The Weekly Journal - Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Wednesday, March 30 - April 5, 2022 // no. 153

Puerto Rico and the Caribbean

www.theweeklyjournal.com

Grocery shopping made easier P6 Women advance in business P8 Corruption and plea bargaining P10

The metaverse: a parallel reality or the future of retail It is a new, immersive shopping experience

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Juan A. Hernández, The Weekly Journal

The Phantom revisits Bellas Artes P14

he COVID-19 pandemic not only altered the way people interact between themselves but also how they go about their daily endeavors, such as going to work, meeting with friends, and buying groceries. Until two years ago, and with some notable exceptions, all these activities or events were done face to face, sharing the experience with friends and family, colleagues or acquaintances. Nowadays, all that continues to happen

not only face to face, but virtually.

For the last two years people have been working remotely, shopping online and meeting for business, and fun, via ZOOM, Teams, Facebook Live, among other media platforms, as a way of “keeping in touch with reality” during quarantines and lockdowns.

Aside from keeping people connected to one another, these technologies enabled the continuity of economic activity, thus avoiding a greater crisis than the one we were already experiencing.

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The Weekly Journal > Wednesday, March 30, 2022 >

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The primary cause of the United Way of Puerto Rico is early childhood. That is why we are working with the United Ways of Poland, Romania and Hungary to support children and families displaced by the violence in Ukraine.

The efforts include the provision of resources such as transportation, shelter, food, medicines, personal hygiene products, child care supplies, such as formulas and diapers, among other aids.

Your donation is very important, no matter the distance. Donate now to this vital cause by visiting unitedwaypr.org/ukraine or call us at 2-1-1 of Puerto Rico (787-268-5353).

You can also send your donation to United Way de PR, PO Box 191914, San Juan, PR 00919

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a week in review Southern Staple Krystal Expands to PR Krystal, the original home of the slider of the South, is expanding outside the contiguous United States with its first international franchisee-owned restaurant in Puerto Rico. The Krystal restaurant is scheduled to open this summer at The Outlet 66 Mall in Canóvanas and will feature the brand’s iconic square burgers, snacks and sides, handspun shakes, and other iconic favorites. Krystal Restaurants, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, has been serving fresh burgers hot off the grill on their iconic square buns since 1932. Justin Tirri, of Caribbean Cattle LLC, will function as the franchise’s operator and expand the brand’s footprint to the municipalities of Caguas, Bayamón, Carolina, and Ponce.

Optimization of Port of San Juan Infrastructure Planned Piers 1 and 4 in Old San Juan will have renewed infrastructure going into the next high season of cruises. The contract, which was awarded to the Puerto Rican firm Integra Group Design, will implement a newly designed mooring and defense system. Renovations will include repairs related to the structural capacity and berthing of ships, such as mooring points, fenders, passenger gangways, and other miscellaneous repairs necessary to meet infrastructure needs for a new generation of cruise ships, while improving service level quality.

The design is estimated to be complete by this summer with implementation

by November 2022. Pizá Batiz, Executive Director of the Port Authority, stressed that “the mega cruises of these companies have a passenger capacity that fluctuates between 2,770 and 5,000. Each visit to the Port of San Juan preserves jobs and multiplies the commercial activity of Old San Juan, the hotel industry, transporters, excursionists, and the income of the Port Authority.”

Powered BY El Vocero de Puerto Rico, 1064 Ave Ponce de León 2nd floor San Juan, PR Postal Address: PO Box 15074, San Juan, PR 00902

Frontier Airlines Launches New Flights Frontier Airlines launched service between Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Rafael Hernandez International Airport in Aguadilla (BQN). The new route operates three to four times weekly, with fares starting at $69.

To commemorate the first flight, Frontier also announced the winner of its Tropical Tails contest - a competition designed to bring awareness to the island’s endangered animals. Following more than 86,000 votes, the Puerto Rican coquí llanero emerged victoriously and will be featured on the tail of a Frontier aircraft. The Puerto Rican lowland coquí is one of the smallest tree frogs in the world, measuring no wider than a dime at full maturity, and contributing to their high-pitched vocal range.

President Salvador Hasbún shasbun@elvocero.com

VP of Accounting Félix A. Rosa frosa@elvocero.com

Human Resources Director Arlene Rolón, PHR arolon@elvocero.com

Vp of Marketing and Business Operations Michelle Pérez Miperez@elvocero.com

VP of Production Eligio Dekony edekony@elvocero.com

VP of Editorial Content Juan Miguel Muñiz Guzmán jmuniz@elvocero.com

Multi-Platform Graphic and Technology Director Héctor L. Vázquez hvazquez@elvocero.com

Phone: 787-622-2300, 787-721-2300

Multi-Plataform Digital Director María Arce marce@elvocero.com

Customer Service: 787-622-7480

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moving into the metaverse to provide customers/ users an immersive experience in shopping, not just the usual browsing through the usual online “None of these technologies are new, but they catalog. were accelerated by the pandemic,” said software “In the same way that having a website helps engineer and Web 3.0 specialist Pedro Cruz. businesses with their sales, “More and more people will having a space in the metaverse be working online and seeking will help too. It will help drive entertainment online, and users/clients to their stores,” businesses will have to adapt to argued Cruz, who admitted these new preferences in order The metaverse that some businesses would to stay competitive,” said Cruz is also defined as be negatively affected by this referring to how online activity, a simulated digital technological development. particularly sales, have increased environment that In a retail metaverse, users/ in the last two years. uses augmented customers can walk the aisles According to www. reality, virtual reality of a virtual store looking at digitalcommerce360.com, during and concepts from merchandise, interacting with the COVID-19 pandemic -between social media, to other customers and can even try 2020 and 2021- $218.5 billion create spaces for clothes or makeup. were added to ecommerce rich user interactions in the U.S., thus “accelerating mimicking the real ecommerce growth years into What Is The Metaverse? world. the future.” The website also While still in its early stages, points out that other pandemicthe metaverse is advancing at an caused shifts, such as inflation, accelerated pace, so definitions “have boosted ecommerce sales” are still somewhat “fluid.” prompting consumers to pay “$32 “I think the most accurate billion more online for the same amount of goods definition is that of a shared 3D virtual space during the past two years.” connected to the internet, where you can For Cruz, the next step for online retail would be seamlessly jump from one application to another

