Some of the most remarkable classical pieces in music history have been converted into salsa by the genius of Sverre Indris Joner... Wait! This the Symphonies like you never heard them before. Pay attention to the syncopation and the relationship between two or more melodies that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent. WoW!
Beethoven's Fifth

Popular belief is La Rogativa marks the birth of “puertorriqueñismo,” or local patriotism because it was the first time local civilian islanders fought for their island. Lindsay Daen of New Zealand completed the statue in 1971. It stands 12-feet high in front of an old sentry box and a beautiful view of San Juan Bay.

El Grito de Lares
(The Cry of Lares)

Also referred to as the Lares Uprising, the Lares Revolt, the Lares Rebellion, or as the Lares Revolution, was the first major revolt against Spanish rule in Puerto Rico.
The short-lived revolt was planned by Ramón Emeterio Betances and Segundo Ruiz Belvis. It began on September 23, 1868 in the town of Lares, for which it is named, and spread rapidly to various revolutionary cells throughout the island.

In the 1860s, the government of Spain was involved in several conflicts across Latin America. It became involved in a war with Peru and Chile, and had to address slave revolts in Cuba. At the time, Puerto Rico and Cuba also suffered a severe economic crisis, due to increasing tariffs and taxes imposed by the Spanish central government on most import and export goods—the Spanish crown needed these funds badly, to subsidize its troops in the Dominican Republic. READ MORE

The Dangers of Anger
By Don Jibaro Orlando
My son and I were at the local market when and we heard a toddler crying loudly in the next aisle. I left my son with the cart and went to see... Well, there was a lady comparing the price of two items AND a 3 or 4 year old boy kicking the shopping cart and screaming "I want that toy, I want that toy NOW !!!"  

I rushed back to my son and said something like: "Somebody is taking over." Of course... I meant the kid over his mom. "That kid will definitely have major issues with self -control when he grows up," --I added. You see, I am not a psychologist by trade but in 69½ years I've had a great deal of anger related experiences; both with family and friends... to the point that I have created a need to understand anger, oppression and even death...
READ MORE

The sugar cane industry dominated the Puerto Rican economy for the longest time between the 1930s and the 1960s. Puerto Rico had sugar processing plants in practically every other town. Yes, they were sweet times... !!

The Puerto Rico Flag
Mainly to suppress the independence movement in Puerto Rico in Puerto Rico in 1948, it became illegal to sing the national anthem "La Borinqueña" or display of the Puerto Rican flag in public (Gag Law) with a penalty of 10 yrs. in prison. The Law was repealed in 1957.

The new flag, which consisted of five equal horizontal bands of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bears a large, white, five-pointed star in the center, was first flown in Puerto Rico on March 24, 1897, during the "Yauco" revolt. READ MORE

How to Read and Understand The Bible
These guidelines are designed for a better understanding of the Bible. You should know the Bible verses by heart and must have sound “hermeneutics” or a correct interpretation for each one of them. This is imperative to avoid a chain reaction of biblical heresy that will be passed on and on.

Incidentally, that's how para-religious groups and cults are born: a misinterpreted Bible truth is taught and passed on. Each time, like a snowball, it gets bigger and bigger, collecting a variation as it gets passed on. In this fashion a term like "gospel" may end up meaning Country and Western music. So, to get a correct interpretation, three valuable key concepts must be taken into consideration:
  READ MORE

The Importance of Garlic
By Don Jíbaro Orlando
When I was a ten year old child in Puerto Rico sometimes I’d eat dinner at my friend’s house next door, if I happened to be there at dinner time. My friend’s mother cooked the most delicious “arroz y habichuelas colorás” that I had ever tasted. Yummee! That lady could cook! Her rice and beans needed no meat! When I asked her how did she cooked such tasty beans and if I could learn to cook like that, she said her secret was “culantro y ajo” (coriander and garlic) but the main ingredient was garlic.
 
