Mike Kamber, renowned photojournalist and Melrose resident, is currently on assignment in Iraq reporting on the close of the Iraqi War. His latest entry in the New York Times is a bittersweet chronology of emotions during that time spent covering the seemingly endless battles, deaths and all the ills that go along with war.
Kamber has put his life on the line one too many times during these past 8 years simply to ensure that the world sees firsthand, through his eyes, or lense if you will, the atrocities of armed conflict. >
Just this morning, a little over an hour ago he reported that, “63 dead in baghdad today, coordinated bombings across the city. nearly impossible to work. if cameras were bombs, this place would be completely safe. can’t even shoot from the hip” on his facebook page.
In an expected move by many, the United States Supreme Court decided not to listen to a case that has been rolling around for well over a decade according to the Daily News.
Bronx Household of Faith v Board of Education of the City of New York tackles the ever so delicate balance of separation of church and state. The case is about the use of New York City public schools by religious groups as a space for Sunday worship.
The Bronx is often referred to as God’s Country due to the plethora houses of worship scattered throughout the borough.
Our founding fathers intended and fought for the separation of church from our government but how far do we have to go to protect that? Bronx Household of Faith and other religious leaders argue that the buildings are not in use on Sundays and wouldn’t interfere with the schools’ main function.
In what is the ever changing face of the Bronx, a synagogue, Temple Emanuel, has closed after almost 80 years of service to the Jewish community and beyond of Parkchester.
Hard to believe but at one point, the Bronx boasted the largest Jewish population of the 5 boroughs. A drive, walk or a ride on the El will surely take you past a dozen or so of former synagogues now mostly serving various Christian denominations. Now, the great borough to the north is home to a predominantly Latino population.
Our sincerest sympathies are with the congregation of Temple Emanuel of Parkchester on the closing of their house of worship in what must be a sad and difficult day for the community.
Check out Dan Beekman’s article on the closure of Temple Emanuel of Parkchester.
The borough’s latest cultural center will officially open this weekend with an exhibit dedicated to fallen photo documentarian, Tim Hetherington, at the Bronx Documentary Center in Melrose.
Tim Hetherington was killed while doing what he loved: documenting the realities of war and disseminating the truth to the world and this weekend’s exhibition will focus on just that. >
Check out the post below by Mike Lambert of the New York Times and owner of the Bronx Documentary Center.
The Bronx Documentary Center is located at 614 Courtlandt Avenue at the corner of East 151st Street in the Melrose section of the Bronx. The Center is easily accessible by public transportation such as the 2 and 5 express trains to 3rd Avenue / 149th Street, more than half a dozen bus lines and major highways.
Although you may not have heard much about Occupy Wall Street in mainstream media, except that it’s a “loosely organized band of hippies without direction”, this movement is close to Bronxites’ hearts whether or not they know it. If you are unemployed, this is for you. If you ARE employed but barely surviving, this is for you. If you have children in public schools, this is for you. If you are a homeowner who is suffering from unscrupulous tactics by mortgage bankers and brokers, this is for you. If you are hungry, this is for you.
You see where I’m going with this?
As the borough that is home to the poorest congressional district in the nation, what our fellow citizens in Wall Street are protesting against is about us. But you see, it goes beyond the Bronx, beyond the city, state and region. This is a movement that is for everyone regardless of your race, creed or color. Whether you are as left leaning as a hippy dancing in the mud during Woodstock or ultra conservative Tea Party patriot waving our flag proudly, this is for you.
For decades, Wall Street has run this nation of hours through big corporations spending millions of dollars a year on “purchasing” politicians. Why else would we spend trillions on bailing out banks and Wall Street and not our schools? When will it end?
How is this a fair and just society when a teacher pays more taxes than General Electric? The people have grown tired and are slowly awakening to the realities of how this country has been run for profit not for its people.
You are the 99% who is ruled by the elite 1% who owns the wealth in this nation. It is time that we, the majority, take control of our future, our country and tell Wall Street and our government that the buck stops here.
Support the moment, educate yourself on the issues and be wary of what you see and read in big media for they are censoring this movement. Censorship only occurs when the powers that be become afraid of those they enslave.
A great alternative to shopping at your local supermarkets for fruits and veggies is your local farmers market.
What better way to learn more about your favorite greens and fruits than from those who grow them for you?
I’ve found that farmers LOVE to talk about their produce and answer questions you may have.
For a list of a green market near you check out GrowNYC. You can shop at these markets 6 days a week in the Bronx!
… of Yankee Stadium, local young men make use of an outdoor gym flexing their muscles as a peacock shows off its plumes. “Look at me! I’m strong!” says the pose of one young man while the other says, “I’m dope; all the mamis will be all over this.”
24 hours after the “Great” East Coast Earthquake of 2011 we are left with the “what if” questions. What if it was in New York? What would I do or should do? Am I prepared for an emergency? The answer to that last question would probably be a resounding NO for most newyorkers.
Immediately following the 20 to 30 second rumble, our cell phone network failed due to overloaded circuits. In this modern era that is simply unacceptable. We need a reliable cellphone network that will keep on chugging during an actual disaster so that help can get to those in need and peace of mind can be had by loved ones. We also have to remember that construction codes in New York do not call for any sort of earthquake proofing, etc.
Then there is the question of what to do in case of an earthquake. We’re not Californians – it’s not second nature for us. Do most of you know that if you find yourself indoors during an earthquake you’re safer staying indoors than running out and risking getting hit by falling debris?
If you haven’t done so already, please take the time and look over the following tips from FEMA and be in the know.
