Juan A. Hernández, The Weekly Journal
Wednesday, September 14-20, 2022 - // no. 177 www.theweeklyjournal.comPuerto Rico and the Caribbean GO TO PAGE 4 CONUNDRUMFORALTERNATIVESLITTLEPR’SPOWER P6 POSITIVE OUTLOOK FOR THE EMPLOYMENTISLAND’S P7 DEMOCRATS COULD END UP FLORIDALOSING P10 BRITAIN’S SOUVENIRSROYAL P15 A DIFFERENT KIND PUBLIC-PRIVATEOFPARTNERSHIP
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ince the turn of the century, Puerto Rico’s government has selectively resorted to Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) to subsidize and/or privatize some of its essential services and operations in an effort to modernize its infrastructure and improve the quality of the services offer to the public. It must be said though, that the experience with this partnerships has not always been a success story.
Still, the P3 alternative is begin considered as a viable solution to attend to a series of challenges Puerto Rico has faced for quite a while, and the government has been unable to attend to.
For Columbia University professor and former presidential advisor, Howard Warren Buffett, “partnerships have the potential to meet public objectives efficiently and effectively and at a scale not otherwise possible.”
“There are probably more examples of privatepublic partnerships that don’t work out as
Bringing together leaders from public, private and philanthropic sectors
Conversatorio de los Medios Postpandemia y su Impacto para el Ecosistema de la Industria Automotriz Desayuno Bu et y Registro de 8:00am a 9:00am | Seminario de 9:00am a 12:00pm | $99 + IVU & fees Localización: Vivo Beach Club @ 7000 Carr. 187 RR2, Carolina, Puerto Rico 00979 PARA INFORMACIÓN Y BOLETOS VISITE O LLAME AL (787) 303-0334 ULTIMATE PROTECTION 16VIERNESSEPT@VIVOBeachClubBILLBOARDS Héctor Horta B Media Group Rocío Badía One Metro Daniel Umaña GFR Media Hermán Dávila RAAD Broadcasting Raymond Totti Uno Radio Group Laura Riesco Google PR INTERNET Red Shadow Margarita Aponte MODERADORES Jorge Hidalgo WAPA TV José Cancela Telemundo PR Yamil Ruiz TeleOnce TELEVISIÓN Andrés Ramírez de Arellano Telecinco, Inc. 2 202214,SeptemberWednesday,>JournalWeeklyThe >
THE 14TH NOAPPLECARDBOARD WHISKIES
Resources Director Arlene
Rafelli González rgonzalez@elvocero.comCotto
Customers of Apple can now pre-order the new iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Félix
Diageo has said it will develop packaging based on biomimetics, designs that will be modeled after biological entities and processes, such as mycelium.
VP of Production edekony@elvocero.comDekony
Apple’s new Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Ultra are also be available for pre-order.
A WEEK IN REVIEW
Graphic and Technology Director Héctor
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus models come in 6.1 inches for the iPhone 14 and 6.7 inches for the iPhone 14 Plus. Both models also include an upgraded camera system. The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max also stand at 6.1 and 6.7 inches respectively and are powered by the A16 Bionic. The Pro and Pro Max will come in an array of colors such as deep purple, gold, silver and space black.
/ Wednesday, September 14, 2022 3
Eligio
Postal
Phone: 787-622-2300, 787-721-2300
Powered BY El Vocero de Puerto Rico, 1064 Ave Ponce de León 2nd floor San Juan, PR Address: PO Box 15074, San Juan, PR 00902
Alcohol beverages company Diageo has announced the phasing out of some 183 BlackdecisionofScotchmillioncardboardgiftboxesfromitspremiumwhiskeyportfolioworldwide.SomethebrandsincludedintheecofriendlyareJohnnieWalker’sRedLabel,Label,andDoubleBlack,aswellas
VP Miguel Muñiz jmuniz@elvocero.comGuzmán
Vp of Marketing and Business Operations
VP of Accounting A. frosa@elvocero.comRosa
“The waste caused by excess packaging places an unnecessary burden on the planet. Paper and cardboard are highly sustainable forms of packaging, but it is time to look at what is really needed to package a product, rather than doing it that way for historical reasons,” said Ewan Andrew, Director of Sustainability at Diageo.
of Editorial Content Juan
Scuba Dogs Society (SDS), the official organizer of The International Coastal Cleanup in Puerto Rico will be focusing its efforts this year on 200 coastal areas and natural spaces in Puerto Rico.Annually, the Scuba Dogs Society removes an average of 120,000 pounds of waste from coastlines and beaches on the island. The most collected objects reported are pieces of plastic, cigarette butts, plastic lids, straws, cutlery and disposable plates.
ANTI-LITTER DOGS
Customer Service: 787-622-7480
Multi-Platform L. hvazquez@elvocero.comVázquez
Michelle Miperez@elvocero.comPérez
Buchanan’s 12 Deluxe, among others.
President Salvador shasbun@elvocero.comHasbún
The International Coastal Cleanup will take place next Saturday and is part of the global strategy of Ocean Conservancy, an environmental organization that carries out the event with more than 900,000 volunteers in more than 100 countries, since 1986.
Human Rolón, arolon@elvocero.comPHR
Multi-PlataformDigitalDirector
The pandemic.inthatentrepreneurstheandmediumwithpublictoitprofessoruniversityconsidered“totallypossible”developprivate-partnershipssmallandbusinesses,evenwithnewbreedofhasemergedthewakeofthe
In fact,
“What we are trying to do is develop an approach to provide a set of ingredients to leaders of different organizations, whether they are nonprofits, companies or government agencies that
What we are trying to do is develop an approach to provide a set of ingredients to leaders of different organizations… that are the most effective for collaborating.
“Thereprivatization.havebeen plenty of both successful and unsuccessful examples of privatizations in the past… The way we look at it is the way government leaders have had perspectives for partnerships with events towards privatization… Sometimes that works, sometime it doesn’t,” Buffett said.
Buffet considers public-private partnerships do “not necessarily” entail
Cross-sector partnerships on the Island have entailed the privatization of operations and services that used to be the government’s responsibility.
