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search Navarrete-Puerto Plata Highway To Start This Month - Weekend News March 7th. 2010
The Minister of Public Works, Víctor Díaz Rúa, announced on Thursday that work on the Navarrete-Puerto Plata Highway would begin this month. The plan is to develop a four-lane highway. Discover Puerto Plata!
The Tourism Cluster of Puerto Plata has launched a new website www.discoverpuertoplata.com which is an informational site in English and Spanish. It covers attractions, monuments, restaurants, hotels, sports and eco tourism. More Flooding!
http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=1487 http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=4032&start=1 Michael Jackson Tribute At The Meeting Place
On Saturday March 13th. There will be a tribute to Michael Jackson performed by Anthony Hurtado at the Teatro Escuela Iván García at the Meeting Place in Puerto Plata. The performance starts at 7.30 PM. http://www.meetingplace-dr.com/ No Barrick Gold Campaign
The campaign against environmental contamination by Barrick Gold is, like the Los Haitises campaign, using online facilities to impart the message about the type of contract negotiated by the Government. Blogs and Facebook are being used and, as reported last week, Twitter. The campaign plans a peaceful demonstration over Easter http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2010/03/dan-conocer-agenda-caminata-105-kms-por.html#more http://luchaportusderechos.wordpress.com/ http://www.accionverde.com/2010/03/02/embajador-canada-afirma-no-defiende-a-la-barrick-gold/ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lucha-X-tus-Derechos/188920779278 Puerto Plata Port Campaign On Twitter
Digital media are again being used, this time to launch a campaign for the development of Puerto Plata port on Twitter. http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2010/02/se-inicia-en-twitter-campana-pro.html Diabolito! Be Careful Buying Cigarettes
Police have arrested a gang of narcotraffickers in Santiago who were producing and distributing a drug known as 'diabolito'. This is a mixture of tobacco spiked with cocaine. Canadian Drug Dealers Arrested
Last Monday three Canadians, Oliver A. Willis, David George Daniel Parker and Mauro Giuseppe, were arrested in the upscale Piantini sector of Santo Domingo in possession of 72 kilos of cocaine. http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=188923 http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias_det.php?id=236172 http://iplextra.indiatimes.com/photo/08sU5kW9cHejo?q=Dominican+Republic 2010 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report
The two volumes of this report are now available. Volume I Drug and Chemical Control states 'The most important task facing the DR is to stop the endemic corruption and improve public confidence in the government. Results of a Gallup-Hoy poll indicate that 52.6 percent of the population believe drug trafficking has penetrated the DR because of complicity between drug dealers and the authorities. We encourage the DR to institutionalize judicial reforms and make efforts to address money laundering by developing the capacity to conduct complex financial investigations as a priority.' The section on the DR starts on P 239: http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/137411.pdf Volume II Money Laundering and Financial Crimes states 'Financial institutions in the DR engage in currency transactions involving the proceeds of international narcotics trafficking, including significant amounts of currency derived from illegal drug sales in the United States. The smuggling of bulk cash by couriers and the use of wire transfer remittances are the primary methods for moving illicit funds from the United States into the DR. Once in the DR, currency exchange houses, money remittance companies, real estate and construction companies, and casinos are commonly used to facilitate the laundering of illicit funds. The lack of a viable financial intelligence unit exacerbates, and the proposed creation of an offshore financial center may worsen the Dominican Republic’s vulnerability to money laundering. In December 2008, the DR passed a law allowing for the creation of "International Financial Zones" (IFZs) in which the full range of financial services can be conducted completely separately from traditional monetary, banking and financial regulatory oversight. The IFZs will have their own regulatory and supervisory authority, which is independent from that of the domestic financial system. This appears to create a risk that IFZs cannot be regulated on anti-money laundering/counter-terrorist financing (AML/CFT) matters. The 2008 law has not yet been implemented.' The section on the DR starts on P 97 http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/137429.pdf http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias_det.php?id=236317 The DR's Minister for Foreign Affairs responded by asking the US not to meddle in the DR's internal affairs!!! He said that the DR Government does not issue reports about corruption in the US. TwitVoz Is Name Of New Service!
'Viva, the fastest growing mobile carrier in Dominican Republic, announced that it has launched TwitVoz (Call-n-Tweet) service on its mobile network. The solution has been sourced from Kirusa, the world's leading vendor of Voice SMS and a leading developer of mobile value added services. With this launch, Viva DR mobile subscribers can update their status on Twitter through voice tweets. This provides a very convenient alternative to texting. The service is available to all Viva DR GSM and CDMA subscribers across Dominican Republic, whatever the mobile handset model is, they do not need a smart phone.' The press release continues here: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Viva-Enables-Mobile-iw-3558523077.html?x=0&.v=1 Bishops' View
Part of the pastoral message for Independence Day said 'As the Dominican Republic is hard-hit by the economic crisis, it would be "folly to carry out a costly, expensive campaign" for the upcoming elections, the bishops said. "It must be austere." Elections to the Senate and House of Representatives are scheduled for May. "And it must not be forgotten that citizens are disgusted by promises and the discrediting of some vis-à-vis others. The society calls for a serene, respectful and dignified campaign," the prelates affirmed.' The message continues here: DR/Haiti Trip
'Tammy Camp, entrepreneur and adventure traveler, recently returned from a trip to the Batey Caraballo village in the Dominican Republic, known for housing a large community of impoverished Haitian immigrants. Her visit came in late-February 2010, just over a month after a catastrophic earthquake struck mainland Haiti'. Read on: http://www.prweb.com/releases/tammycampreturnsfrom/dominicanhaiticharitytrip/prweb3684474.htm The Peninsula House
'Getting there--a two-and-a-half-hour car ride from Santo Domingo--is definitely not half the fun, though it has its charms. The truly enjoyable part begins as you bump down one last deeply rutted, not-wide-enough-for-two-cars-to pass, blind-curved road and spy the Peninsula House's unobtrusive gateposts amid the jungly shade-and-sunlight. The first effect is an elaborate, theatrical surprise: You pop out onto a manicured mountainside plateau, with the Peninsula House's gleaming-white, tropical-Victorian plantation house presiding over immense ocean views. The surprise continues inside: the six-room hotel is a jewel box stuffed to the rafters by a sophisticated European collector -- paintings, furniture, fabrics, moldings, tableware, objets large and small. The enclave feels conjured by some postmillennial Prospero out of the rugged north coast of the Dominican Republic's Samaná Peninsula, and as with any good magician's trick, you can view it from all angles for several days and never quite understand how it all came together.' More here: World Premiere of Sol Caribe
'Maireni Films announced the world premiere on http://finance.yahoo.com/news/World-Premiere-of-Sol-Caribe-pz-3255903348.html?x=0&.v=1 Canadian Governor General To Visit Haiti And DR
'On the occasion of visits to the Republic of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Their Excellencies Michaelle Jean, Governor General of Canada, and Mr. Jean-Daniel Lafond will be accompanied by Canadian delegates who will play an active role in meetings with Haitian and Dominican authorities, as well as with members of the civil society. Engaged in the fields of status of women, education and municipal politics, the delegates will share their experiences and knowledge with their Haitian and Dominican counterparts.' The press release and the Governor General's own blog are linked below. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Media-Advisory-Canadian-iw-1167935069.html?x=0&.v=1 Antonov An-225 Lands At Santo Domingo
'The world’s largest freighter aircraft, the Antonov An-225, has delivered 110 metric tons of earthmoving equipment, tents and other relief supplies to Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic, to help with the Haiti earthquake relief effort. The plane could not land directly in Haiti due to congestion. The relief supplies and equipment were sent by the Japanese government and loaded aboard the An-225 at Tokyo Narita airport.' More here: http://www.joc.com/air-expedited/antonov-225-carries-equipment-haiti-relief A Tale Of Boat Delivery
'If you read last month's installment, you know we were hired to deliver a 42-foot sportfisherman from the Dominican Republic to Florida. You also know the curious circumstances that convinced us to move Double Trouble (not her real name) from one Dominican port to another to make preparations and repairs before setting course for the Turks and Caicos Islands. Dominican port authorities, though unfailingly polite, constitute a menace to safe navigation because of their inability to appreciate the importance of weather windows to the movement of small vessels, a poorly developed sense of urgency and institutional corruption. To ensure a timely departure, we had even made an advance appointment with the Dominican navy for a Friday night clearance. Yet when the time came, no one was there.' Read on: http://www.soundingsonline.com/component/content/article/250322/250322 Book News
May 2009: Ginnie's second book is now available. This is an Ebook commissioned by Boomerscape.com Retire in the Dominican Republic Survival Kit and is available here: http://www.dominicanretirementguide.com/
Costambar residents and visitors! Dinner and a movie? No, breakfast and a good book! Visit Rainer and Beatriz's R & B Bakery, Calle Los Mangos, Villas Princesa, Costambar Tel.809-970-3083 where the book is also on sale. In fact you can drop in between 7am and 7pm daily except Tuesdays for home made bread, cakes and pies and ...................a good read! And yes! We've made it to You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuAa_I5n53E Meanwhile the book is available online from the publishers, Best Books Online Http://www.bestbooksonline.co.UK/bookshop/specials.php?id=68 New outlet for US customers! Quisqueya: Mad Dogs and English Couple is now available from The Dominican Bookshop: http://www.dominicanbookshop.com/Quisqueya_Mad_Dogs_and_English_Couple_p/978-1904502524.htm Reviews of the book are available on Amazon as well as British Expat and Dominican Today. Better not to buy from Amazon because of their apparent overcharging http://dominicantoday.com/app/article.aspx?id=25127 http://www.britishexpat.com/Book-Reviews-Quisqueya.1347.0.html More Than 2500 Trucks Of Mud - Weekend News February 28th. 2010
http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2010/02/han-sacado-mas-de-2500-camiones-de-lodo.html Money Laundering And Narcotrafficking Conference
The American Chamber of Commerce is offering a conference presented by Lic. Hieromy Castro Milanés, Director of the Financial Analysis Unit of the Committee against Money Laundering on the theme of the application of Law 72-02. This will take place at the Gran Ventana Hotel, Playa Dorada at 6.00 PM on Wednesday March 3rd. http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=4002&start=1 Lifestyle Holidays Jazz Restaurant
Not music but French Fusion. 'Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club, located in Puerto Plata on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic, has announced the opening of Jazz, a French Fusion restaurant and Bourbon Street, an outdoor café and bar, exclusively for members and guests staying in the Presidential Suites by Lifestyle and Executive Spa Suites by Lifestyle, located adjacent to Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Resort. The restaurant serves upscale French cuisine with an authentic Cajun and Creole flair, making for some fine down home flavor. This totally new concept, called French Fusion, was created by the combined creative talent of LHVC’s Food & Beverage director and Executive Chef, Manny Slomovits.' The press release continues here: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Lifestyle-Holidays-Vacation-bw-3188435816.html?x=0&.v=1 First Choice Sued Over DR Holidays
First Choice UK holiday company are now being sued over the 2007 health issue at Bahia Principe, Rio San Juan for which Thomas Cook settled a year ago for £3.5 million. 'Claimants from all over the country claim they suffered acute gastroenteritis following their stay at the all-inclusive four-star hotel in the summer of 2007 and complained of poor food hygiene standards, along with a range of further complaints, according to a writ issued at London's High Court and recently made publicly available. The writ alleges that 409 holidaymakers complained of food, crockery, and cutlery at the Bahia Principe Hotel in San Juan not being properly washed, food that was undercooked, and that food which should have been served hot, such as poached eggs, was stone cold. Irwin Mitchell, the law firm who represent the claimants, says that there was an outbreak at the hotel in 2007 which involved more than 1,000 people, about 500 of whom were pursuing a claim against Thomas Cook and its subsidiary My Travel. These claims settled for around £3.5 million. The lawyers say they estimate that the potential compensation claims left could, if successful, cost First Choice a similar amount again.' http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1193476_dad_sues_after_caribbean_holiday_from_hell_ http://www.braintreeandwithamtimes.co.uk/news/5025242.Families_sue_over_holiday_from_hell/ http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2010/02/24/33116/first-choice-defends-dom-rep-bug-hotel.html No Barrick Gold 4000 Tweets
On Wednesday Dominicans started a campaign on Twitter against the ecological damage which they fear would result from Barrick Gold prospecting near Cotui. Some 4000 Tweets were registered on the first day. http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2010/02/mas-de-4000-mensajes-en-twitter-en.html#more Antitrujillistas Stop Book Launch
'The official release of the book "Trujillo, my father, in my memory", written by Maria de Los Angeles Trujillo (Angelita) was unsuccessful, due to the presence of anti-Trujillo persons in the activity that was to be held at the Hotel Santo Domingo and sponsored by the Universidad of the Caribbean (Unicaribe). At 6:00 p.m., the reporters had gathered at the entrance of the hotel for the start of the activity that was set for 8:00 p.m., while the anti-Trujillo persons entered without drawing any attention to themselves. It was not until 6:30 when the slogans "Trujillo murderer!", "Long live the butterflies", and "Angelita, murderer!" brought out the flashes and there was some pushing and shoving. The protest was headed, for the most part, by children, grand children, nieces and nephews and friends of Antonio de la Maza, Luis Amiama Tio, Rafael Augusto Sanchez, Antonio Imbert Barrera and other victims of the tyranny.' The story continues in the English language version of Diario Libre and can be watched on the You Tube video at the second link: http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias_det.php?id=235919 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkUMdLP5890 http://www.sosuaonline.net/DetailPost.aspx?postId=8295 http://www.sosuaonline.net/DetailPost.aspx?postId=8293 http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=188709 http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=188731 http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=188637 President's 27th February Speech
The President's Independence Day speech covered the usual topics: yes there is corruption but it is individual cases and not organised (!), the economy will grow in 2010, education needs more resources, high ranking military are involved in the drugs trade, the new Constitution will strengthen DR institutions and he is confident he will take a ride on the second Metro line in 2012. He also expressed solidarity with Chile in the face of the 8.8 magnitude earthquake which they have suffered. The full text of the President's speech can be found at the first link. http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2010/02/discurso-de-lf-ante-la-asamblea.html#more http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=188807 http://www.clavedigital.com/App_Pages/Noticias/Noticias.aspx?id_Articulo=27852 Fleeing Haitians Repatriated
'Dominican authorities say they have repatriated 462 migrants who tried to cross the border from quake-devastated Haiti. The government says 12 children were among the group that paid up to $100 each to be taken to the northern city of Santiago. A government statement late on Friday said 162 migrants tried to enter the country in a truck and a bus, while the others tried to cross on foot. The two drivers were arrested.' Read on: Another Old Fire Truck Story
Those who recall the Sosua fire truck story can read of a sequel, this time in relation to La Romana. 'A candidate for selectmen is so fired up about the town's decision to give an old firetruck to a Dominican Republic community four years ago he's made the issue a centerpiece of his early campaign and asked the state inspector general to rule on whether the town violated state rules. Candidate Larry Bruce of Chandler Road has posted a old newspaper story about the town's goodwill donation made in 2006 on his Web site, fixandover.com/MIA.htm. Then fire Chief Chuck Murnane, who has since retired, said the 22-year-old ladder truck had no value because it had failed a safety inspection. The firetruck was, therefore, donated to a church at no cost to the town, and brought to the Dominican Republic. The truck was one of three vehicles that were given away. Two other vehicles were also gifted by the town in the spring of 2006, a 1983 Chevrolet four-wheel-drive pickup-style "brush truck" and a 1988 ambulance.' More here: http://www.andovertownsman.com/local/local_story_055172707.html And A Third!
