hen I saw the movie, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, I realized how
other cultures can identify with it. A group of people can
immigrate to another country and still bring their culture
with them, bring up the next generation, their kids to be
like them… loving the food, the language and marrying into
their own race.
Now, those who’ve seen the movie, know that the parents
seemed to overdo their culture by ignoring the ways of the
land that they live in or looking at the other ethnic groups
in a negative way. The heroine of the movie seemed to look
into the American way of life wistfully rather than into her
Greek’s family’s. Yet, she recognized and understood the
traditions … she spoke the language and ate the food. She
knew the folkloric ways that identified them. She marries a
non-Greek who embraces her culture, seeing the uniqueness of
it and makes it his own.
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
The
Ponce Massacre of 1937
...was a police slaughtering over a peaceful civilian march, taking place in 21
March 1937 at 3:15 pm, in Palm Sunday, Ponce, Puerto Rico, that killed 19 people
and wounded over 200 others. It is the largest massacre in Puerto Rican history.
The march had been organized by the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party to
commemorate the abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico by the governing Spanish
National Assembly in 1873. The march was also protesting the U.S. government's
imprisonment of the party's leader, Pedro Albizu Campos, on alleged sedition
charges. READ MORE
The Empty Bed
A few years ago I was playing my guitar at
home. I came upon this old tango my Dad used to quote...
La Cama Vacía" (The Empty Bed). I remembered the lyrics
and went on to sing it as I played. Half way through the
song I began to weep. I didn't stop playing, and my
singing became a cry of sadness. READ
STORY
The Great Rafael Hernández
Rafael
Hernández was one of the great Puerto Rican songwriters of
popular music. Born on October 24, 1892, he was the author of hundreds of popular songs in the Latin
American repertoire. He specialized in Puerto Rican and
Cuban styles such as the canción, bolero and guaracha. Among
his most famous compositions are "Lamento Borincano", "Capullito
de Alhelí", "Campanitas de Cristal", "Cachita", "Silencio",
"El Cumbanchero", "Perfume de Gardenia"
y "Los Carreteros". 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...READ MORE
TRUE STORY Google likes me. I've been with Google
since they started.
Not bad for a page without click-bait. Thanks, Google
!!!
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? nREAD MORE
Puerto Rico Hurricane Report
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO — Never before was the Island hit as
hard as this... Two days after Hurricane Maria
flattened this island of 3.5 million people, knocking out
all its power and much of its water, the rebuilding of the
services and structures needed for people to resume some
semblance of ordinary life was looking more complicated by
the day.
All or part of three towns in the northwestern part of the
island — Isabela, San Sebastián and Quebradillas — were
being evacuated Friday because of fears about structural
damage to the nearby Guajataca Dam. Close to 70,000 people
could be affected if the 90-year-old dam, which is 120-feet
high and can hold about 11 billion gallons of water,
collapsed, said Puerto Rico’s governor, Ricardo Rosselló
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO — Never before was the Island hit as
hard as this... Two days after Hurricane Maria
flattened this island of 3.5 million people, knocking out
all its power and much of its water, the rebuilding of the
services and structures needed for people to resume some
semblance of ordinary life was lookingmore complicated by
the day. SEE MORE PHOTOS
Hay que Eliminar las
Burocracias y Gastos en Puerto Rico Por Dr. Edgar León
El día que se eliminen las burocracias en el gobierno de
Puerto Rico será el día que se recupere la economía y el
servicio eficiente para el pueblo. Todavía seguimos con la
mentalidad que hacen falta cincuenta personas para manejar
la solución a un proyecto gubernamental. El gasto excesivo
inútil y los costos de la burocracia invisible y excesiva en
la isla sigue creciendo sin control.
En la política, la burocracia es como ir nadando en un mar de decisiones
hechas por otros para determinar quien
ha de llamar al jardinero para que corte la yerba frente a
la oficina
Happiness
is a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction,
pleasure, or joy. A variety of biological, psychological, religious,
and
philosophical approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its
sources. READ MORE
Viendo y entendiendo el pugilato politico en Puerto Rico sé
como se siente el pueblo, traicionado y burlado. No apoyo la
violencia ni el desorden pero si la Resistencia en nombre de
la Justica y el bienestar del pueblo. ¡¡¡ Pa' encima, Puerto
Rico !!!
The Reasoning for Puerto Rican
Solution by
Don Jíbaro Orlando
A referendum on the political status of Puerto Rico was held
in Puerto Rico on June 11, 2017. The referendum had three
options: becoming a state of the United States,
independence/free association, or maintaining the current
territorial status. Those who voted overwhelmingly chose
statehood by 97%; turnout, however, was 23%, a historically
low figure. This figure is attributed to a boycott led by
the pro-status quo PPD party.READ
MORE
Factores que Matan la Educación en Puerto Rico por Dr. Edgar León
Todos los años los niños de Puerto Rico pasan una semana de
clases tomando exámenes estandarizados que sus resultados
solo indican que el modelo usado en la educación pública
como se encuentra en estos momentos no sirve. Se pretende
continuar gastando millones de dólares en la compra de estos
exámenes mientras los niños se pasan de grado con una buena
nota de A sin tener las destrezas que ameritan esa buena
nota.
