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Tag: puerto rico

  • Google Now Facing Third Suit, As 30 State Sue Over ‘Illegal Monopoly’

    Google Now Facing Third Suit, As 30 State Sue Over ‘Illegal Monopoly’

    Google is being sued by 30 states, as the company faces its third lawsuit over abusing its monopoly in search and online advertising.

    Google is already facing lawsuits by the Department of Justice (DOJ), as well as a coalition of 10 states. The new lawsuit is led by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, and includes Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming, the District of Columbia, and the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico.

    “Our economy is more concentrated than ever, and consumers are squeezed when they are deprived of choices in valued products and services. Google’s anticompetitive actions have protected its general search monopolies and excluded rivals, depriving consumers of the benefits of competitive choices, forestalling innovation, and undermining new entry or expansion,” Weiser explained. “This lawsuit seeks to restore competition.”

    The scope of this lawsuit goes beyond the previous two, accusing Google of “engaging in a multi-pronged effort to maintain its monopolies.” In particular, “Google’s acquisition and command of vast amounts of data obtained because of consumers’ lack of choice has fortified Google’s monopolies and created new barriers to competition and consumer value.”

    The states have filed a motion to join their case with the DOJ’s case, which could significantly expand the scope of the DOJ’s case.

  • Puerto Rico Is An Ideal Business Destination

    This is a sponsored post written by WebProNews on behalf of Puerto Rico for IZEA.

    Puerto Rico is the perfect location to do business, and now is definitely the time to do it!

    Puerto Rico’s fiscal incentives package, lifestyle and business opportunities are as solid as ever.

    Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth of the United States whose top-notch economic incentives make it an ideal business destination, and it has a thriving business community where companies and individual investors can also find a great place to live and play. Hundreds of individual investors and corporations have already taken advantage of incentives and are seeing results. It’s happening in Puerto Rico!

    Puerto Rico not only provides an amazing global experience, but is an ideal place to a raise a family, with top quality English and bilingual schools, U.S certified health care professionals and institutions, luxury living alternatives, five star beaches, golf and gastronomy.

    For investors to bring their company to Puerto Rico, investors can feel safe as every tax incentive granted constitutes a contract with the government of Puerto Rico that is legally guaranteed and protected by United States law, thus providing a favorable environment to continue forging alliances and driving investment.

    With an ever-growing array of services and emerging industries, the government has created an aggressive economic and tax incentives program.

    ACT 20 EXPORT SERVICES

    – 4% corporate tax rate
    – 100% tax exemption on dividends or profit distributions
    – 100% exemption on property taxes

    ACT 22 INDIVIDUAL INVESTORS

    – 100% tax exemption on all dividends and interest income
    – 100% tax exemption on all capital gains

     

     

    Be sure to check out Business in Puerto Rico on all social channels for more information! This includes a great YouTube channel, where you can view more.

    Are you interested in doing Business in Puerto Rico?

    Visit Sponsors Site

  • The ‘GoldenEye’ Telescope Sustained Serious Damage in an Earthquake

    Fans of the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye (and the subsequent N64 game) no doubt know the Arecibo Observatory as the “cradle.”

    The famous movie set is actually a 1,000-ft. radio telescope, the largest single-aperture telescope in world. The giant platform is suspended hundreds of feet above the dish by 18 cables, which are attached to three concrete towers.

    Well, one of those cables was recently damaged.

    According to the observatory, the cable was damaged during the 6.4 magnitude earthquake and subsequent 70 or more aftershocks that hit Puerto Rico back in January. Although the earthquake didn’t cause any known injuries, it did cause structural damage to nearby buildings and major power outages.

    And now we learn that it also damaged The GoldenEye cradle. Damn you Mother Nature.

    “That cable segment and splice near the top of one of the telescope towers was consequently more rigid than the balance of the suspension system,” director Bob Kerr told Universe Today. “When the earthquake shook the site, just after midnight on January 13, it is that short cable and splice that suffered damage.”

    Apparently, the cable in question was already a known issue since it was actually made of two cables that had been spliced together during construction.

