Puerto Rico : News
News : Puerto Rico : News
Read an Excerpt from Geraldo Rivera's HIS-PANIC... In this insightful, well-researched book, Peabody and Emmy® Award-winning journalist Geraldo Rivera examines the growth of the Hispanic population in the U.S., fueled partly by what may be the single most divisive issue in America today: illegal immigration. With objective clarity and personal conviction, Rivera sheds light on an issue that is muddled with confusion and prejudice-and too often blamed for everything from terrorism to welfare. His Panic: Why Americans Fear Hispanics in the U.S., is the first book published by Celebra, the first Hispanic celebrity imprint. Celebra will mirror both the language mix of the Hispanic population as well as that of the book buying market, publishing all of its books in English with a portion of its list translated into Spanish. Read chapter one from His Panic. [Access link above to website for excerpt. You will want to buy the book.] (Topix.net)The other side of Puerto Rico - Frederick News-Post - 5/11/08 Photo by Jim Breuer -- El Legado's beautiful pool and apartments are seen on a beautiful day in Puerto Rico. The flight from Baltimore/Washington Interntional Airport to San Juan takes a little over three hours. Upon arrival you are greeted by sun and light and affable, enthusiastic people. Luis Munoz Marin International Airport is on the island of Isla Verde, on the northern, Atlantic side of Puerto Rico, the very spot that is host to scores of high-rise hotels, gorgeous beaches and world-class restaurants. For many of us, this is where the journey ends. After all, you're within a stone's throw of stirring Old San Juan, an easy drive to El Yunque National Forest and some of the best golf courses you'll ever play. So why bother driving an hour south to the Caribbean side? For starters, it's as different from the northern side as the jungles of Queensland, Australia, are from the hills of Oregon. The backbone of Puerto Rico is the Cordillera Central, a range of mountains running roughly east to west that's high enough (5,000 feet) and steep enough (most grades over 50 percent) to engender a couple of microclimates: mountainous and wet in the north, mountainous and dry in the south. It's in the south that we find Ponce, the island's second-largest city, multiple funky little towns, and Guayama, to the east of Ponce by 45 minutes or so. There we find El Legado Golf Resort, home of its founder, golf pro Juan "Chi Chi" Rodriguez. [Access link to read comprehensive report points of travel interest.] (Topix.net)
A quick Clinton exit wouldn't help Obama - Los Angeles Times - 5/11/08 She'd still be on the ballot in several states and Puerto Rico. How would it look for him if she won some of them? Times political writer Mark Z. Barabak had an interesting conversation with Tad Devine, a Democratic strategist not involved with a candidate this time. Counterintuitively, the way he sees the inevitable delegate math in favor of Barack Obama, the worst thing that could happen to the Illinois senator now is what so many party members are clamoring for: Hillary Rodham Clinton to drop out. Why? Because with her name still on the ballots, she'd be very likely to win in West Virginia anyway. And maybe Kentucky too, given the demographics in both places. And possibly Puerto Rico as well. How would that look if at the end of the Democratic race the winning candidate with clearly the most delegates and popular votes went down to defeat against a candidate who isn't in the contest anymore? Ouch! That would tend to overshadow his expected wins in Oregon and Montana. [Access above link for full story.] (Topix.net)
In a Fantasy Realm With Joys and Disappointments - New York Times - 5/11/08 Gary Perez as Eusebio and Adriana Sevan as Flora in "Boleros for the Disenchanted." If, as one of Spain's classic plays declares, life is a dream, lovers and emigrants must be particularly alive. Being in love is as close as we come to the dream state while awake; and who would ever leave the comfort, or even the discomfort, of home without the insistent prodding of a dream? In José Rivera's new play, "Boleros for the Disenchanted," the dreams of lovers and emigrants commingle in the story of Flora and Eusebio. They meet in 1953 in Puerto Rico - "Isle of Enchantment," as the tourist literature would have it - and end up, after a lifetime of immigrant struggle on the mainland, in Alabama in the '90s. Mr. Rivera's chronicle is as bifurcated as their lives, with the first act a gently comic romance about how Flora finds a husband, the second a darker inquiry into the mysteries of married love. But the echoes of the sad love songs, or boleros, of Latin American pop music reverberate in both halves of the play. This world-premiere production, at Yale Rep, surrounds the joys and the disappointments of these characters with the hot pinks and lush greens of Miraflores, the small town in western Puerto Rico where Flora's story begins. Linda Buchanan's hibiscus-splashed set, evocatively lighted by Joe Appelt, captures the area's exuberant natural beauty. But Mr. Rivera's dialogue makes it clear that a tropical paradise can also be a dead zone. Flora's parents, played by Adriana Sevan and Gary Perez, have already lost their son to the siren song of the Bronx, and they cling to their daughter, and the old ways, with a desperate passion. She is all they have. [Important: Access above link to read the complete review by the NYT critic.] (Topix.net)