Lee
Más Aquí
“This is the day the
Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” —Psalms 118:24
On July 25, 1898... during the
Spanish–American War, the U.S. invaded Puerto Rico with a
landing at the southern town of Guánica. As an outcome of
the war, Spain ceded Puerto Rico, along with the Philippines
and Guam, then under Spanish sovereignty, to the U.S. under
the Treaty of Paris, which went into effect on April 11,
1899. Spain relinquished sovereignty over Cuba, but did not
cede it to the U.S.A.
Comerío (Spanish pronunciation: [komeˈɾi.o]) is a
municipality of Puerto Rico located in the
center-eastern region of island, north of Aibonito;
south of Naranjito and Bayamón; east of Barranquitas;
and west of Cidra and Aguas Buenas. Comerío was founded
on June 12, 1826. Originally named "Sabana del Palmar",
but later changed to Comerío, named after a local Taino
Cacique (Chief) Comerio.
DROP the
RICAN ACCENT Dept.
To Be Understood in the USA, You Must
Kill the Words as You Pronounce Them
In
the early 1950s, Puerto
Rico had just become an official
"Commonwealth" of the U.S.A. and we, as children,
learned English as a supplemental way to enrich our
horizons. Inasmuch as it was mandatory in public
schools, we didn't "need" to learn it, but when we did,
we learned the "classic" verbiage. We read "Dick and
Jane" ad learned to pronounce the words properly in case
we ever needed to come to the States.
became a cry of sadness.
READ
MORE
Puerto Ricans Have El Cuco ...but Americans have The Bogeyman, a mythical creature
used by adults to frighten children into good behavior.
Whatever you call it, the creature has no specific
appearance and conceptions vary drastically by household
and culture, but is commonly depicted as a masculine or
androgynous monster that punishes children for
misbehavior. Mexicans call it El Cucuy. The "monster"
may target a specific act or general misbehavior,
depending on what purpose the desired discipline serves,
often based on a warning from the child's parents or
nanny with something like "You'd better behave or El
Cuco will eat you". The term "El Cuco" is sometimes used
as a non-specific personification for terror, and in
some cases, the Devil.
By the 1960s most train transportation had basically
disappeared. Behind the building was a big water tank
for the train needs... The tank was called the "cambija".
As children in the 1950s we played in the abandoned
buildings and around the train cars which came through
occasionally. Ah! The memories!
Castillo El Morro The construction of the
fortress and its surrounding walls began in 1539 on
orders of King Charles V of Spain, built under the
direction of conquistador Diego Ramos de Orozco and its
main purpose was to defend the port of San Juan by
controlling the entry to its harbor.
►My
daughter Frances is now Missionary in Mexico and needs
our help
For financial gifts:PayPal link:
Click
Here
More information:
Click
Here
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....
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.
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.
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".
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.
Racial
Profiling Racial profiling is the act of suspecting or targeting a
person of a certain race on the basis of observed
characteristics or behavior, rather than on individual
suspicion. More commonly in the United States, racial
profiling is referred to regarding its use by law
enforcement at the local, state, and federal levels, and
its use leading to discrimination against people in the
African American, Native American, Asian, Latino, Arab,
and Muslim communities of the U.S. In European
countries, the term "ethnic profiling" is also used
instead of racial profiling.
One of the main reasons we have racial profiling in the
inner city is not just the color of the skin as it is
the continuity of offenses done by those ethnic groups
in the past. If you’re hispanic and you spit on the
church floor, then all hispanics are now church floor
spitters. So, you must live in a way that we don’t get
blamed for what you do.
Puerto Rico
Has Another Problem It's true, even before the hurricane, Puerto Rico had a big
problem. Whatever USA thought about overseeing the problem
it stayed at just observing the mess and hold their chins.
We can agree that the problem lies in lack of Puerto
Rican leadership and that maybe the reason why it PR
can't get any help from the USA.
They think the island has failed and the
governor has a giant stack of money somewhere in some secret
bank while asking The Feds for $100 billion to fix the
problem.
READ MORE HERE
A glimmer of hope... The strength that comes to you when
you know you have to move on forward, beyond your
inabilities and obstacles, towards that prize of
satisfaction of a job well done.
Our lives are determined by our choices.
We must
then, choose wisely. Wisdom comes from knowing how to use
the information and experiences for our own good, Most
people are not wise. The Scriptures offer wisdom by giving
us advice and telling us about how fools make the same
mistakes over and over (ex: Book of Proverbs, Psalms,etc).
Folks don't want to be told what to do or how to do it. They
repeat their mistakes. I choose to give encouragement and
motivate my friends towards a better life. We all can use
that kind of friendship. Most people appreciate and respect
me. That's encouraging. Someone who's there that makes you
feel comfortable telling them your problems, listening to
you.