Cross-Sectors Partners
“Unfortunately, when it doesn’t work, it doesn’t mean it stops happening. It just carries on inefficiently for a long time,” he added.
are the most effective for collaborating,” Buffett explained.
LUMA Energy repair crew working on power lines on 65th Infantry Avenue.
>File
Experience In Puerto Rico
intended, compared to examples where there are flourishing successes,” Buffett said in an exclusive interview with THE WEEKLY JOURNAL Coauthor of “Social Value Investing: a management framework for effective partnerships,” Buffett considers that by coming together, leaders from the public, the private and the philanthropic sectors could bring out solutions to many of the challenges society in general now faces. Buffett admits there are no silver bullet solutions, but argues this kind of partnership, along with the management framework he proposes, present an alternative on how organizations can work together to solve many of those challenges.
The second element he mentioned was how the different team members across partners synchronize, how well they coordinate and whether they have the right leadership skills and capital to carry out a successful partnership.
The fifth element is performance assessment. More specifically what are the indicators the organizations have establish collaboratively in order to define and track whether or not they are being successful.
“The third kind of big bucket [element] that we are looking at is bringing in community voices and local stakeholders into the partnership process, all the way from the design, to the development, to the actual deployment of the partnership, and how community voices are participating in how success is also measured,” Buffett explained.
Howard W. Buffett, former presidential advisor
Like with any other investment or project, there is a need to regularly evaluate performance in order to guarantee goals are being achieved. For that purpose, Buffett mention a 15-point checklist he had included in his book for groups who are trying to create successful partnerships. Among those points he mentioned five key elements that need be considered and evaluated when determining the level of success of any cross sector partnership.
Partnership success
The first of these is how the partnership process is developed and designed.
In addition to the specific challenges associated with the pandemic, vis a vis the usually limited government resources, Buffett considers the crisis
The forth element is how well the partnership is resourced to determine whether
Currently, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) privatized its power transmission and distribution services via a P3 contract with LUMA Energy Co. Since its inception in June 2021, LUMA has been unable to maintain constant service to PREPA clients, with massive power outages that have lasted more than 48 hours. Critics and dissatisfied customers have called for the termination of the contract.
/ Wednesday, September 14, 20224 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
there is one single source of funding on which it is relying on, because that simply creates risks for a successful partnership. Also identify what other non-financial resources can come in to help support the partnership.
Buffett specifically mentioned Blue Tide, a non-profit organization that promotes sources of marine-related economic diversification and partnerships. They train entrepreneurs to develop projects to protect the environment while also helping the local economy.
Citing as an example a new entrepreneur seeking to partner up with the local chamber of commerce, or the city council, Buffett assured he or she would want to have a partnership process in place.
Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) main building in Río Piedras.
“Social entrepreneurs are right for benefitting from a crosssector partnership strategy because… they rely on so many organizations in order to be successful.”
In fact,
“One thing the pandemic has probably done is highlight the areas where our economy, and the people who support our economy, have greater vulnerabilities… It put an exclamation mark where effective cross-partnerships can play a role in helping to alleviate some of the challenges that may be a little more obvious now than they were before,” said Buffett while emphasizing he is not an expert on pandemic affairs.
allows them to work to improve the environment, and not just making it less bad, or just cause a little less harm,” he said.
LUMA Energy truck doing maintenance work on powerlines on 65th Infantry Avenue. >FILE
/ Wednesday, September 14, 2022 5
isThereaneed to regularly aretoperformanceevaluateinorderguaranteegoalsbeingachieved.
“I think we are going to see more and more examples of that, and those are the type of business that are supported by government programs, nonprofits, foundations and others. I think that is going to become the new norm,” Buffet said.
>FILE
Areas Of Opportunities
More specifically, the university professor considered it “totally possible” to develop privatepublic partnerships with small and medium businesses, and even with new breed of entrepreneurs that has emerged in the wake of the pandemic.
Howard W. Buffett, former presidential advisor
created by the pandemic came with a silver lining.
“Social entrepreneurs are right for benefiting from a cross-sector partnership strategy because, as an entrepreneur starting a business, they rely on so many organizations in order to be successful –whether in their supply chain or other particular sourcing, or maybe getting some early stage government funding to get off the ground,” Buffett argued.
“That can always be a big source of tension. But there are also plenty of businesses that are finding commercial opportunities in a way that actually
In as much as cross-sector partnerships can be done at any level –community, city, state or national– and partners can come from the government, non-profit organizations, corporations, or new entrepreneurs, there are some areas that may be most conductive for this kind of partnerships. One such area could be environmental conservation.
Over the past 15 months, LUMA has gone over budget, has not met key performance metrics regarding the duration and frequency of outages, has not met maintenance goals in a timely manner, and has not accumulated the savings it projected it would generate from efficient management of the transmission and distribution system.
While outages caused by the haphazard state of the electrical grid cannot be wholly attributed to LUMA Energy’s mismanagement, in the 15 months since LUMA entered into an Operation and Maintenance Agreement, or ‘operator agreement’, with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) and the Puerto Rico Public-Private Partnerships Authority (P3 Authority), it has failed to meet key performance metrics.
If this were to happen, PREPA would be required to pay LUMA an Operator Termination Fee equal to the Interim Period Service Fee of $115 million in 2020 dollars, adjusted for inflation. This would trigger the start of a Back-End Transition period lasting up to 12 months during which LUMA would transfer its operations to a successor operator and PREPA would incur a Back-End Transition Fee to cover it. Unfortunately, there is no successor operator identified.
educing complex reality to simple binaries is the result of mediocre thinking,” paraphrased Sergio M. Marxuach, Policy Director at the Center for a New Economy (CNE).
If the issue isn’t fixed within those 90 days, the P3 Authority can, with at least 120 days prior written
Without A Plan B
Sergio Marxuach, Policy Director CNE
Returning management of the electrical grid to PREPA, a criminally corrupt and extremely inefficient corporation, would impede the island’s pursuit of having a reliable and affordable power grid.
