Puerto Rico

After Christopher Columbus arrived in 1493, the island was colonized in 1508, and the capital city of San Juan founded in 1521.

As a result of the Spanish-American War, Puerto Rico was relinquished to the USA by Spain in 1898. Today it is a self governing (very independent-minded) territory of the USA, and enjoys much autonomy.

The climate is usually hot and humid, with some lower temperatures found in the higher elevations. Like most Caribbean islands, Puerto Rico is subject to an occasional hurricane warning (May - October).

Compared to other islands in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico has a high standard of living with a vibrant industrialized economy. More quick facts .


Hispanic, Afro-Caribbean and North American influences meld in Puerto Rico . It is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean Sea, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands.


The Capital is San Juan. The official language is Spanish and English.


The President is Barack Obama . As of Nov. 2016, it's Donald Trump.


Puerto Ricans are by law natural-born citizens of the United States; they have been citizens of the U.S. since 1917, and may move freely between the island and the mainland. As it is not a state, Puerto Rico does not have a vote in the United States Congress, which governs the territory with full jurisdiction under the Puerto Rico Federal Relations Act of 1950. However, Puerto Rico does have one non-voting member of the House called a Resident Commissioner. As residents of a U.S. territory, American citizens residing on the island are disenfranchised at the national level and do not vote for president and vice president of the United States, and only some residents pay federal income tax. Like other territories and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico does not have U.S. senators. Congress approved a local constitution in 1952, allowing U.S. citizens of the territory to elect a governor.


The Country profile , the CIA Factbook.

Bahamas

Bahamas is a country consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets (rocks). It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti), northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States (nearest to the state of Florida).

The Capital is Nassau.

Bahamas government is Parliamentary democracy and Constitutional monarchy. The Head of state monarch is Elizabeth II .

The official language is English.

The Prime Minister is Hubert Minnis.

The Country profile , the CIA Factbook, and the history.

August 31, 2010 U.S. Troop Withdrawal

President Obama spoke at a conference for disabled veterans. He announced the next phase in the military’s withdrawal from Iraq . All U.S. combat troops are scheduled to leave Iraq by the end of August 2010, with about 50,000 other troops staying behind.

Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola

Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with Haiti, making Hispaniola one of only two Caribbean islands, along with Saint Martin, that are shared by two sovereign states.

The native Taíno (pronounced /tīnō/) people had inhabited Hispaniola before the arrival of the Europeans, dividing it into five chiefdoms. The Taíno people had eventually moved north over many years, and lived around the Caribbean islands.

The Taíno natives had done quite well for themselves and were on their way to being an organized civilization. Christopher Columbus explored and claimed the island, landing here on his first voyage in 1492.

The colony of Santo Domingo became the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas, the oldest continuously inhabited city, and the first seat of the Spanish colonial rule in the New World.

Meanwhile, France occupied the western third of Hispaniola, naming their colony Saint-Domingue, which became the independent state of Haiti in 1804.

After more than three hundred years of Spanish rule the Dominican people declared independence in November 1821.





The Capital is Santo Domingo. Spanish is the official language.

President Leonel Fernández's term ended 8.16.12. The current president is Danilo Medina.

Vice President Rafael Alburquerque's term ended 8.16.12 as well. Margarita Cedeño de Fernández is the current VP.



The Country profile , the CIA Factbook, and the history.





7.12.10 President Obama & President Fernandez meet on Trade, Drug-Trafficking, and Haiti.

NAACP, the Tea party, and Shirley Sherrod

NAACP Ben Jealous speaking at the 2010 Convention:


7.12.10 NAACP to condemn 'racism' of the Tea Parties.

7.14.10 NAACP passes resolution blasting Tea Party 'racism.' Ben Jealous explains why the resolution was passed. The resolution was passed to condemn extremist elements within the Tea Party, calling on Tea Party leaders to repudiate those in their ranks who use racist language in their signs and speeches. Tea party leader, Mark Williams, is trying to condemn the NAACP. Video showing racism within the tea party.

7.18.10 CNN's Don Lemon speaks with Rev. Al Sharpton who gives his views about the Tea Party movement.



7.18.10 New Developments: Mark Williams & Tea Party Express expelled !
The National Tea Party Federation, an organization that represents the Tea Party political movement around the country, has expelled conservative commentator Mark Williams and his Tea Party Express because of an inflammatory blog post he wrote, federation spokesman David Web.


7.18.10 The National Tea Party Federation's David Webb explains why his group expelled Mark Williams and his Tea Party Express.





7.18.10 Ben Jealous: "Getting rid of Williams is a good start."





7.19.10 Andrew Breitbart, a conservative blogger, published a video of a speech by USDA employee Shirley Sherrod in an attempt to show that the NAACP itself tolerates racist behavior within its ranks – a stinging accusation just one week after the civil rights group made a similar charge against the conservative Tea Party movement. The video clip showed Shirley Sherrod, who later became an Agriculture Department employee, seeming to say she had not done her utmost to help a white farmer save his farm 24 years ago was taken out of context, and fails to include the point of her story - that people need to move beyond race. The NAACP and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack rushed to judgment. Vilsack forced her to resign. But after the full video surfaced, it proved that Shirley Sherrod's message was taken out of context. The NAACP, and Vilsack, and the White House apologized to Sherrod and she was offered a new job in the Agriculture Department. Additionally, black farmers have yet to be paid by congress for a racial bias settlement they won in 1999.

7.22.10 Pres. Obama and Mrs. Sherrod speak .

All videos

NOTE: The lesson for the nation here is to not rush to judgment before having all of the facts. When Breitbart released the partial video (and remember he did it to get back at the NAACP for calling the tea party out on the racial elements within their group. And he wanted to take media attention off of Mark Williams' racial comments) the NAACP, Tom Vilsack, and the White House should have called Shirley Sherrod to hear her story before rushing to the wrong conclusions and firing her.




7.21.10 Salon.com writer Alex Pareene: Vilsack offers Shirley Sherrod a new job.

7.23.10 Op-Ed Columnist Bob Herbert: Shirley Shorrod, Thrown to the Wolves.

7.24.10 Op-Ed Columnist Maureen Dowd : The Obama White House is too white.

7.27.10 Huffington Post Writer Duchess Harris: Shirley Sherrod for President.

PM Netanyahu Interview on Larry King

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Larry King Live.

Hawaii

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states (August 21, 1959), and is the only state made up entirely of islands. Hawaiʻi’s natural beauty, warm tropical climate, inviting waters and waves, and active volcanoes make it a popular destination for tourists, surfers, biologists, and volcanologists alike. The temperature is mild, and cane sugar, pineapple, and flowers and nursery products are the chief products. Hawaii also grows coffee beans, bananas, and macadamia nuts. The tourist business is Hawaii's largest source of outside income. Read more facts .



The Capital is Honolulu. The executive branch is led by the Governor of Hawaii assisted by the Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii, both elected on the same ticket. The history on infoplease.com.

Hawaiʻi has garnered additional attention as the location where President Barack Obama was born and spent much of his youth. Obama is the only president to hail from the state.