Ok...In case you have been wondering.

I have gotten some email about this particular blog and why I am not posting anything at all here anymore. The answer is the thanks to this Blog...Sofrito For Your Soul has tripled in traffic over the last few months and I made a decision to consolidate everything in one place and syndicate to other places (social media sites like Facebook and MySpace).

I will keep this site here because the traffic is decent but I promise to bring you all this and then some at www.SofritoForYourSoul.com

Check out the new I AM LATINO...ASK ME section....

Thank you for your support as always....

As I am,
The Urban Jibaro

PBS uncovers Aztec 'Secrets'

Mira mi gente...you gotta peep this....

Mexico's Aztecs have always been portrayed as one of the doormats when Europeans took over the New World. But this new special suggests it didn't go down quite that easily.

http://feeds.nydailynews.com/~r/nydnrss/latino/~3/276224020/2008-04-23_pbs_secrets_of_the_dead_revisits_mexicos.html

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This article was sent using my Viigo.
For a free download, go to http://getviigo.com

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Mi Gente...Martha Stewart's dog "Paw Paw" died...

Let me first say that my condolences go out to Martha Stewart during her time of mourning. My commentary is not to belittle the relationship between a pet and it's owner...it is just me showing how twisted the mainstream media is.

I have been a lil under the weather and yesterday I decided to unplug from any contact with the outside world. I did not bulletin on MySpace, did not update my status on Facebook, all my instant messengers (aim, yahoo and gtalk)were off, turned off my favorite RSS Reader (VIIGO) and I event went so far as to turn my Blackberry Curve off so that I can just get better. Besides coming to the realization that I am too damn connected with the world...I plugged back in this morning to 17 press releases and countless blogs about Martha Stewart's dog Paw Paw losing his battle to renal failure. You can read the AP Post here!

Is this really news? Does anyone really care? Are we that saturated by the media that we are starting to feel "connected" to people we do not even know? Or is this just some twisted publicity stunt for Martha Stewart to appear like she is "normal folk" to get all these women who follow her to buy her products? I actually went to Martha's website and it turns out that she has a section on her blog dedicated to her pets and in her "up close and personal" blog she has a note that reads "UPDATE: Thank you for the many kind words, they are most appreciated. I have added a new picture of Paw Paw's final resting place at the end of this post". After reading her heartfelt blog post (do you think she really wrote it?) I called Latyn Jazz laughing and asked her what is going on in the world in the one day I decided to unplug besides that tragic demise of Martha's Stewart's dog. She jumped off the phone and we both decided to research and tell you what is going on in the real world during this time.

On a side note, I want to congratulate Martha Stewart's PR Team for a spectacular job dominating the news and I want them to know that I will be looking to hire them once my media empire rises to the point that the pets in my home get a section on my website...carajo I cannot even afford a pet.

Here it is...a list of 20 things that is going on while Martha Stewart is mourning Paw Paw. (compiled by Latyn Jazz and yours truly...)

1. Junot Diaz won a freakin Pulitzer Prize!!!

2. The Pope is visiting the USA

3. Absolut Vodka plans to reconquer the USA...the apologizes for the plot (This is hysterical)

4. VIVA Hollywood is on VH1 so that Maria Conchita Alonso can do for Latinos what Flava Flav did for Blacks...reinforce stereotypes.

5. LAMUSICA.com making big moves with MYSPACE LATINO!

6. In hidden news...Finally, a rise in Latino and Blacks admissions in the University of California system (but does that mean a decline in admission to the penal system?)

7. In The Heights is the hottest ticket on Broadway!

8. PapoSwiggity still can't find his Choopy! How come the media is not trying to rally for that cause? huh? is it because he is BORICUA? Is it because he has ties to progressive Latino orgs in the NYC area? Stay tuned!

9. Capicu Poetry & Cultural Showcase has announced their next show for May 2nd featuring the comedic talent of Cindy SugaRush and countless open mic comedians and poets. Email us at CapicuPoetry@gmail.com for a chance to win free passes.

