i was surprised how nice the diving was in Dominica. excellent!

[Floribbean Divers]

IMHO I think the reef is healthier in Dominica. The small critters are everywhere. My only issue with Dominica is that the shore diving just can't compare to Bonaire. I did some shore diving in Dominica but definitely can't compare it to Bonaire. All that said I will be back at both Buddy Dive and Castle Comfort Lodge next year!!!!

 

[anenomefishman]

IMHO I think the reef is healthier in Dominica. The small critters are everywhere. My only issue with Dominica is that the shore diving just can't compare to Bonaire. I did some shore diving in Dominica but definitely can't compare it to Bonaire. All that said I will be back at both Buddy Dive and Castle Comfort Lodge next year!!!!

we normally stay at capt don's just north of buddy dive in Bonaire.

 

[Floribbean Divers]

Capt. Don's is a great place. Back in 2001 my wife and I were going to Bonaire for the very first time. CD's was full. So we went to BD and fell in love with the dive crew. Been back every year since. Some years twice. The Cree now seems like family and we actually miss just chilling and having a few drinks with them at dinner.

 

[diverrex]

Dominica is just about the least visited of all the Caribbean islands, so it is not getting much wealth from tourists. For instance the Cayman Islands have a population around 56,000 and get 382,000 visitors a year. Bonaire has a population around 17,000 and gets 130,000 tourist visits a year. Dominica has a population of 72,000 and gets only 81,000 tourists annually. It just doesn't have the tourist infrastructure of other islands. That is both bad and good.

I'd love to go back if I had at least 10 days there, not counting flying time which is pretty much 2 days each way from the US west coast. I say 10 days because I'd want 4 or 5 days staying in the interior and 5 or 6 diving days. Visiting the interior for just a few hours does not do it justice. You have to sleep there overnight to hear how loud it can be at night from the birds and insects. A different world from most other islands. So the big question is if I devote two weeks to a trip would I go to Dominica or an Asian Pacific location? If it was just the Caribbean and I could go somewhere for two weeks there is no question I'd pick Dominica.

 

[mmmbelows]

I am not eager to see my taxes increase, but at least I now recognize that we are not such a generous country as we'd like to think.

Americans give more to help others than the residents of 152 other countries, according to a new global survey. That’s a big change from last year, when the United States ranked No. 5.The poll, conducted last year with about 1,000 residents in each of 153 countries, asked people whether they had donated money to a charity, volunteered their time, or helped a stranger in the previous month.

By averaging the responses of people who had done each of those things, the survey ranked the United States as No. 1 with a score of 60.

With an 18 trillion dollar national debt, a dollar given to another country without a purpose that benefits the United States is a dollar misspent.

Being 22rd still puts us ahead of 173 other countries on this planet. That puts us in the top 10% which I think is good enough.

It's easy to malign the US or anyone depending on what statistics you use to make the point. Ranked 22rd by GNI, ranked number 1 by gross dollar amount. I doubt a recipient of our aid cares about the GNI ranking, but cares much more that they are getting 100 million dollars from the United States instead of $190,000.00 from Sweden

The United States in the number one spot by dollar amount is a full doubling of the amount of the country ranking number 2.

Portugal is ranked above us as a percentage of GNI, we gave $30,000,000,000.00, portugal gave $648,000,00.00. Or to sum it up Portugal is ranked one rung higher in giving by GNI but we gave 4800% more. "Lying with Statistics" a great read for anyone.

To ever connect "not that generous" with the United States is simply out of touch with reality.

Now as far as Dominica goes... loved it, it's an amazing place, you can basically watch the vegetation grow in front of your eyes! A great place to go if you like adventure travel, the interior is an adventure junkies paradise.

 

[agilis]

With an 18 trillion dollar national debt, a dollar given to another country without a purpose that benefits the United States is a dollar misspent.

Being 22rd still puts us ahead of 173 other countries on this planet. That puts us in the top 10% which I think is good enough.

It's easy to malign the US or anyone depending on what statistics you use to make the point. Ranked 22rd by GNI, ranked number 1 by gross dollar amount. I doubt a recipient of our aid cares about the GNI ranking, but cares much more that they are getting 100 million dollars from the United States instead of $190,000.00 from Sweden

The United States in the number one spot by dollar amount is a full doubling of the amount of the country ranking number 2.

Portugal is ranked above us as a percentage of GNI, we gave $30,000,000,000.00, portugal gave $648,000,00.00. Or to sum it up Portugal is ranked one rung higher in giving by GNI but we gave 4800% more. "Lying with Statistics" a great read for anyone.

To ever connect "not that generous" with the United States is simply out of touch with reality.

Now as far as Dominica goes... loved it, it's an amazing place, you can basically watch the vegetation grow in front of your eyes! A great place to go if you like adventure travel, the interior is an adventure junkies paradise.

The big question not addressed in your post is: Who gets all the big money given away by the US, and why do these few nations get such incredibly huge amounts of money? These are not poor nations.

