few things.

Q: Were you ever a victim of a crime or bullied?
A: Whenever I got bullied, I had to fight or my mom would kick my butt. I grew up fighting. I was the oldest. Sometimes I had to defend my brothers. I’ve always hated bullies.

Q: Were you often the only female in the martial arts class and how did the men treat you?
A: Yes. Some men were really soft, treating my like a real girly girl. Others were really really hard like they wanted me out of there.

Q: Where did you grow up?
A: I was born in East Harlem and lived there until I was eight. We then moved to the Bronx.

Q: How was it? Were you a tough girl growing up?
A: No. No gangs, No bullying. In fact, I hated gangs and bullies. I was more the athletic type: bike riding, swimming, horseback riding, skateboarding, knife throwing, street basement karate.

Q: What do you teach your students?
A: Wow, there is a whole lot that I teach my students. If I’m teaching my children’s program “Secure Your Child,” then I teach everything from how to walk alone, how to deal with bullies and strangers and much more. I don’t teach children about weapons. When I teach my “Female Alternative Street Tactics” eight-hour program, I teach women how to use everyday items for self defense. I also have a workshop called “Using everyday items for self defense.” There I teach how to use everyday items, including weapons.

Q: Which weapons do you specialize in teaching?
A: I specialize in knife, stick, and Bokken (wooden sword).

Q: Could you tell us the certificates you have received and what is the role of the shihan?
A: I have received numerous awards, really too many to mention. I have been inducted into seven Hall of Fames. My most priced award came from my own peers in Miyama Ryu Combat Ju Jutsu. I was given “The Keeper of the Lost Art” Award for “Woman of the Year” in 2004. Shihan is my title, my rank is Kaiden. It means that I have devoted my life to this art, and I am qualified to teach, and rank. It means “All things passed.” Check out my blog at www.shihanwarixi.blogspot.com .

Q: You seem to have a special bond with children. Why?
A: I love children and truly believe that all the children in the world are my children. Children are loyal, honest, truthful and fun. More adults should try to be like children.

Q: Do you have children and are they also in martial arts?
A: Yes, I have three children. When they were young they were in the art. They ranked in Judo and Ju Jutsu. My daughter still trains.

When she is not involved in martial arts, she devotes time to her love for the Taino culture. She enjoys educating people about the rich history of Boriken. For more information, visit www.kukarey.com. – Ismael Nunez

(photos courtesy of Shihan Warixi Soto)

Community calendar

PowerHouse Arena presents
Latinos in Literature
A fresh crop of Nuyorican authors
7-9 p.m., March 5
PowerHouse Arena, 37 Main St., Brooklyn


(Click on image for larger text.)

http://www.powerhousebooks.com

Editor's Note: Support our Latino authors.

ALL of these books are also available for purchase at the PRSUN aStore (a way of supporting this Puerto Rico Sun community media project). The PRSUN aStore highlights the work of Puerto Rican writers and artists.

Movement to name a NYC street in honor of Richie Perez

Activism

A petition is circulating online in support of naming 22nd Street and Park Avenue South Richie Perez Way. You are invited to sign the petition. More street names should honor boricuas like Richie Perez who made a difference in the story of this city. The petition is addressed to the local community board.

Councilwoman Rosie Mendez who knew Perez would like to see a street named in Perez's honor during her tenure. The street is in Mendez's district and she will submit the proposal to Community Board 5 at a public meeting on March 5.

Here's the text for the online petition:

To: Community Board 5

We write to urge Community Board #5 to rename 22nd Street and Park Avenue South Richie Perez Way, to pay homage to one of the nation’s greatest advocates, a community leader and longtime activist in the struggle for global social justice and human rights.
Richie Perez was a leading exponent for social justice and political participation. A former Young Lord and National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights co-founder, Richie brought his unique mix of integrity, zeal and unity to the diverse ethnic and racial communities of New York City and beyond.
Born and raised in the Bronx, Richie graduated from the NYC public school system and the City University of New York. He also earned an MA in Business Economics from New York University.
Richie’s commitment to the education of young people began when he taught at Monroe High School and was involved in the movement for community control of the schools. He went on to teach college courses on the Puerto Rican urban experience, the mass media, social policy in the United States, the history of the civil rights, and the history of the labor movement at educational institutions (Richmond, Brooklyn and Hunter Colleges, the College of New Rochelle, Empire State College and the Center for Legal Education and Urban Policy). He designed the course "Urban Reality and Mass Media" for pre-law students at CCNY's Urban Legal Studies Program.
Richie has been a leader in the struggle to eliminate racial bias and to demand accountability in cases of police brutality. He commenced his volunteer work as a member of the Young Lords Party (YLP) established in New York City in 1969. In the 1970’s, Richie created the Committee Against “Fort Apache: The Bronx” which held protests at movie theaters urging New Yorkers to boycott the movie because of the negative depiction and stereotypes of Puerto Ricans.
In 1981, Richie worked with others in creating the National Congress of Puerto Rican Rights (NCPRR), a not-for-profit volunteer organization. It has been a voice and vehicle of empowerment for Puerto Rican people. The NCPRR is a civil rights organization addressing the ill treatment of Puerto Ricans and Latinos by individuals and institutions. Richie chaired the NCPRR’s Justice Committee that primarily worked on issues of police brutality and racial violence. Richie continued his work with victims and surviving family members of police brutality and racial violence until his death in March 2004.
In 1983, the Community Service Society hired Richie in a series of challenging positions during his 21 years of employment. In 1987, he was appointed the Director of Organizational Development and the Voter Participation Project. Thanks to Richie's creativity and tireless efforts, VPP registered over 250,000 new voters in NYC. Since 1992, Richie served as the Director of Political Development and worked closely with CSS' Legal Department on the issue of felon disenfranchisement.
Finally, Richie was a family man, married for twenty three years and raised a wonderful son.
The biggest tribute we, as his “global family” and community, can make to acknowledge Richie’s life commitment to social justice struggles is to co-name the street where the Community Service Society is located and where Richie spent most of his day working on these issues.

