Yeah, right, like new logo is going to erase away institutionalized corruption, entice travelers to venture outside "all inclusive" resorts. That will never happen both because of perceived safety and money.

Let's face it, most tourist that come to DR don't do so for the culture-they do it for the beaches, all you can eat buffets, Ron Brugal and the occasional ganja. They have no interest in anything else. Period!

If you want to increase cultural experience, then we must reduce and not expand the ubiquitous "all inclusive" resorts. Done correctly, the economy would overall benefit materially from getting tourist to venture into local landscape, outside their resort compounds. They would buy local art, eat at local eateries, spend money on taxis, etc. Local economy would benefit and expand, and we would all benefit. This is the right thing to do and the sooner the better.

glomarexplorer, on the money

Here's my entry:

The Dominican Republic.......Get out while you still can!!!

how about Looking down the barrel of a revolver and the expression " See it Like a Native " THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

How about a drawing of a tour guide with his hand in the pocket of an unsuspecting tourist

Glomy here is an all inclusive right up your sidewalk and it is only 532 US a day per room....from todays NY Times ............The bulk of the activity on this popular island has been in Punta Cana, which is exploding with development. On Nov. 1, the exclusive Zoëtry Agua Punta Cana (www.zoetryresorts.com/agua) opened with 53 cane-thatched suites. An all-inclusive nightly rate, starting at $532 a room for the high season, comes with the assurance of no check-in or check-out time.....http://www.zoetryresorts.com/

Great God,why do you hate your own country so much ?

Great God, why do you hate your country so much while Haitians love it and envy its success ?

I love my country. I hate someone as dumb as you who thinks the government is doing a good job. Sounds to me like you are filling your pockets and that is all you care about.

Another logo entry:

We are The Dominican Republic...A generous country...You lend us $300,000,000 and will give away half as Christmas gifts.

Why is it that all comments are negative??? All unhappy people... Please take a life!!!The Dominican Republic is a great country!!!

Do you think this is negative ? where is Comrade Dag and Comrade Josean when you need them ?

Heres some entries...

Welcome to the Dominican Republic now make this easy on us and just hand over all your money and valuables.

Welcome to the Dominican Republic.If you have any legal problems you can rest assured buying your way out is always an option.

Welcome to the Dominican Republic where anything is possible until your money is gone.

Tonydomrep

Great question now here is another million dollar question to all negative posters

What are you doing so your kids can have a better DR?

aside from posting and whining here on DT.
Most people here just have nothing better to do so they just keep whining from 1000s of miles away hoping somebody else takes care of the problems of the country they claim to love.

I love the DR, but the logo thing is fun... how about...

The DR - where the economy is up and down more than a beach hooker's knickers.
OR
Come to the DR - and leave with a nice itch
OR
DR's sanky panky love: a fat white gal's paradise
OR
Come to DR, home of the Haitians.

OK... to even the playing field...

DR - a diverse land of beautiful contrasts
OR
DR - Paradise gained
OR
DR - invest in paradise, live in heaven.

yeah, well....it's all good fun. I love the place anyway!!

Blutarsky the Great,

Thanks for link to "AI" resort.

Personally, at great financial sacrifice, I only stay at best places anywhere. I've been known to walk right out of some hotels immediately upon entering room, even when they dock me one night stay.

I don't mind staying at "AI" resorts, because I mix the compound experience with immersions into local culture, which is the way I feel it should be.

My father played a big part in bringing some of these resorts to northern coast and now regrets it. He said they really did not benefit local economy to any great measure, as all money was mostly left overseas, in places like Canada, Great Britain and Spain.

I propose a mortorium on "AI" in Dr, and that instead we concentrate on culture and expansive offering of natural resources. We must improve and guarantee safety, and entire population must endeavor to be courteous, make tourists welcome and feel safe. We must undertake this initiative as a sacred duty.

To ignore present predicament and general state of moral decay in all sectors of Dominican life would be tantamount to deep ignorance and false sense of patriotism.

We do not do ourselves any favors when we choose to ignore reality and live in and promote fantasy. This is precisely reason why our type of government and institutionalized corrosion prevails and is perpetuated. Instead, we must fight it vigorously at every chance, speak loudly and publicly air our dissatisfaction with status quo. If we keep on driving this message down eventually will succeed, even if we hit breaking point and have to resort to revolution.

Someone very wise stated that we get the government we deserved, and in DR's case I believe that is ture. We've come to accept, promote and perpetuate the LF's of the world. And never a day goes by when some DT readers nominate some obscure personality for president just because he made some ordinary remark which anywhere else would have gone unnoticed.