The answers are appalling, disgusting. The great bulk of the money does not go to poor nations like Dominica. The giveaway programs are not really designed to help the impoverished.

Most of the money goes to those nations that have the most influence in Congress. Nations that are able to influence elections and direct congressional activity get the Lion's share of American 'aid'. The rest goes to those nations whose foreign policy we wish to influence and control. It's as simple, corrupt, and morally offensive as that.

We could significantly assist a nation like Dominica with ridiculously small amounts, a tiny fraction of 1% of the amount we spend on the top two leeches that suck us dry. What we spend on these nations in an hour would, if given to Dominica once a year, transform the place.

Some Americans think we are the world's Santa Claus. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I agree that we cannot afford to give away the amounts we spend on foreign aid. The problem is that Congress spends this money in a manner designed to secure their own power and position, not out of any sense of social responsibility. Not even in the best interests of the United States, if you look closely at the process.

 

[KathyV]

With an 18 trillion dollar national debt, a dollar given to another country without a purpose that benefits the United States is a dollar misspent.

Being 22rd still puts us ahead of 173 other countries on this planet. That puts us in the top 10% which I think is good enough.

It's easy to malign the US or anyone depending on what statistics you use to make the point. Ranked 22rd by GNI, ranked number 1 by gross dollar amount. I doubt a recipient of our aid cares about the GNI ranking, but cares much more that they are getting 100 million dollars from the United States instead of $190,000.00 from Sweden

The United States in the number one spot by dollar amount is a full doubling of the amount of the country ranking number 2.

Portugal is ranked above us as a percentage of GNI, we gave $30,000,000,000.00, portugal gave $648,000,00.00. Or to sum it up Portugal is ranked one rung higher in giving by GNI but we gave 4800% more. "Lying with Statistics" a great read for anyone.

To ever connect "not that generous" with the United States is simply out of touch with reality.

Now as far as Dominica goes... loved it, it's an amazing place, you can basically watch the vegetation grow in front of your eyes! A great place to go if you like adventure travel, the interior is an adventure junkies paradise.

Portugal?! You're joking, right?

The latest value for GNI per capita, Atlas method (current US$) in Portugal was $21,320 as of 2014
The latest value for GNI per capita, Atlas method (current US$) in the United States was $55,200 as of 2014

The US index is more than twice the value of the Portuguese GNI - and yet they are ranked above the US in foreign aide - who's lying with statistics now? It's not me!

 

[mmmbelows]

The big question not addressed in your post is: Who gets all the big money given away by the US, and why do these few nations get such incredibly huge amounts of money? These are not poor nations.

The answers are appalling, disgusting. The great bulk of the money does not go to poor nations like Dominica. The giveaway programs are not really designed to help the impoverished.

Most of the money goes to those nations that have the most influence in Congress. Nations that are able to influence elections and direct congressional activity get the Lion's share of American 'aid'. The rest goes to those nations whose foreign policy we wish to influence and control. It's as simple, corrupt, and morally offensive as that.

We could significantly assist a nation like Dominica with ridiculously small amounts, a tiny fraction of 1% of the amount we spend on the top two leeches that suck us dry. What we spend on these nations in an hour would, if given to Dominica once a year, transform the place.

Some Americans think we are the world's Santa Claus. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I agree that we cannot afford to give away the amounts we spend on foreign aid. The problem is that Congress spends this money in a manner designed to secure their own power and position, not out of any sense of social responsibility. Not even in the best interests of the United States, if you look closely at the process.

Yes of course, there is humanitarian aid

and there is foreign influence

foreign aid is "complicated"

---------- Post added July 23rd, 2015 at 11:39 PM ----------

Portugal?! You're joking, right?

The latest value for GNI per capita, Atlas method (current US$) in Portugal was $21,320 as of 2014
The latest value for GNI per capita, Atlas method (current US$) in the United States was $55,200 as of 2014

The US index is more than twice the value of the Portuguese GNI - and yet they are ranked above the US in foreign aide - who's lying with statistics now? It's not me!

What have you got against portugal? They are ranked above the USA, that should be all you care about.

 

[KathyV]

What have you got against portugal? They are ranked above the USA, that should be all you care about.

I have nothing against Portugal, they should be admired for their generosity, especially since they are a relatively poor country.

 

[mmmbelows]

All generous people should be admired for their generosity, especially the country that gives the most.

When I was a kid growing up we weren't well off, we lived next to a family who was. I was friends with their son, we were both the same age (10). One summer he got a new bike, he generously gave me his old bike, now his old bike wasn't really a prize, it was beat up, needed a front tire but it was rideable and, it was awesome since I didn't have one at all. My parents went over next door to profusely thank their son and his parents for such a generous gift to me. They didn't go next door and bitch the family out saying why are you giving our son your kid's old beat up bike when you are rich and you could afford to buy both kids new bikes!