In fact,

In the same way that having a website helps businesses with their sales, having a space in the metaverse will help too. It will help drive users/clients to their stores.

Pedro Cruz, software engineer

and where every person within that space is able to have his own experience but they are all experiencing it at the same time,” said Shirley McPhaul, director of Crypto Curious, the public education program of the Puerto Rico Blockchain Trade Association (PRBTA).

In some other instances the metaverse is also defined as a simulated digital environment that uses augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and blockchain, along concepts from social media, to create spaces for rich user interactions mimicking the real world.

For Cruz, the metaverse “is more than virtual

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A lot of people hear the word metaverse and they think of some kind of product that Facebook came up with. That is not correct.

Shirley McPhaul, director of Crypto Curious

reality, more than augmented reality… it is a layer upon our physical reality that allows us to collaborate in real time, regardless of distance – where we are.”

“The metaverse is the next iteration of the internet. In the same way the telephone, first, and television, later, brought us together, the internet brought us even closer. Now, with the internet we have videoconferencing… with the metaverse we are going to have immersive collaborations,” Cruz argued.

McPhaul on her part, counters that Cruz’ definition refers more to the internet of things, the social internet, internet 2.0. She says that the terms metaverse and Web 3.0 are currently used interchangeably.

“I’ve noticed, however, the way people are using the term metaverse refers more to that immersive 3D virtual experience… and that is another thing.

A lot of people hear the word metaverse and they think of some kind of product that Facebook came up with. That is not correct,” she said.

Both Cruz and McPhaul coincide the concept

and infrastructure are still a work in progress.

“The current immersive experience is not that good because the VR headsets are too heavy, they cause eye strain, dizziness and nausea,” Cruz said.

McPhaul coincides. “It is not at a place where the experience is going to be good for everyone”.

“People always opt for the path of least resistance. If the virtual experience doesn’t satisfy them they won’t go back to it. But as technology improves, people will start to jump into it,” she anticipated.

As it is, technology is improving constantly.

Augmented reality mirrors are currently being marketed by several fitness companies (Tonal, Nordic Track Vault, Tempo) that allows you to exercise in a virtual gym, or any other environment, accompanied by a virtual personal trainer and other users/participants.

makeup. The person stands in front of the mirror at the store counter while her face is scanned.

After she selects a makeup product from the menu, the mirror would show how that person would look with the chosen product.

The interconnectivity of the metaverse would even provide for the possibility for two friends (on different parts of the world) to virtually go “grab a bite” or “have some coffee” after an afternoon of virtual shopping (with merchandise actually having been bought).

“Retailers will need to adapt to this new way of doing business if they want to compete,” said McPhaul, who also recognized changes are not going to take place overnight.

While not many businesses in Puerto Rico are “rushing” to the metaverse, both Cruz and McPhaul anticipate that as technology improves more and more businesses will “jump in.”

Select, Try, Buy In the In the past, several companies While this immersive past, several and brands had opted to wait experience could be experienced companies and on the sidelines as social media through just about any digital brands had opted to platforms started to become device -be it a smartphone, wait on the sidelines a feature of daily life and they a tablet or a laptop- Cruz as social media arguably lost momentum. Such anticipates that people are going platforms started to is the case of McDonald’s, who to prefer the AR mirror for their become a feature didn’t join Twitter until 2009, retail experience. of daily life and three years after the platform was “They would be at home and they arguably lost launched. the AR mirror will be their portal momentum.

“The metaverse is not going into the metaverse. They would to completely replace anything. be able to walk through a virtual There will always be space for store, chose the clothes they traditional retail. There is still like and even try them on,” the some way to go. But there is software engineer said. a huge opportunity for retail businesses in the As a matter of fact, such a device is already metaverse,” McPhaul said. being used in stores in South Korea that sell

In fact,

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Automation Makes Online Grocery Shopping More Accessible TakeOff Technologies’ micro-fulfillment centers offer a solution to high eGrocery costs

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Zoe Landi Fontana, The Weekly Journal

@Landi_Zoe

nce seen as a convenience reserved for those with enough disposable income to shave an hour or so off their weekly errands, online grocery shopping has rapidly evolved into a necessity for retailers.

Slower to join the ecommerce trend, grocery price products at affordable prices. Historically, the stores had lagged behind other retail sectors two services that an eGrocery customer pays for prior to the pandemic. Yet, creating an efficient picking the order from the shelves and bringing it omnichannel method of selling groceries online home - were done for free,” Freeman explained. while maintaining a brick-and-mortar location, Thus, stores are left in a predicament of needing could increase grocers’ total share of wallet by 20to maintain low prices in an environment of 30%, according to a McKinsey & Company report increased costs. What would enable grocers to published in 2021. provide online grocery fulfillment services without Mitchell Freeman, Chief Financial Officer of drastically increased product prices and extra fees?

