Biography of Rubén Blades

Rubà ©n Blades Bellido de Luna (born July 16, 1948) is a Panamanian singer/songwriter, actor, activist, and politician. He was a key figure in popularizing New York-based salsa music in the 1970s, with socially conscious lyrics that commented on poverty and violence in Latino communities and U.S. imperialism in Latin America. However, unlike most musicians, Blades has been able to toggle between multiple careers in his life, including serving as Minister of Tourism in Panama. Fast Facts: Rubà ©n Blades Known For:  Salsa singer/songwriter, actor, Panamanian politicianBorn:  July 16, 1948 in Panama City, PanamaParents:  Rubà ©n Darà ­o Blades, Sr., Anoland Dà ­az (original surname Bellido de Luna)Spouse:  Luba MasonChildren: Joseph VerneEducation: Masters Degree in International Law, Harvard Graduate Law School (1985); Bachelors Degree in Law and Political Science, University of Panama (1974)Awards and Honors: 17 Grammys (9 U.S. Grammys, 8 Latin Grammys); Honorary Doctorate degrees from University of California, Berkeley; Lehman College; and the Berklee College of Music Early Life and Education Rubà ©n Blades was born in Panama City to a Cuban mother, musician Anoland Dà ­az (original surname Bellido de Luna), and a Colombian father, Rubà ©n Darà ­o Blades, Sr., an athlete and percussionist. He earned a bachelors degree from the University of Panama in law and political science in 1974. In 1973 Blades parents had moved to Miami because Rubà ©n, Sr. had been accused by General Manuel Noriega, then chief of military intelligence under President Omar Torrijos, of working for the CIA. The following year, after graduating from the University of Panama, Rubà ©n, Jr. followed his family to the U.S., but headed not to Miami, but to New York to try and break into the salsa scene. He began working in the mailroom at Fania Records, where he would eventually become one of the labels major recording artists. He took a break from his musical career in the early 1980s to pursue a Masters Degree in International Law from Harvard University, which he earned in 1985. Rubà ©n Blades and Willie Colon in the 1970s. Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images Cultural Impact Blades has had a significant impact on Latino music and culture writ large, particularly with regards to his recordings with Fania Records and other leading salsa musicians of the 1970s, like Willie Colà ³n. Their joint album Siembra is the best-selling salsa album in history, with over 25 million copies sold. He is widely known as the intellectual of salsa music, with lyrics that reference Latin American literature and issue bold social critiques on a range of issues affecting Latinos. Regarding his desire to make more explicitly political music during his time with Fania, he recently stated, â€Å"It didn’t make me popular in the industry, where you aren’t supposed to antagonize people, you are supposed to smile and be nice in order to sell records. But I never bought into that.† Ruben Blades with their Grammy Awards for Latin Pop at the 2000 Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles, CA.   Scott Gries / Getty Images As an actor, Blades has also had a long and fruitful career, which began in 1983 with the film The Last Fight and most recently included a role on the TV show Fear the Walking Dead. He has often turned down roles that reinforced stereotypes about Latinos. When offered a role as a drug dealer in the hit 1980s show Miami Vice, he rejected the offer, stating: â€Å"When are we going to stop playing the drug addict, the pimp and the whore?...I could never do that stuff. I’d rather kill myself first†. He continued, regarding the scripts he continued to receive: â€Å"In half, they want me to play a Colombian coke dealer. In the other half, they want me to play a Cuban coke dealer. Doesn’t anyone want me to play a lawyer?† Politics and Activism Blades is well-known for his left-leaning political orientation, particularly his critiques of U.S. imperialism and intervention into Latin America, which have often made their way into his music. His 1980 recording Tiburà ³n, for example, was an allegorical critique of American imperialism, and Ollies Doo-Wop (1988) addressed the Iran-Contra scandal that funded the U.S.-backed war against the socialist Sandinista government in Nicaragua. However, he has also been critical of leftist authoritarian governments or Marxist Leninist dictatorships, as he referred to the governments in Cuba and Venezuela. Musicians Residente (R) of Calle 13 and Ruben Blades perform onstage at the 10th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on November 5, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Michael Caulfield / Getty Images Blades political activism stems from his experience as a young Panamanian in the 1960s who saw Americans living in the Canal Zone disrespecting Panamas sovereignty and treating the country as an extension of the U.S. He began to learn about racial segregation in the U.S. and its historic treatment of Native Americans, which contributed to his emerging political consciousness. U.S. foreign policy in Central America in the 1970s and 80s—particularly its role in the civil wars in El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala—was also an issue that affected Blades deeply. The U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989 to depose Manuel Noriega was a major reason Blades returned to Panama in 1993 to run for president. He founded a political party, Papa Egorà ³ (meaning Mother Earth in the Embera language of Panamas indigenous population), and ran for president in 1994, coming in third place out of seven candidates, with 18% of the vote. He was later asked to join the government of Martà ­n Torrijos, and served as the Minister of Tourism from 2004 to 2009, an important post since tourism is the countrys main economic driver. He has spoken about not wanting to sacrifice Panamas natural environment in exchange for foreign investment, and the fact that he stressed the development of small-scale eco-tourism and cultural tourism over large-scale tourist amenities. There has been speculation for years about whether Blades will run for president again in Panama, but thus far he has not made an announcement to that effect. Writing Blades publishes a fair amount of opinion writing on his website, mostly related to the political situations in various Latin American countries, with a focus on Panama and Venezuela. Sources Rubenblades.com. http://rubenblades.com/, accessed June 1, 2019. Shaw, Lauren. Interview with Rubà ©n Blades. In Song and Social Change in Latin America, edited by Lauren Shaw. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2013.

