It's Indie Bookstore Week
 
What: Author readings, discounts, and more from local neighborhood booksellers.

Why: Good reads and free snacks, support local bookstores and meet new people.

When: Fri.-Sun.

Where: Bookstores across the city; go to ibnyc.org/calendar for times and locations.

There are some interesting perspectives in Gringa: A Contradictory Girlhood

The End Of Poverty? from Philippe Diaz

Global poverty did not just happen. It began with military conquest, slavery and colonization that resulted in the seizure of land, minerals and forced labor. Today, the problem persists because of unfair debt, trade and tax policies -- in other words, wealthy countries taking advantage of poor, developing countries.

Renowned actor and activist, Martin Sheen, narrates The End of Poverty?, a feature-length documentary directed by award-winning director, Philippe Diaz, which explains how today's financial crisis is a direct consequence of these unchallenged policies that have lasted centuries.

Consider that 20% of the planet's population uses 80% of its resources and consumes 30% more than the planet can regenerate. At this rate, to maintain our lifestyle means more and more people will sink below the poverty line.

Filmed in the slums of Africa and the barrios of Latin America, The End of Poverty? features expert insights from: Nobel prize winners in Economics, Amartya Sen and Joseph Stiglitz; acclaimed authors Susan George, Eric Toussaint, John Perkins, Chalmers Johnson; university professors William Easterly and Michael Watts; government ministers such as Bolivia's Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera and the leaders of social movements in Brazil, Venezuela, Kenya and Tanzania . It is produced by Cinema Libre Studio in collaboration with the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation.

Can we really end poverty within our current economic system? Think again.

The film has been selected to over 25 international film festivals and opens in theatres in today. Directed by Philippe Diaz, produced by Cinema Libre Studio with the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation, 104mins, 2008, USA, documentary in English, Spanish, French with English Subtitles.

Inspired by this post at Harlem Bespoke:





Crazy Bunch Barbecue: Jefferson Park, Summer 1999

This is definitely
for the brothers
who ain't here
who woulda said
I had to write a poem
about this get together
like a list of names
on a memorial
to celebrate
our own old-timers day
for those of us
who age in hood years
where one night
can equal the rest of your life
and surviving the trade off
was worth writing on the wall
and telling the world
that we were here forever


The day started with snaps
on good-livin' pot bellies
receding hair lines
and new roles as Mr. Moms
Jerry had the best joke of the day
when he said that my family was so poor
that on Thanksgiving
they had to buy turkey-flavored Now & Laters
the laughter needed no help
when we exposed the stretch marks
of our growing pains


Phil had barbecue on the grill
He slapped my hand when
I tried to brush extra sauce
on a leg
“Yo, go find something to do
write a poem
write something
do something
I got this
I'm the chef
You the poet
Talk about how you glad to be here
do something
look at that little boy
on the baseball diamond
running circles around second base
today is his birthday
look at him
beat the wind
with his balloon.”


It used to take a few drinks before
we could cry and say I love you
we have always known how to curse
and bless the dead
but now we know how to talk in silence
as we walk into the sun
like the little boy's sneakers
we disappear in a cloud of dirt
and we go home
grown up
and full


This is definitely
for the brothers
who ain't here
who woulda said
I had to write a poem
about this get together
like a list of names
on a memorial
to celebrate
our own old-timers day
for those of us
who age in hood years
where one night
can equal the rest of your life
and surviving the trade off
was worth writing on the wall
and telling the world
that we were here forever

© 2001 Willie Perdomo

Seriously! I'm not in the habit of writing rants but this one I just couldn't ignore.

I happened upon an announcement that Nestle "is celebrating its commitment to
the Hispanic community with the opening of its first U.S. Nestlé Pure Life Mercado del Agua (Water Store).

Bringing the benefits of Nestlé Pure Life Purified Water to the Hispanic community, the Mercado del Agua store celebrates its grand opening on Sat., Nov. 14, 2009 in the Bronx, NY from 12:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

Internationally acclaimed Hispanic TV personality and spokesperson for the Nestlé Pure Life brand Cristina Saralegui will make a special appearance at the store from 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m."