High kudos to all contributors who have aired their views of everything they see wrong with DR.

Now that problems are recognized, we've taken first proverbial step and we can begin the corrective process-whatever form it must take.

Basta,

Thanks for your support.

Basta was not wearing his drinking and drugging helmet today

I LOVE the Dominican Republic. I go every year for 4 to 5 weeks and feel very relaxed and actually free. I can step on somobody's yard without worrying that I will be charged with criminal trespasing, can play music and neighbors don't complain, can talk loud in the middle of the street without anybody being alarmed and saying that I'm causing a disturbance, can have an open container of alcoholic beverage on the street wihout being charged with drinking in a public place or AI.
I love the fresh fruits, natural food without chemicals, the friendliness of its people, their good humor, the human contact, people taking time to visit (rare in the USA).
Not everything is rosy, but I'm fully aware that it is a third-world country and therefore do not expect perfection. I love it, with the good, the bad and the ugly

and you wish just once someone would call you " Sir " without adding, 'You/re making a scene'. .....Yeah we know Josean feels the same way

Amber,

Thank God you have this outlet!!!! It is really hard to be and feel Dominican here in US, especially here in Upstate New York. You have to be cognizant of both your outside and inside voice levels and never mix them or confuse them.

Worse than being loud would be ever singing in public streets, buses, trains or at work....they would just dismiss you at being crazy.

Brought some Mexican engineers to do some design work for me the other day, and everyone in my department complained to me about their singing and banging on the desk to the rhythm. Had to tell them to stop it!

Noticed you write from States, yet you indicated you travel to DR every four to five weeks.

Are you a diplomat, airline worker, business person or just independently rich? For rest of us would like to do same and just can't figure out how....we can't help but feel a little envious!

Please show us how we can enjoy similar privileges.

Thanx.

Glomy that explains this story
Finger Lakes couple, both real-live rednecks, had 9 children. They went to the doctor to see about getting the husband "fixed". The doctor asked them why, after nine children would they choose to do this. The husband replied that they had read in a recent article that one out of every ten children being born in North America was Mexican and they didn't want a Mexican baby because neither of them could speak Spanish.

soon come .....another deluxe property....http://www.cristalbeachresort.com/

Glomar,

I go once a year and stay 4 to 5 weeks. My husband usually stays 2 weeks. I was born in the DR, but my hubby is from KY and didn't know the DR existed until we met. He truly loves spending time down there, he is crazy about Presidente beer, Sosua's cheese, rice, beans, chicharrones de pollo, sancocho, mangú, mofongo etc. My family says that he must have been a Dominican in a previous life. Our 3 children (born and raised here) have expressed at different times, that they like their Dominican family better than their American one
I'm used to KY lifestyle and am not too crazy about New York life. Mind you, I have only been to Manhattan, so I have a very narrow view of what it might be living in NY.

Blutarsky the Great,

This area is highly educated and I still believe we enjoy the largest number of issued US Patents of any region in the US or world.

Such story could never happen here. It happened in backward Louisiana, where proverbial rednecks clearly belong.

Amber,

I must stop reading small screen, because I am getting too old to see letters. Went back to your commentary above and, yes, you did clearly state you go there once a year. I couldn't help it and I was very envious, which prompted my immediate reply with my desire to learn how.

Mea culpa!!!!!!!

I apologize for my poor reading comprehension.

You sound like a very good Dominican and person. You are a great ambassador for my country.

Thank you.

BTW, my spouse is American, of direct German descent, with green eyes and natural blond hair. She loves merengue, sancocho, queso frito and everything Dominican. She likes dancing merengue more than me, and would keep me all night on dance floor if I let her [we just did that last night!]. In Santo Domingo, we use to refer to those people, affectionally, as "individuals who would even dance to commercials". I really love her....she was the girl next door and I've known her since she was eleven!

My entry:

The DR where the METRO is never crowded!

Here is another funny one.

Dominican Republic : You can come Josean is gone!

Now on a real note.

Dominican Republic : Birthplace of the new world!

"Here is another funny one."

One should not be so presumptuous, and should allow others to decide what is or isn’t funny, Ok pipa!

Patents are a con. Penicillin was never patented . The US patent system is broken:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/181310
Chinese companies have produced huge numbers of innovations without patents. So to say an area is famous for its number of patents is like saying an area is famous for the number of intelligent idiots who instead of doing anything useful file patents. I have met quite a few.
Developing countries have scored a few victories over patent law - they should now go on to completely reform the whole area.
The logo should reflect the charismatic nature of the people who do not sit around in offices much writing useless patents, the extraordinary beauty and of course the cultural heritage.
S.

S.