tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84843579753825432032025-10-25T02:39:32.868-04:00Efrainortizjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788334730740765518noreply@blogger.comBlogger350125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484357975382543203.post-70734507186576357832013-04-24T22:25:00.000-04:002019-06-02T11:42:44.315-04:00

While it has been some time since I have posted here, it has not been for lack of interest nor abandon. I have given a great amount of thought to and decided that it was time to move on. It has been a pleasure providing you this information and my opinions. Thank you.

Efrainortizjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788334730740765518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484357975382543203.post-28670171651435373362012-11-09T20:20:00.004-05:002012-12-08T17:15:06.628-05:00

Puerto Rican politics can be very complicated business. You can sit at the dinner table with family and there will be someone for statehood, another for commonwealth and yet another for independence.  The myriad of reasons for each is enough to make for a complex algorithm. There is never an easy answer. The most recent plebiscite (the fourth since 1967) proves that, Puerto Ricans, are

Efrainortizjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788334730740765518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484357975382543203.post-70317610017784130722012-10-21T21:03:00.000-04:002012-11-03T12:56:37.499-04:00

What is it about national pride that brings out a glow in people? That deeply embedded sentiment of belonging to something great. A reflection of your very being. I pondered this thought as the 2012 Summer Olympics were played. I quietly watched and digested the pride of the Puerto Rican athletes as they competed in various sports. And then, there was this feeling of contradiction. Puerto

Efrainortizjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788334730740765518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484357975382543203.post-14407314513457157942012-09-01T14:09:00.000-04:002012-09-03T14:24:02.537-04:00

Of Ballots And Bullets by Vagabond /August 28, 2012 / Originally published on #nothingtobegainedhere Ballots & Bullets Revolver X by vagabond © “Political power comes out of the barrel of a gun.” – Mao Zedong It’s (s)election season again in the United States Of America… Every four years when it comes time for the US to choose a president i’m reminded of Malcolm X

Efrainortizjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788334730740765518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484357975382543203.post-16835763506989300762012-06-09T08:12:00.000-04:002012-06-09T08:12:00.405-04:00

When one envisions a Caribbean island, one envisions palm trees, sandy beaches with clear ocean waters and a vibrant sunshine. A vacation on an island as such can be the escape from the mundane feeling, the stress and every day anxiety that work brings. A much needed vacation where one can relax, release and play. It is there where one is devoid of the fact that just beyond the next palm tree

Efrainortizjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788334730740765518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484357975382543203.post-45723749931098628682012-06-03T08:00:00.000-04:002012-06-06T19:35:39.933-04:00

What will become of Puerto Rico? In a recent conversation with a friend, I asked the question, "What are your sentiments toward the current Governor of Puerto Rico and where do you believe the island is going?" I asked this question because he was born and raised on the island yet currently lives and works in NYC. He owns a home in Puerto Rico and travels there extensively and his children

Efrainortizjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788334730740765518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484357975382543203.post-59403276916698265552012-06-01T09:15:00.000-04:002012-09-03T14:20:37.673-04:00

A Rose in Spanish Harlem Three Characters in One: East Harlem - Spanish Harlem - El Barrio © By Alberto O. Cappas A Rose in Spanish Harlem Hiding in exile until it becomes all clear A community Divided unto itself by itself with itself While other cultures make themselves at home We stay inside Like Lobsters in a barrow Managed by a social service

Efrainortizjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788334730740765518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484357975382543203.post-28795931040214228502012-05-29T00:13:00.001-04:002012-05-29T21:58:02.891-04:00

Greetings with Much Respect and Love, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Puerto Rican people in PR and in the diaspora for the support you have given me during the past 31 years. I also want to express the same gratitude to the freedom and justice loving people in the U.S. and in different parts of the world for the solidarity they’ve shared with me. The support I’ve received

Efrainortizjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788334730740765518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484357975382543203.post-60021601410221669372012-05-20T22:54:00.000-04:002012-05-22T20:15:50.600-04:00

There are at least two sides to every story. When it comes to the history of Puerto Rico there are many stories. The same same can be said of its many patriots and their long fervor-ed stance against imperialistic might. On September 23, 2005, the anniversary of El Grito de Lares, in the town of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico, the home of Filiberto Ojeda Rios was surrounded by FBI agents. After

Efrainortizjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788334730740765518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484357975382543203.post-42041053861458028612012-03-17T11:31:00.000-04:002012-03-17T11:54:36.245-04:00

Maybe he's a bit late to the table. Or rather, Rick Santorum never made it to classroom. Wait, even if he did he would not have learned much about Puerto Rico anyway. Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood Carlos Diaz, 84, reads local newspaper El Vocero with a front page depicting both Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum and a headline reading, "The National Battle

Efrainortizjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788334730740765518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484357975382543203.post-11253865332263280442012-03-09T13:49:00.000-05:002012-03-09T14:02:42.080-05:00

The Imaginary Nation by Vagabond /March 8, 2012 / Originally published on #nothingtobegainedhere Rufina Santos Mateo Birth Certificate by vagabond © the imaginary nation (for Rufina and Moises Santos and Lisa Sanchez González) legal immigrant puerto ricans never needed a green card or naturalization papers based on the technicality of yankee colonialism

Efrainortizjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788334730740765518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484357975382543203.post-20724018262242568572012-02-22T09:16:00.000-05:002012-02-22T09:16:00.163-05:00

God Is Not American by Vagabond /February 19, 2012 / Originally published on #nothingtobegainedhere God Is Not American by vagabond © god is not american this is not a test of the emergency broadcast system this is a real emergency we interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you this breaking news as a public service announcement for american voters

Efrainortizjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788334730740765518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484357975382543203.post-90765292594971166292012-02-18T00:03:00.000-05:002012-02-20T21:43:40.768-05:00

Juan Boria was born in Dorado, Puerto Rico on February 17, 1905. He started his primary education in his hometown, continued in the neighboring town of Toa Baja and completed high school in Santurce, in 1923. He attended the University of Puerto Rico, where he received a Masters in Industrial Arts, Drawing and Carpentry. In 1968, after 37 years of teaching carpentry, drawing and bookbinding, he

Efrainortizjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788334730740765518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484357975382543203.post-54298116919142088052012-02-11T14:31:00.000-05:002012-02-11T15:41:17.885-05:00

What is there that can't be understood about the Puerto Rico status issue? I believed that even the most educated have their blind sides and the Governor of Puerto Rico, Luis G. Fortuño, has proven that time and time again. As of late, he is quoted as saying,  Translation: "I want Puerto Rico to eventually be a state but it doesn't bother me if it remains a territory for a while, that,

Efrainortizjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788334730740765518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484357975382543203.post-43371850399577689912012-02-02T21:25:00.000-05:002012-02-04T16:21:58.465-05:00

One Mans Terrorist Is Another Mans Revolutionary by Vagabond /February 1, 2012 / Originally published on #nothingtobegainedhere -Another Mans Revolutionary by vagabond © “One mans terrorist, is another mans revolutionary.” - Moises Pagan Santos (my grandfather)  “In our communique number 2 we warned the North American government that to terrorize and kill our people would

Efrainortizjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788334730740765518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484357975382543203.post-89381096822262227642012-01-27T21:48:00.000-05:002012-01-28T17:56:16.564-05:00

Luis G. Fortuño, the quintessential poster boy of America's Republican candidates looking for the Latino vote or simply, Puerto Rico's Governor. The same guy who has been hailed for cutting government expenditures and improving government on the colony, although, Moody's just said: "Outlook is Negative Based on the Commonwealth's Outlook".  Strategically, having Fortuño by their side

Efrainortizjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788334730740765518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484357975382543203.post-65389615790307620172012-01-23T22:39:00.001-05:002012-02-04T16:23:48.953-05:00

Right on the heels of the 'Work It' controversy comes some unnecessary and misguiding diatribe of Puerto Rico. Yes, diatribe. I'll point out several reasons why this piece gets it all wrong and shows the lack of knowledge, about Puerto Rico, the writer has. First, the island that doesn't exist, exists more than as a physical presence. Where it doesn't exist is in an American society which

Efrainortizjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788334730740765518noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484357975382543203.post-16133268554107565572012-01-22T23:29:00.003-05:002012-01-23T18:19:41.547-05:00

by Ed Morales Okay, maybe it’s not fair to trash the whole Huffington Post Latino Voices “channel” or whatever it is, but this "opinion" piece or whatever it is, might in some ways be worse than the sight of Amaury Nolasco in a dress. I will refrain from calling this an example of a blowhard dilettante choosing to dump on Puerto Rico in the same condescending way generations of blowhard

Efrainortizjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788334730740765518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484357975382543203.post-3990269977964664812012-01-12T15:00:00.000-05:002012-01-16T13:36:55.387-05:00

Is it the roar that comes before the real battle? Is it that intense feeling in the pit of the stomach before the real fight? The controversial line in the debut of ABC's 'Work It' that set off that roar and intense feeling may be just what is needed to bring some attention, outside of the island, to the surmounting problems afflicting it. Nonetheless, it shouldn't be brushed off as just some '

Efrainortizjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788334730740765518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484357975382543203.post-28643920772501678112012-01-10T12:51:00.000-05:002012-02-04T16:24:53.238-05:00

Dr. Manuel Zeno Gandía, physician and writer, was born on January 10, 1855 in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. He studied and graduated in the fields of medicine and surgery in Madrid, Spain. While devoted to his practice as a doctor, he also immersed himself in journalism, politics and literature. In 1894,  Zeno Gandía published the Puerto Rican novel, La Charca (The Pond). In 1898 the

Efrainortizjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788334730740765518noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484357975382543203.post-72233894665744644012012-01-08T14:19:00.000-05:002012-01-16T13:41:25.883-05:00

Flashback...to 1989, season 9, episode 176 of the television series, Seinfeld, "The Puerto Rican Day Parade". In this particular episode, we find the crew heading home early from a Mets game where they encounter heavy traffic due the the Annual Puerto Rican Day Parade. Nothing spectacular but the usual occurrences for a Seinfeld episode until a scene with an angry mob of

Efrainortizjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788334730740765518noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484357975382543203.post-69106967002336758952012-01-06T15:40:00.000-05:002012-02-04T16:26:23.760-05:00

A dream, held at arms length but never quite obtainable; never promised but made to seem achievable. For well over 100 years the dream has been on sale, it has been bought over and over again but, then again, never quite sold. Leaving a homeland behind, for many, seemed like the only viable option and coming to closeness with ever achieving that dream. From writer and director, Vagabond Beaumont

Efrainortizjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788334730740765518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484357975382543203.post-58836210438748149142012-01-02T07:55:00.000-05:002012-01-02T13:15:17.368-05:00

Happy New Year!...or to better associate the phrase with the following video, Feliz Año Nuevo! It isn't so much about the new year though. The video exemplifies a problem on the Caribbean colony of Puerto Rico. The gun shots heard in the the background are akin to a war zone. It is the ease by which so many can obtain firearms in a society where the unemployment rate hovers at just below

Efrainortizjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788334730740765518noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484357975382543203.post-45832281853125978462011-12-31T23:59:00.000-05:002012-01-02T21:36:47.076-05:00

Some days this all feels as if it is beginning to wither away. As if it is becoming a thing of the past. Do I question my inner self? Is it that I'm feeling less Puerto Rican today than I did yesterday? Is that desire to share my opinion, culture and history taking a back seat to the beckoning call of this pack rat society vested in keeping up with the  Joneses? Is my desire to convey

Efrainortizjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788334730740765518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484357975382543203.post-31773133277414418702011-12-28T10:50:00.001-05:002011-12-28T10:56:07.673-05:00

by Julito Varela / December 27, 2011 The Luis Fortuño GOP VP Campaign Train is buzzing along, and The Huffington Post is the latest US media outlet to join on this bizarre public relations campaign to promote Puerto Rico’s Republican governor. In a HuffPost piece entitled A Republican Primer on Latino Voters by Gretchen Sierra-Zorita of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, the

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