Takeoff Technologies - an automated grocery fulfillment solution - explained the strengths and weaknesses of online grocery models in an Typical Grocery Run interview with THE WEEKLY JOURNAL. First, we should look at the numbers behind a “We’ve been seeing incredible growth in grocery typical grocery run in the U.S. over the last few years,” said Freeman.

A traditional basket is made up of 50 items at $3 In 2017, the grocery industry was valued at each with grocery retailers making, on average, a around $7.2 billion, of which 5% margin on each transaction. online penetration made up So, they make around $7.50 2.7%. As a result of COVID-19, on you in the hour and a half grocery ecommerce has jumped it takes you to shop and drive to 9.5% of a now $7.3 billion back home. industry. In the next few years, With a typical manual McKinsey & Company projects As a result of picking model, where one eGrocery penetration in U.S. COVID-19, grocery person is assigned to an order, markets to reach at least 14%. ecommerce has wandering the store, and jumped to 9.5% of grabbing the correct items off The grocery industry a now $7.3 billion the shelves, a retailer in the U.S. The grocery industry, which industry. will spend anywhere from $20 makes up half of all retail, is to $30 per online order. Thus, characterized by its unique to simply maintain their original properties. It’s an industry with margins, grocery retailers must low margins and, oftentimes, charge a 30-40% increase in single-digit profits. Grocery products are perishable product prices for those shopping online. and highly personal to the individual consumer. “[This] is why they had to raise prices so much…

Consumers in the grocery industry are pricehidden price increases, far fewer discounts on sensitive and are not willing to spend a ton more the online application than in the store, service for a convenience they’ve been doing themselves fee, delivery fee, tip…,” Freeman elaborated on forever. the economics behind inflated prices for online “Delivering groceries to an end consumer customers, “it’s not sustainable for the majority of requires the ability to fulfill a wider range of low America.”

In fact,

The TakeOff Method

The manual picking model suffers from all same problems that grocery retailers suffer from - low inventory visibility, high substitution, and limits in the speed at which a picker can move around the store.

Micro-fulfillment, an automated solution, provides end customers and grocers with nearly perfect visibility of the inventory. Customers can make substitution choices on the check-out screen, instead of trusting the picker to find a substitution for them, or risk not receiving a similar item at all.

Additionally, real-time data gathered by automated systems help with predictive analytics on inventory, performance operations, and logistics operations.

To reiterate, the central problem lies in maintaining low prices in an environment of increased costs TakeOff Technologies has found the solution automated micro-fulfillment centers. The company shrank hyper-local automation down to a footprint that can fit in the back of a grocery store or small warehouse, offering the only eGrocery solution to generate profits.

On average, their micro-fulfillment centers can assemble an order in less than 15 minutes. In contrast, the manual picking method takes at least an hour. Being hyperlocal - located close to where customers live and shop - reduces the costs of delivering as well.

“Our eGrocery solution was created with the grocer and the shopper in mind. Grocery is an incredibly complex industry, and our products are unlike any other: they are low-value, perishable, heavy, and low-margin. Our automated solution is flexible enough to manage these complexities. We ensure the correct picking method for the correct product,” TakeOff Technologies describes on its website.

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Governor Pedro Pierluisi. >The Weekly Journal

Pierluisi highlights

administration’s achievements

Admits there are still challenges ahead

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Juan A. Hernández, The Weekly Journal

overnor Pedro Pierluisi reiterated yesterday in his State of the Commonwealth address that the Government’s Debt Adjustment Plan is “the most transcendental step toward the economic recovery” of Puerto Rico and that the island can finally invest in its priorities.

“The plan is good for Puerto Rico, it clears our credit, protects our pensioners and returns the savings to tens of thousands of our public servants,” said the Governor after admitting the island is not out of the woods yet.

“Even though we still have many challenges ahead, we can now speak about the future, about a greater control of the pandemic, the end of the bankruptcy, investing in our people, of a more efficient government, of infrastructure being built throughout the island and promoting our economic development,” said Pierluisi to the legislators and public gathered at the House of Representatives.

The Governor emphasized on Puerto Rico’s “sustained improvements” last year in almost every single economic indicator, particularly the unemployment rate.

“Last January, the unemployment rate was 9 percent. It is now 6.8 percent, the lowest rate in our entire history,” said Pierluisi while pointing out that this rate was not caused

by Puerto Ricans leaving the island.

“We have 1,312,000 people working,

an employment level not seen since 2007.”

Pierluisi also pointed out that the increase in the number of people now having a job happens concurrently with the minimum wage increase.

Regarding tourism, the Governor said government revenues from that economic sector had an increase of 16% last year, and a specific increase of 35% on revenues from lodging.

Pierluisi said that all the island’s efforts on tourism promotion have also gone hand in hand with promoting Puerto Rico as an investment destination. On the subject, he mentioned that more than 115 companies already established on the island have invested more than $500 million and created over 8,000 direct jobs, since he took office.

About the public-private alliance (APP) between the government and LUMA Energy, the Governor said that greater stability in power distribution has been achieved, despite the initial hurdles the company had to face last year, and more than 18,000 connections with private power generation systems have been established.

“Just last week, the Fiscal Oversight Board approved 18 projects that will add 844 megawatts of renewable energy to our system, which along with the 250 megawatts of battery storage capacity, are fundamental for our energy policies,” said Pierluisi.

