Puerto Rico, Iraq, and the ability to see gray

My latest chitowndailynews.org article highlights the work of 14 students Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School, who curated an exhibition looking at Puerto Rico's past through the eyes of others.

Amidst a week of celebration in Humboldt Park on Puerto Rican heritage the week of June 9, I found the students work to be the best show of pride. (My street was turned into a parking lot, otherwise, for a carnival in the park next door)

17th century documents show Europeans dealing in the slave trade, 19th-20th century photos/books show Puerto Ricans in a disparaging light (needing to be developed by those industrious Yanks and Spaniards), academics from the same period spoke of the burgeoning independence movement after the Spanish American War.

I don't think the article does justice to the efforts of the students; I never was able to get a hold of any of them. But their work was impressive...See info here.

Also, the University of Chicago Oriental Institute is running an exhibition on the looting of Iraq's past until December, which I wrote about here in a column for New City alt-Weekly.

Coalition forces are documented as not stopping tbe looting the elements of Iraqi history, and ultimately civilization writ large. This as New Conservatives talked about building a democratic society. There's some irony.

In the news, Big oil companies are now "negotiating" no-bid oil contracts in Iraq, one sees the real reason we went to war... The results of these negotiations will be known Monday.

I digress...

The University of Chicago exhibition is worthwhile for a cold/rainy day. Or someday when you don't feel like going outside and want to be cynical, yet informed. Cynicism and knowledge are far from mutually exclusive. For more about location, etc., click here.

Today's weather, however, is beautiful. And I'm not feeling like reveling in my cynicism. Perhaps tomorrow.