Wednesday Jun 10, 2020

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

San Juan The

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DAILY

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Pau Donés Left a ‘Rock en Español’ Legacy P20

Walking Away from Disaster

Third Phase of CARES Act Aid on the Way

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House Set to Investigate ‘COVID Fee’

Labor Secretary Briseida Torres Resigns Amid Chaos with Unemployment Program Governor Appoints Replacement in Less Than an Hour

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NOTICIAS EN ESPAÑOL P 19

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The San Juan Daily Star

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

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June 10, 2020

The San Juan Daily Star, the only paper with News Service in English in Puerto Rico, publishes 7 days a week, with a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday edition, along with a Weekend Edition to cover Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

EMTs call for equal treatment with stimulus bonuses

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Technicians working for municipalities or the private sector are ineligible for the bonuses that state technicians in the same field qualify for

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handful of emergency medical technicians marched from the Capitol building to La Fortaleza on Tuesday morning in an effort to convince the government that they too should be considered eligible for the government incentive checks given to medical personnel working on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic that has kept Puerto Rico under a practical lockdown for close to three months.

“We decided to hold this peaceful demonstration to fight against the abuse shown against us. Emergency medical personnel hired by municipal administrations or working in the private sector are currently not eligible for the government stimulus checks that other emergency technicians do qualify for,” said one of

the group’s organizers, Marie Liz Matos, on Tuesday afternoon. “This is a high-risk profession and we want it to be recognized as such. We are not just ‘gurney pushers,’ as some call us.”

Health professionals have received stimulus checks funded by federal and local governments in recent months, as both a bonus for their service during the islandwide coronavirus emergency and as a tool to help restart the local economy, which is currently bogged down due in great part due to the pandemic.

The checks could be for as much as $3,000. Yet the lack of consistency in the health industry when naming or describing almost identical jobs has meant that people with virtually the same responsibilities but working in separate sites receive different amounts in their stimulus checks. This has caused discontent and even demonstrations on the part of medical technicians, nurses, and other specialists in the field.

The stimulus bonuses have been available for chirurgical technicians, radiology technicians, respiratory specialists, and sonogram technicians, among others.

There have also been several bonuses approved by the local and federal governments. That has also caused friction with the same technicians, because often the same problem of unequal eligibility has come with each bonus.

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The San Juan Daily Star

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Labor secretary resigns; governor nominates successor in less than an hour

By THE STAR STAFF

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uerto Rico Labor and Human Resources Secretary Briseida Torres Reyes tendered her resignation Tuesday, effective June 15, amid delays in the processing of close to 400,000 unemployment claims from individuals left jobless in a fiscal crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

La Fortaleza Chief of Staff Antonio Pabón and Public Affairs Secretary Osvaldo Soto both said Carlos Rivera was appointed as Torres Reyes’ successor.

Torres Reyes later in the day issued a statement saying that she was resigning for personal reasons.

“In the past 24 hours a personal situation has arisen that I cannot postpone and to which I have to dedicate a large part of my energy, which limits my dedication to the Labor Department and the time it requires and deserves,” she said. “I am sure that the projects that are underway and the effort of the employees will guarantee the continuity of services.”

Javier Villa, the agency’s communication officer, said he did not know

the personal reasons for Torres Reyes’ resignation, but noted that she showed up at La Fortaleza to present the letter.

He said the department’s workers will continue with their work.

Villa also said Torres Reyes’ resignation is effective June 15, but reports pointed out that her resignation was effective immediately.

Asked what will happen if two weeks from now the long unemployment lines continue, Pabón said that “[o]nce the economy reopens people will be called to work.”

“There has to be change in the status if that happens,” he said. “We have to see how it works. Everyone is under constant evaluation. We hope Carlos Rivera Santiago performs his work.”

Asked if more workers will be assigned to process claims, Soto said Rivera Santiago will be provided with all of the resources he needs.

Soto said he expects improvement in communications with the media. Torres Reyes rarely talked to reporters.

He said that while Torres Reyes was summoned to La Fortaleza, she brought her letter of resignation.

Third phase of CARES aid disbursements set

By JOHN McPHAUL jpmcphaul@gmail.com

I

sland Treasury Secretary Francisco Parés said Tuesday that by the end of this week the third phase of the CARES Act aid disbursement of $1,200 per person for the coronavirus emergency will begin in Puerto Rico for citizens who do not file tax returns, and that the incentive deposits for small and midsize businesses will soon be made as well as part of the third phase.

“The three main phases are on course. For those people who filed their 2019 return, that return is processed, it is verified that the incentive has not been paid in the other phases, and the corresponding payment is executed,” Parés said in a radio interview. “We made several improvements to the second phase, which was 2018, and I think we are already 95 or 96 percent done, so at the end of this week, we must begin the disbursement of the third phase.”

The Treasury chief said the third phase would initially take between 10 and 14 days to begin disbursements since they are for people who did not have a file in the Treasury Department and the process of validation of the data with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) began once they requested the benefit.

The official also noted that the IRS has acknowledged that the process of sharing information from social security participants and veterans has taken longer than expected in order to disburse the benefit.

Parés added that the benefit has already been paid to some 820,000 families, which is equivalent to 1.4 million people in Puerto Rico, taking into account dependents and people who file their tax returns as married.

“We are not satisfied and we will continue to promote efficiency within our agency,” he said. “Digital platforms have been essential for detecting errors that can be seen in the process. It is not a perfect process, but it has been quite effective. We have to compare ourselves with other territories such as the [U.S.] Virgin Islands, which I understand have not even started making the disbursement.”

The Treasury secretary noted that tax refunds, meanwhile, have already been disbursed to about 460,000 people.

“We don’t wait for them to accumulate to make the payments,” he said. “A person who files his return, is a person who is paid immediately.”

Parés also announced that the small and midsize business owners who applied for the incentive last weekend should receive the money soon. In this case, it is $5,000 for businesses with two to 49 employees and $10,000

for businesses with 50 to 500 employees. Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced will make the official announcement, the official said.

Parés pointed out that the situation caused by the COVID-19 crisis has caused the loss of nearly $1.4 billion in revenue collections.

“We are still on track to meet the projection that we would lose close to $1.8 billion in revenue,” he said.

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The San Juan Daily Star

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

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House to hold public hearings on ‘COVID Fee’

By THE STAR STAFF

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ouse Consumer Affairs, Banking and Insurance Committee Chairwoman Yashira Lebrón Rodríguez announced on Tuesday the holding of a public hearing tomorrow to assess the merits of a bill intended to prohibit businesses from imposing charges on their customers related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The New Progressive Party (NPP) lawmaker stressed that the purpose of the public hearing is “to learn, firsthand, the reason why this charge is being made and see how it can be stopped, because it is a great burden for the people of Puerto Rico.

“For this we are going to summon [deponents from] various economic, governmental and social sectors,” Lebrón Rodríguez said in a written statement. “I have said that I am against this charge, as we

have to understand that our consumers are suffering the ravages of this pandemic and the measures that have been taken to combat it. But we will listen to all of them during the process of evaluating the … legislation and we will issue a report on the bill with all the findings. That is why the process of public hearings is important.”

The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. in courtroom 2, located in the Annex of the House of Representatives. Among the deponents mentioned are the Dental Surgeons Association, the Barbers and Stylists Association of Puerto Rico, the island Department of Consumer Affairs and the Puerto Rico Restaurants Association.

House Bill 2537, authored by Rep. Joel Franqui Atiles, seeks to prohibit commercial establishments from imposing charges or fees related to COVID-19 and other associated purposes.

Cobra parent company submits report showing no irregularities in contract with PREPA

By THE STAR STAFF

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ammoth Energy, the parent company of Cobra Acquisitions, which is seeking payment of over $278 million that the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) is refusing to pay, has submitted a Homeland Security report to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that concludes there were no irregularities in Cobra’s contract with the island utility.

Following Hurricane Maria and the resulting decimation of the island’s electric power system, Cobra made a proposal to perform reconstruction work to help restore power and rebuild Puerto Rico’s grid.

PREPA put on hold all payments pending the outcome of a criminal case against Cobra’s president Keith Ellison, who, along with others, has been charged in an alleged bribery scheme in which Ellison paid Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials to obtain a contract with PREPA after hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the island in September 2017. One defendant, Cobra employee Jovanda Patterson, pleaded guilty.

The trial is scheduled to begin in January 2021.

The utility has paid most of the money but still owes some $278 million. Judge Laura Taylor Swain has declined to lift the stay in PREPA’s bankruptcy process to allow Cobra to pursue a claim against PREPA. After over a year of requests under the Freedom of Information Act, Mammoth said it received a copy of a detailed independent assessment of the reasonableness of the emergency master support agreement (MSA) dated Oct. 19, 2017 between Cobra and PREPA for repairs to the electrical grid.

The report, titled “Reasonableness Analysis of Cobra Acquisitions, LLC Emergency Contract – Cost Validation Report” and dated March 28, 2019, was prepared at the request of FEMA by the Homeland Security Operational and Analysis Center

(HSOAC), a federally funded research and development center operated by the Rand Corporation for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA’s request for the Rand report followed a Dec. 22, 2017 determination memorandum produced by FEMA that found the MSA to be reasonable.

The report, which was prepared months before the arrests in September 2019, found that Cobra’s selection was done according to law.

“PREPA adhered to Puerto Rican legal statutes regarding emergency situations and remained consistent with their own internal policies,” the report said.

“Thus, according to this evaluation of the procurement

process, HSOAC concludes that PREPA engaged in a reasonable procurement process given the circumstances following Hurricane Maria,” the report added.

It also found that Cobra’s rates were reasonable.

“We conclude that Cobra’s blended rates fall within representative ranges for high voltage emergency repair work,” the report said. “This conclusion is delivered from analytical investigation which combined knowledge of work conditions, assumptions into wage burdens, evaluation of the equipment quantities and workforce structures, different assumptions about fuel costs, and inclusion of the best benchmark data and current adjustment factors available at this time.”

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The San Juan Daily Star

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

AAFAF to evaluate lawsuit filed by oversight board

By JOHN McPHAUL jpmcphaul@gmail.com

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uerto Rico Financial Advisory Authority and Fiscal Agency (AAFAF by its Spanish initials) Executive Director Omar Marrero Díaz announced Tuesday that the agency will evaluate the lawsuit filed by the Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) over evidence related to COVID-19 supply purchase contracts entered into by the island government and allegations that the government has failed to produce information in this regard.

“Although the FOMB does not mention it in its lawsuit, the government of Puerto Rico produced more than 1,000 pages and 202 documents related to the negotiation of contracts for COVID-19 tests and other medical equipment or supplies during the state of emergency decreed by Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced,” Marrero Díaz said in a written statement. “From day one, the AAFAF has cooperated with the FOMB, producing

documents for the FOMB, requesting information from the concerned agencies, and offering the FOMB the opportunity to meet with officials from the agencies concerned to explain the situation and review documents.

The FOMB refused this process.”

Marrero Díaz pointed out that the oversight board alleges information has yet to be produced and that the island Health Department asked the federal entity for an extension to identify and/or corroborate the existence of the requested documents and to deliver documents already in their possession.

The Office of Management and Budget, for its part, has delivered many documents to the oversight board, the AAFAF official said.

“For now, we will evaluate the lawsuit, which represents an unnecessary waste of public funds by the FOMB at a time when Puerto Rico is experiencing a pandemic, which has had a severe impact on the economy of our island,” Marrero Díaz said.

“Despite the government’s cooperation in recent months on this matter, the FOMB

has decided to sue and provoke a questionable expenditure of public funds for legal expenses.”

On Monday, Vázquez declined to comment on the lawsuit. “At another time,” the governor said when journalists asked her for a reaction on the matter.

The oversight board announced earlier

in the day that it had filed a lawsuit before the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico with the intention of compelling the government to deliver documents related to the acquisitions and negotiations of the contracts to buy tests for COVID-19 and other medical supplies during the state of emergency. With this action, the board seeks information on the multi-million-dollar contracts signed with Apex General Contractors and 313 LLC, among others.

Natalie Jaresko, the executive director of the oversight board, said the board has been trying for two months to obtain the purchase contracts for the COVID-19 tests, as well as government documents and other information related to contract negotiations and the purchasing process.

Since then, the board has received some of the contracts, but not all of those requested, Jaresko said, adding that efforts made by the oversight board to address the deficiencies have not been acknowledged and, in some cases, have been ignored.

NMEAD commissioner urges hurricane preparedness

By JOHN McPHAUL jpmcphaul@gmail.com

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fter the start of the hurricane season, Emergency Management and Disaster Administration Bureau (NMEAD by its Spanish acronym) Commissioner José Burgos urged citizens to take the necessary measures to prepare their home and family in advance.

“Puerto Rico is in the path of storms and hurricanes; year after year we are prone to one of these atmospheric phenomena affecting our region,” Burgos said. “Family preparation is essential to preserve the safety of our loved ones in times of emergency. This year, we are facing a rather active and particularly atypical hurricane season, considering the issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the precautions required to prevent contagion.”

The NMEAD commissioner noted that citizens must be prepared for a minimum of 10 days with supplies, medicines and other essential items.

“As a government, we have taken the necessary steps to prepare Puerto Rico so that we have an agile, effective and coordinated response in the event of an emergency or disaster,” he said. “However, each citizen must make their individual and family preparation considering the food and medical needs of each person who makes up their home.”

Burgos said that in each home there should be a basic supply kit. These items should be

kept in plastic boxes or containers that prevent them from being damaged by water. The basic supply kit should contain the following: • One gallon of water per person per day for 10 days • Non-perishable food for at least 10 days per person • Masks • Gel disinfectant •Prescription and over-the-counter medications • Cash ($1, $5, $10, and $20 bills) • Batteries • Flashlights or battery-powered and solar lamps •Battery-powered and (as a backup) dynamo (emergency) radio • Charger and external battery for cell phone • Copies of important documents (print and digital stored on external memory devices) • First aid kit • Hygiene and personal care items • Basic tools • Board games or other entertainment for children that does not require electricity • Pet food, water and medicine • Cage or kennel to transport pets.

“People with health conditions should consult their doctor or service provider to guide them on the steps to take to obtain their medications and treatments such as dialysis and chemotherapy, among others,” Burgos said. “Pregnant women should discuss the

continuity of care with their obstetrician. It is recommended that people with asthma have their inhaler and medications with them, people with heart conditions should have the necessary equipment to monitor blood pressure and diabetes, they must keep their insulin properly preserved according to medical indications, as well as equipment for monitoring their condition. For oxygen-dependent patients, they are encouraged to ask their provider about the plan to maintain the oxygen supply.”

Regarding the transfer to shelters, the official stressed the importance of having an emergency backpack for each family member, which they can carry with them in case they need to leave home. The backpack should include: • Water • Snacks (dried fruits, nutritional bars, cereals, etc.)

• A change of clothes • Sheet or blanket • First aid box • Medicines • Baby food, milk and diapers • Coloring book, card, book, crossword puzzle or some other entertainment items • Cash • Copies of important documents and keys • Hygiene and personal care items • Wet wipes • Masks and disinfectant gel • Battery-powered and (as a backup)

dynamo (emergency) radio • Flashlight and replacement batteries.

For pets: • Food and water • Medicines • Vaccine certification • Nameplate necklace • Transport cage • Leashes • Photo of the owner along with the pet (so you can identify it in case of loss) • Toy • Bags, pads and waste collection items.

Burgos stressed that if there is a need to install an electricity generator, the services of a licensed electrician must be requested so that the installation is carried out according to the required standards, and maintenance must be carried out according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

For the installation of cisterns or water reserves, it is important to resort to the services of a qualified person for these tasks.

“This is the time to prepare and take the necessary measures,” the NMEAD chief said.

“Check the drains in your residence, check doors and windows that need to be reinforced, prune the trees inside your property, establish a communication plan and meet with your family and address any vulnerable situation that may become a risk to your home and family. The most important thing is that you review your plan.”

The San Juan Daily Star

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

7

Prince Andrew and U.S. Prosecutor in nasty dispute over Epstein case

By ALAN FEUER

F

or four months, federal prosecutors in New York have been locked in a nasty public spat with Prince Andrew of Britain about what they say is his refusal to aid their investigation into allegations of sex trafficking and other crimes by financier Jeffrey Epstein and his associates.

In March, Geoffrey S. Berman, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, took the unusual step of announcing at a news conference that the British royal had “completely shut the door” on helping with the inquiry. The comments came two months after Berman complained that the prince was offering “zero cooperation” in the case.

On Monday, the trans-Atlantic sniping escalated, with the prince’s lawyers saying in a statement from London that he had agreed three times to help the New York prosecutors, though on his terms, with a written statement, and not by sitting for an interview.

