Ohh the humanity. Trivia contest bombs.

Ahh, what a disaster. Well we didn't get any takers for the free Palco tickets. Pity. According to Tom Peters, one of a hundred such business gurus, those companies that learn to "Fail Faster," succeed. If the trivia contest was any signal, LOL, we're going to start succeeding VERY soon.

Anyway, we learned a few lessons:

1. Launching a short time limit contest on a Friday in the summer, uhh, maybe that wasn't such a good idea. But we had no choice, we didn't get the tickets till late Thursday night.
2. Once again, we are frustrated and stumped on our inability to generate any response from readers of the blog; as well, we still don't get many users to enter Events or Ratings over on DóndeEs.com.
3. In the end, this is a numbers game, just like everything else. Successful sales is a numbers game. For example, in order to make 5 sales a week, you need to visit 25 potential clients. In order to get 25 appointments, you need to talk to 125 business owners. In order to talk directly with decision makers (business owners, usually), you have to make 625 calls. All assuming a 20% success ratio.
   
   So it is with reaching and joining into a conversation (engaging in some sort of interaction) with Internet Users, in a very interesting article I found about "Nuggets from Social Media workshops as of late…", Sean O'Driscoll shared some powerful insights into the social sphere, the most pertinent to our trivia fiasco is:
   

   "Let’s assume we can generally agree that ~70% will lurk, 20% join, 9% will be regulars and 1% participate in the community in extreme ways."

   Looking at out traffic numbers for yesterday, we had approximately 107 visits to the blog, it could be more, but we don't have anything else to go on, but Google Analytics. So yesterday, the blog got 107 visits, if Sean's assumption is right, means that maybe only 9% are regulars, 9 visitors, and only 1% will participate in extreme ways, that's (holy crap) 1 visitor. So you see why point number one is so valid.
   

On the bright side, did get quite a few number of users to register over on DóndeEs.com, for the family ticket give-away. So thanks everyone for your support. For those who actually won tickets and attended the game, we hope that you enjoyed the courtesy tickets. And for everyone that is registered on DóndeEs.com or a fan of our DóndeEs.com Facebook Page, maybe soon we'll invite you all for a Palmolive bien firiiita. Very soon.

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor: s-t-r-a-n-g-e

Please don't give in to the status quo

Occasionally you'll find something on the web, which resonates with you and your situation so much, it's freaky. Well, that's how I started out my morning. I just happened to take a peak at Seth Godin's Blog and got really freaked out.

In his latest post he asks "Is it worthy?" He goes on to describe different scenarios, and concludes each one by posing the question, "Is my effort, consistent with everything I've invested, been afforded, and/or is at stake? For example, he asks:

"Is cutting corners to make a buck appropriate when you consider what you could have done? What would someone with a bigger vision have done instead?"

I encourage you to read his post and consider how many different ways this question is perfect for what we are facing in Puerto Rico. For it is so very easy to blame the gas crisis, or the government, or the politicians, but let me assure you, there is plenty of blame to go around. So much so, we may have more blame than we can throw around.

However, ironically, it may be that we are still not failing enough. The distinction is what we are failing at. As Seth concludes:

"The object isn’t to be perfect. The goal isn’t to hold back until you’ve created something beyond reproach. I believe the opposite is true. Our birthright is to fail and to fail often, but to fail in search of something bigger than we can imagine. To do anything else is to waste it all"

I think Seth nails it right on the head of the problem, when he says we take too much for granted. For far too long, we have taken for granted that our island's beauty, our economy, our future is set, unchangeable, should I even go so far as to say guaranteed. We became hypnotized by that false assurance, and now find ourself facing so many fundamental problems, so many special and conflicting interests, such a lack of vision in our leaders that we are nearly paralyzed.

And let me tell you, there is nothing more disruptive and de-motivating than to live/work/attend school/volunteer/attend church beside people who have surrendered to the paralysis and feel powerless. It's contagious, infectious, it seeps into our thinking, or judgment, our attitudes, and our ability to help ourselves. So ultimately you end feeling helpless as well, and then stop trying, stop caring, and accept the status quo. That my friends, is the single biggest problem we face; please don't give in to the status quo.

Flower Show at the UPR Botanical Garden

I love nature. I love the smell of it, with its seemingly infinite details and variations; colors, textures, shapes, and patterns. I think this affinity comes from spending a lot of time outdoors as a kid. Today with our "advanced" society, where we are surrounded by concrete; incarcerated inside our air conditioned living rooms playing video games. We are hypnotized by the television, numbing ourselves against the vicious strain of life; we have become disconnected from our past.

We have forgotten that not too long ago we were all directly connected to nature, for our ancestors depended upon their knowledge and appreciation of nature for their very survival; an ability to work the land and produce enough food to live on was critical, even to the point of life or death. By forgetting our shared past we have come to take for granted our fragile dependence upon nature for our continued survival; and like anything that is taken for granted we abuse, misuse, and disrespect. In short, we don't appreciate the value of nature, we litter, we don't conserve, we don't recycle, we exploit, and we destroy.

Perhaps the way to promote conservation of the planet is by re-introducing ourselves to nature. If we can once again treasure the immense beauty of nature, then we wouldn't be as careless and we would reduce our overwhelming impact on the planet. Just a think about it, that's all I'm saying.

Enjoying Nature

"One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon--instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today." Dale Carnegie

If you'd like to begin your "rehabilitation," then next Saturday, June 21, 2008, make it a point to visit the Zingiberales Society of Puerto Rico Fifth Annual Flower Festival. The Festival will be held at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Botanical Garden (Jardin Botanico), and, best of all, admission is free to the both the Botanical Garden and the Festival.

The festival, which will be open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, will include discussions and educational sessions about heliconias, gingers, bananas, tropical trees, garden design, bromileads and much more. The sessions are scheduled throughout the day on the hour and half-hour. The more popular sessions will be held more than once. In addition, there will be many types of potted plants on display and for sale.

Many thanks to the folks at Puerto Rico Day Trips for the news of this interesting festival.

