A Celebration that Never Was

With just barely 24 hours into the new year, a heartbreaking family tragedy has the island abuzz. In the afternoon of New Year's Day, in the town of Florida, a 45-year old man allegedly set his family on fire with kerosene. According to Carmen Rodríguez, chief of the Fire Department, Justino Sánchez Díaz connected a plastic tube to a propane gas tank and used it as a torch to burn 13 of his family members alive. Among the victims is 25-year old Kate Donahue, who was visiting the island from Seattle to meet her fiancé's family. She is now in critical condition, with over 80% of her body burned. At the moment, four of the victims have died, including Jesús Sánchez, Kate's fiancé and nephew of the alleged perpetrator.

Justino Sánchez Díaz is currently under arrest. He had allegedly planned the family gathering to celebrate the new year, his nephew's engagement and a birthday. Neighbors and other family members have described him as "unbalanced and problematic." Although a brother-in-law of Sánchez Díaz had previously warned the police of his behavior, it fell on deaf ears. Others in the community maintain that he did not suffer from any mental issues. Some of the most horrific crimes which occur on the island are indeed perpetuated by those who seem to suffer from severe psychological problems though. Case in point, back in October, a 14-year old raped and beat his 64-year old grandmother. Some of these crimes could have been prevented if only more attention and urgency were given to mental health issues.

Update (1/7/10): Kate Donahue became the fifth victim of this New Years' Day tragedy. She passed away at a Miami hospital yesterday.

(The image above of Jesús Sánchez and Kate Donohue was obtained from www.endi.com)

A Record Year

From snowstorms in the Northeastern part of the U.S to massive flooding in Colombia and Venezuela, 2010 has turned out to be a record year of extreme weather conditions and natural disasters. As of December 21st of this year, Puerto Rico received 88.6 inches of rain. This surpasses the 87.55 inches registered in 1931, making 2010 the year in which the island received the most amount of rainfall. Recently, there has also been a lot of seismic activity registered on the island, which lies on both the North American and Caribbean plates. Although they're small movements, ranging from 2.5 to 3 on the Richter scale, a 5.4 earthquake did hit the island on Christmas Eve. Fortunately, there were no injuries or serious damages reported.

Puerto Rico also emerged relatively unscathed this past hurricane season. However, as in many parts of the world, we've definitely been feeling the effects of climate change. In the San Juan metro area, we've had quite a few days where the high temperature has reached only into the low to mid-70 degrees Fahrenheit (about 22 degrees Celsius). The normal high for this time of the year is the low-80 degrees Fahrenheit. As it turns out, this cooling trend is taking place in many parts of of the world, most notably in the Eastern U.S and Europe this winter. I urge you to read the New York Times Op-Ed piece, "Bundle Up, It's Global Warming," to get a better understanding of the causes attributing to this worldwide phenomenon. Meanwhile, I'll be keeping my rain jacket and umbrella handy.

(Photo credit: Mariel Mejía Ortiz/El Nuevo Día)

Happy Holidays!

Wishing all of you a wonderful holiday season, and a very happy and healthy 2011! The image on the left is a collage of photos I took during the past few weeks. Starting with the top two are scenes from the most frightening place to be, especially as Christmas approaches, in the San Juan metro area: Plaza Las Américas. It's the largest shopping mall in the Caribbean, need I say more? In the middle row, the building with the wreaths is the Department of State in Old San Juan. Next, the photo with the two dolls is part of a series of Christmas window displays in Ciudadela, a condominium in Santurce. Finally, on the bottom left-hand corner is the San Juan City Hall located in Old San Juan. Last but not least, lechón (pork, thus the pig's head) is something which nearly all Boricuas eat during the holiday season. It's delicious. Muchas felicidades a todos!

Perceptions on Corruption

In a report recently published by Transparency International, it was found that one in four people in this world paid a bribe this year. Most were paid to police officers, followed by permit registries and those in the judiciary system. The majority of those surveyed say corruption in their country has increased over the past few years, and most have very little trust in their government. This sentiment is widely shared by most people living in Puerto Rico. This past year, the FBI conducted its largest police corruption investigation and made 129 arrests on the island. Politicians who take bribes and kickbacks are also a dime a dozen. One of the most egregious examples would be Jorge de Castro Font, who is now claiming insanity. The latest corrupt politician to emerge on the scene is Iván Rodríguez Traverzo, a former House Representative who was expelled after he was found blackmailing a group of small-inn owners, who had refused to bribe him.

Corruption, considered in some parts of the world as a necessary evil, is not generally tolerated on the island. After Chile, Puerto Rico is ranked second (and 33rd overall) as the least corrupt country in Latin America by Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index in 2010. The island has been slowly moving up the index, ranking 36th in 2008 and 35th in 2009, out of the 178 countries being listed. Keep in mind the word "perceptions," as this index is by and large the view of business people who participated in this report. If those living on the island were to be surveyed, Puerto Rico would either remain in a state of inertia, or perhaps move in the opposite direction of the index. One of the most likely reasons why the island is moving up this ranking is not because it has made tremendous strides in transparency, but because in some parts of the world government skulduggery and malfeasance is even worse.