In the statement, the prince’s lawyers accused Berman by name of misleading the public with “inaccurate” comments about the prince that “should not have been made.”

They also suggested that Berman and other U.S. prosecutors hoped to bask in the limelight by loudly and repeatedly attacking Andrew.

“They are perhaps seeking publicity rather than accepting the assistance proffered,” the prince’s lawyers wrote.

Within hours, Berman shot back, issuing a statement of his own in which he effectively called Andrew, the Duke of York, a liar.

“Today, Prince Andrew yet again sought to falsely portray himself to the public as eager and willing to cooperate with an ongoing federal criminal investigation into sex trafficking and related offenses,” Berman wrote.

“If Prince Andrew is, in fact, serious about cooperating with the ongoing federal investigation,” Berman added, “our doors remain open, and we await word of when we should expect him.”

The dueling missives emerged as the British media reported that Berman’s office had raised the stakes in its scuffle with the prince by issuing a formal request to the British Home Office seeking its help in obtaining an interview with him.

U.S. prosecutors in New York and Washington would not confirm whether such a request, which is known officially as a mutual legal assistance application, had been made. (In an interview with Fox News on Monday, Attorney General William Barr said there were no plans to extradite the prince, but that federal prosecutors hoped to have him “provide some evidence.”)

If British officials were to grant such an application, Berman and members of his staff could avoid the complexities of trying to subpoena testimony from Andrew, a foreign citizen who lives outside of U.S. jurisdiction.

Under mutual legal assistance treaties, the British government could compel the prince to submit to an interview with its own officials if he were to persist in refusing to grant one to the federal prosecutors in New York.

Prince Andrew’s lawyers said he had offered three times to answer questions in writing. Prosecutors want an interview.

The stalemate has been in effect since November, when Andrew gave what was widely seen as a disastrous television interview to the BBC about his long relationship with Epstein, who killed himself last summer at a federal jail in Manhattan while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. Epstein had previously pleaded guilty to state sex crime charges in Florida in 2008 and had been sentenced to 13 months in prison at the time.

Andrew, 60, said in the BBC interview that he could not “shed light” for U.S. law enforcement officers on Epstein’s activities because the two had spent only a few days at a time together. He also said he would have to consult with his lawyers before testifying under oath about his relationship with Epstein.

The prince’s answers in the interview shocked many viewers, who said that his denials of sexual misconduct were unpersuasive and that he seemed to have little sympathy for Epstein’s alleged victims.

After the interview was broadcast, the prince abruptly announced that he was stepping back from public life, apparently out of a concern that the BBC appearance could threaten the reputation and charitable work of the entire British royal family.

In a public statement at the time, he also said, “Of course, I am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required.”

Shortly after Epstein’s death, Berman said in a statement that the inquiry into an alleged sex-trafficking conspiracy that led to the new charges against the financier had not yet finished and that prosecutors were committed to standing up for the “brave young women” who Berman said Epstein had abused. Barr has also vowed to bring criminal charges against anyone who helped Epstein in any sex-trafficking scheme.

American prosecutors may also want to speak with Andrew because of his friendship with Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite and Epstein’s onetime girlfriend. She has been accused in lawsuits filed by women who say they were Epstein’s victims of acting as his top recruiter, procuring girls and young women for him to sexually abuse.

Maxwell, who has denied any wrongdoing, was one of four women who were named as possible co-conspirators and granted immunity from prosecution in a widely criticized plea bargain that Epstein struck with federal prosecutors in Florida in a case that preceded his 2008 conviction.

Berman’s latest assertion that Andrew has acted in bad faith in presenting himself publicly as cooperative drew an angry reaction from the prince’s advisers. They accused Berman of breaching his own confidentiality rules a third time and of further eroding the prince’s trust in the Justice Department’s willingness to deal with him honestly.

“It’s frankly bewildering,” one of the prince’s advisers said.

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The San Juan Daily Star

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Trump rebuffs protests over systemic racism and calls police ‘great people’

People visit a makeshift memorial at the site where George Floyd was killed while in police custody in Minneapolis

By PETTER BAKER

P

resident Donald Trump on Monday flatly denied that systemic problems existed in American police departments, declaring that as many as 99.9% of the nation’s officers are “great, great people” as he rebuffed mass street protests denouncing racist behavior in law enforcement.

Trump, who has adopted an uncompromising law-and-order posture and scorned demonstrations that have broken out in cities nationwide, surrounded himself with law enforcement officials at the White House and tried to link liberals’ calls to defund the police to his Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden — even though Biden came out earlier against defunding the police.

“There won’t be defunding,”Trump said.

“There won’t be dismantling of our police.

There’s not going to be any disbanding of our police.”

While Trump advisers had hoped to tie Biden together with the protesters to try to hurt him with moderate and independent voters, Biden’s campaign undercut that tactic by announcing that he “does not believe that police should be defunded,” while noting that he “supports the urgent need for reform.”

The back-and-forth highlighted how drastically the campaign has changed in the two weeks since George Floyd died after a white police officer knelt on his neck in Min-

neapolis. Biden has spent much of that time expressing solidarity with protesters against racial injustice, and on Monday traveled to Houston to meet with Floyd’s family in advance of Tuesday’s funeral. Trump has sought to appeal to his hard-core base with threats to use force in the streets and other harsh language to try to show he has no tolerance for disorder.

Trump called the family of Floyd last month, but he has not met with protest leaders or major African American political figures since the demonstrations erupted. White House officials have explored the possibility of a trip by Trump or Vice President Mike Pence to Minnesota but so far have backed off the idea, recognizing that neither would be welcome by many there.

While aides said Monday that Trump was studying possible proposals for changes to law enforcement, the president himself made little effort to suggest as much during his appearance with law enforcement officials.

“Our police have been letting us live in peace,” he said, “and we want to make sure we don’t have any bad actors in there and sometimes we’ll see some horrible things like we witnessed recently, but I say 99.9 — let’s go with 99% of them — great, great people and they’ve done jobs that are record setting.” Trump took no questions from reporters invited to record the event.

Recent polls indicate that Trump is out

of step with many Americans on the protests, some of which have unfolded in Republicanleaning states that voted for him in 2016. A Monmouth University poll released last week found that 76% of Americans — including 71% of white people — called racism and discrimination “a big problem” in the United States, a 26-percentage-point spike since 2015. In that poll and others, majorities of Americans said that demonstrators’ anger was fully justified and that police officers were generally more likely to treat black people unfairly than to mistreat white people.

Trump’s own numbers have been sliding in battleground states like Michigan and Wisconsin, and states that supported him four years ago like Florida, Arizona, North Carolina and even Texas appear increasingly in play. The president was so agitated over a new CNN national poll showing him 14 percentage points behind Biden on Monday that he posted online a memo from his own pollster calling surveys by major networks biased against Trump.

Officials at the White House said that Trump wants to focus on a law-and-order message both because he thinks it is his best political option and because it is his instinctive default setting on matters involving the police.

Trump has long sought to divide people by race going back to the days when he took out full-page ads calling for the death penalty for the Central Park Five, a group of Latino and African-American teenagers later exonerated in a sensational rape case.

Even as the president has described some protesters as “thugs” and threatened to unleash “vicious dogs” on any who tried to enter White House grounds, advisers have suggested that Trump should give a speech going beyond previous statements or find another way to show that he hears the anger from protesters about police misconduct. Two officials said that there is still a push for Trump to hold “listening” sessions, an idea they have floated since shortly after Floyd was killed.

In private, Trump has been musing about race in America since Floyd’s death and his own response. In a meeting last week with roughly two dozen White House aides, campaign officials and surrogates, Trump expressed unhappiness about Floyd’s killing but immediately said the country needed law and order, according to people who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe his private

comments. He said nothing more broadly about police treatment of black people in the United States.

Instead, he meandered as he talked, saying that he had signed legislation overhauling criminal justice in 2018 not because it was an issue that he was passionate about, but because Jared Kushner, his son-in-law and senior adviser, had wanted him to, according to one of the people familiar with what was said.

He also mused about how he has asked people whether they prefer being called “black” or “African American,” an issue he had his campaign research.

At another point, Trump talked about the protesters, questioning whether they were peaceful and citing the fire last week at St. John’s Church, a block from the White House.

The fire caused relatively minor damage in a basement but has been seized on repeatedly

by Trump and his advisers as a justification for forcibly pushing demonstrators out of the area a day later.

Even some of the law enforcement officials invited to meet with Trump urged him to support change. Sheriff Tony Childress of Livingston County in Illinois endorsed mandatory de-escalation training for officers; a ban on all physical restraint on or above the neck and any acts that restrict the flow of blood or oxygen to the brain; and requirements that officers render medical aid and intervene when physical force is being inappropriately applied.

“We look forward to working with you to hopefully getting legislation involved in making these things true and making them law,” Childress told Trump.

Trump, who brought no advisers of color with him for his Bible-holding photo op at St. John’s last week, included Ja’Ron Smith, the deputy director of the White House Office of American Innovation, in Monday’s event.

“As an individual, I’ve also had the fear of living in a certain neighborhood or driving certain types of cars as an African American just because of my relationship with the police,” Smith said. “There are a lot of African American males across the country that have stories that they can share.”

But he added that police officers should not be demonized. “We can’t let a few bad apples represent something that is the core of everything we do,” he said.

The San Juan Daily Star

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

9

Wave of new polling suggests an erosion of Trump’s support

By NATE COHN

T

he coronavirus pandemic, a severe economic downturn and the widespread demonstrations in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd in police custody would pose a serious political challenge to any president seeking reelection.

They are certainly posing one to President Donald Trump.

His approval rating has fallen to negative 12.7 percentage points among registered or likely voters, down from negative 6.7 points on April 15, according to FiveThirtyEight estimates. And now a wave of new polls shows Joe Biden with a significant national lead, placing him in a stronger position to oust an incumbent president than any challenger since Bill Clinton in the summer of 1992.

He leads the president by around 10 percentage points in an average of recent live-interview telephone surveys of registered voters. It’s a four-point improvement over the six-point lead he held in a similar series of polls in late March and early April.

Since then, Bernie Sanders has left the Democratic race, the severity of the coronavirus pandemic has became fully evident, and the president’s standing has gradually eroded.

The erosion has been fairly broad, spanning virtually all demographic groups.

But in a longer-term context, the president’s weakness is most stark in one respect: his deficit among women.

Women were supposed to carry the first female major-party nominee to victory four years ago, as many assumed that Trump’s treatment of women, including allegations of sexual assault, would prove to be his undoing. But women might be his undoing this time. Trump trails Biden by 25 points among them, far worse than his 14-point deficit four years ago. He still leads among men by 6 points in the most recent polls, about the same margin as he led by in the final polls of registered voters in 2016.

Over the shorter term, the decline in the president’s standing has been particularly pronounced among white voters without a college degree, helping to explain why the Trump campaign has felt compelled to air advertisements in Ohio and Iowa, two mostly white working-class battleground states where Trump won by nearly 10 points

four years ago.

In the most recent polls, white voters without a college degree back the president by 21 points, down from 31 points in March and April and down from the 29-point lead Trump held in the final polls of registered voters in 2016.

Trump didn’t just lose support to the undecided column; Biden ticked up to an average of 37% among white voters without a degree. The figure would be enough to assure Biden the presidency, given his considerable strength among white college graduates. In the most recent polls, white college graduates back Biden by a 20-point margin, up 4 points since the spring. It’s also an eight-point improvement for the Democratic nominee since 2016, and a 26-point improvement since 2012.

Biden has also made some progress toward redressing his weakness among younger voters. Voters ages 18 to 34 now back Biden by a 22-point margin, up 6 points from the spring and now somewhat ahead of Hillary Clinton’s lead in the final polls of 2016. Young voters will probably never be a strength for Biden — a septuagenarian who promised a return to normal, rather than fundamental change during the Democratic primary — but for now his margin is not so small as to constitute a grave threat to his prospects.

Remarkably, Biden still leads by 7 points among voters 65 and over in the most recent surveys, despite the kind of racial unrest that led many of these voters to support Republican candidates at various points in their lifetimes. It should be noted that Biden’s lead among older voters is somewhat narrower than it was a few months ago, either reflecting the statistical noise of small sample sizes or reflecting the toll of recent events. Yet it is still a commanding strength for Biden compared with Hillary Clinton’s 5-point deficit among this group four years ago.

Perhaps more surprising in light of recent events is that Biden has not made substantial gains with nonwhite voters. He leads among them by 46 points in the most recent polls, up a mere percentage point from the polls conducted in March and April.

It’s still behind the 50-point margin held by Clinton in the final weeks of the 2016 race.

Most pollsters do not break out nonwhite

voters in much depth because of the small sample size, making it hard to explore the precise sources of Biden’s relative weakness.

But for now, it seems reasonable to assume that his struggles are most acute among young nonwhite voters and nonwhite men, given the overall national figures.

Of course, five months remain until the presidential election. There is plenty of time for the race to swing in Trump’s favor, just as it did in the final stretch of the 2016 campaign. Indeed, the 2016 race was characterized by a predictable, mean-reverting oscillation between nearly double-digit leads for Clinton — as in August and October — and a tighter race in which Trump trailed in national polls but remained highly competitive — as in July, September and November.

Biden’s lead in the polls today is not vastly different from the leads Clinton claimed at her peaks after the “Access Hollywood” tape was revealed or when Trump became embroiled in a feud with a Muslim Gold Star military family.

There are reasons to doubt that the polling this year will again take on the character of a slow-motion, sine-wave roller-coaster ride. Many of the swings toward Trump were driven at least in part by news and negative coverage about Clinton’s emails or her health. Joe Biden’s stay-at-home campaign tends to keep the spotlight focused on Trump.

The Trump campaign has not resolved on a central attack on Biden. Perhaps as a result, Trump’s high points in national polls have never been as high as they were in 2016.

Even so, this could be a low point for Trump. There is certainly cause to doubt whether the protests today, or even the president’s early response to the pandemic, will loom as large for voters in November as they do today. No one can predict what the national political environment will look like in five months; surely, no one would have predicted what has unfolded over the last five. The president’s supporters can still hope that the economy will rapidly recover over the summer and fall, before a hypothesized second wave of coronavirus hits over the late fall or winter.

If the race does revert toward the president, as it did on so many occasions four years ago, he could quickly find himself back within striking distance of squeaking out a narrow win. His relative advantage in the Electoral College compared with the nation as a whole, or possibly among likely voters compared with registered voters, means that he doesn’t need to gain anywhere near 10 points to get back within striking distance of reelection. In the final national polls of registered voters in 2016, Trump trailed by around an average of 5 points. It was close enough.

But for now, the president trails by too much for these factors to play a decisive role.

If the election were held today, the Electoral College would pose no serious obstacle to Biden, thanks to his strength compared with Clinton among white voters and particularly those without a college degree. He would win even if the polls were exactly as wrong as they were four years ago.

10

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

The San Juan Daily Star

Testing nursing home workers can help stop Coronavirus. But who should pay?

By KATIE THOMAS

L

ike all nursing home workers in New York state, Shikilia Davis is required to get a test for coronavirus twice a week, part of a state order aimed at containing the startling death toll of residents in nursing homes.

But late last month, Davis said her employer, Apex Rehabilitation & Healthcare on Long Island, sent her home after she refused to provide her insurance card before getting tested. She said the nursing home wanted to bill her health insurer rather than paying for the test itself, even though Davis’ insurer has declined to cover the tests.

“This is a bill I do not want to get stuck with,” said Davis, who works as a dietary aide at Apex, where, according to state data, 33 people died or were believed to have died from the virus. She feared that the lab company could hold her responsible for paying the bill once her insurance claim was denied. “I don’t have money lying around.”

The dispute over who should pay for worker testing is at the messy heart of a national effort to reduce the virus’s spread in nursing homes by screening workers and residents. It has become a hot-button labor issue for some of the nation’s most poorly paid health care workers.

A report released June 4 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees most nursing homes in the United States, estimated that almost 32,000 residents have died of the virus, more than one-fourth of all COVID-19 deaths in the country.

Regular testing of nursing home staff — who come and go each day from their workplaces, potentially introducing the virus to the facilities and spreading it to residents — is seen as one of the most important ways to contain outbreaks. The first significant outbreak in the United States was in a nursing home in the Seattle area, and the virus has killed residents in many facilities in New York and New Jersey.

Like so many aspects of the U.S. response to the pandemic, the effort has been stymied by a lack of federal coordination and a patchwork of state policies. In California, nursing homes have been given conflicting instructions from local and state governments. Some states, like Ohio, are sending in the National Guard to help administer tests. Others, like New Jersey, require testing but have pushed the logistics and costs onto the nursing homes. Still other states, like Alabama, have not issued any requirements for testing.

