'Reggaeton' book party

On the reading corner



Meet the Author: Book Party

"Reggaeton"
An Anthology by Raquel Z. Rivera, Wayne Marshall and Deborah Pacini Hernández

Featured Speaker: Juan Flores, NYU
Presenters: Miguel Luciano, Visual Artist, Alexandra T. Vazquez, Princeton University and Frances Negrón Muntaner, Columbia University.
Music by DJ Mellow G.

6:30 p.m., Thursday, May 7

Faculty Dining Room 8th Floor West Bldg.
Hunter College
68th & Lexington Avenue, Manhattan

For more information, http://www.centropr.org

NOTE: "Reggaeton" is now available at the PRSUN aStore:

Bernie Williams - Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Williams is 'Moving Forward' with his new CD

Critically acclaimed guitarist/songwriter and famed NY Yankees star Bernie Williams released his second CD titled "Moving Forward" in mid April. Williams kicks off his CD with "Moving Forward," a song inspired by his transition from baseball to music.
The Puerto Rico native and five-time All Star is a classically-trained musician who developed his love for playing guitar alongside baseball, while listening to salsa, merengue and 80’s rock. "Moving Forward" embraces those early influences, while also reflecting a unique mixture of classical and jazz guitar with a touch of Latin rhythms.
I felt at peace as I listened to the sounds of Williams' guitar.
The CD consists of 14 songs, many of them that Williams wrote. You get a sense of things that are important to Williams. These include "Lullabye for Beatriz," a song he wrote for his daughter and "Songo," a song inspired by his love of fusion, so he "mixed a little salsa with some jazz, rock and Christian (the Puerto Rican cuatro player Christian Nieves) took it home with some 'sazon criollo.'
"Moving Forward" also features performances by David Koz (Ritmo de Otoño), Jon Secada ("Just Another Day" and "Otro Dia Mas Sin Verte"), and a live performance with Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa ("Glory Days").
The Latin flavor could be felt in this CD with Bernie Williams' jazz touch on the classic "Que Rico El Mambo." It is still very much a song you can dance.
And, you know Williams couldn't forget baseball, offering his version of the baseball classic "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." The song is a tribute to his love for baseball, a game he's played since he was eight years old. Williams played his entire 16-year baseball career with the New York Yankees where he was a four time World Series champion and a five-time All Star and including this song in his CD has a special place in his heart.
If you are into guitars, Jazz, a touch of rock, pop and Latin rhythms, I recommend you add "Moving Forward" to your music collection. -- Clarisel Gonzalez


For more information, www.berniewilliams.com.

(video courtesy of Reform Records at YouTube)

NOTE: "Moving Forward" is available at the PRSUN aStore:

NCPRR's Victor Vazquez to chat with PRSUN Radio

Victor Vazquez is president of the National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights (NCPRR), and he will chat with PRSUN Radio at 9 p.m. Wednesday at www.blogtalkradio.com/prsunradio. Vazquez will talk about the NCPRR's goals and plans, including its upcoming convention in Philadelphia.

For more information, visit my blog at www.blogtalkradio.com/prsunradio.

UPDATE

To listen to my interview with Vazquez:

Making Census?

Commentary

by Angelo Falcón

The campaign to unveil plans for Census 2010 has produced the first official sign that it is now serious: the Census 2010 mug. Once the mug is out it is clear that it is show time for the crew out in Suitland, Maryland. It is, the mug announces, "in our hands" (whether this means that it is the Census or the mug that is in our hands is not all that clear, however).

Planning for Census 2010 has been plagued by more drama than a reality TV show. There were the management problems last year with the handheld computers' contract, there were the untimely withdrawals of Governor Richardson and then Senator Gregg from the Commerce Secretary nomination process, then there was the pullout of Ken Prewitt from his nomination as Census Director (he's now, however, a consultant with the Bureau), and, well, it just goes on and on. With all this going on, it made making sure that Latino community concerns were being addressed somewhat of a challenge.

As the Census Bureau continues to forge ahead with their plans for Census 2010 --- getting thousands out in the field to verify addresses, hiring hundreds of partnership specialists, finalizing its communications plan, and so on --- the fact that Census Day, April 1, 2010, is less than a year away is beginning to sink in hard. On March 30th, the Bureau held its National Partnership Briefing in Washington that pulled together its various stakeholders, with the highlight being the presence of the spanking new Commerce Secretary, former governor Gary Locke. And now that there is a Commerce Secretary, the expectation that the confirmation of the new Census Director, Robert Grove, will soon follow.

Now the news is filled with stories of mayors and governors announcing Census 2010 initiatives, especially the organizing of Complete Count Committees, throughout the country. In the process, the country is being educated about the importance of the Census in terms of the local distribution of over $300 billion in federal funding and the central role it plays in the redistricting process that determines political representation at the local, state and federal levels of government. There is also much speculation about which states will be gaining and losing seats in the House of Representatives as a result of Census 2010. There is, in other words, a Census 2010 buzz throughout the land.

