Insulted Puerto Ricans Slam CNN, Republican Candidates – Fox News Latino

Puerto Ricans, the second largest voter group among Hispanics in the US, are “outraged” and “insulted” at CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and the Republican candidates for their “disrespectful” handling of a question centered around the longstanding issue of Puerto Rico’s statehood and independence.

During the live broadcast of the Jacksonville debate, audience members attending the Hispanic Leadership Network Conference, a center right advocacy organization in Miami, were given a chance to ask questions to the candidates. That’s when Elizabeth Cuevas-Neunder, the Republican president and CEO of the Puerto Rican Chamber of [Commerce] of Florida, asked the GOP candidates where they stood on the issue of the island’s statehood.

The answer, or lack thereof, she received on national television sent her and a group of about five Puerto Ricans packing early as they stormed out of the CNN sponsored Watch Party mid-debate.

Twitpic via RT @jaxdotcom CNN is at UNF; no Wolf Blitzer yet though

The next day (Jan. 27th), GOP candidates former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and former Mass. Governor Mitt Romney addressed the conference. Gingrich noted the question of Puerto Rico’s statehood was “one that unfortunately was not covered very well last night and I regret that Wolf Blitzer did not turn and ask the rest of us.”

Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich Pressed on Puerto Rico Statehood in South Florida — ABC News

“I have had a firm position on the right of the Puerto Rican people to have a referendum,” Gingrich said to applause. “I am not dictating the outcome of the referendum because there are several options and the Puerto Rican people have to make that decision.”

Romney, speaking an hour later, backed the idea of statehood:

“I think it’s in November you’re having a referendum and I expect the people of Puerto Rico will decide that they want to become a state and I can tell you that I will work with [Puerto Rico Gov. Luis] Fortuno to make sure that if that vote comes out in favor of statehood, that we will go through the process in Washington to provide statehood to Puerto Rico.”

It should be noted that Romney’s remarks went beyond what he said to Univision’s Jorge Ramos on Wednesday, “my choice is to let them make their choice.”

Fortuno endorsed Romney in Cape Canaveral on Friday evening.

Lesson learned

Cuevas-Neunder made a good point on Thursday when she said the candidates knew more about going to the moon then they did about Puerto Rican statehood.  And personally, I think Wolf Blizter should have better prepared for questions from the Hispanic Leadership Network. Surely he knew there would be no questions about the moon from Miami.

Blitzer, however, earned cheers and social media shout-outs when he described UNF as “beautiful” and “fabulous” just before the candidates faced off. CNN anchor Erin Burnett also praised the “beautiful campus” and UNF’s growing global logistics training program. She said Jacksonville International Airport “is what I think might be America’s best airport.”

CNN anchor raves about JIA, UNF and city after debate  – Florida Times-Union

Watch this clip from Erin Burnett’s OutFront on Friday night. She segues from her love of the airport to 44,000 – the number of Northeast Floridians employed in the distribution industry.

THE NUMBER: OutFront in Jacksonville

“Did you know 90 percent of Coach Handbags are shipped through Jacksonville?”

No, Erin. But thanks for telling me. 

Christmas Palace Avenue: The power of music -- HSBC HQ, Rua XV Novembro

Curitiba-based HSBC Bank Brazil established the non-profit unit of Instituto HSBC Solidariedade in 2006 to manage its increased social investments in education, the environment and income generation all over Brazil. HSBC’s Education Program sponsors the choir of 160 children from 11 children’s shelters in Curitiba and nearby regions. The objective of the program is to enable children’s development through the support of counseling, education and health services.

This year hundred of thousands of visitors from across Brazil and around the world will see the choir sing and dance from the windows of Palace Avenue – the HSBC headquarters on Rua XV Novembro – each Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening from Nov. 25th to Dec. 18th.

Mayor Brown (far left), J.R. Rodriggs stroll down Rua XV Novembro in downtown Curitiba

On Nov. 25th in Jacksonville, Gov. Rick Scott told WOKV’s radio audience that the successful October economic development trip to Sao Paulo, Brazil resulted in over $60 million worth of contracts. Enterprise Florida organized the delegation of over 250 Floridians seeking to do business with primarily Brazilian aviation and transportation companies. Mayor Alvin Brown and JAXUSA Partnership Pres. Jerry Mallot were among the delegates representing Northeast Florida.