Even at the federal level, different agencies are offering conflicting advice. CMS, the oversight agency, wants nursing homes to test workers weekly, but has not made it a requirement. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, has said that facilities can adjust how often they test workers based on the local prevalence of coronavirus.

Adm. Brett P. Giroir, the assistant secretary of health who has been overseeing the government’s testing response, said last Wednesday that the federal government had done a good job of communicating with nursing homes and states.

“CMS expects all nursing home residents to get a baseline test, and that everybody who works in that nursing home should be tested weekly until we get further knowledge,” he said. “I think we’ve been pretty clear about that.”

Testing every nursing home resident and worker would be a significant undertaking. Dr. Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, has estimated that screening all residents and staff once every two weeks would add up to 150,000 tests a day. The American Health Care Association, which represents for-profit nursing homes and assisted living centers, has said that testing all 3 million workers and residents just once will cost $672 million.

One of the most contentious details has been the question of who should pay for it.

Tests of nursing home residents can be billed to insurers like Medicare and Medicaid, but the question of who pays for workers’ testing is less clear. Nursing home employees are some of the lowest paid workers in the health care industry and often work by the hour, and for multiple facilities. Many do not have health insurance, and about 42% of workers who care for older people receive some kind of public assistance.

Nursing homes, which have received nearly $5 billion in federal stimulus funding to cover coronavirus expenses — including testing — have pushed back against paying for the tests, and asked for more government help. Insurers have also said they should not be required to pay.

Nowhere is this playing out more dramatically than in New York, where Gov. Andrew Cuomo faced criticism in April over his now-rescinded policy of requiring nursing homes to accept infected patients from hospitals.

In early May, he issued an executive order that all workers — whether full or part time, contract workers or on staff — must be tested twice a week. The state identified labs that nursing homes could hire to do the testing, and has provided supplies to facilities that said they did not have enough.

New York also issued an opinion that the workers’ tests were “medically necessary,” and should be covered by insurance. If insurance did not cover, the state said, the nursing homes would be responsible to pay for the tests, which cost about $100.

But despite the state’s position, some insurers have said they will not cover the screening tests, including a large benefit fund that is jointly run by employers like hospitals and nursing homes and the union that represents their workers, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East. The benefit fund’s lawyers ruled that under federal law, union health funds must be used only for the benefit of the workers’ health and not for other reasons. These tests were similar to health screenings that many employers routinely pay for, such as drug tests or physicals.

“It’s their responsibility to pay,” Lorraine Brown-Zanders, the union vice president for Long Island, where Apex is located, said of the nursing homes. “But now you’re going to punish the workers?”

Nursing homes say they cannot afford to be saddled with the full cost of a test.

“We need to work in partnership with the state to ensure the cost — the extensive cost — of these tests are covered,” said Stephen B. Hanse, president and chief executive of the New York State Health Facilities Association, which represents nursing homes in the state.

Meanwhile, workers say they are caught in the middle.

A photo provided by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center shows Dr. David Nace, the chief medical officer at the medical center’s senior communities, having blood drawn for an antibody test.

Davis is a member of the 1199SEIU union. Brown Zanders said the benefit fund sent Apex and other nursing homes a letter in early May saying they would not cover the tests.

Davis said she ended up getting tested at free sites around Long Island and submitting the results to the nursing home so she could return to work. The administrator of Apex did not return emails and calls requesting comment.

Nationally, a similar standoff is also playing out. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has asked the federal government for better guidance about how screening tests should be covered, but an association spokeswoman said the group has not yet received a response. A spokeswoman for America’s Health Insurance Plans, an industry trade group, said it was also waiting for federal advice on employee testing.

“It is essential that strategies that addresses workplace testing be part of an overarching public and occupational health strategy, and that federal guidance clearly articulate the roles of insurance providers, employers and public health officials,” the spokeswoman, Kristine Grow, said in a statement.

Giroir said Wednesday that insurers, who are required to cover medically necessary coronavirus tests under the federal coronavirus relief law, should not be asked to cover worker screenings.

“We would expect that to be borne either by the employer directly or under the state plan,” he said in a call with reporters.

Meanwhile, nursing home operators say that even though they want to test residents and staff, a poorly coordinated plan has made their job difficult.

Dr. David A. Nace, chief medical officer of UPMC Senior Communities in Pittsburgh, which operates nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, said when he talks to colleagues around the country, many say they still struggle to find enough supplies to do the testing.

“It still remains limited, despite what anybody’s going to tell you,” he said.

The San Juan Daily Star

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

11

‘People are getting in planes’: The travel business is picking up

By NIRAH CHOKSCHI

T

he nation’s largest airlines are preparing for a limited rebound next month as more Americans book vacations in places like Florida and the mountains and national parks in the West.

That resurgence would offer some hope to the travel industry, which racked up billions of dollars in losses as tourists and businesspeople canceled trips in the past three months because of the coronavirus epidemic. Some in the industry said the recovery was already underway.

The Fontainebleau Miami Beach resort said it was enjoying brisk business after local officials last week lifted a coronavirus shutdown order that had been in place since March.

The 1,594-room resort was about one-third full this weekend and is on track to be packed for the July Fourth weekend, said Phil Goldfarb, who oversees the Fontainebleau. But the visitors streaming in are not the ones he expected. In the summer, the hotel typically fills up largely with Florida residents. This year, the people booking rooms are coming from across the country.

“California and Texas and New York and New Jersey are the top four markets, all before Florida,” said Goldfarb, president and chief operating officer of hospitality at Fontainebleau Development, which owns the hotel and other properties. “People are getting in planes and social distancing but coming here.”

After cratering in April, the number of travelers and airline and airport employees filtering through the Transportation Security Administration’s airport checkpoints has steadily climbed in recent weeks. The low point arrived on April 14, when the agency screened fewer than 90,000 people, just 4% of those screened the same date last year.

On Sunday, the agency screened more than 440,000 people, about 17% of last year’s number and the best day since March.

Investors appear to have noticed those numbers, and airline stock prices have surged. American Airlines is up nearly 90% since Monday morning last week, United Airlines is more than 70% higher, and Delta Air Lines is up more than 45%.

Airlines say they are preparing to capitalize on the renewed interest in travel. Late last week, for example, American announced that its July flight schedule would be the most robust since the pandemic began, largely because of domestic bookings by people eager to get out after sheltering at home for months.

American plans to add flights from its hubs, including Dallas, Philadelphia and Charlotte, North Carolina, to destinations like Asheville, North Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; and Charleston, South Carolina. It also said it would significantly increase flights to Florida and seasonal destinations in Montana, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming.

The Fontainebleau Miami Beach, a resort that had closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, is enjoying brisk business since it reopened on June 1.

“We’re seeing a slow but steady rise in domestic demand,” Vasu Raja, American’s senior vice president of network strategy, said in a statement. “After a careful review of data, we’ve built a July schedule to match.”

American plans to operate about 55% as many domestic flights as it did last July. That would be up from just 20% in May. United is planning for a similar, if somewhat smaller, rebound. The airline said it will add flights to New York, Boston, Seattle and Philadelphia next month to serve commercial and governmental travel. It also plans to add flights to reopening vacation destinations, including Las Vegas; Portland, Maine; Aspen, Colorado; and Jackson, Wyoming.

Montana is among the states that stand to benefit from the expanded service, with American planning to nearly double the daily flights there in July. Some of those will arrive at Glacier Park International Airport, just outside Glacier National Park and a short drive from Great Northern Resort, which includes a 14-room hotel and five cabins.

The resort fielded cancellation calls for months as the pandemic spread, but things started to look up after the national park announced that it would begin reopening on Monday, said Catherine Beers, who owns the resort with

several members of her family.

In May, the resort is typically about half full, Beers said, but this year it hosted only two couples all month, both locals. Since then, the cancellation calls have subsided, and the hotel is about 80% booked for July and August, months when it usually has no vacancies.

More of her incoming calls are from people interested in booking a room or cabin because they are seeking out a destination where they can spread out.

“If you go to the grocery stores, there are people and you do have to stand on the stickers, but once you get out on the edges of bigger cities it’s so easy to be distant from people,” Beers said.

But even as the Great Northern Resort and the Fontainebleau provide early signs for optimism, the airline industry’s reckoning is far from over.

Industry executives and analysts generally agree that it is likely to be several years before airlines fly as many people as they did before the pandemic. Airlines are still losing tens of millions of dollars every day. That number is shrinking, but the losses are expected to continue through the end of the year. Generally, a flight needs to be about three-fourths full for an airline to turn a profit, but most are far from it because airlines can’t or won’t fill up planes.

12

The San Juan Daily Star

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Stocks

S&P 500, Dow ease after recent gains; Nasdaq ends at record

T

he S&P 500 and Dow fell on Tuesday after recent strong gains, while the Nasdaq ended at an alltime high for a second straight day after briefly rising above the 10,000 mark for the first time.

Investors eyed this week’s Federal Reserve meeting.

While no major policy announcements are expected when the U.S. central bank wraps up its two-day meeting on Wednesday, investors will scrutinize its remarks on the health of the economy, which has been reopening after coronavirus-related closures.

The Nasdaq’s gains came a day after the index became the first of Wall Street’s main indexes to confirm a new bull market after hitting a low on March 23.

The benchmark S&P 500 fell back into negative territory for the year after erasing those losses on Monday.

“It strikes me as maybe a reflexive selloff as a result of a tremendous rally over the past week. There’s no news headline that screams bearish catalyst to me. But conversely, other than the nonfarm payrolls data, the past two weeks haven’t had super bullish catalysts either,” said Mike Zigmont, head of trading and research at Harvest Volatility Management in New York.

“In the grand scheme of things, it seems like the market has caught a bullish fever, and it’s feeding on itself.”

The rally in U.S. stocks accelerated last week after strikingly upbeat May jobs data strengthened views that the worst of the economic fallout from the pandemic was over.

Financial, industrial and energy stocks, which have surged in recent weeks on hopes of an improved economic outlook, were the biggest drags on the benchmark S&P 500 on Tuesday.

Unofficially, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 296.99 points, or 1.08%, to 27,275.45, the S&P 500 lost 25.06 points, or 0.78%, to 3,207.33 and the Nasdaq Composite added 29.01 points, or 0.29%, to 9,953.75 U.S. financial market operators, including the New York Stock Exchange, held a moment of silence in honor of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American who died on May 25 after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

The S&P 1500 airlines index tumbled, while cruise operators Carnival Corp and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd fell following their recent sharp recovery amid recent signs of a pickup in global travel.

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The San Juan Daily Star

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

13

North Korea cuts off all communications lines to South Korea

By CHOE SANG-HUN

N

orth Korea said Tuesday that it would cut off all communication lines with South Korea, including military hotlines, as it vowed to reverse a recent détente on the Korean Peninsula and start treating the South as an “enemy.”

North Korea made the decision when its top officials in charge of relations with the South, including Kim Yo Jong, the sister of the supreme leader, Kim Jong Un, met Monday, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency said.

The officials “stressed that the work toward the South should thoroughly turn into one against the enemy,” the North Korean news agency reported Tuesday. “We have reached a conclusion that there is no need to sit face to face with the South Korean authorities, and there is no issue to discuss with them, as they have only aroused our dismay.”

Shortly after its announcement, North Korea refused to pick up the phone Tuesday morning when the South made its routine daily call on the military hotlines between the two countries, officials in Seoul, South Korea, said.

The North’s tone Tuesday was a sharp reversal from two years ago, when a rare inter-Korean rapprochement culminated in South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in, visiting Pyongyang, becoming the first South Korean leader to address a large North Korean crowd.

Inter-Korean relations have rapidly deteriorated since Kim Jong Un’s second summit meeting with President Donald Trump, held in Vietnam in February of last year, ended without agreement on dismantling North Korea’s nuclear weapons program or easing United Nations sanctions on the country. North Korea’s economic isolation has subsequently deepened with the global coronavirus outbreak.

Since Kim’s diplomacy with Trump collapsed, North Korea has stepped up pressure on the South to ignore Washington’s pressure and improve interKorean economic ties even before the North denuclearized. It demanded the reopening of the joint tourism venture at its Diamond Mountain resort complex and of a joint industrial park in Kaesong, both of which had served as key sources of cash until they were shut down in disputes between the two Koreas.

When the South refused to restart the ventures, calling on the North to first move toward denuclearization, North Korea turned increasingly harsh toward Moon’s government.

The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, during a Politburo meeting on Sunday.

Last Thursday, Kim Yo Jong, a senior adviser to her brother, warned that North Korea would begin scrapping inter-Korean agreements​to ease tensions​unless South Korea stopped the release of anti-Kim leaflets by defectors from the North.

When Kim Jong Un and Moon met in April of 2018 and again in September that year, they ​signed agreements to improve relations and cease all hostile acts along the border​, including cross-border propaganda, ​like leaflets and loudspeaker broadcasts​. As part of such efforts, the two Koreas​also​ installed​ a hotline linking the offices of Kim Jong Un and Moon and​ ​set up a liaison office ​in ​Kaesong​, just north of the border in North Korea.

But anti-North activists in the South, mainly defectors from the North, have continued to send leaflets by balloon. North Korea has long bristled at these leaflets, which typically depict Kim Jong Un as a cretinous dictator toying with nuclear weapons.

On Tuesday, North Korea said that it had decided to “cut off all the communication and liaison lines” between the two Koreas, including the hotlines between their leaders’ offices and their mili-

taries. The​North said its​move was only the start of what ​it called “phased plans for the work against the enemy.”

South Korea has long emphasized the importance of those hotlines to avert unintended armed clashes between the t​wo militaries ​at t​imes of rising tensions on the peninsula.

The two Koreas have run a telephone hotline at the truce village of Panmunjom and later at the inter-Korean liaison office. Duty officers from both sides man their telephones. But when bilateral relations soured in the past, one of the first things North Korea often did was to cut off the line​— only to reopen it later​​.

South Korea has criticized the North Korean defectors for raising tensions by releasing the leaflets​​. Last week, it said it was discussing a new law to ban such leaflets.

In recent days,​​ when defectors​approached the border zone to release plastic bottles filled with rice afloat on a river, hoping that they will reach North Koreans, angry ​South Korean ​villagers blocked the roads​. They accused the defectors of raising tensions and polluting the river.

14

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

The San Juan Daily Star

‘Get rid of them’: A statue falls as Britain confronts its racist history

Protesters throwing the statue of the slave trader Edward Colston into Bristol Harbor on Sunday.

By MARK LANDLER

W

ith a mix of pent-up fury and sudden elation, the protesters who toppled a bronze statue of the 17th-century slave trader, Edward Colston, in Bristol, England, on Sunday recalled the angry crowds that brought down statues of Saddam Hussein, Stalin and even King George III. But when these demonstrators dumped the monument of Colston into Bristol Harbor with a splash, they also forced Britain to consider how to confront its racist history at a moment when many of the same questions are being asked in the United States. So a more precise parallel to Sunday’s events, perhaps, is not Saddam or Stalin, but the removal of statues of Confederate generals in city squares across the American South.

Now the protesters are turning their sights on statues of Cecil Rhodes, an even more potent symbol of Britain’s racist colonial past.

“For the last three years, we’ve all had this debate about statues in Britain,” said Afua Hirsch, a columnist for The Guardian who writes and speaks about race in Britain.

“It feels as if now there is not even a debate — people are just acting. That is inspired by the movement we’re seeing in America.”

The toppling of the statue capped a clamorous, occasionally violent weekend of protests in London and other

parts of Britain. They began as a show of solidarity with Americans protesting police brutality after an officer killed George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis, by kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

The strife has become a test for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose first instinct has been to promise a swift return to law and order.

Johnson claimed the protests, though largely peaceful, had been “subverted by thuggery.” His Home Secretary, Priti Patel, said “scenes of lawlessness are completely unacceptable,” and vowed to double prison terms for people convicted of attacking police and other emergency workers during the demonstrations. She also lamented that people were marching when they should be at home social distancing to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Far from quelling the unrest, some observers said the government’s tough language would feed frustrations, particularly among black people and other ethnic minorities in Britain who have protested before, including in 2011 after police shot and killed Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old black man, whose death led to destructive protests across the country.

As in the U.S., the coronavirus has disproportionately affected black people and other minorities. The threemonth lockdown, from which Britain is only now gingerly emerging, has suffocated the economy and left many of the people who are demonstrating furloughed and uncertain

about the future.

Unlike in the U.S., British police are not equipped with military-style gear or heavy weapons. Many do not carry firearms. After years of budget cuts under the austerity policies of Conservative governments, police in London are more conspicuous by how rare they are than by their brute force.

Still, there is a well-documented record of black men dying in police custody in Britain, according to Hirsch, who said the officers are rarely brought to justice. Black men are three times more likely than white men to die at the hands of police, according to experts; they are also overrepresented in British prisons.

