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New cruises for Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico

2012 May 16
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ATLANTA TRAVEL 5:56 p.m. Tuesday, May 15, 2012 Text size:

The Associated Press

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Carnival Corporation said Tuesday that it is building a $65 million cruise ship center in the Dominican Republic to draw ships to the Puerto Plata region for the first time in nearly 30 years.

The Amber Cove Cruise Center at Bay of Maimon is scheduled to open in 2014 and is expected to accommodate as many as 8,000 cruise ship passengers daily.

The center is being built on 30 acres (12 hectares) of waterfront property with help from local shipping company Grupo B&R. It will feature a marketplace, restaurants, bars and a water attraction, Carnival said.

More than 350,000 cruise ship passengers visited the Dominican Republic last year, a 1 percent drop from the previous year.

Also on Tuesday, officials in Puerto Rico announced that the U.S. Caribbean territory would be the home port for a Royal Caribbean cruise ship next year.

The Jewel of the Seas is slated to make 25 departures out of San Juan starting in May 2013, said Economic Development Secretary Jose Perez-Riera. The ship is expected to generate $8 million in revenues and attract more than 60,000 tourists.

He said Puerto Rico has welcomed three other new ships in the past year, the Celebrity Silhouette, the Azamara Journey and the MSC Poesia, as part of a new incentives package.

Puerto Rico saw 972,000 cruise ship passengers last year, an 8 percent drop compared with the previous year.

___

May 15, 2012 05:56 PM EDT

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under → Caribbean, Information, Investments, Quisqueya, Tourism, Vacation

The Dominican Republic increases greenhouse area significantly

2012 May 9
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The Dominican Republic produces vegetables under protected environment throughout the country, due to an impressive agribusiness park growth of more than 1.912 percent.

This greenhouse infrastructure growth has enabled the country to increase production significantly, and improve foreign exchange earnings thanks to vegetable exports. In 2004 the country had 26.9 hectares of greenhouses now it has increased by 504.2 hectares.

This has been proportional to the extraordinary growth that has occurred in the production of vegetables in greenhouses, obtaining more than 4.6 million pounds in 2004.

89,374,248 pounds in 2011, with an increase of 85,368,048 pounds.

While in 2004 3,303,960 pounds were exported, in 2011 the volume reached 64,253,386, an increase of 60,949,426 pounds.

The amount of vegetables produced under controlled environments in 2004 had a foreign exchange income of just USD 1,318,873, while in 2011 profits reached USD 58,519,624, for a foreign currency increase of USD 57,200,751. In 2004 sales of vegetables produced in greenhouses were about 702,000,240 pounds, which generated 8.5 million pesos.

However, production in 2011 was of 25,120,862 pounds, for an increase of 24,418,622 pounds, with revenues of more than 539 million pesos. The increase was of 531 million pesos. This significant increase in vegetable production in a protected environment has been possible by the support of the government of President Leonel Fernandez, through the Ministry of Agriculture, to producers working under that mode of production.

This new agricultural production system has allowed to ensure high productivity with  safe-quality items and good profitability.

Sustained growth in this period is evident in the number of square meters of greenhouse throughout the national territory, the volume of production, exports, foreign exchange earned for the country thanks to exports and local sales, as well as the generation of employees throughout the production process.

Among the items that are grown in greenhouses include bell peppers, cubanela, spicy, table and cherry tomatoes, cucumber, melon, among others.

Exports go to markets in the U.S., Canada, the Netherlands,the  UK, Germany, Italy,
France, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Australia, Belgium, and Caribbean islands.

Source: SEA

Publication date: 5/9/2012

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under → D.R., Environment, Food, Quisqueya

Will the Dominican Republic election be decided by voters in the US?

2012 April 30
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A number of Latin American countries have created absentee voting systems to allow their expats to vote in national elections. But what if an election is decided by voters abroad, asks a blogger.

By James Bosworth, Guest blogger / April 30, 2012

Hipolito Mejia, right, former president of the Dominican Republic, is shown prior to stepping up to the podium for a speech during a campaign rally in Santo Domingo in this file photo.

