The Sign Of The Lord

Opinion

Tiberiu Dianu


The Divine Sign

One of the most popular festival events in Puerto Rico takes place every year
on August 15 in the municipality of Cayey, about 30 miles south of the capital
city of San Juan: the Matron Festivities of Nuestra Señora de Asunción. The
festivities are celebrated during 10 consecutive days, bringing singers and ba-
nds from around the island. Cayey is relatively close to the southern shores of
Puerto Rico, the southernmost part of the United States.

This year, on the same day, in one of the northernmost largest cities of the Uni-
ted States, the popular Christian feast was observed being accompanied by a
special event. Almighty God has chosen the skies of Chicago to cast his vote for
President.

A “yuge” heavenly Donald Trump - displayed on the Lord’s ceiling - has dem-
onstrated to us that neither the place, nor the day have been chosen randomly.

The Place

Thus, for the Chicago place: God is reminding us of his displeasure for the un-
healthy policies of the former Illinois senator, now president of the United Sta-
tes, Barack Hussein Obama. These policies have targeted constantly the most
blessed country on earth, which the Almighty – still – loves and protects. It is
also a reminder to the (lefty) Chicagoans of their ugly manners and despicable
reception they had prepared in their Windy City for the Republican presidential
candidate. On March 11, they brutally infringed Trump’s constitutional right to
free speech by blocking his rally in the city.

This did not prevent Trump from easily winning the Illinois primary on the fo-
llowing Tuesday, March 15, exactly five months before the Divine Sign. Indeed,
God sees and takes care.

The Time

As for the date, rare are the days of the year loaded with so much religious sig-
nificance and variety of human events as August 15. Let us review some of them.
A few are related to the acute problems that concern the American society of to-
day...

-  the Assumption of Mary,  one of the most important Christian feast days and
holidays; according to some sources,  Mary’s death occurred 11 years after the
death – in 30 A.D. - of her son, Jesus (in 41 A.D.);

- the beginning of the Arab-Byzantine wars (in 636);

- the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople (in 718);

- the foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral, built to house the relics of the
Three Wise Men, is laid (in 1248);

- the end of the Byzantine Empire, as a result of the Ottoman victory in Tre-
bizond (in 1461);

- the Sistine Chapel is consecrated by Pope Sixtus IV (in 1480);

- Paraguay's capital city of Asunción (the Assumption) is founded (in 1537);

- The Battle of Fort Dearborn (now Chicago) is fought between the U.S. troops
and Potawatomi, during the Anglo-American War (in 1812);

- the oldest Roman Catholic cathedral (Our Lady of Peace) in continuous use
in the United States is dedicated in Honolulu, Hawaii (in 1843);

- the Panama Canal opens to traffic (in 1914);

- coincidentally or not, my maternal grandmother, called Maria, is born on the
Assumption Day, also known (in her native Romania) as the Falling Asleep of
the Blessed Virgin Mary (in 1915);

- The Wizard of Oz premieres in Los Angeles (in 1939);

- effective surrender of Japan in World War II (in 1945);

- the birth of stadium rock, with The Beatles playing to 60,000 fans at Shea
Stadium in New York City (in 1965);

- The Woodstock Music & Art Fair opens in upstate New York (in 1969);

- a radio telescope operated by Ohio University, The Big Ear, receives a radio
signal from deep space, named “Wow! Signal” from the notations made on the
project (in 1977).

The Identity

In case anybody still doubts the significance of the Divine Sign, take another
look at the profiles of Earthly Donald and Heavenly Donald. They are…
I-DEN-TI-CAL!



TIBERIU DIANU is a scholar and author of several books and articles in law and post-
communist societies. He studied law, human rights, and criminal justice at the univer-
sities of Bucharest (Romania), Strasbourg (France), Oxford and Manchester (U.K.), Am-
erican University (Washington, DC),  and University of Maryland at College Park (Ma-
ryland). He currently lives in Washington, DC, where he works for various government 
and private agencies.

