Cuba - River View Observer https://riverviewobserver.net A lifestyle and entertainment publication serving the Jersey City, Hoboken, Bayonne, Weehawken, West New York, North Bergen, Cliffside Park, Edgewater, Secaucus and Guttenberg Waterfront Communities Mon, 24 Jun 2019 15:17:52 +0000 en hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 SEA HUNTER https://riverviewobserver.net/sea-hunter/ Mon, 24 Jun 2019 15:17:09 +0000 http://riverviewobserver.net/?p=12922   Scuba Diver Roger J. Muller, Jr. Dives for Predatory Lionfish to Save the Environment Lionfish Hunter Roger J. Muller, Jr. in the Grand Caymans By Sally Deering (Hoboken, NJ) Insurance agent Roger J. Muller, Jr. leads a robust lifestyle overseeing his Hoboken-based company, Muller Insurance, and in his spare time, streaking across the ice … Continue reading SEA HUNTER →

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]]>   Scuba Diver Roger J. Muller, Jr. Dives for Predatory Lionfish to Save the Environment

Roger Muller hunting Lion Fish

Lionfish Hunter Roger J. Muller, Jr. in the Grand Caymans

By Sally Deering

(Hoboken, NJ) Insurance agent Roger J. Muller, Jr. leads a robust lifestyle overseeing his Hoboken-based company, Muller Insurance, and in his spare time, streaking across the ice as Captain of the Hoboken Rockets hockey team. Off the ice, Muller exchanges hockey pads for a wetsuit, and instead of playing offense with a hockey stick, Muller faces his opponents with a spear and a containment device: the only gear he needs to hunt the predatory lionfish.

The Lionfish
The zebra-striped lionfish (Pterois)

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]]> Action 21 -Art, Social Justice & Community Wellness https://riverviewobserver.net/action-21-art-social-justice-community-wellness/ https://riverviewobserver.net/action-21-art-social-justice-community-wellness/#respond Wed, 13 Apr 2016 15:55:53 +0000 http://riverviewobserver.net/?p=9467 Above a string of small shops along Central Avenue in Jersey City a dedicated group of volunteers who teach ESL and arts workshops, and advocate for people needing social services, prepares for its first art exhibition featuring works by local artists.

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]]> Action 21 presents Exhibit by Professional and Developing Artists
Non-Profit provides Resources & Workshops

Art of Fermin Mendoza
“Endomismo: The Endemic Flora and Fauna of Cuba” by Fermin Mendoza

 

 

 

 

 

By By Sally Deering

Above a string of small shops along Central Avenue in Jersey City a dedicated group of volunteers who teach ESL and arts workshops, and advocate for people needing social services, prepares for its first art exhibition featuring works by local artists.

Running through April 30th, Action 21 of Jersey City presents an exhibition of paintings and folk art created by professional and amateur artists curated by art therapist and teacher Roxana Marroquion, a five-year Action 21 volunteer and Jersey City resident. The art exhibit’s recent opening reception held at the Community & Love in Action community center on Central Avenue featured music, dance, poetry, and a lively community gathering.

Artists displaying their works Ray Arcadio, Sidney Acosta, Ricardo Osmondo Francis, Maria Camila Gomez, Eric Cure, Rosa Huitzitzilin, Julia Lomba, Roxanna Marroquin, Angelica Kitty Martinez, Lilly Mojica Perez, Fermin Mendoza, Miquel Peralta, Herbert Valenzuela, The Dominican Folk Art of Los Andulleros de Santiago, and Michele Montanez  a budding artist who recently discovered her painting talents as a student at New Jersey City University.

Michelle Montanez
Artist Michelle Montanez

“I took a course in oil painting,” Montanez says of her painting ‘Power’ which pays homage to ‘Rosie, the Riveter’ an image from WWII when women went to work in munitions factories while men fought the war. “My family is from Puerto Rico and I was born and raised here. You look a certain way, you go through a lot of issues.”

 

Dealing with issues of social injustice was—and is– Action 21’s mission. Founded in 2002 by Narciso Castillo of Jersey City, the group continues to advocate for people in need of resources for housing, U.S. citizenship, domestic violence, and issues pertaining to social injustice. Its volunteers provide art classes for children; and ESL and wellness workshops for parents. Action 21 Director Monica Aguilar also taps the volunteers’ talents who, in turn, teach dance, fitness, nutrition, meditation, and coach sports like soccer.

Monica Aguilar
Action Director
Monica Aguilar

“This is about our love for our community,” Aguilar says at the art show’s opening reception, where she introduced the performers and volunteers. “Art is a way to educate and inform our community. The art classes we offer children are a way for them to express themselves.”

 

 

 

 

Sidney Acosta
Sidney Acosta

Artist Sidney Acosta, who has two paintings in the show moved to Jersey City from the Dominican Republic more than 10 years and now works toward a degree in art therapy at New Jersey City University. One painting in the show is of a face semi-submerged in water.

“A lot of my inspiration has to do with things happening to our environment,” Acosta says. “This piece is about islands that are drowning and the people who live on those islands.”

Using dance to help abused children and teens
Salsa Dancer
Isa Cordoba

Visiting the States for two weeks to study dance, Isa Cordoba of Colombia is a professional Salsa dancer in her native country and also a social activist who runs the organization, “My Body is My Story,” which helps children who have lived through sexual violence express themselves through dance. Cordoba performed a Salsa for the audience and spoke about her non-profit organization.
“Our bodies are the memories of all the experiences we live,” Cordoba told the audience. “We work with children and teens who have had sexual violence, so they can express their stories in a healthy way. In Colombia there are many problems and much joy.”

Action 21 advocates for people’s rights through art, education and peaceful marches like the annual march to stop violence against women held in Jersey City in November. This year marks the 5th year of the march, Aguilar told the crowd.