Pierluisi openly urged the Popular Democratic Party dominated legislature to be more cooperative when working for the people. He lamented the fact that, while he has signed into law 137 bills and vetoed 44, only three of the 76 bills he has submitted to the Legislature have been considered.

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Women in Business 2022: Are we making progress?

Despite negative predictions, women managed to make headway in 2021

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Zoe Landi Fontana, The Weekly Journal

@Landi_Zoe

omen make up about 50% of the population, but not 50% of the boardroom. Yet, although we’re still waiting for adequate representation at all levels of organizations, Grant Thornton’s Women in Business 2022 report found numerous advancements for women in senior leadership roles.

“It is essential for companies to become more equal,” says Anna Johnson, CEO of Grant Thornton Sweden. “It is a requirement for being attractive to both customers and employees. Gender equality is something we as leaders must prioritize every day, in every decision we make.”

Last year, THE WEEKLY JOURNAL reported that globally women in senior roles made up 31%. This year, that number stands at 32%.

The Numbers Globally

By 2025, we could see 34% of women globally in senior management positions. While last year certain regions landed below the 30% benchmark, this year all monitored regions performed positively, led by improvements in Africa, where female leaders make up 40% of overall senior roles.

“Mature markets sometimes find it more difficult to change,” notes Grant Thornton International’s Larissa Keijzer. “The numbers show emerging markets are speeding up, whereas Europe and North America are still changing their mindset over female leaders. Other markets just see talent, while established markets have to reinvent themselves.”

Not only is it important to look at the percentage of senior leadership roles filled by women, but it is necessary to identify which roles they hold. Within C-Level positions, women typically

dominate human resources or other roles seen as “supporting” rather than “operating”.

An outlier in which female representation is markedly strong is the role of CFO, an operational position. Women hold almost half of CFO positions in Africa, and 42% in Latin America. North America, considered a more traditional economy, bring up the rear, with 38%.

“Ultimately, we would hope to see an even spread of female talent across all senior positions. Then the concept of gender-specific skill sets and attributes will be abandoned, and individuals allowed to excel where their talents lie,” the report stated.

to this – those businesses with women on their senior management teams recorded impressive performance compared to those that weren’t so gender diverse.”

Areas of Improvement

Of the surveyed businesses, 95% are taking deliberate steps towards greater employee inclusion, with a focus on cultural change, psychological safety, and work-life balance.

The most popular issue for companies to resolve is work-life balance. 47% of respondents agreed that their company was working on it. Following closely are creating an inclusive environment How Gender Diversity Impacts The where all people can contribute ideas, and discuss issues and questions, and instilling working Workplace practices to increase employee According to McKinsey’s 2021 engagement - factoring in those Women in the Workplace report, working remotely. Another 41% women tend to have different cited adapting learning and leadership styles. Women leaders development programs to the take more steps to support Globally, changing working environment as their teams and check on their women hold a key issue. employees’ wellbeing, taking on 32% of senior 73% of respondents agreed emotional supportive roles in management that flexible working styles and their companies in addition to positions. hybrid location models, most of their regular duties. which developed as a result of Such an approach has become COVID-19, will benefit women’s an important aspect of leadership career paths long term as they throughout the pandemic allow for them to juggle childcare which has seen the portrait of responsibilities and other child-rearing tasks. an effective leader evolve, with an emphasis on Despite this optimism, leaders must remain mental health. cognizant of the unconscious bias to promote and Additionally, awareness of environmental, social, provide more opportunities to those who work in and governance issues (ESG) has grown. The World the office, and with whom they get more “face time” Economic Forum highlighted the rise of stakeholder day-to-day, a phenomenon identified by Natasha capitalism, which emphasizes the creation of longBowman, a business consultant, as “The Zoom term value by meeting the needs of everyone Ceiling”. affected by, or with a stake in, the company. Grant “If companies go back to purely face to face or Thornton’s research found that in the wake of the pandemic, 61% of businesses have been encouraged to hybrid working, where some people dial in and others are in the office, and if men go back into by their stakeholders to increase gender parity. the offices and see each other, and the women “Profitability is one of the benefits of having a combine work and home roles and become more inclusive talent pool gender-wise,” explained Mai Sigue-Bisnar of Grant Thornton’s Punongbayan less visible, we could get a reversed diversity and Araullo branch in the Philippines, “The recently trend,” warned Larissa Keijzer, of Grant Thornton International. published results of the Fortune 500 survey attest

In fact,

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EU agrees on new digital rules to rein in Big Tech dominance Tech companies face tighter restrictions on using people’s data for targeted online ads

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Kelvin Chan and Sam Petrequin, The Associated Press

he European Union set the stage for a stepped-up crackdown on big tech companies with an agreement on landmark digital rules to rein in online “gatekeepers” such as Google and Facebook parent Meta.

EU officials agreed late last week on wording Moscow, Russia, 18-02-2021: clubhouse app icon on for the bloc’s Digital Markets Act, part of a longsmatphone screen surrounded by other social media awaited overhaul of its digital rulebook. The act, apps and user run clubhouse. Clubhouse drop-in audio which still needs other approvals, seeks to prevent chat social media network. Shallow DOF tech giants from dominating digital markets, with the threat of whopping fines or even the possibility Act, saying it would help consumers by creating of a company breakup. fairer and more competitive digital markets. Digital For instance, they face tighter restrictions on rights group EDRi said it will “narrow the power using people’s data for targeted online ads — a imbalance between people and online platforms.” primary source of revenue for Google and Facebook — while Tech Companies Are Less different messaging services or Enthusiastic social media platforms would Apple said it was concerned be required to work together. that parts of the Digital Markets The new rules underscore Google would Act “will create unnecessary how Europe has become be prevented privacy and security a global pacesetter in from collecting vulnerabilities for our users efforts to curb the power information on while others will prohibit us of tech companies through YouTube viewing, from charging for intellectual an onslaught of antitrust online searches, property in which we invest a investigations, stringent travel history from great deal.” regulations on data privacy and Maps and Gmail Google said it will study the proposed rules for areas like conversations text and work with regulators to artificial intelligence. to build a profile implement it.