John Riley/AP/File

A version of this post ran on the author’s blog, bloggingsbyboz.com. The views expressed are the author’s own.

Franklin Garcia, [president and founder of the DC Latino Caucus wrote a blog in the Huffington Post last week, saying]:

With more than 220,000 registered Dominican voters in the US eligible to vote in the May 20th election, Dominicans in the US make up more voters than 27 of the 31 provinces in the country. The total number of Dominicans registered to vote overseas stands at 5 percent of the total voting population of 6.5 million. The polls in the Dominican Republic are quite close right now. Most polls have shown Danilo Medina leading by a few points, but some recent outliers have given the edge to formerPresident Hipolito Mejia. Based on the data I’ve seen, the election appears to be heading for smaller than a ten point margin and could be much closer.

This sets up a potential scenario in which voters overseas, most in the US, play a decisive role in the DR presidential election. That’s not likely as the overseas voters will turnout in lower numbers than those at home and probably aren’t voting overwhelmingly for one candidate. But it’s possible.

RELATED: Think you know Latin America? Take our geography quiz.

The DR is also an interesting case because the foreign voters in this election will also have the opportunity to vote for several members of Congress to represent their community. Nobody expects the expat representatives to be the tie breaker on congressional coalitions this time around, but it could happen at some point in the next few election cycles.

A number of Latin American countries have created absentee voting systems to allow their expat communities to vote in national elections. Up through now, it has never been the decisive factor in an election.

If May’s Dominican election or any other future election is decided by voters abroad, or even if it’s close enough to make it a question, what happens next in the region? Could any country backtrack on the voting abroad rules they have created? Is it actually fair for a portion of the population who live outside the country to overturn what would otherwise be the majority result by the domestic population? Those are all fun questions to consider as the DR race comes down to the wire.

– James Bosworth is a freelance writer and consultant who runs Bloggings by Boz.

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under → D.R., Government, Politics, Quisqueya

Congreso mundial de libertad religiosa ayudará a identificar amenazas emergentes

2012 April 22
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abr. 10, 2012 Silver Spring, Maryland, United StatesBettina Krause/ANN

Los organizadores del VII Congreso Mundial de Libertad Religiosa de este mes dicen que están dedicados a colaborar para que los defensores de la libertad religiosa reconozcan de antemano nuevas amenazas a la libertad religiosa y respondan de manera efectiva.

La conferencia de tres días de duración, que comenzará el 24 de abril en Punta Cana (República Dominicana), reunirá a más de ochocientos funcionarios, expertos legales y defensores de la libertad religiosa de sesenta países para explorar el impacto del “secularismo radical” y otras fuerzas que se cree erosionan la protección de la libertad religiosa en el mundo.

El evento se lleva a cabo en un momento en que las investigaciones muestran que las restricciones mundiales a la libertad religiosa van en aumento. El año pasado, un estudio del Centro de Investigaciones Pew informó que durante la última década, las restricciones a la libertad religiosa se incrementaron en alrededor de una tercera parte de la población mundial. Estos límites se debieron principalmente a las restricciones gubernamentales en unos pocos países sumamente poblados.

El lema del congreso es “Secularismo y libertad religiosa: ¿Conflicto o trabajo conjunto?, lo que destaca un área de creciente preocupación.

“Para muchas personas de fe, la palabra ‘secularismo’ conlleva un sinnúmero de connotaciones negativas”, dijo John Graz, secretario general de la Asociación Internacional de Libertad Religiosa, que patrocina el evento. “Pueden verlo como una fuerza hostil hacia la religión. Pero históricamente, la libertad religiosa ha florecido bajo los gobiernos seculares que no escogen sus ‘favoritos religiosos’”.

Otros temas que serán tratados en el congreso incluyen los efectos de las revoluciones de la Primavera Árabe, así como los temores continuados en el mundo como resultado del extremismo religioso y la violencia de motivaciones religiosas.