    The Arecibo radio telescope was completed in 1963. It is used in radar astronomy, aeronomy, and radio astronomy.

    Images via Wikimedia Commons

  • Norovirus: 600 People Infected Aboard Cruise Ship

    The ship Explorer of the Seas is on its way back to port after an outbreak of what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says is the norovirus. The outbreak has sickened 600 people aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise.

    Norovirus is a rapidly spreading stomach bug that became so bad onboard the ship, it literally forced the cruise line to cut the 10-day cruise short.

    CDC officials, who have boarded the Explorer of the Seas to investigate the outbreak, say the likely culprit is norovirus.

    “Our team is on the ship and will stay on board until it returns to New Jersey,” said CDC spokeswoman Bernadette Burden.

    The CDC says it is currently running tests to make sure they’ve identified the culprit, which spreads very easily in contained spaces such as cruise ships.

    The cruise ship had 3,050 passengers aboard, with a crew of 1,165 people, and left Cape Liberty on Tuesday for a 10-day cruise through the U.S. Virgin Isles, and Puerto Rico, with stops along the way in ports such as San Juan, St. Thomas and St. Maarten.

    The ship should have come back the following Friday, but due to the quickly spreading sickness, it is expected to arrive back in New Jersey on Wednesday.

    “After returning to home port on Wednesday, Jan. 29, we will perform a thorough ‘barrier’ sanitization program on the entire ship to make certain that any remaining traces of the illness are eliminated,” Royal Caribbean said in a statement.

    Adding, “It will be the third aggressive sanitizing procedure the ship has undertaken since we became aware of the issue, and will additionally provide a window of more than 24 hours where there are no persons aboard the ship, which is a significant help.”

    Even with scrupulous cleaning, the virus can still remain intact, according to Dr. Richard Besser, ABC’s chief medical correspondent.

    “The virus is not killed by alcohol sanitizers. It survives and can be infectious on surfaces,” he said. “People who are infected will shed the virus for days after their symptoms resolve. This is a real problem for food workers on cruise ships. Lastly, if you go into a bathroom that has been used by someone who has the norovirus, you can get sick.”

    According to the CDC, norovirus causes about 21 million cases of acute gastroenteritis in the U.S. each year, hospitalizing between 51,000 and 71,000. It isn’t very deadly, however, resulting in fewer than 1,000 deaths each year.

    Image via YouTube

  • Puerto Rico Earthquake Of 6.4 Magnitude Jolts Nation

    A strong earthquake  struck Northern Puerto Rico early Monday about 34 miles north of Hatillo municipality and caused minor damages including some power outages and floor cracks.  No injuries have been reported so far. The earthquake is one of the largest quakes to hit the U.S. territory in recent years.

    The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was out at sea and estimated its magnitude to be about 6.4. The survey also revealed the quake went approximately 17 miles deep.

    A geologist with Puerto Rico’s Seismic Network, Gisela Baez Sanchez, said at least 70 aftershocks of 3.5 or more magnitude have since been reported.

    People living along the coast reported cracked walls and floors, broken windows and  busted water lines. Authorities confirmed that power outages mostly occurred in the northern city of Bayamon which is next to Puerto’s capital of San Juan. Some people, however, reported buildings swaying in San Juan, about 61 miles (98 kilometers) from the epicenter of the quake.

    The island’s government was criticized in the social media for not issuing a tsunami alert immediately after the quake. However, authorities have defended themselves saying they would have done so had there been risk of injuries.

    According to Puerto Rico’s emergency management agency spokesman, Carlos Acevedo, many people called the emergency services but no injuries have been reported. As a result, the agency has not issued a tsunami alert yet since the damages have been minor.

    “No one has required our services.” Carlos Acevedo said in a phone interview.

    The last time Puerto Rico experienced an earthquake of a similar magnitude was in 1918 when a 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit the island and killed 116 people. In 2011, there was also a 5.4 magnitude quake that shook the island followed by another, occurring in Dec 2010.