El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico: You have got to dip into this salsa - Seattle Times - 5/8/08 El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico has more than 50 albums, and their irresistible mix for dancing or listening has won fans all over the world. With its 40-year-plus legacy of more than 50 albums, including a Grammy-winning 40th anniversary concert disc, El Gran Combo is the real deal - salsa as it has been danced to in Puerto Rico, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Curaçao and beyond for more than four decades. With saxophones, trumpets and trombone answering the call of an infectious vocal trio - which in turn follows its own lead-and-chorus patterns - and a thicket of percussion thrusting the music forward, El Gran Combo creates an irresistible mix for dancing or listening. Known popularly as "The University of Salsa," because so many great players have passed through its ranks, El Gran Combo originated in a 1962 split-off led by pianist Rafael Ithier from the Afro-Puerto Rican band Cortijo y su Combo, which introduced black genres into Puerto Rican pop music. The group's first album, "Acángana," went gold in 1964. Shortly thereafter, the band was playing at New York's legendary Palladium with Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez and Machito (Topix.net)
US confirms former Guantanamo prisoner carried out April suicide attack in Iraq
"It is your duty to free your Muslim brothers from the hands of the polytheists and infidels"
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico : A Kuwaiti freed from Guantanamo Bay carried out a suicide car bombing recently in Iraq, the U.S. military said Wednesday, confirming what is believed to be the first such attack by a ... via International Herald Tribune
(Topix.net)Puerto Rico trade lines face class action suit - MarineLog - 5/8/08 Last month the offices of Puerto Rico trade Jones Act shipping lines were raided by federal agents investigating pricing practices in the trade. Now they face a class action law suit in federal court where, it is claimed "plaintiffs and class member economic and treble damages are reasonably estimated in hundreds of millions of dollars. Attorney Eric M. Quetglas-Jordan of the Quetglas Law Office, San Juan, Puerto Rico, filed the suit May 6 on behalf of La Esperanza Bus Line of Puerto Rico, naming as defendants Horizon Lines, Inc., Horizon Lines of Puerto Rico, Inc., Horizon Lines, LLC, Sea Star Line, LLC, Crowley Maritime Corporation, Crowley Liner Services, Inc. and Trailer Bridge, Inc. In the complaint, filed in the San Juan office of the Puerto Rico District Court, the suit is described as an antitrust class action brought against the defendants for conspiring to fix the prices of shipping services to and from Puerto Rico and other noncontiguous Jones Act markets. [Access above link for full story of this comprehensive report.] (Topix.net)
Seeds of Destruction [Playing the White Race Card] - The New York Times - 9/10/08 The Clintons have never understood how to exit the stage gracefully. Their repertoire has always been deficient in grace and class. So there was Hillary Clinton cold-bloodedly asserting to USA Today that she was the candidate favored by "hard-working Americans, white Americans," and that her opponent, Barack Obama, the black candidate, just can't cut it with that crowd. "There's a pattern emerging here," said Mrs. Clinton. There is, indeed. There was a name for it when the Republicans were using that kind of lousy rhetoric to good effect: it was called the Southern strategy, although it was hardly limited to the South. Now the Clintons, in their desperation to find some way - any way - back to the White House, have leapt aboard that sorry train. He can't win! Don't you understand? He's black! He's black! The Clintons have been trying to embed that gruesomely destructive message in the brains of white voters and superdelegates for the longest time. It's a grotesque insult to African-Americans, who have given so much support to both Bill and Hillary over the years. Representative Charles Rangel of New York, who is black and has been an absolutely unwavering supporter of Senator Clinton's White House quest, told The Daily News: "I can't believe Senator Clinton would say anything that dumb.") [Access link above full commentary. Post your comments on this topic on Topix.] (Topix.net)