In a second potential scenario, the Puerto Rico government could seek to declare an Operator Event of Default, stating that LUMA has failed to perform a material obligation under the operation agreement. LUMA would then have 60 days to remedy the default and an additional 30 days if it is determined that they are making reasonable attempts to address the failure and that it can reasonably be fixed.
So What Can The Government Do? Possible Scenarios
notice, terminate the operator agreement. This option might require prior approval of the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau or the FOMB and could also be contested and brought to court. If the government of Puerto Rico successfully terminates the operator agreement, citing Operator Event of Default, it could possibly receive payment from LUMA.
In its latest policy brief and review, the Center for a New Economy, led by Sergio M. Marxuach, presented possible solutions to the current electric power situation in Puerto Rico.
As with letting the operator and supplemental agreements expire, terminating the operator agreement would also trigger a Back-End Transition Period and fee, payable by PREPA – still, there has been no entity identified to take over the operation and maintenance of Puerto Rico’s electrical grid.
If the operator agreement is terminated, there is no obvious candidate to take LUMA’s place. Returning management of the electrical grid to PREPA, described by Marxuach as a “criminally corrupt and extremely inefficient corporation”, would impede the island’s pursuit of having a reliable and affordable power grid.
The third scenario would be to put pressure on LUMA to improve its performance instead of terminating the operator agreement. The most effective way of doing this, according to the CNE, is to withhold a portion of the Intermid Period service Fee payable to LUMA. As a result of the negotiations and mediation process that this could cause, in a best case scenario, LUMA and the Puerto Rico government would end up agreeing upon a set of actions for LUMA to undertake to improve its performance.
/ Wednesday, September 14, 20226
Zoe Landi Fontana, The Weekly Journal
Finding an alternative operator is challenging, given the enormous undertaking that is operating the Puerto Rico transmission and distribution system, and could take up to two years. Any reliable, interested company would most likely demand terms more favorable than those granted to LUMA.
The Puerto Rico government has three options, none of which come without significant pitfalls.
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occur on November 30 of this year if no prior action is taken. It is up to the government of Puerto Rico to decide whether to allow the agreements to automatically terminate.
CNE Policy recommendsExpertaction by the Puerto Rico government
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Marxuach identifies the first scenario as letting the clock run out on both the operation and supplemental agreements, which could potentially
Solutions to the Island’s Energy Crisis Have Strings Attached
The survey revealed uneven economic growth variouscountries,betweenwithmarkets
The +27%.expectationnetexperienceisTherespectively.+33%predictions,theEastzoneCentralandthepresentedbesthiringwithand+32%,Westzoneexpectedtoarecruitmentof
By region, Asia-Pacific (APAC) presents the strongest hiring intentions for this quarter with +40%, South and Central America +39%. Employers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) report stable recruitment expectations (+21%). However, employment prospects for countries near Ukraine have reported a decline of up to 17% since the last quarter.Globally, the technology sector makes up the highest recruitment expectations at an optimistic +42%, followed by Banking, Finance and Real Estate with +37%.
In fact,
Puerto Rico scores higher than global average
Brazil, India, and Costa Rica are predicted to hire the most, with recruitment expectations of +56%, +54%, and +52% respectively. Meanwhile, Hungary
This is the first year that Puerto Rico is included in Manpower Group’s Employment Expectations Survey, which is conducted in 41 countries and predicts employment trends. For Puerto Rico, the sample included 250 private sector employers throughout the island.The survey divided Puerto Rico into three zones: Central, East, and West.
Overall, Puerto Rico is projected to experience a net recruitment expectation of +32%, which is higher than the global net expectation of +30% going into the fourth quarter of 2022. Of Puerto Rico’s employers, 44% plan to increase their workforce, while 12% of the employers expect to decrease their workforce. Another 35% do not expect changes, and only 9% responded that they areCommerceunsure. responded with the strongest hiring plans with a net recruitment expectation of +67%. Banking, finance, and real estate followed with +66%, then the construction industry with +61%. As for company size, microenterprises –made up of less than 10 employees– report the best hiring expectations compared to other company sizes, at +37%.
(-5 %), Greece (-3 %) and Poland (+1 %) are faring worse.
/ Wednesday, September 14, 2022 7
s might be expected when coming out of the slower summer months and heading into the busy holiday season, net recruitment expectation –a hiring prediction found by subtracting the percentage of employers who expect a decrease in their workforce from the percentage who anticipate an increase– is positive for most countries.
responding differently to the conflict in Ukraine, rising inflation, and higher living costs.
rising inflation, and higher living costs. Despite these challenges, the demand for skilled workers remains at record levels.
The survey revealed uneven economic growth between countries, with various markets responding differently to the conflict in Ukraine,
Hiring Predictions for Q4 2022
Zoe Landi Fontana, The Weekly Journal
Employers in 39 of the 41 countries and territories surveyed expect to increase their workforce during the period from September to December 2022, including all countries in the Americas. Recruitment intention is positive in 39 of the 41 countries, with a net recruitment expectation of +30% globally.
Global expectations
A
In fact,
Farming technique sparks interest in the agriculture sector
When we speak with farmers and ranchers focused on regenerative agriculture, they tell us that their notion of ‘success’ goes beyond yield and farm size.
-Lara Bryant, deputy director Water &
availabilityScant
/ Wednesday, September 14, 20228
As a philosophy and approach to land management, regenerative agriculture asks us to think about how all aspects of agriculture are connected through a web—a network of entities who grow, enhance, exchange, distribute, and consume goods and services—instead of a linear supply chain. It’s about farming and ranching in a style that nourishes people and the earth, with specific practices varying from grower to grower and from region to region.
“When we speak with farmers and ranchers focused on regenerative agriculture, they tell us that their notion of ‘success’ goes beyond yield and farm size,” says Lara Bryant, deputy director of water and agriculture at NRDC.
best management practices has resulted in the increased dependence on agrochemicals (pesticides and fertilizers) in Puerto Rico. Poor management can lead to the soil becoming depleted of essential nutrients for crop growth, leading to a further increased need for fertilizer application. Agrochemical production costs both financially and environmentally have become an unsustainable option for the future of farming systems.