'What began as a casual discussion between a parishioner of All Saints Episcopal Church on Hilton Head Island and the Rev. Julio C. Holguin, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of the Dominican Republic, has resulted in plans for the donation of an emergency response vehicle to the developing nation. The conversation took place during Bishop Holguin's visit to the church in December. It became known that the bishop is an honorary member of one town's fledgling fire department, which does not have a firetruck available for emergency response. The anonymous parishioner owns a Ford F-700 fire/rescue truck, which he had been using as part of his pine plantation operation in Bailey's Harbor, Wis. In talking to Holguin, he realized that he could make a significant contribution to the island.' The story continues here: http://www.islandpacket.com/2010/02/27/1153309/all-saints-parishioner-donates.html Orphanage Outreach
'Jackson Avenue Coffee will host a silent auction Monday through Friday to raise money for Orphanage Outreach, a nonprofit group that assists children in the Dominican Republic. Orphanage Outreach volunteer Gabby Gee, who is an Eastern Illinois University student, has organized the auction to help raise money before leaving to volunteer in the Dominican Republic. “The Dominican Republic has one of the poorest educational systems in the world and they wouldn’t be able to provide a quality education without donations,” she said.' Read on: http://www.jg-tc.com/articles/2010/02/26/features/doc4b8890b7c2415118040048.txt Ousted West Miami Mayor To Run Again
'The ex-mayor, who is facing charges that he exploited his official position after making more than $70,000 in long-distance phone calls to the Dominican Republic and China on his city-issued cellphone, says he is running for office this election season. Cesar Carasa requested an elections packet from the city clerk's office on Monday but has yet to officially qualify for the April 13 mayoral election. ``I have been encouraged by supporters in the city -- residents and friends -- to run again, and I'm going to do just that,'' Carasa said. ``I have a vested interest in the city of West Miami and the people who live here.'' The qualifying period for the West Miami elections ends noon Friday.' More here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/02/25/1498845/ousted-west-miami-mayor-cesar.html Zelaya Exiled In DR Wanted In Honduras
'The Honduras Justice Ministry on Wednesday requested the arrest of ex president Manuel Zelaya, two of his former ministers and two other former Government officials, on charges of fraud, document forgery and abuse of power. The ex Honduras leader is currently in exile in Dominican Republic’s capital Santo Domingo. The Office of the Prosecutor Against Corruption presented the request before Tegucigalpa’s Penal Court, and asked the court to issue an arrest warrant for Zelaya and the other four if necessary, a judicial source told Efe.' Meanwhile, on Thursday Zelaya's supporters in Honduras took to the streets 'Thousands of supporters of ousted Honduras president Manuel Zelaya took to the streets of the capital yesterday for the first time since President Porfirio Lobo took office last month. Lobo, who was elected in controversial polls held under the de facto regime, took power on January 27 and granted Zelaya safe passage to the Dominican Republic. Zelaya, a centrist who swung to the left while in office, had spent several months holed up in the Brazilian embassy after secretly returning to the Central American nation. Yesterday's protesters called for reform of the constitution and denounced corruption and rights abuses since Zelaya was ousted last June. Some 10,000 people set off from the capital's main university but were blocked by soldiers from nearing the presidential palace and diverted to the parliament in the city centre instead, according to organisers.' http://www.insidecostarica.com/dailynews/2010/february/26/centam-10022602.htm Book News
May 2009: Ginnie's second book is now available. This is an Ebook commissioned by Boomerscape.com Retire in the Dominican Republic Survival Kit and is available here: http://www.dominicanretirementguide.com/
Costambar residents and visitors! Dinner and a movie? No, breakfast and a good book! Visit Rainer and Beatriz's R & B Bakery, Calle Los Mangos, Villas Princesa, Costambar Tel.809-970-3083 where the book is also on sale. In fact you can drop in between 7am and 7pm daily except Tuesdays for home made bread, cakes and pies and ...................a good read! And yes! We've made it to You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuAa_I5n53E Meanwhile the book is available online from the publishers, Best Books Online Http://www.bestbooksonline.co.UK/bookshop/specials.php?id=68 New outlet for US customers! Quisqueya: Mad Dogs and English Couple is now available from The Dominican Bookshop: http://www.dominicanbookshop.com/Quisqueya_Mad_Dogs_and_English_Couple_p/978-1904502524.htm Reviews of the book are available on Amazon as well as British Expat and Dominican Today. Better not to buy from Amazon because of their apparent overcharging http://dominicantoday.com/app/article.aspx?id=25127 http://www.britishexpat.com/Book-Reviews-Quisqueya.1347.0.html Flooding in Puerto Plata: The Aftermath - Weekend News February 21st. 2010
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sacandomelao/sets/72157623439954012/show/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/sacandomelao/sets/72157623446248606/show/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61Ci4zWrxf8&feature=player_embedded http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2010/02/mas-de-25700-personas-afectadas-por.html#more http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=1335 http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3944&start=1 http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3936&start=1 Baptist Missionary Investigation Comes To North Coast
Judge Bernard Sainvil of Haiti moves his investigation of the American Baptist missionaries to the north coast of the DR this weekend. He will be accompanied by Port-au-Prince's chief prosecutor, Joseph Manes Louis, who is also investigating the case of 200 children who were taken from Haiti to another location in the DR. 'Jim Allen, one of the eight American volunteers freed from jail in Haiti, said he believed the team had all the paperwork necessary to take Haitian children to an orphanage in the Dominican Republic. “We were told that all the documents required to get kids into the Dominican Republic she (team leader Laura Silsby) had,” said Allen to Anderson Cooper on CNN’s “AC360” Friday evening. “And on the Haitian side there were some documents that we needed to acquire and that was part of our goal also.” When asked if he had seen the documents, Allen said he did see them when the children were being loaded onto the bus. The documents, said the American volunteer, were filled out as each child boarded the vehicle.' The story continues here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/19/AR2010021905009.html http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61I5JN20100219 http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=105&sid=1893108 http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/BPnews.asp?ID=32329 http://www.univision.com/contentroot/wirefeeds/50noticias/8148008.shtml http://miamiherald.typepad.com/burnettiquette/ http://www.idahostatesman.com/earthquake/story/1087039.html http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/19/haiti.missionary/index.html Puerto Plata First WiFi Province
By the end of March nine municipalities of Puerto Plata will have free WiFi. These include Bello Costero, Codetel, Padre Granero , San Marcos, Haiti, Playa Oeste, Los Callejones, Conani, and Gregorio Luperón. http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2010/02/puerto-plata-se-convertira-en-la.html#more Norwegian Student Attacked By Security Guard
Marthé Kristina Ellefden, 21, a Norwegian student on the StudyAway programme, was attacked by the security guard at the programme's residential facility, the Hummingbird Hotel in Callejon de la Loma, Cabarete. The 25 year old security guard was arrested on Wednesday afternoon. http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=1362 http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3950&start=1 24 Hour Power For More Of Sosua
EdeNorte announced on Thursday that several new parts of Sosua had been added to the 24 hour power areas; these include Puerto Chiquito, Las Caobas, La Unión, Villa Liberación, María la O, and Barrio El Militar. Meanwhile, in Puerto Plata the arrest has been made of a proprietor who bought electricity from Edenorte, installed his own meters and charged clients a higher rate. http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=1384 http://elnacional.com.do/nacional/2010/2/19/40260/Apresan-uno-tenia-medidores-robados Figueroa Agosto's Balance Sheet
'The list that was found in the possession of Ricardo Ivanovich Smester Garcia, one of the persons implicated in the dossier of the fugitive Jose D. Figueroa Agosto, in which the distribution of US$874,000 is described, including two items of US$175,000 as alleged payments of bribes to judges and prosecutors, is a reality. Diario Libre confirmed that the list is being analyzed by the authorities, with the idea of determining if the order for the distribution of this money was given by the Puerto Rican fugitive from his hideout. Among the payments on the list are ones for US$50,000 and UA$53,000 for Samy; US$250,000 for a man that is identified by the initials IND; US$10,000 for Mary, who also has another payment of US$50,000. There is also a payment of US$40,000 for a person identified as Juan; US$53,000 and US$29,000 for a woman, US$29,000 for the purchase of Euros and US$12,000 for payment of a bail bond.' Meanwhile the National District Fiscal, Alejandro Moscoso Segarra, said someone modified the list to include a Fiscal in order to discredit the Public Ministry. Readers are invited to see for themselves, the balance sheet is at the third link. Read on: http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias_det.php?id=234907 http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias_det.php?id=234939 http://www.clavedigital.com/ktmllite/files/uploads/Narcotrafico/Cuentas-Smester.pdf http://www.clavedigital.com/App_Pages/Noticias/Noticias.aspx?id_Articulo=27722 UNICEF And Dominican Partners Protect Unaccompanied Haitian Children
'Born and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 13-year-old Loveson has such a small frame that he could easily pass for 9 or 10. Outside the makeshift UN headquarters here, 5 km from the Dominican Republic’s border with Haiti, he plays with a plush Tiger hand puppet and a toy cell phone. Under the circumstances, Loveson is understandably shy. But when asked how he’s feeling, he smiles. “I have all these people around me,” he says quietly in his native Creole. “Everyone is looking after me now.” ' The story continues: Children's Ward In DR
'The moment I arrived at the children’s ward of Dario Contreras Hospital, I heard cries from the wounded. About a dozen injured young people lay in one room, some crammed two to a bed. Some had a parent by their side, some were alone. Amputated arms or legs were common, and it looked like almost everyone was in a cast. Blood-stained bandages were wrapped tightly around some heads. Other children were hooked to IV drips with medicines. One little boy had lost an eye. This is where I met 12-year-old Maximillien Francois, whose mother brought him here for treatment about three weeks ago.' More here: 10 Days In Haiti
'Dr. Steve Dorsey, son of Sandy Dorsey of Fallbrook, recently spent 10 days helping out in Haiti. He was able to drive to Port-A-Prince from his clinic in Catey, Dominican Republic. Dorsey contacted his friends at Partners in Health at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, Calif., and they responded by sending 15 doctors and nurses to help him. The team worked at the hospital in Jimani, Dominican Republic by organizing care and identifying, treating and transporting critical surgical patients. Dorsey also was able to set up a clinic in a church in Port-au-Prince.' Read on: Coordinating Care
'It was the final day of a four-day trip to bring relief supplies to Haiti for Wnek, 58, of Auburndale, senior vice president of marketing for Palm Harbor Homes. He had arrived Saturday in the Dominican Republic with five others, working under the auspices of Wnek's Hope for Haiti Healing Ministry. Working from the Dominican side of the border, they spent two hectic days delivering rice, water, juice and other necessities to a refugee camp in the countryside and an impoverished neighborhood on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, the badly damaged capital city. It was Wnek's second trip since the quake, and he said his experiences this time produced impatience at the lack of a systematic approach to relief.' More here: http://www.theledger.com/article/20100217/news/2175006&tc=yahoo?tc=ar High Handed Hacienda
'Father Rafael Delgado, better known as Father Chelo, the creator of the Padre Fantino Foundation, showed his indignation about the mistreatment he received from the Dominican state, which left him without a place to hold his "I am Catholic" concert. The benefit concert was to raise funds for the organization's orphans, and he called the decision "arrogant". The priest had reserved the locale in September of last year, but in the middle of this week, the director of the Gran Arena del Cibao, Nelson Calderon, notified him that by orders from the Minister of Hacienda Vicente Bengoa, the event was cancelled in order to present the Continental Boxing Championships. "The only thing they told me was, get rid of this thing on Saturday, call the Father and tell him that the President's office said it was off", is how Nelson Calderon defended his actions, as he said that he had no other course of action but to obey the order. Father Chelo explained the problems that this decision caused because he had already invested in promoting the event and had already sold tickets. "I have to take care of more than 40 boys and girls from the streets and the government does not give me a penny for this and this is the cleanest and best organized home in the country", said the priest.' The story continues in the English language version of Diario Libre: IMF Statement
'Monetary conditions improved significantly. Following an earlier contraction, new lending to the private sector rebounded at the end of 2009 and expanded by 8.5 percent for the year as a whole. After the approval of the SBA, significant disbursements from the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank in December 2009 led to a large increase in the level of international reserves of the Central Bank by the end of the year. “Two quantitative performance criteria for end-December 2009 under the IMF-supported program were not observed: (I) the limit on the fiscal deficit of the Central Administration; and (ii) clearance of arrears to electricity generators. The authorities are taking corrective actions to address temporary program deviations. With the approval of the 2010 budget, the authorities are implementing policies to ensure that fiscal targets are within the program limits, and taking measures to eliminate arrears with electricity generators.' More here: One Of Italy's Most Wanted Caught In DR
One of Italy's most wanted mafiosi, Savero Loconsolo, was arrested on a beach near Santo Domingo yesterday, sunbathing with his wife and children. http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias_det.php?id=235187 http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=187754 http://miradoroeste.blogspot.com/2010/02/policia-apresa-mafioso-severo-loconsolo.html Exiled Zelaya Makes Dominican Music
'The ousted president of Honduras Manuel Zelaya has taken up singing and guitar-strumming to pass the time in exile in the Dominican Republic, the daily newspaper La Nacion reported Tuesday. Zelaya got together with musician Hector Acosta to produce Merengue music - a style endemic to Dominican Republic and known across Latin America. The two men first played together in May 2009, but in much more powerful surroundings: the presidential palace of the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa. A month later, Zelaya was summarily exiled in a middle-of-the- night coup, and sent abroad while still in his pajamas - not because of the music, but because his critics charged he was trying to violate the Honduran constitution.' Read on: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/309611,exiled-zelaya-makes-dominican-music-to-pass-time.html It's Back!
'Pennsylvania State Police have received several reports by local residents who have gotten telephone calls requesting that thousands of dollars be sent to Canada and to the Dominican Republic because the caller had advised that the person's grandson was in prison. The requested money was to be used as bail to gain his freedom. In these instances, the caller urged the funds be sent via Western Union.' This scam is once more making the rounds: Stowaway Falls From Plane
'The body of a young man fell from a cargo plane as it was starting to take off for Miami, Dominican officials said. An air traffic controller saw something fall from the Amerijet cargo plane just after it took off and workers found the body, prompting a 45-minute shutdown of the runway on Thursday, said Yolanda Manan, spokeswoman for the Las Americas International Airport in the Dominican capital. Officials said pilot Felix Joseph Gruosso was not immediately aware of what had happened and continued flying. U.S. Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said Friday the plane landed without incident at Miami International Airport and was taken to a remote spot for an inspection. Officials were investigating whether the victim worked at the airport and how he was able to get past security to access a restricted area, Airport Minister Aristides Fernandez Zucco said late Thursday.' More here: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/02/18/florida.stowaway.plane/index.html?section=cnn_latest http://www.clavedigital.com/App_Pages/Noticias/Noticias.aspx?id_Articulo=27730 Book News
May 2009: Ginnie's second book is now available. This is an Ebook commissioned by Boomerscape.com Retire in the Dominican Republic Survival Kit and is available here: http://www.dominicanretirementguide.com/
Costambar residents and visitors! Dinner and a movie? No, breakfast and a good book! Visit Rainer and Beatriz's R & B Bakery, Calle Los Mangos, Villas Princesa, Costambar Tel.809-970-3083 where the book is also on sale. In fact you can drop in between 7am and 7pm daily except Tuesdays for home made bread, cakes and pies and ...................a good read! And yes! We've made it to You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuAa_I5n53E Meanwhile the book is available online from the publishers, Best Books Online Http://www.bestbooksonline.co.UK/bookshop/specials.php?id=68 New outlet for US customers! Quisqueya: Mad Dogs and English Couple is now available from The Dominican Bookshop: http://www.dominicanbookshop.com/Quisqueya_Mad_Dogs_and_English_Couple_p/978-1904502524.htm Reviews of the book are available on Amazon as well as British Expat and Dominican Today. Better not to buy from Amazon because of their apparent overcharging http://dominicantoday.com/app/article.aspx?id=25127 http://www.britishexpat.com/Book-Reviews-Quisqueya.1347.0.html Carnival Time In Puerto Plata - Weekend News February 14th. 2010
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sacandomelao/sets/72157623378164886/show/ http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2010/02/fotos-gran-colorido-en-inicio-carnaval.html http://www.flickr.com/photos/sacandomelao/with/4352982209/ http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3887&start=1 Luis Hess Dies
Sosua lost its longest living expat this past week. Luis Hess was 101 and had lived in Sosua for more than 70 years. There can be few residents who do not know of his contribution to the town over the decades. The funeral took place on Thursday. Sosua Tax Collection
Trouble at mill! It would appear that there are different versions of the story of who cancelled which contract to collect taxes in Sosua. The players appear to be the chairperson of the Ayuntamiento, the Mayor and Ian Schembri Sant (referred to in last week's news as 'the foreign company') and all three have different versions of the story. So, for now, this news bulletin will await a definitive result. Breath holding not advised. Meanwhile, the Director of Puerto Plata's tax office, the DGII, has been fired. http://elnuevonorte.com/Inicio/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/486/ItemID/6359/Default.aspx http://elnuevonorte.com/Inicio/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/486/ItemID/6407/Default.aspx http://www.sosuaonline.net/DetailPost.aspx?postId=8157 http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3888&start=1 Giving In Puerto Plata
'Life can be hard for many families in Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. Living on just a few dollars a day means that affording even the basic necessities for life is a challenge. But for the children of Eduardo Brito School and their families, when they heard about the suffering caused by the earthquake in neighbouring Haiti there was only one possible response. Since the earthquake struck they have mobilised their community to help and have been organising collections of goods to send over the border. The pupils have turned to their parents, tutors and other members of the community to ask for contributions of food, bottled water and toiletries. Many of the donors can afford only the basic necessities themselves, yet they are willing to share what little they have with the people of Haiti.' More here: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/221038/12657948725.htm http://www.wer-uk.org/content/you-dont-need-wealth-order-give Gregorio Luperon Museum Work Progresses
Work on the Gregorio Luperon Museum on Calle 12 de Julio, Puerto Plata, has moved ahead rapidly. The new structure is made of blocks, not the wood of the original, but the plans indicate a similar facade. German Dies In Costa Azul, Canadian in Luperon
Last Saturday a German resident of Costa Azul, Cabarete, Helman Schroder, 63, suffered a heart attack and died. On Thursday Canadian tourist Alma Beaulieu, 69, died of a heart attack at the Otoza Hotel in Luperon. http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3880&start=1 http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3921&start=1 Maintenance Worker Falls And Dies At Blue Bay, Playa Dorada
A maintenance worker fell from a scaffold at Blue Bay Hotel, Playa Dorada on Tuesday. Pedro Pablo Grullón Pérez, 38, died and Carlos Manuel Elivo Hernández, 27, of Montellano was injured. http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3901&start=1 http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2010/02/un-muerto-y-un-herido-al-caer-de.html Lifestyle Holidays Adult-Only Spa Suites
'Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club (LHVC), located in Puerto Plata on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic, has introduced its new Executive Spa Suites by Lifestyle, located adjacent to Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Resort with access to all resort amenities. The new adult-only property includes 18 one-bedroom poolside studios that are directly across from The Spa, a luxury retreat dedicated to relaxation and rejuvenation of body and mind, with a state-of-the-art cardio room, hot and steam saunas, sea salt healing pool and an array of indulgent treatments and massages. The new Jazz Restaurant and Bourbon Street Bar are also exclusively for the use of members and guests of the Executive Spa Suites and the Presidential Suites. The studios, providing accommodations for up to four people, feature Caribbean design in rattan, natural wicker and exotic bamboo, choice of king size bed or double beds, air conditioning, ceiling fan, cable television, private bathroom with shower and sitting area, mini-fridge and desk, and terrace overlooking the pool and The Spa.' The press release continues here: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Lifestyle-Holidays-Vacation-bw-1548469486.html?x=0&.v=1 Dutchman Kidnapped In Ocoa
Dutchman Antonio Lambertus Adrianus Eijkemans, 68, was kidnapped from his home in San José de Ocoa on Wednesday by five unknown assailants who arrived in an SUV, according to Mr. Eijkmans wife. She thought they might have taken him in the direction of Sosua where his ex-wife is resident. As of now there are no reports of any ransom demands. http://elnacional.com.do/nacional/2010/2/11/39505/Dicen-secuentran-holandes-en-Ocoa Questions About DR Lawyer Could Halt Missionaries Release
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/world/americas/14haiti.html http://www.the33tv.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-cb-haiti-detained-americans,0,6649516.story http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/13/world/americas/13adviser.html http://kdka.com/national/haiti.baptists.attorney.2.1492652.html http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100212/world/cb_haiti_detained_americans_8 Video: Twist in kid trafficking case http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2010/02/13/penhaul.who.is.puello.cnn?iref=24hours http://www.pnc.gob.sv/informacion/noticia_detalle.php?noticiasID=703 Ethical British Chocolate From The DR
'"Most people buying chocolate don't honestly give a lot of thought to where it came from and what's in it," Green & Black's senior brand manager Katie Butler told me this week. Nonetheless, her company does give it a lot of thought. "Altogether, we expect that the farmers in the Dominican Republic from whom we buy our cocoa are going to receive over $6 million in Fair Trade premiums over the next ten years," Butler said. "I can't even tell you how good this feels." Announced on January 27, the Fair Trade commitment signifies an investment of more than $485,000 each year over the next ten years.' Read on: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anneli-rufus/ethical-chocolate-sweeten_b_455210.html Fatalities In Bus Crash
'At least nine people were killed Friday in a bus accident on the Caribbean coast of the Dominican Republic, the country's Civil Defence said. Delfin Rodriguez, the head of Civil Defense operations in the area, said the bodies of eight women, one of whom was pregnant, and a months-old child had been recovered. But rescue teams were expecting to find more bodies in the wreckage of the vehicle, which had a 25-passenger capacity, Dominican newspaper Listin said. The accident happened at 2300 GMT as the bus headed towards Santo Domingo from the town of Boca Chica.' As of Saturday morning the death toll had risen and 12 bodies had been recovered. http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=186790 Videos: http://noticiassin.com/www/index.php?go=Multimedia&act=multimedia_videos&mid=13290 http://noticiassin.com/www/index.php?go=Multimedia&act=multimedia_videos&mid=13289 70% Of DR Buildings Will Resist Earthquake
'In the Dominican Republic 70% of the buildings have the guarantee that they have been built with the required anti-seismic norms, while the remaining 30% do not have the same luck, and because of this they require immediate intervention by the authorities. These were the terms used by Victor Payano, the president of the Dominican College of Engineers, Architects and Surveyors (CODIA), who pointed out that according to the evaluation that they have on hand, "our buildings represent a guarantee for the eventuality of an earthquake". "The earthquakes are unpredictable, as is their magnitude. So it is good to be clear that in our country we have observed and carried out the construction norms that were put into place in 1979", he said.' More here: Book News
May 2009: Ginnie's second book is now available. This is an Ebook commissioned by Boomerscape.com Retire in the Dominican Republic Survival Kit and is available here: http://www.dominicanretirementguide.com/
Costambar residents and visitors! Dinner and a movie? No, breakfast and a good book! Visit Rainer and Beatriz's R & B Bakery, Calle Los Mangos, Villas Princesa, Costambar Tel.809-970-3083 where the book is also on sale. In fact you can drop in between 7am and 7pm daily except Tuesdays for home made bread, cakes and pies and ...................a good read! And yes! We've made it to You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuAa_I5n53E Meanwhile the book is available online from the publishers, Best Books Online Http://www.bestbooksonline.co.UK/bookshop/specials.php?id=68 New outlet for US customers! Quisqueya: Mad Dogs and English Couple is now available from The Dominican Bookshop: http://www.dominicanbookshop.com/Quisqueya_Mad_Dogs_and_English_Couple_p/978-1904502524.htm Reviews of the book are available on Amazon as well as British Expat and Dominican Today. Better not to buy from Amazon because of their apparent overcharging http://dominicantoday.com/app/article.aspx?id=25127 http://www.britishexpat.com/Book-Reviews-Quisqueya.1347.0.html Dominican Crossroads Mission to Haiti - Weekend News February 7th. 2010
http://us1.forward-to-friend.com/forward/show?u=03434dd4c645daae407229ab8&id=0ee67da855 Russian Mechanic Assaulted In Sosua
Last Monday Russian mechanic Victor Lacareb, 43, was assaulted by three unknown assailants who pulled into his garage supposedly looking for car repairs. They pulled a gun on him and in the scuffle to get Mr. Lacareb's gun he was wounded in the leg and hand. He has now been discharged from hospital. http://elnacional.com.do/nacional/2010/2/2/38653/Hieren-mecanico-ruso-en-PP http://elsurdelaflorida.blogspot.com/2010/02/hieren-mecanico-ruso-en-puerto-plata.html Costambar Road Repairs
Protests In Puerto Plata
On Friday there was a two hour confrontation between police and protestors in the barrios of Los Camberos and Buenos Aires: lack of water and the state of the roads were the complaints. A number of protestors were injured, car windshields were broken and neighbours were affected by the tear gas used by police. http://elnacional.com.do/nacional/2010/2/6/39031/Varios-heridos-durante-huelga-en-Puerto-Plata Bishop Had Agreed To Lease Cabarete Property
According to a piece in Puerto Plata Habla, the Bishop of Puerto Plata had agreed to lease a Church property in Cabarete, originally a hotel and now a centre for learning and retreats, to the American missionaries at the centre of the story in Haiti about the attempt to bring Haitian children across the border illegally. http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3866&start=1 Brits Arrested At Puerto Plata Airport
Last Monday three more 'tourists' were detained at Puerto Plata airport for attempting to export cocaine. The names of the 'extended holiday award' winners are John Hill, Peter Terence McLeod and Kevin Thomas O´Hagan. http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias_det.php?id=232879 http://listin.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=130189 German Tourists Robbed In Las Terrenas
On Tuesday German tourists Wolfgang Salz, 58, and Bárbara Jesse Rulemen, 54, were assaulted in their hotel, Villa 3 in Hotel Iguana, Las Terrenas by armed assailants. They forced Mr. Salz to open the room safe and hand over 2000 Euros, US$600, a credit card and two passports. http://www.elnacional.com.do/nacional/2010/2/3/38758/Atracan-y-golpean-turistasTerrenas http://lacebollany.blogspot.com/2010/02/atracan-y-golpean-turistas.html http://www.hispaniola.eu/news/1-aktuell/2184-deutsche-touristen-in-las-terrenas-ueberfallen.html Puerto Plata Haitians Look For Work In Abu Dhabi
Neighbours in Vía Férrea, in the port area of Puerto Plata, wondered why the sudden influx of some one hundred Haitians outside a particular office. It appears that the company, Abu Dhabi Enterprise, was hiring construction workers for the Arab Emirates. http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=1230 http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2010/02/en-puerto-plata-estan-contratando.html Foreign Company To Collect Taxes In Sosua?