Some of that distrust was on display in London on Sunday. Though most protesters kept to peaceful chants such as “I can’t breathe” — echoing some of Floyd’s dying words — a few lobbed bottles and flares at the police who were trying to keep them away from No. 10 Downing St., the prime minister’s residence.

Protesters spray-painted graffiti on the Cenotaph, a revered World War I memorial, while one clambered up on its pedestal and tried unsuccessfully to light a Union Jack on fire. Another defaced a statue of Winston Churchill, crossing out his name and painting “was a racist” underneath it.

Scotland Yard said Monday that 35 police officers were injured in the clashes. One suffered a head wound and another a shoulder injury after a bottle was thrown. Police arrested 36 people before the crowds were dispersed after midnight.

In Bristol, by contrast, police stood by when protesters began throwing ropes around the statue of Edward Colston.

The protesters tore down the statue and danced on top of it before rolling it down the street to the waterfront, where they pushed it in.

Bristol’s mayor and police chief expressed regret at how the statue was removed. But they shed no tears for the desecration of Colston’s memory.

A merchant whose name is on schools and hospitals in Bristol, Colston profited richly from slavery, transporting at least 80,000 people from West Africa to the Caribbean.

Almost 20,000 of them died on the sea voyages.

Critics have campaigned for years to take down the bronze statue, which was erected in 1895. Now that it is gone, they want to replace it with a statue of Paul Stephenson, a black worker who led a boycott of the Bristol Bus Company in 1963 to force it to end discriminatory hiring practices against minorities.

“Whilst I am disappointed that people would damage one of our statues, I do understand why it’s happened,” Superintendent Andy Bennett, of Somerset and Avon police, told the BBC. “It’s very symbolic.”

Bristol’s mayor, Marvin Rees, said the statue was an “affront” to the city. Rees, who is the son of a Jamaican father and a British mother, said the city would eventually fish the statue out of the water and likely put it in a museum.

The San Juan Daily Star

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

15

Furious backlash in Brazil after ministry withholds Coronavirus data

By ERNESTO LONDOÑO

A

s the coronavirus tore through Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro came under blistering criticism for sabotaging the isolation measures imposed by states, encouraging mass rallies by his supporters and lashing out on the soaring death toll, saying “What do you want me to do?”

Now that the outbreak in Brazil has gotten even worse — with more infections than any country but the United States — Bolsonaro’s government has come up with a unique response to the growing alarm: It decided to stop reporting the cumulative toll of the virus altogether.

Brazil’s health ministry took down the website where it had been reporting coronavirus statistics Friday. And then, when it came back online Saturday, the site omitted the historical data — leaving out how many people had already been infected or killed because of the virus.

Lawmakers and health experts quickly attacked Bolsonaro in unusually blistering terms. Not only did they condemn the government’s decision to withhold comprehensive statistics as deaths and contagion continue to soar, but they roundly criticized the Bolsonaro administration’s repeated practice of downplaying the danger of the virus, regardless of what scientists and his own health ministers may say.

Gilmar Mendes, a Supreme Court justice, called the government’s “manipulation of statistics a tactic of totalitarian regimes,” adding that the “trick will not absolve the government from an eventual genocide.”

The pandemic — and, specifically, the government responses to them — have been highly contentious around the world. But in few places have the issues been quite as polarizing as in Brazil, a country already separated by a political chasm between Bolsonaro’s furious detractors and equally fervent devotees.

Bolsonaro, who initially described the virus as a “measly flu,” says the challenge of the virus is dwarfed by the economic fallout of stay-at-home measures, and that the real danger is the rising unemployment that will leave people hungry.

But he has also come under withering criticism for joining large pro-government protests that risk spreading the virus, for ordering the armed forces to mass produce an unproven medication for the virus, hydroxychloroquine, and for fighting with his own health officials as the crisis intensified.

Now Brazil is suffering the highest daily number of deaths in the world — often more than 1,000 a day — and the government has stopped reporting the cumulative toll of the outbreak.

“By altering the numbers, the health ministry is trying to cover the sun with a sieve,” Rodrigo Maia, the speaker of the lower House of Congress, said in a message on Twitter posted shortly after midnight Monday. “It is urgent to restore the credibility of statistics. A ministry that distorts numbers creates a parallel universe to avoid facing the reality of facts.”

Carlos Wizard Martins, a businessman who was recently tapped to help lead the government’s response, told the newspaper O Globo last week that the country’s

coronavirus statistics were being audited because federal officials believed that states were reporting inflated figures in an effort to secure more funding.

That explanation, which was not supported by evidence, was broadly seen as the government’s latest misstep in its response to the outbreak.

The health ministry has been rocked by personnel turnover in recent weeks as the virus took hold in Brazil.

Bolsonaro fired one health minister, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, in mid-April after the two clashed over the president’s disdain for social distancing measures that the ministry and state governors were promoting.

Then the health minister’s successor, Nelson Teich, quit after less than a month on the job, leaving the ministry in the command of an active duty general with no health care experience.

The government on Sunday issued two different figures on the latest daily death toll, initially reporting 1,382 fatalities, only to revise that number to 525. The ministry said the early figure included erroneously reported deaths.

The health ministry on Sunday also said in a statement that its new record-keeping method would provide “a more realistic snapshot of what is happening at the national level.”

The government did not explain its new methodology for tracking cases.

Over the weekend, the National Council of Health Secretaries, which represents local health officials, launched a website compiling comprehensive data. According to that tally, as of Sunday Brazil had more than 680,400 confirmed

coronavirus cases and at least 36,151 deaths.

The council responded with indignation to the accusation that state officials were providing fictitious numbers for monetary gain, referring to the allegation leveled by Wizard.

Over the weekend, outraged Brazilians called for a boycott of Wizard’s businesses. On Sunday night, Wizard announced he would step down from his role in government.

“I apologize for any statement I have made that could have been interpreted as disrespectful toward the relatives of victims of COVID-19 or health professionals who have embraced the noble mission of saving lives,” he said in a statement.

Brazil, which has a robust public health care system, has historically excelled at epidemiological surveillance. If anything, experts said that a rigorous audit of COVID-19 cases would reveal that the disease has killed more people than the official data has captured because testing has been severely limited. An analysis by The New York Times found that in Manaus, a metropolis deep in the Amazon, the number of deaths in April was three times its historical average for the month.

“The tampering of pandemic data by the Ministry of Health is, to say the least, distressful,” said Denise Garrett, a Brazilian American epidemiologist who worked at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more than two decades. “The data should be communicated in a transparent, accurate and timely manner. This is crucial for decision-making and also of utmost importance to avoid public confusion.”

Gravediggers in São Paulo, Brazil, bury a woman suspected to have died of the coronavirus.

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Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Just as air travel is picking up, U.K. imposes a quarantine

By STEPHEN CASTLE

W

hen the coronavirus was spreading at breakneck speed this spring, Britain’s government flatly refused to quarantine travelers, even those arriving from virus hot spots like Spain or Iran.

On Monday, as most Western European countries and the United States were easing restrictions, the government introduced a plan requiring everyone entering the country to self-isolate for 14 days.

That includes even people from places like New Zealand, a nation that has declared itself free of COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s belated change of heart over quarantines has enraged airlines, frustrated travelers and upset lawmakers fearful of the economic damage. Experts doubt that the

quarantine measures can be enforced, and question why a nation with one of Europe’s worst infection rates should try now to deter international travel.

To the government’s critics, the new rule is just one of many examples of the mismanagement of the pandemic by Johnson: A procession of slipshod, overpromising proposals, usually behind the curve and driven more by politics than the science he routinely cites.

“This is at something of a piece with the way this crisis has been handled by the government,” said Anand Menon, a professor of European politics at King’s College London. “The reaction has tended to be late, and there is always an eye to the politics.”

Johnson’s original hesitancy over closing pubs and restaurants and ordering a full lockdown cost a significant number of lives, according to John Ed-

Shoppers on Brixton High Street in South London.

munds, a government adviser and professor of infectious disease modeling at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

The government has also struggled to create a system to test for the disease then trace the contacts of those with the virus. And while other countries urged the use of face coverings, Britain demurred. Now it says they will soon be compulsory on public transport.

Although most politicians and public health experts think that the quarantine has come so late as to be of little effect, it is thought to be popular with the working-class voters in northern England Johnson is hoping to court. Many of them voted for the Tories last December for the first time in their lives, and they are not likely to travel abroad themselves.

“It makes very little practical sense to have a blanket quarantine, let alone one that is very, very, hard to enforce,” Menon said. “The only question is whether it makes political sense.”

Under the new quarantine rules, people entering Britain by plane, train or ferry must fill out a form giving an address where they will self-isolate for two weeks, with fines of up to 1,000 pounds ($1,260) for breaches.

How thoroughly the scheme will be policed is far from clear.

But beyond that, those arriving in the country are not being given a temperature test — and are allowed to use public transport.

The government’s explanation for the late-stage quarantine is that earlier in the pandemic, when the virus was circulating widely in the community, it made little difference whether or not new cases were imported.

Now, with the number of daily deaths down to double figures, it is important to stop imported cases from producing a second spike in infections, government officials say. Given how hard hit the country has been hit — the disease has killed more than 40,000 people in Britain — it makes sense to proceed with caution, they say.

“The public health measures at the border that are being introduced from today are the latest cross-government measures in our collective response and fight to save lives, protect the British people and, importantly, prevent a second wave of coronavirus,” said Britain’s home secretary, Priti Patel.

Nonetheless the plan, to be reviewed every three weeks, is only workable with a series of exemptions, including for truck drivers, fruit pickers, government officials and medical workers, in addition to anyone arriving from Ireland.

Acknowledging the possible economic costs, Patel told lawmakers that the government was exploring the creation of “air bridges” that would allow Britons to travel abroad for a summer vacation without quarantine obligations.

The government was also looking at “immunity passports” for people who have recovered from the virus and are immune from infection, and how to digitalize the response at the border, she said.

Whether some Britons will be able to take a foreign summer vacation remains unclear, however. The French government has said that travelers arriving from Britain, whatever their nationality, would also be asked to enter a 14day isolation from Monday.

The San Juan Daily Star

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

17

Will the jobs report destroy jobs?

By PAUL KRUGMAN

O

n Friday the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its report on the employment situation in May. The report was much better than most economists expected, showing a large gain in jobs and a fall in the unemployment rate.

The thing is, a good jobs report may be bad for future policy. Why? Because the U.S. economy is still very much on life support. And a bit of good news is all too likely to encourage the usual suspects to end that life support too soon, with dire effects just a few months from now.

Before I get there, let me address one widespread concern. Were the employment numbers rigged?

No, they weren’t. No doubt the Trump administration, which lies about everything, would fake the numbers if it could. And the Trump-appointed head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics is a Heritage Foundation hack, with a long history of making ludicrous claims about the effects of tax cuts, the burden of the estate tax, and more.

But the jobs report is prepared by a large, professional staff that takes its responsibilities seriously. And it contains much more than the headline numbers.

It’s not the kind of thing that could be altered with a Sharpie, and any effort to fake it would have set off multiple alarm bells.

In fact, the overall picture painted by the employment report makes considerable sense. It shows a partial bounce back of contact-intensive sectors like restaurants and dentists’ offices that were largely shut down by social distancing; these are exactly the things you’d expect to show some growth as social distancing is relaxed.

So the good news, despite statistical problems created by the unique economic situation — problems the bureau acknowledges — is real. But it’s also very limited.

So far, employment numbers in this time of COVID-19 look like a fishhook: a huge decline followed by a much smaller upturn. Unemployment is still higher than it was for most of the Great Depression. And while unemployment overall fell in May, it rose slightly for black workers.

The saving graces of the situation, such as they are, are that (a) while there is immense economic hardship, it’s not nearly as severe as you might have expected given Depression-level unemployment and (b) the employment slump has so far been mostly limited to contact-intensive sectors. That is, the crisis hasn’t — yet — spilled over into a crash of the

Act, a very good bill extending and improving economic relief. But Friday’s employment report encourages Republicans to revert to type; they’ll almost surely block any significant further relief until or unless the economic situation becomes even more dire than it is.

It also encourages them to push for more opening, more relaxation of social distancing, despite the fact that COVID-19 is nowhere near under control and there are early indications that the pandemic may be roaring back to life as states reopen.

So it’s all too possible that we’ll see an ugly scene in the late summer and early fall — more government Bitna Kim cleaning the bar on Friday at Lindey’s in Co- layoffs and widespread job losses in industries that lumbus, Ohio. Onsite dining resumed there last month. have so far been relatively unscathed as desperate workers slash spending, all against the backdrop of a resurgence in hospitalizations and deaths. And the economy as a whole.

Both these saving graces, however, are the result May uptick in jobs makes that scene more likely, of emergency aid — the safety net hurriedly put in because it promotes more wishful thinking from the place in late March, largely at Democrats’ insistence. people who insisted a few months ago that COVID-19 This safety net alleviated hardship while allowing the would go away and posed no threat to the economy.

Maybe we’ll be lucky and the bad things I’m unemployed to maintain spending and encouraging worried about won’t actually materialize. But hoping businesses to maintain their payrolls.

And unless Congress and the White House act, for the best isn’t a plan. that safety net will be yanked away by August.

More specifically, enhanced unemployment benefits, which are both more generous than standard benefits and cover more people, have been a huge source of support despite the difficulties many PO BOX 6537 Caguas PR 00726 have faced in getting enrolled. Among other things, those benefits have — temporarily — made it posTelephones: (787) 743-3346 • (787) 743-6537 sible for millions of families to keep paying rent on (787) 743-5606 • Fax (787) 743-5100 their homes. But those benefits will expire July 31.

And the Paycheck Protection Program, which offers small businesses loans that can be converted into grants if they’re used to maintain payroll, is already out of money, and the job support lasts only eight weeks.

Publisher So two of the main things sustaining the economy Manuel Sierra Sharon Ramírez are set to disappear. At the same time, Congress has General Manager Legal Notices Graphics Manager yet to provide major relief to state and local governments, which are facing a huge fiscal crisis and have María de L. Márquez Elsa Velázquez already laid off a million and a half workers; there will Business Director Reporter soon be many more layoffs unless aid comes soon.

R. Mariani José Sánchez Fournier In other words, we’re facing probable disaster in Circulation Director Reporter the near future unless Congress acts. But here’s the thing: Republicans just hate helping the unemployed, Lisette Martínez María Rivera hate aiding states, in fact hate any kind of disaster Advertising Agency Director Graphic Artist Manager response other than tax cuts. And the uptick in jobs Ray Ruiz gives them an excuse to indulge their hatred.

Legal Notice Director House Democrats have passed the HEROES

Dr. Ricardo Angulo

18

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

The San Juan Daily Star

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL

Can Jamaal Bowman be the next AOC?

By MICHELLE GOLDBERG

O

n March 1, which feels about 20 years ago, NBC News published an essay by a congressional candidate, Jamaal Bowman, about the scars he bore from life in New York under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who was then still running for president.

“As a working-class black male educator during the entirety of Bloomberg’s tenure, I got to experience the horrors and the trauma of how his police department treated people like me,” wrote Bowman. He described an inexplicable arrest following a routine traffic stop, and another after he was accused of stealing his own car. He wrote about Eric Garner and Sean Bell, two black men killed by NYPD cops, and about the growing police presence in the city schools where Bowman had made his career.

At the time, I was only half-aware of Bowman’s primary campaign against the high-ranking Democrat Eliot Engel, and didn’t think he had much of a chance. In 2018, the Democratic insurgents Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley won surprising victories over longtime Democratic incumbents. But since then, the only progressive primary challenger who’s ousted a sitting member of Congress has been Marie Newman in Illinois.

Engel’s district, New York’s 16th, encompasses parts of Westchester, some quite wealthy, and of the Bronx. As Bowman told me, if it were a country it would be one of the most unequal in the world. Though it’s majority-minority, affluent white people tend to vote in primaries at higher rates than poorer people of color, and the suburbanites in the New York 16th are probably not as left-leaning as the young gentrifiers who helped elect Ocasio-Cortez. Engel seemed safe.

But the political world of three months ago no longer exists. “The coronavirus and where we are now, it’s like the Great Depression and the civil rights movement at the same time,” Bowman told me. The campaign he’s running,

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Jamaal Bowman is challenging Representative Eliot Engel in the New York Democratic primary on June 23. centered on racial and economic justice, seems to match the moment. Engel’s, to put it mildly, does not. At a news conference in the Bronx, he was caught on a hot mic asking for a speaking slot, saying, “If I didn’t have a primary, I wouldn’t care.”

The election on June 23 will thus be a test of whether the energy on American streets translates into votes. Engel is a 16-term incumbent, the head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. If he’s dethroned by a political newcomer calling for defunding the police, it could be as politically earthshaking as Ocasio-Cortez’s victory two years ago.