But the challenges to a successful 2010 Census continue to pop up. As we report below, the Census Bureau's massive communications contract looks like it is in trouble. But even closer to home, some influential Latino evangelical leaders are calling on the undocumented to boycott the 2010 Census to put pressure on the Obama Administration to press for comprehensive immigration reform this year. And the Census Bureau keeps trying to avoid seriously addressing the problem of their having one of the worse records of Latino hiring in the federal government. These are all issues we will be addressing in detail in future issues of the Latino Census eNewsletter. Unless, of course, they decide to cancel Census 2010 after all of this drama.

Angelo Falcón is President of the National Institute for Latino Policy (NiLP) and is Chair and Founder of the Latino Census Network. He also serves as a member of the Census Advisory Committee on the Hispanic Population and of the National Steering Committee of the Census Information Centers (CIC) Program. He can be reached at afalcon@latinopolicy.org.

Article reprinted with permission from the National Institute for Latino Policy.

The launching of a Nuyorican time capsule

Community calendar



Here is an excerpt from an entry at www.lostidentities.vox.com:

"Blueprints for a Nation is an installation of artifacts created by Adál for El Puerto Rican Embassy Project and its parent state El Spirit Republic de Puerto Rico.

El Spirit Republic de Puerto Rico is a mythological nation/state or mundus imaginales founded by Eduardo Figueroa in 1976 and established in 1994 by Adál Maldonado and Rev. Pedro Pietri in the world of hard objects as a space of cultural resistance and political and social affirmation.

In Adál’s installation, Blueprints for a Nation, it is also an artistic expression rooted on linguistic traditions as well as photographic and interdisciplinary practices, and a spiritual sanctuary where its citizens are empowered through their own creative intentions."

To read more about the installation and to learn about the Nuyorican time capsule that will be remained sealed for 100 years and opened on May 14, 2109, go to www.lostidentities.vox.com or www.centropr.org.

(Click on image to see larger text.)

"LA BORINQUEÑA" festival is tomorrow in the Bronx

Community calendar

The Bronx Puerto Rican Day Parade, Inc.
"LA BORINQUEÑA" festival
2-6 p.m. TOMORROW
Lafayette Avenue
Between Pugsley Avenue and White Plains Road
Rain Date: May 10

(The parade is May 17 along the Grand Concourse. See April 18 entry.)

A boricua is being considered for U.S. Supreme Court Justice

Activism

I just joined a Facebook group in support of Sonia Sotomayor for U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Sotomayor is reportedly on the Obama Administration's short-list for U.S. Supreme Court Justice. If nominated and confirmed, she will become the first Hispanic and third woman to ever serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Sotomayor hails from the Bronx and is of boricua roots. It is about time to bring in a younger and more diverse group of judges to the U.S. Supreme Court y porque no bring in some change with a boricua with South Bronx roots.

Obama was elected to office on a ticket of change. Many Latinos and women voted for him. I hope and believe he has the same vision of change for the U.S. Supreme Court. Supposedly, this seat is going to be filled by a woman. I do hope it is a Latina.


Biography:

Sonia Sotomayor was born on June 25, 1954 in New York City. She was raised in the South Bronx by working class parents of Puerto Rican descent. She attended college at Princeton University. She also attended Yale Law School, where she distinguished herself as editor of the Yale Law journal. Following law school, Judge Sotomayor served as Assistant District Attorney under the prominent New York County District Attorney Robert Morgenthau. After leaving the District Attorney's office and working in private practice for several years she was soon thereafter nominated to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. In 1992, after being confirmed by the Senate, she became the first Hispanic federal level judge in New York. Then, under the Clinton Administration, Judge Sotomayor was nominated for the seat she currently holds, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.


To join the Facebook group and support this Bronx boricua, go to
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=74491867940&ref=mf

Latino bilingual website for teachers to debut at Hunter College

Education

Albany, NY---Officials of the New York State Archives Partnership Trust and Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños/Center for Puerto Rican Studies (Centro) at Hunter College (in Manhattan) will debut a first-of- its-kind bilingual website designed to showcase Hispanic contributions to New York State history Tuesday, May 5 at 11 a.m. at Hunter College’s Centro.

Known as La Escuela Electrónica (the Electronic Schoolhouse), the new web resource will be available in English and Spanish.

La Escuela Electrónica examines the Latino experience in New York through photographs, letters, broadsides, flyers, and more dating from 1861 to the present. Bilingual introductory videos explain how teachers can use such primary sources in
their classrooms and the kinds of institutions that care for these one-of-a-kind materials.

Within the website, documents are organized by topics selected to correlate to New York’s learning standards: immigration, labor unions, biography, civil rights, culture, urbanization, etc. Many items include historical background information, focus questions, the appropriate learning standards and key ideas, a historical challenge, interdisciplinary activities, and a list of additional resources. Some documents include multiple pages; these carry a link to a printable
PDF.