“What we have been deciding to serve up “While we support many will start a new era in tech personalized ads, of the DMA’s ambitions regulation,” the European unless users agree to around consumer choice and Union’s lead lawmaker Andreas each one. interoperability, we remain Schwab, said at a press concerned that some of the conference last Friday. rules could reduce innovation In its crackdown on tech and the choice available to giants, the EU also has another Europeans,” the company said. set of rules, the Digital Services Amazon said it is reviewing what the rules Act, that aim to ensure online safety for users mean for its customers. Meta, which also owns through stricter requirements to flag and remove Instagram and WhatsApp, didn’t reply to a request harmful or illegal content or services like hate for comment. speech and counterfeit goods. Both are expected The Digital Markets Act includes a number of to take effect by October, EU competition chief eye-catching, groundbreaking measures that could Margrethe Vestager said.

The European Consumer Organization, or BEUC, shake up the way big tech companies operate.

They wouldn’t be allowed to rank their own welcomed the agreement on the Digital Markets

In fact,

What we have been deciding will start a new era in tech regulation.

Andreas Schwab, European Union’s lead lawmaker

products or services higher than those of others in search results. That means Amazon, for example, wouldn’t be allowed to list its own brand of goods ahead of rival offerings from independent merchants.

Essential software or apps such as web browsers can’t be installed by default along with the operating system, in the same way Google’s Chrome comes bundled with Android phones.

There’s also a measure aimed at loosening Apple’s stranglehold on iPhone apps through its App Store.

A user’s personal data also couldn’t be combined for targeted ads unless “explicit consent” is given. That would prevent Google from collecting information on YouTube viewing, online searches, travel history from Maps and Gmail conversations to build a profile to serve up personalized ads, unless users agree to each one.

Online services would have to ensure that users can opt out just as easily as they can sign up.

That’s “aimed at services where it’s super easy to sign up — boom, you’re a customer — but unsubscribe is hidden under three levels of menus,” such as Amazon Prime, said Jan Penfrat, senior policy adviser at EDRi. “They push it on to you with big, colorful buttons, but getting out of it is really difficult.”

Criteria for defining a gatekeeper under the rules have been tweaked to include companies that earn at least 7.5 billion euros ($8.3 billion) in annual revenue in Europe in the past three years, have a market value of 75 billion euros, provide services in at least three EU countries, and have 45 million users and 10,000 business users each year in the bloc.

Violations could be punished with whopping fines: up to 10% of a company’s annual income.

Repeat offenders could be fined up to 20% of worldwide revenue, which could amount to billions of dollars for wealthy Silicon Valley companies.

Negotiators from the European Parliament and European Council, which represents the 27 EU member countries, reached the deal after months of talks. It now needs to be endorsed by the Council and the European Parliament.

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opinion Manuel Quilichini, Lawyer

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In times of corruption, the plea bargain is king

e are waiting with bated breath the sentencing in the latest corruption scandal, that involving Felix “El Cano” Delgado and Oscar Santamaría, who ran a major corruption ring that has made headlines for the past few months. Many assume that their millionaire embezzlement scheme will send these individuals to prison for a long time. The societal thirst for institutional revenge may not be quenched, as many expect.

As preposterous as it may sound, many of these people may spend very little time behind bars, if any at all. Mr. Delgado will probably get probation and Mr. Santamaría, the leader of the gang, may get a few months in prison. This will lead some to clamor that the criminal system is corrupt, but it is working simply fine. These persons will benefit from a necessary evil in our criminal justice system: the plea bargain.

Plea bargains are ubiquitous. The Federal Government reports that 97.5% of all criminal cases in Puerto Rio are settled through guilty pleas, most through a plea deal. In these deals, the prosecutor “negotiates” with the accused: they cooperate with the authorities in exchange for a lenient sentence or favorable confinement conditions. Our criminal system has been reduced to a process where justice is not dispensed, it is negotiated. This would seem as a win-win situation for all those concerned, but looks can be deceiving.

Without plea bargains, our courts would be swamped with an ever-increasing number of criminal cases filed each year. Plea deals benefit those who knowingly commit crimes and are caught because they have a good incentive to admit guilt and save the system the cost of prosecuting the obviously guilty. The criminal justice system can allocate its limited resources in prosecuting major cases.

Plea deals constantly come under fire by those who believe that the government is in cahoots with the corrupt officials. We see convicts such as Anaudi Hernández plea guilty and not having served a day in prison, despite having embezzled approximately $2 million. Then we see ordinary criminals spending a long time in prison for runof-the-mill crimes, including drug possession.

Of course, high-profile criminals have a trove of information that may lead to the arrest of others, as in the case of the former mayor of Cataño. We rationalize that we need a good bait to catch bigger fish, but what happens when the mastermind of the embezzlement scheme gets a deal, like in the

case of Mr. Santamaría? He will go to prison for a brief period considering his role in this huge criminal scheme.