According to El Nuevo Norte, a foreign company has been franchised for tax collection in Sosua. The Mayor claims this was decided by legal tender but several of the Councillors dispute this. http://elnuevonorte.com/Inicio/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/486/ItemID/6332/Default.aspx Coyote's Ashes
In the early hours of Friday January 29th. the Wild Coyote Bar in Sosua burned down. Unfortunately the fire truck was in for repair and two local fireman attended the scene on a concho. By the time the airport fire truck arrived, some one hour later, Coyote's had all but disappeared. Vote For No-One
http://www.clavedigital.com/App_Pages/politica/Politica.aspx?id_Articulo=8145 http://guasabaraeditor.blogspot.com/2010/02/ninguno-lanza-su-campana-electoral-en.html Two Americans Killed In Helicopter Crash
'The two people who died Thursday night when their helicopter crashed into a mountain in the Dominican Republic were friends who had left their homes and family in Florida this week to help deliver aid to the people of Haiti, a son of one of the victims said Friday. The accident occurred about 7 p.m. In Dajabon, just east of the border with Haiti, said Rosani Zapata, a spokeswoman for the Dominican Civil Aviation Institute. The helicopter had filed a flight plan from Santiago to Jimani in the Dominican Republic, then on to Port-au-Prince in Haiti. It was en route back to Santiago when the crash occurred, she said. Aboard were pilot John Ward of Fort Myers, Florida, and James Jalovec, a 53-year-old Naples, Florida, businessman who owned Sweetwater Environmental Inc., a sewage company based in Sebring. Mark Jalovec, 21, told CNN in a telephone interview that his father began discussing the prospect of helping out a couple of days after the January 12 earthquake that devastated Haiti. "It kind of caught everybody off guard," he said, noting that his father had never done anything similar. Still, he said, his father saw a fit. "I got a helicopter; these people are in desperate need -- he kind of decided it with Mr. Ward that they were going to do it, and that's what they did." ' More here: Haiti Milk Relief Project
'Two days after the quake, MacHattie and his wife received a frantic email from the director of the orphanage asking "Ian and Brenda to speed up the milk donation” to help meet the sudden and increased needs of the displaced Haitians. Their response has been to create Ian’s Haiti Milk Relief Project which has a plan to send 24 pallets of powdered milk and vacuum-packaged liquid milk to Santo Domingo, for use by Haitian children coming into the orphanage and for distribution into Haiti itself. So far, the Canadian Dairy Commission has donated 10 tonnes of milk powder and Farmer’s Dairy has provided four tonnes of whole, ultra-high temperature (UHT) milk to the effort. Individual Nova Scotia dairy farmers have contributed a further $3,000. The results to date represent 14 pallets of milk and, MacHattie, who departs on Feb. 15 for Santo Domingo, is hoping the entire 24 pallets will have been received by then. That will be enough to provide more than 500,000 cups of milk, or a six-month supply, primarily destined for the St. Damien Children’s Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. When he arrives in Santo Domingo he will be serving as a truck driver to deliver fresh water, fuel, food and medical supplies to Haiti.' The story continues here: Haitian-American Doctor Cares For Families Evacuated To Dominican Republic
'Down a dusty dirt road, amidst small houses, grazing goats and dirt yards, there’s an oatmeal-coloured cement church. Inside, the chairs are pushed back to the walls, the polished wooden pews are lined up in rows at the far side, and people are resting on ragged mattresses on the floor....Like other makeshift facilities now operating in Jimani, a small town located on the Dominican border with Haiti, the one set up at the Bethel church is run entirely by volunteers. In the days just after the earthquake, one of those volunteers, Dr. Yvonne Jean-Francois, caught a flight from her home in New York and made her way to Jimani to manage the facility.' Read on: Cibao Prepares For Eventual 7.5 Quake
'Faced with the forecast of a 7.5 degree earthquake (50% stronger than the one in Haiti) that would affect Santiago and the Cibao and that 70% of the buildings would not stand up, the authorities have begun a campaign that will include simulations, distribution of educational materials, and signage for buildings on buildings in the cities that have gone up along the active Septentrional Fault. "We have already placed signs in several buildings in this city (Santiago), including public and private schools that indicate evacuation routes, meeting places and the safest locations", said the National Sub-director for Civil Defense, Francisco Arias. Among those with signage are the Padre Emiliano Tardiff School and the Polytechnic School Altagracia Iglesia de Lora.' The story continues in the English language version of Diario Libre: 2010 Economic Freedom Index
The Heritage Foundation has published its 2010 Index of Economic Freedom. 'The Dominican Republic’s economic freedom score is 60.3, making its economy the 86th freest in the 2010 Index. Its overall score increased 1.1 points, led by improvements in trade freedom, investment freedom and labor freedom. The Dominican Republic is ranked 18th out of 29 countries in the South and Central America/Caribbean region. Trade freedom has increased significantly in the Dominican Republic as a result of a drop in the average tariff rate. Government spending is low (it says in the report!!), and investment freedom has been improved by provisions that strengthen investor protections and improve transparency and efficiency. The Dominican Republic scores poorly in financial freedom and property rights. The financial sector suffers from poor supervision and regulation as well as from limited access to credit. Additionally, corruption (in the form of drug trafficking, violence, and organized crime) and poor enforcement of the rule of law are widespread, hurting the investment and entrepreneurial climate.' More here: Mellow Yellow?
'More than 3,000 bright yellow taxis will soon be zipping around the Dominican Republic. Officials have ordered that cabs be identified by the standard color to regulate the business and ensure passenger safety. The government has bought a fleet of new yellow Toyota Corollas to be used as taxis in the capital of Santo Domingo and the northern city of Santiago. Several banks and a state institution issued a $129 million loan to buy the cars.....The government said Friday it also plans to certify drivers.' Read on: French Ambassador Complains About False Cedulas
'The Chancellor Carlos Morales Troncoso criticized yesterday the French ambassador in the Dominican Republic for not transmitting through diplomatic channels the complaint that he voiced publicly the day before yesterday when he said that his government is worried and attentive regarding the frauds committed in the identification documents of the Dominican Republic. "I have already said it many, many times...I am tired of saying it, that a country's ambassadors should have to write diplomatic notes, because this is a country that respects itself", he said. The French ambassador, Roland Dubertrand, voiced his worries during the signing of an agreement with the Central Electoral Board (JCE) to verify birth certificates, recognitions of parentage, marriages, divorces and deaths in the books of the Dominican Civil Registry and verify their authenticity. "I understand that he dealt with this with the person with whom he should talk, which is the president of the JCE", said the Chancellor. Nonetheless, he complained that the ambassador did not take his opinions to the Chancellery. The French ambassador said that "there are other types of frauds with other documents, but the fraud with the document of personal identification ("cédula") is particularly very serious and we (France) are giving special attention to this." ' The story continues: Book News
May 2009: Ginnie's second book is now available. This is an Ebook commissioned by Boomerscape.com Retire in the Dominican Republic Survival Kit and is available here: http://www.dominicanretirementguide.com/
Costambar residents and visitors! Dinner and a movie? No, breakfast and a good book! Visit Rainer and Beatriz's R & B Bakery, Calle Los Mangos, Villas Princesa, Costambar Tel.809-970-3083 where the book is also on sale. In fact you can drop in between 7am and 7pm daily except Saturdays for home made bread, cakes and pies and ...................a good read! And yes! We've made it to You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuAa_I5n53E Meanwhile the book is available online from the publishers, Best Books Online http://www.bestbooksonline.co.uk/bookshop/specials.php?id=68 New outlet for US customers! Quisqueya: Mad Dogs and English Couple is now available from The Dominican Bookshop: http://www.dominicanbookshop.com/Quisqueya_Mad_Dogs_and_English_Couple_p/978-1904502524.htm Reviews of the book are available on Amazon as well as British Expat and Dominican Today. Better not to buy from Amazon because of their apparent overcharging http://dominicantoday.com/app/article.aspx?id=25127 http://www.britishexpat.com/Book-Reviews-Quisqueya.1347.0.html FBI Investigates Sun Village Fraud - Weekend News Jan. 31st 2010
'Federal prosecutors and FBI agents in South Florida are investigating allegations of yet another massive investment fraud in which thousands of investors across the United States and Canada are said to have lost $170 million. The investigation began last month after a 50-page preliminary report about the "Ponzi-style" scheme was sent to a Miami federal judge by a court-appointed special master. The report called for sweeping criminal investigations by U.S. and Canadian law enforcement. "The unassailable fact [is] that thousands of investors/owners, and by extension their families in the U.S. and Canada, as well as other countries, have been financially destroyed," says the report by Miami lawyer Thomas Scott, a former federal judge and U.S. attorney. Investors allegedly sank those now-missing millions into time share units and other property owned by the EMI Sun Village Resort and Spa in the Dominican Republic. But the money actually went to fund the lavish lifestyle and gambling debts of the resort's developers, court papers say. "That money has now been almost completely lost", the report says. "The investors' plight is tragic. The cause of that plight is criminal." Scott could not be reached for comment. His report says there is evidence of racketeering, fraud, securities violations, money laundering and tax evasion.' The story continues in the Sun Sentinel: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/palm-beach/fl-bulldog-ponzi-probe-20100129,0,3361975.story Forbes Energy Visits Montellano
On Wednesday the Montellano mill had a visit from the president of Forbes Energy, Lucien Edward Forbes, the company's DR representative Carlos Rivero and finance directors Rafael Beriguete and David Considine. Forbes Energy is the company planning the ethanol plant at Manzanillo. http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=1161 http://cosasdemontellano.blogspot.com/2010/01/inversionistas-americanos-interesados.html Ayuntamiento To Repair Costambar Access Road
Puerto Plata's Mayor, Walter Musa, has announced that the Ayuntamiento will shoulder the responsibility for repairs to Costambar access road. However, this will not happen overnight because first a drainage study needs to be undertaken to prevent the problems which have occurred in the past. Previous attempts to repair this road have always been doomed by the next rainfall. http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3846&start=1 German Found Strangled In La Union
On Wednesday Bruno Netterdon, 60, was found strangled in an apartment in Villa Liberacion, La Union, Sosua. He had apparently been living in Room 11 at Hotel Orchidee, Sosua. The resident of the apartment in Villa Liberacion is a Haitian woman called Nancy, who has apparently gone on the run together with her boyfriend. A number of people have been detained. http://www.hoy.com.do/el-pais/2010/1/28/311696/Hallan-cadaver-de-un-aleman-estrangulado Montemar Hotel Abandoned?
Puerto Plata's first tourist hotel built before the development of Playa Dorada, Hotel Montemar, appears to have been abandoned according to a piece in Puerto Plata Digital. After it ceased functioning as a hotel it was gifted to PUCMM and for several years served as a school for hotel workers where they studied aspects of the hospitality business. Local community groups are hoping it will be converted to a maternity and infant hospital. More Tourists In Town
Local papers are reporting an increase in the number of tourists seen in Plaza Independencia, the Cathedral and other places of interest as well as an increased number visiting tourist gift shops. Alongside this has been the increase in the numbers of unofficial 'guides' pestering the tourists and the increased activity of Politur to prevent them being pestered. http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3832&start=1 Fierce Waves
http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3825&start=1 DR Desires
'Miami Based, Desires Hotels announces the latest international addition to their modern boutique collection, The Cliffs Ocean Resort, which is situated between Puerto Plata and Samana along the stunning north coast of the Dominican Republic. The project is the first in the Dominican Republic to be LEED certified and is set to open Summer 2011. Room amenities at the Eco-chic luxurious resort include large living areas and private terraces with unmatched views to the ocean and the mountains while being completely surrounded by a lush tropical landscape. The Cliffs Ocean Resort’s initial 102 rooms mark the first phase of development in which guests will enjoy the resort’s close proximity to great golf at the Robert Trent Jones Sr. Designed Playa Grande Golf Course which has been called the “Pebble Beach of the Caribbean.” In an area that sees few tourists, the resort is only five minutes from crystal clear turquoise water with white powder sand beaches featuring water sports, fishing, surfing, and snorkeling.' Read on: http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/154000320/4045124.search?query=dominican+republic Tensions Ease In Disaster
'Like almost anyone from Hispaniola, the island uncomfortably shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Paloma Rivera is acutely aware that the two nations distrust each other, complain about each other and cite grievances about each other going back well over a century. Yet here she was, a Dominican, clearing garbage and digging latrines in a slum in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, to help survivors of the earthquake find a place to pitch their tents. “Maybe this earthquake, even with its tragedies, can do some good by making us a little less distant from each other,” said Ms. Rivera, 24, a social worker who joined thousands of other Dominicans in loading emergency food and medicine into their vehicles and driving here. Since the earthquake ravaged this city on Jan. 12, a dizzying array of soldiers, doctors, aid workers and missionaries have massed here from around the globe, communicating in Arabic, Hebrew, Mandarin and many other tongues. Most of the time, their politics back home have taken a back seat, making for some strange bedfellows working in close proximity, if not exactly side by side: Israelis and Libyans, Pakistanis and Indians, all trying to get this country back on its feet.' The story continues in the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/world/americas/29relief.html The Art Of Survival
'At my hotel there's no electricity and right now, no water. Usually journalists cover Haitian misery but don't have to share in any of it. But now, we're sleeping outside, like the Haitians. Most of us, like the Haitians, don't have tents. Our toilets are full. The main staple at the hotel is spaghetti with red sauce, which I've never seen more of, even in Italy. Spaghetti in the hotels, spaghetti with red sauce and a little bit of meat for dinner with the former prime minister, spaghetti with a ketchup and mayonnaise sauce in a new shantytown in Leogane. At night, the foreign media are using candles and flashlights, just like the Haitians. It gives us for once a taste of what the Haitains' lives must be like. But there are several big differences between us and the people we're covering. We have jobs, and enough spaghetti to fill our stomachs, unlike the Haitians. And none of us has just lost a quarter to two-thirds of his or her family and close acquaintances; none of us has just lost a house or a business or both. None of us is actually homeless.' Read on: Haitians Living In DR Return Home To Find Relatives
'Saintivo Gassant boarded a small, intercity bus with 37 other passengers -- mostly fellow Haitians -- at a ramshackle station in the Dominican capital, beginning a seven-hour journey back to the rubble of his native Port-au-Prince. He carried a backpack stuffed with documents: immigration papers, a copy of his university degree, and even photos, including a snapshot of him with the president of the Dominican Republic at a tourism exhibition. He clutched the backpack tightly for much of the first leg of the journey, knowing its contents could prevent any glitches in his attempt to bring his 12-year-old daughter, Kimberley, back to the Dominican Republic.' More here: Near Haiti You Dread The Night
'I spent three nights at the border in Jimaní at a hospital/orphanage with about seven hours of sleep, helping different-sized medical groups transition to attempt medical relief. During the days we could function, but during the nights 95 percent of the doctors would be forced by their administrators to leave, and all that was left were a few doctors, a few nurses, two support staff, and hundreds of suffering patients who have lost everything. The days were full of hope, but the nights were a struggle for survival.' The story continues: http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/jan/26/near-haiti-you-dread-the-night/ DR-Haiti Relations
'The sunny, happy Dominican Republic of international tourist promotions seemed a bit less cordial on the road out of Haiti. Along the way, soldiers brandishing black assault weapons manned 11 military checkpoints. On a rural stretch of Highway 46, about 50 miles into the Dominican Republic on the road that leads from the Haitian border, soldiers waved our van to the side and a captain peered into the passenger window. He studied my passport and managed to convey, with a withering expression, that this was damn serious stuff. Just behind him, the Dominican army had erected a simple but forbidding reception center for unwanted interlopers. A crude corral had been fashioned from long sticks and strung with barbed wire. No more than a dirt-floor cattle stockade, it was an apt symbol of the D.R.'s attitude toward Haitian immigrants. About 40 dark-skinned men languished inside the roadside compound, penned like animals. The captain waved me through (later, I was told that a 500-peso bill folded in my passport would have expedited my passage through his checkpoint). I fell outside the category of particular concern along the Dominican Republic. I wasn't Haitian. Even as the Dominican Republic sends truckloads of relief supplies into earthquake-stricken Haiti, the army has continued a months'-long crackdown against Haitians suspected of crossing the border from the opposite direction. The effect last week seemed nearly schizophrenic.' More here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/haiti/story/1445916.html NASA Airborne Radar To Study Quake Faults In Haiti And DR
'In response to the disaster in Haiti on Jan. 12, NASA has added a series of science overflights of earthquake faults in Haiti and the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola to a previously scheduled three-week airborne radar campaign to Central America....Flight plans call for multiple observations of the Hispaniola faults this week and in early to mid-February'. The story continues: Exiting Haiti Is A Shifty Business
'Sometimes, getting out is half the story. This is the wild frontier divide between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Other than the rolling convoys of aid heading toward Port-au-Prince, I doubt much has changed around the swinging iron gates in a century. Thick dust kicks up like smoke from the constant movement of street vendors and mostly Haitians wanting to be allowed to leave their wounded country. I am headed to Santo Domingo, after covering the earthquake for QMI Agency. In the aging, bald-tired Nissan — where the air conditioner doesn’t work and the CD player repeats one Creole song for 12 straight hours — I wait with driver Jean-Claude and my interpreter, Cal. Both are Haitian, with Cal a university student before the disaster and Jean-Claude some sort of unemployed government worker. His former job seems to change, depending on what he sees out the window as we drive. Entering Haiti was, other than traffic, a simple thing. But getting back out is a shifty business.' More here: http://www.torontosun.com/news/columnists/thane_burnett/2010/01/29/12668366-qmi.html Bulgarians Disguise Cocaine As Motor Oil
'The National Agency for Drugs Control (DNCD) of the Dominican Republic announced Friday that they have seized over a ton of liquid cocaine from two Bulgarian nationals. The drug was disguised as motor oil in 11 tanks and weighed 1,229 kilos, Dominicantoday.com writes. Of the 11 tanks 7 tested positive for the illegal substance. The cocaine was seized from Zlatin Rumenov Raynov and his brother Kaloyan, who had several Dominicans as accomplices. DNCD said in a statement that each tank had 175 kilos, according to the National Forensics Institute report, and that the drug was kept in the facilities of a welding shop. Two Dominican Police officers are under investigation by DNCD for taking part in the drug trade.' US$20 Million For DR Municipalities
'The World Bank Board of Directors today approved US$20 million for the Dominican Republic in support of the Municipal Development Project, which aims to improve the technical and financial capacity of local governments. The project will be implemented at the national level by the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development (SEEPyD), and by the 30 municipalities at the local level, selected based on percentage poor population, percentage illiterate, and population density, transport access and connectivity, economic potential, and natural resource management criteria. “This project approved today represents an ideal instrument for the Government to continue to implement the newly enacted legislation on decentralization and local development and the territorial development plans,” said Temístocles Montás, Dominican Republic Minister of Economy, Planning and Development. This loan is fully consistent with the recently-approved 2010-2013 Bank’s Country Partnership with the Dominican Republic and it will start working with five pilot rural municipalities ( Bayaguana, Padre Las Casas, Las Matas de Farfán, Tamayo and Polo) that are among the 30 municipalities that would be eligible to participate.' Read on: http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/39700/ Manuel Zelaya Begins Exile
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias_det.php?id=232464 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8484181.stm http://elnacional.com.do/nacional/2010/1/29/38271/Zelaya-se-esconde-de-prensa-lo-busca Junot Diaz At Yale
'The novel “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” has earned numerous accolades, including the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. But while speaking at Yale on Monday, Junot Díaz, the book’s author, had to answer for an unforeseen repercussion of his novel. “I was wondering, who did you write your book for?” asked Lucas Iberico-Lozada ’13. “Because I broke off with my girlfriend because of it.” Díaz, 41, addressed Iberico-Lozada’s and other students’ questions in a lighthearted but reflective Ezra Stiles College Master’s Tea. About 130 students and faculty crammed into the master’s house to hear the Dominican-American author reflect on the creative writing process and the experience of being an immigrant. The acclaimed novelist began the Tea on a more serious note by talking about the recent earthquake in Haiti, which shares the island of Hispaniola with his native Dominican Republic, describing the event as just one in a series of “apocalypses” that have affected the Caribbean.' More here: http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/university-news/2010/01/26/dominican-author-displays-depth/ http://www.yaledailynews.com/scene/interview/2010/01/29/author-dominican-ghettonerd/ Constanza And El Castillo
'This past summer, I was fortunate to be chosen as a Project Leader for International Student Volunteers, or ISV (isvonline.org), for two projects in El Castillo, a village of agricultural workers in the mountains above Constanza. For one month, I stayed at Villa Pajón, a charming Eco-resort 15 kilometers (but don’t let the short distance fool you; it takes about one hour to travel back and forth) uphill from Constanza with approx. 60 volunteers from Canada, the US, England, Ireland and Australia, among other countries. The consensus among program participants was that they’d arrived at the Garden of Eden: a unique, precious spot to be cherished despite its lack of electricity, technology and other modern-world amenities. To top things off, we enjoyed locally grown, mostly organic produce and the hospitality of our friendly neighbors on a daily basis.' Read on: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2010/jan/28/travel-constanza-el-castillo-dominican-republic/ Book News