Recently, Bowman’s been getting important endorsements. Ocasio-Cortez threw her support behind him last week, as did the New York City comptroller, Scott Stringer.

Alessandra Biaggi, a state senator who won a primary campaign against a conservative Democrat in 2018, withdrew her Engel endorsement to back Bowman instead.

“The world has changed, like, 180, practically overnight,” she told The Riverdale Press. “We would be remiss not to have leadership of the future to represent this district.”

Bowman has raised more than $1 million. There’s no recent public polling on the race, but he appears to have a shot.

When Bowman talks about redirecting funds from the police to social services, he draws on his experiences in education. Before he helped found Cornerstone Academy of Social Action, a well-regarded Bronx middle school, in 2009, he was the dean of students at a high school where part of his job was to monitor the metal detectors as his

black and Latino students arrived. “I felt like a corrections officer. I didn’t feel like an educator,” he said.

After starting his own school, he made it a point to visit private schools in wealthy communities, including a Montessori school in Greenwich, Connecticut. “You see a curriculum of empowerment and liberation and creativity and critical thinking,” he said. He tried to bring those values to the students at Cornerstone.

The school was open seven days a week, providing services to parents as well as children. But the community suffered in ways that no school could fix. He had students whose fathers were killed. A local teenager, Ramarley Graham, was shot to death by the police. Others died by suicide.

“When you look at the impact of concentrated poverty that’s been created by bad policy, and the trauma that results from that, and then add on top of it stop-and-frisk policing, zero-tolerance schools, you’re dealing with a population of black and Latino students that consistently feel occupied,” he said.

It’s that feeling of occupation that so many are rebelling against right now. “There’s palpable rage and mourning all across America,” said Maurice Mitchell, the national director of the Working Families Party, one of several progressive groups backing Bowman. “It’s deeply felt in New York, and it’s not simply about the horrific death of George Floyd.”

Around the country and the world, this rage and mourning is toppling statues. We’ll soon find out whether it can also topple politicians.

The San Juan Daily Star

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

19

Alcalde de Bayamón es sometido a tratamiento médico THE STAR

E

l alcalde de Bayamón, Ramón Luis Rivera Cruz, fue sometido el martes, a varios procedimientos médicos que incluyeron un cateterismo y la colocación de un “stent” en una de sus arterias.

“Todo salió muy bien gracias a Dios y los médicos quieren asegurarse de que tome varios días de reposo,

pues todos conocen el ritmo de trabajo a que está acostumbrado el alcalde”, dijo Migdalia Rivera, oficial de prensa.

Se informó que el alcalde permanecerá en descanso absoluto en el Hospital San Pablo de Bayamón, por recomendación médica.

Se espera que el alcalde se reincorpore próximamente a sus funciones diarias.

Flexibilizan opciones para los visitantes de Plaza Las Américas y Plaza Del Caribe Por THE STAR

P

laza Las Américas y Plaza Del Caribe anunciaron iniciativas adicionales implantadas en ambos centros comerciales durante este periodo de reapertura post COVID-19, trascendió el martes.

Entre las iniciativas se encuentran nuevos bloques de horario, más cantidad de personas por reservación, opción de acceso “walk-in”, recaudación de fondos a través de venta de mascarillas por organizaciones sin fines de lucro, ampliación del servicio de “curbside pickup” y tiendas adicionales que se siguen sumando a la oferta.

“Los planes que adoptamos para la operación de los centros comerciales han probado ser efectivos y nos permiten hacer modificaciones cuando se estime necesario, cumpliendo siempre con los requisitos de la Orden Ejecutiva”, coincidieron Franklin Domenech y Edwin Tavárez, gerente general de Plaza Las Américas y Plaza Del Caribe, respectivamente en comunicación escrita.

“Las visitas hasta el momento se han manejado de acuerdo con los protocolos establecidos y tenemos buen margen para recibir más visitantes en la medida, que sigan abriendo las tiendas y más personas se sientan cómodas para salir de sus hogares”, señaló Domenech.

Por su parte el gerente general de Plaza Del Caribe señaló que “los parámetros de distanciamiento, higiene y salubridad que estamos siguiendo son rigurosos y fueron desarrollados y analizados en conjunto con expertos en sus materias”.

Añadió que un higienista industrial certificado evaluó los planes de ambos centros y determinó que los mismos están alineados con las recomendaciones locales, regionales y federales y con las recomendaciones de higiene y salud pública del CDC, el American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), y el American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioners Engineers (ASHRAE).

Nuevos horarios y más personas por reservación Para apoyar que la experiencia de compra de los visitantes sea una más completa durante este periodo de emergencia, ambos centros comerciales ampliaron los bloques de horarios de atención. “Ahora, al hacer reservaciones a través del PLAZA App, nuestros visitantes pueden seleccionar el bloque de horario de 9:00 am a 2:00 pm o de 12:00 pm a 5:00 pm. De esta manera, los visitantes contarán con

más tiempo para realizar sus compras o disfrutar de espacio para comer antes de concluir sus periodos de visitas”, señaló Domenech. De igual forma, las personas podrán hacer reservaciones para ellos y (3) tres personas adicionales, lo que también responde a peticiones de los visitantes de los centros comerciales, particularmente para aquellos que buscaban una opción para los almuerzos o comidas familiares. Para aquellas personas que no poseen un teléfono celular o no tengan la PLAZA App descargada, existe la opción de obtener un pase de entrada como “walk-in” a través de los kioskos de servicio al cliente ubicados en cada una de las entradas.

Mascarillas por una buena causa El uso de mascarilla o cubre bocas es una de las principales medidas de protección y seguridad requeridas por el Gobierno en la Orden Ejecutiva 2020-041 y exigida por ambos centros comerciales para todo visitante, empleado o suplidor. “Para que todo visitante cumpla con este requisito y pueda acceder tanto a Plaza Las Américas como a Plaza Del Caribe sin la preocupación de que olvidó su mascarilla, ambos centros comerciales invitaron a organizaciones sin fines de lucro a llevar a cabo una venta de mascarillas en las entradas principales y de esta manera, apoyar la recaudación de fondos de entidades que han estado en una pausa en sus actividades como resultado de esta pandemia”, mencionó Carlos I. Ayala, especialista en comunicaciones y redes sociales de Empresas Fonalledas.

En el caso de Plaza Las Américas, EDP University y VOCES: Coalición de Vacunación de Puerto Rico tiene a cargo la venta de mascarillas. El dinero recaudado por EDP University estará destinado a un programa de becas para estudiantes de escasos recursos económicos. Por su parte, VOCES: Coalición de Vacunación de Puerto Rico asignará los fondos recaudados a iniciativas de protección con adultos mayores en égidas y centros de cuidado prolongado. Las mascarillas estarán disponibles desde $1.00 en adelante y habrá opciones desechables (papel), reusables (tela) y protectores para la cara (“face shields”).

En Plaza Del Caribe, Gogo Foundation tiene a cargo esta iniciativa que busca recaudar fondos adicionales para los servicios que ofrece a pacientes de cáncer de 0 a 21 años, residentes del sur y oeste de Puerto Rico. “Gogo Foundation estará este próximo fin de semana vendiendo mascarillas reusables por un donativo de $5.00 y la Fundación

Hospital Damas regalará “cap shields” para aquellos que quieran tener una protección adicional”, dijo Susana Santiago, Directora de Mercadeo de Plaza Del Caribe.

Más tiendas abiertas En la segunda semana luego de la reapertura de Plaza Las Américas y Plaza Del Caribe son más las tiendas que ahora están disponibles para beneficio de los consumidores. En Plaza Las Américas abrieron esta semana Zara, Hollister, Arte Religioso, Abercrombie & Fich y Red Lobster, entre otras y ya son más de 170 las tiendas abiertas en este centro comercial. Por su parte en Plaza Del Caribe hay más de 70 tiendas abiertas, incluyendo Zara, Totto, Vitamin World, Lenscrafter y El Mesón, que abrieron esta semana, y se espera que en el fin de semana inicien operaciones Chico’s, Crocs y Carters. Se espera que este fin de semana abran en Plaza Las Américas las tiendas Marshalls, Chico’s, Soma, Sephora y White House Black Market, entre otros.

Continúa el “curbside pickup” Un nuevo servicio que ha sido acogido por muchos clientes de ambos centros comerciales en esta nueva norma tras el COVID-19, es el recogido de mercancía o “curbside pickup” en ventas realizadas a través de Internet o por teléfono. “Luego del cliente completar la compra, puede recoger la mercancía en áreas designadas en los estacionamientos de ambos centros comerciales. La mercancía adquirida y ya pagada es entregada por un empleado de la tienda directamente en el vehículo del cliente, sin necesidad de que la persona tenga que entrar al centro comercial” expresó Tavárez.

La iniciativa, que comenzó como un esfuerzo temporal tanto en Plaza Las Américas como en Plaza Del Caribe, ya tiene 12 tiendas brindando el servicio en Plaza Del Caribe y 28 en Plaza Las Américas.

“Es una opción adicional para los consumidores, especialmente adultos mayores, que interesan continuar tomando medidas de protección adicionales. Todo tiende a indicar que el nuevo servicio de recogido de mercancía llegó para quedarse en ambos centros comerciales”, terminó Tavárez.

Para más información sobre Plaza Las Américas y Plaza Del Caribe puede acceder a www.regresaaplaza.com, www.plazalasamericas.com, www.plazadelcaribe.com o llamar al (787) 333-9999, (787)767-5202 o (787) 2598989.

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Wednesday, June 10, 2020

The San Juan Daily Star

Pau Donés, creator of Jarabe de Palo, dies The Catalonian singer was a cornerstone of the ’90s ‘Rock en Español’ movement

By JOSÉ A. SÁNCHEZ FOURNIER Special to The Star @SanchezFournier

S

panish singer/songwriter Pau Donés, whose concept Jarabe de Palo was a cornerstone of the 1990s “rock en español” -- rock music sung in Spanish -- wave that became a global phenomenon and still reverberates today, died Tuesday.

He was 53 years old.

“The Donés Cirera family announces that Pau Donés died on June 9, 2020, due to the cancer he was diagnosed with in August 2015,” read the family’s press release, published on the artist’s official Instagram account, Jarabeoficial.

“We want to thank the medical staff and all the personnel of Hospital de la Vall de Hebrón, Hospital Sant Joan Despí Moisès Broggi, ICO (Institut Català d’Oncologia), Servei de Paliatius del Hospital de Viella and of the VHIO (Vall Hebrón Oncological Institute) for all their work and dedication during all this time,” the family said in the statement.

Known for his melodious tone and his unmistakably Catalonian diction, Donés was also a gifted musician and a surprisingly imaginative songwriter. The latter quality came to light at an international level with the 1996 release of his Jarabe de Palo album La Flaca, which included the title song.

“La Flaca” became a worldwide hit that showcased Donés’ strengths as a songwriter, singer and musician.

But he was far from a one-hit wonder.

He wrote colorful, narrative lyrics and his musical arrangements were infused

with Old World and Caribbean influences that added to both the depth of his songs and their popularity among listeners. He also penned 1996’s “El Lado Oscuro” and “Grita,” two very popular examples of his early work that also appeared on La Flaca.

In 1998 he struck gold once again, this time with the album Depende, which included his song of the same name, another international hit for the Barcelona-born songster.

Donés didn’t stop there. In 2001, Jarabe de Palo released De vuelta y Vuelta; in 2003, Bonito; in 2004, 1m2; in 2007, Adelantando; in 2009, Orquesta Reciclando; in 2011, Y Ahora Qué Hacemos? and in 2017, 50 Palos.

He was talented and prolific, maintaining a steady pace of work even after being diagnosed with colon cancer in 2015. His last published work, “Eso que tú me das,” came out last month.

It is an endearing and moving song about a difficult topic: the young girls who are victims of wars and poverty all around the globe. The song now carries an even bigger emotional charge, considering it is the last work Dónes published himself and because it is a duet with his 16-year-old

daughter Sara.

A curious, little known fact about Donés’ career is that Jarabe de Palo was not his band, although it was often presented as such. Jarabe de Palo was

more his artistic concept. The backup musicians that accompanied him often changed through the years, yet he was always the sole owner of the intellectual

property.

The “Rock en Español” explosion in the ’90s saw the rise of bands like Mexico’s Maná and Las Víctimas del Doctor Cerebro, as well as Argentina’s Enanitos Verdes and Los Fabulosos Cadillacs.

Yet it was Donés and his Jarabe de Palo which perhaps best encapsulates that movement, with its energy, varied influences and originality.

Donés was talented and prolific, maintaining a steady pace of work even after being diagnosed with colon cancer in 2015. His last published work, “Eso que tú me das,” came out last month.

The San Juan Daily Star

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

21

Daniel Radcliffe criticizes J.K. Rowling’s anti-transgender tweets

By JENNY GROSS

J

.K. Rowling, the creator of the popular “Harry Potter” series, came under fire from LGBTQ groups after she took aim at an article that referred to “people who menstruate.”

The online op-ed article posted last month, with the title “Creating a More Equal Post-COVID-19 World for People Who Menstruate,” highlighted some of the risks faced by primary caretakers, “particularly women in the household and health care workers,” during the coronavirus pandemic.

The article explored how women still need “menstrual materials, safe access to toilets, soap, water and private spaces” during lockdown conditions.

“An estimated 1.8 billion girls, women and gender nonbinary persons menstruate, and this has not stopped because of the pandemic,” wrote the authors of the article, which was published on the media platform Devex.com.

On Saturday, Rowling wrote on Twitter, where she has 14.5 million followers: “‘People who menstruate.’

I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out.

Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?”

Her Twitter post appeared to be responding to a line that described the “menstrual health and hygiene needs of girls, women and all people who menstruate.”

On Monday, Daniel Radcliffe, the lead actor in the “Harry Potter” films, responded to Rowling’s comments.

“Transgender women are women,” Radcliffe wrote in a blog post for the Trevor Project, an LGBTQ youth suicide prevention group. “Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I.” He noted that a Trevor Project survey found that 78% of transgender and nonbinary youth reported being

J.K. Rowling provoked a backlash after responding to a line in an article that described the “menstrual health and hygiene needs of girls, women and all people who menstruate.” the subject of discrimination because of their gender identity.

“It’s clear that we need to do more to support transgender and nonbinary people, not invalidate their identities, and not cause further harm,” he said.

Radcliffe also had a message for fans disappointed by the author’s comments: “To all the people who now feel that their experience of the books has been tarnished or diminished, I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you. I really hope that you don’t entirely lose what was valuable in these stories to you.”

The backlash was swift, with users calling out her comments as being anti-transgender people.

One user wrote on Twitter: “I decided not to kill myself because I wanted to know how Harry’s story ended. For a long time, that was all that kept me alive. Until I met my husband who helped me learn to love myself and to want to live. You just insulted him to my face.”

GLAAD, an LGBTQ advocacy organization, condemned Rowling’s comments.

“Looking for some summer reading?” the group wrote on Twitter. “ ‘Percy Jackson’ author Rick Riordan

isn’t transphobic.”

Rowling responded with messages relating to sex and to her support for transgender people.

“If sex isn’t real, there’s no samesex attraction,” she wrote on Twitter.

“If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth.”

She added, “I respect every trans person’s right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them.”

She summed up the thread with: “I’d march with you if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans. At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I do not believe it’s hateful to say so.”

Mark Hutchinson, a representative for the author’s public relations team, declined to comment further Sunday.

This is not the first time that Rowling has been criticized by LGBTQ groups.

In December, she defended a British researcher, Maya Forstater, who lost her job last year at a think

tank in London after posting messages on Twitter saying that transgender women cannot change their biological sex.

“Dress however you please,” Rowling wrote on Twitter at the time. “Call yourself whatever you like. Sleep with any consenting adult who’ll have you. Live your best life in peace and security. But force women out of their jobs for stating that sex is real? #IStandWithMaya #ThisIsNotADrill.”

Even before the December post on Twitter, there had already been suspicions among some LGBTQ supporters that Rowling held negative views of transgender people. In 2018, she liked a Twitter post that referred to transgender women as “men in dresses.”

The Human Rights Campaign, an influential LGBTQ advocacy organization in the United States, responded to Rowling by retweeting Saturday a message that the organization posted in December.

“Evergreen tweet,” the organization said. “Trans women are women.

Trans men are men. Nonbinary people are nonbinary. CC: JK Rowling.”

“Transgender women are women,” Radcliffe wrote. “Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations”.

FASHION The San Juan Daily Star

Wednesday, March June 4, 2020 Wednesday, 10, 2020 20 22

The San Juan Daily Star

Chanel’s first digital show was a disappointment on many levels

By VANESSA FRIEDMAN

Close-ups of the materials used, the tactile details of the clothes, would have been more evocative (and less clichéd) than close-ups of flowers.