Granting generous plea deals to the heads of criminal organizations promote a type of impunity because they know they can get away with little punishment if they provide information first. So, it becomes a race to who gets to talk first, and the prize is the sweetheart deal with the prosecutors.

But there is a sinister side of pleas deals that we do not see. A plea bargain can be a coercive tool used by prosecutors against those accused of any crime, with one goal in mind: a quick conviction.

Threatening the accused with very long prison terms, they seek to intimidate him into accepting their guilt, even when they know they are not guilty. They just fear fighting the system. Innocence becomes an irrelevant concept in some of these cases.

On an island where impunity apparently abounds, prosecutors should exercise great caution when negotiating with the leaders of criminal gangs or organizations, especially in political corruption cases, lest they create the impression that immunity can be negotiated through plea deals. Negotiations are ongoing right now between the federal prosecutors and Mr.

The Federal Government reports that 97.5% of all criminal cases in Puerto Rico are settled through guilty pleas, most through a plea deal.

Santamaría and his cohorts, and his sentencing was recently postponed. Mr. Hernández’s sentencing is still pending even though he pleaded guilty almost 6 years ago. All these negotiations happen behind an intractable veil of secrecy, which may be necessary to some degree. However, prosecutors should thrive to explain why they reached a particular deal with a particular highprofile criminal, in particular the benefits of such generosity toward a corrupt politician. This is the only way we, as citizens, can maintain faith in our judicial system and the rule of law, and help build trust in one of our pillars of Government.

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/ Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Pope’s peace prayer for Ukraine recalls ancient prophecy Some question whether the socalled “secrets of Fatima” have already been fulfilled or not

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By Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press

ope Francis presided last Friday over a special prayer for Ukraine that harked back to a century-old apocalyptic prophecy about peace and Russia that was sparked by purported visions of the Virgin Mary to three peasant children in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917.

Francis invited bishops, priests and ordinary faithful around the world to join him in the consecration prayer, which opened Friday with Francis entering St. Peter’s Basilica before an estimated 3,500 people, including cardinals, ambassadors and pilgrims.

To hammer home its universal nature, the Vatican translated the text of the prayer into three dozen languages. Retired Pope Benedict XVI was participating and an envoy of Francis was celebrating a simultaneous service at the Fatima shrine itself.

The ritual is of deep spiritual importance to many Catholics and a source of fascination to others. It deals with some of the more controversial aspects of the Catholic faith: purported visions of the Madonna, prophesies of hell, Soviet communism and the death of a pope, and whether the prophecies contained in the so-called “secrets of Fatima” have already been fulfilled or not.

The service was Francis’ latest effort to rally prayers for an end to the war while keeping open options for dialogue with the Russian Orthodox Church and its influential leader, Patriarch Kirill.

Francis has yet to publicly condemn Russia by name for its invasion, though his denunciations have grown increasingly outraged.

The Prophecy

The Fatima story dates to 1917, when according to tradition, Portuguese siblings Francisco and

The problem is that these are two different interpretations: The Madonna who favors peace, and the Madonna who supports the war.

Rev. Stefano Caprio, Professor of Russian history and culture, Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome

Francis presided over a special prayer for Ukraine that harks back to a century-old apocalyptic prophecy about peace and Russia. >AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia

pronunciation of Russia in the prayer, as well as Jacinta Marto and their cousin Lucia said the Virgin his invitation for all the world’s bishops to join him, Mary appeared to them six times and confided finally fulfills the original Fatima prophesy. Some to them three secrets. The first two described an apocalyptic image of hell, foretold the end of World quibble that he has added in Ukraine, while others point to the fact that the original call for Russia’s War I and the start of World War II, and the rise “conversion” — presumably to and fall of Soviet communism.

Catholicism — might well have The children were aged between been a priority for the Catholic 7 and 10 at the time.

Church in 1917 but is not a focus In 2000, the Vatican disclosed of the Vatican’s evangelization the long-awaited third secret, project now. describing it as foretelling the Soon after Francis announced May 13, 1981, assassination The Fatima story his plans to hold the consecration attempt against St. John Paul II in dates to 1917, prayer, Patriarch Kirill announced St. Peter’s Square. when according to he, too, was inviting the Russian According to later writings by tradition, Portuguese Orthodox to direct prayers to Lucia, who became a nun and siblings Francisco the Mother of God. Kirill has died in 2005, Russia would be and Jacinta Marto called for peace but he has also converted and peace would reign and their cousin seemingly justified the invasion if the pope and all the bishops of Lucia said the Virgin by invoking Russia and Ukraine as the world consecrated Russia to Mary appeared to “one people” and describing the the “Immaculate Heart of Mary.” them six times and conflict as a “metaphysical” battle.

Lucia later claimed that John confided to them The Rev. Stefano Caprio, a Paul fulfilled that prophecy three secrets. former Catholic missionary during a Mass on March 25, in Russia and a professor of 1984, exactly 38 years ago last Russian history and culture at the Friday, even though he never Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, said Kirill is specified Russia in the prayer. hardly the most hawkish of Russian patriarchs and The text of Francis’ prayer Friday appears is presumably under pressure to toe the Kremlin’s to correct that 1984 omission, reading: official line. But in comments to reporters last “Therefore, Mother of God and our Mother, to week, Caprio noted that the Catholic and Orthodox your Immaculate Heart we solemnly entrust prayers being offered up Friday carry some and consecrate ourselves, the Church and significant ambiguities. all humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine.”