Theme Of Fire In Fahrenheit 451 - 1246 Words

The world of Fahrenheit 451 is not a place that one may want to live. It is a dystopian world. With authoritative control and absolutely no individual freedom, the author Ray Bradbury really set out to emphasize not only the need for literature/knowledge but also the power technology holds in his envisioned future. The novel being titled Fahrenheit 451 one might have thoughts of heat or burning or fire. Whether fire is being used as a weapon of destruction or a way to cleanse the impurity in the world, fire seems to be a recurring theme in this futuristic setting. Fire or the symbolism of fire carries the story throughout the novel. The whole story is revolved around not only the burning of books, but also knowledge, history, and†¦show more content†¦Thrusting himself into an identity crisis because he realizes his own identity is being puppeteered by others. During the first parts of the novel the audience only saw Montag as a shell of a person with no real depth but when he finally starts to process the people and events around him, he really begins to shine as a character. Montag starts to fear fire and its corrupt uses. In this dystopian world, society passes judgement through fire that Montag himself carries out and he begins to have inner conflict throughout the novel. During the end of Fahrenheit 451 Montag comes across â€Å"book people†, scholars led by Granger. Montag sees their bonfire of sorts warming them in the cold. â€Å"The small motion, the white and red color, a strange fire because it meant a different thin g to him. It was not burning, it was warming,† (pg. 139). He sees the fire not hurt these men—as he has grown accustomed to—but helping them acting as a hearth that the come close to for comfort and protection. He starts to realize that fire has a duality and the way it is handled is for the person to decide. Similarly, Montag understands that as long as he is willing he has the power to control his identity, both the destructive and creative sides to it. In a similar fashion Montag, in still forming his individuality, both destructive and creative aspectsShow MoreRelatedThe Theme Of Fire In Fahrenheit 4511555 Words   |  7 Pageswas a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed† (Bradbury 1). As a force of nature, fire demolishes objects uncontrollably once set free. Eating each individual object slowly, savouring the process of destruction. In Ray Bradbury’s dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451, Montag is the liberator of fire, using it to burn books, to watch them catch aflame and flutter in the air until they turn into a pile of black ash. As a fireman, Montag relishesRead MoreTheme Of Fire In Fahrenheit 451934 Words   |  4 PagesFire, the symbol of warmth, destruction, and renewal, is a dominant image in the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Guy Montag, the protagonist, lives in a grim, futuristic United States where people have given up books and knowledge in general for entertainment and instant gratification. The standard use of fire to warm and heat has been replaced to be used for destruction and entertainment. Montag’s job as a fireman clearly shows this, as he is required to burn books and houses. Montag’s understandingRead MoreEssay on Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury972 Words   |  4 PagesIn Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, irony is used to convey information and it contributes to the overall theme of the novel. Written during the era of M cCarthyism, Fahrenheit 451 is about a society where books are illegal. This society believes that being intellectual is bad and that a lot of things that are easily accessible today should be censored. The overall message of the book is that censorship is not beneficial to society, and that it could cause great harm to one’s intelligence and socialRead MoreReview of Ray Bradburys Fahrenheit 451 Essay1496 Words   |  6 PagesReview of Ray Bradburys Fahrenheit 451 In Ray Bradburys novel Fahrenheit 451, the author utilizes the luxuries of life in America today, in addition to various occupations Read MoreFahrenheit 451 And V For Vendetta, By Ray Bradbury1457 Words   |  6 PagesIn the novel Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury and the film V for Vendetta by James McTeigue, there are a different range of features of their text type which explore the common theme of individuality against oppression. A fascist government occupies London after a world war in V for Vendetta. Where V uses terrorist tactics to fight the dictators, after saving Evey from the secret police, he now discovers an ally in the battle against England’s corrupt government. Fahrenheit 451, set in the futuristicRead MoreFigurative Language In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury702 Words   |  3 Pages â€Å"Don’t face a problem, burn it.† (Bradbury 115). This is a quote from the book, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Fahrenheit 451 follows Montag’s journey after he begins to realize the truth about books. The overall theme is censorship and more importantly the result of it. In the beginning of the novel, Ray Bradbury focuses on figurative language to convey his theme. Throughout the first part, Bradbury uses many forms of figurative language such similes, metaphors, and irony. One example ofRead MoreFahrenheit 451 Essay1581 Words   |  7 PagesViolence Is Frequently Relevant To the Society in Fahrenheit 451 Fahrenheit 451 is a novel written by Ray Bradbury. In Bradbury’s futuristic novel, violence is prevalently revealed in the society. Violence in society is aggression, cruelty, rough or injurious physical actions and treatment towards the citizens and civilization in the society, where everyone has the same theory and beliefs on the way one should act. In Fahrenheit 451, everyone is careless and relatively violent with the exceptionRead MoreFahrenheit 451: the Firemen851 Words   |  4 PagesRay Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 staunchly contrasts these other writings; rather than presenting some omniscient tale admonishing its audience of the dangers of government hierarchy, Bradbury uses satire to criticize primarily emerging trends in society, providing an account that deems them equally as harrowing and dangerous as some authoritarian government, although he does include a limited number of strands involving an anti-government theme. This unique aspect of Fahrenheit 451 h as earned the attentionRead MoreFahrenheit 451 Vs. 1984970 Words   |  4 PagesFahrenheit 451 vs. 1984 Ray Bradbury and George Orwell share a very similar theme in their two novels, Fahrenheit 451 and 1984. Winston Smith and Guy Montag work within an authoritarian organization, in which, they have opposing views of the authority. The novels are placed in a dystopian setting that the authority believes is a utopia. The dystopian fictions both have very similar predictions of the future. The predictions from these novels have not happened. However, it could be a short matterRead MoreEssay on Fahrenheit 451 Sybolism of Fire646 Words   |  3 PagesThe Symbolism of Fire Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, is a novel filled with many symbols. The symbolism used in this novel varies from different animals to things in nature. One of the biggest symbols throughout the novel is fire. Fire has multiple meanings in Fahrenheit 451, and is usually symbolized as something to be feared. Throughout the novel, fire is something that people do not want, even though it can be so much more than a bad thing. Fire can represent knowledge and awareness, rebirth