Maybe it was too much to ask Chanel to re-imagine the show experience for a world in turmoil. There were technical issues with even the basic pieces it did create; the video was late, just like shows IRL. But the brand didn’t have to do it in the first place. It could have skipped the season, like many others. Or simply sent the pictures to its stores and retail partners. Instead, it chose to stick with its version of the show as a public statement of intent and aesthetic. Shouldn’t one of the benefits of a digital presentation be its flexibility, and the ability to rethink it (or at least the news release) according to public events, even up to the last minute?

If this is how a fashion house “adapts” to the changing world — if these are the clothes that are the response, if escapism is presented as an answer, if photographs and video simply attempt to mimic what once was, as opposed to reframing what could be, if a statement from a designer can’t even acknowledge the pain and complications of her consumers, even the rich ones — then, pretty as the products may be, it is not doing its job.

T

he first big digital fashion show of the pandemic era — which is to say, the first big show since real shows were canceled — was unveiled Monday. It followed a weekend in which protests against police brutality and racism sparked by the killing of George Floyd proliferated not just in the United States but around the world. And it came as more cities and countries gingerly tiptoed their way toward reopening.

Against this background, perhaps the Chanel cruise collection was never going to look particularly good. Originally intended as the first big traveling show of Virginie Viard’s tenure as creative director, and originally scheduled for May 7 on Capri, the cruise show “didn’t happen in the end because of lockdown,” Viard said in a statement. Instead, “we had to adapt.”

But even allowing for circumstances far beyond a brand’s control, the collection of pieces (videos, still images, clothes and collection notes) that made up the show were disappointing on a number of levels.

And not just because all weekend, as the protest marches took place, Chanel teased the event with videos on its Instagram feed that featured tweeting birds, waving bougainvillea and crashing waves (and appeared incongruously just after a trio of black squares in solidarity with #blacklivesmatter).

But because the presentation, and the clothes themselves, seemed to entirely ignore the cataclysmic context in which they would be worn. It was more like a return to some of high fashion’s escapist failings of the past rather than a meaningful step toward the future.

So there were gorgeous scene-setting landscape shots of rocky tors from some uninhabited Mediterranean island of the mind; of foaming surf and whitewashed bell towers; of sunsets, wildflowers and towering cactus.

There was a lone woman standing on what looked like a columned terrace framed by an endless blue sea or bathed in the fire opal shades of cocktail hour (behind-the-scenes footage suggested the model was actually in a studio against a backdrop). Her hair was blown gently by a wind machine, her toes scrunching among surf-smoothed pebbles. A woman wearing pastel leather Bermuda short suits, midriff tops and belly chains and faded, high-waist slouchy denim.

A woman wearing frumpy bouclé skirt suits and bouclé jackets knotted at the breastbone over hip-slung skirts unbuttoned to show a lot of leg, cropped Chanel tie-dye and LLDs (little lamé dresses). Also long lamé dresses. And wrap dresses. Bikini tops and flat sandals. Relatively understated double CC logos. All of it entirely in line with Viard’s implicit desire to take the bombast out of the brand and lighten it all up.

It’s an aim that should have made the collection feel connected to a world that has been largely in working-fromhome lockdown for the past few months, with its related

Chanel 2020 cruise collection.

working-from-house dress. According to Viard’s statement, “not only did we decide to use fabrics that we already had” (thus being more sustainable), but many of the looks were actually transformative. The skirts could become strapless dresses, the jackets untied and worn long or short.

And yet it mostly just seemed irrelevant.

The video and pictures could not come close to the experience that even a livestream of a show in a specific geographic location conveys; on their own they felt like an old fragrance commercial. Even the absurd, spendthrift sets of the Karl Lagerfeld era were more effective at conjuring a point. (I never thought I would be nostalgic for a fake rocket ship in the Grand Palais, or a bistro.)

The San Juan Daily Star

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

23

Disordered eating in a disordered time

Emily Roll, who began seeing a nutritionist and therapist after struggling with anorexia for 15 years, and had her recovery disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, in Ypsilanti, Mich.

By EMMA GOLDBERG

F

or Emily Roll, a performance artist in southeast Michigan, the beginning of 2020 offered a glimpse of hope for an anorexia recovery that was a long time coming. After 15 years of struggling with an eating disorder, Roll began seeing a nutritionist and therapist. They were spending each day busy on their feet: doing yoga, working as a medical actor at a hospital, barista-ing at a coffee shop. That meant little time or energy for overexercising and undereating.

“Then the pandemic happened and threw a huge wrench in my recovery,” Roll said. “The rationing of food, the loss of a regimented schedule. It all happened so quickly. It was the perfect ground for unhealthy coping mechanisms to start sucking me in.”

Now Roll is not working, so the days are unstructured and lack the comfort of meals with neighbors. Roll feels anxious when friends report that, because of the pandemic, they are in the best shape of their lives. “I keep having to remind myself that exercise and productivity don’t define your worth,” Roll said.

Roughly 1 in 10 Americans struggle with disordered eating, and the pandemic has created new hurdles for those managing difficult relationships with food. Working from home means spending the day next to a fully stocked refrig-

erator. Grocery trips are less frequent, creating a pressure to load up. Social meals are out of the question. And many individuals feel an enhanced degree of uncertainty and angst, which can exacerbate existing mental health challenges.

“When the world feels out of control, people want to have control over something,” said Jessica Gold, a psychiatrist at Washington University in St. Louis who treats patients with eating and other mental health disorders. “Often, it’s what you put in your mouth.”

In March and April, the National Eating Disorders Association, or NEDA, saw a 78% increase in people messaging its help line compared with the same period last year. Crisis Text Line, a nonprofit organization that provides mental health support by text, saw a 75% increase in conversations about eating disorders in the two months since March 16, to around 700 conversations from around 400 conversations weekly. A vast majority of those texters — 83% — were women, and more than half were under the age of 17.

“There are jokes circulating about people’s fear of weight gain during the pandemic,” said Claire Mysko, chief executive of NEDA. “There are influencers putting out messages about what you should and shouldn’t be eating. On top of that we’re seeing pictures of empty grocery shelves. That can be a trigger to people with eating disorders.”

Community is often a critical component of healing

from an eating disorder, so the isolating nature of the pandemic has been especially difficult for those in recovery. For Katelin, a sophomore at Wesleyan University who asked not to use her full name because of concerns about privacy, the transition from college to a quarantine routine was intense: no more big group meals in the cafeteria, no more exercise classes with friends. Just hours of class on Zoom and the quiet of her family house in New York.

The start of New York’s stay-at-home order, which came as she was recovering from bulimia, quickly renewed old anxieties about food.

“Right away I had purging urges in a way I hadn’t in a long time,” she said. “It wasn’t like my routine fell away slowly. Everything immediately collapsed.”

Her stress was exacerbated by public health advisories about limiting trips to the grocery store; typically, she finds it comforting to have fresh fruits and vegetables available for snacking. Even worse were the social media posts she saw from friends worried about gaining weight while sheltering in place.

For Chelsea Kronengold, 27, a staff member at NEDA, the term “self-isolation” was itself a trigger. Kronengold has struggled with binge eating for years. Her disorder was always at its worst, she said, when she cut herself off from friends and family. So when New York announced social distancing guidelines, she began to worry about eating meals in her apartment alone.

Kronengold decided to fly to Florida to quarantine with her parents in late March. She said that she has found it comforting sitting down to dinner with family each night at 6:30, giving her relationship with food a sense of structure.

While family members can provide some comfort, many people with eating disorders are finding meaningful support in virtual forums. Early on in the lockdown period, Roll reached out to five friends who had struggled with disordered eating, and together they created a Facebook group to share stories and advice. Some have added their friends, and the group has grown to more than 20 people.

Roll said that encouragement from the group’s members had helped to find joy in preparing meals during lockdown. “I’ve gotten really into sandwiches,” Roll said. “It used to be a fear food of mine. Now I’m eating basic stuff like I did in elementary school, which is nice.”

Others have found support by plugging into the communities created by larger organizations. The National Eating Disorders Association has hosted virtual events throughout the pandemic, including webinars and online versions of the organization’s walkathons.

At a recent digital NEDA event, a group of young people gathered to exchange recovery stories, sing “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten and have a dance party. One mother-daughter duo said that it was the highlight of their lockdown.

“Eating disorders thrive in isolation,” Mysko said.

“We’ve realized the need for a sense of connection, and we’re reframing what our community looks like while we’re sheltering in place.”

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Wednesday, June 10, 2020

The San Juan Daily Star

When cadaver dogs pick up a scent, archaeologists find where to dig

Shiraz, a cadaver dog enlisted to hunt for archaeological remains at a suspected Native American burial site, sits to indicate a spot of interest in Gulf Breeze, Fla.

By NICHOLAS BAKALAR

O

n a sunny summer day in Croatia several years ago, an archaeologist and two dog handlers watched as two dogs, one after another, slowly worked their way across the rocky top of a wind-scoured ridge overlooking the Adriatic Sea. Bodies had lain in beehive-shape tombs on this necropolis, part of the prehistoric hill fort of Drvišica, since the Iron Age. The two dogs, trained to detect human remains, were searching for scents that were thousands of years old.

Panda, a Belgian Malinois with a “sensitive nose,” according to her handler, Andrea Pintar, had begun exploring the circular leftovers of a tomb when she suddenly froze, her nose pointed toward a stone burial chest. This was her signal that she had located the scent of human remains.

Pintar said the hair on her arms rose. “I was skeptical, and I was like, ‘She is kidding me,’ ” she recalled thinking about her dog that day.

Archaeologists had found fragments of human bone and teeth in the chest, but these had been removed months earlier for analysis and radiocarbon dating. All that was left was a bit of dirt, the stone slabs of the tomb and the cracked limestone of the ridge.

Human-remains detection dogs, or cadaver dogs, are used worldwide on land and water. Well-trained dogs help find the missing and dead in disasters, accidents, murders and suicides. But the experiment in Croatia marked the start of one of the most careful inquiries yet carried out of an unusual archaeological method. If such dogs could successfully locate the burial sites of mass executions, dating from World War II through the conflicts in the Balkans in the 1990s, might they be effective in helping archaeologists find truly ancient burials?

On the scent of new tombs Panda wasn’t kidding. Neither was Mali, the other Belgian Malinois trained by Pintar and her husband, Christian Nikolić. Each dog gave her final indications that day by either sitting or lying inside the flattened circle of the tombs, their noses pointing toward the burial chests within. In some cases they leapt into the small burial chests before offering an alert.

The dogs’ archaeological expedition had been initiated

by Vedrana Glavaš, an archaeologist at Croatia’s University of Zadar. She already knew a great deal about the necropolis at Drvišica, having fully excavated and analyzed the contents of three tombs there. Inside each were rough limestone burial chests. She and her team recovered amber beads, belt buckles, bronze pins, teeth and phalanges. Each chest once held at least two bodies, which radiocarbon dating confirmed were 2,700 years old. The skeletal material was highly fragmented, however, and is still being analyzed.

But were there other tombs on the site, and could the dogs help locate them?

“I think dogs are really capable of this, but I think it’s a logistical challenge,” said Adee Schoon, a scent-detectionanimal expert from the Netherlands who was not involved in the study. “It’s not something you can replicate again and again. It’s hard to train.”

And, as Schoon noted, dogs are “great anomaly detectors.” Something as subtle as recently disturbed soil can elicit a false alert from a dog that is not rigorously trained.

Nonetheless, the team returned to the necropolis for the first controlled tests in September 2015, and again a full year later. Both times, they used all four of Pintar and Nikolić’s cadaver dogs: Panda, Mali, a third Belgian Malinois and a German shepherd. They worked them on both known and double-blind searches, in areas where nobody knew if tombs were located.

The dogs located four tombs new to the archaeologists. Glavaš had suspected that a fifth site might hold a burial chest, and the dogs’ alerts, combined with excavation, proved her suspicion correct.

In September 2019, the Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory published the results of their study: “This research has demonstrated that HRD dogs are able to detect very small amounts of specific human decomposition odor as well as to indicate to considerably older burials than previously assumed,” Glavaš and Pintar wrote.

Schoon, who researches and helps create protocols to train scent-detection animals worldwide, said the Iron Age necropolis study was nicely designed and “really controlled.”

Archaeological cold cases Panda and Mali aren’t the only dogs in the world that have helped locate human archaeological remains. In the United States, human remains detection dogs have aided discoveries at a variety of Native American sites, some badly damaged by looters and earlier generations of archaeologists with less ethical approaches to excavation, as well as by development and agriculture.

Paul Martin, a dog handler and trainer in Tennessee who is finishing his doctorate in earth sciences and geoarchaeology at the University of Memphis, has studied using dogs to find older remains for nearly two decades, demonstrating their capabilities at some of the large earthen mounds across the eastern United States that were once surrounded by flourishing Native American cities and villages.

His curiosity was piqued in 2002. Martin and his trained search dog were helping look for a murder victim in a Mississippi county where an informant said the victim was buried on “an old Indian mound.” The dog started showing intense

interest at the mound, and Martin suspected that it wasn’t the more recent murder that held the dog’s attention.

He spoke with John Sullivan, then a state archaeologist at Winterville Mounds near Greenville, Mississippi. Sullivan was curious, too: “Paul asked me if dogs would pick up old stuff and I said, ‘Only one way to find out.’ ” Martin started inviting experienced cadaver dogs and handlers to train on and near intact mounds. For years, they recorded dogs’ alerts on mounds in two areas of Mississippi, and even in fields nearby, where earlier mounds were probably flattened.

But getting funding and permission to do excavations is difficult. The alerts remained unconfirmed. Nonetheless, nature sometimes kicks out some free clues. That’s what happened on Mound H in Winterville, Mississippi, in 2006.

Rodents provided “ground-truthing,” or confirming evidence, free of charge by digging new burrows and displacing what had been hidden for centuries. Just downhill from where a number of human remains detection dogs had alerted during earlier training, “we actually saw a trail of bone coming down the side of the mound,” Martin said.

A forensic anthropologist confirmed the bones were human, including a child’s scapula. Sullivan believes they come from the last burials at the site, and date to around A.D. 1450.

Cadaver dogs are also helping archaeologists at some especially challenging sites. Mike Russo and Jeff Shanks, archaeologists with the National Park Service’s Southeast Archeological Center, had created at least 14 test holes near a promising site in northwest Florida that had been flattened during an earlier era of less diligent archaeology. They found nothing.

“We knew where it should be, but when we went there, there was absolutely no mound,” Russo said.

They then asked Suzi Goodhope, a longtime cadaverdog handler in Florida, to bring her experienced detection dog, Shiraz, a Belgian Malinois, to the site in 2013. Shiraz and Goodhope worked the flat, brushy area for a long time. Then, Shiraz sat. Once.

“I was pretty skeptical,” Shanks said.

Nonetheless, the archaeologists dug. And dug. They went down nearly 3 feet — and there they found a human toe bone more than 1,300 years old Passing sniff tests What is the future of using human-remains detection dogs as a noninvasive tool in archaeology?

Some archaeologists, forensic anthropologists, geologists, scientists — and even HRD dog handlers who know how challenging the work is — say they have great potential.

But challenges abound.

Detection dogs also must be trained for archaeology with more consistency. Often humans are the limiting factor.

Sometimes, Schoon said, she can almost see a dog thinking, “Is that all you want me to do? I can do much more!”

And dogs are only a complement to more standard archaeological tools, Martin noted. The best results come when good human-remains detection dog teams are combined with ground-penetrating radar, geophysical surveys and historical information, and — when feasible or desirable — confirmed with soil tests or excavation.

The San Juan Daily Star dante de otra dirección. 4. Por información y creencia, tanto ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE la Sociedad Legal de Bienes PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GE- Gananciales como Fulano de NERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBU- Tal y/ o comunidad de bienes NAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA resultaron beneficiados por la SALA DE AGUADA. transacción objeto de esta demanda. 5. La Deudora o sea SARA la parte demandada por medio CANDELARIA TORO de compraventa le entregó a DEMANDANTE vs la parte demandante un vehíELSIE GONZALEZ culo marca Ford modelo exploHERNANDEZ, SU rer Limited, color gris del año ESPOSO(A) FULANO(A) 2002, con tablilla IPK-333, VIN DE TAL Y LA SOCIEDAD 1FMZU65W52UB18824 por el precio convenido de $3,500.00, LEGAL DE BIENES los cuales le fueron entregados GANANCIALES POR al momento de la compraventa.