Según Graz, otro amenaza emergente a las minorías religiosas es el así llamado “secularismo radical”, que considera que la religión es tan solo otro “grupo de intereses especiales” dentro de la sociedad, y busca limitar la expresión religiosa con el propósito de “proteger el secularismo”. Graz pone de ejemplo de esta tendencia la prohibición de que las musulmanas de Francia usen la burka o velo islámico.

Entre los asistentes al VII Congreso Mundial se encuentran funcionarios gubernamentales y expertos legales de los Estados Unidos, el Caribe y América Central y del Sur, Europa, Rusia y Oriente Medio, junto con estudiosos y activistas de los derechos humanos de todo el mundo.

La Asociación Internacional de Libertad Religiosa fue creada por los líderes adventistas en 1893 y está dedicada a defender y promover la libertad religiosa de personas de todos los credos. La IRLA cuenta con el estatus de ONG de consulta en las Naciones Unidas, y afiliados y asociaciones en ochenta países. Es la asociación más antigua en el mundo dedicada a defender la libertad religiosa.

En el sitio www.irla.org se podrán ver noticias y videos diarios del congreso.

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under → Caribbean, Church/State, Ecumenical, Event, Faith, Liberty, Punta Cana, Quisqueya, Tourism

The beach: sun, sand, and inequality in the Dominican Republic

2012 April 14
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Urban, man-made beaches are popping up around the world, but they serve as a reminder of the inequality that can prohibit low-income residents from traveling to parts of their own countries.

By Ezra Fieser, Correspondent / April 11, 2012

A resident watches the sea surge along a beach covered by debris after the passing of Hurricane Irene in Nagua on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic, in this August 2011 file photo.Roberto Guzman/AP/File

SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

In a country renowned for idyllic Caribbean beaches, crews were busy last week spreading sand around potted palm trees and temporary swimming pools on one of this city’s busiest avenues.  A 1,000-foot stretch of the seaside George Washington Avenue, known locally as el malecón, was transformed into an urban beach, complete with lounge chairs, beach umbrellas, and volleyball nets.

Santo Domingo Mayor Roberto Salcedo said the four-day installation provided a free excursion for residents too poor to travel to a real beach over Easter weekend, one of the country’s busiest travel periods. By Sunday, some 230,000 Dominicans visited.

The concept of trucking in sand to create an artificial beach for city dwellers dates back years and has been tried from Mexico City, which has 10 of them, to Paris, which drew 2.3 million people to its first urban beach in 2002.

RELATED: Think you know Latin America? Take our geography quiz.

While popular, the ersatz beaches also serve as a reminder of the inequality that prohibits lower-income residents from traveling to parts of their own countries that are routinely visited by foreigners, even in a developing country like the Dominican Republic.

“The beach is [a] very political tool – and used simplistically and thus effectively in demonstrating the ‘us versus them’ debate,” says Dorothea Meyer, director of the Tourism and Poverty Reduction Research Unit at the Sheffield Business School in the UK.

Ms. Meyer, who has studied tourism in the Dominican Republic, says an urban beach may win political points – Dominicans will elect a new president this year – but it does little to tear down animosity between locals and foreigners.

Tourist destination

The Dominican Republic, once better known as a sugar producer, has become the Caribbean’s most visited destination by offering everything from cheap all-inclusive resort stays to some of the world’s best beach hotels.

In 1980, fewer than 400,000 tourists visited the country. Last year, a record 4.3 million foreigners came through its airports.

Along the way, the Dominican Republic developed an infrastructure for tourism, building eight international airports, toll highways, and 67,000 hotel rooms in hotspots like Punta Cana.

That translated into economic growth, as well. Last year, the Dominican economy grew by 4.5 percent after expanding by 7.8 percent in 2010, according to the central bank.

Today, tourism supports some 250,000 direct and indirect jobs and tourists spend upwards of $4.5 billion a year, according to statistics from the Tourism Ministry.

