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Daily News - 27 April 2000
The Santo Domingo Book Fair
The largest book fair held in the Caribbean opens in Santo Domingo tonight, Thursday, 27 April. 611 exhibitors are participating this year, up from the 486 of last year. Some 580 cultural and artistic events are planned for the 10-day fair, which is regarded as the principal cultural event held in the Dominican Republic. The fair is definitely the most visited by Dominicans. This year 90,000 visitors per day are expected. The exhibition will last through 6 May.
The fair again will take place at the grounds of the National Music Conservatory (former zoo of Santo Domingo), between Cesar Nicolas Penson, Alma Mater and Bolivar avenues. The government is offering free shuttle service from parking in the National Theater of the Plaza de la Cultura.
The fair this year is dedicated to Juan Bosch, founder of the Partido de la Liberación Dominicana, the ruling party. This year the focus will be on France, which will have a special pavilion, and there will be many lectures by French authors and presentations by French publishing houses.
20 foreign writers are here for the event, including Mario Vargas Llosa who presented his book "La Fiesta del Chivo", at the Hotel Jaragua last night. Vargas Llosa will attend the inauguration of the fair and will be available at the stand of Editora Taller, the publisher of the Dominican version, to sign books. He later will travel to Santiago for a promotion of his new book.
Other famous writers that are here for the fair are Peruvian Jaime Bayly, author of "No se lo digas a nadie" and Chilean Marcela Serrano, author of "Nosotras que nos queremos tanto."
From France, novelist Paule Constant, winner of the Goncourt 1998 award; Olivier Todd, a specialist on Albert Camus; Dennis Rolland, specialist on contemporary history. Didier Lapeyronnie, will give a talk on racism in Europe and sociologist Ivonne Le Bot.
The book fair also features active an active entertainment program, with shows mainly centered in the open air Cuevas de Santa Ana area.
These include the following activities and presentations:
Bosch, Pensamiento y Canto; Primavera 2000; Grupo Maniel, La Ciudad y sus Cantos, Preciosa Quisqueya, Maracande, Xiomara Fortuna and Kaliumbe, Danza Jazz, Fantasia-Fantasia, and the folklore ballet of the UASD.
Also, Caribbean Brass Quintet, El Oso, Grupo de Jazz Tre, Municipal Choir, Ballet of the Ministry of Tourism, Juvenile Symphony Orchestra, Quinteto Metales and Grupo Flam.
Also, presentation of the choir of the Universidad Nacional Pedro Henriquez Ureña, musical group of the UNPHU, artistic groups from the UNAPEC and Universidad Interamericana, La Bella Alma de Don Damián, Rondalla Universitaria, Tuna and dance troupe of the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra.
Other highlights of this year's fair include a telescope for viewing the universe in the science pavilion, knowledge rallies, and a technological culture bazaar. There also will be a large children's area.
105 power generator installed in Boca Chica
The government received yesterday the 105 megawatt power barge that will be provisionally installed in Andrés, Boca Chica. Radhamés Segura said that the plant will soon be connected to the system and will provide relief from power outages. An extraordinarily increase in power demand, due to the booming economy, and the aging of power plants have resulted in power deficits which translate into blackouts nationwide.
The urgency to bring the plant is to resolve power deficit in time for the May and June election.
The government has agreed to move the power plant in three months time, responding to protest of the tourist community in Boca Chica. While Segura says that the plant is environmentally friendly, the tourism executives say the same thing was said about the Smith-Enron plant in Puerto Plata. That plant was responsible for the closing down of the Bayside Inn and the plummeting of real estate values in the Costambar residential area.
Segura said that the PLD government has made provisions for the installation of more than 1,000 megawatts in the next three years.
PRD requests removal of TV spot
The PRD formally requested that the Junta Central Electoral, the body in charge of organizing the presidential election, order the PLD to suspend the passing of the spot showing edited copy of non-favorable televised presentations of PRD presidential candidate, Hipólito Mejía. The PLD has also been passing the televised presentations of the Uno+Uno interviews, in which PLD candidate Danilo Medina came across as having a comprehensive grasp of the issues, not so PRD candidate Hipólito Mejía.
The PRD argues that the PLD sponsored spots violate Law 24-97 because they are making unauthorized use of the image of Hipólito Mejía. The PLD says all it did was compile actual copy of public appearances made by the PRD candidate.
The leading polls -- Gallup, Sigma, Penn, Hamilton -- all show that Hipólito Mejía and PRD is the man and party to beat. But the same polls show that he does not have enough votes to win in a first round. To win in the first round, he needs 50%+1 of the vote.
The two other leading parties, PLD and PRSC need each other's support to win the presidential seat. President Leonel Fernández of the PLD is in power today with the support of the today presidential candidate of the PRSC, Joaquín Balaguer.
Despite the fact that most leading polls show Hipólito Mejía as winning in the second round, in Dominican politics, as in baseball, nothing is certain until votes are cast.
