What's happening now?
Haitians Denied Citizenship
The government fails to recognize 100,00 immigrants that did not register as citizens and even if a person has all of their paperwork intact, they can still run into roadblocks. To date, 4,650 high school students have been expelled from school because they are "undocumented". The punishments are especially harsh for people of Haitian decent. Even if someone is born Dominican, they are often denied rights and an ID because of Haitian roots.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/12/opinion/stateless-in-the-dominican-republic.html?_r=0
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/12/opinion/stateless-in-the-dominican-republic.html?_r=0
Haitians Face Deportation
In the past two months, more than 60,00 Haitians have fled the Dominican Republic under the threat of deportation. A 2013 court ruling by the Dominican Constitutional Court stripped 200,00 Haitians of their citizenship. Haitians that were born in the Dominican Republic were striped of their rights. This new law demands that deportees travel to an unfamiliar land were they don't know the people and don't speak the language.
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/dominican-republic/2015-07-09/stateless-santo-domingo
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/dominican-republic/2015-07-09/stateless-santo-domingo
Baseball Academies
Today, baseball injects $90 million a year into the economy, With the growth of baseball in the Dominican Republic, 15 academies have built an average of $4 million each. The impact of the academies has been huge. 400-500 players sign per year. According to a Major League Baseball study, the baseball industry contributes $150-$170 million to the island's academy. These academies are very important in the development of Dominican players. Without these academies, players like Pedro Martínez may not exist. This academies are critical to increasing the number of Dominicans that get signed, accelerating and improving their development and increasing the percentage of players to achieve a spot on a Major League team. Academies provide tools to skyrocket baseball in the Dominican Republic.
http://espn.go.com/blog/onenacion/post/_/id/710/baseball-academies-thrive-in-the-dominican-republic
http://espn.go.com/blog/onenacion/post/_/id/710/baseball-academies-thrive-in-the-dominican-republic
French Pilots Flee Cocaine Conviction
Fugitives escape from the infamous island prison colony of Devil's Island after committing a cocaine haul. Two French pilots made a daring transatlantic air escape back to Paris escape back to Paris. Pascal Jean Fauret and Bruno Odos said, "We were dealing with a judicial system... that condemned us for 20 years just for being French." "I was imprisoned in an isolation cell for two weeks," says Fauret. They shaved both mens heads and treated them inhumanly. The whole conviction was based off of circumstantial evidence because both men claim that they were unaware of the of the bringing of a 1,500 Ib shipment of cocaine that they had carried on their private plane. The Dominican Republic was opposed to letting the two men flee and the government officials are investigating how the two men managed to escape.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/27/french-pilots-flee-cocaine-conviction-dominican-republic
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/27/french-pilots-flee-cocaine-conviction-dominican-republic
Abandonment of Resorts
In Cabarete, Dominican Republic the tourism industry dominates. There are many beachfront restaurants were offerings include dishes such as ceviche and pizza. Tourists are everywhere. Common items for sale include: surfboards, fanny packs, and beach attire. These resorts are being abandoned. One prime example is the alternative to an all-inclusive resort, called the Jardín Deprtivo. The Jardín was developed in the early 2000s and was destined to boom in the tourism industry. The Jardín seemed to disappear but in 2010, it came back to life because after the earthquake in Haiti, a flood of new residents turned up at the Jardín. These people were migrants facing the desperation of their homeland. These migrants turned the resort into what it used to be and then once more the party stopped. These migrants were now forced to leave because of the law the required undocumented immigrants to be deported. The fears of the resort collapsing are only increasing. This new law has affected all parts of the Dominican's economy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/31/world/americas/dominican-resorts-fate-at-center-of-debate-over-haitians-and-immigration.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/31/world/americas/dominican-resorts-fate-at-center-of-debate-over-haitians-and-immigration.html
Not Enough to Eat
An average Dominican's salary is not enough to even eat. The monthly salary of workers covers barely half of the food a family needs to survive. This list includes the 305 of the most regularly consumed teams that account for what 90% the people in the Dominican Republic consume. This cost does not even include the costs in food, transportation, housing, health, education, and many other commodities. Data from the Central Bank indicates that the average family basket costs $26,855,21 in 2013 but the average workers income was only $14,279. When many people do not have enough of their daily necessities, this leads to a large majority of the population living in poverty.
http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/poverty/2014/7/1/51975/Average-wage-in-Dominican-Republic-not-even-enough-to-eat
http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/poverty/2014/7/1/51975/Average-wage-in-Dominican-Republic-not-even-enough-to-eat
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is most rapidly growing segment of the global tourism and travel industry. Tourism has and will continue to to grow in the Dominican Republic. In De Miches, many residents are worried about tourism taking over their city and polluting their environment. On resident said, "We are poor and De Miches is ours. What we are worried about is that we will still be poor and De Miches will no longer be ours." As tourism continues to procedures are being put into place to ensure that the natural and beauty are preserved. This includes eco friendly methods of energy production and distribution of goods. The local people have made it very clear that while tourism brings in more money, it is not worth it if they have to sacrifice the beauty and natural resources of their land.
http://www.nytimes.com/video/science/1247465759943/dominican-town-explores-ecotourism.html
http://www.nytimes.com/video/science/1247465759943/dominican-town-explores-ecotourism.html
Collision of Two Buses
On November 26, 2015, two buses crashed. The authorities say at least 11 people have died and over 70 have been injured when the buses collided in the resort town. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says the buses were carrying employees of the Paradisus Punta Cana Resort and the Coco Bongo nightclub. The number of deaths will most likely increase because many of the people in the hospital are in serious condition. The accident was most likely caused because the front tire blew out on one of the buses. The World Health Organization said in 2013 that the Dominican Republic had the world's second-worst mortality rate from road accidents, with 41.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/11/26/officials-at-least-11-dead-70-injured-in-collision-2-buses-in-dominican/
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/11/26/officials-at-least-11-dead-70-injured-in-collision-2-buses-in-dominican/
Fun Facts
- Over 800,00 people play in an organized baseball league.
- The Dominican Republic is the oldest country in the Americas and was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492
- The DR is created and developed the Merengue style of music, which is fast-paced, rhythmic dance music.
- The DR is known as the breadbasket of the Caribbean because it grows, farms and catches almost everything that’s served for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
- The flag of the Dominican Republic is the only one to have a bible in the flag.
- The first Catholic Cathedral is in the Dominican Republic.
- Even though the Dominican Republic uses pesos, American Dollars are often accepted.
- The Dominican Republic is one of the top producers of Cocoa in the world
- The Dominican Republic is only twice the size of New Hampshire.
- The Dominican Republic has a national beer. It is Presidente.