A 51st State?

I’m sure many people who aren’t Puerto Rican did not find this blog relevant or important, but it should be to everyone who lives in the United States. One of the biggest questions looming over the United States for almost six decades has been whether they are going to grant Puerto Rico statehood or keep the island as a territory. As of today, April 28, 2010, Congress has finally made a step towards the possibility of statehood by working with the NPR (New Progressive Party) in Puerto Rico in pushing forward a bill that will grant Puerto Ricans the right to a U.S. sanctioned vote for statehood for the first time since falling under the control of the United States. What this means is that if Puerto Rico votes in favor of statehood, they will probably get the right to seat people in Congress, which will probably lead to statehood.

However, just like any other change the government attempts to inflict on the country, there are conflicts:

First: Some people disregard this opportunity as anything to fathom because the last four times Puerto Rico voted (non-U.S. sanctioned), they voted against statehood.
Second: Some people find it unfair that Puerto Ricans who have moved to the United States still get to vote for what will probably happen to the island.
Third: Some people do not want to see a 51st star be added to the American flag.
There are many more concerns that will develop once the word gets out on the new plan by Puerto Ricans and the rest of the United States. After tomorrow, when the voting takes place, everything could change for the United States.

Even if nothing winds up happening, this post and the rest of this blog should be important because of the growing diversity in this country. Taking the opportunity to read some of the things that have been posted will help you in becoming more culturally literate. It’s important for me as a future educator to become well-rounded culturally, and it was my intention to grab that same interest in others by creating this blog.

The changes I made to Spread the Word

In "Spread the Word!", I made numerous changes in the actual writing. Going off the comment made by another classmate, I saw that the focus was skewed, so I edited it so that the subject was not just "poverty issues with children", but all the issues with children. I changed the way the first paragraph is written so that it doesn't sound like a guilt trip. I also changed the last paragraph so that it specifically mentions the point of the blog. Throughout the entire blog, I've edited sentences so they sound better. I made specific references to poverty and human trafficking because they are the most dire situations.

Television Crossing Over

Ever think of Hispanic Television and think: Telenovela? How about Spanish soap opera, like Rebelde (Rebellious), pictured above? For most Americans of anything other than Latino decent, that’s probably the first thing that comes to mind. Fortunately, there are other things available to watch on the local TV in Puerto Rico.

While there aren’t as many channels as there are on cable TV in the U.S., and they definitely don’t have channels in HD, Puerto Rican television is fun-spirited and vivid. The main genres consist of comedy, children's programs, news, talk and variety shows, sports games, some American movies and series, and of course, novelas.

There are two major Spanish networks, Telemundo and Univision, which branch off into smaller networks. Telemundo PR is the channel aired on the island, and there are only a few shows native to Puerto Rico that air on the channel. Most shows that air on the island are actually originally from other countries, primarily Mexico and Venezuela, but have been widely accepted by Puerto Rican natives as if they were created by their own. Shows like, Sabado Gigante, the longest running variety show in the world, and originally from Chile, made its way onto Puerto Rico’s Saturday night lineup and has been a household favorite for almost thirty years. Check out a clip of the show with artist Shakira here. Talk shows, like “The Cristina Show”, hosted by Mexican Cristina Saralegui, who has been the “Oprah” for Hispanic women for over twenty years, are very popular on the island as well.
Other shows have been influenced by some of the most successful shows in the United States. These include morning talk shows, like Despierta America (Wake Up America), inspired by “Good Morning America”, Betty La Fea (Ugly Betty), El Gordo y La Flaca (The Fat Man and the Skinny Woman), inspired by “Regis and Kelly”, and even a Hispanic version of “Judge Judy”.

Some of my favorite shows to watch in Puerto Rico are news shows, like Noticiero Telemundo, because of the graphic images that can be seen due to the lack of censorship. Puerto Rico is an island with a very alarming, and rising crime rate, and the news is used to make sure everyone on the island is aware of it. Many Americans might disagree with the sometimes grotesque and always vivid scenes captured by the news reporters, but it is done so islanders can begin to take real action against crime and bring back the enchantment that struggles to remain in Puerto Rico.

For entertainment, I love to watch the comedies, especially, talk shows that include comedic puppets and drag queen commentators on celebrity life.
The characters on these shows usually air at the same time each weekday and attempt to talk seriously about social issues and events, providing a lot of amusement.