“Tourism is clearly the mainstay of the DR economy – thus ideally it should benefit the nation,” Meyer says. “Whether the spending filters down is obviously a very different issue.”

The tourism – local disconnect

Part of the problem is that much of the billions a year tourists spend in the developing world does not remain in the local economy.

On average, only 45 cents of every dollar a tourist spends in a developing country remains in the local economy. The rest is lost to the cost of imports and as profits to foreign-owned companies in a process termed “leakage.” Studies have found that leakage is even worse in the Caribbean, where only 25 cents of each dollar are retained. Spanish hoteliers own many of the most popular Dominican chains.

A 2006 World Bank economic report found that the “enclave” model of Dominican tourism limited the interaction between tourists and locals. The government and industry have tried to address that by developing tourism “clusters” in which local businesses, hotel owners and related industries, like agriculture, work together to share in the profits.

Still, about one of three Dominicans lives in poverty, according to World Bank statistics. The electricity cuts out daily and the country spends less of its gross domestic product on education than nearly any other Latin American country.

The festive Easter holiday, when students receive a week off school, many offices close, temperatures rise, and the beach calls, used to be a time for locals to get away.

“We used to take a guagua [bus] to the beach, but not for a long time have we gone during Easter,” says Eusebio Soto, a father of four who spent two days at the artificial beach.

At Boca Chica, a beach near Santo Domingo that Mr. Soto used to frequent, the 221-room Don Juan Beach Resort reported full capacity for the weekend. It raised its prices to $85 per night from $55 per night for food, drink and a room with an ocean view.

RELATED: Think you know Latin America? Take our geography quiz.

The resort, a budget option that normally caters to Dominicans, drew “mostly foreigners,” says Marta Flores, a sales representative. “It’s our busiest time.”

Back in Santo Domingo, children lined up to climb into one of the 12 above ground swimming pools. Some wore bathing suits. Others pulled up shorts so oversized they could have come from their father’s closet. A few boys stood self-consciously in boxer shorts.

“Everything costs more for Easter week: transportation, food, hotels. It’s too expensive to go to the beach, so you stay home,” says Jhonatan Cano, standing in front of a palm tree, sipping on a plastic bottle of Presidente beer.

Behind him, the blue-green Caribbean waters and cloudless sky that beckon millions of tourists each year created a picturesque backdrop. While the adjacent Playa Güibia, the city’s only public beach, sat closed for Easter weekend because it was too dangerous for swimmers.

“At least we have a beach this year,” Mr. Cano says. “A beach of pools.”

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under → Beaches, Caribbean, D.R., Investments, Quisqueya, Tourism, Vacation

Mountain View, what can I do for you?

2012 April 7
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Posted by aalembertjr@gmail.com

Mountain View visitor on line 2 and 6 on feedjit life traffic feed monitor below:

What are you looking for in all my blogs?

I know you aren’t a believer of the Everlasting Gospel? You must be from the opposite side since no faithful follower could be so tenacious or consistent?

Identify yourself or risk being considered what you are!

A Jesuit infiltrator

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under → Opinion

Notable companies in Mountain View, California

2012 March 29
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Posted by aalembertjr@gmail.com

The following notable companies are headquartered in Mountain View:

23andMe
Actel
Antibody Solutions
Anybots
Appcelerator
Branders.com
Cavium Networks
Complete Genomics
Coupons.com
Conceptus Inc.
CyberSource
Diamond Systems Corporation
drchrono.com
eHealthInsurance
Evernote[8]
Eye-Fi
Fenwick & West
Financial Navigator
Geeknet
Google
IMVU
Intuit
Jajah
Dell KACE
Kosmix
LinkedIn
Loopt
Meebo
Mozilla Foundation (Mozilla Corporation)
NetBase Solutions, Inc.
Omnicell
Pattern Insight
Plastic Logic
Playdom
SENS Foundation
SETI Institute
Skyline Solar
SmugMug
Soylent Communications
Symantec
Synopsys
Talenthouse
Vivus
Y Combinator

