My Incredible
Tío Genaro “Yo conozco el Buey Que
Faja
y La Víbora Que Pica.”
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.
MORE
Don Jibaro,
Whodatman? by Les Rivera
One of his quotes from jibaros.com reads: “A Puerto Rican shall not be
boring.” so,
to describe Don Jibaro as anything less than
riveting would be an understatement of his own
philosophy.
Don Jibaro is the owner/operator
of some of the world’s busiest Puerto Rican websites,
Over the years, Orlando (his real name) has also left a
legacy of volunteer work in the Los Angeles area... READ MORE Les Rivera
is a freelance writer, covering New York-Puerto
Rico-Cuba
Don Jibaro's Daughter
Frances' Missionary
Trip to Cuba (Update by Don Jíbaro)
When my daughter Frances told me that she was going to be
part of a Missionary Trip to Cuba, I though of the sinister dangers
and urban legends that has turned Cuba into the "don't go there" place. The
case of the Cuban people is a most impacting one... as we have all seen and
read what goes on there... how the arrogant pride of the affluent Executive
leadership keep the populace virtually in squalor poverty. Enter Frances'
Team from the Light and Life church of Downey, California...
►READ
MORE
Chulerías ASCII
(ext. chars.)
HOLD ALT and enter codes in the number pad right of keyboard... then release
ALT
Breeding
Boricuanism in USAricans By Irene Frances. Vázquez
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. READ MORE
Cinco Siglos
de Historia Book Review by Don Jíbaro
About 13 yrs ago I visited La Universidad de
Puerto Rico. At their bookstore I asked for
the BEST book in Puerto Rican history they
had. "Cinco Siglos de Historia" inSpanish,
by Francisco Scarano from Fajardo now
teaching at the Univ. of Wiconsin-Madison)...I
own it... I READ IT, loved it, now my
brother in law asks me "What's good in PR
Hist?" --- HEY, DON'T LET THE PRICE
FOOL YOU,there's none BETTER, in real
Academic SPANISH" Read for yourself
►GO
HERE
LP
Flag Mini Conga...
Compact at 11" high... ►Buy
it◄
The History
of a Country is generally written by the
conquerors. The "conquered" seldom writes a thing. Many
things contribute to the correct and accurate depiction
of historical data. Sponsorship by the wealthy was one
of the favorite incentives. Such history tends to carry
a partial or one-sided view of the facts.
It is,
consequently, up to the passionate historian to do his
or her own research to verify the facts. This leads to
documentation which will totally eradicate any
pre-conceived notion acquired during the student's
whippersnapper elementary history education. Puerto
Rico, more than perhaps any other nation, may fall
victim to this phenomenon due to the simple fact that
Puerto Rico is the oldest colony in the world today!
Over 500 years, compadre! ... Yikes, sez me!
When I was a kid in the 50s, street funerals were
common. Hearses were used by the wealthy. People walked all
the way from the Funeral Home to the cemetery, men often
taking turns carrying the coffin. This one is a smaller
casket, probably a child. See Photo History
The
Issue of Boricua Politics By Don Jibaro Orlando here
are farmers who get paid not to grow wheat or raise pigs,
politicians ALSO should be paid not to smile or make
promises. Honest Americans and Puerto Ricans alike are fed
up with politics that we see daily, with ineffective,
shortsighted, special-interest-driven policies that are as
shallow and empty as the politicians who make them.
Politics has degenerated to "government to the highest
bidder." In Puerto Rico, is even more deplorable than that!
Under our current system, 90% of the time, the candidate who
spends the most wins. As a result, our elected leaders are
those who are most skilled at raising special interest
money. This is the basic premise for aspiring government
leaders, and NOT traditional sound principles that work.
That's not what's bought and paid for by special interests.
There is an urgent need for foundational reforms in every
area of government: from health care to education, from
campaign finance to defense. These reforms, to me are
idealistic because they are like candy to a kid staring a
the untochable goodies through the store glass window. To
the politicians, they are the basis of their invisible
promises... "If I'm elected, I will..." Yeah, right!