Parts of Speech Essay Thesis Example For Students

Parts of Speech Essay Thesis Why? Under what conditions? To what degree? Example: a well argued essay. 3. Article precedes a noun phrase and is either definite (the) or indefinite (a/an) in repertory. Example: An (indefinite article) argumentative (adjective) essay that is persuasive is the (definite article) the (definite article) writers mark of success. 4. Conjunction- a conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses and indicates the relationship between the elements joined. Example: An essay can be either argumentative or descriptive but not both. 5. Noun a noun is an animate or inanimate object or concept. Example: an essay (noun) 6. Preposition -a pronoun is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to form a phrase modifying another word in the sentence. Example: The road to hell is usually paved with DOD intentions. 7, pronoun- a pronoun is a word used for a noun, and usually substitutes for a specific noun. As look back now, the approach to teaching the basic patterns of the English language, such as these key parts of speech, have never been too effective. These parts of speech constantly keep being brought up in my daily elite yet somewhere along the lines, we get caught up in simply knowing the parts of speech rather than being able to use them effectively on our pieces of written work. All of these great facts have no purpose if we are unable to use them in our daily lives. Reminiscing back to this seemingly simple concept really does tress how important proper grammar and knowing how to make the eight parts of speech useful truly is. As a student entering the world of learning again, the importance of being a good writer and being well-spoken increasingly influences my life. To be a good writer is one thing, to honestly know what youre trying to portray through your work is a completely different idea on its own. Being knowledgeable about the parts Of speech and how they can be used in many facets Of language is fantastic. Naming the parts of speech in isolation does not bring focus to how important these words can be, but knowing how to effectively use them in writing is What truly is important. These eight concepts of writing came up all throughout the early years of my educational career and theyre importance is brewing back up once again in my life.