Crisis in Puerto Rico

The Island of Enchantment has suddenly lost all its enchantment. We can now call it The Island of Desenchantment and Crisis because Puerto Rico is in crisis. We have been living days of anguish since the most dramatic and sad reality with regard to the deficit for the current fiscal year was announced over a week ago. Starting next Monday, May 1st. all the central government agencies will be closed down leaving some 120 million public servers without their salaries during the months of May and June. Why? Because our politicians are hard headed mules that prefer seeing the Island go into crisis instead of doing something to avoid the situation.

This all started back in November 2005 when we had our general elections. We have three principal political parties. After the election the government ended completely divided between two of them. The elected gobernor (executive Branch) belonged to one political party. And the legislature and the Camara belonged to the other political party. Everyone suspected this was going to bring serious problems to the Island. Well, the gobernor says that the budget for the fiscal year ending in June 2006 will be practically in zero at the end of April because there are no funds. That's what he says.

This means that millions of Puerto Ricans who work with the government will be on forced vacations during the months of May and June and will not get paid their salaries. In July lst. the new fiscal year begins and then there is the new budget for the next year. Probably at the end of that new fiscal year the same thing will be true before the end of it.

But, according to the Gobernor, there is no money to pay the public servers now. The money left will be used to pay the only ones that will be working: health , security and other essential government agencies like the police and the hospitals. Even the Board of Education will be closed down leaving all our students with an incomplete education for this school year which ends in May. All schools will be closed down starting on Monday and our students will not have the right to an education which is supposed to be guaranteed by our Constitution. It's a Constitutional right!

And why do I call our politicians hard headed mules. Because since they belong to two different political parties they don't want to agree on anything. The gobernor says that all he needs is for the legislature to approve a loan of $738 million dollars for operational expenses that will guarantee all the workers their salaries during May and June, but the legislature doesn't want to approve it because they belong to another political party and don't want to let the gobernor do anything. They prefer seeing most of the Puerto Ricans without a job because they believe the Gobernor is not saying the truth. The President of the Camera says the crisis doesn't really exist. The gobernor has his hands tied because the legislature doesn't want to approve the loan.

I'm really very worried because the possibility exists that on Monday a lot of people are going to be on strike, there's going to be a lot of rioting and this could mean dangerous situations.

But some people say that the gobernor is using phychological pressure with the people of Puerto Rico trying to scare the hell out of us so that we do something to make the legislators approve the loan. He's telling us to find out the names of our representatives in the government and phone, fax, visit, or e-mail them... and that we should put all our pressure to make them agree to the loan. These people say the gobernor is a liar and that there is money. How do we know who we're going to believe? This is something that had never happened before on this Island. All the legislators have been receiving thousands of phone calls and e-mail messages from our citizens who blame them for the crisis the Island is living. Some, including the Gobernor have received threats.

All this sounds incredible and it never should have happened. But ever since the elections last November our politicians have dedicated their time to fighting between themselves and doing absolutely nothing for the well-being of our people. And they have gotten paid all this time for doing nothing. They have the solution in their hands and they prefer sitting back and ignoring the situation.

All the phychological pressure the Gobernor is putting on our people could just be a strategy to force the Camera of Representatives to approve the loan he is requesting. That's what the President of the Camera of Representatives thinks.

Only God knows what's going to come of all of this crisis.

April 27 2006

4:00 PM

A Day For Earth: Everyone's Task

Every April 22nd, we celebrate "Earth Day". It's an international celebration since 1970. All creatures in our planet, even the most insignificant, are important to our ecosystem. It is everyone's responsibility to do what's in their power to help with the conservation of our environment. Then why is it that we celebrate this day once in the year and then we forget about it the rest of the 364 days left and we do nothing to help protect the earth for us and for the future generations?

We couldn't possibly live without the Earth. It is the esence of human existance, but it looks like in our daily living we forget its singular importance. The quality of our water and the conservation of our resources are subjects of great importance that should worry us all enough to get us into action and start protecting our environment.

Starting today, everyone should make it their business all year round to do what's up to them to take care of our home, the planet Earth. If you don't know what to do, check out www.earthday.gov that has suggestions offered by the government of the United States.