Gun Hill Road, a film by fellow Bronxite Rashaad Ernesto Green, is a tale full of raw emotions and angst surrounding a father come home after a three year stint in jail and a family who has moved on and continued to live their lives without him. A wife, played by Bronx born Judy Reyes, who found a replacement for a husband who spent more time on the streets and in and out of jail and a son who is finally expressing his true identity – that as Vanessa and not as a male as the father remembers him before being sent to prison.
Enrique, the father played by Esai Morales, is immediately confronted with the harsh reality of being absent from his family for so long and how life isn’t as plug and play as we may want it to be. Esai’s performance as the quintessential “machista” is as real as it gets. Often times I found myself so immersed in his storyline that it felt like I was not at the movies but watching it unfold at a local park. The banter between his friends, always pushing and testing his manhood as alive as the same scenes I witness daily at the corner bodega.
The dynamic between Enrique and his son Michael aka Vanessa, played by transgendered actress Harmony Santana (don’t forget to read NYTimes piece on Harmony) , is authentic and never seems fake and heart wrenching at times. Enrique’s disappointed with his son’s choice of gender and how he desperately tries to “fix” Michael leaves us feeling sorry for both of them.
Harmony gives us one of the most beautiful scenes in the movie when he is transforming from Michael into Vanessa. It is only as Vanessa – his real self, that he truly seems alive. He metamorphoses into a jubilant human being from the sad and forced happiness that he endures as Michael when at home.
Judy Reyes‘ roll as wife and mom, Angela, is pretty phenomenal as well. She is another talented actress that takes you along the journey of a mother who has learned to love her transgendered son no matter what, choosing between her husband and the man who makes her happy and finally, trying to keeping the family together despite her own happiness.
Overall the film is an excellent journey of a Bronx family trying to exist in an unforgiving world. The acting is on point and keeps you wanting more by the three main characters. The film is refreshingly filled with substance and little to no artsy fartsy fillers that sometimes tend to plague some indie films. It is a movie which everyone should watch simply because of the simple message of loving your flesh and blood no matter what and like the tag line says: “You can’t escape who you are.” it reminds us that we should be true to ourselves.
-Ed García Conde
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Anyone who grew up in a latin household has had the pleasure, or displeasure I should say, to one degree or another of experiencing what makes latino culture so alluring to so many people… that of course being machismo. “Gun Hill Road” does a perfect job in demonstrating how old world machismo and new world ideas seldom work together. It’s a story about a father recently released from prison that comes home and discovers his wife has been having an affair, and that his son is not only a homosexual, (strike one for a machista), but that he’s also a pre-op transsexual. This of course devastates him because he sees himself losing his little boy, the one who is supposed to continue his legacy to this lifestyle, which he knows nothing about. Although the movie consists of 3 main storylines the one that is prominent and overarching is that of the father and his struggle to step back into the roll as the man of the house while confronting these new situations. Although, at times, it may seem like the father is only thinking about himself in the things he does such as confronting and robbing the “other man” or making his son sleep with a prostitute is what any man raised in a strictly machista household would have done to preserve his family, and to ensure the continuation of his bloodline, because when it comes down to it all machismo is, is the struggle for respect.
The son on the other hand finds himself in a struggle with his very identity. Considering himself a transsexual, he has to deal with the daily stigmas purported by growing up in a very close-minded community. His transformation into his female version, Vanessa, was definitely the most beautiful scene in this movie. Like so many other teenagers struggling for self-identity he gets used by a “straight” man for sex in exchange for money, basically becoming a prostitute so that he can obtain the injections and hormone pills so that he can begin his transformation into a woman. On top of all of this is the return of his father into his life that, once he finds out about his lifestyle, decides to take matters into his own hands and “man his son up.” In the end though, thanks to a strong mother, the father realizes that no matter what he does his son is going to be this way no matter what, and his acceptance is seen on his face as he is being dragged away by the cops while he son stares on.
The saddest and loneliest story is that of the mother who has to battle her equally strong “marianista” upbringing, and loves her son no matter what path he chooses. Having to contend with the fact that she has to be basically raise a son all by herself is a tough situation and she finds comfort in the arms of another man who not only treats her with affection and love, but also accepts her son for who he is. Her struggle to keep the family together no matter what is plainly evident in her tired looking expression, and she has great difficulty in having to leave the man that has come to love her for the man that she fell in love with so long ago, but was never there.
All in all the performances by the actors were absolutely divine, bringing tears to my eyes in many instances and easy laughs in others. Rashaad Ernesto Green was able to take a typical Puerto Rican family from the Bronx, and transport them onto the big screen. This has easily become one of my favorite movies, and I definitely recommend it to everyone.
(Image: Tina Fineburg/NYTIMES Copyright The New York Times Company 2011)
In a time when politicians across the country, particularly those in Congress and the Senate as of late, are selfishly trying to protect tax cuts for the rich at the cost of social programs for the poor it is refreshing to say the least when one billionaire – who just happens to be the mayor of New York City – donates a large sum of money to assist the biggest at risk population of our city.
One of the key parts, to me at least, is that starting this fall job recruitment offices will be opening up right in New York City Housing Authority buildings, aka the projects. This is an important message that says we want to help you and traveling to the hardest hit neighborhoods rather than having them travel for such services. Community based social services are the bedrock of any disenfranchised urban area and at a time when many are closing, the mayor, along with fellow billionaire George Soros are putting $60 millions of their own money to help this segment of our population.
I’m curious as to what you think about this? Your thoughts?
During my travels, I ran into a fellow Bronxite who loves our borough so much he inked it on his forearm. Now that’s pretty dope.
When was the last time you saw someone tattoo Staten Island or Queens on their body?
Remember when we posted that story yesterday about that racist asshole, Frank Borzellieri, who was allowed to be a principal at a Bronx school? Well the douchebag has been fired thanks to the bad press from the Daily News.
Now if we can only do something about that idiot pastor,Reverend Rapaglia, who hired him in the first place.
