Some sporadic ideas on DR's failure

O & C does it again

So far, the only failures are those like you, who have to emigrate to a job for need instead of a college education or high degree abroad.

From what I gather, you had to leave dusty Mao for a job offer somewhere abroad because obviously you could not make it professionally in DR. I can understand that. We the upper class have all the good jobs and we just dont hand them down to chopos. We keep the stuff in the family. Too bad your family
could not keep you from leaving your own homeland.

This is one of the saddest things a Dominican has to go thru. The necesity of having to leave their land and never being able to return in good standing. This is why you come to DR1. You are very nostalgic about DR. You wish you could be here, but you cant.

As to DR being a failure. I doubt very much many other countries around us from all the way from Tierra Del Fuego to as far as Mexico can claim such booming economy as ours. OC you have to be here to see the construction going around our " polluted city of Santo Domingo"(by your own words). I remember one time I said there were 200 hi-rises being built at the time and nobody believed me. But lo- and- behold I had all the facts for those Doubting Thomases and gave them a list of just about 50 of them going on in my neighborhood alone. Well, it has not stopped. The Santo Domingo skyline must be one of the fastest changing of any city in Latin America. If I said there are 200 more new hi-rises going on right now you would say I would be lying. Except these ones are taller and bigger. The square footage of the stuff going around now is outrageous. Even the lowly and chopistic(from chopa) oriental area is getting big. Now they have the largest mall in construction in the Caribbean. We now have the tallest mall in construction with luxury stores and theaters. We now have a mall with a moviehouse that has a VIP area to watch the Lord of the Rings at twice the ticket price. Just from the window of my apartment three ten floor towers are being constructed at prices per apartment starting at US$400,000. Not too bad for a failure of a country.

Too bad you need to work your ass off in frozen lands so that perhaps sometime in the future you might be able to afford a half decent place here in DR. Dont wait too long. You might be overpriced.

TW

curiousor and curiousor

Golo, you've confused me now....
you put down other Dominicans who left to get jobs elsewhere, saying it's because they couldn't cut it in the DR; but isn't that what you also did to achieve the great success you've had?
You talk about the superiour US education you had and the important high level job you had in the US; why did you leave the DR?

Onions & Carrots

First off, you should be the one answering all those questions. My pedigree has been out many times before in DR1. Everyone knows here where I am, where I come from, in fact some key people in this board, including the management have seen me personally, because I was one of the few courageous ones who dared show up at the DR1 Christmas party.

But to get you started I am from the "original" Colegio La Salle under the famous Hermano Miguel, and most of my classmates were "who is who" in DR. I am also a CMS guy. I bet you dont even know what CMS stands for. I will let you ask some of those who know here, or perhaps inquire thru reading DR1 past posts for hours, but for people from Mao like you, CMS would be prohibited. This is a place for the class you dislike. In addition, let me tell you that I was sent by my family out to the US during the revolution to protect me from the possible communist takeover, and my father was afraid I might become one of them. I had no choice.

But, guess where I ended up? At Riverside Military Academy(ROTC unit supervised by the Dept. of the Army), a prep school for the elite in Gainesville, Georgia, not quite the place for Dominican immigrants who go to wash dishes. Rather, I had Americans washing the dishes for me, cutting my hair in a military look, washing my sharp-looking uniforms and cooking my special school diet. My chief officer was Brigadier General Sandy Beaver (ret. from Georgia), President of the Academy and Colonel James K. Mooney was the registrar. My school had two campuses. The other one was at chic Hollywood-by-the Sea, Florida for the winter term. Only two other Dominicans attended with me, Marcos Rivera Balaguer and Rafael Bobea. We were the pioneers, and after that many other affluent Dominican students followed our footsteps. But few Dominicans can claim they can attend such school.

So before you keep talking crap, men are known for the education they got. I received my education from the finest prep schools on both sides(the DR and US). I attended CCNY and Seton Hall University. Graduate of the National Executive Institute, BSA(Dallas,Texas), managed United Way campaigns, headed several Distinguished Citizens Fund raising events, one of the them honoring Louis Piancone, President of Roma Foods in Piscataway,New Jersey, took the Dale Carnegie Course, former member of the Lions Club and Kiwanis Club, member of the Middlex County Chamber of Commerce, N.J. and the Conference of Executives of the United Way of New Jersey, Area Director and Board Member of the East Central Region Boy Scouts of America with headquarters in swanky Naperville, Illinois. I was in the board of Directors with luminaries such as Richard Halpern, Chairman and CEO of Schal Associates in Chicago, John Jadel, President of Qualen Corporation, Cal Bellamy, President and CEO of Calument National Bank in Indiana and Bob Yohanan, President and CEO of Lake Shore Bank on Michigan Avenue and I lived right off the corner from this bank on the "Magnificent Mile" of Chicago, the residential area for the powerful.