Obama Takes a Victory Lap - New York Times - 5/9/08 Senator Barack Obama came to the Capitol on Thursday, trying to rally Democrats around him. WASHINGTON - Senator Barack Obama began trying to rally the Democratic Party around him on Thursday and struck a tougher tone against Senator John McCain, saying Mr. McCain was "losing his bearings" in his pursuit of the White House. Even as Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton persisted with her campaign for the nomination, Mr. Obama made a celebratory return to the Capitol, where he received an enthusiastic reception on the House floor in an appearance staged to position him as the party's inevitable nominee. Behind the scenes, there were new discussions between Mr. Obama and the party leadership. Senior Democratic officials said he met with Speaker Nancy Pelosi when their paths crossed at Democratic Party headquarters. They had spoken by telephone earlier in the week. Ms. Pelosi and Mrs. Clinton have had no known recent talks. Addressing concern among some Democrats that Mrs. Clinton would fight on to the national convention in late August, Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the Clinton campaign, suggested that the race would end quickly after the final primaries early next month, sparing the party a potentially debilitating summerlong battle. "After June 3, this is going to come to a conclusion," Mr. McAuliffe said on NBC's "Today" program. [Access link above for full story.] (Topix.net)
PUERTO RICO - $28 million in AIDS funds returned to feds - The San Juan Star - 5/9/08 $28 million in AIDS funds returned to feds - Fortuno seeks HHS support for bill aimed as direct funding - By Robert Friedman of Washington Bureau - The San Juan Star - 5/9/08 - Page 5... The Star is not on the internet and has no URL. This news report is a shocker. Here are some excerpts: The Puerto Rico government has had to return some $28 million in federal Ryan White HIV/AIDS funds between 2005-2007 because it could not spend the money in the time allotted, said Resident Commissioner Luis Fortuno. Fortuno called the amount of the return "unbelievable," considering the high rate of AIDS on the island. -- "This is not just irresponsible, but purely incompetent when there are 30,000 AIDS patients in Puerto Rico," said the resident commissioner. Both the commonwealth and San Juan municipal government have come under heavy fire for the way they are handling the federally funded AIDS program. Federal officials are probing the use of AIDS grants to island governments. The HRSA supposedly is developing a plan to improve services for Puerto Rico HIV/AIDS sufferers. On Wednesday, Fortuno asked U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt to get behind legislation that could empower HRSA to bypass the island governments and directly distribute the funds to the community-based organizations. --- the law was needed because the commonwealth was "by far the worst of the state governments, the most delinquent" in administering the funds. In his letter, the resident commissioner noted that Puerto Rico, whose AIDS rate is the sixth highest in the nation, received almost $75 million in Ryan White funds in 2006. --- "Despite the significant federal funding allocated to Puerto Rico, and not withstanding the extraordinary efforts of the AIDS advocacy community on the island," Fortuno wrote, "too many of my constituents living with HIV/AIDS find it terribly difficult to obtain --- and, in come cases, cannot obtain all --- the services they need to stay healthy and enjoy life. " He added: "This state of affairs is the direct result of chronic mismanagement of federal funds on the part of the government of Puerto Rico." --- the island "remains mired in a situation where available federal money sits in a bank account somewhere while patients in Puerto Rico receive substandard care and community-based organizations eager to help are instead forced to reduce services." (Topix.net)
With 55 delegates, Puerto Rico eager for primary limelight - CourierPostOnline.com - 5/8/08 Now Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory for more than 100 years, has a place at the center of American political debate. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are competing for 55 delegates to be chosen in a June 1 Democratic primary. The island also has eight superdelegates. "We're going to enjoy every minute of the attention," the president of the Puerto Rican Senate, Kenneth D. McClintock, said during a recent visit to the nation's capital. A superdelegate who has committed to Clinton, McClintock noted that former President Bill Clinton made several appearances on the island in early April. There, he thrilled crowds with the observation that, "You might actually determine this election." McClintock said the island is expecting a flurry of visits from the candidates and political reporters, especially during the 12 days between the May 20 primaries in Kentucky and Oregon and the Puerto Rico contest. [Access above link for full story. Post a comment.] (Topix.net)
Biovail shifts focus, closing Puerto Rican plants
Biovail also said it plans to close two manufacturing facilities in Puerto Rico and move some of the work to its plant in Steinbach, Man. The company said the closings are expected to be completed in 18 to 24 months.