The regenerative agriculture movement is the dawning realization among more people that an Indigenous approach to agriculture can help restore ecologies, fight climate change, rebuild relationships, spark economic development, and bring joy,” says Arohi Sharma, water and agriculture policy analyst at NRDC.
In a world where the population is booming, the climate is changing, and wilderness areas are diminishing, the pressure for high-yield agricultural production is on the rise. Intensification is occurring on a global scale, Puerto Rico being no exception. However, there has been very little attention given to improving the crop varieties grown in Puerto Rico. Claims have been made Puerto Rican produce lacks resilience to rising temperatures, threats of hurricanes and disease, meaning that a single bad year could have a serious impact on the local agricultural economy.
P
“Part of what’s needed now is a more holistic policy platform—one that pushes for transformational changes to our food and fiber system alongside the grassroots organizations, community leaders, artists, and revolutionary farmers we are learning from,” says Claire
Bryant explained “it includes things like joy and happiness, the number of families they feed, watching how the land regenerates and flourishes, the money saved from not purchasing chemical inputs, the debt avoided by repurposing old equipment, and the relationships built with community members.”
It is important to appreciate that this is not a new idea and not all who practice these principles use the label regenerative farming. In fact, indigenous communities have farmed in nature’s image for millennia.
Madison Choudhry, Special to the Weekly Journal
uerto Rico’s farmers are standing at a crossroad. Between the devastation caused by hurricanes Irma and Maria, supply chain issues and rising food cost due to inflation, the island’s agricultural sector has been stripped to its roots. However, a small group of Puerto Ricans are touting a solution: regenerative farming.
Rico.fertilizers)(pesticidesagrochemicalsdependencetheresultedpracticesmanagementregardinginformationofbesthasinincreasedonandinPuerto
O’Connor, director of water and agriculture at Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
Scant availability of information regarding
As hurricanes, flash floods, and other extreme weather patterns become more frequent, farmers and ranchers are awakening to the idea they must prepare their land to be more resilient. Healthy soils with high amounts of organic matter are able to absorb more water during a flood— to the benefit of the farmer and downstream communities—and even help maintain water security.
Regenerative farming: solution to both farmers and the land
ONDON (AP) — In a country famed for irreverence, some worry a new code of silence has taken hold.
A woman in Edinburgh holding a sign reading “F—— imperialism, abolish the monarchy” was charged with a breach of the peace. A man faced the same charge after he heckled Prince Andrew as the queen’s hearse traveled through the Scottish capital.
Powlesland called the police behavior “outrageous.”Thecivilrights group Liberty said it was “very worrying to see the police enforcing their broad powers in such a heavy-handed and punitive way to clamp down on free speech and expression.”
In fact,
In Oxford, peace activist Symon Hill was put in handcuffs after he shouted his opposition during a ceremonial proclamation of the new king.
The queen’s death has triggered one of the biggest security operations in British history.
The civil rights group “worried” to see police enforcing their powers in a heavy-handed and punitive way
Some 500 royals, heads of state and heads of government from around the world are expected at the late monarch’s state funeral on Monday. Before that, hundreds of thousands are expected to line up in a queue snaking through central London to see the queen lying in state at Parliament’s Westminster Hall.
Arrests of UK anti-royal protesters spur free-speech debate
“Free speech is fundamental to any democracy,” said spokesman Graham Smith. “At a time when the media is saturated with fawning over a king appointed without discussion or consent, it is even moreTheimportant.”arrestscome after the government passed a contentious law-and-order bill that toughens police powers to limit disruptive protests. It’s not clear whether any of the arrests involved the new law.
Symon Hill, peace activist
L
Jill Lawless – The Associated Press
Hill said he was put into a police van by officers who told him he was being detained for alleged behavior that could cause “harassment, alarm or distress.” He was later released but could still face questioning.
Huge crowds have already gathered near Buckingham Palace and other royal residences to leave notes and flowers or simply be part of a moment in London’shistory.Metropolitan Police force said “the overwhelming majority of interactions between officers and public at this time have been positive.”“Thepublic absolutely have a right of protest and we have been making this clear to all officers involved in the extraordinary policing operation currently in place,” said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy.
“The police abused their powers to arrest someone who voiced some mild opposition to a head of state being appointed undemocratically,” he said.
>Ben Birchall/PA via AP)
“I doubt most of the people in the crowd even heard me,” he wrote on his blog. “Two or three people near me told me to shut up.”
In footage shot by Powlesland, an officer is heard saying “it may offend someone” if he wrote the words.
The police abused their powers to arrest someone who voiced some mild opposition to a head of state being appointed undemocratically.
/ Wednesday, September 14, 2022 9
In London, a woman was moved from the gates of Parliament while carrying a “Not my king” sign. Police said she was removed from the spot, where a police officer was stabbed to death by an Islamist attacker in 2017, to allow vehicles in and was not asked to leave the wider area.
Prime Minister Liz Truss’s spokesman, Max Blain, said that while “this is a period of national mourning, and indeed grief, for the vast majority of the United Kingdom … the right to protest does remain a fundamental principle.”Buthesaid it is “for the police to decide what is appropriate in individual circumstances.”
The comearrestsafter governmentthepassed a contentious lawand-order bill that toughens police powers to limit disruptive protests.
Since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, a handful of people in Britain have been detained by police for expressing — often bluntly — anti-monarchy views.
People pro test ahead of the CeremonyProclamationAccessionat Cardiff Castle, Wales, publicly monarch.IIIKingproclaimingCharlesasthenew
Republic, a group that campaigns for the abolition of the monarchy, said it would be complaining to police “in the strongest possible terms,” and would organize protests at the king’s coronation in the coming months.
Lawyer Paul Powlesland said he was questioned by police outside Parliament on Monday while carrying a blank piece of paper on which he, too, planned to write “Not my king.”
Hill said he spontaneously called out “Who elected him?” because he objects to a head of state being imposed on the country.