What do you have to offer besides Onions? Want anymore? Let me know if you want to verify all this. I will give you even names of people on this board who know I am not talking bull like you.

By the way, be ready to attend an Art Exposition called "ASPHALT" I am sponsoring and serving as curator and technical advisor with the participation of the Manuel del Cabral Foundation on May 22, 2002 at the Colonial Zone gallery of the Manuel del Cabral Foundation, 8PM Wednesday. Invitations will be posted later on the forum. You are invited so you can see who I am. Let me give you a preview. This is an avant-garde exhibition of Minimalism with Abstract Expresionist moods by Krismell Grullon, one of my art students and proteges who has exhibited at the Bienal del Museo de Arte Moderno and has held many others. I bet you didnt know I received high education in Art, Sculpture and Furniture Design? I have two web related to this<Grullon.com> and <3linesinternational.com> pages showing my skills in art critique, curation, and have written essays on contemporary art in several publications. Notice by the way the people that we get involved with(Cardinal Lopez Rodriguez,Enrique Bunbury and Beto Cuevas) when you come to the show, be sure to wear your best , or you may look like you came from Mao. This is strictly for the Versace crowd.

TW

Onions

Somehow the other web page did not show.Here it is
<grullon.com>

TW

Sorry again

Dont know why it does not show up.Try Grullon.com....TW

I just want to let you two guys
know that I'm reading this with great interest,
but keep a respectfull
distance from the arena.
X.
This is the stuff history is made of.

Referee

All right, O&C, I think TW has placed a lot on the table. I think we need a little bit from you now.
I'm not taking sides here, so don't shoot just yet.
I also don't agree with everything TW stands for, but I know he sticks to his guns.
Now. Let's say he does not know anything. Could you then shine the light and tell us about all this families and things. Also your background, etc. don't shoot
We don't have a lot of time here. Rob may show up any minute and throw a lock on this thread, so hurry up guys, we ain't got all the time in the world.

Hi Pepe

Frankly, what Onions should do is a little homework. He comes from nowhere after a long absence and wants history to repeat itself. He may be wise to get together with perennial TW-questioner 2DRs, exchange notes and review historical files, use a little bit of help from Robert and learn what we all have learned since the old days of the DR1 format.

Next thing he will want from me would be picture in my underwear. Look Onions, there are even pictures of me in the famed DR1 picture gallery created by Hlywud.

In the meantime, me and some friends are having a contest here in my apartment as to who makes the best "Habichuela Con Dulce". My kitchen is really cooking!!! While that is going on I am downloading some Richie Hawtin, Autechre and Process of Composition music so we can burn some new mixes for our CDs, while taking advantage of the fact that all the motoconchistas, plebes and tigueres are out urinating our beaches and rivers and we can finally enjoy some clean streets for a couple of days.

I know you probably dont know about this avant garde music and you are probably drinking some Presidente and listening to bachata, but please, leave me alone and wait for Robert. People here are tired of your questioning without answers.

TW

Onions

Sorry you cant enjoy this Habichuela Con Dulce bash we are going thru here. My whole apartments smells like the outdoor market at Zanzibar with that sweet smell of cloves.

Some say my recipe is the best, because I add more "galleticas de leche" Guarina and Del Monte raisins than anybody else. So everytime you take a spoonful you feel those soft galleticas, softened by the cream of coconut and habichuelas and as you squeeze those sweet raisins you get a taste of Santo Domingo at its best. Do you like it hot or refrigerated?

You should get in contact with Hlywud. He is the expert with pictures on DR1. Check previous files on him. He has an e-mail to do this. We are looking forward to seeing you.

TW

Onions

There have been many reports on Dominican papers like Listin Diario, Hoy adn El caribe on this subject. I know on several occasions I have read the economic pages on several Sunday papers, but to think of a date would be just guessing.