AMBOS COMPUESTA 6. Que la deudora o sea la parte DEMANDADO demandada se obligó con la parCIVIL NÚM.: AU20l9CV00011. te demandante al traspaso de SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO, título del mencionado vehículo, INCUMPLIMIENTO DE CON- lo cual a pesar de que la parte TRATO, REGLA 60. SENTEN- demandante le realizó múltiples CIA. A la vista en sus méritos del gestiones nunca se hizo. 7. Que caso de epígrafe, celebrada el la parte demandante al tratar de 13 de febrero de 2020, compare- resolver el traspaso del vehículo ció la parte demandante la Sra. en el Departamento de transporSara Candelaria Toro, represen- tación y obras Públicas, allí se tada por. el Ledo. Julio C. Cabán entera de que el mencionado Acosta. La parte demandada la vehículo tiene un gravamen de Sra. Elsie González Hernández deuda a favor de Borinquen Title no compareció, ni tampoco hizo Loan. 8. Que dicho gravamen alegación responsiva alguna existía al momento de la comdurante el término que estable- praventa del vehículo y era de ce las Reglas de Procedimiento conocimiento de la vendedora Civil. La parte demandada fue o sea la parte demandada y aún emplazada por edicto el día 14 así lo vendió y sin informarlo prede noviembre de 2019, en el pe- viamente a la parte compradora riódico de “The San Juan Daily o sea la parte demandante. 9.

Star” y copia de dicho edicto y Que la parte compradora o sea de la demanda le fue enviada a la parte demandante está en posu última dirección postal cono- sesión del vehículo sin tener la cida. Previa juramentación de titularidad del mismo por los acla testigo, se desfiló prueba en tos culposos e intencionales de apoyo a las alegaciones de la la parte vendedora o sea la parte demanda, quedando sometido demandada. 10. Que en animo para dictamen. A base de un de resolver la situación, la parte análisis de la prueba desfilada, demandante pagó la cantidad de el Tribunal declara anotada la re- $ 1,900 en efectivo el día 30 de beldía y por tanto HA LUGAR la noviembre de 2018 a Borinquen demanda de cobro de dinero. Se Title Loan, para que esta proceincorpora y se hace formar parte da a retirar el gravamen sobre el de esta SENTENCIA: 1. La par- vehículo antes descrito. Dicho te demandante Sara Candelaria pago no formaba parte del conToro, es mayor de edad, casada trato de compraventa ya que de y con dirección residencial en la serlo no se hubiese pagado la Carretera 115, kilómetro 7.6, Ba- cantidad de dinero que se pagó. rrio Caguabo en Añasco, Puer- 11. Que la parte demandada le to Rico, 00610 y con dirección hizo entrega del vehículo antes postal P.O. Box 1053, Rincón, descrito informándole a la parte Puerto Rico 00677. Su teléfono demandante que el mismo se es 939-209-1779. 2. La parte de- encontraba en perfecto estado mandada, la Sra. Elsie González y buen funcionamiento. 12. Que Hernández es, por información y la parte demandante luego de creencia, mayor de edad, no se estar en posesión del vehículo encuentra sirviendo activamen- antes descrito, el mismo no se te en las Fuerzas Armadas del encontraba en buen funcioGobierno de los Estados Uni- namiento ya que aparecieron dos de América y está casado varios vicios ocultos, que de la con Fulano (a) de Tal, con quien parte compradora o sea la parte constituye una sociedad de bie- demandante haber tenido conones gananciales (la “Sociedad cimiento de los mismos antes de Legal de Bienes Gananciales”) efectuarse el contrato de comy/ o comunidad de bienes. 3. La praventa, no hubiese comprado Sra. Elsie González Hernández, el mismo o hubiese pagado un tiene dirección en 135A Barrio precio menor. 13. Que para la Guaniquilla, Aguada, Puerto reparación de los v1c10s ocultos Rico 00602 -4023 la cual es la o desperfectos la parte demanúltima dirección conocida de la dan te incurrió en gastos de pieparte demandada y esta no ha zas y mano de obra que ascieninformado a la parte deman- den a la cantidad de $ 1,427.72.

LEGAL NOTICE

@

staredictos@gmail.com

Wednesday, June 10, 2020 14. Es por tal razón que la parte demandante ha realizado gestiones extrajudiciales para el cobro de la deuda aquí reclamada y el traspaso del vehículo y las mismas han resultado infructuosas. 15. Según los hechos narrados en esta demanda y la ley aplicable, la Deudora o sea la parte demandada es responsable por la suma de $1,900 .00 más $1,427.72 o sea la cantidad total de $3,327.72. Dicha cantidad constituye una deuda vencida líquida y exigible y no ha sido satisfecha por la Demandada.

16. Se le ordena a los Demandados a pagar a la Demandante la suma de $1, 900 por concepto del pago del gravamen. 17. Se le ordena a los demandados a pagar a la demandan te la suma de $75 .00 por los costos del traspaso del vehículo a su nombre . 18. Se le ordena a los demandados a pagar a la demandante la suma de $1,427 .72 por el arreglo del vehículo . 19. Se le ordena a los Demandados a pagar a la Demandante la cantidad adeudada, desde la radicación de la demanda, y en adición las costas de este litigio y los honorarios de abogado incurridos por la Demandante en la tramitación de este pleito por una suma de $350.00. Regístrese y Notifiquese, DADA en Aguada, Puerto Rico hoy 19 de febrero de 2020. f/MIGUEL A. DEYNES VARGAS, JUEZ SUPERIOR.

LEGAL NOTICE Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA Tribunal de Primera Instancia Sala Superior de CAGUAS.

COOPERATIVA DE AHORRO Y CREDITO JESUS OBRERO DEMANDANTE Vs.

CARMEN VILLAGAS TRINIDAD

DEMANDADO CIVIL NUM. GB2019CV01026.

SALA 202. SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

A: CARMEN VILLAGAS TRINIDAD

EL (LA) SECRETARIO(A) le notifica a usted que el día 17 de marzo de 2020, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia o Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación.

Y, siendo o representado usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia o Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión

25

o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de 4 de junio de 2020.

En Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, 4 de junio de 2020. LCDA. LAURA I SANTA SANCHEZ, Sec Regional II. f/WANDA ROSADO GUZMAN, Sec del Trib Conf I.

para costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado; más cualquier otra cantidad de dinero que Scotiabank tenga que desembolsar con relación al presente litigio durante la vigencia de este caso. Se le advierte que si no contesta la Demanda, a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administracion de Casos (SUMAC) al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: http://unired.ramajudicial.pr o si fuera por derecho propio presentando copia del original de La contestación de LEGAL NOTICE la Demanda en la Secretaría del ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE Tribunal de epígrafe, con copia PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE de la misma al abogado de La PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA parte demandante, Lcdo. Francisco J. Hernández a 606 Ave. SUPERIOR DE CAROLINA. Tito Castro, La Rambla Plaza, SCOTIABANK DE Suite 125, Ponce, PR 00716PUERTO RICO 0205; Tel. 290-5000 I 290-5001; Demandante vs.

Fax: 290-5002, dentro del térmiSUCESION DE BENITO no de treinta (30) días contados ALVAREZ ABREU desde la publicación del presenCOMPUESTA POR SU te Edicto, se Le anotará La ReHIJA DIBRIANDI ALVAREZ beldía y se le dictará sentencia su contra, concediéndole a la Y FULANO Y SUTANO DE en demandante el remedio solicitaTAL COMO MIEMBROS do sin más citarle ni oírle. EXDESCONOCIDOS DE LA PEDIDO bajo mi firma y el sello SUCESION, OMAYRA del Tribunal, hoy 24 de febrero de 2020, en Carolina, Puerto CRUZ ORTIZ Rico. Lcda. Marilyn Aponte RoDemandados driguez, Sec Regional. Denisse CENTRO DE Torres Ruiz, Sec Auxiliar.

RECAUDACION DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES (CRIM).

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE Parte con Interés PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE CIVIL NUM. CA2019CV04331. PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE SALA NUM. 404. SOBRE: CO- GUAYAMA-SALA SUPERIOR. BRO DE DINERO Y EJECUROSA MARIA CIÓN DE HIPOTECA. EDICTO. VELEZ RODRIGUEZ ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERIDemandante, Vs. CA EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AME- FAYEK SALEM KURIEH, RICA EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOJOHN DOE Y RICHARD CIADO DE PUERTO RICO. ROE,

A: DIBRIANDI ALVAREZ FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANO DE TAL, MIEMBROS DESCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESION DE BENITO ALVAREZ ABREU

Demandados CIVIL NÚM. GM2020CV00231.

SOBRE: CANCELACIÓN DE PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO. EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE Quedan ustedes notificados que PUERTO RICO. en este Tribunal se ha presen- A: JOHN DOE Y RICHARD tado una Demanda sobre Co- ROE o sea, las personas bro de Dinero y Ejecución de ignoradas que puedan Prenda e Hipoteca en la que se reclama por el préstamo nú- ser tenedores del pagaré extraviado. mero 600043695 las siguientes sumas: $71,131.91 por concep- Por la presente se les notifica to de principal; $1,704.20 por que se ha presentada ante este concepto de intereses sobre el tribunal una Demanda, en el principal computados al 31 de caso de epígrafe, en la cual se agosto de 2018 más los que se solícita la cancelación de un pacontinúen acumulando hasta su garé a favor de Fayek Salem Kupago total; $68.28 por concepto rieh, o a su orden, por la suma de cargos pordemora, computa- principal de $15,000.00, sin intedos al 31 de agosto de 2018 más reses, vencedera el 5 de julio de los que se continúen acumulan- 2005, suscrito el 5 de diciembre do hasta su pago total; $12.00 de 2003, ante el Notario Carlos por concepto de inspección; Rodríguez Rivera, testimonio $31.86 por concepto de “escrow 13185 y garantizado mediante y $7,800.00 por concepto de hipoteca, según consta en la essuma estipulada como líquida, critura número 39, otorgada en

(787) 743-3346

Guayama, el 5 de diciembre de 2003, ante el Notario Carlos Rodríguez Rivera, inscrita al folio 56 del tomo 477 de Guayama, finca número 12980 y que grava la propiedad que se relacionada a continuación: Rustica: Predio de terreno marcado con el número 12, sito en el Barrio Caimital del término municipal de Guayama, Puerto Rico, con una cabida superficial de 2,100.00 metros cuadrados, equivalentes a 0.5043 cuerdas. En lindes por el NORTE, con el solar número 13, en 49.031 metros; por el SUR, con el solar número 11, en 62.116 metros; por el ESTE, con parcela propiedad de Juan A. Vázquez, en 39.989 metros; y por el OESTE, con la parcela D de Uso Público, la cual constituye su acceso en 37.387 metros. Consta inscrita al folio 124 del tomo 369 de Guayama, finca 12,980, Registro de la Propiedad de Guayama. Se le advierte que este edicto se publicará en un periódico de circulación general una sola vez y que si no comparece a contestar dicha Demanda dentro del término de treinta (30) días, contados a partir de la publicación de este edicto, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda o cualquier otro, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su discreción, lo entiende procedente. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), el cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https:// unired.ramajudicial.pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio. El abogado de la parte demandante es: Lcdo. Raúl Rivera Burgos, RUA 8879, Estancias de San Fernando, Calle 4, Número 4, A-35, CrOna, P R 00985, Tel (787) 238-7665, Email: raulrblaw@gmail.com. EXPEDIDO bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal de Guayama, Puerto Rico, hoy dia 4 de junio de 2020.

Marisol Rosado Rodriguez, Sec Regional.

ORTIZ; CENTRO DE RECAUDACIONES MUNICIPALES Y ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA

PARTE DEMANDADA CIVIL NUM: SJ2019CV07017.

SALA: 604. SOBRE: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA IN REM. ORDEN. Examinado el escrito intitulado MOCIÓN SOLICITANDO ORDEN presentado por la parte demandante el 2 de junio de 2020, el Tribunal lo declara Ha Lugar. Habiéndose demostrado a satisfacción de este Tribunal que las partes demandadas no pueden ser emplazadas personalmente por una o más de las causas y razones contempladas por la Regla 4.6 de las de Procedimiento Civil, se ordena que el emplazamiento se haga en esta acción a FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANO DE TAL COMO MIEMBROS DESCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESIÓN DE CECILIA FIGUERO FIGUEROA T/C/C CECILIA FIGUEROA, por medio de edictos. El edicto se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación diaria general en la Isla de Puerto Rico y enviado por correo certificado con acuse de recibo de copias de la demanda y del emplazamiento a la parte demandada a su última dirección conocida. Se ORDENA a los herederos de la causante a saber, FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANO DE TAL COMO MIEMBROS DESCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESIÓN DE CECILIA FIGUERO FIGUEROA T/C/C CECILIA FIGUEROA, a que dentro del mismo término de treinta (30) días contados a partir de la fecha de la notificación, ACEPTEN o REPUDIEN la participación que les corresponda en la herencia de la causante Cecilia Figueroa Figueroa t/c/c Cecilia Figueroa. Se les apercibe a los herederos antes mencionados que de no expresarse dentro de ese término de treinta (30) días en torno a su aceptación o repudiación de herencia, la misma se tendrá por aceptada. Tiene la parte demandante, LEGAL NOTICE treinta (30) días, a partir de la ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE expedición del edicto, para prePUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE sentar prueba de la publicación, PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA a través del Sistema Unificado SUPERIOR DE SAN JUAN. de Manejo y Administración de FINANCE OF AMERICA Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente REVERSE, LLC. dirección electrónica: https.//uniPARTE DEMANDANTE Vs. so pena de SUCESIÓN DE CECILIA red.ramajudicial.pr, desestimación. NOTIFÍQUESE. FIGUEROA FIGUEROA En San Juan, Puerto Rico, a 3 T/C/C CECILIA de junio 2020. f/AIDA ILEANA FIGUEROA, COMPUESTA OQUENDO GRAULAU, JUEZ SUPERIOR.

POR FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANO DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DE NOMBRES DESCONOCIDOS; CARMEN FIGUEROA

BOSCO IX OVERSEAS, LLC, BY FRANKLIN CREDIT MANAGEMENT CORPORATION AS SERVICER Demandante v.

NORMA IRIS VÉLEZ RUIZ

Demandado CIVIL NÚM: AÑ2019CV00313.

SOBRE: EJECUCIÓN DE GARANTÍAS (IN REM). EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. SS.

A: NORMA IRIS VÉLEZ RUIZ,

Paseo del Rio, Apt. 210, Añasco, Puerto Rico 00610

POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza para que presente al tribunal su alegación responsiva dentro de los 30 días siguientes a la publicación de este edicto.

Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired. ramaiudicial.pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda, o cualquier otro, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. Este caso trata sobre Ejecución de Garantías (In Rem) en que la parte demandada acumuló una deuda con Bosco ascendente a $95,852.07, más intereses a razón de 7 %, desde el 1 de junio de 2017, que se acumulan diariamente hasta su total y completo pago, más la suma de $1,478.13 por cargos por mora, más la suma de $10,900.00 por concepto de costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado hipotecariamente asegurados.. Se le apercibe que, si dejare de contestar la demanda, se dictará contra usted sentencia en rebeldía, concediéndose el remedio solicitado en la demanda, sin más citarle ni oírle.

Lcda. Ivonne González Medrano, Número del Tribunal Supremo 11,623 PO Box 195553, San Juan, PR, 00919-5553, Teléfono: (787) 449-6000, Facsímile: (787) 474-3892, Correo Electrónico: igonzalez@splawpr.com EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y LEGAL NOTICE Sello del Tribunal, hoy día 19 de ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE febrero de 2020. Lcda. Norma G PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE Santana Irizarry, Sec Regional.

PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA Sandra Salas Desarden, Sec SUPERIOR DE MAYAGUEZ. Auxiliar del Tribunal I.

26

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

The San Juan Daily Star

NFL outlines steps for training camp, but timeline unclear

By KEN BELSON

T

he NFL has outlined the steps teams must take before players can return to training facilities, the latest attempt by the league to return to business as usual in an offseason that has largely been conducted virtually.

Yet while the league claimed the protocols were created in cooperation with the NFL Players Association, the union’s president, J.C. Tretter, told players on Twitter on Monday to “be wary of any updates or information about returning to work from the league or your team.” He invited players to contact him for “accurate updates as we push for the safest possible return to work.”

The lengthy memo was sent to team executives, general managers, head coaches and trainers Sunday. Executives and doctors from the league and the union have worked together during the coronavirus pandemic, but Tretter’s tweet suggested that the league may be pushing faster than the union to bring the players back.