The Googleplex, the headquarters of Google and formerly Silicon Graphics (SGI)

Intuit headquarters

The site of the former Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory, the first silicon device company in Silicon Valley
Other notable companies with significant presences in Mountain View include:
American Century Investments
AOL
Avid Technology (Pinnacle Systems)
Microsoft
NCsoft (Paragon Studios)
Nokia
Opera Software[9]
Red Hat
Webroot Software
Wipro Technologies

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_View,_California

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under → Information

Embajada de los Estados Unidos auspicia concurso en honor a la Mujer

2012 March 21
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Posted by aalembertjr@gmail.com

Santo Domingo
Con motivo de la celebración del “Mes de la Historia de la Mujer” en los Estados Unidos, la Embajada de ese país en república Dominicana anunció su concurso de canciones “Empoderada” en honor a la mujer, en el cual los concursantes deberán componer una canción original inspirando a las mujeres a seguir “auto-empoderándose”.

“La canción deberá de ser original y con una duración de no más de tres (3) minutos. Los participantes deberán subir su canción a YouTube y enviar el enlace al video por correo electrónico a la dirección redessociales@embajadausa.gov.do, antes del viernes 30 de marzo de 2012”, explica una nota informativa de la embajada.

Las canciones serán revisadas por el Comité de Concursos del Centro Franklin el elegido/a como ganador será premiado con un iPad y la canción publicada en la página en Facebook y Twitter de la Embajada de los Estados Unidos. Sólo ciudadanos dominicanos que residan en República Dominicana podrán participar en este concurso de canciones.

El concurso de canción “Empoderada” tiene como propósito seguir motivando logros y contribuciones de la mujer en nuestras sociedades y promocionar la excelencia en la música y el arte de la composición. Compositores amateurs y profesionales, así como entusiastas de la música, están invitados a participar.

Para más información sobre los términos y condiciones del concurso visite el linkhttp://spanish.santodomingo.usembassy.gov/concurso_mujer.html.

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under → D.R., Education, Español, Information, Quisqueya, USA, Women

Rafael Nadal’s New Villa in Dominican Republic

2012 March 6
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Monday, March 5th, 2012 at 11:38 am , filed under Tennis News by Terry Lawrence

The 10-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal has received keys of his new home in a ceremony on Sunday, which it is located in Dominican Republic.

The former World No. 1 Nadal has got the keys of his new Villa at new beach casa in Residential Playa Nueva Romana in the Dominican Republic, where he attend the ceremony along with his sisters Isabel and Lidia Pinero on Sunday 4th March. Pinero Group has given the keys to Nadal at an event with local authorities in the Dominican Republic.

World No. 2 Nadal said life has given him more than he dreamed and not interested to think about records. He added he also thanked his family for supporting and coaching team members for encouraging throughout his tennis career, especially to Uncle Toni Nadal. Nadal had best moments of his first Wimbledon championship at All England Club in 2008, beating Roger Federer in tough five sets and also led Spain to clinch the 2004 Davis Cup title against United States.

25-year-old Nadal also praised the best qualities of his rivals’ 16-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who is one the best talented players on all surfaces and he is very confident in his game. Spaniard said Federer is the best rival of his tennis career, where both the players have played several amazing matches in Grand Slam tournaments.

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under → Information, Investments, La Romana, Quisqueya

A time to recall their history

2012 February 27
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Posted by aalembertjr@gmail.com

Passaic Mayor Dr. Alex Blanco, second from left, and Miguel Diaz, vice president of the Dominican Day Parade, center, watch as the flag is raised.

MITSU YASUKAWA / SPECIAL TO THE RECORD

Passaic Mayor Dr. Alex Blanco, second from left, and Miguel Diaz, vice president of the Dominican Day Parade, center, watch as the flag is raised.

NorthJersey.com‎ – 1 hour ago

Dominican Independence Day is today. The flag symbolizes “Dios, Patria, … a vice president of the Dominican Day Parade, a September event that draws …

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under → 1844, Independence, New Jersey, Quisqueya

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