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Archive for July 2011
Immigration and Geographic Distribution of Dominicans in the United States
There are approximately over 10 million people in the Dominican Republic and 1.36 million people of Dominican descent in the United States (Buffington 2011). This means that there are nearly 25% as many Dominicans in the United States as there are in the Dominican Republic. Of these 1.36 million people, most of them are women, as there are more female immigrants than male immigrants. Most of the Dominicans in the United States average 29 years of age, the majority being between 15 and 64 years of age. The majority of those under the age of 15 (82 percent) are born in the United States, and the majority of Dominicans age 15 to 64 (80 percent) were born abroad (Migration Policy Institute).
According to the Migration Policy Institute, the majority (82 percent) of all Dominicans in the United States live in the Northeast. The three states with the largest Dominican populations are New York, New Jersey, and Florida. Over half of all Dominicans live in the New York metropolitan area (Migration Policy Institute), where a Dominican population has existed since the 1930s; however, most of the Dominican population immigrated after the 1960s (Buffington 2011).
All of the statistics above certainly numerically speak of the impact that Dominicans have in American society and only continues to grow as the population expands.
Wealth Gap Between Whites and Latinos-Blacks Hit Record Highs
The wealth gap between whites and each of the nation’s two largest minorities—Hispanics and blacks—has widened to unprecedented levels amid the housing crisis and the recession, according to new research.
The median net worth of white households is 20 times greater than that of black households and 18 times greater than that of Hispanic households, according to an analysis of newly available 2009 government data by the Pew Research Center, an independent think tank.
The Girl Effect : The Clock is Ticking
I came across this and felt it raised a lot of good points on how important it is that a girl is truly taken care of. Share your thoughts on the clip below.
Leonel, Hipólito, o Amable?
The Asisa Research Group poll published on June 4, 2011 predicts that the top three
candidates for the upcoming 2012 election are president Leonel Fernández, ex-president Hipólito Mejía and Amable Aristy Castro: “… based on 1,900 surveys taken across the whole country, if president Fernández decides to run for re-election he will obtain 74%…If Fernández does not run, Medina would get 39.8%, Cedeño de Fernández, 32.5%, while José Tomás Pérez would obtain 3.3%, Francisco Domínguez Brito, 2.3% and VP Rafael Alburquerque would receive 1.3% of the vote” (Dominican Today). These percentages certainly predict a bright future for Leonel Fernandez; however, this is only to be determined in 2012, as Fernandez’s actions in the current term are certainly key in either persuading or dissuading the general public. Who are you voting for?
OP-ED : Is Protesting Really Successful?
Has it ever come across to this country that protesting (in an appropriate manner) is a freedom rightly granted to us by the constitution? Many other countries feel that this is the end to justify the means, therefore having no other alternative but to assemble and engage in whatever manner they deem appropriate according to the situation.
There have been numerous protests in the Arab world but more recently, there has been a wave of protesting in the western hemisphere and this can be attributed to the fact that they have issues and they want the issues to be resolved. It is the manner that the people of these countries use in order to express their free speech. Some have had peaceful protests or demonstrations, others not so much. Question is; is protesting really successful?
On July 11, 2011 there was a “Paro Nacional” or National Strike in Dominican Republic where the whole country decided to act and wanted to show the government how they felt about all of the politics and problems of the country. This turned out to be a peaceful demonstration where even authority figures joined the masses in playing “Domino” and ate “Sancocho.” This only happens rarely though, in South America, specifically Chile, there have been numerous student protests against government measures regarding education. These protests have gotten very violent resulting in many injuries and deaths. This has brought anti-sentiment towards President Piñero, which can ultimately result in having him step down.
Every country demands one thing or the other, some ask for a specific percent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to be put towards education, some fight against tuition price hikes and some fight just because their team lost the Stanley Cup, (Sorry Canadians) but fact of the matter is that people are trying to get their message across so that the right people can make something happen. It’s not always the case that once you protest, something gets resolved. In essence, when a country demands changes it wants them, but the elected officials take their time.
A lot goes into planning a protest, just as you would to plan a birthday party, wedding, etc. Protesting is getting the word out, which is one highly important step that has to be taken in order to get attention to the matter. As it gains more attention, the elected officials have an obligation to either stop the protesting or meet their demands. If they decide to stop the protests by using military force, then it gets more aggressive where people end up getting hurt or killed and it would just become an unsuccessful protest. The key isn’t to fight the authority, but to show the authorities that the voters have the real power. If the elected officials decide to meet the demands of the people, then it is a successful protest.
American Gangster : Melvin Williams
Melvin Williams hustled hard with a business plan, 4 rules of survival, and 40 packages
Dominicans Abroad Can Vote?
In the first seven months of 2007, approximately 15, 167 Dominicans registered in the Offices of the Dominican Vote Abroad in order to participate in the 2008 presidential elections (Dominican Today). According to the Central Electoral Board, approximately 200,000 Dominicans were able to vote abroad; in the United States, the offices with the most voters were in New York, New Jersey, Boston, Miamo, Orlando, and Tampa. However, overseas, offices were also set up in Madrid, Barcelona, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Milan, Montreal, Amsterdam, Zurich and Panama, and in the Las Américas, Santiago and Puerto Plata airports. If you are outside of the Dominican Republic, and you wish to vote in the upcoming 2012 presidential elections, you can register to receive information at the following website: http://www.votoexterior.do/ .
Video : First Person View of 2011 Japanese Tsunami
So remember that HUGE Japanese Tsunami that happened earlier this year? Well we just recently stumbled on this first person view footage that we have yet to see in the press when this was on the air. It gives you a real idea on what it feels like to be on those streets and see the water rapidly come your way. Wow. Thoughts ?
