Thursday, March 19, 2015

NPRChamber Releases Report on Puerto Rico's Economy

The National Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce (NPRChamber) today released its report on Puerto Rico’s economy, which discusses its currently distressed economic status, as well as some of the historical factors that have led to its current state.

Entitled “Puerto Rico’s Economy: A brief history of reforms from the 1980s to today and policy recommendations for the future,” the report further describes some of the structural reforms that have taken place over the last several decades, and concludes with a discussion of policy alternatives that should be considered for the present economy and into the future.

“Over the last decade, Puerto Rico has undergone a number of policy shifts that have impacted its economy. But these changes have been but a brief moment in the context of what really led to Puerto Rico’s current economy,” said Executive Director Justin VĂ©lez-Hagan. “Only through hindsight can we begin to understand what has led to the economic environment of Puerto Rico today, and what changes might be better suited to long-term prosperity.”

Puerto Rico’s economy has been stagnating or contracting for nearly a decade, while unemployment remains more than double that of the rest of the U.S., leading to migration from the island at a rate higher than in any state in the country.

In addition, total debt has reached levels that many critics and economists now consider to be unsustainable, leading its legislators to recently ask the Federal Government for bankruptcy protections not currently afforded the municipality, as well as to push for Congressional action to permanently change Puerto Rico’s status from that of an American territory, objectives that will have nationwide ramifications.

Here is a link to the full report:

http://nprchamber.org/files/3-19-15-Puerto-Rico-Economic-Report.pdf

source: NPRChamber release

Friday, March 06, 2015

SummerStage to Celebrate its 30th Anniversary Season

SummerStage Celebrates 30th Anniversary Season Leaks 30 Artists Over 30 Days Culminating April 8th

The non-profit City Parks Foundation’s famed SummerStage performing arts festival is celebrating its 30th anniversary season this year.

To get fans pumped for the summer and to shake off a case of the late winter blues, SummerStage will leak the names of 30 artists performing at the citywide festival starting on March 9th. One artist will be announced daily over the course of 30 days, culminating in the full season announcement on April 8th. Artists will be broadcast via all three of SummerStage’s social media accounts, giving fans an interactive outlet to share their excitement for this season’s upcoming shows.

To stay up to date on the artists being announced, follow SummerStage via the below links and visit www.SummerStage.org for festival information.

PRSUN can't wait to find out the artists, especially the Latin music artists, who will entertain us this summer. Un verano en nueva york is certainly better with SummerStage, one of our favorite things to do in the summertime.

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Latino Stats American Hispanics by the Numbers

The Reading Corner

Last Christmas I received in the mail a new book titled Latino Stats by Idelisse Malave and Esti Giordani, a Puerto Rican mother-daughter team who take a closer look at Hispanics in this country. The recently released paperback book (published by The New Press) is now part of my Puerto Rican/Latino library collection, and it is expected to become a go to guidebook for anyone who wants to better understand the new reality of our nation's widely diverse Latino population. It has been described as the go-to book for anyone who wants to understand the future of America.

This book serves as an important resource for advocates, educators, journalists and policy makers because it cuts through the rhetoric and sensationalism in the mainstream media and highlights with actual numbers the reality of Latino life in the U.S.

Latinos are both the largest and fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the country while many continue to fight for status as Americans. There are 53 million Latinos in the U.S.: one in six Americans is Latino. Thirty years from now, it will be closer to one in three. In about 15 years, Latinos will be 40 percent of the U.S. electorate. As of 2013, Latino buying power stands at an impressive 1.2 trillion, with women driving the purchases.

With statistics on jobs, family, lifestyle, identity and more, Latino Stats is a multi-generational source aimed at being a starting point to delve deeper and educate ourselves on the very broad Latino population and work towards a more equitable future.

Here is a snapshot of sample stats from Latino Stats:

On voting, education and social issues
*Seven out of ten Latino registered voters identify with or lean towards the Democratic Party. Latinos accounted for 10.8 percent of all registered voters in 2012.
* Over the past four decades, the number of Latinos receiving college degrees grew by sevenfold.
* With a median annual household income at $39,000, Latinos earn $11,000 less than the median for the total U.S. population and have the lowest weekly earnings out of any other group.

On immigration
* During the Obama administration, a record-breaking 400 thousand immigrants a year have been deported at a cost of billions of dollars.
* Undocumented immigrants contributed $10.6 billion to state and local sales tax, property tax (even if they rent), and income taxes in 010.
* The majority (two-thirds) of Latinos were born in the U.S. Only 17 percent of all Latinos are undocumented immigrants; the number of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. has been declining since 2007.

On lifestyle and family
* Just over half (53 percent) of Latinos identify as Catholic. Twelve percent identify as mainline Protestant, 13 percent evagelical Protestant, 6 percent with a non-Christian religion, and 12 percent are unaffiliated.
* Latino millennials living with their parents spend 21 percent of their time with family, and those who live on their own commit 31 percent of their time to family. Latino millennials also spend 14 percent of their time on "me time," slightly more than non-Latinos (10 percent). Interestingly, Latino millennials also carry the least amount of credit card debt compared to their non-Latino counterparts.
* Latinos account for 15.4 percent of same-sex couple households. Contrary to media depictions of Latino homophobia, 59 percent of Latinos also agree that homosexuality should be accepted rather than discouraged by society.

For more information, http://thenewpress.com/books/latino-stats.

Latino Stats will soon be available in the PRSUN aStore as well.






Monday, December 08, 2014

Memories of Puerto Rican Heritage Month '14


For Puerto Rican Heritage Month I attended a series of cultural and social events in New York, including Mayor Bill De Blasio and NYC Council Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito's reception at Gracie Mansion, Mark-Viverito's celebration at the City Council Chambers, the Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.'s luncheon at Don Coqui in the Bronx, and a jibaro Mass in honor of Our Lady of Providence, patroness of Puerto Rico, at St. Luke's Church in the South Bronx. November is always a great Puerto Rican time in New York City. It ushers in the holiday season for sure.

(At the Puerto Rican celebration at City Council Chambers on Nov. 5, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito honored actress and TV personality Rosie Perez.)

Here is an album dedicated to Puerto Rican Heritage Month that I created with more photos:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/clarisel/sets/72157647098400453/




-- Clarisel

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Like NEW Puerto Rico Sun FB Page

Hi, Puerto Rico Sun Communications is back. I have decided to create a new Puerto Rico Sun FB page, which is an extension of this blog.

facebook.com/prsun



Thank you.