Whether marching against domestic violence or teaching meditation, Action 21 aims to serve the community’s needs through education and arts programs.

“We are here to serve everyone,” Aguilar says.

If you go

Through April 30th

Action 21 Art Exhibit

Community & Love in Action community center

345 Central Ave, JC

(2nd fl.)

 

Action 21

(Offices) 130 Central Ave, JC

(201) 420-9201

Facebook.com/njaction21

Njaction21@yahoo.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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]]> https://riverviewobserver.net/action-21-art-social-justice-community-wellness/feed/ 0 Marist High School Students Go to the Hispanic Flamenco Ballet! https://riverviewobserver.net/marist-high-school-students-go-to-the-hispanic-flamenco-ballet/ Wed, 05 Dec 2012 15:13:15 +0000 http://riverviewobserver.net/?p=5801 On November 15th Marist High School’s Spanish teacher, Ms. Gonzalez took students to the Hispanic Flamenco Ballet held at the Park Performing Arts Center in Union City. This is the sixth year that Marist students have traveled to see the show. Marist High School Student Matthew Cabrera said : “I had such a good time last … Continue reading Marist High School Students Go to the Hispanic Flamenco Ballet! →

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]]> Marist Flamenco Dancers On November 15th Marist High School’s Spanish teacher, Ms. Gonzalez took students to the Hispanic Flamenco Ballet held at the Park Performing Arts Center in Union City. This is the sixth year that Marist students have traveled to see the show. Marist High School Student Matthew Cabrera said : “I had such a good time last year, I went again this year.”  The show demonstrated different dances from different parts of the world. The show included dances from Argentina, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. Native instruments and clothing also provided an extra treat for the audience. The show was very interactive calling for audience participation between dance performances. It is important to the Marist High School Administration that the students experience other cultures, so that they become well- rounded citizens.

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]]> What Is The World’s Riskiest Hotspot? https://riverviewobserver.net/what-is-the-world%e2%80%99s-riskiest-hotspot/ https://riverviewobserver.net/what-is-the-world%e2%80%99s-riskiest-hotspot/#respond Sat, 19 Sep 2009 15:26:53 +0000 http://riverviewobserver.net/?p=1505 While most Americans are focused on conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, primarily because we have troops in active combat there, potentially significant threats to the U.S. are simmering elsewhere, from China to Russia, from India to Pakistan – and one of the world’s most secluded celebrity tourist destinations may prove to be the Cuba of the new millennium.

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Hint: It’s Not Iraq or Afghanistan, But Rather,

A Celebrity Vacation Haven

                                                                                                                                                                                      scnewz 

While most Americans are focused on conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, primarily because we have troops in active combat there, potentially significant threats to the U.S. are simmering elsewhere, from China to Russia, from India to Pakistan – and one of the world’s most secluded celebrity tourist destinations may prove to be the Cuba of the new millennium.

 

That’s the opinion of Sir James Mancham, the first president of an island country called the Republic of Seychelles, a favourite vacation destination for stars like Keanu Reeves, Sean Connery, Jodie Foster and Prince William. Situated near the center of the Indian Ocean, Seychelles is a nation of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, 930 miles east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar. More importantly, it sits in a position that makes it advantageous strategically in a military conflict for any aggressor near the Indian Ocean – China, India, Pakistan, Russia, North Korea – who needs a refueling station for aircraft or a port for ships.

 

All the countries in the region have active embassies in Seychelles, while the U.S. is conspicuously absent, Mancham said.

 

“I remember a time when Cuba was considered an inconsequential little sandbar off the Florida coast, filled with casinos and showgirls,” Mancham said. “That is, until Marxists took over and the Russians deposited some missiles there, a scant 90 miles from the United States. Suddenly, it became a very important little sandbar.”

 

Mancham speaks from experience. Seychelles was given independence from Great Britain in 1976, and Mancham was elected its first president. A year later, Marxist rebels staged a coup d’état, ousting Mancham from office. He escaped the country and lived in exile for 20-plus years until the Cold War ended. He returned to Seychelles as an elder statesman with a view to reunify his divided country country.

 

“No country is small if it is surrounded by the sea,” Mancham said. “Consider that this region houses China, whose impact on the U.S. economy is immeasurable. In addition, India and Pakistan are two neighbors whose religious malevolence towards each other surpasses even that of the myriad Middle Eastern conflicts. Also, they both have nuclear capability and absolutely no fear of the bomb. To our east is Africa, whose natural resources are of great interest to China as well as American business interests. For the U.S. not to have a diplomatic presence in Seychelles – where embassies represent each of their allies in the region – is an unconscionable omission of mythic proportions.”

 

The growing competition for power and influence in the Indian Ocean, the world’s primary energy and trade seaway has certainly put the Seychelles at the center of superpower rivalry. Only on the 1st of September, 2009, China and Seychelles signed an agreement for military collaboration. Two days later, the U.S. sent the Stuttgart-based Commander of the U.S. Africa Command, General William Ward to assure Seychelles that the U.S. is committed to a partnership towards “the common objective of peace and security in the region and around the world.”

 

“The U.S. supports new democracies, but China holds great power over the U.S. economy. Diplomacy would rule the day, but with no embassy in a strategic, as well as neutral, country in the region, the U.S. would lack a powerful tool and ally for stabilization and peace,” Mancham stated.

Mancham, whose autobiography, Seychelles: Global Citizen (www.paragonhouse.com) traces the roots of the country and how it has grown into its strategic and diplomatic significance, believes that global geo-politics is not a regional phenomenon. Instead, it is a complex, but singular, tapestry. The slightest pulled thread in the Far East can have wide ranging implications in the west.

 

 

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