To sign the online petition, go to
http://www.petitiononline.com/rpw32704/petition.html

Community calendar

Preserving Identity: Puerto Rican Shift from Catholicism to Pentecostalism

An examination of the indirect and direct factors why the change from Catholicism to Pentecostalism allowed the early generation Puerto Rican to preserve their identity in New York City

Presenter: Ramón Ortiz, New York Theological Seminary

6 p.m., Wednesday, February 25

Centro Conference Room 1437 East Bldg.
Hunter College
68th & Lexington Avenue, Manhattan

www.centropr.org

Miguel Cotto delivers a great show at the ring

On the sports corner

After boxer Miguel Cotto suffered a bitter defeat in the hands of Antonio Margarito last July 2008, there were some who questioned whether Cotto lost his confidence. At the same time, he lay low for more than 200 days. There was concern that the layoff would make him rusty. But on the night of February 21, he proved everyone wrong at Square Garden in front of a large fan base.
That night Cotto met Michael Jennings from England who came in with a record of 34-2 and 16 knockouts. It was Jennings first time fighting at the Garden. Cotto won every round, scoring with left jabs, shots to the body, two knockdowns in round four and one more in round five. When referee Benji Estevez saw enough, he said no mas, stopping the fight with 2:36 remaining in the fifth round.
Cotto captured the vacant World Boxing Organization Welterweight Champion.
After the fight, there was some talk about a rematch with Shane Mosley who this past January 24th defeated Margarito.
My advice: Cotto relax, train, be confident, but don’t get over confident. – Ismael Nunez

Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan to lead the Archdiocese of New York

We have a new archbishop.

Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of Milwaukee, as the new Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York.

The new archbishop says he is looking forward to working with the vibrant Latino Catholic Church community here. When I first heard that Dolan was appointed instead of Archbishop Roberto Gonzalez Nieves of San Juan, Puerto Rico, I was a little disappointed. I guess the Archdiocese of New York is not ready for a Latino archbishop yet. They decided to name another Irishman (nothing against the Irish), but I think it is about time to diversify the leadership of the church. But I'm feeling good about Dolan's appointment. Hearing him speak today, I got a sense that he is very aware of how important Latinos are to the Archdiocese. It is definitely not a community to be taken for granted. He seems to be a down-to-earth kind of bishop. I hear he's strict on such issues as abortion and celibacy in the priesthood.

A historian, he seems to be familiar with the story of immigration and the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of New York. He is still working on his Spanish and hopes to improve it. He knows Italian too and admits he sometimes confuses his Spanish and Italian and prefers to use text when he speaks Spanish. I suspect he will pick up a lot of Spanish in New York City.

Puerto Rico Sun welcomes the new archbishop to our Latino parishes.

Here's the press release:

Archbishop Dolan Appointed Archbishop of New York Retirement of Cardinal Egan Accepted

His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, has appointed His Excellency, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of Milwaukee, to the Archdiocese of New York. Archbishop Dolan has served as the Archbishop of Milwaukee since 2002. He will be the 13th Bishop and 10th Archbishop of the See of New York. He succeeds His Eminence, Edward Cardinal Egan, who submitted his letter of retirement upon reaching the age of 75 on April 2, 2007.

Cardinal Egan has been named Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of New York until the Installation of Archbishop Dolan. The Archbishop will be installed by His Excellency, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States at Saint Patrick's Cathedral on April 15, 2009.

In a statement, Archbishop Dolan addressed New Yorkers, saying, "My brother bishops, priests, religious women and men, seminarians, committed Catholics of this wonderful Church, I pledge to you my love, my life, my heart, and I can tell you already that I love you, I need so much your prayers and support, I am so honored, humbled, and happy to serve as your pastor."

Born in 1950, the oldest of five children to Robert and Shirley Dolan, Archbishop Dolan's education began at Holy Infant Grade School in Ballwin, Missouri, and continued at St. Louis Preparatory Seminary, Cardinal Glennon College, and the Pontifical North American College, in Rome.

Ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Louis on June 19, 1976, Father Dolan then served as a parish priest, earned his doctorate in Church History at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D. C., worked at the Apostolic Nunciature (Vatican Embassy) in Washington, D.C., served on the faculty at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, and returned to Rome as rector of the Pontifical North American College.

He came back to the Archdiocese of St. Louis as auxiliary bishop in June 2001, to be appointed Archbishop of Milwaukee a year later.

source: Archdiocese of New York

(photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of New York)