(Topix.net)Star and Stripes: Puerto Rico's Own Olympic Dreams - Wall Street Journal - 5/6/08 U.S. Commonwealth Competes Like a Nation; Boxer Arroyo's Colors -- McJoe Arroyo, in red, at the AIBA World Boxing Championships semifinals in November. The American flag and the flag of Puerto Rico fly side by side everywhere on this island. But there's one place where Puerto Rico's flies all by itself: on a silver pole in a clump of palm trees at the Albergue Olímpico -- home to Puerto Rico's ferociously patriotic Olympic athletes. "My pride is here in Puerto Rico," McJoe Arroyo said one day in the Albergue's sweat-scented boxing gym. The 119-pound bantamweight, 22 years old, sat wrapping his fists in Everlast tape. "I represent the colors of my flag," he said. It was mentioned that he is an American citizen and that the U.S. flag is also red, white and blue. McJoe Arroyo, in red, at the AIBA World Boxing Championships semifinals in November. "It's a different color blue," said Mr. Arroyo. In Beijing in August, 192 countries and 13 "entities" will carry their flags at the Olympics. Puerto Rico is an entity. Like the others -- a miscellany of islands and quasistates -- it goes to the Games for the glory of its sports and in spite of its history. This year, though, the oddity of Puerto Rico's full Olympic membership and its half-in-half-out status as a commonwealth of the U.S. is a subject of conversation for two exceptional reasons: One, on June 1, the Democrats, having switched from caucuses to a popular vote, will hold Puerto Rico's first presidential primary. With 63 delegates at stake, the primary might not have any impact on the race by then, but it does rub in the fact that four million U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico still aren't allowed to vote in the presidential election. Two, McJoe Arroyo has a shot at an Olympic medal. [Acess link above to read full story.] (Topix.net)
Editorial - A shameful delinquency - The San Juan Star - May 8, 2008 The government needs to promptly pay off its debts with a group of community organizations providing extremely valuable, even heroic, services to Puerto Rico's most vulnerable citizens. The groups say that unless they are paid soon, they will be forced to shut their doors because of lack of funds. The unpaid debts extend back to September 2007. The groups saying they are owed money include Iniciativa Comunitaria, Hogar de Ayuda El Refugio, Coaf, Casa Joven del Caribe, Bill's Kitchen, the Sor Isolina Ferre Centers and Puerto Rico CONCRA. They provide services to drug addicts, HIV/AIDS patients, school dropouts and victims of abuse and domestic violence. The Sor Isolina group alone is owed $1.7 million, while Iniciativa Comunitaria is owed $289,000, Coaf $32,820 and Bill's Kitchen $80,000. The groups say both the commonwealth and the San Juan municipal government are responsible for the debts, but Deputy Mayor Miguel Cordero said Tuesday the capital city has no outstanding debts dating back to last year. We don't know whether it's a problem of a cash crunch in the government or simply typical government bureaucracy. However, it's clear that the government needs to pay up, and soon. Because these groups take on some of the toughest jobs on the island , they are doing work that would fall to government if the groups were forced to close. We're sure the quality of services delivered to the marginalized populations they serve would worsen in government hands. Moreover, advocates say that it would cost the government seven times as much as to deliver the same services that these non-profit charities currently provide. Also, government investment in these groups is often multiplied tenfold because private companies usually offer to match government contributions, they added. That should be reason enough for the government to pay up quickly. But Senate President Kenneth McClintock has added another one. He advised the groups this week to sue the government because there is "a joint resolution approved and signed by the governor, which entitles them to a certain amount of money." (Topix.net)
Support for Clinton Wanes as Obama Sees Finish Line - New York Times - 5/8/08 Political pressure on Mrs. Clinton to withdraw is growing. A widely known supporter of Mrs. Clinton, former Senator George McGovern of South Dakota, the 1972 Democratic nominee, announced on Wednesday that he had switched his endorsement to Mr. Obama and believed that Mrs. Clinton should drop out because it was mathematically impossible for her to win the nomination. The Obama campaign also announced four new superdelegate endorsements, those of Jerry Meek, chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party; Jeanette Council, a member of the Democratic National Committee from North Carolina; Inola Henry, a member of the national committee from California; and Jennifer McClellan of the Virginia House of Delegates. Ms. McClellan also switched from Mrs. Clinton's camp. Representative Heath Shuler of North Carolina said on Wednesday that he would follow the will of his district, which supported Mrs. Clinton. One Clinton adviser said the campaign was struggling to arrange meetings with large numbers of uncommitted superdelegates. This adviser said that at least a few superdelegates might not want to meet with Mrs. Clinton because they did not want to hear another pitch or because they had all but decided to go with Mr. Obama. Still, Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the speaker of the House, was among those on Wednesday giving Mrs. Clinton room to make her own calculations about the race, saying "a win is a win," in reference to the Indiana results. "The race is alive and well and will continue," she told reporters. [This posting is only a small excerpt from the long NYT's report. Access full report with above NYT link.] (Topix.net)