Thousands of Republican Puerto Rico voters are uncomfortable with Marco Rubio’s and Ron DeSantis’ lack of active support for Puerto Rico’s admission as a state.
Multiple Republicans in the House have actively co-sponsored Puerto Rico statehood legislation, which all of Puerto Rico’s Republican leaders strongly support. Marco Rubio has chosen to step back from the issue. He has not earned for the midterms any pro-statehood votes. In the meantime, he’s running against a strong statehooder, HR1522 co-sponsor Val Demings.
he Right to Life” is a phrase used in the national discourse only in the context of the beginning of life when discussing women’s right to choose or the end of life and euthanasia. However, at least once a person is born, he or she has an enduring right of survival throughout life. In designing several important federal programs since as far back as the nineteenth century, the Federal government has sought to help Americans prolong their lives.
In the 1960s, President Lyndon Johnson spearheaded efforts to create Medicare for the elderly and the disabled and Medicaid for the medicallyUnfortunately,indigent.federally subsidized medical assistance has not been made available to all Americans in a non-discriminatory fashion.
If Val Demings and Charlie Crist don’t question the strategists that would prefer to ignore Puerto Rico’s political status issue as Bill Nelson ignored it in 2018, I’m afraid, as someone who has campaigned in Florida for 30 years, Democrats may lose the two most important races in Florida in November. They still have a chance, but the clock is ticking.
In the case of Bill Nelson, who was defeated in his reelection bid in 2018 by only 10,033 votes, he did not emphasize his pro-Puerto Rico record and his genuine support for statehood, versus Rick Scott’s last-minute, convoluted and weak stance on Puerto Rico statehood. His Hispanic strategists, who personally opposed Puerto Rico statehood, did not want Nelson’s personal support for it to be known. Had Nelson spent some money emphasizing his clear contrast with Scott on that issue, he certainly would have mobilized more than 10,033 votes among the 80% pro-statehood majority within the hundreds of thousands of Puerto Rico voters in Florida. In a post-election analysis by David Shor, it became known that Nelson did 10.6% worse among Puerto Ricans than other Hispanics as that year’s Democratic gubernatorial nominee, surely because his pro-statehood credentials were not known. In that sense, Nelson’s strategists, Hispanic or not, had him ignore the issue that could have mobilized enough pro-statehood
/ Wednesday, September 14, 202210
the federal treasury would be over $4 billion, and the federal share would be 83%.
As Congress struggles to legislate and keep America fiscally stable past Friday, February 18, Puerto Ricans on the mainland as well as their representatives in Congress should make sure in the next few days to include language that will protect the Right to Life in Puerto Rico, providing equal benefits under Medicare and Medicaid to its citizens in our territory.
At this time, Florida’s Senate and Governor’s races are, at best, too close to call, according to the polls. Both Charlie Crist and Val Demings need every vote they can get. At least tens of thousands of Republican Puerto Rico voters are uncomfortable with Marco Rubio’s and Ron DeSantis’ lack of active support for Puerto Rico’s admission as a state. If asked, many of those voters will tell you they are statehooders first and Republican second.
During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln saw the need to create a system, now known as the Department of Veteran Affairs, to provide those who fought in America’s wars with medical services that would help them live and receive medical services. Few nations provide those who have served the level of health services as America.
uring my 52-year-long political career (I began at the age of 13 for those who are counting), I’ve spent nearly 30 years campaigning among Puerto Rican voters in Florida and have seen and supported candidates like Rep. Darren Soto and Rep. Stephanie Murphy who excelled in part because they paid close attention to the needs and aspirations of Puerto Rican voters, and candidates like Bill Nelson, who was defeated because they didn’t.Most pollsters in Florida choose not to ask Puerto Rican voters their opinion on Puerto Rico’s most important issue, Puerto Rico’s political status. Very few strategists pay real attention to these results –essentially since about 7881% support Puerto Rico’s admission as a state. Some Republican congressmen have paid more attention to that polling, choosing to co-sponsor HR1522, the Puerto Rico Admission Act, filed by Rep. Darren Soto, Rep. Jenniffer González and Rep. Stephanie Murphy. Among the 19 Republican co-sponsors, six Florida Republican congressmen, Mario Díaz Balart from District 25, Gus Bilirakis from District 12, Carlos Gimenez from District 26, Bill Posey from District 8, Maria Salazar from District 27, and Michael Waltz from District 6, have demonstrated that they know how to read the polls and have stepped forward, joining 10 Democratic congressmen from the state, including Senate candidate Rep. Val Demings and gubernatorial candidate Rep. Charlie Crist.
Regarding Medicare, that same state-like jurisdiction lacking voting representation in the national legislature as well as in the Electoral College that elects that jurisdiction’s president and vice president, Congress has built in mechanisms to extend Medicare services almost equally, but almost. When I turned 65 last month, I qualified for the Medicare coverage that I’d been paying premiums for 47 years. However, if I didn’t ask particularly for “Part B”, one of the most important benefits, I wouldn’t get it. Anywhere else in the nation I would get that benefit automatically. That discriminatory rule---“opt in” if in Puerto Rico, “opt out” if anywhere else--- was devised for Medicare to be less expensive for the federal government in Puerto Rico, only in Puerto Rico.
As Congress struggles to legislate and keep America fiscally stable past Friday, February 18, Puerto Ricans on the mainland as well as their representatives in Congress should make sure in the next few days to include language that will protect the Right to Life in Puerto Rico, providing equal benefits under Medicare and Medicaid to its citizens in our territory. That should be our urgent agenda for the next week, seeking the full extension of The Right to Life in Puerto Rico through equality and statehood.
Kenneth Davison McClintock 22nd Secretary of State of Puerto Rico
Kenneth Davison McClintock 22nd Secretary of State of Puerto Rico
As for veterans, VA facilities are doled out, not strictly on the basis of need, but as a result of patronage or political influence. Partisan politics and seniority in Congress is factored in when it is determined where a new VA hospital or clinic will be located. In that case, a state-like jurisdiction that should have two voting senators and two voting representatives but doesn’t, ends up getting the short end of the stick.