May 2009: Ginnie's second book is now available. This is an Ebook commissioned by Boomerscape.com Retire in the Dominican Republic Survival Kit and is available here: http://www.dominicanretirementguide.com/
Costambar residents and visitors! Dinner and a movie? No, breakfast and a good book! Visit Rainer and Beatriz's R & B Bakery, Calle Los Mangos, Villas Princesa, Costambar Tel.809-970-3083 where the book is also on sale. In fact you can drop in between 7am and 7pm daily except Saturdays for home made bread, cakes and pies and ...................a good read! And yes! We've made it to You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuAa_I5n53E Meanwhile the book is available online from the publishers, Best Books Online, and from Amazon UK. Amazon Canada are currently listing as 'temporarily out of stock' with more on order. New outlet for US customers! Quisqueya: Mad Dogs and English Couple is now available from The Dominican Bookshop: http://www.dominicanbookshop.com/Quisqueya_Mad_Dogs_and_English_Couple_p/978-1904502524.htm http://www.bestbooksonline.co.uk/bookshop/specials.php?id=68 Quisqueya has shown up on Amazon.com as being available (again). Price quoted has once again gone to the realms of daylight robbery and a complaint has been made. Reviews of the book are available at the above Amazon links as well as British Expat and Dominican Today. The Meeting Place In Puerto Plata - Weekend News January 24th. 2010
http://www.meetingplace-dr.com/ Italian Killed In Cabarete
In the early hours of Tuesday morning Paolo Gincastro, 41, an Italian resident of Villas Caribe near Coconut Palms was shot and killed in the home he shared with his 72 year old mother in what police presume was a robbery. Mr Gincastro had lived in the DR some 10 years and worked as a kitesurfing instructor. His mother awoke just before 3 am when she heard voices but was sent back to her room. Minutes later she heard gunshots and then discovered her son had been killed. On Wednesday, after Paolo's mother identified him, police arrested Jose (Jordan) Lizardo Medina, 34, of La Cienaga. Lizardo was apparently wanted in connection with other crimes committed in the Sosua and Cabarete area. He admitted to the police that he used crack. http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=183981 http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=183578 http://www.hoy.com.do/el-pais/2010/1/22/310933/Capturanhombre-mato-empresario-italiano-en-Cabarete http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=1091 http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3794&start=1 http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3787&start=1 http://elnuevonorte.com/Inicio/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/486/ItemID/6149/Default.aspx http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=1108 http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3802&start=1 Warning: graphic pictures: http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2010/01/matan-en-cabarete-empresario-italiano.html#more Long Journey Back To Sweden
Demand For Luxury Still Alive
'Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club (LHVC), located in Puerto Plata on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic, is ramping up for 2010 to be another successful year where affordable luxury is still in vogue. The company experienced steady growth in membership numbers, occupancies and kept on track with new construction, new services and amenities in 2009. LHVC will continue growth and development in 2010 with the opening of another gourmet restaurant, a unique new suite product and a growing partnership agreement with Spain-based Globalia Corporation, a leading travel and leisure conglomerate. “We had a very healthy and exciting 2009 and accomplished a lot on behalf of our members,” said Hans Larcher, Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club Managing Director. “We are excited about another year ahead with new services and amenities, and several new accommodations products for our members.” ' The press release continues here:
Bottlenecks Persist
'As delivery of aid to Haiti is hampered by damaged ports and an overwhelmed airport, another conduit into the earthquake-ravaged nation -- its border with the Dominican Republic - has become a challenging crossing itself, a United Nations situation report says. The 200 miles from the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo to the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince has been backed up and can take as long as 18 hours to travel by vehicle, according to the report from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), released this weekend. A CNN crew reported taking 12 hours to drive from Santo Domingo to Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, though the crew left before dawn, intending to avoid peak traffic.' Read on: http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/20/haiti.dominican.republic/index.html?section=cnn_latest http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122716551&ft=1&f=1004 Haiti Rejects DR Troops Then Changes Its Mind
'Earthquake-ravaged Haiti turned down an offer of troops from the neighbouring Dominican Republic, forcing the United Nations to look elsewhere for additional peacekeepers, U.N. diplomats said on Wednesday. The Dominican Republic had offered an 800-strong battalion to form part of the reinforcement of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti. "We understand the Haitian government has said no to them," one Western diplomat said on condition of anonymity. He said he assumed the decision came from Haitian President Rene Preval. The two states share the Caribbean island of Hispaniola but have a history of tense relations. A U.N. official confirmed that Haiti turned down the offer but said the decision might not be definitive and talks were under way to see if Haiti would allow a rescue team or police from the Dominican Republic to help with the relief efforts.' More here: DR Troops To Secure Land Route
'The Dominican Republic is sending 150 troops to help secure a critical land route in Haiti used to deliver supplies to tens of thousands of earthquake survivors, the United Nations announced Thursday. Haiti's neighbor on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola offered to station the troops along the main road leading from the country's earthquake-battered capital to the Dominican border, U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said. "Haiti accepted," he said. Haitian President Rene Preval turned down an initial offer to send an 800-strong battalion that would beef up the U.N. force in Haiti, well-informed Western diplomats said Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity in the absence of a public announcement. U.N. peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy had announced that offer Sunday. The 150-member contingent will work alongside the U.N. mission's' Peruvian troops, already stationed at the border, and will serve under the mission commander, Nesirsky said.' Read on: Dajabon Market
Last Monday the Dajabon market was busier than ever. 'Hundreds of Haitians from Juana Mendez and other Haitian localities crossed the frontier yesterday into the province of Dajabon to get food, water and other supplies and merchandise at the bi-national market that is held on Mondays and Fridays. During the market hours, a group of frontier soldiers mounted guard in order to insure that a lot of Haitians did not take advantage of the situation and stay in Dominican territory. The mayor of the city of Dajabon, Sonia Mateo, said that what happened yesterday was something extraordinary, because they did not expect such a massive number of Haitians in the market, something that has not been seen in years.' The story continues in the English language version of Diario Libre: Family Reunion
'The tragic earthquake that destroyed the Haitian capital led Stephanie Hernandez to a reunion with her father who she had not seen for 20 years. The young woman of Dominican origin was part of the 162 patients that were transferred from Haiti to the Dario Contreras Hospital with fractures of the vertebrae that keep her from moving. Upon her arrival at the hospital, Stephanie's mother, of Haitian nationality, Mireya Hernandez, told the girl's father about what had happened to his daughter and asked for his help to get blood for the young girl, and this made possible the reunion between father and daughter, including another daughter of the couple. Stephanie is 23 and left the country with her mother and sister when she was just three. Her case came to light after the media realized that among the injured there was a Dominican girl that needed a special apparatus in order to recover the use of her arms and legs, and the apparatus costs more than RD$100,000, an amount that the family does not have. Finally the money was obtained through a loan, according to the mother, from a person that wished to remain anonymous and today the young girl will be operated on.' More here: Venezuela Backs Out Of Refinery Deal
'Venezuela discarded as "inconvenient" the purchase that had been announced of 49% of the shares of the Dominican refinery (Refidomsa), said the Venezuelan minister of Energy, Rafael Ramirez yesterday. "We are not going to participate in the acquisition of the refinery in Santo Domingo. There is no participation. It does not appear to be convenient and we are not going to do it," said the minister to reporters without going into more details and after attending in Caracas some official activities related to the brief visit to Venezuela by the emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. The announcement by Ramirez came 15 days after the Dominican Minister of Hacienda, Vicente Bengoa, said that his country was expecting to put the finishing touches on the deal for the refinery that processes 34,000 barrels a day of crude this January. Bengoa added last 6 January that if Ramirez could not travel to the Dominican Republic for the signing, then he would go to Caracas "to close the deal".' The story continues in the English language version of Diario Libre. A piece in El Nacional suggests that President Chavez is not only unimpressed by President Fernandez's change of mind over recognising the new Honduran government but also the recent award of DR citizenship to Gustavo Cisneros might have been a factor. http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias_det.php?id=231686 http://elnacional.com.do/nacional/2010/1/22/37626/Chavez-se-aleja-de-Leonel http://www.clavedigital.com/App_Pages/Portada/EditorialA.aspx?Id_Articulo=6943 False Residencias
El Nacional is reporting the firing of a nephew of the ex-director of Migracion and other staff associated with the provision of false residencias to Spanish, German, French, Chinese and Argentinian citizens, among others. http://elnacional.com.do/nacional/2010/1/23/37732/Investigan-residencias-falsificadas Mission Trip Goes Ahead
'On Feb. 4 a group of over 20 individuals from the Glad Tidings Pentecostal Tabernacle - including the Sanchez's who attend this church - will be heading to Mr. Sanchez's hometown on a mission of sharing and caring. Pastor Leighton Foster said the earthquake will not impact on the mission trip plans and everyone that is part of the mission is still onboard for the project. The foreign ministry trip is part of Glad Tiding's five-year plan that included an international component. For over a year now mission participants have been fundraising for a church that is constructed in Consuelo and collecting donated clothing, linen, hygiene, etc items to bring along for the people in the community. The mission will also include general ministry, children's ministry, door-to-door food distribution to needy families in areas of extreme poverty and teaching English as a second language.' Read on: Social Work Students Visit
Book News
May 2009: Ginnie's second book is now available. This is an Ebook commissioned by Boomerscape.com Retire in the Dominican Republic Survival Kit and is available here: http://www.dominicanretirementguide.com/
Costambar residents and visitors! Dinner and a movie? No, breakfast and a good book! Visit Rainer and Beatriz's R & B Bakery, Calle Los Mangos, Villas Princesa, Costambar Tel.809-970-3083 where the book is also on sale. In fact you can drop in between 7am and 7pm daily except Saturdays for home made bread, cakes and pies and ...................a good read! And yes! We've made it to You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuAa_I5n53E Meanwhile the book is available online from the publishers, Best Books Online, and from Amazon UK. Amazon Canada are currently listing as 'temporarily out of stock' with more on order. New outlet for US customers! Quisqueya: Mad Dogs and English Couple is now available from The Dominican Bookshop: http://www.dominicanbookshop.com/Quisqueya_Mad_Dogs_and_English_Couple_p/978-1904502524.htm http://www.bestbooksonline.co.uk/bookshop/specials.php?id=68 Quisqueya has shown up on Amazon.com as being available (again). Price quoted has once again gone to the realms of daylight robbery and a complaint has been made. Reviews of the book are available at the above Amazon links as well as British Expat and Dominican Today. Local Efforts For Haiti - Weekend News January 17th. 2009
The total Dominican response to the tragedy in Haiti has been a magnificent demonstration of solidarity. Locally in Puerto Plata a radio and TV telethon raised some RD$744,000 in cash during the 4 hour programme and the donation of items for a container organised by the local COE via Circuito Musa. There is a second container outside the Civil Defence offices on what used to be called Avenida Colon, renamed Avenida Camaaño. On Sunday the Catholic Church is organising a 12 hour telethon and items such as tinned food, water and medicines can be donated at the Cathedral in the centre of town. Resident expats and tourists visiting Puerto Plata can donate to any of these efforts safe in the knowledge that these are reputable organisations. There are also many national organisations co-ordinating the receipt of donations. http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3765&start=1 http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2010/01/estan-fluyendo-las-ayudas-en-el.html http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2010/01/puertoplatenos-se-desbordan-con-ayudas.html#more http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=1056 Stockholm's Most Wanted Arrested In Sosua?
It was later alleged that some 30 million Swedish Krona (3.3 million Euros) was stolen in this military style operation. A week after the cinematic incident fingers were pointed at former members of the Serbian Special Operations Unit. 'Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic says that former Serbian paramilitary force members took part in a major heist last week in Stockholm. Daily Danas reports that a criminal group, which stole €100 million from Stockholm-based company G4S, included former members of the Serbian Special Operations Unit.' In Sosua everyone thought the arrest operation was connected with Jose Figueroa Agosto, the Puerto Rican fugitive. It would appear that the DNCD dispensed with the services of having a Fiscal present for the arrests. This was caught on camera by cameraman Wilkin Colon of Ola TV, journalist Junior Henriquez's driver, but not for long. Sñr Colon's camara was removed from him, later to be returned minus film. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0a6a6cc8-a864-11de-9242-00144feabdc0.html?SID=google http://www.thelocal.se/22260/20090924/ http://www.thespec.com/article/640380 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtQFPPVgv-4&feature=related http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8270619.stm http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2009/09/23/3303525-swedish-police-criticized-after-helicopter-heist http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/22530/ http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=183173 http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3749&start=1 http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=1026 http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=1029 http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=1033 http://elnuevonorte.com/Inicio/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/486/ItemID/6039/Default.aspx http://www.elnacional.com.do/nacional/2010/1/13/36761/Apresan-2-fugitivos-de-justicia-Suecia Canadian In Caribe Campo Posing As Interpol Agent
http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=1031 http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2010/01/apresan-falso-agente-interpol.html#more Airport Fire
In the early hours of Thursday morning fire destroyed some 13 shops in the duty-free area of Puerto Plata airport. The loss is estimated to be around RD$12 million. The fire started at 3.30 am and was brought under control by 6.30 am. Work at the airport was suspended due to the smoke but flights were able to resume at 11 am. http://elnacional.com.do/nacional/2010/1/14/36859/Fuego-acaba-13-pabellones-ZF-Puerto-Plata http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3754&start=1 http://elnuevonorte.com/Inicio/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/397/ItemID/6063/Default.aspx Flooding In Montellano
Recent prolonged rain has caused the Camú river to burst its banks resulting in landslides in the El Buen Pan area of Montellano which destroyed two homes. http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2010/01/fotos-lluvias-ocasionan-danos-en.html http://www.flickr.com/photos/sacandomelao/sets/72157623087004673/show/ http://elnuevonorte.com/Inicio/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/397/ItemID/6067/Default.aspx Cuban Hotel Owner In Sosua Arrested For Drugs
A Cuban citizen and hotel owner in Sosua, Ebrahin Ramón Méndez Gómez, 58, was arrested on Thursday with a kilo of cocaine at his hotel, the Palm Resort, in El Batey, Sosua. http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=183043 http://www.listin.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=128212 http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3761&start=1 Italian Resident Dies In Costambar
On Friday María Grazia Riccheti, 77, an Italian resident of Calle Cadiz, Costambar was found dead; it is thought that she had a heart attack. http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3766&start=1 Historic Tensions Eased Between Haiti And The DR
'The Dominican Republic was the first country to give aid to Haiti in the aftermath of Tuesday's devastating earthquake. Some of the first video images of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince came from a Dominican television crew. On the face of it, the quick reaction from Haiti's neighbor may not seem surprising given their proximity. But historically, a much wider gap in relations has existed between Haiti and the Dominican Republic since colonial times. The Dominican Republic's outpouring of support to Haiti is a reminder of how the less-than-friendly legacy between the two nations has been buried even deeper.' 'President Barack Obama has thanked the president of the Dominican Republic for that nation's assistance to Americans leaving Haiti. Obama placed the call to President Leonel Fernandez of the Dominican Republic on Thursday night. The White House says Obama expressed his appreciation for the role the Dominican Republic has played in facilitating the evacuation of U.S. Citizens and in the flow of relief teams and supplies into Haiti through the Dominican Republic'. More at the first and second links. And in the video at the third link Michele Wucker, executive director of the World Policy Institute, talks with Rachel Maddow about Haiti's relationship with the Dominican Republic through their shared history, tragedy, sometimes animosity and now generosity. At the fifth link is a statement in English from the DR's Ministry of Tourism. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100115/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_haiti_obama_dominican_republic_1 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/34870695#34870695 http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Haiti-Earthquake-Statement-By-prnews-1167152542.html?x=0&.v=1 Red Cross Convoy Goes By Road Saturday
'The International Federation of the Red Cross says a convoy carrying a "huge amount" of aid is heading overland from the Dominican Republic to quake-struck Haiti. The IFRC says the aid includes a 50-bed field hospital, surgical teams and an emergency telecommunications unit. Spokesman Paul Conneally says the Norwegian, Finnish, Spanish, Danish and Japanese Red Cross workers will arrive in Port-au-Prince in six to eight hours. He told the Associated Press by phone from Santo Domingo on Saturday that the convoy is travelling overland because "it's not possible to fly anything into Port-au-Prince right now because the airport is completely congested." ' http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2010/01/16/12492096-ap.html?cid=rssnewsworld Injured Stream Across Border
'In Jimani, DR, the walking wounded are pouring across the Haitian border into this small Dominican town that's playing a big role saving lives. Helicopters, ambulances and even pickup trucks are bringing hundreds of injured earthquake victims to a Jimani hospital, where doctors are performing everything from amputations to abdominal surgeries. "There have been more than 500 today - so, so many," said exhausted anesthesiologist Gilberto Rojas, 50, who is from Santo Domingo. "We have been doing so many amputations, seeing so many people with abdominal trauma," Rojas said.' Read on: UN Struggles To Unblock Aid
'The U.S. and the United Nations struggled to coordinate relief efforts in Haiti as estimates of the death toll doubled to 100,000 and aid groups began bringing supplies overland from the Dominican Republic. The United Nations said it was in charge of aid distribution and security, even as several thousand U.S. Soldiers prepared to deploy on the ground over the weekend, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said U.N. Police and peacekeepers “need help.” Haiti handed control of its only international airport to the U.S. today, the U.S. State Department said. The Jan. 12th quake devastated much of Haiti's already inadequate infrastructure, destroying a third of the buildings in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and its water and sewage systems, the UN said. The airport can't handle the flood of relief arriving, and the port was declared unusable by the U.S. Coast Guard. That has left aid workers short of the food, water and medical supplies needed to help Haitians trapped in the city.' More here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20100116/pl_bloomberg/azrbquq5xag_1 Wisconsin Student Found Alive
'Some good news for the family of a student from Waukesha County who was missing in Haiti - Melissa Elliott has been found alive and safe in the Dominican Republic. The Elliotts were on their way to Florida, where Melissa attended school at Lynn University, to wait for news there. Melissa's father Mike got a text as he had a layover in Atlanta on his way to this daughter's Florida school. Elliott was with a group of students and two faculty members from Lynn University on a mission trip in Haiti when the earthquake rocked the island nation Tuesday. Melissa's friend, Tom Schoemer of Fox Point is also on a list of those found safe and alive. Both are believed to be in the Dominican Republic finding flights to Florida, where their families are waiting.' The story continues: http://www.fox6now.com/news/witi-100114-student-found-haiti,0,6949216.story?track=rss Utah Doctor Found Alive
'Dr. Branson Call, a Utah physician working on a humanitarian mission in Haiti has been located alive and well in the Dominican Republic. Dr. Call arrived in Haiti on Monday, the day before a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit the island. Call's family had no contact with him for several days, even though a mysterious photo surfaced on MSNBC of a doctor with similar physical features. Dr. Call's son Tyler told ABC 4 News his father was in Haiti when the quake hit, and a few days later, he made way to the Dominican Republic, where his wife was staying. Tyler said once Dr. Call made it into the Dominican Republic, he contacted LDS missionaries, who took him to his wife's hotel, where he was able to make contact with his family and associates in Utah. Dr. Call left Sunday for a humanitarian mission to Haiti for Deseret International Foundation, a volunteer group of Utah health providers who donate their time and talents to people in developing countries.' Travelling To Save Orphanage
'At 11:15 a.m. this morning Mallery Thurlow and her father Keith Thurlow boarded a plane to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. From there, Mallery said she hopes to catch a helicopter flight to Port-au-Prince in Haiti, where she will spend the coming weeks providing care to the 40 children in the orphanage she helped to build with her charity Haiti Foundation Against Poverty. Calls from her Haitian co-workers and boyfriend in the past few days have not yielded good news, Thurlow said. A conversation with the woman who manages the guest house and orphanage has the Midland native worried. “She’s just crying and screaming and telling me how terrible it is,” Thurlow told The Bay City Times moments before boarding her flight in Fort Lauderdale. “She’s in such shock, she couldn’t remember the names of children she’s been with for years.” ' Read on: http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2010/01/midland_woman_boards_plane_to.html http://www.ourmidland.com/articles/2010/01/15/local_news/doc4b51027847eb6309079617.txt Economic Aftershocks?