The opinions expressed in the preceding article are those of those of the author alone and do not 

necessarily represent the views of The Puerto Rico Monitor, its contributors, editors or advertisers.

Puerto Rico News Digest For June 13, 2016

CDC DIRECTOR VISITS PR OVER ZIKA

From US News & World Report:

"The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is in Puerto
Rico to discuss the U.S. territory's response to an outbreak of the Zika virus. Tom
Frieden met with Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla behind closed doors Friday. It is
his second visit to the island in recent months. Puerto Rico is reporting 149 new
cases of the mosquito-borne virus in the past week. The island has more than
1,500 cases, including 182 in pregnant women. A total of 40 people have been
hospitalized..."

MST CALLS FOR CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

From Caribbean Business:

"The Socialist Workers Movement (MST by its Spanish initials), the Work-
ing People’s Party Youth, the National Hostos Independence Movement and
other individuals on Monday were calling for civil disobedience against leg-
islation by the U.S. Congress that would establish  a financial oversight board
for Puerto Rico. “With this activity, we express our strong opposition to the fis-
cal control board that is cooking in the U.S. Congress,” the MST, which was
demonstrating across from the José V. Toledo Federal Building & U.S. Court-
house in Old San Juan, said in a statement..."

CAYEY PEAKS NOW NATURAL RESERVE

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"Gov. Alejandro García Padilla offi cially approved the demarcation of the
Planadas-Yeyesa natural reserve (known as las Tetas de Cayey) on Thursday,
thereby converting it into one of the largest protected areas in Puerto Rico with
great importance for the southern aquifer, animal species and cultural resources.
The natural reserve is so named after the names of its two large peaks -- Plana-
das and Yeyesa -- both of an approximate elevation of 2,559 feet (780 meters)
above sea level..."

WATER RATE HIKE COULD BE PUSHED BACK

From News Is My Business:

"Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority Executive Director Alberto Láza-
ro said Sunday the chances of an increase in water rates could be pushed back
with the approval of House Bill 2786, which seeks to address the public corpo-
ration’s funding needs for capital improvements. The so-called PRASA Revita-
lization Act is slated to be approved today, delaying the possibility of a rate hike
next month, as Lázaro had warned was a possibility earlier this year..."

Puerto Rico News Digest For June 10, 2015

2-DAY WATER RATIONING STARTS TODAY

From The San Juan Daily Star:

Starting Wednesday, some 160,000 citizens who receive water from Lake
Carraízo will enter into the second phase of the water rationing plan, which
is two consecutive days without potable water followed by one day with it,
Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) Director Alberto Lá-
zaro announced. “This decision to extend to a second phase arises from the
dramatic reductions [in water levels] at Carraízo reservoir, due to the severe
drought many municipalities are facing, especially those whose rivers feed
the reservoir,” Lázaro said, adding that the level of the reservoir is at 36.34
meters, which means that during the weekend the water level went down by
more than .17 centimeters.

MAN SHOT DURING FACEBOOK MEETING

A Carolina man was shot last night at the Jardines de Montellano public hou-
sing project in Cayey as he was meeting in person a woman he had found on
Facebook. Shortly after arriving at the projects number 69 building, two males
approached the man and asked him what he was doing there, immediately after
which they opened fire. The victim was transported to Centro Médico in Río
Piedras with gun shot wounds to the chest. He is in stable condition, as repor-
ted today by El Nuevo Día.

NEW STORES DEBUT AT MALL OF SAN JUAN

From Caribbean Business:

The retail establishments offer a variety of products and services. BCBG
Max Azria offers women’s ready-to-wear and accessory collections; Evo-
cent has handcrafted jewelry and accessories; Lush Fresh Handmade Cos-
metics, a first on the island, sells hair and beauty products; Swiss-watch
manufacturer OMEGA ’s first local store; Perfume Plus; the first Brow Art
23 store on the market; watches and jewelry from Invicta’s only store in
Puerto Rico; and apparel and accessory store Zara’s second local store.