Ah, the irony! Here's why:

"The Nestlé Group is headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland. It's the world's largest food company. The water division of Nestlé is known as Nestlé Waters, which today serves 70 well-known bottled water brands in 160 countries world-wide. In addition to the Perrier and Vittel brands, Nestlé Waters North America also imports the S. Pellegrino and Acqua Panna brands from Italy. Their bottled water brands also includes Arrowhead, Poland Spring, Zephyrhills, Ozarka, Deer Park, Ice Mountain, Aberfoyle Spring, and others." In 2008, its revenue was $94.42 Billion. According to their company profile: "water is the embodiment of "the very best" and all that nurtures life." 

Perhaps that sentiment in regard to bottled water is because "Nestlé's beverage division is almost completely reliant on bottled water."

But sales are down this year according to Reuters and there's the huge backlash from enviromentalists and activists (read more www.stopcorporateabuse.org and www.treehugger.com) to deal with, in addition to recent recalls of contaminated water...

So they've "launched a series of television advertisements to promote its Pure Life brand as a healthier alternative to sugary drinks. The advertisements are presently [heavily] targeting the US Spanish speaking population and will move into English language television advertising soon. The company hopes that consumers of carbonated soft drinks will continue shifting to bottled water."

That's great but what wrong with regular water?

Last year, Nestlé Waters North America signed a two-year partnership with Cristina Saralegui, one of Time Magazine's 25 most influential Hispanics in America. She is now their spokesperson and will be part of the meet and greet at the Bronx store on Saturday.

Now here's the clincher: The store is offering the community a variety of their "healthful waters," including Nestle Pure Life purified water in 5 gallon bottles.

Nestlé Pure Life Purified Water is basically tap water! It's been filtered and then had certain minerals re-added.

Now for those of you who don't know, New York has one of the best water supplies in the nation. Our water is clean and free! Free as in monetary and free as in nothing added. (Note: It is treated however, with chlorine, flouride and orthophosphate)

"Very farsighted people built the New York water supply system, starting with the Croton reservoirs built between 1842 and WW1, and the Catskill system started in 1927. Altogether 1,900 square miles of land containing pristine lakes and reservoirs supply approximately 1.4 billion gallons of water each day to nearly 9 million people in New York City and surrounding counties. It is pure, clean, and unfiltered."

So this is just one of the reasons "environmental groups have campaigned against bottled water, saying resources are wasted in bottling and transporting water which may be no safer or healthier than tap water, while selling for up to a thousand times the price."

"If you've seen FLOW [I really recommend you watch this - you may never buy a bottle of water again - You can watch it online here] or any of the other recent documentaries about water rights, you know that one of the (many) problems with bottled water is that local communities are sold on the idea of having cheaper water rates through privatized water and instead end up oftentimes without water. While this program does not include privatizing water, it does give water right to a company, when the rest of the community is under tight water restrictions. Communities looking to fight off big water are in for a serious battle."

This however is not the problem here...

"According to a recent census, the Bronx is still one of the poorest counties in the U.S. and according to the 2005–2007 American Community Survey Estimates, 50.7% of the total population are Hispanic or Latino."

My point: You are telling me that Nestlé Pure Life brand spokeperson Cristina Saralegui, the Hispanic Oprah, and Nestle Waters are opening this Mercado de Agua in the Bronx and selling tap water to Hispanics and the Bronx community (one of the poorest places in the US) because it's good for them? Give me a break! Clearly they aren't worried about the best interests of this community, especially during a recession...

What I don't understand is the lack of media coverage or the missing outcry of protest from the community...and that's why I wrote this

As we celebrate over a century of service to the nation and commemorate our heroes, I invite you to pay tribute to those Puerto Ricans and fellow Americans who serve(d) proudly

Visit http://www.valerosos.com/ to sign their guestbook.

According to www.schoollibraryjournal.com, Chicago teens thrive on vamp books (of course), scary stories and true-life scary stories - like Latin King Memoirs.

www.schoollibraryjournal.com

Great ideas to get your teens reading and perhaps scare them straight?

My Bloody Life: The Making of a Latin King by Reymundo Sanchez

Once a King, Always a King: The Unmaking of a Latin King by Reymundo Sanchez

Lady Q: The Rise and Fall of a Latin Queen by Reymundo Sanchez and Sonia Rodriguez

I would like to propose a new book challenge for bloggers (perhaps for 2010?), based on "the compilation of the best literature every Latina should check out put together by Latina Magazine: 25 Books Every Latina Should Read"

The "25 Books Every Latina/o Should Read" Challenge:

1. The House of Spirits Isabel Allende 
2. One Hundred Years of Solitude Gabriel Garcia Marquez
3. In The Time of the Butterflies Julia Alvarez
4. When I Was Puerto Rican Esmeralda Santiago
5. Don Quixote Miguel de Cervantes
6. Kiss of the Spider Woman Manuel Puig
7. Death in the Andes Mario Vargas Llosa
8. Hopscotch Julio Cortázar
9. The Labrynth of Solitude Octavio Paz
10. The Death of Artemio Cruz Carlos Fuentes
11. Like Water For Chocolate Laura Esquivel
12. The Alchemist Paolo Coelho
13. Las Peliculas De Mi Vida Alberto Fuguet
14. The House on Mango Street Sandra Cisneros
15. The Little Prince Antoine de Saint-Exupery
16. Compañero: The Life and Death of Che Guevara by Jorge G. Castaneda
17. A People's History of the United States Howard Zinn
18. The Aleph Jorge Luis Borges
19. Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in the United States Juan Gonzalez
20. Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair Pablo Neruda
21. The Brief & Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Junot Diaz
22. Dreaming in Cuban Cristina Garcia
23. The Decapitated Chicken and Other Stories Horacio Quiroga
24. Pedro Paramo Juan Rulfo
25. Men of Maize Miguel Angel Asturias

What's the challenge? To track, blog, share, and discuss the 25 books listed above with other members of the challenge. Some people may also choose to set their own personal goals to read more books, or more non-fiction, or newer books.


Sign up below:


Challenge begins January through December, 2010.

You can join anytime between now and December 31, 2010.

You are welcome to come back and post links to your reviews here

I was raised on Sesame Street as I am sure many of you were too - I have only sweet memories and many lessons learned.
Happy 40th Birthday!






Read more at www.npr.org

"Precious" Adaptation Scores Box Office Record

The Future of Latin American Fiction (Part I)
Three Percent: International Literature, from University of Rochester

NY Hate Crimes on the Rise

Company offers "book-of-the-month gift"
GiftLit, a new Internet-based company, announces the perfect holiday gift--book-of-the-month gifts that are hand-selected by book experts, include personalized bookplates and offer the flexibility to substitute any book. Ten percent of GiftLit`s profits go to organizations that promote literacy. The high-quality books are chosen by literary experts--librarians, writers, and editors. For more visit www.GiftLit.com. via Reading.org

Mixed Race Americans Picture A 'Blended Nation'

A woman in Texas was fined $204 for not speaking English.

East Harlem Victory Against Multinational Landlord

What did Sammy Sosa do to his face? And the rest of his body?

Jamaican Official Lobbies for Spanish as Second Language

Jamaica’s foreign minister says his country should adopt Spanish as a second official language to foster expanded trade and cooperation with its neighbors in the Caribbean and Central America. Growing ties between the Caribbean Community and Latin America, the Dominican Republic’s desire to join Caricom and the fact that Jamaica is surrounded by Spanish-speaking countries make it imperative for Jamaicans to become proficient in Spanish, Kenneth Baugh said… “I think all Jamaicans, all schools and teachers, have to become conscious that there is a desperate need for us to become Spanish speaking,” he said. via Ourlatinamerica

Richmond is dealing with the fall-out over the gang-rape committed at a high school homecoming dance two weeks ago.

JUNOT DÍAZ
"I think 90% of my ideas evaporate because I have a terrible memory and because I seem to be committed to not scribble anything down," says Junot Díaz. "As soon as I write it down, my mind rejects it."

Juggling everything in his head has drawbacks, one of which is writing very slowly, he says. He threw out two earlier versions of his novel, "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao"—the equivalent of about 600 pages—before the final version began to take shape. He also researches obsessively. When writing "Oscar Wao," he read J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy half a dozen times to get inside the head of his protagonist, an overweight Dominican teenager who's obsessed with fantasy and science fiction.

He often listens to orchestral movie soundtracks as he writes, because he's easily distracted by lyrics. When he needs to seal himself off from the world, he retreats into the bathroom and sits on the edge of the tub. "It drove my ex crazy," he says. "She would always know I was going to write because I would grab a notebook and run into the bathroom."

EDWIDGE DANTICAT

Before she begins a novel, Edwidge Danticat creates a collage on a bulletin board in her office, tacking up photos she's taken on trips to her native Haiti and images she clips from magazines ranging from Essence to National Geographic. Ms. Danticat, who works out of her home in Miami, says she adapted the technique from story boarding, which filmmakers use to map out scenes. "I like the tactile process. There's something old-fashioned about it, but what we do is kind of old-fashioned," she says.