Flickr Creative Commons Contributors: Randy Read & tanakawho

Animal cruelty: it boggles the mind

I'm fascinated, appalled, confused, infuriated, but mostly frustrated with human behavior. And it seems the more I read about the subject, in an attempt to understand this phenomenon, the more confused I become. In my world of computer geekery, when something doesn't make sense, you research it, you study it, and then usually it becomes logic and predictable. Not so with humans, not in the least.

Recently I shared a story about thoroughbred race horses that were being killed after losing horse races. When you hear about something like this and the other animal brutal animal cruelty nightmares that continue to plague Puerto Rico, you ask yourself how could this happen?

In the latest horrific example of stupid human behavior, Federal authorities are investigating the injury of 20 thoroughbred horses who were injured during a four day voyage from Florida to Puerto Rico on a boat. Apparently the container used to ship the animals was not designed to carry horses, but shorter animals like cows.

The shipment's double-decker cattle trailers are notorious among animal rights activists who complain they force horses to stand in painful, crouched positions. "It is bad enough on a road surface, but considering the turbulence on an open ocean, it boggles my mind," said Keith Dane of the Humane Society of the United States.

But do you really have to wonder much about why animal cruelty happens when someone says stupid things like this:

The president of the island horse owners association, Hector Gonzalez, and an attorney for the export company, Hiram Pagani, said the complaint is groundless and that none of the owners took issue with the horses' health upon delivery.

And why in the world would anyone want to send horses in a container designed for cattle? The transportation of the horses by boat was promoted as a cheaper option by Hector Gonzalez of the horse owners association.

In March, he sent a memo to owners that said the Florida company (contracted for the shipping) would charge them US$750 per horse, about half the cost of airfare. The memo, obtained by The Associated Press, described the sea-bound trailer as a "more economical and safe alternative."

Consequences

I believe that Mr. Gonzalez should be asked to resign from the island horse owners association for saying something as stupid as what he did, and if the investigation proves that he knew about the use of the cattle trailers, he should share in any animal cruelty charges that occur. The willful cruelty of animals to save money is a sickness which needs to be punished to help prevent further abuses.

More animal brutality in Puerto Rico

My wife tells me it must come from my side of the family. But I would guess it comes from her only having negative experiences with animals and me having only positive experiences. Of course, growing up in the heartland of the United States probably had a lot to do with that. With annual trips to the 4H county and state fairs, I've always enjoyed animals.

When I was about the same age as my middle daughter, I wanted to be a veterinarian, so it's no real surprise that she wants to be one too. Her favorite animals are horses. I also have a cousin who loved animals even more than me. But of all animals she loved, like my daughter, horses the most. She would compete in those fairs riding horses. Heck I would even sometimes go horseback riding with her. As an adult she's stopped riding, but she still owns 6 horses. What do you think, does it run in the family?

When I originally saw this story, I was of course outraged and saddened at the waste, but it wasn't until I shared the story with my daughter and heard her indignation and fury, that I knew I had to share the story. Apparently, owners of losing racing horses are having them killed, many of which are perfectly healthy. As one owner justified it:

"If it doesn't produce, after a while I give it away or I kill it," said Arnoldo Maldonado, 60, a businessman who races about five horses a year. "It bothers me, but it has to be done because there is no money to pay for them ... I'm not going to keep losing."

More than 400 horses are killed each year by lethal injection at a clinic tucked behind the Hipodromo Camarero racetrack, chief veterinarian Jose Garcia told The Associated Press after checking clinic log books going back seven years. According to the article, about $210 million a year is bet at the Hipodromo and at off-track betting booths.

Regardless of how insensitive, and inhumane this treatment might sound, veterinarians say they would rather see unwanted horses destroyed humanely than given away or sold to somebody who cannot afford to feed and care for them. Some horses wind up fending for themselves. Emaciated thoroughbreds, marked by tattoos from the track, have been found among the "chongos"- stray, mixed-breed nags - chewing grass by the roads, according to Amigos de los Animales, an animal sanctuary.

I've been searching for a point to this post, something positive to take from this, like turning horse manure into fertilizer, but I can't seem to find one. To be fair, this happens probably everywhere they race horses, and some places save more horses than others. But it continues to be a challenge to find hope for our beautiful island when it's an unending stream of news that makes us look so bad. What will need to happen for positive change to sweep over Puerto Rico?

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor Today: Kvetina-Marie

Boston Concert at the Puerto Rico Coliseum?

Well I guess it's kind of official, I've heard it a couple of times now on Alfa Rock that the legendary classic rock band Boston, will be giving a concert in Puerto Rico. According to the advertisement, Boston will appear in concert at the Puerto Rico Coliseum on August 31st. Snooping around I've confirmed that the band's web site lists Puerto Rico as the last show on the summer tour.

The Good O'le Days

Man, those first two albums from Boston are classics. The self titled debut album and the follow-up Don't Look Back were extremely well written, performed and engineered and back in the day, they were usually on somebodies turntable when we were partying (I mean who hasn't partied to Party):

" Just meet some friends and have a toke or two
In a place where they can never play the music too loud".

Yeah baby, rock and roll! That pretty much describes my mis-spent youth. But I have to confess, I've never seen them in concert. After those first two albums most of the music they produced didn't move me like those first two, so I never really paid much attention after that.

Part of the reason for that was they pretty much lost their mojo after the second album and then between inner fighting and band member changes, never really were the same again. I can remember having opportunities to see them, but I was disinterested because it wasn't the original band line-up. I'm always afraid to go see a group I really like when one of the key members has been replaced. I'm always afraid that they'll be too different and I'll be dis-satisfied.

Is Nostalgia Enough?

I'm going to assume that this concert is being promoted by the same duo of Larry Stein and Jose Dueño, that has brought Iron Maiden, Rush, and Billy Joel to Puerto Rico this year. From what I've heard and seen (Rush), I think these were all very successful concerts. However, I think they've missed their mark this time. While there is some renewed interest in Boston since the ex-lead singer Brad Delp's suicide last year, I really don't think there is going to be that much demand for Boston. With Tom Scholz as the only original member, except for nostalgia, I don't really see what's the point. It's almost like paying top dollar to see a Boston tribute band play in the Choliseo. I guess it will all depend on the pricing of the tickets, if they are dirt cheap, then maybe folks will say what the hey why not, but if they go with average ticket prices, I believe they will cancel the show due to lack of demand.