April 22, 2006

12:35 PM

A Lack of Vision and Creativity

At the beginning of this year, the former Director of the Parks Commission, Samuel Gonzalez, expressed to the Legislature and to the Island of Puerto Rico that his agency didn't have the budget necessary to keep parks functioning and that, if these additional funds were not assigned, he would be forced to close down various parks due to the fact that they didn't have the adequate resources to keep them open for the public.

Not even an hour had gone by since Mr. Gonzalez had made his declaration when the governor, Anibal Acevedo Vilá lamented the scarce "crativity" of this member of his cabinet and requested his immediate resignation.

Last Thursday, April 6th, all our newspapers announced that beginning on next May various agencies like the Department of Education and Natural Resources wil not have the money necessary to pay all the people who work there. Since then, we have consistently seen and heard the Governor affirming that the responsibility of assigning funds belongs to the Legislature.

As a citizen worried about the destiny of our Island and of the thousands of workers threatened that they will not receive their salaries, I ask myself, in view of the lack of vision and little creativity, isn't it time that our Governor handed in his resignation? And the legislators, if they are not going to place Puerto Rico as a priority, why don't they also hand in their resignations? We can have new elections and choose a new governor.

April 20, 2006
8:30 AM

An Easter Egg Sea Hunt

In this photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, the deep sea diver, Jason Schwenke, dressed like a rabbit, swims through the bottom of the sea in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, in Key Largo, Florida, while he hides hard-boiled eggs for the Easter Sea Hunt under the sea that was to take place last Easter Sunday.

Personally I think this is sooo cute! They think of everything. I wonder how it turned out.
April 19, 2006
8:21 PM

A Risky Ride

Today I heard on the TV news at 12:00 M. that for twelve hours two funiculars with some 70 people had been suspended in the air at a considerable height. This occurred while crossing from New York City to Roosevelt Island and created quite an emergency situation. Thank goodness the problem was finally solved after all those hours. Listening to this made me recall the time when I lived in Spain in 1980.

The only time I remember ever having gotten on one of these vehicles was precisely when I lived in Spain. Some friends and I crossed the "Retiro Park" on a funicular a distance back and forth lasting about a half hour or so. This park is called "The Park of Good Retirement." Retirement is what the word "Retiro" means in English. It's the most beautiful park of Madrid. It is a very popular place particularly on weekends when street entertainers and venders populate the west side of the lake. Here one finds families lingering in the shade, taking a respite from the city life. The park's gardens provide a welcome change of pace for the visitors to Madrid.

When I visited the European Peaks there were funiculars to climb way up to one of those peaks where there was a restaurant. I remember watching it for some time while we waited for our turn to board it. I watched it climbing up, my eyes following it until I couldn't see it any longer. That peak was so far up that after a certain distance the cable car was no longer visible to my naked eye. I think then I realized that the risk was too high and I swallowed really hard practically "gulping." I felt a surge of heat and fear at the same time. And believe me, the weather was quite cool. I asked myself what in blazes name did I have to get up there for. I'd lost nothing there. I had nothing to find or look for up on that peak. There was a restaurant down here. All these thoughts went through my mind practically as fast as lightning. Then I told my friends that I would rather wait for them down here and not go up on the cable car. I think they suspected I was scared. They tried to make me change my mind, but finally gave up trying.

Crossing the "Retiro Park" where I could see the view down under fairly close was one thing, but climbing high up into the sky to reach a peak was another thing. I could live without it! I didn't feel the need to go prancing up to any European peak. And I didn't board it after I had paid for the ride. And besides, I wasn't the only one that decided to wait for the others down in the safety of the ground. I watched my friends going up until they disappeared from my vision and I prayed to God they would have a safe return. After saying my prayer I just went happily about seeing the sites down where I was, feeling safe on the ground.

By the way, they all returned safely after about an hour or so telling me all about what I had missed.

Note: Here is a photo of one of the fountains in "Retiro Park" and another of the European peaks.

April 19, 2006

4:34 PM

Spiritituality, Religion, and Health

A lot of people don't start feeling the need of God or spirituality until they reach their forties or fifties. Most of them live as if they were their own God. They feel they can battle against anyone, everyone, or anything and consider themselves self-sufficient. They think they have the world at their feet so they have no use for God or spirituality. That is mostly because they are young and healthy. But as soon as they age a little and start feeling health problems, then they remember there is a God Almighty who they can turn to. It is to be expected that at one point or another we will need certain tools to help us reach a personal enlightenment, and to get through hard times, or through difficult situations. By listening to your inner voice (intuition) you will be guided to where you belong and how to obtain these tools.