'The Dominican Republic emerged unscathed from the massive earthquake that ravaged the capital of Haiti and has declared itself open for business, but the popular tourist destination is likely to feel social and economic aftershocks, experts warn. Some familiar with the two countries that share the island of Hispaniola fear the quake could exacerbate long-standing racial tensions, tax limited governmental resources and discourage snowbirds from seeking refuge at the Dominican’s beaches and resorts. Dominican officials were quick to insist Thursday that it’s business as usual in the lush Caribbean country, which often lures Canadian travellers with its sandy beaches, azure waters and tropical temperatures. “The DR is making available its medical facilities for earthquake victims and is providing international relief organizations access to Haiti through the airports and seaports; our transportation systems, communications systems, hotels, resorts, beaches and natural environment suffered no damage here,” Tourism Minister Francisco Javier Garcia said in a statement.' The story continues here: DR Bonds Cut
'Barclays Plc recommended investors cut their holdings of bonds sold by the Dominican Republic and El Salvador as the yield spread on the securities shows they’re “fairly valued,” Barclays Plc said. Barclays reduced the countries’ bonds to “market weight” from “overweight” in a report dated today. The Dominican Republic’s dollar bonds yielded 4.10 percentage points more than U.S. Treasuries yesterday, down from 4.78 points two months ago, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co.' More here: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=aOXOr44ZZpbA A Hero Holiday Experience
'When the Buntings visited the Dominican Republic this past holiday season, they didn't spend their time soaking up the sun. Instead they were wading knee-deep in garbage, helping Haitians earn a meager living. This story is just one of several life-changing experiences that the Simcoe family collected during their Hero Holiday. The aptly-named humanitarian trip is organized by the Hamilton- based Absolute Leadership Development and offers an opportunity for Canadians to roll up their sleeves overseas - as near as Mexico, as far as Thailand. For 10 days at the end of December, five of the Buntings -- parents Brian and Debra, their children Nancy and Sam, and their granddaughter Jasmine - trekked to the northern shoreline of the Dominican Republic - the rough underbelly of the resort-laden country. Once there, they spent their time in the village of Agua Negra -- or translated into Black Water -- the seemingly perfect name for the community. In fact, it rained six inches over the course of two days, resulting in the homes -- little more than a tin shed without flooring -- to be flooded.' Read on: Book News
May 2009: Ginnie's second book is now available. This is an Ebook commissioned by Boomerscape.com Retire in the Dominican Republic Survival Kit and is available here: http://www.dominicanretirementguide.com/
Costambar residents and visitors! Dinner and a movie? No, breakfast and a good book! Visit Rainer and Beatriz's R & B Bakery, Calle Los Mangos, Villas Princesa, Costambar Tel.809-970-3083 where the book is also on sale. In fact you can drop in between 7am and 7pm daily except Saturdays for home made bread, cakes and pies and ...................a good read! And yes! We've made it to You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuAa_I5n53E Meanwhile the book is available online from the publishers, Best Books Online, and from Amazon UK. Amazon Canada are currently listing as 'temporarily out of stock' with more on order. New outlet for US customers! Quisqueya: Mad Dogs and English Couple is now available from The Dominican Bookshop: http://www.dominicanbookshop.com/Quisqueya_Mad_Dogs_and_English_Couple_p/978-1904502524.htm http://www.bestbooksonline.co.uk/bookshop/specials.php?id=68 Quisqueya has shown up on Amazon.com as being available (again). Price quoted has once again gone to the realms of daylight robbery and a complaint has been made. Reviews of the book are available at the above Amazon links as well as British Expat and Dominican Today. More On Murder of Canadian In Sosua - Weekend News January 10th. 2010
'A second man is in custody and a third suspect is being sought in connection with the killing of a tourist from Quebec City in the Dominican Republic, local officials said Tuesday. Jean Gagné was shot and killed by intruders in a villa in the resort town of Sosua, east of Puerto Plata on New Year’s Eve..............His friend and travel companion Alexandre Tremblay told the Journal de Montréal that intruders broke into the villa overnight. Tremblay said he was tied to his bed, and heard gunshots in the next room. A security guard at the villa was arrested and is alleged to have been involved in what police are calling a robbery plot. Police said a second man was also arrested and they are seeking a third suspect who has also been identified'. The story continues at the first link below. According to LNC the name of the third man is Gary. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2010/01/05/quebecer-dominican-arrests.html?ref=rss http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2010/01/06/12370701-qmi.html?cid=rssnewscanada http://lcn.canoe.ca/lcn/infos/faitsdivers/archives/2010/01/20100105-055551.html http://lcn.canoe.ca/lcn/infos/faitsdivers/archives/2010/01/20100105-104706.html http://videos.lcn.canoe.ca/video/60396472001/meurtre-son-pere-a-ete-tue-en-republique-en-2007/ Police Guard On Port Authority
On Tuesday the Port Authority and Customs offices in Puerto Plata were given extra police and military protection following last week's firing of 10 employees - it was alleged that some of these had tried to physically attack the Administrator. This version is denied by those fired who say they are still owed two months salary plus the Christmas 13th. month. Landslides Near Navarrete-Puerto Plata Highway
http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=969 http://elnuevonorte.com/Inicio/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/486/ItemID/5978/Default.aspx Montellano Sugar Mill
According to a piece on Sacandomelao blog, the only obstacle to the Montellano sugar mill re-opening is Presidential permission yet to be granted. Spanish investors are ready to invest US$15 million in the plant for a 30 year contract: they would pay US$450,000 annually for the first 3 years which would represent 30% of the investment. The remaining 70% would be invested in renovation and maintenance of the plant and lands. What they are not prepared to do is pay the RD$600 million debt of the mill's previous administrators and thus they are waiting for Presidential waiving of this debt. The mill has been closed for some 5 years resulting in much local unemployment. http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2010/01/para-reabir-ingenio-montellano-solo.html#more Stem Cell Tourism In Sosua
'Proton Laboratories, Inc. a Washington corporation, today announced the acquisition of Regenobody S.A., a Dominican Republic company involved in some of the latest technologies associated with stem cell regeneration using the patient's own stem cells. Pursuant to the Agreement, the Company (PLBI) will issue 300,000,000 of its common shares to the Regenobody shareholders, which will result in the shareholders of Regenobody acquiring shareholder control of Proton Laboratories, Inc. Armando Casciati, newly elected President of Proton Laboratories, Inc. stated that the new company will aggressively work toward completing the development of its laboratory and acquisition of the balance of the needed equipment from its Korean licensor and patent holder, RNLBIO. It is anticipated that a name change and symbol change will occur in the next 90 days. The prior Proton directors have resigned concurrent with the acquisition.' The press release continues at the first link. According to Regenobody's website, the Regenobody Institute, the hospital, Centro Medico de la Costa Norte and the Regenoclinix Health Institute are run in conjunction with Sosua Bay and Victorian House Hotels http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Proton-Laboratories-Inc-pz-1355673186.html?x=0&.v=1 Czech Tourist Dies In Cabarete Accident
An accident in the early hours of Saturday morning on the main road near the Texaco station in Cabarete resulted in the death of Czech tourist, York Kagank, 39. Mr. Kagank's motorbyke was in collision with a minibus driven by a US tourist, Thalia Bárbara Martínez. The US tourist has been detained by police. According to the police report in Puerto Plata Digital the minibus driver suddenly pulled over to the left to enter the Texaco station, without using the indicator or hand signals. Mr. Kagank was travelling fast in the same direction behind the minibus and went into the back of it. http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3724&start=1 http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3721&start=1 Police Recover Stolen Cash
Police have recovered RD$80,000 in cash, a knife and a pair of shoes belonging to a German resident of Sosua, Christian Manfred Erd. They were found inside a small fridge in a home in La Piedra, Sosua. Police are now looking for the owner of the home. http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3725&start=1 It WAS Figueroa!
The Fiscal of the National District (Santo Domingo) has interviewed people familiar with the voice of Figueroa Agosto and has concluded that the phone call in to Z-101 was indeed made by Figueroa Agosto. http://elnuevonorte.com/Inicio/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/486/ItemID/5886/Default.aspx http://elnuevonorte.com/Inicio/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/486/ItemID/5914/Default.aspx http://elnuevonorte.com/Inicio/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/486/ItemID/5915/Default.aspx http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2010/01/indican-que-voz-era-de-figueroa-agosto.html#more Super Tucanos Not Yet Interdicting Narcos
According to a piece in Diario Libre, the Super Tucanos which arrived a month ago have yet to be used in the 'war against drugs'. Thus far they have been used for pilot training on their weapons systems. To be effective, they apparently need a tridimensional radar system capable of detecting flights below 5000 feet, the most popular altitude for narcoflights, and ..................the DR does not possess such a radar system! Carts before horses come to mind. Murder And Violent Death At 'Epidemic' Levels
'A study on citizen security conducted by the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development has found that while there has been a moderate reduction in crime since 2005, the year in which the Democratic Security program was implemented, murder and violent death rates in the country are still at "epidemic" levels. The research was based on Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) standards, which define a crime rate of 8 per 100,000 inhabitants as acceptable, and anything exceeding that as "epidemic". According to the study, 1,807 deaths were registered in the country in September 2008, a rate of 25.3, very close to the levels in 2005 when the Democratic Security Plan was launched. In this respect, the study suggests that if the positive influence the Democratic Security Plan had over the first two years is maintained, the crime rate could decline to 2001 levels, when it stood at 12.4.' The story continues in the English language version of Diario Libre: Discovery Of 1690 Shipwreck Confirmed
'Marine Exploration, Inc. and joint venture partner Hispaniola Ventures, LLC announce the Dominican Republic has confirmed the Company’s recent discovery of a valuable shipwreck from the 1690s. The treasure includes silver coins, gold, pearls and diamond jewelry. “A great discovery,” notes Francis Soto, Technical Director of the Dominican Republic Underwater Heritage Office in a December 29 news story in UnderWater Times. “The most important find in Dominican waters since the discovery of Captain Kidd’s ship Quedagh Merchant in 2007,” states Wilfredo Feliz, Director of the Dominican Republic Ministry of Culture Sub-aquatic Patrimony Office in a December 30 news story in Listin Diario. “Treasure pieces were of incalculable historical value,” according to a news story in Underwater Times. The objects found include silver coins, jewels, gold jewelry with pearls, solid gold ring with diamonds, two hand-held bronze cannons, numerous pistols and cannons, a bell from 1693 with the phrase 'Soli Deo Gloria', guild pewter plates, navigation compasses, plumb lines for measuring depth, a pistol, sword sheaths, ornaments, plates, silverware, sword handles, a device to measure the ship's speed, and bronze candlesticks.' The press release continues here: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Marine-Exploration-Announces-bw-3334081297.html?x=0&.v=1 http://www.underwatertimes.com/news.php?article_id=84613259071 US Pilot Suspected Of People Trafficking In DR
'Authorities in the Dominican Republic were searching Wednesday for a U.S.licenced pilot they say tried to smuggle migrant workers out of the country on an illegal flight. Relatives of missing migrants have accused the Dominican government of not doing enough to prevent such flights. In December 2008, a plane carrying 11 migrants disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean. The pilot and smuggling suspect, identified as Ryan Kite, disappeared when immigration officials at the country's main airport recently questioned his passengers and received conflicting answers about their final destination, said immigration agency spokesman Jose Abreu. The pilot said they were going to the ritzy coastal town of Punta Cana, but some workers said they paid several thousand dollars for a trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands, Abreu said. Officials said they had no other information about the pilot, except that he had a U.S. License. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has only one pilot registered as Ryan Kite, but it is unclear if he is the same person as the suspect. A telephone message left at the U.S. address provided was not returned'. Four Missing At Sea
The Dominican Navy has mounted a search for four people missing at sea since Thursday. Plinio Jacobo and his wife, Laura Ricart are the owners of the Serafina Restaurant in Santo Domingo. The others on board are US citizen Robert Wagner Skaates (better known at Capt. Rob) and the Spaniard Javier Jorge. According to a report in El Nacional they did not notify port authorities that they were leaving the harbour. http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=182253 http://elnacional.com.do/nacional/2010/1/9/36360/Siguen-perdidos-desde-jueves-cuatro-en-bote Another Scam!
'Extortionists posing as federal agents have taken up to $31,000 from frightened people who thought they would be prosecuted for purchasing their medications from outside the country, federal regulators said this week. The Food and Drug Administration has 75 to 100 recent reports nationwide of people receiving calls from individuals claiming to be FDA special agents or law enforcement officials.The targets were told buying drugs online or over the telephone was illegal and if they did not immediately pay their "fine," officers would come to arrest, jail or deport them, the FDA said. Several dozen people sent the money, usually through a wire service to an address in the Dominican Republic, said FDA spokesman Tom Gasparoli. They usually paid around $1,000 to $5,000, although some sent much more.' The story continues in the Chicago Tribune: http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/fl-fda-warning,0,7551392.story Michigan State Medical Visit
'In the five days since a Michigan State University medical group landed in the Dominican Republic the 32 students and faculty duo have kept busy. Since their arrival in the capital city of Santo Domingo they have visited a leper colony outside the city and the pediatric wards of a government-run hospital where patients must provide their own bedding. The group led by Reza Nassiri director of MSU's Institute of International Health and Dr. David Luoma from MSU's Upper Peninsula campus is scheduled to return Saturday from its week long excursion to observe medical conditions in a Third World country.' More here: http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100107/NEWS01/1070381/1002/NEWS01 Medical Mission To Monte Cristi
'Boxes and suitcases are getting stuffed with much-needed medication at Manchester Community College. A group of students, local nurses and doctors will leave Saturday for a week long trip to the Dominican Republic to provide medical care for the rural poor. This is the sixth year that the school has taken part in the volunteer effort to provide medicine and medical service to the country. This year the students and faculty at the school purchased or donated 2000 pounds of medical supplies and other items. The group of 18 students, four nurses and four doctors will see between 250 and 400 patients a day while in the area of Monte Cristi.' Read on: Ben And Jerry's In Punta Cana
'Over 175 franchisees, managers, staff, friends and family members gathered for the annual community service project – this year held in the Dominican Republic. In the true spirit of the company’s “peace, love and ice cream” motto, the group chose to undertake a community action project during their annual meeting to prove their mettle, and walk their progressive talk. The recipients were Haitian and Dominican members of a small village, Macao; just a short drive from the group’s meeting location. The need was great, but the group’s perseverance and heart, along with their many hands, would prove to make light work of the challenge. The sunny and tropical setting at the resort, where the conference was headquartered, faded during the day’s project under clouds and an occasional shower which lightly soaked the franchisees who sported a various patchwork of Ben & Jerry’s T-shirts. The apparel didn’t stay clean long as they were splotched with paint and mud, a badge proudly earned by each of the members helping out. Ben & Jerry’s coordinators worked with Habitat for Humanity'. The press release continues here: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Ben-Jerrys-Franchisees-Serve-bw-214245559.html?x=0 Spring Break In La Romana
'Warm, exotic beaches and students behaving badly are the first things that comes to mind when the words "college" and "spring break" are uttered in the same sentence. It is an injustice to a majority of college students, in particular to those like Amanda M. Kellett, 21, who will be spending her spring break in the Dominican Republic on a mission of H.O.P.E. Kellett is the daughter of Lee and Steve Kellett and a 2006 graduate of Hopkinton High School where she played tennis for four years. She studied psychology at Stonehill and graduated a semester early at the end of last year. She did the math and found she’d be saving a great deal of money by increasing her course work each semester. H.O.P.E., which stands for Honoring our neighbor, Organizing for justice, Practicing peace and Encountering God, is an alternative spring break program offered to Stonehill students, an offer that carries with it a great deal of responsibility along with the opportunity. Kellett is one of 23 students who will spend 10 days at Hogar Del Nino in La Romana, Dominican Republic.' More here: Book News
May 2009: Ginnie's second book is now available. This is an Ebook commissioned by Boomerscape.com Retire in the Dominican Republic Survival Kit and is available here: http://www.dominicanretirementguide.com/
Costambar residents and visitors! Dinner and a movie? No, breakfast and a good book! Visit Rainer and Beatriz's R & B Bakery, Calle Los Mangos, Villas Princesa, Costambar Tel.809-970-3083 where the book is also on sale. In fact you can drop in between 7am and 7pm daily except Saturdays for home made bread, cakes and pies and ...................a good read! And yes! We've made it to You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuAa_I5n53E Meanwhile the book is available online from the publishers, Best Books Online, and from Amazon UK. Amazon Canada are currently listing as 'temporarily out of stock' with more on order. New outlet for US customers! Quisqueya: Mad Dogs and English Couple is now available from The Dominican Bookshop: http://www.dominicanbookshop.com/Quisqueya_Mad_Dogs_and_English_Couple_p/978-1904502524.htm http://www.bestbooksonline.co.uk/bookshop/specials.php?id=68 Quisqueya has shown up on Amazon.com as being available (again). Price quoted has once again gone to the realms of daylight robbery and a complaint has been made. Reviews of the book are available at the above Amazon links as well as British Expat and Dominican Today. Missing Expat Found - Weekend News January 3rd. 2010
The news of D'Arcy Wright's recovery and return from his abduction ordeal was posted on this website last Monday and in a variety of Canadian and Dominican papers. D'Arcy's family had an ecstatic late Christmas as a result. Since then D'Arcy has been debriefed by the management level of Puerto Plata police, has undergone detailed medical checks, and has been resting and recovering from his experience, cared for by friends and family. According to the Coronela in charge of the case a number of arrests have been made in this on-going investigation as described in Puerto Plata Habla. This conflicts with a statement apparently given to the Hamilton Spectator by a lower ranking officer, Sergeant Bernaldo Cabrera. Neither D'Arcy Wright, nor his brother Todd nor any of those engaged in the rescue effort have met Sergeant Cabrera. The Spectator outlines the difficulties they had in obtaining an interview with the local police: 'Police repeatedly hung up on The Spectator during attempts to interview and locate officials'. The miracle of D'Arcy Wright being alive has caused very many to rejoice and, perhaps unsurprisingly, some to complain and cast doubt on his story. Some messages on Internet message boards have even suggested that D'Arcy faked his own abduction. In an interview on Friday January 1st. D'Arcy Wright was asked his reactions to those casting doubt on his story. 'My initial reactions were unprintable' he said with a grin 'but in retrospect, the series of circumstances seem every bit as strange to me as they do to others. My own disbelief in finding an armed man at my door ordering me out, was quickly followed by my firm belief that I was about to die. Once released, my first thoughts were not so much about how weird it was, but more about what to do next and how to get to safety. How this might play out on the Internet was NOT uppermost in my mind...' Wright says that he realises it is normal for people to have doubts but ' I am disappointed and offended that they have accused me without proof. My friend Marc from Rocky's let it be known that he was available to provide information by email and telephone about the confession made to the police around December 20th by a detainee, who told the police details of my abduction and even named the perpetrators. From what I have been told, only two people took him up on his offer.' Wright concludes that his accusers are not seeking a true story but one which fits their already formed perceptions. Asked if he feels he was victimised twice, once by the crime and secondly by some reactions, he is philosophical 'Right now, I still find it very upsetting, but I know this week it's me, next week it will be someone else'. D'Arcy says he is recovering quite quickly and catching up on lost sleep. It will take longer to catch up on lost weight - he lost 20 pounds as a result of his ordeal and now wears a smaller size in trousers. As Henry David Thoreau said 'It takes two to speak truth - one to speak and another to hear'. http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/697069 http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/697247 http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/696816 http://www.globaltoronto.com/world/story.html?id=2389012 http://news.globaltv.com/Missing+Canadian+found+alive+Dominican+Republic/2388953/story.html http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/696661 http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/696661 http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5iYi0Kat35aFMedPeo4LYLpRVPThA http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3676&start=1 http://lajaibamipueblo.blogspot.com/2009/12/encuentran-en-boca-chica-canadiense-se.html  Murder In Costambar
On Wednesday morning the body of Tore Karlsen, a 59 year old Nowegian expat, was found by his neighbour in his residence in Costambar. The neighbour had called at 8 am to check whether they were going to play their customary Wednesday golf game, received confirmation and 35 minutes later when he drove next door to collect Mr Karlsen, received no response. He contacted apartment staff and all entered to find Tore Karlsen had been killed, as well as bound and gagged. Cause of death is yet to be determined by a pathology report. Profound condolences are extended to the family of a man whom all his friends knew to be kind, generous and inoffensive. Laptop computers were not stolen but the neighbour's arrival could have interrupted a theft, if that is what it was. Police are investigating. http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=916 http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2009/12/violencia-no-se-detiene-asesinan.html Murder In Sosua
Less than 24 hours after the murder of Tore Karlsen another foreigner was found murdered, this time in Sosua. He is variously described in different newspaper reports as a German or a Canadian national but is in fact Canadian, Jean Gagné, 42, a tourist in Sosua was found on Thursday, shot in the chest. His roommate, Alexander Tremblay, 34, was also found with his hands and feet tied. Police initially detained Tremblay thinking it strange that he was only bound while Mr. Gagné was killed. Two Haitian women who had earlier been drinking with the two Canadians were also investigated as was the security guard for the building, Santo Martin Espinal, who had been shot in the leg. On Saturday it was announced that the security guard had been arrested for the crime and that the wound in his leg was self-inflicted. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/2010/01/04/12341261-qmi.html?cid=ETF http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=925 http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3687&start=1 http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=923 http://elnuevonorte.com/Inicio/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/486/ItemID/5807/Default.aspx http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2009/12/matan-otro-extranjero-ahora-en-sosua.html Electricity Fraud In Field Of Dreams Hotel?