A day in Curitiba

Brown’s side trip to Curitiba on Oct. 25th strengthened and developed existing ties with one of Jacksonville’s Sister Cities. Brown and Joshua “J.R.” Rodriggs, president of BrazilFlorida Alliance met with Mayor Luciano Ducci, officials at ACP (Associação Comercial do Paraná –  the Commercial Association of the State of Paraná) and toured the city.  In the above photograph, Brown and Rodriggs are near HSBC Palace Avenue on 15 November Street (Rua XV Novembro) which would  transform into a Christmas wonderland within a month.

Gallery of Light -- Located between the streets of Rio Branco and Marechal Floriano Peixoto, in downtown Curitiba

The Christmas show opened on Dec. 1st and runs through Dec. 23rd. A parade of dancers and jugglers from various dance schools perform at the Gallery of Light – the show lasts about 40 minutes. It has been staged every year since 1995 by Italian artist Valerio Festi (Studio Festi) to honor the victims of the earthquake in Kobe, Japan. Other than show times, visitors walk through the Gallery’s succession of arched gates decorated with over 50,000 lights while holiday music plays from a state-of-the-art sound system. The Gallery of Light will be lit until Jan. 6th.

 For complete month-long event schedule see Encantado do Natal’s  Website ~~ 

CURITIBA Capital do Natal 

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BrazilFlorida Alliance  Holiday Networking Event,   Dec. 13th 5:30pm – 7pm at 

Tento Churrascaria, 528 North First St., Jacksonville Beach.   

Registration  

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I had not heard the rumor that Toronto was a relocation possibility, just the Los Angeles rumor. But NBC Sports.com’s “Latest News and Rumors” blog said on Wednesday, “If the Jaguars move, it may not be a foregone conclusion that they move to Los Angeles. There’s a chance they’ll move to St. Louis, with the Rams returning to L.A.”   According to CBSsports.com, Khan had made an unsuccessful bid to buy the Rams in 2010, which may explain the NBC Sports.com rumor.

Jaguars majority owner Wayne Weaver announced Tuesday he is selling the team to businessman Shahid Khan. via msnbc.com

Here in Jacksonville this morning, though, Timothy Gibbons (Florida Times-Union) said, “If the Jacksonville Jaguars’ prospective new owner wants to move the team to a new city before 2030, he’d have to pay the city millions of dollars to get out of its lease for EverBank Field.”  Gibbons is also a University of North Florida adjunct professor whom I took a journalism course through, so I trust him to do his homework.  Here’s a link to his explanatory story, within which is a link to the city’s stadium lease (opens on scribd.com)

To be clear, Shahid Khan, who is buying the Jaguars from Wayne Weaver, has said nothing about moving the team. Weaver said Tuesday he wouldn’t take calls from suitors wanting to move the Jaguars and that Khan won’t do that.

The sales agreement, which according to Forbes is worth $760 million, doesn’t bind Khan to the city. Still, “there’s not a doubt in my mind this team is going to stay in Jacksonville,” Weaver said Tuesday.

That aside, Shahid Khan (who is NOT moving the Jaguars to Los Angeles) also owns Urbana, Ill.-based Flex-N-Gate Corp. I had not heard of the company, but I don’t know much about automotive-product engineering and manufacturing, so I’m not that surprised. Flex-N-Gate is a private corp., employing over 12,450 people at 48 manufacturing and nine product development and engineering facilities throughout Canada, the U. S., Mexico, Argentina, and Spain.

Flex-N-Gate’s Canadian presence may explain the “resurrected rumblings” of the teams move to Toronto.  According to its website, it  has 11 manufacturing and assembly plants in Ontario.  In the U.S., the company has similar operations across eight states, primarily in Michigan.  Closest to Jacksonville is its 125,000 square-foot facility in Alabama. Personally, I think Flex-N-Gate should move its Alabama facility to AllianceFlorida at Cecil Commerce Center. 

