The concert is part of a major awareness campaign entitled – To Live with … is to live with tolerance/ Convivir con To’ es Vivir con Tolerancia. This campaign is to promote issues such as tolerance, coexistence, combating all forms of discrimination, prevention of gender violence, multiculturalism, solidarity and respect, and all aspects of human rights.

This event will bring Haitian and Dominican performers together on Friday December 9th, 2011 at 6PM at Plaza of Spain/ la Plaza España in Zona Colonial. Included performers are Victor Victor, Pavel Nunez, Janio Lora, Vakero, El Poeta Callejero, Frank Ceara and Audrey Compas, Xiomara Fortuna, Roldan Marmol, BelO, Sistema Temperado, Jimmy Rock, Sara Renelik, Bayo Mizik and Sergio Vargas.

Human Rights Day is commemorated worldwide on December 10

Some of the museums that are free and open to the public include the Museo de las Casas Reales, Trampoline Children’s Museum/ Museo Infantil Trampolín, Museum Fort Santo Domingo/ Museo Fortaleza de Santo Domingo, Museo de la Música Santo Domingo, Museum Columbus Lighthouse/ Museo Faro a Colon, Museum of Dominican Man/ Museo del Hombre Dominicano,Natural History Museum/ Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Museum of Modern Art,/ Museo de Arte Moderno (these three museums are located in Plaza de la Cultura), Museo Bellapart, in Santiago, Centro Leon, in Puerto Plata the Fortaleza Colonial San Felipe, and in La Romana the Museo Arqueológico Regional Altos de Chavón. Also participating is the Center INDOTEL Telecommunication/ Centro de las Telecomunicaciones de INDOTEL, Audio Guide Dominicana, Centro de Inventarios de Bienes Culturales, Cultural Center of Spain/ Centro Cultural de España, Fundación Dominicana de Desarrollo, Instituto Duartiano, Centro de la Imagen (Foto imagen) y el Palacio Consistorial.

Activities are happening throughout the entire day of December 10, 2011 from 9AM to 12midnight. Come and enjoy the culture and fun. Maybe you might learn something and not even know it.

As I get more information about the events I will post them here. I put links to all the sights and museum information that I know.

Today, 51 years ago, is the day three of the four Mirabal sisters were murdered by the men dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo had do his dirty work today in 1960.

The world noticed and made November 25th the official day to pay attention to the problem of violence toward women. The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution on December 17, 1999 making this an international day.

For more information about the Hermanas Mirabal and Trujillo.

Ministerio de la Mujer (Ministry of the Woman) website

The concerts will have all the good and typical Dominican music one would expect to here including merengue, reggaeton/ reguetón, salsa, dembow, bachata, rock, baladas, fusiones, tecnotipicos, son y typical music/ musica típico at the big fiesta on the Malecón. There will be five platforms along The Malecon, the road running along the Caribbean Sea.

There will be new artists and the old favorites all there to entertain and kick off the Christmas season. Luis Medrano, the shows promoter, says there will be more than 70 artists and 20 presenters. The artists include Omega, Secreto, Toño Rosario, Sergio Vargas, Rubby Pérez, Sujeto, Milka, La Materialista, Villanosan, Mozart La para, El Lápiz, Poeta Callejero, Julián Oro Duro, Los Potros, Silvio Mora, Kinito Méndez y Pochy y su Coco Band, Fernando Villalona, Eddy Herrera, Miriam Cruz, Ramon Orlando, Juliana, el Jeffrey, Pablo Piddy, el Prodigio, Krisspy, el Gringo de la bachata, Fefita la grande, Joseito Mateo, MC Joa and more.

There will also be lots of cultural activities for people to enjoy the Creole folklore, food and lots of other great entertaining and educational stuff.

See you there!!

This grande event will be on December 8, 2011 at 8PM.
Ticket prices start at RD$1,100
The concert will be at the Estadio Olímpico Felix Sanchez, Av John F. Kennedy, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Ver mapa más grande

Get Britney Spears music at ITunes

For a little more information about Sergio Vargas.

By Sergio Vargas music at ITunes
Buy Miriam Cruz music at ITunes

I am not going to write about all the names and where it comes from and all the medical information. If you want to learn more do a search.

This drug that has the power to control and suppress a persons will and suppress their memory for a short period of time. It causes a sort of hypnotic feeling giving the person who administered the drug to an unsuspecting person control. It is used in most cases to make a person do the bad guys bidding so they can rob, abuse, make the person commit crimes or sex acts without them knowing why they are doing these things, not caring why or having no recollection of doing these things. Some people have had their bank accounts wiped out, their homes emptied and worse.

I have heard about this drug before as the robbery date rape drug but never met anyone that it happened to until today. A good friend of mine in Colonial Zone told me it happened to her last week. She was standing in the street, Calle Isabel la Catolica in Colonial Zone to be exact. A lady came up to her asking something that she did not understand. The lady was mumbling and needed help. My friend leaned in closer to try and hear the woman. Then a man came up and tried to help. That was all she remembered clearly.

She ended up telling her friends she had to go somewhere with a friend and she would explain later. She went with these people and took thousands of dollars out of the bank and gave it to them. No one knew where she was. A few hours later she called her family and told them where she was. She cleared out the bank account and didn’t even know it.

She said that she was so happy being with these people and that she felt that they were her good friends while she was doing their bidding. She did report it to the police. It ends up that this has happened a lot here the last few weeks. Even to a priest and other older women. They did catch the woman that did this to my friend. She is in prison right now along with a few others. Her accomplice, the man, ran away.

This group doing these robberies are not Dominicans.