Consume - Obey - Conform - Sleep

In one of my all-time favorite cult B-movies, Rowdy Roddy Piper plays a down on his luck construction worker who discovers a pair of sunglasses that enables him to see the world as it really is: people being bombarded by media and government with messages like "Stay Asleep", "No Imagination", "Submit to Authority". You're like hey wait a minute, that sounds like the world we live in.

But it gets worse, with the glasses he is able to see that some of the usually normal-looking people are in fact ugly aliens in charge of the massive campaign to keep humans subdued. Well you can imagine after that, all kinds of butt-kicking ensues and a good time is had by all. If you enjoyed the Matrix and other alternate reality movies, then "They Live", 1988, is a must see.

I mention this movie so that you can take in context, what I'm about to reveal. So, for now, let's all pretend that we have some of those special sunglasses, so let's all get'em out and I'll tell you when to put'em on. Everybody ready? Ok, so I come across some news talking about a new campaign called "Puerto Rico No Duerme", which is not to be confused with the highly popular variety show "No Te Duermas."

The objective of this new educational campaign is to promote sleep as a way to maintain a better quality of life and health. Really? I mean who doesn't already know that they feel better after a good night's sleep? In addition, the campaign aims to raise awareness about the symptoms and causes of insomnia; providing the patient "the elements" necessary to seek a solution to their insomnia and consult with your doctor. Yep, every ailment can be cured by a trip to a doctor, get a pill, feel better, right?

The campaign will use a typical formula, here are some statistics from a survey that prove that this is a problem; Followed quickly by why the problem is so bad. "Oh my Gawd!" All forms of plagues will be visited upon you if you don't address this problem, and finally, look at all of these impressive organizations that support this campaign. In the case of "Puerto Rico No Duerme, " counts on the support of the Western Psychiatric Society; Association of Psychiatrists in the region Bayamón ; American Academy of Psychiatry; San Juan Capestrano; Puerto Rican Academy of Neurology and NAMI of Puerto Rico. Pretty impressive, right. Those people would never steer you wrong, right?

So now let's put those special glasses to work. Time to put'en on. At face value, everything sounds pretty innocent, right. Well let's find out who sponsored the survey that is used to prove that this is a problem? That would be Sanofi Aventis. Who is sponsoring the "educational" campaign? That would also be Sanofi Aventis. And gee, I wonder why they would be so interested in our health? Umm, maybe a little pill called Ambien? And of course, what is that little pill prescribed for? How shocking, it is prescribed for insomnia. "Marry and Reproduce." "This is your God." "Consume - Obey - Conform - Sleep." Indeed.

Sex and the City in Puerto Rico

One of the most anticipated movies this year, besides the new Indiana Jones release (which is this coming Thursday May 22nd), is the big screen version of the popular series Sex and the City.

While I'm vaguely familiar with the series, I can't say that I ever saw any of the episodes. If you're not sure what the fuss is all about either, here is a short description of the show (courtesy of Wikipedia):

Sex and the City is a multiple Emmy Award and Golden Globe award–winning popular American cable television program. The original run of the show was broadcast on HBO from 1998 until 2004, for a total of six seasons. Noted as one of, if not the most, important television shows for fashion and its industry due in large part to celebrated stylist Patricia Field[citation needed], it tackled socially relevant issues, often specifically dealing with women in society in the late 1990s, and how changing roles and definitions for women affected the characters.

The excitement begins this Thursday when the radio station Magic 97.3 hosts "The Official Sex & The City Party" at the Normandie Hotel. The party, which is sponsored by Dove chocolate, will feature music, ambiance, and style. Sounds pretty cool right, well you can't go! Well, that is, unless you have an invitation. In what can be called true Puerto Rican style, this party was advertised using a full page of El Nuevo Dia, carrying the small print "by invitation only". Why on earth would you spend the money to buy a full page advertisement to an event that was closed to the public? Further, why would you advertise an event that requires no participation, action, or interest by the public? Really, you got me. Unless, it is merely aimed at creating envy in the public that will not attend this exclusive event.

Gala Premiere

El Nuevo Dia and the Puerto Rico Art Museum are teaming up to present the gala premiere of the Sex & The City movie on Tuesday, May 27th. The premiere, which will take place in the museum, will feature a red carpet entrance, a Cosmopolitan Happy Hour, sponsored by Skyy Vodka, a fashion show, and a live performance by Black Guayaba.

I can't seem to find any information about ticket prices, or where tickets can be purchased, so I have a funny feeling that the premiere is invitation only as well. But at least for this event you have an opportunity to win tickets. El Nuevo Dia is sponsoring a contest for subscribers, where 25 people will win two tickets to the premiere. Head over to their website and fill out a contest enrollment form, and you'll be entered to win a set of the tickets. Be forewarned though, the form requires you to enter some pretty sensitive demographic information such as level of education and annual income. Oh yeah, you'll also need to answer a few Sex and the City trivia questions, but nothing a little Googling can't answer, wink, wink. You have until 10:00 a.m. on May 21st to enter the contest.

The movie will open to the public on May 29th.

Is Liberty Cablevision throttling Bit Torrent?

Today I came across a test to see whether an Internet Service Provider (ISP) was throttling Bit Torrent traffic. I thought it would be interesting to test my own ISP and then share this new resource to see if others in Puerto Rico could test their own ISP.

Note: If the preceding paragraph makes no sense to you, if it sounds like techno-babble or gobbly-gook, then I give you my permission to skip this blog post and move onto the next one.

Okay, I assume that if you're still here, then I assume you're already downloading using the Bit Torrent technology. Let's first give some background. Over the past year or so, Internet advocates started learning about efforts by the ISP community to limit or block traffic related to Bit Torrent downloads. The logic given to justify these efforts was that the traffic demands of Bit Torrent downloaders was overwhelming networks and starting to impact ordinary ISP users.

