Activities

There are many activities coming in the next few weeks. Like this Latin Hip Hop convention in Punta Cana this weekend. Dominican singer/writer, Rita Indiana, will be performing at Cha. This is what Cha is made for. EVENTS. This is genius and I think it will be a big success.Mr. Republica Dominicana 2010. This is an obvious choice.

Acropolis (mall) Fashion Week 2010. Featuring the best in Dominican fashion.

Santo Domingo Jazz Festival 2010 begins on June 11 and runs every Thursday through the of July, 2010, @ Casa de Teatro.

Robi Draco Rosa is a grammy-award winning singer and writer. He was a member of the Latino mega-group, Menudo. He also wrote two of Ricky Martin's biggest hits, Livin La Vida Loca, and She Bangs. He will be playing the Hard Rock Cafe next week. Click here to see him singing one of my favorite songs. This this might be for ladies only ...

Dynamic Beauty Spa and Salon

Just came across this site online. Have not been there yet, but it is definitely a welcome addition to the colonial area. According to their website they offer the full gamut of services at affordable prices.

Dynamic Beauty Spa & Salon
Calle Arzobispo Merino #209 (close to El Conde)
Ciudad Colonial, Santo Domingo
809.333.7926
dynamicbeautyspa@hotmail.com

Kronos

A few weeks ago I talked about a new place opening (opened April 15). Here is the information. It is called Kronos. It is an elegant lounge/club that is located in the El Vergel section of Santo Domingo. It is attracting a mixed (men and women), sophisticated clientele.

Kronos
Calle Dr. Cesar Dargam #21
(Corner of La Lira directly behind Apec University)
El Vergel, Santo Domingo

Luis Abreu

New Dominican modeling superstar-in-the-making.

Video

Red Bull Formula One exhibition took place on the malecon last Sunday.

¿Que lo Que?

This has a been a stressful last couple of weeks. My laptop had slowed to a crawl, and I would have to reboot every 30 minutes. Every time I wanted to update the blog. It would turn to frustration. Finally, going deep into chat rooms and trying everything it is running much smoother now. Thank God!

The weather has been quite dreary lately. I can't complain at all because we have had months of drought. So the water is desperately needed. I just feel for those here on vacation looking for some sun. It peaks out every now and again, but the clouds are more prevalent.

Then cable in our area has switched from analog to digital. This is a great thing. Really. But there was no warning. Nada. Just one day the boxes you had didn't work. And bureaucracy here doesn't work quite like it should. So getting things handled in a timely manner is not a pressing matter for companies here. They could give less than a fuck about customer service. Period.

But, I still love it here. But there are days when it gets on your nerves. I understand that it is the way things are. I accept them and move on.

Expect many gay visitors this week from the U.S. for the Memorial Day holiday. Might have a little party. We'll see. The publishers of Odyssey Magazine were here and wrote about their antics above.

Presidente Beer is launching a big push into the U.S. market

Dominican author Junot Diaz has been elected to the Pulitzer Prize board

Miss Universe Runner-up Trades Tiara for Politics

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana is opening this Summer

Woman Dies aboard flight from Santo Domingo to NYC

Dominican pitcher, Jose Lima, dies at 37

Rubio Bar & Lounge

The highly-anticipated Rubio Bar and Lounge opens tonight.

Hola

Now, where were we?

Yesterday, national congressional/mayoral elections were held. I am glad that it is over. In the last couple of weeks there have been rallies in the colonial zone/malecon that have shut the area down. All the streets were like a parking lot.

The electoral process here is very interesting. The government pays for everything. All the parties are allotted money to pay for the campaign. And like politics everywhere, it is big business. Also, just like everywhere else, when election time comes you see a few improvements, along with some hefty promises. Our street was paved. A candidate running for congress came through the neighborhood and offered to fumigate everyone's house/apartment. Seems quite expensive, but that is how things are done. It is almost like people (at least some people) expect to be offered something. It is like they know that as soon as the election is over you won't be able to get shit out of the government. That is, until the promises start for the next election.

A 72-hour holiday was declared by the government. Alcohol sales were stopped Saturday night. Unfortunately that didn't stop several people from getting killed, and many more wounded in election violence around the country. There is a lot of money at stake. Today it is a holiday and it is eerily quiet. Yesterday, most businesses were closed, even the trusty colmadoes (corner stores) and it was a ghost town around here.

Some young progressives started a campaign telling people not to vote for anyone. Vota por Ninguno seems to have gained steam in the last few months. I think many people in the electorate have no faith in any political party here. The refrain I heard over and over was "they are all thieves." This would probably explain why it is estimated that less than 50% of those eligible actually voted. Early results have the ruling PLD party maintaining their grip on power. Democracy in action.

Amateur Photography

Some more of my amateur photography.

Republica Dominicana Fashion Week 2010

My favorite looks from Republica Dominicana Fashion Week 2010, which closed this past Sunday. They showed some great menswear looks.

Facebook

I just signed up for Facebook over a week ago, and already I have made contact with people I have not heard from in 20 years. But today a friend sent me a video that was made in 1981. I was a senior at Cass Technical High School in Detroit, Michigan. Back then it was the only magnet school in the city, and attracted talented students from all over Detroit. I was a part of the performing arts department, and I was very active in school theater. In this video on Youtube that my friend Ron sent me, you can see me at the 50 second mark. We were rehearsing a play. I was playing the co-lead (Matthew Harrison Brady), of course, in Inherit the Wind. You can also see me at the end with my arms outstretched. The power of the internet is amazing. I have very few pictures of myself during this time. To think there is video of me when I was fifteen years old is just amazing. The power of the internet is incredible. Thanks, Ron!