While those benefits are automatic in a state, Puerto Rico’s non-voting representative Jenniffer González, Governor Pedro Pierluisi, and their predecessors for generations, have to devote a lot of time and lobbying efforts to plead with Congress and every President from LBJ on to seek the equality that would guarantee residents of Puerto Rico the “right to life” that is automatic on the mainland.
Concerning Medicaid, the program to provide
Why Democrats may lose in Florida
Likewise, many Republicans among Florida’s Puerto Rican electorate are uncomfortable with Ron DeSantis and would look favorably at Charlie Crist if his strategists would remind them that he’s always voted for measures favored by Puerto Rico’s one-woman congressional delegation, Rep. Jenniffer González, and its governor, Pedro Pierluisi, and has strongly supported HR1522, the Puerto Rico Admissions Act.
There are many reasons why an absolute majority of Puerto Ricans in Puerto Rico want statehood. According to multiple polls, over 75% of Puerto Ricans in Florida, over 60% of Puerto Ricans in New York and probably an absolute majority of the two thirds of America’s Puerto Ricans who have chosen to live in the states and not in discriminated Puerto Rico, also want statehood for the territory. However, because of the discrimination in extending federally financed health services to the island, it is also a life or death issue, a denial of the Right to Life.
Puerto Rican voters to place him over the top and kept him, and not Rick Scott, in the Senate.
If Val Demings strategists, Hispanic or otherwise, have not planned to attract hundreds of thousands of pro-statehood Puerto Rican votes for the taking early enough in the last 8 weeks of the campaign, Demings may end up like Bill Nelson, losing by a slim 10,033 votes, instead of winning a Senate seat that she’s certainly earned.
During the Depression, as part of the New Deal, the federal government saw the need to help Americans who could not afford basic health services, and began to provide some assistance.
non-existent support.
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services to all the medically indigent throughout America, the cost in Puerto Rico is statutorily capped at less than $400 million and the federal share is limited to 55% of the total cost, requiring America’s poorest jurisdiction to cover 45% of the cost. In a state with demographics similar to the nation’s most populated territory, the total cost to
D
Kenneth Davison McClintock, former Lt. Governor
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Both Crist and Demings have a golden opportunity, which predecessors like Bill Nelson ignored, to dramatize their strong support for Puerto Rico versus Rubio and DeSantis weak or
The Right to Life
Bridges, a Mississippi native, still lives in metro New Orleans and has authored or co-authored five books. Two years she published “This Is Your Time,” which is intended for older children than her new book.
I’ve been very, very fortunate because of the way I tell my story that my babies come in all shapes and colors… I think parents really want to get past our racial differences.
Ruby Bridges, civil rights activist
The book is aimed at readers as young as 4-year-olds
The book’s theme plays off the author’s name: “Ruby” is a precious stone, and “Bridges” are meant to bring people together. Told with a touch of humor from the vantage point of a first-grader, the book captures the wonder of Bridges’ experience — rather than just the scariness of that raucous first day at the school.
The book is an uplifting story about opportunities and kids being able to make a difference. In fact,
But on Nov. 14, 1960, Bridges — carrying a plaid book satchel and wearing a white sweater — was escorted by four federal marshals past a taunting white crowd into segregated William Frantz
“It really looks like Mardi Gras to me, but they aren’t throwing any beads. What’s Mardi Gras without beads?” Bridges writes.
Elementary School. The scene was made famous in the Norman Rockwell painting “The Problem We All Live With,” which hung in the White House near the Oval Office during the tenure of former President Barack Obama.
“I’ve been very, very fortunate because of the way I tell my story that my babies come in all shapes and colors, and my books are bestsellers, and maybe banned in schools,” she said. “But I think parents really want to get past our racial differences. They’re going to seek out those books.”
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kids understand that you can’t look at someone and judge them,” Bridges said.
Jay Reeves – The Associated Press
Ruby Bridges, desegregation trailblazer, writes kids book
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“I Am Ruby Bridges,” featuring illustrations by Nikkolas Smith, goes on sale last week. Published by Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., it’s aimed at readers as young as 4.
Bridges, along with three other Black students at a different school, were the first to integrate what had been all-white schools in New Orleans in 1960.
Complete with a glossary that includes the words “Supreme Court” and “law,” the book is an uplifting story about opportunities and kids being able to make a difference, Bridges said in an interview with The Associated Press.
“It’s a true reflection of what happened through my own eyes,” she said.
Bridges was born in 1954, the same year the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation of public schools was unconstitutional. Southern school districts, including New Orleans, continued resisting integration for years.
But books by or about Bridges have been challenged by conservatives in several school districts amid complaints over race-related teaching. Bridges said she hopes the new book winds up in elementary school libraries.
U.S. Deputy Marshals escort 6-year-old Ruby Bridges from William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, in this file photo from November 14, 1960. >AP Photo/File
The only parade that day was out of the school. White parents immediately began withdrawing their children, so Bridges spent the entire year by herself with white teacher Barbara Henry, who is still alive and a “very best friend,” Bridges said. Henry’s acceptance and kindness during a fraught time taught her an important lesson, she said.
uby Bridges was a 6-year-old firstgrader when she walked past jeering crowds of white people to become one of the first Black students at racially segregated schools in New Orleans more than six decades ago. Now, with teaching about race in America more complicated than it’s ever been, she’s authored a picture book about her experience for the youngest of readers.
“That shaped me into a person that is not prejudiced at all. And I feel like that little girl is still inside of me, and that’s it’s my calling to make sure
Elsewhere in New Orleans on the same day Bridges went to school, Gail Etienne, Leona Tate and Tessie Prevost entered the previously allwhite McDonogh No. 19 elementary school. Last year, New Orleans held a weekend of events to remember Bridges and other women.
Beyond physicality,his Charlie is also a character with profound empathy and love for everyone around him, including his estranged daughter. fact,
play, going out to see it, and knowing he had to meet the writer.
Director Darren Aronofsky, left, and Brendan Fraser pose for photographers at the photo call for the film ‘The Whale’ during the 79th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy.