TEALgate party festivities begin in and around the staduim at 5:30 pm.

Among the points Mayor Alvin Brown expressed in a Nov. 29th “Welcome to Jacksonville” letter to Mr. Khan has been his intensive concentration on economic development since taking office in July.

Understanding the importance of teams like the Jaguars for our city’s ability to recruit new business, I am creating a Sports and Entertainment Director who will have a direct line of communication into the Mayor’s office.

And on that note, Mayor Brown has proclaimed Mon., Dec. 5th as “Ultimate TEALgate Day” in support of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Monday Night Football game against the San Diego Chargers.  

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Home page photo credit:

RICK WILSON/The Times-Union–1/12/10–Jacksonville Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver addresses the media in a press conference to announce that he has retained Jack Del Rio as the head coach Tuesday afternoon  January 12, 2010 at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville, Fl. (The Florida Times-Union, Rick Wilson)

Mayor Alvin Brown announced a new Mayor’s Office of Public-Private Partnerships on Nov. 10th. The vice-president of corporate and market strategy for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, Renee Finley, will  head the office for $1 a year as an executive on loan. 

This office will forge ties between city government and private sector partners who have an interest in improving our economy and the quality of life in Jacksonville — Mayor Brown

Light Parade Dragon

2011 Jacksonville Light Parade 

Boats bedecked with holiday decorations will cruise on the St. Johns, downtown where the river bends south toward St. Augustine, on Saturday, November 26th beginning at 7 p.m. (St. Augustine’s Holiday Regatta of Lights is December 10th on Matanzas Bay at 6 p.m.)

2010 Organized Club Winner #35 Helga Captain Eric Nord Suns of Norway

The 2011 parade will make two laps. It will begin at Metropolitan Park, travel along the Northbank past The Jacksonville Landing to the Fuller Warren Bridge and will circle to the Southbank. The route will continue along the Southbank, under the Main Street Bridge, past the Navy Memorial statue and down to the Duval County School Board Building.

Jacksonville Light Parade fireworks with bridge "waterfall"

Following the 2011 boat parade, fireworks will be shot from river barges in front of The Jacksonville Landing, Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront and Metropolitan Park. The signature “waterfall” fireworks will be shot from both sides of the Main Street Bridge and the east side of the Acosta Bridge.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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]]> http://www.flipsideflorida.com/boats-on-parade/feed/ 0 http://www.flipsideflorida.com/les-machines-redux/ http://www.flipsideflorida.com/les-machines-redux/#comments Sat, 20 Aug 2011 22:39:47 +0000 k. a. gardner http://www.flipsideflorida.com/?p=2830 JACKSONVILLE — As the last days of August are upon us, it’s time for a returned vacation to our sister city Nantes, France. This was the summer that the Marine World Carousel at Les Machines de L’ile Nantes was to open. As we’ll recall, the carousel is to be “twenty-seven moving underwater creatures on three levels: the ocean floor, the depths, and sea and boats. Visitors will be able to move about amidst a ballet of aquatic animals and sea carriages - - The Lantern of the Depths, The Crab Larva, The Pirate Fish,The Reverse-Propelling Squid, The Manta Ray.”

Alas, the date was pushed back to 2012. In the meanwhile,  Eclectica has a stunning pictorial of that blog’s visit to Les Machines. I hope it doesn’t mind if I borrow a few pictures to share.

We really liked the Les Machines de l’île. It was the high-point of our visit to Nantes. It is one of those places [to paraphrase Samuel Johnson] that is not only worth seeing, but worth going to see. — Eclectica

The Gallery of the Machines --photo Eclectica

 Most of the machines have seats inside and controls to allow them to be manipulated.

"You can see the two drivers seats on the back of the squid" --Eclectica

The Giant Crab -- photo Eclectica

"Located in the western part of the warehouses, covering more than 3,000 m2, the Workshop is the heart of the project. " -- Nantes Métropole, photo Eclectica

There is also a nice shop with lots of very reasonably priced goodies.