The world is not going to change to my liking, so I HAVE TO
LEARN TO LIVE IN IT... with all the idiots and crazies...
and wise men (if you can find them). My wife and my children
are happy and successful because we have always make time
for them.
There's no greater love that a man laying down his life for
a friend. I want friends like that, and when you find them
TREASURE them, because they are rare!!!
The
Birth of Fake News by
Don Jíbaro Orlando In the 1960s Jimi Hendrix wrote a song about
extraterrestrials visiting Earth... He quipped: "Thank you.
As you well know, you just can't believe everything you see
and hear, can you?" So today, we hear and see about wars, rumors of wars,
people dying, discoveries and a myriad of news. The term
"fake news" or "alternative news" comes to mind. It's
everywhere and we have to do a bit of research before we bet
our lives on them.
News is a big business and news people must have
something to say in order to sell information. Some news
sources have opted to fabricate news in order to sell
sensationalism. Sometimes you read about some celebrity that
"bought a new rug" !!! Time Magazine recently twitted an
article about what some famous people eat or breakfast
Let's live, therefore, to lift up the reputation of our
culture through GOOD works... The culture that others sadly
continue to defile. It's up to US to thrive and bring back
the Honor and Respect. Think about it. HONOR and RESPECT.
The Religions of the World
A
man falls into a hole and realizing he can't get out
desperately calls out for help. He hears someone walking
nearby:
BUDDAH --- "Use the precious human life and the
intelligence and mind that you now possess for the
understanding that because you create your own
suffering, you can also create your own true liberation
and a way to get out of the hole." He then walks away...
SHIVA-VISHNU --- "There is one God who manifests
in the form you choose and he is also within you now! So
choose the form wherewith God shall deliver you from
that hole." He then walks away...
ISLAM --- "Total submission to Allah as ordained
in Quran and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad Sallam's
ISLAM... Once you desire such favor to kill
some infidels Allah might help you out of the hole." He
then walks away...
JESUS --- "Give me your hand so I can pull you
out."
Ask
Don Jibaro
Dear Don Jibaro, Why is it that there are some Boricuas that think they are
white even though 94% of us are mulatto, trigueño, negro, or taino. I know we are a mixture of 3 races (African, Taino,
and Spaniard). Many Boricuas are ignorant of their roots.
What do you think? —Thanks, Jesse Ramos
Dear Jessie... WELL... White is erroneously equated with "better", and I
noticed that you've anglicized your name which is probably
José, right? Anyway, my mother (RIP), who was from Corozal, PR was blond,
had green eyes and had no idea what a white person is, as
opposed to a brown or black, et al. It's all in the
upbringing. If your father told you that you can go
"through" walls, you're gonna end up with a lot of bumps on
your forehead and a broken nose many times over (unless you
get the hint) You are what you are, and what you are is
based on how much you know about your roots, more than your
upbringing... I wrote an article on Puerto Rican Identity
that will shed some light on this dark matter. (pun
intended)
READ ARTICLE HERE
Ivonne
Figueroa...
is one of my inspirations for Internet work
concerning Puerto Rico, its culture and its people.
She's an internet pioneer with her website about
Puerto Rican folklore dating back to 1995...
Both her website and her monthly magazine are
dedicated to our descendants, the children of Puerto
Ricans, so that they can remember our culture, learn
about their roots and history, and be proud to call
themselves Boricuas and Puertorriqueños. EL BORICUA,
see her work HERE
www.elboricua.
On Dreams by Tony Alicea PLEASE allow me to tell you an old anecdote that I
wrote years ago about dreams... I have always been able to
fly like Superman in my dreams, possibly because as a kid I
was a devoted Superman comics fan. Last night, after the usual discussion as to how these dudes
and dudettes did not exist except as chemical reactions in
my brain, suddenly I said "but wait! I can prove it!". It
had not occurred to me in previous dreams...
READ MORE
Chulerías ASCII (ext. chars.) HOLD ALT and enter codes in the number pad right of
keyboard, then release ALT (sorry, it only works with the number pad)
hen I saw the movie, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, I realized how
other cultures can identify with it. A group of people can
immigrate to another country and still bring their culture
with them, bring up the next generation, their kids to be
like them… loving the food, the language and marrying into
their own race. 
How Pedro Albizu Campos
Got a Bad Deal
The
Ponce Massacre of 1937
The Great Rafael Hernández
The Dangers of Anger
Puerto Rican Identity: To Be or Not To Be
Is Happiness For Real?
The Reasoning for Puerto Rican
Solution
Factores que Matan la Educación en Puerto Rico
The Puerto Rico
Flag
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.
Mi
Incredible Uncle Genaro
Chebo's
Heart of Unbelief
Just
a Note: 
Racial
Profiling
Our lives are determined by our choices.
We must
then, choose wisely. Wisdom comes from knowing how to use
the information and experiences for our own good, Most
people are not wise. The Scriptures offer wisdom by giving
us advice and telling us about how fools make the same
mistakes over and over (ex: Book of Proverbs, Psalms,etc).
by
Don Jíbaro Orlando
The Religions of the World
Ask
Don Jibaro
Ivonne
Figueroa...