READ MORE on POLITICS
Roots
of Puerto Rico… The Jíbaro! By Les Rivera
“A Puerto Rican shall not be boring! To describe Don
Jíbaro as anything less than riveting would be an
understatement of his own philosophy”.
When I wrote an article on Don Jíbaro a long time ago, I
felt that his comment was perhaps the greatest way to
describe what a Jíbaro was all about. And as far as Don
Jíbaro himself is concerned, he is a native Puerto
Rican, complete with all the humble peasantry and simple
lifestyle, which surrounds someone who lives like a true
Jíbaro! And, for the uninitiated, the term “Don” in
Spanish can be translated as the English “Sir”.
READ MORE
Why
Are We So Tired? Research by Don Jibaro tired (tīr'd) adj. — in need of sleep or rest; weary. FATIGUED, exhausted,
worn out, weary, fatigued, dog-tired, dead beat, bone-tired,
ready to drop, drained, zonked, wasted, enervated, jaded;
Have you ever noticed that you are just so tired and do not
know why? Medical Fatigue is not tiredness caused by running
a mile or two. Fatigue (exhaustion, tiredness, lethargy,
etc.) is a subjective feeling of tiredness which is distinct
from weakness, and has a gradual onset. Unlike weakness,
fatigue can be alleviated by periods of rest.
Physical fatigue is the inability of a muscle to maintain
optimal physical performance, and is made more severe by
intense physical exercise. Mental fatigue is a transient
decrease in maximal cognitive performance resulting from
prolonged periods of cognitive activity, in other words, A
LOT of UNNECESSARY THINKING. It can manifest as somnolence,
lethargy, or directed attention fatigue and system collapse.
► READ MORE ◄
Politically
Correctness...
is oftentimes bringing us more chaos than order. It is now
fashionable to claim different ethnic roots. However, many are
trying to define racial and ethnic groups without stepping into each
others toes… a task that is becoming more difficult each time. As
Puerto Ricans we are, of course, included in a whirlpool of
confusion and struggle in a psychological hand-to-hand combat with
our peers.
Everybody wants to have a somewhat aristocratic quality or flavor
relating to their own gentry and no one desires to be identified by
vulgarity or rudeness… However, maintaining or striving to maintain
the appearance of superior or middle-class social status or
respectability requires hard work as individuals as well as a
community.
This work must be devoid of false delicacy, prudery, or affectation.
It's so true that, while none no one wants to be classified as a
phony, not too many care to abstain from behaving or doing the
things that automatically will make you one... like promising
something and not delivering it.
We have learned that the greater proportion of the members of an
ethnic group of people determines the group’s character. This tends
to preserve ithe basic form of civilization and customs, arts and
crafts, legends, traditions, and superstitions from generation to
generation. Thus, we pass on what and who we are.
You Definitely Gotta See this: LOS
PERROS
Hole
In The Tongue Dept
How To Speak American by Don Jibaro
English! ...Oh the pangs of it. The more I learn about
phonetics and grammar, the more ignorant I feel. WHY?
Simply put the rules change and nobody tells you about
them... This is an example of the New Age Facebook
English:
LOL — Laughing Out Loud -or- Lots of Love
,!!!! — talk to the hand
S2R — Send To Receive
WWJD — What Would Jesus Do?
WWSD — What Would Satan Do?
*$ — Starbucks
F2F — Face-to-Face
LMHO — Laughing My Head Off
So... To be understood in the USA of the
21st century, you gotta "kill" the words as you
pronounce them. Today's lingo is not what we boomers
learned in school.
READ MORE
The Incredible Dave Valentín!
DON JIBARO's NOTE: "As a professional musician for over 48 years, I don't get
impressed easily... until I hear Dave. His remarkable talent and mastery of the
instrument just blew me away! Period!"
Oh, the signing of Don Jibaro's cuatro… Dave and Don Jibaro hit it off like
two long lost friends during the signing of the cuatro and Dave Valentin's
autograph is now proudly embedded in the instrument!
