Borimix Festival featuring Puerto Rican artist Joseph A. Burgos, Jr.

The Society of the Educational Arts, Inc. (SEA) is co-sponsoring the Borimix Festival '09 with a visual arts exhibit opening Thursday, Nov. 5 at 7pm at the galleries of the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural & Educational Center. SEA is a bilingual arts-in-education organization and Latino theater company based in New York City dedicated to the empowerment and educational advancement of children and young adults.

This year SEA is proudly dedicating the festival, and most specifically the art exhibition, to Clemente Soto Vélez, a Puerto Rican activist, poet, and journalist who mentored many generations of artists in Puerto Rico and NYC.

Among the showcased talent at the Nov. 6 exhibition is Puerto Rican artist Joseph A. Burgos, Jr., the nephew of legendary Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos. Joseph's art was most recently displayed at Princeton University.

The art exhibit, curated by Miguel Trelles with Luis Carle and Luis Stephenberg, runs from Nov. 6 to Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009. Admission is FREE. For more information call SEA at 212-529-1545.

Spending More Time on Twitter

I have been spending more time on Twitter than any other social networking site. Twitter allows me to easily follow current news items and tweet stories I find interesting to others on Twitter. It is a micro-blogging service so I am still blogging, in a sense. If you like the overall content of this blog please feel free to also follow me on Twitter @philvelez.

Several months ago, after getting comfortable with Twitter, I began using TweetDeck, a program that allows people on Twitter to set up various columns to make tracking information on Twitter much easier. I most recently started using HootSuite, a professional Twitter tool that also allows me to create Twitter groups and search term columns, however one of the best things about HootSuite is the ability to schedule future tweets. Both TweetDeck and HootSuite allow users to manage multiple Twitter accounts. TweetDeck is a separate stand-along program you have to download while HootSuite is a browser-based program where no download is required.

Another helpful Twitter client site is Monitter, which allows you to enter real-time search terms of interest. Overall, I'm really enjoying Twitter and am using it more often to find and relay information, and keep the lines of communication open with other bloggers and people engaged in social media.

Puerto Rico Governor Luis G. Fortuño

Things are getting pretty hot down in Puerto Rico. Late last month a union worker threw an egg at the Commonwealth's Governor Luis G. Fortuño. The egg incident was in response to massive government layoffs. According to union leaders, many state services will suffer from the reported 17,000 layoffs scheduled for November. Union groups are threatening a large-scale one-day strikeout, tensions are running high, and everyone is watching how Gov. Fortuño handles the pressure.

Gov. Fortuño was sworn into office on January 2, 2009, at a ceremony attended by five of the US territory's six living governors, the president of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernandez, and superstar Latino couple Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony.

Fortuño holds the distinction of being the first Republican to be elected Governor of Puerto Rico since 1969, and the second Republican governor since 1949. He is also the second US Republican Representative elected from Puerto Rico in the island territory’s history.

Last month a group of about 30 demonstrators struggled with police in riot gear outside Gov. Fortuño's residence in protest of the additional layoffs the governor says are needed to cut into a $3.2 billion deficit. Fortuño and other top officials, including Police Superintendent Jose Figueroa Sancha, called for calm.

"We are at a tense moment in Puerto Rico. Journalists, the police, the union leaders, we all have to cool down," Figueroa said during a radio interview.

Activists charge that the conservative governor is using the layoffs as a step towards privatizing government services. Gov. Fortuño says he has to make tough decisions in order to save Puerto Rico’s economy.

“This is the time to act,” Fortuño said in a recent speech where he emphasized that although “the government might be in bankruptcy, Puerto Rico is not because it can emerge strengthened from the crisis.”

We will see.

LatISM NYC Conference Roundup

History was made last week when a group of Latino leaders in social media met in New York City to formally build alliances and begin a national conversation. The conference brought together Latinos from New York, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, DC and LA, and was sponsored by Latinos in Social Media (LatISM.) During the opening ceremony, conference organizers Ana RC and Louis Pagan highlighted the explosion of social media and how mainstream corporations are using it to tap into the lucrative Latino market.

The opening ceremony included an awards show and entertainment by poet Jani Rose. Award winners included Mercedes Sanchez, George Torres, and Lance Rios who were all part of an impressive list of finalists.

The conference keynote speaker was Ramon de Leon who spoke of successfully using social media to expand his Domino’s Pizza franchise. Other conference presenters included Carol Cain, Claudia Goffan, Kety Esquivel, and the Acento Group. Victor Cruz provided conference participants with his unique form of Latino comedy.