It adds: “Grant that war may end and peace “The problem is that these are two different interpretations: The Madonna who favors peace, and spread throughout the world.” the Madonna who supports the war,” he said.

For some traditionalist Catholics, Francis’

In fact,

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/ Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Will Smith dances with family after Oscar win, shocking slap Beyond The Slapping

He received special attention at a party where major stars were everywhere

B

Andrew Dalton and Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press

EVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Will Smith gleefully danced with wife Jada Pinkett Smith and their family at the Vanity Fair Oscar party, waving his best actor trophy in the air like he just didn’t care as he rapped along to a mash-up of his own songs, from “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” to “Summertime.”

The only sign of the ugliness that went down four hours before — when Smith strode on to the Dolby Theatre stage and slapped Chris Rock over a joke about his wife’s hair, then gave a tearful acceptance speech minutes later — was the outsized attention given to the actor at a party where major stars and newly minted Oscar winners were everywhere.

He was mobbed by people filming the scene and squeezing next to him for selfies.

“Congratulations Will Smith, I love you!” shouted DJ D-Nice as he spun the medley.

“Daily Show” host Trevor Noah gave Smith a long hug, whispering in his ear as Smith laughed.

The mob followed as Smith and his entourage made their way across the party. Smith clanked Oscar statuettes with other winners and stopped to accept congratulations and pose for

photos with Timothée Chalamet.

Smith held his Oscar triumphantly in the air as he climbed into an SUV to leave after the brief party visit.

His son Jaden Smith, staying behind to party with friends, shouted “I love you! You did it!”

Will Smith

Jada Pinkett Smith, from left, Willow Smith, Will Smith, Jaden Smith and Trey Smith arrive at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party. >Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

The shocking slap and its aftermath hung in the air and dominated conversations at the post-Oscar parties just as it did on social media and in much of the country.

The Elephant In The Room

At the Governors Ball, which takes place upstairs from the Dolby Theatre immediately after the show, both joy and tension were in the room. Many were excited to eat, drink and get their Oscars engraved.

Many more were still processing what had happened on stage, though few were ready to express their feelings about it publicly. Rock did not appear at either party.

Kodi Smit-McPhee, a supporting actor nominee for “The Power of the Dog,” said he was happy for best director winner Jane Campion and excited to celebrate, but “still calculating what happened” with Smith and Rock.

“I’m going to have to go home and do my research,” SmitMcPhee said.

Tracee Ellis-Ross stopped to have a conversation with Questlove, whose documentary “Summer of Soul” won in the aftermath of the incident.

She told him that he’d done beautifully and that she was “really sorry that happened.”

At the Vanity Fair party before Smith’s arrival, Andrew Garfield, who lost best actor to Smith, was introduced to Serena Williams, an executive producer on “King Richard,” the biopic about her and sister Venus that won Smith his Oscar for playing their father.

“Nice to meet you,” Garfield said. “I’m so sorry about tonight.”

That out of the way, they hopped topics to talk about tennis.

Other corners of the parties were like any other Oscar night.

The Elton John AIDS Foundation resumed its viewing party on the 30th anniversary of its first.

Brandi Carlile performed at the event in West Hollywood hosted by Lady Gaga, Billy Porter and Eric McCormack.

At the Governor’s Ball, Anthony Hopkins danced as actor Riz Ahmed chatted with “Dune” director Denis Villeneuve. John Travolta posed with people taking selfies and Emilia Jones looked on as her “CODA” co-star Troy Kotsur got his statuette engraved while “Dancing Queen” played in the background.

…still calculating what happened… I’m going to have to go home and do my research.

Kodi Smit-McPhee Best Supporting Actor nominee

Before Smith arrived at the Vanity Fair Party, Bill Murray, wearing a beret, bopped up and down on a mostly empty dance floor to Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face.” Sofia Coppola guided father Francis Ford Coppola by the arm through the crowds.

“Game of Thrones” actor Sophie Turner and her husband, musician Joe Jonas, hung out near the bar.

Actor Isla Fisher, leaving the party with her husband Sacha Baron Cohen, shouted to the arriving Wanda Sykes that she “killed it” as one of three Oscar hosts.

Billie Eilish and Kotsur smiled as they held their first Oscars and chilled with friends as the party began to thin out.

Other winners with far less famous faces reveled in the instant invitation the trophy gets you to the Vanity Fair party, the nearly annual gala – back this year after a pandemic year off – hosted by the magazine’s editor Radhika Jones at an indooroutdoor space between the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and Beverly Hills City Hall.

As always, guests gorged on In-N-Out burgers, the traditional fare at a party that is all about cutting loose and letting go of tension.

A Much Awaited Apology

The day after slapping Rock on the Oscars stage and upending the Academy Awards ceremony, Smith issued an apology to the comedian, to the academy and to viewers at home, saying he was “out of line” and that his actions are “not indicative of the man I want to be.”

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/ Wednesday, March 30, 2022

“The Phantom of the Opera” Returns to Puerto Rico Ballet stars take to the stage for a dramatic retelling of the 19th century tale

M

Zoe Landi Fontana, The Weekly Journal

@Landi_Zoe

aybe you’ve seen it on Broadway, maybe you’ve seen the movie.

Regardless, “The Phantom of the Opera” brings drama, mystery, terror, and romance. Published in 1910, Gastón Leroux’s Gothic novel is set in 19th century Paris and is inspired by true events.

