Sunday, October 28, 2007

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

Saturday, October 27, 2007

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.

'Paper Sculptures'


CarlosNMolinaShow
Originally uploaded by paper art.
by Carlos N. Molina, a member of the Puerto Rico Sun group at flickr

Go support.

Molina reports that about 30 people attended the opening. The show will run until November 21.

Click on the photo for more details.

Friday, October 26, 2007

Albizu Campos


Albizu Campos
Originally uploaded by paper art.
Paper art says: Street art on the San Sebastian Street in Old San Juan. This is Albizu Campos, a national hero.
La Casa's Leticia Rodriguez Continues Legacy
By Ismael Nunez

Leticia Rodriguez, the new executive director of La Casa de la Herencia Cultural Puertorriqueña, Inc. in NYC's El Barrio, is working hard to keep the legacy of this cultural institution alive.
La Casa at 1230 Fifth Avenue is a non-profit community based cultural institution. Its main objective is to promote the development of the Puerto Rican culture and to preserve, enrich and disseminate cultural and literary heritage to the Puerto Rican community and others.
La Casa has a Heritage Library, which includes a collection of books, documents and other materials related to Puerto Rican and Latin American history. Rodriguez said people who visit come to research many different topics. Popular research subjects include Arturo Schomburg, Julia De Burgos, and Simon Bolivar.
La Casa also provides cultural heritage workshops and classes that are open to the public. They include learning how to play cuatro and other musical instruments, dancing bomba and plena, painting, and drawing classes.
Rodriguez is happy to work in El Barrio in an organization with a rich history.
"To come to a community which has so much history is great," she said. "I’m keeping a legacy. I'm continuing the work that this institution has been doing for 27 years."
Last year, Don Otilio Diaz, who led La Casa for more than 25 years, died at the age of 75. La Casa's board introduced Rodriguez as its new executive director at an open house reception in September. On Saturday, October 27, La Casa celebrates its 27th anniversary gala and awards ceremony at the Carlos Rios Reception Hall in El Barrio. This is the first gala under her leadership.
La Casa is located in the same building as El Museo Del Barrio.
La Casa means the house and Rodriguez encourages the public to visit.
"It means we are here for you, to serve you and not to exclude anyone," she said. "We have been here for 27 years and counting."
For more information on La Casa, go to www.lacasapr.org.

Ismael Nunez is an East Harlem based freelance writer who contributes his writings to Puerto Rico Sun.
Community Calendar

The Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA) and the En Foco Touring Gallery present an evening to meet photographer Enid Alvarez at her Puerto Rico Series exhibition in Pregones Theater’s lobby gallery on November 7th in conjunction with BCA’s First Wedensdays/Bronx Culture Trolley. Alvarez will be on hand from 6-8 p.m. to greet her visitors and talk about her work which will be on view through December 9th.

For more info. www.bronxarts.org

Friday, October 12, 2007

Featured news report

Pets hurled off bridge in Puerto Rico
By OMAR MARRERO, Associated Press Writer
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Animal control workers seized dozens of dogs and cats from housing projects in the town of Barceloneta and hurled them from a bridge to their deaths, authorities and witnesses said Friday. Mayor Sol Luis Fontanez blamed a contractor hired to take the animals to a shelter.
"This is an irresponsible, inhumane and shameful act," he told The Associated Press.
Fontanez said the city hired Animal Control Solution to clear three housing projects of pets after warning residents about a no-pet policy. He said the city paid $60 for every animal recovered and another $100 for each trip to a shelter in the San Juan suburb of Carolina.
Raids were conducted on Monday and Wednesday, and residents told TV reporters they saw the animal control workers inject the animals.

OLD HOUSE


OLD HOUSE
Originally uploaded by suapr.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

In the Mailbox

OPENING NIGHT!
A One Woman Art Exhibit
By Puerto Rican Lower East Side Artisan:
Isabel Christina Rivera-Almonte

Thursday, October 11, 7-9 p.m.

Isabel C. Rivera-Almonte is an accomplished Puerto Rican Artisan. Her art expresses many aspects of Puerto Rican history and culture. All of her beautiful and important art will be in display.

This will be the first time that Isabel's total works will be on display.

Enjoy wine n cheese soft music , a wonderful crowd of people, artist, poets, musicians, photographers, live radio show.


Boricua College
186 N. 6 Street (Williamsburg area)
Brooklyn, NY, 11211
Tel:1718-782-2200
L Train Bedford Ave Stop
One stop from 14th street @ 1st Avenue

This is a Boricuation.com sponsored event!

--
Jose Medina
Boricuation.com

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Tania Ochoteco


Tania Ochoteco
Originally uploaded by prsuncom

Frees Herself with Art, Community and Big Hopes
By Robert Waddell

In 2002, Bronx actress Tania Ochoteco was taking classes at the Raul Julia Training Unit of the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre and working with dramatists.
Today, she works for a Bronx politician, but she is not all about politics. She is still an artist at heart who is pursuing her love for acting and writing.
“I have gained more experience and joined a company," she said about her acting. "I’m a member of the Puerto Rican Intercultural Drama Ensemble, the Pride Theatre Company and I’ve had the opportunity to work with Frank Perez, Eugene Rodriguez, Rene Valentin, Lou Torres.”
She studied with the late artist Raul Davila and did a staged reading of Nuyorican poet Pedro Pietri’s play “Come in We’re Closed.”
Serving her community in the Bronx is important to her. She’s currently deputy director for Council Member Annabelle Palma of the Bronx.
“It’s a great j-o-b because it’s in my community, the Bronx," she said. "I’m able to do something in a direct or indirect way that’s helping the community, so I’m happy about that."
She enjoys the flexibility this job gives her as she acts and writes.
“It’s been really good, but the results are only as good as the effort,” she said. “I’m happy with where I am so far, for the experience I’ve gained and for what I have to look forward to.”
Ochoteco considers herself an up and coming artist who is still paying her dues.
“She’s a wonderful actress,” said actor and playwright Eugene Rodriguez. “And as a person in the community, her heart is in the right place. She knows her lines and takes direction well.”
In a performance of Rodriguez’s “San Juan Shakespeare Company,” Ochoteco played Cindy who is a new actress that wants to perform with established actors. Ochoteco said she could relate to this character.
In addition to acting, Ochotecto said she is also learning the art of playwriting. She wants to write about her experiences in a memoir entitled “Memoirs of a Wifey.”
“This project involves a plethora of issues,” she said. “It involves immigration, deportation. It’s a very intimate piece of work. It brings me back to a difficult and interesting time in my early 20s…I’m so excited about it. Just when I think I don’t have any more energy, I start writing, and I’m filled with adrenaline. The next thing you know it’s 3 a.m. and I have to get up at 7 for work. I’ve been tired, but it’s good tired. I’ve been productive.”
The term “wifey” refers to a woman who lives with a man without being legally married. “It’s an urban term for shacking up,” she said. “A lot of people can relate…marriage is slowly diminishing. There's a lot of women who have their partners and their children and that’s what it is.”
She described her six-year experience as life changing.
Out of a love story comes the intimate experience when one is left alone, she said. There are no divorces or alimony.
“There’s redemption in this story,” she said. “There are experiences in life that mark you for a long time.”
Ochoteco said the story is about freeing herself from a difficult situation and gaining redemption.
“In the next five years,” Ochoteco said, “I hope to have a lot more productions under my belt; I hope to be doing film; and I hope to be part of a movement that is putting our efforts to open more spaces for artists to put up their work.”

Robert Waddell is a Bronx-based freelance writer who contributes his writings to Puerto Rico Sun.