Attendees discussed social media in direct relation to Latino audiences and noted that the conversation and content is key. Listening to the online conversation is also important in order to address specific issues of interest. Here are a few more conference messages:

• Social media is a two-way conversation
• The conversation is the new online currency
• Speak to and engage your audiences
• Be real and empower others
• Passion drives online traffic
• Use other media platforms to promote your main medium
• It’s important to get away from the computer and meet people in-person

LatISM is off to a great start. It has begun defining the organization and its goal and last week’s conference is only the beginning. Join the first LatISM Heritage Tour and directly connect with social media influencers of the Hispanic community.

Lemon Andersen's County of Kings

Brooklyn-born Puerto Rican/Norwegian poet Lemon Andersen’s County of Kings is a one man show being presented by Spike Lee and the Culture Project. The show will begin its New York City run at The Public Theater on Monday, October 12th, however special-priced previews became available yesterday.

Featured last year as part of The Public Theater's ‘Under The Radar Festival’, Lemon Andersen's County of Kings provides its audience with a tough look into the life of a good kid raised by heroin addicts in the 1980’s.

“Lemon is a young man who possesses a wealth of talent and he knows how to tell a story. He joins the legacy of storytellers from Brooklyn” says Spike Lee

All tickets for preview performances of County of Kings (through Oct 11th) are specially priced at $25 (regular price $50-$60.) Tickets are available in person at 425 Lafayette Street, online at www.publictheater.org, or by calling (212) 967-7555.

Puerto Rico's Need for Health Reform

A recent CNN article notes that 45,000 American deaths can be associated to a lack of health insurance. American citizens living in Puerto Rico are disproportionately affected by these deadly statistics.

According to a USA Today analysis of new government data, patients in Puerto Rico die at statistically higher rates from heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia than those admitted to US mainland hospitals. While 11.6% of patients stateside admitted for pneumonia die within 30 days, that number rises to almost 15% in Puerto Rico. Death rates for heart attack are also above average (18.6% vs. 16.5%) and are slightly higher for heart failure (12.1% vs. 11.2%).

The higher death rates in Puerto Rico shine a light on unequal federal and state health benefits based largely in part to the territory's political status. For more information on why Puerto Rico needs strong health reform read the latest political column in EL BORICUA.

(Photo - Main tower at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus.)

The NYC Democratic Primary is Tomorrow - VOTE!

So it's finally here. If you are a registered Democratic living in NYC, tomorrow is the big day. Polls open at 6am and close at 9pm. Read my previous post to locate information on your candidates. Once again, I'd like to add to my previous endorsements for tomorrow's Democratic primary election:

Bill de Blasio for Public Advocate
John Liu for Comtroller
Julissa Ferreras for City Council (Corona, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, and Jackson Heights)

No matter your candidate of choice, the most important thing is your VOTE!

NYC’s Democratic Primary Election – Tuesday, Sept. 15th

The Democratic Primary Election in New York City is just about two weeks away. If you are a registered Democrat in NYC, do you know who will get your vote on Tuesday, September 15, 2009?

Along with my prior personal endorsements, I would like to add my support for Tony Perez Cassino’s bid for New York City Council representing the 11th District in the Northwest Bronx (Kingsbridge, Kingsbridge Heights, Riverdale.) Cassino is challenging an incumbent seeking an unprecedented third term. Tony Perez Cassino is the change in leadership the Northwest Bronx needs.

If you live in New York City visit the NYC Board Of Elections website for information about your local candidates. If you live in New York State you can visit the State’s Board of Election page for information on elections in your area. For everyone else in the United States checkout Vote411.org.

Voting in the US is not just a right, but a privilege. Wherever you live, please remember to vote for your candidate of choice this election cycle. Your vote can make a difference. Be counted.

Hispanic Healthcare

The entire nation is watching the healthcare reform debate. Some say the government should not have any further control over healthcare. However, the US Census Bureau estimated that 45.7 million people under the age of 65 did not have insurance in 2007 (senior citizens have access to US-based Medicare.)

Hispanics in particular are carefully watching the debate this summer. Some experts say health disparities among ethnic groups are great, with one in three Hispanics and one in five African-Americans not having health insurance, compared with one in eight whites.

A 2008 study showed that more than one-fourth of Hispanic adults in the US lack a usual healthcare provider, and a similar proportion report obtaining no healthcare information from medical personnel in the past year.

According to the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ), part of the US Department of Health and Human Services, Hispanics' quality of healthcare - especially of those who speak little or no English - is declining. One reason is that Hispanics lack information about how to treat their illnesses and how effective these treatments are.

That's why AHRQ provides guides online at its Effective Health Care Home site so Americans can find reliable and practical data that can inform their healthcare decisions. AHRQ also provides Spanish-language resources online.

As the national healthcare debate continues people must be informed of facts and fiction to collectively create a system that benefits us all.