Of course, most Internet aficionados cried foul. The ISP's however, folded these efforts and their defense into the whole debate about network neutrality. What ISP's want and network neutrality is attempting to fight is that some traffic, like downloads and videos, are so network intensive, that the providers of that content should pay more to use the network, as opposed to a "normal" site. Network neutrality claims that all traffic is equal, regardless of the demands it places on the network.

Test Results

So after finally getting through to the test server, I was able to successfully test my ISP, Liberty Cablevision. A quick note on the test site. The site is very, very busy. So be patient. Well, I'm sad to say, but according to my results, it appears that Liberty is constraining Bit Torrent traffic. While the test indicated that Liberty was not impacting the seeding process, it did appear that they were limiting the download rate on the standard Bit Torrent port. Here is a cut and past from the test results:

Is TCP traffic on a well-known BitTorrent port (6881) throttled?

Your ISP possibly rate limits all downloads at port 6881. In our test, a TCP download on a BitTorrent port achieved at least 1 Kbps while a TCP download on a non-BitTorrent port achieved at least 15 Kbps.

Note that it is hard to detect rate limiting and that there are many explanations why a transfer can observe lower throughput than another transfer. We run the BitTorrent and TCP transfer back-to-back and at least two times to add more confidence to our measurements.

What I'd like to ask is if there are any Dondequiera readers out there who are familiar with Bit Torrent and use another ISP besides Liberty, could you please test your ISP and post the results in the comments? If we can get results from all of the ISPs, then we'll have a better idea of where local ISPs stand in respect to network neutrality. Thanks in advance in helping defend Internet freedom.

Who's the evolved one?

In the past I've been critical of the importance society places on music awards, and while we're at it let's throw movie and television award shows as well, oh yeah and let's not forget the chart topping programs American Idol and Objetivo Fama. As many might respond, well music, in particular, is so universal, so emotional, so much larger than life it's only natural that we give it so much attention. I'd say, that is so much a load of horse crap. According to new research, maybe we just can't help ourselves. Maybe, we're not much better than monkeys who would rather look at pictures of female monkey butts than get more of their favorite juice.

Well, I for one am not willing to give up any of my favorite juice to look at female monkey butts. I prefer to find my pictures of female monkey butts for free on the Internet. No, wait a minute. That's not what I mean. What I mean to say is, and let me be perfectly clear, is that as a society I believe we are better than having our primal desires satisfied by looking at female monkey butts. Not that I'm saying that there is anything wrong with looking at monkey butts, some of my best friends enjoy it every now and then. I'm just saying that we are more evolved and should aspire to more lofty pursuits.

For this I commend El Nuevo Dia and their "El Nuevo Dia Educador" awards program. Recently they announced the 2008 recipients for their program. 325 candidates were nominated for the sixteen prizes, eight first prizes and eight second (honorable mention) prizes. The first place winners received a $4,000 scholarship, a statue, two round trip tickets to any destination in the United States, and a medal. The honorable mention winners received a $1,000 scholarship, two round trip tickets to any destination in the United States, and a certificate. I also commend the sponsors for these prizes American Airlines, Fundación Muñoz Bermúdez, Amgen, and the Fundación Comunitaria.

Let's all take a moment to congratulate this year's winners listed below:

• Spanish: Ángel Yamil Ortiz Torres; Escuela Nicolás Sevilla Guemárez in Toa Alta
• Social Studies: Sashmarie Z. Rivera López; Carvin School in Carolina.
• English: Ana María Hernández Rosa; Escuela Eugenio María de Hostos in Mayagüez,
• Art: Johnny Santiago Jaime; Escuela Josefa Vélez-Bauzá in Peñuelas.
• Science: Carlos E. Muñoz Santiago; Escuela Elvira M. Colón-Negrón in Santa Isabel
• Health: Carla M. Agosto Ortiz; Escuela Isabel Flores in Juncos
• Mathematics: Yairanex Román García; Colegio De La Salle in Bayamón
• Physical Education: Roberto J. Pérez Román; Colegio Nuestra Señora del Carmen in Hatillo.

No really, in all seriousness. I didn't intend to make light of this. Sometimes you just have to roll with what inspires. Anyway, I think it sucks that we give all of our money and attention to celebrities, music, television, and movies and such little money and attention to education. I concur completely with my good friend over at Gil The Jenius, and what he has to say about education. While there are a lot of serious problems we, as a society, face, education is the one universal problem that impacts so many of our other ills that if we can't fix education, then our chances of fixing anything else are severely reduced. Without an educated, reasoning, and thinking populace we'll never get over our fascination with monkey butts. And I, for one, will not give up anymore of my juice for monkey butts. Good day, sir!

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor Today: law_keven

Things to come...

I really got to tell you. Occasionally, and far too often for my taste, you get a real sense that we are totally screwed. I'm not talking about oh that will be bad kind of screwed; I'm talking about biblical wailing and gnashing of teeth kind of screwed. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

One of our favorite things to do in the analysis business is to take a current event, blow it all out of proportion, misconstrue the conclusions, and then claim that the sky is falling. It's what we call a normal day. And by all means, do NOT try this home. I'm a professional, and it's taken me decades of cynicism and a long developed utter lack of faith in humanity to perfect these skills. I'd hate for someone to get hurt!

Where is this headed?

As the 2008 academic year winds down, the time to look to the next year is upon us. This is a special time for casa Don Dees because my oldest daughter will be graduating from the 8th grade and be joining the high schools ranks. For some this is a nervous transition, filled with self-doubt and trepidation. For others it's not even a big deal at all, as they merely move on to the next stage of their lives without a second thought. For my daughter it appears to be a time where she'll try to distinguish her self from her classmates.

With the 2009 academic year, my daughter will become the Treasurer for the student body. Back in my day, obtaining a position within student government bestowed upon the occupant a certain set of stereotypes. First, they were most likely one of the more popular, or accomplished students in the school. Second, due to their participation, they were also typically seen as a small set of students that were, as it was once called, "most likely to succeed" (whatever that means). In addition, it usually meant that those students were a little more loyal and faithful to the school, for they were willing to sacrifice some of their free time to help the school be a better place; they were willing to serve others, putting the needs of the student body above their free time.

