Callá' but doing okay - alcohol, Johnny Depp, and homocide

As you've noticed and as I keep referencing, I've been real busy. I kind of went in over my head this semester and I guess it's showing. Anyways, I've missed a whole lot. Aníbal going free, for example. I haven't touched the Elvis Crespo masturbating scandal because... well... it squicks me out.

But I'm taking a moment to share a couple things. First off, Johnny Depp is in Puerto Rico, meeting fans while filming The Rum Diaries. I've read the book and I'm really interested in seeing how Puerto Rico is represented in the movie, especially considering the time that's passed. I'm not a big Johnny Depp fan (and occasionally feel like I'm the only person in the world who feels that way) but... I don't know. I'm an optimist but I don't trust celebrities, so...

Anyways, more seriously, Gil the Jenius has calculated that Puerto Rico's murder rate, if taken from the U.S. rate which encompasses the island, would be the 7th highest in the world. Yikes! It seems a little high still... I don't know. Definitely a must read.

Nación nómada - Nomad Nation

El Nuevo Día has got an interesting article up at the moment about Puerto Rican migration. Today's level could potentially overcome that of the 40's and 50's--which wouldn't surprise me one bit. With the economy of the moment hitting Puerto Rico even harder than it is the U.S., I'm sure we could easy reach unprecedented levels of migration soon. This migration wave is very different though, as the article points out. Skilled, educated workers are unable to find jobs on the island and are accepting offers on the mainland instead. Worth reading.

Word of the Week: El Difícil, and Puerto Rico does not speak English

Sometimes it seems near impossible to find people who won't speak to you in English on the island: one tiny whiff of gringo-ness and you may find yourself having to explain in your native tongue* that no, you don't know their second cousin living in the state adjacent to yours. But the truth is that plenty of people of don't speak English well on the island. I was particularly interested in this article which claims that an entire 137 potential jury members couldn't serve in the jury for the famous Aníbal case (still ongoing, of course) because their English wasn't at an appropriate level.

They make some interesting points in the article, mostly because they start drifting into politics in a way they normally avoid. Honestly it reads more like something I'd write than something produced by El Nuevo Día based on the positions they take, surprisingly.

La mayoría de los que saben inglés en el país pertenecen a la clase media y alta, mientras que la inmensa mayoría del país es de la clase pobre, subrayó el antropólogo Jorge Duany.

“La distribución de las destrezas lingüísticas en inglés está mal distribuida, la mayoría de las personas que lo hablan vienen de escuelas privadas, donde se enseña inglés como único idioma. Esto crea un discrimen por razón de clase, porque sólo la clase media y alta pueden pagar por el colegio donde enseñan en inglés”, expresó Duany.

Las razones que explican el escaso dominio del inglés en la Isla incluyen las deficiencias en la enseñanza pública; la poca migración de estadounidenses hacia la Isla, distinto de Texas y Hawai, donde el inglés no es la lengua original; y que en la vida cotidiana en Puerto Rico no hace falta inglés, dijo Duany. Además, en Puerto Rico ha habido una resistencia lingüística, porque en la primera mitad del siglo XX se trató de imponer el inglés como idioma de enseñanza.

“El español se ha visto como un símbolo de la identidad puertorriqueña”, dijo Duany.

The majority of those who speak English in Puerto Rico belong to the upper and middle classes, while the country is mostly comprised of the lower class, emphasized the anthropologist Jorge Duany.

"The distribution of linguistic skills isn't even; the majority of people who speak [English] come from private schools, where English is taught as the only language [as in all the classes are taught in English]. This creates class discrimination, because only upper and middle classes can pay for schools that teach in English," Duany expressed.

The reasons for scarcity of the command of English on the island include deficiencies in public education; the lack of American migration to the island, unlike Texas and Hawaii, where English is also not the original language; and that English isn't necessary for daily life in Puerto Rico, said Duany. Additionally, there has been a linguistic resistance in Puerto Rico because in the first half of the 20th century the U.S. attempted to impose English as the language of all education on the island.

"Spanish has been seen as a symbol of Puerto Rican identity," said Duany.

Along with this point the scholar Jorge Duany makes (shoddily translated by yours truly--although to be fair some of the writing wasn't too great), I'd like to point out something in the title--"el difícil".

El difícil (literally "the difficult one") is a Puerto Rican term coined to describe English. I think the term is very telling, especially in this context: while no other countries have similar nicknames for English (as far as I know; fill me in if you know anything), Puerto Rico, due to its uneasy and persistent relationship with English, has nicknamed it in a way that reflects its position as an obstacle, rather than a method of ascension (professionally, socially, politically, or otherwise)--while it can be used that way, more often than not it isn't.

Anyways... I'm not really sure where I'm going with this and it's getting a little longer than I'd like, so I'll cut it off here. Comments, criticisms, and the like are, as always, welcome.

* This occasionally happens to Puerto Ricans as well if they happen to seem like gringos for whatever reason, despite having lived their whole lives on the island. So don't take it too hard if it happens to you.

Pretty much the most ridiculous thing I've seen all day

This one really takes the cake: Mayagüez politicians are suggesting funding a search for sunken treasure in order to pay for the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games. Now I understand the importance of hosting this, but the chances of them pulling this off are slim. I mean, come on now!

A triumphant return and disheartening news

Well, I'm back. Perhaps reluctantly... I was in Ecuador all this time and had a great time. It was impressive how many times I got questioned about the accent ("Where are you from, exactly?" or better yet, "How come you look like a complete gringa but you have this crazy accent? What's that about?"). I must admit though that the fruit is significantly better in Puerto Rico, even if it was good in Ecuador; I noticed a huge difference with papaya and mango especially.

I'm updating for a more somber reason, however. I was shocked to see Puerto Rico make the front page of the news the other day; I was even more shocked to find out why. As most people probably know, a 6-person plane coming from the Dominican Republic crashed into the ocean near Quebradillas. Of course as soon as the victims' names were revealed, showing (I believe) all of them to be Puerto Rican, the news disappeared. I'm not really sure this is a coincidence. Anyways, they've just decided to suspend the search today, since it has been so far fruitless. Many sympathies to the families of the victims for their losses.

First, however, one more thing...

I forgot I was going to link to this article which showed up on the front page of the Washington Post about a new bilingual production of West Side Story. Unfortunately I won't be able to see it anytime soon to comment on the quality of the show, but undoubtedly it is a great move to make for everyone involved.

Also, Obama has sent an interesting letter to Fortuño (who just officially became governor) which El Nuevo Dia has generously (or not) posted online here. Interesting...

Spanish food in San Juan

The Washington Post had an article this weekend about Spanish food in San Juan. Glance it over perhaps? It's a little too much octopus for my taste I think...

And some somber news...

To follow that last upbeat post, apparently there has been a plane accident in El Yunque, killing the pilot and two (American) passengers. Q.E.P.D.

... huh?!

Aníbal has got 15 of the 24 charges against him dropped. Really? How...?

I'm just going to keep looking at the pictures of girls trying to win a Taíno beauty pageant instead (along with another article by Damien Cave--seems he's in Puerto Rico for now, seeing as this is the second article by him in the last couple of days about the island).

Luis Fortuño, Obama, and the problems of Puerto Rico today

Damien Cave has written an interesting article about Fortuño's victory in the New York Times, but I thought I'd argue a few points, particularly since there wasn't anywhere to comment on the article as far as I could see.

First off, I thought the opening was very telling:

Republicans in Washington cheered when Luis G. Fortuño, one of their own, was elected governor of Puerto Rico on Nov. 4. But here on the island, where American affiliations are often worn and dropped like accessories, he now describes his victory as Obamaesque.

But then begin the understatements:

Mr. Fortuño emphasized in an interview that “cambio,” or “change,” had been his slogan since 2006. And like President-elect Barack Obama, Mr. Fortuño said the economy would be Job 1 for his administration, managed with a youthful nonpartisan approach.

Not only that, but there were blatant accusations that Fortuño had stolen a great deal of his campaign from Obama, in particular his website layout, which looked admittedly very much like Obama's. And Puerto Ricans were hearing as much about "change" as we were. From a distance they could have been the same campaign.

The recession now emerging in places like Florida and Ohio has been a fact of life in Puerto Rico for three years. Unemployment has climbed to nearly 12 percent. Taxes have gone up, purchasing power has declined, and the island’s roughly four million residents are unlikely to be patient with their new leader.

Very true and yet doesn't nearly begin to describe the problem. The unemployment rate? That's the official number--it is in reality significantly higher and has been for a long time. Taxes have gone up in the sense that the IVU/sales tax didn't exist until a couple years ago. Certainly purchasing power has declined--and it was already terrible enough. Something this quotation and really the rest of the article ignores is that, even more than all these factors, Puerto Rico's economy is dramatically affected by the American economy, and anything felt in the States is felt at least twice as strong on the island. It's hard, then, for us to find all the causes of the current problem on the island itself, and harder still to expect a politician to be able to solve the problem without the U.S. improving its own economy... no matter what Luis Fortuño thinks.

However, I would still encourage him to try to do as much as possible, of course. No sense in giving up.

Another problem the article correctly points out:

The structural challenges are immense. Government here plays an outsize role, employing 20 percent to 30 percent of workers on the island, and it is on the verge of bankruptcy. The current administration said this week that it would end the year with a $2 billion budget deficit. One official suggested it was struggling to make payroll, and some institutions — like the Center for Puerto Rican Studies — already report that they have not received government money they are owed.

Luis Fortuño, however, has come up with a solution that I (and others) fear is not really going to solve anything:

Specifically, he said he would institute a hiring freeze that would, with attrition, lead to a 3 percent to 5 percent cut in government staffing annually and save $1.5 billion in four years. He has also turned to the private sector for cabinet-level posts, and called on wealthy business owners to invest more on the island.

Yes, you'll get rid of some employees, but then where do they go? Which is a bigger problem, the government being too large of an employer or unemployment? While yes, I agree that something must be done, is now really the time? These people are not going to be able to find a job as even more companies and their factories leave the island. It's not mentioned in the article if Fortuño has some way of magically attracting businesses, but it'd be really irresponsible to just ignore the people who won't get a job or will lose a job.

Despite laying out all the problems, there's still optimism expressed by the interviewees. I find it kind of hard to believe. After all the cynicism in this last election... well, we'll see, I suppose. What other choice do we have?

Just a couple of links

First, I found this blog post with photos of Puerto Rican graffiti, which I thought was pretty cool. According to my own limited travel experience I can safely say that Puerto Rico doesn't really have too much graffiti, but it's interesting nonetheless!

And, keeping up with the political trend, El Nuevo Día has an article about how the Obama and Fortuño administrations can find common ground. It seems as though new Resident Commissioner Pierluisi, a democrat, might be the key. We'll see...

Reggaetón and the election

If you've been around enough, you'll know that I've been kind of uneasily eying reggaetón's encroachment on the presidential election. Anyways, from the author of the blog Post Pomo Nuyorican Homo comes a great explanation and analysis of everything going on lately. It's a fascinating topic and I encourage everyone to check it out!

Columbus Day

Today is Columbus Day. I would write about it, I suppose, but I'm sure there are others who will write about it more eloquently than I. For starters, here's a column by the author of Cave of the Jagua about how to reconcile with the holiday as a Catholic. Not that I endorse his views, but it does raise a couple interesting questions (at least for me).

Puerto Rico = Iraq?

In other, slightly more pleasant news (I suppose), Bayamón is turning into Iraq for some new movie by George Clooney called "Men Who Stare At Goats" (don't ask me, it's about terrorism or something).

... nothing exciting, but definitely more than a little strange...

You'd think Daddy Yankee would know better than to get even more involved in politics...

While El Nuevo Día frivolously concerns itself with what he should wear, I am amazed that somehow Daddy Yankee is again getting involved with politics. Apparently he's going to be moderating the debate between the 5 candidates for governor along with some model named Yizette Cifredo.

La presencia de Daddy Yankee reconfirma que la política se ha vertido en parte del espectáculo mediático y en ese sentido se justifica la intervención de figuras de la cultura popular, explicó Roche.
Daddy Yankee's presence reconfirms that politics have partly turned into a media spectacle and in this sense the intervention of popular cultural figures is justified, explained Roche.

I agree completely. Except that this professor seems to be all right with this, and I'm not.

It's already hard enough to take politicians seriously, particularly on the island where one has just been arrested and one of the candidates (Aníbal, of course) for the governorship is facing huge problems as well. And so they choose someone who, aside from his reggaetón credentials, is already known for either not caring for Puerto Rican politics by deferring his attention to the presidential election or for being hopelessly ignorant of the fact that he can't vote in both. I'm pretty sure he's aware that he can't be involved in both, so I think it's safe to say that his endorsement of McCain was, aside from whatever purposes it had in swaying the American Latino population, a giant "screw you" to the Puerto Rican elections and all the political limitations of residence in the island. That is reason enough to not let him get anywhere near the upcoming Puerto Rican elections.

