The Ghetto Nerd

Dominican author, Junot Diaz, has come out with another book coming out on September 6, 2007. There is a very nice article about him in the Village Voice.

My Life in Pictures

Can't think of anything to post. Went through my camera and found these snaps.

The top 2 photos are from a new development being built. A friend purchased a home there, and we went by to check on the progress. Gated community with swimming pool, basketaball, tennis courts, and other great amenities.

Pictures 3 & 4 are from Tuesday, 2:42pm, after a late lunch on the beach in Guayacanes.

Pictures 5 & 6 are from a new apartment building we found while walking on the beach. Apts. are simply furnished, but right next door to the seafood restaurant, and the Caribbean sea is right outside your window.

Picture 7 is of Ezekiel, who was jogging and working out in the park. He is really tall.

Pictures 8 & 9 are of Feliz Sanchez, who won the silver medal at the World Track & Field Championships in Osaka, Japan. Go Felix!

The last picture is of "Junior." We were trying to talk him into being a stripper, or at least showing us his moves. Alas, he was on his way to the gym. Promises to show us later.

Hola, Mi Gente

I'm back.

I lookup, and its been a week since I last posted. This week was one of those weeks where I was too busy experiencing life, and didn't have time to write about it. Until now. Great friends visiting, and having a great time. They leave soon,and other friends come down this week. Ah, to be blessed with good friends.

Hostos Center for Arts & Culture, along with Alianza Dominicana, is hosting Quijombo, a celebration of Afro-Dominican culture. The event takes place from October 3 - 7, 2007. Hostos Community College is located @ 500 Grand Concourse, in the Bronx. Go to their website for more information.

The day after Hurricane Dean, and the sun was shining. Seeing the Malecon being cleaned up of rocks and boulders, I get the sense of what the storm would've been like if we were on a more direct path.

Went driving around to a couple of beaches, and as always, there was beauty everywhere. Even though the weather the last couple of days has been rain-heavy. Enough already. This is our punishment for being spared the hurricane. Oh, well. I'll take it ...

This week there was also a beauty pageant, held at the Jaragua Hotel. The Dominican Gay Mafia were out in force. It was very dark, so the pictures didn't come out well. But, great show and the production was top-notch. Can't wait for the Mr. Something Dominican Pageant. V.I.P. tickets, anyone?

With all the catching-up, drinking, cooking and just having some fun, Sunday night was a little more "planned." K.B., had his first dinner party at his beautiful Colonial Zone home. He whipped up some pasta and chicken for his ravenous guests. In between rain spritzes, we dashed up on the expansive deck and watched as a huge ship turned on a dime to get out of Santo Domingo's port.

What a way to end a weekend.

Okay, it is 3:58am. Got to go find something to do this week and write about.

Will I see you next weekend in Santo Domingo?

Outrage at Attempt to Legalize Abortion in D.R.

New Apartment Projects in Santo Domingo

Hip Hop in Museum of Modern Art of Santo Domingo (en Espanol)

Until Soon,
The Monaga Blogger

Joy & Pain

Photo: Juan Montan

Today is a day for counting our blessings. Especially as I now read about what happened in Jamaica, and what is expected for Mexico, and possibly Texas. The Dominican Republic has not sustained a direct hit from a hurricane since Hurricane George, in 1998, which devastated the island. We really dodged a bullet.

While we here on the island were on hurricane watch, Marcos Diaz, the Dominican swimming world record-holder, swam around Manhattan. TWICE. All for a good cause. The swim was to benefit children with leukemia in the Dominican Republic, at the Robert Reid Cabral Children's Hospital in the capital of Santo Domingo. You can see Marco's final moments in the water here.

Congratulations to Marcos Diaz. He is an amazing athlete.

Now, for the part with pain.

When the hurricane was approaching the DR, many people went down to the Caribbean Sea to see the ferociousness of the waves and surf. When the waves would hit, they would bring up some crabs, who were scurrying about. Many people were scrambling to pick them up. One person, Daniel Sentil, a 16 year-old Haitian kid, was looking for crabs on the rocks, and either fell in, or was swept away into the sea. There is a video of it on YouTube. But be forewarned, it is disturbing.

So again, as I count my blessings, my heart goes out to the family of Daniel Sentil.

There is disagreement about whether something like this should be shown, or not, on YouTube.

You be the judge:

Hurricane Dean

It is 4:42am as I write this, and we have dodged a bullet. Actually, besides a little light rain and the Malecon (seaside boulevard) being closed, you wouldn't know that there was a hurricane passing. Okay, you could tell that the waves were very agitated and strong. Huge rocks were being knocked loose, and sometimes the storm surge would spill in the streets. Otherwise, we have been blessed and spared. Since I have lived here, we have been blessed with not having any direct hits from hurricanes. This time was no different.