FBI seizes evidence from 2 PREPA offices - Raids said linked to ongoing AAV campaign fraud probe FBI seizes evidence from 2 PREPA offices - Raids said linked to ongoing AAV campaign fraud probe - The San Juan Star - Wednesday, May 7, 2008... Here are some excerpts from this article. The STAR does not publish on the Internet. Therefore, there is no URL ... "... FBI agents seized documents and computers at two Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority offices as part of its ongoing investigation into Gov. Acevedo Via's campaign finances, a high-profile employee said Tuesday..." "... It's vox populi at the agency" said the source , adding that the warrant appeared to target 'people identified as fundraisers for the Popular Democratic Party withing the PREPA..." "... The documents seized reportedly deal with the public corporation's contracting of services such as advertising. -- Under the federal indictment issued on March 17 against Acevedo Vila, the governor along with 12 others -- including six members of this campaign finance committee -- alledgedly conspired to exceed legal public finance campaign limits by some $3l.3 million during his gubernatorial run..." "Sources close to the case said the U.S. Attorney's Office in Puerto Rico is hard at work on another superseding indictment in the case...." "... First U.S. Assistant Attorney Maria Dominguez told Judge Barbadoro that if another superseding indictment were to be issued in the case it would come down no later than June 27..." (Topix.net)
Fundraiser aims to save dogs in Puerto Rico - Asbury Park Press - 05/06/08 Students at Monmouth Regional High School have organized a fundraiser to help homeless and abused dogs in Puerto Rico. Members of the Spanish Club and the Animal Friendly Organization at the school will host an amateur dog show and fundraiser from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The public is welcome, and attendees can bring their dogs to the event. Proceeds will benefit Save A Sato, a nonprofit organization that helps Puerto Rico's abused street dogs. "Sato" is slang for street dog in Spanish. According to its Web site, Save A Sato rescues the dogs from streets and beaches, gives them medical care, food and shelter. When they are rehabilitated, they are sent to shelters in the United States to be adopted. There are several activities and demonstrations planned during Saturday's fundraiser. An amateur dog show will be held in the gym. Categories include: best trick, craziest mixed mutt, owner/dog look-alike and best dressed/cutest costume. Prize baskets will be given to the winners. The Best in Show winner will win a customized handpainted portrait of the dog, to be painted by the outreach coordinator of Save a Sato, Twig Mowatt. [Access above link for full story.] (Topix.net)
The Clintons and race: What goes around ... - USA.TODAY.com - 05/06/08 As the Barack and Hillary Show extended its tour to such off-off-off Broadway primary states as Indiana and North Carolina (coming soon to Puerto Rico!), it was inevitable that both sides would dust off the "playing the race card" script. Recently, Bill Clinton was asked whether he had played the race card when he compared Barack Obama's South Carolina victory to Jesse Jackson's in 1984 and 1988. "No," he said in one of his typical outbursts of enraged self-pity. "I think that they played the race card on me, and we now know ... that they planned to do it all along." Then Clinton added to an aide - without realizing he was being recorded - "I don't think I should take any s-- from anybody on that, do you?" Oh, the ironies. First, Clinton's initial comments were entirely valid. Obama boasts enormous black support, more than 90%, and that's what put him (and Jackson) over the top in South Carolina. Second, while it's arguable that the Clinton campaign has, at the margins, played the race card against Obama, it's hardly been with much gusto, effectiveness or racism. Where's the racism? Indeed, Obama's spinners must be yoga masters considering how far they have to stretch to make their case. Betsy Reed, of the left-wing magazine The Nation, cites the Clinton campaign's reference to Obama's past drug use (raised most prominently by black Clinton surrogate Bob Johnson) and Bill's belittling of Obama's claims of anti-war purity as a "fairy tale" as examples of invidious racial politics. [Access above link for full report.] (Topix.net)
Experts say ties between the island and Central Florida are growing...Orlando Sun-Sentinel - 5/5/08 Minutes after the winner in the gubernatorial primary of Puerto Rico's pro-statehood party was announced, Orange County Commissioner Mildred Fernandez received a phone call. She wasn't surprised it was from a prominent Central Florida doctor who offered to hold a fundraiser for the winner at a palatial Lake Nona home. "There are strong ties between Puerto Rico and Central Florida," said Fernandez, who was on the island for the March 9 primary. "The things that are happening between these two communities are not happening in any other place. It only makes sense that people would want to meet the leaders and, in this case, potentially the next governor." Fundraisers for politicians running for office in Puerto Rico are becoming increasingly common in Central Florida, affording local Puerto Ricans and business interests the opportunity to influence the political and economic course of the island. It is also a signal that local Puerto Ricans are getting better organized -- something even the national parties have taken notice of. On a recent Friday night, a small, elegantly dressed crowd sipped wine and nibbled on bacon-wrapped scallops at the swanky Citrus Club in downtown Orlando. They were there to open their wallets for someone many of them didn't know personally, but were happy to support: Tomas Rivera-Schatz, a candidate for the Puerto Rico Senate who has been anointed by his pro-statehood party as the next president of that legislative body. [Access link above for full story.] (Topix.net)
Clemente: 'Basketball saved my life' - Topeka Capital-Journal - 04/05/08 Kansas State's next point guard comes to Manhattan from the streets of Puerto Rico by way of Miami Denis Clemente, who sat out this past season after transferring from Miami, grew up poor in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Clemente, whose family fled Cuba in 1961, moved at 17 to Miami, where he turned his attention toward basketball. "I saw bad stuff when I was young," he said. "Everything you can describe. Everything." Beautiful things happened on that street as well. Clemente learned to love basketball in a country where baseball was king, where his late cousin Roberto was royalty. Nobody ran faster than Denis Clemente. He ran hard, and he didn't stop until he'd left that street in Bayamon behind. Some of his friends wound up in jail. Clemente wound up in a gym in Miami. "Basketball saved my life," he said. Rick Pitino was there in the gym. So was Lute Olson. Art Alvarez, Clemente's AAU coach, put the basketball in Clemente's hands and told him to run. [Access above link for beautiful inspirational story of Denis Clemente life in basketball.] (Topix.net)
Ben Smith Politico Blog - Comments - Clinton Promise full citizenship to Guam -- ??? http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0508/Still_fighting_for_Guam.html#comments Ben Smith Politico Blog - Comments ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ She sure knows how to make promises whether they can be kept or not. When she was First Lady and her husband, Bill Clinton, was president, they never tried to give full citizenship to Puerto Rico so why would she give it to Guam if elected. She is holding out a phony carrot to get the Guam vote as she does in other areas where there are Democratic primaries. Barack Obama never makes a promise unless he can keep it... or deliver on the promise. Her promising full-ciitzenship to Guam is as opportunitic as her gasoline tax holiday. Robert McCarroll - Puerto Rico Posted on May 4, 2008 around 8:15 a.m. EST -- Post accepted but has not yet appeared on Comment Blog... [Post your comment on Topix forum for this topic and on the Ben Smith Blog.] (Topix.net)
UPDATE: Narrow Victory for Obama in the Caucuses in Guam - New York Times - 5/4/08 Senator Barack Obama appeared to win the Democratic caucuses in Guam on Saturday, defeating Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton by seven votes. When hand-counting finished shortly before 9 a.m. Sunday, delegates pledged to Mr. Obama, of Illinois, had received 2,264 votes, compared with Mrs. Clinton's slate, which had received 2,257, according to The Associated Press. Turnout at the caucuses was about three times greater than it had been in previous years. Party officials said many people had registered as Democrats at the caucus sites, prompting the nickname "Democrat for a Day." Although Guamanians are United States citizens, they do not have a vote in the general presidential election. Guam sends eight delegates - with half a vote each, awarded proportionally - to the Democratic National Convention. Because of the closeness of the vote, the outcome in Guam is unlikely to have an impact on the delegate margin. However, the caucuses also determined two of Guam's five superdelegates. Pilar Lujan, who is uncommitted, won the race for party chairwoman, and Jaime Paulino, who supports Mr. Obama, was elected vice chairman. Two of the island's other established superdelegates are on record as supporting Mrs. Clinton, of New York. (Topix.net)
A surfeit of money ruined our beautiful game - telegraph.co.uk - 03/05/2008 One of the most embarrassing results in the history of all sports came in the 2004 Olympics, when the United States lost to Puerto Rico at basketball. (Not a close loss, either: 92-73.) It's hard to exaggerate the extent to which the US regards itself as owning basketball, so this result was mortifying, but it was one detail in particular that caught the eye: the captain of the US team, Allen Iverson, had a shoe contract that was worth more than the combined total lifetime earnings of the entire Puerto Rican team. Nothing quite as embarrassing has ever happened to the English football team - not yet, anyway. But the failure to qualify for the European Championships this summer came pretty close. Switzerland, Turkey and Croatia managed what England couldn't, which is shaming, because the English Premier League is supposed to be the best in the world. [Open above link to read full story.] (Topix.net)
Trial for Puerto Rico Gov. set for February 2009
SAN JUAN , Puerto Rico - A U.S. judge says a trial for Puerto Rico's governor and associates facing charges of illegally raising money to pay off campaign debts will not start until February 2009.