The level of participation in religious activities is the highest of all group ages. For the aged, the religious community is their principal fountain of social support, outside of their family, so it is the commonest organization of voluntary work.

Strong scientific evidence suggests that individuals who participate regularly in religious services or related activities and that feel the presence of a Superior Being or a superior force, are healthier and possess a higher capacity to cure themselves of any health problems. That is why religious beliefs and religious practices of older people are relevant to geriatric physicians, due to the potential effect that these have in the mental and physical health of their patients. The exploration of the spiritual necesities of an aged person during a process of sickness can help to movilize the resources necessary to help them overcome their condition.

Religion and spirituality are similar concepts, but not identical. Religion is associated with organizations or institutions traditionally organized. Spirituality involves feelings, ideas, thoughts, attitudes, conduct and experiences that arise from seeking the sacred, the divine, the trascendental. Sprirituality is not a religion. Religion involves responsibility, while spirituality has less requirements. Spirituality is in your heart, your spirit. It's in the way you conduct yourself in life and how you see life, and let's not forget, how you treat yourself and others! It is a personal spiritual adventure and awakening, that invites us to see life in a positive way. Some people may reject traditional religion and still consider themselves spiritual.

We all know that a positive attitude towards life and health help to recuperate health and diminish mortality. Spirituality and Religion reflect the human persuit of happiness by finding significance in life.

There is a saying here on the Island of Puerto Rico that goes like this: "God doesn't send burdens to anyone who cannot resist them." But apart from the difficulties we face daily, we have the option of living or letting ourselves die. So it's up to us to choose whether we want to live a healthy and useful life.

April 18, 2006
5:42 PM

~ El Amor ~

No se si han observado que AMOR es ROMA invertido. Pero, habrá que ir tan lejos como a Roma para encontrar el verdadero y puro amor. ¡No lo creo!

Y que conste, que no debemos confundir el término AMOR con el término PASION ya que son dos cosas muy distintas. Pero, por supuesto que se puede amar apasionadamente, pero pasión como tal es algo muy diferente.

No es necesario ir tan lejos como a Roma para dar con el amor puro y verdadero. Basta con mirar a nuestro alrededor y dedicarnos a observar detenidamente todo lo que nos rodea y a todas las personas que nos rodean diariamente.

Hay amor en la mirada de los niños. Los ojos de los niños reflejan siempre la ternura del amor.
Miguel de Cervantes dijo que "el amor es invisible y entra y sale por donde quiere, sin que nadie le pida cuenta de sus hechos." Pues el amor brota de los ojos inocentes de los niños.
Hay amor en la mirada de una madre que vela por su criatura y la defiende con uñas y dientes si fuera necesario como una leona.

Hay amor en la pareja de ancianos que se sientan juntos en el banco de un parque y no necesitan de más compañía. También hay amor en la pareja joven que caminan juntos por el atardecer.

Hay amor en los ojos de la maestra y del maestro que dedican su vida a enseñar con amor a sus discípulos.

El amor necesita cuidados diarios y detalles. Es como una planta que crece poco a poco hasta convertirse en un gran árbol. Pero repito, necesita cuidados y detalles. Y la planta del amor puede crecer lo mismo en Roma que en Puerto Rico.

El egoísmo que aturde a todos hoy en día no tiene nada que ver con el amor. Ese egoísmo nos impide descubrir a las personas que amamos y que nos aman verdaderamente, y que están a nuestro alrededor tan cerca como tú lo estas de mi.

17 de abril 2006
1:37 PM

Getting Ready for Easter in New York City

I remember those wonderful days before Easter Sunday in New York City when my brother and I were kids. The week before, my mother would take us to Alexander's or Macy's to buy new clothes for that special day. And, of course, a new bonnet was a must for me. Every single piece of clothes we wore that day had to be brand new. That was my mother's opinion and we kids loved it.

The Saturday before Easter Sunday my brother and I would boil a dozen eggs until they were hard. After letting them cool off for a while, we would dye them with food coloring and afterwards we would paint different designs on them using watercolor paste and brushes. We made baskets with small boxes covered with gift wrapping paper and there we would put our Easter eggs.