“By far and away I think Charlie is the most heroic man I have ever played.”
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ENICE, Italy (AP) – Brendan Fraser is having a moment at the Venice International Film Festival.
Brendan Fraser celebrated for comeback role in ‘The Whale’
incredibly strong person, physically, mentally, to inhabit that body.”
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The once ubiquitous movie star of “The Mummy” franchise and “George of the Jungle” had, in the last decade, backed away from the spotlight. But Fraser is charting what could be a major comeback starting with his transformative role in Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale,” which had its world premiere Sunday night at the festival.
Lindsay Bahr – The Associated Press
Brendan Fraser, actor
Beyond his physicality, Charlie is also a character with profound empathy and love for everyone around him, including his estranged daughter, Ellie, played by “Stranger Things” star Sadie Sink. Hunter, who also wrote the screenplay, said his play is personal. He started it 12 years ago when he was teaching a mandatory expository writing course at Rutgers University that no one wanted to take and everyone resented. He also pulled from his own background, setting the play in his hometown of Moscow, Idaho, and weaving in his history of being depressed, self-medicating with food and going to a fundamentalist religious high school as a gay teenager.
Fraser plays a reclusive English teacher with a kind soul who weighs 600 pounds
“I’m just trying to stay in today,” Fraser said before the Aronofskypremiere.hasbeen trying to make “The Whale” for about 10 years. He vividly remembers reading The New York Times review of Samuel D. Hunter’s
Fraser plays Charlie, a reclusive English teacher with a kind soul who weighs 600 pounds (270 kilograms). While the film already has pundits predicting Oscar nominations, Fraser is trying not to think about whether awards are in his future.
>Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP
But casting presented a challenge.
One line in particular stuck out to him: “People are incapable of not caring.” That’s why, he said, he had to make the film.
As the credits rolled in the Sala Grande Theater, the audience gave the film a long standing ovation while Fraser, on the balcony alongside his director and co-stars, wiped tears away.
“I needed to learn to absolutely move in a new way. I developed muscles I did not know that I had. I even felt a sense of vertigo at the end of the day when all the appliances were removed, as you would feel stepping off of a boat in Venice,” Fraser said. “It gave me an appreciation for those with bodies similar. ... I learned that you need to be an
“I was afraid to write it,” he said. “I thought the only way I can do it is if I write it from a profoundly place of love and empathy. ... I wanted (Charlie) to be a lighthouse in the middle of a dark, dark sea.”
Aronofsky and cinematographer Matthew Libatique, whose friendship stretches back to their days at the American Film Institute in 1990, spent quite a bit of time talking about “how to turn theater into cinema” and “how to make that engaging and exciting.” In the rough cut, Aronofsky said he was relieved to find that it didn’t feel claustrophobic.
Then, a few years ago, he saw a trailer for “a low-budget Brazilian movie” with Fraser and “a lightbulb went off,” he said.
Fraser added that the film is “a piece of cinema. Proper cinema.”
In
“To a lot of Sam Hunter’s pain, it took me 10 years to make this movie and that’s because it took me 10 years to cast,” Aronofsky said. “Casting Charlie was a huge challenge. I considered everyone. Every single movie star on the planet. But none of it really clicked. ... It didn’t move me. It didn’t feel right.”
Fraser, who also has a role alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese’s next film, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” said he doesn’t “know an actor in my peer group worth his weight in salt who wouldn’t want to work withPlus:Darren.”“Byfar and away I think Charlie is the most heroic man I have ever played,” Fraser added. “His superpower is to see the good in others and bring that out of Prostheticsthem.” were used to transform Fraser into Charlie, who rarely leaves his couch.
The ceremony included Norm Lewis singing “Go the Distance,” Brian Stokes Mitchell singing “Make Them Hear You” and words from Mayor Eric Adams, Samuel L. Jackson and LaTanya Richardson Jackson. The 91-year-old Jones did not attend.
The three-tier Cort Theatre — at 138 W. 48th St. — opened in 1912 and was built by and named for John Cort, general manager of the Northwestern Theatrical Association. Thomas Lamb was the architect.
In
EW YORK (AP) — The newly restored Cort Theatre on Broadway has been renamed after James Earl Jones, becoming the second theater on the Great White Way named after a Black artist.
It has undergone a $47 million restoration and expansion that includes the building of a 35-foot wide and 100-foot deep adjacent space to the theater that allows for bars and lounges on every level, new bathrooms for men and women, and elevators, all in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The honor adds to the many that the iconic actor Jones has amassed, including two Emmys, a Golden Globe, two Tony Awards, a Grammy, the National Medal of Arts and the Kennedy Center Honors. He also was given an honorary Oscar and a special Tony for lifetime achievement.
space that matches the stage’s footprint. There is also an upgraded wardrobe room and offices for theater staff and roomy dressing rooms.
The Cort The atre on Broad way in New York will afterWayGreattheatertheday,JonesrenamedbeafteronMonbecomingsecondontheWhitenamedaBlack artist. >Photo by Charles Invision/AP,Sykes/File
Mark Kennedy – The Associated Press
Inside the theater, the architect has brought back the Marie Antoinette color palette in the seating, ornamental plaster, drapery, lighting and carpet. Original cove lighting have been replaced with long life lamps and the original Tiffany glass illuminated proscenium has been restored.
Leon was joined at the ceremony by Suzan-Lori Parks, NaTasha Yvette Williams, Danielle Brooks, Corey Hawkins, Phylicia Rashad and Woody King, Jr.
“I couldn’t think of anybody more deserving of this honor,” said Leon. “When I think about it, I think about young kids. I think about Black kids, white and Asian kids, all kinds of kids, standing up outside of that theater and looking up and saying, ‘That’s it: The James Earl Jones Theatre. That
The second on the Great White Way named after a Black artist
Jujamcyn already has the August Wilson Theatre and the Nederlander Organization will soon rename the Brooks Atkinson Theatre after Lena Horne, marking the first time a Black woman will have a Broadway theater named in her honor.