10. Didn't you read #1?... Junot Diaz ... a freakin Pulitzer!!!

Buen provecho pet lovers!!!

As I am,
The Urban Jibaro

Radio Capicu is back on April 23rd!!!!

Do Gringos fear a "Reconquista?"

The LA Times just released an article concerning an ABSOLUT VODKA ad that has been under fire because certain groups believe it to be too "revolutionary" because it shows a map of Mexico prior to the Mexican American war? Do the "Gringos" really fear a reconquista?

Let us know...call us and let us know what you think.

CALL OUR COMMUNITY HOTLINE AND SPEAK YOUR MIND!
(208) 723-5966

(Responses may be broadcast on Radio Capicu)

Capicu Poetry & Cultural Showcase
Community Hotline: (208) 723-5966

On The web:
www.CapicuPoetry.com
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/capicupoetry
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2321473731
Radio Capicu: http://www.BlogTalkRadio.com/RadioCapicu


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Absolut vodka ad stirs a U.S.-Mexico debate

Some in the north take offense at the depiction of an old border.

By Deborah Bonello and Reed Johnson, Special to The Times
April 5, 2008


MEXICO CITY -- The latest advertising campaign in Mexico from Swedish vodka maker Absolut seemed to push all the right buttons south of the U.S. border, but it ruffled a few feathers in El Norte.

As word of the campaign spread across the border, primarily via the Internet, some in the United States began giving the campaign a much more hostile reception.

The colorful ad, created by the Teran\TBWA agency and the vodka maker, is a sight gag depicting what a map of North America might look like "In an Absolut world," i.e., a perfect one.

It shows the Mexican border extending, very roughly, to its position during the 1800s before the Mexican-American War.

At that time, California as we now know it was part of Mexican territory and known as Alta California. Those territories eventually became U.S. property after the voluntary annexation of Texas and, later, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

Click here to read the rest of this article

In The Heights on Broadway

Mi Gente, check out this hilarious video spoofing Rihanna's Umbrella! This is a promo announcing "el ticket mas caliente de Broadway"!

Check it out, get those tickets and support the arts!

As I am,
The Urban Jibaro
www.SofritoForYourSoul.com

--------------------


GET READY TO EXPERIENCE an exhilarating journey into one of Manhattan's most vibrant communities, named "BEST MUSICAL OF THE YEAR" by New York Magazine and "BEST OF 2007" by The New York Times. With an amazing cast, incredible dancing and a gripping story of hope and self-discovery, In The Heights is your ticket into a world where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open, and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music.

Find out what it takes to make a living, what it costs to have a dream, and what it means to be home...In The Heights.


For more info and to buy tickets, click here!

WTF? Reggaeton Marketing?

This is OPTIMUM ONLINE's TRIPLE PLAY commercial spoofing a Reggaeton Video?

I just want to know what YOU THE PEOPLE think about companies marketing to us this way...

Do you think it is on target or is it offensive?

Let your voice be heard on our community hotline
718-371-0671 or leave your comments on our Blog






As I am,
The Urban Jibaro

True Boricua

Here is a piece I wrote in 1996, has become a favorite to perform when I lecture via the college circuit...and it will be featured in my upcoming poetry book...Jibaro Soy.

Buen Provecho...
The Urban Jibaro
Founder
www.SofritoForYourSoul.com


Read my personal Blog here

----------------------------------------------------------------


TRUE BORICUA

WHAT`S UP WITH YOU?
DONT GET MAD AT ME AND SAY THAT I`M NOT DOWN,
QUE YO NO SOY BORICUA.
DON`T TELL ME THAT I DON`T REPRESENT
WHEN YOU DON`T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE REPRESENTING.
YOU SAY I DON`T KEEP IT REAL BECAUSE MY
PANTS DON`T HANG LOW AND I CHOOSE NOT TO
DRINK 40`S AND SMOKE BLUNTS
WITH YOU ON THE SAME CORNER I SAW YOU ON...
THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU...
WHEN YOU`RE CHILLING WITH YOUR PEOPLE,
YOU TELL THEM I`M NOT DOWN AND
FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE YOU`RE RIGHT,
BECAUSE WHILE YOU CHOOSE TO DWELL
WITH YOUR ILL FATED FRIENDS DROWNING IN
IGNORANCE,
I AM REPRESENTING.
I AM REPRESENTING
BORINQUEN,
THAT`S RIGHT MY MOTHERLAND. OH YOU THOUGHT
BORICUA MEANT PUERTORICAN HOMEBOY?
HOLD UP, LET ME BREAK DOWN WHAT A
BORICUA REALLY IS.