I don't know, guys. I'm baffled.

20 more years of flooded streets?!

Puerto Rico anticipates 20 more years of flooded streets

PONCE, Puerto Rico (AP) — The director of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it will take another 20 years before it can control Puerto Rico's infamous flooding problem because no money is available.

Jose Manuel Rosado says more than $1 billion is needed for flood-control projects.

He says he anticipates the U.S. government will pay for at least four projects that will cost up to US$20 million each. He says the majority of San Juan, however, remains vulnerable to flooding.

His comments come as Puerto Rico struggles to repair roads and clean homes after it rained 24 inches (61 centimeters) in one day.

Rosado made the comments Saturday during an interview with Catholic Radio of Ponce.

Seriously, what? "There's a problem but there's nothing we can do about it so let's just not do anything!" Why did they even put up this article? It's not shocking enough to scare anyone (if anyone reading even cares about Puerto Rico anyways) and doesn't propose any solutions, not even suggestions for the people who might be faced with flooding due to the problem. It's useless!

Say it ain't so, Héctor el Father!

According to El Nuevo Día, reggaetonero Héctor el Father has decided to devote his life to Jesus and retire from reggaetón. (Those of you who are lost at this point, stick with me)

Wha-a-a-at?

Not only did Héctor el Father (formerly known as Héctor el Bambino... guess he grew up) have a large role in the reggaetón genre, he also was a producer for a lot of other reggaetoneros. So his presence will be missed.

If you were a fan, he's having a farewell concert the 25th of October in the Choliseo (you can get tickets on ticketpop.com). For those of us who can't really make it to the island then (or--ahem--don't really care), you can just watch the Dale Castigo video over and over again. Warning: it's a little strong.

Back from the island

Well, I've returned from the island, only a few hours after the near collision of two jets just north of San Juan. Yikes! (and yes, Petchie, that meant that I was probably at the airport the same time as you! But we got there later, I think a bit after your flight left... unless you were on our flight, in which case... whoops! Either way, I missed you)

Anyways, this trip was different... almost.

• No one spoke to me in English... almost. Actually, English-wise (or lack of) this was one of the best. Everyone I talked to defaulted to Spanish, which was great. I'm not sure what was so different about this time... let this be encouragement for everyone who keeps hearing English on the island--you can do it!
• I didn't see any cockroaches... almost. The only ones I saw were outside, which I don't mind--except that I was outside at the time and they were huge. Gross! But they weren't inside the house, which is what counts. Those of you living there know that cockroaches are in your house, no matter how clean it is. It's just a fact of life. So not seeing any was quite an unexpected and pleasant surprise.
• I didn't get any bugbites... almost. I didn't start getting any until a couple days before I left. Since then, I've gotten a lot, though. Worst part is, they're all mostly on my face. Bizarre, right? They're even on my lips. Ugh! Apparently gringo skin is just too tasty... or maybe they're trying to tell me something.

The trip other than that was pretty uneventful. I didn't get too many pictures but most of the ones I do have are pretty useful so I'll be using them in posts later.

By the way--I know a lot of you have been leaving comments for me. I really do appreciate it. I'm sorry I haven't been able to reply to all of them as of yet. I know I've gotten a few requests from people on some older posts and I honestly haven't been able to find answers. Sorry! Anyways, keep commenting, because I have been reading and a lot of you are adding interesting information that is really important. Thanks a lot to everyone!

Props to El Nuevo Día...

... for posting this on the main page.

Yes, that's right, it says, "Thirst for vengeance". That plus that particular photo is just genius.

Between this, Ricky Martin's twins which he fathered through a surrogate mother, and the corpse that was kept standing up for the wake, the media has been having a field day.

Sad news...

I'm only being slightly sarcastic.

Daddy Yankee's film "Talento de Barrio" is now the Puerto Rican to sell the most tickets in a single day, passing the internationally acclaimed "Maldeamores", it seems.

Despite the complaining, I'm not actually anti-Daddy Yankee. Actually, I have a decent amount of respect for him for his role in the reggaetón genre. And I'll probably watch this movie at some point, just to see if it's decent. Those numbers are just disappointing though.