This is the face of a 14-year-old boy in a police station in Manhattan, confessing to a crime he never committed. His name is Raymond Santana. In the new documentary Central Park Five, directed by Ken Burns, his daughter Laura, and her husband David McMahon, claims that the police coerced Santana into confessing that he was […]
Read moreI’m a little late on this but the cheery Times “Living In” section appears to have glommed off Whose Barrio doc I co-created as well as channeling Times story I wrote referring to James De La Vega’s painting about the shifting borderline between El Barrio and Upper East through Obama autobiography. Times story: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/18/realestate/east-harlem-living-in-more-small-dogs-and-big-home-prices.html?hpw Whose Barrio […]
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Good news! This video, posted eight months ago, may represent the peak of postmodernism. It’s a full hour of repetition of a few seconds of a cars.com commercial that is a pastiche, or parody of ’70s funk falsetto. Do you dare listen to the entire hour? It might be necessary to get the whole postmodern […]
Read moreBy ED MORALES Nov. 13, 2012 When imagined by American critics, the most frequent cliché used about the legendary 70-year-old singer Caetano Veloso is that he is the Bob Dylan of Brazil. In that case, the best Dylan song to associate with Veloso would be “Forever Young,” because Veloso is one of the most restlessly […]
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What is the real scandal here? Read this excellent account by Glenn Greenwald in the Guardian, and check out above video featuring Michael Hastings (also linked to in Greenwald’s column). The jaw-dropping quote from Broadwell: Petraeus is a man “who spoke truth to power.” That is, repackaged Vietnam War counterinsurgency for a 21st century postmodern […]
Read moreThe Puerto Rico Plebiscite That Wasn’t By ED MORALES Nov. 8, 2012 Puerto Ricans like to say that politics is the national sport, and who could argue with that? With a participation rate hovering near 80% and campaigning that features elaborate floats, loud music, and a carnival atmosphere, election day on the island comes off […]
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The new majority has spoken again President Obama won re-election in large part due to overwhelming support from women, African-American and Latino voters. Obama’s victory in the general election was not by a huge margin – despite winning by almost 100 electoral votes, he squeaked by in the popular vote – but his victory spoke […]
Read moreIt’s true. So many of us are sellouts that it really doesn’t surprise anyone anymore. How are you going to get anywhere unless you brand yourself (with a red-hot poker)? I mean, Jay Z doesn’t even understand what the reason for Occupy Wall Street is, and he’s from the projects. Case in point: Ruben (doesn’t deserve […]
Read moreIf there was ever any doubt that we are entering a serious period of crisis both locally and globally, it is shockingly, stunningly, dispelled by a visit to Ground Zero Rockaways this weekend. To say it is a place in ruins is underestimating matters–this amazing shoreline, one of the best beaches within the city limits, […]
Read moreThe mainstream press should stop using the adjective “illegal” to describe immigrants. Tagging this label on immigrants without proper documentation has become part of the American lexicon. But the word has long-lasting repercussions not only on undocumented immigrants living in the United States, but the ethnicities usually associated with them. Immigrant-rights groups have urged the […]
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ED MORALES 