The music channels have recently taken over Puerto Rico and the United States with the budding popularity of Reggaeton music and videos. This has inspired channels like MTV to create Hispanic versions like MTV Tres, a bilingual channel where Puerto Ricans and Americans get the opportunity to see Latino artists in interviews and, naturally, perform.

With the expansion of American society reaching Puerto Rico through television, islanders are learning more about the “mainland’s” way of life every day. Children are now able to watch classic American cartoons, so they can recognize them when they come to visit the United States. The growing media society has also sparked some entertaining debates between Americans and Hispanics over “who came out with what first” and which version of a show is better.

National Puerto Rican Day Parade

New York City is the ideal place for many nationally known annual events, parades, traditions and even television shows. People across the country are able to see the Macy’s Day Parade every year on Thanksgiving, with infamous floats, such as Pikachu, and the very traditional Santa Claus that appears at the end, kicking off the holiday season for some who celebrate it. While several people believe this is the largest parade held in the city, it isn’t. Unbeknownst to many, The National Puerto Rican Day Parade held the second Sunday in June each year is the largest parade.
Each year the parade continues to grow, with around 80,000 participants and almost 3 million spectators attending . I’m sure a lot of people wonder why Puerto Ricans even get to have a parade that is nationally aired every year from New York City, so let me seek to enlighten.
In the 1950s, after an enormous amount of Puerto Ricans immigrated to New York City from the island, the first Puerto Rican Day Parade was held in Manhattan. It was very small, but it gained a lot of attention from Puerto Ricans. The Governor of Puerto Rico even flew in to attend the first parade. The parade became national when a group of Puerto Ricans decided to start an organization that would remind all Puerto Ricans of their heritage and that would strive to maintain a positive image of the islanders. They also wanted to build cultural and Puerto Rican contribution to the United States awareness for the country. By creating awareness, they were hoping that they could promote the study and improvement of Puerto Rican culture and the island itself.
Therefore, the National Puerto Rican Day Parade came to be the largest parade in New York City, the highest Nielsen rated event for stations across New York and New Jersey metropolitan areas and known internationally, all because of a few Puerto Ricans that were so proud of their culture they wanted to have a day dedicated to celebrating it.
Today, over 2 million Puerto Ricans attend the parade because of their pride in their culture, roots, traditions and the island itself.
Many celebrities attend the parade each year. Some annual attendees include, Ricky Martin, Mar Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, and the previous and current governors of New York City. The National Puerto Rican Day Parade organization has even nicknamed some of these celebrities because of their contributions each year. Ricky Martin earned the nickname “King” in 2007.

There has been some controversy over the parade, however. Gangs, such as the Latino Kings, have been documented at the event and assaulted people in the past. Also, the parade has received bad reputations from shows like Seinfield, which portrayed the event as an annoyance because of the traffic jams it created. A character in the show burned and stomped on a Puerto Rican flag, then was chased by “angry Puerto Ricans”, causing chaos. While NBC claimed to have removed the show from syndication, it was aired again on television as a “repeat”, and was a part of the DVD set of the episodes. This year, the Puerto Rican Day Parade will go without Captain Morgan, a long time sponsor of the parade, because parade organizers say the rum company will move production of the drink out of the island, and that they haven’t shown any pride or respect for the parade.

The National Puerto Rican Day Parade will be aired on June 13th this year, so while you’re relaxing on Sunday morning, turn on the t.v. to watch good music and beautiful floats. The pride felt from the parade goers will surely inspire you.

How does my writing style fit the periodical?

This newspaper takes a more relaxed tone in it’s writing while continuing to inform the public on important issues. I try and take a tone that will entertain the audience as well as inform the audience when I write the blog, because I feel like that is what the newspaper tries to do. I try and make my titles a little mysterious, because this newspaper uses titles that aren't straightforward so it can draw in an audience. This newspaper is also organized into different categories like: Music, Sports, and Politics. I’ve tried to organize each blog post so that it falls into one of those categories only and not multiple. This newspaper uses pictures in all of its articles to further illustrate what the topic of the article is about. Almost all of the articles are opinion pieces, which would make my blog perfect for the Puerto Rico Herald, since mine is opinion as well. I also try and keep my opinion as objective as possible when I write to make sure I don’t offend anyone from Puerto Rico that might be reading.

Spread the Word!

Little Kariana who is just three years old is one of thousands of Puerto Rican children living in poverty today. Her sister, who is six years old is also another addition to the rising statistic. Their family has recently attempted to get away from the bad economy that has greatly affected Puerto Rico. They have found a way to move to New York, and after three months of being homeless are finally starting to make progress in finding a home. This is only one example of the kind of serious issues children in Puerto Rico are facing each day.