(Topix.net)Tobacco fund tapped for social services -- MiamiHerald.com - - 4/23/08 They don't want the tobacco money -- won by Gov. Lawton Chiles in a hard-fought $11.3 billion settlement with cigarette makers in 1997 -- to become a piggy bank for lawmakers to make up for bad budget decisions of the past with no guarantee that money taken from the fund will ever be replaced. The deal guarantees the state as much as $13 billion over 25 years, and the settlement stipulates that the money will be dedicated to anti-tobacco education for youth, children's health programs and paying for treatment of smoking-related illnesses for the poor. But it was Chiles' successor, Jeb Bush, who came up with the idea of setting aside $1.1 billion of the tobacco proceeds and using the interest to pay for programs true to Chiles' legacy of children's issues. [In Puerto Rico, the Tobacco Fund was used as a piggy bank for PDP lawmakers to make up for bad or incompetent (maybe corrupt) decisions of the past with no guarantee that money taken from the fund will ever be replace. -- See COMMENT Section. - Yankee In Puerto Rico.] [Open above link for full story. I wish the media in Puerto Rico would do an investigative report on how the Children's Tobacco Fund has been used for balancing the general operating buget instead of helping the children and elderly.] (Topix.net)
Our position: A one-of-a-kind observatory in Puerto Rico should be spared budget ax... EDITORIAL The Orlando Sentinel Our position: A one-of-a-kind observatory in Puerto Rico should be spared budget ax April 30, 2008 The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico is not some pork-barrel project for the island. It's a national asset with a long list of scientific achievements over its 45-year history. It houses the only radio telescope in the world that could plot with precision the path of an Earth-bound asteroid. With its $12.5 million annual budget, the observatory is a bargain compared to many other scientific programs. Yet the National Science Foundation is planning cuts in funding for the observatory that could force it to shut down. This month presidential contender and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton sponsored legislation to block the funding cuts -- just weeks before the island's primary. Politics, perhaps. A good cause, definitely. If the foundation won't rescind the cuts, Congress should. Copyright © 2008, Orlando Sentinel (Topix.net)
Today on the presidential campaign trail - Excellent Review of Political News - AP - 4/30/08 By The Associated Press -- © 2008 The Associated Press - IN THE HEADLINES Obama, Clinton both seek ties to struggling working families ... Obama wins superdelegate support despite troubled times ... Obama seeks FEC investigation of Democratic group airing anti-Obama ads ... Huckabee: Rev. Jeremiah Wright needs Obama to lose to justify his views ... No matter how Obama handles Wright, some supporters won't be happy ___ Obama, Clinton court working families BEECH GROVE, Ind. (AP) - Barack Obama teamed up with wife Michelle on Wednesday to court working families with a little kitchen table conversation about tax cuts. Rival Hillary Rodham Clinton hitched a ride in a pickup truck to a gas pump to illustrate the pain inflicted on ordinary families by skyrocketing prices. Clinton was underscoring her call for a summer-long hiatus on collecting the federal gas tax by pulling into a South Bend gas station with sheet metal worker Jason Wilfing, 33, who pumped regular unleaded. "Sixty-three dollars for just about half a tank," exclaimed Clinton. The Obamas headed to suburban Beech Grove, where they had lunch and chatted with Mike and Cheryl Fischer, hearing their stories of struggle. He's a machinist at a local Amtrak facility where 77 jobs are threatened this summer. [Open full story link above to read entire excellent review. It is a long review worth reading.] (Topix.net)
Indicted Puerto Rico Governor Maintains Re-election Bid - Hispanic Business -4/29/08 The Last Supper of Puerto Rico's Anointed Savior before the Federals come to crucify him. __________________ Incumbent Anibal Acevedo Vila continues to be the candidate of the Popular Democratic Party, or PPD, in Puerto Rico's Nov. 4 gubernatorial election despite accusations of corruption that have been leveled against him. The front pages of Puerto Rico's three Spanish-language dailies agreed that Acevedo Vila had his fellow party members eating out of his hand during Sunday's special assembly of the PPD to decide the political future of the beleaguered governor. "Total domination. Showing great political ability, Anibal achieves unanimous support of the assembly," said the lead story in Monday's edition of El Nuevo Dia. Some 12,000 people attended the