"It's better dry bread in peace, than
a
feast in a house full of fighting." Prov.17:1
The Knowing of Jesus Christ by Don Jíbaro Is Jesus Christ really
part of our lives or is He just an Icon at Easter and
Christmas?
We "talk the talk" and more often than not, we "walk the
walk." It's consequently and imperative that we get to
know that part of our culture that our ancestors staked the
essence of their existence on... their faith in The Lord
Jesus! ►Read More◄
Is Happiness For Real? Edited
by Don Jibaro
appiness
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.
While direct measurement of happiness presents challenges, tools such as The
Oxford Happiness Questionnaire have been developed by researchers. Positive
psychology researchers use theoretical models that include describing happiness
as consisting of positive emotions and positive activities, or that describe
three kinds of happiness: pleasure, engagement, and meaning.
READ MORE
LET
MY PEOPLE GO TO FLORIDA DEPT..
Puerto Rican Exodus by Don Jíbaro
have found that most of my pals of the R&R youth years
are still doing well... in Florida. Although many Puerto
Rican rather have the island's landscape beauty, others
feel the economy there is detrimental for the kind of
lifestyle they want. College grads, policemen, teachers,
artists and a slew of other professionals are seeking
Florida. WHAT happened? Is the local economy THAT bad?
Where's the money gone? ► READ
MORE
TOMATO SALSA DEPT. Two 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!
Air in G - Air
Bach
Beto's Fifth (not Don Q Gold)
The Biggest Cuatro in the World (video is in Spanish)
"It's better dry bread in peace, than
a feast
in a house full of fighting." Prov.17:1
Hypocrisy:
Them Phonies by Don Jibaro • Pho·ny/fōnē/ Adjective: Not genuine; fraudulent.
Noun: A fraudulent person or thing.
• Synonyms: adjective. phoney - false - spurious - sham -
counterfeit - bogus -- noun. phoney - fake - sham - forgery
any
Puerto Ricans who are born outside of Puerto Rico get a real
thrill when they finally get to visit the island for the
first time. It's like "seeing the bride that you've been
betrothed to all your life."
READ MORE
DJ's
GIMME SOME O' DAT
What Love Is Not
We all make mistakes and then we HURT inside; pain
that we cause ourselves by not knowing how to LOVE one
another. YES, not knowing. You might say, "Nonsense".... but
what I might not know in practice, I do know in theory. Love
is the gracious (unmerited to others) self-giving of
ourselves as unselfish human care. NO debate needed. Love is
not sex, friendship, nor displays of affection... love is
giving without expecting anything in return... and that's
not easy, not for you, me or anybody. That's what makes it
so volatile and fragile. We expect, we don't get, we get mad
and hold grudges because of it. We all have failed to be
patient and kind; we all have become jealous, conceited and
proud to the point of being ill-mannered, selfish,
irritable, and often-times curse at each other.
READ LOVE
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. 
►
◄
The
Issue of Boricua Politics
here
are farmers who get paid not to grow wheat or raise pigs,
politicians ALSO should be paid not to smile or make
promises. Honest Americans and Puerto Ricans alike are fed
up with politics that we see daily, with ineffective,
shortsighted, special-interest-driven policies that are as
shallow and empty as the politicians who make them. 
Roots
of Puerto Rico… The Jíbaro!
Politically
Correctness... 
Hole
In The Tongue Dept
Edited
by Don Jibaro
have found that most of my pals of the R&R youth years
are still doing well... in Florida. Although many Puerto
Rican rather have the island's landscape beauty, others
feel the economy there is detrimental for the kind of
lifestyle they want. College grads, policemen, teachers,
artists and a slew of other professionals are seeking
Florida. WHAT happened? Is the local economy THAT bad?
Where's the money gone? ► 
Hypocrisy:
Them Phonies 
any
Puerto Ricans who are born outside of Puerto Rico get a real
thrill when they finally get to visit the island for the
first time. It's like "seeing the bride that you've been
betrothed to all your life."
DJ's
GIMME SOME O' DAT