So how did my 9th grade daughter obtain this position? She decided she wanted to do it. She collected 50 signatures. She gave a very short speech in front of the student body. And then the students elected her as Treasurer. Simple, right? Was she amazing popular, no, not really. Is she an amazing student? Well, she's smart and always willing or lend a hand, but not really that exceptional. So how did she do it? She was elected Treasurer because she was the only candidate. You say, well sure. No one wants to be Treasurer. It has none of the glamor or power of being President or Vice-President, but all the work. The only position which sucks more is Secretary. Well, guess what? There was only one candidate to become President as well.

Is it just me, or didn't there used to be more interest in student government and weren't there more students who wanted to participate and hold one of the offices? Does the lack of interest in student government in my daughter's school mean anything? Are other schools witnessing a similar level of dis-interest?

Ahhh.....this is the end!

I've been loosely connected with one of the local university campuses for the past four years, and I'm convinced there exists a general malaise within most of our children. It emerges in high school and fully develops in college. What are the symptoms? Well they don't seem interested in preparing for the future. They don't even seem able to communicate why they're not interested in the future.

If it doesn't have to do with reggaeton or sex, most kids just aren't interested. And while I was no different, well for me it was rock and roll, today there is something else. I knew that while I was out partying and chasing girls, there were at least some loyal and committed kids who were interested in their peers and their future. Pretty soon, the kids today will not have anyone to rely on while they go out to party! What is Puerto Rico coming to? I mean somebody has to keep things running while the populous enjoys them self?

But seriously, what will happen to Puerto Rico when no one wants to be serve each other? What will happen when our children no longer care about what happens to themselves or their future? I'll tell you what, that's when everybody gets out of Dodge. my friends. Because while I jest, everyone has to care about the future. If you don't care about the future, it means that you have no hope. Without hope, there is no future. Without hope for the future, what's the point in anything?

Flickr Creative Commons Contributors Today: mezone, icanteachyouhowtodoit, code poet

Security cameras stolen. No, really.

In a resounding display of sentiment for anti-security, residents of the Las Dalias residential community are making a statement:

"We like the level of crime we currently have, thank you very much. I mean seriously, who asked you to butt your noses into our neighborhood, Vivienda Publicas? I mean who do you think you are Big Brother?"

In defiant support of a more lawless environment, neighbors of the Las Dalias community are celebrating the disappearance of security cameras that had been previously installed in the community.

Police are confirming that, in fact, eight security cameras were stolen from the Las Dalias residential community during last week. Police also added, that they believe they will be able to apprehend the criminals. Snickering to themselves, the Police said:

"Maybe the criminals didn't know, but we have security cameras for our security cameras. Yes, we have two sets of cameras. One set watches the community, and the other set watches the first set. So we should have captured the identities of the criminals who stole the first set of cameras. That is unless they stole the second set of cameras that were watching the first set. Well then, we got bupkiss. Doy, foiled again by the sheer cunning of criminal mind."

Police later added off-record:

"Hey Chief! Make sure you add a third set of cameras to the other $20 million worth of systems that are planned to be installed in another 50 communities. We'll need another set of cameras to watch the second set of cameras."

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor Today: CBS_Fan und das Rätsel der verschwundenen Kekse

Herbal Solutions to Puerto Rico's Economy

Ever since the Federal Reserve Board produced a report that detailed the economic woes of Puerto Rico, I've been getting a pretty steady steam of news stories sharing that information. Like, from here, here, and here, to share just a few. Of course, for those of us that actually live here, we didn't need the Federal Reserve Board to tell us things are bad here. With another raise in the price of milk, the recent rise in the price of rice (a staple for most Puerto Rican families), and the root of evil, the rising price of gasoline; believe me, we know things are bad all too well.

So it was with curiosity and a self-centered hope that someone had a vision to help, that this week I read an editorial from Rogelio Figueroa, the President of the newly formed Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico. In the editorial, entitled "The Best Economic Tool", he shared his answer to our economic problems. For those of you that might not be aware of this, Figueroa is a candidate for Governor of Puerto Rico in the upcoming November elections.

What I learned from the article, which came as a surprise to me, was that Figueroa seems to be part of the Rastafari movement. Yes, often times the religious inclinations of a political candidates can enter into the public eye, through very unintended actions or statements. Such is this case with Figueroa. Why do I think that he might be a Rastafari?

Well after the reading the editorial, he must be smoking something to believe that creating separate and exclusive lanes for a new fleet of buses to use on our highways will make a significant impact on our economy. Yeah, he has a vision all right, but I'm afraid it is a psychoactive filled set of hallucinations. I mean don't get me, wrong, it's not that his ideas are bad ones, like the drug that inspires the Rastafari, they are just a little too flowery and difficult to accept for the majority of people. Sure I'd like to see a significantly improved and accepted public transportation system. Sure I want the Autoridad de Energia Electrica to produce magnitudes more electricity from renewable sources, and sure I'd love to be able to deduct my mortgage payment completely from my planilla. But call me a pessimist, but those solutions seem unworkable in the Puerto Rico I've come to understand in these last 14 years.

He did propose one thing that got me thinking: tourism. Now stay with me here, I'm thinking outside of the box. Now if we accept that Figueroa might be a Rastafarian, there may be a way to explode the tourism industry here in Puerto Rico. And as is customary here amongst the economic development community, I'm going to use another country to illustrate how this idea can work. In this case, I'm thinking of Amsterdam, Holland, which is known to attract a lot of tourists to its "red light district." This idea will also prop up the local agricultural community at the same time.

So what if we decriminalize marijuana and make it legal to sell and consume in Puerto Rico. We get local farmers to use the perfect habitat that we have in Puerto Rico to grow the finest herb in the world, and then sell it in "coffee" shops. This will have the secondary effect of significantly reducing the drug trafficking of marijuana and cause crime and plummet.

