Samana, Dominican Republic

"Emancipate yourself from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds." It's a quote from Marcus Garvey, but it was made famous by Bob Marley in his Redemption Song. Bob Marley died on this very day in 1981. [1992]

Rio San Juan, Dominican Republic

At rest. The sea is calm, the boats at anchor, the waves in abeyance, and the sands awash. It's not always so peaceful, though. Just imagine what the coast will look like the next time a hurricane comes through. Coastlines are just like people: subject to moodiness (often beyond their control). [1992]

Rio San Juan, Dominican Republic

It looks like they are rebuilding their boat from the outside in. And, where is the work being done? Right on the beach. When the job's finished, a team of men should be able to pull it right into the ocean. [1992]

Samana, Dominican Republic

Quiet cove, but not all is well. Do you see any evidence of landscape change? Beach erosion, perhaps? Look at the palms at water's edge. They're not so perpendicular any more. You might be surprised they're alive at all until you remember that coconut palms thrive on salty soils. Notice that nothing else does. [1992]

Sosua, Dominican Republic

Define economic base: "any industry that brings money into a community." Use economic base in a sentence:  Art is part of the economic base of Sosua. Discuss the etymology of economic base: derived from two Greek words, "oikonomia" meaning "household management" and "basis" meaning "pedestal" (which is where we should put the arts). [1992]

Sosua, Dominican Republic

Natural rubber was never a major Dominican export, but two decades after this picture was taken, the industry has just about expired. You can see how labor intensive rubber production was. Trees were scored by hand, and the latex collected in old 'coffee' cans. It's just easier to synthesize rubber from petroleum. [1992]

Rio San Juan, Dominican Republic

She's a geographer in the making: so young, but perfectly comfortable holding the whole world in her lap. That is what studying geography does for you. It makes you feel at home: whether on your own back porch or on your own planet earth. [1992]

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

Does it look over 400 years old to you? Well, it is. Fortaleza San Filipe on the Bay of Puerto Plata was built in 1577 by the Spanish. Its purpose was to defend against French and British attack. At select corners of the fort were sentry boxes for extramural invigilation. [1992]

Samana, Dominican Republic

Coconut palms have an affinity for the coast. In fact, one of the DR's coastal regions is being called the Coconut Coast. It's an attractive name for real estate development, which is exactly what is encroaching on the old plantations. The next generation of jobs may be in the backs of kitchens instead of on the backs of burros. [1992]

Samana, Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic ranks fourth in the flow of fresh flowers to the United States. Here's what you should think about when you look at liatris like this: how much you pay for a floral arrangement and how much of that expenditure ends up in this young worker's pocket. [1992]

Samana, Dominican Republic

With beautiful beaches on both sides, the Samana peninsula is becoming a major tourist destination of the Dominican Republic's north coast. Nearby are some of the agricultural industries for which the Caribbean is famous: coffee, coconuts, flowers. [1992]