An additional feature for teachers, the "Build Your Own Worksheet" option, allows users to print a worksheet for each image.

The Electronic Schoolhouse combines historical records and technology to promote the development of critical thinking skills (analyzing and interpreting information), reading and writing skills, understanding historical content and context, and may be used for a range of purposes for foreign language, English as a second language and bilingual education proficiency.

The Electronic Schoolhouse was conceived by the New York State Archives, a part of the State Education Department, and its support arm, the Archives Partnership Trust. It was developed through the collaborative efforts of nine partner institutions, including the New York State Archives, the Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños, the New York City Department of
Records and Information Services, Cornell University, Hofstra University (Long Island), Hostos Community College (the Bronx), the Dominican Studies Institute at City College (CUNY), the Onondaga Historical Association (Syracuse), and the Rochester Museum and Science Center/Latino Alliance partnership. This project was made possible by the New York State Archives Partnership Trust, through a grant by Time Warner.

source: press release from the NYS Education Department

Dramatizing Eugenio Maria de Hostos: 'El Juicio'

Community calendar

Dramatization of a Stage Reading...Eugenio Mario de Hostos
"El Juicio"
noon to 2 p.m. TODAY
Hostos Community College
500 Grand Concourse Avenue

Stage Reading of Eugenio Maria de Hostos at Hostos Community College

This performance is in Spanish.

A principios del Siglo XIX es juzgado Eugenio María de Hostos y Bonilla. ¿Cuál fue el veredicto final? Usted lo sabrá cuando asista este Jueves a las 12:30 p.m. a la Corte Especial preparada en la Sala 151 del Edificio C en el Colegio Comunitario de Hostos.

Participan: Yahaziel Acevedo, Dewin Andujar, Patricia Bonilla, Hugo Cáceres, Ricardo J. Salazar, Ediberto Saldaña, Maitreyi Villamán Matos.

Dirección de Miguel J. Concepción Blanco.

Free. Space is limited.

Behind The Roots: Yerbabuena

PRSUN Radio chats with Tato Torres of YERBABUENA at 9 p.m. tonight at www.blogtalkradio.com/prsunradio.

Here's a video by Barrio Media featuring interviews and the music of YERBABUENA, a group dedicated to the musical traditions of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. This group was born in the South Bronx.

source: Barrio Media at You Tube

See related April 27 entry in this blog.

UPDATE: To listen to PRSUN Radio's interview with Tato Torres:

Keep Your Eye on Lopez

On the sports corner

In front of the home crowd in Puerto Rico, World Boxing Organization Super-Bantamweight Champion Juan Manuel Lopez defended his title against Gerry Penalosa last weekend. Lopez entered the ring with an impressive record of 24 victories, 22 by knockout.
Lopez did not lose a single round.
Penalosa’s heart is most likely what kept him going throughout his fight with Lopez. But by the ninth round, Penalosa’s trainer Freddie Roach had seen enough and threw in the towel to stop the fight.
Harold Lederman, judge for HBO Boxing, said: “It’s hard to believe that they didn’t stop the fight a whole lot sooner; it’s Lopez’s fight from the opening bell.”
Freddie Roach said, “He was way to strong, my fighter’s face was banged up, he was too good.”
And Max Kellerman, boxing commentator, described Lopez as tough.
While Lopez’s win is definitely good news for Puerto Rico, the question now is whether he will move up in weight class. Since he’s beaten up everyone in his division, it makes sense. Can he do like the other Puerto Rican champions Wilfredo Gomez and Felix Trinidad who moved up in weight class and won more titles? Can and will Lopez move up? We’ll see, so keep your eye on Lopez. He’s definitely a fighter to watch. – Ismael Nunez


Ismael Nunez is a contributing writer to Puerto Rico Sun.

PRSUN Radio chats with Tato Torres of YERBABUENA

Tato Torres chats with PRSUN Radio at 9 p.m. Wednesday at www.blogtalkradio.com/prsunradio.

He is spending his birthday with us. Happy birthday Tato!

Torres who now lives in Puerto Rico will be chatting with PRSUN Radio on boricua roots music, YERBABUENA, his newest project ChivoLoco and more.

To read Tato's bio, check out my blog at www.blogtalkradio.com.

Jacobo and Denise

Photo op



Puerto Rican filmmaker (el maestro) Jacobo Morales and actress and former Miss Universe Denise Quinones pose for a photo after an event at Hunter College April 21. Morales was among the panelists on a talk focusing on Puerto Rican cinema and the challenges of rising cinema as part of the Havana Film Festival in New York City. Morales' movie "Dios Los Crio II" (2004) had its NY premiere at this year's festival. (photo by Clarisel Gonzalez)

For more of my photos, go to www.flickr.com/photos/clarisel. Click on my Puerto Rican in NYC events photo set.