Listin Diario and other national and local papers are reporting electricity fraud by two north coast hotels, Field of Dreams in Puerto Plata and Sosua Bay Forza Italia. In the case of the former, a search is alleged to have revealed fraudulent manipulation of the electricity meter. The manager/administrator Yesenia de la Cruz was detained and released when the judge imposed a RD$10,000 bail and periodic reporting. The newspaper reports that hotel owner Alberto Noesi Diaz was alleged to have flown; doubting the veracity of that statement a colleague of this reporter made one telephone call and spoke to Mr. Noesi in person! In relation to the the Sosua hotel, a search is alleged to have revealed the fraudulent use of a booster; three people were detained and subsequently released and police are said to be investigating the proprietor, Armando Casiati. http://listin.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=126456 Velero Beach, Cabarete
Coral Hospitality Corporation began operations at Velero Beach Resort, Cabarete this past week. The complex consists of 22 apartments (1, 2 and 3 bedroomed) and 7 penthouses. http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3679&start=1 Dutch Tourist Drowns
Dutch tourist, Kor Thals, 62, tragically drowned at Cabarete last Tuesday in rough seas. He had been a guest at Casa Laguna hotel. Fuel Price Increases
Prosperous New Year wishes are sent by the DR Government who, on Friday night, raised the prices of fuel: premium gasoline has gone up by RD$8.20, regular by RD$7.90 and diesel by RD$7.60. Figueroa Speaks
Wanted man José Figueroa Agosto telephoned the radio programme El Gobierno de la Mañana on Tuesday saying he paid authorities US$1 million to effect his escape. The tape is accessible at the link. And did that put the cat among the pigeons... http://elnuevonorte.com/Inicio/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/486/ItemID/5793/Default.aspx Pardoned French Prisoners Ambassadors In War On Drugs
'The two French women that were pardoned last 23 December by the Dominican President Leonel Fernandez were freed yesterday by the Attorney General of the Republic. Celine Faye and Sarah Zaknoun, who were serving 8 year sentences in the Rafey Prison for drug trafficking were handed over by the Attorney General Radhames Jimenez to the vice-minister of French Cooperation, Alain Joyandet. In a few words spoken at the penitentiary, the French official said he appreciated the Dominican government's liberation of the two French women. During the ceremony the French ambassador Roland Dubertran and other officials were present. Both the women were transferred in a vehicle from the jail at Rafey to the Police air base on Bartolome Colon Avenue, where they got on a helicopter that took them to the French Embassy in Santo Domingo and from there they were taken to the Las Americas International Airport where they boarded a plane to France.' More in the English language version of Diario Libre. Once they arrived in France, Minister Alain Joyandet said they will be named ambassadresses in the war on drugs, according to Sacandomelao. http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias_det.php?id=229211 http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2009/12/galleta-sin-mano-la-justicia-dominicana.html Encarnacion Out Of Hospital
'Toronto Blue Jays infielder Edwin Encarnacion was released Saturday from a Miami hospital after being treated for minor facial injuries caused by fireworks during the New Year's festivities in his native Dominican Republic. Encarnacion suffered first- and second-degree burns in the forehead and the right side of his face when a rocket firecracker hit him in the jaw and exploded near his mouth while celebrating with family in his home of La Romana. "Thank God everything is OK with my face. I don't have any fractures or serious injuries and I won't need any kind of surgery," Encarnacion told ESPNdeportes.com on the phone while leaving Jackson Memorial Hospital. According to Encarnacion, one of his brothers lit a rocket firecracker and instead of flying upwards it moved laterally, hitting Encarnacion.' More here: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4790334&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines Colonels Questioned
'In the midst of a total media blackout, the colonels Miguel Sanchez Martinez, the director of the Planning and Operations Department of the National Department of Drug Control (DNCD) and Santos Diaz Medina, the chief of Services at the La Romana airport were questioned for hours at the headquarters of the Attorney General of the Republic. Both officers are under investigation in relation to the death of Lieutenant Colonel Jose Amado Gonzalez Gonzalez. Hours before the questioning, the commission composed of the heads of the DNCD, the PN, and the District Attorney for the National District met with President Fernandez in the Presidential Palace. The nation's leader received reports on the progress of the case of Jose Figueroa Agosto. According to a source at the Attorney General's office, the questioning began in the early hours of the afternoon and taking part were the Attorney General of the Republic, Radhames Jimenez; the head of the DNCD, Rolando Rosado Mateo; the chief of the National Police, Guillermo Guzman Fermin; and the District Attorney for the National District, Alejandro Moscoso Segarra.' The story continues in the English language version of Diario Libre: http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias_det.php?id=229343 Bomb Threat Delays JetBlue In DR
'Officials say an anonymous bomb threat briefly grounded a JetBlue flight that was departing the Dominican Republic for Puerto Rico. Airline spokeswoman Jenny Dervin says the Tuesday morning flight to San Juan was delayed by 40 minutes. She said she did not know whether the caller had singled out a specific airline or flight at Las Americas Airport in Santo Domingo. Dominican officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It is unclear if the caller was identified or anyone arrested'. More here: http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2009-12-30-jetblue-bomb-threat_N.htm?csp=34 Sports Mission
'Flying back from the Dominican Republic where he had just spent the last five days on a mission trip, Greg Gaines thought about all the stuff laying around in his garage. “Sitting on the plane I kept thinking, ‘90 percent of that stuff, those kids could use,'”said Gaines. Those “kids” were the children of the sugar cane villages where Gaines, and several members of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Bowman, joined forces with Score International to minister and provide equipment and instruction to nearly 1,000 children on island. “Their only hope is God and baseball,” Gaines said of the children. “Each morning, we'd travel to one of the sugar cane villages and conduct these clinics. At the end, someone would give their testimony and then we would hand out equipment.” Gaines said one time they had to pull one of their people away from a mob of children'. Read on: http://www.thehartwellsun.com/articles/2009/12/31/sports/sports02.txt Medical Help In The DR
'Dr. Mark Ryan writes on his blog about the day in June when robbers burst into the hostel in the Dominican Republic where he and others on a medical mission were staying. A scuffle ensued, which left him with scratches, bruises and needing stitches in the back of his head. Rather than pack up their duffel bags and head home, Ryan and others, including pharmacy and medical students from Virginia Commonwealth University, finished the trip after moving to a more secure location. Undeterred, in a few days Ryan and another group will head back to the Dominican Republic for another medical mission. "We don't want these would-be thieves to keep us from helping patients in need," Ryan said'. The story continues here: http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/article/E-VIDA31_20091230-220810/314548/ Bell, Candlesticks, No Book
'A research team has discovered off Nagua, a city in the northeastern Dominican Republic, a Spanish galleon that apparently sank in the area between 1690-1700, the press reported Monday. The galleon, whose name is unknown, was found in October, allowing pieces of "incalculable historical value" to be recovered, the daily Listin Diario said. Book News
May 2009: Ginnie's second book is now available. This is an Ebook commissioned by Boomerscape.com Retire in the Dominican Republic Survival Kit and is available here: http://www.dominicanretirementguide.com/
Costambar residents and visitors! Dinner and a movie? No, breakfast and a good book! Visit Rainer and Beatriz's R & B Bakery, Calle Los Mangos, Villas Princesa, Costambar Tel.809-970-3083 where the book is also on sale. In fact you can drop in between 7am and 7pm daily except Saturdays for home made bread, cakes and pies and ...................a good read! And yes! We've made it to You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuAa_I5n53E Meanwhile the book is available online from the publishers, Best Books Online, and from Amazon UK. Amazon Canada are currently listing as 'temporarily out of stock' with more on order. New outlet for US customers! Quisqueya: Mad Dogs and English Couple is now available from The Dominican Bookshop: http://www.dominicanbookshop.com/Quisqueya_Mad_Dogs_and_English_Couple_p/978-1904502524.htm http://www.bestbooksonline.co.uk/bookshop/specials.php?id=68 Quisqueya has shown up on Amazon.com as being available (again). Price quoted has once again gone to the realms of daylight robbery and a complaint has been made. Reviews of the book are available at the above Amazon links as well as British Expat and Dominican Today. FOUND!!
Missing expat D'Arcy Wright was found alive yesterday, Sunday December 27th. Though still dazed and disoriented Darcy Wright was located near Boca Chica having been missing for 18 days. The way he describes his ordeal it appears that he was kidnapped in a case of mistaken identity. Two men came to the house where he was staying and kidnapped him at gunpoint. Neither he nor the house were robbed. He was held for an unspecified period of time, drugged and eventually released about 4 days ago in the campo. Neither of his kidnappers used his name but they did call him by a name which was not his. Once released and in a drugged state he eventually made his way to the south of the island. In fear of his life he hid out in a hotel where he tried to recall events. His recall is still limited but yesterday he made his way to an Internet cafe and managed to remember his log-in details and called his friend Marc Beland in Sosua on Skype. Marc thought it was a prankster so got D'Arcy's brother Todd to ask a question about their childhood, to which only D'Arcy would have known the answer. Minutes later they were on their way to collect him. This is a developing story and further details will follow later. But, amazingly, Darcy is alive!
Missing Expat D'Arcy Wright - Weekend News December 27th. 2009.
Sun Village Ex-Employees Get Paid
On Wednesday Globalia paid the approximately 450 ex-employees of Sun Village Hotel. Those earning less than RD$10,000 a month received 70% of what was due, those earning over RD$10,000 a month received 50% and women who were pregnant received 100%. In all Globalia paid some US$450,000 or RD$16.2 million. http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=862 http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3658&start=1 http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2009/12/inician-pago-prestaciones-ex-empleados.html Floods In Puerto Plata
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3t_MrGRmPg http://www.sosuaonline.net/DetailPost.aspx?postId=7439 http://www.flickr.com/photos/sacandomelao/sets/72157622938450969/show/ http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3657&start=1 http://www.sosuaonline.net/DetailPost.aspx?postId=7440 http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=180565 http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3643&start=1 http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=867 http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=850 http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=852 http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=846 http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=843 http://cosasdemontellano.blogspot.com/2009/12/lluvias-inundan-rios-y-barrios-de.html http://www.flickr.com/photos/sacandomelao/sets/72157622920352911/show/ Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club Inauguration
Eight days ago Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club inaugurated their newest property in Cofresi, a four storey luxury building. http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=841 http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3636&start=1 Italian Suspected of Killing American In Santo Domingo
Last Saturday Italian Ambron Seneghini, 57, was arrested in connection with the murder of US citizen David Luis Vologh Spencer, 50, in Santo Domingo. It is thought the American owed the Italian money which he was refusing to pay. President Pardons Two French Women Prisoners
French citizens Celine Maryline Faye Gaelle and Zarah Zaknoun were pardoned by President Fernandez in the Christmas pardons. They had been imprisoned in 2008 for drug trafficking but there always remained an element of doubt about the case. They will return to France either at the weekend or early next week, according to El Nacional. http://elnacional.com.do/nacional/2009/12/24/35093/Indulto-LF-lleva-alegria-a-franceses http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=180957 Money Laundering
'Twenty properties, including lots, luxurious villas, commercial malls, housing projects, and apartments were seized from the Spaniard Ricardo Diez Conde, who also used the false identity of Ruben Ramos Ortega, a person tied to an alleged network of international drug traffickers that used the country to launder billions of pesos. The seizures were carried out at the request of the judge of Central Court Number Five of the National Audience of Spain, Baltazar Garzon Real, in Madrid. The 20 properties seized from the fugitive are in the tourist area of Uvero Alto, located in the municipality of Higuey, among which there are luxurious buildings. Among the properties seized is a villa located on parcel 65-A-24, in the Salado Punta Cana with a surface area of 2, 094 m2 inside the Tortuga Bay project. Likewise, the parcel 67-B-181 of Cadastral District No. 11-3rd, with an extension of 12,577 m2 as well as a commercial plaza called Coral Park, built on this same site.' More in the English language version of Diario Libre: Funeral Home Sent Wrong Body To DR
'A Queens family was shocked when they thought they were opening their mom's casket at a Dominican Republic airport -- and found a man's corpse inside. And Ana Belen Fernandez's son wants a Bronx funeral home to pay for the mistake. "It was disturbing," said Mitchell Shapiro, who is representing Fernandez's son in a lawsuit against the R.G. Ortiz Funeral Home in Mott Haven over the family's "shock of opening the casket and seeing this old guy there when they expected to see Mom." The Corona woman's family is seeking unspecified damages. Fernandez's corpse soon turned up in Florida and was shipped to the Dominican Republic, where it was buried the next day.' The story continues in the New York Post: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/queens/late_and_switch_v2BlKP3MSxTPxQ0yrpNqTN US Baseball Stars In DR
'When other Treasure Valley kids are test-driving their new toys on Dec. 26, a half-dozen young baseball players will fly out of Boise on the first leg of a dream trip to the Dominican Republic. The boys will be participating in U.S. Baseball Stars, a winter training camp that is the closest thing to bliss for American kids who want to sharpen their skills. About 40 kids from the U.S. are participating this year, down a bit from years past due to travel and other trip costs. "This is my Christmas present this year," said Robby Degen, the only local player who went last year. "I'm going with my grandpa, and it's going to be really fun." The American players go head-to-head in daily doubleheaders against Dominican kids who live at academies and play baseball 365 days a year. These are boys hoping to be the next Albert Pujols or Pedro Martinez - or any of the hundreds of Dominicans who have made it big in the big leagues.' Read on: http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsupdates/story/1017739.html PriceSmart Property Acquisition
'PriceSmart , Inc. http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Pricesmart-Inc-NASDAQ-PSMT-1094929.html Food Poisoning Routine?
'Five passengers aboard a WestJet flight from the Dominican Republic were taken to hospital by ambulance Wednesday night after apparently suffering from food poisoning...............Russ Power, the duty manager for Peel's Emergency Medical Services, said the call was "pretty much routine" and looked like a "clear-cut case of food poisoning." More here: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/742589--sick-passengers-arrive-at-pearson Voluntourism In The DR
'From December 28 through January 2, guests at both Tortuga Bay and The Puntacana Hotel will be invited to participate in the island’s annual bird count with renowned ornithologist Dr. André Dhondt. In between wiling away hours at the spa or kicking back in an Oscar de la Renta-designed villa, groups of 10 will have the opportunity to don binoculars and field guides and head into the resort's nature preserve to help conduct the yearly census, focused on 27 indigenous bird species native only to the Dominican Republic. This isn't just some trip to the zoo. The count is a crucial method used to monitor and protect the health of the island’s unique birdlife. And the guide, André Dhondt, is the Edwin H. Morgens Professor of Ornithology at Cornell University’s Laboratory of Ornithology—a man who obtained his Ph.D.in his native Belgium and studied birds in Europe, Africa, North and South America and the Pacific before turning his attention to the Domincan Republic in 2000.' The story continues here: http://www.tonic.com/article/voluntourism-in-the-dominican-republic/ Book News
May 2009: Ginnie's second book is now available. This is an Ebook commissioned by Boomerscape.com Retire in the Dominican Republic Survival Kit and is available here: http://www.dominicanretirementguide.com/
Costambar residents and visitors! Dinner and a movie? No, breakfast and a good book! Visit Rainer and Beatriz's R & B Bakery, Calle Los Mangos, Villas Princesa, Costambar Tel.809-970-3083 where the book is also on sale. In fact you can drop in between 7am and 7pm daily except Saturdays for home made bread, cakes and pies and ...................a good read! And yes! We've made it to You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuAa_I5n53E Meanwhile the book is available online from the publishers, Best Books Online, and from Amazon UK. Amazon Canada are currently listing as 'temporarily out of stock' with more on order. New outlet for US customers! Quisqueya: Mad Dogs and English Couple is now available from The Dominican Bookshop: http://www.dominicanbookshop.com/Quisqueya_Mad_Dogs_and_English_Couple_p/978-1904502524.htm http://www.bestbooksonline.co.uk/bookshop/specials.php?id=68 Quisqueya has shown up on Amazon.com as being available (again). Price quoted has once again gone to the realms of daylight robbery and a complaint has been made. Reviews of the book are available at the above Amazon links as well as British Expat and Dominican Today. Missing Expat D'Arcy Wright - Weekend News December 20th. 2009
There has also been coverage of some material on Internet forums where curtailment of information has increased both legitimate questions and notions of conspiracy. As well, of course, as detracting from the main issue. It can however be stated that Dominican police are working arduously and have made some progress in this matter. Law enforcement authorities would not want detail to be disclosed due to the ongoing nature of the investigation. Any developments in this case will be posted on this news page as soon as the family so authorises and will not wait for next weekend's news. http://www.hamiltonmountainnews.com/news/article/197691 http://www.thespec.com/article/693137 http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/691764 http://cd989.com/modules/wordpress/?p=642 http://cd989.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=18469 http://cd989.com/newsstream.html http://www.hoy.com.do/provincias/2009/12/17/306572/Canadiense-continua-desaparecido http://torontodominicano.com/2009/12/16/canadiense-de-hamilton-desaparece-en-sosua-puerto-plata/ http://www2.diariolibre.com/noticias_det.php?id=227497 http://www2.diariolibre.com/noticias_det.php?id=227853 Harlequin Property Not Materialised
Puerto Plata Habla is running an article on the fact that Harlequin Properties developments on the north coast have not materialised as planned. In fact they have not even been started. According to the paper this is because of lack of pre-construction sales and finance issues. http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3623&start=1 Two Ex-Security Guards At Riu Bachata Attempt Robbery
Two men who had been working as security guards at Riu Bachata Hotel were caught trying to break into one of the rooms last Monday. The Italian tourist whose room it was, raised the alarm and the men were arrested. Their services had been dispensed with last Sunday. 23 Hour Blackout In Montellano
From last Wednesday evening through to Thursday evening residents of Montellano suffered a 23 hour electrical blackout due to an apparatus breakdown. http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=819 http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2009/12/llego-su-fin-apagon-de-23-horas-en.html Welcome To The New British Ambassador
http://www.clavedigital.com/App_Pages/Noticias/Noticias.aspx?id_Articulo=26864 http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=179836 http://elnacional.com.do/nacional/2009/12/16/34392/Credenciales Israeli Arrested In Santo Domingo
Cojan Shlomo was arrested at Santo Domingo airport on Thursday night when he was trying to board Copa Airlines flight 447 bound for Panamá. There is an international arrest warrant for Mr. Shlomo who is wanted in both Israel and Mexico for fraud and tax evasion. JetBlue To Punta Cana
'JetBlue Airways has applied for authority from the U.S. Department of Transportation to provide new international service to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Boston's Logan International Airport. Punta Cana would be JetBlue's fourth destination in the Dominican Republic, where the airline has grown substantially in recent years to become the nation's #1 airline. JetBlue intends to begin daily nonstop flights year-round between Aeropuerto Internacional de Punta Cana and New York/JFK on May 6, 2010, and nonstop weekly flights (on Saturdays) from Boston's Logan International, on May 8, 2010.' The press release continues here: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/JetBlue-Airways-Announces-prnews-2441184756.html?x=0&.v=2 Help For Dominican Growers
'Purfresh, a provider of clean technologies that purify, protect, and preserve our food and water, today announced that Purshade® a family of unique products scientifically engineered to protect fruits, vegetables, and other crops from harmful solar stress, is now available through Agroasa in the Dominican Republic. Depending on the commodity, the region, and the seasonal climate, growers may lose between 20–40 percent of their crop to solar damage. With the protection of Purshade, growers have experienced increases in biomass production and improvements in crop quality characteristics, including size, color, and weight, resulting in fewer culls, and higher-quality, higher-value crops.' The press release continues here: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Purshade-Helps-Dominican-bw-1759160986.html?x=0&.v=1 Ultimate Escapes Signs Reciprocity Agreement With Villa Castellamonte
'Ultimate Escapes, one of the world's largest destination clubs, has finalized a reciprocity partnership agreement with Villa Castellamonte del Mare, an exclusive five-star ultra-luxury villa in the Dominican Republic. Through this strategic partnership, Ultimate Escapes members will have exclusive reciprocity access to this magnificent 15,000 sq. Ft., fully-staffed villa located high atop a sea cliff in Cabrera, within the prestigious gated community of Orchid Bay Estates, on the Dominican Republic's beautiful North Coast. Villa Castellamonte owners will also have reciprocal privileges to enjoy Ultimate Escapes' fabulous residences in 45 resort destinations. Villa Castellamonte del Mare, or "little castle on the hill by the sea," has a unique beachfront location with sweeping 220-degree views of the Atlantic Ocean and access to every luxury service and amenity the North Coast of the Dominican Republic has to offer.' The press release continues here: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Ultimate-Escapes-Signs-prnews-180964650.html?x=0&.v=1 Lion's Gate At Seahorse Ranch
'Lion's Gate, a magnificent 23,000-square-foot architectural masterpiece, situated in an extraordinary recreational setting within the coveted gated community of Sea Horse Ranch on the north coast of the Dominican Republic, will be sold at public auction by New York based Sheldon Good & Company -- America's Real Estate Auctioneer. The auction has been set for Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 The recommended opening bid is US$6.9 million. The estate had originally been valued at US$33.5 million. There are three opportunities left to view the property: December 19th 2009 and January 9th and January 16th 2010. Viewings are by appointment only, and require a minimum of three days notice'. The press release continues here informing readers that Puerto Plata airport is the windsurfing capital of the world. Watch out for low flying surfers during landings! Lawsuit Against Sammy Sosa Dismissed
'A lawsuit by a local business seeking $203,000 from former Major League Baseball star Sammy Sosa was thrown out by a Dominican Republic prosecutor on Friday. Adolfo Feliz said the suit lacked sufficient evidence. Carim Abu Nabaa alleged that Sosa didn't pay him a commission of $150,000 on a house sale, $43,000 for a luxury watch, and $10,000 for getting Reggaeton singer Don Omar to perform at Sosa's 41st birthday party.' More here: Book News
May 2009: Ginnie's second book is now available. This is an Ebook commissioned by Boomerscape.com Retire in the Dominican Republic Survival Kit and is available here: http://www.dominicanretirementguide.com/
Costambar residents and visitors! Dinner and a movie? No, breakfast and a good book! Visit Rainer and Beatriz's R & B Bakery, Calle Los Mangos, Villas Princesa, Costambar Tel.809-970-3083 where the book is also on sale. In fact you can drop in between 7am and 7pm daily except Saturdays for home made bread, cakes and pies and ...................a good read! And yes! We've made it to You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuAa_I5n53E Meanwhile the book is available online from the publishers, Best Books Online, and from Amazon UK. Amazon Canada are currently listing as 'temporarily out of stock' with more on order. New outlet for US customers! Quisqueya: Mad Dogs and English Couple is now available from The Dominican Bookshop: http://www.dominicanbookshop.com/Quisqueya_Mad_Dogs_and_English_Couple_p/978-1904502524.htm http://www.bestbooksonline.co.uk/bookshop/specials.php?id=68 Quisqueya has shown up on Amazon.com as being available (again). Price quoted has once again gone to the realms of daylight robbery and a complaint has been made. Reviews of the book are available at the above Amazon links as well as British Expat and Dominican Today. Missing Expat - Weekend News December 13th. 2009
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&gid=197691842676 http://www.dr1.com/forums/living/98631-m-i-apostropheman.html
Sun Village Sit-In
On Monday afternoon some 400 ex-employees of Sun Village occupied the Puerto Plata Cathedral as a protest because they still have not received wages and liquidation money. They left peacefully around 10 PM after the Governor and Bishop agreed to involve themselves in mediation. The President of the Federation of Hotel Employees is now calling on President Fernandez to intervene in this matter. A delegation had visited the Labour Secretary, Max Puig, earlier in the proceedings but this had seemingly not produced the desired result. Meanwhile the picket outside the hotel remains. http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=737 http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3556&start=1 http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=743 http://www.flickr.com/photos/sacandomelao/sets/72157622835678091/show/ http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2009/12/ex-empleados-de-portuaria-y-sun-village.html Christmas Comes To Puerto Plata
http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2009/12/fotos-instalando-gigante-arbol-navideno.html http://www.flickr.com/photos/sacandomelao/sets/72157622985619946/show/ German Deported From Costambar
On Friday German national Sven Hoppe (with a very Scandinavian sounding name!) was arrested by Interpol for matters pending in Germany in relation to fraud. He was deported on Friday night via Air Condor flight 5249 for Frankfurt. Canadian Arrested In Cabarete
Steve Clive, 47, Canadian resident of Dorothy Beach House, Cabarete, was arrested on Tuesday accused of stealing a suitcase of clothes and RD$10,000 from a Dominican woman, Martha Irene Segura. Puerto Plata Habla gives no further details but it is probably safe to assume there is much left unsaid. http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3563&start=1 New River In Sosua!
On Wednesday drivers in Sosua might have noticed a new river running alongside the main road and all the way down to and along part of Sosua beach. It would appear that the fibre optic cable layers inadvertently met a sewage pipe and...broke it. According to an article in Sosua Online, CORAAPLATA, the water authority, would dearly love to know the name of the offending company responsible for the pipe breakage. Just a wild guess here, CORAPLAATA, but you might want to contact Codetel! Even if the work was subcontracted, Codetel should know the name of the subcontractor. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uotOjOWegNc&feature=player_embedded# Marijuana In PP Jail
On Tuesday small amounts of marijuana were found in Puerto Plata jail after a search by the DNCD and a Fiscal. http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3561&start=1 Hidelisa Home Centre
http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2009/12/fotos-inauguran-moderno-edificio.html http://www.flickr.com/photos/sacandomelao/sets/72157622821813351/show/ President Fernandez The Mediator?
'Ousted Honduras President Manuel Zelaya is due to meet his elected successor, Porfirio Lobo, in the Dominican Republic, its president says. President Leonel Fernandez said he expected the two to meet on Monday however neither have confirmed this....Earlier this week the government blocked a plan for the ousted president to fly to Mexico, saying he could only leave the country if he was offered formal asylum elsewhere. Mr Fernandez said he expected the two men to meet in Santo Domingo to discuss how to resolve the political crisis in Honduras. He said Mr Zelaya would arrive on Sunday, followed by Mr Lobo the next day. He said he would meet them separately before any joint discussions could take place, the Associated Press (AP) news agency reported. "As of Sunday and Monday, we will have both figures of the Honduran political world in the Dominican Republic," he said.' More at the BBC. On Saturday Honduran coup government interim President Micheletti denied that President Zelaya had requested either safe conduct or asylum status in order to be able to travel to the DR according to a piece in Clave Digital. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8409281.stm http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091212/wl_afp/honduraspoliticscoupbrazil_20091212052303 http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias_det.php?id=227014 http://www.clavedigital.com/App_Pages/Noticias/Noticias.aspx?id_Articulo=26824 Success Story
'When Elayna Fernandez enters the room, everyone around her lights up. To see the joy and hope radiating from this petite mother of two, one could hardly believe the hardships she’s endured, moments that she’s used to turn her life into the success and inspiration she is today. Fernandez grew up in a cliff community in the Dominican Republic, where her childhood toys regularly came from the local dump. By age seven, the budding entrepreneur began focusing on the bigger picture of life, wielding her creativity and unfortunate circumstances to her advantage. “I was very motivated.” Fernandez states simply. She began creating cardboard puppet shows for her neighborhood during the regular electrical blackouts and tutoring classmates for extra money. “I knew it was going to be for something special,” she says of the change she tucked away. By the time she was 11, she’d saved enough to enroll herself in an English school, a goal inspired by listening to American music such as Michael Jackson and The Beatles, and by trying to read the childrens’ magazine Highlights - also found amongst the trash.' More here: http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/dec/09/success-where-you-make-it/?partner=yahoo_feeds Famous Guests
'Kanye West and girlfriend Amber Rose spent the weekend being pampered by two healing therapists with a couple's massage from the Cygalle Healing Spa in their Dominican Republic villa. They spent the weekend at luxurious Casa de Campo, where they enjoyed VIP services from the spa before attending Jay-Z's exclusive birthday party. Other guests included Oprah Winfrey, Alicia Keys and Beyoncé Knowles' family.' http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/couple_delight_Bv4ydv9gm2KoDVGTrAoY3J Jay-Z Birthday Bash In DR
'Beyonce went all out for her husband's birthday this year. The singer celebrated Jay-Z's 40th with a 20s-themed fete at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic, reports the New York Daily News. Among the 60-odd guests were Kanye West and girlfriend Amber Rose; Sean "Diddy" Combs and on/off again girlfriend Kim Porter; Alex Rodriguez and girlfriend Kate Hudson; Swizz Beatz and rumored girlfriend Alicia Keys'. Read on: http://www.eurweb.com/story/eur57930.cfm http://www.blacknews.com/blackcelebritygossip/jay_z_turns_40_101.shtml Sammy Sosa No Show
'Sammy Sosa did not show up for a judicial hearing Friday in the Dominican Republic regarding a lawsuit for $203,000 for alleged lack of payment from the former major league player. The hearing was rescheduled for Dec. 18 due to Sosa's absence. Sosa is being sued by Carim Abu Nabaa, who claims that Sosa owes him money for several business transactions, including a $150,000 payment for the sale of one of Sosa's real estate properties. "I am willing to settle if Sosa agrees. I don't want his money. In fact, if I win the case I will donate the money to the poor children of this country," Abu Nabaa said after the hearing in charge of prosecutor Adolfo Feliz Perez was postponed. "I am willing to get a lie detector test and if I'm not telling the truth I'll pay Sosa a million dollars." ' The story continues here: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4714701&campaign=rss&source=MLBHeadlines Grupo Metro $20 Million Construction Loan
'Grupo Metro, one of the leading real estate and transportation companies in the Dominican Republic, recently received a $20 million construction loan from Banco de Reservas de la República Dominicana for Costa Blanca, an exclusive residential golf and beach community located in the Juan Dolio region. With construction well underway, this generous $20 million loan will be allocated to complete the Founder Residences and surrounding areas of Costa Blanca. "The 52 exquisite Founder Residences are moving along at a rapid pace most recently reaching the rooflines,” stated Luis Jose Asilis, CEO of Group Metro. “The 18-hole Greg Norman Signature Golf Course is also progressing at a steady pace. The irrigation system has already been completed for the first nine holes and we expect them to be ready for grassing before the end of the year,” he added.' The press release continues here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/prweb/20091208/bs_prweb/prweb3305584_2 Santiago-SD Train
'The preliminary results of a feasibility study being carried out for the cargo and passenger train connecting the Dominican Republic's capital Santo Domingo to northern Santiago city will be ready by mid-2010, Franklin Lithgow of the country's investment promotion agency CEI-RD told BNamericas. "We understand this train is completely necessary. We are moving forward with the project, but a date for the train to start operations has not yet been established," Lithgow said. Two international firms are carrying out studies to determine whether the train can operate between Santo Domingo and Santiago, Lithgow added.' Read on: FIU Law Student Killed In DR
'A Florida International University law student visiting the Dominican Republic was killed in a car crash over the weekend. Jorge Pupo, 33, a second-year student and a member of the law review, was killed in a head-on collision along with another family member, Jorge Ramos Pupo, 63. The Pupos collided with another vehicle on a highway on the Juan Pablo II highway that links Santo Domingo with the northeastern part of the country, according to a report by the Metropolitan Transport Authority.' Apart from the deaths of the two US citizens, two French citizens were injured in this crash. More here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/1374072.html http://www.almomento.net/news/127/ARTICLE/48207/2009-12-07.html Real Time Online DR Betting
'Caribbean Casino and Gaming Corp. has been awarded the sole license to conduct real-time online betting by the Casino Commission of the Dominican Republic. This license will allow Caribbean Casino and Gaming Corp to operate real-time betting under the jurisdiction of the Dominican Republic from its tables within the Sosua Bay Grand Casino, and any future location, for any games it operates including; but not limited to, Roulette, Black Jack, and Poker. This is the only license of its kind that has been issued by the Dominican Republic.' The press release continues here: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Dominican-Republic-Grants-pz-3675450488.html?x=0&.v=1 3.5% Growth For DR In 2010
'In its annual report Preliminary Overview of the Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean 2009 the regional commission of the United Nations projects positive growth rates for most countries, but explains that there are still doubts about whether this recovery will be sustainable over time, given that the external scenario continues uncertain, which may affect growth expectations in the region. "The worst of the crisis is behind us. The motors of growth have been turned on again, but we don't know how long the fuel will last," stated ECLAC Executive Secretary Alicia Bárcena, in presenting the report. The most notable recovery will take place in South America and Central America (with the exception of Mexico), which next year will have growth rates of 4.7% and 3.0%, respectively. Economic growth in the Caribbean is expected to be lower (1.8%). According to ECLAC, Brazil will top the list of countries with higher growth in 2010, with expansion estimated at 5.5%, followed by Peru and Uruguay (5%), Bolivia, Chile and Panama (4.5%) and Argentina and Surinam (4%). Mexico, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic will grow 3.5%.' Read on: http://www.cepal.org/publicaciones/xml/3/38063/Documento_Informativo_EN.pdf Executions
'The National Police have begun an exhaustive investigation into the circumstances in which four men, one of them still unidentified, were shot to death before dawn on Wednesday and their bodies dumped near the Kilometre 30 marker of the Duarte Highway. The group showed shots to the chest and each one had a shot to the head, and because of this the investigators that are handling the case are using the working hypothesis that this was an execution......... A team of officers from the National Department of Criminal Investigations took over the case and as of now they have arrested 25 persons in search of information that will allow them to clear up the case.' More in the English language version of Diario Libre: Book News
May 2009: Ginnie's second book is now available. This is an Ebook commissioned by Boomerscape.com Retire in the Dominican Republic Survival Kit and is available here: http://www.dominicanretirementguide.com/
Costambar residents and visitors! Dinner and a movie? No, breakfast and a good book! Visit Rainer and Beatriz's R & B Bakery, Calle Los Mangos, Villas Princesa, Costambar Tel.809-970-3083 where the book is also on sale. In fact you can drop in between 7am and 7pm daily except Saturdays for home made bread, cakes and pies and ...................a good read! And yes! We've made it to You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuAa_I5n53E Meanwhile the book is available online from the publishers, Best Books Online, and from Amazon UK. Amazon Canada are currently listing as 'temporarily out of stock' with more on order. New outlet for US customers! Quisqueya: Mad Dogs and English Couple is now available from The Dominican Bookshop: http://www.dominicanbookshop.com/Quisqueya_Mad_Dogs_and_English_Couple_p/978-1904502524.htm http://www.bestbooksonline.co.uk/bookshop/specials.php?id=68 Quisqueya has shown up on Amazon.com as being available (again). Price quoted has once again gone to the realms of daylight robbery and a complaint has been made. Reviews of the book are available at the above Amazon links as well as British Expat and Dominican Today. Not What It Seems - Weekend News December 6th. 2009
http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3526&start=1 http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2009/12/crucero-hizo-parada-frente-costas.html Failed Robbery Farmacia Carmen
http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/verNoticia.aspx?Id=699 http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3529&start=1 Canadian Imports Ecstasy
On Monday evening Canadian tourist John Nico Insogna arrived on Air Transat at Puerto Plata airport with some 10,000 ecstasy tablets in his luggage. He was arrested. http://listin.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=123428 Belgian Taken From Plane
Belgian resident Patric Julius Anna Verleile was allegedly held for eleven days by Migracion and then placed on an aircraft bound for Europe. He was taken off the plane by order of a judge. Mr Verleile owns a restaurant in Playa Magante, Gaspar Hernandez and has lived in the DR for 17 years. His family says a colonel was behind this and that the colonel was trying to sequester his jeep and property and had attempted to deport Mr. Verleile. http://www.elnacional.com.do/nacional/2009/11/30/33013/Desmontan-de-avion-belga-por-orden-juez http://noticiassin.com/www/index.php?go=Display&act=display_article&tid=4&aid=10949 http://www.mitamboril.com/2009/11/detienen-ciudadano-belga-en-el-aila.html French Tourists Hurt In Accident
Last Monday two French tourists, Chris Berry and Michael Albert Guss, both 28, were injured in a traffic accident near Puerto Plata airport. The accident unfortunately resulted in the death of a Dominican motorcyclist. http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3510&start=1 72 Year Old Flying Dutchman Escapes From Police Cell
Dutch national Antonius Lamberputue Aderianus Eljekemans, 72, was arrested in his home town of Jarabaco for failure to carry out an order of the Fiscal to support his girlfriend cohabitee. He apparently escaped from the police cell and headed for Puerto Plata where he was arrested on Wednesday. Cheap Caribbean Rose To Challenge
'Online travel agency CheapCaribbean.com was put to the test this fall when a popular all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic closed suddenly and without warning, leaving hundreds of travelers surprised and confused. “We arrived at the airport Saturday, and when we got on the bus we learned that Sun Village had closed and they were taking us to a different resort next door,” said Tracey, who was taking time off from her job at a Harrisburg, PA law firm for a Dominican Republic vacation with three of her friends. Back at CheapCaribbean.com’s headquarters outside of Philadelphia, the company had been notified of the closing that same day via email, and the executives and customer service agents took immediate action. They made arrangements to transfer customers to the all-inclusive Lifestyle Tropical Beach Resort and Spa next door, and immediately mobilized representatives of its ground operator Turinter, instructing them to hand-deliver letters to customers on site and begin holding Q&A sessions to keep everyone informed of developments.' The press release continues: http://news.yahoo.com/s/prweb/20091203/bs_prweb/prweb3289414_1 Our Man Wins!
Danilo Feliz's next electoral challenge will be the municipal elections in May 2010 where it is to be hoped that his rivals from the PRD and PRSC parties will not stoop as low as some members of his own party have done. El Coloso de Macoris has the most ironic subtitle - La peor opinion es el silencio - the worst opinion is silence. El Coloso, we have news for you............!
http://consuelodigital.blogspot.com/2009/11/danilo-feliz-derrota-raul-custodio-en.html http://www.pldsae.org/Boletines/MUNICIPAL/MUNICIPAL-7.pdf http://www.pldsae.org/Boletines/MUNICIPAL/MUNICIPAL-8.pdf http://www.diarionoticia.com/noticias/mesdenoviembre2009/precandidatosaregidoresguayacanes.htm http://danilosindico.blogspot.com/ http://diarionoticia.com/noticias/pidenaclarenboletasencontradas.htm http://guasabaraeditor.blogspot.com/2009/12/piden-aclaren-boletas-encontrada-en.html DGII And Banco Central Stats... Diverge
Economist Andres Dauhajre compared DGII statistics with Banco Central statistics and some interesting differences become obvious. Banco Central figures appear to give a more optimistic version than does the DGII. New US Ambassador
'President Barack Obama nominated ASU professor Raúl Yzaguirre to be the U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic on Monday afternoon. Yzaguirre is the executive director of the University’s Center for Community Development and Civil Rights which is headquartered at the Downtown campus. Yzaguirre, a Mexican-American who grew up in South Texas has long been known for his involvement with the Latino community. He served as the second president of the National Council of La Raza, a Latino civil rights and advocacy organization and during his term the organization expanded from 17 to 300 affiliates including members from every Hispanic-American subgroup and offices in cities across the country according to his personal Web page and a 2004 article from Hispanic Business Magazine.' More here: France Embarks On Metro 2
As if the Paris Metro was not enough, France seems prepared to pay for the DR's Metro. 'The French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, showed his willingness to support the financing of the construction of the second Metro line in Santo Domingo and the railway from Santiago to the capital. "France is willing to finance these two great works in a public-private alliance that can carry out the projects successfully", said the Dominican leader at the end of a meeting with his French counterpart at the Elysian Palace where they talked for 35 minutes. In spite of not referring to any amount, Fernandez said that in Portugal, too, private investors were interested in participating in the construction of both projects.' The story continues in the English language version of Diario Libre: Suspended Mayor Thousands Of DR Calls
'The city of West Miami is temporarily without a Mayor after he was suspended Monday, following charges that he had exploited his office. Cesar Carasa, elected without opposition a year ago, allegedly used a city-provided cellphone to make tens of thousands of dollars worth of long-distance calls over 4 years despite being repeatedly warned it violated city policy. Prosecutors say Carasa then tried to use the power of his office to pressure other city officials to get the charges erased. Carasa was charged Monday by the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office with 2 counts of Exploitation of Official Position following an investigation into the alleged abuse of the phone and his office. He was suspended late Monday by Governor Charlie Crist. Prosecutors say between 2006 and 2009, Carasa made or accepted thousands of long distance calls from the Dominican Republic calls using the city phone, apparently for personal reasons.' More here: Amusement Park For DR
'The holidays will be a little brighter in the Dominican Republic this year thanks to Crowley as the city of Santo Domingo lights up with millions of neon lights and thousands of families gather to enjoy Iguana Park carnival festivities. Crowley delivered an entire amusement park to Rio Haina Dominican Republic for Amusements of America, the world's largest traveling amusement company. All 56 pieces of amusement park rides and equipment were loaded onboard the Crowley Americas for the upcoming Iguana Park amusement park in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Iguana Park which boasts 40 different rides and attractions is the largest amusement park in the Caribbean. It opens on ThursdayDec. 3.' The press release continues here: All Inclusive Hard Rock Hotel
'Hard Rock International and Palace Resorts today announced an agreement to bring the world's first "ultimate all-inclusive" Hard Rock Hotel & Casino to Punta Cana Dominican Republic. Slated to be re-branded in Spring 2010, the 1800-room Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana will combine the distinctive atmosphere and unparalleled guest experience of the Hard Rock brand together with the five-star Moon Palace Resort all-inclusive experience. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Punta Cana's expansive 121-acre property rests on Macao Beach, one of the most beautiful palm tree-lined beaches in the Caribbean that overlooks perfectly clear blue waters on the eastern most tip of the Dominican Republic.' The press release continues: CIDH Will Hear Narciso Case
'The Inter American Human Rights Commission has decided to send the case of the disappearance of university professor Narciso Gonzalez (Narcisazo) to the Inter American Court of Human Rights (CIDH from the Spanish), confirmed a source close to the plaintiffs in the case. According to the source, in their decision the commission said that there were elements that indicated a violation of human rights in the disappearance of the university professor. The complaint regarding the detention and later disappearance of Gonzalez on 25 May 1994 was filed before the Commission on 1 July of that same year. The case was declared admissible by the organization in March of 1998. The disappearance of the professor, lawyer and journalist occurred during the post-election crisis following the presidential elections in which now-deceased Joaquin Balaguer was the victor. The election results were questioned by Gonzalez who said in a report carried in the "Muralla" magazine that the election of the then-president had come about because of election fraud.' Given the deluge of challenges to existing primary results, this case is particularly poignant. More here: Santiago Train And Transport Unions
'The construction of a freight and passenger train system between Santo Domingo and Santiago will be a positive thing for the population, because besides saving time, there will be a considerable drop in the cost of these services, according to what is being explained by the engineer and specialist in transportation, Mario Berges. However the most positive impact that the project will have will be to put an end to "the monopoly and the Mafia" which he says operates in both freight and passenger services provided by the syndicates. "The train will lower the costs, because it is more efficient, faster and the groups will have to adapt to this, because if they are allowed to boycott the train we will be in the same situation and there will be no progress", explained Berges.' The reaction of the bus company owners and transport unions can be found in the English language version of Diario Libre: Book News
May 2009: Ginnie's second book is now available. This is an Ebook commissioned by Boomerscape.com Retire in the Dominican Republic Survival Kit and is available here: http://www.dominicanretirementguide.com/
Costambar residents and visitors! Dinner and a movie? No, breakfast and a good book! Visit Rainer and Beatriz's R & B Bakery, Calle Los Mangos, Villas Princesa, Costambar Tel.809-970-3083 where the book is also on sale. In fact you can drop in between 7am and 7pm daily except Saturdays for home made bread, cakes and pies and ...................a good read! And yes! We've made it to You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuAa_I5n53E Meanwhile the book is available online from the publishers, Best Books Online, and from Amazon UK. Amazon Canada are currently listing as 'temporarily out of stock' with more on order. New outlet for US customers! Quisqueya: Mad Dogs and English Couple is now available from The Dominican Bookshop: http://www.dominicanbookshop.com/Quisqueya_Mad_Dogs_and_English_Couple_p/978-1904502524.htm http://www.bestbooksonline.co.uk/bookshop/specials.php?id=68 Quisqueya has shown up on Amazon.com as being available (again). Price quoted has once again gone to the realms of daylight robbery and a complaint has been made. Reviews of the book are available at the above Amazon links as well as British Expat and Dominican Today. Do You Want To Volunteer? Weekend News November 29th. 2009