On Easter Sunday, after going to Church with our parents, we would go to 5th Avenue for the Easter Parade. That was another must. We were always so excited about the parade. I remember feeling so important walking down 5th Avenue hand in hand with my brother next to me and our parents walking behind us.

Remembering all this, I wrote a little verse this morning while I waited for the Mass to begin:

In my Easter bonnet,

With spring flowers upon it,

Parading down 5th Avenue

To the beat of a sonnet,

And walking hand in hand

With my dear brother Lewis,

Feeling mighty proud

To be in the crowd

In the Easter Parade.

CarmenIsie

April 16, 2006

11:30 AM

Cheetah celebrates his 74th Birthday

I always wondered whatever happened to Cheetah, Tarzan's legendary chimpaqnzee. I thought he had probably died years ago. I grew up watching the adventures of Tarzan and Cheetah, Jane and Boy. Imagine my surprise when I heard on the news last Tuesday, April 11th, that the lovable chimp was celebrating his 74th birthday in the company of one of his grandchildren and various friends, in Hollywood style among photographers, speaches, but without the company of the man who gave him fame, Johnny Weismuller, who died in 1984. Cheetah starred in 12 Tarzan movies.

Another thing is I always thought Cheetah was a female. But now I know Cheetah is a male chimpanzee.

For decades he has been living in a refuge mansion in Palm Springs, California. Hollywood stars retire in the oasis of Palm Springs, California where they while away their golden years splashing paint on canvases, taking leisurely strolls, playing the piano, and flipping through the pages of magazines. Such is the life of 74-year-old Cheeta. His friend and keeper, Dan Westfall, who cares for Cheeta and several other retired showbiz primates at the Cheeta Primate Foundation in Palm Springs, mentioned that among this legend's favorite activities are watching television and, of course, monkeying around. Cheeta now spends his days socializing with other apes and human caregivers. At times he seems fascinated by looking at other animals on television and in the pages of magazines like National Geographic.

Westfall says that Cheeta has developed a particular talent as an abstract artist and has trademarked Cheeta's creations as "Ape-stract." Cheeta uses a paintbrush and bright colors for his creations which are full of sweeps, swirls, and straight lines. "They are very pretty, actually," said Westfall, who sells his companion's work for $125 a piece. The proceeds go to support the Cheeta Primate Foundation, which Westfall started to raise money for unwanted showbiz animals.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Cheetah is the oldest chimpanzee in the world. He belongs to a species that usually lives some forty years, but in captivity could live up to 60 years.

Cheetah's last appearance in a film was in 1967 next to Rex Harrison in "Dr. Doolittle." His excesses in Hollywood have taken their toll in the long life of this primate who used to smoke cigars and drink beer, but now has to take insulin due to diabetis and has to follow a fresh fruit and vegetables diet.

Iguanas: Victims of the new Route 66

For the last ten years or so we have been noticing here on the Island of Puerto Rico a proliferation of giant iguanas. They are also called "tree chickens" due to their ability to walk on tree branches that are near bodies of water. I remember some years back seeing a few people keeping them as pets and they carried them around on their shoulders tied to a leash. But these little creatures grew and got much bigger. They also seemed to get out of hand. They had a habit of attacking with their tails which they use as a whip to defend themselves when they felt they were being attacked. So I think their owners began to leave them loose and we have gotten to the point where they have multiplied enormously.

They pair off between November and December and lay between 17 to 68 eggs. They reach adult age in three years and they have the talent of engineers because they live in holes connected by tunnels. They are great swimmers and they dive from the branches of trees into the waters. They are vegetarians, but when they are young they eat birds, bird eggs, and rotten meat. Their principal enemies are pigs and mangoose. Our dog, a collie, has killed two or three that have come into our yard, but she doesn't eat them. She just kills them.

We meet up with them anywhere and everywhere. I know there are a lot of them where I live. The other day my sister-in-law went down to a nearby brook and she said that a great number of them were all over the area and in the brook. They really don't do any harm except that they defend themselves attacking with their long tail when someone tries to catch them or they are attached. A lot of people try to catch them, but they really are swift. Some of these creatures can measure up to six feet from head to the tip of the tail. But, they could harm crops because they are principally vegetarians.