A TRUE BORICUA IS ONE
WHO LEARNS ABOUT HIS CULTURE,
PAST AND PRESENT, EMBRACING IT BECAUSE HE KNOWS
HE HAS LOST SO MUCH ALREADY.
HE KEEPS IT REAL BY EDUCATING HIMSELF.
HE ACKNOWLEDGES THE AFRIKAN SHADOW OF HIS TAINO
SOUL AND RECOGNIZES THE OPPRESSION, DEVASTATION
AND NEAR ELIMINATION OF HIS ROOTS.
HE CAN NEVER FORGET THAT, BUT HE WON`T LET
THAT GET IN THE WAY OF HIS PROGRESS BY BLAMING
THE SLAVE MASTERS 500 YEARS LATER...
HE KNOWS IT`S TIME TO MOVE ON.

A TRUE BORICUA KNOWS
HIS RESPONSIBILITY AS A FATHER AND MENTOR TO HIS
CHILDREN BY SHARING LIFETIME EXPERIENCE
AND GIVING THEM MENTAL STRENGTH.
A TRUE BORICUA SEES
THE ILLS AND FAULTS OF HIS OWN PEOPLE AND
UNDERSTANDS THAT ONLY THROUGH UNITY,
EDUCATION AND CARIBEN~O FAMILY
VALUES IS HE GOING TO BE ABLE TO TEACH
HIS CHILDREN NOT TO REPRESENT IGNORANCE
AND BE TOLERANT OF THE MENTAL PLOYS THAT
HAVE KEPT OUR TRIBE
DOWN FOR SO LONG.

A TRUE BORICUA KEEPS IT REAL
BY RECOGNIZING THE STRENGTH, LOYALTY AND
DETERMINATION OF HIS FEMALE COUNTERPART.
HE RESPECTS THE FACT THAT SHE IS,
HAS AND ALWAYS WILL BE OUR BACKBONE.
SHE HAS KEPT US TOGETHER AND
TAKEN US SO FAR FOR SO LONG...
BUT DON`T BE SURPRISED SHE IS A NATURAL
BORN LEADER. FOR YOUR INFORMATION,
TAINO WOMEN WERE CACIQUES TOO.

SO YOU SEE MI HERMANO,
BEING BORICUA IS NOT ABOUT BEING DOWN, IT`S ABOUT
ELEVATING YOURSELF TO WHAT OUR PEOPLE WERE
BEFORE WE WERE ATTACKED, BEFORE WE WERE RAPED
AND BEFORE WE WERE ROBBED OF OUR NATIVE
TOUNGUE, CULTURE
AND PEACE OF MIND.

YO, LOOK AT THE TIME,
I HAVE TO GET UP EARLY FOR WORK.
PEACE, OH YEAH KEEP IT REAL!!!

As I am,

George Torres

The Urban Jibaro

All Rights Reserved 1999-2008
Sofrito For Your Soul Media

Capicu Poetry Starts 2008 Strong!

What more could I have asked for...we started the year strong with our first Capicu Poetry & Cultural Showcase of 2008...so many great poets and the audience is growing.

Take a moment to read the recap and check the pics!

As I am,
The Urban Jibaro
El mas pegao en el interne'

-------------------------------------------------------------

It is 2008 and the Capicu New Year has begun in Brooklyn...marking the "Year of The Choops." For clarification, "Choops" is a new Latino term of endearment, based on the idea of a comedic urban chupacabra. The Capicu Playas returned to their cultural sanctuary in the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood of Williamsburg Brooklyn to celebrate 9 months of success...