I know this will not always be the case.

Hurricane-a-comin

Read on DR1.com that there was no curfew tonight, so I was ready to go shake my shimmy. But someone forgot to tell the business owners, because everything still closed at 2am. Maybe they rescinded the order because a hurricane is a comin.

It is 3:53am as I write this. Not raining, nada. Just checked the warnings, but the eye is passing well below the Dominican Republic. But, this is a category 4 storm, with winds of 150 m.p.h., so we're expecting a lot of rain, and I would guess some wind.

Went to the supermarket, and I'm ready for whatever is coming. Let me go batten down the hatches.

Until soon,
The Monaga Blogger

"Dr." Leon (Foreman) Land is Sentenced

Our nightmare is finally over. Leon Land has been sentenced.

A Swedesboro man was sentenced to a two-year prison term yesterday for using another man's identity to defraud Commerce Bank of more than $550,000, authorities said.

Leon Land, 39, pleaded guilty in January to two counts each of wire fraud and money laundering. Land, also known as Leon Foreman, admitted he received four loans from Commerce and funneled the money into a checking account by using a stolen Social Security number, said Greg Reinert, a spokesman for U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie.

Land spent the money, defaulted on the loans, and fled to the Dominican Republic. Last August, FBI agents brought Land back to the United States to face charges. U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler ordered Land to pay $79,395 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence, Reinert said.

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer

Now, all we have to worry about is Hurricane Dean approaching our little oasis. Will keep you posted.

Gay or Ex-Gay?

I have said many times, there are no famous "out" people in the Dominican Republic. It is amazing, because I feel extremely comfortable here being Gay, but I know many Dominicans who are not. It is still taboo and many, many Gays here lead double-life. They just don't call it the "down low."

While catching up on some reading, I checked out the blog Blabbeando, where there is an interesting story of Jari Ramirez. He is a very popular host on television here. As I have written before, many men hosting the "pop culture" shows, seem to be effeminate. What can I tell 'ya, at least to me. Well Blabbeando has the full story, about his coming out, then several months later, giving the "lifestyle" up.

Coming out is very personal and can be difficult.

I wish Jari Ramirez the best.

Tidbits

What I learned in the Dominican Republic

Highlights from Manhattan Dominican Parade 2007

Julio Tavarez Writes about the DR's "Dark Secret"

British Tourists Caught Virus Before Arriving in DR

Article about Baseball Prospects from the DR

High School Students Spend the Summer Volunteering in DR

Taino Festival in DR in January 2008 (Espanol)

Subsidiary of Deutsche Bank Makes Mortgage Financing available in DR

Maxim Bungalows Dominican Republic

Inseparable Dominican Baseball Players

Autumn Leaves Jazz/Merengue

New Film with Dominican-American Stars

Santo Domingo Party

Dominican Dynamos

Great article in the NY Post about the Top 20 movers and shakers, the "Dominican Dynamos." The dynamo pictured above, Zoe Saldana, is just poised to become a superstar. With beauty, charisma, poise and charm, she is one of the leading actors in James Cameron's (Director of Titanic) next movie, Avatar.

Article:
British Tourists Get Sick @ Bahia Principe San Juan Hotel

Reynaldo

I have been hard at work scouring the country, looking for some really nice strippers for the Monaga Party at Jay-Dee's on Sunday, September 2, 2007.

Reynaldo is our first find. He even has a page on Hi5.com.

Okay. With that, I'm off to look for more strippers.

Curfew Changing?

Could it be?

Maybe.

A pilot program is now in effect in Cabarete to allow businesses that sell alcohol to close at 1am during the week, and 3am on weekends. If it is successful then the program will be implemented in other areas of the country.

We'll see ...

Update (8/9/07): Now, I don't want to get to hopeful, but this is the brightest news I've seen about the curfew. I don't think it has to be lifted everywhere, but it just makes economic sense to lift it where significant tourists gather. And in Santo Domingo, that would be the Colonial Zone. Huge amounts of Dominicans party in the Zone, too.

Surveillance cameras for tourism areas?
Tourism Minister Felix Jimenez has called for the installation of surveillance cameras in parts of Santo Domingo’s Colonial City, the Malecon seafront avenue and tourist areas in Puerto Plata, Sosua, Cabarete, Las Terrenas, Las Galeras, Juan Dolio and Punta Cana. He said that surveillance cameras would enhance security in these areas, and then the time limits for the sale of alcoholic beverages could be lifted. He proposed that the Ministry would pay for half of the cost, and local businesses would cover the other half. Speaking during an American Chamber of Commerce luncheon in Puerto Plata, he said that if tourists want to drink all night long, they should be allowed to do so. (Source: DR1 Travel News)