Burundanga is the drug of choice for criminals.
It temporarily alters brain functions in about 2 minutes.
It puts the victim is in a state of passivity and complacency.
It can be placed in candy, soda, liquor, perfume, paper, tickets, or rubbed on the skin. It can easily be added to your drink so do not leave your beverage unattended. Someone might show you something and there could be powder in it, like a newspaper or hankie or it could be in spray form as well.
High doses cause convulsions, severe depression, coma and even death.

If you feel you have been drugged call for help fast! Fall on the floor and act like your dying. Run. Scream. Anything to bring attention to yourself. Get away from whomever you think might have done this before it is too late and you lose your inhibitions.

It can happen anyplace, not just here in Dominican Republic. I have heard stories about this drug being used in all parts of the world. So please be aware of your surroundings and use caution.

Here is an interesting video about the Devils Breath

Reference:
http://republicadominicanaymas.blogspot.com/2010/06/ojo-chicas-con-la-burundanga-toloache.html
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brugmansia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datura
http://www.disinfo.com/2011/06/burundanga-the-drug-against-free-will

Please, if this strike does happen, stay close to home this day just to be safe. Do not plan a road trip. Sometimes taxis, buses and many businesses close. Some to honor the strike and others because the employees cannot get to work.

They want some laws reformed and changed including
*Ley de Hidrocarburos/ Law of Hydrocarbons to reduce fuel prices and the electricity tariff increase.
*Allocation of 4% of national budget to go to the education sector.
*Delivery of 5% for the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD)and for it not to be privatized.
*A comprehensive plan to combat crime and insecurity.
*Pay more attention to the productive sectors of the country. *Cancel the countries contract Barrick Gold.
*Salary increase for the public and private sector.
*Lower the price of food and medications.

According to the Foro the strike is supported union groups, community organizations and the majority of the Dominican people.

http://www.ensegundos.net/2011/11/empleados-de-la-uasd-hacen-llamado-a-huelga-para-el-lunes-14-y-piden-aumento-salarial-de-un-60/

*Please note. I am having a little bit of a hard time translating the information I received so I am including the Spanish version as well just in case I translated wrong. My Spanish is not that great. Sorry.

La XXI edición del Festival de Atabales será celebrada del 25 al 27 de noviembre en el club Sol Naciente de Sainaguá, San Cristobal, Republica Dominicana y para hacer posible este tradicional evento, la Oficina Senatorial de Tommy Galán hizo un aporte económico.

Located in the Ramón community there will be drumming on the jera-pega from the communities of Boca de Mana, Yaguate, and the Santa María community playing what is known as palo de muerto. From Zarandunga in Bani. Caña Andrés will be playing the music salve to celebrate their patron saint San Antonio. Los Guloyas from San Pedro de Macorís will be bringing their style of drumming from the British West Indies. Reverenda Enerolisa from Mata Los Indios, Villa Mella, and the legendery palero Yerba. From Cuba Simeón Familia, de Sainaguá. From San Cristóbal comes Los Reyes del Palo and the group Los Paduanos de Torpia. Also playing is Yerba y sus poderes, Mercedes con sus Indias, Grillo y Guedeses de Montaño, and from Navarrete, Santiago comes the group Los Tainos, de La Canela Guibo con sus salves, and from Barahona los Paleros de Cabral, Yogo-Yogo from Nigua plus others. (I hope I got the words right. It is very difficult to translate this stuff). Taken from the article is Spansih here – Vigilanteinformativo.com

Directions (as well as I can translate them) – From Central Park in San Cristobal take Avenida de la Constitución 5 blocks to 16 de Agosto Street. Turn right go two blocks to Bernardo Aliez then turn left and follow this road straight for about 3 kilometers to reach the Cabañas Colinas del Placer. In front of the Cabanas is the field where the festival is held.

Direciones – LLegas al parque central y tomas la avenida de la constitución 5 cuadras hasta la calle 16 de agosto, ahí doblas a la derecha dos cuadras hasta la Bernardo Aliez ahí doblas a la izquierda y sigues esta calle Bernardo Aliez derecho todo el tiempo como 3 kilometros hasta llegar a las cabañas colinas del placer, frente a estas cabañas está la cancha donde se hace el festival.

This video is long but very informative. At the end is some music being played.

This is a video from last year titled “Luís Terror Días El Misterio” Performance a Luís Terror Días, presentado en el XX Festival de Atabales

Thank you Mamacita Cele and Carlito El Palero y Conjunto Tambú Los Originales for the information

More info here
www.noticiassc.com
www.diariodominicano.com

Saturday, November 5, 2011 starting at 6:30PM
Sábado 5 de Noviembre del 2011 a las 6:30pm

This festival is part of the celebrations dedicated to the year of African descent. This years event is dedicated to Liborio Mateo. A popular spiritual guide, healer and leader who defended the rights of the peasants to protect their land when the U.S. troops first invaded the country in 1916.

Performing will be Los Niños de Capotillo, Enerolisa & Su Grupo de Salves, Geo Ripley & Los Tambores del Ancestro, Tone Vicioso & Aumbata y Grupo Maniel.

The event is supported by the Ministry of Culture/ Ministerio de Cultura, Ministry of Tourism/ Ministerio de Turismo, the Museum of Dominican Man/ el Museo del Hombre Dominicano, the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo/ la Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, the Academy of Sciences of the Dominican Republic/ la Academia de Ciencias de la República Dominicana, the Cultural Circle mayohuacan/ el Círculo Cultural Mayohuacan, the Foundation of the Dominican Institute of Folklore/ la Fundación del Instituto Dominicano del Folklore, Earth-Earth Foundation/ Tierra-Tierra Fundación and other related institutions.