Sunday assembly at the Puerto Rican Colisseum at which 4,027 PPD delegates registered, a meeting held just a month after a U.S. federal grand jury handed down a 19-count indictment against the governor. The next day, on March 28, Acevedo Vila pleaded not guilty and asked his party for "a period of reflection" to decide on his political future. He had announced that he would inform the assembly whether he would stick with his plans to be the PPD candidate and that, in that case, he would consult the delegates about whether they would support him for the leadership of the party. The PPD had prepared ballot boxes and 5,000 ballots for the assembly, but in the face of the fervor provoked among the party members by Acevedo Vila's speech, the party found the secret balloting to be unnecessary and did not even ask the delegates to express their opinions on the matter in a public show of hands. (Topix.net)
FBI Arrests Fundraiser for Puerto Rico's Governing Party in Fraud Scheme; Federal Funds Involved April 29, 2008 -- Governor Acevedo said that he did not know the person who collected campaign funds for the PDP in the Education Department. Later, it was revealed that the fund raiser is a friend of Acevedo's wife. In fact, she visited him in his office at the Education Department. -- Yankee In Puerto Rico. Posted on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 3:54:42 PM by rrstar96 -- (English-language translation) Federal authorities arrested eight people this morning in relation to a fraud scheme in the [Puerto Rico] Department of Education, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) spokesman Harry Rodríguez confirmed firsthand to "Notiuno in the Morning". According to Rodríguez, the Grand Jury's indictments come in response to irregularities in the handling of federal funds in that agency. However, he could not offer more details about the case since the indictments remain sealed. For his part, Teachers Federation President Rafael Feliciano assured Notiuno that one of the persons implicated in the scheme is a fundraiser for the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), for which Governor [and PPD Chairman] Aníbal Acevedo Vilá's name will be associated with the presumed illegal acts. Personnel from the Office of the Inspector General and the FBI were in charge of this operation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Comment -- The latest.... All 8 defendants are employees of the Department of Education. Teachers Federation President Feliciano maintains that the indicted PPD fundraiser is the mastermind and that he has met with the island's First Lady Luisa Gándara. Gándara denies knowing the man. 3 posted on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 4:15:39 PM by rrstar96 (Strength and Honor!) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2008758/posts#comment [Read Topix Comment Section with posting of excerpts from The San Juan Star concerning this story. The above photo of Cruz and Feliciano is from the STAR's report.] (Topix.net)
EPA Applauds Environmental Champions in Puerto Rico
Eleven individuals and organizations from Puerto Rico received top honors today from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for their work to protect the environment.
The honor is given to those individuals or organizations that have made significant contributions to improving the environment and public health in EPA Region 2, which covers New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and seven federally-recognized Indian Nations.
(Topix.net)The Pastor Casts a Shadow - Bob Herbert-The New York Times - 4/29/08 By BOB HERBERT --- The Rev. Jeremiah Wright went to Washington on Monday not to praise Barack Obama, but to bury him. Smiling, cracking corny jokes, mugging it up for the big-time news media - this reverend is never going away. He's found himself a national platform, and he's loving it. It's a twofer. Feeling dissed by Senator Obama, Mr. Wright gets revenge on his former follower while bathed in a spotlight brighter than any he could ever have imagined. He's living a narcissist's dream. At long last, his 15 minutes have arrived. So there he was lecturing an audience at the National Press Club about everything from the black slave experience to the differences in sentencing for possession of crack and powdered cocaine. All but swooning over the wonderfulness of himself, the reverend acts like he is the first person to come up with the idea that blacks too often get the short end of the stick in America, that the malignant influences of slavery and the long dark night of racial discrimination are still being felt today, that in many ways this is a profoundly inequitable society. [Open link above to read entire commentary by Bob Herbert.] (Topix.net)