Of course, as they were written many projects were finished and new ones started, so its hard to get a grip, except by physically going around and counting. I did this months ago on one of my morning walks around my neighborhood. I went all the way from Paseo de Los Locutores to Irwin Palm Street one block from Kennedy, which is the north boundary of Ensanche Paraiso, a subdivision of Piantini now on its own and I counted 50 hi rises in just that zone alone. In my opinion there is more going on right now, so I wouldnt be surprised to find 60 or more in this area alone. Right from the top of my building I can see about 15 of them going on, including the imposing 30 floor Acropolis still under construction. The top floor glass windows are yet to be placed while the lower floors are open for business. You figure that out! Well, they invested so much, they had to take advantage of the Christmas season to get some money to finish up. There are more than fifty very chic stores open already in the mall area. This is all marble inside, with a huge center lobby and mezzanine with four balcony floors. It reminds me of the Water Tower Place on Michigan Avenue in Chicago and is almost 5 times bigger inside than the shopping area at Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, which I find quite small.

Perhaps you could check the international web pages of Coldwell Banker, Remax and Century 21. Most of their offers are new towers. Right on El Malecon, three huge 30 floor towers are being built. This is the Malecon Center, the largest in the Caribbean. This is a monstrous development that would fit perfectly on any corner of Collins Avenue and probably dwarf most of the towers there. Any apartment there would cost over US $500,000 and the maintenance fees would be for people earning more than US$200,000 a year. Two more towers the same height at the Malecon, Washington Towers are now on sale and 95% finished. Prices for smaller apts. there go over US$285,000.

Gazcue is growing in leaps and bounds. I would not dare count the hi-rises there. Too much territory and too much going on. Another area with close to fifty towers is Bella Vista, Anacaona Avenue and Enriquillo Avenue. The once modest Urbanizacion Real now has gone up in size and price because of its nearness to Enriquillo Avenue. This Avenue alone has about 10 new towers going up.( All over 10 floors high, most in the vicinity of 15.)

There are so many stores and boutiques I cannot longer keep up with them. It used to be easy for me to walk around Chicagos Michigan Avenue, Oak and Rush Street and see most of the shops in a very short time. But here it is impossible. You have to break it down by areas and it would take you weeks to check them all out. They are too spread out and too many. This is why I just go to the same shops like Mykonos, Hugo Boss, Polo, etc. It is too complicated.

TW

Yes...

Lots of buildings in construction or finished. This place is getting more like Manhatten every day!

wow...glad

to see another Dominican willing to defenestrate the local bully. Let me ask you Golo, with all your wealth,power,connections,and top notch boarding school education......how is it possible that such an image conscious megalomanical pea brain like you ......attend such a CHOPO school like CCNY? SETON HALL?....huh???....What happened to your PRINCETON application? YALE?....Dont tell me you "decided" not to go to one of those upper crusty schools?..

How did you manage to navigate around all those substandard bachata lovers at CCNY? Did you wear an air tank on your back so you wouldnt have to breath the same air as the common people?

Lets look at the average SAT scores of current CCNY students:
Verbal: 480 out of a possible 800
Math: 520 out of a possible 800

Lets look at acceptance rates:
CCNY: 77%
S.H.: 88%
Stanford: 13%

hmm....what did you do with your Stanford acceptance letter, Golo....What??....it got lost in the mail?...

Did you develop your aversion to the lower class while cracking your brain during one of those late night basket weaving classes?

mondongo doing homework: "hmmm....what are the boundary conditions to this plane wave equation"

golo doing homework: "hmm....should I knit this skirt in a Tartan or Paisley pattern. maybe this peppermint tea will help me think"


PS for all other posters, bear with me , i am not denigrating those other schools....only as they relate to the person in question

Mondonguito

Keep up with the right information before you open your big mouth. I attended CCNY before there was a SEEK program and Latins were not to be seen in that school. In fact, the school administration at the time was often accused of discrimination.

Your comparison is almost like comparing the Colegio La Salle I attended in the sixties, an all male super school and the one today, a coed-disgrace that has lost its tradition. Have you seen todays La Salle students? It gives me the creeps.

CCNY used to be one of the best social science schools in the area and it was my choice so I could learn life in the real city. Not too bad of a school to produce men like Colin Powell? I can name quite a few graduates from that school that can make you rethink the garbage you spoke. Every class I attended had almost 60% Jewish students.

How many New York universities do you know are not close to a ghetto neighborhood. Columbia?, New York University? They are all next to black neighborhoods. In fact, Columbia has the worst neighborhood around any of the N.Y. schools.

What about you, why dont you stop talking bull and tell everybody where you come from besides making everyone believe you are some kind of Wall Street wizard. What company do you work for, may we know? What do you do for a living? Are you afraid I can check it out? I wouldnt be surprised if you are nothing more than a messenger boy in Wall St.

There ought to be a law against these new gangs of shoot from hipsters marauding around DR1, who talk a big game, but are a bunch of nobodies who cant even pay for rent in DR. and live in ghetto neighborhoods in the states.

TW