PLD and PRSC protest observed votes
Spokesmen for both the PLD and the PRSC said they do not agree with the Junta Central Electoral decision. In Resolution 03-00, the JCE resolved that the 35,000 voters whose photo on the JCE photographic voters list and the photo on their voting cards do not match to cast votes that supposedly will be counted in a second phase, when each case is individually analyzed. Traditionally, this second phase never happens. The PLD and PRSC want the JCE to come up with a better solution.
Juan Esteban Olivero Feliz of the PRSC said that the voters cannot be responsible for the technical problems of the JCE. The JCE estimates that 35,000 persons are affected by this problem, as the March voters' card verification exercise showed.
Given how close the polls show Danilo Medina (PLD) and Joaquín Balaguer (PRSC) to be, the 35,000 voters whose vote may never be counted could make the difference. Likewise, if in a second round voters of the PRSC and the PLD rally together, they could also make a difference in who would be the next president of the Dominican Republic.
The PRD did not dispute the measure.
Mulatas, morenitas y blanquitas
Mirtha Olivares, of the Ministry of Tourism, criticized PRD presidential candidate Hipólito Mejía for referring to women as "mulatas, morenitas y blanquitas" that are part of the tourism attractions of the Dominican Republic. She interpreted the mention as Mejía was promoting sex tourism to the DR. Olivares said that the PRD politician offended the dignity of Dominican women when making the mention when addressing businessmen during a campaign stop in Miami, Florida. Likewise, speaking in representation of the Mujeres Reformistas, Alexandra Izquierdo protested the way Mejía denigrated Dominican women.
Mario Vargas Llosa: the magic realism of Balaguer
Mario Vargas Llosa, author of the controversial, "Fiesta del Chivo" described the fact that the decrepit 94-year old Joaquin Balaguer is running for President as part of the magic realism of Latin America. During the formal presentation of his historic novel on Dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, he described the legendary Dominican former President as an "extraordinarily elusive character," and he said that rarely had he encountered a person with such talent to provide courteous answers while avoiding responding what was asked. He said that the characterization of Balaguer in the book seeks to reflect his perplexity regarding information the former statesman provided to him in several interviews. The book was officially presented at a full-house event at the Hotel Jaragua yesterday. Editora Taller publishes the local edition. Editora Taller president, Jose Israel Cuello said that one of the positive outcomes of the novel is that it has awakened in the young generations an interest in the dictator. As a result, young are asking their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents about the dictator. "Where were you?," is being asked again. "The topic is untouchable, Trujillo is dead, the topic isn't," said Cuello in his presentation.
Wash those cans
Hoy newspaper alerts to the possibility of contracting leptospirosis, a sickness caused by bacteria found in the urine of infected rats. The newspaper tells the case of Odalia Milagros Pantaleón, a high-ranking officer of an engineering department at the Central Bank, who died from the disease because her physicians did not correctly diagnose the illness in time to catch it. The newspaper says that the disease at its start has symptoms similar to those of hepatitis or a bad cold. The final test that showed she had leptospirosis had to be carried out at the Laboratorio Veterinario Central of the Ministry of Agriculture.
How did she catch the disease? Friends and relatives say she drank a lot of soft drinks in cans. The opener of the can makes contact with the soda in the opening process. The infected rat urine could have contaminated the top of the can. This could have been avoided by the careful washing of the can. Note that during storage periods in port areas, during transport time and even in supermarkets, cans can come in contact with rats.
Caribbean Brass in the Colonial City
Caribbean Brass, a Caribbean-style music group, will be playing at the Casa del Quinto Centenario in the Colonial City. Victor Mitrov directs this metal quintet. The presentation is scheduled for tonight, Thursday, 27 April at 8:30 pm. The Casa del Quinto Centenario is located at Calle Isabel la Católica 103 (facing the Columbus Park), Tel. 682-0185.
A play for the entire family
Teatro Gayumba, one of the leading Dominican theater groups, premieres with "Momo" at the Sala Ravelo of the National Theater on Thursday, 27 April at 8:30 pm. Starring Nives Santana and directed by Manuel Chapuseaux, the husband-wife members of Teatro Gayumba. Play is based on a Michael Ende novel and focuses on the problems that affect men and women today. The play is attractive to both adults and children. Other Teatro Gayumba successful plays are: "Don Quijote y Sancho Panza," "Lazarillo," "Esta era una vez. y dos son tres," "Cazadores del Arca Perdida." "Momo" be on stage through 7 May.
Julio Sabala at the National and Cibao theaters
Julio Sabala, one of the best imitators in the world today, will return to the country for a presentation on Friday, 27 April at the Cibao Theater in Santiago de los Caballeros and on Monday, 30 April in Santo Domingo at the National Theater. Sabala is a world performer. He has thrilled audiences in presentations at the Madison Square Garden in New York, the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, the Knight Center in Miami, the Hotel Hilton in Las Vegas and the Bellas Artes theater in Puerto Rico.
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