Click Here To Read Full Article At SofritoForYourSoul.com

The story behind Radio Capicu...

So I got a question yesterday from Marisol Arzuela from Modesto California ( a 5 year reader of Sofrito For Your Soul)...her question was "What inspired you to start Radio Capicu?"

Marisol...thank you so much for your support...so here it is....

Some time last year I decided to open "the book" and see which of my dreams I can make a reality...

note: for those of you who do not know me..."the book" is where I have all kinds of ideas from stories, poems, TV shows, possible movie stories...pretty much anything I conceive...goes in the book.


So I looked at a page in which I conceived a Sofrito For Your Soul podcast....you know...tidbits on Latino history, culture and discussion surrounding the evolution of our culture. I had just bought a new computer that was capable of handling large video and audio editing software...and that's when I started researching ways that I can bring the website to life in audio format. That is when one of my poet friends...Cinnamon mentioned to me that she would be getting interviewed on an Internet blog show...so in support for her, I tune in and that is when it happened. In exploring the "Blog Talk Radio" site, I find out that I can pretty much broadcast a talk radio show live from my home using their platform...and do it for FREE... a quien no le gusta something Free?

Now I just want you to know that my only radio experience is very limited...I did a a radio show at SUNY Old Westbury (WCOW) from 1997-1999 called "La Hora De Sazon" which was mad bootleg because my only audience was whoever was eating in the cafeteria. The format of the show was very limited to Classic Salsa and Merengue (Fania, Gran Combo, Hermanos Rosario...) oh yeah...and I promoted events for Alianza Latina and my frat, Phi Iota Alpha. With this lil porqueria of a show...here I am 10 years later thinking I can launch a show on a global scale with just a PC and a radio shack mic. So I start talking to my personal board of directors...the secret advisers that smack me around when i get ready to do something crazy...and despite what I thought they would say....they said...DO IT!

So here I am at my desk y me dio un mareo...what am I gonna call the show? What will I talk about? How will I fit this kind of commitment into my already hectic schedule? Every question I was asking was some kind of self exploration to find one good reason not to do it...and I could not think of a single reason not to do it. The next morning I woke up with yet another bright idea...why don't I brand the show with the CAPICU name? I mean the poetry show was already 3 months old...already making a heavy mark on the scene and it will allow me to use some of the resources Papo (my partner) and I had established for live show. Papo loves the idea...and next thing you know...I have yet another title to add to my public resume...I just became a Radio Personality.

Now even I know that I cannot do an hour show without some kind of help so I start thinking of all the crazy people I know....and the dynamics of our conversations...and the only dude that I knew that can actually discuss everything from South Park to the liberation of Latin America led by Simon Bolivar was my wing man/best friend/fraternity brother Javier Ramirez known to Capicu audience as simply "The Guy". If you are wondering how he got his nickname...just refer to an old Dave Chappelle movie called Half Baked and peep the dude that crashes on his couch that nobody knows...thats Jav...ever since our college days. It was important to have a show in which we can talk naturally about the things we cover on the show as opposed to having "radio voice" like someone reading a new story from a script.

With a format like this...with two dudes that have no real radio experience puts us in a weird place. On one hand...we are figuring it out, and we are thinking the shows listeners that are there from day 1 know this...and they will not only support us but they will appreciate what can possibly arise from such a crazy venture. On the other hand...we are so focused on the quality of what we are doing that now we have to start learning the technology, listen to other talk radio shows to see what elements we can can incorporate and still retain a unique sense of style...and that is probably the hardest part of this whole endeavor. I specifically did not want to do a Vacilon type show...I wanted to have a show that will incite real thought into issues affecting Latinos and other people of color...and not only talk about problems but begin important dialogue about solutions. Sometimes it's funny...other times it's not but overall it is in my opinion a representation of the balance that we all face in our daily lives.

