Otro Día en "Paradiso" - Another Day in “Paradiso”

 Title: Unveiling the Impact of Mega Warehouses on Developed and Undeveloped Land By Edil Rentas,  The exponential growth of e-commerce has given rise to the proliferation of mega warehouses, vast fulfillment centers that facilitate the storage and distribution of goods. While these facilities have revolutionized the logistics industry, their establishment has profound implications for both developed and undeveloped land. In this article, we will explore the impact of mega warehouses on both types of land, examining the challenges they present and the potential consequences for our environments and communities. 1. Impact on Developed Land a. Conversion of Land Use: Mega warehouses require vast amounts of land, often in close proximity to transportation infrastructure and urban centers. As a result, previously developed land, such as industrial areas, brownfields, or even agricultural land, is repurposed to accommodate these massive structures. This conversion can disrupt e...

Para leer la primera parte click aqui:  Otro Día en "Paradiso": Encuentro Cercano en Tallaboa       Para leer la segunda parte click aqui:  Otro Día en "Paradiso": Encuentro Cercano en Tallaboa, Segunda Parte Es   una fresca noche de diciembre de algún año de los 70. Me encuentro en la vieja iglesia de mi barrio, la cual está abarrotada de creyentes que han acudido a celebrar la misa de gallo. Allí están todos aquellos que acuden regularmente, y muchos de los que sólo van durante semana santa y navidad.  No hay un asiento vacío y varios niños pelean entre sí para poder sentarse. Al frente, un nacimiento viviente adorna el altar mientras el coro llena el aire de villancicos a varias voces como de costumbre, acompañados por el cuatro, guitarras, güiro, maracas, y panderetas. Los monaguillos pelean contra el sueño, bostezo tras bostezo, contagiando al que los mira. Entro a la iglesia y me dirijo al atrio superior en un intento por encontrar as...

It's a hot, hazy, Sunday afternoon in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The skies are greyed out by the long traveled sand dusts from the Sahara, which have crossed the Atlantic as it has occurred for millenniums. The town is quiet, people walk lazily around the tree lined and centennial buildings adorned plaza.  Others sit on benches under the centuries old umbrella shaped trees, refreshed by the mist of the lion guarded fountain, enjoying the delicious ice creams from Los Chinitos, the decades old  famous ice cream parlor at the town square, across from the legendary black and red fire house, El Parque de Bombas.  Los Chinito's ice creams are delicious, no matter what flavor you get. I'm having my favorite, guanabana or sour sop, which melts under the intense heat, prompting me to lick it quickly.   It's always hard to chose between the so many delicious flavors, orange, coconut, passion fruit, peanuts, chocolate, or the decadent creamy vanilla, among others.  But neither t...

Today I went to the country house up on the hills, the place were my inlaws lived for many years. That place from where I've tempted many of you with the pictures of its awesome views.  Sadly, since the passing of my father in law, and the move of my mother in law to the city, the beautiful gardens no longer thrive. Missing are all the orchids and many other flowers that surrounded the yard. The coofee plants that served as boricua christmas trees, adorned with ripening coffee beans, no longer thrive. Fifteen feet high plantain plants bearing foot long plantain bananas, that looked more like palm trees are no longer cultivated. Nature is working fast at claiming what it is hers. Hornets are building their nests everywhere they find a suitable place, and a bee colony has made it's home inside the walls of the old laundry room. The trails where we used to escape to become part of nature are no longer passable. You can no longer hear the the roosters sing, neither the hundreds of ...

On our recent flight to Puerto Rico, I discovered that canes can be deceivingly used in order to break some airlines rules. While waiting to board the flight to San Juan, there where an unusually high number of passengers using canes, several of them also needing wheel chair assistance.  On this flight there where about six or seven persons awaiting wheel chair service. When the gate personnel called on those needing wheel chair assistance, a line quickly formed, some where already sitting on wheel chairs, while others were standing, and pretty much all had canes. The gate staff asked one lady who had arrived on a wheel chair, and was now standing, where was her wheel chair, she replied, "it's over there, I have to get it". Earlier my wife had seen the lady get up from the wheel chair, and walk to a coffee stand, without any problems whatsoever, but she did't think much of it. Now the lady was being boarded early on a wheel chair. On the line we also saw an elderly ...

Paseo Atocha, Ponce PR (Foto Edil Rentas) Las viejas calles de mi pueblo,  tumultuosas, parlanchinas, abarrotadas de transeuntes  despistados por sus compras, llenas de olor a frituras, a café expreso y domplines, adornada de flores en venta, de billeteros y limpiabotas, de palomas en vuelo, de viejos predicadores de ventanas abiertas  y balcones adornados con tapices polvorientos, carros cotorrientos van, guaguas gritonas vienen, anunciando los especiales del sàbado en la mañana, y la gente alborotada entra en cada comercio abierto desmadrando escaparates  como si el fin se acercara, y en las vitrinas adornadas los pobres cuelgan sus ojos soñando lo que no tienen, lo que quisieran comprar y en la esquina el limosnero extiende su mísera mano, el niño triste lo mira  y el adulto lo desprecia pero una mano generosa le aventa una moneda, toda la calle era bullicio, toda la calle era vida, qued...

Many years ago we visited the National Zoo in Washington DC. One of the exibits was a huge gorilla that was in a cage set beside a walkway, with a wall to wall glass partition dividing the cage and the people. Immediately following the glass on the bottom there was a ledge about foot and a half high where the gorilla sat, with his back on the concrete column, and his right side again st the glass. He was sitting with his right leg up and bent towards his chest and his right elbow resting on his knee, while his left leg lay rested on the floor.  I approached the glass and stood right by him, he looked up into my eyes, directly into my eyes, for a several seconds, then looked at another person's eyes, then another, then another. He kept switching, his look from one person to another, as if he was seeking an answer. An answer no one there could provide. I mean, we were separated by only a few inches of glass, but I could almost read his thoughts, his never ending question. Why am ...