The Phantom lives deep within the catacombs, beneath the Paris Opera House, on the shores of an underground lake. Through accidents and terrifying apparitions, he tries to manipulate the hierarchy of the opera house in his attempts to push Christine Daaé, an amateur ballerina, into the spotlight. He must thwart the arrogant prima ballerina Carlotta, who dominates the stage but inevitably becomes obsessed with the noble and talented Christine, driving the story through to a dark end.

Something that makes me stand out from the other dancers is that I have a very strong mentality, I won’t let anything like take me down.

Aitana Padilla Dancer

The Production

The Phantom of the Opera originally premiered as a ballet in 1997, specially commissioned by Ballet Concierto. Alberto Méndez, a renowned Cuban choreographer, choreographed the production, with music written by Puerto Rican musician, Raymond Torres.

In this rendition of the famous drama, Ballet Concierto has invited Taras Domitro to dance as the Phantom. Domitro was born in Havana, Cuba to Magaly Suárez, a dancer and teacher, and trained at the Alejo Carpentier School and National Ballet School of Cuba. He performed as a principal

The Phantom and Christine. > Courtesy Ballet Concierto

dancer with the National Ballet of Cuba, and in 2008 joined the San Francisco Ballet as principal dancer. In 2017, Domitro returned to Florida as a freelancer making international appearances to critical acclaim.

The members of Ballet Concierto will be joined

by Betina Ojeda in the role of Christine Daaé and Áureo Andino in the role of Phillipe, both dancers of Mauro Ballet. Luis Víctor Santana, dancer of Coda21, will play the role of Raoul Chagny, and Johnal Fernández, also a guest dancer, will play the Sultan.

In conversation With A Young Dancer

“Carlotta is like a cat - she has nine lives,” Aitana Padilla laughs, explaining her role in Ballet

Concierto’s The Phantom of the Opera.

In a conversation with THE WEEKLY JOURNAL, Padilla, a young 20-year-old dancer, describes the pressures of the ballet industry, as well as what it’s like to be part of a dynasty of dancers, and her excitement to perform the role of Carlotta.

“I started dancing when I was three years old.

I started my dance training in my family’s ballet school, called Academia Franceschi, which is owned by my grandmother. Both my parents met, actually, in Ballet Municipal - they were both principal dancers,” Padilla tells of her foray into the world of ballet.

“So, they fell in love throughout that process.

And of course, since they had me as their first daughter, I obviously had a lot of pressure to

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/ Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Aitana Padilla

continue that tradition of the dance industry. So, I started taking classes that were either jazz, hip hop, ballet, a little Spanish dance, folkloric, stuff like that,” she continues.

Her cousin also dances, and this friendly familial competition motivated her to constantly improve.

“We’ve always been like, compared to look and do this better. Who can do that better? And like, I’m just tired of this but, I feel like sometimes it’s healthy,” Padilla explains, “I was more of the competitive one, you know, so I would always have grudges with my cousin, like, oh my gosh, she did three pirouettes today? I can only do two and a half - or something like that.”

Despite having doubts about ballet when she was 10 years old, Padilla stuck with dance throughout high school, mixing in some musical of appearances. Upon looking at her, you wouldn’t theater and choreographing some works of her think that Padilla has been criticized for her size, own on the way. Much of her hesitation towards ever. Yet, it’s something she has had to face, pursuing ballet professionally was due to the art including being denied roles, because of centuries form’s strict traditions around of aesthetic customs. propriety and appearances.

“Something that makes “You need to be careful of the me stand out from the other way you do things or else that dancers is that I have a very can scar your entire reputation. strong mentality, I won’t let Behave yourself in the studio, anything like take me down. I in the way you address yourself wouldn’t like, tell myself - Okay, The Phantom of the to other people. For example, I’m not gonna do this. I’m too Opera originally every time we’re in a class, fat or something. I learned premiered as a ballet we need to be like this,” she that from my cousin who has in 1997, specially gestures with her arms, “We suffered a lot [due to the dance commissioned by cannot be like this. We have industry]. I’m like, I’m not letting Ballet Concierto. to be like that. So, it’s been that happen to me,” Padilla like always about posture and says. respect. If you do the slightest, On being chosen for the role like yawn in the class, they’re of Carlotta, Padilla expressed gonna be like ‘Good morning Aitana, I can see you that it was a surprise and that she kept it secret yawning over there’.” from her mother and grandmother until the Throughout her career, Padilla has experienced last minute. Her explosive and powerful style of constant pressure to maintain or lose weight. dancing is perfect for the role of Carlotta. Padilla Being a performing art - visual, artistic, and athletic has danced similarly powerful roles, such as the - the world of classical ballet is extremely critical Spanish variation in The Nutcracker, and the Black

In fact,

Swan in Swan Lake.

“I’m a diva, but I am not mad. I just need to see if everyone can just like do the work for me.

So, it’s just like that very commanding aspect,” Padilla says of the role of Carlotta, “I do have the idea, which I think is the very hardest part of this role because it’s just a fine line between being mad and jealous. It’s like she keeps the mad, the anger inside. But I’m still a 20 year old. That is the challenge for me; I still haven’t gone through that many life experiences to know how I should feel if this happens to me.”

For the ballet scene in Puerto Rico, Padilla hopes that the various companies will one day unite as a single national ballet company - bringing together the best talent, artistry, and funding to represent the island under one banner.

Where And When

The Ballet Concierto of Puerto Rico will be performing The Phantom of the Opera, with invited soloist Taras Domitro, on Saturday, April 9 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 10 at 4:00 p.m.

Both performances will take place in the Sala de Festivales Antoni Paoli at the Fine Arts Center (Centro de Bellas Artes) in Santurce.

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