Category Archives: Friends / Family

My bro has just published another article on the Safe Democracy website. This one is entitled “Is Urban Revitalization Tantamount to Redlining” and discusses how gentrification and urban revitalization projects in American cities are once again segrating cities for the sole benefit of the rich.

These videos are of the Cross Bronx Expressway that I made along with others in the Bronx.

In a recent email exchange with an old friend of mine from the past, I asked her to tell me a little bit about her life in Germany. A few years ago, she moved with her husband to Germany where they have since had two sons. Many times our cultural ethnocentrism causes us to believe that the quality of life in our country is greater than in others. I know that in the US, people tend to believe that this is so. And this is also very true for Spain, where I am constantly being told that I must live better in Spain than in the US (¿a qué se vive mejor en España?). My general belief is the majority of the world would prefer to stay put and not live away from their culture of birth. Even people who have emigrated due to extreme hardship in their home countries generally hope that one day the living (or political) conditions will improve so that they can return. And it is also very true that just because a country is poor or even politically oppressed (say as in Cuba or Morocco), many people prefer not to leave and can live happier lives than in wealthier nations.

In any event, I believe that looking into the ways in which people live their lives in other countries can teach us a lot about how to improve the quality of life in our own countries. For that reason, I am posting my friend’s description here:

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