Tidbits

• This past Sunday, Ja Rule became the first international hip hop star to perform in the Dominican Republic. Okay, so he may not be A-list in the States now, but we'll take what we can get. He was supposed to perform on Saturday, but some kind of plane delay happened and they postponed the show for a day. There were posters all over the city, many commercials, but only 3,000 people showed up at a stadium that can hold 20,000. Oh well, everyone said he gave a great show anyway. Vin Diesel, who was in the country at the time, even got on stage with him. Now, if they can get 50 cent here I guarantee that they can get 20,000 folks, maybe.
  
• It seems that a tourist died while visiting Santo Domingo. He had renal failure and went to the hospital. In the DR you have to have money UPFRONT! He stayed at the hospital for a couple of days. He tried to leave and go to Florida for treatment. He was not allowed to leave the hotel until he paid RD$85,000. He died the next day.
  
• It rained yesterday and it is a little cloudy today, after starting off nice and sunny. But, the humidity is very low and the weather is actually much nicer than it is in many parts of the United States, where they are having a severe heat-wave this summer. I'm getting some great breezes from the Caribbean ocean just two blocks away from where I live. Ah, paradise! (Ah, okay, it is now raining cats and dogs!)
  
• Continental and United Airlines have announced that they will be flying to Punta Cana. Continental will be flying directly from Houston, Texas. United will have flights from Chicago and Washington, D.C. These flights are slated to start in the fall when the high-season kicks into full-swing. Before you ask, Punta Cana is a 5 hour drive from Santo Domingo.