Author Julia Alvarez Reads from her New Book

It is a magical moment when a reader can identify with fictional characters in a book.  For many Latinas across the country, authors like Julia Alvarez, Sandra Cisneros, and Ana Castillo to name a few, put into words the lives of young transnational and bi-cultural Latina girls, and the questions and mysteries that many held about what this new country and the country of their parents meant in their lives.

Julia Alvarez has now written her first book of non-fiction, Once Upon a Quinceanera, that details the intricacies of this cultural phenomenon and explains it for Latinos and non-Latinos alike.  Alvarez had a book reading in Washington Heights and the event was hosted by the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance.

Click on the picture to watch a short video of Alvarez’ reading.

“In The Heights” Cast Members Perform in Washington Heights

Since “In The Heights” won the the Tony Award for Best Muscial winning best musical, the cast has been busy showing off their skills.  Click on the picture to watch Janet Dacal and Christopher Jackson perform at the 3rd annual Taste of the Heights food fair.  Lin-Manuel Miranda — the creator, composer, lyricist and lead male role — introduced the pair.

Free posters that were given away at the performance.

Asonahores reacciona ante alerta de EEUU a turistas

SANTO DOMINGO. El vicepresidente ejecutivo de la Asociación Nacional de Hoteles y Restaurantes, Arturo Villanueva, aseguró que tienen “controlado la situación” de delincuencia en los hotels, pero que investigarán la alerta que hace el Departamento de Estado de Estados Unidos a sus ciudadanos sobre el auge de soborno y atraco de que podrían ser víctimas en República Dominicana.

Para mas, clique aqui.

Dominicanos conquistan Broadway

El musical “In The Heights” fue nominada en trece categorías para los precios Tony Awards

SANTO DOMINGO.-La comunidad dominicana de Washington Heights, Nueva York, Estados Unidos espera ansiosamente la premiación de los Tony Awards, los “Oscar” del teatro, este domingo, en el que la obra musical “In The Heights,” que trata sobre la dominicanidad, fue la más nominada a trece categorías incluyendo Mejor Musical, Mejor Música y Letras, Mejor Actor en un Musical y Mejor Escenario.

Más aquí.

Foto courtesía de Joan Marcus

Dominican “DEA” Destroys Drugs

The Dominican National Drug Control Agency, DNCD, burned yesterday approximately $10 millions dollars in pure cocaine, marihuana, heroine and various other illegal substances and paraphenalia seized from people within the island, some caught as they tried to transport the drugs to points outside the country.

Dominican drug control agent stands guard while narcotics burn in the background.

Rafael Radhames Ramirez Ferreira, Mayor General of the DNCD, said that with more resources many more drugs could be off the street.

Normally, the drugs that enter the country are brought by boat from Colombia or land from Haiti and “are for exportation.” Drugs that had tested negative for cocaine but which dealers attempted to sell in the southern region of the country, like the provinces of Azua and Bani, were also destroyed.

Fernandez inaugurates Latin American economic conference

SANTO DOMINGO. Dominican President Leonel Fernandez addressed members and participants of the 32nd Session of the Economic Comisión for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) this week and attributed some of the current global economic woes to the growth China and India, and the lack of regulation of Wall Street investment banks.

Dominican President Leonel Fernandez talks to other Latin Americans the global economy.

The energy crisis which has caused havoc on food prices coupled with climate concerns “threaten the political stability of nations” said President Fernandez at the inaugural ceremony Tuesday morning at the Hilton Hotel in Santo Domingo.

Fernandez also raised questions about the trade in crude oil futures that take place after the New York markets close that have created a “self-feeding frenzy” when traders buy and sell futures without a connection to the actual price of crude.

“The lack of regulation over investment banks’ purchases of futures is creating political and economic tensions,” Fernandez said.

Further, Fernandez urged the creation of a global solidarity fund that would receive 0.7 percent of the gross domestic product from the developed countries who committed themselves to contribute in Copenhagen in 1995, but “with the exception of a few countries have yet to do so.”

First came the flood, then the metro

The recent overflows of the Isabela River flooded the homes of the residents of La Zurza in the northeast region of the capital city of the Dominican Republic. Now the threat for residents, who have chosen to return to the water’s edge, comes from the construction of the roadway adjacent to the new metro line, which the city plans to place on the same land.

OPRET begins to build in La Zurza. Courtesy: AT/Diario Libre

The Office for the Reordering of Public Transportation, known locally as OPRET, stated that 176 families would be relocated to new homes being built near the site. However, the residents in La Zurza worry that recent delays in the construction of the apartment buildings mean that they will not have safer homes in time before the first wave of tropical storms hit the island.

Meanwhile, the non-profit agency, Institute for Integral Dominican Development, IDDI, announced the investment of $40 million pesos for workshops to teach residents of vulnerable areas about emergency preparedness had begun. The strategies, which have already begun to take place in La Zurza, include a siren and evacuation system managed by the residents themselves.

Meeting Tackles 181st Gridlock

Imagine 181st Street clear of buses and parked cars. Imagine a bike lane. Imagine clean air.

A group of Washington Heights residents, most who live near the busy street, met with representatives of the Department of Transportation, the Metropolitan Transit Authority and an urban planning consulting firm to brainstorm solutions to reduce congestion.

Click here for the .pdf of the article published in the Manhattan Times.

Brownsville: Blessed with a Bad Location

The More Things Change the More they Stay the Same

While fancy coffee shops dot many city streets, neither chic restaurants nor glass-covered high rises have made their way into the far edges of Brooklyn. In a neighborhood where boarded windows remind residents of hard times, a little gentrification in Brownsville may not be that bad.

Gang life a reality for Brownsville residents.

Academic Pushes for Study on Dominican Spending

At a conference last year,  two Latina researchers met and exchanged an idea that could change the lives of all Dominicans living in the United States.

See Manhattan Times article published here.