“It means everything. You can’t think of an artist that has served America more,” director Kenny Leon told The Associated Press ahead of the ceremony. “It’s like it seems like a small act, but it’s a huge action. It’s something we can look up and see that’s tangible.”
The renaming comes after a wide Broadway coalition of theater owners, producers, union leaders, creators and casting directors hammered out a series of reforms and commitments in 2021 for the theater industry to ensure equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility.Onerequirement of the so-called New Deal for Broadway was that the Shubert, Nederlander and Jujamcyn theater chains have at least one of their theaters named after a Black artist. Artists like LaChanze, Audra McDonald, Wendell Pierce, Billy Porter and Leon backed the proposals.
represents the good in all of us.’”
Broadway theater renamed in honor of James Earl Jones
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The James Earl Jones Theatre has a wider stage and a trap room underneath — making musicals now an option — and a new upstairs rehearsal
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Kenny Leon, film director
The honor adds to the many that the iconic actor Jones has amassed, including two Emmys, a Golden Globe, two Tony Awards, a Grammy, and the National Medal of Arts, among others. fact,
New wider seats actually mean the interior lost four seats from its just-over-1,000 seats — but it promises to offer a more comfortable experience. A new rigging system has been added, as well as a refashioned orchestra pit and ventilation systems.
It means everything. You can’t think of an artist that has served America more.
A piece of the queen: New souvenirs mark monarch’s death
Official merchandise, however, will take longer to arrive to approved vendors, who have suspended sales of royal souvenirs out of respect for the mourning period.
“People kept asking us, ‘Have you got anything yet?’,” Ibrahim said.
Lorenzo Corbani, an Italian living in Bath, England, bought a solar-powered bobblehead figure of the queen for his mother, who was a big fan.
There was a constant stream of tourists browsing at the shop Monday, and two others nearby, though not many were buying the items commemorating her reign.
There’s likely to be big demand for King Charles III souvenirs, and vendors of unofficial royal
merchandise like Ibrahim are poised to capitalize on it, raising questions over copyright. But it’s unlikely that the royal family will take legal action, according to a lawyer specializing in trademark law.
“I suspect the Royal Family takes the view that it would rather not punish the general public for its ‘support,’ even if that support may not be in the correct form,” Wilding said by email. “Bad press is just not something the Royal Family want to be a part of or risk being a part of, even if they are legally in theInright.”themeantime, official vendors of royal gifts are observing a 10day mourning period. One of them, the Royal Collection Trust, which manages public access to the queen’s residences, said on its website that its shops have closed in London, Windsor and Edinburgh and online sales of items like Buckingham Palace magnets have been suspended.
Unofficial souvenirs have rolled out at royal-themed gift shops in London
With no official items to snag, Judy Kline, a 74-year-old tourist from suburban Detroit, spent 32 pounds on souvenirs at a tourist shop at London’s famed Piccadilly Circus, including several ornate blue and white fridge magnets with the queen’s portrait.
“Because, again, it’s quite a historic thing. You’re never going to see a queen live until this long or reign this long,” Callaghan said. “And not only that, but we’re probably not going to have another queen for another century.”
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Kline said she felt a certain affinity with the royals and wanted to buy King Charles III memorabilia but would be departing before any arrived at souvenir shops and stalls.
“She felt she was a great woman,” said Corbani, 35.Unofficial gifts have spread quickly online, too. Sellers on eBay are already hawking King Charles III souvenir mugs, badges, fridge magnets, and key rings that say “God Save The King.” Amazon vendors are flogging similarly tacky and hastily churned out royal merchandise like Union Jack flags adorned with Charles’ portrait and decals and posters commemorating Queen Elizabeth II’s life. There’s even a pet bandana with the dates of her reign. At Majestic Gifts near Buckingham Palace, Paul Callaghan splurged on a tin of Platinum Jubilee English breakfast tea bearing the queen’s picture for 15 pounds ($17.50), which he said was a one-off purchase.“It’snot cheap, but it’s limited. It’s never going to happen again,” said Callaghan, 35, who works in financial services and was visiting London from Dublin.
vendorsOfficial of royal gifts are observing a 10-day mourning period. In fact,
“Given the fascination with the monarchy it would be a full-time job to stop unlicensed merchandise,” said Charlotte Wilding, a partner at the firm Wedlake Bell.
young woman. Another version carried portraits of the queen both young and old with the words: “Queen Elizabeth II — The Greatest Reign 19522022.”
Cool Britannia, a shop selling U.K.-themed memorabilia across the street from Buckingham Palace, pushed its suppliers to work overnight to get mementos ready by Saturday, just two days after the queen’s death, store manager Ismayil Ibrahim said. Items depicting the new monarch, King Charles III, were also on their way to Ibrahim’s shop, where tourists were buying other royal gifts like queen bobbleheads and rubber ducks wearing crowns.
ONDON (AP) — There are fridge magnets, tea sets and flags. And of course mugs, T-shirts and sweatshirts with the face of Queen Elizabeth II that are inscribed with the dates of her 70-year reign: 19522022.
Based on strong customer demand for gifts for the queen’s recent Platinum Jubilee celebrating her seven decades on the throne, Ibrahim anticipates even greater interest in souvenirs commemorating her life and death.
Just days after the death of Britain’s longestserving monarch, unofficial souvenirs have rolled out at royal-themed gift shops in London and online marketplaces like Amazon and Etsy.
Now that the queen has died, he decided to buy a memento “before all the stocks run out.”
“The prince — I mean the king — is a year younger than I am. So I saw him as a little kid, and he was like my peer, you know?” Kline said. “And then their grandkids are just a little bit younger than our grandkids.”
So he quickly stocked T-shirts and mugs saying, “Forever in our Hearts” and “Gone but not forgotten,” bearing a portrait of the queen as a
Just days after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, unofficial souvenirs have rolled out at royal-themed gift shops in London and online marketplaces like Amazon and Etsy. >AP
Kelvin Chan and Jeffrey Schaeffer – The Associated Press
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“I have some friends who are very envious that they’re not on this trip with us. I wanted to give them a little token,” Kline said.
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