2 Germans Arrested In Sosua??
Sosua Online is reporting that a German resident of Sosua, Peter Reinhart, was detained on Wednesday outside Infiniti Blu, Sosua where he lives. The detention was carried out by Dominican Interpol agents due to matters outstanding in Germany. The report says Mr. Reinhart was taken to Santo Domingo. Meanwhile Puerto Plata Habla is reporting that another German resident, Raghael Rusem, 36, of La Maranatha, Sosua, was arrested by Interpol on Thursday at 7.30 am on Pedro Clisante near Banco Reservas. This would indicate a certain inattention to detail by Mr. Rusem since a report of August 27th. in El Nuevo Norte and Listin Diario had him being apprehended in the same location at the same time by the same police officer! So either he was arrested in August and released or.................??? As always, exercise scepticism and reading between the lines when reading Dominican newspapers! http://www.sosuaonline.net/DetailPost.aspx?postId=7192 http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3490&start=1 http://www.elnuevonorte.com/Inicio/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/491/ItemID/3737/Default.aspx Viva Wyndham Reopens 11th. December
Viva Wyndham Playa Dorada is due to reopen on December 11th. having had room refurbishments as well as improvements to the lobby, pool and the Las Palmas restaurant. The hotel has a complete gymnasium as well as the other facilities it had previously. http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3493&start=1 El Puente De La Guinea 130 Years Old
http://www.puertoplatahabla.com/articles.php?art_id=3485&start=1 Jewel Heist In Puerto Plata
On Friday the jewellers Cepeda y Castro in Calle John F Kennedy, Puerto Plata, was robbed. The headline says RD$2 million worth of goods were taken, although the body of the article puts the value at RS$200,000. Puerto Plata Lawyers Organise Against Public Ministry
Some 50 Puerto Plata lawyers have organised themselves into a group to combat the poor treatment they feel they receive from Public Ministry functionaries at the Court. Their spokesperson refers to the 'chaos and organised disorder' at the Court. Dominican Inventiveness: Pasola-Bici
So what do you do when you want motorised transport but can only afford a bicycle? Add a motor to it! See the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKhkh3qVRaE http://www.sosuaonline.net/DetailPost.aspx?postId=7187 http://www.sabanetadeyasica.com/2009/11/bici-moto-o-moto-bici-como-usted-lo.html Boxing At The Casino
'Caribbean Casino and Gaming Corp. Is presently in negotiations with DeCubas Presents, LLC to promote world class boxing in the Dominican Republic at the Sosua Bay Grand Casino. The shows would be broadcast in tape delay to over 190 million households in the United States and Europe. Steven Swank, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated: "Every 3 months we would have a new ticket, new fighters, and the best Dominican and International fighters available. The impact would be tremendous for the city and the Sosua Bay Grand Casino. All matches would be held at the event center on the second floor of the casino. International events will add incredible traffic and bring personalities that might not normally visit our area." The press release continues here: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Caribbean-Casino-and-Gaming-pz-1331416416.html?x=0&.v=1 UN Rejects Cement Factory In Los Haitises
The UN report by the team of experts has come out against the building of the cement factory in Los Haitises and the company which was going to build it, despite disagreeing with the report, has said that it will relocate. A notable achievement for the organising students and environmentalists and a great example of how peaceful, intelligently organised protest can succeed. http://www.clavedigital.com/App_Pages/Noticias/Noticias.aspx?id_Articulo=26619 http://diariolibre.com/noticias_det.php?id=224979 http://www.pnud.org.do/el-proyecto-de-la-cementera-en-gonzalo-no-es-viable-ni-pertinente Caribbean Property Investors Fear For Their Deposits
'Buyers of Caribbean holiday homes from a British developer fear their flats and villas will never be built and that they may lose tens of thousands of pounds. Harlequin Property has been selling homes at six Caribbean schemes on Barbados, St Vincent, St Lucia and in Dominican Republic for up to five years but not even one has been completed. One professional property investor from Sussex paid a £30,000 deposit in 2006 on a one-bedroom property at the Merricks Beach Resort on Barbados, scheduled for completion in 2008. He received photographs of the scheme, apparently in mid-construction, but when he visited the site this summer it was untouched.' The story continues in the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2009/nov/22/harlequin-property-caribbean-developments-delays A Vision For Miches?
'From a development perspective, this town has a few problems. It is 60 miles from the nearest airport, a three-hour drive on roads so bad the trip can be nauseating. Electricity is erratic, drinking water is contaminated, the beach in town is littered with trash and nearby rivers are either clogged with an invasive weed or plagued by silty agricultural runoff that threatens the fish on offshore reefs. But to a team of conservation biologists and other researchers from Columbia University who began working here in 2007, Miches has great potential. They see tourists camping in platform tents, like those in St. John, in the Virgin Islands. They see hikers in its lush green hills, people riding horseback on pristine beaches outside of town and others heading out to sea to watch whales, dolphins or manatees. They imagine the town’s half-derelict waterfront plaza lined with locally owned restaurants serving locally caught fish.' More here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/24/science/24miches.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1 5 Best Places To Travel This Winter
'The Dominican Republic boasts fantastic soft sand that you can snuggle your toes into and is easily one of the best beach vacations in January. And of course, the weather in the Dominican Republic in January is excellent.' Read on: Cuban Order Of Malta Mission
'During the weekend of November 12th to 15th the semiannual medical mission of 2009 to the Hospital Manuel J. Centurion at ILAC CenterLicey al Medio medical facility in the Dominican Republic was undertaken under the leadership of Doctors Jorge Echenique MD and José Joaquín Centurión MD both Knights of Malta and members of the Cuban Association residing and practicing in South Florida. As it has been the case for the past several years 37 participants: thirteen doctors, seven nurses, five pharmacists and twelve volunteers including their 25 heavy duffel bags of medical supplies flew with the collaboration of American Airlines to the Dominican Republic from MiamiFlorida. Their mission was to give medical assistance to more than 1000 patients in this poor area just a few miles outside Santiago de Los Caballeros the second largest city in the country. The doctors included specialists in cardiology, pediatric mediciine, neurology, gastroenterology, oncology, dentistry and internal medicine. Team members came from Florida, California, Colorado, Texas, Michigan and Ohio. They were locally assisted by the Cooperadores de Saluda group of health workers who did the screening of the patients prior to the visit and by a local radiologist and other supporting staff at the clinic. Over the four day mission the doctors saw over 1000 individual patients resulting in over 2700 patient visits. The mission distributed free of charge medicines and other medical supplies valued at over $100000 including a supply for the following six months.' More here: Sammy Sosa Sued
'Sammy Sosa is being sued for $203,000 by a businessman in the Dominican Republic who says the former Major Leaguer owes him for -- among other things -- commission on a house sale. Carim Abu Nabaa alleges that Sosa has not paid him a commission of $150,000 on a house sale, $43,000 for a luxury watch and $10,000 for getting Reggaeton singer Don Omar to perform at Sosa's 41st birthday party.' Read on: |
On Tuesday parts of downtown Puerto Plata again suffered from flooding. This was caused by residual mud sediment in the drainage system, as a result of the previous flooding when mud came down from the hillside. There would appear to be a need for a thorough cleaning of the drainage system! Meanwhile, with reference to the flooding in Aguas Negras, CORAAPLATA says that this is not a residual water issue but a rain water issue and thus is not their responsibility but that of the Ayuntamiento! They have, however, ordered the repair of the pump but the part they needed had to be obtained from Puerto Rico so this is likely to delay matters.
Quisqueya: Mad Dogs and English Couple can be purchased in Puerto Plata from the English language bookshop at The Meeting Place at Calle Juan Bosch #60 (formerly Calle J F Kennedy). 
The clean up of the devastating floods which hit Puerto Plata two weeks ago is finally complete. Some 2500 trucks filled with mud were carted away.
The devastation caused by torrential rain and flooding as rivers burst their banks in Puerto Plata last weekend can be seen in the photos at the first two links and the video at the third. Mud, trees and debris washed down from the mountain and blocked city drains, flooding thousands of homes in low lying barrios and completely destroying some. The clean up effort has been considerable and has been in place all week. The Mayor says it will take another 3 days to complete the clean-up. According to the Mayor, increased construction in the foothills of Mount Isabel de Torres has resulted in deforestation which in turn means the hillside mud has an easy route to the town. The Mayor has called for a moratorium on construction in the area which facilitates this problem.
Carnival in Puerto Plata kicked off last Sunday with the procession starting in Barrio Invi and making its way through other barrios until it ended up on the Malecon at the Puntilla for the crowning of the carnival queen and King Momo. The celebrations continue every Sunday throughout February.
'Questions raised Friday about a Dominican man serving as legal adviser and spokesman for 10 Americans detained in Haiti on child-kidnapping charges could stall movement toward their provisional release. Officials in the Dominican Republic said the man didn't have a license to practice law in his native country, and The New York Times said the the Haitian judge might delay the group's release because of questions about the adviser's possible links to a human-trafficking case. Jorge Puello, who has been a high-profile advocate for the jailed Baptists as they navigate the Haitian justice system, is in apparent violation of Dominican law for failing to register with the local bar association or obtain a license, said Jose Parra, vice president of the Dominican Lawyers Association.............The Web site for Puello Consulting says it has offered "full legal services" for businesses in the Dominican Republic and elsewhere since 2005. The site was taken down Friday for unknown reasons'. On Saturday the New York Times was reporting that a man of the same name and date of birth is considered a fugitive and is wanted by the Miami police, the United States Customs and the United States Marshals Service. He also appears to be a parole violator, as well as being a fugitive from the El Salvador justice system for trafficking women, if this is the same person. Law enforcement from several countries could have a bit of a celebration when they find him but his cousin in Santo Domingo is now reporting him as 'missing'. The story continues:
North coast residents need no introduction to the great work undertaken by Dr. Bob and the Dominican Crossroads organisation. But readers might not be aware that he recently undertook a medical mission to Jimani and Haiti. 'We traveled every morning to different hospitals to help in the many areas that were needed. At one hospital they were performing 90 amputations daily. Jana and Faith were holding legs in the operating room as they sawed bones and cut through rotting flesh. This was the hardest day for both of them. They were needed in the operating room as they had Creole and the surgeons were so understaffed that holding patients was necessary as legs and arms were cut and stitched . This was the most grueling day, to see the young and old come out of surgery never to walk again. Downtown were there were tent cities that held 22,000 and one that held 29,000, certainly the most dangerous and difficult area to work out of.' The full report is available at the first link; those wishing to donate should click on the second link: 
Following last week's story about the Mayor's announcement that the Ayuntamiento will assume responsibility for the repairs to Costambar access road, work has apparently begun. It appears that Generadora San Felipe is footing the first part of the bill for levelling the land and installing drainage. Asphalting is likely to be carried out in mid March. Meanwhile the main access road is closed.
A grassroots movement Voto Por Ninguno has begun to raise its profile ahead of the May elections. Comprised of independent voters not affiliated to any political party, who feel that they are not represented by existing candidates, and even less by the existing system, they have already petitioned the JCE to include the word Ninguno on the ballot in order that protest votes can be registered and counted. The current system would only class such votes as abstentions or voided ballots.The group, which believes in direct democratic participation is using Internet channels such as Facebook and blogs to gain traction and is made up of students, activists, journalists, entertainers, environmentalists, doctors, lawyers, architects and members of the business community. Many of the participants are those who joined the successful struggle to stop the cement factory in Los Haitises National Park. On Thursday they organised a walkabout from Parque Juan Pablo Duarte to the Altar de la Patria explaining their ideas to those they encountered, such as the street vendor of chicharrones who went off sporting the T-shirt of his new candidate, Ninguno. Thus a new word enters the Dominican political vocabulary: Ningunistas. 
The north coast from Maimon to Cabarete was experiencing spectacular but fierce waves on Monday and Tuesday; these kept most tourists out of the sea.
'Deposed Honduran leader Manuel Zelaya has arrived in the Dominican Republic, beginning his exile and ending seven months of turmoil in Honduras. Hundreds of supporters, many waving flags, watched him leave the airport in the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa. His departure marks the end of efforts to return to office after soldiers forced him into exile at gunpoint on 28 June over a constitutional dispute.' The story continues on the BBC. The rumour that President Zelaya would be living in Casa de Campo is apparently unfounded, although it appears that the Zelaya family spent their first night in Casa de Campo. According to Diario Libre 'The overthrown President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, has become since yesterday, the most illustrious resident of the exclusive sector of Los Cacicazgos, where, apparently, he will live with his wife and his daughter. The residence is located on Hatuey St. # 42 of that sector, and is protected by members of the Presidential Guard of the Dominican Republic, the National Police and members of the National Investigation Department (DNI). The luxurious mansion where the former Honduran chief of state will reside together with his family, belongs to Mrs. Chavela Mazara. It was not possible to find out how much rent will be paid by the government.' Both stories continue in English at the first two links below:
Monday sees the opening of The Meeting Place at Calle Juan Bosch #60 (formerly Calle J F Kennedy). This project is the vision of a Canadian couple, Frances Boylston and Henry Milner, who have been spending winters in Puerto Plata since the early 1980's. Their idea is that tourists in all inclusive hotels should be encouraged to leave the tourist enclaves and visit the town and meet its inhabitants. Frances Boylston and Henry Milner bought and renovated a house near the centre of town which will house a number of cultural activities. There will be an English language bookshop focussing on Dominican history, culture and politics, profits from which will be used to buy Spanish books for the local library; an English language paperback exchange, materials for teachers of English as a second language and the Teatro-Escuela Ivan Garcia under the direction of Arisleyda Beard. The theatre school will host dance, drama and poetry performances, and workshops on a variety of ancilliary topics such as stage make-up. The detailed programme of events for the opening week can be seen at the attached link. Admission is free. Tourists and locals are encouraged to drop in at any time during opening hours. Copies of Quisqueya: Mad Dogs and English Couple are available for purchase with profits going to this foundation..jpg)
Both men arrested in Sosua last week, Safa Kadhum, 32, and Bulent Aslanoglu, 40, have now left the DR. The former, associated with the Stockholm heist last year, left in a private plane sent by the Swedish government. The latter, who was wanted in connection with different crimes, left with Interpol agents for Panama and thence Colombia from where he flew to Sweden. The full background story is in last weekend's news.
On Tuesday Canadian Ernet Londer, 59, was arrested at his home at 2, Caribe Campo. He had in his possession an unlicensed firearm and was posing as an Interpol agent. Police are investigating.
Puerto Plata Digital is reporting that there have been numerous landslides along the Navarrete to Puerto Plata highway, particularly in the Altamira area (near the tunnel). Volume of water in the Rio Perez near Quebrada Honda, Altamira has noticeably increased and some nearby homes have fallen. In Puerto Plata town the road into the port is displaying marked deterioration due to the mix of continuous rain and heavy goods vehicles.
The early part of the week saw unremitting and at times torrential downpours for three days, causing flooding in low lying parts of Sosua and Puerto Plata, communities cut off and diversion of flights. According to Puerto Plata Digital the entry road to Costambar was obliterated by rivulets. By Thursday, the rain stopped, the sun shone and the temperature increased in time for Chistmas Eve when Dominicans celebrate Xmas. But for many residents there was no Christmas because their homes were flooded. The video at the first link is of El Batey, Sosua.
'A married diplomat has been caught having an affair for the third time in three overseas postings. Steven Fisher, 44, has been the subject of a Foreign Office investigation and seen his marriage collapse over his latest relationship, with a Hungarian employee at the British Embassy in Budapest. Yet far from being punished, the deputy head of mission has been awarded a promotion. This month he becomes Her Majesty's Ambassador to the Dominican Republic and Her Majesty's Non-Resident Ambassador to Haiti.' More in the Daily Mail. Dominican Today reports that Ambassador Fisher rendered his credentials to president Leonel Fernandez in the National Palace on Tuesday. Sounds like he should have rendered his .....testimonials! Welcome to the DR, Your Excellency! 
Work is under way erecting the giant Xmas tree at the roundabout on the main entry road to Puerto Plata outside the baseball stadium. The lighting ceremony will be on Sunday December 13th. At 6 pm, music, spectacle and EdeNorte willing..............
Last weekend the new Hidelisa Home Centre was inaugurated. It is situated on Avenida Manolo Tavárez Justo in Puerto Plata, not far from the Condado Hotel. The style of furniture offered is mostly very modern - lots of glass and chrome. Even though it is situated on the main road bypassing the town centre there is ample off road parking outside the front of the store.
The presence of a gigantic luxury liner outside Puerto Plata's port on Wednesday brought citizens scurrying to the Malecon and La Puntilla. Many recalled the halcyon days when thousands of cruise tourists ambled through the streets of the town on a regular basis. This time it was not to be, however. The ship had only called in to disembark a sick passenger.
In the early hours of Thursday morning there was an attempted robbery at Farmacia Carmen on 12 de Julio, Puerto Plata. This was thwarted by the prompt action of police who injured the suspects, thus sending them to the hospital. The Farmacia is the property of Federico Finke.
Back in June this website news introduced readers to Danilo Feliz who was running as mayoral candidate for the PLD party in Guayacanes, San Pedro de Macoris. The party primaries were held last weekend and Danilo Feliz won the candidacy. Reading the PLD party website Bulletin 8 (link 3 below) one could be forgiven for thinking that this was a close race between the numbers one and two contenders with the victor winning by only 1.2% of the vote. Since those are the figures which will remain on record it is pointless to speculate on what the actual margin of victory was, but readers can rest assurred that the victory was convincing. Albeit not to the vanquished. Thus the victor has been subjected to a defamatory campaign in publications supporting the vanquished. One such is El Coloso de Macoris (the Giant or Goliath of Macoris) which sports a 'news' item (we use the term advisedly) dated December 1st accusing Danilo Feliz of links to narcotrafficking. It omits the somewhat salient point that Señor Feliz's only links have been when he has been arresting narcotraffickers. However, it must be recognised that in Guayacanes, as in Honduras of now and Venezuela in the past, having the status quo challenged does not sit well with oligarchs and indeed there is much of the David and Goliath metaphor applicable to the Guayacanes municipal primary elections. In Honduras the rich could see their oligarchy threatened by a President who wanted to do more for the people including achieving a more equitable redistribution of resources and so a military coup was organised. In Guayacanes an incumbent mayor has been overthrown by a candidate with no wealth, fame or family connection but who does have a platform for a fairer distribution of resources among the poor. There has been no military coup in Guayacanes (yet) but there was certainly a sudden presence when the vote counting was indicating the writing on the wall. This must have debilitated those counting from sticking up for a more correct tabulation of votes. The El Coloso de Macoris 'news' item is heavy on allegation but light on fact and seemingly the journalist was unable to get the agreement of 'a known PLD leader' to actually admit to his 'quote'. Likewise the 'indignant female PLD supporter' was apparently not indignant enough to give her name!
The Esperanza Project based in the north coast town of Cabrera is looking for volunteers for summer 2010 to work with local children at their summer camp. The camp is designed to supplement academic and social skills in a safe setting run by a professionally qualified expat couple. The camp is free of charge to local children and will run from June until August. Volunteers wanting to participate in this worthwhile project will stay with local families and thus have an experience few tourists or expats can have of really immersing themselves in another culture. Project staff offer 24 hour emergency support to volunteers in case that immersion leaves them in need of a life-jacket! Those interested should contact Fiona and Anthony Austin at the website below:
The bridge in the centre of Puerto Plata known as El Puente De La Guinea was originally built in 1879 and repaired in 1979 and again more recently when Ramon Ortiz was Mayor. It is again at risk because heavy vehicles drive over it despite an Ayuntamiento ordinance which prohibits this but is never enforced.