I'd like to thank Figueroa for connecting the dots for me. If it wasn't for his hallucinatory rantings I would have never had the inspiration for this controversial economic development proposal. And inspiration, after all, is what we want most of our leaders, so kudos Mr. Figueroa. Kudos, indeed! Now, I wonder if he'd also turn me on to his connection, because he's definitely got it hooked up on some stink weed.

Flickr Creative Commons Contributors Today: Eric Caballero and Simon Davison

Casting Call for "¿Qué Nos Pasa, Puerto Rico?"

I'm sure you've seen them. Maybe it was in an elevator, or maybe it was in the newspaper, maybe in the bathroom, or maybe you even saw a commercial on television, but I'm sure you've saw one. And maybe you're also like me, that when you saw it, you said to yourself. Boy what a waste of time, no one is going to pay any attention to these advertisements. Or maybe you've thought, like me, it's a great idea, and I really wish it was going to make a difference. But you know what? You've got to admire their determination. You've got to appreciate the effort they are spending to try and make a difference. For it's not really their fault that we've given up hope. That we have become so jaded, and over-commercialized that nothing gets through to us unless it has something to do with sex or money. Yes, I commend the people behind the "¿Qué Nos Pasa, Puerto Rico?" public service advertising campaign. If we could all find it in our hearts and minds to try and DO something, anything. Then I believe we'd start moving Puerto Rico back towards the paradise it should be.

So if you would like to join the brave people behind the "¿Qué Nos Pasa" effort, now is your chance. This Saturday and Sunday at the Communications Building on the campus of Sacred Heart University, they will be conducting a casting call for men, women, and children (5 years or older) to appear in three television commercials. They are looking for people of any race and any socio-economic status. The commercials will form phase three of their campaign to recover the values of Puerto Rico.

The casting call will take place in the television studios 1 and 2 from 1 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call (787) 728-1515, extension 2386.

Participation is purely voluntary, and if selected there will not be any compensation, well other than the good feeling you'll get from trying make Puerto Rico become a better place.

Woohoo!!! We're in the money!

Ah yes my friends, Uncle Sam is whipping out a treat. So get in line it's for some suckling. Yesterday, the U.S Treasury approved A $1.282 BILLION economic stimulus payment to Puerto Rico. How sweet is that?

Well while the glorious rush of blood is still fresh in my head, I'm going to throw out some ideas, and I hope that since each of you will also be delirious from a similar rush, we can all go crazy in a wild adrenaline crazed orgy of green, green backs that is. So before the buzz starts to wane here goes:

• I recommend printing on the back of all those U.S. Treasury checks the following statement:

  "I understand, that by signing below I recognize that I am the grateful benefactor of the generous citizens and government of the United States of America. As such, I pledge my allegiance to the country for which it stands and testify that Puerto Rico is forever indebted to the United States for its contribution."

• Let's put that $1.3 billion to good collective use! I recommend creating a venture capital fund with the money and then funding 13,000 new ventures with $100,000. This would create a million new jobs, and grow the island by 25%. No really, literally, the island would actually grow to be 125 miles by 37.5 miles. So in anticipation of everyone agreeing with me and donating their windfall, instead of rushing to Macy's and buying some underwear, I've created a bank account in Doral. To transfer your donation, please use account number: M0NK3Y5FLY0UTMYA55.
  
  
• Well, if you're not down with that last one, and really who wouldn't be, but just in case. Why not take 20% of the total amount you receive and give it to a local not-for-profit that is dedicated to make a difference in Puerto Rico? Then take the remaining 80% and deposit in your savings account. If you've never heard of this type of account ask your local bank. They actually have an account where you can SAVE money. I know, weird!

Well, like all good buzzes. This ones starting to fade, and so I think my window of opportunity is gone. I hope that my subconscious suggestions have hit their mark. I'll be watching my account and look forward to funding the next economic boom in Puerto Rico.

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor Today: onecle

San Juan is the least expensive place to do business in the U.S.

Often times there are are least two sides to any story. I've always been one who becomes caught in the middle of all of these sides when I can see that the opposing views have some validity. This is one of those situations. Recently, it was announced that San Juan was determined to be the least expensive place to do business in the United States, this according to a study released recently by KPMG LLP.

The report, which is entitled Competitive Alternatives Results, KPMG's Guide to International Business Location, measures the combined impact of 27 significant business cost components that are most likely to vary by location. The study also compares data on a variety of non-cost competiveness factors.

So you're saying that's awesome! Right? What better news for Puerto Rico, since we are always trying to attract new businesses to Puerto Rico. Sure, that's great news. And I certainly hope that it helps to bring more business to the island. So what could be wrong with this picture? Let's dig in to the results to find the clues.

More than anything, the one factor which makes San Juan the cheapest place to do business is that we have the lowest salaries and wages of any of the cities included in the report. Which sucks, big time, especially if you're a line level employee. San Juan's rating was also helped by it also offering the lowest rates to lease a facility. However, after that San Juan had the most expensive costs for nearly every other category. Specifically, San Juan has the highest costs for transportation, utilities, and nearly the highest for the initial investment for land and buildings. So what we are saying here is that the salaries are so low in San Juan that it makes up for it being the most expensive in everything else.

But let's take this just one step further. What does this mean for the common staff employee? So not only do they receive the lowest wages, but they also have to pay the highest utility costs. Because what is expensive for businesses is also expensive for the people that live in that city, right? Well, I guess that's the other side of the coin on this one.

While it might be great for businesses in San Juan, this news masks the unfortunate fact that our salaries are lower, by a significant factor, than any place in the Unites States. Well, that is unless you happen to be within the ranks of management, where the difference is negligent. And if you happen to be amongst the executive ranks, you might even find that the salaries here in San Juan, might actually be higher than some of your counterparts in the U.S., but that's another story. Funny, how you never see this headline in the local news: "Puerto Rican executives have equal salaries as the U.S., while employees have significantly lower." Yeah, I bet that one doesn't sell too many papers.

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor Today: dskciado

Fear and Loathing in Puerto Rico

Today, I'm going to try something a little bit different. Lately I've been feeling a presence. A spirit, loafing around my keyboard urging me to put my fingers on to the keys. It's making me go to read more and more news stories about the case against Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila. It's gotten to the point were I just can't resist anymore. But I think I know who it might be, so I'm going to go on a hunch here. I'm going to just let go and let it (him) take over. So here goes nothing....