COTTO WANTS CANELO ALVAREZ FOR NEXT FIGHT

From International Business Times:

After Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico pulverized Daniel Geale of Australia in
just four rounds Saturday, Cotto wasted no time in calling out Mexico's Ca-
nelo Alvarez for his next fight. "Let's do it," Cotto told HBO commentator
Max Kellerman after the match with Geale. "Before that, I want to spend
some time with my family and enjoy them again, but then it's back to L.A.
and training for Canelo [Alvarez]." Cotto and Alvarez did not want to “do it”
earlier this year when negotiations for the fight broke down at the last minute.
Instead, the Puerto Rican faced an overmatched Australian -- just another
tune-up fight before the potential big money fight against Alvarez.

Puerto Rico News Digest For December 11, 2014

HEDGE FUNDS BACK $2.9B BOND SALE

From The San Juan Daily Star:

Contrary to what Treasury Secretary Melba Acosta said, hedge
funds that hold Puerto Rico’s general obligation bonds will
back a proposed bond sale of up to $2.9 billion even after
lawmakers capped the interest rate on the bondsat 8.5 percent,
a source close to the hedge funds told Reuters on Tuesday.

“The rate limit does not change the broad view on Puerto Rico
or the bond sale itself,” said the source, who declined to be
named as details of the transaction were not public. At a news
conference, Acosta said she was not pleased with the bill that
hikes the crude oil tax to $15.50 from $9.25. The hike will
fund the bond issue and mass transit operations. The bond issue
will help pay a $2.2 billion credit line that the Highway and
Transportation Authority has with the Government Develop-
ment Bank to give it liquidity.

MAN MURDERED IN CAYEY

EL Vocero reports that an unidentified man's body was found
last night by Police on 25th Street of the Polvorín neighborhood
in Cayey. The man displayed several gunshot wounds which
presumably killed him instantly. Agents from the Criminal
Investigative Body out of Guayama are in charge of the
investigation.

LIBERTY ACQUIRES CHOICE CABLE TV FOR $272M

From Fox News Latino:

The Puerto Rican unit of cable television, telephone and broadband
provider Liberty Global on Wednesday announced the acquisition
of local rival Choice Cable TV for $272.5 million, saying the deal
will allow it to reach 80 percent of homes on the U.S. commonwealth
and expand its customer base there by nearly 20 percent.

The transaction, which was announced Wednesday by Liberty
Cablevision of Puerto Rico but still is subject to regulatory approval,
will give Liberty control over the leading cable and broadband services
provider in Puerto Rico's southern and western regions.

Liberty's operations in Puerto Rico are currently focused on the
island's northern, eastern and central regions.

RETAIL SALES UP 1% IN SEPTEMBER

From News Is My Business:

Retail sales of commercial in Puerto Rico were up 1.06 percent in
September 2014 compared to the same month in 2013, Puerto Rico
Trade and Export said Wednesday.

Sales reached $3.09 billion in September 2014, versus $3.06 billion
in September 2013, representing $32 million in added activity, PR
Trade Executive Director Francisco Chévere said.

ALVAREZ VS COTTO SET FOR MAY

From The Int'l Business Times:

It’s not at the level of Floyd Mayweather Jr vs. Manny Pacquiao
but a Canelo Alvarez vs. Miguel Cotto bout would be on top of
the list of the most anticipated fights in 2015. The latter
fight is now being finalised after both Oscar De la Hoya and
Bob Arum admitted that discussions between the two camps have
been going well.

The Alvarez vs. Cotto bout will air on HBO Pay-Per-View (PPV)
on the much-coveted date of the weekend of the Mexican holiday
Cinco de Mayo. The probable venue would be in San Antonio,
Dallas, Las Vegas or New York, also according to De La Hoya.

The 34-year-old Cotto (39-4-0, 32 KOs), who is from Caguas,
Puerto Rico, is coming off back-to-back victories. Meanwhile,
the 24-year-old Alvarez (44-1-1, 31 KOs), who is from Tlajomulco
de Zúñiga, Jalisco, Mexico, is also coming off two wins in a
row over Alfredo Angulo (10th round TKO) and Erislandy Lara
(12 rounds split decision).