Some of these children are beginning to receive opportunities for chances at better lives than the national average is getting now. Currently, over 58% of the child population is below the poverty line at the age of five. Aside from poverty, issues that are increasing rapidly and greatly influencing and affecting the children of Puerto Rico include: adolescent drinking, suicide and homicide, teenage pregnancy, human trafficking, poor educational outcomes, neglect and abuse. In order to drop the rates and increase the number of children who experience positive life outcomes, the National Council of La Raza (The Race) has teamed up with a program called Kids Count. The project for Puerto Rico is trying to improve the information gap which is the primary factor for why society is getting worse, and not better.


KIDS COUNT is not only in Puerto Rico, but it is a national organization that has different projects attesting to the appropriate needs of individual states. For example, in Puerto Rico, the most imperative issue with children is poverty. I say this because this is the issue that, on average, tends to lead to all the other issues.

So, how do we help?

Through the Casey Family Services Program in Kids Count, volunteers can help provide fostering, life skill services to help families and young teenage parents. It will also help to prevent abuse and neglect. Many people in Puerto Rico do not know that this program is available, therefore many people do not know they can be a part of it and help spread the word. Those who do know about Kids Count need to inform others that can benefit from it.

Another serious issue that celebrity, and Puerto Rican native Ricky Martin is addressing is human trafficking. He says that the island is used as a transit point for smuggled children. While this is a major issue, many natives are unaware of the dangers that it has been bringing to the children. The importance of the status of the children in Puerto Rico must be made known to those in power in the United States so that they can receive help.

Poverty levels are at more than 60% for the entire island, and are at the base for why the greater issues have commenced. If help doesn't reach the Puerto Rican children soon, the numbers will only rise, causing crime and suicide rates to rise as well. The domino effect is evident to parents on the island, but it needs to be made known across the rest of Puerto Rico and the United States.

We need to act now to spread the word.

The New Old Sound of Plena

Artists like Daddy Yankee and Don Omar have made reggaeton, the musical blend of reggae, salsa, meringue and other Latin music influences, a popular form of music in all of North America. Reggaeton became extremely popular in Puerto Rico in the early 1990s and spread like wildfire to the United States with the song “Oye Mi Canto” by Daddy Yankee and Nina Sky in 2004. While other artists and songs were known in some areas of the United States, this song spread nationally and was the first reggaeton song to break the Spanish-English barrier. Despite all the popularity surrounding reggaeton and its artists, there are other forms of music and artists in Puerto Rico who are not getting the recognition they have earned. They need a voice to spread their music and the soul that lies behind it.
Saxophonist Miguel Zanón has recently released a new album based on the classical Puerto Rican plena and for the first time has combined it with the All American jazz sound. Plena is a classic folklore originated in Puerto Rico and rose to popularity in the 1920s.

It uses drums, maracas, tambourines, guiros and other wooded instruments to create a very rhythmic and soulful sound that is native to the island. While it is not gaining popularity in the United States yet, it is regaining its strength in Puerto Rico after modern music like reggaeton had recently taken over. Not only are artists like Miguel Zanón recovering some of Puerto Rico’s nationalism through this type of music, but they are introducing new music to Puerto Ricans, jazz. Despite these two music forms always having similar sounds, they have never been combined before, and artists are beginning to create a new sound, just like what was done with reggaeton, without losing the island’s individuality and roots.
Plena is the music that originated on the streets of the poorest towns in Puerto Rico. It isn’t the type of music that is played in a club where partners can get together and dance to it. This has probably attributed to the loss of interest in such important cultural music. Today, the people of Puerto Rico and the United States want music that they can create their own dances to, such as the “perreo” associated with reggaeton. Dancing associated with plena usually involves line-dancing or large groups gathering to listen to the music more than dance.
Plena is not well-known in the United States, and it lost its popularity in Puerto Rico for some time, but to the natives of the island, the “cool thing” to do is go to a street corner and listen to a man sing and play music with a bottle of rum about the good or bad in his life. With the incorporation of new jazz sounds, artists are hoping to gain the popularity of people all over the world, but they do not need it. The most beautiful thing about this form of music is that the artists are not money-driven. They will not set aside their pride or defy their Puerto Rican roots to satisfy the needs of listeners. Plenazos, as the artists are called, are changing and experimenting new sounds such as jazz to create new traditions for the island so that the music can be preserved for eternity.