Sometimes, the collage grows large enough to fill four bulletin boards. As the plot becomes clearer, she culls pictures and shrinks the visual map to a single board.

Right now, Ms. Danticat has two boards full of images depicting a seaside town in Haiti, the setting for a new novel that takes place in a village based on the one where her mother grew up.

She writes first drafts in flimsy blue exam notebooks that she orders from an online office supply store. She often uses 100 exam books for a draft. "The company I order from must think I'm a high school," she said. She types the draft on the computer and begins revising and cutting.

Finally, she makes a tape recording of herself reading the entire novel aloud—a trick she learned from Walter Mosley—and revises passages that cause her to stumble.

I never realized his remains were missing - so sad: "Work has begun to excavate a grave in southern Spain that is believed to contain the remains of the poet and dramatist Federico Garcia Lorca." Via news.bbc.co.uk

Some more web news:

From http://www.briansolis.com/ (one of the most brilliant social media minds on the web): Social Media Influencers are not Traditional Influencers - a great piece on how online influencers with large followings are not always real world/offline influencers.

"http://www.poetryspeaks.com/ was launched by Sourcebooks this week, which has published the successful Poetry Speaks book series for nearly a decade. The new website is designed to serve as a social networking venue for poets and poetry lovers, as well as a business and marketing engine for poets and poetry presses."

First Bilingual Educational Toy Brand, Ingenio(TM), Hits the U.S. Market

Is It Better To Be Mixed Race? In this documentary from the UK, Aarathi Prasad, a geneticist and mother of a mixed race child, sets out to challenge the ideas of racial purity and examines provocative claims that there are in fact biological advantages to being mixed race. I've always heard of these biological advantages in every biology and anthropology class I've ever taken.

His new novel, "Back to Blood," is set in Miami and focuses on immigration and bloodlines. It's due out in fall 2010 from Little, Brown & Co.

"I kept hearing about immigration. There are a lot of great stories about how people got into this country illegally," Mr. Wolfe said in a telephone interview from his New York City office. "I was more curious about what's the life of immigrants once they're here."

Miami is the perfect setting for his novel.

"It's the only city I've been able to find ... where more than half the population are recent immigrants -- people who have come to the country in the last 50 years," he said.

Cubans are a powerful constituency.

"You have people from another country with a different language and a very different culture coming into Miami and dominating it politically through the voting machine," Mr. Wolfe said. "Only in America could people from a foreign country with a foreign language and foreign culture establish themselves so quickly in 30 years."

Miami teems with Cubans, Haitians, Russians and newcomers from Nicaragua, Honduras and Venezuela.

Educated people are streaming into Miami from Venezuela because their country's leader, Hugo Chavez, wants to emulate Fidel Castro.

Immigrants continue to change the city's neighborhoods.

"What used to be called 'Little Havana' in Miami seems to be dominated by Central Americans, generally Nicaraguans and Hondurans. That's quite a change," he said.Then there's Hialeah, a separate city near Miami in Dade County. Originally a town of 200 people in the early 1920s, it attracted the rich and famous after a gorgeous horse track was built there in 1925.

In 1959, Hialeah's population began exploding when Cubans who fled Castro's regime landed there and today, it's the fifth largest city in Florida with 225,000 people.

The racetrack is closed.

"It's a symbol of the old Anglo establishment," Mr. Wolfe said. "In Florida, that's the term for white Americans of European ancestry."

"In an odd way, Hialeah, this rich, gorgeous place popping up on the prairie, is like the Cuban immigration," he added.

People speak of immigration in Florida in terms of vintages, he said.

The Cubans who arrived in the 1960s were sophisticated, educated and well-to-do.

"They set up businesses very quickly. Cubans tend to be very entrepreneurial. They certainly did well," Mr. Wolfe said.

"So many businesses have been developed by Cubans that instead of Latins having to break into American business networks, it's the other way around."

In 1980, the Mariel boatlift allowed working class Cubans to land in Florida, including criminals and mental patients. But the people who arrived here from Cuba in 1980 had lived under Communist rule for a long time.

"They were not used to working hard because no matter how hard you worked you were not going to be rewarded. So why beat your brains out?" the author said.

Interestingly, Miami's police force is quite representative of its racial makeup.

"Just about 70 percent of the police are Latino (and probably more than 50 percent are Cuban); 18 percent are African-American and 12 percent are American whites or Anglos," the author said.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com