....Well I should be in the mood for this now. I've finished most of a bottle of Wild Turkey and as I'm trying to light these candles around my computer, the lighter seems to swim before my face. Now let's just flick off the lights and I should be just about set. Oh yeah, and I can't forget the magical mantra "Fear and Loathing". Repeat it with me "Fear and Loathing in San Juan." Holy crap what's happening? The candles all just went out with a sudden gust of wind, now where did I set down that lighter?

Ho ho. Hey all you rubes I'm back. And I got to say, not a minute too late. Well, well, look who's joined the big leagues. Way back, I knew there was something magical about this place, or that might have been all of the mushrooms that the locals were always feeding me. A steady stream of offerings from the locals. It made me think that I was a King, or was I a God in their eyes?

So with memories of dancing lizards and vivid golden calves melting into the sunrise off of the Isla Verde coast, I'm back in Puerto Rico. So who would of thought it possible? Nearly 50 years after my departure, Puerto Rico, the subject of my great discontent, would grow up to become involved in a major political corruption scandal. Well let's cut to the chase people. Be afraid Puerto Rico. Hunter S. Thompson is here, and know this! This is going to get very strange. And I wouldn't be surprised if a few virgins soon go missing. There will be sacrifices necessary from all sides and great strangeness, on a scale never before seen, is coming. So don't let your kids out of your sight. Lock them up at night and bolt all of the doors and windows.

Yes, things are about to get really strange. I can see it now. Brother hating brother. Fathers disowning their children, wild nasty craziness that gets blood spilled into the street. Enough blood to sweep away the garbage that will left behind as the country decays into first civil unrest and then civil disturbance, and only then will the National Guard be able to keep things barely under control. But not first without them splitting open a few heads, smashing a few noses, and filling up many emergency rooms with their fellow countrymen who were only guilty of being in the wrong place at the right time. Only if the Marines return and establish Ocean Park as the new Vieques will this one avoid becoming civil war.

Buy the ticket, take the ride. Mahalo. This one's going all the way. But who could blame them. Only global domination is a sport more deadly then politics, and this one has been rigged to get out of control fast. Both sides have been chumming the water with sliced up puppies and kittens. And as they float and bob, the political sharks on both sides are starting to chew and gnaw on anything that moves. In a massive avalanche of text messages and Blackberry messaging, with sore and bleeding thumbs, alliances are being negotiated, children are being offered, bribes are flying across the airwaves in wild eyed attempts to save their asses, their careers, their fortunes. Deals are being cut, the weak are surrendering, and the sacrificial lambs are being purified. The only thing left to see is who will be left standing to take the fall, and believe it brother, some one will have to pay.

.... And with a weird taste of nicotine, wild turkey and psilocybin on my tongue, I wake up with unexplained bruises and scars up and done my forearms as if I've been beaten by a nightstick, I'm back. But as I sit with a throbbing head amongst the carnage that is my office I have the strangest feeling this essence isn't done with me yet.

La Hora del Planeta

A lot of times, we believe as individuals, we are powerless. However, we are always hearing about how the efforts of one person starts something that takes off and explodes beyond anyone's wildest imagination. Where does that disconnect come from?

This is just such a case. Because of one little question, "How can we inspire people to take action on climate change?" Asked by a young girl, a student from Sydney Australia, this Saturday at 8:00 p.m., hundreds of thousands of people and tens of thousands of companies around the world will turn off their lights for 60 minutes.

Organized by the World Wildlife Foundation, and locally supported by Banco Popular this event calls for citizens and companies to join forces to create awareness of global climate change. The aim of the campaign is to express that individual action on a mass scale can help change our planet for the better. Furthermore, it cements the connection between energy usage and climate change, showing that we as broader community can address the biggest threat our planet has ever faced.

What can you do?

1. Sign up for Earth Hour 2008
2. Get involved and create a bigger, better Earth Hour
3. Reduce your impact on climate change
4. Create your own Earth Hour event
5. Know your footprint and challenge your friends

This is actually the second year for the event, which was mostly confined to Australia in 2007. On 31 March 2007, 2.2 million people and 2100 Sydney businesses turned off their lights for one hour - Earth Hour. If the greenhouse reduction achieved in the Sydney central business district during Earth Hour was sustained for a year, it would be equivalent to taking 48,616 cars off the road for a year.

For me, more than awareness of global climate change, I believe the importance of this event is raising awareness of energy conservation. Whether we are facing climate change or not, conserving the valuable resources we have been given on this planet is always a good idea. Just as I've tried to raise awareness of water conservation here as well, we must all strive to conserve all of the energy and water we can. Especially for those of us who have children, because when we conserve, we only so for the benefit of our children, grandchildren, etc. What parent wouldn't give the food from their mouths for their own hungry child? Well let's give them the water in our mouths and the gasoline from our tanks for when they are thirsty or need the energy 50 years from now.

Note: One company that has already pledged to join the effort is the San Juan Holiday Inn, in Isla Verde. I commend the organization for joining the effort and ask everyone to recognize their contribution by considering them for a future vacation.

New Chili's Bar & Grill in Isla Verde

For those of you who may partake in the occasional consumption of massive quantities of alcohol, and you know who you are, there are few strategies that will lessen the price you will pay for your excess. I've never really tried many hangover remedies, but I did use two home grown cures to some success. So if you're one of those that have tried a few things without any luck and are looking for any way to lessen the nausea, headaches, and cold sweats that come from a hard night of partying, DR MC Don Dees is here to help.

The first thing you need to do, is never, I mean NEVER crash on an empty stomach. If you do, you are literally asking for both barrels of hangover right between the eyes. Take it from me, this is something you do not want to experience. And I don't mean a bag of chips, or a qwiki-mark rancid hotdog or slice of pizza and an energy drink. That's like feeding the ultimate explosion to come, if you know what I mean. No I mean a sit down in a restaurant and ordering some heavy food experience. This has two advantages. First the greater amount of time you can put between the end of drinking and the obligatory crash is good. Really good. But the second obvious benefit is mixing some decent nourishing food into the noxious mix you currently have in your gut. Typically this will help rebuild the electrolytes you have lost and replenish your blood sugar, which was hit rock bottom as your body tries to burn off the alcohol. Oh yeah and pop a few Tylenol before you hit the sack, that always seems to help.

