Intellectually Entertaining. Socially Relevant.
Eric Jude Cortes describes his ethnic background as simply “New Yorker.” The son of an Italian mother and a Puerto Rican father, Eric Jude grew up in a Russian/Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn and attended extremely diverse public schools. Eric Jude credits his diverse upbringing with his success professionally, as since 2004 he has been teaching in a public high school with one of the largest percentage of foreign born students in the city. It is this diversity which has shaped his work for Being Latino, which have ranged from a lighthearted musing on the drink Malta, to a passionate diatribe against drug addicts. At the university level, Eric Jude has an MA in History, with a thesis on Contraband in Spanish Puerto Rico, from Brooklyn College. An avid traveler, Eric Jude’s bucket list includes a pledge to visit every Latin American country, something he has complete halfway so far. His secrets to success in life include faith, a type-A personality, and the ability to be silly and break into a dance at moment’s notice. Daily, he can be found running on your local street, lifting weights at your local gym, or praying at your local Catholic church.
Congratulations! You’ve made it to adulthood in your working-class neighborhood. The hard work and education paid off, and you decided to rent an apartment in the old barrio. But as luck would have it, the neighborhood isn’t the same anymore. These people from somewhere else have moved in, and the place has begun to change.… [Continue Reading]
Christians sure like invoking Jesus a lot. Usually it’s for perfectly legitimate reasons — health problems, family issues, emergencies. But, sometimes it’s a bit unnecessary, like the time I prayed for a parking spot in Manhattan (and found one! Booyah, heathens!), or when politicians invoke Christianity to score political points. The most recent example is Republican… [Continue Reading]
Wedding planning is hectic. If it wasn’t, there wouldn’t be things like crappy comedies with Kristen Wiig, headache-saving eloping, or hipsters who say they don’t need a sheet a paper to tell a woman how much they don’t want to make a lifetime commitment to her. I’m a pretty traditional guy. I fell in love… [Continue Reading]
Quick, in the next ten seconds think of as many famous Nicaraguans as you can. Having trouble? The political junkies among you probably mentioned Augusto Sandino. Others probably thought of someone who isn’t actually Nicaraguan. A couple of years ago, I was vacationing in Nicaragua, and while I immediately noticed their socialist history, I also… [Continue Reading]
Finding a best friend isn’t easy. But best friends really do complete a person. Bert had Ernie. Big Pun had Fat Joe. Frida Kahlo had that freaky uni-brow. Our best friend can help us in ways that nobody else can. Last week, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff visited the United States and had a formal meeting… [Continue Reading]
Meat is tasty. Let’s be honest. From a t-bone steak to a box of chicken nuggets, nothing quite satisfies the belly like a nice piece of meat. But meat consumptions has its drawbacks also. It rots in your body, it makes you fat, and it may cause cancer. But, this isn’t an article on why… [Continue Reading]
Everyone likes staring into space from time to time. From lovers laying on a field on a moonless night, to an elderly gardener taking a break after tending to his azaleas late in the evening, the world above us has been admired, revered, and, explored. Taking a long midnight run through Prospect Park last week,… [Continue Reading]
Lately, Argentina has been reviving nationalist sentiments as it seeks to regain control of the Falkland Islands. As much as ownership of the islands might help Argentine pride, the time has come to stop complaining about the islands and make the people of Argentina proud in other ways. Here is some basic history of the… [Continue Reading]
My life before her was miserable. I suffered through nights of eating bonbons and watching Waiting to Exhale when all of my friends had a ride to the club, except me. My family kept judging me. “Look at him, 27 and no car. Is he gay?” I suffered humiliation after humiliation, being invited to far… [Continue Reading]
A tradition among Latin American nations goes like this: Country X has some sort of economic meltdown. Country X begs for investment from World Power Y. World Power Y’s investment eases the economic meltdown. Yes, that’s seems to be a common occurrence. Debt crisis, followed by foreign (usually American or British) investment, and then repeat.… [Continue Reading]