A spokesman for the NFL said the league and the union were in agreement on the protocols. The union did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The memo included no date for when players could return. Training camps are, for now, scheduled to start in late July. But the league has said it will follow the guidelines The N.F.L. released guidance about how teams should conduct training camps, but a players’ union leader said the union had not that state and local authorities set for large agreed to the details of a comeback. gatherings and the opening of workplaces before giving teams the green light to invite players back. The league has also said that contracting COVID-19, nor ensure that the half of the 32 NFL teams did not return to group includes those who maintain the facito maintain competitive balance, no team disease itself will be mild,” the memo said. their team facilities last week even though lities and stadiums but who do not need to Unlike Major League Baseball or the they were allowed to, according to The As- meet directly with players. will be allowed to start training camp unless Those with access to restricted areas, NBA, the NHL and other leagues that were sociated Press. every team has been cleared to do so.

Some coaches returned, including like locker rooms, must be checked daily to To prepare for training camps, the lea- in season, the NFL has not had to cancel gue said in the memo, teams must appoint any games because of the pandemic. It from the Kansas City Chiefs and the Green determine if they have been in contact with an employee to oversee the return to work, entered its offseason in early February, a Bay Packers, but teams let coaches decide anyone who has the disease or if they have which includes educating all employees on month before cities and states in the United whether they wanted to continue working any symptoms related to COVID-19, which ways to reduce the risk of transmitting the States began implementing stay-at-home or- from home. In some cases, coaches were include fever, cough, shortness of breath coronavirus. The health protocols address ders. In mid-March, the NFL closed all offi- not yet in their team’s city. and loss of sense of smell or taste. Teams access to team facilities; physical distan- ces and team facilities and banned most traThe league’s roughly 2,000 players, must designate separate entrances for the cing inside locker rooms, weight rooms and vel. But it proceeded with free agency, the however, continue to train remotely. To pre- first and second groups. Players can only other places; food and medical services; rookie draft and offseason meetings online. pare for their return, the league said teams work out in small groups, and meetings and cleaning. The memo also outlined proThough training camps are weeks must designate three tiers of employees. should be held virtually when possible. If incedures for screening employees for symp- away, if not months, the NFL decided teams The first group will be the players and the person meetings are required, teams should toms and instructions on what to do when must hold them at their club facilities, and it personnel who need direct access to the try to hold them outdoors. a player or other employee tests positive for prohibited joint practices. players, like coaches, trainers and equipThe league said that its protocols would the virus.

In recent weeks, the league has let ment staff. The second tier includes people most likely be revised.

“While these protocols have been care- teams reopen their facilities to limited num- who may need access to the players and “We should expect that these protofully developed and are based on the most bers of front office staff and coaches, who, others in the first group, including additio- cols will change as medical and scienticurrent information from leading experts, unlike the players, are not represented by nal coaches, trainers, team owners, general fic knowledge of the disease continues to no set of protocols can eliminate the risk of the players’ union. Coaches at more than managers and security personnel. The third grow,” the memo said.

The San Juan Daily Star

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

27

MLB owners and players stumble toward a scenario neither wants

By TYLER KEPNER

N

obody wants a 50-game Major League Baseball season. The players want more games. The team owners want more games. The fans want more games.

But with each passing day, that scenario becomes more and more likely.

Monday was another discouraging day for the players and the owners, those bickering bedfellows who control the resumption of a sport still stubbornly on pause. When the coronavirus pandemic shuttered spring training March 12, the sides forged a new economic agreement in about two weeks. They also pledged to hold good-faith talks about the feasibility of proceeding without fans in the stands.

All these weeks later, there is no indication that the two sides can negotiate a settlement. Without one, Commissioner Rob Manfred can impose a regular-season schedule as he sees fit, which would mean a roughly 50-game season, at full, prorated pay, to be completed by the end of September, with the playoffs and the World Series in October. (The players’ union must agree to any potential postseason expansion beyond the current format.)

The players agreed in March to take prorated salaries based on how many games they played in 2020, and they have not budged from that stance. Their refusal to do so has exasperated Manfred, whose latest proposal, on Monday, is sure to be rejected by the union.

The plan put forth Monday included a 76-game schedule that would yield an additional $200 million in salary money for players, if the postseason were completed. But even in that scenario, the players would still receive only 75 percent of their prorated salaries.

That is a nonstarter for the union, which is determined to show resolve against the backdrop of even bigger negotiations with the collective bargaining agreement set to expire after the 2021 season.

A sampling of player tweets Monday afternoon showed widespread ridicule of the owners’ new plan. St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty called it “the same deal worded differently,” while Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Andrew McCutchen simply wrote, “lol.” Cincinnati Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer noted that “it works out to be about 35% of our full salary to

Fenway Park in Boston. Even if M.L.B. games are played this year, it will most likely be without fans. That has complicated negotiations between the players and team owners. play for 47% of the games,” while Toronto Blue Jays infielder Travis Shaw took a wordless approach: a GIF of Judge Judy shaking her head.

“It’s frustrating to have a public labor dispute when there’s so much hardship,” wrote Sean Doolittle, a pitcher for the Washington Nationals. “I hate it. But we have an obligation to future players to do right by them. We want to play. We also have to make sure that future players won’t be paying for any concessions we make.”

Before last winter, when the freeagent market rebounded after two sluggish offseasons, many players and agents had suspected owners were colluding against them to hold down salaries. That suspicion is raging again, as reflected in the way the sides are framing these discussions.

Ownership insists that these negotiations are distinct from future CBA talks, because the unresolved issue — a lack of in-stadium revenue caused by a pandem-

ic — presumably will not come up again.

But players, who believe they gave too much ground in previous agreements, believe any further concessions will become precedents that can be used against them.

If the players present a counterproposal — a big if — it could very well reflect the vastly different mindsets of the sides. The league desperately wants to protect its postseason revenue by wrapping up the World Series before a possible second wave of coronavirus infections in the fall. The players dispute that time frame; their last proposal, for 114 games, called for a postseason stretching deep into November, if not longer.

The owners believe they have made concessions by backing off the idea of a sliding salary scale, which the players rejected, and offering to eliminate free-agent compensation rules this offseason. That was the issue that sparked a 50-day strike in the heart of the 1981 season, leading to a gimmicky playoff arrangement.

MLB reset the standings when the

1981 season resumed, so the first-half division leaders automatically qualified for the playoffs. Teams played between 48 and 54 games in the second half, and the division winners of that late-summer sprint also reached the postseason.

Baseball then lucked out with a credible World Series matchup; the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in six games in a clash of perennial contenders. But the legitimacy of a 2020 World Series after just 50 regular-season games, total, would always be in doubt.

Yet that is where baseball is headed, barring a sudden, out-of-character move by the owners or the players. The players seem willing to sacrifice millions to protect their principles, and the owners seem unwilling to bend any further.

The gap is roughly 25 games, at the moment, and shrinking every day. Soon enough, the sides should face reality and set the schedule. Then, they must promote it as vigorously as possible before the fans lose interest altogether.

28

The San Juan Daily Star

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

NHL players form coalition to press for diversity in hockey

By SALIM VALJI

A

group of players of color in the National Hockey League, which is predominantly populated by white players, coaches and executives, and has grappled with issues of racism in recent years, has formed a new group to tackle the sport’s challenges with diversity and inclusion.

Members of the group, the Hockey Diversity Alliance, said they were inspired

by Colin Kaepernick, the former NFL quarterback who knelt during the playing of the national anthem to protest social injustice against African Americans. They spoke to him and got advice, representatives of the group said.

Two leaders of the group, Akim Aliu, a former NHL player, and San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane, said the group of seven players would operate independent of the league, would try to make the game more socioeconomically inclusive and, as Kane put it, “eradicate racism and intolerance in hockey” through community outreach and youth engagement.

“It was incumbent on us seven to get together and try to put our heads together on how to try and create, promote and manufacture real change when it comes to racism in our sport and racism in society as well,” said Kane, who is black.

Although the group will operate separately from the NHL, Kim Davis, the league’s executive vice president for social impact, expressed hope that it would work collaboratively in the future.

“We are supportive of all efforts that are intended to advance the role of our sport in society,” Davis said in an email.

“We are hopeful that this alliance will collaborate with our NHL structured council and committees — particularly the Players Inclusion Committee — to bring ideas for change.”

Other players of color are joining Aliu and Kane in the group, including Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba, Detroit Red Wings defenseman Trevor Daley, Buffalo Sabres forward Wayne Simmonds, American Hockey League forward Chris Stewart and retired NHL winger Joel Ward.

“Our mission and goal is to make the

Evander Kane, right, is one of the players forming the Hockey Diversity Alliance to draw attention to the sport’s challenges with diversity. game as diverse and inclusive as possible,” Aliu said. “It’s so that someone from any type of background, whether it’s economical, race, gender, gets to feel included in our game and feel like they’re wanted.”

The creation of the Hockey Diversity Alliance comes during a cultural reckoning within the sport.

Popular Canadian television commentator Don Cherry was fired in November for making xenophobic comments on “Hockey Night in Canada,” one of the sport’s premier TV broadcasts. After the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Mike Babcock, was dismissed in December, he was accused of hazing and bullying by several former players.

Days after Babcock’s firing, Aliu tweeted that Bill Peters, his coach in a minor league, directed racial slurs toward him. Peters, who by then was the head coach of the Calgary Flames, resigned after the allegations. Aliu further detailed in an essay for The Players Tribune having experienced hazing and racially driven bullying in the minors.

“We know that important and significant work remains to be done at the NHL level and throughout hockey to ensure that our game lives up to the ideals that are truly essential to it,” the league said in a statement responding to Aliu’s article.

In January, a defenseman in a development league, Brandon Manning, was suspended for using a racial slur during a game. Three months later, a New York Rangers prospect, K’Andre Miller, was subjected to racist slurs during a Zoom call with fans. In early May, the NHL publicly reprimanded two players, Washington Capitals forward Brandon Leipsic and Florida Panthers prospect Jack Rodewald, for racist and misogynistic comments on their social media accounts.

Stung by these and other instances of racism, the NHL has tried to promote diversity in recent years, but the number of black players remains relatively small.

The first black player in the NHL, Willie O’Ree, did not take the ice until 1957, and since then, only about 100 black players have dressed for at least one game in the league. At least 30 black players have

been on teams since the 2016-17 season, when a record four black players were named All-Stars. Still, only a handful of team captains have been black, and there are no black head coaches in the NHL. A major goal of the Hockey Diversity Alliance will be mentorship, giving younger players who are members of minority groups opportunities to learn from the likes of Kane and Aliu.

“We feel that we can be a great outlet for minority players all the way down to youth hockey coming up through the junior ranks and coming into pro with any issues they might be going through, whether that’s race related or anything else,” Kane said.

“I think having a group like us to lean on for experience, advice, thoughts, or different ideas will empower them.”

Aliu and Kane said they felt emboldened after talking to Kaepernick.

“I think it’s enabled us to really feel even more strongly than we did originally about what we’re doing. It was an invaluable call that we had with him,” Kane said.

Kaepernick declined to comment.

The San Juan Daily Star

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Sudoku

29

How to Play:

Fill in the empty fields with the numbers from 1 through 9.

Sudoku Rules: Every row must contain the numbers from 1 through 9 Every column must contain the numbers from 1 through 9 Every 3x3 square must contain the numbers from 1 through 9

Crossword

Answers on page 30

Wordsearch

GAMES

HOROSCOPE Aries

30

The San Juan Daily Star

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

(Mar 21-April 20)

Don’t bother to fit in with the rest of the crowd. Golden opportunities arrive when you offer something different and specialised. Teaching, lecturing, or writing allows you to share specialised knowledge. As you can’t yet meet in person, you can always Skype. An impractical financial venture should be avoided like the plague. A persuasive salesperson will try to get you to invest in a cutting-edge idea. Although the concept is good, the people involved are woefully unprepared.

Libra

(Sep 24-Oct 23)

Pursuing a fairy tale ideal of romance is a losing proposition. Don’t be so quick to dismiss someone because of their faults. If you focus on their best traits, you can build a supportive relationship. Affirmations work much better than condemnations. Do you already have a partner? Resist the temptation to venture outside of your union. Channel your love and devotion towards them instead. Make them feel appreciated and admired. You’ll return to the early days of your courtship.

Taurus

(April 21-May 21)

Scorpio

Gemini

(May 22-June 21)

Sagittarius

(Nov 23-Dec 21)

Cancer

(June 22-July 23)

Capricorn

(Dec 22-Jan 20)

Are you hesitant to work for a large corporation? You shouldn’t be, provided that your primary desire is to make lots of money. If you’d rather cultivate fame and acclaim, it’s better to join a smaller operation. Listen to your heart.

People find your extreme opinions alienating. Beware of discussing your beliefs about religion, politics and culture in mixed company. You can talk about these subjects privately with friends who share your convictions. Their company will be reassuring; birds of a feather should flock together.

Your ideas about spirituality are unusual. Stuffy traditionalists will dismiss your perspective. Don’t let their contempt bother you. Everyone has their own way of viewing the world. By staying true to what you believe, you’ll always be fully engaged with the world. Covering up the truth will do more harm than good. Although you don’t want to hurt someone with unpleasant facts, it’s better than deceiving them. Be honest if you don’t share their feelings or believe they can do a better job.

A friendship that fell by the wayside is weighing on your mind. Whilst it’s true you had some very good times with an offbeat innovator, you weren’t compatible. It’s tempting to abandon a dream you’ve had since childhood. Instead of insisting that you can never realise this goal, approach it from another angle. You’ll make remarkable progress after adopting an unorthodox attitude towards work. Instead of attempting to make things happen, try allowing success to occur.

Leo

(July 24-Aug 23)

Your romantic or business partner doesn’t want you to accept an unusual professional opportunity. Their concerns are valid. Although you’d welcome the chance to work with affluent clients, patrons or patients, this operation isn’t as reliable as it seems. Hold out for something more stable. Someone unreliable who keeps breaking their promises should be avoided at all costs. Any time they reassure you that a problem will be fixed, assume they’re lying. The sooner you break away from this union, the better you’ll feel.

Virgo

(Aug 24-Sep 23)

People often tease you about your approach to help. Learn to laugh off their jokes. If a diet or fitness programme works for you, that’s all that matters. Don’t urge anyone to follow your lead unless they ask for advice. It’s tempting to lash out at a relative who is always criticising you. Instead of dwelling on their unpleasant behaviour, spend more time with people who make you feel good. When they realise they no longer have any hold over you, they’ll look for someone else to bother.

(Oct 24-Nov 22)

Is a relative’s criticism of your personal space getting on your nerves? Stop allowing other people to affect your mood. When you hit upon an arrangement that uplifts and supports you, there’s no need to be defensive. Stand by your way of life. An embarrassing incident from the past will come back to haunt you. Rather than trying to bury the truth, own up to it. Apologise for your boorish behaviour and don’t try to underplay it. Your honesty will be greatly appreciated.

A neighbour or relative will find your behaviour disruptive. Instead of getting defensive when they ask you to alter your habits, try to find a compromise. Express a desire to make them comfortable and then discuss ways you can happily co-exist. Although you dislike dull routines, it’s important to dispatch these jobs. Other people are counting on you to prepare the area for work or deliver time sensitive materials. Neglecting your duties will cause problems.

You’re not impressed with an admirer who doesn’t make very much money. Although their bank balance might not be stellar, this individual has many other assets that should be considered. Their vivid imagination and great sense of humour are priceless. A childish temper tantrum will drive opportunity from your door. When things don’t go your way, take deep breaths and find something to appreciate about your situation. Soon, the resistance you’re encountering will vanish into thin air.

Aquarius

(Jan 21-Feb 19)

A lot of people are jealous of you. That’s because you manage to remain independent, even when you work for a company or enter a romantic relationship. This ability to stay true to yourself is a rare quality. It often sets you apart from others. You’ve never been overly concerned about public opinion. This self-confidence is extremely attractive. Although you might not be very popular at work, you’ll have no difficulty finding love. If you’re single, create yourself an online dating profile.

Pisces

(Feb 20-Mar 20)

Resist the temptation to complain about your problems.

There are better ways to get attention. By cultivating an attitude of gratitude, you’ll find the company you crave. Soon, you’ll be surrounded by fellow optimists who make the most of life. Beware of gossiping with relatives and neighbours. Negative comments will come back to haunt you.

The last thing you want is to get a reputation for talking behind people’s backs. If you can’t find anything nice to say, maintain a diplomatic silence.

Answers to the Sudoku and Crossword on page 29

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

31

CARTOONS

Herman

Speed Bump

Frank & Ernest

BC

Scary Gary

Wizard of Id

For Better or for Worse

The San Juan Daily Star

Ziggy

32

The San Juan Daily Star

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

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LG 65 ó Samgung .00

Estufa MABE Silver .00

CFD-S70 .00

$389

WIRELESS HEADSET .00

$99

Super Sonic 32”

SONY

Nevera BIZT

$289.00

•STUDIO ZSTZP-800 8” RECHARGABLES SPEAKER •STUDIO Z -IQ P.A. SPEAKER STAND

Bocina Bluetooth y Stand .95

$69