The second thing is, when you awake and your head is throbbing and your eyes are burning and your stomach is churning (remember I said lessen not eliminate - anyways you partied like a wild animal, so just suck it up and take it like a man), you have two objectives. Rehydrate and restore electrolytes as quickly as possible. That means consume as much water (or Gatorade) as your stomach can tolerate and consume as many items from the sugar food group as possible. And while it still may take a while before you feel human again, I think you'll agree it will take less time with this prescription. You can thank ole Doc Dees later. ;-)

So this summer, if you've been partying hard and are looking to follow the MC Don Dees prescription, head over to Isla Verde and hunt down the new location for Chili's Bar and Grill. Because the popular restaurant chain will be opening it's 15 location in front of the Hotel San Juan & Casino. Why this particular location? Well, with this new location the chain will debut two things. First this location will remain open until 3 a.m. and second, it will feature a breakfast menu. And while there's hardly anything better to soak up all of those beers than a tall order of pancakes, you'll have to head over for Denny's for that, because the breakfast menu will only be available between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Of course, if you've been partying REALLY hard, 6:00 a.m. might be just about right.

The new restaurant is estimated to cost approximately $1.8 million and will offer 150 to 180 jobs. With 6,000 square feet, the restaurant is expected to seat 260 persons. The establishment will also offer a sport bar and a mezzanine area, which will be available as a rental for special activities.

Traditional Journalism is ‘Out of Touch’

In a survey conducted by the firm Zogby Interactive for the website WeMedia, it was found that two thirds of Americans – 67% – believe traditional journalism is out of touch with what Americans want from their news. However, while there were dissatisfied, the survey also found most Americans (70%) think journalism is important to the quality of life in their community.

While these results may or may not reflect the realities here in Puerto Rico, one thing is clear. If they aren't relevant now, they will be soon. Take as an example one of the other findings, that there is a distinct shift away from traditional sources of news, such as newspapers and TV, to the Internet – most dramatically among so-called digital natives – people under 30 years old. Nearly half of respondents (48%) said their primary source of news and information is the Internet, an increase from 40% who said the same a year ago. Younger adults were most likely to name the Internet as their top source – 55% of those age 18 to 29 say they get most of their news and information online, compared to 35% of those age 65 and older. As I've said before, newspapers are dead, they just don't know it yet.

“For the second year in a row we have documented a crisis in American journalism that is far more serious than the industry’s business challenges – or maybe a consequence of them,” said Andrew Nachison, co-founder of iFOCOS. “Americans recognize the value of journalism for their communities, and they are unsatisfied with what they see. While the U.S. news industry sheds expenses and frets about its future, Americans are dismayed by its present."

I for one, concur completely with these results, naturally, otherwise why would I consider it significant enough to share with everyone. But I'll go further and explain why I believe that it is applicable to Puerto Rico. Let's review the facts, first El Nuevo Dia is the dominant news medium in Puerto Rico. While jointly, all of the local television stations combined, are important, in terms of circulation and share of advertising purchased, el Dia is the big Gorilla locally.

So let's start with, how do you feel about the quality of the journalism provided by El Nuevo Dia? Do you believe that it is objective and unbiased? Does it cover the breadth and depth of news that you require? How about from another perspective, do you ever have to go to another news source in order to obtain the news you require? How often? Well I think that should be enough for you to have come to your own opinion, now I'll share with you my perspective.

I think the El Nuevo Dia is a good newspaper. I like the variety for news they cover and I believe they do a fair job on some of the news areas I desire. I also like there frequent use of photography to tell a story. However, there are some areas where I believe their coverage is pathetic. Then in other areas, I believe that their coverage is more akin to a gossip magazine than hard news, especially where El Nuevo Dia is weakest, in the coverage of Politics and Government. I'm sure some of you are saying "WTF!" All they do is cover politic!, That, my friends, is I believe one of their weaknesses. They are biased when it comes to politics, in my opinion they favor the Popular Democratic Party. But further, I think they go for the low hanging fruit of politics, it's a topic that is obviously popular so they devote too much coverage.

Probably my biggest complaint is in their coverage of sports. If it ain't baseball or boxing , they just don't care. There is a huge world of sports out there and it deserves respectful and appropriate coverage. For instance, during the recent opening of the NCAA basketball tournament, the number of stories devoted to the hugely popular event, El Dia gave it exactly zero (0) articles. To my knowledge they didn't even give the scores. Don't even get my started on NASCAR or the Indianapolis 500, the largest single day sporting event in the world.

Now of course, this brings up my final point. To what extent does a newspaper need to cover news that is not pertinent to local citizens. Sort of by definition, all newspapers are local; that said a majority of their coverage should focus on stories that impact locally. So what is pertinent to locals? And the long tail aside, I'm sure there is always some news that a small percentage of people want to see, and space is limited or at least the amount of space they can use after they sell the ads is limited. So they clearly can't cover everything.

For me, I think their needs to be a balance, but unfortunately in my eyes, most news sources here focus too much on the local and there is no balance. There may have been a time when that was acceptable for Puerto Rico, but it isn't anymore. With a lot of people having cable, satellite television, and Internet the amount of people who are exposed to the culture and news of the United States is always growing. You'll also need to factor in the high popularity of movies, fast food, and shopping, the pervasiveness of American culture is extensive. This means that what impacts locally has grown to encompass a lot more areas and topics.

I believe that local news agencies need to accommodate the growing influence of American culture. And guess what, it's only going to get worse. As the survey indicates, when the under 30 crowd matures and has children, they will continue to look to the Internet for their news and begin to expect local news sources to match the stories and information that they deem important. When they don't respond, what do you think those families will do? As I said, a shit storm is coming for local media, and if they aren't responsive, they'll be caught outside without an umbrella.

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor Today: compujeramey