Over forty years ago today, in 1974, a message was sent from the observatory in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, to … well, any life forms out in space that might be available to receive a message. A spokesperson for the observatory emphasized that it was a “symbolic” event rather than the beginning of a conversation. The… Read more »
El Nuevo Dia, Puerto Rico’s major newspaper, has been polling the Island population for thirty years. The most recent poll found that 25% of respondents expect to leave Puerto Rico in 2019. This percentage shows no change since the last survey, in March. The number of people planning to leave is always larger than the… Read more »
After an initial delay due to weather concerns, Hunter College’s Center for Puerto Rican Studies, “Centro”, held the second annual Puerto Rico Diaspora Summit on October 26th, 2018 at the University of the District of Columbia School of Law. The focus of the event was to gather Puerto Ricans from across the nation, of all… Read more »
Caguas, Puerto Rico, gave a hero’s welcome to Alex Cora, his family, his teammates, and the World Series Trophy. Cora, the first Puerto Rican team manager to win the World Series, asked the Boston Red Sox management to send him and his team home to Puerto Rico with the trophy, and they complied. Earlier this… Read more »
New Caledonia, a South Pacific archipelago, has belonged to France since 1853. Last week, a referendum on independence brought out more than 80% of the voters, and they chose to stay with France. There are similarities between this case and that of Puerto Rico, which has belonged to the United States nearly as long as… Read more »
Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL) wrote to the PROMESA Fiscal Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) last month, expressing concern over the unequal treatment Puerto Rico receives under Medicaid. The Board responded, thanking Soto for advocating for Puerto Rico and providing a list of proposed solutions to the problem. Puerto Rico, like States, is responsible for the… Read more »
The Boston Red Sox have won the World Series for the 9th time in their history. Naturally, Boston is excited. But manager Alex Cora, who hails from Caguas, Puerto Rico, has created excitement on the Island, too. Cora asked for a plane load of supplies for Puerto Rico disaster relief last year when he negotiated… Read more »
Four Democratic members of Congress who are active on Puerto Rico related issues have written to the PROMESA Financial Board to strongly object to the Fiscal Plan for the territory it adopted a week ago citing the “devastating impact” the plan’s “overly generous debt service” and “severe austerity” would have on Puerto Ricans. Senator Elizabeth Warren… Read more »
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) recently announced on Twitter that he “would support statehood for Washington DC and Puerto Rico if either of those proposals came up for a vote in the Senate.” How did the issue arise on Twitter? It all started when Whitehouse told The Providence Journal that he doesn’t have “a particular interest… Read more »
A new report on Puerto Rico’s recovery a year after Hurricane Maria says that “it is obvious that Puerto Rico’s subordinate, some would say colonial, political status has been an obstacle to the recovery process.” The report, authored by Sergio M. Marxuach of the Center for a New Economy, identifies specific aspects of Puerto Rico’s… Read more »
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