What was my inspiration?...Reese Hopkins (now with WRKO in Boston)...you see he was part of a show that broadcast in NY called the Star and Bucwild show. Now I got into a difference of opinion with Star, the show's host about the stereotypical nature of his segment entitled Noticias En Espanol. If you are interested in seeing everything that transpired click here (but not now...read this blog first....lol. By the way, Reese is an incredibly intelligent and well spoken African American brother that shatters every stereotype attached to people that came up in during the birth of the Hip Hop culture. His current show in Boston really challenges the status quo in talk radio.

My dialogue with Reese after this happened helped me put things in perspective and shortly after he left the show to pursue his own interests...we began to heavily support each others projects. He actually let me know that I had a clear shot at being different in a game where most shows either consist of raw toilet humor or it is a hip hop oriented show that does not have extend very much beyond music, fashion, celebrity gossip and certain "hot topics in the media". He also told me that it would be very unique to be such a young Latino and hosting a talk show that can actually captivate the 80's babies as well as the current generation of socially conscious urbanites. What Reese does not know (until he reads this is) that conversation helped me explore why I really want this show, Radio Capicu, the first Latino show on Blog Talk Radio to be a success and to inspire a new forum for young people of color to express themselves about our current state in a constructive medium that will actually educate it's listeners.

We are not there yet...but a journey of a million miles begins with one step...and we have actually jumped off the milk crate by the bodega and started walking...and we want you to follow us.

As I am...
The Urban Jibaro
Radio Personality...que bien suena eso ah?

About Radio Capicu

Radio Capicu hosted by Capicu Co-Founder George "Urban Jibaro" Torres and Javier "The Guy" Ramirez promises to keep listeners captivated with the latest in news and information about cultural events and items of interest in the Latino / Urban community nationwide. Segments will include open mic poetry, in depth interviews and discussions with prominent people in our community about issues relevant to the evolution of our culture as well as the preservation of our heritage.

For more information and show times, visit the Radio Capicu page!

So you want to know where I have been?

Saludos mi gente...

Primero que nada...Happy Nu Jear to everyone...I hope that this year is filled with prosperity for anyone with a dream to be fulfilled in their heart.

Now I have recieved some serious email about the status of this blog from some of you that actually were kind of feeling where I was going with this. I do want to apologize for starting something and not following thru...but CONYO (there is no tilde on Blogger...or I just do not know how to do it.) 2007 was a heavy year for the Urban Jibaro.

Here is a recap of what happenned...

• I reformatted Sofrito For Your Soul to Blog Format for content management purposes as well as to reach a larger audience...the blogosphere is hot right now...and we wanted to share our brand of cultural conciousness with as many people as possible.

• I partnered up with MI GENTE GURU Paposwiggity aka the GODFATHER to create a live tangible event in my hometown of Brooklyn that will translate most of what I have tried to accomplish thru Sofrito but in a way where we can actually touch the people. So after 10 years of talking "ish" Papo and I co founded CAPICU POETRY & CULTURAL SHOWCASE. This venture I am sure will be the topic of many more posts...stay tuned.

• Another project that got off the ground in 2007 was my dream to create a podcast or audio platform for people that either do not really connect with the website...or do not live in Brooklyn to see the live show...I partnered up with my best friend / fraternity brother Javier "The Guy" Ramirez and in July 2007, we aired our first broadcast of RADIO CAPICU, the first Latino talk show on BlogTalkRadio.com

• That coupled with a series of community events, charity initiatives, lectures and even a performance in JIBARO SOY at the NUYORICAN POETS CAFE with Comedy Troup LOSE CONTROL and HIP HOP POET & EMCEE OL SoUL...and after all that I still had to maintain my lifestyle as a mild mannered upward Latino management professional working for the leader in the worldwide Telecom business.

Yoooo....me canse just talking about that, and that is just a verrrrry general summary. One of the things that I resolved for 2008 was not to stop writing in my quest in spreading the word to the masses. I hereby renew my compromiso to sharing my personal insight to a lot of what is going on both with me...and my perspective on the things that I see.

As I am,

The Urban Jibaro...

PS...this blog will be mirrored on MYSPACE for all you interne' tecatos out there! The MYSPACE link is...SofritoMediaGroup..add us today!

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE SOFRITO MEDIA GROUP BLOG