Recently a new highway was opened (Route 66) making it possible to get from Carolina to Rio Grande in less than half the time it would usually take on the normal road, but charging a toll of $1.50 every time one uses it. Before Route 66 was built, all those areas were wetlands where the iguanas had settled. Like good hostesses they have been welcoming the drivers using the route now, but it's costing them their lives.

Since the inauguration of this highway last March 31st., the stories about the close encounters with the harmless reptiles, which have the aspect of miniature dinasaurs don't stop circulating. They just lay on the highway and the drivers are passing their cars over them. The poor creatures! Though some try to avoid hitting them when they get in their way. This could possibly cause an accident because there seems to be an invasion of them on Route 66. So far we have had no accidents due to this cause. But pieces of iguanas can be seen spread all over the highway.

Finally, stories have begun to circulate about their nutritious value. Some people say that including them in the daily diet is a good way to control their propagation. I heard that some are already eating them. Yuck! I just can't believe it!

Note: In the picture above an iguana is lying at the edge of a section of the right side of Route 66.

Writing Poetry

Writing Poetry

To be able to write poetry either in English or in Spanish, I must feel motivated to do it or else I cannot write. There always has to be something that makes me grab a pen and start writing.

A friend of mine wanted me to write something in English and since right now Holy Week is one of my motivations, that's what I wrote about. It is what we're living at present so I wrote a poem titled "A New Beginning" about how I feel with respect to Holy week. Here it is:

Holy week is near
It's a time to celebrate.
Some go to the beach...
Others a vacation they take.

In times passed I remember
how total solemnity prevailed
and the respect held by humanity
was something to be shared.

Beginning on Holy Monday
Sepulchral silence was observed
In a spiritual atmosphere
where sacred music could be heard.

Processions everywhere,
Sacrifice, and prayers
was the order of the day
In unity to share.

Values have been lost
and with them... dignity
People only worry about living selfishly
the absence of Christianity.

Holy week is here once more.
It's a time to meditate.
Conversion and a new beginning is required
Our lost dignity we must recuperate.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Maybe something funny occurs which makes me want to write about it. One of my funniest Spanish poems was one I wrote when my very best friend Alexa felt annoyed with me due to the fact that every time she phoned me she got a busy signal because I was on line. I had a celular, but sometimes I forgot to transfer my calls to my celular when I entered the Internet. So when she phoned, my celular wasn't "on" and she didn't leave a message because she exclaimed "she didn't speak with machines." LOL! I thought this was so funny that I decided to write a poem about the whole situation. When I gave it to Alexa, she really laughed out loud. She thought it was the funniest thing she had ever read because I had combined the words to rhyme saying exactly what was going on, how she felt and what I thought about it.

There have been other funny situations in Church, for example, and I have written about them and given them to community members including our Priest. They all have a big laugh when, as they say, I have one of my occurrences. I think that writing about funny situations is something I like to do. I'm always seeing the funny side of things. Sometimes my friends don't know if I am talking seriously or joking around because the funniest things I say, I say them without even smiling.

But having worked with children ages six to twelve for so many years has made me a child at heart and what I like to do more than anything is write poetry and stories for children. I have quite a collection. I also like to illustrate them.

I started writing in Junior High School, but I had an English teacher in seventh grade who once told me that too much imagination wasn't good for me. She complained that all my compositions were full of imaginary situations. She told me I had to come down to reality and write about real things. So I just stopped writing thinking it was a waste of time anyway. Why bother writing if I couldn't even please my teacher?

I picked it up again in the University of Puerto Rico when I was studying literature for children. At that time I really needed my imagination full force. Now I know that as long as I have my two feet on the ground, I don't have to worry about having too much imagiantion. It's one of my assets. If there weren't people with imagination, who would write poetry and stories for children? Who would draw all those comic strips? Who would illustrate poems and stories? Yes, we need a dosage of imagination real or fantastic.
What a pity I didn't write anything in all those years from Junior High to College. But I did dedicate myself to art: drawing, painting and creating all kinds of crafts. So I can't say I wasted my time. I just took a long break of some ten years more or less.

My chidlren's literature teacher in the University used to read my stories and poems to her other students and used them as examples of literature for children. She once told me that after reading one of my poems to students in another group, one of the students commented joyfully: "Now isn't this student just the cat's meow! "My goodness!" "She's a jewel." And everyone laughed out loud.