    Earthquakes 101

    Image via YouTube

  • Puerto Rico Earthquake – 6.4-Magnitude Rattles The Country

    A strong earthquake hit Puerto Rico after midnight on Sunday, the quake was centered in the Atlantic Ocean.

    The epicenter was approximately 35 miles north of Hatillo, and 17 miles deep according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

    The National Weather Service’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has reported that there is a possibility of a widespread tsunami, but it is not expected to be destructive.

    Some damage was reported as several people experienced items falling in their home and many others said they felt the buildings sway in San Juan, which lies approximately 61 miles from the earthquake’s epicenter.

    The area is no stranger to earthquakes – many of similar magnitude have hit the country in the recent past. A 5.4 magnitude occurred in March 2011 and December 2010.

    Reports indicate that there was minimal damage. The capital San Juan, where 400,000 people live, is located on the same side of the island where the possibility of a tsunami could occur, although authorities have not issued a warning.

    This quake is almost 4 years to the day after the powerful 7.0-magnitude earthquake ravaged Haiti. It also occurred just a day after services were held in Haiti to remember the estimated 316,000 people killed in that quake of January 12, 2010.

    The Caribbean tectonic plate is a sliver of crust caught between the North and South American plates and, to the west, the Cocos plate. When they move in opposite directions the Caribbean plate gets squeezed, thereby causing tremors and earthquakes.

    Although in recent years Puerto Rico has not fallen victim to a major tremor, the U.S. Geological Society notes that the subduction zone “is capable of hosting M8+ earthquakes.” That said, the tectonic history of the region includes known earthquakes of magnitude-7.5 in 1914, magnitude-7.3 in 1787 and 1918 and magnitude-7.0 1917.

    These quakes were recorded to have caused major damage, and the 1918 quake, which created a tsunami, killed 116 people.

    Image via NDN

  • Puerto Rico Primary Names Romney Winner

    Puerto Rico Primary Names Romney Winner

    Unofficial results show that Mitt Romney has taken Puerto Rico today in the primary in a sweep, garnering 83% of the total amount of votes.

    Rick Santorum was the distant second in the race, taking only 8% of the votes, while former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul took just 2% and 1% of the total respectively.

    Romney says the win shows that Puerto Rico is ready for a change, and the need for someone to represent their views.

    “Those people who don’t think that Latinos will vote for a Republican need to take a look in Puerto Rico,” said the former Massachusetts governor. “Hispanic voters are going to vote for Republicans if we stand for something — conservative principles that bring growth and good jobs and rising home values. That’s how we’re going to win, and we’re going to get Latino voters to help us out.”

    Some think, however, that the win came only because of Santorum’s gaffe last week at the expense of Puerto Ricans, when he said they would have to learn to speak English if they wanted to pursue U.S. statehood.

    The territory was a big “get” for Romney, as it ushers him in to the Illinois primary on Tuesday with 20 more GOP delegates in his corner. In order to secure a nomination, 1,144 delegates have to be secured, and as it stands now, Romney is in the clear lead with 518. He is the projected winner for Illinois, although he only holds a small lead over Santorum. He tweeted his thanks for the support of Puerto Rico earlier today:

    Ann and I are deeply grateful to @LuisFortuno51, his wife, & the people of Puerto Rico for their support & help in winning today’s primary(image) 16 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Santorum, on the other hand, is expected to win the Louisiana primary on Saturday. The two continue to bash it out in a numbers game as they criss-cross the state primaries, battling for the Republican nomination.

    Twitter was buzzing today with updates on the win from both sides of the political dividing line:

    Puerto Ricans knew just enough English to realize Rick Santorum is the worst. http://t.co/7Ux1xai5(image) 2 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Romney handily wins Puerto Rico’s GOP primary http://t.co/OjXGAU8Y #cnn — GETS 83% of votes!!!!! GO MITT ROMNEY!(image) 1 minute ago via Tweet Button ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    I want to see Mitt Romney awkwardly pander in Puerto Rico.(image) 5 days ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto