Wheew, I’ve been gone for some time but you haven’t been forgotten. Spring is in the air, a new beginning.

It’s been a few tough months. Lots of folks are struggling. Many friends have lost their jobs. Others struggling with the aftermaths of natural disasters. It is a time to recognize and come together.

Here in New York, sometimes it’s difficult to recognize that we are in a depression. The restaurants are busy, theaters are full, tourists are shopping. But, if you pay close attention, it’s not hard to notice that something is amiss. There are more and more “For Rent” signs on storefronts. The much loved and needed mom and pop shops can no longer survive. I lost so many of my favorite spots last year due to rent increases. The local coffee shop in the West Village, where students, local neighbors and low key celebrities would congregate over yummy pea soup and burgers, my healthy food market, my fave bistro for Steak Frites, the hole in the wall bar with the awesome jukebox…all gone. Unfortunately, these spaces will be replaced by big corporate retail or fast food chain restaurants. They are the only ones that can afford the exorbitant rents.

We have a “new” President that promoted change. He has been in office just over a year now. We are still in Iraq and Afghanistan, we are still arguing over health care, we still have same sex marriage conflicts. According to Politifact, Mr. Obama has delivered on 96 campaign promises, compromised on 33, broken 16, and is working on 272 of the 500 promises he made during his campaign. I have my fingers crossed that he won’t let us down.

Openly lesbian , a 65-year-old whose Jan. 31 elevation to the post of Prime Minister would have seemed the longest of long shots thirty years ago, at the start of the former flight attendant’s political career.

Or, perhaps not: this is a woman whose determination and perseverance have set her apart from others in the tiny nation’s government, a woman who once formed her own party before recommitting to the Social Democratic Alliance.

With Sigurdardottir having taken the reigns of national leadership and Iceland headed toward membership in the European Union, the promise of hope for a nation beset by deep economic woes–and the Jan. 26 fall of a government that had lost the trust of its people–far outweigh the sexual orientation of the new leader.

Even so, Sigurdardottir’s assumption of the role of Prime Minister marks an historic step forward: never before has an openly GLBT individual been prime minister of a nation.

Ms. Rogers recently served as President of Social Networking for Allstate Financial, LLC. Ms. Rogers served as the first female and first Black President of Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas, now divisions of Integrys Energy Group. She is also a mother (of one daughter Victoria), a political fundraiser, and highly active on the Chicago Social Scene.

She earned a MBA from Harvard University and a BA in political science from Wellesley College. She is consistently named one of the 50 most powerful Black business women by Black Enterprise. Celebrated for her great sense of style and business acumen, Rogers has also been featured in Vogue Magazine

Mrs. Clinton came to her decision after additional discussion with President-elect Barack Obama about the nature of her role and his plans for foreign policy, said one of the confidants, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the situation. [NYT]

According to the NYT, California voters have adopted a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, joining voters in two other states who went to the polls Tuesday to overturn such unions. The other two states being Florida and Arizona — but its success in California, a trend-setter in so many arenas, was seen as major defeat for gay rights activists. The measure came only months after California’s highest court ruled it constitutional, spurring thousands of gay couples to marry there. Ironically, exit polls in California found that 70 percent of black voters — and 74 percent of black women — voted for the ban.

“We pick ourselves up and trudge on,” said Kate Kendall, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. “There has been enormous movement in favor of full equality in eight short years. That is the direction this is heading, and if it’s not today or it’s not tomorrow, it will be soon.”

“This city is no longer marrying people of the same sex”, Gavin Newsom, the mayor of San Francisco, announced at a grim news conference at City Hall, where hundreds of same-sex couples had rushed to get married in the days and hours leading up to Tuesday’s vote.

Results in Arkansas show voters supporting a proposal to ban unmarried couples from adopting or acting as foster parents, which critics said was unfairly aimed at gay men and lesbians.

One step forward, three steps backwards.

I am so ecstactic, relieved and hopeful today.

We watched the election results on our computer last night. MSNBC had live coverage. Fortunate for us. Here in Puerto Rico we do not have a TV. We were so stressed that history was in the making and we would not be able to witness it.

Teary eyed we were. How fantastic to give this man a chance. He has a tough road ahead of him. Unbelievable challenges and he will be intensely scrutinized. I guess Bush’s legacy will be that his failed presidency allowed for some change in America.

The American people have spoken.  This is a historic moment. A moment when ALL Americans have come together for a common cause, CHANGE.  Yes we CAN and we DID!

Beautiful sunsets they do have, but living here in Puerto Rico has been an enlightening, frustrating and sad experience.

My partner (E) and I arrived a little over a month ago with the hopes of taking a break from NYC, and starting a seasonal bar/grill on the beach. E, would have time and space to read, write and do her artwork, and I would work on menus, cocktails, music and ambiance. How excited we were of the prospect of doing what we enjoy and of waking up to beautiful bright days by the sea.

We rented this small house on the beach. Not the tidiest, but on the beach afterall. We swam most morning before embarking on daily location scouting (for our new spot),  grocery shopping, book store hunting etc.

To give you some background, Rincon is on the far west side of the island.  San Juan is on the East side. There is a big surfing community here, both local and riders from abroad.  These beaches have some of the best surfing on the island.  Rincon also has a large ex-pat community. My guess is surfer dudes that started coming here in the 60′s and 70′s and just decided to stay or come back and settle in. Some have opened guest houses, casual eateries and of course…surf shops. As you can perhaps imagine, it is a very laid back town.

Coming from NYC, it has taken us quite some time to adjust. As New Yorkers, we are so accustomed to getting everything asap.  Here, there is no sense of urgency for anything. I’m not just talking about customer service, there is no urgency on the road, on the check out line, returning a call, keeping an appointment. They must be returning calls while driving because everyone is on a cell phone, which partly explains the turtle speed. I’m not sure if it’s the heat, but it’s unexplicable. I ‘ve heard of “tropical time” but this is ridiculous.

Rincon thrives on tourism. It’s their main source of employment and income. So, you would think that customer service would be priority. There is so much potential here, but I do not understand the disregard for some of the basic requirements to keep customers coming back. The funny thing is that I believe they know what it takes but, just don’t care. Maybe because no one really cares about them.

My parents are Puerto Rican. They both emigrated to the U.S. in the late 1950′s. Not by choice, unemployment was high in Puerto Rico. In the 1950′s, the United States under FDR implemented “Operation Bootstrap”. This program aimed to transform Puerto Rico’s economy from agricultural-based to manufacturing-based. The U.S. offered foreign businesses major tax incentives to get them to set up shop on the island which included hard-working men and women at a fraction of the price. Yes, cheap labor. In the meantime, farmers lost their land, some were bought or taken over by Americans or other foreigners and we stopped producing. If you go into any supermarket in Puerto Rico, all across the island, everything is imported. Puerto Rico has become a dumping ground for products and it’s people have become major consumers.  The U.S. will never give Puerto Rico it’s independence because it needs the island for business. Suzuki, Isuzu, Ponderosa, Burger King, Taco Maker. There are sooo many fast food chains here. Fish is imported from China. This is an island, surrounded by water, where is the fresh fish?

Does the U.S. care about the people of Puerto Rico? I’m beginning to think not. They ask, are we American? Are we Puerto Rican? This limbo state continues indefinitely. Do we have a voice? Certainly not in America. Puerto Ricans can not vote in U.S elections because they do not pay Federal taxes. They don’t seem to have much of a voice here either since many programs and funding need to be approved by the U.S. Federal government.

The island is having it’s elections for Govenor today. There has been a non-stop caravan of cars with loud music, and flag waving crowds along the roads cheering for either the red party (Popular Democratic Party) or the blue party (New Progressive Party). It just seems like an occasion to party and literally “burn rubber” with friends and family. I wondered if anyone really knew what their representatives stood for. Some of these kids weren’t even old enough to vote! I have been warned to stay indoors tonight and avoid the street frenzy that ensues after elections. If only Puerto Ricans were as enthusiastic about maintaining the beauty of the island and it’s waters, education, infrastructure, animal rights, gay rights…

I’ll be glued to the TV set tonight watching the elections in the States and listening to Reggaeton blasting out of souped up Hondas out my louvered windows.

…to be continued.

She was however, incredibly “honored” to introduce Gov. Sarah Palin on Sunday at a Republican rally in Florida.

But she was even more excited about  being able to “talk for a full five minutes without being interrupted,” by Joy or Whoopi.

She talked about Palin’s women’s rights views: equal pay for equal work, putting an end to honor killings, aiding women exploited in the sex trade and stopping the sanctioning of the abortion of unborn daughters in other countries.

She decried the fact that “they” are “fixated on her wardrobe,” calling it a double standard and deliberately sexist. But then she turned to Palin and remarked admiringly that the governor “sure is a woman who knows how to dress,” which got some rather sexist whoops, hollers and whistles from the audience.

Hasselbeck added:  “I’m most impressed by her accessories, you know, like the flag pin she wears in honor of her son and our military — men and women — fighting abroad.  And they fight for our every right to be here today.”

Oh, Ok

I am so tired of Joe the plumber, Rita the real estate salesperson and now we have Tito the builder. What are we in kindergarten? “See Spot run, see Jane run, watch Joe the plumber on CNN.” WTF, we have got to stop the dumbing down of America.