Asonahores reacciona ante alerta de EEUU a turistas

SANTO DOMINGO. El vicepresidente ejecutivo de la Asociación Nacional de Hoteles y Restaurantes, Arturo Villanueva, aseguró que tienen “controlado la situación” de delincuencia en los hotels, pero que investigarán la alerta que hace el Departamento de Estado de Estados Unidos a sus ciudadanos sobre el auge de soborno y atraco de que podrían ser víctimas en República Dominicana.

Para mas, clique aqui.

Dominicanos conquistan Broadway

El musical “In The Heights” fue nominada en trece categorías para los precios Tony Awards

SANTO DOMINGO.-La comunidad dominicana de Washington Heights, Nueva York, Estados Unidos espera ansiosamente la premiación de los Tony Awards, los “Oscar” del teatro, este domingo, en el que la obra musical “In The Heights,” que trata sobre la dominicanidad, fue la más nominada a trece categorías incluyendo Mejor Musical, Mejor Música y Letras, Mejor Actor en un Musical y Mejor Escenario.

Más aquí.

Foto courtesía de Joan Marcus

Dominican “DEA” Destroys Drugs

The Dominican National Drug Control Agency, DNCD, burned yesterday approximately $10 millions dollars in pure cocaine, marihuana, heroine and various other illegal substances and paraphenalia seized from people within the island, some caught as they tried to transport the drugs to points outside the country.

Dominican drug control agent stands guard while narcotics burn in the background.

Rafael Radhames Ramirez Ferreira, Mayor General of the DNCD, said that with more resources many more drugs could be off the street.

Normally, the drugs that enter the country are brought by boat from Colombia or land from Haiti and “are for exportation.” Drugs that had tested negative for cocaine but which dealers attempted to sell in the southern region of the country, like the provinces of Azua and Bani, were also destroyed.

Fernandez inaugurates Latin American economic conference

SANTO DOMINGO. Dominican President Leonel Fernandez addressed members and participants of the 32nd Session of the Economic Comisión for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) this week and attributed some of the current global economic woes to the growth China and India, and the lack of regulation of Wall Street investment banks.

Dominican President Leonel Fernandez talks to other Latin Americans the global economy.

The energy crisis which has caused havoc on food prices coupled with climate concerns “threaten the political stability of nations” said President Fernandez at the inaugural ceremony Tuesday morning at the Hilton Hotel in Santo Domingo.

Fernandez also raised questions about the trade in crude oil futures that take place after the New York markets close that have created a “self-feeding frenzy” when traders buy and sell futures without a connection to the actual price of crude.

“The lack of regulation over investment banks’ purchases of futures is creating political and economic tensions,” Fernandez said.

Further, Fernandez urged the creation of a global solidarity fund that would receive 0.7 percent of the gross domestic product from the developed countries who committed themselves to contribute in Copenhagen in 1995, but “with the exception of a few countries have yet to do so.”

First came the flood, then the metro

The recent overflows of the Isabela River flooded the homes of the residents of La Zurza in the northeast region of the capital city of the Dominican Republic. Now the threat for residents, who have chosen to return to the water’s edge, comes from the construction of the roadway adjacent to the new metro line, which the city plans to place on the same land.

OPRET begins to build in La Zurza. Courtesy: AT/Diario Libre

The Office for the Reordering of Public Transportation, known locally as OPRET, stated that 176 families would be relocated to new homes being built near the site. However, the residents in La Zurza worry that recent delays in the construction of the apartment buildings mean that they will not have safer homes in time before the first wave of tropical storms hit the island.

Meanwhile, the non-profit agency, Institute for Integral Dominican Development, IDDI, announced the investment of $40 million pesos for workshops to teach residents of vulnerable areas about emergency preparedness had begun. The strategies, which have already begun to take place in La Zurza, include a siren and evacuation system managed by the residents themselves.

Meeting Tackles 181st Gridlock

Imagine 181st Street clear of buses and parked cars. Imagine a bike lane. Imagine clean air.

A group of Washington Heights residents, most who live near the busy street, met with representatives of the Department of Transportation, the Metropolitan Transit Authority and an urban planning consulting firm to brainstorm solutions to reduce congestion.

Click here for the .pdf of the article published in the Manhattan Times.

Brownsville: Blessed with a Bad Location

The More Things Change the More they Stay the Same

While fancy coffee shops dot many city streets, neither chic restaurants nor glass-covered high rises have made their way into the far edges of Brooklyn. In a neighborhood where boarded windows remind residents of hard times, a little gentrification in Brownsville may not be that bad.

Gang life a reality for Brownsville residents.

Academic Pushes for Study on Dominican Spending

At a conference last year,  two Latina researchers met and exchanged an idea that could change the lives of all Dominicans living in the United States.

See Manhattan Times article published here.

Economic Blues on Pitkin Avenue

Small Businesses Feel the Effects of the Slump in Spending

By 2 pm, Pitkin Communications had only serviced three customers from the moment the cellular phone store opened at 10 am. The customers came in to buy minutes for their cell phones; a transaction that only brought in five percent per card and did not, by itself, help meet business expenses. To make sure that they could pay the overhead, the business owners, George Wolinsky and his wife Daisy, have stopped going out to eat and on this day they ate leftover soup.

“I told her to dress warm,” said Wolinsky, who had a $400 dollar electric bill the previous month. “Because I wasn’t going to turn the heat on.”

Stores on Pitkin Avenue, like others across the city,
suffer from a decrease in consumer spending.

Randi Weingarten in Columbus, Where Art Meets Politics

Randi Weingarten, the president of the United Federation of Teacher, strolled down High Street in Columbus, Ohio during the Gallery Hop on Saturday. Weingarten came to Ohio to support Hillary Clinton’s campaign, which the UFT has endorsed.

Click on image for audio slideshow (total running time: 3 mins 44 secs)