I was turned on to the marvelous world of Garlic by a passage in the Bible where the Hebrews don’t want to follow Moses anymore after he has given them the Ten Commandments. Instead, they want to go back to Egypt where, as slaves, they were kept strong for making bricks for the Pharaoh's pyramids with a diet of GARLIC! Read More

Recently, man harassed a woman wearing a Puerto Rico shirt because she "should not be wearing that in the United States of America". These are ignorant bullies that harass the innocent, especially women. Had it been a 6' 4" Boricua Mulatto full of muscle wearing that Puerto Rican t-shirt, it would have been a different story.

Mi Incredible Uncle Genaro
When the weather was hot and humid in Bayamón, my blind Uncle Genaro used to say... "¡Que caló, mi amo, que caló... pero no ej el caló, ej el vapó!".

YES! My uncle was an exceptional man...

Everyone has an uncle or member of the extended family that stands out from the rest. Whether it’s the “barrigón” bachelor uncle who drinks a lot of beer or the church going purist aunt who doesn’t shave her legs, we all have one. Well, I have one, too! And if you allow me say it, my uncle Genaro was very special.
READ HIS STORY HERE

The Puerto Rican Black Eye
by Don Jíbaro Orlando
The Black Eye Syndrome is simple. Let's say you have an uncle who's in jail for burglary, that's a "black eye" to the family. You have a sister who wears red and works the street corners... that's a "black eye" to the family. If any of the above is caught on TV Radio or Newspapers... that's a BIG "black eye" to the family and they're on Facebook or Twitter, that's a HUGE "black eye".

So,,, whenever someone in a community does something wrong or illegal, it reflects on the rest of the community. Furthermore, whenever a Puerto Rican does something wrong, the stereotype will impute the blame on the rest of the Puerto Ricans. READ MORE EYE

Chebo's Heart of Unbelief
When I was a kid our neighbor gave a party and invited the whole barrio (hood). Once at his house, I noticed my friend Chebo was outside by the window, peeking in.

"Come on in, Chebo" I said. But he said: "No, I wasn't invited."
I replied: "But, the whole neighborhood was invited, come in."

But Chebo insisted: "No, I wasn't invited." So he stayed outside.

Chebo's heart was hardened by the deceitfulness of his own heart and unbelief. He lived a life of jealousy, envy and bitter remorse because he didn't always get what he wanted, but hated those who did.

"See to it that none of you has a wicked
heart of unbelief that turns away from
a living God." —Hebrews 3:12

Just a Note:
Because of the failure in the enforcement of laws people are doing whatever they want, rather that what they should. They fail to follow the instruction of police officers when stopped for a simple traffic violation. They run when nobody is chasing them... Such lawlessness will backfire and prompt the government to say: "THAT'S IT! --- No more freedom." This will lead to them tightening the grip they already have on the citizens leading us to a totalitarian degraded world where you will have a microchip embedded in your wrist in order to be able to buy, sell or go about your business. So obey the local laws of the land... It's for your own good!

You can tell that the hut was hand made, with materials found all around. Those were simple days. They didn't have much for what they had was enough... and an oil drum full of water.

Puerto Rican Identity: To Be or Not To Be
by Don Jíbaro
The Cultural Quest for Identity is an incredible phenomenon. It has been the theme of  countless works of science, art and literature. One's personal identity can be manifested in any part of the world. All you need is behavior. You are who you are no matter where you stand. We are Boricuas when we behave like Boricuas; otherwise we're John Does. Some live at home and some live abroad. Some behave, some don't... but, what makes one a Boricua?

The answer to that question is so deep that I'd need to write a book to convey the many aspects of the human character that makes us who we are. Suffice it to say that the right to be Boricua can't be imputed by others nor monopolized by those how feel they have studied more or display more of the traits that would characterize a Puerto Rican.  READ MORE

How Pedro Albizu Campos Got a Bad Deal
(September 12, 1891 – April 21, 1965)
Pedro Albizu Campos was a Puerto Rican attorney and politician, and the leading figure in the Puerto Rican independence movement. Gifted in languages, he spoke six; graduating from Harvard Law School with the highest grade point average in his law class, an achievement that earned him the right to give the valedictorian speech at his graduation ceremony.

However, hostility towards his mixed racial heritage would lead to his professors delaying two of his final exams in order to keep him from graduating on time. During his time at Harvard University he became involved in the Irish struggle for independence. READ MORE